


Ben 10 RWBY Volume 1: Dimension Twist

by OmniRemnantAO3



Category: Ben 10 Series, RWBY
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/F, F/M, Family, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Multiple Crossovers, Original Character(s), Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:20:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 120
Words: 1,656,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27437974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OmniRemnantAO3/pseuds/OmniRemnantAO3
Summary: After an incident involving an old foe and a Null Void Portal, Ben and his team are transported to the world of Remnant... right in the middle of the Battle for Beacon. What will be the consequences? Ben doesn't know, but he does know one thing: It's Hero Time! (Takes place after Ultimate Alien. MAJOR changes to the end of RWBY Volume 3 and beyond. MAJOR AU)
Relationships: Ben Tennyson & Yang Xiao Long, Blake Belladonna/Sun Wukong, Cinder Fall/Rojo, Cooper Daniels/Coco Adel, Jaune Arc/Pyrrha Nikos, Kevin Levin/Gwen Tennyson, Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie, Mercury Black/Emerald Sustrai, Raven Branwen/Taiyang Xiao Long, Rex Salazar/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 15
Kudos: 28





	1. The Day that Changed Everything

_**Disclaimer: none of the characters who appear in this story are mine nor do I claim them to be.** _

**A/N (Please Read):Hello everyone! This is the Omni-Remnant from FFN! And I’m here to share my first story; “Ben 10 RWBY Volume 1: Dimension Twist” with the good people of AO3! I hope you all enjoy it because this has been a two-year long project in the making and I am VERY close to finishing it. I’m working on the last bunch of chapters as we speak, but over the course of the next couple of weeks, I’m gonna be uploading the other chapters from FFN onto here. I hope you all enjoy! Oh, and uh, some of the authors notes might all be a bit dated so… consider them all as a time capsule of sorts.**

**With all that said, a warm welcome to my first ever fanfiction ladies and gents! But before we really get started I just want to expand upon some things from the description of this story. This takes place one year after Ultimate Alien and the Heroes United special. Omniverse is not canon in this story, though I will be using some elements and aliens from that series. Secondly, this will pick up in the middle of the Battle for Beacon and a LOT is going to change from the original. And thirdly, this story IS going to deviate quite a bit from Volumes 4, 5 and whatever else is released in the future, so don't take them into account for now. There WILL be changes, so fair warning to you guys. That said, let's get on with the show shall we? This is...**

**Ben 10/RWBY Volume 1: Dimension Twist**

**Chapter 1: The Day that Changed Everything**

* * *

One year has passed since Ben Tennyson, Hero of Earth, defeated not only his arch foe Vilgax, but also took down the extra-dimensional demonic entity known only as Diagon. Since then, things had gotten back to a relatively normal state for the Omnitrix wielder, though you wouldn't have guessed it if you'd seen him at the moment. Ben was currently spread out across his bed, staring at the ceiling with a forlorn expression. Normally, Ben didn't get upset that easily, but considering what was on his mind at the moment, you'd probably understand.

' _I still can't believe it's over between us. Heh, I guess nothing really lasts forever does it?'_ the 17-year-old hero thought to himself. He was pulled out of his thoughts as his cellphone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the caller ID: Gwen. He smiled and answered his cousin. "Gwen! What's up?"

" _Ben! Glad you picked up. I'm doing great actually. How 'bout you?"_

"Eh, can't complain. Stopped Zombozo from stealing some weird chemicals today. So how's your last week of the semester? You done with tests?"

" _Ugh, yes FINALLY done! I love college, but their tests are absolutely AWFUL!"_ Ben laughed. _"We're actually on our way back right now. I'm calling from Kevin's car."_

"Really? Great! Just one week away from our trip! You excited?" The two cousins, Kevin and their Grandfather were taking a cross country trip to South America in a week and Ben couldn't wait any longer.

" _Yeah, it's gonna be great. So how 'bout you? You holding up okay?"_

"Yeah, I'm doing pretty good. Though things at base have been pretty hectic lately. The Incarcecon prison around Vexis-6 is ready for our... guest. I've just gotta see him off planet and we should be good for the summer... and hopefully the rest of our lives."

" _That's great... but that's not entirely what I meant. Ben... it's been a week and I was concerned that you didn't try to call me after it happened... Are you okay?"_

Ben instantly knew what she was talking about, but it didn't really help. He looked over to a photo on his night stand, one that had been taken at his grandfather's sixty-sixth birthday cookout last year (don't ask how the food was). The picture was of him, Gwen, his best friend and former enemy, Kevin, and his now ex-girlfriend, Julie Yamamoto. There were disadvantages to dropping out of school and this was one of them. Ben had dropped out a long time ago to focus on his hero duties, but Julie had stayed in and graduated this year. However, she decided to go overseas for her degree. In the end both she and Ben agreed that, knowing the ups and downs of their relationship, long distance would not work between them. The two parted ways at the airport a week ago, and Ben could still remember how it went.

* * *

" _Well, guess this is it." Ben said as he and Julie arrived at the terminal. They were standing just outside the entrance gates, Julie with a duffel bag strapped around her shoulder and a large suitcase beside her._

" _Yeah... guess so." She said sadly. They had tried. They REALLY tried to keep the relationship going. But as much as they loved each other, they both lead very different lives entailing different things. It was something that Julie couldn't keep up with and Ben couldn't make time for. She turned to face him. "Ben." He turned to her with the same look of sadness that she herself wore. "I don't want you to beat yourself up over this. This has been one of the best relationships that I've ever had with anyone and I'll never forget what we've been through together. But... there comes a time when... people have to move on." She was choking up. She swore to herself that she wouldn't choke up. She felt Ben's hand, a sensation that she was very familiar with, lift her head up by her chin and made her look directly at him._

" _I know Jules, I know. We tried. Dear god we did, but... I guess things just... didn't want to work out for us." That was the last straw. She flung herself into his arms and cried her eyes out, him doing the same into her shoulder, though his were silent. She didn't want this to end, but something had to give. Either she had to give up what she wanted to do with her life, or he had to stop being the galaxy's protector. And she couldn't be so selfish. When she was done crying, she spoke again._

" _Promise me something."_

" _Mmhm." Ben hummed a response into her shoulder._

" _Promise me, that where ever you go, where ever you end up in this universe, that you stay safe. And always, ALWAYS come back home. Okay?"_

_Ben sniffed. "Okay... I promise." A moment passed and he pulled away from her shoulder, a sad smile on his face. He looked her in the eye and said the last thing that she would ever expect on that day: "One last goodbye for the road?"_

_She smiled back. "One more couldn't hurt." Their lips met in a soft and tender kiss. This one would be their last together._

_...Ben? ...Ben?!_

* * *

" _BEN!"_

"Gah!" Ben snapped out of his memory. "Y-yeah?"

" _I was asking if you were okay."_ Gwen repeated. _"I just... I wanted to know if you think you made the right decision. Breaking up with Julie."_

Ben sighed. "Gwen, I know that ending it wasn't the easiest thing to do... but it was the RIGHT thing to do. In the long run, it'll save us both a lot of pain. Besides, you know Julie, she's not made for this kind of stuff. And I think she might of gotten sick of it just a little bit."

Gwen sighed. _"Alright, just... don't beat yourself up over it okay? It's not healthy to keep your emotions bottled up like that. You're free to talk with me anytime, you know that right?"_

"Heh, yeah, I do. Thanks, I'll see you soon Gwen, bye." Gwen said her goodbye and Ben hung up the phone, sprawling onto his bed again. He gave a sad sigh. "She's right, I've gotta get my mind off of this." At that moment, the lights in his room suddenly all went dark. Ben sat up in annoyance. "Oh, great. Just perfect!" But then, just as quick, the lights flickered back on. "Huh, well that was—"

_**BOOOM!** _

Ben's head jerked back at the explosive noise that shook not only his eardrums, but his entire room. The Omnitrix started blinking and beeping, signaling that someone was calling him. Ben tapped the watch face and spoke into it. "Ben here, go ahead."

" _Ben, it's Max, we've got a situation."_ His grandfather answered on the other end.

"Grandpa, what's wrong?"

" _The base just experienced a short term electro-magnetic pulse. I'm on my way there now. From what the officers said... I'm afraid a certain inmate's making an escape attempt. We need you here on the double."_

"Who's trying to escape?!"

" _Look outside."_ Ben flew to his window, seeing a billow of smoke rising up from the Plumbers secret Bellwood headquarters. It was only when he gazed further up that he knew who was trying to get a "Get-Out-of-Jail-Free" card.

"Crap." Ben said in a hushed tone. Floating about 10 meters above the city was none other than one of Vilgax's mighty warships. He spoke into the Omnitrix once again. "I'm on my way!" Ben touched the watch face of the Omnitrix and a holographic ring came up from it, showing the faces of his aliens. He selected one and the watch face slid back, the Omnitrix core popping up from its resting place. Ben slammed it down and turned into the alien he chose, a humanoid made of molten rock and fire.

"Heatblast!" Ben shouted in a raspy voice. Heatblast jumped out of the bedroom window, willed the earth that was now underneath him up out of the ground and lit it ablaze, making a platform for him to fly on. The Pyronite rose up and shot off toward the Plumber base. "No time to mope Ben," he told himself, "there's work to be done."

* * *

In hindsight, at least from Max Tennyson's perspective, he knew that keeping the arch nemesis of your family in the secret underground base was a bad plan. However, Plumber High Command, being the absolute GENIUSES that they were, insisted that NOTHING could go wrong by just keeping Vilgax there for a year while they prepared a new maximum security prison that could actually hold him. But Max knew something was wrong from the moment that Vilgax was locked up, that being the warlord's compliancy in just about everything. He hadn't even been any escape attempts in the time that he was there. At least until now, on the day that the new prison for him was finished. Max knew why as well, to lull the Plumbers into a false sense of security, and then strike when they least expected it.

These were the thoughts that were running through his head as he pulled up to what remained of the outer facade of the Plumber base and saw the Chimera Sui Generis standing amongst the rubble. Vilgax was now donned in an armor that was similar to the one that he had worn seven years ago, with the addition of a headpiece on top of his head as a sort of crown. The once bright afternoon sky had turned dark, arcs of lighting shooting through the sky marking the alien warlord's return. Max exited his motorhome, the Rustbucket, and began to approach Vilgax, who didn't waver from his spot. Before he could make himself known to his old foe, he saw a body moving amongst the rubble out of the corner of his eye. It was a Plumber, in full uniform, one with a familiar head of messy blonde hair. Max's eyes widened. "Cooper!" he exclaimed.

Cooper Daniels, Plumber, technopath, a young man who once had a crush on Gwen, but most importantly, a friend. He was laying there, half buried by rubble, struggling to break free. Max made his way over to him while Vilgax turned in his direction, now fully aware of his old enemy's arrival. As Max worked to get Cooper out, the young Plumber started doing the first thing that came to his mind: apologize. "I'm so sorry Mr. Tennyson. We had no idea this would happen and it happened so fast and I—"

Max cut him off before he could start rambling. "It's okay Coop, none of this is your fault. I've always suspected this would happen, but I guess no one in the higher ups likes to listen to us old timers anymore."

"Heh, respect your elders right?"

"Exactly." Max slung Cooper over his shoulder and asked: "Can you feel your legs?"

"Yeah, and they hurt." Max got a brief chuckle out of that before his attention was redirected to the shadow that was now looming over them. Vilgax had stridden over while the two were talking. The two old enemies simply glared at each other, one knowing he and the boy he was carrying were in no shape to fight, and the other feeling like the most powerful being in the universe once more.

"Ah, Tennyson," Vilgax spoke in his raspy yet guttural voice, "I suppose you didn't see this coming did you?"

"To be honest Vilgax," Max retorted, "I almost expected you to make your escape once you were off world and on your way to your new home. But on the other hand, destruction IS your forte."

The warlord scoffed. "I suppose the unfettered snark must run in your family."

Max smirked. "More than you know."

Vilgax however, turned around and waved him off, walking into the middle of the road underneath his ship. "But that is of no matter right now, I must be on my way back to my world. I shall let you live for now Tennyson, but know this, when next we meet, it will be our la—AAARRRGGG!"

A ball of hot fire hit Vilgax square in the jaw, sending him sprawling on the ground, clutching at his face. From out of nowhere, Heatblast flew down and leapt off of his earthen platform and next to his grandfather. "Hot stuff, huh Vilgax?" the hero taunted.

"TENNYSON!" Vilgax cried out from his place on the ground.

"Which one? Me or him?" Ben asked as he pointed a thumb between him and the elder Plumber.

"Ben, this is hardly the time for smack talk." Max pointed out.

"I know Grandpa, but I had to at least get a few good ones in. Besides, you heard him, we Tennyson's are naturally snarky. But from here on, it's strictly business." Ben redirected his attention to the blonde hanging off of his grandfather's shoulder. "Hey Coop."

"Hey Ben," the technopath replied. "Come to kick ass and take names?"

"Yep, though I suggest you sit this one out in the Rustbucket. Things are about to get ugly out here." He turned back to Max. "Get a Null Void projector ready Grandpa, we're gonna need it."

Max nodded. "Good luck, Ben. Do me proud." Ben nodded back and Max went back into the Rustbucket, helping Cooper alongside him. He laid Cooper down onto one of the bunk beds and went to work. Max reached into a secret compartment and pulled out a strange device that looked like a handgun with a big lens attached to it. The Null Void projector, a device to send intergalactic evil-doers to an alternate dimensional jail, was just what they needed in this situation. All Max had to do was calibrate it correctly.

Back outside, Vilgax stood up, his attention focused squarely on his Pyronite opponent. He let out a roar of frustration and pointed a clawed finger at Ben. "Tennyson! I have had enough! You and your compatriots have been a thorn in my side for far too long!" However, Ben wasn't paying any attention to Vilgax. He was too focused on the green and black muscle car that was fast approaching the warlord from behind. The car swerved around and knocked Vilgax down from underneath himself. It screeched to a halt and the driver's side door opened, revealing Kevin Levin, a big smirk on his face.

"I'm sorry," the black haired Osmosian said sarcastically, "but did somebody mention us?" The passenger side door opened and out stumbled Gwen, looking rather dizzy and a little green. She covered her mouth and gagged, trying her best to keep whatever was in her stomach down. She turned to her boyfriend and gave him a sharp glare.

"Kevin Ethan Levin... please... never do that again!" She said in between breaths.

Kevin put a steady hand over Gwen's shoulders, supporting her as they made their way over to Ben. "Sorry," Kevin apologized, "just wanted to get the drop on ol' Vilgy over there."

"Well next time, could you just fire the plasma cannon that I _know_ you have in that car?"

"Oh, okay." Kevin sighed. "Just wanted to have a little fun with it. Do you know how hard it is to make a badass entrance like that?"

"Practicality over badassery sweetie." She saw her cousin and smiled. "Hi Ben."

"Hey Gwen." the Pyronite replied. "Looks like South America's gonna have to wait huh?"

"Eh, what can ya do?" As Gwen regained her composure, Vilgax stood up, clenching his clawed hands in an attempt to restrain his rage.

"Must I always expect interference in ANY attempt to escape this wretched planet?!" he bellowed.

"Yes, yes you will." Heatblast said while lighting his fists ablaze. Kevin reached down to the pavement and absorbed it, turning his hands into a pair of maces in the process. Gwen's eyes lit up in a bright pink color with her own hands lighting up with mana of the same color. Ben gave the word. "It's Hero Time!"

The following battle was seismic in proportion. As the two sides clashed, the impacts became more intense. You could almost hear the thunderous sounds of colliding punches from miles away. The trio of heroes desperately tried to keep Vilgax down, but nothing seemed to faze the warlord, getting up every time they put him down. A good five minutes passed before Max finally came back out, Null Void projector in hand.

"Kids!" Max hollered. "Get clear!" The three teens retreated as fast as they could as Vilgax got up once again. When the warlord found his footing, his vision cleared... only to see Max pointing the projector directly at him. "Make my day, Vilgax!" Max shouted as he pulled the trigger.

However... nothing happened. No portal, no ray of light, nothing. Max was confused, he was sure he calibrated the thing correctly, so what was happening? He tried pulling it again and again, but nothing came of it. The projector suddenly began to spark in malfunction, shocking Max's hand so much that he tossed it to the ground in-between himself, the kids and Vilgax. What happened next, no one could have guessed.

The projector broke apart and a burst of light came out of it, a portal to the Null Void opening up in the ground. The group stood in shock as they saw something trying to claw its way out. As it moved out further they could finally get a clear view of its body. It was a reddish-orange colored creature that appeared to be entirely made out of flames. Its face and chest were clearly defined by a brighter orange color with white slits for eyes. It spoke in a tired raspy voice: _**"Free... at last."**_

Gwen, Kevin, Max and Vilgax looked on, the warlord speaking first. "What IS this creature?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Gwen responded almost out of obligation, not really talking to Vilgax himself. "Kevin, Grandpa, any clue?"

"Nope."

"Not a one."

A green flash caught the corner of Gwen's eye. Ben had changed back to normal... and wore a horrified expression. "Ben... do you...?"

"Yeah," he answered, "That... that thing shouldn't be alive. It's the Alpha Nanite."

"You mean that thing you said you beat up with the help of some dude with machine powers in another dimension?" Kevin asked.

"Yep."

"...The story that we didn't believe you on?" Gwen added.

"The very same."

"Oh... sorry."

"Yeah, sorry dude." Kevin added.

Ben shrugged. "No big deal. I probably wouldn't have believed myself either if I wasn't there." Another lightning strike came thrusting down from the sky, directly onto the portal and Alpha. The Nanite creature screamed in agony, the combined energies being too much for it to handle. As if things couldn't get any stranger, the portal imploded around itself and, out of its center, a dome of light began to expand. "What the hell's going on?!" Ben screamed.

"The portal!" Vilgax yelled in a panicked voice. "It is destabilizing! Flee you fools!" Vilgax was beamed up into his ship which blasted off into space while the four humans were left in front of the expanding dome.

"RUN!" Max hollered and the teens followed suit. However, the dome of light was growing faster and faster. It encapsulated the Rustbucket, Kevin's car and the four humans... before finally bursting into nothingness. There was nothing left on that city block in downtown Bellwood but a crater with no sign of the universe's greatest heroes in sight.

* * *

Meanwhile in the world of Remnant, Blake Belladonna was NOT in the best of spirits. Why? Because she was fighting a losing battle. Her old partner and ex-lover, Adam Taurus, was now standing over her, berating her for the choices that she had made. And she was pleading with him to stop.

"This could have been OUR day! Can't you see that?!" he yelled at her.

"I never wanted THIS!" Blake reasoned. "I wanted equality! I wanted PEACE!" She fired her weapon, Gambol Shroud at him, but Adam drew his blood red blade, Wilt, from its sheath, blocking the shots and absorbing the energy as he did. With venom in his voice he retorted:

"What you want... is IMPOSSIBLE!" Adam drew his hand back and slapped Blake in the face, sending her to the ground. He loomed over her, now in a seemingly calmer mood than before. "But I understand. Because all _I_ want is _you_ , Blake." Blake knew what he was trying to do, but she was having none of it. She moved to get up, weapon in hand, but he kicked Gambol Shroud away before she could do anything, sending her to the floor again. Adam spoke with the toxicity from before. "And as I set out upon this world, and deliver the _justice_ that mankind so greatly deserves, I will make it my mission to destroy _everything_ you love."

Suddenly from outside, a feminine voice called out: "Blake?!" the two Faunus turned their attention to one of the far windows to see a girl about Blake's age, one with fair skin, violet eyes, and long blonde hair, a yellow gauntlet adorning each hand. It was Blake's best friend and partner, Yang Xiao-Long. "Blake where are you?!"

Adam's attention returned to Blake, who now had a look of pure terror on her face. "Starting with her."

' _NO! Anyone but her!'_ Blake thought to herself. Yang was the one person who helped support her through all her troubles. Whether it was the White Fang, her (still budding) relationship with Sun, the dance, everything! She was like the sister that Blake never thought she would have! _'He can't just—'_ "AAAAAGGH!" Adam stabbed Blake in the abdomen, right near her left hip and she let out a cry of agony. A cry that got Yang's attention. And seeing her partner getting stabbed had NOT improved Yang's mood.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. Adam didn't seem phased at the threat as he faced the blonde. In fact, he smiled. That just made Yang even angrier. Ignoring Blake's pleas to get out of there, Yang lunged forward, drawing back a fist with tears in her now red eyes, ready to make a massive blow, one that Adam was about to receive. He drew his blade, but before he could make his mark on the girl... something happened.

A glimmer appeared between the two combatants and it exploded in a burst of light, sending both of them flying in different directions. Yang landed on the ground with an audible THUD while Adam did a backflip and landed in a crouch, digging his boots into the cement floor. Blake had shielded her eyes from the harsh light, but once it died down, she uncovered them. She looked over to her partner, still conscious and intact. _'She's alive! Thank god!'_ But it was then that Blake noticed that Yang was staring at something.

Blake followed Yang's gaze to a large sphere of white light where the explosion had happened. The mysterious orb started undulating as it produced something from its center. It was a young man, about their age, Caucasian, brown hair, green eyes, wearing jeans, sneakers and a black t-shirt under a green and white jacket with the number ten emblazoned on the left pectoral. He also wore a weird watch on his left wrist, white with a green and black hourglass symbol on its face. He landed on his hands and knees as he fell out of the sphere, which shrunk down and disappeared into thin air. He rubbed the side of his head in pain and got up, the first words out of his mouth being:

"Why do explosions _always_ happen around us? That's gotta be the fifth time this month!"

* * *

When Yang woke up today, this was the last thing she expected to happen. She'd just seen her partner Blake get stabbed in the side by some asshole White Fang guy who was about to have a new hole in his face. She wanted to make him pay for what he had done to her soul sister, but being blown back by an explosion was probably the better option. After all, if the guy had followed through with that slice, she would be less one arm right now. Didn't stop the sudden impact on the ground from hurting any less, but hey, she was still whole, so that was a plus.

When she got up, she inspected her right arm with her left hand, making sure that it was still there. Once she had reassured herself, she looked up to see what had blown her back: an orb of white light. Weird. From out of the orb dropped a young man about her age, clad in green with eyes to match. Again, very weird. After picking himself up and making a random comment about explosions, his head shot up and looked around in confusion. First to Blake, then to the asshole, and finally his eyes met hers.

"Um, okay I know this might come off as a stupid question but where the hell am I?" From the way he spoke, Yang could tell that this guy had a sarcastic edge to him. Interesting. She was about to answer, but the asshole beat her to it. And he seemed to be putting on a faux-good guy voice.

"Ah, worry not my friend. I will kindly explain to you where you are just as soon as I am done taking care of these vagrants. The injustices that these two have brought unto the city of Vale shall finally be put to rest." Yang wore a distasteful expression while Blake rolled her eyes, almost as if she's seen this guy's bad acting before. The green-clad boy looked over to Blake, and then back to Yang. Both of them sent a silent plea: _Don't believe him_. He turned back to the White Fang.

"Yeah, see, I'd be more inclined to believe you on that if it weren't for two things. One: these girls look completely innocent. And two: heroes don't wear something that's so OBVIOUSLY EVIL! I mean seriously, red and black? I'm surprised that you haven't just dropped the pretense already and attacked me for god's sake!"

"Well then perhaps it's time I did." The White Fang unsheathed his sword and slowly drew closer, trying to add an air of menace to his presence. Something that Green Boy had chosen not to pick up on.

"Yeah? Well, so will I." He pressed down on the face of his watch and a small green holographic disk appeared over it. He scrolled through it, the faceplate pulled back, and a cylindrical... _thing_ with the same hourglass shape sprang up. He slammed it down, and... something unbelievable happened. The three watched as his body began changing. His skin turned into green vines, the hair on his head became a red and yellow flower, and his eyes became almond shaped with his nose disappearing and his face becoming a pitch black color, almost as if it were the flower's center. Once his transformation was complete, the creature clenched his fists and yelled out in a nasally voice: "Swampfire!"

The White Fang had been taken aback, and Yang couldn't blame him. ' _What in the HELL did I just see?!'_ she thought. As much as she wanted to question further, a small voice in the back of her head called out: _'This is your chance! Get to Blake!'_ Seeing the opportunity, Yang slowly edged out of the two's way in order to check on her partner. About half way to her destination, she heard the voice of the creature behind her.

"Come on man, I ain't got all day. Hit me with your best shot, I can take—" the voice was cut off when she heard the slicing of metal on plant matter. She glanced back and her eyes widened when she saw the White Fang had cut the swamp monster in half at the pelvis. The guy had a wicked smirk on his face, but it didn't last long as the plant creature continued to speak from his place on the floor... in a very sarcastic tone.

"Oh no! I've been cut in half! What ever shall I do?!" The still standing pair of legs suddenly produced a new vine, one that seemed to have a mind of its own as it went down, went into the swamp thing's torso and reeled itself back, reattaching the body to its pelvis. "Well would you look at that! I'm back on my feet!" the creature quipped while smirking.

The White Fang was stunned. "What the fu—"

"My turn!" The creature hollered as he lit his hands ablaze. He pointed his palms at the White Fang and released a powerful blast of fire, sending the Faunus through the wall as he cried out in pain. Yang finally made it over to Blake and reached out to her hand. The cat girl tried to move herself up off the floor to meet her, but collapsed, grasping at her side.

"Blake! Blake, please don't try to move, it's going to be okay." Yang tried to keep herself calm, something that was hard to do when family was bleeding out right in front of you. But through it all, Blake didn't seem to care about her injuries as she chastised the Blonde Brawler.

"What were you thinking?!"

"Well I—"

"You thought you could take on Adam by yourself?!"

"W-wait THAT was Adam?! That's the guy who you used to be with?"

"Yes, and you could have gotten yourself hurt! Or worse! Why didn't you leave when I told you to?!"

Yang was about to answer when she heard heavy footsteps fall behind her. Blake looked up over her partner's shoulder and Yang turned around, meeting the swamp monster's gaze. With a steely expression, Yang got up and spread her arms out to her sides, making herself into a wall for her best friend. She addressed the creature with determination in her voice. "Get back! I'm not gonna let you hurt her!"

The creature put up his hands in light defense. "Whoa, whoa, hold on a minute. I don't want to hurt either of you. In fact, I actually think I can help your friend."

"Oh yeah? How?"

"You saw how I got up back there. I can regenerate. And I can pass some of that on to others. If you let me see her for just a moment, I can guarantee that she'll be okay." Yang stared at the creature... and saw no malevolent intent. In fact, he wore a genuine smile. After a moment, Yang nodded and stepped aside, allowing the creature to bend down and inspect Blake's wound. The swamp man cupped his hands together, producing a handful of glowing yellow spores. "Okay, now you may feel a bit of a tingly feeling and that's normal. It just means that your wound's healing. So hold still, okay?" He placed his hand onto her wound and Blake gave a small gasp in pain before settling back down, the spores soaking into the deep cut. Within a few seconds, the wound closed up. "There! Good as new! Think you can get up?" the swamp man offered his hand.

Blake nodded, "Yes... thank you" she said still in a semi-state of shock as she took his hand and he hoisted her up. She could feel her energy slowly returning to her, which she was amazed by. Aura usually never replenished this fast. Yang looked on with the same amazement. This creatu—no this _person_ had healed her best friend in an instant! She felt obliged to ask.

"Just who the hell _are_ you anyway?"

He turned back to her and his eyes widened. "Oh yeah, right, forgot. Things have been so chaotic in the last half hour that I haven't introduced myself." He hit the symbol on his chest and turned back to his human form, extending a hand of friendship to Yang. "My name's Ben Tennyson. I'm a superhero."

The blonde looked at the hand and back to the boy's face, smiling back. "Yang Xiao-Long!" she introduced herself before clasping Ben's hand in her own with a hearty SMACK! "Nice to meet ya!"

"Ow."

* * *

**A/N: Told you this was an AU: Yang doesn't lose her arm! Now, the reason that I did this was that I wanted to explore the scenario, what WOULD have happened if Yang hadn't lost her arm? Would it still change her character a bit? Maybe not as much? We'll just have to see. Also, although he may be gone, remember Alpha's roll in the story, it's more significant than you think. But we'll be seeing those consequences much later down the road. So with that, next chapter will be seeing exposition, emotional baggage, Gwen and Kevin's return, Adam's just comeuppance, and we'll put the R and W back into team RWBY, so stay tuned!**


	2. Removing the Horns

**A/N: Hello all! Bit of a note to make on this chapter as well, it's a bit different from the one on FFN, but only slightly. Considering the information on Adam we got from Volume 6, I felt like this was a necessary change. With that said, this is...**

 **Chapter 2: Removing the Horns**

* * *

If this kind of thing hadn't happened to Ben several times before, he'd probably have a hard time explaining his situation to the two girls. But Yang and Blake had been willing to listen and let him tell his side of the story. They were still in the abandoned mess hall as he told his story, as there probably wasn't anyplace better to go at the moment. He had to cut out some parts because from what he understood they were pressed for time, but they seemed to get the basic gist of it.

"So, let me see if I've got this straight:" Yang began, Ben nodding his head for her to continue. "In your universe, you're a superhero in a world where aliens exist." She pointed to the Omnitrix. "And that watch on your wrist lets you to transform into any alien that you want. And you, your cousin, your best friend and your Gramps all fight evil dudes together?"

"Yeah, that's basically it." Ben replied, hoping they would believe him.

"That..." Yang gave an intense stare into his eyes, checking to see if there was any inkling of falsehood in them. But she found none, he was telling the truth. When she realized that, she gave Ben a grin and loudly exclaimed; "is so freaking COOL!"

"Oh... uh, thanks Yang, much appreciated." _'Man, she's got energy to spare.'_ Ben thought to himself.

Blake's eyes widened. "Wait a second Yang... you're actually going to believe him—just like that?"

"Um, yeah." The Blonde Brawler replied with a shrug. "I mean, we both saw him come out of that portal and transform right? What other explanation IS there?"

"Well, sure, but I just feel like we should be asking more questions." Blake faced Ben. "Like _how_ did that portal get you to this specific place? And at _just_ the right time too?"

It was Ben's turn to shrug. "To be honest Blake, I don't know. Lucky timing I guess? To be honest, I'm not sure how this whole dimensional travel thing works... even if I HAVE done it in the past, but that's a story for another time. Right now I'd like to start asking a few questions of my own. What world am I in? Just what is it that you two do with those—admittedly awesome looking—weapons? And finally, why does the outside look like Godzilla's last stomach ache?"

"The hell's a Godzilla?" Yang asked.

Ben paused, wide-eyed from shock. Pop-culture was a no-go. "Okay so, I'm not in any normal dimension. Got it."

Blake groaned in exasperation. "Okay, in order: You're in the world of Remnant, in the Kingdom of Vale on the continent of Sanus. Yang and I are Huntresses in training. Hunters and Huntresses help protect our world from the malevolence known as the Grimm. Creatures which, along with a...group of terrorists..." she seemed to be forcing the words out of her mouth in disgust, "known as the White Fang and some other evil force that we know nothing about are currently attacking our school, Beacon Academy. Is that a good enough answer?"

Ben looked to Yang for confirmation and she shrugged again. "She basically gave you the cliff notes version, but yeah, that's it."

Ben sighed. "Okay, I'm satisfied, but I'd like some clarification on a few things later."

Blake nodded. "Sure. Now, onto more important things." She faced Yang, anger now gracing her features. "Namely, WHAT IN THE HELL WERE YOU _THINKING_?!"

Yang put her hand's up in self-defense. "Whoa, easy Blake I was just—"

" _You_ we're about to make the _stupidest_ decision in your life!"

Yang began to get irritated. "Oh, so what? Trying to save my partner is a stupid decision?"

"NO! Going up against an enemy who you know _nothing about_ is the worst decision that you could ever make! Adam could have maimed you! Or worse _killed_ you!"

"I know, okay?! I just didn't realize it until it was too late! Besides, that didn't end up happening anyways thanks to Ben's explosive entrance."

"And that's supposed to make everything better?!"

"He was going to _kill_ you Blake! What did you think I was gonna do, stand by and look at my boots while he did?"

"Adam _wouldn't_ have killed me! He wanted to see me suffer by taking away everything I love! And if you had just run away like I had told you to, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now!" Blake's eyes were rimming with tears at this point.

"Exactly! Because he probably _would_ have killed you if I _had_ run away!"

"Look around Yang!" Blake gestured around the destroyed mess hall. "All of this destruction! Our school is in flames! And it's all because of me and my stupid mistakes!" Blake hugged her arms around herself in a vain attempt at comfort. She couldn't take it anymore, her sadness and self-loathing were clouding her mind. Her tears fell and, without thinking, she blurted out: "Maybe it'd been better off if he HAD killed me!"

"Don't you DARE say that!" That was the last straw for Yang as she grabbed Blake by the shoulders and pinned her against the wall, something that left Ben shocked. He kept his mouth shut however; this seemed like something he shouldn't butt in on. Yang glared into Blake's eyes, breathing hard, venting her anger. But as she starred into the saddened and terrified gaze of her partner, she managed to calm down, only for her own tears fall. She unpinned Blake and pulled her into a tight embrace, crying into the cat girl's shoulder. They stayed that way until Yang was able to calm down. She spoke to her partner, her voice now very hoarse.

"Blake, on the day of initiation, I went into those woods with only one sister. By the time I left... I had two more. If anything ever happened to you, Ruby, or Weiss, I wouldn't know what to do with myself. You're more than just my partner Blake, you're my family. My _sister_." Yang let out a few more light sobs as Blake was left stunned. "I don't know if you think of _me_ that way... but I want you to know that I will always, _always_ be there for you. And _none_ of this is your fault. So please don't talk like you deserve to die!" When a few moments of silence had passed, Blake pulled Yang off of her shoulder and looked her straight in the eye.

"You... you really think of me as... family?" Blake's voice cracked. On the one hand, she was _immensely_ happy that her partner had thought of her like that, on the other, she had realized what she'd accidentally said in her grief. And now she was immensely regretting ever saying it.

Yang wiped away her tears. "Of course I do! After all we've been through, why wouldn't I?"

Blake looked down dejectedly. "Well, it's just... I haven't been the most supportive teammate. Especially lately with the whole Mercury thing and..."

"Oh who gives a crap about that? You're part of my family Blake. And you know what? _Nothing_ can change my mind about that."

Blake could feel herself choking up. "I...I've always wanted a sister. A-and I _have_ thought of you guys as family for a while... I've just been too stubborn to admit it I guess."

Yang gave her most earnest smile. "Well guess what sis?" She gave her partner a wink. "You've got one now."

Blake could feel tears running down her cheeks as she and Yang hugged again, this time much softer. "Just promise me you won't do something like that again, okay?"

Yang's smile softened and she sighed. "Okay, I'll try to be careful. Just so long as you promise to not blame yourself and run away again."

"Deal." Blake dried her eyes and removed herself from Yang's shoulder, only to see Ben facing away from them. "Uh... Ben?" Blake called out, Yang looking back to the hero as well. "Are you okay?"

Ben turned back around. "Hmm? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I just wanted to give you two some space is all. It seemed like you needed it."

"Wait, did you hear all that?" Yang questioned with a brow raised.

"Well... kind of. I only heard a little bit... sorry."

Yang smiled. "Hey, it's okay. What's an emotional moment between friends, huh?"

Ben's eyes widened. "Huh, wow, friends already? I would have at least expected a _little_ bit of distrust before that happened."

Blake gave him a small grin. "Ben, you just blasted my abusive ex-boyfriend through a wall. I think that qualifies as being friends."

"Yeah, and if you hadn't gotten here when you did, I would have been... _disarmed_!" Yang raised her right arm for emphasis on the last word. "But seriously, thanks a bunch."

Ben's couldn't find the words to say at first. These two already considered him friends? Awesome. "Ah, jeez, it's really no problem. I do this stuff every day. But I really appreciate it. It both means a lot _and_ means I don't have to be stuck in any energy tubes this time."

Yang and Blake looked at each other in confusion as if asking the same question: _'Energy tubes?'_ before shrugging it off and refocusing themselves back to the matter at hand. "So what happens now?" Yang asked.

"Well, while you two were sorting things out, I managed to contact my cousin Gwen and my friend Kevin. They aren't far and they should be here in a minute to pick us up. Also we should probably unearth that guy and restrain him so we can stuff him in Kevin's trunk."

"Already have that covered thank you very much." At the sound of the familiar voice, the trio's heads all whirled around to see Adam, standing on top of the rubble from the hole he was blown through, his clothes torn and burned, covered in a thin layer of dust and a fresh new scar on his face. He did _not_ seem happy. "Now, I was simply going to go easy on you at first. Cut the blonde's arm off, maybe torture her for a good while before finally snuffing her lights out, but now..." he gave out a soulless chuckle, "now I am _livid_."

"Oh, I bet you are." Ben said in a smug tone, arms crossed. "Not many people can take a blast like that and still be conscious. Then again from what I've gathered, the people here aren't exactly all that normal."

"That's big talk coming from someone who was a bipedal plant." Adam insulted.

"Also big talk coming from a bi-horned bitch." Ben shot back.

"OH DAMN!" Yang shouted. "Green Boy with the come backs over here!"

Ben looked at her in confusion. "Green Boy?"

Yang smiled. "Yeah, I give everybody nicknames. Anything wrong with that, Green Boy?"

"Oh, no, it's fine. I actually kind of like it." Ben said with a smile.

Meanwhile, Blake was writing her last will and testament in her head. _'Is he insane?! He's basically digging our own graves by throwing that many of insults!'_

Adam however, was not deterred. "Insult me all you want, _Ben Tennyson_ ; I am far above such poultry name calling."

Ben turned back, a smile adorning his features. "Okay, you win I guess. But, before you kill us, I just have _one_ question for you."

"Which is?"

Ben's smile became a smirk. "Do you know what a Khoros-5 engine block sounds like?"

Adam's brow rose. "No, why would I—?" _**Beep Beep!**_ Adam swerved around, just in time to be met with a pair of headlights and a roaring engine. The muscle car hit him and sent him flying, yet again into an opposing wall and burying him in rubble. Yang and Blake's eyes widened in surprise, Ben taking pride in his perfect timing.

"The correct answer was: nearly silent, until it's too late." The young hero said smugly.

From out of the car, a young man and woman emerged, the former with a proud grin on his face. "Did anybody get the number of that bitch?!" he hollered.

The pony-tailed girl gave him an irritated look. "Kevin..." she warned.

"Aw come on Gwen! At least I didn't sideswipe him this time!"

* * *

Blake never thought that the day could get any weirder than it already had. All that she knew was that when Adam got up again, they would all likely die. The two people that ran into her ex, who must have been Gwen and Kevin, descended the pile of rubble that they had rolled in on and hurried over to Ben, with the redhead embracing him.

"Benjamin Kirby Tennyson, you had us worried sick!" Gwen chastised her cousin.

"Well, not so much me, but _she_ was definitely worried 'bout ya." Kevin corrected.

"Come on, Gwen," Ben said, "you really shouldn't be worried, I can take care of myself."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Okay, sure, but can you blame me? First Vilgax escapes, then the entire city block blows up, dimensional travel is REAL apparently, and now we're in the middle of a war zone! Just how can this day get any..." she trailed off when she noticed that the usual trio was not alone. "Oh, hello." she politely waved at the two Huntresses.

"Hello." Blake waved back.

"Hi there!" Yang exclaimed as she stepped over to the three, Blake not far behind. "You must be Ben's cousin. Gwen, right?"

"Um, yes." The redhead answered. Blake could tell that Gwen had very little experience with exuberance of Yang-level proportions. She could see it in her face, plain as day. But dear god did she try. "And you would be...?"

"Oh, yeah," Ben realized, "I haven't introduced you. Ladies, this is Gwen and Kevin. Gwen, Kev, this is Yang Xiao-Long and Blake Belladonna. They've been helping me out since I got here."

"Aw Ben, don't be so modest." Yang said while giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder. She turned to his redheaded cousin. "Gwen, let me tell ya, Ben's been more helpful to us in the last fifteen minutes than anyone else in this godforsaken place."

Ben rubbed the back of his head. "Heh, thanks Yang. Again, means a lot."

At first, Gwen didn't know what to say, but a subtle sly smile graced her features. Blake could see the gears turning in the girl's head, almost as if she was concocting some sort of plan. "Good to know." she replied.

Blake cleared her throat and brought everyone's attention to her. "Hate to break up the fun, but Adam's going to be up again soon and we are totally out matched."

Ben was confused. "What do you mean? We out number him five to one."

"Might as well be three to one." Blake took out her scroll and brought up her and Yang's Aura levels, both in the orange zone. "Our Auras are seriously low. We're susceptible to major harm if we don't have any of it. It also prevents us from using our Semblances."

"Your what?" Kevin asked.

"Semblances, the powers we possess that makes us all unique. But if we don't have adequate Aura levels we can barely use them."

Gwen's interest had peaked. "Aura? As in life energy? As in... mana?" she asked with a smile.

"Well, yes," Blake answered as Gwen stepped behind her and Yang, "mana _is_ a part of what gives our Aura its latent power, but unless someone here knows where we can get a fresh supply of—" Blake turned around to see that Gwen's hands now had a pink glow around them.

"Hold still!" the redhead ordered as she placed her hands on the two young huntresses shoulders. Blake all of a sudden felt like she could take on an entire _army_ of Grimm. Her adrenaline was rushing like a freight train; she could practically feel the energy flowing through her as it made its way through her veins. And, just as instantly as it came, the feeling went, but she was feeling much better than she did before.

"HOLY CRAP THAT FELT AMAZING!" And apparently so was Yang.

Blake faced Gwen in shock as she asked the first thing that came to her mind: "How?"

"I'm half energy being. Grandmother's side of the family."

Blake turned to Ben. "And _why_ didn't you tell us about that?"

Ben shrugged. "Because you never asked?"

The cat girl slapped her forehead while her partner laughed at her expense. She sighed in defeat. "Okay, but we're still not good enough to take Adam head on. He's so much more experienced and powerful than any of—"

She was cut off when Adam burst out from out of the rubble and looked straight at them. From beneath his mask, Blake could see his eyes, blood red with anger. "I AM VERY MUCH DONE WITH ALL OF THIS!" Adam unsheathed his blade again. "Every other worldly person here DIES today! Heroes, degenerates and red-haired bitches alike!"

Kevin crossed his arms and looked at his girlfriend "I'm going to break his arm."

Gwen faced her cousin. "Ben I think he called you a degenerate."

"Pretty sure he wasn't talking about me." Ben replied with a smirk. He looked to the two huntresses behind him and smiled. "Blake, Yang, we'll tire him out, but I want you guys to finish what you started. When I give the signal, he's all yours."

Blake was concerned. "Are you sure you can pull it off?"

"Hell yeah. Besides..." Ben turned back around to face Adam, "we've fought tougher. It's Hero Time!" Ben activated the Omnitrix, and slammed down on the core. His body started becoming encased in aquamarine crystal, from his arms all the way to his head which reformed to have a bigger chin and a large spike coming out the back of it. Two larger crystal spikes emerged from his back, jutting out right above his shoulder blades. His entire torso became dressed in black armor with white pants and black boots adorning his legs. The Omnitrix symbol situated itself in the middle of his chest. His eyes shined a bright green and he shouted: "Diamondhead!"

Yang smirked again. "So do you just name ALL of your aliens?"

Daimondhead looked back to her, his neck clinking with crystalline muscle. "Well, yeah, that's half the fun."

"And your own catchphrase?"

"Well, wouldn't _you_ have one?"

"Well... okay can't argue with that."

"Then point proven." Ben turned to his half-Osmosian friend. "Kevin, commence operation: Remove the Horns." Kevin glanced at Adam's sword and got the message. Fortunately for him, there was a large piece of metal from one of the cafeteria tables on the ground next to him. He bent down, grabbed it, and absorbed the metal, becoming the metal himself.

Yang gave a whistle, impressed. "Nice power, what does it feel like?"

"Won't lie," Kevin answered, "it's not as uncomfortable as you might think it is." The Osmosian slowly backed away from the others, making sure Adam's concentration was locked solely on Ben the whole time.

Adam was getting angrier. "First a plant, and now a rock monster? Is there no end to this absurdity?!" He rushed forward with his blade and Diamondhead did as well, his hand morphing into a blade of his own. He deflected Wilt while rolling away from Adam, the two now adjacent and farther away from the other four. The two combatants clashed their blades thrice more before Diamondhead punched Adam away. In a split second, Diamondhead's hands turned into crystalline shards and he began firing them at Adam, who started deflecting them away, though the sheer force of the shards impacts forced him to stay in place.

In all this chaos, Yang suddenly remembered something and took out her scroll, furiously typing on the screen. Blake's brow rose. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Yang grinned. "Calling the cavalry."

Blake smiled, understanding what she meant. She then remembered something herself, leaning over to the redhead in front of her. She whispered as low as she could while still being heard, hoping Adam couldn't hear her over the clanging of his sword against crystal: _"Gwen, his sheath is a gun."_

"Oh, is it?" The Anodite hybrid replied with a sinister grin. "Thanks for the tip."

Back at the fight, Ben yelled out: "Hey Adam!"

"WHAT?!" the bull Faunus yelled back.

"You may want to start paying attention!" Adam heard a battle cry come from his right and he turned to see Kevin coming right at him. Adam realized that he had foolishly let his anger get the better of him, but he would not repeat the same mistake twice. Ben had stopped firing at this point so he moved his sword for a downward slice that would have gone right through Kevin... that is if the car junkie hadn't caught it in his metal hands first. Adam was stunned! No one had ever caught Wilt by the blade before, and here was this filthy degenerate... actually complementing his weapon?

"Hoo, nice blade. Love the craftsmanship. Never seen anything like it." Kevin suddenly absorbed Wilt's tempered metal, becoming the blood red steel. He gained a big smirk. "Mind if I borrow it?" Adam, in shock and desperation, moved to pull his blade away from Kevin's grasp, but Kevin had anticipated such and moved his hands in the opposite direction, snapping Wilt in two.

As the blade fell to the ground, Adam forgot his previous vow of his anger clouding his thinking. He felt like he was going to explode. "You...YOU!" He went to his belt to pull Blush from his waist and eviscerate the man who would _dare_ to destroy his beloved weapon. However, all he grabbed was thin air. In shock, he looked down at his belt to see that Blush was nowhere to be seen. Where had—?

"Ahem!" Adam turned to see that Gwen had taken Blush while he was distracted. She was levitating his weapon in mid-air, twirling it around while she spun her finger in a similar fashion. The girl was grinning at him maliciously. "Wow, gotta admit, a sword sheath that's also a gun? Quite the smart idea. It would be such a shame if a certain red-haired bitch would do..." Gwen clenched her fist and Blush was now nothing but a crumpled up piece of metal. "That."

That was the last straw. Adam's horns were now glowing red, not just through the energy he had absorbed, but out of pure hatred for the people who were somehow _beating_ him. He rushed forward, screaming bloody murder, and raised his right fist, intending to put Gwen in her place. But she didn't even flinch. Instead, she brought up an energy field in front of her, and before he could reel back, Adam's fist connected... and he heard a loud _SNAP_! He punched the wall so hard that he broke his wrist. But he didn't care. He continued punching with his left hand... but he could soon feel his own power leaving him. What was going on? He felt weaker with every blow! Then he noticed that Gwen's devious smile had grown into a full on smirk. It was then that he knew: it had to be her.

"How does it feel Adam?" she asked as her eyes became bright pink. "How does it feel to have YOUR energy drained?" She lifted her hand and pushed, sending the wall of pink mana straight into his face and propelling him backward. She yelled out to her boyfriend. "Kevin, heads up!"

Kevin heeded his girlfriend and grabbed Adam as he was flying back, spun him around by the shoulder, and began punching him in the face repeatedly. By the fifth punch, Kevin changed his left hand into a metal hammer and socked Adam in the gut, knocking the air out of him. "Tennyson, you're up!"

As Adam began refilling his lungs with air, Diamondhead charged at him, holding out his crystalline arm. "Here comes the pain train!" the Petrosapian hollered as he slammed his arm right into Adam and drove him into yet another wall. Ben turned back to the two huntresses. "Blake! Yang! It's all you!" He tossed Adam into the air, so far up that he connected with the ceiling before falling back down.

Blake looked to her partner. "Should we try our new trick?"

Yang gave a thumbs up as she readied her Ember Celica. "You read my mind sister! Let's do it!" Blake nodded and unsheathed Gambol Shroud, holding it in front of her and closing her eyes as she focused her Semblance. This was a technique that she and Yang had been practicing for months with Ruby's help. Better late than never to test it out.

When her eyes opened, they were glowing brightly, her pupils having changed to cat-like slits. She performed two backflips, each one producing a pair of purple shadow clones of herself. The four clones propelled themselves toward the still falling Adam to begin their onslaught. Each one used its own Gambol Shroud to slice at Adam's body, not cutting him deep, but still able to do some serious damage, with him being too dazed to do anything.

Yang cupped her hands together and gave Blake the go ahead. The cat girl stepped on her partner's hands and, with her impressive strength, Yang launched her into the fray. As the clones finished having their way with Adam, Blake used Gambol Shroud to cut a long, clean gash right across Adam's torso, letting loose a scream of pain from his throat. She flipped over his shoulder and did the same to his back, making him scream again.

Blake pushed him forward right as Yang crouched down and fired her Ember Celica, propelling herself into the air. Her eyes became red and she pulled back her fist. With a mighty battle cry, the Blonde Brawler punched Adam in the face, unloading a single fire Dust round from her weapon. Two things had broken: Adam's White Fang mask... and his nose. He landed on the ground in a heap while the girls landed perfectly and high-fived each other. The Alien Trio returned to the two, praising them on a job well done.

"Way to go ladies!" Ben exclaimed as he changed back to normal.

"Yeah, that was pretty hardcore!" Kevin added.

"Amazing is what it was! I've never seen any fighting techniques like that before!" Gwen praised.

Yang rubbed the back of her head while Blake gave a smile. "Thanks," she replied, "we've been working on that routine for a while and..." Blake trailed off when she noticed that Adam was still moving, gaining the other four's attention. He used his good hand to prop himself up, holding his wounded chest with his other. When he lifted his head up, quintet gave a horrified gasp. There, burned right over his left eye, was a brandmark that read “SDC”, the burn keeping the eye closed. Adam glared at the five, his eyes bloodshot from anger as his one blue eye bore into them. He breathed heavily, his nose bleeding profusely.

"This...is NOT...OVER!" He tried to get up but found that he couldn't move, almost as if something were holding him in place. He looked down to see that his arms and legs had been trapped by a black glyph... shaped like a snow flake. It was a symbol that he knew all too well. If possible, his anger had grown more. "No! NO! Not by a Schnee! Anyone but a damn Schnee!"

"Hm, well, I can't blame you for knowing my last name." At the arrival of the new voice, the five turned around, Yang and Blake both with relieved smiles on their faces. The girl was a visage of beauty, her white and red combat dress flowing with each step she took, her heels clicking across the floor. Her long white hair was pulled back into an off center bun-tail and she had her weapon, a rapier with a gun barrel in it, drawn and aimed at Adam. Her features were regal, her blue eyes focused on her prey, the only blemish being the small scar across her left eye. "As sorry as I am that you had that done to you, you also tried to kill my friends, so I'm still going to hold you in place." She smiled back at the girls. "And just what have you two been up to?"

"Hoo boy, Weiss, like nothing you would believe." Yang answered with a wink. "Glad you got my message."

"Oh, it isn't just me. NOW!" Without warning, a dark red streak flew past them all, leaving a flurry of rose petals in its wake. The streak didn't let up as it went straight to Adam and socked him in the jaw, knocking him to the ground, the glyph disappearing. The streak stopped, revealing itself to be a young girl. She had short black hair that was tipped with red, and wore a black and red blouse, black stockings, combat boots, and finally, a large red hood with a cloak. From behind her, she pulled out a strange red compartment that instantly unfolded into a large intimidating scythe. She spun it around and slammed the blunt end hard into Adam's forearm, breaking the appendage. He cried out in pain before he finally fell unconscious. The girl removed her weapon and looked down at him with contempt in her silver eyes.

"And THAT was for trying to hurt my sister!"

* * *

* * *

**A/N: Note to self: Don't anger Miss Rose. Though after the day that she's had, it's understandable to want to let out some frustration by breaking a few bones. Also, I used the Ben 10,000 design for Diamondhead because I don't really like the Alien Force design. I know it's to link him with Chromastone, but there's just too much rock, not enough diamond. Alright, Next Time! We'll see just what was going on during the whole mess hall confrontation as Grandpa Max meets General Ironwood, and Team RWBY properly reunites! Until next time, see ya!**


	3. RWBY Reunion

**A/N: Okay, so this chapter actually sets up a romance that grew to be one of my favorites; Cooper and Coco. ...So you can imagine my utter surprise at what happened when the CFVY books came out. But I stuck to my guns with the ship, because honestly, it IS one of my favorites, and I DO actually incorporate Coco's attraction to women later on in the story. So, with that said, this is...**

**Chapter 3: RWBY Reunion**

* * *

General James Ironwood never expected the day to go like this. Beacon Academy was under attack, his army's newest assets had been compromised and many students were already missing. Fortunately, many heads were still counted for, Coco Adel and Sun Wukong being the most helpful in their assistance holding off the Grimm. The rest of their teams had all escaped to Vale to hospitalize their injured, with Professor Port and Dr. Oobleck going with them.

Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren were sitting on the ground behind the General, having been exhausted their Auras. They refused to leave until their entire team was present. Weiss Schnee was a pivotal advantage in the fight as she and Velvet Scarlatina were able to destroy his rogue assets almost without a problem, though Velvet had been knocked out in the process and was now on her way to a Valian Hospital. Qrow Branwen and Glynda Goodwitch were by his side as they fended off the Grimm as best as they could... but an unexpected new ally was about to make his arrival.

As strange as the day had been, nothing topped an odd-looking recreational vehicle simply appearing out of nowhere, an old man emerging from said vehicle only a moment later. He was clad in a red button-up shirt with an orange floral pattern and brown pants, but he also had a strange blue and gray rifle in his hands. The man took aim at five Ursai, lined up the shot and fired, a blue laser coming out of the gun's barrel and blasting clean through the Ursai's heads, killing all five instantly and gaining everyone's full attention. James had never in his life seen a weapon such as that! Just how powerful was that thing?!

However, at that moment, something even stranger happened. The Grimm Dragon, which had been circling the school for some time now, suddenly stopped in mid-flight. It raised its head and sniffed the air. It apparently didn't like whatever it smelled and roared in anger. It flew away from the school and right over their heads, descending the cliffs surrounding the academy and flying low around them. James and Glynda both looked on in a state of shock. A Grimm that size would never run away unless it sensed a strong sense of... hope. "What... just... happened?" Glynda asked.

"I have no idea." James replied. In a single moment's peace, James and Glynda had managed to learn the man's name: Max Tennyson. The old man was apparently not of this world as he recounted the tale of his arrival. It all seemed too good to be true! His grandson could turn into aliens? His granddaughter was half energy being? His granddaughter's _boyfriend_ could absorb any solid material?! It all sounded like utter nonsense... at least until a column of fire erupted from behind the remains of the school from the mess hall.

"What in the world?" asked Glynda.

"That was probably Ben." Max answered. A few minutes later, a large green and black muscle car zoomed past the front of the school and rounded a bend to get to where the blast of fire came from. "And that was Gwen and Kevin." Max breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, they're all okay."

James turned back to the old man. "Mr. Tennyson, if what you've been saying is true, would it be possible if you and your family could help us in this desperate time?"

Max nodded. "Of course General, it's what we do."

"Hey, old man!" Qrow called out. "I think you got a straggler comin' outta yer rust bucket." When Max and Ironwood turned to see what the half-drunken man was talking about, they saw a tall young man trying to get out of the RV, holding a rifle of his own. And his legs seemed to be injured as he limped out.

"Cooper! Get back inside, NOW!" Max yelled.

Cooper looked back at him with pleading eyes. "Max, please, I need to be of SOME use after what happ—AGH!" Cooper had been suddenly jumped by a snarling Beowulf, tackling and pinning him to the ground. The creature's teeth were inches away from his face, threatening to rip it apart. Cooper let out another scream of terror, but as soon as he did, something hit the Beowulf and sent it flying off of him. Cooper got up and sat against the Rustbucket, clenching his chest in fear as he steadied his breathing. "Thanks a lot, I owe you one."

"Damn right you do."

* * *

Cooper's eyes widened as his savior spoke. It was a girl. Well, it wouldn't have been the first time that he'd been saved by a girl, but he never expected _anyone_ to be brave enough to smack around a creature so horrifying! The voice also seemed to have an air of confidence around it, almost as if it was no big deal that she just smacked away the vicious beast. He craned his head up to look her in the eye and was met with a pair of aviator sunglasses. The young woman was quite fashionable what with her barrette, turtleneck, scarf, cincher and leather boots, but what had to be the most unique part of her was her hair. It was longer on the right side of her face, and on that side it was dyed so that it changed from its natural dark brown to a bright caramel color.

Cooper hadn't noticed that his breath had been taken away from him. In a metaphorical sense of course, but it could have fooled him. Whoever this young lady was, she was probably the most— _'Wait is she snapping her fingers in my face?'_

"Hello? Remnant to Dumb Blonde! Wake up!"

Cooper shook his head, looking for a good excuse for his staring. "Oh, uh sorry! I was just still in shock." The technopath chuckled as he hoped she wouldn't notice his flustered state of mind.

"Uh-huh." she responded flatly.

"So...uh, to whom do I owe my thanks?"

The girl straightened her aviators. "Name's Coco. And trust me boy, I've saved more lives today than just yours, so don't go around losing it, 'kay?" She turned around to see that the Beowulf was standing again... and it had brought back up. "Ugh, really, _again_? It is _such_ a bad time for this." She clicked a button on her purse and, practically from out of thin air, it transformed into a large rotary cannon! As Cooper was busy processing how in the hell THAT worked, Coco mowed down the pack of Beowulves with no problem. She turned back to Cooper who was still staring dumbly at her handbag-gun. She smirked. "Impressed by its girth big guy?"

Cooper was quick to respond this time, mostly because of the innuendo. He shook it from his head and asked what he had been questioning himself. "I'm sorry but... that should NOT be possible! How did you get that big of a gun into that small of a bag?!"

Coco kneeled down to Cooper's eye level, her smirk never leaving her. She lowered her sunglasses and winked at him. "Trade secret." Coco gave a small chuckle and put her sunglasses back to their rightful place. "You should probably stay here, wouldn't want that nice blonde head to be eviscerated right?"

"O-okay." Cooper's breath had been taken away yet again.

* * *

Back with the others, the group of adults and Weiss were discussing how best to approach the situation at hand when they were interrupted by a series of loud barks. Weiss' eyes widened and she looked down to see... "Zwie?!"

"Bark! Bark!" the corgi responded. Weiss picked him up and brought him to her face.

"How did you get here?" He responded by licking her. "Bluh, okay then where's—?"

"WEISS!" the Schnee heiress turned to the source of the call and a smile graced her regal features.

"RUBY!" the two partners ran to each other and embraced for a quick moment before separating. "Where in the world have you been?"

"I've been looking for you!" the silver eyed girl replied. "What's going on? Where are the others? ...And what's with the weird looking RV?"

Weiss paused for a moment. "Well... do you have a minute?" After explaining the entire thing to Ruby and introducing her to Max, the younger girl could only stare wide eyed at the prospect of people from another dimension coming to save them.

"Weiss... why do we have such weird lives?" she asked.

"Quite honestly, I've given up any semblance of being relatively normal a long time ago."

"Ha! Semblance! It works on two levels." Ruby said cheekily.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Yes, a very Yang worthy pun."

Ruby's expression turned slightly more serious at that. "Speaking of which, where _is_ Yang? And Blake?"

Weiss sighed. "I don't know, I haven't seen Yang at all and Blake left a while ago to go take care of somethi—" Suddenly, Weiss' scroll made a sound in her pocket and she took it out, her eyes widening at who the message was from. "Huh, speak of the devil, it's your sister!"

Ruby broke out into a grin. "It is?! Oh, thank goodness. What does it say?"

"Hold on a sec... "Weiss, at cafeteria with Blake. Almost got my ARM CUT OFF"?! WHAT?!"

" _WHAT_?!" Ruby exclaimed.

" **WHAT?!"** Weiss and Ruby turned to the massive collection of voices from the group behind them, all voicing their concerns.

Weiss returned to her scroll. "Wait, there's more. "I'm okay. 'Bout to fight Blake's ex. Come round back, got big surprise to show you–Yang". Blake's ex?"

"That must be Adam. _He_ must have tried to cut off Yang's arm! But what about the surprise?"

Max interjected. "That surprise is probably my grandkids. If your teammates are with them, they're in good hands."

Ruby smiled at the old Plumber. "Thanks Mr. Tennyson, but considering that Yang's with them, we've really got nothing to worry about."

"Still," Weiss reminded, "Yang said we should come. And we need to bring her and Blake back anyway." She addressed Ironwood. "We'll be back in a moment, Sir."

The general agreed. "Right, go get your teammates. And keep an eye out for Mr. Arc and Ms. Nikos while you're out there."

"And most importantly," Goodwitch added, "...be safe."

The two partners nodded to their teacher before Ruby spoke to Max again with a gleeful smile. "I can't believe I get to meet an _actual_ SUPERHERO! This is gonna be so awesome!" This was the light in one of her darkest days. Meeting a superhero with awesome powers sounded like good consolidation for her second home being destroyed.

Max smiled back. "Oh, I'm sure my grandchildren are going to get a kick out of you too. Now go, they're expecting you."

"Hey Weiss!" the heiress turned around to see Sun Wukong sprinting to her. "Ironwood says that I need to stay here and help. Could you... maybe... if it's possible..."

"Make sure Blake is okay?" Weiss finished. Sun stood shocked as she chuckled. "Sun, I'm sure she's fine. She can take care of herself. But still, it's really sweet that you're worried about her so much."

Sun rubbed the back of his head and blushed. "Thanks... I _do_ know that she can take care of herself but... you know."

Weiss smiled. "Yeah, I do." She and Ruby turned around and ran as fast as their legs could to the mess hall, hoping that they weren't too late.

* * *

Moments later, with assistance from Weiss' glyphs, Ruby and the heiress had arrived outside the mess hall. "Come on!" Weiss called out. "They may need us!"

Ruby followed after her, but she skidded to a stop right outside a window to look inside, and her jaw dropped. "Weiss, come back!"

The Ice Queen turned around. "We don't have time! What is it?"

"Just look!" Weiss did as her partner asked as she peered through the broken window, and her eyes widened. In the room was a girl projecting a pink energy shield, a man who appeared to be made out of red metal, and the most awe inducing sight, a large humanoid creature made out of aquamarine crystals. All three were facing a member of the White Fang, who they quickly deduced must have been Adam.

"That must be them." Weiss concluded.

Ruby smiled. "Ten guesses as to which one's Ben." Weiss gave her partner an annoyed side glance at the remark. "What?! I'm just trying to lift the mood! Goodness knows we need it."

"Here comes the pain train!" came a deep voice from inside. The two's attention was brought back to the battle, where Ben had just clothes-lined Adam into a far wall. The crystal creature turned back around and hollered: "Blake! Yang! It's all you!" The two craned their heads to where Ben was facing and their faces lit up as their eyes settled on their two beloved teammates.

"There they are!" Ruby moved to get up and climb through the window but Weiss pulled her back down.

"Wait! Let's see how this plays out." Ruby pouted, but relented as she watched Ben toss Adam all the way to the ceiling. Yang and Blake seemed to agree on something before the two started performing a maneuver that Ruby was all too familiar with.

She gasped. "That's the new trick we've been practicing! We've been working so long on that one!" Weiss had to smile at the pride in her leader's voice. Many months' worth of hard work was starting to pay off. But it was worth it as the two watched their teammates hand Adam's butt to him on a silver platter. The group of five gathered together with Ben transforming back to normal, the three alien teens congratulating their teammates. Ruby and Weiss were about to join them, but they saw Adam start to get up. Weiss, however, would not have it.

"When I give the word, hit him with everything you've got."

"Alright!" Ruby agreed. Weiss focused her Semblance and created a gravity glyph around Adam without him noticing. When he did notice though, that's when she made her entrance.

"No! NO!" The bull Faunus cried out in hatred. "Not by a Schnee! Anyone but a damn Schnee!"

"Aw, you know my last name, how nice." Weiss entered the mess hall, aiming Myrtenaster at her foe. She had gained the wide eyed attention of the trio of newcomers and big smiles from her friends. She smiled back at them. "And just what have you two been up to?"

"Hoo, boy, Weiss, like nothing you would believe." Yang winked at her. "Glad you got my message."

"Oh, it isn't just me. NOW!" At the word, Ruby rushed past Weiss and all the others, landing a punch on Adam's jaw, sending him to the ground. But what Weiss didn't expect Ruby to do was take out Crescent Rose, spin the weapon around, and slam the blunt of it on Adam's forearm making him cry out in pain as she heard a loud SNAP! She removed the weapon as Adam fell unconscious, glowering down at him, her silvery gaze full of distaste.

"And THAT was for trying to hurt my sister!"

"Ruby!" Yang's voice was just the right trigger for Ruby to look up. Her sister was running towards her, and just the sight of her being there was enough for Ruby to tear up.

"Yang!" She half-answered half-sobbed. She met her sister with a hug and began crying into the blonde's shoulder, the day's events finally catching up to her. Yang began to slowly rub circles into her back, whispering promises of "It's okay" and "I'm here" into her sister's ear. She always knew what to do whenever Ruby cried, and it worked every time, though this time, it seemed to last a little longer than usual.

' _No kid deserves to be put through what Ruby has today.'_ Yang decided in her head.

* * *

Kevin went to his car to fetch a tourniquet, some energy cuffs, and a metal mouth clamp for Adam, who he then promptly threw into the trunk of his car. Just to be safe, Kevin had put two pairs of cuffs on him, one around his wrists which were restrained behind his back, and a pair around his ankles. All the while, the Osmosian was thinking to himself: _'Man,_ I _wanted to be the one to break his arm.'_

Back with the others, Ben was introducing himself and his cousin to the two new girls in the hall. "So, Weiss Schnee and Ruby Rose. Nice to meet ya, I'm—"

"Ben Tennyson." Weiss finished as she looked over to the redhead. "You must be Gwen, and the boy mumbling about breaking arms is Kevin, correct?"

The two cousin's eyes widened in surprise, Gwen replying; "Um, yeah, how'd you now?"

Ruby answered for her partner with a smile. "Oh, we've met your grandpa."

That got Ben's attention. "Grandpa Max is here?!"

Ruby nodded. "Yep, and your friend Cooper's here too. They're both waiting with General Ironwood back at the docks."

Ben smiled. "Well then what're we waiting for? Let's go!"

Blake put a hand on Ben's shoulder. "Wait a second, Ben. I have to say something." She turned to her red and white teammates and took a deep breath. "Ruby, Weiss, there's something I need to tell you." Blake paused briefly before continuing. "Before all of this happened, Adam told me that he would take away everything I love. It... it had to be one of the weakest moments of my life. And if Ben hadn't gotten here when he did, one of those things might not be still here with us today." She looked to Yang, who gave a guilty smile and a shrug, Blake smirking back. "I've made my decision. No more running away. I'm going to stay, and protect everything that's important to me." She reached for the top of her head and undid her bow laces, pulling it from her hair and revealing her cat ears to everyone, though Ben, Gwen and Kevin seemed to be the only ones surprised. "I'm not afraid to hide who I am anymore. I'm staying, and protecting my family."

Weiss was smiling, though she was confused at the last statement. "That's really great to hear Blake! Although, I wasn't aware you _had_ family in Vale. Are they close by?"

Blake's smile grew and she chuckled. "Closer than you think, Weiss."

The Ice Queen's confusion grew as she placed her hands on her hips. "I don't follow."

Ruby, however, picked up on the subtext pretty quickly and rolled her eyes at her partner's expense. "Ugh, Weiss, how can you be so incredibly dense?!" Her expression quickly changed to a smile. "She's talking about _us_." At that, Weiss' eyes widened as she watched Ruby bound over to Blake and hugged her, squeeing like an excited school girl. "EEEEE! I have another sister!"

The Schnee heiress looked to her Faunus friend and Blake gave the most sincere smile that Weiss had ever seen. "I-is that true? D-do you really think of _me_ as... a sister?"

She got her answer when Yang clasped her on the shoulder and pulled her into a hug. "Yup! Welcome to the Fam, Weiss-Cream! Always room for one more!"

Weiss brought a hand up to her chest and over her heart, feeling herself tear up while doing so. "I... I really don't know what to say. I'm just so honored that you would even consider me like that. Especially considering... well... I haven't exactly been the BEST sister."

Yang shrugged. "Eh, no family's perfect. We've all got our defects, but who cares?"

"B-but where did this all come from in the first place?!"

Blake smiled. "Let's just say that I had to have some sense beat into my head." Yang smiled and rolled her eyes at that.

"Ahem!" The girls looked over to see Gwen approaching them. "Girls... I know that this might not be the best time, but I know a photogenic moment when I see it." The Anodite hybrid brought out her cellphone and turned it sideways, activating the camera function. "Now, say 'Family Photo'."

Team RWBY all smiled at each other before looking into the camera and repeating: "Family Photo!" Gwen snapped the picture as the girls all laughed amongst themselves.

The redhead looked at the picture with pride. _'Now THIS_ _is worth remembering. Better make sure they each have their own copy.'_ she thought as she put her phone away. "Oh yeah, and Blake, I love the ears." The redhead complimented.

Blake blushed. "Thanks."

"Hey!" the group turned to Kevin, who was still leaning up against his car. "If you don't mind me interrupting, we've gotta get movin'. Max is probably wondering where the hell we are and we've got a package to deliver." he said while jabbing his thumb towards the trunk of his car.

Ben lightly smacked his forehead. "Oh god, right! Come on guys we'd better go." The group started walking toward Kevin's car, but the Osmosian held up his hand.

"Hold up, Tennyson. We've got a problem. My car seats five. There's seven of us. Do the math."

Yang smirked and rolled her eyes. "Psshh, you call THAT a problem?" The Blonde Brawler reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a... key fob? "I've got it covered." She pressed a button on the fob and it went _bleep-bleep_! At first, nothing happened, but soon the group could hear a loud motor fast approaching. "May wanna take a few steps back, guys." Yang motioned the others back and the doors to the mess hall flung open as a yellow and red unmanned motorcycle crashed through, breaking one of the mighty doors off its hinges. The bike skidded to a halt in front of Yang, a trail of dust in its wake. She spread her arms out over the mighty machine. "Tennysons, Kevin, meet Bumblebee!"

The trio's eyes widened. "Okay, THAT is badass!" Kevin said.

"No kidding!" Ben added. "I've never seen anything like this!" He stepped up to the bike to take a closer look, much to the apprehension of the rest of Team RWBY. They knew that Bumblebee was one of Yang's two babies (the other being her hair) and she didn't like anyone getting that close to it without her permission. But oddly enough, Yang allowed Ben to approach the bike, albeit cautiously.

"Yup! She's my baby." she stated proudly.

"Sweet! How long have you had her?"

"'Bout two years. Got her for my fifteenth birthday."

"Wow, seriously?! The only thing big I got for _my_ fifteenth was my jacket."

"Well I don't see a problem there, it's a nice jacket."

"Yeah, but, heh, no present can top your bike."

Kevin took offense to that. "Hey Tennyson, don't forget I built your friggin' car for your sixteenth, ya ingrate!"

"And it's a very _nice_ car and I'm still very thankful for it, but come on! You said it yourself that this bike is badass!"

Kevin sighed. "Yeah, got me there."

Yang let out a laugh. "Well, I'm glad you like her Ben. You wouldn't believe how many people take bikes like this for granted."

"Hey no problem, I get it. Now what do you say we leave before anything else crazy happens?"

Kevin agreed. "Good idea. Alright ladies, one of you'll go with Yang and the rest will pile up into my car. That means you too Ben, get it in gear missy!"

Ben scowled at his friend and Yang let loose another laugh, louder this time. Ben sighed and began walking to Kevin's car before an idea popped into Yang's head. _'If he's really that into it... then maybe...'_ "Hey, Green Boy!"

Ben turned back around. "Yeah?"

Yang smiled and opened up a hatch on Bumblebee's rear, bringing out a black bike helmet. "Since you've shown so much interest in Bumblebee... you wanna see how she runs?"

"W-wait, are you asking me, and I mean _seriously_ asking me if I—"

"Wanna have a ride on my bike? Yeah, sure."

There were a few mixed reactions to this. Kevin and Gwen raised their brows in surprise while Weiss and Blake's eyes widened in shock. All this followed up with Ruby almost losing her jaw to the floor. Ben contemplated his answer... for all of two seconds. "Well... I guess if you're offering... Aw what the hell. Sure, why the heck not!?"

"Now _that's_ what I like to hear!" She tossed the helmet to Ben and turned to her team. "Girls! You go with Gwen and Kevin! We'll meet ya at the docks 'kay?" The girls all gave reluctant nods, except for Ruby who was still in so much shock that Weiss had to drag her to the car. Yang mounted her bike with Ben following soon after. "Better hold on, cause this is gonna be epic!"

"Heh, right." Ben looped his arms around Yang's midsection... and immediately became nervous about the bike. Yes, he had ridden on much more dangerous stuff in the past, but it was still something that made his stomach twist in knots. Something about the potential danger on large, high velocity motor vehicles while he wasn't transformed always got to him somehow. It was the reason he was glad that Julie never upgraded from her moped... that is until Ship upgraded it _for_ her.

Yang however seemed to pick up on this pretty quickly as she put her hand on his forearm. "Ben," she turned around to meet his gaze, "I can already tell that if you keep yourself nervous like that, you're not going to enjoy riding on Bumblebee." She gave him a reassuring smile. "Now, I want you to take a deep breath and relax. It's important that you hold on, okay? Wouldn't want you to fall off of a high speed motorbike, right? Just remember," she winked, "this isn't my first rodeo. You're in good hands. So sit back, relax, and most importantly..." she took out a pair of aviator sunglasses and put them on, "have fun, 'kay?"

Ben blinked twice before smiling back. "Okay."

"Alright! Let's get going!" For as bombastic as Yang was, Ben had to admit, she had a really calming effect on him. Guess that came with being a big sister. He did as he was told and took a deep breath through his nostrils, and, just like that, he could feel himself rela—

' _Wait, why do I smell lilacs?'_ Ben took another silent whiff. _'Wait, is that her hair? Huh... very relaxing.'_

* * *

Inside Kevin's car, Ruby was still in a jaw-dropped coma. "Ruby?" Weiss called to her partner, snapping her fingers in front of her face. "HEY!"

"Gah!" the younger girl exclaimed, finally snapping out of it. "Oh, sorry Weiss, I just thought I heard Yang offer Ben a ride on Bumblebee."

"Uh Ruby..." the heiress pointed out the window and Ruby saw Yang and Ben having a conversation on her bike. Ruby's eyes widened in shock.

"Guys... something weird is going on."

"What makes you say that?" Blake asked. "Things seem pretty normal to me. Well... in terms of _us_ but..."

"Nonono you don't get it. Yang hasn't even known Ben for, what, half an hour? And yet she trusts him enough ride on her motorcycle? Yang almost _never_ lets anyone else ride Bumblebee."

Weiss interjected. "Wait, what about Neptune that one time?"

"Like I said _almost_. And only for really important situations like _that_ was. She is SUPER protective about that bike and you know it."

"Well Ruby," Gwen spoke up. "Would it be too farfetched to say that Ben actually showing interest and complimenting her bike was enough for her to offer him a ride?"

"I mean... maybe, but I just find it weird that she's only known him for a little while, and she just _offered_ to let him ride her bike!" Ruby narrowed her eyes at the two bike riders. "Something's going on here, and _I_ intend to find out!"

Gwen smirked and rolled her eyes. _'Poor, sweet, innocent Ruby.'_ the redhead sighed and looked back to the silver-eyed girl. "Hey Ruby, if you let me, would it be okay if I help you out?"

Ruby was surprised at the offer. "Really? ...Why?"

"I won't lie, I'm a little curious myself. Also, I know my cousin better than anyone, so if you need help, I'm your best shot."

"That's awesome! Thanks Gwen!"

"No problem. Besides, I already have a little theory going through my mind right now."

Ruby gasped. "Really?! Ooh, let's hear it!"

"Uh-uh, not yet. Let's get out of this place first before we discuss anything."

"Ladies!" their attention was directed to Kevin. "Not to interrupt the gossip on Tennyson, but Yang's giving us the go ahead!" Indeed, Yang was giving them a thumbs up, signaling that she and Ben were ready.

Gwen looked at Ruby and smiled. "We'll continue this conversation later."

Ruby smiled back. "Okay! Let's go!" And with that, the two vehicles rolled out into the fire fueled night, with plans for the future concocting in the two girls minds.

* * *

**A/N: Okay so, not much action in this chapter, but the next one will rectify that entirely. So firstly, I know that Cooper's inclusion in the story might have come off as weird, but I kind of feel bad for the guy. He disappeared after Ultimate Alien right when I thought his character was finally getting interesting so I wanted to include him. He'll be doing more stuff as the story progresses. Speaking of forgotten characters...Coco! What an awesome yet wasted character in the show! Shipped off to Vacuo after Volume 3 and no sign of her since! Seriously?! I hope I can do the badassery that is Coco Adel justice because she was one of my favorites before everyone just forgot about her. Next Time: A huge fight ensues and we get a call from our favorite knightly blonde goofball... but what will be the outcome of that call? Tune in next time to find out!**

**P.S. The type of the blaster that Max and Cooper were using is a Mark 12 Techadorian Multiblaster. They are an actual Ben 10 weapon... and I'm surprised that they gave the thing such a complex name even though we've only seen it twice in the actual series.**


	4. Ready? Fight!

**A/N: Okay, so another difference with this chapter is that I used to have an "answering comments" section up here... which I dropped entirely after this chapter. So yeah, without further ado, this is...**

**Chapter 4: Ready? Fight!**

* * *

Cooper Daniels could not feel more useless if he'd tried. There he was, sitting against the Rustbucket while everyone else was blasting away at Grimm. It made him disappointed in himself. First he couldn't prevent Vilgax's escape, then he had stupidly gotten his legs hurt (though some would argue that was out of his control), and now he was basically being the one protected, AGAIN! First during the Negative Ten incident, then when the Hybreed captured him, and now THIS?! He didn't go through intense Plumber training for THIS! He was sick of it! He took a deep breath, trying to let his frustration go. _'Remember Coop, you're not the only one probably feeling useless.'_

He turned his attention to Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren, who had been moved so that they were sitting next to him. The normally upbeat redhead now bore a sullen expression while Ren seemed to show one of concern. Though now that Cooper's eyes had wandered, Ren looked up to meet his gaze. The two young men studied each other for a moment before Cooper spoke up. "You're worried about your teammates, aren't you?"

Ren nodded. "Yes, very much."

"Jaune and Pyrrha are like our older siblings." Nora said, catching the blonde's attention. "We've only known each other for almost a year, but it feels like forever." She began choking on her words. "If anything happened to them _-hic-_ I just don't know what I would do."

Seeing her despair only made Cooper feel worse. He hit the ground next to him, not caring if it hurt. "Damn it! I feel so useless! If only I had some tech lying around I could force myself to walk!"

Ren was puzzled at that. "Tech? You need technology to walk?"

"Yes! Er, I mean no, well, ugh! Look, I'm a technopath, so in this situation, yes, I could use technology to will myself up onto my legs. Unfortunately, all I've got is this rifle that I can't use in this position."

"Well if you need tech, why don't you just use all of _that_ over there?" Nora pointed over behind the Rustbucket to a cluster of destroyed white robots lying in a broken heap. Atlesian Knights.

Cooper's eyes widened in shock. _'How in the hell did I not notice those before? More importantly...'_ "Why didn't you tell me that was there in the first place?" he asked Nora.

"You didn't ask." The redhead replied with a cheeky grin.

Coop's face deadpanned. _'What IS this girl? She's sad one second and random the next, what the heck?'_ He couldn't doddle on that right now; he had to get to those bots. But he needed cover, so he called out to the first person who came to his mind: "Coco!"

The barrette-wearing girl didn't turn away from the horde of Grimm that she was mowing down, but she _did_ hear him. "Yeah Blondie, what is it?!"

"I need you to help me over to that large pile of scrap over there!"

That got Coco's full attention and she glanced over to Sun Wukong, who was using his signature bo staff, the Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang to fight off the Grimm. "Hey Monkey Boy, I need you to take over for a bit!"

"On it!" said monkey boy acknowledged. He separated his staff into its gun-chaku mode and took Coco's position, blasting and knocking away Grimm with every swing. Coco changed her rotary canon back to its hand bag mode and strutted over to the three. She knelt down, looked Cooper in the eye and asked:

"Are you crazy?"

Cooper's expression never faltered. "Trust me, this will work."

A moment passed before Coco relented with a sigh. "Scratch that, I'M the crazy one for agreeing to this." She lifted Cooper's arm and draped it over her shoulder, picking him up off the ground and bringing him over to the wrecked Altesian Knights. "You're _sure_ you know what you're doing?"

"Positive, I just need a few seconds." Coco set Cooper down in front of the wrecked robots, allowing him to work. He whistled, impressed by the technology. "Gotta say, this is quite the piece of work." He set his hand on one of the robots. "But nothing I can't handle." His blue eyes began to glow brighter as the pieces of metal on the Altesian Knights began to disassemble and reasseble themselves onto Cooper's body, covering his legs, arms, and torso in the white armor. Coco pulled her shades down, making sure she was seeing things correctly.

Cooper was now covered in a suit of white, highly advanced, Atlesian armor, complimented by a jet booster pack that he made from the spare parts. He picked up the head of one of the Knights, emptied it of its electronic contents, and placed it on his head, a perfect fit. The visor lit up, what was once a dark red now being a bright blue. He now looked like a fully armored Atlesian Knight. He looked to Coco and spoke; his voice sounding like it was coming through a speaker. "Well, how do I look?"

After staring in awe for a second, Coco smirked and pushed her sunglasses back into place. "Like you're ready to kick ass and take names."

"Heh, well I'm not _that_ ready yet." Finally able to stand up, Cooper turned his attention back to where he was sitting before and picked up his Mark 12 Techadorian Multiblaster in his right hand, Ren and Nora looking up at him in shock. The weapon began to disassemble and then reassemble to become a part of his right gauntlet. "Ranged weaponry, check."

Cooper stepped past the two still gawking teens and went into the Rustbucket, Coco following after him. Her eyes widened, what she thought would be the home of a nice old man... was still that, but with a wall of weapons above the sink, Cooper himself taking hold of a shimmering blue energy sword. He set it against his left wrist and the blade folded in on itself until it was all compacted in his left gauntlet. "Melee weaponry, check. Okay, _now_ I'm ready."

"Great, because I think we got company!" Cooper looked out through the door and saw that there were indeed more Grimm. Some appeared to be wolves and bears while others resembled giant lizards and boars. He activated his Multiblaster, now like an extension of his own arm, and nodded to Coco who smirked back at him.

The two exited the RV and walked past the line of defense, Ironwood almost mistaking him for an actual Atlesian Knight until Coco explained otherwise. Cooper stood in front of the horde, battle ready. One of the boars immediately began spinning rapidly and charged. Just as the beast was about to hit him, Cooper punched down on it, sending it into the ground, breaking its spine. More came his way but he used his blaster to shoot holes into all of them.

A lizard Grimm suddenly jumped at him, Cooper having to deactivate his weapon so that he could catch the monster's front legs. The beast tried to overpower him, but Cooper had an idea. He swung his metal covered leg to the beast's crotch and it staggered back in agony, Cooper unsheathing his energy blade and beheaded the suffering creature. More of the lizards charged and Cooper activated his jet boosters, propelling himself forward at great speeds whilst swinging his blade at the creatures, either gutting, dismembering, or decapitating them as he went.

"These systems might not be flight capable, but they sure as hell work!" he shouted. Cooper stopped and looked behind him to view his handiwork. Many of the Grimm were now either dead or festering in pools of their own blood. There were some Grimm he had missed, but a quick glance up reassured Cooper that Sun and the others were handling the stragglers. But he also saw something else that surprised him...

"Hey Tech Head, to your left!" Coco was running after him, a slightly annoyed expression on her face. It was only then that he'd noticed that the ground beneath him was moving. He jumped away just in time for a giant Grimm scorpion to spring forth from the earth. He was taken by surprise as the scorpion lifted its stinger and thrust it down at its prey. Coco slid to a halt in between them and smacked the stinger away with her handbag. As the scorpion reeled back, Coco activated her rotary cannon and unloaded a hellfire of bullets in its face, eviscerating it. When she stopped, Cooper was once again taken aback by the weapon's power and the girl's strength.

"Okay, what was that?" he asked.

"Death Stalker. Pretty unpredictable, _very_ poisonous." Coco smiled. "Gotta admit, Tech Head, you're not half bad. A bit sloppy in combat, but still, you've got some skills."

Cooper shrugged. "Heh, well what can I say? A trained Plumber can _also_ be quite unpredictable." He felt a tremor beneath him. "Speaking of..." Cooper turned around and another Death Stalker emerged from the pavement, but Cooper was ready this time. He brought out his blade and activated his jet boosters while leaping into the air. Landing on the Death Stalker's tail, he sliced the stinger off, sending it plunging into the beast's head. Cooper rolled off the giant scorpion, pulling his blade back and grabbing the remains of it's tail as he did. Using his tech-enhanced strength, Cooper lifted the Grimm off the ground and spun it around, letting go on the fifth spin and sending it straight into an empty building, burying it in rubble.

Coco seemed impressed. "Hmm, again not bad. Though we should probably avoid destroying anymore buildings."

"Right, my bad." At the sound of a deep growl, the two whirled around to see more hordes of Ursai and Beowulves charging at them. Cooper glanced to Coco. "Think you can handle the fifty on the right?"

She smirked. "Tech Head, I've been doing this all day, I think I can keep this up."

From beneath his helmet, Cooper smiled as he brought out his blaster. "Couldn't have said it better myself. Let's do this!"

* * *

The mighty duo of Kevin's car and Bumblebee were rolling through the school grounds, their destination: the ship docks. Yang, being the expert motorcyclist she taught herself to be, was weaving around destroyed structures and upturned earth like a pro. She could only imagine what her passenger was thinking. "Hey, Ben! You liking the ride so far?!" she yelled.

In all honesty, the only suitable word that Ben could describe his feelings right now was: exhilarated. There was something about Bumblebee that was just hitting all the right switches in his mind. "Are you kidding?! This is amazing!"

Yang smiled. "Glad to hear it!" As she continued down the paved grounds she started to notice moving objects along their left side. She glanced left and, to her irritation, they were being pursued by at least six Beowulves. "Ah, shit!" She said in disdain.

"What is it?" Ben asked.

"On our left!"

Ben turned his head and he saw the Grimm. "HOLY SHIT! What are those things?!"

"Beowulves. Ben, I'm gonna warn you, things are about to get crazy! I need you to hold on to one of the handle bars to help me keep her steady for a minute!"

"On it!" Ben released his left arm from Yang and went for the handle bar as she removed her own left hand. The Beowulves closed in and began to leap at the bike. But Yang wouldn't let them touch it. She activated her Ember Celica and started punching with all her might, unloading a shot into every Beowulf that dared lunge at her bike.

"GET! OFF! MY! BIKE! ASS! HOLES!" she yelled with every punch. The creatures fell, their corpses littering the courtyard and forcing the car behind them to maneuver past even _more_ obstacles, something that the driver was none too happy about. Yang took back the handle and Ben returned his arm to her middle. She yelled back: "You good?!"

"Hell yeah, I'm good! That was awesome!"

"Thanks! But I think Kevin's not enjoying the presents I'm leaving him!"

* * *

"Oh no, _please_ keep leaving dead bodies _all_ over the road, Yang. I don't mind." Kevin said bitterly as he swerved around said dead Grimm with a small pout on his face. He wouldn't admit it was a pout, but it was.

Gwen glanced at her boyfriend with reassurance. "Kevin, I'm sure that she isn't doing it on purpose."

Kevin exhaled through his nostrils. "I know, I'm just not really looking forward to getting all this blood outta the paint when this is over."

"I know sweetie, I know."

In the back seat, Weiss' eyes had narrowed at the two's conversation, and she finally felt the need to ask. "Hey Gwen?"

"Yes Weiss?"

"Listen... I mean absolutely no offense when I say this, and you don't need to answer me when I ask but, you two seem so different from each other so... how _are_ you two a couple exactly?"

The Osmosian and Anodite glanced at each other before the former smirked and answered. "Roguish charm."

Gwen grinned, rolling her eyes. "And a _whole_ lot of patience."

"Um, not to interrupt," Blake spoke up, "but if you look in your rearview, you'll see that we've GOT COMPANY!"

Kevin glanced up to the mirror and his eyes widened at the sight of seven Ursai approaching fast. "Well... shit."

Ruby had a glimmer in her eye. "Ooh, Ursai! Don't worry, I'm on it!" She removed Crescent Rose from her back and activated the sniper rifle configuration.

Kevin's eyes widened. "Wait, it's a scythe _and_ a gun?"

"Yep." the hooded girl replied, popping the "p" sound.

The young man turned to his girlfriend. "Gwen, I know what I want for my birthday next year."

"You're going to be _nineteen_ Kevin."

"Oh come on, it's _so cool_!"

Ruby pulled back the sun roof and pushed herself through. She steadied Crescent Rose, took aim and fired, the rounds hitting their marks like it was nothing. Blake was lending a hand as well. Now part-way out of the left rear window, Gambol Shroud in hand, she fired at the Ursai that had managed to move clear of Ruby's shots and were getting too close to the car. One Ursa managed to leap at her, but she quickly activated Gambol Shroud's blade, stabbing it in the neck and up through its head. She pulled the blade out and let the body tumble away.

"Um, girls, not to sound needy, but we've got more in the front!" Gwen called out. Indeed there were more Grimm coming toward them, this time of the lizard variety.

"Creeps." Weiss stated. "I've got this." Weiss rolled down her window and leaned out, Myrtenaster in hand. She focused her semblance through her rapier and created several small versions of her snowflake glyphs. She spun the barrel to her signature ice setting and the glyphs began to glow. The energy gathered and out shot several large shards of ice, firing directly at the Creeps. The shards hit their mark, either skewering the Creeps through the head or impaling them in the chest. Kevin drove around the husks and before they knew it the Ursai had stopped attacking as well, leaving them...

"Woo! In the clear!" Kevin hollered. But the celebration was cut short when he felt a tremor from underneath his car. Yang pulled to a stop in front of them and Kevin did the same, the pavement having cracked and the earth moved. Bursting forth from the surface came two large snake-like beasts, one black, one white. Both were hissing and baring their giant fangs at them, their intent to kill very clear.

"Okay, the hell is that?!" Ben yelled from the bike.

"A King Taijitu!" Ruby yelled from the sun roof. She took aim and fired at one of the snake Grimm's eyes. However, it managed to avoid the shot and lunged at Ruby, who quickly retreated into the car before she could become a snake snack. The King Taijitu pulled back its head and continued hissing menacingly. "Okay, that didn't work. Any ideas?"

"Just one." Kevin pressed a small button on the dashboard and the car transformed into its battle mode, complete with gatling guns and missile launchers. The targeting systems locked on and fired at one of the King Taijitu's heads as it hissed, the missiles exploding inside of its mouth, making its head explode.

"Now for the finishing touch." Kevin reached underneath the dashboard and opened a secret compartment that housed a big red button. He slammed it and from back of the car emerged a large plasma cannon. It took aim at the remaining head and shot a powerful laser right through its skull, making the corpse fall to the ground. Kevin sat there with a prideful smirk on his face while the girls in the backseat all sat with their mouths gaping open. Even Yang was looking back at Kevin with a stunned expression.

"What... the HECK... was THAT?!" Ruby spoke for all of them.

"A Quasar Burst Plasma Cannon." Kevin answered as the car changed back to normal. "Level Six alien tech. One of the most powerful weapons of its kind" He turned to the three stunned girls. "Now, if we're done here, how 'bout we get the lead out and get to the docks, huh?" The three girls gave silent nods and Kevin turned back around, signaling Yang to keep going. The blonde gave a thumbs up and she and Ben were off like a shot, the dangerous green car not far behind.

* * *

Cooper slammed the last of the Boarbatusks into the ground, snuffing its lights out. Coco meanwhile, was smacking around one last Beowulf with her handbag before caving it's skull in with her boot, effectively taking out the last Grimm standing. The two allies relished in their victory. "And that, Coco, is what I would refer to as a fatality." Cooper commented on her defeated foe.

"Eh, not that big of a deal. Beowulves are like the grunts of the Grimm species. Easy to take out and don't really put up much of a fight."

"Yeah, but it was still cool." Cooper pointed out. Coco smiled and shrugged before the two's attention was directed toward the front of the school. What they first thought was the roaring of more Grimm were actually the roaring of... engines. From around the bend came a bright yellow motorcycle and a familiar green muscle car. "It's Kevin! They're alright! ...But who's the girl on the bike?"

Coco smirked. "That would be Yang. Huh, and she's got a passenger."

"Actually, I think that's Ben!"

Coco's brow rose in intrigue. "Really? Hmm... wonder why she'd let him ride on her bi—" her sunglasses shimmered and she smirked as the realization hit her. "Ooh, that boy's a lucky one."

* * *

The two speeding vehicles rounded the corner into the school courtyard. At first, Ben thought it was odd that there were no Grimm, but he soon got his answer as to why.

"Hey! There's Coco!" Yang exclaimed. "But who's the Tin Man next to her?" Ben looked over the blonde's shoulder to see who he presumed to be Coco as well as the "Tin Man". Once he did, the armor clad man seemed to notice and give him a thumbs up. A knowing smile came to the young hero's face.

"I think that's my friend Cooper!"

"Oh! Cool!" Yang replied. At that moment, Yang caught something from the corner of her eye. Her eyes widened and she started pointing behind Cooper and Coco, gaining their attention. The two turned around just in time to see a giant Grimm bird swooping down at them. They dove out of the way and the creature missed its mark, swooping back up into the air and straight over Yang and Ben.

"Okay, so that just happened!" Ben pointed out. "And something tells me it'll be back!"

"Yeah! Any bright ideas?!" Yang asked back.

"Give me a sec!" After scanning his surroundings, Ben found something they could use. A bit further down the paved walkway was a bit of upturned pavement... and it seemed very ramp-like. "Okay, plan formed! Yang, I've enjoyed the ride, but I'm going to have to transform! Think you can ramp up that rubble so I can launch myself?"

"Ben, that has to be the craziest plan I've ever heard!" Yang answered. "I love it! Let's go!" Yang sped up while Ben repositioned his arms so he could work the Omnitrix. They sped past Coco and Cooper and once Ben had the alien he wanted, he stood up on the bike, holding onto Yang's shoulders. "Okay, ready?!" she yelled.

"Don't really have a choice!" Bumblebee rocketed up the unstable ramp and Ben launched himself into the air, slamming the Omnitrix and transforming. Yang skid Bumblebee to a halt while Ben landed on the ground feet fist with a mighty _BOOM_! Kevin's car stopped as well, the two half-breeds in the front seat smiling at the transformation, while the girls in the back seat just stared dumbfounded. Cooper and Coco stood up, the latter sliding her shades down to look at the creature. Back at the docks, everyone was staring at the transformation awestruck at what they just witnessed... except Nora who yelled:

"HOLY CRAP what the HELL is that?!"

Yang craned her head up and removed her sunglasses. The other transformations were relatively normal size. Not this one. This one was fifteen feet tall _at least_. Its head was huge, its tail was massive, its appearance resembling a giant lizard. Ben reared his head back; roaring to the sky as he proclaimed:

" **HUMUNGOUSAUR!"**

Yang could hear Nora scream from the docks: "OH MY GOD, THAT'S SO GODDAMN COOL!"

Ben's head shot up in surprise at the loud voice "She's not wrong." Yang reaffirmed. The two's attention was drawn to the sound of a loud screech. The Grimm bird had circled the school and was coming back around.

Ben extended his hand to Yang in a protective stance. **"Duck!"** the Vaxasaurian yelled.

"Nevermore, actually." Yang jokingly corrected. "And it's really more of a raven than a duck."

" **While I appreciate the humor, I don't think now's a good time!"** Humungousaur ran up at the swooping avian and when it was close enough, he jumped up and grabbed onto its underbelly, having it carry him over everyone's heads and toward the docks. Yang and Kevin both started their vehicles back up and drove in pursuit of Ben and the Nevermore, Cooper and Coco not far behind as the former used his jet boosters to propel them both, him having to (very nervously) carry the young lady.

* * *

At first, the Nevermore had no problem lifting Humungousaur, it being at least twice as big as the alien. But all that changed when Humungousaur began to increase in size, the various parts of him changing as he grew. Now sporting heavier armor and greater height, Humungousaur was able to turn things in his favor. He twisted his body so that the Nevermore was now flying upside down and he was on top, his weight forcing the avian Grimm to crash land in front of the docks. The group of people backed off, still in awe at the giant lizard.

The dinosaur alien grabbed the Nevermore's still flapping wings and snapped them, leaving them limp. The bird still fought back as it snapped at him with its beak. Humungousaur waited for an opening and gripped the beak with all his might, forcing it open further and further before finally... _CRACK_! Its jaw broke. Just for good measure, Humungousaur gripped its head and twisted... _SNAP_! Its neck broken, the creature fell limp, the Vaxasaurian giving a roar of victory before calming down. He looked down at the people, a big grin coming to his face at the first person he saw. **"Grandpa!"**

"Ben!" Max exclaimed. "Boy, am I glad you're safe!" The two gave each other an awkward embrace, one being the size of a two story house didn't really help all that much.

" **Hey you really didn't think I'd be in all** _ **that**_ **much trouble did you?"**

The old man smirked. "Well... given your track record..."

" **Aw c'mon!"** the dinosaur pleaded.

Max chuckled at his grandson's expense. "Just kidding Ben. Now, there are a few people that I want you to meet."

" **I'm sure."** The Vaxasaurian craned his head over to the person next to his grandfather, a man in tattered clothes and who seemed to be half machine. **"General Ironwood I presume."**

"You would presume correct." The general extended his hand. "Pleasure to meet you Ben." Humungousaur lightly shook the man's hand with his own massive one before looking over to the woman who was also next to his grandfather.

" **And you would be?"**

"I am Glynda Goodwitch. I must say, I was skeptical of Max when he told us about you, but now that I see it... I still almost can't believe it!"

" **Eh, that's what everyone says when they meet me. Really, at this point it's pretty normal."** Ben then noticed that there was another man in a gray suit and hair to match standing next to Glyda a five o'clock shadow adorning his face. However, the man seemed to be a bit... unfocused. **"Um, excuse me sir, but... are you... drunk?"**

"Not as drunk as you think I am, kid. Name's Qrow."

" **Oh... okay then."**

"I understand that you're the reason my niece is still in one piece. Now don't think that just instantly gets you on my good side, hear me?"

" **Um... okay?"** Ben looked over the adults to see that there was a trio of kids his age, one standing and two sitting against the Rustbucket. **"Um, hi."** He waved to them.

"Hi!" a short haired redhead clad in a pink skirt waved back. "I'm Nora! And this..." she grabbed the shoulder of a green clad boy with long black hair, "is my friend Ren!" Ren nodded at Ben who just nodded back.

' _Not much of a talker I guess.'_ Ben looked at the standing boy. He was blonde, had tanned skin with a shirt that exposed his chest, bandages on his arms and a monkey's tail. **"And you would be?"**

The young man gave the dinosaur alien a big grin and a salute . "Name's Sun Wunkong! Nice to meet you, Ben."

Ben's eyes widened. **"Wait a second!"** Ben hit the Omnitrix symbol on his chest and changed back to normal. "Your name is literally _Sun Wukong_?"

"Yeah, why? There a problem?"

"Well... no, it's just..." He heard an engine revving behind him. "You know what, I'll explain later." _'Saved by the Yang.'_ The teen hero thought in relief.

Yang pulled up alongside the group and dismounted Bumblebee, Kevin's car right beside her. Cooper and Coco also returned, the young lady dismounting her temporary steed. Yang walked up, a big grin on her face as she focused in on Ben. "That... was... AWESOME!" she proclaimed.

Ben scratched the back of his head. "Eh, it wasn't that great."

Yang smirked and pointed a finger at him. "Ben, you don't give yourself enough credit! I've _never_ seen somebody snap a Nevermore's jaw and neck before! Decapitated sure but snapped? That's just too awesome."

"Well... I..." Ben started before his grandfather cut him off.

"Now Ben, don't be rude. I thought your father and I always told you to be nice to a lady when she gives you a complement."

His face beat red, Ben spun on his heel and looked at his grandfather, a smirk ever present on the old man's face. "Grandpa!" the hero pleaded, "could you please try _not_ to embarrass me?! I'm not ten anymore!"

"No please," came Kevin's voice, "continue to embarrass him." Ben turned back around, Kevin standing with his arms crossed and a sly grin on his face. Ben gave him his best evil glare. "Aw, come on Ben, don't give me that look. Besides, embarrassment builds character."

"Yeah, like a boot to the head." Ben said through clenched teeth.

Gwen, along with Ruby, Weiss and Blake emerged from the car, the Anodite holding the still unconscious Adam in a cocoon of mana. "Kevin, seriously, could you stop mocking Ben for two seconds while I—" It was then that Gwen had finally set her gaze onto her grandfather and her expression softened to one of happiness and relief. "Grandpa!" She set the cocoon down and in three gates had embraced the old Plumber in a gentle hug. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

The old man chuckled and returned the hug. "I'm just glad that _you're_ okay sweetie." Max looked up to see that Kevin had joined them, and offered his hand. "Kevin, glad to see you—"

"Oh no old man, bring it in." Kevin took the hand and turned the handshake into a side-embrace, with Max gladly accepting. Ben and Team RWBY looked on smiling at the happy moment, glad to finally have a moment of peace. Ben turned to Yang again.

"Well, if it means anything" Ben said, "I really did enjoy the ride. Thanks."

"Hey, no problem." the Blonde Brawler lightly smacked his arm in response. "And if you wanna ride Bumblebee again, don't be afraid to ask, 'kay?"

"I'll keep that in mind." At the sound of metallic footsteps, Ben turned around to see Cooper, his helmet now off, smiling and offering a handshake of his own.

"Ben, good to see you're still in one piece."

Ben accepted the gesture. "Good to see you too Coop! And you're on your feet!"

"Heh, yeah. This technology is amazing! Never seen anything like it in my life!"

"Uh-huh." Ben looked past the tall blonde and over to Coco. "And who's your nice lady friend?"

Cooper stammered. "Um...w-well, she's uh..."

Before he could get out an answer, Coco moved around him and answered for him. "Name's Coco. Nice to meet you Ben."

The two shook hands. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Coco. I hope our resident Tech Head hasn't caused you too much trouble."

"Don't worry, I only had to save his life twice today." She looked over her shoulder and smirked at the blonde who could only give a nervous laugh. Coco turned back around, addressing Team RWBY. "Good to see ya Yangarang, Rubes, Weiss-Cream, Kit-Kat."

Yang winked at her. "Right back at ya Coco Puff."

"Short-stack! Firecracker!"

Ruby gasped at the familiar voice. "Uncle Qrow!" Ruby rushed over to the semi-drunk man and gave him a hug, Yang following soon after.

* * *

Today just seemed to surprise Blake more and more. Never did she think that in the middle of all this chaos there would be any smiling faces left, but her team and her new friends proved her wrong. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she felt a _tap-tap-tap_ on her shoulder. She spun around and her eyes widened. Sun Wukong, the monkey boy who had somehow gained her attention from the moment she met him, was standing right there in front of her. A million thoughts began racing through her mind:

' _He's here? He's alive?! Where's his team? Wait, are those bandages on his arms? He was hurt?! Wait, WHY is he still here in the first place?! I thought—'_

"Hi Blake." That was all it took to snap her out of her self-induced trance and she looked up to meet his eyes... and was shocked to see that the usual brightness that was behind them had dimmed a little bit. It was foreign to her. In all the time that she had known Sun he had always been a big force of positivity, one that could only rival Yang in the sheer amount of it. She realized she couldn't stay silent forever so she attempted to reply.

"Sun... are you okay?"

"Heh, yeah, for the most part." He gestured to the bandages on his arms. "Got cut up by some Boarbatusks. No serious damage though."

"Good... I'm glad. Where's your team?"

"They've been evacuated to Vale, along with the rest of the injured."

"So... why didn't you go with them?"

"They said I could stay so... so that I could wait for you."

The answer was so unexpected that it hit her like a freight train. _'Me? He was waiting for ME? Why?'_ She looked wide eyed at the boy who was now glancing off to the side while scratching the back of his neck, no doubt nervous as to what she would say next. He had treated her so kindly in the months that she had known him, and it still boggled her mind as to why. _'Why? Why has he been so nice to me? Why am I of all people deserving of his attention?'_

She looked to her friends, for once _actually_ hoping that they noticed the situation she was in and would offer any kind of assistance. They indeed had, and they all wore similar reassuring smiles. Weiss and Ruby gave her a single nod while Yang sported a big toothy grin and gave Blake a thumbs up. _'What in the world are they—'_ Blake's eyes widened in shock at the realization... they wanted her to comfort him. She looked back to Sun, still glancing off to the side, still with the brightness dimmed from his eyes... something she realized right then that she couldn't bear to see.

"Listen, I know that it sounds cheesy," Sun continued, "but I was really worried about you. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay and I didn't know where you were so—" The monkey boy was silenced when a pair of arms wrapped around his body, a head of black hair resting against his shirt. Sun was taken aback by the sudden hug. It had taken him a full _two days_ before Blake had opened up to him, and the only other time they'd been this close was at the dance. But, from her slight trembling against him, he could tell that she had been through something while she was off on her own. What it was, he wasn't sure, but he knew one thing: he had to return the hug, for both their sakes. He placed his hands on her back, embracing her.

After a moment's peace, Blake pulled back, craning her head up to meet Sun's gaze. "Sun, things today haven't been that easy for me. I had to confront my past, I almost lost my partner, and quite honestly, those three over there are almost too crazy for me to handle." She gestured over to the three dimension-hopping heroes who were talking to Ironwood. "But... the fact that you actually stayed because you were worried about me is really, _really_ nice." She smiled up at him "Thank you."

Sun smiled back. "Well what can I say?" Sun replied. "I'm a bit of a worry wart."

"And that's very flattering, but you should know that I can take care of myself right?"

"Hey, after everything that's happened today, I think worrying about someone I care about is at least _somewhat_ justified, right?"

Blake let out a little laugh. "Okay, okay, you can be worried about me. But make sure that you don't let it get in the way of leading your own team."

"If it counts for anything, they _did_ say I could stay and wait for you."

The brightness had returned to Sun's eyes, and Blake began to feel a little brighter herself. "And that was really nice of them. Remind me to say thanks later." _'He's such a dork...'_ she thought. _'But I guess... I prefer him that way.'_

* * *

Gwen lifted the cocoon containing Adam off the ground and presented him to Ironwood, who looked at the White Fang with contempt.

"General," Ben addressed, "we present you with Adam Taurus of the White Fang."

"The asshole's got multiple injuries. I suggest a doctor before putting him behind bars." Kevin added.

Ironwood nodded. "Right. Kevin, if you could take him on board the Bullhead, one of my men will show you the infirmary. Make sure that he's strapped in _tight_." Kevin agreed and Gwen removed the cocoon, allowing him to sling Adam over his shoulder and bring him on board the airship. Ironwood looked back to the pair of cousins. "I can't thank you enough for what you've done today."

"It's no problem General." Gwen returned. "We do this kind of thing for a living."

"Well, I'm just glad you showed up when you did. But this fight is far from over I'm afraid."

"What do you mean?"

Glynda interjected. "He means that we are trapped here until that... _thing_ is disposed of." She pointed off the side of the massive cliff. The cousins moved past the Bullhead and looked down the side. What they saw next, they couldn't believe.

"Is that a freaking dragon?!" Ben exclaimed. True to form, a giant behemoth of a black, white and red dragon was circling around the edge of the cliff, almost as if it were waiting for its prey to make a move.

"Yes," Glynda answered, "a _Grimm_ Dragon. And the source of our problems."

"It was originally circling around the school," Ironwood explained, "but once you showed up, it retreated."

"Why is that?" Gwen asked.

"Because Grimm are attracted to one thing: negative feelings."

"However," Glynda added, "Grimm can be driven back by one thing as well: hope. The moment that Max arrived, the Grimm stopped attacking for a few moments before resuming the assault. My guess is that when _you_ arrived, you brought such a strong sense of hope that the dragon had sensed it and was driven back."

"And that means?" Ben questioned.

"It means that it might fear your power." Ironwood continued. "But a Grimm that size doesn't just give up that easily. Even if it has no soul, it's still a living, thinking being. I know for certain that it's formulating a plan. If we leave in that airship without finding some way to kill the beast, it could destroy all of us while we're inside."

Ben brought up the Omnitrix. "Okay, so if that's the case, I'm pretty sure I must have something that can kill that dragon. Just give me a few minutes and then we can lea—"

"NO!" a shrill voice shouted behind them. They turned to see Nora, now supporting herself on one of the Rustbucket's railings as she stood, though she seemed pained to do so. She pointed a finger at Ben. "Look buster, I don't care if you _can_ transform into an overgrown lizard thingy! I am NOT leaving this school without Jaune and Pyrrha!"

Ironwood attempted to calm the Pink Dynamo. "Miss Valkyrie, I know how you must feel but you need to..."

"Wait, Jaune and Pyrrha are still missing?!" Blake questioned.

"Why didn't anyone say so? If that's the case then we CAN'T leave!" Yang shouted in agreement.

"Woah, woah, woah, hold the phone!" Ben said trying to reel everything back. "Who are Jaune and Pyrrha?"

Nora limped over to him, her hand never leaving the railing, nearly in tears. "They're our teammates. Our friends! And-and the best goddamn family that I could ask for!" At this point, Nora had lost her composure and lost her grip on the railing, Ben catching her before she could hit pavement. Nora looked into Ben's eyes as her tears fell. "Please, _please_ find them!" Nora bawled into Ben's jacket as Ren crawled over and held onto his partner's shoulders giving her extra support. The two green clad young men shared a look and Ben's determination kicked in.

"Nora?" the redhead looked up to meet Ben's gaze. "I promise, I'll do everything that I can to find your friends and bring them back here. Okay?"

Nora sniffed and dried her eyes, giving Ben a smile. "Thank you... thank you so much." Ben smiled back, allowing Ren to take his partner and hold onto her himself. No sooner did Ben stand up did Weiss' scroll start beeping. Everyone's attention was on her as she pulled out the scroll and answered it. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw who had called her.

"JAUNE?!" At the name, everyone huddled around, hoping to see if the blonde knight was okay. In truth, he wasn't. He really wasn't. The boy seemed to be in hysterics, the first sign to Ben and Gwen that something was definitely wrong. "Jaune, where are you?" Weiss asked.

" _Weiss! Please you have to stop her!"_

"What?!"

" _Pyrrha! She's going after that woman at the top of the tower! She doesn't stand a chance!"_

"Jaune, what are you talking about? Where are you?!"

Jaune's voice rose in frustration. _"DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME!"_ A moment after, he seemed to calm down and he leaned back against a wall. _"Please, you have to save Pyrrha."_

Weiss looked at Ben, his expression steeling and the two nodded to each other. Weiss turned back to Jaune on her scroll. "We will. Are you okay?"

" _I... I'm fine. I'm in the city. You just save Pyrrha okay? Please."_ The screen went dark and everyone looked to Ben.

"A promise is a promise." Ben brought up the Omnitrix and slammed the core down, transforming this time into another crystal creature, one that was thinner than Diamondhead. Most of him was covered in purple rock, except for the pink crystal that covered its hands and face, as well as individual crystals that jutted out from his back and chest as well as the horn on his head. His two green eyes had merged to become one as the Omnitrix settled on his chest.

"Chromastone!" Without wasting a moment, Ben turned to his cousin. "Gwen, you're with me. Everyone else, load up onto the airship and be ready to leave. Once we get back, that dragon is going down." He smiled to Nora. "This won't take long. We'll be back." Nora smiled back, taking comfort that her family would be back together soon. Ben looked over to his cousin again and she gave a silent nod, her aura glowing bright pink as she lifted herself off the ground and began flying upward. Chromastone would soon follow, but not before...

"Hey, Green Boy!" Ben looked back and faced Yang, a reassuring smile on her face. "Be careful up there 'kay? P-Money's gonna need all the help she can get!"

Ben smiled back and gave a two fingered salute. "I will. See you soon, Goldie Locks!" Yang's smile grew at the new nickname, something that Ben was thankful for. He rose up, meeting his cousin in mid-air and, like a pair of rockets, flew up to the top of the highest tower, their mission as clear as crystal: save Pyrrha. Yang turned around to her friends, family and teachers who were facing up at the retreating duo.

"Okay people!" she shouted. "You heard Green Boy, let's move!"

* * *

**A/N: Man, I remember when I considered THIS a long chapter. Spoiler alert; things only get longer from here. Alright, so Next time... two words: SAVE PYRRHA!**


	5. A Warrior's Second Chance

**A/N: Okay, we're now (technically) at the last part of the Battle for Beacon. A lot and I mean A LOT is going to be happening in this chapter, so be ready for it okay? Hope you guys enjoy! With that said, let's get going. This is...**

**Chapter 5: A Warrior's Second Chance**

* * *

Once most people were gifted with unlimited power beyond their wildest dreams, they would usually do anything they wished immediately after. Not Cinder Fall. She had a mission to complete. As she gazed out over the city of Vale in the office of the fool formerly known as Professor Ozpin, she swore in the name of her mistress that she would see this city brought to its knees. But something was troubling her; the Grimm Dragon had retreated from the school and had not tried to return, flying just below the high cliffs that the academy was built upon. She had wanted it to destroy the Cross Continental Transmit System, but it flew away before she could give such a command. Not many things could cause a Grimm of that size to flee... but she could think of only one...

' _But a sense of hope that strong couldn't possibly exist... could it?'_ she asked herself. _'Hmm, no matter, I'll just have to destroy this place myself and then snuff out that hope... just as I'll do with her.'_

No, she was not alone in this place, as Pyrrha Nikos, the once "Invincible Girl", was now lying at her feet, an arrow of Cinder's own creation pierced through her ankle and into the floor, immobilizing her. The young girl _actually_ thought she could take Cinder on. How amusing. Pyrrha had tried to use her Semblance of polarity to her advantage, but with a power as great as a Maiden's, the girl was no match. The new Fall Maiden had also destroyed the girl's only weapon and knocked her shield out of reach; preventing any kind of last-minute save the girl might have pulled off. Cinder strutted toward the girl, her obsidian bow in hand.

"It's unfortunate that you were promised a power that was never truly yours." Cinder said as she bent down and pulled the redhead's chin up to meet her gaze. "But take comfort that _I_ will use it in ways you could have never imagined."

Pyrrha wretched out of Cinder's grasp, matching the woman's look with her own hard stare. "Do you believe in destiny?"

Cinder could only frown as she answered. "Yes." She instantly created another arrow, knocked it in her bow and aimed it point blank at the fallen girl's chest, intending to end her life in an instant. But before she could, a blast of energy came straight out of nowhere and shot the bow out of her hands, destroying it and the arrow. The two women were left shocked and confused.

"Yeah, about that, I'm gonna have to ask you _not_ to kill her." They whirled their heads around and were astonished to see a tall humanoid creature made of purple rock and pink crystal floating through one of the broken windows, a young girl around Pyrrha's age floating in beside it. "You see, I have some new friends down there who would be pretty disappointed if I came back without her."

The floating girl darted to Pyrrha's side, crouched next to her, and created a pink energy dome. She quickly expanded it to knock Cinder away, the Fall Maiden doing a backflip and digging her heals into the floor to slow herself to a halt. She glared at the girls as the dome shrunk back down, protecting them from Cinder's wrath as the crystal man dashed in front of the two redheads, creating a second line of defense.

Cinder sighed. "So, you two must be the new hope that is keeping my dragon away."

"Oh, you mean lizard lips?" the crystal creature asked. "Yeah, he's scared of us alright. Can't get enough of that positivity now can ya?"

"I see. And who exactly _are_ you?"

The creature balled his hands into fists and put them on his hips, puffing out his rocky chest. "The name's Chomastone, and I'm here to Take. You. Down."

"Ah, I see. Well I certainly wish you luck in that endeavor. I certainly wouldn't want to be facing myself right now."

"Really? And why is that?"

"You see, I recently just acquired an immense power that was thought of to only be legend until recently. And I have _her_ to thank back there for being too scared to accept it herself."

Chromastone looked back to girls, who seemed to be talking to each other inside the bubble before they noticed him face them. Chromastone faced Cinder again, a questioning look on his face. "...Prove it."

A sinister grin came to Cinder's face, a pair of obsidian swords appearing in her hands. "As you wish." The two charged at each other, Cinder swinging her blades down onto Chromastone's forearms as he blocked the strike. The final battle for Beacon's fate had begun.

* * *

As the two fought, Pyrrha could only watch in shock, awe and confusion as her head settled into the lap of the new redhead beside her. Her name was Gwen, but that's all she really knew from the few seconds that they had spoken to one another. As the two watched the fight, Gwen felt the need to reassure the warrior girl. "Don't worry Pyrrha, my cousin has handled much worse."

Pyrrha's eyes widened. "That _thing_ is your cousin?"

Gwen gave her a nervous smile. "Well... yes, but Ben doesn't always look like that." She glanced over to Ben and then back to Pyrrha and whispered: "Between you and me, he actually looks worse when he's normal." she cheekily said with a wink. It made Pyrrha laugh, something that she desperately needed at the moment, but it also made her wince at the pain in her ankle. Gwen winced herself. "Ooh, right, better start working on that."

Gwen moved Pyrrha off of her lap and onto the concrete floor in an awkward laying position as she moved down to inspect the warrior's ankle. "Hmm... well, good news is that I can get the arrow out and stop the bleeding for a while. But I'm going to need Swampfire for the rest."

"Swamp-what?"

"Swampfire, another one of Ben's aliens. He has the ability to make regenerative spores. If we're lucky, six weeks of healing could only take six days or so. Now hold still while I work my magic... literally." Gwen moved her hands over Pyrrha's ankle and began chanting a mystic incantation that the warrior girl couldn't understand. The arrow glowed the same pink as her energy field and it disintegrated into nothingness, painlessly turning into pink energy. Before the ankle could start bleeding out, Gwen created a small energy sphere around the wound, holding the foot aloft to stop any further bleeding and feeding some of her mana into Pyrrha's Aura. Gwen sighed in relief. "Okay, you good?"

"I... I think so. Thank you Gwen."

Gwen smiled. "Hey, Redheads gotta stick together right?"

Pyrrha smiled. "I think that's grand." But her smile vanished as she moved her head to the side, focusing on the battle between Ben and Cinder. The two were trading blows, one with swords and the other with crystalline fists. The turning point came when Ben grabbed the blades and wrestled them out of Cinders hands. He was about to crush them when he noticed something.

"Wait a second... are these obsidian?"

"Yes, of course they are!" Cinder yelled back.

"As in... volcanic _glass_?"

"Yes, now what is your point?!"

Ben crushed the swords effortlessly. "Just what part of Chroma _stone_ did you not understand?"

"Then I'll try something else!" Cinder thrust her hands forward and shot a stream of fire at Chromastone, who managed to dodge it.

"Woah! Okay, new plan... interrogate and annoy." Chromastone kept dodging, all the while asking questions. "So Miss... Oh yeah, never did catch your name!"

"Cinder Fall, enjoy it for it will be the last name you hear!" Another blast and dodge.

"Ah okay, so Cinder, question, what lead you to being here? Dreams of great power? Wealth? A retirement plan?"

"Depends, do _you_ believe in destiny Chromastone?" Blast and dodge.

"What an odd question. But if I had to answer, I'd say I somewhat believe in it. Although, I personally think that we're free to create our own destinies. You never know what tomorrow might bring so why not make the best of it?"

Pyrrha's eyes widened at the Crystalsapien's answer. _'What does he mean by that?'_

"Your answer is interesting Chromastone." said Cinder. "But your idealism won't save you. You see, I have always wished for power and respect. All I needed was to meet the right person to help push me in the right direction." She began surging with a fiery aura, large flames appearing in the palms of her hands as her eyes glowed brightly. "And now that I possess the power of the Fall Maiden, I can finally thank her... by destroying YOU!" Cinder brought her hands together and sent a wall of flame straight at Chromastone. But the alien didn't falter, instead deciding to just stand there as the flames enveloped him. Gwen and Pyrrha turned their heads away from the intense light. When it stopped they could only see a billow of smoke where Chromastone had been standing. Cinder smiled maliciously, convinced she had won...

"WOW! That was some blast!" Cinder's eyes widened and out stepped Chromastone, not a scratch on him. "But I gotta say, not your smartest move."

Cinder was flabbergasted. "B-but how?! That was my strongest blast!"

"Well, other than Fire not being that effective against Rock, I _may_ have left out a little something about myself..." The pink crystals on Chromastone flared to life with a complete spectrum of different colored lights. "You see, I am a conductor of sorts. I can take any form of energy that's thrown at me and send it back, but more powerful. In short, I am rubber, you are glue. Whatever you throw at me, bounces off and back to you." His goading served to make Cinder more annoyed and angry, just what he wanted. "That said, I think it's time we end this."

Cinder clenched her fists. "You think I care about what you are capable of? A Maiden's power surpasses that of anyone else! And I finally have that power! I can finally be feared like I always wanted! I have the strength I need to make entire KINGDOMS fall at my feet!" The intense fiery aura began to radiate off of her again. "I am _Cinder Fall_! And I will not be defeated BY THE LIKES OFF—"

"To be honest, I've heard all kinds of evil speeches before so let's just get this over with." Chromastone fired an intense multi-colored beam from his hands and straight toward Cinder. The young woman unleashed her own blast of flame again, but the energy just cut right through the fire. She was hit in the shoulder and sent screaming out the window. Chromastone rushed to the edge and watched as Cinder... well... _fell_ to the ground. About half way down, she seemed to be enveloped in some sort of dark haze before disappearing all together. "Huh, weird." The hero turned around, quickly sprinting over to Gwen and Pyrrha

"Ben, is she...?" Gwen asked as she brought down her shield.

"Dead? No. She just... disappeared." Ben's attention was directed to the Invincible Girl. "You must be Pyrrha. Hi, I'm Ben."

"Hello." The warrior said dumbfounded. It was one thing to see the creature from afar, but up close was a whole different thing.

Gwen gained Ben's attention. "Ben, I'm going to need Swampfire to seal her ankle up."

"Oh! Right!" Ben hit the Omnitrix symbol on his chest and changed into... "Swampfire!" The change had been so instant that Pyrrha thought she had blinked and missed it. The swamp man knelt next to her and cupped his hands together, creating a large sum of yellow spores in his hands. He looked her straight in the eye. "Okay, Pyrrha, just giving you a heads up. These spores can heal skin and muscle tissue no problem, but bone takes longer. It's going to take a while and even then you may need help before you're able to walk on your own again. Okay?"

Pyrrha nodded and Swampfire signaled his cousin to undo the mana field around Pyrrha's wound. Fortunately, the bleeding had slowed and Pyrrha's Aura had built back up again, if only a little bit. Swampfire cupped his spore-filled hands around the wound and pushed them in, making Pyrrha wince with pain for a second. But a moment later, she could already feel them tingling in her heel. "Now for the finishing touch." Swampfire very carefully removed her grieve and boot, his hands producing a bunch of vines that gently wrapped around her ankle, making a cast for her ankle. "There we go! All done!"

Pyrrha was in awe of what had just happened. She felt obliged to ask... "Who _are_ you two?"

Gwen was about to explain when a loud beeping came from the Omnitrix, now flashing between green and red. One flash of green light later and Ben was back to normal, the face of the Omnitrix now red. "Huh," Ben said, "Guess its recharge time."

"Not surprising considering how many times you must have transformed today." Gwen added. She faced Pyrrha. "Now, I think we owe you an explanation..."

Once Gwen had given an abridged version of her and her cousin's story, Pyrrha took a deep breath, taking it all in. "That is... quite the tale."

"Yeah, we know. Kind of unbelievable."

"Yes... unbelievable." Pyrrha lay down on the ground, her face stoic, almost sad. She faced the two heroes and asked; "Why did you come to save me?"

The cousins were caught off guard. "Why would you ask something like that?" Gwen questioned back.

"Yeah, we're heroes. We don't discriminate who we save." Ben added.

"It is just..." Pyrrha began, "I do not think I deserve it."

The cousins eyes widened and they yelled over one another; "WHAT?!" "Why not?!"

Pyrrha sighed as she sat up. "Do you remember how Cinder said that... that it was my fault that she had the Maiden powers?" They both nodded. "Well... she was right. If I had only taken the powers without a second thought... If I hadn't been so _selfish_ then maybe..." Pyrrha started to feel tears brimming her eyes, "maybe Ozpin... a-and Amber... and P-p-penny... oh gods Penny!" She lost it. She brought her hands to her face and she let her tears fall, her sobs loud and unforgiving. She heard the quick shuffle of feet and could feel two pairs of arms encircle her frame, supporting her as she let her anguish out. She could hear Gwen's voice.

"Pyrrha sweetie, it's okay. It's all going to be okay. What happened to them?"

She answered between her cries. "THEY'RE DEAD! They are all dead because of me!"

"Pyrrha, that can't be true." Ben reassured.

"But it is! I-if I had accepted the Maiden powers sooner, I wouldn't have fallen for the hallucinations and killed Penny! Amber's powers wouldn't have been stolen by Cinder! And Ozpin wouldn't have faced Cinder alone!"

"You mean like how you were doing just now?" Ben's words had caused Pyrrha to look up at him, her eyes now blood shot. "Pyrrha, I don't mean to be harsh, but when somebody has _that_ much power at their disposal, and you _know_ you can't take them on, the answer is to run away. I appreciate the heroic effort, but facing that much power head on isn't going to fix everything."

"I-I tried to fix it before all of this happened. I tried to take on the Maiden powers, but they wouldn't transfer into me for some reason. But... I guess a part of me is glad that they didn't take. Otherwise, I wouldn't be myself anymore."

Ben was confused. "Wait... so, you accepted the powers even though you knew there was a chance you wouldn't be you anymore?"

"Well... I was going back and forth on it at first, but when I asked Jaune if I should follow my destiny, he said I should."

"And did you tell him any specifics?" Gwen inquired.

"Well... not exactly. I told him it was my destiny to save the world, and that's it. Nothing else. I was sworn to secrecy by Ozpin and his Circle about the Maiden powers."

"Then there's your problem. If he had known what you were going to do, I think he most likely would have had second thoughts about it. After all, if he's really your friend, he would want to look out for you right? And you for him?"

Pyrrha stared at Gwen silently before looking back down. "Y-yes. Jaune is one of the most important people in my life. If anything happened to him... I wouldn't know what to do with myself."

"Well then, I'm happy to say that he feels the same way. At least that's what I got from his call."

Pyrrha gasped. "Jaune's alive?"

"Yep." Ben replied. "In fact, if he hadn't called Weiss, we wouldn't know where to find you." As Pyrrha sighed in relief, Ben felt the need to ask what had been on his mind for a while. "Pyrrha, there's still one thing I don't know... who's Ozpin?"

"He was our Headmaster." Pyrrha spoke calmly now. "He told me that he had chosen me to be the next Fall Maiden and he offered me the choice to accept or not. But like I said, if I did, there was a chance I would lose myself to the powers. But I didn't want to lose my friends either... so in the end, I accepted... but only too late. And now... I do not know what to do about it."

Ben took a deep breath; taking in everything he had been told. "Pyrrha, did you hear what I said to Cinder? About each of us creating our own destiny?" Pyrrha nodded. "Well, I believe in that because I've met not just one, but TWO different versions of myself from two different futures." Pyrrha's eyes widened. "I know, it's weird, I'll tell those stories later, but the point is that the future is never set in stone. You never know what life is gonna hand you. The only thing you can do is take it as it comes." The hero placed a hand on the Invincible Girl's shoulder. "Also, not wanting to lose who you are or the memories of your friends _isn't_ selfish."

"Ben's right." Gwen agreed. "You shouldn't feel ashamed just because of a choice. It's behind you now. What you _can_ focus on is how you handle what comes next. Preferably _without_ getting yourself killed."

Pyrrha could feel her spirit lift a little at the cousins' words. "I... I suppose so. But what _will_ happen now? Like it or not, Cinder has the Maiden powers."

Gwen shrugged. "Well, I can only speculate, but I bet his "Circle" will know what to do. Pyrrha, if it's possible, could you please tell me who they are?"

Pyrrha was reluctant at first, but as she looked at Gwen, she could see no ill will behind her gaze. She looked to Ben and he wore a smile, with no bad intentions. They had helped and trusted her, so it was only fair that she trust them. She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Well... there is General Ironwood, Professor Goodwitch, and Qrow Branwen."

As the names came, the cousins grew more and more shocked. Gwen sighed. "Okay Pyrrha, we'll question them later. Right now we need to get you out of here. Ben and I will carry you out of the tower and back to the docks." She smiled at the warrior. "Your hyper pink friend is waiting for you."

Pyrrha gasped as she grasped Gwen's shoulders. "Nora! A-and Ren, are they...?"

"Both are fine. So is Team RWBY. And Jaune, obviously."

Pyrrha smiled, only to sigh sadly soon after. "He's probably not going to be happy with me when we see each other."

"Why not?"

"Well... I _might_ have pushed him into a rocket locker to prevent him from helping me."

"You WHAT?!" Both cousins exclaimed.

A blush came to Pyrrha's face. "And I... may or may not have kissed him right before that. Without any prior warning."

The two stared at Pyrrha dumbfounded. "Wow, yeah that dude's gotta be a hot mess of emotions right now." Ben commented.

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Ben, just help me lift her." Ben did as he was told and lifted Pyrrha up bridal style with Gwen supporting her ankle. However, Pyrrha had some objections.

"Wait! My spear and shield." Gwen glanced around and indeed saw a circular shield on the far side of the room. At her feet, the remains of a red and gold spear lay three large pieces. She focused on the shield and floated it over, with Pyrrha grabbing it. The Anodite lifted the three pieces of Pyrrha's spear, a sad frown overtaking the warrior girl.

"Did you make this yourself?" Gwen asked.

Pyrrha nodded, "Indeed... I forged her with my own two hands."

"Then I know you can forge her again." Gwen handed her the broken pieces with a smile. "And she'll be even better than before. Heck, I'll help you out if you want."

Pyrrha stared at her new friend before smiling back. "Gwen?"

"Yes?"

"I am so glad that I met you two. Thank you so much." The two redheads shared a quick hug.

"What're friends for Red?" The two pulled away and Gwen made a mana platform outside the nearest window. "Alright, now let's get out of this godforsaken place."

* * *

Ruby paced back and forth outside of the ship, Yang leaning on the edge of the door not far behind. Everyone had made their way on board accept for them. It had been a chore to get Bumblebee, Kevin's car and the Rustbucket on the Bullhead, but they had managed. But Ruby was tired of waiting. The Hooded Huntress had never been good at patience so she did stuff like this very often. And it always got on her sisters nerves.

"Ruby, come on! You need to calm down."

"What do you think I'm trying to do? It's not exactly easy considering we have a friend who might be in danger and a dragon ready to eat us!"

Yang sighed. "Look, if anything _had_ gone wrong up there, we would know by now. Did you _see_ that blast? That seemed pretty powerful."

Ruby let out her own sigh. "Yeah, you're right. I guess I should just—" Out of the corner of her eye, Ruby caught sight of a pink light and she gasped in excitement. At the top of the tower, she saw Ben and Gwen step onto a pink platform and they began to descend toward the docks. As they got closer, she could see that Ben was holding something... or rather someone.

"Well, son of a bitch," Yang said, "they live!"

Ruby let her legs carry her forward to meet them as they landed a fair distance away. As she ran, she waved frantically. "Ben! Gwen! Pyrrha!" She saw Gwen and Pyrrha wave back and she yelled; "Pyrrha what in the HECK were you thinking?!"

"I'm sorry!" the wounded girl yelled back. All of a sudden, Ben and Gwen stopped in their tracks, their eyes focused up to the sky in panic, Pyrrha's following soon after.

Ruby heard Yang scream behind her. "RUBY, COME BACK!" The young girl started to question why but the answer came sooner than she thought. A dark shadow flew above her and landed directly behind Ben, Gwen and Pyrrha.

The Grimm Dragon had made its move.

* * *

As Ben stared up into the blood red eyes of the Grimm Dragon, he could only think to himself; _'I'm an idiot, I am a goddamn idiot. How in the hell could I've forgotten about THIS thing?'_ He should have known. It had waited for the perfect time to strike, just like Vilgax. The dragon must have sensed how powerful the Omnitrix was so it stayed away until the device shut down to recharge. It made the young hero frustrated. He should have been able to pummel the beast into the ground with Humungousaur or even Way Big, but the stupid watch just HAD to—

_**Bee-be-beep!**_ Ben looked down at the watch, the green glow having returned. His eyes narrowed at it. "You know, for a watch you always have this tendency of being late."

Ben lowered Pyrrha to the ground and he faced the dragon, the beast backing away, now knowing the grave error it had made. As much as he wanted to beat this thing with his two biggest aliens, Ben knew he had to get this done quick. And he knew the perfect alien for the job. Ben activated the Omnitrix, selected the alien he wanted and transformed, his body becoming composed of copper gears and circuitry, a large twist key protruding from his head.

"Clockwork!"The two redheads stared up at the Chronosapien as the dragon continued to back away, growling in self-defense. As Ruby and Yang ran up and stopped behind the two, the key on Clockwork's head began spinning. From his chest, he shot a green time laser at the dragon as it spread its wings in an attempt to get away. The time-ray made the dragon age so rapidly that it started turned into black dust. As the beast roared in agony, its cry fell on deaf ears as its head dissipated, its body now soot on the pavement. Clockwork dusted his hands, speaking in his German accented voice. "And that takes care of that." As he turned around, he saw his cousin smiling at him while the three Remnant girls were looking at him in awe. "What? Do I have something on my servos?"

Ruby was the first to snap out of it as she looked down at Pyrrha, who looked up to meet her gaze. Ruby's eyes welled up with tears as she tackled Pyrrha with a hug. "Pyrrha! You're alive!"

The Invincible Girl was taken aback by the sudden embrace. "R-Ruby? Why are you—?"

"What were you thinking trying to take that girl on by yourself?!"

"I-I saw now other way. After what happened at the tournament I—"

"Pyrrha." Ruby pulled out of the embrace and looked Pyrrha right in the eye. "What happened was NOT your fault, do you hear me? Emerald tricked you into doing it."

"E-Emerald?"

" _She's_ the one who caused you to hallucinate. Like I said back in the arena, I _don't_ blame you for what happened."

"B-but she was your friend..." Pyrrha looked down dejectedly

Ruby looked down and sniffed. "Yes... P-Penny was my friend. But you're my friend too! I can't lose two friends in one day! I just can't! You're important too, Pyrrha, to _my_ team _and_ yours."

Pyrrha took a deep breath and exhaled. "...Can I have another hug?"

Ruby smiled and chuckled. "Sure, I'm told I'm good at giving them." They embraced again, hatchet buried.

Meanwhile, Gwen and Yang made their way over to Ben, who had transformed back to normal. Unexpectedly, Yang put her arm around Ben in a side embrace. "Gotta hand it to ya Green Boy, you're somethin' else. What the heck WAS that?"

Ben chuckled. "Thanks Yang. And to answer your question, that was Clockwork, one of my most powerful aliens, believe it or not. I haven't figured him out _entirely_ yet, but he's basically a time manipulator."

"So you AGED that thing into a smudge on the pavement?"

"Yes he did." Gwen reaffirmed before turning to her cousin. "I'm actually surprised you went for Clockwork, Ben. No Way Big? No Humungousaur again? I'm glad you went with your head."

"Thanks Gwen," Ben said as the three made their way back to Ruby and Pyrrha, "Though to be honest, I just wanted to get it over with nice and fast." He looked at the two embracing girls as they turned to meet his gaze. "Hey ladies, how 'bout we get outta this hell hole and get something to eat? I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

The Hooded Huntress and the Invincible Girl both suddenly felt their stomachs rumble, the two blushing soon after. "Heh, guess fighting all day works up an appetite, huh?" Ruby said.

"I suppose so. I'm famished!" Pyrrha added.

"I hear that, P-Money!" Yang exclaimed as she circled her arms around her sister and Gwen's shoulders. "C'mon girls, I've had enough of this place." Ben picked Pyrrha back up and the group made their way back to the Bullhead, the ramp closing as soon as they boarded it.

"Pyrrha!" At the sound of the shrill voice, Pyrrha turned her head to see Ren and Nora, both on stretchers and with multiple bandages on them. Nora's expression was of complete and utter joy while Ren was more subdued in his relief.

"Nora... Ren..." Pyrrha croaked out her words. She truly thought she would never see them again. It was the second time that the gravity of her choice hit her. She had sent herself to fight the Fall Maiden, seeing it as the best way to save the family that she had made, but she had not considered what her family might have thought of it. There was a third stretcher next to the two and Ben placed her on it, Nora immediately reaching for her sister's hand.

"What in the hell were you thinking Pyrrha?! You could have gotten yourself killed!" Nora cried. "Jaune thought you would be a goner!"

"I know... and it was a very dumb decision."

"To say the least!"

"But I promise I'll explain everything... once things calm down a little."

"You'd better! Do you know how many pancake breakfasts you owe me for putting me through this emotional distress?! DO YOU?!"

Pyrrha chuckled. "Many, I am sure."

Ben looked on with relief. Everyone was okay, that's all he could ask for. As the rest of Team RWBY had piled in to talk with Pyrrha, he and Gwen went off to find Kevin. They eventually found him in the infirmary watching the still unconscious Adam like a hawk, Goodwitch and Ironwood at his side. After Gwen and Kevin reunited in a loving embrace, she told Ironwood that they were successful in their mission to save Pyrrha and a smiled came to his face. "Gwen, Ben, Kevin, I must say, you have all proved to be an amazing asset today." Ironwood saluted the heroes. "Thank you."

"Indeed" Glynda added. "Thank you all for saving my students. As well as everything else you've done."

"You're more than welcome," Ben replied, "but I'm afraid we have more to discuss."

Ironwood's expression fell, his arm following suit. "What do you mean?"

"Pyrrha told me everything about the Maiden powers. And now a Miss Cinder Fall has them. We've got a problem on our hands."

Glynda and Ironwood's faces fell even further, becoming ones of regret. "Oh... I see." Glynda said.

Ironwood sighed. "You're right... we do have a problem. But we should wait until we get these kids to a hospital to discuss this further."

Ben nodded. "I'm fine with that."

* * *

The usually busy streets of Vale were dead with silence, they had been for the last several minutes. The Grimm had suddenly all run away, something that no one was expecting. In this empty city street stood Jaune Arc, drained both physically and emotionally. He was in front of one of the city's hospitals, waiting for the arrival of the Bullhead that he saw approaching in the distance. He hadn't heard back from his friends so he could only hope they were all on board that ship.

But that wasn't the only thing on his mind right now... he had just gotten done talking to his dad on his scroll. When the middle-aged Huntsman had heard about what was going on in Vale, he instantly strapped on his armor, grabbed his sword and boarded the first Bullhead to Vale. He would be there in a half hours' time.

Normally, Jaune would have been ecstatic. His dad was his hero, his inspiration for wanting to be a huntsman. However, in the back of his mind he knew why his dad was coming, and that was to take him home, back to his mother and sisters. Now, Jaune _loved_ his family... but if he went back, they most likely would not let him leave again. It had been a miracle that he was able to leave the FIRST time. If he went home now... that would be it for any future Huntman career he could have. But more importantly, he didn't want to leave the many friends he had made, including his team.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when the massive Bullhead from the academy landed on the desolate street, there being just enough room to maneuver it between the buildings. Jaune jogged to it as the ramp descended, hoping to quell his worst fears. He didn't have to wait long for as the ramp touched the ground, he was greeted Team RWBY all sporting happy smiles as they ran down to greet him.

"Guys! W-what happ-oof!" He was suddenly enveloped in a group hug by the four girls.

"JAUNE WE DID IT!" Ruby exclaimed.

"We won Vomit-Boy! We won!" Yang yelled in celebration.

"W-wait, we won?! HOW?!" The blonde knight questioned.

"It's a long story Jaune." Blake said.

"Yeah, you wouldn't _believe_ what happened today!" Weiss added.

"Just fill me in later." Jaune dismissed. "All I want to know is if my team's okay."

"Why don't you ask us yourself, Fearless Leader?!" Jaune turned his head, looking up the ramp to see Nora with her signature happy grin, Ren right beside her as both were on stretchers. Without a word, Jaune ran up the ramp and embraced the two, tears streaming down his face.

"Thank god you two are safe!" The duo leaned into the hug, comforting their leader and brother. Jaune's eyes shot open and he pulled back. "Wait! Where's..."

"Jaune." He froze. His gut sank at the tender voice that he had become so familiar with. He slowly turned around, and there she was. Alive. The most that was wrong with her was that her foot was now in a weird green cast. Her stretcher was being pulled by a bunch of people he didn't recognize along with Sun and Coco, but he wasn't focused on them right now. All that mattered was her. They stared at each other, Jaune in utter disbelief while she had guilt written all over her face. "Jaune... I..." Pyrrha didn't even finish before Jaune sprinted over and hugged her close, crying his eyes out.

"Pyrrha! You're alive! I can't believe you're alive!" His anguished cries only served to make her do the same. She shut her eyes tight and cried, returning the embrace.

"I'M SORRY!" she wailed. "I am so sorry!" The two pulled themselves closer, fully taking each other in as they wept. They stayed that way for two full minutes before Jaune pulled away, though not fully out of the embrace.

He wiped the tears out of his eyes, speaking with a dry voice from all the crying. "Please... _please_ promise me you won't ever do that again."

Pyrrha nodded while wiping away her own tears. "I promise." she choked out.

"Thank you, because..." he swallowed hard, "I can't stand the thought of losing you." They hugged again, this time only briefly as they were interrupted by a clearing throat.

"Ahem" Jaune whipped around to see a young man about his age, clad in green. "Hi, Jaune right?" he asked.

"Um, yeah? Who are you?"

"I'm Ben Tennyson. This is my cousin Gwen, my Grandpa Max, and my friends Kevin and Cooper. I've gotta say man, you were lucky. If you hadn't called when you did, Pyrrha probably wouldn't be here."

"Wait... how do you know about—?"

"Jaune, Ben and Gwen were the ones who came to save me." Pyrrha clarified.

Jaunes eyes widened. "R-really? You saved her?"

"Not just her Ladykiller." Yang chimed in. "These guys saved all of our asses today."

Everyone confirmed, but Ben refuted; "Aw come on guys, we can't take all the credit! I mean, yeah sure we did a lot of the grunt work, but you guys helped _us_ out big time. If it weren't for you, we'd be running around like chickens with their heads cut off."

"Yes," Gwen reaffirmed. "And we'll probably STILL need your help seeing as how we don't have a clue how to get home now."

"Wait, how can you guys not get home?" Jaune asked.

"Well... let's just say they're not of this earth." Ruby said.

"So what are they like... aliens or something?"

"That's..." Ben began, "not IN-accurate. We'll explain inside. Come on, let's go." As the massive group got off the Bullhead and moved to the front doors of the hospital, they were interrupted by a voice... one that sounded very familiar.

"Not so fast!"

* * *

Ben swore his ears were playing tricks on him. Was he just interrupted by _himself_?! Well, the voice SOUNDED like him, but it seemed a lot calmer, colder than his own. And on top of it all, malicious to its core. As he turned around, he could only think of one person...

"Oh for crap's sake, is Albedo here too?! Because I swear, I have absolutely no time for—wait a second, you're not Albedo." Indeed it wasn't the Galvan-turned-human, but instead a fair-skinned man who was decked out in a grey and black outfit with spikey unkempt grey hair. Next to him stood a young woman with medium-brown skin, red eyes and mint-green hair in a straight fringe. Both were glaring at the hero, as if they had a bone to pick with him.

"MERCURY!" Yang yelled in rage.

"And Emerald." Ruby said in contempt.

Ben could only guess that they were enemies. The gray haired douche spoke again. "Oh come on ladies, is that anyway to talk to your _friends_? I'm disappointed Blondie, I thought for sure you'd come back at least missing ONE appendage!"

Yang's face twisted in rage and her eyes became red. Before she could wail on him, Gwen put hand on her shoulder, the redhead giving her a look that said: "not worth it". The Blonde Brawler turned to look at Ben and he gave her a knowing smirk. Yang's eyes became violet again as she smirked back. He had a plan. Ben turned back and addressed the idiot called Mercury. "Alright asshole, if you're done here I suggest you leave. Everyone's had enough for one day."

"I don't think so." Emerald replied for her partner. "See, you hurt our friend, Cinder. And for that..." she unsheathed a pair of sickles, "you're going to have to die."

"And what makes you think you can beat me when Cinder couldn't?"

"Simple," Mercury answered, "we're professionals."

"You and every other person who's tried to kill me. The only difference being that you have no fashion sense and the douchiest haircut known to mankind."

"WHAT?!"

"I mean, seriously, how much hair gel must you go through to get it to such levels of douchebaggery? Do I even _need_ to mention the stupid asymmetrical collar just hanging there is also very douchey? What, are you just trying to earn the award for "World's Biggest Git"?"

As most of the teens in the group started laughing at him, Mercury snapped. "THAT'S IT!" He lunged forward and made a grab for Ben's collar.

"Oh, you're getting the _special_ treatment!" Ben smirked. As Mercury grabbed at his shirt, Ben activated the Omnitrix, turning into the first alien selected. Mercury now held on to nothing, his fist resting against a big furry chest. He glanced up, meeting with the angry glare of a giant anthropomorphic tiger. The alien picked him up with its single-clawed hand and roared in his face: "RRRAAAAAAATH!"

Kevin and Gwen watched with smirks as the others looked on with a mix of shock, surprise, and astonishment. The couple always knew one thing: nobody was ever prepared for Rath.

"LEMME TELL YOU SOMETHIN' ASSHOLE GUY WHO SOUNDS LIKE ME! IF YOU WANNA PIECE OF RATH, THEN YOU'D BETTER KNOW THAT RATH COMES IN A MILLION PIECES! AND HE'S GONNA PUNCH YOU WITH EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!"

"That doesn't make any sen—"

"Hey Ben!" Rath's head whirled around to Nora who wore a malicious grin. "Break his legs!"

Rath grinned back. "RATH LIKES THE WAY YOU THINK NORA VALKYRIE!" Rath grabbed Mercury's midsection with his other hand and turned him sideways. The Appoplexian grabbed both legs with one hand and clenched, only to feel that these legs weren't normal. "HUH?" He pulled and they came off at the knees with a flurry of sparks, Mercury screaming in pain and fear. "WHAT?! METAL LEGS? THAT'S NO FUN! BUT YOU KNOW WHAT _IS_ FUN?" He flipped Mercury upside down, holding one thigh in each hand. "SPLITTING LEGS LIKE SPLITTING HAIRS!"

"What does that even mea-EEEEEEEE!" Mercury soon found out when Rath pulled and forced him into a complete upside down side split, clearly something that the young man wasn't meant to do. The group behind him cringed. Well, except for Yang, Nora, Ruby, Sun and Coco, they were cheering the alien on.

"OOH! FELT SOME MUSCLE RIP THERE!" Rath gleefully yelled. "NOW LET'S SEE HOW YOU LIKE..." From the corner of his eye, Rath could see Yang smirking at the spectacle, and, for a moment of clarity, he had an idea. "You Know What? Lemme Tell Ya Somethin' Asshole Guy Who Sounds Like Me, Rath Is Gonna Let The Lady HAVE HER WAY WITH YOU! YANG! HEADS UP!" Rath threw Mercury head first at Yang, whose smile grew even wider as her eyes became red once again.

"Thought you'd never ask!" Yang pulled back her fist and activated her Ember Celica. As Mercury approached at high velocity, Yang punched him right in the face with a loud victorious cry, unloading a Fire Dust round from her gauntlet. It was the second time she broke someone's nose that day. Mercury landed on the ground near her feet and she picked him up by the collar of his jacket. She then proceeded to knee him in the crotch, once, twice, three times. With all her strength, Yang threw him right into an opposing building, the broken man becoming embedded in the brickwork, the left side of his face badly burned from the Fire Dust.

Emerald rushed over to her partner and glared at the group. "Stop it! He's had enough!"

"Then LEAVE!" Yang yelled angrily. "We don't want you here!"

"LEMME TELL YOU SOMETHIN' EMERALD, GIRL WHO MAKES HALLUCINATIONS! RATH WILL TAKE OUT THAT GUY'S VOCAL CHORDS, TIE THEM AROUND HIS DICK AND USE THEM TO TEAR IT OFF... IF YOU TWO DON'T LEAVE IN THE NEXT THIRTY SECONDS!"

"Please don't" Mercury squeaked out. Emerald's eyes widened. If Mercury was in enough pain to say "please", he definitely needed help. She relented, not wanting to see her friend in more pain than he already was.

"Okay, okay, we'll leave!"

"GOOD! BECAUSE HONESTLY? I'M TIRED, I'M CRANKY, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY..."Rath's stomach suddenly gave a loud growl. "Man, I'm Hungry!" One green flash later and Ben was back to normal. "Who else is hungry?!" The group of teens let loose a loud applause as they flocked into the hospital, Yang and Ben high fiving as they went in. But Jaune was still in shock at the whole ordeal. Weiss had to drag him in as he babbled incoherently.

"B-b-b-but the g-giant tiger man was..."

"It's okay Jaune, we'll explain later." Weiss consoled the knight. Ironwood, Goodwitch, Qrow and Max followed the two inside, leaving Emerald and Mercury alone in the middle of the street. As she held her mess of a partner in her arms, Emerald could only say one thing:

"What the HELL just happened?!"

* * *

**A/N: So yeah, Pyrrha lives! But the CCTS wasn't destroyed this time. And CLOCKWORK stopped the Grimm Dragon! I** _**was** _ **considering Way Big, but that'd probably take too long and this chapter has already gone on long enough as it is. But what of the Silver Eyes? All in due time, trust me. That being said, Next time! The aftermath of the Battle for Beacon and what happens next for our heroes... as well as a visit from Jaune's dad and a call from the mother of a certain red-haired warrior. Stay tuned!**

**P.S. No, not even I could withstand the Yuri Lowenthal reference.**


	6. Aftermath

**A/N: Okay, so we're pretty much at the end of the opening arc for this story. But trust me, things only get a LOT more intense from here. Also, yes, Pyrrha's mother and Jaune's dad are both original creations for this story (and I'm still not exactly sure who the Red Headed woman in Volume 6 was, so she won't be factoring in. That said, let's get into it, shall we? This is...**

**Chapter 6: Aftermath**

* * *

In the Valian hospital on the fifth floor, Ben, Gwen, Kevin, Team RWBY and Team JNPR were all gathered together as they explained the situation to Jaune, who seemed exasperated at the entire thing. Aliens? Energy beings? Interdimensional travel?! What in the world had happened while he was gone?! As the group finished telling him about how the Battle of Beacon went, he finally spoke. "Wow, that's... quite the story."

"Yeah, kinda heavy." Kevin said. "But, hey, not every day you get to hop around space and time like it's a trampoline."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "What Kevin means is that we now have no way home and very little clue as to how this place works, so for the time being, we're stuck here."

Yang shrugged. "Well that isn't so bad right? I mean, you guys are still _alive_. In fact, we _all_ are. Shouldn't that count for something?"

Pyrrha, now in her own hospital bed, looked down in sadness. "Not... all of us are alive, Yang."

Realizing what she said as Ruby gave her a soft glare, Yang's immediately began to apologize. "O-oh my gosh, I totally forgot! Pyrrha, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean—"

"No Yang," the Invincible Girl interrupted, "its fine, I just... I really wish things could have turned out better."

Jaune put a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder. "Pyrrha, it wasn't your fault. It was a complete accident."

Ruby put her hand on the other shoulder. "Yeah, it's like I said before, I don't hold anything against you. We're still friends."

Pyrrha sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I know but... I saw it all you two. Her emotionless face, the mangled limbs," she covered her eyes with her hand, "her dead, lifeless eyes..." she trailed off before she began crying again. But this time, all of her friends were there to lend their support. They gathered around her as she cried, making a group hug. Even Kevin, at Gwen's behest, lent some comfort, though he wasn't all that sure what the warrior girl was talking about. When Pyrrha was able to calm down, Ben looked her right in the eye.

"Pyrrha, I promise that this won't _ever_ happen again. Nobody should be put through what all of you have today."

"How can we make sure?" Jaune pointed out. "We weren't ready for something like this to happen."

"Exactly, and you know what? I wasn't ready either when I first got _this_ thing." Ben lifted his right arm to reveal the Omnitrix. "When I first found the Omnitrix, I was _ten_."

" _ **TEN?"**_ shouted the collective voices from everyone in the room.

"Yeah, ten. And I was FAR from ready to wield it. I had to be taught by my cousin and grandfather how to handle it responsibly."

"Guilty as charged." Gwen added.

"And you know what? It worked... after a summer's worth of screw ups, but it still worked! But Jaune's right. What happened today was an orchestrated attack that you guys weren't ready for. I respect the _hell_ out of all of you for stepping up to the plate and defending your school, but if we want to be ready for something like this again, we gotta do something about it."

"Ben what are you getting at?" Weiss asked.

"What I'm saying is that I want to help you guys with your training." The room was shocked by the statement, even Gwen and Kevin. "After what I've seen, I think that there's a lot we can all learn from each other. In addition, I'm going to help you find the people who did this so we can all bring them down."

"Ben," Blake intervened, "I get that this kind of stuff is your guy's thing, but we couldn't possibly ask you to do more than you've already done."

"I know, but it's like Gwen said, we're stuck here so there's probably nothing much else we can do. Besides, these people hurt not only an entire school, but my new friends. And when somebody hurts MY friends, they don't get away with it."

The entire room brightened up at his words, but Gwen had to bring some reality back. "Ben, I appreciate the active approach, really I couldn't be more proud of you, but what about Vilgax? Our families back home have no way to defend against him without us there."

"She's got a point, Tennyson." Kevin jumped in. "Vilgax ain't just gonna take a vacation. He's out, and he's got a bone to pick with the whole universe."

Ben sighed. "I know, but we can only deal with one problem at a time right now. Besides, I'm sure Azmuth already knows that the Omnitrix has disappeared and is trying to find a way to bring us back... probably... maybe... hopefully."

"Well, that's very reassuring." Ren stated bluntly.

"Aw, come on Renny!" Nora encouraged. "Ben's trying his best to help us out! I say we should all give him the benefit of the doubt! Besides, training with three super heroes sounds like the most AWESOME THING EVER!"

Jaune spoke again. "Yeah, sure, but I think you guys are forgetting something." He waved his hand to the window and at the nearly destroyed school. "Just where _are_ we gonna train ourselves? It's going to be _months_ before the school's ready to open again and we've got nowhere to really go. So does anyone have any ideas?"

"Well..." Yang said. "I may have some idea of where we can go... if we have the room."

"What do you mean, Yang?" Gwen asked.

"If we can all fit, my dad's place over on Patch may be the perfect place for us right now. He's even got his own training facility."

Ruby gasped. "A whole group of friends all living under OUR roof?! It'll be just like a giant sleep over! Only for a really long time and we get to train like in school!"

"Sound great!" Ben said. "And I wouldn't worry about space, my team and I can crash in the Rustbucket. So how far is it?"

"Just a short ferry ride away." Yang answered. "I'll call him and let him know we're coming." She took out her scroll and began dialing the number.

"Soooo, Ben, what's it _like_ being a famous super hero?" Nora asked.

Ben groaned. "Quite honestly, I'd give anything to have my secret identity back. Making my superheroing public is really hard to balance because every single bystander wants to get in the way to see who I'm beating up. Basically, it's a lot less awesome than you think it is."

"Awww, c'mon, there has to be SOME perks to the job." Ruby pointed out.

"Well... there IS something. Though, I really wouldn't call it a perk. More like... a really nice sentiment." Ben took out his cell phone and went to his play list. He selected the first song and it began to play, a creepy 1950's alien sound playing before going right into the guitars.

_It started when an alien device did what it did,_

_And stuck itself upon his wrist with secrets that it hid,_

_Now he's got super powers, he's no ordinary kid, he's Ben 10!_

Everyone's jaw dropped and Yang looked up from her scroll with a big smile on her face. "You have your own THEME SONG?!"

"That is SO COOL!" Nora and Ruby exclaimed simultaneously.

"Yeah," Ben said with a smile, "a bunch of dedicated fans wanted to give me a theme song. Who am I to say no to something _that_ thoughtful?" When the song ended, a knock came at the door and Ben went over to answer, revealing Coco and Cooper in the hallway, Cooper now on crutches with his legs bandaged up.

"Hey guys." Cooper greeted.

Gwen gasped. "Cooper! What happened to you?"

"Yeah man, you were standing just a while ago." Kevin pointed out.

"Yeah, so, turns out that forcing yourself to stand when you're hurt isn't exactly the best idea." Cooper explained.

Coco grinned. "Tech Head's gonna be laid up for a few days so my team and I are showing him around. So, what's up with you guys?"

"Well, Gwen said that they're going to be sticking around for a bit, so Ben's offered to help us train." Weiss clarified. "So that we can be ready in case something like this ever happens again."

"Ooh, sounds awesome."

"I know right?!" Nora shouted. "We get to see more awesome aliens, and we get to fight them and then we can—"

"Nora." Ren placed a hand on the Pink Dynamo's shoulder. "Calm down, this is a hospital, and I'm sure there are others trying to rest."

"Oh, sorry." she whispered.

Cooper was surprised. "Wow Ben, never figured you for traini—"

"Dad? DAD! Calm down I'm okay!" Yang was pacing on the other side of the room, apparently trying to get her dad to settle down on the other end of her scroll. "Yes, Ruby's okay too. Yeah? Yeah we'll be home soon, in fact that's why I called. How much space do we have?"

Cooper turned to Ben with a questioning look. "She's trying to get her dad to let us stay with them while we train." The hero explained.

"Ah, I see." Cooper said. "Well, I guess we'll just leave you to it then."

"Hold up Tech Head." Coco interjected. "Did you forget why we came here?"

"Oh! Yeah, right, forgot! Weiss, Pyrrha, you're needed downstairs. You two have calls."

The girl's eyes widened, Pyrrha's in shock and Weiss' in horror. "From who?" Weiss asked, already knowing the answer.

Coco answered. "We don't know who called Pyrrha, but Ironwood told us to come get you because... Weiss, your dad's on the line."

* * *

Weiss froze in place. _'No not him! Anyone but him!'_ Her father, the man she had come to loathe even more than when she'd first left home had called. That could only mean one thing... "He wants to take me home." Weiss said in dismay, an intense atmosphere having fallen over the room. "I haven't even gone down there yet and I already know that's what he wants."

"Weiss, I—" Ben began before Weiss cut him off.

"Ben, please. No amount of words is going to change this. Whatever my father wants... he gets. No matter what."

"What right does he have?" Gwen asked.

"He's the head of the largest Dust mining company in Remnant! He _always_ gets what he wants! And now..." the heiress lowered her head, "now he wants me to come home."

"Well then, we'll just have to come up with a plan so that he DOESN'T take you home." Weiss' head shot up at the red-haired Anodite's words as she placed her hands on her shoulders. "Weiss, I know that we've only known each other a short time, but one friend to another, I can't just stand by while you get dragged around by your father."

"But I..."

"Weiss." Pyrrha had spoken up, gaining Weiss' attention. The warrior girl took a deep breath and exhaled. "After what happened today, I've come to realize something. And that is that we all shape our own destinies. Our own lives. If you wish to be out of your father's shadow, now might be the perfect time to do it. But... you have to be the one to make that decision."

Weiss stood shocked at what Pyrrha said to her. Never before did she feel so inspired to do something. And suddenly, an idea sprang into her head, a smile overtaking her features. "Guys, I think I have an idea."

"Okay, that being?" Gwen inquired.

"Here's the thing, the one thing that I know my father loves the most is having his ego fed. All we have to do is tell him not what _we_ want to hear, but rather what _he_ wants to hear."

"Sooo, you basically want to lie to your father right to his face?" Ben asked.

"I know it's not the best plan, but it's probably the one most likely to work." Weiss looked back over to the Invincible Girl with a look of determination. "Pyrrha, let's go take those calls!"

"Grand! But first... could one of you please help me into a wheelchair?"

* * *

Once Coco and Cooper had left and Pyrrha had been moved into a wheelchair, she along with Weiss, Ben, Gwen and Jaune were all headed down the hallway to the nearest elevator to the communication room on the first floor. Kevin shut the door behind him and he sighed. "Man, wouldn't wanna be Weiss right now."

"Yeah, having the world's biggest asshole as your dad isn't cool." Nora added.

"Who do you think called Pyrrha?" Blake asked.

"Probably her mother." Ren answered. "She mentioned that the two had a strong connection, so it's the most likely answer."

"Oh, hope _she_ doesn't want to take Pyrrha away." Ruby said.

Ren shook his head. "Not likely, at least not by force. She'll probably just be concerned like any parent would be."

Yang handed her scroll to Ruby, who immediately began talking to her dad. The Blonde Brawler smiled. "Speaking of concerned 'rents, my dad said you're all welcome to stay with us. It's gonna be a tight fit, but we'll manage. There's a ferry leaving in the morning, so we should be able to get out of here in time for that."

"Great." Kevin said. "Can't wait."

"So Kevin, what else can you tell us about your world?" Nora inquired.

"Well, let's see. There's—" a _knock-knock-knock_ came from the door. "Oh, what now?!" Kevin flung the door open to reveal a tall man in what seemed to be medieval armor. The metal was white, but it was rimmed with gold along the edges. The helmet was a type that Kevin recognized, a Kaldor Helmet, the crest and mouth plate donned with gold while the rest was stark white like the rest of the armor. He had a shield with a golden lion's head engraved on it strapped to his back and a sword in a golden sheath strapped to his side. Kevin could only guess that this was a Huntsman. "Oh, sorry sir. Can I help you?"

The man stared at him directly through the eye holes of the helmet. "Is this Team JNPR and Team RWBY's room?"

"Uh, yes, please come in." Kevin wasn't usually this polite to people who looked official, but if he wanted to stay on this world's good side, Gwen said he had to NOT be condescending to its Huntsmen. The knight gazed around and under his helmet, his lips pursed in slight apprehension.

"Which group here is Team JNPR?" he asked.

Nora waved. "Over here sir. Half of Team JNPR at your service."

"Good. I'm glad I can finally meet my son's team in person." The man removed his helmet to reveal a man in his late-forties with a crew cut of blonde hair and a short beard and mustache to match. He had brilliant blue eyes and he wore a serious expression, though the wrinkles around his eyes suggested he usually wore a smile. But most of all... he looked A LOT like Jaune.

"My name is Jonathan Arc. Please... is my son here?"

* * *

As the group of five teens walked out of the elevator, they made a left for the Comm Rooms. Unlike at Beacon where the screens were all in one open area, the computers were all in small separate rooms within the actual room so that patients could have their privacy. It was in front of one of these doors that General Ironwood was waiting, now in a clean suit. He nodded a greeting. "Hello everyone. I trust the hospital has accommodated you well?"

"As well as eight teenagers and three heroes can be accommodated." Ben answered.

"Hmm, I see." The General looked to the white haired girl. "Weiss..." he sighed. "Your father is waiting on the line."

Weiss' expression steeled. "Thank you General." She glanced over to Gwen who gave her an encouraging smile.

"You can do this Weiss. I know you can. I'll be out here if you need me." The Anodite said. Weiss smiled back and took a deep breath, Ironwood opening the door for her as she walked in, following her soon after. There, on the video screen, sitting behind his desk was her father, Jacques Schnee. He was currently doing some paper work, jotting down something on the dotted lines when he heard the door close. His brows rose as his daughter sat on the chair in front of the screen.

"Hello Father."

" _Ah, Weiss, dearest! I am pleased to see that you're alright! General Ironwood just finished telling me what happened over there."_

"I see, so you know about Beacon and Vale."

" _Oh yes, simply dreadful! But, it could have been far worse. We're lucky the Transmit System is still operational."_

Of course. Her wellbeing _always_ came second. "Father... Professor Ozpin is dead."

" _Yes, I am aware of that too. Shame really, he was a good man, I hear. I can only assume that his next in command will be taking over as the new Headmistress."_

"Yes, Professor Goodwitch will be taking over soon."

" _Indeed, now I hear that things seem a bit dour over there."_

"Yes father, things are looking grim..." If possible, Weiss sat up even straighter, "but I feel it is my duty as a huntress in training to stay in Vale to help."

Her father's brows furrowed and he leaned forward in his chair. _"Weiss, I am afraid that is out of the question. The city is simply far too dangerous for you to stay in."_

Weiss didn't falter. "I'm not questioning your judgment father, but there is still so much to do here. Besides, I'm sure that my being here to oversee the reconstruction would be good for the company's image." _'Come on, take the bait'_ she thought. As much as she hated feeding her father's ego, it was the only way. She'd tell him off later. And when she did, she would have a few choice words for him. Jacques put a hand to his chin in contemplation.

" _Hmm... you make a good point. But the city is very dangerous to be in at this time. Where will you stay?"_ Jacques pointed out.

"My team and I will be staying on the island of Patch where my teammates' father lives. He's agreed to let us stay there for the duration. I'll simply go back and forth when I'm needed in the city." In truth, she had no idea of the housing situation yet, but this HAD to work.

" _Hmm... well..."_ Jacques stared at his daughters face and she had that look. The look of determination that a Schnee was famous for. _"You're dead set on this aren't you?"_

Weiss nodded. "I am."

Jacques sighed and leaned back in his chair. _"Very well. In light of recent events, along with the fact that you helped bring in one of the leaders of the White Fang from what James has told me, I shall grant this request. But I expect at least a few visits from you before the school is finished rebuilding. Don't forget to uphold the Schnee name, understand?"_

Weiss nodded. "I understand, father." In her head she thought; _'I understand that you can kiss Humungousaur's backside.'_

" _Very good. Well, I have business to attend to, so I will have to say goodbye."_

Weiss nodded. "Goodbye father." When the screen went dark, Weiss slumped in her chair, exhausted from the conversation. _'That was one of the most stressful moments of my life.'_

"Miss Schnee, are you okay?" the General asked.

"Oh sure, fine. It's not like I just convinced my father to let me stay or anything."

Ironwood sighed as he rubbed his right temple. "Yes, your father IS quite the detestable person. But I'm glad to see you stood your ground on the matter. I'm sure your team will be very proud of you."

"Thank you General... but... can I ask a favor of you?"

"Of course."

"I know this might sound selfish, but... could you maybe..."

"Miss Schnee, if this is about your sister." Ironwood smiled. "She's already on her way here."

Weiss gasped. "She IS?"

"Yes, the moment I contacted her, she told me she was already making preparations to leave Mistral. She'll be here in a day or so. Now, let's leave shall we?" Ironwood opened the door, Gwen still on the other side.

"So, how'd it go?" the redhead smiled.

Weiss smiled back. "I'm staying."

Gwen's smile grew. "That's great! How did you convince him?"

"It... was very stressful. He didn't say it directly... but I know that he's frustrated with me. But what do I care? I'm already with my real family. But I do have another bit of good news."

"And what would that be?"

Weiss brightened up. "You guys are going to meet my older sister."

* * *

When Weiss and Ironwood went into the first Comm Room, Pyrrha, Ben and Jaune were directed to another one just a few doors down, this one guarded by Professor Goodwitch. The woman grinned as the three made their way to her, though when she saw Pyrrha in the wheelchair, there was now a hint of sadness behind her smile as she greeted the trio. "Benjamin, Mr. Arc, Miss Nikos. I'm glad you could make it."

Ben nodded. "Of course Miss Goodwitch."

Glynda nodded back before redirecting her saddened gaze back to Pyrrha, who was decidedly looking away from her. It only served to make Glynda even more upset with herself. _'She is my best student. How could I have let this happen?'_ She took a deep breath and crouched down to eye level with Pyrrha.

"Miss Ni—Pyrrha, I want you to know that... I have so much regret for what happened today. I know that you might think that all of this is your fault, but it isn't. It was _our_ fault. The faculty's fault. We should have been better prepared for something like this to happen. Please, don't blame yourself. We were the ones who pulled you into this... and now we're paying the price. I do not expect you to forgive me Pyrrha, but I want you to now that... I am so very sorry." Glynda closed her eyes in shame and awaited an answer. A moment passed before she got one.

"Do you mean that?" Glynda looked back up to see Pyrrha with a saddened gaze of her own.

"Of course. You are one of my best students. And believe it or not, I do care about ALL of you. More importantly you are still young. You didn't deserve what happened to you in that tower."

"And Ironwood? Qrow?"

Glynda sighed. "General Ironwood feels just as guilty as I do... Qrow I have no clue. Though I imagine that he's drowning his sorrows in whiskey as we speak, I can't exactly speak _for_ him."

Another moment passed... and Pyrrha smiled. "Professor Goodwitch, thank you for your apology. It means very much to me. I do not know if I am ready to forgive just yet, but I am glad that you care about my wellbeing."

Glynda wore a relieved smile. "You are very welcome Pyrrha. That means very much to me as well." The professor stood back up. "Now, I believe that you have call waiting." Glynda twisted the knob to the door and pushed it open, revealing the screen inside. On that screen was a woman in her late thirties, a beautiful face over taken by intense worry, her lovely red hair disheveled and her vibrant green eyes had widened at the doors opening. Pyrrha's eyes widened as she took in the woman on the monitor.

"MOTHER?!"

" _PYRRHA! Oh my darling child, you're ALIVE! Thank the gods!"_ As Ben and Jaune wheeled Pyrrha into the room, she took notice of her daughter's condition and gasped. _"You're in a wheelchair?! How?! What happened to your foot?! Why is it—?"_

Pyrrha cut her mom off before she could begin rambling. "Mom, it's okay. I am fine. I just... took an arrow in the ankle." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ben facepalming for some reason. "I can assure you that I'm alright, I should only be like this for a week or so."

" _Oh, that is quite the relief, my dear. When I heard what was happening I was so worried about you that I almost put on my armor. Then I remembered that Vale is a day's flight away so I stopped myself. Oh! And I see that you aren't alone! Would these be your teammates?"_

Pyrrha smiled and turned to Jaune, motioning for him to introduce himself. His eyes widened before looking back at the older woman. "Erm, yes Mrs. Nikos. I'm Jaune Arc."

The woman gasped with a smile. _"So YOU are the one that Pyrrha keeps speaking about. Oh, It is such an honor to meet someone who has made my daughter feel so special! Please Jaune, call me Athena."_

At the words, the two partners faces immediately became beat red. Jaune scratched the back of his head in nervousness while Pyrrha hid her hand behind her face as she begged her mother to stop. The two had _still_ not sorted out what happened in the locker room. Jaune cleared his throat. "T-thank you Mrs. Ni—I-I mean Athena. I think."

Athena set her attention to Ben. _"And that means you must be Ren! It is very nice to meet you!"_

Ben's eyes widened as he tried to correct her. "Oh, no ma'am. My name's Ben. Ben Tennyson."

" _Ben?"_ she turned back to her daughter. _"But dear, I thought you said his name was_ _ **Ren**_ _?"_

Ben slapped his forehead and explained as best as he could. "His name IS Ren, but _he_ is upstairs in the hospital room. _My_ name is Ben. We're two separate people." Meanwhile the hero was thinking; _'For crap's sake, why do our names have to sound so similar? Doesn't help that we both wear green!'_

Athena nodded in understanding. _"Oh, I see, I apologize."_ She smiled at her daughter. _"So dear, I believe we have some things to discuss about you being in Vale."_

Pyrrha grew nervous. "M-mom, I do not think that I am ready to go back to Mistral, especially not in this condition. Besides... I would actually like to stay with my team."

" _Oh, I completely understand my dear."_

Pyrrha's brows rose in shock. "You do?"

" _Indeed!"_ Athena pulled up what seemed (at least to Ben) like an Athenian helmet from beneath the table she was sitting behind. It was painted in garnet red and gold, complete with a gold crest and engraved with two golden owls on the sides. _"And that is why I am coming to you!"_

"WHAT?!" the three teens exclaimed. Pyrrha was flabbergasted. "Mom, are you seriously coming here?!"

" _Indeed I am. My flight leaves in two days!"_

"While I appreciate the thought mother, I don't think that is completely necessary. It's not very safe here and we might actually be moving ourselves to Patch soon."

" _Oh, but it necessary! When a Huntress' beloved daughter can't come home to her, she will do everything in her power to reunite with her. This I vow! Besides, Patch sounds like the perfect place to meet up! Should be relatively peaceful on that island."_

Sighing in defeat, Pyrrha smiled at her mother. "Well... I guess it _would_ be good to see you mother. Then I could introduce you to everyone else!"

Athena smiled back. _"There's that Nikos spirit. And don't worry about your ankle. I'm sure that you will be back on your feet before you know it my dear scarlet warrior."_

"Thank you mom. I'll see you in a few days. Have a safe trip."

" _I will. Jaune, Ben, please keep watch over my daughter._

The two young men nodded. "Yes ma'am." they said.

Athena smiled back to her daughter. _"_ _Goodbye dear. I love you."_

"Love you too mom." The screen turned off and Pyrrha gave a heavy dramatic sigh as she leaned back in the wheelchair. "That was an ordeal."

Ben shrugged. "Well, at least she didn't ask about specifics to what happened. Otherwise, we'd be in a deeper rabbit hole than we already are."

"Right." Pyrrha looked up at Jaune, both gazing at each other in nervousness. "Um... listen Jaune, about what my mother said..."

Jaune held up a hand and smiled. "Hey, it's okay, I get it. I'm just glad that your mother doesn't think I'm a terrible person. But hey, I'm glad we can all meet her in person. I can't wait."

Pyrrha was worried. He was avoiding the subject, and she could tell. But they HAD to talk about it at some point... in private when Ben wasn't with them. Pyrrha forced a smile back. "I can't wait either. I know you all will love her." Ben opened the door and the trio exited the room, Gwen and Weiss waiting on the other side.

"So, who was it Pyrrha?" Weiss asked.

The Invincible Girl now wore a more honest smile. "It was my mother. She'll be arriving in Vale in a few days."

Weiss gasped. "She's not taking you home is she?"

"Quite the contrary. She's going to be meeting us on Patch so she can be with me while I heal my... heel."

"That's great to hear." Gwen said. "But we've got some more news for you." She addressed the blonde knight. "Jaune, I just got a message from Kevin. Your dad's here."

* * *

The four teens jogged down the hall with Ben pushing Pyrrha in her wheelchair, Jaune in front and in a panicked state of mind. In all the excitement, he had forgotten about his dad coming! _'How much of an idiot could I possibly be?!'_ He could only imagine what was going on in the hospital room as he slid to a halt in front of it. He quickly twisted the knob and flew the door open as the others stopped behind him... only to see his dad, Nora and Yang all laughing up a storm, Nora trying to force words out of her mouth as she guffawed.

"A-a-and so it turns out... HE'S ALLEGIC TO RED TREE SAP! HAHAHAA!"

Jonathan had to hold his midsection as he laughed. "HAHAHA! Oh, that boy's allergic to a lot of things. You have no idea how many types of medication he can't ta—" his eyes were drawn to the open door and his smiled widened. "JAUNE!" Everyone in the room turned to the blonde in question as Jonathan quickly got up and ran to his son and embraced him in a bear hug.

Jaune tried to return the unexpected hug, finding it difficult to wrap his arms around his father's armored frame. "ACK! Hi dad."

"Son, I can't tell you how happy I am to see that you're okay!" Jonathan released his son and grasped the boy's shoulders. "Do you know how worried your mother was when I left the house? Or how I had to calm down your sisters one by one? _Including_ your older ones?"

"I'm sure they're all worried about me, dad." Jaune smiled.

"Jaune, your dad is AWESOME!" Nora exclaimed.

"Yeah." Yang reaffirmed. "He's been telling us ALL about his adventures. Both his Huntsman ones... and his adventures in raising _you_."

Jaune's face contorted in horror. "How much did you hear?!"

Yang smirked. "Enough Vomit Boy, _enough_."

Jaune groaned. He knew what the next several months were going to be like. He turned to his dad and smiled. "Potential embarrassment aside, I _am_ glad to see you dad. And I'm glad you came all the way out here... but I guess you're going to take me home to see them now right?"

"Well, that WAS the initial plan, but Kevin tells me that you guys are taking a rather proactive approach to things here." Jonathan looked behind his son to the group of four still in the door way. "You must be Weiss, Ben and Gwen right? Pleasure to meet you. I'm Jonathan Arc." He introduced himself as he shook each one of their hands. He knelt down to Pyrrha. "And you must be Pyrrha Nikos."

"I am sir. It is an honor to meet you." Pyrrha shook his hand.

"No, please, the honor is completely mine. After all, I have you to thank for helping my son with his training. He's told me all about your training sessions and how much he feels he's improved since he started them. Again, thank you so much for being a good partner to my son."

Pyrrha felt herself blush, and she could see Jaune blushing behind his father. "Oh, it is no problem at all Mr. Arc."

Jonathan smiled. "Pyrrha please, call me Jonathan." Pyrrha smiled back and the knight rose back up to his full height, facing his son again. "Now, Yang tells me that you all can bunk over at her dad's place on Patch."

"Um... yeah." Jaune answered. "That's what we were hoping."

Jonathan took a deep breath and sighed. "Well... the best thing that I could ever hope for is your safety son. And if you feel safest with your friends at this point, then I guess I can't stop you from going."

"B-but what about mom and the girls?"

"Oh, they still want to see you, so you know what? Instead of taking you back to the Arc Family..." Jonathan grabbed his son's shoulder in an embrace and raised a fist to the sky. "We'll just bring the Arc Family... HEEEERE!"

"W-wait WHAT?! Dad, you can't seriously be considering bringing mom and ALL of my sisters here can you?!"

"Oh, but I am! See, when your mother wants to see you, she's _going_ to see you. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Same goes for your sisters. I'll never hear the end of it if THEY don't see you. In a couple week's time, when your younger sisters are out of school for break, we're going to pay you guys a visit over on Patch, okay?"

"Well... I..." As Jaune gazed into the stern yet caring gaze of his father, he knew he wasn't going to win this. He sighed and smiled at his dad. "Okay, guess there's no other option it there?"

"Nope. Not when it comes to family, Jaune." Jonathan placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Now, I'm going to be staying the night, and tomorrow, I need to see if they can use my help here. Because let's face it, after today, things are going to be a bit hectic for a while."

"Yeah, I can tell."

"That said, I'm going to go turn in for the night." Jonathan looked around the room to everyone else. "Everyone, it has been an honor to meet you all. You have all been very brave today, and I hope to see such bravery shine in the future." He focused in on Ben. "And as for you Ben, I hope I can see one of those "alien transformations" that Kevin told me about sometime. Sounds pretty cool."

Ben shrugged. "Thanks, though I think I've done enough tricks for one day."

Jonathan nodded and turned to Team RWBY. "Girls, thank you for being there for my son. I'm very glad he has friends like you."

"Aw, it's no biggie." Ruby said.

"Yeah, we're just glad he survived the semester." Yang added which earned her a deadpan look from Jaune. She smirked back. "We'll tell our dad about your visit Mr. Arc."

"Thank you." The middle aged knight's eyes rested on the rest of Team JNPR. "And as for you three... thank you for being my son's family. As far as I'm concerned, every one of you is an Arc in your own right."

Ren nodded. "Thank you Mr. Arc. It's much appreciated."

"Yeah! And I can't wait to meet the rest of your family!" Nora exclaimed. "They all sound super fun!"

Pyrrha smiled at Jonathan nervously. As honored as she was to be considered an Arc... the fact that she had shoved Jaune in a rocket locker still weighed on her mind. But... the thought of being an honorary Arc... it made a part of her feel giddy. "Thank you Jonathan. That means very much."

Jonathan nodded. "Well, I'll see you all off tomorrow. Good night everybody." He made his way to the door and opened it. But before he went out, he paused and turned around. "Oh! Jaune, one last thing."

"Yeah dad?"

He gave Jaune an apologetic smile. "Son, hate to say it, but you gotta lose the Pumpkin Pete's hoodie. You've had it for almost three years now, it's getting too small for you."

Jaune went into panic mode again as Ruby gained a big grin. "Wait a second. Jaune, that's a _Pumpkin Pete's_ hoodie?"

Yang smirked. "As in "send in a bunch of cereal box tops to get a prize" Pumpkin Pete's?

Before the blonde knight could deny the accusation, his dad beat him to the punch. "Oh yeah, it is. You can't see it, but it even has the little rabbit mascot underneath his breastplate. But seriously Jaune, keep it if you want to give it to any potential future children, but you gotta stop wearing it yourself. Good night!" Jonathan shut the door and the entire room was silent...

...For all of two seconds. The two sisters started laughing in an uproar as Weiss and Blake hid their chuckling behind their hands. Ben and Gwen looked to Jaune with amused yet apologetic faces while Kevin laughed, earning him a smack on the shoulder from Gwen. The rest of team JNPR were decidedly not saying anything. They had seen said bunny rabbit before and they had a good laugh about it... but they also swore to Jaune that they wouldn't tell anyone else about it. Well, they _technically_ kept their promise...

As his shoulders slumped, Jaune promised to himself; "That's it, I'm sleeping in my armor from now on. Might as well sleep in a hole while I'm at it."

Ben sighed. "Jaune, I'm afraid the damage has been done. You might as well rip off the band aid and show it."

"Ben, you can't be serious!"

Gwen intervened. "Jaune, it'll save you a lot more embarrassment in the long run. Believe me."

Jaune groaned. "Alright, fine. If it'll get the hysterics to stop." He undid the straps of his breastplate and took it off, revealing the bunny logo. "There? Everyone happy?"

"Aawww, it's so cuuute!" Ruby fawned, making Jaune face palm with a groan.

Yang smiled. "So Jaune... how many?"

Jaune sighed. "Fifty."

The Blonde Brawler shrugged. "Eh, I've sent in more for weirder shit."

"So have I." Ben admitted. "You wouldn't _believe_ the track record I had with cereal prizes when I was a kid." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Gwen smirking at him. She knew what he was talking about; _she_ remembered the Sumo Slammer card incident.

"So Weiss, how'd things go with your dad?" Blake asked.

"He was reluctant," Weiss said, "and I'm pretty sure he's frustrated at me right now, but I'm staying!" the group cheered at Weiss' victory before looking to Pyrrha.

"And what about you P-Money?" Yang added. "Who called ya?"

"It was my mother." Pyrrha answered. "She is actually coming out here to Vale. But she isn't going to take me home. She just wishes to see me."

"Awesome, you tell her we're going to Patch?"

"Indeed. She will be headed there when she gets to Vale."

"Cool, then we're good to go on everything. Earliest ferry to Patch leaves at nine tomorrow morning."

Ben grinned. "Great. That means we have..." He brought up the holographic watch on the Omnitrix. It read nine o'clock. "About nine hours for sleep. Not saying we _have_ to sleep for that long, but after today, I wouldn't be surprised if we did."

"Okay, so _how_ are we going to sleep? There's only _one_ other hospital bed." Blake pointed out. As the teens started to work out the situation, another knock came at the door again, opening soon after to reveal Grandpa Max.

"Hey kids, how goes it?" the old Plumber asked.

After the others greeted the old man, Ben answered. "Everything's good Grandpa, just figuring out the sleeping situation."

"Oh, well it'll please you to know that I have just the answer." Max moved to the side and revealed four large hospital trollies full of cots, mattresses and blankets. Normally, not the most comfortable things in the world, but to the tired teens who _didn't_ have their own hospital bed, they looked positively heavenly to sleep on. The group instantly made for the small beds and began unfolding them, the room just barely being big enough to house them all.

"Thanks Grandpa." Gwen said as she laid the mattress out over the cot.

"No problem sweetheart." Max looked over to Ruby. "Ruby, I have somebody here who wants to see you."

The Hooded Huntress was confused. "And who would that be?" Max moved to the side and a certain small corgi came running into the room, panting and barking. Ruby gasped with a smile. "ZWEI!" she picked up the little dog as he licked her face. "Oh, where have you been? I haven't seen you since we left Beacon!"

"Turns out the little guy stowed aboard the Rustbucket when we put it on the Bullhead." Max explained. "Found him on the top bunk bed."

"Thank you Mr. Tennyson!"

"Oh please Ruby, Mr. Tennyson is what my sons go by. Call me Max."

Nora spoke up. "Wow, lots of adults telling us to call them by their first names today huh?"

"I'll say." Jaune replied. "Kinda weird."

Max's attention returned to his grandson. "Ben, do you have a plan going forward?"

Ben nodded. "Yes actually, Yang and Ruby's dad said that we can all bunk over at his place on the island of Patch. Earliest ferry leaves tomorrow morning. You wanna come with, Grandpa?"

Max smiled. "Of course I will. Can't just let my family go without me now can I? But before you go to sleep, there's something else I need to tell you."

"That being?"

"General Ironwood was wondering if you wanted to hold off the discussion of what happened during the battle until tomorrow. Not only for you all to get some sleep, but also because Qrow just came back in a drunken stupor and he wants him to be sober for that talk."

At the mention of her uncle, Yang gave out an irritated groan. "Ugh, yeah, that sounds like Uncle Qrow alright."

Ben sighed as he answered his grandfather. "Don't worry Grandpa, it can wait till tomorrow."

Max nodded. "Okay then, I'll tell him that. Oh, and by the way, you left this in the Rustbucket during your last visit." Max pulled a DVD box out of his shirt pocket and handed it to Ben. It was a trilogy collection, and when the hero saw the titles, he smiled.

"Thanks Grandpa, goodnight." Ben and Gwen hugged Max and he left the room. Ben looked around the room and sure enough there was a big screen TV screwed to the wall, big enough for everyone to see. And it had a built-in DVD player. "Okay, question to the people of Remnant here... do you guys know what a dinosaur is?"

Weiss raised a brow. "The term doesn't sound familiar. Why, what is it?"

Ben strode over to the TV and put a DVD in it. "Well, dinosaurs are actually multiple different types of giant lizards that once roamed our planet, Earth, around sixty five million years ago. They're actually what inspired me to name Humungousaur after."

"Okay that actually sounds pretty cool." Yang said. "So why bring it up?"

Ben smiled. "'Cause we're going to be watching a movie about dinosaurs tonight. And I couldn't be happier that THIS movie is the first one from our dimension that you guys get to see, because it's one of my favorites. So sit back, relax..." he pressed Play on the TV. "And welcome... to Jurassic Park."

* * *

**A/N: Well folks, that's it for now. So, what do you think lies in wait for our heroes? Well... stay tuned to find out. Speaking of, Next Time! The cast heads out to Patch... but not before a much needed discussion about Fairy Tales.**


	7. Fairy Tale Secrets

**A/N: So now we're post-battle for Beacon! From here on for a while, the cast is mainly gonna be interacting with each other and getting to know one another, so be ready for a bit of a lull in the action department. With that said, this is...**

**Chapter 7: Fairy Tale Secrets**

* * *

Last night might have been crazy, but it ended on a high note. At least that's what Gwen thought. As the Anodite-human hybrid got up on instinct at 5:30 in the morning and began her stretches outside the hospital room, she thought back to how much Teams RWBY and JNPR had loved Jurassic Park. Everyone marveled at the Brachiosaurus and Triceratops, were excitedly scared by the Dilophosaurus and Velociraptor, and now Yang, Ruby, Nora, Jaune and Pyrrha were all in the club dedicated to Tyrannosaurus Rex. When Ben was about to pop in The Lost World, Gwen had to hold him off so that they could all get some rest. Her cousin relented, though not without a tiny pout.

Just as she finished stretching, there came an unexpected new presence as Blake exited the room. "Oh, there you are Gwen." The cat girl semi-whispered, gently closing the door behind her. "What're you doing up this early?"

"Good morning, Blake. I always get up at five thirty." The redhead explained. "What're _you_ doing up this early?"

Blake's cheeks suddenly had a new shade of pink on them. "O-oh, well... you see... I'm just..."

Gwen smiled and crossed her arms. "Going to see Monkey Boy?"

Blake sighed. "Yes. I got a message from him on my scroll, and he said he wanted see me. So I thought I'd pay him and his team a visit."

Gwen chuckled. "Don't worry, I get it. Actually I'm glad you're up because I wanted to ask you something."

"Sure, what's up?"

"Well, do you remember how you and Yang took down Adam with that cool move yesterday and how I said I've never seen anyone fight like that before?"

"Yes actually, and again, thanks for that compliment."

"No problem. I was actually wondering if I could somehow study how you guys fight the way you do. I'm really intrigued by it."

"Well, there's really no easy way to put it into words but... oh! Wait a second." Blake took out her scroll and handed it to Gwen. "Our scrolls have all of our fights recorded on them, if you want to study, this is probably the best way."

"You guys record all your training sessions?"

"And our tournament fights. Mandatory by school rules. It helps us focus on what we have to work on. Trust me, you'll find a lot of stuff on there."

Gwen shrugged and smiled at her Faunus friend. "I guess I will. Thanks Blake, I'll make sure this gets back to you." she smiled. "Now, I believe Mr. Sun is waiting."

Blake's blush returned. "Heh, yeah. Tell me what you find and I'll see if I can help you out with anything, okay?"

Gwen gave a thumbs-up. "You got it."

...

After a short elevator ride, Blake and Gwen parted ways. The redhead went to the cafeteria on the bottom floor to get some food and begin her study session, while the Faunus girl only went a few floors down to the hospital room that held Team SSSN. She was curious to see what the Mistralian team's condition was, but she also had to tell Sun about the Patch arrangement. It meant a lot that Sun cared about her, and she couldn't lie, she was interested to see where things between them would go from here, but his position as leader had to come first.

Blake came to a halt in front of the room number Sun had messaged her and gently knocked on the door. A moment passed before it creaked open, Sun poking his head out with his face lighting up with a smile as he saw her. "Hey!" he whispered.

She smiled back. "Hey. So, how's your team doing?"

Sun sighed. "See for yourself." He moved the door open quietly and Blake peered inside, her eyes widening at the team's condition. Scarlet and Sage were both in hospital beds. While not in critical condition, they were both in casts, Scarlet with one arm in a sling, while Sage had a leg wrapped up and suspended. Neptune was the only one not in a bed, though he was not without injury, his shoulders wrapped in gauze. He was also the only other one awake, giving Blake a small smile and wave, to which she waved back. Neptune gave a nod to his leader and Sun smiled back, silently closing the door.

Blake was visibly worried. "Are they going to be okay?"

"Yeah, they'll be alright. Believe me, those guys are as tough as nails. They'll be laid up for a while though."

"So what are you guys going to do?"

"Not sure yet, we're hoping to stay and help out in the city a bit, but that's looking less likely for Scar and Sage, given their injuries. Neptune and I are hoping to stay at least."

Blake nodded. "I see."

"So, what're _your_ plans?"

"Well, we've decided that we're all going out to Patch where Yang and Ruby's dad lives."

"Woah, all of you guys? Including Team JNPR and Ben's squad?"

"Yep, all of us... but Sun, I want you to remember what I said to you back at Beacon."

"You mean about... oh... you don't want me coming with you?"

"Well, of course I would, but you still have a responsibility to your team and—"

"Ahem." The two's attention was brought to the door where Neptune was standing. The blue haired boy walked out, a smile on his face. "Blake, I'm glad you're concerned for us, but really, the three of us are good here on our own. We don't need our leader here to baby sit us. Besides, once we're good to go, we'll just come out there to visit you guys anyway."

Blake's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Y-you're sure you're okay with that Neptune?"

Sun stepped in too. "Yeah Neptune, if you need me here I can..."

"Stop." Neptune raised his hand. "Look Sun, it's obvious you want to go with her. Trust me, I get it. And you know what? We don't have any right to keep you here." He put a hand on his leader's shoulder. "Do what you want to do man, we're not gonna stop you." Neptune looked over to Blake with a grin. "And Blake? I really appreciate your concern, but don't worry too much about it. We'll be alright here, trust me."

Blake blinked twice in shock. "Well... okay, if you say so."

"Great! Now, you guys have three hours before your boat leaves, so be ready for that okay? We'll be sure to see you soon. And Sun?" Neptune gave his leader a thumbs-up. "Good luck."

Sun did the same. "Thanks dude." Neptune went back into the room and silently closed the door behind him, leaving the two alone in the hall behind him.

Blake was in a little bit of disbelief. "Huh, well that happened." She smiled at Sun. "Looks like you're going with us after all."

"Yeah." Sun smiled back. "Neptune's cool like that. So... want to head to the cafeteria? We could get some breakfast and maybe talk over a cup of tea before we go?"

Blake let out a small laugh. "Sun, you know me too well."

* * *

Yang's eyes flittered open as the sun began to filter in through the window. She didn't want to get up, but then she remembered where she was; a hospital room. She sat up as the events of last night came surging back. Her eyes darted around the room, only to then settle upon another conscious body standing over by the window. _'Ah, there you are Green Boy_.' She thought with a smile.

True to form, Ben was looking out the window, his signature green jacket slung over his shoulder. Yang's smile grew as she decided to have a little fun. She cupped her hands together and clenched her fingers to make it resemble a toothy maw of a beast. She quietly snuck over behind Ben and put her hands over his shoulder, moving them up and down as she quietly spoke in a raspy voice: "Rawr! I'm a T-Rex! Imma eat ya!"

Ben almost burst out in a fit of laughter but cupped his hand over his mouth to prevent anyone from waking up. He smiled as Yang stood next to him. "Yang, really? You're trying to make me laugh in a room full of sleeping people?"

Yang shrugged. "Hey, gotta entertain myself somehow. And you were ripe for the picking."

"I'm honored." Ben said with an eye roll. "So, I take it you liked the movie last night?"

"Um, try _loved_. How your world was graced with dinosaurs and not ours is beyond me. Plus it was just a really good movie."

"Heh, glad you think so. Well, we've got two hours before the first ferry leaves. I guess you're glad to be going home after all this?"

Yang sighed. "Yeah, a little bit." She gazed out the window and what remained of Vale. There was still a lot left standing, but there was still so much that had been destroyed. "Ben, if I told you that this city was once really beautiful, would you believe me?"

"Oh, definitely. Just from looking at it I could tell it was an awesome city. And I'm sure it will be again someday."

"Yeah, but that's going to take a while. You know, when we first came to Beacon, I told Ruby that it would be our new home away from home. I was so psyched to start becoming a proper Huntress... but I guess sometimes, life has a way of just pulling you out from the rug you're standing on huh?"

"I know the feeling. It's happened to me more times than I can really count. Heck, finding the Omnitrix was one of those times. But if there's one thing I've learned about life, it's that you roll with the punches it throws and then you punch it right back in the face."

Yang smirked. "You know Ben, I think you and I may be on the same wave length on this one. I like your logic."

Ben smiled back. "Thanks." Suddenly, both of their stomachs started rumbling. "And with that, I think it's time for breakfast."

Yang laughed. "Okay, now I _know_ we're on the same wave length."

* * *

When Ben and Yang found their way to the cafeteria, they found it was actually pretty quiet. But the duo did see a few faces they recognized, namely; Cooper, who was sitting at a table with Team CFVY, the blonde boy's crutches propped up against the back of one of the seats. The two waved over to them and all five waved back, Cooper giving a two fingered salute to Ben.

The two then saw the table next to them was occupied by another familiar face; Gwen, whose attention had been gained by CFVY's hand waving. She looked over and a smile took over her features as she waved to Ben and Yang, giving a signal to come over. They obliged, but only after obtaining their meals.

"Morning Gwen." Ben said as he sat down.

"How's it going Red?" Yang asked she sat down next to him.

Gwen chuckled. "Good morning you guys. I'm doing fine, thank you."

"Great." Ben smiled to his technopath friend. "Coop, I see you made some friends."

Cooper smiled back and nodded. "Sure have. Ben, meet Team CFVY. You know Coco already, but let me introduce you to Fox Alistair, Velvet Scarlatina, and Yatsuhashi Daichi."

Fox waved. "Hey."

Yatsuhashi bowed his head. "It is an honor."

Velvet smiled. "Pleasure to meet you, Ben,"

Ben waved back. "Pleasure's all mine." He focused his attention to the team's leader. "I hope Cooper hasn't given you too much grief Coco, he can be quite the handful."

Cooper reeled back. "Oh c'mon Ben, what'd I ever do to you?!"

Coco put a hand on his shoulder. "Relax Tech Head, you're bud's just bustin' your chops a little." She turned to Ben. "But in all seriousness, he's been just fine. He's actually been telling us all about the world you guys come from."

Velvet's eyes lit up. "It sounds spectacular! I wish I could go there someday."

Fox leaned forward. "So Ben, is it true what Cooper's been telling us? About your watch?"

Ben raised his arm and showed the watch in question. "Every bit of it."

Fox ginned. "Cool."

"Could you show us?" Velvet asked.

Ben's eyes shifted around the room. "Not in here. You never know who might be watching. Besides, I'm trying to start fresh with my secret identity. But, I'll try to show you later."

Velvet nodded in understanding. "Oh, of course."

It was then that Yang noticed something odd. "Hey Gwen, why do you have Blake's scroll?"

The redhead looked up to the blonde. "Oh, she loaned it to me for a while. I wanted to get an idea of how you guys fight so that I could be ready for our training."

"Huh, neat." Yang said. "Speaking of, where IS Blake?"

Gwen smirked. "Oh, over there, having a little chat with you-know-who."

Yang whirled her head around to see Blake sitting at a two person table with Sun. They were having quite the conversation by the looks of it, and they both wore bright smiles, something that made Yang smile as well. "Ah, I see. 'Bout time those two actually enjoy themselves."

"They've been going like that for about an hour." Gwen explained. "Sun's coming with us by the way."

"Really?" Ben asked.

"Yep, he got special permission from his team." Gwen looked back over to the two conversing teens. "You know, I'm surprised those two aren't an item. They seem to get along so well."

"You're telling me." Yang said before taking a swig of her coffee. "Do you know how long I've been pushing for those two to get together? Five. Months. It's been _ungodly_ irritating to just see them beating around the bush for that long."

Gwen nodded. "I can imagine. Though that's a bit ironic coming from me. It took me and Kevin around the same amount of time for our relationship to really start."

Ben smirked as he sipped his own coffee. "And you two _still_ acted awkward around each other for another three months after."

Gwen narrowed her eyes. "Doofus."

Ben smiled back. "Dweeb."

Yang smirked as her eyes darted between the two cousins. "Am I missing something or is this just something you guys do?"

"It's just an old habit of ours, pay it no mind." Gwen waved off.

Yang shrugged. "Alright then. So Gwen, now that you've seen what we can do, what do you think?"

"Hmm..." Gwen closed the scroll. "Well, from what I've gone over, I can safely say this: Weiss is very disciplined and precise when she fights. Blake uses stealth to her advantage whenever she can. Ruby relies on Cresent Rose a little too much, but she's very good at using it. And you Yang, you're very hands on when it comes to how you fight, quite literally."

"Heh, yeah, my dad taught me how. He's a brawler like me." Her head tilted down slightly. "Though, after last night, I've realized that there's still a lot that I need to work on."

"Namely?"

Yang sighed. "Blake was right last night. I... I rushed in to help her without thinking. And..." she lifted her right arm, "I almost lost my arm as a result. I let my anger get the better of me... again."

Gwen nodded. "I know what it's like to be angry when fighting, Yang. I fought angrily when a bunch of aliens kidnapped not only Grandpa Max, but my brother too. Needless to say, I wasn't happy. Anger can be a powerful weapon, but it can also be one's downfall, just look at what we did to Adam last night."

Yang's face hardened. "Yeah, and I could have had worse happen to me. But... I don't want that to happen anymore. I want to be able to protect my team, my _family_ , without losing my cool." She propped her chin up with her hand with a sigh. "I'm just not sure where to start."

Gwen smiled. "I might."

That got Yang's attention. "Huh?"

"Yang, I might not look it, but I'm actually quite experienced in multiple different forms of martial arts. I think I might be able to show you a few things."

"Sooo, you think showing me more ways to fight, will help me control my anger?"

"Well... kind of. You see, the kind of martial arts I practice not only focus the body, but also the mind." Gwen put her fingers to her temples for emphasis. "They involve many different techniques that help you find your center and put you in a more peaceful state... while also helping you improve your combat skills."

"And you think that'll help me?"

"Well, it's not an _instant_ fix, but I'm sure it'll be beneficial for you. I know many people whose lives have improved after they learned these techniques, including myself. So, what do you say?"

After mulling it over in her head for a moment, Yang smiled and offered her hand to the redhead. "Well, I guess there's no harm in trying. You've got a deal, Red!"

Gwen smiled and accepted the handshake. "Great! We start tomorrow."

"Good. I just hope you can keep up with me if you decide you want to spar. 'Cause I won't go easy on ya!"

Gwen laughed. "Hehe, don't worry. If I can't keep up with you, I'm sure my _darling_ cousin would be more than happy to be your punching bag."

That got Yang to laugh as Ben gave his cousin an incredulous look. "Hey! C'mon Gwen, I'm capable of fighting back!"

Yang put a hand on his shoulder. "Ben relax, Gwen's pulling your chain. Kind of what you were doing to Coop earlier." She smirked at him. "That said, I could totally take you on in a one-on-one fight."

After a second of stunned silence, Ben had a smirk of his own. "Oh, really? Is that a challenge Miss Xiao-Long?"

"Maaaybe." Yang said with a sly grin. "If you're willing to bet on it."

"Well, if that's the case then you are so on! What do you want to wager?"

"Well, you're going to be my guest for a while, so I guess it's only fair I let you choose how you lose a bet."

"Hmm..." Ben put a finger to his chin in thought before an idea came to his head. "How do you feel about smoothies?"

Yang smiled. "Ooh, I love me a good smoothie."

"Awesome. So whoever loses has to buy smoothies for both. Agreed?"

Yang nodded. "Sure, but only if the winner gets to choose the flavor."

Gwen's eyes widened in horror, _'Oh honey, you do NOT want to make that bet.'_ she thought. Before she could stop either of them, they both said; "Deal!" and shook each other's hand, sealing the bet. Gwen couldn't fathom the hole that Yang had dug herself into. _'I should have told her about Ben's addiction to weird smoothie flavors! She'd better hope she wins or else...'_

However, as she observed the two, Gwen could see something in Ben's eyes as he looked at his blonde opponent, something that the redhead hadn't seen for a while; her cousin's jovial yet determined nature. It was what she had always seen when they were growing up, something that she initially thought was grating, yet grew to appreciate. But from all the ups and downs that life gave them, Ben would fluctuate with it. She could tell just from their talk over the phone yesterday that the break up with Julie had affected him a lot more than he'd let on. But now... it almost seemed like he was complete again.

Gwen glanced over to Yang and the Blonde Brawler had the same look in her eyes, though she seemed to have a bit more fire behind her gaze. It was obvious that Yang was just as fun loving as Ben was, even if she was a lot more bombastic about it. It was shocking to Gwen how the two just seemed to click. It made the redhead glad to see that her cousin had a kindred spirit in this dimension. Gwen wore a sly smile as the two future combatants went to their meals. _'This is going to be fun.'_

* * *

Half an hour later, Kevin, Ruby, Weiss and Team JNPR all came down to the cafeteria, with Blake and Sun coming over to join them. As they ate, the teens began going over who was going to take which mode of transport to the ferry that morning. Ruby, Weiss and Blake agreed to ride along with Kevin and Gwen in the Osmosian's car again while Team JNPR said it would be easiest for Pyrrha if they took the Rustbucket with Max, since the RV had beds that the Invincible Girl could rest on to make things easier. Sun decided that he'd be going in the Rustbucket as well since it was the only option. As for Ben, turned to Yang and asked;

"I was actually hoping we could possibly take Bumblebee again?"

Yang smiled. "No problem! See? All you have to do is ask."

"Heh, yeah." Ben swore from the corner of his eye that Ruby was giving him a look of skepticism. He turned his head to her but she just glanced off to the side, sipping her hot cocoa. With that lingering in his mind, he decided to address his technopathic friend. "What about you Coop? What're you gonna do?"

Cooper gave a nervous smile. "Well... you see..."

"Funny you should mention that Benjamin." The group turned around at the new voice to see Professor Goodwitch approaching them, General Ironwood and Qrow not far behind. "You see, I've offered Cooper to stay here so that he could not only recover, but help us in the city. There's much rebuilding to be done and I have a feeling that his abilities will be most useful in that endeavor."

Gwen was surprised. "Is that true Cooper? You're staying?"

Cooper nodded. "Yeah, while I'd like nothing more to join you guys, I figured that my abilities are best suited here. Besides, Miss Goodwitch is offering to pay me for it, and since we're probably going to be here for a while, I might as well."

Ironwood approached the table. "Speaking of which," he pulled three gold and black credit cards out of his coat pocket with an odd symbol on them. "These cards contain Lien, our world's currency." The General passed one card each to Ben, Gwen and Kevin. "I've linked you three into a special account associated with the Atlesian Forces since I don't think you will be getting jobs here. But please, try not to drain it all in one place, am I clear?"

"Crystal." Ben said as he put the card in his wallet. "Now... about last night."

Ironwood nodded. "Right. If everyone would please follow me, we'll take this matter to somewhere more private." The entire group, Sun and Team CFVY included, got up and went back to the hospital room. The teens sat down on the cots as Ironwood took center stage.

"Alright, let's get started." Ironwood pulled back the sleeve off his bionic arm, a part of it sliding up to reveal a built-in keypad. "Now, since Mercury and Emerald claimed to be associated with Cinder Fall last night..." Ironwood typed into the keypad and a holographic screen popped up from his wrist. The screen showed a picture of four people. From left to right there was a girl with black hair in pigtails, Emerald, Mercury and Cinder. "Ben, Pyrrha, the girl on the far right, is she...?"

"Yep, that's her." Ben said immediately. "The one with the malicious grin."

Pyrrha nodded. "He is correct, that's Cinder"

Ironwood scowled at the picture. "I see, and I can only assume the other girl is associated with them as well."

Ruby's eyes widened. "Wait a second, I've seen Cinder before! I bumped into her one day at Beacon! She was with Emerald and Mercury too!"

Ironwood listened intently. "I see. Ruby, do you remember the night of the dance?"

"How could I not? I got trounced by that girl so bad... wait a second."

"Do you suppose that Cinder might have been the one who infiltrated the Comm Room?"

"It... it makes too much sense. Now that I have a good look at her, I guess she _does_ resemble that girl a little."

Ironwood nodded and pulled back his sleeve, shutting the holo-screen off. "Right, then I'll put out an alert for these four. If anyone sees them, it is to be immediately reported."

"Good." Ben said. "Now, do we have a motive... other than the obvious?"

Ironwood sighed. "Well, if she purposefully went up into that tower, then she was most likely hoping to destroy the CCTS."

"The what?" Ben asked.

"The Cross-Continental Transmit System." Glynda explained. "It is what keeps the four kingdoms of Remnant connected in terms of communication and media."

"We're fortunate that the system is still up and running," Ironwood continued, "but there will be consequences of this, consequences that you all needn't worry about. This is our mess, and we need to clean it up."

Jaune leaned forward. "Okay, so where does the girl inside the tube in that vault fit into the equation? And what does Pyrrha have to do with all this?"

The question shocked and confused nearly everyone at the table except for the three adults, and to a lesser extent, Ben and Gwen. Qrow, who had been silent for a majority of the conversation, decided to speak up. "Listen kid, you all did good last night, but there are somethings in the world you're just not ready for ye—"

Ironwood raised a hand. "No Qrow, they deserve to know."

"Look Jimmy, I know things are crazy right now, but these kids—"

"Are not children anymore!" the General yelled with a swipe of his hand. "Not after last night." Ironwood redirected his attention to Pyrrha. "Miss Nikos, I know that this is much too soon, so if you wish to leave the room..."

"No, General." Pyrrha dismissed. "I will stay. In fact I owe it to my team to tell them myself. I have to make amends for my lies." The Invincible Girl turned to her team, Team RWBY, Ben, Gwen and Kevin, with Team CFVY, Cooper, and Sun also listening in. "Everyone... what is your favorite fairy tale?"

* * *

After a _very_ long explanation of events, the sixteen teenagers were all in a state of stunned silence as Pyrrha sat with her head down. Ben, Gwen, Kevin and Cooper were a bit less shocked since they had experienced this kind of thing before; the concept of certain fairy tales having a grain of truth wasn't foreign to them. However, that didn't stop the others from speaking their minds about it.

"Well... damn." Yang said.

"Oookay," Coco spoke up. "That is... quite the story."

"That's putting it mildly." Weiss added.

"I... I never thought something like that could _ever_ be real." Blake stated.

"Pyrrha... is this all true?" Ruby asked.

Pyrrha nodded with her head still down. "It is. Every word of it." She suddenly felt Jaune move a little closer next to her on the cot and she closed her eyes. "Jaune, I cannot begin to apologize enough for this. I..." She suddenly felt a pair of arms envelope her in a gentle hug, arms she knew belonged to Jaune. She felt him nestle his head into her shoulder, a sensation that felt nice, but also had a bit of grief behind it.

The blonde knight spoke softly. "Pyrrha, when you asked me if it was your destiny to save the world... is this what you meant? Taking on some weird powers from a fairy tale?"

Pyrrha could feel herself losing her composure. The most important person in her life was not angry at her. Instead, he was comforting her. She returned the embrace and silently cried into his shoulder, managing to choke out the words: "I'm sorry... I am so very sorry."

Jaune continued to soothe her. "Pyrrha, it's okay. You don't have to be sorry about anything."

"But I LIED to you! Why aren't you ANGRY?!"

"Because I could _never_ be angry at you. Pyrrha, you're important to me, to all of us. If we lost you... I don't know what we'd do. All I care about right now is that you're still with us."

"You're... not upset?"

"No! Of course not. Why would I be?"

Pyrrha felt Nora's hand on her shoulder. "Pyrrha, we all do things that we regret. Some of us more than others. Trust me."

She then heard Ren's voice. "What Nora means is that when something like this happens, we cannot linger on it for too long or else it begins to eat away at our minds. The best thing we CAN do is learn from it."

Pyrrha let the words of her teammates sink in and she pulled herself off of Jaune's shoulder. She looked around to every team in the room, each of them all giving her friendly, supportive smiles, no ill will behind any gaze. Pyrrha's tears of pain quickly fled, now being replaced by tears of joy. "Thank you so much... all of you." she said as she wiped her tears away. "I am very glad that... that you do not hate me."

"Believe me Pyrrha," Glynda said as she rested a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder, "nobody here hates you." The professor sat down next to her student on the cot. "Really, it's our own fault for not being prepared for all of this. Ozpin brought us together to help protect the world... but now..." Her gaze shifted down, her thoughts of regret taking over. "I am ashamed to call myself a teacher. I should have never let it come to this."

Pyrrha could tell that her professor was completely upset about all of this, and it broke her heart to see the woman so distraught. Pyrrha reached out her hand and softly grasped Glynda's. This got the woman's attention as she met her student's gaze. Pyrrha smiled. "Professor Goodwitch, I do not hold this against you. It's like Ren said, the best we can do is learn from situations like this. Even teachers need to learn a few things, correct?"

Glynda was shocked, but she smiled soon after. "I... I suppose so. Thank you, Pyrrha. That means very much."

"You're welcome. And I am sure you will make an excellent Headmistress." The Invincible Girl turned to her friends with a smile. "Am I right?"

The students in the room immediately erupted into cheers for Goodwitch, who couldn't feel any happier and relieved. The students who she helped to grow were now cheering her on, ready to support her in any way possible. "Thank you everyone." she said. "I promise, when Beacon reopens, I will make certain that this does not happen again." She smiled to Ben, Gwen, Kevin and Cooper. "And you four would be more than welcome to join us there."

Ben smiled back. "Thank you Miss Goodwitch, that sounds awesome."

"Correction: sounds _more_ than awesome." Gwen added.

"Sure does." Kevin said. "Though, good luck finding an anagram for our team name."

Glynda chuckled. "Oh, I'm certain I can come up with something. We don't just use first names in our naming system you know."

"Alright then." Ben returned his attention to Ironwood. "One more thing, Cinder said that she had been "pushed in the right direction" by someone so she could get the Maiden powers. That's a red flag if ever I've heard one. Any idea who it might be?"

"Indeed." Ironwood said. "We are most definitely dealing with Salem, an old enemy of Ozpin's. She wishes to rule the world by snuffing out the hope in humanity. My guess is that she plans to do this by stealing the Maiden powers."

Qrow spoke up again. "Believe me kid, you do NOT want to run into this bitch in a dark alley. I've seen the shit she's created and it isn't for the lighthearted. They are _fear incarnate_."

"Wow, dark." Ben said.

"So what will happen next?" Weiss asked "They only have the Fall Maiden powers, and the CCTS is still up. Will they try to attack again?"

"Not likely." Goodwitch answered. "They know we'll be ready for them if they decide to attack again. Although they may try to target the other kingdom's communication towers, so we'll have to inform them. We've probably set their plans back by months, so we at least have some time."

"Well that's SOME good news at least." Blake said.

"Exactly. We'll begin forming a plan, but there's still much work to be done in this city, so we'd better get started on that first. When the time comes, we'll make sure to inform all of you on what we're going to do, but right now I believe you all have a boat to catch."

"You couldn't be anymore right, Miss Goodwitch." Everyone turned to the door to see that Max had entered the room. "Morning, kids! The ferry leaves in an hour, so everyone get in gear! We leave in thirty." The old man winked. "So don't be late."

* * *

After clearing out the cots, the group of teenagers now stood in the spacious hospital room. Sun had gone to say goodbye to his team before he left, but Team CFVY was still there, waiting for Ben to keep his word. They all watched with baited breath as the hero scrolled through his options, looking for a good alien to show the aforementioned team before they headed out. "Alright, everyone ready?" Ben asked as he looked around to everyone. They were all visibly excited, except for Gwen, Kevin and Cooper of course. "Okay, here goes!"

Ben slammed the core down and began to transform. The alien seemed to mostly resemble an iguana, though it also had the qualities of a fish, such as three large fins on its back and two sets of gills on its neck. The creature was blue and it had black markings going down the sides of its face and over its eyes. It only had three fingers and it wore a black open chested shirt with white pants. The eyes were green and the Omnitrix symbol was on its chest. "Arctiguana!"

The three teams from Beacon Academy were in awe, though Team CFVY seemed the most entranced, Coco less so since she saw Ben transform thrice already. Velvet had the biggest grin on her face, Yastuhashi was staring wide eyed at the creature and Fox was surprised, though he seemed to be the most questionable. "So what's this thing do anyway?"

Arctiguana smiled as best he could for a lizard. "Take a few steps back everyone." The group did as asked and made a large space for him. Arctiguana took a deep breath and forced it out, causing a beam of immense cold to fire from his mouth. The tiled floor in front of him now had a large spike of ice planted into it.

As the group looked on in awe, Ben stepped to the ice spike. "Now, for my next trick." He pressed the Omnitrix symbol and transformed into a different alien, this one made of rock and fire. "Heatblast!" Ben touched his hand to the ice and it immediately began to melt down into water. Following that, Heatblast increased his heat level so that the water condensed even further into steam, dissipating out of the open window. Ben changed back to normal and he took a bow. "Tada!"

A round of applause came from the entire room, the teens cheering for the performance. "Not bad Ben 10," Coco said, "not bad at all."

"Not bad?! Coco, it was amazing!" Velvet exclaimed.

"Indeed, most impressive." Yastuhashi added.

Fox shrugged. "Eh, I guess it is pretty cool."

"Thanks." Ben said. "But now I think we need to head out. Team CFVY, it's been a pleasure meeting you." He shook each of their hands. "And Coco, make sure Coop over there stays out of trouble. For us, okay?"

Coco chuckled. "I'll do my best, Tennyson."

Ben nodded and went back over to Cooper, who had just shook Kevin's hand had gotten a hug from Gwen. Ben smiled and gave the blonde a handshake of his own. "Coop, good luck with your new job. I hope you visit us over on Patch once and a while."

"Of course I will." The technopath reassured. "Trust me, going by what Goodwitch told me, I'm probably going to need a break once and a while."

"Right. And also..." Ben gave a sly wink, "good luck with you-know-who."

Cooper blushed as he gave quick glance over to Coco, moving his eyes back to Ben before she could notice. "You know, you're not making this any easier for me."

Ben's grin widened. "I know." The teens exited the room and the two groups went their separate ways, confident that they would all meet again.

* * *

A few minutes later outside the hospital, Kevin closed the trunk of his car and dusted off his hands. "Alright, think that's everything. What little we have anyway." The Osmosian glanced over his shoulder at Yang and Ben, the Blonde Brawler leaning on Bumblebee. "You guys all set?"

Yang put on her aviators. "Ready as I'll ever be. After all that talk about Maidens and junk, I'm just ready to go back home and see my dad."

Ben chuckled as he put on his helmet. "I'm sure he's eager to see you too. Hope he's ready though, he's gonna have quite a few mouths to feed."

Yang shrugged. "Eh, the Xiao-Long household's always had healthy appetites so it shouldn't be a problem."

Kevin looked over to the Rustbucket to see Team JNPR loading up, Jaune having to carry Pyrrha up the stairway as Sun brought in the wheelchair. He then turned around to see Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Gwen approaching, all ready to leave. "So we ready?" Blake asked.

"Yep." Kevin answered. "So, Monkey Boy's coming with us huh?"

"Apparently so." Weiss answered. "Although, I _certainly_ couldn't imagine why." She gave Blake a sly smile. "Would you happen to know, Blake?"

Blake blushed and looked off to the side. "I have no clue what you're talking about."

Weiss smirked. "Huh-uh."

"Well, in any case, we're almost ready." Kevin said as he opened the passenger side door and slid the front seat forward. "I just gotta check on something first." Kevin lifted the entire back seat up to reveal a secret compartment full of DVD cases, video games, gaming consoles, and most surprisingly, a bunch of books. Team RWBY's eyes widened at the reveal.

Yang tilted her sunglasses down and looked inside with a whistle. "Snazzy."

Gwen's eyebrows rose. "Oh yeah, forgot we had that."

"What IS it?!" Ruby asked.

"It's an emergency stash that Ben and I put together." Kevin explained. "It's so if we happen to be any place for a long time, we have some things to entertain ourselves."

Ben approached the compartment, picking through it. "Yep, we got DVD's of our favorite shows and movies, some of our game consoles, both portable AND stationary, and some of Gwen and mine's favorite book series."

That got Blake's attention. "Books from another dimension? Could I... possibly..."

Gwen smiled. "Yes Blake, you can read them. That goes for all of you by the way."

Weiss looked into the compartment with a skeptical look. "Is all this really necessary though?"

"Weiss, trust me," Kevin said as he lowered the seat back down, "you'd be surprised by the places this car goes. Besides, if Tennyson doesn't have anything Pokémon related for an extended period of time, he gets cranky."

"Hey! No I don't!" Ben argued. "My hobbies don't over take my life like that, Levin!"

"Um, excuse me," Ruby spoke up, "but what's Pokémon?"

The Alien Trio's eyes widened. They had genuinely never heard that question asked before. Ben snapped out of it, saying; "Oh wow, we really DO need to show you guys everything."

From behind the group came a sudden honk and they turned around to see Max pulling up next to them in the Rustbucket, giving them a thumbs-up to show he was ready to go. They could see Sun in the passenger seat as well as Ren and Nora peering out of the side windows. From the back window, they saw Pyrrha and Jaune waving to them.

Kevin turned back to the others. "Well, looks like that's our cue. Load up everyone, we're outta here!" Yang and Ben got on Bumblebee as Kevin, Gwen and the rest of Team RWBY entered his car. Kevin gave a thumbs-up back to Max and the three vehicles were off to the docks, ready to board the ferry that would take them to their new home for the foreseeable future.

* * *

Ironwood, Glynda and Qrow watched as the vehicles left the parking lot, the general sighing as they drove out of sight. "This is just one big mess."

"Tell me about it, Jimmy." Qrow replied. "But hey, at least _you_ don't have to tell any life changing things to your fifteen-year-old niece about her mother."

"Right, I wish you luck with that by the way. When will you tell her?"

"When the time is right. I gotta make sure Tai is there for it. Ya can't just drop a bombshell that big on a girl like Ruby. It needs to be done right."

"I see." Goodwitch said. "So are you heading out with them?"

"Soon, but first, I need a drink."

"It's only eight thirty! For god's sake Qrow show _some_ restraint!"

* * *

**A/N: Alright, so now the gang are rolling out to Patch! And ooh, looks like Kevin's got some fun stuff in his car, huh? The Remnant teens are about to get a dose of Earth pop-culture! And don't worry; we'll be seeing Cooper, Team CFVY and the rest of Team SSSN all in the future soon. But next time: The gang finally makes it to Patch and meets the Xiao-Long patriarch. Though not before a rather interesting ferry ride. See ya!**


	8. Homecoming

**A/N: And we're back! I guess it's only appropriate to label this chapter...**

**Chapter 8: Homecoming**

* * *

The normally busy streets of Vale were now mostly silent as the trio of Bumblebee, Kevin's car and the Rustbucket all drove to the docks, on their way to catch the next ferry to Patch. From inside the Osmosian's car, Ruby Rose looked out the window at all of the damage the city had sustained in the attack. Fortunately, military from both Atlas and Vale were cooperating with many Huntsmen and Huntresses in the rescue operations. From what she could see, there had been many casualties, but there were also many men, women and children being pulled from the wreckage alive. This had been a major hit, but even in all this chaos, the silver-eyed girl could still see a small glimmer of hope. Still, the events of yesterday weighed on her mind, and from what General Ironwood told them earlier, she knew just who to blame.

' _How?'_ Ruby thought. _'How can a woman be so soulless to want to see hope be destroyed?'_

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard someone call out her name. "Ruby?" The Hooded Huntress looked up to see Gwen looking back to her from the passenger's seat with concern. "Hey, are you okay?" the redhead asked. "You've been like that since we left the hospital."

Ruby immediately put a smile on her face. "Oh! Yeah, I'm good Gwen, thanks for asking."

Weiss gave her partner a skeptic look. "Ruby, no offense, but I can tell that you are _not_ one-hundred percent okay. If there's something bothering you, you can tell us."

Blake nodded. "She's right Ruby. Just because you're our leader doesn't mean you need to keep your emotions bottled up like that."

Ruby sighed as she hugged her arms. "I-I'm sorry, it's just... I can't begin to imagine someone being cruel enough to want to see hope itself _die_."

Gwen reached her hand back and grasped Ruby's "It's okay Ruby, trust me, hope isn't something that's easily killed. It'd take a lot to do something like that. So you know what? Let's make sure it doesn't happen."

Ruby smiled, her face filled with determination. "Thanks Gwen, sounds like a plan!"

"A very vague plan, but a plan nonetheless." Weiss pointed out.

Gwen smirked. "Thanks for the moral support, Weiss."

Blake shrugged. "Well, she has a point. We aren't experienced Huntresses, we're students with only one year of academy training under our belts. Where do we even start with something like this?"

Kevin spoke up, his eyes never leaving the road. "Well, let's see, you've got three ass-kicking world protectors and one experienced Plumber helping you train. I'd say that's a good start."

Ruby raised a brow in confusion. "And... what does plumbing have to do with fighting bad guys exactly?"

Gwen deadpanned. She was asked this question more times than she could count. "Not that kind of plumbing Ruby. In our world, there's an intergalactic law-enforcement organization known as the Plumbers. They're responsible for keeping the entire galaxy safe from alien threats. Our Grandpa Max is actually one of the best in the business."

"Oh, okay... so why do they call themselves the Plumbers?"

"I think it has something to do with "cleaning up the filth of space" or something like that. It's really weird, I know. By the way Ruby, where's your dog?"

"Oh, Zwei? I let him ride in the Rustbucket with your grandpa. I think he's taken a liking to him. Besides," Ruby glanced over to Blake with a sly grin, "better to have him in there than an enclosed space with Blake am I right?"

Gwen smiled at her Faunus friend. "Oh Blake, really? You're scared of dogs?"

Blake narrowed her eyes. "I am NOT scared of them. I just... don't like them is all."

Weiss smirked. "Says the girl who leaps over furniture just so she doesn't have to walk next to the little guy. Come on Blake, he's really friendly."

Blake crossed her arms. "Well, maybe I don't want to be friendly back."

"Okay, that's a little harsh." Gwen said. "Why don't we try to lighten the mood a bit?" She opened the glove compartment and pulled out a small purple rectangular device with a clam shell build. Gwen flipped it open, and at first Ruby couldn't' tell what it was, but as she got a closer look, she could tell it was a gaming device. It had a pair of screens, one on the top part, and one on the bottom. The bottom part had a circle pad and a D-pad on the left, four buttons marked A, B, X, and Y as well as a power button on the right. "Now Ruby, do you remember what you asked us before we left the hospital?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah... so what exactly IS Pokémon?"

Gwen grinned as she turned the device on and placed it into Ruby's hand. "You're about to find out."

* * *

As Bumblebee zoomed through the city streets, Yang making sure to weave around any leftover debris, the two riders could see the docks coming into view, meaning their ride would have to end for now. But as they drew closer to the pier, Ben began to see another person waiting there looking out over the ocean, someone in very familiar white and gold armor.

"Hey! Isn't that Jaune's dad?!" Ben exclaimed over the revving engine.

Yang nodded. "Looks like it! Then again, who else would be wearing armor like that in the middle of the day?" The Blonde Brawler skidded to a halt behind the unsuspecting Arc patriarch, causing him to quickly turn around, a hand going to his sword in self-defense. But once he saw them, he returned the hand to his side and gave them a smile.

"Oh, morning you two. I thought I'd be seeing you all eventually." Jonathan said.

"Morning Mr. Arc." Ben waved. "How goes it?"

The knight sighed. "As well as it can go when you're aiding rescue efforts. Hey Yang, is that _your_ motorcycle?"

Yang smiled and took off her sunglasses. "Yep! Her name's Bumblebee."

Jonathan seemed impressed. "I see. One of my eldest daughters has a bike too, but hers has a bit more of an... edge to it."

Yang's eyes lit up. "Ooh, what kind?"

"Chopper, black paint and chrome, lots of spikes and skulls."

Yang's eyebrows rose up. "Lemme guess, she's got a rebellious side."

Jonathan wore a proud smile. "Actually she's a police officer. Biking's just an off-work hobby of hers. Though yes, she was quite the rebel when she was a teenager, but that's another story. So, where's my boy?"

Ben pointed behind them to the Rustbucket, which had stopped behind Kevin's car. "Right in there, in my grandpa's RV with the rest of his team."

"Great, thank you Ben." Jonathan strode over to the RV, waving to Gwen, Kevin and the rest of Team RWBY in the Osmosian's car. He knocked on the door and it opened soon after, revealing... "Ah, you must be Ben's grandfather." He offered a handshake. "Jonathan Arc, Jaune's dad, pleased to meet you."

"Likewise. Max Tennyson." The old man introduced himself with a smile as he shook the armored hand. "You're son's right in the back." Max moved backward, allowing Jonathan to enter the Rustbucket. Once he did, the knight's eyes immediately found Team JNPR all gathered around a small bed that Pyrrha was resting on.

"Good morning Team JNPR, I hope you all had a good rest."

Jaune nodded as he walked over to his dad. "We did dad, at least as good as any rest on a hospital cot can be." The two hugged, their armor clunking against each other.

"Oh trust me Jaune, I've been there. Hell, sometimes I've had to sleep on the ground while on missions. It's just something you get used to in this business."

Nora waved frantically. "Hiya Mr. Arc! How's it goin'?"

Jonathan waved back. "Haha! There's that energy spike! I'm doin' good Nora how 'bout you?"

"Things are awesome! We've got some BIG plans for the next few months."

"I'm sure! You guys will certainly be preoccupied." The knight set his attention to the green ninja next to the Pink Dynamo. "Ren, how about you, what's up?"

"Not much." Ren bowed his head. "It's good to see you though, Jonathan."

"Good to see you as well." Jonathan then focused on the bed ridden warrior behind the three. "Hello Pyrrha."

Pyrrha smiled. "Hello again, Jonathan."

"Good to see that you're in good spirits. I'm sure you'll be glad to have your team with you as you heal, right?"

"Yes, I am very glad. But I still have more company on the way. My mother will be here in the coming days."

Jonathan smiled. "Ah, now that sounds excellent! I'm sure she'll be very happy to see you."

"Yes. I look forward to your family's visit in the coming weeks as well."

"And so do I. I called my wife last night and she's planning things out as we speak."

Jaune moved next to his father. "That's great to hear dad. Tell her I miss her and we'll see her soon, 'kay? Same for the girls?"

Jonathan patted his son on the shoulder. "Will do, son. Now, I think you guys have boat to get on." The father and son hugged again. "I'll see you in a couple weeks, Jaune. I love you."

"Love you too dad." The two separated with Jonathan ruffling his son's hair for good measure. The knightly huntsman strode over to the door and addressed everyone in the vehicle.

"Everyone, I wish you all good luck. I will see you again in two weeks' time. Until then..." Jonathan placed his helmet on his head. "Farewell!" The knight turned to the door and exited the Rustbucket with a salute, Team JNPR saluting back.

Once his dad left, Jaune looked up to the front seats. "Hey Sun, why the silent treatment? You were quiet for that whole thing. If you wanted to meet my dad, you could've said something."

From the passenger seat, Sun looked back to Team JNPR, with Zwei sitting in his lap. "Oh, it's okay dude. It just seemed like a personal moment so I didn't wanna interrupt."

Jaune shrugged. "It's cool man, my dad wouldn't have mind."

"If you say so. Now, why don't we get this show on the road huh? Or should I say... on the _water_?" The entire RV, baring Nora who let out a loud guffaw, groaned at Sun's bad joke.

* * *

Ben and Yang watched as Kevin's car and the Rustbucket pulled onto the ferry, them having already rolled Bumblebee onto the vessel minutes ago. Just as the green muscle car was put into park, the first passenger out was not the driver himself, but rather Ruby, and she settled her eyes on Ben. She moved past Gwen and marched right up to Ben, her gaze never letting up. She was also holding something in her hand, but Ben couldn't see what it was from her arms swinging as she walked.

The Omnitrix wielder was confused. "Huh, hey Ruby... what's up?"

Ruby stopped in front of him, a smile coming to her face. "Ben Tennyson, you have some explaining to do."

"What do I have to explain?"

Ruby's smile didn't falter as she showed him what she was holding; Gwen's Nintendo 3DS. "Why didn't you tell me about this AMAZING game sooner?! I've played many RPG's in my day but this is just too cool! How is it that your world has so many things that we don't have?!"

Yang was now just as confused as Ben. "Uh, Rubes, what are you talking about?"

Ben got a closer look at the screen and smiled. She was playing Pokémon. "Oh, looks like my cousin got to you before I could on that huh? So, which one did she give you?"

Ruby answered wholeheartedly; "Omega Ruby."

Ben rolled his eyes. "Of course." He shouted to his cousin; "Really clever Gwen! But I kinda wanted to be there to see how they'd react."

Gwen shrugged. "What can I say? It just seemed like the best time to do it."

Weiss got out of the car. "If it's any consolation Ben, I'm not really into video games, but I do think it looks rather cute."

Blake came out next. "It's _definitely_ cute, but I'm more interested in reading your books, so I think I'll stick with those before trying it out."

Ben nodded. "Fair enough."

"Um, hello?" Yang said. "Still in the dark over here. Could somebody please tell me what I'm missing out on?"

Ruby's smile widened. "Yang, come with me to the Rustbucket and I'll show you. The others have to see this too." The group made their way over to the RV and Ruby opened the door, Zwei instantly rushing to her feet. Ruby pat his head. "Hi Zwei, hope you're enjoying the ride."

"Hey Ruby," Jaune greeted, "what's up?"

"Jaune, Gwen just showed me an amazing little video game that you HAVE to see."

Nora gasped. "You look excited. And when you're excited it usually means something good!"

"Trust me Nora, your mind will be _blown_." Ruby confirmed.

"Well don't keep us in suspense Ruby," Pyrrha called from her bed, "what is it?"

"Yeah," Yang said as she entered the RV, "kinda tired of not knowing."

"Okay, everyone gather around." Ruby sat beside Pyrrha's bed, everyone else grouping up around her. "Now Ben, care to explain what I'm about to show everyone?"

"I'd be glad to." Ben answered. "Alright everyone, what Ruby's about to show you guys is a game from my world called Pokémon, short for Pocket Monsters. It's an RPG that involves catching, training and battling these fantastic creatures on a journey to become the very best like no one ever was."

"That... actually sounds pretty cool." Jaune said. "So how does it work?"

"I think I'll let Ruby explain that."

"Certainly." Ruby flipped open the 3DS and the screen instantly turned on, revealing a brown-haired girl in the middle of a grassy field. "Okay, so the girl is the player avatar that I'm controlling." Ruby explained. "The story goes that you're a beginning trainer who's just gotten their starter Pokémon, one that you work with to catch other Pokémon to add to your team. To do that you just go into the tall grass and..." Ruby went into the grass and the character stopped. The screen went dark and the music picked up. There was a graphic of sweeping grass that revealed a small brown raccoon that made a growling sound before a prompt came up; _"A wild Zigzagoon appeared!"_ Ruby's avatar threw a Pokéball, and out popped a small orange and yellow chicken, bobbing its head, with another prompt reading; _"Go! Torchic!"_

Sun tilted his head. "A chicken being sent out into battle, why does this sound familiar?"

Nora immediately started gushing. "Awww, they're so cute!"

Yang nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'm diggin' it. I love how energetic it feels."

Jaune's eyes widened. "Gotta say, this music's something else. All this for a random encounter?"

"Trust me Jaune," Ben said, "the Pokémon franchise is home to some pretty good pieces of video game music."

Pyrrha looked to the screen intently. "Well, I am interested so far. So Ruby, after you send it out into battle what comes next?"

"Alight!" Ruby exclaimed. "It's time to show you how to catch and train these little guys..."

* * *

For the next hour, Ruby, with a little help from Ben, showed everyone the basics of Pokémon. Jaune, Pyrrha, Yang and Nora were definitely on board while Weiss, Ren and Blake politely declined. "Sorry Ben, maybe some other time." Weiss apologized.

"It's not that it doesn't look like fun," Ren explained, "it's just that we aren't very much into video games."

Ben smiled. "Hey, no worries, I get it. Everyone likes different things and that's fine. There's plenty of other stuff from our world that we can show you. How 'bout you Sun? You in?"

Sun shrugged. "Eh, sure, maybe some time, but I'm not in any hurry."

Nora grinned as she rubbed her hands together in anticipation. "Well then that just means more for us! Alright Tennyson, hook us up!"

But before Ben could do such a thing, Max interrupted. "Sorry Nora, but that will have to wait until later. The ferry's made land fall, time to roll out."

Yang's eyes widened. "Wow that went by fast."

Ben chuckled. "Yeah, did I forget to mention that Pokémon is also the perfect time killer? If anyone plans on doing multi-hour sessions, I ONLY recommend them on days off."

Yang shrugged. "Well, let's get going, don't wanna keep dad waiting." The teens returned to their respective vehicles, driving off of the ferry and onto the loading dock. Once they were on terra firma, Yang, with her and Ben on Bumblebee, led the group through a small seaside town and into a heavily wooded area, the Blonde Brawler confident in where she was going.

"So how far is your house from here?!" Ben asked from behind.

"Not far now! Just a bit further inland!" Yang answered. "Our dad might be a teacher, but he's also kind of a hermit!"

"Not the looney kind I hope!"

"Nah, he just likes the woods! Helps him get away from his crazy job!"

"Well sure, being a teacher is hard, but it can't be THAT bad, right?!"

"He teaches at a _combat_ school, you'd be surprised how crazy it gets there!"

"Oh! I see!"

"You'll like him! Trust me!" A few minutes later, a large log house came into view. It was two stories tall, with a chimney on one side. There were also two large planters on either side, all filled with sunflowers. It had a very rustic feel to it, the entire place giving off the feeling that it was made by hand.

As Bumblebee slowed to a halt, Ben couldn't help to be impressed. "Wow, you live here? Cool!"

Yang rolled her eyes as she dismounted her bike. "Pfft, yeah if you like wood. But I grew up here so yeah, I love this place."

As the rest of the vehicles stopped and their passengers disembarked, Gwen couldn't help but ask. "So, where's your da—"

The front door of the house suddenly flew open and there stood a man in his early forties, a look of intense relief on his face. His skin was tanned and he had a messy head of greying blonde hair, with a soul patch under his lip and stubble around his jawline. He wore a pair of brown shorts, black shoes, and a tan dress shirt beneath a leather vest. A red bandana adorned his left arm with a single shoulder pad, leather vambrace and a fingerless glove on his right, said arm also having a tattoo of a heart. "Yang! Ruby! You're home!" The man said as he sprinted forward and wrapped his girls in a hug.

"Oof! Hi daddy." Ruby said as she returned the sudden hug.

"Hey dad." Yang sighed in exasperation. _'Jeez dad, still on that overprotective streak, huh?'_ she thought to herself.

"Do you two have any idea how worried I was about you?!" their father exclaimed. "When I saw what happened I wanted to get over there, but all transportation to the main land was stopped!"

"Dad, it's okay." Yang reassured. "We're alive, all in one peace, see?"

The man sighed and smiled. "I guess you're right. I'm just glad to have my girls back home."

Ruby nodded. "So are we dad." She turned to her large group of friends. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet our dad."

The man gave a two-fingered salute. "Hey everybody! Name's Taiyang Xiao-Long. But feel free to call me Tai." He looked over to his daughters' teammates. "And you two must be Weiss and Blake, right? My girls have told me about you. It's great to finally meet you both."

Blake nodded and shook his hand. "Likewise Mr. Xiao-Long."

Weiss smiled. "We've heard quite a few things about you as well."

"Oh really? And what did my _darling_ girls have to say about me?" Tai asked sarcastically.

From behind the Xiao-Long patriarch, Weiss could see Yang doing a swiping motion across her neck, giving the heiress the message to cut it out. Weiss' smile grew. "Only that you're a bit of a jokester. So fair warning: I don't do practical jokes very well."

"Oh don't worry, I'd never dream of pranking my guests. Any friend of my daughter's is a friend of mine." Tai turned his head to the group from the Rustbucket, his eyes settling on the group of four that stood closest together. "You all must be Team JNPR, right?"

Jaune nodded and the two shook hands. "Yes sir, I'm Jaune Arc."

"And I hear from Ruby that you're the leader of this motley crew?"

"Yeah, though my leadership skills could still use some work."

"Oh, don't be silly Jaune," Pyrrha said as she rolled herself up next to the two, "you _are_ a good leader, no matter what others may think." After the two teammates exchanged grins, Pyrrha turned to Tai. "My name is Pyrrha Nikos. It is a pleasure to meet you Tai."

"The pleasure is all mine, Pyrrha. I guess you took quite the hit here." Tai pointed to her ankle.

"Yes I did." Pyrrha answered. "But it should only be like this for a few days more."

"Great to hear. We'll just have to handle stairs a bit carefully until then." Tai looked to the two remaining team members. "And you must be..."

"Hi!" Nora waved in her frantic fashion. "I'm Nora, and this..." she put an arm around Ren, "is my best friend Ren."

Ren bowed respectfully. "Hello Tai, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you both." Tai said. "Now, if I'm correct, Beacon's still has co-ed dorms right?"

"That's right." Jaune replied.

"Good, so you four won't have trouble sharing the guest room correct?"

"Shouldn't be a problem. We've figured out a system."

"Awesome." Tai turned his head over to Sun. "And what about you kid, what's your name?"

"Oh! I'm Sun Wukong, sir. I'm kind of a last minute addition." Sun explained.

"Hey, no problem Sun, I've got plenty of room in this place." Tai reassured while jutting a thumb to his house. "You can bunk in Qrow's guest room. He never uses it anyway, not even when he's here."

"Oh, um thanks, I think." Sun said with a nervous smile.

"You're welcome." Finally, Tai's eyes trained onto the Alien Trio and Grandpa Max. "And you all must be the Tennyson's." He pointed to them as he listed them off. "Ben, Gwen, Max and Kevin Levin, right?"

"Um yeah," Ben confirmed. "How'd you know?"

"Yang told me about you guys while we were on the phone last night."

"And how much did she tell you?" Gwen asked.

"Oh, I know everything. All that's left is to see the proof that's in the putting."

Kevin smirked. "Be happy to." He touched the Rustbucket and absorbed the metal, his entire body becoming the pale colored material. Gwen snapped her fingers and brought up a mana dome around her as well.

Tai's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Well, guess that settles that."

Ben brought up the Omnitrix. "Sure you don't want more proof?"

But Tai waved his hand. "Hold on a minute Ben, Yang also told me that you're quite the fighter, so I wanna see what your transformations can really do... in the arena."

Ben grinned. "Sounds like a plan."

Yang suddenly walked around her dad and grasped Ben's shoulder. "That sounds good dad, but just so you know, I'M taking first crack at him"

Tai's smile grew. "Ah, you and my sunny little dragon are gonna have a spar, Ben?"

Yang scowled. "Ugh, DAD really?! You _have_ to use that nickname in front of everyone?"

Ben chuckled nervously. "Well Tai, let's just say that we have a bet to settle."

Tai laughed. "Haha, oh Ben, you're going to learn that making bets with Yang will NOT end well for you. Especially when it involves fighting in the ring."

"We'll see about that." Ben smirked.

"Oh yes we will." Yang smirked back.

Max cleared his throat to gain Tai's attention. "Well, in any case, thank you for opening your home to us Taiyang, it's much appreciated."

Max extended his hand, and Tai shook it with a grin. "It's no problem Max, trust me, being here is better than being in Vale right now anyway."

"Agreed. Now, in terms of living conditions, do you have room for all these kids in the house or do you want my group of three to stay in the Rustbucket with me?"

"Oh, don't worry about that, like I said, I've got plenty of space in my home. In fact..." he looked over to Ben, Gwen and Kevin, "let me show you three where you'll be staying. I'm sure you'll be quite surprised."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Um, dad, what are you talking about?"

Yang's eyes narrowed. "You didn't gut our room for more space did you?"

Tai waved it off. "No! Of course not. But while you girls were away, I did some... refurbishing. Come inside and I'll show you." The Alien Trio, Yang and Ruby followed Tai inside, through the entry way and into a narrow hallway. Off to one side, there was a small alcove that housed a lone door. Tai stepped into the alcove and spread his arms out. "Well, here it is!"

Yang was confused. "Uh, dad, this leads to the basement."

"The really old and decaying basement." Ruby added.

Tai smirked. "And like I said, I did some refurbishing." He opened the door to a wooden staircase surrounded by white walls, another door at the base of the steps. "Down we go!" The group descended the stair way and Tai opened the door, his daughters' jaws opening at what they saw next.

The walls of the basement were re-done with fresh wood paneling, the floor covered up by a white carpet. There was a flat screen television on top of a wooden TV stand, a stand which was painted black and had multiple storage spaces, a DVD player inside one of them already. There were two three-person couches, two chairs, a wooden coffee table and two end-tables each with one large lamp on them.

After a moment of silence, Yang spoke up. "Dad... what the hell is this?!"

"I like to call it our "second living room"." Tai explained. "This is what I've wanted to do with the basement for years, but was always too busy with everything else. So, when you guys went off to Beacon, I thought: Hey! Why not surprise them when they get back from school for winter break with this?! So, what do ya think?"

Ruby looked around the room in awe. "I think it's amazing! It's got a really cozy feeling to it."

Yang smiled. "Gotta say dad, I'm really impressed."

Kevin nodded as he looked around. "Yeah, pretty cool Tai. You must have committed to this thing super hard to get it done this fast."

"Oh, yeah." Tai agreed. "Months of hard work went into all this. Hell, I'm still technically working on it. But for the most part, it's done and it was worth it!"

"I agree it's pretty cool." Gwen said. "But just one thing: if we're sleeping here where are the beds?"

"You're lookin' at 'em." Tai went over to one of the couches, pulled the back cushions off and lifted the seat, unhinging a pair of large metal legs. Tai pulled and the couch unfolded into a bed, one that looked like it could sleep two. "See? Instant bed. Just in case someone decides to crash down here."

"Huh," Ben said, "You really spared no expense with this."

"Pretty much. I never like to feel unprepared for anything."

"I can see. Now, Yang told us that you have a training facility somewhere around here."

"Yep, sure do. It's where Qrow and I trained the girls on the weekends and vacations while they weren't in school."

"Cool, so where is it?"

"Well, if you look out that window right over there..." Tai pointed to a small rectangular window that was up near the ceiling, "you'll be able to see where it is."

Ben looked out the window to see a large imposing mountain peak in the distance. "Near the mountain?"

"Not near, _inside_." Tai clarified. "That's Patchwork Mountain, the highest peak on the island. About a decade ago, I found a small cave in the outcropping that lead into an enormous empty grotto. There were no wild animals living there, so I told Qrow it'd be the perfect place for a secret training facility. After we finished planning, we managed to get it built in a year."

"So, you had time to build a secret training facility inside a MOUNTAIN." Ben emphasized. "But you didn't have time to build this." he said as he gestured around the room.

Tai shrugged. "Hey, I had a teaching job and two girls to raise by myself. I just had different priorities at the time."

"Okay, fair enough." Ben relented. "Well, once we get settled in, could you drive us out and show it to us? I'd like to see it for myself."

"Of course, but we won't have to drive. The mountain's only a mile or so from the house, we can just hike there, it won't take long."

Ben blinked twice in shock. "A mile or so?" He turned to the Hooded Huntress. "Ruby, grab the 3DS, we're going to need it."

Ruby saluted with an eager smile. "Aye-aye, captain!"

* * *

**A/N: And just like that, another chapter is done! But this isn't the end of the gang's first day on Patch. Next Time, every one heads out to the training grounds, and Yang and Ben decide it's the perfect time to settle their bet. Who will win? Stay tuned to find out!**


	9. Brawling on a Bet

**A/N: Well folks, it's time. The match between the Blonde Brawler and the Galactic Guardian is about to commence. Who will win? The answer may (or may not) surprise you! Also, bit of a funny note here; when I first wrote this story, I had already planned Jaune's sisters out... and then Volume 6 came out and Saffron and Terra were revealed. So, I fixed it up when that news came out. With all that said, this is...**

**Chapter 9: Brawling on a Bet**

* * *

As noon came to the island of Patch, the new residents of the Xiao-Long household had finally settled into their new abode. Team JNPR took the guest room of course, while Team RWBY shared Yang and Ruby's room. While the guest room had two sets of bunkbeds, Tai had to bring out another set he had in storage to put in his daughters' room in order to accommodate all of them.

"Like I said," Tai stated proudly, "I don't like to feel unprepared."

Sun felt nervous as he set what little stuff he had inside of Qrow's room, a small voice in the back of the monkey boy's head telling him that the drunkard would likely kill him if he ever found out he was occupying it. As for Ben, Gwen and Kevin, they had finally finished bringing in everything from the secret compartment in the Osmosian's car and down into the basement. After a quick lunch, the group decided it was time to head out and see what Tai's secret training grounds had to offer. The only one who didn't come with them was Max, who chose to stay and make dinner (a thought that made Ben and Gwen feel ill). As the group walked the forest path, everyone was doing their own thing. Gwen was giving Ruby more pointers on Pokémon as Nora listened in, with Ren, Blake, and Weiss all walking beside them.

"It takes HOW long to find a Ralts?!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Unless you get lucky and one shows itself in the grass, yeah, it takes a while." Gwen said as she gave a sympathetic smile.

"So how was WALLY able to find one so easily?!"

"In-universe answer? Luck. _Real-world_ answer? Pre-programed to happen. And yes, it stinks. Every. Time."

While Ruby was expressing her frustration, Kevin was asking Sun about the how his bo staff worked. "Dude, these weapons are just beyond me. How the hell does that thing hold together?"

"Magnetic clamps." Sun answered. "They're inside the barrels."

"And it doesn't hinder the bullets in any way?" Kevin countered.

"Nope! Went through a bunch of tests to make sure I got it right... which may or may not have resulted in a few small explosions, BUT it was all worth it!"

From behind, Blake grinned and rolled her eyes. "Sun, it certainly says something about a person when they think being blown up is just a minor hindrance."

Sun placed his hands behind his head. "Aw c'mon Blake, a little fire and lightning Dust never hurt anyone."

"Except, you know, everyone." Blake retorted.

As the two playfully bantered back and forth, Ben, Yang and Jaune were walking up front with Tai, with Jaune pushing Pyrrha in her wheelchair, a feat that was somewhat difficult to do on the dirt path. "Tai, have you ever considered maybe clearing this pathway of debris once and a while?" Jaune asked as he and Pyrrha made a team effort to keep her wheelchair from jostling around.

"Y-yes," Pyrrha said as she tried to hold on. "It is rather d-difficult to keep steady."

Tai shrugged. "Sorry, never expected to have wheelchairs on this path. We don't have much father to go though so don't worry. So Jaune, Pyrrha, Yang tells me we'll be seeing your folks here soon."

"Indeed. My mom should be here in a day or two." Pyrrha replied

"While my family is going to be here in about two weeks." Jaune added.

Tai nodded. "Okay then. Jaune, your family is probably going to want to book a hotel in town. Pyrrha, I _might_ be able to find some space for your mother. She's probably going to want to stay as close to you as possible after all."

"I appreciate that, Tai." Pyrrha thanked. "And I am sure she will as well."

As they walked further in, Ben decided bring something up to the blonde knight. "Oh yeah, Jaune, I just remembered something your dad mentioned to us at the docks."

"Really? What would that be?"

"He saw Yang's bike and he said that one of your sisters rides one."

"Oh yeah!" Yang added. "He also said she was a police woman!"

Jaune chuckled. "Yeah, that'd be Noire. She's been a cop for 'bout two years now. But she makes time for her biking hobby whenever she's off duty."

That further fueled Yang's fire. "Think she'd be up for a race when she gets here?"

"Oh I know she would. She'd do anything to show up a sports bike like yours."

Yang smirked. "We'll just see about that."

"So, Jaune," Ben spoke up, "what's the rest of your family like?"

From behind, Ruby looked up from the 3DS. "Hey yeah, I never _have_ asked about your family before. Are they as cool as your dad?"

Jaune rubbed the back of his head. "Heh, well you really gotta meet my mom and sisters in person to get the full experience. I'll just say this for now: they're all really nice people, so don't be afraid to meet them."

"Why would we be afraid, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked as she looked up at him. "You said yourself that they're nice."

"Well... a few of them weren't exactly all that keen on me going out to Beacon when I got... accepted. Noire and her twin sister Blanche wanted to nail me to the floor to keep me from leaving while Verte, Azure and Violette had actually cried after they heard the news. The only ones who fully supported me on it were my two other older sisters, Saffron and Rouge, along with mom and dad of course."

"And we should be worried about your sisters, _why_?" Nora asked.

"Well, considering how overprotective they are, the fact that Beacon was nearly destroyed, and in addition to dad going home without me with him, they're probably going to be upset... and they may take their frustration out on you guys since, you know, I chose to stay with you instead."

Weiss waved it off. "Oh Jaune please, we had to handle much worse last night, I'm sure we can handle a few angry women."

"Weiss, you haven't had to grow up with them, I HAVE. When they're apart, they can't do much. But together, they are a force to be reckoned with."

"Oh don't be so overdramatic! We'll be fine."

Jaune shrugged. "Okay, don't say I didn't warn you."

After walking for a while longer, the group finally made it to the base of the mountain, stopping in front of a large boulder. "Well, here we are!" Tai announced as he spread his arms out wide.

Weiss strode up to the boulder and inspected it. "It's... a rock."

"Thank you Madame Obvious." Kevin called out. "Couldn't have figured it out without ya!"

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "Grrr, I _know_ it's a rock! I just expected something more... discernable."

Tai shrugged. "Well where's the fun in having a secret training ground if it doesn't have a secret door, right?"

With a knowing smile, Gwen walked up to the boulder. "Let me guess." she knocked on it and the rock gave off an uncharacteristic metallic bang. "Yep, it's hollow. With a very convincing exterior."

"See? This girl knows what's up!" The Xiao-Long patriarch waltzed up to the boulder and pulled a key out of his pocket. He pulled on a small pebble that looked embedded in the rock to reveal a hidden keyhole. Tai put the key in, twisted it, and pulled it up to unlock a high-tech hand scanner. He placed his hand on the screen and a bright green bar of light went up and down his hand. It spoke; **_"Hand print recognized, Welcome Taiyang."_** Next to the panel, a large part of the rock began to part ways like an elevator door, revealing hallway that led into the mountain. Tai looked back to the group. "So, who wants to go in first?"

* * *

At the end of the hallway, the group entered into an adequate sized break room. In the corner was a decent sized refrigerator next to kitchen counter complete with sink, microwave and coffee machine with a cabinet installed above it, a water dispenser also sitting next to the counter. Not far from the small set up was four sofas arranged around a large coffee table, finishing the break room aesthetic. There was a door on the opposite wall, presumably leading to the actual training rooms.

"Huh." Sun spoke. "Well, I'll give you props for one thing, you don't have any kind of distractions in here. That's a plus."

Tai smiled proudly. "Yep, the point of a training ground is to train, so Qrow and I made sure it only had the basics"

Ren nodded. "Good, the less distractions the better."

Blake felt the need to ask. "So, does this place have any emergency exits?"

"Oh sure, it's in the back room with the sparring arena." Tai responded. "But I doubt you'll need to use it. This place was made to withstand quite a bit. But it never hurts to be prepared, so in the event of something bad happening, all of the doors are preprogrammed to open."

Ben nodded. "Got it, thanks Tai. So, where does the action happen?"

"Right through here." Tai opened the door and showed them what was inside; a big gym full of exercise equipment. The black rubber matted floors housed many types of weight lifting machines, treadmills, rowing machines, dumbbells and barbells, elliptical machines, exercise bikes, punching bags, heck there was even multiple large rubber exercise balls and small medicine balls strewn about the room. There was also a stereo with a pair of speakers in the corner.

Weiss gazed around the room with a bemused look. "Ha, wow, was this place designed by meat-heads or something?"

Tai quickly rebutted. "Hey, this place was designed by two guys in their twenties who just wanted a place to hang, work out, and maybe train their next of kin someday. What can you do, huh?"

Kevin looked around with a satisfied smile. "Well I think this place is pretty cool."

"I hear that my friend." Sun shared in the sentiment.

Weiss rolled her eyes. _'Case in point.'_ she thought.

As she looked around, Blake took notice of the large gymnasium doors on the other side of the room. "So I'm guessing that _those_ doors lead to the sparring area?"

"Correct again!" Tai said as he yet again went over and opened the set of doors, revealing a big spacious room. The room housed a pair of circular arenas, both with a slight elevation of two feet and each around 30 feet in diameter. On the other end of the room, there was the emergency exit, plain as day. Against the wall was a set of metal bleachers that looked rather dusty, almost as if they hadn't been sat on in years.

Weiss gave a disgusted look at the seats. "Ew, okay I am NOT sitting on those until they're washed."

Tai chuckled. "Yeah, guess I didn't really need the bleachers, but hey I wanted to give this place an authentic feel to it ya know?"

"Man, this is a pretty big space." Ben admired as his voice echoed through the room.

"Well yeah," Yang grinned, "how else are we gonna be able to throw each other around in here? Gotta have space for that."

"Do you guys just toss each other regularly?"

"Oh all the time, our Aura's are able to protect us remember?"

"Oh yeah, forgot you guys had those. Usually when I get thrown around I just change into an alien that can take the hit."

Tai spoke his curiosity. "Hold on a second, you don't have a protective Aura? Seriously?"

"Nope, none of us have one of those." Ben answered.

"Well, that's not _technically_ true." Gwen corrected. "Every living being has an Aura, it's just that humans from this dimension seem to be able to have ones that are much more powerful than the ones from our world. I mean, I myself can strengthen _my_ Aura thanks to my Anodite heritage but other than that, no one from our universe can use Aura like you all can."

"Buuut, you ARE able to super charge _our_ Auras with your mana!" Yang smiled.

"Something that I still can't believe is even possible." Blake added.

Gwen shrugged. "Hey, I acted on a hunch, what can I say?"

Tai laughed. "Haha, man you kids are too much. Mana manipulation, matter absorption, alien transformations, you guys got some crazy powers."

"Hey, let's not discredit everybody else here." Ben pointed out. "These girls have shadow clones, super speed, glyphs, enhanced strength, it's like something from out of a comic book or something! If I _didn't_ have the Omnitrix I'd love to have any of those powers naturally."

"Aww, thanks Ben," Ruby said in appreciation, "that's really sweet of you to say."

"Yeah, nice words Green Boy." Yang smirked. "So, you wanna settle our bet here and now, or wait 'til later?"

Ben gave a determined grin back. "Oh I'd be more than happy to go a round with you, Goldie Locks. Let's get this started." The two went to the nearest arena and they each took a side.

Nora was visibly giddy. "Ooh this is gonna be so cool!" She zipped over to the bleachers and took a seat, everyone else following her lead. Everybody except Weiss sat down, the heiress keeping her promise.

"Alright." Tai announced. "This'll be a standard spar. Now, how this would normally work is that you two would duel while your opponent's Aura slowly depletes from fighting, first one to reach the red zone is the loser. But because Ben doesn't have an Aura that can be measured on a scroll, we'll just go with a simple ring-out rule. First one to knock the other out of the ring wins, that sound good?"

"Alright by me." Ben agreed on his side.

"Sounds good dad!" Yang hollered from the other side. "So, who's it gonna be this time, Ben?"

Ben activated the Omnitrix as he grinned to his opponent. "Oh, somebody you're already familiar with." He slammed it down and transformed into... "Diamondhead!"

Yang grinned. "Alright! Now you're talkin'! Glad you're giving me a challenge here Tennyson!"

Tai meanwhile was in awe. "That looks so friggin' cool! I've never seen anything like that!"

On the side lines, Gwen nodded to herself. "He made a good choice going with Diamondhead."

"And why's that?" Jaune asked.

"Because he knows how much punishment that Diamondhead can take. Sure he's not made of _actual_ diamond, but his hide's still pretty tough to crack. Yang's gonna have to rely on more than brute force if she wants to take him down."

"I see." Pyrrha said. "But do not count Yang out just yet. If anyone can go toe to toe with Diamondhead, it is most definitely her."

Jaune shrugged. "I dunno Pyrrha, I think you could take him. Well, you know, when you're up on your feet again."

Pyrrha smiled. "Perhaps Jaune, but let's see how this plays out first shall we?"

Back on the battlefield, Diamondhead hit his left fist into the palm of his right hand. "Hope you're ready for this Yang, 'cause I sure am."

Yang activated her Ember Celica and did the same thing as Ben, cracking her knuckles as she did. "You bet I am, let's get this started."

Tai raised his arm. "Alright then, if both sides are ready..." He brought the arm down. "Fight!"

* * *

Yang and Diamondhead smiled as the word was given. The two opponents squared off, immediately letting out their battle cries. They charged at each other, both of them rearing back a fist. They met in the middle and flung their fists forward, the punches colliding with enough force to cause a small _boom_. They pulled back their arms and went straight into fisticuffs with each other.

Diamondhead seemed to have the advantage with his hard hands, but Yang was lighter than the Petrosapien, allowing her to dodge most of his hits while dishing out her own. She could see Diamondhead react to getting hit, but it didn't seem to make a dent in him. So, she decided to go with a different tactic; she did a double punch to Diamondhead's midsection, unloading a fire Dust cartridge from each of her gauntlets as she did, pushing him back several feet.

Diamondhead dug his heels into the ground to stop himself and let out a small laugh. "Ha! Nice, but you're not the only one that can shoot stuff from their hands!" He turned his hands into shards, ensuring to make them as dull as he could to avoid causing her serious injury. Diamondhead fired the shards at the Blonde Brawler, her violet eyes slightly widening at the action.

With multiple assertive grunts and cries, Yang fired off more rounds from her Ember Celica at the incoming crystal projectiles, knocking them out of the air and onto the floor of the arena around her. It went on like that for a few seconds before Yang realized Diamonhead's legs were slightly bent, causing him to stand with his legs apart. An idea quickly popped into her head, albeit a bit of a risky one. She ran forward, bobbing and weaving underneath the dullened shards. Once she was close enough, she went into a slide, going right under Diamondhead's legs. The Petrosapien had little time to react as Yang socked him in the back with another Dust round fueled punch, sending him back toward the other side of the arena, almost to its edge.

Diamondhead stopped in a crouch to prevent himself from going any further. Thankfully, weight was both a hindrance _and_ an advantage when it came to him. He looked up from where he was crouched down to see Yang running toward him, her fists ready for another onslaught. As she began to pelt him with punches, the Petrosapien brought his arms up and made a crystal shield from his forearms, her hits going into that instead of his face. But he knew he couldn't stay like that for long, every impact moved him back half an inch closer to the arena's edge. Diamondhead jolted up and slammed the shield into Yang, sending her careening back several feet to the center of the ring.

When Yang landed, she looked at her opponent with an excited smile. "Not bad Ben! You're quite the fighter!"

"Thanks! Now let me show you another trick!" Diamondhead brought the shield down and slammed his fist into the arena, causing several large crystals to come surging out of the ground and straight toward Yang. As the crystals got bigger and closer, Yang was forced to retreat. She quickly dove to the side and the crystals went past her, stopping at the other end of the arena.

Yang looked up at the towering crystal spikes and said; "Huh, neat." She turned back to Diamondhead as he walked to the ring's center. "You're just full of surprises aren't ya?"

"I've been told. So, what's next?"

Yang smirked as she crouched down and put her fists to the ground. "This!" She fired her Ember Celica and propelled herself into the air, straight towards Diamondhead. Yang reared her fist back and let out a battle cry, intending to end this fight here and now.

Diamondhead's eyes widened as she came closer, but he also realized something; _'Hold on a sec, this is part of the same trick she used on Adam last night!'_ He did the first thing that came to his mind; dodge. The Petrosapien side stepped Yang and she sailed right past him, her eyes widening in shock.

Yang tuck and rolled along the arena floor and whirled back around to the crystalline alien. "Hey! How'd you see that coming?!"

"Easy, you did the same thing to Adam last night." Diamondhead answered.

Yang blinked twice in realization. "Huh, guess I did."

Suddenly, Yang could hear her sister shouting to her from the sidelines; "C'mon sis! You can do this! Don't let him psyche you out!"

"Believe me Rubes, I know!" Yang called back, her eyes never leaving her opponent. "He's just a tough nut to crack, that's all! Besides, I'm kinda enjoying myself right now." She was looking up and down the alien, looking for anything that resembled a weak point. Her focus was then brought to the giant crystal spikes jutting out of his back. _'Bingo!'_ she thought with a smirk.

Diamondhead smiled. "Heh, glad I'm giving you a good fight. And I'm also enjoying this myself." He widened his stance and brought his fists back up. "But now I think it's time to end our little dance."

Yang smiled right back. "Couldn't agree more!" Yang charged at Diamondhead and slid down again. She had formed a plan during that short interlude and she hoped he would take the bait. Sure enough, he did. Diamondhead bent over and blocked the gap under his legs by slamming his fist on the ground in front of him, intending to stop her. Yang's smirk grew. _'Hook, line and sinker.'_ Shestopped mid-slide, tucked her legs underneath herself and quickly jumped up over Diamondhead, catching him off-guard.

As she went over him, Yang grabbed onto Diamondhead's shoulder spikes. Just as she grabbed hold, she fired her Ember Celica to give her more force to her fall, her eyes changing from violet to red in an instant. When she landed behind him, her fall combined with the extra force provided by her gauntlets, along with her own enhanced strength, gave Yang just enough power to flip Diamondhead right over herself and send him careening out of the arena and into the nearest opposing wall, ending the match.

"Ring-out: Ben!" Tai announced. "The winner is YANG!"

As the bleachers erupted into cheers, Yang slowly lowered herself to the ground, propping herself on her arms and knees to catch her breath. The feat of lifting the heavy alien over her head had taken all of her strength, and she was exhausted from it. _'Note to self, don't try to lift Diamondhead again.'_ She looked up to see her opponent, in a daze and embedded in the wall inside a crater made by his own impact. She smiled at him. _'Good fight Ben, you really showed me what you're made of today.'_ she glanced off to she side as she added; _'I rather enjoyed our little dance.'_ Yang got up, dusted herself off and made her way over to Diamondhead, intending to get him out of the wall.

* * *

As Diamondhead's vision returned to him, he shook his head out of the daze he was in... only to find out he was stuck in a wall. "Wait... what the...?"

Suddenly, he heard Yang's voice call to him. "See? Told ya you'd get thrown around!" He looked down to see the Blonde Brawler, smiling up at him with her arms crossed, her eyes bright and jovial. "Gotta hand it to ya Ben, you put up one hell of a fight. Awesome job!"

Diamondhead blinked. "Did... did you just throw me?"

"Yep! How else did you get up there? Couldn't have done it to yourself right? That'd just be masochistic."

After a few moments, Diamondhead slowly let out a few chuckles, followed by all-out laughing. "HAHAHA! Oh my god! I can't believe you threw me across the room! That was awesome!"

"Glad you think so, now get down from there, you owe me a smoothie." Yang offered a hand of assistance.

"Heh, right." Diamondhead grabbed her hand and she pulled... only for him to not budge.

"Huh? What the heck?" Yang asked.

"Um..." The Petrosaipen tried moving himself around a little only to realize that... "Uh, the crystals on my back seem to be... stuck."

It was Yang's turn to burst out laughing as Diamondhead continued to try and pry himself off the wall. "HAHAHA! You big goof! Just change back!"

"Ah, right again." In a bright green flash, Ben was back to normal. He hopped down from the crater and landed on his feet, a grin forming on his face. "Yang, I have to say I did NOT see that coming. I've been tossed around a lot of times but your method was a first."

"Well, guess it's a good thing you were so _hard-headed_ then." Yang joked.

"Ha, yeah, but that didn't stop me from getting all _Ben_ -t out of shape now did it?"

Yang's eyes widened in surprise. _'A comeback? Huh, I don't usually get those. Better think of something to counter with quick!'_ She was pulled back out of her thoughts when she heard Ben speaking to her.

"Uh, Yang... what's wrong? Was it really THAT bad?'

"Oh! No no no, it was great! It's just..." she smirked. "I'm the Queen of Puns here mister, and you coming on to my turf like this is liable to make me _Yang-_ ry."

Ben's smile grew _'And now a new game has begun.'_ "Oh, I apologize." Ben reached down and picked up a discarded crystal shard, holding it up to Yang. "I guess that fact wasn't so _crystal clear_ to me."

Yang plucked the shard out of his hand. "Sorry Ben, but like most crystal," she grabbed the other end and broke the shard in half, "I like to _shatter_ expectations."

Ben shrugged. "Aw well, I'm sure I have more Omni- _Tricks_ up my sleeve to show you."

"Oh, I'd be more than happy for a rematch, you'd just better _Watch_ your back."

"What, you think I'm _yellow_ -bellied Goldie Locks?"

"Well, you're certainly looking _green_ from all these puns. Sure you don't wanna stop?"

Before Ben could retort, Gwen got between the two and held her arms out in front of them. "YES, please stop! Before... you make... me puke." She looked back and forth between them to make sure her message came across. "Look, if you two want to make awful puns, could you please take them to a smoothie shop so that Ben can make do on his promise. Please?"

"Well Gwen, first of all," Ben pointed out, "our puns are _not_ awful."

"Yeah, c'mon Red," Yang added. "Where's your sense of humor?"

"In a shallow grave, along with the puns." Gwen deadpanned.

"And secondly... yeah I should hold up my end of the bargain." Ben pulled out his Lien card out of his jacket pocket. "Looks like this little thing's gonna see its first use soon."

"Looks like." Yang agreed. "And thanks."

"Hey, you won fair and square. I've got nothing to complain about that."

"Cool, so what time is it now?"

Ben checked the watch function on the Omnitrix. "1:30, perfect time for a smoothie."

"Well then let's go! There's a place I know in town that makes great smoothies!"

"Lead the way." Ben turned back around to Tai. "Oh, and sorry about your practice room Tai, I'll clean it up later."

Tai chuckled. "Ben, it's really not a problem. I'm just glad I got to see you and my daughter put on one hell of a show for us! We'll see ya later."

Ben nodded and he followed Yang out of the secret facility, leaving the others to their own devices. Gwen meanwhile was smiling at the two as they left. _'Those two really are quite the pair.'_ she thought. She was pulled back to reality when she heard Ruby give out a sudden shout of joy:

"HAHA! YES!" She said as she held the 3DS aloft. "I finally found a Ralts! And it's... huh? Hey Gwen, what does it mean when a Ralts is pink, blue and sparkly?"

The shock hit Gwen so much that her legs suddenly felt like jelly, but she had to stay upright to make sure Ruby caught that Ralts.

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it! Yang won! Now this won't be the only time the two spar with each other, because like Ben said, there are plenty more aliens in that watch that can give her a challenge. Okay, so Next Time: just how long can a conversation between two people last when they're drinking smoothies? Longer than you might think when the two are Ben and Yang. See ya!**

**P.S. Gotta love those lucky random encounters eh? A little story for you: every time I've played through regular Sapphire I have ALWAYS run into a shiny Zigzagoon. No joke, it's really weird.**


	10. Stories and Smoothies

**A/N: Okay, so this chapter is pretty special to me since it's technically Ben and Yang's first unofficial "date". You can tell that these two grew on me pretty quick. With that said, this is...**

**Chapter 10: Stories and Smoothies**

* * *

It had been a half hour since Ben and Yang finished their little spar in Tai's secret training grounds, Yang having emerged the victor. Now, the two were making their way into town on Bumblebee, with Ben intending to keep his promise of paying for a couple smoothies, the flavor being Yang's to choose. As they rode through the town, Ben was able to take a few glances around. It was a quaint, adequate sized township with pleasant people walking the streets, almost as if what happened the day before had not happened at all. A few people even waved at them, though they were most likely waving to Yang since she was a local too.

Yang pulled over to the sidewalk and hopped off her bike, a proud smile on her face. "Well Ben, this is it. Welcome to Patchwork, the town that I basically grew up in."

Ben took a better look around and came to a conclusion. "Huh, you know, it's actually pretty peaceful here. Kinda wish my hometown of Bellwood was more like this."

"Why? You live in a big city or something?"

"Eh, kind of. Bellwood's really weird. They call it a town but it IS actually more like a city, it's just not a really big one."

"Hmm, weird." Yang walked over to the nearest building, a small burger joint that had two vacant tables out front and many more inside. "So, other than the smoothies, you want anything else while we're here? It's on me if you still got the smoothies."

"Tempting, but you won the bet Yang, so if we want anything else I'll happily pay." Ben was about to walk in when Yang stopped him by putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Oh no you don't Green Boy. The smoothies may be on you, but you're my guest and you haven't had anything to eat besides hospital food since you got here. You need something decent in you, so you'll _get_ something decent in you. _I'll_ pay for the food."

Ben was hesitant. "You're sure? Because I can always..."

"Ben, its fine. Besides, it's the least I can do after you gave me that good of a fight." Yang reassured with a smile. "Trust me."

"...I'm not winning this am I?"

Yang shook her head, her smile never leaving. "Nuh-uh."

Ben sighed. "Alright, but I'll be paying next time. Only fair right?"

Yang smirked and raised a single eyebrow. "Next time?"

"Erm... well... you know what I mean." Ben had to resist the small blush that crept onto his cheeks. _'Jeez Tennyson, nice word choice.'_ he chastised himself. _'Next thing you blurt out will be: "Hey I'm single".'_

As Ben tried to collect himself, Yang couldn't help but giggle at his little awkward moment. "Ben, it's okay, I know what you meant. I'm just being a tease is all. It's kinda my thing."

Ben cleared his throat, his face turning back to its normal color. "Oh, okay then. So... you wanna eat inside or out?"

"I think I'd like outside actually. It's a good day and we're going to get so few of those once fall actually starts to get here."

"Alright, outside it is." The duo went inside and went up to the counter. "Now, since you won, you also get to choose the flavor. So, what'll it be?"

After giving it some thought, Yang delivered her answer; "I think I'm in the mood for some strawberry-watermelon."

"Ooh, looking for something fruity huh? I'm down with that." Ben ordered two strawberry-watermelon smoothies and Yang ordered the food, two burgers with a side of chili-fries. After paying and a ten minute wait, their food was ready and the two took it outside, sitting down at one of the tables. As Ben bit into his burger, he couldn't help but sigh in content. "Oh man, after the food from this morning, this is exactly what I needed."

Yang chuckled as she took a sip of her smoothie. "See? Told ya you needed something in your system that doesn't taste like cardboard."

Ben smiled. "Heh, duly noted." He looked around the town again, many brick and wood buildings liking the streets. "So, you grew up here huh? Must have been nice to live in a place like this."

Yang shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Ruby certainly thought so, she loves this place. As for me, I don't hate my home, but I always wanted to see what was outside of it. You know, see the world. I'm a bit of a thrill seeker if you haven't noticed."

"Huh, really? I never would have guessed." Ben smirked.

The Blonde Brawler rolled her eyes. "Alright wise-ass, leave the snarky comments for training."

Ben gave a mock-salute. "I will try my best ma'am! No more wise-assery from here!" That got Yang to laugh, and Ben wasn't far behind as he two went into a series of chuckles. When the laughter died down, Ben resumed talking. "But seriously, this IS a pretty nice place."

"Yeah." Yang looked down the road, her gaze settling on a rather large building with several towers topped with steeples. "See that big building? That's Signal Academy, the school that I graduated from before going to Beacon."

Ben turned around and his eyes found the school. "Ah, cool. And I'm guessing that's where your dad teaches too?"

"Yep, along with Uncle Qrow, whenever they're not on missions anyway."

"I see." Ben looked at the school with a grin. "Man, I wish _I_ could've gone to a high school where you learn how to fight. I _definitely_ wouldn't have dropped out of the one."

Yang's eyes widened at the revelation. "You're a high school drop-out?"

Ben rubbed the back of his head. "Well when you put it like that you make it sound bad."

"That's cause it kind of IS." Yang emphasized. "Why would you have to drop...?" She saw Ben pointing to the Omnitrix and she immediately got the message. "Oh... right. Sorry."

Ben smiled. "Hey, no need to apologize. When it came down to it, I had to make the decision myself. Quite honestly, I probably made the right choice. Grades are kind of hard to keep up when you have to save the world. Even then, they won't matter if the world's destroyed anyway."

"Yeah, I get ya." Yang admitted. "But hey, I'm guessing it isn't all bad. More time for personal stuff when you're not fighting bad guys right?"

"Well yeah... almost." Ben glanced down at his meal with a hint of remorse.

The statement left Yang confused and concerned. "Ben, are you okay?"

Ben looked up quickly. "Oh, y-yeah I'm fine. It's just... I was kind of going through a rough time before we came here." His smile returned. "But you know what? Ever since we got here I've been feeling better."

"Really? Even though you're in a dimension with no idea how to get home? Don't you miss your family? They have to be worried about you."

"Oh, of course I miss them, and I'm equally worried about them too. But I still have my cousin, my grandpa, and my best friend here with me. And to top it all off, I've been given the privilege to meet some of the most awesome people ever; you guys."

Yang leaned back in her chair with a proud grin. "Well, we _are_ pretty awesome."

Ben smirked. "Now don't get a swelled head over this. That's a hubris waiting to happen."

"Right, and I don't suppose _you've_ ever gotten cocky in your ENTIRE life?"

Ben wore a guilty smile. "Eh, I was a dumb ten-year-old who was just gifted an alien watch from outer space. Sue me."

"For ten-billion Lien." Yang took a bite out of her burger before going on. "Actually, now that I think about it, how DID you get the Omnitrix?"

"Oh yeah!" Ben realized. "I never really did tell you the specifics, huh?"

"Nope, so let's hear it." The blonde took a sip of her smoothie in anticipation.

"Well let's see." Ben began. "The Omnitirx was being transported across the galaxy by an alien woman named Xylene, an old friend of my grandpa's. She came under attack by Vilgax, an alien warlord who also happened to be my grandfather's sworn enemy. Seeing no other option, Xylene jettisoned the Omnitrix to the nearest planet: Earth. The pod it was in was programmed to find my grandfather's DNA and home in on it. But, since I share some of his DNA, I ended up being the target."

"So what happened after you got it?"

"Well, I couldn't get it off at the time, so I decided to try and use it to help people." Ben now sported a nostalgic smile on his face. "Heh, I probably won't ever forget that summer."

"It must have been special for you huh?

"Yeah, not only did I get to fight bad guys and save the world, it was also when Gwen and I learned to not despise each other."

Yang was surprised by that. "You and Gwen used to hate each other?"

"Well, not hate, more like we found each other annoying. That's where the whole "dweeb" and "doofus" name-calling comes from. See, it started all because we shared the same birthday and it got worse ever since. But we've put all of that behind us. Now, we're closer than ever. She's kind of like my rock."

"Wow, now that's pretty cool. So what about Kevin, what's his deal?"

"Oh, I met him that summer too, but under... different circumstances. It all started when I got into a bad argument with my grandpa. I got us kicked out of our hotel when I broke a big rule."

"Ooh shame on you Benjamin." Yang wagged her finger at him jokingly.

"Hey, dumb ten-year-old, remember? Anyway, I went off on my own and met up with Kevin at an arcade. From there, we got into more and more trouble until I realized that he wasn't really a good guy. He used his powers for his own gain, something that my grandpa taught me was the worst thing you could do."

"Wait, so are you telling me that Kevin was a bad guy once?"

"Oh yeah, and that wouldn't be the last time we fought. We beat each other up many times over that summer, ending when Kevin was sent to the Null Void, kind of an extra-dimensional jail for alien criminals. He managed to get out years later and we made amends. It took a while, but now he's my best bud."

"And Gwen's beau, right?" Yang smirked cheekily.

"Ha, yeah, but that's a WHOLE other story. You'd have to see my cousin for that one."

"Oh, definitely." Yang commented before munching down on a chili fry. "So, on a different topic, other than dinosaurs and Pokémon, what other cool stuff do you have in your world?"

"Well let's see..." Ben counted off on his fingers. "In terms of pop-culture, the first things that immediately pop in my head are; superheroes, robots that can change into vehicles, teenage talking reptiles who know martial arts, adventures beyond time and space, giant monsters that wreck cities and fight one another, pastel colored horses that teach lessons about friendship—Gwen's a BIG fan of that one—and, get this: a franchise about a man whose endless quest to become stronger has continually put his world in danger, yet he always is able to save it."

"Really? How?"

"Usually involves a lot of fighting, energy blasting, screaming and tons of form changes involving spiky blonde hair."

After a moment's pause, Yang leaned in slightly, her interest piqued. "Tell me more."

* * *

A little while after Ben and Yang had left, Gwen, Ruby, Jaune and Pyrrha were on their way back to the house as well, the others staying behind to get a head start on their training. The latter two would have stayed with the others to at least spectate as they trained, but Pyrrha decided to get the bumpy ride back to the house over with. As the quartet strolled down the dirt path through the woods, Gwen and Ruby were looking down at the 3DS, Gwen thinking to herself; _'Okay, when I loaned her my copy of Omega Ruby, this is the last thing I expected to happen._ '

Gwen looked to Ruby and spoke her thoughts. "I hope you know how lucky you are Miss Rose. I'd be more jealous if I hadn't already bred one with a Modest nature. It took an eternity, but it was worth it." On the screen, the two were looking at Ruby's newest acquisition; a shiny female Ralts with the ability Synchronize, and a Timid nature.

Ruby was staring at the screen with amazement. "Gwen, remind me what the chances are again?"

"In Generation 6 and onward, there's a one in four-thousand and ninety-six chance that you can run into a random shiny. THAT is how lucky you are."

"I will cherish her forever." The Hooded Huntress replied as she caressed the screen.

"You'd better. I'm just glad I got you to save your game immediately after you caught her."

Jaune chimed in. "I'm sorry Gwen, but did I hear you say that you _bred_ a shiny Ralts?"

"Oh yeah, Pokémon breeding IS a thing in the games. It has its uses like trying for a shiny or breeding a move onto a certain Pokémon. For example, Ruby, you know the Poochyena you caught earlier right?"

"The one that stuck its tail up from the grass? Yeah, he was my first catch." Ruby replied.

"Well, the move that he has, Ice Fang, is an egg move. He can't learn Ice Fang normally."

"Oh, well that's neat!" Ruby went back to her game, sending out one of her Pokemon, a Wurmple, into a wild encounter.

"Wow." Pyrrha said. "It sounds quite complicated."

"It is," Gwen confirmed, "and if you can believe it, people devote themselves to breeding so much that they can remember all of this information _by heart_."

"HOW?!" Jaune exclaimed in disbelief.

"I have no clue, and quite honestly, I kind of don't want to."

"Hey Gwen!" Ruby exclaimed as she showed the 3DS to the redhead. "What's going on? I just leveled up my Wurmple and then this screen showed up!"

Gwen got a closer look and she realized what Ruby had meant the moment she saw the prompt; _"What? Wurmple's evolving!"_ It was the evolution screen... something that Gwen had purposefully neglected to mention. Gwen smiled and said; "Ruby, you're in for a treat." Gwen pressed the A button and Ruby's Wurmple began to spin around, a bright orb of light engulfing it. Ruby's eyes widened and after a few seconds, the light flashed and dissipated, revealing a purple cocoon with red eyes. The small ball shaped monster suddenly protruded multiple spikes from itself while giving out a cry, the spikes going back in soon after. The prompt now read; _"Congratulations! Your Wurmple evolved into Cascoon!"_ while a fanfare played in the background.

"...WHAT?!" Ruby yelled.

Gwen's smile grew. "Oh yeah, did I mention that many Pokémon are able to evolve into more powerful forms when they reach a certain level?"

Ruby, still in shock, gave her answer. "No! No you didn't! I probably would have remembered that if you did!"

"Huh, must have slipped my mind."

"D-does that mean my Torchic will evolve too? And my Ralts?"

"Yep, so will your Poochyena and Zigzagoon. But don't forget that you're going to be finding many more Pokémon as you travel through Hoenn, so you've got plenty more to meet."

Ruby had a big grin on her face as she looked back at the screen and her new Cascoon. "This game just gets better and better!" She hit the A button again and there came another prompt; _"Cascoon learned Harden!"_ causing Ruby to ask: "Uh, Gwen? What's Harden?"

"It's a move that raises defense. If you find a Cascoon in the wild, it's the only move it knows. Don't worry, it only takes another three levels before it evolves again. Then it'll see some decent use. For a little while at least."

"What does that mean?"

"Well... early game Pokemon are usually outclassed by other Pokémon found later in the game. Your Torchic and Ralts are exceptions, but the other three are likely to have an uphill battle later on. But it's your team Ruby, it's up to you what you do with it."

"Oh... okay." Ruby said in slight disappointment.

Gwen draped an arm over the younger girl's shoulder. "Hey, I know how it feels to get attached to your early game Pokémon. _Especially_ after playing with them in Amie. The people over at Gamefreak are evil geniuses like that. But like I said, you can keep them around if you want. Besides, it's not like your releasing them. If you do decide to switch them out for another Pokémon, they'll still be in your PC whenever you need them."

Ruby smiled. "Thanks Gwen. I guess I'm just really excited to do something so new to me."

"Hey, I get it. I was like that when Ben first got me into the game YEARS ago. You're not the only one who tried to go through the entire game with a bug in your party. Now, how far till we reach the house?"

"Ahem, Gwen?" Pyrrha spoke. "We got here three minutes ago."

Gwen looked up in surprise to see the log house standing right in front of them. "Huh, I guess time _does_ fly when you're having fun."

Ruby grinned and laughed. "Or when you're nerding out right?"

Gwen laughed as well. "Haha, yeah exactly."

* * *

"And that is the basic spoiler-free gist of the Dragon Ball franchise." Ben concluded.

Yang sat there dumbfounded for all of two seconds before breaking out into a smile. "That sounds so freaking cool!"

Ben chuckled. "Hehe, yeah. I still can't get over how much of a world-wide phenomenon it became when it was introduced to western audiences, same with Pokémon. The 90's were a crazy time. Or so I'm told. I was born just after they had ended."

"Eh, any decade that introduces such awesome stuff like that is okay in my book." Yang said with a shrug. She picked up her smoothie and took a sip.

A smirk came to Ben's face. _'Perhaps it's time to resume our little game.'_ He cleared his throat and spoke up. "So, is that smoothie going down _smooth_ enough for you Yang?"

Yang stopped mid-sip and looked Ben straight on, her own sly grin forming. She'd caught on to him. "Well, I don't know about you, but I think the strawberry is berry, _berry_ delicious. What about yours?"

"Yeah, it's good. But when it comes to watermelon, I'm kind of _melon_ -choly."

"Aw, well then I guess it's not as _smoothie_ sailing for you as it is for me."

"Well if that's the case..." Ben took the top off of his cup. "You're about to make me _flip my lid_." He flipped the lid over and balanced it back on the cup.

"That's the last _straw_ Tennyson!" Yang took her straw and lightly poked Ben's nose with it.

"Hey! C'mon Yang, can't we just _smoothie_ things over a little bit?"

"Smooth Ben, _real_ smooth."

The two stared each other down for all of three seconds before bursting out into uncontrollable laughter, earning confused looks from passersby. After a few moments of joyful guffaws, the two managed to collect themselves. Ben smiled at the blonde girl. "Yang, has anyone ever told you that you're a riot?"

"Many times, but I could say the same about you!" Yang complemented. "I've never met anyone who could consistently keep up with my puns."

"Then it pleases me to be the first." Ben fixed the lid to his drink and took another sip. "So, tell me, what was it like growing up here?"

"Eh, you know, learning how to fight, going to combat school, killing Grimm, pretty standard for a huntress in training. Just me, Ruby, dad and sometimes Uncle Qrow living the good life."

"So just you guys huh?"

"Well... not exactly." Yang looked down at her smoothie with a stern expression.

Ben had picked up on her upset state rather quick. "Yang? Are you okay?"

Yang's head shot back up. "Oh, yeah I'm good. It's just..." she glanced off to the side. "...complicated is all."

Ben held up a hand. "That's fine, we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"Thanks, but it's probably best if I just get this out there right now." Yang took a deep breath and exhaled. "Ruby and I are actually half-sisters."

Ben's eyes widened. "Oh, okay that kind of makes sense."

"Yeah, Ruby's mom, and whom I consider my _real_ mother, Summer Rose, was probably one of the coolest moms ever. Cookies, bed-time stories, kissing boo-boos, monster-killer, the whole package."

"Oh, she's a huntress?"

"Yeah, well... she _was_ a huntress."

Ben's eyes widened as he saw the forlorn look on Yang's face. It made him feel extremely guilty for bringing the subject up. "Oh my gosh, Yang I... I am so sorry."

"It's okay Ben, it happened years ago, I've done my share of grieving already. Mom was a huntress to the end. She loved what she did as much as she loved all of us, and she's the kind of person that I aspire to be like."

Ben smiled. "I think that's pretty cool." Yang smiled back before the hero continued. "Alright, so Summer Rose was a kick-ass woman, so what about..."

Yang looked off into the distance and narrowed her eyes. "Raven."

"Okay so... wait a minute... Raven... and your Uncle Qrow... _they're_ siblings aren't they?"

Yang rolled her eyes. "Gee, how'd ya guess?"

"Kinda hard NOT to guess what with them both being named after birds. So, what DO you know about her?"

Yang shrugged. "I know that she left when I was a baby. Dad never likes to talk about her and Qrow even less so. But... I made it my personal mission to find her and ask her why she left us. And after seventeen years of never meeting her... I finally did a few months back after she saved me on a train."

Ben's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Really? Did she say anything?"

The blonde scowled. "No, she didn't. Hell, she was wearing a mask so I didn't even get a good look at her. But Qrow actually had a message from her to give to me."

"And that was?"

"That she had saved me once... and to not expect that kindness again."

Ben sat back, taking the words in. "Wow, cold."

"You can say that again. But I'm not gonna stop looking for her. I still want answers and by god I'm gonna get them."

"I like your attitude, but where would you even start?"

"Well, Uncle Qrow also gave me some tips on where she might be. But, heh, after last night I doubt any of us will be ready to go anywhere for a while."

"Right," Ben agreed, "now's definitely not the time to go off to who knows where. But hey, you've got a lot of people who are ready to support you Yang, myself included. When the time is right, I'll help you find your mom, promise."

Yang's smile finally returned. "Thanks Ben, that really means a lot." After a moment's pause, Yang decided that a change of subject was required. "So, you mentioned that this isn't the first time you've dimension-hopped. So what WAS the first?"

Ben let out a laugh. "Ha, oh yeah, now there's a story that needs telling. Yang, allow me to tell you the tale about how I met a dude named Rex Salazar."

* * *

When Jaune had agreed to help Gwen unpack everything that they had brought in from Kevin's car, he hadn't expected to be setting up multiple game consoles. Not that he wasn't experienced in the practice, he WAS an avid gamer after all, but the consoles were just so different from the ones from his own world. He didn't know what this Nintendo game company was, but Ben and Gwen must have been big fans since they had three different types of consoles from them. A Super Nintendo, a Nintendo 64, and a Gamecube to be precise. But Kevin had his own console, a silver rectangular one that Gwen had said was a Playstation 2.

"Gwen, you're just lucky that composite cables are universal." Jaune called over to her as he showed the red, white and yellow plugs. "I'm surprised you guys still use this kind of set-up."

"Oh, not for more modern consoles," Gwen explained as she and Pyrrha went through the different types of video games, "We use HDMI cables for those. But the boys and I grew up with _these_ consoles so those are the ones we like to take with us."

Jaune nodded. "I understand. Still, we're lucky that we still even have these types of cables installed on our video players, otherwise we'd be screwed."

"Indeed," Pyrrha spoke up as she stored the cartridges and game boxes on the shelves of the TV stand, "we have not had to use this kind of technology in a long time." She picked up another cartridge and read the title; The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. _'Hmm, intriguing.'_ Pyrrha noted to herself. _'Better keep this one in mind.'_ She picked up another one that read; The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. _'And by proxy, this one as well.'_ It was then that she noticed that there were in fact three more Legend of Zelda games in the bin that had been brought in. "Gwen, just _how_ many Legend of Zelda's are there?"

"Oh Pyrrha," Gwen smiled, "you've just stumbled upon one of my favorite game franchises. I only have five with me, but there are many more back in our world."

"Hmm, interesting."

"Would you like me to show you how to play?"

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, yes."

"Oh, no trouble at all." Gwen waved off. "Believe me, any day I can show a Zelda game to someone is a good day."

Pyrrha smiled back. "Thank you Gwen, it's much appreciated."

Meanwhile, Ruby was just finishing up putting all of the Alien Trio's DVD binders onto the shelves. She had no idea what was in them, but in her mind she knew that the five large zippered up cases held untold secrets from a far off world that she had to see. She couldn't help herself. Ruby took one back down and unzipped it to see what it contained. The moment she opened it, her jaw opened in surprise. "Gwen!"

"Yes Ruby? What's up?"

"Why didn't you tell me that Pokémon had a TV show?!" The Hooded Huntress flipped the binder around and presented the page of four discs to Gwen, who immediately recognized it as the first discs of Season 1.

The redheaded Anodite chuckled. "Oh yeah, like all big franchises, Pokémon has had a TV show nearly since its inception, coming out about a year after the original games."

Ruby giggled with glee as she started turning the pages of the binder, looking at all the different Pokemon designs printed on the DVDs. It was then that she noticed that... there were A LOT of discs. "Gwen, how many seasons of this show are there?"

"Well, we only have the first eight in that binder since those are the ones that have been released so far, but currently there have been twenty-one seasons of the show."

Ruby almost dropped the binder out of shock. "Twenty-one?!"

Jaune was surprised too. "Wait, so does that mean that Pokémon's been around for...?"

"Over twenty-one years, yes." Gwen answered.

"Oh my." Pyrrha commented. "That is a pretty impressive amount of time for a single franchise to last."

"If you think that's impressive, you should see other franchises that have lasted even longer than that."

"Well, either way," Ruby said with a big grin. "I know what I'm binge watching!"

"And that's fine Ruby," Gwen assured, "Just don't lose sight of your training okay? That's part of the reason why we came here remember?"

"Oh I know, but c'mon, I've never seen stuff like this before! I just wanna know so much about the world you come from!"

Gwen smiled. "I'm glad you're enthusiastic about all this Ruby, but let's get everything unpacked first, _then_ we can watch the show okay?"

Ruby sighed in slight disappointment. "Okay then." Ruby closed the binder and went over to Gwen, but then her eye caught sight of the clock on the wall. "Hey, it's 4 o'clock. Shouldn't those two be back by now?"

Gwen pondered for a moment. "Hmm, I'll check in, they're probably fine, but it wouldn't hurt." Gwen pulled out her Plumber badge and contacted her cousin.

* * *

Back in town, Yang was trying to comprehend the story that Ben had just finished telling her, their food and smoothies having been finished and thrown in the trash. "Man, Ben you live one crazy life."

Ben nodded. "Yep, I've come to accept that fact a long time ago."

"So after you and Rex beat Alpha, what happened after that? Did you guys ever meet up again?"

"Not yet so far, but I know we will someday."

"And what about the Alpha Nanite?"

"Well... he's actually responsible for us being here in the first place."

"Seriously?!" Yang exclaimed in surprise. "How?"

"Well, after Vilgax broke out of prison yesterday, we managed to confront him before he got away. But as Grandpa Max had gotten a Null Void projector ready, the projector burst apart and a portal opened up. It must have led to the Null Void itself because Alpha clawed his way out of it. But just as he did, a bolt of lightning came down and struck him and the portal, causing it to destabilize. Before you know it, here we are."

After a moment, Yang came to a definitive conclusion; "Like I said before, your life is _crazy_."

"Heh, yeah, guess so." Just as he was about to move on to a different topic, Ben noticed that the sun had gone down quite a bit since they'd arrived. "Huh, that's odd."

"What is it?" Yang asked.

"The sun's lower. We couldn't have been here for that long." Ben checked the time on the Omnitrix and his brows shot up. "4 o'clock?! We've been here two hours?!"

"You're kidding! It feels like it's only been what, forty-five minutes?"

"Jeez, time flies huh?" Suddenly, the Omnitrix started beeping, signaling that someone was using a Plumber badge to communicate with him. He pressed down on it and said; "Hello?"

" _Hi Ben."_ Gwen answered on the other end.

"Hey Gwen what's up?"

" _Sorry to cut into your little outing, I just wanted to see how you guys were doing."_

Ben cleared his throat. "Yeah, things are going well Gwen, we just lost track of the time is all."

Yang moved to the other side of the table and talked into the Omnitrix. "It's okay Gwen, I haven't gotten your cousin into any trouble! Promise!"

On the other end, Gwen let out a small laugh. _"Good to know Yang. Ruby, Jaune, Pyrrha and I are actually back at the house."_

"'Kay," Ben said, "we'll be back in a bit. I'd imagine that everyone else is on their way back too."

" _Yeah, probably. Alright guys, see you soon!"_ The Omnitrix beeped again, ending the call.

"Well, looks like we're going home." Yang got up from the table and made her way over to Bumblebee, Ben following soon after.

"Looks like, but I gotta say that I'm glad I got to see the town a bit, AND put some food in my gut." Ben admitted.

"See? A win-win. And thanks for the smoothie. It was awesome." Yang mounted Bumblebee and put on her aviators.

"Sure, no problem! Though I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed that they don't carry my own favorite flavors." Ben put on his helmet and got on Bumblebee as well.

"And those would be?"

"...Promise not to judge?"

"Of course not. Why would I judge you over a smoothie flavor?"

"Well... I kind of like chocolate and carrot smoothies... mixed together."

Ben was slightly worried when an answer didn't come right off the bat, but after a few moments, Yang responded. "...Dude, _hardcore_."

A smile came to the young hero's face. "Thanks Yang. You have no idea how many times Gwen and Kevin have told me how gross it sounds. But it's surprisingly good, if you can believe it."

"Really? May have to try it sometime then." Yang started up Bumblebee and turned back to Ben. "You ready?" Ben gave her a nod. "Then let's ride!" Yang pulled Bumblebee away from the curb and zoomed down Patchwork's main street, all the while thinking to herself; _'You know what Ben? If there ever is a next time, I'd be down for it.'_

* * *

**A/N: Alright! Another chapter done! The next chapter will be what concludes this first series of reposts on A03, so tune in tomorrow for another bunch of chapters as well. Anyway, Next Chapter! This next one will conclude the gang's first day on Patch. And what better way to do that than just simply hanging out? See Ya!**

**P.S. Can you guess what franchises Ben was talking about? You know, other than the obvious?**


	11. Twelve Teens Under One Roof

**A/N: Alright, new chapter ready to go! And then tomorrow, we'll have another fresh batch up as well! After this one is through, we'll be seeing more of the training aspect of this series, though we won't be short of fun character moments either. A little action every now and then never hurt right? Now, let's get on with it shall we? This is...**

**Chapter 11: Twelve Teens Under One Roof**

* * *

Gwen Tennyson wasn't usually one for borrowing clothes, but on one hand, Ruby was generously offering, and on the other, the redhead was still wearing the same things that she wore yesterday. It was a no-brainer on what she had to choose. The sun was beginning to set so tomorrow would have to be another day for shopping around. Until then, a short-sleeved red t-shirt and a pair of white shorts would suit her just fine. She was about to exit the bathroom she had changed in when a knock came at the door. "Just a second!" she called back.

"Gwen?" she heard Pyrrha answer from the other side. "Oh, I'm so glad I found you."

Gwen opened the door and looked downward to Pyrrha in her wheelchair. "Hey, Pyrrha. Need help with something?"

"Well... yes." On her lap were a set of clothes; an orangey-yellow t-shirt and grey sweatpants. "Ruby lent me some of Yang's old clothes and... well..."

"You need help getting them on?" Gwen guessed.

Pyrrha sighed. "Unfortunatley. My armor takes a while to remove and I have to work around my cast, so if it wouldn't be too much trouble? Please?"

Gwen smiled. "Of course. Here let me get you in."

"Oh no need, I'm perfectly capable of rolling in myself." Suddenly, the wheelchair rolled into the bathroom... by itself. "There, see?"

Gwen blinked in shock. "H-how did you do that?"

"Oh, my semblance is polarity. I can magnetically control any metal object, including the wheels on this chair."

Gwen sighed. "You know, can I just say that I'm kind of envious of your guys' cool powers?"

Pyrrha chuckled. "Well, I think it's pretty cool that you can control mana. That must take a lot of skill."

"It does. Now, let's get started shall we?" Gwen began to carefully remove Pyrrha's armor and clothing, making sure not to disturb the cast. All the while, Pyrrha seemed to be in a contemplative state, her eyes shifting in between Gwen and the window that faced the backyard. Finally, she gave in.

"Gwen, I need to tell you something."

"Sure, shoot."

"Well... Jaune and I still haven't talked about what happened last night."

"Really? You haven't tried to?"

"Well, I have... but whenever we find ourselves alone he becomes... distant, almost nervous I think. Do you... do you think he might be afraid of me?"

"Afraid of you personally or of confronting what happened? Because I'm going to have to go with the latter."

"Well I understand that but... I'm worried that... I might have ruined our friendship with that kiss."

"Pyrrha, I can tell you right now that that notion is ridiculous." Gwen stated firmly. "Answer me this: who has been the one who's always behind your wheelchair?"

"Jaune." Pyrrha answered. "But..."

"Uh-uh, who carried you in and out of the Rustbucket when we had to get here? Plus up and down the basement steps?"

"Jaune of course, but..."

"And most importantly: who said that he couldn't stand the thought of losing you?"

Pyrrha was stunned into silence as the words that he'd spoken to her last night when they were reunited came back to her memory. She answered her fellow redhead. "Jaune did."

Gwen smiled. "Exactly. Jaune obviously cares about you Pyrrha. Of that, I can guarantee. But let me tell you something; when a guy just gets kissed like that without any warning; his brain becomes a jumbled mess of emotions, just like Ben said. Something tells me that he's still trying to work through all of them. For all we know... you might have stolen his first kiss."

Pyrrha sat in stunned silence for a moment. "Gwen, what would be an apt word for my situation?"

Gwen pondered before replying; "Crap baskets?"

"Very good. Crap baskets it is then."

Gwen couldn't help but giggle. "Pyrrha, you don't have to worry about anything, he'll come around, once he's sorted everything out that is."

Pyrrha smiled at her friend. "Thank you Gwen, I appreciate your advice."

"You're very welcome." Gwen smiled back. "Now, let's get these clothes on you." Gwen carefully put on the grey sweatpants first, making sure to stretch them over Pyrrha's cast, settling the cuff under her knee. The Anodite then took Yang's old t-shirt and unfolded it. "Alright, hold your arms up."

Pyrrha complied. "I do hope it fits. Yang and I don't really share a body type if you catch my drift."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Yes I do, but that doesn't mean it won't fit. You'll be able to fill it out, promise."

"If you say so." Pyrrha lifted her arms and Gwen put the shirt on her, the garment fitting pretty well. Pyrrha grinned and pumped her arms up in the air. "Success!

Gwen chuckled. "Alright Nikos, let's get back to the basement. It's time for an adventure in video gaming."

* * *

As Bumblebee pulled into the driveway of the Xiao-Long house hold, the duo that was riding the motorbike noticed a certain blonde knight standing outside, looking out to the horizon and the setting sun. He was out of his usual hoodie and armor and now wore a white t-shirt with blue gym shorts, clothing that Yang had immediately recognized as her dad's. It was then that she realized; _'Shit, we forgot to get new clothes for everyone today didn't we?'_

As the bike came to a stop, Jaune turned around and waved to them. "Hey guys!"

Ben took off his helmet and dismounted Bumblebee, giving a two fingered salute to JNPR's leader. "Hey Jaune, 'sup?"

"Eh, not much, the girls are getting changed inside so I thought I'd come out here and watch the sunset."

Yang propped up Bumblebee and made her way over to the guys. "Hey Jaune, sorry you're stuck wearing my dad's old stuff. Guess we forgot about shopping today."

Jaune didn't seem bothered. "Hey, no worries, you're dad said it was cool with him. Besides, tomorrow will be a better day to do it. Morning training first, then we can go into town and get whatever we need."

Yang nodded. "'Kay, if you say so. So I guess Ruby's lending Gwen some of hers then?"

"Yeah, also... um Pyrrha was too big for any of your sister's clothes so..."

"Rubes set her up with some of my old stuff?" Yang shrugged the revelation off. "That's fine."

"You sure?"

"Oh yeah, totally. She may have to go through a few drawers, but I'm sure she'll find something that fits." Yang giggled as a thought came to her head. "Oh god, let's hope she doesn't find one of my old tanks, those _definitely_ won't fit her."

Before Jaune could comprehend the awkwardness of those words, Gwen opened the door with a grin. "Hey guys, glad you're back! C'mon in, we've got everything set up downstairs. Ben, I've got a change of clothes for you too."

"Thanks Gwen!" Ben called back. He turned around to the two blondes and gestured to the door. "Shall we?" The three made their way to the door, Ben holding Jaune back for a second as Yang went in a head of them. "Ladies first, remember?"

"Yeah," Jaune answered, "though said lady could tone it down a bit with the innuendos."

"Awww!" Yang said in mock disappointment from inside. "But where's the fun in that?"

Ben smirked. "She's got a point you know."

"See?! Green Boy knows what's up!"

Jaune groaned in defeat as he went inside. "I can never win when it comes to that girl's jokes."

As he went in, he was met with a friendly yet empathetic smile from Gwen. "Don't worry Jaune, you're not the only one who has to deal with random humor." she turned to Ben and handed him his temporary ensemble. "Right Ben?"

Ben narrowed his eyes. "I'll have you know that my humor is brilliant, my dear cousin."

"He's right you know!" Yang hollered as she went up the stairs to her room to get changed.

Ben smiled. "See? Someone else with good humor agrees with me."

"Hmm, right." Gwen looked over to the blonde knight. "Jaune, could you please go down stairs with Ruby and Pyrrha, I'd like to talk with my cousin alone for a bit."

"Oh, uh sure, no problem." Jaune went down stairs and shut the door behind him, leaving Gwen and a very confused Ben. The redhead waited until she couldn't hear Yang's footsteps anymore before turning back to her cousin.

"So, how was your guys' little outing?"

A smile immediately came to Ben's face. "Oh it was great. Smoothies were good, food was good, and we talked about our lives a little bit. It went pretty well."

Gwen smiled back. "That's great! So you got food too huh?"

"Yeah. I offered to pay for my own, but Yang was insistent on paying for all of it herself. She said that paying for the smoothies was enough for me and she'd get the rest. It was pretty obvious that she wouldn't let up so I reluctantly let her do it."

"Well aren't you just a gentleman?" Gwen teased. "I hope you'll pay her back on that."

"Well... I kind of told her I'd pay for the food next time." Ben said sheepishly.

Gwen had a sly grin. "Oooh, next time?"

Ben blushed as he grew nervous. "N-not like that Gwen."

"Oh, why not?" she teased further. "I think you two would make a very nice couple."

Ben's blush intensified before shushing her. "Shhh, she might hear you!"

Gwen giggled at her cousin's expense. "Alright, alright, jeez can't a girl have a little fun once and a while?"

"Sure, but at my expense? Is that really necessary?"

"Heh, suppose not." Gwen paused for a moment before continuing. "Ben... can I tell you something?"

"Sure, go for it."

"I'm... kind of glad that we're here."

Ben was surprised by her words. "Really? I mean, yeah this place is cool and we've met some awesome people, but I figured you'd be the first to want to go home."

"Well, yes there is that." Gwen admitted. "I do miss home, but it's like you said, I'm really happy that we've been able to make friends with people who're a lot like us. Plus this world just has so much to learn and I'm really excited to start." the Anodite smiled. "Also, I'm really glad to see you happy like this again."

Ben was confused at that last part. "What do you mean by that?"

She grew serious with her cousin. "Come on Ben, admit it. That break-up hit you worse than you've been letting on."

Seeing no way out of this, Ben sighed. "Yeah, it did, I just didn't want to worry you over the phone is all."

"Ben, it's me, your cousin, you know you can tell me anything."

"Yeah, but... it was just really hard you know?"

"I know, but it's evident you've been able to be cheered up just by being here." Gwen gave Ben a knowing look. "And I think it's pretty evident who's been able to do that."

Ben's blush returned and his gaze began shifting between the wall fixtures. "I uh, I have no clue what you're talking about."

Gwen rolled her eyes and she giggled again. "Yeah, sure, keep telling yourself that. Now go get changed and meet me downstairs, you're going to help me educate Pyrrha in the Legend of Zelda."

Ben's smile returned. "Well then, adventure awaits! I shall be down forthwith!" Ben went into the downstairs bathroom, making sure to lock the door behind him.

Gwen sighed in content. _'He'll figure it out soon enough.'_

* * *

After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Yang felt truly rejuvenated. It had been two days since she was able to do so and by god, she needed it. She looked herself over in the mirror that she and her sister kept in their room, happy with her choice of casual wear. Her favorite orange tank top with her symbol imprinted on it and a pair of black shorts, simple yet comfy. But she couldn't help but feel something was missing. She pondered it over for a moment before finally realizing what. She took a hair tie out of her night stand and pulled her prized hair up into a ponytail, smiling at herself in the mirror with satisfaction.

"Lookin' good Yang." she said to herself. She winked and made a clicking noise with her mouth, pointing to herself in the mirror as she did. Suddenly she noticed something else in the mirror, something behind her on the shelves. She turned around and faced them, her gaze settling on the Grimm figurines that she and Ruby used to play with.

Yang strode over to the shelves and picked one of them up. She looked into its eyes and her face hardened. _'Ruby and I used to have so much fun playing with you, but now all I see are the creatures that caused us so much pain last night.'_ Her grip on the figure tightened, not caring if the detailed edges hurt. She sighed and spoke aloud;

"It won't happen again." Yang took the other figures off the shelves and put them in an empty drawer, not wanting to look at them anymore. "I'll make sure of that." Yang exited the room and went down stairs, her promise never leaving her mind.

As she descended, she took noticed that no one was on the ground floor. "Huh, they must all be in the basement already." Yang went over to the basement door and opened it, going down the second flight of stairs. She could hear the commotion of her friend's voices and... music. Very cheery music. She could hear Gwen speaking up;

"It's alright Pyrrha, you're only a few minutes in and you're doing great!"

"Thank you, but this controller is _very_ awkward to handle." Pyrrha spoke back.

"Yes it's not exactly... the best designed controller, but I'm sure you'll get used to it."

Yang finally made it to the bottom to see the five all huddled on the couch, Pyrrha propping her leg up on the coffee table. The Invincible Girl was clad in Yang's old grey sweat pants and an orangey-yellow t-shirt, slight frustration evident from her features. In her hands, the Blonde Brawler spotted what looked like a videogame controller, though one she had never seen before. Rather than just two handles, this one hand a third one in the middle, a d-pad on the left and four yellow buttons on the right, two buttons colored green and blue placed underneath them. There was a red button in the middle and directly under it, a single control stick, one that Pyrrha seemed to be struggling with.

The controller was connected to a dark grey console with a gold cartridge sticking out of it, which led Yang to look at the screen. On the television was what she could only describe as some of the most primitive 3D graphics she had ever seen. This was the kind of stuff that her dad and uncle might have grown up with. It looked like a small town in the middle of the woods, Pyrrha taking control of a short blonde boy in a green tunic and hat. She felt compelled to ask; "Okay, what the heck have I missed, and why wasn't I invited sooner?"

Everyone turned to face her, but Ruby, in her rose patterned pajama pants and black top with the heart-shaped animal head, was first to answer. "Hey sis! Pyrrha's playing this really cool fantasy adventure game."

"Hmm, let me take a wild guess where it's from." Yang said sarcastically with a smirk.

"Yep, our world." Ben affirmed, himself now wearing a green t-shirt and black gym shorts. "C'mon and take a seat, we've only just started."

Yang shrugged. "Sure, why not?" She made her way over to the couch and took a seat next to Ben, who was surprised at her hairstyle choice.

"Huh, never thought you'd be one for ponytails."

"Well yeah, I do usually wear my hair down, but sometimes I like it to be out of the way ya know? So, what're ya playin' P-Money?"

"Well," Pyrrha began, "the game is called 'The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time'. I'm in control of a young boy named Link who is living among a tribe of forest children called... um... Gwen?"

"The Kokiri." the Anodite answered. "Child-like beings that remain forever young and are always accompanied by a fairy."

"Ah, yes thank you. Link is apparently the only one among the tribe who does not have a fairy of his own, at least until the beginning of this story." Pyrrha pressed a button and a shining blue orb with wings appeared out of Link's hat. "The fairy's name is Navi and she has been tasked by a magical talking tree to recruit Link for some reason."

Yang absorbed the information. "You know, if this weren't fantasy, I'd have several questions. So, you need to get to this tree?"

"Yes, but first I must obtain a sword and a wooden shield before I can proceed. Otherwise the guard will just stand there and block me." She pointed to the screen, a small boy standing at the entry way for the path. Every which way she moved, the boy would track her movements and block her from entering.

"Yeah, that's Mido." Gwen explained. "He's kind of a jerk."

"Hmm, I see." Out of the corner of her eye, Yang saw Ben's jacket draped over the arm of the couch, and an idea crept into her head. She grabbed the jacket and held it out so Ben could see. "You'd better be more careful on where you leave your stuff Ben, otherwise someone might steal it!" she smirked.

Ben smirked back. "Oh yeah? And who's gonna take it, you?"

"Maaaaybe." Yang answered slyly.

"Would you be willing to return it?"

"Only if you say _please_."

"Okay then, may I _please_ have my jacket back so I can hang it up properly?"

"Sure!" Yang tossed the jacket up and it landed on Ben's head.

"Thank you." Ben's muffled voice spoke out.

"Don't mention it!" Yang cheerfully replied.

Over where he was sitting, Jaune looked back and forth between the two in confusion and leaned over to Gwen, whispering so low that he could barely hear his own voice; "What's with those two?"

Gwen grinned and shrugged. "Search me." she whispered back. She could tell Jaune knew she was fibbing through her teeth, but he let the subject go. From there on, the group spectated as Gwen assisted Pyrrha along through the game, intervening only when necessary. The Invincible Girl obtained the desired objects and made her way past Mido and to the Great Deku Tree. After the tree explained the curse that had been set upon him, Pyrrha made her way inside the dying tree, ready to take on her first dungeon.

"You know," Ruby pointed out, "even though the graphics aren't that advanced, it still looks pretty creepy."

"Yeah, kind of impressive really." Jaune agreed.

All Ben could think as they said this was; _'Heh, just wait till we get to what lies beneath Kakariko Village.'_

After twenty minutes or so of trudging through the dungeon; picking up items, defeating enemies and solving puzzles, Pyrrha finally made it to the boss room. At first, she didn't know what to do, but then she heard a familiar sound, one that she had heard throughout her journey in the dungeon. _'More Skulltulas?'_ she thought to herself. _'Or perhaps...'_ She went into first person view and looked up to the ceiling, her gaze meeting with a bright orange sphere. The camera zoomed in on it to reveal the object as a giant eyeball. The creature it belonged to fell to the floor and a prompt of white text appeared in front of it; _Parasitic Armored Arachnid GOHMA._

"Holy crap that thing is gross!" Jaune exclaimed.

"AAAGH!" Ruby covered her eyes. "It's horrifying!"

Ben gave her a suspicious look. "Wait, don't you literally have giant scorpion monsters in this world? Why are you freaking out over this?"

Ruby peaked out behind her hand. "Because big things with only one giant eye creep me out!"

A thought popped into Ben's head as she said that; _'Hmm, wonder what she'd think of Eye Guy.'_

"Okay Gwen, what should I do?" Pyrrha asked.

"Alright, when the Gohma's eye turns red, use your slingshot on it. It'll be stunned long enough for you to hit it with your sword." Gwen explained.

Pyrrha did as Gwen instructed and in no time, the Gohma was defeated. "HA! Take that, foul beast!" Pyrrha shouted in victory.

Jaune was surprised at Pyrrha's enthusiasm. "Wow Pyrrha, you're really into this. I don't think I've ever seen you this excited for a video game!"

Pyrrha looked over to her partner and gestured to her cast. "Well, I can't exactly fight when I'm like this, so this serves as a good substitution until I can. Plus, I just find this game fun."

"And I'm glad you do." Gwen empathized. "Now, grab that heart container, it'll give you more health."

"Grand!" Pyrrha picked up the container and an extra heart was added to Link's health gauge. From there, the group listened as the Great Deku Tree recounted the origins of the land of Hyrule; how the three goddesses created the land and made the Triforce when they left. After the passing of the magical plant, they bore witness as Link was accused of tree murder by Mido and forced to leave the village, though not before being gifted an Ocarina from Saria, a Kokiri friend of Link's. As the screen changed to Hyrule Field, Gwen was visibly pumped.

"Alright Pyrrha, this is where the REAL adventure starts."

"And I cannot wait!" The Invincible Girl raised a fist into the air.

"Yep, now all we need to do is—"

A new prompt came up on the screen; _"Hoot! Hoot! Pyrrha... Look up here!"_

Gwen scowled. "Oh goddamn it! Go away Kaepora Gaebora!"

* * *

Pyrrha had made her way through Hyrule Castle and back out again when everyone else got back. As Ben and Gwen answered the door, the first thing they took note of was Kevin. The Osmosian was alright, but he was covered head to toe in ash and soot. Gwen's eyes widened and she rushed forward in concern, her cousin not far behind. "Kevin! What happened to you?!"

To her surprise, Kevin laughed. "Gwen, it's okay, I'm fine. Nora just put me through a pretty intense fight today."

It was Ben's turn to be surprised. "Nora? She did this?"

"Oh yes she did!" Nora sang as she popped right out of nowhere. "Gotta say, I was surprised how long Kevin lasted! He's like a walking bomb shelter!"

Kevin spoke up. "Guys, get this; she has a rocket launching _hammer_! That is just too cool!"

The two cousins looked to the hyper-active redhead. Her toothy grin widened as she pulled out a grenade launcher and tossed it into the air, the weapon unfolding into a large war hammer. Nora caught it and twirled the dangerous device around before slamming it into the ground. "The bomb shelter doesn't lie!" she shouted. "Meet Magnhild!"

A short silence was followed by Ben saying; "Okay, that thing is pretty cool."

"Agreed," Gwen turned to face Kevin, "but _you_ mister need a shower. Now go in and I'll get you a change of clothes."

Kevin nodded. "Now there's an idea I can get behind." He went inside followed by an exhausted-looking Weiss, Blake and Sun, and the ever stoic Ren, Nora bouncing her way in beside them.

As Weiss walked past him, Ben couldn't help but ask; "So, I'm guessing you guys over did it a bit?"

The heiress gave a tired sigh. "Yes, but I suppose that's our own fault. We chose to stay there after all."

Blake shrugged. "It wasn't so bad." She gave Sun a sly grin. "I got to hand Sun's tail to him, so there's that."

The monkey boy was quick to protest, albeit with a grin of his own. "Hey c'mon Blake, give me some credit, I lasted longer in that ring than you thought I would."

Blake let out a small laugh. "Yes, yes you did. And yeah, you put up a pretty good fight too."

Gwen smiled and rolled her eyes. _'Jeez, how much flirting is there gonna be while we're here?'_ Shooing the thought out of her mind, she asked her Faunus friend; "Hey, so where's Tai? Didn't he come back with you?"

"Oh yeah, he did." Blake confirmed. "You're grandpa just called him over to the Rustbucket. Something about dinner being almost ready?"

Gwen became visibly pale. "Oh no."

* * *

Forty-five minutes passed and everyone was gathered in the dining room, sitting around a large table that managed to fit all of them. The two cousins were in the midst of giving everyone a dire warning about the greatest threat their world had ever seen; their grandfather's cooking.

Ben was first to speak. "Okay guys, now when that food comes in, I just want you all to remain calm. Don't scream or anything, just politely decline."

Weiss had her suspicions. "Oh come on Ben, you _must_ be exaggerating. If there's anything I've learned from growing up with some of the best chefs money can afford, it's that taste is subjective. You can't judge how food is going to be by just looking at it. I can guarantee you that I've eaten some nasty looking things that are in reality the most delicious meals you'll ever eat."

"You've never had our grandpa's cooking." Gwen reassured. "Trust me, there's a lot you're not prepared for."

Weiss waved it off. "Psh, please Gwen, how bad can it be?"

Gwen gave her a deadpan look. "Three words: Dung. Beetle. STEW!"

The entire table gasped at the redhead's words and Weiss was left at a loss. But the Schnee heiress was never one to give in easily. "Well, um... okay that IS a little disconcerting, but I doubt your grandfather would make something like that for our first meal from him."

"You'd be surprised." Ben retorted. "The first thing he presented us with during our summer trip was marinated meal worms."

That only made the group groan even more. "Weiss," Jaune pleaded, "maybe we should just accept that we won't be eating much tonight."

"No Jaune." Her tone was shaky, but insistent. "I highly doubt Max would force something like that on a group of starving teenagers."

The door to the kitchen swung open and Max came in with a smile and holding a plate with a stainless steel cover over the food. "Dinner's up kids!"

Weiss yelped and covered her eyes. "AH! Please no maggots!"

Max gave her a confused look. "Maggots? Oh no Weiss, trust me, you lot aren't ready for those yet. We've gotta break you kids in before that." He set the plate on the table and removed the cover, steam rising and covering the meal. Once the steam cleared, everyone was surprised by what lay before them, especially the cousins. After seeing the stuff that their grandfather was capable of making, this just seemed relatively tame by comparison. It still grossed them out, but still, it was pretty simple.

The moment that Weiss saw it though, she was elated. "Grilled octopus?! Oh, how exquisite! Max, you really shouldn't have."

The old man chuckled and set a pair of tongs on the table. "Oh it was no trouble at all Weiss, believe me. Octopus is an easy specialty of mine. There's plenty here for everyone, so dig in!"

"Don't mind if I do!" Weiss grabbed the tongs and set a tentacle on her plate. She cut it up and began eating, much to the shock of everyone else. "Mmm, it's not like how the chefs back home prepare it, but this is still VERY flavorful."

Seeing this, Blake took the tongs and got a tentacle herself. She took a sniff at it to see if she could pick up anything she didn't like, but when she didn't, she took a bite out of it. A small smile came to her face as she munched the mollusk. "Say, this IS pretty good!"

Sun had also taken a piece. "Yeah, don't know what you guys were worried about. This stuff rocks!"

Ren and Nora followed suit. "Come on guys, compared to the stuff that Ren and I have had to eat, this is pretty normal." the Pink Dynamo proclaimed. "Right Ren?"

Her companion nodded. "Indeed. In fact, I might have to learn this recipe."

A few were still reluctant though. "Uh... thanks Max," Yang said hesitantly, "but Ben and I just ate a little while ago so we're good for a bit."

"Yeah," Jaune added, "and I'm not really one for... tentacles."

"Uh yes, seconded." Pyrrha agreed.

"I mean..." Ruby joined in, "I like sea food, but I also have reservations against anything... squishy."

Max didn't seem bothered. "Oh, well if you kids have a taste for some tougher meat, I've got some smoked lamb shoulder in the Rustbucket. We'll just prepare some of that for tomorrow night." The old Plumber let out a yawn. "But for now, I'm bushed. I think I'll turn in for the night. Enjoy the octopus everyone!"

Ben nodded. "Alright, night grandpa."

Max hugged his grandchildren goodnight and made his way out the door. A moment later, Tai came in holding a large plate which itself held an equally large steak. "Man, your grandpa sure loves his exotic foods."

"You have no idea." Ben confirmed. "Please tell me that steak is made for more than one person."

Tai gave a nod "Yeah, knowing my daughters, I figured that they'd not want anything squishy. Dig in." He set the steak on the table and the six teens who weren't eating octopus each grabbed a good chunk for themselves.

* * *

"I still can't believe you ate that octopus." Ben criticized Weiss as the twelve teens made their way back downstairs.

"Well _I_ can't believe you don't have a taste for exotic cuisine." Weiss shot back as she took a seat on one of the chairs. "Aside from dung beetle stew and mealworms, I'm sure if your grandfather showed me anything else, I'd probably eat it." She wore a proud smile. "Sometimes, it pays to grow up with fine dining."

Gwen shrugged. "Well, I guess that makes sense." She turned to Blake with a look of confusion. "I've just surprised that you ate the octopus Blake, didn't expect you'd be one for that kind of food."

Blake pointed to her ears and she wiggled them. "Uh, hello?" she said sarcastically. "Kinda have a taste for it if you know what I mean."

"Oh right, part cat, forgot." Gwen redirected her attention to the monkey boy standing next to her. "What about you Sun? How were you able to stomach that?"

He simply smiled and rested his hands behind his head. "Hey, as long as it's edible and tastes decent, I'll eat anything really."

Ben couldn't believe it. _'Oh my god he's more like Goku than I initially thought!'_ He shook the thought away before going on. "Well, we've got a few more hours before the day's done. What should we do till then?"

Nora frantically waved her hand. "Ooh! OOH! I wanna get in on that Pokemon stuff you got Ruby into!"

Ben pointed at her. "Consider it done! I'll get my copy of Alpha Sapphire for ya, Nora."

Nora gave a cheeky smile and jumped in the air. "WHOO-HOO!"

Gwen looked to Pyrrha, whom was being helped onto the couch thanks to Jaune. "Well Pyrrha, shall we continue our adventure in Hyrule?"

The Invincible Girl pumped a fist up high. "Yes! We shall conquer Death Mountain by tonight's end!"

Weiss was understandably lost at that. "Whoa, slow down a second, Hyrule? Death Mountain? What ARE you two talking about?"

Gwen smirked. "Come over and I'll show you." Weiss, Blake, Sun and Yang all gathered around as Gwen turned on the N64, booting up the game.

Meanwhile, Ruby had approached Ben and tapped his shoulder. "Hmm?" Ben turned around and smiled. "Hey Ruby, what's up?"

An innocent, yet cheeky smile gracing her features, Ruby answered. "Oh, nothing much, I just want to show you something special that I found on my journey today."

Ben nodded. "Sure, let's see what you've got."

Ruby's smile went from innocent to a slightly prouder, more sly one. "Okay, but you'd better be ready." As Ben tried to figure out what she meant by that, Ruby turned on the 3DS and selected Omega Ruby. Once she was in the game, she selected her Pokémon roster to reveal her full team; Torchic, Poochyena, Zigzagoon, Cascoon, a newly acquired Taillow, and Ralts. She selected Ralts and the stats screen for it came up. And when it did, Ben's eyes almost bugged out of his head.

"How in the heck did you find a SHINY RALTS?!"

* * *

**A/N: So, anyone else surprised that someone actually enjoys Grandpa Max's food? I had a feeling that someone like Weiss would have eaten all kinds of exotic foods growing up as a rich heiress so I thought; eh, makes sense. Plus Blake, who is easy to go into her more cat-like instincts, probably has a thing for most sea-food. But yeah, if I was presented with a bowl of marinated meal worms, I probably wouldn't eat it no matter how much you paid me. But onto a different topic; Next Time will be seeing our heroes start off on their training, though not without some... emotion sickness. See ya next time!**

**On a side note, I kinda wanna replay Ocarina of Time 3D now.**


	12. Training Begins NOW! Part 1

**A/N: Welcome back to the reposts everyone! You read the title right, this is a bit of a two-parter. Now that we've gotten pleasantries out of the way let's get on with it! No time to adjust because...**

**Chapter 12: Training Begins NOW! Part 1**

* * *

As she always did, Gwen awoke at five thirty the next morning, this time in a bed that was at least a bit more comfortable than the last one. Especially considering the fact that her current pillow was her boyfriend's chest. Kevin was still asleep, her stirring not enough to even make him flinch. Then again, this was nothing new, even if the location was different. Over the past year when she had gone to college, the two had lived together in an apartment off-campus, something that she had been iffy on at first, but warmed up to the idea as time passed. Although nothing major had happened, they at least enjoyed sharing the same bed together, and not even being on a pull-out couch in the basement of someone else's home could derail that enjoyment.

Gwen lifted herself up, careful not to wake Kevin as she did, and looked over to Ben, the hero having sprawled himself out over the pull-out, earning him an eye-roll from the redhead. Last night had been insane compared to the night in the hospital, between Nora going ga-ga over her new adventure in the world of Pokémon and Pyrrha's victorious cheer as she defeated King Dodongo, it had been a real party. But after the chaos had ended, everyone decided to get some rest before the next day, as that would be the day their training would commence anew.

For Gwen, training had never been a foreign thing for her, having been invested in multiple different forms of martial arts ever since she could start taking classes. _'This should be no problem for me, I just hope the boys are up to the challenge.'_ She looked back to her cousin and boyfriend, the latter now holding a pillow in place of her. She smiled at the two and sighed. _'Relax Gwen,'_ she reassured herself. _'I'm sure they'll be fine.'_ Gwen put her signature clothes back on, having been washed the night before, and went upstairs to make herself some breakfast.

When she got to the top, she was surprised to see a few lights on. Curiosity taking hold, she went to the source; the kitchen. As she stepped in, her eyes settled upon the last person she expected to be up at this hour. It was Ruby, arm propped up on the table as she rested her chin in the palm of her hand, groggily stirring a spoon through a bowl of cereal. Even though Gwen could tell the normally chipper girl was tired, she also knew that there was something else bothering her.

' _Well, better break the silence.'_ "Early morning huh?"

The words made Ruby jump slightly and she turned around to face the redhead, calming down when she saw her. "Oh, Gwen, it's just you."

Gwen strode over and took a seat. "Yep, none other. I take it you don't usually get up this early."

A moment's pause came before Ruby answered with a sigh. "Yeah, not really. I've just... had trouble sleeping a bit is all."

"Bad dream?"

"Well, kind of. I keep... reliving a bad memory when I sleep."

"Feel like sharing? I'll understand if you don't."

Ruby took a deep breath. "It's... the moment where... Penny..."

As the younger girl trailed off, Gwen suddenly had a hollow feeling in her chest. "Oh Ruby, I... don't know what to say."

Ruby looked straight at Gwen, something that caught the Anodite off guard. "Gwen... I lost a really good friend a couple days ago, and... I just have no... no idea why it..." Ruby's silver eyes were brimming with tears, and that's when Gwen knew that Ruby was about to have a break down. Gwen quickly pulled Ruby into a hug as the Hooded Huntress began sobbing into her shoulder. As she tried to soothe the younger girl, Ruby finally forced her words out in a breaking voice. "Why Gwen? Why did Penny have to die?! _Why_ did they have to trick Pyrrha to do it?! _WHY_?!"

Ruby continued to cry, but Gwen couldn't find any sort of answer for her questions. All she could do was try and comfort her friend. "Ruby, I wish I could have an answer for you, but I'm afraid I don't. Trust me, if I knew, I'd tell you. But believe me, I'm no stranger to loss. Not long ago, I lost a good friend as well."

Ruby's crying had slowed down, though her breathing was still quite heavy. "Y-y-you did?"

Gwen nodded. "Yes, his name was Pierce. He was a Plumber and a half-breed like me and Kevin. He was... murdered by a group called the Forever Knights, people who didn't take kindly to aliens living on Earth. What's worse is he had a sister, Helen, who had gone a long time thinking her brother was dead from a previous incident before she found out he was alive. We were all saddened by what happened, but... she shut down for over six months after that."

Ruby wiped the tears from her eyes. "That's awful! Is... is she okay?"

"She's doing better. I don't think she'll entirely recover from her brother's death for a very long time, but she's better than she was for those long months. After all of that happened, she and her teammate Manny were assigned to a Plumber base off-planet, something that Manny was all too glad to have happen."

"Why's that?"

"Because he figured it'd be the best thing for Helen to get her mind off of Pierce. You know, get away from the place where it all happened and try to focus on somewhere new? That kind of thing."

Ruby let out another sigh. "Kind of wish it was that easy for me to leave the planet. Maybe then I could find a way to get this all off my mind."

Gwen gave her a friendly grin. "Hey, don't forget, you still have a lot of people here with you. Your team, Team JNPR, heck, you even have us now."

Ruby returned the smile. "Yeah, I know." Her face fell again, and a long pause took hold. "Gwen, the people that did this... they'll be back."

Gwen nodded solemnly. "Yeah, I know they will... I just wish I knew when."

"So do I... but when they do," Ruby's eyes narrowed, "I'll make sure they don't do anything like this again."

Gwen's eyes widened. "Whoa, slow yourself down there Ruby. While I appreciate you wanting to avenge Penny's death, it's pretty evident from two nights ago that these people know what they're doing. If we want to take them down, we've gotta make sure you guys are ready. We need to be smart and use this time to train and get you all into a better state of mind. Why do you think we've been giving you all of these things from our world like video games, movies and TV shows?"

Ruby was slightly confused. "...Because they're fun?"

"Well... yes there's that." Gwen admitted. "But it's also because we can't let you go into this fueled by negative emotions. Otherwise there could be even worse mistakes happening."

Ruby smiled. "I guess you're right. Don't wanna end up like one of those super serious comic book characters that grit their teeth all the time, am I right?"

Gwen chuckled. "Hehe, exactly. Though yes, you should take the situation seriously. Just don't overdo it, okay? Remember to have fun."

"Hehe, okay. Thanks for the talk Gwen, I think I needed it."

"Don't mention it, anything for a friend." A new thought entered the redhead's mind. "You know Ruby, I think you may benefit from something else now that I'm thinking about it."

"What's that?"

"Well, I'm going to be showing your sister some martial arts today as part of our training. It's to help clear and calm her mind while she's in battle, but for you, I think it could help you... well to put it a bit bluntly, get your mind off of this."

Ruby pondered Gwen's offer for a moment. "Do you think it'll really help?"

"Sure! There's nothing up to chance about this, so why not? And if you don't think it's working out, you can just quit cold turkey, no hard feelings. So what do you say?"

Ruby thought it over a bit more before coming to her conclusion. "Okay, I'll try!"

"Great, it's a deal!" The two shared another hug before Gwen stood up. "Now, I'm gonna get started on some breakfast. Want anything?"

"Oh, that's okay, I'm more than..." Ruby looked back to her bowl and noticed that her cereal was quite soggy. "On second thought, yeah maybe something cooked would do me good."

Gwen smiled. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

* * *

Ben awoke to the smell of... well there was no better way to describe it than breakfast. He was so familiar with the meal that he had trained himself to recognize the smell immediately. But there was one major factor that was putting him off; as small as the basement window was, he could still see out of it, and the sun was only just barely up. He could still see stars in the twilight hours of the morning, something that did not equate to breakfast. He sat up and looked around, finding the answer to his lingering question when he noticed the absence of his cousin.

"Gwen's up."

Kevin was stirred from his sleep. "No shit Sherlock."

Meanwhile upstairs, more noses were getting a waft of the smell of early morning breakfast. Blake's eyes snapped open and she silently leapt off of her top bunk bed and went to the door, poking her head out to try and confirm her suspicions. To her surprise, Sun had done the same, the two looking each other straight on.

"So," Blake began, "you smell it too Sun?"

Sun nodded. "Sure do. Kind of hard not to recognize bacon, eggs and..."

"PANCAKES!" Nora burst forth from Team JNPR's room, startling both of them. From the simultaneous yells and thuds on the floor behind her, Blake could tell that Weiss and Yang had awoken from Nora's outburst. The Pink Dynamo wasn't slowing down though. "The heavenly scent of maple syrup and the ever so slight dash of honey is calling out to us! Come on!"

Nora was off like a shot as Jaune, Pyrrha and Ren all emerged from the room behind her, the three looking quite annoyed that they had just been rudely awakened from the first decent night's sleep they had in two days. Pyrrha was the worst of it, her hair still down and frazzled whilst she herself was haphazardly sprawled onto her wheelchair. She didn't even have her signature circlet on. All that came out of her still half-asleep mouth was the word: "Why?"

Jaune yawned. "I dunno, but there had better be a good reason for it."

Ren nodded as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "Who in the world would be making breakfast at this hour?"

Blake looked at the clock. It was six in the morning. She knew only one person who'd be doing this deed. "Gwen."

Yang stood up and tiredly supported herself against the door frame. "Blake, could you please do me a favor?"

Blake looked at her partner in confusion. "Uh, sure, what is it?"

"Can you and Weiss help me down stairs? I don't function this early without coffee."

"We are not your forklifts!" Weiss exclaimed indignantly.

Yang chuckled. "I know, I just needed a good laugh to get me started. C'mon, let's go see what Red's up to." The seven teens exited their rooms and went downstairs, Ben and Kevin already waiting at the bottom. "Mornin' guys." Yang greeted groggily with a salute.

Ben saluted back. "Hey Goldie Locks, I guess you guys weren't expecting to be up this early huh?"

Weiss narrowed her eyes at him. "No, but I think we have your cousin to thank for that."

Kevin nodded. "Yeah, Gwen's an early bird. Kind of irritating, but you get used to it."

"Can we please not?" Jaune said as he carried Pyrrha down the stairs with Ren lifting the wheelchair down after them. "I really don't want to get up this early every morning."

"Indeed." Pyrrha agreed as they reached the bottom and she was settled back into her chair. "Breakfast is nice, but it must be at a more appropriate hour."

Kevin shrugged. "We'll see. So, I'm guessing the pink blur we saw was Nora?"

"Yes it was." Ren confirmed. "She may be my best friend, but I won't lie when I say that has an obsession with pancakes that borderlines unhealthy."

The group went into the kitchen to see the aforementioned hyper girl along with Ruby already digging into the spread of food. Gwen looked over to the entering group with a bright smile. "Morning everyone, how'd you guys sleep?"

Yang made her way into the kitchen, lightly grasped Gwen's shoulders and proceeded to vent her morning woes. "Why Morning Girl?" she whined as she began slowly shaking her friend. "Why did you wake us up!?" Gwen stopped Yang's little outburst and silently pointed to the table full of food. Yang looked to the table and then back at Gwen with narrowed eyes. "You get a pass." Yang sat down and dug in, the rest of the group following soon after.

* * *

A few hours later, with stomachs full of food, the teens were now ready to take on the day. Weiss had been especially happy after getting some coffee in her system. "My sister should be here TODAY!" she squeed with joy.

"Oh yeah," Yang recalled as the group gathered in the living room, "Blake and I never met your sister did we? Rubes, what's she like?"

"Umm, well," Ruby struggled to find the words, "she's very... stern."

Weiss chuckled. "Ruby, I think the word you're looking for is: dignified. Winter holds herself up to _very_ high standards. Why do you think she got so angry at your uncle for saying those awful things to her?"

Yang didn't seem surprised by the revelation. "Wow, big surprise, Uncle Qrow pissed a woman off, is it Tuesday already?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Well, regardless, I cannot wait for you all to meet her... I just hope that she likes you guys. Winter can be a bit hard to impress."

Ben shrugged. "Eh, I think we can handle it. Now, what do you say we get our training started?"

"Right." Kevin agreed as he addressed the entire room. "Okay, now here's how this is gonna go down: whoever's coming to the training grounds with me will be exercising their asses off and then sparring in the ring. Whoever stays here with Gwen gets to do martial arts for about an hour... and _then_ they go to the training ground to spar in the ring too."

"So we really have no choice in what happens." Jaune pointed out. "We get our asses kicked either way."

"Exactly!" Kevin confirmed. "So, what'll it be?"

And with that, the group split up, with Yang, Ruby and Weiss staying behind with Gwen while Kevin and Ben guided Team JNPR, Blake and Sun through the forest to the training ground. It wasn't an easy trek though, as Nora was pouting the whole way.

"I still don't understand why I had to leave the 3DS behind. Without it, this walk is just boring!"

"Because it's a distraction." Kevin retorted. "And there will be none of those during training. You'll have plenty of time to play when we get back at noon."

Nora glanced off to the side. "I just wanted to play with my Mudkip some more." she said quietly.

Kevin sighed. "Ben, why did you and Gwen have to turn them into nerds?"

Ben smirked. "Two reasons; one: to improve their mood. And two: to annoy you specifically."

"Dude, for being the galaxy's greatest hero, you're _evil_."

"Well aware."

After a good twenty minute hike, they finally made it to the base of Mount Patch and the boulder door for the training ground. "Okay, so how do we get in?" Jaune asked. "Tai's not here with us."

"I know." Kevin took the key out of his pocket. "That's why he gave me this." Kevin lifted the pebble and turned the key, bringing up the hand-print analyzer. "He also gave me access to the place before we left yesterday." Kevin put his hand to the scanner and it accepted it. _"Hand print recognized, Welcome Kevin."_ The boulder lifted and the group went inside to the breakroom. Kevin went straight to the gym door and opened it, presenting the room full of exercise equipment. "Alright guys, have at it. We'll get an hour's worth of exercise in before we start sparrin'. I wanna see actual sweat, so let's go! And Ben, that means no Omnitrix."

"Aw MAN!" The group took off to their preferred form of exercise. Blake and Ben went to the treadmills and started running, Ren went to a rowing machine, Nora started lifting weights on the heavy equipment, and Sun took to the pull-up bars. As all this unfolded, Jaune and Pyrrha stayed in place, not sure how to go about the situation considering the latter was still wheelchair bound.

"So, uh, know any good exercises that don't involve using your legs?" Jaune asked awkwardly.

Pyrrha sighed. "I'm not entirely sure if there are any. Gyms such as these are not exactly wheelchair friendly."

Sensing her disappointment, Juane placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Hey, don't worry Pyr, we'll find something for ya, trust me."

"I suppose." Just then, Pyrrha realized what Jaune had called her by. _'Pyr?'_ she inquired to herself. _'Did... did he just give me a cute nickname?'_ She shook the thought away. _'A subject to dwell on later.'_ She glanced back to the blonde knight. "But that doesn't mean you have to be idle. You can go exercise if you wish, I will not mind."

"Uh... well yeah I know... it's just I was hoping that—"

"Hold up a sec." Kevin interjected as he strode up to them. "I've actually got something in mind for you two."

That got the two's attention "Um, okay. What'd you have in mind?" Jaune questioned.

"From what Ren's been telling me, you two have special training sessions on the side with each other, am I right?"

The two partner's eyes widened and Pyrrha cleared her throat. "Uh yes, correct. I have been training Jaune regularly whenever classes were over."

Kevin smirked. "Good, because I've got an idea about what we can do with you two until you're able to stand again."

"So what's your point in all of this Kevin?" Jaune asked.

"My point is that while Warrior Girl there might not be able to spar with you herself, she'll still able to spectate and coach you through your fight. So..." Kevin opened the double doors to the dual arenas, the lights automatically turning on. "You and I are getting an early start." Kevin absorbed the metal of a weight lifting machine and his smirk grew. "You'd better be ready dude, 'cause I am."

All Jaune could muster was a small; "Eeep."

* * *

Back at the house, Gwen, Yang, Ruby and Weiss were all standing outside, all four wearing clothing made for exercise. As they were doing their preliminary stretches, Gwen spoke to Weiss about the heiress' desire to stay and practice with them.

"I'm surprised you stayed behind Weiss. Never figured you for martial arts."

Weiss straightened herself and replied to the Anodite. "Well, I'm willing to give this a try Gwen. After all, it seems much better than being in an exercise room that smells of sweat and rubber floors."

"I see, but just so you know, this will eventually involve sweat as well. Maybe not today, but sometime soon."

"Oh I know, it's just I feel better being outside than being in a stuffy gym all morning."

"Hmm, good point." While Gwen certainly followed Weiss' logic, it still seemed a bit petty. But it wasn't like the rich girl meant any harm in it, so she let it slide. "Okay girls, let's get started!" The three teammates lined up in front of her and she suddenly felt a little giddy. _'Wow, I'M the teacher now. This is kind of cool.'_ She cleared her throat and spoke directly to them. "Alright, we're going to be dedicating ourselves to an hour of martial arts everyday so let's make it count. Is that clear?"

Yang saluted. "Yes ma'am!"

Ruby followed suit. "You got it!"

Weiss politely nodded. "Understood."

"Good." Gwen smiled. "Because, let me say this now: if you think that martial arts is all just a bunch of chopping, punching and kicking, then you've got another thing coming. Ruby, answer me this: what would you say is the most important thing to keep track of in a fight?"

Ruby replied, though unsure of her own answer. "You're opponent, right?"

The Anodite nodded. "Yes your opponent is important, but it's also very important to keep yourself in check as well, specifically your state of mind. Many times your opponent will try to goad you into doing something you'll later regret. They'll try to dig into any emotion. Be it anger, sadness, pride or fear, any of these and more are susceptible to compromise. That's where practicing martial arts can help."

"And how is that exactly?" Yang questioned.

"I'm glad you asked Yang." Gwen continued. "See, when one practices any type of martial art, it's very important that you focus on what you're practicing. You must constantly be aware of yourself, block out any and all distractions from the outside world in order to devote your mind to what you're doing. If you're able to calm the storm within your mind, you can achieve much more than improving your fighting techniques."

"Such as?" Weiss further inquired.

Gwen counted off on her fingers. "Let's see, you can improve your self-confidence, sharpen your focus and concentration, and there are also major health benefits as well including keeping good mental health, building up stamina, keeping your posture, and of course, muscle conditioning."

"Ooh, sounds exceptional! Where do we start?"

"Well, I always start my workout with a little bit of tai chi. It allows me to keep calm throughout the rest of my day and in general it just helps me feel good."

Yang seemed eager. "Okay, let's do it! What do we gotta do?"

Gwen giggled at Yang's enthusiasm. "Well, tai chi is often seen as a slower martial art involving graceful movements mixed with evenly paced breathing. Now, we should probably begin with some more simple movements to warm up, so follow what I do."

"Oh, I should be good at this!" Ruby grinned. "I used to copy what Yang did all the time when we were little!"

Yang rolled her eyes. "Not exactly the same thing Rubes, but close."

Gwen nodded. "Alright, we'll start with what's called Rising and Falling. First, widen your stance to shoulder width." Gwen set her feet further apart and her students followed her lead. "Now, keep your shoulders down and take a steady breath in, and as you breathe you'll lift your arms up from your sides." She demonstrated and the girls mimicked her movements. "As your hands reach chest level, you bring them up while slowly bending your arms in and then slowly push them back down, breathing out as you do so." The three teammates copied her movements perfectly. "Very good, now let's keep that rhythm going."

* * *

As the girls continued their warm-ups, Tai looked on from the kitchen window, happy to see his daughters doing some physical activity. When they had first got here, he was slightly worried that they wouldn't want to do anything after the events at Beacon, but seeing his girls, Weiss and Gwen doing something productive put his worries at ease for the time being. But that wasn't his prime concern, at least at the moment. Without looking behind him, Tai spoke; "I was wondering when you'd show up."

From his place against the door frame, his brother-in-law chuckled. "How'd ya know I was here?" Qrow asked.

"Please, I can smell the whiskey on you from a mile away. How could I NOT know?"

"Eh, fair point." Qrow looked out the window and saw the girls doing a new motion, reaching up to the sky and bringing their hands together, followed by bringing them back down in a praying pose. "The hell're they doin' out there?"

"Gwen's showing them some martial arts techniques. Says it'll help calm their minds."

"Aaaaand why are they doing it?"

"Gwen told me that Yang would benefit from it, helping her control her anger better when she's in a fight. Ruby's doing it to get her mind off of her friend Penny and Weiss... I have no clue actually."

"Huh, neat." Qrow looked Tai straight on. "Anyway, I come bearing a message from Grouchy Glynda."

Tai chuckled. "Qrow I swear, you've had a beef with her since our early days at the Academy. Let it go man."

Qrow smirked. "And let her have the satisfaction of _winning_? Never!" The two had a laugh before the drunkard continued. "Anyway, she wants to see if you're game to help with the cleanup in Vale, seeing as how you're still technically active."

Tai sighed again. "I don't know Qrow. I mean, the girls just got back home. I really want to spend some time with them. Make sure they're okay you know?"

"I get it Tai, but they seriously need a lot of help over there. There are Huntsmen all over the continent comin' to help. I'd do it, but I'll just cause more bad stuff just by bein' there."

"Yeah, guess you're right." Tai admitted. "Tell her I'll try to make some time on the weekends. I've still got a teaching job over at Signal you know."

"Heh, yeah, how's things goin' over there since the girls and I left?"

"It's been... quieter. Not sure if I like it or not. You three being there causing trouble is what made the job so interesting."

Qrow shrugged. "Hey, lotta shit comes up when you're just a part-timer. Anyway, I'll pass your answer back to Glynda. Besides, Max can watch them while you're gone so you've basically got nothin' to worry about. The old man might be slowin' down at his age, but he can still supervise a bunch a' teenagers."

"I heard that Qrow." The two men turned around to see Max, standing in the doorway with a smile on his face and his arms crossed. "I might be an old timer, but my hearing is just as sharp as ever." He walked in and looked to Tai. "Even then, Qrow's right Tai, I can watch the kids while you're out on business over in Vale. You have my word."

Tai nodded. "Thanks Max, much appreciated." He turned back to Qrow. "Anyway, I think it'd be wise for you to go back, considering Weiss' sister's going to be here soon."

Qrow smirked. "Oh, Ice Queen's comin' over eh? Well if that's the case, then..."

Tai narrowed his eyes in warning. "No Qrow, you need to go. I heard about your last scuffle with her and I don't want my home destroyed just because you like egging her on. I know this makes me sound like a complete jerk, but you need to leave _now_. You wanna make a scene with her? Take it outside the city limits."

With a relenting sigh, Qrow turned to the window. "Fine, sheesh, a guy can't have some fun with a lady nowadays without getting shit for it." Before he made his way out, he turned back to his brother-in-law. "Tai, one more thing before I go."

"Yeah? What is it?"

Qrow's expression grew serious. "Look Tai, I know we promised to tell her when she got to the right age... but things have been changing so much and so fast over the past few days that... we may have to tell Shortstack about her... gift."

Tai's eyes widened. "Qrow, you can't be serious! She's only fifteen, she can't handle something like that right now!"

"Tai, listen, thing's aren't looking too good. Oz's gone, the Fall Maiden powers are in the enemy's hands and Vale and Beacon aren't exactly in the best shape. Keeping an important family secret is the last thing we need right now. Besides, she's gonna find out sooner or later, whether it be from us or if it decides to activate on its own."

Tai looked down in defeat. "Okay, fine... but we need to give her a little more time. It's only been a couple days since what happened at Beacon and she and the others are still recovering from that fiasco. We'll tell her after her sixteenth birthday. That's final."

"Well, that's not far off from now..." After giving it some thought, Qrow sighed in defeat. "Fine, we'll tell her then."

Tai nodded. "Thank you. See ya later Qrow."

Qrow nodded. "See ya Tai. You too Max." The drunkard huntsman made his way to the window and opened it up. He transformed into his corvid form and flew away, off to town to get a drink.

Max was... confused to say the least. "Um... do people naturally have the ability to become birds in this universe?"

Tai let out a laugh. "Ha, no it's just somethin' that Ozpin whipped up for Qrow and... his sister."

Max raised an inquisitive brow. "Your wife?"

Tai's expression hardened a bit. "No. It's... complicated. I'm not sure you'd want to listen to my sob story anyway." He looked out the window back at the girls, who now looked like they were slowly pushing against the air around them. He focused on Ruby and his heart sank as he screwed his eyes shut. _"Dear god, Summer, I wish you were here. Our little girls are growing up so fast. I know you'd figure out how to tell Ruby about this, because goddamn it I DON'T!"_

"Tai." The Xiao-Long patriarch opened his eyes as Max spoke to him. "I imagine that what you're keeping from Ruby is pretty hard to handle. It's really none of my business to pry, but I know that whatever it is, your daughter will be able to handle it. She's a very sweet girl, but she also has one of the strongest wills I've ever seen. I know she'll be alright."

Tia sighed. "Thank you Max, but this is a pretty big secret we're talking about. You probably wouldn't even believe me if I told you."

Max chuckled as he gave Tai a pat on the shoulder. "Haha, believe me son, in almost sixty-eight years, I've heard 'em all. Nothing you'd say would surprise me anymore."

"Trust me, you might still have one surprise left in ya."

* * *

Back at the Mount Patch training ground, Jaune and the metal Kevin had taken to one of the arenas, Pyrrha sitting off to the side-lines. Jaune was nervous, not a new feeling to him, but very appropriate in the situation he found himself in. _'How the hell am I supposed to beat someone made of metal?!'_ He yelled to himself in his head. _'I don't have grenades like Nora, all I got is a sword and shield!"_ He glanced off to the side... and saw Pyrrha with the most sincere supportive smile he'd ever seen. Initially taken aback, he quickly returned the smile with a new feeling of determination taking him over. _'Focus Jaune. Pyrrha believes in you, so you gotta believe in yourself.'_ He had no idea how a single smile was able to give him so much confidence... well okay he had SOME idea how, but he was still trying to sort all of that out.

"Alright Jaune!" Kevin called over, pulling the knight out of his thoughts. "You ready?"

Jaune took a deep breath and unsheathed Crocea Mors, holding it with both hands. "Ready when you are!"

"Good!" Kevin turned his hand into a blade. "'Cause man, you're in for a fight!"

The two rushed forward and their blades met, the sound of sharpened metal scraping against each other. The two backed away before clashing again, high and low strikes being repeated at regular intervals. On the fifth clash, Kevin took the opportunity to get in close and do something Jaune didn't expect; punch him in the gut.

"GAAHH!" Jaune stumbled backward as the wind got knocked out of him, holding his middle as he took in air. "What, the hell, was that?" he managed to say in between breaths.

"You're first mistake is what it was." Kevin replied. "That being: expecting your opponent to fight fair." Kevin turned his other arm into another blade. "Take it from someone who used to be a bad guy Jaune. These guys we're gonna be facing will be fighting just like this."

Pyrrha didn't exactly approve of Kevin's harsher training methods, but he had a point. "Jaune! Bring up your shield! Keep your guard up!"

"Right, shield!" Jaune unlatched Crocea Mors' sheath from his belt and put it into shield mode, keeping it raised as he moved in. Kevin moved in as well and he swung his arm-blades at Jaune who immediately blocked the strike with his shield. Kevin pulled his left arm away and tried to make a strike on Jaune's left side, but the knight managed to block it with his own blade.

Jaune pulled away and made for a downward strike, but Kevin blocked it by crossing his arm-blades and catching the sword. Kevin pulled his arms back and made more strikes against Jaune, who managed to either keep blocking them with his shield or rebound them off of Crocea Mors.

' _Alright, this is getting nowhere.'_ Kevin thought. _'Time to put some pressure on him.'_ Kevin crossed his arms and charged into Jaune's shield, the knight bringing it up to take the brunt of the attack. The Osmosian kept the pressure on as he pushed against the shield with all his might, forcing Jaune to move back.

Kevin didn't seem all that impressed with Jaune's passiveness. "Come on man, push back!" he yelled. "Else you're outta here!"

Jaune glanced down at his feet to see that he was indeed getting closer to the edge, about five feet from it. A couple more good strong pushes from Kevin and he's be out. He heard Pyrrha hollering to him; "Jaune, you're doing fine! Just remember, the fight isn't over yet! You still have a chance!"

He wanted to believe her, he so badly wanted to believe her. _'Kevin's just way too tough! There's no way I can... huh?'_ His eyes shifted over to Pyrrha, still smiling that oh so encouraging grin, but something seemed different now. He had this strange yet familiar feeling in his gut as he looked at her straight on, his blue eyes staring straight into her green ones. It almost felt like a fluttering sensation as it made its way up from his stomach and into his chest. The final push he needed came when she shouted to him;

"YOU CAN DO THIS!"

That was all he needed. Jaune's brows furrowed as he looked back at Kevin. What he was about to do would be a bit of a risk, but he had to take it. Jaune pulled back and side-stepped Kevin, causing the Osmosian to stumble forward slightly. Kevin didn't have time to react as Jaune bashed his shield against his chest, sending him back a bit.

' _Damn, where'd THIS come from?'_ Kevin wondered. His answer came when he heard cheering from the sidelines. He looked at Pyrrha who was shouting her support to Jaune with all her might. It was then that Kevin realized; _'Goddamn it, he's a lover boy.'_ Just as he finished that thought, Jaune's shield bashed into him again. Caught off gaurd, Kevin attempted to swing one of his arm-blades, but Jaune knocked it back with his own. Taking advantage of the opening he made for himself, Jaune charged into Kevin shield-first with all his might with a loud battle cry, finally knocking the Osmosian on his rear.

In a slight daze, Kevin saw Jaune standing over him, the tip of Crocea Mors pointed directly at his face. "So..." Jaune smirked as he lowered his blade and offered his hand, "Give up?"

Kevin chuckled. "For now, yeah." Kevin took the offered hand and he stood up, the metal leaving his skin. "Gotta admit man, didn't see that comin'. Where'd you get the idea to do that?"

"Well... I guess it just popped into my head." Jaune admitted. "If I can't make any progress with my sword, I'll just use my shield instead."

"Heh, yeah that's probably something I woulda done. But let me tell you this now, next time we spar I won't go down that easily. I just conceded the match to you, so next time you gotta knock me outta the ring if wanna win, got that?"

"Ha, deal." The two boys walked out of the ring to see a very happy Pyrrha, practically fidgeting in her own chair, both in pride and excitement.

"Jaune I am so proud of you!" she exclaimed as she rolled herself over to them. "I knew you could do it!"

Jaune couldn't help but smile back. "Yeah, I guess I kind of knew it too. I just needed the right motivator to help me realize it." To Pyrrha's surprise, he knelt down and gave her a hug, an act she wasn't prepared for. "Thanks for believing in me Pyr."

Pyrrha could feel the butterflies in her stomach fluttering like at the speed of hummingbirds. She reciprocated the hug, trying in vain to keep her jitters down. "Y-you're welcome Jaune."

Kevin smirked and he rolled his eyes. "Okay guys, I think it's time for a short break. Gwen and her group should just be finishing up by now, so they'll be here in a while. So now would probably be a good time to decide who'll be sparrin' each other." The two nodded and they exited the room, Kevin not far behind.

* * *

Back at the house, Gwen and the girls had just finished their exercises and changed into their normal clothing, gathering in the kitchen in preparation to head out to Mount Patch. "Good work out this morning ladies," Gwen complimented, "starting tomorrow we'll move on to some techniques that are a little more complex."

"Cool, should be fun." Yang commented. "Today's stuff was relaxing, but I can't wait to focus on some hand to hand stuff."

Ruby chuckled nervously. "Hehe, right, hand to hand... ugh."

Gwen gave the younger girl an apologetic smile. "Not much of a physical fighter Ruby?"

"Well... it's not that I don't know how to fight... it's just I'm much better with my sweetheart, than I am with my hands."

"Your... sweetheart?"

Ruby pulled Crescent Rose out from behind her and it unfolded. "Yep, Crescent Rose, she's my sweetheart."

"Hmm... I see. Well, it's okay. I understand having a preference when it comes to fighting styles. But still, it couldn't hurt to try and learn something new."

"Yeah, I know, it's just I'm just worried about how good I'll be. Or if I'll be good at it at all."

Yang gave her sister an over the shoulder hug. "Hey don't worry Ruby. You got all of us to help you. Trust me, you'll do fine. It's just practice after all."

Weiss agreed as she placed a hand on her partner's shoulder. "She's right. You essentially have nothing to worry about. It's just us after all, so no one's going to judge you on it."

Uplifted from their support, Ruby began to feel much more at ease with herself. "Thanks, you guys are the best!" She hugged both of them, wrapping her arms over their shoulders.

Gwen looked at the clock, reading 9:45 on the face. "Alright girls, time to break it up. We've got to head out there so we can get our sparring in, so let's get going."

The three girls saluted her with a; "Yes ma'am!" before going out the door and making their way to the path, on their way to the training ground.

As they walked along the path, Yang nudged Gwen with her elbow. "Hey, when you and I get there, I wanna spar with you."

Gwen's eyes widened. "Me? Really? I thought you'd want to spar with Ben again."

Yang glanced off to the side with a smirk. "Oh believe me, Green Boy and I are gonna be goin' at it again, I'm just gonna make some time off to the side to test his mettle. Right now, I wanna see what kinda tricks you've got."

"Hmm... okay sure, why not?" A sly smile came to Gwen's face. "Just promise me you won't go too hard on my cousin during those little _private_ training sessions you have planned. Does he even know about it?"

"Not yet..." Yang's eyes flashed with determination, "but he will."

* * *

**A/N: Alright, first half of the two-parter done! Tune in next time for part two, where we'll of course see Gwen and Yang's first spar... as well as Ben making a vital error as he goes up against a certain hyper-active, pink skirt-wearing girl.**


	13. Training Begins NOW! Part 2

**A/N: (Straight from the first post, so this dates the chapter a bit) Captain's Log, Star Date: 10/31/18. Happy Halloween everyone! I have returned, and I bring with me the second part of this training two-parter! Now, without further ado...**

**Chapter 13: Training Begins NOW! Part 2**

* * *

For the first time in two days, Pyrrha and Jaune were having a good back and forth conversation alone. The young man's confidence had been given a boost earlier thanks to his triumph over Kevin, and whenever Jaune's confidence was up, so was his sociability. They sat in the break room, awaiting the others to finish their workout regimen to see who'd be fighting each other in the sparring arenas. Pyrrha was especially glad that they were talking. After expressing her worries to Gwen the evening before, this conversation had felt like a huge weight had been lifted from between the two. Now all that was left was to address the... other thing that had gone on between them from a few nights ago...

' _But perhaps I should wait for a better time when others aren't so close.'_ Pyrrha rationalized in her head. _'I would not want any of them to barge in on us while we're talking about something so... personal.'_ She went back to focusing on her conversation with Jaune, going back to the subject of his recent victory over the Osmosian. "I must say Jaune, the idea to use your shield against Kevin was quite the surprise."

Jaune rubbed the back of his head. "Heh, yeah. I just figured that since he's metal, that'd mean that I wouldn't do that much physical damage to him if I just kept bashing him with it."

"Well, it certainly paid off. He put you in quite the tough spot."

"Well, I'd say I've been in tougher ones before. Remember when Nora stole all of the pens from all of the teachers' rooms to pull a prank on someone else, and it totally backfired on _me_ instead?"

Pyrrha burst out laughing, though she tried to stifle it behind her hand. Jaune couldn't help but grin as she tried to calm her hysterics to no avail. When she was able to calm down enough, she responded, though not without a few giggles laced in. "Hehe, how could I forget? Your face, hair and hands were blue for almost a week and a half!"

"Ha, yeah. I'm still finding flecks of that stuff in my hair by the way."

"Oh gods, really?! You cannot be serious."

"Oh very serious. Trust me, ink is surprisingly very hard to get rid of." Jaune paused for a moment before continuing. "Hey Pyr?"

She smiled at her new nickname. "Yes Jaune?"

There it was again, Jaune could feel it. The fluttering feeling in his gut that he had in the practice arena was back again as he gazed at her radiant smile. He noticed how bright her green eyes seemed to shine as he spoke to her, and that somehow got into his head even more. His brain then registered that he had to say what he wanted to tell her. "Um, look, I'm sorry if I've been a bit distant for the past couple of days. After the battle at Beacon, I haven't exactly felt like my normal self. But after these past two days, I'm feeling a lot better. Especially after that skirmish with Kevin."

Pyrrha's smiled didn't falter, in fact she felt even more relieved that he had addressed another one of her worries. "You don't have to apologize, Jaune. I understand completely. I'm a little bit of the same way actually. I'm sure that things will be okay though. Like you said, things have been getting better. Maybe not the same, but a little better."

"Yeah," Jaune agreed, "but things probably won't be the same anymore, even _when_ Beacon reopens. Whoever goes to school there now will always be on edge after what happened."

Pyrhha let out a sigh. "Unfortunately. Perhaps we should face the fact that this time of peace we've been in is starting to leave us."

From behind them, a new voice entered; "Well then we'll just have to make sure it doesn't then." The two turned around to see Ben and Kevin near the doorway, making their way over to them. Ben spoke once again. "Guys, let me tell you something. If there's two things I've learned from doing my job it's this: one, heroes never give up. And two: evil doesn't win for long."

"You say that as if it's a fact." Jaune pointed out.

"Because it kind of is. Sure evil might get some victories here and there, but they never win the entire thing. Some way, somehow, they always get their comeuppance. Trust me, I've seen it happen dozens of times, both in real life and fiction."

"Wise words." Pyrrha complimented. "But how do you manage to get through the times when evil occasionally DOES win?"

Kevin smirked. "Easy, light a fire under your ass and get yourself in gear, 'cause there's a lot of work to be done. That's why we're here training, to make sure you guys are ready."

"So we've been told." Jaune remarked. "So, are they ready to start sparring?"

"Almost." Ben answered. "We're still waiting on everyone else to get here before we start. But, I'm here to actually check on Pyrrha's ankle and see how the spores are doing."

The Invincible Girl was more than happy to oblige. "By all means."

Ben activated the Omnitrix and transformed into... "Swampfire!"

Jaune raised an eyebrow. "Is it really necessary to shout the alien's name every time you transform?"

The Methanosian grinned at the blonde knight. "Nah, I just think it's cool." Swampfire put his hands around the cast that he'd made for Pyrrha and closed his eyes, sensing the spores inside the girl's ankle still hard at work. As he opened his eyes, Ben transformed back to his human form. "I have great news. The healing's almost done. Another day or so and you should be back on your feet, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha's eyes lit up. "That's excellent news! I will be SO happy to finally be able to stand again. Perhaps then I can get to work on repairing Milo and get some training in myself."

Ben nodded. "Right, plus your mom's gonna be here tomorrow too, so you've got a lot to look forward to."

Pyrrha nodded back "You're right. In fact, I'm waiting to see if she'll call today to tell me when her flight leaves." She glanced down at her lap. "At least, I _hope_ she calls. It's been almost two days since we spoke over the comms back in Vale. I do hope she's doing better now."

"I'm sure she's fine now that she knows you're okay." Jaune reassured as he put his hand on her shoulder. "And hey, if she called to make sure you were alright two days ago, then I'm sure she'll call you sometime today. Besides, if MY dad, who might I add _always_ forgets his house keys when he leaves home, can remember to call and tell me he's coming to see me, then I'm sure _your_ mom will too."

Pyrrha brightened up at that. "I suppose so. Thank you Jaune."

"Anytime." Jaune smiled back.

"Ahem." Kevin coughed in his hand to get the two's attention. "Okay, I think now would be a good time to get to the arena room, Gwen's group should be here any—"

The breakroom door swung open fast and hard, with Gwen and three-fourths of team RWBY on the other side. "We're here!" Ruby happily greeted.

"...minute." Kevin finished.

"Well, can't fault you for one thing Kev, you were right." Ben quipped.

Weiss gave Yang a side-ward glace. "Was swinging the door open that hard REALLY necessary?"

"Ever heard of making a good entrance?" she retorted. Yang looked over to the group of four and gave them a salute. "'Sup guys? Has the party started yet or did we manage to crash it early?"

"You're right on time Goldie Locks," Ben answered, "we were just about to get started."

Pyrrha slid down in her chair and crossed her arms. "Indeed, getting started on another game of "Sit and Watch"."

Jaune rolled his eyes and took his place behind Pyrrha's chair. "Alright Miss Grumpy Pants, you heard Dr. Tennyson. You'll be up before you know it."

Ben laughed at the idea. "HA! Dr. Tennyson. Me, a doctor? Can't even imagine."

Ruby pulled out Crecent Rose with delight. "Hehe, I can't wait to get started."

Weiss nodded. "Right, but let's make sure it gets done soon so we can meet up with Winter when she gets here."

As both sets of partners went to the sparring arenas, Yang and the Alien Trio hung back for a bit longer. Ben faced the Blonde Brawler, a determined look appearing on his face. "Hope you're ready for another round Yang, 'cause I sure am."

Yang shot a similar look back to him. "I _am_ ready, but I'm actually gonna be fighting your cousin this time around."

Ben's eyes widened. "Seriously? You and Gwen are gonna fight this time? That's... actually pretty surprising."

"I know right?" Gwen admitted. "She just asked me to spar with her on the way here. Said she wanted to see what tricks I could pull off."

"Oh... well okay, if that's what she wants then." Ben turned his attention back to the Blonde Brawler. "And here I was hoping I'd be able to win a round against you, Yang."

"Oh I wouldn't worry 'bout that." Yang smirked as she strode up to Ben. "Because I have something rather special in mind when it comes to our little skirmishes."

The hero quirked an eyebrow. "Really? What'd you have in mind?"

Yang chuckled, her smile ever present. "I'll explain later, right now we've got some sparrin' to do. C'mon, let's go!" Yang went straight to the next door, making her way through the gym and toward the arena room, leaving Ben in a state of confusion.

"Um, okay..." he turned to his cousin. "Any idea what she's got in mind?"

Gwen shrugged. "Not sure, but let's not focus on that right now shall we? I'm sure there are still plenty of people in there who're eager to fight an alien."

"You're right. Besides, I should probably get a feel for how these other guys fight." Ben pumped his fist in the air. "Let's do this!"

As the trio left the room, Kevin bent down and whispered into his girlfriend's ear; "You totally know what she's got planned right?"

Gwen whispered back; "I do. I'm just waiting to see how long it takes until he figures it out."

* * *

The entire group at Mount Patch had made their way into the arena room, eager to get started. Kevin stood atop one of the arenas, facing his peers with one goal in mind; to get them paired them up and see who can beat each other up the best. He clapped his hands together to get their undivided attention. "Alright! So, now that we've got ourselves warmed up, let's get you guys paired up for today's sparring practice. Jaune has already done his, so obviously, he and Pyrrha are the exceptions. Other than that, anyone can be paired up, so have at it!"

As the teens started pairing up, Blake against Ren and Ruby against Weiss, Ben was still trying to make a decision on who to pair up with, but his mind just kept going back to what Yang had said to him earlier. ' _Just what did she mean by "something special"?'_ Ben turned his head and looked over to Yang straight on. The blonde noticed Ben's action and she responded with a warm smile and a wave. He waved back, but that's when a new idea on what she'd meant came into his head; _'Hold on, back in the break room, did she actually mean—wait who's tapping my shoulder?'_

Ben turned around to see none other than Nora, staring up at him with a big toothy grin and eagerness in her eyes. "Hi!" she greeted.

"Uh, hi Nora, what's up?"

"I wanna fight you!" she answered cheerfully.

Ben was taken aback, not just by her answer, but by how exuberant she seemed about it. "Oh! Okay sure, why not?"

If possible, Nora became even happier. "EEEEEEEE! Awesome! I've been waiting to fight you since I saw you and Yang duke it out yesterday! OOOOHHH I'm just so EXCITED!"

"Woah, woah, calm down Nora. I get you're excited, but fighting one of my aliens won't be just a walk in the park okay?"

"I know! I just think that you're transformations are really cool! And by proxy, that means YOU'RE really cool! I cannot _wait_ to get started on our fight, it's gonna be so awesome..."

As she continued to ramble on, Ben looked over to Ren with a look that said; 'Help me'. The ninja boy shrugged. From experience, he knew that once his best friend got going like this, it was hard for anyone to stop her. Ben sighed in defeat. _'This is a very weird day.'_

Meanwhile, as Kevin looked around at all the pair-ups, he suddenly felt a presence come up from behind him... as well as the very familiar scent of bananas. "So, you wanna fight me monkey boy?"

Sun spun his Ruyi Jingu Bang around before resting it on his shoulder, a somewhat cocky grin plastering itself on his face. "You know it, Metal Head. I heard Jaune knocked you over earlier and I wanna see if you're really that easy to take down."

Kevin chuckled. "He got lucky. Kid's good, but he needs to improve in a lot of areas. You wanna fight a thug like me? You better hope that fancy stick of yours can handle it."

"Oh believe me, I've got some skills. But let's take it to the ring 'kay? Let our actions speak for us and all that."

Kevin furrowed his brows. "Bring it."

* * *

As Kevin and Sun took their places on either side of the arena, Gwen took position as referee for the spar. "Alright boys," she began, "we'll be following the rules that were used yesterday during Ben and Yang's spar, first one out of the ring loses. That sound good?"

Sun nodded. "Alright by me." The monkey boy took the time to shift his gaze toward the occupied bleachers. He spotted Blake, and just as he did at the tournament, pointed to her with a wink. She smiled back, but not without an eye roll.

' _Only you, Sun.'_ she thought to herself.

Kevin gave his girlfriend a thumbs-up. "Sounds good to me babe!"

Gwen sighed. _'Only you, Kevin.'_ She lifted her right arm up and swiftly brought it back down. "Then begin!"

Kevin ran forward, sweeping his hand along the concrete floor and absorbing it as he did. Sun followed suit, holding his bo-staff at the ready. Kevin brought his fist back and punched with all his might, only to find his arm stopped just in time by the pole. Sun pushed forward causing Kevin to stumble back a bit. He then took the opportunity to get some more hits in with the staff, though Kevin was able to collect himself and blow back most of them.

It was then Sun had a new plan; he swung the Ruyi Jingu Bang down at Kevin's legs and knocked him over, the Osmosian landing on the ground with a loud THUD. Kevin propped himself up on his elbows just in time to see Sun swinging the bo-staff down at him. He rolled out of the way to dodge the attack, but he didn't expect for Sun to fire a Dust round off when the tip of the staff hit the ground, causing a shockwave that knocked both of them back. Sun was able to make a mid-air recovery, but Kevin was sent skidding across the floor.

"Ugh, okay, that was unexpected." Kevin got up as he rubbed his rocky forehead. "Alright, no more foolin' around, time to get serious." Kevin turned his hand into a large hammer and charged forward, Sun doing the same. But as he swung his hammer, Kevin didn't feel any impact. He looked up only to see Sun making a somersaulting leap over him. The monkey boy landed on the ground behind him and slammed the end of his staff onto the ground. As Kevin continued forward, Sun vaulted using the staff and dealt a swift kick to Kevin's back, causing the Osmosian to tumble to his knees.

The Osmosian was quickly growing frustrated. "Oh c'mon dude! What with all this flippy shit?!"

Sun shrugged as his cocky grin returned. "Hey man, it's just how I fight."

"Well it's really annoying" Kevin thought about that for a moment. "Which is kind of a good thing honestly. Really throws your enemy off and gets 'em pissed."

"That's the idea." Sun confirmed. "Now let me show ya something new!" Sun separated Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang into their gun-chuck mode and lunged at Kevin. He began swinging them expertly at his opponent, every impact unloading another Dust cartridge. Kevin only just barely felt the explosive impacts, but that didn't mean he wasn't starting to feel the effects.

' _Gotta think of something fast!'_ Suddenly, Kevin noticed the downward arc that one of the gun-chucks was coming from and he took his chance. He reached up and grabbed the barrel, stopping Sun's momentum. Kevin quickly absorbed the red metal, making sure his grip was locked. "Thanks man, now let's throw you for a loop!" Kevin pulled with all his might, spinning Sun around in a circle by the gun-chuck. On the third spin, he let go and threw him off several feet, almost to the edge of the ring.

Kevin chuckled as he approached Sun, the latter only just slowly getting up. "What now monkey boy? Metal just makes me an even tougher nut to crack. So what'll it be? You can back out, or you can get your ass kicked, your choice."

Sun smirked. "Ha! No way, I've still got a few tricks left up my sleave." He put his gun-chucks back into their staff mode and he charged ahead. Kevin turned his hands into blades and he countered every strike that Sun made with his weapon. But Sun wasn't through yet, for when an opening presented itself, he jabbed the pole right at Kevin's middle, sending another shockwave out an sending Kevin back several feet, knocking him to the arena floor.

The Osmosian quickly recovered and transformed his hand into a hammer once more. He ran at Sun, who attempted to block the strike only for the Ruyi Jingu Bang to be knocked out of his hand, skittering to the opposite edge of the arena. Kevin then punched him in the gut, resulting in the young Faunus holding his midsection as the wind was knocked out of him. He took a few steps back, hoping to collect himself before Kevin could strike again. He breathed deeply as he spoke his next words;

"Wow, heh, gotta say man, you really don't go down easily." Sun admitted.

"Ready to give up then?" Kevin asked.

Sun chuckled. "Haha, you kidding? I've still got one last trick in me." As he gathered his breath, Sun sat on the ground and crossed his legs, going into a meditative stance. He closed his eyes and began to focus himself. Kevin wasn't entirely sure what was going on here.

"Uh, dude, just sitting there is kinda the same as just quitting—what the?!" To Kevin's surprise, Sun's hair and tail began to glow an ethereal gold. From his body emerged the last thing that Kevin expected; glowing Sun clones made of light, three in total. It was only then did Kevin remember; "Oh right, Semblances."

The clones ran towards Kevin and he took a battle-ready stance. He used his hammer-hand to try and hit one of the clones. He was successful, but the moment he did, it blew up in his face. "GAH!" From out of the residual smoke, another clone leapt at him and pinned him to the ground, the remaining one also piling up on him. The moment they started to glow, he knew what would come next. He closed his eyes and prepared himself. "Shit."

_BOOM!_ The clones blew up, leaving a large cloud of smoke in the middle of the arena. Kevin was fine however, his hacking and coughing from inside the cloud proving so. Sun quickly got up and sprinted toward his weapon, but as he was about to grab it, he felt the collar of his shirt get tugged on and he was forced to the floor, a metal hand forcing his shoulder down while the other arm was pressed up against his neck. Kevin looked down at his opponent with an angry expression... for all of five seconds before he began laughing. "Hahahaha! Okay man, I think we'll call it there." He got up and offered his hand. "C'mon, up ya go."

Sun took the hand and got up, but not without some confusion. "What? We're just gonna stop? But you can still fight, why stop now?"

Kevin waved Sun back. "Hey man, as far as I'm concerned, when I get blown up, it's a good place to call it quits. Besides, you really gave me a run for my money out there."

"Yeah, guess so, but you proved me wrong, you really ARE hard to take down."

"Comes with being an Osmosian, we're known to be a bit hard-headed."

From the stands they heard Ben shout; "Understatement of the century!" The comment got some laughs out of Yang, Ruby and Nora, though Blake and Weiss couldn't help but smirk, with Pyrrha and Jaune trying to hide their chuckles behind their hands.

Kevin looked to the bleachers with furrowed brows. "Alright, yuck it up on your own time you dorks! Blake, Ren, you guys are up!"

As Sun left the arena to take a seat, Blake approached him, greeting him with a small smile. "Hey, you did pretty good out there. It was an impressive show."

Sun rubbed the back of his head. "Heh, thanks. And good luck in your match with ninja boy. I'll be cheering you on."

Blake set a hand on Sun's shoulder. "I wouldn't expect anything less." She went off and took her place on the arena, leaving Sun with the biggest, most love-struck grin.

* * *

It was a close call, but Blake won her spar against Ren, the cat-girl having out-ninja'd the ninja boy. Ren had put up a good fight himself, but after seeing Sun fight Kevin, Blake had a similar idea to use her own shadow clones to incapacitate Ren and his aura dwindled into the red zone pretty quickly after that. She thanked Ren for a good fight and sat back down on the bleachers, right next to Sun. The monkey boy was quick to congratulate her. "Nice, I see you copied my little trick huh?"

Blake shrugged "I wouldn't call it "copying" per se. More like... "borrowing"."

"I see. So, did my cheering help at all?" he asked.

Blake smiled and glanced off to the side. "Oh, a little bit, yes."

Sun pumped a fist in the air. "Sweet!"

Blake shook her head. _'Still a dork, but a nice dork.'_

Ren meanwhile sat back down with his team, Jaune giving his blood-brother a fist bump. "Hey good fight dude. You almost had her."

Ren nodded. "Thanks Jaune, I think I'm still just a little tired from getting up so early."

"Hey, I get it, trust me. Let's just hope we don't all have to adapt to Gwen's sleep schedule."

"I heard that Jaune!" Gwen called over.

"Well it's true!" Jaune called back with a smirk, his team getting a laugh out of it.

Next up was Weiss against Ruby, which ended up being a tie. Ruby managed to trip her up a few times thanks to her speed, but once Weiss managed to trick her into a glyph-trap, the match went to the heiress' favor. But in the end, both had exhausted their auras to the red zone.

Ruby crossed her arms and pouted. "Those glyphs are overpowered."

Weiss gave her partner a small side hug. "Perhaps, but you _are_ getting better. I could barely keep up with you out there."

"Yeah, I guess so. But next time I _will_ beat you."

"Maybe, but we'll see."

At last, Yang and Gwen took the arena floor, the former raring to get started. "Just so you know Gwen, you can always duck out if I'm too much for you to handle." Yang warned.

The Anodite wasn't deterred as she took a battle ready stance. "Are you kidding? I've been looking forward to this."

"Now that's what I like to hear! Let's get it on!"

From off to the side, the two girls heard Kevin give the word. "Ready? Fight!"

Yang rushed forward, her fist pulled back and ready to strike. Gwen on the other hand stayed put, her stance never wavering, keeping her left hand up and her right down at her side. Yang closed in and, at the very last second, Gwen swiftly grabbed Yang's wrist with her left hand and struck her in the shoulder with the palm of her right, sending the blonde stumbling back in surprise. "Gah! What was THAT?!"

"That was a more advanced tai chi technique that what I showed you this morning." Gwen explained. "It's called: "Repulse the Monkey". Handy, wouldn't you say?"

"That was... really unexpected. You gotta show me that tomorrow."

"Sure, now..." Gwen snapped her fingers and a cylindrical mana shield came up around her. "See if you can deal with this."

"Heh, easy." Yang knelt down and blasted her Ember Celica into the ground, sending her flying up and straight over Gwen's barrier. But just as she was about to land next to the red head, Gwen made a roof for her little cylinder, Yang making impact with a _thud_ , her left cheek face practically plastered against the pink energy field. After peeling herself off, she stood on the roof, glaring down at Gwen. "Really?"

"Yep, getting frustrated yet?"

At those words, Yang finally realized what Gwen was doing; testing her patience. A grin came to Yang's face and jumped off the mana structure, facing Gwen when she landed. "I get what you're goin' for Red. Thanks. Now, how 'bout we _really_ get started?"

Gwen nodded. "Right, just testing you." The girls immediately went into fisticuffs, Yang being more intense with her strikes while Gwen seemed to focus more on blocking or redirecting Yang's blows and then striking herself when presented a chance.

It could only go on for so long however, as Yang was finally able to get one lucky punch in that sent Gwen flying backwards, the Anodite doing a mid-air backflip and landing in a crouch to stop herself. She got up and her hands lit up with spheres of pink energy. She threw them at her opponent summoning more as she tossed them. Yang was ready though, she kept unloading rounds from her gauntlets as she charged in, the mana projectiles shattering like glass when the Dust rounds hit them.

Just as Yang had gotten in close, Gwen shot a stream of mana energy out from her hand, creating a snare that wrapped itself around the Blonde Brawler. Gwen focused on her grip, she had to keep herself concentrated or else the stream of energy from her hand, and by proxy, the snare, would vanish. "So Yang, what now?" she asked her opponent.

Yang looked down at the predicament she'd been put in and simply shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe sit back, relax, think of how I'm gonna beat ya, all that junk."

Gwen raised an eyebrow. "You sure you're not bothered by this?"

"I don't think "bothered" is the right word. I actually think it's rather comfy." A sly grin came to Yang's face. "So, ever wrap yourself and Kevin up in one of these?"

Gwen deadpanned. "Really? That old trick?"

Yang shrugged again. "Eh, worth a shot." Her eyes glowed red and an intense fiery aura surrounded her. With a mighty yell, she flexed her arms, her sheer strength making the snare she was trapped in dissipate, much to Gwen's shock. The blonde quickly shot across the arena straight at Gwen, her fist rearing back again for a finishing blow.

Gwen reacted quickly, creating an energy whip from her hand that she snapped at Yang. But Yang managed to dodge the whip and grab on to it, much to Gwen's surprise. With a loud grunt, the blonde pulled on the energy whip, causing Gwen to be pulled toward her at great speed. The whole thing was happening too fast for Gwen to process, so she did the only thing she could think of; close her eyes and brace for impact.

But the impact never came. Much to her surprise, she instead felt a gentle hand grasp her shoulder. Her eyes snapped open to see Yang, smiling and her fist still reared back. She lightly bonked the redhead's forehead with her knuckles and gave her a friendly wink. "Made ya flinch!"

Gwen could only describe her state of mind in one word; confused. "I... I-I don't... WHAT?!"

"Hehe, Gwen I gotta admit, you've surprised me. You're good, _really_ good, and I can't wait to learn more from you."

"B-but what about the match? Nobody won."

Yang shook her head. "Gwen this was never about winning. I meant what I said, I just wanted to see what you were capable of. And I'm impressed with the results." She gave a respectful bow to her teacher. "I'm glad to be learning from you."

At first taken aback, Gwen bowed back. "You're welcome, Yang. But believe me, you kind of overwhelmed me back there. I wasn't too sure _what_ to do at that moment."

"Heh, yeah, I guess I can be a bit over the top. So, you're still gonna teach me that "Repulse the Monkey" move right?"

Gwen nodded. "Of course, first thing in class tomorrow morning."

"Awesome." The girls high-fived and went back to the bleachers, Yang waving to the green-clad hero. "Hey Ben! You and Nora are up! Give us a good show 'kay?"

Ben got up and saluted back. "After the performance that you ladies gave us, I'm more than happy to oblige!" He looked over to his hammer-wielding opponent. "That is if Nora's ready for it."

The hyper-active redhead stood up and presented Magnhild, her eyes shining with bountiful energy. "I've _been_ ready Tennyson! Let's go!"

* * *

As Ben took the arena floor, he couldn't help but look up into the stands. There, he saw his cousin and Team RWBY all giving him their support, Ruby cheering for him, Weiss and Blake giving him smiles of support and Yang in particular giving him a wink and a thumbs-up. Meanwhile on the opposite end, Nora took the feild, her team all calling out their support for her. He understood the favoritism, but today, Ben wanted to see if he could actually get in a win. While putting on a good show of course.

' _Okay, so who would be good for this one? It's gotta be something they've never seen before...'_ He scrolled through the Omnitrix until he finally found something. "Ah-ha! Perfect." He looked up at Nora, a smirk settling on his face. "Alright Nora, you ready?"

The Pink Dynamo waved back. "Totally! And don't worry, these grenades are blanks!"

"Great! Because you're about to face off against..." Ben slammed the Omnitrix down and began his transformation. He became a large ape-like creature with grey skin and yellow fur, a set of sharp teeth in his mouth. The only skin that was exposed were his face, fingers and toes with sections of black fur around his hands, feet, pelvic region and head. On his forehead, there were three lightning bolt-shaped horns that somewhat resembled eyebrows, a set of metal bolts jutting out of the side of his head as well as his wrists. His eyes glowed green and the Omnitrix settled on his chest. His voice crackled with electricity as he spoke his name; "Shocksquatch!"

Nora was ecstatic. "OOOHH! Big and hairy! Can't wait to see what it can do!"

Back in the stands, Jaune turned his head to Gwen, a look of apprehension overtaking his face. "Uh, Gwen, did he just say that alien's name was... _Shock_ squatch?"

"Well, yeah." Gwen confirmed. "He has the power to generate electricity. Why do you ask?"

Jaune, along with everyone else, had an uneasy feeling as Gwen said that. "You're cousin might be in trouble." the blonde knight replied weakly.

"And BEGIN!" Kevin shouted from the field.

Nora threw Magnhild into the air and the hammer transformed into its grenade launcher form. She caught it as it came down and fired two grenades at Shocksquatch, the latter surprised at the unexpected move. As the projectiles drew nearer, Shocksquatch generated an electric current through his arms, shooting the stream of sparks at the grenades. They met and blew up in mid-air, a cloud of dust bursting out from the explosion. Shocksquatch kept his eyes peeled for any sign of Nora, only to be surprised when she burst out of the cloud with a loud battle cry, hammer held high above her head. She brought it down, but Shocksquatch caught the head in his hands, stopping her decent.

"HA!" the Gimlinopithecus laughed. "Whatcha gonna do now, eh?"

"This." Nora pulled a trigger and a grenade shot out of Magnhild's head, detonating the moment it was shot. The recoil caused Shocksquatch to let go, staggering back a bit from the force of the impact. It also sent Nora back a fair distance, though she was able to land on her feet while Shocksquatch stumbled to the ground. Nora ran forward as Shocksquatch began to stand. Just as he found his footing, Nora slammed her hammer against his gut, sending him back even further, almost to the edge.

"Gah!" he yelled. "Okay, so you want it that way, eh? Well then it's on like Donkey Kong!" Shocksquatch got on all fours and charged at Nora, letting out a guttural growl.

"I do NOT know what that is but I'm in!" Nora shouted back. With a guttural yell of her own, she slammed her hammer on the ground so that the handle was pointing upwards. She hopped onto her weapon and gave a salute as she pulled the trigger, resulting in the hammer launching into the air, Nora still standing on it like her own personal steed.

' _Oh you've gotta be friggin' kidding me.'_ Shocksquatch thought. _'This is getting ridiculous!'_ But, as weird as he thought it was, he decided to go along with it. He lunged himself up into the air and met her half way into her decent, tackling her to the arena floor. "There will be no flyin' when I'm around missy!"

"Wasn't planning on it big guy!" Nora's hammer changed back into launcher mode and she shot off another grenade, making Shocksquatch fly right off of her.

Shocksquatch picked himself off the ground, and at this point, he was quite irritated. "Oh, come on! Seriously?"

Nora rested her hammer over her shoulders, a proud smile gracing her features. "What's the matter Ben? I hope you're not holding back. My Aura's pretty strong ya know, I could probably take anything you dish out."

Shocksquatch narrowed his eyes at the Pink Dynamo. "Well if that's the case, I guess I _won't_ hold back then!" With a mighty roar, Shocksquatch ran forward, his fists surging with electricity.

Nora smirked. _'Bingo'_ She pulled her hammer off her shoulders and ran forward, her plan set in motion.

Unbeknownst to either of them, Jaune saw the look on Nora's face, and his uneasiness increased. "Uh, Gwen, if you wanna warn your cousin, now's the time!"

Gwen's eyes shifted from Jaune to the battlefield, whatever had Jaune nervous must have been pretty big, so she did as he advised. "Ben! STOP!"

"Huh?" It was too late, Shocksquatch's fist made contact as Nora caught the incoming punch. The electrical energy coursed through his hand and into her arms, the color changing from yellow to pink. The Gimlinopithecus pulled his hand away, but the damage had been done. Nora's body was now surging with pink electricity. He could swear he saw her eyes glowing a little pink as well. "Okay, first: WHAT?! Second: THE HELL?!"

"Ben! Nora's Semblence turns her into a living electric conductor!" Pyrrha explained. "She uses it to increase her strength even further!"

"Well then why didn't anyone tell me—GAH!" Nora slammed her hammer against Shocksquatch's stomach, cutting him off mid-sentence and giggling like a mad-woman.

"Hehehe, now where's the fun in that Benny-boy?" She pushed her hammer upwards and sent him flying straight into the air. As he came down, she jumped up above him and slammed him down into the ground again. Shocksquatch landed on the arena floor in a heap, but still conscious.

The black and yellow alien shook his head and began to get up. "Ugh, okay, errors have been made, but I can fix this."

Just as he stood, Nora landed in front of him, her body still surging with lighting. "Hehehehehe, really? And how do you think you—oof!" Nora was socked in the gut, sending her half-way across the arena. She landed on the ground, but she continued speaking. "Ohhh, like that."

Shocksquatch jumped up and raised both fists above his head, intending to make a finishing blow. But Nora was one step ahead of him. She held her hammer with both hands and used the handle to block the attack, the force of the impact resulting in a small crater beneath her feet. What Nora didn't expect however was Shocksquatch grabbing the handle and lifting both it _and_ her above his head. He brought her down, slamming her down into the concrete. But she didn't really seemed bothered by it.

"Hahahahaha! This is just too much FUN!" As she laughed, Shocksquatch again tried to slam his fist down on her, but she just rolled out of the way and hit him with her hammer again, though not sending him as far as the last few times.

As he gathered himself, Shocksquatch growled as his hands coursed with lighting. "Alright Nora, we've gotta finish this! You need to burn off some of that energy and come down from that high of yours RIGHT NOW!"

Nora spun her hammer around in a showy manner before putting herself in a ready stance. "I couldn't agree more Tennyson!"

The two ran forward, Shocksquatch with an electrical punch at the ready while Nora brought her hammer back for one last swing, her finger close to the trigger. They jumped up in the air, intending to meet in the middle for their final clash.

Back in the stands, Jaune was in full on panic mode. _'When those two collide...'_ He looked to everyone and yelled; "Everyone behind the bleachers, NOW!" Everyone complied with his command, Jaune himself picking Pyrrha up out of her wheelchair to bring her back there as fast as he could.

Shocksquatch's punch and Magnhild's head met, Nora firing one last grenade as they collided. The resulting explosion was enough to blow both of them back and out of the ring, effectively ending the match. With a shocked expression, Kevin looked over to see Ben sit up and transform back to normal. Nora also managed to sit up, her head spiraling in a dizzy state. The Osmosian gave the word; "Aaaand I think that's a good place to stop. Training's over for today people! Nobody wins, we're done here!"

Team JNPR went over to Nora, Ren helping her up to her feet. "Nora, are you okay?" he asked with concern.

"Oh, yeah, fine." she replied in her dizzied state. "Still a little sparkly in some places but for the most part, yeah I'm good!"

Jaune wasn't all that impressed. "That was kind of a bad idea Nora. What if that explosion were bigger? You could've brought this whole place down."

Nora grabbed her leaders shoulder and hung from it, still partially out of her head. "Hey, listen Jauney, yes, it was very stupid. But now I know, and I can safely say... I probably won't fight another zappy alien again... unless it's out doors."

Jaune rolled his eyes. "We'll see. I'm kind of concerned for our well-being after all that."

Pyrrha nodded. "Indeed. Your Semblance is powerful Nora, but it can also be too much sometimes."

"Gotcha," Nora complied. "No more big booms inside."

Meanwhile, Ben was being helped up by Yang and Gwen, the blonde giving her congrats. "Nice fight Green Boy, you really went all out in that one."

A dazed Ben smiled. "Hey, thanks Goldie Locks. My electric aliens are actually some of my favorite to use. But man, that battle was a blast and a half!"

"Key word being: blast." Gwen emphasized. "Remind me to have you never use any of those aliens against Nora ever again."

"Duely noted." Ben looked over to see Nora finally coming down from her electrical high. He stood up straight and walked over to her, giving her a grin. "Hey Nora, gotta admit, I did not expect anything like that." He held out his hand. "Thanks for a good fight."

Nora immediately shook Ben's hand. "No problem Ben! Trust me, it was great!"

Suddenly, a beeping sound started to resonate through the room. After a few seconds of everyone looking around, Yang realized that it was her scoll. "Oh hey, it's dad!" She pressed a button and held up the scroll to her ear, speaking into it. "Hey dad, what's up? ...Really? She is? ...Awesome! I'll tell her right now! See you in a bit... yup bye." Yang hung up the scroll and turned back to everyone. "Guys, we're wanted back at the house."

"Is there something wrong?" Weiss asked.

Yang shook her head with a grin. "Nah, but your sister's at the house, so we'll have to..." Weiss was out of the room before anyone could say another word. "...get going." Yang finished.

* * *

**A/N: And I think that's a good place to leave it. This chapter took a while to get done and to a point where I felt it was right. Fight scenes are admittedly a challenge for me. I know what I want in my head, but getting it into the written word is a bit harder to do. But that's neither here nor there. I hope you all have a great Halloween, and I hope to see you all next time. Speaking of which, Next time... Winter is... already here. I don't think I did the joke right.**


	14. Winter Greetings

**A/N: So, funny thing about this chapter, this one took a bit later than usual to make due to my first computer kicking the bucket on me at the time. Thankfully I saved all of my work before it did, but I had to start this one from scratch. Still, though, it all worked out. Now, this is...**

**Chapter 14: Winter Greetings**

* * *

Ben had a lot of ideas in mind when it came to after-training activities that he and his new friends could do. Go to town and do some clothes shopping to start off, perhaps grab some food on the way back, and maybe watch some TV and play a few videogames when they got home. But what he _didn't_ expect to be doing was jogging through the forest after a girl who was fueled by pure unbridled excitement. Never in all his life did he ever think anybody, least of all Weiss, would be this excited to see an older sibling. Then again, he was an only child, but still. "Man, whoever this Winter lady is, she must live up to the hype if it gets Weiss to run this fast." he commented.

Overhearing him, Ruby confirmed his suspicions. "Well yeah, Winter's probably the only nice family member Weiss has. At least from what I understand."

"I thought you said she was stern?"

"Well... you'll see what I mean."

"Less chatty more run-y! "Weiss exclaimed ahead of them. "We don't know how long Winter's gonna be here for, so we've gotta move quick!"

"Weiss, that's not really possible when I'm pushing an OCCUPIED WHEELCHAIR!" Jaune pointed out.

Pyrrha agreed with her chauffer. "Jaune is right, Weiss. The path is already difficult to trek as it is like this. If we keep going this fast, there's a chance I could fall out!"

"Besides, your sister came all the way here just to see YOU." Yang reminded the heiress. "I doubt she'll leave without doin' that."

Weiss sighed in defeat. "Okay fine, we'll go slower."

The gang slowed down to a standard walk, thankful that they didn't have to run any more. "Thank you." Gwen said as she caught her breath. "I know you're excited Weiss, but there's no need to rush."

"I know, but... Winter's usually _extremely_ busy. I usually only get to see her a few days at a time and then she's back to the Atlesian Army for another eight months or so."

"Believe me, I get where you're coming from." Gwen empathized. "As someone who only gets to see her brother only every so often nowadays, I know how hard it can be."

"Exactly! Why else would I try to get there as soon as possible?"

"I get ya Weiss," Ben interjected. "But some of us are still winded from our training." He looked behind him at a certain Pink Dynamo. "Nora most especially."

"Hey, I resent that! The sparkly stuff's mostly gone now! I'm a-okay!" Nora strode forward, but tripped over an exposed tree root. "Okay, maybe I'm still a _little_ out of it."

Reeling from Nora's acts of strangeness, Weiss sighed once again. "I guess you're right."

Ben nodded. "Good, now could somebody please pick Nora back up so we can get back in one piece?"

* * *

After a nice, normal walk the rest of the way, the group of teens finally made it back to the Xiao-Long household. Weiss studied the front door with a determined glare. When it came to her sister, she was always glad to see her, but after what happened a couple days ago, Weiss didn't know what to expect from her. Add in the fact that she was now introducing all of her friends to her, and it made Weiss even more unnerved. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Okay guys, no pressure. It's just my sister on the other side of that door. No reason to worry at all."

"You sure you're talkin' 'bout _us_ bein' worried or yourself?" Kevin quipped. "'Cause it _kinda_ sounds like _you're_ the one worried about all this."

Weiss narrowed her eyes at the Osmosian. "Oh bite me, you boob."

Ben chuckled. "While I can get behind calling Kevin a boob, I don't think you have anything to worry about Weiss. It's just your sister."

Weiss glanced to Ben and then back to the door with confidence. "Right." Weiss approached the door, opened it and went inside. She led the group through the house and to the kitchen entrance, only to see Max at the counter chopping up something that many could only assume was dinner.

"Well hey there kids, how was the first day of training?" The old Plumber greeted.

Weiss rushed through the answer. "Kind of well, kind of not. Everyone went a few rounds, Gwen taught us some tai chi, and Ben and Nora almost blew us all up. Max, would you possibly know..."

"Where your sister might be?" entered a new voice. Weiss' eyes widened. She looked over to the table and there she was. Her sister, Winter Schnee, clad in her signature white and navy coat with red brooch at the neck. Her piercing blue eyes and stark white hair made the relation between the two very evident. Winter rose from her seat and greeted her sister with a small smile. "Hello little sister."

With feelings of joy welling up in her chest, Weiss surged forward, shouting her sister's name. "Winter!" She closed the distance with an embrace, one that Winter immediately reciprocated, though with more restraint than her sister. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"I could say the same concerning you." Winter replied as she gently pulled Weiss off of her. The elder Schnee sister's eyebrows furrowed. "Do you have _any_ idea how worried I was about you?"

"W-well I..."

"I had to hear about what happened to Beacon through a report Weiss. A _report_." Winter emphasized. "The moment I heard what was happening, my first question was; "Is my sister alive?" When I didn't get a response from my subordinates, I tried as hard as I could to contact General Ironwood for _hours_ , Weiss." As Winter continued to tell her about the ordeal she had been put through, Weiss became even more surprised at how worried her sister had been about her. "When I finally did and he told me you were okay, I felt it necessary to come back to Vale, which he was kind enough to let me." Winter pulled her sister into an embrace one again. "I'm just so glad that you're safe."

Weiss didn't know what to say at first, but she tried. "I... I-I'm so sorry for making you worry like that, Winter. A-and I'm sorry for making you leave your post in Mistral."

Winter looked her sister in the eye. "Don't be, little sister. If I was stationed anywhere else, I still would have come to make sure you were safe. I am aware that you can handle yourself if need be... but I was not sure if you would be ready to handle a situation like what happened two nights ago." Winter's soft smile came back. "However, from what General Ironwood told me, it appears I had seldom to be concerned about. Though that didn't stop me from being so."

Weiss was starting to feel a bit sheepish. "Oh... he told you about that?"

"Your little summoning act? Yes he did." Winter confirmed. "I told you that you were capable of doing it."

"Well, yeah, but I only summoned the Arma Gigas' arm... and the sword it was holding."

"An arm is a very decent start. But the fact of the matter is that you _are_ capable of summoning. Which if I recall, you told me vehemently you could not do. Am I correct?"

"That... may have been me, yes."

"And yet you did. You should be proud of yourself for accomplishing such a feat. I know I am."

"Wow... thanks Winter. I'll work harder on it."

"I know you will." The Schnee sisters pulled away from the embrace and Winter shifted her gaze to the group at the kitchen entrance, her face returning to its more stoic nature. "So, are you going to introduce me to your _many_ friends?"

Weiss' eyes widened. "Oh! Right, of course!" she turned back to the group and presented her sister to them. "Everyone, this is my sister, Winter. She's a special operative for the Atlesian army." She gestured for Ruby to come forward. "Now Winter, I know for a fact you met Ruby when you first came to Vale."

Winter nodded. "Indeed, how can I forget, seeing as how you cheered for your uncle during our… altercation."

Ruby laughed nervously as she approached. "Hehehe, yeah, uh, no hard feelings, right?"

"Of course not, family is family after all, even if they are mostly drunk."

Before anyone knew it, Yang stepped forward. "Yeah, I feel like I need to apologize for that." She offered Winter a handshake. "Hi! I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister, nice to meet ya Winter. And… well I don't normally say things like this, but sorry for my uncle. We try to keep him on a short leash, but sometimes he just can't help himself."

Winter, her stoic expression never leaving, accepted the handshake. "Thank you, Yang. I gladly accept the apology."

"Your welcome, and don't worry. One of these days, I'm gonna straighten out his act."

"I should hope so." Winter shifted her attention over to Blake. "And I assume you must be Blake Belladonna."

Blake cleared her throat and approached with caution. "Yes, I am. It's a pleasure to meet you, Winter."

"You needn't act so unsteady Blake."

"Well… I'm just—"

"Worried that I am like my father and detest Faunus?"

Blake glanced down with her cat ears drooping with her. "…Kind of."

"Trust me, I am the farthest person away from my father." Winter set a gentle hand on Blake's shoulder. "I know he has caused much pain for you and many others, Blake. That is a major part of the reason why I left, to not be associated with what he's done anymore.

Blake nodded as her cat ears perked back up. "I understand, thank you Winter."

"Of course." Winter craned her head to the blonde monkey boy right next to them. "And I am to assume you are Sun Wukong, correct?"

Sun's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Uh, yeah, how'd ya know?"

"Before I left Vale for here, I encountered one of your teammates, Mr. Vasilias I believe it was." Winter explained

"Neptune?! Really? How's my team doing?"

"They are doing quite well actually, though he had a message for you. Mr. Ayana and Mr. David will be departing back to Mistral at the end of the week, so if you wish to see them before they leave, you'd best do it soon."

Sun's head craned down. "Aw man! That sucks!"

"I understand, however they are still quite injured and they wish to see their parents as well, or so Mr. Vasilias told me."

Sun sighed. "Yeah, I get it, believe me. I'll get there as soon as I can."

Blake put a hand on his arm and she looked at him straight on. "We both will." She told him. "We'll be on the boat in a couple days."

Sun put his hand over hers. "Thanks Blake. I owe you big time."

"I seem to recall you owe me many times actually." she countered.

"Heh, good point." Sun spoke to Winter once again. "So, did Neptune say what he was gonna do?"

"He will be staying." the Atlesian woman answered. "He has volunteered his services in Vale. Very respectable." From behind her, Winter could here her sister scoff at the statement and say something under her breath. _'Intriguing.'_ the elder Schnee thought to herself.

Sun gave a thumbs-up. "Gotcha, sounds good to me."

"Good." Winter's gaze went to the other group of four closest to one another. "And I suppose you are Team JNPR, correct?"

Jaune nodded. "That's right, I'm Jaune Arc and this is my team."

Nora, as always gave a frantic wave. "Hiya! Name's Nora!"

Ren politely bowed. "I am Lie Ren, it's a pleasure to meet you Winter."

"Likewise." Winter glimpsed down at the wheelchair bound girl. "And that would make you Pyrrha Nikos would it not?"

"Yes, I am." Pyrrha confirmed. "I take it that you've heard of me before."

"Indeed, your reputation proceeds you Miss Nikos."

"So I have been told… many, many times." Pyrrha slumped in her chair. Even the Altesian Elites knew who she was! _'Is there simply no escape?!'_

"I am sure, Miss Nikos." Winter said as she crouched down to eye level with her. "General Ironwood and Professor Goodwitch asked me to see how you are coping with… everything that has happened."

Pyrrha was at first hesitant, but an answer finally came. "I'm doing much better actually. My ankle should be finished healing soon, so there is some good news."

"Indeed, it is. I will inform him as soon as I return. Thank you for your time Pyrrha. And from what I have heard, I must also thank you for your bravery as well."

Pyrrha was initially shocked but regained her composure soon after. "Of course Winter, you're welcome."

Winter offered another soft smile before going back to her signature cool expression. Her sights finally landed on the three remaining teens as she rose to her full height. "So, we finally meet. Benjamin Tennyson, Gwendolyn Tennyson and Kevin Levin of the planet Earth."

At first, the two cousins didn't know how to react. Winter's gaze was so cold and unrelenting that it almost intimidated them. It was a good thing that Kevin was immune to such tactics. "Yeah? So what's it to ya lady?"

"Kevin!" Gwen snapped.

"What? Just tryin' to see if she's as cool-headed as Weiss told us."

Winter had not wavered. "I can assure you Mr. Levin that I am quite in control of my emotions. I've trained myself so that my enemies cannot read my face when in combat, so they may not take the advantage away from me."

"Really? Then what's this talk I hear 'bout a certain drunk dude getting under your skin?"

"That was an… unfortunate mishap. He was acting childish and disrespectful, and admittedly, I did lose my stability when concerning my emotional state. But I can assure you that it does not happen often."

A smirk came to Ben's face. "Really?" He activated the Omnitrix. "Then I don't suppose you'd want to try your patience against one of my more irritative aliens?"

Weiss wasn't too keen on the idea. "Uh, ahem, Ben I don't think that's—"

Winter waved a hand. "Wait a moment Weiss, I have actually been looking forward to seeing this. General Ironwood told me about this boy's powers and I would like to at least see a demonstration."

Weiss backed off at her sister's behest. "Oh, okay, if you say so."

Ben was thrilled. "Alright! Now this alien is one that these guys actually HAVE seen before, but if this one doesn't get you to crack, I don't know what will."

Winter nodded. "Very well Benjamin, let's see it."

Ben slammed down the Omnitrix and transformed into… "RAAAATH!"

Yang had a smirk of her own. "Oh boy, here we go with this guy again."

"This ought to be good." Ruby added excitedly.

Rath got right into Winter's face, snarling and showing his pointy teeth. He narrowed his eyes when she didn't have any reaction. It was time to fight with words. "LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN' WINTER SCHNEE, SISTER OF WEISS SCHNEE WHO IS HEIRESS TO THE SCHNEE DUST COMPANY! RATH DOESN'T LIKE PEOPLE WHO JUST STAND IN FRONT OF HIM WITH A BLANK FACE! SO SHOW SOME EMOTION, OR GET OUTTA _RATH'S_ FACE! OR ELSE RATH WILL FORCE FEED YOU THAT COAT OF YOURS AND THEN PULL IT RIGHT OUTTA YOUR ASS! YOU HEAR ME?! EMOTE DAMMIT!"

But Winter didn't. She just stared blankly at Rath, not an inch of her face moving with any sort of emotion. This left the Appoplexian reasonably discouraged. "Huh, Really Thought That'd Work!" Rath pressed the Omnitrix symbol and changed back into Ben. "Guess you really are…" It was then that Ben noticed something; a small smile had worked its way onto Winter's face the moment he changed back. "Hey!" he shouted indignantly. "What gives?!"

"I apologize Benjamin, but your threats came off less intimidating and more… humorous than anything else." Winter elaborated

Ben slumped forward. "Aw jeez, seriously?"

Yang shrugged. "Yeah, kinda. Sorry Green Boy."

Ruby shrugged. "Hey, it's not all that bad! At least it was funny, right?"

Kevin gave a light shove to Ben's shoulder with the back of his hand. "Hey, relax Tennyson. Only reason she didn't budge was because of that stick up her butt."

Unexpectedly, that got Winter's eyes to narrow and her brows furrowed, an air uneasiness quickly spreading through the room. The elder Schnee looked directly at Kevin and put it simply; "I would watch your tongue if I were you Mr. Levin, otherwise you might not have use of it for quite a while."

Kevin wasn't fazed. "Oooh, scary. What you plan on putting me on time out too?"

Just as Winter was about to get right up to Kevin and chew him out, that was Gwen's cue to stop things right there. "OKAY, that's enough of that now thank you!" She pulled Kevin away and glared up at him. "Kevin what are you doing?!" she asked in a hushed tone. "I get you don't like authority, but she can literally cut your tongue out!"

"Hey, it's not that I hate her or anything." Kevin retorted, hushing his voice s well. "Just tryin' to get a little entertainment outta this. You seriously have no idea how fun it is to just annoy the crap outta someone, Gwen."

Gwen quirked an eyebrow. "Do you _really_ want to stress test Winter? Because I can guarantee that it will not end well for you."

Kevin gave her a blank stare. "Gwen, the most excitement I've had out of the past two days was the battle at Beacon and getting beat up by two blonde dudes, can't ya just let me have this?"

Gwen sighed. "Fine, just promise me you won't become another Qrow."

Kevin grew serious at that remark. "Gwen, the day I become a drunk asshole is the day you can dump me. Trust me, you're the one keeping me from doing that shit."

Gwen smiled. "Now _there's_ something good to hear."

"Ahem." The two turned to Winter, her stern eyes focused squarely on Kevin. "I agree with Gwendolyn. While your abrasiveness is comparable to that of Branwen, I am glad you have resolved yourself to not go over the edge that he has. Very commendable."

"Uh thanks, I guess." Kevin replied.

Winter nodded and redirected her attention to the group at large. "Now, I will be here for the afternoon before I go back to Vale, so if you have any plans, I would be more than compliant to come along."

Weiss was surprised. "Wait, back to Vale? I thought you'd be going back to Mistral after your visit."

"As did I. However, in these troubling times, General Ironwood has saw it fit to have me by his side as the city continues to heal from the attack, at least for the foreseeable future."

An expression of pure joy came to Weiss' face. "That's fantastic! Then we can see each other more often! Er… well, I mean, when it's most convenient for you."

"Indeed, now, what is on the agenda?"

"Well…" Ruby spoke up. "After training, we were going to go do some clothes shopping for everyone since, well, all of out other clothes were probably destroyed during the attack."

Ben added to that. "And there's the fact that Gwen, Kevin and I don't have spare clothes to begin with, so there's that."

"And yet you did manage to pack four game consoles, some books, and five cases of DVDs in a secret compartment in that car." Weiss pointed out. "What kind of backwards thinking is that?"

Gwen rolled her eyes. "The thinking of two boys. I'm actually the one who even suggested the books in the first place."

Winter cleared her thought. "Well in any case, it sounds like a splendid idea." She looked to her sister. "However, I don't think you will need do any shopping little sister."

Weiss was confused. "And why's that?"

Winter made her way to the hallway out of the kitchen. "Follow me." She strolled down the hallway with the group not far behind. Winter stopped at the entry way for the living room and gestured to the inside. "See for yourself."

Weiss peered in and was shocked at was she saw. Two Schnee family wheeled trunks, stark white with the family seal on every side. She approached one and opened it up, electing a gasp from the heiress as she saw what was in it. "These… these are some of my clothes from home! B-but how did you…?"

"When I left Mistral, I had a few special operatives in Atlas collect them from the mansion and send them to Vale. Discreetly of course, father never knew they were there. I had a feeling you may need them after what happened."

"I… I really don't know what to say except…" She instantly gave Winter a hug. "Best sister EVER!"

"Hmm, I certainly try." Winter turned back around to face the others. "Now, if we are to leave soon, everyone should get ready. Understood?"

Ben nodded. "Yes ma'am. C'mon guys." The eleven teens all went off to get ready, leaving the Schnee sisters in the living room by themselves. Winter's attention went back to her sister, and a rare sly look overcame her features.

"Weiss, tell me, what is there to scoff at Mr. Neptune Vasilias?"

* * *

As Team JNPR got ready for the afternoon ahead of them, Pyrrha couldn't help but stare at her scroll in anticipation with the slightest bit of anxiety. _'Why hasn't she called yet?'_ she thought of her mother. _'I would have at least expected a ring by now.'_

"Hey Pyr?" The Incincible Girl's head shot up to see Jaune right next to her, a concerned expression on his face. "You okay? You've just been staring at your scroll for five minutes now."

Pyrrha laughed nervously. "HAHAHA, Oh of course Jaune, I'm fine!" Jaune just gave her a blank look with a raised brow, indicating he wasn't convinced. Pyrrha dropped her façade and sighed. "Alright, perhaps I'm not all that fine. I'm simply waiting for my mother to call."

"So why worry about that? It's just your mom."

"I know, but… what if she found out about what I did at the Vital Tournament? After what I did, I just… have no clue how she'd react."

Jaune put a gentle hand on her arm. "Hey, don't be silly. She's your mom, I know she'll still love you no matter what happened."

Pyrrha's grip tightened on the arm of her wheelchair. "Jaune, I _mutilated_ her. Even if I didn't mean to do it, it was still televised to the entirety of Remnant, and many people will think differently to what I did."

"Pyrrha, I'm sure Ironwood and Goodwitch will clear everything up. But this isn't about what everyone else in Remnant thinks, it's about what you and the rest of us think. And we _know_ that what you did isn't your fault, that's what really matters."

"So I keep hearing." Pyrrha paused for a moment before going on. "Jaune, do you really think things will be alright?"

Jaune shrugged. "Well sure, it's like Ben said before, evil doesn't win for long. And if he's dealt with stuff like this before… well I'm willing to believe him on that."

After a few seconds, a Pyrrha's smile returned, this time completely genuine. "Thank you Jaune, and you're right, perhaps I should just—" A loud beeping suddenly came from Pyrrha's scroll, causing her to jump slightly as she fumbled it in her hand. "GAH!"

Jaune chuckled. "Huh, well there's the call you've been waiting for."

Pyrrha finally managed to straighten out her situation and caught her scroll, taking a deep breath before opening it up and answering it. "Hello?"

" _Pyrrha? Hello sweetheart!"_ The screen lit up and there was Pyrrha's mother, Athena, now in a much better state of mind than she had been two nights ago. The Nikos matriarch wore a short-sleeved button up red shirt and white khakis, her red hair was now neatly combed and in a wolf's tail that settled against her back, and her green eyes were now clear of any tiredness she may have had. Her gaze drifted to the blonde knight. _"And Jaune too! Oh, it's so good to see you both!"_

Jaune chuckled. "Hehe, yeah, hi Athena, how's it going?"

" _Oh splendid, what about you kids?"_

"We are well mother, thank you." Pyrrha reassured. "I'm glad you called. I was hoping to hear from you today."

" _Well, I certainly didn't want to leave my own daughter without any idea of when I would be arriving tomorrow now would I? But more importantly, how are YOU dear? Is your ankle healing well?"_

Pyrrha nodded. "Yes, infact I should be back up on my feet in a day or so."

" _Only a day?! Oh my word, what sort of doctors worked on you sweetheart?"_

"Well… he was quite good at the job, I'll say that much."

" _I should hope so."_ Athena redirected her sights back to Jaune. _"And you Jaune, I hope you are taking good care of your team on Patch, including my daughter."_

"I'd like to think so." Jaune answered. "What kind of team leader would I be if I wasn't huh?"

Pyrrha rolled her eyes with a grin. "He's doing fine mother, of that I can assure you."

" _Excellent! Now, about my flight, I should be leaving sometime this evening. By sunrise I will arrive in Vale and I shall take the first boat out to Patch as soon as I can."_

"That's great news!" Pyrrha exclaimed. "I cannot wait for you to meet everyone!"

" _Neither can I dear, now I will see you and everyone else tomorrow okay?"_

"Okay, bye mom, I love you!" Pyrrha waved.

" _I love you too dear."_ Athena waved back. _"I will see you all soon!"_

Jaune waved as well. "See ya later Athena, bye."

" _Goodbye Jaune. And thank you for being there for my daughter. Until tomorrow you two!"_

The screen went black and Pyrrha let out a content sigh. Jaune smirked at her behavior. "Feel better Pyr?"

Pyrrha smiled back. "Yes, yes I do."

* * *

As Gwen walked down the stairs, having just finished a quick shower and put her clothes back on, she couldn't help but over hear what she assumed to be Weiss talking to her sister back in the living room; "He was flirting with those other girls even when I was cheering for him to win! It was like I didn't even exist! The last few months meant _nothing_ to him Winter!"

Her interest piqued, Gwen made her way back to the living room and stood outside the opening. Normally she would never do something like this, but she was too interested. She glanced past the edge of the entry way to see the Schnee sisters sitting on the couch, with Winter about to counter her sister's rant.

"I see, and did you talk to Neptune about it afterwards?"

"Well… no. I was too frustrated to care anymore." Weiss' lowered her head slightly. "I just… I thought he'd be special you know? The one boy who didn't care about who I was or where I came from."

"I understand your frustration Weiss," Winter empathized, "Believe it or not, I am no stranger to matters of the heart. I have encountered many young men. At times they broke my heart, other times I broke theirs."

Weiss tilted her head slightly. "Wow, really? Never thought you'd be one for dates."

"Nowadays, no. But when I was your age things were very different."

Weiss smirked. "You say that like you're an old lady."

Winter's eyes narrowed. "Watch your tongue little sister. True it may have been many years ago, but yes I did once go on dates with many a young man. However, since my duties in the Atlesian forces takes up most of my time, I haven't had much of an opportunity to do so these days. More to the point, you will find that there will be many more opportunities for you in the future, Weiss. But you cannot hold a grudge against that boy forever. You have to at least try and talk to him."

Weiss sighed. "I guess you're right. But I don't think I'll be going out with him again."

"And that is absolutely fine. There is someone out there for everyone as the old saying goes. Besides…" A smirk now donned Winter's face. "Neptune may be somewhat foolhardy, but he is not asinine enough for you."

"Yeah I guess so—wait WHAT?!"

"Indeed, you deserve someone much more inane. A man who has a kind heart and will treat you like a queen… while also being one of the most ludicrous boys you have ever met."

"Oh come ON! Now you're just teasing me at this point!"

"Perhaps, but there may be some truth to it, you never know."

As Weiss continued to shout in frustration. Gwen couldn't help but have a smile come to her face. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her wallet. She opened it up and took out a picture that she always kept on her. It was of her, at the time only thirteen, and her brother Ken, himself at age eighteen in the photo. Her happy expression became sad as the memories that came flooding back, times when they themselves would banter at each other and give one another advice. She was about to put it back when she heard Weiss behind her.

"Hey Gwen, what's that you've got there?"

"GYAH!" Gwen jumped a foot off the ground in surprise, spinning around to see both Weiss and Winter standing there. After catching her breath, she warned the heiress; "Weiss, please do _not_ sneak up on me like that."

"My apologies, but I was just curious. Who's the cute boy in the photo with you?"

Gwen let out a small laugh as she showed them the photo. "Haha, well for starters, this is me and my brother Kenny. Secondly, this picture was taken almost five years ago, so he's a bit older now than in the picture. So don't get too many ideas okay?"

A flirtatious grin came to Weiss' face as she stared at the picture. "Oh, I'm sure he can't be that much…"

"He's twenty-three."

"DANG IT!" Weiss huffed as she crossed her arms.

Ignoring her sister's outburst, Winter took her eyes away from the picture and back to Gwen. "I take it you miss him then, Gwendolyn?"

"Yeah, quite a bit." Gwen answered. "I don't see him too often nowadays already, but being an entire _reality_ apart, it just makes things more difficult."

"Well I'm sure you will see him again." Winter reassured. "One way or another we will find a way to get you back to your home."

"And hopefully we'll get to tag along." Weiss added. "I certainly would want to see your world after we show you ours."

"Sounds like a plan." Gwen said as she put the picture back inter her wallet. "After all, it'd be a crime leaving you all behind."

* * *

Half an hour later, everyone was ready to get going, standing out in front of the house with both Kevin's car and Winter's white rental car at the ready. While Kevin's car could only fit five, Winter's could fit six, so there were no problems there. The only thing left was who went in which vehicle. And Weiss was all to eager to go with her sister.

"I call shot-gun with Winter!" she called out. As she and Team JNPR piled into the car, Sun, Blake and Ruby went to the green muscle car with Gwen and Kevin. As they settled in for their ride into town, Winter glanced over to Ben and Yang with inquiry.

"And what about you two?" she asked.

Yang took out the key to her motorcycle. "Don't worry, we've got our own way of getting around. I'll show you guys how to get to the mall in town, 'kay?"

Winter nodded. "Very well, lead the way." The elder Schnee took the drivers seat of her rental and both cars started their engines.

Yang and Ben made their way over to Bumblebee and mounted the motorcycle, Yang starting the engine while Ben put on his helmet. "You ready back there?" the blonde grinned.

Ben gave a thumbs up. "Ready and waiting!" Suddenly, the hero felt an itchy feeling on his right hand. His left hand instantly went to it and he felt something squish under his grasp. With hesitancy, turned his hand over to see a squished mosquito, twitching as it died. "EW! Gross!"

"What's up?" Yang asked as she looked back at him.

"Oh, nothing much, just killed a mosquito that's all."

"Huh, thought for sure most of the bugs would have died off by now." Yang mused. "We're, what, three weeks into Fall?"

Ben shrugged. "Dunno, but we should probably get going, they're waiting on us."

"Gotcha! Let's go!" The duo drove off on Bumblebee toward town, the two cars not far behind.

* * *

But unbeknownst to them, a shadowy figure had been watching them from the bushes not far from the house, it's beady glowing eyes full of hate. Hate for Tennyson. Hate for crushing yet another of his brethren beneath his hand. It had been that way seven years ago, and yet he just continued to commit these atrocities against his kin.

The figure stood to its full height. What once might have been a man, now an insectoid monster. What was once skin was now a dark green exoskeleton, its hands with clawed fingers and an extra pair of insect arms beneath its rib cage. Its beady eyes were attached at the ends of stalks that protruded from their sockets, a pair of antennae on the top of its head. The creature's teeth were sharp and the mandibles on its chin vibrated as it growled at the boy.

Though it could not speak anymore, the remains of this creature's more human thoughts spoke out in its mind as it watched the caravan leave, reinforcing its intentions;

' _Tennyson… must… pay.'_

* * *

**A/N: Huh, well what d'ya know? Maybe Ben and the gang** _**aren't** _ **the only ones here after all. Well in any case… to be continued next time, as what was to be a normal shopping trip turns… buggy**


	15. Bugged Out

**A/N: Okay, so this chapter features our first villain! He's a bit of a simple start, but trust me, things only ramp up from here with the baddies. But how did he get here in the first place? Well let's find out, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 15: Bugged Out**

* * *

About an hour had passed since the gang left on their shopping excursion. Gwen, having done her fair share of shopping, had found a good selection of clothes relatively quick and easy. She was never too picky with what she wore so long as it was functional while also being presentable. She currently was sitting with Weiss, Winter and Ruby, the latter of whom had gone back to playing Pokémon as they all chatted at the mall's food court, each having ordered a cup of coffee. The subject of their conversation?

"So, Gwen, what IS your brother like?" Weiss asked before taking a sip of her drink.

The Anodite gave her a deadpan look. "Depends, you're not gonna try to ask him out using this information, are you?"

"What? Oh, no, I know my boundaries. I'm just genuinely curious is all."

Ruby glanced up from the 3DS. "Yeah, I mean, you guys have barely told us about your lives outside of fighting bad guys. Meanwhile, most of us have practically _shared_ our families with you. It's only fair right?"

Gwen chuckled. "Hehe, okay, okay, I know when I've been beat. And your right, maybe I should share some things with you. But let me just tell you that the rest of my family is relatively normal compared to myself. My dad's an accountant and my mom's works from home as a finance consultant. They're the reason why I went to such a good school and part of the reason of how I'm going to such a great college."

Weiss' eyes widened at the information. "Wow, you must be sitting pretty."

"Heh, yeah, if by sitting pretty you mean in upper middle class, then sure. Anyways, my brother is pretty laid back in comparison. Whenever his band had a concert, he always snuck me and my friends in back stage. And he drove Ben to his first soccer practice in his car."

Winter nodded as she listened in. "I see, so he is a musician?"

"He is." Gwen confirmed. "He plays the bass in his band, but he's actually pretty good at a lot of instruments. Ever since he was little, he always had a love for music. He loves it so much that he went to college for a degree in musical arts."

"I see." Winter took a sip of her coffee before going on. "And you mentioned that you don't see him too often?"

"Well… not recently." Gwen cupped her hands together on the table. "Ever since he graduated college, Kenny's been out trying to make a life for himself. You know, get a job, a decent place to live… _maybe_ get a stable relationship, it's all a big thing for him. So much that he hasn't really had a lot of free time to see me and our parents."

"I'm sure, though you must be proud of him correct?"

"Oh god yeah, I can't even _express_ how proud I am of my brother, I'm just being a bit selfish. Hell, if I wasn't so busy with my own college life, I would have probably just gone to see him myself while we were back in our world. But unfortunately, that wasn't the case."

Winter nodded once more before putting a hand over the redhead's. "Gwendolyn, I understand how you feel. I too know what it's like to be far from a sibling you care about, as I'm sure is another person at this table." Winter eyed Weiss in a side-glace, the younger Schnee responding with a wide grin and a small shrug. "Believe me when I say that you will see your brother again, one way or another."

With a smile, Gwen thanked the elder Schnee. "Thank you, Winter. I appreciate the kind words."

"You are very welcome, and remember, you still have loved ones here with you as well. In fact, here comes one of them now…"

"What up ladies?" At the sound of the informal greeting, Gwen rolled her eyes with a grin and turned around to see Kevin, a shopping bag in each hand. "Got my shopping done."

"Really?" Gwen asked. "Please tell me it isn't ALL black."

"What? 'Course not! Some of its grey."

"You're hopeless."

"Hopeless for you." Kevin gave Gwen a peck on the lips, eliciting a chorus of "AAWWWW's" from Weiss and Ruby.

"That is SO sweet!" Weiss exclaimed.

"Yeah, well don't get used to it princess," Kevin countered. "I've still got snark to last a life time. So, what were you guys talkin' about?"

"Gwen was just telling us about her brother." Ruby explained. "You must've met him, right Kevin?"

"Ken? Yeah, he's a cool dude. Met 'im a few times, talked cars with him." Kevin's eyebrows shot up and a wide grin came to his face. "Oh! PLEASE tell me you told them about the "Awesomobile"."

Gwen had a sinking feeling in her gut at the mention of her brother's old car, a feeling that only sank further when Ruby pressed the subject. "What's the Awesomobile?"

Kevin set the scene. "Okay, so get this: Gwen and Ben are going on and on about how Ken's so friggin' cool. Then they bring up how his car's called the "Awesomobile". I figure it's some sorta hot rod or low-rider, something like that. I finally see the thing, and it's a goddamn rattle-trapping Junker! It makes the Rustbucket look like a street racer!"

Both Weiss and Ruby burst out laughing, the laughter only increasing when Gwen put her face against the table out of embarrassment. The redhead looked up at Winter, only to see her hiding a smile beneath her hand. "Oh, come on Winter, you too?!"

"I apologize Gwendolyn, but you must admit, it _is_ rather humorous." Winter said with a slight chuckle.

Gwen just crossed her arms with a huff. "Well… _I_ thought it was awesome."

* * *

"I still don't get why we have to do this." Sun griped.

Blake meanwhile was trying to get him to wear something other than his chest-exposing shirt. "Because you can't just wear the same clothes every day, Sun." she counteracted. "I'd like to think we're above that, thank you." She pulled out a few shirts from the rack of clothes she was going through and went over to the monkey boy. "Now try these on, they look your size."

Sun took the shirts, but not without a bit of sarcasm. "Pfft, okay _mom_."

"Oh, don't you _MOM_ me, mister!" she shot back. "I'm not standing anywhere near you if you plan on wearing the same clothes all the time, got it?"

Realizing he couldn't argue against that, Sun sighed in defeat. "Okay, I'll try 'em on."

Blake smiled. "Thank you. Just remember, you're not just doing this for me, but for _everyone_ you're going to be living with."

"Yeah, sure… but mostly for you." Sun went into the changing room, leaving the still ginning Blake to wait for him. But as she waited, she suddenly felt a new presence behind her.

"So, having fun bossing him around?" Yang asked.

Blake sighed. "Not really, no. I just wish he'd stop acting so immature."

Yang looped around in front of her partner. "Jeez, Sun's right, you really ARE acting like a mom, and that's usually _my_ job."

"H-hey! That's not fair!" Blake retorted.

Yang shrugged. "Maybe, but you gotta learn to relax a little, Blake. Adam's long gone by now and Sun's here for _you_. Tell me I'm wrong." At her words, Blake glanced off to the side, her cat ears folding back. Yang smirked. "I thought not. Blake, you should really ask him out sooner or later."

Blake looked back to the blonde. "Do you _really_ think it's a good idea?"

"Sure! He's a nice guy, and after everything you've been through, you deserve someone like him." She gave thumbs-up. "So good luck, partner."

Blake returned the gesture. "Thanks Yang, but you deserve someone nice too, so don't just support the rest of us without thinking about yourself once and a while."

Yang chuckled with a sly girin. "Hehe, don't you worry 'bout that. I'm keeping myself preoccupied…"

Blake quirked a brow in confusion. "With what?"

"Hey ladies!" The two girls turned to see Ben, but rather than in his signature jacket, he now wore a short-sleeved green polo shirt with brown cargo pants and white sneakers. "So, what d'ya think? Too much? Not enough? My cousin's not here with her sage wisdom so you've gotta work with me here."

Yang seemed impressed as she inspected his choice of clothes. "Wow, didn't know you cleaned up that well, Ben."

A sly grin came to Blake's face. _'Ah, I get it now.'_

Ben put a hand behind his head. "Heh, well I tried at least. I'm not exactly all that fashion-forward, so I'm pretty simple when it comes to clothes."

"It's not exactly about fashion." Yang pointed out. "It's all about wearing something decent. You don't need to be fashionable for that."

Ben was relieved. "Oh thank god, that make's me feel so much better."

Yang nodded. "Good, so, would you rather wear your new clothes out or change back?"

Ben looked down at his current attire and figured; "Aw, what the heck, sure, I'll wear 'em out. Why not, right? Lemme get my jacket and stuff and I'll meet ya at the counter."

"Gotcha, but one last thing."

"Yeah? What is it?"

Yang pointed to the buttons on the polo, both of with were done up. "This isn't exactly fashion related, but it's better to keep at least one button undone on a polo. Keeping it loose gives you better neck room and is just more comfortable." She stepped forward, getting very close to the hero before unbuttoning the top button herself. "There, better?"

"U-uh, yeah. It is actually." Ben replied dumbfoundedly.

Yang winked. "Great! See ya up front!" Before anyone knew it, she was off to the front of the store, leaving a very confused Ben and a knowing Blake in her wake.

"W-what was that?" Ben asked.

"Psh, Ben, you're clueless." Blake responded coyly. At that moment, the changing room door opened and out stepped Sun, now in a short-sleeved button up shirt, complete with a pectoral pocket. He sheepishly approached Blake and asked the million-Lien question;

"Okay, so how's this look?"

Blake smiled. "It looks really nice. You clean up very well, Sun."

* * *

Meanwhile, Team JNPR had just finished their shopping, getting ready to leave the store. And Nora was as happy as a clam. "I can NOT believe that they had my BOOP shirt!" she shouted happily. "It's almost if I'd never left it back at Beacon!"

Ren nodded. "Agreed, the odds of them having an exact copy aren't impossible, but also highly unpredictable."

Jaune, with two sets of bags on each arm, one his and the other Pyrrha's, looked to the rest of his team as he pushed said redhead in her wheelchair. "Well, in any case, I guess we're pretty much done. So how 'bout we meet up with everyone else and get some lunch at the food court, huh?"

But Pyrrha objected. "Uh-uh, not so fast Jaune, there's one more stop we must make."

"Um… okay, where's that?"

Pyrrha pointed to her left. "Right over there actually." The three others looked to where she was leading them and saw a small kiosk in the middle of the store, leading to a bunch of confused faces.

"Uh, Pyr, I'm not sure what you need there but…"

"Take closer look Jaune, you'll see why."

Upon her instruction, Jaune did as instructed and noticed what she was talking about. Hoodies, the kiosk was displayed with a wide selection of hoodies of all sizes and colors with multiple types of designs adorning them. "Please don't tell me." Jaune feared.

"Yep, you're getting a new hoodie today." Pyrrha confirmed.

"Aw, c'mon Pyr, do we really have to do this _today_?"

Pyrrha's expression grew serious. "Yes, we do. Because your father is right, Jaune, I can practically see that hoodie shrinking on you as we speak. Just look at your sleeves!"

Jaune scoffed. "Oh come on, it can't be that bad—" It was that bad. Jaune knew it as soon as he looked at the end of his sleeve. Now, the hoodie itself _was_ short sleeved, but said sleeves were hugging his shoulders pretty tight. And now that Pyrrha had mentioned it, Jaune _was_ starting to feel constricted in his own clothes. "Um, okay maybe it is."

"Right." Pyrrha wheeled herself over to the display. "Now, I passed by this booth a couple times, and I think I found one you might like." She reached up and grabbed the nearest hoodie. It had short sleeves and it was black, just like his regular one. But it was a size bigger and the inside was blue instead of red. Pyrrha handed it over to him. "Now, I believe this one is made of the same material as your old one, correct?"

Jaune felt around the garment both inside and out before coming to the conclusion; "Huh, you're right, it is! Not bad actually."

Pyrrha smiled. "And the best part? Turn it around and see what's on the back."

Jaune did so and immediately his brows shot up in surprise. There, emblazoned in white, was the cross-axed symbol of Beacon Academy, starkly contrasting against the black fabric. "I… I just… wow. I didn't know they sold things like this outside of Beacon."

Nora gasped. "Jaune! You've just GOT to buy that hoodie! It'd look SO cool on you."

"Nora's right." Ren agreed. "I don't think anyone'd argue with school pride."

"Heh, well uh…" Jaune looked over to Pyrrha, who gave him the sweetest smile he'd ever seen.

"Please?" she asked.

Jaune sighed. Majority ruled, and he was slowly becoming part of it. "What the hell, why not?"

The team cheered, happy that their leader wouldn't be wearing shrinking clothes any longer. Jaune bought the hoodie and put it in one of his bags, resolving to put it on when he got home. As they exited the store, they ran into Ben and Yang, both of them carrying many clothing bags. But the first thing that everyone noticed was Ben's new attire.

"Hey guys!" the hero greeted.

"Ben! Dude, nice clothes." Jaune commented.

"Agreed." Pyrrha said. "You look quite nice. But where are your other clothes?"

Ben lifted one of his clothing bags. "All in here, jacket, jeans, everything. Yang suggested that I should show my new duds off a bit."

"That's right!" The Blond Brawler affirmed. "And by the compliments you've just gotten, I guess it payed of pretty quick, eh?"

"Ha, yeah, guess so." Ben admitted. "So, who's up for some lunch?"

"OOH! OOH! I am!" Nora exclaimed. But all of a sudden, the Pink Dynamo jumped slightly with a yelp. "AGH!" Her hand swiftly went to the back of her neck and smacked it. She pulled her and away and looked in her palm. "EW! Gross! A mosquito!"

Ben was slightly shocked. "Wow, you too Nora? I got bit just before we left the house."

Yang's face took on a look of skepticism. "Okay, first Ben, now Nora. What the heck's goin' on here?! The bugs should all be dead by now." Just then, Jaune smacked the back of his hand, then Pyrrha yelped and hit her shoulder, and Yang herself felt something on her leg. All three managed to kill the mosquitos on their person, just before they were able to bite. "GAH!" Yang yelled out. "What the hell, man?!"

What happened next was something that no one could have expected. At the sound of a scream, the teens all looked behind them to see a mob of people running in fear, all of them hollering in a panic. It wasn't clear at first, but then they saw what they were running from; out of the vents in the walls came a swarm of insects, all flying at the people, hoping to get a taste of some sweet human blood.

"Oh shit." Nora squeaked.

"My sentiments exactly." Ben concurred. Just then, he saw something on the floor; a massive winged shadow directly in front of him. Seeing no one who could have cast it at floor level, he looked up to the ceiling to see a massive skylight, and someone standing directly above it. But just as his eyes made contact with it, the figure flew straight up into the air… only to come crashing back down through the glass.

As it landed in front of them, Ben's eyes widened in horror. _'No, it can't be!'_ But it was, the creature that he had once encountered as a human during that fateful summer vacation was standing before him once again, a year since he himself had caught and imprisoned it. Meanwhile the others were horrified by this monstrous bug-man, Jaune even almost retching when he laid his eyes on it.

"What the hell IS that thing?!" Yang exclaimed.

"I have no clue, but it NEEDS to die." Nora replied. "Like, right now please."

"Clancy." Ben said in disbelief.

That got everyone's attention. They all turned to him, Pyrrha being the one to ask the obvious question; "You know that monster?"

"More importantly: IT HAS A NAME?!" Nora yelled.

"A relatively normal name at that." Ren added.

Ben's brows furrowed. "Guys, this thing used to be a human being. I fought him a couple times when I was a kid. He's got telepathic powers that he uses to control insects, so that explains where all the mosquitos are coming from."

Pyrrha felt the need to bring up another obvious matter. "So then why is he here?"

Ben shrugged. "Beats me, we found him in a bayou and locked him up a year ago in…" The revelation hit Ben like a truck. "…In the Bellwood Plumber Headquarters."

Yang glared at Clancy as he just stood there growling at them, preparing to make his move. "Okay, so how do we beat him?"

Just as the words left her mouth, Clancy lunged at the group, catching them off guard. But then the most unexpected thing happened; Jaune, having recovered from his near-puke experience, had jumped up front and pulled out his shield, Clancy slamming his claws into it. The force pushed Jaune back, but he was able to find his footing rather quickly.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha shouted in a panic.

Jaune glanced to her out of the corner of his eye. "It's okay Pyr, I'm fine." The leader of Team JNPR looked over to his ninja teammate. "Ren, go find Blake and Sun. Help evacuate as many people as you can!"

Ren nodded. "On it!" The green ninja swiftly left, off to find their two Faunus friends.

Jaune shifted his attention to Ben, Clancy pushing harder against the shield. "Ben! Get your cousin on the line! We need all the help we can get!" The blonde knight looked back to Clancy. He reached up, grabbed Crocea Mors' handle, and pulled it right out of the shield, slicing it at the bug-man after he did. Clancy jumped back, the blade having delivered a clean slice across his pectorals, only just barely cutting through the dense exoskeleton. Jaune's next request came instantly; "Yang! I'll need some help!"

"On it!" Yang activated her Ember Celica, intending to beat this thing into the ground. She moved in and swung her fist forward, but Clancy caught it in his clawed hand before she could touch him. "EW, gross! Hands off, bug-guy!" She brought her other fist forward and punched Clancy's abdomen, unloading a Fire Dust round and forcing him to stagger back, which got him to let go of her. Yang proceeded to wail on him with everything she had, not once letting him get the opportunity to hit back.

Meanwhile, Ben was communicating to his cousin through the Omnitrix. "Gwen, please tell me you know about the bugs."

" _Sure do, I've got Kevin, Ruby, Weiss and Winter in a mana shield with me as we speak."_

"Well get this: Clancy's here."

" _WHAT?! Clancy?! How? I thought he was locked up a year ago!"_

"So did I, but apparently not. Jaune sent Ren to go find Blake and Sun to help evacuate."

A new voice came through the Omnitrix; _"Benjamin, this is Winter, can you hear me?"_

"Sure can, you got a plan?"

" _Indeed, we shall be there momentarily. Hold off this "Clancy" for as long as you can, is that clear?"_

"I've got it, see ya in a bit." Ben hung up, only to see Clancy take to the air, away from where Yang was punching him. The hero looked around, hoping to see the hallways devoid of people, only to be let down as more people were screaming for their lives. _'Dammit!'_ he yelled in his head. _'Still too many people, can't transform yet—'_

The thought quickly disappeared from Ben's mind when he saw what Clancy did next. The bug-man's entire face split in half down the middle, revealing a large maw of teeth. A swarm of angry hornets came spewing out of the giant mouth… and all of them flew straight towards Yang. The blonde's eyes widened in shock and horror as the deadly insects drew in.

At that point, Ben threw caution to the wind and said; "Screw it!" Before activating the Omnitrix and transforming into… "Heatblast!" The Pyronite surged forward and put himself between Yang and the swarm, letting lose a powerful blast of fire from his hand at the incoming insects. The hornets fell to the ground as they were burned alive, little more now than small piles of ash. Heatblast let out a breath of relief. "Man, that was close."

"You're telling me." Yang agreed. "Thanks for the save. Not sure if Aura can handle massive amounts of deadly stings."

"No problem, can never be too careful right?"

Nora took out Magnhild, readying herself for battle. "Well I think we should squash this bug! What d'ya say, guys?!"

"Right." Heatblast turned behind him to face the blonde knight. "Jaune, good work taking charge when it counted, now I've got something for you to do."

Jaune nodded. "Okay, what is it?"

Heatblast looked over to the wheelchair-bound Pyrrha. "I need you and Pyrrha to get somewhere safe. I don't want her to get anymore hurt when her leg's almost finished healing, got it?"

Pyrrha was aghast at the very idea of leaving. "Ben, you cannot be serious! We can't just leave you alone!"

Heatblast gave her a thumbs-up. "Hey, don't worry about it. When it comes to my villains, Clancy's small potatoes. He's nowhere _near_ the toughest I've beaten." Clancy growled loudly at that, earning him a glare from Heatblast. "Oh, shut up! You know you are!"

Pyrrha sighed in frustration _'I HATE being so useless like this.'_ She looked back up to Ben with a serious expression. "Very well, good luck everyone." And just like that, Jaune and Pyrrha took off in the opposite direction, leaving only Yang, Nora, and Heatblast to deal with Clancy.

The Blonde Brawler glanced over to the Pyronite. "Think it'd be a good time for that catchphrase of yours?"

"Probabaly… but how 'bout you say it?" Heatblast suggested. "I like it when other people use it."

Yang smirked before looking back to the insectoid menace. "Sounds good to me! It's Hero Time!" As Yang gave the word, the three charged straight at Clancy. The bug man took to the air and surged forward as well, his intent to destroy them all too deliberate.

* * *

To say that Gwen and her group were between a rock and a hard place was putting it mildly. All around them, multiple swarms of insects buzzed around, the only thing keeping them away being the pink mana shield. "Out of all of Ben's rogue's gallery, Clancy is the absolute LAST one I'd expect to be here." the Anodite fussed.

"Gotta admit, it's pretty random." Kevin agreed as he absorbed the tile floor. "Bug-dude's been missing for years, gets caught, and breaks out a year later, what're the odds he'd be here?"

Ruby made a suggestion. "Well, you did mention it happened at a Plumber prison, right? Shot in the dark, but maybe some of the inmates were caught in the blast?"

"Oh, crap baskets." Gwen grumbled.

Winter wasn't discouraged. "We will have to worry about that later." She looked over to her sister. "Weiss, we need to clear the way."

Weiss withdrew Myrtenaster and acknowledged her sister. "Right." Winter drew her sword and together, the Schnee sisters created a secondary barrier of Glyphs around the mana field. "Shield your eyes!" Weiss ordered, everyone doing so at her command. A huge burst of energy erupted from the Glyphs and all of the bugs blew away, the shock of the blow killing them instantly.

As the Glyphs vanished, Winter gave the word. "Now, run!" Gwen brought the mana field down and all of them began sprinting down the mall's large hallways, hoping to find their comrades.

Ruby was using her Semblance to her advantage, taking a considerable lead in front of her friends. As she dashed through the halls, leaving clusters of rose petals in her wake, she could hear the buzzing noises getting louder and louder. It could only mean one thing: she was closing in. She stopped and turned around to the others. "Guys! This way!"

The group rounded the nearest corner and their they were; Yang, Nora, and Ben as Heatblast, all three fighting Clancy. And as their eyes laid upon the bug-monster, Ruby and Weiss echoed each other's thoughts perfectly;

"Okay, that is just too gross." the Heiress reeled back in disgust.

"More than just gross, it's just wrong on so many levels." Ruby added as she pulled out Crescent Rose. "I suggest we swat it. Right now."

Kevin was all too happy to oblige. "Don't have to tell me twice." He turned his hands into a pair of hammers and rushed forward. "Hey! Buzz-brain! Quit scarin' the people!" Clancy, caught off guard, was hit by the first strike. But on the second, he managed to catch Kevin's arm with both clawed hands. Just as fast, Clancy spun Kevin around and threw him into a store front, straight through a pane-glass window.

"Kevin!" Gwen hollered in panic.

Letting out a battle cry, Ruby lunged forward, using her speed to close in on Clancy. She twirled Crescent Rose around and brought it down, only for Clancy to catch the blade between his hands before it could make contact. Grunting in frustration, Ruby pulled back with a mid-air flip, changing Crescent Rose into its sniper rifle mode and unloading round after round into Clancy, which, while the bug-man felt, only managed to lodge themselves into his exoskeleton. Gwen took advantage of the distraction and went over to the storefront to see if Kevin was okay.

Nora also decided to take the advantage. "Hey Ruby! Heads up!" She swung her hammer and hit his back, launching a grenade from the hammer head as it made impact. The hit threw Clancy forward, propelling him straight towards Ruby.

"Thanks Nora!" The Hooded Huntress changed Crescent Rose back into scythe mode and swung it, sending Clancy into a wall. Ruby then charged at him with another downward swing… only for Clancy to bring out his wings and fly upwards, narrowly dodging the attack. Ruby's frustration only grew. "Oh come ON!"

However, as she looked up at Clancy, Ruby could see a tall figure standing above the broken skylight, its features hidden by the glare of the sun. But as soon as the shadowy figure unsheathed its sword, she knew instantly who it was. Or rather, who _he_ was. The figure leapt down, and his sword changing into a scythe of his own. With a clean slice, he cut off Clancy's wings and the bug-man came crashing down to the ground, the mystery man landing in a crouch. Now in full view, he stood up and gave a heavy sigh.

"Ya just can't get a drink in the mornin' anymore without everythin' goin' ta shit now can ya?"

Ruby smiled from ear to ear. "Uncle Qrow!"

Over at the wrecked storefront, Kevin's eyes shot open, frustration written all over his face. "So the drunken asshole returns!"

Gwen, now by his side, was relieved to see him okay. "Kevin! You're not hurt, are you?"

"Don't worry, I'm not." Kevin answered as he sat up. "I only faked being hurt to wait for an opening on Buzz-brain, but then HE decides to show up at the last minute."

Winter wasn't all too happy about the drunkard's presence either. "What are you doing here Branwen?" she asked harshly. "We had this under control."

Qrow shrugged it off. "Relax Ice Queen, as fun as it sounds, I'm not here to argue with ya. Just here to see what the hell's goin' on." He looked around him, inspecting the sorry state of the mall. "Besides, from where I'm standing, things don't seem very "under control". Do Atlesians just have a different definition of those words than the rest of the world?"

That was Weiss' trigger. "How DARE you!" she made to step forward, only for Winter to hold her back.

"Calm yourself, Weiss. Our quarrel is not with him at this time."

"But Winter, he basically just _insulted_ us!"

Ruby had to agree with her partner. "Yeah, really not cool Uncle Qrow."

"Aw c'mon Shortstack." Qrow pleaded. "I'm just havin' a bit a' fun is all."

Gwen's eyes narrowed. "Well if that's the case then maybe _your_ definition of FUN is way off."

"All depends on your perspective, kid."

From where they stood, both Yang and Heatblast had heard enough. "CAN WE _FOCUS_?!" both shouted ad verbatim.

But it was too late. Clancy was up again, and he was angrier than ever before. His wings had been clipped. They would all die for this. His maw opened again and he began spewing out more insects down at his feet, cockroaches to be accurate. As everyone looked on in disgust, the cockroaches began to cover Clancy until he was covered from head to toe. The bugs had turned him into a large golem made entirely out of cockroaches.

"Oh yeah, forgot he could do that." Heatblast recalled.

"Everyone stand back!" Weiss called out as she withdrew Myrtenaster once again. She spun the revolving barrel in its hilt to the Fire Dust setting and pulled the trigger, the rapier instantly lighting up in a bright fiery red. Weiss made an upward swipe with her weapon and a large wave of fire shot out of Myrtenaster's blade straight at the golem. The armored Clancy turned around and crossed his arms and took the attack, the blazing wave merely scattering a few roaches off of him. Weiss was aghast at what happened. "It did nothing?! How is that possible? Those creepy little things should have burned to bits!"

Gwen had the answer. "Weiss, cockroaches have been known to survive nuclear explosions! A little heat's not going to stop them!"

Winter stepped forward and drew her blade. "Well, then perhaps this will." The elder Schnee summoned a Glyph, her concentration focused solely on it. A bright light emerged, and from out of it came a stark white Beowulf, its eyes and mouth glowing a haunting blue, a bone-chilling howl escaping its mouth as it appeared.

Needless to say, the Alien Trio were shocked at its appearance. "Huh, so I guess that's what she meant by "Summoning"." Kevin said.

The Beowulf lunged forward, pouncing onto the roach golem like it was easy prey. Clancy and the Beowulf scuffled on the ground, both dealing blows to one another. But for as many times that the Beowulf swiped at Clancy with its deadly claws, the more it seemed that the roaches weren't going anywhere. Clancy on the other hand was making powerful blows to the Grimm, slowly but surely taking the advantage. It was all too soon when Clancy took dominance and beat the Grimm into the ground, making it dissipate into thin air as it was defeated.

But what Clancy did not expect was for Winter to be right behind him as the Beowulf disappeared. The creature was but a simple distraction. Winter stabbed her blade at Clancy's midsection, but instead of a pain-filled gasp, what she got was roaches crawling down her blade, forcing her to take it out of the golem. She opened the hidden compartment on her primary blade and pulled out her secondary one. With great agility, Winter strafed around Clancy, making precise slices as she went around him. But for as many roaches that she sliced in half, more just seemed to take their place. She was getting nowhere fast, and she knew it. Clancy reeled back a fist and intended to smack Winter away, but the Altesian woman did a masterful backflip away from the golem, landing back several feet.

"Gwendolyn!" she hollered to the redhead. "How did you defeat Clancy before? That may be the key to our victory!" As she spoke, Qrow and Ruby had moved in and tried their hand at Clancy with their scythes, hoping to at least slow the golem down a little.

Gwen instantly knew the answer. "Funny you should mention that." She looked over to her cousin. "Ben! You remember which alien you were when you beat Clancy the first time right?"

"Well yeah," he pointed to himself. "I was Heatblast."

Gwen nodded. "Right, but you remember the circumstances at the time, right?"

Heatblast's eyes widened in revelation. "My cold! That's right!" Heatblast pushed the Omnitrix and he instantly transformed into a different alien, this one being a black and blue creature with green compound eyes and a lean humanoid body. His hands had three claws while his feet only had two, and a large cloak covered most of his body. But it wasn't a cloak at all, rather a set of four moth-like wings that folded over themselves to _resemble_ a cloak. The wings unfolded and Ben took to the air, shouting this transformation's name through gritted teeth;

"Big Chill." The Necrofiggian flew toward Clancy and he breathed flurry of snow and ice onto the roach golem, freezing him in place. "Sorry to put you on _ice_ Clancy."

Back where she was standing, Yang shrugged. "A bit on the nose, but solid quip either way."

"Thanks. You really can't beat the classics." Big Chill spoke back in his calm, raspy voice. He looked over to the younger Schnee. "Weiss, use your Fire Dust again. Shatter our ice sculpture, if you would please."

"On it." Weiss loaded another vile of Fire Dust into Myrtenaster and pulled the trigger, the blade heating up once again. She stabbed the iced-up golem and, from the entry point down to Myrtenaster's tip, the ice began to break apart, the rapier acting as a hot metal spike. Weiss removed her weapon and the ice shattered, but while the roaches were still trapped in the chunks of ice, Clancy himself fell out onto the ground, dazed and confused.

Yang had a wicked smirk as she moved over to the fallen bug-man. "Well now, looks like you've got a ticket to Hurtsville, Mr. Clancy." She picked him up and held him up high. "Just gotta make a quick stop to Punch City." Yang dealt a swift Fire Dust fueled uppercut to Clancy's midsection, sending him straight up high into the air. "Nora! Finish this!"

"Gotcha!" Nora launched herself into the air on Magnhild, sailing right toward Clancy. She met him mid-air and swung her hammer. And, as the hammer made impact, she launched one last grenade, the force sending him straight into a wall.

As the group approach him, they noticed that Clancy was still quite conscious, so Gwen was all too quick to restrain him in a mana tether. The bug-man was equally fast to start struggling against his entrapment, hoping to break free and flee however far his legs could carry him.

Ben changed back to normal and was quick to make another quip. "Sorry Clancy, but you just _bugged_ us too much."

Yang playfully shoved him with her elbow. "Two for two, you're on a roll, Green Boy."

"Heh, thanks Goldie Locks, I try." Ben looked back at Clancy, the former human being still struggling to free himself from the mana restraints. "So, what do we do with him?"

Winter pulled out a scroll and began dialing a number. "I will contact General Ironwood at once. He will have a special containment unit on standby."

Kevin pulled his Plumber's Badge out. "And I'll call Max, let him know what happened. He'll wanna hear this."

Ruby got a closer look at the monstrous insect man. "Yeesh, he's even creepier up close."

At her proximity, Clancy snapped at Ruby, causing the girl to recoil back, but also for Gwen to visibly flinch. "Guys, if he keeps squirming, it's going to put more strain on me to keep this thing holding him." the redhead pointed out.

Yang lightly pat Gwen's shoulder. "It's okay, I've got this." She stepped forward and punched Clancy square in the face, knocking him out cold.

* * *

"So let me get this straight…" Sun began. "You guys fought a giant bug monster… and you DIDN'T invite us?!"

The whole group was now outside, Ren, Blake and Sun having escorted everyone off the premises. Clancy had since been put in two pairs of energy cuffs that Kevin had got from his car, one pair around his wrists and the other on his ankles. The bug-man was laid out on the ground, still unconscious, with Jaune and Pyrrha looking at him with unease, hoping that he wouldn't get back up anytime soon.

"Believe me dude." Jaune said. "From what I've seen, you don't wanna be eye to eye with this thing."

"You're telling me." Blake agreed. "I can't believe this thing used to be human. How did he get this way?"

"We've never been one-hundred percent sure," Gwen answered, "but we're pretty confident that it was Dr. Animo who did this to him all those years ago."

Hearing the name, Ruby brought it into question. "Dr. Animo? That's kind of a weird name."

Kevin nodded. "Yeah, the guy's super into experimenting on animals, turning them into mutated freaks. Apparently his first soiree into mutating humans into freaky animal hybrids didn't go as well as he'd hoped."

"Yeah, Animo's pretty out there." Ben confirmed. "And hey, if you wanna see worse, I can name plenty more bad guys that look WAY worse than Clancy."

"Bad guys which I'm sure are here." Gwen reminded. "Ben, we probably weren't the only ones brought here after all."

"I know, and that's what worries me." In the distance, Ben saw a familiar vehicle approaching, one that he was all too happy to see. "Look, here comes Grandpa!" At the sound of loud turbines, the group looked up to see a Bullhead coming down to land in the vacant parking lot. "Huh, and Ironwood too, it seems."

Winter nodded. "Indeed. Wait here everyone, I must debrief General Ironwood." She glared over to Qrow. "You too, Branwen."

Qrow visibly deflated. "Ugh, FINE. Have it your way Ice Queen"

As the two made their way over to greet the General, the Rustbucket pulled into the parking lot, and the first one out of it actually wasn't Max, but rather a concerned Tai who flung the door open in his rush. "Yang! Ruby! Are you girls alright?!"

"Aw jeez, here we go." Yang mumbled to herself.

Ruby waved to her father. "Hi Dad! We beat up a bug monster!"

Tai looked down at said monster with widened eyes. "I can see that, honey. Nobody's hurt though right?"

Yang rolled her eyes. "Ugh, Dad, relax. Everyone's fine, you've got nothing to worry about. Besides, it's not like we don't know how to handle ourselves you know."

Tai sighed. "You're right sweetheart, I'm sorry." He looked back down at Clancy. "But man, that thing's ugly."

"So we've been told." Ben looked back to the RV and saw Max get out. "Hey Grandpa."

Max smiled at his grandson. "Hello Ben, glad to see you're all safe." The old man looked down at Clancy as well. "So, Clancy IS here after all."

"Trust me Grandpa, I wouldn't fib about something like this." Ben's features grew serious. "You know what this means right?"

Max nodded and his hand went to his chin in contemplation. "Yes, seems like some of your villains may have followed us here by accident."

"Right, but I'm concerned as to _who_ might be here exactly. Do you have a backup data base of the bad guys who were imprisoned at the headquarters?"

"I do, it's in the Rustbucket. When we get back to the house, we'll go over it to see who may or may not be here."

Ben smiled. "Thanks Grandpa, that'll help a lot." At the sound of approaching footsteps, Ben turned around to be greeted by General Ironwood, the man standing straight at attention. Ben felt it only necessary to salute. "Hello, General."

Ironwood returned the salute. "Greetings Ben." The General looked around to everyone else there. "And to all of you as well. I hope things haven't been too crazy these past few days."

Yang shook her head. "Nah, beating up a bug-man actually gave us a good rush, right Nora?"

"Hell yeah!" The hyper girl yelled as she held up her hammer. "After morning training, this guy was just what we needed to keep our adrenaline goin'!"

"I see." Ironwood said with a nod. "And I can also see that your results were positive…" he looked down at Clancy and sneered in disgust. "…if not repulsive." Ironwood looked back to the group. "But nonetheless, thank you everyone. You managed to defeat this monster, and I assume you also evacuatated everyone to safety."

"We did." Blake confirmed. "Sun, Ren and I made sure to get everyone out as quick as possible."

"Excellent work Blake, and again, thank you. Also, it might please you to know that Adam Taurus has been taken to Atlas and put in solitary confinement. He won't be out of there anytime soon."

In her mind, a giant weight had been lifted from Blake's subconscious. She sighed with relief. "Thank you General, it means a lot."

"You're very welcome." He turned his attention back to Clancy. "Well, I'd best get this one into a cell as well. One that's far away from any insects."

Ben stepped forward. "Actually General, before you go, there's something that's worrying me about Clancy being here."

"And that would be?"

"The explosion that transported us here actually happened in front of our Plumber Headquarters. But the thing is, that outpost also served as a prison for many of our alien criminals. So if Clancy's here, that means there could be more of my enemies here too."

Ironwood put a hand to his chin. "I see, then… that could mean that what we've been experiencing on the mainland could be the result of that as well."

That got not only Ben's, but everyone's attention. "What do you mean by that, General?" Pyrrha asked.

"Is there something going on back in Vale?" Jaune added.

Ironwood turned to Winter. "You didn't tell them yet?"

"I was going to tell them after our outing at the mall." Winter explained. "But after what happened, I believe now is as good a time as any."

Weiss was totally confused. "Winter, what're you talking about? What's going on?"

"Steady yourself little sister, and I will explain." Winter focused on the group with her stoic expression. "General Ironwood told me this the moment I landed in Vale. As it turns out, since you all left the mainland two days ago, there have been some strange goings on in Forever Fall."

"Do you think it may be the Grimm?" Ren asked.

"Ren's got a point." Ruby supported. "That could be where they all went after they attacked."

"We thought that at first as well," Winter continued, "and the Grimm _are_ there. However, the scouting teams that were sent into the woods reported back more than just standard Grimm sightings. Many of them came back greatly injured, claiming to have seen horrid monsters that merely _resembled_ the Grimm, but they couldn't get a close enough look at them to confirm what they were."

"Hmm, seems a bit weird if you ask me." Gwen commented. "How can there be creatures that _look_ like Grimm, but aren't Grimm at the same time?"

"Yeah, sounds mysterious." Ben thought about it for a moment before giving his answer. "Alright, here's what we'll do. We'll go over the database of criminals here and report our findings to you tomorrow. If things over there start to get worse, call us immediately and we'll be over there to help out. That sound good?"

Ironwood couldn't agree more. "Sounds excellent, Ben. We'll let you know if anything changes." The General picked up the unconscious Clancy and began to lug him aboard the Bullhead. "I hope to hear from you soon everyone. And thanks again!"

As Ironwood boarded the ship, Winter faced her sister. "Well little sister, it seems like I am going back to the main land."

"Yeah." Weiss shrugged. "But hey, at least we can see each other more often. Maybe then you can give me some more pointers on Summoning."

Winter chuckled. "We'll see." The Schnee sisters hugged each other before Winter addressed the group. "And it was a pleasure meeting all of you as well. I look forward to working with all of you in the future."

Gwen smiled at the elder Schnee. "Same here Winter. And thanks for your help too."

"Of course, Gwendolyn. I was glad to be of service." Winter gave a respectful bow. "Farewell, may our next meeting be a positive one."

"Couldn't have said it better myself."

Meanwhile, Qrow was also saying his goodbyes. "Well Shortstack, looks like it's time for me to head back too."

Ruby was disappointed. "AW! But you just got here!"

Qrow ruffled her hair. "I know, I know, but there's still lotsa work to do. And as much as I don't wanna, I've gotta. But hey, I'll probably see you again soon, 'kay kiddo?"

Ruby sighed. "Alright, but next time you come home, it better be for a bit longer!"

"Heh, 'course." Qrow shoved his hands into his pockets and strolled away, passing by Yang on his way to the Bullhead. "See ya Firecracker, make sure you and your sister keep up your trainin', got me?"

"Sure thing." Yang furrowed her brows. "Just so long as you stop giving Winter so much shit. She's got enough to deal with outside of putting up with you, old man."

Qrow narrowed his eyes at the "old man" remark. "Man, you're serious about this."

"Hell yeah, I am."

Qrow's shoulder's slumped. "Fine, I won't bother Ice Queen… much." And with that, Qrow was the last to board the Bullhead and it took off, leaving an exasperated Yang staring after it in frustration.

"At this rate, he'll probably never learn." she said with her arms crossed.

Ben walked up to her with some words of encouragement. "Hey, don't give up so soon. One of these days, he's gonna find out the hard way that it isn't very nice to pick on people. Just give it time. It's like the the saying goes: "karma's a bitch"."

That got Yang to laugh. "HA! You bet it is. Now c'mon, I think I'm done with this place today." She began walking over to Bumblebee, looking forward to getting home.

Ben was following her in an instant. "Right behind ya."

* * *

After the group returned home and everyone put their new clothes away in their respective rooms, Ben, Gwen, Kevin and Grandpa Max got right to work going over the Plumber database in the Rustbucket. Team RWBY, Team JNPR and Sun were waiting outside of the motorhome to hear the verdict of their analysis.

"So, think the world might be in more danger than it already may be?" Jaune asked.

"Don't worry Jaune." Pyrrha reassured. "I am sure that it cannot be that bad."

"Yeah!" Nora shouted. "Besides, if there ARE any big baddies, that means this whole thing will be twice as awesome!"

Ren set a hand on her shoulder. "I'm not sure if Ben will even let us fight them all Nora. Ben mentioned that Clancy was smaller-time compared to his other rogues, remember."

Ruby seemed to think the opposite. "C'mon Ren. Ben trusts us, I'm sure he'll let us help in anyway we can." She looked over to her sister. "What do you think, sis?"

Yang grinned. "Rubes, I think this'll be the start of something big."

Just as she said that, the Alien Trio and Grandpa Max came out of the Rustbucket, with Ben having a confident smile. "Alright guys, we've finished our analysis."

"So, how bad is it?" Blake asked.

"Not bad actually." Max answered. "Sure there were plenty of prisoners here, but none of the big time ones that we'd really have to worry about."

"We know that Vilgax has escaped and is somewhere back in our dimension." Gwen clarified. "But Albedo has been kept in an Incarcecon prison for a well over a year now."

"And Aggregor was sent to the Null Void." Kevin added. "So nothing to worry about with those three."

Sun wasn't sure what to make of that. "So that's… good, right?"

"Sure is." Ben confirmed. "That means most of the ones here are mostly small-time villains with a few bigger baddies in between. Not as big as those three though, so we should be good."

Weiss inquired further. "Okay, so what does that leave us with?"

"Almost every earth-based villain I've faced. Not everyone, but still a lot of them." Ben stood up straight and addressed the group with a bit more of a serious tone. "Guys, I'm sorry for bringing most of my bad guys here with me, but if we want to round them up and get them back to where they belong, I'm going to need your help."

Ruby stood up. "Ben, you've got nothing to worry about. Team RWBY's definitely behind you."

Weiss nodded. "Right, we can't just let these freaks roam around free."

Blake joined in. "We all have a responsibility to protect our world. That's what Hunters and Huntresses do. Even if we _are_ only in training."

Jaune followed up. "Well if that's the case, then Team JNPR's in too."

Pyrrha was all too eager to add to that. "Agreed, I already owe you all for saving my life, Ben. It's the least I can do to return the favor."

Nora jumped to her feet and pumped her fists into the air. "YES! We get to fight ALIEN OUTLAWS!"

"It will be a long mission," Ren pointed out, "but they're right. This is something we must do."

Sun shrugged. "Hey, I'm game. Better than sitting through classes every day, that's for sure."

Yang gave Ben a light punch to the shoulder. "Don't worry Green Boy, we've got your back."

Ben laughed, relieved that everyone was willing to help. "Ha, alright, so it's unanimous. If that's the case, then it looks like we've got a job to do." Ben put his hand out with the palm facing down. "So then… team?" Yang put her hand in over his, followed by Gwen, Kevin, the rest of Team RWBY, Team JNPR, and Sun, all in agreement. Ben smiled. "Well then, I guess you all know what time it is right?"

With a mighty echo, the whole group belted out; "IT'S HERO TIME!"

* * *

**A/N: Hot DAMN! That's actually the longest chapter yet! (Spoilers from future me, it DOES get longer) But in any case, the plot's starting to move along. How will our heroes fair against a bunch of dangerous (and some not-so-dangerous) outlaws? We'll just have to see, now won't we? In any case… Next Time! Jaune gets a bit of a wake-up call… and Pyrrha's mother finally arrives. See ya!**


	16. Mom's the Word

**A/N: Okay, so this chapter officially brings in MY version of Pyrrha's mother, Athena Nikos, who is a Huntress from Argus. She plays a bit of a supporting role in this story, so expect to see her quite a bit going forward. In any case, on with the show! This is…**

**Chapter 16: Mom's the Word**

* * *

As the sun rose over the city of Vale, two lone figures stood at an airship dock outside of the local airport… or rather what was left of the airport after the attack three days prior. General James Ironwood, head of the Altesian Army and Headmaster of Altas Academy, and Glynda Goodwitch, the new Headmistress of Beacon Academy, were waiting for a special guest to make her arrival. Rarely was Glynda ever nervous about meeting the parents of her students, but under this set of circumstances, she could feel a combination of guilt and nervousness eating away at her consciousness. And the worst part? The General had noticed.

"Glynda, are you sure you're alright? If you feel you aren't ready to meet her, you can…"

"NO!" Glynda shouted. After realizing the volume of her answer came out louder than intended, she cleared her throat and straightened herself. "No James, I'm fine. It's just… I have no idea how she will react. Will she blame me for what happened to her daughter? Or will she blame Ozpin? Because if that's the case, she will be _very_ disappointed that he's not here so she can chew him out."

James chuckled. "Glynda, it's alright. I've known Athena for a long time, and I can assure you that she is not one to hold a grudge."

Glynda was shocked. "Wait, you know her?"

"Indeed, I do. My position has allowed me to collaborate with many different Hunters and Huntresses around the world. Athena has actually been one of my more frequent co-workers. She and I have faced many threats, but we've managed to pull through time and again." James' brought a hand to his chin in thought. "Although, I haven't seen her for quite some time. Almost five years, really."

It was then that another rare occurrence happened: Glynda had a sly look on her face. "Ah, do I detect an old flame being reignited?"

James laughed at that. "Ha! Me? And Athena? Oh no, not in a million years. We're simply friends, nothing more. Besides, in my line of work, intimate relationships are nearly impossible to keep balanced."

"That's… rather sad James."

Now a smirk came to James' face. "And I suppose _you_ are an expert on the subject, Glynda?"

"Ha, more than you will _ever_ be." At the sound of nearing turbines, Glynda looked off into the distance to see an Airship approaching the city. "Well, that must be her flight."

James steadied himself. "Just be ready, Athena can be quite… exuberant." The Airship landed and its many passengers began pouring out. Almost all of them were either concerned parents or extended family, having come to make sure their children were alright. As the crowd moved past James and Glynda, the General could see something that blatantly stood out in the crowd; bright red hair. As the people moved past, the woman came fully into view and James waved to gain her attention. "Athena! Over here!"

At the sound of her name, the woman's green eyes darted in his direction and a smile instantly came to her face when she saw him. "James?! James _Ironwood_?! Is that you?" She set her luggage down and went over to them in a light jog.

James nodded. "Yes, it is. It's been too long—oof!"

Much to Glynda's surprise, Athena pulled James into a soul-crushing hug, wrapping her arms around him in a strong embrace. Her smile had turned into a big toothy grin, her eyes squeezed shut. "By the Gods James, it's been FAR too long! I'm so glad to SEE YOU!"

As she hugged him even tighter, James could swear he could hear a few pops in his spine. He had forgotten how much of a hugger Athena was. He struggled to get words out. "Heh, good to see you too, Athena. But would you mind letting go? I can't breathe."

Athena's eyes shot open and she released her hold on the General. "OH! James, I am SO sorry. I was just so excited to see you after all these years."

"As am I Athena." James grinned. "You haven't changed a bit since I last saw you."

Athena smirked. "And neither have you… aside from a few grey hairs. Stress I take it?"

"Heh, believe me, it suits my lifestyle." James led the Mistralian woman over to Glynda. "And I believe you know Glynda Goodwitch, correct?"

"Ah, yes! We talked briefly on the comms." Athena shook Glynda's hand with gusto. "A pleasure to meet you in person, Miss Goodwitch. I am Athena Nikos, although simply "Athena" will suffice."

As Athena rapidly shook her hand, Glynda shakily replied; "Th-thank y-y-you. N-nice to m-m-meet you t-too." The Nikos matriarch let go of Glynda's hand and the Headmistress was able to finally take the woman in after readjusting her glasses. Aside from the red hair and green eyes that she shared with her daughter, Athena was a head taller than James, which astounded her. She wore a red t-shirt and white chino pants with a pair of red and white canvas shoes adorning her feet. Glynda cleared her throat. "It's a pleasure to meet such an accomplished Huntress such as yourself, Athena."

"Haha, thank you Glynda, but I'm mostly retired nowadays. I had child to raise so I've only occasionally went on missions since my dear Pyrrha was born."

"Yes, which reminds me." James jumped in. "I checked in with your daughter last afternoon and for the most part, things over on Patch are doing well."

Athena brightened up even more. "That is excellent news! I myself called her yesterday and she did seem in good spirits. Oh, I cannot wait to get over there!"

"I'm sure." Glynda said. "What will be the first thing you do when you arrive?"

Athena seemed to calm down a little and her smile became softer. "Hmm, the first thing? The first thing I HAVE to do… will be to hug my daughter. It has been nearly a year since she left her home, and I _need_ to see my little girl."

Glynda nodded. "Very understandable. However, the first ferry to Patch doesn't leave for another few hours yet. Would you like to join us for breakfast in the meantime? I'm sure you must be starving for some decent food, Athena."

At the mention of food, Athena's stomach grumbled quite audibly, causing the woman to blush and laugh. "HAHAHA! Oh my, it seems I AM a bit famished. It's true what they say about airline food by the way, it is _awful_. I would love to join you for breakfast."

James was in full agreement. "Great, it'll give us a chance to catch up after all these years. Plus, there are somethings I should inform you about before you go over there."

"Hehe, yes of course James, lead the way." Before they departed, Athena gazed across the water to see the just barely visible island of Patch off in the distance.

' _I shall see you soon my dear Pyrrha.'_ she thought to herself. _'I cannot wait to see how being so far from home has made you grow.'_

* * *

The first thing that Jaune saw as his eyes fluttered open was the darkness of the room. Confusion immediately took over as he slowly but surely began to look around, seeing the other members of his team sound asleep. He got up from the bottom bunk of the bunk-bed that he shared with Ren and made his way over to the clock, his suspicions confirmed the moment his groggy eyes saw the time;

"6:34?" Jaune said quietly. "Ugh, like I feared. Now my sleep clock's been thrown off." He had been afraid of this since getting up so early the previous morning thanks to Gwen's six o'clock breakfast. It would take days until he was able to sleep in again. "Thanks Gwen."

Jaune went over to get the clothes that he'd be wearing that day and sat down on his bottom bunk… which also happened to be directly across from the bottom bunk occupied by Pyrrha, the redheaded warrior sound asleep with her leg propped up on a pillow. The moment his eyes settled upon her from across the way, Jaune's mind went directly back to that night. The night that Beacon was attacked, the night when Ben and his team arrived and saved the day, the night he had thought he'd lost Pyrrha for good… and the moment when she had kissed him.

As that moment replayed over and over in Jaune's head, the fluttering feeling in his stomach that he had felt yesterday came back. It was a good feeling, and he didn't want it to stop. His mind began racing as his memories focused solely on that kiss. It made him feel nervous, yet at the same time, happy as well.

' _How in the heck could I have been so DENSE?!'_ he screamed in his head. _'I should have known since the freaking DANCE and I still had no clue!'_ Jaune sighed. _'Oh, who're you kidding Jaune, a part of you HAD known since the dance. You just had no clue how to handle it did ya? You let your fruitless crush on Weiss blind you to Pyrrha's feelings for god knows how long. Awesome job, just awesome.'_

He was chastising himself. It was a practice that he'd grown accustomed to over the years. Jaune frequently found himself belittling his own decisions whenever he'd screw up. His hands gripped the side of the bed until his knuckles turned white, his frustration with himself ever growing. He knew what these feelings inside of him meant, but he had no idea how to approach them.

As his eyes laid upon Pyrrha once again, he resolved to himself that he couldn't figure things out while in the same room as her, even if she was asleep. He got dressed and went downstairs, hoping to clear his head. But once he descended the stairs, he was surprised to hear chatter going on even further down in the basement. Sure, he expected Gwen to be up this early, but Ben and Kevin too? With curiosity getting the better of him, he went down into the basement, finding the Alien Trio huddled on a single couch and going over some sort of holographic display.

"Okay, so Charmcaster's still in Ledgerdomain right?" Kevin asked.

Gwen sighed. "Yeah, no need to worry about Hope. I'm still trying to figure out how to get back on her good side."

Ben nodded. "Yeah, probably better to have her as an ally instead of an enemy. What about the Vreedles?"

Kevin shrugged. "Last I heard, they went to Plumber training camp. But from the reports I've seen, they haven't been doing all that well."

"Ugh, as expected." Ben said as he shook his head. "Those two are complete screw-ups no matter what situation they're in."

It was at that point that Jaune decided to make himself known. "Uh, morning guys."

At the sound of his voice, the three turned around, Gwen with a welcoming smile. "Good morning Jaune, surprised to see you up. Didn't want to sleep in?"

"Heh, more like _couldn't_ sleep in. What're you guys doin'?"

"Just going over our criminal database again." Ben answered. "We're doing a headcount to make sure we haven't missed anyone. C'mon over, have a seat."

"Uh sure." As Jaune approached, he slowly started to see another person occupying the other couch. He looked down and to his surprise, he saw the last person he'd ever expect to see up at this hour. "Yang?"

True to form Yang was laying on the full length of the second couch, still in her sleep clothes and her eyes just barely open. Next to her on the end table was one of the biggest mugs that Jaune had ever seen, filled to the brim with coffee. Her eyes mindlessly glanced to him, her irritation evident. Not at him, but rather at being up in general. "Hey Vomit Boy."

Jaune took a wild guess. "Your internal sleep clock's been thrown off too, I take it?"

"Thrown WAY the hell out of whack." She confirmed. "Been up since six o'clock. Can't get back to sleep. I blame Gwen for everything."

"Hey!" The Anodite rebuked. "I made you guys breakfast yesterday! What're you blaming ME for?"

Yang grumpily looked over to her. "You need to earn your passes Gwen, I don't give 'em out for free."

Gwen wasn't backing down. "Oh no you don't I am NOT everyone's automatic breakfast machine."

"Aw, figures." Yang huffed and turned around on her side, facing the couch cushions.

Ben rolled his eyes with a grin before getting up and making his way over to the other couch. "Alright, Goldie Locks, come on. If you want breakfast that badly, then _I'll_ make it for you."

That got Yang's attention. She turned back over and looked up at him. "Really?"

"Sure, you're hungry and I'm getting a bit hungry myself too. So what do you say?"

With the initial shock of him offering to _cook_ for her wearing off, Yang reached her arms up and groggily said; "Alright, but do you think you can help me up please? I'm still half-asleep."

Ben chuckled as he took her hand. "Sure, c'mon up you go." He hauled her up and Yang grabbed her mug of joe, following him close behind as they went up the stairs.

"You really don't have to do this Green Boy."

Ben smiled. "Maybe not, but I want to."

Yang let out a gentle laugh. "Ha, thanks, you're really sweet for doing this ya know."

Ben blushed at what she said. "Heh, well I try."

As the two went upstairs, Jaune sat next to Gwen and Kevin, all three of them looking at the holoscreen. "So no one's out of place, right? It's just whoever's in this database?" asked the blonde kight.

"Pretty much." Kevin answered as he continued to scroll through the mug shots. "Lotta these guys are mostly small-time criminals with dangerous abilities. If we had to handle some of our bigger threats, _then_ we'd have a problem." As Kevin scrolled through, he stopped on a mugshot of a woman with pale skin, black lipstick and red spikey hair, her mouth twisted into a snarl. "Jeez lady, smile why don't ya?"

Jaune reeled back at the photo. "Yeesh, you're telling me. Who IS that woman?"

"That would be Rojo." Gwen explained. "Ben and I first ran into her when we were kids. Originally, she used alien tech to steal jewelry and other valuables. But since getting better knowledge of aliens and the bigger universe, she became a bounty hunter."

"Trust me dude, you don't wanna meet this bitch in a dark alley." Kevin added. "She'll probably skin you alive."

Jaune was even more creeped out by the mugshot. "If that's the case, then I don't think I'd ever want to meet her, _period_."

"Well, you may have to." Gwen pointed out. "You guys are going to be helping us after all."

"Heh, right, of course." As Jaune leaned against the armrest of the sofa, his mind couldn't help but go back to the subject he'd woken up to; Pyrrha. He propped his chin up on his hand and began to space out in his thoughts, wondering how he could best approach the situation he was in.

But as he continued to think, he failed to notice that he had gained the attention of a certain other redhead in the room. "Hey Jaune, you okay?"

At Gwen's question, Jaune turned his head to her with wide eyes. He'd been caught staring into space. So he did what he was good at: faking it. "Uhhh, yeah! I'm good Gwen, thanks for asking!" he said with a fake smile.

Gwen wasn't buying it. "You're sure? Because you're free to talk about anything and I'll listen."

Jaune was about to rebuke her claims again, but then he stopped himself. _'Dude,'_ he told himself, _'if Gwen is willing to help you, you should go for it.'_ He let his guard down and went for it. "Actually Gwen, yeah, there's this… awkward situation that I'm dealing with. It's a bit personal, but I trust you. Think you can help me?"

Gwen smiled. _'Checkmate.'_ She had known what he was talking about. Now it was all a matter of giving the right advice. "Of course, Jaune." She turned to her boyfriend. "Kevin, mind if we have some privacy?"

Kevin sighed. "Okay, sure." He pointed a finger at Jaune. "But don't get any ideas Blondie."

Jaune swallowed hard. "Uh, sure no prob—"

But Kevin just laughed. "Hey man, just kiddin'. See you guys in a bit." Kevin went upstairs, leaving a very confused Jaune and a happy Gwen behind.

"I… am getting very mixed messages from him." Jaune said.

"He's means well Jaune. Trust me." Gwen crossed her legs, moving her arm to the armrest. "So, what'd you want to talk about?"

"Oh! Right. Well… um, you see it's like this. During the Battle of Beacon, Pyrrha and I got separated from everyone else. And as you know she went to the tower to fight Cinder."

"Yes, I do, so what's the big deal?" Gwen asked, already knowing the answer.

"U-uh, w-well, before all that happened, she shoved me into a rocket locker and sent me to the city… but before she did… Pyrrha kind of… sort of…"

Gwen dropped the pretense right there. "Jaune, I know what happened."

Jaune's brows shot up and his eyes widened in panic. "W-w-what?"

"I know about the kiss. Pyrrha told both me and Ben about it when we saved her at the top of the tower."

Jaune turned pale at the revelation. "Oh… crap."

Gwen raised a hand. "Relax, I'm not going to tell anyone else. I'm not that kind of person. But you and Pyrrha have to talk about it at some point yourselves."

After a long moment's pause from shock, Jaune let out a relenting sigh. "You're right Gwen, I DO have to talk to her... it's just... I'm really nervous about it."

Gwen nodded. "Believe me, I get it, but you two can't just ignore it forever—"

"I'm not just talking about the kiss!" Jaune cut her off. He looked away for a few seconds, running his hands through his hair as Gwen's curiosity grew. When Jaune turned back, he took a deep breath and exhaled, ready to continue. "I'm nervous because... I'm starting to feel the same way about her."

Gwen broke out into a big smile. "What's there to be nervous about?! Jaune, that's GREAT news!"

"Well, yeah, but all I keep thinking about is how much of a jerk I've been to her."

Gwen's smile turned into an incredulous look. "Jaune, I don't know about you, but I'd hardly call what you've been doing for her for the last two days "jerkish"."

"I meant _before_ all of this happened." the blonde knight clarified. "You see, for the longest time… I had a crush on Weiss." As he said this, Gwen's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I had been trying to ask her to go out with me for nearly half a year. And every time I asked, she turned me down. Then came the school dance at Beacon. When I was stuck after trying everything I could to ask Weiss to the dance… Pyrrha gave me advice on how to just be honest and ask her out normally."

Gwen asked the big question. "And?"

"Weiss asked Neptune to the dance before I could ask her." Jaune's shoulders drooped. "I lost every bit of confidence I had."

Gwen had no idea what to say. "Jaune, I… I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'm long over it. I stopped trying to ask Weiss out a long time ago. Besides, if the dance taught me anything, it's that you never realize how important a person can be to you… until you wear a dress for them."

Gwen's eyes narrowed in confusion. "You had me and then you lost me just as quick."

Jaune chuckled. "Heh, yeah, you see I kinda made a promise to Pyrrha that if she couldn't find a date to the dance, I'd wear a dress _at_ the dance. Nobody asked her, which I was shocked about. And then she told me that _I_ was the kind of guy that she had wanted to go with. So, I changed out of my tux… and into a dress that I borrowed from Yang."

At that point, Gwen's jaw had nearly hit the floor. _'My god, he's such a lovable idiot. I can see why Pyrrha's in love with him. Still, I've gotta set him straight.'_ Gwen composed herself, moved closer to Jaune, and narrowed her eyes at him. The blonde knight wasn't sure what was going on, but his nervousness was growing at her gaze.

"Uh, Gwen, did I say something wrong—aggh!" Gwen had grabbed hold of his collar and pulled his head down so that he was eye level with her, making sure she got the point across.

"Listen to me Jaune Arc. If you're willing to go so far as to keep your word on wearing a freaking DRESS for Pyrrha, then that shows just how committed you are, right?"

"R-right, but—"

"But nothing!" Gwen exclaimed, causing Jaune to flinch. Realizing what she was doing, Gwen took a deep breath and calmed herself, letting go of Jaune's collar. "I'm sorry Jaune, but what you've just told me was one of the sweetest, most ridiculous things I've ever heard. I mean if Kevin did something like that for me, I think I'd faint in disbelief. And let me tell you something else." Gwen pointed up the stairs. "That girl upstairs? The one that you've been partners with? She _adores_ the HELL out of you. And Jaune, if it's any indication, you've proven to be one of the sweetest guys ever for what you've done for her. As much as she's done for you, I know you've repaid her in kind. In fact, I think you've given her even more than just that."

As Jaune looked up the stairs, he felt a switch click on in his head. Without even looking at her, he said; "Gwen?"

"Yes, Jaune?"

"I am a complete idiot."

Gwen let out a laugh. "Haha! Don't worry Jaune, we've all been there, believe me."

"Even Ben?"

"ESPECIALLY Ben! My god, if it weren't for my help, that boy would be stewing in a pot of his own awkwardness."

"And THAT isn't the weirdest image ever." Jaune said sarcastically. "So… what should I do?"

With a sincere smile, Gwen put it simply; "Easy, keep doing what you've been doing."

"You mean being her wheelchair chauffer?"

"Hehe, no, not just that." Gwen put a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "What I meant was you should just keep being there for her. Do what you can to make her happy. And then, when you think the time is right, tell her how guilty you feel about not noticing her feelings sooner. And then, if you're feeling lucky, ask her out."

Taking in her advice, Jaune was still a bit unsure. "Do you really think it'll be that easy?"

Her smile never leaving, Gwen let out a sigh. "Jaune, I don't think you have to worry about anything. Just believe in yourself and be confident. That's all I can say."

With those words lingering in his mind, Jaune finally smiled back. "You know what, Gwen? I think you and my sister Rouge would really hit it off."

"Really? Why?"

"Because in hindsight, she probably would've told me something very similar. Whenever I'd have a tough time in school or anything else, she always encouraged me to not give up. She's book smart, she's life-savvy, she gives great advice… kind of like you."

Gwen crossed her arms. "You sure it's not just her being an awesome big sister?"

Jaune shrugged. "Maybe, but then what'd that make you?"

"Someone who's had to deal with guiding her doofus of a cousin for a majority of her life. Really, once you've dealt with getting Ben's head on straight, most things after that just come naturally. But still, thank you for the compliments Jaune, they mean a lot."

"No problem. But really, thank YOU for helping me out with this advice. It really helped set my thoughts straight." Jaune sighed. "And I'm sorry if it was any trouble."

Gwen waved it off. "Absolutely no trouble at all." But then, Gwen caught a new scent in the air. "Hey Jaune… are you smelling what I'm smelling?"

Jaune took a whiff too. "Yeah it smells like…" His eyes snapped wide open. "Oh god, not again!"

From all the way upstairs, they heard muffled through the walls: _"PANCAKES!"_ followed by three audible thuds and yells coming from Team RWBY's room.

Gwen groaned. "One of these days, we're going to have to switch to waffles."

* * *

A few hours after Gwen had her little chat with Jaune, the redhead now found herself outside once again with Ruby and Weiss, all three of them waiting for Yang. And Weiss was getting a little impatient. "Ugh, seriously, Yang's the one who wanted to learn the "repulsive monkey" move in the first place!" the heiress complained. "So where IS she?"

"Well first, it's "Repulse _the_ Monkey"." Gwen corrected. "And secondly, I'm sure she's on her way Weiss, she wouldn't miss something if she really wanted to learn it."

Ruby was also quick to jump to her sister's defense. "Gwen's right Weiss, Yang would never miss—oh! There she is!"

Indeed, Yang had emerged from the front door, now in a better mood than she had been earlier that morning. "Hi gals! Sorry I'm late, but a certain someone just told me that she wants to join our class this morning."

This surprised Gwen quite a bit. She didn't think there'd be anyone else who'd be interested in joining. "Really? Who?"

Yang stepped out of the doorway to reveal none other than Blake. The cat girl gave them a small wave. "Hey girls."

Ruby was taken aback a small bit. "Blake? You want to learn martial arts?"

Weiss added to that. "I mean, not that there's anything _wrong_ with that, but it's just a little odd that you've taken an interest in it only now."

Gwen agreed. "I can't help but notice that too. Why wait until the second day Blake?"

Blake began to explain. "Well Gwen, after seeing the move that you used in your spar with Yang yesterday, I couldn't help but think that learning a few extra tricks could be useful. Hand to hand isn't exactly my forte, but I'm no stranger to it. So… what do you say?"

"You want to learn how to repulse the monkey?"

Blake nodded. "Yes, as well as any other techniques you can show me."

With a grin, Gwen nodded. "Of course you can join us Blake, the more the merrier." Her grin turned rather sly. "Just so long as you don't use the move to repulse YOUR monkey."

At first Blake was confused… "What are you talking about—" …But then the double-meaning hit like a ton of bricks. She blushed furiously. "Hey! Come on, seriously?!"

After everyone had a good laugh, Gwen was quick to reassure her Faunus friend. "I'm sorry Blake. But it was low hanging fruit that I just had to take."

Blake huffed. "I can never catch a break around here, can I?"

Ruby wrapped her arm around Blake's shoulders. "It's okay, Blake. You've just gotta learn to loosen up a little. And martial arts can help ya do just that!"

"…Yeah sure, I guess."

Yang put a light jab at Gwen's shoulder. "And here I thought you didn't have a sense of humor, Red."

"Oh, I can tell a joke. I just detest puns. That's more Ben's department if you haven't noticed."

"Oh, I've noticed." Yang smirked. "I've also noticed that he's just as good of a cook as you are. Maybe even a little better in some ways."

Gwen crossed her arms. "Heh, he should be. I'm the one who taught him in the first place. But enough pleasantries. C'mon Team RWBY!" she pumped a fist into the air. "Let's get started!" With resounding approval, the group of five commenced with their lesson, the redheaded Anodite eager to see what these girls were really capable of.

* * *

As she drove her way along the forest path in the rental car that James provided for her, Athena Nikos was still trying to comprehend what her old friend had told her. Ben Tennyson, the young man who accompanied her daughter along with Jaune when she had spoken to them over the comms just a few days ago, was actually a dimension-traveling superhero. With the power to turn into any alien he wanted. And he had used said abilities to help heal her daughter's ankle.

At first, she wasn't convinced, but then James showed her something both fascinating and horrifying; a creature that was half-man, half-insect. It was apparently one of Ben's rogues that had followed him and his team from their dimension. Athena's doubts were erased, she knew for a fact that no such beast could ever be created on Remnant. Grimm were one thing, but utter abominations were another. She wanted to kill the thing on sight, but James stopped her, saying that Ben would take the monster back to his dimension when they found a way back.

The warrior woman sighed. "This is just too strange, James."she said to herself. "Just what have I gotten myself into?" Driving further into the forest, Athena noticed the pathway begin to widen until she finally arrived at a massive clearing, a large log house right in the middle of it. She parked near the entryway and got out, inspecting the grounds.

"Hmm! What a quaint home." Her eyes scanned further and she noticed five young women not far from the house, all of them practicing some form of hand to hand combat. From the pictures that Pyrrha had frequently sent her, she recognized four of them as Team RWBY, and from the description that James had given her, the redheaded girl with them must have been Ben's cousin, Gwen. Athena thought it best to make herself known at that moment. "What-ho, everyone!"

Her words gained their attention and all five immediately looked her way and began approaching. Initially they were shocked, mistaking Athena for her daughter, but as they got closer to the woman, her age became more apparent. Gwen was the first to speak. "Um, hello there! You wouldn't happen to be Mrs. Nikos, would you?"

"Indeed! And YOU must be Gwen, Ben's cousin, correct?" Athena offered her hand. "I am Athena, it's truly a pleasure."

Gwen shook the woman's hand. "The pleasures all mine but, how did you know who I was?"

"Oh, James told me all about you."

"James…?"

"You would know him better as General Ironwood. He and I have worked together many times, you see. Before I left Vale for here, he told me about your… unique situation." Athena turned her attention to the four other girls behind Gwen. "And you all must be Team RWBY, right?"

Ruby stepped forward. "Uh, yes ma'am, I'm…"

But Athena stopped her. "Oh! Wait, wait one moment, let me see if I remember from what Pyrrha told me…" She pointed to them in order. "You're Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang, right?"

The girls were flabbergasted, Athena got all of their names right first try. "Huh, wow." Yang said. "You're good."

"Well I should hope so." Athena proudly smiled. "My daughter has told me about how she's made so many friends at Beacon, I wanted to make sure I remembered their names."

Yang nodded. "I get it, well Pyrrha should still be inside, so make yourself at home!"

Athena lit up at the mention of her daughter. "Splendid! And thank you for welcoming me into your home Yang."

"Pyrrha's been very eager to see you." Weiss added.

"Yeah." Blake said. "Though she's been a bit frustrated being confined to a wheelchair for a few days."

"Oh, I'm sure she is." Athena agreed. "My Pyrrha has never been a fan of being bedridden in _any_ shape or form. I will be sure to…" But then something caught her ear, the sound of wind at high speeds, almost as if something were closing in on them, and _fast_. "Girls! Stand back!" The Huntress quickly opened one of her suitcases and pulled out a crimson and gold shot gun, pointing it in the direction that the sound was coming from.

Gwen's eyes widened as she frantically tried to stop Athena from shooting. "WAIT! Don't shoot! It's just—"

The speeding object finally closed in, whipping up a strong whirlwind as it came to a stop. As the wind died down, the six ladies were now face to face with a black, white and blue lizard-like creature wearing an aerodynamic helmet. The helmet had a face cover with an oddly shaped blue visor, it's hands just a set of four black claws. It had five blue stripes going down it's tail and on the bottom of its two toed feet where a pair of spherical wheels. The visor lifted to reveal a blue face with black lips and green eyes, the Omnitrix symbol on the creature's chest being a dead giveaway for who it really was.

"…Ben." Gwen finished.

In shock, Athena dropped her shotgun, completely dumbfounded at the creature seen before her. "Ben?"

The creature turned it's head to her and it's almond shaped eyes widened as it spoke in a raspy voice; "Mrs. Nikos?! You're here already?"

"I… I am…" Athena put her hand to her head. "By the gods, even when James tells me about these things, I am NOT ready for it."

"Oh… I'm sorry if I scared you. If I'd known you'd be here, I would've given you a head's up."

"Why're you even in that form Green Boy?" Yang asked.

"And what's its name?" Ruby added. "Speedyquick?"

The creature chuckled. "Hehe, no, but you're on the mark. It's XLR8. And as for why I transformed…" XLR8 lifted his arm to show that he had a bag with a half-gallon of milk in it. "We ran out of milk this morning making breakfast, so I ran to town, bought milk and ran back."

Gwen quirked an eyebrow. "Changing back to human while you were in the store, I hope. Otherwise you would've given those people a scare."

"You think I don't know that? Believe me, after yesterday I've gotta be even _more_ careful." One bright green flash later and Ben was back to normal. "We're lucky that nobody noticed me at the mall, otherwise there'd be reporters out the wazoo here."

"I would imagine." Athena picked up her shotgun and put it back in her suit case. "I apologize for jumping the gun, as it were. As a trained Huntress, I'm almost always on alert for any threats."

Ben wasn't bothered. "Oh, it's fine. Besides I would've been too fast for you to even hit me with any shots."

"If you say so. Also, General Ironwood told me about what you did for my daughter to help hasten the healing of her ankle. I cannot express how thankful I am to you for that Ben. It means so much to both her and I."

Ben shrugged. "Hey, no problem Mrs. Nikos. Helping people is what I do. Now, what do ya say we head inside and—"

Suddenly, the door to the house burst open, and there was Jaune, panicked beyond belief. "BEN! There you are!" The entire group whirled around, startled as the blonde knight sprinted out to them, his breathing erratic. "There's something wrong with—" Then Jaune's eyes found the Nikos matriarch. "Athena?! You're here?!"

Athena immediately attempted to calm Jaune down, a gentle hand going to his shoulder. "Yes, Jaune. Now please slow down, and take deep breaths."

Jaune composed himself, inhaling and exhaling at normal intervals. "O-okay, I think I'm fine now."

"Very good, now, nice and calmly, tell us what happened."

Jaune nodded. "Right, okay." He turned to the green-clad hero. "Ben, something's wrong with the cast of vines that you made for Pyrrha."

That got Ben's attention. "What's wrong? Did it get cut or something?"

"No, it just started… drying up. The vines are just all shriveled up now. They're not even green anymore, they're _brown_."

Ben's more serious look turned into a grin. "Huh, well whaddya know? Those little things got done earlier than I thought!"

Jaune was lost. "Wait, what?"

Ben chuckled as he made his way to the door. "Hehe, come with me. I'll show ya."

* * *

The group ascended the stairs, Athena leaving her luggage down in the living room for the time being. As they approached Team JNPR's room, Ben looked back and whispered; "Okay, we're gonna surprise Pyrrha a little bit okay?"

Ruby gasped quietly. "OOH! I love surprises!"

"Good Ruby, keep that spirit." Ben looked over to Jaune, Gwen and Team RWBY. "Now Jaune, ladies, I want you to go into the room, but make sure you don't open the door all the way." He looked up at Athena. "Mrs. Nikos, I'm going to stand in the doorway and I want you to stay behind the door until I give the word."

"Very well." Athena whispered with a nod.

"So is this gonna be a loud surprise or what?" Yang asked.

Ben shook his head. "Nope, this is more a pleasant surprise. Because believe me, this won't be the only surprise Pyrrha's getting."

With that confusing statement in their heads, Jaune spoke up. "Um… okay then, sure. Let's go then." Jaune opened the door enough so that only one person at a time could enter and he, Gwen and Team RWBY went in, the room instantly being filled by chatter from everyone else.

From inside, Ben and Athena heard Pyrrha speak. "Jaune! Did you find Ben?"

"I did, he's right behind us."

Ben looked to Athena. "That's my cue." The hero went in and stood next to the open door, making sure no one could see behind him. His eyes found Pyrrha, her eyes filled with worry. "Hey Pyrrha, Jaune told me you've got a problem."

Pyrrha responded quickly. "Indeed, look!" She pointed at her foot, and true to Jaune's word, the cast made of vines that Swampfire had provided had dried up, the deep green having changed into a putrid brown. "What's going on?"

Nora was quick on the draw. "You can make a new one, right Ben? 'Cause otherwise, things might get messy."

"Hold on a sec, guys." Ben said as he moved slightly into the room. "Before we do anything, I've got some news to share." He focused directly on the Invincible Girl. "Pyrrha… you have a visitor." Ben swung the door open, revealing Athena to the entire room.

A loving motherly smile graced Athena's face. "Hello sweetheart."

At that moment, everything for Pyrrha just stopped. She was here, she was really here. Pyrrha had known she was coming for days now, but that still hadn't prepared her enough. After having not seen her for an entire year, her mother was standing right in front of her. She could feel herself choking up, her eyes brimming with tears as a revelation dawned on her; if she hadn't survived the Battle of Beacon, she would have never seen her mother again. Or anyone else for that matter.

Pyrrha managed to get out a single word; "M-mom?" before bursting into tears.

Before anyone knew it, Athena rushed over to her daughter's side and pulled the crying girl into a gentle embrace, letting Pyrrha drain her tears into her shoulder. "Shhh, honey, it's alright." the mother soothed. "I'm here, I'm here." As she continued, Athena couldn't help but shed a few tears herself. She had once thought her daughter dead when she heard what happened to Beacon. But now, as she held Pyrrha in her arms after so long, she felt whole again.

Pyrrha, having exhausted her tears, pulled away slightly, not letting go of her mother for a second. She spoke, her voice still hoarse. "W-when did you get here?"

Athena smiled. "Only a few moments ago. James told me of all the exciting things that have been going on in the past few days."

Pyrrha sniffled. "James?"

Athena clarified once again. "General Ironwood, sweetheart. We used to work together a long time ago. But those are stories for another time. How have YOU been, dear?"

"I've been fine… I've been learning a lot and I've made many friends at Beacon."

Athena nodded. "I see you have." Without leaving the embrace, Athena turned her attention to Nora and Ren. "You two must be Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren, correct?"

As it turned out, Nora was also in tears, though hers were more emotional from watching the reunion before her. "Y-yeah." she sniffed. "I-I'm Nora." she squeaked out. "Can—can I just say that this is just the nicest thing I've seen all day? Is that okay with you?"

Ren meanwhile gave a bow of respect. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Mrs. Nikos."

"A pleasure to meet you both as well. Pyrrha's told me that you two and Jaune make quite the team with her. She's said in her letters that you've treated her as family."

"We do." Jaune confirmed. "We make sure she knows that too."

"I should hope so." Athena looked her daughter straight on, her motherly smile coming back. "Pyrrha, you've done so much since you left home. Words cannot even _describe_ how proud I am of you. I know there will still be many challenges ahead, but I am confident that you will be able to face them. But above all else," she pulled her daughter back into a full embrace, "I am overjoyed to see you alive and safe."

Pyrrha dried her eyes. "I love you, mom."

With a tiny kiss on the cheek, Athena responded in kind. "I love you too, sweetheart." The two pulled out of their embrace, Athena not leaving Pyrrha's side for a second as the warrior woman shifted her eyes to the green-clad hero. "Now Ben, could you please fix Pyrrha's cast now?"

Ben smirked. "Actually, that's another surprise. See, there's nothing actually _wrong_ with the cast."

At that point, everyone in the room was baffled. "What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked. "It's all dried up. And, while this is a minor complaint, it doesn't exactly feel all that comfortable to have shriveled up vegetation wrapped around your leg."

"Ah, but there's the thing… do you feel any discomfort in your ankle itself?" Ben asked. "See, the cast not only helped keep your foot straight, but the vines also provided nutrients for the spores inside your ankle to help it heal. So now that all of the nutrients are gone and the cast has dried up…"

Pyrrha suddenly realized what that meant. "Wait… you mean?!"

"Oh yeah." Ben grabbed the shriveled-up vines with both hands. "Times up!" With all his might, Ben pulled the withered vines apart, the cast coming off without any trouble at all. And there, for all to see, was Pyrrha's ankle, completely healed. Ben threw the vegetation into the nearest garbage can. "There we go! Good as new!"

After three days of not being able to stand, this came as a shock to Pyrrha. Her ankle was completely healed, almost as if the injury never happened. "I… I-I… I just…"

"Hey Pyr." The Invincible Girl looked up at Jaune who was offering his shoulder for her to hold onto. "Need some help?"

"Come now dear." Her mother said as she offered another shoulder. "It's time to get up."

"O-okay." Pyrrha wrapped her arms around both of them and they hauled her up to her feet. At first, she felt quite wobbly, her legs having slightly atrophied, but in no time, she found her strength and steadied herself on her own, standing up too the cheers of everyone in the room.

"WOO!" Yang hollered. "Way ta go P-Money!"

"Astounding!" Weiss exclaimed.

"Awesome!" Ruby added.

"So, how does it feel to stand again Pyrrha?" Blake asked.

Pyrrha let out a breathy laugh. "Ha, it feels… incredible. I almost forgot what it was like." She turned to Ben, her eyes filled with gratitude. "Ben, I cannot thank you enough for what you've done. I never would have thought I'd be standing this soon."

Ben nodded. "Trust me Pyrrha, after everything you went through, it was the least I could do."

"I couldn't agree more." Athena said as she gave her daughter another hug. "So Pyrrha, now that I'm here, is there anything special you want to do? Just name it."

"Well…" At that moment, Pyrrha remembered her self-promise. "Oh! There is actually." The Invincible Girl walked over to a set of drawers near the window, careful to take it slow. She pulled one open and reached inside. "You see mother… my ankle wasn't the only thing that broke during the Battle of Beacon." Pyrrha turned back around to her mother and presented her spear, Milo, still broken into three pieces.

Athena gasped. "Oh sweetheart, your spear!" She gently inspected the broken weapon, looking closely at the damaged parts. "My word dear, it looks like it was super-heated."

Pyrrha nodded sadly. "Yes, there was this woman who was leading the attack. I tried to fend her off, but she took my spear and used her Semblance to heat it up and break it. She was also the reason why my ankle was broken."

Athena rested a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Well don't you worry about a thing honey. This is an easy fix. All we need is a good forge."

Ruby let out another excited gasp. "Guys! There's a great forge over at Signal Academy! We could go there to fix it!"

Yang was in full agreement. "Hey yeah! That'd actually be the best place to get it fixed. Besides, it'd give us a chance to show these guys our old stomping grounds."

"That sounds perfect!" Athena said. "Any objections?" After hearing none, Athena raised a fist into the air. "Then onward to Signal!"

Just then, a knock came at the door, Kevin and Sun letting them selves in soon after. "Hey guys," the Osmosian greeted, "so who's ready for morning train—" It was then that Kevin had noticed the scene that was going on, Pyrrha standing up, and the new woman who was standing right next to her. "Uh, what?"

"Seriously?!" Sun exclaimed. "Why do we keep missing the important stuff?!"

* * *

Little did the group know that, yet again, someone was watching them. The only difference? This one was capable of actual human thought. The figure watched through the window, using a special red visor to zoom in on them. The visor zoomed in on Ben, and the figure curled its lips into a malicious grin.

"Ah, there you are Tennyson." The figure spoke in a tough yet feminine voice. "I knew following that black and blue blur through the woods would lead me to ya." The woman chuckled sinisterly as she clenched her hand into a fist, the gauntlet on her left arm lighting up a bright red. "Just go about your business for now, kid. 'Cause when you least expect it, it's payback time."

* * *

**A/N: Hmm, well, looks like we've got more trouble on our hands huh? But Pyrrha's finally out of that blasted chair, so that's a good thing. Well, anyway, there's the chapter everyone, hoped you guys liked it. I don't know how these chapters get this long, but we should probably expect them to be about this length as the story goes forward. Aw well, them's the breaks huh? Next Time! School is in session as we take a field trip to Signal Academy. But there's danger in the air as well, because after all… red is a dangerous color. See ya!**


	17. School Daze

**A/N: Alright, so funny thing about this chapter; in it, I introduced two Signal teachers who're based on Hansel and Gretel... and I completely forgot that's what Hazel and Gretchen were based off of already. Ah well, what's done is done. In any case, why don't we get on with the chapter shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 17: School Daze**

* * *

"So you're telling me that you've known General Ironwood for _how_ long?" Jaune asked.

The group were on their way to Signal Academy, with Team RWBY and the Alien Trio divvied up into their usual rides, while Team JNPR and Sun piling into Athena's rental, which fortunately sat six people. Jaune and Pyrrha were up front with the Huntress while Nora, Ren and Sun all took up the back seat. They, along with Kevin's car, followed behind Bumblebee as Yang and Ben led them to Signal.

Athena giggled as the memories came flooding back. "Hehe, for almost twenty years now. I met him shortly after I had graduated from Haven Academy. He was actually _Lieutenant_ Ironwood at the time if you can believe it."

In the backseat, Sun shrugged. "Hey, everybody's gotta start somewhere right?"

"Indeed. Oh, but those were the days, let me tell you. We were young, full of boundless energy and reckless as hell itself. Well… _I_ was anyway. At the time, James was so focused on pleasing the higher ups that he rarely had fun. Haha, I got that man into so much trouble though."

"With the Altesian Army?" Ren pressed further.

"Oh, heavens no. I meant when it came to hunting Grimm. Oh lord, there was one time he and I came across an entire horde Sphinx nests, while we were trapped in a cave system. We had to fight our way tooth and nail out of those. OH! And the there was the time when he agitated a Manticore to much that it went on a rampage! Hahaha! I had to snap its neck to get it to stop."

Nora was giddy as the stories went on. "WOW! You guys must have had such awesome adventures!"

"It seems so." Pyrrha agreed. "Why did you not tell me any of this before, mother?"

Athena sighed. "Well… time moves on and things change as they say. James got promoted to General quite quickly and I met your father and had you, my dear. James and I still went on missions even after you were born, but only on the rarest of occasions. My primary focus was you, Pyrrha. And if I ever told you that I was going on all these dangerous missions, you would probably worry about me. And I couldn't let you do that to yourself."

Pyrrha smiled at her mother's thoughtfulness. "Thank you, mom. Though now that I am older, I would like to hear some more of these stories."

Athena nodded. "Of course dear, but when we return to the house, okay? Because I think we are here."

The teens gazed out the windshield and saw a large campus with multiple different buildings, the largest one in the middle with multiple steepled towers, a clock tower protruding from its center. It wasn't as impressive as Beacon, but then again, it wasn't supposed to. Signal was a beginner's combat school where aspiring Hunters and Huntresses learned the basics for four years before they moved on to the more advanced schools like Beacon. It was kind of like high school… except that hitting each other was actually encouraged.

As everyone stepped out of their vehicle and Yang propped Bumblebee on its kickstand, Ruby took to the school's front steps and spread her arms out wide. "Everyone, welcome to Signal!"

Yang put an arm around her sister's shoulders and spoke to everyone as well, a proud smile gracing her features. "This school is where yours truly graduated with flying colors only a year ago. Feel free to look around, 'cause you guys have alumni to guide you through these halls." The front door to the academy opened and the sisters turned around to see their dad step out.

"And special permission from a teacher never hurts either." Tai reminded. "But she's right. I went over it with the Dean and you guys got free reign today. Go around and do what you will, but don't take over the classes okay?"

"Got it." Ben gave the man a thumbs-up. "Thanks Tai, much appreciated."

"Hey, no problem." Just then, the Xiao-Long patriarch caught sight of Athena. "Ah, and you must be Athena! Pyrrha's mom, right?" He offered a handshake. "Taiyang Xiao-Long, but most just call me Tai."

Athena shook the offered hand. "A pleasure to meet you Tai. Thank you for offering to open your home to my daughter when she needed it."

Tai waved his free hand. "Oh, think nothing of it. Any friend of my daughter's is a friend of mine." He glanced over to the Invincible Girl. "And Pyrrha, glad to see your standing up."

"Thank you, Tai." Pyrrha smiled. "And thanks again for your hospitality."

"You're very welcome. Now, you should all get started. I know that you and your mom are off to the forge. There you'll meet our head smith, Festus. He'll show you around." Tai looked to his youngest daughter. "Ruby, would you like to show them the way?"

With a big smile. Ruby whole heartedly agreed. "You bet dad!" She motioned for the mother and daughter to follow her. "C'mon, it's this way!" With that, the young Huntress went down the hall in a brisk walk, careful to abide by the 'no running in the halls' rule.

"Well, she certainly has quite a bit of energy." Athena said with a giggle. "Where does she keep it all?"

Yang shrugged. "Dunno, that's just how she's always been. Anyway, I'm off to the gym, who's with me?"

Nora raised her hand. "Ooh! I'll go!"

Ren nodded. "As will I."

"And I'll go too." Ben offered. "A good work out never hurt anyone. Kevin, you in?"

Kevin shook his head. "Nah, much as I want to, I think I'll head to the forge too. I wanna see just how these crazy weapons are made."

"I think I'll be going to the forge too." Jaune agreed. "There's something that I've been meaning to get checked out."

"Well if that's the case, then I'll head to the gym with them." Sun said. "Might as well get some training in somehow."

"Then that leaves the three of us." Gwen pointed out as she went over to Blake and Weiss. She gave the girls a knowing smile. "You ladies thinking what I'm thinking?"

The two teammates turned to each other and then back to Gwen. "Library?" they asked.

"Library." Gwen confirmed with a nod.

Tai clapped his hands together. "Alright then, now that everything's settled there, I've gotta get back to my class." He turned to Gwen, Weiss and Blake. "I've gotta go past the library to get back to my room, so I'll show you girls the way, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan." Gwen said as she ed back to the rest of her friends. "We'll meet back up front in a while for lunch, alright?" With resounding agreement, the team split up into their decided groups. Off to do what they pleased.

* * *

As Ruby led her party down the hall towards the forge, she heard Kevin call up from behind her; "So who's this 'Festus' guy your dad was talkin' about?"

Ruby snickered. "Hehe, only the coolest blacksmith EVER! When I was designing Crescent Rose, he helped me figure out how to best integrate the sniper rifle function into the scythe handle. The man's a GENIUS when it comes to weapons… if not a bit on the grease monkey side of things."

"Hey, that's just to be expected." Kevin pointed out. "You kinda get that way when you spend so much time in a forge like that."

"Exaclty." Athena chimed in. "He must be quite experienced."

"He sure is." Ruby spotted a door at the end of the hall and rushed toward it. "Here we are!" The moment Ruby opened the door, a wave of hot, musty air barreled out of the room, the smell of grease and soot not far behind. And Ruby took a big whiff of it. "Ahhh, I love the smell of weaponry being made."

Kevin also took a sniffed it up. "You got that right. Man, this reminds me of MY garage."

Jaune meanwhile were plugging his nose. "And that's a GOOD thing?" he asked nasally. "Man, what the hell DIED in there?!"

"I will agree that the odor is quite… pungent," Pyrrha concurred, "but it's just something you get used to with time. Now let's go, I'm sure he must be waiting." They went into the room, the heat not letting up for an instant, the further in they went, the hotter it would get. It was then that their eyes found the source of the heat; a giant furnace with a large metal grate attached to a swinging metal door.

Not far from the furnace stood a rather large, burly man with his back facing to them, hammering away at a piece if super-hot metal against an anvil. His hair was brown with a few grey streaks in it, but was also thinning, having receded to the back of his head. Said hair however was quite long, reaching past his shoulders. He wore a red grimy shirt with rolled up sleeves and brown tattered overalls with multiple soot stains, his hands covered by brown leather gloves. He seemed to be wearing a pair of goggles around his head.

"Mr. Vulcan!" Ruby called over. "Guess who's here?!"

At the sound of her voice, the large man turned around, revealing a face that had a large scruffy beard and mustache. His face was covered in grim and his skin was quite tanned. But for someone so big and somewhat threatening, his brown eyes were surrounded by wrinkles, indicating that he smiled quite a bit. In fact, when he saw Ruby, he immediately broke out into one, and his face just seemed more natural. His voice was loud and gravely, yet joyful at the same time. "Ruby Rose, HAHA! My favorite pupil! You have returned!"

As Ruby went in for a hug, Kevin was shocked by the man's accent. It was… German? Or what ever the Remnant equivalent was. _'How the heck do nationalities and accents work in this world?'_

Ruby pulled out of her brief hug with her old teacher. "Yep! I'm back! So how's things been since Yang and I left?"

The blacksmith rubbed his bald head. "Ugh, simply horrible. Nothing entertaining happens here anymore. Without you two, this school has lost some of it's luster." He sighed. "Although at the same time, I apologize for what happened at Beacon. Are you alright? I cannot imagine being in the middle of all that, especially during your first year."

Ruby waved it off. "Aw I'm alright Mr. Vulcan. It's been a few days and I'm still with all my friends, so that's a good thing, right?"

The man brightened up at his old student's happiness. "HAHA! True Ruby, very true." It was then that he saw the rest of Ruby's entourage. "And I suppose these fine people are some of them?"

"Yeah, we are actually." Kevin answered. "Name's Kevin."

Jaune waved. "Hi, I'm Jaune."

Pyrrha bowed her head slightly. "Hello, I am Pyrrha, and this is my mother."

"Athena." The Nikos matriarch said with a slight bow as well. "It is a pleasure Mr. Festus."

The blacksmith took a theatric bow. "A pleasure to make all of your acquaintances. I am Festus Vulcan, the head smith of this Forge." He shifted his attention to Pyrrha. "Now, Taiyang has told me that you've come to my forge because you need a repair, correct?"

Pyrrha solemnly nodded as she took out what remained of Milo and presented it to Festus. "Yes sir, During the attack at Beacon, a woman who could manipulate fire did this to my javelin."

Festus inspected the broken weapon while stroking his beard. "Ah, I see. May I have a closer look?"

"Of course." Pyrrha handed the man her weapon and he began inspecting over the three melted pieces with an expert eye.

"Alright let's see here. Hmm… two melting points, three pieces… hmm. What other functionalities did you weapon have?"

"It could change into a rifle, and the handle retracted so I could use it as a blade."

Festus nodded. "I see, do you have any visual reference as to how it worked?"

Athena stepped forward. "Here, my own weapon is very similar." She pulled out her shot gun and pressed a button on it, the gun unfolding and re-folding into a javelin of her own. With every moving part, Festus kept his eye on the weapon. It was when he saw the bladed spearhead push out of the handle in individual segments that a smile came to his face.

"AH-HA! Perfect! So the blade itself collapses into the rifle when it changes. If that is the case, then this should be an easy repair!"

Pyrrha sighed with a relieved smile. "Thank you, Mr. Vulcan. But, with all due respect, I would like my mother and I to repair my weapon ourselves."

Festus was all too happy with her decision. "Oh, of course, child, I would never DREAM of repairing someone else's weapon unless they asked me. The weapon of ANY Hunter or Huntress is what makes them who they are. It compliments them in every way, how they fight, where they came from, and what they are fighting for. I will gladly supply the metal and the use of my forge, while you and your mother repair your weapon."

"I appreciate your understanding, Mr. Vulcan." Pyrrha turned to her mother. "Well mom, are you ready?"

"More than ready sweetheart." Athena confirmed. "Let's get started."

Kevin jumped in. "Hey Festus, I'm kinda new 'round these parts and I've never seen any of these kinds a' weapons up close. So, if you wouldn't mind, can I see how you transform a freakin' gun into a blade?"

With mirth in his voice, Festus gave his answer. "HAHA! Of course you can my friend! Come, I will show you how one crafts a weapon that is much more than it seems to be." His attention went to the Hooded Huntress. "And what of you, Ruby, care to join us?"

Ruby gave an eager nod. "Sure! I'll tag along. I've been wanting to see what new projects you've been working on." Ruby's gaze went to the blonde knight. "What about you Jaune?"

Jaune was caught off guard by his friend's question. "Oh! Uh, me? Nah, you guys go ahead. I'll stay here incase Pyrrha and her mom need anything."

Festus nodded. "Very well lad, we will be back shortly." And with that, the blacksmith led the boys to the inner workings of his forge.

Pyrrha grabbed a hammer and a pair of blacksmiths tongs. She gazed down at her weapon, determination etching across her face. _'Well, no more sitting around. Time to get to work.'_

* * *

Meanwhile, Yang's party were making their way toward the gymnasium, eager to get started on any training they could take. The Blonde Brawler was particularly excited as she practically made small bounds every two steps. "Guys, you're going to LOVE my old P.E. teacher. She is the BEST teacher in this school."

Ben raised an eyebrow. "Wow, even better than your dad?"

"Well… okay, best teacher who isn't family." Yang clarified. "But hey, be lucky you weren't around for when Uncle Qrow worked here. She and him were at each other's throats _constantly_."

Nora scrunched her face. "Man, everyone has it out for your uncle, huh?"

"Well, it's not like he doesn't have it coming." Yang rolled her eyes. "Maybe if he didn't bring all this onto himself in the first place, it wouldn't happen."

Ren nodded. "Yes, though I cannot imagine WHY someone would bring all that punishment onto themselves."

"Yeah, not really sure how being almost constantly drunk is a good thing." Sun agreed.

Yang sighed. "I don't know. All I know is that I'm tired of it."

At that, Ben felt it necessary for some encouragement. "Yang, believe me, he'll get his act together someday. I know that _you_ know he means well, right?"

As she took in his words, Yang smiled. "Yeah, I know. Thanks Ben. I'm just kind of annoyed is all."

Ben let out a laugh. "Ha, hey believe me, if I had someone like Qrow as a relative, I'd probably be feeling the same as you are."

"I hear that. Oh! We're here!" The five approached a set of gym doors and Yang pushed them open, revealing a large gymnasium, a class already taking place, a large group kids doing push-ups, sit-ups, and many other exercises. By the age of the kids, they seemed to be freshman, all of them appearing quite exhausted. And it wasn't hard to see why as in the middle of the room, a middle-aged woman was hollering at them.

"C'MON YOU LILLY-LIVERED PUNKS!" she shouted. "I wanna see you kids sweating BUCKETS! You can't expect to be great Hunters without some muscle so let's MOVE!"

Yang grinned excitedly. "There she is!" The woman's back was facing them, though from where they stood, they could tell she was fair-skinned, had auburn hair that reached down to the small of her back and wore your typical gym clothes, shorts, sneakers and a t-shirt beneath a dark green pull-over hoodie. Yang waved to her. "Miss Wilhelm!"

The woman turned around to face them and her blue eyes lit up, a smile came to her face. "YANG?!" She yelled back to her students; "Don't let up! Keep goin' till I get back." The coach strolled up to them, her eyes never leaving her old student. "Yang, my star athlete!" She pulled Yang into a hug, the blonde girl more than happy to reciprocate. "Oh my god, I was so worried about you with all that chaos in Vale! When your dad came in today, I asked him first thing if you were okay."

"Hehe, believe me Miss Wilhelm, it was crazy, but I got out fine." Yang pulled out of the hug and looked her old coach head on. "So how's thing's been here?"

"Ugh, dreadful. Yang, your class might've been the last really good one we'll have here for a while" the coach narrowed her eyes at the freshman. "I've been tryin' to whip these kids into shape, but they aren't exactly as tough as you. If they wanna be Huntsmen, they gotta learn to buck up and take the shit they've been given."

Yang scoffed. "Psh, you got that right. You pushed me hard, but I still came out okay."

The woman chuckled. "Heh, that's 'cause you were the only one who could really make me laugh. You got on my good side quick. I just wish these kids could do the same." It was there that she decided to change the subject. "But enough about that, who're your friends?"

"Oh yeah, 'course. Coach, this is Nora and Ren, some friends of mine from Beacon. That's Sun, he's from Haven Academy. And this is Ben, he's… new around here." Yang presented her coach to her friends. "Guys, this is Gretta Wilhelm, the best goddamn coach on Patch."

Nora waved. "Hiya!"

"Good to meet you." Ren said with a bow.

"'Sup?" Sun said nonchalantly.

"Hey, coach. It's a pleasure." Ben finished.

Gretta saluted. "Nice ta meet ya!" She glanced over to Yang again. "Your dad said that your sister and the rest your team would be here too, right? Where are they?"

"Well, Ruby took a group with her off to the forge to see Mr. Vulcan, and the rest of my team's actually headed to the library with Ben's cousin, Gwen."

Gretta sighed. "Well that means they're gonna be dealing with my egg headed brother then."

Ben jumped into the conversation. "Wait, so your brother's the librarian here?"

"Oh sure, my twin actually." Gretta confirmed. "Real nerd too. So what can I do for you kids?"

With her best smile, Yang presented her request. "Well… we were hoping that you could let us use the exercise room for a while. We won't be in there long, just till around noon or so."

"Ha, well I don't see why not. Follow me kids." Gretta went out of the gym and directly across the hall to another set of doors, the five teens following immediately behind her. She pulled out some keys and unlocked the room. "There ya go, the sparring arena and equipment are yours to use." She held the keys out to Yang. "Just make sure to lock up and bring these back when you're done."

Yang took the keys out of Gretta's hand. "Thanks again, coach. It means a lot."

Gretta winked. "Don't mention it, kiddo. And hey, if you see your uncle, tell him he needs to come back and clean his damn class room. It is RANCID in there!"

"HA! Can do."

"Good, well, I'd better get back to my class, like it or not." She gave them another salute. "Have a good time, kids!" And with that, Gretta went back to the gymnasium and the waiting freshman, leaving the teens behind.

Yang gestured into the room, coercing the others in. "Well? Shall we?"

Nora pumped a fist into the air. "Heck yeah! Let's go!" the Pink Dynamo went in and began using the exercise equipment, specifically the bench press. Ren and Sun on the other hand went over to the arena and began a practice spar. Ben was about to go over and spectate, but Yang stopped him before he could get far. She pointed over to a lone punching bag hanging from the ceiling.

"Hold up Green Boy, seeing as how you can't exactly go alien in here, how 'bout you and I go a few rounds with the bag over there?"

Ben looked at the bag and back to her. "Uh, sure Yang, why not?" he smirked. "But just to warn you, I won't hold back, alright?"

Yang smirked back. "Good, I wouldn't expect you to. Now strap on some gloves, time for a little boxing practice."

* * *

On the other side of the school, Tai was leading Gwen, Weiss and Blake through the empty halls, the girls eager to get to the library. Though out of all of them, Gwen was the most excited. "Finally! Someplace where I can actually read up on your world's history! I've SO been looking forward to this!"

Weiss was a little confused by this. "Wait a sec, so you _wanted_ to wait until you got to a library to learn about our history? Why not just look it up on a computer or something? We have one at the house!"

"Yeah sure, but there's something about reading history the old-fashioned way that just feels right, you know?" Gwen turned to the cat-girl. "You get what I'm saying right, Blake?"

Blake was a bit iffy on that. "Eh, kind of. I'm more of a reader of fiction than non-fiction. The closest I've ever gotten to a non-fiction book are textbooks, and let me tell you, they aren't enticing to read in the slightest."

Gwen wasn't deterred. "Maybe not to you, but for someone who just arrived in this world, I'd say it's worth the time."

"Whatever you say Gwen, but just remember, you promised that you'd show me some of those books that you guys brought from your world."

"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten anything. Now come on, I want to see what this library's got."

"Ugh, fine." Weiss said with an eye roll. "But if I get so bore that I fall asleep, you owe me."

"Ladies," Tai spoke to get their attention, "we're here." He opened the nearest door to an expansive room occupied by rows upon rows of book shelves, tomes both old and new lining the wooden frames. And toward the back of one of these rows stood a man, wearing a white button-up shirt under a blue sweater vest with a matching bow-tie, a pair of khaki pants and brown penny loafers finishing the over-all nerdy apparel. Tai called over to him. "Hey Hans!"

The middle-aged man, apparently named Hans, turned his head to them, revealing his bespectacled face, his eyes of blue and his short auburn hair. "Tai! What a pleasant surprise!" He closed the book he was going over and made his way to them. "I was only expecting Ruby and Yang to show up… though upon closer inspection, I'd guess they aren't here either."

"No, they're here." Tai clarified. "Ruby took her entourage to Festus' forge while Yang took hers to your sister over at the gym."

Hans chuckled. "Heh, doesn't surprise me. Those two were their favorite teachers when they went here… erm, other than you and Qrow of course."

Tai jokingly pointed at him. "And don't you forget it. But anyway, I've actually got the other members of my daughter's team here to check out the library. Hans, meet Blake and Weiss. And this is Gwen, she's from… out of town. She, her cousin and her boyfriend got caught up in the skirmish over in Vale."

"Oh, that just sounds awful, very sorry to here that." Hans said as he shook each of their hands. "But in any case, I'm glad you made it out. I'm Hans Wilhelm, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise." Gwen replied. "So your sister's the gym teacher?"

"Ha, yes indeed. Though to be quite honest, even though we're twins we couldn't be far more different from each other if we tried."

"Not necessarily a bad thing though, shows that you're your own person, right?"

Hans was relieved at her words. "Oh, finally, someone who gets it! You have NO idea how much people judge us off of one another, especially the students."

"Hey, trust me, I get where you're coming from." Gwen looked over to Tai. "Thanks for bringing us here Tai."

"You're welcome Gwen, I'll see you guys later okay?" Tai shifted his gaze to the librarian. "Hans, I trust you'll show them around?"

Hans nodded. "Of course Tai, no problems here." And with that, Tai left the library and went off to his next class, Leaving Hans and the three girls behind. Hans clasped his hands together. "Alright, so, who's looking for what today?"

Gwen answered immediately. "Actually, I was hoping to see your non-fiction section."

Blake spoke up as well. "And I'd like to see the fiction please."

Weiss shrugged. "I'm just tagging along, so where ever they go, I go."

Hans puffed out his head. "Alright! Fiction and non-fiction it is then. Easy enough. Follow me ladies!" Hans led the girls over to two sets of specific shelves, with three large tables separating the two sections. "Alright, so non-fiction is on the right while fiction is on the left. We go by the Remnant Decimal System, so things are pretty well organized, but should you run into trouble, just let me know!"

"Of course." Gwen said with a nod. "Thank you, Mr. Wilhelm."

"My pleasure. Now if you will excuse me ladies, I have some returns to put back… and some notices to hand out to people who have books that're overdue."

Hans left the girls alone to their own devices, and Gwen immediately began scanning the shelves. "Alright, let's see here. If the Remnant Decimal System is similar to our system, then that means… ah-ha!" Gwen pulled out a small softcover book and read the title aloud; "'An Abridged History of Remnant for the Impatient and Curious'. Eureka!"

"That is… oddly specific." Weiss pointed out.

"And yet it's exactly what I'm looking for!" Gwen rebutted. "Well, I'm not exactly impatient, but I'm curious, so there's that."

"Well, while you do that," Blake said as she went over to the fiction section, "I'll see if I can find anything that I'd like to read for a bit."

"You got it, Blake." Gwen sat down at one of the tables and opened the book up. "Alright, Weiss, let's get cracking."

Weiss slumped over. "Ugh, what've I gotten myself into?"

* * *

"And that is the basics of crafting a transforming weapon." Festus concluded, ending the informational tour of his forge.

Kevin was in complete awe, something that only happens rarely. "Festus, my man, you've just blown me away with all this stuff. Quite honestly, it's freaking awesome. Now _I_ wanna see what I can come up with."

Ruby grinned from ear to ear. "Really?! That's awesome Kevin!"

Festus gave Kevin a pat on the back. "HAHA! That's the spirit lad! I can tell that you have a future in crafting! You seem like the type of person who's interested in any kind of weapon, so you should be able to create many unique designs. What say you to a few lessons from an old pro, eh?"

Kevin grinned at the man's suggestion. "If by old pro, you mean yourself, then yeah, sounds good, Festus."

"HAHAHA! Excellent! But first, we must see how the ladies are doing. Come! Back to the furnace."

At said furnace, both Pyrrha and Athena were hammering away at Milo's blade, the javelin's head now back in one piece, but still in need of being reshaped into its normally sharpened form. Jaune watched as the two women struck the hot weapon in rhythmic unity, one after the other as the steel clanged against the hammers, being reforged into its once familiar shape. It made him all that much more confident in what he needed to do. He pulled Crocea Mors from his belt, sheath and all, and held it in front of him in both hands.

"I am in desperate need of an upgrade." he said to himself.

"Hmm… perhaps so." came a voice behind him. Jaune jumped in surprise and whirled around to see Festus, Ruby and Kevin all having returned from their tour, the blacksmith eyeing Crocea Mors. "Oh! Sorry lad, didn't mean ta scare ya. I must say, that's quite the blade you got there."

"Oh, uh thanks." Jaune said reluctantly. "It's really more of a family heirloom though. It belonged to my great-great grandfather who served in the war. Its been passed down through my family ever since."

Festus gave an understanding nod. "I see. May I have a look at it?"

"Uh, sure." Jaune unsheathed the blade and handed it to Festus, the smith using his trained eye to inspect the sword's condition.

"Haha, well your sword certainly shows its age." Festus chortled. "I can see the weathering points quite clearly. And you wish to upgrade this weapon?"

"Yes, but I don't think I should use that sword in particular."

Festus shook his head. "Oh, of course not. Not if you want this blade to stay in your family. I suggest we forge an entirely new blade and simply carry over any ideas you have into that one."

"Sounds like a plan." Jaune agreed. "Can't have this thing break and disappoint my family."

"HAHA! Excellent! Then it is decided!" Festus turned to the Osmosian. "Kevin! You, Jaune and I have our first project!"

"Awesome!" Kevin shouted. "When do we start?"

Festus stroked his beard in thought. "Well, let's see. It will take much longer to forge an entire new weapon rather than simply repairing one, so I think it would be best to come to my home this weekend and forge it there. I have many more tools at my disposal there."

Ruby chimed in. "Speaking of repair…" she called over to the Nikos women. "Hey, Pyrrha! Mrs. Nikos! How's it coming along?"

Pyrrha glanced up at Ruby, back down to Milo, then to her mother, the two sharing a nod before picking the javelin up with the tongs and putting in into a pot of water to quench the heated metal. As steam rose from the container, Pyrrha pulled Milo out and presented the weapon to everyone, the head of the javelin now a mix of painted and non-painted metal. "It's going well!" Pyrrha replied. "We're nearly done."

Athena wiped the sweat from her forehead and took a close look at her daughter's spear. "Yes indeed, all it needs is to go back in the furnace for a little bit longer. Then we can begin sharpening it."

Kevin's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wait, seriously? I thought it usually took an entire _day_ to reforge a weapon. How'd you get it to that state in just half an hour?"

Festus was quick to answer. "Ah, an excellent question Kevin. You see, the key lied in the use of my furnace." he gestured over to the large metal heat maker as Pyrrha put Milo back in. "Rather than being powered by coal like at any regular forge, the academy's forge is powered solely by Fire Dust!"

Kevin gazed at the piping hot furnace in amazement. "No kidding? That giant metal monstrosity runs on nothing but Fire Dust?"

"Yes! Fire Dust has special properties that help forge a weapon not only faster, but can help it be stronger as well. In addition, when repairing a weapon in a regular forge, the seams of the repair can always be seen in the metal. But with Fire Dust, the repair is completely seamless, almost as if the weapon never broke in the first place!"

"Huh, makes sense I guess."

After another ten-minute wait, Pyrrha used the tongs to pull Milo out of the furnace. She placed it on the anvil and grabbed a hammer, striking the heated steel once again, her mother joining her soon after. Once the javelin's head was hammered into the perfect shape, the Invincible Girl quenched the metal in the water one last time and presented the semi-finished product, a proud smile on her face. "There. It's back together."

Athena wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulders. "And it looks exactly like how you forged it the first time, sweetheart. Now, how about we get over to the old grindstone and sharpen it?"

"Gladly, let's finish this." The two women went over to the grindstone, each grabbing a pair of safely goggles, intending to finish what they started.

* * *

In the exercise room, Ren and Sun had just finished their practice match and went over to the weights with Nora. In the meantime, Ben and Yang were still doing some boxing practice on the punching bags, constantly switching places between puncher and bag holder.

"Come on Tennyson!" Yang shouted from behind the bag. "Punch that thing like you mean it! You can't rely on your powers all the time, so put some more 'OOMF' into it!"

Ben meanwhile, was becoming quite winded, to the point where his hands were on his knees and breathing heavily. "Come on Yang, we've been at this for half an hour straight! Can't we take a break for just a few minutes?"

Yang sighed as she let go of the bag and planted her hand on her hips. "Yeah, you're right Green Boy, let's take five. But be ready, 'cause I want to try something else when we get back to it."

"'Kay, gotcha." Ben went over and sat down on the arena's edge, taking off the boxing gloves he'd been using. He laid down on his back, staring up at the ceiling as he composed himself. But just as he found himself calming down a bit, Nora popped into his field of vison, her face looming directly over his.

"Hi Ben!"

"GAH!" The hero jumped and sat upright, Nora moving out of his way as quick as she could. "Really Nora? Was it all that necessary to just hover over me like that?"

"Nope!" Nora answered cheerily. "But it WAS funny, huh?"

"I learned a long time ago that humor's pretty subjective." Ben retorted. "So what's up? Did you wanna talk or something?"

Nora shrugged. "Eh, kinda." she shifted her eyes to Yang, who was going through more boxing equipment. "Just wanted to see how you and Yang were doing over here. You guys have been really going at that bag."

Ben tiredly leaned against his legs. "Heh, yeah. Gotta say though, it's a bit unexpected that she'd be this interested in training with just me and not one of my aliens."

Nora raised an eyebrow, her smile not leaving for an instant. "Why would you be surprised by that? You guys are friends, why wouldn't she want to train with you normally?"

Ben sighed as he rested his chin in his hands. "It's just… well… it's gonna sound stupid."

"Ben, trust me, I've seen and heard SO many stupid things. I think I can judge if what you'll say is stupid."

"Okay, well… since my secret was revealed back in my world, I've had many people treat me differently, both in good ways and bad. But it boils down to my aliens all the same. When most people see me, they see an alien transformation waiting to happen. And after showing you what I can do, I guess I was worried that YOU guys would be the same way. That's why I'm a little shocked that Yang wanted to train with me instead of an alien."

After a moment's pause, Nora came to her conclusion; "You're right, that IS kind of stupid."

Ben gave her his best deadpan expression. "Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence Nora. Weren't you supposed to be helping me?"

Nora giggled. "Heehee, I AM helping you. By agreeing that it's stupid to worry about something like that." She gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Ben, we're your friends, not your fans or critics. Sure, you helped us out at Beacon, and yes, your alien forms are cool and all, but you're still a person first. And as far as I'm concerned, that's something that everybody should keep in mind, including the people from your world. And if they're so short sighted to ignore that fact…" she shrugged, "then they seriously need to re-evaluate themselves. You just keep doing you, okay?"

Ben blinked in shock. "Okay, since when did you become a philosopher in emotional problems?"

"When you've lived on the road for as long as Ren and I have, you learn to pick up a few things." Nora looked away slightly, her smile shrinking a little bit. "Especially when Ren had issues of his own that he needed help getting through." Her smile returned instantly. "But hey, let's not focus on the past, because right now, I think you're needed." Nora pointed her thumb in Yang's direction, Ben only now noticing that she was waving to him.

"Guess you're right." Ben got up and picked up his boxing gloves, while also making sure Nora's advice did not go unappreciated. "Thanks for the pep talk Nora. I'll try not to worry about the stupid things from now on."

"Weren't nothing, my friend." Nora said as she crossed her legs and put her hands behind her head. "We all worry 'bout stupid things from time to time, ya know?"

"Ha, got that right." Ben made his way over to Yang, the blonde having already put her gloves back on. "'Kay Yang, so what's up this time?"

Yang presented Ben with a piece of boxing headgear. "Here, put this on."

Ben took the protective piece and examined it in confusion. "Um, okay, why?"

"Because you and I are gonna go a round in the ring." Yang answered as she put on her own headgear. "Fighting aliens is cool and all, but I want to see what _you've_ got. That is… if you think you can handle it."

Ben was taken aback. She wanted to fight him, not one of his aliens, _him_. A part of him wanted to flip out in excitement, but his more rational side took hold. _'Maybe I WAS worried over nothing after all.'_ A smirk made its way onto his face. "Oh, I know I can handle it. But, so long as I'm not using _my_ powers, think I can say the same for you?"

Yang raised her right hand and put her left one over her heart. "I solemnly swear I will not hit you through a wall."

"Ha, great. Also, uh… nothing below the waist please?"

"Of course." She pointed a stern finger at him. "And absolutely NO hair pulling."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Ben reassured. "Alright, now with that out of the way, let's do this!"

* * *

Outside the school, a figure stepped into the parking lot, her eyes focused squarely on the building. She cracked her knuckles and neck muscles, her intent on getting revenge on her young enemy ever present. "So, Tennyson decided that a school day would be a nice change of pace, huh? Gotta say, never heard of a kid who'd be so eager to go to school."

She glimpsed around the parking lot, cars lined up through the entire thing. "Hmm… plenty of combustion engines around." Her gauntlet lit up and a bright red energy enveloped her left hand. "It'd be such a shame if someone would say, I don't know, blow them all up to get a certain someone's attention."

She fired the energy in a concentrated beam, going straight through an entire line of cars, the resulted explosion rocking the very earth beneath them. She continued for every line of vehicles she saw, all the while walking up to the front entrance. She stopped just a few meters away from the front steps, a wicked smirk on her face as the flames danced behind her.

"And now, we wait."

* * *

"And thus, with the peace treaty formed on the island on Vytal, the Great War came to an end and the four kingdoms entered a time of relative peace that has lasted to this very day." Gwen closed the abridged history book and took a deep breath. "Wow, that… was quite the read."

"And the War was the last REAL major event to have happened in recent years." Weiss added. "Nothing as big as that has happened in the past eighty years."

Without even glancing up from her book, Blake corrected Weiss. "Until a few days ago that is. While many smaller villages and towns have been attacked by Grimm in the past, they've _never_ attempted to invade one of the central cities in a kingdom."

"Right." Weiss concurred. "And I've never heard of any humans working WITH the Grimm in _any_ situation."

Gwen brought up another point. "Well here's what I'm thinking. Do you remember when we left Vale a few days ago? When General Ironwood told us about this "Salem" woman?"

"I do." Weiss confirmed. "And Qrow said that she's able to create things that are apparently so terrifying that even _he_ is scared of them."

Blake took her eyes off of the book she was reading. "Whoever she is, she sounds very powerful. But even then, we don't know _how_ powerful she really is. How can we expect to just take her on without any idea on that?"

Gwen laced her hands together and propped her elbows on the table. "In all honesty, I'm not entirely sure. Given the probability that Cinder is in alignment with Salem, as well as the fact that she orchestrated the attack on Vale by instilling so much fear into everyone that the Grimm were able to easily take over, my guess is that Salem is tied _directly_ to the Grimm in some way."

Weiss pushed the subject further. "Okay, so how do we beat that?! The Grimm are the very REASON that Hunters and Huntresses exist. If this woman has the ability to control them, then we'd be fighting _millions_ of them."

Gwen took a deep steady breath. "Quite honestly, I'm not all that sure. I mean, Ben has his fair share of ultra-powerful aliens. Clockwork, Way Big, Alien X, just to name a few, but even then, those are some of the hardest aliens for him to get a good grasp on, _especially_ Alien X."

That piqued Blake's interest. "Why? What's so special about it?"

"Oh, only just that Alien X is a nigh-omnipotent alien that can control nearly every aspect of the universe around him, hindered only by the three conflicting personalities in his head. One of those personalities being Ben himself, might I add."

Weiss and Blake both stared dumbfoundedly at their redheaded friend, still comprehending the information that they had just heard. Weiss broke the silence. "So… your cousin has the power of a literal god, and he still can't even use it?!"

"Nope, it's like the universe just likes to keep screwing us over. So, we'll have to come up with a Plan B."

"Which would be?" Blake asked.

The girls were interrupted when there came a reverberating _**BOOM!**_ The very room shook beneath their feet, causing the three to purposefully fall to the ground and take shelter beneath the table. Soon however, the rumbling stopped and around the corner came Hans, the man in a state of concern.

"Are you girls alright?!" the librarian asked.

The three got up from underneath the table with Gwen answering for them. "Don't worry Mr. Wilhelm, we're fine."

Blake decided to bring up the most obvious question. "What do you think that was?"

"An explosion, most likely." Weiss guessed.

Hans' face grew serious. "It sounds like it came from the front of the school. Come on, someone might be hurt." The four raced out of the library and through the main halls, rushing past evacuating students as they went.

* * *

Back in the forge, Pyrrha was putting the finishing touches on her javelin, sharpening the reforged head until it was perfect. As the grindstone worked against the blade, sparks flew across the floor, though Pyrrha was careful to avoid the sparks and keep her safety goggles securely on her face. Finally, when the time came, she pulled the Milo away from the stone and closely analyzed the edges, smiling when she came to the conclusion; "Success!"

At Pyrrha's excited shout, Athena came over and inspected the weapon herself, coming to the same conclusion. "I would say so, dear. You should be very proud. Now all that is left is to repaint it."

"Believe me mother I AM proud. After nearly three straight days of nothing but sitting down, this has been a long time coming. But before I paint it, I must test it out." Pyrrha rose from the chair she was sitting in and made her way over to her friends, presenting her reforged spear as she did so. "Everyone, it pleases me to present to you: the new and improved Milo."

Jaune was the first to congratulate her. "Pyr, that's awesome! Aside from the missing paint, it looks like nothing happened to it!"

Ruby congratulated her friend as well. "Yeah Pyrrha, it turned out super! So, guess it's time for a test run?"

"Indeed." Pyrrha confirmed. She put her thumb over the button that would activate the transformation. "Here goes nothing." Pyrrha pressed the button and the javelin head compressed in on itself the weapon folding and shifting in multiple places until it was a rifle once again. Pyrrha smiled in delight. "Haha! It works!"

"HAHA! Excelent!" Festus laughed. "But now it is time for the second test." The blacksmith grabbed an empty paint can and brought it over to the other side of the room far away from his furnace, setting it down on a wooden stool. "Hit this empty can off of this stood to test the rifle's shooting capabilities."

"Right." Pyrrha peered through the rifle's scope and locked the can squarely in her sights. With her aim reassured, she shot a Dust bullet at the can and it was knocked right off the stool not even a second later.

"Woo! Bullseye!" Kevin cheered.

"Right on target, as always." Athena commented.

Festus picked the can back up. "Very good! Now for the final test!" He found another chair and propped the stool on top of it, placing the paint can back on the stool. "There, that should be a good height." He turned to Pyrrha and gestured at the stacked chairs, making sure to move as far away as he could. "Now, throw your weapon at the can to see if she flies true."

Pyrrha gave a nod and she pressed the button again, Milo reforming into its spear form as she reared her arm back to make the throw. The moment the spear tip had popped out of the head, Pyrrha through Milo straight at the can, a Fire Dust round firing from the end of the handle to give it more power in its flight. The javelin sailed forward and not only impaled through the flimsy paint can, but imbedded itself into the wall. Pyrrha jogged over and pulled Milo out, immediately scanning the spearhead for any damage. But when she saw none whatsoever, her fears were put to rest. "Everything seems to be in working order."

Jaune stood next to her. "Then I guess that means your back on active duty for Team JNPR?"

With a smile, Pyrrha gave her definitive answer. "Why yes, I believe so."

Suddenly… _**BOOM!**_ The very room shook, causing them all to fall to the ground on their hands and knees. As the shaking stopped, everyone stood up, Ruby taking out Crescent Rose on instinct. "What was THAT?!"

Festus was quick to deduce the strange event's origin. "If I heard that correctly, it sounds like it came from the front parkin lot!" The blacksmith rushed over to a dual-doored cabinet and flung it open, revealing a large, long-handled, single bladed, rocket powered axe, his own personal weapon. He took the axe out and faced the others. "Come! We must see what is happening!"

Pyrrha's brows furrowed. "Right. It seems repainting will have to come later." They all rushed out of the room and back to the front of the school, hoping whatever it was didn't hurt anyone already.

* * *

As all this went on, Ben and Yang were boxing in the practice ring back in the exercise room, Ren, Nora and Sun all cheering on the sidelines. As they jabbed, bobbed and weaved, neither one of them let up on each other, giving it all they had without using any kind of powers. Both of them were in some sort of sync, whenever Yang punched, Ben blocked it and jabbed right back, but Yang would soon move out of the way and go right back in swinging. At times they would get some lucky hits in, but it was mostly an endurance run. Because as much as they wanted to spar, neither one of them wanted to seriously hurt the other.

But all that came to a sudden halt… _**BOOM!**_ The room shook and both combatants lost their balance and fell onto their backsides, their spectators doing the same. Once the room stopped shaking, Ben and Yang got up, both of them flinging their gloves off and removing their headgear.

Yang looked around the room in confusion. "What the hell just happened?!"

Ben was at a loss as well. "I don't know, but whatever that was, it was BIG."

Nora groaned as she picked herself up off the ground. "Ugh, are we under attack AGAIN?!"

Ren rubbed his aching back as he rose from his position. "Hopefully not, I cannot imagine an attack happening so soon after the last one."

Suddenly, the door to the room flew open, a panicked Gretta on the other side. "Kids! Are you all okay?!"

"We're all good, coach." Yang replied. "What's going on?"

Gretta's answer was immediate. "There's been an explosion in the school parking lot. Come on, we need to evac, now!"

Sun took out his Ruyi Jingu Bang and ran for the door. "Guess we're seeing some action today guys! Let's go!"

* * *

In only a few minutes time, the three groups reunited at the front entrance, the teachers having gone to help with evacuation efforts. The teams all gathered together, Yang making sure Ruby wasn't hurt while Nora and Ren admired Pyrrha's repaired javelin. Ben meanwhile went over to his cousin and best friend. "Gwen, Kevin, you two okay?"

"We're fine." Gwen reassured as she gazed straight out the glass doors. "But I think we've got another problem."

Ben followed her gaze and saw through the doors that the parking lot was a blaze, almost every vehicle having been destroyed. Fortunately for the team, Kevin's car, Athena's rental and Bumblebee were among the ones that had NOT been blown up. Everyone went out the front door and saw a lone feminine figure standing in front of the blaze, her form silhouetted against the flames. She was decked out in black and grey armor with red lines around her arms and legs, a skull emblem printed on her chest. She wore a pair of red, spiked shoulder pads and a headpiece that encompassed everything but her face and hair, her eyes covered by a blood red visor. A large black gauntlet was securely fastened on her left arm.

The woman called out to them, spreading her arms out wide. "So, what d'ya think? Enough of an attention grabber? Cause I could always blow more up!"

Ben's eyes widened at the sound of the woman's voice. _'Oh man, don't tell me…'_

Athena stepped forward, her brows cast downward as she slammed the handle of her javelin on the ground in defiance. "Who are you?! Why have you done this?!"

The woman near the flames let out a sinister cackle. "Hehe, don't worry lady, I'll be out of your hair in a sec. All I want…" she pointed straight at Ben. "Is the runt."

Ben clenched his fist. "Why don't you stop hiding and just show your face, Rojo?"

Ruby whirled her head around to Ben. "Rojo? Who's Rojo?"

Jaune felt all the blood drain from his face. "We're screwed. Kevin told me about this woman. He said she'd skin us alive if given the chance."

Hearing what the knight said, Rojo laughed as she moved away from the flames and lifted her visor, revealing her pale skin and black lips twisted into a smirk. "Hahaha! Oh, that's a good one blonde boy, I might save that idea for later. But you aren't the ones I want." She pointed her left hand at Ben. "It's you I'm after, Tennyson. I've spent over a year locked up, _dreaming_ of the day that I'd get my hands around your neck. Well guess what?" She balled her hand into a fist and her gauntlet began glowing, her closed hand suddenly glowing with a bright red energy. "It's time for YOU to get what's comin' to ya."

* * *

**A/N: To be continued… Yep, we're ending on a cliffhanger for this one! So make sure to tune in Next Time. Because then, it'll be Rojo verses Everyone! See ya then!**


	18. Seeing Rojo

**A/N: Hey everyone! New chapter coming at ya! Now when we last left off, our heroes were in quite the pickle. So, how will Ben's Team, Team RWBY, Sun and Team JNPR get out of this one? Let's find out shall we? This is...**

**Chapter 18: Seeing Rojo**

* * *

"It's time for YOU to get what's comin' to ya." As the words rolled off her tongue, Rojo fired the energy blast from her gauntlet, immediately sending Ben into action

"SCATTER!" the hero shouted. At his command, the team separated into two groups and leapt out of the way, the energy blast destroying the front steps of the school. Ben, Team RWBY and Sun went in one direction while Gwen, Kevin, Team JNPR and Athena went the opposite way. Debris was sent flying, little chunks of concrete hitting the pavement as the twelve teens and the Huntress mother dove to the ground, all of them thankfully none the worse for wear. Ben stood up and glared are Rojo, Team RWBY and Sun all prepping their weapons as they stood by his side. "You've got a lot of nerve attacking an academy, Rojo. What's next, a hospital?"

Rojo smirked wickedly. "Aw, is little Benny still upset that I put his grandpappy in intensive care all those years ago?"

Over where she was standing, Gwen watched in panic as she saw her cousin's eyes dilate, his nostrils flare and his teeth grit, his rising anger all too evident. Gwen remembered how traumatic an experience that had been for Ben,so she knew that bringing up the memory was a bad move on Rojo's part. The moment she saw his hands clench into fists, Gwen thought her cousin would lose it right there, but then… something surprising happened. Yang calmed him down.

* * *

As Rojo goaded Ben on, Yang started to see the signs instantly, signs that she was all too familiar with herself. It had been how she herself reacted just a few days ago when she had seen Blake almost get killed at the hands of Adam. She watched as Ben's body tensed up, his hand's ball up and air flow in and out of his nostrils like a raging bull. Yang had never seen Ben this angry before, and she quickly knew that she did NOT like to see him this way.

As he was about to step forward, Yang put a firm, yet comforting hand on his shoulder, too which the hero whirled his head around to face her. Without even saying a word, all she did was give him a stern look and shake her head slowly, her violet eyes ever focused on his green ones. Ben's body instantly lost its tension and the anger vanished from his face, replaced by calmness and realization at his actions. Yang smiled at him, too which he was more than happy to return. His expression quickly grew determined as he faced Rojo once again.

"Sorry Rojo, but I'm not falling for it." Ben crossed his arms. "We'll still beat you, but without the whole "fueled by rage" bit."

Rojo cackled at Ben's heroic bravado. "HAHAHA! Really? You sure you got a handle on yourself without your little girlfriend to help ya?"

THAT remark managed to get into Ben's head, the hero stumbling over his words trying to find a retort. "I-I… W-well… I'm…" he blushed and turned his head away as he stammered on, conveniently not noticing that Yang was also lightly blushing herself, her head slightly lowered in an attempt to hide her face.

It was just the reaction Rojo had been looking for. "Gotcha!" A pair of rockets on the bottoms of her boots lit up and surged her forward, her right hand moving to grab Ben by the throat. Unfortunately for her, Yang still had a hold on Ben's shoulder and the blonde quickly pulled him out of Rojo's way, resulting in the bounty hunter crashing into the school's brick wall… as well as Ben and Yang being in rather close proximity to each other.

Yang let go of his shoulder and Ben stepped out of her personal space as he cleared his throat. "Ahem, uh, thanks for the save."

Yang wasn't usually one for awkward situations, but there was always a first time for everything. "Yeah, sure, no problem. So, uh, heh, guess it's Hero Time?" she said with a chuckle, hoping to change the subject.

"Uh, yeah definitely."

Rojo pulled herself out of the wall she had implanted herself into and glared at her target, her teeth gnashing. "Okay, I was hoping this'd be a simple job, but ya just had to push it didn't ya?"

"It's okay." Ben smirked as he activated the Omnitrix. "I like pushing buttons."

Ben selected his alien of choice and slammed the core down. He turned into a large yellow and grey robotic alien with mammalian features such as clawed hands and feet, a tail, and a pair of ears that stuck out of his Corinthian-styled helmet. His arms were the most apparent feature of his robotic nature were his arms, of which consisted of built-in jackhammer pistons. The Omnitrix centered itself on his chest and he punched his fists together twice, the clanging sound adding to the gravitas of his name; "Armodrillo!" the Talpaedan narrowed his green eyes at Rojo "Time to dig in."

* * *

As she watched the transformation happen, Athena was amazed. "By the gods, that is simply incredible."

Pyrrha pulled her shield, Akouo, from her back and held it up. "Indeed it is mother, but you aren't prepared for battle yet. _Please_ tell me you have your armor."

Athena shook her head. "No, I left all of my luggage back at the house. In all honesty though, I would never have predicted something like this would happen."

"I understand. Then it would probably be best if you go and get reinforcements. Don't worry, we'll cover you." Pyrrha leveled her reforged Milo in its xiphos configuration at Rojo, intending to make her returning battle a victorious one. "And call General Ironwood as well, we're probably going to need a containment unit."

But Athena had her concerns. "Are you sure, dear? This woman seems very dangerous."

Pyrrha smiled at her mother. "Mom, trust me…" Jaune, Ren and Nora joined her at her side. "…we can handle this."

Athena sighed in defeat, though not without a smile. _'She really HAS grown up, hasn't she?'_ She gave her daughter another nod. "Very well, good luck my dear, I will return with back up as soon as I can." Athena made off in a mad dash for her car, an action that didn't go unnoticed by Rojo.

"Oh no you don't, lady!" Rojo aimed her gauntlet at Athena and prepared to fire off another energy blast from her arm-cannon, only to get slammed into by Armodrillo.

"How about, _you_ don't?" the alien asked sarcastically before tossing her all the way to the opposite end of the parking lot. Rojo did a mid-air flip and landed on the ground, glaring daggers at the twelve teens as they approached her with weapons drawn.

The bounty hunter cracked her neck. "Alright, if that's the way you want it…" a double-edged blade with red lightning bolts going down each side popped out of her right gauntlet, "…then that's how it'll be!" With a battle cry, Rojo ran forward, ready to swing her blade.

Kevin scowled at her as he absorbed the metal of a still intact car. "Fine by me." He turned his hand into a blade of his own and met her in the middle, their swords clashing together. They pushed each other away before clashing again, their repeated strikes letting off sparks with every blow.

Nora wasn't one to be left out though. "Let me take a crack at her!" She rushed forward, Magnhild in its hammer form, ready to make a heavy hit.

Jaune however, wasn't too keen on Nora's move. "Nora, wait! We don't have a plan yet!"

But it was too late. As Nora brought her hammer down, Rojo caught it with her free hand while kicking Kevin away. Rojo glanced at the hammer and then back to Nora. "Hmm, nice hammer, but how'd you think this would _end_ exactly, Pinky?"

Nora smirked. "Like this." She pulled her hammer back and swung it again at a different angle, faster than Rojo could even predict, a grenade launching out of the head as it made impact. The explosion sent Rojo spiraling all the way back where she started, landing on the ground with much less finesse than before.

Rojo picked herself up and rubbed her head. "Gah, okay, wasn't expecting that." She aimed her arm cannon at Nora. "But hey, a least I know who's on my shit list now." She fired her red laser at the Pink Dynamo, but the hyper girl wasn't deterred at all.

"Ha! Please, you seriously can't be THAT edgy can you?" Nora swung her hammer forward, hitting the laser head-on. But it was an action that she would come to regret as the resulting energy burst sent her sailing back, much to her teammate's panic.

"Nora!" Ren moved swiftly and caught his best friend in his arms, knocking him back as well. The two landed in a heap with Nora's head spinning.

As the two laid on the ground, Armodillo narrowed his eyes at Rojo. "Okay, that's enough!"

"I'm with you!" Yang yelled. "Let's get her!"

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Ruby agreed. "Team RWBY, move in!" The four girls and Armodrillo charged at Rojo, with Sun not far behind as well. But the armored woman more than ready for them.

"Oh, so now your ganging up on me huh? Fine by me!" She aimed and rapidly fired her arm cannon at the running teens, though all shots missed as the five teens moved away from the impact spots. As her frustration grew, Rojo activated the jet boosters on her boots and flew forward straight at Armodrillo. The Tapaedan surged forward as well and delivered a piston powered punch to Rojo's abdomen, sending her back again.

Rojo growled at him. "Grrrr, are you cracked Tennyson?! Just stand still for two seconds!"

"Oh sure, why not?" Armodrillo planted his feet and turned his hand into their pile-driver configuration. "But let's see who's REALLY cracked here. First, we crack the shell," Armodrillo slammed his arms into the ground and his pistons began to rapidly pound into it, causing a mini earthquake to knock Rojo off balance. Armodrillo stopped and ran forward, rearing his fist again, "then we crack the nuts inside!"

"I don't think so!" Rojo blasted her arm cannon again, though Armodrillo was quick to dodge and deliver a second piston punch which sent Rojo sailing all the way to the school's front gate. The Talpaedan ran after her and stopped in front of her crouched form, readying another punch to knock her out. But at the last second, Rojo fired her arm cannon, this time at point blank range, and sent Armodrillo flying into one of Signal Academy's bordering walls.

As the alien grunted in pain, Ruby was quick to take action. "Ben! Hang on!" She used her Semblance to move in on Rojo fast, whipping up a flurry of rose petals which made the bounty hunter all the more confused.

"Okay, what the hell's going on now?!"

Ruby popped up next to her in a blizzard of petals. "THIS!" Ruby swung Crescent Rose and knocked Rojo down onto her back. Ruby spun her scythe around before moving to bring the blade down just above Rojo's shoulder to make sure the bounty hunter was trapped. But Rojo caught Crescent Rose's blade in her hands before it could impact the ground, taking Ruby slightly aback.

Rojo smirked. "Not bad Little Red, but let me make this clear:" Rojo pushed herself forward while still holding on to Crescent Rose, throwing the scythe away which resulted in Ruby being pushed back as well. The Hooded Huntress landed on her feet as Rojo took aim with her weapon. "…you're not better than me."

"Then how 'bout me?!" From behind her, Rojo was put into a choke hold by Yang, the blonde then proceeding to wrestle her to the ground. "You hurt my sister and I will make SURE you live to regret it!"

As Rojo gagged for air, she put her right hand on Yang's wrist and twisted causing her to let out a shriek of pain and lose her grip, Rojo quick to roll out of the hold and get up. Rojo took a deep breath as Yang held her wrist, the Blonde Brawler's aura already working to lessen the pain. "Why are you even DOING all of this?!" Rojo asked. "Tennyson's only been here for what? Three days?! And yet you treat him like he's been your friend forever! He should mean NOTHING to you!"

"WRONG!" Yang shouted. "He, Gwen and Kevin have helped us all SO much. Yeah sure, they saved us, but more importantly they've _been_ here for us. If they weren't here, we'd all be a lot worse off than we already are. THAT'S why they're our friends." Yang activated her Ember Celica and began shooting Fire Dust rounds at Rojo, unloading a cartridge with every punch.

Rojo scoffed and pressed a button on her gauntlet, bringing up a red energy shield to block the shots. She readied her arm-mounted blade again. "You think I give a crap about what you're saying Blondie? Tennyson's going down, and that's that!"

"Oh I wouldn't be too sure."

Rojo's eyes widened at the voice behind her. She'd forgotten about Kevin. She whirled around just in time for the Osmosian to give her a sock to the cheek, sending her stumbling forward right as Yang ran in for the take down. The Blonde Brawler hit Rojo in the gut, knocking the wind out of her before shoving her back and punching her in the face again. Rojo was knocked to the ground, still conscious, yet dazed.

Yang gave Kevin a thumbs-up. "Not bad, Kevin. Thanks for the assist."

Kevin nodded. "No prob, but I think Tennyson may need help. C'mon, let's get him."

"Right." Yang looked to her sister who had since gotten up and joined Weiss, Blake and Sun. "Rubes, think you can handle her till we get back?"

"Of course we can!" Ruby said before looking back to the other three. "Come on guys, let's hold her off!" As Rojo stood up again, the four teens stood against her while Kevin and Yang went over to the immobile Armodrillo, ready to dig him out of the rubble.

* * *

Meanwhile, as that was going on… "OoooOOHhhh BOY!" Nora hollered as her head spun. "THAT was not pleasant."

"Same here." Ren said from underneath her.

Jaune and Pyrrha rushed over to their teammates with Gwen not far behind. The blonde knight knelt down as he skidded to a halt. "Are you guys okay?!"

Ren sat up with Nora rubbing her forehead in his lap. "I think so." the ninja boy replied. "Though I don't think Nora's in any shape to fight."

Nora shook her head, getting herself free from her daze. "HEY!" Nora countered. "I'm fine! I'm not as hurt as you think I am."

Gwen shook her head. "Sorry Nora, but I should get you checked out real quick. Come on, up you go."

"Awwww, c'mon! I wanna fight the edgy lady!"

"Not until I see if you're okay. You could have gotten a concussion from that hit."

Nora crossed her arms. "Fine, geez you're like a mother hen." Nora made to get up, with Ren helping her as she went.

"Well if that the case, then get chirping little chick." Gwen led her over to Kevin's car and the Pink Dynamo sat down on the hood, ready for her little inspection. She looked to the rest of Team JNPR. "Think you guys can handle Rojo without Nora?"

Jaune was hesitant as felt the ground shake a little. He glanced over to the fight to see Armodrillo get blasted into a wall and Ruby, Yang and Kevin engage Rojo. "Well… maybe? I think it's probably better to come up with a plan first."

Pyrrha nodded. "Right, so what should we do then?"

"Her armor seems quite durable." Ren pointed out. "It'll probably take a lot to take her out."

Jaune pondered Ren's words for a moment only for his eyes to land on Magnhild, now in its grenade launcher form. His mind immediately went back to their match with Team BRNZ during the Vytal Tournament and an idea immediately came to him. "If that armor can take a beating, then we'll just have to test its limits. Gwen, is Nora gonna be okay?"

Gwen finished checking Nora over and came to her conclusion. "As far as I can tell, yes."

Jaune nodded. "Good, because we'll need her."

…..

For her entire life, Rojo had experienced a lot of things. Her troubled childhood, her descent into crime, being fused with a drone, and becoming a bounty hunter were among the strangest of all of them. But really, when would she have EVER guessed that she would be fighting a girl with cat ears and a guy with a monkey tail?

' _Just what the hell ARE these kids anyway? What is this an anime or something?!'_ These were the types of questions that she was asking herself as she fended the two off, using her blade to counter the blows that the two were making. _'If I ever get outta this mess, I'm going to add "human-animal hybrids" to all of my hit lists.'_

* * *

As Blake and Sun continued to match Rojo blow for blow, the cat-girl could tell that they were getting nowhere fast. This woman was practically _built_ for combat. "Sun! We need to change our strategy!"

"Right!" The monkey-boy separated Ruyi and Jingu Bang into their gun-chuck mode and began swinging, every impact unloading a round of Fire Dust and making Rojo move back further and further.

"Oh, come on!" The bounty hunter shouted. "Is EVERYTHING in this universe a freaking GUN?!"

From out of nowhere, Ruby popped in and changed Crescent Rose from its scythe mode into its sniper rifle mode, pointing it straight at Rojo. "Yep!" she cheekily said before firing her own rounds at her.

"I WAS KIDDING!" Rojo snarled.

Sun smirked. "Hey, you asked." He delivered a swift kick to her midsection, allowing Blake to make her move.

Utilizing a combination of her Semblance and a vile of Fire Dust, Blake made one of her signature shadow clones, but this clone in particular was set ablaze the moment it was created. The fiery clone lunged at Rojo and blew up in her face, sending up a cloud of smoke from the epicenter. "Weiss, NOW!" Blake shouted.

"On it!" The heiress spun the barrel in Myrtenaster's hilt to the Ice Dust setting and created a large white glyph. The glyph began spinning and a bright energy began to collect in its center, creating a sphere of blue light. The sphere exploded into a concentrated beam and fired right into the dust cloud, a shout from inside indicating it hit something. The dust cleared and there was Rojo, frozen solid in a giant hunk of ice. Weiss breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew, finally."

However, the red lines on Rojo's suit began to glow an intense red and her arm cannon began glowing as well. Suddenly, the ice began to crack in multiple places before finally just shattering all together, a wave of intense energy coming from Rojo. The bounty hunter let out a loud scream as she freed herself, the energy wave knocking the teens off their feet

Weiss looked back as she got up and let out a groan of frustration. "UGH! Does this woman have ANY weaknesses?!"

"I don't know!" Ruby responded. "But we have to keep trying!"

Rojo meanwhile, was livid. She had come here to do ONE job, just one. And these kids were getting in her way. She uttered another scream of anger. "AAAGGH! What does it take to kill you posers?! You're starting to piss me the FUCK off!"

Ruby gasped. "Language!"

"AAAGH!" Rojo whirled around, lowering her blood-red visor before blasting her arm cannon at Ruby, the Hooded Huntress letting out an "eep!" before using her Semblance to move out of the way. She got in close to with Crescent Rose and swung her weapon, Rojo countering the scythe with her arm-blade. The woman sneered at the younger girl. "I swear Little Red, you're like an itch that just won't go away!"

Ruby smirked. "Good, that means I'm irritating you."

"Bad choice of words." Rojo pulled back before swinging her blade again, though Ruby was quick to counter with her scythe. The two matched each other blow for blow, neither one of them giving in. Though what Ruby didn't expect was for Rojo to deal a swift leg sweep, knocking her off her feet. Ruby was about to get up but Rojo put her boot to the girl's shoulder, eliciting a shrill scream of pain.

Rojo aimed her cannon at Ruby and snickered. "Hehe, end of the line Little Red." But just then, Rojo felt something encircle her waist. She looked down and sneered at the pink mana that had wrapped around her. She knew what was coming next. Rojo yelped as she was pulled up, spun around and tossed far away from Ruby, the mana letting her go as it threw her. She tuck-and-rolled, landing in a crouch on the pavement. She glared back over to see Gwen helping Ruby off the ground, making sure the younger girl's shoulder wasn't badly injured. "Oh, so the brat's cousin wants a piece of me too, huh?!"

Rojo fired her cannon at Gwen, only for the Anodite to raise up a mana shield to counteract the blast. Gwen then pulled the shield apart and, with a magical incantation, shaped it into spear-shaped projectiles which fired directly at Rojo. With two strikes of her arm-blade, Rojo shattered the projectiles into thin air and ran to Gwen and Ruby, intending to finish them off. But her blade was met with another mana shield as soon as she got close to them, Gwen glaring at her through the pink energy.

"I'm not here to fight you Rojo." Gwen said definitively. "I'm just trying to make sure that my friends all get out of here in one piece. Besides, you have something else to worry about."

"Oh really?" Rojo said through clenched teeth. "And what might that be—" she heard shots fired behind her and felt a pair of bullets ricochet off of her shoulder pads. She sneered as she looked behind her. "Oh, for god's sake! WHAT NOW?!" She turned around to see Ren, all by himself, holding his pistols, Stormflower, directly at her. She stifled a laugh as she saw him. "Pff, really? A friggin' ninja? What're ya gonna do kid? Slice me up with those little gun blades?"

Ren ever so slightly narrowed his eyes at the bounty hunter. "Perhaps, but just so you know, you hurt my best friend, so that means I won't show you any mercy."

That just made Rojo laugh harder. "PFFHAHAHA! Oh jeez, you really ARE serious aren't you—AGH!" In an instant, Ren was right up in Rojo's face, his blades ready to strike. But Rojo was just fast enough to block Stormflower with her arm-blades. "Okay, maybe you ARE serious."

"I am." Ren confirmed. He jumped back and fired his pistols at Rojo, only for her to bring up her energy shield to block it. Ren began to strafe around Rojo, rapidly shooting his pistols at her as he ran. Some of the shots made contact, but most of them were countered by her shield before they could hit. As he made his way around her, Ren was able to find an opening and he surged forward, delivering a swift kick to her back, making her stumble forward. He moved in with Stormflower's blades but Rojo blocked it again with her blade, pushing against him with all her might.

As they clashed, Rojo gave Ren a warning. "Seriously ninja boy, you may want to weigh your options with this one."

But Ren didn't budge. "Trust me, I have. And it's our duty as Huntsmen in training to keep our world safe from people like you."

Rojo scoffed. "What a load."

* * *

As that was going on, Yang and Kevin were moving the rubble away from where Armodrillo was buried, unearthing the Talpaedan from his tomb of bricks. When they finally got him free, Yang was quick to rouse his from his daze. "Ben! Ben, are you okay?" she asked as she moved next to him. "Can you hear me?"

Without warning, in a flash of green light, Armodrillo changed back to Ben, who groaned and turned on his side with his eyes still shut. "C'mon mom, I don't wanna try your new recipe." he whined. "It's too early!"

"Okay, he's good." Kevin said definitively. "I'd actually be worried if he DID wanna try some of his mom's cooking."

Yang grinned and rolled her eyes before looking back to Ben. She gently nudged his shoulder, hoping to get his attention. "C'mon Green Boy, time to wake up."

With another moan, Ben turned back over, his eyes opening to see Yang smiling down at him. All of a sudden, a new sensation hit him; a massive headache. He put his hand to his forehead as he got up, the blonde making sure to help support him as he balanced himself. "Ugh, Yang? W-what happened?"

"You got knocked into a wall. Pretty hard too." She moved closer to him. "Now keep your eyes open, I gotta check if you got a concussion from that."

"Oh, o-okay." Ben stammered as Yang took a closer look at his pupils. Yang checked both eyes for abnormal dilation as Ben just sat there, a little nervous with her being this close to him. Sure, it wasn't the first time that a girl was this close to him, but after what Rojo had said earlier, the thought had wormed its way into his head and it wouldn't leave him alone. _'I mean… would it even work between—'_

"Hey Ben!"

Yang's sudden shout pulled Ben out of his thoughts with a yelp. "Gah! Jeez Yang, give me a heart attack why don't ya?"

Yang giggled at his flustered state. "Sorry, but you were zoning out so I had to get your attention somehow. Anyway, you're fine, no head trauma."

Ben sighed. "Phew, good. Now, we should call Grandpa Max, tell him what going on."

Kevin flashed his Plumber Badge. "Already on it, Tennyson."

As Kevin activated his badge and called Max, Ben's attention went back to Yang. "So, where are the others?"

"Well, Gwen got Blake, Weiss, Sun and Ruby out of there and to a safe distance." she answered.

"And Team JNPR?"

"Oh, their fighting Rojo."

Ben's eyes widened. "By themselves?!"

* * *

"Just what were you hoping to get outta this kid?" Rojo questioned Ren as they continued to bout against one another.

Ren's response came instantly. "Simple… a distraction."

Rojo's brows shot up as she heard a new battle cry come up next to her. She turned in it's direction… only to be met with a white and gold shield to the face, the impact being enough to actually crack her visor. She moved back only for another shield to come flying into her midsection, this one circular and colored red and gold. She landed on her rear and looked up to see Jaune and Pyrrha standing next to their teammate, weapons drawn.

"Nice work, Ren." Jaune praised. "Now for phase two."

"We can take it from here." Pyrrha added.

Ren nodded and he dashed off, leaving the knight and the warrior behind with Rojo. The bounty hunter wasn't all that impressed. "Really? You let ninja boy off the hook? And just what do you think you're gonna do?"

Jaune leaned over slightly and whispered to Pyrrha. "Go get your shield, I'll distract her."

Pyrrha smiled. "You've got this, I know you do."

Jaune smiled back. _'She really believes in me.'_ With his resolve firmly in place, Jaune came to a sound conclusion. _'If that's the case, then I can't let her down. Time to step up.'_ The young knight drew his sword and moved in on Rojo while Pyrrha dashed off to the side to get her shield. Jaune made a horizontal swing at Rojo, who again used her own blade to block his. Though from the tone of her voice, she didn't seem all that impressed.

"Are you serious? You can't really expect to take me on by yourself, kid. I've taken down entire alien monsters, what makes you think you can beat me."

Jaune shrugged. "Eh, it's worth a try at least." He pulled back and swung again with Rojo quick to the draw. They clashed many more times, either with sword strikes or shield bashes against each other.

' _Gotta give the kid one thing,'_ Rojo admitted, _'he's putting his all into it.'_ But as their fight went on, Rojo noticed something. _'Wait what's he glancing at… ooh interesting.'_ Jaune's eyes had went to Pyrrha, the warrior having recovered her shield and moving in on them. As Jaune moved in for another shield bash, Rojo instead backed off and fired her arm cannon at him, the energy beam impacting his shield and sending him flying backward, earning a gasp from Pyrrha.

"Jaune!" She watched as her leader was sent flying back, all the way into the same wall that Ben had crashed into. In fact, he had crashed right next to Ben and Yang, the two of them quick to help their friend. Pyrrha called over; "Jaune! Are you alright?!"

As he was pried off the wall, Jaune gave his partner another smile. "Yeah, I'm good! Remind me again to thank you for unlocking my aura!" With those words of reassurance, Pyrrha sighed in relief. Jaune gave her a wink. "Now go kick her ass, Pyr!"

Pyrrha grinned with a nod. "Gladly." She narrowed her eyes at Rojo, the bounty hunter crossing her arms and a smirk ever present on her face.

"Ha, alright girly, let's see if you're as pathetic as your lead—AH!" In the blink of an eye, Pyrrha was right up in front of Rojo, the woman caught completely off guard. Pyrrha swung Milo in it's blade form, with Rojo swinging her own blade to counter Pyrrha's strikes. However, something seemed different this time. It was almost as if there was some extra power behind Pyrrha's strikes. It was subtle, but it was still there. As Pyrrha kept attacking, Rojo had to take some steps back to lessen the girl's blows, alternating between her arm-blade and energy shield to block her blows. It was all Rojo could do to keep up with the Invincible Girl's attacks which kept coming hard and swift. _'Just where did all THIS come from?! Is she their secret weapon or something?!'_ she thought to herself.

It was there that Rojo decided to go for broke and stabbed her blade at Pyrrha. That was her first mistake. Pyrrha turned around so that her back was facing Rojo, sidestepping the blade's strike. Then, as Rojo's arm went past her, Pyrrha grabbed it by the wrist and, with all her might, threw Rojo straight over her shoulder and slammed her onto the ground. Rojo was taken aback by what just happened. _'This girl's got some kinda power or something. I swear I felt lighter for a second!'_ At the sight of Pyrrha swinging her blade downward, Rojo's eyes widened and she rolled out of the way.

Coming up in a crouch, Rojo aimed her arm-cannon at Pyrrha's feet and fired, but the girl was quick to react. She did a mid-air flip back and changed Milo into its rifle form, raising her shield and propping the gun on it to steady her aim. She fired off shot after shot, and while Rojo was able to block most of them with her shield, one was able to finally make its make and hit her in the right shoulder pad, making her reel back. Recognizing her chance, Pyrrha changed Milo back into blade form and rushed forward, delivering a horizontal strike to Rojo's side, the bounty hunter hollering in pain as she fell to her knees. Rojo looked down to see that her armor had held up against the blade's edge, no blood to be seen. However, the force of the impact still hurt like a _bitch_.

Rojo turned around to Pyrrha and snarled. "Oh, NOW it's personal!" She brought her blade back out and the two began to strike at each other again, Rojo's anger blocking out the ache in her side.

* * *

Back where Jaune, Yang, Ben and Kevin were standing, they watched with baited breath as Pyrrha and Rojo fought, all four of them hoping that Pyrrha would be able to pull it off. "Jeez, Warrior Girl's got moves!" Kevin commented.

Jaune couldn't help but grin at that. "Yeah, this is entirely her element."

"She's good alright." Ben agreed. Though his brows furrowed. "Still, Rojo's not one to be taken lightly. Maybe I should…"

Jaune put a hand on Ben's shoulder. "Hold up Ben, I wouldn't worry about it too much. We've got a plan cooking."

Ben raised an eyebrow in confusion before Jaune pointed over to a set of bushes. The hero looked past the two combatants and the bushes to see both Ren and Nora right behind them, the Pink Dynamo wriggling in excitement with a cheeky smile. A knowing smirk came to Ben's face. "Ah, I get it."

* * *

As Pyrrha and Rojo clashed one last time, the Invincible Girl pulled away from her opponent and pressed a button on Milo, extending the javelin's handle. She pulled her arm back and threw the weapon at Rojo, a Fire Dust round firing off from the handle's end to propel it with even more force. Rojo brought her energy shield up to deflect the incoming weapon, which it did, but Milo still hit Rojo's shield with enough force to push her back several feet away from Pyrrha. The warrior caught her javelin as it fell out of the air and looked at Rojo dead on. She had her right where she wanted.

"Okay girly," Rojo called out, "so what happens now, huh?!"

Pyrrha grinned. "This! Nora, Ren, NOW!"

Nora jumped out of the bushes. "Thought you'd never ask!" She brought up Manghild and opened up her weapon's front, revealing the remaining five grenades. Nora pulled the trigger and all five of the explosives launched out and flew straight toward Rojo.

The bounty hunter's eyes widened as the grenades closed in. "OOOHH SHI—"

Just before the grenades made contact with Rojo, Ren shot each one of them with his pistols, preemptively exploding them right in front of her. The blast sent Rojo flying into the back of a parked car, completely bending in the trunk and finally knocking her unconscious. Ren spun his Stormflower pistols in his hand before holstering them and giving Nora a high five, the Pink Dynamo celebrating the success of their plan.

"WOO-HOO! It worked! Our plan ACTUALLY worked!" she exclaimed.

"I had a feeling it would." Ren concurred.

Pyrrha breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."

"Agreed." Jaune said as he approached his team. "Sorry that I couldn't be of more help though."

"Are you kidding?" Nora asked. "Jaune, you came UP with the freaking plan! We would've been sunk if it weren't for you."

"Nora's right." Ren added. "If you hadn't remembered our fight with Team BRNZ, things wouldn't have gone so well."

Jaune rubbed the back of his head. "Aw, thanks guys, it was really nothing."

"On the contrary." Pyrrha said matter-of-factually. "It WAS something. It's like I've been saying, Jaune, you are a great leader. No buts about it."

Jaune smiled sheepishly. "Heh, okay Pyr, point proven, I guess. But in any case, I'm glad to see you back up to speed."

Pyrrha nodded. "And it feels great to be back."

From behind, the team heard the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. They all turned around to see Team RWBY, Sun and the Alien Trio all approaching them, everyone offering their congratulations. "GUYS! That was INCREDIBLE!" Ruby shouted.

Weiss supplemented her partner's statement. " _Amazing_ is what it was. You guys have REALLY gotten working together down pat."

"Couldn't have put it better myself." Blake said.

Sun shrugged. "Yeah, pretty awesome, but heh, I think we may have softened her up a bit for you—OOF!" Blake elbowed him in the side. "But yeah, yeah it was mostly you guys."

As he strolled up to them, Ben couldn't help but be impressed with the team's effort. "Ruby's right. You guys really pulled it off! Gotta say, I was worried for a second there."

Yang smirked at him. "Oh, ye of little faith, Green Boy."

Ben chuckled. "Hehe, okay, okay, I get your point, Yang. Besides, I probably shouldn't be talking since I'M the one who got shot into a wall."

Gwen pat his shoulder. "You did your best Ben, but hey, you can't ALWAYS be the winner right? Probably a good thing to let someone else get the win for a change, right?"

"Well, I'm just glad that none of our rides got blown up." Kevin said. "Speaking of which…" Kevin looked back to the lot full of still burning cars, "is there anyone coming to put all this out?"

"There is actually." The group of teens looked behind them to see Tai and Athena approaching them, the Xiao-Long patriarch holding a scroll in his hand. "The fire department is on their way as we speak. But more importantly, WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED?!" he exclaimed in a panic. "Is everyone okay?"

Yang nodded. "Yeah, nothing major. But Dad, Mrs. Nikos, you two just missed out on one HELL of a fight."

Athena looked around her to see a whole slew of damaged property. "I'm sure we did. A part of me wishes that I could have brought my armor with me so that I could fight beside you." She looked over to see the unconscious Rojo imbedded in a car. "But from the looks of things, it seems you all had things under control."

Ben raised his hands. "Hey, if you're going to congratulate anybody Mrs. Nikos, you should look at your daughter and Team JNPR. They're the ones who came up with the plan to K.O. Rojo."

A smile came to Athena's face. "Is that really true, dear?"

"It is mom." Pyrrha answered. "Jaune came up with the plan and we all managed to pull it off."

With a shriek of joy, Athena embraced her daughter, followed by Jaune, Nora and Ren. "Oh, I am so PROUD of you all! To think that you successfully took down an inter-dimensional criminal! Does anybody have a camera? I want to document this occasion!"

As Athena gushed over Team JNPR's victory, Yang brought up another question. "So where are all the teachers? Are they okay?"

"They're fine." Tai confirmed. "They just escorted all of the students back home. They'll be glad to hear about your accomplishment today."

"I'm sure, but let's keep the alien stuff on the down-low, okay?"

"Yang's right." Ben said. "Remember, we're still trying to keep all this a secret."

Tai nodded. "Oh, of course. Don't wanna freak everyone out right?"

"Exactly." At the sound of a beeping horn, Ben turned around just in time to see the Rustbucket pull into the parking lot. "Well, better now than never, right Grandpa?" he said to himself.

The old man disembarked his motor home and the first thing he saw was Rojo's unconscious body stuck in the car. He looked over to the teens with a proud grin. "Well, looks like our second criminal in two days, eh kids? I've got to say, you're on a roll!"

"Heh, thanks grandpa, but it was really—" Ben was cut off when the sound of sirens came in the distance, signaling the arrival of a squadron of firetrucks.

"Something tells me that we should move this conversation elsewhere so that these gentlemen can work." Max glanced over to the Osmosian. "Kevin, you've got energy cuffs in your car?"

Kevin gave him a thumbs-up. "On it, Max." The group gathered up Rojo and moved to the back of the school, allowing the firemen to do their job.

* * *

A while later, after the firefighters had finished putting out the blazing cars, the team of twelve teens, Athena, Tai and Grandpa Max all stood in the back lot of the school, awaiting General Ironwoods arrival. They had Rojo cuffed and deprived her of her weapons while she still laid unconscious, hoping that the constant stirring didn't wake her up. As they waited for the Bullhead to arrive, Ruby sighed in exhaustion. "Man, I had no idea that superhero work was this hard. Bounty hunters are a WHOLE lot harder to take down than Grimm."

"Is this seriously what you do for a living, Ben?" Weiss asked. "Fighting complete maniacs who want to kill you?"

"All day, every day." the hero confirmed. "Rarely do I ever get a day off."

"Well if that's the case," Jaune chimed in, "then we may wanna start training a bit harder. If any of those other outlaws are as dangerous as Rojo, we're gonna have to be ready for them."

"Indeed." Pyrrha turned to her mother. "Mom, do you think you would be able to help us in our training?"

Athena had no second thoughts to her answer. "Oh of course I will help, Pyrrha. If it helps you and your team in your mission, then I would be more than glad to lend a hand, sweetheart."

"That's great to hear Mrs. Nikos." Ben said. "Glad that you're on board." At the soud of jet engines, the groups heads were drawn up to the sky to see the Bullhead arrive. The aircraft landed in the vacant lot and the back dropped down, General Ironwood and a pair of Atlesian Soldiers walking down the ramp.

Ironwood greeted them all with a grin. "Hello, everyone! I see that we've made our criminal count two for two. Congrats to all of you."

Gwen stepped forward. "We sure have. But if you want to congratulate someone," Gwen gestured over to Team JNPR, "they're the one's you'll have to thank."

"Really?" Ironwood was surprised as Team JNPR approached him, but not only at their accomplishment, but at the sight of a certain girl who was up on her feet. "Pyrrha! You're standing!"

Pyrrha stepped forward. "Indeed I am. Been standing since this morning actually."

"Ha! Well that's great! Glynda will be glad to hear that you're doing well. You and your teammates were the key to this victory, I hear?"

"Yes, though Jaune is the one who came up with the plan."

"But it was a team effort to pull it off." Jaune clarified. "The plan couldn't have been done without these guys."

"I see." Ironwood looked down at Rojo, who was just beinging to regain consciousness. "Well, judging buy the outcome, it would seem that you have quite the knack for leadership, Jaune. Well done, all of you."

"Aw, shucks." Nora said. "It was no biggie."

"Tell that to the fire department." Ren dryly quipped.

Ironwood looked over to his soldiers. "Alright boys, bring her aboard and throw her in the containment unit."

"Yes sir!" The two guards picked Rojo off of the ground, but the bounty hunter managed to wake up as she was hauled to her feet.

"Huh… wha?" Rojo's eyes shot open at the realization that she was being escorted away. "H-HEY! What's going on?! Where are my weapons?! I'm not finished here!"

Ironwood met her glare with one of his own. "I wouldn't be too sure about that. You'll be locked up in an Atlas prison for quite a while, ma'am. And you'll stay that way until you return to your home dimension where you'll be returned to a Plumber prison."

"NO! I ain't goin' back! You hear me?!" Her eyes found both Ben and Pyrrha, and she screamed at them as she was taken aboard the Bullhead. "Tennyson! I'm not done with you, ya hear?! You too little girl! I'm gonna get out and I'm gonna kick both your asses!"

Ben smirked. "Yeah, good luck with that Rojo."

"Perhaps you will get out early with good behavior." Pyrrha added.

"Woo!" Yang shouted. "P-Money with the sick burn!" The blonde raised her hand and Pyrrha gave her a high five as Rojo was pulled into the Bullhead, still screaming bloody murder.

Ironwood sighed. "Well, that's going to be entertaining to listen to all the way back." he said with sarcasm simply dripping from his voice. "I suppose we will be seeing each other again soon if this keeps up."

"I would think so." Pyrrha agreed. "Perhaps then you could shed some light on some more light on all of the times that you've worked with my mother."

Athena gasped. "Oh! Now there's an idea, James! There are no shortages of stories there, you know."

The general chuckled. "Hehe, perhaps. If there's time. But for now, I must leave. See you soon everyone!" And with that, Ironwood boarded the Bullhead and the ramp clode behind him, taking off back to Vale a few moments after.

* * *

Half an hour later, the team of twelve teens were all sitting in the basement of the Xiao-Long household, completely wiped out. Ruby, Jaune, Pyrrha, Blake, Sun, Gwen and Kevin were occupying out on the couches, Ren and Weiss were reclining in the chairs, and Yang and Nora were simply laid out on the floor, all of them exhausted beyond belief. Ben meanwhile was looking through one of the DVD cases that the trio had brought from their dimension, hoping to find something for all of them to watch.

"Ugh, thank god all of that is over." Blake moaned.

"You're telling me." Sun said. "That chick was nothing but trouble."

"I kind of wish my freeze tactic had worked." Weiss admitted. "Didn't expect her to have that many tricks."

"You DID do well Weiss." Gwen reassured. "Trust me, you all did a great job today."

From her position on the ground, Yang lifted a fist into the air. "Yeah! Go team!" she said tiredly. She looked over to the green-clad hero. "Hey Ben, did you find any cool other-worldly movies to show us?"

Ben turned around with a smirk. "Indeed I have, BUT it's not a movie, rather a show. After today, I figured that we could all use a small helping of 1980's cheesiness." Ben pulled out a disk that had a picture of two robots on it, one red and blue and the other grey and black, and on the disk written in blocky lettering was… "So, who wants to watch the entire first season of The Transformers in one afternoon?"

* * *

As Rojo sat in her cell, looking through the energy barrier that kept her from killing these guards and leaving this stupid aircraft, she could practically _feel_ her anger festering within her. The aircraft she was on was on its way to someplace called "Altas" where ever THAT was. She didn't care where it was. All she cared about was what had happened earlier that day. She was just beaten by a bunch of little brats with high-tech weapons. Weapons that even _she_ couldn't measure up against. How? Just _how_? She promised to herself then and there that she WOULD have her revenge, no matter what barrier held her. _'Tennyson's gonna pay. Him and that that little bitch.'_

She glared down at her clenched hands… only to notice something else occurring. Something was gathering at her feet, and upon closer inspection, she realized what it was; smoke. Pitch black smoke. Panic immediately set in as she got up and banged against her cell walls, the energy barrier reverberating against her hits. "HEY! LEMME OUTTA HERE!"

One of the guards scoffed as he made to look back at her. "Heh, yeah right. like we'd ever do tha—what in the world?!"

The other guard turned around to see what his buddy saw. "What's going o—HOLY HELL!"

The black smoke was enveloping Rojo at this point, no matter where she went in the tiny cell it just seemed to follow her. "Get me outta here you idiots!"

One of the guards made for the control pad to deactivate the cell while the other stood ready to grab Rojo. But it was too late. The smoke completely enveloped Rojo, the woman screaming as it sucked her in. But something was wrong. Rather than being suffocated, Rojo felt as though she had instead entered some kind of void, the sensation of falling taking her over. But just as the feeling came, it abruptly ended as she landed on solid ground… but not on the floor of her cell.

Rojo picked herself up and felt the carpeted ground beneath her. She was in a dark room in a place she didn't recognize. She stood up and looked around, hoping to see some sort of light switch. When she saw none of the sort, she decided to ask herself; "Ugh, okay, so where the fuck am I now?!"

Just as the words left her mouth, the room suddenly lit up thanks to some decorative torches along the wall. The entire room was of a dark crimson color with gothic decor lined around the room. Even the carpet was a dark shade of black. The epicenter that tied the whole thing together was the gothic fireplace with black leather seats and couches surrounding it. Rojo went over to one of the chairs and sat down in it, reclining when she found it satisfactory.

"Heh, now this is more like it!" She said as she sat back. "A girl could get used to this place."

"Oh please, do make yourself at home."

At the sound of the new voice, Rojo flew out of the chair and faced the direction that it came from. What she saw was a tall figure that she instantly recognized as female. She about her height and she was standing in the doorway, the shadows concealing the woman's form. Though something was strange about this woman. The very sound of her voice gave off a chilling vibe. It sounded young, but the tone made her sound almost really old at the same time.

The woman finished her statement. "After all, I believe we will be working together for quite a long time."

Rojo narrowed her eyes. "Where am I? How'd I get here?"

"A simple matter really." The woman answered as if it were no big deal. "I summoned you here. The unbridled anger and hatred for your enemies that you contain within your soul was so great that I was able to take a hold of you with my dark magic and transport you here."

Rojo shrugged. "Okay, so where IS here? And who the hell are YOU, lady?"

"You my dear, are in my fortress, my castle if you will. We currently reside in a land known only as the Land of Darkness. And as for who I am…" The woman stepped into the light, revealing her stark white face. She wore a long black robe that Rojo could have mistaken for shadows themselves. The sclerae of her eyes were just as black, with her irises blood red. She had a small diamond in the middle of her forehead with the sides of her face and arms covered in dark red and violet veins. Her hair was styled into a rather large bun with six ornamental braids, three on either side of her head. She spoke in the same cold voice, finally revealing her name to Rojo.

"…My name is Salem. And I believe that we have much to discuss."

* * *

**A/N: Well... that can't be good. The witch has finally reared her menacing head. And what plans does she have up her sleeve? Well, that's something to be explored... Next Time. During which we will see both what our villains are up to, as well as a little sneak peak at what comes next for our heroes. Stay tuned... See ya!**


	19. Heroes and Villains

**A/N: Hey guys! Chapter update coming in for a landing, and this'll be the last one for today on AO3! So, when last we left off, Rojo had been pulled into Salem's hands. So how about we catch up on what our villains are doing, huh? I mean, last time we saw Cinder, she had gotten blown out of a window by Chromastone. That probably didn't do wonders for her self-esteem, am I right? This is…**

**Chapter 19: Heroes and Villains**

* * *

After what felt like an eternity of sleep, Cinder could feel her consciousness return to her, and the first thing that she could remember was pain. Pain at being shot through a window. An energy blast had struck her and slammed her through the glass before her high velocity decent to the ground below. That was when she had lost consciousness. But now, she was awake. Her eyes snapped open and she let out a gasp, sitting up fast before taking in the fact that she was covered in sheets and in her red nightgown.

As she took steady breaths, she looked down at her shaking hands, both rapidly vibrating as the memory of her defeat came back to her. She brushed her hair away from her eyes as they darted around the room, realizing that she was back in her bedroom at Salem's castle. As she collected herself, she spoke as she evened out her breathing. "What… what happened? How did I get back?"

"Ah, so you are awake, young Cinder."

Cinder's head whirled around to see her mistress, Salem, standing near the window, overlooking the lands below. The Fall Maiden immediately tried to stand. "Lady Salem, I—AGH!" She stumbled out of bend and fell to her knees, her legs shaking.

Salem turned around and eyed her pupil with a stern stare. "You should not have attempted that. You have been unconscious for several days. You are quite fortunate that you only sustained minor injuries from your encounter."

As Cinder struggled to get back onto the mattress, her only question was one fueled by anger and hatred. Hatred for the being that put her here in the first place. "Where… is… _Chomastone_?" she asked with venom dripping from her voice.

Salem raised a single eyebrow. "Chromastone?"

From the other end of the room, a new voice answered Salem's query. "It's one of Tennyson's alien transformations." Cinder looked over to where the voice had come from and saw a pale-skinned red-headed woman dressed in black jeans and a grey tank-top with a skull on it. She was leaning against the dresser. "Look's like you got your ass handed to ya, Little Miss Cindy."

The rude behavior and patronizing nickname did NOT help improve Cinder's mood. "Who are you?! How did you get in here?!"

Salem stepped forward and held an arm out to Cinder. "Calm yourself, Cinder. This is Rojo. She is a skilled bounty hunter who will be working with us. She hails from the same world as that conquering hero, the one who disposed of you that night." Her gaze hardened. "It would seem that you weren't as powerful as you thought, my Fall Maiden."

Cinder immediately lowered her head. "Lady Salem, it was not my intent to—"

"To overestimate your power, even though you knew you had not tapped into it's full potential yet?" Salem guessed. "Or perhaps it was to underestimate the power of your opponent, who, might I add, was powerful enough to _kill_ the Grimm Dragon?"

Cinder's eyes widened. "What?! The dragon is DEAD?!"

"Indeed, exterminated in a single blast and reduced to dust by yet another of that boy's transformations."

Cinder was at a loss. "But if there is no dragon, then…"

"The Grimm were driven off," Salem confirmed, "and the people of Vale and Beacon's faculty are already working on reconstruction. The relic is still somewhere in that school, and we are unable to search for it."

The realization hit Cinder like a ton of bricks as she clenched her hands into fists. _'I failed. I FAILED!'_ However, her own self-loathing quickly turned back on its heel as her mind came back to the one who defeated her. "That creature." She said through clenched teeth. "That wretched hero! Who is he?! He will pay for what he has done!"

From where she was propped up against the dresser, Rojo answered. "His name is Ben Tennyson." Cinder turned around to face her as Rojo kept talking. "The kid's a human who's got this alien watch called the Omnitrix. It lets him to turn into any alien he wants, and quite honestly Cindy, if there's one thing we have in common, it's a mutual hatred for that teenaged jerk."

Cinder was appalled. "How? How can a mere teenaged boy wield that much power?!"

Rojo shrugged her shoulders. "Honestly, I couldn't tell ya how or where he got it. All I know is that when I first met the kid, he was ten and I put his grandpa in the hospital. Then I was fused with a drone that belonged to this squid-headed alien conqueror called Vilgax. I was forced to hunt Tennyson down and take the Omnitrix to Vilgax or else he would off me right there. I only got out of it because Tennyson ripped the drone out of me."

Cinder was slightly confused at that. "So why do you hate him if he saved you from your enslavement?"

Rojo smirked. "Heh, once you get a taste of that kind of power Cindy, you never wanna let it go. And Tennyson's the one who took that power away from me. So, once I busted outta jail, I looked everywhere to find SOME kinda replacement for the upgrade I lost. Then I found one, but with an added bonus. I got to be a part of a group that hunted down Tennyson." But then she scoffed. "Too bad it turned out to be a shitshow where no one could get their fuckin' act together. Since then, I've flown solo, hoping to crush Tennyson myself. But now? I think I could get used to this outfit you gals got goin' here."

Salem spoke up again. "I summoned Rojo here after she had fought with Tennyson and those children who were once Ozpin's students. She has agreed to be a part of our faction so long as we provide her with better armor and equipment, which is being worked on as we speak."

Cinder clutched the bedding and her head lowered, her brows furrowing further. "I… I see."

"I expect you two will work together quite well given your mutual hatred for the Tennyson boy."

At her mistresses' words, Cinder's eyes widened and she looked back at her. "I'll be… working with her?"

Salem looked down at her Fall Maiden and nodded. "Indeed. As the new Fall Maiden, you hold a key part in our plans for Remnant. While the operation in Vale did not go as well as hoped, you still strategically crippled them. And Miss Sustrai has told me that you have successfully killed Ozpin. Is this true?"

Cinder was quick to answer. "Yes, my mistress. Ozpin has been terminated. I saw to it myself."

"Hmm… I see. If that is the case then you have done well. We will simply have to employ different means of retrieving the relic from Beacon. And as for Tennyson… I have an interest in this intriguing device that he bears. The Omnitrix, was it? If we could harness this great power, it could be of great use to our cause."

Cinder nodded. "Yes, my mistress, we will retrieve the Omnitrix for you."

Salem narrowed her eyes. "Have you already forgotten what your hastiness rewarded you with the first time? If you are to face Ben Tennyson in any capacity, you must train your Fall Maiden powers. Hone them to perfection so that the next time that you face the boy, it will instead be _him_ who succumbs to _your_ wrath."

Cinder respectfully nodded again. "Of course, Lady Salem."

Rojo put in her two cents. "Better listen to the boss lady, Cindy. Besides, it's not gonna be that easy. The Omnitrix is stuck to the kid's wrist and only HE can get it off. I mean… there ARE other, _bloodier_ means of getting it off, but if we just want the watch itself, we're gonna need a plan of attack."

"I see." Salem replied. "We will get to work on a plan as soon as possible." She faced Cinder once again. "For now, however, Miss Sustrai has requested your presence. She has wanted to speak with you on an important matter."

"Of course, Mistress." Cinder complied. "I will see to Emerald shortly." But then, unexpectedly, Cinder's stomach let out a loud growl.

Rojo threw her head back and let out a mighty guffaw. "HAHAHA! Maybe after you've eaten something first Cindy. You've been out cold for what? Three days? C'mon, let's get some food in ya."

Cinder glared at the bounty hunter. "I don't need your patronage!" However, Cinder's stomach disagreed as it rumbled again, this time even louder. Cinder growled and looked away when Rojo started laughing again.

"Rojo makes a valid point, young Cinder." Salem said as she made her way to the door. "If you are to wield the Maiden powers competently, your body must be in good health as well." Salem opened the door and looked back to the two women. "It would be in your best interest to eat something before your training begins, because when it does, it will be fierce."

Cinder bowed her head. "As you wish, Mistress."

As Salem exited the room, Rojo smiled and looked back at Cinder. "Your boss is a cool lady. I respect a woman who knows what she wants."

"Duly noted." Cinder said with a wave of her hand. "Now leave me be, I must get dressed."

"Sure you don't want any help?"

Cinder narrowed her eyes and made to get up. "I am perfectly capable of—AGH!" She felt her legs give out again, still not fully recovered from her days of laying still. But fortunately for her, Rojo caught her by the arm before she could hit the ground.

A smirk came to Rojo's face again. "So, still sure that you don't need help?"

Cinder glared at the bounty hunter. "You will speak to no one about this."

Rojo snickered. "Hehe, Cindy, I think that this'll be the start of a beautiful friendship."

* * *

Meanwhile, in a brighter, less depressing part of Remnant, the sun was just beginning to rise over the island of Patch. And, just like the past two days, the team were already up and eating before any adults were awake… again. While many were irritated that they were up at six o' clock yet again… "I blame Gwen!"

And some were tired of being blamed… "Oh, COME ON!"

Everyone had agreed that eating was probably best thing to get them all in a better mood. And it did, because after breakfast, many of them were all down in the basement just hanging out before training. For instance, Ruby and Nora were playing Pokémon…

"Okay, so where are you right now?" Nora asked.

"Oh, well I just beat Brawley on Dewford Island and I'm on my way to Slateport City." Ruby answered.

"Okay, okay." Nora frantically said. "I've JUST gotten to Dewford, so let me beat Brawley and I'll catch up to you."

"Alright, just make sure you deliver the letter to Steven before you leave, that guy looks kind of important."

"Got it!"

As the two girls went back and forth about strategy concerning the Fighting-type gym leader, Ben, Yang, Jaune and Sun were discussion the show they had marathoned yesterday; The Transformers. Most of the teens had stayed to watch the first season in its entirety, with a few exceptions. Weiss and Blake had lost interest in the strange, other-worldly show and Gwen had taken them to read some books. But for the ones that _did_ stay, they couldn't get enough of it.

"I still can't believe that our world HASN'T thought to make a toy line out of cars that transform into robots!" Yang exclaimed. "It just seems like such a genius idea!"

"Yeah, and the show's not half bad either." Jaune agreed. "Though admittedly it IS kinda silly in some places."

Ben shrugged. "Yeah, that's Generation One for you. It was definitely a product of its time and while the series DID have some idea about what to do with itself, none of the really deep and interesting lore was established at the time. It was all of the other cartoons that came _after_ the original that really explained how the world of the Transformers really worked."

"Wait, wait, hold up…" Sun held up a hand. "There's _more_?"

Ben chuckled. "Haha, yeah, over thirty years' worth of Transformers content. And I think I've got most of it in those binders over there."

"Okay, we NEED to watch those, pronto." Yang insisted.

"And we will… just as soon as those two are done with the TV."

The two that Ben were referring to were, in fact, Gwen and Pyrrha, the Invincible Girl having gone back to playing the Ocarina of Time. She was extremely focused on her most recent opponent; the Bio-electric Anemone, Barinade. She had just severed its tentacles and removed the Bari that had latched onto the parasite with her boomerang. Now all she had to do was deliver the finishing blow while avoiding the energy blasts that it projected.

"You got this Pyrrha," Gwen encouraged, "you've beaten worse!"

"Exactly! And I am not about to be beaten by a giant leech!" Pyrrha made more critical hits to her virtual enemy and the beast cried out in pain before it burst out into redish-purple boils. The creature exploded in a burst of green slime and Pyrrha jumped up from the couch, pumping her fists into the air in celebration. "AH-HA! Yes! Take THAT, monster!"

Gwen got up and celebrated the victory with her. "Haha! That's it! I knew you could do it!"

"Indeed! One step closer to saving Hyrule!" The two redheads gave each other a high five before sitting back down and going on with the game.

Jaune smiled at his partner's enthusiasm. "Man, you're still really into that game, huh Pyr?"

Pyrrha giggled. "Hehe, yes I am. Playing this for the past few days has just been so much fun! I'm excited to see what else this game company has to offer besides Zelda if all of their games are this good."

Ben grinned at that. "Well, if Ruby and Nora playing Pokémon is anything to go by, then I don't think you have anything to worry about."

Suddenly, a loud screeching noise came from the Ben's 3DS, the one that Nora was using to play Alpha Sapphire. The peppy redhead cupped a hand over her ear. "Yow! What was that?!"

Recognizing the cry immediately, Ben asked; "Did you go into Granite Cave?"

"Yeah…"

"Then you ran into a Zubat. You'll learn to either love 'em or hate 'em."

Ruby was the one who asked; "Why is that?"

Ben went through the pros and cons. "Well, you might hate them because they, and their evolution Golbat are in EVERY cave in the region. But I for one love them because their final evolution, Crobat, is one of my favorites. It's actually a pretty good Pokémon, well known for it's speed and attack power."

Nora smirked. "Really?" She focused back on to the 3DS and had her Marshtomp whittle down the Zubat's health before catching the Bat Pokémon in a Pokéball, making it hers. "Then I will befriend this Pokémon and utilize its abilities to further my goals! AHAHAHA!"

"Good!" Ben said with a nod. "Because that's the key to getting it to evolve."

Nora's head snapped back to the here. "Ah say wha?"

"Oh yeah, happiness is how you get Golbat to evolve into Crobat." Ben confirmed. "All Pokémon have a measure of friendliness to their trainer. And in some cases, that friendship helps some Pokémon to evolve. Crobat was one of the first species to have this kind of evolution method, actually."

Nora gushed at the concept. "Awww, that's really sweet! So how is friendliness measured? Through Pokémon Amie I'm guessing?"

Ben shook his head. "Nuh-uh. Friendship isn't something you can see in a Pokémon unless you take it to a friendship evaluating person in the game itself. There _are_ ways of manipulating it, like giving the Pokémon a Soothe Bell or taking it to a masseuse, but for the most part, what it really relies upon a bunch of different factors. But don't worry, the Soothe Bell is over in Slateport City so you don't have far to go until you get it."

Nora was understandably very confused, but when she heard that the Soothe Bell wasn't far off, she brightened up. "Oh! Okay then, thanks Ben!"

Ruby's mouth was agape at the knowledge that Ben had. "Wow Ben, you sure know a lot about Pokémon."

Yang smiled as she ruffled the hero's hair. "Yeah, who knew that this head was actually a big information dump for video games?"

Ben chuckled as he neatened his hair back up. "Heh, well I gotta have SOME hobbies outside of being a hero, don't I?"

Yang rolled her eyes. "I'm sure. But don't forget, you still gotta show me that Dragon Ball show, okay?"

"Hehe, don't worry, I haven't forgot. We'll marathon it later on today, promise."

Sun had no idea what they were talking about. "Uh, wait a sec, what's a Dragon Ball?"

"It's a long story, Monkey Boy," Yang said, "we'll explain later. So, does anyone know where Blake, Weiss, Kevin and Ren are? We should probably get ready to start our training for the day."

"I think Ren's in our room doing some meditation before we get going actually." Jaune answered. "Said he wanted some quiet time to himself."

"Kevin said he was going to work on his car for a bit." Gwen added. "And as for Blake and Weiss, they're in the kitchen. See, I _may_ have finally gotten around to showing them a novel from our world. I used a spell to create two copies of the book and I gave them one each."

"Really?" Ben asked. "So what book did you give them?"

A grin formed on Gwen's face. "The Hobbit."

* * *

"I have to admit," Weiss said as she turned another page, "this book is quite the read for a children's novel. Gwen said this was just supposed to be like a bed-time story, but quite honestly, I think I'm enjoying this way more than I should."

"I know right?" Blake agreed as her eyes trailed through the lines of the book. "The author just goes into such strong detail of the events that it's hard to put down!"

Weiss looked up at her teammate. "If what Gwen said was true and this book is just the starting point of a much bigger story, what do you think we're in for?"

Blake returned her gaze. "In all honesty? What I'm hoping for is high adventure."

"That's exactly what I was thinking too! We should… hmm?" Weiss' attention was drawn to the staircase as someone descended from the floor above. With a tired yawn and a big stretch, Athena came into the kitchen, her green eyes still just barely open wearing a set of red pajamas with matching fuzzy slippers.

The moment she entered, she saw the two girls sitting at the table and waved to them tiredly with a smile. "Ahh, Weiss, Blake, good morning." Athena went over to the fridge and opened it, hoping to find something to eat. "How are you girls doing this morning? And where's my daughter? I would think she'd be up with the rest of you."

"We're well, Mrs. Nikos." Weiss answered. "Thank you. Pyrrha's downstairs with almost everyone else. She's taken a shine to a videogame from the world that Ben, Gwen and Kevin came from."

As Athena took out a jug of milk and poured herself a glass, letting out a small chuckle at what Weiss had told her. "Yes, that sounds like my daughter alright. As much as she is a warrior, she always had an interest in some of the nerdier things in life. I never judged her for it though. If it makes her happy, then _I_ am happy. So, what are you girls doing?"

Weiss showed the Nikos matriarch her copy of The Hobbit. "We've just been reading this book that Gwen showed us from her world."

As Athena went over to the remaining leftovers that had been cooked that morning, her interest had piqued at what Weiss had told her. "Really? What's it about?"

Blake was eager to explain. "Well, it's about this creature called a Hobbit, whose name is Bilbo Baggins. He unwillingly gets swept up in an adventure by a wizard named Gandalf and travels with a group of Dwarves to help free their home on The Lonely Mountain from the dragon, Smaug. It's actually a pretty good story."

"Ooh, sounds interesting." Athena sat down next to the girls with her plate of leftovers and her glass of milk. "And where are you two right now in the book?"

"We just started chapter nine." Weiss clarified. "Bilbo and the Dwarves just got through battling a bunch of giant spiders in the forest of Mirkwood. Now they're trying to find their way out of the woods but they've been ambushed by Elves who wield bows and arrows. That's where we were when you walked in."

"Well, don't stop on my account." Athena insisted as she dug into her food. "Go ahead, keep going, I'm simply here to eat."

"We will," Blake said, "thank you Mrs. Nikos." As the two girls kept reading about Bilbo and the dwarves' escape from the Elvenking's dungeon via barrels, Athena sat there and listened as the girls read aloud, eating her breakfast in the meantime. However, just as they finished the chapter and Athena cleaned her plate in the sink, the three heard a ringing coming from the living room.

"Hmm, call waiting?" Athena asked before heading to the living room with Blake and Weiss not far behind. But as she went down the hallway, the huntress noticed that the phone was on a small table near the living room, and it wasn't what was ringing. She looked in the living room and saw that it was actually the holographic television set that was ringing. "That's… curious."

Athena went over and pressed the power button on the device and the holographic screen came up and on it was a very dower looking General Ironwood, who was looking slightly off to the side. _"Tai, I need to speak with—"_ He cut himself off when he noticed that he instead speaking to the three women. _"Oh! Athena, Blake, Weiss, good morning. I… didn't expect you to pick up."_

"Good morning, James." Athena greeted her old friend. "To what do we owe this early morning call?"

Ironwood cleared his throat. _"Erhem, well uh, I have some important news for the team. I called hoping I could speak with them."_

Weiss nodded. "Of course, General. We'll go get them right now."

"Be right back." Blake said as they separated, herself having gone upstairs to get Ren while Weiss went down to get the others. Athena turned back to the screen, her face twisting in a scrutinizing manner, tying to get a read on Ironwood's mood.

"James, what is going on?" she asked. "Is there something the matter?"

On the hologram, the general sighed. _"I'm afraid we have a problem."_

* * *

"She ESCAPED?!" Ben hollered, more in panic than anything else. He, along with the rest of the team plus Athena, were gathered in the living room around the holographic TV which General Ironwood had projected his call into. The news came as a shock to the hero, seeing as he assumed it would be easy for Rojo to stay caught. "How did she escape?! I thought she was on her way to Atlas!"

Yang put a hand on his shoulder. "Ben, calm down, we'll fix this. She can't stay free forever. We'll find her, promise."

Ben took a deep breath and exhaled before giving the blonde a small smile. "Okay, Yang. Thank you."

She smiled back at him before looking back to the screen. "General, how'd she escape? And PLEASE don't tell us it was the guard's fault."

Ironwood shook his head. _"On the contrary, in fact the guards were following protocol to the letter. Rather… THIS is what happened."_ the general typed in something on his communication device and a small rectangle came up on the screen, showing Rojo being guarded by two soldiers while she was in an energy cell. _"This security footage was taken at the moment of escape. Watch closely."_

The video expanded to take up the entire screen and it started playing, with some sort of black smoke beginning to fill Rojo's cell. The bounty hunter began to panic instantly. _"HEY! LEMME OUTTA HERE!"_ she yelled as she banged against the cell walls.

The guard on the right laughed before turning around. _"Heh, yeah right like we'd ever do tha—what the hell?!"_

The guard on the left turned around _"What's going o—HOLY HELL!"_

" _Get me outta here you idiots!"_ Rojo yelled as the smoke started to wrap around her. The teens watched the footage as Rojo was completely swallowed up by the smoke, screaming in terror. When she had completely disappeared, both they and the guards in the footage were at a loss for words.

" _She's gone!" "Disappeared!"_

As the video ended, Ironwood came back to the screen, a disappointed expression written across his face. _"So, there you have it."_

Ruby felt chills going down her spine. "She just… vanished."

"That was… kinda terrifying." Jaune admitted.

Pyrrha stepped forward. "General, how could something like this happen? Black smoke doesn't just appear and take people."

" _The question isn't about "what" Pyrrha,"_ the general clarified, _"but rather, "who". I fear that what we just saw was the work of Salem. She has finally started to make her move."_

A cold feeling suddenly settled upon the room, everyone slightly tense at the mention of the witch. The woman who was responsible for destroying most of Vale and nearly conquering Beacon had just stolen Rojo from right under their noses. Gwen broke the silence. "But… why would she take one of OUR bad guys?"

Kevin supported his girlfriend's argument. "Yeah, it's not like she KNOWS about us… does she?"

General Ironwood gave a solemn nod. _"It's a possibility. Salem is said to be connected to the Grimm, so it would not be without reason to say that she felt her dragon die at Ben's hands. Thus, she would know that you're here."_

Sun seemed to sum it up best; "Well… shit."

" _Indeed. And I have a feeling that she isn't done yet. We'll all have to keep on our toes from now on concerning the villains you capture. Any one of them could be Salem's next recruit."_

Nora spoke up. "Okay… one question though. How is she able to just pluck them out of thin air like that?"

Ren added to that. "And in addition, how can we stop it from happening?"

Ironwood looked down slightly. _"Well, there are rumors that Salem has the power to sense the evil within one's soul and latch onto it, allowing her to take that person to where ever she wishes. As for how we stop it… I am not all that sure. We would have to take them to a place that is out of Salem's reach… and I am not sure if there IS such a place."_

"Perhaps we could hide them away in a deep underground bunker?" Blake suggested.

"Maybe, but we don't know how far Salem can reach." Yang reminded her partner.

"Or maybe convince them to think happy thoughts?" Weiss proposed.

Ben shook his head. "Nah, any happy thoughts they could dream up all probably involve strangling me."

"It sounds like the only way to guarantee that they don't get caught by her… would be to take them directly back to our world." Gwen concluded.

"But that's not exactly possible right now." Jaune reminded. "You guys are stuck here, remember?"

Pyrrha jumped in. "And it may be a while before anyone finds a way to bring you back."

"Yeah, you're right." Gwen conceded.

"But what other option is there?" Kevin counteracted. "We can't just expect the lady to stop summoning our rogues. We've GOTTA do somethin'."

Ruby shrugged. "Well then, looks like we'll just have to keep a close eye on them as we catch 'em."

On the screen, Ironwood gave a nod. _"Right, I'll increase the number of guards I have on Clancy as well. I'm not sure if Salem has use for a mindless monster like him, but we'll do it just to be safe."_

"Right," Ben acknowledged, "thank you, General Ironwood."

" _My pleasure."_ Ironwood looked over to the Nikos matriarch. _"Athena I'm sure you'll help train these kids well. With your skills, I'm certain their own will greatly improve."_

Athena gave her old friend a wink. "Come now James, have I _ever_ scared you wrong in the past?" she said sarcastically

Ironwood chuckled at his friend's joke. _"Haha, now THAT'S debatable."_ He turned his attention to the monkey boy on the other side of the room. _"And Sun?"_

Sun was surprised to be addressed by the general directly. "Uh, yes sir?"

" _Winter has informed me that Scarlet and Sage will be leaving for Mistral later this afternoon. I believe it would be in your best interest to come say your goodbyes before they head off."_

Sun's gut sank. He had completely forgot about that. "Oh… right. Thanks General, I'll be by later on today."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Blake was right by his side, settling a gentle hand on they boy's shoulder. "We'll _both_ be there." she corrected him. "I promised that I'd to be right there with you, and I'm going to keep it."

Sun smiled and he gently grasped her hand in his own. "Thanks, Blake. It means a lot."

"Hey, no problem. We all need support sometimes… even if some of us don't like to admit it."

Sun smirked. "Is there a dual meaning in there?"

Blake smiled and rolled her eyes. "Maybe… but I won't give you the satisfaction of just telling you."

Slightly confused at the two's banter, General Ironwood cleared his throat again. "Ahem, well okay then. If that's the case, then I'll see you two later today. Goodbye everyone, Ironwood out." The screen went black and the hologram shut off, leaving the twelve teens and the single adult in the room to dwell on the discussion they had just had.

A moment of silence passed before Yang finally broke it. "Well, guess this'd be a good time to start training, huh?"

Ben nodded. "Right, we should try and stay positive about this. Negativity is exactly what the bad guys want. And we're not about to let them have that, am I right?!"

"RIGHT!" the entire group shouted.

"Good!" Ben pumped a fist into the air. "Now let's get down to business!"

"Agreed." Athena said. "I'll go get changed. I'll be back down in a few minutes."

Suddenly, the front door opened and Max walked in, a friendly smile on his face. "Mornin' kids, and you too Athena. So, any good news today?" Everyone looked at Max with awkward expressions and the old man had his answer. "Well… guess not. What happened?"

"Well, Grandpa…" Ben began, "let's just say that the bad guys are starting to show their faces."

* * *

Back in the Land of Darkness, Cinder was strolling through the halls of her Mistress' castle, making her way to the infirmary where she would meet up with Emerald. After her filling meal, she was feeling much better, even getting the strength back in her legs. Still… that didn't make her feel any less indignant from having been helped to simply get dressed. And by someone who was essentially a complete stranger no less! Having only just met the bounty hunter, she could already feel the contempt rising just by knowing the sheer fact that she would be working with the snarky woman. Speaking of which… "You do not have to accompany me everywhere I go. You _are_ aware of this correct?"

Rojo shrugged as she put her hands behind her head. "Eh, beats just sittin' around doin' nothing. Besides, I gotta get aquatinted with this place, ya know? Can't just wander the halls not knowing where I am, right?"

Cinder closed her eyes. "Hmph, I suppose." She opened them back up and glanced back at Rojo. "Still, this is a matter between Emerald and I alone. No butting in unless addressed, understand?"

"Crystal clear, Cindy."

Cinder grumbled. There was that callous nickname again. _'It's degrading. Does she think that she can just come in and get on my better side? She has to EARN that place.'_ As they approached the infirmary, Cinder saw her companion waiting there for them, staring off into space. She called over to her; "Emerald."

The thief's head immediately whirled in Cinder'sdirection and a look of relief overtook her face. "Cinder! You're awake!" Emerald lightly jogged over to them before she noticed Rojo's presence. She narrowed her eyes at the bounty hunter. "Wait… what is _she_ doing here?"

Rojo cracked a smile. "Emmy! How's it goin'?"

Cinder was slightly taken aback. "Wait, you two have met already?"

Emerald's brows furrowed. "Unfortunately."

"Aw, c'mon Emmy, I'm not here to cause trouble," Rojo insisted, "just takin' a tour of the place. You gals just go on and talk, I'll just be here, minding my own business, 'kay?"

Emerald sneered. "You'd better." She faced Cinder again. "You _let_ her come with you?"

Cinder huffed. "More like she invited herself. Now, what did you wish to speak to me about?"

"Well… I think it's better if you see for yourself." Emerald went back over to the infirmary door and opened it, leading Cinder and Rojo inside. The green-haired girl moved to a closed off curtain and pulled it back, Cinder's eyes widening and her lips parting at what she saw.

There sitting on the stretcher with most of his face and body wrapped in gauze, was Mercury. The young man was badly beaten and bruised in many places, a burn mark set straight across his face and his arms in a set of casts. His mechanical legs had not been reattached, the stumps just laying there on the bedding. He looked up, and under his bandages, he smirked. "So, the sleeping one finally wakes up, huh?"

Cinder was aghast at what she was seeing. "Mercury… what… who did this to you?"

At the question, Mercury lowered his head and scowled at the floor. "I think it's a pretty safe bet that you know already."

Cinder scowled. "Tennyson."

"And not just him." Emerald added. "The blonde bimbo had a hand in this too."

Cinder's eyes shifted to Emerald. "The Xiao-Long girl? Hmm, and here I thought her spirit had been broken after her disqualification from the tournament."

Mercury scoffed. "Pfft, apparently not. She and Tennyson are all buddy-buddy now. Far as I'm concerned, they can keep each other."

Cinder nodded. "I see, how long will you be bed-ridden?"

Mercury sighed. "Another couple days. My legs are still being repaired and I only just started to speak without my face hurting. But even when I AM able to move, my arms will still be in these casts for a couple of weeks. I swear, when I get my hands on Tennyson, he WILL pay."

"Of course. We'll make sure of that. Is there any other news I should be aware of?"

Mercury looked back up at her. "Yeah. Pyrrha Nikos is alive."

At those words, Cinder clenched her fists. "I had a feeling she would be. Tennyson and that other girl interrupted me as I was making the finishing blow. The girl made a shield around her and Nikos while she removed the arrow I put in her ankle."

At that point, Rojo jumped in. "Whoa, hold on a sec. This "Pyrrha" girl, she's the tall redhead with the spear, right?"

Cinder glowered at Rojo. "What did I say about speaking out of turn—"

"Because if she is, then she's number two on my hit list. Right under Tennyson."

Emerald was understandably confused. "Wait, what?"

Cinder crossed her arms. "Elaborate, Rojo, quickly."

Rojo began to explain. "Look, that little girl is the whole reason I got caught yesterday. And let me tell ya, she's got _everything_ coming to her. If I ever see her again, I'll make sure she lives long enough to regret EVER crossing me. Then… well, I think you know what'll happen next."

Cinder raised a hand to her chin. "Hmm… I see." A sinister grin came to her face. "If that is the case then this partnership might not be as big of a disaster as I thought it would be."

Rojo smirked. "Haha! See? Told ya you'd come around, Cindy."

Cinder's face fell to a dead-pan expression. "Perhaps I spoke too soon." She looked back to Emerald. "And Adam, what happened to him?"

"He got captured." Emerald answered. "As far as we know, he's probably locked up in a maximum-security prison somewhere in Altas as we speak."

"And what of Torchwick and Neopolitan?"

Emerald shook her head. "Neo is M.I.A., haven't seen her since the battle. As for Torchwick… well, he kinda became lunch for a hungry Griffon."

A bemused expression came to Cinder's face. "Hmph, I see. Well, it's not as if he didn't have it coming. If we find Neopolitan, that's fine. But for right now, we must focus on preparations for our new mission. That being: retrieve Tennyson's watch, the Omnitrix."

"Yeah," Rojo placed her hands on her hips, "and then… he'll be ours for the beating."

* * *

As noon passed on the island of Patch, the team had since finished their training and everyone split up into different groups to do their own thing. Ruby and Weiss stayed behind at the house, the Hooded Huntress having taken an interest in reading The Hobbit. Weiss was more than happy to help her partner play catch-up while Blake was out. Team JNPR and Athena were on an outing about town, the Mistralian woman eager to treat her daughter and her team to lunch.

As for Blake and Sun, they had arrived at the docks not a few short moments ago, ready to board the next ferry to Vale in order to see Scarlet and Sage off before they left. However, they were not alone, as Yang, Ben, Gwen and Kevin had accompanied them as well. The Osmosian had brought his car while Yang had brought Bumblebee with her as well.

"Thanks for tagging along guys." Blake said from the backseat of the green muscle car. "It's a lot easier to drive around Vale than just aimlessly walk around it."

The car safely boarded the ferry and Kevin put it in park. "Hey no problem. Besides, going on the same trip's actually more convenient for everybody."

"We've been wanting to see how Cooper's been doing in Vale." Gwen explained. "Not only will this give us the opportunity to see him, but we can also meet Sun's team while we're there too."

Sun chuckled as the four teens got out of the car. "Heh, yeah, guess you're right. It HAS been a few days since we've seen Coop, hasn't it?"

"Sure has." Ben commented as he got off of Bumblebee and Yang put up it's kickstand. "Not sure why he hasn't called us though. He'd probably want to tell us all about his job, wouldn't he?"

Gwen shrugged. "Maybe he's just been too busy helping rebuild. I'm sure that there's plenty of things to do in Vale after what happened."

Yang wore a sly grin. "Yeah… or maybe he's too busy trying to ask Coco out."

Gwen giggled. "Hehe, yeah, that could be it too."

Kevin snickered. "Heh, well, one thing's for sure, the guy's probably gonna be busy either way when we get there. Here's hoping he won't be hard to find."

Ben leaned against the muscle car. "I'm sure he won't. Besides, if he is, Goodwitch will probably know exactly where to find him."

"Yeah, probably." Blake nodded. "I think it'd be a good idea to go back to the hospital we were in a few days ago. Sun's team and Team CFVY might still there so that might be the best place to go."

Yang gave her partner a thumbs-up. "Sounds like a plan!" She shifted her attention to Ben. "Then when we get home, we can start marathoning Dragon Ball."

"Of course." Ben confirmed. "But just be prepared, 'cause we've got days, if not _weeks_ of material to go through."

But Yang didn't seem to mind. "Sounds good to me." Just then, the ferry's horn let out two blows, signaling its departure from the docks. "Well, looks like we're off guys. Vale, here we come!" And with that, the ferry pulled away from the docks and the five were off to Vale.

Sun clapped his hands together. "Alright, so now that we've got some time to kill, would anyone mind explaining to me what a Dragon Ball is now?"

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it. A bit of a shorter chapter, but it definitely plants seeds for the future. Salem's Faction (which I still really wish we had an official name for) has begun to make plans for their comeback. In addition, now begins what I like to call; the Rojo and Cindy bonding experience. Now THAT'S gonna be entertaining. And in the meantime, our heroes are on their way to Vale to say some heartfelt hellos and goodbyes. Which we will see Next Time… with a bit of a CFVY break mixed in. See ya!**


	20. CFVY Break

**A/N: Greetings everyone! The new set of chapters for AO3 have come off the presses! It's been a while since we've seen our resident Tech Head and Team CFVY now hasn't it? Well let's fix that shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 20: CFVY Break**

* * *

"How is that breaker coming along Cooper?"

"Almost done Miss Goodwitch. Just one last adjustment and… bingo!" Cooper flipped the switch and closed the metal door to the massive generator, the lights turning on the moment he slammed it shut. It had taken Cooper a while to learn the ins and outs of these Dust-powered generators, but with time and patience, he'd gotten the hang of it. With the eastern plant back up and running, the power had been fully restored to both sides of Vale, assuring that all city districts were now fully powered once again. And, once it was rebuilt, Beacon would be getting some of that power as well. It had been a tiring three and a half days going back and forth between both facilities, but it was worth it. Cooper sighed as he leaned back against the massive machine. "Done."

Glynda gave a confirming nod. "Indeed, for the most part. There's still the powerlines to deal with, but the electricians are already out and about taking care of them." The headmistress smiled at the young genius. "Still, for those whose homes and businesses are still standing and _do_ have power, you've given them that much more relief. Good job, Cooper. It would have taken _weeks_ to do this normally."

Cooper waved his hand. "No problem, Miss Goodwitch. Trust me, no one should have to go without power for THAT long." The blonde Plumber let out a loud yawn. "But now, I think I could go for some rest. I've gotten up at the crack of dawn for three days I a row now and I'm _exhausted_."

"I'm sure you are. And you've certainly earned the rest, Cooper. Though I have no doubt that we'll have something for you to do tomorrow. But as far as I'm concerned, you deserve the rest of the day off." Glynda began making her way toward the building's exit. "Now come, let's get back to the hospital and spread the good word."

"Right behind ya." The two walked out of the building and to the car that Goodwitch had rented. They got in and with a twist of the key, they were off, heading back to the hospital where many were still calling home.

As they drove along, Glynda decided that casual conversation would be better than simple utter silence. "So, have you and Team CFVY decided on any apartments? I recall Coco saying that she wanted to get out of the hospital as soon as possible."

"Uhhh… yeah, she has." Cooper answered nervously. The idea of sharing an apartment wasn't inherently a BAD idea, it was just a bit strange to him. Never in his life did Cooper imagine him living in the same space with a group of friends, especially ones that he's only known for several days. But, in that several days' time, Team CFVY had made him feel the most welcomed he'd ever felt. And yet he still felt nervous for… other reasons. "Coco's been searching for any place nearby that HASN'T been demolished by Grimm, but so far, no luck."

"I see." Glynda said without taking her eyes off the road. "It's true that many places in the city have been destroyed, but we should be thankful that not ALL of it has demolished. I've seen the aftermath of many towns and villages that have been completely overrun by Grimm, Cooper. Believe me, this could have been far, _far_ worse."

"I can imagine. By the way, how's the Forever Fall investigation going?"

Glynda sighed. "No luck there as well. General Ironwood has sent squad after squad of his best men into those woods and nearly all of them have returned with injuries by creatures that they couldn't describe. Some say they were Grimm, others say they only _look_ like Grimm. Either way, we're at a dead end."

Cooper's face scrunched up in scrutiny. "Hold on a second, they've sent _how_ many recon parties into Forever Fall?"

"Four, why?"

"Did anyone of them think to bring along a CAMERA?"

Glynda's eye twitched as she pulled along the curb in front of the hospital and put the car in park. She pinched the bridge of her nose and grumbled in irritation. "I have no clue. But if no one did, then I will have _plenty_ of words for them. Thank you, Cooper."

"You're welcome… I think." Cooper got out of the car with Glynda following suit. The headmistress marched past him and up to the doors, the blonde genius following her and trying to calm her down. "Hey, it's okay Miss Goodwitch, I've dealt with stupid things plenty of times in the past. It's something that you've just gotta roll with sometimes."

The moment Glynda set her hand on the door handle, she took a deep breath and tried to relax. "You're right Cooper. I should try and remain calm about this." Just then, she let out a chuckle. "Heh, but I'm certain that when I inform General Ironwood of this, HE will be the one who goes off on his men."

Cooper laughed as well. "Haha, I guess that's _one_ way to look at it. Oh! Hang on a minute…" Cooper cupped a hand to his ear and listened for a moment. "The hospital's emergency generator is off… and the lights are still on. Well, I guess they already know the power's back."

"So it would seem." Suddenly, Glynda's scroll began making beeping noise inside her pocket. "Oh! I had better take this." She pulled out her scroll and answered it. "Yes, this is Goodwitch." As whoever called her spoke on the other end, the stoic expression on Glynda's face began to turn into a small grin. "Really? Is that so? In that case I will be here waiting for them. Thank you very much. Goodbye."

Cooper quirked a brow. "What was that about?"

Glynda turned her scroll off and glanced back up to him. "Cooper, we're going to be expecting some special guests in about an hour. If you wish to rest for a while, I suggest you do it now, because I'm sure they'll want to see you."

Cooper was a bit confused. Why would these special guests want to see HIM specifically? "Um… okay. I'll see you later then." He went inside, leaving Glynda to herself.

She smiled as he left. "He's a nice young man, but he needs to work on his self-confidence." She pulled her scroll back out and dialed General Ironwood's number. After a couple of rings, the General in question answered on the other end.

" _Hello? Glynda?"_

"Hello, James. Yes, it's me. I called to make sure you knew of our special guests."

" _Ah, yes, I do. In fact, I called them earlier this morning."_

"Very good. So, now that we have that settled, do any of your men know how to handle flash photography?"

* * *

As Cooper exited the elevator on the floor that held the room that he and Team CFVY occupied, his mind had slowly pulled itself away from who these visitors were and back to being tired. Whenever he was off work, he was being lugged around by the team of four, eager to show him the wonders that their world had to offer as well as learn what his own world was like. Well, Coco and Velvet were probably more into it than Fox and Yastu were, but nevertheless, they all took part in it. As he opened the door to the room they shared, he saw the two boys and the bunny-eared girl just hanging out doing nothing for the most part. Velvet was fiddling with her camera, Fox was flipping through channels on the TV, and Yastu was meditating over in the corner. "Hey everyone," Cooper greeted, "what's up?"

Velvet smiled and waved over to him. "Cooper! You're back!"

Fox glanced over and quickly nodded. "'Sup Coop?"

Yatsuhashi opened his eyes and bowed his head. "Hello Cooper. Good to see you back so soon."

Cooper nodded back. He'd come to learn much about these three in the past several days. For one, the two boys were actually the quietest ones of the group, Fox especially. They spoke, but only when they felt necessary. But the thing was that they had completely different personalities, Fox being the more aggressive of the two and Yastu was MUCH more Zen. Still, it surprised him how silent they could be considering that Velvet was the shyest of the bunch. Though for as shy as she was, the bunny-girl was still quite keen on learning more about the world he came from and even pining to go there as well.

"Hey Tech Head!"

Cooper smiled as he heard his nickname. _'And then there's her.'_ He turned around and there was Coco, the one who had made him feel the most at home with her team. He was still amazed at how confident she was while also being so kind at the same time. She treated every single one of her teammates as her equals, never ordering them to do things she wouldn't do herself. It was like they were one big strange family in a weird yet pleasant sort of way. She respected her teammates in everyway possible and she had extended that respect to him, ensuring that, whether he liked it or not, he was their unofficial fifth member.

…And he liked her. A LOT. He had come to accept that fact over the past several days. Her determination, her independence, and her inherent beauty were all things that had gotten into his head and he couldn't stop thinking about her. Even when he was working, his mind would occasionally go off of the task at hand and back to Coco. Was that a bad thing? Kind of. But Cooper didn't care. He had fallen for her hard. The only hard part? Asking her out. The same questions kept repeating in his mind; _'What if she's not interested in a relationship?'_ or _'What if she only likes me as a friend?'_ , and then the big one; _'What if I'm just not good enough for her?'_

Cooper shooed the thoughts away and focused back on Coco, who was holding a tray full of coffee for all of them, including one for himself. Which honestly surprised him. "Hey Coco. How'd you know to bring five cups?"

She had a sly grin on her face. "Well… two of these were _meant_ to go to Velvet buuut…"

Cooper's eye widened as Velvet counteracted her leader's statement. "Hey! You know I only asked for one Coco! Stop fibbing!"

Coco snickered. "Hehe, yeah, okay, I ran into Goodwitch on the way and she told me you'd be here. So I went back and got you a cup. And don't worry, Goodwitch told me you were feelin' tired, so I got ya decaf."

"Ah, thank you." Cooper said as he took the cup labeled with his initials. "So, uh, any luck finding an apartment?"

Coco scoffed as she sat down and handed everyone their drinks. "Psh, I wish. Ya know how hard it is to find a nearby hotel in a city that's half-destroyed? Not easy."

"I can imagine. So, what now?"

Coco sighed. "Not sure. We can't stay in this hospital room for however long it takes before Beacon's back up and running. They need a place in case any more patients come in."

"Plus, the food sucks." Fox added.

Coco pointed to him. "Exactly. There's still one complex I haven't tried yet. But if this one doesn't work out, we're gonna have to think of something else."

Cooper shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, probably." A few moments of silence went by, nobody saying a thing as they all just sipped their coffee. Cooper decided to break this awkward silence by getting something off his chest. "Hey guys?"

Everyone turned their attention to him with Coco answering him. "Yeah, Tech Head? What's up?"

Cooper offered his best grin. "I just wanted to say that, no matter what we decide to do with ourselves going forward, I'm very thankful for you guys making me feel welcome in your world. I know we've only known each other for four days now, and I know this sounds a bit corny, but as far as I'm concerned, you guys are all my friends." He raised his coffee cup. "So here's to you guys."

Velvet put a hand over her heart. "Aw, Cooper, that's so sweet! Thank you!" She then raised her own cup. "But I must say that without your hard work these past few days, Vale would still be without power for several weeks. So here's to you!"

Fox smirked and raised his own cup while Yastu did the same but with a polite smile. Coco also raised her own cup and said a few words. "Velvet's got the right idea, Tech Head. As far as I'm concerned, you've earned a place with us."

A sense of gratitude had filled Cooper's chest at their words. "Ha, thanks guys. Seriously, it really means a lot. It feels nice to feel like I belong somewhere."

Velvet nodded. "Of course, Cooper. When someone is far from home, it's better to have friends with you than none at all."

"Well yeah, but…" Cooper paused for a moment unsure whether to pour his feelings out right then and there. But then, he remembered; they were his friends. They'd understand. "…It's just really nice to feel appreciated."

That got Coco's attention. "Whad'ya mean by that?"

"Well… back in my world, I kind of always felt like I was off to the side. Just a someone to be brought in when Ben and the others needed tech support. I went to the Plumber Academy to try and change all that, hoping that I could be on the front lines for once. But, when I came back, the first thing I had to do was build a machine to help Kevin."

"What'd he need help with?" Fox asked.

"We had to use it to help him turn back to human after he got himself mutated into a giant monster… for the third time in his life." A stunned silence followed that statement. "I know, long story, I'll explain later. But back on point, after all that happened, I was assigned to the Plumber base in Bellwood, but other than that, I didn't do much else. Then the whole break out with Vilgax happened and well… that kind of demoralized me a bit." His smiled returned. "But now that I'm using my powers for something that's useful and with your guy's support, I've been feeling a lot better about myself. So again, thank you."

Coco chuckled. "Heh, well Tech Head, I guess all I can say to that is… you're welcome." She pointed at him. "But don't think we're done with you yet. We've still gotta take you shopping for some new duds."

Cooper laughed. "Haha! Yeah, I guess you're right. Can't exactly wear the same clothes every day, now can I?"

Coco shook her head. "Nuh-uh, we're gonna get you something that'll really WOW people."

"Well… if we can _find_ a shopping center that is still intact that is." Velvet pointed out. "Hopefully there will be SOME place we can go that isn't a pile of rubble."

Coco put a hand to her chin. "Hmm, yeah, probably gonna have to make a day outta that."

"Well, so long as it's presentable and not embarrassing, I'll wear anything." Cooper conceded. As he finished his cup of decaf, he let out a yawn. "Okay, I think I'm gonna get some shuteye. Goodwitch said that we'll be getting visitors in about an hour, so if I'm not awake by then…"

"We'll wake you up, Tech Head." Coco assured. "You just sleep for a while, you've earned it."

Cooper smiled at her. "Sounds good to me." He went over to his cot and laid down, his eyes shutting and his mind drifting off for his short nap.

Coco grinned at him as she reclined in her chair. "Sweet dreams, Cooper."

* * *

"OH! So THAT'S what Dragon Ball is!" Sun said as the ferry pulled into the harbor. "Well if that's the case then count me in!"

Yang pumped a fist into the air. "Alright! Monkey boy's on board!" the Blonde Brawler looked over to her partner expectantly. "What about you, Blake? You wanna watch with us?"

"Yeah, it'll be a blast!" Ben pressed further. "You've never even SEEN an animated fight until you've watched a Dragon Ball fight."

The cat girl, however, had her reservations. "I'm… not really all that sure. I mean, it just sounds like a bunch of overly muscled people hitting each other."

Then, like clockwork, both Ben and Yang said at the same time; "Yeah, and?"

Blake put a palm to her face. _'Jeez, they really ARE too much alike.'_ She shook her head and made her way to Kevin's car. "Ugh, sure, fine, I'll try to watch it, but if I give up before we hit the third episode, don't be surprised, okay?"

"Now that's the spirit!" Yang said as she and Ben got back on Bumblebee. "Now let's get offa' this dingy!"

As Blake got into the car with Sun, Kevin and Gwen, the red haired Anodite turned around to her with a small, sympathetic grin. "You're being really nice, you know. I remember when Ben first asked ME to give Dragon Ball a try."

Blake crossed her arms. "Really? Did you like it?"

Gwen shrugged. "Well, it wasn't entirely my thing, but I at least got a new perspective out of it. Before I watched it, I'd never saw the appeal of over-the-top action shows like Dragon Ball. But after I watched it, I suddenly understood why people enjoy it."

"And that would be?"

Gwen chuckled. "Hehe, it's because people like to enjoy colorful, energetic and fun characters taking part in big chaotic fight scenes while telling a solid story. There's just some sort of satisfaction of seeing someone getting hit so hard that they get sent through a wall that just gets to people. And look at it this way, in our world, Dragon Ball is one of the most popular franchises on earth, so it must be doing some things right."

"Huh, well… I guess it couldn't hurt keep an open mind about it, then."

Next to her, Sun let out a high-spirited laughed. "Haha! That's awesome, Blake! Glad you're at least giving it a try."

Blake looked over to him with a smile. "Sure, but I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told them, Sun. Don't be surprised if I lose interest, okay?"

Sun raised his hands up. "Hey, don't worry, I get it. You're a book lover, not much into cartoons and stuff. And hey, I won't be upset if you don't enjoy it. I respect you too much to have that happen."

At his words, Blake's eyebrows rose in surprise, her face turning a light shade of pink. "Really? Well… I'm glad that I've earned your respect."

Sun nodded. "Of course. You've had it for a long time now. I mean, you respect me too, right?"

A sly grin came to Blake's face. "Weeeelll…."

Sun smirked back. "And here I thought that _I_ was the jokester."

Blake laughed and gave him a playful shove. "Hahaha! Of course I respect you, Sun. Sure, you can be a total goofball, but I've come to accept that. It's actually really endearing, in a dorky sort of way."

Sun let out a laugh of his own. "Ha! Well then, I guess I'll take that as a compliment."

"I hope so, otherwise it'd make a pretty weird insult."

"Ooh! Another snarky remark! You're on a roll today!"

"AHEM!" the two Faunus turned to see Kevin looking at them through the rear-view mirror. "Guys, I like a good battle of wits as much as the next guy, but could you _please_ stay in your seats while we get off the boat?"

Blake and Sun glanced down to see that they had indeed moved closer to each other during their bantering, to the point where their hands were almost touching. They quickly pulled away, both of them blushing rather profusely. Blake twiddled her thumbs while Sun put a hand behind his head. But both of them were thinking the same thing; _'How did we not notice that?!'_

Gwen pouted at her boyfriend and whispered as low as she could; "Seriously, Kevin? You had to ruin the mood like that?"

Kevin whispered back. "Hey, I'm not trying to be a jerk or anything. I just don't want them to forget why we're here in the first place. If they wanna do that stuff, they can do it on their own time."

Gwen crossed her arms and sank into her seat. "You're just a big spoilsport, you know that?"

Kevin gave her a big smile. "Yep, love you, sweetie."

Gwen smiled back. "Love you too."

* * *

After the muscle car and motorbike rolled off of the ferry's loading ramp, they drove off to the hospital, passing by the many Huntsman, Huntresses, military and rescue workers that were going around the city streets in an attempt to make sense of the chaos that Vale had been put through. Several minutes later, they finally made it to the hospital that they had stayed at only a few days ago. As Yang pulled over to the curb, she couldn't help but be surprised at being back so soon. "Man, can you believe it's only been like, what, three days since we left here?"

Ben got off and was quick to respond as he took off his helmet. "Heh, yeah, so much stuff has happened in that time that it feels WAY longer."

Yang put her sunglasses away and propped Bumblebee up. "Eh, guess time flies when you're beating up bad guys." The two walked over to the front entrance where Kevin, Gwen, Blake and Sun had already gathered. Blake was shifting her eyes around the parking lot in high alert, almost as if she was expecting to be attacked.

"I still can't get over how Rojo got away." she said as they approached the front steps. "It makes you wonder if these villains can just pop up out of nowhere."

Kevin waved it off. "Hey, don't worry 'bout it, Blake. Trust me, we've had plenty of experience with escaped prisoners."

"Unfortunately, that's true." Gwen confirmed. "But Kevin's right, we probably don't have to wait long before Rojo shows her face again."

"Considering that she now wants to kill both me AND Pyrrha, I'd say that's a definite: yes." Ben said. "So, before she randomly shows up outta nowhere, I suggest we head inside."

"An apt suggestion, Benjamin." came a familiar voice. Everyone turned to the hospital doors to see Professor Goodwitch standing there, greeting them with a smile. "Welcome back everyone! I honestly wasn't expecting to see you all so soon."

Blake waved over to her. "Professor Goodwitch!"

Yang waved as well. "Hey Prof!"

Goodwitch made her way down the steps and approached her students, giving both of them momentary embraces. "Girls! It's so good to see you! How has it been over on Patch? You all have been keeping up with your training, I hear?"

"Yup!" Yang answered. "That and we've been beatin' up bad guys and—oh yeah! Pyrrha's outta her wheelchair too."

"I've heard! I'm very glad that Pyrrha is doing better now. After what happened… it's been something that's been weighing on me since that night. Please, when you go back to the island, tell her that I would be very happy to see her sometime soon. If it isn't too much trouble."

Yang nodded. "Sure! I know that she'll want to see you too, Prof."

"Thank you very much, Yang. I appreciate it." The headmistress' eyes shifted over to the Alien Trio. "Benjamin, Gwendolyn, Kevin, I'm very glad to see that you three again too. I've heard that you have been accommodating to our world quite nicely, correct?"

"Yeah, thing's have been going pretty good." Ben replied. "You know, aside from the whole "bad guys from my universe" thing that we've got going on, I honestly can't find much to complain about."

"Other than getting up at Six A.M. every freaking morning." Yang snidely remarked. "Right, Gwen?"

Gwen narrowed her eyes at the blonde. "Yang, I swear to god, if you don't stop running that into the ground, I'm gonna scream."

Yang laughed and wrapped and arm around the redhead's shoulders. "Haha, okay, okay, I'll stop. It was getting old anyway."

Understandably confused, Glynda simply rolled with it. "Um… I see. Well it's good to know that you have a good schedule in place." Finally, she looked over to Sun, the monkey boy still standing next to Blake. "Mr. Wukong, I had hoped that your being here would have been for a better occasion. But be that as it may, your teammates, Mr. David and Mr. Ayana, will be leaving soon. Their flight back to Mistral leaves this afternoon, so make sure that you and Mr. Vasilias say your goodbyes."

Sun closed his eyes and gave a solemn nod. "Thank you, Professor Goodwitch. They're still in the same room, right?"

"Of course, though they're just beginning to vacate it to make room for incoming patients."

Sun's eyes widened. "Wait, Neptune's leaving the hospital too?"

"Yes, he has been attempting to find a place to stay in the city… but so far he hasn't had any luck."

A grin formed on Sun's face. "I think I just got an idea."

Ben turned pale. "Oh god, I think I know where this is heading."

"He could come back to Patch with us!" The monkey boy exclaimed.

Ben dead-panned. "Eeyup, thought so."

Yang was quick to try and talk Sun out of it. "Whoa, whoa, hold on their Sunny-boy. I know that Neptune's your teammate and your bud n' stuff, but we've already got like fifteen people living at my family's home. I don't want my house to turn into a freaking sitcom."

"You guys have sitcoms?" Ben asked.

Sun tried to win Yang's appeal. "Aw, c'mon Yang. He's gonna be all by himself in this giant wrecked city and there's plenty of space in your uncle's room for two people. And I guarantee that your dad's got a spare bed lying around somewhere."

Yang raised her index figure. "I… can neither confirm or deny that, but my point stands. It's just a TON of people. Besides, I doubt that he'd want to be living under the same roof as Weiss right now. He's kind of on her bad side after what happened during your fight with Team NDGO, remember?"

The realization dawned on Sun and he deflated a bit. "Oh… yeah, right. Well… maybe we can at least get him to apologize to her, right? That'd probably make things easier."

Blake shrugged. "I don't know. Weiss doesn't really seem all that eager to talk things over with him. But, if there's a chance" she glanced over to Yang. "Then maybe…?"

Yang sighed. "We'll see, okay? I'm not gonna say no, but it's not a definite yes by any means. I don't wanna come off as a jerk here guys, I'm just concerned about my home becoming one giant cluster."

But Sun understood. "Hey, it's okay, I get it. But thanks for thinking about it, Yang." Sun looked to the hospital doors and took a deep breath. "Okay, let's do this." He climbed the steps with everyone following behind him. Suddenly, he stopped, an idea springing into his head. "Hey, Ben?"

The hero glanced over to him, tilting his head slightly. "Yeah, what's up?"

"You guys are going to go see Cooper and Team CFVY, right?"

"That's the plan, why?"

"Well, before they leave, I want Sage and Scar to see one of your transformations…" Sun smirked. "And I think I have a pretty good idea how."

* * *

At the feeling of being touched on his shoulder, Cooper was stirred from his sleep. He then heard a gentle voice whisper softly into his ear, almost as if it was singing to him; "Tech Head. Time to wake up." He let out a moan as he rubbed his eyes and turned over to see Coco smiling down at him. "C'mon big guy, it's been an hour. Our special guests'll be here any minute."

Cooper got up, though not without a bit of protest. "Ugh, really? It's been an hour already? Can't I sleep for just a few more minutes?"

"No chance, Tech Head. You've already committed to this."

Cooper got up and yawned. "Okay, but as soon as these people leave, I'm gonna go back to sleep. I just hope that this'll just be a quick thing."

Just then, the door to their room opened and Cooper instantly got a taste of humble pie when he saw who it was. "Gee Coop, why don't ya tell us how you really feel, huh?"

Cooper felt his jaw drop in surprise. "Ben?!"

"Yep! And look who I brought with me!" Ben opened the door and revealed Yang, Gwen and Kevin, all three greeting them with friendly smiles. "Surprise!"

Gwen waved. "Hi everyone!"

Kevin gave a two fingered salute. "What's up, Coop?"

Cooper pushed a hand through his hair in disbelief. "Gwen? Kevin? And Yang too? Ha, what warrants all this?"

Gwen went over and gave him a hug. "Well, we were just in the neighborhood..."

Kevin walked in and shook the genius' hand. "So we though we'd come over n' bust your chops a bit, dude."

"Um… thanks, I think." Cooper said uncertainly.

Yang moved into the room and immediately went to over Coco. "Coco Puff! How've ya been?!"

Coco got up and met Yang with a hug. "Yang! Haha, no way! Girl, what in the hell're you guys doing back here?!"

Yang hugged back. "What, we can't just come for a visit once and a while?" She pulled out of the hug and went over to Velvet, giving her a hug as well. "Hey Vel! How ya doin'?"

Velvet giggled. "Hehe, I'm doing well, Yang. Thank you for asking."

Yastuhashi got up and gave a bow. "Hello everyone, it's a pleasure seeing you all again."

Ben nodded. "Same here, Yatsuhashi. Good to see you." He looked over to Fox and gave him a salute. "'Sup, Fox?"

Fox saluted back. "Nothin' much, Ben. How's it been?"

Ben shrugged. "Eh, you know, the usual for me. I've had my life threatened twice this week, so nothing out of the ordinary, really."

That got Fox's attention. "Wait, what?"

Yang proudly put her hands on her hips. "Yep, we've been fighting bad guys over on Patch. A bug dude and an angry lady bounty hunter. Two wins in a row! …Though the lady managed to escape before she could be imprisoned."

"I've heard." Cooper said as he sat back down. "General Ironwood told me everything. Guess we weren't the only ones transported here, huh?"

"Right." Gwen confirmed. "And we have absolutely no idea where they all ended up. Our villains could be scattered across Remnant for all we know and they're running wild."

"And the worst part?" Kevin added. "They're all potential recruits for that Salem woman. It's only a matter of time before they form a whole syndicate of evil."

Coco lowered her sunglasses. "Man, that sucks guys. Sorry 'bout that. But if there's anything we can do to help, you know where to find Team CFVY."

Ben appreciated the offer. "Hey, thanks Coco. But let's switch it up a bit. How's thing's been for you guys here?"

Coco groaned. "Ugh, BORING! Jeez, you've never even known boring until you've spent FOUR freaking days in a hospital eating nothing but crappy food!" She rested her chin against her hand. "I've been tryin' to find an apartment for all of us to crash in, but so far, most places are either full up already, or wrecked beyond belief. The only solace from our boredom is our time with Tech Head when he isn't working."

Gwen wore a sly grin as she glanced over at Cooper. "Oh really? And what _exactly_ have you guys been doing?"

Cooper rubbed the back of his head. "Heh, well it's mostly just stories that I've been telling them about our world. But they've been telling me a whole bunch about Remnant too."

"I see. So I'm guessing that you've been excepted into the group, so to speak?"

Coco was the one to answer that. "That's right! Tech Head's been made an unofficial member of Team CFVY. Whether he likes it or not!"

"And I do." Cooper assured. "These guys have made me feel right at home here… a very sterile and clean home that smells like medical ointments."

"Yet another reason I'm looking for a new place." Coco jokingly added. She gave Yang a smirk. "I don't suppose you got room at your house for five more, Yangarang?"

The Blonde Brawler narrowed her eyes at the barrette-wearing leader. "Coco, as much as I love you guys, I'm already nervous about bringing _one_ more person in my house. Five is way too much. But, if you're looking for an apartment, there _are_ a couple places that are on Patch that I CAN recommend. And no, none of them are my house."

Coco laughed at her friend's reaction. "HAHAHA! Oh jeez, Yang, relax. I'm only kidding. And thanks for telling us about that. It may actually be our only option at this point. Sure, the commute's gonna be hell, but we don't really have that much of a choice." Coco pointed to Yang and the Alien Trio. "Now, onto serious business. Just what are you guys doing here? You couldn't have come here JUST to see us. The boat ride and the drive are just too long for that."

"As much as I welcome this visit, Coco's got a point." Cooper agreed. "You guys being here is great, but it can't be the only reason you're here."

The four visitors looked at one another then back at Cooper and Team CFVY. "It's that obvious, huh?" Ben asked. "Well, you see, we aren't actually the only ones who came here today. Blake and Sun are here too. A couple of Sun's teammates are leaving for Mistral today, so he wanted to say goodbye."

Velvet spoke up. "Oh yes, I heard! Scarlet and Sage were talking about going back home for a couple days now."

Coco put a hand to her chin. "Now that you mention it, yeah, I did hear something about a bunch of kids leaving the hospital today. They're gonna be boarding a bus for the airport later on."

"So you took the opportunity to visit us, then?" Cooper guessed.

"Of course!" Ben confirmed. "Why waste the chance, right? But… I also promised that I'd show Sun's Team one of my aliens. Speaking of, now would probably be a good time for that." Ben brought up the Omnitrix and made his selection. He slammed down the core and transformed into… _"Big Chill!"_

Team CFVY all looked on in amazement as Ben transformed. "No matter how many times I see it, I still can't believe it!" Coco said as she readjusted her glasses.

Big Chill turned to his group. _"I'll meet you guys a couple floors up."_ He looked back to Cooper and Team CFVY. _"Be back soon, everyone. Let's all get lunch when we get back."_ Big Chill pointed to the ceiling before turning intangible. _"Going up!"_ The Necrofriggian flew up through the floor, ready to give Team SSSN a good scare.

* * *

On the upper floor, Blake and Sun were walking down the hall to the hospital room that Team SSSN was still occupying. The monkey boy was not in a very cheery mood, however. He wasn't sad per say, but he didn't have a big, goofy grin plastered on his face like he normally did. He just stared down slightly at the tile floor as he walked.

And it was something that Blake couldn't stand. So, she did the first thing that came to her mind. She whirled around and stood right in front of him, making him stop in his tracks. "Sun, please don't do this to yourself."

Sun was taken aback by her words. "Uh… whaddya mean?"

Blake pointed at him. "Don't "whaddya mean" me." She said as she deepened her voice to do a rather bad impression of him. "You know exactly what I mean. Sun, I understand that it can't easy to say goodbye to your teammates, but it's just plain unhealthy to bog your mind down because of it."

Sun sighed. "Yeah, I know. But… I'm gonna miss Scar and Sage. They and Neptune are like the brothers I've never had."

Blake nodded. "I know, and I feel the same about my team. They're like sisters to me." Those words had enough impact to make Blake think to herself; _'What would've happened if I HAD left after what happened at Beacon without telling anyone? …Wow, Yang probably would've been furious with me.'_ She shook the thoughts away from her head and continued. "But at the same time, your team has their own families to worry about back in Mistral. Plus, there's also the fact that their wounds are still healing. They're not going to be away forever, Sun, just remember that. And besides, it beats staying in a city that's half destroyed, right?"

Sun closed his eyes and exhaled, his smile reappearing as he opened his eyes. "You're right, Blake. Thank you."

Blake smiled back. "Anytime, now…" she gestured to the door, "…shall we?"

"Right." Sun walked up to the room and knocked on the door and knocked. A few seconds passed before Neptune opened up.

"Yeah, what is—Sun?! Blake?!"

Sun gave him a thumbs up. "Hey Neptune!"

Blake gave a small wave. "Hi!"

Neptune had an ecstatic grin on his face. "HAHA! Alright, you made it!" He looked back into the room. "Guys! Sun and Blake are here!"

From inside, they heard Scarlet's voice. "Really?!"

And then Sage's. "No way! Seriously?!"

Sun made his way past Neptune and showed himself. "As serious as can be guys!"

"Sun! Hey man!" Scarlet got up from the chair he was in, his arm still in a sling. He gave his leader a hug which Sun was more than happy to return. "Glad to see you made it before our grand voyage home!"

"You kidding? Wouldn't miss saying goodbye to you guys!" Sun shifted his attention over to Sage who was sitting on the hospital bed, his leg in a fresh cast and a pair of crutches propped up next to him. Sun went over and gave him a hug too. "How you holdin' up, Sage?"

Sage groaned. "Been better, my man. Trust me, you do NOT want to ever deal with a broken leg. EVER."

"Heh, I'll bet. Sorry dude."

Scarlet glanced back through the door and he saw Blake standing there looking awkward. He waved over to her. "Blake! Good to see you. Please, don't be afraid to come in."

Blake chuckled nervously as she entered. "Hehe, thanks. I'm sorry for what you guys have had to deal with while my group essentially stole your leader for the past few days."

Sage waved it off. "Hey, no problem. Trust me," he smirked at Sun, "we know our leader enough to know where his… interest lies."

Sun narrowed his eyes at him as he blushed at the implication. "Dude, seriously?"

Sage laughed. "HA! Kidding, dude, kidding." He focused back on Blake. "But in all seriousness, as someone who's as close to Sun as you, you're a friend to _all_ of us."

Blake couldn't help but be flattered. "Aw, thanks. You guys are cool too."

Sun shifted his attention back to Scarlet. "So… what uh… what time does your flight leave?"

Scarlet sighed as he sat back down. "In an hour or so, so I'm glad you guys got here when you did."

"Do you guys need a lift? We've got a set of wheels out front."

Sage shook his head. "Nah, much as we'd like to, Goodwitch is gonna drive us to the airport."

Sun's gaze went to the ground. "Oh… I see." But then he perked up again. "Well, look at it this way, once you guys land in Mistral, you can tell everyone back home all about how we kicked Grimm butt back at Beacon."

Scarlet smirked. "Heh, yeah, even got the scars to prove it." His eyes shifted to his blue-haired teammate. "You're absolutely sure you don't wanna come back home with us, Neptune?"

Neptune just shrugged. "As much as I'd like to Scar, I wanna stay and help out in anyway I can. This city needs it."

"Oh yeah," Sun spoke up, "Neptune, Goodwitch told us that you're having trouble finding a place to stay, right?"

"Yeah, Team CFVY's been having the same trouble, too. Not exactly easy to find an inexpensive hotel that isn't demolished."

Sun grinned at him. "Well, what if I told you that I may have a solution? If I can convince her, Yang might allow you to stay at her place with the rest of us!"

Neptune's eyes widened. "Really?! That sounds great!" But then he realized something. "Wait… Weiss is living with you guys, right? Is she… still angry with me?"

Sun made a so-so motion with his hand. "Eh, kinda. She hasn't cursed your name or anything… well, not in front of US anyway, so there's a good sign. Heck, she might be open to talking things out, who knows?"

Neptune sighed and his shoulders dropped. "Maybe, maybe not. But hey, thanks for the offer, Sun. I'll keep it in mind. Speaking of, you guys gotta tell us about what you've been doing over there since you left!"

"Hey, yeah." Scarlet added "What's it like living over on Patch?"

"I bet it's not very exciting, right?" Sage asked.

Sun and Blake shared a knowing look before gazing back at the three. "Guys," Sun began, "I think it's time to tell you about what happened at Beacon after you all left… and what we've been doing for the past several days." And so, the two Faunus recounted the events surrounding the arrival of Ben and his team as well as their escapades in fighting the villains over on Patch. "So, that's it, we've been caught up in fighting inter-dimensional criminals for the past few days now." Sun concluded. He had expected the three team members to be amazed… but he was instead met by three blank stares.

Neptune was the first to break the silence. "Uh, guys, I don't mean to sound rude or anything… but it sounds like you guys just said a ton of nonsense."

Scarlet was also skeptical. "Yeah, I mean, superheroes from another dimension? And one of them can turn into aliens? This all sounds made up to me."

"Guys, I know it sounds SUPER weird, but it's true!" Sun assured.

Blake offered her support. "Yeah, what reason would we have to lie to you?"

"Well, no, you don't have any reason." Sage agreed. "But unless you have solid proof, I don't see how we can believe you."

And then, from out of nowhere, a new voice spoke up; _"And that is where I come in."_ At the voice's arrival, the room began to instantly drop in temperature, causing everyone to shudder.

"W-w-what was t-that?" Neptune asked.

" _What's wrong boys?"_ In the middle of the room, a large blue and black cloaked creature appeared out of thin air, its eyes glowing green and its teeth gritted. _"Can't take the cold?"_ The creature spread its wings and let out a growl, causing the three boys screamed in fear as Neptune pulled out his shot gun.

"What the hell is that thing?!" the blue-haired boy hollered.

But Sun put his hand on the weapon and lowered it to the ground. "Whoa, whoa, Neptune, relax. This is the guy I told you about."

Scarlet couldn't believe it. "No way."

Sage was at a complete loss. "You're kidding me."

Blake grinned as she presented Ben to them. "Nope, not kidding. Boys, meet Ben Tennyson."

The creature, Big Chill, hit the symbol on his chest and changed back into Ben, the hero sporting the biggest smirk on his face. "Man, that trick has NEVER fails to spook people. I should do haunted houses." Ben looked around the room at the three boys stunned faces. "Hey guys! Nice to meet ya!"

Neptune was pulled out of his shocked state. "Wait, so everything you guys said is true then?"

"Every word." Ben confirmed. "Also, this little surprise was all your leader's idea. He wanted you guys to see at least one transformation before you all left, so I was more than happy to oblige."

"So?" Sun asked his team. "What do you guys think, huh?"

After a moment of silence, Sage answered; "I think you guys have some more explaining to do."

* * *

It wasn't long before Gwen, Kevin and Yang had made their way to Team SSSN's room. And from there, Ben regaled the team with adventures from his home dimension for a good half an hour, with additional details from Gwen and colorful commentary from Kevin. Sun, Blake and Yang sat back and listened as well while the three just talked about the villains they've faced and the places they've been, even though they had heard most of it at the house already.

However, it was not to last. A knock came at the door and Goodwitch poked her head inside. "Mr. David, Mr. Ayana. Your flight will be leaving soon. It's time."

A few minutes later, everyone was gathered at the front of the hospital, with Scarlet and Sage both standing next to a bus that was occupied with a whole bunch of other teams that were leaving for both Mistral and Vacuo. Sage was supporting himself on his crutches while Scarlet had a backpack full of miscellaneous stuff slung over his shoulder for the trip. Goodwitch sat in the driver's seat and waited patiently as everyone said their last goodbyes.

Scarlet let out a sigh. "Ya know, after hearing what you guys have been doing, I almost don't want to go. But my parents are expecting me by tomorrow and I don't wanna disappoint them."

"Yeah, so are mine." Sage said. "It's a shame too. I was just getting into all that stuff about aliens and junk."

Ben nodded to them. "Hey, don't worry guys, as a part of Sun's team, you guys are welcome to fight with us anytime." He turned to Neptune. "And that goes for you too, Neptune, even if you aren't leaving."

Neptune cracked a smile. "Sweet! Thanks dude!"

Sun stepped forward. "Well, guess this is it, huh?"

"Yeah, seems so." Scarlet confirmed.

"We'll make sure to call when we get home." Sage reassured. He glanced past his leader and straight at Blake. "Hey Blake! Can we count on you to make sure Sun doesn't get into too much trouble?"

Blake chuckled as Sun gave his teammate a sour face. "Haha, I will, trust me! I'm pretty good at it."

"Great!" Sage turned back at his leader. "And Sun? Best of luck, man."

"Heh, thanks Sage, much appreciated." Sun said before the four teammates exchanged farewell handshakes and hugs. Scarlet and Sage carefully climbed onto the bus and Goodwitch gazed down at Sun before she closed the bus door.

"I'll make sure they board their flight safely, Sun." she promised.

"Awesome, thanks Professor!" And with that, Goodwitch closed the door and the bus was off down the street with Scarlet and Sage waving at their teammates through the back window. Sun and Neptune waved back until the car was out of sight, leaving only them, Blake, Yang and the Alien Trio behind.

Yang put her hands on her hips. "So, you guys gonna be okay?"

Neptune let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, we will be."

"I'm sure you'll all see each other again." Gwen reassured. "It might not be for a while, but I know it'll happen."

Neptune was grateful for her words. "Thank you, Gwen. That means a lot." Neptune looked back to Yang. "Now… Sun tells me that I _might_ be able to crash with you guys. If you have the room that is."

Yang crossed her arms and furrowed her brows. "I'm still weighing my options. We've got a bunch of people living in my family's home as it is. I'll talk with my dad about it, but I make no promises."

Neptune raised his hands. "Hey, it's no problem. If I can't fit, I can't fit. I'll just keep searching for an apartment if I can't come to your place, it's fine."

Ben just shrugged. "Well, in any case, let's get back to Cooper and Team CFVY for lunch. I don't know about you guys, but I am starv—" Suddenly, without any prior warning, a loud BOOM caught the entire group's attention, followed by a light tremor. A few miles down the street, a billowing tower of dust came from one of the buildings that were still intact, catching the teen's attention.

"What the hell was THAT?!" Kevin shouted.

"I dunno." Sun replied. "But whatever it was, it sounded REALLY big."

"By the looks of it, that may have come from the bank." Blake said. "In all honesty, it was probably only a matter of time before low-lives started ransacking in all this chaos."

"Yeah, but what low-life has the ability to set off an explosion _that_ powerful?" Gwen pointed out. "We should investigate this, people could be hurt!"

Ben agreed. "Gwen's right. We may be dealing with one of my bad guys here."

Yang grinned over to him. "Hero Time?"

He smirked back. "You know it." Ben glanced over to Neptune. "Hey Neptune, you might be seeing your first taste of action today."

The blue haired boy's eyes lit up in excitement. "Alright! Awesome!" He and Sun high-fived before everyone piled over to Kevin's car while Yang and Ben mounted Bumblebee. Without a second to spare, everyone was off, ready for what ever was waiting for them at the bank.

* * *

Back inside the hospital, Cooper and Team CFVY had also experienced the strange event. But rather than see it first hand, they had only heard it from their room. "Okay, so you guys heard that too, right?" Cooper asked

"Tech Head, I think I _felt_ that." Coco answered.

Velvet got up and went toward the window. "Yes, but WHAT was it exactly?"

Yatsuhashi stood up from his meditative stance. "I'm not sure. But whatever it was, it was close by, no doubt about it."

It was then that Velvet spotted everyone in the parking lot piling into Kevin's car with Yang and Ben got on the blonde's motorcycle. The two vehicles were off like a shot down the road, headed straight toward a billowing stack of smoke. "Hey! Ben, Yang and the others are leaving!"

That got Cooper's attention right away. "They're what?!" He reached in an pulled out his Plumber's badge, activating the communication function and calling Gwen's Plumber badge. "Gwen, you there?"

On the other end, Gwen's voice came out. _"Cooper? Yes, I'm here."_

"Gwen, is everything okay? We just heard a loud noise over here at the hospital."

" _We've… got a bit of a situation. There's been some kind of accident at the nearby bank. We're headed there right now."_

" _Don't worry 'bout a thing Coop!'_ came Kevin's voice. _"We've got this!"_

"Well… uh…" Before Cooper could properly respond, Coco strode up to him and spoke into his badge.

"Hey, Gwen? Kevin? Coco here. We've got your message and we'll meet up with you guys in a few minutes."

"WHAT?!" Cooper shouted. "Coco, what're you talking about?!"

" _I've gotta agree Coco,"_ Gwen said, _"we can't just let you—"_

"HEY!" Coco cut in. "I'm not about to let this city suffer anymore than it already has. I get you don't wanna risk us getting hurt, but honestly, this is the stuff that we've been training for, Gwen. We can't just stand by and do nothing. Besides, Ben said that we're welcome to help, so we're gonna help! We're coming, and that's final."

On the other end of the communicator, Gwen sighed. _"Guess there's no changing any mind after saying something like that. Alright, we'll meet up with you there, but just don't do anything risky, okay?"_

Coco smirked. "No promises." The transmission ended and Coco turned to her team. "Alright guys, look alive! We've got a job to do!"

"Finally!" Fox said as he jumped up from his bed. "I'm sick of lying around here all day."

Cooper felt the need to point something out to the team leader. "Coco, as much as I admire your courage to do this, the bank is still quite a few miles away. I think we're gonna have trouble meeting up with them if we don't have a car."

Coco smirked as she pulled out a set of keys from her pocket. "Oh, but we do, Tech Head. See, I just had the Atlesian Military bring my car back down from Beacon. And fortunately, she only had a few scratches on her. I took her to the auto shop yesterday and now she's back in business! C'mon, let me show ya!" The five took the elevator down to the bottom floor and they all immediately rushed out to the parking lot. Coco gestured to the car that belonged to her. "Well, their she is!"

Cooper couldn't believe his eyes. The car was an old-fashioned styled roadster with a backseat, able to seat five in total. It somewhat resembled a Triumph 1800 from the 1940's, most of it was painted in a cocoa brown with the large, round fenders painted in a darker shade of brown. The grill, hubcaps and headlights were all painted with gold chrome. The young genius was at a loss for words. "Wow, Coco, you sure know how to pick 'em."

Coco adjusted her aviators and gripped her keys. "Hell yeah, I do. Hey Tech Head, think you can use that fancy Plumber's badge to pick up the police scanner?"

"Um… I think so, why?"

"The cops are probably already on the scene. If we can hack into their comms, we can listen in and at least hear what we're in for when WE get there."

Cooper's eyes widened. "That sounds completely illegal!" But then, a grin formed on his face. "…And yet, it's also ingenious at the same time. I'll get on it!"

Coco smiled back at him. "Awesome! Now let's roll!"

* * *

**A/N: And done! But who could be robbing a bank in broad daylight? We'll just have to find out next time now won't we? Because Next Time, we'll see who's responsible for that bank robbery. And here's a hint; it's TWO Ben 10 villains. Ones that you may recognize… but at the same time they're a bit different than before. See Ya!**


	21. Dastardly Dummies

**A/N: Hey everybody! It's time to meet our new yet different baddies! Let's get it on, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 21: Dastardly Dummies**

* * *

As Kevin's car, Coco's roadster and Bumblebee sped down the city highway, Cooper and Gwen kept a communication window open through their Plumber badges as they listened to the report through the police scanner that Cooper managed to jack into. The teens listened in as the cops spoke; _"What the hell is going on down there?!"_

" _Chief, the bank is being outright attacked! All of our cruisers have been destroyed and we've been forced to retreat!"_

" _Is it the White Fang?"_

" _No sir, not White Fang, I repeat, NOT White Fang."_

In Kevin's car, Blake furrowed her brows. " _Love_ how they immediately jump to blame the White Fang for this." she said sarcastically.

Gwen turned back to her and put her index finger to her lips. "Shh! Listen!" Blake kept quiet as the cops continued;

" _Well, if it's not the White Fang then who is it?"_

" _Sir, you're probably not gonna believe me, but we're dealing with two men. They appear to be in their mid to late thirties. One's really tall and is wearing a suit of some kinda power armor. The other guy's got a mohawk, wearing a weird-looking visor thing and his weapon is a giant chain-mace that seems to generate some kind of strange red energy!"_

In Coco's roadster, Cooper's eyes widened and he face-palmed. "Oh god, it's them."

"Who's "them" Cooper?" Velvet asked from the back seat.

" _Yeah, I kinda want to know too."_ Gwen asked over the communicator. _"These guys don't sound like any villain WE'VE ever faced."_

Cooper confirmed that. "You're right, you haven't. But Ben HAS. While you and Kevin were away at college, Ben made some new enemies. These two being some of the more… annoyingly strong, yet surprisingly dimwitted of them all." The three vehicles pulled into the banks parking lot and everyone's eyes immediately caught sight of the carnage that had been caused, with a bunch of rubble surrounding multiple destroyed police cars.

Coco let out a whistle. "Damn, this is some high-end destruction!"

At that moment, Cooper caught sight of something else; two motorcycles. One was a dull red chopper with brown leather seats and a pair of saddle bags hanging from the rear. On its front, mounted right under the light was a taxidermized boar's head with its mouth open and its tongue hanging out, its eyes as dead as the head itself. The other bike was a black three-wheeler, one wheel in the front and two in the back. On each of the wheels, there was a silver decorative skull right in the middle. Mounted underneath this bike's headlight was yet another silver skull, the eyes glowing bright red. The sight of these bikes only reassured Cooper's fears.

He grabbed the Plumber's rifle he had brought with him and exited the car. "Yep, it's them alright."

…..

As she and Ben got off of her bike, Yang looked around at the wreckage that had been stirred up by the break-in, the biggest offenders being the multiple police cruisers that seemed to have been bench pressed and bent in half, and the big gaping hole that used to be the bank entrance. "Man, whoever did this must be INSANELY strong."

Cooper exited Coco's car and approached both her and Ben. "They are, and trust me, they're trouble."

Ben gave him a questioning expression. "You think you know who did this, Coop?"

Cooper nodded. "I _do_ know. Take a look." Cooper pointed over to a pair of bikes that Ben hadn't noticed before. After seeing the rather… unique decorations that these bikes hand, the revelation hit the hero like a freight train.

Ben grimaced. "Ugh, not THESE guys again! I thought they learned their lesson last time!"

Gwen came up to Ben from behind. "Well, apparently not, considering the giant hole in the bank."

Kevin joined her while Blake, Sun, Neptune and Team CFVY readied their weapons. "If these guys are as dumb as Cooper says, how long do you think it'll be before they notice the money isn't paper?"

Ben shook his head. "Trust me, Kevin, so long as it's money, these bozos don't give a damn."

Yang jumped into the conversation. "Um, okay, kind of lost here, just who are we dealing with?"

Ben sighed. "You'll see, Yang. Prepare to meet the two biggest shmucks this side of the galaxy." Ben shouted into the hole; "Okay, guys, I know you're in there! Best to turn yourselves in before things get ugly!" A few moments passed before the sound of metal scrapping against concrete came from inside the back. Without warning, a giant vault door came hurtling out of the bank, much to everyone's shock.

"Oh shit!" Neptune exclaimed.

"Get outta the way!" Sun shouted. Everyone scattered as the vault door hit the ground and bounded past them, fortunately not hitting any of their rides. It hurdled over to the other side of the lot, finally landing on its side.

Everyone looked back at the massive metal door and Coco expressed everyone's thought's perfectly; "What the HELL was that?!"

Velvet's was trembling slightly at what she had just seen. "I don't know, but if a human-being was able to do that, then I'm scared to think what it can do to an actual person!"

Blake however was standing firm. "It's okay, there's twelve of us and only two of them. We can do this if we work together—"

"Hey Tennyson!" At the gruff, gravelly voice, everyone gazed up and their jaws collectively dropped at the sight of a rather giant man, with only Ben's expression going unchanged.

Yang's violet eyes widened in disbelief. "Man, that motherfucker's BIG!"

Gwen's eyes widened as she realized who this was. "Ben, isn't that…?"

Ben nodded, confirming her fears. "Yep, I knew you'd recognize him. Even if he is less… rhino."

Out of the hole in the wall stepped a bald Caucasian man in his late thirties, a brown goatee being the only hair to his name. The man was about as tall as Yatsuhashi, but his musculature combined with his armor made him look five inches taller. Said armor was made of metal and mostly brick red in color, with a separate pair of arm bracers to match. His shoulder pads and the armor on his abdomen were all metallic grey, with the shoulder pads having three large bolts sticking out of them. On his hands, he wore a pair of large knuckle busters that had the word "SKULL" imprinted on them. In his hand, he held a large metallic grey, bucket-shaped helmet that was big enough to cover his entire head. It had a pair of eye holes and a larger hole cut out for his face and nose. And, in between the eyeholes was a strange triangular-shaped blue light. But, upon closer inspection, one would see that it was actually a laser that was built into the helmet.

The man's toothy smirk increased in size as he glared down at Ben with his hazel eyes and put his helmet on. "Long time, no see, huh?"

"Ben… who IS this guy?" Sun answered

Ben's brow furrowed as he answered. "Farkas J. Skullovich, a.k.a.… Exo-Skull."

* * *

Back on Patch, Ruby let out a content sigh as she closed the book that she had just finished reading with Weiss, The Hobbit. Well, up until the end of chapter nine that is. Weiss didn't want to go forward without Blake, so the two partners stopped for the time being. Ruby gave a big stretch and reclined in her living room seat. "Wow, that was a good read! It was like I was taken into a fairy tale!"

"I know, right?" Weiss replied. "And Gwen said that the later entries in the series get even better than this! I seriously can't wait to check it out."

"Same here." It was then that Ruby decided to check the clock. "Hmm… one forty-five, huh? Did Yang say when they'd be back?"

Weiss shrugged. "I don't really know. I'd imagine that they're visiting Cooper and Team CFVY while they're there. They probably just went out for lunch or something."

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right." Suddenly, the house phone began ringing. "Oh! 'Scuse me, Weiss." Using her semblance, Ruby rushed over to the main phone and picked up. "Hello? Xiao-Long-Rose residence."

" _Ruby? It's dad."_ Tai answered on the other end.

"Hi dad, what's up? Wait… aren't you supposed to be teaching a class right now?"

" _I was, but then I heard what was on the news!"_ The father said in a slightly panicked voice. _"Go turn on the TV, quickly!"_

"Okay, I guess." Ruby rushed back into the living room and grabbed the remote, turning on the holo-television.

"What's going on?" Weiss asked.

"Dad says something's up. Let's see." Ruby switched to the news channel and the first thing that drew her attention was that the feed was coming live from a news helicopter. And, on the right side of the screen, was news anchor Lisa Lavender, microphone in one hand and holding onto a safety handle in the other. She spoke straight into the camera;

" _This is Lisa Lavender with a Breaking News update! There has been a break-in at the Residential Bank in Vale, a mere four days after the Grimm Invasion that left the city dilapidated and in disrepair. The city's power has just come back, however, superseding a three-week prediction. Down below me, you will see an absolutely enormous man in large armor is the one responsible for the break-in, having easily dispatched the police officers that had attempted to stop him!"_

The camera changed feeds to an external camera that had aimed itself at the giant man, letting Ruby and Weiss see him in his entirety. "Wow! That guy is HUGE!" Ruby shouted.

Weiss' eyes widened in realization. "Wait, you don't think…"

Lisa continued. _"Fortunately, a group of young Hunters have answered the call and are about to face the enormous man!"_ The camera panned to the group in question and revealed Ben, Yang, Gwen, Blake, Kevin, Sun, Neptune, Cooper and Team CFVY all facing the giant man with determined expressions.

Ruby had her own determined look as she spoke into the phone. "Dad, get in touch with General Ironwood and tell him to pick us up at the house. Now!" It was then that Ruby noticed something else; Kevin was looking directly at the camera.

* * *

"Ben! We've got reporters!"

"What?!" Ben looked up and saw the news copter hovering right above them. "Aw man! See, this is why I do NOT like the media!"

Exo-Skull grinned as he picked up a piece of rubble with his big hands. "I couldn't agree more! I hate paparazzi. I have to protect my image!" Exo-Skull threw the rubble straight at the helicopter to everyone's dismay.

"No!" Gwen shot out a large mana tether that grabbed the debris in mid-flight, stopping it from hitting the copter. With a flick of her wrist, Gwen sent it back to Exo-Skull, the giant man using his large arms to block the hit. Gwen looked up as the copter fled the scene, recognizing the danger they were in. She sighed and said. "That was too close." Her eyes went back to the armored man. "Ben, how is Exo-Skull even here? I thought he was from that alternate future that we went to."

Ben spoke back. "Well apparently, this is who he was _before_ he was mutated. He only showed up recently when he and his partner-in-crime stole a bunch of Level 5 alien tech from a Plumber Transport and began using it to rob places. Speaking of…" Ben shouted over to Exo-Skull. "Hey Skull! Where's you're bud, huh? You boys are usually a two-for-one deal!"

Exo-Skull chuckled. "Haha, oh, he's here alright!" he turned around and called out behind him. "Hey Hog! We've got guests! And you won't believe who it is!"

From inside the bank, came a new voice; "I'm comin'! I'm comin'! Jeez, Skull, you've gotta learn some patience, man!"

From the hole emerged an African-American man in his mid-thirties holding a bag full of Lien cards. He was a standard six feet tall and was strongly built, though he was a bit on the stockier side. His jet-black hair was styled into a large mohawk that went straight over the top of his head, with the rest of his hair shaved off. He wore a pair of purple jeans with a belt that had a red buckle with the silhouette of a growling boar on it, along with a pair of black combat boots. He had on a purple leather jacket with the sleeves ripped off over a black undershirt that had a yellow lightning bolt zig-zagging across it. His hands were donned with a pair of metallic three-fingered gauntlets with glowing blue lines. On his face was a futuristic-styled silver visor with a vibrant red lens. Between his nostrils, he wore a black nose ring and strapped to his back was a large red and black chain-mace that radiated with power.

The man lifted his visor and narrowed his dark brown eyes at Ben. "Wait a sec… Tennyson?! The hell're you doin' here?!"

"Hog! Good to see ya!" Ben waved.

Yang glanced over to him. "And that would be?"

Ben answered. "Thaddeus P. Hogan, a.k.a. Thunderhog."

Thunderhog lowered his visor and pointed at them. "And YOUR worst nightmare if you don't step off and book it, little man. We worked our asses of for this… whatever kinda money this stuff is, and we've gotta get it to the boss, pronto!"

Ben crossed his arms. "Ah, so you're under new employment, eh boys? Good for you! Too bad you won't be getting back to your boss until he's in a cell with you guys."

Blake gave Ben a worried expression. "Ben, are you REALLY sure you should be antagonizing them like that?"

Sun was in full agreement. "Yeah, dude, Exo-Skull looks like he could grab my entire head in his hand. I'd like to KEEP my head thank you."

Kevin however, was getting impatient. "Well I vote that we take care of these punks and get on with our day!" He put his hand onto his car and absorbed the green metal. "Hey! Dumb and Dumber! I'm about to give you guys some new holes!" He turns his hand into a sword and charged forward, much to Gwen's chagrin.

"Kevin, wait!" the Anodite called out. "You've done this three times now!"

Exo-Skull scoffed. "Feh, his own fault then." The armored man stepped forward and, when Kevin was close enough, punched Kevin square in the chest, sending the Osmosian flying back to the other end of the lot, screaming in frustration all the way before he landed in on abandoned car. Everyone looked back to see Kevin get up as he held his forehead.

"Hmm, well that went downhill rather fast." Coco pointed out.

Cooper nodded. "Yep, that's Kevin for ya."

Just then, something odd happened. Everyone could feel the air around them get just the slightest bit thinner. Soon enough, they heard the crackling of energy and all of them turned back around. Thunderhog had pulled his mace off of his back and was swinging it around in the air, red energy being generated as the weapon swung faster and faster. All the while, the mohawked man shouted out the following chant;

"Thunder! THUNDER! THUNDERHOG!" With that, he slammed his weapon on the ground, letting off a tremor while the energy shot out towards the heroes.

"Look out!" Ben hollered. Everyone dove out of the way, with Cooper, Team CFVY and Neptune going in one direction while Ben, Gwen, Yang, Blake and Sun went in the other. But because of how quick they had to make the jump, they had all dove blindly. Most landed just fine, but Ben landed on the ground right on his back. He was about to get up when he felt something land on his chest, forcing his head back and his eyes to shut tight.

At first, it hurt a bit. He opened his eyes and expected to see Exo-Skull's giant foot the moment his vision cleared. But as the pain went away, it was replaced with an oddly comfortable sensation, almost as if a pillow had been pushed against his chest. When his vision finally came back, he saw what had really fell on him. Or rather… _who_ landed on him. It was Yang, and she was looking right back at him. Their bodies had been pressed up against each other and their noses were nearly touching, causing them both to blush quite profusely. They were both stunned into silence as they just stared at each other, neither one of them knowing what to do to get out of this awkward situation.

Eventually, Ben managed to get a word out. "Uh… hi."

Yang's response surprised the young hero as she smiled back at him and gave her own. "Hi."

Ben smiled back, but the moment couldn't last forever as he heard Blake shout; "They're getting away!"

Ben and Yang turned their heads to see the two men running to their bikes, the bag full of Lien still slung over Hog's shoulder. "Let's get outta here, Skull!"

But Gwen wasn't about to let them get away with that bag. "Hold it right there, boys!" She made another mana tether and sent it straight at the bag. She wrapped the tether around it and pulled with all her might, freeing the bag from Hog's grip and bringing it right to her. She caught the bag and smirked. "Ha! Ready to give up, guys?"

Under his visor, Hog glared at Gwen. "Oh, you did NOT just do that little girl! Now we gotta teach you a lesson, right Skull?"

Exo-Skull turned around and pounded his left fist into his right hand. "Hell yeah! I've been lookin' for a good scrap!"

Having recovered, Kevin got back up and cricked his metal neck. "Alright, no more foolin' around! I'm sick of gettin' thrown around!" He rushed back over and stood next to the group as well, ready to fight.

Back on the ground, Yang looked back at Ben and she cleared her throat, her blush still visible. "Ah-hem, they uh, they need our help so…."

"Yeah, they do." Ben agreed, still blushing himself. Yang rolled off of him and she got up, offering him her hand which Ben was more than happy to accept. The two went back over to the group as they all got into a battle-ready stance, ready to face the two powerhouses. "Alright boys, if that's the way you want it!"

Gwen glanced over at her genius friend. "Cooper, I need to get this bag to a safe location. Think you can help me?"

Cooper was hesitant at that. On the one hand, he wanted to stay and fight, but on the other hand, he wasn't entirely prepped for battle. He had given his make-shift battle suit that he made during the Battle for Beacon to the Atlesian Army so that they could create more of them for future use, so he was pretty much the most vulnerable one there, armed only with a rifle. "Well… I'm not sure…"

"Tech Head." Cooper's eyebrows shot up and he turned to Coco, the girl giving him a serious look. "I appreciate you wanting to fight, but there's a time and place for everything. You don't have your armor, and the only piece of tech that you got is that gun."

Cooper glanced down at his weapon and then back at her. "You guys will be okay, right?"

Coco gave him a sincere smile. "Trust me, Tech Head, we've faced worse. Besides, we don't want our new member to be killed in his first week, right?"

Cooper sighed. "Alright. Promise me you won't get hurt?"

Coco lowered her sunglasses and gave him a wink. "Wouldn't dream of it." Coco stepped forward with her team as they readied their weapons, with Yang, Blake, Sun, Neptune and Ben, all ready to get started themselves. She pushed her sunglasses back up. "Alright, guys, let's do this!"

Exo-Skull gave them a toothy smirk. "With pleasure!" The triangular light on his helmet started to glow intensely and in a split second, a powerful blue laser shot out at the group, forcing them to split up again. Kevin, Sun, Neptune, Velvet and Fox went and charged Thunderhog while Ben, Yang, Blake, Coco and Yatsu took on Exo-Skull. The battle had begun.

* * *

As Ben dove out of the laser's way, his hand immediately reached for the Omnitrix. "Nice try Skull, but I think you're forgetting that you're not the only one who can shoot lasers from their head!" The hero activated the watch and made his selection, slamming the core down immediately when it popped up.

He transformed into a large black robotic alien with insectoid parts. Namely, the large rhinoceros beetle-like horn that jutted out of his dome shaped head that had a green glow to it. He had four clawed fingers on each hand and a silver wrist band on both arms. He wore a silver belt around his waist and the bottoms of his feet were silver as well. Around his neck and covering most of his chest was a large silver mouth that resembled a sort of large collar, complete with sharp pointy teeth. His almond shaped eyes shined green as the Omnitrix symbol centered just above his abdomen. "Eatle!"

Coco's eyes widened at the transformation. "Whoa. Big boy."

Eatle's head swerved toward her and his body lurched forward and back in a kind of nod. The hindrances of having no neck. "Yeah, this guy can handle Skull no problem. I just gotta… _consume_ first before I can be of REAL use. Think you guys can cover me?"

"No problem." Yatsu answered before drawing his greatsword and moving in. He ran forward and brought his sword down to the ground in front of Exo-Skull, the impact practically sending the pavement up into the air in fragments and knocking the giant man back a few feet, which he was not prepared for.

Exo-Skull landed on his back before rolling up onto his feet. "Huh, not bad, kid. You've got some muscle on ya! But guess what?" Skull slammed his fist together. "It ain't enough! AAARRGH!" He charged forward at Yatsu, the tall warrior having rested his sword over his shoulder.

"We'll see about that." With a mighty grunt, Yatsu slammed his sword against Exo-Skull's armored shoulder, sending the massive man to the ground. But not before he took Yatsu with him. Skull grabbed the sword that had embedded itself in his shoulder pad and pulled Yatsu down to the ground. Skull pried the sword out and tossed both it and Yatsu to the side, the warrior landing on his left side, his shoulder armor skidding against the ground.

Exo-Skull got up and loomed over him. "Ha! Nice try, kid." The light on his helmet began to glow blue again. "But this is where you take a bow." Just then, he felt something collide with his back and the light faded. He could tell they were bullets, but they had a bit of heat to them, like they were made of fire. "What the…?" Skull turned around to see Blake, the cat girl aiming Gambol Shroud in its pistol form at him. And by her side was Yang, her Ember Celica also pointed at the man. "Ha! If ya think a few bullets are gonna stop me, then you've got another thing comin'. I'm bullet proof! So, you wanna take that chance, ladies?

Blake shrugged. "No, not really."

Yang smirked. "We're just giving _him_ time to get you down again."

"Wait wha—AAAAGGH!" From behind, Yastu dealt a hard kick to the back of Exo-Skull's right knee, forcing it to buckle and send him into a crouch. Just as he fell to his knees, Blake used her Semblance to create two shadow clones of herself. They lunged at Exo-Skull and knocked him back before Yang surged forward and landed a Fire Dust fueled punch to his chest, sending him toppling onto his back. He was about to get up but Blake ran up and held the tip of Gambol Shroud's blade right above his nose, stopping him from moving any further.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Blake said as she looked down at him.

"HA!" Skull laughed. "What're ya gonna kill me?"

"No, but if you move a muscle, I assure you that you'll be in quite a bit of pain."

Skull smirked. "Heh, okay. I won't move a _single_ muscle." Suddenly, the light on his helmet began to glow blue again and Blake realized that this might not have been her best plan.

Yang's eyes widened. "Oh, shit."

But then, an idea came to Blake's head. "Okay then, you asked for it." Using the remainder of the Fire Dust in Gambol Shroud, Blake made a fiery shadow clone and lunged out of the way, leaving the clone in her place. Yang and Yatushashi quickly followed her lead and got out of there as well. But for Exo-Skull, it was too late to stop the laser. It went off and hit the fire clone, making it explode in Skull's face.

Yang gave Blake a high five. "Ha! Nice!"

Yatsu nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Quite the ingenious tactic."

Just then, they heard Exo-Skull shout out from inside the dust cloud; "GAAHH! C'mon! You've gotta be FUCKIN' kiddin' me!" He wafted the upturned dust away as he coughed violently. When he finally made it out of the dust cloud, he looked down to see Coco standing right in front of him. "H-heh, and what do YOU want?"

Coco lowered her glasses and gave him a hard glare. "That's an easy one to answer. You're wrecking my city. You know what that means?" She pushed her glasses back up. "You're going down."

Exo-Skull just laughed. "HA! Oh yeah? And whaddya gonna do? Hit me with that handbag?"

Without even cracking a smile, Coco just said, "Yep." She swung her hand bag up into his face and it clanged against his helmet, sending him reeling back. Then she stomped her boot onto his foot, digging her heel right in which resulted in him letting out a pained scream.

"GAH! Okay, that's it!" Exo-Skull raised his fists and charged straight at her, intending to squish her into the ground. But Coco didn't even flinch. Instead, she ducked beneath his reach and then swung her handbag straight into his gut, sending him staggering back. Exo-Skull was way past annoyed now. "Ugh! Jeez, what's even in that thing?! A ton o' bricks?!"

"Nah, just this." With the push of a button, Coco unleashed her giant rotary cannon, much to Exo-Skull's shock.

"What the fu—ARGH!" He didn't get a chance to finish as Coco unloaded her ammo on him. None of the shots pierced his armor, but it was enough to send him staggering back and send him falling onto his rear.

Coco ceased fire and turned back to Eatle. "Hey, bug breath we could really use… your… help?" As she and the others laid their eyes on the bionic bug, the last thing they had expected to see was him eating up all of the police cruisers with his jaws of steel. And yet, there he was, swallowing the mutilated metal with every bite.

"OM NOM NOM! OM NOM!" It was then that the alien noticed he was being watched. "Huh? Oh, sorry. I guess I shouldn't chew with my mouth open."

"What are you even doing?" Yang asked.

"Fueling up… for this!" Eatle ran up and stood between them and Exo-Skull, the horn on his head beginning to light up. As the armored man rose to his feet, Eatle shouted over to him. "Hey Skull! Eat this!" A long beam of green energy shot out of Eatle's horn and impacted Exo-Skull right in the chest, sending him sailing back into a group of abandoned cars. Eatle put his hand on his hips, satisfied with is handiwork. "And that is how it's done."

Yang elbowed him in the side. "Yeah, and also, "Eat this"? You just keep cranking these puns out, Green Boy and I keep lovin' 'em."

Eatle rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, heh, thanks." If he had been human, a blush would be back on his face by that point. But his attention was drawn back to the cars as Exo-Skull got back up, ready for another round. "Oh, come ON, Skull! You can't keep doing this forever!"

Exo-Skull however, would have none of it. "Forget it, Tennyson! I ain't going back to the slammer! And their ain't nothing you can do to stop me!"

"That's a double negative." Eatle pointed out.

"GAH!" Exo-Skull charged ahead, with Eatle doing the same. The two metal-armored brutes met in the middle and began grappling with each other, trying to see who'd give way first. "You're goin' down Tennyson!"

"I think not. Because unlike you… I have back up!"

Exo-Skull suddenly felt two more pairs of arms begin to push against him. He looked down to see both Yang and Yatsuhashi pushing against him with all their might. "Oh, for Pete's sake! Seriously?!"

In his head, Eatle was thinking; _'I hope the others are having better luck than we are.'_

…..

"HAHAHA! Let's rumble baby!" Thunderhog yelled as he straightened his mohawk. He pulled out his chain mace and began swinging it around, the energy generating and going off in bolts through the air. "The Thunderhog's gonna rip you ALL a new one!" He swung the weapon in the five teens who all dove out of its way.

As he rolled and stopped in a crouch, Sun asked something that had been on his mind for about a minute. "Okay, so kind of a stupid question, but why "Thunderhog"? I kinda get "Exo-Skull", but what's your name gotta do with your gimmick?"

Thunderhog straightened up and began to explain. "Ah! Well ya see, kid, I thought it up after seeing the whole red lightning thing that this beauty could make." he said as he held up his mace for emphasis. "And the "hog" part is because," he pointed to his motorcycle, "I drive a hog!"

Sun looked over to the bike and squinted. "Well, yeah, it's got a pig's head on it, but I don't see—"

"It's a Harley-Davidson." Kevin elaborated. "They're a bike manufacturer in our world that make large bikes that a lot of people call "hogs"."

"Exactly!" Thunderhog confirmed. "And now that you know where I got my name," he raised his mace again, "prepare to die!" Hog swung his mace around, generating more energy before swinging it at the teens again.

But surprisingly, Neptune was the first to react. "I don't think so, Porkchop!" He brought out his rifle and transformed it into its trident form. As they all moved out of the mace's way, Neptune caught the chain in the prongs of his trident and pulled, the prongs hitting the mace's head and exerting force against it.

Kevin was impressed as he and Fox assisted in pulling Hog's weapon away from him. "Nice idea, Neptune! Now c'mon! PULL!" With a mighty tug, the boys managed to loosen the mace from Hog's grasp.

Hog was understandably irate. "What the—Oh come on, MAN! You gotta be kiddin' me!"

As the mace thudded to the ground at their feet, Velvet pulled out her camera and took a picture of the weapon. "Smashing! Now this one's a keeper, for sure."

"The heck does that mean?" Kevin asked.

"Oh, you'll find out." Velvet answered cheekily. But then her eyes widened in terror. "Duck!"

Everyone did as she said and a concussive beam of red energy went flying over their heads, blasting right into the bank wall. They looked back to see Thunderhog with one finger against his visor, pushing a small button on its right side, each press letting loose another blast of energy as he laughed. "HAHA! How dya like me now, son?!"

Kevin came to a swift deduction as he dodged another optic blast. "HE'S AN X-MAN!"

"The hell's an X-Man?!" Neptune shouted.

"Explain later, fight now!"

Fox shifted his eyes to Hog and narrowed them, concentrating on the timing of the blasts. When he found a split-second opening, he went for it. Fox surged forward and with a growl of exertion, he delivered multiple punches to Hog's abdomen before reaching up and grabbing the visor off of his eyes. He then dealt a swift kick to Hog's middle, sending him tumbling back a few feet.

Kevin was impressed yet again. "Damn, Fox. Nice." Fox gave him a thumbs up before holding the visor out to Velvet so that she could take a picture of it. And, just as before, Kevin had no clue why she was doing it. "Okay, seriously, what is this, Photography 101?"

Thunderhog picked himself up before giving off a might yell. "GRRAAAHH! I've HAD it! No more messin' around!"

Sun smirked at the man's statement as he pulled out Ruyi Jingu Bang in its bo staff form. "Aw, but we like messing with people, right Neptune?"

Neptune turned his trident into it's guandao form and leveled it in Hog's direction. "No doubt about it, dude. Let's get 'em!"

The two boys ran at Hog with their weapons drawn, ready to end the fight. But the mohawked man still had one last trick up his sleeve. Or rather, in his gloves. He gave a toothy smirk. "Now you'll see the other reason I call myself… THUNDERHOG!" He flicked his wrists and the blue lines on his metallic gloves surged to life with electricity, the gloves themselves sparking with arcing bolts. He knocked the weapons away with each hand, sending a bolt of lightning down the metal rods and giving the boys a brief shock, which sent them recoiling back in pain.

Neptune landed on the ground and dropped his weapon, holding his aching hands. "YEOWCH! That stung!"

Sun did the same, but he immediately picked the bo staff back up and separated it into their gun-chuck mode. "Okay, piggy, let's try that again, huh?" He rushed forward and began spinning his gun-chucks, which set off alarms in Kevin's head instantly.

"Sun! Don't do it!"

But it was too late. Sun got up close to Hog and swung his weapons at him, intending to shoot off some Fire Dust rounds. But unfortunately, Hog was faster and he grabbed the gun-chucks in mid-swing, a malicious smile coming to his face. It was only there that Sun realized his mistake. "Oh no—AAAAAAGGHH!" Thunderhog sent electricity through his gloves and into Sun's weapons, resulting in the monkey boy getting an even more intense shock. The force sent Sun flying back, landing on the ground in a heap as Hog threw the weapons to the side.

Neptune's face fell in pure terror as he saw his leader fall. "SUN! NO!"

* * *

As Eatle, Yang and Yatsu pushed against Exo-Skull with all their might, Blake and Coco stood to the side, ready to assist should they need it. But then, the cat girl could hear Neptune shouting out in fear. Not for himself, but rather, for a certain someone else; "SUN! NO!"

Those were the LAST two words that Blake would _ever_ want to hear. As her eyes widened in fear, she let out a gasp when she looked over to see Sun's body lying there on the ground just a few feet away from Thunderhog, motionless. Her mind was a jumbled mess. _'No… no, no, no, NO!'_ She screamed out, "SUN!" and rushed over to him as fast as her legs could carry her.

As she skidded to a halt by his side and straightened him out onto his back, Blake put an ear to Sun's chest and listened. Her heart began to sink and her pupils turned to the size of peas when her worst fears were realized. "He's not breathing! HE'S NOT BREATHING!" She immediately began performing CPR, hoping to keep him alive.

This caught Eatle's attention as his head swiveled around to see what was going on. "What?!" But just as he did, Exo-Skull brought back his fist and punched Eatle right in the face, sending him onto his back.

"Ben!" Yang yelled as she continued to push against the large man. Just then, Exo-Skull slapped Yatsuhashi away as well. "Yatsu!" Her eyes widened as she looked up at Exo-Skull, his teeth gritted and his brow furrowed. "Oh… me." With a single punch, Exo-Skull sent Yang flying back and into the back of a pick-up truck, bending the tailgate.

Exo-Skull laughed. "HA! That'll teach ya." As Coco helped Yatsu up, Exo-Skull went over to Eatle, who was now just beginning to change back. In a flash of green light, Ben found himself pressed to the ground under Skull's boot, just like he had feared would happen earlier. The man had a confident smile as he spoke to his defeated adversary. "Well, Tennyson, any last words before I stomp you into paste?"

Ben glanced from Exo-Skull and over to Yang, hoping she was okay. Turns out, she was actually better than okay as her eyes opened up and changed into their intense red color. Ben gazed back up at Skull and glared at him. "Actually Skull, there is. You know the blonde girl you just punched?"

"Yeah?"

"Her name's Yang. She's a friend of mine, actually. And guess what? She's got the power to absorb the energy from any hit she takes and use it to fuel her own strength, giving it back twice as hard. And considering how strong you are…"

Skull's eyes widened as he heard Yang pry herself out of the truck bed and make her way over to him, the Blonde Brawler giving him the worst red-eyed death glare he had ever seen as her hair glowed intensely. It was the kind of stare that finished Ben's sentence perfectly. It basically said; "you're fucked". Exo-Skull immediately took his foot off of Ben's chest and ran over to Yang, hoping to knock her out before she could do anything. "Oh no ya don't!" he yelled.

Exo-Skull sent a fist forward, hoping to end it with a single punch, but Yang just moved her body away from the strike, still giving Skull the deathly stare. She grabbed his arm and with a loud grunt, she twisted the entire thing, flipping him over onto his rear. Using all of her strength, she spun him around in a circle four times before tossing him away into one of the bank's armored trucks.

"WHOOAAA MOMMY!" Skull hollered as he collided with the truck, bending in the back end of it. As Skull struggled to get up, he uttered out a few words. "Man, the boss ain't gonna like this." He let out a gasp of fear as Yang calmly went over to the wrecked vehicle and removed his helmet, terror written across his face.

Yang's eyes changed back to violet and her hair stopped glowing as she let out a calm sigh, before returning to her furrowed expression. "Nighty-night, Exo-Skull." With those words, Yang punched him in the face, knocking him out. She quickly went over to Ben and helped him up. "You okay?"

Ben gave a single nod. "Yeah, now come on, Sun needs our help." And with that, they, along with Coco and Yatsu, went over to help their friend, leaving Exo-Skull trapped in the truck.

* * *

"HA! And that's how the Hog takes care o' business!" Thunderhog said as he crossed his arms proudly over his defeat of Sun.

Kevin's face twisted in anger before whirling his head to Fox and Velvet. "You two! Get over to Sun and call an ambulance right now!" The two teammates nodded to him before running to Sun as fast as they could, meeting Blake as she continued to perform CPR. Kevin's attention went to the blue-haired boy. "Neptune! Cover me! I've got an idea!" The Osmosian then started sprinting to his car as Neptune converted his guando back to its rifle form and began shooting Lighting Dust rounds at Thunderhog, the man merely absorbing the shots with his gloves.

Neptune gave Hog the most malevolent face he could muster. "This is for my friend, you son of a bitch!"

But Hog just laughed. "HAHA! Seriously? Man, I can already tell you that this ain't doin' shit."

As Neptune kept unloading round after round at him, Kevin ran over to his car and absorbed the rubber of the front right tire, becoming the black elastic substance. In two mighty bounces, he was right back in front of Thunderhog, who was caught off-guard by the Osmosian's sudden entrance. Kevin quickly removed Hog's electricity-generating gloves and tossed them off to the side. "Oh yeah? Well then maybe THIS will!" With a single punch, Kevin knocked Hog out cold and onto his butt, the mohawked man letting out a small groan before slipping off into unconsciousness.

Neptune ran over to Kevin. "Nice work, now c'mon! Sun needs our help!" With a nod, Kevin followed Neptune over to is fallen leader, where Blake was still desperately trying to revive him. Cooper and Gwen emerged from their hiding place as well to join them. Blake just finished the chest compressions and was now giving the monkey boy rescue breaths, all the while pleading with him to waken up.

"SUN! Don't you DARE give up on me!" She continued breathing into his mouth as Kevin and Neptune ran up next to Ben, who, along with everyone else, was looking on with worried eyes.

Gwen was quick to ask. "Ben! Is he…?"

"I don't know." Ben warily answered. "He hasn't responded ye—" Ben was cut off when, to the relief of many, Sun began coughing and sputtering, causing Blake to move away as he sat up. He took many deep breaths before coughing again.

"HAAK! HAOK! Oh god! HAAK! What the hell happened?" Sun said as he caught his breath. "Jeez, I feel like I got hit by a truck!"

Seeing him back up made Blake let out a sob as tears brimmed her eyes. Much to Sun's surprise, she quickly pulled him into an embrace as she let her tears fall. "You bonehead! Do you know how worried we were for you?!"

Sun was fast to console her as he returned the embrace. "Whoa, whoa, Blake, slow down. It's okay, I'm fine… I think."

"You THINK?!" Kevin repeated. "Dude, you were electrocuted!"

"And you were thrown to the ground!" Neptune added.

Gwen crouched down next to him. "They're right, Sun, you stopped breathing."

Sun was surprised by the revelation. "I did?"

Cooper nodded. "Yes. Sun, you're lucky to be alive."

Without a word, Sun looked back down to Blake, who was still silently crying into his shirt, her sobs against him the only indication of her distress. "Blake?" She looked back up to him as her mascara rand down the sides of her face. He smiled at her and gently grasped her hands. "You saved me, didn't you?"

She let out another sob. "Do you have ANY idea of how scared I was?"

"I can only imagine. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry for making you scared like that. Heh, I owe you a million times over for this, now don't I?"

Blake shook her head. "No, you don't owe me anything Sun. I'm… I'm just glad that you're still here with us… with me." She cleared her throat. "Aherm, now let's take your pulse, you may need to still go back to the hospital for a checkup too."

At the sound of jet engines, Ben looked up and spotted a Bullhead descending towards them. He smirked as the hatch opened, Ruby and Weiss jumping out of it and landing on the ground. "Hey girls! What took you so long?!"

Ruby took out Crescent Rose as the Bullhead landed on the ground. "Ben! We came as soon as we could! We're here… to… help?" But as she looked around, she noticed the unconscious forms of Exo-Skull and Thunderhog, as well as a wrecked parking lot, causing the Hooded Huntress to deflate in disappointment. "Aw! We're too late, aren't we?"

"It would seem so." Weiss guessed. But as she looked over to her friends, she couldn't help but noticed they were gathered around Sun as he and Blake sat on the ground. "Wait, did something happen?"

"Yeah." Coco confirmed. "Monkey-boy took a big zap of electricity and he nearly bit the dust. But Blake managed to save him in the nick of time."

Ruby put her hand to her mouth in shock as she let out a gasp. "Are you serious?!" Using her Semblence, she rushed over to her friends and crouched down in front of Blake and Sun. "Are you okay? No pain anywhere?"

Sun chuckled. "Hey don't worry about it. I'm a bit tingly in some places, but other than that, I'm feeling fine!"

Weiss strolled up to them as well. "Well, that's good to hear." But it was then that she noticed someone else, Neptune, whom she was now standing right next to. She quickly turned her head away from him with a huff. "Hmph, Neptune." she acknowledged him.

"Uh, hey Weiss." The blue-haired boy awkwardly replied.

Yang rolled her eyes. "Jeez, save it for later, Weiss. Right now, we gotta get Sun back to the hospital for a once-over."

"I couldn't agree more, Yang." Everyone turned around to see General Ironwood approach from the Bullhead with his hands behind his back. As he walked toward them, an ambulance pulled into the bank parking lot, it's lights flashing and siren wailing. "Everyone, I see things have been rightly handled here. Is Sun alright?"

Blake gave a nod as she helped Sun to his feet. "His pulse is normal, General. We just need to get him to a doctor to make sure he's totally fine."

Gwen walked up to Ironwood and handed him the bag full of Lien. "Here's what they tried to make off with, General. Everything seems to be there."

The general gave a small, appreciative bow as he accepted the bag. "Thank you, Gwen. And thank you ALL for what you've done today. I will handle these two hooligans. Then I will meet back up with you at the hospital when all is said and done."

Ben gave him a thumbs up. "Great, we'll see you in a while General." And with that, everyone got into their respective vehicles, though not before Velvet got a picture of Skull's helmet and Hog's gauntlets. Once she was done, they all headed back to the hospital. Sun and Blake, however, rode together in the back of the ambulance, neither one of them ready to leave the other's side.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, Sun was dispatched from the emergency room with a clean bill of health. "They didn't detect any abnormalities, so they said I'm good! They just recommended I don't over exert myself for a couple days."

Blake sighed in relief as she gave him a side-hug. "Good, now don't do anything like that again, you hear me?"

Sun chuckled as he put an arm around her shoulder. "Believe me, after that, I'll be more careful around electricity from now on."

"I would hope so, now let's go. Everyone's waiting outside." The two walked through the halls and out the front door where The Alien Trio, Cooper, Coco, Ruby, Weiss, Yang and Neptune were waiting for them. Neptune was the fist to run to the door, making sure his friend was okay.

"Sun! You alright, man? What'd the doctor say?"

Sun shrugged. "Well, they wanted me to take it easy for a couple days, but other than that, they say I'm pretty much good to go."

Neptune smiled at his leader. "Awesome! And guess what? I'm comin' with!"

Sun broke out in a grin as well. "No way! Are you serious?!"

Yang stepped forward. "Yep, he sure is. After some careful thinking, and half an hour of convincing…" she glanced to Weiss out of the corner of her eye, the heiress facing away from them with her arms crossed, "I've come to the conclusion that just one more person couldn't hurt. I called dad and he's getting a bed set up for Neptune in Uncle Qrow's room as we speak."

"Sweet!" Sun said as he and Neptune high-fived. "Welcome aboard, dude!"

"Thanks man." Neptune laughed. "Lookin' forward to what you guys got goin' on over there."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Ben said before his eyes shifted to Cooper and Coco. "And what about you guys? Have you made a decision about where you'll be going?"

"Yeah, like I said," Yang added, "there are plenty of apartments over on Patch that can hold you guys."

"Oh, don't you guys worry about us." Coco reassured. "We're gonna scope out a few places over there soon. But not today, though. I think we've all had enough excitement for one day."

"We'll swing by tomorrow and check it out." Cooper said before extending a hand to Ben. "see you guys then?"

Ben shook his hand. "You betcha, Coop. We'll see you then." After everyone shared their goodbyes with one another and Cooper and Coco went back inside the hospital, the Bullhead from before flew overhead and landed in the street beside them, General Ironwood emerging from the craft soon after. Ben called over to him. "Hey General! Everything taken care of?"

"Indeed." Ironwood answered as he strolled up to them. "My men and I have stripped those two of their weapons and confiscated their bikes. We've put them into separate energy cells and we'll be shipping them out to Atlas tomorrow morning."

"That's good to hear, General." Gwen thanked. "But they also mentioned that they had been employed by someone. And I have a feeling that whoever this is must be relatively close to Vale."

"Thank you for the information Gwen, I will look into it immediately. But you all have had a long day." He gestured to his aircraft. "Why don't you load up your vehicles into the Bullhead and I'll take you back over to Patch?"

"Sounds great!" Ruby said excitedly as she turned to her kitty-eared teammate. "Hey Blake! I just finished catching up on The Hobbit with Weiss, you wanna keep reading it when we get home?"

Blake was about to jump at the chance, but then she remembered what she had promised Sun earlier that day. "Sorry, Ruby, but not today."

That got Weiss' attention as she whirled around with a look of surprise on her face. "Wait, I'm sorry, but WHAT?!"

Ruby was just as astounded by Blake's response. "Blake, I thought you LOVED reading!"

"I do, but I made a promise to someone, and I intend to keep it." Blake gazed up at Sun with a knowing grin. "Isn't that right?"

Sun smirked back. "Dragon Ball?"

"Uh-huh. I made a commitment, and I plan on keeping it."

As if on que, both Ruby and Neptune asked at the same time; "What's a Dragon Ball?"

Yang threw her hands up. "And we're back at square one again!"

The Alien Trio laughed before Ben spoke up again. "Ruby, Neptune, we'll explain on the way. So, let's get loaded up onto the Bullhead and head home, huh? I'm both exhausted AND hungry."

"I hear that!" Yang agreed. "Let's go home." And with that, The Blonde Brawler moved Bumblebee onto the air craft and Kevin drove his car up into it as well. The teens boarded the Bullhead and, with Ironwood in the pilot's seat, they flew back off to Patch, all of them ready to rest easy after an eventful day.

* * *

As she sipped red wine from a glass while reclining in a leather chair, Rojo couldn't help but let out a content sigh. She set her glass down and put her hands behind her head, propping her feet up onto the ottoman. "Ah, man Cindy, I gotta say that you gals got it MADE here. Sweet décor, bitchin' food, an awesome boss. Man, workin' here's gonna be a blast."

On the opposite side of her, Cinder clutched the armrest of her chair. That nickname was _still_ irritating. It had been like this for a whole DAY. And she could not be any more aggravated. However, she was still somewhat impressed by the older woman's credentials and skill set. She would make the perfect agent to their cause. Still, the fact that Rojo was becoming stagnant did not sit well with her. "Do not become _too_ complacent, Rojo. I have little doubt that we will be seeing an assignment from Lady Salem soon."

Rojo waved her off, her face turning red from intoxication. "Aw, don't be such a worry wart, Cindy. What ever Boss Lady's got for us, I'm sure we can handle it."

"That is excellent to hear, Rojo." Came a new voice from behind. Realzing who it was, Rojo and Cinder quickly got out of their seats and faced Salem, the witch approaching from the room's entry way. She continued to speak. "For as it happens, I have your first assignment for you."

Rojo's eyes widened. "Huh, really? Didn't think it'd be this soon."

Salem nodded. "Indeed, however it will not begin until tomorrow. Your new armor and weapons should be complete by morning's rise. But, in any case, I have my eye on some new recruits to our cause." She raised her hand and an orb of black smoke materialized in it, floating just above her palm. An image began to form in the middle and there, sitting in two separate energy cells, were Exo-Skull and Thunderhog, stripped of their weapons and technology.

Rojo couldn't believe it. "Skull? And Hog?! The hell're those two doin' here?"

"Ah, so you ARE familiar with them. It would appear that you were not the only one of Ben Tennyson's rogues who were brought here, child."

The bounty hunter shrugged. "Okay, so if you want them so badly, why not just bring 'em here?"

Salem's brows furrowed. "Unfortunately, for as strong as these two are, they are also somewhat dimwitted. Unlike yourself, their hatred is not powerful enough for me to latch onto, thus I cannot bring them here. However, there is another way, but it requires some subterfuge."

"So I'm gonna be breaking these knuckleheads out?"

"Correction…" Salem turned to Cinder. "You will BOTH be breaking them out. Along with Emerald's help of course."

Cinder respectfully bowed to her mistress. "Of course, Lady Salem, if that is what you wish."

Rojo pumped her fist into the air. "Sweet! First mission with Cindy and Emmy! This'll be great!"

Salem shifted her attention back to Rojo. "I would hope so. However, there is another one of interest that I wish for you to recruit. These two are but pawns of another. A man who has taken shelter within Forever Fall and experimenting on my Grimm. After… _many_ consecutive failures, he has decided to create his own Grimm out of the local wildlife. He has turned bears into carbon copies of my Ursai, wolves into Beowolf doppelgangers, and so on."

A look of realization came over Rojo's face. "Wait a second… that sounds like…"

"Indeed." Salem confirmed. "I had a feeling you would know him as well, Rojo." The image of Exo-Skull and Thunderhog disappeared from the black smoke in Salem's hand and in its place was a new image. The pale green face of a man that Rojo wish she had NEVER acquainted herself with.

Cinder's face scrunched up in disgust. "Who is that repulsive man?"

Rojo sneered at the image. "That… is Dr. Animo."

* * *

**A/N (Please Read): Well guys, what do ya think of this story's versions of Exo-Skull and Thunderpig? Or rather, ThunderHOG as he's known here (I just find that hog is more threatening than pig). And considering that their boss is Dr. Animo, it's probably only a matter of time until they take on their more familiar forms. And now that I mention that, I must address that yes, they _do_ have a bit of Bebop and Rocksteady injected into them along with a bit of inspiration from Cyclops and Juggernaut from X-Men. But I DID keep the Thundercats references with Thunderhog, and Exo-Skull has the first and last names of another certain duo of famous bullies.**

**So, why these two? Well, I wanted to have a duo that was actually somewhat competent while also being a bunch of numbskulls as well. So, I pulled in two of Ben 10's more forgettable villains and turned them into a duo of hired muscle for Dr. Animo to use as test subjects for later on. But when will that happen? Only time will tell.**

**Alright, so… Next Time! Rojo, Cinder and Emerald go on a jailbreak mission while a certain hero and Blonde Brawler continue to grow closer. Thank you for reading and I'll see you all in 2019! Peace!**


	22. Prelude to the Hunt

**A/N: Alright, everyone, time to start off a little mini-arc, I like to call; The Hunt. Also, things are going to get REALLY shippy in this chapter, so hold on to your butts. So, with that being said, let's get on with it! This is…**

**Chapter 22: Prelude to the Hunt**

* * *

As the afternoon began to settle over on the island of Patch, the Bullhead carrying the young heroes touched down at the edge of the forest path, just outside the small town of Patchwork. There, waiting for them to land, was Taiyang leaning against his car. Ruby had called him when they left Vale and told him to wait for them there. A lot of things had apparently transpired in the city that day, and it all happened before Ruby and Weiss could even get there.

" _They fought two giant men without us, dad! Can you believe it?!"_ she had told him earlier.

His response? "Yes, yes honey, I can believe it. Now, do you need a lift when you back?"

" _Probably. Oh yeah! And when we get home, we're gonna need an extra bed. We've… kinda got a new mouth to feed."_

Just as he had thought back to the conversation, the aircraft's ramp lowered and Kevin's car disembarked, the Osmosian at the wheel while Gwen sat in the passenger seat as she always did. In the backseat, Blake and Sun sat side by side, both of them sitting very close to one other, and quite content about it too. And taking the remaining window seat was Neptune, the blue-haired young man having joined them after the remainder of his team left. Next came Bumblebee, with her usual occupants, Yang and Ben riding her out, with Weiss and Ruby strolling along behind the yellow bike. As the occupants got off the aircraft, Ironwood gave a salute from the cockpit and the Bullhead flew up into the sky before jetting off back to Vale.

Ruby waved to her father. "Hi dad!" she called over. "We're back!"

Yang stopped her bike and both she and Ben put their left legs down to the ground to prop it up without getting off. "Hey, dad! What's goin' on?"

"I could ask you all the same question!" Tai replied. "Just what the heck's been goin' on over there?"

Ben shrugged. "Eh, you know, the usual. Fought two dudes who're liable to get in over their heads more often then they realize."

"Hmm, I see. Well I guess we can just chalk that up to another victory for you guys! Great job!" Tai stepped over to Kevin's car and the raven-haired young man at the wheel rolled down his window, allowing the blonde man to look inside. "Hey guys! How's it goin'?"

Kevin gave him a salute. "Hey Tai. We're good, thanks for askin'."

"Tired, but fine all the same." Gwen added.

From the back seat, Sun called out. "And I almost died, so that was a thing!"

Tai's eyes widened as Blake gave the monkey boy a small shove. "Seriously, Sun?" she said with narrowed eyes. "Not an hour after it happened and you're already making jokes about it?"

Sun gently held her hand, a guiltily expression taking over his face. "Yeah, I know. Sorry, Blake."

The cat girl sighed and smiled at him. "It's fine, I'm used to it by now. Just don't forget what the doctor told you about taking it slow for a few days."

Sun smiled back. "Heh, I wouldn't worry 'bout that. Considering you'll be with me to make sure I do."

"You'd better believe it." Blake gave him a mock glare that Sun couldn't help but find amusing. "You're going to stay put and you're going to like it mister."

"I'm looking forward to it."

Back in the front seat, Kevin thumped his forehead against the wheel as he let out an exasperated groan. "Stop flirting!"

Tai just watched with a bemused grin. "Haha, well I'm just glad that everything worked out." His attention went right to Neptune. "And I see that my home has a new resident, too."

Neptune quickly replied to his new landlord. "Uhh… yeah. Hey there, Mr. Xiao-Long, names Neptune. Sorry for coming over unannounced like this, the chance was just too sudden and too good for me NOT to take."

Over near Tai's car, Weiss scoffed under her breath. "A bit TOO sudden if you ask me."

Tai shook Neptune's hand. "Hey, no problem at all kid, we've got plenty of space at my place. But if you're gonna be living under my roof, you've gotta pull your own weight. And by the way, call me Tai."

"Hey, that's fine with me, Tai." Neptune reassured. "I owe you big time for this. I'll do what I need to just have a roof over my head."

"Great! 'Cause when we get home, you can start by helping me get your bed up the stairs and into my brother-in-law's room where Sun sleeps."

"Oh… great." Neptune could already feel his back begin to feel sore at the prospect. It was then that he caught sight of Weiss, snickering at his misfortune. She saw him looking at her and immediately ceased her quiet chuckling only for him to turn away dejectedly.

Weiss shifted her gaze away as well. _'Well great, now_ I _feel like the bad guy.'_ With that thought lingering in her mind, Weiss opened the back door of Tai's car, the blonde man walking past her as she did.

Unfortunately, he had taken notice in her sudden mood change. "Everything okay, Weiss? Anything you need?"

The question caught the heiress off guard. "Um, n-no Tai, but thank you for asking." Without a single word more, Weiss climbed into the back seat of Tai's car, returning to her internal thoughts.

"Uh, okay then." Tai said unsurely. "Good to know… I guess?"

Ruby quickly began to explain, whispering into his ear; "She and Neptune sort of had a thing a while back. I don't think they wanna talk about it right now."

At his daughter's words, Tai knew when not to over step his boundaries, so he quickly dropped the subject. "Ah, I see, I'll keep my mouth shut then." With that behind them, he and Ruby got into the car and all three vehicles rolled off down the forest path, back to the Xiao-Long household.

* * *

The minute they all pulled in the drive way, the first person to greet them was Max, who was outside cooking what seemed like the stomach of some animal on his grill. The old man walked over as Yang and Ben got off of Bumblebee, though he could tell just by how the two were moving that they were exhausted. "Hey kids, rough day?"'

Ben set his helmet on Bumblebee's seat and answered. "You don't know the half of it, Grandpa. Skull and Hog were in the city and up to their usual shenanigans again."

Yang giggled at his vocabulary. "Hehe, _shenanigans_? Geez, there's a word that doesn't get used enough."

Max was taken aback at the news. "Hog and Skull? Wow, everyone really IS here. Well, it's a good thing you were there when you were. We've actually had a pretty calm day on the island so far. No villains to speak of."

"Well, that's good news." Gwen said as she and everyone else following sauntered over. "Imagine if we'd have to deal with two separate problems over in Vale and here at the same time. It'd be madness."

Max chuckled. "I believe the phrase: "Don't jinx it" would be very appropriate there Gwen."

"Ha, you're right. Good catch, grandpa."

"Well, I didn't get to this age by inviting trouble you know, hehe." It was then that Max noticed the new face in the crowd. "So what do we have here? A new tenant?"

"Oh, right!" Gwen realized as she ushered Neptune forward. "Neptune, this is my and Ben's grandpa, Max. Grandpa, this is Neptune, one of Sun's teammates. He's going to be living with us from now on."

"Pleasure to meet you, sir." Neptune greeted as he extended his hand. "You're grandkids are pretty cool. You must be proud of them."

"Oh, you'd be right on that account." Max said as he shook the hand. "After all, I practically taught them everything they know about Plumbing."

An awkward silence followed that as Neptune was completely lost. "…And what does knowing how to un-clog a sink have to do with—"

"A _different_ kind of Plumbing." Gwen clarified. "There's a LOT to unpack with you Neptune. Trust me." She looked back to her grandfather. "By the way, is Team JNPR back yet?"

No sooner had the words left her mouth did the front door fly open and the four teens in question scramble out to them, with Ren being the only one to show any restraint as usual. And following them was Athena, the Mistralian women being no less concerned, but still making an effort to keep calm as she came out of the house. Jaune called out to them. "Guys! You're back!" he stopped in front of them and caught his breath. "We came home as soon as Max called us."

"We were so worried when we heard the news!" Pyrrha admitted while giving Gwen a quick hug. "What in the world happened?"

"Are you kids okay?" Athena asked. "No one was hurt right?"

"And more importantly, WHY WASN'T I INVITED?!" Nora fussed.

"Whoa, whoa, everyone, slow down!" Ben chuckled as he tried to settle the worried group. "We're fine, everybody's okay."

"Well, I actually almost wasn't." Sun corrected. "I got electrocuted by this guy with a mohawk and I stopped breathing for a bit."

Jaune, Pyrrha and Nora were shocked at the revelation. "WHAT?!"

Athena let out a gasp. "Oh my word!"

"B-but it's okay now!" Blake reassured. "I managed to revive him and he's been checked over by a doctor, he's fine."

"Really?!" Nora exclaimed in amazement. "How did you—" But then she took note of the small blush that Blake wore. A sly grin came to the hyper redhead's face. "OOOHH, I get it. A little CPR, huh? Some… _resuscitation_ , if I may be so bold?"

Blake cleared her throat as her blush intensified. "Aherm, yes, that's it, now please drop the subject? Like, right now, _please_?"

"And we would've waited for you guys, Nora," Ruby added, "but we had to get there as fast as we could and we didn't have time to wait."

Nora sighed in disappointment. "Alright, I getcha. Oh, and also, why's the blunette boy here?"

That's when Jaune actually noticed the extra head in the group. "Wait, Neptune?!"

Neptune waved. "Hey, Jaune, good to see ya. Been a while since we've talked, how's it goin'?"

"Um, fine, I guess. But Nora has a good point, what ARE you doing here?"

"Indeed, we heard your team had to leave today." Pyrrha said. "I'm surprised that you didn't go with them to see _your_ family."

"Hey, it's all good." Neptune assured. "I talked with my folks the morning after the battle and I told them that I wanted to stay and help out. They thought it was a good idea, so they agreed. They were actually glad that I took some initiative."

"Well, that's good to hear." Jaune said. "So, you come by for a visit?" It was there that Jaune noticed that everyone, Ben, Yang, Ruby and Gwen specifically, were glancing off in different directions. Kevin was wearing a smirk while Weiss had her arms crossed and a pout on her face as she looked away from Neptune. Blake had an apologetic smile as she gave the blonde knight a simple shrug and Sun had a big excited grin on his face. Jaune went pale when he realized what was going on. "Oh god."

"You don't mean…" Pyrrah uttered warily.

"I believe so, dear." Athena verified.

Sun proclaimed the news to everyone, confirming their suspicions. "We've got a new ROOMMATE!"

After a stunned silence from the team, Ren was the one to break it. "Well this will be… interesting to say the least."

"THAT'S an understatement." Weiss said in a huff. "I'm going inside." She marched in to the house and threw the door closed behind her, unaware that Neptune was reaching out and trying to gain her attention.

"Weiss I—" _**SLAM**_. "O-okay, we'll talk later then."

Athena leaned over and whispered into her daughter's ear. "Oh my, what was all that about?"

Pyrrha let out a small sigh. "It's… rather complicated, mother."

Athena shrugged. "Well, I suppose young love always is. Even after a break up." Just then, Athena's scroll began to ring, much to her surprise. She took it out and inspected the caller ID. "Oh! It's my friend back in Argus! Sorry kids, she's house sitting for me so I had better take this." She pressed a button and went back inside to find a quiet place to talk. "Hello, Laurel! How are things back home?"

"Argus?" Gwen asked.

"It's the city where I grew up." Pyrrha elaborated. "It's at one of the northern most points of Mistral." As she reminisced about her home, Pyrrha began to gush to her fellow red-head. "Oh my goodness, Gwen, you would absolutely _love_ it there. It's such a beautiful city."

"I'll be sure to remember that. I would be honored to visit your home sometime." Gwen's eyes then shifted back to Neptune as the boy went over to help Tai bring up his bed, his head hanging in disappointment. "Gee, I knew Weiss and Neptune used to go out, but I didn't think he had taken the break-up that hard."

"Well, I don't think they ever properly went out on an actual date outside of the school dance." Jaune pointed out. "He kinda blew his chance after he flirted with some other girls during the Vytal Tournament." He gave the blue-haired boy a narrow-eyed side glance. "And after all the advice I gave him too."

That got Pyrrha's attention. "You gave him advice?"

Jaune chuckled nervously as he put a hand behind his head. "W-well, yeah, at the dance. But, uh, he made me promise to keep what it was a secret so, I kinda gotta honor that."

"Well I think that's very noble."

"Heh, well I try my best."

At that point Kevin couldn't take it anymore. "Ugh, okay, I'm goin' in too. I just can't take this kind of banter! C'mon, Ben, let's get the Dragon Ball marathon set up."

Ben nodded. "Right, 'bout time we get it started. So what do you think, Z or Kai?"

"Hmm… good question. What time is it?"

Ben checked the Omnitrix's electronic clock. "It's almost three o'clock, why?"

"Okay, so the big question is this; do you want us to get through the Saiyan Saga by tonight?"

Ben nodded. "Preferably, yes."

Kevin pointed to his best friend. "Then we'll probably go with Kai tonight. We can show them the original Z later on when we have more time."

"Is there any difference?" Ruby inquired as she followed the two in.

"I mean, not much." Kevin explained. "Kai just summarizes the first Dragon Ball series in the opening minutes of the first episode and basically condenses Z down so that it gets right into the story. There's also the two different soundtracks between the shows, but bringing up that tidbit will just get you into an argument that nobody wants to get into."

"Oh, okay I getcha." Ruby settled. "Well in that case, let's get to it! But we'd better wait for Neptune, don't wanna start without him."

As Blake and Sun went in after the three, Nora raised her hand. "Hey, that reminds me, what IS a Dragon B—HMPH!" She was interrupted when Yang put her hand over her mouth.

The Blonde Brawler looked her right in the eye. "Nora, we've been asked that question about three times today already. If you make it four, it will severely kill my hype even more. You wanna know what a Dragon Ball is?" The Pink Dynamo nodded. "Then follow us in, okay?"

Yang removed her hand and Nora gave a salute. "Alrighty!" She grabbed Ren by the arm and dragged him inside. "C'mon, let's go!"

"I feel like this is an ongoing trend." Ren said as he was pulled against his will. "Jaune, Pyrrha, are you two coming?"

Jaune waved at him. "Nah, go on without us, I'm sure we'll see it sooner or later."

"We were in the middle of reading The Hobbit anyway." Pyrrha explained. "We still have to catch up to where the others were."

"Well then, I'll join in too." Gwen offered. "I could use a little relaxation after a day like today."

As they went through the door, Grandpa Max called after them. "Well in that case, have a good time everyone! Dinner will be ready in a few hours. Just gotta let it marinate." With that terrifying thought stuck in their heads, everyone went inside, now a little less hungry than they initially were.

* * *

After Neptune finished helping Tai bring his bed upstairs, nearly everyone gathered in the basement. Everyone had changed into some comfier clothes while Yang had gathered up every snack and drink in the house imaginable for their show binge. Ren meanwhile had managed to convince Nora to let him off the hook for the marathon, stating that he didn't wish to be there in case it got to hectic.

Nora pouted. "Oh… okay. But could you watch it when it's just you, me, Jaune and Pyrrha?"

Ren gave a reassuring nod. "Of course, I promise." Nora squeed in delight as she gave her best friend a hug before he went back upstairs.

Ben took center stage as he calmed everyone down. "Alright guys! We're about to get started! Is everyone ready?" When the crowd all exclaimed "YES!", Ben knew that was his cue. "Okay then! Let's do it!" Ben pressed play on the remote, and the theme song began to play.

_Don't stop, don't stop! We're in luck now!_

_Don't stop, there's so much to be found!_

_We can find paradise, all we have to do is go! Go!_

_Free your soul!_

Yang slammed her hand against the couch. "Not twenty seconds in and this theme song's already got me hooked! Let's do it!" And so they did, for the next few hours, the group became immersed in the world of Dragon Ball. As the first three episodes went by, everyone was impressed by the show's fight choreography, but were also surprised that Goku, the main character of the entire show, was killed off after the first three episodes. "Man, pretty ballsy move to kill him off in the first act." Yang commented.

"Yeah, but he gets better." Ben replied. "Believe me, Goku always does."

But Blake still had her doubts. "I don't know Ben, I thought you said that this was supposed to be way over the top in terms of fighting. Other than a few laser beams and a little bit of flying, things aren't really all that chaotic."

Ben gave a small nod. "I can see what you mean. Admittedly, Raditz isn't exactly the most interesting villain for a series to start out with. Which is kinda disappointing considering that he's Goku's brother and there could've been a LOT of potential for that kind of relationship to build, but he gets killed off in essentially the first act of the season and he's never mentioned again as the series goes on, so yeah, I can see where you're coming from. But trust me, it gets better."

"Yeah, come on, Blake." Sun pleaded. "We only got started. Please?"

"Well… alright. I'll keep watching." Blake conceded. "I DO actually like the world that this takes place in. I mean, where else can someone fly on a yellow cloud?"

As the showed played on, Ben took the time to make sure to answer everyone's questions, such as; "Why does that guy have a third eye?", "Why CAN Goku fly on a cloud?", and Ben's favorite; "OH MY GOD, did he just transform into a giant gorilla?!". The hero also made sure that everyone was familiar with Dragon Ball vocabulary, from Kamehameha to Kaio-ken. But there was one word that everyone seemed to fumble on.

"Makansa-ugh. Makakasapa-d'oh! Mekasapa—Oh for pete's sake!" Nora shouted. "Ben, what did Piccolo say his attack was?"

Ben smirked and rolled his eyes. "Nora, it's easier to just say Special Beam Cannon, trust me."

And then came episode six, and Yang, Ben and Nora were all laughing their butts off as Goku told some stand-up comedy for King Kai. As the three erupted into fits of laughter, the others just looked at each other in utter confusion. Neptune gave a shrug. "Eh, it's not THAT funny."

"Yeah, you're right." Kevin agreed. "But then again, the jokes in this scene aren't exactly all that funny in any version of the dub. Well, except for the knock-knock joke where the punchline is Krillin, but then again, Krillin's always the punchline."

As the eighth episode came and the Saiyans arrived, everyone was transfixed on the television, focusing on how the fight would turn out. As the Z Fighters began falling one after another, with Yamcha getting killed, and Tien and Chiaotzu's sacrifices, things were beginning to seem bleak. With Piccolo's death, everyone watched with baited breath to see if Gohan would survive.

It was there that Blake realized; _'Dammit, I like this show… and I think Piccolo might be my favorite character.'_

Back on the TV, the Nimbus swooped in and saved Gohan, Goku finally made his presence known to Nappa and Vegeta… and then… the scene. Nappa turned to his shorter Saiyan compatriot. _"Vegeta! What does the scouter say about his power level?!"_

Vegeta took off the scouter and crushed it. _"It's over eight-thousand! Argh!"_

Kevin sighed as he slumped over. "Man, it's just not the same. Why'd the classic joke have to be relegated to the TV version?"

Sun glanced over to the Osmosian. "What joke?"

"Oh, it's just an old internet joke from way back in the day." Ben answered. "It dates back all the way to the original dub of Dragon Ball Z. In fact… hold on a second." The hero took out his phone and searched through it before finally finding what he was looking for. "Ah-HA! I knew I had Kai's over-the-top version of it on here. Okay guys, listen to this."

Ben pressed a button on his phone and Nappa's voice came out of it. _"Vegeta? Vegeta! What's wrong with you?! Tell me what his power level is!"_

Followed by Vegeta's; _"IT'S OVER NINE-THOUSAAAAND!"_

Everyone in the room broke out in uproarious laughter while Blake hid her giggles behind her hand. When she was composed enough, the cat-girl commented on the line. "That is so stupid!"

Yang calmed down enough to talk as well. "Yeah, but it's so badly delivered, it's hilarious!"

* * *

As the teens downstairs had their fun, Gwen, Jaune, Pyrrha, Athena, Weiss and Ren, were all at the dining room table reading The Hobbit, all the while sharing stories from their own lives. Though it was a little difficult as they also attempted to drown out the hooting and hollering that was coming from downstairs. "I'm glad I managed to get out of there when I did." Ren said. "I'm not exactly one for cheering at a TV show."

"Agreed." Pyrrha concurred. "And they've been down there for quite a while. The show must be pretty enjoyable if they've been able to stay down there for this long."

Jaune nodded as he shifted his eyes up from his book. "Yeah, it's been what, four hours since they went down there?"

"Four and a half actually." Gwen clarified. "The standard run time for an episode is twenty-three minutes, so they must be finishing episode twelve by now. I'm impressed that no one has crashed from exhaustion yet."

"Seriously." Weiss agreed. "I don't get how some people can get excited by those kinds of shows."

Gwen turned to Weiss with a knowing grin. "You know, Blake said something like that earlier today, and you know what I told her? Some people just enjoy seeing others get punched."

Weiss' face scrunched up in disbelief. "Well where's the logic in that? I mean, I get when it's in a tournament, but in TV shows too?"

"Oh sure," Jaune supported, "when I was little, I used to watch a bunch of action cartoons and read comic books with my sisters all the time. It was a great bonding experience." His eyes narrowed. "A lot better than getting your hair tied up in pig tails for a family photo if you ask me."

Pyrrha let out a giggle. "Hehe, what?! Are you serious?"

"Oh, I am Pyr, trust me, it's too ridiculous to lie about."

Gwen pointed over to him. "Pics or it didn't happen."

Jaune raised an eyebrow at her. "You're think I'm just gonna show you my most embarrassing photo ever?"

Ren raised an eye brow at his leader. "Really? More embarrassing than the dress you wore to the dance?"

"Uh, w-well I—"

Athena's eyes widened. "Oh my, Jaune is this true?"

Jaune cleared his throat. "Aherm, uh yeah, I…" He looked over to Pyrrha as she smiling at him. He returned it in kind. "I made an important promise to someone, and I planned on keeping it."

Athena took note of the way her daughter gazed at Jaune, and how he seemed nervous at the mention of the dance. The Nikos matriarch quickly put two and two together and let out a sigh. _'My dear Pyrrha, you sure know how to pick them.'_ She focused back on Jaune. "I see, well if that's the case, then I'm sure that Ren has a point, right?"

As much as Jaune didn't want to admit it, they DID have a point. His eyes went back to Pyrrha and she gave him one of those smiles that made the butterflies his stomach flutter. "Please, Jaune?" she asked.

Jaune sighed in defeat. He couldn't win, not when it came to her. "Oh alright, but this stays at this table, got it?" Jaune pulled out his scroll and went through his photo album. He went through the pictures of the aforementioned dance and many others before he finally found the one he was searching for. He set it on the table. "There, see? Totally embarrassing." But to his shock, he heard a collective; "AAAAWW!". He turned back to see the ladies obsessing over the picture of him and his sisters.

"Oh my goodness! Look how cute you were!" Gwen cooed. "You were a little cutie!"

"And your sisters are all so beautiful!" Athena added. "You must be lucky to have all of them!"

"Okay, gotta admit. This IS really cute." Weiss conceded. "You said some of these girls were younger than you, Jaune?"

"Uh, yeah." Jaune confirmed. "I was kind of a late bloomer when it came to the height department." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Pyrrha observing the picture, her hands laced together and covering her mouth as she propped her elbows on the table. "Uh, Pyr? Everything alright?"

Meanwhile, in Pyrrha's head; _'Oh my gosh, he is so ADORABLE! The way he's holding that tiny sign is so funny! His grumpy little face is so cute, I just wanna—'_

"Pyrrha?" Jaune called out to her again.

"ACK!" The Invincible Girl jumped when she realized she had been caught staring. "Oh, I'm sorry, I zoned out for a second!"

"Hey, it's alright." Jaune waved his hand. "Trust me, I've done that too. So, uh… you like the picture?"

"Oh! Y-yes, I do." Pyrrha's face began to blush. "You and your sisters are all really cute together."

"Heh, thanks." Jaune's face turned a few shades redder as well. "I can't wait for you to meet them."

Gwen smirked and rolled her eyes. _'This just gets better and better._ '

* * *

Another hour and a half went by when, at Eight-thirty, the group from downstairs suddenly got a lot quieter. Gwen found this rather odd as she could have sworn that they'd be finishing the first season tonight. A few minutes later, in single file, everyone came up from the basement in a hushed tone, almost as if they didn't want to wake anyone up. Blake, Sun, Neptune and Nora climbed the stairs to go to bed while Kevin stayed on the main floor. It was then that she noticed that Yang and her cousin were not among the group. As Ruby came up from the basement and quietly shut the door behind her, Gwen approached her, hoping for an answer. "Ruby, you guys are done already?"

The Hooded Huntress glanced off to the side, the grin on her face widening. "Uh, well… we kind of had to cut the marathon short due to… unexpected sleepy time."

That just made Gwen even more confused. "What does that mean?"

With a nervous grin, Ruby gestured to the basement door. "See for yourself."

The Anodite did as she was instructed and quietly opened the door, descending the stairs and looking down into the basement. When she saw what Ruby meant, Gwen nearly let out a gasp. Indeed, both Ben and Yang were asleep, but somehow, the two had crashed so hard that they had unknowingly fallen on top of one another, with Yang using Ben's chest as a pillow. Gwen couldn't help but smile at the scene. _'Oh boy, are they in for a surprise when they wake up.'_ Without a word, Gwen went back up the stairs, meeting back up with Ruby as well as Kevin.

"So, what do we do?" Ruby inquired. "Should we wake them up?"

"Oh god, no." Gwen stressed. "Trust me, the last thing we want is for them to be freaking out about it. All we can really do is hope that Yang wakes up first and can keep her composure long enough to carefully get off of him."

"Okay, so where does that leave us?" Kevin furthered.

Gwen put a finger to her chin. "I guess we'll just sleep in the living room tonight if they don't wake up soon. If they get up in the middle of the night and see us sleeping there, that'll just make it even more awkward."

Kevin let out a groan. "Ugh, jeez, hope this isn't on ongoing thing. Otherwise, my back won't be able to take it."

Ruby giggled. "Hehe, you sound like an old man!" She let out a yawn as Kevin gave her a small scowl. "Well, I'm off to bed. Let me know if anything… _interesting_ happens, alright Gwen?"

Gwen gave her friend a smile. "Starting to get the idea of what's going on, huh?"

Ruby smiled back. "Well, I kinda figured it out a couple days ago. Let's just say I'm looking forward to seeing how this turns out."

* * *

After a few hours went by, Yang's eyes began to flutter open. The moment she became aware, she wondered to herself; _'Wait, when did I fall asleep? We were watching Dragon Ball, weren't we? Guess I just crashed.'_ She was sprawled on her side over the couch and her head was resting against a firm yet comfortable surface. _'Hmm… comfy pillow though.'_ She reached up to pull it closer to her head, but when her hand gently made contact, her eyes shot open when she realized what she had grabbed. _'Wait, this pillow is moving, it has muscle… and it has a small nub on it. Oh my god.'_

Yang slowly moved her head so that she was gazing up and she almost let out a yelp when she realized what she was sleeping on… or rather, _who_ she was sleeping on. There, sleeping peacefully with is eyes gently closed was Ben, also having crashed during their marathon. As a blush made its way to her face, Yang's first instinct was to panic. But she had to control herself, if she freaked, then Ben would wake up and freak too.

' _How did we even get like this?!'_ the blonde yelled in her head. _'Did… did I fall on him? Jeez I must have been exhausted.'_ She took a deep breath. _'Okay, Yang, calm down. You've been in tougher spots before, you can get through this. First, try to get up.'_ She moved herself up slightly, causing Ben too move a little as well. But as she moved, she realized something… Ben's arm had fallen across her back. _'Shoot! Okay, as cozy as he is, I've gotta move before he wakes up… oh god, I just told myself he was cozy.'_

Slowly but surely, Yang slinked her way out from under Ben's arm and off of him, all without disturbing him from his sleep. With a sigh of relief Yang sat up on the couch, thankful that she saved herself from the awkward situation. _'Man, that was close.'_ she thought. _'…But still, I've gotta admit… it was kinda comfy.'_ Her blush intensified. _'D'oh, c'mon Yang, get a hold of yourself! Yes, you like him, but you've gotta think this through first. Otherwise, he's gonna think you're crazy.'_ But then she remembered something. _'Wait a sec, what time is it anyway?'_ Her eyes shifted to the clock and they widened when she saw the time. "Midnight?!"

Her outburst was enough for Ben to get startled awake, the hero lunging his upper body up from his sprawled position while still sitting on the couch. "Gah! What the?!" And from there, Ben's sudden awakening caused a domino effect as Yang let out a yelp and fell to the floor in shock. As she landed on her back, Ben's eyes widened as he realized what happened. "Oh god, Yang! Are you okay?"

Yang lifted her head up and rubbed it. "Ugh, yeah, I think." She gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry 'bout that."

"If anything, I'M the one who should be sorry for scaring you like that." Ben offered her a hand. "Here, let me help you up."

"Thanks." Yang grabbed his hand and hauled herself to her feet, though the fact that they both pulled meant that they were now standing _very_ close to each another. Through the initial surprise, the two were silent, unsure of what they should do. Only a few seconds later did they turn away, both of them quite flustered. Yang managed to get a few words out. "Uh, sorry for waking you up."

"H-hey, it's no problem. _I'm_ sorry for spooking you like that."

"Oh, trust me, it's fine. I was just taken off guard a bit."

Ben looked back at her. "So, we cool?"

Yang smiled at him as she sat back down. "Of course! We're cool. Yeah." In her head however; _'Nice Yang, good job being awkward.'_ She cleared her throat and quickly changed the subject. "So, uh, guess we both fell asleep, huh?"

"Yeah, guess so. Do you remember what episode we were on?"

"I think we had just finished episode sixteen actually. But looking at the time, I think we'll have to pick it back up tomorrow."

Ben looked at the clock on the wall and was astonished by the hour. "Oh jeez, it's midnight? Man, we must've crashed _hard_."

' _More than you know'_ Yang thought to herself. "Yeah, probably." She turned her head to the other couch. "And I guess Gwen and Kevin are sleeping upstairs too."

"Huh, your right. Guess they didn't want to wake us." Ben let out a yawn. "But now that I mention it, I'm still a bit tired."

Yang let out a yawn as well. "Dammit, now ya got me doing it!" The two shared a laugh at their exhaustion before Yang suddenly remembered something that she wanted to do. _'Wait! My plan! It's now or never!'_ Yang steeled her nerves. "Hey Ben, you mind if I ask you something?"

"Sure, ask me anything."

Yang gave him a smirk. "Well, do you remember a few days ago when I told you I had something… _special_ in mind when it came to our training?"

As Ben thought back to that day, he couldn't help but feel a tingly sensation go down his spine. And it was a good kind of tingly. "Uh, I-I do actually, do you have any ideas?"

Yang's smile grew. _'Gotcha'_ "Well, I was that it'd be a good idea to do our training a bit earlier than everyone else. You know, by ourselves."

Ben's eyes widened a bit at the prospect. She wanted them to train alone… together? His face turned a light shade of pink. "So… it would just be the two of us? Nobody else?"

"Well, yeah. I figured if we could get our training done early, then we'd have more time to do fun stuff. But I'll be fine if you don't wanna get up that early just for training."

Ben's answer came not a second sooner. "Are you kidding? That's a great idea!"

Yang was caught off guard by his enthusiastic response. "Wait, really? You're willing to get up early and train with me?"

"Of course! Like you said, we can just get our training over with so we can do more stuff. You know…" he turned away slightly to hide his blush. "…together?"

"Yeah, exaclty." Yang took a deep breath. "So, guess we should get some sleep, huh?"

"Right, hang on a sec." Ben went over to a small plastic bag and pulled out a box. "Gwen bought this alarm clock while we were at the mall the other day and she hasn't set it up yet. I figure that if we set the alarm to Six AM and we both sleep down here, we can let the others sleep in while we sneak out of the house."

Yang pointed to him. "Hey, now there's an idea. Nice thinking, Green Boy."

Ben plugged the clock in and they pulled out both of the beds from the couches, Ben taking his while Yang slept in the one that Gwen and Kevin usually slept in. After turning off the lights and getting under the covers, Ben spoke to her quietly. "Good night, Yang."

She gave him another smile. "Night, Ben." She set her head on the pillow and drifted off to sleep, her happiness soaring in the victory that she had achieved that night. _'It's baby steps, but still one step closer.'_

* * *

As morning rose over Vale, General Ironwood strode through the Valian Military base with one goal in mind; to get answers. Vale's militia were kind enough to let him and his men share this outpost in light of the recent catastrophic events, so he had every intention of repaying the favor by helping in anyway he could. And right now, that involved questioning the two men responsible for the destruction of one of the city's many banks. As he marched along, he spotted a certain someone waiting for him in front of a door. "Ah, good morning, Winter."

Winter Schnee gave her commanding officer a respectful bow. "Good morning General, I've been expecting you."

"I'm sure, have they said anything?"

"Not since they were brought in. But perhaps you can change that."

"We'll see." The automatic door opened and Ironwood stepped in to see Thunderhog and Exo-Skull, stripped of their weapons and bravado while sitting inside their energy cells with two guards at the stand-by. The moment he came in, they glowered at him. But having seen this kind of look before, Ironwood wasn't phased in the least. "Hello boys, I can see that you two have been awfully busy today." They didn't say a thing. "I'm here to ask you two a few questions. Maybe you could answer some of them for me?"

Skull finally said something. "We ain't got nothin' to answer for."

Ironwood raised an eyebrow. "That's a double negative, which means you do have something to answer for."

Skull thought about it for a moment before he realized what he'd said. "AW, dammit! I'm never good with those!"

Hog tried to settle his friend down. "Hey, hey, relax Skull. Don't beat yourself up over this. Besides, we won't be here for long."

"Oh, really?" Ironwood inquired. "And what makes you say that, Mr. Hogan?"

Hog let out a chortle. "Haha, because the boss'll come and get us. Without us, he wouldn't be able to get by."

"Really? And who is this "boss" you speak of? And do you know where we might be able to find him?"

"Oh god no, man, I ain't about to sell out the big man like that. We've got a good thing goin' here and we can't pass up the opportunity he's giving us."

"Let me guess, money?"

Exo-Skull laughed. "HA! Please, money's only a perk of the job. What he'll be giving us in return is _power_. And I'm talkin' all the strength we could EVER want. Once he perfects the project that he's workin' on, we'll be the first to experience the results. And besides, even if we DID tell you where he is, you wouldn't be able to FIND him there without looking extra hard!"

Ironwood gave a solemn nod. "I see, well if that's the case then I guess that you two will just have to be questioned further up at the Altesian Maximum Security Prison." Ironwood turned and opened the door, ready to walk out. "And believe me…" he turned his head back to the two and gave them a side glance, "they can be _quite_ persuasive."

Ironwood left the room, leaving the two guards to watch over the pair of hooligans. Winter went up to him, expecting the general to have some information. "Well? Did they say anything?"

"Their boss is working on a project." Ironwood answered. "It may be some sort of strength-enhancing drug. We'll have to report this to Ben later to see if he has any enemies that are familiar with biochemistry." He gazed out the nearest window to see the sun still rising. "Ah, but it's still early. We'll call them when they're all up. For now, let's make our usual rounds across the city, shall we?"

"Of course, General. I have a car waiting right outside." And with that, the two high-ranking officials left the building, unaware of the events that would soon transpire there.

* * *

" _Welcome, Yang Xiao-Long."_ With the computer's electronic voice echoing through the rooms, the Mount Patch training facility's lights turned on as the aforementioned Blonde Brawler stepped into the main room with Ben right by her side. The two had gotten up early and had a quick breakfast before rolling out on Bumblebee to the training grounds, hoping to get their training done before everyone else. They went through the gym and into the arena room, ready to begin their sparring session.

"Think we woke anyone up with Bumblebee when we left?" Ben brought up.

"Eh, maybe, but I doubt it." Yang answered. "After a last night, I'd think that everyone would be exhausted at that point."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Ben's hand went right for the Omnitrix as he and Yang entered the arena. "Okay, so who do you wanna start with? Swampfire? Oh, or maybe Four Arms! I'm pretty sure I haven't shown you him yet."

But much to his surprise, Yang gently put her hand against the Omnitrix and used her other hand to move his own away from the watch. She gazed into his eyes with a determined, yet brilliant smile. "Let's start with you." she decided.

"W-wait, with me? Like at Signal the other day?"

"Yep, just like that. As cool as your transformations are, Green Boy, I think you should focus on how cool _you_ are as yourself. Because trust me, you're just as awesome as that do-hickey on your wrist."

"So, you don't want to fight one of my aliens?"

Yang giggled. "Hehe, what I'm trying to say is that while your aliens are powerful, it's a good idea to balance that power with regular physical training. After all, superpowers can only take you so far."

Ben smiled at her. "Huh, you know, my grandpa told me something similar when I was ten, and I completely forgot about it until now. Well in that case, if you can teach me a thing or two, I'd be more than down for it."

"Awesome! Now…" Yang spread her arms out to her sides. "Hit me."

Ben's eyebrows rose at what he'd just been told to do. "Hit you? Just… hit you?"

"Yessir! Just throw a punch! I've got Aura, so I'm A-Okay. Come at me!"

The hero shrugged. "Well… okay." With a grunt of exertion, Ben bought his fist back and threw it forward, expecting to make contact, but instead, she side stepped him and caught his wrist. With a startled yelp, Ben now found himself wrestled to the ground as Yang pinned his chest beneath her knee, her right hand firmly on his shoulder. Needless to say, Ben was shocked. "Whoa, okay, didn't see that coming."

Yang tilted her head. "Really? Because you've seen me do this same move before. In fact, it was just yesterday, but I used it a bit differently."

Ben realized what she was talking about. "This is the wrist-grab that you used on Exo-Skull!"

"Haha, yep, it is! So, did you learn anything by being pinned?"

"…Don't expect things to be that easy?"

With a little laugh, Yang leaned down so that their faces were near inches apart, her hair cascading down over the side of her face. "Always expect the unexpected." Just as suddenly as it had begun, the little moment ended as Yang picked herself up and offered Ben a hand. "Now c'mon, let's continue."

It took Ben a moment to process what had just happened as Yang pulled him up to his feet. "Uh, y-yeah. You got it." As Yang took her side of the arena, Ben couldn't help but think to himself but one thought; _'She… did she just hit on me?'_ The spine-tingly feeling from last night returned as the realization dawned on him. _'Oh my god, she just hit on me!'_ With his energy renewed, Ben happily continued his training session with Yang, confidence welling up inside of him with every hit.

Yang grinned as she watched Ben's strikes improve as the session went on. "C'mon Green Boy! Show me what ya got!" She sent a fist forward in a solid punch.

Ben blocked with his right arm and struck with his left fist. "Believe me Goldie Locks, if there's anyone I don't wanna disappoint, it's you!"

As she blocked and moved in for another blow, Yang felt the need to reassure him on that. "Trust me Ben, you haven't yet, and I doubt you will anytime soon." This odd combination of fight-flirting went on for another twenty minutes, right up until both of them agreed to take a breather when they began to feel winded. As they re-entered the break room, Yang could only think one thing; _'Early morning training? Best. Idea. Ever.'_

* * *

Back in Vale, a pitch-black portal opened up in one of the military base's darkest corridors. Out of its inky darkness stepped Cinder and Emerald, both decked out in stealth gear. Cinder's was the suit she had worn during her dance infiltration mission, while Emerald's was more practical with a lot of padding and espionage gear attached to it. The green haired girl also sported a grey wool beanie to cover her head.

"We're in." Emerald deduced. "Now where do we go?"

"An excellent question." Cinder looked to the portal. "Rojo, where to?"

"Keep your little domino mask on Cindy, I'm comin'." Rojo emerged from the portal, now sporting her new armor. Instead of the grey that her old getup had, it was now completely black and had even more red lines on it than before. Her tights had been changed from dark grey to blood red, blending into the red lines. She retained the skull on her chest, but it was more angular and stylized than the other one. Her shoulder pads were smaller and had less spikes, but to make up for that, the spikes were longer and sharper. Her headpiece was similar to her old one, but it was somewhat bigger and covered more of her head, with a pair of notches in each side. Her cloves were clawed and her knuckles were spiked, completing the "edge-lady" appearance she always preferred.

The portal closed when she stepped out of it and she scanned around the hallways of the place before coming to her conclusion. "Coast seems clear. Time to break out the scanner." Rojo pressed a button on her forearm and up came a red holographic sonar-like display. The bounty hunter smirked. "Man, Boss Lady's gotta have some connections to get technology that's this good."

"Save the compliments for later, Rojo." Cinder urged in a whisper. "We need to find these two and break them out before we're spotted or they get shipped out to Atlas."

"Relax, Cindy." Rojo assured. "With any luck, this little baby'll be able to pick up the frequency on the trackers I put in Hog and Skull's weapons. After that, I'll just use the scanner in my visor to find the boys and then, BAM! Home free."

"Why did you put trackers on them in the first place anyway?" Emerald questioned.

Rojo's smirk grew. "Let's just say that those two owe me a favor. And if they'd ever try to get out of it, I'd be able to track them down easy."

"Hmm, a smart move." Cinder conceded. "I assume you keep tabs on everyone in your universe?"

"Only the ones who owe me something… or the ones who piss me off the most." Suddenly, Rojo's scanner went off and two blips appeared on her radar. "Ah-HA! There're the boys' toys. Just gotta go down this hallway, take a right and then it's the last door on the left." Rojo deactivated her radar and shifted her gaze back to the girls. "Think you ladies can handle the guards in that room while I get Tweedle-Dumb and Tweedle-Dumber? Oh, and _no_ killing please, we wouldn't want to draw too much attention to ourselves until we leave."

"Of course." Cinder faced Emerald and motioned down the hall. "Come." With a silent nod, Emerald followed Cinder down the hall. The two silently made their way toward the room, making sure to avoid being spotted by both soldiers and security cameras along the way.

After they rounded the corner, Rojo lowered her bright red visor and activated its scanner… after finding the correct one. "Hmm, let's see, infrared, no. Night vision, no. Wait a sec, VR? Why the hell would I need VR? Ah, there we go, x-ray. Now, for the finishing touch." She pressed another button on her forearm, activating the camouflage function. And, in an instant, she was invisible, unseen to the human eye. "I love this freakin' thing."

* * *

In the armory, two Atlesian soldiers were standing guard over Skull's armor and Hog's weapons, making sure that the tools of destruction were thoroughly protected. One of the guards looked over to his buddy. "So what do you think they're gonna do with these weapons anyway?"

The other man shrugged. "Eh, I dunno, maybe they'll try to reverse engineer some of this stuff like the armor that Cooper kid made. Now that we're dealing with powerful forces from an alternate universe, something tells me we're gonna need it."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Just then, he began to feel a little bit hot under the collar. "Uh, hey, did it suddenly get hotter in here?"

"Ugh, yeah, who turned up the heat?!" But just as he asked, the guard noticed that a hole was starting to melt through the door. The STEEL door. "What the hell?!" As the hole stopped melting, a raven-haired woman in a domino mask and leather outfit strutted through, giving the guards a somewhat seductive yet deathly gaze.

She spoke in a sultry voice. "Hello gentlemen. We'll be taking those weapons, thank you."

The first guard charged forward and raised his rifle. "Oh no you won't!" He made to hit her with the butt of his gun, but unexpectedly, he just passed right through her. "Wait, what the—OOF!" He was cut off when a swift strike hit him in the back of the neck, knocking him out.

As he fell to the floor, a girl wearing a beanie stepped through the hole, letting out a small laugh. "Haha! Gets 'em every time." She shifted her gaze to the other guard. "And now for you."

"Gah!" The guard raised his rifle. "You won't be getting these—AAGH!" His rifle suddenly became intensely hot in his hands and he was forced to drop it. The moment it hit the ground, it turned into a pile of scrap and melted metal. He looked up again to see the raven-haired woman standing there again, but this time she was quite real. Her eyes and right hand were glowing a vibrant gold, and she was giving him the deadliest glare that one could ever give.

"I believe it would be wise to give up." she suggested.

The man grabbed his communicator and pressed the speaker button. "This is Weapons Stock requesting—" Cinder struck his neck and without another word, he fell to the ground, unconscious. His communicator skittered across the floor and Emerald stomped on it, ensuring that no one could call for back up when they woke up.

"Heh, too easy." Emerald moved over to the weapon storage locker and inspected the lock. "Hmm, six-digit code. Any idea what it could be?"

"How about we make our own code?" Cinder put her hand to the number pad and super-heated it, making it melt and short-circuit. As it continued to spark, the locks unfastened themselves and the unit opened up, revealing Exo-Skull's armor and Thunderhog's mace, visor and gauntlets. "And now, we wait for Rojo."

* * *

Inside the prisoner hold a few hallways down, the two officers guarding Exo-Skull and Thunderhog had just received the message from the guard over in the armory. _"This is Weapons Stock requesting—"_ The guard's voice was cut off, leaving nothing but static. "That doesn't sound good." one officer whispered to the other.

"Yeah, no shit." his buddy whispered back.

"So, what do we do?"

"We already have our orders, we can't just leave these two. Someone else will get it."

From behind, Hog spoke up. "Is there a problem officers?" The two guards turned around to face them, only to see the two wearing very confident smirks. "'Cause if there is, you dudes can go take care of it."

"Ha, yeah," Exo-Skull chuckled. "We ain't goin' nowhere anytime soon."

One guard stepped forward and got right up to the energy cells, yelling in their faces. "Be quiet! Both of you! This is none of your concern, so don't expect us to leave. And by the way, that was another double negative, Skull. It would imply that you ARE going somewhere."

Skull's smirk widened. "Oh, I know. THAT one was intentional."

At that moment, a loud banging was heard on the other side of the door. "Huh?" The guard turned around and suddenly, as if on cue, the metal door fell into the room and crashed on the floor, causing the guards to point at the entry way in preparation for whatever came through.

"HAHA! Told ya our boss would bust us outta here." Hog said as he stood up. But, to his surprise, there was actually no one on the other side of the doorway. "Uh, wait, what?"

Just then, both gaurds were being suspended in the air by… nothing. They could feel their necks being painfully rung by a hand with sharp nails. A harsh feminine voice spoke to them. "Sorry guys, but these boys're comin' with me." The guards were thrown violently across the room and the invisible figure quickly incapacitated them by taking their helmets off and hitting them in the face, knocking them out.

"Think this place is haunted?" Skull asked.

"Skull, when was the last time you heard of an occupied military base that WAS haunted?" Hog retorted.

"Oh, shut up you two." In a shimmer of light, Rojo appeared in from of their cells, her visor retracting so that they could see her glaring eyes. "I'm here to bust you boys out, not listen to your stupid arguments."

As she approached their cells and set two small microchips on their control pads, Hog was taken aback by her presence. "Rojo?! The hell're you doin' here?"

Rojo pressed a button on her forearm and the microchips short circuited the controls, making the energy cells power down and freeing the two low-lives. "Like I said Hog, I'm breaking you two out. Now c'mon, we gotta meet up with my partners and get you boys back in your usual clothes. Then, you're gonna lead us to Animo."

Exo-Skull stepped out of his cell and got into Rojo's face. "And why should we? What business do YOU have with the boss?"

Rojo smirked. " _I_ don't have any, but _my_ boss does. She wants to make you boys and Animo a little deal. And trust me, once you hear what this lady has to say, you'll be all over it."

Hog and Skull looked at each other before their attention went back to Rojo. "Okay, Rojo, you've got our attention." Hog agreed. "So what now?"

Rojo chuckled. "Ha, now?" With a toothy grin, Rojo turned and led the two out of the room, quickly making their way back to the armory. "Let's blow this pop-stand."

* * *

**A/N (Please Read): And another chapter bites the dust! Hope it was worth the wait, cause when we get to the next chapter, THAT'S when things will start to go down. Also, yes, Rojo IS sporting her armor from Omniverse. I always did like that design. Also, for those wondering, I love both Dragon Ball Z AND Kai, but I feel that Kai is a better stepping on point for new fans who want to get into the Dragon Ball franchise as a whole. So that's why that's the version that I had them watch.**

**With that being said, Next Time! Our heroes are called into action and they venture out to Forever Fall to find the escapees. And we FINALLY meet up with the mad doctor himself. How will our heroes deal with this wacko? Stay tuned to find out! Thanks for reading and I'll see ya later!**


	23. Hunting for the Unexpected, Part 1

**A/N: Hey everyone! Yep, you read the title right, we've got another two-parter on our hands. And this is a set of chapters that I've actually been looking forward to for quite some time, even since near the start of this story. Why so? Well, because this two-parter signifies a lot of BIG things happening in the story. Not just for the reappearance of the first real villain that Ben's ever faced but… well, I think I should just let the chapter speak for itself. This is…**

**Chapter 23: Hunting for the Unexpected, Part 1**

* * *

An hour after they began, Ben and Yang had just finished up the first part of their training session, the two deciding to take another quick breather before moving on to the next part; alien combat. They sat together in the break room, each holding a water bottle in their hand. After guzzling for a moment, the two let out a simultaneous sigh of relief, through Ben's seemed to have more exhaustion behind it. "Jeez, Yang, I guess when it comes to training, you never go easy."

"No doubt about it." The blonde confirmed. "That's just how I roll." She then took a closer look at him. "Hey, you okay? You're still a bit red in the face."

"Oh! Yeah, I feel fine. Just gotta do one thing." Ben got up and took off his signature green jacket, tossing it onto the couch. He took his water bottle and splashed its contents in his face. The sudden act caused Yang to let out a surprised yet joyous laugh as Ben shook his head and sent water droplets everywhere.

"HAHA! Oh my god, are you serious?" She yelled out as she shielded herself from the liquid residue.

"Hey, if it works, it works." Ben shrugged. "You should try it."

Yang raised her hands in self-defense. "Hey, I'd like to keep myself dry for our next rounds, okay? We can't all just transform and instantly dry off, remember?"

"Yeah, you got a point." Ben sat back down on the couch and reclined, relaxation taking him over. "You think they noticed we're gone yet?"

"At this point, probably." Yang reclined on the sofa as well, taking a place next to him. "But you know what? I don't think it really matters if they know or not. It's just the two of us here, and honestly, it's been pretty great."

Ben nodded. "Yeah, I hear that." But inside his head, he was going over all of the sensations he'd been feeling and how Yang was acting around him during the training. But he couldn't lie to himself, he knew what these feelings were. _'But… could it really work between us?'_ His inner self asked. _'Well… I guess there's no better way to know than to just ASK her.'_ He sighed to himself. _'But what if—'_ Only for him to shake his head, chasing the negative thoughts away. _'Stop! You can't let the fear take hold! It's time to buck up and ask. It's the only way you'll know for sure!'_

With that resolve now fully put into place, Ben turned his head so that he was looking directly at Yang. "Hey, Yang?"

She turned to him as well. "What's up, Ben?"

Her gaze combined with her fantastic smile gave Ben the tingly feeling in his spine again. It helped drive him forward. "I was wondering…" Yang looked at him expectantly, almost eager to hear what he was about to say next. "…Would you like to—"

' _BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!'_ The Omnitrix began to flash bright green and make noise, causing Ben to become irritated in an instant. "Oh, come ON! Right now?"

Yang shared Ben's dissatisfaction. But nevertheless, she put up a hand. "Hey, it's okay, you can answer it. It's probably just Gwen wondering where you are."

Ben sighed. "Yeah, okay." Ben put his finger to the watch and spoke into it. "Hey, Gwen. Now before you ask, I'm fine, I'm just—"

" _At the training facility with Yang?"_ The redhead answered on the other end.

"Uhhh… how did you…"

" _I'm up before you, doofus, how else?"_

Ben smirked. "Well gee, no need to be so sassy about it, cous'." Next to him, Yang covered her mouth to try and keep Gwen from hearing her giggles.

" _Yeah, well, sorry to interrupt your flirt—I mean, TRAINING session, but we've got a situation. General Ironwood just called. Rojo's back. She broke both Hog and Skull out of prison!"_

"WHAT?!" Both the hero and the Blonde Brawler exclaimed.

" _Exactly, and we need you two here on the double. So, we're gonna need everyone available to us."_

Ben nodded. "Gotcha, did Ironwood manage to get any info out of them about their boss before they escaped?"

A moment passed before Gwen let out a sigh. _"Yes, he did. And he wants to know if we have any villains who specialize… in biochemistry.'_

Ben slapped his forehead. "Gah! I should have known! Figures it'd be Animo."

" _Yeah, just to be safe, I've told Blake and Sun to stay behind today. We have no clue how Animo's mutation devices could affect them, so I figured it's better to be safe than sorry."_

"Good idea. Cooper and Team CFVY will be over today anyway for some apartment searching, so they'll have something to do too." Ben sighed himself before continuing. "Alright, we'll be back in a jiff. See you soon, Gwen." Ben shut off the comm-link and looked back to Yang, disappointed that they had to leave so soon.

"So, Animo's behind all this, huh?" Yang asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. He's been a pain in my ass for years, and I just can't seem to get rid of him." He let out yet another sigh. "Guess we're gonna have to cut this short."

"Yeah, looks like." As the two got up, Yang swore to herself in her head. _'Crap! That was it! He was gonna ask me out and Gwen had to just come in and stop it! Dammit!'_ She almost lost her cool then and there, but she calmed herself down before Ben could notice. _'Relax Yang, he found the courage, and that's a good sign.'_ But as the two exited the mountain and mounted Bumblebee, Yang couldn't help but think; _'Gwen seriously owes me though.'_

* * *

When the two got back to the house, everyone was already prepped to go. Ruby and Weiss were in Kevin's car while Team JNPR and Neptune rode with Max. And, surprisingly, Athena was coming as well, riding in the Rustbucket with the others. The Huntress had changed into a set of red and gold Grecian-like armor, wearing her crimson Athenian-styled helmet engraved with golden owls. The armor came complete with a golden breast plate with matching shoulder pads, red bicep-length gloves with a golden gauntlet on each arm, a pteruges around her waist, a pair of red thigh-high boots and gold shin guards, and to top it all off, a red cape around her shoulders. A shield engraved with the head of a King Taijitu as well as her spear completed the overall look. "It's been a while since I've worn this." Athena admitted. "I think I may have to adjust it a little bit."

"It's okay mother," Pyrrha insisted, "your armor is absolutely fine."

Blake approached Ben and Yang, worry written all over her face. "You're sure you don't want us to come with you? I'd hate for you guys to get hurt while we just stayed over here just looking for apartments."

Yang gave her best friend a hug. "Hey, no worries Blake. We'll be good. Believe me, we've been doing great so far."

Ben nodded. "Yeah, we'll be back." He paused for a moment. "Besides, if we run into Dr. Animo, we can't take the chance of him mutating you guys. Trust me, if he saw either you _or_ Sun, he'd wouldn't stop at _anything_ to mutate you two like he did to Clancy."

Blake clutched a hand close to her chest and gave a shudder. "Wow, yeah, no thank you. I'd rather NOT become like Clancy.

Sun nodded in agreement. "Yeah, being mutated is the last thing we'd want to happen to us." He waved over to the Rustbucket. "Be safe out there, 'kay, Neptune?!" Sun called out. "And make sure to kick some butt for me!"

Neptune poked his head out of the Rustbucket window and gave a thumbs up. "Hey, no prob! We'll be back before you guys know it!"

Blake looked back to the duo. "Again, please be careful. We don't want you guys mutating too."

Yang smiled, touched by her best friend's concern. "Hey, like I said, no worries Blake. Besides, you guys already got your hands full with Cooper and Team CFVY coming over today. Just focus on that and it won't be as bad, 'kay? We'll be back. Promise."

"Trust me," Ben assured further, "if we get killed out there, there's no way I'll ever live it down."

Blake smiled at the two before giving them both one last good luck hug. "Come back safe, you guys." And with that, everyone rolled out for the docks, ready to begin their biggest mission yet. Blake sighed as they rolled out of sight. "So, what should we do now?"

Sun had a sly grin. "How about some tea and more Dragon Ball while we wait for Coop and CFVY to get here?"

Blake smiled back. "You had me at tea."

* * *

After saying a quick hello and goodbye to Cooper and Team CFVY at the docks, the caravan of heroes and Hunters boarded the returning ferry to Vale. During the hour-long trip, the teens and adults all took the time to relax a little before their mission. But for a certain hood-wearing huntress, she had some info to gather from her big sister. Specifically…

"Sooooo, how was your early "training session", sis?" Ruby asked as she slid over to the blonde.

Yang, who was absent-mindedly looking out over the ocean, was caught off guard by her sister's sudden question. "Oh! Uh, it was fine."

"Really? And did anything… _interesting_ happen while you two were sparring?"

Under her breath, Yang mumbled. "Almost." But then, she quickly back pedaled after realizing what she had said. "Uh, I mean, nothing. Nothing at all! HAHA!" She fake-laughed, hoping that her sister would be none the wiser.

Unfortunately, Ruby Rose was always too smart for her own good. She crossed her arms and gave her sister a smile. "Yang, it's okay. It's just me."

The Blonde Brawler let out a sigh before leaning back on the railing. "Guess nothing gets past you, huh, Rubes?"

Ruby shook her head. "Nuh-uh. Never have, never will." She leaned next to her sister. "So, I guess you're pretty into him, huh?"

"Yep. For a while now. During that first night, I wasn't all that sure what to think. But after being around him for a week… it's like… he and I just click, you know? I'm just _amazed_ at how much we align."

"And you think you can have a good thing going with him?" Ruby eagerly asked.

Yang smiled at her sister. "I do. Ruby, sometimes you just know when someone's special. And you know what? I really think that we could make it work."

"Well, I for one think it's a great idea." The two sisters turned around to see Gwen standing right behind them, a confident smile on her face. "I've actually been pulling for it for a while now too, actually."

Yang gave her a questioning look. "Really? Then you should probably know that I'm pretty sure Ben was _this_ close to asking me out before you called and interrupted."

Ruby's silver eyes widened in surprise. "REALLY?!"

Yang glanced to her sister. "Well, I can't be a _hundred_ percent sure about it, but I've got a gut feeling that it was."

Gwen sighed. "Yeah, I figured that. Ben's been giving me a bit of the cold shoulder since we got on the ferry. And since he usually only does that when he's upset with me nowadays, I guess that I must've messed something up for him." However, just as she finished that, a smirk came to the red-head's face. "But if I know Ben, he's not one to give up that easy. Once he finds his nerve, he holds onto it. Trust me, he WILL ask again."

Yang furthered her scrutiny. "You're sure?"

"Oh yeah, he will. All he needs is a little encouragement. If you two find yourselves alone, you should remind him of what he was going to ask you."

After thinking it over for a moment, Yang came to her conclusion. "Alright Gwen, if you think it'll work."

Ruby gave her sister a side-hug. "Yeah! That's my big sis!"

"Heh, yeah, love you too Rubes." Yang looked out over the water as Vale began to come into view. "Looks like we're almost there."

* * *

One drive through the city later and the group arrived at the Valian Military base. As they strode through the hallways, they saw both Altesian and Valian military officers on patrol, all of them effectively on guard. But as they rounded the next corner, they all saw a face that they were very familiar with. "Winter!" Weiss called out as she rushed forward and enveloped her sister in a hug. "I didn't know you'd be here."

Winter smiled down at her sister. "Of course I'm here, where else would you think I'd be stationed?"

"W-well, I just assumed that…"

Winter looked her sister in the eye. "Weiss, though I don't use it often, I AM capable of sarcasm, remember?"

Weiss blushed at her bluster. "Oh, right, I forgot."

Ben stepped forward. "So, I guess we've got some escaped convicts?"

"Correct." Winter shifted herself to the side. "See for yourself."

The entire group looked on in awe as she revealed an entire WALL of the military base had been crashed through, the brickwork completely demolished. Team JNPR were the most taken aback at the prospect of villains this strong. "So you're saying a MAN drove his entire body through this wall?" Jaune questioned.

"That is both disturbingly strong and incredibly painful to think about." Pyrrha admitted.

Nora meanwhile was giggling in eager anticipation. "I can't WAIT to fight these guys! They sound like the type of villains you'd see in a really cheesy cartoon!"

Max took a couple steps forward to inspect the damage. "Yep, this is Exo-Skull's handiwork. That man never hesitates to crash through a wall."

Kevin walked over to take a gander at it himself. "Hoo, man, you're not kidding, Max. The guy must've just crashed through it the moment he got his armor back."

Yang crossed her arms. "Psh, that armor didn't help him when I threw him into an armored car. I doubt it'll be any different this time, even if he IS with Rojo."

Ruby was next to bring up a point. "So the big question is: where did they go?"

Athena turned to Winter. "Indeed, do we have any clues to where they might've gone off to?"

"We do, as a matter of fact." Winter replied. "Follow me. General Ironwood is waiting for us in the conference room." She led everyone past the rubble and down the hall. At the very end was a white door with the words "Conference Room" embroidered under the window looking in. Winter twisted the knob and pushed the door open, revealing not just Ironwood, but Glynda Goodwitch there as well.

"Hello everyone! I'm very glad you could make it." The general greeted.

"Greetings James!" Athena waved. "It was the least we could do to come. And Professor Goodwitch, always nice to see you."

At the headmistress' name, Ruby rushed into the room and let out a gasp. "Professor Goodwitch! What are you doing here?!"

"Ruby, everyone, it's so good to see you here!" Glynda approached her students as they entered. "I've been hearing a lot about your accomplishments these past few days. Quite a lot has been going on, I hear." It was then that she saw Team JNPR enter the room, with Pyrrha looking straight at her. A smile came to the woman's face. "Pyrrha, I… I'm so very glad to see that you're up and walking."

Pyrrha returned the smile in kind. "Professor… I'm glad to see you as well." She was hesitant to approach the headmistress, but found the courage to press forward. "Gwen told me that you were looking forward to seeing me."

"Guilty as charged." Gwen shrugged.

Glynda met the Invincible Girl with a gentle hand to the shoulder. "Believe me, I'm overjoyed to see you, dear. I only wish it were under better circumstances."

"As do I." Ironwood agreed. "Be that as it may, we have a mission for you all, so let's get started." The general gestured over to the large round table with a projector at its center. "Please take a seat, everyone." The entire group took a seat at the table as the lights in the room dimmed and the projector turned on. Ironwood took a place next to the screen and began to work the projector via a small remote in his hand. "Alright, now as you are all aware, this morning at zero seven hundred hours, we were infiltrated by Rojo, who managed to break both Exo-Skull and Thunderhog out of their cells and subsequently recover their armor and weapons. However, more importantly, Rojo had a duo of accomplices who you may recognize. Please observe the screen."

Ironwood pressed a button and the video feed of a security camera came up on the screen. On it, they saw Exo-Skull ram straight through the wall with Thunderhog not far behind, alarms being set off as a result. _"HAHA! It's Independence Day baby!"_ Hog yelled.

Rojo quickly followed them out, along with, to nearly everyone's shock, Emerald not far behind. The green haired girl asked the bounty hunter; _"The heck is Independence Day?"_

" _A weird movie from the 90's!"_ Rojo answered. _"Now let's move!"_

Just as Rojo and Emerald went out through the hole, another figure dressed in black came into view and turned toward the camera, eliciting a gasp from both Ruby and Pyrrha. The younger girl's was out of shock, but Pyrrha's was brought out by fear. "That's her!" Ruby pointed to the screen. "It's Cinder!" On the screen, Cinder narrowed her eyes at the camera before raising her hand and letting off a blast of fire at it, destroying the camera and cutting the feed. Everyone was left in stunned silence at the woman's action… all except one.

Pyrrha was clutching her hand against her chest as memories of that night came flooding back to her, Cinder's deathly gaze staring right back at her. She began hyperventilating as it all rushed back to her head, and Jaune had taken notice. "Pyrrha! Pyrrha, please calm down! It's okay!" The blonde knight reached over and enveloped the Invincible Girl in a hug as the hyperventilating quickly evolved into sobs and tears.

Athena was quick to come to her daughter's aid as she joined the hug and began rubbing her back. "Pyrrha, sweetheart, everything's alright! We're here, we're all here."

Pyrrha cried into Jaune's chest, the fear in her voice well heard. "It IS her! She's come back!"

Neptune looked over in confusion. "Did… did that woman do something to her?"

Ruby whispered over to him. "Cinder was the one who put the arrow in Pyrrha's ankle… among a lot of other things."

As Nora and Ren joined in consoling Pyrrha, Ben looked over to General Ironwood, his brows furrowed. "Okay, now it's personal. Where did they go?"

Ironwood was quick to answer. "Many of my patrols tried to intercept them, but they managed to get past them and into Forever Fall. Nobody saw which way they went after that. But after yesterday's patrol came back with these photos, we've found solid evidence that there have been strange goings on in that forest." Ironwood pressed another button as pictures of some rather terrifying creatures came up on the screen. They looked like Grimm, but their fur was an instant indicator that they weren't. "As you can see, these "Beowolves" and "Ursai" have grey and brown fur respectively, which as you know, Grimm are incapable of having."

Ben took a closer look at the screen. "Yep, it's like I thought, this is all Dr. Animo's doing."

"Dr. Animo?" Glynda asked. "I can only assume he is one of your villains?"

Ben nodded. "Yep, he tends to experiment on animals. And he's been working on turning humans into mutated animal hybrids. He's the reason why Clancy is the way he is now."

Ironwood snapped his fingers. "So THAT'S what Hog and Skull meant by getting stronger. They were hoping to be the first test subjects of that serum."

Ben nodded. "Exactly, and if Salem is able to help Animo perfect that serum, we may have some more trouble on our hands."

Yang got up and pounded her fist into her hand. "Well then what're we waiting for?! Let's get our there and find 'em!"

Ironwood raised his hand. "While I admire your tenacity, Yang, I still have one last thing to show you all." Ironwood switched to another photo, causing everyone's eyes to widen. "This creature was caught just as our patrol was returning at sunset. It's still in shadow and a bit further away, but you can see its basic shape." Ironwood pointed out the height of the creature, about seven feet, eight inches. It was walking away from the camera, had broad shoulders, a dome shaped head, and most evident, a small bright green eye in the middle of its face. "Does this creature look familiar to anyone?"

Gwen narrowed her eyes at the photo. "Not really. It's still pretty dark in the picture, so it's hard to tell."

Pyrrha had calmed down enough to look back at the screen. "It doesn't look like any Grimm I've ever seen." she said in a hoarse voice. "But if it poses a danger, we must go out there and search for it."

Jaune was concerned however. "Pyr, are you sure? It's okay if you don't want to go. Cinder could still be out there."

Pyrrha gave a hard swallow and gave him a smile. "Yes, I am. Because I know that this time, I am not alone. I have my team with me now. And I always will."

Jaune was hesitant at first, but he smiled back. "Well, okay. But let's ALL try to be careful out there. If we see Cinder at all, we make a run for it. We don't know how powerful she is now that she has those powers."

Neptune raised his hand. "Uh, sorry if I'm out of the loop here, but what're you talking about?"

Athena was also quite confused. "Indeed, what's going on here? What powers?"

Weiss groaned as the realization hit her. "Right, we never did fill them in on that did we?"

Everyone looked to Ironwood for approval and the General let out a sigh. "Very well. Athena, Neptune, you will be informed on the situation with Cinder Fall and what _really_ happened at Beacon. However, we need you to keep this a secret within this group."

Athena nodded. "Of course, James."

Neptune gave a thumbs up. "You got it, general."

Ironwood nodded. "Alright, we'll separate into two teams for this search. Athena and I will take Team JNPR, Kevin and Max to the northwest."

Glynda spoke up. "While Winter and I will take Ruby, Yang, Ben, Gwen, Weiss and Neptune to the northeasterly direction."

Weiss squeed in delight. "EEEEE! I get to go on a mission with my sister! This is gonna be so…" the heiress looked to her sister who had raised an inquisitive brow. Weiss quickly composed herself. "Erm, I mean, I will do my best to contribute."

Winter gave her a small grin. "See that you do, little sister. We will need all the help we can get."

"Wait!" Ruby raised her hand. "What about Uncle Qrow? Isn't he coming?"

"I've sent Qrow on a special recon mission this morning." Ironwood explained. "There have been some strange activities at the Dust mines to the far north and I asked him to investigate."

Ruby slumped over in disappointment. "Aw! I missed him again!"

Gwen wrapped an arm around Ruby's shoulder. "It's okay, Ruby. It just means more Grimm for us to hunt for ourselves."

Ruby crossed her arms. "Weeeell, you make a good point. C'mon! Let's go!"

As everyone got up to leave the conference room, Ben got one last look at the dome-headed creature on the screen. The closer he looked at it, the more familiar it seemed to be to him. The green eye… could it actually be a lens? And the eye's shape… was it an upside-down triangle? _'If it is, then it might just be—'_ But then he shook his head. _'No, that can't be. How in the world would HE of all people be here?'_

"Ben?" The hero turned to see Yang with her hand on his shoulder. "Everyone's getting ready to leave. You comin'?"

Ben blushed at his absentmindedness. "Oh! Right, yeah, let's get going!" The two walked out, ready to get the hunt done and over with. _'Maybe then I can finally ask her out.'_ Ben thought to himself.

* * *

"You go in first." Skull urged.

"What? Naw man, you go in!" Hog insisted. "You know how he is when he's angry!" The two were standing in front of a cave in the middle of Forever Fall, debating on who should break the news to the good doctor on their failure.

"Yeah, he gets really loud and in your face about it and I hate that!" Exo-Skull retorted

"Hey, at least you're a lot bigger than him! Me? I ain't got that kinda height!"

Behind them stood Rojo, Cinder and Emerald, the three women all clearly fed up with how the boys were acting. "UGH! Just go in at the same time!" Emerald shouted. "Either way, you're gonna get yelled at!"

"Indeed they are!"A voice echoed from inside the cave. Skull and Hog jumped in fear as, from out of the shadows, a man came from out of the cavern. He was a tall, semi-well-built man in his sixties with pale green skin, white hair and wearing a dark green lab coat with brown pants. On his head, he wore a metal helmet with a pair red goggles and antennae with multiple wires sticking out of it, which Cinder and Emerald could only assume controlled the five large beasts that were surrounding him. A pair of mutated bears and a pair of wolves altered to resemble Ursai and Beowolves, just as Salem had said, along with a giant lizard mutated to look like a Creep. Doctor Animo glared at his henchmen. "Thaddeus! Farkas! Where have you two been?!"

"Guh, sorry for bein' late boss." Skull apologized. "We were clobbered by Tennyson and his new band of heroes."

Animo was aghast. "Ben Tennyson?! Here?! GAH! Why is it that he, the thorn that is ALWAYS in my side, crosses me at every turn?!" He whirled around and pointed an accusing finger at his henchmen. "And why is it that YOU failed to steal such a simple thing as money?!"

Thunderhog raised his hands. "Whoa, whoa, slow your roll, chief! We may not have gotten the money you asked for, but we brought someone who needs to tell ya something." Hog stepped to the side, revealing Rojo, Cinder and Emerald to the doctor.

Rojo let out a disgusted sigh. "Ugh, Hey Doc, how's it goin'?"

"Rojo? What in the world are you doing here?" Animo narrowed his eyes as he approached the woman. "If I recall, our last meeting did not end on better terms."

"Yeah, I remember." Rojo pointed at him. "But here's the thing, I'M here to get YOU to join me and my gal pals here."

"Please do not ever call us that again." Cinder warned.

"Our boss wants to have a few words with you." Rojo continued.

"And why would I need _your_ assistance?" Animo waved his hand to the battalion of mutants under his command. "I have effectively replicated the forms of the devilish creatures who roam this forest by using the local fauna to my advantage. And these five specimens are but merely the beginning! What could you or your benefactor possibly have to offer me?"

Rojo smirked. "What if I told you that my boss has the ability to create and control those "devilish creatures" at will?"

That was the hook. Animo was shocked to here the news as were Hog and Skull, who had been kept in the dark about it all along. With his gnarly teeth in a wicked grin, Animo leaned forward intently. "You have my attention."

Suddenly, an explosion was heard off in the distance, causing the entire group to whirl around in its direction. "What the hell was THAT?!" Emerald asked.

"With our luck, it's probably Tennyson, along with his new buddies." Rojo glanced over to Animo. "If you're gonna make a decision, you might wanna make it now."

A sinister smirk came to Animo's face. "Ah, but I have. This is the perfect opportunity to give those meddlesome kids what they've been asking for. If your boss is listening in, tell her that this will be a demonstration of my abilities for my employment."

Rojo looked to Cinder, wondering she would allow it. "Well Cindy?"

Cinder sighed in annoyance. Both at Animo's suggestion and at Rojo's usual banter. "Very well, if you insist, Doctor. But make it quick, we haven't much time."

Animo turned to his army of Grimm knock-offs. "Excellent! Come my pets! It is time for you to go forth and accomplish what you have been created to do! Destroy the intruders!"

The animals all roared, with the Faux-Ursai letting Hog and Skull mount their backs under Animo's orders. The pack of mutants raced off into the forest as Animo mounted the mutated Faux-Creep and followed them to intercept the intruders. "Is it possible his creations can accomplish such a task?" Cinder inquired.

"Given his track record, probably not." Rojo answered in a deadpan tone. "But one thing's for sure, it's gonna be funny as hell to see their asses get beaten. We'll just step in when we've seen enough."

* * *

Elsewhere in the forest, the team led by Glynda and Winter were making their way along the forest path, all the while filling Neptune in on the situation with Cinder. "So you're telling me that fairy tales are REAL?!" he questioned. "And that the attack on Beacon was because some witch wanted that power?!"

Weiss smacked her forehead. "Yes, Neptune, we've been over this FIVE TIMES already!"

Neptune waved his hands. "I-I'm sorry, but I'm still trying to wrap may head around all this! It's… it's just a lot to take in."

Ahead of them, Winter nodded in agreement. "Indeed. When the general first told me about it over a year ago, I myself had a difficult time comprehending it. But since then, I've seen enough to convince me of its legitimacy."

Next to her, Glynda let out a sigh. "I certainly wish I had the time to process it when I was first told about it. Ozpin practically just dumped it on me like it was no big deal."

Behind them, Ben, Yang, Gwen and Ruby were walking in their own small group, with the hero and the blonde walking considerable close to one another. Yang playfully nudged him with her arm. "Kinda like how we were told about it, if you know what I mean?"

"Ha, yeah, exactly." Ben concurred. "So, we all know the plan, right? We're not gonna kill these mutants if we find them. We've gotta find Animo and destroy the mutation device that he wears on his head. That'll hopefully turn them back to normal."

Yang gave a thumbs up. "Gotcha, Green Boy."

"On it!" Ruby pumped a fist.

"Of course." Weiss nodded. "Take note, Neptune. This is how a team should be acting when in a combat situation, not _flirting with girls_." she emphasized.

Gwen smacked her forehead. "Oh no, here we go."

Neptune turned to her indignantly. "Uh, pardon me, but I've been trying to talk to you about that since I got to the island! But you keep brushing me off whenever I make any attempt!"

"Because I think your _actions_ have spoken enough FOR you!" Weiss retorted before looking away dejectedly. "You know _exactly_ what you did."

"And I want to talk about it!" Neptune urged. "But you aren't even giving me a chance!"

"Uh guys!" Ben shouted out to them.

Weiss ignored the hero. "Well why should I?! I was _cheering_ for you Neptune! And what did I get?! Ignored in favor of four random girls, who you obviously thought were prettier than me!"

"This REALLY isn't a good time for this!" Yang insisted.

But she went unheard as well. "What exactly are you implying?" Neptune asked with narrowed eyes.

"Do I have to spell it out for you?!" Weiss shouted. "You were thinking with your DI—"

Glynda took out her riding crop and used her telekinetic Semblence to push the two away from each other. She got in-between them and began to let out her inner teacher. "Stop it! Both of you! All you two are doing is sending out negative emotions which are sure to draw the attention of…" At a quick tap of her shoulder, Glynda turned to Ruby, who was pointing at something behind her. Glynda turned around and, right there in front of her, was a pack of Beowolves and one gigantic Ursa, all growling at them. "…the Grimm."

Weiss could suddenly feel a pair of eyes staring her down, and it wasn't the Grimm. She turned to see he sister, and was taken aback by the look she was giving her. It was the kind of face that said; "Do you have ANY idea of how disappointed I am right now?" Without saying anything, Weiss could tell that she had screwed up, and now they would pay the price for it. It was time to stop messing around. Weiss withdrew Myrtenaster and pointed it right at the horde of Grimm. "Alright, anyone have a plan?" she asked.

"Always do." Ruby said as she pulled out Crescent Rose. "Alright, that Ursai's gonna be a pain in our necks," she turned to Yang and Ben, "so would our heavy hitters be so kind as to lure it away, please?"

Yang activated her Ember Celica. "Sounds like a plan, sis!"

Ben nodded. "Yeah, we can handle Smokey over there. You guys can handle the others?"

Ruby scoffed. "Pfft, of course. You guys do your thing and we'll do ours!"

With that, Ben and Yang began to lure the Ursai away from the group, hurling insults at it to get its attention. And when they successfully lured it away, everyone charged forward and started slaughtering the Beowolves. Ruby was a red and black blur on the battle field as she sliced through two to three Beowolves at a time with Crescent Rose, often using its rifle to propel herself away just out of claws reach. With a mighty spin, she blew a huge chunk of them away, sending their body parts flying.

Neptune was shooting his rifle right at the beasts, shocking them with the Lightning Dust rounds that he was so keen on using. When one lunged right at him, he changed his weapon into its guandao form and stabbed it straight up through the head, killing it instantly. He continued to go back and forth between these motions until he had backed up right into someone. He turned around only to discover it was Weiss, much to both of their chagrin. "Well, guess WE messed up." Neptune admitted.

"Apparently." Weiss said as she stabbed Myrtenaster though another incoming Beowolf. "Truce for now?"

"Truce for now." Neptune agreed.

On the other side of the battle field, Winter pulled out her swords and was making clean slices though the Grimm. Glynda, on the other hand, had used a vile of Lightning Dust in conjunction with her riding crop to conjure up an electrical storm cloud that began electrocuting the Beowolves, turning them into piles of dust. But most impressively, Gwen was using her mana to practically scoop up a large amount of the pack and trap them inside a giant pink energy bubble. Once it was completely full, she moved it over the tree line and, with a snap of her fingers, made it implode on itself. The Beowolves all died instantly, their blood and body parts raining over across the tree tops.

Everyone was both impressed, and a bit intimidated by Gwen's display of power. "Wow, Gwen," Ruby uttered in disbelief. "I had no idea you could be that… savage."

Gwen shrugged. "Well, to be honest, I'm not usually one for killing. But because these things don't have souls, I don't really feel guilty for killing them."

Neptune grinned nervously as he pointed behind her. "Great! Sooo… you think you can do that again?"

Gwen's eyes widened as she turned around to see even more Beowolves, each one snarling at them and ready to chew their fat. Gwen deadpanned at the sight. "Oh, crap baskets."

* * *

Over on the other side of the forest, Kevin was rubbing his forehead in utter disbelief of what had just happened. The resident hyper redhead had just caused one of her patented big booms, and it was one of the most ridiculous ones yet. "Nora, did you just shoot a grenade into the mouth of a Boarbatusk?"

The Pink Dynamo glanced off to the side. "I mean… you saw it happen, so… what do YOU think?"

Ren tried to reel in best friends' antics for the time being. "As much we enjoy your sarcasm, Nora, this isn't really a good time to be telling jokes."

"I'm afraid he's right, Nora." Max added as he made his way through the red forest, his Mark 12 Techadorian Multiblaster steadily in hand. "We've been given an important mission, and we can't get distracted from it."

Nora pouted. "Man, you guys are a bunch a' spoilsports. Alright, but let me warn you, if we DO end up fighting those bad guys, I _will_ be making a bunch of quips."

"Fair enough." Kevin granted.

Athena, meanwhile, was busy reliving old memories with Ironwood. "This reminds me of the time we went hunting for a berserk pack of Beringels in the deepest jungles of Anima. Don't you agree James?"

Ironwood let out a chuckle. "Ha, indeed, I remember we were in that jungle for at least a week or so before we managed to get out alive. That was quite the experience, I must say."

Athena pointed to him. "If I recall, you bashed one of their heads in with your own metal arm after they ripped it off."

Ironwood sighed. "Yes, I was a bit more… violent in my earlier days in the military, wasn't I?"

"Ha, indeed." A moment of silence passed before Athena let out a sigh. "I still cannot believe that my favorite fairy tale is real. The Maidens really DO exist."

Ironwood sighed himself. "Yes, and… I'm sorry that Pyrrha had to get caught up in all of it, Athena. I thought I was doing the right thing, but now… I'm not even sure if _Ozpin_ knew he was doing the right thing."

"James, you don't have to worry about it." Athena reassured. "My daughter is alive, and as far as I am concerned, that is what matters most." She looked to her daughter up ahead, as well as the certain young man she was walking with. "Still, the events of that night were quite traumatic for her. But with all of the support she has from everyone around her, I know that she can pull through it."

Further up ahead, Jaune and Pyrrha were walking together with their weapons also at the ready. However, they were discussing something a bit less enjoyable than jokes, and a lot less heavy than real-life fairy tales; allergies. "So Jaune, are those allergy tablets we found at the mall working for you?" Pyrrha asked.

Jaune took a deep breath through his nostrils. "Yep, haven't had the sniffles since I got here, so I guess I'm doing pretty good."

"Excellent!" The two walked on in silence for a moment more before Pyrrha spoke up again. "Um… Jaune, there's something that I've been meaning to ask you."

Jaune's mind instantly went into high alert. _'Oh jeez, here?! She's gonna bring the kiss up HERE?!'_ But Jaune swallowed at least a little bit of his anxiety as he replied to her. "Uh, sure, what's it about?"

"Well, now that I've been up and walking for a few days, I was wondering if you would like to continue where we left off with our nightly training sessions." Pyrrha had gone over her plan for days in her head. First, get Jaune back into the swing of things with their sword training. And then, on one of these nights, she would find her courage to bring up the kiss that they'd shared almost a week ago and ask him out properly. It was fool proof… hopefully.

A wave of relief had washed over Jaune… but not without a slight bit of disappointment. But still, this presented a great opportunity! If they trained with each other during the night time, then no one would be there to bother them, meaning that he could bring up the kiss himself and ask her out! _'It's fool proof! …Hopefully.'_ Jaune thought to himself. He quickly gave Pyrrha his answer. "Oh! Yeah, sure that sounds great actually!"

"Grand! We can start tonight!" Pyrrha said eagerly. Just then, a loud roar came from further in the forest, causing the two to stop dead in their tracks and the others behind them to do the same.

Jaune drew Corcea Mors. "Uh, I don't think that's another Boarbatusk."

Pyrrha raised Akouo and pointed Milo in the direction that the roar came from. "Indeed, what are your orders, Jaune?"

Jaune glanced to her. "We should be ready to run to the others if they come charging out. Strength in numbers and all." He looked back just in time to see what looked like two Beowolves and two Ursai bounding out of the tree line at them. "Like right now!"

Pyrrha nodded. "A wise decision." The two turned tail and ran back to Ironwood, Athena, Kevin, Max, Nora and Ren as the "Grimm" bashed right through the trees and bushes. When they stopped in front of them, the two looked back to see standing before them were actually a bunch of bears and wolfs that had been mutated into Grimm look-a-likes. On the backs of the Faux-Ursai were Thunderhog and Exo-Skull, the two men laughing up a storm.

Hog dismounted his steed. "Hahaha! Well, well, well, looks like we've got us some hikers who got lost in the woods!"

Skull jumped off of his ride. "Ha, yeah, how about we send 'em packin'?"

Just then, the Faux-Creep with Dr. Animo riding on top of it came from out of the forest behind them, the beast growling at the group of heroes. "You make an excellent suggestion, Farkas." Animo said. "Come! Let us dispose of these pests!"

Kevin placed his hand on a nearby tree and absorbed the wood. "Bring it on, Dr. Wack-imo! Remember guys, just _hold off_ the mutants! Make for the antenna on Animo's helmet!"

Jaune groaned. "Man, of course WE were the lucky ones to get the right direction!"

Pyrrha gave him a worried glance. "I believe the correct term for this situation is: crap baskets."

* * *

Back over on the forest's eastern side, Ben was goading the giant Ursa into following him and Yang, the bear-beast closing in fast. "C'mon Bear Necessities! Let's see what you got!" The Ursa roared at him and began charging, its teeth bared and ready for gnawing. Ben grinned at Yang. "You ready to tag-team this bozo?"

"You know it!" Yang activated her Ember Celica and began shooting the Ursa, a round firing off after each and every punch. As the Dust rounds kept impacting it, the Ursa began to stumble forward until it tripped over itself, somersaulting head over paw at them.

Yang looked over to Ben just in time to see him change into… "Swampfire!" They both shared a nod and together they charged forward at the spinning Grimm. With a loud battle cry, the duo punched the Ursa in the gut, both punches fueled by fire. It was sent back several feet before slamming into one of the many trees. The beast shook its head before roaring at them again, signaling its will to fight was still strong.

"Oh yeah?!" Swampfire shouted back. "Well then get a whiff of this!" From his hands, the Methanosian shot out a foul-smelling ball of gas that rapidly wafted over to the Ursa, causing it to begin choking on the noxious fumes. Swampfire looked over to Yang with an offer. "Would you like to do the honors?"

Yang smiled at him. "You're too kind, Green Boy." She took aim with her Ember Celica and fired off a Fire Dust round at the Ursa, the flames causing the gas around it to explode in a brilliant, yet stinky display. As the Grimm's body parts scattered across the forest floor, the duo stood proud at the sight of their handiwork. Yang gave Swampfire a playful nudge. "Not bad, though this probably means we aren't anywhere close to Animo."

Swampfire agreed. "Yeah, we should get back and meet up with the others." With that, the two turned back the way they came, only for Swampfire to noticed a pair of beady red eyes watching them from the bushes. "Yang! Look out!" The pair of eyes lunged forward, revealing them to belong to a Beowolf. Swampfire jumped forward as Yang let out a yell in surprise. The Methanosian clashed with the Grimm as it tackled him into a red tree. Immediately, the two began struggling, the Beowolf ripping and tearing into Swampfire's plant matter body while the hero desperately tried to torch the beast, only for him to get one of his arms ripped off like a chew toy. "GAH! Oh, come ON!"

Yang's eyes widened in a panic. "BEN!" She ran forward and grabbed the Beowolf around the waist before suplexing it over her head, slamming _its_ head into the ground behind her. Before the Beowolf had a chance to react, Yang grabbed its head and with all her might, she snapped it, killing the beast instantly. She pointed at the dead beast. "You mess with HIM? You answer to ME! GOT IT?!"

Swampfire called over to her. "Uh, Yang? I don't think it can hear you."

Yang turned back to him to see that he was already healing himself, the plant matter re-growing almost instantly. She picked up his arm and jogged over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder as she knelt down. "You okay?"

The hero shrugged. "Yeah, I'll be alright, can't say the same about those monsters though. By the way, would you please lend me a hand?"

Yang rolled her eyes and gave him his arm. "Here, ya big goof."

Swampfire reattached his arm and, in a green flash of light, Ben was back to his normal self. "Thanks, couldn't have gotten through it without you, Yang."

Yang grinned down at him. "You're damn right." she said as she sat next to him. "And don't you forget it. You're lucky that you were in a form that could regenerate, by the way. If you were anything else, you'd be—" She cut herself off right there. "Oh god, I don't wanna think about that."

Ben set a comforting hand on her arm. "Hey, I'm okay. The reason I went Swampfire is actually because of that reason. No sense in taking on something that can eviscerate you when you can transform into something that can come back from it, right?"

Yang was impressed by his forward thinking. "Well look at you Mr. Smartypants." But then, her hand subconsciously went to her right arm, the one that she had almost lost. "But man, when you say it like that… it makes me even more thankful that I still even HAVE this arm."

Ben was concerned when she said that. "You okay? Anything bothering you about it?"

"Oh, no, but sometimes I wonder… what if I HAD lost it?" Yang looked to Ben again. "Or what if I had never met _you_?! That's something that I REALLY don't wanna imagine." She rested her chin on her hands. "It's just weird to think about, ya know?"

"Yeah, I get you. I sometimes wonder what _my_ life would've been like if certain things did or didn't happen too." Ben admitted. "It gets really confusing if you think about it like that. But you know how I get my mind off of it?"

Yang tilted her head. "No, how?"

Ben gave her a smile. "I remind myself that life works in weird ways. You never know what's gonna happen and you're probably gonna be thrown a few curve balls. But no matter what happens, it's best to make the most of it while you can."

She smiled back at him. "Heh, truer words have never been said." But then, Yang realized something… they were both finally alone again. _'Now's my chance! Time to make the most out of it!'_ She cleared her throat. "Hey Ben, back at Mount Patch this morning, were you… gonna ask me something?" She was hopeful that he wasn't too scared to ask now.

"Uh… well…" Ben's head was screaming at him. _'What are you waiting for?! Practice what you preach, Tennyson!'_ With his nerves steeled, Ben took a deep breath. "Right. I, uh, I was." Well, his nerves weren't _completely_ steeled, but they were solid enough. "Yang, over the past few days, I've been… conflicted about some feelings I've been having. But after going over it in my head, I've made up my mind and I have something to ask you."

Yang's smile didn't faulter. "And that would be?"

Ben rubbed the back of his head. "Well, do you remember when we first got to Patch and we went to that burger joint where I treated you to smoothies while you paid for my meal, even though I was insistent on paying?"

Yang nodded her head intently. "Uh-huh."

"And remember when I said that I would get the next meal if we ever went to eat again?"

"Yes, to both accounts. And where exactly is this all leading to?" But in her head, Yang couldn't contain her excitement. If she had absolutely no control over her Semblance, she'd swear that she would burst into flames right on the spot.

"Well… I think it's time that I hold my word. Yang, when we get back from this mission, would you…" he gulped down the remainder of his fear. "…would you like to grab a bite to eat with me? My treat?"

That question had taken all of his courage, Yang could tell. And she was insanely proud and impressed with him taking the first step. Her grin turned just a bit sly. "Why Ben Tennyson, are you asking me out on a date?"

There it was, the "D" word. Ben both loved and feared that word. He kept his cool and responded. "Yeah, a date. I'm asking if you'd want to go out on a date with me. I know we've only known each other for about a week now, so I understand if—"

"Yes."

As the single word rolled off of Yang's lips, Ben's eyes widened. "Wait, wha?" He looked on in complete shock and surprise as Yang drew closer to him, her smile as brilliant as ever.

She giggled at his confusion. "I said yes, I would like to go out with you, Ben." Yang booped his nose for emphasis on the word "you" and scooted closer to him. "I was hoping you would ask, actually."

Ben was a stammering dumbfounded mess by that point. "W-wait, you, hope, say yes, I, what?!"

"Yes, to all of that… in varying order."

Ben put a hand to his forehead. "Pinch me, I must be dreaming."

"'Kay!" Yang playfully pinched they boy's nose. "HONK!"

"Gah! Hey! Haha!" Ben grinned at her. "No fair! I wasn't ready!"

Yang wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "Well you might wanna get prepped, Green Boy, because I don't like playing by the rules very often."

Ben chuckled. "Heh, I can tell. So, what do you wanna have for our meal? Your pick."

Yang was about to answer when the sound of a gun shot rang out through the woods, catching the duo's attention. "We may have to discuss that when we get back to the island. They need our help."

Ben sighed as reality began to set in again. "Yeah, you're right."

Yang gave him a smile. "Hey, don't worry." She nuzzled into the crook of his neck. "We'll have all the time in the world when we get back, okay?"

Ben could feel the heat rising to his face. For a moment more, he thought he was dreaming again. "Okay." Yang helped him up to his feet, and they ran back to their friends, all the while, Ben was still completely starstruck at how Yang made him feel.

' _This girl's the most amazing person I've ever met.'_

* * *

The last Beowolf howled in pain as Neptune stabbed it through the head with his trident, ending its existence in an instant. He pulled it out and rested it on his shoulder. "There! The mutts have been put down."

"Ugh, about time." Weiss said as she put Myrtenaster on her hip. "I was seriously considering just blasting everything in ice."

"My, my, we've certainly become trigger happy within the last half hour, now haven't we?" Winter chastised. Weiss pouted and glanced off to the side, hoping to avoid her sister's judging gaze.

"But hey, look at it this way, at least these were normal Grimm." Ruby pointed out. "If they were the fake ones, we'd have to keep them alive."

However, Gwen had an uneasy feeling in her gut. It was as if she could feel the malevolence closing in on them. She looked in the direction that it was coming from with worried eyes. "Um, everyone… I don't think we're out of this just yet." The three turned their attention to a set of large bushes and out of them leapt a large Creep, it's maw roaring and dripping with saliva.

"Wow, that's a big Creep." Ruby commented.

"Okay, so what's our attack plan?" Neptune asked.

Glynda drew her riding crop and pointed it right at the beast. "Stand your ground! Its size may be great, but it is still but only one—"

But just then, they were all caught off guard when something else leapt out of the bushes. A shadowy figure jumped out, screaming a guttural battle cry. _"GAARRH!"_ It tackled the Creep and began wrestling it into submission. The group couldn't believe their eyes as to what the figure was. It was the dome-headed thing from the pictures that Ironwood had shown them, single green eye and all.

Glynda stepped back in shock. "Oh my word! It's the creature! But… what IS it?"

Now that it was in broad daylight, Gwen could see the finer details of this creature. And it was then that she realized; she knew who it was. The being's green eye was triangular in shape, but it wasn't an eye at all, rather a lens for it to see out of. His body was in reality a suit of greyish blue material with a pair of black boots and two green triangles on his shoulders. He had a black stripe that went from his neck all the way down to his groin with a set of large black pouches set around his waist. The figure removed an energy blaster from one of these pouches and shot the Creep straight through its skull, killing it instantly. He got up from the lifeless husk and let out a sigh, speaking in a baritone voice; _"Well, it's not like you didn't have it coming, you know."_

Gwen smiled and was about to approach him when Ruby suddenly drew Crescent Rose in its sniper rifle form and aimed it right at the figure. Glynda, Weiss, Winter, and Neptune followed suit, aiming their weapons at the same time. "Hey! Giant Bucket-headed monster thingy!" Ruby shouted. "Turn around and put your hands up!"

The "monster" sighed and complied. _"Guess it was only a matter of time."_ But the moment he turned around and raised his hands, Gwen was right there in front of him, spreading her arms out wide in a protective stance.

"Wait! Stop! He means no harm!" the Anodite pleaded.

The figure looked down to her in shock. _"Gwen?! What are you doing here?!"_

Gwen looked back at him and grinned. "I could ask you the same question."

Weiss' eyes widened when the creature spoke. "Wait, it knows your name? How?!"

"Because he's an old friend." At the returning voice, everyone turned their heads to see Ben and Yang emerge from the underbrush, now noticeably walking even closer to each other. "I had a feeling that it was him in that picture." Ben explained.

Yang was just as surprised as everyone else. "You know the Chromedome over there, Ben?"

"I sure do, come on, I'll introduce you." He led the somewhat-reluctant blonde over to the others and they all walked right up to the large figure, Gwen still in front of him with her arms lowered.

"I've gotta say, you're certainly a long way from home." Gwen told the large man.

" _Heh, so are you. It's good to see familiar faces again."_ The black helmet began to retract into the suit, giving the entire group a look at the creature's face.

Yang's jaw dropped. "No way."

Ben smiled at her. "Yes way."

"Holy Nanners!" Ruby shouted.

"I don't believe it." Weiss uttered.

"I must say, I was not expecting this." Winter admitted.

"Nor was I, Winter." Glynda agreed. "Nor was I."

"Woah, his face is made out of crystals!" Neptune exclaimed.

Indeed, for beneath the creature's helmet… was Diamondhead. Or rather, a REAL Petrosapien. He grinned down at his old comrades, the crystals in his body clinking with every movement. "Ben and Gwen Tennyson. It's been a while."

Ben still couldn't believe it. "Tetrax… what the HELL are you doing here?"

* * *

**A/N: See? Told ya some big stuff was gonna happen. Kevin, Team JNPR, Max, Ironwood, and Athena have encountered the mutant menaces, Tetrax has made quite the unexpected appearance, and of course, Ben and Yang have taken their first steps into the dating circle, which should be very interesting. Now you can see why I was looking forward to this one now, huh? But let's focus on the big question that's on everybody's minds; how the hell IS Tetrax here? Well, we'll be finding out next time as We catch up with Kevin and Team JNPR's group as they battle the mutated animals while Tetrax recounts the tale of how he ended up here. The battle with Doctor Animo continues next week, and I hope to see you all there! Thanks for reading! See ya!**

**P.S. If you're worried that I'm gonna be pushing Blake and Sun off to the side with Coop and Team CFVY, don't worry, I've got a little side adventure in mind for all of them once this two-parter is over. So yeah, look forward to that.**


	24. Hunting for the Unexpected, Part 2

**A/N: Hey guys! Part two of our little hunt has arrived! Also, oh my god, this one turned out to be WAY longer than I had initially expected it to be (and once again, past me is so naïve when it comes to how long his chapters are gonna get). But in any case, let's finally see how our heroes are going to get themselves out this mess. Plus, it's time to see just how in the heck Tetrax ended up here in the first place. Let's get on with it shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 24: Hunting for the Unexpected, Part 2**

* * *

When Jaune woke up this morning, the last thing he had expected to happen was to go out on an official hunt. For someone who aspired to become a Huntsman like his forefathers, it was a dream come true, especially since he'd have his team by his side. Plus, you know, getting to hunt with a high-ranking Army official, two certified Plumbers and an experienced Huntress who also happened to be his partner's mother didn't hurt either. But what he HADN'T expected was for them to take the right way and encounter Dr. Animo, along with Thunderhog and Exo-Skull. Sure it was a possibility, but not an all-out guarantee. But, as his rotten luck would have it, they did. Killing Grimm was one thing, but having to keep a bunch of fake Grimm alive while everyone acted out the plan to take out Animo's mutation device was another.

But you know what helped him in this scenario? The fact that HE came up with the plan. Before they had engaged the horde of five Faux-Grimm, Jaune had thought up something on the fly that he was at least eighty five percent sure would work. He talked softly enough so that Animo, Hog and Skull couldn't hear him, but the others that were presently huddled together could. "Guys, I think I've got a plan, but we'll have to play it out the way I'm seeing it in my head."

After a moment's consideration, General Ironwood came to a decision. "Very well Jaune, I've heard of your skills of coordinating battle field strategies, so I'm willing to listen to any plan you have."

Jaune could feel his confidence bursting, and in a good way. "Alright, here's what I'm thinking." He looked over to the Green Ninja. "Ren, we'll create a distraction while you go stealth mode and make your way to Animo. When you're in a good position, slice off those antennae on his helmet."

Ren gave a single nod. "Sounds good."

"Nice!" Jaune turned to Ironwood. "General, think you and Athena can deal with those fake Ursai?"

"Of course." The general confirmed. "We've dealt with far worse, right Athena?"

Athena raised her shield. "Indeed, it shall be done. And I know the perfect way to deal with them."

Jaune grinned. "Great!" He faced the Osmosian. "Kevin, can you and Max deal with the Fake Creep?"

Kevin gave him a thumbs up. "You got it, man."

Max made a few adjustments on his rifle. "I'll just set this to stun and it'll be a done deal."

"Awesome." The blonde knight turned to the Pink Dynamo with a sly grin. "Nora, we need to get Thunderhog and Exo-Skull away from Dr. Animo. And considering you were looking forward to fighting them so much…"

"I CALL DIBS!" Nora exclaimed.

"Good! Keep that enthusiasm!" Finally, Jaune smiled over to his partner. "Now, that just leaves you, me, and those two scary looking Beowolf fakes."

Pyrrha smiled back. "Let's do it!"

Jaune nodded. "Alright! Now that that's settled, everybody break!"

"RIGHT!" Everyone broke off from the group and took their assigned tasks, all the while, Jaune could feel the confidence welling up inside of him. Considering that he had just given an attack plan to a _general_ who was willing to listen? It made him feel like he was on top of the world. As everyone went to their respective fights, Ren dove into the cover of the red underbrush, hoping to all hopes that his green tailcoat didn't stick out too much.

Jaune and Pyrrha quickly met the fake Beowolves, the mutants snarling menacingly at them. "Okay, we'll probably have to rely mostly on out shields for this one." Jaune pointed out. "So, I guess most of this is going to be a big bash-fest."

"Most likely." Pyrrha raised Akouo and gave Jaune a nod. "Let's see if your strength training with Kevin payed off, huh?"

Jaune smiled at her. "Yeah, let's go!" He and Pyrrha charged at the Faux-Beowolves with their shields up. The mutants prepared to swipe with their claws, but the two partners smacked them away and bashed into both beasts' abdomens, knocking them back as a result. The Faux-Beowolves howled at them before they both charged at them again.

The beasts slammed their mighty paws against their shields and the two young Hunters began to push back with all their might, hoping to not become dog kibble. "Whoa! Down… boy?" Jaune glanced over his shield to get a confirmation. "Yeah! Down boy!"

Pyrrha looked over to her partner. "Jaune! We need to fall back!"

"Right! On the count of three! One, two, three!" The two pulled their shields away and rolled out of the beasts' way, causing the mutants to trip up and fall onto their faces. Jaune and Pyrrha regrouped and faced their opponents again. "You okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Pyrrha assured. "I can only hope that everyone else is doing just as well."

* * *

Athena and Ironwood approached the growling Faux-Ursai, both of them staying wary of their opponents. But at the same time, they were feeling quite nostalgic at fighting side-by-side once again. "Just like old times, right James?" Athena asked.

"I'd say so. Aside from the fact that we can't kill these beasts." James holstered his sidearm and raised his fists. "It's a good think I took boxing in my academy days. Let's do this!" The two experienced Hunters charged forward and clashed with the two fake Ursai, each of them using a different method of countering the beasts. One of the mutants leapt at James, only for the general to dive forward and send an uppercut right into its midsection, with his metal arm no less. With a pained roar, the beast was sent flying back, clutching its middle as it landed.

"Ha! I guess I've still got it!" But just as James had taken pride in his skill, the bear got up, its pain having subsided because of its rage. It charged at him again, this time raising its claw for a downward swipe. It managed to succeed in slashing at the general's arm, but while he couldn't move out of the way in time, James turned his body to make sure that the bear slashed at his robotic arm. The result was merely a ripped sleeve, with James' metal arm only receiving a long scratch.

Still, the general was less than pleased that he had yet another suit ruined. "Dammit! These suits are expensive!" But then, after a moment of consideration, an idea came to his head. "Well, if it worked on the Beringel, it can certainly work in this case!" James detached his robotic arm and began swinging it at the Faux-Ursa. Whether it be across the face, under the chin, or down onto its head, James beat the beast back until it finally lost consciousness. James reattached his arm and rolled it at the shoulder, making sure it was set properly. "Primitive, yes, but effective nonetheless."

Meanwhile, Athena had her own way of fending off her own Faux-Ursa. As it approached her, she simply stood still, unwavering as it continued to draw closer and closer. As the beast reared up onto its hind legs and raised its paw to slash at her, Athena raised her shield, showing the beast the engraved head of the King Taijitu. The mutant immediately recoiled, the face of the Grimm snake bringing back many unpleasant memories from the depths of its mind.

Athena smiled, her plan had worked. "That's right, you remember this beast, don't you? One of the deadliest predators in this forest no doubt, and you make sure to avoid it at all costs." With nearly blindingly fast reflexes, Athena swept her leg and kicked the Faux-Ursa out from under its own legs, causing it to topple over and land on the ground in a heap.

"Now hold still, this will only hurt for a second." Athena took the butt end of her spear and, with a swift and powerful strike to the back of its head, she knocked the Faux-Ursa out. "There, see? Now get some sleep, you'll be all better by the time you wake up."

James approached her with a bemused expression on his face. "Do you treat ALL your enemies like they're a bunch of children nowadays, Athena?"

The Huntress put her hands on her hips. "Well, you know what they say James: mother knows best!"

* * *

Nora was humming a little tune to herself as she strolled up to the two big men off to the side, hoping to get their attention. "Oh, boooys!" she called over. "Come over here! I wanna see what you've got!"

Thunderhog and Exo-Skull gave each other a confused glance. "Is she for real?" Hog asked.

Skull shrugged. "No idea, but we gotta protect the boss, otherwise we ain't gonna get nothin' from him!"

"That's a double negative!" Nora pointed out.

Skull clenched his teeth. "That tears it!" He charged straight at the pink skirt-wearing girl, his anger now fully focused on her. "I'll beat your head in so hard, you won't be able to say ANYTHING!"

Nora pointed Magnhild in its grenade launcher mode at the living bulldozer of a man. "Yeah, not likely." She fired off two grenades at Skull and the explosion was enough to send him flying back. He sailed past Hog and right into a bunch off trees, knocking a bunch of them over as a result. Nora giggled to herself. "Heehee, you guys are funny!"

Hog glared at her beneath his visor. "Funny, are we? Well see if this is funny!" He fired off a bunch of purple laser beams from his visor, hoping to land a hit. But Nora was quite nimble in her dodging, bobbing and weaving out of the laser blast's way until she found the perfect moment to launch another grenade. It made contact with the laser and exploded, the shockwave being powerful enough for Hog to be sent tumbling back. He glowered at the dust cloud as Nora stepped back out, a cheery grin on her face.

"Aww, is that all you got?" she taunted. "I heard from Ben that you guys were strong!"

Off to the side, Dr. Animo shouted over to Hog. "You imbecile! She is making fools out of you both!"

Hog let out a snort of air through his nostrils as he got back up. "Oh yeah? Well not for long!" He pulled his chain mace off of his back and faced Nora once again. "Hey Pinkie! Is THIS strong enough for ya?!" Hog lifted his mace into the air and began spinning it around, generating energy inside of it. "Thunder! THUNDER! THUNDERHOG!" He flung the mace forward, the red energy crackling with power.

Nora smirked. "Oop! And there's the pitch!" She transformed Magnhild into its hammer form and swung it at the mace like it was a baseball. The large spiked ball was sent back to sender as Hog quickly dove out of the way, the weapon slamming into the ground right where he once stood. Nora rested her hammer across her shoulders. "WHOO-HOO! And the crowd goes wild!"

Hog growled as he scrambled forward. "That's it! I've had it!" He charged his Shock Gauntlets and grabbed onto Nora's arm. He gave her a wicked smirk. "Let's see how YOU handle gettin' zapped!" He delivered a strong electric shock, just as powerful as the one he'd given to the monkey boy the other day. But strangely, she didn't scream. In fact, she actually… giggled at the sensation.

The electricity flowed through Nora's muscles, enhancing her strength further than it normally went. She wrestled out of Hog's grasp with ease before giving him a smirk of her own. "Bye-bye!" She gave him a swift punch to the guy that launched him straight back into the trees.

It was then that Skull finally got up, just in time to see his buddy land right next to him. "Hog? What happened?!" he glowered at Nora. "What did you do?!" The lens in the middle of his helmet lit up before sending a laser beam out at the Pink Dynamo.

Nora quickly changed Magnhild into its grenade launcher mode and fired at the incoming laser, the resulting explosion kicking up another dust cloud. But Skull wasn't deterred in the least. He charged in… only to not come into contact with anything. Confused, he looked around him to try and find the hyperactive girl, but all he saw was dust. Suddenly, from seemingly out of nowhere, Nora appeared from the dust, her hammer reeled back and a glimmer of excitement in her eye. Skull had no time to react.

Nora yelled out; "IT'S HAMMER TIME!" She swung Magnhild forward with all her might, the impact sending Exo-Skull sailing back to where he was before. Thunderhog had just sat up and rubbed his head when he saw his best friend come flying out of the dust cloud… and directly toward him.

"Aw, shi—" SLAM! Skull landed right on top of Hog, the mohawked man's hollering going unheard as the larger man was flat out cold. "Skull! Move your fat ass!"

Nora smiled at her handiwork, considering it a job well done. She turned Magnhild back into its grenade launcher mode and holstered it to her side. "I have NO idea why I decided to use that quip, but it just felt SO right!"

* * *

Over near the giant Faux-Creep, Max and the wood-absorbed Kevin were trying to find an opening on the creature, but it wasn't giving them a chance to do much of anything. If they tried to approach from the front, the beast would snap at them, if they attempted a sneak attack from behind, it would swipe its tail to get rid of them. They had to find a good way to get to this thing without getting killed. Max called over to the Osmosian. "Kevin! See if you can get to it from the side! I'll distract it with a few shots!"

The Kevin nodded. "Right! Got it, Max!" The raven-haired, wooden young man began to make his way over to the giant mutant's left flank, hoping that this plan would work.

Max double checked to make sure that his Multiblaster was set to stun before shouting at the Faux-Creep. "Hey! Lizard Lips! I've eaten your kind for supper!" He began to blast the beast, the shots from the rifle making clear impacts with its head. The beast recoiled in mild irritation, but the bone that had mutated around its skull was so thick that it lessened the pain. Max kept moving back as fast as he could as the creature approached, hoping to make a meal out of _him_.

But then, all of a sudden, the mutated lizard could feel something crawl beneath itself. Whatever it was, this thing was rough against its underbelly and it immediately began to squirm, hoping to crush whatever had moved underneath it. However, it didn't get the chance as, before it knew what was going on, the mutant was lifted up off the ground by Kevin Levin, his wooden body giving him enough strength to push it up. With a mighty grunt, Kevin threw it over into a bunch of trees head first. The creature was dazed for a moment before it shook its mighty head and began to get back up.

"Oh no, you don't!" Kevin absorbed a nearby boulder and turned his hands into a pair of hammers. He climbed up onto the creature's back while it was still partially on the ground and leapt for the back of its head. He slammed his hammer hands down onto the Faux-Creep's head with all his might, bringing its body back down again and dazing it even further. "MAX! I need some help over here!"

"Hold on Kevin! I'm on my way!" Max switched the stun function on his Multiblaster to its highest setting and blasted the Creep in the underbelly, delivering a strong blast of energy to it. As it gave out one last roar, the beast was finally rendered unconscious. Max breathed out a sigh. "That blast won't last long on a creature as big as this."

Kevin nodded as he took out his Plumber's badge. "Right, I'll get Gwen on the horn. Hopefully they can get here in time."

* * *

On the opposite side of the forest, Tetrax Shard was leading the other group through the densely wooded area, hoping to get to his safe spot without drawing the attention of anymore Grimm. He had promised an explanation for them, but first they had to get out of the danger zone. But that didn't really matter to Weiss Schnee, at least not at the moment. She was too busy processing the information she had just been told by a certain green and yellow duo. "I'm sorry, but I think I misheard you." The heiress said as she stared them in disbelief. "You two are WHAT now?!"

"Dating." Yang repeated with a smirk. "Why, did _you_ wanna ask him out yourself, Weiss?"

Weiss yelped with a blush. "N-no! Of course not! It's just… wow, I didn't expect something like this to happen. I mean, can you even HAVE a relationship with someone from an alternate dimension?"

Ben shrugged. "I mean, it's not like we're a completely different species or anything. We're both human, so there really isn't anything wrong with it."

"And even if you weren't, it could still work out." Gwen reminded her cousin. "Remember Ben, even if _you_ don't have energy powers, we're BOTH one-third Anodite."

"See Weiss?" Ben pointed out. "It's not that weird."

Yang draped an arm around Ben shoulders. "Yeah, besides, I'm happy to be dating someone who's a little weird."

Ruby wrapped her arms around her sister's middle in an awkward hug. "And I am so, so, SO happy for you two! I wish you guys all the best!"

Yang pried her sister off with a laugh. "Ha, whoa, whoa, slow down Rubes. We're dating, not getting married or anything." The Blonde Brawler immediately realized what she had just said out loud. After the words came out of her mouth, Ben was so shocked that he accidentally began choking on his own saliva, sending him into a coughing fit. "Oh crap! Ben!" Yang quickly began to hit his back to help him. Once he let out one last big cough, the hero began to breath normally again, though his eyes were tearing up a bit. Yang breathed a sigh of relief as she gently rubbed his back. "Are you okay? Air ways all clear?"

Ben hacked a couple of times into his elbow. "Hak-ack! Yeah, I'm good. Just swallowed wrong, that's all."

"Good, you scared me there for a second." Yang gave him a grin. "And, I probably should have chosen my words better."

"Hey, it's okay, I know how excited your sister can be." Ben waved. "Trust me, I'm pretty sure if Gwen had no self-control, she'd do the same."

"Hey! I…" Gwen stopped herself when she saw both Ben and Yang giving her simultaneous smirks. The redhead crossed her arms and pouted. "You guys are mean." She gave them a grin. "But still, good luck."

Yang gave her a thumbs up back. "Thanks, Red."

Back up front, Tetrax pushed past more foliage, leading the group further into the wood. "It's not much farther now." the Petrosapien assured. "Just keep following me."

Glynda was a bit apprehensive of following the giant crystal man. "Where are we even going? Venturing farther into the forest is not the best idea if we want to avoid the Grimm."

Tetrax glanced back at her. "Trust me, where I'm hiding, those creatures are incapable of entering."

Ben spoke up on Tetrax's behalf. "It's okay, Professor Goodwitch. Tetrax is a professional intergalactic bounty hunter, he's dealt with a LOT of worse things than the Grimm."

Right behind him, Ruby was grinning like she had just won the lottery. "Okay, the fact that he's a real alien is one thing, but the fact that he's a bounty hunter while being a GOOD GUY?! That's even cooler!"

Yang smiled over to Ben. "You certainly know how to pick your friends, Green Boy."

"I guess so." Ben admitted. "I mean, Tetrax has gotten me out of some pretty tough jams."

That got Tetrax's attention. "Indeed I have, like when you activated the Omnitrix's _self-destruct_ mode."

"Hey! You know that was an accident!" Ben retorted. "And I was ten! I had no clue the watch even HAD a self-destruct mode to activate."

"Perhaps, but that certainly didn't stop you from transforming despite clear orders not to." Tetrax reminded him. "And all it did was speed up the countdown."

Yang gave Ben a smirk. "Sounds like someone was a rebellious little kid."

Ben chuckled. "Heh, alright, I'll admit, I'm not guilt free in that situation."

"It's okay." Yang said as she ruffled his hair. "I'm no stranger to being a trouble maker."

"Haha, thanks," he smirked back at her, "though that doesn't mean I still can't get into trouble."

That was when Yang knew that he was speaking her language. "Ooh, you wanna get into some trouble, Green Boy?"

"Depends on how much we can get into on Patch."

"You'd be surprised. I know a few roads that're perfect for street racing. Maybe we can make something out of it?"

That got Ben's blood pumping. "Oh, now THAT sounds fun!"

Weiss put a hand to her head. "Okay, we get it, you guys are a thing now. Now can we please—OW!" she was cut off when her sister gave her a light smack on the head. "Hey!" But she didn't say a single word as Winter gave her a hardened glare.

"Listen, sister, your negativity has already caused us more than one problem today. So, if you wish to not attract more Grimm, then you will improve your attitude." Winter's face softened back into its more neutral expression. "Am I clear?"

Weiss couldn't help but feel saddened by her sisters' words. The fact that she had disappointed her was one thing, but the sting at the words rolling off her silver tongue was another. The heiress lowered her head. "Yes, Winter."

"Very good." Winter leaned over and whispered into her sister's ear. "And I would also consider apologizing to Neptune as well."

Weiss glanced over to the blue-haired boy. He had been quiet for almost the entire trek, walking next to Glynda and directly behind Tetrax. But just from the frustration written on his face, Weiss could tell that he was silently fuming. And SHE was the source of all that frustration. She let out a small sigh. "Okay, I'll try, but something tells me he won't be in the mood to speak to me of all people right now."

"Wait for him to calm down," Winter suggested, "and _then_ talk to him. You two cannot be at each other's throats like this forever. Remember, a team is only effective if all of its members are willing to cooperate with each other."

Weiss nodded. "You're right, as usual."

Suddenly, from ahead, Tetrax called out to everyone; "We're here!" They stepped out of the tree line and into a large clearing, one that had only been formed recently if the dozens of knocked over trees were any indication. They were all pointed away from the center of the clearing as well, which piqued Ruby's interest.

The Hooded Huntress raised her hand. "Uh, Mr. Tetrax, sir? There's nothing here but a bunch of downed trees."

Tetrax turned to her. "So it would seem, but how do you think these trees got knocked over in the first place?" From one of his many pouches, Tetrax pulled out a remote-like device and pressed a button on it. From the center of the clearing came a shimmer before a giant space ship appeared, seemingly from out of thin air. "This is my craft, the Resolute."

As he gazed at the giant ship, Neptune finally spoke up. "Whoa, now _that's_ cool."

Yang's jaw dropped. "Holy crap, it's freaking awesome is what it is!"

"It's enormous." Weiss uttered in complete shock.

"And it has LEGS!" Ruby shouted as she pumped her arms in the air.

"Those act as landing struts actually." Tetrax corrected. "Though yes, they do look like legs." He pressed another button and the ramp on the back of the ship lowered down to the ground. "Come in, I'll show you around."

* * *

Minutes later, the door to the main bridge slid open, letting everyone inside. "And this is the bridge." Tetrax presented. "Now, as the old saying goes: look, but don't touch." Immediately, the Remnant teens started going around and gazing at the advanced technology, reveling in the spacecraft's futuristic design.

Glynda stepped inside the room. "I must say, Tetrax, while it's similar to our own aircraft, this is FAR beyond anything we've ever thought to dream up."

"Indeed, a most impressive vessel." Winter agreed.

Tetrax gave the women a nod of appreciation. "Thank you, I try to keep her in good working condition. In fact, I've been working on getting her sky worthy for the past five days now. I just finished the repairs this morning."

"Uh, Mr. Tetrax?" Ruby's call shifted the Petrosapien's attention to her as she, Yang and Weiss all stood at the very front of the bridge. "Is there supposed to be a big pink blob in here?" But just as the words left her mouth, the pink blob suddenly burst up and three large green eyes appeared on it. It made a loud gurgling sound, startling the three girls.

Weiss nearly fainted but Ruby caught her before she could hit the ground. Yang aimed her Ember Celica at the creature. "What the hell is that?!"

"Gluto!" The three girls were shocked as Gwen gave the giant blob a hug. "It's been too long!" The creature, apparently named Gluto, hugged Gwen back with the tiny robotic arms at the base of his pilot seat.

Neptune was shocked that redhead was able to hug the gelatinous creature without getting sick. "Wait, you _know_ that thing?"

Gwen glanced back at him. "Sure do, we met when that whole "Omnitrix self-destruct" situation was going on." She smiled at her Protost friend. "Isn't that right?" Gluto gurgled happily in response at seeing his old friend, though Gwen was surprised by this. "Wait, what happened to your universal translator?"

"Unfortunately, it was damaged beyond repair in the crash." Tetrax answered. "And since we aren't in our home universe anymore, it's impossible to find a new one."

"Kevin or Grandpa Max might have one!" Gwen eagerly suggested. "We just have to get back to the Rustbucket."

Yang was still staring wide eyed at the blobby creature as Ben walked up beside her. "You okay?" he asked.

Yang nodded slowly. "Yeah, just… just trying to process the giant blob of snot in front of me."

Ben chuckled. "Hehe, yeah, it's pretty weird. Believe me, I've been there. So, how does it feel to be in an alien spaceship for the first time?"

Yang smiled at him. "Honestly, if this is what we have to look forward to, then I can't wait until we can finally go to _your_ universe."

"If we CAN get back." Tetrax reminded. "Unfortunately, this might be a one-way trip. The moment I got the scanners back online, I began to look for possible way back. I've been searching for days, and so far, no luck."

"Hey, I wouldn't worry about it too much Tetrax." Ben said. "I'm sure Azmuth and maybe even Professor Paradox have noticed our disappearance and are working on getting us home. Speaking of, I think it's time you told us about how you got here."

Tetrax sighed as he sat down in his command chair. "I suppose I should. It began almost a week ago. I was patrolling through your solar system when I picked up a distress signal from Earth. But, as I would soon discover, moving the ship in to investigate wouldn't be the best idea."

* * *

_Tetrax entered the bridge of the Resolute, the alarm blaring and lights flashing red. He called out to his pilot. "Gluto! What's our status?!"_

_The Protost in the pilot's seat jiggled as he turned around to face his captain. "We're getting a distress signal, Tetrax. A Plumber Base on Earth has just been compromised and the prisoners are escaping! The location: Bellwood."_

_Tetrax's eyes widened in horror. "Bellwood?! But that's where they're keeping—" He cut himself off and looked back down to Gluto. "We need to get down there and help, NOW!"_

" _On it!" Gluto put the ship into a sharp dive toward the planet, quickly entering its atmosphere. But then, just as they made it past the ozone layer, they saw Vilgax's ship fly right past them._

_A sinking feeling took over Tetrax as he watched the ship leave the planet. "We're too late."_

_Gluto shouted over to him. "Tetrax, look!"_

_The Petrosapien gazed out of the large glass window as they continued to plummet to the Earth. Bellwood finally came into view… and something had DEFINITELY gone wrong. A large dome of light was presently engulfing the location where the Plumber Base once was. "What on earth is that?!"_

" _I don't know! But it's expanding, and we're headed straight at it!" Gluto began to frantically try everything he could think of to get the Resolute back under control, but nothing seemed to be working._

_The ship began rocking as the light began to ensnare them. "Gluto! Pull up!" Tetrax hollered._

" _It's too late!" Gluto yelled. "It's got us already!"_

_Tetrax let out a yell and shielded his eyes from the blinding light as it engulfed his spacecraft. When the light faded away, the Petrosapien bounty hunter had no time to react as the ship lurched forward and made contact with the ground. The lights went out for a moment before coming back on again. Tetrax put a hand to his head and called out for his pilot. "Gluto! Gluto, are you okay?!"_

" _I-I-I th-th-think s-s-so-o-o-o-zzzzz." The translated speech was replaced by gurgling noises as Tetrax got up and went straight over to Gluto, inspecting his translation device._

" _Your universal translator is damaged." The bounty hunter rose to his feet. "But don't worry, we're on Earth now, so I'm sure that they'll have a—" Tetrax's eyes gazed out of the large window and he was taken aback in shock. They weren't in Bellwood anymore. Instead, they were in a dense forest with red trees as far as the eye could see. "On second thought, we may have a problem."_

* * *

As Tetrax finished recounting his tale, he got up from his chair. "Since then, we've been repairing the Resolute for the past five days, hoping to get her space worthy. But I have a feeling that, even if we were to leave the planet, we would find a whole different universe out there." The Petrosapien sighed. "We certainly are a long way from home."

"It'll be alright, Tetrax." Gwen reassured. "Believe me, we'll find a way home. Our universes might never be the same because of this, but we certainly can't give up hope." Just as she said that, her Plumber's Badge suddenly started to go off, prompting her to grab it from her pocket and answer it. "Hello? Kevin?"

" _Gwen! We've found Animo!"_ Kevin hollered on the other end. _"We've engaged him and his mutant freaks along with Hog and Skull."_

Everyone in the room of the ship was focused on Kevin's call for help as Gwen responded. "We read you loud and clear, Kevin. Any sign of Rojo?"

" _Nothin'. Haven't seen hide or hair of her, Cinder, or Emerald. We're holding off the mutants right now, but we need back up ASAP!"_

Ben spoke into the communicator. "We'll be right there, Kevin, don't worry." The hero's mouth turned upwards into a smirk. "And we've found something that might be useful in getting over there pretty damn quick."

Kevin let out a sigh on the other end. _"I sure hope so, 'cause—"_ A loud roar in the background cut Kevin off and he began to panic. _"Oh shit! It's getting back up! Guys, you need to get here, NOW!"_ The comm cut off, prematurely ending the transmission.

"Kevin!" Gwen yelled in concern.

Yang clenched her fists. "We gotta get over there!"

Ben smiled at her. "Right, and we can get there within a minute if we hurry." He turned to his Petrosapien friend. "Tetrax, you said you've spent the last five days getting this ship back up and running, right?"

Tetrax nodded. "Yes, and she's more than ready to handle anything." He sat back down in his command chair. "We'll pin point Kevin's Plumber badge signal and head right to it. Take a seat everyone, this is going to be quite the ride." Everyone took a seat and Tetrax gave the word. "Gluto! Take us up!" With a gurgle of confirmation, Gluto activated the ship's engines and the spacecraft rose up off of the ground, launching straight over to the forest's opposite side.

* * *

"You know, avoiding getting eaten by a giant lizard mutant was probably the last thing on my list of things to do today." Kevin said as he held the jaws of the giant Faux-Creep open with his hands. "Just sayin'." With all his might, the Osmosian shoved the beast down onto the ground, making enough time for him and Max to get away from it.

Nora was spinning her hammer almost as if it were a baton as she chased after Hog and Skull, the two men clearly afraid of getting their butts handed to them a second time. "Aw, c'mon guys!" Nora teased. "You aren't seriously be giving up already, right? We only just got started!"

"Leave us alone, you freak of nature!" Hog cried out as he ran behind a large boulder.

"Get that hammer away from us!" Skull hollered in fright.

Animo slapped his forehead as he observed the rather pathetic scene. "I am surrounded by incompetent fools!"

Ironwood and Athena meanwhile had moved over to assist Jaune and Pyrrha with the Beowolf fakes. Though unlike the lumbering Faux-Ursai, these mutations weren't going down all that easy. It was to that point where Jaune was beginning to lose his patience, his arm beginning to lose feeling after bashing his shield into the beasts so many times. "Kevin! You called Ben and the others, right?!"

"I did!" Kevin answered. "They said they'd found somethin' that could help them get here, but I have no clue what they—" But he quickly got his answer for when, in an instant, a giant spacecraft had appeared in the sky above their heads, causing everyone to drop their collective jaws.

"Okay, seriously?!" Nora shouted. "Why do we keep missing EVERYTHING?!"

Max's eyes widened at the sight of the familiar craft. "Wait, that's Tetrax's ship!"

"Who is Tetrax?!" Pyrrha yelled over the ships engines as it touched the ground. The ramp to the ship opened and out ran Gwen, Yang, Ruby, Weiss, Neptune, Professor Goodwitch, Winter, and finally, not one, but TWO Diamondheads. One was obviously Ben as the Omnitrix was centered on his chest, but the other was in some kind of spacesuit and his back spikes weren't visible. Pyrrha quickly put two and two together. "Oh, _that_ must be Tetrax."

Gwen waved to everyone. "Hey guys! Look who we found!"

Diamondhead turned to face Tetrax. "Ready to put Scale Face in his place?"

"Of course." Tetrax said with a nod. "Together now!" The two Petrosapiens rushed forward and picked up the Faux-Creep by the face and, with their combined strength, threw him off far into the woods, causing Animo to lose his temper.

"Ben Tennyson!" the doctor pointed an accusing finger at the hero. "You have tampered with my plans for the last—" But his speech was cut short when, from out of the bushes, Ren leapt out and sliced off Animo's antennae with Stormflower. The doctor was both very confused and _quite_ upset. "What?! NO! What have you done to my transmodulator?!"

Just as the device had been broken, the Faux-Ursai suddenly began glowing and, just as quickly, started to de-mutate into their normal forms, becoming normal grizzly bears once again. As the process finished, both bears awoke from their unconsciousness and plodded off into the woods, hoping to get as far away from the chaos as possible. The same thing happened with the Faux-Beowolves as they let out a howl before de-mutating back into regular timber wolves. Jaune, Pyrrha, Athena and Ironwood watched in absolute astonishment as the wolves rose to their paws and gave the Hunters a silent stare. The wolves seemed to nod at the four Hunters before running back into the woods themselves.

"Did they just… thank us?" Jaune asked.

"Perhaps." Athena answered. "Animals are much smarter than we often times give them credit for, after all."

Ironwood ran up to Diamondhead, impressed by the entrance that they had pulled off. "I must say Ben, I certainly wasn't expecting this."

"Neither was I, really." Diamondhead conceded. "But hey, I think we can consider it a lucky break."

"To say the least!" Kevin exclaimed as he and Max jogged over to meet them. "You guys literally came flying in out of nowhere!"

"Ben, how in the world did you come across Tetrax?" Max asked.

"Explainations can come later, Max." Tetrax pointed over to the trio of bad guys. "Right now, we have to deal with _them_!"

Exo-Skull and Thunderhog rushed over to their boss in terror as the group of fifteen Hunters and heroes gathered together, effectively out numbering them five times over. "What're we gonna do now boss?!" Skull wailed.

Neptune transformed his trident into its rifle mode and aimed at the trio. "I think the phrase "give up" applies the most here."

"If you haven't noticed," Weiss added, "you three are pretty outnumbered here."

"They are correct." Glynda pointed her riding crop at the felons. "Now, turn yourselves in, or face the consequences."

A snaggle toothed grin came to Animo's face. "Ah, you raise many interesting points. However, it is always optimal to have back-up nearby. ROJO!"

From out of nowhere, a red laser blast shot the ground between the two groups, causing the heroes to back away out of the dust cloud. Just as the dust cleared, there, standing right next to Animo, was Rojo, holding a maroon colored energy rifle painted with a sharp-toothed maw down the barrel. Standing beside her were Cinder and Emerald, the two women giving the heroes deathly glares while Rojo smirked. "Well, looks like our little show's over, ladies."

"Too bad." Emerald commented. "It was just starting to get good too."

Yang smirked. "Oh, hi there Em! How's Mercury doing? Are his bones all healed or is he still sitting around doing nothing?"

Emerald snarled before taking out her sickles and changing them into their revolver mode, aiming them at the blonde. "You shut your trap!"

But before she could fire, Cinder set a hand on Emerald's and lowered the weapons. "Stand down Emerald, we are not here to start a fight." Cinder's gaze settled on Pyrrha, the Invincible Girl clearly frightened by the Fall Maiden's presence. "At least, not yet."

Pyrrha's eyes widened in utter dread as she began to shudder. "C-cinder." she stammered as she shrunk back under the Fall Maiden's dark gaze.

A sinister smile quickly came to Cinder's face at the reaction she had gotten by just being in front of Pyrrha. "Ah, good. I may not have killed you, Nikos, but knowing that you fear me is just as satisfying."

Athena quickly put herself between her daughter and Cinder, matching the Fall Maiden's glare ten-fold with the ferocity of an angry mother. "Stay away from my daughter, you tramp!"

But Pyrrha quickly tried to real her mother in. "Mom, no, please! You don't stand a chance against her!"

Cinder let out a chuckle. "Indeed, you don't. Now, if you all don't mind, we'll just collect our recruits and be on our way."

Ruby narrowed her eyes. "And what makes you think we'll just let you get away with it?"

"Exactly." Diamondhead agreed. "I beat you once, and I'm pretty sure I can do it again. All it takes is the right transformation."

Gwen quickly whispered into their ears. "Ben, Ruby, probably not the best idea to egg on the girl with the fairy tale powers!"

But Nora had already gotten into it. "Yeah! We can take you all on no problem!" she said as she lifted her hammer. "If I can beat those bozos over there, then I'm pretty sure we can all beat you together!"

It was there that Skull snapped. "THAT'S IT! I've had it with being tossed around like some toy in the living room! When I'm done with YOU Pinkie, there won't be enough left to fill a teaspoon!"

Hog had also had enough of this. "YEAH! When we get through, you'll be breathing through a straw!" Just as the two stepped forward to engage the group, black smoke suddenly erupted at their feet, confusing the two to a standstill. "What the—what's goin' on?!"

Rojo's smirk grew. "Huh, look's like those hateful words have earned you a one-way trip to Salem Central, boys."

"What do you mean by that?!" Animo inquired before noticing that black smoke started gathering at his feet as well. "AHG! Where is all of this smoke coming from?!"

"We'll explain later, doc!" Rojo glanced to the Fall Maiden with a knowing smile. "Cindy, mind covering our escape?"

Cinder nodded before gazing back to the group of heroes and Hunters. "Farewell fools." With a snap of her fingers, a wall of fire sprung up from out of nowhere, separating the villains from the do-gooders as they all disappeared in the black smoke.

"They are getting away!" Winter shouted. "We must follow them!"

"Not the main problem now!" Diamondhead deduced. "We've gotta put out that fire!" He pressed the Omnitrix symbol and in a flash of light, Ben was now a red and grey humanoid alien with shellfish-like features. He had black spots and spikes on his arms and legs, sharp claws, and a hood covering his oddly shaped head with an emotionless face. "Water Hazard!"

Water Hazard aimed his hands at the blaze and, from the portholes in his palms, powerful jets of water shot out at the flames, quickly dowsing them before they could spread to the tree line. But, when the flames had all been snuffed out, the villains were gone, nowhere to be seen. The Orishan lowered his head slightly before changing back to Ben, apprehension now evident on his face. He let out a breath, coming to terms with what just happened. "They got away."

Ruby put Crescent Rose away, sharing in the hero's discontent. "MAN! This stinks! And we were so close too!"

Gwen put a hand on the Hooded Huntress' shoulder, hoping to comfort her. "It's okay, Ruby." Gwen reassured. "We'll find them, sooner or later."

Weiss and Neptune put their weapons away as well, the heiress also feeling a hint of discouragement. "But if we don't know where they are, how can we even begin to look for them?"

"Do not fret, little sister." Winter consoled. "In my service to the military, I have learned that people such as them are bound to make a misstep. Perhaps not for a while, but their time will come."

As Team JNPR gathered together, Ren holstered Stormflower with a sigh. "Well, that could've gone better."

"It could have," Pyrrha agreed, "but at least we were able to free the animals under Animo's control." She smiled over to Jaune. "Your plan certainly worked like a charm."

Jaune rubbed the back of his head. "Ha, yeah, I guess it did." But then he focused his concern onto Pyrrha. "But are you okay? After seeing Cinder, I mean."

"Yeah," Nora added in worry, "I've never seen you just… freeze like that."

"I… I will be fine." Pyrrha half-heartedly assured. "I just need to get my mind off of it."

Athena pulled her daughter into a small hug. "That is probably for the best, we've been through quite a lot today. I think it's time we all go home."

Ironwood let out a sigh of his own. "Indeed, I suppose that there is little we can do but get back to the city." He set his gaze upon the spaceship's captain. "Excuse me, Tetrax was it? Would it be possible to get a lift back to Vale in your ship, if you would be so kind?"

Tetrax nodded. "Of course, I can get you all back in no time at all."

"Excellent," Glynda said. "Though it would probably be best if you activate its cloaking device when we get there. We don't want to alarm anyone with the presence of an unidentified flying object after the Grimm Invasion."

As everyone began to board the Resolute, Yang walked up to Ben, who was still standing where the blaze had once been. She wrapped her arms around him in a hug from behind. "Hey, we're going back home." she said softly. "Are you okay?"

Ben exhaled, gently grasping her hands with his own. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just bummed. We came all this way and we're going back without our bad guys."

Yang smiled and turned him around to face her. "Hey, it wasn't all bad, right? We found Tetrax, the animals are back to normal, and, if you recall…" she laid her head on his chest. "You and I are due for a date when we get back."

A smile came to Ben's face as he hugged her back. "You're right, we are. The day may have gotten off to a rocky start, but I guess it can only get better from here."

Yang nodded against his chest. "Exactly, now come on, we can talk about where we can go for lunch on our way back."

"Okay, sounds like a plan." The two pulled out of the hug before Ben let out a chuckle. "Heh, you know, I think your positivity is infectious, cause I'm starting to feel better already."

Yang shrugged as they walked back to the ship, hand in hand. "Hey, it's what I'm good at." She gave him a smirk. "And besides, being upset is just not fun at all, know what I mean?" The two boarded the ship, though not without the wide-eyed stares of Jaune, Pyrrha and Nora.

"Wait, did we miss something again?!" Nora shouted. "What the heck's going on?!"

Gwen meanwhile was rubbing her forehead, already dreading the massive amounts of explaining that she would have to do. _'This is going to be a LONG ride home.'_

* * *

As the pitch-black smoke dissipated, the six evil-doers found themselves back in the dimly lit parlor of Salem's castle, with the three men looking around in utter confusion. "What in the world just happened?!" Animo cried out. "Is this some sort of trick?!"

Rojo shook her head. "Nope, you just hitched a ride back to home base with us."

As Hog took a stroll around the gothic red room, he realized what the bounty hunter had just said. "Hold up, so are you tellin' me that you could've just poofed us here all along?!

Skull got in on it too. "Hey, yeah, why'd you have ta break us out of jail if this lady could've just pulled us here no problem?"

Rojo smirked. "Oh, that's easy. You two didn't have enough hate in your hearts for the Boss Lady to grab a hold of you and bring you here. Animo probably has enough hate for him to get pulled here, but you guys… eh, not so much. But you know what? After your fight with the Hammer Girl, your hatred apparently skyrocketed enough for us to get you here no problem."

A long moment's pause went by with Skull scratching his head in confusion. "Uh, I don't get it."

"Yeah, me neither." Hog admitted. "It's like some kinda weird-ass power that you'd see in an anime or somethin'."

Rojo shrugged. "Eh, I'd try not to think too hard about it if I were you. In all honesty, I'm not sure why Salem wanted you shmucks here. But whatever Boss Lady wants, she gets. And, for some odd reason, she wanted you muscle heads."

Hog pointed an accusing finger at her. "I have NEVER been so insulted… but at the same time… I feel good knowin' that I'm wanted in some form."

Skull crossed his arms. "Same here, even if we're criminals, it's great to feel useful."

"Ah, but why settle for petty crime?" Came a feminine voice from the darkness. Skull and Hog jumped in surprise while Animo whirled around to the voice's source; a dark hallway. "I can just tell that you three have greater ambitions." The voice continued. "Ambitions that I can help you achieve… in exchange for your loyalty of course."

Animo narrowed his eyes at the hallway. "Who are you? Show yourself!"

From out of the shadows stepped Salem, her gaze fixated on the three men in front of her. "Doctor Animo, I presume. As well as Farkas Skullovich and Thaddeus Hogan. Welcome to the Land of Darkness." She turned to face Rojo, Cinder and Emerald. "You have done well ladies, now please, leave us. I wish to have a word with the good doctor and his associates in private."

Rojo gave a nod before settling a hand on Cinder and Emerald's shoulders. "Fine by me. Come on ladies, let's go bust Merc's balls for a while."

Emerald face-palmed. "Really, Rojo?"

Cinder groaned. "Must you ALWAYS be so crass with your language?"

"Awe c'mon Cindy." Rojo pleaded. "We can make fun of how much his voice sounds like Tennyson's and he can't do a thing about it! What's not to love?!"

As the three women left the room, Animo stepped forward, facing Salem with his back straight. "You must be Lady Salem. I understand that you are the creator of the creatures that we have encountered in the red forest."

Salem nodded. "Indeed, I am. And I have sensed your tampering with my Grimm from the moment you attempted experimentation on them."

Animo bowed his head. "My apologies, but you must understand. Never before have I seen such works of art in my life! Your Grimm are the very image of what I see as the perfect animal! I simply had to study them."

Salem narrowed her eyes. "Flattery will not get you far with me, Doctor. However, after careful observation of how you changed a normal animal into a Grimm look-a-like, as well as hearing from Rojo about your human-animal mutation experiments, I have concluded that it would be in our best interests to work together."

Animo tilted his head. "You wish to combine your Grimm and my research to make hybrids of your own?"

The witch shook her head. "Not at all. I have tried to mutate living humans into Grimm in the past and… let us just say that the subjects didn't take too it very well. The closest I've come to a human-Grimm fusion is grafting a Grimm body part onto a human as a prosthetist, and even then, there are negative side effects. No, rather I believe I can assist you in completing your human-animal hybrid serum."

"Really?" Animo asked with a quirked brow. "How so?"

"The answer is simple, really. I believe that our dimension holds the key to finishing your research. You see, our world is inhabited by not one, but two species of intelligent beings. One is, of course, humans, while the other are beings known as… the Faunus. While very similar to human beings in every way, there is but one thing that sets them apart from normal humans; their animal traits."

The doctor put a hand to his chin. "Fascinating. And how do these traits manifest in these "Faunus"?"

"Allow me to show you." Salem turned to the entry way and called into it. "Tyrian, come!"

From out of the shadows came a sinister giggling which quickly turned into all out cackling the closer it came. Through the doorway stepped a grinning man with long, braided brown hair and golden eyes the size of which reflected his sanity; very little. He wore a white sleeveless jacket, left open to expose his scarred chest with leather belts strapped across his body. Wrapped around his waist was what appeared to be a larger belt, though it also appeared to be something else entirely. A pair of vambraces adorned his arms, with bandages covering up the rest of them up to his shoulders. A pair of white pants and knee-high leather boots completes his rather drab appearance. The moment he entered, he bowed before the woman in front of him. "You asked for me, my lady? Heeheheehee!"

Salem nodded. "Indeed." She turned back to Dr. Animo, Hog, and Skull. "Gentlemen, allow me to introduce Tyrian Callows. He is a Faunus loyal to our cause. I have summoned him here so that he may show you his unique trait. Tyrian?"

Tyrian snickered before rising to his feet. "Of course, Lady Salem. Hehehe!" The larger belt around his waist suddenly began moving, unwrapping itself from around him until it was fully revealed. Animo was floored by what he was seeing. This man… had a scorpion's tail! Tyrian cackled some more before smirking at the doctor. "Heehehehehe, well Doc, whaddya think?! Impressed?"

Animo approached slowly, still taken aback by what he was seeing. "Astonished is more appropriate! And you have full control of his limb?"

"Hehehaha! Weeeeell… most of the time."

Animo furrowed his brows. This man was being quite vague, another clear sign that he wasn't _all_ there. He stepped away from the deranged Faunus. "I see." Animo turned back to Salem. "In any case, if the Faunus really ARE the missing link that I have been searching for, then I must acquire as many different DNA samples as I can for my research. The more diverse kinds of Faunus, the better."

"And you shall have it." Salem agreed. "I will send Tyrian to collect as many samples as you need. So long as you assist in _my_ cause as well."

The doctor nodded. "Of course, if it helps perfect my serum and rid me of Ben Tennyson permanently, then I am more than happy to comply."

"Very good." Salem stepped closer and gave him a deathly look. "But be warned, Doctor, if you should cross me on our agreement, I will send Tyrian after _you_ instead."

From behind him, Animo could here the scorpion Faunus giggling with joy once again, no doubt taking mirth in the idea of tearing him limb from limb. Animo cleared his throat. "Ahem, indeed, Lady Salem. I understand." He faced his henchmen. "And I expect you two to be compliant as well, am I clear?!"

Hog stood at attention immediately. "Uh, right boss! Whatever you say!"

Skull did the same but with an added salute. "What he said! We won't do nothin' wrong!"

Animo pinched the bridge of his nose. _'He will never get over that speech impediment.'_ The doctor stood up straight once more and put his fists to his hips. "Alright, I shall begin work immediately."

"Indeed, you shall." Salem set her gaze upon her loyal Faunus. "Tyrian, would you be so kind as to give the good doctor his first sample before you leave to collect the rest?"

Tyrian cackled once again. "HAHAHA! Of course, my lady!" Tyrian moved his stinger up to his shoulder and used it to cut himself, drawing quite a fair amount of blood. But he didn't seem fazed by the pain in anyway. "Hehehe, here ya go, Doc!"

Very reluctantly, Animo stepped forward, taking out a spare vile that he kept tucked away in his lab coat. "Uh, yes, of course." He scooped up the blood sample off of the madman's skin and plugged the vile with a small cork before Tyrian quickly retreated into the shadows, cackling all the way. After shuddering in complete uncomfortableness, Animo inspected the vile of blood before a sinister smile came to his face. He turned to his lackeys once more. "Gentlemen, we may have just found the key to our future!" Hog and Skull let out a cheer, thrilled to know that they were one step closer to achieving what they want. It was there that Salem left the trio to their own devices and left the room, content in the progress that the day had yielded.

* * *

After dropping Ironwood, Winter and Glynda off back at the military base and discretely loading up Kevin's car, the Rustbucket, and Bumblebee onto the Resolute as the three adults distracted everyone in the base, the group of heroes and Hunters were finally able to head back to Patch just at the stroke of noon. As the ship touched down in front of the Xiao-Long house, the ramp lowered and all three vehicles disembarked, with Tetrax himself following soon after. The teens then left their respective rides, most of them exhausted out of their minds. Though one detail didn't escape Gwen's train of thought when they entered the drive way.

"Huh, Coco's car is here." The Anodite pointed out. Indeed, Coco's roadster was parked out front, signaling the team's presence at the house.

Kevin shrugged as he got out of his car. "Eh, they must be takin' a break after searchin' for apartments all morning."

Ruby groaned as she and Weiss got out of the car. "Well, I could use a break too. This morning was a non-stop rollercoaster of just STUFF!" She looked over to the Rustbucket and smiled to Nora as she exited the motorhome. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Nora gave her a thumbs up. "Pokémon?"

Ruby went over and gave the Pink Dynamo a high-five. "Heck yeah!" The two girls quickly went into the house, making a beeline for the basement.

Meanwhile, Ren sighed as he and the rest of team JNPR exited the Rustbucket. "That… was quite the experience."

"Yeah, no doubt." Jaune agreed. "But hey, the fact that we got to ride in a freaking _spaceship_ more than makes up for it."

Pyrrha lowered her head slightly. "I suppose. I just wish we could have actually caught our criminals."

Max followed them out, with Athena and Neptune right behind him. "Don't worry kids." The old man reassured. "In this line of business, you'll find that the bad guys get away more often than you think. But, in the end, they always get caught again. Trust me, I know."

Ben and Yang made their way over along with Gwen, Kevin and Weiss, the green clad hero supporting his grandfather's words of wisdom. "He's right guys, all it takes is a bit of time."

Tetrax approached the group. "Correct, but we have no idea how much time WE have until we're rescued or when we find a way back. Because when that happens, it may be a chance we have to take." The Petrosapien exhaled. "Still, I'm glad to have found you all, and I'll certainly help in any way I can."

Ben nodded in appreciation. "Thanks, Tetrax. It's good to know you're with us on this." He turned to his grandfather. "Hey Grandpa, you think you can hook Tetrax up with a universal translator for Gluto, if you have one?"

"Of course," Max confirmed, "in fact, I think I have one on hand." The old man gestured for the Petrosapien to follow him. "Come with me, I'll hook you up."

"Much appreciated, Max." Tetrax accompanied Max into the Rustbucket, the motorhome's suspension tilting under the alien's weight.

Ben chuckled. "Heh, well, let's hope the Rustbucket can take that much punishment." The hero turned to Yang with a soft smile. "Now, I believe I promised you a lunch date, Miss Xiao-Long."

Yang smiled back to him. "Indeed you did, Mr. Tennyson. But we should probably change first before we head anywhere. Don't wanna be smelling like sweat and dead Grimm while we're out on the town, right?"

"Heh, you're right. Let's head in and—"

"GUYS!" Everyone whirled around to see Ruby and Nora standing at the front door, both with expressions of worry and concern written on their faces. "You've gotta get in here, NOW!" Ruby shouted. The group immediately ran into the house, with Ruby and Nora leading them all to the living room. As they peered in, they were all taken aback by what they saw. In the room was Blake, Cooper and Team CFVY, all of them appearing to be quite tired and with very minor injuries. Cooper and Coco were each in a chair, the technopath having fallen asleep, while Velvet, Fox and Yatsu were sitting on the floor. Blake had laid herself out on the couch with her eyes gently closed, having fallen asleep as well.

The only one in that room who was the most attentive was Sun, the monkey boy tending to each and every one of the six exhausted teens. As he knelt down next to Blake to check on her, he caught sight of everyone and gave them a small grin. "Hey, guys, back so soon?"

"Uh, yeah." Ben answered. "Though in hindsight, judging by how you guys are laid out in here, it probably would have been better if some of us had stayed behind."

Neptune stepped forward. "Sun… what the heck happened here?"

Sun gazed back down to Blake and sighed. "That's a REALLY long story." He gently nudged the cat girl and whispered into her ear. "Blake? Blake, the guys are back."

Blake's eyes opened and she began looking around. "Huh? Wha?" She sat up and shifted her eyes to the entry way of the room and smiled as she saw her friends, letting out a yawn as she greeted them. "Oh, hi guys, how was the hunt?"

"It was… alright. Not the best, but it could've been A LOT worse." Yang admitted. "But it seems like you guys had just as much excitement as we did, if not a bit more."

Blake nodded slowly. "That's putting it mildly, actually."

"Yes, we were put through quite the tussle." Velvet said as she rubbed her head.

Athena moved further into the room. "I have seen this level of exhaustion many times before. Either you all have avoided being killed by a herd of Goliaths, or fought an incoming truck."

In her seat, Coco groaned as she rubbed her forehead. "Ugh, it might as well have been a truck." She called over to Cooper across the room. "Hey Tech Head, the gang's back!"

Cooper woke up and he gazed over to the group, his eyes just barely open as he lazily waved to them. "Hey guys, how goes it?"

Gwen crossed her arms. "Well, we ran into Tetrax, beat Animo, and subsequently _lost_ Animo to the forces of evil, so it's kinda been a mixed day."

Cooper's eyes widened. "Wait, _Tetrax_ is here?! HOW?!"

"And more importantly, who's Tetrax?" Blake asked.

Gwen set a hand on her Faunus friend's shoulder. "That can wait till later, right now, I wanna know what happened to _you_ guys."

Blake gave the Anodite a sly smile. "Well, let's just say… you jinxed us Gwen."

* * *

**A/N: Blake with ALL the call backs to previous chapters. Anyway, to be… concluded? The next chapter is going to be told mostly as a "while you were gone" kind of story, so I'm not entirely sure how to word it exactly. But, in any case, there you have it! Animo, Hog and Skull managed to get away and into Salem's legion. And as they have discovered, Faunus DNA may just be the key that they were looking for! Will it be their lucky break? Well, we'll have to wait and see to find out. On a different note, Next Time! We see just what the heck happened while Blake and Sun were out apartment hunting with Cooper and Team CFVY. And something tells me that you guys won't even be able to GUESS what it is. Thanks for reading! See ya!**


	25. While You Were Away

**A/N: Alright, so this chapter's going to be a bit different than the previous ones because, as the title suggests, this chapter takes place on Patch while the others are all on the Hunt for Animo. I like to think of it as a cool little side story that goes on during all of the plot-heavy stuff. Because, trust me, after everything that's been happening, what with Rojo, Animo and everyone else, we could certainly use a break from the bigger baddies. That being said, this is…**

**Chapter 25: While You Were Away**

* * *

Bored. That was the only word that Blake could use to describe her situation right now; _bored_. When she and Sun had agreed to assist Cooper and Coco in helping them and their crew find a better place to live on Patch, they had thought it would be a nice relaxing time, hanging out with friends while simultaneously looking for an apartment that could fit all five team members. But, as the cat girl had soon discovered, it wasn't. Because, to her dismay, it was there that she had learned something new about both Cooper and Coco; their pickiness. Whenever they visited one of the apartment buildings on the island, they always found SOMETHING not to their liking. Whether it be within reason, such as Cooper sensing faulty wiring in the building or the building itself being just gross and unsanitary, or the most mundane detail, like the smell of the place or Coco not liking the interior design of the place. They had one more apartment complex left, and if this one didn't satisfy either one of them, they were out of luck.

It was outside this complex that Blake and Sun sat on a lone bench, each sipping on a cup of iced tea from the coffee shop across the street. As they sat there in complete silence, simply enjoying each other's company, Sun decided to break it. "So, you just as bored as I am?"

Blake glanced at him and gave him a grin. "What was your first clue?"

That got the monkey boy to laugh. "Ha, just checking." He let out a sigh before continuing. "Ya know, I would've thought looking for a place to live would've been more… I don't know… exciting?"

"Tell me about it." Blake stared down at her cup of tea, contemplating the uneventful morning they had. "Makes me wish we could've gone with Ben, Yang and the others even more now."

Sun smiled to her. "Hey, you could've ignored Ben's orders and gone with. You're sneaky enough to sneak into Kevin's trunk and ride off with them… but you didn't. Besides, I'M the one who has to take it easy for a while, not you."

Blake returned the smile with her own. "And leave you here bored all by yourself with absolutely no one to talk too? Not a chance."

"You are FAR too kind to me, you know?"

Blake rolled her eyes. "Yeah, maybe. But I'm doing this for Cooper and Coco's sake too. If I had went over with the others, you probably would've been worried out of your mind about me and be pestering these guys with a whole bunch of "what if's"."

Sun was taken aback, a hint of red rising to his cheeks. "Hey, you know that's not…" But then he saw the sly grin that Blake was giving him and he sighed in defeat. "Okay, maybe a _little_ bit, but I know that you can take care of yourself." His smile returned. "Believe me, I've known you for almost a year now and I've figured out that fact pretty quick."

"And don't you forget it, mister." Blake teased. They shared a laugh before going back to their beverages, though now, Blake could feel a new strain of thoughts pop into her head. Yang's advice at the mall the other day, Sun's near-death experience yesterday, and all their time alone together over the previous year. _'Would now be a good time?'_ She had been worried about taking their… unique relationship to the next step for a while. Most of it had come from Adam being on the loose and liable to kill Sun if he had ever found out. _'But Adam's gone now, locked up in an Atlesian Max-Security Prison a whole continent-and-a-half away.'_ She reminded herself. _'It's time to stop living in fear Blake. You promised that to your team, your FAMILY. And you've known Sun long enough to realize that he is one of the nicest people you've ever met. You know he would NEVER hurt you.'_

She took a deep breath and swallowed her anxiety, steeling her nerves for what she was about to do. "Hey, Sun?"

The monkey boy grinned over to her. "Yeah, what's up?"

"Would you be interested in—"

Suddenly, the front door to the apartment complex flung open, Coco with a self-assured smile on her face. "FINALLY! About time we found it!"

Blake grimaced at the interruption. _'Oh god dammit.'_ She and Sun turned around in their seats to face the barrette-wearing girl as she, Cooper, and her team filed out of the building, holding a stack of papers in her hand. "And what exactly have you found?"

Coco smirked before showing her the paperwork. "Read 'em and weep, sister. The crew and I have got our own pad. We are officially gonna be residents of Patch in the next twenty-four hours."

Blake skimmed over the paper work with vigilant eyes, looking for anything that could qualify as seedy or questionable. When she had went through all the pages, she gave a sound of surprise. "Huh, not bad Coco, you found a place to your liking without any loopholes in the agreement."

Cooper let out a laugh. "Ha, yeah, you should've seen her reading it in there. She's very thorough when it comes to contracts."

Coco smirked back at him. "Well, Tech Head, I don't let people pull fast ones on me so easily. Mess with me, you get on my bad side. Simple as that."

"I doubt we would have had much trouble anyway." Velvet clarified. "The landlady is extremely nice. Once she heard we were from Beacon, she was more than happy to let us stay there."

Blake let out a sigh. "Well, at least there are people who care. That's all we can ask for I guess."

Sun nodded. "Yeah, the people on this island are pretty chill for the most part."

"Indeed." Yastu agreed. "Aside from the off chance that one of Ben's supervillains attacks, this island must be very peaceful otherwise." Just then, a squad of two police cruisers raced down the street, their sirens blaring. As the group stared after them, Fox turned to Yastu and gave him a look that practically said; "You were saying?" Yastu chuckled under his friend's questioning gaze. "Hehe, perhaps I spoke too soon."

Blake rose from her place on the bench, still gazing after the rushing law enforcement. "Come on, maybe it IS one of Ben's villains. And if that's the case, we can't wait for the others to get back."

She and the others began to head to Coco's car before Sun spoke up. "Hey Blake, didn't you wanna ask me something?" he asked hopefully.

A tiny blush rose to Blake's cheeks, but she quickly composed herself. _'Not the time, as much as I don't like to admit it.'_ She looked back to him with a small smile. "We'll talk later Sun, I promise. But right now, we have a potential villain to stop."

Sun let out a sigh before smiling back at her. "You're right, let's go!" They all piled into Coco's roadster, which to say the least was _very_ snug, and took off down the road, following the police cars to their destination.

* * *

The seven teens followed the cruisers down the street until the vehicles stopped at a jewelry store, with another cruiser already parked right outside. The moment they got out of Coco's roadster, they could already tell something was wrong. The storefront had a huge hole busted through it, there was police tape set up around the place, and there were a whole bunch of people crowded around it, trying to get a closer look. Whether it be reporters, photographers, or civilians, they wanted to see what had happened. The police officers exited their cruisers and began to wave the people down, hoping to at least calm the crowd down.

"Man, whoever did this certainly left their mark." Cooper commented.

"You're telling me, Coop." Sun concurred. "But who the heck could make such a huge hole?"

"That's what we're going to find out." Blake said as she began maneuvering her way through the crowd. The others followed her in as they weaved past everyone, making sure to apologize if they bumped into anyone. When they finally reached the tape barrier, they were met by an officer wearing a pair of shades. His uniform was blue with black pants and he had the name "Jones" on his name tag.

He held up his hand. "Sorry kids, but you can't come in here, too dangerous."

Blake began to make her case. "Uh, Officer…" She looked at the name tag, "Jones, we're a group of Hunters in training and we're here to investigate what happened."

The police man shook his head. "I apologize miss, but unless you're a certified Hunter, I can't let you in."

"Well then, maybe I can be of some help." Everyone turned to the new voice to see none other than Tai approach from the crowd, a confident smirk on his face as he pulled out his Hunter's license. "This outta get us in there, right?"

"Tai?!" Blake exclaimed. "What're you doing here? Isn't school in session right now?"

Tai shrugged. "Well I'm on my break right now, so I figured I'd go out for a walk around town, see what's going on. But when I heard the sirens, I rushed over as quick as I could." The Xiao-Long patriarch looked over to the other five. "And you guys must be Cooper and Team CFVY, right? Nice to meet ya, my daughters and Ben's team have told me a lot about you." Tai faced the policeman. "They're with me, Jones. These kids are under my supervision."

As they made their way past the police tape, Coco leaned over to Sun and whispered. "Who's the old dude?" Little did she know that Tai could in fact hear her, and his eye twitched at the word "old".

Sun rolled his eyes. "Okay, for one, he isn't THAT old. And secondly, that's Tai Xiao-Long, Yang and Ruby's dad. You know, the guy who's house we're living in?"

"Ah, so that's Yang's pops, huh? Guess there IS some family resemblance there." Coco squinted for a moment. "But… I'm struggling to find any of Ruby in him."

Cooper shrugged. "Maybe she just takes more after her mom, who knows?"

Tai grimaced to himself. _'More than you know, kid.'_ he thought before turning around and clearing his throat. "Ahem, if we're all done chit-chatting, we'd better start investigating. Now, what's the first thing that draws your attention?"

Velvet raised her hand. "Erm, the giant hole in the wall, right?"

Tai snapped his fingers and pointed to her. "Exactly! Which means we're dealing with somebody who either knows how to use explosives, or someone who can just ram through things like a bull in a china shop."

"Well, Exo-Skull's currently loose on the mainland," Sun pointed out, "so it's not him."

Yatsu stepped forward. "Perhaps we should investigate further inside to see what they actually stole. Then we may find out more about our suspect."

Tai nodded again. "Beanpole's right, let's get in there."

The group entered the wrecked jewelry store to find many more officers searching the premises, their shoes crinkling over broken glass and metal bits. Many pieces of jewelry were strewn about the large room and several displays were destroyed, but there was one giant outlier amongst the ruination; another hole to be exact, leading right out the back of the store. Tai glanced around, assessing the situation. "Hmm… well, we can certainly say that we've got several counts of vandalization in here." It was then that he saw someone familiar standing in the middle of the room, a woman dressed in a brown police uniform. "Ah, Lieutenant Burns!"

The auburn-haired woman turned around. She appeared to be in her late twenties, wearing a pair of shades and a long brimmed felt hat. Her mouth turned up in a grin as she took off her sunglasses, revealing her bright green eyes. "Tai! Hey, long time no see!" The two shook hands before Burns continued. "What the heck are you doing here? Shouldn't you be teaching right now?"

Tai chuckled. "Hey, teacher's gotta have a break sometimes." He began to introduce his friend to the teens behind him. "Everyone, this is Lieutenant Krista Burns. She just happens to be one of the youngest women in the Valian Police Force to make it to the rank."

Coco smirked. "Wow, you must be pretty good, then."

Krista rolled her eyes. "Well, I don't like to brag about it. I'm just here to serve and protect. So, who are you kids?"

Coco strolled up and shook the woman's hand. "Name's Coco, and this is my team, Fox, Velvet, and Yatsu."

Fox gave a nod while Velvet waved. "Hello!" she greeted.

Yastu gave a bow. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Coco pulled Cooper over. "And this is Cooper, he's of our unofficial fifth member."

Cooper nodded. "Yep, nice to meet you."

Krista gave a nod. "Of course, nice to meet you too." She faced Blake and Sun. "And that would make you two Hunters in training as well?"

Sun gave a smile and wave. "Yep, name's Sun."

Blake hesitantly stepped forward. "And I'm Blake, it's… nice to meet you."

Krista tilted her head. "You alright Blake? You seem a bit on edge."

Blake shrunk back, her cat ears flattening out. "Oh, sorry, I'm just not used to having this… civil of a conversation with a police officer."

Krista let out a sigh. "I think I know what you mean. I've seen many precincts who still treat Faunus quite poorly." She then gave the cat girl a gentle smile. "But believe me Blake, here on Patch, Faunus are treated as fairly as everyone else. No matter who you are, everyone has a right to due process, and I do mean everyone."

Blake returned the smile. "Thank you, Lieutenant Burns, that's very reassuring."

"Please, call me Krista. So where are you guys from? You all look college age and I can't imagine Tai taking up tutoring."

Blake gave her a somber look. "I… I think you can guess where we came from."

Krista's eyes widened. "Oh my god, you kids are from Beacon?"

Tai nodded. "Yes, Blake's a part of my daughter's team. She, Sun and a bunch of their other friends have been staying with me since the attack."

The lieutenant's hand went over her heart. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry for what happened to you there. It must have been terrifying."

Blake waved. "It's alright, it's been about a week and we've gotten over it by now. Believe me, considering what we've been doing, we've had a LOT on our plates to get our minds off of it."

Krista smiled at them. "Well, that's good to here. We've had a pretty busy week ourselves. First it was the bug monster and lava creature sightings at the mall, turned out THAT was a hoax. Next was the freak fire at the school, NO clue how that happened. And now all this!" She gestured around the wrecked store. "I'm tellin' ya, it's like every other day over here."

As the policewoman listed off the occurrences, Blake and Sun's expressions became more and more guilty. Their little group had been partially responsible for most of those things. Blake gave a small cough. "Aherm, well, uh, what do YOU think happened here, Krista?"

Krista shrugged. "Beats me. We've questioned the owner and they said that nothing was stolen. Broken? Yes. But nothing's been taken."

"Lieutenant!" An officer came up from the back of the store, waving his hand. "We've found something!"

Krista put her shades back on. "Well it's about time. C'mon!" The group followed the officer to the back of the store to see a few other officers gathered around something. Krista walked up to them and gazed down at what they found. "Alright, what do we got?"

Another officer looked up at her superior. "Um, that's just it, ma'am, we have no clue WHAT it is." She looked back down at the evidence. "I mean, it _looks_ like armor, but not from anything I've ever seen."

Cooper looked past the lieutenant to get a better look, and his eyes widened. It was a VERY familiar looking piece of shoulder armor, colored red, black and grey. "Oh god, I think I've seen that kind of armor plating before!"

Krista gave him a look of surprise. "You have?"

Cooper nodded. "Yes, but it's not just armor, it's a piece of advanced technology. That is, if my hunch is correct."

Coco turned to him. "Well then, what're we dealing with Tech Head?"

"I've gotta get my hands on it to be sure." Cooper glanced to Lieutenant Burns. "If you wouldn't mind, that is."

Krista nodded. "If you can help us crack this case open, then be my guest, kid."

"Thank you." Cooper knelt down on the ground and picked up the weird shoulder piece and his eyes began to glow blue, his mind analyzing the circuitry inside of it.

The lieutenant was… confused to say the least. "Uh, is that his Semblance or something?"

Not wanting to reveal that Cooper was actually a mutant from another dimension, Coco quickly began to cover for him. "Yeah, actually it is! He's got this crazy cool thing where he can control and scan technology with his mind. It's freaking awesome."

Krista gazed back down as Cooper finished his scan. "Huh, neat."

Cooper winced as his eyes turned back to normal, rising to his feet soon after. "It's like I thought, this shoulder piece is from a Techadon robot. This is bad, REALLY bad."

Krista tilted her head. "A Techa-what?" But before she could get any more information, her radio started to beep loudly. She pulled it off her hip and pushed a button with her thumb before speaking into it. "Lieutenant Burns, what's the situation? Over."

Another officer's voice came over the radio, his voice shaky and uneasy, as well as slightly higher pitched. _"Uh, lieutenant, this is Sergeant Price. We've, uh, we just cornered a potential suspect, over."_

Krista smirked and rolled her eyes. "Roy, you're fine, it's just me. Now go ahead. Over."

The sergeant on the other end cleared his throat before continuing. _"Right, me and my unit have cornered the suspect in an old abandoned warehouse near the port. Over"_

"Any distinguishing features on the suspect? Over."

" _Negative, all we can determine is that they're in a giant suit of armor. Over."_

The whole groups eyes widened in shock as Krista spoke into the radio again. "Roger that, Sergeant, I'll be there as soon as I can. Out." She put the radio back onto her hip and faced the others. "Looks like we've got our perp. C'mon, let's get over there."

Blake and the others followed Krista out through the front of the store, though there was one thing that was eating at the cat Faunus' mind. "Uh, Krista, why did that guy sound… scared?"

The lieutenant chuckled. "Well, that's just how Roy is. See, we grew up together and we both wanted to join the force. But Roy's nerves sometimes get the better of him."

Blake was taken by surprise. "And he still joined?"

"Yep, he was determined to join in hopes of getting over his fears. And the fact that he's a sergeant at twenty-eight proves that, if you ask me." Krista moved over to her police cruiser and opened the driver's side door. "You guys are more than welcome to ride with me if you want."

Coco leaned next to Blake's ear. "Please say yes, I don't think my car can take much more after today."

Blake let out a small laugh before giving her answer. "Sure Krista, we'll ride with you."

Krista gave a thumbs up. "Excellent, now let's roll!" Blake, Sun and Tai climbed into the cruiser, with Tai taking the passenger's side while Blake and Sun sat in the back. Coco, along with Cooper and her team, went back into the roadster and the two vehicles raced off to the docks, the sirens on Krista's car blaring as they went down the street.

"Here's hoping we aren't too late." Sun commented.

Blake gave him a nod. "Yeah, but even if we are, Cooper didn't sound very enthused when he found out what it was. Something tells me we'll be in for quite the fight."

…..

Meanwhile, Coco was trying to get more info out of Cooper as she drove down the road, her eyes still focused solely on the road. "Okay, Tech Head, fill us in, just what the hell's a Techadon supposed to be?"

Cooper, having take the shoulder piece from the crime scene, answered immediately. "Techadon robots are highly advanced war machines with violent A.I. and powerful weapons to match. Ben's fought them a whole bunch of times. It's strange though, I never imagined a Techadon would show up in a place like this. Plus, there's also the fact that it's been a few days since we got here. Techadons usually go on the offensive the moment they come into contact with a living being. The fact that it's only showing up now? Something's off. WAY off."

Velvet spoke up from the backseat. "So, you had a giant killer robot imprisoned in that base?"

"Well, not exactly. Whenever a Techadon comes to Earth, we make sure to incapacitate it and then dismantle it." Cooper explained. "See, these things can use other sentient beings as hosts to rebuild themselves around them. That's the reason why we dismantle them thoroughly. Something tells me that some spare parts were transported here and someone managed to find them."

Velvet's eyes widened in horror. "So there's someone trapped inside of it?"

"Probably, which means that we're going to have to be extra careful. I've been studying and dismantling these things long enough where I think I can get whoever it is out of there, but I need to get close in order to do it."

Coco shrugged. "Sounds simple enough."

Cooper shook his head. "Not exactly. The Techadon's going to try and defend itself, which means we're going to have to fight our way towards it."

A smirk made its way to Coco's face. "Now you're talkin'! First we crack it open and make the save, then blow it straight to hell!"

The technopath could only smile at her enthusiasm. _'She somehow becomes even more awesome when she's violent. Mental note though, don't be the target of her violence.'_ Cooper's eyes went back out the window to see Lieutenant Burns' police car come to a stop right outside of a warehouse, with many other police vehicles having surrounded the building already. "Looks like we're here."

* * *

Blake, Sun, and Tai followed Krista over to a lone officer who had his gaze transfixed on the giant doors of the warehouse, his dark brown eyes filled with a combination of intense focus and anxiety. Beneath his officer's hat, his blonde hair was slightly frazzled from his nervousness, indicating that he had been absentmindedly scratching at it. Krista grinned as she snuck up behind him and tapped his shoulder. "Oh Rooooy."

The man screamed as he jumped up a whole foot off the ground, twisting his body around while making chopping motions with his hands, hitting nothing but air. It was only when his eyes saw the smirking woman did he relax. "Oh, it's you KB. Jeez, you know I don't do surprises that well."

That got Krista to giggle a bit. "Aw, sorry. Sometimes I just can't resist." The lieutenant turned to her entourage just as Team CFVY and Cooper strolled up, ready to introduce them all to her friend. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Roy Price. We've known each other since kindergarten and have been best friends ever since."

Roy shuddered. "Ugh, kindergarten, the grade where everyone puts paste in your hair. I probably wouldn't have survived if it weren't for her." He said as he pointed to Krista. "Bullies ran away from her, I'm tellin' ya." But then he noticed a familiar face in the crowd. "Oh, hey Tai, break time already?"

Tai chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I just happened to be at the right place at the right time."

Krista looked back to her friend. "So, what's the status of our perp?"

Roy let out a disgruntled sigh. "Well, whoever it is, they're in there. And they haven't made any moves. It's kind of odd."

Cooper stepped forward, holding his Techadorian Multiblaster in his hand. "It's either busy calculating its best means of escape, or the person inside of it is trying to take back control. We can't let that thing escape or it'll cause even more damage."

The sergeant was confused by his statement. "Wait, what do you mean by "that thing"? And how can the person inside NOT control their own body?"

"Because it's actually a giant killer robot with a person trapped inside of it." Coco answered nonchalantly. "Honestly, you guys are lucky that we got here before any of you moved in on it. Otherwise, you would've been toast."

Roy's eyes shrunk to the size of peas as his mouth turned downwards into a terrified frown, the color draining from his face. "Uh, please tell me you guys are all Hunters, because we could REALLY use some fire power right now."

Blake gave him a nod. "We are. Well, we're Hunters in training at least. Tai's supervising us on this mission."

The blonde officer let out another sigh of relief. "Phew! That's great! Trust me, our sidearms aren't made for something like that."

Krista gave him a good-natured light smack on the shoulder. "Hey, don't worry, Roy. These kids lived through Beacon, I'm sure they can handle a giant robot."

Blake smirked to herself, remembering her first encounter with a different giant robot. _'Oh, you have no idea, Krista. History has a weird way of repeating itself.'_

Roy rubbed his shoulder as he gave his best friend as smile. "Hehe, well, if you say so, KB. I'm just baffled how a giant robot could've gotten here in the first place."

"Hey, don't worry dude," Sun reassured as he took out his Ruyi Jingu Bang. "Once we're done with it, you guys won't have to worry about that!"

But, as Team CFVY and Cooper began to head toward the doors, Blake put her hand over Sun's before he could get anymore overzealous. "Hold on a second, Sun. I'm sorry to say this, but you're going to have to stay here. You remember what the doctor said yesterday, right?"

Sun's face fell in disappointment. "What? Aw, man! C'mon Blake, you guys need all the help you can get in there."

Blake moved her hands to his shoulders and firmly pressed against them, giving him a serious look. "I know we do, and believe me, if it were up to me, I'd let you come in with me and the others. But your heart stopped yesterday Sun, and the doctor's orders were for you to, and I quote; "take it easy for a couple days"." Blake's face went from serious to worried in an instant. "And I don't want you to get hurt like that again. I thought I lost you yesterday. I know you worry about me, but by proxy, that means _I_ can be worried about _you_."

Sun let out a sigh, relenting that the cat girl had a point. "Yeah, you're right." But then a smile came to his face. "I guess I'm being kind of a handful, huh?"

Blake smirked back at him. "Hey, someone's gotta keep you in check, otherwise you'll fall flat on your face."

Sun laughed at that. "Haha! You're getting better at the witty remarks."

Blake enveloped Sun in a hug which he quickly reciprocated. "I learned from the best." Blake remarked. The two separated, though their hands held onto each other for a moment more before their grasp loosened.

Sun gave her a smile. "Be careful in there."

Blake smiled back. "Always am." She turned around and followed the others inside, leaving Sun with Krista and Roy.

Krista turned to the monkey boy and offered him a reassuring smile. "You know, I can tell that she's really lucky to have you in her life. Otherwise, she wouldn't be taking this much precaution to make sure you're okay. You know that right?"

Sun gave the lieutenant a nod as well as a grin of his own. "Yeah, I do."

* * *

"So there's someone trapped in that thing?" Blake asked after Cooper explained the situation to her. "How are we going to get them out?"

"All I need to do is get close enough to disassemble it." Cooper answered as he tinkered with his blaster. "But I'll probably only have a limited time to do it. So once I get that person out of there, that's when we need to take it down." Cooper turned to Tai. "Mr. Xiao-Long, it'd probably be best if you wait out here. You're not exactly prepped for battle or have a weapon so…"

Tai raised his hands. "Hey, I get it, trust me. If there's anyone who isn't fit to go up against a robot packing dangerous lasers, it's me."

Blake took a deep breath and exhaled. "Alright, is everybody ready?" The group gave a definitive "yes" and Blake nodded. "Okay, let's do this. Yastu, can you open the door, please?"

"Of course." Yatsu grabbed onto the large metal door and pushed with all his might, sliding it open on its rusty rails which screeched as it opened. Once it was far enough where they could get inside one by one, Yatsu let go and squeezed in himself.

The inside of the building was spacious to say the least. The place had clearly been stripped when it was abandoned, and very few things had been left behind, the one outlier being a large stack of wooden crates in the corner. The light shining through the grimy glass windows was enough for them to see, despite it still being somewhat dark inside. And that's when they saw it. A giant robot lumbering around, supporting itself against anything it could find while it struggled with itself. It was red, black and grey, just like its shoulder piece. Cooper narrowed his eyes. "There it is."

Blake took a few steps forward. "Hello? Can you here us in there?"

The robot instantly whirled around at the voice and looked straight at them, revealing more to its appearance. Its left shoulder pad was in the middle of regenerating, replacing the one it had lost at the jewelry store. In addition, its helmet wasn't fully formed yet, allowing the group to see a pair of eyes staring out at them. The robot reached out and in a weak, raspy voice it said; "Help…me."

Blake recognized the voice as male, though it was a bit of a higher pitch. She gently made her way forward, keeping one hand on Gambol Shroud the whole time. "It's okay, we're here to get you out—" But she had little time to react as the robot surged forward and made to grab her. Blake used her Semblance and made a shadow clone of herself at the last second, the robot stumbling over itself as it passed right through it.

The robot got up and began to scan around for the girl, but it was met immediately with a handbag to the face as Coco knocked it onto its rear. "Sorry to jostle you around in there, dude." The barrette-wearing girl apologized. "But we'll try to get you outta there, ASAP! Yatsu, Fox, pin him!"

Fox and Yatsu ran forward and threw themselves against the Techadon's arms in an attempt to hold it to the ground, but the robot literally wouldn't take it lying down. It got up and lifted the two boys off the ground with its arms, tossing them away soon after. The boys managed to land on their feet in a crouch, but they winced in slight pain. "Gah! That throw was _hard_." Yatsu said.

"A human body doesn't perfectly fit in a Techadon!" Cooper yelled. "It'll take time for it to start regenerating, so don't be afraid to cut off it's hands and feet if you need to!"

"Thanks for the info!" Blake called back from the shadows. She pulled out Gambol Shroud and sliced off the Techadon's right hand, the appendage falling to the ground with a loud THUNK. True to form, there was no blood coming out of the mechanical monstrosity, but the moment she landed, the Techadon aimed its other hand at her and blasted its finger beams in her direction. Blake used her Semblance once again and made a clone of herself. The clone took the hit and Blake disappeared into the shadows once again. "Fox! You're up!"

Fox growled and ran forward with his arm blades ready, hoping to cut the robot's ankles off. But the machine had learned. Just as Fox had gotten as close as possible, the Techadon grabbed him by the torso and tossed him against the wall, making the red-haired teen let out a scream of pain.

"Fox!" Velvet yelled out before running to his aid.

Coco called to her teammate; "Vel, wait!". But it was too late, the Techadon fired its finger beams at Velvet, her eyes shrinking in horror as the blast closed in. But before she got hit, Yatsu jumped out in front of her and raised his greatsword to block the blast. It worked, but both of them were pushed back into the wall by the sheer force of the blast, though Yatsu made sure to take the brunt of it, swiveling his body around to make it a make-shift cushion for Velvet. Just as the robot was about to fire at them again, Coco ran up by its blind spot and slammed it with her handbag, making it twist around and land on its chest. "Nobody hurts my team and gets away scot-free! Not even tin cans like you!"

Yatsu, Velvet, and Fox quickly pried themselves off the wall and ran over to the Techadon to help their leader hold it down. Yatsu slammed the tip of his greatsword into its left wrist to hold it down while Coco and Velvet both held onto its right. Fox took off his arm blades and slammed them through one of the robot's ankles while Blake reappeared from the shadows and slammed Gambol Shroud through the other, making sure the whole robot was effectively pinned down.

"Tech Head!" Coco hollered. "If you're gonna do something, now'd be a good time!"

Cooper ran forward and shouted; "I'm on it!" before lunging onto the Techadon's back, his eyes already glowing blue. The robot's red armor plating began to retract away and the wires inside began to loosen up from around the body that the robot held within it, revealing the man's garment; an orange-brown jacket. "Bingo!" Cooper reached down and began pulling, hoping to free the man from his metal prison.

But the more he pulled, the more the Techadon struggled, making it hard for the others to keep it down. "Tech Head, this thing isn't gonna stay down forev—AGH!" The Techadon lurched backward, forcing the all four Team CFVY members and Blake to fly off of it. But the backward motion was so great that it was enough for Cooper to free the trapped person. The only set back? He and the man were sent flying all the way back into the stack of crates, with wood breaking and collapsing around them. "Cooper!" Coco shouted out to him.

"Go help him!" Blake said as the Techadon rose to his feet. "We can handle it!"

Coco nodded. "Okay." she turned to Velvet. "Vel, with me! We gotta help them out of there!" The two girls ran towards the rubble, hoping to get both their friend and the victim out from under it.

* * *

Cooper was out cold for a good fifteen seconds, but the moment his eyes opened, he could feel his entire body start to ache. "Ugh, ow. That probably wasn't the best idea." He attempted to move, but he could feel the wood scraping against his skin, causing even more pain. He hissed and winced as he carefully moved himself back down to his spot in the rubble. "Yeah, no, _definitely_ not a good idea."

Just then, he heard his name called out to him. "Cooper!" He recognized it almost immediately; Coco. But the sound of his ACTUAL name coming from her sounded almost strange. He was so used to her calling him "Tech Head" that he'd never thought that she'd ever use his real name. Not that he didn't mind, it was a playful nickname given to him by a beautiful woman, one whom he would never argue with. He heard her speak up again. "Vel, go get the other guy, I'll grab Cooper!"

After Velvet complied with her leader's wishes, Cooper suddenly saw Coco approach him, looking down at him with concern in her deep, brown, gorgeous eyes. It was then that Cooper realized; she had taken off her sunglasses, something she rarely did, and only ever when she was sleeping or for a split second. Or, as he had learned from Velvet, when she was completely serious about something. She began to move the wooden rubble away from him, giving him room to get up. "Cooper?! Cooper, are you okay?" she asked as she knelt down next to him.

"Ugh, I think so…" Cooper lifted his head up, and instantly regretted it a split second later. "Gah! Okay, maybe not."

"You took quite the flight there, you're lucky you didn't get impaled by a plank of wood or something."

"Yeah, I did, didn't I? But I think I'll be fine. I'll just need a crap-ton of pain killers."

Coco smirked down at him. "Good, because let me tell you something." She drew closer to him. "If you weren't fine, I'd have to smack ya."

Cooper raised his eye brows at the good-natured threat, but then he smiled. "Really? You'd smack me right in the face?"

Coco chuckled as she quirked a single brow. "Who said anything about your face?"

Cooper's eyes widened to their fullest at that remark, his cheeks turning a bright shade of red. "I… uh."

"Because let me tell you something." Coco traced her gloved hand against his cheek. "This face? WAY too good to be smacked." She gave him a wink. "Got that?"

That was all it took to make Cooper into a stammering nervous mess. "I-uh-I-I… oh jeez."

But before Coco could take the moment any further, a loud shriek caught both of their attention. Velvet had her eyes and face covered by her hands, turned away from where she had been moving the rubble. "What the bloody hell is THAT?!"

Coco and Cooper looked back at each other and nodded, resolving to… pick this up at a different time so to speak. The CFVY leader slung the technopath's arm over her shoulder and helped him up and over to where Velvet was standing, quickly starting to ask her what was wrong. "Vel, what happened? Is he dead?"

Velvet shook her head not removing her hands for even a second. "No, it's worse! Look!"

The two set their eyes on the victim and Coco recoiling in disgust. "EW! GROSS! What the fuck is that thing?!"

But all Cooper did was scowl at… whatever it was. "Oh boy, Kevin's NOT gonna like that HE of all people is here."

Coco gave him an incredulous look. "Kevin KNOWS that thing?!"

"Sometimes, I think he wishes he didn't." Cooper's attention was suddenly brought back to the battle, where he saw that things weren't going well. "Uh, I think we have another problem."

Coco turned around to see that Blake had somehow gotten caught in the Techadon's left handed grasp. She had attempted to use a shadow clone like she had before, but the robot had learned her tricks and wasn't about to fall for them a third time. It slammed her into the ground beneath his hand once, twice, and it would have been thrice if Yatsu hadn't cut off the hand just in time. As Yatsu helped free Blake from the metal appendage, Fox drew the Techadon's attention away from them, using his arm blades to slice off parts of its arms as he went along. But Coco knew that he couldn't keep that up for long. That bionic bozo had to be put down right now.

"They need us." Velvet said.

Coco nodded. "Yeah, time to wrap this up." She held up her handbag and Velvet took out her camera, snapping a picture of it without hesitation. Coco turned back to Cooper while putting her sunglasses back on. "Wait here, okay? This won't take long."

Cooper gave her a smile before steadying himself on his own two feet. "Of course. I'll get our "victim" out of the rubble."

With a smile of her own, Coco and Velvet began to jog back to the fight, where Fox had just sliced the last piece of the Techadon's right arm off. Yatsu had managed to open up the detached hand and free Blake as well, the tall swordsman helping her up and away from the carnage. "Everyone get back!" Coco belted out before activating her rotary cannon, her warning reaching everyone in time for them to run away. Velvet put her camera back inside of its box, and from it, a hard-light copy of Coco's weapon materialized from out of it and into her hands. Coco gave the word. "Unleash HELL!"

The two girls began unloading a hailstorm of weapon fire into the Techadon, tearing through its armor like it was butter. The robot staggered back as it was laid into, chunks of shrapnel flying off of in in random directions, fortunately not hitting anyone. The protective shell around its internal energy core was shot away, exposing it to the bullet shower and exploding the moment it was hit, blowing the robot up in a spectacular fashion. Coco smirked as she put her cannon away and Velvet's hard-light copy dissipated from her hands, the rabbit girl letting out a tired sigh. "That was close." she commented.

"You're telling me." Blake said as Yatsu helped her over with Fox right by their side. "Nice job, ladies. You really made use out of—OH MY GOD, what the heck is that thing?!"

Coco whirled around to see Cooper carrying the creature by the scruff of its jacket, still unconscious. "Believe it or not, this guy is who was in the Techadon." the technopath explained. "And what's worse? Kevin, Gwen and Ben know this guy _personally_ , so it's gonna be REALLY fun when they get back home."

" _Great_." Blake said sarcastically. "Now, how about we get out of this death-trap?"

* * *

Back outside, Sun was pacing back and forth near the cop cars with Krista, Roy and Tai all just standing there letting him do his thing. It had been a couple minutes since the sounds of chaos had stopped coming from the inside and they were all wondering what had happened. But then, as if to answer their question, the door to the warehouse began to slide open, causing Sun to whirl around in anticipation. Sure enough, Cooper, Team CFVY and Blake all emerged from the building, though Cooper held back to keep something noticeably hidden behind the large door.

The moment his eyes landed on Blake, who was still using Yatsu as a support, the cat-girl gave Sun a big grin and a thumbs up, signaling their victory. Sun's mouth turned up into a smile of his own as he ran forward and enveloped her in an embrace. "Haha! You guys did it! Awesome!"

Despite her ache from being slammed into the ground twice, Blake managed to let out a laugh of her own, though hers was slightly pained. "Hehe, thanks Sun. But don't hug too hard please, I kinda got thrown around a bit."

Sun's eyes shot open wide at the revelation, loosening his hold on her so that he was holding her more gently. "Oh, sorry. I didn't realize."

"It's okay, we ALL got a bit roughed up." Blake glanced behind her to see Team CFVY all with minor scrapes and Cooper with a few bruises on him. "But we pulled through."

"I guess you did!" Tai said as he walked up. "I gotta say, you kids continue to impress me with all these enemies you keep taking down. You're definitely gonna make fine Hunters one day."

"Yeah, great job, kids!" Krista added as she and Roy strolled up behind Tai. "Is there anything left of that thing?"

Cooper gave the lieutenant a nod. "Yeah, there is. Are there any incinerators on this island?"

"Sure is." Roy confirmed as he pointed north. "There's a waste disposal plant on the northern side of the island. We can take it there to get rid of it. So who was in the robot? We're gonna have to bring 'em in for questioning."

The entire group, except for Sun, gave each other a nervous look before Coco gave the sergeant an answer. "Well, the guy is currently unconscious, and even then, if he were, he's not exactly the kind of person you can just take into a precinct and start asking questions."

Krista raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

Everyone exchanged another glance before Blake let out a frustrated sigh. _'Ben's not gonna like this.'_ She gave both Krista and Roy the most serious expression she could muster and asked them; "I know that this is one of the worst questions you can ask a police officer… but you two keep a secret?"

* * *

"So we told them, and ONLY them, about what had actually happened." Blake concluded, ending her recap of the day's events.

"Man, sounds like you guys had quite the day." Ben commented. Everyone was strewn about the living room, sitting on the floor while the story had unfolded for the past hour. "And don't worry, so long as they can keep it between themselves, those officers can know about us."

Blake let out a sigh. "Great, I wasn't sure if you would approve or not."

"Nah, it's okay. I just wish we could've all been here to help."

From across the room, Coco waved her hand. "Ah, we were fine, Benny-boy. That thing's been reduced to scrap metal, and we all lived to tell the tale. What's there to feel sorry about?"

Cooper gave a nod. "Yeah, it was rough in some spots, but we pulled through alright."

"I still can't believe you guys took down a Techadon all by yourselves." Gwen said. "That's an impressive feat."

Yang smirked and gave the whole group a thumbs up. "Damn straight, you guys rock!"

Blake let out a tired laugh. "Haha, thanks, but in all honesty? I don't think I want to EVER fight a giant robot again for as long as I live."

"Oh, see, now _you_ jinxed _yourself_!" Ruby exclaimed, eliciting laughter from across the room.

Once the laughter had quieted down, Sun brought something else up. "So, I guess you guys were busy too?"

Neptune gave him a nod. "Yeah, the day was just kinda "meh" for us in all honesty. But I'd say we still kind of won, even if we didn't catch Animo."

Sun quirked an eyebrow. "So, you didn't catch Animo, but you still beat him? How does that work?"

"Well, we managed to free the animals under his control." Jaune elaborated. "But other than that, it was basically a no-win situation."

Pyrrha gave a slow nod. "Indeed. You see… Cinder Fall was there with Rojo."

Blake let out a gasp while Sun's eyes widened in shock. The revelation also got Coco to get up out of her seat. "You mean the bitch who lead the attack on Beacon?! She was there?!"

"Yep," Nora confirmed, "the crazy lady made a wall of fire and they all disappeared into thin air! It was WEIRD."

Getting over the initial shock, Blake turned to Gwen with an inquiring expression. "But you mentioned finding someone named Tetrax, is he a friend of yours?"

"He is actually." Gwen answered. "Hang on, I'll go get him and introduce you." The Anodite rose to her feet and went out the front door, intending to come back with the bounty hunter in tow.

Ben stood up and began addressing Blake, Sun and Team CFVY. "Alright guys, now just a bit of a heads up, Tetrax is going to be a LOT more than you're expecting him to be. So don't freak out okay?"

"Ben, please," Velvet reassured, "we know how to be polite to someone. It's basic human decency, right?"

Ben smirked as he heard the door open and the sound of heavy footsteps against the wood floors. "Yeah, well here's the thing, Tetrax ISN'T human." Ben watched as both Gwen and Tetrax rounded the corner. The moment that the Petrosapien entered the room, Blake, Sun, and CFVY all had a collective jaw drop. They couldn't believe their eyes. Ben presented the bounty hunter to everyone. "Guys, meet Tetrax Shard. He's from Petropia!"

Blake stammered out. "He's… he's… he's a Diamondhead!"

"Petrosapien actually." Gwen corrected before looking up to the bounty hunter. "Tetrax, this is Blake, Sun, Coco, Fox, Velvet and Yatsuhashi."

Tetrax waved his large hand. "Hello, everyone. It's a pleasure to meet you all. Sorry to make such an unexpected visit, but my pilot and I have just spent a week in isolation trying to get our ship repaired. I hope I'm not intruding."

After gawking for a few more seconds, Coco took off her sunglasses and cleaned them with a cloth before putting them right back on again. "Huh, I guess I'm not seeing things! You're an actual alien!"

Velvet had to use Fox as a support while she took this all in. "An… an ACTUAL alien. Oh my goodness."

Tetrax nodded. "Last I checked, yes, I am. Gwen tells me that you all have had quite the day."

"Uh, yeah." Sun managed to utter. "And right now, I just have SO many new questions."

"Believe me, there'll be plenty of time to answer them." Kevin said. "So Coop, who did you end up finding in that Techadon. And why won't I be happy to see them?"

Cooper let out a nervous chuckle before he got up and headed to the hallway. "Hehe, well, I guess I should show you who we found in there. But trust me, you're not gonna like it."

The Alien Trio, Team RWBY, Coco and Sun got up and followed Cooper down the hall with Tetrax not far behind. Once they reached its end, they could hear a loud thumping noise coming from inside of the supply closet. "Brace yourselves guys." Coco warned. "This ain't pretty. Tech Head?"

Cooper nodded and he opened the door, letting whoever it was fall out, revealing it to be… a freak of nature. It's mouth was taped and its limbs were tied up, preventing it from running. It wore a ratty orangish-brown jacket over a black shirt with a pair of jeans. But the clothes were the most normal thing about it. The creature was some kind of fusion between a humanoid possum, and porcupine with its quills forming some kind of black, spiky hair-do. Its beady black eyes were juxtaposed by yellow irises that glared up at them with malice, but once it saw Kevin, the creature began to call out for help beneath it's gag. Ruby and Weiss' reactions were the most appropriate; aim their weapons at it and scream.

"AAAAAHH! It's another one of Animo's freak mutation experiments!" Ruby yelled as she shoved Crescent Rose's barrel in the creature's face.

"KILL IT!" Weiss yelled, ready to stab Myrtenaster into it. "Kill it with fire!"

But Kevin managed to make his way forward and get a hold of the creature's shirt. "Relax ladies, he's a freak, but he's no experiment." He slammed the creature against the wall and ripped off the tape that covered its mouth, causing it to let out a scream. Kevin narrowed his eyes at it. "What're you doin' here Argit?"

The creature, apparently named Argit, immediately began to nervously laugh and try to change the topic. "Hehehe, Kevin! Buddy, old pal, amigo! Long time no see, huh?"

"Answer the question." Kevin pressed Argit harder against the wall.

"Hehe, right! The question! Heh, what was it again?"

"TALK!"

Argit groaned in defeat. "Ugh, alright, alright, sheesh. Look, I owed a guy big time on an old loan. So, I figured that a quick in-and-out at the Plumber Base could get me some primo stuff. I was gonna sneak in under one of their vehicles and get back out the same way. But guess who didn't plan on Vilgax making a jail break on the exact same day?"

Gwen crossed her arms. "And the Techadon? How'd you get trapped in it?"

"Hehe, well, that actually happened after I got here. I woke up on this island, no clue where I am, and I keep running into these scary as shit monsters in the woods."

"The Grimm." Yang concluded.

"Yeah, right, whatever." Argit brushed off. "Anyway, I kept wandering around the woods for days hoping to get away from those things. But then, I came across a whole pile of alien tech. I figured it must have come from the base and it had some how gotten there in the explosion. Most of it was trashed, but I managed to find something that still worked, a Techadon laser arm. I planned to only use it to kill the things that were stalking me, one use was all it needed to get into my head apparently. I think you guys can figure out what happened from there."

Kevin scowled at his old "friend". "Yeah, I think I can. And guess what? You're getting' locked up. And I don't think we'll have to worry about you getting away. I doubt even _Salem_ would want you in her group."

Argit raised an eyebrow. "Uh, who's Salem?" But then his eyes widened in realization. "W-wait, locked up?! Kevin, c'mon, it's _me_ we're talkin' about here! Ya can't just lock me up and throw away the key!"

"Oh, I can, and I have a very special place for you so that WE can keep tabs on you personally. Because after today, I don't exactly trust those Atlesian army schmucks to keep a good eye on you. Ironwood? Maybe. But those soldiers are completely unprepared." Kevin looked over his shoulder at the Petrosapien. "Hey, Tetrax. You got a brig in that ship of yours?"

"I do." Tetrax confirmed as he stepped forward. He grabbed Argit by the collar and took him off of Kevin's hands. "Don't worry about a thing, he'll be kept nice and safe in there." Argit gulped as Tetrax took him back to the Resolute, assured that this would be the last taste of fresh air that he'd be seeing for a while.

"So, do you guys really think we can trust those officers with our secret?" Weiss asked. "They don't know too much do they?"

Sun shook his head. "Nah, we made sure only tell them about the whole dimensional traveling thing, nothing about Salem, nothing about real fairy tales, just the basics."

"And they swore to us that they'd keep it secret." Blake reassured. "After what Krista told me, I trust her, and by extension, I trust Roy too."

Yang gave her own approval. "Yeah, I wouldn't worry about it. Those two are some of the nicest cops I've ever met. Believe me, they can be trusted." She glanced over to Ben with a smirk. "Now, I think we better get ready for our own little outing on the town, right Green Boy?"

Ben smiled back at her. "You bet Goldie Locks. Have you decided on what you would like to be treated to on this fine afternoon?"

Yang giggled at his over-the-top fancy talk. "Hehe, yes, indeed I have. I know a little place that serves some of the best pizza you'll ever eat. How does that sound?"

"Sounds awesome! Who says no to pizza?!"

Blake raised an eyebrow as the two went back and forth. "Wait a sec… this sounds like you guys are going on a…" A smile came to her face. "No way. Alright, who asked who?"

Yang jabbed a thumb in Ben's direction. "He asked me first."

"That's great!" She gave them both a hug. "Congratulations, you two!" Blake then focused solely on Ben. "Now you'd better show her a good time, or else the ladies and I will have a few words with you."

Ruby crossed her arms. "She's right!" she added. "My sister's happiness is important, got it?"

Weiss simply rolled her eyes. "Okay, in all seriousness, guys. Just have fun, okay?"

Yang was desperately trying to hold back her laughter as Ben was practically being intimidated by her teammates, the green-clad hero doing his best to keep a straight face. "Uh, thanks… I think?"

The Blonde Brawler wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a hug, reassuring him that everything would be fine. "Ben, it's okay, don't worry about it. The ladies all mean well, trust me." She winked at him. "See you in a few?"

Ben chuckled and hugged her back before giving his response. "Yep, it's a date."

Blake watched with a smile as the two went to their separate rooms to get ready for their date. _'Those guys really make a cute couple.'_ But then a realization hit her like a brick. _'Oh god dammit! I forgot about my talk with Sun this morning!'_ She mentally sighed to herself. _'Well, I guess I'll just have to give it another shot, preferably in private so no one can bother us.'_ Just then, she glanced over to see Gwen and Kevin making their way back toward the living room, and a thought popped into her head. She walked forward and tapped Gwen on the shoulder, gaining her attention. "Hey Gwen?"

The Anodite turned around and gave her Faunus friend a smile. "Yeah Blake? What's up?"

Blake took a deep breath, and exhaled. "I… I need some advice."

* * *

**A/N: And there we go! Another chapter in this ongoing saga is done! Were you surprised by Argit's inclusion? I knew I wanted to fit him somewhere in this story, even if it's for his usual comedic shtick. The Techadon is also one of my favorite robotic designs in the series, so I knew I wanted one in there too. And huzzah! This chapter wasn't as long as the previous one! So, now that we've had a whole bunch of villains show up, I think it might be time to slow down for a bit. So tune in Next Time to see how the first date between the Blonde Brawler and the Galactic Guardian goes. Meanwhile, Gwen and Blake have a personal talk and Kevin begins to show the others even more about Earth culture. Thanks for reading! See ya!**

**P.S. Can you recognize who those two police officers were based on? I probably made it a bit too easy this time. But, just in case, here's a hint; 2002-2007.**


	26. The First Date

**A/N: Hi folks! Well, this is gonna be it for the AO3 uploads for 11/9/20, and I can think of no better chapter to end it off on! This one's been a long time coming and I'm pretty sure the title speaks for itself. So, without further ado, let's get into…**

**Chapter 26: The First Date**

* * *

Ben was looking over himself one last time in the bathroom mirror, making sure that he was as presentable as can be. He had a quick shower to wash away the sweat from the hunt earlier, as well as to calm his nerves a slight bit. It had been a while since he had been on a date, and to say he was slightly anxious was an understatement. He put his jacket and usual clothing in the wash and grabbed the new khakis and green polo that he bought at the mall the other day, recalling that Yang really liked the look. _'Maybe I should consider making this my permanent outfit from now on…'_ Ben thought to himself. But that was an idea for another time. He began to scrutinize his face, searching for any noticeable blemishes, speaking his thoughts as he did. "Let's see, hair's good, clothes are spick and span, and no Kansas-sized zits! Awesome!"

"I'd say so." In surprise, Ben whirled around to see Gwen standing in the doorway, a smile set upon her face. "I think it's safe to say that you've moved past the pimple phase of puberty, wouldn't you say?"

"Heh, I guess so." Ben turned back the mirror for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Gwen… do you think—"

"Ah-ah-ah!" Gwen put a finger to Ben's lips while giving him a small glare. "Don't you go getting second thoughts now Ben Tennyson."

"But what if—" he muffled out.

"Ben, please." Gwen pulled her finger away before putting her hands on her hips. "If Yang really didn't want to go out with you, she would've said so, right?"

"Well, yeah, I guess."

"And, if I recall, she DID say yes, right?"

"She did. I'm just… nervous is all."

Gwen gave him a sad smile. "It's about what happened with Julie, isn't it?"

Ben crossed his arms, though it was more him hugging himself than anything else. "Well… kinda. I've gotten over it, but I just don't know if I'm cut out for romance. My hero life gets in the way too much. I guess I'm just afraid that it'll happen again with Yang and me."

Gwen's sad smile turned into a smirk. "That, I don't think you have to worry about. Even though Julie and I were, and still are friends, I began to notice that she was quickly growing tired of the chaos of being the civilian girlfriend to world famous Ben Tennyson. But with Yang? I can tell that she's all for the hero life. It's like night and day"

Ben smirked back at her. "Or Yin and _Yang_?"

Gwen narrowed her eyes and lightly shoved his shoulder. "Alright, wise-aleck, enough with the puns. The point is, Yang likes you, you like her, so why run away?"

Ben took a deep breath, steeling his nerves. "You're right, Gwen. No more chickening out. It's time to grow up and get over myself!"

Gwen gave him a good-natured smack on the shoulder. "That's the spirit! Now go get her, man! She's waitin' for ya!"

"Right!" Ben marched right past his cousin and into the hall… only for Yang to come turning around the corner one second later. And the moment he set his eyes on her, Ben's breath was taken away.

Yang had exchanged her usual outfit for a pair of worn blue jeans, a long-sleeved yellow shirt that exposed her midriff, and a vintage brown leather bike racer jacket that was currently unzipped. She had also ditched her finger-less gloves and her scarf all together, though she had kept her Ember Celica on in their bracelet mode, hidden beneath her jacket sleeves. The only hold over from her usual outfit was her thigh-high leather boots, which pretty much already complimented the jacket perfectly. Yang gave Ben a smile as she met him in the hall. "Oh, awesome! You're ready! And you're wearing the clothes we got you from the other day, sweet!" She raised her arms up. "So, how do I look?"

At first, Ben couldn't find the words, he was too distracted by the incredibly beautiful young woman in front of him. Her outfit had somehow managed to capture her entire essence into it. The moment her question had registered however, Ben was able to find the right words. He let out a breath that he didn't even realize he was holding, and smiled back at her. "You've managed to put breath-taking and badass into the same outfit, and it's awesome."

Yang's eyes lit up and her smile widened. She quickly enveloped Ben in a hug and gave a joyful yell. "AH! Thank you! That's EXACTLY what I was going for!"

Ben chuckled as he returned the sudden hug. "Haha, well what can I say? You look spectacular."

"And YOU have a way with words, Green Boy." Yang gazed directly into his emerald green eyes, her grin unwavering. "So, you ready to go?"

"Yep, got everything I need." The two pulled out of their hug and Ben offered his arm. "Shall we?"

"Of course." Yang linked her arm in his and she glanced over to Gwen. "Don't wait up for us, okay Red?"

Gwen winked at the duo. "Wouldn't dream of it. Have fun guys, we'll see you later."

With a nod from both of them, Ben and Yang made their way down the stairs and were about to make their way to the front door… only to see both Weiss and Blake holding Ruby back, the Hooded Huntress desperately trying to break away from her teammates with a camera in her hand. "Oh, c'mon guys! Just one photo before they go, PLEASE?!"

Weiss quickly rebutted. "Ruby, please, it's not prom night! It'll only just embarrass—" But then she noticed the two enter the room. "Oh, hi guys." she waved. "You both look great!"

Blake took a hand off of Ruby and gave them a thumbs up. "Yeah, awesome. Now you might wanna get going before she gets free—AGH!"

That split-second thumbs up and wave was enough for Ruby to wriggle out of the girls grasp and send her toppling to the floor, though it also made her loose her grip on the camera and send it launching into the air. Yang managed to catch it before it hit the ground. The Blonde Brawler looked at the camera and back to her little sister, who wore a guilty expression as she stared at her. "D'oh, sorry sis. I just wanted take a picture." Ruby explained. "It's just been a while since you went out on a date and—" But she was cut off when Yang hoisted her to her feet and gave her a hug.

"And it's very sweet that you wanted to do this, Rubes. Thank you." Yang gave the camera back and went back over to Ben, slipping her arm around his shoulders. "Now take that picture!"

Ruby let out a gasp. "REALLY?!"

Weiss and Blake were shocked as well. "Really?!" They both asked.

Yang nodded. "Really. Whatever my sister wants, she gets. And in reality, I don't have a problem with pictures, just so long as this is the only time." She pointed to her sister. "Because if you start doing it for _every_ date, then we'll have to talk."

Ruby held up a single hand, holding the camera in the other. "I solemnly swear that this will be the only picture I take for a date." She put her hand back onto the camera and held it up to her face. "Now hold still and smile!"

Yang glanced at Ben. "Ready?"

"Yep!" Ben put on his best smile and reached an arm around to mimic Yang's pose, carefully draping it across her shoulders.

Yang chuckled at his politeness. She very much appreciated him being a gentleman about it, but sometimes a little push was necessary. "Ben, it's okay if you want to put your hand around me, really. I'm not gonna get offended, you know." She took his hand in her own free one and placing it down near her waist. The bold move made Ben blush while Yang gave him a rather sly grin. "There, that's a bit more natural, wouldn't you say?" she said whilst giving him a flirtatious gaze.

"Y-yeah, I suppose it is." Ben stuttered. _'Man, she's just keeps surprising me.'_ The two turned their attention back to the camera and it flashed catching the moment in the electronic box. Ruby rushed forward and encircled the two in a double hug.

"Thanks you guys!" she exclaimed before pulling back out of the embrace. "Now have fun out there, okay?"

"You got it!" Yang turned back to Ben. "So, wanna try getting out of here again?"

Ben nodded. "Yep, let's hit it." The two linked arms again and headed out the front door, with the sound of a certain bike engine signaling their departure but moments later. Gwen came down the stairs, having heard the ruckus from all the way up there.

"What was that all about?" the Anodite asked.

Blake shrugged. "Eh, just the usual antics when it comes to Ruby."

Ruby narrowed her eyes at Blake. "Hey, you don't see me making a hassle about getting a picture of you and Sun, now do you Blake?"

Blake's eyes widened as a tiny blush made its way to her face. "T-that's completely different and you know it, Ruby!"

Gwen smirked as her hand moved to her chin. "Really? Because if I recall, you requested some advice from me earlier about that very subject Miss Belladonna." she leaned forward and quirked a brow. "Would you like to have that chat now, or later?"

This information got Weiss' attention. "Ooh, I get it. Finally trying to move in on the goofball, eh Blake?"

The bit of teasing only further flustered the cat girl, causing her to swiftly grab Gwen's shoulders and practically push her up the stairs in an attempt to get away from the awkward situation as fast as possible. "Now! We need that talk now!"

With a dead pan expression, Gwen merely allowed herself to be pushed against her will, figuring it'd be best not to agitate Blake any further. "Well, apparently _this_ is now happening."

* * *

As they made their way into town in the brisk autumn afternoon, Yang pulled Bumblebee over to the side of the road, right in front of a large brick pizzeria with a sign that read "Giuseppe's" over the double-doored entrance. She put the bike in park and both she and Ben dismounted, turning to face the establishment with equally hungry eyes. "Shall we?" the blonde asked her date.

"Of course." Ben immediately stepped forward and opened the door for her. "Ladies first."

"You are far too kind, good sir." Yang said while putting on a mock British-sounding accent, making them both laugh as a result. Ben followed her in and they were instantly met with a hostess who showed them to their booth a mere moment later. She handed them their menus and let them be while they decided on their order.

"So, which toppings speak to you?" Ben asked while peering past his menu. "Remember, this is all on me, so pick out whatever you wish."

Yang smirked back. "Well, if toppings spoke to me, I'd probably have second thoughts about eating them."

"Ha! I know, right?"

The two chuckled at the joke before Yang turned back to her menu. "No, but seriously, I'm thinking pepperoni and sausage. How about you?"

"Sounds perfect to me actually! You sure know how to pick your toppings." Ben scanned over his menu again and his face scrunched in disgust. "Ugh, they have both spinach AND broccoli for toppings here?"

Yang winced as she put her menu down. "Yeah, while I'm all about balanced diets, there are just some things you do NOT put on pizza."

"Exactly!" Ben put his menu down as well. "Man, after a day like today, this feels like the most normal thing we've done."

Yang shrugged. "Eh, I guess. To be honest, fighting bad guys feels like the new norm for me. After what happened at Beacon, it kinda feels like a fresh start, you know?"

"Yeah, though you're speaking with someone who's essentially had almost eight years of doing this under his belt, so I'm a bit jaded to it."

Yang quirked an eyebrow. "Really? No new surprises at all?"

"A few, having my secret identity exposed was one of them." Ben admitted. "But none of them are really enough to keep it fresh. That's why coming to this world has been so awesome to me. I'm excited to get a fresh start and see what I can find here. So really, I guess we're both getting something new out of what happened."

Yang gave him a knowing smile. "In more ways than one, am I right?"

Ben's cheeks turned slightly red at that. Though that didn't stop him from returning the smile. "Yeah, you're right. Hey… can I be honest with you about something?"

Yang's expression softened at his request. "Sure! That's kinda what being in a relationship is all about."

"Okay… I'm… I'm still a little nervous. I know I probably shouldn't be, but I am. I haven't exactly had much luck in the romance department."

Yang gave him a shrug. "Well, that makes two of us actually."

Ben's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Yep." Yang confirmed. "While I've been on plenty of dates in the past, none of them have really stuck around for that long."

Ben was flabbergasted. "I… I don't know what to say. Because quite honestly, you're an awesome fighter, you have the most positive attitude I've ever seen, and you're just an all-around great person! Why would anyone NOT want to date you?"

Yang gave him a grateful smile. "Well first off, thank you for those compliments. And secondly, I think those reasons are why people can get… intimidated by me." She glanced down at her menu and folded her arms on the table. "You know how it is, some people just can't get behind the idea of someone they like being tougher than them."

Ben reached over and gently grasped her right hand. "Well, I think it's pretty cool that you can do that stuff. In fact, I'm _astounded_ by all the things you're able to do. Yang, you've flung me over your head, tossed Exo-Skull into an armored truck hard enough to make it break, and suplexed a Beowulf before snapping its neck immediately after. I bet there's a whole bunch of other amazing things you've done that I've never even _seen_. But what I'm trying to say in all of this…" he gave her his most genuine smile, "…is that you're incredible, Yang. And I mean that."

Yang grinned back at him, slightly tightening her grasp on his hand. "Wow, I guess I was right earlier. You really do have a way with words, Ben. Thank you. But don't sell yourself short either. As nervous as you're feeling, you're pretty awesome too. And not just because of the alien stuff. Because as nervous as you're feeling, you're also really brave. Both in a fight, and here at the table. And honestly, that's a big part of why I'm into you."

Ben's smile brightened up. "Wow, really?"

"Well, there's also the fact that you're really cute, funny, and really thoughtful." Yang gave him a wink. "But then I'd just be feeding your ego."

Ben let out a chuckle before giving her a wink of his own. "Thanks, Goldie Locks." It was at that moment that a waitress made her way over to their table, ready to take their order. They told her what they wanted for their food and drinks and she went back to the kitchen to place the order, leaving the two alone once again. Ben decided to bring up a new topic. "So, I guess your sister seemed pretty excited for our date, huh?"

Yang let out a small laugh. "Haha, yeah whenever I went out with someone back at Signal or from the local high school, she always got pretty excited. I think she just likes the idea of me finding someone who makes me happy." She let out a sigh. "And whenever I broke up with someone, she always got a little disappointed."

"Hmm, sounds almost like my cousin actually." Ben added.

"Heh, must be a family thing." Yang figured. "Still, it's good to know that they'll always have our backs, right?"

"Yeah, though I'd probably guess that you two have always had each other's backs, right?"

Yang gave a nod. "You're right. Since our mom died, I've done whatever it takes to make sure she's happy." she grinned as the revelation hit her. "I guess she wants to see me just as happy too."

"You guys are lucky to be sisters." Ben emphasized. "I kind of wish that Gwen and I had the kind of bond that you two have from the start. Would've saved us from a LOT of fights with each other over that summer."

"Maybe, but you guys have a great bond now." Yang reminded. "And something tells me that it's gonna stay that way." The waitress came back with their drinks and left the two again to go get their pizza, with Yang lifting her own drink immediately. "To family?"

Ben clinked his glass softly against hers. "To family." The two took a swig of their drinks before Ben bought up another subject that Yang had mentioned to him earlier that day. "So, you mentioned a road that'd be perfect for racing?"

Yang set her drink down before answering eagerly. "Oh yeah! There's this long stretch of road that goes up the eastern side of the island, perfect for just going fast." she gave him a smirk. "Think you can beat me, Green Boy?"

Ben shrugged, giving her a smirk of his own. "Maybe, we'll just have to see now, won't we? And After that, how does a movie back at the house sound?"

"Just the two of us, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah, just us. And it'd be your pick."

"Sounds great then." Yang concluded. "I can't wait to see what else you got in your collection." The waitress came out with their pizza and they thanked her before they each took a slice from the plate. "Now the ultimate question: do you cut your pizza, or wait until it cools to eat it with your hands?"

"I wait for it to cool down, of course." Ben answered. "I never understood why people cut pizza before eating it, it's a finger food for cryin' out loud!"

"YES!" Yang exclaimed. "Thank you! I get so annoyed it when Weiss and Blake cut their pizza. It's just not right." When the pizza was cool enough, but still perfectly warm to the touch, the two lifted their slices and did another cheer, lightly bumping the pizza slices against each other. "Down the hatch?"

"Couldn't agree more." The couple heartily began to eat their meal, with both of them fully taking comfort in each other's company.

* * *

"I'm really sorry to make you wait like this." Blake apologized for the third time as she and Gwen sat on opposite sides of Ruby's bed, their backs facing each other.

"No, it's quite alright, take your time." Gwen reassured. "I told Pyrrha that I'd be a bit late for our Zelda session, so she's watching Ruby and Nora play Pokémon in the meantime. There's absolutely no rush here."

"Okay, thank you." Blake crossed her arms and gazed down at the floor, silently chastising herself for rushing the redhead up the stairs without collecting her thoughts first. She had been so intent on getting away from all the teasing that she had lost her focus on the other matter. She took in a deep breath and sighed, clearing her mind of all distracting thoughts. _'Alright, I think I've got it down.'_

Gwen felt Blake rise from the other side of the bed and from the corner of her eye, she could see the cat girl coming around the bed before sitting down next to her, looking at her straight on. The Anodite merely smiled expectantly. "Yes? Can I help you?"

"You can. I mean, I hope you can." Blake shut her eyes tight before blurting out; "I'm interested in going out with Sun. But I just can't find the right words for it. I almost did this morning, but we were interrupted and I lost my nerve. It makes me feel REALLY unsure about this whole thing, and I want that to stop." She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "So what do you say, can you help me, Gwen?"

Gwen didn't respond with words at first, but instead with a simple hug. She let out a giggle before replying. "And here I thought you'd never ask." She pulled out of the hug before giving Blake a grin. "I'd be more than happy to help out. Because, believe it or not, I've actually been in your shoes, Blake."

Blake's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

"Oh, you bet. See, when I was just beginning to realize my feelings for Kevin, I was a bit nervous at first. I thought to myself: "There's no way I could be falling for one of our former enemies. Sure, he's changed, but having feelings for him? Ha! Impossible". But then, a couple weeks went by and after a particular event involving Argit and the Rustbucket, I began to see Kevin in an entirely different light. And evidently, he began seeing me in the same way I was with him."

Blake tilted her head. "How could you tell?"

"Because I could see it in the way he acted around me. And honestly, I was kind of the same way. I eventually confronted him about it, asking whether or not he would ask me out. After that…" An unpleasant expression came to Gwen's face, as if she had just unearthed a memory that she didn't want to recall. "Well… some rather _unpleasant_ events followed involving another person. Events that I don't think are appropriate for this conversation. Once all of that had passed though, we began seeing each other regularly. But the moment I knew he genuinely cared for me was when I was offered to got to Anodine with my grandmother, Verdona."

"The one who you said was an energy being?" Blake asked.

"Yep, she wanted me to come with her so that I could master my Anodite powers. And you wanna know what Kevin said about it?"

"Sure, what'd he say?"

Gwen smiled as she recalled the words her boyfriend had said that day. "He said, and I quote: "Why would you even think about it? I want you around. The whole thing's lame!"." Gwen took a moment's pause before continuing. "I gave him a kiss on the cheek that night after he said that."

Blake put her hand against her chest, having found the words incredibly moving. "That is SO touching, while at the same time being VERY Kevin."

Gwen laid down on the bed, her smile unwavering as she stared up at the ceiling. "Yep, and I wouldn't have it any other way." She glanced over to her Faunus friend. "Blake, tell me, did you ever have a moment like that with Sun? Where you realized he genuinely cared about you more than just a friend?"

Blake laid down next to the redhead, her hands still over her heart. "I think… I think it was actually when we were evacuating from Beacon about a week ago, right when we got to the docks. It wasn't in what he said, but what he did. He stayed behind with everyone else to make sure I made it back safe and sound. He waited for me. And yesterday… I almost lost him." Tears began to brim her eyes as she turned her head to face Gwen. "I… I don't want to waste any more chances, Gwen. Not if there's a chance he could… he could get hurt like that again." She let the tears fall, silently choking back any cries she may have had.

"Oh, Blake." Gwen sat herself up and pulled Blake up as well, giving her another hug to comfort her. "I completely understand where you're coming from. I know having feelings like these can be scary, and knowing what you've been through can't make it any easier. But you know what I find helps?"

Blake sniffed back a sob. "No, what?"

Gwen pulled out of the hug to look Blake right in the eyes, a confident expression set upon her face. "I always view my insecurities like a giant weight chained to my ankle. It's big, it's heavy, and quite honestly, it's irritating. But the thing is, nobody can really free me from it other than myself. Yes, other people can certainly help, like what I'm doing with you, but only _I_ hold the key to my insecurities. It's all a matter of if I use it or not. I could let this anxiety control me, or I can free _myself_ from it. So tell me, what do you want to do with _your_ ball and chain, Blake?"

After a moment of silence, Blake furrowed her brows and clenched her fists, rising to her feet before giving her answer. "I… I don't want my fears to control me anymore! I've had it with running away from my problems!" She let out a sigh before continuing. "And… I want to be with someone that I care about."

Gwen stood up and smiled at her friend. "Great! So, how are you gonna do it?"

Blake gave it some thought before inspiration struck her like lightning. "Actually… I think that you may've given me an idea of how to do that, Gwen. You mentioned that you had asked Kevin why he hadn't asked you out at the time, right?"

Gwen nodded. "Yeah, I did. Are you thinking about trying a similar approach?"

Blake gave the redhead a smirk. "It's worth a try, isn't it? I mean, it worked for you, right?"

"Well, yes… but just be careful that you choose your words correctly, okay? You don't want him to think you're being pushy or rude. I'm sure that Sun has his own insecurities too."

Blake gave a nod. "You're right, I'll go over how I'll say it before asking." The cat-girl gave Gwen one last hug. "Thank you, Gwen. For everything."

Gwen reciprocated the hug instantly. "Hey, it's what I'm here for. Good luck." The two separated before the redhead let out a sigh. "Well, I guess it's time I head down to my Zelda session with Pyrrha. Wanna join in?"

"I would, but Kevin's holding another show marathon in the living room and he said it might be right up my alley."

"Really? Did he say what show it was?"

Blake put a hand to her chin. "I think he said it was… "Batman: The Animated Series"? Not sure why he had to specify that."

A smirk cam to Gwen's face. "Because it's based off of a comic book character. And yes, I've got a feeling that you'll ALL enjoy it."

* * *

After they had finished their meal, with the leftovers strapped securely to Bumblebee, Ben and Yang went to the eastern side of the island. Presently, they were both preparing for their race. And while Yang was ready to go, Ben was doing some last-minute stretches before he transformed. So naturally, she thought it would be nice to have a little fun and tease him a bit. "Is that stretching necessary, Green Boy, or are you putting on a show for me?" she said in a cheeky tone.

Ben smirked over to her. "Hey, even if I'm in an alien form, I can still pull a hamstring. Trust me, I found that out the hard way."

"Hmm, well if you say so. But just so you know, I would've accepted either answer." Yang gave him a rather captivating smile and a wink. "Because in all honesty, I like what I see."

Ben's face was beet red, and his body had stiffened up. _'She… she likes what she sees?'_ Ben shook the thought away from his mind and he gave a response. "Oh, uh, thanks Goldie Locks…"

Yang put her hands on her hips, a giggle escaping her mouth. She went over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "What's wrong, Green Boy? Not used to gettin' admired that way?"

Ben stammered out a rebuttal. "W-well, not really actually… no girl has ever told me something like that before."

Yang shrugged. "Hmm, can't imagine why. You're quite the looker, Ben."

Ben smiled as found his confidence and returned her embrace. "Heh, well, I could say the same about you. Has anyone ever told you your eyes are stunning? And your hair? It's just amazing."

"Aw, you're so sweet! It's nice to know that the hard work on my hair doesn't go unnoticed." Yang then gave him a seductive look before drawing the hug in closer, causing their chests to press up against one another. "But are you sure there aren't any… _other_ things you'd like to compliment?"

Ben's face went beet red. "I… I-I uh."

Yang burst out into laughter, loosening her hug on him a slight bit. "Ben, it's okay! I'm just teasing you a little." She focused back on him. "But seriously, thank you so much for those nice words, you're quite the gentleman. Now, what do you say we get on with the race, huh?"

"Uh, yeah, let's do it." Ben agreed.

"Great! And… for a little luck." Yang pulled herself up and gave Ben a peck on the cheek, causing his eyes to widen in shock. Yang gave him one last wink. "Let's get it started, shall we? First one to the nothern end of the island wins."

"S-sure." As Yang went back to her bike, Ben going over what just happened in his head. _'She… kissed me on the cheek… Holy crap, she kissed me on the cheek!'_ But he was pulled out of his thoughts when Bumblebee's engine roared to life, signaling the start of the race. Ben pulled up the Omnitrix and chose the alien he wanted before slamming it down, transforming into a black feline-like creature with blue fur covering his hands, feet, head and chest. The fur on his chest was shaped like a downwards lightning bolt and the fur around is hands and feet looked like gloves and boots respectively. Two black, mask-like fins covered his green eyes and the Omnitrix symbol was centered on his chest. "Fasttrack!"

Yang raised an eyebrow as she put her aviators on. "Just how many fast blue dudes do you have in that thing?"

"Considering that I have like, three, maybe four aliens that all use electricity, probably more than necessary." Fasttrack replied before assuming crouching position like that of an Olympic sprinter. "Now, ready?"

Yang revved Bumblebee's engine. "Set?"

"GO!" Both of them hollered before they zoomed down the highway. The duo rushed along the road at breakneck speeds, both of them keeping up rather well with each other. They moved with the road as it swerved, both of them careful not to get in each other's way while still being neck and neck. But, as they were speeding along, Fasttrack's feline-hearing picked up something approaching from behind. He briefly glanced behind him to see another car fast approaching, but what shocked him most was that there was a police cruiser on its tail, its siren wailing and its lights flashing.

"Hey Yang!" the Citrakayah called over. "We got some bogeys with the cops on their tail right behind us!"

"Really?!" Yang hollered back. "Let the getaway car pass us! I've got a plan!"

"Gotcha!" The duo split up to opposite sides of the road and slowed down slightly, letting the car pass before speeding back up. Just as the car drove in front of them, Fasttrack gave it the once over with his lightning fast vison, and he found something quite interesting in the back. An open bag filled with jewels. "Huh, seems like we got ourselves some opportunists. They must've gotten those jewels from the vandalized jewelry store!"

"Well, let's hope those jewels don't weigh them down to much!" Yang said as she pulled up along side them. "Take a look up ahead!"

Fasttrack did so and he saw a bend in the road that went around a marshy area to the right side. A smirk came to the alien's face. "Ah, I get it!"

"Knew you would!" Yang activated her Ember Celica and fired it at the front right tire, causing the car to veer in that direction and careen right over into the marsh. It skittered to the edge of the water and its front end splashed right in. Yang skid her bike to a halt and Fasttrack stopped right next to her. Yang propped Bumblebee up and got off before grinning at the Citrakayah. "So, how was that for a plan?"

"Awesome is what it was. Your knowledge of the road made it really work." Fasttrack turned back to the water's edge as two men began to get out of the car, one of them armed with a pistol while the other held the bag of jewels. "Now there's only one thing left to do."

"Yep, let's go!" Yang and Fasttrack rushed down to meet the two burglars, with the alien speedster heading straight to the guy with the gun in his hand. He took the gun out of the man's hand and immediately socked him in the face, knocking him out. Yang on the other hand had punched the other guy so hard that he was sent sailing back into the car, the bag of jewels flying out of his hand in the process. Yang caught the jewels as they fell, smiling proudly at their victory. "Ha! Piece of cake!"

In a flash of green light, Ben was back to normal, placing the perp's weapon on the trunk of the car before making his way over to Yang. "Definitely. But man, did it take me back! During that first summer, Gwen, Grandpa Max and I were always fighting small time criminals. Things were a whole lot simpler when I didn't have a rouge's gallery." He stepped closer to her. "But I say we make a pretty good team."

Yang gave him a smirk, setting the jewels down before giving him a hug. "That certainly makes two of us, Green Boy."

"Ahem." The sound of a feminine voice caused the two to turn around, seeing an auburn-haired policewoman standing right behind them. She had a smile on her face as she removed her sun glasses. "Well now, I guess we can say that this situation's been taken care of."

"Krista!" Yang exclaimed. "You were the one in that cop car?"

Krista gave a nod. "Yep, but it's not just me." She turned around and called out behind her. "Roy! We've got everything under control!"

"Awesome KB!" Roy waved as he came running from the cop car with a pair of handcuffs. As he approached, he also was able to see a familiar face standing with his best friend. "Yang?! You stopped the perps? Nice job!"

"Thanks, Roy." Yang said. "But it wasn't just me."

"I can see." Krista stepped forward, extending a hand to the green-clad hero as Roy started cuffing the two unconscious men. "Ben Tennyson, right? I've heard a lot about you from Blake. I'm Krista Burns, it's nice to meet you."

"Same." Ben accepted the handshake. "I heard about what happened earlier today. Thanks for helping our friends out back there."

"Hey, no problem, if anything, they helped us." Krista put her hand to her chin. "Though after what Blake explained to us, this past week is starting to make a whole lot more sense. So, were you the bug monster or the lava creature?"

"The lava guy. I call him Heatblast."

"And the fire at Signal?"

"One of my enemies, we were able to get her under control."

Krsita nodded as Roy began dragging the criminals to the car, reading them their rights even thought they were out cold. "I thought so. And now you guys've helped us again! Thanks a bunch. Those two managed to get past the barricades that were set up outside the jewelry store without anyone noticing. Jones is gonna get an earful from the chief when he hears about this.

Yang waved a hand. "Hey, it's the least we can do." She picked up the jewels and handed them over to Krista. "Here ya go! Pretty sure they're all there."

Ben picked up the pistol and handed it to Krista as well. "And here's that guy's weapon too."

Krista happily took the bag and carefully grasped the gun. "Thanks again. I… hope we weren't interrupting your date."

Ben's eyes widened. "Wait, how'd you know we were on a date?"

Krista rolled her eyes. "Well, besides the fact that you were hugging, I can tell a date when I see one."

"Trust me!" Roy called over as he pushed the two men into the back of the police car. "She most definitely can! It's like its her sixth sense or something!"

The three laughed at that before Yang spoke up again. "Well, we certainly didn't PLAN on stopping a couple criminals on our date, but I think we can safely say that we enjoyed it, right?"

"Oh, you know it!" Ben agreed. "It was like reliving a childhood memory."

Krista crossed her arms and grinned as Roy came back over to join her. "I'm sure. Blake told us about your unique abilities. We weren't able to see it, but you were an alien just now, correct?"

"Yep, I certainly was."

Krista and Roy shared a glance before their eyes went back to Ben. Krista began to ask the question. "Would you… possibly… maybe…"

But then Roy blurted it out. "Dude, can we see it?!"

"Roy! Don't be so rude!"

"Sorry KB, but after what Blake told us, I've been stoked to see one!"

"That's not exactly a good excuse to just up and ask it. We have manners for a reason, you know."

As the two went back and forth, Ben couldn't help but laugh a little. "Haha, guys, it's okay. I get this question all the time back in my dimension, trust me." The hero turned back to the half-sunken car in the marsh and began to scroll through his watch. "Alright, let's see… AH-HA! Perfect!" He slammed the Omnitrix down and Ben transformed into a tall, yellow and black silicon-based life form with tall pointy shoulders. His hands had two-pronged claws and his feet had two sharp toes. In between his shoulders was a metallic floating head with green eyes and a non-moving slit for a mouth, with the Omnitrix symbol located in the middle of his chest. His voice came out like it was from a radio. _"Lodestar!"_

Krista's jaw dropped. "Holy crap."

Roy put a hand to the top of his hat in disbelief. "Oh, that is so goddamned cool!"

Yang gave a nod. "It sure is. Now, I dunno what this alien's gonna do, but even then, I think we should all stand back." The officers did what she asked as Lodestar approached the vehicle. The Biosovortian pointed his hands at the car and from his claws projected a magnetic force powerful enough for him to lift the car directly out of the water and above his head.

" _MAGNETS! How do they work, am I right?"_ Lodestar joked. He put the car down on the side of the road before transforming back to his normal human self. Ben took a bow after his little performance. "Ta-da!"

Yang clapped for Ben as she stepped forward to stand beside him. "Nice work, Green Boy! Awesome as always."

Krista put a hand to her forehead. "It's official, I have now seen everything."

"That was INCREDIBLE!" Roy shouted as he threw his hands up high. "I've never seen anything like it before! Thanks for showin' us, Ben."

"Hey, no problem." Ben waved. "Just happy to help. So, Blake told us you wouldn't tell anyone about my secret right?"

"Oh, of course." Krista assured. "If the rest of Remnant found out about this, there'd be mass panic. And we can't let that happen, not after what happened at Beacon." Krista gave the two a salute. "And again, thanks for helping us out tonight. Now we'd better get those two to the precinct before they realize what really happened."

Yang gave her a salute back. "You're welcome Krista, and thanks for keeping all this a secret."

Ben saluted as well. "Yeah, thanks a bunch."

"Of course. Well, we'll see you guys around!" Krista and Roy made their way back to their police cruiser, leaving Ben and Yang by themselves on the street corner.

"So… I'm guessing this means no one won the race." Ben concluded.

"Nope, but you know what? I don't mind one bit." Yang set her head on Ben's shoulder. "Because I had a hell of a great time. This HAS to be the best date I've ever been on."

Ben wrapped his arm around her. "I feel the same way. Easily the most fun I've ever had on a date. So, wanna head home and get that movie started?"

"Hehe, it's like you read my mind. Let's go, Green Boy" The two mounted onto Bumblebee and they sped back off to the house, both of them quite happy in how their date was going.

* * *

"Alright, so you got it all up in your head, right?" Gwen asked one final time as she and Blake descended the staircase.

The cat-girl gave a nod. "Yep, I've gone over it plenty of times. After training tomorrow, I'll pull him aside, and ask him. No more turning back."

"That's the spirit!" The two rounded the corner to see nearly everyone gathered in the living room and facing the holographic TV, with the exceptions being Jaune and Pyrrha who must have been down stairs. Weiss was also absent, though Gwen couldn't imagine where she could be. Ruby and Nora however were not really paying attention to the TV, instead having buried their faces in the two 3DS's while they sat on the floor. Ren and Neptune had taken the chairs while Kevin and Sun sat on opposite ends of the couch

Sun noticed their entrance and waved over to them. "Blake! Gwen! You're right on time, we're just about to get started!"

As Blake entered the living room, Gwen waved back to the monkey boy. "Thanks Sun, but I've got a gaming session downstairs to get to, so I'll have to pass."

"Hey, no prob, hope you guys down there have fun." As Gwen went down into the basement. Sun turned to face Blake as she sat down next to him in the middle of the couch, giving her a grin. "So, you'll be joining us then?"

Blake nodded. "Yeah, Kevin said I'd like this show, and after I was proven wrong by Dragon Ball, I thought, "Eh, why not?". I mean, it can't hurt right?"

"Awesome! I'm glad you're in."

Blake smiled as she got comfortable on the couch. "Yeah, so am I."

Kevin pulled out the remote. "Alright, everyone ready?" The room gave a unanimous "yes" while Ruby and Nora simply waved from their game-induced trance. Kevin rolled his eyes at that. _'See, this is why I don't play Pokémon. It takes your life away.'_ But then a smirk came to his face. _'Well, they won't be like that for long. The intro alone will make them wanna watch this cartoon.'_ Kevin called back. "Alright, let's go!"

Kevin pressed play and immediately an orchestral piece began to play, with the image of a gold and blue logo backdropped by clouds appeared on screen. It was shaped like a shield and had the letters WB on it with the words Warner Brothers Animation wrapped around it. But the shield quickly faded away into a blimp with two large spotlights singing down from it. The music managed to get the girls to glance up from their game. The shot on the TV panned down to a dark, stylized city scape before focusing solely on a bank. Two shadowy men in trench coats and fedoras walked out in front of it before disappearing from view. Instantly, the front of the bank exploded with fire, causing the music to pick right up while the two criminals ran away from the bank.

The intro cut to a heavily customized black car with what appeared like a jet engine on the back. That was the moment that Ruby and Nora were focused directly on the television. The car sped off while the two criminals were being chased by a police car down an alley way, forcing them to climb up a building to get away. But the moment they reached the top, they were met by a dark, imposing figure in a cape and cowl, with what seemed to be a pair of tall bat-ears on either side of his head. The man narrowed his eyes at the criminals pulled out their weapons.

At this point, everyone was completely entranced, all of them silently in awe at what was happening. The caped man threw a bat-shaped boomerang at the pair's hands causing them to drop their weapons. The man lunged at them and tackled one to the ground. The other criminal attempted to punch the shadowy figure, but he simply weaved out of the way. The guy threw two more punches before the caped man threw one powerful punch of his own, knocking the perp out.

As the cops finally made it to the roof, the blimp shined its spotlight onto the two men, who had been tied up by the dark figure. The shot panned up to the caped man standing on the roof of a building as lightning struck in the background. The flashed provided a more detailed look at him, showing that his cape and cowl were as black as night with gloves, boots, and tights to match. The rest of his suit was primarily grey while he wore a yellow utility belt around his waist. Finally, in the center of his chest, was his symbol, a bat surrounded by a yellow circle.

Kevin gestured his hand toward the television. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: Batman: The Animated Series."

With their jaws dropped, Ruby and Nora both saved their game before going back to the TV. "More of that, please." Ruby said simply.

"Yep, I'm hooked!" Nora added.

Neptune slowly nodded. "Yeah, same here."

"That intro was so awesome!" Sun said. "The rest of the show'll probably be even cooler than that! What do you think Blake?"

Blake's lips were parted slightly, her mind still processing what she had seen. "I think… I might've found my new favorite show."

* * *

As Gwen made her way down the stairs, she could already hear sounds of gameplay coming from the TV, signaling that Pyrrha had already begun. When she reached the bottom, she saw that was indeed the case, as the Invincible Girl was making her way towards Hyrule Castle. Sitting next to her on the couch was Jaune, watching the TV intently while Weiss was sitting in the recliner next to them, reading a book. Gwen decided that now would be a good time to make herself known. "Hey guys! Getting started without me?"

The three turned around, with Pyrrha greeting her with a wave and a sheepish grin. "Hello, Gwen. I apologize, I just grew tired of waiting."

"Hey, don't worry about it, I understand completely." The redhead gazed to Jaune and then Weiss, I'm just surprised you two skipped out on the Batman marathon upstairs."

Weiss shrugged. "Eh, I've never really been into superheroes all that much." The heiress focused back on her book. "Doesn't interest me in the least."

"Believe me, I would've LOVED to watch Batman," Jaune added, "but I also kinda want to see where this game's story goes. Besides, since Yang hasn't watched either, we can all just see it with Ben on our own time."

"Fair point." Gwen conceded. Her eyes were drawn back to the TV as Pyrrha approached Hyrule Castle, the sky becoming quite stormy. "Oh boy, here we go." The screen faded to black as a new cutscene began to play.

"W-wait, what's going—" But Pyrrha cut herself off when the drawbridge to Hyrule Castle lowered and out ran a white horse carrying both Impa and Zelda on its back. As the horse stormed past Link, Zelda turned around on the horse and tossed something small and blue back at him, the object landing in the moat. "What are they running from?!" Pyrrha asked.

"You'll see." Gwen replied. "In three… two… one." On the screen, Link whirled around to see Ganondorf on his black horse, the music spiking with intensity at the villain's reveal.

Pyrrha's first instinct was to question the fictional man. "You MONSTER! What have you done?!" After reading through the Demon King's dialogue and getting blasted by dark magic, Pyrrha could hardly believe what had just occurred. "I-I don't understand! I gathered all three Spiritual Stones like the princess told me to! How did this happen?!"

"Well, this is what happens when a king puts his trust into someone who is CLEARLY evil!" Gwen elaborated. "He gets his castle attacked and forces his daughter away. Meaning that you have more work to do. Now, why don't we see what the princess was so eager to throw away."

"Oh! Right!" Pyrrha made Link dive into the moat and swim to the bottom, collecting the trinket. The blonde boy swam back up and held it over his head, the prompt reading; _"You found the Ocarina of Time!"_ Pyrrha's eyebrows shot up in realization. "Ah, I was wondering when the game's title would start to come into play."

"Yep, and that means the game's plot can REALLY start to get rolling." After receiving the telepathic message from Zelda and learning the Song of Time, Gwen instructed Pyrrha to head to the Temple of Time. Once there, Pyrrha set the three Spiritual Stones on the altar and played the Song of Time, opening the massive doors. And behind the doors was… "There it is, the Master Sword." Gwen said. "The Blade of Evil's Bane."

"Okay, now _that's_ a badass title for a sword." Jaune admitted.

"But it's taller than I am." Pyrrha pointed out. "How can I wield it?"

"There's only one way to find out, isn't there?" Gwen countered.

Pyrrha nodded and approached the sword, activating a new cutscene. Link took the sword from its resting place and suddenly, a blue aura surrounded the pedestal, causing the Triforce symbol to start glowing. The screen faded to white before Ganondorf reappeared from nowhere, the evil man expositing that he had followed Link into the temple and inadvertently allowing him access to the Sacred Realm. "Oh, for god's sake!" Pyrrha hollered.

"Hold on," Gwen advised, "it's not over yet." The cutscene continued as Link's vision returned, only to see an old man in red and orange robes standing in front of him. After introducing himself as Rauru of the ancient Sages, he told Link to look at himself. The shot cut to a slightly older looking Link, now in his late teens.

Needless to say, Pyrrha was caught off guard. "Oh my… that… is quite the growth spurt."

Weiss glanced up from her book and at the screen. "Hmm, I'll say. Puberty hit him like a truck, but it was certainly kind to him."

Jaune raised his hand. "Question though, where'd he get the change of clothes? Those can't be his old ones. Also, who pierced his ear?"

Gwen was about to answer… but she realized that there WAS no answer. "Huh, you know I never thought of that."

"Who cares?" Pyrrha rebutted. "I look AWESOME!" After another long bit of exposition telling her about the seven yearlong sleep and her new quest to find the remaining Sages so that the evil of Ganondorf could be contained, Pyrrha was transported back to the Temple of Time, now in adult form. "Alright, once more… let's get out there and save Hyru—Is that a ninja?"

* * *

After pulling in the driveway and dismounting Bumblebee, Ben and Yang went right for the door, thankful to be back home after a rather eventful afternoon date. The hero opened the door, allowing his date to be the first one in. "Your humble abode, m'lady."

With small chuckle, Yang held his hand and made a slight bow. "Why thank you kind sir." she mimicked. The duo laughed at their own hijinks before going inside, only to find the living room buzzing with excitement. The two peered inside to get a better look at what was going on, only to see their friends watching TV. But it was actually on the TV that got Ben's attention;

" _I am vengeance! I am the night! I am Batman!"_

"Oh man," Ben whispered, "they're watching Batman without us?"

"What's Batman?" Yang whispered back.

"I'll show you tomorrow. We can make a day out of it." Ben reassured.

Yang smirked at him. "Don't you mean a day-te?"

Ben smiled back. "The puns never stop coming do they? But yeah, I think that'd make a great second date." The two snuck past the living room and made it to the stairway for the basement. As they stopped in front of it, Ben gently took hold of Yang's hands with his own. "Hey, I just wanted to say that I had a great time tonight. I haven't had this much fun in a while."

"Aw, that's sweet." Yang said while giving him a hug. "I had fun too. And I'm glad were doing it again tomorrow."

"So am I" Ben hugged back. But then his eyes widened in realization. "Oh man, how're we gonna tell your dad?"

"Don't worry about that, I'll handle my dad." Yang assured. "But honestly, I don't think you'll have to worry about him. I can tell that he trusts you well enough."

"Heh, good to know I'm probably on his good side even before we started dating."

"I know, right?" Yang and Ben pulled away before the blonde made her way to the upstairs staircase. "Well, I'm gonna go change into something comfy. Meet you downstairs in a few?"

"Of course, see you in a bit." Ben watched as Yang ascended the stairs before letting out a sigh of content. He smiled as he reached for the basement door handle, ready to head downstairs. But the moment that he opened it, he was met with the sounds of excited shouts and hollers, taking him aback.

He made is way downstairs only to see that it was coming from Gwen and Jaune as they cheered Pyrrha on. From what Ben could see, Pyrrha had made it through the Forest Temple in the time that he and Yang had been on their date, and she was now battling Phantom Ganon, the fight basically boiling down to a match of energy tennis. But the moment Pyrrha struck the final blow, the Invincible Girl pumped her fist into the air. "Yes!" she exclaimed. "That was for the princess!" Pyrrha collected the Heart Container and went into the blue aura, transporting her out of the temple.

Ben smirked before heading downstairs and making himself know. "Wow, looks like you guys are having fun."

Everyone turned around, the sight of Ben taking them by surprise. "Ben! You're back already?" Gwen asked. But then her mouth turned up into an eager grin. "How was the date? Did you guys have fun?"

"Gwen, the date was _amazing_. We had such a great time. We even busted some criminals who were making off with some jewels!"

From her chair, Weiss' eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, what?! You two went crimefighting on your date?!"

"Well, it wasn't so much as we WENT crime fighting. It's more like the crime found us by random chance." Ben explained. "But let me tell ya, we had a great time while stopping it! And our date isn't even technically over yet. That being said… I promised her that we'd watch a movie tonight… by ourselves."

Gwen quickly caught on. "Ah, you guys will need the basement. I get it. Pyrrha? I think it's time to save."

Pyrrha nodded in understanding. "Of course, let me just get through this last cutscene and learn this song." After learning the Prelude of Light from Sheik, Pyrrha saved her game and shut the system off, taking the game cartridge out of the system. "There you are Ben, the television is now free for you two to use." She got up and turned to her partner. "Jaune, perhaps we should start getting ready for our blade training later. What do you say?"

Jaune rose to his feet as well. "Sounds good to me." He waved as he and Pyrrha left the room. "See ya later guys!"

Weiss picked herself up out of the chair and made her way to the staircase. "I'd better leave too then. Don't want to be in the way, after all. And Ben? I'm very glad you two had a good time today. Have fun with your movie."

"Yep, thanks Weiss!" Ben watched as the three Remnant teens climbed the stairs, only to be lightly elbowed by his cousin. "Heh, yes?"

Gwen just winked at him. "Oh, nothing. I'm just happy you guys had fun." The Anodite climbed the stairs, giving her cousin a look of encouragement. "As for myself, I think I'll go watch a few episodes of Batman with everyone else for a while. Enjoy your movie, okay?"

Ben gave her a thumbs up. "We will. Thanks, cous'." Gwen returned the gesture before making her way up the stairs, smiling to herself the entire way.

' _I'm VERY proud of you Ben.'_ she thought to herself.

* * *

A few minutes later, after Ben had changed into a simple green t-shirt and black gym shorts, Yang came strolling down the stairs in her signature orange tank top and a pair of her own black shorts. The moment she reached the bottom, she saw that Ben had already gotten the popcorn ready, with a six pack of soda sitting next to the couch as well. Yang spotted the hero setting up the DVD player with his back toward her, and a smile instantly came to her face. She quietly snuck up behind him and put her hand around his eyes. "Guess who?"

"I don't think I have to." Ben said as he reached up and grasped her hands in his, turning his body around so that he was facing her. "Hey."

"Hey yourself." Yang countered. "So, we ready to get started?"

"Almost, the last part is all up to you." Ben waved his hand over to the DVD cases. "You've got lots of things to choose from, and it's all fair game."

"Sounds good to me." Yang reached for a random case and began flipping through it. Nothing seemed to catch her eye at first, but then she stumbled upon a disc whose title seemed… familiar to her. It was a greyish-blue disc depicting artwork of a roaring monster that appeared to be submerged underwater. But while the artwork was an attention grabber, it was the title that she saw first. For there, written in bold white lettering was the word… "Godzilla? Wait a second, I know that word." Yang focused back on Ben. "That's how you described what Beacon looked like during the attack. "Godzilla's last stomach ache" I think you said it was?"

"Oh yeah! You're right, I did." Ben pointed to the disc in question. "That's actually one of my favorite classic movies. It actually has a lot of history behind it."

"Really?" Yang shifted her eyes back to the disc, focusing in on the small print that was inside of the title font. "Is that why it's in… the Criterion Collection?"

"Yep, and that one disc has a whole bunch of special features on WHY Godzilla's so important."

Yang grinned as she pulled the disc out of its sleeve. "Well then, I think I've made my decision. I'm always up for a good monster movie!" She knelt down and put the disc inside of the DVD player, the machine reading the disc the moment she put it in. Yang shut off the lights before strolling over to the couch. She sat down and pat the seat next to her. "Ready, Green Boy?"

"You betcha, Goldie Locks." Ben sat down next to her, laying back on the couch before she scooted closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. He gave her a smirk. "Well, are we all comfortable now?"

"Aren't you?" Yang retorted playfully.

"You're something else, Yang, I gotta admit."

"Yeah, so are you." She nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck. "But I like you that way."

Ben rested his head against hers. "Yeah, I like you that way too." He pressed play and the movie started, the Toho logo appearing while heavy footsteps were heard in the background. The title of the movie rose from the bottom of the screen, written in a language that Yang didn't entirely recognize before subtitles at the bottom of the screen appeared, translating it as _Godzilla_ with the word _(Gojira)_ appearing in parenthesis beneath it. Just then, a loud roar came from the TV.

"Whoa, okay, that has to be the COOLEST roar I've ever heard!" Yang said.

Ben nodded. "Yeah it is. But believe me, we're just getting started."

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it! The first date between our lovely couple, with more to come in the near future. I had fun writing this chapter and I look forward to taking you even further on the ride that is Ben and Yang's relationship. And yeah, I had to show them the original Godzilla first. It's simply classic. Also, yes, Batman TAS is a big one too, my second favorite DCAU show, right behind Justice League. But that being said, Next Time! We'll see how that movie went while Jaune and Pyrrha start getting back to their sword training. But the next day will be the beginning of something entirely different for our favorite blonde knight as he goes off with Pyrrha, Kevin, and Ruby to forge a brand-new blade with the help of a certain teacher from Signal. Thanks for reading! See ya!**


	27. Weekend Warriors

**A/N: Hiya guys! I've returned with a new set of chapters for AO3, hot off the presses! …And I have nothing else to say. Don't ya just hate it when you can't think of a better intro? I'll probably have more to say at the end of the chapter anyway, and I'm just stalling for time at this point so let's just go! This is…**

**Chapter 27: Weekend Warriors**

* * *

" _SKREEEOONK!"_ came a pained roar from the TV screen.

As Godzilla let out one last cry of agony before slipping back beneath the waves, Yang couldn't help but feel sympathetic for the monster. She watched as the Oxygen Destroyer dissipated the creature's body down to his skeleton, before the bones themselves disintegrated as well. "I know that he had to die," she said, "but it wasn't his fault! The humans just made him that way."

"Yep, exactly." Ben confirmed. "Listen to what Professor Yamane says at the end."

Yang focused back on the screen to see the old man sitting down, contemplating what he had just experienced, as well as grieving the loss of Dr. Serizawa. As he spoke, the subtitles read; _"I can't believe that Godzilla… was the last of its species. If nuclear testing continues… then someday, somewhere in the world… another Godzilla may appear."_

Yang glanced down, taking the words in. "Wow, that's… really heavy. You weren't kidding when you said that World War II had a big impact in your world."

Ben nodded. "Yeah, it did. But like your Great War, it's been a LONG time since that happened. And, believe it or not, Godzilla's message is still being heard across the world to this day. Though… in a bit of a different way."

Yang quirked an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

"Well… when Godzilla was a financial success back in the 1950's, both in Japan and the U.S., Toho recognized that, well, they had a hit on their hands. And you know what happens when a studio has a big hit, right?"

Yang took a wild guess, though she was sure it was the answer. "They milked the hell out of it, didn't they?"

"Oh relentlessly!" Ben exclaimed as grabbed for the DVD case next to him. "Turns out Professor Yamane was _completely_ WRONG and in reality, their world is just naturally filled with monsters, aliens, and mutated abominations!" Ben flipped through the pages until he came across another disc and pulled it out. "That being said; Godzilla Raids Again! Featuring the debut of Godzilla's first rival, Anguirus."

Yang gave him a smirk. "You're telling me that a movie thats an allegory for the dangers of nuclear weapons turns into a series about giant monsters fighting each other?"

"Uh-huh." Ben answered. "So, wanna watch?"

"HELL YES!" Yang pumped her fists into the air. "How has it taken THIS long for us to get to these movies?!"

Ben shrugged as he got up and exchanged the discs in the player. "Dunno, though I'm glad that we ARE getting to them now."

"Me too." The Blonde Brawler leaned onto his shoulder as he sat back down. "I think we've found the perfect movies for our date nights."

"Heh, yeah I guess so." Ben grabbed the remote and was about to press play when he noticed some movement outside of the small rectangular window near the basement ceiling. "Hey, did you see that?"

"Yeah, I did." Yang got up with Ben not far behind. The two reached onto their tip-toes and peered through the window to see Jaune and Pyrrha outside. The two were walking out to the edge of the forest, their weapons drawn and at the ready. A knowing smile came to Yang's face. "Ah-ha, looks like P-Money and the Ladykiller are goin' back to their usual blade training."

"Oh yeah, Pyrrha mentioned something about that earlier." Ben looked at the clock to see that it was seven-thirty. "But why at this hour? Why not wait 'til tomorrow?"

Yang turned her head to him. "Because they always trained like this back at Beacon. Pyrrha's been helping Jaune improve his sword-play since basically the very start of the year, and he's gotten a lot better because of it. Coming from someone who always used to beat him in spars, I could see Vomit-Boy getting better with every match." She looked back outside. "Just goes to show how awesome those two work together."

Ben glanced to her. "So… does that mean you know…"

Yang got a smirk on her face. "About their feelings for each other? Sure do."

Ben gave a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness. And here I thought that Gwen and I were the only ones."

"Yeah, it's really pretty obvious. Anyway, we probably shouldn't be spying on them like this. How 'bout we get that next movie started?"

"Sounds good to me." But as they made their way back to the couch, Ben remembered something. "Oh yeah! All this talk about training's reminded me, we're still on for our own early training session tomorrow, right?"

Yang gave him a wink as she dropped back onto the couch. "You're darn right we are! Did you think we'd stop after just one day?"

"Of course not." Ben gave her a grin as he sat down next to her. "It's just that we now essentially have a whole day to ourselves that we can plan around."

"Aw, who needs to plan things out?" Yang put her hands behind her head and rested against the back cushion, kicking her feet up onto the coffee table. "We can do whatever we want with our day after training. You know, if we AREN'T attacked by some crazy supervillain, that is."

"Heh, you got a point." Ben reclined into the couch as well. "So, the Batman marathon's still on then?"

"Of course." Yang leaned against his shoulder. "And after that, we've got a whole island worth of things to do."

Ben set his head against hers. "Goldie Locks, you amaze me."

Yang smiled as she nestled into the embrace. "So do you, Green Boy." she picked up the remote and pressed play, the two taking comfort in each other once again as the next Godzilla movie started. "So do you."

* * *

Outside of the house, Jaune and Pyrrha had just stepped out onto the greenery, ready to begin their training. They had brought water bottles with them, knowing that they would need the refreshing liquid later on. Once they reached the forest's edge, the Invincible Girl turned around to face her partner, with Milo in its xiphos mode in her hand. "Alright, Jaune, are you ready to begin?"

Jaune unsheathed Crocea Mors, the old blade's metal scraping against the inside of the holster. "Sure am! Man, it's been a while since we've done this. So, where do we start?"

Pyrrha was about to say something, but paused, putting her hand to her chin. "I am… unsure. It certainly HAS been a while since we've done this, hasn't it?" However, an idea made its way into her head. "Ah! I know what we can focus on next!" Pyrrha raised Milo in a battle-ready position. "Perhaps now would be a good time to learn disarmament."

Jaune's brow rose. "You mean, getting someone to let go of their weapon?"

"Indeed! Specifically, using your blade to make a foe lose their grasp on their own. Now follow my lead." Juane nodded and entered a combat pose, ready for whatever she was about to do. She gave him a gentle nod. "Very good, now we shall thrust our blades forward at the same time, alright?"

Jaune nodded back. "Okay." The two jabbed their blades forward, the metal scrapping against each other. But just as the blades had touched, Pyrrha twisted the flat end of Milo against Crocea Mors, knocking it out of Jaune's hand and sending the blade clattering toward the ground. "W-wait, what the?!"

"Impressive, right?" Pyrrha picked the blade up and handed it back to Jaune. "It's a technique that is a bit difficult to master, but with how fast you've been learning, I'm sure that you will be able to do it."

"I hope so, that was really cool!" Jaune resumed his battle stance. "So, should I try it now?"

Pyrrha also got into a stance. "Of course, but this time we're going to incorporate it into an actual spar. Now, let's see what you got!" The two went at it for several minutes, neither one of them giving in that easily. Many times, Pyrrha proved her experience as she disarmed the blonde knight of his blade. However, on the sixth try, Jaune put in all of his concentration and managed to pull off the maneuver, sending Milo to the ground. Pyrrha smiled at him as he looked on in complete disbelief. "Jaune, that was wonderful! You pulled that off rather well!"

"Huh, I did!" Jaune put a hand to his head. "Wasn't sure if I'd get it that time."

Pyrrha let out a small chuckle. "Hehe, trust me Jaune, you can be capable of many things so long as you believe in yourself." She picked up Milo and entered her battle stance once more. "But practice makes perfect, so let's keep going, shall we?"

Jaune gave her a confident smile. "You got it!" The two went at it again, and while Pyrrha was still able to disarm him most times, Jaune was still able to get in a few as well. They had gone quite a few rounds before they began to feel fatigue beginning to take hold. By the end of their fifteenth spar, they had beads of sweat dripping down their faces and the score was six for Jaune, nine for Pyrrha. They were both stooped over and attempting to catch their breath. "Okay, hah, break time?" Jaune suggested.

"Definitely." Pyrrha agreed. The two sat down in the grass and opened their water bottles, drinking the cold liquid with gusto. "Ah, quenching." The redhead turned her head to look at her partner. "Jaune, I must say that you've greatly improved over this past year. You should be very proud of what you've accomplished."

"Yeah, I am… but I know that I've got a long way to go yet. Even more now that we're going up against the likes of… well, you know."

Pyrrha glanced down at the ground. "Yes, Salem and her forces do grow ever stronger, with Cinder being a high-ranking member among them no doubt."

"You're right." Jaune let out a sigh. "I'm just… kinda scared, you know? I never thought we'd be thrust into so much chaos all at once. Criminals, evil forces and all that? I thought we wouldn't have to deal with stuff like that until after graduation. Heh, so much for that, huh?"

"Indeed. I will not lie, Jaune. I'm scared too." Pyrrha admitted. "After… after what happened in that tower…I am unsure if I can ever face Cinder again. I went up there knowing it was my duty as a Huntress in training, but I was still very scared of what would happen. I'm very thankful to Ben and Gwen coming to my aid in time."

"Yeah, we owe those guys a bunch." Jaune smiled at the thought. "But you know what? I'm just glad that they're our friends. In times like these, having friends like them is probably the best thing we could've ever hoped for."

Pyrrha grinned at him. "Well now, just where has this little bit of wisdom come from?"

Jaune simply shrugged. "Eh, just something that's been on my mind for a bit." He reached over and set a gentle hand on Pyrrha's hand. "But again, I'm really happy that you're still here with us, Pyr. I've got no idea what we would've done without you."

A slight blush came to Pyrrha's face at his words, but she collected herself and responded to them. "I'm happy to still be here as well. And I want to thank you for staying by my side while I was in the wheelchair. It meant a lot to me." Her eyes went to the ground again. "Quite honesty, it's more than I deserve, really. Not after pushing you away in that locker."

Jaune gave her the most serious expression he could muster. "Hey, don't say that. Pyrrha you had the courage to do something that no other student at Beacon could do! If anything, you deserve a hell of a lot more for doing what you did."

Pyrrha gave him a smirk. "Like what? A statue in my honor?"

Jaune clapped his hands together and pointed at her. "Exactly! I'll get right on that! Nora can find the marble and Ren and I will learn how to carve it with our weapons."

Pyrrha burst out laughing and gave him a playful shove. "Hahaha! Oh stop, Jaune! You know I wouldn't want a statue!"

"Heh, yeah, you're right." Just then, Jaune remembered something. "Hey, Pyr, do you remember when we went to Signal a few days ago to reforge Milo?"

"How could I not? Rojo made quite the impression that day. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I asked Mr. Vulcan if he could help me forge a new blade." Jaune explained. "You know, so that I don't accidently break Crocea Mors now that we're fighting actual bad guys. He said to come over during the weekend and since tomorrow's Saturday, I thought I'd go. Kevin and Ruby are coming along, but I was wondering if you'd like to come too?"

"Of course! I'd be happy to come along." Pyrrha eagerly answered. "Forging a new blade sounds like a great way to spend the day."

"Alright! First thing after breakfast, we'll be heading out."

Pyrrha's eyes widened. "After breakfast? But, what about morning training?"

"Kevin already said that we'll be getting a special session when we get back. And Gwen told Ruby that she'll catch her up on her martial arts later on. They also asked your mom if she could oversee everyone else while we were out, and she said yes."

Pyrrha raised a contemplative hand to her chin. "Hmm, odd, she didn't mention that to me before."

"Because I knew that you would want to got with them." The two whirled around to see Athena standing behind them, smiling at them both. "And it would seem I was correct."

"M-mom!" Pyrrha stood up on her feet. "How long have you been standing there?!"

"Only a few minutes." Athena said. "But I saw you two practicing from the kitchen window, and I must say, it was quite impressive." She focused on the knight. "Jaune, I see that my daughter has taught you sword play rather well."

Jaune rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, heh, thanks Athena, much appreciated."

The Nikos matriarch nodded. "You're very welcome." Athena turned her attention back to her daughter. "Pyrrha, I want you to go out and have fun tomorrow. Take a break from training for a little bit and hang out with your friends okay? Mother's orders."

Pyrrha giggled and hugged her mother. "Thank you, mom, I will."

"Excellent." The Mistralian woman let out a yawn. "Oh my, it seems today's excitement is catching up with me. Well, I'm off to bed." She began making her way back to the house, waving at the two partners. "Good night, you two! Enjoy the rest of your training!"

Pyrrha waved back. "We will. Goodnight, mom!"

Jaune did the same. "Night, Athena!" The moment that Athena closed the door behind her, Jaune looked over to his partner with a grin. "Well, that settles that I guess."

"I suppose so." Pyrrha picked Milo back up. "So, shall we continue?"

Jaune's smile widened as he unsheathed Crocea Mors once again. "Thought you'd never ask."

* * *

The next morning, at 8 o'clock, the kitchen was abuzz as the teens were going around cleaning up after breakfast. Well, for the most part anyway. There was still some premade breakfast food waiting for Ben and Yang. Gwen put in the oven, which set to low, so that it could retain its heat.

The morning had also been rather eventful in that the group finally introduced Tai to Tetrax. The Petrosapien had moved his ship away from the house yesterday and into a clearing not far away, but he came back on foot to get some supplies from Max and say hello. But stranger still, Tai actually took it in stride. "So, you're an alien, huh? Cool." The Xiao-Long man said as he shook Tetrax's hand.

"And my appearance doesn't the least bit intimidate you?" Tetrax asked.

Tai just shook his head. "Nope, not even a little. Trust me, my friend, after the week I've had, nothing could possibly surprise me anymore."

Gwen couldn't help smirk to herself at those words. _'Just wait until your daughter tells you about who she's seeing, Tai.'_ she thought. _'You may just be surprised yet.'_

After Tetrax gathered the things that Max had promised him, he left for his ship, promising to return later that day. Tai then went over to the coat rack and grabbed his leather jacket. "Well kids, I'm off to Vale to do some volunteer work for the day. Athena, you and Max will be able to watch over them, right?"

Athena rolled her eyes and smiled at the blonde man. "Taiyang, it's not like they're small children. I'm sure that they're responsible enough to take care of themselves." She let out a sigh. "But, if I must give you my word, then yes, I will keep watch over them."

"Heh, sorry, I just get nervous is all." Tai took the keys to his car and waved back to everyone. "See ya later everyone!" Everyone said their goodbyes as Tai went out the door and drove off in his car to the docks, ready to start his day. But, just a few short seconds after that, another motor could be heard, this one belonging to a certain motorcycle. A moment later, Yang and Ben entered the house, both of them appearing to be bit weary from their early morning training.

"Hey guys!" Ben waved. "How's it going?"

"Pretty good!" Nora answered instantly. "Breakfast was great, as always! We saved you guys some stuff in the oven if you want."

Yang smirked at the Pink Dynamo. "Lemme guess, pancakes?"

"You bet your bright yellow head!" Nora zipped around the room, grabbed a pair of oven mitts, and went back to the oven, pulling out a cooking sheet full of food. Pancakes, bacon, and a pile of scrambled eggs lay in wait for the two. "We also got some fruit in the fridge."

"Of course you do." Yang strolled over to the kitchen counter as Nora set the sheet down, with Ben not far behind. They both stared at it with hungry gazes before they each picked up a plate and fork. "Ready, Ben?"

Ben gave a confirming nod. "You know it! Let's dig in!" The duo began shoveling as much food onto their plates as they could, dividing the portions up equally between them. At the end of it all, they each had a mountain of food on their plates and they went over to the table. The moment they sat down in the chairs, the two instantly began eating their food piles, much to the horror and amusement of the others.

"Jeez, talk about your healthy appetite." Jaune commented.

"Indeed." Pyrrha agreed. "It's quite impressive."

Blake could only watch in dumbfounded awe as the duo scarfed down their food. "My god, what kind of training did you guys even DO this morning?"

Yang chewed and swallowed a mouthful of food before answering. "Blake, trust me, after an early training session like ours, you'd be the same way."

"Well, you two could at least not eat like a couple of heathens." Weiss pointed out. "It's not like you've gone DAYS without food."

Ben swallowed his mouthful before adding his own thoughts. "Aw, c'mon Weiss. Yang gave me a run for my money this morning. We gotta keep up our metabolism somehow."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "My god, you two really ARE quite the pair. Well, how _was_ training then?"

"I may or may not have knocked Green Boy on his butt a few times." Yang admitted. "But he was able to get quite a few wins in too." Before she could take another bit of her food, Yang's eyes widened as she remembered something. "Oh yeah, fair warning, there may be a few vines on one of the arenas when you get to the mountain."

Ben nodded. "Yeah, we went a round while I was Swampfire and it got a bit out of hand. No fires though, so that's a good thing."

"We'll keep that in mind." Sun said. "So, what're you guys gonna do today?"

Yang swallowed before answering again. "Well, Ben's gonna show me Batman today. And man, am I looking forward to it!"

Nora gasped before rushing straight over and sitting next Yang. "Oh my gosh, Yang you are going to LOVE it!"

Yang gave her a smirk. "Really? Can you guarantee that?"

"Sure can! We got half-way through the second disc last night, and I know that you'll be blown away!"

"I must admit," Ren added, "I was quite impressed by how dark and mature the show was. But, at the same time, it is also appropriate for children as well."

"Yeah," Neptune nodded. "Some of the backstories for these villains are traumatizing. Heck, even Batman's is really freaking dark!"

"He's right." Ruby agreed. "But out of all of us, I think Blake was the most into it."

"Really?" Ben craned his head toward the cat girl. "So Blake, what's your opinion on Batman?"

Blake let out a content sigh. "Honestly, it's probably one of the best shows I've ever seen." she answered. "The atmosphere, the soundtrack, the gothic art style, EVERYTHING! And… I know this is gonna sound VERY predictable, but I _adore_ Catwoman's relationship with Batman, it's just too good!"

Yang smiled. "Well now, from all these rave reviews it looks like I've got something to look forward too." But then she noticed something odd as Weiss was just standing with her arms crossed, looking away from the group. "You okay Weiss?"

"Y-yes, I'm fine. It's just… well… ugh." Weiss sighed in defeat. "Gwen convinced me to watch at least one episode last night."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Really? Which one?"

Ben smirked as he gave his cousin a knowing glance. "I think I already know. It was "Heart of Ice" wasn't it?" He got a nod from Gwen as her only response. Ben turned back to the heiress. "So Weiss, how was the episode? Did you enjoy the tale of Mr. Freeze?"

Weiss swallowed hard before continuing. "I… may or may not have shed a few tears."

Yang's eyes widened. "Okay, if this show is good enough to make Weiss cry, I just HAVE watch it!"

"Man, wish we could join you guys on that." Jaune said. "But we've got some stuff of our own to do today."

"Oh yeah!" Ruby exclaimed. "Today's the day we go over to Mr. Vulcan's and forge you a new sword, right? OOH, I can't wait!"

"Me either." Kevin got up from his chair and looked over to Pyrrha. "You comin' too, Pyrrha?"

The Invincible Girl nodded in confirmation. "I am. Jaune asked if I could accompany you three last night. And I thought it would be an excellent way to spend the day."

"Great, glad you're on board." The Osmosian glanced over to his girlfriend. "What about you, Gwen? Wanna see how weapons are forged here?"

"Thanks, Kevin. But I promised everyone else a trip to the mall today." Gwen said. "But I'm pretty sure I'm free tomorrow."

"That's cool. In that case, we'll see you later." Kevin went over to Gwen and the two shared a kiss on the lips. The two separated, and Kevin quietly said; "Love you."

"Love you too." Gwen reciprocated. The two shared a hug before Kevin, Ruby, Jaune and Pyrrha went for the front door.

However, Ruby didn't exit the kitchen without giving her sister a small wave. "You guys have fun today, okay?" The Hooded Huntress said.

Yang replied with a thumbs up. "Wouldn't dream of anything else."

Ruby gave a thumbs up back to her sister before following the others out the front door. At the sound of Kevin's Khoros-5 engine revving up and fading away, they knew that they departed the house. Not a moment sooner, Gwen got up from her seat as well. "We should probably get ready for our own training too."

Athena nodded and got up too. "You're absolutely right, Gwen." The Huntress gazed over to Sun, Neptune, Ren and Nora and gave them a nod. "You four are with me today. Meet me outside in fifteen minutes, understood?"

The four gave the woman a salute before responding; "Yes Ma'am!" They went out the kitchen door to the backyard while Athena went upstairs to get changed into her combat gear, leaving Gwen, Weiss, Blake, Yang and Ben alone in the kitchen.

The Anodite glanced over to the still eating Blonde Brawler. "You still in for martial arts, Yang?"

Yang's eyes widened in realization as she swallowed her last bite of food. She smacked her forehead and exclaimed; "D'oh! Right! I completely forgot about that!"

Gwen raised a hand. "Yang, it's alright if you don't want to right now. I'm going to go over it with Ruby later if you want to join in there."

The blonde let out a sigh. "No, it's alright Gwen, I'm the one who asked you to teach me martial arts. I'd hate myself if I went back on what I want." She gave Ben a saddened look. "Looks like our marathon might have to be put on hold for a little bit."

Ben gave her a smile as he gently put his hand over hers. "Hey, it's okay Yang. Believe me, I'm not going anywhere." he reassured. "You do what you want to do, Goldie Locks, I won't stop you. In the meantime, I'll get everything set up down there. Because let me tell ya, Batman the Animated Series is liable to keep you in your seat for long periods of time. And we're going to want the essentials if we're gonna binge through it."

Yang smiled back at him. "Hehe, sounds good to me." She leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek. "I'll see you then."

Ben blushed at the small kiss. "You got it."

"AAWWW!" came a chorus of voices behind the duo. They turned their heads around to see Weiss, Blake and Gwen giving them happy faces, reminding them that they had not been alone. "That is so cute!" Weiss commented.

"Since when were you two on cheek-kiss level?" Blake smirked.

Yang waved the girls away as she got up to put her plate and silverware in the sink. "Alright, alright, show's over ladies, nothing to see here!" Yang set her plate in the sink before glancing back over to Ben again and giving him a wink. "See you in about half an hour, Green Boy."

"Yep." Ben winked back to her. "It's a date."

* * *

About fifteen minutes after they had left the Xiao-Long household, Kevin was still driving around the island. He had his hand rested against his chin as he focused on the winding road that went through the woods. He wasn't usually one to jump to conclusions, but he was pretty sure they were lost. "Ruby, are you ABOLUTELY certain that this is the way to Festus' place? 'Cause I'm not seeing any houses along this path."

In the seat next to him, Ruby rolled her silver eyes at Kevin's words. "Yes, I'm sure Kevin. Dad told me that Mr. Vulcan's house would be at the very end of this road. He said to keep an eye out for the smoke and we'd find it."

Kevin sighed, having nothing to fall back on other than to trust the younger girl's directions. "If you say so. But this is seriously a weird place to live if he really is out here. And I mean weirder than your dad's house."

In the backseat, Jaune spoke up. "Yeah, I mean, we're all the way on the other side of the island. Why would a teacher live out here of all places? At least Tai's somewhat near town and Signal Academy."

"Perhaps he simply wishes to not have the smoke to be near town." Pyrrha pointed out. "With all of the smoke that Signal's forge puts out already, you cannot necessarily blame him, can you?"

"Yeah, I guess." Kevin relented. "Still, kinda wish we had a better indicator than… wait a sec." In the distance, Kevin could see smoke billowing from above the tree line, and his eyes widened in surprise. "Huh, okay, I stand corrected."

"But you're sitting down." Ruby smirked.

Kevin gave her a deadpan look. "Seriously?" he gazed back to the dirt road. "You're just as bad as your sister."

Ruby crossed her arms with a proud smile. "Thank you very much."

It was only a few short minutes later that the group saw a well sized log house come into view at the end of the road. It wasn't as big as the Xiao-Long house, but still decently sized, and with a picnic table out on the front lawn no less. Off to the side, there was another large building, this one made of cobblestone with a rather large chimney where the smoke was coming from. It had pane-less windows and an old wooden door, giving the forge a rustic feel. The moment everyone got out of the car, they could feel the intense warmth coming off of the place.

"Man, the guy really knows how to build a forge." Kevin said.

"Mr. Vulcan has always told me about his personal forge!" Ruby exclaimed. "I knew it must've been cool, but it's even more awesome than I ever imagined!"

"I should say so, but…" Pyrrha glanced around, "where is he?"

"I'm not sure." Jaune conceded. "He said he'd be here this weekend. I wonder where—"

"Hello?!" A voice shouted from behind them. The four teens looked behind them to see a woman standing in the doorway of the main house. She appeared to be in her mid-forties, and her beauty was _remarkable_. Her blonde hair flowed down her shoulders like a golden waterfall while her eyes sparkled a stunning sea green. She wore a sun dress that matched her eyes and a pair of flats to go with it. She was waving at them as she exited the house. "Excuse me, but would one of you be Jaune Arc?"

Jaune raised his hand. "Uh, yeah, that'd be me. I'm Jaune."

The woman clapped her hands together. "Splendid! Festus said that you'd probably be here today." She offered a handshake. "I'm Venus, you met my husband a few days ago. I understand you're here to work on making a new sword for yourself?"

"Oh! Uh, yeah, I am. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Vulcan." Jaune said as he accepted the handshake. "I hope we're not here at a bad time."

"Oh, of course not, Jaune. My husband just had a few errands to run. He should be back momentarily." Venus turned to the rest of the group. "And you all must be Pyrrha, Kevin, and Ruby Rose! It's so good to meet you all!"

Pyrrha stepped forward and shook the woman's hand. "Correct, it's an honor to meet you Mrs. Vulcan. I'm very thankful to your husband for letting me use his forge at Signal to repair my weapon."

"Oh, he told me all about it, Pyrrha. He said that he's never seen anyone more determined or dedicated to fix their weapon in all his years of forging. And that's no small compliment."

"Oh, really? That's very nice of him to say."

Venus nodded. "I certainly think so." She focused her attention onto Ruby. "And you're the famous Miss Rose that I've heard so much about!"

Ruby shyly took a step forward. "Uh, yeah, that's me."

Venus gave her a brilliant smile. "Ruby, I have to say that I'm absolutely thrilled to meet you! Festus has told me all about your enthusiasm for the weapons he makes."

"R-really?"

"Of course! He's raved about how passionate you are about all sorts of weaponry. I hadn't seen him like that since he was teaching our own children to forge their weapons."

Ruby rubbed the back of her head with a small blush. "Aw, shucks, thanks Mrs. Vulcan."

Suddenly, a horn came from down the road and a large, red truck pulled up in the drive-way. The bed was filled with tools and yard equipment while a winch was attached to the front bumper. The driver's side door opened and out stepped Festus in his signature red flannel and overalls. A smile came to the bearded man's face as his eyes laid upon his wife and guests. "HAHA! My friends! It is so good to see you! Welcome to my humble home!"

Kevin gave the man a smirk. _'That German-sounding accent still confuses me.'_ He watched as Venus immediately strolled up to Festus and the two embraced with a kiss.

"Welcome home, sweetheart." Venus said as she snuggled against his beard. "Did you bring everything we need for lunch today?"

Festus smiled heartedly. "Indeed, leibchen." He reached into his truck's backseat and pulled out a handful of grocery store bags. "Your famous beef stew shall be superb as always! I shall take these ingredients inside at once."

"Thank you so much dear." Venus glanced over to the four kids as Festus went into the house to put the groceries away. "We knew you kids would probably be here for the whole day while you work on your weapon, so we were going to need some extra ingredients if we wanted to feed all of you."

Kevin nodded. "Nice, sounds great!" As soon as Festus came back outside, Kevin walked up and shook the blacksmith's hand. "Hey Festus! How's it been? We haven't seen you in a while."

Festus shook the hand with gusto. "Haha! It has been well Kevin, thank you for asking. I see that my dear Venus has welcomed you all as well."

"Indeed," Pyrrha confirmed, "She's been very kind to us. Mr. Vulcan, I would just like to thank you once again for letting me use your forge at Signal. I am very grateful for your help."

Festus waved his hand. "Ah, think nothing of it, Pyrrha! It was the least I could do. After all, it is as I said before; a Hunter's weapon is like an extension of themselves. If they do not have it, they feel incomplete."

"An apt analogy." Pyrrha agreed before smiling back to Jaune. "Though speaking of, I believe someone here wishes to create a new weapon himself, right Jaune?"

Jaune smiled back to her. "Right." From between the folds of his back armor, Jaune pulled out a large, rolled up piece of construction paper, no doubt the plans for his new blade. Though oddly, there seemed to be writing on both sides of the paper. He strode forward and shook Festus' hand. "Mr. Vulcan, thank you for helping me out today, I really, _really_ appreciate it."

Festus gave Jaune a big grin. "Haha! Of course, lad! Anything for one who wishes to have a better weapon." The blacksmith glanced at the roll of paper in his hand. "And I would assume that those are the schematics that you came up with?"

"Uh, yeah. These are the plans for Crocea Mors Mark II. Wanna take a look?"

"By all means, please." Festus encouraged.

"Alright then. Here goes." Jaune unfurled the paper and there, for everyone to see, was his vision of an improved Crocea Mors. The blade appeared to be similar to the originals, though that seemed to be where the similarities ended. From there, the cross guard and hilt were both larger and more decorated than the original one's.

Pyrrha's eyes widened. "My goodness, Jaune. I had no idea you were such a talented drawer."

Her compliment made the knight blush a tiny bit. "Heh, thanks. My sisters told me I've got a knack with pencils."

"Well they were certainly right." Venus said as she gazed upon the drawing. "This is one of the most detailed drawings of a weapon that I've ever seen." She glanced over to her husband. "What do you think sweetheart?"

Festus inspected the drawing further before he burst out into joyous laughter. "Haha! Indeed so, my dear!" He focused back on Jaune. "I must say that it does look quite nice, Jaune. You certainly have a skillful eye. Though from our discussion the other day, I must admit I was expecting a few more improvements as well."

A smirk came to Jaune's face. "That's where the new sheath will come in." He flipped the paper over and there, to everyone's surprise was the layouts for a new multi-purpose sword sheath. The pictures included the sheath in its regular mode, but immediately next to it was a picture of the sword being stored inside it. But instead of pointing down, the sword was facing upwards and the two edges of the shield were extending from the sheath, making it into a greatsword. Further still, there was a picture of the new shield as well, decorated more ornately just like the sword. And below it, there was another, simpler picture of the shield, but with a gun barrel extending from its tip, along with a trigger handle that was right below the arm straps. Jaune faced up to the group. "Well, you like?"

Kevin could only stare at the plans dumbfoundedly. It was a second after Jaune asked his question where he finally found his voice. "Dude, this is hardcore."

"I… I am at a LOSS for words." Venus admitted.

"Well I'M not!" Ruby shouted as she took a closer look. "Jaune, this is AWESOME!"

"Ingenious is the word I would use." Pyrrha added. "Jaune, I am simply amazed at these idea's you've though up! How long have you been thinking about this?"

Jaune shrugged. "Since the end of last semester. I knew I wanted some improvements, but I wasn't really sure how I could go about it while school was in session and everyone was getting ready for the Vytal Tournament."

But then Ruby realized something. "Wait, if that gun barrel is at the tip of your shield, how're you gonna use it?"

"I actually thought of that too." Jaune pulled his sheath off his belt and pulled out Crocea Mors. He set the blade itself to the side on the picnic table while activating the sheath's shield mode. "See, I knew I always wanted a gun with the upgrade, since, well, EVERY weapon has a gun attached to it nowadays. But I knew it had to plausibly fit, and the way I was holding it vertically wouldn't allow for that." He raised his arms and set the shield against it with the tip pointing outward toward his knuckles. "So, I thought; why not just change the way I hold my shield so that it's parallel to my arm? That way I could easily put the barrel in the tip."

Kevin glanced at the plans again and then back to Jaune. "Okay, dude, don't let this go to your head or anything, but that's freaking brilliant."

"It's AWESOME!" Ruby shouted while giving a jump.

Pyrrha gave her partner a smile. "It certainly is. You've got some great ideas here Jaune. I am VERY impressed."

Jaune rubbed the back of his head. "Aw, thanks, Pyr."

Festus looked over the plans one last time before giving the boy a nod. "Well Jaune, I must say, it's obvious that you've put a lot of thought into this blade. To me, plans like these shows just how much passion one has for what they want in a weapon." Festus extended his hand to the young man. "Now, are you ready to get started?"

Jaune accepted the hand and gave it a firm shake. "I am sir." The knight turned his head toward his friends. "What about you guys? You ready?!"

Pyrrha, Kevin and Ruby all pumped their fists into the air with a shout of; "YEAH!"

"HAHA! That's the spirit!" Festus hollered before punching his left fist into his open right hand. "Alright, if we want to get the blade itself done by the end of the day, we must split into teams and divide the work up amongst ourselves. The shield work can come tomorrow. Jaune, I take it you would like to shape your own blade?"

Jaune nodded. "Yes, I would…" He looked over his shoulder and gave his partner a smile. "Although… I could use a little help. I haven't exactly forged a weapon before."

Pyrrha chuckled and placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "I would be more than happy to help, Jaune."

"Thanks, Pyr. It means a lot."

Festus gave the two a nod. "Very well then." He turned his focus to Kevin and Ruby. "If that is the case, then we shall work on the handle, pommel, and cross guard, agree?"

Kevin gave a thumbs us. "Yep, sounds like a plan!"

Ruby saluted her old teacher. "Sir, yes sir!"

A grin came to Festus' face as he raised his fist into the air. "Good! Now, let's get to work!"

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Xiao-Long residence, Ben was going over all of the snack foods that he and Yang would need for their Batman marathon date. He had them all lined up in the kitchen on the counter, ready to be brought downstairs. All that was left was inventory. "Hmm, let's see. Soda, check, Chips and dip, check. Popcorn, check. Actual food to prepare lunch while we're down there, check. Dog chewing at my pant leg… what?" Ben glanced down to see Zwei, who was indeed nipping at his pant leg. The hero smiled before picking him up. "Aw, hey there Zwei. Haven't seen you in a while. Where've you been?" In response, the corgi licked his face. "Heh, sorry, I don't accept licks for answers."

"He's just saying he likes you." Ben craned his head towards the kitchen entry way to see Yang standing there against the frame. She had a towel in her hand, no doubt having been used to wipe the sweat away from her forehead after her martial arts session, though she had changed out of her exercise clothes and into some more casual ones. "Zwei usually hangs out in me and my sister's room. And I think I've seen him sneak out to your grandpa's RV a few times." She stepped forward and scratched behind Zwei's ears as Ben still held him in his arms. "Who's been a little hide and seeker? You've been! Yes, you've been!"

Ben laughed as Zwei panted at his ears getting scratched. "Haha, man I love dogs. I had a shepherd while I was growing up myself."

"Aw, I love that breed! Corgis are like mini-shepherds though. And I think Zwei in particular is twice as fierce."

"And twice as sweet too. Shepherd's are really good dogs if you train them right." Ben gave the blonde a grin. "So, I take it you guys are done?"

"Yep." Yang set the towel on the table and grabbed the bowls of chips and popcorn. "Gwen taught us some karate today. I had no idea your cousin could throw someone like that on her own! She's got some wicked upper body strength!"

Ben's eyes widened in surprise as he picked up the soda and the lunch ingredients. "Did she toss you?!"

"Haha, no." The blonde smirked. "She tossed Weiss to the ground."

Ben smirked back as they strolled to the basement stairs. "Really, and how did she enjoy that?"

"Not well." Yang confirmed. "But she didn't get _too_ mad, even with dirt in her hair. She knew Gwen didn't mean any harm, so I think she only got a little frustrated."

"Well, I'm glad that's the case." Ben opened the basement door and stepped to the side, allowing her to go in first. "So, you ready to get this marathon started?"

"Heck yeah, I've been waiting all morning." The two made their way down the stairs only to here the pitter patter of fast-moving feet barreling down the steps with them. They looked at the bottom of the stairway to see Zwei, panting at them expectantly. As Yang set the bowls down on the coffee table, she glanced over to Ben with a smile. "Mind if my dog joins us?"

Ben returned smile as he set the other foodstuffs on the table as well. "Of course! We just need to make sure he doesn't eat the food."

"Aw, I wouldn't worry about that. Zwei's been trained well." Yang scratched the dog's ears. "Aren't ya boy?" To show his well-behavior, Zwei jumped up onto the nearest couch and curled himself up, laying his head down on the cushions. "That's a good boy!" Yang encouraged.

"Wow, he's a really good listener." Ben commented as he put the DVD into the player. We went over to the couch and sat next to Yang, his back settled against the cushion. "Ready?"

"Not yet." Yang reclined into the couch, moving closer to Ben as she did. "Ahh, alright, now I'm ready."

"Heh, okay then. Let's do this." Ben pressed play on the remote and he settled into the couch as well, the duo now content with the way they were sitting. But just for good measure, Zwei jumped into their laps and curled up again.

Yang smirked down at her dog. "Hey, Zwei, ever heard of the phrase; "three's a crowd"? Well I think this qualifies."

Ben chuckled at her humor. "Haha, I guess you could say this marathon's… gone to the dogs!" The two burst out laughing at the joke as the show played on, the duo quickly becoming immersed in the world of Gotham City soon afterward.

* * *

"I still can't believe that you basically threw me to the ground." Weiss said whilst the crossed her arms. The three girls had finished their martial arts session about ten minutes ago and were now standing in front of the boulder that hid the entrance to training grounds. "You're only, what, maybe five inches taller than me? How'd you even do that?!"

"Like I said during the session, the key isn't height, it's all weight distribution." Gwen answered as she put her hand up to the scanner. "And I gotta say, you're pretty light Weiss."

The heiress glanced off to the side begrudgingly. "Well… thank you. I try to keep a healthy diet."

"Believe me, she does." Blake supported as the three girls entered the mountain. "She was very selective about what she ate off of Beacon's menu."

Weiss scoffed at the memory. "Pfft, not my fault they served sloppy joes almost every day. You'd think that such a prestigious school would have a wider selection."

Gwen chuckled. "You sound like my grandpa at the super market. He gets kinda stingy whenever everything's in a can."

"As he should be!" Weiss emphasized as they stepped into the break room. "Exotic food should NEVER be canned! In fact, canned food altogether is simply horrid."

Suddenly, from seemingly out of nowhere, Nora zoomed over to them. "What's all this talk about food?"

"GAH!" Weiss jumped a foot in the air and took cover behind Blake. "NORA! Don't do that! You scared me half to death!"

The Pink Dynamo could only giggle. "Hehehe, sorry Weiss Cream! We were just taking a break when you guys showed up!" She stepped to the side to reveal that Ren, Sun, Neptune, herself and Athena were all seated on the couches with water bottles nearby, they themselves having finished their work out just moments ago. "So, we ready to start sparrin'? We cleaned up the vines that Ben mentioned so we should be ready to go."

"I'd say we're ready." Gwen turned her head to Blake and Weiss. "Right, ladies?"

"Of course." Blake said before glancing behind her with a small grin. "Just as soon as Weiss stops cowering behind me."

Weiss gasped and leapt out from behind the cat-girl. "I am most certainly NOT cowering. I just… had to brace myself for Nora. You know I don't handle surprises well."

Blake chuckled as she moved near the door to the weight room with Sun, Ren and Nora not far behind. "If you insist." She gazed over to the monkey boy. "Ready for another round?"

Sun got a joyous smirk on his face. "Sure, loser buys tea at the mall later on."

"Challenge accepted." Blake confirmed.

The group all herded into the sparring room, with Weiss bringing up the rear. Although, she noticed that she wasn't the only one in the back, as Neptune was right there as well. It was then that she remembered what her sister had told her yesterday; try to apologize. A small frown came to the heiress' face. It was often times hard for her to swallow her pride, but this was one of the exceptions. Her rudeness to him nearly cost them their lives yesterday, and to know that he was just as frustrated with the situation as she was, it was disheartening. She cleared her throat and spoke to him. "Ahem, um, Neptune?"

The sound of his name caused the blue-haired boy to turn around and face the much shorter girl. "Uh… yeah Weiss? W-what is it?"

She could hear the nervousness in his voice. Not the one where a boy was scared about talking to a girl, but rather that of someone worried that they were going to get screamed at again. That just furthered her remorseful feeling. She took a deep breath and continued. "I… I think it's time we had a talk."

Neptune glanced down at the ground and rubbed the back of his head in anxiousness. "O-oh, right."

Weiss glanced down as well. "Yeah. After yesterday, it's obvious that we both have things that we feel guilty about. So… I'm willing to listen to you, if you're willing to listen to me as well. That being said," she waved her hand to him, "I feel that you should go first."

Neptune's eyes widened at that. "Really? Are you sure?"

Weiss gave him a nod. "Yes, I've done nothing but ignore your attempts to talk to me since you got here, so I feel it's only right."

"Well…" Neptune sighed. "Weiss, all I want to say is that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being such a jerk and taking what little time we had together for granted. And you know what, of all the things you said to me yesterday, you were right that I wasn't thinking with my head during the Vytal Tournament. I see that now." He let out another sigh. "In all honesty, I don't know WHAT I was thinking, but after what happened, I feel really, _really_ stupid."

After a moment's pause, Weiss let out a sigh of her own. "Well… honestly, that's kind of how I felt after yesterday. I was angry, frustrated, and over all, just not nice at all during that hunt. And after our argument, I just felt disappointed in myself. I wasn't giving you a fair chance to say what you just told me right now, and I very much regret it."

"So… I guess the moral here is… don't be jerks to each other?" Neptune guessed.

Weiss stifled a chuckled at that. "Perhaps. Though I'm not sure if forgiveness is that easy."

"Well, I'm not expecting you to forgive me for what I did." Neptune clarified. "I was just a complete asshole."

"Well, I was acting much worse to you yesterday." Weiss reminded him. "So… in a weird way… does that make us even?"

Neptune could only shrug. "I think so. I mean, are you really willing to forgive me?"

Weiss gave him a smile. "Only if you're willing to forgive me." She offered a handshake. "So, what do you say? Bygones?"

Neptune looked down at the hand and back at her before a grin came to his face. He took the offered handshake. "Bygones."

Weiss let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Neptune. You have no idea how happy I am to let this get past us."

"Trust me, I'm just as glad. Why hate each other when we can be friends instead?"

"Exactly what I was thinking."

"Ahem!" The two whirled around to see Blake standing there, her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. But she also had a grin set upon her face. "So, finally buried the hatchet I'm guessing?"

"Oh! Yes, we have." Weiss confirmed.

Neptune gave a thumbs up. "Yep, friendship's a-okay!"

Blake nodded her head. "Good, glad to hear. Now come on, we're all waiting on you guys. Everyone's already chosen their sparring partners, so that just leaves you two."

Weiss and Neptune's eyes simultaneously widened at the revelation. The faced each other, both of them remaining silent for a moment. But then, a determined grin came to Weiss' face. "Well, I'm ready if you're ready. So, what do you say Neptune?"

Neptune returned the smile in an instant. "I say… bring it!"

* * *

Two hours had passed since the group at Festus' house began working on Crocea Mors Mark II, and to say they weren't slowing down was an understatement. Inside the forge, Jaune and Pyrrha were hard at work making the blade itself, though they made sure to cut a tang in the steel for the handle before they did any actual forging. Whenever they took it out of the Fire Dust fueled furnace, they slammed their hammers against the heated steel, the blade quickly taking shape due to the Dust's special properties.

They put the piece of metal back into the furnace once again and Jaune wiped the sweat from his forehead. He had ditched his hoodie not long after they started working, lest he suffer from heatstroke. "Phew! Man, I knew weapon making was hard, but jeez, I never figured it was THIS hard."

Pyrrha took off her circlet and wiped sweat from her forehead too. "Well, you only learn by doing as they say. Every Hunter had to forge their own weapon when they're at a primary combat school."

"Heh, guess I was late to the party, huh?"

"Perhaps," Pyrrha smiled, "but it's never too late to get experience in these things, right?"

"I guess." Jaune grinned back. "Thanks for helping out though, Pyr. It means a lot."

"No problem at all, Jaune. If anything, I should thank _you_ for inviting me. Otherwise, I would've had nothing to do today."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Ruby and Festus were hard at work shaping the pommel and the cross guard of the sword, using a smaller furnace also powered by Fire Dust. The blacksmith already had some precut metal for pommels, so they found one that matched Jaune's specifications, using a lathe to shape it while the cross guard heated inside the small furnace. Kevin was right beside them working on the wooden handle, using a separate lathe to cut it down to the proper size. The Osmosian paused for a moment to check on it, looking at it with a close eye. He thought it looked good, but a second opinion never hurt, so he handed it to the bearded man. "Hey, Festus, how's this look?"

Festus grasped the handle and inspected it with his trained eyes, a smile forming on his face soon after. "This handle appears to be on the mark! I take it that this isn't your first time with a lathe, is it Kevin?"

"Yeah, I've got one in my garage back home, usually use it for automotive stuff though."

Ruby looked at the handle as well, taking the pommel off of her own lathe. "Wow! Awesome job Kevin! You really are savvy with a lathe." She showed the pommel to Festus. "I think we might be done with the pommel too, what do you think, Mr. Vulcan?"

The man needed to look at the metal piece for a second before giving his answer. "Haha! Indeed! The tapered shape is perfect. Now it is ready for the gold plating."

Suddenly, the door swung open and Venus came in, a worried expression set on her face. "Sweetheart! Come quickly! Something has happened!"

Production on the sword immediately stopped as everyone rushed to the woman, with Festus embracing her in his arms. "What is wrong, my dear? Are you alright?"

"I am fine, but I just heard a loud cry come from the woods. Whatever it was, it sounded like it was in pain, so I went to investigate and…" The woman shuddered, "it was horrifying." you must come and see for yourselves."

The group followed Venus into the woods, about eight, maybe nine yards from the house itself before finally coming upon what she had found. They all recoiled in horror at what she had seen. There, laying not five feet away, were two dead animals, their bodiescompletely drained of blood and shriveled up beyond recognition. Festus bent down and investigated the corpse, running his gloved hand against its hide. "They are wolves, one male, one female. This is ghastly."

"What happened to 'em?" Kevin inquired.

"If I were a betting man, I'd say Grimm." Festus answered. "Some are known to drink blood like this. Come we must get back—" But he was cut off when he heard a loud whining sound coming from a large nearby tree. He silently gestured for the group to quietly follow him and they rounded the large tree… only to find a den in the base of its trunk with pair of small wolf pups inside, huddled together and obviously frightened. The blacksmith's heart sank into his gut at the realization. "Oh no."

Pyrrha's eyes widened as she gazed at the tiny pups, the pair appearing to be no older than two weeks and their eyes were just barely open. "They… they just lost their parents."

"That's awful!" Ruby exclaimed. "What do we do?"

"They barely look a month old." Jaune pointed out. "We can't leave them out here alone with Grimm!"

Festus gave a reluctant nod. "You are right, we cannot. I will call the local animal rescue. Hopefully, they take wolves."

"But until then we need to take them away from here." Venus said. "To do that, we will need something soft to take them in. Something similar to the floor of their den."

"Of course." Pyrrha said as she removed her sash from her waist. She stepped forward slowly before carefully wrapping the crying canines in her sash and holding them in a bundle. They continued to cry, but Pyrrha began to try and soothe them, hoping her voice would calm them down. "Shh, it's okay little sweeties. You're safe now. Shh." Soon, the cries started to quiet down, and eventually, the wolf pups fell asleep. "There, now sleep tight little ones." The group went back to the house, hoping to not run into any Grimm along the way.

* * *

However, unbeknownst to anyone there, they were again being watched. From further in the forest, two figures obscured by the shadows of the trees were gazing upon them. One was a tall man with dark eyes, while the other one was much taller and had bright, glowing yellow eyes. The taller figure's body appeared to writhe constantly, almost as if he couldn't hold still. The shorter of the two had his arms crossed as he glared after the group, and in particular, the Osmosian. "So, it would seem that Kevin Levin is here as well." His voice was deep and distorted, almost as if his head was inside of an echo-chamber. "This is quite the game changer for us, my friend."

The taller figure spoke up as well, his voice light and raspy. "Hmm, yesss, ssso it would ssseem." He spoke with what seemed to be an intentional lisp, as if it was in his very nature to make those sounds. "And it would alssso ssseem that you were right in coming to thisss island. But now, thisss isss our chance to ssstrike!"

But the other figure raised his hand. "Not yet. If we engage with Levin now, we run the risk of him contacting the other two. Wherever he is, they are never far behind. And we cannot lose the element of surprise when it comes to Ben Tennyson."

"BAH! I am ssso sssick of waiting!" The other complained. "You may have no isssssue with draining thossse horrid beassstsss of their energy, but the blood of thessse feeble animalsss are barely enough for me!" The figure narrowed his eyes at the shorter man, getting right up in his face. "I require sssussstenance."

"And you shall have it." The shorter man assured. "But first we must deal with the other two. They must be on this island somewhere. And once we find them, we shall both have our revenge."

The taller figure backed off, finding the reasoning adequate. "Hmm, very well. What do you sssuggessst we do?"

"Firstly, we must find out where they are taking refuge. Once we find the place, Ben Tennyson will be dealt with swiftly." The figure clenched his hands and his eyes narrowed. "Then, I alone shall contend… with lovely Gwen."

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, I'm not even TRYING to hide who those two are. On a side note, I'm noticing a pattern with these cliffhangers. First, everything's all hunky-dory and then… BAM! A wrench is thrown into our heroes' day. Maybe I'm just worried about the plot slowing down, who knows? Also, I had to look up blacksmithing to make sure I got this chapter right. It really does look awesome, though I can safely say it's not for me. But with that said, Next Time! Trouble comes knocking at our heroes' doorstep as the pair of miscreants arrive at the Xiao-Long family house hold. One of them my not be much of a threat, but the other? Well, let's just say that things are about to get** _**REAL** _ **. Thanks for reading! See ya!**


	28. Darkest Returns

**A/N: Hey guys! New Chapter time again! Remember when I said at the beginning of the last chapter that I had nothing much to talk about? Well this time's much different. Writing for a certain serpentine character doesn't seem that hard until you have to put multiple S's EVERY time he says a word that has the gosh darn letter. It'sss frussstrating I tellsss ya! That sssaid, let'sss get on with the chapter, ssshall we? Thisss isss…**

**Chapter 28: Darkest Returns**

* * *

"This is quite honestly the cutest problem we've ever had." Ruby said as she stared at the still sleeping wolf pups, the canines still dozing soundly in Pyrrha's sash having been places on the couch. She and Kevin had volunteered to watch over them with Venus while everyone else went back out to the forge, still hard at work on the sword. "But it's still sad, you know? They'll never truly know their real parents."

"It is quite sad, indeed." Venus agreed as she sat down next to the Hooded Huntress. "But we shouldn't worry too much. I'm sure that they will be well taken care of once the animal rescue takes them in."

"Well, _hopefully_ they will." Kevin pointed out. "Jury's still out if they take wolves or not. What's takin' Festus so long with that call, anyway?"

"He said that he had to finish the cross guard first." Ruby reminded. "Then he had to put both that AND the pommel into gold solution to electroplate them."

Kevin's eyes widened. "Man, he taught you EVERYTHING in his class, didn't he?"

Ruby smiled and tapped her head. "Yep! Got it all up here."

Kevin smirked. "Heh, I guess so." His eyes focused back on Venus. "So, what'll happen if the rescue center can't take the wolves?"

Venus let out a sigh. "I'm not sure. We certainly can't let them go on their own. They're far too young."

Ruby suddenly let out a gasp. "Ah! I just had a brilliant idea; What if WE kept them?!"

Kevin's brows furrowed. "Uh, Ruby, don't know if you know this, but wolves aren't pets to be kept."

"Well… that is technically true… for civilians." Venus said. "Hunters on the other hand have been domesticating many types of wild animals for centuries so that they may grow up to help them in their hunts. With the right training, a wolf, or any form of wild cat, or even a bear can track a Grimm and potentially kill it."

Kevin was surprised, but at the same time his interest had been piqued. "So you're telling me that those little guys…." he pointed at the pups, "could one day hunt down a Grimm with the right training? That's badass, I gotta say." He glanced back over to Ruby. "But I still don't know. I'm not sure if you're dad would be happy if we bring home two more new residents."

"Aw, but their tiny! He won't mind." Ruby assured. "Especially if we actually train them."

"Okay, then what about Blake?" Kevin countered. "She's not really the biggest dog fan from what I've heard."

The hooded girl let out a sigh. "That's gonna be a bit tougher… but c'mon, who can resist this?" she pointed to the little sleeping puppies. "They're just so adorable!"

At that moment, Jaune, Pyrrha and Festus all entered the room, the former two wiping sweat from their foreheads from all of the hammer swinging they'd been doing. "Hey guys." Jaune greeted. "How're little house guests doing?"

"Still sleeping." Ruby answered. "They're little angels, I'm telling ya. But how's the new sword coming along?"

"It's still taking shape." Pyrrha answered as she knelt down in front of the pups. "It'll take a bit more time until it's finished. You know as well as I do that forging a weapon takes much longer than repairing one."

"Right, of course." Ruby looked up to Festus. "So, how did the call to animal rescue go?"

Festus sighed as he put his home phone back on the hook. "Unfortunately, they do not take wolves. They would have to be taken to a wild life preserve on the mainland if we want to put them into safe care.

Jaune grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. "But, the nearest preserve is _miles_ away from the city. And we can't be sure how the pups will react to flying in an airship or sailing on a boat, so we're pretty much up the creek without a paddle on this one." The knight began to take a swig of his drink.

Ruby glanced off to the side. "…Soooo, does that mean adoption's still an option?"

Jaune spit out his drink in surprise, with Pyrrha immediately coming to his aid with firm pats on his back to clear his airways. Once Jaune had stopped coughing and Pyrrha made sure he was okay, the Invincible Girl focused her gaze onto Ruby. "Ruby, where did THAT idea come from?"

"We we're talking about it before you guys came in here. Since Hunters can own and train wolves anyway, we thought it'd be a good idea to take these little guys in."

"Ruby, I think you're forgetting one crucial detail." Jaune reminded. "We never graduated. We aren't licensed Hunters."

"No," a sly grin began to form on the Hooded Huntress' face, "But my dad and Pyrrha's mom are."

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes at Ruby in skepticism. "Are you suggesting that we should get our parents to sign an official document just so that we can train wolves?"

"Pyrrha, tell me, will your mom be able to resist that?" Ruby waved her hand toward the sleeping wolf pups, who were just beginning to stir from their sleep. "But more importantly, will you?"

Pyrrha was about to let out a defiant answer, but then she heard a tiny "yip" next to her. Her eyes went to the couch and she saw one of the wolf pups, now fully awake and moving. Both of its eyes were wide open… and it was looking straight at her. It hobbled over to the edge of the couch, with Pyrrha holding up a hand so that it didn't fall off. It began sniffing at her hand with its tiny nose before rubbing its head against it. The pup let out another "YIP!", gazing up at her with its bright blue eyes and causing its sibling to stir as well.

Pyrrha could feel her heart melting, her legs shaking, her lower lip slightly trembling. She had found her one true weakness; adorable wolf puppies. She picked the little bundle of fur up and set it on her lap. "By the gods, why have you forsaken me with such cute animals?!"

Jaune reached out. "Watch out, Pyr! You'll get attached to—"

"Yip!" Jaune slowly moved his eyes over to the couch to see the other wolf pup up and about, tilting its head as it looked directly at Jaune.

However, Ruby got to the pup first. "Aw, good moring sleepy head." She picked it up as it redirected its attention her now. "Its okay, you're safe now." She lowered her head to meet its gaze and it booped its nose into hers. "Oop! Well hello to you too!"

Jaune was beginning to get worried now. "Ruby, I wouldn't—"

"Jaune?" The blonde knight turned to Pyrrha, only to see that she was offering the other pup to him. "Would you like to hold him?"

"I-I, I'm not… exactly…" But despite was his common sense was telling him he reached over and set the wolf pup on his lap. The two stared at each other for a moment before the pup began to snuggle his head against Jaune's hoodie. The young man was broken in an instant, now gently holding the wolf pup in his hands. "HOW?! How can something so cute do this to me?!"

"YES! HAHAHA!" Ruby cackled. "Come to the cute side! We have puppies!"

Kevin simply rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright, seems like it's a unanimous vote… but we still need an official Hunter's permission."

Pyrrha nodded and pulled out her scroll. "I'll call my mother right now."

As Pyrrha dialed the number, Festus let out a sigh. "Well, if this is really happening, then you all have to make sure that they are not only taken care off, but trained well. A wolf is not simply a pet, but a trusted companion that you hunt with. I hope you all understand that well."

Ruby gave him a salute. "Don't worry, Mr. Vulcan. We'll make sure that they're trained."

"Very good." Venus said as she got up and rolled up her sleeves. "If that's settled, then I'm going to get started on making lunch."

Festus rose from his seat. "I will assist you in the kitchen, my dear. Let us make your beef stew together! HAHA!"

"Of course, sweetheart, always happy to have the help." As the two exited the room, the four teens were left to themselves and the puppies, who were now playing with each other.

"So, what do you think we should call them?" Ruby asked.

"Uh, maybe one step at a time Ruby." Pyrrha said before her mother answered her call. "Hello? Mom?"

" _Hello, sweetheart! How are you all doing over there? How's the sword coming along?"_

"It's going great, mom. But… well… we've come across something else and we need your help on it."

* * *

As Athena listened to her daughter speak to her on the other end, she and her group had just arrived back at the house from training, ready to properly start the afternoon. "Hmm… I see. Well that is quite the situation. And you are sure that you want to try and… yes, I see. Should I tell the others?" A smile came to the woman's face. "Not yet, got it. Alright, I will be there shortly. Love you, sweetie. Bye-bye." She shut her scroll off and let out a sigh. "Oh dear, what a thing to happen."

"What's wrong Athena?" Gwen asked.

"Oh, well, the others over at Mr. Vulcan's house have stumbled upon something quite fascinating." Athena vaguely answered. "However, I cannot tell you, at least not yet. It's a surprise"

Nora let out a big gasp. "AH! I love surprises! Is it a "OH MY GOD, this is so cool!" kind of surprise or a "oh my gosh, I'm going to cry" kind of surprise?"

Ren spoke up next to her. "Um, Nora, I'm think asking what a surprise is like will somewhat ruin the surprise itself, don't you?" he pointed out.

Nora gasped again. "You're right, Renny!" She whirled back around to Athena. "Mrs. Nikos, ixnay that oilerspay."

"Um… very well, Nora." Athena said. "I have to go over to the Vulcan's and see the others. Max will still be here, so if you all still wish to go to the mall, you can ride with him okay?"

Gwen nodded. "Yep, he wanted to go to town anyway. He says that there's this exotic food's market near the mall that he's been hoping to scope out."

"Perfect!" Athena pulled out her keys and began walking to her rental car. "Well, if that's the case, then I will see you all later!" The Mistralian woman got in and started the vehicle, driving down the dirt road and to the main road a mere moment later.

Gwen clapped her hands together. "Alright, well, with that settled, we should probably go get changed and head to the mall soon, huh?"

"You read my mind!" Weiss exclaimed. "I can't wait to do some shopping that doesn't involve getting attacked by bug mutants."

"Same here," Sun agreed before smiling over to a certain cat girl, "and I believe I owe someone a cup of tea."

"Oh, you don't _have_ to, Sun." Blake reassured. "You put up a great fight, that's all I could ask for."

"Oh no, I'm a man of my word, and you're getting that tea, Miss Belladonna."

As Neptune and Weiss made their way to the door, the blue haired boy glanced back to the bantering duo and then down to Weiss. "Uh, have they been like that all week?"

"Welcome to my world, Neptune." Weiss confirmed. "A place full of aliens, criminals, and flirting."

As the group approached the door, Gwen could suddenly feel something… unsettling approach them from behind. Her eyes widened in horror as she realized who that unsettling feeling belong to, as well as the fact that she could feel dark energy collecting behind them. "Guys, scatter!"

"W-wait, wha—" Wiess tried to ask, but Gwen cut her off.

"SCATTER!" The group did as they were told and they all dove off into different directions, just in time to avoid a blast of dark energy that was aimed right for them. The blast connected with the ground and the impact kicked up a large cloud of dust, hiding the perpetrators of the attack from sight.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the basement of the house, Ben and Yang were right in the middle of the two-part Batman episode; Two Face. Yang was particularly transfixed, watching as Bruce Wayne's dream went on. Her gut twisted as Two Face plummeted down from a collapsing rope bridge screaming; _"Why couldn't you save meeee?!"_ , his voice echoing in the bright red light.

"This is… really unsettling." the Blonde Brawler commented.

Ben gazed over to her with a sympathetic expression. "I know, I felt the same. But just wait, it gets worse."

They both turned back to the TV to see Batman walk over to the edge and his eyes widened as he let out a horrified gasp. The camera switched back, only to not come to the bright red light from before, but instead, Crime Alley. And there, standing beneath a street light, were Thomas and Martha Wayne, looking up at him with saddened eyes. _"Why couldn't you save us son?"_ Thomas asked. That was what woke Bruce up in a cold sweat.

Yang's jaw dropped. "Oh. My. GOD!"

"Yep." Ben said, having seen the scene before multiple times. "Gives me chills every time."

"I-I just… what the ACTUAL hell?!" Yang put her hands to her head. "That was so… so…"

"Cruel and unusual?"

"Exactly!" Yang pointed to Ben. "Thank you! That is some messed up shit!"

"Uh-huh, and that's what makes this show so good." Ben said before handing her the popcorn bowl. "More popcorn?"

 _ **BOOM!**_ A loud noise suddenly came from outside, causing the two to whirl their heads around to the small window. They couldn't see much, just dust having been kicked up by whatever it was that made that noise. Yang narrowed her eyes as she took her Ember Celica out of her pockets and put them on. "You know, I think the bad guys are just ASKING to be beat up sometimes."

"Yeah, I find that they come to me more often that I expect." Ben agreed as he rose to his feet. "Let's go see who's going to get a face full of fist this time."

Yang smiled at him. "Now that's what I like to hear!" The two made their way out of the basement and out the front door to see everyone scattered about, with Nora, Ren and Gwen on one side, and Blake, Sun, Weiss and Neptune off to the other. There was still a layer of dust on the air, though they could see two figures standing in the dense cloud, no doubt the two perpetrators.

Gwen was the first to get up, holding her hand against her head. "Ugh, okay, _not_ pleasant."

"Gwen, what's going on?!" Ben asked as he and Yang ran out to help them all up. "We heard an explosion and—"

"Ah, Ben Tennyson." Came a reverberating voice from behind. Ben recognized the voice almost immediately, his brows furrowing as he turned around slowly, going into a defensive stance. From out of the dust came a man in dark medieval tunic with a metal neck piece, silver gloves and black boots. Over his head, he wore an iron mask, the source of his echoey voice. He turned his head to Gwen. "And lovely Gwen. So good to see some familiar faces after all this time."

"Uh, who's the Bucket Head?" Nora asked.

"Friend of yours?" Yang whispered.

Ben's eyes narrowed further, never taking them off of the man for a second. "Not in the slightest Yang, believe me." He shouted over to the man. "What do you want Darkstar? Because unless you're here to turn yourself in, we're not interested. And how did you even figure out where we were anyway?"

"Oh, it was quite simple really." Darkstar said before pointing to Gwen. "I simply sensed her energy. And I must say Gwen, you still have quite a lot of it. I'd be willing to take some of that off of your hands if you want."

"Stay the _hell_ away from me, Michael." Gwen spat with enough venom to kill an elephant. "And if you were smart, you'd do what Ben said and surrender."

"Oh, but where's the fun in that?"

Blake and Sun rushed over to Gwen's side. "Gwen, who _is_ he?" the cat girl repeated Nora's question. "What does he want?"

Gwen gave her a disheartened look. "Remember when I told you about the _unpleasant_ experience that I had before Kevin and I started going out?" She turned her head back to Darkstar. " _He's_ that unpleasant experience."

Darkstar spread his hands out. "Oh, come now, dearest Gwen. You can't say our short time together was all _that_ bad, now can you?"

"Yes, I CAN!" Gwen countered. "It's STILL something I hate to think about!"

Blake's eyebrows shot up in shock. "Gwen… you two were…"

"Never a thing in the first place, Blake, trust me." Gwen assured. "I've come to regret every moment with him on that day. He took advantage of my trust, and I was too upset with Kevin to heed his warnings. It's a mistake that's been haunting me for almost three years now." She let out a hefty sigh. "And after all this time, it's one that never gets any easier to handle."

A stunned silence followed that before Yang spoke up. "Whoa, okay, this suddenly got really heavy."

"So it would seem." Darkstar noted before raising his hand. "Allow me to relieve that." He shot out a large beam of dark energy, intending to end all of their lives right then. But Gwen was quick to the punch, throwing up a large mana shield to deflect the beam. It hit the shield and dispersed harmlessly against it. But Darkstar shook his head. "Oh, such a disappointment. And here I thought you'd make it easy on yourselves. But, strength in numbers I suppose. And you certainly have those." He raised his hand again and pressed his thumb and middle finger against each other. "Fortunately, I too have a "partner in crime", so to speak."

He snapped his fingers and from out of the dust stepped… or rather, _slithered_ , a very tall snake man. The creature had green scales, the hood of a cobra, and two arms that didn't have hands. Instead, they were an extra set of snake mouths. His mere sight was enough to make Weiss scream at the top of her lungs. "AAAAAAHH! What is that thing?!"

Neptune pulled out his rifle. "Is it another one of Animo's science projects?"

"No." Gwen answered. "His name's Ssserpent, another alien. You'd be surprised how many alien species resemble animals."

"Wait, don't you mean _Serpent_?" Nora asked.

Gwen shook her head. "No, it's both spelled AND pronounced Ssserpent, he's very particular about that."

Ssserpent narrowed his yellow eyes directly at Ben. "Ssso, Ben Tennyssson. We meet onccce again."

Rather than getting even angrier, Ben just seemed rather… amused. "HA! Really Michael? Out of all my enemies, the one you get to help out is Ssserpent? Geez, you should've been here DAYS ago, you could've teamed up with Rojo!"

Darkstar narrowed his eyes. "Perhaps, but Ssserpent and I share something in common. We both live off of other people's energy."

"Indeed." Ssserpent confirmed. "Hisss isss more myssstical in nature. While I prefer to eat my mealsss the old fassshoined way."

Yang sneered in disgust. "Okay, that is WAY too much information."

"Yeah, I did NOT need to know that." Nora agreed before pulling her hammer out. "Now COME ON! Let's get this over with so that we can get to the mall! Let's see what you got Scalebreath!"

Ssserpent hissed indignantly. "You dare mock Ssserpent, the Snake That Walks Like a Man?!" With great speed, the snake man slithered right toward Nora. "I ssshall make you pay for sssuch insssolenccce!"

"Yeah, no." The moment Ssserpent got close, Nora slammed her hammer upward against his chest and sent him sailing straight over the house and into the backyard, an audible THUD coming from behind the building. "There, see? Told ya so. Also, how does he walk if he has no feet?"

Darkstar sighed and put his hand to where his temple would be. "It is so hard to find good help these days."

Ren turned to the group. "Perhaps we should split up, one group handles Darkstar, the other Ssserpent. Agreed?"

Gwen nodded. "Right. Ben, Yang, you two take Nora and Ren to the backyard and secure Ssserpent." She focused back on Michael. "We'll take care of Darkstar."

Ben was about to protest, but he immediately saw the intense stare that his cousin was giving him. It held both reassurance and insistence without even saying a word. He knew she wasn't going to back down from her decision. He let out a small sigh. "Alright, Gwen. Good luck."

Gwen gave him a smirk. "Hey, I'm quite a _Lucky Girl_ , remember?"

Ben smirked back. "Yeah, I get it." He turned back to Yang, Nora and Ren. "C'mon guys, let's go!"

As the four began to make their way to the back yard, Yang couldn't help but ask; "So, what's the lucky girl remark about?"

Ben gave out a short laugh. "Heh, now _that's_ a long story."

* * *

The moment he heard something going on in the front yard, Max knew there was something wrong. Ssserpent falling out of the sky and almost crushing him was just secondary confirmation. He had been busy getting his gear ready when the snake alien landed right next to him, groaning in pain. The alien picked himself up and rubbed his head with the back of his right snake mouth. "Hmm, that girl isss ssstronger than ssshe looksss."

The sound of an energy rifle charging up caused his eyes to widen. Ssserpent shifted himself around to see Max pointing his Techadorian Multiblaster right at him. "Hands in the air, Ssserpent. Or… whatever it is you have on your arms."

A sinister grin came to Ssserpent's face. "Oh, of courssse, Magissster." He raised his arms up, but the moment he did, he spat acid out of his mouth, causing Max to recoil in self-defense. The acid landed on the ground, melting away the grass. The Plumber's reaction pleased the snake man. "Ah, jussst asss I sssussspected. You have ssso few weaponsss, you do not wisssh to for them to be damaged. It would be sssuch a ssshame if it were to corrode into nothing."

"HEY!" Ssserpent whirled back to see Ben, Yang, Nora and Ren standing not far away, the latter three having drawn their weapons while Ben pointed at him. "Get away from my grandpa you slithering son of a bitch!"

"Ah, very well." Ssserpent shrugged. "Older meat isss very grissstle anyway. You all ssshould be much more tender."

Yang winced. "I never thought that talking about eating something could be so creepy."

"What do we do?" Nora asked.

Ren quickly scanned Ssserpent with his eyes before coming up with an idea. "I think I have something. His tail seems to be the one spot that is most vulnerable. Yang, if I distract him, do you think you could get behind him, knock him down and grab his tail?"

Yang nodded. "Sure, then what?"

"Toss him by the tail over to Nora. She'll know what to do next."

The Pink Dynamo saluted. "I sure will!"

Ren glanced over to the green-clad hero. "And Ben, that'll leave you an opening to finish him off with a transformation."

"You got it!" Ben gave a thumbs up before bringing up the Omnitrix.

"Great. Now let's do it!" Ren ran forward and aimed his Stormflower pistols right at Ssserpent, firing off round after round of Fire Dust at the alien. The snake man immediately put his arms up and spat acid out of his mouth-hands to try and stop the shots, but more just kept coming. Ren began to circle around Ssserpent, the alien forced to follow the ninja's movements to spray more acid on the incoming fire.

"Ssstop it! You're ussselesssss bulletsss are no match for—" _SMACK_! Yang landed a direct punch to Ssserpent's face with a Dust round unloading from her Ember Celica. The snake man fell to the ground, completely disoriented.

"You were sssaying?" Yang mocked as she picked Ssserpent up by the tail. She spun him around before tossing him straight over to Nora. "Here he comes Nora!"

"On it!" Nora swung Magnhild at the incoming Ssserpent, the impact sending him straight into a tree. Believe it or not, the alien was still conscious, even if his head was spinning. Nora hollered over to Ben with a grin. "Alright, Ben! Finish him off!"

"Give us a good show, Green Boy!" Yang cheered on.

Ben smiled at her. "The lady asks, and she shall receive." He slammed the Omnitrix core down and immediately began to transform. His clothes changed into a white and black unitard that only went up to his chest and halfway down his thighs. The rest of him began to grow grey fur all around his body with his head and neck growing black fur. His hands and feet changed into claws, with three black claws each appearing on the appendages. A long, black bushy tail grew right out of his hindquarters and his face became lupin in nature, elongating into a snout with large fangs. His eyes glossed over green and the Omnitrix symbol took its place on the alien wolf's chest as Ben howled to the sky.

" _ARRROOOOOO_!" The wolf's eyes shot open in surprise he looked over himself. "Huh, okay, I was going for Echo Echo, but this guy works too."

"A giant wolf?!" Yang exclaimed. "Gotta admit, that's pretty badass."

Nora's smile grew as she set her eyes on the wolf alien. "That is SO COOL! It's like a Beowolf if it wasn't completely evil! Who's this guy called?"

The Loboan rubbed the back of his head. "Heh, well, see, about that. I've actually never come up with a clever name for this one. When I was ten, I just called him Benwolf."

"Huh, well, we can't just let that stand!" Nora resolved. "We should get you a proper name for this guy!"

"Perhaps Snarler?" Ren suggested.

The wolf put a claw to is chin. "Eh, no, too generic."

"Ooh! Ooh! How about Howlback?!" Nora put in.

"Closer, but I'm pretty sure that name belongs to a Transformer."

"Um, kids." Max spoke up. "Maybe now isn't the best time for this!"

The old Plumber was right, for as the teens were going over names, Ssserpent had collected himself and got up, furious that they were not paying him any mind. "You dare ignore Ssserpent?!" He lunged forward, slithering as fast as he could to spit acid at the giant wolf alien. "I ssshall devour you with exssstreme prejudiccce!"

"HEY! This doesn't involve you!" The wolf alien opened his mouth… in four separate directions. The inside of his mouth was bright green and his tongue matched the interior, the soft muscle just dangling there in his opened quad-jaw. From his maw, the wolf creature let out a green colored ultrasonic howl that forced Ssserpent to cover his earholes with his hands. The force of the howl was so powerful that it forced Ssserpent to be sent flying back once again into the same tree, though this time, the tree was snapped in two when the howl itself hit it. Both Ssserpent and the tree fell to the ground, with the snake man falling unconscious soon after. The wolf rubbed the back of his head in guilt over what he had done. "Oh, woops."

But it was at that moment that inspiration struck Yang like a bolt of lightning. She snapped her fingers and said; "I've got it! Blitzwolfer!"

The Loboan's ears stood at attention as the new name was spoken. "Hey… now there's a name! I like it! Thanks Yang!"

Yang walked up to the newly christened Blitzwolfer and gave him a hug. "Don't mention it, big guy. But I think there's something you need to do to make it official, right?"

Blitzwolfer's eyes widened in realization. "Oh! You're right!" The wolf alien put his hand up to his mouth and cleared his throat before howling to the heavens; "BLITZWOOOOOLFER!"

Nora jumped into the air, ecstatic over their win. "Alright! We beat up a snake guy, AND we named an alien! That's a win-win in my book!"

Max sighed as he strolled over to the four teens. "Thanks kids, and good job. But where did Ssserpent come from in the first place?"

"He came here with Darkstar, grandpa." Blitzwolfer explained. "We need to get back out front and help Gwen!"

Max quickly had a sinking feeling in his gut from worry. "Darkstar is here too? Oh lord, you're right, we need to help them now!"

Ren gazed over to the unconscious Ssserpent, still sprawled out on the ground. "But what do we do with Ssserpent?"

"You can just leave him to me." At the sound of the deep, familiar voice, the entire group turned their attention to another side of the forest to see Tetrax emerge from the thicket. The Petrosapien bounty hunter was armed and ready with an energy pistol in his hand. "I'll secure Ssserpent while you help the others."

"Tetrax! You're back!" Yang exclaimed.

"Indeed. I was on my way here when I heard the explosions. I came running as fast as I could and I've informed Gluto. He's on his way here with the ship right now." Tetrax knelt down and produced a pair of energy cuffs from his pocket, securing them around Ssserpent's wrists. "I'll make sure he doesn't go anywhere, you all just get out there and help them up front. I'll meet you in a moment"

Blitzwolfer gave his old friend a nod. "Right, thanks Tetrax." The group of five went off to the front yard while Tetrax hoisted Ssserpent over his shoulder, careful of the acid dripping from the snake alien's mouth.

* * *

As the fight in the backyard occurred, things out front were much tenser as Darkstar stared down his five foes, unmoving like an imposing statue. His hardened glare was focused on the object of his desires; Gwen. Not in any sort of romantic way, oh no. Romance to him was just a means to an end. What he desired most was energy. And he would do anything to take hers.

And Gwen knew this all too well. "Alright guys, if we're going to take him down, we're going to have to be careful. He can absorb energy, so be careful not to get caught in his beams, alright?"

The group agreed before Darkstar spoke up again. "So, we're going to be doing this the hard way, I suppose? Such a shame, my lovely Gwen."

Before Gwen could respond, Blake stepped out front and spat out at him; "Don't you DARE talk to her like that!" She unsheathed Gambol Shroud and rushed forward at near-blinding speed. Darkstar himself was quite surprised at how fast she was moving. Still, it was for not, as he could still sense the energy that her Aura gave off. The moment she was in front of him, he blocked the blow that she was about to make with Gambol Shroud, catching the blade in between his hands which glowed with dark energy.

"Impressive." Darkstar admitted. "But it would appear that you are feeling quite irritable. Did I touch a nerve, or does the kitty need to be put down for a nap?"

But Blake wasn't deterred, her death glare becoming even more terrifying. She let out a growl; "ENOUGH!" She twisted Gambol Shroud and pulled it away before hitting Darkstar with the weapon's sheath, which caught the villain off guard. He pulled back only to be dealt a swift kick to his abdomen, sending him back several feet. Blake let out a hard exhale before glaring daggers at him again. "We may not have met before today, "Darkstar", but I've dealt your type before. And if you even lay a single _hand_ on my friend, I promise you that you WILL regret it."

"And what will you do?" Darkstar inquired calmly as he stood tall. "Kill me?"

"Oh no, I wouldn't go that far. You're a criminal, which means you have to be put away." Blake's amber eyes began to glow as her pupils changed into cat-like slits. "But believe me when I say that you won't be able to do much of anything once I get through with you."

"Hmm… it would seem you mean business. But then again…" Darkstar raised his hand, dark energy collecting around it once again. "I don't exactly care." He shot the energy right at Blake, intending to absorb her essence and move on. But Blake had anticipated such a move. She used her Semblance and made a shadow clone of herself, the black beam passing right through it. Darkstar's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, what—"

Only for Blake to appear right behind him. "Too slow." She delivered another strong kick to Darkstar's back, sending the unsuspecting man flying forward. "Sun! Heads up!" She shouted.

"Gotcha, Blake!" Sun sprinted forward and pulled out Ruyi Jingu Bang. He swung his weapon and it connected with Darkstar's gut, making him fall back to the ground in a heap and knocking the wind out of him. Just as he picked himself up and began to fill his lungs back up with air, Darkstar was hit in the face by the bo staff, forcing him to stumble back even farther. Sun pulled Ruyi and Jingu Bang apart into its gun-chuck mode, a smirk set on his face. "C'mon, Bucket Head, let's see what ya got!"

Darkstar straightened up, his lungs having filled back up with air. "You seem confident… for a dead man." The two yelled and rushed forward, meet each other head on. With every swing and blast that Sun made with his weapon, Darkstar was able to deflect it by creating black energy shields against his forearms, forcing the weapons to recoil back. But Sun kept at it before his eyes managed to find an opening.

"There we go." Sun spun one of the gun-chucks in his hand, making it appear to go where Darkstar had expected it to. But in a split second, the monkey boy faked him out and swung the other gun-chuck directly at his midsection, causing Darkstar to yell out in pain. Sun's grin returned. "And now for the finishing touch." Sun closed his eyes and his hair began to glow gold, his Semblance beginning to kick in. A gold clone of himself rushed forward, only for Darkstar to immediately grab it by the throat.

"Ha! I'm not about to be fooled by the same trick a second…" The iron masked man suddenly noticed the clone beginning to glow even brighter. "What the—GAH!" The clone exploded and sent Darkstar flying back again, another small cloud of dust kicking up where he was standing. Darkstar felt himself sailing back until he landed against… what felt like nothing. He opened his eyes to see that he had in fact landed against a black glyph that was spinning in different directions. His arms had gone through the glyph itself, preventing him from moving them. Disoriented and confused, he asked; "W-why can't I move?! What is this?!"

"Oh, just one of my Gravity glyphs." Weiss explained as she revealed herself from behind the glyph. She narrowed her eyes at him with a grin set upon her face. "And I guess what? You're going for a ride, you creep."

The glyph began to spin faster and faster and Darkstar's pupils began to shrink in horror. "Oh no." He desperately tried to move, to absorb the glyph before it could even do anything.

But Weiss wouldn't let that happen. "Oh yes." The heiress assured. "Now goodbye." With a flick of Myrtenaster, the glyph sent Darkstar right into the air and straight back toward the house. Weiss cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled; "Gwen! You're turn!"

"On it!" Gwen shot a mana tether out of her hand and it wrapped around Darkstar's waist before slamming him straight down onto the ground. Gwen glanced to the blue haired boy next to her. "Neptune? If you'd please?"

"Of course!" Neptune pulled his goggles over his eyes and pulled his weapon out, changing it into its trident form and lunging at Darkstar. He slammed the trident into the ground so that Darkstar's wrist was caught between the prongs of the weapon, the bladed pieces spaced together close enough to that he couldn't free his hand. Neptune then slammed his boot onto Darkstar's other hand, the iron masked man letting out a cry in pain. "Ha! How'd you like that asshole?!"

But surprisingly, as the five teens began to regroup around him, Darkstar began to chuckle, quickly forming into a sinister laugh as dark energy began to collect around him. Gwen's eyes widened as she reached out. "Neptune, get back!" But it was too late, Darkstar let out the burst of black energy, sending everyone away from him and onto the ground as he began floating in the air with the same energy sparking in arcs around him.

"THAT'S IT! I've tried being patient, but it's obvious that you all are going to learn the hard way!" His eyes scanned around before they landed on Blake, the cat girl still trying to get up. "Ah yes, I believe you were the one who made the first move against me." Darkstar shot a beam out, ensnaring her in it. "You shall be my first victim. It's unfortunate. After all, you have such a beautiful face." He instantly began to absorb her energy, with Blake letting out a cry of agony. All Darkstar did was take a deep breath. "Ah, yes I feel it. I knew the beings of this world must have more energy than the common human from ours. But it still pales in comparison to an Anodi—" Suddenly, a beam of mana shot out and cut off Darkstar's tether, forcing him to let go of Blake. The villain turned his attention to Gwen, giving her an apathetic stare. "Oh, dearest Gwen, must we really play this game of—"

But he cut himself short once he saw the state that Gwen was in. Her eyes were glowing bright pink in silent rage, glaring at him like he had just committed an unspeakable act. Suddenly, her entire body began to glow. In a blind flash of light, Gwen transformed into a dark purple being made of pure mana, with long, glowing magenta energy flowing from her head to resemble hair. Her eyes had become entirely white as well, completing her Anodite form, much to everyone's shock. _**"You were saying, Michael?!"**_

* * *

Sun quickly rushed over to Blake's side, hoping to anything that she was alright. He looked down at her as her eyes remained closed, anxiety quickly taking hold as he began pleading with her to wake up. "Blake! Are-are you okay?! Please say something! Anything!" A few seconds passed before Blake's face began to twitch a little. Her eyes then fully opened a moment later, much to Sun's relief.

"Ugh, Sun?" Blake said as she slowly sat up and put a hand to her forehead. "What happened?"

"You're okay!" Sun cried out as he gently embraced her. "Oh, thank god, you're okay!"

Suddenly, Blake began to feel a bit queasy. "Oh lord. What happened? It feels like my Aura's been drained."

Sun gently pulled out of the embrace, careful to not jostle her. "Darkstar… he almost killed you. But Gwen managed to stop him." His shoulders slumped. "And… I couldn't do anything to help." He gazed down to the ground, disappointed in himself. "Shows how useful I am, huh?"

"Hey! Don't say that!" Blake put her hand to his face and brought it up to meet her gaze. "You're helping me right now, right? Sun, knowing that you care is all I could ever ask from you." She gave him a smile and hugged him again. "And you don't need to come to my rescue to prove that. Just being yourself is what's most important to me."

Sun was taken aback by the words as he slowly returned the hug. "R-really?"

Blake nodded against his shoulder, her eyes gently closing as she relaxed in the embrace. "Yes, really." But then her eyes opened as a realization hit her. "Wait, where IS Gwen anyway?"

"Uh… about that." Sun glanced back to where the action was happening with Blake following his gaze. The cat girl's jaw dropped as she saw who she assumed to be Gwen, having transformed into an energy being and floating right in front of Darkstar, glowering right at him.

Blake's cat ears flattened against her head. "Oh, so I'm guessing that _this_ is what an Anodite looks like."

* * *

"Stay back!" Darkstar gathered as much dark energy as he could muster and concentrated it into a black sphere. He shot it out at Gwen, hoping that it'd at least knock her back long enough for him to retreat. But, without even flinching, Gwen batted the sphere away with one arm, sending it flying away before shooting a mana beam at it, causing it to burst in midair. She drew closer to him, her glare unwavering. "W-wait! I-I was just—" Darkstar begged.

" _ **You were about to kill one of my best friends!"**_ Gwen asserted as she raised her hand. _**"Don't try to fool me, Michael."**_ She blasted a powerful mana beam at Darkstar, knocking him out of the air and back down to the ground. _**"I know you enough to know you never have any other intentions."**_ She drifted to the ground and slowly began to approach him, to which Darkstar immediately began to crawl backwards on his back, fear taking hold of him. _**"You'll do just about anything to get what you want, even if it involves hurting innocent people."**_

"W-wait! Please! I—"

" _ **NO!"**_ Gwen ensnared Darkstar in another mana tether before flinging him up into the air. _**"You want energy?! Then take this!"**_ Gwen sent another blast of mana right at Darkstar, sending him straight into a tree. He slumped down against its trunk, having been rattled by the impact. Gwen exhaled slowly, calming herself down. _**"Finally."**_ It was only then did she notice that Weiss and Neptune were staring dumbfoundedly at her, astonished by the spectacle she had just performed. _**"Oh, um… sorry, I kinda lost it there for a second."**_

A big grin came to Neptune's face. "What's there to apologize for?! That was awesome!"

Weiss nodded in agreement. "Definitely, great job, Gwen!"

" _ **Uh, thanks, I think."**_ At that moment, Gwen let out a gasp as she remembered her fallen friend. _**"Wait! What happened to Blake?!"**_ Weiss pointed behind the her and the Anodite turned around to see Blake sitting with Sun, the two of them waving to her. Gwen transformed back into her human form and rushed over to Blake's side, Sun having already gotten there before she did. The monkey boy held the cat girl's hand as he slowly began to help her, careful not to move her too much. "Blake! Are you okay?!" Gwen asked.

"Heh, yes, I'm fine." Blake answered as Sun began to slowly help her to her feet. But she could feel another wave of nausea go through her, her hand moving to her stomach as she let out a groan. "Ugh, well, I think so anyway. My Aura was drained a bit, but I think you managed to cut him off before he got a majority of it."

Gwen let out a sigh, relieved that she was okay. "Good, I'm glad you're alright. Here, let me give you some energy." Gwen set her hand onto Blake's shoulder and replenished her aura with mana, giving back her strength.

"Ah, thanks Gwen, I—LOOK OUT!" Blake pulled Gwen out of the way just as another blast of dark energy flew right past them. The group whirled around to see Darkstar, limping toward them with a single arm outstretched. He kept his other arm close to his side, the entire appendage having been sprained. His dark eyes bored into the five as she trudged forward, his star holding no sympathy for them whatsoever.

"I have HAD IT!" He bellowed, the reverberations in his mask making the threat somewhat more intimidating even in his sad state. "I will NOT be IGNORED anymo—"

 _SLAM!_ Darkstar had been so caught up in his own words, that he failed to notice Yang as she sprinted around the other side of the house and decked him right in the face with a Fire Dust fueled punch. A strike so hard that it sent him back down to the ground and made his mask fly off. The Blonde Brawler cracked her knuckles as she glared down at Darkstar, who was hollering in pain. "How's that for being ignored, asshole?"

But then she recoiled at the sight of the face of Michael Morningstar, shriveled up, eyes sunken in, and tufts of hair randomly strewn about on his head. "EW! That's just NOT right!"

The rest of the group shouted in disgust as well, with Weiss in particular feeling every inch of her skin crawl as she looked at him. "Oh god! Gross!" she shouted. "Somebody put the helmet back on him!"

From around the side of the house, Ren, Nora, Max and, to Gwen's surprise, Benwolf had quickly returned as well, the Loboan glancing down at Yang's handiwork. "Ha! Nice Yang! You sure showed him."

Yang smirked back at him. "Sure did. And he deserves every _ounce_ of that punch."

Nora cringed at the sight of the grey skinned man. "Yeesh, he definitely ISN'T pretty."

"Indeed." Ren concurred. "Quite grotesque."

Blake was internally screaming at the sight of the large wolf monster, her aversion to canines taking hold. But when she saw the Omnitrix symbol, her fear was quelled, at least a little bit. "Wait, Ben?"

"Yep, that's my name!" The Loboan confirmed. "Well… technically it's Blitzwolfer now, but that's beside the point." He then noticed Darkstar about to get up and he pounced onto him, pinning him down to the ground. Blitzwolfer lowered his head and snarled; "Just where do you think you're going Michael?" He reached over and grabbed the Darkstar helmet, shoving it back onto Michael's head without being the least bit gentle. "There, that's better."

Max instantly ran over to check on his granddaughter, hoping that she wasn't hurt. "Gwen! Are you alright? Did Darkstar hurt you?"

Blake smiled at the old man. "Quite the opposite actually, _Gwen_ put the hurt on _him_."

"And it was AWESOME!" Sun added. "She turned into this cool purplish-pink energy being and just blasted him away like he was nothing!"

"She just tossed away his blasts like: BAM!" Neptune emphasized. "It was like they were volleyballs to her!"

Max looked to his granddaughter in surprise. "Really, now? Hah, it seems your powers continue to grow stronger every day, Gwen. Wherever she is in the universe, I'm sure your grandmother would be proud to see how far you've come."

But Gwen shrugged it off. "Aw, it wasn't _that_ great."

"Um, I strongly disagree." Weiss interjected. "It was both incredible AND satisfying to watch."

"Man, wish I could've seen it." Blitzwolfer said. "Sounds like you gave Darkstar his just desserts, cous'!"

"Thanks Ben. And I'm glad that you finally renamed Benwolf." Gwen commented. "Blitzwolfer's actually a pretty good name for him too."

"You can thank Yang for that." Blitzwolfer clarified. "She's the one who came up with it."

"Why am I not surprised?" Gwen gave the blonde a smirk. "Look out Yang, Ben's got two more monstrous aliens that could also use a bit of renaming."

"I'll be sure to help him out with that." Yang promised. "So, what now?" As if to answer her question, Tetrax's ship flew into view above their heads, landing in the front yard and lowering its ramp. "Heh, right on time I guess."

Gwen gave Yang a questioning glance. "Wait, what do you mean by…?" However, the moment she saw Tetrax come from the backyard with Ssserpent slung over his shoulder, she realized what the blonde meant. She waved over as the Petrosapien walked closer to them. "Oh, hi Tetrax. When did you get here?"

"About a moment ago." Tetrax answered. "I heard the explosion and came running." He lowered his head to see Darkstar struggling as Blitzwolfer held him down. "I'm guessing that he's going to need a cell too? I've got plenty of 'em."

"He will." Max confirmed. "But don't use energy cuffs on him. He might be able to absorb them."

"Got it. Max, could you take Ssserpent for a moment?" Tetrax handed off the snake alien to Max and knelt down next to Darkstar. He placed his hands around Darkstar's wrists, encasing them in a pair of dense crystalline braces that connected between his arms, ensuring that he wouldn't be getting away. "Alright, he's secured. Ben, you can let go now."

"Great, thanks Tetrax." Blitzwolfer got off of Darkstar and transformed back into Ben allowing Tetrax to lift Darkstar to his feet. "Now, lock him up if you would be so kind. I don't wanna see him for a long time."

But Darkstar wasn't having it. The moment he got to his feet, he struggled against Tetrax's hold, shouting at the top of his lungs. "No! NO! I will not be denied my revenge! Do you hear me Tennyson?! DO YOU?!"

Ben just gave him a cocky smirk. "Oh, I do, I'm just choosing not to listen."

"ARGH! NO! This isn't how it's supposed to end!" But little did Darkstar realize, at the base of his feet where he was being pulled away, a dark black smoke was beginning to materialize, growing with his anger. "I will NOT be DENIED!" All at once, the black smoke erupted from the earth beneath his feet, the force powerful enough to knock Tetrax away and break the crystal restraints. Whirling around in shock, Darkstar attempted to move away from the smoke, but to no avail. "W-what is this?! Some sort of trick?!"

Ben suddenly got a sick feeling in his stomach as he recognized the pitch-black smoke. "It's Salem! She's trying to get him! Quick, grab him before he gets away!" The group of teens and Tetrax charged at the growing cloud of smoke, intending to pull Darkstar away in the vain hope of the black substance possibly dissipating. But it wouldn't be so, for when they got within an inch of him, Darkstar was completely engulfed by the substance, disappearing as soon as the smoke cleared. Ben ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Gah! Damn it! Not again!" He slumped down onto the ground, falling onto his knees. "We were so close."

Tetrax lowered his head in disappointment. "I'm so sorry Ben. I should've had a better hold of him. It's my fault he got away."

Ben shook his head, still looking down at the ground. "No Tetrax, this is all on me. I should've realized that Salem would want a scumbag like him for her cause."

Yang immediately knelt down on the ground next to him, wrapping her arms around him in a comforting hug. "Ben, it's okay. This _isn't_ your fault. The guy literally showed up at our doorstep without any warning. We just weren't expecting all this to happen." She leaned her head against his shoulder, hoping her words were getting through to him. "So please, don't blame yourself for every bad thing that happens. It's not good for you to beat up on yourself like this."

"Yang's right Ben." Max agreed. "Remember what I've always told you: wins and losses go hand in hand. You can't have one without the other. And in any case, there's still a bright side." The old man gestured his head over to the snake alien on his shoulder. "Salem didn't take Ssserpent, so we were still successful in some way today."

Ben glanced up, first to Yang, and then to his grandfather holding Ssserpent. "Heh, yeah. Guess that means that Salem doesn't like the weaker ones. Thanks grandpa." He turned his attention back to Yang, giving her a small smile as he leaned his forehead against hers. "And thanks for talking some sense into me, Yang."

"Hey, anytime Green Boy." Yang smiled back at him. "So, you wanna get back to our marathon? After all this chaos, I could go for another escape from reality."

"You read my mind Goldie Locks." The two rose to their feet and went back into the house, walking side by side. "I believe we left off at Two Face, didn't we?"

As she watched the two go back into the house, Blake let out a tired sigh. "Well, I know one thing's for sure, I'm exhausted after all that."

"Me too." Sun agreed. "I could use a nap after that."

"Really?" Nora asked. "I'm feeling great! Smacking a snake guy around really gets the blood pumpin' ya know?"

Ren put a hand to Nora's shoulder. "I can tell, Nora. But Blake had her Aura depleted in almost an instant. I think we should take some time to recuperate after what just happened."

"That sounds like an excellent idea." Weiss said. "Besides, after all that, I'm famished beyond belief."

"So am I." Neptune spoke up. "I could definitely go for a bite after that."

"Right then, why don't we put the mall on hold for a bit and take a quick rest?" Gwen suggested. "Maybe get some lunch?" Everyone unanimously agreed before heading inside, though Gwen took a moment to stand in the doorway and look out over the horizon for a bit, contemplating the witch who kept recruiting their enemies. _'Just what are you planning Salem?'_ With that question burned into her mind, Gwen closed the door and joined her friends, hoping to put the days woes behind her.

* * *

The moment his vision cleared, Darkstar found himself in a dark room, only lit by the dim rays of light coming from the windows from out in the hallway. He groaned in mild pain before picking himself up from the floor, scanning his surroundings for any sort of indication as to where he was. "What… what is this place?" But then, his senses kicked into gear as he felt a six other energy levels enter the room. Four of them felt familiar to him, with an unfamiliar one accompanying them. This unusual one held great power, as if it were a burning flame. But as the third energy entered the room, he could practically feel the dark power that it held. It was stronger than the other two and his own _combined_. He had never felt such malevolence in his life. It was truly evil. "Who are you people? Show yourselves!"

"Aw, little Mikey Morningstar." The familiar voice of a gruff woman rang out through the room. "How awful to see you again." The room lit up in an instant, revealing the life energy that Darkstar had recognized; Rojo. The bounty hunter was smirking right at him, her hands at her hips. "Been a while, hasn't it you little spoiled brat?"

"Rojo? Where—AGH!" The moment he moved, Darkstar agitated his sprained arm, his other hand grasping it in the vain attempt to ease the pain. "Where am I?!"

"Hmm, pathetic." Darkstar turned around at the comment, coming face to face with the burning energy he had sensed; a woman about his age with long flowing black hair and glowing amber eyes, wearing a red and gold dress. She scowled at him, her eyes blazing with power. "Simply looking at you, I can tell you are but a power-hungry leech. Desperate for any morsel of energy you can get your hands on. Scum like you are not even worthy of pity."

"What was that?!" Darkstar made to reach out and make a dark energy beam to absorb her energy, but regretted it the moment he let go of his arm, the pain returning in an instant. "Gah!" He held onto his arm again and fell to his knees, though he made sure to glare right back at the woman who had been foolish enough to provoke him. "I swear, you will not be so confident when you two are at my feet begging for mercy!"

"Relax, Mikey." Rojo said as she approached him. "We're all a team here. Cindy's just bustin' yer balls a bit. Ain't ya Cindy?"

The black-haired woman scoffed. "Your crudeness precedes you, Rojo." She then focused down on Darkstar again. "And just as a word of warning: if you even get the _idea_ to call me that nickname like she has, I will eviscerate you. To you, my name is Cinder. Understand?"

Beneath his mask, Darkstar sneered. "Of course." He chose to comply, at least for the time being. "Now where am I? What is this place?"

"The Boss Lady brought you here." Rojo explained. "She's recruited me, Animo, Hog, and Skull for a little "take over the world" scheme. And now she wants you in too."

Darkstar gave her an inquiring gaze. "Boss Lady?"

"I believe Rojo is referring to myself." came yet another woman's voice. Darkstar turned his head around to see a woman with stark white skin and hair, wearing pitch-black robes and staring down at him with blood red eyes. She was the completely evil presence that he had felt. "Michael Morningstar, or Darkstar as you call yourself, my name is Salem. I have an offer to make you, and I guarantee that you will want to hear what I have to say."

* * *

**A/N: Show of hands, who saw that coming? Yeah, Darkstar's recruitment was pretty much a given. I don't think Salem would pass up having someone with his talents, even if he is a creep. But yes, since the events of Omniverse haven't happened in this continuity yet, Blitzwolfer gets his new name in a much different way than before. And I have a feeling that both Ben and Yang can come up with even more alien names together considering they're both so good at puns. So, how will Salem convince someone as egotistical as Darkstar to join her? We'll just have to find out… Next Time! But while that's going on, we'll see as the heroes try to save what's left of their Saturday… and you know what they say, happiness is a warm puppy, or** _**puppies** _ **in this case. Thanks for reading! See ya!**


	29. Salvaging Saturday

**A/N: Hey guys! So funny thing about this chapter, in the Author's Notes on FFN, I made my hype for Pokémon Sword and Shield known in NO uncertain terms. And now, over a year since it's launch and even with all of the controversy it caused... yeah, I still ended up liking it. It's Pokémon, man, what am I gonna do? That being said, this is…**

**Chapter 29: Salvaging Saturday**

* * *

Michael Morningstar once had everything he could ever want. Riches, power, adoration, the whole nine yards. But the day he had met the unruly trio of Ben, Gwen and Kevin was the day all of that was all taken away from him. The day he became Darkstar. And now, here he stood, with one arm in severe pain, surrounded by three dangerous women. Normally, he would just try and absorb their energy. But the sheer malice that he felt coming from the woman named Salem was so great, he knew that if he tried anything, he could be destroyed in an instant. And his survival was the most important thing to him at this point. So, what better option than to hear the witch out? "And what, Miss Salem, do you have that I cannot simply take?"

Salem raised her head slightly, somewhat surprised by the young man's candor. Though it hadn't been the first time she had seen this sort of behavior in someone whom had just met her. _'He will learn soon enough.'_ she resolved. Without a moment more, she spoke to Michael, slowly approaching him with a single hand gesturing toward him. "Why, anything you could ask for. Michael, I sense within you the desire for power and vengeance, a desire which I myself am no stranger. I can assist you in gaining that power and taking your revenge. However, I can only help you if you are willing to aid in _my_ ambitions as well."

"I see." Michael said as she drew closer. "And what exactly is this plan that you have?"

"Hmm… an appropriate question I suppose. One which I am asked all too often." Salem stopped directly in front of Michael, looking down on him as if he were but an injured animal cornered in an alley way. "Allow me to make it clear. I wish to extinguish the hope that humanity holds within themselves. To do this I need to gather the four Maidens of this world whom represent the four seasons. You have met one of them already." She gestured over to Cinder. "My Fall Maiden, Cinder Fall."

"Ah, how apropos." Michael remarked as he turned his head to face Cinder. "I take it that you have the ability to kill plants with your mere presence then? Or am I thinking of winter?"

Cinder's eyes flared to life. "Bite your tongue you wretch!" She made to step forward and strike him with righteous fury, but Rojo got to her in time to hold her back.

"Whoa, WHOA Cindy!" The bounty hunter exclaimed as she held Cinder by the arms, the Fall Maiden struggling to break free. "Don't let him get to you alright? That's how Mikey gets his sick kicks." Begrudgingly, Cinder stopped, harshly pulling herself out of Rojo's grasp once it eased up. After giving Michael a hardened glare, she left the room in a huff, with Rojo not far behind. "Hey, don't worry Cindy, he's just gotta know his place is all."

As he watched the two leave the room, Michael took what little satisfaction he could in his antagonizing of the Fall Maiden. "Hmm, she certainly has quite the temper."

Salem was quick to respond. "Perhaps, but she has earned her place as the new Fall Maiden." She narrowed her eyes at Michael. "And I will not tolerate any further insults. Am I clear, Michael?"

"Of course." Though the words came out of his mouth sincerely enough, Michael only half-meant them like he did many things. "However, it seems all to simple to just collect four maidens to take over the world. There must be something else, isn't there?"

"Indeed." Salem confirmed. "The Maidens each have an corresponding Relic. These ancient objects of great power are the key to our success. When brought together with the four Maidens, they will unleash a power unto this world the likes of which it hasn't seen for millennia." Salem faced the fireplace, a glow as flames danced in the pit. "However, the Relics are all individually held by the four Huntsman Academies of this world. We attempted to procure one of the Relics as well as the Fall Maiden powers only but a week ago by laying siege to Beacon Academy. Cinder succeeded in becoming the new Fall Maiden, but Tennyson intervened in our attempt to fully overrun Beacon so that we would be able to search for the Relic. And now, the faculty is slowly rebuilding."

"So… you're stuck." Michael concluded.

"For the moment." Salem corrected. "Which is where you come in, Michael. As Rojo said, I am seeking out enemies of Tennyson and his allies. If we can form a coalition great enough to rival Tennyson and the group of immature teenagers that he calls a team, then we can take the Relic and completely destroy Beacon, with the three remaining Academies soon to follow."

Michael gave a single nod. "I see. Your ambitions certainly intrigue me Lady Salem. And I most certainly wish vengeance on not only Tennyson, but his darling cousin and Levin as well. They've wronged me for far too long."

"I am quite sure that they have." Salem agreed. "After all, you wear that helmet for a reason, don't you Michael?" She stepped forward and placed her hand against the helmet's side, furrowing her brows as she stared straight back at the boy. "What if I told you I could change all of that? Make your face presentable again?"

A moment passed before Michael gave his answer. "I'm listening."

* * *

On the island of Patch, Athena Nikos was pulling up in front of the Vulcan residence. She had at first been uncertain if her daughter had given her the correct directions, but after a fifteen-minute drive, she saw the plumes of forge smoke rising above the tree line, ensuring her of the route she had been given. She got out of her car and looked over the quaint house and cobblestone forge with a smile. "Oh, what an adorable home! And so well built, I may have to ask for some renovation tips for whenever I return home."

As she approached the buildings, Athena began to hear the loud clangs of metal against metal coming from the forge, so she altered her course and went into the much warmer building. Inside, she saw her daughter and Jaune hammering away at the tempered steel, the blade taking shape before her eyes. She could tell that it was nearly ready. Near the back, Festus sat at a work table with measuring glasses full of gold solution. the blacksmith removed a pommel and a cross guard from the glasses carefully, the pieces having just finished their gold plating. She called out through the room; "Hello everyone!"

Pyrrha glanced past Jaune as they put the blade back into the furnace and her eyes lit up as she saw her mother standing at the entrance. "Mom! You're here!"

Jaune turned around as well and waved to her. "Hey Athena! Glad you managed to find us."

"Hmm?" Festus glanced back before his signature grin came back to his face. "Ah ha! Mrs. Nikos! A pleasure to see you again! Welcome to my home!"

"And what a lovely home it is, Mr. Vulcan." Athena gave a slight bow. "Thank you for having me here." Her attention came back to her daughter. "Now Pyrrha, where are these little ones you told me about?"

"Oh yes!" Pyrrha went past her mother and out the door. "They're in the house. Ruby and Kevin have been watching over them." She put her hands on her mother's arms. "Mom, I just have to warn you; these two are probably too cute for their own good."

Athena chuckled at her daughter's exuberance. "Pyrrha, dear, I've worked owl chicks for many years, I believe I'm no stranger to cuteness."

Jaune's eyes widened at the revelation. "Wait, you've trained owls before?"

"Indeed. I took a special class when I went to Haven Academy. Whether it's to assist other Hunters or for my own career, I'm officially licensed to train animals. In fact…" Athena pulled out her scroll and went to the photo folder, opening it up to a picture of two owls; one a great horned owl and the other a barn owl, both staring at the camera. "These are my owls. The great horned owl on the left is Pericles, he's my tracker, and the barn owl here is Aspasia, she's my spy." She gave a sigh. "How I wish I could have brought them with me. Unfortunately, flights do not allow animals on unless they are put in the cargo hold. Ugh, such disrespect."

Jaune's eyes widened as he looked at the picture. "You. Own. OWLS?! That is so COOL!"

Next to him, Pyrrha let out a small laugh. "Hehe, yes, that's why I called her first instead of Tai. I wasn't sure how he would handle the news or if he had any experience in training wolves, but I knew my mom would definitely know how to train them."

"Indeed." Athena agreed. "However, you all must also take part in the training, if you wish to forge a bond with them."

"Hah, forge!" Jaune said as he jerked his thumb back to the cobblestone building. "I get it."

Everyone glanced at each other in awkward silence before Festus patted the young man's shoulder. "Well lad, you certainly tried. A little piece of advice; if being a Huntsman doesn't work out for ya, do not try to be a standup comedian."

Jaune's shoulder's slumped as Pyrrha set a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, duly noted."

* * *

In the living room of the Vulcan household, Ruby was laying down on her stomach as she watched the little wolf pups play with each other, the rambunctious canines rough housing across the floor. They growled and sniffed happily, lunging onto each other as they continued to roll around. Ruby couldn't keep the biggest of smiles off of her face. "Three words; Cute… as… heck."

Over in the recliner, Kevin raised an eyebrow. "Okay, this has been bugging me for the longest time. Ruby… why don't you swear?"

Ruby glanced up at him. "Because I don't think you have to swear to get a point across Mr. Potty Mouth. Besides, I'm fifteen, I'm not allowed to swear yet."

Kevin squinted at her. "Who in the hell told you that? Teens your age swear all the time. Hell, _little kids_ swear all the time. My own first swear was at _eight_. And I'm pretty sure kids in the 1980's, a whole _two_ generations before me, were swearing at even earlier ages."

"Hmm, weird." Ruby remarked as she turned back to the wolf pups. "I guess I'm just not prone to swearing as much as other people then."

"Oh, just you wait Ruby." Kevin sat back in the chair. "One of these days, you're gonna get so frustrated at something, you'll HAVE to swear."

"HA! Not likely." At that moment, Ruby heard the front door open, followed by Venus' welcoming voice;

"Oh! You must be Athena, Pyrrha's mother!" The woman greeted, signaling the Nikos matriarch's arrival. "Such a pleasure to meet you, I'm Venus, Festus' wife."

"A pleasure to meet you Venus." Athena's voice came. "I must thank you and your husband for helping out today, and a little more than anticipated if I might add."

"Oh, of course. The children have been a joy to have around today, and I think you'll find that our other little guests have been just as exciting. Here, let me show you." The sounds of footsteps came down the hall and in but a few seconds Athena and Venus came into the room, followed closely by Jaune and Pyrrha. "See?" Venus said. "Everyone's having a good time here."

Ruby's first instinct was to wave from her place on the ground. "Hi Mrs. Nikos!"

Kevin gave a quick two fingered salute from his place in the chair. "Hey Mrs. N. How goes it?"

Athena waved back to the two. "Hello Ruby, Kevin. How have things… been…" But then her eyes drifted down to the tiny wolf pups, the two having stopped their playing to stare inquisitively at her, tilting their heads as if to say; 'Oh, you're new. Who're you?' Athena gasped at the two bundles of fur gazing at her and she immediately came into the room, squatting down to eye level and smiling brightly at them. "Oh my goodness, they are too adorable for words! Hello!" She received two tiny barks in response as they hobbled over to her.

Pyrrha snickered at her mother's weak resolve. "Hehe, I knew she wouldn't be able to resist."

Suddenly, an oven timer went off in the other room, with Venus' eyes widening at the sound. "Oh! That's my beef stew! Excuse me for a moment, I just have to take care of that." The blonde woman left, leaving the three people and two tiny pups to their own devices.

Jaune and Pyrrha stepped into the living room, the two sitting down on the floor not far from Ruby. "So, Athena, what do you think the verdict is on these little guys?" Jaune asked.

"Hmm." Athena pondered the question as she let the pups sniff her hand. "Well, they're certainly young enough to be trained. But training a wolf to hunt Grimm is no easy matter. At times, it takes a year or so before they are ready to begin hunting." She turned back to her daughter. "Are you certain that you want to do this, dear? This will be a big undertaking."

Pyrrha took a deep breath and exhaled. "Mom, I know that this _is_ a bit sudden. But with Beacon closed until it is completely repaired, I believe that it would be best to learn by doing. And well, what better way than to train an animal? Besides…" she knelt down next to her mother and picked one of the pups up, setting it on her lap, "they deserve a good life, you know? They won't be able to survive on their own in those woods with so many Grimm."

"Well…" Athena let out a sigh. "Very well. But I expect all of you to take this _very_ seriously. A wolf is a big responsibility that requires the utmost focus. We start our training tomorrow afternoon, is that understood?"

Ruby stood at attention and saluted. "Ma'am, yes ma'am! We won't let you down!"

Pyrrha pulled her mother into a heartfelt hug. "Thank you, mom. This means so much, you have no idea."

Athena chuckled lightly as she returned her daughter's embrace. "Your welcome, sweetheart."

"Well, this is great and all," Jaune spoke up, "but there's still one thing left to do; what're we gonna call these two hooligans?" he pointed to the wolf pups, the two barking as they continued to play with the Nikos women.

"I've actually been putting some thought into that." Kevin answered. "And I think I've come up with a couple names that are actually fitting for 'em."

Jaune shrugged. "Alright, let's hear 'em, then."

Kevin stood up and went over to the center of the room, setting the scene for what he was about to say. "Alright, so here's what I was thinking; in the world that we come from, there's this ancient city called Rome. It's the capital of a country called Italy and it's most famous for its architecture, culture, mythology, all that stuff. But I remember Gwen telling me about how Rome was founded by twin brothers; Romulus and Remus. These guys were actually taken away from their mom and left alongside a river bank. The story goes that they were found by a she-wolf who took care of them until they were found by a local couple who adopted them."

Ruby was transfixed as Kevin recounted the tale, amazed by such an intriguing historical event. "That's so cool! I had no idea your world had such awesome history!"

"Yep. But the main reason why I think these names fit is because of the similar circumstances, just reversed." Kevin explained. "Ya know, with the whole "left to die after losing their parents" thing. But instead of the wolf finding the humans, we found the wolves."

"And that is an excellent point." Pyrrha complimented. "But there is just one problem…" Pyrrha grasped the pup she was playing with and gently flipped it over onto it's back, the pup still playing with her hand. This allowed everyone a good view of the wolf pup's underside revealing the fact that… "This little one is female, while the other is definitely a boy."

Kevin slapped his forehead before sighing in exasperation. "Alright, Romulus and _Rema_ then. How 'bout that?"

"I think their perfect!" Ruby said. "Awesome names for awesome animals! So now what do we do next?"

Athena stood up and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, next comes the legal paperwork. And to do that, I'll have to find the local licensing department and get the legal documents." She turned to the hooded girl next to her. "You wouldn't happen to know where that is, would you Ruby?"

Ruby pursed her lips and put a finder to her chin in deep thought. "Not sure, I think that the town hall's where everything's taken care of, so maybe we should start there?"

"A sound plan." Athena agreed. "After that, we can go shopping for the essentials these little ones will need."

Jaune raised his hand. "Um, Athena? My sword's going to need another hour before it's ready to be put together. Sorry to say, but I can't just up and leave."

Pyrrha nodded. "Yes, and I promised that I would help him with it as well."

"I understand." Athena assured. "I know how much this project means to the two of you. Far be it from me to stand in your way. Ruby and I will go out and do the errands while you three remain here. Work hard on that blade and watch the pups, alright?"

"Of course, mom. You can count on us." Pyrrha reached over and pet one of the wolf pups on the head. "Welcome to the family Romulus." And then the other. "You too Rema." The two pups yipped in response before Pyrrha rose to her feet. "Well, I suppose we should get back to work then."

"Right." Jaune agreed. "We're almost done! Then tomorrow we'll come back and work on the shield. That shouldn't take nearly as long as the sword did… hopefully."

Athena shifted her eyes back to Ruby, the silver-eyed girl looking back at her expectedly. "Well Ruby, shall we be off?"

Ruby gave a quick nod. "Yeah, let's—oh! Hi again, Mrs. Vulcan!"

Athena faced back to see Venus standing in the doorway, a pair of oven mitts covering her hands. "Hello everybody! I just came to tell you that my beef stew is done and ready to eat. Athena, would you like to join us for lunch before you leave?"

"Oh, well, I couldn't possibly…" but then Athena's stomach grumbled in protest, causing her to blush profusely. "Um, hehe, on the other hand, a bite to eat does sound rather nice." The room erupted into good natured laughter before the group went out into the dining room to eat their meal, with the tiny duo of Romulus and Rema hot on their heels.

But just before she exited the living room, Ruby glanced out the window to see big grey storm clouds in the sky, slowly making their way toward them. "Hmm, looks like a storm's brewing."

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Salem's castle, most of the evil doers were lounging about in the dining room, waiting for their mistress to enter with their new guest. Hog and Skull were busy stuffing their faces, making sure that nothing remained on their plates. Emerald tried to look away from the grotesque eating habits of the two men, but she was too horrified by their demeanor that it fascinated her in some strange way. Mercury, his legs having been repaired, was now free to move about the castle again, though he still had his arms wrapped up in gauze. And he also had a permanent reminder from the punch that Yang had given him, a burn mark set straight across the left side of his face. He, along with Emerald, had chosen to sit with Cinder, the Fall Maiden still fuming after the way Darkstar had spoken to her earlier. But, of course, Rojo sat with them as well, the bounty hunter leaning back in her chair with her feet propped up on the table, having finished her own plate of food. She sneered over to the two men across the table.

"Ugh, do you two HAVE to eat like slobs?" She chastised them. "Seriously, you're acting like a couple a' animals!"

Skull paused, gulping down a mouthful of food, before replying to her in a slightly offended tone. "Hey, you try bein' stuck out in the woods for a week and see how you like it!"

Hog did the same. "Yeah, we were forced to eat whatever we could find, man. _You_ might be able to hunt, but we sure as shit ain't!"

As they continued to eat, Mercury whispered over to Emerald; "Remind me why we have to work with these thugs?"

"Because apparently, they've had a lot of experience in dealing with Tennyson before." Emerald whispered back. "Plus, they're a package deal with Animo. He's promised them some kind of superpower once he's finished that formula of his."

"Hmph, knowing them, that probably means brute strength." Mercury glanced around the table, but there was no sight of the aforementioned doctor. "Hey, where IS Animo anyway?"

"He said he didn't want to be disturbed." Rojo answered. "And quite honestly, I don't blame him. The last thing I want to be doing is "welcoming" Darkstar into our ranks."

"So why ARE you here then?" Emerald inquired. "If you hate him so much, why not just go somewhere else in the castle?"

Rojo smirked and jerked her thumb toward Cinder. "'Cause somebody's gotta keep Cindy here from tearing little ol' Mikey limb from limb."

Cinder grumbled at the mention of the young man's name, if she could even call him a man. "Who does that insolent brat think he is? He insulted me straight to my face, _nonchalantly_ might I add."

"Yeah, Mikey doesn't exactly hold respect for people who he sees as lesser than himself." Rojo elaborated. "He's called us plenty of things, like fools…"

"Imbeciles." Exo-Skull added.

"And cretins." Thunderhog finished. "And I ain't even sure what a cretin IS!"

"Gee, sounds like an upstanding guy." Emerald said sarcastically. "So where are they anyway?"

As if to answer her question, the giant doors opened and Salem entered the room. Everyone went silent, Hog and Skull even stopped scarfing their food. Their mistress entered the room in a moderate walk, her robes trailing behind her. Without hesitation, she took her seat at the head of the table, addressing her subordinates a mere moment after she sat down. "Everyone, I have gathered you here today for two reasons. The first is a rather brief subject, yet still important. This evening, Doctor Watts and Hazel Rainart shall be returning from their field objectives."

Rojo quirked a brow. "And who're they?"

"Fellow members of our cause." Salem explained. "Rojo, I expect you, Farkas and Thaddeus to treat them with respect." She turned her head toward the two thugs in question. "Am I clear on that, gentlemen?"

Hog bowed his afroed head. "Sure thing, Lady Salem."

Skull saluted. "We won't cause no trouble for them, ma'am."

Salem narrowed her eyes, deciding to let the double negative pass. "See that you don't. These two have been part of our cause for much longer than you have, so hold them in regard. I have already informed Dr. Animo of this as well, so I am sure you will all be prepared for their arrival. Now, onto the second subject, which I am no doubt certain you know about already. We have a new ally." Salem gazed over to the entrance. "You may enter, Michael."

Through the door came Darkstar, his metal helmet reflecting the purple light the room gave off. Cinder immediately glared daggers at him while Rojo leaned forward in anticipation for whatever might happen. Emerald furrowed her brows slightly while Mercury raised a single eyebrow in question as the tunic-clad man strolled forward, one arm in a sling while the other was set behind his back. He glanced around the table at the group of villains before raising a single hand to all of them. "Everyone, thank you for being here to greet me. It has been a long and arduous week of wandering aimlessly through Vale, and I owe a debt of gratitude to Lady Salem for her invitation to join her cause. One which I have humbly excepted."

Cinder rolled her eyes. _'Oh yes, I am so sure.'_

Salem gestured over to the table. "Michael, would you care to have a seat?"

Darkstar bowed in respect to the woman. "I would be most honored to." He sat next to Hog and Skull, making sure to keep his distance from Cinder and what he assumed to be her entourage. He set his attention instead over to the two brawny men, giving them a nod. "Hello boys, it's certainly been a while, hasn't it?"

"Not long enough if ya ask me." Skull bitterly replied before taking a big bite out of a chicken leg.

"My bud Skull speaks the truth." Hog backed up. "'Specially after all those nasty things you called us back in the slammer."

Darkstar waved a hand. "Water under the bridge, I assure you. Why live in the past when we can all focus on the future? Lady Salem has a grand vision, and gave me such a magnificent offer in return for my services that I simply couldn't refuse."

Cinder was still glaring at him, seeing straight through his words. _'He is such a fool. Salem does not take to such flattery.'_

Sure enough, she was right as Salem slowly craned her head toward him with a hardened gaze. "Do not expect special treatment because of your words, Michael. I am no stranger to the art of "smooth-talking"."

Darkstar nodded. "Fair enough. Now, about our deal…"

Salem sighed. "Yes, I suppose I should hold to my end of the bargain." Salem rose from her seat before instructing Darkstar to do the same. "Stand. And remove your helmet."

"Hmm, very well." Darkstar stood up out of his chair before facing Cinder, Emerald and Mercury. "You three there, what you are about to see is the pinnacle of what Gwen Tennyson is capable of. She drained me of nearly every last bit of energy I had, leaving me a husk capable only of harnessing dark energy." He reached for the base of his helmet and undid the latch. "I won't lie, the condition of my face WILL shock you."

Cinder merely rolled her eyes again, confident that this was all hyperbole and he was just hiding an acne ridden face under that helmet. This time, she was wrong, and the moment he removed his helmet was one of the few times she truly felt unsettled. Next to her on her right side, Mercury let out a horrified yelp while she swore that Emerald was turning the same shade of green as her hair. Michael's face was practically the bare minimum of actual face, with grey shriveled skin, sunken in beady eyes, the mound of flesh that only barely resembled a nose, and patches of white hair springing up randomly from his head. To her left, Rojo sneered at Michael's disfigurement. "Ugh, just as silky smooth as ever, eh Mikey?"

Michael narrowed his shriveled up eye lids at Rojo's remark, but he took it in stride. "Perhaps not yet, but Salem has promised to change all that." He bowed to the aforementioned witch. "I am ready."

"Of course." Salem moved around the table and stood directly in front of Michael, raising her hands from her sides. She closed her eyes for a moment before reopening them, a dark purple energy mixing in with the red of her irises. She began speaking an unearthly incantation as a sphere of black energy began collecting in her right hand. The others could see wisps of blood red and deep purple surround the dark substance as she continued to speak the unknown words, spiraling faster and faster until they fused with the sphere itself.

With one final word, Salem did something Michael had not expected, she sent the energy out in a beam, striking him right in the face. However, it didn't knock him over. In fact, it felt like the energy simply passed straight through his head. Once it stopped, Michael looked into the nearest reflective surface, the table top. He was still a dry-skinned freak, nothing had changed. "WHAT?! What is the meaning of—GAAAHH!" Michael suddenly began clutching his face in agonizing pain as he fell to the ground in a heap, screaming as the painful sensation began to spread all across his body.

"Ah yes, I may have forgotten to mention." Salem spoke nonchalantly. "The spell required _does_ have the side effect of temporary, yet excruciating pain. Your face WILL be normal again however." She gazed down at the screaming boy with indifference. "Think of this brief agony as your first punishment, for speaking ill of the Fall Maiden."

A small smirk came to Cinder's face. _'Ah, karma.'_

A moment later, the screaming stopped, leaving Michael panting on the floor, trying to get a hold of himself. He still had one hand over his face as he took deep breaths, calming down from his pain induced episode. He took his hand from his face and reached up, grabbing the side of the table before hoisting himself up, careful to keep his other arm in the sling. But it was then that he realized; his arm didn't hurt. He removed it from the sling and moved it around, no pain to be found. He reached up with his other arm before pulling himself fully onto his feet. He gazed into the table and… it was him. He was himself once more! Blonde hair, blue eyes, the whole package. "It… it worked! HAHA, yes! I'm myself again!"

Mercury was bewildered by the man's reaction. "Uh, sure, but was the pain really worth it?"

"My friend, you have _no_ idea how torturous it was to be in that ugly husk of a body. To me, ANYTHING is worth having a normal face." Michael spread his arms out. "But now, I'm back, and for you all, it must be a relief to not gaze upon my old, _horrendous_ face anymore, correct?"

Emerald made a so-so movement with her hand. "Eh, yeah, but really, your normal face isn't anything to write home about either. There are plenty of blonde guys out there, dude."

"Perhaps." Michael bent down and picked up his Darkstar helmet, inspecting it with a diligent eye. "But I'm sure none of them have the power to back their looks up like I do. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some modifications to make on this helmet."

Before he could leave, however, Salem stopped him. "Be warned, Michael Morningstar. I may have given you your face back, but your need for energy is still in effect. If you do not feed on the necessary amount of energy to sustain your face, then you will return to your ghastly state, _permanently_."

"I understand, Lady Salem." Michael gave a bow to the witch. "I am in your debt." He turned to leave, but before he did, he gave a smirk to Cinder, who was still glaring at him. "So long for now, fair Cinder." And with that, he left the room, leaving Cinder even more frustrated than when he came in.

"He disgusts me." Cinder mumbled under her breath.

"Join the club." Rojo agreed. "I wanna ruin his face already."

"Seconded." The Fall Maiden concurred.

* * *

Back at the Vulcan residence, rain was pouring down from the dark clouds above as the occupants in the forge were just about done with their project. Jaune wore a welding mask as he set his new blade against a spinning sand belt, the course surface giving the tempered steel a sharpened edge and a lustrous shine as sparks flew off from it. Pyrrha, who was also wearing a welding mask, was standing right by him, often giving him tips on how to hold the blade against the sander to achieve the sharpest edge. After one final run against it, Jaune pulled the blade away and inspected it with a careful eye before a grin came to his lips. "It's ready."

"Grand!" Pyrrha said as she took off her welding mask and shut off the sand belt. "Which means we can finally assemble it!"

"Yep." Jaune called over to the blacksmith on the other side of the room. "Hey Festus! We're all set!"

"HaHa! Are ya now?" Festus came over with the pommel, cross guard and wooden handle in hand, the handle itself having been bound in blue leather for a better grip. "Well, let's see what you've got!" Jaune presented the finished blade to Festus, and with just one look, the older man could tell that it was indeed perfect. "HAHA! Excellent! You forged that blade exactly to the specifications you set! Fine work you two!"

Pyrrha bowed her head slightly. "Thank you, Festus, but this is Jaune's sword, and he made the plans for it after all."

Jaune shifted his gaze to her. "Hey, c'mon, Pyr, you helped me out a lot today. You deserve as much credit for this as I do."

"He is correct Pyrrha." Festus concurred. "You both did a fine job on this blade. So take pride in it, for this is what you two have strived for all day. And tomorrow, we shall do the same with the shield as well."

Pyrrha gave a small sigh, knowing that she wouldn't be able to argue with such kind words. "Aw, thank you. So, shall we assemble this blade?"

Jaune gave her a nod. "Yeah, let's do it!" The three strolled over to a work table and set the blade on top of a it. After giving the steel one last polish, Jaune slid the golden cross guard up the tang and up to the hilt. Pyrrha coated the metal tang in super glue before she slid the blue leather-bound handle on, the wooden piece fitting perfectly and securely. Finally, Jaune grabbed the pommel and screwed it on tight, a threaded rod having been attached onto the tang during the forging process. And with that, it was done. Jaune carefully picked up the blade in his hands and he let out a hefty sigh. "May I present: the first part of Crocea Mors Mark II!"

"Jaune, it's spectacular!" Pyrrha complimented. "How does it feel?"

Jaune held the sword by the handle, checking the balance of the steel blade. "Feels pretty good, not to heavy, not too light. Honestly, it's better than I ever hoped it'd be."

"That's great, but I was also asking how it felt to forge your own weapon." The redhead elaborated. "Did you have fun?"

"You know what? Yeah, I did! And I can't wait till tomorrow so we can make that new shield."

"HAHA! Wonderful!" Festus exclaimed. "Now, be sure to let the glue set over night before you really use that blade Jaune. We don't want anything coming loose, now do we?"

"Right, of course not." Jaune offered the blacksmith a handshake. "Thanks for all your help today Festus. I appreciate it a lot."

"You are quite welcome, Jaune." Festus said as he took the offered hand and shook it. "And I am very much anticipating tomorrow. That is when we will REALLY start to get creative, eh?"

"Hah, you got that right." Jaune turned to Pyrrha and quirked and eyebrow. "You ready to go home for the day?"

"I am." Pyrrha confirmed. "I'm certain that mom and Ruby are almost finished with the errands for the pups, so let's grab them, get Kevin and get back home." A grin came to Pyrrha's face as the three made their way to the door. "I cannot wait to see the looks on everyone's faces when we bring Romulus and Rema in the house!"

"Me either. Man, won't they be surprised." Jaune opened the door, only to be met with the downpour of rain on the outside. "Huh, anyone have an umbrella?"

"I do!" Came Venus' voice from across the front lawn. She was walking over to them from the house, holding an open umbrella in one hand while carrying a closed one in the other. Kevin was also with her, holding Romulus and Remus in his hands while they were bundled back up in Pyrrha's sash. Venus stopped at the door and handed Jaune an umbrella. "Here you are, Jaune. I always make sure to keep a spare just in case."

"Thank you, Mrs. Vulcan." Jaune and Pyrrha stepped outside before the blonde knight opened the umbrella, shielding them from the rain. He then showed both Venus and Kevin his new sword. "So, what do you guys think?"

"Sweet!" Kevin said as he drew in for a closer look. "Man, dude, you did an awesome job on this puppy." Two small barks alerted him to the small canines he was holding and he turned down to them. "No, I didn't mean you."

"It's magnificent, Jaune." Venus complimented. "Exactly like your picture. You should be proud to have done such a good job."

"Heh, yeah, but it wasn't all my doing." He set a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder. "I had some awesome help."

"Indeed you did." Pyrrha nodded. "Now, I believe it's time we got going." She gave a slight bow to Venus. "Thank you for your lunch, Mrs. Vulcan. Your beef stew was delicious."

"Oh, you're quite welcome, dear." Venus said. "And thank you for such nice words. When you see Ruby, give her my best regards, okay?"

"Don't worry, we will." Pyrrha, Jaune and Kevin made their way over to the Osmosian's car and they all climbed in, closing the umbrella and handing it back to Venus. The two partners took the back seat, making sure to keep the pups nice and secure with them. Pyrrha rolled down her window and waved out at the couple. "We'll see you tomorrow!"

"HAHA! Indeed!" Festus laughed as he waved back to them. "Take care of those little ones too, alright? Train them well!"

Jaune gave the blacksmith a thumbs up. "You got it! See you!" And with that, the window rolled up and Kevin pulled out of the drive way, the car and all five of its occupants on their way to the Xiao-Long household. Jaune gazed down at the pups before petting Romulus' head. "Hope you guys are ready, because your new home is going to be FILLED with people."

* * *

"In hindsight, if I knew it was going to rain today, I probably wouldn't have suggested the mall in the first place." Gwen conceded as she and most the others sat in the living room watching a movie. Sun and Neptune were busy making beverages for everyone while Max cooked dinner in the kitchen. "Sorry everyone."

Nora waved it off. "Aw, it's alright Gwen. No biggie. We'll just go tomorrow. Besides, I'm really enjoying this flick." She pointed to the TV showing 1954's Godzilla beginning to wreak havoc across Tokyo, Japan. "I can't believe that Ben and Yang watched this without us. I mean, really?! Giant monster movies are my jam!"

"I can believe it." Blake said. "This certainly seems like something those two would watch on a date night. And something tells me that we'll always be two movies behind them from now on. Plus, we'll have to get Ruby, Jaune and Pyrrha caught up too. Meaning our whole flow's been pulled out of sync."

Gwen shrugged. "Yeah, well, what can you do, huh?" At that moment, Sun and Neptune entered the room with a large platter full of drinks and snacks, catching Gwen's attention. "Hey guys! Thanks for grabbing the food for us."

"No problem." Neptune assured. "Have we missed anything?"

Weiss glanced over to him, her chin resting in her palm as she wore a rather bored expression. "Nope, the giant rubber suit just started stomping on the sets."

"What Weiss means is that the good part just started!" Nora exclaimed before she took her drink off the platter. "C'mon, hurry and sit down!"

"Hehe, alright, we're coming." Sun set the platter down before taking two tea cups and bringing one over to Blake, handing it to her delicately. "Sorry I couldn't buyyou a cup of tea like I wanted, but I hope this makes up for it."

"Sun, trust me, this is perfect." Blake took a sip before focusing back on the screen as Godzilla fired his atomic break, melting the high voltage wires down. "And like I said, you didn't have to do anything special for me."

"Well, maybe." A hint of red came to Sun's cheeks. "I just… felt like treating you to something nice is all."

Blake could feel the heat rising to her cheeks. "O-oh, well that's very thoughtful of you Sun. Thank you." Off to her right, Blake could see Gwen giving her a certain look. One that said; 'This is your chance!' And she was right, after the talk that they'd had the previous night, Blake had promised herself that she would advance her relationship with Sun, and right now was the perfect chance to do that. But with the movie still playing and everyone in the room, she couldn't necessarily do that. So, she went for the next best thing. She spoke over to him quietly; "Hey Sun?"

The monkey boy turned his head toward her. "Yeah, Blake? What's up?"

"Well, after the movie's over, could I talk to you? You know… in private?"

Sun's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh! Uh, yeah, definitely. No problem at all."

"Great! Let's meet upstairs okay?"

Sun nodded. "Yep, sound's good to me."

"Good, glad to hear it." Blake shifted her eyes to Gwen, the redhead giving her a smirk along with a thumbs up. Blake retuned the gesture, her nervousness slowly beginning to disappear. _'Maybe this won't be so hard after all.'_

A few minutes later, the group could hear the front door open, and from the outside, Athena and Ruby came in, both of them soaking wet from the rain, though Ruby at least had her hood up. The girl in question was holding two large bags filled with what appeared to be raw meat in packages while Athena held a clear plastic folder in her hands containing some kind of paperwork. Ruby walked over to the living room and waved inside. "Hi guys, I'm back and—" She saw the image of a giant monster on the holographic screen and her interest was immediately piqued. "Ooh, what're you guys watching?"

"A famous monster movie from my universe." Gwen answered. "We're actually almost to the end, but I think you'll actually like this movie's sequel a lot more, Ruby. So feel free to join us." But then, the Anodite noticed something. "Wait, where are Kevin, Jaune and Pyrrha?"

"Oh, they'll be here soon. They had to finish a few things and Mrs. Nikos wanted my help with a few errands. Speaking of, why are you guys here in the first place? I thought you were going to the mall today."

"Eh, we just weren't feeling it." Gwen conceded. "What with the rain and the attack we had today we—"

"Wait, ATTACK?!" Ruby dropped her bags in shock as the entire room was now focused on the conversation at hand, Weiss pausing the movie on the TV for good measure.

Athena's head shot up at the mention as well. "You all were attacked?! When? And by whom?"

"A couple of our old enemies paid us a visit." Athena turned to see Max enter the room, a solemn expression on his face. "It was right after you left, Athena. Darkstar and Ssserpent came right up to our doorstep."

"Um, you mean _Serpent_?" Ruby asked.

Max shook his head. "Nope, three S's, it's how it's spelled. In any case, we managed to beat them, but Salem got her hands on Darkstar at the very last second."

Ruby kicked her foot against the ground. "Aw, rats! Another one got away?"

"Unfortunately, yes." It was then that Max noticed the meat in the bags and took a closer look. "Hmm, elk, deer, and moose meat? Are we preparing venison tonight, ladies? Because if so, I'm fair game."

Athena chuckled and picked up the bags. "Oh no, Max, these are for our new house guests."

Weiss raised an eyebrow at that. "House guests? Do we really need _more_ people in here?"

Ruby had a knowing smile on her face as she chimed out; "They're not exactly people."

Before anyone could question her further, the basement door opened up, Ben and Yang emerging from the room. The Blonde Brawler was the first to speak up. "Everything alright up here? I heard a shout and… wait, Rubes? I thought you were helping out over at Mr. Vulcan's place with Jaune's sword."

Ruby's grin didn't faulter. "Yeah, well we kind of had an eventful day outside of making the sword. That's why Pyrrha called her mom earlier. And sis, have we got a surprise for you guys!"

Yang and Ben shared a confused glance, Ben giving off a shrug to emphasize his bewilderment. Yang turned back to her sister and crossed her arms. "Alright, Rubes, I'll bite. What's the surprise? After what happened today, we could use a good one."

"Well… here's the thing. Jaune, Pyrrha and Kevin kind of have the surprise with them." Ruby explained. "We're going to have to wait for them before we—" _**HONK-HONK!**_ Ruby whirled around wide-eyed to the door at the sound of a car horn outside, signaling Kevin and the other's arrival. "Huh, okay, maybe we don't have to wait as long as we thought." The Hooded Huntress grabbed an umbrella from the stand next to the door, twisting the knob to let herself out. "I'll bring them in! Wait here for just a few seconds, okay?" And with that, Ruby was out the door, opening the umbrella the moment she exited the house.

Yang smirked as she watched Ruby go outside. "My sister, ladies and gentlemen."

"She's quite the character alright." Ben agreed. The hero then noticed the semi-translucent folder that Athena held in her hand. "Hey Athena, what's in the folder anyway?"

"Well, our little surprise required some paperwork in order for us to have it," The Mistralian woman elaborated, "so Ruby and I went to town hall to get the necessary forms."

"What kind of surprise needs paperwork?" Blake asked.

Weiss put her hand to her chin in contemplation. "Well, you need paperwork to legally own something, so it could be a vehicle, though not likely since we have plenty of those. It could be passports for travel, though we aren't going anywhere anytime soon. But then there's always…" The heiress' eyes widened in realization and she whirled around to face Athena. "You didn't! There's no way!"

Athena gave the white-haired girl a smirk as she heard the knob twist again. "See for yourself."

The front door opened and Ruby came in with Kevin, Jaune and Pyrrha all cramped up under the umbrella. Ruby closed it and put it back on the stand. "Home, sweet home, right guys?"

Pyrrha's long ponytail was dripping wet, having been just slightly out from underneath the umbrella. She was also holding a bundle in her arms made from her own sash, though it seemed to move around a bit in her grasp. "Definitely." She looked over to see everyone gazing at them, like they were expecting something to happen. "Hello everyone, how was everything while we were gone?"

"Kinda weird." Ben answered. "But we'll explain later. Right now, what're you holding, Pyrrha? And why is it moving?"

The Invincible Girl couldn't help but laugh in anticipation. "It's the surprise!" She looked down to the bundle in her arms and spoke to it. "Alright, we're in a dry place now, you can come out." She set the bundle on the floor and immediately, a small pointed ear popped out of one end, followed by a fluffy tail on the other, catching everybody of guard. All at once, the sash came undone and right before everyone's eyes were two small pups, both appearing to be about a month old. "Everyone, I would like you to meet Romulus and Rema." Pyrrha pointed to them as she stated their names. "They're wolf puppies!"

All anybody could do was stare in shock, though Blake had an uneasy feeling coming up from her gut. After a moment of stunned silence however, someone finally reacted. It was, of course, Nora with an ear-piercing shriek of joy. "EEEEEEEEEEEEE! Oh my god!" She zipped over to the tiny canines and sat right in front of them. "They're so cute!" The two yipped at her in response. "Ah! I can't stand it!"

Max let out a chuckle as he smiled down at the two new residents. "Hehe, well isn't this a surprise? And a darn good one too."

Ben rubbed his eyes and blinked twice, making sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. "I-I'm not seeing things, am I? Are there REALLY two wolf pups in this house right now?"

"Well, I'm seeing them too Green Boy." Yang said, still taken aback a little. "I doubt we'd be hallucinating the same thing." She walked over to little Rema and crouched down in front of her, reaching a single finger out to the puppy's nose. "You ARE real, right?" Yang touched the tip of Rema's nose and the wolf yipped at her, confirming Yang's suspicions. A big smile came to the blond girl's face as she picked Rema up. "Oh you ARE real, aren't you?" Rema barked and licked Yang's cheek. "Haha, well hello to you too!" Yang hugged Rema close and snuggled the little pup. "Who's a little sweetie? You are! Yes you are!"

Ben began petting Rema's head as Yang continued to hold her. "Aw, she's too precious!"

"I… I'm honestly speechless." Gwen admitted as she went over to get a closer look at the puppies. "You guys go out to forge a new sword… and you come back with wolves?"

Kevin shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much. It was kind of a weird situation, but we rolled with it."

"Their parents were killed by Grimm." Jaune explained further. "Well, at least we THINK they were killed by Grimm. The carcasses were drained of blood, so that's pretty much all we have to go on."

Gwen nodded. "I see, and I guess that's what all the deer meat and such."

"Indeed." Athena confirmed. "Wolves do not eat regular dog food. They must have a consistent diet of deer and other such animals."

"Hmm." Gwen reached down and picked Romulus up, the little pup yipping at her as well. "Yes hello!" Gwen scratched Romulus' chin, causing him to wag his tail. "And I like where you got the names from too, very clever. So onto the big question: what are we going to do with them?"

"Well, that answer is quite simple, Gwen. Hunters have a long history of training wild animals to hunt Grimm with them. So, that is precisely what we're going to do!" Athena pulled out her scroll and brought up her calendar, making down Sunday. "Tomorrow afternoon, we will begin training these pups not only to behave, but to hunt as well."

Ben turned up from petting Rema's head in surprise. "Wait, so you're telling me that we're going to train these wolf puppies to be vicious killing machines?"

"Well, as they get older, they'll learn how to hunt for real. Right now, they can only play-hunt. So that's how we'll teach them."

"Well, I'm certainly glad that's the case." Weiss said as she strolled over to Gwen, who was still holding Romulus, with her head held high and her arms behind her back. She glanced down at Romulus with a discerning gaze, the tiny wolf barking at her as she continued her stare. Weiss broke out into a smile as she nuzzled Romulus with her face, taking him out of Gwen's arms. "Because I just couldn't imagine these little guys killing anyone! You couldn't hurt a fly, could you? Could you?"

"Ooh! Ooh! Could I hold Rema please?!" Nora pleaded to Yang.

"Sure, here she is!" Yang handed Rema over to Nora who instantly began to cuddle the tiny wolf pup.

"Oh, you are just too _adorable_!" Nora shifted her gaze over to the living where Blake, Sun, Neptune and Ren were still sitting down. "Hey guys! Come say hello to our new little buddies!"

"Of course." Ren got up from his seat and went over to Nora, petting Rema on her head. "Hello, little one."

Neptune rose up as well and headed over to Weiss and Romulus. "Aw, isn't he cutie?" Neptune said as he pet the little wolf's head. He turned back to Blake and Sun, the two still sitting on the couch. "Hey guys, c'mon over and say hi!"

"Sure!" Sun got up and made his way to his teammate, joining in on the pet-fest. "Hey little dude!" He said as he scratched behind Romulus' ears, causing him to let out a loud bark. "Oh, well aren't you a little scrapper?"

Blake attempted to hide behind the couch cushions, hoping that no one would see her. But then, she was reminded of her own words from the conversation she had with Gwen from last night. _'Blake, what are you doing? You said that you wouldn't let your fears control you anymore, right? Well, it might be a small one compared to Adam, but it's just as important. Now go over there and say hi to that dog!'_ Blake opened her eyes and furrowed her brows in determination. To everyone's surprise, she rose up from the couch and walked over to the gathered group. She locked eye with Rema, who was tilting her head in curiosity. Blake then glanced up to Nora, taking a deep, shaky breath before making her request; "Nora, put her down please."

"Um, okay, sure." Nora carefully set Rema down on the ground and the pup sat down right in front of Blake who was still standing tall, looming over the small canine.

Steeling her nerves, Blake sat down cross-legged on the floor and looked Rema straight in the eye again, golden amber meeting baby blue. The cat girl cleared her throat before speaking a single; "…Hello." Rema didn't respond with a bark or a yip like she did before, instead, she hobbled over and began sniffing Blake's leg, much to her anxiety. But Blake sat there and took it, letting Rema do her thing. But then, unexpectedly, Rema curled up next to Blake, let out a tiny yawn and went to sleep, taking comfort in the cat girl's company. Blake blinked twice in surprise. "Um, okay, that's not exactly what I was going for, but whatever."

"Blake, that was AMAZING!" Ruby complimented.

"Yeah! You faced your fear like a champ!" Yang added. "Way to go!"

"Thank you." Blake glanced down at the sleeping Rema, a small smile coming to her face. "Now, uh, can somebody help me, please? I don't wanna move without waking her up." The group shared a good chuckled before Pyrrha picked Rema up in her sash, with everyone returning to their previous activities a few moments after. Ruby, Jaune and Pyrrha joined the group in the living room watching Godzilla, while Romulus went to sleep next to his sister on the couch, both pups taking happiness in their new home.

* * *

**A/N: And with that, this chapter comes to a close. Jaune's one step closer to his new weapon and two new members of the family have been brought into the Xiao-Long home. In case you couldn't tell, I love wolves. So I thought it'd be a neat idea for our main characters to own and train wolves to hunt along side them. And that's one of the things I love about fiction; being able to do something you couldn't otherwise do in real life. But that being said, Next Time! Blake and Sun have a talk that's been long overdue, and everyone continues to bond with the little pups. But not everything's all happy go-lucky as two certain men arrive at Salem's Castle, both of them liable to shake up the dynamic of the current line-up of evil doers. Thanks for reading this chapter guys! See ya next time!**


	30. Nighttime Happenings

**A/N: Hey guys! Chapter Ahoy! That being said, this is actually the first chapter in a long time that starts to focus back on the villain's side of things a bit more. Sure, we had some of that last time, but it's a lot more pronounced in this chapter. Our heroes are still here of course, but we've got a couple of familiar faces coming to Salem's castle today, so I kind of wanted to put some emphasis on that and how it affects the overall dynamic between these misfits. But enough dawdling! On with the show! This is…**

**Chapter 30: Nighttime Happenings**

* * *

Blake was never one who would refer to nervousness concerning romance as "butterflies in one's stomach". To her, it always sounded so cliché and pretentious. So, with that in mind, she really couldn't help but feel a tad nervous as she walked side by side with Sun upstairs for the inevitable talk that she wanted to have with him. This had been a long time coming, but she was strong in her resolve, having gone over it multiple times in her head after her conversation with Gwen. _'So why in the hell am I so nervous about this?!'_ she thought to herself. _'It's Sun! He's basically the sweetest guy in the world, how can you be so nervous?!'_ The cat girl mentally sighed. _'You promised yourself to do this Blake, it's time to tell him how you really feel. If you can brave a curious wolf puppy, you can do this.'_

"Hey Blake?"

"Gah!" Blake yelped as she was suddenly pulled out of her thoughts. She took a deep breath to calm herself as she set a hand on Sun's shoulder. "Sun, you startle me WAY too easily."

"Heh, sorry." Sun chuckled. "It's just you were about to walk into that display table."

Blake gazed down to see a small wooden table right in front of her, sporting a vase full of flowers. _'Wow, was I REALLY that far out of it?'_ She shook her head and shifted her eyes back to Sun, giving him a grateful grin. "Thanks Sun, I guess I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

"It certainly looked like it." The monkey boy's happy expression quickly turned into one of concern. "Blake, are you alright? Something on your mind?"

' _Well, it's now or never.'_ Blake gave a sigh and nodded. "Well, yes actually, there _is_ something I've been thinking about. And it's actually what I wanted to talk to _you_ about, Sun." She leaned against the wall. "It's something that I've been wanting to speak to you about for a while now, actually."

"Oh, okay." Sun leaned against the wall next to her as well. "So, what's up?"

"Well… we've known each other for nearly a year now, right?"

"Heh, yeah. Man, time flies, am I right?"

"Yes, it does." Blake agreed with a small laugh. "And well, I feel like I've gotten to know you a lot better in that year. When we first met, I thought you were a complete goofball, but now…" She gave him a sincere smile. "I see you're much more than that. You're very kind, thoughtful of others, and you care a lot. It's very admirable, Sun, and I'm happy that I've gotten to know you."

As the words rolled off her lips, Sun couldn't help but blush, rubbing his hand against the back of his head in sheepishness. "Aw, shucks, thanks Blake. I'm glad that I've gotten to know you too. I haven't met someone so cool, calm, and willing to fight for what they believe in until I met you. You're pretty awesome, you know."

"Aw, thank you." Blake absent mindedly scratched behind her kitty ear as she too blushed. "That's really sweet of you to say." A second passed before she spoke again. "So… here's the big thing." She turned to face him, her eyes sternly locked onto his. "Sun, after this week… I think we both have a petty good idea of how we feel for each other."

Sun's eyes widened in shock at her words. He nervously glanced off to the side, his blush becoming more intense before uttering a small; "Y-yeah."

Blake's smile returned. _'Guess he's just as nervous as I am about this.'_ She reached up slowly and cupped his cheek, bringing his attention back to her. "Sun, it's okay. Truth be told… I've been nervous about it too. I've been trying to gather my thoughts about it all week and well, I think now's the right time. So, here's my question; why haven't we asked each other out yet?"

Sun was surprised by her straightforwardness, but at the same time deeply moved by how honest she was being with him. "Heh, wow Blake, you sure know how to catch a guy off guard."

"Hehe, I've been told I can be quite sneaky." Blake laughed.

Sun smiled before going to his response. "But to answer your question, I guess it's just like you said. I've been nervous to ask." Sun glanced off to the side again. "I mean, after the dance, I definitely had it on my mind. But then I kept having these thoughts, like; "there's no way she'd go for a big doofus like you" or "You must be insane to think she'd like you back". Plus, after you told me about what happened between you and that White Fang guy, I thought you'd… want some space after that."

"See, now there's the thoughtfulness kicking in." Blake said as she set a hand on his shoulder. "Sun, believe me, I'm well over Adam. He's a part of my life that I'm MORE than willing to put behind me. You are well and far away from the kind of person he is, believe me." She moved closer to him. "And those negative thoughts you were having? I've had those kinds of thoughts too. Some more hurtful than others. But you know what you can take comfort in?"

"No, what is it?"

Blake grinned at him before leaning her head against his shoulder. "Those thoughts couldn't be any more wrong." She looked back up at him as he stared back at her, his lips slightly parted in surprise. It was something she couldn't help but find to be cute. "So, what do you say? Tomorrow, when we go to the mall, do you want to make our usual tea time into an official date?"

A moment passed before Sun smiled back at her, his bright blue eyes lighting up with happiness. "Yes, yes I would like that. I'd very much like to go on a date with you, Blake."

With that, Blake wrapped her arms around Sun in a hug, pulling herself closer to the monkey boy. "That's great. Because I'll be honest, I really want to see where we can go with one another."

Sun quirked an eyebrow while shooting her a sarcastic grin. "I thought you wanted to go get tea. I mean, we can go to another place if you want, it's all up to you."

Blake gave him a light smack on the shoulder, a laugh escaping from her lips. "Haha, I mean like in a relationship, you goof!"

"Ha, yeah, I know." Sun returned the embrace, wrapping a single arm around Blake's shoulders. "So, where _do_ we go from here exactly?"

Blake shrugged her shoulders. "We'll just have to wait and see. But in that sense, I guess not knowing is half the fun, right?"

"Hah, yeah, you're right. So, it's a date?"

"Definitely." Just then, Blake's super sensitive hearing picked up something from the staircase; whimpering, as if an animal was crying out for something. "Did you hear that?"

Sun nodded as the two turned to the stairs. "Yeah, it sounds just like…" They walked over and right there, sitting at the bottom of the staircase, was little Rema, her eyes gazing straight up at them expectantly, as if she was waiting for them to come down. "Rema? What're you doin' here ya little scamp?"

"You should be back in the living room." Blake said as she and Sun descended the stairs. "How you managed to sneak past everyone astounds me." But when she came to the bottom of the stairs, Rema instantly jumped up and set her tiny paws against Blake's leg, letting out a small bark. "Whoa, whoa, okay, where'd this come from?"

Sun chuckled at the little wolf pup. "Heh, judging by her behavior, I think she wants you to give her some attention."

"I… well…" Blake looked down at Rema, who was tilting her head at her. Blake sighed before picking the little pup up, holding her in both hands while keeping her a short distance away from her face. Blake made eye contact with the wolf pup and began speaking to her, even though she knew it would probably be a fruitless endeavor. "Listen, little lady. I'm just beginning to get used to you, alright? In fact, I'm starting to get used to ALL dogs. So if you think you can win me over by just being cute, then you are sorely mistaken." In response, Rema reached up and licked the tip of Blake's nose. "…Even if you ARE making a very good attempt."

Sun couldn't help but chuckle at the scene before him. "Hehe, now there's a persistent pup. We'd better get her back to the living room before everyone starts to worry."

"Right." The two walked side by side back to the living room, with Blake still holding Rema in her arms. "And Sun?" She stepped closer to the monkey boy, giving him a soft smile. "I'm very much looking forward to tomorrow."

Sun returned the gesture in kind as they approached the living room. "So am I, Blake. I'll admit, I haven't been this excited about something in my whole life."

"Excited about what?" Came Nora's voice. Blake and Sun's eyes widened in panic as they faced out to the living room filled to capacity with people, the beginning of the next Godzilla movie on the television being the only thing that illuminated the dark room. Nora's eyes shifted down to Blake's hands to see Rema being held in them. "Oh! There's Rema! I was wondering where she was." She then focused on Blake and Sun again. "Anyway, what's there to be excited about?"

Blake and Sun quickly glanced to each other and then back to the rest of the room again. "It's… a long story." Blake answered.

Gwen gave the cat girl a knowing smile and a wink. "One that I'm sure can wait. Right now, why don't we all sit back and watch Godzilla Raids Again?" Gwen turned back to the television just in time to see the title come up. "Or rather… "Gigantis the Fire Monster". I have no clue why Americans in the 1950's even _named_ it like that. It's CLEARLY Godzilla in the movie for Pete's sake!"

The room had a good laugh at that before Blake and Sun went over to sit next to Gwen. Blake leaned over and whispered into the Anodite's ear; "Thanks for the cover, Gwen."

"No problem. I knew that you probably wouldn't want to be asked too many questions." The redhead whispered back. "So, how did it go?"

Blake could only smile as she answered. "Hah, it went really well actually. We're on for tomorrow."

"That's great!" Gwen exclaimed in a hushed tone. "Good for you two! Best of luck, okay?"

"Right. And Gwen? Thank you, for ALL your advice. I couldn't have done it without you."

Gwen gave Blake another wink before they both turned back to the movie. "Hey, what're friends for?"

* * *

An airship was a rare sight in the Land of Darkness, used only to transport the operatives of Salem inconspicuously. But today was one such day, when said operatives were due to return. The ship descended onto the landing pad, and the ramp lowered to the ground, allowing the occupants to exit the craft before it returned to its rightful place.

"I must say, I was not expecting we would be returning this soon." spoke a man as he disembarked the ship, his refined English accent echoing through the craft's hull. He appeared to be in his fifties as his black hair was greying along the sides, though for someone his age, his skin was quite evenly tanned. He also had a big bushy mustache sitting on his upper lip, matching the color of his hair. He wore a fancy grey overcoat, lined with golden accents, matching his grey dress pants. A crimson vest and yellow dress shirt underneath his coat completed his overall outfit, with fingerless gloves to match. "I do hope that our Lady has good news."

"Perhaps, doctor. But I know you've heard the reports from Vale." A gruff voice replied as it's owner also left the aircraft. His skin was also tan, though his was its natural pigment. In contrast to the rather slim doctor, this man was built like an ox, strong and powerful. He had dark brown hair with mutton chops that extended down to his beard. He wore a black shirt beneath an olive-green coat, with black pants and brown boots to match. He wore a large belt around his waist, going over his coat. "By all accounts, the Grimm have fled."

Dr Arthur Watts nodded, letting out a sigh as the ship left. "I am well aware Hazel, however our mistress would not summon us back early if it was not important. While the news indicates that Cinder may indeed have failed, which I would not be surprised by, there could still have been some sort of positive outcome for us in all of this chaos."

Hazel Rainart crossed his big, hairy arms, giving a grumble in response. "Hmph, we'll see." The two men made their way into the dark castle, both ambitiously prepared for what their mistress had called them here for. They strolled through the halls before arriving at the meeting room, a purple glow from beneath the door indicating that someone was already inside. Hazel pushed the door open, revealing the occupants inside. Salem herself, along with Cinder, Emerald and Mercury were all seated at the table, watching the men as they entered. The two bowed to their mistress, with Hazel being first to speak. "Lady Salem, we have arrived as per your request. We are humbled by your presence."

"Gentlemen, welcome." Salem rose from her seat and circled around the table to meet them, with the three others doing the same. "I am sure that you two are wondering why you have been brought here on such short notice."

"Indeed." Watts said as he raised his head to meet her dark gaze. "I _was_ curious why you pulled me out of Mistral so suddenly, especially considering I was in a meeting with Leonardo when you called."

Salem nodded. "Hmm, and what new information has our… _friend_ gathered at Haven?"

"Some unfortunate news, I fear." Watts answered as he twiddled the end of his mustache. "Ever since the attack on Beacon happened, security around ALL of the Academies has been substantially increased. They are not taking any chances." He shot a glance at Cinder. "No doubt they are all frightened by the _attempt_ to destroy Beacon last week." He raised an eyebrow. "Please, if I may, tell me we accomplished _something_ from that little siege, besides crippling Vale?"

Cinder narrowed her eyes as Watts continued to be subtly rude to her. "We have." Her eyes began to glow and she became engulfed in a glowing red and gold aura, causing Watts' eyes to widen as he took a step back. Cinder raised her head in pride and casually put her hands behind her back, staring at Watts in an intimidating gaze. "I have become the Fall Maiden, doctor. I would certainly call that a victory, wouldn't you?"

Watts composed himself and coughed into his fist, doing his best to still be nice and condescending as she demonstrated her power. "Hmm, well, yes I see. Good on you Cinder, so if I may ask, where is the Relic then?"

Cinder's glare hardened as the doctor brought up the one thing she hadn't acquired from the academy, and her display of power disappeared. Her voice was quiet, in an attempt to hide her shame. "I… I didn't get it."

Watts put a hand up to his ear. "I apologize, I couldn't quite make that out."

"I SAID I DIDN'T GET IT!" The floor behind Cinder burst into flames, coming and going as quick as her outburst. Fortunately, the flames were enough to surprise Watts and knock him down onto his rear, giving Cinder some satisfaction as she continued screaming at him. "I was bested by a boy with an all-powerful watch! A watch, might I add, allows him to TRANSFORM into any alien that he wishes! Is THAT a good enough excuse for you?!"

Watts sat on the ground and took Cinder's verbal onslaught, though at the mention of the watch boy, he became quite confused. "I-I… wait… what did you say?"

Hazel was also lost on what Cinder had said. "Yes, I must agree. It all sounds like utter nonsense."

Before Cinder could continue belting out her frustration, Salem put a hand on her shoulder, a single gaze between the two being enough to bring the Fall Maiden down from her rage fueled high. Salem took her hand away and stepped forward, answering Hazel's inquiry. "I assure you, Cinder speaks the truth. During the battle, something… _strange_ occurred." With a snap of her fingers, black smoke began rising from the floor. In the smoke, an image of three teens appeared; two boys and a girl. "From an alternate dimension came these humans; Benjamin Tennyson, his cousin Gwendolyn, and their compatriot Kevin Levin." Another image appeared in the smoke of another boy and an old man. "Others have arrived as well, the Tennyson's grandfather, Maxwell, and another young man named Cooper Daniels."

Watts stared at the images of the people in question as he stood up, now even more confused than ever. "Ahem, I mean no offense when I say this, my mistress, but all of this seems rather… preposterous."

Salem nodded. "Indeed, that is what I once thought myself, but look closer. The images that I am about to show you do not lie." The smoke shifted and in it came the images of multiple different unknown life forms, ranging from slimy to creepy, others fast and strong, all different sorts of shapes and sizes. "The Tennyson boy has a device known as the Omnitrix, which as Cinder explained, allows him to change into any alien he wishes."

Hazel approached on of the images, one showing a large, yellow, armored alien with pistons in its arms. "These are what aliens look like? I always imagined that they would be little green men with giant heads and multiple eyes."

"Perhaps in fiction, but I assure you that these aliens are quite real." Salem made the alien images dissipate before the smoke reconstituted an image of Gwen Tennyson. "What's more, while Levin can absorb solid matter and Daniels can control technology, it has come to my attention that the girl is a sorceress with the ability to control mana. Her magical abilities intrigue me."

Watts' eyes widened. "Well, I should say so! You are the only one in this world who can use real magic. How in blazes is a young upstart like her able wield such power?!"

Salem focused her gaze on Watts, though it turned into a glare the moment his eyes made contact. "You would do well to remember, Doctor Watts, that young Cinder is very much the same with her Maiden powers. I do not find your malignance against her necessary, especially considering that she has had enough of that today from another individual. One whom I have already granted a painful punishment."

Watts made an audible gulp before bowing to the witch. "I apologize Lady Salem, I am simply not particularly fond of—"

"Failure?" Salem finished. "And in what area did you think young Cinder failed exactly? She has gained the Fall Maiden powers, dealt a crippling blow to Beacon and Vale itself, and most important of all, killed our dear Professor Ozpin."

Hazel's eyes shot up to Cinder instantly. "Is this true? Is Ozpin dead?"

Cinder gave a confirming nod. "Yes, I saw the life leave his eyes as I dealt the final blow by my own hand."

"Hmm." Hazel mumbled. "I see, very good. That wretched man finally got what he deserved for what he has done." He turned to Dr. Watts, assured of what he has heard. "I agree with Lady Salem, doctor, it would seem that Cinder has indeed succeeded. We will simply have to retrieve the Relic some other way."

The evidence presented to Watts WAS very convincing, but there was still one point of contingency that he had to bring up. "W-well then, what about the White Fang? With Adam Taurus apprehended and in the most heavily guarded prison in Remnant, we are without solid numbers. And with the presence of this boy with an army strapped to his wrist, we will need them going forward in our operations."

A sinister smile came to Salem's lips. "True, however, I believe you will find I have found a most suitable replacement. Or, to be more accurate, _multiple_ replacements. For you see, when Ben Tennyson and his cohorts came to this dimension, they brought with them many enemies from their past. Ones whom I have been intercepting and consorting with. With that said…" Salem raised her voice slightly. "You all may enter!"

The doors to the room opened once again, Dr. Watts and Hazel both moving around simultaneously as they creaked open. From the hallway stepped a red-haired woman wearing full body armor, a young man with blonde hair donned in a very contrasting black tunic, and a man with white hair and green skin in a darker green lab coat. Behind those three were two more muscular men, one in brown armor, and the other in garish purple and black clothing, with a visor set on his eyes and his hair up in a mohawk. Watts was taken quite aback by the presence of these people. "Who in the world are these… these ruffians?!"

"They are the new recruits that I just told you about." Salem answered as she stepped in between the two groups. "Dr. Watts, Hazel, I would like you to meet Rojo, Michael Morningstar, Dr. Animo, Farkas Skullovich, and Thaddeus Hogan. I am quite certain that you will find them qualified for our future endeavors."

* * *

"Man, who knew a giant, cute worm could cause so much destruction?" Yang commented as she and Ben were watching the next movie in the Showa Toho Kaiju series; Mothra. The couple had finished their Batman marathon a couple hours ago and had moved on to the monster movies, having finished Rodan before moving on to Mothra. The monster in question was rampaging across Tokyo on the TV, crushing tanks under her many legs. She began building a cocoon for herself as she rested against Tokyo Tower, the metal structure falling to ruin beneath her weight. "And all this because some greedy asshat couldn't give up those girls."

"Yep, it's surprising how many different messages a monster movie can have." Ben added as he scratched Zwei's head, the corgi sound asleep next to them. "Even if a few of them beat you over the head with it, but those are more so the later ones."

Yang shrugged. "Eh, movies can't _all_ be so subtle I guess." She lounged back, snuggling up closer to Ben. "But the important thing here is that we're having an awesome time watching them, right?"

Ben wrapped his arm across Yang's shoulders, snuggling closer to her as well. "Hehe, yeah you're right. Can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday night." Just then, a knock came at the basement door, causing both of them to look back at the stair case. The two turned to each other, with Yang giving a shrug to show she had no clue who it could be. With a small shrug of his own, Ben paused the movie and he called out; "Come in!"

The door opened and down the stairs came Jaune and Pyrrha, with the Invincible Girl holding Romulus in her arms. "Hello you two!" Pyrrha greeted.

"Hey P-Money!" Yang waved. "What's up?"

"Sorry if we're bothering you, but Gwen asked if we could come down and ask for a couple more monster movies from you." Pyrrha explained.

"Yeah, and here are the Godzilla movies we just finished." Jaune said as he handed Ben the disks. "We're working extra hard to catch up to you guys."

"Heh, I'll bet." Ben put the disks into the DVD book next to him before shifting his eyes back to the duo. "So, I forgot to ask, how was the whole "weapon forging" thing for you guys today? Did your sword come out the way you wanted it, Jaune?"

"Sure did! And it looks awesome. All that's left is to make a new shield tomorrow and I'll be all set." Jaune jerked his thumb back toward the stairs. "I'll show it to you guys when you come upstairs, alright?"

"Nice! Sounds good. So, what movies were you guys hoping to get?"

"I believe Gwen requested "Rodan" and "Mothra"." Pyrrha answered. "I must say, from what we've seen so far, the people who make these movies are able to come up with some of the most interesting monster designs I've ever seen."

"Yeah, and you can't even tell what they're gonna be from the names." Jaune added. "I mean, "Mothra" I can guess, but "Rodan"? What even is that?"

Ben couldn't help but grin as he took Rodan's disk out of the book. "Heh, yeah, Japan's known for making some creative stuff. I've been there a couple times and MAN do they know how to have a good time." Ben handed the disk to Jaune. "Here's Rodan, but Yang and I are almost done with Mothra. Once we finish, we'll bring it up to you guys."

Jaune took the disk with a nod. "'Kay, sounds good." He then shifted his eyes to the TV to see what appeared to be… "Is that a giant cocoon propped against a wrecked radio tower? 'Cause if it is, that means it really IS a moth!"

"Jaune, spoilers!" Pyrrha said as she covered her eyes. "We'll just be leaving now, thank you."

Suddenly, Yang rose to her feet and raised a hand. "Hold up! Before you guys leave…" She grinned and pointed to Romulus. "May I?"

Pyrrha smiled back and handed the pup over. "Of course."

Yang took hold of Romulus and held him up to her face, her smile widening she greeted him. "Hi Rommy! How ya doin'?" Romulus barked and licked her nose, something she was more than okay with. "Aw, aren't you just a little sweetie?"

Ben got up and began playing with the little wolf as well, petting his tiny head. "Aw, you're such a good little boy! Where's your sister, huh?"

"She's back upstairs with everyone else." Pyrrha explained. "I have a feeling that she really likes Blake."

"Heh, lucky." Yang said as she continued to tickle Romulus' tummy. "I wish an animal could bond with ME that easily." She gazed up at the duo with pleading eyes. "Maybe Rommy could stay down here with us for a little bit? We'll bring him up as soon as the movie's over."

"Sure, I don't see why not." Jaune agreed.

"No problem at all." Pyrrha bent down and locked eyes with Romulus. "Be good for Yang and Ben okay? We'll see you in a little bit." Romulus gave her a bark before she and Jaune went back up the stairs and to the living room, leaving the couple with the little wolf pup.

"Well, guess we should finish up Mothra." Ben said as he and Yang sat back down. "Then we can move on to King Kong vs. Godzilla!"

Yang gave him an incredulous look. "Okay, as awesome as that title sounds, what the hell is King Kong?"

"Hoo boy, there's some history behind that one. To make a long story short, it's one of the greatest monster matches of all time!" Ben grabbed the remote and pointed it to the TV. "But why don't I save the more long-winded explanation for later and we watch the rest of Mothra? Because to talk about King Kong is like talking about the history of Earth film in general."

"Ah, I see." Yang turned her head down at Romulus, the pup sitting contently on her lap. "Something tells me that you wouldn't really find all that interesting, would you Rommy?"

Romulus lilted his head at her before looking around the whole room. Just then, his eyes found something peculiar; someone who appeared to be like him! Romulus picked himself up and hobbled over Yang and Ben's legs, making his way over to the other end of the couch. The little pup sat down in front of his quandary; Zwei, who was still very much asleep. Romulus gave a tiny, yet confused "rawr?" before grabbing on to Zwei's ear with his mouth, pulling with all his might while growling playfully.

It wasn't long before Zwei noticed. He opened his eyes and pulled his ear away, watching as the wolf pup stumbled forward in surprise. The corgi was confused for a moment, but the second the tiny pup got back onto his paws and began bounding around eagerly, he knew this friendly little guy meant no harm. Zwei sniffed Romulus and he sniffed right back, the two starting to get used to one another's presence.

"Heh, guess that was only a matter of time." Yang figured as she watched the two begin to play with each other. "Play carefully with him, Zwei, he's just a puppy." She got a nod and a bark from Zwei as the two canines continues to lightly rough house on the couch, leaving the couple to their movie. The duo reclined back, huddling up next to one another once again. "So, shall we continue?"

"Of course, m'lady." Ben pressed play and the movie continued, the two simultaneously watching the flick and keeping an eye on Zwei and Romulus as they played.

* * *

"This-this is absurd!" Dr. Watts exclaimed as he laid his eyes on the five "newcomers" to their cause. The moment their mistress had introduced them, he was aghast at the very thought of these heathens having joined their ranks. They appeared to be better suited inside of a comic book or a Saturday morning cartoon than a dedicated evil syndicate. "Lady Salem, surely you cannot be serious about this! Look at them! These people are—"

"Experienced individuals whom have dealt with Ben Tennyson on multiple past occasions." Salem finished for him, though she knew he would say something different. "Doctor, may I remind you that our cause is willing to accept all those who have dark intentions?"

"W-well, I suppose, but still, how can we be sure that they will be serious about this undertaking?" Watts asked. "What are their credentials, their expertise? We do not simply take individuals who hold a grudge."

Hazel narrowed his eyes at Watts. "And what exactly does that mean, doctor? You're certainly one to talk considering you were disgraced by the scientific community."

' _Gah! Bollocks! Wrong choice of words, Arthur!'_ The doctor cleared his throat and continued speaking. "Ahem, indeed, and of course _you_ have your bad blood with Ozpin. However, what I _meant_ to say was there is more to being part of this cause than reasoning alone." He returned his attention back to the group of five across the room. "I am simply curious about is what these five are capable of."

"Does being one of the best bounty hunters in the Milky Way galaxy count?" Rojo said as she stepped forward, getting right into Watts' face with a sneer. "Because if not, I can hunt you down personally just to show you. Your mustache can make a pretty good taxidermy by itself."

Watts was taken aback by such rudeness, and he turned to Salem, hoping for some support. But by the expression on Salem's face, she offered none. Instead, she gave him a look that said; 'You managed to get yourself into this mess, now you need to get out of it'. Off to the side, he saw Emerald attempting to hide her chuckling behind her hand while Mercury openly snickered, a wild smirk set on his face. And in the middle was Cinder, sporting a sly grin as she eagerly anticipated what would happen next. Watts coughed into his hand and finally responded. "It will take more than empty threats to dissuade me, Miss… what was it again?"

"Rojo." The bounty hunter said as she put her hands on her hips. "Listen, the Boss Lady told me to treat you with respect, but if YOU keep throwing insults at me, I'm just gonna keep tossin' 'em back, you hear?"

Watts recoiled at the nickname. "Gah! "Boss Lady"? You would do well to show Lady Salem the respect she deserves!"

"On the contrary, Doctor." Salem assured. "I am perfectly fine with the title she has chosen for me. So long as she continues to aid in my cause, she may call me whatever she likes."

Watts let out a sigh of defeat. "Very well, Lady Salem, if that is what you wish." He straightened his back and turned to the rest of the villains. "And what of the rest of you? What can you bring to the proverbial table?"

"I am glad you asked." Animo said as he stepped forward and extended a gloved hand. "I am Doctor Aloysius Animo, evolutionary genius extraordinaire. I specialize in the field of genetic mutations, a skill which Lady Salem has humbly requested of me to contribute to her cause."

Watts' eyebrows rose in surprise. "Hmm, well, it certainly is good to meet a fellow man of science." He extended his hand and shook Animo's. "Doctor Arthur Watts, a pleasure. I specialize in robotics and engineering myself."

"Indeed. Lady Salem has informed me of your feats in the realm of machines." Animo's wicked grin grew. "That being said, I would like to ask if you could possibly assist me with an experiment that I have been working on."

Watts put a hand to his chin in contemplation. "Hmm, really?" After a moment's thought, he put his hands behind his back and gave a nod. "Very well, Doctor Animo, it would be my pleasure. You have certainly made a good first impression, so I am willing to listen." He then mumbled under his breath while glancing back at Rojo; "Unlike some others." He saw Rojo narrow her eyes at him before turning back to the doctor. "Please, show me what you have in mind."

As the two doctors left, Rojo moved over next to Cinder, crossing her arms as she watched them leave. "I hate him." She said bluntly.

"Good." Cinder replied. "You're learning fast." The Fall Maiden's eyes glanced over to see Hazel approaching Hog, Skull, and Michael, the strong man hoping for a more civil discussion. "Well, this could certainly be interesting."

Hazel extended his hand to Exo-Skull, who looked down at it warily. "Greetings. I am Hazel Rainart. Forgive Doctor Watts, he can be quite the skeptic when it comes to new allies."

Skull waved his hand. "Hey, no problem, trust me, we deal with more people like him than you may think." The larger man grasped Hazel's hand and shook it. "Farkas Skullovich, nice to meet ya. I also go by Exo-Skull, though most just call me Skull."

Hazel nodded. "A pleasure." His gaze then shifted over to Thunderhog. "And you?"

Hog smirked and stepped forward, shaking hands with Hazel as well. "Heh, name's Thaddeus Hogan, a.k.a. Thunderhog. But you can just call me Hog, man."

"I see." Hazel crossed his arms. "So, how were you two brought into the fold?"

"Oh, we were lost in those red woods, the uh…" Skull snapped his fingers a couple time before he finally remembered the name. "Forever Fall! That's what it was! Anyway, we were stuck there for almost a week tryin' ta help the doc in his experiments."

"But when Ben Tennyson caught us stealin' money an' found out where we were hidin' out," Hog added, "we had ta get the hell outta dodge. That was when Cinder and Rojo offered us this gig. And man, if it helps us get Tennyson off our back, then I'm all for it."

"Hmm, interesting." Hazel put a hand to his chin. "And this "Ben Tennyson", is he truly that strong?"

"Sure is." Skull confirmed. "He's basically got a transformation for every situation."

Hog pointed between himself and Skull. "An' comin' from a couple a' bulky guy's like us? That's sayin' somethin'"

Hazel nodded once more. "Indeed. And so long as he remains a threat to our cause, I suppose he must be dealt with. So, if that is the case, he will be quite the challenge. Whenever it is we meet, Ben Tennyson will know what it feels like to face a man who cannot feel pain."

Hog's eye brows shot up and a big grin came to his face as he pointed to Hazel. "Ooh, hey I like that! That sounds badass!"

"Wait, so you're tellin' me ya ain't able to feel no pain at all?" Skull asked.

"I… suppose?" Hazel answered reluctantly. "Your phrasing seems to be a little off my friend."

"Yeah, that's a thing with him, ya get used to it." Hog explained. "So, this "feel no pain" stuff, is that your "Semblance" thing? Because if it is, that's fuckin' awesome, man."

"Heh, yeah, Tennyson won't know what hit 'im!" Skull exclaimed.

Hazel sighed. "Yes, I suppose. I do not engage in conflict unless absolutely necessary, however if Ben Tennyson is truly as strong as you say he is, then I will have no choice but to fight him."

"Hmm, so you're the "strong yet reserved" type." The three men turned around as Michael Morningstar spoke, the younger man giving them an apathetic stare. "Perhaps you'd want to rethink the way you handle things if you wish to even _think_ about conquering Ben Tennyson. Believe me, I speak from experience."

"Really?" Hazel stepped over to the blonde man. "And what exactly would that experience be?"

Michael looked away, gazing out the nearest window and narrowing his eyes. "They took much away from me. What you see now is my normal face. But before, those three, specifically the lovely Gwen, drained me of my energy and reduced me to a shriveled mess of a human being. It was only recently that Salem restored me. But because of their doings, I had everything else stripped from me! My home, my fortune, my _sustenance_." He clenched his fist. "I will make sure that they pay for all of the wrongs that they have committed against me."

Hazel raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Tell me boy, have you ever lost, not some _thing_ , but some _one_ close to you? Friends? A significant other? …Family?"

Michael's eyes shot wide open as he turned back to the much taller man. "I… I am not one to form personal bonds. I care only about my need for energy, nothing more."

"Hmm, I see. Well then, remember this." Hazel lowered his face so that he was eye level with Michael. "Compared to losing trivial belongings, losing someone close to you is much more painful than you can ever imagine. No form of shelter, wealth, or nourishment can come close to losing someone you have a special bond with. _That_ is why I choose my battles. Not out of fear, but out of respect for the living." Hazel moved back over to Hog and Skull. "Gentlemen, let's head to the sparring arenas downstairs. I wish to see what you can do."

Skull slammed his fist into his open palm. "Sounds good to me!"

While Hog pumped his fist up into the air. "Hell yeah! Let's do it!"

As the three left the room, Hazel turned his head slightly and glanced back at Michael. "I suggest you consider my words, boy. Take some time to think about what is truly important." The doors closed behind them, leaving the remaining six alone in the room.

"Geez, and I always thought he was the _quiet_ one." Mercury admitted.

"I've… _never_ heard Hazel speak for that long." Emerald agreed. "Let alone about something so… sentimental."

Michael narrowed his eyes at the closed door. "What right does he have to lecture me about what's important? Does HE know what it's like to have everything important taken away?!"

"As a matter of fact, he does." Salem said as she approached Michael from behind. "If you recall, Doctor Watts mentioned that Hazel joined our cause because of his animosity toward Ozpin, one in which I share. However, his reasonings were much different than my own. You see, his younger sister, a girl named Gretchen, had attempted to become a Huntress at Beacon Academy, something that Hazel was vehemently against. Her death during a training mission was what drove him to his hatred toward Ozpin, so yes, he does indeed know loss, young Michael. So see to it that you show respect to him."

Michael bowed his head. "Yes, Lady Salem, of course." As Salem began to make her way past him and to the door, Michael raised his head and gazed after her. "Although, that also begs the question, why is it that _you_ hate this "Ozpin" so much?"

Salem stopped dead in her tracks and the room became noticeably deadly cold, a chill running through everyone there. At that moment, Michael could feel power collecting at is feet and he looked down, his pupils shrinking to the size of peas as he saw a swirling black and red energy vortex come up from beneath him. From out of it, a large Grimm arm lunged up and ensnared him, pulling him right down to the ground with a hard SLAM! He let out a cry of pain as everyone in the room simply watched in horror. Without even turning around, Salem, deathly calm yet with an edge in her voice said; "That is none of your concern. Am I clear?"

Michael got the words out, but not without struggling to speak. "Y-Yes! Yes, Lady Salem, I understand!" The moment he said that, the Grimm arm retracted into the portal and it disappeared, leaving Michael a sputtering, coughing heap on the floor.

"Very good." Salem spoke, her voice becoming less on edge. "I would be quite disappointed to dispose of you on your first day here, Michael." And with that, Salem took her leave, the room completely silent after what had just transpired.

"Well… THAT just happened." Rojo said as she was still staring at the place where everything went down. "I think we could all use a good drink after that."

"YES please!" Mercury exclaimed. "I need to forget I ever saw that! The more drinks the better."

Emerald craned her head to him and quirked an eyebrow. "You sure it's not just to dull the pain in your arms?"

"What? No! …Well okay, _maybe_."

Cinder sighed as she crossed her arms. "Well, after dealing with Watts, I could certainly use a drink as well. Red wine, preferably."

"Haha! The Fall Maiden's got good taste!" Rojo exclaimed as they all left the room, leaving Michael a crumpled mess in the middle of the room. "See ya, Mikey! Wouldn't wanna be ya!"

The door closed behind them, with Michael left in the fetal position on the floor. A moment of silence passed before he finally managed to get out; "As much as I hate to agree with the likes of them… never before have I needed alcohol this badly."

* * *

"You have no idea how pleased I am to meet a fellow misunderstood scientist such as yourself, Watts." Animo said as they two doctors entered the castle's laboratory. When Salem had first taken him here, Animo thought it would be the most predictable mad scientist lab you could ever imagine, straight out of a nineteen sixties cartoon about sleuthing, meddling kids and their talking animal. However, that was far from what Animo got. It was actually state of the art with nary a beeping machine or flashing light to be seen. No cobwebs either, so that was a plus. "When Lady Salem told me of your brilliant work, I knew you would be quite the partner in my little project."

"And what exactly would this project be, doctor?" Watts asked as he took a seat.

"Let me propose to you a question; What would the world be like if humans could be improved from their base abilities?"

"Hmm, an excellent lead in." Watts gestured for Animo to go on. "Please continue."

Animo rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "My research has taken me years to come up with the answer I have been looking for, and my hypothesis is this; If we could harness the abilities of animals, and transmute them into the human DNA strand, then we can enhance the regular human into a being of great physical attributes!"

Watts raised an eyebrow. "You mean, like a Faunus?"

"Faunus are simply the tip of the iceberg my friend!" Animo said as he sat next to Watts. "In fact, the Faunus have actually been the key to me completing my research. Before, whenever I attempted to put the aspects of any animal into a human, it would work, but the human would lose its mind in the process. But now, even with the small amount of Faunus DNA that Tyrian provided me from his own blood, I believe I can curb the side effect!"

Watts visibly grimaced. "Oh, so you HAVE met Callows already."

Animo nodded. "Indeed, and while he is quite… off putting, he has set out to provide me what I need to potentially reach a breakthrough. One in which I hope to create a being whose animal traits are even greater than that of a Faunus!"

Watts put his elbow against the table and propped his chin against his hand. "Really, and how do you propose that?"

"A combination of animal strength, and modern technological enhancements. Tell me Watts, when you think of Faunus, how would you describe them?"

"Why, as beings similar to humans, but with the addition of animal attributes, some more noticeable than others." Watts answered. "So what is the point in all of this?"

"Well, what if we took your description, and reversed it?" Animo proposed.

Watts raised an eyebrow. "You mean, _animals_ with more _human_ attributes? Anthropomorphization?"

"Very similar. As I stated, I attempted this very process before by mutating humans into more animalistic forms, however I have never been very successful in doing so. But I am so close this time, I can almost feel it!"

"But the results either way would be brutish and monstrous!" Watts countered. "How would you be able to control them?!"

"Why, by finding the right lackeys for the job of course." Animo answered with a smirk.

The realization hit Watts like a truck. "The two I saw back in the meeting room, the large lumbering ones. They are your future test subjects?"

Animo rose to his feet, motioning for Watts to do the same. "Exo-Skull and Thunderhog have agreed to be the first of my new breed of super animal-human hybrids. And that is where you come in, good doctor." Animo lead Watts over to a different table, which held all of Hog and Skull's weapons. "These are the instruments of destruction that those buffoons use every day. Since I have only basic experience with cybernetics, I would like you to assist me in modifying these for use once they mutate into their hybrid forms."

"Ah, now you are speaking my language." Watts picked up Skull's helmet and one of Hog's shock gauntlets, inspecting them closely. He then turned back to see Hog's visor and mace on the table as well. "Hmm, well if you do plan to mutate them, I am positive that the mace will still be of adequate use, as will the visor. But these gauntlets and this helmet are made for human anatomy, so they will have to be modified." Watts set the weapons down before continuing. "Although, it would be better if I knew what they would be changing into once your formula is complete."

Animo pointed upward. "Ah, I am glad you brought that up!" The doctor sat down at the nearest holographic computer screen and began typing into the hard-light keyboard. "You see, Thaddeus and Farkas have actually already chosen which animal they wish to be. And to be frank, even if they are a duo of bunglers, they certainly know what they want; pure physical strength." Two images came up on the screen, with Animo moving out of the way so Watts could see. "Take a look, Watts."

Watts peered over to the screen and his eyebrows rose in surprise. "Hmm, a warthog and a rhinoceros. Interesting choices."

* * *

Back at the Xiao-Long house, it was 10:30 at night as the group upstairs were in the middle of watching Mothra, the giant fluffy insect monster flying over the city of Tokyo and destroying it with her powerful gusts. While Weiss was getting more invested in the cheesy monster flicks, she was also busying herself playing with Romulus. Blake meanwhile was on the couch, leaning comfortably against Sun's shoulder with Rema huddled up next to her leg, the wolf puppy sound asleep. Yang and Ben had since gone to bed, having to get up early for their morning training. It was at that moment that Tai entered the house, putting his coat on the rack before heading into the living room. "Hey kids! I'm back!"

"Dad!" Ruby leapt up off the ground and gave her father a hug. "How were things over in Vale?"

Tai shrugged. "They were okay for the most part. We got a lot done today though, so that's a good… thing?" Tai trailed off as he finally took note of the little bundles of fur that Weiss and Blake were holding, his eyes shifting between the two. "Um, could someone explain to me why there are two wolf puppies in my house?"

Jaune quickly rose to his feet. "Okay, Mr. Xiao-Long, I know this looks a bit weird, but I can explain everything."

Tai crossed his arms skeptically. "Really? Because last I checked, I only owned one dog."

"And that remains true." Tai turned to see Athena emerge from the kitchen, making her way toward him. "For I am the one who owns these pups." She produced two documents from behind her back and handed them to him. "Legal and binding if I might add."

Tai took the documents and read them over. "Romulus and Rema? Where in the heck did you even find these two?"

Pyrrha spoke up next. "We found them when we were over at Mr. Vulcan's house today. Their parents were killed by Grimm and we couldn't just leave them out all alone."

"I'm sorry we didn't call you dad." Ruby apologized. "It was kind of a spur of the moment thing. We're going to start training them tomorrow, so you don't have to worry about them being disobedient."

"Hmm." Tai thought about it for a moment before he noticed that the little pups had scurried over to his feet and began sniffing at his boots. A grin instantly came to his face. "Aw, what the hell? I can't stay mad at something so cute!" He knelt down and pet each of their heads. "Hi there, little ones. How're you doing?!"

Ruby gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you, dad."

"No problem, but sweetie, would you do me a favor?" Tai gave her a pleading look. "Please don't bring in anymore new residents. I'm not sure if my house can take much more."

Ruby laughed and hugged her father. "Sure dad, no problem."

"Thank you." Tai then let out a yawn, covering his mouth with his hand. "Well, I think I'm gonna hit the sack. I'm due back in Vale tomorrow too, so I'd better get some more sleep. Night kids!" The group of teens said goodnight as Tai went up the stairs, ready to settle in for the night.

Athena shifted her attention to the group as well. "I suggest you all get to bed soon too. We're going to have a long day tomorrow so you'll need your rest."

Weiss covered her mouth and yawned. "Agreed, I'm going to bed." She went over to the little puppies and rubbed their heads. "Good night little sweeties! I'll see you in the morning."

But as Weiss went to the stairs, Nora couldn't help but feel disappointed that they wouldn't be able to continue their monster movie marathon. "Aw, I was hoping we could watch at least ONE more monster movie."

"Don't worry Nora," Gwen reassured. "Once breakfast is over, I promise we'll ALL watch Varan the Unbelievable before we head out to training. So how about we finish Mothra and then head to bed, alright?"

Nora sighed. "Yeah," she relented, "I guess that's okay."

"Good." Athena said before giving a yawn of her own. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I will head to bed as well. Goodnight everyone." The group gave her a goodnight as Athena too went upstairs, though she gazed out toward the living room with a small smile on her face. _'Today certainly has been quite the day.'_ she thought. _'Never a dull moment around here, I suppose.'_ And with that, she went to bed, looking forward to whatever tomorrow would bring.

* * *

**A/N: And with that, this chapter comes to a close! Lots of things happened in this one, eh? Blake and Sun are due for a date, Watts and Hazel have met the new recruits, and it looks like Animo is getting closer and closer to perfecting his mutation serum. What comes next? Only time will tell. Speaking of, Next Time! Our heroes start their Sunday with a surprise visit from Cooper and Team CFVY, the five wanting in on the daily activities. How will it go? Well, stay tuned to find out! Thanks for reading! See ya later!**


	31. Morning CFVY

**A/N: How's it goin' guys? Yes, I've used this type of pun before on a previous chapter, but there are WAY too many expressions that use the word "Coffee" for me NOT to use them! So gosh darn it, I'll use 'em all up until I've got nothing left! In any case, this chapter's a bit more… casual I think would be the most appropriate word for it. There IS some plot in here, don't get me wrong, but it's a bit more laid back from all of the heavy stuff going on recently. That being said, this is…**

**Chapter 31: Morning CFVY**

* * *

The moment she could feel herself returning to consciousness, Coco pleaded to herself in her head; _'No, no, c'mon! Just a little bit longer!'_ But the light shining past her eyelids argued otherwise, and that was the moment she gave in and fully woke up. _'Ugh, fuck it, FINE!'_ She groggily opened her eyes and groaned in frustration against her pillow, rubbing one eye with her hand. Just by looking out the window, she could tell that it was still early, the sun just barely rising over the horizon. Coco partially raised herself up, gazing around the room for any sign of movement from Velvet on her own bed. Sure enough, the bunny-eared girl was still sound asleep, her eyes shielded by the light that was shimmering through the window blinds. Coco sighed to herself. "You're one lucky gal, Vel. At least you're not right next to the flippin' window."

Coco swung her legs down to the white carpet floor, her cocoa brown sleeveless nightgown flowing with her movement. She and her group had done a little bit of shopping yesterday amid all the chaos of moving into their new apartment on Patch, with General Ironwood being gracious enough to pay it forward for their assistance in aiding Vale. It was mostly for the basic stuff, new clothes, toiletries, food, the works. _'Gotta admit, while not ENTIRELY my style, this thing's really cozy to sleep in.'_

She went to the personal bathroom, which, while small, was still nice to have in the room. She brushed her teeth, and then took a nice, warm shower, the heat of the water managing to wake her up a little. Still, Coco knew she wouldn't be completely awake without her morning coffee… which she could smell the instant she walked out of the bathroom, a towel securely around her body. Plus, she could also smell breakfast, which was a bit odd. _'Huh, well SOMEONE'S up early.'_ Coco changed into some casual clothes, a brown t-shirt with black sweats, and headed out into the main room, making sure to pocket her sunglasses along the way.

She walked out into the living area and moved over to the kitchen which was right next to it. To her surprise, there stood Cooper, in a purple t-shirt and grey sweats, in front of the oven making breakfast. She couldn't help but smile at the kind gesture. "Wow, a scientist AND a cook? You continue to surprise me, Tech Head."

The instant he heard her, Cooper turned around, smiling as his eyes landed on her. "Hey! Morning, Coco. So, how was your first sleep in a normal bed after full a week?"

"Hah, better than the hospital's bed, I can tell you that." Coco replied as she stepped into the kitchen. "So, cooking breakfast, huh?

"Yep, eggs and french toast, plus I got some bacon and home fries staying hot in the oven."

Coco's eyes widened, impressed that he was able to cook that much already. "Hah, wow. Thanks a bunch, but what're you doing up this early?"

Cooper shrugged. "Eh, just thought I'd get a jump on things. Think of this as a way of saying thanks for being so nice to me… and for making me a part of your team." He pointed over to the coffee maker on the counter next to him. "I've also got coffee fully brewed for you. I know you aren't fully awake without it."

Coco's smile grew at the blonde boy's words. _'Just how nice is this guy?'_ She moved next to him and lightly touched his cheek, giving him a wink. "That's really sweet Tech Head, thank you."

As she went over to the coffee maker, Cooper couldn't help but blush at the small gesture. "Y-you're welcome."

Coco poured her coffee, adding a couple sugars and a bit of cream to speed up the caffeine's effects. She took a sip, letting out a sigh of content as she felt the waking sensation begin to take hold. "Ah, just what I needed." She moved back over next to Cooper, taking in the smell of french toast and eggs cooking in the pans in front of them. "Mmm, I can feel my stomach grumbling already. Finally, a decent meal."

"Heh, yeah," Cooper agreed, "no more hospital food for us, huh?"

"Nope! And thank god for it!" Coco went over to the island table that separated the kitchen and the living area, sitting down in the nearest chair. "So, first official day on Patch. Any ideas?"

"Hmm, well, there's always the mall," Cooper suggested as he slid two eggs each onto a plate of their own, "but we can also pay the Xiao-Long house a visit. I'm sure they wouldn't mind the company." He then took a six-piece stack of french toast and split it up between the two plates so that they had three pieces each. Cooper opened up the oven and pulled out a metal cooking sheet stacked with bacon and home fries, plus a whole other stack of french toast for everyone else once they got up. He placed the sheet on the stove top before turning his head to her once again. "How many strips of bacon do you want?"

"Three's fine for me, thanks." Coco replied. "And a small stack of home fries, please? Something tells me I'm gonna want to have room for all this, and I don't wanna fill up on just potatoes."

"You got it!" Cooper did what she asked and placed her plate full of food down in front of her, setting up his own plate with three strips of bacon and a moderately sized stack of home fries. He placed the sheet back in the oven grabbed a bottle of maple syrup as well as the butter dish, and went over to the island table, sitting directly across from Coco. "Well, shall we?"

"Yeah, let's." Coco grabbed her knife and cut her french toast up into bite sized pieces before pouring maple syrup onto it. She took a bite and was immediately taken in by satisfaction. "Wow, Tech Head, you make a mean french toast, gotta say."

"Heh, thanks. My mom taught me how to cook." Cooper grinned to himself as memories came flooding back to him. "You know, she'd often tell me that just because I'm a genius doesn't mean I should stop learning new things. That's the reasoning she's always had for pushing me out of my comfort zone. Getting me to cook, play board games, you name it."

Coco swallowed another bite of food before commenting. "Wow, your mom sounds really cool. And nice too."

"She is. She's actually the one who convinced me to start working out and go to the Plumber Academy. At first I thought all of it was because she was just being stubborn with me." Cooper glanced down at his plate. "But the moment I realized that I was starting to become more and more over weight, I realized she just wanted to help me not waste my life away. What point is there being a genius if you're liable to die of a heart attack at an early age?"

"Oh yeah, you mentioned you used to be on the chubby side." She gave him a sly smirk. "Hard to believe looking at you now, huh?"

Cooper could practically feel the heat rising to his cheeks at her compliment. "Uh, y-yeah, a little bit. Sometimes I wonder how I did it myself. But… then I remember that my folks believed that I could do it, and I wanted to prove to them that I could."

Coco's smile became sympathetic and she reached over to grasp his hand in hers. "You miss them a lot, don't you?"

Cooper sighed, his hand gently closing around hers. "I do. And I really want to see them again. I know that we'll probably eventually get rescued but… I can't help but think what will happen if we don't." He smiled back at her. "And that's why I'm glad that you and your team took me in. Now, I know I'm not alone."

Even though Coco was never one for touching moments, her inner self couldn't resist the genuine emotion behind Cooper's words. She chuckled and got up, moving around the table until she was right beside the blonde genius. And then, much to Cooper's shock, she hugged him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She then whispered into his ear; "Anytime, Cooper. Anytime."

If Cooper's brain were a computer, it would have crashed. He had to admit, he wasn't used to being hugged by girls who weren't his mom. So to say Coco took him by surprise wasn't inaccurate. At first, he had no idea what to do. But then, his mind came to the stunning realization of; _'Just hug her back, you dolt!'_ So that's what he did, his lifted his arms and gently hugged her back, finally speaking up in the process. "Th-thanks Coco. It means a lot."

Coco let out another chuckle before she moved into the embrace, pulling her head back to look at him straight on. "Cooper, it's okay. I'm not gonna bite or anything."

"W-well, yeah, I know but… it's just… well…"

"You're nervous?" Coco guessed, her sly smile returning. She leaned in further, shortening the gap between their faces. "And about what, may I ask?"

This was when Cooper's mind became a jumbled mess. _'What do I do now?! I gotta say SOMETHING!'_ "Hehe, w-well I won't lie, I've been… thinking about how this week's been going and, um… well…"

"Yaawhhn" A yawn from behind caught the two's attention, their eyes slowly shifting toward the perpetrator in question; Velvet. Barely awake, eyes half lidded, her large floppy ears lazily hanging over in front of her face, and loosely holding a pillow in her arms. "Morning guys, how's it going?" the cockney bunny girl asked.

The duo couldn't tell if Velvet was either not conscious enough to notice that they were still holding onto each other, or if she just didn't care. But Coco was willing to take it in stride. "Hi Vel, bout time you got up. Uh, are you aware you're holding a pillow?"

"Hmm?" Velvet gazed down and noticed the pillow, her eyebrows raising up slightly. "Huh, So I am." She slowly turned her head back up at them. "Sorry, still—YAAWHN—trying to wake up."

"Well, there's fresh coffee right over there waiting for ya." Coco pointed over to the coffee maker. "Help yourself." Velvet gave a tired nod before making her way past the two and to the coffee maker, pouring herself a mug full of the dark drink. Coco shifted her attention back to Cooper and gave him another wink. "We'll talk later, okay?"

"Oh, yeah sure." Cooper nodded.

"Great." Coco pulled him in for another quick hug before moving to her seat and going back to eating her breakfast. "Hey Vel, there's also some french toast, bacon and home fries in the oven for ya."

Once he gathered his thoughts, Cooper looked over his shoulder and back to Velvet. "Yeah, you want some eggs too? I can whip some up for you."

"No thank you, you're already eating and I'd hate to interrupt you." Velvet said as she slipped on an oven mitt and pulled the sheet out. "I'll be fine with this." Velvet took a single sip of her coffee, and a split second later, her eyes shot open and her ears stood on end, a content smile coming to her face. "Ah, smashing! Wide awake now!"

Cooper's eyes widened in shock before he glanced back at Coco, with her simply shrugging in response. "What can I say? Everyone takes to coffee different."

"I can see." Cooper said as Velvet grabbed the amount of food she wanted before sitting with them, digging in the moment she sat down. "So Velvet, Coco and I were going over what we'd be doing today, and we thought it'd be a good idea to visit our neighbors in the woods, so to speak."

"A day at the Xiao-Long house? Sounds like fun!" Velvet replied before taking a bite of food. "So, what sort of crazy antics do you think they're up to today?"

"Knowing those guys, I'd say they've gotta have their hands full with SOMETHING." Coco figured. "I wouldn't be surprised if they're running around like maniacs at this very minute."

* * *

"QUICK! Get them outside!" Jaune yelled as he and Pyrrha were both running down the stairs in their sleep wear. They were holding Romulus and Rema in their hands respectively, their arms outstretched and away from their bodies. The moment they saw the two pups sniffing at the bedroom floor, they KNEW something was up. And right when Rema made to squat on the ground, they scooped up the canines and bounded for the stairs.

They went into the kitchen, ran right past Tai, Athena and Max who were sitting at the table drinking their morning coffee, and Pyrrha flung the back door open. The duo sprinted out to the backyard and gently put Romulus and Rema down on the ground, the tiny pups immediately squatting once again to go to the bathroom. With a sigh of relief, Jaune and Pyrrha sat back to back on the top step to the door, glad to have gotten them out when they did.

"First lesson of the day: potty training." Pyrrha proclaimed as she gazed back down at the wolves, who had returned from doing their business. "Priority number one."

"It is WAY too early for this crap. Literally." Jaune panted out. Pyrrha burst out laughing at the blonde knight's joke, which made him feel better by a country mile after his rude awakening. _'Okay, maybe not TOO early.'_ he thought to himself as he joined in with her laughter.

* * *

About an hour later at eight o'clock, things quieted down a bit at the house. Tai had left for Vale once again while everyone else was inside having breakfast, with the exception of Ben and Yang who had gone off to their one on one training session earlier that morning. Gwen meanwhile was out front with Ruby, catching the Hooded Huntress up to speed with what she missed from yesterday's martial art's lesson. The only thing that irritated Ruby about this arrangement was that it was before breakfast was even finished cooking, meaning she hadn't eaten yet. "Ugh, Gwen, not that I don't appreciate catching me up, but are we done yet? I'm starving!"

"Almost, just one last thing." Gwen went over to the porch and brought over three long wooden boards. "See these? These are breaking boards." Ruby tilted her head in confusion, so Gwen explained further. "You know those boards you always see martial artists break with their hands? These are what they break."

"Oh! …Wait, where'd you even FIND them?" Ruby asked.

"Turns out your dad was keeping these at the training grounds, so I snagged some the other day. Your teammates all managed to break some themselves yesterday…" Gwen glanced off to the side. "In fact, I think that there are still some slivers of wood left on the ground from the ones Yang broke, so watch out."

"Alright, so what're those black nubs on the bottoms?" Ruby pointed out.

"Spacers so that the boards combined thickness don't make them impossible to break. This wood is brittle, but it's easier to break if it's still apart."

"And… you want me to break these?" Ruby guessed. "With my _hands_?"

"Don't worry, they're brittle!" Gwen assured. "Even a little kid can break one of these."

"Well… okay." Ruby watched as Gwen levitated over two large stacks of cinder blocks with her mana and spaced them evenly apart, setting the boards down on top of the blocks.

"Alright, just like we practiced." Gwen said as she stood next to Ruby. "Eyes focused, stance firm, and hand steady." Ruby did as she instructed, standing directly in front of the boards. "Okay, when you feel like you're ready, go for it."

Ruby nodded and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. Physical strength was never her forte, but if a little kid can break blocks like these, then so could she. She brought her hand up in a striking position, and brought it down while screaming; "HIYA!", her eyes shut tight as she made the strike. She could feel her hand impact the board, followed by two loud snaps. At first, she thought it was her hand itself because it _hurt_. But the moment she peeked at it, she saw that it had in fact went through two of the three boards. Her jaw dropped in amazement. "I… I did it?" She rose her arms up high in victory. "I DID IT!"

"You certainly did!" Gwen confirmed while clapping for her friend. "Nice job Ruby, how do you feel?"

"My hand hurts like heck, but I do NOT care! WOOHOO!" Ruby spun around in victory before plopping down on the ground, laying on her back and staring up at the sky. "I seriously can't believe I did that."

"Well, believe it, sister." Gwen laid down next to her. "You're a lot stronger than you make yourself out to be, you know. I've seen you in action and you're really great!"

"Well, yeah, I know. But Yang's always been stronger than me, and she's the one who's good with hand to hand stuff. I just thought I'd never be cut out for it. …Plus I love my weapon too much."

Gwen smirked over at her. "I know. Crescent Rose is a great weapon, but sometimes, you need rely on your own skills too. Like what if you're caught without it?"

"I… I was… once." Ruby's mind immediately went back to the Vytal Tournament and what happened right before Penny was killed by the trick that Emerald pulled on Pyrrha. She remembered how scared she was, cornered by Mercury without her weapon. She managed to escape, but if she had her weapon, she might have been able to warn everyone before what happened. Or… maybe if she had trained _herself_ to fight in more ways than one. Ruby furrowed her brows and she rose up to her hands and knees, looking Gwen directly in the eye. "Gwen, I want to keep going. The one time I was caught without my weapon is something that I don't EVER want to relive. Please, teach me how to fight like you do."

Gwen smiled at the younger girl's passion, rising up to her feet and putting her hands on her hips. "And I'd be glad to… right after breakfast. 'Cause to be honest, I'm pretty hungry too."

It was then that Ruby's stomach growled so loud that even Gwen could hear it, the Hooded Huntress' hand going to her tummy as it called out for sustenance. "Hehe, yeah I guess I AM still starving too." The two girls shared a laugh before picking everything up and heading inside… at least they WOULD have if they didn't hear a car horn honking at them from behind.

The girls turned around to see a rather familiar roadster pull into the drive way, dirt kicking up from the tires as they came to a halt. From out of the driver's side, Coco emerged and waved to the two girls. "Mornin' ladies! How goes it?!"

"Coco!" Ruby exclaimed before running over to her friend. "It's going great… but what're you doing here this early?"

"Hey, can't a girl take her team on a field trip around the island?" Coco retorted sarcastically as Velvet, Yatsu and Fox climbed out of the backseat. "Heh, but in all seriousness, we're here for a visit. We knew you guys would be up to something by now."

"Hah, are we _really_ that predictable?" Gwen asked.

Cooper emerged from the passenger side door with a grin on his face. "Gwen, I've known you for almost eight years now. I think I'd know you guys at this point."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Yeah, good to see you too Cooper." She gave him a quick side hug before smirking back at him. She quietly whispered; "So, how're things going with Coco?"

"Oh… erm… well..." Cooper blushed. "I'm still sorting a few things out. But otherwise, things are going good."

"Very nice. Glad to hear it." Gwen turned back to the entire group and spoke aloud; "Well, what're you guys waiting for? C'mon in, I'm sure that breakfast is almost ready."

"Oh, thank you, but we've already eaten." Velvet explained. "Cooper was very kind in cooking for us this morning."

Gwen's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Cooper, you cook? Huh, apparently, I don't know you well enough."

Cooper shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, when would something like that _ever_ come up in a casual conversation? I don't blame you for not knowing, trust me."

"Well, okay then. If that's the case then why don't we head in—" But Gwen was cut off again when she heard the revving of a familiar motorcycle. "Huh, well it seems they're done with training. And just in time too." The entire group looked out to the forest path to see Yang and Ben riding out of the woods on Bumblebee, the two skidding to a halt when they came to the drive way.

Yang smiled when she saw her friends. "Coco! Velvet! Hah, wasn't expecting you guys to be here!"

Ben took off his helmet and got off the bike as Yang pulled it over to the other vehicles. "Cooper, Yatsu, Fox, good to see you guys!" Ben bowed his head slightly to Coco and Velvet. "Ladies, how's it going?"

Velvet waved. "Hello Ben, and you too Yang! It's going rather well actually."

"Indeed." Yatsu said with a bow while Fox gave a simple salute. "We have managed to settle into our new place relatively easily."

Coco herself smirked at the arriving duo. "Well if it ain't the power couple? How're YOU two gettin' along? Was your date the other night good or what?"

Ben and Yang's faces both became red at her comment, though the Blonde Brawler was the first to respond. "It's was pretty great actually. We had a lot of fun, and we hung out all day yesterday together too. We've actually made plans to go out to lunch later today."

"Oooh, nice." Coco approached Yang and nudged her with her elbow. "Well? C'mon, don't leave a girl hangin'. I want _all_ the details."

Yang was hesitant at first, but a sly grin came to her face when she got an idea of how to turn it back around. "Sure…" she glanced to the side to make sure no one was paying attention before she whispered. "But only if I can get the low down between you and Cooper."

Coco chuckled. "Hehe, you're learning fast."

Gwen cleared her throat and spoke up again. "Okay, now if everyone's here, we can all go inside. No more unexpected guests?" Everyone shook their head, much to Gwen's relief. "Good." She opened the door and waved her arm to the inside. "Now, please come in. I'm sure everyone's already getting breakfast by now."

They all complied with Gwen's request and went inside, with the Anodite bringing up the rear. Once they were in, they all went straight down the hall and to the kitchen, with Ben moving in first. When he saw everyone had all ready gathered and began getting their food, he spoke up. "Hey guys, guess what?" Everyone in the room shifted their attention to him. "We've got some early morning guests!" He moved himself into the room, allowing Yang, Ruby, Team CFVY, Cooper, and finally Gwen entry, with Coco waving the moment she came in.

"'Sup guys!" The barrette-wearing girl greeted. "How're we all doin'?"

"Hey everyone." Cooper said with a wave.

"Coop!" Kevin hollered as he raised his glass of milk. "What's happenin'?"

Weiss rose from her seat, not having expected the sudden arrival. "Coco! What're you all doing here? I thought you'd all be having breakfast at your new place right about now."

"Been there, done that Weiss-Cream." Coco waved. "Tech Head was up early making us breakfast, so we ate WAY before you guys."

"Hmm, I see." Blake said as Velvet took a seat next to her. "Well that's certainly nice of him to do."

"So what're you guys up to today?" Sun asked. "Any big plans?"

Coco shrugged. "Eh, not really, figured you guys'd be doing stuff right about now, so we decided to swing by."

"Well, this is pretty much all we've been able to do so far." Neptune said as he gestured to the table. "Make breakfast, eat breakfast."

"Unless you want to count the incident that we just nearly avoided this morning." Ren mentioned before taking a bite of food.

Nora burst out into laughter. "HAHAHA! Man, that was hilarious." She pointed over to Jaune and Pyrrha. "These two were panicking like it was the end of everything!"

Velvet tilted her head, causing her bunny ears to sway to the right. "Really? Did something THAT bad almost happen?"

"Well, it wouldn't have been AS bad as Nora's making it out to be, but it would have been _really_ upsetting to take care of." Jaune answered with a knowing smile. He turned his head to Pyrrha. "Speaking of which, shall we bring them in?"

"Of course." Pyrrha nodded. The two stepped over to the back door and Pyrrha opened it before shouting out; "Mom! We have guests! Bring them in!"

From outside, everyone heard a faint "Okay sweetie!", and a moment later, Athena came in through the door, smiling as her eyes found the visiting team. "Ah, Team CFVY! Good to see you again. I'm not certain if I properly introduced myself, but I am Athena, Pyrrha's mother."

"Yeah, we met, but we didn't catch you're name." Coco confirmed. "I'm Coco."

"Velvet." The bunny girl waved. "It's a pleasure."

"Greetings." Yastu bowed. "I am Yatsuhashi." Next to him, Fox nodded at Athena. "And this is Fox, he doesn't talk all that much."

"Oh, I see." Athena said. "I apologize if I'm over stepping bounds, but… does he speak at all?"

Fox nodded and Yatsu did as well. "He does, on occasion. He just simply chooses when it is important enough to speak."

"Ah, the strong silent type." Athena concluded with Fox's response being a kind smile and a shrug. "Well it's certainly good to meet you all formally. Now you can meet the little ones."

Nora squeed in delight. "EEE! You guys are gonna love these scamps, I just know it!"

Everyone's gaze focused down onto the floor as Team CFVY remained clueless to what was happening. "Scamps?" Coco asked as she quirked an eye brow.

Athena nodded and side stepped away from the door. "Come in, you two." All of a sudden, the sound of what seemed like claws against the floor caught the team's attention. From past the table came two small furry dogs, who immediately began sniffing at everyone they could. But then, they caught sight of Team CFVY and they bounded over to them.

Velvet gasped as she immediately stood up. "AH! Puppies!"

Coco reached down and picked up one that was sniffing at her boot. "Aw, they're cute—wait a minute." Coco removed her sunglasses and narrowed her eyes at the panting pup. Her eyes shot open wide as she realized what they were. "These are wolves!"

"Wolves?!" Cooper shouted. "How, I mean, WHERE did you find wolves?!"

"We found them while we were over at Festus' place." Kevin answered before taking another bite of his breakfast.

"And _who_ is Festus?" Yatsu inquired further.

"Festus Vulcan was mine and Ruby's old shop teacher from Signal." Yang answered as she and Ben sat down after getting their breakfast. "Jaune, Pyrrha, Ruby and Kevin went over to his place yesterday so Jaune could start making his new weapon."

"Oh, so you just found them?" Coco assumed as she continued to hold the pup in her arms.

With a somber expression, Jaune shook his head. "Not really. We found the dead bodies of their parents nearby their den. We think a Grimm might have killed them."

Velvet gasped as she took her eyes off of the other pup. "That's awful! I'm so glad you were able to save them. They may not have survived on their own."

Pyrrha nodded. "Correct. But everything's alright now. We even gave them names." She pointed down to the ground in front of Velvet. "That is Rema, she's a go-getter."

Blake smiled at that. "Take it from me. She's a real follower."

Gwen looked over to Coco. "And Coco, you're holding Romulus. He's quite rambunctious."

"Really?" Coco got close to Romulus' face. "Is that true? Are you a little troublemaker?" In response, Romulus yipped and booped her nose. "Oh! So you ARE! You're just a little ball of energy, aren't ya?"

Meanwhile, Velvet crouched down low to greet Rema face to face. "Hello, Rema. So nice to meet you!" Velvet pet Rema's head, but the little pup seemed distracted by something. She followed her eyes until she realized what the tiny canine was gazing at; her ears. "Oh, well you seem fascinated by my ears, now aren't you?" Velvet lowered her ears so that they were hanging just above Rema's head. Rema stared at them for a bit before jumping up to grab at them, only for Velvet to pull them back and catch her in her arms. "Oh, you're just too cute!" she said as she snuggled the little pup.

As the girls played with the puppies, Yatsu turned to the blonde knight. "So Jaune, you mentioned that you were forging a new sword?"

"Sure am." Jaune confirmed. "Here, let me go get it." He got up from his seat, quickly walked up the stairs and went to his team's room to get his blade. About half a minute later, he came back holding the blade in both hands. "Here it is, Corcea Mor Mark II. Or at least, the first part of it. We're going back over to Mr. Vulcan's place later to forge the rest of it."

"Ah, very impressive." Yatsu complimented. Fox also took a gander at the blade and he gave an impressed nod. Yatsu shifted his eyes back to Jaune. "So, what do you mean by forging the rest?"

"Well, I'm going to be making a new shield to go with this sword." Jaune explained. "But it's also going to make this sword capable of changing into an even BIGGER sword when I slide it over the blade. Plus, when it's in shield mode, I'm going to have a gun barrel at the tip, so that I have some ranged options too."

Yatsu smiled at the plan that the knight had come up with. "Sounds excellent!"

Coco looked up from the pup she was holding and smirked over at Jaune. "Not bad at all, Hoodie Knight. Mad props for the shield gun idea."

"Heh, thanks." Jaune put his sword down onto the counter and sat back down next to Pyrrha. "I've been wanting to go through with this project for a while now, and now's a good a time as ever, considering we can't go back to school."

"Yeah, I hear ya." Coco then shifted her attention to Ben, the hero busy making a dent in his breakfast. "So, anything else happen yesterday?"

Ben swallowed before responding. "Well, let's see. I showed Yang one of my favorite cartoons of all time for our date yesterday. We got attacked by two of our enemies, and we had a big monster movie marathon after the fact, so it was pretty eventful."

"Oh neat, I—hold on, WHAT?!" Coco exclaimed. "You got attacked? HERE?!"

"Yep. Darkstar and Ssserpent. They're a couple of our worst enemies." Ben reiterated. "But the thing about that is that they're filed under completely different definitions of "worst"."

Cooper's eyes furrowed at the mention of the scummy villain. "Darkstar was here? He didn't hurt anyone, did he?"

"Nah, we we're good." Ben reassured. "If anything, I think Gwen hurt him even more than he would have to us."

A smile came to Cooper's face. "Good, he got what he deserved, then."

Coco's eyebrows raised up. "Man, sounds like he's a real lowlife, huh?"

"Michael Morningstar's a complete asshole of a human being." Kevin confirmed. "A snake who'll manipulate anything to his advantage. All so he can live off of other living beings energy."

"And Ssserpent is a _literal_ snake." Gwen added. "He's an alien who resembles a giant cobra. And believe it or not, he's actually one of our least threatening villains."

"I can vouch for that." Nora said as she lifted a forkful of pancake, dripping in maple syrup. "Ren, Yang, Ben and I took him out without a sweat. Kinda disappointing."

"But Gwen went full on super hero when she faced Darkstar!" Sun counteracted. "She threw him around like he was NOTHING!"

"Yeah, serves him right for making her angry." Neptune attested.

Coco gave Gwen a smile. "Ooh, so nice girl's got a temper, huh?"

Gwen gave a nervous chuckle. "Hehe, well, I wouldn't say I'm an angry person, I just don't like it when my friends are hurt. And when he almost took Blake's energy away, I just… had enough."

"Huh, well it's a good thing you know where your priorities are." Coco gave her a thumbs up. "Nice work, Red."

"Heh, thanks. Hey, you guys want to join us for training today? We're going to the training grounds a bit later if you want."

Velvet gazed up from Rema. "You have your own personal place for training?"

"Sure do." Yang confirmed. "Where do you think Ben and I were this morning? My dad and Uncle Qrow built a facility inside Mount Patch when we were just little kids. At first it was so they could train, but as we got older, they would train me and Ruby there too."

"Neat!" Coco said. "Sounds like a good time! We're in!"

"Great… but first I promised Nora that we'd watch another monster movie before we headed out." Gwen explained. "She REALLY wanted the marathon to go on for a bit longer, but ya know, curfew."

"Hey, no prob. In fact, we'd be more than happy to join. I've been wondering what a movie from a different dimension's like. So, what're we watching."

"I think Gwen said it was… Varan?" Nora guessed.

"Yep, Varan the Unbelievable." Gwen nodded.

Velvet raised an eyebrow. "What's so unbelievable about it?"

Gwen opened her mouth to answer, but then she stopped herself, putting a finger to her chin in silent contemplation. "Umm, you know what? I'm not exactly sure. If anything, he's actually the most forgotten monster in Toho history."

"And Toho is…?" Coco pressed further.

"It's a film studio from our world." Ben clarified. "Most famous for their monster movies. We've watched four of them so far. If you guys have a DVD player in your apartment, I'd be glad to lend them to you for a while."

"Then once you're all caught up, we can have monster movie marathons _here_ every NIGHT!" Nora shouted.

"Ah, heh, we'll see about that Nora." Gwen said, trying to reel in the girl's excitement. "We've got room downstairs, sure, but there's a reason why Tai doesn't want so many people in his house."

"Well if that's the case, then why not just come over to our apartment?" Coco suggested. "We've got plenty of room in the main room for everyone, plus they allow pets! It'd be perfect for a marathon night."

"And while we don't have a DVD player yet, we _were_ planning to go to the mall later and do some more shopping." Cooper added. "All we got yesterday was the bare essentials like food, clothes and washing materials."

"That's perfect!" Weiss exclaimed. "We were going to head to the mall later too. It all fits together, doesn't it?"

"You got that right." Ben agreed. "Okay, so we'll watch the movie and then we'll all split up. Yang and I will be going with Jaune, Pyrrha and Kevin to Mr. Vulcan's place before our lunch date later, and you guys will do your training and mall stuff. We'll all meet up back here later this afternoon, sound good?"

"YEAH!" The entire room erupted.

"Well okay then." Ben raised a fist into the air. "Then let's get this Sunday started!"

* * *

Over in the city of Vale, Tai's ferry made land fall and the middle-aged man disembarked the boat, ready to get the day started. However, much to his surprise, General Ironwood, Winter Schnee and Glynda Goodwitch were already there on the docks waiting for him. Usually they would already be at work by now, either in the city itself or up at Beacon. _'Something important must be going on. Why else would they meet me here?'_ He waved over to them. "Jim, Glynda, Winter how's it goin'?"

"Morning, Tai." Ironwood said as the two shook hands. "Ready for another hard day's work?"

"I guess, but I didn't expect to meet up with you two until I got to the military base. Is something wrong?"

"You could say that." Glynda stepped forward. "Your brother-in-law is coming back from his field mission. We've had reports of something going on up in the Dust mines near the northern most peninsula, just beneath Vytal."

"I sent Qrow to investigate and… well," Ironwood hesitated. "I think it's best if he explained it to you himself. His ship should be arriving later this afternoon."

"Can't he just, you know, fly himself back?" Tai asked while doing a small flapping motion with his hands.

Glynda and James shared a hesitant glance before focusing back on Tai. "Again, I think it'd be best to let him explain it to you." the headmistress reiterated.

Tai shrugged. "Eh, alright. But don't blame me if he's irritated that you left it all up to him to dump all that info on me."

"Believe me, he's already plenty irritated." Glynda assured. "No doubt he's already drinking even before he gets on the airship."

Tai shifted his gaze to Winter. "And what about you, Winter? I'd have thought you'd be coordinating things at the military base by now."

Winter gave a single nod. "Normally, yes. However, General Ironwood has generously given me a day off so that I may see my sister. I have been wanting to see how she's been getting along with Neptune after their rather… intense exchange of words."

Tai waved it off. "Oh, they're fine. I haven't seen a fight break out between them since they got back from that mission."

Winter furrowed her brows ever so slightly. "Regardless, I would like to see her. And I would preferably not be here when your brother-in-law get here."

Tai sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I get it. You two don't really get along too well." But then he gave her a smile. "Well, in any case, have a good day. I'm sure after what happened yesterday, they'd love a visit from someone who ISN'T trying to kill them."

"Wait, what are you saying?" Winter asked.

"Tai, what happened yesterday?" Glynda pressed further

"While I wasn't there for it, apparently the kids were attacked at the house yesterday by two bad guys." Tai explained. "One was caught and stowed on board Tetrax's ship, but the other guy was intercepted by Salem. Darkstar I think his name was."

"Well, things keep getting better and better, don't they?" Ironwood crossed his arms. "So tell me, why weren't we informed until just now?"

Tai shrugged again. "Well, Tetrax has a brig on his ship, so they saw no harm in just throwing the other bad guy in there and calling it a day." The disapproving stares from everyone else clued Tai into how unimpressed they were. "C'mon guys, it was _Saturday_ for crying out loud! You can't blame a group of teens for wanting to just chill out on the weekend, right?"

As much as James wanted to argue against that, he found it best to just let out a frustrated sigh. "Alright, but from now on, we need to be debriefed on everything. Ever since the attack on Vale, people across the continent are seeing strange things. We need to be kept informed, in case it's either Salem, or another alien threat. Now, did anything else happen yesterday?"

Tai smiled. "Yes actually. The kids have adopted two wolf pups. Jaune and Pyrrha found them while they were over at Festus' place forging a new weapon. Their parents had both been killed, so they saw fit to bring them home."

Winter raised a single eyebrow in suspicion. "This isn't some sort of joke is it? They have _actually_ adopted wolf pups?

Tai raised his hands in self-defense. "Hey, they promised that they'd train them to hunt Grimm for when they're older, so that's a plus, right?"

"Do they know how much work it takes to train one of them? Let alone _two_?""

"Well, Athena does." Tai pointed out. "And she's the one who filled out the forms for those two, so I think she knows what she's doing."

Glynda just shrugged. "I don't see the harm. Anything to reinforce their positivity is definitely a good thing. Remember, the last thing we want is more Grimm." A smile came to her face. "Besides, I've always loved wolves. They're quite beautiful."

James nodded. "Indeed, I've trained wolves in the past myself. Such strong, majestic creatures."

Winter pinched the bridge of her nose. "Very well, if that is the case, then I will not question it." She turned back to the general and saluted. "I shall return later this evening."

James gave her a nod. "Of course. And Winter?" He smiled. "Have fun with your sister and her friends."

"Of course." Winter climbed on board the ferry and it pulled away from the docks, scuttling back off to Patch.

As he watched the boat leave, Tai couldn't help but smirk to himself. "She is going to fall in love with those mongrels, I guarantee it."

* * *

"Okay, while the movie lost me on it's plot, those monster scenes were pretty neat." Coco admitted as she and the others watched the credits to Varan the Unbelievable. "Ben, how old did you say this movie was?"

"About sixty years old." Ben answered. "Only four years younger than Japans most famous monster, Godzilla, who was also made by Toho."

"Well if that's the case, the suit was quite impressive for the time." Velvet said. "Was it made of rubber or something?"

"Kind of." Gwen replied. "They're actually made up of a whole bunch of different materials. Rubber, latex, foam, fiberglass, you name it, it's probably in there. The first use was in a movie called Creature from the Black Lagoon, but after Godzilla was a rousing success, Toho adopted the practice themselves and perfected it. "Suitmation" is what I think it's called."

"Very fascinating." Yatsu grinned. "Now I definitely want to see more."

"And you will." Kevin assured as he got up from his seat and grabbed his keys from the key hook. "But right now, it's a quarter to ten and we need to get this train goin'. Jaune, Pyrrha, you guys ready?"

"Yep." Jaune got up as well, giving the pups a pet each before he left the room. "Let's hit it!"

Pyrrha took time to give Romulus and Rema each a good pet and a snuggle before rising to her feet as well. "Now you two be good today, okay? We'll be back soon." The pups barked in response and she went to the door, joining Jaune as he went out the door.

Gwen got up and went over to Kevin. "See you this afternoon, okay?"

"Count on it." The two shared a kiss and Kevin gave her a wink. "Love you."

"Love you too." And with one last quick hug, Kevin was out the door, with Gwen standing against the door frame watching the three leave.

Ben smiled over to Yang, who grinned back in kind. "Looks like that's our queue to leave too, huh?"

"Guess so." Yang and Ben got up and the Blonde Brawler grabbed her bike keys. "See you guys later, okay? We might stop by the mall on our way back from lunch."

Coco gave her a salute. "Sounds like a plan, Yangarang! See ya later!" Yang gave her a thumbs up before she and Ben also left the house, mounting Bumblebee once again before both it and Kevin's car drove off toward Festus' place. Coco focused back on the rest of the room. "So, training time?"

"Yep." Gwen said as she returned from the door. "Now Coco, I'm going to be doing a separate thing with Ruby, Blake and Weiss. A little martial arts training before the main event. Do you want to join, or do you want to go out to Mount Patch? Because either way, I'm fine with what you decide."

"Well, that all depends." Coco looked back to the rest of her team. "What do you guys say? You wanna stay and do martial arts with Gwen, or work out at the mountain?"

Velvet raised her hand. "Ooh! I actually think that martial arts would be very relaxing!"

"I think you'd really enjoy it Velvet." Blake agreed.

Weiss shot a friendly glare at Gwen. "Provided Gwen doesn't flip you over." The Anodite just smiled and shrugged off the light-hearted jab.

Yatus nodded. "Yes, it sounds quite enjoyable." The swordsman gazed over to his red-haired teammate. "What about you Fox?" Fox simply shrugged and jerked his thumb out the window, pointing to the mountain. "Alright then, your call."

"I'm actually leaning more toward the mountain, too." Coco agreed. "What about you Tech Head?"

"The mountain sounds good to me." Cooper answered. "I'm actually kinda curious how Tai managed to fit an entire training facility in there. So, should we split up?"

"I'm fine with it if everyone else is." After a unanimous agreement from her team, Coco gave the word. "Alright, its settled. We'll split for now. So let's get to it!"

And with that, everyone split up to go do their daily training. But, as Coco went out the door, she noticed Blake and Sun exchanging a quick hug and a smile before the monkey boy went out the door to join everyone else, with Neptune not far behind. As they walked down the dirt path Coco fell into stride next to Sun before giving him a quick jab with her elbow. "Hey, you two finally taking the plunge, Monkey Boy? That hug seemed a bit more than just friendly."

"Oof!" Sun grunted as the elbow made contact. "Uh, heh, well..." The moment he saw the serious expression on her face, he knew he wasn't getting out of this until he gave an answer. He sighed to himself in defeat. "Okay, yes, we are." he whispered.

"Cool. I always had a feeling she liked you."

Sun's eyes widened. "Wait, you did? B-but how did you…"

Coco adjusted her glasses and chuckled. "Hehe, trust me boy, I'm savvy to more things than you realize. Just make sure treat her right, okay? I can tell that she cares about you a lot."

"Yeah, I know. And trust me, I will." Sun assured. "But could you keep it on the down low for a bit? Blake and I don't want everyone to know just yet."

"Know about what?!" Nora exclaimed as she shot up from behind.

But Ren was quick to reel her back in. "Something private, I'm sure. Come on Nora." The duo moved in front of Sun and Coco before Ren turned his head back, giving the monkey boy a small grin and a nod with Sun responding in kind.

"Phew, that was close." He sighed.

"Yeah, nice to know you have people who'll watch out for ya." Coco agreed. "And don't worry, I'm good at keeping secrets, so it's safe with me."

"Alright, thanks." And with that, Sun moved up so that he was walking next to Neptune, leaving Coco on her own. However, that only lasted a moment as Cooper was right by her side a second later.

"Jeez, what was all that about?" the blonde genius asked.

Coco shrugged. "Eh, just giving Monkey Boy some advice. Looked like he could use it."

Cooper smirked. "Can I take a wild guess about what?" Coco made a zipping motion with her lip before flicking the imaginary zipper away. "Ah, I get ya." he replied. "No telling."

"Exactly. Now come on." Coco gave him a knowing wink. "Maybe you and I can go a few rounds in the ring when we get there."

* * *

**A/N: And with that, this chapter comes to a close. Like I said, a little more laid back this week, with just the smallest hints of plot progression. Just what IS going on up north? What did Qrow run into up there? Might our heroes be in for a little field trip in the future? Well, we'll find out soon, won't we? But in the meantime, we'll just have to look forward to… Next Time! Winter arrives on Patch and she's looking to do some Summoning practice with Weiss while Jaune begins work on his shield. Meanwhile, a shocking news update finds its way to General Ironwood, one which concerns him greatly. What course of action should he take? Stay tuned to find out! Thanks for reading! See ya!**


	32. From Here to Sunday

**A/N: Hey guys! So starting with this chapter, I actually started moving updates over on FFN to Fridays, and it's been my daily upload day ever since... with a few exceptions, but hey, no body's perfect. But with that said, on with the show! This is…**

**Chapter 32: From Here to Sunday**

* * *

As the Sunday morning sun shined overhead, Athena Nikos stood on the door step of the Xiao-Long house's front entrance, watching as Gwen and her group practiced what she could only assume to be kung fu. It appeared to be rather graceful, but at the same time, the movements were quick and precise. "An excellent training exercise, though not exactly my style."She thought to herself. "Still, it's good to see them outside, practicing." Just then, a brisk breeze blew by, causing Athena to shiver a little. "Brr, for now in any case." She shifted her eyes up to the sky and saw that it was almost completely overcast. "The seasons will soon be changing. They may have to move their martial arts training to the mountain should we get snow." Athena looked back down to the group to notice that they too were shivering. "Are you all okay over there?" she called.

"W-were fine!" Gwen hollered back. "…I think." she added quietly.

"Gwen, I don't mean to be pushy," Blake said, "but I think we could at least do with some heavier clothes."

"Ag-g-greed." Yatsu shuddered as he rubbed his bare biceps. "It _is_ becoming somewhat brisk."

Gwen sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right." But then something caught her attention. "Uh, Weiss, why aren't _you_ shivering? Aren't your legs cold?"

A proud smile came to Weiss' face. "Ha! Gwen, let me tell you something, where I come from, it is almost _constantly_ cold. Compared to that, this breeze is nothing. Besides, my combat skirt is insulated, so I'm not worried either way."

"Well good for you." Ruby said as she hugged her own skirt against her legs. "But most of us can't afford that kind of expert tailoring."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "You're wearing leggings."

"So? It's still cold!"

"Alright, alright, let's settle down a bit." Gwen said as she stepped over to the two bickering partners. "Why don't we call it here, go inside and warm up for a bit? Then we can go to Mount Patch and join everyone else?"

"Sounds alright to me." Velvet concurred. "Maybe some hot chocolate would do the trick."

Ruby gasped with an ear to ear grin. "That's a GREAT idea! I LOVE hot chocolate!"

The group began to make their way to the house, but the sound of tires coming up the dirt road caught their attention. "Oh jeez, who could it possibly be THIS time?!" Gwen exclaimed before whirling around. But then a smile crept onto her face. "Ah, okay." She turned her head around and called out; "Oh, Weiss!"

"Yes? What's—AH!" The heiress' face burst out into a huge smile as she saw her sister climb out of the backseat of a yellow taxi, with Winter thanking the driver before the cab turned around and headed back to town. "Winter!"

Winter faced them all and gave a polite nod before she approached the house. "Weiss, everyone, it's good to see you."

"It's nice to see you too Winter." Gwen waved. "What brings you here? Any news from General Ironwood?"

"No news yet, however we should be expecting an update rather soon." Winter stopped in front of them and shifted her gaze to Ruby. "Your uncle should be coming back later this afternoon, you see."

Ruby gasped again and squeed in glee. "EEEEE! Awesome! Uncle Qrow's coming home!"

Winter hardened her stare slightly. "Try not to be too excited. He said that he is not bringing back the best news, so you all may have a new mission to take on."

But that only served to make Ruby even more eager. "Are you KIDDING?! That's has to be the best news EVER!"

Winter quirked an eye brow. "I fail to see how good news can also be bad news, but a positive outlook isn't necessarily a bad thing." She took her eyes off of Ruby and looked over to her sister. "But, back to the matter at hand, I am here to see you, little sister."

Weiss zipped over and hugged Winter instantly. "AH! Yay!"

The elder Schnee smiled as she returned the light embrace. Although she was intending to do some serious training with her during this stay, she was still happy that her sister was so much more jovial than she had ever been at home. After years of being under their father's thumb, Winter could finally see her little sister begin to lighten up. A small part of her mind said to herself; _'Now if only YOU could do more of that yourself.'_ , but she decided to ignore it for now. She cleared her throat and pulled her sister off, holding her at arm's length. "Ahem, yes indeed. After Friday's debacle with Neptune, I wanted to see how you two were getting along."

"Oh, we're fine." Weiss reassured. "We apologized to each other yesterday. Friendship mended."

"Very good. And what about your Summoning training?"

Weiss' eyes widened and she glanced off to the side. "I… may have not had a lot of time to focus on that."

"Hmm, I see." Winter pulled her arms back and folded them. "Well in that case, you and I have some work to do."

"Um, Winter?" Gwen raised her hand. "We were actually going to head over to the training grounds in a little while after we warm up."

"Warm up?" Winter asked. "Why would you need to warm up? It's rather balmy out here." Gwen gave her a deadpan expression and a deceptive smile came to Winter's face. "I kid. But if that is indeed the case, then I would be glad to join you all. It will serve as a good place to train my sister, no doubt."

"Then its settled." Athena said as she stepped off the front step. "Please Winter, come in."

"Oh, thank you." Winter extended her hand. "My apologies, Mrs. Nikos, I didn't formally introduce myself when we met the other day."

"Oh, it's absolutely no problem." Athena reassured as she shook the hand. "It was a rather busy Friday if I recall."

"Of course. Still I am honored to formally meet a huntress of your caliber. General Ironwood has told me much about you and the adventures you had."

"I'm sure he has. And thank you for the kind words." Athena looked over to the two members of Team CFVY who had stayed behind. "And I assume you know Velvet and Yatsuhashi of Team CFVY, correct?"

"I do." Winter confirmed as she gazed over to them as well. "I met them while working over in Vale. I am very glad you managed to find a new home here on Patch."

Velvet bowed her head slightly. "Thank you, Miss Schnee."

Winter bowed back before focusing back onto her sister. "Now, what is this I hear about you all… adopting wolf pups?"

Weiss was reinvigorated instantly. "Oh my gosh, Winter, you will _love_ these little bundles of fur! They are so cute and adorable!"

"And one day, they'll learn to tear a Grimm's throat out!" Ruby exclaimed as she swiped her hands, making them appear claw-like.

"I see." Winter said, bemused at the Hooded Huntress' eccentricities. "Well then, let me see them. I will judge them myself."

"Um… okay?" Gwen uttered as she opened the door. After Winter politely thanked her for opening the door, she went inside, followed by everyone else. But when Weiss made to go in, Gwen stopped her. "Hey, what does your sister mean by "judge"?"

Weiss smiled and waved a hand. "Oh, it's nothing. She just wants to see if we're committed to training them, that's all."

"I don't see what the big deal is. I think we'll be able to handle it."

Weiss placed a hand in Gwen's shoulder. "Gwen, don't worry, everything will be fine. She's not going to confiscate the puppies or anything if you're worried about that."

Gwen sighed before grinning back again. "You're right, let's head in." And with that, the two girls shut the door behind them, following the group upstairs to where the pups laid in waiting.

* * *

As Kevin's car and Bumblebee drove through the dense forest, Ben couldn't help but notice how far out this place was. If Pyrrha had never called her mother from our here, he could swear that they'd be off the grid, but apparently, that wasn't the case. He stopped glancing around and focused back in front of him, only to see the flowing blonde hair that belonged to one Yang Xiao-Long. He saw her face past the yellow locks and he couldn't help but smile, and she must have seen him in the corner of her eye because she smiled right back. That's when the feeling came back, the tingly feeling that he got in his spine whenever she looked at him.

' _She's amazing.'_ Ben thought. _'A part of me still can't believe that she'd go out with me. But we've been together for two days now!'_ He could feel his heartrate quicken its pace, and he was pretty sure it wasn't from the high-speed adrenaline.

In front, Yang was having similar thoughts of her own. Only difference? She voiced them. "Well, well, now who're you makin' those eyes at, Green Boy?"she asked as she glanced back again and gave him a wink.

Ben's smile softened. "Only the most awesome girl in Remnant, Goldie Locks."

"Heh, well aren't you a charmer?" she replied. "As much as I'd love to have a moment with you, I can't take my hands off the bars." It upset her that she couldn't do more at the moment, but Yang knew she couldn't take her attention off of the road.

"Maybe, but I think we can make this work for now." Ben changed the hold that he had on her into a sort of behind-the-back hug, his hold becoming softer while still keeping a balanced grip.

Yang could feel Ben relax against her back, and a playful smirk came to her lips. "Hmm, now this is surprising." She could feel herself relax a little as well, though she never took her eyes off the road. "You really know how to treat a lady, don't you Ben?"

"I aim to please." Ben replied. "And like I said before, I'm not about to disappoint you."

At that moment, Yang wished she could take even _one_ hand off of the handle bars and hold his own. "Trust me, you're doing just fine."

* * *

Up front, in Kevin's car, the Osmosian could see the motorcycle riding couple in his rearview mirror. A part of him smiled at the scene, but the other couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Jeez, those two will find _any_ excuse to be close to each other."

"Oh, be nice." Pyrrha urged from the back seat. "I think it's rather cute."

"Says the girl who's been babying two little doggies since last night." Kevin countered.

Jaune smirked, an idea coming to him on how to play Kevin's game. "Oh really? Are you saying that you and Gwen haven't had moments like that? Ever?"

Kevin glanced back giving him a raised eyebrow as if to say; 'you really wanna go there, huh?'. Jaune was about to take back what he said, but to his surprise, Kevin looked back to the road and answered his question. "Of course, we do. We've been together for almost three years now, why _wouldn't_ I give her that kind of attention?"

Jaune had no idea what to say. He glanced over to Pyrrha, hoping to get some advice on how to move forward, but she shrugged, having no clue on how to go about the situation either. After thinking it over for a second, Jaune cleared his throat and spoke again, hoping he chose his words correctly. "W-well, it's just…"

"I know, I know, I'm not really the sensitive type." Kevin interrupted, shocking both Jaune and Pyrrha. "And Gwen knows it too. But I make sure to let Gwen know that I love her every day." Kevin's lips turned up in a grin. "And to know that she loves someone like me back? That has to be the greatest feeling in the world."

Jaune was rendered speechless, but he was pulled out of his stunned silence when he heard Pyrrha give out a joyful yell. "That has to be the most beautiful thing I've ever heard!" The Invincible Girl reached up and patted Kevin's shoulder. "Gwen is truly lucky to have someone as committed as you, Kevin."

The Osmosian shrugged. "I certainly try my damnedest."

As he took all of this in, Jaune could feel something stirring within him. Kevin's words sunk into his mind and a new feeling of determination began to rise from inside his gut. His eyes went over to Pyrrha and he could feel is confidence begin to rise. But then, just as suddenly as it came, Pyrrha turned her head toward him and asked; "Is there something wrong, Jaune?"

And then came the fluttering feeling again. Jaune could feel the heat rise to his face as he tried to cover up his stare with a laugh. "Oh, haha, me? Nope, nothing wrong here! Just, uh, just taking in what Kevin said. It kind of caught me off guard."

Pyrrha nodded in understanding. "Oh, I see. So, are you excited to forge your shield today?"

"Heh, yeah, then maybe I can actually be of more use in a fight. Be more of an actual leader, you know?"

Pyrrha's face took on a serious expression as she reached over and placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "Jaune, you're a _great_ leader. I genuinely believe that you are the strongest member of our team."

Jaune's was completely confused. "Um, I think you may be forgetting that Nora can bench press a truck."

Pyrrha laughed at that. "Haha, yes, but I'm talking about how strong your will is. Your leadership is what holds our team together. And in all honesty, I don't think we could ask for a better one."

"Man, laying it on thick with the motivational speeches, don't you think?" Jaune jokingly asked.

"So long as it makes you feel better about yourself." Pyrrha said as she relaxed against her seat. "You're a great person, Jaune, and don't let anyone tell you different."

Jaune was stunned into silence again and he looked down at his hands. He gripped his knees as he could feel his confidence rise again. With a furrowed brow and determined resolve, he nodded his head and promised to himself; _'I can't keep putting this off. I HAVE to tell her soon.'_

* * *

The two vehicles pulled into the Vulcan's driveway, the smoke from the forge still clearly visible above the tree line. Unlike yesterday however, Festus was already there, walking about while moving a large sheet of metal. He noticed the rumbling engines and a large smile came to his face when he saw Jaune, Pyrrha and Kevin climb out of the car. "HAHA! Good morning, my friends! Are you ready for another hard days' work?"

"We sure are, Mr. Vulcan." Jaune answered while saluting. "What's that you got there?"

Festus lifted the metal sheet in question. "Oh, this old thing? This will eventually be your new shield, Jaune! Finest steel one can find, I assure you!"

"Whoa, seriously?! Awesome!" A determined smirk came to Jaune's face. "So where do we start?"

"Ah, now there's the fortitude I have come to expect! Now, to make a collapsible shield, let alone one which houses a built-in sidearm, the key is all in how it all fits together. First let us—" But Festus cut himself off when he saw a familiar head of blonde hair approach. "HA! Well bless my flame-retardant overalls! If it isn't the old jokester of my class." Festus held out his hand in a fist. "Yang, it's been a while!"

Yang bumped his fist with her own. "Festus! How's it goin' ya old steel hammer?"

"HAHA! I see you haven't changed a bit!" Festus guffawed. "I am well, thank you. I missed seeing you when you and your friends visited Signal. Let me guess, you were in the gym, correct?"

"Heh, nothin' gets past you, Festus." Yang shrugged. "Yeah, I was there, along with a few other friends… including him." She glanced behind her and smiled as Ben approached, the hero giving Festus a wave.

"Mr. Vulcan, good to finally meet you." Ben said as he extended a hand. "I'm Ben Tennyson."

"Ah, yes, Kevin has told me about you!" Festus responded as he shook the hand. "I assume that you went to Beacon as well?"

Ben hated lying, but he disliked his secret getting out even more. "Uh, yeah, we were all in the same class together. We all practically met on our first day." From behind Festus, Ben could see Jaune, Pyrrha and Kevin all giving him thumbs up, signaling that he was doing a good job."

Festus crossed his arms and nodded. "I see, so your teams are particularly close then. You must have had quite the number of misadventures since you all met."

Yang wore a sidelong smirk on her face. _'Oh, you don't know the half of it.'_

The blacksmith continued to speak. "Well, you are most certainly welcome in my home. Any friends of Yang and Ruby are friends of mine. Say, how are those wolf pups doing? Are they happy in their new home?"

"Oh definitely." Pyrrha answered. "They absolutely _love_ being surrounded by people who give them attention." She glanced off to the side. "Though we did almost have a little… incident this morning."

Jaune chuckled. "Hehe, yeah, the little ones almost dropped trou right in our bedroom. That was certainly a wakeup call."

Festus burst out into a fit of laughter. "AHAHAAHA! It would certainly seem so! Ah, very classic." He wiped a tear away from his eye before standing back up straight. "So, are you all ready to get started?"

"Hell yeah!" Yang pumped a fist into the air. "Let's do it!"

"Right!" Jaune agreed. "Time to get this new weapon finished."

* * *

Ruby poked her head inside of her room and saw Zwei sitting on her bed with the puppies, the canines concentrated on one another. She entered the room fully and congratulated the corgi. "Good boy, Zwei! I knew I could count on you to look after these two!" Zwei jumped up and whirled around, barking as Ruby patted his head. "Come in guys! They've been good!"

As everyone entered the room, Romulus and Rema turned their heads to meet their visitors. But then, when Blake came in, Rema was up like a shot and scuttled her way over to the cat girl, barking up a storm. This did not shock Blake in the least. "Yes, hello trouble." She said sarcastically as she knelt down and sat on her knees, letting Rema up onto her lap. "You missed me, I know."

"My, my, it would seem that one has already grown attached to you, Blake." Winter stated as she entered the room. "Quite a surprise, considering that they have only been here a short while."

"Yeah, I'm not sure why that is, either." Blake agreed as she held Rema up to her face. "This little one is just full of surprises. When I first said "hi" to her, she fell asleep against my leg. Then she followed be to the stairs while I was up here. She's a little mischief-maker." She focused on the little pup and pet her nose with her finger. "Aren't ya?"

As Rema licked the tip of Blake's finger, Winter walked into the room further and set her attention on Romulus, the male wolf pup gazing up at her in confusion. She sat down on the bed and picked him up, examining him with a scrutinizing eye. "Hmm, well they appear to be in good health, no mange or rabies to speak of."

"Nope, they're all nice and disease free." Weiss said as she sat next to her sister. "So, what do you think? Are they fit to be trained?"

After a moment of complete silence, Winter finally spoke up. "I believe that these two have potential. But until they are of age, I expect you to protect them. After all…" a soft smile came to her face as she hugged Romulus closely, "it would be a crime if the world were to lose something this cute."

"Aw!" Ruby cooed. "That's so sweet!"

"Indeed," Winter rose up, still holding Romulus in her arms, "but I also expect you to train them well. Otherwise, you will be keeping them for no reason other than "they're cute". Can I count on you all to do that?"

"Of course." Gwen answered. "You can count on us."

"Their training begins later this afternoon." Athena added. "Just as soon as my daughter and Jaune get back from forging the new shield."

"I see." Winter nodded. "So they've taken to making weapons now have they?"

"Well, Jaune wanted to have a new weapon since the one he's using now is basically an antique." Ruby explained. "It would really stink if it broke in the middle of a fight, right?"

"I suppose." Winter admitted as she pet Romulus' head. "Now then, I believe you mentioned you wished to warm up before moving onto the training ground, correct?"

"Yeah, Vel and Yatsu probably already have the hot chocolate ready." Blake guessed as she got up from the floor with Rema in her arms. "We should probably head down before it gets cold."

But before anyone could exit the bedroom, they heard a loud rumble coming from outside, as if a large aircraft was passing straight over the house. They all herded over to the window and looked up, getting the briefest glimpse of Tetrax's ship before it's cloaking device activated and it flew off like a shot, though in which direction, no one knew. "What in the world is going on?!" Weiss asked.

Gwen furrowed her brows in suspicion. "I don't know, but I think I have an idea of who will." The redhead went out the bedroom door and right down the stairs, with everyone else but Winter following behind.

Winter glanced around the room, making sure nobody was watching before snuggling her face against Romulus, giving the little pup constant affection. "Who's the cutest little puppy in the whole wide world? You are! Yes you are!"

* * *

Gwen bounded down the stairs and immediately went into the kitchen. There, she saw Velvet and Yatsu leaning out the open window, their eyes transfixed where the spacecraft once was. "You guys saw that too, right?"

Velvet turned around. "Yes, wasn't that Tetrax's ship?"

"It was, I'm just trying to figure out where he's going in such a—" Just then, the person she was hoping to find entered through the back door. Entering the kitchen was Max, holding what Gwen could only assume was going to be his lunch in his hands. "Grandpa, there you are! Do you know where Tetrax is heading? We just saw his ship."

The old Plumber nodded. "Sure do. General Ironwood just called, he was hoping to meet with Tetrax so that he could speak with him on some concerning topics. Plus, he wanted to hand Clancy off to him so that he'd be in a more secure environment."

"He didn't want us to come too?" Ruby asked as she and the others came down the stairs.

Blake set Rema down when she reached the bottom. "Yeah, he usually asks us for our help when stuff like this is going on."

"He said he didn't want to interrupt any plans you may have." Max elaborated further. "Winter's here for the whole day anyway, so he felt that you should enjoy your Sunday. Tomorrow's another day, so you all should enjoy the rest of your weekend, okay?"

"An apt suggestion." Everyone turned to see Winter descending the stairs, setting Romulus on the floor when she came down. "After all, I would not like to waste my day here all alone, now would I?"

Gwen chuckled at the Altesian officer's point. "Heh, yeah, I guess not." That's when she finally noticed a familiar chocolatey aroma wafting from the kitchen counter. She followed her nose and saw a trayful of hot chocolate, nine mugs in total, all ready to be served. "Ooh, I can already _taste_ how good it is."

"PLEASE tell me we have those teeny marshmallows." Weiss pleaded.

"Oh, I KNOW we do." Ruby walked over to the pantry and opened it up, pulling out two bags of marshmallows. "Plus, if you like the bigger kind, we have those too."

Gwen gave her a thumbs up. "Nice." She gave her grandfather a hopeful smile. "Grandpa, would you like to join us? There's plenty for everyone!"

"I'd be happy to, Gwen." Max put whatever animal part he had in the sink and began washing his hands. "So, you kids have a good idea about what you're doing today?"

"Yep. Combat raining, lunch at the mall, dog training, and then our little pop culture evening." Gwen counted off on her fingers as she listed them off. "Other than that, nothing much else."

"Good, good, glad to see you kids are getting a handle on your schedule." Max picked up a mug and popped a bigger marshmallow into it. "Though with all these fugitives running about, its hard to say when we'll run into our next one."

Gwen grabbed her own mug and put in a few teeny marshmallows, with everyone else taking their own. "Well, whenever they decide to strike, we'll be ready for them." She gazed out of the window, looking out toward the mountains. "But what concerns me is what Salem and the others are up to. She's already got five of our worst enemies, plus Cinder and her gang. And what if she has others helping her too? It's a lot to think about."

Winter reached over and placed a reassuring hand on the redhead's shoulder. "Do not worry, Gwendolyn, I assure you that General Ironwood is already taking precautions for that. He has put out an all-points bulletin for Cinder and her allies, and he has informed the other academies of what happened. As such, they have increased security around their Communication Towers. If anything, suspicious happens, we will be the first to know."

Gwen gave a frustrated, yet somewhat relieved sigh. "Thank you, Winter. That makes me feel at least a little better."

"My pleasure." Winter took a sip of her hot cocoa and let out a content sigh. "Ah, exquisite. I have not had hot chocolate in a long time." Suddenly, a couple of yips came down beside her and she gazed down to see Romulus and Rema staring expectantly at her. She smiled at the two puppies. "I apologize, little ones, but chocolate is not good for you by any means."

"Oh, but I know what is!" Ruby went over to the fridge and pulled out the jug of milk, pouring it into a small plastic bowl. She set the bowl down and called over to the puppies. "Drink up!" Romulus and Rema hustled over and immediately began drinking the flavorful substance, with Ruby's smile growing as they lapped it up. "Oh, so cute!"

* * *

"Take us down here, Gluto." Tetrax instructed. "And keep us camouflaged for the duration. We don't want any wandering eyes to suspect us."

"Aye aye, Tetrax!" Gluto saluted with his tentacle before making the ship descend toward the Valian military base. The ship docked right behind the base, with barley any sound loud enough to attract attention. "A successful landing. And it seems you've got someone waiting for you down there."

Tetrax focused on the view screen to see General Ironwood and Glynda Goodwitch already there, and with a certain bug-man in an energy cell in waiting. "I see. Lower the boarding hatch." Gluto did as instructed and Tetrax exited the bridge, making his way to the cargo hold to disembark. As he made his way down the ramp, he saw Ironwood and Goodwitch wave over to him.

"Tetrax, good to see you." Ironwood greeted.

"We're very glad you could make it." Glynda added.

"It would be rude to say no." Tetrax insisted. "After you helped find me in Forever Fall, I'm willing to help in anyway I can. And I understand from our call that you need to have him taken off your hands." The Petrosapien pointed over to Clancy, the bug man snarling at him as he beat against the energy field.

"Indeed." Ironwood confirmed. "He's been giving my men night terrors, definitely _not_ a good thing to be having in the line of duty. In addition," the general pointed to Clancy's back. "His wings are growing back. That cell may not be able to hold him for long after they fully regrow."

Tetrax went over behind the cell and examined Clancy's back, the wings indeed beginning to reappear. "Hmm you're right. Don't worry. The cells that I keep on my ship will be more than enough to house the likes of him."

Glynda narrowed her eyes at Clancy. "Good, the faster that insect gets out of my sight, the better. I swear his stench comes through the cell."

Tetrax smirked. "Heh, I can imagine." He picked up the energy cell and walked it over to his ship. "This'll only take a second!" Once he was on board, Tetrax accessed his brig and deactivated Clancy's cell, grabbing the struggling mutant before he could even run away. "Oh no you don't." Tetrax quickly shoved him into a cell, one that coincidentally happened to be right next to Argit's.

The alien porcupine groaned. "Ugh, seriously?! Why do ya gotta stick me between these two weirdos?!" He jerked his thumb in Ssserpent's direction, the snake man's cell being directly on the other side of his as well."

Ssserpent hissed menacingly at him. "Hsss, bite your tongue, you missserable rodent."

"I'll bite into whatever I wanna bite, Scale Belly!" Argit shouted back.

"Enough, both of you!" Tetrax ordered, catching the two's attention. "It's pointless to argue in your position anyway." He pointed a finger at them. "You're in this together, deal with it." And with that, he left, though he scowled as he heard them resume their argument anyway. "Ugh, no prisoner ever listens to their jailer." Tetrax stepped off of the ship again and rejoined the duo, the ramp closing behind him. "Alright, Clancy's set. Now, I believe you had some other business with me?"

Ironwood gave a nod. "That's right. Qrow Branwen, Ruby and Yang's uncle, will be returning this afternoon, and I would like you to meet him. He's bringing back some news that you may want to hear, as it may have something to do with the fugitives we've been fighting for the past week."

"Good, that means more to scratch off of our "Wanted" list." Tetrax crossed his arms. "So, what do we do until he gets here?"

"Well, we could always use some extra help around the city." Glynda suggested. "And with your helmet on, no one should suspect that you're an alien."

"Hmm, not a bad idea." The bounty hunter activated his helmet, the metal dome moving out and over his head. _"There we go."_ His voice came out through the speaker.

"Excellent." Ironwood smiled. "Now, before we get started, allow me to show you where we need the most help—"

Just then, the back door to the base swung open, a panicked Atlesian soldier bursting out of the building. "General Ironwood, SIR!" he saluted. "We have… a…" the corporal's eyes landed on Tetrax's helmet covered face and he took a step back while moving for his sidearm. "W-what the hell is—"

"It's alright, corporal." Ironwood assured. "This is Tetrax. He's a Hunter, and a friend of mine. Now, what's going on?"

The officer stood at attention once more. "We have more news to report, sir!"

The general raised a brow. "What kind of news?"

The soldier's face fell. "Not good news, sir. We've been getting reports of multiple, separate occurrences of assaults all over Sanus. Many of them have managed to survive, but there have been victims who…" He paused for a moment to take a hard swallow, "who could not survive their wounds. At least three fatalities have been reported, sir."

Ironwood's eyes widened in shock. "What?!"

Glynda's hand covered her mouth. "Oh my god. And you believe it's not just coincidence?"

The soldier nodded. "Yes, we fear that they're all linked."

Tetrax stepped forward, shifting his head downward so that he was looking straight at the Atlesian soldier through his triangular, green visor. _"In what ways are these attacks related? Perhaps we'll find a clue in who's been doing this to these innocent civilians."_

"From the evidence that's been gathered, this killer has three recurring tendencies,the main one being that his victims so far have ALL been Faunus."

Ironwood narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "I see. A potential hate crime, then."

"We thought so too, but then we noticed something else." The corporal reached into one of his pouches and pulled out a vial of smoky white liquid. "This is the killer's weapon of choice, sir. Poison, but not just any poison. It's scorpion venom."

" _A very specific choice of toxin."_ Tetrax surmised. _"May I see that?"_ The officer gave Tetrax the vial and the Petrosapien held it up to his visor, activating it's scan function. A few seconds later, the systems in his suit beeped and Tetrax held up his arm, a green holographic screen popping up from his gauntlet and showing the results. _"Hmm, interesting."_ He gazed back over to the officer. _"Where did this sample come from?"_

"It's evidence that was sent to us from one of the attack sites." The corporal answered. "It was residue that was on the ground."

" _And this wasn't in contact with any human circulatory systems?"_

"No, why do you ask?"

Tetrax held the vial up so that everyone could see it. _"Because I'm getting traces of sapient DNA from this toxin. VERY close to human, but not quite."_

"That sounds like… a Faunus." Glynda concluded.

"Very odd." Ironwood added. "While Faunus violently assaulting one another is not unheard of, there haven't been this many recent cases since the Faunus Rights Revolution began. At least… not until now." The general faced his subordinate again. "What was the third link you found, corporal?"

"That's the strangest one sir," The officer stated, "the Faunus who've been attacked? They've all been one of each different type. Lion, tiger, bear, elephant, rhino, warthog, among many others have been attacked, but never repeated."

"I see." Ironwood contemplated the information for a few moments, gathering his thoughts before coming to a conclusion. "Alright, I will consult law enforcement on this issue immediately. You are dismissed, corporal."

The soldier saluted. "Sir, yes, sir!" And with that, he went back inside the base, leaving Ironwood, Glynda and Tetrax alone once again.

Ironwood exhaled through his nostrils, letting his frustration out. "Just what we need. More bad news." He turned around to face his two comrades. "We need to come up with something to help. Any suggestions?"

"James, I'm not entirely sure if we can do much of anything in this situation." Glynda admitted. "We cannot possibly watch over every Faunus on the continent, especially when there are a majority of Hunters already volunteering in the city."

"You're right, which means we'll need more help." The general put a hand to his chin, pondering on some ideas. "Maybe Qrow knows a few people. He's usually in the know with everyone."

" _Well, if that's the case, then let's talk about it when he arrives later."_ Tetrax rationalized. _"It'll be easier with all of us here, correct?"_

"Tetrax is right." Glynda agreed as she set a gentle hand on James' shoulder. "James, we have enough going on today already as it is. Let's take care of what we need to do first before we move on to what comes next, alright?"

James sighed, reaching for Glynda's hand with his own. "Yes, yes you're right. We need to take this one step at a time." He gave the headmistress a smile. "Thank you Glynda."

A prideful grin made its way to Glynda's face. "Well, someone has to keep your head on straight. Otherwise, you wouldn't get anything done here."

"Heh, very true." James stood up straight and gave his comrades a nod. "Alright, now Tetrax, if you'll follow me, we can get you started helping people out in the city."

The armored Petrosapien gave his own salute, a fist placed over his chest. _"It would be my pleasure."_ And with that, the three entered the base, ready to see what more the day would bring them.

* * *

"I must say, this training facility is quite out of the way." Winter remarked as she almost tripped over a rock for the third time. "And you all hike out to the mountain every day to train? If anything, I have to say that you all must be very committed."

"Yes, we are." Ruby said before narrowing eyeing Gwen with scrutiny. "Even though I KNOW one of us can easily transport us here with no problem at all."

"Oh please," Gwen said as she rolled her eyes, "it's good for your health."

"And it's killing my ankles!" Weiss complained. "These high heels are NOT made for hiking."

"Well, you do have the option to stop wearing them." Gwen counterpointed. "I'm sure that you have other foot wear besides those heels."

"Yes, but then I'd have to find a completely new look that'd match." The heiress explained with a chuckle. "And trust me, that'd take a LONG time with how many options I have."

"Really?" Winter questioned. "Well in that case, I will simply take some of those clothes and ship them back off to Atlas. Perhaps narrow your options a bit, hmm?"

Weiss gasped. "You wouldn't dare!"

A sly grin came to Winter's face. "Oh, I most certainly would. I would shove them needlessly in a simple beaten up cardboard box and have them shipped out by the most careless mail handler possible."

"You. Are. EVIL!" Weiss huffed, pouting and crossing her arms. "Fine, I'll see if I have any better shoes. Maybe some new combat gear wouldn't be a bad idea after what happened last week anyway."

"Oh! That reminds me," Ruby recalled, "I've been wanting to do the same thing for a while!" She tapped Gwen on the shoulder. "Hey Gwen, when we get to the mall, could you help me pick out some new gear? I could really use the help."

"Yeah, I've been thinking about that too." Blake spoke up. "Can I have some help with that too?"

"Sure ladies." The Anodite answered. "I'd be happy to."

"What?!" Weiss exclaimed. "Why didn't you girls ask _me_?"

Blake shrugged. "Erm, no offense Weiss, but your style isn't necessarily _our_ style. I'm not exactly one to fight in a skirt, if you catch my drift."

Weiss had to admit, Blake _did_ have a point. But that wouldn't prevent her from offering her help. "I mean, yes, the clothes here aren't exactly what _I_ would wear, but I could help pick out the perfect outfit for you guys regardless!"

Ruby gave her best friend a sympathetic look. "Well, I _was_ going to ask you, Weiss, but I thought you'd be too busy with your own clothes that you probably wouldn't have time to—"

"Nonsense." Weiss assured as she pulled Ruby into a side hug. "This afternoon, Gwen and I are going to help find something for you two that says; "I AM a Huntress!". Trust me, ladies, you won't be disappointed."

"Awesome!" Ruby exclaimed as she embraced Weiss in a soul crushing hug. "Thank you SO much, Weiss! I knew I could count on you guys!"

"No…problem!" Weiss struggled out. "Please… need air!"

"Oops!" Ruby let go and Weiss took in a big gulp of air. "Sorry, Weiss."

"It's… it's okay, Ruby." Weiss waved off. "I know you get excited easily, and it's something that I've become accustomed to. Your hugs, though, are another story. Not to say they're bad, but a little self-control never hurt, okay?"

"Yeah, you're probably right." Ruby said with a sheepish smile. "I'll remember that. Oh hey, we're here!" As the Hooded Huntress indicated, they had indeed reached the boulder that hid the secret entrance to the mountain. Ruby turned her head to see Yatsu and Velvet staring at the rocky wall in complete bewilderment.

"Um, I'm a bit confused." Velvet tilted her head. "It just appears to be a boulder to me."

"Indeed." Yatsu agreed. "I do not see anything resembling a training ground. Where is it?"

"Heehee, you'll see." Ruby pulled a key out of her pocket and removed the pebble that hid the keyhole. She twisted the key and opened up the hand scanner, putting her hand up against it to gain access. It spoke; _**"Handprint recognized. Welcome: Ruby Rose"**_ , before the boulder rose up to reveal the hidden hallway inside. Ruby waved over to the entrance. "Well, guys? What do you think?"

Still slightly taken aback, Velvet and Yastu couldn't find the words, so Winter gave her own answer. "If your father and uncle truly built this for just a family of four, I believe the correct term for this would be; overkill." The group entered the mountain and walked down to the hallway's end, with Ruby opening the door to the breakroom. Winter glanced around before asking; "Where are they?"

"Probably in the exercise room back there. Come on!" Ruby went do the door on the other end of the room and led the others inside, revealing that indeed, everyone was there. Fox was smacking around the punching bag with Sun holding it in place for him, Neptune was over by the weight lifters, Ren was on the treadmill and Nora was lifting a barbell almost effortlessly. "Hey guys!" Ruby called out to the entire room, gaining their attention.

"Hey everybody!" Neptune waved, but just then, he noticed they had a familiar face with them. "Woah, Winter? What're you doing here?"

Nora dropped the barbell, the weight landing on the floor with a BANG before she zipped over to them. "Yeah, we didn't expect to see you here today!"

"General Ironwood gave me the day to myself." Winter explained. "So, I thought I would come to Patch and assist my sister with her Summoning."

"Woah, sounds cool!" Sun said as he and Fox walked over. "We were just about ready to head into the sparring area anyway, so you guys came at the perfect time!"

Velvet stepped forward. "That's all well and good, but if I may ask, where are Coco and Cooper? Weren't they with you all?"

Ren looked back to the arena doors. "They've already gone into the arena. Coco wanted to get a head start on things."

* * *

"WOAH—OOF!" Cooper found himself taken down to the floor… again. In an instant, Coco had pinned him down, assuring her victory in their fourth hand to hand spar.

"C'mon, Tech Head, again?" The barrette wearing leader of Team CFVY asked. "You barely put up a fight. And I've _seen_ you fight, you're a lot better than this." She got up and offered him her hand. "Is there something wrong?"

Cooper took the hand and picked himself up off the ground, dusting himself off and letting out a sigh. "Sorry, I'm not exactly used to sparring like this. The training at the Plumber Academy was a LOT different than this is. While I know how to fight, I'm usually better with a side arm, or a melee weapon. Hand to hand isn't exactly taught at Space Cop Boot Camp, ya know?"

Coco placed her hand on his shoulder. "I get ya. But since Ironwood still has that mishmash of a power suit you made, we don't have many options until he decides to give it back. We need to get you ready for combat, and the best way is with training, right?"

"Yeah, but I kinda wish I had a weapon like the rest of you, ya know?" The blonde sat down on the arena's edge. "Or heck, ANY kind of technology I can use to make more gear for myself. Maybe then I wouldn't be so useless in a fight."

"Hey, you are NOT useless." Coco sat right beside him and put her hand over his. "You're smarter than anyone I know. I know that you can do AMAZING things with tech, but I also know that you're equally as amazing without it." She took off her sunglasses and gazed at him with determination, her smile strong and unwavering. "I know you can do it Cooper. I have faith in you."

For a moment, Cooper was struck speechless. She just gave him the best encouraging speech that he had ever heard, and the best part was that he felt every word giving him more and more confidence. _'She… she really believes in me.'_ He held her hand in his own, facing her straight on. "Coco, I… I really have no idea what to say."

"I think I can help with that. It's actually quite easy." Coco drew closer, leaning against Cooper's chest and closing her eyes softly. "We don't have to say _anything_."

Just as Cooper was processing what was happening, the double doors burst open with a loud WHAM, shocking them both so much that they fell away from each other with a yell. Nora came in and shouted; "Hi guys! Everyone's here, so let's get… huh?" The Pink Dynamo noticed that the two were sprawled out on the arena, both giving her an irritated look. "Oh, um, sorry, was I interrupting?"

"A little." Coco confirmed as she picked up her barrette which had fallen off when she jumped. "But, since everyone's here, we might as well get on with it." She got up and helped Cooper to his feet again, pulling him close so that she could whisper in his ear. "Why is it that we're always getting interrupted?"

"I, uh, I don't know." Cooper blushed. "But… it's kind of becoming repetitive."

"Same." Coco winked at him with a smile. "We'll pick this up later tonight, promise."

"O-okay." The two moved out of the arena, just in time to see Winter enter the room with everyone else. Cooper's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait a second, Winter? What're you doing here?"

"Hey, yeah. Shouldn't you be in Vale?" Coco pointed out.

"Not today." Winter reached over and put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Today, I shall be assisting my sister in her Summoning training. You may watch if you want."

Cooper was confused at the woman's statement. "I'm sorry, but I think you've lost me on that. What's "Summoning" supposed to be?"

Weiss and her sister took to the arena while everyone else sat down on the bleachers. The heiress faced Cooper and held her head up high with pride. "Take a seat and you may find out. You all are about to be astounded by the technique that comes with the Schnee's signature Semblance."

"Alliteration will earn you no points in the ring." Winter chastised. "You must be able to back your claims of prowess if you wish to earn the admiration of your peers." She narrowed her eyes slightly. "And as I recall, you were having trouble with Summoning when we last practiced."

"Well, yeah, but like I told you before, I summoned the Arma Gigas' arm, remember?"

"Indeed, however, that was during the attack. As proud as I am that you accomplished such a feat, it came at moment of desperation." Winter closed her eyes and drew her blade, a glyph appearing on the floor instantly. "In order to fully summon a defeated foe, one must put all of their focus on visualizing it. Once that happens…" From out of the glyph came a large white and blue Creep, the creature moving over to Winter's side as the audience watched in awe. "…it will become easier for you to do in the future." With a wave of her hand, Winter made the Grimm dissipate into tiny white particles, scattering into the air.

As Weiss listened to her sister, she began to feel slightly disheartened by what she was hearing. "I… I've tried to focus like you do. I've put in all of my concentration when practicing my Summoning but… all it ever does is frustrate me." She lowered her head. "Are… are my emotions weakening me?"

Winter shook her head. "Not at all. If you'll remember, I said to you that emotions can grant you strength. They only become a weakness if you lose control of them. This is why I keep mine in check when on duty." She walked up to her sister and grasped her shoulders, giving her a soft yet genuine smile. "Weiss, you possess great strength, and your friends are able to provide you great strength as well. Do not lose sight of that, and I know you will succeed."

In the stands, Gwen heard the words Winter was saying and a lightbulb went off in her head. _'Your friends provide great strength. That's it!'_ She got up and made her way up onto the arena. "Excuse me, but if I may make a suggestion?"

Winter gestured her hand to her. "If you have any advice for my sister, you are more than welcome to share it, Gwendolyn."

Gwen bowed in respect. "Thank you." She faced Weiss with determination. "Weiss, what was the first form of martial arts I taught you on our first day of training?"

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Um, yes, I believe it was Tai Chi."

"Good, now, what did I say was the most important thing to remember when performing Tai Chi?"

After wracking her brain for the answer, Weiss had it. "Oh! It was to be aware of yourself and calm the storm in your mind, right?"

"Exactly! So tell me, how have you been going about your Summoning?"

"I've been concentrating like Winter instructed, but I haven't had any success. It's like, no matter how hard I try, I can't make a that damned Arma Gigas appear."

Gwen pointed to the heiress. "Ah, but there are the key words; "how hard I try". You concentrate so hard on trying to make something appear, trying to force it out of you. Weiss, when you mentioned how frustrating it was to try and Summon something, I remembered how hard it was for _me_ to get a hold on magic. I tried to force it out big things, and the results were disastrous."

"Really? Well then, how did you get the hang of it?"

"Rather than trying to force the magic out, I let it flow through me. I Zenned myself out and I let it come to me rather than try to bring it to me by force. And most importantly, I learned how to do the simpler, smaller spells before I moved onto the big ones"

The realization dawned on Weiss in a split second. "Oh, I see! So instead of just pushing myself to bring on the Arma Gigas, I should try and let something smaller come out?"

"Precisely." Gwen confirmed. "And Weiss?" The Anodite winked. "You can do this, trust me."

With a feeling of joy in her inner self, Weiss gave Gwen a hug, the redhead gladly reciprocating. "Thank you, Gwen. I really needed that."

"No problem." Gwen pulled back and put up a hand, clenching it into a fist. "Now go show your sister what you can do!"

Weiss made her own fist and lightly bumped it against Gwen's. "You know it!"

"I must say, Gwendolyn, you've made an excellent suggestion." Winter complimented. "And thank you for supporting my sister."

"Hey, that's what friends are for." Gwen responded.

"Indeed." Winter faced her sister once again. "Well Weiss, shall we give it a try?"

"Right." Weiss took a deep breath. "Alright, I'm going to need some space and quiet." Gwen and Winter backed away as Weiss drew Myrtenaster from her hip. She entered the form that she so painstakingly practiced and closed her eyes, a glyph appearing on the ground in front of her. She let herself relax, and in the silence of the room, she allowed her worries to leave her, if only for a moment.

Weiss reminded herself that, in this place, she was free from the shackles that once held her down in Atlas, by her own father's will. _'No one can control me here. I am free.'_ She could feel her Aura flowing through her, a sensation that was quite foreign, but at the same time, quite natural. Once she felt that, her mind began to calmly focus on the smallest Grimm she could think of defeating; the Boarbatusk in Professor Port's class. She could feel the power collecting in one place… but then a wave of exhaustion over took her when the power was expelled. Weiss felt her knees trembling and she buckled to one knee, Myrtenaster falling to the ground with a clang.

The heiress heard Gwen call out her name; "Weiss!" before the Anodite was by her side, helping her get up. "Weiss, are you okay?"

"Ugh, I think so." Weiss put her hand to her temple and rubbed gently. "But it was weird. It felt like my Aura was being drained."

Gwen glanced off to the side, gazing at the center of the arena. "Well… I think I can take a guess as to why."

Weiss looked up to the stands to see that everyone's eyes were also locked on to the arena, all of them stunned into silence. She followed their eyes and there, much to her shock, was a small, glowing white Boarbatusk, about half the size of a normal one, adorned with bright blue patterns on its tusks and face, standing motionless in the center of the ring. She could feel an overwhelming sense of joy collecting inside of her, but she still couldn't believe it. "I… I did it? I really did it?"

"Weiss." The heiress turned her head to Winter, the elder Schnee brimming with pride in her little sister. "Call it to you."

Weiss was still trying to process what had just happened, but she complied with her sister's instructions. She held out a hand and said; "Come." In that instant, the small Boarbatusk moved around and obediently stepped toward her. With Gwen's help, she rose up to her feet and walked forward herself, meeting it halfway. _'I have to make sure this isn't a dream.'_ She reached out and touched the back of the diminutive Grimm, brushing it's back with her hand. "It's… it's not a dream." She choked out as tears of joy brimmed her eyes. "I did it! I summoned a whole Grimm! It's super small, but it's an entire Boarbatusk!"

Gwen nudged Weiss with her elbow as the crowd in the bleachers cheered for her. "See? I knew you could do it."

Winter made her way over and instantly enveloped her sister in a hug. "Weiss, I am SO proud of you. You have just taken your first big step in Summoning. You performed wonderfully."

Weiss didn't hesitate to hug back. "Thank you so much, Winter!" She spied Gwen out of the corner of her eye and reached an arm out to her. "Gwen, you come here, too!"

"Thank you, but I'm not much for group—hey!" Both Weiss and Winter pulled Gwen over into the hug, much to the redhead's chagrin. Gwen sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Aw, what the hey? Hugs are nice anyway." Once the hug was over, Gwen put her hands to her hips. "So, what comes next?"

"Next comes learning how to use the Summon in combat." Winter explained before glancing down to the small Boarbatusk. "Although, a small one such as this won't do much damage to an opponent. But for practice, it will be perfect." She looked back over to her sister. "Now, are you ready?"

Weiss steeled herself and gave a nod. "As ready as I'll ever be."

* * *

**A/N: And with that, this chapter comes to a close. Weiss has made quite a bit of progress with her Summoning, if a bit on the small side. This could prove useful in the future… but we'll see where it goes. And from the sounds of it, Tyrian's collecting Animo's DNA samples** _**very** _ **violently. Will our heroes be able to deal with him if they ever come face to face? Only the future has the answers. But speaking of the future… Next Time! We catch up with Jaune's group as they continue work on the shield. But romance is in the air as two separate dates take place at the exact same time! Plus, shopping. Lots and lots of shopping. Thanks for reading! See ya!**


	33. A Different Kind of Double Date

**A/N: Hey guys! I'll just say this now;** **this one was one of my favorite chapters to write up. So let's get it started, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 33: A Different Kind of Double Date**

* * *

If there was one thing that Ben Tennyson was known for, it was his perseverance in the face of adversity. However, even a hero such as him could succumb to boredom. He just never imagined it'd be from making a shield. Or at least, _part_ of a shield. He and Yang were helping Kevin make the handle of said weapon, a handle that had a special trigger to be hooked up to the fire arm that would be installed inside of the shield's tip. The process involved making tiny precise strikes with the hammers in order to morph the sheet metal into the correct shape, something that both he and Yang agreed to be tedious as all hell. But the heat wasn't doing any them any favors either. It was like sitting in a _stove_.

The hero let out a sigh as he passed the handle over to Kevin, wiping the sweat from his brow as the hammer hung limp in his hand against his side. "Phew! Man, it's scorching! I can only imagine how Jaune and Pyrrha are doing over there." He turned his head to see the aforementioned duo, along with Festus, standing in front of the much bigger furnace, slamming their hammers against the metal that would eventually become the new shield. The difficult part was that the shield would be split into multiple segments so it could collapse in on itself for the sheath, meaning that they had to keep track of each segment at the same time.

Yang nodded as she set her hammer down, fanning herself with her own hand in a vain attempt to cool down. "Hah, yeah, it's pretty awesome that they're still going with all that heat." She sat down on one of the near by stools, leaning against the work table. "Still kinda sucks that we gotta work in this oven of a building, though."

"Hey, you guys aren't the ones who'll be here all day." Kevin reminded as putting on a welding mask and a pair of work gloves, clamping the handle in a vice. "So if anything, you shouldn't be complaining at all. Compared to what we're going to be doing for the rest of the day, your job was easy." He turned on the hand grinder and lowered his welding mask. "You guys might wanna look away for this by the way." Ben and Yang complied and Kevin put the handle to the grinder, gradually modifying it into the correct shape for Jaune's shield.

Ben rolled his eyes and got up, setting his hammer down on the table. "Well, the handle's pretty much done anyway. And the time is…" Ben pulled his sleeve back and activated the watch function on the Omnitrix, the holographic clock reading; "Ten-thirty. Half hour away from what most restaurants would consider lunch time." Ben deactivated the clock and glanced over to Yang with a hopeful smile. "Wanna blow this pop stand?"

Yang nodded instantly. "Yes, _please_! If I'm gonna spend my day in a hot place, I want it to be on a beach, in the freaking sun." She sighed in disappointment. "Unfortunately, it's almost winter, so it's not gonna be warm _anywhere_ near here which SUCKS!" The two walked over to where Jaune, Pyrrha and Festus were working and Yang waved over to them. "Hey guys, we're gonna head out. We got the handle finished, by the way."

Jaune looked over to them with a smile and a thumbs up. "Great! Thanks guys. That's one less step for us to get done!"

Pyrrha waved back at Yang. "You two have fun alright?"

"We sure will." Yang went over and gave Festus a quick friendly hug. "It was good to see you again, Festus. Sorry we couldn't stay longer."

"Ah, it is no problem at all, Yang." Festus reassured. "I understand that young ones such as yourselves often have plans. And hey," the blacksmith tapped his nose with a wink, "that lad in green over there is a good catch."

Yang's violet eyes widened as she whispered; "What? B-but how did you know?"

"Haha, I could tell just by the way you two look at each other." Festus gave a nod and a smile. "And let me say this; he is a dedicated one for sure. I could tell just by the grip of his handshake. Now you two take care now, okay? I wish you both the best."

Yang shifted her eyes over to the door to see Ben smiling at her, ready to open it for her at any moment. She smiled back at him before giving Festus a nod of her own. "We will. And thank you." And with that, the Blonde Brawler strolled over to the door, with Ben opening it for her as she thought he would. "Just how nice ARE you, Green Boy?"

"Hey, for me, chivalry isn't dead in the slightest, Goldie Locks." Ben answered.

"Okay, that is SUPER cheesy," Yang rolled her eyes, "but at the same time, really sweet." She gave him a peck on the cheek and stepped outside, only to shiver and hug herself as a chilly breeze blew by. "GAH! This weather SUCKS!"

"Yeah, I get ya." Ben agreed. "And what's worse is that it's summer in my universe, and we have no way to get there."

"Ugh, that sucks even worse." She sighed and shrugged to herself. "Aw well, at least I know what I'm doing whenever we visit your world. Because hell knows I'd give _something_ for a beach day right about now."

"Heh, yeah. We'll just have to find some other ways to stay warm." Ben figured. "Time to bring out the heavy jackets."

Just then, an idea popped into Yang's head and a sly grin came to her face. "Actually, I've got my own idea on how we can stay warm." She then proceeded to hug Ben close to her, catching the green-clad hero off guard. Yang could already feel it working. "Mmm, much better. If there's one heat you can always count on, it's body heat." She turned her head up and winked at him. "Am I right?"

While taken aback at first, Ben couldn't help but smile with her, Yang's happiness contributing to his own. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling himself into the embrace. "Yang, has anyone ever told you that your personality's infectious?"

"Ooh, is it a good infection?" the blonde asked. "Because I think the smile on your face is a _symptom_ that's telling me "yes"."

Ben recognized their pun game, and he was more than ready for it. "Now that you mention it, I AM feeling a bit under the _weather_. Got a case of the _shivers_."

"So do I. But I've got the perfect _medicine_ right in front of me."

"Hey, I'm happy to be _prescribed_ to Yang Xiao-Long."

"Well it worked, because I _warmed_ up to you a long time ago."

"HEY!" The duo turned to see Kevin poking his head out the door, giving them a light scowl. "I don't know if you know this, but I can hear all of your cheesy puns from inside. I don't wanna be rude, but could you _please_ take them somewhere else? It's driving me insane! Besides, aren't you guys going somewhere anyway?"

Ben was about to answer, but Yang beat him to it. "Hey, c'mon Kevin. No need to get… _cold_ on us!" She and Ben burst out laughing as Kevin just groaned and closed the door, leaving them alone once again. As the laughter died down, Yang let out a happy sigh. "Heh, but I guess he's right, we're due somewhere for lunch. And I think I know just the place on a brisk day like today."

"Sounds like a plan." Ben agreed. The duo walked over to Bumblebee hand in hand, making sure to stay close so their warmth would stay between them. They mounted the bike and rolled out, ready for whatever their date had in store for them.

* * *

Weiss could only watch as the Boarbatusk she had summoned landed on the ground in front of her, having been knocked back once again by Winter's bigger Boarbatusk, the large pig snorting in defiance. Weiss was beside herself. On one hand, she was still overjoyed that she had summoned something, even if it was smaller than the average Grimm, but on the other, she couldn't break ANY of her sister's defenses. "Gah! C'mon! I thought you said this one would be perfect for practice!" The heiress exclaimed.

"And that's exactly what we're doing." Winter confirmed. "Practicing. As in, not competing in any sense."

"Well, yeah sure, but is it possible to get just a _little_ bit of leeway?" Weiss pleaded. "I mean, I JUST summoned this Grimm."

"Indeed, which is why you should test your limits with it. So that when you summon it again, it will be its normal size." Winter motioned for her Boarbatusk and it came to her side, the creature dissipating with another wave of her hand soon afterwards. "The more experience you have with it, the easier it will be for you to do in the future."

Weiss gave a small nod. "Yeah, you're right." After taking in her sister's words, she knelt down, placing her hand over the small Boarbatusk. She concentrated and waved her hand, the Grimm dissipating just as Winter's did. Weiss rose to her feet and walked over to the bleachers, gazing at her friends with self-disappointment evident in her voice. "Sorry you guys had to see that."

"What are you talking about?!" Ruby shouted as she jumped up and hugged her best friend. "That was AMAZING!"

Wiess' eyes widened in shock. "W-wait, it _was_?"

"Yeah! The way you just brought that Boarbatusk from out of the floor was awesome! You should be proud of yourself!"

Nora got up and bounded down the seats, standing beside the two in an instant. "Yeah! And the way you and Winter were fighting your Summons, it looked JUST like a Pokémon battle!"

Weiss wore a deadpan expression and raised an eyebrow. "Really? THAT'S what you compare me and my sister's practice to? A video game?"

"Well, she's not exactly wrong." Gwen said as she got up. "It really did feel like I was in the middle of a Pokemon battle straight out of the anime."

"Which I still need to watch, might I add." Ruby mentioned. But she shook her head and focused back on to her partner. "But Weiss, what you did what pretty awesome, and that means _you_ are pretty awesome."

"Aw, thank you!" Weiss said as she gave Ruby another hug. "That means a lot." The two ended their embrace and Weiss stood tall and proud. "Okay, now, who wants to go to the mall?!" The whole group shouted their approval and everyone made their way off the bleachers and out the door, leaving the mountain soon after.

* * *

When the group returned to the house, they were immediately greeted by Max and Athena, the two outside watching the little pups running around, playing with Zwei. They were beneath the Rustbucket's awning, sitting in a couple of folding deck chairs that Max had stored in the RV. The old Plumber waved over to them as they came out of the forest path. "Hey kids! Welcome back!"

Athena nodded over to them as she rose out of her chair. "Indeed, how did training go today?"

"It. Was. AMAZING!" Weiss exclaimed. "I actually managed to summon a Grimm with my glyphs! AH! It was great!"

"I see." Athena shifted her gaze to Winter. "So you two managed to make quite the breakthrough then."

Winter chuckled as she shook her head. "Hah, oh no, all credit goes to my sister as well as Gwendolyn for her helpful advice."

Gwen shrugged her shoulders. "Aw, gee, I don't think you have to go THAT far. I just gave some advice, that's all."

"Advice that got me to _finally_ summon something!" Weiss reminded. "Gwen, you've been nothing but helpful and supportive. For all of us."

Ruby nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! You're like the den mother who's best friends with everyone!"

While the compliment was nice, Gwen wasn't sure how to feel about it. "Erm, thanks, I think. Even though it makes me sound like an old lady, I'll take it."

Ruby's eyes widened when she heard that. "Oh, no, no, that's not what I meant at all! You are NOTHING like an old lady. I just meant that you're everyone's friend. And that's actually kind of awesome."

"Okay, now you're just being mushy." Gwen insisted as she wrapped an arm around Ruby's shoulders. "As much as I appreciate how you think about me, how about we go to the mall and do some shopping. We'll start searching around for that new wardrobe that you were talking about earlier."

At the sound of shopping, Coco moved from her place in the crowd and was right by Gwen's side in a heartbeat. "Pardon me, but did you say something about a wardrobe overhaul? Ladies, I want in. I'm personally not in the market for a new look, but I'm offering my services to you. This is a limited time offer, so you should call me up now."

Weiss jumped right on it. "Well, other than marketing yourself like an infomercial, of course we'd love to have your help, Coco!"

"Yeah!" Ruby added. "You're the most fashion forward people at Beacon! It'd be great to have your experise!"

Coco chuckled at Ruby's compliment. "Heh, very flattering, Lil' Red. If there's anything I'd want to be called an expert in, it's definitely that. Well, that and kicking Grimm ass, but hey, that's obvious." She grabbed her keys from her pocket and clicked a button on the fob, unlocking her roadster. "Well? C'mon, let's get going!" And with that, Team CFVY and Cooper piled into the roadster, ready to head out.

"Right." Max got up and began to retract the awning into the Rustbucket, grabbing his own keys as well. "Load up, kids. We're movin' out!"

"I'll be coming along as well." Athena said as she scooped up Romulus in her arms and produced the keys for her rental car from her pocket. "It's time to find these little ones some collars."

"May I accompany you, Athena?" Winter asked. "I am uncertain if Maxwell's recreational vehicle can hold all of us."

"Yeah, I agree with Winter." Weiss stepped forward. "I wouldn't want to be cramped in there while rolling down the road."

Athena nodded to them both. "Of course, ladies. I'd be happy to car pool." The Mistralian woman called to the rest of the group. "I have room for two more, anyone want a lift?"

Not a second sooner, Blake stepped out of the crowd. "Actually, now that you mention it, Sun and I would like to come with."

Initially confused by her sudden action, Sun had no idea why she offered herself and him to tag along. But one smile from her, and he got the answer fast. He walked forward and played along with her. "Oh, yeah, we aren't exactly fond of being crowded up, even if it's with friends."

"Understandable." Athena smiled. "Well, come along then, the day awaits."

As Winter and Weiss climbed into the car with Athena and everyone else went into the Rustbucket, Blake whispered into Sun's ear with a grin. "Are you ready for this?"

"Sure am. As ready as I'll ever be." He let out a chuckle as they approached the car. "To tell the truth, I'm really excited, but also still kinda nervous."

"Me too." Blake admitted. "But remember, we're going to a tea house, something that we've done many times before. Only difference?" She winked at him. "We're going on our first official date there. It'll be fun, trust me."

"Heh, yeah, you're right. It WILL be fun." When they got to the car, Sun reached down and pulled the door handle, opening it for Blake. "After you, Miss Belladona."

"Why thank you, Mr. Wukong." Blake said with a laugh as she climbed into the middle seat in the back, only to be met with Weiss' smirking face. Immediately, she began to panic. "Um, uh, what I _meant_ to say was…"

Weiss raised her hand. "It's okay. I know all about it." she whispered. Blake's jaw dropped, only for Weiss to close her mouth for her. "Relax, you two are adorable. I'm glad you both took the plunge. And don't worry, I won't say a word about this to anyone."

"B-but how did you…" Blake was cut off again when Sun climbed in, closing the door behind him and putting on his seat belt.

Weiss patted her shoulder. "We'll talk about that later." She whispered further. "Right now, the only thing that you should be concentrated on is having a good time with him. So, keep calm, and carry on like this conversation never happened, okay? Good luck."

As the initial shock wore off, Blake smiled to her friend. "Thanks." she whispered back before putting on her own seat belt. She sat back and Athena started the car, following the Rustbucket and Coco's roadster as they drove down the dirt path. _'Today's going to be a good day.'_ Blake assured to herself. _'I can feel it.'_

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Festus's place, Jaune quenched the final piece of metal in a cool tub of water, steam rising from the surface as he pulled it out with the metal tongs. "Whoo, hot plate!" He set it on the metal table and examined the curvature, with Festus and Pyrrha peering over his shoulder at it as well. "Well guys, what do you think? We ready?"

"I believe so, Jaune." Pyrrha agreed as she looked closer. "It appears to match up with the other pieces perfectly."

"HAHA! Very good!" Festus laughed. "But before we put it together, we must first install the side arm into it. Jaune, grab the middle part of the shield and follow me."

"You got it." Jaune grabbed the sheath-shaped part of the shield, which had been hallowed out in order for his sword, side arm, and of course the shield segments to be installed, a hole having been cut into the tip for the barrel to sit in. He and Pyrrha followed Festus into a separate back room, which, as they entered, was revealed to house a whole slew of ranged weapon installments for Hunter weapons. Jaune was surprised at just how many there were, all mounted on the walls just waiting to be installed into a blade, hammer, or whatever else. "Man, when everyone says; "it's also a gun", they really mean it."

"Hah, indeed." Festus was scanning over the wall with his eyes, wanting to find one rifle in particular. "When Hunters found it difficult to choose which type of weapon would serve them best in hunting Grimm, I like to think they all collectively said; "Screw it! Why not both?!" AHAHAHA!"

"Heh, yeah, I guess." Jaune continued to glance around, wondering what the blacksmith was looking for. "So, uh, which of these will be the one that'll go in my shield?"

"I am searching for it right now. It's small, so it's a bit hard to—Ah-HA! Found it!" He took whatever he found off the shelf and presented it to Jaune and Pyrrha, both slightly taken aback by just how small it really was. It wasn't even really a gun per say, it was more just a barrel with a firing mechanism and a bullet clip attached to it.

"Uh, it looks kinda… unimpressive." Jaune admitted.

"Indeed, I've never seen this type of firearm before." Pyrrha added. "Even on the smallest of transforming weapons."

"Ah, but that is what is so unique about it!" Festus exclaimed. "This firearm is specially made for compact storage. When it fires, the empty casings will simply fall out from the top of the shield while the round fires from the barrel. Unfortunately, because of that, it does not have that much room for rounds, capable only of holding six per clip. Nor is this made for precision firing. You aim as best as you can at the Grimm and shoot. Once all six shots are wasted, you have to manually reload."

"Ah, well that's not the best, but still better than nothing at all." Jaune shrugged. "Admittedly, I've gotten so used to my sword and shield that I'll probably be using the side arm more in conjunction with close combat than anything. You know, to get the enemy away in case I need to recoup? Maybe get in some damage?"

"That IS a good tactic." Pyrrha complimented. "While this side arm may not be best at long range, it could certainly work when closer to the enemy."

"Then it is decided!" Festus exclaimed. "Grab a drill and some screws, because now is the time to assemble this thing!"

"You got it, Festus." They all walked out of the room and Jaune's eyes immediately spied the drill sitting on the work bench. He reached over, but Pyrrha had seen it as well. Without realizing either's actions, they both made a grab for the drill… only for their hands to meet instead. They both looked up at each other, thankful that the heat of the building gave them an excuse for their blushes. Jaune then began to do what he did best in situations like these; babble like a dweeb. "Oh, uh, sorry, I didn't know that you were…"

"Oh no, it's _my_ error." Pyrrha insisted. "I did not see you reach for it before I…"

"D-don't worry about it, _I_ should've watched where I was…"

"N-no, please, don't blame yourself. It was _me_ who—"

"GUYS!" Their heads whirled around to see Kevin, now in a shop apron and a bandana wrapped around his forehead to absorb the sweat, with multiple grease stains adorning his face. If Jaune and Pyrrha weren't so embarrassed and shocked at the moment, they would've laughed out loud. The Osmosian was holding a box of screws which he immediately handed to Jaune. He lifted the two's hands off of the drill and handed it to Pyrrha. "There, fixed. You're welcome. Now let's get back to work, 'kay?!" Kevin then went back to his work place, leaving the two alone as quick as he came along.

Jaune was hopelessly confused. "Uh, what just happened?"

"I am not sure." Pyrrha conceded before bursting out into a huge grin. "But he looked quite silly, didn't he? Hahaha!"

Jaune laughed as well. "Haha, yeah, he did!" They laughed in unison as they set off to work, though the little moment they had was still fresh in the back of their minds.

* * *

As Yang and Ben zoomed through town, the cold breeze flying by, the blonde smiled as the place she had in mind for their lunch date came into view. "There it is!" They pulled up to what appeared to be a large building with a wood panel exterior and shiny metal roofing. On the front in bright red neon lettering were the words; "ROADBURN STEAKHOUSE".

They dismounted the bike and Ben took off his helmet, allowing him to get a better view of the sign. "The Roadburn Steakhouse? Hmm, sounds like a rough and tumble kinda place."

"Yeah, it sort of is." Yang admitted. "But the food here is to _die_ for! I've come here for more birthday dinners than I can count. And now…" she reached out and grasped Ben's hand with her own. "I get to share this place with you."

"Aw, thanks, I'm happy that you'd bring me to such a personal place." As they walked up to the front entrance, a pair of swinging bar doors, Ben nearly stopped when he got a whiff of the delectable aroma wafting from inside the establishment, a content grin coming to his face. "Oh my god! It smells so good!"

"Ah, there's the food kicking in." Yang nudged him. "C'mon, let's head in!" The two headed inside and were shown to their table by a waitress, the woman handing them their menus before they sat down, taking a booth seat. As Yang glanced over her menu, she grinned over to him. "So, see anything you like?"

Ben looked up from his menu with a mirthful smirk. "You mean on the menu, or the pretty girl sitting right across from me?"

Yang rolled her eyes and gave him a small playful shove. "Oh, you know what I mean, Green Boy. But thank you."

"Hey, I only speak the truth." Ben glanced back to his menu for a second. "But to answer your question, honestly everything looks pretty good. I'm actually kind of conflicted on what to get here."

"Well then, you wanna split a large steak?" Yang showed him her menu to point out the item. "It's big enough for the both of us to eat together."

"Sounds good to me." Ben agreed before the waitress returned. She took their order and they handed their menus back to her, the woman retreating back to the kitchen soon after. In no time at all, she returned with their drinks, setting them down on the table before informing them that their steak was being prepared as they spoke. Once she left again, they were finally alone to speak with each other. "So, when we get home, you wanna go back to watching Batman? There are still a bunch of episodes you haven't seen."

"Definitely." Yang picked up her soda and took a sip, quenching her thirst. "Man, hard to believe we only scratched the surface of what your guy's world has to offer."

"I'd say so." Ben rested his chin against his palm. "But I find it even harder to believe that it's only been a week since we got here. And so much has already happened! Some bad stuff, some good stuff, and, heh…" he blushed as he gave her a smile. "Some really, really great stuff."

Yang smiled back before getting up and moving over to his side of the booth, snuggling herself up close to him. "Yeah, no doubt about that, Green Boy. And there's a lot more coming too. Remember, Jaune's family's coming this week."

Ben slapped his forehead. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that! Did they say what day they'd be here?"

"No clue. But I know that we'll have to be ready. They'll obviously have questions that we'll need to answer." She gave him a serious look. "Do you think we can trust them with your secret?"

Ben pondered that for a moment before coming to a conclusion. "Well, they're Jaune's family. If he trusts them, then so will I."

Yang grinned up at him. "Heh, there's that optimism. So, what do you think they're all like? Mr. Arc mentioned that one of his daughters is a police officer, but that's pretty much all we have to go on."

Ben shrugged. "Eh, since they're all from such a large family, I think we'll probably see a bunch of different personalities. That said, we may want to prepare ourselves if we get yelled at, because I can't imagine that they'll be too happy that they're only brother didn't come home."

Yang gave a single nod against Ben's shoulder. "Yeah. I can definitely relate. If Ruby hadn't come home after something like what happened at Beacon, then I'd be _furiou_ s."

Ben nodded as well. "Yeah. I don't think I could even get past the thought of living without my family. I mean, it's an inevitability, but I don't want it to be anytime soon, ya know?" The two sat in silent thought for just a moment when the Omnitrix began to beep, pulling them out of their minds. Ben smiled down at it. "Huh, well speak of the devil." He answered it and said; "Hi cous'! We were just talking about you."

" _Hi Ben!"_ Gwen spoke on the other end of the line. _"How're things over there?"_

"Oh, going great so far. You may not have known this, but you actually called me in the middle of our date."

"Hi Gwen!" Yang called.

" _Oh my gosh, sorry guys!"_ The Anodite apologized. _"I thought you'd still be at Mr. Vulcan's place."_

"Hey, it's all good." Yang assured. "Our food's still being cooked, so at least you didn't get us while we had our mouths full, right?"

" _Hehe, right. Well, we're at the mall, and Winter's here with us. She came over for the day since General Ironwood gave her some time off."_

Ben's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Oh, cool. We'll meet you over there once we're done eating, alright?"

" _You got it. Oh yeah, and Yang, your uncle's coming back from his mission this afternoon. That's another reason why Winter came here today."_

Yang let out a sigh. "Yeah, should've guessed. Gwen, tell her she's welcome to stay the night if she wants. I won't blame her if she does."

" _Gotcha. Well, I guess I'll leave you two… huh? What's that? Okay, Yang, your sister wants to speak to you."_

"Sure, put her on."

A moment passed before Ruby's voice came out of the Omnitrix. _"Hey, sis!"_

"Hey Rubes, what's goin' on?"

" _Okay, so Blake and I are going to be shopping for some new Hunter gear and clothes with Weiss and Coco's help. You want in?"_

Yang put a hand to her shin in contemplation. "Hmm, sounds like a good time. Aw, what the hell, sure, I'm in!"

Ruby squeed on the other end of the line. _"EEEE! Awesome! I can't wait to get started on this! I'll see you later! Bye, sis!"_

"Sure thing, bye Ruby." Yang sat back in her seat as Ben shut off the Omntrix.

The hero quirked a brow in confusion. "What does she mean by "Hunting gear and clothes"?"

Yang chuckled. "Hehe, well, I think Ruby's trying to change her look a bit. She's been talking about it for a while now, and I kinda like the idea. A little change can be good, ya know?"

A thoughtful smile came to Ben's face. "Hmm, you know what? That may not be such a bad idea. I've actually thought of changing my own look up a little too." He raised his hands to add emphasis. "Okay, picture this: me in a green leather duster, black jeans with multiple different pouches and black combat boots! Whaddya think?"

Yang stared at him in dumbstruck awe for a second before bursting out laughing, wrapping her arms around him as she guffawed against his chest. "Haha! Oh my god, no. As much as I like you, Ben, please no. You'd look like a total poser."

Ben smirked as he returned the embrace. "Hehe, yeah, I was just messing with you. I'd never wear something so 90's."

"I have NO idea what that means but I'll take it." She gave him a kiss on the cheek once again. "Don't change, Ben."

Ben reciprocated the gesture, giving her a kiss on the cheek as well. "I don't plan to Yang. Not any time soon."

* * *

Meanwhile, at a little tea shop in the mall, a certain other pair were having a date of their own. Though this one was significantly less chatty than Ben and Yang's. Blake stared down at her tea hesitantly while Sun glanced around the shop, hoping for something, anything to pop into his mind and out of his mouth, saving them both from this awkward situation. However, it was Blake who broke the silence first, slowly shifting her eyes up from her tea. "Can I admit something to you, Sun?"

Sun's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Uh, sure, what is it?"

"I have no idea what to talk about on a date." Blake focused her eyes directly on him. "Namely because I've never really _been_ on a real date."

Sun let a hallow laugh escape his mouth. "Hah, well you aren't the only one. I'm kind of new to this too."

Blake was surprised to say the least. "Wait, seriously? You mean to tell me that NO girl at Haven Academy ever wanted to date you?"

"Well, not exactly. I had a few admirers, sure, but nothing ever came out of it." He glanced off to the side again. "Main reason being I was too nervous to act on any of it. And I think most of them liked me for my appearance more than anything."

"I see." Blake nodded as she shifted her eyes down to her tea. "A lot of people can be shallow like that. But…" she turned back up to him with a small grin. "Okay, yeah, I have _no_ idea what to talk about on a date."

Sun smiled back. "Who says we have to talk? We're on a date, we can just enjoy each other's company if we want."

"Yeah, but we do that a lot already." Blake pointed out. "I want to actually talk to you about how I feel. I'm just… wondering how I do it."

"Hmm." Sun wrapped his tail around the tea cup handle and brought it to his lips, taking a ponderous sip. "Tis a problem indeed." he said in a fancy-sounding voice.

Blake couldn't help but giggle at his antics. "Hahaha! Really? At a time like this?"

"Hey, I find humor to be the best way to get the mind goin'." His smirk grew. "Or are you just jealous that you can't do this?" He jiggled the cup with his tail.

"Pfft, please." Blake rolled her eyes, her grin not letting up. "If I had a tail, I wouldn't have _any_ idea what to do with it."

"You'd be surprised how handy it is." He placed the cup back on the table, his tail going back to wear it once was.

"Yeah, well I think I'll just stick with my ears." She wiggled her kitty ears for emphasis.

"Right." Sun eyed the ears as Blake moved them. "You know, it's really cute when you do that."

Blake's eyes widened and her face became a bright shade of red, her ears having stopped moving. She shrunk back in her seat a little bit. "I-it is _not_ cute."

"No seriously, it is!" Sun insisted. "I know it sounds super cliché, but… you're really cute."

"Oh, stop it." Blake blushed further. "If I do anything "cute" I can definitely say it's not on purpose."

"Sure… but it's still cute."

Blake pouted and crossed her arms. "You're being mean."

Sun chuckled. "Am I now? How am I being mean when I'm complimenting you?"

"I just…" Blake glanced down to the ground. "I guess I'm not used to getting those kinds of words associated with me."

"Well, you _are_ cute." Unbeknownst to Blake, Sun had scooched his chair over next to hers and he lifted her chin up so that her eyes could meet his. "And in all honesty, you're THE most beautiful girl I've ever met. No question."

Blake's blushed deepened. _'B-beautiful?'_ she thought to herself. _'He really thinks I'm beautiful?'_ She took a deep breath, attempting to collect her thoughts. "Hehe, okay, you are seriously being WAY to nice." She locked eyes with him again as her smile reappeared. "But at the same time, it really means a lot that you think that, Sun. No one's ever told me something like that, well, besides my parents, and well…" she grimaced at the thought, "…you know who."

Sun nodded solemnly. "Yeah, I know. …Are you okay?"

"Oh, yes, definitely! Don't get me wrong, I'm absolutely fine with what you're saying about me. I guess I'm just still getting used to it coming from someone who ISN'T crazily obsessed about me and trying to murder me."

"Ah, yeah, I get you." Sun placed a hand on her shoulder. "Well, I'm sure he's getting just what he deserves in that prison in Atlas. And if he ever shows his face again, I say we kick his ass together. How does that sound?"

Blake slightly grimaced and glanced off to the side. "I… I don't know, Sun. Not that I don't _love_ the idea of kicking Adam all the way back to prison again, because I would be ALL for that. But Yang and I got lucky last time. We had Gwen boost our Aura's with her mana, so we were powered up and had an advantage with her, Ben and Kevin as back up."

"True, but we've all been getting better at working as a team. If Adam comes back, we'll all take him on. You aren't alone in this anymore, Blake." Sun gave her a wink. "I can promise you that."

Blake smiled, rolling her eyes as she snuggled up against the monkey boy's arm. "How is it that you managed to always find a way to cheer me up?"

"I've been told I've got that kind of personality." Sun shrugged. "But truth be told, I just want you to be happy."

With those words settled into her mind, Blake was now confident in what she would do next. Without saying a word, she moved herself up and planted a kiss on Sun's left cheek, much to his surprise. Blake settled back into her seat and looked straight into his eyes with a heartfelt smile. "Thank you, Sun. That means so much to me."

With a bright blush of his own appearing on his face, Sun rubbed the back of his head as he tried to find the right words. "Heh, y-you're welcome, Blake."

Blake couldn't help but giggle at his cute, flustered state. _'There's my dork.'_ But not a moment later did Blake hear a tapping sound come from behind her. She and Sun turned around, and there, standing on the other side of the shopfront window, were Athena and Winter, standing side by side with the Mistralian Huntress waving at them.

"Um, how long do you think they were standing there?" Sun asked.

Blake saw Athena give her a thumbs up while Winter directed a knowing smile her way. Her eye brows furrowed and her cat ears flattened with chagrin. "Long enough, I'm afraid." But then she noticed something; Athena was holding a pair of leashes in her hand, one red, and one purple. She couldn't see what they were attached to, but she had a sneaking suspicion that she already knew. She smiled, glancing over to Sun out of the corner of her eye. "I have a feeling they want us to see something."

"Oh, okay. Do you want to go now?"

Blake shook her head. "No." She grasped Sun's hand with her own. "I think they can wait just a little bit longer." And with that, Blake and Sun happily went back to their conversation, both of them now more relaxed than before as they took comfort in each other's company.

* * *

About a half hour later, the two had finished their tea, while the ladies waited on a nearby bench outside. Sun gladly payed the tab forward, leaving the money in the small bill book that the waiter had left them. Once they got to the door, Sun held it open for Blake with a bow. "The door for you, madame."

Blake laughed at his antics. "Haha, why thank you, kind sir." She went through the door, taking hold of Sun's hand at the last second and pulling herself close to him, whispering in his ear; "Hey, I had a great time."

"So did I." Sun agreed. A moment passed before he asked; "Do you want to go out again?"

"Definitely." Blake wrapped an arm around him, pulling him into a hug. "Did you have anything in mind?"

"Sure do. And I promise you, it'll be really nice."

"Aw, thanks." They walked out of the restaurant with the door closing. The two linked arms and walked right over to where Athena and Winter were sitting. There, the two women were playing with Romulus and Rema, the wolf pups now adorned with a red and purple collar respectively, each having their own silver dog tag with their names engraved on it. "Oh, now _that's_ just precious."

"You think so?" Athena asked in relief. "Good, the pet store didn't have many options in terms of collar colors. We only found red and purple, so we settled with them."

"Well, I think they're definitely fitting." Blake shifted her eyes down to see Rema, sporting her new neckwear. She knelt down and lifted her up, with Rema poking her nose against her own. "Well look at you in your new pretty purple collar, Lil' Miss! It suits you just fine!" Rema barked in approval as Blake held her against her lap. "So where's everyone else?"

"I believe they are still at the clothing store," Winter answered, "although I did hear something about Yatsu, Coco, and Fox going to the retail store on the other end of the mall to purchase some things for their apartment."

"You'd be right about that!" Everyone turned to see Nora and Ren approaching, each of them holding a bag of clothes in their hand. "Hi guys! We just got done—AH!" Nora gasped in delight when she laid eyes on the pups and their new collars. "Rommy! Rema! Oh my gosh, they look cuter than ever!" She zipped over and scooped Romulus up in her arms. "Oh, yes you do!"

"Hey guys!" Sun greeted. "So… where'd you guys just get back from?"

"Buying some new Hunting gear and clothes." Ren lifted his bag. "When Ruby sadi that she was doing it, Nora wanted in on it too."

"And you?"

Ren shrugged. "I don't exactly mind. Clothes are clothes, simple as that."

"I keep arguing against that!" Nora exclaimed. "Clothing is supposed to make a statement about who you are, and, in the case of being a Hunter, how exactly someone is going to get thrashed. For example, I dress in bright pink, that means I'm gonna lay the hurt on you with as MUCH energy as possible!" She zipped over to Blake. "Meanwhile, Blake dresses almost totally in black, meaning she's going to take you down without you even knowing she's there!"

Blake shifted her eyes back and forth between everyone before shrugging. "I mean… she isn't _wrong_." She shook her head to get back on topic. "Anyway, back to the others, are they still there?"

"Yep! Ruby was just starting to try out the clothes that Gwen, Weiss and Coco helped pick out for her." Nora pointed down the large hallway. "They said that they were waiting for you."

"I'm sure they are." Blake nodded before standing up, lifting Rema off of her lap. "Well, might as well go get my shopping done." She glanced over and grinned at Sun. "You want to come along?"

"Sure, I'd be happy to." Sun linked arms with her again and waved his hand. "Lead the way."

Blake laughed. "Haha, sure, you big goofball."

Once they were out of earshot, Nora smirked as she watched them move around the corner. "They're totally a couple now, aren't they?"

"Oh, most definitely." Winter nodded.

"I always thought they were _already_ a couple." Athena shrugged. "Well, in any case, that makes another. Speaking of couples, how are you and Ren doing, Nora?"

Nora's eyes widened instantly at the remark, blushing profusely. She made sure Ren wasn't paying attention, and to her relief, he was busy playing with Rema. The Pink Dynamo turned back to Athena and whispered. "Oh, uh, we actually _aren't_ together. We've known each other for a long time and we're best friends, but we aren't, well, you know, a thing."

Athena's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Really? You could've fooled me. You two are practically connected at the hip, dear." She took note of Nora's blush and she offered a kind smile. "But you DO like him, don't you?"

Nora couldn't help but grin nervously. "Uh, hehe, maybe a little."

Athena laced her hands together and rested her chin against them. "Please, do go on. I am here to listen, and, if you will allow me, help you out."

* * *

Gwen, Weiss and Coco stood in front of the changing room door, waiting for a certain Hooded Huntress to emerge wearing the clothes that she had picked out with their help. The only problem? She was taking longer than expected. Ruby had been in that changing room for ten minutes already, and the three ladies outside were beginning to worry. Gwen stepped forward and knocked on the changing room door. "Um, Ruby? Are you okay in there?"

A response didn't come instantly, but once it did, the girls could tell that Ruby was quite nervous. "Uh, y-yeah, I'm fine! Just… uh… putting on the finishing touches!"

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "On what? You didn't get any accessories."

Silence was all that came from the stall before a small sigh was heard. "Okay, I'm just… really nervous. I don't know if you guys will like it or not."

Coco adjusted her glasses. "Uh, Lil' Red, we _helped_ you pick out those clothes, why would we not like the outfit?"

"I mean like it on _me_." Ruby emphasized from the other side. "A lot can change when someone is actually _wearing_ the clothes. I mean, I really like it, but what if _you_ guys don't like it on me?"

Gwen sighed and smiled. "And where did you get that idea? Ruby, we're your friends, we aren't going to judge you on your look. All that matters is that _you_ like the way you dress. So, what do you say?"

A moment of silence passed before the changing room door slowly opened and Ruby stepped out, sporting her new clothes. She wore a white, high neck blouse with brown wrist bands that linked around her forearms, each with eight studs embedded in them. She wore a different black and red skirt than the one she usually wore, along with a black and red over-bust corset held up by a red strip. A black belt lined with red was adjusted around her waist, and a pair of black thigh high stockings covered her legs, with a black, long stemmed rose pattern imprinted on them. She had on a pair of red souled black boots, each with four buckled up leather straps. To finish off the ensemble, she wore her usual hood, but rather than being held on by her cross charms, it instead was fastened to a singular clip in the shape of her emblem, her own personal touch. Ruby hesitantly stepped out and gazed up with hopeful eyes. "So, how do I look?"

The girls stared in stunned silence for a moment, with Coco even lowering her sunglasses. The leader of Team CFVY broke out into a big grin and pushed her sunglasses back up. "Girl, you look goddamn AMAZING!"

Ruby's silver eyes widened in surprise. "I… I do?"

"Of course you do." Weiss gave her a hug. "Your outfit is fantastic!"

Ruby sighed in relief. "Oh thank goodness. Because I did NOT want to give this one up."

"See?" Gwen gave her a thumbs up. "Told ya you didn't have to worry."

"Heh, yeah, I guess so." Ruby glanced around and noticed something odd. "Uh, hey, where are the guys?"

"They're waiting up front." Coco answered. "Blue Boy wasn't exactly keen on doing anymore clothes shopping and Tech Head offered to keep him company until Sun got here."

* * *

"Dude, I am BORED out of my skull!" Neptune bemoaned as he sat down on a small bench near the front of the store. "As someone who's fine with the clothes he wears, this does absolutely nothing for me."

"Eh, I guess I can relate." Cooper admitted. "I never really cared about the clothes I wear either. I'm fine with anything so long as it's ratty and doesn't smell."

"I just hope we can get out of here soon—" Neptune's eyes caught sight of Blake and Sun entering the store and he instantly got up, lightly jogging over to them. "Sun! Blake! Oh thank god you're here! Now maybe we can get outta this place."

Sun raised a brow in confusion. "What're you talking about, dude? We can't leave yet."

"W-wait, we can't?"

Blake shook her head. "Nope, once Ruby's done getting her new clothes, I'm up next. It's been something I've been meaning to do for a while, and I think now's the time."

Neptune hunched over in disappointment. "Aw, man!"

Sun pat him on the back as he and Blake walked by. "Sorry, dude. Hold out for just a little longer, and everything'll be good."

"Easy for you to say." Neptune followed them to the back of the store with Cooper on his tail, hoping to at least convince Sun to hang with him until they could leave. "I mean c'mon, man, you're barely wearing a shirt to begin with! Why would you wanna shop around for clothes?"

Sun chuckled. "Hehe, okay, first of all, the open shirt is a stylistic choice."

Blake rolled her eyes for what she felt like the umpteenth time that day with a sly grin. "Heh, yeah, sure it is. It has NOTHING to do with showing off your abs whatsoever?"

"I mean… okay that IS a bonus, but I do it because I like having more freedom, ya know?"

"Hehe, yeah, okay." The four made it to wear the girls were and Blake's eyes immediately found… "Ruby?"

The Hooded Huntress turned to her friend, her cape flowing out of the way to reveal her new outfit to everyone. "Hi, Blake! Glad you and Sun could join us!"

"Ruby… you look great!" Blake complimented.

Sun nodded in agreement. "Yeah, did you pick that out yourself?"

"Well, I had a little help from the gals, but yeah, I picked most of this outfit out."

"And now it's your turn." Gwen said as she came from around from one of the many displays. "You ready Blake?"

The cat girl gave her a nod. "As ready as I'll ever be. Let's do this."

* * *

Yang and Ben walked out of the Roadburn Steakhouse, both of them holding their stomachs with their appetites satisfied. "Oh man." Ben said as he let out a sigh of content. "That had to be the BEST steak that I've ever had. Yang, thank you for showing me this place, it was awesome!"

"See? I told ya that you'd like it!" Yang wrapped her arm around his body as they strolled over to her bike. "But man, am I glad the mall's just down the road a little ways, else we'd have a bit of a…" she trailed off once she caught sight of the spot she parked her bike in. Because there, standing directly in front of it, was a police woman in an all-black uniform with a matching hat sitting atop her head. She had fair skin and blonde hair pulled back in a tight bun, a pair of black shades adorning her face. Next to her was her own motorcycle, a black chopper. She was staring at Yang's bike, as if she was inspecting it for anything illegal. Yang immediately feared the worst. "Oh shit."

"What do you think she wants?" Ben asked.

"I don't know, but I'm gonna find out." The duo quickened their pace, with Yang addressing the officer first. "Hey, uh, excuse me, ma'am? Is there something wrong? I'm not parked here illegally, right?"

"Hmm?" The officer shifted her attention to them. "Oh, no, I was just… wait, this is _your_ bike?"

Yang crossed her arms. "Yeah, and I'm kinda wondering what I did to get the cops attention. My baby's up to date with her inspections, insurance, and I keep her maintained regularly. So what's—"

"Oh, no, no, no, I'm sorry." The police woman apologized as she took off her hat. "I wasn't writing you up or anything. Heck, I'm technically off duty. I just spotted this bike from the road, and it just so happened that I was looking for the owner of a yellow bike. You wouldn't happen to be Yang Xiao-Long, would you?"

"Um… yes?"

"Wait, if you're off duty, why're you in uniform?" Ben pointed out.

The woman gave nervous chuckle. "Hehe, well… I haven't exactly had the chance to change out of it since I left home this morning. I had to put in an early shift if I wanted to take the rest of the week off. But this is great! For a second, I thought I'd have to search around the whole _island_ for you. My dad never got an address from you guys, so he just told me to find the yellow bike."

Yang was now even more confused. "Wait, your dad? What're you… wait a second." Yang eyed the woman's motorcycle, getting a better look at it. _'Black with chrome skulls!'_ The Blonde Brawler turned back to the woman in realization. "Are you…"

The woman chuckled as she took off her shades, revealing her eyes, which as Yang had suspected, were the same bright blue as her brother's. "I'm Noire Arc. I think my dad told you about me already. Is my brother with you?"

* * *

**A/N: Surprise! Noire's here! Didn't expect her to be here now did ya? And with her appearance on the island, the Arc Family's arrival to Patch gets ever closer. It's gonna be crazy, I'm telling ya. Also, Ruby's in her Post-Beacon outfit! I've been wanting to get everyone into their new duds (and yes, Pyrrha will also be getting a new outfit, don't worry), and this is only the beginning! But let's focus on Noire for now shall we? As she'll be the subject of… Next Time! As Jaune finally finishes his new shield and he reunites with his sister. But over in Vale, Qrow finally gets back from his little excursion… and he doesn't have the best news to share. Thanks for reading! See ya!**


	34. Patchwork Noire

**A/N: Hey guys! Chapter off the port bow! Now, while the title may imply an old-fashioned murder mystery, that isn't exactly the case here. It's just me going along with the usual puns. What can I say? I sees an opportunity and I takes it! So, let's get on with it, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 34: Patchwork Noire**

* * *

Yang's mind was in overdrive trying to think of what was happening right now. She and Ben were both staring at the woman in front of them in complete shock, wondering just what to say to her. _'Noire is HERE?! NOW?!'_ the Blonde Brawler yelled in her head. But the moment Noire's expression went from friendly to confused did she realize that she hadn't answered her question. Yang shook her head and put on a smile. "Oh, uh, no. Sorry, he's not with us. We were actually in there on a date."

Noire was taken aback by the revelation. "Oh my gosh, I am SO sorry. I didn't know I was interrupting!"

But Yang was quick to calm her down. "Oh, no, it's okay. We just finished up in there, right Ben?"

It was at that moment that the hero was also brought back to reality. "Huh? Oh! Yeah, we just got done eating, and we just so happened to be on our way to the mall where our other friends are. But, unfortunately, Jaune isn't there either. He's at the local blacksmith's place, finishing up his new weapon."

Noire's face fell at that. "Oh, I see." She sighed as she leaned against her motorcycle, crossing her arms. "So, he's still determined to become a Huntsman."

Yang became worried at that. "I… guess you're not all that thrilled?"

"Well, I won't lie and say that I wasn't exactly all for it at first." Noire shrugged her shoulders. "But over the past year, I realized that my baby brother's growing up and it's _his_ life to choose. So who am I to stand in his way?" A smile came to Noire's face. "Besides, after hearing from dad about all of the friends he's made at Beacon, it's made me feel better that he has people looking out for him. So, thank you."

Yang chuckled. "Hehe, well, Vomit Boy and I are friends, but you owe a MUCH bigger thank you to his teammates. They're the ones who watch out for him the most."

"Right, I'll make sure to…" Noire's eyes widened. "Wait, Vomit Boy?"

Yang smirked. "Oh yeah, he puked on my boots on the airship ride over to Beacon on the first day. It was kinda gross."

Noire slapped her forehead. "D'oh! For Pete's sake, Jaune!" She sighed again and began apologizing. "I'm sorry, he gets motion sickness very easily. I've always reminded him to take his pills, but does he listen to his sister? _No_."

Yang rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah, you're a big sister alright. You have NO idea how much I can relate. My little sister, Ruby, was always getting into trouble when she was little."

"Same with Jaune! Even my _eldest_ sister had a rough time trying to reel him in!"

Ben watched as the two blondes went back and forth, regaling each other about tales of their respective younger siblings, as well as older siblings in Noire's case. As much as he loved hearing about how Jaune shoved crackers up his nostrils and Ruby almost eating mud as toddlers, he raised his hands, catching their attention. "Um, apologies for interrupting, ladies. But speaking of older siblings, Noire, are your other sisters here too? Because I don't think any of us were prepared for you to be here today. Mentally, I mean."

Noire chuckled as she shook her head. "Oh, no, not yet." she reassured. "I'm just the welcoming committee. The girls and our parents should be arriving throughout the week, so you guys have got plenty of time."

Both Ben and Yang gave a sigh of relief. "Phew, okay, so we got a little while longer." Yang said. "Now, why don't we go over to the mall and I can introduce you to the others. Then you can follow us back to my place and we can surprise your brother when he gets there."

Noire nodded. "Yeah, sounds like a plan!" She put her police hat in one of her bike's saddle bags and mounted it. "Let's roll!" She gripped the clutch and kickstarted her chopper, the bike's engine roaring to life.

Yang couldn't help but feel invigorated by just the sound of the chopper's engine, a wild smirk appearing on her face. "Oh, I like your style, Noire. C'mon Ben!"

A similar grin came to Ben's face as well. "Oh, you don't have to tell me twice, Yang!" He let her lead him by the hand and they mounted Bumblebee, with Yang starting up the yellow motorbike, its own engine roaring.

Yang slipped on her aviators and gave Noire a nod. "Let's ride!"

* * *

Blake looked over herself one last time in the changing room mirror, making sure that every part of her new outfit was in place. With content sigh, she nodded to herself. "Okay Blake, the date with Sun today was better than you even hoped. Now, this is the next big part of your fresh start. No going back now, so don't be afraid to show off." She smiled to herself in the mirror. _'Thanks, me.'_ she added in her head. "Okay, guys! I'm ready!"

"Alright Blake!" Gwen responded. "Let's see it!"

Blake took a deep breath and pushed the door open, revealing her new outfit to everyone there. She wore a sleeveless black crop top with black fitted pants, and black thigh high heeled boots to match. The top itself had several cutouts around the neckline shaped like diamonds, and the boots had gold trimming around the top, with a black belt looping around her left boot twice over. A white belt with a small pouch was looped around her pants, giving a small contrast. But what was even more contrasting was what tied her whole outfit together; a stark white tailcoat lined with grey. She spread her arms out and asked; "Well, what do you guys think?"

Everyone was still taking her in, but Sun was the first to speak up, his smile unwavering and with genuine sincerity in his voice. "You look amazing!"

Blake chuckled and approached him, pointing a finger at his chest. "Why do I get the feeling that you'll say that no matter what I'm in, Mr. Wukong?"

"Hey, I'm only telling the truth." Sun insisted. "You're outfit is fantastic," he winked, "and so are you."

"Monkey Boy's got the right idea, Kit Kat." Coco said. "That outfit is _tight_."

"Exactly!" Weiss agreed as she placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Blake, I _love_ how you've got the black and white contrast going, and the coat itself is SO in season." She narrowed her eyes slightly. "Though that being said, you've just made it more difficult for me to choose something for my new look."

"Uh, yeah, sorry about that." Blake shrugged. "I just thought the coat would be nice and comfortable in the kind of weather we've been having."

"Hey, it's no problem at all." Weiss assured. "l'm just going to have to find something other than white… this will probably take up my entire night. But regardless, you're absolutely fabulous."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Gwen added.

"Thank you, Gwen." Blake shifted her eyes over to the Hooded Huntress. "Hey Ruby, I was thinking of putting my family's emblem on my boots. Want to help me out when we get back home?"

Ruby gasped in excitement before giving Blake a hug. "Definitely!"

Blake struggled for air against the hug. "Haha, thank you… oxygen please!"

"Whoops!" Ruby let go as Blake took in even breaths. "Sorry… again."

"Hey, it's no problem." Blake stood up straight, having collected her bearings. "So, should we wait for Yang and Ben here, or can we go do some other stuff while we wait?"

Coco rolled her eyes with a smirk, jabbing her thumb over her shoulder. "Well, for the sake of our bored boys over there, I think we could use a break from this place."

Blake gazed past Coco to see Neptune and Cooper, both sitting down on a small shoe fitting stool. The blonde genius was simply indifferent to the whole situation while the blue haired boy very much bored out of his minds. She gave them a wave. "Hi, boys. You two okay."

Cooper shrugged. "Yeah, we're good. Cool outfit, by the way."

"Yeah, really nice." Neptune echoed. "Can we do something else now, please?"

Blake laughed. "Hah, yes, we can go now." With that, Neptune was up like a shot and out the front door. Everyone else took their time, with Ruby and Blake collecting their old outfits and paying for their new ones, with both girls deciding to wear them out of the store. They met Neptune outside and Blake spoke up again. "So, what should we do until they get here?"

"Well," Gwen began, "we could always…"

"GUYS!" Came a shout echoing through the malls' large hallway. Everyone turned around to see Ben and Yang jogging toward them, the hero waving over to them as he ran. "You guys will NOT believe who we ran into!"

"Yang! Ben!" Ruby waved back. "We were just talking about you!"

Neptune became crest fallen. "Aw man, do we have to go back in now?"

Gwen approached the two as they slowed to a stop to catch their breath. "Guys, what's up? Did you seriously run all the way in here?"

"Yeah, kind of." Ben answered. "From the parking lot at least."

"Sorry." Yang breathed out. "We just met someone who you all HAVE to… wait a second." Her violet eyes glanced over Ruby and Blake, now having realized that they were wearing new clothes. "Girls… you look INCREDIBLE!" Yang charged over and pulled her sister into an embrace. "Rubes, loving the classical blouse and corset combo."

"Aw, thanks sis!" Ruby hugged back.

Yang then gave Blake a thumbs up. "And Blake, you're rockin' that jacket like nobody's business!"

"Oh, thank you." Blake smiled. "Now, what's the big news?"

"I think I can shed some light on that." Everyone shifted their gaze back over to where Ben was standing to see a police woman in her early twenties standing right next to him. She waved at them with a cheery face. "Hi, everyone! How's it going?"

"Um, good." Gwen answered hesitantly. "And who are you miss?"

"Officer Noire Arc. And I believe that _you're_ my brother's friends, correct?"

Everyone besides Ben and Yang stared wide eyed at the woman, almost as if they couldn't believe that she was standing in front of them. However, it was only a matter of time before someone reacted. And that someone was Ruby. A big smile came to her face as she let out a shout of excitement. "AH! You're here!" She rushed forward as red rose petals trailed behind her, and in an instant, she was standing in front of Noire. "Oh my gosh, we've heard SO much about you! Jaune is going to FLIP OUT once he sees you're here!"

"Heh, I'm sure he will." Noire offered her hand. "You must be Ruby Rose."

"Yes! How'd you know my name?" Ruby asked as she shook the woman's hand.

"Your sister and I had a little conversation about younger siblings before we got over here. Says she once caught you trying to eat mud while you were little."

Ruby's eyes widened in horror. "YANG! Why would you tell her that?!"

Yang raised her hand in self-defense. "Hey, if it makes you feel any better Rubes, Jaune stuffed crackers up his nose when he was that age too, so technically, we're even."

"Okay, while that's _hilarious_ , that not how being even works, sis!"

Noire placed a hand on her shoulder. "Ruby, it's okay. Everyone does stuff like that when they're little. Heck, _my_ older sisters had it even harder with me and my twin."

Ruby relented, letting out a sigh. "Ah, guess you're right."

The redheaded Anodite stepped forward. "Um, hi, I'm Gwen, Ben's cousin. But speaking of siblings, is the rest of your family here yet?"

"It's nice to meet you Gwen. But no, just me, for now at least." A sly grin made its way to Noire's lips. "Hey, I want to surprise Jaune when he comes back. You guys wanna help me out?"

Ruby immediately jumped at the chance. "Would I?! Let's go!"

"Up-up-up!" Yang halted her little sister. "Hold on, Ruby. I've still got my own shopping to do."

"Ugh." Neptune groaned as he smacked his forehead. "That's what I was afraid of."

"Hey, you guys can go do what you want, I'm not holdin' ya back." Yang assured. "Besides, I pretty much know what I'm looking for, so I shouldn't be long anyway. We'll just meet up front later." She turned her head over to Weiss, Gwen and Coco. "Ladies, let's do this!"

"Hell yeah!" Coco pumped a fist into the air. "One more time!" She led Weiss and Gwen back into the clothing store while Yang lingered out side for a little longer.

She went over to Ben got up close to him. "You coming in?"

"Sure, if you want me to." the hero answered as he pulled her in closer.

"Good." Yang gave him a smooch on the nose and she ran inside. "Race ya!"

"Wh-Hey!" Ben laughed as he chased after her. "Wait up!"

Noire smiled as she watched them race into the store. "Well, those two are adorable." She turned her gaze back to the others, placing her hands on her hips. "So, what should we do until they're done in there?"

"Oh! I know!" Ruby exclaimed. "I can introduce you to the others! They shouldn't be far from here."

"Heh, wow, there are a LOT of you guys aren't there?"

"Yes, yes there are." Blake said. "The house we're currently living in is _just_ big enough to shelter all of us."

"I see." Noire nodded. "Well, it's a good thing I'm staying in a hotel, then." She extended her hand. "It's nice to meet you by the way. I think I heard Yang say that your name was Blake?"

"Right, Blake Belladonna." the cat girl shook Noire's hand. "And this is Sun, Neptune, and Cooper."

"Hiya!" Sun waved.

"Yo." Neptune saluted.

"A pleasure to meet you." Cooper nodded.

"Likewise." Noire said. "So, the others? Where would they be?"

"Just this way." Blake gestured. "C'mon, you'll be able to meet some of your brother's teammates."

* * *

Back in the clothing store, Ben and Gwen were surprised at just how fast Yang had put an outfit together. The blonde wasn't messing around when she said that she knew what she was looking for as she, along with Weiss and Coco, were moving around the store faster than they could keep up with. It wasn't all that long before the four were standing in front of the changing rooms, waiting for Yang to emerge.

"Man, how can you girls still have the energy to do this stuff?" Ben breathed out.

"All in the experience, Benny Boy." Coco answered. "It's easy once you set your focus on it."

"Kind of like Summoning, as I found out this morning." Weiss stated proudly.

"Did you summon something, Weiss?!" Yang called out from behind the door. "That's great! Good for you!"

"Thanks! Gwen helped out a lot!"

"Did she now?" Ben questioned as he focused on his cousin. "Let me guess, another mana power boost?"

"Nope." Gwen shook her head. "Just a little bit of helpful advice."

Ben nodded in understanding before a knock came from the changing room door. "Okay, I'm ready guys!" Yang shouted from the other side.

"Okay," Gwen responded. "Let's see it!"

"Alright, now, I want everyone's honest opinion." Yang stepped out of the changing room, and the girls immediately smiled, meanwhile, Ben's jaw dropped like a rock. Yang was now in a brown jacket, lined with orange and edged with gold. It was short enough to reveal her navel and she had it unzipped halfway to reveal a sleeveless orange crop top underneath. The jacket had a thick collar around her neck and a pair of long coattails that almost reached the floor. She wore a pair of black fitted pants with a brown leather belt encircling her waist. She kept the purple bandana that she usually had tied around her left knee, but her leather boots were completely new, each with a gold cap around the toe and heel with a matching gold strap going across her ankle. On her hands, she had a pair of black fingerless gloves with separate brown cuffs, her Ember Celica visible around her wrists.

Yang's violet eyes scanned the crowd, and she saw just the reaction she was hoping for. "Ah, there it is." She stepped forward, standing right in front of Ben. She reached up and closed his mouth. "You know, it's generally not polite to stare, Green Boy."

Ben could only stammer out; "I-I-I…" But Yang put a finger to his lips, hushing him.

"Ah-ah, get your thoughts together." After a few moments, Yang could see that Ben had calmed down and she took her finger away. "Now, I want your honest answer. What do you think of this outfit?"

"You look SO awesome." Ben answered. "That outfit just _screams_ badass, and beautiful, and a whole bunch of other great things!"

"In all honesty, Ben's right." Gwen agreed. "Yang, those clothes look SO good on you."

"Girl, you've REALLY got it going on." Coco said as she lowered her sunglasses, giving her a raised eyebrow. "Something tells me this wasn't just a spur of the moment kinda deal, now was it?"

Yang raised her hands. "Alright, ya got me. I've been meaning to do this for some time, too. I've been searchin' online for some new duds for a while, and well, here we are."

"Well, you're pretty sly." Weiss smirked. "So, how does it feel?"

"It feels… me." Yang shrugged. "I don't think there's a lot that needs changing… well, except for maybe one thing…" She went to the sides of her coat and undid some clips, removing the coattails. "I can't decide if I should leave these off, or keep them on. They're kind of long and I don't want them to get caught in anything." She turned to the hero that she had grown so close to, hoping to hear his opinion. "Ben, what do you think?"

"Hey, I still think you look great either way." Ben said with the utmost sincerity. "Whether you want to keep them on or not is your choice to make."

Yang smiled at him. "Aw, you're so sweet." She gave him a kiss on the cheek before regarding the coattails again. "Okay, I'll put these away in my closet and if I ever wanna wear them, I'll just take 'em out. Sounds good, right?"

"Yep." Gwen replied. "So, shall we catch up with the others?"

The group agreed and they went up to the front counter, with Yang gathering up her old clothes and paying for her new ones, wearing them out of the store like the others. She leaned her head against Ben's shoulder as they walked down the large hallway. "Thank you for being honest with me, Ben. It means a lot."

"Hey, it's absolutely no problem." The hero reassured. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but… why did you want my opinion on your choice in clothes? I'm not the most fashion forward guy, if you'll recall."

Yang giggled against his arm. "Yeah, I know. But I just wanted to hear your thoughts on 'em. Nothing wrong with that, right?"

"Heh, I guess I can't argue with that." Ben chuckled held her hand. "You rock, Goldie Locks."

"You too, Green Boy."

As the group rounded the next corner, they saw Velvet, Yatsu and Fox walking down the hall toward them. They were each holding multiple shop bags in each of their arms, with Velvet in particular seemingly struggling a bit. The bunny girl attempted to wave to them as best she could. "Hello, everybody! How was the clothes shopping?"

"Whoa, Vel, hold on there." Coco stressed as she jogged over and took a few bags off of Velvet's hands, much to her relief. "Jeez, if I'd known you guys were getting so much stuff, Tech Head and I woulda come an' help you."

"Oh, it's quite alright, we had things handled." Velvet then took noticed of Yang and Ben's presence, as well as the blonde's new attire. "Hi guys! Didn't expect to see you so soon! And Yang, your outfit is smashing, I must say!"

"Aw, thanks Vel. Yeah, we kinda got a surprise after our lunch." Yang explained. "Turns out Noire, one of Jaune's older sisters, got here earlier than we thought. She found us and then we brought her here to introduce her to everyone."

"Oh, I see. So, where is she now?"

"She went to go meet Ren and Nora. In fact…" Yang pulled he scroll out of her pocket and began texting Ruby. "I'm gonna send them a message right now…"

* * *

As Nora watched Romulus and Rema playing with Ren, she had just vented her feelings for the green ninja to Athena, silently hoping that Ren couldn't here them whispering over the wolf pups' loud barks. She let out a sigh as she finished her long story of how she had fallen for her childhood friend. "And that's basically it. I've had feelings for him for a while now and… I just can't find the right way to tell him."

"Hmm, I see. You're too afraid that he won't see you the same way you see him, correct?" Athena surmised.

"Exactly." Nora lowered her gaze. "I just really don't want to ruin the friendship we already have. I know it's the usual sort of thing in this case, but it's true!"

"I know. Believe me, I've seen it." Athena put a hand on Nora's shoulder. "But you can't just go throughout life not telling him, dear. A secret of love shouldn't be something you take to your grave."

"Yeah." Nora looked back to Athena with pleading eyes. "But what do I do?"

"Well, the first step is to try and find out if he reciprocates your feelings." Athena advised. "But it must be done discreetly. If you ask him directly, it will catch him off guard and it might just make him nervous."

"Right." In her mind, Nora knew from experience that it took a _lot_ to make Ren lose his cool, but she still took it as a distinct possibility that it might happen. "What else?"

A grin came to Athena's face. "Tactful testing. Try to subtly flirt with him and see what happens."

Nora's eyes widened immediately. " _Flirt_?" she whispered, but the way she said it, she almost shouted it.

"Yes, but again, _subtle_ flirting. Sitting closer, winking at him, those sorts of things. If he responds positively, you may just have something."

"Oh, okay, I get ya. So… uh, anything else?"

"Yes, the most important thing of all is to BE YOURSELF. Don't try to impress him by doing something that you wouldn't typically do. And it'd be very easy for him to tell since you two have known him all your life. If he does like you back, it's because you are who you are, Nora."

The Pink Dynamo was so completely touched by Athena's words, that she couldn't help but giving the Huntress a small hug. "Thank you, Athena. Thank you SO much for your help."

Athena smiled and returned the brief embrace. "You are quite welcome Nora, dear."

"Hey!" The two redheads, as well as Ren and Winter, turned to see Blake, Sun, Cooper, Neptune, Ruby and another woman walking toward them, with Blake being calling over to them. "We're back, you guys!"

"Hi everybody!" Nora greeted. But the moment she set her eyes on Blake and Ruby, she let out a gasp of excitement. "WOW! Ruby! Blake! Your outfits are so cool and CUTE!"

"Indeed." Ren said as he stood up with Rema in his hands. "You both look very nice." He handed Rema over to Blake. "She's been eager for your return, Blake."

"I'm sure she has." Blake took Rema and gazed right at her face. "You like my new clothes? If you do, please don't pee on them."

Just then, the woman in the back cooed as she laid her eyes on the wolf pups. "AW! Oh my goodness, they're so adorable!" As Nora, Ren, Athena, and Winter watched on in confusion, the police woman knelt down and scooped up Romulus in her arms. "Hello, little cutie!"

"Um, pardon me." Winter stood up. "But, might I ask; just who are you, miss?"

"Oh! Right! I forgot to introduce myself." The woman stood up and bowed her head politely. "I'm Noire Arc. You wouldn't happen to be related to the other white-haired girl who I just saw a moment ago, would you?"

"I am." Winter bowed back. "I am Winter Schnee, and that was my sister, Weiss."

The moment Winter had said it, the realization dawned in Noire's head. "Oh, a Schnee! THAT'S where I recognized her from! I _knew_ she looked familiar." She then glanced over to the green and pink duo. "And I take it that you two are my brother's teammates?"

Nora almost screamed in excitement, but she kept the fact that they were in a REALLY echoey hallway full of other people in mind. Instead, she just zipped over and started to let her energy loose. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! You're Jaune's big sister! Well, _one_ of his big sisters, obviously. It is SO nice to finally meet you, you have no idea! It's seriously taking ALL of my will power to not hug you right now, 'cause I have NO idea how you'll react!"

But Noire simply shrugged. "Hey, hug away sister. You've been helping my brother so much over the past year that I kind of owe it to you."

Nora squeed and latched onto Noire in an instant. "AH! Thank you!"

"No, thank _you_. For looking out for my brother." Noire offered a handshake to Ren. "I owe it to both of you actually."

"You're welcome." Ren said as he shook her hand. "But it was not just us who have been along side your brother for the past year."

"Heh, yeah." Nora chuckled as she let go of Noire. "Pyrrha's been there for your brother too. In some ways, even MORE than _we_ have."

Noire raised an eyebrow. "Pyrrha?"

"My daughter." Athena stood up. "And Jaune's partner." She offered her hand. "I am Athena Nikos, it's nice to meet you."

"Oh, nice to meet… wait. Nikos? Where have I heard that…" But Noire let out a gasp as she realized. "Your daughter is _Pyrrha_ _Nikos_?! The prodigy girl who's on ALL of the Pumpkin Pete's cereal boxes?!"

Athena resisted the urge to roll her eyes. _'I KNEW that was a bad idea. Blasted sponsorships.'_ She cleared her throat and answered. "Ahem, yes, the very same."

"Wow, and Jaune got partnered up with her." Noire let out a little laugh. "Heh, wow, who would've guessed that my little brother would have such a great team?"

"I thought the same with my Pyrrha, believe it or not. They've really helped her open up to the world and grow. And I'm very grateful for that. Though I must say, we weren't expecting to see you this soon, Noire. How did you know where to find us?"

"Yang and Ben brought me here. I didn't have an address to go off of, so my dad told me to find a yellow motorcycle. And now, here I am!"

Suddenly, Ruby's scroll began to buzz and she took it out of her pocket, going to her messages. "Speaking of Yang, she and the others are out front waiting for us." Not a moment later, another text came up that Ruby read aloud. "BTW…" A split second after, another message came up with a picture; "You like the new duds?" Ruby glanced down at the photo of her sister taking a selfie with Ben, Gwen, Weiss, and Team CFVY in the background, and Ruby smiled at her sister's new outfit. She spoke out loud as she texted back. "Looks… great… sis! See… you… soon." Ruby put away her scroll and put her hands on her hips. "Well, you heard her!"

"Well, technically we heard _you_ say what she was telling you." Neptune pointed out.

"No matter!" Ruby pointed up toward the sky. "Let's get home before Jaune does!"

* * *

With one last tug, Jaune finished tightening the retracting mechanism on his sheath, securing the shield components inside of it. It was at that moment that he realized; _'Oh my god, I'm done.'_ He let out a few breathy laughs as he picked up the sheath, letting the fact that he had actually _built_ an entirely new weapon for himself sink in. "Heh, I did it! I ACTUALLY did it!"

"WHOO!" Kevin cheered with applause. "Nice, Jaune!"

Festus also clapped for the knight. "HAHA! Indeed, I knew you had it in you, lad!"

"Yes, very well done!" Pyrrha added. "You did a fantastic job on it, Jaune. You should be proud."

"I am, but I couldn't have done it without your help." Jaune enveloped Pyrrha in a gentle hug, much to the Invincible Girl's surprise. "Thank you so much, Pyr."

It took a second to process, but Pyrrha quickly came back to reality and returned the gesture. "You are quite welcome, Jaune."

"Hey, what about me?" Kevin asked. "I helped you guys out too!"

A smirk found it's way to Jaune's face. "Oh, I'm sorry, Kevin. Did you want a hug, too?" Pyrrha burst out laughing as Kevin grimaced at the blonde knight, which also amused Jaune quite a bit.

"Uh, yeah, no thank you." The Osmosian quickly answered.

"Thought so. But seriously, thanks for your help, Kev." Jaune looked up at the bearded man behind him. "And you too, Festus. You've been a REALLY big help."

"To both of us." Pyrrha pointed out.

"Ah, but it is not over yet." Festus said before walking over to the door. "Come, follow me." He lead the three out behind the forge to see that he had set up a small course. A small catapult, multiple tall bundles of wood, three circular targets and a very tall, very wide log were set up along the lawn, ready to be put to use. "Now comes the best part; testing your new weapon!" The blacksmith gazed down at Jaune with a smirk on his face. "Are you ready, Jaune?"

Jaune smiled as his eyes laid upon the obstacles. "Just a moment!" He rushed over to Kevin's car and pulled the blade out from the back seat. He placed it into the sheath, and Crocea Mors Mark II was officially complete. He went back over to the course, pulled out the sword and activated his shield, holding it so that the tip was facing downward near his hand. With a steely nod, he took a battle stance. "Alright, I'm ready."

Pyrrha put her hand to his shoulder. "Good luck, Jaune. I know that you've got this." She then quickly got out of the way, leaving Jaune with her encouraging words.

"Alright!" Festus shouted. "Ready? FIRE!" With a swift tug of a pull string, the small catapult lunged forward, hurling a rock at Jaune. The blonde knight quickly raised his shield and batted it away, the rock letting off a small spark as it briefly connected with the tip. Jaune ran forward and quickly began to slice the wood bundles in half, sometimes slamming the tip of his shield into them as a secondary attack. By the time he was finished with them, they were either in multiple pieces strewn across the ground, or beaten into splinters.

Jaune then came to the three targets and he squeezed the trigger in the handle of his shield just slightly, making the gun barrel protrude from the shield's tip. He raised his arm, took aim and then pulled the trigger again, this time with more force. He shot off three Fire Dust rounds from his gun-shield, making contact with all three targets. None of them were bullseyes, but Jaune didn't care, he was just happy that he was able to actually hit the target! _'Sometimes, I guess it pays when you make paper airplanes aimed for your sisters' heads.'_

Finally, Jaune came up to the massive log. He took off his shield and retracted it back into its sheath form, sliding the white and gold metal holster over his sword. With another button press, the sharpened edges of the shield popped out, turning Crocea Mors into it's new, two-handed greatsword mode. With the combined weight of the shield and sword, Jaune brought the blade down and cleaved right through the log with a loud battle cry. As he landed behind the log, it didn't seem as if anything happened at first, but a second later, the log slid diagonally in half, landing on the ground with a loud THUD!

Breathing hard, Jaune rose to his feet, a feeling of pure joy welling up inside of him. "WHOO! Haha! That was awesome!"

"Jaune, it was wonderful!" Pyrrha called out as she ran over to him. "Your swordsmanship was superb!"

"Thanks, Pyr. But you know what I think we need to do?"

One look at his knowing smile, and Pyrrha returned it in an instant. "You want us to practice with it later on?"

"Exactly!" From the corner of his eye, Jaune saw Festus approaching, and the blonde knight gave the blacksmith a respectful bow. "Thank you again, Festus. I really appreciate it."

Festus waved his hand. "Ah, it was no problem at all, lad. I am simply glad to be of service." He offered him a handshake. "It was a true honor to help you create this new weapon. I hope our paths cross again someday."

"I'm sure they will." Jaune shook Festus' hand, with Pyrrha following suit soon after.

"Indeed. I'm certain that we'll see you around town." Pyrrha reassured.

"Of course." Suddenly, a honking horn from out front caught their attention. "Ah, it seems that you are being called."

Jaune shrugged. "Guess so." The three made their way out front to see Kevin behind the wheel of his car, its engine rumbling so much that it could have shook the ground.

"Hey guys!" the Osmosian shouted. "Gwen just called me, she said that we should get home if we're done!"

"Why is that?" Pyrrha questioned.

"Dunno, she wouldn't say. All I know is that we're wanted back home." Kevin reached a hand out to the blacksmith. "Festus, I look forward to working with you again."

"Certainly, Kevin." Festus shook his hand. "You are welcome at my forge anytime." He turned to the two behind him, giving them a thumbs up. "And that goes for all of you, understand."

Jaune nodded. "We do. See you later, Festus!"

"Farewell!" Pyrrha waved before she and Jaune climbed into the car's backseat. With their seatbelts secured, the three rolled out of the dense woods, with Festus waving to them in the rearview mirror.

* * *

Over in the city of Vale, General Ironwood, Glynda and Tai all sat in the meeting room of the Valian Military base, patiently waiting for a certain drunken man to make his appearance. They had been informed of Qrow's airship landing just a few minutes ago. After calling Tetrax to make sure he knew, they set up the meeting room once again, eager to see what new their scythe-weilding drunkard friend had to share. Tai was tapping his fingers together, trying to stay patient while waiting for his brother-in-law. He let out a sigh as he rose from the table. "Okay, he usually doesn't take this long to show up. I'm going to go see where he is."

But Ironwood stood up as well, hoping to keep Tai in the room. "Tai, it's alright. I'm sure Qrow is on his way as we speak."

Just then, almost as if the universe had answered the general in some way, the door swung open and there stood Qrow, wearing an expression that was by and far _not_ the happiest. And he had good reason to, as his right arm and left foot were both in braces, a crutch situated beneath his left arm. "Knock, knock." He said with a sarcastic tone in his voice.

Tai was shocked as he saw his brother-in-law enter. He moved away from the table and ran over to meet him. "Qrow! What in the hell happened to you?"

Qrow raised a hand to try and calm Tai down. "Jeez, Tai, relax! Lemme get a few feet in the room before asking me questions, will ya?"

"Well, my apologies for being concerned." Tai rolled his eyes as the two made their way to the table. "Being worried about family IS a thing you know."

"Yeah, yeah." Qrow sat down while propping his crutch up against the table. He set his sights on the other two across the table. "Jimmy, Glynda, how've things been here?"

Ironwood and Glynda glanced at each other before shifting their gaze back to Qrow. "Eventful." They answered simultaneously.

"Uh-huh." Qrow leaned back in his chair. "Well, if we're all here, let's get started."

"Not yet." Ironwood shook his head. "We're still waiting on one more… ah, there he is now!"

Qrow turned around and his eyes widened in shock as a near eight-foot-tall person in a suit of high-tech armor squeezed his way in through the door. His eyes met the triangular visor of the figure's helmet as the giant shut the door behind him. Whoever it was raised their hand and waved. _"Ah, hello, you must be Qrow."_ a baritone voice came out.

"Uh, yeah." Qrow immediately turned back around to Ironwood and jabbed a thumb in the armored man's direction. "Jimmy, who the hell is this guy?"

Ironwood extended a hand in the man's direction. "Qrow, meet Tetrax." The man retracted his helmet to reveal, much to Qrow's surprise, that he wasn't a man at all, but a crystalline creature with a big chin and a pointy head. "He's an alien bounty hunter from Ben's universe. Consider him a family friend of the Tennyson's."

"Good to meet you." Tetrax extended a hand to Qrow.

"Likewise… I guess." the semi-drunken man responded before shaking Tetrax's hand. "So, you came here with Ben? If that's the case, where the hell've you been all this time?"

"A long story, one that I'm sure can wait." Tetrax took a seat. "Right now, I want to hear about these disturbances that you've been investigating. No doubt they must be related to your injuries."

"Heh, you don't know the half of it." Qrow set his good hand on the table. "Alright, listen up. For the past week, the northern port town of Essen has been gettin' some reports of strange goings on at their Dust mines. Talks of weird little gremlin things and a giant beast. I was sent to investigate, and let me tell ya, what I found _wasn't_ pretty."

"Gremlins?" Glynda asked. "Doesn't sound like any Grimm I've ever seen."

"You'd be right." Qrow reached into his pocket and produced a pair of goggles before throwing them on the table. They had a strange set of lenses, being shaped like slits with an eerie yellow color. "Look familiar to you, Rock Head?"

Tetrax quickly snatched the goggles from the table to inspect them closer. "Oh no, I HAVE seen these before!"

Qrow nodded. "Thought so. We're dealing with aliens here people. Weird little munchkins wielding pick axes. And the beast the locals were talkin' about is actually their boss."

Tetrax narrowed his eyes. "Did you get a good visual of him?"

"Yeah, real nasty lookin' son of a bitch. He wore this big suit of armor and his face was UGLY. Leathery orange skin an' gleaming yellow eyes. He had a big snaggle toothed underbite with a set o' brown horns on his chin." Qrow clenched his good hand. "He's also the reason why I'm in these braces, so I'd like to see him taken care of, if you catch my drift. You know 'im?"

"I do, unfortunately." Tetrax brought up the hologram projector on his gauntlet and brought up the entry for that particular felon. He removed the projector from his forearm and set in the middle of the table so that everyone could see it. The alien in the hologram was just as Qrow had described, only a whole lot uglier than Ironwood and Glynda had imagined. Tetrax presented the alien outlaw to them. "This is Vulkanus. He is a Detrovite criminal wanted in fifty sectors of the galaxy for illegally mining precious minerals, among many other criminal acts." The Petrosapien pressed a button on the projector and an image of the pickaxe wielding gremlins popped up. "Wherever he goes, he takes an army of alien clones with him to serve as his mining minions. And he always seems to have the ability to make more."

"I see." Glynda crossed her arms. "So, he's mining out Essen's resources. We cannot let him get his hands on that much Dust. If he does, he'll have enough to fuel an entire army. Tetrax, in your experience, how do we deal with him? Does he have any weaknesses?"

"Indeed." Tetrax pressed another button and multiple parts on Vulkanus' suit were pinpointed. "Vulkanus doesn't wear this armor over his body. Rather, the suit is what is regenerating his _real_ body, which at this point, is still actually quite small. We take out the suit, we take out Vulkanus."

"And the clones?" Ironwood asked.

"Can be easily dealt with. While prepared for combat, they are not strong enough to do serious damage."

Tai nodded. "Good. So, you think this is job for the team?"

"I believe so." Ironwood confirmed. "However, we will need some prep time for this mission, so we'll make plans to depart in the morning."

"We can take my ship." Tetrax said as he took his projector back and reinstalled it into his gauntlet. "It will save us time getting to Essen, and it has room for pretty much everyone. Once I return to the island, I will inform the team of tomorrow's mission."

"Excellent, thank you, Tetrax." Glynda commended. "Now, I believe that there is more work to be done."

Qrow leaned back in his chair again. "Not for me. If you haven't noticed, I'm kinda held up." He lifted his arm brace for emphasis.

"Right." Ironwood pointed to the door. "If you need a bed, the rest quarters are down the hall and to the left."

"Thanks Jim, but right now, all I need is some pain killer. Now where do you keep the alcohol in this place?" The entire room echoed with exasperated groans from all except Tetrax, but Qrow just shrugged. "Yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before. Seriously though, where is it?"

* * *

Back on Patch, the Rustbucket, Athena's car, Coco's roadster, Bumblebee, and Noire's chopper all entered the Xiao-Long driveway, with all of their respective passengers eager to disembark and head inside. But before Noire could do so, Yang made a suggestion. "Hey, why not pull your bike around back so that Jaune doesn't see it? You don't want him to get the idea that you're here, right?"

"Oh yeah! Good idea!" Noire put her chopper into gear and pulled it around the back of the house, leaving everyone out front. She came running back a few seconds later, putting her keys in her pocket. "There we go. All nice and tucked away!"

After the group inside the Rustbucket stepped out, Max got off as well, holding several bags of miscellaneous food stuffs in his arms. "Ah, kids, I'll tell ya, you're all in for a treat!" He said as he went inside the house. "Fried goat's stomach, boiled lamb liver and smoked cow tongue are all on the menu for this week!"

Noire suddenly felt very ill as Max went inside. "Oh my god, what the actual hell?"

Ben winced. "Sorry, my grandpa has a taste for… the exotic."

"The "gross-me-out" is more like it." Coco corrected. "How does your grandpa handle all of that?!"

"When we were ten, we always thought his stomach was one big waste disposal." Gwen answered. "But then we found out that there are other people around our world that can actually stomach the stuff."

"Yep, just as I thought, gross." Coco shivered. "Ugh. So, when're the other's getting here?"

"l called Kevin a little while ago. We've got about fifteen minutes before they get here, so we've got plenty of time." The Anodite smirked over to Noire. "Now, what's say we find you a good hiding place?"

Noire nodded as they all went into the house. "Sounds like a plan, Gwen. Let's do this."

* * *

A few minutes later, Kevin's car rolled into the drive way. But as he came to a halt, the Osmosian at the wheel couldn't help but notice that it was a bit quieter than usual. Everyone's mode of transport was there, but he didn't hear any hustle or bustle. "Huh, weird. I expected a bit more noise."

"Yes, very odd." Pyrrha remarked as she got out of the car. "Do you think they're all down stairs?"

Jaune shook his head. "I doubt it. That room is big, but not big enough for all of those people." The three made their way to the door and opened it up, though Jaune made sure to keep a hand on his new Crocea Mors in case something bad happened. "Hello? Anyone?!"

"We're in here Jaune!" The blonde knight heard Ben's voice calling from the back of the house, near the kitchen. "C'mon in, we've been waiting for you guys to get here!"

With relief washing over them, the three happily made their way all the way inside. "Hah, okay, we're comin'!" Jaune called back. They moved passed the living room and down the hallway, unaware that someone had come out from behind the couch and was silently stalking them, a mirthful expression on their face.

The moment they entered, they saw everyone in the kitchen, either sitting at the table or at the counter tops. Ben raised a glass of soda at their entry. "Hey! There they are!"

Gwen got up and went over to Kevin, giving him a loving kiss. "Welcome back. How was your guys' day?"

Kevin wrapped his arms around her. "Pretty good. Got a lot done." He raised an eyebrow. "But why the sudden call back? Something wrong?"

Gwen shook her head. "Nope, quite the opposite in fact." She winked at him. "You'll see in a little bit."

"Hello, everyone!" Pyrrha greeted. "So, how was the mall?"

From her place at the counter, Athena chuckled as she let go of the red and purple leashes. "You tell me, dear." From behind the counter, Romulus and Rema both charged toward them, dragging their leashes behind them by their new collars.

Both Jaune and Pyrrha's eyes lit up at the sight, with the Invincible Girl being the first to crouch down to meet them. "Hah! Oh my goodness, look at you two! Don't you look adorable?!"

Jaune picked up Romulus. "Hey! Rockin' the red, little man!" He turned back to Athena with a smile. "You picked out good colors for them, Athena."

"Thank you, Jaune." The Huntress nodded. "I also picked up some toys for them to practice with. I hope you two are ready for that, by the way."

"We sure are. But first…" Jaune unclipped Crocea Mors from his hip, holding the sword by its handle with the sheath still attached. "Check this out!" He pressed the button, and the blade entered its greatsword mode, much to everyone's amazement.

"NICE!" Ben hollered.

Ruby gasped. "Jaune, that is SO cool!"

Yang called over; "Pretty _damn_ cool, if you ask me!"

"Very impressive." Ren agreed.

From the table, Coco raised a cup of coffee. "Yeah, not bad, Hoodie Knight."

"Wow!" Nora zipped up to get a better view. "That's so awesome, Jaune! So how heavy is it?"

"A bit heavier than the old one." Jaune shrugged. "But not by much. In fact, the added weight makes the strikes more powerful! I cleaved through a goddamned log in one swing with this thing!"

"A very good starting point." Yatsu commented. "You will find that a sword of that size will be able to do much more than that."

"I know, but I'm just getting started with this. Just watch." Jaune deactivated the greatsword and put the sheath in shield mode. He put in on his arm and lightly gripped the handle. "Now, what was that old saying? Oh yeah!" With a confident smirk, Jaune gently pulled at the trigger, causing the gun barrel to protrude from the shield's tip. "I believe it was "It's also a gun"."

"Wow!" Sun called out. "Now _that's_ some sweet weapon design, my man."

"Pretty sweet indeed." Blake agreed. "Lives up to the term "multi-purpose"."

"You got that right. Can't wait to test this thing out." Jaune put the shield away and re-sheathed Crocea Mors, attaching it to his hip once again. "So, anything else go on while you were at the mall?"

Weiss cleared her throat and she walked to the center of the room. "Indeed. Jaune, Pyrrha, I'm not sure if you noticed by now, but if not, ladies, it's show time!" Weiss waved her hand and Ruby, Yang and Blake stood up, showing off their new outfits to Jaune and Pyrrha.

"So guys, what do you think?" Ruby asked. "Too much? Not enough?"

"What are you talking about? Your new outfits are fantastic!" Pyrrha stepped forward, hoping to get a better look at all of them. "I knew that you would probably do some shopping, but I never imagined you would come back with entirely new wardrobes!"

"Heh, yeah, it's kind of weird how things work like that." Blake chuckled.

Yang placed her hands on her hips, raising her head up high. "Still, you can't deny that we look totally awesome!"

"Yeah, no doubt about it." Jaune backed up. "How long did it take you to find these outfits?"

Neptune rested his chin against his hand, letting out a sigh. "Believe me, it was a bit TOO long."

Cooper rolled his eyes. "What he _means_ to say is that it took a while, but they picked out some really neat clothes."

"I… see." Jaune said in confusion.

"What about you, Weiss?" Pyrrha wondered. "Are you going to change yours, too?"

"I will." Weiss confirmed. "But I will be selecting something from my own wardrobe…" She glanced to her sister with narrowed eyes. "So long as _someone_ doesn't ship it back to Atlas in… what was it? A "beaten up cardboard box"?"

Winter gave her sister a smirk. "Oh, come now, sister. I was only joking."

Weiss simply narrowed her eyes further. "We never joke about clothes around here, Winter."

Jaune glanced to Pyrrha, hoping that she could make sense about what they were talking about. But it appeared that she didn't have a clue either, because all she gave back was a shrug. Deciding not to question further, Jaune looked back out to the room. "Um… okay then. So, anything else happen in town today?"

Ben and Yang shared a knowing smile before Ben got up. "Actually, yeah. We had a little run in with the police."

Jaune and Pyrrha's eyes widened. "What?!" they both exclaimed.

Yang shrugged. "Yeah, but the lady was nice. Let us off with a warning. All she asked in return was to take her to see her little brother."

"Wait, what the heck does that—" Just then, Jaune felt a tapping on his shoulder, causing him to whirl around in surprise. But once he saw who was behind him, all he could do was stare at her, his mouth agape. His mind was trying to process her being there right in front of him at that very moment, but it caught him completely off guard. _'How is she here already?!'_ He yelled in his head. He noticed that had also Pyrrha turned around, her face breaking out into a similar surprised expression. Jaune was finally broken out of his stunned trance when his sister finally spoke to him.

"Hello Jaune." Noire smiled. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Jaune blinked and in an instant, he broke out into a big smile and lunged forward, wrapping her up in a hug. "NOIRE! How did you—I mean where did you—When did you get here?!"

Noire laughed as she hugged her little brother back. "Hahaha, oh I got here around noon time. I was on the look out for Yang's bike since dad didn't give me an address. I found her and Ben, they introduced me to your friends, and we came back to set this little surprise up. So, did it work?"

"Did it EVER?!" Jaune pulled away to see his sister's face. "I wasn't expecting you until later this week!"

"Heh, what can I say? I missed my little brother." The Arc siblings gave each other one more gentle hug before Noire caught sight of Pyrrha still staring at them. She let go of her brother and strolled over to the redhead, her smile turning into a smirk. "Ah, so you must be Pyrrha. Your mother has told me a lot about you."

"Oh, I, um, I'm sorry for staring, I just didn't expect—" But she was cut off when Noire pulled her into an embrace, much to her confusion. She saw Jaune staring wide eyed at the scene, just as perplexed as she was. She glanced back to Noire, speaking with the slightest trepidation. "I… I-I don't understand."

"It's okay." Noire reassured. "I know you must be confused, but I want to seriously thank you. Thank you so much for being there for my little brother. It means a lot to me that he has a team as great as you, Ren and Nora." She pulled away to gaze at Pyrrha straight on. "As far as I'm concerned," She winked at her, "you're okay in my book, Pyrrha. My brother's quite lucky to have friends like you." She turned to her brother with a quired eyebrow. " _Aren't_ you?"

Jaune raised his hands in self-defense. "Hey, hey, no need to tell me what I already know. I've spent a little over a year with these guys and I figured that fact out in the very first semester!"

"Relax, little bro, I'm kidding!" Noire ruffled is hair, much to Jaune's chagrin. "Jeez, you've gotten so serious."

Jaune neatened his hair back up and sighed. "Well, yeah, that kinda happens when you go to a Huntsman Academy. Doesn't help that we almost got killed last week."

Noire cringed at that. "I know. Jaune, we were all so worried about you. When dad left, we were terrified, thinking that you had died. Mom almost had a complete breakdown."

Jaune's heart sank like a rock. "M-mom? Is she okay?"

"Yes, she's fine. Once dad called and told us you were alive, we were ALL fine." Noire pat him on the shoulder. "But please, don't scare us like that again."

Jaune glanced down at his feet. "Noire, I… I don't think I can make that promise. I still want to be a Huntsman. And that actively involves getting into some dangerous situations."

"I know… and I've come to accept that it's what you want to do. Heck, if I didn't, I'd be quite the hypocrite since, well," She tugged at the police badge on her shirt, "look what I do for a living. But when you do go out on missions, please try to stay safe, okay? For all of us?"

Jaune let out a chuckle as he put a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Alright, I'll try."

"That's all I ask." She glanced over to Pyrrha. "Besides, I know that she'll be right out there with you. Am I right, Pyrrha?"

The Invincible Girl blushed before she replied. "Y-yes, definitely. As will Ren and Nora."

Nora rushed over and grabbed both Jaune and Pyrrha by the shoulders. "Yeah! The day we let our fearless leader bite the dust is the day we hang up our weapons!"

Ren offered a soft smile as he too came over. "A little over the top, but I agree. Jaune is like the brother that we've never had. You can be sure that we will watch each other's backs."

"Great, I'm glad to hear it." Noire clapped her hands together. "Okay, now, I want to hear what you guys have been up to! How've things been going here? I can't imagine life on Patch would be too exciting, right?" The entire room suddenly became very quiet, with everyone glancing to each other out of nervousness. Noire became crestfallen at the silence. "Um, was it something I said?"

"Uh, sis, let's just say that there's been some CRAZY stuff going on." Jaune answered.

"Really? How crazy?"

Jaune glanced over to Ben, the hero nodding as both he and Cooper stood up, walking over to them. Gwen and Kevin also came over, wearing hesitant expressions. Jaune sighed as he faced his sister with the most serious expression he could muster. "Sis, can you keep a secret?"

* * *

**A/N: Hoo boy, that was quite the long one. But hey, a lot of things happened, so that's to be expected. Noire's reunited with her brother, she's met everyone, and Qrow's finally come back. But Vulkanus seems to be mining for Dust! Does he know of its true power yet, or does he simply think the crystals are simply valuable? We'll find out soon enough, but until then… Next Time! The afternoon rolls on as Noire learns the truth about Ben's secret, and Jaune and Pyrrha start their training with the wolf pups. Tetrax returns to deliver the news, and feelings continue to spark between a certain Tech Head and team leader. Thanks for reading! See ya!**


	35. Afternoon Delights

**A/N: Okay guys, this'll be last chapter update for 11/10/2020 on AO3! Time to see how the newest arrival reacts to Ben's secret! I've got nothing much else to say, so let's go! This is…**

**Chapter 35: Afternoon Delights**

* * *

"So, let me get this straight." Noire was sitting down on the couch in the living room with her hands pressed up together and rested against her chin, her elbows resting upon her knees. Jaune and Pyrrha were sitting on either side of her while Ben, Gwen, Kevin and Cooper stood in front of them, having told the policewoman their whole story. Yang, Ruby and Coco were also in the room, adding details to the story where need be. Noire sat up straight and pointed her hands in Gwen's direction. "You, your family, and your friends are from an alternate dimension."

The Anodite nodded. "That's right."

Noire pointed over to Ben. "And you have the ability to transform into any alien you want?"

Ben raised the Omnitrix. "You got it."

She pointed over to Kevin. "And the rest of you have natural powers because of your alien heritage."

Kevin crossed his arms. "Yep, pretty much."

Cooper raised his hand. "Well, actually, my powers come from a mutation but that's beside the point."

"Uh-huh." Noire focused back to her brother. "And all through this past week, you all've been fighting bad guys who've managed to escape here from their dimension?"

"Yeah, that's basically the full gist of it." Jaune confirmed.

"There's been a lot going on, Noire." Pyrrha said. "After the attack on Beacon, we all thought we would be worse for wear. But with Ben, Gwen and Kevin around, we've had some great positive reinforcement to our lives going forward."

Coco strolled up and put a hand on Cooper's shoulder. "Yeah, and Tech Head helped get Vale's power back online in less than three days! These guys are real heroes, let me tell ya."

"Plus, it's been awesome fighting interdimensional criminals." Ruby added.

"Yep, plus…" Yang wrapped her arms around Ben, the hero more than happy to hug back. "This guy right here has been showing me a great time."

"So, what do you think?" Jaune asked. "Can you keep our secret?"

Noire glanced between all of them before letting out a sigh. "Guys, I'm sorry, but I can't exactly keep a secret if I don't believe it. Because quite honestly, this all sounds like one of those elaborate set ups for a "gotcha!" joke. Or a "just kidding!" sort of thing. Unless I see substantial proof, I just can't—" Just then, a bright green flash of light was all that Noire could see for a couple seconds. Once her vison cleared, she was taken aback by what she could only describe as a tall blue and black cat thing was standing in front of her, staring at her with it's gleaming green eyes as it yelled out;

"Fasttrack!" The Citrakayah smirked down at her as he crossed his arms. "Well, do you believe now?"

"B-b-b-BEN?!" Noire hollered.

"Uh-huh, and check this out!" Fasttrack sped out of the room and a split second later, he came back with a glass full of apple juice. "See? Told you I was the real deal. Also, not a drop spilled."

Gwen made a pink mana plate in her hand and Fasttrack set the juice on it, much to Noire's shock. Gwen levitated it over to her with a polite bow; "Your juice, madame."

"Uh… thanks?" Noire grabbed the juice and Gwen stepped out of the way just in time for the elder Arc to see Kevin absorbing the wood of the coffee table. Her jaw dropped as she let out a breathy laugh. "Ah, heh, okay, I've seen plenty. You've convinced me." She smiled at them. "And don't worry, your guys' secret is safe with me."

In another green flash, Ben changed back to normal. "Thanks, Noire. It means a bunch to us."

"No problem. But, might I ask, why did you feel the need to tell me?"

Ben shrugged. "Well, with you and your family coming here, we knew it'd be hard to keep our secret from you guys. So, we decided to just tell you right off the bat. Jaune trusts you, so that means we do to. I mean, heck, your dad _already_ knows about it."

"He does?!" She frowned a little bit. "Then why didn't he tell us?"

"Probably because he didn't want anyone in your home town to catch wind of it." Kevin explained. "Only a few people know about our secret, and it's better if we kept it that way. If word got out about aliens in Vale there'd be mass panic."

"I suppose your right." Noire took a sip of her apple juice before continuing. "Still, a bit more of a heads up would've been nice. Like, I don't know, maybe a: "hey, Jaune's got some cool new friends, they've got some neat powers!", that sort of thing. You know, tell me without _actually_ telling me?"

Jaune rolled his eyes. "Sis, you and I both know that dad can be kind of a derp. Knowing him, he probably didn't even think of something like that."

Noire was about to retort, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that it was a distinct possibility. "Yeah, okay, you're probably right."

Jaune smiled at her. "And hey, wasn't seeing it first hand a bit more exiting anyway?"

"Well, to be honest, I was a whole MESS of emotions during that little kerfuffle, but yeah, excitement was definitely one of them."

"What kind of word is _kerfuffle_?" Ruby wondered to herself out loud.

"But regardless, I'm glad you trust me with your secret." Noire gave a thumbs up. "And I'll be happy to keep it. But good luck with my sisters. Verte and Violette are TOTAL gossips and I have no IDEA how Blanche will react."

Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Why? Isn't she your twin?"

"Well, yeah, but…" Noire gave her brother a worried glance. "She's also still upset that you went to Beacon, Jaune. And even more upset that you didn't come home with dad. She almost came out here by herself a few days ago just so she could drag you back home herself, but mom, dad and I convinced her otherwise."

Jaune's face fell at that. "Oh, jeez. I-I didn't mean to hurt any of you guys like that. I just… wanted to be here with my friends is all."

Pyrrha lowered her head. "Jaune, please don't blame yourself. If anything, I am the one who was injured after the attack. If I hadn't been…"

"No, Pyr, please." Jaune got up and moved over to her side of the couch, wrapping an arm across her shoulders. "I don't want you to blame yourself either. What's happened can't be changed." He gave her a grin. "Besides, compared to being in my home town, what we've been doing here is a LOT cooler, right?"

Pyrrha looked up at Jaune, a smile of her own coming to her lips. "Heh, well, I suppose so, yes."

Noire playfully narrowed her eyes at her brother. "Hey, are you saying that our home is boring, Jaune?"

"Aw, you know what I meant!" Jaune waved. "Besides, you gotta admit that there's not much to do there."

Noire rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Oh jeez. I hear this enough from Saph, now I gotta here it from you too?"

"Hey, she and I are on the same wave length with this!" Jaune pointed out.

It was at that point that Yang stepped forward. "Alright, you two, we can exchange stories from home later, but right now," She turned to Jaune and Pyrrha. "I believe you guys got some wolf puppy boot camp to go to, right?"

Jaune slapped his forehead. "D'oh! Right! C'mon Pyr, we'd better get on that!"

"You're absolutely right." Pyrrha got up and smiled down at Noire. "Sorry to talk and run, but we have some training to do."

Noire chuckled as she got up. "Hehe, that's okay. In fact, I'll join you. I love watching puppies play."

"Not a bad idea." Gwen commented. "You guys have fun, okay?"

"Are you sure you don't want to join us, Gwen?" Pyrrha asked. "You're always welcome."

But the Anodite shook her head. "Sorry, but I said that I'd show Ruby and Nora the Pokémon anime when we got home, and I'm not about to go back on a promise." She shifted her gaze to her cousin. "Ben, what about you? You want to join us?"

The hero shook his head. "No thanks, you go on ahead, Gwen." He wrapped his arms across Yang's shoulders. "I already promised Yang that we'd go back to bingeing Batman downstairs."

"Yep, and we've got a LONG way to go." Yang said. "But… we might stick around for just _one_ episode, just so I can get a feel for it once Ben and I start bingeing it ourselves."

Ben nodded. "Well alrighty then, we've reached a good compromise!"

But Noire was just plain confused. "Poké-what? Bat-who? Am I missing something here?"

"Oh, they're just a couple of cartoons from our world." Gwen explained. "We brought a bunch of media from our world with us when we were transported here, including five DVD cases full of movies and TV shows."

"Ah, got it." But then Noire realized something. "Aw, crap. When my little sisters get wind of this, they're going to want to see _everything_ you guys have to offer."

Ben winced at that. "Ooh, yeah, didn't think of that. Well… I think we'll be able to handle it. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?" He watched as Jaune and Noire gave him questioning stares that he could tell said; 'Are you seriously asking that?'. Ben gave a nervous laugh. "Uh, hehe, I guess a lot."

Jaune shook his head. "Hey, it's your funeral dude." He turned back to Pyrrha and waved his hand out the door. "Shall we?"

Pyrrha giggled. "Hehe, of course." And with that, they went back out to the kitchen, with Noire trailing behind them.

Kevin sighed as he watched them leave. "Well, that was a lot easier than I expected."

Ben nodded. "Yeah, could've been a lot worse… hopefully her twin sister doesn't pulverize us."

Yang pat him on the shoulder. "It's okay. She won't be hurting anyone on my watch. But hey, at least we know it's because she loves brother."

"True that." Kevin moved his attention to Coco and Cooper. "What about you guys? You goin' home?"

Coco gave a shrug. "Eh, maybe in a little while. We're in no rush, right Tech Head?"

"Exactly." Cooper confirmed. "We've got plenty of daylight left. Why not hang around for a bit? Heck, I'd be up to watch some Pokémon."

"Sure, why not?" Coco paused for a moment. "By the way, what the hell's a Pokémon?"

"I'll explain it ALL to you while Gwen gets the DVDs." Ruby said with excitement lined in her voice. "C'mon! Let's get some snacks! This is gonna ROCK!"

Before the cloaked girl could rush out of the room, Gwen called out to her. "Ruby, hold on a sec!" With the silver eyed girl's attention directly on her, the Anodite gave her a smile. "Could you please go get Nora and anyone else who'd be interested in watching while you guys are out there? It'd save a lot of time."

Ruby gave her own salute. "Aye-aye, captain!" And with that, she zoomed out of the room, leaving a trail of rose petals behind like she always does, with Coco and Cooper hot on her tail.

Ben gave his cousin a smirk. "Oh boy, she's setting her expectations up WAY too high for the anime."

Gwen sighed. "I blame myself. I got her and Nora so hyped on the games, I guess they expect the TV show to be just as good."

Yang quirked an eyebrow. "Why? Is it bad?"

"Well… not exactly." Gwen explained. "It has its great moments, especially in the first thirteen seasons. But the main problem the anime suffers from is its repetitious storytelling."

"And the fact that _after_ season thirteen, it's been VERY inconsistent with it's continuity." Ben added.

"Exactly." Gwen agreed. "Which is why I'm glad we only have the first eight seasons. Original Series through Advanced Battle is a good starting point. Plus, it helps that it's all the original dub and they don't have to go through the whiplash of the main character's voices changing part way through the series."

Yang smirked and crossed her arms. "Jeez, you guys are nerds."

Ben nodded. "You're damn right we are." He and Gwen gave each other a proud fist bump, much to Yang's amusement.

"Hehe, alright, why don't we get downstairs and find those DVDs?" she suggested. "Then we can really get started on our afternoon."

Ben gave her a smirk. "Sounds like a plan to me." He offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

Yang nodded before linking her own arm with his. "We shall."

Kevin began to leave the room as well. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna go work on my car for a bit. I'll see you in a while."

"Alright." Gwen gave him a smooch on the cheek. "Have a good time." And with that, everyone went to work, getting ready for the afternoon ahead of them.

* * *

Jaune, Pyrrha and Noire exited the house through the backdoor, out into the brisk Autumn air. Out there waiting for them was Athena, and to their surprise, Blake was also out there with her. The Mistralian Huntress had a bag full of stuff slung over her shoulder, no doubt full of training supplies. She waved over to them, ushering them to come closer. "Ah, great timing you two! Come over and let's get started!"

"Sure, be right there!" Jaune hollered over. Once they got over to where the three were standing, the blonde knight did the first thing that came to mind; addressing Sun and Blake. "Hey guys, didn't know you'd be joining us out here."

"Yeah, neither did we." Sun admitted. "But we'd thought it'd be cool, hanging out at doggy day camp."

Blake shrugged. "Well, there's that, but also…" She reached down and picked Rema up, a small smirk settling upon her face. "This one will not stop following me." She turned the wolf pup around and booped her nose. "You just won't, will you?" Rema gave a small whine in response. "Oh, stop whining, I'm here you silly!" She focused back on the duo. "So here I am, out here so that she won't be sad while training with you guys. I hope you don't mind."

Pyrrha glanced over to her mother, the woman giving her a sympathetic expression. The Invincible Girl smiled and shifted her gaze over to Jaune. They shared a silent nod in understanding and looked back to the cat girl. "Blake…" Pyrrha started, "we've been thinking…"

Blake raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

"Well…" Jaune started. "It's obvious that Rema loves you. A lot."

"And you've bonded with her so quick." Pyrrha continued. "You two are quite the pair from what we've seen. So, we were wondering if you'd like to be Rema's official caregiver and trainer."

From the things he was hearing, Sun's eyes lit up in a heartbeat. "Blake, that's awesome!"

But Blake's eyes widened and her jaw dropped, shock overtaking her in an instant. "Oh, Pyrrha, I couldn't do that to you guys! You found and rescued them, I couldn't take her away from you two!"

"Ah, but you forget, Kevin and Ruby were with us when we found them." Jaune pointed out. "The little guys technically belong to all of us. It just so happens that Rema chose to bond with you."

"Besides, it's not like you're taking her away or anything." Pyrrha reminded her. "We're literally all under one roof."

"W-well… I…" Blake glanced down at Rema in her hands and they locked eyes. At that moment, Blake could feel her heartstrings being pulled, her emotions starting to stir inside her chest as if they were all being smelted together. But one emotion was more powerful than all the rest; love. Blake could feel her attachment to the small, adorable bundle of fur that she was holding, and in that moment, she smiled and shed a few happy tears, bringing in the pup for a gentle embrace. She returned her eyes to Jaune and Pyrrha. "Y-you really mean it? I can have her?"

"Of course." Pyrrha walked over and rest a reassuring hand on Blake's shoulder. "Romulus is ours, and Rema is yours. That's all there is to it."

Blake freed one of her arms and wrapped it around Pyrrha's neck, pulling her into a three-way hug with Rema in the middle. "Thank you, Pyrrha. Thank you so much."

Pyrrha grinned as she returned the embrace. "You're very welcome, Blake."

Sun pumped a fist up into the air in celebration. "Woo! Awesome! I knew that you'd get attached to that puppy, Blake."

The cat girl smirked at him. "Yeah, I guess I did, didn't I?"

Noire smiled as she watched from the sidelines, putting a hand over her heart. "Oh my gosh, this is just too sweet!"

"Indeed." Athena concurred. "I had a feeling this would happen. Blake has been opening herself up to many new experiences recently. I can just tell that she is truly happy after what I just witnessed."

Blake saw Jaune walk over, holding Romulus in his arms. She smiled at him as she dried her tears, pulling out of her hug with Pyrrha. "And thank you too, Jaune. It means a lot to me."

"Hey, it's absolutely no problem." The blonde knight ensured. "Besides, we're happy that you've gotten so attached to her."

Blake chuckled as she pet Rema's head. "Heh, yeah, I am too. I don't know why I didn't try and bond with dogs sooner, but here we are." She set Rema on the ground and stood tall. "Alright, so, we ready to get this started, huh?"

* * *

Ruby had managed to gather nearly everyone into the room, much to Gwen's surprise. The only exceptions were Winter, Weiss, Ren, Fox and Yatsu, who had opted instead for some extra training out in the front yard. Every now and again, she noticed Nora taking quick glances out the window, her face plastered with a grin every time she saw Ren pull off a successful maneuver against one of his opponents. _'Interesting.'_ Gwen smirked to herself.

But that's not all she saw, however. As her eyes scanned the room to check if everyone had settled in, she saw Coco approach Cooper, who had sat down on the right end of the couch. The brunette removed her sunglasses and pocketed them before giving Cooper a wink. "The seat next to you taken, Tech Head?"

From what she saw, Gwen could tell that Cooper was quite happy that Coco wanted to sit with him… but his nerves had also amped up a little, causing him to stammer as he wore a smile on his face. "Uh, s-sure, Coco." But then his eyes widened. "Oh! U-um, by which I mean this seat is free. That is IF you want to sit down, I mean I won't blame you if you don't but…"

Coco let out a small laugh before sitting down next to him, getting as close as she possibly could. "There, how's that for an answer?"

Cooper blushed intensely. "It's… uh, okay."

The barrette-wearing girl smiled up at him before patting his shoulder. "Relax, Tech Head, you're absolutely fine."

Gwen chuckled at the sight before clapping her hands to get everyone's attention. "Alright everyone, listen up!" The entire room looked at her and she turned on the TV. "Thank you. Okay, so, when we first came to Remnant, Ben and I introduced Ruby and Nora to a little video game called Pokémon. Girls?"

The two girls stood up and walked over and switched on their respective 3DS's, letting the Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire intro play in stereo for the entire room to see. Neptune, Coco and Velvet were instantly intrigued, having never seen it before. "Whoa, cool." the blue haired boy commented. "So, what's it about?"

Gwen gestured to the Hooded Huntress. "Ruby, would you like to explain?"

"Sure!" Ruby accessed her game file and went over to the others, showing them her team, consisting of Combusken, Swellow, her shiny Kirlia, Dustox, Mightyena, and her newest member, a Roselia. "Okay, so the basic premise is that you play as a kid who goes around one big region on an adventure to become a Pokémon trainer. You catch and train these Pokémon to battle other trainers and _their_ Pokémon."

Velvet's eyes widened. "Really? That sounds rather…"

Nora raised her hands. "Well, yeah, it _sounds_ bad when you put it like that, but you also make friends with the Pokémon too! See, the Pokémon actually _choose_ to battle alongside humans." The Pink Dynamo showed off her own team as well, consisting of Marshtomp, Breloom, Golbat, Linoone, Beautifly and her latest catch; an Aron.

As Velvet stared at the screen, she was surprised at the revelation. "Wow, so, the Pokémon themselves are sentient beings in that regard?"

From where he and Yang were sitting, Ben nodded. "Exactly. The world belongs to the Pokémon as much as it does to humans."

Ruby continued her explanation. "Along the way, you challenge Pokémon gyms which, when you beat their leader, they give you a badge. Collect all eight in the region and you can face the four best trainers in the region as well as the champion."

"So… does this have anything to do with the show?" Coco asked.

"Well, yes." Gwen answered. "But instead of focusing on multiple protagonists, the show instead focuses on one; a boy named Ash Ketchum, or Satoshi as he is known originally in Japan. Named after the series creator, Satoshi Tajiri, the series focuses on him and his partner Pokémon, Pikachu, as they travel the world in search of new places, people, challenges, and of course, Pokémon."

"Well, that makes things simpler, I guess." Yang commented.

"You'd think." Ben said. "But the Pokémon anime has lasted for about as long as the games have, spanning almost twenty-three years. Now this wouldn't be an issue… if Ash weren't an eternal ten-year-old who never ages."

Coco lowered her sunglasses, giving the hero a questioning gaze. "Seriously?"

Gwen shrugged. "Unfortunately. But still, the anime does have its good moments, especially in the early seasons." She picked up the remote control. "So, with that said, let's kick back, relax, and dive into the world of Pokémon." She pressed play on the remote and the theme song began.

Not a second after the song ended however, Yang said this; "Wow, I will NEVER be able to get that out of my head for as long as I live."

Ben burst out laughing. "Haha! You and every single 90's kid, Goldie Locks, believe me."

* * *

Back outside, Jaune was having a bit of difficulty getting Romulus to do… well anything. "C'mon Rommy, _please_ sit?" The wolf puppy simply tilted his head, much to Jaune's disappointment. "You know, like this!" The blonde knight proceeded to act like a dog and sit down on his haunches, his hands touching the ground in front of him. He even went the extra mile and began panting, which only served to further confuse Romulus, and amuse Sun and the ladies. Noire was laughing out loud at her brother's antics while the monkey boy just kept smirking. Pyrrha and Blake were hiding their laughter behind their hands in a vain attempt to be polite.

Athena chuckled as she put a hand down on Jaune's shoulder. "Hehe, um, Jaune, I don't believe it's working."

Jaune peeked out of one eye to see that Romulus was just as confused as when they had started. "Aw man! Why isn't anything working?!"

"'Cause the little guys can't take you seriously when you're acting like them." Sun answered.

After calming down from her giggle-fest, Noire wiped a tear from her eye and stepped forward. "Little bro, as much as I love seeing you do silly stuff, I gotta agree with Sun here. Imitating a sitting dog isn't going to work."

"Well then, what _does_ work?" Pyrrha asked.

"Well," Athena began, "You must be able to show them who the boss is. And that requires being stern with them."

Pyrrha could already feel her heart ache. "Oh… I see. That will be quite the challenge."

"Think of this as recompense." Athena offered. "After giving them nothing but constant praise since you found them, show these pups that it isn't all just fun and games."

Jaune sighed as Romulus began sniffing at his hand. "Man, maybe we shouldn't have been giving them so much attention. Then this would be easier."

"Nonsense." Athena rebuked. "Giving them so much affection has allowed them to imprint on you. This way, they will know that once you give them a command, they will listen to you. You simply need to be assertive about it. Also…" Athena reached into the bag that she kept around her shoulder and pulled out a box of dog treats. "These will certainly help."

Sun raised an eyebrow. "Wait, so why didn't you take those out earlier?"

The woman wore a cheeky grin. "Oh, I just wanted to see how far we could get without them. But enough about that, let's get started." She opened the box, and the moment she did, Romulus and Rema caught a whiff of something that smelled REALLY tasty. "Ah, so you DO smell it, good." Athena handed a treat over to Blake. "Why not try with Rema, Blake? Let's see how connected you two really are."

Blake took the treat. "Well, okay. Doesn't sound too hard." She focused her gaze directly on Rema. "Okay, Rema, I want you too—" But the little dog immediately ran toward Blake and started bouncing up, hoping to get a taste of what that delicious smell was coming from. But Blake wasn't having any of it. "HEY!" With a single raise of her voice, Rema immediately stopped and stood still staring up at her mommy. "NO jumping." Blake set a stern gaze down at the pup. "Now, sit." Rema tilted her head and Blake repeated with a bit more emphasis; "Rema, SIT." The command reached Rema's ears and her rear plopped down on the ground, her tail wagging in anticipation.

Blake broke out in a smile and she delivered the treat to Rema's muzzle. "Good girl!" She pet Rema's head as the little pup gobbled down the treat with gusto. The cat girl looked up at Jaune and Pyrrha with a grin. "See guys? Not that hard."

Jaune and Pyrrha looked at each other and back down to Romulus, who had just watched his sister get a tasty smelling morsel. He was staring up at them as if to say; 'Can I have one too?' Jaune sighed and held out his hand. "Alright, treat me."

"Treat you to what?" Noire asked cheekily.

Jaune narrowed his eyes. "Ha ha." he laughed sarcastically. "You know what I mean, sis." Athena handed him a treat and he stared down at Romulus, who was staring intensively at the biscuit. The pup bounded over and began climbing up Jaune's pant leg, but the knight pulled away. "Oh no, Romulus. If you want this, then you're going to have to do what your sister did okay?" He pointed over to Rema, hoping that Romulus would get the idea. "So… SIT."

At first, Romulus didn't get the idea, but when he saw his sister again do it for Blake again, he finally realized what he should do. He sat his rump down and looked up at Jaune with what the knight could only discern as a happy smile which asked; 'Did I do good, daddy?' Jaune smiled as he lowered the treat down and gave it to Romulus, petting him as the pup ate it up. "Good boy, Rommy! I'm so proud of you!"

Pyrrha jumped at the chance to do it herself. "Oh, now me!" She grabbed a treat and held it up so that Romulus could see it. "Romulus… SIT." The pup sat and Pyrrha gave him his tasty reward. "Oh, good boy! Mommy's so proud, yes she is!"

Athena beamed at how well the training was going. _'This is moving a long much better than I had hoped!'_ She cleared her throat to gain everyone's attention. "Ahem, alright everyone, it's important to know that you shouldn't over do it on the treats. These are for training use only, understand?" Everyone nodded to her. "Very good! Now," she grabbed the leashes, "let's move on to the "come" command!"

* * *

Yang had to admit, she didn't expect just one episode of Pokémon to turn into five, but here she was. Admittedly, Ben too had gotten into it, so she didn't blame him for forgetting about the Bat-a-thon. She had just been so enthralled in the world that the show had set up that she'd forgot what she was doing. It was only when Gwen had reminded them that they excused themselves. Now they were in the kitchen, preparing for their own marathon.

"So, what'd you think of the Pokémon anime so far?" Ben asked. "The first five episodes are basically the opening story arc, so that should give you a good idea of what to look forward to."

"Well, I'll say this;" Yang started, "the voice acting is kinda stilted."

Ben nodded. "Yeah, the dub does kind of have a rocky start to it, but the voice actors improve greatly over the course of the series."

"I figured. Ash is an okay protagonist, even if he's a cocky little kid. Misty's got a firey personality, which I can relate to. And Brock is a pretty chill guy for having so many siblings."

"Yeah, you're telling me." Ben smirked. "Kind of like an inverse of Jaune if you think about it."

"Hehe, yeah." Yang chuckled. "But overall, I liked the start of the show, can't wait to see more! …Oh, and also, that Pokérap can just screw off with how catchy it is! Goddamn it, now I've got TWO songs stuck in my head!"

Ben laughed as he grabbed a plate full of various types of sandwiches. "Heh, preaching to the quire on that one, Goldie Locks. I've had those memorized in my brain since I was _eight_. They will NOT leave."

Yang sighed as she picked up a bowl full of chips and a dish of dip. "Great, thanks for the heads up." She smirked at him. "Could've warned me before we watched five episodes in a row, you know."

"Haha, hey, how was I supposed to know we'd be up here longer than we planned to?"

The blonde simply shrugged. "Eh, point taken." Just then, the kitchen door opened, with Jaune, Pyrrha, Athena, Noire, Blake and Sun strolling in with Rema and Romulus walking by their sides. Yang smiled at them, setting the dip dish down for a minute to wave at them. "Hey guys, how'd doggy day camp go?"

"It went really well actually." Jaune replied. "Check it out." He focused down on Romulus and began ushering commands. "Rommy, come." The pup scuttled over to Jaune's side. "Rommy, sit." The little wolf sat his rear on the floor, looking up expectedly at the knight. Jaune pointed to the floor. "Rommy, down." With a reluctant whine, Romulus laid down on the floor, only for Jaune to smile before kneeling down and showering the wolf pup with love and affection. "Good boy!"

Ben and Yang's eyes lit up at the sight. "Wow!" The hero exclaimed. "Nice work, guys!"

"Yeah," Yang knelt down and pet Romulus on the head. "They're totally obedient!"

"Well, they aren't fully trained yet." Blake explained. "Watch." She stared down at Rema, lifted a hand and commanded; "Rema, stay." Blake started to walk away, but Rema followed instantly. Blake rolled her eyes, but at the same time she let a small chuckle escape her lips. She lowered herself so that she was staring eye to eye with Rema. "Hah, no, no you silly, I said _stay_!" The wolf pup only tilted her head. Blake glanced back up to Yang and Ben. "See? Sometimes she gets it, other times, not so much."

"Same with Romulus." Pyrrha confirmed. She pulled out a rope toy that her mother had bought and set it on the ground. "Rommy, leave it." But the moment she moved her hand, Romulus and Rema both attacked the rope, pulling and teething on it like the rambunctious animals they were. Pyrrha sighed and shook her head. "See? We need more work."

"It's like I said." Athena spoke up. "Training these two won't be easy. And it will only get harder and harder the more they grow, because that will be when they learn to hunt and track."

"Yes." Pyrrha put a hand to her cheek. "Still, I never imagined it'd be this hard to get something to listen to you."

Athena chuckled at that. "Hmhm, now you know how I felt when you were a child."

"I beg your pardon?!" Pyrrha blushed.

Noire gave Pyrrha a pat on the shoulder. "Haha, relax, Pyrrha. It's something that all moms say to poke fun. Besides, if she says it, it's probably true."

Pyrrha gave her mother a questioning look, only to be met with a small nod. She gave a relenting sigh. "Alright, very well." She glanced back to Yang and Ben. "Say, is Gwen available yet? I was hoping to get a Zelda session in before days end."

"Oh, hold on, I'll go get her. She's still watching Pokémon with the others, but I'm sure she can squeeze you in." Ben set the plate of sandwiches on the counter and went into the living room, leaving the others to themselves for the moment.

Pyrrha gazed down the hall in slight confusion. "So… what have you guys been up to?"

"Oh, we ended up watching more Pokémon than we expected." Yang answered as she put the chips down next to the dip. "Ben and I kinda lost track of time. Though I won't lie, I thought the show was pretty neat."

Jaune's eyebrows rose. "Huh, maybe we should put that on our "To Watch" list, then."

"Perhaps so." Pyrrha turned back to the hall just in time to see Ben and Gwen come back down the hall way. "Gwen! There you are!"

The Anodite gave a small wave. "Hi Pyrrha, how was wolf training?"

"It was good! We've made a lot of progress. The little ones still need to work on some of the more complex commands, but they have learned much already, nonetheless. So… I was wondering if we could possibly squeeze in a Zelda session before the day ends? I hope I'm not interrupting."

"Oh, no it's fine!" Gwen assured. "I asked Ruby if it was okay for me to leave and she said it was fine with her. Besides, she realized that I've probably seen the Pokemon anime plenty of times over already. She knows how important our playthrough is, so don't worry." A ponderous expression came to her face. "Although, it will be kind of difficult since Ben and Yang got the downstairs while everyone else is in the living room."

Pyrrha put a hand to her chin. "Hmm, that _is_ a problem isn't it?"

At that moment, Sun spoke up from the crowd. "Well, little known fact, but Qrow just happens to have his own personal TV in his room."

Pyrrha broke out into a grin. "Any chance we might be able to use it?"

"Hey, just because Neptune and I are using that room doesn't mean that you need to ask me for permission." Sun insisted. "Just bring up the gaming stuff and we can get started!"

"Excellent!" Pyrrha looked over to the elder Arc sibling. "Noire, care to join us?"

Noire shrugged. "Eh, sure? Why the heck not? Gives me something to do other than stay at my hotel alone, right?"

"Great!" Jaune shouted as he wrapped an arm around his sister. "Glad to have you on board, sis!"

Athena sat down at the table. "Well, then it's settled. You kids have fun, I'll be down here. Perhaps I'll catch up on a bit of reading."

"Okay." Ben said. "Winter and the others will probably be in soon, so I'm sure you'll have some company in a little bit."

"Oh good, thank you for telling me, Ben."

"No problem." The hero looked over to the group and gave them a nod. "Alright guys, I'd say it's show time!"

* * *

As Sun and Jaune were bringing up the Nintendo 64 and Gamecube from downstairs, Gwen and Pyrrha brought up complete handfuls of games, many of which they still hadn't gotten the chance to play. Noire and Blake watched over the pups in the meantime. As Gwen climbed the steps, a question popped in her mind. "So, remind me, where did we leave off the other day?" she asked. "So much went down yesterday that I can't remember."

"I believe I finished the Forest Temple." Pyrrha replied. "Why? What's next?"

"Well, that would be the Fire Temple followed by…" Gwen's eyes widened in horror. "I think we'd need to stop after the Fire Temple and move onto a different game."

"What? Why?"

"Because after that is the Water Temple, and trust me, you do NOT want to attempt that place in separate playtimes." Gwen insisted. "It's WAY too convoluted and it's VERY possible to get stuck in there without a guide."

Pyrrha was taken aback as they reached the top of the steps. "Really? It's that hard?"

"YES. I've done it enough times to know what I'm doing, but trust me, it's better to do the entire thing in one sitting. We'll get through it tomorrow and be done with it, okay?"

"Well, alright, I'll take your word on it." Pyrrha made to go into Qrow's room, but she accidentally bumped into Jaune on the way in, spilling a few game boxes. "Oops! Sorry Jaune!"

"Oh! Hey, no problem, Pyr." Jaune bent down to pick the box up. "Here let me get that." He the moment he picked it up though, he was instantly perplexed by what he was even looking at. It appeared to be a humanoid covered in armor of red and gold. It wore a dome shaped helmet with a bright green visor, large spherical shoulder pads, and had a green cannon for a right arm. Jaune had NO idea what to make of it other than the title; 'Metroid Prime'. He glanced up at Gwen and asked; "Uh, Gwen…" he showed her the box. "What kind of game is this?"

Pyrrha squinted to get a better look at whatever it was on the box. "It appears to be some form of robot or something."

A smirk came to Gwen's face. "Not exactly, Pyrrha. That is Samus Aran, and she just so happens to be the protagonist of the Metroid series."

Jaune glanced down at the box and then back to Gwen. "Heh, wow. With all that armor, I wouldn't be able to tell it was a woman OR a man."

"That's the idea." Gwen confirmed as she pointed to the box, "Nobody knew she was a woman when the first ever Metroid game came out, and if you complete the original game in a certain amount of time, that fact would be revealed to you at the end."

"Well that's cool." Jaune flipped the box over to look at the back. "Well, it's got my attention, I'll say that much."

"You might like it. It's a pretty cool first-person action-adventure game that's actually pretty fun. You get to shoot aliens and stuff. But I warn you, it's not easy."

Jaune shrugged. "Hey, sure, why not? I like a good challenge. Soon as Pyr's finished with her Zelda time, I'll give Metroid a whirl."

"Good." Gwen started to head into the room. "Shall we get started, Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha began to follow Gwen into the room. "Sure! I'm ready when you are!"

"Hold on a sec." Noire came up from behind and set a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder. "Pyrrha, could I talk to you real quick? It'll just take a second."

Pyrrha glanced between her and Jaune, with the blonde knight giving her a smile and a small shrug. The Invincible Girl focused back on Noire and gave her answer. "Um, of course, Noire. No problem." Jaune graciously took the Gamecube games off of her hands and he went into the room with Gwen, leaving Pyrrha and Noire alone to talk. "So, uh, what did you want to talk about?"

Noire smirked, crossing her arms and leaning in Pyrrha's direction. "Alright, sister, I'm gonna level with you and get straight to the point. …You're totally crushing on my brother, aren't you?"

Caught off guard, Pyrrha backed away slightly and let out a nervous laugh. "Uh, hehe, I um, well… it's actually rather complicated you see, I…"

"What's complicated about it?" Noire spread her arms out. "It's so obvious that you like him. And you know what? It's also obvious to me that my brother likes you back. He supports you, comforts you, hell he's even given you a cute nickname! The only thing I'm wondering is why you two aren't together."

Pyrrha lowered her head, the heat in her cheeks intensifying. "Well… that's where it gets complicated."

Noire raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Pyrrha took a deep breath and let it out. "Well… I _may_ have jumped the gun a bit on the night of the attack at Beacon. You see, I was about to go off to face the leader of the attack… and I was certain that it'd be the last fight of my life. So, before I pushed your brother to safety… in the heat of the moment…" She shut her eyes before whispering her answer. "I kissed him"

Noire's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "Like… _kissed him_ , kissed him?" Pyrrha gave a fast nod, not risking opening her eyes. Noire took in a deep breath before exhaling sharply. "Whoo boy, NOW I see why it's complicated." She waved her hands frantically. "Okay, okay, it'll all be fine. You guys are obviously still on good terms, so there's gotta be something going on between you two, right?"

"Well, maybe… but we haven't talked about the kiss since it happened. At all."

"WHAT?!" Noire covered her mouth the moment she shouted that before letting out a tiny; "Oh no."

As she suspected, Jaune opened the door and stuck his head out of the room. "What happened?! Everything okay?"

Noire did the first thing that came to her mind, something that she had always done whenever herself and her sister were about to get into trouble; fib. "Yep! Totally fine!" Noire grasped Pyrrah by the shoulder and pulled her into a side embrace. "Pyrrha just told me something REALLY cool that you guys did before I got here!"

"Really? What was it?"

A bead of nervous sweat trickled down Noire's face at her brother's question. She glanced to Pyrrha with pleading eyes, hoping she would catch on. Fortunately, Pyrrha caught sight of it pretty quick and she made something up. "Oh, I was just telling her about our hunt for Dr. Animo and his henchmen a few days ago."

"Yeah! That!" Noire nodded. In reality, she barely had any idea on what the Invincible Girl was talking about, as they hadn't gone into much detail on the bad guys they'd been fighting. But she decided to just roll with it for now.

Jaune pursed his lips with skepticism. "Okay, well, Gwen's hoping to get started soon, so when you guys are ready, come on in and we can get started!" The girls both gave him swift nods as he left, before simultaneously letting out an anxious breath.

"Phew, that was close." Noire remarked. "Okay, I'm going to help you out on this one, Pyrrha."

"You are?" Pyrrha questioned in surprise. "Why?"

Noire offered a simple, kind smile. "Because from what I've seen, it's obvious that you two make each other happy. And if it's one thing I care about as a police officer and a big sister, it's making sure that people are happy." She pulled Pyrrha in and gave her a hug. "I've got your back on this one, trust me."

With her lips turning up into a grin of her own, Pyrrha relaxed and returned the gesture. "Thank you, Noire. Knowing that is a big relief to me. Gwen's been helping me with this all week, but I'm glad that you're willing to help too."

"Hey, no problem." Noire pulled out of the hug. "Now, what say we—" Just then, the ground began to rumble and shake slightly, which sent Noire's instincts into high alert. "Earthquake! Quick, in the door frame!"

But the moment she opened the door, Gwen was already on the otherside, having heard what the elder Arc said. "Hold on! That's no earthquake!"

Just then, the rumbling stopped, catching Noire off guard. "Wait, what?"

"It's Tetrax, he's back from the city. C'mon, let's go!" Gwen, Pyrrha and the others all ran out of the room and hurried down the stairs, with Noire giving chase soon after.

"W-wait, who's Tetrax?! And slow down! You might trip on the stairs!"

* * *

Winter watched as Tetrax's ship slowly descended upon the front yard, landing just a few yards away. The group that she was training held back behind her, waiting for the ship to land. She heard the front door to the house open behind her and she moved around to see everyone pouring out of the house, eager to see the Petrosapien. Winter gave them all a single nod. "Excellent, you're all here. I was hoping you would notice."

"Kind of hard NOT to." Ben commented as he, Yang, Ruby, Gwen and Kevin moved up beside her. "If Tetrax is landing here, that means there's probably something important going on. Out of the corner of his eye, Ben saw Max coming out of the Rustbucket, and he quickly made eye contact with his grandfather. "Hey, Grandpa! We got company!"

"I can see." Max remarked. "I didn't expect to see him this soon."

The ship's loading ramp lowered and out stepped Tetrax, his gaze fixated straight on the group. "Ah, good, everyone's here already. That saves me a bit of time."

Noire's jaw dropped as she laid eyes on Tetrax. "Is… Is that…?"

"A real alien? Yes." Ben confirmed as Tetrax made his way over to them. "Noire, meet Tetrax. He's an old friend of mine." The hero looked back at the Petrosapien. "Tetrax, this is one of Jaune's older sisters, Noire. She just arrived on Patch today."

"I see." Tetrax extended a crystalline hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Uh… Likewise?" Noire trepidatiously said before shaking his hand. "Sorry if I'm a bit put off, but I literally _just_ found out about the whole alien thing today and I've never met a real one before in my life. I always thought it'd be a lot more… menacing."

"Completely understandable, Miss Noire." Tetrax assured. "But rest assured that I am an ally, not a menace." He set his sights on Ben once more. "However, I just recently found out that there IS in fact an alien fugitive currently on the loose. News curtesy of Qrow."

Ruby gasped as she rushed to the front. "Uncle Qrow spotted an alien?! Is he with you?"

Tetrax shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. He is currently resting at the military base after his rough encounter. He suffered a sprained arm and a fractured tibia attempting to engage the perpetrator."

Ruby let out another gasp, this one more worried. Yang stepped forward, holding her sister in her arms to comfort her. "Okay, NOW it just got personal. Nobody hurts my family and gets away with it. Who's the asshole that did this?"

Tetrax began to type into his gauntlet. "From Qrow's description, the one who did the deed best resembles this alien criminal. Ben, I know for a fact that you and your team are quite familiar with him." The Petrosapien set the holo-projector on the ground and up came the image of a familiar face.

Ben's eyebrows furrowed as he saw who was causing trouble. "Vulkanus."

Kevin smacked his forehead. "D'oh, great! Now we gotta deal with him?! You think he still remembers that I technically owe him big time?"

"Most likely." Gwen confirmed before looking back up to Tetrax. "So, where is he?"

"From what Qrow reported, he's mining for Dust in the port town of Essen." Tetrax answered. "A place far to the north."

"That is bad." Winter said grimly. "The main export of Essen is Dust. If this "Vulkanus" gets away with all of it, that means that their infrastructure will all but collapse within the year."

Wiess narrowed her eyes. "Allowing our father to swoop in and buy up most of the land for his OWN Dust production. No doubt he will do it while convincing the town that he's just trying to save their livelihood. Watch as he only does it to line his pockets with more money."

"So, what do we do?" Ren asked.

Jaune looked over his shoulder at the green ninja and gave him a thumbs up. "What else? We do what we've been doing and go kick alien butt!"

"Hah, an apt suggestion, Jaune." Pyrrha agreed.

"Yeah, THAT'S what I like to hear!" Nora shouted. "Let's go!"

But Tetrax raised his hand. "Not yet. General Ironwood still needs time to prepare. We leave in the morning, so make sure you all get plenty of rest and eat a good meal before we depart."

Sun nodded. "Sounds good. Once we apprehend him, we might just be back in time for lunch."

"That is, IF we beat him." Neptune pointed out. "We can't _always_ be so lucky."

"Maybe not." Blake shrugged. "But considering our numbers, we might be able to overpower him."

"Perhaps…" Tetrax started as he reached down and changed the hologram to a small imp-like creature wielding a pick axe. "However, Vulkanus also has a battalion of these small alien clones that he uses to assist him in his mining operations. While they are capable of only basic combat and are very fragile, they make up for it in their massive numbers. He's liable to have hundreds of these at once."

At that, Coco smirk and she stepped forward, ushering her team to do the same. "Sounds like you guys need some extra hands. We'd be happy to lend our services."

While not entirely surprised that she'd offered her help, Cooper was still slightly caught off guard. "Heh, wow Coco, always quick to the punch, aren't you?"

The brunette leader lowered her glasses and grinned wickedly. "You got that right, Tech Head. Always up for a good scrap."

Tetrax certainly wasn't one to argue. "Good. And thank you for your offer. I hope to see you all tomorrow."

Ben nodded. "Right, we'll make sure we're ready to go. Thank you, Tetrax."

"Of course. Have a good evening, everyone!" The Petrosapien got into his ship and it lifted off, flying out into the forest to hide until sunrise.

As she watched the ship leave, Coco put her hands on her hips. "Well, I think it's about time me and my crew headed back to our place."

Ruby was quick to protest however. "Aw, you don't wanna stay and have some more fun? There's still some time left in the day!"

"Sorry Rubes, but we've got a lot of stuff in my car that needs to get sorted out." Coco jabbed her thumb toward the trunk of her roadster. "Plus, it'd be best to get plenty of rest before tomorrow."

"Indeed." Velvet concurred. "I'm still a bit tired from just shopping earlier today."

"Well… okay." Ruby relented. "But we're still hanging out at your place for monster movie nights like we planned this morning, alright?"

"Hehe, count on it." Coco gave her a thumbs up.

Just then, a moment of realization dawned on Ben. "Oh, that's right! I almost forgot!" In a split second, he changed into Fasttrack again, zipped right into the house and went down the stairs, only to come back with a small, black, zipped up disk holder. He changed back and handed it right to Coco. "Here, these are all the monster flicks we've watched so far so you can catch up."

"Hey, thanks, Big Green. We'll make work on these puppies soon enough." Coco pocketed the disk holder into her handbag and gave everyone a salute. "Well, we'll see you guys tomorrow!" Everyone exchanged goodbyes as Team CFVY and Cooper piled into Coco's roadster, the vehicle rolling down the drive way soon after.

Ben put his hands on his hips. "Well everyone, we've got a new mission. You know what that means, right?"

With one loud shout, the team cried out; "IT'S HERO TIME!"

* * *

Coco opened the door to their apartment before her team came through carrying all of the stuff they had bought, with Cooper closing the door behind him with his foot. Coco set the bags she was carrying down on the counter top and exhaled, sitting on the nearest stool to get her barring. "Man, what a day, huh?"

"I would say so." Yatsu agreed as he set his bags down in the living room. "Jaune's sister arriving was certainly something unexpected."

"Yes, but it was still nice to hang out with Ruby and the others for a day." Velvet commented as she and Fox put their bags on the couch. "And it would appear that we'll be doing more of it soon enough."

"Uh-huh." Coco nodded before looking over to Cooper. "Hey, Tech Head, wanna help me set some of this stuff up in our rooms?" she asked as she pulled her bags of the counter.

The genius' answer was immediate. "Oh, sure! Then we can get started on those monster movies that Ben lent us."

"Sounds like a plan." Coco pulled out the disk holder and passed it to Velvet. "Here Vel, can you get one of these set up for us?"

"Of course." Velvet took the case and unzipped it, taking out the first disk she saw. "'Godzilla'? Hmm, an odd name for a monster, but sure, why not?"

Coco and Cooper proceeded to take multiple bags and bring them to the bed rooms, where they started to put everything in its proper place. Shampoo in the shower, toilet paper and paper towels on the rollers and so on. But about half way through, a sly grin set itself upon Coco's face. She turned around to face Cooper, who was busying himself setting up an alarm clocks on her nightstand. "Hey, Cooper?"

The use of his real name got his attention very quick and he stood up, whirling around to face her. "Uh, what's up Coco?"

Her smile grew as she drew near him, taking of her sunglasses once more. "I believe we have some unfinished business from this morning, remember?"

Cooper's eyes shot wide open as the events came flooding back to him. He couldn't help but blush as she came closer. "U-um, y-yeah, I do."

"Good." At that point, Coco had gotten so close that they were only mere centimeters away from touching. "Because it's time I stop beating around the bush." She set her hands on his shoulders. "Cooper, when we first met, I was intrigued by you. You were willing to go into battle even though you were injured, and that takes guts and a lot of bravery. But all this week, I've learned that you're so much more than just that. Your smarts are out of this world and your determination to help is amazing. And while you can get nervous sometimes… I actually find it rather cute."

Cooper could only stand there with his mouth agape. "R-really? You think I'm… cute?"

"Yep. Now, I think I've made it no secret that I like you. So, my question is…" She winked at him. "Do you like me?"

Cooper was about to let his nerves get the better of him, but his brain screamed; _'NO! This is your chance! Tell her how you feel!'_ With a hard swallow, Cooper gave his answer. "Yes. Yes, I do like you. I've been trying to find the best way to tell you all week, but I haven't been able to find the right words for it." He sighed. "So much for bravery, huh?"

But much to his surprise, Coco tackled him with a hug, forcing him to sit down on the bed behind him. She looked up to him with a joyous grin. "Cooper, if you ask me, telling me your feelings is probably THE bravest thing anyone could do."

"It… it is?"

"Oh yeah, and tell you what?" She kissed him on the cheek. "It worked."

Cooper was still in a state of shock however. "Hah, okay, I'm awake right? This isn't a dream?"

Coco shook her head. "Nope, you're eyes are wide open. So, you wanna go out after our mission tomorrow? I spotted a little coffee house down the street from here."

The genius let out a breathy laugh. "Hah, yes! Yes, I'd very much like to go out… provided we'll get back from the mission in one piece."

"Aw, we'll be fine, trust me!" She winked at him again. "You got me watching your back, remember?"

"And I'll make sure to return the favor." Cooper assured. "So, Velvet proably has the movie set up by now, wanna go out and get started?"

"Heh, you got it, Tech Head." The two rose to their feet and headed out into the living room. Coco wrapped an arm around Cooper's side, settling herself beneath his right arm. In response, Cooper set his arm across her shoulders, much to her satisfaction. "There, see? Not so hard once you get used to it."

"Heh, well, to tell you the truth, I'm not all that experienced with being in a relationship." Cooper explained. "That's why I had a hard time telling you how I felt."

"Well, you know what they say; the best way to learn is through experience, right?" Coco leaned against his shoulder. "And I'd say this is good experience, wouldn't you?"

Cooper gave her a smile of his own. "Has anyone ever told you that you're amazing?"

"Multiple times." Coco answered. "But coming from you, I'd say that's a whole lot more special."

* * *

**A/N: Well, there you have it! Noire's in on the secret, Blake is Rema's official caregiver, the pups training is coming along swimmingly, more pop-culture and… I think I'll let that ending speak for itself, huh? But a little funny story before I go, this chapter was originally going to be a two-parter with the last one. But I said to myself; "Nah, that'd make a lame two-parter. I'll just make another name for this chapter". So, I named it after a famous song from the 1970's… you know, as you do. So yeah, no two-parter this time …but to compensate, the NEXT chapter is going to be a two-parter! Join us Next Time as our heroes get ready to head out on a new mission; apprehend Vulkanus. But, once they get to Essen, they find something that they didn't expect to be there. Stay tuned and thanks for reading! See ya!**


	36. Mine Your Own Business, Part 1

**A/N: Morning, AO3, how're we doing? And what's this? A title with a pun that'd be more at home in an episode of Scooby-Doo? It must be t** **ime for another new set of chapters!** **And our first two-parter in a while, no less! So let's quit gabbin' and start readin' shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 36: Mine Your Own Business, Part 1**

* * *

Several hours had passed since Tetrax had delivered the news of the next day's mission. However, no body was the least bit apprehensive. In fact, everyone was having a rather great time. Ruby and her group had just gotten through the first disk of Pokémon's first season and currently making their way through the next, while Weiss, Winter and Ren were in the kitchen with Athena reading up on some Tolkien. Meanwhile Gwen and Pyrrha had just beaten the Fire Temple in Ocarina of Time.

"I must say, I did not think I would fight a fire breathing dragon that soon." Pyrrha admitted. "Usually the giant monster is reserved for the climax, isn't it?"

Gwen couldn't help but think to herself; _'Oh, just you wait, Pyrrha.'_ But rather than spoil the Invincible Girl, she just said; "Oh don't worry, there are _plenty_ more monsters in the game, I assure you. And the further you go, the tougher it'll be."

"Hehe, I'm quite sure." Pyrrha shifted her attention over to the blonde knight sitting on one of the beds. "Well, Jaune, want to get started on Metroid Prime?"

"Sure! Let's change it up!" Jaune got up and began to set up the GameCube with Gwen and Pyrrha when a knock came at the door. It opened and Kevin poked his head in, much to everyone's surprise. "Hey Kev!" Jaune greeted. "How's it goin'? Done with your car?"

"Yeah, pretty much." The Osmosian walked in and closed the door behind him. "Everyone's doing their own thing downstairs, so I figured I'd come up here and hang for a bit."

"Well, feel free to join." Noire said from her laid-back position on one of the beds, with Romulus curled up on her lap. "We were just about to get started on another game. Gwen, what was it called again?"

"Metroid." The Anodite answered. "Metroid Prime to be specific."

"Oh, sweet!" Kevin exclaimed as he took a seat on the floor. "Love this game! I'm not much of a Nintendo guy, but the Prime trilogy is one of the exceptions."

"Yeah, kind of makes me wish we'd brought along our Wii so that we COULD play Prime 3." Gwen shrugged. "Along with all of our other consoles that we left behind, too."

"That's okay." Jaune reassured as he finished setting everything up. "That just means we'll have more to look forward to when we get to your world, right?"

"Yeah, I guess your right." Gwen smiled as she sat down next to Kevin. "So, we ready?"

The room unanimously agreed and the game started. When presented with the save file screen and the difficulty option, Jaune hesitantly asked; "Hey, uh, will anyone blame me if I play on Normal mode? I don't know how comfortable I'd be playing on the Hard setting for my first time."

"Hey, you're playthrough, dude." Kevin answered. "You go ahead and do you."

"Thanks." Jaune picked Normal and, with the save file created, the game truly began. After the opening text; **'Unidentified distress beacon has been tracked to a derelict space vessel in orbit above Tallon IV'** , the image of what appeared to be meteors tumbling down to a lard planet appeared, only to then pan out to an abandoned space station. A smaller ship zoomed around the station before pulling over and hovering in front of one of the loading docks. From out of the top came Samus Aran, observing the area around her before jumping off of her ship and landing in a crouch on the space station. The camera panned around her before going into the back of her helmet and settling into her visor, allowing Jaune to take control.

"Okay, I'll admit," Blake spoke up as she and Sun played with Rema, "that's a pretty cool opening sequence."

"Sure is." Sun agreed. "Although, now that I think about it…" He looked over to Gwen and Kevin. "Shouldn't Sci Fi be a bit boring to you guys? You know, considering you live it every day?"

Gwen shook her head. "No, not really."

"See, while real aliens ARE a thing, we still find fake aliens entertaining." Kevin explained. "Sometimes even more than normal ones."

"Heck, sometimes fake aliens scare us more than real ones." Gwen added. "I STILL can't watch the Alien or Predator movies after that incident when I was little."

Jaune gave her a quick glance as he continued to play. "What happened?"

"Oh, some irresponsible babysitter had her boyfriend over and they were watching horror movies. To be fair, I should've been asleep at that point, but I wasn't. I got up to see if my mom and dad were home yet and I saw the Xenomorph baby burst through a guy's chest and I was scarred for life. I was _five_."

"Ooh, ouch." Noire winced. "Yeah, not good."

"Oh my word." Pyrrha placed a hand on Gwen's shoulder. "I'm so sorry that happened, Gwen."

"Yeah, if a movie's that gory, people shouldn't watch them around little kids." Jaune supported. "Asleep or not."

Gwen waved it off. "Ah, it's okay. I'm mostly over it. I just don't watch those kinds of movies. Kevin and Ben though, they're a different story. They love that stuff."

Kevin chuckled. "Heh, yeah, sure do. Hey, Ben and I should sit you guys down and have a horror movie marathon sometime!"

Everyone in the room was deadly silent for one moment before Sun spoke for everyone. "Uh, yeah, thanks Kevin, but I'm not sure if we're ready for that yet."

"Ah, c'mon. You guys dismember Grimm every day!" Kevin argued. "What's the harm in a little blood and guts, huh?"

"Well, main difference with that is it's a Hunter's _job_ to kill Grimm." Blake countered. "Plus, it's a lot different when it happens to humans. It's practically ASKING for nightmares." She picked Rema up and held her close. "And we don't need that, do we sweetie? No, we don't."

Kevin sighed as he focused back on the TV screen. "Okay, I tried."

Everyone continued to watch as Jaune got a hang of the controls, handling the Morph Ball, Missiles, Charge Beam, and the Grabble Beam with relative ease. "And here I thought you said this game was hard." He smirked in Gwen's direction. "With all the things I can do, this'll be a breeze."

But Gwen just smirked herself. "Maybe, maybe not."

Jaune raised a brow in confusion before he came upon a new room in the station. This room had a large orange cylinder in the center of the room that appeared to be the very core of the station. From inside, a gigantic parasite came crawling down, much to Jaune's horror. "Oh god, it's disgusting!"

"Ugh, is it supposed to ungulate like that?" Blake asked.

"Yep, and now blondie's gotta kill it." Kevin gave Jaune a strong pat on the back. "Good luck!"

However, luck indeed appeared to be on Jaune's side, as he beat the Parasite Queen on his first try. "Ha! Take that ya freak of nature!"

"Don't get too cocky." Gwen warned with a smile. "That was intentionally easy."

The creature fell into the core of the space station, causing it to explode. With a computer voice warning to _'Evacuate Immediately'_ , Jaune moved Samus out of the room and through the many corridors, defeating enemies along the way. However, once he reached a particular room, Jaune was taken aback by the presence of a huge robotic space dragon with glowing yellow eyes. "Okay, what the HELL is that?!"

"That is Ridley, or rather Meta-Ridley as he goes by in this game." Gwen elaborated. "He's the main bad guy of this series."

"That's so badass!" Jaune watched as Meta-Ridley flew out of the base, causing it to collapse around Samus. As he finally made it to the elevator, Jaune could only sit there as the explosion forced Samus inside. In a bright flash of light, he was stunned to see that Samus' Varia Suit was stripped away, leaving only her normal suit behind.

"W-what just happened?!" The words on screen flashed by, but Jaune couldn't comprehend them; **'Varia Suit malfunction. Morph Ball malfunction. Missile malfunction. Charge Beam malfunction. Grapple Beam malfunction.'** These were all things Jaune did NOT want to see. "That explosion took all my stuff!"

"Yep, and now you've gotta find them all over again." Gwen said cheekily. "Told you it wouldn't be easy. Now the REAL game begins."

"I have to say, that's somewhat clever." Pyrrha conceded. "Though I question how an explosion is able to take away armor. A malfunction in weaponry, yes, but armor?"

"Well… yeah that IS an odd problem." Gwen agreed. "But hey, what's the fun in no challenge from the start, huh?"

"She's got a point." Noire said from the bed. "C'mon, little bro, you've got this!"

With a determined expression, Jaune smiled at his sister and nodded before looking back at the TV screen. "Yeah, I DO have this! Bring it on Metroid Prime!"

* * *

The following morning at around eight o'clock, following their usual private training, Ben and Yang were on their way back from the mountain. They were hoping that someone had already made breakfast, because after that, all they had to do was to wait for Tetrax to pick them and the others up. The two had decided to not take Bumblebee and instead walk all the way there and back, just to enjoy each other's company. Yang put her hands on her back and flexed it, letting out a groan as she loosened her muscles. "Ah, nothin' like going a few rounds before a new mission, huh?"

"Heh, yeah. Especially after last night." Ben nodded. "So, you ready for this?"

"Am I ever?" Yang smirked. "I've been looking forward to our next criminal for a while now. Darkstar and Ssserpent were unexpected, but the fact that we're actually going somewhere to fight a bad guy is pretty cool."

"Yeah, I can finally see more than just Patch and Vale. This is gonna be pretty fun!"

"No kidding. So, think this guy'll be hard?"

Ben shrugged. "Eh, Vulkanus has always been somewhat threatening. He's formidable, but at the same time, he's kind of prone to messing up."

"Gotcha." Yang paused for a moment before continuing. "Hey Ben?"

The hero turned his head her way "What's up, Yang?"

"Well, I could REALLY use your help on something."

"Sure!" Ben stopped and faced her fully. "Anything you ask, I can get it done for you!"

Yang went up and hugged him instantly. "Thanks, you have NO idea how much this means to me, and how it'll mean to Ruby."

Ben's curiosity was piqued. "What do you mean by that?"

Yang pulled away and gave him a knowing smile. "Well… her sixteenth birthday is next Sunday, and I need help setting things up and getting everything ready."

A grin appeared on Ben's face as well. "Wow, her sixteenth birthday, huh? Man, that's pretty cool. So, how sweet do you want this sixteenth?"

"As sweet as it can be. My little sister gets nothing but the best on her special day." She pointed to him. "And you and I are going to make sure of that."

"Of course! So, should we tell the others?"

Yang gave him a nod. "Oh, I will, trust me. I need to get _everybody_ on this. I've just gotta find a right time when Ruby's not around to call a meeting with everyone. Which is why I asked you first." She winked at him. "Would you please distract my little sister for a while?"

"Sure thing." Ben pulled her into an embrace. "I'll get it done for ya, Goldie Locks. Promise."

"Thank you, Green Boy." Yang reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Now, let's go. Everyone's probably eating breakfast already."

"Yeah, probably. So, once the mission's over, what do you wanna do?"

"Well, I was thinking of asking Noire about a potential bike race around the island." Yang answered. "Ever since I saw that chopper, I've wanted to test my bike against hers."

"Well that sounds awesome!" Ben exclaimed. "And we know she'll be here when we get back since Jaune asked if she could puppysit with Athena while we were away."

"Aw, great!" As the duo continued forward, Yang could see the house come into view, as well as a certain pair of sisters standing out front. "Hey, Weiss! Winter! Mornin'!"

The heiress and her elder sister gazed over to the forest path, with Weiss waving over immediately after. "Good morning you two! How was your early training?"

"Pretty good." Ben replied. But then the realization hit him as he saw what Weiss was wearing. "Huh, cool threads."

Indeed, Weiss was now in her own new outfit. It was quite unique in that her sweetheart neckline dress had a color gradation, from being blue to a glittering pale blue at the hem. Beneath her dress, she wore a white petticoat and around her waste was an equally white sash. Weiss had a sheer dark blue long-sleeved shrug. Around her neck, she wore a sapphire brooch, which fastened her shrug around her. On the back was the Schnee crest, printed in white. On her feet, she had a pair of dark blue wedge heels, completing the outfit overall. She did a formal curtsey and said; "Thank you very much, Ben. It took me AGES to put this together last night." She covered her mouth and let out a yawn. "YAAHHW. Oh, pardon me."

Yang gave her a smirk. "Really? Well, that yawn certainly shows. I guess when you're rich, you've got a lot of options."

Winter nodded as she placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Indeed, perhaps a bit too many options, if you catch my drift."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Well, _you're_ the one who suggested it, Winter. What are you trying to say, exactly?"

"I'm saying that perhaps having fewer options is sometimes a good thing. How tired are you right now?"

"Hmph, I don't know what you're talking abou—." She cut herself off when another yawn escaped her lips. "HAAHHW. Feh! Okay, maybe I'm a _little_ tired."

"I see. And if you were back home with all of your other clothes, I'm sure you would have been up for much longer, and thus even more tired, correct?"

Weiss glanced over to the side with her arms crossed. "…Maybe."

Winter smiled. "This is something I learned when I left home, little sister. Many options can be nice, but fewer options can sometimes be far nicer."

Weiss put her finger to her chin. "So… less is more?"

As much as Ben wanted to shout the words; "Kinda like toilet paper!", he restrained himself. Something told him that Weiss wouldn't appreciate her lesson being tainted by comparing it to bathroom product. _'Besides, they wouldn't get the reference anyway.'_ he thought to himself.

"Precisely." Winter confirmed. "The finer things in life are not what you can easily acquire, but rather what you strive for."

"Huh, I never really thought of it that way." Weiss pondered.

The heiress was caught off guard when Yang came up and put an arm around her. "Your sister's speaking the truth here, Weiss Cream. And you know what else is one of the finer things in life?" She pulled her in for a side hug with a cheeky grin. "Having best friends."

Weiss rolled her eyes, this time with an equally cheeky smirk. "Okay, okay, NOW you're just being sappy. …But yeah, I've learned that having friends is great too."

Suddenly, Ben's stomach growled so loud that everyone could hear. He covered his abdomen as the Schnee sisters gave him judgmental looks while Yang smiled at him with a quirked eyebrow. "Hehe, this is nice and all, but maybe now we can go in and eat, please?" the hero suggested.

Weiss let out a sigh. "Yes, I suppose breakfast is ready at this point. Come on, let's eat. We have quite the day ahead of us."

"No doubt about that." Yang agreed as the four proceeded inside. "Hey, Winter, you coming with us?"

"Of course." Winter nodded. "I will be accompanying you along with General Ironwood and Miss Goodwitch. As Tetrax said, there may very well be many enemies to contend with, so our numbers will have to be bolstered."

"Great!" Ben exclaimed. "It'll be one big bash!"

"A bash full of _bashing_ heads!" Yang quipped as she pounded her fist into the palm of her other hand. "This is gonna rock!"

* * *

About an hour later, after everyone had finished eating and Tai went off to Signal for the Monday grind, they heard a motorcycle pull into the driveway, signaling the arrival of a certain blonde knight's older sister. "Heh, there's Noire." Jaune said as he got up from the table. "I was wondering when she'd show up. I kind of expected her to be here earlier." He strolled out of the kitchen with Pyrrha, Ben, Yang, Blake and Sun following closely behind.

"Well, Tetrax never gave us a specific time." Ben reminded. "So she probably didn't know what time to be here in the first place."

"Indeed." Pyrrha agreed. "No need to worry, Jaune."

The knight smiled at her. "Heh, yeah, I guess you guys are right." Jaune glanced over to see that Blake was holding Rema close to her chest, almost as if she was reluctant to let her go. She was also staring straight ahead, a worried look in her eye. "Uh, Blake? You okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah… I think." The cat girl turned her head down to the pup in her arms. "I guess I'm just a little sad that I have to leave Rema behind. Even if it's only for a little while."

"Hey, don't worry, Blake." Sun put a reassuring hand her shoulder. "It's all gonna be okay. Noire and Athena will take great care of her while we're gone, I'm sure of it."

"I know. It's just… I don't want to leave my baby." Blake pulled Rema close and snuggled her face against her head.

Yang gave her a nudge. "Hey, you realized what you just said, right partner? You remember just how much you "didn't like" dogs almost a year ago?"

Blake pouted as she glanced off to the side. "Well… yeah. But I like to think that I've changed my mindset a little bit. Dogs aren't so bad… but wolves? They're the best."

"They're canines, so it still counts." Yang winked before opening the door to see Noire standing right outside. "Noire! Welcome back!"

"Thanks Yang!" The two shared a high five before Noire came in and put her brother in a headlock, giving him a noogie immediately after. "And how's my baby brother doing today?!"

"Gah! Noire, c'mon!" When his sister stopped, Jaune pulled out of the headlock. "You DO know I'm not ten anymore, right?"

"Aw, c'mon, Jaune. No need to be so serious." Noire looked over and gave Pyrrha a wave. "Hi, Pyrrha, how're things?"

"Pretty good, Noire." Pyrrha bowed her head. "We just finished eating breakfast and we're just waiting on Tetrax now."

"I see." Noire then spotted Romulus down by the Invincible Girl's feet, so she knelt down to say hello. "Hi there, Rommy! Oh, we're gonna have a lot of fun while mommy and daddy are away, yes we are!" She glanced up quickly just in time to see Jaune and Pyrrha both blush at being referred to as; "Mommy" and "Daddy". _'Hehe, just as I had hoped.'_

"Ahem." Jaune cleared his throat. "So, uh, you really don't mind watching the pups with Athena while we're gone?"

"Of course, I don't mind!" Noire rose up to her full height. "I know how important this mission is to you guys, and I'm certainly not qualified to go with. So, might as well do something with my time other than waiting for the fam, right?"

"You make a compelling argument." Jaune admitted. "Which reminds me, is anyone coming today?"

"Well… maybe, but we'll see." Noire glanced over to see Blake still hugging Rema close to her chest. "Hey, Blake! How's it going?"

Blake lowered her head slightly. "Um… okay, I guess."

Noire smirked and crossed her arms. "Let me guess, you're experiencing Worried Parent Syndrome?"

Blake's eyes widened. "How did you know?!"

"Heh, because I've seen the exact same face on my mom whenever she left us with a sitter. Trust me, I know that it's not easy."

"I think EVERY parent suffers from that, actually." Ben added. "And I'm not even sure if my own mom has _ever_ broken out of it."

"Exactly." Noire set her hands onto Blake's shoulders. "I promise that I'll take good care of Rema while you guys are gone. It'll only be a few hours, maybe less. And Athena will still be here, so there's basically nothing to worry about, right?"

Blake sighed before she offered a smile to Noire. "Right. And thank you, Noire. It means a lot." She moved Rema up so that they were staring eye to eye. "Now, I want you to be good for Noire while mama's gone, okay?" Rema licked her nose in response. "Yes, thank you for the kisses."

"ACK! Too cute!" Ruby said as she approached from down the hall with her hand clutched over her heart. "Death by cuteness overload!"

The group laughed before a huge engine was heard from overhead. Ben gazed out the window to see Tetrax's ship land in the front yard. At the same time, he saw Coco's roadster pull in the driveway, stopping just short of where the ship landed. The ramp lowered and Tetrax spoke from the on-board speaker system; _"All aboard who's coming aboard! We have a stop to make in Vale and we're burning daylight!"_

Ben sighed as everyone came clamoring down the hallway, all of them saying a quick 'hello' and 'goodbye' to Noire as they passed. Team CFVY and Cooper got out of their car and quickly boarded the ship as well, greeting the others as they boarded. He shrugged and said; "Looks like we're off."

Blake hooked Rema's leash around her collar before kissing the top of the pup's head. "Mommy will be back soon, Rema. Remember, be good." She put Rema down and handed the leash to Noire. "They're in your care."

Noire nodded. "Right, you guys have a great time out there!" She turned to her brother as Blake and Sun left the house. "And Jaune…" She wrapped and arm around his neck and pulled him into a hug. "Be careful, okay?"

"Sure thing, sis." Jaune hugged her back for a good few seconds before pulling away. "Well, duty calls." He looked back and nodded to Pyrrha. "Let's do this, Pyr!"

"Right!" Pyrrha followed him out the door, but spun around to wave at Noire as she left. "Thanks again, Noire!"

"Don't mention it!" Noire waved back before shifting her focus on to Ben and Yang. "Well, good luck, guys. I'll be rooting for ya."

"Thanks." Yang extended her hand to the policewoman "Also, when we get back, how about you and I have a bike race, huh? First one 'round the island wins?"

Noire chuckled as she shook Yang's hand. "Heh, count on it!"

"Awesome. We'll see ya later!" Yang grabbed Ben's hand and the two ran out of the house. "C'mon, Green Boy, it's Hero Time!"

"Haha! No need to tell me twice!" Ben laughed as he and Yang boarded the ship. With their boarding, Tetrax gave the order for Gluto to raise the ramp and take off. Noire watched as the ship rose into the air and blasted off toward Vale, ready to pick up it's last couple of passengers.

* * *

As James Ironwood loaded Dust rounds into his revolver, he couldn't help but ponder the situation that was ahead of him. "I am about to go up north to fight a giant orange alien with big teeth and a small army of pickaxe wielding gremlins." He closed the revolver and gave it a spin before letting out a sigh. "…Is this REALLY what my life has come to at this point?"

"I'm not sure, you tell me." James let out a yelp and spun around in surprise to see Glynda, leaning up against the door frame of his temporary office with a sly grin set upon her face. "Hah, made you jump."

James rolled his eyes as he holstered his weapon. "You simply got lucky. Not many can sneak up on me that easily. I AM highly trained, remember?"

"Really? Then you should know that I've been here for a minute and a half already."

The general's eyes widened. "Wait, what?!"

"It's true." She pointed to his revolver. "Has anyone ever told you that you load VERY slowly?"

James sighed again. "I'm just… preoccupied is all. Never in my life would I have guessed that I'd be fighting aliens. Let alone beside someone who can transform INTO many aliens."

"Hmm, you have a point." Glynda conceded. "Still, I suppose it must be a bit exciting, right? I'm sure that you must have had an interest for extraterrestrials at SOME point in your life."

James chuckled. "Hehe, I'll admit, when I was a boy, I _was_ fascinated by interstellar beings and space travel. Although, I never had the prospect of alternate dimensions at that age."

"I don't think many people in Remnant were thinking about that." Glynda agreed. She exhaled a breath before walking into the room. "So, are you ready to go?"

James spread his arms out. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Glynda pondered for a moment, putting a finger to her chin. "Hmm, your tie is undone."

"Huh?" James looked down to see that his tie was indeed untied. "Ah-hah, well that's rather embarrassing."

It was Glynda's turn to roll her eyes as she approached him. "Oh please, it's not as if I caught you in your boxers or anything."

"Well, all the same, I should—huh?" The general was caught off guard when Glynda began to straighten out his tie situation herself. "Um, may I ask; why are you doing this?"

"Because if you tie your ties as fast as you prep your weapon, we're going to be here all day." Glynda answered as she finished the tie. "There, all done."

"I…" Ironwood paused before giving her a nod. "Thank you, Glynda."

"Oh, it's really no big deal, James." The headmistress shrugged off. "You don't need to thank me for just tying your tie."

James raised a hand in protest. "No, it's not just that." He put his hand to his side before continuing. "I want to thank you for helping me all throughout this past week. Ever since Beacon fell, it's been nothing but hectic from one thing to another. But you've been there to help not just me, but everyone affected by this." He bowed his head. "So again, thank you, Glynda. For keeping everyone sane, and my head where it is."

Glynda was taken aback for a few seconds at the sincerity in his voice. But after a few seconds, she had a smile on her face. "Well, Mister Ironwood, you certainly have a way with words. Why don't you tell me how you truly feel, hmm?"

"Heh, can't get much truer than that, Miss Goodwitch."

"I see. Well then, let me lay some truth unto you, James." She set a finger against his chest. "I know that you feel responsible for what happened to Beacon. And while Atlas' robots did indeed become compromised, really this is on ALL of our heads. Yours, mine, Qrow's, all of us. But you know what? For this past week, we've been making up for it." She took her finger away and instead rested her hand against James' shoulder, giving him her best serious expression. "I know you must not feel like a good man after what happened, James. But remember what I told you the night before the breach; you _are_ a good man, with a big heart to match. And I wouldn't have anyone else by my side in this."

James was in a complete state of shock. "I… Glynda, I don't know what to say."

Glynda's smile returned. "Believe me, James, there's no need to say anything." Just then, the two heard the rumble of large engines over the military base, signaling Tetrax's arrival. The headmistress turned around and began to walk out of the room. "Now, I believe we have somewhere to be?"

"Oh, uh, right!" As he left, James couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of heat rise to his cheeks, as well as an odd feeling stirring inside his gut. He wasn't sure what it was, but he didn't have the time to ponder over it. He had a mission to accomplish.

* * *

Not long after, the Resolute was zooming over the countryside, flying through the skies at high speeds. Inside however, things were actually pretty calm. The stability of the ship contributed to that as everyone just enjoyed the ride. Some were sitting, others were standing, but one thing was certain; they were all talking. Whether it was about their mission, entertainment or other more personal things, it was all they were doing. But that all changed when Tetrax entered the room, the opening of the large metal doors catching everyone's attention. "Ah, good. No stress." the Petrosapien commented. "I was afraid a few of you would be worried about our mission here."

Cooper shook his head. "No, we're all good, Tetrax."

"So, we getting' close?" Coco asked.

"Affirmative." Tetrax nodded. "We should be above Essen within the next few minutes."

"Good." General Ironwood stood up along with Glynda and Winter, bringing everyone's attention onto them. "Alright, everyone, listen up. This is an in and out mission. We go in, fight Vulkanus and his minions without bringing any attention to ourselves, and then we leave with the perp. Is that clear?"

"Crystal." Kevin answered. "So, where do we land?"

"We are not sure." Glynda said. "The area around the mine is mostly mountainous with very little flat terrain. And if there is any, it most likely will not be big enough to land this ship."

"Well then, the Resolute will have to stay airborne." Tetrax concluded. "Gluto can keep the ship aloft while we drop to the surface."

"Drop?" Neptune asked. "From _this_ height?! That does NOT seem safe."

"I have to agree." Weiss added. "Being launched into the air over a horizontal distance is one thing, but diving straight down? That's entirely different."

Gwen raised an eyebrow. "You say that like you speak from experience."

Nora giggled. "Hehehe, let's just say that initiation was a REALLY exciting day."

"I'm aware of the risks of dropping." Tetrax confirmed. "And I don't exactly have parachutes. But… I DO have the next best thing. And I have a feeling that it's something that you kids will appreciate." He put his hand against a palm reader and the wall of the ship opened up to reveal a bunch of black and grey oval-shaped metal disks. He took one out and presented it to them. "Ladies and gentlemen…" he pressed a button and a green hard light platform expanded from the middle, the sides of the disks changing into its corners. "… the X321 Hoverboard."

Ruby's eyes lit up like a Roman candle. "EEEEEEE! That is SO cool!"

As everyone gawked at the board, Sun moved up to take a closer look, a big grin beaming across his face as he picked the board up. "Holy crap! This thing is sweet!"

"I have to admit," Blake pointed to the board, "I did not see that coming."

"Hoho, NOW we're talkin'!" Coco clapped her hands and stood up. "This'll be fun!"

Velvet hesitantly raised her hand. "Um, pardon me, but are you certain it's safe?"

Tetrax gave her a nod. "Of course. The board responds to the rider's will. So long as you wish to stay on the board, you will be fine. However, I only have so many, and considering we have so many people here, we will have to drop in pairs."

Gwen stepped forward and made a mana platform. "It's okay Tetrax, Kevin and I have our own ride down."

"Very well, Gwen. As for everyone else, pair up!" At Tetrax's order, everybody began to form groups of two, with Team JNPR divvying up into their respective partners.

"Okay, in all honesty here;" Jaune began, "I am REALLY excited about doing this!"

"This coming from the same guy who screamed as he got launched at initiation." Nora pointed out before giggling again. "Hehe, you've got some great confidence there, Fearless Leader."

"Nora's right." Ren confirmed. "You've certainly changed quite a bit over this past year."

"Heh, not too much, I hope." Jaune turned to Pyrrha, giving her a grin. "You ready?"

Pyrrha gave him a thumbs up. "Always."

Meanwhile, Weiss and Ruby had also expectedly paired up. "Weiss, don't you think this is exciting?!" The Hooded Huntress asked. "We're jumping from at least five hundred feet in the air on hoverboards! How cool is THAT?!"

Weiss sigh as her hand went to her stomach. "Ugh, sure, if my breakfast doesn't come up first."

From then on, the partnerships were somewhat random. Neptune graciously teamed up with the timid Velvet as Yatsu and Fox had already paired up, along with Cooper and Coco. Blake and Sun paired up too, with the monkey boy especially excited. "Man, this is gonna be awesome!" he exclaimed. "I always wanted to fly something like this! Though in my dreams, it was more like a cloud."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Blake smirked as she gave him a playful nudge. "A guy like you always searching for excitement? _Perish_ the thought."

"You are getting REALLY good at sarcasm." He set his forehead against hers. "I like it."

"Glad you think so." Blake winked. "Now, let's focus, okay?"

Ironwood and Goodwitch paired up while Tetrax offered Winter to partner up with him, though the chaperones DID have their apprehensions. "This is quite different." Glynda commented as she examined the board. "How do you control a board with no wheels? It can't be the same as surfing, can it?"

"Well, almost." Ben responded. "The air's kind of like water when it comes to these things. But don't worry, it's mostly all based on body movement. Just put your body in the direction you want to go, and it'll go."

"Sweet!" Yang grabbed a board and activated it before pushing it down. It stopped about a foot above the ground and Yang got on, stabilizing herself before she moved her body forward. In response, the board zipped forward as well, much to Yang's elation. "Whoo! This is so cool!" She turned her body and rounded back around to Ben, stopping right beside him. "Well, Green Boy, you comin'? Or are you gonna fly down with one of your aliens?"

"Are you kidding? That's boring as hell!" Ben hopped onto the hoverboard with her. "I NEVER pass up the opportunity to ride one of these."

"Good." Yang pulled him in closer to her. "'Cause I wouldn't want to be the only one without a diving buddy."

"Really? Don't wanna go off the _deep end_ alone?"

"Rather not. But with you, I think things will go _swimmingly_."

Gwen facepalmed. "Alright! We get it! You two like puns!" The entire room laughed at the redhead's outburst, Ben and Yang especially. But Gwen couldn't help but laugh a little herself. She knew it was all in good fun, and she couldn't harp on them for that. "Hehe, okay, okay. I give. So, when we get down there, what'll be the plan?"

"Well, Vulkanus is most probably in the mine itself." Tetrax explained. "However, his minions are likely to be all around, working in various sections. If they get wind of us coming, Vulkanus will surely send them out to fight us. So, I suggest we split into two groups. A larger one for crowd control, and a small one consisting of about seven or eight people, one which I will lead in myself."

Winter nodded. "Indeed." She turned to Ironwood with a salute. "Sir, with your permission, I would like to join the group who will go into the mine."

"Of course, Winter." Ironwood granted. "And I think it would be appropriate if Ben were on the squad as well."

Ben also gave him a salute. "Sure thing, general."

"Count me in too." Kevin stepped forward. "Vulkanus owes me big time for the shit he did to me."

"Very well, you may both accompany me." Winter turned to the crowd of teens in front of her. "Now, any more volunteers?"

"Ooh! Us please!" Ruby waved her hand up in the air over near her team. "Team RWBY's always at your service!"

Winter smiled. "As I was hoping. And with that, our squadron has eight." She shifted herself so she was facing Gwen. "Unless you wish to join us as well, Gwendolyn?"

The Anodite shook her head. "No, but thank you. I feel I'd be better suited to handle crowd control with everyone else." She went over and gave Kevin a kiss. "Good luck in there. And be safe."

"Heh, when am I _not_ safe?" Kevin chuckled. Gwen gave him a questioning look and the Osmosian raised his hands. "I know, dumb question, but I promise, we'll be fine."

"One last question." Cooper spoke up. "How will we handle Vulkanus' minions? Surely this ship can't hold them all, can it?"

"No, but it doesn't have to." Tetrax elaborated. "Vulkanus' minions are clones with very minimal intelligence. The most they know how to do is mine and defend themselves. They are made to be expendable. No feelings, no emotional attachment, nothing. Once they are defeated, the clones disintegrate into a grey mud-like substance, leaving no trace of their existence."

"Well, that makes things easy." Coco remarked. "So, can we get this show on the road?"

Just as the words left her mouth, the ship stopped, signaling their arrival. "We can now." Tetrax confirmed before activating his comm unit. "Gluto, open the exit ramp and keep the ship cloaked. We're going in." With that order, the ramp opened, letting in the chilling high-altitude wind. "Alright, just remember, the board is linked to your body. You're in total control!" Tetrax and Winter mounted their board and they flew out, leaving the others to jump for themselves.

"I can't believe we're about to do this!" Jaune hollered as he and Pyrrha flew their board out of the hull, with Nora and Ren, as well as Gwen and Kevin following close behind.

"C'mon, Weiss, let's go!" Ruby hollered as she and her partner got on the hoverboard.

But the moment Weiss peered down to the ground far below, fear began to take hold of her. "W-w-wait, I change my MIIIIIIINNND!" But it was too late as Ruby flew their board out of the hatch and down to the earth below.

"Welp, she's not gonna have a good time." Sun concluded before he looked over to Blake. "Any second thoughts for you? I'll be fine if you don't want to."

"What, are you crazy?" Blake hopped on their hover board. "Let's do this."

"Heh, you're the boss." Sun got on the board and the two flew out after Ruby and Weiss. Ironwood and Glynda were next, the chaperones of the mission being much calmer and more collected about their descent.

Neptune glanced down at his drop partner as Yatsu and Fox went down next. "What about you, Velvet? You still good to go?"

"Indeed." The bunny girl nodded. "And thank you again for sharing your board. I would usually go with Coco, but, well…" She gazed passed Neptune with a knowing smile as she saw her leader and Cooper chatting it up as they prepped their own board. "…She's been a bit preoccupied with a certain someone since last night."

Neptune turned his head around and immediately knew what she meant. "Ah, I get the picture. Well then, you ready?" Velvet gave him another nod and the next moment, they were on the board flying down to the ground. "See ya at the bottom!" Neptune called back.

"Hey!" Coco smirked as she pocketed her sunglasses. "If you think your beatin' us, you're ALL kinds of wrong!" She took Cooper's hand and they got on their board. "Let's go, Tech Head!"

"Haha! Right there with you, Coco!" The two flew out, with Coco holding onto her barrette to keep it from flying away. With their departure from the ship, that left only Ben and Yang, both of them watching as their comrades plummeted down through the air.

"Well, guess the best for last, huh?" Yang smiled at the hero.

"Oh, undoubtably." Ben offered her his hand. "You ready for this?"

"Hell yeah!" Yang grabbed his hand and not a second later, they were back on their board and flying straight down, catching up with their comrades in no time. As the chilly air rushed past her face, Yang couldn't help but remember how long it had been since she had a rush like this. _"And it's been WAY too long.'_ she resolved. _'Being launched at Beacon and fighting a robot on a highway's got NOTHING on this.'_ As she and Ben continued to fall, she couldn't help but belt out; "WHHOOOO! This is AWESOME!"

"Glad you think so!" Ben hollered. "Wanna make it more interesting?!"

"YES!" Yang answered. At her behest, Ben moved his body in a way so that they and the board were spiraling down to the ground, giving Yang an even better adrenaline rush. "HAHA! This is WAY past cool!"

Ruby smirked as she saw Ben and her sister having fun on their board. "Hey! I can do you guys one better!"

Wiess' eyes widened again as her hold on Ruby tightened. "Ruby, I swear to god, if you do ANYTHING, I'm going to—WHOAAAAHH!" The heiress screamed as Ruby did multiple midair flips as they went down. By the end of Ruby's trick, Weiss was now a pale green color, and her eyes were practically spinning. "N-no more. Please no more."

At her best friend's discomfort, Ruby instantly felt extremely guilty. "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry, Weiss! I-I'll stop!"

"That's fine by me!" Sun shouted as he and Blake approached on their board. "More for us, right, Blake?!"

Blake rolled her eyes with a smirk. "If you have any ideas, then yeah, sure!"

"Alright then, check this out!" With a twist of his body, Sun made the board spin downward.

"Whoa! Okay, that's enough spinning please!" Blake's coat fluttered in the wind as they fell, the board straightening back out soon after. In mere moments, everyone was doing their own board tricks. The exceptions to this were the adults who were busy focusing on the actual mission, Gwen and Kevin who simply didn't want to do tricks, and Velvet and Neptune, mostly because the bunny girl was still slightly nervous and Neptune could tell.

The moment the ground began to approach, Ben called out to everyone; "'Kay guys! Ground's coming up! Time to reel it in a bit!" Everyone followed his orders, stopping their tricks as they came back down to earth, stopping just a couple feet off the ground. They landed in a small clearing at the base of a large mountain, the mine entrance not far away. The teens got off their boards… only to be surprised as they finally noticed something about the ground that they were too distracted to pay attention to before.

"SNOW?!" Kevin exclaimed. "There's freaking _snow_ up here?"

"Well, what did you expect?" Weiss asked as Ruby carefully helped her off of their board. "Most areas up north usually get snow before everywhere else, you know."

"She's right." Ironwood agreed. "So, we'd better tread carefully. And most importantly; reserve ourselves from making any more noise."

Glynda crossed her arms. "Indeed, doing those tricks may have cost us our chance at surprise. Tell me, was all of that REALLY necessary?" Yang gave a nervous laugh as Ben rubbed the back of his neck in guilt for starting the whole thing. The headmistress sighed as she continued. "Well, I suppose it doesn't exactly matter right now." She turned around and her eyes made contact with the mine entrance not fifty feet away from where they stood. "We're here."

But, little did they know, the group were indeed being watched. In the underbrush not far away were a pair of beady eyes behind a set of yellow-lensed goggles. The creature's instincts immediately kicked in. _'Tell master.'_ was it's one and only simplistic thought. It moved back and ran off to one of the mine's other entrances, ready to inform his master of the group's arrival.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the mine itself, many similar creatures were hard at work, picking the Dust crystals out of the walls and loading them carefully into minecarts. Once a cart was full, it was rolled down the track to join the many other minecarts like it, all full of Dust. Unfortunately for one of these pickaxe carrying creatures, it tripped and let go of one of the crystals it was holding onto. Fortunately, before it could hit the ground and possible shatter, a giant metal fist caught the crystal. The owner of the hand brought it up to his gleaming yellow eye before he looked back down at his minion, chastising it for even daring to slip up.

"Watch it, mush for brains!" The deep growly voice angrily berated before kicking the creature. "Yer job is ta dig these Dust crystals out, not smash 'em!" The minion quickly nodded before getting back to work, showing no fear at his boss' onslaught. "Good! Don't slip up again! I can easily destroy you _and_ replace you, ya know!"

"Jeez, Vulkanus, go easy on 'em." The creature, identified as Vulkanus, turned around and glared at the figure standing in the cave's shadows, who had watched the scene unfold. The figure was flanked by two others, both equally obscured in shadow. "Can't exactly blame the little guy." The figure continued. "I'd be awkward too if I had limbs as scrawny as those."

"Bah! What do you know?" Vulkanus waved off. "I made these things to be unfeeling. You know, kinda like those Grimm that you keep going on about. I tell them what to do, they do it, no questions asked."

"Hah, quite the comparison." Spoke one of the other figures, the shortest of the group. "Only difference being that any Grimm can eat twenty of these little things in one gulp."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Vulkanus shrugged. "Anyway, we've almost amassed all the Lightning Dust you guys asked for. Hey, what DO you need this all for anyway?"

"Let's just say it's for an experiment, nothing more." The final figure spoke. "And, so long as you keep your end of the bargain, we'll keep ours and you'll be accepted amongst our ranks.

Vulkanus _hated_ that last guy's voice. As it sounded almost _exactly_ like that stupid watch wearing hero that always managed to stop his operations. _'What I wouldn't give to wring his little neck right now. I swear, I WILL kill you someday Tennyso—'_ But Vulkanus' thoughts were cut off as one of his minions came through one of the mine's entrances. He recognized this minion as one of his scouts, whom he ordered to stay outside unless someone came snooping by. "What is it?" The scout minion made a bunch of growling, gurgling noises, and Vulkanus' eyes glowered. "Tennyson?! Here already?!"

"Heh, well, that's a surprise and a half!" The first figure spoke again before taking out a weapon. "Let's go greet our guests, shall we?"

"Hold on!" Vulkanus raised a hand and held it out to stop the three from doing anything else. "This is MY mine. We play by MY rules!"

"Really?" The shortest figure asked. "Then what do you suggest?"

A toothy smirk found its way to Vulkanus' face. "Tennyson and his crew are like mice; pesky and unwanted. So, what do you do with mice? You set a trap for 'em." He looked down to his minion. "Gather every miner you need and take 'em outside. Hold off as many of Tennyson's teammates as you can, just make sure that _he_ is able to get in."

"And if any of the others are able to get past?" The third figure asked. "What then?"

He chuckled before following that up; "It won't matter. 'Cause no matter what, it'll be the last that any of 'em will EVER see of daylight again."

* * *

As the group outside approached the mine entrance, Gwen suddenly heard a bunch of familiar, guttural noises coming from inside. She moved up in front of everyone and extended an arm. "Wait." She said trepidatiously. "Something's coming." The sound grew nearer to the point where everyone could hear it. Suddenly, many small humanoid beings, all dressed in black jumpsuits with red masks, gloves, and boots came pouring out of the tunnel, all of them swinging their pickaxes. "Whoa!" Gwen exclaimed as she brought up a mana barrier between her team and the minions. She turned back and ordered; "Fall back!"

And fall back they did, as everyone ran through the snow as fast as they could to get some space between them and the little gremlins. The creatures also began to fire energy blasts from the ends of their pickaxes, which where quickly absorbed by Gwen's mana barrier. By the time they had gotten to a safe distance, there had to be at least a couple hundred or so of those little things, much to everyone's shock. "Jeez, how much reinforcement does this Vulkanus guy need?" Coco asked as she put on her sunglasses and readied her hand bag.

"Believe me, he's one for over compensating." Tetrax glanced to the Omnitrix bearer. "Ben, if we wish to get our squad in there, we need an alien that can take as much damage as it can give out."

"Right, and I know just the guy!" Ben searched though his aliens until he found the one in question. He slammed down the core and he transformed into quite the rotund alien. Its skin was mostly bleach white, with dark black lips and eyelids as well as claws on his hands and feet. A black strip went down from his head to the bridge of his nose, with a secondary black strip going down from his chest down through his pelvis. The most notable feature of the alien was the yellow armor plating covering his back, arms and thighs. His eyes shined green as the Omnitrix symbol took place on his chest. "CANNONBOLT!"

Weiss moved past the two-ton behemoth of an alien and looked out the mana barrier. "Okay, that alien seems promising. But the snow's going to hinder our movement, we'll never make it past them before they get up!"

Cannonbolt smirked and said; "Leave it all to me!" He jumped up and curled up into a huge armored black and yellow ball before bouncing up and over the mana barrier, landing on the other side. "Follow me! And don't stop running!" Cannonbolt rolled in place for a second, kicking up the thick snow before rolling out, clearing a path for the rest of his squad.

Gwen opened a small section of her mana field, giving Tetrax, Kevin, Winter and Team RWBY the order to run for it. "Go! We'll be alright here!"

"Very well, Gwen." Tetrax took out his laser gun and waved his arm forward. "Everyone, move in! Go, go, go!"

Yang gave her a thumbs up. "Gotcha Rock Head!" She faced her team and nodded, activating her Ember Celica. "Let's do this!"

"Right!" Ruby ran forward as she unholstered Crescent Rose from her back. "Team RWBY, move out!" She and Yang rushed forward as Weiss and Blake brought out Myrtenaster and Gambol Shroud respectively, running along behind them. Winter and Kevin made haste as well, as Cannonbolt bowled through the pickaxe minions like they were bowling pins. The Arburian Pelarota barreled into the cave with his squad making it in safely behind him.

Gwen brought down her mana field as the minions got back up, though her hands never stopped glowing bright pink. "Alright, guys. Let's clear these things out."

Coco activated her rotary cannon, prepping herself for what was about to go down. "You're speaking my language, Gwen. Let's mow these pipsqueaks down!"

Pyrrha gave her partner a smile. "Ready to test out your new sword, Jaune?"

The blonde knight unclipped his sword and scabbard before changing it into its greatsword form. "You know it, Pyr! Let's go!"

* * *

Cannonbolt rolled through the mine until he came to a halt. Not because he wanted to, but because of the low cave ceiling scrapping against his shell until it was to low to even budge. "Woops, too big to go on. Time to shed some weight." In a bright flash, Ben was back to normal, spinning around to face his squad. "Well, we got in. That's a good start."

"Indeed." Tetrax confirmed. "However, it's strange that we weren't followed."

"We'd best be on out guard." Winter suggested. "Lest we be taken by surprise."

Ruby walked to the front of the group. "Okay, so where do we go next?"

Kevin pointed down the dark passageway. "Best bet is probably to just see where this tunnel leads. We're bound to find SOMETHING eventually."

"Exactly." Ben agreed. "Whether it be Vulkanus or something else, we'll just have to see. Come on, let's go."

Tetrax brought up a floodlight mounted inside of his shoulder pad and the group moved forward, careful to keep an eye open for anything suspicious. After about a minute of following the mine cart tracks, the hallway came to an end, only to open up into a large central room, lit up by many strung up lights along the walls of the cave. All around the room, there were other hallways through the mine, each one with their own sets of tracks. These tracks all correlated into a large circular track that went around the entire circumference of the room, and on these tracks were multiple mine carts filled to the brim with…

"Dust!" Ruby said as she went over and examined one of the carts. She pulled a purple crystal out and showed examined it. "These carts are full of nothing but Dust!"

"Enough to fuel a small army." Blake surmised as she gazed around the whole room at the multicolored crystals. "If these get out to the wrong people, we could have an even worse situation on our hands than just this."

Winter examined on of the mine carts as well. "Indeed. We must make sure that this Dust is returned to the people of Essen."

"Then our father won't be able to set up anything here." Weiss had a proud smile on her face. "Score another for the Schnee Sisters."

Winter rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but smile at her sister's jovial mood. "Really? Is that what we are calling ourselves now?"

Yang shrugged her shoulders. "Okay, so we found the Dust. Now where's the boss?"

"Funny you should ask!" Came a loud growly voice from above. Everyone looked up to see Vulkanus stepping out of the shadows on one of the mine's outcroppings. He narrowed his eyes as he saw the green clad hero. "Well, if it isn't Ben Tennyson. I gotta admit, I was expecting you at some point. Just didn't think it'd take you a week to do."

Ben gave Vulkanus his best smirk. "Sorry, Vulkanus. Been a bit busy. If you hadn't noticed, we aren't exactly in our home dimension anymore."

"Yeah, I noticed." But then, Vulkanus caught eye of a couple of familiar faces in the group of eight. "Levin! And Tetrax?! You gotta be kiddin' me, you're here too?!"

Kevin waved at the Detrovite. "Vulkanus! Nice to see ya! Hey, guess what? I'm about to pound your face in after what you did to me!"

Winter gave Tetrax a quick glance. "You know him?"

"Unfortunately." Tetrax stepped forward and pointed at Vulkanus. "This whole operation's ending NOW Vulkanus! Come quietly and we won't have to hurt you."

Yang crossed her arms. "Yeah, we've already kicked a ton of bad guy butt this week. You don't want to be added to that list, now do ya?"

"'Course not!" Vulkanus wore a sinister grin. "But I'm not goin' anywhere. See, yesterday, I came into contact with an old prison mate o' mine. She just happened ta join a nice group of people. So nice in fact, that they offered me a spot in their group, and in exchange I only have ta provide them with enough Lightning Dust ta fuel their experiment."

Ben's eyes widened in horror. "Uh, just what is this group exactly?"

Vulkanus gave an evil chuckled. "Oh, you're probably aware of 'em already. After all, they all have one thing in common; They ALL hate you, Tennyson."

"Ya got that right!" The Team whirled around to see Rojo emerge from the darkness, holding her energy rifle in her hands. "Heya, pipsqueaks! Glad you could make it!"

"Rojo!" Ruby slammed Crescent Rose's tip into the ground, making it shake in hopes of intimidating the bounty hunter. "How did you find this place?!"

"Hehe, the Boss Lady's got eyes EVERYWHERE, Little Red."

Blake readied Gambol Shroud, entering a battle-ready stance. "Seriously, Rojo? Can't you ever just leave us alone?"

Weiss also entered a fighting stance, pointing Myrtenaster at Rojo. "I think it's safe to say that you're probably up to no good, I'll bet."

"Oh, you'd be right." Rojo shouldered her rifle. "And if you know what's good for you, you brats'll take a hike, right now."

"Ha, as if." Yang slammed her fists together, causing her Ember Celica to spark. "We're not afraid of you, right Ben?"

"Got that right." Ben put his hand on the Omnitrix as Kevin absorbed the rock on the ground. Winter and Tetrax pulled out their respective weapons, aiming them at the perps. "We can take you on, anytime, anywhere!" The hero added.

"Really? Well then, guess what?" Rojo gave out a loud, two-finger whistle, signaling her comrades to come join her. From two other caves on either side of the group of heroes, Emerald and Mercury stepped out into the light, both prepared for battle. Along with them came a small battalion of pickaxe minions, all growling and hissing at the heroes. Rojo wore a toothy grin. "You fell for our trap, hook, line and sinker."

* * *

**A/N: To be continued… DUN DUN DUN! Yep, it's Salem's forces! Rojo, Emerald, Mercury and… no Cinder? Hmm… wonder where she could be? Well, we'll just have to find out next time, won't we? With that said; Next Time! The battle gets underway as Gwen's squad fights off the small army of minions while Ben's group takes on Vulkanus and his allies. In addition, for the first time in a while, Ben unlocks a new alien. He's kind of got a big mouth and a big head, but his power is one that you will instantly** _**gravitate** _ **to. Thanks for reading! See ya!**


	37. Mine Your Own Business, Part 2

**A/N: Gird thine loins, treasured readers, as this chapter is what one might call: A DOOZY! Man, this chapter came out MUCH longer than I expected. I'm just surprised I managed to write it all in one week (get used to that feeling, Past Me. Future You has written MUCH longer chapters in one week now). But the show must go on as they say. Without further ado, this is…**

**Chapter 37: Mine Your Own Business, Part 2**

* * *

With a rousing battle cry, everyone outside the mine ran forward to meet their adversaries head on. The pickaxe wielding minions also charged forward, their tools of destruction at the ready. The first of these minions was ultimately the first to fall at Crocea Mors Mark II's might, the heavy blade cleaving straight through the minion from its right shoulder to its left hip, dissolving into a pile of grey mud. Jaune didn't have time to celebrate his weapon's success however, as he stood his ground while many more minions began to circle him in. He waited for them to draw closer before shifting the greatsword into its sheath mode. Jaune grabbed the sheath with his free hand and, with a mighty whirl of his body, pulled his sword out and swung with all his might, slicing though all of the minions in a single circular arc.

"Ha! Now THIS is a weapon." The knight commented as he changed the sheath into his shield and equipped it to his arm. Just then, from behind, his ears caught the sound of someone sneaking up behind him through the snow. He spun around, just in time to see a minion jump at him. With great reflex, Jaune gripped the handle of his shield and raised it up, just in time for the minion to accidentally impale itself on it. As he watched the creature try to wrestle free, the knight simply shrugged "Huh, well that was your own fault, buddy." He activated the gun barrel, freeing the minion, but also putting him at point blank range. "See ya!" He pulled the trigger and in one shot, the minion blew to muddy bits. "Man, that's gross."

"Excellent form, Jaune!" Pyrrha called out before she herself heard more growling come from her right side. She took Milo and shifted it into its javelin form, turning herself around before throwing her weapon at the minions approaching her, letting off a Fire Dust round from the handle to add more power behind her toss. The javelin managed to impale six minions before embedding itself into a tree, with the creatures reducing to mud soon after.

Pyrrha ran over and retrieved her weapon, making sure to shake off the grey material. However, she heard the crunching of snow behind her, and she knew that it wasn't Jaune. There were multiple sets of feet, and they were closing in fast. With the press of a button, Pyrrha converted Milo into its xiphos mode before she spun around in place. With one quick swing, she sliced through five of the pickaxe minions, reducing them to their grey puddy-like state. She grimaced as she saw more of the grey material on her blade, quickly wiping it off in the snow. "Ugh, quite unpleasant, wouldn't you say?"

"Yeah, but you're still as top notch as ever." Jaune complimented. "Ready to down a few more?"

"Indeed." Pyrrha changed Milo into its rifle mode and gave Jaune a nod. "Let's do this!"

…..

"You know, if I had known these little pests could disintegrate like this, we would've done this AGES ago!" Gwen shouted as she, Sun, Neptune, Ironwood and Glynda stood back to back, taking down minions as they approached their little group. "This is much easier, I've gotta say."

"No kidding!" Neptune stabbed his trident up through three of the minion's necks before pulling his weapon up and through their heads, causing them all to melt into mush. "Now you really know what it's like to be a Hunter!"

"I suppose so!" With a blast from her hands, Gwen shot a beam of mana straight though multiple minions, downing them in an instant. "How's everyone else doing?!"

After pumping multiple minions full of Dust rounds, Ironwood glanced over to see Nora shooting a couple grenades at a whole cluster of them, destroying them the moment the projectiles blew up. The Pink Dynamo laughed as she activated her hammer and slammed it into another minion, sending it sailing into many of its compatriots before they all splattered against the rockface of the mine. "From what I'm seeing, fairly well." The general answered.

"Agreed." Glynda concurred as she saw Ren slicing and shooting through more of them. "Team JNPR seems to be handling these things rather nicely."

Gwen shifted her gaze around the battlefield, hoping that everyone was alright holding their own. "Okay, what about Team CFVY?"

Just then, a minion leapt out of nowhere, it's pickaxe raised and aimed for Gwen's head. Before she could react, an energy beam shot out and went straight through the creature and disintegrated it. The redhaired Anodite looked over to see Cooper, holding his Techadorian Multiblaster with a confident smile on his face. "You have to ask, Gwen?" He nudged his head to the right, urging her to set her sights in that direction. Gwen did so and she saw Team CFVY getting down to the nitty-gritty of the whole thing. Coco was firmly in place, mowing down hordes of the pickaxe minions as they attempted to swarm her, but to no avail. Yatsu slammed his giant sword down onto another group of minions while Fox was silently slicing and dicing through many more, the two working perfectly in sync.

Suddenly, Velvet came charging out of a crowd of the little gremlins, having used her weapon to make a hard-light copy of Exo-Skull's helmet, which she had taken a picture of just a few days prior. She spun around and fired the laser at the center of the helmet's forehead, shooting the beam straight through many of the minion's chests. The helmet dissipated and she exhaled heavily before smiling at Gwen. "I believe you'll find that we have ourselves covered, Gwen."

"I can see that." Gwen nodded. "You guy's are doing a great job!"

"You know it, Red!" Coco confirmed as she stopped shooting for a moment. She lowered her glasses and gazed directly at Cooper, giving him a wink. "Hey, Tech Head! We could use a little more firepower, care to lend a hand?"

"I'm on my way!" The genius gladly obliged before turning to his friend. "Sorry Gwen, but I gotta—"

But Gwen waved him off with a knowing smirk before he could finish. "Yeah I know. Go have fun with her Cooper. And hey," She gave him a thumbs up, "show her what you're really made of."

"I will! Thanks, Gwen." And with that, Cooper left, ready to rejoin his own team.

Gwen grinned and crossed her arms as she watched him leave. "He's really found his own group. Heh, to think that he was a really nervous kid at one point."

"Uh, Gwen?" Sun called out as he rapidly swung his gun-chucks at more minions around them, blasting them away with every hit. "Don't wanna be stingy, but do you think you could save the reminiscing for later, please?!"

"It's okay, Sun." Gwen reassured as she sent out multiple mana disks which sliced through five more creatures. "I can handle it!" She shifted her gaze toward the mine entrance with a furrowed brow. "I'm just hoping that Ben's group is doing okay in there."

* * *

"I'll be honest, I didn't see this coming." Ben admitted as he and his group remained on guard while Emerald and Mercury strolled over to stand on either side of Rojo, the bounty hunter still wearing her devious smirk. "You've really gone all in on this, haven't ya, Rojo? Working with others? Setting up traps? You've changed a bit since coming here."

Rojo just shrugged. "What can I say? The Boss Lady knows what she's doing." She turned her head between her two compatriots as they took to her side. "And these two've got a score to settle with you and blondie over there, if I recall."

"Ben, what is she talking about?" Tetrax inquired.

A mirthful smirk worked its way to Ben's face. "Well, we had an… _interesting_ little encounter with them when we first got to this world." He laid his eyes on Mercury, much to the assassin's chagrin. "Well, well, well! If it isn't the guy who sounds like me! How's the pelvis healin' up, dude?"

"SILENCE!" Mercury snarled. "I was in clinical pain for _days_ because of you! And stop comparing my voice to yours! It's completely coincidental!"

Ben raised his hands, though his smile never went away. "Hey, if you say so, man."

Mercury quickly changed his glare to Yang. "And _you_." he sneered.

Yang scowled back. "Yeah? What ABOUT me?"

"Because of you, I now have THIS!" Mercury move his hair away from the left side of his face to reveal that, when she had punched him, she had left a severe burn mark across his left eye and the side of his face. "Rest assured, you WILL pay for this."

"Aw, c'mon, it ain't _that_ bad." Yang brushed off. "Besides, a few scars never hurt anyone."

"Though the fact that I forced him into the splits probably didn't help." Ben pointed out.

"Heh, one of the best take downs ever in my opinion." Yang said while putting up her fist.

Ben bumped her fist with his own. "Oh, you know it."

"ENOUGH!" Mercury hollered as he stepped forward. "Stop being so casual about it!"

"Whoa, slow down there, Merc." Rojo raised her arm and pulled Mercury back. "You'll get your chance at 'em soon, trust me." She looked back up to the group of heroes that they had surrounded. "Listen, we didn't expect you to be here today, so I'm willing to cut you brats some slack. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. The hard way's obvious, we tussle until either side comes out on top. Or we can do it the easy way and you can leave, let us take the Dust and we can sort this out another day."

"Hey!" Vulkanus called out from his place on the outcropping. "Don't _I_ get a say in this?!"

"Relax, Vulkanus, you'll get your chance eventually." Rojo crossed her arms. "I'm just saying that this doesn't have to resort to spilling blood. So, what'll it be, kiddies?"

It was Ruby who answered her. "Not going to happen, Rojo! If you take all of this Dust, people's livelihoods will be put at risk. We aren't going to let you leave."

"Besides, I think we can handle the four of you." Kevin commented as he glanced around the room, carefully searching for any sign of a certain Fall Maiden. "Now, if the bitch in the red dress were around, then it'd be a different story."

"Hey, yeah, where IS Cinder?" Weiss asked as she kept Myrtenaster leveled, her gaze fixated on Emerald. "Aren't you three usually connected at the hip?"

Emerald glowered at the two, though it was mostly aimed at Kevin. "First of all, you'd be wise to not call Cinder any names, considering if she found out, she'd most likely kill you on the spot." She shifted her eyes to Weiss. "And as for YOUR question, _Princess_ , Cinder is busy at the moment."

"Heh, yep, workin' on her Fall Maiden stuff." Rojo added. "Boss Lady's putting her through some tough shit, I'll tell ya."

"I see." Blake said as she kept Gambol Shroud at the ready. "Well then, we should have no problem with this."

"Do NOT underestimate us!" Emerald yelled. "There's a reason why Cinder chose us to follow her! She recognized our skills, and you would do well to do the same!"

"She is right." Winter narrowed her eyes. "If these three are under Salem's orders, then they are more than willing to resort to killing as an option. We must be cautious going forward."

"You'd better listen to the general's stooge." Mercury insulted. "Unlike the tournament, we won't be holding anything back."

"Okay, but one last question." Ben pointed at the mine carts. "What sort of experiment requires all that Dust?"

"Heheh." Rojo plucked a Lightning Dust crystal from the mine cart and examined it, taking in its power. "Let's just say that Animo's got a surprise for you, Benji. One that'll knock you for a REAL loop. That is… if you can get out of here alive." Rojo flicked the crystal back into the mine cart, which sent Emerald into a panic.

"Rojo, NO!" The green-haired girl caught the Dust crystal before it could make contact with the others. She set it down gently into the cart, letting out a sigh of relief before glaring at Rojo. "You must be _careful_ with Dust crystals. If they make ANY forceful contact with each other, their latent power is liable to erupt. Then we would ALL be fried!"

From where he stood, Kevin's eyebrow rose with intrigue. _'Ooh, now THAT'S interesting.'_

"Phew, then I'm glad you caught it, Emmy." Rojo said with relief. "Though you could've told me that before we came here, ya know."

Emerald smacked her forehead before taking out her sickles. "Ah, it doesn't matter! These fools have made their choice."

"Seems like it." Rojo brought her laser rifle back out. "And after I'd made such a nice offer, too."

"About time!" Vulkanus shouted as he jumped down from the outcropping. "I've been waitin' on this for a long time!"

"Seems like this fight's going to be a bit more challenging than anticipated." Tetrax concluded. "We're going to have to split into groups."

"Right." Blake nodded. "We'll have to scatter though. No telling who we'll get stuck with."

"Hey! Enough talk!" Rojo cocked her rifle and ran forward. "Let's get down and dirty! Attack!" And with that, Rojo, Mercury, Emerald, Vulkanus, and his soldiers ran forward while the group of heroes split up, ready for the close quarters fight to get underway.

* * *

Mercury had made a bee-line for Ben and Yang, more than ready to enact his vengeance upon the duo. At least he WOULD have, if a certain Hooded Huntress hadn't stopped him in his place. Ruby had used her Semblence to rush around Mercury, sending up a flurry of rose petals to confuse him before rounding over so that she and him were facing face to face. She stood a fair distance away from him and had her hood up, a silver-eyed glare fixated straight on him. However, the assassin wasn't the least bit impressed, simply crossing his arms as he looked down on her. "Move aside, Pipsqueak. I have a bone to pick with your sister."

"Oh no, I've got some unfinished business with you, Mercury." Ruby spun Crescent Rose around and slammed its tip into the ground again, making the earth shake slightly. "And this time? I'm ready for you."

That got a chuckle out of Mercury. "Heh, what? Just because you've got your giant scythe to hide behind and a change of clothes, you think you can take me on now? I have FAR more experience than you, ya little munchkin. You're better off just running away again."

"I was trained by one of the best scythe wielders in Remnant." Ruby glared at him. "Try me."

"Hah, your funeral." With a swift movement of his feet, Mercury cocked the shotguns in his boots and, with a barrage of rapid kicks, he sent multiple Dust shots flying at Ruby. This didn't deter her one bit as she rushed forward whilst spinning Cresent Rose, the large scythe either blocking the shots entirely, or ricocheting them away. Incidentally, those shots in particular managed to down a few of Vulkanus' minions as well. Ruby finally closed the distance between her and Mercury and she began to swing her scythe at him. However, the grey-haired assassin quickly changed things up with a bunch of spinning kicks, redirecting each one of Ruby's swings.

With a grunt of frustration, Ruby flipped back while changing Crescent Rose into its sniper rifle mode. She pumped the gun and fired three shots straight at Mercury. However, Mercury continued to be no slouch, as he blocked the shots with a set of kicks. However, when he looked back up, Ruby was no wear to be seen, the only evidence she had been there being a small pile of rose petals. But just as he was about to move, Mercury felt something collide with his left side hard and fast, causing him to tumble to the ground and roll away. He managed to stop himself and get up, a slight panic rushing through him as he felt his side. However, to his surprise… "No blood?" He gazed back up at Ruby, who was still glowering down at him. "Seriously? Your weapon is a scythe and you don't even have the guts to use it properly? Did that drunkard teach you ANYTHING?!"

"He did. He taught me to use the business end only when absolutely necessary." Ruby explained as she kept her grip on Crescent Rose. "Unlike you, I'm not out for blood. Only retribution. You took a friend of mine away, and for that, I will NEVER forgive you."

Mercury stared incredulously at her for a moment before he burst out laughing. "BAH-haha-HA! Oh my god, THAT'S what this is about?! The robot?! HAHAHA!" As he continued to laugh, Ruby's grip on her scythe's handle tightened, her anger growing. "Hah, oh my god, if that's what you're upset about, then you're even more pathetic than I actually thought. How can you feel sad for a soulless machine?"

"She was NOT soulless!" Ruby snapped. "And she was more than a robot! She was her own person! She had feelings!" She could feel tears brimming her eyes, threatening to fall down her cheeks. "And you two are the reason she's DEAD!"

Mercury rolled his eyes. "Pfft, please, it's better off "dead" anyway. Atlas built it to be a war machine, that's all it was."

" _She_ had a name! You don't give something that's "just a war machine" a name and conscience!" With her insistent words, Ruby let her tears fall down her face. "Penny… her name was PENNY!"

A smirk made its way to Mercury's face, "Heh, you know, I forgot that they even gave it a name." Silence. That's the only response he got from Ruby. The girl had kept her head down, hiding her eyes behind her hood. "Hmm, run out of things to say, huh? Oh well, guess it's time to finish this then." Mercury stood up to his full height. "You know, it really wasn't a smart idea taking me on with no intention of killing me, because I've got NO qualms with killing you, Pipsqueak." Still silence. Ruby didn't even let out a peep.

Mercury himself was starting to grow a bit frustrated with the quiet treatment. "So… what? No comebacks? No screaming in anger? Not even a scared whimper? I mean, c'mon, if I'm gonna kill you, I want it to be at least a little entertaining!" Nothing. Ruby just continued to stay still, her cloak only moving by catching the wind from everyone else's battle around her. For Mercury, that was the last straw. "Say something, DAMMIT!" He shot himself forward by shooting the ground with his boots, flipping in midair before sending himself into a flying kick with his left leg to end this once and for all.

But little did he know; Ruby was hoping he would do that. At the very last second, she let go of Crescent Rose and moved her body to the right before grabbing Mercury's leg with both hands. Using his momentum, Ruby moved her body around and, with all of her might, she threw him over her shoulder and slammed his body to the ground, much to Mercury's surprise and pain. "GAH! What the hell—AAAGGH!" He turned his head around to see that Ruby had slammed Crescent Rose's tip into his right leg, the metal appendage sparking as it was dug into. He glanced up and recoiled at the stare that Ruby was giving him. Her face was stained with tears, but her eyes showed multiple emotions all at once; sadness, anger, but most of all, apathy.

With a mighty pull, Ruby brought Crescent Rose out of the ground and flung Mercury over to a nearby wall. The young man crumpled to the ground, letting out a cry of pain. He craned his head back up just in time to see Ruby approach him. "I'm done, Mercury. I'm done messing around while you, Cinder, Rojo and everyone else cause chaos. I've been working to improve my fighting skills as well as myself. No one else dies. Not on my watch."

Mercury tried to get up, but his right leg began to spark again and he fell back onto one knee. He couldn't try that again, as he could practically feel his leg begin to break again under his own weight. With one leg useless and the other useless without it, he chose to try and insult her again instead. "Heh, you think you can save everyone? You're a fool if you think that!"

"You're right, I probably can't save everyone." Ruby turned around as her cloak began to flutter into rose petals once again. "But I can at least try to save as many lives as I can, if it means making up for the one I lost." And with that, she rushed off, leaving to join her teammates in the main fight.

* * *

While Ruby and Mercury were squaring off, Ben had scattered with the rest of the team to take on different opponents. He saw the aforementioned face-off between Ruby and Mercury as well as Kevin, Tetrax and Blake taking on Vulkanus himself. Finally, he saw Weiss, Winter and Yang tussling with multiple minions, trying to clear them out of the room. "Well, you know what they say; more hands are always better." He brought up the Omnitrix and dialed in an old favorite. "Time to go Four—" But before he could finish, he found the tip of a dark green blade pressed up underneath his chin, forcing him to stop. "—arms?"

"Ah-ah-ah. No sudden moves." Emerald wagged her finger as she drew closer to the hero, keeping her sickle blade pressed against his jaw. "We wouldn't want any _accidents_ to happen, now would we?"

"You make a _fantastic_ point." Ben said as he looked down at her. "So, I'll just stand here and do nothing, at least until they notice us."

"Then I'd better make this quick." But then, just before Ben thought she would slice, an intrigued expression came to Emerald's face. "You know, even though you roughed up my partner, you ARE pretty cute."

"Heh, flattery will get you nowhere with me, Emmy. Besides, I'm happily taken."

"By Xiao-Long, yeah. Rojo had a feeling you two were close." Emerald rolled her eyes. "But honestly, I think you're rolling with the wrong crowd here."

Ben quirked a brow. "What do you mean by that?"

Emerald narrowed her eyes. "Depends, how much do you know about our cause?"

The hero shrugged. "Pretty much everything. Salem wants to get rid of all hope in the world and to do that, she's seeking out the Maidens. Once she has them all, then she can start REALLY conquering things."

Emerald smirked and she pulled her sickle away and crossed her arms. "Oh, so _very_ close. However, it seems that the general's neglected to tell you a few things."

Ben's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"Hmm, well for one, Salem's plans aren't as malicious as you think." Emerald put her hands on her hips. "In fact, Salem's actually doing all of this for the _betterment_ of the world, trust me."

The hero narrowed his eyes, getting his hand ready to quickly go for the Omnitrix. "Really? And why _should_ I trust you?"

Emerald's smirk increased, and Ben could swear he saw a glint of… mischievousness in her eye? "Because I'm willing to tell you things that General Iron-dolt won't."

"Sorry, not interested." Ben went for the Omnitrix but was stopped again when he heard a familiar voice.

"Ben! Wait!" The hero looked behind him to see Gwen sprinting down one of the mine tunnels toward them, exasperation written all over her face. She breathed hard as she stopped right next to them. "Don't… do it… yet." she breathed out.

"Gwen?" Ben went over to help his cousin but she held up her hand.

"It's okay, I just need some space. I had to fight my way in here." Gwen regained her composure and stood up straight. "Okay, I know this is going to sound crazy, but… maybe we should hear Emerald out."

"…You're right, that does sound crazy." Ben rebutted. "What in the heck are you talking about, Gwen?!"

Gwen raised her hand slightly to try and reason with her cousin. "Ben, listen, I've had the sneaking suspicion that Ironwood hasn't been completely one hundred percent honest with us. It feels like there's more to Salem's plans than what he's told us. Besides, we've been here for over a week already and we haven't made much progress in finding out what Salem's really up to OR finding a way home. Maybe if we hear Salem out, she'll be able to help us get back to our world."

"Oh, so what? You just want to go and betray Yang, Ruby, Pyrrha, Jaune, EVERYONE?!" Ben shouted back. "Gwen that's ridiculous!"

"Ben, for all we know, THEY could be in on it too." Gwen's shoulders sagged. "I don't like the idea as much as you do, but I miss our home and I want to go back. Please, consider it for a second."

Ben's head was wracked with emotions. Betray them all? The friends that they had all made? The bonds that they had forged? All for the sake of going home? "B-but… Yang…"

"Ben." The hero turned back around to Emerald, offering what appeared to be a kind smile. "She's obviously been lying to you. She doesn't like you. It's all a ploy so that they can have your Omnitrix on their side." The green-haired girl reached up to cup his cheek. "Leave the blonde bimbo and come with me."

The words came out like it was an order, but for Ben, he clearly heard them as an insult. An insult to the young woman that he'd come to care about so much. With his anger sparked, Ben quickly reached up and grabbed Emerald's hand, giving it a hard clench causing her to cry out in pain. "Don't you DARE call her THAT!" he snarled before socking Emerald in the side with a punch from his own fist. He pushed her away, causing her to stagger back into one of the mine carts. Suddenly, a mild pain went through Ben's head as the image of his cousin started to fade from sight, revealing it as an illusion. "I knew something was fishy." Ben rubbed his head. "Gwen would _never_ say something like that."

"Well you almost fell for it!" Emerald yelled as she got up, prepping her sickles again. "But you let your feelings for that dumb bitch get in the way! What in the hell do you see in that bimbo?!"

Ben smirked as he crossed his arms. "I'd be careful with what you say about her, Emerald."

"Ha, why? You gonna do something about—" But then, Emerald's blood ran cold as she felt someone roughly grab her by the collar.

Ben's smirk grew. "No, but _she_ might."

Emerald was forced around until she was looking Yang straight in her glowing red eyes. And she was _not_ happy. "Stay away from my man, bitch!" With a punch straight to the gut, Yang sent Emerald sailing straight into the cave wall, the back of her head smacking against the rock and knocking her unconscious. Yang's eyes flashed back to violet and she jogged over to Ben, instantly enveloping him in an embrace. "Ben! Are you okay? She didn't hurt you, did she?"

Ben rubbed the back of his head. "Heh, well, other than a mild headache, I'm alright." He wrapped his arms around her. "Thanks for coming to my rescue. Also, I'm quite honored that you referred to me as "your man"."

A smile found its way to Yang's face. "Well, yeah. You ARE my boyfriend after all."

"Hah, now that's even more of an honor." Ben's own face began to blush. "So… how would you feel if I called you my girlfriend?"

Yang giggled as she cupped his cheek, drawing her face closer to his. "I think you summed it up perfectly, Green Boy: honored."

Ben closed in as well. "Heh, I'm glad you think so, Goldie Locks." But before anything between them could go further, the two were taken off guard when they saw Kevin get flung into a nearby empty mine cart, knocking it, and himself over. "As much as it pains me to say this… we might have to put this on hold."

"Your right." Yang gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "C'mon, let's go!"

"Right behind you!" Ben followed her to help Kevin up, all the while thinking; _'I am SO happy that she's in my life.'_

* * *

Meanwhile, Winter and Weiss were standing back to back in the middle of the room, surrounded by a horde of pickaxe minions. They had their respective weapons drawn, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. The elder Schnee glanced over her shoulder to her younger sister and spoke; "So, shall we dispense with these troublesome creatures, sister?"

"Indeed." Weiss smiled back over her own shoulder. "However, I think this would be the perfect time to summon some help, wouldn't you agree?"

Winter raised a single brow. "Are you certain? Do you think you can bring in a full size summon?"

"I believe I can." Weiss nodded.

Winter smiled. "Good answer." She turned back to their opponents with her stoic expression returning. "Together now!" The Schnee sisters raised their weapons and created their own glyphs in the floor. From out of Winter's glyph came a large Beowulf, snarling and howling at the creatures. And from Weiss' glyph, much to the heiress' delight, came a full size Boarbatusk, squealing loudly as it emerged.

"Haha! I did it!" Weiss cheered. "A full size Summon!"

"Excellent!" Winter thrust her sword to the crowd of creatures. "Now, we attack!" The sisters charged forth with their snow-white Grimm, commencing their attack. Winter expertly sliced through multiple minions with her swords as her Beowulf did the same with its teeth and claws, albeit much more ravenous than its mistress. Weiss meanwhile was stabbing Myrtenaster through many more of the creatures reducing them to their grey mushy state. As much as it made her stomach churn, she couldn't get sick now. The mission was too important. Plus, she was happy that she had finally Summoned a full-sized Grimm. She observed as the Boarbatusk curled up into a ball and spun rapidly though many more minions, none of them prepared for how fast the creature was. In a matter of minutes, all there was left of the minions was a giant puddle of grey matter, leaving Weiss, Winter and their Summons as the victors.

"Ha! Child's play." Weiss said proudly. "Those little things were nothing compared to us!"

"Do not get cocky, sister." Winter scolded. "This is not over yet."

"Oh, but your little sis is right!" The two turned around to see Rojo giving them a nice, slow, condescending clap. "Those creepy little things really WERE no match for you. Besides, you know what they say…" The bounty hunter reached behind her back and pulled out her rifle, aiming it right at them. "Never send a grunt to do a woman's job."

"You think yourself to be quite high and mighty." Winter pointed her sword at Rojo. "However, I believe you'll find yourself outmatched."

"Heh, lady, you're the ones who brought blades to a gun fight." Rojo pulled the trigger and let loose a powerful laser blast that cut through the air like a knife through butter. However, thanks to her trained reflexes, Winter managed to bring up a white glyph that made the laser bounce off and separate into multiple directions, hitting the cave walls. "Grr, what is with you white-haired gals and snowflake shields?!" Rojo growled.

"Hmm, perhaps it was unwise to bring a laser gun to a glyph fight." Weiss figured.

"You're right. Fortunately, I've got more tricks up my sleeve." Rojo reached into the back of her rifle and pulled out what appeared to be a handle. However, with that one tug, a transformation function was triggered, her rifle configuring into a different shape. Once it was done, a large, bright red, dual edged energy blade protruded from Rojo's weapon, a devious smirk on the woman's face. "HAHA! I love this universe! Every gun is a blade here!"

Weiss blinked in shock. "Alright, I will admit; I should have seen that coming."

"Damn right!" With a loud battle cry, Rojo charged forward and swung her blade, only for Winter to block it with her own. The two clashed blades for a good while, with Rojo growing frustrated with every swing. "Will you just give up already?!"

"My apologies, but I have a job to do." Winter gave a push back and then did a backflip, kicking Rojo in the face and forcing her to stagger back. Winter landed in a crouch as Rojo held her face. "…And I do not intend on leaving until the job is done."

"WHATEVER!" Rojo yelled. "I'm not playing games here anymore!"

Just then, a familiar voice came out of nowhere; "Funny, neither am I!" From a blizzard of rose petals, Ruby appeared and knocked Rojo away with Crescent Rose. The Hooded Huntress turned her head back and saluted her partner. "Hey, Weiss! Am I late?"

"Nope! Just in time!" Weiss joined her and aimed Myrtenaster at Rojo. "Let's do this!"

Rojo picked herself up as her smirk came back. "Ah, so that's how it's gonna be, huh Little Red? Well, it's like the old saying goes;" Rojo grabbed the handle of her blade and pulled it apart, resulting in the weapon separated into a pair of separate single-edged swords. "Two's always better than one!"

"Bring it, Rojo!" Ruby and Weiss charged forward and et Rojo head on, clashing their blades with hers. The plan was simple; confuse Rojo with two different fighting styles. Whilst Ruby's was wild and unpredictable, something that Rojo was used to, Weiss would often interject in their bouts with her own refined style, changing the fight into a fencing match. Rojo would try and deflect Weiss' blade, but that left her to be caught off guard when Ruby fired a shot from her sniper rifle. Rojo's armor absorbed the shot, but the fact she'd stumbled left her only the barest amount of time to dodge Weiss' precise strikes.

"Will you two stop with the mind-fuckery?!" Rojo shouted. "This is getting _extremely_ old!" Weiss and Ruby stopped in place, both of them staring at Rojo. The woman scrunched her face in a sneer. "What're you starin' at?"

A confident grin found itself on Ruby's face. "Oh, nothing."

Weiss sheathed her weapon. "We'll just let the beasts do the talking."

"Beasts? What do you…?" But Rojo trailed off when she felt icy cold breath and drool drip down onto her shoulders. She slowly shifted her gaze around to see both the Beowulf and the Boarbatusk behind her… and they looked hungry. "Oh, hell-AGH!" The Grimm snarled and chomped, trying to get at her face. But Rojo did something she would've considered crazy had she not been wearing armor. She raised her arm and let the beast bite onto it. While it was distracted by that, she felt around the ground until she found one of her blades. With a quick upward thrust, she stabbed the Beowulf in the stomach, making it disintegrate into particles. She got up to her knees just in time to see the Boarbatusk spinning rapidly toward her. Rojo picked up her other blade and combined the two back into their singular blade form, making an upward swing with it as she did so. Her energy sword sliced right through the Grimm, making it disappear in an instant.

"Hey! I just summoned that!" Weiss said indignantly.

"Like I care!" Rojo screamed. "All I know is that I've had it up to HEAR with you bitches! When I'm done with you, I'm gonna—"

"ROJO!" At the panicked yell, Rojo whirled around to see Mercury, having crawled himself over to the unconscious Emerald. He glanced up to her with worry in his eyes, something that Rojo figured didn't happen very often. "She's bleeding from her head! We need to leave NOW!"

Rojo's eyes widened and she turned back to her opponents, glowering at them as she raised her sword in their direction. "We're not finished here. When we meet again, you ALL are gonna be mincemeat!" She clipped her sword to her back and ran for Mercury and Emerald, hoping that she could make it in time. She narrowly avoided Kevin as he flew past her head and landed in a mine cart, causing it to topple over. "Boss Lady, I don't know if you're listening or not, but we need and evac, now!" she whispered to herself.

* * *

Kevin knew two surefire things about Vulkanus; one, he was a jerk. And two; he was an even bigger jerk when it came to getting his way. The Detrovite liked to think he was an adult, but truth be told, Kevin always figured that Vulkanus' present size was equal to his maturity level. No matter how big the metal suit, Vulkanus would always be impetuous, which is why Kevin should have figured that the miner's first move would be to throw something at them. He, Tetrax and Blake dove out of the way as a mine cart sailed past their heads, landing on the ground with a loud BANG! Kevin got up and rubbed his head. "Ya know Vulkanus, I'd thought you'd come up with a better strategy than just throwing stuff."

"Yer one ta talk, Levin!" Vulkanus countered. "I've seen you toss stuff around all the time!"

"Yeah, but at least I don't act like a little kid throwing a tantrum when I do it."

"You shut your face!" Vulkanus shouted before shifting his attention to the Petrosapien. "Tetrax, you and I go way back. You can cut me some slack, right? If ya let me go, I'll give ya a whole ton of this Dust stuff that I've been minin', free of charge! C'mon, whaddya say?"

"I don't deal with the likes of you anymore, Vulkanus!" Tetrax said as he pointed his laser pistol at the criminal. "I'm a different Petrosapien than the one you knew in the past."

Vulkanus narrowed his gleaming eyes. "I see." His robotic hand retracted into his suit and from the hole emerged a large laser cannon, one that he aimed straight at Tetrax's chest. "Then you die!" He took the shot, sending powerful laser heading straight toward the three.

But Tetrax wouldn't have any of it. "Get behind me!" he ordered as he took his gloves off. Blake and Kevin quickly did as they were told and hid behind Tetrax as he raised his hands and blocked the laser. But Vulkanus just kept it going, a continuous laser blast refracting off of Tetrax's crystalline palms. Without uttering a word, the Petrosapien shifted the position of his hands so that the beam was sent back to Vulkanus, forcing him to get out of the way.

Blake peeked out before craning her head up to check on their protector. "Tetrax, you okay?"

"I'm fine, don't worry about me." Tetrax put his gloved back on and took a battle stance. "Right now, we have a mission to accomplish."

Blake nodded. "Right, let's get this done!" The three charged Vulkanus, who was just working on getting himself back up.

"Wha? Oh no you don't!" He fired three laser blasts, forcing Kevin and Blake to scatter. Tetrax, however, dove right over the blasts before grappling Vulkanus back down to the ground. They pushed and shoved against each other as they got up to their feet. "Yer makin' a big mistake, Tetrax!"

"Oh, I know exactly what I'm doing;" Tetrax reached up and grabbed Vulkanus' laser blaster before crushing it in his hand. "The right thing."

"Gah!" Vulkanus pulled away from the fight before inspecting his arm cannon, judging it to be completely wrecked. "You broke it!" The Detrovite took the damaged weapon off of his wrist and brought his robotic hand back out. "You'll pay for that!"

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" From out of the shadows, Blake reappeared and rushed directly toward Vulkanus with Gambol Shroud at the ready. Vulkanus hurled a punch down at her as she ran forward, intending to end her before she could even begin. However, using a vile of Fire Dust, Blake activated her Semblance and made a fiery shadow clone of herself, which Vulkanus ended up hitting instead. It exploded up into his face causing him to stagger back with a yell of surprise.

Vulkanus brushed the smoke away before whirling his head around in several different directions, hoping to find where Blake went. "BAH! Where'd you go, you little worm?!"

From the darkness came only two words; "Right here." Blake ran out from the shadows once more, only this time from behind Vulkanus. With a single slice with Gambol Shroud, she cleaved right through Vulkanus' wrist, taking his right hand clean off. Blake looked over her shoulder and furrowed her brows. "Let's see how far you get with only one hand."

Vulkanus inspected the damaged hand before giving the cat girl a snaggle toothed smirk. "Hah, one's all I need." From the damaged stump popped out a large spinning drill much to Blake's shock. "Now, let's see how far _you_ get with no head!"

As Vulkanus reared back his arm to strike, Blake wore a deadpan expression. "Okay, didn't seen that coming." Vulkanus swung the drill down to crush Blake where she stood, but before he could, Blake made another shadow clone of herself, this time using a vile of Earth Dust. Vulkanus brought the drill down onto the stone caricature, causing it to crumble to dust. Vulkanus sputtered and coughed as the dust wafted up to his face, distracting him long enough for Kevin to charge in, grab him by the waist and pin him against the wall.

"Hey, Vulky! Remember me?!" The stone covered Osmosian taunted. "Ya know, the guy who you forced to absorb Taydenite non-stop?!" His taunting now had an edge to it, his anger beginning to show. "Well guess what? It's time for some pay back!"

"Yer still on that?!" Vulkanus snapped back. " _You_ owed _me_! We were even!"

"Yeah, but it still hurt like hell!" Kevin tossed the Detrovite away before changing his hands into a pair of hammers. "Now, I get to hurt _you_!" He charged ahead, jumping up to swing his hammers down on Vulkanus' head.

"I don't think so!" Vulkanus rolled out of the way and stood up before bringing his drill back down. Kevin counteracted this by constantly swinging his hammers, smacking the drill away as every contact made sparks. But with every blow, Vulkanus backed Kevin closer and closer into the corner, until the Osmosian had nowhere left to go. "End of the line, Levin!" Vulkanus brought his drill down one last time, but to his surprise, Kevin changed his hands back to normal and caught the spinning drill with them, resulting in a near constant spray of sparks. The speed of the drill created heat in Kevin's rocky hands, which as a result, began to make smoke. The smoke's stench entered Vulkanus' nose, making him recoil in disgust. "Gah! That stinks!"

"You know what else stinks?" The now freed Kevin asked. "THIS!" He jumped up and punched Vulkanus right in the face. However, the Detrovite quickly smacked Kevin away, sending him sailing right into a mine cart which toppled over thanks to his wait. "AAH! Oh, come ON!"

Not a moment after, he saw Yang and Ben running over to him, quickly helping him up. "Kevin! You okay, man?" his best friend asked.

"Ugh, yeah, I think." Kevin rubbed his head. "Wasn't planning on takin' the Vulkanus Express, but here we are." He turned back to see that Vulkanus had re-engaged with Tetrax, both of them bashing against one another, with Tetrax having removed his gloves again to use a crystal blade to match Vulkanus' drill. "We need a way to decommission that suit for good."

Blake came out of the darkness yet again, joining them as Winter, Weiss and Ruby made their way over as well. "But how? That suit is filled to the brim with weapons. We need a way to… I don't know, short-circuit it somehow." Blake looked around between her teammates. "Did anyone bring any Lightning Dust?"

"I did." Ruby held up a cartridge full of the electrical substance. "But I'd need to get in a descent shot." She glanced back to the tussle between Vulkanus and Tetrax. "I don't want to hit Tetrax."

"And I do as well." Weiss held up a vile of Lightning Dust. "But I need to get in close to use it."

"It would be very unwise to do so." Winter surmised. "With all of that fighting, we'd be liable to get killed if we got close. We have to pull Vulkanus away."

Just then, a lightbulb went off in Yang's head. "Wait, maybe we don't even _need_ Lightning Dust!" She whirled around to her boyfriend. "Ben, what about Lodestar? He can pull Vulkanus away and maybe even strip that suit off of him!"

Ben smacked his forehead. "Hah! Now why didn't I think of that sooner! Great thinking, Goldie Locks!" he complimented as he pulled his girlfriend into a quick hug. He went to the Omnitrix and dialed in Lodestar. "One living magnet coming up!" He slammed down on the Omnitrix… however, that slam proved to be more than Ben had intended, as what he had transformed into was FAR from Lodestar.

This alien was really big and bulky, his hide a brownish red rocky material with multiple tiny crags and peaks littered around his body. His head consisted mostly of his face, with black fissures running across it. His mouth was huge, with big teeth to match and no lips whatsoever. He had three rocky fingers and one thumb on each hand, his toes a sandy tan color with only three per foot. He wore a pair of black shorts with a green belt and hemline, the only article of clothing to his name. In his abdomen was a swirling red core of molten lava, giving off heat as it glowed intensely. His eyes glowed green as the Omnitrix took place at the center of his forehead, ending the transformation. The alien looked himself over before coming to the conclusion; "I am NOT Lodestar."

Yang's eyes widened in shock. "No kidding. What happened? You dialed in Lodestar, right?"

The alien sighed as he pointed to the Omnitrix. "Yeah, but this thing likes to give me the wrong thing once and a while."

"Well, it's better than nothing." Weiss surmised. "Besides, now your big enough to enter the fight." She pointed over to the aforementioned brawl with fearless vigor. "Now go over there and show 'em what you can do!"

The alien shrugged. "Sure… just as soon as I figure out what this guy does."

Team RWBY's eyes all collectively widened in shock. "WHAT?!" they exclaimed simultaneously.

"Yep, this guy's new." The rocky creature admitted. "Never seen 'im before in my life." He moved his body around to face his best friend. "Kev, any idea?"

Kevin gave a slow nod as he placed his hand to his chin. "I HAVE seen this kind of alien before in the Plumber database. Can't remember its specific name, but I do remember its powers because they're cool as hell. You're literally a living planet with the ability to control gravity. How does that sound?"

The alien wore a flabbergasted expression as he shifted his gaze down to Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang, who were all wearing the same shocked look. The five teens exchanged glances before a smirk came to the alien's face, with the four girls following suit. "Oh, THIS is gonna be fun." The alien pounded his fist into his palm before running forward to the battle.

* * *

"Why. Won't. You. Give UP?!" Vulkanus hollered as he slammed his drill against Tetrax's crystal blade "I've taken this mine fair and square! And I'm not about to let you kick me out!"

Tetrax panted as he pulled back from Vulkanus' onslaught, hoping to catch his second wind. "Heh, I guess some things just never change. You've always acted like a child, Vulkanus. It's always been about getting your way. Well guess what? Your way doesn't fly around here!"

"Shut UP!" Vulkanus screamed as he ran forward, intending to drill Tetrax's crystalline skull in. The bounty hunter braced himself to take the impact against his blade… but it never came. Instead, he watched on as a rocky hand came down and grabbed Vulkanus by the back of his neck and flung him into a far wall, slamming on the ground soon after. Tetrax gaze up at his savior… a Galilean?

The alien waved at him. "Hey Tetrax, sorry I'm late."

"Ben?" Tetrax stood up as he retracted his blade and put his glove back on. "I didn't know that you could become a Galilean."

"Oh, so THAT'S what this thing is?" Ben shrugged his rocky shoulders. "Well, I didn't know either. I JUST unlocked it."

"Tetrax!" Kevin called over as he, Winter and Team RWBY ran over. "You good, man?"

"I am, thank you." Tetrax confirmed with a nod. He looked back to Vulkanus as the Detrovite climbed up to his feet. "But something tells me that this isn't over yet."

"It's okay." Yang reassured. "I know that Ben's got this." She winked at her boyfriend. "Don't ya Green Boy?"

"Oh you know it." Ben winked back with a thumbs up before turning back to his opponent. "Come on, Vulkanus, let's dance!"

Vulkanus growled as his drill began spinning again. "I'm gonna split you up into a million tiny pieces!" He charged in and slammed the drill against the alien's hard upper crust… and pulled it away when the tip was severely damaged by the impact, much to his shock.

"Yeah, I don't think so. Now, let's see what happens when I do… THIS!" The Galilean raised his hand and a blue aura appeared around it, signaling the activation of his powers. Instantly, Vulkanus was shot back like a rocket into the nearest wall, slamming hard against it.

"That is SO cool!" Ruby exclaimed as she jumped up and down. "Do it again!"

"If you insist!" The Galilean raised his arms up and down, bashing Vulkanus into the roof and floor of the mine, much to everyone's amusement. The alien spun his arm around, which in turn, spun Vulkanus around as well. "HAHA! Oh, this alien is DEFINETLY a keeper!" He stopped his powers and Vulkanus fell to the ground with a thud, the miner groaning as he kept his face down to the ground. "Had enough, Vulkanus?"

Vulkanus growled as he stood up again. "Hardly. You forget, I've got backup. Rojo!" However, no response came. Vulkanus looked around the room, searching desperately for the bounty hunter. "Rojo?! ROJO! Where the hell are—"

"Hey, Vulkanus!" The Detrovite did a one-eighty to see Rojo standing far behind him on the side of the room, with Mercury supporting the unconscious Emerald on the ground. Next to Rojo was a mine cart full of yellow crystals; Lightning Dust. She had taken it off of the tracks and dragged it over to them, intending to take it with her. "Sorry to steal and run, but I've got an injured teammate who needs a doctor. I'm leaving and taking my Dust, thank you very much."

"WHAT?!" Vulkauns glowered at her. "We had a deal! That Dust for a spot on yer—"

"The deal's off, Vulkanus!" Rojo shot back with a swipe of her arm. "You chose to play by your rules and it cost us, so you're being let go!" She held onto the mine cart as murky, pitch-black darkness began surrounding her, Mercury and Emerald. She glanced past Vulkanus, making eye contact with the hero. "We'll tussle again, Tennyson, and when we do, you won't be so lucky! But for now, do what you want to Vulkanus, I don't care."

"ROJO!" Vulkanus rushed toward the three vanishing villains, hoping to hitch a ride. However, they were gone before he could even get to them. "NO! Come back here, NOW!" He whirled around and pointed a finger at the heroes. "This is all YOUR fault! If you hadn't come here, my place with them would've been assured!"

"Yeah? Well now it's not." Ben crossed his rocky arms. "So, you ready to give up?"

"Hardly. I've still got one last trick up my sleeve!" Vukanus pressed a button in the palm of his hand, and in an instant, his pectorals and abdomen opened up to reveal multiple missile racks filled with rockets. The heroes, in both surprise and a bit of fear, backed away from Vulkanus as his thumb hovered over the button again. "If I can't have this mine, THEN NO ONE WILL!" And with that, he pressed the button and fired the rockets at the group, intending to end this once and for all.

But Ben wouldn't have it. "Everyone, get to cover!" The group scattered behind a group of empty mine carts as the Galilean activated his powers yet again. He attempted to stop the projectiles, but instead, the rockets ended up circling around him in a continuous loop, much to his confusion. "Um, what the heck's happening?"

"Ben, you're a planet!" Weiss reminded him. "Maybe you have your own orbit!"

"Which is pretty neat, all things considering!" Blake added.

Ben let that fact sink in before he heard his girlfriend call out to him. "Hey Ben!" He shifted his eyes over to Yang who was giving him a knowing smile. "You thinking what I'm thinking?!"

The Galilean smiled back at her. "Yeah, return to sender! And I know just how to do it." Ben focused back on Vulkanus before curling up his arms and legs, changing his body into a micro-planet with his face being the only body part visible. The rockets speed increased around him as his gravity got stronger. Then, just before he started to pull in other things around him, he slingshot the rockets away, straight back at Vulkanus.

The Detrovite's face fell as he knew his freedom was soon at an end. "Aw, shi—" BOOM! The rockets made impact and the metal suit blew up, sending Vulkanus' infantile body straight at the wall. Team RWBY all cringed at the sight of Vulkanus' true form.

"EW!" Ruby winced. "He's even grosser than I imagined."

Weiss almost gagged. "Gah, that is just NOT right."

"How does something that small have a head THAT big?" Blake questioned.

"Don't know, don't _want_ to know." Yang emphasized. "But hey, at least we caught him."

The group made their way over to Vulkanus, who was attempting to scramble away with his tiny baby limbs. But it was for naught as Ben used his gravity powers to pick him up and look him right in the eye. "So Vulkanus, how does it feel to be in the gravitational grip of… of…" The Galilean turned around to his teammates. "What should I call this guy?"

Weiss pondered for a moment before giving her suggestion. "Maybe… Planetoid?"

"Hmm… it definitely sounds cool." The Galilean agreed. "But at the same time, I usually like to have a pun in there somewhere, or at least a play on words."

"Perhaps Zero-G?" Winter proposed. "Considering that you ARE a planet."

"Oh, now _that's_ closer to what I'm looking for… hmm, what else is there?"

Ruby whispered into her sister's ear, to which Yang smiled before whispering back into Ruby's ear. The two focused back on Ben as they pitched their name. "Okay, how about…" Yang began before both sisters shouted out; "Gravattack!"

The Galilean let the name run through his head before he shouted the name out, the yell echoing through the cave; "GRAVATTACK! I like it!" Gravattack brought Yang and Ruby in for a slightly awkward group hug. "Thanks ladies, that's an awesome name!"

"Great, fantastic." Kevin said half-heartedly. "Now can we please cuff Vulkanus? I kinda want to go home already."

"Oh, right!" With a bright flash of light, Gravattack changed back into Ben, letting Vulkanus fall back to the ground. "Let's take him away!"

In one fell swoop, Tetrax reached down and grabbed Vulkanus' arms, putting a pair of energy cuffs. "Sorry, Vulkanus. But you're going back to jail, and something tells me that you won't be seeing the light of day again for a LONG time." Vulkanus could only grumble as Tetrax hauled him out of the cave, with everyone following close behind.

Everyone except Kevin, that is. He hung back for a moment, staring at the minecarts full of Dust. He remembered what Emerald had said, about the latent power within these crystals. _'Maybe… maybe if I absorbed some of that stuff, then I could use that power without the all the bad side effects that usually happen when I absorb energy.'_ His hand absentmindedly reached for one of the Dust crystals. _'Just gotta experiment a little bit…'_

"Hey Kev!" Ben called from the mine tunnel. "You comin'?"

"On my way!" Kevin answered. He lowered his gaze back to the Dust before he shook the thought away from his head. "Gah, an experiment for another day Kevin. Besides, you don't steal anymore. And Gwen would be upset if you do." He went back to the tunnel, jogging after his friends. _'…But maybe Ironwood knows where to get Dust crystals legally.'_

* * *

With a mighty yell, Nora brought her hammer down on the last of the pickaxe minions, splattering it into grey mush across the ground. She shouldered Magnhild and wiped the sweat away from her forehead, grateful that the little pests had finally stopped coming. "Phew! Didn't know you could work up a sweat in the snow even without heavy winter coats. So, did we get them all?"

"Think so." Coco responded as she put her rotary cannon back into handbag mode. "Guess all that's left is to wait for Ben and the others to come out." She gave Cooper a wink. "Then we can go home and have some fun."

Cooper blushed at the action. "Heh, yeah, we can."

Just then, Velvet's ears perked up as she heard footsteps echoing from inside the tunnel. "Wait a moment, I think I hear them coming!" True to form, Ben and the others emerged from the tunnel not a moment after, with Vulkanus being hauled out under Tetrax's arm. "Haha! They were victorious!"

Neptune waved over to them. "Hey guys! You got him!"

"Nice work, Ben." Gwen gave her cousin a high five.

"Thanks, cous'." Ben observed the area around him, taking in all of the splattered mud on the ground and trees. "Man, you guys really did a number on 'em."

"We did indeed." Ren nodded. "So, what do we do with all of this grey mud?"

"It should meld into the ground with no ill side effects." Tetrax explained. "Think of it as… biodegradable. But regardless, excellent job, everyone. You all handled the mission very well today."

Sun set his Ruyi Jingu Bang across his shoulders. "Yeah, we're pretty bad. The good kind of bad, just to clarify."

Blake approached him and gave him a little shove on his shoulder. "Yeah, I bet you were. No showboating at all, right?"

"Eh, not _much_. Just a little." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "So, ready to go home?"

Blake let out a sigh before answering. "Yes, I am. I miss my dog."

Sun chuckled as everyone began to make their way back to the hover boards. "Hehe, yeah, I know. I'm sure that she'll be excited to see her mama."

Meanwhile, Jaune and Pyrrha did a double take on the strange baby-like creature. "Wait, THAT'S the guy we were so worried about?!" Jaune exclaimed.

"Yes, he is quite… diminutive." Pyrrha commented.

If Vulkanus could've crossed his arms in a huff at that moment, he would have. "Hmph, well you're no spring chicken, lady."

"What was that?!" Jaune pointed Crocea Mors at Vulkanus. "Take that back, Shortstuff!"

"Make me, Noodle Arms!"

"Alright, alright!" Ironwood stepped in between them, raising his arms to prevent any further fighting. "We have our perp, so I'd say our job is done here."

"Indeed." Glynda agreed. "We need not pick fights with the criminal, Jaune. So please refrain from doing so."

Jaune and Vulkanus scowled at each other before turning their heads away. "FINE." both of them said indignantly.

However, as they got on their hover board, Pyrrha nudged Jaune with her shoulder. "Thank you for defending my honor, Jaune. That was very sweet."

The knight's face quickly became beat red as he rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, heh, no problem, Pyr. Trust me, your honor is worth defending." He mentally slapped himself for coming off as extremely corny, but to his surprise, Pyrrha's hold on him became softer as they ascended up to the Resolute. _'W-wait, did she like that?'_ A smile crept its way onto his face. _'Hah, maybe it wasn't as corny as I thought.'_

As Ben and Yang flew up on their board, with Weiss and Ruby flying right beside them, Nora and Ren flew up on their board, the Pink Dynamo eagerly asking about what went down in the mine. "Soooo, what happened in there? Was it fun? Did you get to hit a bunch of stuff? I want ALL the details here!"

Ben chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Heh, don't worry, I'll fill you guys in when we get back home. I've got a BIG surprise for you guys when we get back home." Ben's face slightly grimaced "But we _did_ have a bit of an unexpected encounter. Turns out Rojo, Emerald and Mercury had found Vulkanus before we did."

Gwen was shocked to say the least as she and Kevin floated up on their mana platform. "What?! You guys faced Salem's forces and you DIDN'T call for back up?"

"Hey, yeah, what's the big deal?" Coco asked as she and Cooper flew near as well, with Neptune, Velvet, Yatsu and Fox bringing up the rear. "We all got stuck mulching grunts when we could've been in there helping you fight the big bads?"

"I have to agree." Cooper said. "What if one of you had gotten hurt?"

"Guys, please relax." Yang said, trying to calm the two down. "If anything, one of _them_ got hurt after messing with my boy's brain." She ruffled Ben's hair. "Besides, we managed to fight 'em off." Her face fell slightly. "Though I kinda wish they didn't get away with what they wanted."

"What did they take?" Ironwood asked as he and Glynda drew closer on their board. "Dust, I assume?"

"Yeah, a whole mine cart full of Lightning Dust." Ben confirmed. The Resolute's hatch opened, allowing everyone to fly in and get off of their boards. Tetrax left the room to toss Vulkanus in the brig while Ben continued to debrief Ironwood. "They said they needed it for some kind of experiment."

"I see." Glynda put a finger to her chin in contemplation. "It's probably to power some sort of machine needed for the experiment itself."

"At the very least, they absconded with only one cart." Winter pointed out. "The rest of the Dust has been left untouched."

"Very good." Ironwood commended. "I will inform the mayor of Essen that the mines are safe to work in once more. Salem's forces might have gotten away, but rest assured, we WILL find out what they're planning. But for today, you all did an excellent job! Great work, everyone."

Ben stared after Ironwood as he left, his eyes narrowing slightly as he recalled what Emerald had said to him. As he took his seat between his cousin and his girlfriend, he whispered to the both of them. "Gwen, Yang, I need to talk with you both. It's important."

Gwen was quick to listen in. "What is it, Ben?"

"Yeah, we're all ears." Yang leaned in as well.

Ben glanced over to the blonde. "Okay, so when Emerald was messing with my head, she said; "the general's neglected to tell you a few things". Now, I'm not usually inclined to believe a bad guy, but as much as I like Ironwood, I have a feeling that he may be hiding something."

Yang furrowed her brows. "So… you're saying that Ironwood didn't tell us the truth?"

"Oh, I _know_ he did, but I'm not sure if he told us the WHOLE truth." Ben clarified. "And again, it's only a _maybe_."

Gwen shifted her eyes over to Ironwood, who was busy happily chatting with Glynda over in the corner. "Well… I guess that there's only one way to find out. When we land in Vale, we ask Ironwood if there's anything he forgot to tell us."

* * *

**A/N: OH MAN! Told you it was a doozy. That chapter was long as hell (again, future me speaking, chapters only get longer from here), but honestly, I've come to accept that with chapters that are mostly fighting. But in any case, Vulkanus has been apprehended once again and the heroes are headed home for a nice rest. But before that… Next Time! Gwen, Ben and Yang confront Ironwood about any further secrets that might be hidden from them. But in the meantime, the villains return to Salem's castle, and more is revealed about the mad doctor's experiment. Thanks for reading, everyone! See ya!**


	38. Hard Truths

**A/N: Hey guys! New chapter time! Now, I wanted to bring this up at the end of the last chapter, but I was so tired from writing it all that I had forgotten to include it in the Author's Note. That being said; Gravattack! Yep, I said I'd include some aliens from Omniverse and this big guy's only the beginning! Say what you will about Omniverse itself, but it had some pretty cool alien designs with cool powers to boot (for the most part anyway). But, in any case, it's time to get on with today's chapter! This is…**

**Chapter 38: Hard Truths**

* * *

As the automatic doors slid open to the brig of his ship, Tetrax, with Vulkanus underslung in his right arm, walked in to the awaiting room. The rest of the captives, Clancy, Ssserpent, and Argit, all gazed up at their jailer with apathetic stares, all of them still unhappy with their living arrangements. However, their interests piqued when Tetrax held Vulkanus by the skin of his neck and opened a cell before tossing the diminutive Detrovite inside. "I hope you enjoy your new living accommodations, Vulkanus." Tetrax said as he closed the cell before Vulkanus turned around and pounded his baby hands against the forcefield barrier. "My apologies if the present company isn't to your liking. But I believe the human phrase is… "deal with it"."

Vulkanus narrowed his eyes at the Petrosapien. "I'll have my revenge, Tetrax. Against you, Tennyson, and everyone else on this stinkin' ship. Once I get out, I'm gonna—"

"AHAHAHA!" Vulkanus whirled around to whoever DARED to laugh at him. There, he saw Argit, having fallen to his back in hysterics. The alien miner sneered as Argit wiped a tear away from his eye. "Ahaha, you'll what? Stink up your diaper? Teethe on the ship controls? HA! C'mon lil' Vulky, you're REALLY in no position to make threats."

"You shut yer yap, Argit!" Vulkanus snapped back. "You owe me more than anyone on my list, so I wouldn't say stuff like that if I were you!"

"Ha! How amusssing." Ssserpent hissed. "Perhapsss if you were not ssso ssself-confident, you would not be in the posssition you are now, sssmallfry."

"What was that, Fangface?!"

Tetrax stomped his foot, making the room shake and gaining the prisoners attention. "Enough! By the Sand Rippers of Khoros, can't _any_ of you be quiet? You're on my ship, and you're behind bars. Get used to it."

Just then, the automatic doors opened again, with Ben, Yang, Gwen, Ruby and Kevin all coming in at once. The Omnitrix bearer stopped and looked up at his bounty hunting friend. "Tetrax, is everything okay? We heard a rumbling noise and—"

But Tetrax raised his hand. "It's alright, Ben. Everything's under control." He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder at the holding cells. "Just trying to get the prisoners to listen to authority." Without warning, Clancy launched forward and slammed against his energy cell, surprising both Ben and Tetrax. As the bug man growled and hissed at the hero, Tetrax couldn't help but be surprised at how much activity the mutant was showing. "Hmm, he only barely moved when I came in. Does he really hate you that much?"

"Yeah, pretty sure he does." Ben shrugged. "Though I have no idea why."

Kevin made a spinning motion with his finger next to his head. "Must be the mutation juices affecting his brain. Let's get outta here."

"H-hey! Kev, wait a sec!" Kevin grimaced at the familiar voice. He moved back around to see Argit, frantically waving to him inside his cell. "I've been meaning to talk to ya, ol' buddy!" The alien rodent shouted.

Kevin knew he would regret asking what came out of his mouth next. The Osmosian sighed and said; "What is it, Argit? And if you're about to plead for your freedom, you've got another thing coming."

"Hah! What, me? Ask for freedom? Haha, no, no, no, I wasn't about to ask that." However, Kevin, Gwen, and Ben all crossed their arms and raised a single brow, having grown wise to the con man's schtick by now. And, just to add insult to injury, Ruby and Yang decided to join in on the scrutinizing stare down, even though they had just the bare amount of idea at what was going on. With a sigh of defeat, Argit relented. "Ah, okay ya got me. But can ya blame me?! You try being stuck between Bug Breath and Lizard Lips all day. And with Baby Vulky in here, it'll only get worse!"

"And you just expect us to let you go?" Gwen asked. "After everything you've done?"

"H-hey, c'mon, compared to the stuff that these guys've done, I'm the lowest threat here!" Argit pointed to everyone in the cells for emphasis. "So, could you maybe cut me some slack?"

"Where would you even go if you were left out?" Yang pointed out. "We're not gonna let some possum-porcupine alien just wander around in Vale."

"Eh, details, details." Argit brushed off. "So long as I'm outta this cramped space, I'll be golden."

Ruby smirked as an idea came to her head. "Alright then, how 'bout we cut a deal?"

Kevin gave Ruby a questioning glance. "What? Ruby, what're you thinking?"

"Shh!" Ruby pressed a finger to her lips. "I've got this." she whispered before glancing back to Argit. "So, obviously, we can't let you roam free through Vale. You'll scare everyone. BUT… what if you stayed here and helped Tetrax out? Ship repairs, prisoner management, equipment maintenance, you know, that sort of stuff?"

Tetrax put a finger to his chin. "Hmm… I could use the extra help around here."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on there, hood girl." Argit pointed a sharp finger in Ruby's direction. "What's the catch here?"

"The catch is having room to walk in the roof over your head if you agree to the terms." Ruby explained. "And if you don't, you can just stay in that cell."

"And how do you know he won't try to escape?" Ben inquired. "Argit's had a bad history of going back on his word."

"Aw gee, thanks Benny-boy." Argit said sarcastically. "Really appreciate it."

"It's okay, he'll play nice." Ruby wore a sly smirk. "Because if he tries to escape, I'll hunt him down myself and bring him back kicking and screaming."

"HA! You?!" Argit laughed. "Little Red fancy pants over here with her blouse and pretty skirt?! Please, what can you do to hunt me dow—" In a flash, Ruby pulled Crescent Rose off of her back, the large weapon unfolding before she spun it around and slammed the head down onto the floor, intimidating Argit within half an inch of his life. The rodent-like alien's lower lip quivered before he let out a chuckle. "Uh, heh, alright. Point taken. I-I accept the terms." He stuttered. "Now, uh, could we please put the big scythe away?"

"Of course." Ruby put Crescent Rose back on her clip and glanced up at Tetrax. "Let him out, please."

The Petrosapien nodded. "A deal's a deal."

Meanwhile, Kevin's jaw had went slack. "Ruby… did you just make a threat?!"

Ruby wore a proud smile on her face. "Well, it's admittedly not something I implement often, but you know what they say; fear is a great motivator."

Yang wrapped and arm around Ruby and pulled her into a hug. "I taught you well, little sis."

The moment that Tetrax deactivated the cell, Argit jumped to his feet, laughing in relief. "Hah! Free! Finally free!" He pointed at Vulkanus, Ssserpent, and Clancy, still laughing as he strolled out of his cell. "Haha! In your faces!" They all growled at him in response, but Argit merely shrugged it off. He turned to keep walking, only to bump right into Ben, the hero still with his arms crossed and a stern expression on his face, with Gwen in the same state of judgement. But, like always, Argit tried to make light of the situation. "Ah, man it feels good to be out! Believe me guys, you and your pals won't regret it."

Ben sighed as he let his arms fall to his sides. "Alright, fine. We'll hold you to your word, however little it's worth."

"Man, you have NO faith in me." Argit put his hand over his heart. "That hurts."

"Well, you'll be the one hurting if you don't keep your word." Gwen reminded him. "So keep that in mind and hold on to your promise."

"Cross my heart, hope to die." Argit assured.

"That's actually a possibility." Yang pointed out. "You just talked your way out into a world of monsters that can kill you. VERY violently."

Argit put a finger to his chin. "Oh yeah, heh, that was gonna be my next question… WHERE THE HELL ARE WE?!" he yelled with his eyes widened in panic and his arms flailing wildly.

Gwen massaged her temples lightly with her fingertips. "Ugh, that's right, we have to fill you in on everything don't we?" She let out an exasperated breath as she ushered him out of the room. "Come on, we'll tell you about what's been going on."

"Right behind you!" Argit began to walk out when Kevin picked him up by the collar of his ratty jacket. "Gah, hey!"

"I'm warning you again, Argit. No going back on your word." Kevin narrowed his eyes. "Or else Ruby ain't gonna be the only one huntin' you down, understand?"

Argit simply smiled. "Hey, Kev, come on, when have I ever scared you wrong, huh?" The Osmosian only growled as he shoved Argit out of the door, the two following Gwen to the ship's cock pit.

Ben smirked as the three left. "I give him a week."

"I give him twenty minutes." Yang added cheekily. "Him and Kevin'll be at each other's throats before we even land in the city."

At her sister's words, realization dawned on Ruby on why she had come here with the others in the first place. "Oh yeah! That reminds me!" She craned her head up to look at Tetrax. "Mr. Tetrax, I actually came in here hoping you'd help me with a favor."

"Of course, Ruby." The Petrosapien obliged. "What is it that you need?"

A smirk worked its way to Ruby's lips. "Well, let's just say that a certain relative of mine has some unfinished business with Vulkanus…"

* * *

Qrow stared up at the ceiling of his room, laying down in bed with his foot being supported by pillows. There had been a loud rumbling over the base only a moment before, indicating that the Rock Head's ship had returned. He could only guess that the kids had been successful in their mission, though he wouldn't know unless they came in to see him, which he knew Ruby would. But big part of him still wished he had gone as well. However, he had his chance at the orange oaf known as Vulkanus already, and he was paying the price for trying to go it alone. He sighed as he lowered his head down to gaze at his broken leg. "Ah, this sucks."

"I'll bet." At the sound of the familiar voice, Qrow turned his head to see his oldest niece standing in the door way, a smirk on her face and hands on her hips. "Hey, Drunkle Qrow. How're ya doin'?" Yang asked

Qrow smirked right back. "Heh, not all that good, Firecracker." She gestured to his casts. "As you can see, I'm laid up at the moment."

"Yeah, I heard." The Blonde Brawler began to stroll in, only for her violet eyes to widen in surprise as her sister to come flying past in a flurry of rose petals.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby yelled as she stopped just short of her uncle's bedside. "Are you okay? How bad does it hurt? Do you need anything before we go home—HMPH!" She was stopped short of asking another question as her sister covered her mouth.

"Rubes, our uncle just needs rest right now." Yang reassured as she let go of her sister. "And the last thing he needs is to be bombarded with questions."

"Gotta agree with yer sister here, Shortstack." Qrow nodded before ruffling his niece's hair. "'Sides, I'm fine. A few broken limbs never slowed ol' Qrow down."

"I thought you hated being called "old"." Ruby said with a sly grin.

"Heh, I hate it when _other_ people call me old." Qrow clarified. "I can call myself old anytime. It's all a matter o' principals, girls."

"Hi, ya old bird!" Ben exclaimed as he burst into the room. "How's it hangin'?!"

Qrow grimaced as his nieces burst out in uncontrollable laughter. "Ugh, yeah, kinda like _that_." But then he had an idea as he faced Ben. "They're hangin' fine, Watch Boy. How about yours?"

He got the reaction he was hoping for as Ben recoiled at such a question. Ruby hid her face under her hood and started repeating the words; "GROSS!" and "EW!" into the fabric. But surprisingly, Yang was the one who began to scold him on it. "Uncle Qrow! Ugh, seriously?! You _didn't_ just ask that, right?"

But then, Qrow could practically see a lightbulb go off in Ben's head as he stepped forward. "Hey, it's alright, Yang." The hero winked at her. "I've got this. He wants an answer? Then I'll give him my best." He faced Qrow and gave a gentlemanly bow. "They are well, thank you for asking, good sir."

Qrow was taken aback while Ruby pulled her hood up. "HA! He one-upped you by being polite!" she exclaimed.

"HAHAHA! He did!" Yang laughed as she pat the hero's shoulder. "Too good, Green Boy. WAY too good."

"Heh, thanks." Ben looked back to Qrow. "So, how're you holding up?"

"Eh, can't complain." Qrow shrugged. "Though I'm still pissed at the fact that I got stomped by that big orange idiot."

"Well, I think you'll be glad to hear that we took care of him for you!" Ben called out to the hallway. "Gwen! Bring 'im in!"

From the hallway, Gwen walked in the door, with a large glowing mana sphere floating just above her hand with a set of small airholes in multiple spots. And in said sphere was Vulkanus, his tiny baby-like body folded up in the fetal position as he skulked to himself. The Anodite waved to the bedridden drunk. "Hello, Qrow. I think you remember Vulkanus."

Qrow's eyes widened. "Wait a sec, _that's_ what he really looks like?!"

Vulkanus' scowl hardened. "Yeah, yeah, yuck it up all ya want." He sneered at Gwen. "And if you think I'm apologizin' ta him, you've got another thing comin'!"

"Oh, we're not here so you can apologize." Ruby smirked. "Gwen, open the sphere."

The redhead did so and Vulkanus fell down, with Yang catching him by the skin of the back of his neck just before he made impact with the floor. Yang brought him up to eye level with her. "See, since you're the reason our uncle is all messed up, we figured it'd be best if HE got in the final punch." She craned her head to her uncle. "Well? What do you think, Uncle Qrow?"

"HA! Sounds great!" Qrow waved his hand toward himself. "Toss 'im here."

Vulkanus' eyes widened as he immediately protested against the idea. "W-w-wait, no, no, NO, I'll do anything, please!" But it was too late, Yang tossed him over to Qrow as he reeled back his fist. When he was within striking distance, Vulkanus was dealt a single punch to the face, knocking him out instantly as he landed on Qrows bed.

"Heh, now THAT was satisfying." Qrow said as he shook the pain away from his hand.

"I'll bet." Gwen reformed the multi-holed mana bubble around Vulkanus before exiting the room. She shifted her eyes to Yang and asked; "Alright, NOW we can lock him up for good, right?"

"Sure can!" Yang confirmed before giving a salute to her uncle. "Alright, we're heading off Uncle Qrow. We'll see ya later!"

Ruby gave her uncle a hug. "You'll be over soon, right?"

"Heh, sure, Shortstack. Some point this week, promise." Ruby gave him a wave before she and the others took their leave. But as they left, Qrow couldn't help but notice that Ben and Yang were holding hands as they went down the hall. _'Heh, interesting.'_ he thought with a smirk.

* * *

Ruby wasn't normally apprehensive about this kind of thing. At first, she had been all for it once her sister, Ben and Gwen had told them of their plan after they locked Vulkanus back up. But the more she thought about it, the more she couldn't help but feel intimidated by questioning an _army general_ who they had grown to trust. What if this one prying question ended up with all of them on his bad side? What would happen then? Would they become black listed by the Atlesian Army? These feelings stirred nervously in her gut with every step that she, Ben and Yang took as they walked toward Ironwood's office, striding ever closer to what might be a big mistake. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked with a slight shake in her voice. "Ironwood probably won't like that we're trying to get information out of him."

Yang turned her head around, giving her sister a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Rubes. We've got a plan." Yang winked. "See, you're not the only one we've told about our plan."

Ruby tilted her head. "I'm not?"

"Nope." Gwen pulled out her Plumber's badge. "There is another." She activated the comm unit before speaking into it; "Kevin, is everything set up in the meeting room?"

" _All set."_ The Osmosian replied. _"But everyone's starting to get antsy. They wanna get home as soon as possible."_

"And they will." Gwen assured. "Trust me, this'll only take a few minutes."

" _Well, alright. I'll pass that on to 'em. See you in a bit."_

"Thank you, sweetie. Bye." Gwen pocketed her Plumber's badge, only to be met by an incredulous stare by her cousin. "What?"

"It's… just a little weird hearing you call him "sweetie". Never heard that before." Ben shook his head to clear his thoughts as they finally stopped in front of Ironwood's office. "In any case, we're here, so let's get in there and rip this band aid off, shall we?"

Yang smirked at him. "You got it… sweetie." At the name, Ben froze like a statue as a profuse blush appeared on his face. Gwen and Ruby tried in vain to hide their chortles, but Yang let her own laughter flow as she hugged her boyfriend. "You're okay, Green Boy. It's all okay."

"Heh, yeah, you're right." Ben took a deep breath and raised his hand to knock on the door. "I'm fine." His hand was about to knock, but before he made contact, Ironwood opened the door from the inside, taking the four teens off guard.

"I was wondering what all that noise was." The general smiled. "How's it going, everyone? I'd thought you'd all be back at the island by now."

"And we're going to." Gwen confirmed. "But first, there's something we need to talk to you about."

Ironwood nodded, urging her to go forward. "Of course, go on ahead."

"Not here." Ben raised his palm to stop any further talking. "This needs to be in the meeting room, if you don't mind."

"Um… very well." Ironwood stepped out of his office and followed the four down the hall and to the aforementioned room. He reached for the handle and pushed open the door, but to his surprise, everyone had been gathered in the room. Winter, Weiss, Blake, Sun, Neptune, Team JNPR, Team CFVY, Cooper and Kevin were all sitting around the table, their focus squarely on Ironwood as he entered the room. "What in the… why is everyone in here?"

"That's what we'd like to know." Coco said as she kicked her legs up on the table and reclined in her chair. "All we know is that Kev asked us to come here for some reason."

"Is there something wrong, general?" Velvet asked worryingly. "We aren't in trouble, are we?"

"What? Of course not." Ironwood shook his head. "I'm just as confused as you are." He moved back around to face, Ben, Yang, Gwen and Ruby as they entered the room. "What's the meaning of this meeting?"

Ben sighed as he crossed his arms. "General… something troubling has been brought to my attention. When we were fighting Salem's forces inside that cave, I had a run-in with Emerald. She used her Semblance to make an illusion of my cousin, trying to goad me into joining her side. But she also said something that I can't get out of my mind; "I can tell you things that Ironwood won't"."

Ironwood raised a brow. "Are you implying that I haven't been telling you the truth?"

"Believe me, I KNOW you've told us the truth." Ben glanced over to Pyrrha. "Some of us have even _lived_ that truth." Ben gave the Invincible Girl a nod to which she nodded back. The hero focused back on Ironwood. "But, while I'm not one to believe a bad guy, I couldn't help but feel that Emerald was speaking to me as if she knew something that I didn't. General, we want to help, but we can't do that if we don't know the whole truth. If there's anything you're keeping from us, please, let us in."

Ironwood chuckled. "Heh, Ben, I've pretty much told you everything you all need to know at this point."

"James, you know that isn't true." With widened eyes, Ironwood shifted his eyes to the door to see Glynda enter the room, a somewhat downtrodden expression written across her face. "I heard everything."

Ironwood took a step toward her. "Glynda, I… I didn't know that you were here."

The headmistress raised a hand, signaling him to stop. She looked back up to him with pleading eyes. "James, we both know that Ben is right. On the day after the attack, you said yourself that they are not children anymore. And they have proven that throughout this past week. It's time that they heard the whole story. The one we SHOULD have told them the first time."

"Wait, so you _were_ keeping something from us?!" Jaune got up from his seat, a glare focused entirely on the general. "Why?! I thought we were through with secrets!"

Weiss glanced to her sister. "Winter, did you know about this?"

"I am afraid not, little sister." Winter shifted her icy stare at Ironwood. "Although I must admit, I am now quite curious, _sir_." She addressed him sharply.

Meanwhile, Jaune was still seething, so Pyrrha reached up and gently grasped his shoulder, hoping to calm him down. "Jaune, please sit. We don't need this to become a fight." The blonde knight locked eyes with Pyrrha, her green-eyed gaze calming him substantially. Reluctantly, he sat back down, but he made a point to keep his frustrated sights on Ironwood with his arms crossed on the table. Pyrrha turned back to the general, though she couldn't help but also harden her stare on the man. "Alright, now please speak your peace, general. What have you been keeping from us?"

Scanning around the room, Ironwood could tell that he had been backed into a corner, with everyone either giving him glares or worried faces. But one emotion broke through all of those gazes into one collective whole; disappointment. They were disappointed in him for not telling them with the whole truth. And in all honesty, he couldn't blame them. Because he felt disappointed in himself as well. He let his shoulders sag, giving a defeated and exasperated sigh. "It's true. I haven't been one-hundred percent honest with you all. But not because I don't trust you, because I would trust ALL of you with my life. The reason I didn't tell you was because… I didn't want to worry you. I didn't want to _scare_ you."

"What could possibly worry or scare us more than a witch who wants to take over the world?" Nora asked. "That's kinda already scary to begin with if you haven't noticed."

Ironwood lowered his gaze. "The means in which she plans to do it. THAT is what's so frightening."

"The Maidens, right?" Ren inquired. "We know that they're powerful, but we've been training ourselves to—"

"There's no amount of training that could prepare you for what Salem has planned." Ironwood said solemnly. He gazed out the window, right at the ruins of Beacon Academy. "The Maidens are essential to her plan, yes. But that is merely the tip of the iceberg. You see, with every Maiden, there is also a corresponding ancient Relic. These four Relics are also said to hold immense power within them. Power which Salem wishes to get her hands on."

A silence resounded throughout the room before it was broken by Kevin. "…You're kidding me."

"I wish he was." Glynda admitted. "If Salem succeeds in bringing all four together, she could change the very world as we know it. It will all but ensure her victory. That is why we did not want to tell you, so that you wouldn't be consumed by worried thoughts about what might happen."

"Okay, that DOES sound bad." Sun admitted. "But, at the same time, all we have to do is find these things before Salem does."

Blake gave a nod. "Sun's right, we need to find the Relics. So where do we start?"

"A search isn't necessary." Ironwood shook his head. "We already know where they all are. They have been kept safe for years in four separate places… the Academies of Vale, Atlas, Vacuo, and Mistral."

"Hold up!" Coco raised her hand. "So you're telling me that you were worried about something that you guys were already guarding in the first place?! That's kinda stupid if you ask me."

"I'll admit, that IS a little silly." Cooper agreed. "Why would we need to worry if all of these things are under lock and key?"

"Because if Salem gets her hands on even ONE of the Relics, she could have enough power to strengthen her forces ten-fold." Ironwood grimaced. "And right now, the Relic held within Beacon's walls is the most vulnerable. Salem's forces could be planning to go back and take it at this very moment, and we are NOT prepared for another attack."

"So why not just go and get it?" Neptune suggested.

"Yes, that is a sound idea." Yatsuhashi agreed while Fox nodded next to him. "Send us in as a search team."

"I admire your tenacity, but it isn't that simple." Ironwood explained. "You see, only the Relic's respective Maiden is capable of opening the vault."

"So Cinder's the key?!" Yang clenched her fist. "Damn it."

"That's a bit of a snag." Ben pondered. "Well, if we can't open it, the least we can do is find the vault and guard it." The hero turned to Glynda. "You've got people up there already, right, Miss Goodwitch?"

"I do. And security has increased around the three other academies as well. However, General Ironwood is right, we are still quite vulnerable to attack in our present state." Glynda sat down in a chair, contemplating the current state of affairs. "I doubt that even the students and teachers who chose to stay and help in rebuilding are prepared for another attack if it comes. Perhaps if I had been more prepared to take up the role of headmistress, I could have gotten a better handle on things."

Ruby put a hand on Glynda's shoulder. "Professor Goodwitch, I know you weren't prepared to take this jo, but… I know Professor Ozpin would want us to keep going. You were his right hand for a reason, and I think it's because he knew that you'd be a great leader if anything happened to him. I'm positive that you'll be a great headmistress when the school opens again."

Glynda smiled as she set her own hand over Ruby's. "Thank you very much for the kind words, Ruby. And you are right." She stood up tall and proud. "Professor Ozpin chose me for a reason. And I'll be damned if I let this school go down with him."

Gwen pondered what the headmistress was saying. "Hmm, I really wish we could have met Ozpin ourselves. Maybe he'd have an idea on how to go forward from here."

"He definitely sounds like a guy who'd have a lot of info." Kevin agreed. "Maybe a secret or two of his own."

"Having known the man for years, I'm certain that Oz had plenty of them." Ironwood concurred. "Some that he probably didn't even tell me. But, as we all know, he is gone. And with him, any secrets he may have held." The general looked across the room at all of the young faces present. "But in any case, I must apologize to you all for keeping this information secret. I wasn't sure how you would react to these life changing revelations. But from now on, no more secrets are going to be kept from you. I swear on my life."

From where they were sitting, Jaune and Pyrrha's judgmental gazes softened a little bit before they shifted their gaze toward each other. With a nod of understanding, they both focused back on Ironwood. "Alright, general." Jaune said. "We're taking your word on this. But if any more heavy stuff like this comes up, we want to be told immediately."

"And you will." Ironwood assured. "I promise."

Pyrrha exhaled before standing up. "Very good, thank you. I believe we've all had enough of secrets, correct?"

Coco stood up as well with her team following suit. "Couldn't agree more, sister. Now c'mon, let's head home. After today, I could use a nice relaxing afternoon."

"Right there with you." Cooper agreed as he walked side by side with her out of the room. "All of these secrets have got me exhausted."

Weiss rose up out of her chair and faced her sister. "Well, guess it's back to the island for me. I take it you're staying?"

Winter got up as well. "Indeed, there is still much to be done here. However, I will still be over to visit from time to time." She gave her sister a hug. "Until then, little sister."

"Right. And again, thank you so much for helping me with my Summoning." Weiss' smile grew. "And I promise that I'll keep working at it."

"I'm sure you will. Take care." After one final firm embrace, the Schnee sisters separated, with Weiss leaving the room along with everybody else.

As everyone left the room, Ben, Yang, Gwen and Ruby stayed behind for a few seconds longer as the Hooded Huntress kept speaking with Ironwood. "I know it must not have been easy to tell us, but thank you, general. And don't worry. Whatever happens, we won't let Salem get her hands on those Relics."

"And that's a promise worth keeping." Yang added. "Besides, it would suck if the world was destroyed by a nasty old witch, wouldn't it?"

"Heh, I suppose it would." Ironwood nodded. "Thank you, everyone. It means a lot that you'd go to such great lengths to protect this world. Especially since some of you even aren't FROM this plane of existence."

Gwen shrugged. "What can we say? We're heroes. It's kind of what we do."

"Yes, yes you do." Ironwood stood up and saluted them. "Thank you again, team. We'll continue to update you if anything happens. You're dismissed."

The four teens saluted back, with Ben giving the general a nod. "Thank you, General. We'll keep in touch too." And with that, they turned and left the room, heading back to Tetrax's ship and the island. Ironwood lowered his arm, sighing through his nostrils before looking back to Glynda.

The headmistress gave him a smile. "We did the right thing, James."

"I know we did." Ironwood sat back down next to her with his hands folded on the table. "I just hope that they still trust me after this."

"I'm sure they do." Glynda set a hand on his shoulder. "But from now on, we must be one hundred percent honest with them. No more secrets."

"Indeed." Winter said. "Still, I still wonder what Salem's forces needed all of that Lightning Dust for in the first place…"

* * *

The first thing that Emerald felt when she woke up was an immense pain in the back of her head, causing her to wince just as she was opening her eyes. She took in a sharp breath as her hand went to the painful spot, only for someone to grab her arm and stop her. Her eyes shot open and her other arm swung over on instinct to hit whoever had snared her hand, only for it to be stopped as well. It was then that her eyes landed on the one who had stopped her attack; Rojo. "Whoa, whoa! Hold up there Emmy, you're in no condition for sparring right now." The bounty hunter grinned.

"R-Rojo?" That was when the next sensation hit her; she was in bed. Her bed at the castle. Next to it was an I.V. and some pill capsules on her nightstand. She glanced down at her arm and noticed a bandage where the I.V. had been put in, having since been taken out. "What… what happened?"

"Heh, you took quite the hit back there. The doc had to put four stitches in the back of your head. You're Aura's already working in over time to heal it." Rojo pat Emerald on the back. "So how do ya feel?"

The green-haired girl placed a hand on her forehead. "Ugh, like I got hit by a truck. That bitch hits hard." But then her eyes widened in realization. "Wait, the mission! What about the mission?!"

Rojo gave her a thumbs up. "Mission accomplished. We made off with the Dust after you got hurt. But don't worry, we'll get those twerps next time."

"Wait, you left… because I was hurt?" Emerald was surprised to say the least. No one ever stopped doing anything on her part before. "Why?"

"You have to ask? I'm not about to leave one of my girls to die." Rojo reached around and gave Emerald's shoulder a reassuring shake. "You, me and Cindy, we've gotta watch out for each other, ya know? Gal pals, remember?"

Emerald quirked a brow. "What about Mercury? He's part of our group too, remember?"

"Oh yeah! He can be a gal pal too! Even if he can be a bit of a crybaby sometimes."

Emerald couldn't help but laugh at that, especially after witnessing her partner's outburst when he saw Ben and Yang again. "Hehe, yes, he _can_ be a bit of a whiner. Speaking of which, where is he anyway?"

"Oh, he's down in the lab." Rojo answered. "Waiting on Watts to get finished with fixing his broken leg. How often does he break those metal sticks?"

"Hah, more often than you'd think." Emerald gazed down at her sheets before gazing back to the bounty hunter. "Hey, Rojo? …Thank you for coming to my aid when I needed it. I must admit, I was a bit uncertain when Salem assigned you to our group, but you've more than proven yourself, at least as far as I'm concerned."

"Aw, thanks Emmy. And hey…" Rojo raised a fist. "From now on, let's all watch each other's backs, alright?"

Emerald pounded the fist with her own. "Right." At that moment, the door opened, causing the two to redirect their attention toward it. There, standing on the other side, was Cinder. The Fall Maiden appeared to be exhausted beyond belief, her hair disheveled and large bags beneath her eyes. However, she still walked into the room with a dignified stride, which appeared to take all her will power to do. "Cinder!" Emerald exclaimed. "What happened to you?!"

Rojo smirked when she saw Cinder quickly eye the bed itself. "Hoo boy, the Boss Lady doesn't mess around when it comes to Maiden training, does she Cindy?"

"No, she does not." Cinder daintily sat herself down on the edge of the bed, placing her hand on Emerald's arm. "Are you well?"

"As well as I can be." Emerald shrugged. "I just thanked Rojo for saving my skin back there."

"I see." Cinder shifted her eyes to Rojo. "I believe I owe you thanks as well. Though the heroes escaped, you managed to get everyone out in one piece and claim the main objective at the same time. The orange oaf was a minimal loss."

Rojo's brows furrowed. "Yeah, Vulkanus chose to play by his own rules, and it got him right where he deserves to be. I wasn't about to let an idiot whose ego got my teammate hurt on the squad."

"And you were right to do so." Cinder agreed. "Sever the weak links and keep the strong where they are needed." A rare smile came to the Fall Maiden's face. "Perhaps I was too quick to judge you when Lady Salem assigned you to us. You've certainly proven that you belong among our ranks, Rojo."

"Aw, Cindy, I knew you'd come around!" Rojo reached across the bed, but Cinder raised her hand to stop her.

"No hugs. I do not _do_ hugs" Cinder explained.

Rojo returned her arms and shrugged. "Eh, fair enough. Personal space is good. So, any word on our next job?"

"No, Lady Salem has resigned to her private quarters for the time being. Until we receive our next assignment, we should take this opportunity to… to…" As she spoke, Cinders eyes began to steadily close, the days training having taken its toll on her body. Her eyes shut completely and she slowly began to lean over toward the bed. But the moment she fell on the mattress, she leapt back up, ready to fight anyone. "Wha… WHAT?! What happened?!"

Rojo burst out laughing while Emerald looked away, trying to keep a smile from forming on her face. "You… um… you fell asleep and hit the mattress." The green-haired girl answered.

Cinder's eyes widened as she stood up straight, cleared her throat and put her hands behind her back. "Ahem… I knew that."

"Haha, sure you did." Rojo got up and walked over to the other side where Cinder was. "I think we should take this little lull to get some rest, 'specially you, Cindy. It's obvious that the Boss Lady ran you though the ringer, so let's get you some shut eye."

As much as Cinder hated to admit it, she WAS tired. She had been up since the crack of dawn, practicing to master her Maiden powers with Salem driving her almost to her limit. She relaxed her muscles and gave a defeated sigh. "Well… rest DOES sound pleasant at the moment."

"Yeah, sounds great to me too." Emerald went to put her head down, but shot back up when the back of her head hit the pillow. "Ouch! Ugh, note to self; sleep on the side."

"Heh, yeah, probably best to do that until that wound heals." Rojo agreed. "Well, sleep tight. I'll be in to check on you in a few hours."

"Alright." Emerald set her self on her side and nodded to them. "See you guys later."

Rojo waved at her. "Night, Emmy." Rojo shut the door slowly before turning back to Cinder. "So, want me to tuck you in?"

Cinder scoffed, slightly miffed at Rojo's comment. "Still full of jovial banter, I see."

"You know it, sister." Rojo said proudly. "And there's a lot more where that came from."

* * *

"This SUCKS!" Mercury yelled to the heavens as he sat on a nearby chair as Dr. Watts continued to repair his leg. "How is it that I've had my legs broken THREE times in one month?! Xiao-Long, Tennyson, and now that pathetic Ruby Rose are now ALL on my hit list!"

"Indeed, you've been saying that for the past hour now." Watts said, not even once looking up from the repairs he was doing. "You know, dear boy, perhaps the reason that this keeps happening is that you are too focused on your blind quest for vengeance that it is clouding your thinking. If I may suggest; take a step back and allow yourself too—"

"All I need allowed to me is the use of my legs!" Mercury shot back. "Those three chose to cross the line with me, and they're going to pay for it."

Watts simply shrugged as he lifted the metal appendage and brought it over to the assassin. "Oh well, I certainly tried. If you believe that revenge is necessary, then so be it."

Mercury took the leg and reattached it to its rightful place. "Thank you." he said half-heartedly. "Now maybe we can get some work done around here."

"I couldn't agree more, my boy!" Dr. Animo shouted from the other end of he room. He held one of the Lightning Dust crystals in his hand, basking in the power it radiated. "And with this, my latest mutation device will have the power it requires!"

Mercury raised an eyebrow. "You really think this thing's gonna work?"

"Oh, indeed!" Animo answered instantly. "After many long years of research and development, I have FINALLY found a way to merge and animal's DNA with that of a human's, creating the ultimate life form! I had thought I'd achieved this process many years ago, but the test subject lacked one important detail; retained intelligence from the human brain. But, with your world's technological advancement, the Faunus species, and the assistance of Dr. Watts, I believe we have managed to make a break through! Now, all that is needed is that Faunus DNA, and a few test subjects."

Mercury backed away a little, raising his hands up and pushing them out in the doctor's direction. "Whoa there, doc. I'm not gonna be anyone's guinea pig."

"Ahaha! Oh, fret not, my boy. The Mistress would have my head if I were to use any of her own followers as test subjects." Animo strode over to the other end of the lab and stopped infront of a large object covered in a sheet. He reached up and grabbed hold of the fabric. "Besides, who needs human testers…" he pulled the sheet off and revealed a large cage filled with sewer rats, making Mercury recoil in disgust. "…when I have all the lab rats I'll need? Now, all that we need now is to wait for Tyrian's return. Then, and only then, will we proceed with phase two."

* * *

The Resolute touched down in the front yard of the Xiao-Long house, it's exit ramp lowering down not a moment after. Team CFVY and Cooper were the first to disembark, with Velvet giving out a big yawn while stretching her arms out. "Oh my word, this morning was quiet eventful, I must say. After a scrap like that, I can't wait to get home for a nice afternoon nap!"

"Indeed." Yastu said as he moved his head from side to side, loosening the muscles in his neck. "And I don't know about you all, but I'm starving." Behind him, Fox grunted in agreement as his hand went to his stomach, signaling his own hunger as well.

As the three went to Coco's roadster, the owner of said car hung back with Cooper for a little bit as Ben, Yang, Gwen and everyone else walked down the ramp as well. "You guys sure you don't wanna hang around for a while?" The Omnitrix bearer asked. "There's still plenty of stuff that you guys haven't seen yet."

"Thanks, Ben, but we've already made plans for this afternoon." Coco gave Cooper a nudge and a wink. "Right, Tech Head?"

"Heh, yeah, we've got a lot going on today." Cooper chuckled. "We'll see you guys later tonight anyway, right?"

"Exactly." Gwen nodded. "Now you two have fun." She gave her own wink at them. "And Coco, be careful not to break him, okay? We'd like our friend in one piece."

"HA! You're a funny one, Red!" Coco gave Gwen a high five. "I promise I'll be gentle with him… as gentle as I can be anyway." Coco turned around and made a mad dash to her car. "Let's go, Cooper!"

"Haha, right behind you, Coco!" The genius whirled around and gave chase after the barrette wearing girl, with Ben and Gwen watching as they left.

"They sure do make each other happy." Ben commented as the roadster drove back to town.

"Yeah, sure seems that way." At that moment, Gwen let out a yawn of her own. "Ah, oh my. Guess I'M more tired than I thought, too."

"Well you'd better get some energy in ya, Red." Yang encouraged. "'Cause we've got a full day ahead of us." The blonde turned toward her house's front door. "And as for me, I've got a bike race to win."

"Hah, good luck." Jaune smirked as he and Pyrrha approached. "My sister's bike is hell on wheels. All the local biker gangs couldn't even catch up with her back in my hometown. If you really wanna win against her, you've gotta have your all in it."

"And I don't plan on giving it anything less!" Yang stated. "Just watch, I'll make your sister do something that she's never done before; eat dust!"

"We'll see about that Yang!" Jaune shot back.

"Is that a bet I'm hearing, Vomit Boy?" Yang challenged

Before the two blondes could even think of taking their argument any further, a familiar voice came from the front door. "Whoa, whoa, WHOA! Don't get into an argument on MY account!" Everyone saw Noire step out of the house, giving them all a welcoming smile. "Hey guys, glad to see you all in one piece!"

"Hey, sis!" Jaune waved. "You will NOT believe what happened."

"I'm sure—whoa!" Noire was taken aback when she felt two furry bodies brush past her legs. She sighed as she regained her composure. "Ah, but first, the little ones want their parents."

Jaune and Pyrrha knelt down to meet Romulus head on. The little wolf practically jumped up on their laps, smothering them with love. "Haha, Rommy!" Jaune greeted as he let the pup lick his face. "Yes, it's so good to see you, too!"

"Were you good for Noire and grandma?" Pyrrha asked. "Were you?"

From behind Noire, Athena came out of the house with a chuckle. "They behaved very well for grandma, thank you for asking. So, how did the mission go, kids?"

"It went very well, mom." Pyrrha answered. "Vulkanus is imprisoned and everything up north is under control."

Kevin stepped forward. "Yep, though we had a bit of a run-in with Rojo and her posse while we were up there. But we managed to take care of 'em."

"Uh, hey Athena?" Gwen piped up. "Where's our grandfather?"

Ben scanned the area with his eyes, and true to form, no Rustbucket anywhere. "Hey, yeah, where IS Grandpa Max?"

"Oh, don't worry. Max just went to town to get the Rustbucket washed." Athena answered. "He should be back in a little while."

Meanwhile, Blake's eyes lit up when she saw Rema bounding over to her. She ran forward and happily scooped the little pup into her arms and rubbed the canine's furry belly. "Oh, there you are, baby girl! Did you miss me? Because I missed you!" She stopped for a minute when she suddenly felt a whole collection of eyes watching her. Blake turned around and indeed, everyone was staring at her. Some of them with smirks, others with incredulous stares of disbelief. Blake furrowed her brows at them slightly. "What? I can be motherly."

"Well, I don't doubt it, Blake." Ruby agreed. "It's just a little jarring how Rema's able to bring out this side of you."

Blake's eyes shifted down to the bundle of fur in her arms. "What can I say? She makes me happy." The cat girl booped Rema's nose with her finger, causing the pup to let out a yip in surprise. "Oh, what? Did that scare you? C'mon, let's go and have some fun."

"Heh, now THAT I can get behind." Ben said. "But first, I believe I mentioned a surprise for you guys when we got home."

"Oh yeah!" Nora exclaimed. "I've been waiting for an hour already! What's the surprise?!"

"Yeah, I'm curious too." Gwen said skeptically. "Especially since your surprises are always more over the top than usual. What's going on, Ben?"

Ben smirked as he took centerstage, activating the Omnitrix as he did. "Okay, so you know the part about how we beat Vulkanus, Rojo and the others. But what you don't know… or rather WHO you don't know, is this!" Ben slammed down the Omnitrix, changing into his brand-new alien… "Gravattack!" Team JNPR, Sun, Neptune and Gwen looked on in awe as Gravattack flexed his rocky arms, giving everyone a good view. "So, what do ya think?"

"Ben… what IS that?!" Gwen questioned.

"A Galilean." Tetrax explained as he disembarked his ship. "A race of living planets from the world of Keplorr."

"That is SO COOL!" Nora shouted. "It's freaking HUGE!" She let out a gasp as she rushed over to Ben. "Okay, so what does this guy do? Does he make earthquakes? Can he lift rocks with his mind? Oh no, wait! He must be able to summon meteor showers!"

Ren smiled at her excitement. "Heh, Nora, I believe we'd know if he could summon meteors or earthquakes. Afterall, he said that he defeated Vulkanus with this alien, so we no doubt would have felt something had that been the case."

"Aw, c'mon Renny! It can be fun to guess you know!"

Gravattack chuckled at their banter. "Hehe, yeah, it's always fun when a new alien comes on the scene. But you know, Nora, your second guess wasn't too far off."

Nora let out another gasp. "It wasn't?!"

"So what, you've got the power to move mountains or something?" Neptune asked.

A toothy smirk came to Gravattack's face. "Oh, I can do MUCH more than move mountains." The Galilean raised his arms with a blue aura surrounding them. "You guys may want to brace yourselves."

Jaune's eyes widened instantly. "W-wait what does that mean Be—AAH!" Everyone let out a yelp in surprise as the gravity around them was manipulated, making them lift right up off of the ground. Tetax and Kevin watched as Gravattack lifted the others up into the air, standing off to the side as the Galilean demonstrated his powers. Romulus swung his head around in confusion while Jaune held him in his arms, doing the exact same thing himself. "W-what's going on?!"

"What do YOU think?" Yang asked sarcastically. "We're floating, Vomit Boy."

"Wheeeeee!" Ruby cried out as she spun around in the air. "This is too fun!"

"Yep, just _defying gravity_." Gravattack added with a smirk. He got the desired results when Gwen rolled her eyes at the reference, crossing her arms as she floated in place. "Ah-haha, but seriously, I can control gravity."

"Oh my, this is astounding!" Athena said as she gazed to the ground below.

Weiss crossed her arms as she looked down to the earth below. "Well, at least it's a safe distance above the ground."

Noire had her legs fully extended as she floated upside down with her arms crossed. "Gotta say, this is a first for me."

Gwen merely shrugged. "Don't worry, you get used to it. Honestly, this is nothing new to me."

"This is sweet!" Sun shouted as he began to fly through the air. "Whoo! It's like I weigh next to nothing!"

"I don't think my mind has EVER been this blown away!" Nora added as she and Ren floated next to each other. "I've jumped up high before, but I've NEVER felt anything like this!"

"You think that's cool? Wait till you see this!" With a wave of his hand, Gravattack brought the group of floaters over to him and they all began steadily spinning slowly around him. "Like any planet, I've got my own orbit!"

"Alright, now THAT is pretty cool." Neptune pointed at Gravattack. "This'd make a neat merry-go-round!"

"I must admit, this _is_ rather fun!" Pyrrha said as she circled around Jaune. "What about you, Jaune? Are you enjoying this?"

"Heh, yeah actually. I am." Jaune glanced down to his little passenger. "Although I think our little guy's not too keen on it." Indeed, Romulus was beginning to squirm around, hoping to get to the ground. "Hey Ben, mind if I get let down? Romulus doesn't really like this whole "floating" thing."

"Yeah, I think Rema's ready to be let off of the ride too, Ben." Blake requested as her pup squirmed in her arms as well. "Could you please set us down?"

"Oh, yeah, sure thing!" With the slow lowering of his hands, Gravattack set everyone back on the ground before changing back to normal. "So, what do you guys think?" Ben asked.

"That was certainly very… different." Ren answered in his usual reserved tone. "An odd sensation to say the least."

Nora was much more vocal with her response, however. "Odd and AMAZING! These aliens never cease to amaze me!"

"That's pretty much what we thought when we first saw it." Blake concurred. "But, after all that's happened today, I think I'm ready to start winding down a bit." She cuddled Rema against her face. "Isn't that right, sweetie?" Her eyes drifted over to Sun before she gave him a small smile. "Want to join in, Sun?"

"Oh, you bet!" The monkey boy eagerly jogged over, moving in stride next to Blake as they made their way toward the door. "So, anything special you wanna do?"

Blake shrugged. "Eh, I'm not to picky on stuff. You want to just watch some Dragon Ball?"

Sun was quick to respond. "Sure! I've been wanting to get back to it!"

Gwen called over to them as they entered the house. "Just be sure that you guys watch it in the living room, please! Pyrrha and I will be commandeering the basement for a while!"

"No problem, Gwen!" Blake reassured. "We'll just grab the DVDs and bring them upstairs!"

"Sounds good, thank you!" With that, Blake and Sun went in the house, leaving everyone else outside. Gwen glanced back to everyone else. "So, what's on everyone else's agenda today?"

Weiss was the first to answer. "Well, I'd be happy to join you and Pyrrha, Gwen. After all, it's usually much quieter when you two are playing videogames, which gives me the perfect time for me to read."

"I think I'll join Blake and Sun." Neptune said. "I've been looking forward to watching some more Dragon Ball myself."

"Same here." Ruby concurred. "Then again, thanks to you guys, I've got a TON of things on my watch list now. So thanks for that, I guess!"

"You're quite welcome." Ben grinned.

Tetrax stepped forward. "As for me, I think I'll take the ship back to the clearing out in the woods. Perhaps I'll assign Argit to a few tasks while I'm at it. But you all did a great job today. I'm very impressed with all of you."

"Hey, thanks Tetrax." Ben shook the Petrosapien's hand. "We'll see you soon." With a final nod, Tetrax boarded his ship and the ramp went back up. A second later, the engines kicked on and the Resolute ascended into the sky before flying over into the forest, back to it's usual clearing. Ben set his hands on his hips. "Well, as for me, I think I'll be spectating this little race around the island. Anyone want in?"

"Ooh! Sounds like fun!" Nora jumped up. "I'm in!"

Jaune folded his arms. "So am I. I'm not about to leave my sister hanging when she's got a race to win."

"I suppose I'll join as well." Ren said. "A race certainly sounds like a good time. That being said, how are we going to watch it happen?"

Kevin jabbed his thumb toward himself. "You just leave it to me, I've got it covered."

"Then it's settled!" Yang clapped her hands. "Let's meet back up here in an hour and we'll set up the rules for this race!"

"Sounds like a plan." Noire agreed with a smirk. "I just hope your ready for when my chopper leaves your little yellow bug in the dust."

Yang's grin grew as her eyes narrowed. "Oh, bring it on, sister!"

* * *

**A/N: Oh thank goodness this chapter was much shorter! That being said, a lot still happened in this one! Ironwood's told the whole truth about Salem's plan, Argit's out on parole with community service, Rojo's finally earned her place among Cinder's group, we've gotten a sneak peak at Animo's project, and the motorcycle race between Yang and Noire is about to get underway! Who will win? Find out Next Time as this race takes us ALL around the island, but in the meantime, the heroes at home get into a conversation about the implications of alternate dimensions and parallel universes, and Gwen has the perfect set of movies to help explain the concept. Thanks for reading everyone! See ya!**


	39. Need for Speed

**A/N: Hey guys! This next one is another of what I'd like to call a "casual chapter" to get us away from the action for a while. And let me tell ya, it's a fine day to go off to the races! Can the Blonde Brawler out speed Noire Arc in a head to head competition around the island? Well let's find out, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 39: Need for Speed**

* * *

It had been half an hour since the team had gotten home, and presently, Ben and Kevin were outside, searching through the trunk of the Osmosian's car for something. Kevin had a feeling that he had something with him that could help in viewing the race between Yang and Noire from home, the only hard part was getting it out of his cluttered trunk. Jaune, Nora and Ren were standing a few behind them, wondering just what the two were searching _for_. The blonde knight reluctantly stepped forward. "Uh, you guys need help or anything?"

"Nah! We're good!" Kevin waved off. "We're just clearing some stuff away to get what we need."

"Kev, you seriously need to think about clearing out most of this stuff." Ben said before pulling out an odd-looking thingamabob. "I mean, what even is _this_ for?"

Kevin snatched it out of the hero's hand faster than he could blink. "No touch, bad thing. In fact, a LOT of these are bad things. Some of it too dangerous to even keep out in the open."

"So… you keep it in the trunk of a moving vehicle?" Ren asked. "Where anyone can easily rear-end you?"

A sly grin came to Kevin's face. "Trust me, my ride's been beaten to hell so many times, I've made sure to take extra precautions in this sort of thing. But that's beside the point. I bet that you guys are wonderin' how you'll be able to see the race."

"Yeah, kinda." Nora shrugged. "So is there gonna be something in your car that'll let us be able to keep up with Yang and Noire while they race?"

"In a sense, yes. But we won't be keeping up with them physically. Rather…" With a single tug, Kevin managed to get whatever he and Ben were digging for out of his trunk, revealing it to be a standard sized sky drone ran by propellers. "We'll be looking at them from a bird's eye view."

Jaune's eyes widened. "Uh, why do you have a drone in your trunk?"

"For recon!" Kevin answered. "Believe me, when you deal with the stuff we do, it's best to have something like this."

"That… and Gwen made him get it." Ben added cheekily. "She was tired of sneaking into places and getting caught."

Kevin cleared his throat, hoping to quickly move away from that tidbit. "Ahem, _anyway_ , this little baby will be able to let us see the whole race. It's connected right to my Plumber's Badge, which had a holoscreen that can be blown up to any size, allowing us to keep an eye on everything that happens during the race."

"Um, Kev, I'm pretty sure that a device run only by a few small propellers isn't going to be able to keep up with speeding motorcycles." Jaune pointed out. "So, is there more to this plan?"

"Of course!" Kevin confirmed before turning to his best friend. "Ben, care to elaborate?"

"Sure." Ben stepped forward and brought up the holographic selecting disk for the Omnitrix's aliens. "You see, I've got an alien in here that can turn that low-speed drone into something MUCH better." He showed them the image of a blobby looking alien with a single circular eye. "Once I upgrade that little bad boy, it'll be able to keep up with Yang and Noire no problem."

"Cool!" Nora exclaimed. "So how will you upgrade it?"

"By merging with it." Ben answered like it was no big deal. Jaune, Nora and Ren all gave him wide eyed stares, trying to figure out what he'd meant by that. "Maybe I should explain that a bit better…"

* * *

Meanwhile, Gwen, Pyrrha and Weiss were downstairs, having secluded themselves from the loud clamoring that would be the Dragon Ball Z Kai marathon upstairs. The former two redheads were setting up the Nintendo 64 while Weiss sat down in an arm chair reading the first Lord of the Rings book, having finished The Hobbit the night before. However, Pyrrha still had a lingering question in her mind for her Anodite friend. "So, you've said that this dungeon is one of the most tedious in ALL of Zelda history. Are your certain you're not exaggerating?"

Gwen gave her the most serious face she could muster, much to Pyrrha's surprise. She pointed to herself and asked; "Pyrrha, does this look like the face of someone who exaggerates often?"

The Invincible Girl wasn't sure what to say. "W-well, I…"

But Gwen's smile quickly returned. "Haha, relax, I'm just joking a little. But yes, the Water Temple is incredibly annoying and difficult. So much so that when Ocarina of Time was remade for the Nintendo 3DS, the developers went out of their way to try and make the Temple easier. It was definitely an improvement, meaning that, at least you won't destroy your controller in frustration."

"I see." Pyrrha put the cartridge into the system and took her seat on the couch, controller in hand. "Then I guess I'm in for quite the journey today. …And I will try to NOT break the controller."

Gwen chuckled at Pyrrha's good natured promise. "Hehe, don't worry. The good thing is that you have me to guide you. I've been playing this game for years and I've made sure to have it memorized inside and out, even the Water Temple. It'll be hard, but we'll get through it, right?"

"Right." Pyrrha nodded before focusing back on the screen. "I welcome ANY challenge."

"Hmm, you girls sure love that game." Weiss said as she glanced up from her book. "But you know, there ARE other, less stress inducing forms of entertainment. You know, like reading a good book?"

Gwen raised a brow. "Oh, I'm well aware of that, Weiss. I love reading books, believe me. But when Ben and I went on our summer trip with Grandpa Max, he taught me that there's many other ways to have fun than just reading. Did I tell you about the time that he accidentally got us both trapped inside of a video game?"

Both Weiss and Pyrrha's eyes widened. "WHAT?!" they exclaimed

"Yeah, that was a weird day." Gwen admitted. "Basically, Ben got upset when I beat him at his Sumo Slammer video game. So, he turned into Upgrade, who can meld with any kind of technology, to change our scores in his favor.

"Well that's not very nice." Weiss pointed out.

"Keep in mind, this is back when he was ten." Gwen counter-pointed. "He wasn't exactly as mature as he is today. Besides, he regretted it instantly when a lightning strike on one of the Rustbucket's antennae caused he and I to get sucked into the video game."

"This is beginning to sound like a bad comic book plot." Pyrrha said.

"Oh, I can assure you that it's true. Just ask Ben and Grandpa Max when they get back. But the point is that, after that experience, I began to expand my horizons from just reading books and the occasional television show. Same with Ben, when he got back home, he started to read some books as well. Sometimes it's good to get out of your comfort zone." Gwen's eyes shifted to Weiss. "And if I recall, Weiss, you've been a bit avoidant of the things that we've been introducing you guys to."

Weiss shrunk back into her seat a little bit. "H-hey! I watched a few episodes of some TV shows, and… um… I sat through some monster movies! Don't those count?"

"Well, yes, but you've always gone back to your comfort zone after that." Gwen reminded. "I'm not saying that you SHOULD like the things we're showing you, Weiss. If you don't like something, that's fine by me. But your friends are finding enjoyment in so many things, wouldn't you like to find something that you can enjoy with them too?"

"Well, yes, I do. And everyone was REALLY enjoying the books for a while…" Weiss' eyes gazed down to the ground. "But they moved on really quick. Even Blake, which surprised me a lot. How can a show about screaming muscleheads get her attention? Did everyone just get bored with the book?"

Gwen could tell that the heiress was upset. She put a hand on her shoulder and sat down next to her. "Weiss, it's not that they got bored, I can tell you that right now. Everyone's just REALLY excited by all of this stuff that they haven't seen before." She offered Weiss a smile. "Something that I'm surprised you haven't been overly eager to do."

Weiss set her book down and pulled her legs up to her chest. "Well… I wasn't exactly raised on pop-culture like everyone else. I mean, I was surrounded by it and experienced some of it, but not as much as other kids. My father was very strict in what I was allowed to experience. Fencing, dance, piano, and singing practice, as well as my education, that was most of what I did in my time. Other than that, my father provided me access to the family library… and that was it. Everything else from most movies, television, music that was anything BUT classical, he viewed it all as a distraction that would keep me from being the perfect heiress."

"In other words, he controlled every aspect of your life." Gwen concluded. "Weiss… I don't know what to say."

"It's okay Gwen." Weiss raised her hand. "I know how terrible a person my father is now, and I've sworn to myself that I won't become like him… I just…" The heiress let out a sigh. "I wish I could get some semblance of my childhood back."

"Well, it's not to late to start trying, you know." Gwen winked. "We've got plenty of stuff here that we can have fun with. Maybe even make that inner child feel complete."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Gwen, I'm almost eighteen. I'm too old for kiddy stuff."

The Anodite rolled her eyes. "Sure, that's what everyone says. But, in the words of famous playwright, George Bernard Shaw; "We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing". It's never too late to start playing, Weiss. So, what do you say?"

"Well…" Weiss began to think it over in her head. On one hand, it'd be very unbecoming of her to only now pick up activities intended for children. But on the other… _'I really DO want to experience the kind of fun that everyone else is having. But how would I… wait, that's IT!'_ Her gaze shifted back to Gwen, hopeful that her friend had what she needed. "Gwen, you wouldn't happen to have another… 3DS, was it?"

Gwen couldn't help but smile at the request. "Well, no, unfortunately. Ben and I only have one each. However… I DO have my regular DS Lite."

"Is there a difference?"

"Well, yes, a significant difference." Gwen went over to one of the bags on the floor and pulled out a blue and black DS Lite, taking the charger out as well. "The DS is the predecessor to the 3DS, and as a result, doesn't have the capability to have the graphics that the 3DS is capable of. That being said though, this doesn't effect the quality of the games on it."

Weiss seemed to be a little reluctant to ask her next question. "Um, okay… does it at least have… Pokémon?"

Gwen's smile became a smirk. "I thought that was what this was about. You want to try out what Ruby and Nora have been raving about for a week now. And here I thought you said that it wouldn't be something you'd play."

Weiss crossed her arms. "And if you recall, I also said that it was very cute. You're the one who suggested I start playing more, Gwen, and this is the best way I can think of at the moment."

"Haha, yeah, I know. I'm just glad you're willing to give it a chance." Gwen reached into the bag and pulled out a DS game box. "And it just so happens that I know JUST the game to get you started." She tossed the game box over to Weiss, who fumbled with it in her seat in surprised before she got a good hold of it. She gave Gwen the stink eye for surprising her before redirecting her attention to the box. She read the title out loud;

"Pokémon Platinum, huh?" Her next immediate question was; "So then, what the heck is this?" The heiress pointed to the game's version mascot, a grey, black, red and gold dragon with a dark design. "It looks like something I'd see in my nightmares."

Gwen burst out laughing, even doubling over for a second. "Hahaha! Oh, oh my gosh, that is too good." She straightened up and answered Weiss' query. "That Weiss, is the legendary Giratina, the Renegade Pokémon."

Pyrrha glanced over Weiss' shoulder and her eyes widened at the ghost dragon. "Oh my, appearance wise, that is a fitting title, I must say."

Weiss gave Gwen a questioning stare. "And you really think that this is a good one for me to start out on?"

"Weiss, ANY Pokémon game is a good place to start." Gwen emphasized. "But Platinum is my personal favorite of the DS titles, so that's just what I'm recommending. If you want to start on with any other Pokémon game, then that's fine too."

Weiss contemplated the box before giving Gwen a grin. "Well Gwen, if this is your personal recommendation, then I'll take your word for it." She opened the box, took out the game cartridge and popped it into the game system. "Let's do this."

"Indeed!" Pyrrha lifted the N64 controller. "Shall we begin?"

"Of course." Gwen nodded. "Game on, ladies!"

* * *

Half an hour later, Yang and Noire were pulling their bikes up to the end of the drive way, with Jaune, Nora, Ren, Kevin and Ben off on the side lines. The two blonde girls had spent the last hour prepping their bikes and planning their route, all the while exchanging stories about their younger siblings. They had resolved to go around most of the island, mostly sticking to the main roads while avoiding steep cliffs and mountainous areas that may prove hazardous. There was only one thing that was eating away at Ben's mind; "Okay, I know you planned to avoid going through the main part of town, but what if a cop decides to follow you two anyway?"

"We've got that covered, Green Boy." Yang said while she rested a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. "If the fuzz pulls us over, Noire can just tell 'em that this race was officially certified by an officer of the law."

Noire took out her police badge and flashed it. "Sometimes, it's nice to pull rank once and a while."

Ben was still a bit unsure. "I'm not entirely sure that's how this sort of thing works… but I guess I'll take your word on it."

"Good." Noire mounted her chopper. "Now let's get this race started. Do we have a finish line ready?"

"Not yet." Kevin shook his head. "But nce you two leave, I'm gonna put some tape on the ground. That'll be our finish line." He grabbed the drone and his Plumber's badge on the ground, activating its holographic screen. "Alright, now for the final step."

Yang gazed down to the drone with scrutiny. "Uh, I'm no specialist in aerodynamics, but I can already tell you; that little thing ain't keeping up with us."

"Not in it's present state." Kevin pointed out. "Ben? A little upgrade would be nice."

"Already on it." Ben brought up the Omnitrix core and slammed it down, quickly changing into the alien he wanted. His body changed into living metal with a globule body structure, his feet becoming large stumps while his fingers became large and rounded at the tips. The undersides of his arms and palms, as well as the front of his legs and body were bright green with thick black angled stripes scattered about. The back of his body was the inverse, with green stripes on black metal. His head was but a large blob with a green circular eye in the middle with no mouth, nose or ears. The Omnitrix settled into the middle of his chest and he shouted his name, his voice coming through like a speaker while his eye flashed; _"Upgrade!"_

Noire smacked her forehead with a laugh. "Haha! Jeez, how do you guys get used to seeing that happen all the time?"

"Eh, you get used to it." Yang shrugged before looking back up to her boyfriend. "Though I gotta say, this one looks pretty rad!"

"Yeah, and this one just has your normal voice!" Nora pointed out. "What's up with that?"

Upgrade put his hand behind his head. _"Heh, truth be told, I don't really understand that part myself."_ The Galvanic Mechamorph took a ready stance. _"But what I DO know is that Upgrade's got some sweet powers. Check it out!"_ Upgrade quickly began to melt into gelatinous metal before lunging at the recon drone, merging with the technology within. The device began to reshape, becoming more stream-lined with the propellers changing into a pair of jet turbines, a pair of wings extending from the machine. The camera became Upgrade's eye as the Omnitrix settled on the top of the drone, completing the merge as he shot up into the air. _"See? What'd I tell ya? Pretty sweet, right?"_

Yang was certainly amazed at what she had just witnessed. "Whoa! How'd you even DO that?!"

Upgrade's drone wings shrugged. _"I dunno, I just think it and it happens. I can pretty much possess any machine while I'm Upgrade."_ He swerved around in midair to face Kevin as he observed the holoscreen. _"Hey, Kev! Do we have visual?"_

The Osmosian had his answer when Jaune, Nora, Ren and himself all appeared on the screen, themselves all focusing on the screen in the image. Kevin turned to Ben and gave him a thumbs up. "We're all good Tennyson! We can start the race!"

"Just don't blink, okay?" Jaune added.

" _HA! I'll try not to."_ Upgrade moved back to the starting line, taking his place up in the air between the two competing women. _"You ladies ready for this?!"_

"As ready as I'll ever be!" Noire answered as she put on a black helmet and a pair of goggles. "Let's do this!"

"Good luck sis!" Jaune called out. "I'll be rooting for ya!"

Noire waved over to him. "Thanks, little bro! I'll see you in a little bit!"

"I'm rarin' to go too!" Yang pulled her aviator shades from the pocket of her jacket. But before she put them on, she looked up and gave Upgrade a wink. "I'll see you at the end of the race, Green Boy."

" _Count on it, Goldie Locks."_ Upgrade promised. _"Alright, so who wants to start this thing off?"_

"I will." Ren stepped forward and pulled out one of his Stormflower pistols, keeping it secured at his side. He stopped between Yang and Noire, looking between them as he went over what was going to happen. "Alright, this will be a race around a majority of the island. You both know the route you're taking, correct?"

"Yes!" Both ladies answered at the same time.

Ren nodded. "Very well then. Let's get started. On your mark…" The green ninja raised Stormflower and pointed it to the sky. He glanced up to make sure that no birds were flying overhead. "Get set…" He could hear the bikes starting on either side of him, and he could tell that both Yang and Noire had their hands on their respective throttles. In one swift second, he pulled the trigger, sending a single shot into the air. "GO!" Instantly, both bikes zoomed past Ren, causing his hair and his clothes to flutter in the wind. Upgrade had also flown by, making sure to keep his sights squarely on the race.

" _AND THEY'RE OFF!"_ The Galvanic Mechamorph hollered with his voice coming through loud and clear on Kevin's Plumber badge. _"Both competitors seem to have gotten an equal start, but right out of the gate, it looks like Yang's pulling ahead!"_

Bumblebee's engine roared as Yang indeed surged ahead on the dirt road, kicking up sand with her back wheel. "Ha! Eat my dust, copper!"

Noire smirked. _'Oh, she might just give me a run for my money.'_ she thought to herself before she increased her speed as well. "Dream on, Yang! The race has only just begun! If I can catch up to speeding bikes in my cruiser, I can sure as hell keep up with you on my bike!"

Yang gave her own smirk back. "Oh, believe me, I'm only just getting started!"

* * *

Back inside, Weiss was having a surprisingly enjoyable time. After being introduced to the Pokémon world by Professor Rowan, she had been presented her "rival" for the game. While initially unimpressed… _'Psh, this boy considers himself to be MY rival?'_ ,she had found away to spin this into a positive when she found out she could name him anything she wanted. She named him Whitley… for reasons. "I am SO going to enjoy beating your team you little snot."

"What was that, Weiss?" Gwen called over.

"Oh, nothing!" Weiss pressed on, going through the game as her rival, now named Whitley, dragged her around in his crazy attempts to get a Pokémon. _'Hmm, maybe I made a slight miscalculation. You don't act like my brother at all. Quite the opposite even. But then again… I guess that's a good thing.'_ But just as her rival was going to run into the tall grass, Professor Rowan came walking up behind them, stopping him from going in. The professor asked if they loved Pokémon and, Weiss seeing the predictable answer, chose "yes" in order to advance the plot. "I don't love them yet, professor. Try and win me over."

She was offered the choice of three Pokémon; Turtwig. "Eh, sort of plain, just like grass I suppose." Chimchar. "Uh, no thank you. You look just a bit TOO happy." And finally… she let out a gasp at her last choice. "Ah! It's SO cute!"

That caught Gwen's attention. "Huh? What is?"

Weiss showed her, revealing it to be her choice in starter. "Look at it! Why didn't you tell me that something this adorable existed in this game?"

A smile came to Gwen's face. "Oh yeah, Piplup. I chose it for my starter too. Hah, so many fond memories from when I started playing Pokémon. I take it you're enjoying it so far?"

"I am, actually. Nothing has been off-putting to me yet, so I suppose that's a good sign." However, as Weiss spoke, she was absentmindedly pressing the A button, and to her surprise, the music changed to a piece that was much more intense. "Gah! What did I do?"

Gwen chuckled. "Heh, you scrolled through text so fast that you triggered your first rival battle. Good luck."

Fortunately, Weiss figured out the battle mechanics pretty quickly, what with the large icons taking up the lower screen. A few Pound attacks and a Growl or two later, and her rival's Turtwig was down for the count, with only half of her Piplup's health having been whittled down. "HA! Take that Whitley, you pest!"

Conversely, over on the couch, Pyrrha was having very little fun. In fact, she was having the exact opposite of fun as Gwen guided her through the Water Temple. Lower the water, raise the water, put on the iron boots, take OFF the iron boots. Get the key, use the hook shot, unlock these doors, fight these enemies, the list went on. And all the while she had to play the same notes on the blasted Ocarina again, and again, and AGAIN! "Agh! Gwen, I apologize for ever doubting you on this. This place is _awful_!"

"Then you'll be happy to know that there's a break in the monotony coming right up." Gwen smiled as she pointed to the screen. "Just kill the Like Like behind those spikes and you'll see what I mean."

Pyrrha did as Gwen instructed, killing the slug-like beast with a spin attack. She went beyond the door to find a vast white room with a reflective floor and a single tree in the middle. "What in the world?" Pyrrha moved Link toward the tree, but when she got closer, a shadowy figure revealed itself as it jumped out from in front of the tree, taking her off guard. "Wah! What's going on?" She focused Navi on the dark shape and the prompt said; _'Dark Pyrrha, conquer yourself!'_ The Invincible Girl's eyebrows rose in interest. "Hmm, well this IS a different change of pace."

"Yep, that's Dark Link." Gwen explained. "He's a reoccurring villain in the Zelda franchise who's usually a major test for Link to overcome. He basically copies your every move, so you need to find a way to outwit his A.I., which can be a little tough."

Pyrrha focused back on the screen. "Hmm, very well, have at… me." She input the stab command on the controller and Link stabbed forward… only for Dark Link to hop up and stand on the Master Sword. "Wait, what?!"

Gwen nodded. "Yeah, he can do that." Dark Link then hit Link over the head with his own sword, making the Hero of Time stagger back. "And that."

"Well why can't I do that?" Pyrrha asked as she continued to fight the doppelganger. "A dedicated jump button would actually come in handy."

"Sorry, not until Breath of the Wild. I only wish I had my Switch with me." Gwen gave Pyrrha a pat on the shoulder. "But you got this. All you have to do is hit him until he becomes more solid, and then you smack him around with the Megaton Hammer."

After the war of attrition that was the sword swinging match between Link and his dark counterpart, Pyrrha brought out the Megaton Hammer and clobbered the shadowy specter several times upside the head. With one final swing, Dark Link gave a loud cry of agony as he faded away. "Haha! YES! I have bested myself!" Pyrrha hollered as she raised her arms up.

"Excellent! Great job, Pyrrha." Just then, Gwen's face fell. "But now we have to go back to raising the water."

"W-wait, that WASN'T the boss for the temple?!" Pyrrha cried out as she entered the door on the other side of the room, which contained a large treasure chest. "Then what is…" She opened the chest and Link pulled out the Longshot, upgrading his regular Hookshot so that it could cover longer distances. "…You MUST be kidding me."

Gwen rubbed her forehead. "I hate this place so goddamn much."

* * *

Ben had to hand it to those color commentators on TV, they make it look SUPER easy. With every bike or stock car race he ever watched, he had his eyes on the race and his hearing focused in what the guys in the booth were commenting on, completely absorbing himself in what was happening on TV. But now, as Upgrade, he had to be both the camera AND the guy providing the commentary for the people back home. And it was _hard_. As he and the two racers below made their way across the southwestern side of the island, he found himself fumbling over his words when nothing interesting was really going on, and he was pretty sure the ladies could hear him stumbling even over their engines. _'Yang's gonna think I'm being a huge doof!'_ he thought to himself.

It got to the point where Kevin came in over the Omnitrix comm; _"Uh, dude, you DO know that you don't have to talk about every single little detail, right?"_

Upgrade gave an electronic sigh. _"Ugh, yeah, I know, but I wanna make this entertaining for you guys over there! Watching a race without exciting commentary is boring, right?"_

Nora came in over the comm; _"Hey, it's okay Ben! We're having a fun time out here either way!"_

" _She's right."_ Jaune added. _"If you see something interesting happen, THEN you can talk about it. We don't have to hear every single thing that happens."_

Upgrade had to admit; the blonde knight had a point. _"Well, okay, if you say—whoa!"_ The Galvanic Mechamorph was taken by surprise when a large clearing came up on the left side of the forest road, with a giant lake right smack dab in the middle of it. There were multiple picnic tables strewn around the lake with a play area for kids not too far away as well. _"Heh, and if you look to your left, you will see a beautiful lake!"_ In his mind, Ben was making a point to keep this place in mind for the future; _'Note to self, take Yang on a date here sometime.'_

"Hey Green Boy!" Yang called from below. "You may wanna watch where you're flying!"

" _Huh?"_ Upgrade whirled around and his circular eye widened when he saw that he was flying straight toward a tree. _"AAGH!"_ With a sharp turn of his thrusters, Upgrade shot away from the tree and back over the main road, following Yang and Noire once more. _"Whew! Thanks Yang! I uh, heh, I guess I got distracted."_

"No problem!" Yang smirked. "So, enjoying the view up there?!"

" _I guess you could say that, but I think I can take in the sights later. There's still a lot of race to finish, so let's keep going!"_

"Sounds good to me!" Noire called out. "Especially since I just took the lead!"

Yang was confused at that last part. "Wait, what're you—" But then she got her answer when Noire zoomed ahead of her, catching Yang off guard. But the Blonde Brawler wouldn't have any of it. She narrowed her eyes on her opponent and increased her speed. "Oh no you don't, copper!"

As his girlfriend pulled ahead, Upgrade found renewed energy within himself. _"Oh, and Noire takes advantage and acquires the lead once again, but Yang's not gonna take that lying down! This race is FAR from over folks!"_

A few minutes later, the duo of racers and the sentient drone came upon something that they had not expected when preparing for this race; a detour. Indeed, a section of the road had been blocked off for construction and there was a large fluorescent orange sign pointing down a nearby dirt road. Noire and Yang screeched to a halt, with the elder Arc pulling her goggles up to get a better look. "Huh, well, certainly didn't plan for that."

"What the hell?" Yang threw an arm up in disbelief. "Since when does this road get construction?!"

Upgrade lowered himself down to their eye-level. _"Uh, probably since THAT."_ He pointed himself past the sign to identify the perpetrator of their race halting obstacle; a big landslide that had covered up most of the road ahead. _"The ground must've loosened up after that big rainstorm we had the other day."_

Yang sighed. "Alright then, guess we're off-roading it."

Noire sent a smirk her way. "Aw, what's wrong, Yang? Tires can't take it?"

The Blonde Brawler narrowed her eyes. "Oh, I've got no problem with it. It's just now the route's gonna take longer."

"What? You've gotta hot date?" Noire cheekily asked. But after Yang and Upgrade shared a glance, she immediately had her answer. "Ah, right, sorry. Well, don't worry, I'm sure we'll be outta the woods in no time! Town ain't far off from here, right?"

"Yeah, guess so." Yang revved her engine and zoomed off. "See ya at the finish!"

"Hey! No fair taking a head start!" Noire shouted as she chased after her.

" _Well, looks like this race is getting heated folks!"_ Upgrade commented. _"These ladies are completely committed to winning! Who will win? This announcer doesn't know, but what he DOES know is that the lady on the yellow bike intends to take him out afterwards! Whoo!"_ But then, a split second later, something smacked Upgrade in the face, causing him to veer off course just a bit. _"Gah! Tree branch! Damn you, off-road racing!"_

The two biker girls continued down the dirt road through the woods, careful to take the unexpected turns with ease so that they wouldn't crash. The unevenness of the road made them more wary of hazards such bumps and debris, but neither one of them were about to be put off from this race. Fortunately, they didn't have to worry about that for long, because to their relief, the dirt road ended, and the pavement began, signaling their return to the main road. "Phew, glad we're outta there!" Yang called out as they rode out of the forest.

"Yeah, but which way is town?" Noire asked.

"It's okay, I know which road we're on." Yang pointed to her right. "We just take the next right and we're good to go!"

Upgrade flew out of the forest as well, following them down the street. _"Alright! Detour cleared! Now everything should hopefully be smooth sailing from here!"_

* * *

"I have spent the last hour navigating this mismatched water-logged dungeon with nothing but my wits, the tools at my disposal, and one of my best friends guiding me every step of the way." Pyrrha narrowed her eyes at the screen, her hair slightly disheveled from running her hands through it multiple times. "If you, a sentient blob of water, think that YOU are going to be a match for ME, then allow me to inform you of this; you have another thing coming!" She had finally made it to the end, and she was not about to let this "Giant Aquatic Ameoba" also known as Morpha, to stand in the way of her victory. "I'm ready for anything you throw at me!"

"That's the spirit!" Gwen cheered, ready to get this dungeon done and over with. "Alright, so this fight is rather easy. It's going to try and reach for you, so make sure to hug the walls where there aren't any spikes. Once it reaches for you, it's core will start moving. Get a clear shot with your Hookshot, pry that sucker out and start wailing on it with your sword. Rinse, repeat, you got this, girl!"

"It will be done!" Pyrrha took aim and fired the Hookshot at the core, dragging it out of the water blob and bringing toward her. She smacked it around with the Master Sword multiple times before it hopped back down in the water. After repeating the process a few times more, Morpha popped like a balloon, ensuring Pyrrha's victory. She raised her arms up in the air, thankful that the nightmare was finally over. "AHAHA! Yes! Go to hell, Water Temple!"

Weiss jumped in surprise, her head shooting up from her game. "Gah! Jeez! A little warning would have been nice."

"Whoo! Yeah!" Gwen hugged her fellow redhead, congratulating her on her job well done. "First try through the Water Temple! Do you have ANY idea how proud I am?"

"I'm not sure, but I know I am VERY proud of myself." Pyrrha put her hands back to the controller. "Now let's vacate this temple before I collapse."

"Just make sure you get that Heart Container." Gwen pointed out. "Or else we'll have to come back in and get it."

Pyrrha looked at her dead on. "Perish the thought." She made Link walk over and grab the Heart Container. "I am done with this place."

"Good to know." Just as Pyrrha walked into the warp, Gwen heard the basement door open, with Athena, and Ruby walking down the stairs but a second later, with the Mistralian Huntress holding Romulus in her arms. Gwen moved around in her seat and waved to them. "Hi ladies! How goes it?"

"We're doing well." Athena said as she set Romulus on the couch, the little wolf instantly bounding over onto Pyrrha's lap. "We just heard quite the commotion down here, so we came to investigate. Is everything alright?"

"Oh, better than alright mother." Pyrrha assured before saving her game and turning off the console. She reclined back on the couch and hugged Romulus close to her. "I am free of the watery prison that I was trapped in for an hours' time."

"I see." Athena smirked. "I must admit, dear, I'm glad that you've branched out and are doing new things like this, but just remember to not forget your training, alright?"

"Oh, don't worry mother, I don't think Gwen would have it that way."

Gwen nodded. "Trust me, I wouldn't. Especially since I myself have to do the same thing."

Just then, Weiss got up from her seat, turning around to face Ruby. "Oh, Ruby! Speaking of doing new things…" The heiress showed Ruby the DS, and the fact that she was playing Pokémon. "I don't suppose that you and Nora have a place in your group for one more?"

When Ruby saw the battle screen, her eyes lit up and she let out a gasp before letting out a squee of joy. She leapt forward and wrapped her best friend in the happiest hug she could muster. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, YES! There's always room for more, Weiss! EEEEE! I can't believe you're actually playing Pokémon!"

"I… can't… either!" Weiss struggled out. "Now… please don't make this a repeat of yesterday! Need… air!"

"Oh, whoops!" Ruby instantly let go, putting her hands behind her back. "Hehe, sorry, kinda forgot about that. Anyway, how are you liking it so far?"

"Actually, I'm enjoying myself a lot more than I thought I would. Here, have a look. I'm already on the second route." Weiss showed her the screen where her Pokémon was facing off against another one that Ruby didn't recognize, one that looked like a cute little penguin and the other a cat-like one. The Hooded Huntress read the names of the monsters in their HP bars; Piplup and Shinx, with the Penguin Pokemon on Weiss' side of the battle field.

"Aw! Is that your starter?" Ruby cooed. "It's so adorable!"

"I know, right? And that little cat is also REALLY cute." Weiss added. "I think I might catch it."

"That would be Shinx." Gwen piped up. "And it'd be a really smart idea to catch it. Stat wise, you're not going to come across another strong electric type like that for a while… unless you want a Pachirisu, which while it's cute, I don't really recommend it."

"Thank you for the heads up." Weiss pressed a button and caught the Shinx, all but ensuring her first catch. "Ah-ha! Too easy."

"Be careful what you say, Weiss." Ruby warned with a smirk. "Catching them is only easy on the first few routes. As you progress, it'll just get more and more tough."

Weiss raised a single brow. "I sincerely doubt that, but… perhaps you could join in on my adventure. And maybe I can catch up on yours?"

"I like the sound of that." Ruby agreed before pulling the 3DS out of her pocket and turning it on. "Now, here's what I've been working on…"

Back over on the couch, Pyrrha, her mother, and Gwen were talking about how the morning on the island had gone. "So, mom, did anything exciting happen while we were gone?" the Invincible Girl asked.

"Oh, nothing much." Athena shrugged. "Though we almost had a panic attack when Romulus began to squat down on the carpet, but we got him and his sister out in time."

Pyrrha gasped before bringing Romulus up to her face. "Rommy! Shame on you! You know you're not supposed to do that." The wolf pup lowered his head, which made Pyrrha's heart break a little. "I know it's not good to be scolded, but you need to learn this one way or another. How do you think your father would feel if he knew about—" But Pyrrha cut herself off when she realized she had used the words "your father" to refer to Jaune. With her face reddening almost instantly, she quickly tried to change the subject. "Uh, hehe, you know what, why don't we just deal with that later, alright?"

Athena wore a sly smile on her face. "Hmm, yes, of course dear. In any case, nothing all that spectacular happened… but, Noire and I were having a rather fascinating conversation." She turned to the Anodite in the room. "And it revolved around a question that maybe you could answer for me, Gwen."

"Hmm, well, okay then." Gwen accepted. "What were you two wondering about?"

"Well, we were wondering, since you and your friends ARE from an alternate world, one that no doubt is different from ours in many different ways, does that mean that the concept of parallel universes and alternate timelines are also real? Where it is similar to our world, but different things happen to change it?"

Gwen smiled. "Oh, very much so. In fact, Ben, Kevin and myself have seen, been, or have been visited by our own alternate timelines and parallel universes first hand. Collectively, all of it is known as the multiverse, where just about anything and everything can happen."

Pyrrha suddenly had a thought come back to her. "Oh yes, that's right, you told me about this before! That night when you arrived in Beacon, when you and Ben came to rescue me. He said that he had met two different future versions of himself, correct?"

"Two different future Bens?" Ruby piped up. "Is that true?!"

"Every word of it." Gwen confirmed. "Heck, even I met a future version of myself the first time we met Ben 10,000."

"Ben _10,000_?" Weiss smirked. "Never let it be said that Ben Tennyson doesn't have at least a little bit of an ego."

All Gwen could offer was a shrug. "Eh, granted. But still, the fact that both versions of Ben 10,000 are from different future timelines means that there are still endless possibilities that can happen in our lives. And, if you still don't believe me, get this; I actually _created_ an alternate timeline myself. It was awful, and I hope I never go back to it."

"You created a different timeline?!" Ruby exclaimed. "How the heck?!"

"Time travel." Gwen answered. "I tried to fix something that had happened to Kevin in the past, and I ended up changing the future in the worst possible way imaginable. I had to go back and stop myself from changing the past just so I could get back to my own timeline."

The whole room was dead silent while Ruby was scratching her head. "You had me and then you lost me. Do you have a way to maybe explain it better?"

"Well…" Gwen pondered for a little bit before a lightbulb turned on in her head. "That's it!" She jumped up from her seat and pulled one of the DVD cases off of the shelf, opening it up and flipping through it rapidly. "Oh, come on, I knew I saw it in here somewhere… AH-HA! Got it!" She pulled a disk out, one that had art of a young man in an orange vest standing next to an open hatch, lifting his goggles while looking at his watch with a shocked expression. "Ruby! Go upstairs and bring everyone down here! Because I'm about to take you all on a trip through time and space! It's time for us to go Back to the Future!"

* * *

The race had finally found its way to town, and Upgrade was very apprehensive about that. He found himself glancing around for cop cars, often forgetting that his focus was supposed to be on the race. Heck, he even saw Cooper and Coco walked down the street from their apartment before heading into a coffee shop nearby. He had a pretty good idea what was going on, but then again, it very well wasn't his business to snoop now was it?

At that moment one of his viewers decided to remind him to focus on his job. _"Uh, Ben? We can't see the race."_ Jaune called in. _"You're looking every which way but where Yang and my sister are."_

Upgrade snapped his camera back down at the competitors. _"D'oh! Sorry, Jaune."_ The Galvanic Mechamorph apologized. _"I'm just nervous is all. I mean, yeah, we're on the outskirts of town, but we don't really know if the police will try and—"_ **WOO!** _"…There it is."_ True to form, he could see the red and blue lights tailing Yang and Noire down below, the siren wailing as the two ladies screeched to a stop. _"This'll be tough to explain."_

* * *

Yang never liked it when a cop pulled her over. It sucked when she first started riding her bike and it sucked now. On the plus side, she had made a few friends on the force this way, so hopefully it was one of them so they could let them off easy. And if it wasn't, well then it was up to Noire. "This can go either really good, or end very badly." The blonde concluded. "I REALLY hope it's the better option."

Noire gave Yang a quick pat on the shoulder. "Hey, it's gonna be fine. I'll show these guys my badge and explain the situation. Then hopefully, we'll be on our—"

"I thought I recognized that bike!" At the sound of the voice, Noire's eyes widened in shock. She _knew_ that voice. The elder Arc whirled around and standing there was the exact person who the voice belonged to, a policewoman in her mid-twenties with a familiar head of long red hair. Lieutenant Krista Burns took off her sunglasses, her green eyes focused right on Noire. "If it isn't Noire Arc! It's been way too long, girl."

Just then, Upgrade flew down and hovered next to Krista's head. _"Oh, Lieutenant Burns! Thank god, it's only you!"_

Krista turned her head around in shock. "Ben? Is that you inside that thing?"

" _Heh, I AM the thing."_ Upgrade landed on the hood of Krista's police cruiser and exited the drone, changing it back to its normal self. Upgrade then changed back to Ben, spreading his arms out to his sides. "See?"

Krista blinked twice before putting her hand to her head. "Hoo boy, can you tell that I've only seen you transform once?"

At that moment, Noire came running up and almost tackled Krista with a big hug. "Krista! Oh my god, it's REALLY you! It's been too long! I haven't seen you since the academy! What the heck are you doing here?!"

"Heh, well I live here, actually." Krista answered as she returned the hug. "Been working here since I graduated the academy."

Ben smiled while crossing his arms. "So, I take it that you two are friends?"

"Ha, the BEST of friends." Noire confirmed as she pulled out of the hug. "We met at the police academy. But how do _you_ know who Krista is?"

"Their group have helped me out a couple times." Krista explained. "It's a long story. But look at you! Street racing like some hooligan! I thought you were an officer of the law!"

Noire gave her friend a smirk. "Hey, I've got the week off to see my little brother, so as far as I'm concerned, I can do what I want. Besides, it was her idea." Noire pointed to Yang. "So don't be putting the blame on me."

"Hey!" Yang exclaimed indignantly. "C'mon Noire, don't rat me out like this!"

But Krista gave Yang a wave. "Don't worry, Yang, I'm not gonna write you guys up or anything. You guys are friends, so I'll let ya go." She looked back to Noire with a smile. "But we've GOTTA catch up sometime, alright? Maybe come over to my place tonight. I'll invite Roy over too."

"ROY is living here too?!" Noire shouted. "Man, where have _I_ been?"

Krista chuckled at that. "Hehe, I don't know, but it's good to have you here regardless. I missed you a lot, Black Sheep."

"Heh, I've missed you too, Red Fox."

Yang quirked an eyebrow at the name-calling. "Uh, what's with the random color and animal combos?"

"I think I know." Ben said. "Those are your academy nicknames, aren't they?"

The two policewomen giggled to themselves before Krista gave him the answer. "Yeah, they are. It's an inevitability when you join the force. How'd you know?"

"Because I had my own nickname when I went to an academy for space law enforcement." Ben said as he pointed to himself. "My drill instructor said that I was a Larval Dipteroid." All he got were incredulous stares from everyone there, including Yang. Ben shifted his eyes around as he felt the need to elaborate on that. "Heh… it means space maggot."

"Uh-huh." Noire nodded before turning back to Krista. "Well, we'd better be off. I've still got a race to win!"

"Um, you might wanna check that." Yang revved her engine. "'Cause _I'm_ gonna win this race."

Krista laughed before giving her friend another hug. "Whatever you say. I'll see you later though, okay?"

"Count on it!" Noire reciprocated the hug before jogging back to her bike and starting it up again. "Hey Ben! You ready to get this show back on the road?!"

"Yep!" Ben activated the Omnitrix and changed back into Upgrade, melding with the drone once again and rising up into the air above the two bikers. _"Alright? Are we ready? First one back to the house wins the whole shebang!"_ He got a thumbs up from both of them, giving him the okay to say the word. _"Awesome! Ready? GO!"_

* * *

As the afternoon sun beat down on the earth below, Max Tennyson took in a deep breath of the crisp autumn air as he drove down the dirt road leading back to the Xiao-Long house, ready to kick the afternoon off after giving the Rustbucket a good scrubbing. "Ah, what a nice day. I wonder if the kids have gotten back from their mission? Knowing them, they're probably in the house showing off some more modern media to—huh?"

Max heard something out of his driver side window; the sound of fast-approaching engines. He looked in his rearview mirror to see that something, or rather _two_ things, were in fact approaching VERY fast. His eyebrows shot up in surprise when the speeding vehicles came closer, revealing themselves to be Yang and Noire racing along the dirt road, kicking up dust as they sped by. Noire shot past him, and then Yang called out as she too went by. "Hi, Mr. Tennyson!"

"Yang?! And Noire?" Max asked in disbelief. "What in blazes is going—what the?" The old man caught sight of something else in his rearview; some sort of drone… with jets? But as it got closer, he realized that it was black and green, which could only mean one thing: "Ben?!"

As he flew by at rapid speed, Ben called out to his grandfather so fast that Max could barely make out what he was saying. _"Hi Grandpa, bye Grandpa!"_ And just like that, he was gone. Max pulled over to the side of the road, watching the three as they zoomed down the dirt road, leaving a cloud of dust behind them.

Max put a hand to his forehead as he leaned against the steering wheel of the Rustbucket, trying to make sense of what he had just seen. "Jesum Crow, kids these days. Always gotta get somewhere fast."

* * *

At the sound of the fast approaching motors, Kevin, Nora, Ren and Jaune, all ran away from the holoscreen and moved to the front of the house to get a good view of the competitors coming in. A grin found its way to Jaune's face when he saw that his sister was up in front. "Haha! Noire's in the lead!" He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted out to her; "C'mon big sis! You've got this in the bag!"

But suddenly, Yang pulled around and shot ahead, keeping neck and neck with Noire as they neared the finish line. "I'm not about to lose to you, copper!"

"We'll see about that, Yang!" Noire shot back. "I'm not about to back down now!"

With their exchange of words, Upgrade put his jet-thrusters into turbo and shot over their heads, stopping himself just short of the finish line. He hovered overhead, keeping himself about six feet above the ground and his lens focused on the ground beneath him. _"This is the final stretch folks!"_ He announced. _"Noire and Yang are neck and neck, both of them determined to win this race!"_ Upgrade glanced up to see Yang and Noire closing in… and at that moment, the watch started beeping. _"What?! Oh man, not now! C'mon, ladies! Who's gonna win it?! It's Yang in the front! No, wait! It's Noire! It's… IT'S…"_ The two racers passed underneath him, and he got it all on film as he clicked multiple pictures of the race's end. _"IT'S A PHOTO FINISH!"_ And with that, the Omnitrix took its last beep, and in a green flash, Ben and the drone fell to the ground, with the hero twisting around to land on his back. "OUCH!"

At the sound of her boyfriend in pain, Yang propped up her bike in a flash before sprinting over to him, hoping to god he was alright. "BEN!" She skidded to a halt and knelt down next to him, putting one hand on his shoulder and resting the other against his face. "Ben, are you okay? How much does it hurt?"

"Heh, Yang, don't worry. I'm all good." Ben said as he started to get back up. "I've fallen from worse—GAH!" All of a sudden, a searing pain started shooting from his back. "Okay, okay, maybe it's worse than I thought!"

Yang supported him while she started to remove his jacket, with everyone else beginning to make their way over while Kevin got a med kit from his car. "It's okay, don't make any more sudden moves. I'm going to lift your shirt and take a look at your back, okay?" A nod from him was all the confirmation Yang needed. She brought his shirt up and she immediately saw where he had landed, indicated by the blistering skin mark. "Ooh, you scrapped yourself good, Green Boy." She whirled her head around and called out to Kevin. "Kevin, get some skin ointment and some hydrogen peroxide!"

A few minutes later, Ben was all patched up, sitting on the back of Kevin's car as Yang applied the last bandage. Though he could still feel the stinging pain from all of the stuff that had been put on his wound. "Ugh, that was NOT fun."

"I'll bet." Yang reached around and pulled him into a side-hug. "You okay now?"

"Heh, yeah, I'm fine." Ben returned the gesture, bringing her in closer. "Thanks for coming to my aid, Goldie Locks."

"Any time." Yang kissed him on the cheek before ruffling his hair. "You've gotta have someone to watch your back, right?"

"And I'm very glad it's you." Ben's eyebrows suddenly shot up as a realization dawned on him. "Wait, the drone! What about the drone?"

"Right here." Ren spoke up as he lifted the machine. "Slightly damaged, but the camera still works."

Jaune stepped forward. "So who won the race?"

"An excellent question!" Nora exclaimed as she held Kevin's Plumber badge in her hand, offering it to the Osmosian. "Let's go to the video tape!"

Kevin took the badge back. "Right, let's see…" He activated the holoscreen and brought up the footage from the race, going frame by frame as the two motorcycles inched closer and closer to the line. "This looks pretty close…" But then, at the last frame, it was revealed that Bumblebee was just fast enough to inch just far enough to cross the line first. "But it looks like Yang was just fast enough to take it!"

Yang's jaw dropped before she burst out into a smile. "I won?! Hah, I won!"

Ben couldn't help but smile as well. "Yeah, I knew you would. Congratulations, Yang."

"Heh, well whaddya know?" Noire shrugged as Yang, Ben and Nora began celebrating while Ren and Kevin looked on. But out of the corner of her eye, she could see her brother sulking over to the side. She offered him a grin as she strode over to him. "Hey, c'mon little bro, cheer up. You know this was just a friendly competition, right?"

Jaune sighed as he gazed up to her. "Well… yeah, but it still would've been nice if you'd won, ya know?"

"Well, yeah, it would have." Noire admitted. "But something tells me that this isn't going to be mine and Yang's last race together." She glanced over to her fellow blonde with a determined expression. "Am I right, Xiao-Long?"

Yang gave her a similar face. "Oh, definitely. I'm always up for a rematch! Anytime, anywhere!"

As Yang made her declaration, the front door to the house opened and Ruby stepped outside, waving to everybody. "Hey guys! I was wondering what all the noise was out here. How'd the race go?"

Yang jabbed a thumb toward herself. "Rubes, your big sis just took home the gold!"

"Alright!" Ruby gave her sister a congratulatory hug. "That's awesome Yang! Congrats!" She pulled out of the embrace before addressing everyone. "Okay, so now that you guys are back, Gwen wants us all to come into the basement so we can all watch a movie together!"

Ben chuckled as he slowly stood up. "Hehe, wow, usually it's me who shows you guys the movies. Which one does she want to show off?"

"Back to the Future." Ruby answered. "She said you'd know what she meant."

Ben's eyes widened as he could practically hear the movie's orchestral theme play in his head. He turned toward Kevin and the two shared a knowing grin. Ben whirled his head back to Ruby. "Well what're we waiting for?! We're in for a wild ride, let me tell you right now!"

"That's basically what Gwen said." Ruby confirmed before heading back inside. "C'mon, everyone's waiting!" At her behest, the group followed her inside, ready to experience a cinematic adventure through time and space.

* * *

**A/N: Well, there you guys have it! Yang is our winner for today! And not only that, but Pyrrha has gotten through the Water Temple with no worse for wear while Weiss has learned to try something new! All capped off with a viewing of Back to the Future, one of the most iconic movies of the 1980's (and one of my personal favorites). What will they think of it? Well, we'll find out Next Time! But it's not all fun and games as something strange is occurring at night. Mysterious robberies by an unseen perpetrator. Who could it be? Well, that'll be up to Gwen, Kevin and Team JNPR to find out! Thanks for reading! See ya!**


	40. Late Night Subterfuge

**A/N: Hello and welcome everyone to another edition of "Reimagined Omniverse Villains"! Yes, just as I did with Thunderhog and (somewhat) with Exo-Skull, today's baddie is a villain from Omniverse. One who I think is a rather interesting one who has ties to Exo-Skull himself, being his partner in crime… and romance. But rather than be from the future, I've decided to give her a bit of an origin that places her in the modern day. Prepare to start translating a lot of Italian, because this is…**

**Chapter 40: Late Night Subterfuge**

* * *

" _Next Saturday night, we're sending you back to the future!"_ Doc Brown exclaimed as he pointed to the audience.

Ruby pointed back at the screed. "Ah! Title drop!"

For the past hour and a half, the whole crew had been downstairs watching Back to the Future, and from what Ben could see, they were really into it as soon as the DeLorean made its first time-jump. They were shocked when Doc was gunned down by the Libyans and when Marty McFly traveled back in time, slightly creeped out when the past version of Marty's mom was hitting on him, laughed when Biff and his goons got covered in manure, and cheered when George McFly decked biff in the face. Ben was also taken aback when almost everyone got up so they could dance to "Johnny B Goode", though he was even more surprised when Yang pulled him to his feet so that he could dance with her.

Everyone was on the edge of their seat during the climax as Doc relentlessly tried to fix the wires hooked up to the clock tower in time for the lightning to strike. But he pulled through, and the lightning was conducted into the flux capacitor as the DeLorean reached 88 miles an hour, sending Marty back to the future.

"Heh, man, that was a close call!" Sun wiped his forehead. "I think I actually had nervous sweat from that moment."

Blake rolled her eyes, giving Sun a smirk. "I'm sure, but we've still got a bit of movie left."

When Marty returned to the past, everyone was relieved when they saw that Doc was alive, wearing a bulletproof vest after reading Marty's letter, warning him of the Libyan's attack. After returning Marty home, Doc bid him farewell before going thirty years into the future, off to see new years beyond his lifetime. As the next morning came, Marty had awoken to find that he'd changed the future of his own family as well, capped off with reuniting with his girlfriend, Jennifer. But, just as the happy ending was about to come, the DeLorean zoomed in, Doc emerging in odd clothing and a metal visor. _"Marty!"_ he exclaimed as he took a hold of McFly's shoulders. _"You've gotta come back with me!"_

Marty wasn't sure how to respond except with; _"…Where?"_

Doc lifted his visor and answered. _"Back to the future!"_

"Ah-ha! Another title drop!" Neptune called out.

A knowing smile came to Yang's face. "Oh, I smell a sequel!"

"Two sequels actually." Ben confirmed. "And don't worry, we'll watch those too." A thought just came to his head. "Which reminds me, I should probably show you the Jurassic Park sequels while I'm at it."

"Shh!" Kevin shushed. "Here comes the best line in the movie!"

As Marty, Jennifer and Doc all climbed in, Marty pointed out one crucial detail. _"Hey Doc, we'd better back up. We don't have enough road to get up to 88."_

" _Roads?"_ Doc Brown reached up to lower his visor. _"Where we're going, we don't NEED roads."_ And with that, the wheels of the DeLorean shifted down and the vehicle began to hover into the air before traveling through time once again, marking the movie's end and letting the credits roll. As the song "Back in Time" rang through the speakers, everyone in the room applauded, taking Ben, Gwen and Kevin off-guard.

"Awesome!" Nora commended. "That was an amazing movie!"

"Fantastic is what I think that was!" Jaune added. "I feel like I actually learned something about Earth culture from this movie."

Pyrrha turned to Gwen. "I can start to see why you don't want to mess with time travel again. It's very confusing."

"Yeah, it is." Gwen confirmed. "But as the movie's proven, it can also be a lot of fun. Though twice for me in real life is enough for me, thank you."

Ben couldn't help but chuckle. "Heh, well alright! Glad you guys liked it."

"Like it? More like LOVED it!" Ruby emphasized.

"Good, because the adventure isn't over yet." Ben reached for the DVD player and pulled out the disk before grabbing Back to the Future Part II out of the DVD book. "We've still got two more movies to watch!"

"Ah-ah, not yet, Ben." Everyone moved around to see Max standing on the staircase, locking eyes with his grandson. "Hate to break-up the party here, kids, but you've got someone outside to see you."

Ben was taken by surprise by that. "Huh, okay then. Ironwood or Tetrax?"

"Neither actually." Max shook his head. "It's a local policewoman, here on business." The old man shifted his focus to the elder Arc in the room. "Noire, she says that she knows you."

Noire's eyebrows rose. "Krista? Huh, wonder why she's here? C'mon guys, let's go see what's up." She climbed up the stairs after Max while everyone else followed her lead, with Athena staying behind in the kitchen with the elderly Plumber.

"What do you think she wants?" The Huntress inquired.

"I'm not sure." Max folded his arms. "Though I have a feeling that whatever it is, it's probably not good if the police are involved."

* * *

Lieutenant Krista Burns was outside of the Xiao-Long household, waiting for the moment when the group of teens would inevitably come out. She leaned against her police cruiser, taking in the sunny afternoon, knowing that it would be one of the last for a while. "Ugh, winter's gonna be such a drag." Just then, the front door of the house opened and the team of teens came out, catching her attention. She waved to them and called out; "Hey guys! How's it going?"

"Hey, Lieutenant." Ben replied. "Didn't expect you to come by."

"Krista!" Noire waved back. "What're you doing here? I thought we agreed to meet later on."

The policewoman shrugged as she wore an uncertain smile. "That was the plan, but unfortunately, something's come up." She glanced over to see the whole group of kids coming out of the house, many of them she didn't recognize. "Hmm, so this must be the whole team, huh?" But then, she caught sight of Sun and Blake exiting the home and she went over instantly. "Blake, Sun! How's it going?"

"Krista!" Blake greeted. "Haven't seen you in a while. How've things been?"

"I've been fine actually." Krista nudged her head in Noire's direction. "Especially since I met up with a friend that I haven't seen in years just a couple hours ago." She looked over and nodded to the monkey boy. "Sun, it's nice to see you as well."

Sun gave her a salute. "Hey, Lieutenant. Bust any good crimes lately?"

"Eh, a few nights ago, but that was the same day that you guys helped me out with that robot." She jabbed her thumb in Yang and Ben's direction. "And even then, these two did mine and Roy's job for us. So it didn't really count."

Ben rubbed the back of his head while Yang just smirked with a shrug, her eyes shifting to the side. Gwen on the other hand, stepped to the front of the crowd with Kevin, extending a hand of greeting to Krista. "Hi, Krista Burns, right? I'm Gwen, Ben's cousin."

"And I'm Kevin." The Osmosian waved. "Nice to meet ya."

"Nice to meet you as well." Krista said as she shook both of their hands. "I'm really glad I can finally meet this team." She scanned the crowd before finding another familiar face. "And is that Ruby Rose hiding in the back there?"

Ruby chuckled as she stepped out of the crowd. "Heh, hiya Lieutenant Burns. How've you been?"

"Good." Krista raised a brow. "I hope you've been keeping your uncle out of trouble like you promised."

"Heh, well, he's not exactly on the island right now." The Hooded Huntress said. "So I can't really keep track of what he does."

But Krista burst out laughing as she set a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Relax, hon, I'm kidding. Why don't you introduce me to your friends here? I get the feeling that I'll need to know you guys for the foreseeable future."

"Okay!" Ruby led the officer over to the Schnee heiress first. "Alright, first and foremost, this is my best friend, Weiss. We were partnered up during our initiation at Beacon."

Weiss offered Krista a curtsey in greeting. "Hello, Lieutenant, we've heard much about you."

"It's a pleasure." Krista bowed her head. "And you're part of the Schnee family, right?"

Weiss shrugged while giving a reluctant smile. "Well, yes. Though it's not something I particularly like to talk about nowadays."

Krista raised a brow while giving a knowing smirk. "Family trouble?"

"Like you wouldn't believe." Weiss confirmed.

"Heh, I get ya. I've had a few disagreements with my family too." Krista glanced over to the blue haired boy standing not so far away. "And who would you be?"

Neptune's eyes widened when she addressed him and he slowly stepped forward. "Oh! Uh, hi. I'm Neptune. I'm from Haven Academy, like Sun."

Krista nodded in understanding. "Ah, I see. So you and Sun stayed behind. Though that leads me to ask; why? Don't you guys have families over there?"

"I do." Neptune confirmed. "And I talked to them about staying in Vale. It just felt like the right thing to do. Leaving a place that I'd grown to like while in it's most dire need of help, the idea just didn't click with me. So I chose to stay, and as worried as they were, my parents were proud that I'd stepped up."

"And I've got a lot of people important to me here as well." Sun piped up. He smiled over to Blake, who returned his gaze with her own smile before snuggling up to him, the monkey boy putting a comforting arm around her. "So I'm not going anywhere anytime soon either."

"Well that's great!" Krista complimented. "I'm glad that you boys are finding a purpose here." She let Ruby lead her over to Team JNPR, the last to give their introductions. "And you four would be?"

Jaune stood up straight and saluted, the rest of his team following suit. "Team JNPR at your service ma'am."

Ruby laughed at the sight of her friends acting so ridged. "Hahaha! Guys, please, no need to be so serious. Besides, I've known Lieutenant Burns for a long time, and a part of me is pretty sure even she doesn't take her job one-hundred percent serious anyway."

"OH! Shots fired!" Noire called out.

Krista rolled her eyes before patting Ruby on the head. "Tell that to your uncle's DWI's, kiddo." She focused back onto Team JNPR. "Now, who am I addressing here?"

Jaune gave her a nod. "Jaune Arc. I'm the leader of this team."

Pyrrha bowed her head. "Hello, I'm Pyrrha. I guess you could say that I'm second-in-command."

Nora frantically waved over to the policewoman while showing off Magnhild. "HI! Nora Valkyrie's the name, explosions are my game!"

"And I am Lie Ren." The green ninja greeted calmly. "It's a privilege."

Krista let out a chortle. "Hah, well it's certainly nice to meet you all. After Blake told me about all of your wild adventures, I've been eager to meet all of you myself. I'm sorry it just took now to do it. Especially considering why I'm here in the first place."

Ben quirked an eyebrow. "Is there something wrong?"

"Well… maybe. Hold on a second." Krista went over to her car and pulled out a laptop, turning it on before going over to the front steps of the house. Everyone gathered around as she brought up a video player. "This security footage was taken at a Dust Shop in Vale just last night. Everyone down at the station didn't know what to make of it, but I've got a feeling that you'd want to see this."

"Alright then, play on." At Ben's behest, Krista played the security footage, allowing everyone to see just what had happened that night. Nothing happened at first, but then there came a loud metallic bang. A few seconds later, a ventilation grate on the other side of the room came loose and clattered to the ground. The room went silent again, but not long after the grate fell, something weird happened. From out of thin air, a brown knap sack appeared, floating as if it was being held in someone's hand. It moved behind the counter where the invisible force carefully opened the Dust crystal display before putting the crystals into the open sack.

"Great Scott!" Sun whispered.

"I know, this is heavy." Neptune added.

"Shh!" Krista hushed. "Pay attention." Once it had taken an acceptable amount of the substance, the bag closed and the invisible force left, making sure to set the grate back where it was when it left. "See? What did I tell you? It's weird!"

Everyone was floored at the footage, Nora being the first to voice her theory; "GHOST BURGALER!"

The whole group reeled back at her yell, some even rubbing their ears in pain. "I'm not sure if that theory's right, Nora." Gwen said as she massaged her own ears. She gazed over to Krista and asked; "This happened in the city?"

"Yep, in one of the only Dust shops left standing after the attack." Krista answered. "And considering that the city's not in its best economic state right now, any potential money that can be made from that Dust is just gone now. But it's not just Vale where this happened. Turns out this type of burglary has been happening in various towns across the kingdom for a couple of days now."

Kevin crossed his arms. "So why is this a concern to you guys?"

"Because we think that this invisible thief's next target is on the island." The policewoman explained. "We're the nearest town to have a Dust shop, and this thief has proven that, what ever it is, it likes this stuff A LOT. And it'll go through a lot just to get it."

"Are you sure it'll come?" Ruby asked. "We're kind of out of the way if you know what I mean."

"True, but just to be safe, the chief has ordered Roy and I to keep watch at the Patchwork Dust Shoppe tonight." Krista gave them a pleading smile. "And I would really appreciate if you guys could help us out."

"Wait, tonight?" Yang's face fell. "Ah, jeez. We promised Coco that we'd be over at her place tonight."

"Hmm, that IS a problem." Ben tapped his chin to ponder the situation. "Maybe they'd be up to stake out with us?"

"No go." Krista shook her head. "Too many people will only make whatever this is even more reluctant to ransack the place. Which is why I'm only asking for six of you to help in catching this invisible phantom thief."

"Well, that certainly makes things easier." Ben surmised. "But here's the thing; I don't think that this thief is invisible at all."

Gwen glanced down at the footage and then back to her cousin. "Um, Ben, I don't know about you, but the fact that I'm seeing a floating bag is evidence enough to see that our perp is invisible."

"Well, why don't we take another look at the footage." Ben lifted the laptop and rewound the footage to the point where the bag was about to float behind the display cases. "On the floor, just beneath the bag. Here, I'll make the screen larger." Ben put the video player into full screen and pointed to the floor, indicating the dark shadow of a figure being cast by moonlight through the storefront window. A slender figure with a feminine shape to it. "See? What'd I tell ya?"

"Huh, well I'll be." Pyrrha said. "The thief is merely camouflaged."

Ben nodded to her. "Yep, we're dealing with a chameleon."

At that one word, Blake's blood ran cold. "A c-chameleon?" Meanwhile, her brain was going into overdrive. _'Could it really be her? No, it couldn't be. What reason would she have for stealing Dust?'_

Ben spoke up again. "Well, more like a ChamAlien, actually." He looked over to Kevin and held out his hand. "Kev, could I see your badge for a sec? Gotta access the Plumber prisoner manifest."

"Sure thing." Kevin handed his badge over and Ben activated the holoscreen, going through multiple files until he found the one he was searching for.

"Ah-ha, there she is." Ben pressed a button and set the badge on the ground, allowing a full body profile of the perp to come up. It was a female lizard-like being with purple skin. Along her body were darker purple patterns down her back, arms, legs and neck with a curly pattern on the side of her head. She also had a small birthmark on her cheek that resembled a mole. Her attire was almost completely white. She was sporting a crop top and a pair of shorts, a white choker around her neck, white leggings that exposed her claw-like toes, a pair of white gloves, and a barrette adorning her head. The only outlier was her black belt with six golden buckles. But most noticeable were her eyes, which weren't even her eyes at all, but rather a pair of large pointy sunglasses with an extra lens sticking up in the middle. What's more, each lens had its own color, pink on her right, blue on her left, and yellow in the middle.

"Uh, Ben, who's this?" Gwen asked.

"A new villainess that I encountered while you and Kevin were away." Ben lifted his arms to present the hologram. "Everyone, this is Subdora, a Merlinisapien thief who got her start in Italy, going all across Europe on a stealing spree before moving on to the United States. While in the Mediterranean, she picked up an accent and an affinity for dance. She's a tricky one."

Blake had a mental sigh of relief. _'Okay, so it isn't her then.'_

"Man, you know some strange gals, Green Boy." Yang commented with a smirk. "Anyone I should be worried about?"

Ben's face grew red as he rapidly shook his head. "Oh, god no! Trust me Yang, Subdora is NOT my type." He grimaced as he glanced off to the side. "Even if she did try to put the moves on me when we first met."

"Ugh, gross." Yang sneered. "Wouldn't wanna imagine what her idea of seduction is."

Blake rolled her eyes. "Well, in any case, we've got our suspect. Now all there is to do is catch her in the act. So, who should go?"

"A Merlinisapien can't hide from me." Gwen volunteered. "I can see their mana quite clearly."

"Good." Krista said before she realized something; "Hold on, you can see mana? Like, the energy of a living being?"

"Oh yeah. I'm part Anodite on my grandmother's side." Gwen explained.

"I have no idea what that means, but you're in!" Krista's eyes moved over to Kevin. "What about you, punk? Wanna spot on this stake out?"

Kevin let out what could only be described as something between a scoff and a laugh. "Phah! You'd better be careful about who you call a punk, officer. I'm an ex-con, so I CAN be dangerous. Though with that said, I'd be more than happy to lend a hand."

"Great. Two down, four to go." Krista scanned the crowd of aspiring Hunters, accessing which team should come with her. "Hmm… now the question is… which one of you wants to have a night of fun and which of you wants to beat up a burglar?"

Yang gave a shrug. "Eh, the two aren't exactly mutually exclusive you know."

"Yeah, we'll be fine with whoever you choose, Lieutenant Burns." Ruby added.

"Ahem." Everyone turned to see Jaune and his team stepping forward. "Lieutenant, my team and I've talked it over and we've decided that we'd like to come with on this investigation."

Sun was taken aback. "Huh, well, certainly didn't expect that."

"No kidding." Neptune agreed. "And here I thought we'd be junior detectives again."

The monkey boy chuckled at that. "Heh, maybe another day, bud."

But Krista raised an eyebrow at their urge to volunteer. "You're sure about this? Because if you are, I don't expect any slacking on the job. And remember, this won't be easy."

"I assure you that we are certain of this, Lieutenant." Pyrrha echoed Jaune's request. "Please, allow us to come on this assignment."

"We've been wanting to get out into the field on our own anyway!" Nora gleefully shouted. "I mean, yeah, Kevin and Gwen will still be with us, but considering that Team RWBY got to do most of the work taking care of Vulkanus this morning, they should get the night off, right?"

"Uh, sure… whatever that means." Krista agreed half-heartedly. She covered one side of her mouth with her hand and leaned over to Ben. "What's she talking about?"

"Heh, long story involving another one of my villains." Ben chuckled. "But hey, don't worry about it. You've got your team of six, so you're good to go!"

"Yeah, I guess I do." A mirthful smirk appeared on Krista's face as she swiveled around on her heel to face Noire. "But… I could always use an extra officer on the scene. You know, for backup? Just in case Roy and I need you?"

Noire folded her arms and rolled her eyes, shaking her head at her friend's hopeful request. "Girl, you are so lucky that I brought my uniform."

"HA! Awesome!" Krista exclaimed as she hugged her friend. "I knew you couldn't resist! This'll be just like old times!"

"Oh, I'm sure it will be." Noire shifted her eyes to her brother. "Jaune, it seems you're going to have me as support out there tonight."

"That's great, but please don't feel that you need to watch my back during the whole thing." Jaune winked at his sister. "Remember, my team said that they had that covered."

"I know, I know." Noire waved her brother down. "Message received."

Krista shut her laptop off, folding it up before setting it at her side. "Alright, so it's all settled then! The stake out begins at seven o'clock p.m., so don't be late, okay?"

"We won't." Gwen reassured. "We'll be there on time, promise."

"Awesome! It was nice finally meeting you all!" Krista waved as she climbed into her cruiser. "I'm sure that I'll see you all later!" Everyone said their good-byes before Krista closed her door and drove off, heading back to the station where she would prepare for that night's stake out.

Ben gave a final nod. "Alright, so if that's all settled, why don't we go in and see if we can squeeze in the two Back to the Future sequels before tonight, eh?" With a group agreement, everyone went back inside, ready to continue their adventures through time with Marty McFly and Doc Brown.

* * *

It was many hours later when Ben checked his watch. He, Team RWBY, Sun and Neptune had taken the long walk through town and had arrived at Team CFVY's place, ready to get this night of fun started. He had told Gwen and Kevin to call them if they needed back up, but the two had assured them that they didn't need it. The holographic watch on the Omnitrix read 6:45, just fifteen minutes before the stake out was due to begin. "Huh, those guys should be getting into position at any moment now."

Yang, with DVD book in hand, leaned over to him with a sympathetic smile on her face. "You're worried about them, aren't you, Green Boy?"

"Well, yeah, at least a little bit." Ben admitted. "I have no doubt that Gwen and Kevin can take care of themselves, and Team JNPR have proven that they're more than capable in the field. But at the same time, neither Gwen or Kevin have even fought Subdora before, and she can be QUITE crafty."

"Aw, it'll all be okay, Ben!" Ruby assured as they made their way to the door. "Besides, you heard Gwen, she can see Subdora just by her mana."

"Yeah, she'll be able to see what that thief's up to." Blake added. She held on tight to Rema's purple leash, gazing down at the little pup with a serious expression. "Now, I want you to be on your best behavior while we're in here, okay sweetie?" Rema barked a response which earned her a pat on the head. "Good girl! Neptune, you've got a hold of Rommy, right?"

"Yep, got him right here." Neptune wagged the red leash around in his hand as he glanced down at the pup. "You be good too, Romulus. Your parents trusted me with you for the night, so you behave, okay?" Romulus barked as well. "Good boy, now let's head up, shall we?"

"Good idea." Sun agreed as he approached the clerk's desk. "Um, excuse me, we're friends of Team CFVY here for a visit. Do you know which apartment we can find them in?"

The receptionist gladly gave them the apartment number, though she warned them to take Romulus and Rema outside incase they had to do the deed. With that warning in their minds, the seven teens scaled the steps to the third floor, ready to rejoin their friends. On the way up though, Ben ushered Yang to join him as he stayed near the back, which also happened to be where Weiss was. He grinned and said; "So Weiss, my cousin told me that she hooked you up with a Pokémon game, huh?"

The question caught Weiss off guard to say the least. "Eep! Uh… ha-ha-ha! I uh, well, I wouldn't say "hooked up" but more like… um…" But no matter how she tried to cover her actions, Ben and Yang's combined smirks told her that she wasn't getting out of it that easily. "D'oh! Okay, yes, I asked her if I could play a Pokémon game and she lent me her DS, why make a big thing out of it?"

"Because I'm very impressed you took that leap." Ben commended. "I'm glad that you're finding enjoyment in the stuff we're offering to you guys."

"Yeah, who knew Weiss-cream could be a gamer?" Yang said as she gave her teammate a nudge on the arm. "Good on ya!"

Weiss rubbed the spot where Yang nudged her and chuckled a little. "Heh, well thank you. I will admit, I was a bit apprehensive at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I figured that it couldn't hurt to try something new, right?"

"Exactly! Keep breaking those barriers, Weiss." Ben encouraged. "Also, Gwen told me that you're playing Platinum and you chose Piplup. If that's the case, I've got some suggestions for building a team, that is if you're interested."

"Thank you, but I think I'll pass for now." Weiss politely refused. "I believe I'll explore the region myself and see what it has to offer. I'll build my team as I go along."

"And that's fine." Ben assured. "And if you want, my offer still stands."

"I'll keep it in mind." In no time, the group found themselves at the door of Team CFVY's apartment, only one knock away from being invited in. "So, who wants to do the honors?"

But before any of them could knock, the door opened itself, revealing Coco on the other side. "Hey! There's the crew!" But then her eyebrows rose as she looked past all of them. "Uh, you guys seem to be a few heads short."

"Yeah." Ben nodded. "Gwen, Kev, and Team JNPR are helping out the local law enforcement with something tonight. They said they'd swing by if they were able, but nothing's set in stone."

"Huh, cool." Coco gestured for them to follow her. "Well, don't just stand there! C'mon in, you're actually kind of early. Yatsu, Fox and Vel are getting themselves ready as we speak."

In single file, everyone walked into the apartment, entering through the kitchen area. The next person that immediately came into view was Cooper, who was busy preparing dinner and a bunch of snacks. He spotted them and he waved over. "Hey guys! How's it going?"

"Pretty good." Yang answered. "Had a bike race through town with Jaune's sister today, so that was pretty fun."

An expression of realization came to Cooper's face. "Ah, so THAT'S what we heard." He glanced over to Coco. "Earlier today, right?"

"Aw yeah! We heard some serious revving engines." Coco confirmed. "So I guess that was you two, huh? But if that was you, then what was that thing we saw in the sky?"

"That was probably me." Ben pointed his thumb to himself. "I changed into Upgrade and melded with a drone that Kevin had. I was broadcasting the race all the way back to Yang's house."

Coco blinked twice. "You lost me."

"As I often do." Ben waved. "Don't worry, I'll explain better soon. But hey, I saw you guys down in town too!" He gave them a knowing smirk. "So, what did YOU guys do today?"

Cooper and Coco exchanged a glance and a smile before the genius gave his friend a reply. "We were on a date."

"Yep, nothing more to say." Coco strode over and reached around Cooper, pulling him into a side-embrace. "And it was great, let me tell ya."

"Ha, alright!" Ben exclaimed. "That's awesome you two. Congrats!"

Yang walked over and put a hand on Coco's shoulder. "Okay, I want ALL the details, girl."

"Heh, sure Yangarang. But later, okay?" Coco moved around to the living room, plopping down on the couch and ready to get started. "Right now, I'm focused on what you guys are gonna show us today. You brought a bunch of monster movies, right?"

"Sure did." Ruby opened the DVD book. "And a whole lot more too."

Ben stepped into the living area. "It's occurred to me that you guys, Sun and Neptune didn't get to see Jurassic Park the first time we watched it, so if you don't mind, I think it'd be a good idea if you guys saw that first."

Coco tilted her head. "Is it a monster movie?"

"Eh… kind of."

The leader of Team CFVY shrugged. "Then it's alright with me. The title alone sounds pretty awesome!"

"Great!" Sun exclaimed as he sat cross-legged on the floor. "I've heard that this movie's supposed to be really good!"

"It is." Blake sat down next to him, setting Rema on her lap. "…Though I hope you aren't squeamish when it comes to blood."

"Nah!" Neptune brushed off as he handed Romulus to Coco, who was more than eager to receive the pup. "A little blood in a movie never hurt anyone."

"Good, oh, and there is also dismembered limbs." Weiss added.

That got Coco's attention. "Sweet! Bring it on!"

Neptune could feel his blood run cold. "Uh, okay, that might actually be a problem."

* * *

Sergeant Roy Price sat in his police cruiser just outside of the Patchwork Dust Shoppe, keeping an eye on the establishment with his binoculars. They had been there for about an hour or so, and nothing had happened so far, much to his relief. But at the same time, he couldn't help but be excited considering he was on a stake out with an old friend. "I still can't believe you're here, Noire!" he lowered his binoculars and turned to the policewoman in question, who was sitting in the passenger seat. "Man, where does the time go, am I right?"

"Yeah, no kidding." Noire pointed out the window. "So, anything yet?"

Roy shook his head. "Nah, not yet. But honestly? I hope that we're worried over nothing. Maybe this Subdora person will just stick to the mainland for her thefts?"

"Perhaps, but we can never be sure." Noire shrugged. "Besides, considering that we've got the front and back of the store guarded on two fronts each, we could probably be putting her off from going in."

"Yeah, that's a possibility." Roy gazed out his window at the front door of the store, where Jaune and Pyrrha were standing guard. "Heh, I remember you saying that your brother dreamed of being a Huntsman. Now look at him! You must be proud."

"I am, actually." Noire's gaze lowered to the floor. "I just hope that my sisters come to accept that." A devious grin came to her face. "But why don't we talk about what you and Krista've been up to?"

Roy raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Noire rolled her eyes and gave him a light shove. "C'mon, you know very well what I mean! Are you two an item yet or what?"

Roy grew very flustered VERY quick, and he attempted to hide his embarrassment instantly. "Ah-ha-ha-ha! What're you… heh… what're you tryin' to say?" But Noire wouldn't let up on the judgmental gaze, causing him to glance down to his lap with a sigh. "Ugh, alright, no. I haven't tried to ask her out yet."

Noire gave a sigh of her own. "C'mon, Roy, you aren't going to be in your twenties forever! You've known her since you were in kindergarten, I'm sure that—"

Just then, the radio came on, with Krista's voice coming through the other end. _"Roy, Noire, this is Krista. Come in, over."_

With haste, Roy picked up the comm unit and spoke into it. "We hear you loud and clear, KB. Go ahead, over."

" _Something's happening. I just saw one of the air vents on the roof of the building get broken into… and the pieces were floating."_

Roy grimaced. "Looks like we've found the perp. What should we do?"

" _We move in. Hopefully our little guest won't be expecting the welcoming committee inside, over. Once we get her out in the open, we proceed with phase two of the plan. And remember, NO firearms. It's a Dust shop and any stray fire can cause the whole place to go up."_

"Roger that. We're going in, over and out." Roy set the comm down and glanced over to Noire. "Guess we've got a job to do."

Noire nodded though she also pointed a finger at Roy. "Right, but we're not done her Roy." She turned to the door, only to whirl around and point at him again. "And I mean it!"

Roy watched her exit the car, pursing his lips in slight frustration. Not with her, but himself. "Yeah, I know." He got out of the car and followed Noire to the door, with Jaune and Pyrrha having concern written across their faces.

* * *

Inside of the Dust shop, a grate fell down to the floor with a loud KLANG! But seemingly, nothing exited the air vent except for the sounds of thumping feet. The air seemed to shimmer with a bodily form as it gracefully bounded across the room, careful to watch where it stepped. The moment it reached the front desk display containing the Dust crystals, the unseen person let out a mirthful giggle followed by a female voice; "Heehee, there you are, my lovely little _bellezze_."

"Not so fast!" The lights flicked on, catching the figure off-guard. From her left, right, and in through the front and back doors came nine people, catching her in a trap. Three of them she saw were cops, which was NOT good for her. One of the girls, a red head with green eyes and wearing a blue shirt, addressed her directly. "I know you're here, Subdora. It's time to stop this game of hide and seek."

A mirthful smile came to the unseen figure's lips. "Ah, so you have heard of me." The room seemed to shimmer in one spot as Subdora revealed herself to the group, taking the officers slightly aback. "I must admit, I did not expect the warm welcome. Who are you, child?"

"I am Gwen Tennyson of the Plumbers. You might know my cousin."

"Ah, yes, Ben Tennyson, of course!" Subdora clapped her hands together. "Such a nice boy… though he definitely lacks a certain… how should I put it? _Panache_." The Merlinisapien set her hands on her hips. "Though that begs the question… how did you know I would be here?"

"We figured you'd go for the nearest Dust shop next." Jaune explained. "And it just so happened to be on the island we're living on."

"Hmm, bravo." Subdora applauded. "And here I thought a short island vacation would be nice before my next heist." Subdora took out one of the Dust crystals that she had already stolen. "So, it is called "Dust", eh? Quite fetching if I must say." She put the Dust back into her sack and took a bow. "I commend you on your detective work. Now, if you would be so kind, I will be taking my jewels and I shall bid you all an _addio_."

"Not happenin'." Kevin crossed his arms. "Your crimes are stopping tonight."

"And what makes you think you can stop me, eh?" Subdora slyly raised an eyebrow, failing to notice that the three police officers were making their way toward the doors. "I can just as easily become invisible and leave out of any door."

"You think so?" Gwen smirked as she glanced off to the side. Subdora followed her gaze to see that two of the police officers, Roy and Noire, had rushed out the door and locked it from the inside, taking the key with him. The alien chameleon whirled around to see Krista making a dash to the back of the store, key in hand.

" _Fermare_!" Subdora shouted before making a graceful leap, flipping in mid-air before landing right in front of Krista, halting the lieutenant in her tracks. "And just where do you think you're going, madame?"

"Can't say." Krista said. "But I know where _you're_ going. Into a wall."

In a split second, something socked Subdora in the abdomen, sending her flying into the nearest wall. She felt pain, but one of the perks of being a Merlinisapien was the enhanced durability of their scaly skin. Once her vision cleared, she saw what had hit her, another redhead wielding a large hammer. Nora looked over her shoulder and shouted to Krista; "Keep going, Lieutenant Burns! We'll cover you!"

"You will not!" Subdora lunged forward, hoping to get past Nora and grab the policewoman before she could get away. However, Nora wouldn't have that. She swung her hammer again, making contact with Subdora once more. But this time, things were different. Using her Merlinisapien ability to cling to any surface, Subdora grabbed a hold of Magnhild's head and swung herself over Nora, using her own body weight to send the redhead head over heels to the furthest wall.

Nora landed in a crouch, sliding up against the wall. But she was still smiling the whole time. "Haha! Nice moves! But guess what? You're trapped in here with us now, Lizard Lady!"

With the sound of a slamming door and the ka-chunk of a lock meeting her eardrums, Subdora's eyes widened. She whirled her head around to the air vent, only to see that Gwen had levitated the grate back into place with her mana, screwing it shut as she and Kevin guarded it. If she wanted to get out of this place, Subdora had to fight for her freedom. "So, this is how it will be, eh? First an ambush and now a trap? Not very stylish if I say so myself. Where's the _panache_?!"

"I'll show you panache!" Nora stormed ahead, swinging her hammer with all of her might. It made contact with Subdora and she was slammed half-way across the room. However, she was prepared this time. With a graceful mid-air flip, Subdora landed feet first, sticking the landing with her arms out to her sides.

"Simply barbaric. Now it is my turn. _Ciao_." Subdora vanished in an instant, taking the entirety of Team JNPR off guard.

"Oh crap, Gwen! Now'd be a good time for some eyes please!" Jaune requested.

"On it!" Gwen closed her eyes, only to open them a moment later, now glowing bright pink. Her eyes scanned the room, hoping to find Subdora quickly. She got her wish, but not before the Merlinisapien had approached a certain green ninja from behind. However, just as she was about to warn him, Ren performed a spin kick and made contact with Subdora, sending her sprawling to the ground. "Huh, nice one, Ren."

Subdora was shocked to say the least. " _Che cosa_?! How did you know I was—"

"You may be able to become invisible," Ren took out Stormflower and pointed them at her, "but feet are still capable of making noise, even when you try to be sneaky about it. Now turn yourself in, Subdora."

"Hmm, _immpressionante_." Subdora smiled while raising her hands in the air. "It seems you have me…" Ren had taken a step forward and her smile quickly became a toothy grin. He had taken the bait. With a swing of her tail, she literally sweeped Ren off of his feet, sending him tumbling to the ground. "Then again, perhaps not."

"Renny!" Nora cried out as she rushed forward to meet Subdora head on. "You get away from him!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Subdora wagged her finger before becoming invisible again. Nora swung her hammer, only for it to pass through nothing but air. The Pink Dynamo searched for the lizard girl, but then she heard Gwen cry out.

"Nora, above you!" At the Anodite's warning, Nora's head shot upward, just in time to see Subdora appear. She rolled out of the away and ran forward again, hoping to finish this before the Merninisapien tried anything else.

"Ah-ah-ah!" Subdora scolded as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, gold painted, jewel encrusted pistol, firing a bright pink energy blast at Nora. The redhead's eyes widened as she brought her hammer up, hoping to block the blast. And she did, but the concussive force behind it blew her away from Subdora. She closed her eyes and braced for impact… only to be caught in someone's arms. Nora's eyes opened to see the face of her best friend, looking down at her in concern.

"Nora, are you okay?" Ren asked.

Nora's cheeks became slightly red as she felt a tiny fluttering feeling in her belly. "Um… y-yeah. I'm okay."

Subdora spun her pistol and pocketed it, only to be caught between Jaune and Pyrrha as they surrounded her on either side. "What is this? A game of who can last the longest against me?"

Jaune shook his head. "Nope, this is a game we like to call; "We're Taking You In"!" The blonde knight raised his shield and Pyrrha did the same, both of them rushing forward in an attempt to out speed Subdora and get her caught between them. Unfortunately, Subdora proved to be faster, jumping up and out of the way. Jaune and Pyrrha stopped just short of each other while Subdora performed multiple pirouettes away from them. She stopped and pulled out her pistol, firing it at them once again. Jaune raised his shield, with Pyrrha ducking behind him. "We've gotta get that thing out of her hands or else she'll blow up this whole place." he whispered.

"On it!" Pyrrha leapt out from behind Jaune and tossed her shield at Subdora's weapon, knocking it out of her hands and into the air. And, just to make sure that the Merlinisapien couldn't use it again, Pyrrha threw her javelin at the pistol, catching it in the air and impaling it on the wall, breaking it in two.

"Gah! You brutes!" Subdora was about to get out of the way, but before she could, Jaune slammed into her with his shield, pinning her against the wall. "AH! Release me, _cavaliere_ _biondo_! Or else!"'

"I have no idea what you're saying, but the answer's no." Jaune said as he steadied his footing. "You're coming with us, lady."

"Really?" Beneath her glasses, Subdora half-lidded her eyes in a sultry move. "Not even in exchange for… a special something?"

Jaune's glare hardened. "Sorry, but femme fatales are _definitely_ not my type."

"Really? Such a shame. Because now you will be on the ground soon."

"Wait, wha—GAH!" Jaune hollered in pain as he crumpled to the floor, Subdora having dealt a small strike to his lower region, setting her free as a result.

Pyrrha's eyes widened with horror as she rushed to her leader's side. "Jaune!"

Kevin immediately absorbed the tile flooring and ran forward, intending on avenging his fallen comrade. "You bitch! You NEVER strike someone that low!"

"Yes, quite unfortunate." Subdora concurred as she met Kevin's attack with evasion and redirection. "But I do what I must to stay free, no?" She grabbed Kevin's hand with her tail, intending to swing him around. But just as she whirled her body around, Kevin stood firm on his feet and held onto her tail as _he_ spun _her_ around instead.

"Nora, batter up!" Kevin let go and sent Subdora flying, something that she was not prepared for. Something else that she wasn't prepared for was getting hit by Nora's hammer again, causing her to sail to the other end of the store.

"Renny! You're up!" The redhead called out. As Subdora twisted in midair, she saw Ren waiting for her. Before she could even move her body, Ren was up to her in a flash, kneeing her in the stomach. That kick, combined with her momentum knocked the wind right out of her and sent her sprawling to the floor, taking in deep breaths to fill her lungs back up.

Meanwhile, Jaune was still on the ground as well, tears of pain streaming from his eyes. Pyrrha was holding onto his shoulders, attempting to prop him up without causing more pain. "Jaune? Jaune, please look at me! You need to stay calm, breath slowly for me, okay?"

Jaune couldn't exactly form coherent sentences, so he gave her a nod with his eyes still closed. He slowed his breathing and began to calm down, and with that, he began to feel somewhat better. It still hurt, but the agonizing part had passed. It was then that he opened his eyes and gazed right into Pyrrha's, thankful that she was here. He sat up slowly and made a quip, hoping to lighten the mood. "Guh, I may have to start wearing a cup."

Pyrrha stifled a laugh, not wanting to make light of his pain. She kept her hold on his shoulders as he sat up, wanting to be sure he was okay. "Jaune, are you alright? That… well… it looked like it hurt."

"Heh, it did." Jaune smirked. "It's a shock to the whole system that forces it to reboot."

"Jaune! How can you be trying to make light of this?! You were kicked in the… well, you know."

"Pyr." Jaune took hold of her hand. "It's okay, I'm fine. In fact, I think I can already feel my Aura going to work."

Pyrrha sighed before giving him a smile. "You are going to be the death of me with all of this worrying, I swear to god."

Jaune gave her a wink. "Hey, I don't plan on living life nice and safe, do you?"

"We're Hunter's in training, of course we aren't." Pyrrha helped him up, steadying him as he got to his feet. "Now, if you are alright, I'm going to go and pummel that witch."

"Count me in." Jaune raised his shield and picked up Crocea Mors, getting into a battle position once again. "I've got a score to settle."

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "You're certain?" Jaune gave her a nod and a determined expression, signaling that he was ready. "Alright then, let's do it!" Pyrrha raised her shield and stood next to Jaune as Subdora was getting to her feet. "Hey! Lizard Lady!"

Subdora was now on her feet, still disoriented after being literally thrown for a loop. "Wha?" She craned her head up to see where the voice had come from, only to be met with a pair of shields rammed into her face. The impact sent Subdora into the front door, the back of her head smacking against the window, cracking the glass. Her last words before she slipped into unconsciousness were; " _Mios Dio_." Subdora fell to the floor, having had all she could take.

"Haha!" Nora lifted her hammer. "That's the way!"

"Great job, you two." Ren commended as he put a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"The pain's subsiding a little bit now." The blonde knight winced. "But yeah, that hurt like hell."

"I'll bet it did. It's a good thing that Aura works quick, though." Gwen said before giving Jaune a thumbs up. "Excellent job."

Kevin went up and gave Jaune a slap on the back. "Yeah, way to go, dude. Definitely took one for the team on that one."

Jaune stumbled forward and rubbed his shoulders where Kevin gave him the friendly gesture. "Heh, thanks Kev. But don't forget, it wasn't just me. It was all of us." He shifted his gaze over to Pyrrha, still standing beside him. Heat began to rise to Jaune's cheeks as he spoke to her. "And, uh, thank you, Pyrrha. For being there for me when I needed it most."

"You're certainly welcome Jaune." Pyrrha absentmindedly brushed some stray hairs away from her face. "I'm not about to leave you down for the count, you know."

"Yeah, I know I can all ways count on you." The two partners stood there, their eyes locked on one another for about five seconds before Kevin cleared his throat, getting their attention.

"Ahem, hate to break the moment here, but let's get Subdora in a pair of cuffs before she wakes up, alright?" Kevin took two pairs of said cuffs from out of his back pockets, securing them around Subdora's wrists and ankles respectively. "There, now all I need is to call Tetrax."

At that moment, the front door unlocked. Noire, Krista and Roy all made their way in, tasers and mace at the ready. "Is everything okay?" The elder Arc asked. "We heard something slam against the door so we…" Noire's blue eyes immediately caught sight of Subdora, lying unconscious on the ground. "Oh, you guys did it."

"Surprised, sis?" Jaune asked. "Maybe you guys should ask for our help more often."

"Heh, we'll see." Noire ruffled her brother's hair.

"Great job, everyone." Krista stepped forward and hauled Subdora up with Roy's help. "So, what do we do with her?"

"I've signaled a friend to come pick her up." Kevin held up his Plumber's badge. "He should be here any…" Just then, the sound of jet turbines came from outside, signaling Tetrax's arrival. "Man, he works fast."

"Well, he's not very far away, now is he?" Gwen pointed out. "C'mon, we've gotta do this fast before anyone sees what's going on."

* * *

Krista and Roy didn't have any idea what Gwen meant by "we've gotta do this fast" at first, but once they were outside the Dust shop, they had a good idea what she was talking about. The moment they stepped out into the street, a large ramp appeared from seemingly out of nowhere, leading into what could only be described as the interior hull of some kind of ship. And there, standing at the top of the ramp was the ship's captain, and at the sight of him, Krista and Roy's jaws dropped. "Is… is that a…" Krista began.

"An actual ALEIN?!" Roy cried out before Krista hastily put her hand over his mouth.

"Roy! SHH!" Krista hushed. "Do you want to give the whole neighborhood a panic attack?!"

"S-sorry, KB but… just look at him!" Roy said in a hushed tone as he pointed at Tetrax, the Petrospaien already half-way down the ramp. "His head is made of crystals!"

"Roy, I say this as a friend; stay calm." Krista urged. "He's probably a friend of Gwen's."

"Indeed I am." Tetrax spoke up, making Roy jump two feet in the air with a yelp. "Oh, my apologies. I didn't mean to frighten you."

Krista raised her hand in reassurance. "Oh, it's no problem Mister…uh…"

"Tetrax." The Petrosapien introduced himself. "Tetrax Shard. And I believe that you two had a hand in apprehending the alien criminal that Kevin told me about?"

"Well… a _small_ part." Krista corrected. "But it was all in the line of duty." She held up Subdora's knap sack. "Plus, we've retrieved all of the Dust she stole, so that's a plus."

"Hehe, yep!" Roy waved nervously as he hid behind Krista. "All part of the job!"

"Of course. And thank you for helping." Tetrax nodded before turning to Gwen, Kevin and Team JNPR, taking Subdora off of Kevin's hands. "I must say, I didn't expect you to get two crooks in one day. Very commendable."

"Thank you, Tetrax." Gwen nodded back. "Always happy to help."

"Likewise. Well, I should probably go. I'll see you all in the morning." Tetrax took Subdora and boarded his ship, the ramp going back up and hiding the entire thing from view. The engines came to life and the Resolute lifted off of the ground, flying back to the forest whence it came.

Krista and Roy stared in the spot that the ship had once been in, the blonde officer being the first to speak. "Alright, I think I've had enough for one night." He looked over to his partner. "You said something about going to your house, KB?"

"Yeah, I guess it's not too late." Krista checked her watch. "It's only 8:30." She glanced over to Noire with a grin. "What do you say, Black Sheep? You still in?"

"Heck yeah, I am!" Noire confirmed before turning to the teens. "Hey guys, I'm going to be spending the night at their place, alright?"

"No problem, sis." Jaune gave his sister a hug. "Have fun with your friends okay?"

"I will. See you guys tomorrow!" Noire climbed into Roy's police cruiser with the blonde officer while Krista got in her own, both vehicles driving down the street into the night.

Gwen placed her hands on her hips. "Alright, well now that we're done here, does anyone still want to go over to Team CFVY's place with the others?"

"I know Renny and I are going." Nora piped up. "I'm hoping that they haven't had TOO much fun without us."

"Anyone else want to join in?" Ren asked.

Jaune shook his head. "Nah, you guys go ahead. I've been wanting to get in some more playtime with Metroid Prime. And then after that, Pyrrha and I are going to be doing some sword practice."

"Indeed." Pyrrha confirmed. "You two have fun, alright?"

"You guys need a lift there?" Kevin jingled his keys. "We can drop you off before we go back home."

"Sure!" Nora accepted. "We'd probably be walking around town aimlessly by ourselves if you didn't anyway."

"Alright then." Gwen said as they all made their way to Kevin's car. "Just make sure that one of you guys remembers to call the house later so that Kevin and Athena can come pick you guys up, okay?"

"Of course." Ren assured. "I'll make sure of it." With the green ninja's promise, Team JNPR, Gwen and Kevin loaded up into the car, with the team of Hunters in training having to squeeze into the back seat for the short drive to Team CFVY's apartment. Once there, Nora and Ren vacated the vehicle before bidding their friends farewell, the green muscle car driving back to the Xiao-Long household once again.

* * *

The first thing that Subdora felt when she woke up was the cold and hard metal floor. She groaned as her hand went to her head, having little recollection of what had happened after being knocked unconscious. But once her senses began to come back to her, she became accutly aware of something quite important; her sack of Dust had gone missing. Her eyes shot open and she stood up, frantically searching her person for the brown sack. "What?! NO! _Dove sono i miei cristalli_?!" But then she became aware of something else; the soft blue glow of the forcefield that she was trapped in. "Wait… where am I?"

"Yer in the slammer, toots." At the use of the demeaning name, Subdora whirled around to the cell next to her… only to find no one there. "Down here!" The voice spoke again. Subdora craned her head downward to see a small orange baby man with a giant head. "Welcome to Tetrax's prison ward."

"You… you are Vulkanus, no?" Subdora quirked a brow. "I had imagined you'd be taller."

Vulkanus scoffed at her. "Pheh! Well we can't all be super models like yourself, lady."

Subdora sneered. "Enough! How did I get here?!"

"Hmm, Vulkanusss brought you in." Another voice hissed behind Subdora, making her move back in fear to see the snake man, Ssserpent. "It ssstandsss to reassson that you were defeated by those sssniveling sssuperheroesss."

Subdora clenched her fist. "Those… _parassiti_!" she shouted. "They shall pay for locking the likes of me in here! I swear it!"

"Heh, dream on, Subdora." The Merlinisapien gazed out of her cell to see Argit there, standing guard as he kicked back in a nearby chair eating a bag of pork rinds. "Those forcefield cells are top of the line, believe me. There ain't no way you're getting outta there, haha."

"You disgusting _roditore_!" Subdora banged her fists on the forcefield wall. "Let me out this instant or I will… will… what in the world?!" The alien chameleon looked down at her feet to see a pitch-black darkness begin to erupt at her feet. "What is going on?! Let me out!"

As the smoke started to billow up and encompass her, Argit's eyes widened in panic as he pressed the emergency alarm button. As the room began to flash red with the alarm blaring through the whole ship, Argit ran over and tried to open the cell. "Oh crap, crap, CRAP! It's her! This is what the guys warned me about!"

"Her? Who is—" But before Subdora could ask any further, Tetrax entered the room, and his bright yellow eyes shot open in a panic.

"Oh no. Argit! Get that cell open!" The Petrosapien ordered.

"Almost… got it!" Argit got the door open and Subdora leapt out… only for the darkness to follow after her, engulfing her as it brought her into its pitch-black void. Tetrax and Argit could only stare in shock at what happened. It was moments later when Argit found his voice. "We uh… we might have a security problem."

* * *

**A/N: Well, there you have it! This story's incarnation of Subdora! And judging by what just happened there at the end, it won't be the last time we see her. I had always liked the "invisible thief" angle that Subdora had, plus the fact that her species is one that we see so rarely in the show. Ben used ChamAlien, what? Twice? And once by Albedo? Jeez, talk about underutilized. But enough of that for now. Because Next Time, things get interesting as Subdora is given a proposition by Salem, and the Merlinisapien meets some of her new teammates. But that's not all, as Jaune and Pyrrha finally have the talk that they've both been dreading. Thanks for reading! See ya!**

**P.S. Also, if you haven't, I strongly recommend that you watch Back to the Future, because my brief summary does NOT do it justice.**


	41. When Feelings Come to Light

**A/N: Hey guys! So, I'm gonna keep this note short and sweet so we can get on with the chapter itself, because this one has been a long time coming. The title should be allowed to speak for itself, so let's go! This is…**

**Chapter 41: When Feelings Come to Light**

* * *

Kevin's car pulled into the driveway of the Xiao-Long house, the night having settled over the residence quite nicely. The Osmosian, as well as Gwen, Jaune and Pyrrha got out of the car, with the ex-con letting out a big yawn. "YAAAAHW—Oh man! Didn't realize how tired I was. Who knew this is what we'd be doing today, huh?"

"No kidding." Gwen rubbed her eyes and let out a yawn of her own. "And we've still gotta pick up Ben and the others later on, so we can't go to sleep yet."

"Well, it's a good thing you guys will have something to keep you up, eh?" Jaune brought up. "I can practically hear Metroid Prime practically calling out to us."

Pyrrha chuckled as Gwen and Kevin let out tired groans. "Hehe, sorry you two, but you must admit, it'll at least help you stay awake."

Kevin opened the door and stepped inside, followed by everyone else. "Yeah, well this ain't exactly a day where I wanna stay up." The four walked into the kitchen to see Max, Athena and Tai sitting around the table having a cup of nighttime coffee. "Hey, is it Bingo night already?"

Tai gave Kevin a deadpan expression. "Real funny. Max was just telling us about your guy's day today. I'm guessing you were successful in all your missions?"

"Oh yeah." Jaune confirmed. "We've put away two villains, no problem."

The Osmosian decided to pipe up. "Yep, and blondie took one for the team tonight. Got kicked in the nuts and got right back up."

"Ha, seriously?!" Tai raised his mug. "Well alright! Jaune's got some strength behind him!"

But a certain redheaded Anodite was not as happy with her boyfriend about mentioning it. "KEVIN! Why would you say that?!"

"What? I mean it as a compliment." Kevin smirked. "Shows he's got guts."

Pyrrha glanced off to the side in embarrassment as her mother let out a gasp and covered her mouth. "Oh my word! Jaune, are you alright?!" Athena asked.

Jaune shrugged it off. "Eh, yeah, though the pain's mostly gone now thanks to my Aura. Don't really see what the big deal is."

"Well, whatever the case, you should probably sit down for a while, son" Max advised.

Jaune grinned at the old Plumber. "Oh, I'm going to sit down alright… while playing some Metroid Prime! C'mon Pyr, let's go set things up!"

"Right behind you!" Pyrrha said as she followed him down the stairs, leaving Gwen and Kevin with the adults.

Max sighed before taking a sip from his mug. "So, both Vulkanus, and now Subdora are on Tetrax's ship, correct?"

Kevin gave a nod. "Oh yeah, heh, I bet the Lizard Lady's having the time of her life right now!"

* * *

Subdora landed on the ground with a THUD, her vision spinning as she tried to keep herself from retching up the contents of her stomach. Whatever she was sucked into, it was like swimming in a pool of thick, black ink, and it WAS as unpleasant as one would think. She curled up and held her abdomen as she heaved out air, trying to form a coherent sentence. " _Mi_ —oh lord— _Mios Dio_! Wha… what in the hell just happened?!"

"Be still, child." came a soothing, yet somewhat chilling woman's voice from the darkness. "I have freed you from your prison and have brought you to my domain."

Her eyes widening in shock, Subdora tried to get to her feet, only to fall back down as her stomach churned. "Ugh. Who… who are you? Where am I? Why am I here?"

"All very excellent questions." As the voice spoke, the room that Subdora was in lit up as the fireplace flared to life, with many smaller ornate torches lighting up along the walls of the room. From the dark hallway stepped a woman in black robes, her skin and hair as white as snow. "Firstly, my name. I am Lady Salem. And you, my dear, are in my castle, situated in the Land of Darkness. You also have the honor of being the first true alien that I have ever met in my very long life."

"Very flattering, _grazie_." Subdora climbed up onto a nearby chair and curled up into a fetal position. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of being rescued from my imprisonment?"

A cold, yet sincere smile came to Salem's face as she took a seat next to her Merlinisapien guest. "The reasoning is simple, my dear… Subdora, correct? I quite admire your talents in subterfuge and stealth. Something which my alliance is sorely lacking in. My desire is that you would be willing to come to my side and assist in these matters."

The woman's intentions definitely piqued Subdora's interest. "Hmm, an alluring proposition, _mia Signora_." The theif steepled her fingers together as she straightened out in her chair, her stomach pain having subsided. "You have garnered my attention. But I must ask, what is in it for me if I agree?"

Salem closed her eyes, her smile still visible. "Ah, the age-old question. I've been asked it time and again in my lifetime." She opened her eyes. "But to answer, if you are willing to work for me, you will be able to do two things; one, take vengeance on the young upstarts that stood in the way of your heist. And secondly, you will be granted a share of any priceless gems that you happen to procure on any future burglaries, so long as you bring me whatever I may request."

Subdora was loving what she was hearing. _"_ Hah, is that all?" She stood to her feet and took a bow. "In that case, _mia Signora_ , you have yourself a deal. Subdora is at your service."

"Excellent." Salem rose up as well. "I am pleased at your cooperativeness, Subdora. Unlike a certain _other_ alien that my acolytes had encountered this morning."

"I assure you, Lady Salem, I will not be like said ruffian." The thief placed her hands on her hips in confidence. "When you hire Subdora, you are promised only the most stylish and polished of thievery techniques." Her brow furrowed and her lips turned up in a sneer. "I only wish those… those… those _eroi brutali_ had not picked up on my trail!"

Salem was unfamiliar with the language that Subdora was speaking, but one of the words vaguely sounded like "hero" and the other obviously had "brutal" in it. So she merely had to put two and two together. "Indeed. Those children have been a thorn in our side since Ben Tennyson and his cohorts arrived in our world. But I vow that no matter how long it takes, we WILL make them fall to their knees before us."

"Ho ho, I am liking the way you think, _Signora_." Subdora complimented. "And just who are these comrades I will be working with?"

"They are a… rather colorful lot to say the least." Salem elaborated. "A mixture of people from my own world as well as your own. You may just recognize a few of them."

A smirk worked it's way to Subdora's face. "Is that so? Well then, I may just have to say hello to them… in my own way, of course."

"Do what you wish." Salem moved back to the hallway. "I myself shall be settling in for the night. One of them will show you to your personal quarters, all you need do is ask."

"Of course." Subdora took another graceful bow. " _Buona notte_ , Lady Salem." And with that, Subdora disappeared without a trace, blending in with the room itself as she left to find her new teammates.

Salem's only thought when leaving for her quarters was; _'This should be quite interesting.'_

* * *

Not far away, Rojo, Cinder and Emerald were gathered in the green-haired girl's room, with Rojo recounting the origins of her rise to being a bountyhunter. Emerald herself was on the bed, having just taken in the beginning of Rojo's story. "Okay, so this "Vilgax" guy was practically _inside_ your head?" Emerald asked while pointing to her temples for emphasis. "And he was feeding you these instructions through the technology that fused with your body? That's messed up."

"Tell me about it." Rojo took a sip of her red wine before continuing. "He wanted me to get the Omnitrix from Tennyson and he was gonna torture me if I didn't agree. So I really didn't have a choice in the matter."

Cinder glanced up from the book she was reading. "How does technology fuse with living flesh to begin with?" she asked. "I would imagine that it would hurt."

Rojo nodded. "Oh, it did, sister. Like _hell_. But only for a little while. After it had finished fusing with me, the pain just went away. Though it DID feel kind weird to move around."

"I'm sure." Cinder glanced down at her book, setting a page marker where she had left off before closing it. "So then what happened?"

Rojo kicked her feet up on the ottoman. "Well, I finally cornered the little punk in a police station. Not exactly the BEST place for someone like me, but what can ya do, right? So anyway, I've got him and his cousin on the run, but then he turns into this living metal blob thing that melds with me and disables my tech. After that, I was normal again."

Emerald leaned forward. "I'm guessing you were caught by the cops?"

"Bingo." Rojo downed the last of her wine, forcibly setting the glass on the table next to the wine bottle. "Ah, not one of my best moments."

"I am sure." Cinder said. "So, I assume that you managed to break out soon after?"

Rojo shrugged. "Actually, I was in the slammer for a couple months before someone busted me out. This guy, the Forever King, set me up with some new gadgets and gathered up a bunch of other villains who also had a grudge against Tennyson."

"And from what you told me, that was a failure." Cinder recalled.

"Heh, yeah, that group did NOT function well together. We got trapped inside of a Plumber base in Mount Rushmore, which ended up getting destroyed after Tennyson's scrap with the Forever King."

Emerald tilted her head. "Mount what?"

"Eh, long story on that one. But fortunately, I got away before the law could get me. I bolted as fast as I could through the halls of the base before I came across a hangar, which just so happened to be housing multiple spacecraft."

The green-haired thief's eyes widened. "You went into SPACE?!"

"Hmm, interesting." Cinder admitted. "The one place where you cannot be followed."

"Heh, think again Cindy." Rojo wagged her finger. "I was tailed by the Plumbers for a good long while. Didn't help that they had a tracking beacon in the ship that I'd taken and it took me a while to find THAT. But then… I got a lucky break. I came across the ship of an intergalactic bounty hunter who had parked himself just above the planet he'd been scouting. I found a Plumber space suit and ditched the ship I stole, floating myself over to his ship."

Emerald was seriously getting into this. "Whoa! Okay, you've got major guts to do that!"

"Indeed." Cinder said, impressed by her teammate's tenacity. "And what happened when this bounty hunter found you?"

"Heh, I convinced him to make me his apprentice." Rojo stated proudly. "He wasn't really all that keen on it at first, but I showed him my stuff when I helped him out on one of his jobs… and broke out of the holding cell he'd trapped me in."

"Heh, nice." Emerald chuckled. "What was his name?"

"His name was…" But just as she was about to say the name, three knocks came at the door, causing all three women to look at it in confusion. "Huh?" Rojo got up and strode toward the door, opening it and sticking her head out with an indignant; "Yeah, what is… it?" However, to her confusion, there was nobody there. "Huh, could've sworn there was a knock." She closed the door and began walking over to the girls, continuing her story. "Anyway, his name was—"

Suddenly, Subdora appeared from out of nowhere right in front of her. " _Saluti_ , Rojo!"

"GAH!" Rojo tumbled to the ground in mid-step, taken by surprise at the Merlinisapien's sudden appearance. She was about ready to strangle whoever had snuck into the room, but then she heard the voice, followed up by seeing the face of their interloper. "Hold up, _Subdora_?!"

"Correct, I am surprised you did not notice me, _Rosso_." Subdora extended a hand to help her up, only for Rojo to get up by herself. "Ah, stubborn as always." Just then, she felt a somewhat close, yet intense heat behind her. The thief turned around to see Cinder standing there, an intense glare fixated on her as her hand had ignited into flame. "Oh, _buonasera_!"

If possible, Cinder's glare only hardened at the good-natured greeting. "Who are you? Where did you come from? Answer quickly or meet your end."

"Hmm, straight and to the point. I like that." Subdora smiled. "Well, if you must know, my name is Subdora, and I am a master thief. Lady Salem has just recruited me into your cause. Such a respectable woman, if I may say so myself."

Cinder raised an eyebrow. "Hmph, if this is true… then why did she not tell us?"

"That, I do not know." Subdora's smile became a smirk. "Perhaps she wished to shake things up a bit by keeping this a surprise."

"Lady Salem is _never_ one for surprises." Cinder insisted. "I should know after serving under her for as long as I have." The Fall Maiden extinguished her flame. "However, if what you say is true and the Mistress DID recruit you, then I suppose I will not kill you… at least not today."

"HA! Classic Cindy." Rojo laughed. "So, I guess that was you at the door, Subdora?"

Sudora let out a haughty laugh before replying. "Haha! _Sì_ , that was me. The moment I knocked, I camouflaged myself and leapt to the ceiling, sneaking in when you opened the door."

Emerald raised her hand. "Hold on, back up a bit. Did you say "camouflage"? As in; _invisible_?"

"Indeed." Subdora presented herself to the room. "For behold! Now you see me…" Subdora faded from view. "Now you don't!"

Emerald's eyes widened as she rose from her bed. "Whoa, okay, THAT'S pretty neat."

Cinder crossed her arms. "Hmph, the fact that you're an alien chameleon means that you obviously have your advantages."

"Spot on!" Subdora's voice came from nowhere. Over where Rojo had been sitting not a few moments ago, the wine bottle began levitating in midair, pouring a glass of wine in the empty glass. Once it was filled halfway, the invisible Subdora lifted the wine glass and began sipping the alcoholic drink, the liquid disappearing as soon as it went past her lips. "Ah! What a fine wine. Lady Salem certainly has good taste."

Rojo smirked and rolled her eyes. "Alright, Madame Houdini, we get it, being invisible is cool."

"Hehe, I am very aware." Subdora reappeared, setting the glass down. "In any case, I was told by the Mistress that one of you ladies would be able to show me to my quarters."

"Of course." Cinder pointed to the left. "Three doors down the hall, there is a vacant room. Make yourself comfortable."

" _Splendido_!" Subdora clapped her hands together. "Thank you very much. I look forward to our future endeavors." She slipped over to the door and opened it, giving them a wave goodbye. "I believe I will go see if any others are around. Introduce myself, you know? _Arrivederci_!" And with that, Subdora left as quickly as she had come, leaving the three women in the room to share their thoughts.

"I am annoyed." Cinder scowled. "She waltzed in here like she owned the place."

Emerald shrugged. "Eh, I dunno. I think she's alright. I mean, yeah we're going to have to get used to her, but that shouldn't be _too_ hard."

"I've lived with her as a cell mate." Rojo revealed. "I guess I can live with her as a teammate. I'm just gonna recommend that you ladies keep an eye on your personal stuff. I've found that she likes to pull pranks by stealing… unmentionables."

"I will keep my dresser locked." Cinder concluded.

"Ditto." Emerald agreed. "So, Rojo, you never DID say who your mentor was."

Cinder turned to her comrade as well. "Indeed, who was this alien bounty hunter?"

Rojo sat back down in her chair with a reminiscent smile. "Heh, yeah, should probably get on with the story, huh? Well, to pick up where I left off, the bounty hunter who taught me everything there is to know about taking down your quarry, was a Zaroffian named… Khyber."

* * *

Jaune had his sights glued on the television, his hands firmly set on the Gamecube controller as he tried kept his focus on beating the next boss in Metroid Prime; the Hive Mecha. And it was EXTREMELY off-putting to him. He had never been a fan of bugs that buzzed louder than normal, nor did he like ones with abnormally long stingers. So there he was, fending off a swarm of bugs that had BOTH aspects he didn't like. He especially didn't like it when they dove at him, that made him jump a few times. But as Pyrrha, Gwen, and Kevin cheered him on, he braved the swarm, dealing the final blow to the Hive Mecha. "Ha! Yes! First try, yet again!"

"Excellent job, Jaune!" Pyrrha congratulated. "You're quite the pro."

Jaune began to twirl the controller around in his hand like a pistol. "Well, I've had my fair share of video game experien—whoa!" To his dismay, Jaune dropped the controller, only for Pyrrha to catch it.

The Invincible Girl chuckled as she went to hand it back to him. "Haha, that was quite the display, Jaune."

"Heh, yeah, guess I'm not much of a gunslinger. Or rather, controller-slinger." The blonde knight reached over as Pyrrha gave the controller back, only for their hands to touch in the process. Both of them kept their eyes locked on the controller, neither one of them wanting the other to see their blushes. Jaune cleared his throat as Pyrrha gave the controller back in full, allowing him to go to the nearest Save Room to save his progress. "Ah, um… thanks."

"N-no problem." Pyrrha replied. Behind the two, Gwen and Kevin rolled their eyes, unable to believe that the two were still going on like this. It was but a moment later when Pyrrha spoke back up. "So, uh, Jaune! Are you ready for our sword practice tonight?"

"Oh! Yeah, totally." Jaune answered eagerly. "I've been waiting to really test Crocea Mors out."

Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you already do that this morning? You know, with Vulkanus' minions?"

Jaune shrugged. "Well, yeah, kind of. But I know that Pyrrha will give me a good fight back." He craned his head over to his partner. "That being said, I'm ready to give it all I've got."

Pyrrha smiled back. "Good. I wouldn't expect anything less, Jaune." She got up and began heading toward the stairs. "I'm going to go get ready, see you in a bit?"

Jaune smiled and waved to her. "Sure! See you in a bit!" Pyrrha waved back before going all the way up the stairs, allowing the blonde knight to fall to the ground in apprehension. "Oh god, what am I gonna do?"

"Great question." Kevin smirked. "You can't stall for much longer, Lover Boy."

Jaune shot up and exclaimed; "I know that!" He ran his hands through his hair before resting them on his cheeks. "I want to talk to her about it tonight but… I just don't know how to do it."

Gwen took in some air through her nostrils before letting out a sigh, glancing to her boyfriend. "Kevin, could you give Jaune and I a moment, please?"

"'Course." Kevin nodded before getting up and giving Jaune a pat on the shoulder. "Good luck, dude."

"Thanks." Jaune watched as Kevin went up the stairs, leaving him and Gwen alone. "So, have anymore sage advice for the pathetic loser?"

"One, you're not pathetic, and two, you're not a loser." Gwen got off the couch and went to the floor next to Jaune, sitting on her knees. "You really shouldn't be down on yourself like this, Jaune. Everyone gets nervous like this when you express your feelings to your crush."

Jaune glanced down to his feet. "Well, yeah, I know… but what if…"

"Let me stop you right there." Gwen interrupted. "You're focusing too much on the "what if's" again. Instead, you need to focus on what WILL happen, which is something that you don't know yet. Allow me to ask this again, Jaune; do you like Pyrrha?"

Jaune was taken aback at the redhead's forwardness, but then he furrowed his brow as he found his bravery. "Of course, I do."

"Then tell her everything." Gwen smiled. "I'm sure she'll understand. Because from what I've seen this week, I don't think her feelings for you have changed a bit."

Jaune let out a nervous breath before grinning at her. "I hope your right. Thank you, Gwen. For everything."

"It's what I do." At that moment, Gwen's Plumber badge began beeping, forcing her to take it out and answer. "Hello? Ben, it that you?"

" _Who else, cous'?"_ Ben answered. _"We're almost done here for the night."_

"Alright, you need Kevin and Grandpa to come pick you up?"

" _If it wouldn't be too much trouble, that'd be great! See you in a while?"_

"Sure thing, bye Ben." Gwen hung up and gave a smile to Jaune. "Seems like the gang are coming back home.

"Yep." Jaune rose to his feet. "And I've got something that needs to be done."

Gwen stood up as well. "Think you'll be okay on your own? This is between you two, so I won't really have a place in it."

"I… yeah, I think I'll be fine. At least I hope." Jaune smiled. "And Gwen? Thank you again for all the advice. I'm not sure how I'd be without your help."

"It's what friends are for." Gwen gave his shoulder a small pat. "Now, go get yourself ready. You've got quite the practice ahead of you."

"Heh, you're right. I'll see you later." Jaune walked over to the stairs and climbed up into the kitchen, leaving Gwen all alone in the basement.

The Anodite rose to her feet, a knowing smile on her face. "Alright, Jaune's been given the encouragement he needs. Now for Pyrrha." She began climbing the steps herself, thinking over what Pyrrha might say to her. "Those two will talk to each other about this if it kills me."

* * *

Dr. Animo had his eyes fixated through the microscope, studying the crystalline structure of the Lightning Dust that Rojo and her squadron had procured for him this morning. "This substance is most fascinating, Watts." Animo said as he wore a toothy grin. "I can practically _see_ the energy flowing through it. We have nothing like this on our planet."

"Indubitably." Watts proudly stated while twirling his moustache. "Dust is one of the most remarkable minerals in our world, and we have made sure to use it to its fullest."

"So you have." Animo raised his eyes from the scope. "Weaponry, energy, fuel, it is quite amazing what this single substance is capable of." The doctor picked up the piece that he was studying. "And soon, we shall see if its unique properties are capable of providing the energy needed for a successful mutation!"

On the other side of the room, Mercury sat with his arms crossed, tired of the constant back and forth between the two doctors. "Ugh, so why not just do it then?! What are you even _waiting_ for exactly?"

"For Tyrian to return!" Animo answered. "And you would do well to be patient, boy. We have no idea when—"

At that moment, the door swung open and hit the wall with a SLAM! On the other side was in fact, Tyrian, who was still grinning as much like a mad man since the moment he left. "Hehehehaha! Heya, Doc! I'm home!"

Animo's face fell and he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Speak of the devil." he whispered to himself before forcing out a welcome to the scorpion Faunus. "Hello Tyrian! I see you have returned from your mission. Successfully, I presume?"

"Hehehe, oh you betcha, Doc." Tyrian opened both sides of his jacket to reveal the multiple vials of Faunus blood that were strapped to the inside of it. "Hehe, I spared no expense in getting these, though I can't say the same for the people I hurt to get 'em, hehehehe!"

Animo grimaced as Tyrian took off his coat and handed it to him, clearing his throat to clear the air. "Ahem, ah, yes of course. Excellent job." Animo set the coat out, splayed open so he had access to all of the vials. "I see you even marked them with the species… and uh… the victim's own name. How charming."

"Hehehe, yeah, I know." Tyrian laughed. "Oh, and one more thing…" With a swift flink of his tail, Tyrian embedded his stinger into the wall, though there was a much bigger impact sound than what the appendage should have made. "We've got a visitor."

The three other men in the room approached Tyrian in confusion before seeing that an invisible force was trying to pull the tail away from the wall, along with grunts of exertion from seemingly nowhere. But their baffled state was soon put to rest when a young chameleon woman appeared from out of thin air, shocking both Watts and Mercury. "What in the blue devil is that monstrosity?!" Watts cried out while stumbling back.

At the comment, Subdora glared at him and with every ounce of force she could muster, she choked out; "C-curb… your… tongue!"

Animo's brows furrowed before glancing over to Tyrian. "Release her, she is an… acquaintance of mine."

Tyrian shrugged. "Eh, whatever you say, Doc." Tyrian pulled his stinger out from the wall, allowing Subdora to fall to the ground.

As the Merlinisapien took in deep breaths of air, she glared up at Tyrian in revilement. "How… did you… see me?!"

"Hehehe, I'm a Faunus, lady. We've got enhanced senses that let us see and hear what most humans can't! HAHAHA!"

Subdora rubbed her sore neck. "I will keep that in mind, _uomo pazzo_." She then saw that Animo was looking straight at her with a judging glare. " _Doctorre_ Animo! How have you been?"

"What are you doing here, Subdora?" The doctor asked bluntly.

"Hmph, never were one for conversation, were you? I suppose things have not changed that much." Subdora strutted past Watts, making the doctor fumble over himself in an attempt to get out of her way. "Heh, pitiful. Such cowardice only shows your prejudice."

Watts sneered at this woman's crude words. "Now see here!"

Subdora ignored him, sitting herself on one of the lab tables. "See what? That you are being rude to me simply because I appear different? Shameful!"

Watts was about to retort, but Animo spoke before he did. "Subdora is correct. Though she is an alien, she is every bit of a sentient being that we are. And a quite skillful one as well when it comes to thievery. Salem must have recognized that if she is here."

"You are correct, _doctorre_." Subdora smiled. "The Mistress has indeed recruited me for that exact purpose."

Mercury was still skeptical. "Okay, so what can you do other than become invisible?" Subdora gave the boy a sultry look before disappearing, leaving Mercury flabbergasted. "W-wait, wha—GAH!" Mercury fell to the ground as his legs were kicked out underneath him, landing on his back while Subdora appeared above him, keeping her hands and feet on his wrists and ankles.

Subdora drew her face closer to his. "Did not see that coming, did you, _bello_?" Before Mercury could react, Subdora did a backwards flip over his head, landing feet first behind him as he sat up. "I suggest you work on honing your skills." Subdora strode over to the door, walking partway out before turning back and blew a kiss at Mercury. "Then perhaps we can have a REAL spar. _Ciao_." She waved goodbye as she disappeared once again, leaving the whole room in a state of shock… all except for Tyrian who was cackling like a crazy person.

"AHAHAHAHAH!" The scorpion Faunus doubled over, clenching his gut. "She sure showed you, huh? HAHAHA!"

Watts let out a sigh. "Dear Lord, where in the world does Lady Salem find these people?"

"Search me." Mercury shrugged. He glanced back out the door to where the… rather attractive Merlinisapien thief had once been. _'But for some reason, I feel oddly turned on.'_

* * *

Back at the Xiao-Long house, Pyrrha had just finished strapping on the last piece of her armor, making sure that nothing was out of place. "Hmm, perhaps I should consider getting some new armor. This old set is becoming rather dingy." She pondered to herself.

"Not a bad idea."

Pyrrha let out a shriek in surprise as she whirled around, only to see Gwen in the doorway. "GWEN! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

The Anodite let out a laugh before coming in the room. "Sorry, I thought you knew I was here. You're usually perceptive like that."

"Heh, indeed… usually." Pyrrha sat down on her bunk bed. "My apologies for screaming, it's just… well I've had a lot on my mind lately."

"I'll bet." Gwen took a seat next to her. "We've had a rather busy day, haven't we?"

Pyrrha glanced down as she folded her hands on her lap. "Well, yes… but that's not exactly what I meant. You see… I'm considering talking to Jaune about… well… you know what."

Gwen grinned as she thought; _'There it is.'_ She put an arm around Pyrrha's shoulders. "Hah, well it's about time, isn't it? So, you ready?"

The Invincible Girl suddenly went into a panic, grabbing Gwen by the shoulders. "No, no I'm not! I have never been so nervous in my entire life! What if he doesn't like me back?! Or what if I mess up what I say?! Or what if—"

Gwen grabbed her fellow redhead's shoulders. "Pyrrha, sweetie, calm down. You're rambling." She reached down and grabbed Pyrrha's hands. "You need to clear your thoughts. Take a couple deep breaths. And do it slowly, okay? I don't want you to start hyperventilating."

Pyrrha nodded, closing her eyes and taking in a few calming breaths. Once she had done that, she collapsed on her bed, her eyes focused on the upper bunk. "Thank you, I needed that."

"Anytime, girl." Gwen laid down next to her. "So, what's on your mind?"

Pyrrha was silent for a few moments before sharing her thoughts. "Do you… do you think… if I bring up the kiss… that Jaune will be mad at me?"

"Has he been mad at you for the past week?" Gwen countered.

"Well… no. But he hasn't brought it up himself, so I can't exactly tell."

Gwen looked Pyrrha right in the eye. "And there's the key; he hasn't brought it up. You wanna know why I think that's the case?"

Pyrrha pondered for a moment before taking a guess. "Do you think it's because… he's afraid?"

"That's EXACTLY what I think." Gwen confirmed. "All this week, you two have been afraid to confront the obvious elephant in the room. But at the same time, you both have grown closer despite not addressing it. You've forged weapons, fought bad guys, and you adopted a tiny wolf puppy who I know will grow up to be a strong wolf with both of your help." She gave her a wink. "You two ARE his "parents" after all."

Pyrrha blushed as she shifted her eyes to the side. "Hehe, yes, I suppose we are." Her smile slowly faded as she continued speaking her mind. "I just… I just want Jaune to be happy. At this point, that's what matters to me."

"And that's a good ideal." Gwen supported. "But ask yourself this; what would make _you_ happiest? Don't you want to be loved as well?"

"Of course, but… I'm not sure how Jaune will take it."

"I guess there's only one way to find out." Gwen sat up, with Pyrrha following her lead. "If you really want to find out what Jaune thinks of all this, then you have to go through with talking to him about that night. I know that it won't be easy, but just think of it as diving into a pool of water." She set a hand on her fellow redhead's shoulder. "Take a deep breath, and take the plunge."

Pyrrha did as instructed and took another deep breath, calming her nerves one final time. "You're right. It's now or never." She moved forward and pulled Gwen into a hug. "Thank you so much for everything you've helped me through, Gwen. It means so much to me. I am very thankful that you're my friend."

Gwen smiled and returned the embrace. " _Best_ friends, Red. Always."The hug ended and Gwen gave her a somewhat sad smile. "I only wish I could be here to show my support. I don't think I'll be able to play mediator in this conversation."

"You're right, this is between myself and Jaune." Pyrrha swallowed her fear in one big gulp. "And it's time I face my fear."

Gwen offered a handshake. "Heart of a warrior, right?"

Pyrrha clasped Gwen's hand with her own. "Indeed. Heart of a warrior." Pyrrha walked over to the door and gave Gwen a salute. "See you on the other side, Red."

Gwen returned the gesture. "Come what may." The Anodite watched the Invincible Girl exit the room, leaving her alone again. But only for a second as Kevin popped his head into the room.

"Well, now what was all that about?" The Osmosian gave his girlfriend a smirk. "You playing matchmaker again?"

Gwen shook her head. "No, more like… giving two people who care about each other very much a push in the right direction."

"That is literally the definition of matchmaking."

Gwen narrowed her eyes playfully at her boyfriend as she approached him. "Don't you have to pick Ben and the others up from Cooper and Coco's place?"

Kevin shrugged. "Yeah, probably." He bent down and gave her a kiss. "See you in a while, hon."

Gwen smiled up at him. "You got it, sweetie."

* * *

"Easy as she goes, gentlemen!" Hazel called out as Hog and Skull unloaded supplies from the airship. "A few of these crates contain very fragile objects, so make sure to handle them with the utmost care!" The trio had returned from the outside world, bringing with them the essentials for living out in an isolated land of pure darkness and evil. Skull and Hog were about to lift a particularly large crate, one so long that they had to support it on each side. It was there that Hazel realized something; "Wait, where's Morningstar?! He was to assist us!"

"I tried to get him." Thunderhog explained. "But he just yelled at me. Said to "not disturb him while he's feeding" and then sucked the energy right out of a Beowolf."

Hazel sighed, facepalming as he shook his head. "Very well, we'll do this on our own, then."

"You got it Big H!" Hog called back before turning to his partner in crime. "Alright, Skull. On the count o' three, you got it?"

"Got it!" Exo-Skull nodded. "One… two… three!" Together, they hoisted the crate up and began taking it off the craft, descending the ramp as Hog went first, walking backwards. "Ha! Piece o' cake!" Skull smirked as he too went down the ramp. But as he craned his head up to look forward his eyes caught sight of something… or rather someone quite beautiful. She appeared out of nowhere, standing behind Hazel as she set a perplexed gaze upon the two heavy-lifters. Farkas knew straight away that she was an alien, in fact, he recalled seeing her before at the exact Plumber prison that he and his bud had been held in for months. And even then, he remembered her being the most beautiful person he'd ever seen. Skull was so distracted, he didn't even notice his grip on the crate start to slip.

It was here when Hog began to panic. "Uh, Skull? Skull?!" But it was too late, the crate fell out of Skull's hands and the weight was too much for Hog to bear alone. It hit the ramp and began sliding down, chasing after Hog as he ran like hell. "SKULL!"

His best friend's screams shocked Skull out of his trance and, with a yelp of surprise, he rushed forward and made a grab for the crate. Hog leapt off the ramp and hit the dirt, covering his head in preparation for the impact… but it never came. He peaked an eye open to see Skull holding the crate back, struggling to keep it up. "Ugh, sorry Hog!"

"What the hell, man?!" Hog threw his hands up in the air. "You zoned out like someone had your brain in their hand!"

"S-sorry." Exo-Skull slowly slid the crate down to ground level and pointed behind Hazel. "She distracted me. Came right outta nowhere!"

"Huh?" Hazel whirled around to see what he could only describe as a lizard woman in white clothes and a barrette standing behind him. He took a few cautionary steps back and asked; "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, please do not let me distract you from your jobs, _signore_." The lizard lady waved. "Simply pretend I am not here."

"Hold up!" Hog moved past Hazel and pointed at her. "Aren't you Subdora? That alien thief who tried to steal the Hope Diamond from the Museum of Natural History before Tennyson caught up with you?"

Subdora sneered at that. "Ugh, do not remind me. It was to be my first heist in America and Tennyson had to ruin it." She let out a sigh. "But, no matter. Lady Salem has just recruited me, allowing myself to get a fresh start." She put a finger to her chin. "Hmm, and if I recall, you are Thunderhog, no? Aren't you usually followed by a bigger one?"

At the mention of him, Exo-Skull tumbled forward, having tripped on one of the crate's corners in an attempt to show himself. He landed face first on the ground next to Hog, much to everyone's surprise. He lifted his face, spitting out some dirt that got caught in his mouth before rising to his giant feet. "Uh, yeah! Heh, that'd be me. Name's Exo-Skull, though most people just call me Skull, but my real name is Farkas if that's not enough for ya, hehe." He was very grateful that he was wearing his helmet right now to hide his blush as he extended his hand. "Uh, the point is you can call me whatever you want."

Subdora was taken aback by this man's rather… brutish and bungling demeanor. But there was something rather… charming to it. He was trying his best to NOT screw this up, and there was something so endearing about it that she just couldn't explain. The silver haired boy in the lab was very handsome, but in terms of personality, Subdora couldn't help but gravitate more toward the man in front of her. She gave him a kind smile and shook his hand. "I see. It is a pleasure to meet you… Farkas."

"Oh heh, you too." The two ended their handshake and Skull rubbed the back of his head. "So, uh, I guess you're gonna be part of our alliance of evil now, huh?"

"Indeed." Subdora nodded. "I was just in the middle of familiarizing myself with the castle when I stumbled across the exit. I thought about getting some fresh air, perhaps some sunlight… but apparently the phrase "Land of Darkness" is quite literal."

"Ha, yeah, ain't no sunlight out here." Skull chuckled. But then he winced internally, not letting it show on his face. _'Dammit, was that another double-negative? Great now she's gonna think I'm a dummy.'_

But Subdora let out a giggle, allowing his fears to subside. "Hehe, of course. Well, I should be on my way. There is still much of the castle to see."

"Okay then." Skull waved. "I guess I'll see you around?"

As she was turning around, Subdora looked back at Skull before lowering her glasses and winking at him with one of her three eyes. "I believe we shall, _Dolcezza_." With those words, Subdora became invisible again, heading back to the castle.

Skull just stood there dumbfounded, and so did Hog… for all of five seconds before the mohawked man heard the castle door close. He then proceeded to celebrate, congratulating his friend. "WHOO-HOO! Alright, Skull!" He wrapped an arm around the larger man's neck, giving him a good-hearted punch in the arm. "You just talked to a girl, man! And you didn't mess up!"

Hazel also showed his support, though not as wild as Hog. He gave Skull a couple pats on the shoulder. "A truly well-handled conversation, my friend. You handled that quite naturally."

"Then why do my knees feel like jelly?" Exo-Skull fell face first on the ground, much to the two men's surprise.

Hog and Hazel gazed down at their friend before Hog gave a shrug. "Ya know, other than losing the feelin' in his legs, that actually went really well."

* * *

As Jaune and Pyrrha clashed their weapons for the tenth time in their training session, they began to feel the fatigue that Gwen and Kevin had been feeling earlier. They both stepped back and took a knee, their blades going into the ground as a sort of support for their arms. They were both breathing hard and had beads of sweat dripping down their faces, which was quite a feat considering how cool the night was. Jaune looked up and breathed out; "Okay… I'm starting to get… why those two were so tired when we got home."

"Agreed." Pyrrha panted. "Shall we take five?"

"You read my mind." Jaune stood up before helping Pyrrha to her feet as well. "Thankfully, I brought out some towels and water."

Pyrrha smiled as she followed Jaune to a nearby tree. "Very thoughtful." They both cracked open a bottle each and began to guzzle down the refreshing liquid while wiping away the sweat from their faces. The two sat side by side against the trunk of the tree, taking in the night sky. "My word, it certainly is beautiful tonight."

"Yeah, no clouds to be seen." Jaune nodded. "Gotta enjoy these while we can, though. 'Cause once winter comes, the stars won't be out as often. It'll just be mostly clouds."

"Heh, yes, not a lot of people like cloudy skies now do they?"

Jaune gave a nervous laugh. "Haha, yeah, that's true." An awkward silence fell between the two as they both retreated into their own thoughts. _'Jaune, COME ON! Stop beating around the bush! You're talking about CLOUDS for god sakes!'_

' _PYRRHA! Stop talking about the weather!'_ The Invincible Girl screamed in her head. _"Deep breath, and take the plunge!'_

At the exact same moment, Jaune and Pyrrha turned back to each other and, in perfect sync, they said; "There's something I need to tell you."

The two were slightly taken aback by what they had said, but Jaune was the first to react. "Oh! Um, please, go ahead, ladies first."

' _You are far too kind, Jaune.'_ Pyrrha gulped down her nervousness. "O-of course. …Um, Jaune? It's… it's been over a week since Beacon fell. But… it's also been a week since… well… you know."

Jaune's eyes widened. _'Oh god, she was planning to talk about this too?!'_ The boy cleared his throat. "Ah-herm, uh, yeah… that."

' _Time to dive in.'_ Pyrrha stood up and faced Jaune before pressing on. "I… I just want you to know that I meant _everything_ with that kiss. I have had feelings for you for the longest time but… I just didn't know how to go about it. When I decided to fight Cinder at the top of the tower, I knew that would be my last chance to tell you how I felt. I didn't think I would ever live through that experience…" Pyrrha shrugged, "but here I am. I just... I want you to know that my feelings toward you haven't changed in the slightest. I still care about you the same way as I did back at Beacon, if not more so now." The redhead lowered her head. "I don't know if you could ever care about me in the same way, but all I wish for you is to be happy, Jaune. And, if you only wish to remain friends, that is fine with me."

Pyrrha shut her eyes, waiting for what ever he would have to say. Stinging comments, rejection, anything. But then… he said something that she did not expect. She heard him get up and say; "Pyrrha, I'm a jerk."

Her eyes shot open, gazing at him as he wore a sad face. "W-wait, what?" she asked.

The blonde knight nodded solemnly. "Yep, I'm an insensitive, oblivious jerk who was so stupid to not notice your feelings sooner. And I feel so ashamed about that fact that I can't really find any other words to describe myself other than those."

But Pyrrha was quick to refute. "No! Jaune, please don't call yourself that. You are by and far NOT a jerk. If anything, I am a hypocrite who didn't follow her own advice. When I told you to be honest with Weiss, _I_ should have been more honest to _you_ about how I felt, too."

"But if I had noticed your feelings sooner, maybe…" Jaune began to argue back before his head lowered as well. "Maybe things could've been different. Maybe we could have had something at Beacon if I hadn't been so blinded by my stupid crush on Weiss, or heck, maybe we could have faced Cinder together that night."

"Jaune, no! I could never put your life at risk like that!" Pyrrha insisted. "I care about you too much for that to happen!"

"But I care about you too, Pyrrha!" The moment those words escaped his lips, Jaune sealed them up. He did NOT mean for it to come out so forceful, nor did he plan on saying it this soon.

Pyrrha just stood there, wide-eyed at what her partner had just said. "Wh-what?"

Realizing that there was no going back from this, Jaune pressed on with a sigh. "Pyr, I'm not exaggerating when I say that the dance was one of the best nights of my life. But… on that night… I began to feel different about you. I wasn't sure how, or in what way, but since the Breach and training for the Vytal Tournament was going on at the same time, I couldn't focus on it as much as I wanted to. But then, after you asked me if I believed in destiny… I felt absolutely awful that I'd hurt your feelings when I gave you my answer. And then… the kiss happened. After that, everything just clicked and I realized what I was feeling about you…"

Pyrrha's blood chilled as she realized what he was talking about. "J-Jaune…" But she couldn't bring herself to speak further, her throat beginning to feel very dry.

Jaune continued on, his own voice becoming very hoarse. "When you pushed me into that locker… all I could think about was that I was about to lose the most important person in my life, someone who I had come to care about more than anyone else… and I thought it was too late to make up for the mistake I had made." It was there that he began to choke up. "An-and that's why I'm so ashamed, because I didn't realize how much you meant to me until I thought I had lost you." That was the last straw, Jaune's eyes were bloodshot and tears began to brim his eyes. He could feel his legs begin to feel weaker, but he had to finish what he had to say. "I'm sorry, Pyrrha! I-I'm sorry for being such an idiot!" He felt himself hiccup as he screwed his eyes shut. "I don't deserve to have someone as nice as you in my _stupid_ life!"

Jaune let the tears flow freely, choking back cries as he almost let his legs buckle from underneath him. But just as he was about to fall, he felt someone embrace him, keeping him standing. His eyes shot open to see Pyrrha, gazing up at him with her own emerald green eyes brimming with tears. She spoke to him from her heart, pouring every bit of sincerity she could into her words. "Don't you DARE say that, Jaune Arc. You are NOT an idiot, and your life is NOT stupid!" She swallowed hard before going on. "And… and… I _want_ to be in your life."

That was all it took for Jaune to break. He let himself cry freely as Pyrrha did the same, both of them burying themselves in each other's shoulders as they held onto one another in comfort. They stood there for who knows how long, the only thing they knew is that it was long enough for them to stop crying. Once they had regained their composure, they pulled their heads away and looked at each other. Jaune was the first to croak out; "I'm sorry."

"So am I." Pyrrha reciprocated as she wiped some tears away from both her eyes and his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I… I think so. How about you?"

"I feel a lot better actually." Pyrrha admitted. "That was probably one of the hardest things I've had to do in my life. And I've had to take Professor Goodwitch's pop-quizzes."

Jaune choked out a chuckle. "Yeah, those were the worst." The blonde boy's face fell again. "Pyrrha, I don't know if you're willing to give a jerk like me a second chance, but… would you like to go out with me?"

Pyrrha stared at him for a second, letting what he had just said process in her head. She then wore a smile and let out a happy laugh. "Hah, Jaune, how can I give you a second chance when this is still your first chance?"

"Well I…" But then her words replayed in his mind. "Wait, is that a yes?"

Pyrrha laughed again as she pulled in for another embrace. "Yes! Yes, Jaune, it is. Nothing would make me happier."

A smile came to Jaune's face as he held her in his arms, her head settling into the crook of his neck. "Hah, okay then. Please tell me this isn't a dream."

"Hehe, no it isn't." But then, a thought popped into her head. "So… um… that kiss… was it your first?"

Jaune blushed at the question. "Oh, heh, yeah. I-It was. W-was it your first too?"

"Y-yes." Pyrrha blushed as well. "Could you tell?"

"Well, you kind of just forced our faces together for a moment, so it was kind of hard to tell… and that came out kind of wrong."

Pyrrha giggled. "Hehehe, sorry, it was a bit of a dire situation."

"It's okay." Jaune reassured. "And honestly, in the heat of that whole moment with all the chaos going around us… it felt nice to do something a bit normal."

Pyrrha's blush returned. "So kissing is just a normal, everyday thing?"

Jaune's came back as well. "W-well, it COULD be." An awkward silence fell between the two as they just stared at each other, both of their nerves going into overdrive. "Uh, heh, Pyr I'm… I'm not exactly… you know…"

"Jaune." The boy gazed down at Pyrrha, the redhead smiling up at him. "It's okay."

The couple continued to stand there, slowly leaning in, closer and closer. It was almost excruciating for them, but they had found their nerves and finally, their lips met in the middle. This kiss was far and away from the intensity that the first one had been. It was light, slow, and somewhat reluctant. But where the first one was abrupt and passionate, this one was tender and loving. They didn't know how long the kiss had lasted, but when they pulled away from each other, they could practically feel a weeks' worth of anxiety lift from their shoulders, leaving them with the thought of; _'Yes, this DOES feel normal.'_

"Wow." was all Jaune could breathe out.

"Yes, wow indeed." Pyrrha agreed.

"Ahem." The couple's eyes widened as they whirled their heads around to see Athena standing just a few feet away from them, a smirk settled on her face as she had her arms crossed. "And what, prey tell, is going on here?"

Pyrrha went into panic mode as she and Jaune fell out of each other's embrace. "M-mother! What are you—I mean why are—How long have you been there?!"

"Long enough." Athena smiled knowingly. "I heard crying out here so I came to see what happened. I'm guessing those were tears of joy?"

"…More like tears from feeling so much guilt." Jaune answered warily. "Look, Athena, I know that you probably..."

But Athena stepped forward and put a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "Allow me to stop you for a moment." The woman gave him a sincere smile. "Jaune, since I arrived here, I've had a suspicion that you and my daughter have had feelings for each other. And you know what? I very much approve."

The disbelief hit Jaune hard. "You do?"

"You do?!" Pyrrha exclaimed in both joy AND disbelief.

"Of course, I do. You've had my approval for a while now." Athena answered to Jaune before turning to her daughter. "My dear Pyrrha, it's obvious that you two make each other incredibly happy. And I would not be much of a mother if I denied your happiness, now would I?"

Pyrrha instantly gave her mother a hug. "Thank you so much, mom! It means so much to us that you approve."

"She's right." Jaune grinned. "Thank you, Athena."

"My pleasure." Athena pulled out of the hug and faced the two again. "That being said, there WILL be some ground rules. And Jaune, I will be filling you mother in on these rules as well."

Jaune and Pyrrha glanced toward each other before they both let out a sigh. "Yeah, we figured." The blonde knight answered.

Pyrrha gazed down to the ground. "Apparently, fun is always somewhat restricted when parents are involved."

"Well, when you two get your own place, then you can set your own rules." Athena clarified.

At that moment, another voice came out from the night. "What's this about setting up rules?" Gwen said as she came walking out from the house. "Hey guys, what'd I miss?"

Pyrrha gave the Anodite a smile. "Well…" The Invincible Girl wrapped an arm around Jaune's back as he settled his arm across her shoulders. "We're together now." She could feel a fluttering sensation inside of her as she said those words.

"That's great!" Gwen went up and wrapped her arms around their necks in an embrace. "Took you guys long enough, huh?"

"Heh, yeah." Jaune chuckled as he and Pyrrha pulled away. "But you know what? I don't think I've ever been happier than I am right now."

"Aw, Jaune!" Pyrrha gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "That's so sweet!" She glanced back to her fellow redhead. "And Gwen? Thank you again. I don't think I would have found the courage to go through with this without your help."

Jaune's eyes widened at that. "W-wait, Gwen's been helping you?"

Pyrrha gave him a nod. "Heh, yes, she's been giving me some advice this past week."

"Huh, that's an odd coincidence… she's been helping me out too. And with the exact… same… thing." The realization dawned on the couple as they slowly craned their heads around back to Gwen, who was standing with a prideful expression on her face.

The Anodite just shrugged. "What can I say? Someone had to knock some sense into you two."

Jaune and Pyrrha's jaws dropped before they both turned to each other. "Did she tell you anything I told her?" Pyrrha asked.

"No, not that I know of." Jaune shook his head. "I think all she knew about was the kiss. You?"

"About the same." Pyrrha gave her redheaded friend an incredulous look. "I'm just very confused about all of this right now."

Gwen chuckled as she set her hands on their shoulders. "It's okay, guys. I knew that you two were trying to sort things out, all I did was help you along a little bit."

Jaune narrowed his eyes slightly, but at the same time, he couldn't help but smile. "Gwendolyn Tennyson, you are WAY too clever."

"Yes, she is quite good." Athena agreed.

Pyrrha approached Gwen silently, a stern look set on her face. Gwen was worried at first, but then, Pyrrha pulled her into a hug. "You really ARE my best friend." Pyrrha said quietly to the Anodite.

Gwen smiled as she returned the gesture. "And you're my best friend too, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha smiled at Gwen as she pulled away. "I owe you so much, Gwen. Thank you."

But Gwen waved it off. "Aw, you don't owe me anything. I'm just happy to help." At that moment, the four heard a _beep-beep_ coming from the front yard, indicating Kevin and Max's return. "Oh, looks like everyone's home."

Jaune put an arm across Pyrrha's shoulders. "You think we should tell them now?"

Pyrrha gave it some thought before coming to her conclusion. "Well… perhaps it would be better if we told them tomorrow. We both know how Nora will most likely react, and I can only guess that they wouldn't want to hear that at ten o'clock at night."

"Heh, good point. So, tomorrow afternoon, then?"

"Sounds good to me." Just as she agreed, Pyrrha could hear the approaching sound of jingling metal, more specifically, tags on a collar. She glanced up to see none other than Romulus bounding around the house and over to them, letting out a string of barks as he drew near. Pyrrha gasped in delight as she bent down, catching Romulus as he ran to them. "Rommy! There you are!"

"Where did you come from little guy?" Jaune asked as he pet Romulus' head.

"Sorry!" The couple looked back to see Neptune approaching, out of breath from running after the pup. "He picked up your scent and dashed out of the Rustbucket before I could stop him." The blue-haired boy explained.

"It's alright, Neptune." Jaune assured. "So long as he's safe."

"And thanks for taking care of him tonight." Pyrrha added. "It means a lot."

"My pleasure." Neptune nodded. "So, how was your guy's night?"

Pyrrha and Jaune glanced to each other, sharing a knowing smile before giving Neptune their answer; "Eventful."

* * *

**A/N: Well, there you have it. It was a long time coming, but bound to happen eventually, right? And here we are, Jaune and Pyrrha have come clean about their feelings and have become a couple. About time, right? Not only that, but Subdora has met her teammates… and unintentionally laid the ground work for a potential love triangle. What a day, huh? Though that being said, the trials and tribulations for The Invincible Girl and the Blonde Knight have only just begun. Pyrrha's only met ONE of Jaune's sisters, but what happens when she meets more? Join me Next Time to find out! Thanks for reading! See ya later!**


	42. Black, White, and Red All Over

**A/N: What's up guys? So, if you couldn't tell by the color-coded title, two more of Jaune's sisters are coming in today, and as expected, Noire's joining the party too. I mean, why wouldn't she? It's her twin and her eldest sister! But if you'll recall in Chapter 34, Noire said that her twin, Blanche, wasn't exactly all that happy when Jaune didn't come home. Let's see just how unhappy she is, shall we? Hope you're ready for family drama, because this is…**

**Chapter 42: Black, White, and Red All Over**

* * *

Tuesday morning had been relatively normal for the team of Heroes and Hunters. Ben and Yang had gone for their one-on-one training session as usual and came back in time for breakfast. After the rest of the team had all finished eating, they left for their own training at the mountain… all except Jaune and Pyrrha. The two had elected to stay behind and train in the backyard, effectively moving their personal nighttime training session to the morning. Most of the others weren't so sure why, but Gwen and Athena both definitely knew the reason while Kevin had a sneaking suspicion.

"Alright, what went down last night when we were gone?" Kevin cheekily asked his girlfriend.

But Gwen wasn't about to divulge too much. "That's for me to know, and for you to find out… soon." She answered coyly as their group marched through the woods.

As the group left, Jaune and Pyrrha began sparring, clashing their blades while everyone else left. But once the others were out of sight, the two glanced around the backyard, making sure that no one was around. "We clear?" Jaune asked as a smile began to form on his face.

"I believe so." Pyrrha answered with a smile of her own. With their minds at ease, the couple sheathed their weapons and went into each other's embrace, meeting in the middle for a sweet kiss. The Invincible Girl couldn't help but giggle into it, a feeling of absolute happiness having taken her over. They pulled apart, but Pyrrha was still slightly laughing. "Heehee, I've been wanting to do that since this morning!"

"Heh, yeah, me too." Jaune chuckled. "So, uh, am I getting better at it?"

"Undoubtably." Pyrrha winked at him. "So, after we tell the others, what do you want to do?"

"Well, I've heard that there's some pretty nice restaurants in town." Jaune suggested. "Maybe Yang could give us some recommendations?"

Pyrrha nodded. "A very sound idea. Though that begs the question… how do we get to town without walking all the way there and back?"

Jaune grimaced at the reminder. "Gah, it's moments like these where I wish I had a license… and a car."

Pyrrha pulled herself into the hug again and nestled onto Jaune's chest to comfort him. "Oh, don't worry about it, Jaune. We'll figure something out. We may just have to ask my mother to drive us there."

Jaune let out a half-hearted laugh. "Hah, now there's something that's totally not embarrassing. Asking a parent to take us to our date."

"It won't be so bad, I promise." Pyrrha backed up and pulled Milo back out. "Now, what say we quit the sweet talk for now and do some sparring?"

Jaune's determination flared to life at her words and he pulled Crocea Mors out of its sheath, going into a ready stance. "Oh, you're on, Pyr."

* * *

Meanwhile, back inside the Xiao-Long home, Yang and Ben were in the basement, the Omnitrix bearer showing the Blonde Brawler yet another fresh piece of media from his world. Well… somewhat fresh that is. Ben had decided to forgo showing her the rest of Transformers Generation 1, having deemed it too long to get to the good stuff. So, he skipped right to… _BEAST WARS!_ The theme song to the show blasted through the TV, the guitar and jungle-esque drums forming a rocking sound. And Yang found herself head banging to it all the way through. "WOO! This theme ROCKS!"

"Oh yeah!" Ben exclaimed as he air guitared to the notes. "Never get tired of this song! There's no lyrics other than: BEAST WARS! But you know what? There doesn't _have_ to be!" After the opening sequence where the Maximal's and Predacons crash land on prehistoric earth and scan their new beast modes, the crew of the Axalon introduced themselves with awkward exposition;

" _RAWR! Hey-hey! Look at me! I'm a cheetah!"_ A large feline said as it rose to its paws. _"N-no… no! I'm CHEETOR!"_

" _Hmm, interesting."_ Another Maximal said as it waited in a pod for its own beast form to finish integrating into itself.

" _Interesting?! RAWR! Optimus, the word is spot-on smooth!"_ Cheetor smirked as he smirked at his refection. _"Hehehe, it's a crime."_

Yang rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm REALLY going to enjoy him."

Ben could practically hear the sarcasm in her voice. "Heh, don't worry, there are plenty other characters to enjoy. Like him!" He pointed to the TV where a giant rat came from behind the pod, making the so-so gesture.

" _Eh, a bit tacky. Heh, ya neva had taste, did ya, kid? Now DIS!"_ The rat stood on his hind legs to present his full height. _"Hmm, dis is what class is all about. Call me… Rattrap."_

Yang winced at the giant rodent. "Ugh, not a fan of rats, thank you."

Ben quirked a brow. "Huh, didn't know you had a fear of rodents."

"Ha! I don't "fear" them, Green Boy, trust me." Yang assured. "Just not fond of 'em."

"Well, you may just grow to like Rattrap." Ben shrugged. "And this next guy!"

Cheetor was about to get into a fight with Rattrap, but a large rhinoceros stopped him from doing so. _"Ease back, Cheetor. Livin' large is for forms like me, Rhinox."_

Yang smiled and nodded. "Alright, I like rhinos. They're pretty cool."

"Great." Ben grinned. "You like gorilla's too?"

The pod opened and Optimus Primal's voice came, ordering his crew to cool down. _"Moderate your conflict circuits, Maximals."_ The shot changed to reveal that his beast mode was indeed a large silverback gorilla. _"Remember, these beast forms are to protect us from the long-term effects of the Energon fields out there. We may need Energon for power, but this is too much of a good thing."_

As the couple watched on, taking in the exposition as it went along, Yang couldn't help but ask; "So… is this just the same plot as the first cartoon? Fighting over energy resources?"

"Well… it starts off like that." Ben admitted. "But the plot gets a whole lot more interesting as the series progresses. But I don't want to give too much away, so that's all I can really say at the moment."

"Yeah, guess it's better to go into a show spoiler-free, huh?" Yang focused back on the screen and her eyes widened. "Is this version of Megatron a giant purple T-Rex?!"

"Yeeeeesss."Ben said in a deep voice and an overly dramatic manner, taking Yang off guard. Taking notice, Ben decided to explain. "Oh, uh, that's his catchphrase."

"I see." Yang shifted her eyes back to focus on what Megatron was saying. The Predacon known as Dinobot had challenged the Tyrannosaurus Transformer to battle for leadership, but Megatron wasn't about to have that as he simply turned his back on his underling.

" _Ah, you're so impulsive, Dinobot. Brave… but misguided."_

" _Do you accept my challenge?!"_ Dinobot growled.

" _Hahahaha, there's more to being a leader than simple courage."_ Megatron laughed as Dinobot approached from behind. _"Well there's… cleverness, and cunning as well. Isn't that right… Scorponok?"_ Megatron moved out of the way to reveal his second-in-command, taking Dinobot aback. Scorponok opened his pincers and shot a rocket at Dinobot, blasting the traitor away into the distance. _"Loser."_ Megatron commented.

Yang had the biggest grin on her face. "Is he this much of a ham through the entire show?"

Ben nodded. "Uh-huh."

"I'm in!"

* * *

" _For now, let the battle be here, on this strange, primitive world. And let it be called… BEAST WARS!"_ Optimus Primal proclaimed, bringing the opening two-parter to an end.

Yang let out a sigh as she reclined against the back of the sofa. "Whew, that was some start."

"Yep, and it only gets better from here." Ben said. "Well, for the most part. There's one episode in Season One that's kinda out of place in terms of tone for the series called "The Low Road", but we'll get to it when we get to it."

Yang wasn't sure what her boyfriend had meant, but she trusted his word. "Well, okay then." The blonde leaned her head on his shoulder, smiling up at him with an alluring gaze. "So, anything special you wanna do today, Green Boy?"

Ben chuckled as he leaned in, setting his head gently against hers. "Heh, actually, I think I have a pretty nice idea. While you and Noire were racing yesterday, I caught sight of the lake, and I thought that it'd be a great place for a date… maybe a picnic?"

"That actually sounds really nice." Yang agreed. "And best part about it is that it's a weekday, so most kids will be in school." She moved her head up and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Whaddya say we get started on getting the food ready?"

Ben responded in kind, kissing her cheek as well. "You got it, Goldie Locks." Ben shut the DVD player off and the couple got up from the couch, ascending the stairs into the kitchen to begin prepping the picnic. But as soon as they got to the top of the stairs, the doorbell rang, catching their attention. "Um, are we expecting any company?"

"Don't think so." Yang shook her head. "Though at this point, we should just be expecting pretty much anyone. Aliens, bad guys, police, the military, anything goes at this point."

"Hah, point taken." Ben laughed. The two approached the door and Ben turned the knob, peaking his head out to greet the visitor. "Hello? Can we help—ACK!" What had happened took the two completely off guard, as Ben was grabbed by the collar of his shirt and hoisted into the air by a rather strong woman.

The violent visitor appeared to be in her early twenties, her angry blue eyes glaring daggers into Ben as she hoisted him up, a sneer dead-set on her face. Her hair reached down only to her jawline, cut in a choppy, unkempt style with one side slightly longer than the other, covering her right eye a little bit. She wore a white tank top, white and grey camo pants, and a pair of combat boots. Her face however, was quite familiar as it was almost one-to-one the same as Noire's… only a lot angrier. "Alright buster, I'm gonna give you ten seconds to tell me where my little brother is. If you do, I promise I won't hurt you…" Her free hand became a fist. "Much."

Ben desperately tried to laugh the whole thing off. "Haha, TEN! My lucky number!" But it only made her grip tighten. "GAH! You must be Blanche!" Ben choked out.

The woman's eyes widened at the mention of her name. "Wait, you know my—WHOA!" Blanche was knocked back by a strong shove, stumbling a little before regaining her balance. "Hey! What's the big ide—wha?" Her would-be angry tirade was stopped short when she saw her assailant, another blonde girl who very much reminded her of herself.

"If you wanna choke my boyfriend, you're gonna have to go through me, sister!" Yang hollered while raising her fists.

Blanche blinked twice before pointing to Yang. "Are you sure we're NOT related? Because you look _shockingly_ like an Arc."

That took Yang by surprise. "I… do?"

"Totally." Blanche smirked as she set her hand on her hip. "Just trade in those violet eyes for some baby blues and you can easily pass for me or one of my sisters."

Just as Yang was about to respond, a new voice came yelling; "BLANCHE!"

The Arc clad in white grimaced. "Speaking of." Blanche turned around to see another blonde woman marching up toward her, and she did NOT appear to be happy. She appeared to be in her mid-to-late twenties and slightly taller than her sister. She wore her blonde hair short and straight, a red headband placed neatly on her head to keep her hair back. Her outfit was rather simple; a red v-neck, a pair of skinny jeans, and red flats on her feet. Her pretty blue eyes were scowling in Blanche's direction, the younger sister in question trying to plead her case. "Rouge! Big Sis! Hehe, I uh, thought you were still a ways behind me. Saw you disappear in my rearview."

But Rouge apparently wasn't having it. "Oh, don't you "Big Sis" me, Blanche. You pumped the gas as soon as you got on that dirt road and left me in the dust." The eldest Arc sibling crossed her arms. "And why do I get the feeling you did that so you could get in a few minutes of causing trouble?"

Blanche gave a mock gasp in offence. "Trouble? Me? Oh, no, no, no, no! I was just… so _excited_ to see Jaune that I took off!" She gave her sister a big, forced toothy grin, as if to say; 'Please by my innocence'.

Rouge raised an eyebrow. "Really? So I assume that's why you were playing "Interrogator" with that nice young man over there?" She pointed to Ben before taking a moment to introduce herself to him and Yang with a wave. "Oh, hello, by the way. I'm Rouge, Jaune's oldest sister."

Ben waved back. "Hi, I'm Ben."

While Yang gave a salute. "'Sup? Name's Yang."

"Oh! So I'm guessing that you two are the ones that my sister Noire's been raving about over the phone then?" Rouge extended her hand. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry if my sister rubbed you two the wrong way."

"Hey!" Blanche hollered indignantly.

"Oh, it's alright." Ben reassured as he shook Rouge's hand. "Not the first time I've been held up by my collar, and I can guarantee it won't be the last… also, how much did your sister tell you?"

"Um… not much?" Rouge said in confusion. "All she told me was that you had some cool tricks up your sleeve and Yang beat her in a motorbike race. Is there something wrong with that?"

"Oh no, it's just that I can't let too much information get public and you never know if someone's tapping a phone." Ben explained.

Rouge and Blanche glanced at each other, still utterly lost on the whole ordeal. "Uh, kid, you're not really making any—" But before Blanche could finish, the four heard a familiar motorcycle engine rumbling toward them. They looked out to see Noire coming down the driveway, zooming between her sister's cars and screeching to a halt before taking off her helmet with a big smile.

"My sistah!" Noire cried out as she dismounted her bike and ran to her twin.

Blanche broke out into a grin and met Noire's embrace. "AH! SISTAH!"

Rouge meanwhile just smirked and rolled her eyes. "Oh of course, I'm sure this kind of greeting is appropriate after being apart for all of… what, two days?"

Once the bear hug with her twin had ended, Noire immediately went over and stretched her arms out to Rouge. "Aw don't be such a fuddy-duddy and give me a freakin' hug." Rouge happily obliged and hugged her little sister. The moment they separated, Noire crossed her arms, shifting her gaze back and fort between her siblings. "I was wonderin' when you two'd show up. What took you guys so long?"

"Packing." Both answered at the same time before Blanche continued on. "Plus, mom and dad were practically all over the place trying to get the runts ready. Not to mention that Saph's airship takes off today and gets here tomorrow and THAT was a whole fiasco."

"Hah, wow, still can't believe she's coming all the way from Argus." Noire chuckled. "Did she mention if—"

Suddenly, everyone heard a certain voice call out from the side of the house. "Noire?!" Jaune came running around the side, Pyrrha jogging right next to him. "Noire, I heard your bike and…" He stopped. Jaune couldn't take another step further as he saw not just Noire, but Blanche and Rouge as well, forcing him to a halt as his jaw fell open. His eyes met with his sisters, and there were definitely mixed reactions. Blanche's hand covered her mouth to prevent a gasp, her eyes widening in surprise. Meanwhile, Rouge stood confidently, her arms crossed and a smile set on her lips. Jaune had no way to respond other than to wave meekly and say; "Uh… hi, guys."

He was immediately rushed into a hug by Blanche, who was yelling at the top of her lungs; "JAUNE! You're alive! My little brother's actually ALIVE!"

"ACK! Yeah, yeah I am, Blanche!" Jaune choked out as his sister squeezed the life out of him. "Can't… breathe!"

"Don't care, need hug." But then Blanche felt a tap on her shoulder and opened her eyes to see Rouge standing next to them.

"Mind if I cut in?" Rouge wrapped her arms around Jaune and Blanche, which got no qualms from either of them as she cuddled her little brother. "Oh my gosh, Jaune, I can't believe it's been almost a YEAR since we last saw you…wait did you grow taller?!"

"Heh, yeah, a little bit." Jaune shrugged.

Noire strolled over and joined in on the group hug. "Haha! Isn't this nice? The Arc Family's almost back together again! It's been a while since we were all like this."

"No kidding." Jaune agreed. "Man, I didn't think you guys would be here this soon! Dad said it would probably only be at the end of this week."

Blanche smirked proudly. "Yeah, well your awesome older sisters managed to get outta work for a while. Took some talkin', but we managed." But then, she got the feeling that there were another pair of eyes on her. Blanche turned around to see Pyrrha standing not far away. She let go of her brother and went into 'protective older sister' mode. "And you are?"

Pyrrha was taken by surprise by that. "Oh! Um, hello! I'm Pyrrha. Your brother and I were partnered up during our initiation at Beacon." She extended her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you." She smiled hopefully at Blanche, but all she got was a judging glare. "Um… I, heh, I know this is very sudden but—"

But then Blanche pointed at her. "Yeah, that's nice, Warrior Princess. Listen, I'm not sure who you are or why you look so familiar to me, but if you don't mind, could ya maybe take those two back there…" She jabbed a thumb in Yang and Ben's direction, "…and head in the house while my sisters and I have a family talk with my—"

"Hey!" Jaune exclaimed. The shout took Blanche off guard. She had never heard her brother shout at her like that before. But Jaune wasn't done just yet. "Blanche, she deserves to be in this conversation as much as any of you do!"

Her temporary shock having passed, Blanche immediately tried to patch things up again. "Jaune, baby bro, listen, no disrespect to her or anything, but your friend doesn't really have any place in this family reunion—"

"She's my _girl_ friend." Jaune emphasized with a glare.

Everyone was stunned into silence, including Yang and Ben who had NO idea that was a thing. After a few seconds, Yang had found her voice again. "Um, I'm sorry… WHAT?!"

"Y-yeah, that's kinda news to us, Jaune." Ben said. "When did this happen?"

Jaune's face fell when he realized what he had just let slip and gave Pyrrha an apologetic look. "Gah, jeez. Sorry Pyr, I…"

"No need to apologize, Jaune." Pyrrha set a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile before coming in close for a quick nuzzle. "Everything is fine." She focused onto Jaune's sisters as well as Ben and Yang. "But yes, as of last night, we are together. Like I said, I know that this might be a bit sudden, but—"

Rouge dashed forward past her sisters and enveloped both Jaune and Pyrrha in a big hug. "EEEEEEE! My little brother has a GIRLFRIEND!" Rouge let go of them before grabbing hold of Pyrrha's hands with hers. "It is SO nice to meet you! Pyrrha, was it?"

"Um… yes. Are you alright?" Pyrrha asked in concern.

Realizing what she was doing, Rouge calmed down a bit. "Hah, oh my gosh, sorry if I freaked you out. It's just… I've been waiting for this day for SO long now, you have no idea!"

"I think she can." Noire said as she stepped forward and clasped Pyrrha on the shoulder. "Guess you didn't need my help after all, huh? So, how'd it happen?"

Seeing that Pyrrha was growing even more nervous by the minute, Jaune stepped forward to help settle things down, placing himself next to his girlfriend. "Whoa, whoa, okay, let's ease it back here a bit. Why don't we go inside and we can explain everything there? Maybe get some food in you two?"

At the mention of food, Rouge and Blanche's stomachs both began to growl. Rouge laughed it off while Blanche just crossed her arms and glanced off to the side. "Well… I guess food sounds good." She begrudgingly admitted before pointing at her brother. "But I still want answers!"

"Same here." Ben agreed. "At this point, I'm just completely lost."

"Can we just go back to watching Beast Wars?" Yang asked. "At this point, I'm even starting to miss Rattrap."

* * *

It was about an hour later when Jaune and Pyrrha were nearly finished explaining everything to everyone else, the whole group sitting at the kitchen table as they recounted the events. Jaune was just wrapping up how he and Pyrrha had gotten together, his sisters transfixed on every single detail. "…So, we let our feelings out to each other. Some words were said… and we cried a little bit"

Rouge let out a gasp. "You two cried?" she squeaked out.

"Yes, but it was mostly the relief of finally telling each other how we feel." Pyrrha elaborated. "We took comfort in each other while we cried, and by the time we couldn't cry anymore, we both felt much better"

"Okay, _that_ is really sweet." Noire commented. "So, what happened after that?"

"Well, I asked her out." Jaune answered with a blush. "And she said yes."

With a smirk on his face, Ben leaned forward, his eyes fixated on the new couple. "And?"

Jaune quirked an eyebrow. "And… what?"

"C'mon Jaune, my _cousin_ is the one who finally got you two together and I know how her mind usually works. She wanted you two to be alone together on purpose." Ben's smirk increased. "So what happened?"

Jaune and Pyrrha both blushed intensely at the question, but they knew they couldn't keep it on the down-low now. Jaune cleared his throat to answer. "Ahem, well, we kinda… you know… kissed. We kissed."

"For the second time in our lives." Pyrrha added.

The entire room went dead silent as Jaune's sisters went slack-jawed. But Ben still had his smirk. "Yep, figured that was the case. Gwen is WAY too good."

Just as Ben had finished speaking his mind, Rouge let out another joyous scream and rushed over to her brother and Pyrrha, giving them more hugs. "AAAAAAAAHHH! You guys KISSED! Why couldn't I have gotten here sooner?! I feel so ashamed for missing such a big moment!" But then she realized something; "Wait, you two kissed BEFORE you got together?"

The couple chuckled nervously as they looked at each other awkwardly. "Uh, yeah, there was one time before that." Jaune admitted. "And we kind of left it out on purpose so you guys wouldn't worry."

Blanche's brows furrowed. "Why would we worry?" Next to her, Noire winced, already knowing the reason why.

"Well… it was during the attack on Beacon." Pyrrha answered. "Jaune and I were lost in the school grounds and we knew that the leader of the attack was in Professor Ozpin's office at the top of Beacon's main tower. In my mind, I knew that someone had to stop her, so… I went up. But I knew Jaune would try to stop me, and a part of me knew that I wouldn't survive my encounter. I had to make sure that Jaune got out alive, but I wanted him to know how I felt before I would meet my fate… so I kissed him and pushed him to safety in one of the rocket lockers. I made my way up the tower to fight Cinder, ready to face my destiny… but I lived, thanks to Ben and his cousin, Gwen."

The room went quiet once again until Yang whistled, impressed at what Pyrrha had done. "Man, P-Money, I knew you had guts to face Cinder, but this is the first time I've heard your side of the story." The Blonde Brawler turned to her boyfriend. "Ben, did you know about this?"

"Well… yeah, kinda." Ben answered. "But Gwen and Pyrrha made me promise not to tell."

"Yeah, I can understand that." Yang nodded. "But… hoo boy, this is a lot to take in all at once."

Pyrrha wore a sympathetic smile. "And I'm sorry for that. I know this isn't exactly… wait, Rouge, are you… crying?"

The eldest Arc sister was trying to remain calm, restraining herself from overreacting to what she had just heard. But the fact that this young lady right in front of her was willing to sacrifice her life for her little brother was more than she could take. "N-no, I'm just… I'm just blown away that you would do that for my little brother." She reached over and touched Pyrrha's shoulder. "Pyrrha, thank you so much. That must have been awful for you to go through."

Pyrrha let out a sigh. "Yes, it was. I didn't think I would live but—WHA!" The Invincible Girl was forcibly hoisted to her feet by Blanche, who had made her way around the table while no one was paying attention to her. She glared straight into Pyrrha's eyes, who had grown fearful at the Arc sibling's unexpected move. "B-Blanche, I—"

"Blanche, stop!" Jaune stood up. "What the heck are you doing?!"

Noire did as well. "Yeah, c'mon sis, you don't have to—"

But Blanche raised a finger, not even looking at him. "Uh-uh, not now. She and I need to speak, one-on-one." Blanche led Pyrrha out of the room an into the hall where they could have some privacy. She spoke in harsh, yet soft tones so that no one could hear her. "Now you listen here girly, I don't know who think you are, but let me tell you this right now; I'm not exactly ready to play nice with you."

Pyrrha could feel her blood run cold. "Wh-what?"

"You heard me. My brother leaves home for a year, barely keeps in touch, and then his school gets attacked. I expected my dad to go out there and bring him home, but that didn't happen. And everything's just fine now because Jaune's suddenly in a "relationship" with some hero girl?" Blanche crossed her arms. "Pardon me if I'm being a little skeptical about all of this. Just how genuine IS your "relationship" with him, _Pyrrah_?"

As Blanche's words hit her, spitting out like some sort of venom, Pyrrha began to feel a twinge of sadness within her. Why was Blanche being so… mean? Had she said something wrong? But what got to her the most was questioning the relationship she shared with Jaune. "You… you think that my relationship with Jaune is… fake? Why would I lie to him about how I feel when I have no reason to?"

"No reason?" Blanche asked. "Keeping Jaune here on this godforsaken island with you're so-called "friends" seems reason enough. This place and Vale are probably some of the most unsafe places in the world right now, and if you were _really_ his friends, you'd let him go home!"

"I would never force Jaune to do anything he didn't want to do!" Pyrrha insisted, raising her voice and gaining the attention of everyone in the kitchen. "And I would give my LIFE for Jaune thousands of times over to make sure he's safe!"

It was at that point that Jaune got up and ran into the hall. "Pyr! What's going—"

Blanche raised her hand to her brother. "Not done, Jaune! This is between me and her." But Jaune stayed as Blanche focused back on Pyrrha. "You might have everyone else fooled, Warrior Princess, but you can't fool me. All this "relationship" stuff is just to make us sympathize with you and keep Jaune here." What Blanche didn't see while on her tirade was Jaune growing increasingly frustrated, his hands his face twisting in anger. "Well guess what? I'm taking my little brother home, and there's nothing that your lying little ass can do to—"

Before Blanche knew what happened, her brother rushed up and yelled right in her face; "STOP IT!" The moment Jaune yelled at her, the room became unsteadily silent. You could practically hear a pin drop. Yang and Ben felt _completely_ out of place at the moment, while Rouge and Noire could feel their insides become uneasy. Blanche just stared wide-eyed at her brother as he fumed, breathing hard in and out. But once his rage subsided, he had realized what he'd done. He felt himself shake as he saw his older sister, her eyes filled with shock and fear. He couldn't believe what he had just done. "I-I… I gotta go!" Jaune sprinted up the stairs, shutting his eyes tight as he ran for his team's room.

Pyrrha reached out to him as he climbed the stairs and cried; "Jaune, wait!" But the boy's sorrow was too great. Jaune ran into the room and slammed the door, making everyone flinch. "…Jaune." A spark of anger ignited within Pyrrha and she whirled around and marched up to Blanche. "Why?! Why did you do this?! Everything was FINE, no problems whatsoever! But now… now your brother is completely upset. Do you _know_ how much you've just hurt his feelings?!"

Blanche was too stunned to fully comprehend. "I-I just—"

"I hope you're happy! And here I was thinking I could get along with all of Jaune's sisters. But… apparently not." Pyrrha bounded up the stairs and into her team's room, which Jaune had fortunately left unlocked. The entire downstairs was left in the dead silence… for all of five seconds before Noire slammed her hands on the table, rising up out of her chair before dashing over to her twin.

"Blanche! What the hell WAS that?!" she asked with just a touch of Bad Cop in her voice.

"I-I don't know!" Blanche's voice cracked, still stunned after everything that had just happened. "Jaune just yelled at me and—"

"Oh, I KNOW very well why that happened." Noire said, now a bit harsher. "What I'm wondering is what the fuck is YOUR issue?!"

Rouge got up and went into the hallway as well, giving her younger sister a glare with folded arms. "She's right Blanche, that was VERY uncalled for. Everyone was happy but you found it necessary to start belittling Pyrrha. I'm not very impressed."

"I-I… I just…" The combined pressure from her sisters and the angry yell from her brother still echoing in her mind made Blanche's eyes burn, with tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. She backed up against the wall as she hugged her arms around herself. "I just wanted our family to be together again." She choked out. "I wanted my little brother to come home. Where he can be safe with all of us. And… I figured that if dad couldn't get him to come home, then… maybe WE could."

"Well that's no reason to yell at Pyrrha!" Noire pointed out. "She literally did NOTHING wrong. And what made you think we were going to go through on this idea?! I would _never_ think of forcing Jaune to do something he doesn't want to do! He's _eighteen_ for god's sake! A legal adult! If he wants to live away from home, then that's HIS decision to make, Blanche. Not ours."

Blanche stepped away from the wall and began arguing with her sister. "I don't care if he lives away from home, Noire! I just don't want him to be HERE! It's too dangerous for someone like him to be here! He's _not_ a fighter!"

She knew she might end up regretting this, but Yang had heard enough. "Uh, no offense, but you couldn't be anymore wrong. He may not have been that great when he got to Beacon, but your brother has gotten a LOT better since he and Pyrrha started training together. Plus, he's pretty good when it comes to battle tactics." Yang opened her scroll and showed Blanche some footage she had of the Vytal Tournament. "Here, see for yourself." Yang handed Blanche the scroll, the Arc sibling focusing on the fight between her brother's team and Team BRNZ. Blanche's eyes widened when she saw her brother effectively defend himself from the opposing team and successfully coordinated his own team against them. True, Jaune had stumbled at the end after his confusing attack calls that his team didn't get, but they had won regardless. "See? And he's only gotten better ever since."

Blanche didn't know what to say about that. "My… my baby brother… is a fighter?"

"And a damn good one." Ben supported. "I heard that he got kicked in the groin when he tried to stop a certain jewel thief last night… and he got right back up again to do so."

The white-clad Arc sister looked down at the ground, trying to comprehend all of this, only for Rouge to set a hand on her shoulder. "Blanche… I know this might be hard for you…" The older sister began. "But our little brother has grown into a fine young man. He has friends of his own, a wonderful girlfriend, and a whole life ahead of him. And, as hard as it may be, you need to learn to accept that. We ALL need to accept it. Not everything can just go back to normal because you want it to. It's very selfish, and if I may add, really childish. Not only did you hurt Jaune's feelings, but you did the same to Pyrrha too."

Her sisters' words hit Blanche like a sack of hammers, and they were instantly followed by a ton of regret. "What have I done?" She grabbed her sister by the shoulders. "What have I DONE?!" Her head whirled around to the stairs and she made a mad dash up them, much to her sisters' shock. "I have to make things right!"

"Blanche!" Noire called out. "What are you doing?!"

"Apologizing!" Blanche answered. "Because I fucked up!"

* * *

When Pyrrha flung the door open to her team's room, she had expected to see Jaune doing something with his all of his pent-up negative emotions, but huddling up with Romulus while on the floor sitting against his bed was the last thing she had expected. He wasn't crying, he wasn't throwing anything and he wasn't screaming in anger, he was simply sitting down, holding onto Romulus as he stared off into space, the little pup licking his face in an attempt at consolation. But when Pyrrha opened the door she effectively got his attention. Pyrrha decided to go for broke on this. "Hey, are you okay?"

Jaune sighed into Romulus' fur as Pyrrha sat next to him. "I don't know. For the first time in my life, I just yelled at my sister in complete anger." He felt Pyrrha's hand caress his face and he leaned into her touch, resulting in them falling into each other's embrace, with Romulus settling on their laps. "Why… why was she saying all those mean things to you?"

Pyrrha shut her eyes. "I don't know Jaune. She just started saying all of it at once and I had no idea how to react. I just… I just don't know." The two sat in silence for a few minutes more, taking comfort in each other's presence. Pyrrha spoke up again. "I guess… I was pretty naive to think that I could be friends with all of your sisters right off the bat."

After she had said that, Jaune pulled away slightly to meet her gaze. He seemed hesitant to say what he wanted to, but he wanted Pyrrha to keep faith in his sister. "Pyr, I know that this was pretty much the worst first impression, but I promise you that Blanche is NOT a bad person. I've known her my entire life and she's gotten me out of a ton of crap. She's the one who defended me from my bullies in grade school, she and Noire helped me when I first learned to ride a bike, and hell, she's the reason why I got through high school in once piece. I just… I just wish I knew WHY she did all of _that_ down stairs."

"So do I." Pyrrha admitted before taking a deep breath. "Alright. Once things settle down, we'll go downstairs and we'll talk this over like adults. There has to be SOME reason why your sister did this. And then… we'll see if we can repair things from there."

Jaune smiled and gave her a small kiss. "You're the best, Pyr."

Pyrrha couldn't help but laugh. "You're proving to be quite unhealthy for me, Jaune."

"Hmm, didn't know you had a sweet tooth." The couple erupted in infectious laughter, their mood vastly improving from what had happened before.

But the levity didn't last as a knock came at the door. _"Jaune? Pyrrha? …It's Blanche."_ The elder Arc sister called from the other side. _"I know that I'm probably the last person that you two want to here from right now, but… I want to apologize and say that I'm sorry."_

Pyrrha turned to Jaune, both of them taken aback by how quickly Blanche was to make amends. But after a few seconds, Jaune let out a sigh and nodded, getting up to answer the door. There, he saw his sister, standing there with a look of shame on her face. Jaune kept a straight face as he addressed her. "Are we done yelling out insults? And can we all speak like adults?" He couldn't believe that HE was the one telling her this, but there he was.

The way that Jaune spoke to her made her feel worse, but as far as she was concerned at this point, she deserved it. "Yes, to both." she nodded solemnly. "Jaune, what I did to you and Pyrrha was completely out of line and I want to try and make things right, by _both_ of you."

Jaune turned back to Pyrrha and she gave him a single nod, giving him the okay. "Alright. You can come in." Jaune walked back over and sat next to Pyrrha while Blanche sat down on the bed across from them. The older sister made eye contact with both of them before taking in a deep breath.

"First of all, I want you both to know that I'm deeply sorry for hurting both of your feelings." Blanche turned her attention solely on Pyrrha. "And I want to take back everything I said to you, Pyrrha. All of those words were completely uncalled for. I know that… that you're probably still mad at me."

"I am… a little bit." Pyrrha said. "But I'm more disappointed than anything else."

"So am I." Jaune agreed. "Blanche, where did all of this come from?"

Blanche gave a sigh before cupping her hands together on her legs. "Jaune… when we heard that Beacon had been attacked… we were all inconsolable wrecks. Even Saph and Terra called in tears after they had heard the news." She paused for a brief moment to swallow the dryness in her throat. "When dad had taken the airship to Vale, I thought that he was going to bring you home, where you could be safe with us… but he didn't. He'd told us all that you would be staying with your friends, and some of us couldn't believe it, including me. I was confused, sad, afraid, but most of all… I was angry." She held her head in her hands. "I was angry at dad for not bringing you home, I was angry at you because you didn't WANT to come home… and I was even angry at people I hadn't met yet, your friends, because I figured they were the _reason_ why you didn't come home."

Jaune was taken aback at how much this had really affected her. "Blanche… I—"

"Jaune." Pyrrha placed a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. "I know you have something to say to her, but please, let her finish." Jaune complied, nodding silently as Blanche continued.

"I'd almost come out here myself to drag you home… but mom convinced me otherwise. So I just kept to myself for most of the week, thinking of ways to bring you home when I could finally go out there. Instead of being honest with myself and talking about how I felt like an adult, I let my emotions do the thinking for me. And the result was this hair-brained scheme to get you home that'd be more like something that a kid would come up with… and I saw Pyrrha as an obstacle in my way." Blanche sighed again before going on. "All I can really say to you guys is that I'm completely sorry for everything I did. Jaune, I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings. And again, Pyrrha… I'm sorry for saying all of those things to you. My behavior was totally inexcusable… and I don't blame you guys if you don't forgive me anytime soon." She shifted her gaze to the ground before going on. "I… I can't really think of much else to say other than apologizing a thousand times over, so if you guys wanna be alone, then I'll show myself out."

Blanche had just gotten to her feet before a certain voice stopped her; Pyrrha's. "Blanche, wait." The white-clad woman stopped and faced the Invincible Girl as she and Jaune stood up. Pyrrha stepped forward and locked her eyes with Blanche, waiting a few moments before speaking again. "I want to thank you for the apology. And for being honest about what happened. I'm not about to condone your actions, but I at least now know why you did this. It's obvious how much you love and care your brother, and on that…" She offered the Arc sister a smile. "I believe we can find common ground." She extended her hand. "Perhaps it would be best if we forget this ever happened, and maybe we can start over on the correct foot?"

Blanche gazed down at the hand in bewilderment. "I… I don't understand. Don't you want to scream in my face? Tell me how awful I've been?! Punch me?! ANYTHING?!"

Pyrrha simply shook her head. "There have been enough hateful words today, and I'm not about to hit anyone who just finished giving an honest apology. So what do you say? Do over?"

Blanche glanced down at the hand again and then back to Pyrrah. She was still reluctant at first, but the sincerity of the smile on Pyrrha's face was enough to relax her mind. She returned the grin and shook Pyrrha's hand. "Hi, I'm Blanche Arc, nice to meet you. I heard through the grapevine that you're in a relationship with my brother. Warning you now; he's a handful."

Pyrrha burst out laughing and pulled Blanche into a hug. "Hahaha! It's nice to meet you, Blanche. I'm Pyrrha Nikos."

"Heh, it's a pleasure to… meet…" Her eyes widened and she pulled back to look at Pyrrha's face again. "Wait a second! THAT'S where I recognized you before! You're on all of the Pumpkin Pete's cereal boxes!"

Pyrrha's face fell as she faceplanted into Blanche's shoulder. "Please don't mention that." she muffled out.

It was Blanche's turn to laugh as she pat Pyrrha's back. "Haha! I'll make sure not to."

Jaune walked over and got in on the hug. "Hehe, now this is what I was hoping for. Two of the most important ladies in my life getting along. I'm glad this is all behind us… but…" Jaune locked his focus on Blanche. "Now _I_ need to apologize. Blanche, I'm sorry for not even _thinking_ of calling home after the attack. If I had just done that in the first place, we could have avoided this whole thing."

Blanche ruffled up Jaune's hair. "It's okay, Jaune. In hindsight, I really should have had more faith in you from the start. I didn't think you could handle it out here, but after Yang showed me how well you and your team did in the Vytal Tournament, I've eaten my own words. Who would've thought that my little brother could be so smart and scrappy?"

Jaune rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Aw, shucks, I wasn't THAT great."

"Well, _I_ think you were." Blanche reassured. "And I know that everyone else downstairs would agree, right?"

From out of nowhere came a; "Bark!"

"Exactly." Blanche nodded. But then her eyes shot open. "Wait…" Her head craned down to the ground and her eyes met with Romulus, who was sitting at her feet and gazing up at her, wagging his tail expectedly. The rough and tough exterior that Blanche usually kept around her melted away almost instantly with a single gasp. "AH! A puppy!" She bent down and picked him up, allowing him to lick her face. "Oh hello! Aren't you the most precious thing in the whole world?" She whirled back around to the couple next to her. "Is he yours?"

"Hehe, yes, he is." Pyrrha confirmed. "That's Romulus, and he's a wolf pup actually. We found him over at the local blacksmith's place with his sister, who we named Rema."

"We managed to find their parents…" Jaune explained, "but they were killed by Grimm."

"Oh my god!" Blanche cried. "That's so sad." She brought Romulus up to her face. "I bet you're happy to have Pyrrha and Jaune as your new mommy and daddy now, aren't you? I'm sure you are!" She booped his nose before asking; "So then, what about his sister?"

"We actually gave her to a friend of ours who lives here as well." Pyrrha answered. "Her name is Blake, and those two just took to each other the moment we brought Rema home. Ironic seeing as Blake is a cat Faunus who once hated dogs."

Blanched glanced over to her brother and quirked an eyebrow. "Wow, just how many friends do you have living here?"

"Heh, plenty I would say." Jaune chuckled as he walked over to the door. "C'mon, the others are probably worried about us."

"No kiddin'." Blanche and Pyrrha began making their way to the door when the Arc sister touched the redhead's shoulder. "Hey, I'm glad that my brother has a girlfriend like you, Warrior Princess. And thank you for… well you know."

"Of course." Pyrrha reciprocated. "Now tell me, is there anything I should know about your younger sisters before they get here?"

"Eh, they're a bunch o' harmless ankle biters. You'll be fine." Blanche then whispered into her ear; "But watch out for mom, she'll bite your head off." Pyrrha recoiled at the statement, but then second-guessed herself when she saw Blanche wink. "Kidding!" The two ladies erupted into a laughing fit as they followed Jaune downstairs, both of them relieved that they were finally getting along.

* * *

"You are just the sweetest little thing!" Rouge exclaimed as she rubbed noses with Rema, the little wolf pup more than happy to play with someone while her mother was away. The eldest Arc sister, along with Ben, Yang and Noire had sat down at the kitchen table as they awaited Jaune, Pyrrha and Blanche to return, hoping that no one would strangle each other upstairs. But for now, they were having some fun. "I don't know how much more adorable you can be!"

As she played with the pup, Yang and Ben turned to Noire, both wearing smiles on their faces. "Guess your sister likes cute things, huh?" Yang asked.

"Yeah, she sure does." Noire confirmed. "She likes to THINK she's a mature adult, but I know that she just can't let go of the inner child that she keeps in check."

Rouge narrowed her eyes at Noire. "Hey, when you're raising children of your own, you've gotta learn to cherish everything."

That caught the couple's attention, with Ben asking the obvious question. "You've got a kid?"

"I do, two actually. And a loving husband." Rouge reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet, subsequently opening it and taking out a picture. "Here, see for yourself." She handed a picture to Yang, with her and Ben immediately taking a look at it. The picture appeared to be taken at a small children's playground, with a small family of three sitting on a bright red picnic table. Rouge was sitting on the left while the man they presumed was her husband sat on the right. He was a rather handsome man with a short beard and moustache combo and ragged brown hair, his eyes a bright hazel. "On the right is my husband, Mike Angel."

Ben quirked a brow. "His last name is Angel?"

"I know, I asked the same thing when I first met him." Rouge chuckled.

"Well, he's certainly a looker." Yang commented. "You're a lucky lady."

Ben sent her a mischievous grin. "So if _he's_ a looker, what does that make me?"

Yang rolled her eyes and planted a kiss on his cheek. "You're very pretty, Green Boy."

"And proud of it!" Ben stated confidently, causing the women at the table to break out into laughter. Ben reached over and gave Yang a hug, returning the kiss on her cheek. "Thank you, Goldie Locks."

"You're welcome." Yang reached around and pat his cheek before focusing back on the picture. "So I'm guessing that the two little tykes in the middle are your kids, Rouge?" In the photo, two children sat between Rouge and Mike, a young girl who appeared to be around four years old with blue eyes and blonde hair up in pigtails, and in her arms she held a baby with the same hair and eye combo, though the infant didn't seemed focused on the camera, instead gazing off into the distance beyond the camera, no doubt something to garner the child's attention.

"Yep, those are Maggie, and in her arms is her brother, Carter." Rouge confirmed. "They are my pride, joy, and quite the handful. That picture was taken a little over a year ago now, and Carter's only just started learning how to walk." She let out a sigh. "Things just go by so fast."

"They're cute little rascals, I'll tell ya that." Yang handed the picture back to Rouge. "Are they gonna be coming here too?"

"Oh, no unfortunately." Rouge answered. "Mike and I agreed that it's far too dangerous to bring children out anywhere near Vale, so he's staying home with them. His sister is actually going to be helping him with that, so everything's pretty much covered back home."

"Good thinking." Noire approved. "Because let me tell you, there has been some MAJOR stuff going down lately. And the last thing I want is my niece and nephew to be in the middle of it."

"No kidding." Ben supported. "I mean, just yesterday, we—" But just as he was about to go into detail, the hero heard approaching steps coming down the stairs. "They're coming back!" he harshly whispered. "Act natural!" Everyone sat up straight and folded their hands on the table, all wearing smiles while Rouge kept Rema on her lap, the pup now very confused at everyone's behavior. But they all began to relax a little when they heard something else; laughter. "Uh, are you guys hearing what I am?"

True to form, Pyrrha and Blanche came down the stairs laughing while Jaune brought up the rear. The trio entered the kitchen, only to be met by everyone's surprised expressions. Blanche raised a hand to wave, keeping Romulus secured in her other arm. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"Uh, I feel like I should be asking YOU that, sis." Noire admitted. "Is everything… okay?"

"Better than okay." Pyrrha sat down at the table. "We've come to an understanding."

"Which would be?" Rouge inquired further.

Blanche sat down next to Pyrrha and handed Romulus to Jaune before pulling Pyrrha into a friendly headlock. "For the sake of what's important to us, we've put it all behind us. No ill will, no bad blood."

"Huh, cool!" Ben smiled. "But then… what's so important to you?"

"That's something that should remain between the three of us." Pyrrha stated as she pointed to Blanche and Jaune. "Just know that we aren't angry anymore, so you can all relax."

Yang took Pyrrha's word and fell into her chair. "Whoo! Glad that's over! So, until the other's get back, anything you guys wanna do?"

"Well, it's a pretty nice day outside." Jaune suggested. "Maybe we—" _CLASH_! From outside, came a loud rumble followed by a flash of lightning. Not a second later and rain came pouring down from the sky, the sky water impacting the roof and making noise. "Or… maybe not."

"Gah, dammit!" Ben smacked his hand to his forehead before looking over to is girlfriend with a disappointed expression. "Sorry, Yang. Guess we'll have to put our picnic on hold."

Yang instantly pulled him into a reassuring hug. "Aw, it's okay, Ben. We'll go sometime this week, promise." She waved her hand out to their three visitors. "Besides, we've got a nice little family reunion going on here. And since we're technically the hosts, it wouldn't look all that good if we just up and left, right?"

Ben sighed as he reached around and pulled her in closer. "Yeah, you're right. We can all find something to do inside right?" At that moment, an idea struck in Ben's mind. "Hey, anyone wanna watch Beast Wars?"

Blanche and Noire both gave Ben a confused glance. "The heck is "Beast Wars"?" they echoed each other.

The hero deadpanned at their united question. "Yep, they're twins alright."

* * *

**A/N: Well, that was a bit hectic wasn't it? But hey, every member of a family is different and that goes for the Arcs as well. It was rough, but things seemed to work themselves out. At least for now. We've still got more of Jaune's family to meet in the future, so Pyrrha had better start prepping herself. But Next Time, things are going to be a bit calmer. Everyone arrives back at the house from their training and they all get the chance to meet Blanche and Rouge, but Ben takes this opportunity too keep his promise to Yang, attempting to distract Ruby long enough while she lays out the plans for her sister's birthday to everyone. Thanks for reading, guys! See ya!**


	43. Family Meeting

**A/N: Hey everyone! Alright, so it's time for the rest of the gang to meet the Blanche and Rouge as well. Not else much to elaborate on here, so let's go! This is…**

**Chapter 43: Family Meeting**

* * *

"C'mon guys! Keep running!" Ruby shouted as she kept her hood up and sprinted through the rain. "We're almost there!" The storm had started just a few minutes after their group had left the training grounds at Mount Patch, much to everyone's chagrin. But, instead of going back and waiting out the rain in the mountain, Ruby suggested that they make a mad dash back to the house, which was that LAST thing anyone wanted to do, but it was better than waiting for who knows how long for the rain to stop.

"Would you slow down, Ruby?!" Weiss called ahead. "We can't ALL go as fast as you, remember?!" The heiress was running beneath a mana shield with Gwen, and Kevin, not wanting to get her new outfit drenched. "Ugh, I can't BELIEVE it's raining again!"

"Yeah, admittedly this kinda stinks." Gwen agreed. "But we're almost there!"

Meanwhile, Blake was holding her coat up over her head in an attempt to keep the sky water from completely soaking her. "Ugh! This is ridiculous! How often is it going to rain this week?!"

"I dunno!" Nora gleefully cried. "But I'm not complainin'! WEEE!" The Pink Dynamo ran forward, happily skipping through the rain. Ren sprinted by as well, attempting to keep up with his best friend.

Blake sighed, but then found herself in a better mood when Sun came jogging up next to her. "Hey! Enjoying the run?" the monkey boy asked.

Blake sent a smile his way. "Hardly. This might sound really petty, but my arms are getting tired." She let out a groan. "Really wishing this thing came with some kind of hood."

"Want me to take over?" Sun offered. "I'm already soaking wet anyway, so there's really no point in me staying dry."

"Aw, thanks." Blake let go of her coat, slowing down so that Sun could get a good hold of it. He grasped the white garment in his hands and held it up as Blake hugged her arms around herself. "I hope you don't catch a cold from all this, Sun. Otherwise I may have to babysit you again."

"Hah, don't worry, Blake. I'll be fine." Sun gave her a wink. "Besides, I'm doing this so YOU don't get sick, and if I have to suffer through a cold so you don't, it'll be worth it."

Blake paused for a second to take in his words… before giving him a half-joking response. "Hehe, Sun, you need to teach chivalry classes. Because honestly, most guys wouldn't think twice about something like that."

Sun blushed. "Aw, gee, I don't know about that. I'm just doing this because I care about you. And, you know, I want our relationship to be a good one, so I want to make sure that you—"

"Sun." Blake stopped, putting a finger to his lips. "I know." She rose to her tip-toes and kissed his cheek. "And you're really sweet for doing this… also you're really wet."

"Hehe, yeah, I am." Sun chuckled before glancing to his side. He pointed in the direction he was looking and said; "But hey, we're almost home."

"Yeah, let's get going." Blake nodded.

"A wise decision, Blake." The couple turned to see Athena come jogging down the path, holding her golden shield above her head as a make-shift umbrella. She gave them a knowing smile. "I know that kisses in the rain is a rather… _steamy_ romantic gesture, but perhaps it would be best to do it inside instead?"

The two were stunned at Athena's unpredicted snarky jab, both of them shifting their eyes away from the Huntresses gaze. "W-well, we were just…" Blake said in an attempt to dissuade Athena from further teasing.

But Athena took it in stride. "Oh come now, Blake, it's no secret that you two have something quite special. But you had better get in fast, or you'll BOTH be sick."

Neptune came bounding by, holding his own red coat up above his head. "Yeah guys, let's go!" he hollered after overhearing the conversation. "Anything's better than staying out here!"

"Point taken!" Blake shouted back before facing Sun again. "Well, shall we make a break for it?"

"Good idea." Sun kept Blake's coat over her head as they and Athena took Neptune's advice, sprinting to the house and after their friends. The low rumble of thunder above their heads caught their attention as they finally made it to the porch, with Ruby opening the door. "Man, guess we're getting all the bad weather before Fall ends, huh?"

"Seems so." Blake agreed as they followed their friends inside. But just as she was about to head in, she noticed something in the parking lot; two new vehicles. One was a large, white off-road truck with raised suspension and massive tires, while the other was a normal red sedan. And parked in between them was Noire's bike, indicating that she had come as well. "Uh, guys? Did anyone else notice those cars outside?"

After taking her hood and cloak off to dry them out, Ruby's eyes shot up, gazing out of the front door to see what her friend was talking about. "Hey, yeah! And Noire's bike is here, too." Ruby began scanning her house, searching for any sign of the police officer. "But… I don't see her. Wait, where's Yang and the others?"

"Okay, don't panic." Gwen assured. "Because, when in doubt…" The Anodite pointed over to the basement door. "Always check downstairs." Gwen walked over and opened the door, letting the sound of commotion echo through the house. "See? And I believe we have some company."

* * *

While the rest of the team were just getting back to the house, things downstairs were becoming rather interesting to be sure. Ben had reset the DVD so that the opening two-parter of Beast Wars was replaying to get Jaune and Pyrrha up to date with the plot. Jaune's sisters were watching as well, but Blanche and Rouge were simply baffled by what they were seeing, and to an extent, Noire as well. It helped that the policewoman had been previously filled in on the whole 'different world' thing, but the other two were having a hard time wrapping their heads around it. As Ben got done explaining his end of the story, Blanche was still having a hard time believing it.

"So let me get this straight." The white-clad Arc said as she rubbed her forehead. "You, your family and friends are from an alternate world?" She asked as she pointed to Ben, and then his watch. "And THAT thing allows you to transform into any alien you want?" Blanche pointed her finger toward the TV. "Plus, apparently this world has cartoons like this where it looks like it was animated with shiny rubber?"

"Hey! CG animation was in its infancy." Ben countered. "…and if you want to see REALLY bad dated CGI, there are far, FAR worse examples."

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Blanche waved off. "Listen, I'm willing to believe anything at this point, but if you expect me to believe that interdimensional ALIENS of all things exist, then—" _FLASH!_ A bright green light shined into Blanche's eyes for a split second. Once her vision cleared, she was standing face to face with a giant, muscly tiger man, the symbol of Ben's watch having moved to his chest.

In his best indoor voice possible, Rath growled; "Let me tell ya somethin', Blanche Arc, Jaune Arc's older sister who is really stubborn, do you really wanna start somethin' with _Rath_?" His eyes narrowed. "Well do ya, punk?"

At Ben's transformation, Jaune began to silently panic. It was true, his sister _could_ be really stubborn, and the fact that Rath was in her face didn't really help matters either. And he did NOT want another fight to breakout today. Pyrrha and Noire sat with the same anxiety while Rouge was nearly close to fainting from what she had just witnessed. Meanwhile, Yang had similar worries, but also facepalmed, completely confounded as to why Ben had decided that Rath would be a good example… unless he had planned to transform into a different alien and got Rath by mistake.

Blanche just stood in shock at what she was seeing; a giant tiger man glaring daggers at her, waiting for her answer. But, as much as Rath set out to intimidate her, she wouldn't go down that easily. She'd dealt with muscle heads like this before, and if there was one thing that worked on them, it was reverse psychology. She crossed her arms and gave him a smirk. "Heh, you've got some balls on you, Tennyson. But as much as I wanna test your might against mine, this ain't the time or place. How 'bout we just let this go… for now."

"GOOD!" Rath exclaimed. "BECAUSE LET ME TELL YA SOMETHIN', BLANCHE ARC! IF YOU _HAD_ DECIDED TO TAKE RATH ON, HE WOULD HAVE SCALPLED THAT MOP OF HAIR OFF YOUR HEAD AND SHOVED IT DOWN YOUR THRO—"

"Okay!" Jaune made a leap and covered Rath's mouth before he could say anything else. "Let's keep the really weird insults to a minimum, shall we?" Jaune quickly slammed the Omnitrix forcing Ben back to normal. "Dude!" Jaune whispered harshly. "What were you _thinking_?!"

Ben's eyes were swirling as he shook his head, trying to get out of his daze. "Ugh, I definitely wasn't thinking of Rath." He sighed as he sat back on the couch. "I can never get Four Arms when I want." Ben glanced up to see Rouge, her mouth still agape and eyes the size of basket balls after what she had just seen. And at that moment, Ben realized that maybe transforming on the fly wasn't such a good idea. "Oh lord, that's not good."

Pyrrha began shaking Rouge's shoulder. "Rouge? Rouge?!"

"Hey, Rouge!" Yang snapped her finger's in front of Rouge's eyes. "SNAP OUT OF IT!"

"Uh, huh?!" Rouge came out of her shocked state, holding her head as she laid down on the couch. "Oh my gosh. I-I'm sorry. I just didn't expect… well, THAT."

"Heh, join the club, big sis." Noire chuckled.

Ben however wouldn't let Rouge blame herself. "Hey, if it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I should've given you guys a proper warning. Sorry about that."

The hero was taken by surprise when Blanche gave him a good-natured smack on the shoulder. "Eh, it's no big. When you live in a world where ungodly creatures like the Grimm exist, you kinda have to adapt to some weird shit already. So moving on, what the hell IS this show about anyway? I wasn't exactly paying attention."

Ben smirked as he turned his attention toward the TV, watching as a certain cheetah and wasp were about to face off. "You're about to find out."

" _Cheetor, MAXIMIZE!"_ The feline leapt into the air as a guitar riff played. And, in a mid-air flip, he transformed into his robot mode, taking the Arc sisters off-guard. _"Time for this cat to POUNCE!"_ Cheetor took aim and fired his gut gun at the giant insect, the wasp bobbing and weaving out of the way before fighting back.

" _ZzzZzz, Wazzpinator under attack! Wazzpinator engage enemy! Wazzpinator, TERRORIZZZE!"_ Waspinator buzzed forward and transformed into his own robot form, firing his stinger gun back at Cheetor.

Blanche's mouth fell open as her sisters watched on, also taken aback by what was going on. "Animals… that can transform… into robots?"

Ben smiled as he pointed his finger up. "Strike that, reverse it, thank you. They are alien robots that can take on any shape, they just happen to scan the dominant indigenous life-forms of Prehistoric earth. That being animals, insects, and dinosaurs."

Blanche processed that in her head before throwing her arms up into the air. "That is so COOL! I would have LOVED this as a kid!"

Noire shrugged. "Yeah, admittedly, so would I."

"Agreed." Jaune nodded. "Especially since Ben told me that these shows were made to advertise toys to little kids."

"There were TOYS of these things?!" Blanche exclaimed before grabbing Ben by the shoulders. "Okay, where is this universe of yours and how fast can I get there?!"

Ben chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Hehe, a lot farther away than you might think." The hero glanced down to the ground as Blanche let go of his shoulders. "To tell you the truth, we got here because of an accident. One that we can't recreate without certain elements. So we can't get back home unless someone from my universe is actually able to find us. And I KNOW that there must be certain people looking for us as we speak, but it's all a matter of how and when they find us." Ben let out a sigh. "On the one hand, I miss my home… but on the other…" He gently grasped Yang's hand in his own, which she was more than happy with. "I've met some of the greatest people, including a certain one I've come to care about a lot."

Yang smiled and rolled her eyes, settling her head against her boyfriend's shoulder. "Can you BE more sappy, Green Boy?"

Ben let out a laugh as he leaned his head in as well. "Hey, it's the truth."

"I know." Yang closed her eyes. "…But you've gotta admit, it's still a little corny."

"Eh, sometimes, corny works."

"Hmhm, you couldn't be anymore right."

Off to the side, Blanche gave an eyeroll as well. "Ugh, alright love birds, we get it. I've already gotta deal with one lovey-dovey couple, I don't exactly need another."

Jaune smirked over to her. "Aw, c'mon Blanche, you can't keep that rough and tumble act up forever. How long has it been since YOU last had a date again?"

"Oh SNAP!" Noire snapped her fingers. "Lil' Bro got you dead to rights, sis! How do you plead?"

Blanche grimaced at her twin. "You're an officer, sis, not a juror. The worst you can do to me is read me my rights. Can we move on to something else, PLEASE?!"

At that moment, Ben heard the door open upstairs, followed by the familiar voice of his cousin; "Ben?! Guys, are you down there? What's all that racket?"

Ben's face turned up into a grin as he nodded toward Blanche. "Looks like you got your wish." The hero paused the show and called back up the stairs. "Hey Gwen! Bring everyone down! We have some people for you to meet!"

Gwen immediately came down the stairs, her eyes catching sight of the two new blonde ladies instantly. "Oh! Hello there!" She approached, giving them a wave as Kevin and everyone else came down the stairs. "I hope I'm not just generalizing here, but I'm guessing that you two are Jaune's sisters?"

Blanche stood up and placed a hand on her hip. "Gee, what was your first clue, the hair or the eyes?"

Rouge got up from the couch as well, extending her hand to Gwen. "Forgive my sister, she has a rather consistent streak of sarcasm. I'm Rouge and this is Blanche. And I believe that you're Ben's cousin, Gwen, right?"

"Yeah, that's me." Gwen confirmed as she shook Rouge's hand. "Jaune's told me a little bit about you already. He says that we're actually somewhat alike."

Rouge quirked her eyebrow at her little brother. "Did he now?"

Jaune gave a sheepish shrug. "Heh, well, yeah. Gwen's a smart cookie, and I've noticed that you and her have some things in common."

"I see." Rouge turned back to the crowd of people to continue talking with Gwen, but her eyes ended up catching two faces in the crowd. She had seen them on the Vytal Tournament footage that Yang had shown them earlier, and she could only conclude that the two people she was looking at were her brother's other teammates. Rouge's eyes shifted to Gwen momentarily. "I'm sorry to cut our talk short, Gwen, but I want to meet my brother's teammates. Could we continue this a bit later?"

"Sure, go right ahead." Gwen stepped aside, allowing Rouge easy passage through the crowd of teenagers.

"Thank you." Rouge signaled for Blanche to follow her and with that, the two women strode forth, approaching Nora and Ren while Jaune and Pyrrha followed them from behind. The Pink Dynamo could only gawk in awe while her best friend kept his usual stoic composure, though he wouldn't lie that he was keeping his nervous feelings repressed to make a good impression. Rouge offered them both a kind smile. "You must be Nora and Ren. Jaune and Pyrrha have told us a lot about you. I'm Rouge, Jaune's oldest sister."

Blanche gave the two a salute. "What up? Name's Blanche. You met my twin, Noire over there already."

Nora didn't exactly have a proper introduction ready… instead, she let out a high-pitched scream of pure joy and hugged them both, with Blanche even feeling herself get lifted off the ground a little bit. Nevertheless, it was the last thing that the sisters had expected. "EEEEEEEE! It's so GREAT to MEET YOU!"

"ACK! Whoa! What the heck?!" Blanche cried out indignantly.

"Well this is a… rather different greeting." Rouge said with widened eyes.

Jaune and Pyrrha stepped forward, hoping to calm their hyperactive pink friend down. "Heh, yeah, should have warned you two." Jaune chuckled. "Nora can be a bit unpredictable."

"And a hugger." Pyrrha added before touching Nora's shoulder. "Okay, Nora, I think they've been hugged out."

Nora's eyes opened and she loosened her embrace, albeit reluctantly. "Oh, okay. If you say so."

Once she was let go, Blanche took in a deep breath of air, surprised by the spunky little redhead's strength. "DAMN girl, how much do you bench?!"

"Last I checked, about five times my own body weight!" Nora answered with a toothy grin. "How about you?"

The Arc sister blankly stared at Nora for a good moment before looking down at her shoes. "I suddenly feel _really_ inadequate." But then, Blanche felt another pair of eyes on her, causing her to whirl her head around to come face to face with Ren, the green ninja looking directly at her and Rouge. "What're you lookin' at, ninja boy?"

"Simply waiting to get an introduction in." Ren answered with a small smile before bowing. "It's a pleasure to meet you both."

"The feeling is mutual, Ren." Rouge politely bowed back, persuading her sister to do the same with a narrow-eyed glance. "Thank you both for watching out for our little brother."

"Pfft, nah, it's nothin'." Nora waved off. "If anything, he's been watching out for US. He IS our leader after all."

Rouge and Blanche rose to their full height as Noire joined them, adding to Nora's testament. "It's true. Team JNPR's quite the unit if I must say. They certainly put Subdora in the slammer pretty quick last night, anyway."

"Heh, guess I WAS worried over nothing." Blanche surmised. "Now I REALLY feel bad about everything."

Nora quirked an eyebrow. "Why's that? Did something happen?"

Realizing what she had said, Blanche shared a wide-eyed gaze with Pyrrha, who discreetly made a slicing motion across her neck and shook her head frantically as if to say; 'Let's not bring that up to them'. Blanche gave her a quick nod of understanding before shrugging Nora's question off. "Huh? Oh, nah! Everything's a-okay!" From behind the slightly confused Nora, Blanche could see Pyrrha give her a wink and a thumbs up, both of them grateful that one terribly long explanation had been avoided.

Rouge meanwhile had moved over to everyone else, standing in front of them as she let out a tired sigh. "Dear god, so many people to meet. Where should I start?"

But her answer was answered instantly when a flurry of rose petals appeared in front of her, followed by a young girl. "Hi! Can I start?" Ruby shook Rouge's hand. "I'm Ruby Rose! I'm not sure if Yang mentioned me yet, but I'm her sister!"

Weiss greeted the woman with her usual curtsey. "Hello, I'm Weiss, it's a pleasure."

And Blake simply gave a small wave. "Hi there, I'm Blake. We're Yang's friends and teammates."

Rouge laughed as Ruby finished shaking her hand. "Haha, well it's a pleasure to meet you girls. And Ruby, I want to thank you and your sister for letting my brother and his team stay in your home. It means the world to me and my family that you would be so hospitable."

"Aw, don't mention it!" Ruby waved off. "Our groups are practically connected at the hip after our initiation at Beacon, so it's the least I could do for my friends."

Yang came over and supported her sister's statement. "Got that right, Rubes. Besides, what's a dozen or so roommates, right?"

"That's putting it mildly." Kevin commented. "It's a pain in the ass just cooking breakfast for these people." The Osmosian waved over to Rouge. "I'm Kevin by the way."

"Oh, yes, Ben mentioned you as well." Rouge grinned somewhat nervously. "Nice to meet you." She certainly wasn't prepared for how abrasive Kevin could be, so she decided to move on to the last couple of boys there. "And what about you two?"

Both boys gave her a wave. "Hiya! Name's Sun!" the monkey boy greeted.

"And I'm Neptune." The blue-haired boy grinned. "We're from Haven Academy in Mistral."

Rouge's eyes widened and she let out a gasp. "Ah! Oh my gosh! My sister lives in Mistral! Tell me, do any of you boys come from Argus?"

"Uh, no." Neptune shook his head. "I'm from the city of Mistral itself."

"And I was born in Vacuo." Sun added.

Pyrrha raised her hand. "Um… Rouge? _I_ am from Argus."

Rouge broke out into a wide smile and rushed over to Pyrrha. "You ARE?! Well why didn't you say so in the first place? I'm surprised this didn't come up earlier!"

Noire came up and asked; "Pyrrha, tell me something. Back in Argus, were you ever familiar with either Saphron Cotta-Arc or Terra Cotta-Arc?"

Pyrrha glanced between the two before shaking her head. "Unfortunately, I wasn't, sorry. I wasn't even aware that your sister lived in Argus before now."

"WHAT?!" Blanche cried in shock before whirling around to her brother. "And you didn't think to even MENTION that to her?"

"Hey! It just slipped my mind!" Jaune defended himself.

"For over a YEAR since you've known her?!" Blanche argued.

Suddenly, another voice came from the stair well; "What in the world is going on down here?!" Blanche and Rouge watched in awe as a tall redheaded woman clad in battle armor came down the stairs, baring a striking resemblance to Pyrrha. The older woman saw them and shifted from scolding mother to friendly mom. "Oh hello! You two must be some of Jaune's other sisters! How do you do?" She then waved over to her daughter. "Is everything okay down here, sweetheart?"

"Everything's fine, mom." Pyrrha waved back. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know either Saphron or Terra Cotta-Arc from back home, do you?"

"Hmm, I cannot say that I do." Athena smiled over to her daughter's boyfriend. "Jaune, you didn't tell me that you had family in Argus! This is quite unexpected."

Jaune sighed and put his face into his hand. "Yeah, sorry. I honestly just forgot to mention it until now."

"I see." Athena nodded. "Oh well, no harm done. If you kids want lunch, I'll be up in the kitchen making it!"

As Athena climbed back up the stairs, Blanche smirked and lightly shook Jaune's shoulders. "Ooooh, Saph and Terra are gonna get on you for not mentioning them at ALL, little bro. Hehe, good luck."

It was then that Ben decided to finally speak up again. "So by the sounds of it, your sister lives pretty far away, huh Rouge? And I'm guessing she moved out there after she got married?"

"Heh, you hit the nail on the head, Ben." Rouge confirmed. "She moved out there with Terra and they've been living in Argus ever since." She reached into her wallet again and pulled out another picture. "Here, this is from their wedding."

With Gwen and Kevin gathering around him, Ben happily took the photo. "Oh, that's great! Let's see…" Ben's eyebrows rose up slightly when he laid eyes on the picture. But then, he smiled softly. "Okay, this is just adorable." There, in the picture, were two women standing side-by-side in front of a white limo. One had the iconic Arc blonde hair and blue eyes, so Ben knew she was Saphron, and the other with dark skin, brown eyes, short brown hair, and wearing a pair of red spectacles, so Ben could only guess she was Terra. The ladies wore smiles of pure happiness on their faces and were both in beautiful dresses, each of them holding a bouquet of flowers, ready to throw them out to the crowd. Ben gave his cousin a better view. "Gwen, you've gotta see this."

Gwen gasped as she got a closer look. "AH! I love their dresses! Those two are so cute in them!"

"Yeah, it's pretty sweet." Kevin agreed. "Betcha that day was hectic."

"Oh my gosh, you have NO idea." Noire confirmed. "They were both just so nervous about _everything_!" In mere moments, everyone was fawning over the picture, allowing the three Arc sisters to hang back for a bit and relax after meeting everyone. "Hey, that reminds me." Noire turned to Rouge. "Did Terra say if she was coming as well? We ALL know how busy she can be."

"Oh, she is." Rouge nodded. "It took her a while, but she managed to get some time off of work at the CCT. She told me over the phone that she WAS going to see her brother-in-law whether her boss liked it or not."

"Good." Noire smiled. "God knows she needs it."

Once everyone had seen the picture from Saphron and Terra's wedding, Nora glanced up at the TV, and was taken aback by what she saw on screen. A gorilla with a rat on its back while both of them were riding on a rhino's back like it was a horse. The Pink Dynamo had seen some weird stuff, but this took the cake. "Hey! What the HECK are you guys watching down here?"

Ben's face fell. He should have guessed that at least ONE of his friends would take notice of Beast Wars. He sighed and grabbed the remote. "I'll go back to the start… again."

* * *

An hour later, after everyone was caught up on the opening Beast Wars two-parter, Ben relaxed into the couch, happy to finally have them all filled in. "Okay, now that we're all on the same page, what should we do for the rest of the afternoon?"

"I actually wanna watch more Beast Wars!" Ruby said with gusto, with Nora, Ren, Sun and Neptune all agreeing with her. "But I've got a feeling that Gwen and Pyrrha are going to want the downstairs for Zelda, right?"

Gwen gave her a nod. "Yes, you'd be right on that."

Ruby gave her a salute. "Alright, we'll just take our business upstairs then."

Over on the couch, Yang gave Ben a little poke on the shoulder, getting his full attention. The Blonde Brawler shifted her eyes between him and her sister before nudging her head in Ruby's direction. Remembering the promise he made yesterday, Ben smiled and gave her a nod before standing up. "Uh, hey Ruby! Before you guys get started, could I have a quick word with you on something?"

The Hooded Huntress gave Ben a grin and a thumbs up. "Sure thing, Ben! Whatever you need!" The two made their way up the steps, with Ben pulling his head back to give Yang a wink and a thumbs up of his own, giving her the okay to do her thing.

Gwen saw this and without wasting time, went over to Yang. "Okay, what's going on?"

Yang let out a laugh as she stood up, clapping her hands to get everyone's attention. "Alright people, listen up!" She stood in the center of the room as her friends focused on her. "Here's the deal; this Saturday is my little sister's sixteenth birthday."

Nora gasped as she worked her way to the front of the crowd. "IT IS?! Why didn't you say so sooner?! I would have been half way across town getting party supplies at the mall by now!"

Yang pointed at Nora. "That's the kind of spirit I like to see! But we've gotta keep this on the down-low, alright? I've got some big plans for Saturday and I'm gonna need ALL of your help to make it happen."

"Of course we'll help." Weiss said. "Far be it from me to disappoint my friend on her birthday."

"What do we need to do, Yang?" Blake asked.

"Well first off…" Yang began. "I'm planning on this being one big bash, and you know what party's like those need? Guests. So I'm gonna ask each of you to find anyone who wants to come and liven this party up."

Jaune was the first to offer a suggestion. "Pyr and I could go see if Festus and Venus wanna come."

"Yes, I'm sure they would love to attend." Pyrrha supported. "What with Festus being her favorite teacher and all."

"I'll pass the information to Winter as well." Weiss added. "And perhaps Ironwood and Goodwitch could come too."

Blake shrugged her shoulders. "Team CFVY and Cooper will most probably show up if we ask."

Noire tossed her hat in the ring as well. "And I can ask Krista and Roy if they're up for it. Hopefully they won't be too busy."

"And I KNOW that our family would be more than happy to come." Rouge assured.

Yang was liking what she was hearing. "All REALLY great suggestions, guys! Keep it up!" She whirled around to face Nora. "Okay Nora, remember what you said about party supplies?"

Nora stood as straight as a tree and gave Yang a salute. "Aye-aye ma'am!" The hyper girl went to zoom up the stairs, intending to run all the way to the mall to shop for everything she needed. But she didn't get far as Yang grabbed her by the collar, stopping her in her tracks.

"WHOA! Slow down there, Pinkie." Yang chuckled. "I get your exited, but we've still got a lot of planning to do. Plus, it's still raining. We'll get to the mall some point before Saturday, promise."

"Gotcha!" Nora said with a big grin.

Blanche came over and pat Nora on the shoulder. "You've got a lot of spunk, kid. Count me in on the party supplies."

"Awesome! Thanks Blanche, that'd be a big help." Yang turned to her left, facing Gwen head on. "Alright, Gwen, I want us to have barbeque at this party. Ribs, Burgers, Hot Dogs, the works. So could you do me a HUGE favor?"

"Of course." Gwen affirmed. "What is it?"

"Whatever you need to do, please do NOT let your grandpa cook ANYTHING!"

Gwen held back her laughter, as did Kevin and many others in the room while the reference went straight over Rouge and Blanche's head. "I'll… certainly try. If anything, I think I can convince him to cook something exotic that at least a few of you will hopefully like."

Yang pointed at the redhead. "I'll take it!" Finally, she moved over to Sun, Neptune and Ren, the three boys having stood off to the side. "Alright boys, I'm putting you guys on construction duty. My dad has a couple picnic tables out in the garage already, but with the number of guests we'll be having, we're gonna need a few more. Think you can handle it?"

"You know it!" Sun said as he pounded a fist to his chest. "We've got it covered, Yang."

Ren bowed his head. "It will be done."

"You can count on us!" Neptune said with bravado. "We'll have those tables done before you can say; "Let's Party!"."

To say that statement was a little off-putting to Yang was an understatement. "Uh, Neptune, we've got about four days until the tables need to be ready, so just… make sure to go at a normal pace, and ya know, NOT hurt yourself?"

Kevin stepped forward, joining the other guys. "Yeah, and just to be on the safe side, it's probably best if I help out on this project."

"I'll help too." Blake offered. "The last thing we need is you guys ending up in the hospital… again."

Sun sent a sly grin her way. "Are you saying we can't watch out for ourselves? I'm a little hurt, Blake."

Blake rolled her eyes before booping the monkey boy's nose. "Well, SOMEONE has to make sure you boys stay out of trouble."

Yang strode over and stood next to the couple, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "Now THAT'S a mentality I can get behind." She gave the two a wink. "And just for you two, I'll allow you guys to flirt on the job. Just be sure not to get _too_ distracted, alright? Remember, we wanna get this done by Saturday."

Blake and Sun both blushed in embarrassment as they looked away from their friend, with the cat girl clearing her throat. "Ahem, yeah, sure Yang. Whatever you say."

"Good, but there's one last thing that I need you to do, Blake."

Blake's eyebrow rose. "And that would be?"

Yang pointed at her. "On Saturday, I need you to keep Ruby distracted long enough for us to set up the party in the backyard and for the guests to arrive."

"Wait, you expect me to distract Ruby long enough on my own?" Blake asked. "I'm… not exactly sure how long I can keep her distracted with JUST myself being with her."

Yang put her hand to her chin. "Hmm, good point." But just as quick as she was to ponder a solution, she came up with one. "I got it! I think I know a way to twist this so that Ruby doesn't suspect a thing! You can take Jaune's little sisters with you!"

Blake was immediately concerned. "Uh… what?"

"Yeah! We'll make it seem like they want a tour of the town! That'll give us at least a few hours to get everything ready to go!"

Jaune had his own concerns about the blonde's plan. "Uh, yeah… Yang, that might be a bit of a stretch. My little sisters are nice, but they might not get behind this plan. Especially if they see it as you using them as a means to an end."

But Blanche didn't seem all that worried. "Aw, don't sweat it, Jaune! The runts will go through with it, so don't worry about that. Once mom and dad hear the plan, they'll be one hundred percent in on this. Remember how good _they_ were at planning surprise parties when _we_ were kids?"

"Well… you've got a point." Jaune admitted.

"Awesome!" Yang pumped a fist into the air. "Then Operation: Sweet Sixteen is a go!"

Kevin crossed his arms with a smirk. "Oh, this'll be fun to watch."

* * *

In his mind, Ben was panicking. He had promised Yang that he would distract Ruby long enough so that she could tell everyone about the birthday plans she had for her sister. The only problem? He was clueless on how to do it. Sure, he had said that he wanted to speak with the Hooded Huntress about something important, but for the life of him, he couldn't come up with something to talk about! As they walked up the stairs and into the bedroom Team RWBY shared, Ben went over the options in his head; ' _Salem? No, too depressing. Pokémon? Not really important enough to warrant a one-on-one conversation off the bat. Her birthday? Oh, c'mon dude, really?! TOO OBVIOUS!'_

"So Ben, what did you wanna talk about?" Ruby asked.

Ben was immediately shocked out of his trance and he turned around to face her, an expectant smile on her face. "Uh, yeah! That. Well… it's just…" _'C'mon Tennyson! There has to be something that you—WAIT!'_ The thought had returned to Ben like a freight train entering the station. There HAD been something that he wanted to ask Ruby about… but it was rather embarrassing. _'Well, no time like the present, right?'_ He cleared his throat and continued. "Ahem, well… you see, Ruby… I've been giving this some thought and it's actually something REALLY important."

Ruby nodded. "Okay… what is it?"

Ben let out a sigh. "Does your sister… have a favorite flower? Or if she even likes flowers in general?"

Ruby tilted her head. "Yeah, she likes flowers. But why would you need to—" It was only then when Ruby realized how clueless she was being. She gasped out loud, a huge grin appearing on her face, and before Ben even knew it, she had trapped him in a soul crushing hug, shaking him in excitement. "AAAAAAAA! You want to buy flowers for my sister!"

Once she was done shaking him, Ben's vision was all over the place, his head spinning as Ruby kept her grip on him. "Ugh, oh god, what just happened?"

Ruby's eyes widened as she let him go. "Oh my gosh! Sorry, Ben! I… guess I got a little excited."

Ben sat down on the nearest bed, holding his head until he wasn't dizzy anymore. "Heh, no problem, Ruby. But yeah, I want to get your sister some flowers. But I wasn't sure if she even liked them in the first place and I wanted it to be a surprise. I didn't want to raise any suspicion with her, so I wanted to ask you."

"No problem!" Ruby sat down next to Ben, patting him on the shoulder. "I understand completely! And don't worry, I'm gonna help you out!"

"Well, okay then!" Ben gave her his full attention. "So, like I asked before; does your sister have a favorite kind of flower?"

"Yes, she loves sunflowers and lilacs."

Ben memorized that in his head. "Sunflowers and lilacs, got it." But then, a memory came back to Ben at the mention of lilacs. Back at Beacon, when he had just met Yang and she first asked him to take a ride on Bumblebee with her. Among the smoke and fiery smells at the time was one that stood out to him the most; the scent of lilacs. The origin of which he had deduced came from Yang's hair. _'Wow Ben, noticing the smell of a girl's hair before you ask her out, THAT'S not creepy at all.'_

Once again, it was Ruby's voice that snapped him out of it. "You okay, Ben?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah." The hero said sheepishly. "I just realized that I should have known that Yang must've liked lilacs beforehand since… well…"

Ruby smirked at him. "You noticed her favorite shampoo, huh?"

"Hey, you start to notice these things when you're holding on for dear life on the back of your girlfriend's motorcycle." Ben defended, but couldn't help to glance off to the side in guilt. "Do you… think that's creepy?"

"Well… it depends on context." Ruby shrugged. "Let me put it this way; do you consider yourself a lecherous individual?"

"No! I would hope not!" Ben answered. "I just noticed it the first time I ever rode with her."

"Then you're good." Ruby reassured. "You respect my sister, and that's all that matters. Besides, if you didn't… we wouldn't be having this conversation if you know what I mean."

"Good to know." Ben rubbed his face with his hands. "I'm sorry if I'm really nervous, Ruby. It's just… I care about your sister a lot and I want our relationship to be a healthy one… I'm just worried that it'll come crashing down like all of my other past relationships. Because then… neither one of us would be happy. And the last thing I want to do is see your sister sad."

Ruby smiled at the boy's heartfelt words and reached over, patting him on the back. "Ben, considering that what you just said was one of the sweetest things I've ever heard, I don't think you have to worry about upsetting my sister. Just by asking me what her favorite flower is, I can tell how committed you are to this. And really, that's all that needs to be said."

Ben gazed up, giving her a grin and a nod. "Thanks, Ruby. I needed that. Now all I need to do is find a flower shop before your sister and I go on our picnic to the lake."

"Oh, I can help with that too! There's an awesome little flower shop in town that I can guarantee will have what you need."

"Great, that'll be a big help. And thanks again." Ben clapped his hands together. "Now, on a bit of a different note, how's your Pokémon adventure so far?"

Ruby's eyes lit up like a roman candle. "Oh my gosh! I am having LOADS of fun! I just beat the Petalburg Gym after like THREE tries. I ended up evolving my Combusken into Blaziken to do it. And after that, I backtracked to the desert to try the Go-Goggles. I ended up catching this weird little thing that I THINK is pronounced… Truh-pinch?"

Ben chuckled. "It's Trap-inch. Like "trap" and "pinch"."

Ruby shrugged. "Yeah, I thought so. Anyway, I added it to my team and finally put my Dustox into a box. I love my Dustox, but she just doesn't have the stats to keep up."

"Yeah, it's unfortunate. Most of the early game bugs are ones that I REALLY wish got Mega-Evolutions. I mean, if _Beedrill_ can have one, why not everyone else?"

Ruby tilted her head again. "Uh, what's Mega-Evolution?"

Ben smacked his forehead. "Oh that's right! You probably haven't gotten that far, have you? Well, you should be close to getting it by now. It's basically a power-up for a few certain Pokémon when it holds a certain stone. But let me put it this way for now; do you like Blaziken's design?"

"Yeah, I do actually."

"Then you'll LOVE Mega Blaziken."

Ruby stared dumbfoundedly at him for a moment before pulling out Gwen's 3DS from her skirt pocket. "Okay, I've gotta see what the heck this is all about. What do I have to do to get this Mega Blaziken?"

"Heh, now there's the spirit." Ben said as he looked over to the screen. "You'll get Mega-Evolution after completing a little side-quest with Steven."

"I KNEW that guy was important!"

"Yeah, he is." Ben continued to watch on as Ruby completed the Latios side-quest with Steven, rescuing the Eon Pokemon from Team Magma's very own Courtney. At the end of the quest, Ruby added Latios to her team, briefly swapping out her Trapinch. "Congratulations, you just got your first Legendary Pokémon, complete with its own Mega Stone!"

"Ha! Awesome! Although… I don't think he'll be a mainstay on my team." Ruby admitted. "He looks cool and all, but it just kinda feels like cheating using a _Legendary_ Pokémon at this point in the game."

"Yeah, I don't blame you. But before you put him in a box, you wanna see how Mega-Evolution works? All you have to do is trigger a battle."

"Alright!" Ruby ran into the nearest trainer's line of sight and the battle started. Once both Latios and the other trainer's Pokémon were out, Ruby pressed the FIGHT prompt, and beneath all of Latio's moves was a new prompt; Mega-Evoluion. She pressed it and… nothing happened. "Uh… I don't see anything happening."

"Oh, you gotta select a move after you press the Mega-Evolve command. I recommend Luster Purge"

"Ah! Gotcha." Ruby selected Luster Purge and at that moment, the camera changed to focus on her player avatar, striking a pose and touching the Mega Stone on the bracelet that it was attached to. The camera changed again so that it was in front of Latios, who was glowing with multi-colored energy. It became surrounded in the energy before it exploded in one big burst, revealing that Latios had changed form. What was once blue had become purple, an extra pair of horns jutted out from its jawline and its arms and wings fused together, becoming large paddle shaped protrusions on its body. Ruby's jaw dropped. "WHOA! Now _that's_ cool!"

"Yeah, back in 2013, Mega-Evolution was the hot new thing." Ben explained. "Ever since Generation 6, there's been a new gimmick to Pokémon. Mega-Evolution in X and Y, Z-Moves in Sun and Moon, and so on. It's a bit weird, but hey, it keeps the kiddie's attention."

"Well _I_ think it's pretty cool." Ruby watched as Latios completely destroyed its enemy with Luster Purge. "Hoo, yeah, too strong. I'm going to get my Trapinch back. So where's Blaziken's Mega-Stone?"

"You've gotta get to Fortree City and go to the following route. You'll meet up with Steven and do something for him again, after which he'll just give the Blazikenite to you."

"Wow, bit of a trek then, but I'll make it through." Just then, a knock came at the door, catching their attention. "Come in!" Ruby answered.

The door opened and in entered Yang, giving the two a smile. "I had a feeling guys would probably be up here." She came over and sat between them, wrapping an arm around each of them. "Just wanted to come up and see if you guys were done with your talk." She turned her head to face Ben and give him a quick knowing wink. "So, how'd it go?"

Ben winked back at her. "Pretty good. We spent most of the time chatting about Pokémon, you know, the usual." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ruby giving him the thumbs up. He knew he was keeping a secret from Yang, but it was the kind of secret that was actually a big surprise in the end, so it would be worth it. "So, we ready to get back to Beast Wars?"

"Yep, everyone who wants to watch is upstairs and in the living room." Yang rubbed their shoulders. "All we're waiting on is you two."

Ruby giggled as she stood up. "Hehe, alright, then let's do it!"

"Yep, count me in." Ben got up as well, with Yang not far behind. The three walked out the door, but the green and yellow clad couple walked a little bit behind Ruby. "Is everyone filled in on the plan?" Ben whispered to his girlfriend.

"Yep, it's all set." Yang whispered back. "Everyone's got their assignments, so things should be good to go."

"Great. I can already tell this is going to be one awesome—"

Ruby turned around and asked; "What're you guys whispering about?"

Ben and Yang both stood at attention, smiling at her with the most innocent grins possible. "Oh nothing!" Ben shook his head.

"Yeah, we're just sweet talking is all, hehe." Yang chuckled. Ruby was at first skeptical, but shrugged and let it go, continuing down the stairs while the couple let out a sigh of relief. "This might be a bit harder than I thought."

* * *

**A/N: Alright! Another chapter done! Everyone's met Rouge and Blanche, Ben's planning on buying flowers for Yang, Ruby's birthday is planned out, and the silver-eyed girl is none the wiser… hopefully. Not bad for an afternoon, huh? How will the party planning go exactly? Well, we'll just have to wait and see. But Next Time, Jaune and Pyrrha have a certain big announcement to make. However, not everything's all fine and dandy once Tetrax arrives, being the bearer of bad news concerning Subdora's escape. Meanwhile, in the Land of Darkness, we catch up with our villains as a certain pair of doctors carry out their mad science. This can only end in freaks of nature. Thanks for reading! See ya later!**


	44. Weird Science

**A/N: Alright, everyone, this'll be the last batch of chapter updates for AO3 on 11/11/20. And brace yourselves, because things are about to get VERY strange. Feel free to play the song this title is referencing at your leisure. Not much to say here, so let's get on with it! This is…**

**Chapter 44: Weird Science**

* * *

"Ah, _questa è la vita_." Subdora let out a blissful sigh as she reclined in the hot tub inside of Salem's castle, the bubbles accumulating across the water's surface and relaxing her scaly skin. Not even a day had gone by since her recruitment into Salem's forces and she was already loving it here. Much better than scavenging through the wilds of Remnant until coming across civilization. And what's better, the Grimm didn't bother her now. Unlike in the wilderness where they hounded her every chance they could. But now wasn't the time to focus on that. For now, it was time to relax. "Who knew _la Signora_ had a taste for relaxation?"

"She doesn't... to an extent." Subdora opened her eyes to see Cinder, Rojo, and Emerald all standing at the edge of the hot tub. Cinder in particular was giving her a rather apathetic gaze. "These bathhouses are for us alone. Lady Salem has her own private commodities."

"I see…" Subdora brought her hand out from the water and pointed to Cinder with a grin, "but still, you do not deny she does not know how to relax."

"If she does, the mistress does not allow us to see it." Cinder elaborated. "Nor should we ask it of her when she appears in a troubled mood, lest we wish for our destruction."

But Subdora waved it off. "Bah, throwing out all of these old-fashioned words like "nor" and "lest". Get with the times my dear and do away with the fancy talk, _mia cara_!"

Cinder sneered while gritting her teeth. "Says the alien who is _literally_ speaking a different language." she muttered under her breath and through her teeth.

"Ho-okay, Cindy." Rojo said as she set a hand on the fuming young woman's shoulder. "Let's take a step back for now." As Cinder began to calm down, the bounty hunter looked back to Subdora. "Listen, I know that you're probably all about your relaxation time at the moment, but Animo and Watts want us in the basement in about an hour to "witness their latest work" or whatever."

Subdora grimaced. "Ah, and I suppose that this is not an option?"

Emerald shook her head. "Nope, Lady Salem wants ALL of us there to see it… for some odd reason." The green-haired girl glanced off to the side. "Even IF some of us would prefer NOT to see horrendous crimes against nature."

Subdora let out a sound of disgust. "Och, indeed. The old men are certainly horrendous are they not?"

"I wasn't talking about…" But then, the Merlinisapien's joke hit her, and she gave Subdora a knowing smile. "Ah, I get it."

Subdora pointed to her. "Ah-ha! Very good!" She let out a sigh again, this one out of disappointment. "Very well. I shall be there. Just… let me have this for a little longer, _per favore_."

Cinder rolled her eyes. _'Pfft, how deplorable.'_ But, nevertheless, Lady Salem's word was law. And if she wanted Cinder to play nice, she would. "Fine, we'll see you when you come to the lab." She was about to leave when a thought occurred to her. "Wait… where did you find a swimsuit your size?"

Subdora raised an eyeridge. "I… didn't?"

"Then how are you…" Cinder's eyes widened. She quickly looked away, pinching the bridge of her nose while waving her other hand in Subdora's direction. "NEVERMIND! I _don't_ want to know!" She quickly stormed out of the room, her heels clicking against the concrete while Emerald followed her out.

Rojo hanged back for a moment, giving Subdora an upturned eyebrow of her own. "Are you proud of yourself?"

Subdora could only shrug, the bubbles on the water's surface conveniently covering herself. "My race is able to blend into the environment. What reason would we have to wear clothing? I only needed to adopt the practice once I came to Earth." She pointed to Rojo as she reclined back. "In fact, on MY planet, all of YOU would be seen as the odd ones, wearing garments such as yours."

Rojo facepalmed, knocking her head back so that it faced up toward the ceiling. "How does this team even function?"

* * *

"How does this team even _function_?!" Blanche said as she gestured to the television. The group in the living room had made it to the fifth episode of Beast Wars; "Chain of Command", where the Maximal Leader, Optimus Primal, is taken into an alien probe. Left without a leader, the Maximals decide amongst themselves who gets to be leader, only to resort to bickering each time they attempt to choose. "Seriously, why even consider either Rattrap OR Dinobot when RHINOX should obviously be leading in Primal's absence?!"

"I ask that every time I watch this episode." Ben agreed. "And yet for some reason…"

" _Rattrap, you're in charge."_ Said the disembodied voice of Optimus Primal through the commlink. _"I'm sure you worked out the chain of command peacefully."_

"Oh, COME ON!" Blanche raged.

Ben nodded. "Yeah, my sentiments exactly."

"So… these really ARE out heroes, aren't they?" Yang commented. "Gotta say, they act more like a dysfunctional family than anything else."

"No kidding." Ruby concurred with her sister. "Glad we're not like that."

"Well, not anymore, at least." Weiss reminded. "Remember the first few months at Beacon?"

Blake let out a small chuckle as she began to reminisce, all while petting a sleeping Rema on her lap. "Heh, yeah. That was quite the time. If I recall, you were insanely jealous that Ruby was team leader… and I ran away after I let slip that I used to be part of the White Fang."

"Which I still don't care that you were." Weiss assured, setting a hand on her friend's shoulder. "You're a part of this team now, and one of my dearest friends. That's what matters now."

Blake sighed. "I know… it's just that it seriously could've been handled better, in retrospect."

"It could have. But hey, if you hadn't run away…" Weiss gave her a wink and pointed across to Blake's other side, "…you probably wouldn't have gotten to know a certain someone as well as you have."

Blake rolled her eyes before following Weiss' gesture over to look at Sun, who had turned his head when the heiress had pointed him out. He locked eyes with Blake and smiled, offering a simple shrug. "I mean… I know it sounds SUPER cliché, but… she's kind of got a point."

"I don't deny that." Blake nestled her head into Sun's shoulder, which allowed them relax into the couch. "But who knows? Maybe things would've worked out in a different way, and we'd be together all the same."

"And that's what multiverse theory is all about." Ben stated. "Because everyone needs a good headache once and a while."

Nora, adhering to Ben's example, was rubbing her temples. "Ugh, no kidding. Could we just keep watching Beast Wars without all of this talk about multiple universes?"

"We LITERALLY watched a _trilogy_ of movies about that exact topic yesterday." Neptune reminded. "I don't think we'll need a refresher anytime soon."

"Yeah, what they said." Blanche said, not really paying attention as she kept watching the show.

Ben shrugged. "Eh, you guys got a point. No need to retread old ground. At least for now."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Why's that, Ben?"

Ben gave his girlfriend a smirk and whispered into her ear; "Because after G1 and Beast Wars, the Transformers franchise is literally comprised of multiple different universes. Once one show ends, a new one completely reboots the whole thing and starts from scratch."

Yang smirked back at him. "Oh, that'll be a _hoot_ when they find out."

* * *

As the group upstairs watched their show, Pyrrha and Gwen were once again at their favorite pastime; playing Ocarina of Time in the basement. Jaune, Kevin, Noire and Rouge were all sitting on the furniture, watching as Pyrrha made her way to Kakariko Village, riding through Hyrule Field once again on the back of Epona. The eldest Arc sister, with Romulus on her lap, watched the video game with curiosity in her eyes. "God, this looks like the kind of game that my dad would have played as a really little kid." She glanced over to Kevin. "And you said this game was _how_ old?"

"About twenty years old." Kevin answered. "How old's your dad?"

"Fourty-eight. And judging by the graphics, games like these would have popped up when he was around… I wanna say nine or ten?"

Gwen's eyes widened. "Then… that would mean by your guy's standards, Ocarina of Time would be a _thirty_ -year-old game. …Dear lord, why do I suddenly feel so old?"

Kevin reached around and pulled is girlfriend into a hug. "Oh-ho, hon, you're not old. It's just the advanced technology of this world. Tech which I'm STILL trying to wrap my head around. Seriously, how are freaking _airships_ a common thing?!"

"Simple; Dust." Noire explained. "The raw power within Dust is able to do incredible things. And while it certainly doesn't do things like, say, enhance the graphics in video games, it has allowed us to make technological advancements in many other areas, including computer science. And thus…" She gestured her hand to the screen, "video game graphics have only improved since then."

Kevin's eyebrows rose, impressed by what one small crystal could do. "Huh, neat. Wonder what model PlayStation would be needed to run games from this universe?"

"One that doesn't exist, most likely." Gwen figured. She shook her head before shifting her attention to Jaune. "Let's move to a different topic. Jaune, do your sisters know about… you know what?"

Jaune grinned and gave her a nod. "Oh yeah, they've known about it since they got here… plus Ben and Yang too, but that was all mostly an accident on my part. I kinda blurted it out in the heat of… a certain moment."

"Ah, I see." Gwen nodded as well. "So… can the cat be let out of the bag to EVERYONE now? Because Kevin here has been egging me on about it for the entire morning."

Jaune sent a questioning gaze at the Osmosian in question and turned to his girlfriend. "What do you think, Pyr? Shall we spill the beans?"

Pyrrha stopped playing her game to make eye contact with Jaune, and then giving Kevin a sideways glance. The Osmosian wore a knowing smirk, to which Pyrrha narrowed her eyes. "Jaune, judging by that look on his face, I believe he might already know. He's just seeing how far this will go."

Kevin chuckled at her wit. "Heh, you got me dead to rights. That said, congrats guys."

"Gee, thanks Kev." Jaune said in a deadpan tone. "You're a real pal."

"No problem, bud." Kevin said with a good-natured slap on the back. "You guys deserve what you have together. And all the same, good luck with telling everyone else about it."

Pyrrha rested her chin in her hand. "Ugh, please do not remind me. I'm STILL trying to figure out how we're going to handle that. ESPECIALLY with Nora."

Jaune leaned back into the couch, staring up at the ceiling. "Hoo boy, that'll be something. Once we tell her, she's going to freak out. The last thing we wanna do is throw the whole house into a ruckus because of that."

Gwen pondered on that before an idea struck inside her head. "Ah! Idea!" She moved back to Jaune and Pyrrha to explain her plan. "Okay, so here's what I'm thinking; pull Nora and Ren down here for a minute and then tell them. This room is pretty good at keeping sound from going upstairs, so if Nora freaks, no one else will have their ear drums ruptured."

"That is… actually a pretty good idea." Pyrrha grinned.

"Yeah, sounds great." Jaune agreed.

Gwen smiled and got up. "Good, because I'm gonna go get them right now."

"W-wait, WHAT?!" But before either Jaune or Pyrrha could even act on anything, Gwen went up the stairs, intending to bring Ren and Nora back with her. The blonde knight sat back down and rubbed his hands down his face. "Oh god, I'm not prepared for this."

"Me neither." Pyrrha admitted before wrapping her arms around her boyfriend. "But it's something that we must get through, Jaune. Just remember, we're doing this together, and that's the important part."

Jaune smiled down at her and put an arm around her. "Heh, how is it you have so many wise words to say?"

Pyrrha shrugged. "I'm not too sure. I only know that it's the honest truth."

"And I believe it." The couple snuggled happily up to one another, neither of them caring that Kevin, Rouge and Noire were still in the room with them.

Rouge herself chuckled as she rose to her feet, taking Romulus with her. "Well, far be it from me to be down here while Nora "freaks out". I think I'll go upstairs where it's nice and quiet… or at least quiet _er_." She nuzzled Romulus against her face, letting him lick her nose. "C'mon, Rommy, let's go see your sister!"

Noire got up as well, stretching her back before following her sister. "Yeah, I think I'm going to see what MY sister's doing upstairs too. Good luck guys."

"Thanks." Jaune waved to his sisters. "We'll probably be up in a bit." Not a moment after Rouge and Noire climbed the stairs, Gwen came back, with Ren and Nora in tow. Jaune took a deep breath. _'Brace yourself, Jaune.'_ He put a smile on and greeted his friends. "Hey guys, how's the show upstairs?"

"Oh my gosh, Jaune, you have NO idea what you're missing!" Nora answered excitedly. "The animation is dated as heck, but there's so many funny moments that I just don't care!"

"And while it's humorous, it isn't afraid to take itself seriously as well." Ren added. "The story telling is quite good, and Ben said it only gets better as it progresses."

Pyrrha got up and moved around the couch to join her friends, with Jaune following right beside her. "Well, perhaps we should join you more often, if that's the case. Once I finish Ocarina of Time, I'll probably have a lot to catch up on."

"Indeed." Ren folded his hands. "That being said, Gwen told us that you two have something to tell us?"

Next to him, Nora could barely contain her excitement, bouncing her legs like she had to use the restroom. "Ooh, I LOVE surprises! This _is_ a surprise, right?"

Jaune and Pyrrha glanced over to Gwen and Kevin, hoping they'd give some vote of confidence. Fortunately, the Osmosian and Anodite didn't leave them hanging, Kevin giving an encouraging thumbs up while Gwen winked at them, letting them know that they had their backs. The new couple nodded, thanking them before turning back to their teammates. "You could say that." Jaune confirmed. "You see, when Pyr and I got home last night after fighting Subdora, we talked about a… certain subject, and we feel that you guys deserve to know."

"You two have been the closest friends that either of us have had." Pyrrha spoke further before glancing downward. "I only wish that you two would have been the first to know other than Gwen and my mother. But unfortunately, it didn't work out the way we had hoped."

Nora's eyes widened in panic. "W-wait, this isn't a BAD thing, is it?" She let out a sudden gasp and zipped over to Pyrrha, shaking her shoulders. "We're not leaving, are we?!"

Pyrrha grabbed Nora's hands and stopped her, giving her a reassuring smile. "What? No! Nora, where would you even get that idea?"

"Well… it's just that I've been hearing about how much Jaune's family wants him home and—"

"Whoa there, Nora." Jaune put a hand on her shoulder. "My sisters and I have already crossed that bridge and dealt with it. Nobody's going anywhere, I can tell you that right now."

Nora wiped her forehead. "PHEW! Well that's a relief. So, what's the news then?" But she didn't get a verbal answer at first, much to her confusion. Jaune and Pyrrha simply turned to each other with a smile before looking back at Nora. The two glanced downward, ushering Nora to do the same. She followed their gaze and her eyes widened at what she saw; two of her best friends in the whole wide world… were holding each other's hands, their fingers laced together in unity. Her eyes shot back up to see them leaning into each other, and the sheer amount of joy she was feeling right now was so much for her to handle that she began to tear up. "You… you guys…"

Pyrrha grinned. "I believe the term is; finally."

It wasn't the scream of pure, unbridled joy that the couple were expecting, but it was close. Nora ran forward, crying her voice out as she pulled the two into a big hug, her beaming grin accompanied by what could only be described as crying laughter. "FREAKING finally is more like it! Wh-what took you guys so long?!"

Ren smiled as he crossed his arms. "Yep, I had a feeling this is what you wanted to tell us." He walked over and joined in on the group hug. "Gwen was discrete on why you wanted to see us, but I noticed some… excitement in her demeanor. And considering what Gwen gets excited about most, all I needed was confirmation."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Well, gee, let it be known that you can't hide your emotions from Lie Ren."

"That's Renny for ya!" Nora laughed. "He can read people like a book!" She wiped her eyes and focused back on the happy couple. "But this is fantastic! You guys are FINALLY together." She gave them both a friendly smack on their arms. "Took you guys long enough!"

"So, what did it take for you two to reveal your feelings?" Ren asked.

Jaune and Pyrrha looked to one another before they gave their answer. "A kiss."

If possible, Nora's grin became even bigger. "AAAAA! You two _kissed_?! ALREADY?!"

"Yes, multiple times, actually." Pyrrha confirmed. "…The first one being before we officially got together… and it was right before I went up to face Cinder in the tower."

Ren and Nora could only stare in shock at what they had just heard. But a few seconds later, the green ninja managed to find his voice. But he could only utter two words; "Uh, what?"

"Renny, I believe you meant; UH, WHAT?!" Nora shouted while flailing her hands in the air. "Is there anything ELSE that happened on that night that we don't know about?!"

Jaune shook his head. "No that's pretty much it. We kissed, and then Pyr pushed me into the rocket locker, as you know. But once Ben and Gwen saved her… we kinda just put off mentioning it for a week."

"We were both so nervous about it." Pyrrah added. "And at the time, we were just thankful that we all survived, so… yeah, it's been quite the week."

"Understatement of the year." Gwen mumbled to herself.

Nora threw her hands up in the air. "Ah, who cares at this point?" She walked over and pulled Jaune and Pyrrha into another embrace. "What matters is that you guys are happy and together now, and you know what? It's about DAMN time."

"My sentiments exactly." Ren agreed. "Congratulations."

"Thanks guys." Jaune said before letting out a breath. "Okay, now to tell everyone else."

"Well it couldn't be that hard." Ren figured. "Besides, you already said that some of them already know, like Gwen and Kevin, right?"

"Well, yes, my mother knows." Pyrrha confirmed. "But that's because she was there when it happened. But the only reason why Jaune's sisters, Ben, and Yang know is because it was by accident."

Jaune raised his hand. "I take full responsibility for that, by the way. In any case, we're still having trouble figuring out a way to reveal it without it coming across as… awkward."

Nora smirked at the notion. "Pfft, awkward? What's so awkward about being in a relationship with someone you care about?" But after the words left her mouth, she only then comprehended what she said in her head. _'Dammit, Nora! If that's what you really think then why haven't you asked Ren out yet?!'_ she internally screamed to herself.

Pyrrha considered her friends words. "Well… when you put it like that—"

" _AIIEEEE!"_ Suddenly, a loud, blood curdling shriek came from upstairs, catching everyone's attention. What followed was multiple thuds on the floor above, immediately indicating something was wrong.

"What was that?!" Kevin wondered out loud.

Gwen had a sinking feeling in her gut. "I don't know, but something's telling me it's not good."

But then, Jaune's eyes widened in fear. "Wait, that's Rouge! C'mon!" With that, the six teens bounded up the stairs, hoping that whatever happened, it wasn't something that would get out of hand.

* * *

Moments earlier, after Rouge and Noire had joined the crew upstairs in the living room, a knock came at the door, alerting everyone there to the presence of company. But not everyone was exactly tickled at the prospect. "Ugh, what now?!" Yang groaned. "Is there seriously NO one who'll just leave us alone for one single day?"

Rouge raised her hand as she got up, handing Romulus over to Noire. "No worries, I've got it."

Ben gave her a salute. "Great! Thanks Rouge." In the hero's head, he was going over the list of potential people that could be at the door; Ironwood, Goodwitch, Lieutenant Burns, Tetrax—Ben's eyes bugged out, the hero whirling around just as Rouge had made it to the door. "Rouge, wait! Don't open the—"

It was too late. Rouge pulled the door open, and greeted whoever was there. "Hello, can I… help… you?" Her head kept going up and up until she came face to face with the visitor; a large, imposing person in an all-black armored suit with a domed helmet on his head, a green triangular visor right in the middle of it. With a well-timed bolt of lightning as an imposing backdrop, that was all it took to scare the daylights out of her. "AIIEEEE!" She screamed before fainting, her body falling backwards with the only place for landing being the hard wood floor.

Fortunately for the unconscious woman, the large figure came to her rescue, his large black boots stomping on the wooden floor as he moved forward to gently catch her in his giant hands. At the sound of the scream, many came running, and the moment the Arc Twins rounded the corner, they gasped in horror at the sight of their unconscious sister. The only difference? Noire knew who this man was, while Blanche did not. As such, the tough as nails girl did what only came natural to her; grab the nearest blunt object and threatened the man with it. In this case, it was a vase full of flowers. "What did you do to my sister you FREAK?!"

But before Blanche could begin wailing on him, Noire ran forward and held her sister back. "Whoa, whoa, WHOA, Blanche!" Noire held her sister in a full nelson, with Blanche flailing her legs in an attempt to break free and beat the hell out of the guy. "Don't do something you might regret! He's not a bad guy!"

Blanche stopped and looked around to her sister. "Say what now?"

Yang nodded. "It's true." She faced the visitor. "Tetrax, introduce yourself, why don't ya?"

Cradling the unconscious Rouge in his arms, Tetrax stood at his full height and retracted his helmet, revealing his crystalline face, and making Blanche's jaw drop. "Please forgive my intrusion, Yang." Tetrax apologized. "I had no idea you were having company."

Blanched dropped the vase, which shattered on impact, and rubbed her eyes, hoping to god she was seeing things. But much to her dismay, she was not. "Is… is that…"

"Yep, a real alien." Ben confirmed. "Blanche, this is Tetrax of the planet Petropia. He's a good friend of mine." Ben turned to the Petrosapien. "Tetrax, this is Blanche, and the woman you made faint is Rouge, they're two more of Jaune's older sisters."

Just as his name was mentioned, Jaune came running up from the basement, with Pyrrha, Nora, Ren, Gwen and Kevin right behind him. "Ben! What's going… oh." The moment his eyes met the scene, he got all the context he needed. "Well, crap. I guess I should've expected that would happen. Is my sister okay?"

Tetrax put his large fingers to Rouge's neck, and he indeed found a pulse. "She's fine. She was just so shocked by my… sudden appearance that she fell unconscious." He proceeded to walk into the living room, where everyone else was watching what was going on. "It's probably best to rest her on a soft surface until she comes to." Weiss, Blake and Sun, all got up from the couch to allow Tetrax to set Rouge down, resting her head on a pillow.

"So why the sudden visit, Tetrax?" Pyrrah asked as her group joined the others in the living room. "You don't usually visit unless there's a situation."

"Unfortunately, that is indeed the case, Pyrrha." Tetrax confirmed as he took a seat in the nearest chair, the piece of furniture just barely able to hold his weight. "We had a breach in security last night and…" His bright yellow eyes drifted over to Blanche and Noire, who were still standing at the living room entrance. "Ahem, ladies, please don't take this the wrong way, but this is somewhat of a private matter between the team and myself. I wouldn't want to worry you with this."

Noire nodded and grabbed her twin by the shoulders. "We understand, Tetrax. C'mon Blanche, let's go play with Romulus."

Blanche narrowed her eyes slightly before following her sister into the kitchen, grabbing Romulus as he came up to her. "Yeah, sure."

Once he was sure the twins were out of earshot, Tetrax focused back to the team. "As I was saying before, we had a breach in security last night."

Yang's eyes shut tight and she smacked her forehead. "Please don't tell me."

Tetrax's eyes shifted to the ground in disappointment. "I'm sorry to say, but… Salem abducted Subdora."

* * *

"I-I don't know guys." Exo-Skull stammered as he walked down the hall with Thunderhog and Hazel on either side of him. He was still reeling from what happened yesterday. He ACTUALLY talked to a pretty woman, and he STILL couldn't believe it. If it weren't for the fact that he had seen Subdora wave over to him in the halls that morning, he could've almost sworn it was a dream. "Do you seriously think I've got a shot with her? I mean, talking to her the first time was probably the most nervous five minutes of my life!"

"Yeah, that's what everyone feels when talkin' to someone they like for the first time." Hog smacked his friend on the arm to give him more encouragement. "But you did it man, and I think that she found you to be a real charmer."

"Me?! A charmer?!" Skull hollered. "Hog, you can't be serious."

"But he speaks the truth." Hazel supported. "I could tell just by the way she looked at you. You certainly left an impression on her, if I must say."

"But… I was just being myself."

"And that is a good thing." Hazel confirmed. "If a potential partner does not like who you are, then that can only lead to disaster. Now tell me, do _you_ want to get to know _her_ more?"

"Well, yeah." Skull shrugged. "I do."

Hazel gave the large man a smile. "Then perhaps you should pursue this further. See where it goes. It may sound tired and cliché, but follow where your heart is leading you. Then and only then will you know where your true feelings lie."

"Hell yeah!" Hog gave his friend a good-natured smack on the shoulder. "And I'll help where ever I can."

Skull's eyes widened. "Really? Ya mean that, Hog?"

"Sure do! Anything for my best bud!"

"You have my blessings as well, Farkas." Hazel added. "I wish you the best of luck."

Just then, from in front of them, they heard a familiar voice. "Psh, sentimental fools." The three turned around to see Michael leaning against a door frames that lead into one of the parlors, his arms crossed and a disgusted expression on his face. "Do you seriously think that love has ANY place here in the Land of Darkness?"

Hog narrowed his eyes. "How long were you standin' there, Morningstar?"

"Long enough to hear that the oaf has fallen for the thief." Michael shifted his gaze to Skull. "A decision you are sure to regret once Lady Salem finds out about this emotional pursuit."

"The Mistress cares not about her servant's interpersonal relationships, boy." Hazel insisted. "She cares only that we accomplish the assignments we are given."

Hog stepped forward. "Yeah, not to mention that you're basically a heartless manipulator. And if I recall, you felt no remorse for what you put ALL of those women through."

"All of them means to an end. MY end." Michael emphasized. "All so I could have the power I need."

"Why you little—" Hog was about to charge forward, his hand on his mace. But Hazel put his arm out, shaking his head in a signal to not go further. Hog was confused for a moment before Hazel fixed his gaze above Michael's head, to which Hog followed. Something had emerged from the parlor's dark interior, and it was directly above Michael's head. A toothy smirk came to the mohawked man's face. "You know what? Keep talkin'. See where it gets you."

"What?" Michael followed their eyes above his head to see a giant jellyfish-like Grimm, a Seer, floating above his head. And its tentacles were dangling all around him. "Oh no—AGH!" In an instant, the Seer had a stranglehold around Michael's neck, floating upward while he dangled from its grasp. But just as quickly as it had grabbed him, it let Michael go, throwing him to the ground rather painfully. Michael took in multiple breaths as he stared up at the jellyfish. "Wh-why did it do that?!"

"Hmm, a Seer." Hazel surmised as the Grimm floated down the hall. "They act as Lady Salem's eyes and ears where she is not." The burly man glared down at Michael. "Perhaps she is giving you a warning, boy. Do not overstep your boundaries, less the Mistress have her way with you." He turned back to his fellows. "Come gentlemen, we must get to the meeting."

"You got it Big H." Skull moved forward, stomping his way past Michael. But just as it seemed like he would let him off scot-free, Skull whirled around and yelled at him. "Well?! What you still here for?! GET MOVIN'!" His deep bellowing voice shook Michael to his core, enough to get the blonde to run away toward the lab. With a proud grin, Skull crossed his arms. "Yeah, you'd better run. Dumbass."

* * *

Salem opened the door to the specially built science lab, readily prepared to see what the doctors have been working on. In truth, the witch had never been _completely_ behind such modern means of making creatures. After all, why waste time concocting something to make a new plaything when she could simply wave her hand and create a Grimm out of thin air? But then, on the other hand, she did somewhat enjoy the macabre visual of a human body being contorted into something monstrous. And if it was because of something created _by_ a human, then that was even greater. _'An apt metaphor for humanity destroying itself, if I must say.'_

The witch was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard the sound of feet rapidly approaching. She turned to her right to see Michael sprinting down the hall, breathing hard and fast. Salem narrowed her eyes at him as he rested against the brick wall. "Hello, Michael. I trust that your walk here was… eventful?"

Michael's eyes shifted up to her, and he began to panic. He remembered what Hazel had said about the Seer being Salem's eyes, so the fact that she probably knew what had happened upstairs. Immediately, he did what he knew he was good at; saving face. He stood up straight, put an arm across his chest and bowed before her. "Of course, Lady Salem. I… didn't have any problems finding this room, if that is what you meant."

"Hmm, I see." She slowly approached him and put her had beneath his chin, moving his head up to meet her eyes. "Remember this, Michael; we must not lose sight of what drives us. Whether that be power, vengeance, or yes, even love. However, should you put your ambitions before my own, then we will have an issue. Farkas has the advantage of being a loyal dullard. And Subdora is a refined and proper young lady. If they wish to pursue a relationship, I shall not perturb them from doing so, so long as it does not interfere with my plans." She narrowed her eyes. "You however…"

Michael feigned surprise. "Myself, Lady Salem?"

"Indeed. I can tell that you have… quite the hunger for power. Power that I am more than willing to give you." Salem pursed her lips in a sneer. "But if you even think of betraying this group effort to bring Remnant to its knees, so help me, your punishment will be worse than _anyone_ could ever imagine."

Michael swallowed before bowing again. "Yes, Lady Salem, I understand."

Salem was still unsure about Michael's word. However, they both had somewhere to be, so she would just have to take it for now. "Very good." Her gaze went up to see Hazel, Exo-Skull, and Thunderhog walking down the hall toward them. "Ah, gentlemen. Good of you to join us. I trust that your day has been going well?"

"It has, Lady Salem." Hazel answered as he bowed his head before giving a side-long glaring at Michael. "More or less. In any case, I believe the Doctors are expecting us?"

"Indeed, let us enter, shall we?" Salem went in first, but not before giving another narrow-eyed glance at Michael. _'I will be watching you, child. It would be in your best interest to NOT overstep your boundaries.'_

* * *

Cinder, Rojo, Emerald and Mercury were already waiting in the lab, each sitting on one of the many stools strewn around the room. Skull, Hog and Hazel all took a stool as well while Salem and Michael opted to stand instead. Tyrian was also there, but he was couched down near the ground, silently cackling to himself. As the Fall Maiden's eyes scanned the room, she noticed someone else who was missing, besides the two doctors. "Where is Subdora? We specifically said this meeting would be at this time, so why has she not shown up?"

"Relax, Cindy." Rojo assured as she rested her feet on one of the lab tables. "She's been here this entire time." She craned her head around to her opposite side. "Ain't that right, Dora?"

From out of thin air, Subdora appeared once again, leaning against the same table. "Haha, you've got a sharp eye, Rojo."

Mercury's eyes widened and he jumped back. "Gah! Seriously? How in the heck do you do that?!"

"Hmm, by staying as silent as possible, _mio caro_." Subdora glared over to Tyrian, who was still cackling nearby. "Even if SOME are able to detect my presence, most others are not." She turned back and gave him a smirk. "Though you might already know that, wouldn't you?"

Mercury blushed, though it allowed him to regain his composure. "Yeah, well… you're just lucky that I didn't expect what you would do during your little demonstration last night, otherwise things would've been a lot different."

"Really now? You are saying that you can put up a better fight?"

"I KNOW I can." Mercury assured. "I'm a highly trained assassin, I wouldn't be where I am if I didn't know how to put up a good fight."

"I see…" She pointed to his chest and then to herself. "You and me, tomorrow, in the sparring arena upstairs. We'll see who's the better fighter then."

Mercury gave her a smirk of his own. "Heh, great. Can't wait."

Overhearing the little back and forth, Emerald narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Just what's going on with those two?"

Cinder rose a brow. "I am not sure. But judging from Mercury's tone of voice, it's almost like…" The Fall Maiden was hit with the realization before she even finished her sentence. "Oh, this most likely won't end well."

"What? What do you mean by—" But Emerald was cut off when Doctor Animo and Doctor Watts entered the room, both of them sporting faces of pride.

"Greetings all!" Animo said as he threw his hands into the air. "We are very thankful you could all be here this afternoon." He waved his hand over to Salem with a bow. "I am especially grateful that you could join us today, Lady Salem. For today is a day where we have made an incredible leap in the world of bioscience!"

Salem folded her hands beneath her large sleeves. "You say that, good doctor, but I have yet to actually see anything. Just what is it that you and Doctor Watts have to show us today?" She hardened her glare. "I do hope you are not wasting our time."

"Oh, far from it, Lady Salem." Watts insisted. "After a tiresome night and morning, endlessly testing the different batches of mutagen we've developed, we may have finally concocted the mixture we've been hoping for! …It only took forty-seven tries, but we got it!"

"Forty-seven?!" Rojo exclaimed. "Sheesh, how many lab rats did you guys go through?"

Watts and Animo glanced at one another before the green-skinned scientist went over to a near-by closet. Animo reached over and his gnarled hands opened the door, spilling out its contents. Emerald and Subdora screamed while Cinder, Mercury and Michael recoiled, the vile sight grossing out even them. Hog, Skull, and Hazel all wore disgusted faces, the smell of rotting vermin forcing them and almost everyone else to plug their nose. Rojo, Tyrian and Salem were the only ones not completely reviled by this, the bounty hunter being more surprised than anything while Tyrian's laughter increased at the sight. And Salem had seen far worse. "Hmm, you both are certainly fast workers." The witch commented. "I am impressed."

"Yeah, impressive." Rojo grimaced as she got a closer look. The rats had all died due to the same thing; mutational mangling. They were all half-mutated with different animal body parts coming out of their normal forms. One rat had a rhinoceros horn, another with a pig's snout, and even one with an elephant's trunk. "Ugh, so what the hell did it take to finally perfect this "mutagen"?"

"Simply the correct amount of DNA, energy, and chemical compounds." Animo answered walked over to another table and picked up something large with a cloth draped over it. "It was all a matter of finding the correct ratio of these factors that would give us the final outcome. That being… this." Animo set the object on the nearest table and pulled back the cloth, revealing it to be an animal tank. But it was what occupied the tank that sent a shock of awe and fright throughout the whole room.

In the tank was what could only be described as a three-way highbred. It had the body, hind legs and head of a black rat, but in place of the large buck teeth were a pair of long, snake-like fangs, and its ears were shaped like the hood of a cobra. Beneath its fur were copper-colored scales, shining beneath the lab's bright lights. Jutting out from the sides of its body were two sets of three arachnid legs, and in place of the mouse's front paws were a pair of large scorpion pincers. Finally, its tail had been mutated into that of a scorpion's the tip, sharp and poisonous. Everyone could only stare wide-eyed at the red-eyed creepy chimera. Most of them wanted to scream in horror, but they were too fascinated by the creature to even speak… all of them but Michael that is. "What in god's name is that MONSTROSITY?!"

"This _monstrosity_ is the culmination of out hard work, boy!" Animo snarled. "You would do well to respect such a feat." Animo peered into the tank, wearing a big toothy grin. "In all my years of mutating animals, from growing them in size, to infusing them with alien DNA, and even resurrecting extinct species, never before have I successfully fused two species together in such a matter, let alone _three_! And unlike most of my experiments where they go completely mad and I have to control them with my mind, this lovely specimen has complete sanity!" He whirled around to Salem. "Well, my Lady? What do you think?"

Salem's eyes focused on the chimera again, and her interest was piqued. She had to admit, never before had she seen an animal as horrific as this one. A Grimm, yes, but a living animal? Not once did she ever imagine such a creature being able to live. She stepped forward and opened the top of the cage, much to Watts and Animo's shock. Watts immediately attempted to warn his mistress "Ah, my lady! It is not recommended that—"

But he was cut off by an icy glare from Salem, one which also put Animo off from doing anything. "I can assure you, Doctor Watts, I know what I am doing." She reached her hand into the cage, her palm up, directly in front of the chimera. Initially confused at first, the little creature scuttled up onto the witch's hand and Salem pulled her arm out of the tank, letting it scurry the rest of the way up to her shoulder. Her dark eyes met the chimera's red pupils, and a silent understanding was passed between them. "This little lady will not hurt me." She began scratching the creature behind its large ears. "Will you now?"

For the second time that day, Cinder's eye began twitching. Not because she was irritated, but because she couldn't believe what she was seeing. _'Is this… is this what Lady Salem is like when she is… content?'_ She refused to use the words "happy" and "Salem" in the same sentence, so she figured that this was close enough. She cleared her throat and spoke. "Well… I must say this is… quite unexpected."

"Yeah, I knew we'd be seeing a freak against nature." Emerald said in hushed tones. "Can't get much freakier than this."

"No kidding." Mercury agreed. "And I never would've guessed that it was a girl."

"She very much is." Salem confirmed as she continued to pet the hybrid. "I believe I will keep her in my quarters… that is if the good doctors are finished with their tests."

Animo rubbed his hands together and rapidly nodded his head. "Oh, indeed, Lady Salem. The test subject has passed every one of her exams, she even found a piece of cheese and a dead animal carcass in a maze!"

"Very good. And I assume that you have tested this serum with human DNA, correct?"

"Indeed." Watts jumped in. "We are very close to completing this experiment… however, there is a _slight_ roadblock. The concoction that we made can only be delivered in a gaseous state. We had an airtight testing tank, but it can only hold small animals… not brutish men."

"Hey! Who you callin' "brutish"?" Hog called out.

"Yeah! We can be gentle!" Skull supported.

Subdora smirked to herself. _'Oh, I have no doubt about that, big boy.'_

Salem chose to ignore the outburst and continue. "Very well, then we will need airtight chambers that are large enough to hold both Farkas and Thaddeus." The witch moved over to her other acolytes. "Rojo, you and Cinder will be in charge of this mission. I wish for the both of you as well as Emerald, Mercury, Subdora and Michael to search for the necessary materials to build these chambers, as well as a worthy place for the mutation to take place. I will not chance this mutagen leaking into my castle, am I clear?"

"As crystal, Boss Lady!" Rojo saluted.

"We will do so in your name, Lady Salem." Cinder bowed before fixing her gaze on the group she had been assigned to. "We all will." She glared at the man formally known as Darkstar. "And that goes for you as well, Michael."

Michael raised his right hand. "Of course, dear Cinder. I will help in any way I can." He bowed and turned to the door. "Well, if that is all, I will just be off to take a quick rest before our mission begins."

"Very well, Michael." Salem nodded. She waited until she was sure the young man was out of earshot before whispering to Cinder and Rojo; "Keep a close eye on him, ladies. I can feel the deceptive essence flowing from Michael even as he spoke. I want you to watch him, _closely_."

"Of course, my mistress." Cinder bowed her head.

"We got you covered, Boss Lady." Rojo nodded before pointing to the chimera. "So, you gonna name that little lady?"

"Hmm…" Salem pondered before making her decision. "She shall be named Lilith."

"Heh, now there's a nice name." Rojo approved. "Any reason behind it?"

"It is one of several names that I have… a personal connection to."

* * *

"Is there seriously nowhere that Salem can't reach?" Ben asked, mostly to himself, as he paced across the living room with everyone watching him. "How can we stop her if she's recruiting nearly everyone in my rogue's gallery without even so much as _thinking_ about it?!"

Gwen shook her head. "I don't know, Ben. But we WILL stop her. We can't just start giving up when there's evil in this world to be dealt with."

Ben sighed. "I know, but—"

"No buts!" The room was taken aback when Yang got up and marched straight over to Ben, standing in front of him defiantly. She grabbed his shoulders and began to shake him. "Get a hold of yourself, Ben! You should listen to her cousin, because she's right. You've told me so much about how you stood up to alien conquerors, off world threats and abominations like no one has ever _seen_! You didn't give up then, so don't even think of giving up now!" Ben stared at her, his mouth agape for a good few seconds. And then he did something quite unexpected… he smacked himself in the face. Yang's eyes widened in surprise. "Uh, wow, didn't need to go THAT far, Green Boy."

"Probably not." Ben admitted, his cheek beginning to redden where he slapped it. "But I can definably say that it helped... even if it stings like hell." He touched his forehead to hers. "Thanks for talking sense into me, Goldie Locks."

"Hmm, you're welcome." Yang took in the comfort of the light touch before turning to the room. "So, what about you guys? Are we gonna let Salem win?"

"NO!" Came the uproarious response from the team.

"Great!" Ben nodded. "We'll keep fighting. Even if it takes a long time, right?"

"RIGHT!" Everyone exclaimed.

Tetrax stood up, bowing his head slightly. "All the same, though, I'm completely sorry for letting Subdora escape on my watch. I honestly did not expect for Salem to go for her."

But Ben wasn't perturbed in the least. "It's alright, Tetrax. Quite honestly, I wouldn't have expected it either, but—"

"Ahem." Neptune interrupted, getting everyone's attention. "Sorry to break up the rousing moment, but…" He pointed down to Rouge, who was finally returning to consciousness.

"Ugh." Rouge put her hand to her forehead as she got up, her eyes still shut tight. "Wha… What happened?"

"Whoa, sis, take it easy." Jaune warned as he gently supported her. "You took quite the fall back there."

"Are you alright, Rouge?" Pyrrha asked, setting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Nothing hurts, does it?"

"No, not really." Rouge opened her eyes. "The only thing that I can remember is a giant… thing appearing at the… front… door." Rouge's field of vision finally caught sight of Tetrax, and she began to shake in fear. "W-w-what is… _that_?"

"I think the right question is; _who_ is that?" Kevin corrected. "Rouge, meet Tetrax. He's a friend of ours from our world. He's a Petrosapien, meaning that he's an alien."

Rouge took the information in as Tetrax gave another bow, this time to her. "My sincerest apologies for frightening you, Rouge. I had no idea that there would be other people here today."

"Um… it's fine… I think." Rouge nervously replied. "I'm just starting to get used to all of this myself."

"I understand." Tetrax nodded before making his way to the front door. "In any case, my business is done here, so I will leave you all to your afternoon."

Ben waved, as did many of the others in the room. "Alright, see ya Tetrax!" Once the Petrosapien bounty hunter was out the door, Ben sat down on the floor letting out an apprehensive breath. "Hoo boy. This just gets better and better, doesn't it?"

"Amen to that." Yang said as she sat down next to him. "What could happen next?"

"GUYS!" Everyone was startled when Blanche and Noire entered the room, ecstatic smiles on their faces. "I just got some great news!" Blanche showed them her phone. "I just got a call from Saph. Terra and her should be taking off soon, and they'll be here first thing tomorrow morning."

"Uh, Blanche, we knew this already." Rouge said as she stood up.

Noire continued for her sister. "Yeah, but she wants us to pick them up tomorrow at the Vale airport." She turned to her little brother. "And she wants _you_ to be there, Jaune."

Jaune rubbed the back of his head. "Aw, shucks, really?"

"Yep." Noire gazed out to the rest of the room. "And anyone here can come too, if you'd like."

Nora gasped and raised her hand. "Ooh! Ooh! Mememe! Please!"

"I wanna come too!" Ruby added.

"I suppose a chance to stretch my legs would be good." Gwen surmised. "Sure, I'm in!"

Ben glanced over to his girlfriend. "Whaddya say, Yang? Another bike ride through the city sound good to you?"

"Hell yeah!" Yang agreed as she moved her arm around his neck. "Any chance to cut loose on my bike is alright by me!"

Jaune glanced over to Pyrrha, giving her a smile. "So, you wanna come along?

"Of course, I do." Pyrrha grinned back as she set her head against his shoulder. "Why wouldn't I pass up this opportunity?"

Jaune put his arm around her. "Yeah, I kinda figured that'd be the case." At that moment, the couple suddenly felt a whole bunch of eyes on them. They gazed up to see Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Sun, and Neptune all staring at them in shock while the others simply gave them supporting smiles. Jaune shifted his eyes between the five and asked; "Uh, what's with the looks?"

"What do you mean "what's with the looks"?" Weiss countered. "You two are ACTIVELY cuddling. Is there something we don't know about?"

Pyrrha gave her a smirk. "What? I can't hug my boyfriend in public? That's not very sporting of you to say, Weiss."

Ruby burst out into a grin so big, most would be surprised that her face was big enough to have it. "BOYFRIEND?! Since when?!"

"Last night." Jaune responded.

Ruby squeed in delight and zipped over to them, giving the couple a big hug. "CONGRAULTIONS!"

Blake nodded to them, offering her own smile. "Yeah, congrats guys. I was wondering when you two would get together."

Weiss put her hands on her hips. "Hmm, yep, I had a sneaking feeling you two would be in a relationship at some point. Especially after the dance. In fact, I'm pretty sure that most of the school had that idea as well."

"Better late than never, right?" Sun gave them a thumbs up. "Rock on, guys."

Neptune shrugged. "I haven't got much more to add, really. Congratulations you two."

Jaune chuckled as Ruby released him and Pyrrha from her crushing hug. "Hehe, thanks everybody. Honestly, we were a bit nervous about telling you all about it."

Pyrrha giggled with him. "Hmhm, indeed we were. But I guess it turned out to be much easier than we thought."

Gwen gave them a wink. "See? I told you it would." She clapped her hands. "Now, how about we go back to enjoying the rest of our day, huh?" With a unanimous voice of agreement, everyone went back to what they were doing, separating into their separate groups.

However, Yang stayed behind for a second, going over to Kevin to give him a secret message. "While we're gone tomorrow, can you guys get started on building those picnic tables?" The blonde whispered.

"Will do. We'll get started the moment you leave." Kevin silently answered. With a nod of understanding, the two separated, going back to their groups with their plans in motion.

* * *

**A/N: Won't lie, this chapter was much longer than I thought it'd be (even at the time). But hey, them's the breaks, I guess. But enough about that! Jaune and Pyrrha have let the cat out of the bag to everybody, so that's good news. Also, the doctors have created a most horrifying abomination comprised of the three animals that humans hate the most… and Salem treats her like a pet. Go figure. But we're one step closer to that mutation, so look forward to that. Next Time though, we're going back to Vale again and we'll FINALLY get to see Saphron and Terra in this story! WOO! But not all is as it seems, for not only are those two coming in, but a certain trio will be on that airship as well. And when they see Ben, things will be liable to get… FREAKY. Thanks for reading! See ya!**


	45. Freakshow Airlines

**A/N: Hey guys! Got another set of chapters for ya today! And a lot of stuff happens in this chapter in particular as you will soon see. Not much else to say, so let's go! This is…**

**Chapter 45: Freakshow Airlines**

* * *

As the Wednesday morning sun rose up in the skies over Vale, the first ferry of the day arrived in the city's port, ready to drop off its passengers from Patch. In particular, three important vehicles drove off of the boat and out into the streets. In the lead were Yang and Ben, riding on Bumblebee as usual. Behind them was Rouge's red sedan, which she was driving with Blanche up front and Noire in the back. Though the duo's placement had been a point of contingency earlier that morning. "I still can't believe you two did a rock, paper, scissors over who got the front seat." Rouge commented. "What are you two, still five?"

Blanche reclined in her seat. "Hey, fair is fair, Rouge." She peeked over to her sister in the back seat. "Isn't that right, sis?"

Noire had her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed. "It isn't quite all that fair when you win seventy percent of the time, you know."

Her twin simply shrugged. "Hey, what can I say? You're probably just bad at rock, paper, scissors."

"Then why do we still DO rock, paper, scissors?!"

Rouge groaned behind the wheel. "Maybe this day'll be longer than I thought."

Meanwhile, behind Rouge's car, Kevin's muscle car rolled down the street, but for the first time in a long while, someone else was behind the wheel. "Wow, Kevin must REALLY trust you to drive his car, Gwen." Ruby said. The Hooded Huntress was sitting in the passenger seat while Jaune, Pyrrha and Nora all sat in the back. And of course, the aforementioned Anodite was at the wheel. "When did he first let you drive it?"

"Heh, the moment I passed my driver's test." Gwen chuckled. "He told me that if anyone else was going to drive this car, it would be me and ONLY me. And… I have to admit, I feel REALLY powerful behind the wheel of this car!"

"Haha! I'll bet!" Nora shouted, crossing her legs and putting her hands behind her head. "This thing is totally off the hook!"

Pyrrha glanced over to Jaune, who had his hands folded and his arms set across his lap. He was staring down as he twiddled his thumbs. The Invincible Girl recognized the behavior almost instantly. She put an arm around him and asked; "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." Jaune sighed. "I'm just a bit nervous, I guess. I haven't seen my sister or my sister-in-law in over two years now. And after Blanche told me that they were crying when they called home… I'm just wondering what they'll say when they see me."

"Jaune, it'll all be okay, I can promise you that." Pyrrha assured. "They're your family. No matter what they say, they'll still love you." She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Okay, sweetie?"

The blonde knight smiled and reached around her, pulling her in close for a kiss of his own. "Heh, thanks Pyr. You're right, I'm probably worrying over nothing."

"That's the spirit, Jaune!" Nora supported. "Just keep your head held high and everything'll be okie dokie!"

In the front seat, Ruby crossed her arms, a ponderous look on her face. "I'm still not sure why Kevin and the others didn't come along. I thought for sure that they'd wanna be here to meet Saphron and Terrra."

Gwen grinned nervously. "They had… other plans for today."

* * *

Blake marched outside, clipboard in hand with a list of things that needed to get done before Saturday. Everyone was already out there and getting everything prepped, even Athena was joining in on constructing the tables. Still, even as she gazed out to see everyone pitching in, Blake couldn't believe that Yang had left her in charge of this project. She hadn't been put in a position like this before, and it was making her a little nervous. She took a deep breath and let it out. "Keep calm Blake, it's just a birthday party, you can do this. Far be it from me to disappoint Ruby on her special day."

At that moment, Weiss came up behind her. "You okay, Blake?"

"I think so… I've just never done something like this before." Blake explained. "I wasn't really into birthday parties when I was a kid. So planning one out is a bit different for me."

"Well, this is a bit of a first for myself as well." Weiss admitted. "Never had to plan a birthday party because all of my birthday parties were planned out for me… and they were all honestly quite dull now that I think back on it." She offered her friend a high five. "So what do you say? Let's make this one heck of a great birthday. For Ruby?"

Blake smiled and nodded, giving her friend the high-five. "Yeah, for Ruby." She turned her attention to the rest of her friends, setting up the building supplies. "Alright people! We've got a lot to do and a limited amount of time to do it in until Ruby and the others get back! Let's go!"

* * *

Yang pulled up into a parking spot and kicked up her bike stand, turning around to give Ben a joking grin. "Attention passengers, the white zone is for loading and unloading only."

"Hah, well then I'd better load myself off then." Ben got off Bumblebee and took off his helmet before wrapping his arms around his girlfriend. "And that would mean you're next, my dear."

"Oh! Haha!" Yang put an arm around his neck and laid a kiss on his cheek. "Take me away!" The couple laughed as Ben lifted her off of the motorcycle, spinning her around before her feet touched the ground. They continued to laugh as they settled into each other's embrace, their foreheads touching. They stared into each other's eyes, and for a moment, they were about to lean in closer. "Say, you remember the little moment we were having in the cave back in Essen the other day?" Yang asked.

"Yeah… I do actually." Ben affirmed. "I believe we were—"

 _BEEP!_ The two jumped a foot off the ground, screaming in surprise before whirling around to see Kevin's car, Gwen sticking her head out of the window. "Hey! Lovebirds! I really do hate to break up the moment, but you're standing directly in the middle of a parking spot!" The redhead shouted out.

The couple looked down to see that they indeed were blocking Gwen's way. Ben sighed. "Ugh, Okay! We're moving!"

Yang rolled her eyes and treaded back over to her motorcycle, though she took comfort that Ben was still holding her hand. _'Jeez, Red, seriously? I know we've got stuff to do, but sometimes, a moment's too good to have it interrupted.'_

Once Rouge and Gwen were parked and everyone was out of their respective rides, the group began to make their way into the airport, which was one of the few lucky buildings to be left standing after the attack, due to its secluded placement. "You know, it's funny, if the CCT had been destroyed, we probably wouldn't be doing this." Ruby mentioned.

"No doubt." Rouge agreed. "Still, I'm surprised that Saph and Terra could make it at all. Especially since Terra _works_ at the CCT. That girl is busy almost twenty-four, seven. Wonder what it took to get her boss to let her off the hook for a bit?"

"Not sure, but all I know is that she needs it." Blanche said bluntly. "That girl works WAY too hard if you ask me."

"Well, she's gotta pay the bills." Noire rationalized. "Especially since Saph's job doesn't pay _nearly_ as much as being a CCT technician."

"Well, what does she do?" Nora asked.

"Whoa there, Pinkie." Blanche put an arm out in front of Nora. "Let's hold back on the questions until we actually get to see Saph and Terra. Otherwise, there won't be anything left to ask 'em."

"True, very true." The group walked into the airport, the automatic doors opening for them. All around, they saw many people wandering about the main halls. At first, it seemed like any other day at an airport, but upon closer inspection would reveal that there were in fact many families reuniting. Whether they were civilians, or concerned parents reuniting with their children, many of which were Hunters in training from Beacon. The sight both made Nora happy, but at the same time, it disheartened her a bit. "You know what just hit me? We're pretty lucky to be alive right now."

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, there are bound to be some people and students who… who didn't make it. I can't imagine what their families are going through right now."

Rouge let out a sigh. "Well, I know one thing. I'd be devastated if any of my children or family members died, especially in a manner such as the attack. I still can't believe something like this happened in the time of peace we were in."

"Neither can I." Gwen agreed. "But nobody else has to die. That's why we're here."

"And "time of peace" is quite the relative term, really." Noire said. "If you were in law enforcement like me, you'd be seeing some terrible things happening. Stuff that'd make you question if this "time of peace" was all that real or not."

Blanche groaned. "Ugh, okay, can we save the depressing talk for later? Yeah, it sucks, but the reason we came here is for a happy reunion with our sister. So let's find her and Terra already so we can get back to Patch and have a good time, okay?" As she was searching, Blanche saw a peculiar group of three people in the corner of her eye, each of them wearing a fedora and trench coat. They seemed to be searching for something themselves, but quickly moved away when they noticed her staring. "Ugh, weirdos. C'mon guys, let's look somewhere else."

Jaune couldn't help but roll his eyes. _'Same old Blanche, I guess.'_ But when his eye roll was done, he caught something in his line of vision. Long blonde hair. He whirled around in the direction he had spotted it, trying to see past all of the people in the room, but when he finally did, he had a grin on his face. It was indeed a head blonde hair, standing about a yard or so away. And right next to it was a head of short dark brown hair, only confirming who it was. The couple were facing away him and his group, looking at the directory and trying to figure out where to go. Jaune could feel both excitement and nervousness rise up inside of him as he called over to the others. "Uh, guys, I don't think we have to search for long."

Rouge, Blanche and Noire all turned their heads immediately, and their faces lit up when they saw who Jaune was staring at. "Yep, that's gotta be them!" Rouge confirmed.

Blanche began waving and calling out their names as she rushed over to them; "Hey, Saph! Terra!"

And Noire followed suit. "We're over here!"

As the rest of the group jogged behind the twins, Jaune winked over to Pyrrha. "Well, you ready to meet my second oldest sister and her wife?"

Pyrrha nodded and walked over with him. "Wouldn't miss it, Jaune."

* * *

"Sweetheart, are you _sure_ you need food this soon after getting off the ship?" Saphron asked her wife as she scanned her eyes over the directory. "I'm sure that when everyone gets here, they'll be able to find us somewhere that serves ACTUAL good breakfast food."

"Saph, I've been stuck on that airship for _several_ hours." Terra emphasized as she skimmed through the table of contents. "If I don't get something in me soon, my stomach's gonna digest itself. Heck, even a plain bagel with butter or cream cheese sounds good to me right now."

Saphron smirked at that. "Are you sure it's not just jetlag… or maybe even… _cravings_?"

Terra deadpanned and raised an eyebrow at her wife. "Hon, it's far too soon for me to be having—"

"Hey, Saph! Terra!" At the mention of their names, they turned around, only to see the large crowd of people.

"We're over here!" Another voice called out, one similar, yet slightly different from the original. But when they voice came, the two could see a pair of heads sporting bright blonde hair coming through the crown, and eventually, they could see their faces.

Saphron burst out into a joyous smile. "Blanche! Noire!" She ran forward and met her sisters half-way, the three laughing as they met in a group hug. "Hahaha! Oh my gosh, I can't believe you guys are here already! It's only what, eight-thirty?"

"Hey, we wanted to come here and get you guys quick!" Noire explained.

"Yeah, no need to stay in the city when there's a nice little island that's a WHOLE lot safer." Blanche added. She glanced off to the side and smirked at Terra. "And there's my favorite sister-in-law! Come over here and gimme a hug!"

Terra eyerolled and smirked right back. "I'm you're ONLY sister-in-law." She walked over and gave the twins a hug. "Still, it's really great to see you guys."

"You too, T." Blanche winked.

"Ah! There you two are!" Rouge said as she emerged from the crowd, with multiple teenagers whom neither Saphron or Terra recognized following behind her. "I was wondering how long it'd take to find you."

"Big sis!" Saphron quickly jumped her sister in a hug, making the older Arc grunt in exertion.

"Oh god!" Rouge weakly croaked. "Saph! You're too big to be doing this!" Her gaze went over to Terra, and she sent out her plea, but not without a little laugh. "Terra! Haha, please help!"

Terra chuckled and went over to her wife to reel her in. "Okay Saph, you heard your sister, time to get off the Merry-go-Rouge."

"Hehe, okay, okay." Saph let go, much to her sister's relief. "Sorry, it's just I haven't seen you guys in so LONG! It's been a while since we've all been together like this and…" She trailed off when she noticed that the teenagers had stuck around, all looking at her and Terra with happy expressions. "Oh… um, I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude but… Rouge, who are they?"

"They're Jaune's friends." Rouge answered. "The ones he met when he was at Beacon."

Saphron's jaw dropped. "So… wait… you're ALL Jaune's friends?"

"Yep!" Nora piped up before zipping over to Saphron. "And if you can believe it, he's got more back on the island!" She offered them a salute. "I'm Nora! Me and my best friend Ren were put on the same team as Jaune on our first day!"

Ruby waved over. "Hi! My name's Ruby! My team and your brother's team were across the hall from each other in the boarding rooms back at Beacon. We're all kinda connected at the hip."

Yang gave them a thumbs up. "Hey there, name's Yang. I'm Ruby's older sister… and also her teammate, but that's not exactly an impressive title compared to "big sister"."

Finally, the Tennyson cousins gave their own waves. "Hi, I'm Ben Tennyson."

"And I'm his cousin, Gwen." The Anodite smiled. "We're… more recent additions to your brothers circle of friends."

"But all the same, we're pretty tight." Ben assured.

"I see." Terra nodded. "Well, it's great to meet you all. Heh, you know, not once would I have thought that Jaune would have a group of friends THIS big.

"I know!" Saphron exclaimed, her eyes lit up like blue stars. "Isn't it great?!" She walked up and shook each one of their hands. "It's so nice to meet all of you! I can't wait to get to know every single one of you!"

"Plus everyone else back home, don't forget." Ben reminded as Saphron shook his hand.

"Ooh, I think I'm gonna like her!" Nora said excitedly.

Saphron was about to move to the next hand, but then she did a head count. The hand she was staring at was an extra to the number of teens there, so she looked up. Her heart sank, but then leapt up into her throat. There he was, her little brother standing right in front of her, _alive_. It was all she could do to keep from tearing up.

Ben noticed this and flagged the rest of the group over to him. "We'll just… let you have this moment to yourselves. We can tell this is a family moment. C'mon guys, let's see if there's something decent to eat in this place." With that, Ben, Yang, Gwen, Ruby and Nora went off to the food court, leaving the Arcs alone with one another.

Jaune smiled to his sister. "Hey Saph." His older sibling didn't respond at first, instead opting to fiddle with her brother's hair, much to his confusion. "Uh, Saph, what're you—"

"Shh." Her hands gently grasped his face. "I need… I need to make sure you're really here."

Jaune reached up and gently held her hands. "Heh, I think the fact that you're touching my face is evidence enough, sis."

That was it. Saphron pulled her brother into a hug, crying tears of joy as she laughed some more. "Hahaha! Jaune! You're alive! You're REALLY alive!"

Blanche put her hands on her hips. "Yeah, that's what I said."

Terra walked up and put a hand on her wife's shoulder. "Saph, may I?"

"Oh sure!" Saphron wiped away her tears and opened the hug for Terra to join in. "C'mon in!"

"Thank you." But instead of joining the hug, Terra went up to Jaune and shook him by the shoulders. "Do you have ANY idea how _worried_ we were, Jaune Arc?!"

"WOAH-OH!" Jaune cried out as his sister-in-law continued to jostle him around. "Terra, please! I'm gonna hurl!"

Terra stopped shaking him and took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a brief moment. "There, I feel much better now." She gave Jaune a smile before pulling both him and Saphron back into the embrace. "But seriously, it's good to see you, Jaune."

"Yeah, same here." The blonde knight said with his eyes still spinning. He shook his head and hugged them proper. "Man, I seriously can't believe you guys came all this way from Argus just to see me."

"Oh, we're not JUST here to see you." Saphron said as she booped his nose. "But that IS a big part of it. And Terra's right, you had us worried sick. When we saw the news that Beacon was attacked, our first thoughts went straight to you."

"Yeah… I'm sorry that I made you guys worry." Jaune scratched the back of his head. "But hey, it could've been worse, really. I'm thankful that everyone I care about is still with me." His eyes trailed over to the side and a smile worked its way to his face. "Speaking of… I want you two to meet somebody."

Saphron and Terra turned around to see yet another young lady with bright red hair up in a long pony tail and emerald green eyes. She gave them a nervous grin and a wave. "Hello there. You must be Saphron and Terra. Jaune has told me a lot about you."

Saphron's eyes widened. "Wait a second! Aren't you Pyrrha Nikos?"

"You're from Argus, right?" Terra added. "The star student from Sanctum Academy!"

Pyrrha was very sheepish when they brought up her fame. "Heh, it's funny. You know who I am, but I've never met you in my life, even though we live in the same city. It's a little awkward when you think about it."

"Not really." Terra objected. "You can't be expected to know _everyone_ who lives in your home town, _I_ certainly don't."

"Yeah, and besides, you're practically a celebrity!" Saphron continued. "Of course everyone's gonna know you." She set a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder. "But enough about that. I'm guessing that you've made friends with my brother, huh? Are you on the same team?"

"Yes, actually." Pyrrha confirmed. "We were partnered up during our initiation… I might have helped him out a little."

"Heh more like A LOT." Jaune emphasized as he joined the three. "Pyrrha's gotten me out of more situations than I can count, really. She's helped me improve my fighting skills, supported me when I was down on myself and well… the point is… she's really special to me."

Saphron crossed her arms. "Hah, you say that as if…" But she stopped herself short when she saw Pyrrha scooting herself closer to Jaune, both of them with knowing smiles on their faces. Jaune put his arm around her, and that was enough for Saphron to take the hint. "No way."

Terra grinned. "Huh, well I'll be damned."

Jaune gave his sister and sister-in-law a nod. "Yep. Saph, Terra, I would like you to meet my girlfriend, Pyrrha Nikos."

It was a good thing that there were multiple voices in the crowd, because otherwise, Saphron's cry of joy would've garnered the whole airport's attention. She rushed forward and grabbed the couple, pulling them back into an embrace while shaking excitedly. "My baby brother FINALLY has a girlfriend!" She pulled away and focused on them. "Wh-when did this happen?! Do mom and dad know?!" She looked over to her sisters. "How long have YOU guys known about this?!"

Blanche shrugged. "Eh, about a day and a half now."

Noire shrugged as well. "Yeah, no big."

"NO BIG?!" Saphron exclaimed. "Try VERY big!"

Jaune touched his sister's arm. "Saph, I know this might be a lot of info all at once, but we've gotta get back to the island. I'll fill you both in on the way, I promise."

Saphron sighed and nodded her head. "Okay, that… that sounds good." She pointed at him as she grabbed her luggage. "But I don't want a single detail left out, you hear me, Jaune?"

"Yeah, something tells me we'll need to be filled in on a lot." Terra agreed, also taking up her luggage. "So don't skimp out on anything, okay? We wanna know all about how you and this lovely young woman got together, alright?"

' _First impression; won.'_ Pyrrha grinned to herself. "Oh, don't worry about that, Terra. Trust me, when it comes to the two of us, there is quite the tale to tell, right Jaune?"

"Oh, definitely." Jaune concurred as he pulled out his scroll. "I've just gotta get a hold of the others and we'll be outta here."

* * *

When she and her group found the food court, Yang had set her expectations low… and she was still massively disappointed. They were all sitting at the breakfast bar, eating some rather pathetic pastries. "Won't lie, this is probably one of the worst bagels that I've ever eaten." She reluctantly bit into the bread a second time… and it only reaffirmed her disappointment. She swallowed and stuck her tongue out in disgust. "Bleh, feels like I'm biting into cardboard. And the cream cheese is like freaking _glue_!"

"And THIS is why comedians joke about airline food." Gwen said before taking a sip of her diet soda. "Because it's terrible. At least the beverages are alright."

"Yeah, not much you can do to mess up soda." Ruby agreed as she took a drink as well. "Unless it's some weird flavor, of course."

Nora snorted and laughed at the concept. "Hahaha! Yeah, like bacon flavored, or ranch dressing flavored, or even…" She trailed off when she was getting disgusted expressions from her friends, indicating that she was probably going too far. "Uh… too much detail?"

"A little bit, yes." Ben nodded. "And what's more horrifying is that those flavors probably exist."

"Eh, you got a point." Nora shrugged. "So, how do you think Jaune's reunion is going?" At that moment, her scroll started ringing, attracting everyone's attention. Nora pulled it out and saw the caller ID: Jaune. "Huh, speak of the devil." She tapped the screen and answered. "Hey Jaune! I was just wondering what you were doing! How'd things go?"

" _Hey, Nora."_ The blonde knight spoke back. _"Everything went perfect. Where are you guys?"_

"At the food court eating a pathetic breakfast!" Yang called out.

Nora raised an eyebrow at the blonde and spoke back into her scroll. "Yeah, what she said."

" _Hehe, I see."_ Jaune chuckled. _"We'll be right over. Then we can get back to Patch for a real breakfast. Sound good?"_

"Sounds awesome! Later, Jaune!" Once Jaune said his goodbye, Nora hung up and turned to her friends. "They're on their way!"

"Great." Ben got up and tossed his bagel away. "Let's get outta here and get some actual break-FAST!" The hero cried out as he was suddenly pulled off of his feet and away from his friends and girlfriend, much to his and their shock.

"BEN!" Everyone shouted out, with Yang being the loudest. They were taken aback when they saw what had pulled him away; a long orange tendril with a black ball on the end of it. It had wrapped around Ben's torso, keeping his arms at his sides. It pulled him away until they saw what it was attached to; a person in a large trench coat and fedora, accompanied by two more people wearing the same outfit. Yang pointed at them. "Hey! Those guys are the ones that Blanche saw earlier!" She glared directly at the three. "Who are you?! Let him go!"

"Ha! Not gonna happen, sister." A woman's voice answered from the coat.

Gwen instantly knew who it was, just by seeing the tendril and hearing the voice. "Oh god, _them_? Seriously?"

The coated person with the tendril shrugged off her coat, letting it fall to the ground before tossing her hat away. This woman had very pale skin, wearing black lipstick and heavy black eyeliner. She wore black face paint on her cheeks and the back of her head, matching the tight, black jumpsuit she wore. The suit itself had a separate neck piece, allowing her to show her shoulders. Her sleeves were separate as well, with black and orange stripes going up and down. She wore a pair of black flats to finish the outfit. Her olive-green eyes were piercing to behold, but the main attraction… was her hair. It was bright orange and sectioned off into six tendrils, each with its own black ball. She gave the hero in her grasp a sinister grin. "Well, well, well, Ben Tennyson. I didn't figure we'd find you so soon after our flight here."

Ben glowered at her. "Frightwig?! Seriously?" He suddenly realized something; _'Wait, we're in public!'_ He moved his gaze up to see the whole slew of people, who had stopped what they were doing to witness the strange scene. And Ben had to do something about it. "Everybody RUN! Someone call for help, PLEASE!" The crowd didn't need to be told twice as the civilians began screaming and running to the nearest exit while employees called the authorities.

Yang smirked for a second. _'Nice job, Green Boy.'_ But then she grew serious again and shouted to Frightwig. "I'm not gonna say it again! Let. Him. GO!"

"And like _I_ told you before." Frightwig countered. "It's not happening. See, we've got a score to settle with _him_. Isn't that right, boys?"

The other two pulled their disguises away, revealing themselves to be two men who were wearing a similar outfit as what Frightwig wore, only their shoulders weren't visible. And they both had similarly pale skin as well, but that was where the similarities ended. One was a behemoth of a man with a large chiseled face and bald head. But there was something very gross about his completion; that being the large toenail sticking out of his forehead. The other was by contrast, a rather skinny man with a hideously misshapen face. His red eyes were malicious and cruel, with the only hair on his head being two patches of long black locks going down the side of his face. His face itself was covered by a gas mask, one that wasn't being used for its intended purpose. The shriveled man let out muffled laughter. "Hehehe, no doubt about. It's payback time for Tennyson here."

Ben struggled further, calling out their names. "Ugh, Thumbskull? And Acid Breath? C'mon, what did I ever do to you guys… you know, _other_ than put you in Plumber jail?"

Thumbskull pointed at the hero. "You's is da guy who made da boss pop like a balloon! AGAIN!"

It was then that Ben remembered; on the day that he and the others had been transported to Remnant, Zombozo and his Circus Freaks had stolen a bunch of chemicals that morning. He didn't know what for, but Ben managed to catch all three of the freaks, with Zombozo being the only one left…

* * *

_Zombozo was cornered; that, he realized. He had left his underlings to deal with Tennyson, but even from here, inside this secluded warehouse, he could hear them being beaten up. If his plans to Zombify the town of Bellwood were to come to fruition, he would need more time to set this up. "Hrm, can't those freaks put up a better fight?!" The zombie clown grumbled as he jiggered with the machine. "How is it that Tennyson is ALWAYS getting in the way?!"_

" _Dunno, maybe it's just me." Zombozo whirled around to see Tennyson at the entrance, flanked by the light of day shining in. "Give it up, Zombozo. We've got the place surrounded and your lackies are in custody. I'm personally having a bad week, so let's just wrap this up, okay?"_

_The creepy clown gave him a gnarled grin. "Oh, but it will only get even worse for you, Tennyson. For I am THIS close to enacting my plan! And there's nothing you can do to stop me!"_

_Ben went for the Omnitrix. "Really? Then maybe you and Ghostfreak have to be reacquainted."_

" _Bah! I'm not falling for the same song and dance twice, Tennyson!" Zombozo laughed off. "I have long gotten over my fear of your ghoulish transformation."_

" _Hmm… really? Then maybe it's time I try the new guy out!" In a flash of light, Ben transformed. Into what, Zombozo didn't know. But from what he could see, it was very large, gnarly and brutish. Its head was oddly shaped with the only two things visible being its eyes and a pair of horns. There was a metallic creaking sound, almost as if something was squeaking on hinges._

_As the creature got closer, Zombozo could make more of it out; that wasn't its actual head, it was a metal chamber, and its real face… was terrifying. "N-n-no! S-s-stay back! PLEASE! I beg of you, NO!" But the alien didn't listen, getting right up in Zombozo's face and letting out a low gurgling snarl. That was all Zombozo could take before activating his emergency escape plan. He swelled up and burst into a storm of confetti, leaving the alien all alone in the warehouse._

_In a flash of green light, Ben was back to normal. But he was by far, not happy. "UGH! Again?! I hate it when he does that!"_

* * *

Ben nodded his head. "Okay, so _maybe_ you guys have a reason to be mad, but hey, you know what? You've already made a big mistake."

"That being?" Frightwig sneered.

The hero smirked. "You left my hands free behind my back." He activated the Omnitrix and quickly slammed it down. He didn't care what alien he got, all he needed was something to bust out of this hold "See ya!" In a bright flash of light, Ben transformed… and subsequently disappeared from view.

Frightwig's eyes widened. "What?! Where did he go?!"

"That's what I'M wondering!" Yang said before cupping her hands around her mouth. "Ben?! Where are you?!"

"Guys!" Everyone looked over to see Jaune, Pyrrha, The Arc sisters and Terra all jogging over to them. Jaune waved over. "What's going on here?!"

Terra and Saphron stopped in their tracks, with the bespectacled woman standing in front of her wife to protect her. "And who the hell are those _freaks_?!"

Gwen smiled. _'Thank you Jaune and Terra, for the distraction.'_ Gwen created a mana shield and shoved all three Circus Freaks away while ushering for the Arc Siblings, Pyrrha and Terra to come over to her. "Behind the breakfast bar! Quick!" Everyone dove behind the bar and Gwen raised up a bigger forcefield. And just in time too, because Thumbskull was right back up on his feet and he immediately began pounding his fists against it.

As the group settled in their hiding spot, Pyrrha glanced over to Gwen and asked the obvious; "Old enemies of yours?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Gwen confirmed. "Frightwig, Thumbskull and Acid Breath. The Circus Freaks. They must've tracked us down somehow."

"Wait, enemies?" Saphron asked. "Gwen, why would you have enemies?"

"Yeah, and where's Ben?" Terra continued. "Wasn't he with you guys?"

Yang's gaze lowered to the ground. "We're… still trying to figure that out." She craned her head back up to lock eyes with the couple. "Listen, I'm sorry that we got you wrapped up in this so soon. We were hoping to tell you guys in a less life-threatening sort of way, but here we are."

"Tell us about wha—AAAGH!" Saphron nearly jumped up, but instead, she grabbed hold of Terra in fear. "Something crawled across my foot!"

"Oops! Sorry, Saphron!" came a tiny voice from out of nowhere. Everyone looked around to see where the voice came from, but they didn't see anything. "Ahem, down here!" The group lowered their gaze to the ground and saw… a yellow bug. But not like any they've ever seen. This one had a large, horn-like antennae that split off into two ends on its head, a beak-like mouth, and four thin legs on each side of its thorax. But, if the green eyes and the Omnitrix symbol were any indication, the team knew who this was. Ben waved one of his legs. "Hi guys!"

Yang burst out into a bright smile. "BEN!" She picked up the tiny bug and lifted him to her face to snuggle him. "You're okay! And you're very cute!"

Saphron and Terra's eyes bugged out of their heads. "Wait, THAT'S Ben?!" Terra pointed at the bug. "Wh-what the hell happened to him?!"

Gwen inspected the tiny alien bug. "Hmm, he's become some kind of weevil. Not necessarily the _weirdest_ thing I've seen him transform into, but it's definitely one of the cuter ones."

Saphron turned to her sisters. "Girls, I'm kinda freaking out here. What's going on?"

Blanche chuckled. "Hehe, yeah. See, here's the thing; Ben can turn into aliens with his watch."

"He and his friends come from an alternate world that's different from our own." Noire added.

"And most of their villains accidentally came with them in the incident that brought them here." Rouge concluded.

Saphron and Terra both stared wide-eyed at their family before turning to Ben. The little bug alien shrugged his tiny arms. "Eh, that's the cliff notes version of things, anyway."

"Well… at least we know we aren't being pranked or anything." Saphron shrugged.

Terra rested the back of her head against the bar. "It's WAY too early in the morning for this."

"Yeah, I can relate." Gwen supported before focusing on her cousin. "I'm just glad you got away safely. Now, let's go out there and get this situation under control."

The little bug lowered his eyes. "I would… but as luck would have it, this guy's brand new. I don't know what he does!"

Nora smacked her forehead. "D'oh! That's just great! Now what do we do?"

"We'll still have to fight." Pyrrha said as she pulled out Milo and Akouo. "Otherwise, they'll continue to terrorize the populace." She looked down to the little bug. "Ben, what are we dealing with here?"

Ben raised his tiny arms. "Okay, everyone, listen up. Frightwig's whole thing is being able to control her hair. Whips, snares, lassos, you name it! Only downside for her is that she can get wrapped up in her own hair REALLY easily. Thumbskull has super strength but he's as dumb as a brick. Acid Breath… well you can probably guess; he shoots nasty corrosive stuff from his mouth. We need a plan to hold them off until I figure out what this alien can do. Any ideas?"

A smile came to Jaune's face as he went for Crocea Mors II. "I might have one."

* * *

"C'mon Thumbskull! Put some more "oomph" into it!" Frightwig berated as the lumbering oaf continued to slam his fists against the pink forcefield. "Those twerps can't hide in there for long, so keep the pressure on!"

"I'm, ugh, TRYIN'!" Thumbskull hollered back. He sent his fist forward again, only for the energy field to split and part away, causing him to stumble forward. "What the—OUCH!" A fist slammed into his face so hard that he was sent sailing back right over Frightwig and Acid Breath's heads, landing on the ground with a loud THUD.

"Hey!" Frightwig shouted before whirling around to Thumbskull's assailant. "What's the big ide—WHOA!" Frightwig flipped out of the way just as a large scythe blade zoomed past her head. Acid Breath tuck and rolled out of the way as well, meeting up with her a bit farther away. There, standing in front of them, were Yang, Ruby, Jaune, Pyrrha and Nora, all armed up and ready to fight, the mana field closing up behind them. Frightwig just smirked and put her hands on her hips. "Ha! What? A bunch of average brats think they can take us on?"

Yang glowered and closed her eyes. She clenched her fists and, in an instant, her Aura flared to life, with bright flames beginning to dance around her hair. The Circus Freaks were surprised to say the least as Yang opened her eyes again. "We're not what you'd call "average", lady."

"Hmm, so I see. Well then…" Frightwig's hair whipped up. "Let's dance!" She whipped her hair forward, intending for the tendrils to slam into Yang. But just as they were about to hit her, Jaune and Pyrrha jumped out in front and raised their shields, blocking the impact.

"Ready?" Jaune called over to his girlfriend.

"Ready!" Pyrrha activated her semblance and the shields briefly glowed in a black light. With a mighty push, they sent the metal balls on Frightwig's tendrils flying back at her, the spheres socking her in the gut and causing her to fly back as well.

Frightwig skid to a halt across the floor, her six tendrils strewn out on either side of her. She lifted her head up with an indignant; "Hey! No Fair!"

"All is fair in love and war!" Pyrrha pulled back and threw her javelin at Frightwig, the older woman's eyes widening as she grabbed it out of the air and threw it back. But int that time, Pyrrha and Jaune had taken the opportunity to run up while she was distracted. The Invincible Girl grabbed her weapon and the couple bashed their shields into Frightwig, sending her stumbling back again.

"Gah! Why you—HEY!" Frightwig yelled out as Jaune and Pyrrha made a mad dash forward and grabbed hold of her hair. The duo held three tendrils each, flanking Frightwig on either side before running around and around her. "Stop it! Cut it out! Let go of my hair!" She tried to pull away, but every time she pulled from one of them, it only served to push toward the other. In the end, Frightwig was hog tied by her own hair and fell to the ground at Jaune and Pyrrha's feet. "Oh, come ON! This _again_?!"

Jaune smirked down at her. "Hey, you should've thought twice before deciding you wanted to control your hair." He walked over to Pyrrha and gave her a kiss. "Nice work, honey."

The Invincible Girl couldn't help but giggle. "Heehee, you too, sweetie." Pyrrha glanced up to the mana field. "I only hope Ben can figure that alien out in time."

* * *

Ben was squinting as hard as he could, desperately trying to prove his theory about this new alien's powers. But no matter how hard he tried, he only succeeded in producing sweat from his pours. He didn't even know alien insects HAD pours to sweat from. "GNN! C'mon! C'mon!"

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Ben, it's obvious you don't have heat vision. Stop now before you have a stroke."

"Gah!" Ben stopped and fell flat on his insectoid face. "Eh, so much for that."

* * *

Ruby and Nora stood face to face with Acid Breath, the very pungent man staring right back at them with his wicked red eyes. The Hooded Huntress couldn't help but be creeped out by how he just glared at them, with one of his pupils being larger than the other. But she wouldn't be deterred. She was a Huntress in training, and that meant protecting the people. So that's what she was going to do. "Alright, Stinky, we can do this the easy way…" She spun her scythe and slammed the tip into the ground, her signature intimidation technique. "…or the hard way."

Acid Breath chuckled beneath his gas mask. "Hehehe, you REALLY think that your big weapon's gonna scare me?" He reached up and grabbed his mask, pulling it off to reveal his green gums and mouth with only six or seven teeth. The moment he breathed out, green smoke billowed out of his mouth, and the moment it hit the floor, the tiles melted. "…when I can just melt it down into molten sludge?"

Nora and Ruby recoiled in horror at the man's poor dental hygiene. "EW!" The Pink Dynamo plugged her nose. "Two words; DENTAL FLOSS! And two more; BREATH MINTS!"

"Yuck! I think he's got gangrene and scurvy!" Ruby gagged, closing her mouth to not breath in anymore air just in case.

"HAHAHA!" Acid Breath laughed before breathing out a huge cloud of green gas at the girls. The red and pink duo dove out of the way as the gas hit the floor, melting more of the tile. The two regrouped behind a security counter and began relaying the plan.

"Alright, you remember what we need to do?" Ruby asked.

Nora gave her a thumbs up. "Oh yeah." She scanned her eyes around the walls and found what she was searching for; a fire extinguisher. "Time to wash his mouth out with foam." With a nod, the two broke away, with Ruby going back to Acid Breath and Nora heading to the extinguisher.

Ruby spun Crescent Rose around while running up behind Acid Breath, hoping he wouldn't turn around. Unfortunately, he did, but not in time to prevent getting hit by the back end of the scythe. He was sent tumbling back before landing on his stomach, growling in frustration. She got up and narrowed his eyes at Ruby before sending another gunk shot her way. "Oh no you don't!" Ruby converted Crescent Rose into its sniper rifle mode, took aim, and fired. The Fire Dust round sailed through the air before making contact with the gunk, the corrosive making the Fire Dust explode on impact.

The blast resulted in kicking up a cloud of dust, and Acid Breath was right in the middle of it. He grumbled when he tried to fan the dust away, but failed, the cloud only continuing to hinder his vision. He could hear rapid footsteps though, so he focused in on that. The steps came up on his left, so he spat in that direction, but just as he did, a flurry of rose petals kicked up and whoever was there managed to get out of the way. The steps reappeared on his right, so he spat that way, but again, the figure vanished in a storm of petals. Acid Breath just about had enough of this. "This is futile! Come out and show yourself, you cowardly wench!"

And then, he heard a bubbly voice reply from behind him, giggling in mirthful joy; "Hehe, well, I'm no coward." Acid Breath spun around and breathed out, but whoever was there bounced out of the way. "Heehee, and I'm certainly no wench." He did the same thing again, and once more the girl had jumped out of the way.

"Stop it!" Acid Breath hollered. "Stop laughing and reveal yourself—ARGH!"

The disgusting man had been smacked in the back with something hard, sending him stumbling forward as more rose petals fluttered in the wind. He managed to get his balance, but then, he saw Nora standing right in front of him, a fire extinguisher ready to go. "You asked for it." She sprayed him right in his mouth, forcing him to stagger back and cough excessively. With his pungent breath temporarily unusable, Nora took the advantage and brought out Magnhild, converting it into hammer mode. She swung once and pulled the trigger, causing an explosive impact that sent Acid Breath flying into the nearest wall, knocking him out.

Nora shouldered Magnhild and struck a pose. "Ha! That'll teach you who to call a cowardly wench!"

"I think he was talking about me." Ruby clarified as she reappeared, folding up Crescent Rose and storing it on her back. "Then again… would attacks from behind count as cowardly? Cause if so, I may have proven his point… twice."

Nora made finger guns and gave Ruby a wink. "Not when it's part of a coordinated attack, it isn't!"

"Hah, I guess you're right." Ruby's silver eyes shifted over to the mana field, her concern growing just the slightest. "I wonder what's taking Ben so long?"

* * *

"Um… Ben, I hope you don't mind me asking…" Saphron said reluctantly, "but what _are_ you doing?"

The little insect alien was straining himself, but not on his eyes, rather… on his hindquarters. He gasped for air as his little legs gave out from underneath him, plopping on the ground in exhaustion. "Hah hah, well you see, since I'm a bug, I figured that I'd be able to shoot some kind of thread out of my butt. …Yes, it sounds gross, but it's a thing that bugs do!"

Even though she knew this situation was already SUPER ridiculous, Terra smacked her forehead. "Alright, that's _incredibly_ gross. But at least you're thinking in the realm of possibility here."

"Well, we won't have time to think for much longer." Noire brought up. "Those guys are doing good so far, but they can't hold the freaks off forever."

Blanche looked down at Ben. "Have you tried shooting the thread from your mouth?" The white-clad girl suggested. "Maybe it's as simple as spitting?"

Ben got up again and tapped his beak. "Hmm, worth a shot!" He took a breath in and forcibly exhaled. Just then, he felt something coming up. _'Eureka!'_ He spat out whatever it was and it plonked on the ground in front of him. Ben opened his eyes to see… a large ball of what appeared to be glowing green snot. "…Okay, I'll admit, I didn't see that coming."

"Um, _ew_." Blanche sneered. "What is it?"

"I think we ALL know what it is." Rouge affirmed. "The only question is… how does Ben use it?"

As she narrowed her eyes at the green substance, Gwen smiled as she realized what her cousin had to do. "Ben! Make like a dung beetle!"

The insect alien glanced between the green ball and his cousin before shrugging his tiny arms. "Eh, why not?" Ben hopped on the ball and began rolling around on it. But as the green ball rolled, it began absorbing material from the ground and started getting bigger. Ben's insectoid eyes widened. "Ha! It's like a katamari!"

"A what?" Saphron and Terra asked at the same time.

"I'll explain that later." Gwen assured. "But it's like I thought, when you roll around, the ball will just get bigger and bigger. And knowing what these aliens can do, something tells me that's not just snot, if you catch my drift."

Ben narrowed his eyes. If he could smile with his beak, he'd be doing that too. "Gwen… open the shield. I'm going in."

* * *

Thumbskull was completely flabbergasted by what was happening at the moment. He had seen Frightwig taken down in a matter of seconds by two warrior-looking kids, Acid Breath had been tricked by a pair of clever girls, and right now? He was being held off by someone who he feared was stronger than him. He'd never had a problem with this, considering that most of Tennyson's other enemies were stronger than him, but they were also bigger than him too. This girl on the other hand was shorter than he was! And not only did she hit hard, but she was hard to hit. "Would, ugh, you, grr, HOLD STILL?!"

Yang bobbed and weaved away from each of Thumbskull's blows, taking satisfaction in the fact that he was too dumb to think straight. "Yeah, not gonna happen." She ducked out of the way of yet another hit and then proceeded to jab him multiple times in the gut. With the air knocked out of him, Thumbskull lurched back when Yang forcibly pushed him away, which ended with him falling on his arse. Yang put her hands to her hips. "Ready to give up, _Numb_ skull?"

Thumbskull's eyes snapped open and he jumped up onto his feet, much to Yang's shock. While he had little intelligence, Thumbskull knew when he was being insulted. And that name was the most commonly used to do so, and it became his most hated. "THAT'S THUMBSKULL! ARGH!" He rushed forward with his arm out, trapping Yang in a clothesline that took her through a display stand, a directory, and finally into a wall. But Thumbskull wasn't through yet. With his grip firmly locked around her, he brought Yang up and repeatedly slammed her into the wall, all while yelling and screaming his head off. But soon enough, he got winded, and he stopped. Breathing hard, he began to laugh at what he'd just done. No one had survived one of his tantrums before. "Ha…ha… I-I got her! I got—huh?"

The moment he turned back to the blonde… something had changed about her. The flaring aura that she had demonstrated earlier was back, but this time much more intense. She fell out of the wall and landed on her feet, her arms falling to her sides and her hands clenching into fists. She opened her eyes and Thumbskull was shaken to his core. Her violet eyes had become an intense red, and they glared right into his soul. However, she didn't seem mad. Rather, Yang was smirking like she had been waiting for this. Before Thumbskull could even react, Yang socked him in the gut so hard that he doubled forward and let out a yell of pain. With a wicked smile, she looked up at him and said; "Ya shouldn't 'a did that."

All hell broke loose as Yang began to wail on Thumbskull with multiple fast hits, pushing him back further and further as the Blonde Brawler gave out grunts and shouts with every punch. From the face, to the gut, and down to his knees, the giant man was continually stricken with blow after blow. One particular punch to the center of his face forced him to put his hands over it, the pain making him cry out in agony.

"YANG!" The blonde broke out of her rhythm for a moment and whirled around to see the insectoid alien that her boyfriend had transformed into coming at her and Thumbskull. But her eyebrows rose when she saw that Ben was rolling on what appeared to be a giant ball of green goop. "Throw him over here! Let's finish this!"

Yang gave him a toothy grin. "You got it, Green Boy!" She grabbed Thumbskull by the collar and spun him around once, twice, and a third time before tossing him in Ben's direction. The tiny insect alien bounced the ball up and then kicked it with surprising force, sending it colliding into Thumbskull which resulted in a large explosion. Thumbskull fell to the ground, unconscious with a bleeding nose. Yang laughed as her eyes went back to their normal color and she caught Ben in her hands, bringing the small alien bug up to her face. "Ben, that was AWESOME!" She kissed him on the cheek, causing him to blush. "You were amazing!"

"Heh, if anyone's amazing, it's you." Ben complimented before the Omnitrix started beeping. "Uh oh! Hold on a second!" The little insect jumped off of Yang's hand and in a green flash of light, Ben was back to his human form. "Ah, feels good to be big again."

Yang walked up and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind, settling her face next to his. "Yeah, while the little guy was cute…" She lightly poked his cheek. "I like you the way you are right now."

"And I'm glad for that." Ben said as he snuggled his face to hers. "So, what should we call the little guy?"

Yang gave him a wink. "Gwen said you were a weevil, right? And you can roll stuff into a big ball, so… I think the pun's too good to go unused."

Ben smirked at her. "Ball Weevil?"

Yang nodded and kissed his cheek. "Ball Weevil."

Jaune, Pyrrha, Ruby and Nora regrouped with the couple and they call offered their praises to the two; "Guys, that was some crazy teamwork!" Jaune complimented.

"Indeed." Pyrrha agreed. "It was an awesome effort."

"Sis, you just went to town on Thumbskull!" Ruby said while throwing punches at the air. "He didn't stand a chance!"

"Ben, just what the heck was that stuff you were rolling around?" Nora asked. "Because, to me, it looked like a giant booger!"

Ben chuckled. "Hehe, well, if I had to guess, I'd say it was probably plasma. The ball pretty much absorbed matter wherever I rolled it, so that's the nearest guess I can make. Grandpa or Kevin would probably know, though."

The mana shield surrounding the breakfast bar vanished and Gwen got up on her feet, with the Arc Sisters and Terra following close behind. The Anodite walked over to the Circus Freaks and her eyes glowed pink for a moment before ensnaring the trio in small mana bubbles, leaving their heads exposed for air. She extended her hand and shot out a mana tether, lassoing Acid Breath's gas mask and affixing it back on to his face in one motion. "There, all wrapped up in three neat little packages."

"That… was… AMAZING!" Saphron shouted, raising her arms up to the sky. "I've never seen something so awesome in my life!"

"I have to admit," Terra crossed her arms with a smile, "that was pretty spectacular." She shifted her eyes between Gwen and Ben. "Just who _are_ you two?"

"Heh, that'll take a while to fully explain." Gwen chortled. "For now, let's get out of here."

Blanche breathed out a sigh of relief. "Ugh, you read my mind! I'm STARVING!"

Noire raised an eyebrow. "Sis, was your mind seriously on food this entire time?"

Her twin gave her a cheeky smile. "…Maybe."

Rouge shook her head with a grin. "Oh boy, did I miss having to hear this. It's good to have the family back together again… well, _almost_ together at least."

At that moment, multiple doors around the building were busted open, with multiple Atlesian and Valian Army soldiers storming in, armed and ready for anything. The group, especially the Arc Sisters, were off put by the number of soldiers coming in and focusing their attention straight at them. However, it didn't last long as General Ironwood rushed in, his sidearm at the ready. When he laid his eyes on who was there, he relaxed and put his revolver away. "At ease, people. The situation is under control."

Ben waved over to him. "Hey General! Better late than never, right?"

"Ben! I'm sorry if we kept you all waiting." Ironwood bowed his head slightly. "We were scrambling to get here the moment we got the call, but it seems that we got a lucky break, with you all being here."

Ben grimaced. "Well, if I hadn't been here, maybe they wouldn't have attacked in the first place. They were after me in the first place, so…"

"It's alright, son." Ironwood assured. "You couldn't have predicted that they would be here in the first place, right? So it's not your fault."

Ben blinked as he took the information in, brightening up before shrugging his shoulders. "You've got a point. And luckily, no one was hurt and nobody saw me transform, so I guess we can count this as a full win!"

Yang lightly punched her boyfriend's arm. "See, Green Boy?" She tapped the side of her head. "Always think about the positives."

Ironwood nodded. "Very true, Yang." The general turned his gaze up to the rest of the group. "Is anyone here hurt?"

"No, General Ironwood, we're fine." Gwen answered before levitating the Circus Freaks over, with Frightwig being the only one struggling against her restraints. "But we'll need some energy cells for these three, stat."

"Understood. Allow me to escort you all out." And with that, Ironwood lead the group out of the building, with the rest of the soldiers staying back to secure the perimeter.

* * *

If Saphron had to admit one thing about today, it had to be that being questioned by military personnel was certainly a new experience for her. "I've gotta say, when we landed this morning, I really didn't see _any_ of this happening." She turned her head over to Gwen. "Is this what you guys do every single day?"

"Well… not _every_ day." Gwen assured. "Just most days. But trust me, my cousin and I have been handling bad guys like the Circus Freaks for years now, and we pretty much know how they work. Right Ben?"

"Exactly!" Ben agreed as everyone finally made it back to their vehicles, ready for the much-needed trip home. "Bad guys like them are some of the easier ones to handle, anyway."

"Did you call Tetrax and tell him about this?" Pyrrha asked.

"Ironwood said he would." Ben confirmed. "He'll be here soon to bring those three in." The hero gazed over just in time to see Frightwig being strapped down to a gurney, still tangled up in her own hair. "Man, you'd think they'd learn by this point."

Terra raised an eyebrow. "So wait, _who's_ Tetrax?"

"He's a friend of mine from my world." Ben answered. "He also happens to be an alien bounty hunter. His ship accidentally got caught in the incident that landed us all here."

Saphron and Terra glanced at each other, both of them completely dumbfounded by what they had just heard. Terra craned her head over to her bother-in-law. "Jaune, I really don't intend to be rude when I say this… but you have some strange friends."

Jaune simply shrugged. "Eh, you get used to it."

"And strange is one of the kinder things we've been called." Gwen clarified. "We've been called things like freaks and weirdos by… _certain_ news casters in our world."

Saphron furrowed her brows. "Well that's not very nice. You guys are _very_ clearly heroes."

"Thanks, Saphron." Ben grinned. "It means a lot." The hero moved over to Bumblebee and gave Yang a wink. "So, ready to get the hell outta here, Goldie Locks?"

"Oh, definitely." Yang said as she put on her sunglasses and started her bike's engine. "I've had enough of this place already."

At the sound of a car horn behind them, Saphron and Terra turned around to see that Blanche, Noire had hopped into their eldest sister's sedan, with Rouge herself already behind the wheel. She stuck her head out of the window and spoke to them; "Hey, have you two decided who you're riding with yet? Because if you have, we need to know."

"We both want to ride with Jaune and Pyrrha." Saphron replied with a knowing grin. "You know, so we can hear the whole story about you-know-what?" She wiggled her eyebrows at her brother and Pyrrha, which the couple could only respond with an eyeroll.

"Well, they'll be riding with me." Gwen informed the Arc sister. "We're in the green car with black stripes."

Saphron nodded. "Alright then." The blonde girl went over to Kevin's car, taking in the powerful green vehicle. "Wow, Gwen, you've got some nice wheels."

"Oh, it's actually my boyfriend's car." Gwen corrected.

Terra's eyebrows rose. "Wow, he must seriously trust you to drive this thing, then." She inspected the hood of the muscle car. "If I owned a car like this, I probably wouldn't trust anyone else enough drive it."

Saphron gave her wife a pout. "Aw, not even me, hon?"

Terra glanced over to her wife and immediately began to ease her worries with a smile. "Saph, you're my wife, of course I'd trust enough you drive it." Terra's eyes widened and she did an about face back to Gwen. "You know, I now see why your boyfriend lets you drive his car."

Gwen smirked and gave Terra a wink. "Yep, love really is a force to be reckoned with."

Terra rubbed the back of her head. "Heh, all too true."

Saphron giggled and wrapped her arms around her wife. "Aw It's okay, sweetheart." She gave Terra a kiss. "I was only kidding, don't feel too bad."

Terra set her hand in Saphron's own. "Yeah I know, Saph."

Gwen turned around to Ruby and Nora. "I hope you girls don't mind, but—"

Nora raised her hand. "Say no more, Gwen. We understand completely!"

"Yep, and we're okay with it." Ruby confirmed. "We know how much Saphron and Terra want to catch up with Jaune, and it's important that you get them filled in on everything. We'll just ride with Rouge."

"Alright, it's decided then." Gwen went over to open the trunk of Kevin's car while Ruby and Nora climbed into Rouge's sedan. "Ladies, you can set your luggage in here if you want."

"Thanks Gwen." Terra said as she lifted her bags up. But the moment she and Saphron got to the trunk, they saw a whole lot of high-tech junk littering inside of it. "Uh, or maybe we can't."

Gwen's eyes widened before letting out a nervous laugh. "Hehe, Saphron, maybe it's best if you two put your luggage in your sister's car instead?"

"Yeah, it probably is." Saphron agreed. "And also, it's alright for you guys to call me Saph. Everyone does after all."

"I'll keep that in mind." Once Saphron and Terra were done putting their luggage into Rouge's car, the couple and Gwen climbed into Kevin's car followed by Jaune and Pyrrha, allowing everyone to finally roll out back to the docks, the island of Patch waiting for their return.

* * *

**A/N: Well, there you have it! Saphron and Terra have finally arrived, and they found out about Ben's secret in a BIG way… or rather… a small way. Ball Weevil's a unique alien among the Omniverse aliens for me. In that, I wasn't that big of a fan of him at first, but over time, I've grown to love his design and powers. That said, he's not the only Omniverse alien to make an appearance in this chapter, as the Zombozo flashback suggests. Will the picker of toes make a full appearance later on? We'll just have to wait and see. But Next Time, we get to know Saph and Terra a bit more as we head back to Patch. But to stall for time so that the gang back home can finish the picnic tables, the group go out to the mall to do some shopping. Plus, Saph and Terra have a secret they're keeping, and considering that Saphron was teasing Terra about cravings earlier, I think you can all guess what it is. Thanks for reading! See ya!**


	46. Sister's Day Out

**A/N: Hey guys! So, with this and last chapter, I wanna say that THIS is the point where the chapters start to permanently be a bit on the long side. That being said, I suppose it's fitting since this story was GOING to be pretty long, but eh, what're ya gonna do? So, if we're all set here, let's get on with the show! This is…**

**Chapter 46: Sister's Day Out**

* * *

It had been almost an hour since the attack at the airport, and in that time, the group had managed to get to the next ferry to Patch before it departed. The vessel itself was almost at its destination, nearing the harbor of Patchwork at a steady pace. Meanwhile, Gwen, Jaune and Pyrrha were all in Kevin's car, having spent most of the trip telling Saphron and Terra about the adventures that they had been through since the attack at Beacon. Jaune and Pyrrha had also relayed the events that brought them together, much to Saphron's delight.

Terra breathed out as the three concluded their story. "So let me see if I've got this all straight." she began before pointing at Gwen. "You guys are from another world, I get that part. Your grandfather is an outer space policeman and your grandmother is an alien energy being, right?"

Gwen nodded before lighting her hand up with pink energy. "Yep, I've got "the spark" as my grandmother calls it."

"That is so cool!" Saphron grinned as she got a closer look. "What does it feel like?"

"A bit tingly. But in a good way." Gwen stopped her hand from glowing. "It took me years to get it right though. Lots of magic practice."

"So _magic's_ a thing in your universe as well as aliens?" Terra asked. "Jeez, the world you live in must be spectacular."

"You'd be surprised." Gwen shook her head. "Earth is a pretty normal place, actually. Aliens are only beginning to become a known thing, and magic's still practically unseen to the average human eye."

"Huh, that IS surprising." Saphron said before changing her focus over to her little brother. "Almost as surprising as how much you and Pyrrha had to go through, Jaune. I mean… wow."

Jaune sighed before resting his chin on his hand. "Yeah, I know. It's been… a wild ride to say the least." He glanced over to Pyrrha. "I just wish that I hadn't been so dense in the first place. Maybe then, things wouldn't have gotten so out of control."

Pyrrha touched her boyfriend's shoulder. "Jaune, you must stop beating yourself up over this. Remember, I'm at fault as well for not being more honest with my feelings. But that's all behind us now, right? Because if you ask me, I think our future is looking pretty bright."

Jaune smiled and pulled Pyrrha in to a hug. "Yeah, I think it is too."

Saphron was practically gushing at what she was witnessing. "Oh, this is just so darn CUTE!" She looked to her wife in the front seat. "Hon, do we have a camera on hand?"

"Um, no, sorry Saph." Terra shook her head. "Besides, I'm not sure if "the back seat of a muscle car" is the best place for a romantic picture."

Saphron nodded. "Yeah, you got a point there." The moment was literally jostled to a halt as the ferry pulled into the harbor, pulling up next to the docks. "Whoa, guess we're here."

Once the ferry was fully docked and the ramp was lowered, the three vehicles loaded off into the harbor before driving out on to the main road, with Gwen in the lead. "Alright, home sweet island. The hotel that your sisters are staying at shouldn't be far from here, so why don't we stop there, check into your room and unload your things. Then, we can all go out for a nice breakfast, whaddya say?"

"Sounds good." Terra agreed as she clutched her stomach. "I've been starving since we landed."

In the back seat, Saphron wore a sly grin as she settled into her seat, eyeing her wife with a knowing stare. She didn't think anyone had noticed, but sure enough, her brother did. He narrowed his eyes and gave her a smirk. "I know that look."

Saphron raised an eyebrow. "What look?"

"That one." Jaune pointed at her. "That's the face you always have when you know something that nobody else does."

Pyrrha got in on the act. "Ooh, a secret, Saph? Want to let us in on it?"

Before the conversation could go further though, Terra turned around and faced the backseat with a stern, yet smiling face. "Hah, not yet, Pyrrha. Why don't we get settled in first? Maybe get a little tour of the island before divulging into… certain secrets?"

"Well… okay then." Pyrrha agreed. "It must be a good secret if you want to keep us in anticipation like this."

Jaune gave his sister-in-law a smirk before shrugging his shoulders. "Alright, if that's the way you want it." He pointed at her. "But I'll remember this if you won't, Terra."

"Oh trust me, Jaune, I'll remember." Terra assured before facing back to the front, retreating into her own mind. _'After all, it's kinda hard to forget considering that its inside of me.'_

* * *

The group arrived at the hotel about ten minutes after getting off the ferry. While Jaune, Pyrrha, Gwen, Ruby, Nora and the Arc sisters had volunteered to help Saphron and Terra settle into their hotel room, Ben and Yang elected to stay down in the parking lot and wait for them. Mostly because they welcomed any alone time that was presented to them, but another reason was that Yang had to make a call. "Hey, Blake! How's thing's going over there?"

Blake sighed on the other end of the line. _"Hoo, it's going pretty good, Yang. Kevin and the others are cutting up wood as we speak and Weiss and I have been making calls to guests all morning. But, uh… we saw what happened on the news… is everything okay with you guys?"_

Yang chuckled. "Hehe, of course! Why wouldn't we be okay? In fact, you should be asking that to the Circus Freaks. If anyone ISN'T okay, it's them."

" _The Circus Freaks?"_ Blake asked. _"Is THAT what they call themselves? I saw their faces on the live news feed and… well… I guess that's a title they're living up to."_

"Tell me about it." Ben said as he got closer to Yang's scroll. "And if you can believe it, their boss is a vampiric clown named Zombozo who feeds off the laughter of both children and adults, turning them into husks of their former selves. Thankfully, he's not here to do that."

Yang wore a horrified expression and there was a lengthy pause on the other end of the line. After a long while, Blake spoke up again; _"…Thanks for my killer clown nightmares this week, Ben, you're a real pal."_

Ben rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, hehe, sorry."

Yang sighed before speaking into the phone. "Anyway, we're going to keep Ruby distracted for a bit longer. Saph and Terra want to see what's around the island, so we're gonna go grab some breakfast and then head to the mall. Nora, Blanche and Noire are gonna go to the party store and get some supplies while we're there."

" _You sure you can keep Ruby distracted for that long?"_ Blake asked.

"Sure can." Ben confirmed. "I've got a plan that'll keep her away long enough for those three to do their thing and get all the supplies in the car. Ruby won't suspect a thing."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "You do? What is it?"

Ben gave her a wink. "Oh, it's just a little something I'm working on. All will be revealed in due time, my dear, I assure you."

Yang narrowed her eyes at him, a smirk settling on her face. She gave his cheek a poke. "Alright, Green Boy, I'll let you off the hook for now. I just hope that whatever you're planning is something nice."

Ben gave her a nod. "Oh believe me, it will be." The hero glanced over to the entrance to see the rest of their group coming back out of the building. "Uh oh, they're coming back."

"Gah, jeez." Yang grimaced slightly before speaking into her scroll with hushed tones. "Sorry Blake, we're gonna have to cut this short. Keep up the good work and we'll see you later, 'kay?"

" _Okay."_ Blake agreed. _"Bye Yang."_

"Bye." Yang hug up her scroll before making an about face to the incoming group, giving them a big smile. "So, we all unpacked?"

"Yep, everything's all set up." Saphron gave a thumbs up.

"Now, where can we get a bite to eat around here?" Terra wondered as she started scanning the streets. "There's usually a good restaurant or diner near the hotels, isn't there?"

"As a matter of fact, there is!" Yang confirmed. "Heck, we don't even have to drive to get there. Follow me, people!" With a wave of her arm, Yang lead the group of twelve down the street, ready to get some breakfast in her gut before starting her game of "Distract the Little Sister".

* * *

Blake hung up her scroll before setting it down, letting out a tired sigh. She then promptly let her face fall to the table's surface, an exasperated groan escaping her lips. The cat girl had been talking to so many different people, that she was getting whiplash. "Ugh, so many calls this morning. I don't think I've _ever_ spoken to this many people over the phone all at once before."

"Aw, it's okay, Blake." Weiss pat her friend on the shoulder. "I know that you aren't exactly the most… outspoken person, but you seriously are making a great effort today with all these calls! Ruby's gonna be so surprised when she sees how many people will be here for her party."

"Yeah, I know." Blake lifted her head off of the table, her eyes focused on the scroll near her hands. "I just wish I had a bit of a pick-me-up, that's all."

A smile came to Weiss' face as she got up from the table. "Hold on a sec." She walked out of the room for a moment and came back holding a ball. She turned out to the hallway and called out; "You want the ball, silly goose?!" She squeezed the ball and it made a squeaking noise, eliciting a small bark from the hall way. "Then come get it!" Weiss did an underhand throw, tossing the ball over near Blake's feet. No sooner did that happen and Rema came bounding in from the hall, running over to her mother's feet to chew the ball. Weiss stood proudly with her hands on her hips. "You're welcome."

Blake smiled back at her friend. "Hmhm, thanks." She reached down and scooped the wolf pup into her arms. "Hiya, pumpkin!" Blake kissed Rema's furry cheek. "How you doin'? You playing nice with your brother?" Rema proceeded to lick Blake's face, making the cat girl smile even more. "Oh ho, yes, thank you for the kisses."

As Blake played with Rema, Romulus came in to see what all the commotion was about, something that Weiss was ready to take advantage of. "Hey Rommy!" The heiress scooped him up and cuddled him to her face. "How's it goin', huh? Oh, you two are just too cute, I wish you could stay this size."

"Yeah, so do I." Blake kissed Rema's cheek. "But no matter how big she gets, she'll always be my baby." Blake's eyes widened as an idea came to her head. "Oh! I just had a great idea!" She got up and walked over to the door before opening it and sticking her head out. "Athena? Are you free?"

From around the corner came the Mistralian Huntress, decked out in work clothes consisting of a red t-shirt and blue overalls with big brown boots, a pair of leather work gloves adorning her hands while she held a hammer. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled at Blake. "Phew, hello Blake! How are things going in here?"

"Great actually." Blake nodded. "I just got off the phone with Yang. They're back on the island and are at the hotel getting Saphron and Terra settled in."

"Oh that's splendid!" Athena came into the house, with Blake closing the door behind them. "Did they say anything about what happened at the airport?"

Weiss shrugged. "Eh, apparently a trio of Ben's baddies found them. Bunch of freaks from what I hear. But everything worked out in the end." The heiress glanced over to Blake. "So what's this idea of yours?"

Blake sat down once again. "Well, I thought it'd be a great idea if Athena could go over to the hotel and bring Rommy with her. Distracting them, and by extension distracting Ruby, with something cute would give us some more time to get things done here." She craned her head in Athena's direction. "Plus, I'm certain that Saphron and Terra will want to meet you, Athena."

Athena nodded her head. "And I, them. It's a wonderful plan, Blake." She went over to the stairs. "Allow me get changed into some fresh clothes. I will grab Romulus' leash and we'll be at the hotel in a jiffy!"

"Alright, thanks Athena." Blake waved as the Nikos matriarch climbed the stairs, leaving the two girls alone again. Blake let out a content sigh. "There, a little more time added."

"It might not be much, but it's time we need." Weiss agreed. "Good thinking, Blake."

"Thanks." The cat girl leaned forward. "So, did you get in touch with your sister?"

"I did." Weiss picked up her scroll and started going through her messages. "I texted her about the party and asked if she could get General Ironwood and Professor Goodwitch to come. She said she would ask, but I haven't heard back from her yet." Suddenly, a blip came from her scroll. "Huh, never mind, there's her message back…" She looked closer at her screen and a smile came to her face. "They can make it!"

"Awesome." Blake picked her scroll back up. "Then we've only got a few more calls to go."

* * *

"Ah, I'm stuffed." Terra smiled as she and the others walked out of the diner, happy that her belly had finally been filled. "I don't think I've eaten a breakfast that good in a long time."

"Hoo, your tellin' me!" Blanche exclaimed. "That was some hella good food!"

"No doubt about it." Noire looked up at the sign above the door. "Hmm, "Hestia's Hearth". Gotta remember that."

"Please do." Ruby encouraged. "Miss Vesta always makes sure that all her customers feel at home right when they come in." She turned around and grinned to the Pink Dynamo. "So Nora, what did you think? …Nora?"

But the redhead wasn't paying attention, instead staring off into space with an infatuated expression. Gwen waved her hand in front of Nora's face. "I think we lost her in there." She snapped her fingers in front of Nora's eyes. "Nora, wake up!"

"Huh?" Nora shook her head, her eyes dashing in different directions. "O-oh! I'm sorry. Kinda spaced out there. But that woman makes a _mean_ pancake."

"Yeah, no kidding." Yang bit her lip slightly, already thinking back to how much she enjoyed her meal. "Some say she cooks using an open flame fueled by nothing but Fire Dust, but she's never fully divulged her secrets to anyone but her employees."

"Well, we'll be sure to go in plenty during our stay." Saphron assured. "But I think you guys mentioned a mall somewhere around here?"

"Yep, it shouldn't be far from here." Ben confirmed. "The cool thing about living in a small town is that you can easily adapt and know where things are."

Yang ruffled her boyfriend's hair. "I've taught you well, Green Boy."

Rouge clapped her hands together. "Well then, why don't we saddle up and head over there, huh?"

"Sounds like a plan, sis." Jaune agreed before the whole group began walking down the street, back to the hotel. However, once they got to the parking lot, they saw a bright red car parked next to Rouge's darker red sedan… and a familiar figure was leaning against the back. "Athena?"

"Mom?" Pyrrha's eyes widened. "What're you doing here?"

"Hi sweetheart!" Athena waved before strolling over to the group. "Blake told me that you all were back on the island, so I thought I'd come over and say hello to the new arrivals." She turned to the two women with a grin. "You must be Saphron, and you're Terra, right? It's so nice to finally meet you two! I heard that you're from Argus, correct?"

"Oh hello!" Saphron greeted with excitement flittering in her voice. She shook the taller woman's hand with a happy smile. "Good to meet you! And yes, we're from Argus. Small world isn't it?"

"Indeed. To think that this is our first meeting when you ladies have lived in Argus for… two years, wasn't it?"

Terra nodded. "That's right, two years starting about three months ago." She wore a proud smirk. "I never forget that fact."

Saphron smirked back at her wife with a wink. "Considering it's always after our anniversary, I hope you _never_ forget it."

"Oh never." Terra assured before shifting her eyes back to Athena. "In any case, your daughter is just such a nice person. I can tell that you raised her right."

"Oh why thank you." Athena waved. "It wasn't easy mind you. When she was a little girl, my dear Pyrrha would get into all sorts of trouble. Haha, when she was first getting used to her Semblance, she accidentally caused all of the soda cans in the fridge to explode on her. She was soaked head to toe and her hair was sticky for a whole week, haha!"

" _Mother_!" Pyrrha was madly blushing while Blanche and Noire struggled to contain their giggles, earning them a small smack on the wrist from Rouge. "Could we please not talk about any embarrassing childhood stories which may or may not be true? _Please_?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear." Athena apologized. "You're right, this isn't the time and place. But you know what?" Athena went over and opened the door of her car. "There's always a time and place for a warm puppy." From out of the car, Romulus came bounding out, jumping down to the pavement and running straight for his mommy.

Pyrrha broke out into a beaming grin as she knelt down and picked him up, bringing him to her face. "Rommy! Oh ho, what're you doing here, baby?"

Jaune lowered himself down and joined in. "Hey boy! Did grandma want to take you out for a walk?" The knight rubbed the wolf pup's head. "Or did you just miss us that much?"

"A little bit of both." Athena answered. "Romulus was just so bored while his sister was playing with Blake, so I decided to take him with me."

Saphron gasped as her eyes laid upon the little canine. She fell to her knees next to Pyrrha to get a closer look. "Pyrrha, you didn't mention you two had a puppy!"

Terra sat down as well. "Oh my goodness, he's so adorable! Where did you get him? Did you adopt him from a pound or get him from a pet store?"

Pyrrha shook her head at the two. "Neither actually. You see, Romulus isn't a normal dog… he's a wolf puppy."

Saphron and Terra's eyes widened. "A WOLF?!"

"Yep." Jaune nodded. "We found him and his sister near the house of the local blacksmith. We also saw… what happened to their real parents." Jaune cringed at the memory. "It wasn't pretty."

"Oh my god." Saphron's hand covered her mouth in shock. "That's terrible! And you just took them in? Are you even allowed to do that?"

"Oh yes." Athena answered. "Hunters very often tame wild animals to assist them in hunting Grimm. It's quite the common practice."

"Wow, that's pretty cool." Terra admitted. "So… could we… maybe…"

Pyrrha smirked at Terra and Saphron. "You want to hold him, don't you?"

"More than anything right now." Saphron grinned hopefully.

"Be my guest." Pyrrha lifted Romulus and handed him over to the couple, the two ladies each resting their hands on him.

"Oh my gosh, you're just so fuzzy!" Saphron cooed as she touched her nose to Romulus'. "Hi! Hi Rommy, how you doin'?"

"I seriously can't believe I'm holding a wolf puppy." Terra laughed. "Haha, seven-year-old me is freaking the hell out right now."

As the ladies continued to cuddle the happy wolf puppy, Ben, Yang, Gwen, Ruby and Nora all stood off to the side, standing over by Kevin's car and Bumblebee. They weren't about to ruin the cute little moment, so they thought it best to just keep to themselves for the time being. Ben leaned over and whispered to Yang; "How much do you wanna bet that Blake thought this idea up to give us more time?"

"If she did, she's a genius for doing it." Yang whispered back, smiling as she watched Pyrrha, Jaune, Athena, Terra and the Arc Sisters all playing with Romulus, making the pup as happy as a clam. "This is exactly what we needed to stall for time."

Ruby noticed her sisters' whispers and raised an eyebrow. "What was that, Yang?"

Yang's eyebrows shot up and she immediately thought of a cover story. "Oh, nothing, sis. Ben and I were just discussing our plans for later."

Ruby gave her a sly grin. "Ah, I see. Just pretend I didn't say anything then." After a few more minutes of Terra and the Arc Sisters playing with Romulus, the Hooded Huntress called over to the group, hoping they hadn't forgotten about their shopping trip. "Hey guys! We're still going to the mall, right?"

Saphron turned around to see the five teens all waiting for them. "Oh shoot, that's right! I completely forgot!" She cuddled Romulus to her face. "We were just having so much fun with little Rommy here, I guess it just slipped our minds."

"Yeah, sorry about that, Ruby." Terra apologized. "Let's get going."

"Oh, there's no rush, guys." Ruby assured. "I just didn't want you to forget."

Athena placed a hand on her hip. "Hmm, the mall again today, huh? Well if there's room for one more, I'd be more than happy to accompany you all. Perhaps then I can really get to know the family of my daughter's boyfriend. In the time you ladies have been here, I rarely get to talk to you."

"Oh that sounds great!" Rouge cheered. "I've definitely wanted to know more about you too, Athena. I hear that you've got plenty of years as a Huntress under your belt and I've been dying to hear about the adventures you've been on."

Blanche walked up to Nora. "Ready to hit the party store, Pinkie?" she spoke in hushed tones.

"Hell yeah." Nora gave her a thumbs up. "I've got tons of ideas in mind for this, don't you worry about that."

Gwen jingled the keys to her boyfriend's car. "Alright, so if we're all on the same page, let's go!" The whole group agreed before separating and going to their respective rides. They rolled out of the hotel parking lot and drove down the street, ready to begin their shopping trip.

* * *

General Ironwood and Winter Schnee stood side by side as they awaited a certain Petrosapien's arrival. The former heiress to the Schnee Dust Company dared not to look behind her, for there, isolated in three separate energy cells were the Circus Freaks, all of them glaring daggers into hers and the general's backs. She had seen them come in, and was immediately repulsed by Acid Breath's pungent odor alone, only made worse when she saw the grotesque toenail sticking out of Thumbskull's head. She let out a sound of disgust before turning to Ironwood. "Sir, please tell me that Tetrax will be here soon. I don't usually let people's appearances get to me, but… ugh, I am certain that I can _smell_ Acid Breath through the cell."

"I heard that lady!" Acid Breath growled before taking off his mouth guard. "You think this thing can hold ME?!" The wrinkled man spat out his corrosive spit on the floor… but it just lingered there, doing nothing but fuming its foul stench. "What?! Why isn't it melting?!"

Ironwood turned around and narrowed his eyes at Acid Breath. "You seriously didn't think we would put you in a cell without taking your corrosive abilities into account, did you? The top and bottom of that energy cell is completely acid resistant. So feel free to go to town on it, but it won't change a thing."

Frightwig crossed her arms and pursed her lips. "You think you're so smart, don't you, Soldier Boy?" She jabbed her thumb to her right. "Then could you try explaining that to the big guy?" She was of course referring to Thumbskull, who was flutily pummeling his fists against the energy cell, barely even caring about the shocks he was receiving.

Ironwood sighed before he heard the sound of an aircraft descending overhead, one that was, of course, invisible to the naked eye. The craft landed and its ramp lowered to the ground, with Tetrax waiting at the very top. He walked down the ramp while giving the two a wave. "General Ironwood, Winter, always good to see you."

"Likewise, Tetrax." Winter nodded. "As you can see, we've apprehended some… rather repugnant villains. The team send their regards."

"I'm sure they do." Tetrax grinned before moving over to the cells. "Hmm, this won't be as easy as escorting Clancy into a new cell. These three are much stronger."

"Luckily, I have a solution to that." Ironwood pressed a button on the side of Frightwig's cell and it began to lift up off the ground, hovering in place. "All a matter of convenient transport."

"Hmm, impressive." Tertrax nodded. "Not even the humans from our dimension have figured out hover technology yet."

Winter wore a cold smile, one with an underlying sense of pride. "Atlas is known as the most technologically advanced kingdom in Remnant. We have much more than hover technology thanks to Dust."

As the three began pushing the cells into the ship, Tetrax began to ponder something. "Hmm, if this world truly has hover technology, then I wonder why the children were so keen on my hoverboards the other day."

"Most likely because it hasn't become wide spread, yet." Ironwood answered before deactivating the hover cells inside the brig. "Hover tech is only now making its way into civilian hands, having been used exclusively by the military for a number of years now. Some aspiring Hunters have even started incorporating hover tech into their weapons. There was a young lady from Mistral in the Vytal Tournament who had a hover board that could convert into a pair of revolvers if I recall correctly."

"Hmm, very interesting." Tetrax said as the three walked off of the Resolute once more. "I'd like to hear more of your technological advancements, that is, if you don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind, Tetrax." Ironwood assured. "I'd be more than happy to share what we have to offer."

But before the two could start their discussion, Winter decided to bring something up. "Oh, by the way Tetrax, Weiss messaged me earlier saying that Ruby's birthday was this weekend. I know that she was probably going to invite you in any case, but I simply felt that you should be aware."

"Really? Well, I'll be looking forward to it." The Petrosapien put a finger to his chin. "Hmm, I may have to wear my helmet though. Don't want anyone to be scared by my appearance."

"I'm sure the party will mostly be with people we already know." Ironwood rationalized. "I can't see anyone coming who _doesn't_ know about our secret."

* * *

"You and your wife can make it?" Blake smiled as she spoke on her scroll with another potential guest. "That's great Mr. Vulcan! …Uh huh… yes, you're free to bring any food that you and your wife can make. In fact, it'll probably help us out a lot if you could do that. So it's settled then! Okay thanks again… bye!" Blake shut her scroll off and slumped back into her chair. "Ugh, FINALLY! I can't believe we called almost _everyone_ Ruby knew at Signal!"

Weiss stretched her arms up into the air. "No kidding. It's a bit disappointing that some of them couldn't come, but at least we got most of Ruby's old friends and teachers."

"Yeah, I'm just glad we're done making calls." Blake's arms slumped to her sides. "Nothing's more boring than dialing in multiple numbers." Down near the ground, Rema began licking her fingers, making Blake giggle a little bit. "Hehe, thank you sweetie."

Weiss sighed. "Well, now that that's done, we should probably go out and help everyone else with putting the tables together."

"Right." Blake stood up and the two made their way out the door. "The hard work's just getting started."

* * *

As he and Ruby walked into the small flower shop near the mall, Ben couldn't help but feel just the tiniest bit anxious. Sure, he'd bought flowers for a lady before, but he'd never gotten a _bouquet_ for someone, especially someone that he cared about so much. "I won't lie, Ruby, this is probably the most nervous I've ever been about something in my entire life."

"Why's that?" Ruby grinned. "All we gotta do is get the sunflowers and lilacs in an assorted bouquet and get back to the mall without anyone seeing it. Fast and simple."

Ben gave her a deadpan look. "I think you're missing the general point here."

"Oh! Right! You mean actually _giving_ them to my sister." Ruby chuckled. "Hehe, yeah, that's all on you, buddy. But I know you can do it!"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Ben smiled. "So where do we start?"

"Right here!" Ruby went up to the counter and ringed the little bell, propping herself against the marble countertop. "Now we just wait and..."

The door behind the counter opened up, and a young teenage girl with short blue hair appeared. Her skin was heavily tanned, so much so that you could see the tan lines around her eyes where she would've worn her sunglasses. She wore a blue and white striped shirt and a pair of work overalls, with two large boots adorning her feet. She wasn't facing them at first, instead focused on the tray full of flower pots she was carrying as she came through the door. But all the same, she spoke to them; "Welcome to the Tiger Lily Flower Shop, how may I help—" Her eyes shifted up and she let out a joyous gasp. "AH! RUBY!"

"IRIS!? AAAAAH!" Ruby screamed in surprise as the girl, whom Ben could only conclude was named Iris, set her tray down on the counter. She circled around the counter and the two girls ran into each other with a big hug, both barely containing their happiness as they jumped in place. Once the two had calmed down, Ruby pulled back with the biggest grin on her face. "Wh-what are you doing here?! I didn't know you worked here!"

"I've been working here since beginning of summer! Miss Tiger Lily brought me on board the moment that school got out. She's been giving me hours whenever the academy's not in session though, so hey, I've got a good stable job." Iris smiled before quirking an eyebrow. "I thought you knew about that already. Didn't you get my letter?"

Ruby blushed as she rubbed the back of her head. "Oh, hehe, I guess I did. Sorry that I didn't remember, a lot's been happening in the past few months over on the mainland."

Iris' face fell. "Oh, yeah, I… I heard about what happened at Beacon."

Ruby rolled her eyes with a smirk. "You and the rest of the world, I'll bet."

Iris gave Ruby a light push on the shoulder. "Hey, c'mon, this is serious. I'm sorry that your first year at Beacon had to end in disaster. I won't lie, I was jealous that you graduated from Signal earlier than the rest of us… but now… I'm just glad you're still alive."

"You and me both." Ruby pounded the center of her chest. "But I don't plan to go down that easy, you hear?"

"Hehe, yeah, I know." She gave her friend another hug. "But all the same, it's good to see you again, Rosy." Iris' eyes shifted up to see a green-clad young man standing not far from them, eliciting a smirk as she eyed her friend. "Ooh, who's the looker over there, Ruby? Don't tell me, you got a boyfriend when you were at Beacon didn't you?"

Ruby blushed and her eyes widened, rapidly shaking her head in protest while Ben glanced off to the side. "WHAT?! No way! He is NOT my boyfriend!" She took a deep breath, calming herself down as she jabbed her thumb in Ben's direction with a big toothy grin. "See, he's actually my sister's boyfriend."

Iris grinned over to the boy. "Ah, I see. What's your name, stranger?"

"Uh, Ben." The hero shook the younger girl's hand. "And I take it that you're one of Ruby's friends from Signal?"

"Yep, Iris Orchard. Pleased to meet you."

Just then, the door behind the counter opened back up and a beautiful woman came into the main room. Though she wasn't just any ordinary woman. The first thing that Ben noticed about her were the white feline ears on top of her head, along with long white and black locks of hair flowing past her face. Her skin was light and fair, though in some places, mainly down her arms and legs, there were stripes that were a somewhat darker pigment. She wore a lovely white sun dress with a black sash around her waist, a pair of black high heeled sandals adorning her feet. She peered over with her aquamarine, feline-like eyes to see what the commotion was about. "Iris, is everything okay in here?" But then, she caught sight of a certain Hooded Huntress. "Ruby Rose?! Is that you?"

Ruby waved over to the Faunus woman. "Hi Miss Tiger Lily!" She turned over to Ben. "Come on, you should meet the owner, she'll set you up with an awesome bouquet." Ruby took him by the shoulders and pushed him over to the tiger lady. "Miss Tiger Lily, this is my friend Ben. He needs some of your amazing flowers."

The tiger woman smiled. "Is that right? Well any friend of Ruby Rose is a friend of mine. I am Whitlea Tiger Lily. How may we help you today, Ben?"

"Oh, um…" Ben blushed in embarrassment. "Could I please get an assorted bouquet of sunflowers and lilacs? It's for someone special."

Whitlea smiled at him. "I see, a very nice combination." She glanced over to the young blue haired girl. "Iris, I believe we have some lilacs in the back, could you please go get them while I ready the sunflowers?"

Iris gave the woman a salute. "Yes, ma'am!" Iris rushed to the back room, leaving Ben and Ruby alone with Miss Tiger Lily.

As the tiger woman went to search for the flowers she needed, Ben whispered to Ruby. "Hey, didn't you say that Faunus were highly discriminated against?"

"In certain places, we are." Ben's blood ran cold when Whitlea was the one who responded. He had forgotten about Faunus' heightened senses. Ben expected her to snap at him for even bringing it up, but rather, he saw a sad smile on her face as she brought the sunflowers out of her floral fridge. Her feline eyes focused on Ben. "But in places like Patch, we're free to be who we are. I've owned my business for a good number years now, and it has continued to flourish ever since. It's quite the little miracle."

"I'd say so." Ben agreed. "And I'm so sorry if my question came off as rude."

"Oh don't worry about it, Ben." Whitlea waved off. "I am aware that not all places in the world welcome Faunus with open arms, but I do hope to see that change someday." She picked up a single sunflower. "Even if it takes one flower at a time." The door to the back room opened again and Iris came back in, carrying an armful of lilacs. "Oh, thank you Iris, dear."

"No problem, Miss TL." Iris handed Whitlea the lilacs before facing back to her friend. "So Ruby, will I be seeing you Saturday?"

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "I... don't know. Will I?"

Iris' eyes bugged out at the question. "Wait, did you seriously forget what _Saturday_ is?" She went over behind the counter and grabbed the nearest calendar.

Ruby deadpanned as her friend showed it to her. "Iris, the past week or so has been kinda hectic for me. Forgive me if I forget a certain daaaa…" Ruby trailed off when she remembered what month it was; October. Her eyes quickly scanned the calendar and she quickly found the upcoming Saturday; the thirty-first. "M-m-m-my b-b-birthday."

Ben looked at the calendar as well, focusing on the date that Ruby was staring at. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head when he saw the certain Saturday that she was focused on… October 31st. It didn't take long for him to put two and two together. _'Wait… Ruby was born… on HALLOWEEN?!'_

However, the revelation would have to wait as he began to hear a certain silver-eyed girl start crying next to him. He gazed down to see Ruby, on the verge of tears. He was confused as to why, but he immediately got his answer when she locked him into a hug and let the tears flow. "B-B-Ben! I… I… I FORGOT my own _BIRTHDAY_!"

"Oh, Ruby, it's okay." Ben smiled as he returned the hug. "It's all going to be okay!"

"B-but I forgot my birthday!" Ruby protested. "I've never _once_ forgot my birthday!"

"Heh, and like I said, it's okay." Ben assured. "When I was little, I forgot about my own birthday once, and I was _inconsolable_. So I can definitely see where you're coming from. But it's like you said, you've been having a busy couple of weeks. And you know what? Now you've got something to look forward to at the end of this week!"

Ruby sniffed and rubbed her nose, a bright smile appearing on her face. "Y-you know what? You're right! My birthday's in three days!" She raised her arms up in the air. "And I'm gonna celebrate it like no one's business!"

"Yeah, that's the spirit!" Iris cheered.

"Indeed." Whitlea agreed as she brought the lovely bouquet of sunflowers and lilacs over. "Happy Early Birthday, Ruby." She handed the flowers to Ben. "And here are your flowers, Ben." She gave the young man a wink and whispered; "And give Yang my best regards."

Ben's eyebrows rose. "Wait, you _knew_?"

"I did." Whitlea nodded. "Ruby and Taiyang have been here multiple times in the past, asking for the same flower combo."

Ben smirked over to Ruby. "I see." He focused back on Whitlea with a kind grin. "Well, in any case, thank you Miss Tiger Lily. I really appreciate it."

The tiger woman bowed her head. "You are very welcome, Ben. And best of luck to you."

Ben waved as he and Ruby started making their way to the door. "Thanks, see ya!"

Iris cleared her throat. "Uh, yeah, that's nice and all, but…" She pressed a button on the cash register, making it go; _cha-ching_. "You still gotta pay before you leave." Ben and Ruby glanced at each other, both bright red in embarrassment as they realized that they were just about to steal the flowers. The two laughed nervously as Ben pulled out his Lien card, walking over to the register to hastily pay for the bouquet.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the mall, Saphron and Terra were paying close attention to Gwen, still attempting to wrap their heads around what the redhead was telling them. They, along with Jaune, Pyrrha and Yang were all sitting at the same table in the food court, with Jaune keeping a firm grip on Romulus' leash while the pup played at their feet. Rouge and Athena were at a different table, the two women happily chatting away, telling stories from their respective lives. "So, Jaune says that your father is quite the successful Huntsman." The older woman brought up. "Was he ever on active duty while you were growing up?"

"Oh yeah, he went out on missions all the time." Rouge confirmed. "But he made sure that whenever he was home, he always made time for all of us." She chuckled a bit. "Hehe, though nowadays, he's semi-retired. Once Verte was born, I think he realized that more kids equals more dad responsibilities."

Athena chortled as well. "Hehe, I would say so. The moment I had Pyrrha, I decided that I would devote most of my time to her. I became semi-retired and, as luck would have it, when she got older, my darling wanted to become a Huntress."

"Hah, sounds a little like Jaune. He was _always_ interested in dad's Huntsman duties." Rouge clawed her hands and put them above her head. "To the point where he would have us pretend to be Grimm and he would vanquish us, haha!"

"Perhaps our families are more similar than we initially thought." Athena smiled, with the two women laughing in unison afterward.

Over at the other table, Saphron was still trying to digest all of the information she was being fed. "So you're telling me that alternate universes are pretty much normal things? And they get created practically _every day_?"

"Yep, that's the basic gist of things." Gwen nodded.

Terra quirked a brow. "I'm still not one-hundred percent getting all of this. Is there a… less complicated way of explaining it?"

Gwen put her hands up in front of her. "Alright, say you come to a fork in the road and you can either go right or left. After thinking it over, you decide to go right. However, by making that choice, you end up creating an alternate universe where you go left instead."

Terra nodded slowly. "Okay, I'm starting to get what you're saying now…"

Gwen grinned. "Alright, now, imagine that same scenario, but with an _infinite_ number of directions you could go. The possibilities are literally endless. Out in the multiverse, there are an infinite amount of Terra Cotta's, but they all differentiate from you in one way or another."

The bespectacled woman's eyes widened. "Wow… that's actually kind of intimidating."

Yang took a sip from her soda, her legs crossed while leaning back in her chair. "Yeah, I hear ya there. That's why I don't try to think about it much." A smirk came to her face. "But… the thought of a million me's _is_ kinda cool. I wonder what I'm doing right now?"

Jaune gave his fellow blonde a deadpan expression. "Yang, that sentence couldn't be any more confusing if you tried."

"At least we have context for it." Pyrrha shrugged. "But why don't we move on to a different topic. Terra, your sisters-in-law told us that you're a CCT technician, right?"

Terra let out a sigh. "Yeah, I am. Went to college, got a degree in computer engineering and got the job right out the gate. And it's… rather frustrating, I won't lie. And to tell the truth, I'm really glad that I took some time off." In her mind, Terra finished her thought; _'And in a few months, I'll probably be taking some MORE time off.'_

"Well that's great to hear." Pyrrha smiled. "Everyone needs some time away from what they do once and a while." The Invincible Girl turned to Saphron. "What about you, Saph? What do you do for a living?"

"Heh, well, I work as a librarian at the town hall in Argus." Saphron answered with a nervous chuckle. "It's not exactly as high of a pay grade as working as a technician, but it helps fill out the places in the bills where we need it."

Terra nudged her wife's shoulder. "Saph, c'mon, I told you that you don't have to feel bad just because you don't work as much as I do."

"I know…but still…"

"Honey, it's fine, I promise." Terra gave her wife a kiss and then a wink. "Okay?"

Saphron sighed and gave Terra a smile. "Okay." She leaned her head over onto Terra's shoulder. "Love you, sweetie."

"Love you too, Saph." Terra smiled back before focusing on the young adults once more, specifically Yang. "So, Yang, you said your sister's birthday was this weekend?"

"Damn right." Yang pointed a finger gun at Terra. "Saturday, October 31st, be there or be square."

Gwen's eyes widened. "Wait, Yang, Ruby's birthday is on _Halloween_? You didn't mention that!" Everyone at the table was giving Gwen an incredulous gaze of utter confusion after what she said, making the redhead shrink back a bit. "Did I… say something wrong?"

"Well, no…" Yang shook her head. "But… if you don't mind me asking… what's Halloween?"

If Gwen's jaw could hit the floor, it would have at that moment. But in hindsight, she should have expected this. _'They probably don't have Christmas, Valentine's Day or Easter either. They probably have a whole bunch of holidays that are COMPLETELY different from what we celebrate on Earth.'_ Gwen shook her head and gave them a chuckle. "Hehe, I guess we still have a lot to teach you guys about Earth culture. For now, I'll just say that it's a really fun holiday from where Ben and I are from and we NEED to teach you all about it."

"Hah, alright! Sounds like a plan!" Yang agreed.

"We've been so busy watching shows and playing video games that we haven't really been asking too much about your actual _culture_ , have we?" Pyrrha asked.

"Yeah, you know that _just_ hit me." Jaune nodded. "Man, I can't wait to see what your universe is like in person… whenever we'll be able to travel there."

"Believe me, you will." Gwen assured. "Ben and I promised that you would, and we won't be going back on our word. But all the same, we can still have a super fun Halloween."

"Just so long as it doesn't get in the way of Ruby's birthday." Yang kindly reminded. "I'm not planning on postponing my sister's party."

"Oh, don't worry, Yang, it won't be a problem." Gwen said with a knowing smirk. "After all, Halloween is at its most fun when it's nighttime."

Yang grinned at the redhead's words. "I'm liking the sound of that, Red." But then, a thought came into her head when she remembered the party. "Hmm, wonder how Nora, Blanche and Noire are doin'?" She pulled out her scroll and started going through the contacts until she found Nora's name and pressed it, dialing her number.

The other end picked up instantly; _"Hey Yang!"_

Yang greeted the Pink Dynamo back; "Nora! Hey, how're things going?"

" _Yang, things couldn't be more awesome than right now!"_ Nora answered.

"Ooh, that's a good sign." Yang said excitedly. "You guys finding some good stuff?"

" _Uh, we FOUND some good stuff!"_ Nora emphasized. _"Come outside! We're in the parking lot right now!"_

Yang's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wow, already? Well, okay, be right out!" Yang hung up her phone and rose up from her seat. "Sorry to cut this talk short guys, but I'm needed."

Gwen waved it off. "Don't worry, we get it. Besides, we'll be out soon too, so we won't be far behind."

Yang gave her a thumbs up. "Great! See ya in a few!" And with that, she ran outside, ready to meet her hyperactive friend to the twins and see what they bought.

* * *

When the Blonde Brawler made it outside and back to their parking space, her jaw dropped in shock. There, standing right behind Kevin's car was Nora, Blanche and Noire, all wearing proud grins as they stood behind three carts filled over the brim with party supplies, all of them either in bags, or just free for all to see. Nora spread her arms out and asked; "Well, whaddya think?"

Yang's violet eyes lit up and she charged over, giving each of the three girls a hug. "HAHAHA! This is perfect! I knew I could count on you guys!"

Blanche brushed her nails against her shoulder before casually examining them. "Aw, it was no big. My sister and I were the _queens_ of birthday parties when we were young."

"We kind of had to be since we share one." Noire confirmed. "We wanted to practically do everything under the sun every year, and dammit, we managed to find a way to do all of it. So we know just what the best birthday parties need."

Blanche chuckled. "Yeah, but Nora's a freaking trip and a half when it comes to getting party supplies! She thought of stuff that my sister and I didn't even _think_ of grabbing!"

Nora waved to her. "Aw, shucks, I'm just doing what I'm best at." She gave the twins a wink. "After so many years of throwing birthday parties for Ren, I've got quite a bit of experience."

"Haha, I'll say!" Yang said as she inspected all of the shopping cart's contents. She couldn't help but beam at every single decoration in the bags, the vision of what she was sure would be the pinnacle of birthday parties forming in her head. "Guys, you did an awesomely fantastic job and I can't thank you enough!"

"Hey, no problem!" Blanche pointed at her with a wink. "All we ask in return is for a freaking awesome party."

"EEEEE! I can't freaking wait!" Nora exclaimed as she bounced into the air. "Saturday can't come soon enough."

Noire strolled over to the shopping carts. "Same here, but it'd probably be best if we put these things into the cars before Ben comes back with Ruby."

Yang picked up one of the bags. "You read my mind, Noire. C'mon ladies, let's load 'em in!"

* * *

A few minutes later, Ben and Ruby were walking down the sidewalk around the perimeter of the mall, with the young hero holding the bouquet of flowers in hand. He couldn't help but smile as he gazed down at the bundle that Miss Tiger Lily was so kind enough to put together for him. But at the same time, a sort of nervous delight was rustling around in his gut. He took in a breath through his nostrils and let the nerves breath out of him. _'You can do this Ben. You've come this far already. You need to let her know how much you care.'_

As they were about to round the next corner, Ben took a few steps ahead and put his back up against the building. He poked his head out to peer around the side, much to Ruby's confusion. "Uh, what're you doing?"

"Checking to see if Yang's out here yet." Ben's eyes scanned the parking lot, and indeed, Yang was there, along with Nora and the twins as they just finished putting what he could only assume were party supplies into Athena's trunk. Ben turned back to Ruby, with worried expression. "She's there! Gah, I don't want her seeing them yet! How do I hide these?"

Ruby sent him a reassuring smile. "Okay, don't panic. I can hide the flowers pretty easily actually."

Ben titled his head. "You can?"

"Yep, flowers please." Ruby held out her hand and Ben handed her the flowers, trusting what she would so. Ruby settled the flowers at her right side and shrugged her shoulders, allowing her cloak to fall over her, resulting in the flowers being completely concealed. "See? It pays to wear something like this!"

"Heh, I guess so." The duo rounded the corner and Ben waved over, calling to his girlfriend. "Hey, Yang! Ladies, what's up?!"

The Blonde Brawler grinned as she moved around to face him. "Hey, babe!"

Ben blushed a deep red. _'She called me "babe"!'_ He didn't have much time to process that as Yang was in front of him in only a second, giving him a hug. He pushed through his thoughts to give her a warm smile and return the embrace. "Heh, so, how was the mall?"

"It was great! Nora and the gals found a few… _special_ things." Yang whispered.

"Did they now?" Ben whispered back. "Can't wait to see it."

"Oh, trust me, they're pretty sweet." It was then that Yang noticed her sister walking over, her cloak covering her body. "Hey sis, you cold?"

"A little bit, yeah." Ruby said. She usually didn't condone fibbing, but this was for a greater cause. So, she decided to change the subject, her expression changing to a downtrodden one. "Uh, Yang? I know this is gonna sound REALLY silly but… I… I forgot about my own birthday."

Yang glanced over to Ben, who gave her a shrug. The blonde nodded in understanding and winked over at her sister. "Well then, it's a good thing I didn't."

Ruby's eyes widened. "You didn't?"

"Of course I didn't!" Yang went over and wrapped an arm around her sister. "What would make you think I'd forget?"

"Well… it's just that we've all been so busy this past week or so and…"

"You thought I'd be too distracted by all the stuff goin' on around us?" Yang gave her sister a light jab on the shoulder. "C'mon, sis, you know me better than that. I promise that we'll do something on Saturday. Okay?"

Ruby sighed in relief. "Okay, thanks Yang. So, where's everyone else?"

"Right here!" The five looked back toward the mall entrance to see Gwen and everyone else come out of the building, with Saphron and Terra in the back of the group, whispering to each other. "Is everyone ready to go?" The Anodite asked.

"Pretty much." Yang nodded. "C'mon gang, let's load up and head back to the house."

However, just as they were about to leave, Blanche glanced over and noticed that Saphron and Terra were huddled together, having a hushed conversation. She smirked and called out; "Hey! What're you girls whispering about over there?"

The couple's heads shot up, but then they looked back to each other and the two shared a nod, reaffirming whatever they had been speaking about. They faced the group, both wearing happy grins on their face. "Everyone," Terra began, "we've got a little secret we've been keeping since landing here…"

Saphron reached into her purse and produced two envelopes, one that said Jaune, and another that had Rouge, Blanche and Noire's names all together. "But now we feel it's time to tell you." She handed the envelopes to their respective recipients. "Open 'em up!" she said giddily.

Rouge's eyebrow quirked as she took the envelope, with Blanche and Noire gathering around her. "Now what's all this about secrets?"

"Yeah, this is news to me." Noire added.

But Jaune smirked knowingly. "Oh, I knew the moment we got back to Patch that something was up." He opened up his envelope, with Saphron and Terra still with excited smiles on their faces. Jaune took the card out and read it out loud, with Pyrrha standing next to him to read it as well. "Let's see… "You've always been the best brother..."." He glanced up, his smirk still in place. "Well just make my ego bigger why don't ya?"

But Saphron ushered him to read further, doing her best to refrain from jumping in place. "C'mon, open it up!"

"Yes, Jaune, please." Pyrrha grasped her boyfriend's shoulders. "I cannot take it much longer."

Jaune chuckled and focused back on the card. "Okay. Ahem, "You've always been the best brother…"." Jaune opened the card. ""So be ready to be the best…"" His stomach did a flip when his eyes landed on the last word, one that started with a "U". When Pyrrha saw it, she let out an audible gasp and covered her mouth with both hands, muffling the joyous cry that followed. Jaune's head shot up to Saphron and Terra. "Is… is this real? This isn't a prank is it?"

Saphron shook her head and faced her sisters. "C'mon, open yours."

Rouge glanced between her younger sister and Jaune before opening the envelope, with Blanche and Noire still at her sides. She got the card out and read it aloud; ""For the greatest sisters in the world, our gift to you…"." She opened the card. ""Is being even greater aun—" WHAT?!" The three women's eyes widened when they saw the last word. Their heads collectively whipped back to face Saphron and Terra with shocked expressions, hoping for confirmation.

"This… this is actually happening?" Blanche asked, her voice cracking and tears welling up in her eyes.

Saphron and Terra laced their fingers in together… and Terra set her hand on her belly. The bespectacled woman's only word was; "Surprise."

At that moment, the parking lot became subject to what could only be described as an outburst of happy sobbing as the Arc Sisters rushed forward and pulled the two girls into a group hug, with the three ladies all crying tears of joy and shouting congratulatory praises. Even Athena got in on the action, the older woman instantly knowing what was happening without any explanation needed. "Congratulations to the both of you!" the older woman cried out.

Ben, Yang, Gwen, Ruby and Nora were all taken aback at first. They had an idea of what was going on, but just to be safe, they all turned to Jaune and Pyrrha. Ben was the one to speak first. "Jaune? Is this what I think it is?"

The blonde knight was crying silently to himself, with Pyrrha embracing him and giving him words of encouragement. Jaune glanced up at his friends and he grinned at them before showing the card. "Guys, Terra's pregnant… I'm gonna be an uncle for the third time in my life."

The scream of utter joy that Nora let out could be heard from miles away.

* * *

**A/N: I think my ears are still ringing from that scream. In any case, yeah, big surprise, Terra's pregnant! Who would've guessed, huh? Guess Ruby's birthday isn't the only thing that's going to be celebrated that week. Speaking of which, Ben and the gang have found out that Ruby's birthday is also on Halloween… and that Remnant apparently doesn't _have_ Halloween. That's going to need to be rectified. Though at the moment, that'll have to wait, because Ben's got his bouquet of flowers, and he needs to find the perfect way to give them to the girl he cares about…**

**Alright, so Next Time! The group heads back to the Xiao-Long house, excited for the others to meet Saphron and Terra and to tell them the big news. But afterwards, Ben gets the perfect idea on how he can give the flowers to Yang. How will this idea fair? We'll just have to wait and see. Thanks for reading, guys! See ya!**


	47. Beautiful Flowers for an Awesome Lady

**A/N: And we're back! It's that time again, but rather than make a lengthy author's note this time, I'm going to save it for the end of the chapter. Buckle up and get ready for romance, because this is…**

**Chapter 47: Beautiful Flowers for an Awesome Lady**

* * *

Blake's ears perked up, keenly aware of what she just heard. She rose to her feet, hammer still in hand while everyone else continued hammering the boards into the top of the picnic table. She was sure that what she just heard was high pitched scream… a scream that was capable of only being made by one person. She looked in the direction she heard it come from before turning to the Pink Dynamo's best friend. "Okay, Ren, I know this is gonna sound weird, but… I think I just heard Nora screaming."

Ren closed his eyes to focus on the sound. He then stood up before looking off into the distance. "Yep, that's Nora. But I don't think we have anything to worry about."

Sun rubbed his ear. "Uh, you sure about that, dude? Because my eardrums are saying otherwise."

The green ninja gave him a smile. "Believe me, we don't. Nora only screams like that whenever there's good news, never when things are bad."

Neptune, holding a cordless drill in one hand, got up and looked over to Blake. "You think they're on their way back, Blake?"

"Probably." Blake figured before turning back to their work. "And we're only close to finishing _one_ picnic table!"

Kevin dusted his hands off. "Well, almost two picnic tables." The Osmosian pointed down to the assembled boards between him and Neptune. "We just got done putting the legs and seats of this bad boy together. So if we're quick, we can hammer the table top boards on before they even get home. Then, if we can get Ruby distracted again, we'll just keep on putting these puppies together in the shed out back."

Blake let out a sigh. "Alright then, let's finish these two tables and then put everything away. We've got about twenty minutes or so, so let's get this done, guys!" To her surprise, the whole group rallied together in one big; "YEAH!" catching her off-guard. "Um… okay then?"

Weiss gave her a thumbs up. "What can I say? You're just that good at being in charge."

"She speaks the truth." Sun grinned as he wrapped an arm around Blake's shoulders. "You've done awesome job today, Blake. Yang made the right decision leaving you in charge of us."

Blake blushed and she gave Sun a light pinch on the cheek. "Aw, you're just saying that."

Sun raised an eyebrow and smirked at her. "Do I look like the kind of person who kids people often?" He was met with a smirk and quirked eyebrow of Blake's own, much to his dismay. "Uh, okay, maybe a little, but this time I'm one hundred percent serious!"

Blake burst out laughing and gave Sun a kiss on the cheek. "I know you are, Sun. And I'm glad that you mean all of it." Blake knelt down and began to pick up a board. "Now let's get going, these boards aren't going to hammer themselves in, right?"

Sun chuckled and helped her pick the board up. "You got it, m'lady."

* * *

After the big news drop at the mall, with everyone giving their congratulations, the gang loaded up into their cars and rolled for home, eager for everyone else to meet Saphron and Terra as well as share the happy news. As Kevin's car rolled down the dirt road to the Xiao-Long house, its five passengers were currently in the most celebratory mood possible. "I still can't believe you guys are having a baby!" Jaune laughed in happiness as he hugged his sister and sister-in-law in the back seat. "Haha! This is awesome!"

Gwen and Pyrrha both had massive smiles on their faces as they sat up front, though the Anodite had to keep her eyes on the road. "I know I've probably said this plenty of times already, but seriously, congratulations you two. I'm really happy for the both of you!"

"Indeed." Pyrrha agreed as she pet Romulus on her lap. "I'm sure that you two will both be amazing parents."

Saphron gave an anxious sigh. "I hope so. I mean, I'm good with kids, but I've never had to _raise_ a child."

"Neither have I." Terra agreed as she set her hand on her belly. "I know one thing though; it definitely _won't_ be easy."

"It never is the first time." Gwen confirmed. "My parents told me that my brother was incredibly difficult to deal with when he was a baby. But when they had me, they knew all the tricks of the trade at that point."

Saphron chuckled. "Hehe, well, we'll just have to wait and see. Who knows? Maybe the little one will be easier to handle than we think."

Jaune gave his sister a smirk. "I think that's one of the top ten things that most people say before disaster."

Saphron narrowed her eyes and gave a smirk to her brother. "Oh really? Well then try spending a day with a toddler and see where you end up, lil' bro."

"No thanks," Jaune shook his head. "I'm not really in the mood for dirty diapers and loud crying in the middle of the night, thank you. Maybe someday when I'm older and can tolerate it more, but not anytime soon."

"I'd hope not anytime soon." Terra smirked as she glanced over to Pyrrha in the front seat. "Because as much as I approve of your relationship with Pyrrha, Jaune, I have to agree that it is WAY too soon to even be considering children. Though I CAN see them being quite adorable."

Jaune and Pyrrha blushed furiously at Terra's insinuation and the couple immediately began to stammer out poorly structured words out of embarrassment. Saphron on the other hand was greatly enjoying her brother's flustered state. "Ooh, Terra got you good, lil' bro!"

Gwen rolled her eyes and spoke back to them. "Alright children, don't make me turn this car around. Besides, we're here." Gwen pulled Kevin's car into the driveway of the Xiao-Long residence and put it in park, taking the key out so that the mighty vehicle could at last rest its engine for the day. Gwen opened the door and honked her horn. "Hey! We're home! And we brought company!"

As Rouge, the Arc twins, Nora and Ruby got out of the eldest Arc sister's sedan and Athena exited her own car, Blake and Weiss dashed out from the side of the house, waving at the group as they ran. "Hey guys!" Blake called out.

"How is everybody doing?" Weiss asked as she slowed to a halt before catching sight of the two new arrivals. "Oh! You must be Saphron and Terra!" The heiress extended her hand. "It's such a pleasure to meet you, I'm Wiess."

Blake put her hand out as well. "And I'm Blake, it's a pleasure."

"Likewise!" Saphron smiled as she shook Blake's hand. "And please, call me Saph. Everyone does."

"It's nice to meet you girls." Terra nodded as she and Weiss shook hands. "So I'm guessing that you're the other two members of Team RWBY?"

Weiss' eyebrows rose. "Um, yes, how'd you guess?"

"I filled them in while we were eating breakfast." Yang answered as she and Ben walked over to the group. "I felt it'd be a lot simpler if I told them about you guys beforehand, just so we didn't spend all day introducing ourselves to them."

Ruby giggled at that. "Hehe, yeah, that was some good thinking sis." The Hooded Huntress proceeded to make her way to the door, her cloak still draped over her body. "Well, I'm gonna go in and see what everyone's up to!"

Yang nudged her head against Ben's shoulder. "Hey, you think you can distract her long enough for us to get the decorations into the shed?"

The hero gave his girlfriend a kiss on the cheek. "You know it. See you in a few." Ben began to sprint after Ruby, calling out to her as they entered the house.

"I'll go with him, just in case he needs backup." Rouge volunteered

Yang gave the eldest Arc a thumbs up. "Awesome, thanks Rouge." When Rouge entered the house after Ben and Ruby, Yang gave the okay to Nora, Blanche and Noire. "Alright ladies, we're in the clear."

Nora gave a salute. "Aye-aye, Yang! We're on it!" The Pink Dynamo opened up the trunk of Athena's car and the three girls began to take party supplies to the backyard, with Athena helping them out as well.

Once Yang made sure that everything was going according to plan, she grinned over to Blake, eager to hear about how much progress was made on the party. "So Blake, how did everything go this morning? Did you guys get a lot done?"

"It went pretty good for the most part." Blake nodded. "Weiss and I called everyone that was on your list. Some of them couldn't make it because of stuff they had already committed to on Saturday, but we did manage to invite most of them." Her face fell a bit. "But, while all of the boards for the picnic tables have been cut, we were only able to get two fully assembled before you got home."

"Aw, that's alright!" Yang assured as she brought Blake and Weiss in, draping her arms around their shoulders. "It's a great start, and we've still got three whole days to get 'em done. I'm sure you guys did great this morning." The blonde gave Blake a thumbs up. "I knew I left the right person in charge!"

Blake smiled and rolled her eyes. "Heh, thanks." The cat girl then focused her attention back on Saphron and Terra. "So, how are you ladies liking Patch so far?"

"Oh, it's seriously super nice here." Saphron answered. "It's just so quaint and peaceful, it really reminds me a lot of where I grew up."

Terra nodded in agreement. "Yeah, though it's kind of hard to believe that it's off the coast of such a large city like Vale."

"You'd be surprised what you can find on the outskirts of a city if you look hard enough." Gwen brought up. "After all, sometimes we focus on the bigger things so much that we don't end up seeing all of the smaller things that we take for granted."

"Hey! Am I hearin' some insightful wisdom?" Came a familiar voice from the side of the house. Sure enough, it was Kevin, who was being followed by Ren, Sun and Neptune. "That must mean that my girlfriend's home." He went up to Gwen and gave her a kiss. "Welcome back. How was the mainland?"

"Hehe, it was fine, Kevin." Gwen grinned. "Aside from a few… freakish accidents."

"I saw that." Kevin nodded. "Hell, we got a call from Goodwitch when it all went down, but we told her that you guys were already there."

"Ah, I see." Gwen raised an eyebrow. "So, did you tell her about the party?"

Weiss shook her head. "Not when she called. I had Winter relay the message to her and General Ironwood. They can all make it on Saturday."

"Yeah, we're pretty much set for guests. It's gonna be _packed_." Kevin concurred before his eyes trailed over to the new arrivals. "Speakin' of, hi, I'm Kevin. You're Jaune's sister and sister-in-law, right? Nice to meet ya."

"Indeed we are." Saphron confirmed. "I'm Saph, and this is my wife, Terra. And I must say, your car is pretty kick ass."

"Heh, thanks. I make sure to keep her in shape." The Osmosian stated proudly. "…Even if she gets totaled on some occasions."

Terra glanced at the car. "This car's been totaled? Huh, you can hardly tell."

Gwen put an arm around her boyfriend. "That's my Kevin for you, he's as big of a motorhead as you'll find around these parts. For Ben's sixteenth birthday Kevin _built_ him a car."

"And I've been working on Gwen's car for months before we got pulled to this dimension." Kevin added. "It's just taken longer because I've been running into money and resource troubles over the course of the past year."

"Aw, well I'm sure you'll be able to get it done someday." Saphron assured.

"Saph's right." Terra agreed. "You've got a smart head on your shoulders, Kevin. And it's a good thing you aren't putting it to waste." The bespectacled woman turned to the other boys standing there, waiting for their chance to introduce themselves. But Terra and Saphron were hoping to see one in particular. "Okay, so… which one of you is Ren?"

The green ninja stepped forward and raised his hand. "Right here." He approached them with his usual calm composure. "It's very nice to meet you both."

"Same here." Saphron grinned. "It's nice to finally meet you. Nora's been raving about you since breakfast."

Ren's eyebrows rose in surprise. "She has?"

Jaune smirked and nudged his friend's shoulder. "Oh, yeah, she wouldn't stop talking you up, Ren. Well, she would, but only when she was eating."

It was a rare sight to see Ren get flustered, but the young ninja didn't know how what to say. "Well, I… uh… ahem, I…"

Pyrrha rolled her eyes and reassured her friend. "Oh, don't let it get to you, Ren. You should feel happy that Nora talks about you that way." She gave him a wink. "It shows how much she really cares."

Saphron's eyes widened and she whispered to her brother; "Wait, Ren and Nora _aren't_ together? I thought from the way that Nora was talking about him that they _were_."

Jaune pat his sister's hand. "Yeah, so did I." He whispered back. "I thought that for a good few months before I realized they weren't."

"Well, that's surprising." Saphron shook her head and focused back on Ren. "Anyway, Ren, I'm glad that you, Nora and Pyrrha are so close to my brother. Not once when I was growing up would I have ever imagined that my brother would have a great team by his side."

His prior embarrassment having passed, Ren smiled and took a bow. "I am very honored that you feel that way, Saphron. Jaune and Pyrrha have become like family to Nora and myself. We haven't been this close to anyone since we were very young, so…"

"Say no more." Saphron pat him on the shoulder. "Welcome to the family."

"Hah, your father said the same thing to us before he left." Pyrrha chuckled. "And… I am very grateful that he feels that way."

Terra smirked at her before whispering; "You should. Because that basically means that you already have his blessings if you and Jaune ever decide to tie the knot one day." She got just the reaction she was hoping for; Pyrrha blushing furiously and trying to hide behind her hands. "Hehe, sorry Pyrrha, I'm just teasing. It was just too good to resist."

Saphron turned around at the remaining two boys. "And you two must be the boys from Mistral who're staying here. Your names are…"

"Sun, Sun Wukong." The monkey boy introduced himself. "It's nice to meet you."

Neptune spoke up next. "And I'm Neptune Vasilias. Wow, I guess Yang really DID bring you guys up to speed."

"Yep, she sure did." Saphron said. "But it's still nice to meet you in person. There's only so much you can know about someone from just a description, you know."

"Definitely." Sun agreed. "So, did we miss out on anything big? You know, other than those freaks attacking the airport?"

Blake stepped forward, hoping to find out what caused the scream from earlier. She pointed to her ears and said; "Yeah, I picked up a REALLY loud scream that I'm pretty sure came from Nora. Did something happen at the mall or something?"

The sound of laughter caught their attention and in no time at all, Nora had zipped right back over, standing between Ren and Blake with the biggest of all smiles on her face. "Heehee! Oh yeah, that was totally me! If anyone wasn't awake at that moment, they probably are now, haha! But really, after hearing such AWESOME news, I just couldn't hold it in!"

"Awesome news, eh?" Kevin asked. "Well don't keep us in suspense, what is it? Must be pretty good to get a scream like that."

Blanche came running from the back yard and instantly began questioning her older sister. "Wait, Saph, we were gone for three minutes and you HAVEN'T told them about IT yet? C'mon, you don't keep people hanging with news like that!"

Noire sighed as she came up behind her twin and grasped her shoulders. "Sis, you're so impatient. The last thing you do is put pressure on a happy couple."

Terra smirked and rolled her eyes. "It's okay, Noire. Besides, we were going to tell everyone eventually."

"Of course we were." Saphron faced the crowd with a grin. "Everyone, I know that this is a bit soon after we met, but…" She wrapped her arms around Terra. "My wife and I have a special announcement."

Terra put her hand on her stomach. "And boy, is it a big one."

* * *

Inside the house, Ben and Rouge had followed Ruby into the kitchen, hoping to deter the Hooded Huntress from seeing the decorations being put away in the backyard. Ben glanced out the back window to see that the lawn was devoid of any building materials, much to his relief, but then he saw Nora, Blanche and Noire all dashing to the shed with decorations in hand, prompting him to start distracting again. Fortunately, he knew just how to do it. "Hey Ruby, how're the flowers holding up?"

"Oh yeah! They're just fine." Ruby pulled her cloak back behind her shoulders and revealed the flowers, just as intact as when they were given to her. "I had to take them out in Rouge's car so that they wouldn't get smushed, but don't worry, I told the girls to keep it secret."

"That we shall." Rouge said as she entered the room. The eldest Arc sister turned to Ben, giving him a smile. "I have to say Ben, you got some beautiful flowers for Yang. I'm quite sure that she'll appreciate it."

Ben blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Aw, thanks. I just… want to let her know how I feel, you know? I haven't met any other person who's made me feel this way. I mean, sure I've been in relationships before, but with Yang… she makes me feel…" Ben sighed as he couldn't find the right words to describe it. "Ugh, I REALLY wish I could relay my emotions better."

Rouge smirked and pat Ben on the shoulder. "Yeah, I've been there before. Feelings like these are very often indescribable." She gave him a wink. "But don't worry, those flowers say everything you need to." She moved to face the Hooded Huntress. "Ruby, may I see the bouquet?"

"Oh, sure." Ruby handed her the flowers and Rouge presented them to Ben.

"See, I took a botany class in college, and I've made it a point to memorize the many symbols of flowers." Rouge pointed to one of the sunflowers. "For example, do you know what the sunflower represents?"

Ben pondered for a moment before giving his answer; "Um, the sun?"

Rouge chuckled at that. "Hehe, yes, in a way. But they're also used to convey longevity, as well as feelings of adoration and loyalty. Essentially, they mean that you want to be with her for a long time."

Ruby smirked over to Ben. "Ooh, what a lover boy."

It only served to make Ben blush deeper. "Gee, thanks Ruby. But, yeah, I do hope that our relationship lasts."

Rouge smiled. "See? You're committed, and that's definitely a good thing." She pointed to the lilacs. "Now, while the lilac itself represents things like confidence and the season of spring, the _purple_ lilac is symbolic of early love, when the first emotions are just beginning to bubble up inside."

Ruby's eyes lit up like a pair of silver lights and she shook Ben by the shoulders. "EEEEEE! That's totally you guys!"

But contrary to Ruby's excitement, Ben's face at the moment held feelings of nervousness. "I… I never knew that lilacs represented those feelings. But I really DO care about her, and… I just want to let her know how MUCH I care."

Rouge handed the bouquet to the young hero. "Ben, you bought the perfect bouquet to do that with. I'm very sure that she will love these flowers. But the key to making sure that everything goes right is how you give them to her. Have you decided on how you're going to do that?"

Ben sighed and lowered his head. "I've been going over so many ideas in my head, but… I just can't find the perfect one."

Rouge pondered for a bit before snapping her fingers. "Say, didn't you say that you wanted to go on a picnic with her yesterday, but couldn't because of the rain?"

Ben's eyes widened and a huge smile came to his face. "That's it! The picnic at the lake! Haha! Rouge, you're a genius!" And then a new idea popped in his head. "Oh! I could hide the flowers in the picnic basket until we get there!"

Rouge put her hand on her chin. "Hmm, it'd have to be a BIG picnic basket."

At that moment, a flurry of rose petals dashed up the stairs, shocking both Ben and Rouge into jumping a foot off the ground. A split second later, and Ruby came back down the steps, holding a rather large picnic basket. "Will this do?"

Ben raised an eyebrow before glancing at the flowers. He looked back at the basket and opened one of its flaps before delicately placing the bouquet in it. He closed the flap, the flowers completely concealed. "Ha! It worked! Great thinking Ruby… wait, why do you have such a big picnic basket?"

The Hooded Huntress grinned slyly. "Let's just say that you'd be surprised how much food that my dad and uncle could eat whenever we went on family picnics."

"I can imagine." Ben rolled his eyes. "Hmm, but the basket's way too big to ride on Bumblebee…"

"Oh, I can drive you two over to the lake." Rouge volunteered. "Or if you want to drive over yourselves, you can just borrow my car if you want."

"Thanks, Rouge." Ben nodded. "That'd actually help out a lot." Ben pulled out his wallet, containing his driver's license. "In fact, I've still got my driver's license… my United States driver's license. Man, I'm glad that none of us have gotten pulled over yet."

The eldest Arc sister wore a slightly worried expression. "Yeah, let's not jinx that. I'll drive you guys over."

Ruby gently pulled the flowers out of the picnic basket. "So, what should we do with the flowers until you guys are ready to leave?"

"We should at least keep them in a of container of water." Rouge suggested. "It should be either a vase or a glass. But don't take them out of the wrapping, and make sure you put them in a place that Yang will never think to look."

Ruby gave her a salute. "Right." Just then, the three heard the front door open, with what sounded like a big commotion of cheers and congratulations. Ruby let out a gasp before shoving the picnic basket over to Ben and rushing over to one of the kitchen cabinets. She pulled out a pint glass and filled it up with water before sticking the flowers in it. Her eyes dashed around the room, looking for a quick way to escape, with her only option being the back door. "Gotta hide! Gotta hide!" In a blur of red and black, Ruby zipped straight out the door just as everyone else entered the kitchen.

Ben and Rouge sighed in relief before turning to their friends, still flooding into the room. Rouge gave them a smile. "So, I take it that everyone has been filled in on the news?"

Saphron raised her hands. "Hey, what can I say? Blanche peer pressured us into doing it."

Blanche simply rolled her eyes at that. "Hey, you said yourself that it was only a matter of time before you told 'em anyways, I was just speeding the process along is all."

"Hmm, I see." Rouge looked over to her sister-in-law. "Though now that everyone knows, there's something I forgot to ask… how long have you been pregnant, Terra?"

"Hah, I'm just entering my second week." Terra laughed before sitting down at the table with her wife. "So if you're asking if I've been feeling any of the "side-effects" of being pregnant, no, I have not."

Rouge couldn't help but smirk. "Yeah, enjoy that for as long as you can, sister, because once they start, you WILL notice."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

As the two went back and forth, everyone else gathered around the table, with Blake and Sun taking the chairs closest to the expecting couple. "So, Saph," Blake began, "from what I've been hearing from your sisters, you're the only Arc living away from home, right?"

Saphron gave Blake a nod. "Yes ma'am, I moved away from home about a month after mine and Terra's wedding. There just wasn't a whole lot left for me back home, and I wanted to see what it was like somewhere else." She put an arm around Terra. "And since Terra already had a job and house in Argus, it was easy for me to move in. Haven't regretted it since." She eyed her younger sisters. "Even though some weren't all that keen on the decision at first."

Blanche and Noire both visibly cringed. "Yeah, sorry about that." Blanche apologized.

Saphron grinned and crossed her arms. "Blanche, it's been two years since that… little disagreement. Everything's fine now."

The Arc clad in white lowered her gaze to the table's surface. "I know, it's just… GAH! I ended up pulling the same shit when Jaune left home!" She gripped her hands to her head and put her face down on the tabletop. "Ugh, I feel like such a bit—"

"WHOA, let's not go that far, sis!" Jaune put his hand on her shoulder. "No need to call yourself a word that nasty. Besides, it's like Saph said, everything's all behind us at this point."

"That's right." Pyrrha did the same, but with a grin and a knowing wink. "Plus, I believe we agreed that it never happened in the first place if I recall."

Blanche glanced up, slowly giving the Invincible Girl a smirk. "Yeah, you're right, in fact, I can't remember what I was upset about!"

As the three erupted into a fit of laughter, everyone just stared on in confusion. Well, all except Rouge, Noire, Ben and Yang of course, themselves being the only ones who knew what had happened. Sun glanced over to Blake. "You ever get the feeling you're missing out on a certain context?" he whispered to her.

"Best not to ask." Blake whispered back. "If it's a family matter, we shouldn't get ourselves involved."

Neptune cleared his throat and attempted to change the subject. "So, uh, how long are you ladies here for? Did you manage to get some good off-time?"

Terra was the one who answered. "We did actually. We both managed to get a good week and a half off. But once next Friday comes along, we've gotta head back to Argus."

Noire brightened up at that. "That's awesome! That's just enough time for the family to catch up with everyone!"

Gwen nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's great news to hear, I…" The Anodite trailed off when she saw what her cousin was holding. "Uh, Ben? Why the picnic basket?"

As all eyes focused on him, Ben glanced down to see that he was indeed still holding the picnic basket that Ruby had shoved into his hands. "OH! Uh, yeah, I uh, I was just…" His focus shifted over to his girlfriend and he gave her a smile, presenting her with the basket. "I was just going to ask you if you wanted to go on the picnic we had planned on yesterday. Whaddya say, Goldie Locks?"

Yang's eyes brightened up. "Oh yeah! We couldn't go yesterday 'cause of the crappy weather!" She got up and went over to him. "Yeah, I'd love to go, Green Boy."

"Awesome!" Ben exclaimed. "All we gotta do is make some food and we can head to the lake!"

Rouge stepped in and made her offer to Yang. "I could drive you two over there if you'd like, Yang. I can imagine that a picnic basket that size would make riding on your bike a bit awkward."

"Heh, yeah, probably would." Yang chuckled. "Thanks Rouge, that'd be really nice."

Gwen clapped her hands and got up from her seat. "Well, if that's the case, then why don't we give the lovely couple some room to work, huh? Let's get down into the basement and we can REALLY get the fun going."

"Oh, that sounds interesting." Saphron said. As she and everyone else began to leave the room and head down the stairs, she looked back and waved to Ben and Yang. "Have fun you guys!"

Terra pointed to her sister-in-law. "And Rouge, make sure they stay out of trouble, okay?"

Rouge rolled her eyes. "Terra, I'm not their babysitter, they can do whatever the heck they want on their date… so long as it's public-friendly."

Yang smirked before wrapping her arm around her boyfriend. "Aw, relax, Rouge. We won't give you TOO much of a hard time, right Ben?"

"You know it." Ben chuckled as he returned the embrace. "So, what're you in the mood for this afternoon?"

"Hehe, an excellent question." Yang laughed. But then, as she gazed around the room, she realized that someone was missing. "Hey, where did Ruby go? I thought she was with you guys?"

Rouge piped up to give Yang an answer. It wasn't the truth, but it was an answer nonetheless. "Oh, she just went upstairs. I'm sure she'll be down any minute."

* * *

Meanwhile, upstairs in Team RWBY's room, Zwei watched in confusion as Ruby opened the window from the outside and climbed into the room, grunting in exertion as she hoisted herself up and over the threshold. She still had the flowers in the pint of water from earlier, but it had taken every bit of intense balance training that she had ever gone through to make sure that not a drop of water was spilled. Ruby set the glass down on her nightstand and collapsed onto her bed, exhausted from her ascent up the side of her own house.

"Ben Tennyson, you owe me so darn much for this." Ruby sighed. "The things I do for my sister's happiness." At the sight of his owner's exhaustion, Zwei jumped up on the bed and curled up next to her, making her smile. "Aw, thanks Zwei. Glad you appreciate my effort."

* * *

About twenty minutes later, Yang and Ben had finished making their food and loading it up into the basket. The couple went out into the living room to get Rouge, the Arc sister sitting on the couch and watching television while she waited for them. "Hey Rouge, we're done." Yang called out. "You ready to roll?"

Rouge nodded and got up, jingling her keys. "Yep, I'm all set. And hey, our little fiasco this morning made headline news." She pointed at the TV, and news anchor Lisa Lavender sitting behind her desk and relaying what had happened that morning.

" _Our top story this evening; a group of brave Hunters stopped a trio of bizarre superpowered "circus freaks" from wreaking havoc in the Vale airport this morning. We weren't able to interview the Hunters in question, but we did manage to get a comment from General Ironwood about what happened."_

The news transitioned to an on-sight interview with General Ironwood, the footage showing the Circus Freaks being taken away. _"I am very grateful to the team who've brought these freaks down."_ The general spoke into the nearest mic. _"We have been working with them for some time now and honestly, they are a very brave group of people who go above and beyond the call of duty to help keep this city safe."_

From off screen, one newscaster asked; _"Are you at liberty to give out their names?"_

Ironwood shook his head. _"I am sorry, but for the sake of their privacy, I am not about to say who they are."_ He looked directly at the camera. _"But… if they're watching this… I want to thank them again for their bravery today."_

Ben and Yang smiled before the Omnitrix bearer turned the TV off. "Hehe, you're welcome, General."

Yang turned to her boyfriend. "Well, if we're all set, you ready to roll?"

"Well, allow me to check." Ben opened up one of the picnic basket's flaps and went over all of the food. He winced and lightly smacked his forehead. "Aw, shoot, forgot the tablecloth. I'll be right back, okay?"

"Sure, we'll be here." Yang winked.

Ben winked back before heading back into the kitchen with the picnic basket in hand. He opened up the closet, grabbed a checkered tablecloth, and then closed it right back up. The hero turned around, and there was Ruby, standing on the stairs with her cloak draped around her again. Ben glanced down the hall to make sure that Yang wasn't looking before going up to her. "They still good?"

Ruby produced the bouquet from her cloak, still intact. "Yep, all good." She opened up the basket and gently set the flowers in it before closing it right back up. "There, all hidden." Ruby gave Ben the pint glass and then a wink. "Good luck, Ben."

Ben quickly emptied the pint glass and put it in the basket, latching it up for good measure. "Thanks Ruby, you're awesome. I'll see you later." waved to her before going back to the front of the house where Yang and Rouge were waiting. Ben smiled at his girlfriend and gave her a nod. "Alright, NOW we've got everything."

Yang gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Great! Let's go!" And with that, the three were off to the car, with Rouge taking the driver's seat while Yang and Ben sat in the back. Yang took a window seat while Ben sat in the middle next to her, keeping the picnic basket on the seat farthest away from Yang so that she wouldn't peek into it. Rouge started the car and they took off for the lake, leaving Ruby behind as she stood in the front door grinning after them.

Just as Ruby was about to go back in, she heard a familiar voice behind her; "They really have something special, don't they?" In shock, she turned around to see Gwen, a wistful expression on her face. The redhead sighed as she gazed out after the car. "I saw the flowers, you know."

Ruby's eyes widened. "You did?!"

"Yeah, and I'm really proud of Ben for stepping up like this." Gwen chuckled.

Ruby chuckled as well before glancing down to the ground. After a good few seconds, she looked up at the redhead. "Hey Gwen? Can I ask you something?"

Gwen smiled to her friend. "Sure Ruby, what's up?"

"Do you think… that I might be able to find someone? Because… well I haven't really "clicked" with anyone yet."

With a supportive grin, Gwen pulled her friend in for a hug. "And that's fine, Ruby. You don't HAVE to go out searching for love. I mean, you _can_ , but that doesn't mean you _have_ to. If you find someone who you think you can be happy with, then that's great! But you've still got your whole life ahead of you." The Anodite gave her a wink. "So make sure to enjoy it, okay?"

A grin came to Ruby's face. "Thanks, Gwen. And you're right, I should enjoy myself." Her grin increased to a smirk. "Especially since my birthday's this weekend!"

"So I've heard. But hey, did you know that your birthday actually falls on a major Earth holiday?"

Ruby's eyebrows rose in shock. "It DOES?! No way!"

Gwen nodded to her before leading her up the stairs once again. "Indeed it does, and it's called… _Halloween_." The redhead added a sinister flair to the last word. "Come my child, and I will tell you all about it."

* * *

The calm serenity of Patchwork Lake was only matched by its utter beauty. The bright green grass that surrounded the large body of water was freshly cut, and the crystal-clear water itself shone brightly as the sun reached its peak in the sky, signaling the arrival of noon time. It was the calmness of the whole area was only slightly disturbed as a certain red sedan pulled up along the road before pulling into a nearby gravel parking lot across the street. Yang and Ben climbed out of the backseat of the vehicle, leaving its driver sitting there by herself. "You sure you don't wanna come and at least _see_ the lake, Rouge?" Yang asked as she gazed through the front window. "You'd be missing out on an awesomely pretty sight."

"Oh, no, it's alright, Yang." Rouge reassured. "I wouldn't want to disturb you two on your date. Besides…" She pulled out her cell phone. "I'm going to be talking with my parents and then my husband, just to see how things are going back home."

"Well, if you insist." Ben said as he grabbed the picnic basket and tablecloth. "But feel free to come out and see the lake if you want."

"Yeah, you won't be disturbing us." Yang agreed. "After all, we're just eating lunch."

Rouge glanced into her rear-view mirror, watching as the couple crossed the street with a knowing glance. "Hehe, you're in for a lot more than just food, Yang. Hope you're ready for a surprise."

When Ben and Yang made it over to the other side, they both smiled at the gorgeous sight, with Ben being the most in awe over the whole thing. "Wow, it's even better than when I saw it the other day." He took in a big whiff of air. "Ah, freshly cut grass."

"Hehe, yeah, they like to come out and clean the area every couple of weeks." Yang explained. "But the best part about this is that everyone's either in school or at work…" she held his hand in her own, "so we've got the whole place to ourselves."

"I like the sound of that." Ben agreed. They went over to the closest table and unfolded the tablecloth over it, both of them thankful that there was not any wind at the moment. Ben set the picnic basket down and they sat next to each other, ready to enjoy the meal that they themselves prepared. "Well, would the lady like first dibs?"

"Hehe, sure." Yang laughed before reaching over to the picnic basket. But once she did, she saw that there was something different about it. "Hey, wait a sec, I don't remember latching this…" She quirked an eyebrow to her boyfriend. "Did you?"

Ben wore a sly grin and glanced off to the side. "Maaaybe."

"Alright, what's in the basket?"

"I can't say or else I'll ruin the surprise." Ben winked. "Go on, open it up and see."

"Oh ho, no way, Green Boy." Yang smirked at him. "I ain't takin' the chance of getting pranked."

Ben chuckled as he set his hand on Yang's shoulder. "Hehe, it's not a prank, Goldie Locks, I promise. I think you'll find that it's actually something very nice."

"Oh really?" Yang proceeded to undo the latch and open it up. "Alright, but if I… I…" Yang's eyes widened and her voice got caught in her throat. At first, she didn't know how to react, because there, nestled inside the basket among the food that they had prepared… was a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers and lilacs… her favorite flowers. She carefully took them out of the basket and stared at them in complete shock. "Wh-where did these…"

"Surprise!" Ben exclaimed. "I told you that it was something nice. Do you like them?" But he didn't get a response. Yang was still staring at the flowers with her eyes wide and filled with shock and confusion. But, with his nerves acting up, Ben feared the worst. "Oh god, this… was this too soon?"

Those words jostled Yang out of her temporary mental reboot and she quickly began to reassure the boy who was so nice as to give her a bouquet. "What?! NO! Ben, this… this is probably one of the nicest things that anyone has _ever_ done for me! I just… I just didn't expect this to happen."

A glimmer of hope returned to the hero's heart. "So, you do like them?"

"I freaking LOVE them!" Yang smiled at him before glancing back to the flowers. "I'm just… I'm finding the right words to say right now because HOLY CRAP, my boyfriend just gave me my favorite flowers! How did you even know what I—wait, my sister helped you out didn't she?"

Ben wore a guilty grin on his face. "Yeah, she did. She told me your favorites and then brought me to Miss Tiger Lily's flower shop."

Yang closed her eyes and took a sniff at her bouquet, taking in the fragrant scent of the flowers. "Mmm, yeah, these're from Whitlea's alright." Yang grinned back to her boyfriend. "Ben, just how long were you planning all of this?"

The hero rubbed the back of his head. "Hehe, well, I got the idea when we got back from the mission on Monday." He reached over and gently grasped her hand. "Yang, I… I wanted to get them for you because… I want to let you know how much I care about you."

Yang could feel something welling up inside of her, a feeling that was a combination of excitement and happiness all at once. She looked back at her lovely flowers, contemplating what her boyfriend had just told her. _'He… gave me these… because he cares.'_ Her head whipped back around to him, her smile still beaming with happiness. "Ben?"

"Yes, Goldie Locks?"

Yang chuckled at her nickname before drawing closer to him. "Thank you. Thank you so much for this. I've… never really been given anything like this in any of the past relationships that I've been in… but knowing that these came from someone really special… it makes me REALLY happy. And I'm even happier…" She pointed to the center of Ben's chest, "that they came from here."

Ben glanced down and gave her a smile of his own. "Hehe, well, I'm known for many things, but pulling flowers out of my chest…"

Yang gave his shoulder a light smack. "Oh, you know what I'm talking about, silly!"

"Yeah, I do." Ben admitted as he drew in closer as well. "And you're more than welcome, Yang. You deserve it."

Yang smiled at him once again before glancing down for a second. "Ben… could I… ask you something?"

Ben gave an instant nod. "Of course! Anything, just name it."

Yang raised her head to look him directly in the eye. "Well… it's just…" But then her eyes darted away. "Gah, you'll think I'm being super selfish for even _saying_ it."

Ben cupped her cheek, causing her focus to go back to him. "Yang, I would _never_ think that you were selfish for asking _anything_. Name it, and it's yours, I promise."

Yang was taken aback by Ben's committed statement. But at the same time, she was undoubtedly grateful for his promise. She grinned at him before putting her hand over his own. "Ben… would it be weird if I asked if you could… stay?"

"I don't think it'd be weird." Ben shrugged. "I just need to know where you want me to stay. I can't exactly stay anywhere without knowing where I need to be, otherwise I'd just be wandering around aimlessly like a doof."

Yang let out a small laugh at his joke. "Pfhaha! It's not exactly a place, Green Boy." She calmed down and continued. "What I meant was if you would stay… with me. I really want to see where our relationship goes from here, and... well…" She blushed slightly before finishing her sentence, "you make me happy, Ben."

Her Green Boy smiled at her, his hand never once leaving hers. "And you make me happy too, Yang. My one hope is that our relationship is one that we can make last. So if you want me to stay with you, then that's a promise that I'm MORE than willing to keep."

Yang could feel the emotions inside of her go over the edge. With a laugh of joy, she wrapped her arms around Ben and nestled herself into the crook of his neck, overjoyed that he would keep her promise. "Thank you, Ben." she whispered to him. Yang felt his arms around her, bringing her into the comfortable embrace.

"You're welcome, Yang." He whispered back. "I promise that I'll be here for you. Always."

Yang pulled away to face him. "You don't think I'm being selfish?"

Ben shook his head. "No, of course not. Because I want to stay with you too." His eyes glanced over to the bouquet, just sitting there in the sun. "Although, I believe your flowers are thinking that we're BOTH being selfish for not getting them some water."

"Hehe, right… wait, do we have anything to put it in?"

Ben opened the picnic basket and produced a pint glass and a bottle of water. "Don't worry, I came prepared for that too!"

Yang burst out laughing. "HAHAHA! Ben, is that a PINT from my house?!"

Ben chuckled as he emptied the water bottle into the pint. "Hehe, yeah. Your sister kinda panicked when you were about to enter the kitchen, so she grabbed the nearest thing that could hold water."

Yang rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that sounds like Ruby alright." Once Ben was finished pouring the water, Yang took the wrapping off of the flowers and carefully placed them in the pint, putting them near the center of the table. "There, now they're happy." Her smile brightened as she gazed upon the bouquet that her boyfriend had gifted to her. "They're really beautiful."

"No doubt about it." Ben agreed. "And I'm really happy you like them."

"Hmm." Yang hummed before a sly grin worked its way to her face. "And Ben? One more thing…"

The hero turned his head to her. "Yes? What's—" But he was cut off when Yang suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling her face closer to his.

"Surprise." With that one word, Yang closed the distance between them, touching her lips to his.

Fireworks. That was the only sensation that both of them could equate that their first official kiss to; fireworks. Their minds were practically in overdrive as they processed what was going on, though Ben had to play a slight bit of catch up since he was caught off-guard. But once he found the groove that Yang had settled into, he had no problem matching her wave length. He slowly wrapped his arms around her again to pull her in closer, deepening the kiss and allowing them both to get more comfortable. They could feel the emotions inside of them going crazy as the kiss went on, but unfortunately, air was soon to be required. After a few more seconds, the couple separated from their sweet kiss and they breathed in, their eyes locked on each other as they calmed down from their emotional high.

Ben smiled at his girlfriend as he continued to fill his lungs with air. "I… I just… whoa."

Yang let out a small laugh as she pulled in again, resting her forehead against his. "Hehe, you liked that, Green Boy?"

Ben blushed at the question. "I did… I felt like… like my senses were going into overload!" He nestled into the embrace, closing his eyes just as she did as well. "Yang, I'm really glad that I met you."

"I'm glad I met you too, Ben." Yang replied happily. The couple sat there for a good few minutes, doing nothing but enjoying each other's company and drowning out the world around them. But then, Yang's eyes shot open when she remembered something. "Crap, we came here for a picnic, didn't we?"

Ben's eyes opened and they faced each other, the realization of being caught up in their own moment only now just dawning on them. And then, they both began to laugh out loud for a good few moments, keeping each other supported so that neither of them doubled over. "Hahaha! We did, didn't we?" Ben asked. "Oh, jeez, I _completely_ forgot."

"Hahaha! Yeah, me too." Yang laughed. "But hey…" she gave him a peck on the lips, "at least we had a good excuse, right?"

Ben chuckled as he reached for the picnic basket. "Hehe, you got that right, Goldie Locks." The two opened the picnic basket and reached in, taking out the lunch that they had prepared. "Well, let's dig in, shall we?"

"I couldn't agree more, Green Boy." The happy couple proceeded to eat their meal in peace, though they both freely took the chance to tease each other while they ate. But, as far as they were concerned, they wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

**A/N: Now THAT was a long time coming. The first kiss between our lovely couple. I told you that some big things were happening last time, didn't I? And their relationship is only going to go further from here folks, so keep a sharp eye on these two. Their story is FAR from over, I can tell you that right now. So, what's going to happen Next Time? Well, when Yang and Ben come home from their special date, they'll be getting a message from Ruby, with a bit of an unusual request. A certain Anodite's been getting her hooked on a certain spooky holiday, and they've got some plans cooking. And guess what? We'll be coming along for the ride. Ever heard of Christmas in July? Well this is HALLOWEEN in July (though in Remnant it would just be Halloween since it's still in the fall)! (Side note from Future Me: This WAS actually written in the July of last year, so... yeah, this Author's Note is instantly dated!) Thanks for reading! See ya next time!**


	48. It's the Halloween Season, Ruby Rose!

**/N: Hey everybody! I'll be honest, if you've read the title of this chapter, you probably know what's gonna happen. It's almost Ruby's birthday, and that means it's also close to Halloween! Only one problem… Remnant doesn't _have_ Halloween. But worry not, a certain Anodite is on the case! And to get them in the Halloween mood, she's got a certain special to show them, and judging by this title's structure, you might've already guessed what it is. This is…**

**Chapter 48: It's the Halloween Season, Ruby Rose!**

* * *

For almost sixteen years, Ruby Rose thought she had seen and heard everything there is to know about life. But ever since she met the Tennyson's, she had her world completely flipped on its head. It had started with Pokémon, which she had grown completely attached to, and then it just spiraled into a whole slew of different media that she was pretty sure would stick with her for the rest of her life. But right now, as she and Gwen sat in her room discussing a holiday she had never even heard of before today, she was completely dumbfounded by what she was hearing. "So, let me see if I got all of this straight;" she began, "my birthday falls on the same day as an earth holiday… where spooky stuff is celebrated, kids dress up in fun costumes, and they go from house to house to ask neighbors or complete strangers for _candy_?"

Gwen nodded to her. "Yep, that's pretty much the gist of it."

Ruby gave Gwen the most serious face she could muster. "That… sounds… AMAZING!" With a big grin appearing on her face, Ruby got up right into the Anodite's face and said; "Why did it take me over a WEEK to hear about this?!"

Gwen quirked an eyebrow as she backed her face away from Ruby's. "…Because we didn't know that it was October until now? I mean, we knew it was fall, but the subject of what month is was didn't come up until today."

Ruby pondered that for a moment before shaking her head. "Ah, it's all in the past. Gwen, this holiday HAS to be celebrated! I know it's on the same day as my birthday, and Yang probably has something planned, but Halloween sounds WAY too good to pass up!"

Gwen smirked _'Well, you're right about your sister having a plan.'_ The Anodite sighed and stood up. "Alright, Halloween usually entails doing a lot of spooky things. Lots of people decorate their front lawns with ghosts, bats, or really big and tacky inflatable balloons that look like monsters. But those are the ones who can actually afford stuff like that. Most others just buy some pumpkins and carve jack-o'-lanterns.

"OOH! That sounds fun!" Ruby said excitedly. "Anything else?"

Gwen crossed her arms. "Well, I know that Ben has some old horror movies that you guys could watch. That is, if you can stomach that kind of stuff."

But Ruby wasn't deterred. "That's okay! I LOVE being scared! I was practically MADE to celebrate this holiday!"

"Hmm, I see." Gwen put her hands on her hips. "I just wish we knew about Halloween coming up earlier, otherwise I'd have picked up some pumpkins while we were in town."

At that moment, Ruby had an idea. "Oh, _we_ might not be in town…" she took out her scroll, "but I know a certain couple who _are_."

Gwen gave her a deadpan expression. "You're not seriously thinking of calling them while they're on their date, are you?"

"What? No, I'm not gonna _call_ them." Ruby elaborated while pulling up the small keyboard on her scroll. "I'm just going to send Yang a message. That way, she can get back to me when she wants to."

Gwen was a little hesitant. She didn't want to ruin Ben and Yang's date, but at the same time, Ruby was at least being considerate about how she would go about it. After pondering it over for a moment in her head, she gave out a sigh and nodded at Ruby. "Alright, send her a text, but make sure you let her know that you don't need a reply right away, okay?"

Ruby giggled in excitement as she began typing out her message. "Heehee! This is gonna be so much fun!"

* * *

After their relaxing lunch, as well as their rather special first kiss, Ben and Yang were happily walking back to the car, keeping in pace side by side with each other. Ben held the picnic basket in his right arm, while Yang kept a firm hold of the pint glass that held her flowers, using both hands to keep it balanced. The Blonde Brawler smiled over to her boyfriend as they closed in on Rouge's sedan. "When we get home, these babies are going right on my nightstand."

"Yeah, that'd be a nice place for them." Ben agreed. "Plus, it ought to give the room a nice fragrance. I've heard that lilacs can make it easier to relax while under stress or anxiety."

"Hmm, yeah, I think I've heard that too." A smirk came to Yang's face as she cuddled up to her boyfriend. "But then again, I already know who to ask if I need any stress relief."

Ben smiled over to her. "You sure? Because I've been known to be stressed out quite a bit."

"Well then, I guess we can help each other out on that one, can't we?" Yang rose up on her tip-toes and gave Ben a kiss, making him stop in his tracks. "After all, flowers aren't the only things that can relieve stress, right?"

"Hehe, I believe you're right." Just then, the couple heard a blip, catching their attention. "What was that?" Ben asked.

"My scroll." Yang revealed. "I got a message…" The Blonde Brawler turned her head around, looking for a place to set down her flowers, but to no avail. Finally, her eyes went back to her boyfriend with a guilty expression. "I hate to ask, but could you maybe…"

"Sure! No problem at all." Ben set the picnic basket on the ground and took the flowers with both hands, allowing Yang to get her scroll from her pocket.

"Thanks, babe." Yang smiled before checking her messages. "It's from Ruby! "Hey sis, hope you are having fun. Can you text me back when you get the chance?"." Yang raised an eyebrow after reading the text and glanced over to her boyfriend in confusion, to which he could only give a shrug, showing that he was just as confused as she was. She began typing back, all while speaking out her message. "Hey… Rubes! Got… your… text. What's up?" She sent it and the two waited for the Hooded Huntress' response.

"Hmm, I wonder what she needs to talk to you about?" Ben pondered.

"No clue." Yang said before she saw Rouge get out of her car. "Hey Rouge! What's up?"

"Nothing much." The eldest Arc sibling smiled. "But I see that SOMETHING must've gone down while I was in the car. Yang, did Ben give you flowers?"

Yang could practically hear the knowing tone in Rouge's voice, so she smirked back. "Yes he did. And I have a feeling that you might have known, Rouge."

"I… might have." Rouge slyly answered. "But to be fair, my younger sisters and Nora know too, because Ruby had to make sure they weren't squished when she was riding in my car."

"Hehe, that's alright." Yang assured. "I get ya." At that moment, her scroll bleeped again and she took it back out. "Oh, speaking of Ruby…" She read over the message and her eyes widened. "She… wants us to go to the farmers market in town… and buy some pumpkins so that we can make jack-o'-lanterns." She paused for a second to let that sink in. "Uh, what?"

Ben smiled and laughed at the message. "Haha, I think I know why, actually. Gwen's probably been telling Ruby ALL about Halloween. And one of the many Halloween traditions is to carve a pumpkin into a jack-o'-lantern. It's actually pretty fun, even with all of the pumpkin guts."

"That actually DOES sound fun!" Yang grinned before eagerly responding to her sister, typing back that they were on their way to the farmers market. She took her flowers back, allowing Ben to pick up the basket. "Alright, Rouge, we're headed back to town! Halloween is about to get happening!"

"I have no idea what that means, but okay!" Rouge replied with the same vigor before sporting a sheepish face. "You guys may have to fill me in on the way."

Yang chuckled as she put the pint glass that held her flowers into a cup holder. "Hehe, yeah, don't feel too bad though. Because I know as much about Halloween as you do right now." She gazed over to her boyfriend. "Babe, would you please give us some insight?"

"Of course." Ben happily agreed as he climbed into the backseat with her. "Though there might be somethings lost in translation since… well… it probably makes more sense to actually experience Halloween or any holiday first hand."

"That's okay." Yang winked. "After all, I'm going to your dimension one way or another, so I'll get the chance to celebrate your holidays." She leaned over rested her head against Ben's shoulder. "I can promise you that."

Rouge got in the front seat and glanced up into her rearview mirror, giving the couple a smile. "Aw! That is so precious! …But seriously though, what's Halloween?"

* * *

Ruby smiled as she read the response from her sister. "Alright! They're going to town to get pumpkins right as we speak!" She pocketed her scroll and gave a thumbs up to her friend. "We'll be Halloweening it up in no time at all! …Give or take half an hour."

"Hehe, great." Gwen nodded. "Now all we have to do is fill everyone in on it." She let out a sigh before falling onto her bed. "Boy, I never thought I'd be celebrating Halloween this early. It's crazy to think that your dimension is almost five whole months ahead of our own. June's only just STARTED in our world."

"Aw, no way!" Ruby grimaced in disappointment. "As much as I love fall, I'm really wishing that I could have more summer too. I hardly got to have ANY free time while at Beacon, most of it just being the breaks between semesters."

"Well, you still had fun there, right?" Gwen asked. "From what I heard, you REALLY wanted to go to Beacon."

"Oh, I did, and I also had a great time there, but…" Ruby wore a guilty expression, "sometimes you just want more beach time, you know?"

Gwen had to admit, she could relate _hard_ to that. "Hehe, I get it, trust me. But back on the topic of Halloween, we should probably get everyone caught up to speed."

"Right! …How?"

A smirk came to Gwen's face. "Well… I have my own October tradition that relates to Halloween. It's a rather old, but entertaining TV special, and something tells me that you guys might enjoy it."

* * *

"I can't believe you used to be a BAD guy!" Terra exclaimed in shock as Kevin finished telling his story. The team, as well as Terra and the three Arc sisters, had gone down into the basement about an hour ago and they had figured they would do something simple and fun; tell stories from their past. It went around in a circle, with Sun telling them about his upbringing in Vacuo, to Blake retelling her past with the White Fang and how she left, to the Arc Siblings telling funny stories from their youth. But it inevitably fell to Kevin, and so he told them all about his past, starting out as a young punk kid before going into his days as a con-artist. "I mean, after seeing you with Gwen, it's really hard to fathom that as a fact."

The Osmosian sighed through his nostrils. "Yeah, not exactly proud of a lot of the stuff I did now, but I count myself lucky that the ones that I used to hate are now some of the closest people in my life."

"That's so sweet!" Saphron smiled. "And I'm sure that Gwen feels same about you."

"As a matter of fact, I do." Everyone turned to the stairs to see Gwen and Ruby coming down into the basement, the Anodite waving out to everyone before taking a seat next to Kevin. "Hi guys! Did we miss anything?"

Blake waved back. "Hi Gwen. You actually missed out on quite a bit. We've been exchanging life stories for the past… I want to say half hour?"

Sun gave a slow nod. "Yeah, I'd say that's accurate. So, what's goin' on with you gals?

Ruby cleared her throat and went to the front of the room, a big smile on her face. "Well, first off, for those of you who aren't in the know, my birthday is actually this Saturday!" The room erupted into reactions of surprise and "Happy Birthday's" from everyone there, making Ruby laugh while thanking everyone for the birthday wishes. Little did the Hooded Huntress know that everyone was faking being surprised, all of them having known about it since the day before. "Heehee, thank you very much, but right now, we're going to be talking about something else. Because apparently, if Gwen hasn't told you guys already, my birthday is actually on a major Earth holiday!"

Weiss' eyebrows rose in surprise. "It is? Well that's certainly interesting."

In contrast to Weiss' calm demeanor though, Nora gasped in excitement and she rushed up to the Anodite. "REALLY?! There's a _holiday_ coming up and I'm NOT prepared for it?!"

"Don't worry Nora, we're prepping for it as we speak." Gwen assured. "Ben and Yang are on their way home right now and they're picking up a few special things for us."

"So what's the holiday, Gwen?" Kevin asked. "I'm hoping it's not something lame like Arbor Day or Labor Day."

Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Okay firstly, trees are important, Kevin, shame on you. And secondly… okay, it's Halloween."

Kevin almost jumped up onto his feet in shock. "WHAT?! You mean we almost missed Hallow-freakin'-ween?! HOW?!"

Gwen could only shrug. "Dunno, but honestly, I'm glad it didn't slip under our radar because now, we get to celebrate Ruby's birthday AND Halloween all at once."

Terra decided that now was a good time to jump into the conversation. "Alright, hold up, what the heck is "Halloween" and why are you guys so hyped up about it?"

"Yeah, we're all a little lost here." Saphron agreed.

Kevin wore a wild grin on his face as he addressed the entire room. "Oh ho-ho, you guys are about to have your world shaken at its _foundations_! Halloween has to be the BEST holiday ever. Sure, a lot of other holidays are nice and all, but what other holiday has a history of starting out as harvest festivals that worshiped the dead before turning into a night where people dress up in spooky costumes and do a bunch of scary stuff?"

The whole room paused in complete silence, everyone genuinely surprised at what Kevin just said. But what was more shocking was who broke the silence; "Go on." Blake urged, a small smile beginning to form on her face.

Gwen pointed at the cat girl. "I'm loving your attitude, Blake, keep rolling with it! But to add on to what Kevin said, Halloween is a holiday where spooky stuff is celebrated and when all of the "monsters" come out to play."

Jaune raised an eyebrow. "You mean… like Grimm?"

"Um, I don't believe so, Jaune." Pyrrha shook her head. "I'm thinking that Gwen is speaking of different sort of monsters."

"Hehe, you'd be correct, Pyrrha." Gwen clawed her hands and swiped at the air in an attempt to look scary. "I'm talking werewolves, vampires, zombies, mummies, _those_ kinds of monsters. You know, the ones that you hear in most scary stories. Unless… you guys don't have those kinds of monsters either."

"Oh, we do." Neptune confirmed. "It's just that when you live in a world that has things like the Grimm, you grow up being scared of a lot of worse things than vampires and werewolves."

"Oh… yeah… I suppose that makes sense." Gwen nodded before giving the blue haired boy a hopeful expression. "But those things are still scary here, aren't they?"

"Oh yeah, they're still scary." Neptune confirmed. "Why? What did you think they'd be?"

Gwen grimaced as the painful memories of a certain book series came flooding back to her. "You don't wanna know, Neptune, trust me on this. Anyway, Halloween's also a time when little kids, and even some adults, get dressed up in costumes, either as monsters or something else. And then, on Halloween night, they go door to door and go trick or treating. Which basically means that they ask the neighbors for candy, and if they don't get it, they get their house tricked. As you can probably guess, kids end up getting their candy because… well, no one wants their house covered in eggs or toilet paper."

"OKAY, hold the fuckin' phone!" Blanche got up and shouted indignantly; "Where the HELL was this holiday when _we_ were kids?!"

"Yeah! This holiday was practically MADE for us!" Noire supported. "I DEMAND that this holiday be adopted by Remnant right the heck now!"

"I second the motion." Blake raised her hand. "This holiday sounds just my speed."

"Well I third AND fourth it!" Nora raised her fist into the air. "Give me Halloween or give me death!"

"Please give her Halloween." Ren exasperatedly requested. "Because I can't tell if she's serious or not at this point."

"That's the plan!" Gwen assured. "Because over the next couple of days and on Ruby's birthday, we're going to celebrate it like we mean it. Because once November 1st comes around, that's it. No Halloween for another year… unless we can make it to our world before then, in which case we can celebrate it again in another five months."

"Well then what're we waiting for?" Jaune cheered. "Let's get this started."

"Though that begs the question… WHERE do we start?" Pyrrha asked.

Sun nodded his head. "Yeah, I mean, you guy've gotta have a ton of scary movies in these DVD binders." He got up and picked one from the shelf, flipping through the disc littered pages. "That is if we can even find it."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that, Sun." Gwen said as she pulled another binder off of the shelf. "Besides, I'm not getting the REALLY scary stuff out until Ben and Yang come back. Ben is really the horror master, so it's best if he handles what scary movies to show you. But for now, I want to show you guys a little old Halloween cartoon special from my childhood. The animation is certainly dated, but nonetheless, that makes it all the more charming."

* * *

A few minutes went by after that, and as the late afternoon began to settle over the island, Rouge's sedan pulled up to the Xiao-Long house, finally back from its extended trip around the island. Yang was the first to get out, giving a stretch as the combination of the cool fall breeze and the warmth of the sun hit her all at once. "Ah, now THIS is what fall's all about. Not too hot, not too cold, just right."

As he got out of the car, Ben gave her a smile. "Yeah, this is probably my favorite season of the year. No bugs, no muggy weather, no snow until late November, it's perfect Halloween weather. Case in point…" Ben went behind the car and opened the trunk, "…these bad boys!"

In the trunk were five large pumpkins of exceptional size, the quintet of gourds only just _barely_ able to fit inside. They had also bought five carving kits as well, because Yang knew that her dad would NOT like to have his good utensils used to cut into pumpkins. Ben set his hands on his hips as Rouge and Yang joined him. "So, where should we put them? Inside or out?"

"Something tells me that Gwen might want them inside." Rouge deduced. "She's probably already told everyone about the whole thing already. And if I know my sisters, they'll want to get a jump on it ASAP."

"Same here." Yang agreed before reaching in and grabbing her pint full of sunflowers and lilacs. "But before that, I've gotta get these puppies into an actual vase."

"Yep." Ben said before reaching in and pulling out the picnic basket. "And I've gotta put this away too." The couple entered the house side by side while Rouge trailed behind, the two heading straight to the kitchen. Ben emptied the basket of its left-over contents before opening a nearby closet to put it away. He sighed as a smile came to his face. "Today was a good day."

"Oh, definitely." Yang grinned as she grabbed a nearby vase and filled it up at the sink. She then carefully pulled her flowers out of the pint and gently slipped them into the vase, giving them a permanent home. "There, now that's better."

"It sure is." Ben strolled over and looked upon the bouquet with Yang, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Though I still think the whole pint thing was hilarious."

"Haha, yeah, it was." Yang laughed before the two shared another kiss. Once they separated, Yang gave him a wink. "But they're still really beautiful."

"I couldn't agree more. Now why don't we… wait a second…" Ben stopped when his ears picked up the sound of music that he most certainly recognized. The notes were from the upbeat piano theme of an old TV special that he was VERY familiar with. His eyes moved to the basement door and saw that it was left cracked open, and the source of the music was coming from there. "Yang, I think that our friends may have started without us."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"Follow me and you'll see. I recognize that piano tune anywhere." Ben and Yang descended the stairs, making sure to stay quiet so that the rest of the team didn't hear them come down. But once they got a good view, Ben's suspicions were confirmed. Everyone was gathered around the basement, all of them focused on the TV. And the cartoon they were watching was one that he knew since childhood. He watched as a young girl in a blue dress cut deep into the top of a pumpkin, much to her little brother's dismay;

" _OH! You didn't tell me you were gonna kill it! WAAAH!"_

As the whole room laughed and the opening credits started, Ben grimaced at the fact that they had started without Yang and himself, but he decided that surprising everyone there would be enough compensation; "You're watching The Great Pumpkin without US?!" He'd gotten the exact reaction he'd been hoping for, that being, everyone in the basement jumped in their seats and spun around to face him, all shocked by his sudden holler. Ben crossed his arms and smirked at them. "Good, first official Halloween scare. Best to get it out of your systems now rather than later."

"Uh, hehe, Hi Ben!" Gwen laughed nervously as she paused the special. "I… know that this is… exactly what it looks like, but… alright I couldn't resist getting started."

Ruby shifted her eyes down at the ground, feeling guilty about wanting to get started so soon. "Yeah, sorry Ben. We should've waited for you guys to get back."

Ben shrugged. "Aw, it's alright, I get it. Besides, the fact that you guys only just got started is a good thing." He turned over to his girlfriend. "It means that Yang, Rouge and I can just come in, sit down and just start watching, right?"

"Sure!" Yang smiled. "Just one question… what's The Great Pumpkin?"

"Well, the full name of the special is; 'It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!'." Gwen explained. "It's one of the original three holiday specials that star The Peanuts. They initially started as a newspaper comic strip created by Charles M. Shultz, but after their Christmas special, they took to television and have had multiple specials ever since."

"And so far, they are ADORABLE!" Saphron gushed.

"Yep, they're pretty cute." Terra agreed. "I especially liked how that kid rolled the pumpkin passed the fence."

Ben nodded to her. "Yep, Linus is a smart cookie alright. But why don't we restart from the beginning, huh? Just so we're all on the same page?"

"Oh, right." Gwen started the special over while Ben and Yang took a seat next to her on one of the couches, though she noticed that they seemed very content to stay close to each other. She smirked and asked; "By the way, how was your date?"

The couple glanced at each other before sharing a knowing grin. Yang and Ben looked back to her with Yang being the one to respond. "It was really nice, but let's save the details for later, okay? I really wanna see what this "Great Pumpkin" is all about."

Gwen shrugged before hitting play. "Eh, alright, suit yourselves then."

But just as she hit play, Rouge came down the stairs gazing directly at Ben and Yang. "Uh, guys? As much as I want to watch a Halloween special, don't you think you're forgetting something? Like the fact that my trunk is filled with five oversized orange gourds?"

Ben and Yang deadpanned at the reminder, with the Omnitrix bearer hitting his forehead for good measure. "D'oh! Crap baskets!"

* * *

After the five pumpkins were brought into the house, as well as Yang having moved her flowers up into her room, herself, Ben and Rouge rejoined everyone downstairs to watch The Great Pumpkin with everyone else. After watching the opening sequence again, as well as Linus charging into the pile of leaves that Charlie Brown and his dog, Snoopy, had worked so hard to rake up, it then came to the infamous scene;

" _Say, Charlie Brown!"_ Lucy van Pelt greeted. _"I've got a football! How about practicing a few place kicks?"_

Ben had a huge grin on his face as he rubbed his palms together. "Oh, here it comes!"

"Here what comes?" Ruby asked

Kevin chuckled without taking his eyes off the screen. "Hehe, watch and you'll find out."

On the TV, Charlie Brown was adamant about not wanting to kick the football. _"You just want me to come running up to kick that ball, so you can pull it away and see me land flat on my back and kill myself."_

"That is… oddly specific." Blake tilted her head. Her confusion only increased when Lucy gave Charlie Brown a signed document, promising not to do said trick. "And how do these kids know about documents?"

Gwen smiled and she gave Blake a quirked eyebrow. "You know how a lot of kids pretend to be adult's when they're little? I think this is about the same."

" _This time I'm really going to kick that football."_ Charilie Brown said before charging at Lucy and the ball with a confident smile on his face… only for Lucy to pull the pigskin away at the very last second. Charlie Brown sailed up into the air, screaming; _"AAUGH!"_ , before landing flat on his back.

The document flew out of his hand and back into Lucy's, who scanned the document with her eyes before coming to a conclusion; _"Peculiar thing about this document; it was never notarized."_ The whole room got a good chuckle out of that.

"Haha, a loophole!" Neptune laughed. "That's brilliant!"

Next came the letter writing scene, where Linus explained to Charlie Brown about who he was writing to; _"This is the time of year to write to the Great Pumkin. On Halloween night, the Great Pumpkin rises out of his pumpkin patch, and flies through the air with his bag of toys for all the children."_

" _You must be crazy."_ Charlie Brown retorted. _"When are you going to stop believing in something that isn't true?"_

Linus gave him an angry look. _"When YOU stop believing in that fellow in the red suit and the white beard who goes; "Ho ho ho!"."_

Sun pursed his lips. "And who exactly would that be?"

"An icon involved with a different holiday all together, Sun." Gwen answered. "We'll discuss him once _that_ particular holiday season rolls around."

"So… on the day directly _after_ Halloween." Ben surmised, earning him a narrow-eyed glare from Gwen. All he could do was shrug. "Hey, tell me I'm wrong."

They all continued to watch as Linus finished writing his letter, as well as witness his impressive blanket trick with the mailbox. But once Charlie Brown got his invitation to his first Halloween party, everyone felt bad once Lucy rained on his parade. _"Charlie Brown, if you got an invitation, it was a mistake. There were two lists Charlie Brown; one to invite and one NOT to invite. You must've been put on the wrong list."_

"Ooh, burned." Blanche cringed. "That little girl is SAVAGE."

"No kidding." Noire agreed. "What's her deal, anyway?"

Gwen sighed. "Miss Lucille van Pelt is often best described as a "fussbudget". That's not to say that she _hates_ her group of friends, it's just that she often likes to be the one in charge."

Weiss crossed her arms. "Hmm, well that's just mean. I can't imagine anyone keeping their friends if they treat them like…" The heiress then realized what she was saying… and she remembered her attitude at the beginning of the school year, especially how she treated her friends. At that moment, her heart sank. "Oh, oh my god. Am _I_ a Lucy?!"

"No, not anymore." Ruby reassured her best friend. "It's true that you may have started out that way… but now you're one of my best friends. And I wouldn't change that for the world!"

Weiss sighed in relief. "Thank you, Ruby. That means a lot."

With Weiss' small existential crisis passed, the special continued on, with the group of kids showing off their costumes. Lucy's in particular was… interesting. _"A person should always choose a costume which is in direct contrast to her own personality."_ She then proceeded to put on a witch mask and a pointy hat, much to the chagrin of the audience.

"Hmm, she's conceited." Ren concluded.

Ben smirked. "Yep, and that's where her all of her comedy comes from!"

Back on the TV, after Snoopy presented his WWI flying act costume, the gang stopped by the pumpkin patch, presumably to only mock Linus. But fortunately, Charlie Brown's little sister, Sally, took pity on him and decided to stay. _"If you try to hold my hand, I'll slug you!"_

Jaune's eyes widened. "Jeez! What the heck? One moment, she's got little hearts around her head, the other she's threatening him!"

"I think that may be her idea of playing "hard to get"." Pyrrha figured.

Next came the infamous "trick-or-treat" scene, allowing everyone from Remnant to get a breif glimpse at what the practice looked like as the kids went door to door asking adults for candy. "Man, it's really that simple?" Sun asked. "All you need is a costume and people will just hand out candy to you?"

"Well, yeah…" Kevin began to say before pointing to the TV, "but you gotta have a GOOD costume, otherwise..."

On the TV, Lucy peered in her bag. _"I've got five pieces of candy!"_

Another kid said; _"I got a chocolate bar!"_

And yet another exclaimed; _"I got a quarter!"_

But then Charlie Brown, in his swiss cheese of a ghost costume, pulled a grey lump out of his bag and said; _"I got a rock."_ The entire room erupted into laughter as the rule of three took effect, with the kids going to two more houses and with each one, the poor excuse for a ghost got rocks in his paper bag.

"Ahahaha!" Rouge guffawed, covering her mouth in a vain attempt to hold her laughter back. "Oh my goodness, it's so funny, but I feel so sorry for him! If that were one of my children, I would insist that the adults give them candy for at least trying."

"Well you'll be happy to hear this;" Gwen began, "after the special aired for the first time, a bunch of kids from all across the country actually _mailed_ their Halloween candy to the CBS broadcasting station, _all_ of it addressed to Charlie Brown. They felt _that_ bad for him." Nearly everyone gave a collective "aww" at how sweet the fact was.

At that moment, one of the kids on the TV asked Charlie Brown; _"By the way, what happened to the World War I flying ace?"_

" _Oh, he's probably getting ready to take of in his Sopwith Camel on the next dawn patrol."_ The scene changed to that of Snoopy getting on top of his dog house, pretending that it was a genuine WWI biplane. _"His mission is to find the Red Barron and shoot him down. Here's the World War I flying ace, climbing into the cockpit of his Sopwith Camel."_

"Wait, what?" Blanche asked.

"" _Contact!" he shouts!"_ Before anyone knew what was happening, the tone of the special shifted to that of a recreated WWI air battle, complete with loops, spinning camera and bullet fire. Everyone was taken aback when Snoopy's dog house "landed", with smoke billowing from it and everything. Snoopy cursed the invisible Red Barron before sneaking off into the night, pretending to be lost behind enemy lines.

Everyone was in a stunned silence before Blanche spoke again. "…What the hell was THAT?"

"I don't know… but it was kind of hilarious." Noire said before letting out a laugh. "Haha, hoo boy, that was a trip."

After another scene of the kids mocking Linus and Sally, with the little blonde girl growing impatient after said mocking, it quickly transitioned to the Halloween Party, where Charlie Brown ended up being a model… just not for what he was expecting. By the end of it all, he had a jack-o-lantern face on the back of his head… and an angry expression on his ACTUAL face. _"Thanks, Charlie Brown, you were the perfect model!"_ Lucy said cheerfully.

"And consider that a preview of what we'll be doing later." Ben smiled.

"Hey! Nobody's writing on the back of MY head!" Nora exclaimed, causing everyone else to laugh once again.

After witnessing Snoopy's party crashing shenanigans, the group watched on as the beagle made his way to the pumpkin patch, where Linus and Sally were still waiting for the Great Pumpkin. _"There he is! There he is!"_ Linus shouted as Snoopy stood up. _"It's the Great Pumpkin! He's rising up out of the pumpkin patch!"_ The boy groaned as he fainted at the sight, but unfortunately, Sally saw what was REALLY there, and she was NOT happy. Linus lifted his head before looking around. _"What happened? Did I faint? What did he leave us? Did he leave us any toys?"_

"No, but you're in for quite the chewing out, kid." Terra commented.

"That's an understatement." Saphron said as she watched Sally begin her tirade.

And they were right, as Sally began expressing her woes while shouting out to the world about how she wasted her Halloween. The rest of the Peanuts gang showed up just in time to see Sally grab Linus by the collar and shout; _"YOU OWE ME RESTITUTIONS!"_

"Again, HOW does she know what restitutions are?!" Blake exclaimed. "I'm surprised she knows how to say the word in the first place!"

Gwen pat her friend on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Blake, the show's almost over." Back on the TV, Linus spent the rest of Halloween night in the pumpkin patch before passing out cold, with Lucy having to bring him back to the house at four in the morning. Gwen's face soured at that. "Although, a part of me DOES wonder why Linus' parents didn't come and get him."

"Yeah, that's also kind of always bugged me too." Ben agreed. "I get that adults are rarely seen in Peanuts, but you don't let your little kid stay out all night, _especially_ on Halloween. Our parents made sure to drill that fact in our heads since we were kids, so it should only be common sense!"

Terra grinned over to the hero. "Thanks for the wise words, Ben. I'll remember that when my kid is born and if we ever go to your world."

Saphron gave him a smile as well. "Yeah, thanks. You know, you'd probably make a great dad one day."

Ben rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Aw, sheesh, I don't know about that."

Yang smirked before leaning over and whispering into his ear; "I agree with them." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek for good measure, and after that, Ben's face was as red as a tomato. Yang chuckled before ruffling his hair. "Hehe, don't take it too seriously, Green Boy. I'm just kidding around a little bit."

Ben sighed in relief. "Phew, okay. Besides, I don't know if I've planned that far ahead yet."

Yang smiled at him. "Don't worry, because neither have I." The couple focused back on the TV, just in time to see the special's ending, with Linus proclaiming to Charlie Brown that he WOULD see the Great Pumpkin on Halloween, even if it took a year to do it. Yang gave the boy a cheer; "Heh, you go kid! Follow your dreams… even if they may not be real." The show ended, going back to the DVD menu and allowing everyone to give their thoughts. "That was really cute!"

"It was _incredibly_ charming!" Pyrrha commented. "There was simply just a… _pure_ , child-like innocence to it."

"I relate to Charlie Brown so much it _hurts_." Jaune emphasized.

"And it was really funny!" Nora giggled. "Snoopy's GOTTA be my favorite."

"It really made me feel like a little kid again." Ruby agreed. "…Is there more?"

Gwen wore a sly grin as she went to the 'Features' option on the main menu. Right there, underneath The Great Pumpkin special, was "It's Magic, Charlie Brown!". Gwen looked out to the room with a smile. "Anyone want to watch another?" She was met with a resounding "YES!", causing her to let out a sigh. "Yeah, I thought so." Gwen pressed play, and in no time, the group was immersed in another Peanut's special. _'Eh, what they hey? Carving pumpkins can wait a little longer.'_

* * *

As it turned out, "a little while longer" turned out to be a couple hours, as the group couldn't get enough of the Peanuts, with them having watched multiple different specials in that time span. By the time they had emerged from the basement, the sun was just about to _set_. But, once the group finished watching their fill of Peanut's specials, they all collectively climbed up the stairs and into the kitchen, where the pumpkins were awaiting their arrival. But the large gourds weren't the only ones occupying the kitchen at that moment. "Hiya kids!" Grandpa Max waved with his spatula as he flipped a pan full of unidentifiable meat, with a bowl of brown stuff sitting on the counter not far away. "How're things goin'?"

"Hey grandpa." Ben waved back. "Things are going pretty great. Get this; Ruby's birthday is on Halloween, and it's in three days!"

"Ah, well that IS pretty exciting." Max glanced down to the pumpkins strewn through the room. "I was wondering what all of the pumpkins were for. So, you kids gonna make some jack-o'-lanterns?"

"That's the plan!" Ruby confirmed.

"Hoho, now you're talking." Max chuckled as he pointed his spatula at Ben and Gwen. "When these two were little, we used to carve into pumpkins all the time. But, every year without fail, those two would always throw pumpkin guts at each other, hehe, it was quite the show."

Gwen crossed her arms and smiled at her grandfather. "Gee, thanks grandpa."

"No problem, honey." Max chortled before he saw that there were two more heads to the group. "Ah, you two must be Saphron and Terra. How do you do? I'm Max, Ben and Gwen's grandfather."

"We had a feeling." Terra said semi-sarcastically before shaking the kind old man's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Tennyson. Your granddaughter told us all about your space-cop gig."

Saphron smiled over to the old man. "So is it true that the Plumbers operate all throughout your _entire_ galaxy? Because if that's the case then you guys must be a BIG organization."

Max chuckled again as he answered her question while careful to keep an eye on his cooking. "Hehe, well, it's not the _entire_ galaxy, but it's pretty darn close. Planets such as Anur Transyl and Revonnah don't have Plumber outposts, either due to hostile conditions or time-honored traditions of the people living there. But that might just change in the future. Last I checked there were two recent recruits from each planet, and they're currently making headway in the academy. I wouldn't be surprised if they're put on active duty soon."

"That is SO cool!" Saphron grinned. "I wish I could travel through space and see different planets!"

"Maybe someday, sweetheart." Terra wrapped her arm around her wife. "But why don't we take this one step at a time, huh? I don't know if I'm ready to go to pace yet." She set her hand on her stomach. "Especially with the baby on the way."

That caught Max's attention. "Ah, so you two are starting a family, huh? Congratulations!"

"Oh, thank you!" Saphron bowed her head slightly.

Terra did the same. "Yes, thank you very much."

"My pleasure." Max smiled as he flipped whatever was in the frying pan again. "It's always nice to see two people start a family. Say, will you ladies and your family be staying for dinner? Because if so, there's plenty of my world-famous alligator gumbo to go around. And let me tell ya, they go great with fried frog legs."

The Arc Sisters and Terra gazed wide-eyed into the bowl to see that the brown substance was indeed gumbo… made from alligator meat. And true to form, there were six frog legs sizzling in the frying pan, nearly ready to eat. The five women turned slightly pale, and almost immediately, Blanche came up with a good enough excuse to get out of there. "Uh, Thanks Mr. T, but we were actually planning on going out to dinner, you know, so that we could catch up with Saph and Terra."

Noire glanced at her twin and whispered; "We were?" But Blanche lightly elbowed her in the arm, which got Noire to take the hint. "Oh! I mean, yeah, we were!" She turned to her little brother and gave him a hug before whispering; "Sorry we gotta leave early, Jaune. But I really don't want to eat frog legs."

"Don't worry, I get it." Jaune said as he hugged her back before moving on to Blanche. "I'm just sorry that you guys won't be able to carve your pumpkin."

"Aw, it's alright." Blanche reassured. "Once the little gremlins get here, the Arc Sisters will carve a jack-o'-lantern like you've never seen!"

"Quite the statement, sis." Rouge said as she gave Jaune a goodbye hug. "But we'll definitely see if we can back it up. We'll see you tomorrow, Jaune."

Jaune nodded to her. "You got it." He turned to Saphron and Terra before giving both of them a big hug. "I'm really glad you guys could come all the way from Argus for this. I'm really excited for the next week."

"Hehe, us too Jaune." Saphron giggled before shifting her gaze over to Pyrrha, Nora and Ren. She ushered them over with a wave of her hand. "Well, don't just stand there! Come in for the family hug!" The three didn't have to be told twice as they gathered around for a group hug, with Saphron giving Pyrrha a thumbs up. "And hey, Pyrrha, make sure you're good to my brother, okay?"

Pyrrha gave her a smirk back. "Would I do anything less?"

"We'll stop by tomorrow and do a whole BUNCH of cool stuff." Nora grinned. "Promise!"

"Hehe, sounds like a plan." Terra chuckled before the whole group separated from the embrace. She and Terra then turned to the rest of the room, giving everyone a smile. "It was so nice to meet you all, as well." She bowed her head to Yang. "And again, thanks for letting my brother-in-law stay in your home, Yang."

"Yeah, it means a lot to _all_ of us." Saphron said, referring to them and her sisters.

"Aw, it's no biggie." Yang grinned.

Saphron shifted her gaze over to the Anodite, the Osmosian and the Omnitrix bearer. "And thank you for sharing your culture with us, you three. We had a blast this afternoon."

"Of course." Gwen said. "And look forward to more in the next week, okay?"

Kevin gave the two a thumbs up. "Yeah, things are gonna be wicked crazy here on Halloween."

"I'm sure." Saphron and Terra waved to everyone as they exited the house with the other Arc Sisters ahead of them. "Good night everyone!"

"See you soon!" Terra called out.

Once all five of the women exited the house, Blake let out a sigh before shifting her eyes to Yang. "Now I know why you didn't want EVERYONE to stay in your house, Yang. It was practically crowded in that basement."

"Agreed." Ren concurred his head as he turned to Jaune. "Don't get me wrong, Jaune, I like your sisters, but it was getting just a little claustrophobic for myself down there."

Jaune gave a nod to his friend. "Yeah, true. Maybe we should be splitting up our groups more often when we have company."

At that moment, Athena came in from the front door, a book in her hand as she took off a pair of reading glassed off of her face. Her eyes went straight for Jaune and her daughter. "I didn't know that your sisters were leaving so soon, Jaune. Didn't they want to stay for—" But she cut herself off when she took a whiff of what was cooking, and then she saw Max over by the stove. "Ah, never mind." Athena then took notice of all of the pumpkins in the kitchen, and her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh my, what's all this then?"

Many people in the room deadpanned when they realized that Athena wasn't around for the whole talk about Halloween, nor did she see the Peanuts specials. "Are we going to have to explain this whole holiday again?" Weiss said exasperatedly with a facepalm.

Gwen chuckled and pat Weiss on the shoulder. "Hehe, it's okay. We can fill her in while we carve jack-o'-lanterns."

"Well alright then!" Sun cheered as he grabbed one of the carving kits that Yang and Ben had bought. "Let's cut some holes into these things."

"Hold up a sec, dude." Neptune held his friend back. "I think we need to set out something to cover the floor first. You know, so the pumpkin guts don't make a mess out of everything?"

"Exactly, Neptune." Gwen confirmed before grabbing the nearest newspaper. "Alright, everyone, let's start spreading this out." In no time at all, the entire dining room and kitchen floor was covered in newspaper, allowing the team to set their pumpkins down to get to work. "Alright, so we've got five pumpkins here. One of them belongs to the Arc Sisters, so we'll leave that one alone. So, should we split into teams on this one?"

Ruby was more than willing to go through with that. "Yeah! Team RWBY's gonna have the best jack-o'-lantern in the house!"

Yang pumped her fist into the air. "Hell yeah! Let's go!"

Jaune smirked and pointed at her. "Oh yeah? Well not if Team JNPR's got anything to say about it!"

Nora joined in as well. "Yeah! Our pumpkin's gonna make yours look like a squash!"

As the four went back and forth, Pyrrha, Blake, Ren and Weiss stood off to the side, watching as the banter unfolded. "They _do_ realize this isn't a competition, right?" Weiss asked.

"Aw, let them have their fun." Pyrrha smiled. "Besides, they're not hurting anyone."

"Hmm, agreed." Ren folded his arms. "It's all about having fun."

"Well, let's get started…" Blake glanced over to Sun and Neptune, who were already getting to work on their jack-o'-lantern. She couldn't help but smile at that. "Wow, you boys don't mess around, do you?"

"You kidding?" Neptune said with a wicked smirk. "Team SN's gonna have THE very best jack-o'-lantern in the house, and we're dedicating it to our bros who couldn't be here."

"Aw, that's so sweet. I'm sure that Scarlet and Sage would appreciate it if they were here." Blake complimented before going over to Sun and leaning over his shoulder. "All the same though," she whispered to him with a wink, "I was going to offer you to join our team, Sun."

Sun's eyes widened and he blushed, a sheepish grin working its way onto his face. "Aw shucks, Blake, thank you. That really means a lot."

Blake gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You're welcome. And hey, there's always next time, right? Good luck, Sun."

The monkey boy reciprocated the gesture, kissing the cat girl on her cheek. "Thanks. Good luck to you too."

Blake smiled at him one more time before making her way back over to her team, with Ruby having already having broken out the carving utensils. Blake grabbed one of the tools and said; "Alright ladies, let's get started."

As she watched from the sidelines, Athena looked over to her daughter and asked; "So dear, what is it that you're carving jack-o'-lanterns for?"

Pyrrha smiled to her mother. "It's for an Earth holiday that Gwen, Ben and Kevin told us about, mom. It's called Halloween!"

Max came over and set his dinner on the table, giving Athena a bit more insight. "It's a rather fun holiday, Athena. Kids get to have fun being spooky and scary, usually all month long until the 31st, when Halloween happens proper. Then, they dress up in costumes and go door to door in their neighborhoods asking for tricks or treats."

It didn't take long for the Mistralian woman to be enthralled by what she was hearing. "Oh, this sounds absolutely splendid! Please, tell me more!"

Meanwhile, Ben, Gwen and Kevin were in their own team of three, having let the hunters-in-training go off with their respective teams. Though that didn't stop Ben and Yang from gazing at one another, sharing a knowing smile as they did. It was something that Gwen was all too happy to notice. She raised an eyebrow to her cousin. "Alright Ben, c'mon, let me in on it. What happened on your guy's date this afternoon?"

Ben wore a sly grin as he glanced over to his cousin. "That's for me and Yang to know right now, Gwen. But you'll probably find out later."

Kevin grabbed a carving knife from the kit. "Hey, no arguments here, dude. It's your guy's business after all. But let's cut the chit chat and get to cuttin' already!" Kevin slowly plunged the knife into the pumpkin's top and began cutting through the think skin the stem. Once he was sure that he had cut all the way through, Kevin grabbed the stem and pulled the top off of the pumpkin, allowing Ben and Gwen to reach in and start pulling out pumpkin guts.

From where he was sitting at his table, Max made a fake wince when he saw that. "Oh! You didn't tell me you were going to kill it! Hahaha!"

Ruby jumped up and pointed at the old Plumber. "I understood that reference! WOO! Halloween's a blast!"

* * *

As the shattered moon began to rise high over the city of Vale, Tetrax, Winter, and General Ironwood walked out of the Valian Military base and back to the Resolute. The moon itself was orbiting so that its mostly cracked side was facing partially away from the planet, allowing for more moonlight to cast down on Remnant's surface that night. After a long hard day of work in the city, Tetrax was ready to retire for the night, thankful that he could finally take his helmet off. "I'd say that today was quite productive." he commented as they closed in on his ship. "I'm glad that I could be of help again."

"And we're glad to have you, Tetrax." Ironwood nodded.

"Indeed." Winter agreed. "Having someone of your caliber to assist us has truly made things much easier around here."

"Hehe, I'm flattered." Tetrax chortled. "But, like all beings, I too can grow weary."

"I have no doubt about that." Ironwood said, the urge to let out a yawn almost taking a hold of him. "But nonetheless, it was good to have you here, Tetrax. Let me know if you wish to here more of Remnant's technological prowess if you so wish."

"I will, thank you." But just as the three approached Tetrax's ship, the loading ramp began to lower itself, much to the Petrosapien's confusion. "What? I didn't order for the ramp to lower! What's going on here?"

He got his answer when, from the top of the ramp, Argit came stumbling down, the possum-like alien being in a panicked state. "Tetrax!" He stopped at the bottom of the ramp, breathing hard, almost hyperventilating. "We've got a situation here!"

"Argit?! What in the Andromeda system are you doing out here? Get back on the ship before anyone sees you."

"I-I know, b-b-but Gluto just picked up some energy readings that he says you NEED to see! He says it's important."

Tetrax's brow furrowed before glancing up into his ship. He turned to Ironwood and Winter, gesturing his head up to his ship. "Come on, something tells me that we'll ALL need to see this." The General and Winter agreed before jogging behind Tetrax up into the Resolute, with Argit frantically running in the back. In no time, all four were on the bridge, and the first thing that their ears were met with was the blaring of an alarm with a flashing red light. They saw Gluto in his pilot's seat, frantically going in between consoles in order to keep up with what was happening. Tetrax ran up next to him and said; "Gluto, what's going on?!"

The Protost swiveled in his seat, and through his universal translator, he spoke; _"Tetrax, we've just picked up a massive energy spike and… well, you may want to see the readings for yourself."_

Tetrax pulled up a holoscreen and began typing into it, scanning it with his eyes to see just what the readings were. But once he read them, his gleaming eyes nearly bugged out of their crystalline sockets, unable to believe what they were seeing. "But… how is this possible?"

"How is _what_ possible?" Winter asked. "Tetrax, is there something wrong."

"Maybe… but at the same time, this might be the hope we've been waiting for." Tetrax pulled the holoscreen over to Winter and Ironwood, allowing them to see what he saw. "These readings show that this energy level is equal to that of the one we picked up on Earth… just before the incident that transported us here."

Ironwood's insides did a flip before focusing back on Tetrax. "The _exact_ same? Do you believe the incident is being replicated?"

"Could this be the search party that Benjamin has been hopeful for?" Winter added.

"Perhaps." Tetrax put his finger to his chin. "But there is also a distinct possibility that whatever is happening could be the work of a malevolent force." He changed the readings on the holoscreen to a radar, with a blip signifying where the energy was coming from. "Fortunately, we don't have to look very far to find it. The energy is coming from a single concentrated spot, which means that only one potential rift has been opened."

Winter folded her hands behind her back. "Well that certainly makes things easier. Where is it exactly?"

Tetrax dismissed the holoscreen and pointed straight out of the Resolute's front most windshield. "Out there."

Winter and the General followed Tetrax's finger, but when they saw where he was pointing, their hearts sank in their chests. "Oh no." Winter grimaced. "That is bad. Very bad." She had every right to be worried, as Tetrax was pointing out to what was once supposed to be an expansion of Vale, one that had failed a very long time ago. "That is Mountain Glenn."

"Why in the world did the energy spike have to happen _there_?" Ironwood asked rhetorically.

Tetrax couldn't help but be confused. "Why? What's out there?"

"Mountain Glenn was an attempt to expand the city out to the southeast." Ironwood explained. "However, it was quickly overrun by Grimm, with it's residents quick to abandon it."

"It has been slowly crumbling away ever since." Winter concluded. "While it is important that we investigate these energy readings, we cannot go in there with just the five of us. The Grimm are sure to be many, as I am sure than many of them are the ones that remained alive after the attack on Beacon and Vale."

Ironwood gazed up to Tetrax. "I hate to do this so late at night, but we must assemble the team. They have to know about this."

The Petrosapien gave him a nod. "I was going to do that in any case, James." Tetrax gazed out toward Mountain Glenn, a steadfast expression on his face. "Because hopefully, this might just be our key to getting back home."

* * *

**A/N: Bet you weren't expecting THAT for an ending, did ya? You know what this means? That's right, it's time for another two-parter! And this isn't just any two-parter, this one will also be commemorating the 49th and 50th chapters of this story! But before we get to that subject for Next Time, let's talk about this chapter proper. That's right, Peanuts, by Shultz! "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" is a special that I make sure to watch every year in October, and it always gets me into the Halloween mood. I also have many other things that I do around October, but those will be explored in later chapters as the gang continues to celebrate Halloween. But tell me, do you guys have any Halloween traditions? Let me know if you do, because I'd love to hear them!**

**Alright, NEXT TIME! The two-parter begins as Tetrax assembles the team and they head out for Mountain Glenn to investigate the energy spike. However, they aren't the only ones who know about it, as a certain dark witch has also sensed the disturbance. But just what… or who… could be the cause of this familiar anomaly that happened over a week ago? Well, tune in next time to find out! Until next time, guys! See ya!**


	49. Visitors from Another Dimension, Part 1

**A/N: Hey guys! It's time to start a brand-new two-parter! And… I've just gotta say, this one is probably going to be my biggest one yet. There's gonna be a LOT of story, and a bunch of action in this one, and by that definition, both of these chapters are probably going to be doozies, with this one already being the longest chapter I've ever wrote (Message from Future Me; the longest one I wrote AT THE TIME). But then again, it makes sense considering what this two-parter will bring to the table. Get ready for a BIG surprise, because this is…**

**Chapter 49: Visitors from Another Dimension, Part 1**

* * *

The desolate township that was once known as Mountain Glenn used to be considered the beginning of a prosperous future for the city of Vale, one that would be the start of its potential expansion to the east. But unfortunately, it has seen better days. The landscape that once held many buildings and homes was now a shell of its former self, the buildings in question in a state of disrepair and dilapidation, some even having been reduced to their bare supports. Even in the day time, the area appeared dark, cold and unforgiving, just like the only inhabitants that remained there; the Grimm. Said beasts could be constantly seen roaming the streets, patrolling for the slightest hint of an intruder.

However, the silence of the night was broken when a brilliant ethereal light suddenly shone through one of the derelict eight-story buildings, with a loud sound accompanying it. Even through the windows, the light was so intense that it caused even the biggest Grimm to run away, the dark creatures unable to stand anything more intense than the brightest sunlight.

Little did the creatures know however, that the source of the light was in fact, a bright spherical portal, levitating in mid-air on the building's third highest most floor. From out of the portal came two figures, both falling to the floor with a yelp of surprise. At first, they could be partially seen in the fading light of the portal, but as the sphere shrank and fizzled out of existence, only their silhouetted forms could be seen against the moonlight that shone through the glassless windows; one male, and one female, both of them wearing very large backpacks, though the guy seemed to have more things stuffed inside of it than his partner did in hers.

The male remained on the ground for some time, but once he was able to move again, his hand went straight to the back of his head. "Gah, man, that hurt!" He began to pick himself off of the ground, dusting off himself before glancing around. "Huh? What the… where are the lights?!" He scanned his eyes around the room before he spotted a giant hole in the wall. He went over and craned his head up to the sky to confirm his suspicions; "Wait, it's NIGHT?! But it was afternoon at _best_ , last I checked!" But then his eyes widened when he caught sight of something else; the moon. From what he could see, it was partially shattered on one side. That sent off his red flag. "We… we made it. We MADE it!"

A groan from behind cut his celebration short, as his mind snapped back to the partner he had on this mission. He whirled around to check on her condition, only to see that she was already picking herself up off the floor. With what little light there was, a few features of the woman could be seen, mainly that she wore her hair up in a bun, and rather than the casual clothes that her male compatriot wore, she was wearing a sort of armor with a sidearm strapped to her hip. She rubbed her head and her eyes went up to him. "We… did? We ACTUALLY made it through?!" The woman sounded older than the male, though not much more than a decade or so.

The young man smiled as he helped her up. "Yeah, come on, see for yourself." He led her over to the hole in the wall and pointed up to the moon. "See? If that ain't proof we're in another dimension, I don't know what is."

The woman gazed up and her eyes widened. "The… the moon! It's shattered!"

"Yeah, that was about my reaction. But hey, at least it's only a _little_ broken, right?"

The woman put a finger to her chin in contemplation. "Maybe, but we may only be looking at its fullest phase. It could be almost _completely_ shattered on its other side for all we know. But either way, I guess we made it." She let out a sigh. "Which is good, it means that this past weeks' worth of work hasn't gone to waste after all. Now we can get the mission started."

The young man smiled up at the night sky, speaking to seemingly no one in particular; "We did it, guys. We're here." He then glanced down from the moon in thought, but when his eyes went down to the street below, he caught sight of something lurking in the shadows. "Uh, I think we may have a bigger problem than just the moon."

The woman glanced down to where her compatriot was focused on and her eyes widened as well. Down on the street, there were what she could only describe as horrific creatures, mostly black but with white bone-like parts adorning their outsides. They also had animal-like qualities, wolves, bears, boars, among many others. But what chilled her to her core were the gleaming blood red eyes. The woman had seen many appalling and truthfully disgusting creatures in her tenure, but these creatures looked positively… grim. "What… what _are_ those?"

The young man began to climb out of the hole, intending to clear the area of whatever those things were. "I dunno, but whatever they are, they're in for a beating if they get any closer."

The woman set a hand on her partner's shoulder. "Wait, we don't know what these things are capable of. We shouldn't risk engaging them." The young man stopped and he turned to her, giving his full attention before she continued; "Besides, we have to focus on the mission right now… finding Ben and the others."

The young man began to calm down at the mention of their mission, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before opening them again and giving his compatriot a nod. "You're right. Let's find a way around these freakshows and get searching." The young man gazed out into the night horizon, now noticing a large city in the distance. "Hang on, Ben, we're gonna find ya."

* * *

Lady Salem was having a rather calm evening as she gazed out over the Land of Darkness, the night slowly beginning to settle over the dreaded landscape. For some reason that she could not explain, she was more partial to the autumn season, specifically around the month of October. The dark energy seemed to flow more freely around this time of the year, with people growing more scared and terrified. Was it something about the autumn atmosphere? The darker nights? Salem didn't know, but what she DID know was that it fed her power, made her stronger, and it was one of the few things that she took enjoyment in.

But just as she was about to come in from her balcony to retire for the night, something happened. Salem's eyes snapped open as a powerful sensation hit her entire being, forcing her to let out a small yell and sit down in her nearest chair, lightly gripping her forehead. But, just as quickly as the feeling came, it left, leaving her breathing snakingly in her chair. As a mistress of the dark magical arts, it was not uncommon for her to be able to sense strong energies, whether they belong to people or simply occur naturally. What she had just felt was definitely the latter, and it was VERY familiar. It was the same energy that had wracked her being just over a week ago… when Ben Tennyson and his cohorts arrived to this world.

"Something is wrong." Salem glared up as she took control of her breathing. She stood up and opened the doors of her boudoir, walking out briskly in order to inform her acolytes of what had happened. As luck would have it, she didn't have to go very far, as when she rounded the next corner, she saw Hazel, Thaddeus and Farkas walking down the hall with their backs toward her, no doubt they were heading toward the gym. But one word from her stopped them in their tracks. "Gentlemen, I require your assistance."

The three snapped around and Hazel instantly stooped to one knee and bowed his head, with Hog and Skull soon following his example. "Yes, Mistress, what is it that you ask of us?"

Salem moved over to them, speaking with urgency in her voice. "I have just sensed a powerful disturbance originating from Mountain Glenn. An intense energy that I have felt only once before… when Tennyson and the others were transported to our dimension."

That got Hog's attention as he gazed up at her. "What? You mean it's happenin' again?! Do you think there's more stuff comin' through from our world?"

Salem shifted her piercing gaze toward Hog, making him regret even speaking up. However, she closed her eyes and simply answered his inquiry. "I am unsure, I only sensed the energy emanating from the area." She opened her eyes and focused back on the tall man in the middle. "Hazel, I wish to send you, Farkas and Thaddeus to investigate."

"Of course, my Mistress." Hazel agreed. "If that is what you ask of us, we will do it."

"Very good." Salem turned around and began heading back to her room. "Inform me of your findings immediately when you return."

Exo-Skull raised his head up. "And if anyone gets in our way?"

Salem stopped in her tracks and glanced back to the giant man, narrowing her eyes slightly as she gave him her answer; "Crush them."

* * *

Meanwhile, over on the island of Patch, the team had just finished carving their pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns, and they were beginning to light them up. Team Tennyson's was your traditional jack-o'-lantern; triangular eyes and nose with a jagged grin. Team RWBY's pumpkin was much more fearsome-looking, with angry eyes and a roaring mouth for good measure. Team JNPR's pumpkin was also quite scary, with a pair of long fangs on its wide smile and it's left eye bigger than the right one, giving it a demented appearance. Team SN, however, decided to go in a different direction; most of the shapes in their pumpkin were upside-down crescents, resulting in the jack-o'-lantern having a wide-eyed gaze, a big honkin' nose and an 'o'-shaped mouth. Needless to say, it was rather goofy.

"Hahaha!" Nora guffawed as she held her sides. "Guys, I LOVE you're pumpkin! It's so funny!"

Neptune put his hands behind his head in a laid-back motion. "Thanks! That's exactly what we were going for!"

"It's certainly something alright." Blake smiled over to Sun and let out a chuckled. "Hehe, you guys sure did get creative."

Sun grinned back to her before standing closer to her. "Heh, yeah. I guess you could say that. But I gotta tell ya, your guys' pumpkin looks downright angry, it's awesome!"

"Thanks." Blake leaned her head against his chest as they turned their attention to her team's pumpkin. "Ruby and Yang thought the idea up."

"And we got the inspiration from Weiss-cream over there." Yang added cheekily.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Weiss shouted, her face becoming an almost exact image of her team's jack-o'-lantern. Her angry expression still on her face, Weiss turned to the nearest window… and immediately saw what her friend meant in her reflection. "Oh… okay, I get it."

Ruby giggled as she gave her friend a hug. "Hehe, it's okay, Wiess. So long as you don't go full Lucy van Pelt on us, we'll be alright."

"Gee thanks."

Over near their jack-o'-lantern, Team JNPR were admiring their own handiwork, taking pride in their pumpkin. "I really like how it turned out!" Jaune beamed. "Great job, everybody!"

"Indeed." Pyrrha agreed. "The fangs were an excellent idea, Ren."

"Thank you." The green ninja smiled. "Though I believe that Nora's idea for the eyes was even better. It makes it appear truly unsettling."

Nora blushed as she touched her cheek with one hand while waving to Ren with the other. "Aw, you're just saying that, Renny! This was a team effort after all."

Yang went over and to check out Team Tennyson's pumpkin, wrapping her arms around Ben's shoulders from behind. "Decided to go for a bit more of a traditional look, Green Boy?"

Ben smiled as he shifted around in her embrace, meeting her face to face. "Well, somebody has to. I mean, it isn't Halloween without the classic sharped toothed grin of a pumpkin."

"Exactly." Gwen concurred, though she wasn't sure if her cousin had noticed. He was too busy locking eyes with Yang, which, while it slightly annoyed her to be ignored, she couldn't help but grin at the two. She approached them and gave them a sly grin. "Alright guys, I've gotta come clean; I knew about the flowers from the moment you guys left for your date."

That got their attention, with the couple's eyes widening simultaneously as they turned to Gwen. "You did?!" they both asked.

But they weren't the only ones whose attention was garnered, as everyone focused on the three after Ben and Yang's mini outburst. "Wait, what're they talking about?" Jaune asked.

Pyrrha tilted her head. "Something about flowers?"

"Oh yeah!" Nora grinned as she pointed her finger upwards. "Ben's probably already given them to her so there's no reason to stay quiet anymore!"

Ruby went wide-eyed and whipped her head over to her hyperactive friend. "Nora! That's not how that works!"

Weiss wore a smirk on her face as she leaned forward in intrigue. "Well, it's too late now. And color me interested in what's going on. Ben, did you REALLY buy flowers for Yang?"

Yang glanced over to her boyfriend with a smile. "Well, I guess the beans have been spilt, babe. Maybe we should just tell 'em now?"

"Yeah, you're right." Ben nodded to her before turning to Weiss. "And to answer your question, Weiss, yes, I did buy Yang flowers."

Blake was the one who commented next. "Well that's really sweet of you, Ben. I must say, I'm impressed that you gave her a gift like that."

"As am I." Gwen concurred. "But where did you buy the flowers anyway?"

"Oh, there's this really nice flower shop near the mall." Ben explained. "It's run by this really nice woman named Whitlea Tiger Lily, and she helped set me up with a bouquet."

Ruby smiled over to Blake and whispered; "And Blake? It might just interest you to know that Miss Tiger Lily is actually a tiger Faunus."

Blake's eyes widened. "A Faunus woman owns a business here on Patch? Really?!"

"Yep, she sure does. You might want to go over and visit if you have a chance."

"Maybe I will. Thanks, Ruby." Blake grinned at her friend before focusing back on the couple. "So where did you put the flowers, Yang? I didn't see any inside the house."

"Oh, I just put them in our bedroom." Yang revealed. "We'll be having some nice scents to go to sleep with for a good while, ladies."

"Oh, that sounds quite pleasant." Weiss crossed her arms, with her smirk still settled on her face. "But what _I_ want to know is if anything _else_ special happened on that date." she emphasized with a quirked brow.

Ben did the same right back to her, raising his eyebrow in a questioning matter. "Meaning?"

"Oh, I believe you know full well what I mean."

Kevin crossed his arms and eyed the heiress. "Hey, c'mon Weiss, their business is their business. If they wanna keep quiet on some things, then who're we to force it outta them?"

"Yeah, if they want their privacy for now, we should let them have it." Blake agreed before turning to Ben. "But I HAVE been itching to watch one of your world's horror movies, Ben. And your cousin said that you were the master of horror, so please, enlighten us."

Ben rubbed the back of his head. "Hehe, well I don't know about horror _master_ , but I know my way around a few franchises. C'mon, let's head inside and…wait…" A sound had caught Ben's ear; the familiar roar of spaceship thrusters approaching from above. "Actually, we might have to put a rain check on that for now."

As the group of teens began to gather together, Max and Athena came from inside the house, curious at what was happening. "Kids, is Tetrax here?" Max asked.

Ben smiled back to him. "Yeah, he's landing right now." The ship landed a few feet away from the house and decloaked, revealing the Resolute in all of its massive size. The ramp lowered and out stepped not only Tetrax, but General Ironwood and Winter as well. That sent off red flags in Ben's mind. "Tetrax! Is there… something wrong?"

"Winter?!" Weiss said in shock. "What are you doing here this late?"

Winter's eyes focused on her sibling with an apologetic look. "I am sorry, dear sister, but I wish that we came here for better reasons. Something has happened and… wait." The elder Schnee sister had noticed the jack-o'-lanterns on the front porch, and it drew a confused expression from her. "Um, what is all of this for?"

Weiss wore a cheeky grin as she gave her answer. "Uh, hehe, it's actually a long story, I'll explain it later."

General Ironwood and Tetrax had approached Ben, Yang, Gwen and Ruby as Max and Athena came down from the porch, with Team JNPR and everyone else gathering around to listen to what they had to say. "Ben, I'm sorry that this had to be so late." Tetrax began. "However, we have a situation, and it's one that you NEED to hear."

"Why, what's going on?" Ben asked.

Athena stepped forward, a serious expression on her face. "James, is there trouble?"

Ironwood shook his head. "No Athena, at least, we don't _think_ so. We cannot confirm anything until we know what's going on."

Yang made a 'go on' motion with her hand. "And that would be WHAT exactly?"

Tetrax spoke up again, making sure that everyone's attention was on him. "A little over ten minutes ago, we picked up a massive energy spike emanating from Mountain Glenn."

"What's Mountain Glenn?" Kevin inquired.

"An attempted expansion to the city of Vale that was abandoned a long time ago." Ironwood elaborated before shifting his eyes to Team RWBY. "The only recent activity there was when Doctor Oobleck took Team RWBY here on their first-year mission. And in doing so, they discovered the White Fang transporting a bomb in the abandoned subway lines in an attempt to allow the Grimm a passageway into Vale."

"Did it work?" Ben asked.

"Well, yeah." Yang admitted with a shrug. "But the good news was that we were able to kill all of 'em before they really got into the whole city, so the breach failed… for a while anyway." The Blonde Brawler turned to Tetrax. "So why's the energy coming from there of all places?"

"We are not sure." Tetrax shrugged. "And we won't know until we go there ourselves."

Gwen then spoke her concerns. "Wait, are we going to be _investigating_ Mountain Glenn? Because if so, that doesn't sound like a wise decision if there's a lot of Grimm out there."

"It's alright." Tetrax assured. "We'll all be going together, and just in case we need them, the Resolute has enough weaponry to take out a small fleet of ships. I'm sure that they'll be able to do a number on those Grimm as well."

"But why's it important to investigate _now_ , Tetrax?" Ruby pressed further. "It's really late."

"I know, but…" Tetrax paused for a second before continuing. "The energy's readings are equal to that of the signal that Gluto and I picked up on Earth; the same one from the event that caused us all to end up in this dimension."

Everyone's jaws dropped and a stunned silence overcame them all, with Tetrax giving them a minute to have the information settle in. Finally, Ben spoke up. "W-wait, so you mean to tell me that… another portal might have opened? We… we could have found a way home?"

"Possibly." Winter said. "However, the energy spike only occurred for a moment. Following that, the readings stopped coming in. Which could either mean that the portal has closed, or…"

"It could be a trap." Ironwood concluded. "One either set by Salem or by whatever has come through that portal."

Ben put a finger to his chin. "Hmm, it does sound kind of fishy. We _should_ probably investigate it, even if it _is_ a trap. But… if it _isn't_ a trap, then it might just be the search party that we've been hoping for. So either way, we should go see what it is."

Athena decided to interject. "I understand that, but speaking from experience, it would stand to reason that there are even more Grimm in Mountain Glenn _now_ than there were initially _before_ the attack on Vale and Beacon." She craned her head to Ironwood. "James, are you certain it is wise to go right now? Even when the Grimm are more active?"

"I know it's a risk, Athena." James agreed. "But it's a risk that we must take. If this really IS Salem's doing, we cannot take the chance at another breach. And if something malicious has come through the portal, we need to stop it before it does more harm to Vale."

Athena gave him a single, reluctant nod. "Very well. If that is the case then I am coming with you all. Give me a minute to change into my armor." The Mistralian Huntress dashed into the house to get her armor and weapons, leaving everyone else outside to converse.

"What do you think it could be?" Pyrrha inquired. "If it truly is malevolent, I mean."

Gwen put her hands on her hips as she recalled the incident that happened over a week ago. "Well, it _could_ be the Alpha Nanite, seeing as we have no idea what exactly happened to it."

"That's the thing that caused you guys to come here in the first place, right?" Jaune asked.

Kevin nodded. "Yup, and from what Ben's told us, that thing can be a toughie."

"If that's the case…" Yang began as she glanced over to her boyfriend, "how big of a problem could we be expecting, Green Boy?"

Ben grimaced and crossed his arms, remembering the last time he fought with Alpha, as well as the fact that he had someone who was WAY more experienced with Nanites helping him out at the time. "It'd probably be a huge one, Goldie Locks. A REALLY huge one." Ben turned his gaze to his grandfather with a pleading expression. "Grandpa, could you please stay here and watch Zwei and the pups? Plus, I don't think Tai's going to wanna come back to an empty house."

"Of course." Max agreed. "I'll take care of them. And I'll tell Tai where you went, too."

"Great… and grandpa? If it IS a trap and we don't come back before midnight… tell Cooper and Team CFVY about it. We might need back up… or a search party to come looking for us."

A long pause weighed in over the crowd, but after a few moments, Nora broke the silence; "So… anyone else notice how serious things just got?"

* * *

It was a little over twenty minutes later when Tetrax's ship landed in Mountain Glenn, the massive craft landing in a clear spot somewhere around the middle of the settlement. From there, the ramp lowered, with the team ready to disembark the ship. Ironwood, Winter, Tetrax and Athena went first, followed by Teams Tennyson, RWBY, JNPR and SN, all huddled together in a tightly knit group. The only ones to stay behind were Gluto, who had to pilot the ship in case of an emergency, and Argit… who wouldn't have gone in the first place. "Hehe, g-good luck guys!" the scaredy-cat of an alien called from behind one of the ship's walls. "I-I'll hold down the fort here!"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure." The Hooded Huntress focused on Kevin. "Has he always been like that?"

"Oh yeah." Kevin answered nonchalantly. "And he's selfish too. You REALLY wouldn't want him as backup in a fight."

"So… what exactly are we searching for?" Yang asked.

"Yeah, what does this "Alpha Nanite" look like?" Weiss added.

"Tall, red, glowy humanoid who floats around." Ben said in quick succession. "Trust me, if you saw him, you wouldn't be able to miss him."

Sun nodded. "Alright, we'll keep an eye out for him."

After about thirty more seconds, Jaune furrowed his brows and glanced around. "Something's wrong here. It's way too quiet."

Athena stopped in her tracks, but she kept her javelin and shield at the ready as she shifted her eyes all around the area. "Jaune is right. Where are all of the Grimm?" The question wasn't so much out of confusion as it was demanding an answer. "I would have expected dozens, if not _hundreds_ inhabiting this place."

"An excellent question, mother." Pyrrha concurred. "One I wish I knew the answer to."

Blake made a suggestion. "Maybe the portal opening could have scared them off for a while? You know, like it did to the Grimm Dragon when Ben, Gwen and Kevin all arrived at Beacon?"

"An excellent point." Ironwood put a finger to his chin. "Still it would be wise for us to stay together."

"Yeah, no telling what we might find out here." Nora said as she kept a firm hold on Magnhild. "If any Grimm come out, it gets wrecked."

"Okay," Neptune started, "but what if any human beings come out? Then what do we do?"

"We see who they are first." Gwen answered. "If Ben, Kevin and I know them, then it's the search party that we've been waiting for. But if they aren't and they threaten us, then we'll engage if necessary."

Ren, who was staying silent throughout the whole thing, suddenly opened his eyes and readied his Stormflower pistols. "Good, then we'll want to prepare ourselves… because I sense someone coming."

The team prepped themselves as they all assumed a battle stance, waiting for whatever was coming toward them. At that moment, footsteps could be heard echoing through the abandoned settlement, the loud thumps undoubtedly coming from a pair of big boots. Winter pulled out her sword and pointed it forward. "Who goes there?! Come out and show yourself!"

"As you wish!" Came a response from a deep male voice. From behind one of the buildings, a tall bearded man emerged. He had tanned skin and wore a big green coat over a black shirt and pants, with a large belt strapped around his waist. His boots made audible impacts as he took to the center of the street, focusing on the group with a composed expression. "Good evening all. If I may ask, what are you doing in this desolate location? It's very unsafe to be here."

"I could ask you the same thing." Ben countered as he kept a close hand to the Omnitrix. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

The man closed his eyes. "Hmm, I suppose the formalities must be skipped." He opened his eyes and focused right on Ben. "My name is Hazel Rainart. You are Ben Tennyson, are you not?"

Ironwood's eyes widened in panic. _'Hazel Rainart?!'_

Ben warily approached. "Uh, yeah, how did you—"

But Ironwood put his arm out in front of him, preventing the hero from going any further. "Do not get any closer to him, Ben. Hazel Rainart is a dangerous man." As Ben and the group behind the general began to murmur in confusion, Ironwood himself confronted Hazel. "What are you here for, Rainart? You haven't been seen anywhere near Vale in years, not after what had happened between you and Ozpin. Why are you back now?"

That made the team even more confused. "This guy knew Professor Ozpin?" Jaune whispered.

"Apparently." Pyrrha shrugged. "But it sounds like they were not on the best terms."

Hazel crossed his arms, his calm composure unwavering. "I merely heard of what had happened to the city and came to investigate myself. A shame that it had to happen… though I can't exactly say the same about either Ozpin or his school."

At the man's passive aggressive insult, Ruby's instantly took out Crescent Rose and slammed its tip into the ground, giving him a silver-eyes glare. "What was that?! You take that back!"

Yang activated her Ember Celica, also glaring daggers at the man. "Yeah, no one insults our school like that!"

Hazel's brows furrowed. "I see. Well then, I'll give you all one chance. Leave this place now and no harm will befall you."

"There's no way that'll be happening!" Blake said as she readied Gambol Shroud. "If you're an enemy of Beacon, then you're an enemy to us."

The tall man closed his eyes. "Very well. I was hoping that I would not have to resort to this, but you have given me little choice in the matter."

Weiss pointed Myrtenaster at Hazel, standing firm as she put her best foot forward. "Be ready! He's about to do something!"

Hazel put his thumb and pointer finger to his lips and let out a loud whistle, giving out some sort of signal. Not even a moment later, and from either direction, a gigantic hoard of Grimm came barreling down the street, consisting of many different types. They all stopped behind Hazel, the man now having set his arms down to his sides. "Ozpin took someone very important away from me. And now, after all these years, _he_ is dead as well. However, his legacy lives on in all of you. If we are to have our plans unhindered, then you all must be stopped."

Ben's brows furrowed. "You're working with Salem, aren't you?"

"Here's another hint. Gentlemen, NOW!" Hazel snapped his fingers and two nearby buildings suddenly got rocked, with large holes being blown in them. One was destroyed by a rather familiar mace, while the other was completely demolished by a very familiar face.

Ben narrowed his eyes as the duo revealed themselves. "Hog and Skull. I should've guessed."

Exo-Skull wore a big toothy smirk as he cracked his knuckles. "Well, well, well, lookie what we got here. Guess our payback's coming a lot sooner than we thought, eh Hog?"

Over near the other building, Thunderhog emerged, the mohawked man swinging his mace around while he chuckled. "Hehehe, you got that right, Skull." He focused in on Nora. "It's payback time for you especially, Hammer Girl. We got a score to settle."

Nora took a step forward, not intimidated in the least. In fact, she just smirked right back. "Oh yeah?! Well you can try, but I don't think you'll get very far, Lightning Pig."

Neptune pulled his goggles down and raised his trident, ready for the incoming fight. "Guess this was a trap after all."

"Yeah, major bummer." Sun agreed as he put Ruyi Jingu Bang into its staff mode. "Sorry Ben."

"It's okay, Sun." Ben assured as his hand went for the Omnitrix. "Right now, we've got more important things to worry about."

Hazel closed his eyes once again. "I am sorry that it had to come to this." He opened his eyes and thrust his hand forward, giving the command; "Attack!"

* * *

The two sides charged one another, with Ben, Yang, Kevin, Nora and Tetrax engaging the trio of heavy hitters while Gwen, Blake, Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren, Sun and Neptune all began to dispatch the Grimm horde, with Ironwood and Athena joining the fray as well. Ruby and the Schnee sisters also joined the fight, though they made sure to stick together as a trio, the Hooded Huntress not wanting to leave her best friend, even though the heiress had her sister for backup. The three stood back to back as the horde began closing in on them, though they could see their friends doing away with even more Grimm from further away. "Alright, so what's the plan?" Weiss asked.

Winter raised a brow. "You mean to tell me you do not have one, little sister?"

"Nope, not a single one." Weiss said as she kept her focus on the Grimm. "Ruby's the leader of our team, so she's usually the one who makes the plans."

Winter deadpanned as she glanced to her other side, right down to Ruby Rose. "Ah, yes, I see."

Ruby meanwhile was looking at Weiss in the very same manner. "Gee, way to throw me under the bus, Weiss. I can't say for certain, but I think your sister's judging me right now."

"Don't worry, she does that a lot." Weiss remarked, much to Ruby's shock.

"Was that… was that _snark_?" Ruby said in surprise. "From the well-mannered Weiss Schnee?"

"I am very impressed, Weiss." Winter smirked. "You may want to keep that attitude if you ever confront our father again." The elder Schnee focused back on their enemies, who had stopped closing in and were now simply snarling at them. "But for now, why don't we summon some allies and bring these monsters to their knees?"

"That's just what I was thinking." The Schnee sisters closed their eyes and made their signature glyphs. In barely a moment's time, there were to snow white Beowolves standing beside them, snarling at their dark Grimm counterparts. Weiss smiled as she took pride in what she just did, though she did feel the strain on her aura from that particular summon. "Hah, I think I'm beginning to get used to it."

Ruby pumped a fist into the air. "Alright! Now let's take care of these things!" She spun Crescent Rose and lunged forward into the horde, quickly getting to work as she expertly dismembered three of the Grimm. The body parts went flying as Winter and Weiss witnessed the young huntress killing Grimm left and right, with the elder Schnee in particular taking note;

"I must say, though she is young, Miss Rose is certainly quite skilled." Winter drew her sword and sliced through a Creep as it lunged at her, not once even looking at it. Instead, she smiled at her sister. "You are very lucky to have such an exuberant friend, dear sister."

Weiss smiled right back. "Tell me something I don't know." Another Creep leapt right at Weiss, but she ducked beneath it and stabbed Myrtenaster upward, impaling it right though its stomach. The heiress pulled her lance out and the Grimm's corpse fell to the street with a thud. "Now, let's take care of these things, shall we? I don't want stay here all night, you know."

"Indeed." Winter concurred before both sisters pointed their blades toward the horde and ordered their summons to… "Attack!" The white Beowolves ran forward on all fours before jumping right into the crowd of Grimm, mauling their dark counterparts with ravenous abandon. The Schnee sisters joined Ruby and their other friends in the fight, with everyone making sure to keep an eye on each other's backs in the ensuing chaos.

* * *

Exo-Skull ran into the fight, intending to charge straight into the hyper little red-head who had beaten him and his best friend up almost a week ago. But before he could get very far, he was stopped by a pair of large hands pushing against his helmet. He came to a screeching halt as whoever had stopped him grinded the heels of his boots into the pavement, preventing the large man from going any further. Skull reached up with his hands and pushed away from the guy, only to see that it was the Diamondhead look-a-like. "Hey! You're the guy who helped Tennyson throw the boss' giant lizard away!"

"That's right." Tetrax confirmed. "And you're a dangerous criminal who has to be brought in."

Skull merely smirked. "Ha! Yeah, good luck! Salem and the boss need Hog and me if our plans are gonna go as planned. And let me tell ya, I ain't going back to no jail cell, you here?"

Tetrax narrowed his eyes. _'Should I tell him that was a double negative? …No, there's more important matters at hand.'_ Tetrax reared his fist back and sent a punch at Skull's face, only for the large man to catch it in mid-strike.

"Haha! And what were you plannin' to do with a weak hit like that?" Skull laughed.

"This!" Tetrax pulled his other fist back and sent it straight into Skull's gut, knocking the wind out of him and forcing him to stagger back, allowing Tetrax to free his hand. The Petrosapien took off his gloves and turned one of his hands into a blade, pressing the flat end of it beneath Skull's chin and forcing the man to look up at him. "Now, why don't we try to cooperate with each other here? If you come quietly with us, we can get you back to your home dimension."

Exo-Skull simply gave Tetrax a wicked smirk as they light in the center of his helmet began to glow brightly. "What makes you think I plan on goin' back?!" The laser fired off from the middle of Skull's helmet and hit Tetrax square in the chest, causing him to stumble backward. Fortunately, the laser only tore through his suit, leaving a small hole where his crystalline chest was left exposed. Exo-Skull stood up and readied his laser again. "I ain't NEVER goin' back!"

The laser fired again, but this time, Tetrax was ready. He pulled his crystal blade back in and raised his palms, letting the laser refract off of it. Skull kept the pressure on though, planning only to stop when Tetrax let his guard down. But as the laser refracted off of the Petrosapien's palms, it would occasionally go off and hit a random Grimm that was unfortunate enough to get in the way, which gave Tetrax an idea. He scanned his eyes around until he found the person he was searching for; "GWEN!" He called out.

The Anodite heard him and she hollered back; "What's up?!"

"Gather everyone in a forcefield! I have an idea!" Tetrax saw Gwen nod to him in understanding and in a few moments, she had gathered the team and pulled up a pink force field around them, allowing Tetrax to enact his plan. He moved his hands in a way so that the laser refracted off to one side, specifically right toward the Grimm horde. In one clean movement, the laser cut straight through multiple Grimm and bounced harmlessly off of Gwen's shield.

Skull's eyes widened in shock as he stopped his laser, taking a step back in surprise. "W-what?! Oh man, I-I didn't mean to do tha—AURGH!"

The man fell to the ground as Tetrax delivered a sucker punch to his face with his diamond hard fist, which also had the result of breaking the laser lens on Skull's helmet. The bounty hunter gazed down to the man in apathy. "Well, you did. And I must thank you. You just made our job that much easier."

* * *

Gwen lowered the force field and looked around. There were a lot less Grimm than there once were thanks to Tetrax's laser refraction, much to everyone's delight. The Anodite sighed in relief. "Well, this certainly tips things in our favor."

"It would seem so." Athena agreed before she changed her javelin into its shotgun mode and shot a nearby Ursa in the head. "Still, do not let your guards down. This fight is not over yet."

"Wouldn't dream of it, mother." Pyrrha reared back Milo and tossed it out toward a line of incoming Boarbatusks, impaling all three at once before retrieving her weapon. "Jaune, Ren! Let's take these Grimm to the cleaners!"

"Hell yeah!" Jaune smiled as he put Crocea Mors Mk II into its greatsword form, grabbing the handle with two hands before cleaving it right through a quintet of Beowulves with a single swing each. "Ha! Did I mention how awesome my new weapon is?"

"Multiple times." Ren deadpanned as he shot his pistols at two Creeps as he ran toward them. "Just don't get cocky on us, alright?" With a mighty leap, Ren sliced his Stormflower right though the duo of Creeps, killing them in a single second. He landed on the ground and gave Jaune a small grin. "I don't think it would be beneficial for you to have a big head."

"Heh, you're right, sorry." Jaune sheepishly admitted.

"Good." Blake commented as she stepped forward, holding Gambol Shroud in one hand and its sharpened sheath in the other. "Now let's focus back on the task at hand, shall we?" In a black and white blur, Blake rushed forward, slicing and cleaving through the Grimm with her two blades in rapid succession.

"I'm right behind ya, Blake!" Sun smiled before taking a meditative stance. His Semblence activated and from him came two golden copies of himself that charged straight into another incoming Grimm horde. The clones dove in and one second later, they exploded, sending a flurry of Grimm limbs and other body parts flying into the air. Sun pulled Ruyi Jingu Bang apart into their gun-chuck mode and began swinging away at the malevolent creatures, joining Blake as they bobbed and weaved in unison around the battlefield.

Neptune meanwhile, found himself surrounded by six snarling Creeps, all of them closing in with their fangs dripping with saliva. The blue-haired boy shifted his trident into guandao mode and he leveled it with the monsters. "You Creeps picked the wrong guy to mess with." With all his might, the thrust his weapon forward and impaled a Creep through the head, killing it instantly. He then used the leverage to pole vault himself out of the circle and land farther away from the Creeps, causing them all to turn around. Neptune shifted his weapon into its energy rifle mode and took aim, unloading a flurry of Lightning Dust rounds into the Grimm, electrocuting them all to death. Neptune shouldered his weapon and lifted his goggles with a smirk. "See? Told ya."

Gwen, Ironwood and Athena all stood back to back as everyone continued to kill the Grimm, with the Anodite using her tried and true method of creating sharp mana constructs to slice and dice the Grimm until they were nothing but a mangled mess of body parts. She had to admit, under normal circumstances, she would truly hate doing this, but since these things had no souls and were actively on the side of evil, she found an odd stress relief in doing this. Still though, this was a serious matter, so she treated it as such. "Does anyone see Ben and the others?! What's their status?!"

Ironwood and Athena continued to shoot down the incoming Grimm, but the general took the time to quickly glance over to see what the hero and his group were doing. "They are almost at Hazel. I don't know if Ben has a plan or not, but if the rumors I've heard are true, then he may be in trouble!"

"Why, James?" Athena asked before changing her weapon back into javelin mode and thrusting it through an approaching Ursa. "Who is this Hazel Rainart?"

"Oz told me that Hazel's sister, Gretchen, used to be one of his students at Beacon!" Ironwood explained through the chaos. "However, after a mission gone wrong that resulted in Gretchen's death, Hazel swore revenge on Oz. But that's not what worrying me right now."

"Then what is?!" Gwen asked as she gathered up more Grimm in a mana sphere and crushed them to death.

"It's his semblance." Ironwood answered. "From what I hear, Hazel Rainart is completely insusceptible to physical pain."

Gwen's eyes widened as she focused back to Ben, Kevin, Yang and Nora. "Yeah, that might be bad." At that moment, she saw her boyfriend stop suddenly, piquing her interest. "Wait, Kevin? What's going on?!"

* * *

Kevin jumped back as the head of Thunderhog's mace landed at his feet, the mohawked man laughing it up as he sauntered over to the Osmosian. Hog pulled the chain and brought the mace back to him, whirling it around casually as he did. "Oh-hoho! Whatchu think you're doin', boy? You and I got a score to settle. No rubber around to absorb now, huh?"

Kevin simply rolled his eyes, not exactly thrilled about being stopped. "Jeez, you still hung up about that? That was almost a week ago, dude. Plus you almost killed my friend, so we're already even on all that."

"Oh yeah?" Hog reached up to his visor and pressed a button, causing the purple lens to light up. "Not in my eyes." He blasted the purple laser at Kevin, the young man's eyes widening as he quickly crouched down and absorbed the pavement, allowing him to take the attack. Though this came at the cost of being blown back several feet. "AHAHA! Get it? _Eyes_?"

From behind him, Yang overheard this and stopped running with Ben and Nora, briefly turning around to shout out; "A pun you have to explain is always a bad one!"

"WHO ASKED YOU?!" Hog snapped back.

Kevin smirked. _'Thank you, Yang.'_ The Osmosian swiftly got up and changed his hand into a hammer, slamming it into Thunderhog's back at full force, leading to the mace-wielding thug to tumble forward on to the ground. When he landed, Kevin grabbed the back of his purple jacket and flung him away to the other side of the street, evoking a loud holler from Hog as he sailed through the air.

Hog slammed back first into a building, forcing the structure to crack from the impact. His grip on his mace loosened and he fell to the ground on his hands and knees, panting in an attempt to collect himself. He glared up at Kevin as he approached, his anger growing more so now than ever. "You… you think you can beat me again?! Well we'll see about THAT ya pansy!" Hog lifted his mace into the air and began spinning it around, causing electricity to generate once again. "Thunder! THUNDER! THUNGERHO—"

_SLAM!_ From out of nowhere, a large mana projectile propelled right into Hog's stomach, forcing him to double over in pain. Kevin took the opportunity to slam his hammer fist into Hog's face, knocking him to the ground yet again. The Osmosian smiled proudly before looking over his shoulder, his grin unwavering. "I could've taken him out, you know."

Gwen approached with a sly smile of her own. "Aw, trying to make me jealous?"

Realizing the double meaning of what he said, Kevin took it in stride. "Pfft, please, you can't make _anyone_ jealous with _that_ guy." He and Gwen met in the middle with a kiss before he continued. "Thanks for the assist, babe."

"Of course, hon." Gwen winked back before growing serious again. "Now come on. Ben, Yang and Nora might need our help."

* * *

While Kevin and Hog were fighting, the remaining three teammates finally made it to Hazel, the tall man still standing stoically with his arms crossed. His brows slightly furrowed as his gaze fixated on Ben, Yang and Nora. "This violence did not have to happen. You all could have left peacefully and we would have forgotten this ever happened."

"After the stunt you pulled to even _get_ us here?" Ben questioned. "No way! It was a dirty trick and you know it!"

"Trick? What trick?"

That served to spark Yang's confusion. "Wait, so you _didn't_ set up the energy spike that happened earlier?"

"Of course not." Hazel brushed off. "We don't even have the means of replicating something like that. Lady Salem sent us here for the specific purpose of investigating it, just as you have come here to do."

Ben's eyes widened in realization. "Wait, so that means a portal DID open up!" Another thought occurred to him; _'Wait, if that's the case, then what exactly came through?'_

Hazel unfolded his arms and clenched his hands into fists, readying himself for battle. "Indeed. However, our conflict is not over. If you wish to find out what secrets the portal brought here to this dimension, you will have to face me in combat."

Before Ben could respond, Nora did first. "Gladly!" The Pink Dynamo ran forward, with Magnhild at the ready.

"Nora, wait!" Ben warned. But his call fell on deaf ears as Nora jumped up, pulled her arms back and swung Magnhild with all of her might, intending to slam the hammer right into Hazel's side. But at the very last second, Hazel reached up and caught the hammer head in his right hand, preventing it from going any farther. Ben's face fell. "Yeah, that's what I was afraid of."

Hazel narrowed his eyes at Nora. "Was this your best shot?"

The hyper redhead gave him a cheeky smile. "Nope!" …Which then became a big smirk. "THIS is!" She pulled the trigger and a grenade shot out of Magnhild's hammer head, taking Hazel off guard as it exploded right next to him. Nora jumped back as smoke kicked up from the blast, holstering her hammer over her shoulders as she pumped a fist into the air. "Hell yeah! Score another for the Valkyrie!" But Nora's celebration was unfortunately cut short as the smoke cleared. The three saw Hazel emerge from the cloud, still standing and without a scratch on his skin. Nora was dumbfounded. "Wait, what?!"

"How the heck is he still standing?!" Yang said incredulously. "That blast should've done _something_ , right?!"

The only thing that was really damaged in the blast was Hazel's green jacket, which he undid and tossed aside without a second thought. "You children should have heeded the general's warning when he told you that I was dangerous." He reached down into a pouch that he kept around his belt and pulled out two Fire Dust Crystals. "My semblance allows me to resist all types of physical pain, which not only aids me in battle, but allows me to do THIS!" He slammed both crystals into his arms, much to the trio's unsettlement. Suddenly, a flurry of flames began dancing around his arms, a result of the Dust crystals giving the large man their power.

It was then that Gwen and Kevin arrived, and as much as he didn't want to be, the Osmosian couldn't help but be impressed. "Alright, even though he's our enemy, that's still pretty freakin' badass." He got what he expected; questioning looks. He raised his hands defensively and said; "Hey, I'm just sayin'."

Yang turned back to Hazel and gave the man a scowl. "Oh yeah? Well I'm JUST as badass, if not even MORE!" Yang's aura blazed to life, the fiery power bursting all around her. She let out a battle cry and readied her Ember Celica as she ran forward. "I'll teach _you_ to play with fire!"

"Yeah, count me in on that!" Ben supported as he activated his Omnitrix and slammed the core down. In a bright flash of green light, Ben had transformed into; "HEATBLAST!" The Pyronite let out a blast of fire from his feet, rocketing himself forward to match his girlfriend's speed. "Let's light him up!"

"RIGHT!" Yang and Heatblast reeled their fists back and then slammed them into Hazel's forearms as he raised them up to shield his face. The couple then started to keep the pressure on as they sent a flurry of fiery blows onto Hazel, with the taller man matching their strikes. It seemed to be a stalemate, with the couple not able to pierce Hazel's skin, nor was Hazel able to do any damage against them as the fire on his forearms didn't affect them.

However, when he saw an opening, Hazel took it. With surprising speed which took Heatblast off guard, Hazel dashed past him and brought his left fist up, socking Yang right in the gut. The blow sent her flying back… and sent Heatblast into a rage. His flames erupted into a blazing column as he glared daggers at the man. "You… you BASTARD!" The Pyronite brought his hands together and a blast of red-hot flames shot out and collided right with Hazel, sending him careening toward where Yang was.

Fortunately, the Blonde Brawler had recovered, and her eyes were as red as Heatblast's fire. "Yeah, now you're REALLY gonna get it." Yang let out a powerful scream as the fiery aura around her glowed more intense. She used her enhanced strength to punch Hazel square in the jaw, the force being enough to slam him into a nearby building.

As she panted from the blow, Heatblast made his way over to her, changing back into Ben before pulling her into an embrace. "Yang! Are you okay? I am SO sorry that I let that happen, I-I didn't see that coming, I—"

Yang grinned as she pressed a finger to Ben's lips. "Ben, baby, it's okay. In fact, it's better than okay. Thanks to that punch, I was able to use my Semblance and do THAT." Yang gave her boyfriend a quick peck on the lips. "These things happen, okay? And remember, we're in this together. You and me, right?"

Ben couldn't help but smile at her endless optimism. "Hehe, yeah, you got that right."

Gwen, Kevin and Nora ran over to them, with the Anodite giving them a worried look. "Are you two okay? Nobody's hurt, right?"

Ben gave her a nod back. "Yep, we sure are. Now come on, we can't let Hazel get the upper hand!" The group of five ran over to see the tall man standing up, still uninjured, but something had definitely affected him in that impact as he tried to catch his breath. _'So, he's not COMPLETELY invincible. Good, that's reassuring.'_ Ben crossed his arms defiantly as everyone readied their main form of attack. "Ready to surrender, Hazel? Maybe let us in on Salem's plan and we can arrange a deal."

Hazel let out a hallow laugh as he walked out of the rubble. "Ha, you think that I will give the mistress up that easily?" He pulled his arms back and the flames began to collect around them again. "NEVER! I will use whatever is left of my fire if I have to!"

Ben went for the Omnitrix again. "Everyone, get behind me!" The others did so and Ben slammed the watch down again, activating another transformation. This one resembled a large turtle with stumpy legs, large flippers for arms and an inset head that poked out of his shell. The shell itself was what made up most of his torso, with eight large holes all around his chest. The Omnitrix took its place in the center of his chest and the creature called out its name; "TERRASPIN!"

But Hazel wasn't bothered. He slammed his hands together and blasted out the remainder of his fire energy at the five, shouting out; "Take this!"

But Terraspin didn't say a word. Instead, he jumped up into the air and spread out his large arm flippers, with his legs uniting into a third flipper down beneath him. All three flippers then started spinning as a powerful wind began blowing out of the holes in his shell, quickly dissipating the flames and slamming into Hazel, causing the man to be sent flying back again. Terraspin stopped spinning and went back to standing on two feet, slowly walking his way over to Hazel, now on the ground in a pile of rubble. Terraspin angrily pointed a flipper at him and said; "Last chance, Hazel! Come quietly, or else!"

But Hazel was undeterred. "You'd best keep those emotions in check, boy. Otherwise, the Grimm will just keep coming."

"I'm sure we can take on anything you throw our way."

"Really?" Hazel asked with a knowing expression. "Because after what happened at Beacon, the Grimm here are all acting much more aggressive than normal… including ones that rarely attack humans."

"What does that—" But Ben was caught off when he heard a trumpet in the distance, causing everyone to turn their heads in an eastward direction. The ground shook as whatever it was approached. A ruined building suddenly collapsed as whatever it was crashed through it, sending up dust as it stomped its way toward them. From out of the dust cloud, a giant elephant Grimm appeared, a creature so tall that its head almost reached to the top of the ruined buildings. It let out a bellow before trumpeting once again to intimidate its adversaries.

Kevin's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "Is that a freaking _elephant_?!"

"A Goliath!" Ruby clarified as she and the rest of the team gathered together with the others. "But Doctor Oobleck said that they weren't normally aggressive!"

"With "normally" being the key word." Ironwood grimaced as the giant creature began to kick the ground impatiently. "If they're aggravated enough, they WILL attack."

"Okay, so how do we take something like that out?" Gwen inquired.

"Goliaths are very hard to take down." Athena explained. "Even for the most experienced Hunter. We need something that can level the playing field."

Terraspin stepped forward, his hand over the Omnitrix dial. "Well then, I have an idea, but everyone's going to have to step back while I put on a few pounds." Everyone did as they were instructed and Terraspin hit the Omnitrix, and in a flash of green light, a certain Vaxasaurian had taken his place; "HUMUNGOUSAUR!"

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of Mountain Glenn, the pair who had emerged from the portal were making their way out of the settlement as they desperately searching for an exit. They hadn't run into the creatures that they had encountered before, as the monsters had all collectively run off for some unknown reason. Not long after that though, they heard a loud commotion from farther away, and the pair had figured that the monsters had all gotten into a fight. But the brawl didn't get their full attention until they heard this; "HUMUNGOUSAUR!"

The young man's eyes widened and a grin came to his face. "Humungousaur?! That's Ben!"

The woman on the other hand was shocked at the revelation. "Ben is _here_? In this godforsaken place? For what reason?"

"I dunno, but if he's transformed, he might be in trouble." The young man turned to his compatriot. "I'd better go help him out."

The woman was hesitant, but she gave him a nod. "You're right. He might need it." The young man carefully took off his oversized back pack and handed it to the woman… and then, something strange happened. Before the woman's very eyes, the young man's back began to light up with a strange blue energy, followed by what sounded like multiple machines beginning to power up. The next moment, a pair of large wings emerged from his back, followed by the sound of jet turbines as he flew up into the air. But the woman simply looked on, as if this were all normal to her. "Just be careful, okay? I'll be over there as soon as I can."

The young man gave her a smirk. "When am I ever NOT careful?" The woman simply smirked right back and crossed her arms, much to his chagrin. "Uh, don't answer that." And with that, he flew off, ready to help his friend. "Hang on Ben! I'm comin' to help ya!"

* * *

Back at the battle, Humungousaur had engaged with the Goliath, grappling with the giant creature's tusks as it rammed into him. The Vaxasaurian had to grow to his full height of sixty feet just to stand a chance in this war of attrition, with both him and the Goliath colliding full force against each other. "Grr, man, I guess you're really as tough as you look, huh?" Humungousaur growled before pulling back a fist. "Well I've got something that YOU don't; HANDS!" He thrust his fist forward and slammed it into the Goliath's bony skull, sending it reeling back in pain. "Hah! How do you like that, Tusks?"

The Goliath _didn't_ like it, not one bit. It trumpeted in defiance once again before charging at Humungousaur, intending to re-engage. But as Humungousaur made to grapple its tusks again, he was taken aback when the beast's trunk wrapped around his waist. "Oh no." With a mighty toss, the Goliath threw Humungousaur into another building, making it collapse on top of him.

"Ben!" Yang cried out as she and the team rushed to their friend's side. Fortunately, Humungousaur was quite durable, so he wasn't too injured by the Goliath's throw. He got up from the rubble, holding his head as his friends gathered around him. "Ben, are you okay?" Yang asked in concern.

Humungousaur sent a smile her way. "Heh, I guess we've BOTH got a little worry streak to us, huh Goldie Locks?"

Yang smiled up at him as she blushed a little bit. "Okay, yeah, guess we do."

Another trumpet alerted the team to the presence of the Goliath, slowly approaching them as it glowered in their direction. "It's coming back!" Ruby shouted as she readied Crescent Rose. "Look alive everyone!"

Weiss' eyes widened at what her partner had said. "Ruby, are you CRAZY?! That thing just threw Humungousaur like a rag doll!"

"We cannot give up!" Pyrrha rallied. "This battle is not over yet!"

"Pyrrha's right!" Blake said as she took a stance. "We can't give up now!"

Jaune lifted his sword into the air. "C'mon guys! Let's do this for Vale, Beacon, and everyone there!" At the blonde knight's words, everyone began to get their second wind and stand up to the Goliath, even Weiss had gotten her confidence back!

Humungousaur got up and charged back at the Goliath, holding it by the tusks once again in an attempt to push it back. At that moment, everyone began attacking the giant Grimm's legs in their hopes to make it fall. The Vaxasaurian glanced over to Tetrax, realizing that it was time for the big guns. "Tetrax, tell Gluto to get that ship here on the double! We NEED its weapons!"

Tetrax nodded and reached for his comm. "On it!" He was about to contact Gluto when from out of nowhere, a shadow past straight over him, catching his attention. "What in the world?!"

In between striking the Goliath's legs, Sun noticed it as well and craned his head up to see just what the heck it was. His eyebrows shot up when his saw a winged… thing silhouetted against the moon. "What the hell? Is that a Nevermore?!"

Neptune trained his eyes on where his friend was staring at and shook his head. "No way, man, looks more like a—no wait, scratch that, it's NOT a plane!"

Ren turned his head up as well. "You're right… it's a… man?"

At that point, everyone had noticed the man with wings, including Humungousaur. But the moment the Vaxasaurian's eyes landed on whoever it was, his eyes almost bugged out of his head. He _recognized_ the shape of those wings. Just then, the flying man smacked his fists together and they began to glow blue with some kind of energy. Only a second later, much to everyone's surprise, his arms grew out, becoming much larger than before. But if one were to get up close, they could see that those arms were made of metal. Humungousaur gritted his teeth and roared out; "Everyone get back! I'm gonna try something!" His teammates did so and Humungousaur gave a mighty shove, pushing the Goliath away from him. _'Here's hoping I'm right.'_ He looked back to the flying man and gave the word; "NOW!"

Right as he said that, the man began to rapidly descend, the jet turbines on his wings propelling him forward at great speed as he held his arms out in front of him. As he closed in on the Goliath, the man's massive metal fists began to spin, adding more power behind his eventual impact. Right before he made contact, he yelled out; "Hey, Pachy-dumb! Say _hola_ to my fists!" And with that, he rammed right into the Goliath, sending it tumbling down to the ground.

With a mighty roar, Humungousaur took the opportunity to jump on top of the toppled Grimm, using all of his strength to rip out its tusks before slamming the pointed ends into its eyes, killing it as the pointed ends pierced its skull. Breathing hard, Humungousaur slapped the Omnitrix symbol, returning to his human form. Ben set a hand on the corpse of the giant pachyderm Grimm, thankful that it was dead. "I love elephants, but _you_ are an exception."

"Ben!" The hero shifted back to see his team running toward him, all of them wearing happy faces as they huddled around him, with Yang giving him the biggest hug. She then kissed him on the lips, not caring if anyone was looking. In fact, the team's cheers grew even _louder_ after that. Once the kiss was over, Yang laughed and complimented his work. "Ben that was amazing!"

"To say the least." Athena emphasized. "Very few Hunters have had the honor of killing a Goliath. You should count yourself lucky that you were not killed yourself."

Blake stepped forward, a more serious expression on her face. "But… one thing's still bothering me… how did you know that guy would attack the Goliath?"

Ben gave her a smirk. "Let's just say he's an old friend. And I have a feeling that he's the search party that we've been waiting for." The hero turned his head up toward the sky and called out; "Why don't you come down here and introduce yourself?!"

From over the fallen corpse of the Goliath, the winged man appeared, before suddenly retracting his wings back into his own body. Needless to say, everyone was shocked. He fell to the ground and rose to his full height, allowing everyone to get a good look at him. He was a young man who had naturally spiky black hair, and his eyes were a dark shade of brown. His skin was a natural shade of olive, one that almost matched the color of his eyes. He wore a red jacket with orange stripes on the biceps and orange cuffs, with a big orange piece along the garment's base, along with a pair of dark blue gloves. Beneath his jacket, he wore a blue and white t-shirt that had two orange stripes on the left pec, and as for his pants, they were mainly black, but had a unique blue geometric pattern to them. Finally, he wore a pair of goggles on his head, completing his overall appearance. The young man crossed his arms and smirked at Ben. "Man, Tennyson, you got yourself into a big fine mess this time. But, uh, don't you think you went a little overboard?"

"Considering that these things are evil and literally have no souls, I think they're better off dead." Ben grinned back before shaking the young man's hand. "Dude, it's good to see you, but what the hell are you doing here?! And to add to that, _how_ the hell did you get here?!"

"Hehe, that's a loooong story, _mi amigo_." The young man chuckled. "I'll fill you guys in when we're outta this wasteland."

"Uh, ahem." Gwen cleared her throat, bringing his attention to her. "I'm sorry, but who are you? And how do you know my cousin?"

Ben turned to his cousin, his best friend and his girlfriend, hoping that they would remember the story that he had told them. "Guys, I already told you about him before! Remember? The time that I traveled to another universe before _this_ one?"

Yang's eyes widened in realization. Ben DID tell her about this guy. On the second day he was here when she and him had gone to the burger shack for lunch and smoothies! Yang pointed to the young man in the red jacket. "Wait, so you're the… what's the word?" She snapped her fingers and pointed at him again. "The nanite guy?"

The young man smiled and pointed back to her. "Hey! So some of you DO know who I am! Yeah, I'm what you'd call an EVO."

"Oh, cool!" Nora said cheerfully before leaning over and whispering to Ren; "Do you know what an EVO is?" Ren merely shrugged, himself having no idea what was going on.

Gwen stood in complete shock as the revelation hit her like a truck. "Oh my god, that's right! You're the guy who Kevin and I didn't believe existed for a while!"

The young man grinned at her. "Ah, that means you must be Gwen, right?" He then pointed to the Osmosian. "And you're Kevin! Haha, you guys are just like how Ben described!"

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "Uh, thanks?"

At this point, a certain heiress was getting annoyed. "Would you kindly enlighten us as to who you are already, please?!" Weiss cried out while waving her arms. "Some of us have no idea who you are and you are being seriously rude about it!"

The young man turned to her with widened eyes, realizing his error as he smacked his forehead. "¡ _Ay_ , _tonto_! I was so caught up in everything I forgot! Thanks for reminding me. My name is—"

_CRASH!_ The entire group's attention was redirected to a nearby building as a hole was blown into another wall, kicking up a large dust cloud. There stood Thunderhog and Exo-Skull, with the latter supporting Hazel with his left arm. Hog pointed straight at the group as he whirled his mace around in the air and shouted; "Hey! We ain't finished with you guys yet!"

"Oh, C'MON!" Ruby groaned as she pulled Crescent Rose out again and her team took a battle-ready stance. "Don't you guys _ever_ give up?!"

"Yeah, this is getting rather old." Jaune said tiredly as he and his team also prepped themselves once again.

"Indeed." Pyrrha agreed. "It's getting late and I think we'd ALL rather be doing something else right now."

Sun and Neptune got their weapons ready as well. "Don't worry! We'll just take 'em down again!" the monkey boy challenged as Ironwood, Winter and Tetrax took up arms with them.

As the still-unidentified young man witnessed all of this happen, he found himself impressed by these people's tenacity, and he didn't even know who they _were_ yet! He turned to Ben and asked; "Dude, who ARE these guys? They're awesome!"

Ben smiled back. "Glad you agree. You want in on this action?"

"Hell yeah, _hombre_!" The two high-fived before the young man took a spot in the middle of the group, with the Alien Trio flanking him on either side. He glanced to his left and saw Weiss, and he was quickly reminded that he hadn't answered her question. But if he was going to do that, he figured he might as well do it in style. "Hey!" he called over to her to get her attention.

Weiss raised an eyebrow at him. "Yes? What is it?"

He gave her a smirk. "Wanna see something cool?"

"Uh… what?" But just as the words left her mouth, Weiss bore witness as the young man pulled his goggles over his eyes and extended his hand, a myriad of light blue lines suddenly lighting up across his glove. All at once, metal parts began to form out of his hand, melding together until an utterly GIGANTIC orange sword had burst out of his arm, much to everyone's surprise and bewilderment. "Excuse me, WHAT?!" Weiss exclaimed.

"That is a REALLY big sword." Yang commented in shock.

Ben gave her a knowing smile. "Oh, trust me, Goldie Locks, when it comes to this guy, he's only just getting started."

Hazel's eyes widened as he stood tall again, giving the boy a snarl. "Just who are you?!"

The young man's smirk increased as he finally gave an answer; "The name's Rex, ya big jerk. Now thrill me!"

* * *

**A/N: To be continued… HAHA! THE FIRST PART IS DONE! *falls over dead* *gets back up* Alright, but in all seriousness, was I right about the BIG surprise or what? Remember how I said to keep the Alpha Nanite in mind in the VERY first chapter? Well THIS is what I meant! Whenever there's nanites involved, Rex Salazar isn't far behind. But now that he's here, you've got to wonder; how in the world did he know about Ben and the others being here in the first place? Well, those answers and more will come NEXT TIME as the team drive back their enemies and reconvene with Rex's companion (which you have all probably guessed who by now). The two then tell the tale of what has been going on since the incident that caused all of this to happen, and the ramifications it has on ALL of their dimensions. Thanks for reading! See ya!**


	50. Visitors from Another Dimension, Part 2

**A/N: Well guys, we're here. Chapter 50 of Ben 10 RWBY: Dimension Twist and the last bunch of chapters for AO3 on 11/12/20. But first, I've just gotta say… I seriously didn't think I'd make it this far. But the awesome comments and support from everyone was enough to keep me going for almost a year now (at the time). And I've gotta say, I'm so very touched by your enthusiasm for this story, it means so much, and I can't even begin thank you all enough. That being said, with the 50th milestone, this is also, as I had expected, the absolute LONGEST chapter of this story yet (again, AT THE TIME), so let's get started. Start BLASTING 'Revolution' by Orange through your speakers, because this is…**

**Chapter 50: Visitors from Another Dimension, Part 2**

* * *

"The name's Rex, ya big jerk. Now thrill me!" With a mighty battle cry, Rex Salazar rushed forward with his Big Fat Sword, ready to do some damage against the muscle-bound baddies in front of him. He hadn't jumped all the way into this dimension to find his friend only to lose to a couple of meatheads. He jumped up and brought his giant blade down to strike Hazel Rainart, only for Exo-Skull to get in the way and catch the massive weapon between his hands, preventing it from going any further. "Hah, wow, nice reflexes, and you're strong too! What d'ya bench, dude?"

Exo-Skull merely growled at the teen's banter. "What is this kid? Some kinda freak?!"

Rex raised an eyebrow as he pulled his sword away. "Seriously? You managed to stop by BFS and you're calling _me_ the freak? At least I'm not wearing a bucket on my head."

"Why you!" Skull snarled as he reared his fists back and made to attack Rex, only for the EVO teen to use his BFS as a makeshift pole-vault, sending him straight over Skull's head and away from the giant man. "Hey! Get back here!"

"Sorry, can't hear you! Too high up!" Rex said before landing on the ground behind Exo-Skull. "Alright, now what did you say, big man?" At that moment, Thunderhog came up from behind Rex and swung his mace at him, but Rex had heard the mohawked man grunt in exertion as he did that, alerting him early enough to swing his sword around and block the impact. "Hey, don't you know it's rude to interrupt a conversation?"

"Don't YOU know it's _annoying_ when someone keeps BUGGIN' you?!" Hog countered as he retracted his mace's chain into the handle and pushed it against Rex's sword.

"Oh, I know that feeling, trust me." But then, Rex's eyebrows shot up in surprise when he saw Hog's hair-do, and his face lit up in a semi-sarcastic grin. "Dude! Bringing back the mohawk! Good for you!"

That was the last straw for Hog as he began to glower at Rex in contempt. NOBODY made fun of his mohawk and got away with it. "Oh, OH! You got JOKES do ya?!" He pressed the side of his visor, charging it up for a big blast. "Well let's see how funny you are afta' I BLAST yo' FACE in!"

Rex's eyes widened and he pulled away, using his sword to shield him from the blast. The powerful shot sent him flying back, but he was ultimately uninjured. He gave Hog a smirk as he taunted him. "Ha! You'd have to do better than that!"

"I PLAN on it!" With the press of a button, Hog let the chain loose on his mace again and he whirled it around in the air, calling out his signature catchphrase; "Thunder! THUNDER! THUNDERHOG!" He flung his mace forward and sent red lightning surging out to Rex, the young EVO raising his sword again to try and block the blast.

Fortunately, he didn't have to, for in a bright green flash of light, Ben had transformed into Shocksquatch and took the lighting for his friend, absorbing it into his body with no problem. "Uh, sorry, eh. But my friend just got here and I'm not about to let you electrocute 'im."

"Don't think this guy comin' outta nowhere is gonna stop us, Tennyson!" Thunderhog shouted as he slung his mace onto his back. He slammed his fists together and his electro-gauntlets began surging with electricity. "You're ALL goin' down now!"

Shocksquatch just grunted and said. "Eh, highly doubt that." Hog charged and slammed his arms into Shocksquatch, who simply raised one arm and blocked the blow. He raised a bushy eyebrow at the mohawked man. "And what did you think THIS would do, eh?"

"You're BOUND to overload on lightning eventually, kid!" Hog answered. "I've just gotta keep pumpin' it into ya!"

"Hmm, you got a point… fortunately, I've got a handy little outlet." Shockquatch raised his hand to reveal that he was flowing the electricity he was absorbing into another arm that he was holding.

Hog followed the arm until he saw who the arm belonged to, and then his eyes widened with fear. "Oh no."

"Oh yeah." Nora smirked as her eyes began to glow pink from all of the electricity she was aborbing. "You're going down." Shocksquatch let go of her arm and Nora lifted Magnhild aloft, shouting; "FOR BEACON!" before surging forward and slamming her weapon into Hog's abdomen, sending him flying across Mountain Glenn. She put her hand over her forehead as she watched him careen into the night, before he finally landed in the trees off in the far distance. She sighed in content and set a hand on her hip as she gave Shocksquatch a fist bump. "They just don't make henchmen like they used to."

Rex's jaw dropped in surprise. "Did… did she just absorb electricity?!" At that moment, a Beowolf lunged out at Rex, eliciting a yell from him as he dodged to the side. When Rex faced back toward his attacker, there were about five more Beowolves right behind the first one. Rex grimaced and said; "Alright, questions later, fight now." Rex pulled a large handle on his BFS and the blade split in the middle and began to swivel at the screw that was just beneath the sword's tip until they were horizontal with each other. The tips then began to spin rapidly, indicating that the Battle Saw configuration was ready to go. "Time to slice and dice!" And that's just what Rex did; he mowed down the Beowolves with relative ease as they lunged at him, leaving them all sliced in half with their blood splattered over the concrete. Rex's saw stopped and he winced at the sight of his handy work. "Yeesh, these things are a lot bloodier than your average EVO"

"No kiddin'." Shocksquatch agreed. But just as he was about to go on, a flurry of rose petals flew by him and Nora before stopping in front of Rex, making the EVO take a step back in surprise.

Standing there was Ruby Rose, and here silver eyes were shining with awestruck amazement as she examined Rex's sword, letting out multiple "ooh's" "ah's" and fangirl screams all the while. Her attention then went to Rex himself; "This has got to be the COOLEST sword that I've ever seen! I've _never_ seen a blade that has a buzz saw feature! How did you make it?!"

"Uh… it's a part of me?" Rex said reluctantly. "I can basically build weapons out of any part of my body."

Ruby gasped at the realization. "You mean you have MORE?!"

Suddenly, a loud battle cry got the four's attention; "RRAAWWRG!" Exo-Skull shouted as he made to ram himself into Rex, Ruby, Nora and Shocksquatch, but then he was punched hard in the gut, forcing him to stop and collect his bearings. He looked up and saw Yang… and she had the scariest death glare he had ever seen on anyone ever, barring Salem of course.

"You set one hand on either my boyfriend _or_ my sister, and that helmet's going where the sun don't shine." Yang said in a calm yet threatening tone, her glare never letting up.

Skull chuckled when he stood back up to his full height. "Yeah? And who's gonna make me, blondie? I learned what you could do in our last fight, and I'm not about to make the same mistake agai—OOF!" He was dealt a swift kick to the face and fell to the ground, just in time to see a pair of dark maroon boots land right next to him.

Pyrrha Nikos turned around and gave Yang a high five as the blonde praised the redhead on her move. "Sweet kick, P-Money!"

"Thank you." Pyrrha nodded. "I was kind of tired of hearing him talk."

Skull grit his teeth as he made to stand up. "You little—GAH!" He ran forward with his all his might, intending to put the two young ladies down for the count. But Pyrrha's instincts kicked in and she whirled around, with her shield briefly glowing black thanks to her Semblance. She bashed her shield into Exo-Skull's chest plate, and when the polarized metal met the man's armor, it had the effect of sending him flying back so far that he slammed through an entire building, all while screaming; "AAAAAAAUUUGGH!"

Pyrrha's eyebrows furrowed as she stood tall and proud. "Hmm, yes, that's what you get."

Meanwhile, Rex simply watched on in astonishment, his BFS having deconstructed out of shock. "Uh, excuse me, but HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!" he exclaimed as he lifted his goggles. "You just sent him through that building in _one_ hit!"

"Indeed, because I used my Semblance to increase the blow's power." Pyrrha explained.

"…You lost me on that one."

"Nice job, Pyr!" Jaune called out as he and Ren went to join her. But just as the boys closed in, a Beowolf jumped from out of the shadows and pounced at Jaune, intending to take him off guard. But fortunately, Jaune was prepared. He took the sheath off of Crocea Mors and change it into its shield mode before bringing it up and stabbing the pointed end through the Beowulf's chest. He activated the gun barrel in the tip, jamming it further into the Grimm as he made a quip; "Bad move, Fido." Jaune pulled the trigger and shot directly through the Beowolf killing it instantly. "Heh, let's see that nanite guy do THAT with his sword."

"I heard that you know." Rex said as he stood right next to Jaune, making the blonde knight jump in surprise. "Still, that was a pretty sweet takedown, man. I—" But then, Rex's eyes widened in surprise as he got a good look at Jaune's face. He scrutinized the blonde knight for a moment before telling him this; "Okay, dude, I know that this is a really weird thing to bring up right now, but you _kinda_ look like my friend, Noah."

"I… what?"

"Yeah, though that could just be your hair, I dunno. Also, there's a bunch of bear things behind you." At the EVO teens words, Jaune, Pyrrha and Ren turned to see a whole horde of at least a dozen Ursai behind them, with Nora quickly rejoining her team to be with them. Rex strode forth in front of Team JNPR, all the while talking to Jaune. "I gotta admit, dude, your sword-shield-gun combo is impressive, and no, mine can't do that. But check this out!"

Rex's back began to glow with more blue patterns, signaling another machine being built. All at once, a large navy-blue, cylindrical dynamo burst forth from his back, its center glowing with power. A large black whip then protruded from his right arm, finalizing the completion of his Blast Caster. Rex surged his arm forward and the whip wrapped around one of the Ursa, much to its surprise. The EVO then charged his whip with the energy encased inside the dynamo, making it surge in power before whipping it around to hit the other Ursai, using the one that he had trapped as a pseudo wrecking ball. The bear Grimm roared in pain as the energy coursed through them, killing them all in an instant. Once he was sure all of the Ursai were dead, Rex deconstructed his Blast Caster and smiled back to the Team. "Well? Whaddya think of that?"

"That was SO COOL!" Nora shouted. "How were you able to do all of that?!"

Rex chuckled as he pounded his chest. "Well, that particular build is thanks to the Omega-1 Nanite that's inside of me."

"The Omega _what_ now?" Jaune said in confusion.

Rex rubbed the back of his head. "Hehe, guess there's a lot to unpack on both sides, huh?"

But as Rex spoke to them, he didn't notice the Creep coming up from behind him, getting ready to attack. Fortunately, somebody else did. Just as the Creep charged out to attack the five teens, Athena ran out and met the beast head on, shooting it multiple times in the face with her shot gun and making it stagger back. She then forced it onto its back with a powerful kick before configuring her gun into its javelin mode, jumping up and stabbing it through the stomach to finally kill it. She moved to face Rex with a serious expression. "You would do well to stay on your guard, young man. The creatures of Grimm will take every opportunity they can to attack, so you may wish to pay attention."

"Duly noted." Rex nodded. "So, what next?"

"We must regroup with the others." Athena explained. "I have asked Tetrax to call his ship to this location. With any luck, we can escape and head back to Patch unscathed."

* * *

Back over with Ben, who was still transformed into Shocksquatch, he, Gwen, Kevin, Team RWBY and Team SN were standing in the middle of a large Grimm horde that had gathered around them in an instant. But, if he had to be honest, their predicament wasn't what the only thing that the Gimlinopithicus was focused on. He was glaring at Hazel Rainart, who merely glowered right back to him from across the sea of Grimm. The man's allies had been defeated, and yet he still stood there with his arms crossed, doing nothing but observing his enemies. "It's pointless to drag this fight on, Hazel!" Shocksquatch called out. "We've found who we were lookin' for and yer' pals are down for the count. Call this off so we can all just LEAVE!"

Hazel closed his eyes and he unfolded his arms. "You're right. It's pointless for my allies and I to continue this any further. Unfortunately, the Grimm have been aggravated to a point where they are unable to be called off, even by me." He then craned his head skyward as his eyes locked on to something. "Fortunately, the mistress has seen enough."

Shockquatch and everyone else followed Hazel's gaze before their eyes landed on a Grimm that resembled a jellyfish, much to everyone's surprise. "Is that a jellyfish?!" Kevin asked in shock before turning to Team RWBY. "You guys are the Grimm experts, what is that?!"

"First, we aren't experts on Grimm." Weiss corrected. "And secondly… if we were experts, I don't think we'd be able to tell you what that Grimm is."

"Weiss is right." Ruby said fearfully. "I have NEVER seen a Grimm like that before in my life." At that moment, the unknown Grimm began to float away, immediately setting off alarms in Ruby's head. "Wait, where is it going?!"

Suddenly, Blake realized something. "Hold on, what did Hazel mean by "the mistress has seen enough"? Is Salem WATCHING us right now?!"

"I dunno." Yang said before craning her head back down to where Hazel was. "Maybe we can beat some answers out of… where'd he go?!" Everyone snapped their heads back down and true to Yang's word, Hazel was nowhere to be seen.

"That coward!" Sun shouted. "He ran away!" Suddenly, a Beowolf shot forward from the horde and made to maul Sun, but fortunately, the monkey boy's reflexes took hold and he swung Ruyi Jingu Bang into the beast's gut, blowing it away with a blast from its tip.

"Sun, please calm down." Blake said gently as she set a hand on his arm.

"Blake's right, dude." Neptune agreed. "We gotta keep our negative emotions in check. It only makes the Grimm more aggressive."

Just then, a smirk came to Shocksquatch's face as an idea wormed its way into his brain. "Haha! That's it! They want negative emotions? We'll just give it to 'em! Only in the most positive way possible!" Everyone was confused for a second until Shocksquatch pressed the Omnitrix symbol on his chest and, in a flash of green, transformed into a very familiar alien; "RAAAATH!"

"Oh god." Gwen facepalmed. "Here we go again."

Rath snarled as he pointed directly to the horde of monsters. "LET ME TELL YA SOMETHIN', CREATURES OF GRIMM, IF YOU THINK RATH IS GONNA BE ON THE MENU TONIGHT, YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING! INSTEAD, YOUR ORDER'S GONNA BE A HEAPING HELPING OR WHUP-ASS FOR YOUR STOMACHS! DO YOU HEAR ME?! YOUR STOMACH'S ASSES ARE ALL MINE TO KICK!"

An awkward silence befell the group after that last sentence was uttered… and even the _Grimm_ were stupefied by what this orange beast was yelling at them. Yang was on the verge of tears as she held back her laughter, before finally managing to get out; "Hah-I-oh god, my sides! I think it worked, hahaha!"

"ATTACK!" Rath roared before literally diving into the swarm of Grimm and immediately snapping one's neck, killing it instantly.

Ruby took a stance with Crescent Rose at the ready. "Well, guess this is the plan! Attack!" She and her team, along with Kevin, Gwen, Sun and Neptune all ran forward and began killing the Grimm while they were still taken off guard.

Rath shouted at the top of his lungs as he began to beat the absolute crap out of the Grimm, not caring if they outnumbered him and his team. The Appoplexian grabbed a Beowolf as it lunged at him and he flipped it upside down before jumping up and wrapping its head in between his legs. "POLARIS PILEDRIVER!" Rath slammed its head down into the pavement, making it crack as he drove the Grimm into the ground. He then grabbed another Beowulf and held it up above his head and bent one of his knees. "BOOTES BACKBREAKER!" Rath slammed the Grimm over his knee, breaking its back in the process. The Appoplexian then ran over slammed an Ursa in the face with a lariat; "ALPHA LYNCIS LARIAT!" As the Ursa lied on the ground, Rath climbed up onto a ruined piece of wall with his back facing the beast. "FROM THE TOP ROPE! LUNAR MOONSAULT!" He did a backflip and landed on the Ursa, driving it further into the ground and killing it on impact.

As Rath got up and dusted himself off, he saw Yang come running over to him, the blonde punching out Grimm as she drew nearer. Once she was close to her boyfriend, she smiled brightly up at him. "Ben, that was great! You've gotta teach me some of those moves!"

Rath's mind was usually always blindly angry, but fortunately, the sight of his girlfriend was enough to calm him down. So much so that he spoke with a bit less of a shout. "Let me tell ya somethin' Yang Xiao-Long, the most amazing, most beautiful girlfriend a guy could ever ask for; Rath's wrestling moves are very hard to master, but if anyone can, it's definitely you!" Just then, the Omnitrix started beeping and flashing red, which triggered Rath's anger again. "OH, COME ON!" In a flash of red, Ben was back to normal, holding his head as he glared at the Omnitrix. "Ugh, you have the _worst_ timing."

"It sure does." Yang agreed. "But I think heard Athena ask Tetrax to signal his ship to come pick us up, so we'll be outta here soon."

"Good, I… oh no." Ben's face grew worried when a large shadow was cast over himself and Yang, with the Blonde Brawler turning around to look at what his eyes were trained on. Yang's brows furrowed when she saw a large Creep looming over them, intending to kill the couple where they stood. But as always, Ben had a quip. "Hehe, don't suppose you took that "kicking your stomach's asses" comment seriously, did you?"

"Ben, stay back." Yang said as she raised her fists to quickly reload her Ember Celica. "I'll take care of—" Suddenly, from out of nowhere, the two heard a loud _BAM_ , followed by a blue laser shooting straight into the Creep's skull from the right side of its head. The Grimm fell to the floor dead, leaving the two quite shocked. "Uh, okay, maybe not."

Ben gazed over to where the laser blast came from and his jaw dropped in surprise. Standing there, inspecting her laser rifle, was a woman who appeared to be in her early thirties. She had olive green eyes and her dark brown hair was tied up in a bun, with part of her bangs hanging over the right side of her forehead. She was also in a set of black and white armor, complete with white boots and gloves with her rifle sharing the same white coloring. The woman also had two large backpacks; one lying on the ground to her right and another on her own back. She cocked her rifle and sighed to herself. "I swear, I tell him to be careful and then _this_ happens. Why aren't I more surprised?"

Ben didn't seem to hear her mumble to herself as he called out her name; "Doctor Holiday?!"

True to form, Dr. Rebecca Holiday glanced up at the duo, giving Ben a friendly grin. "Ben! So it WAS you!" She grabbed the back pack at her feet and jogged over to the couple, still addressing Ben. "It's good to see you again, but what in the world are you doing in this wasteland?"

"I could ask you the same question!" Ben replied. "I'm shocked that you and Rex are even here! How'd you find us?!"

Holiday's smile became a sly grin. "Easy, I just followed the destruction."

A slightly annoyed expression briefly came to Ben's face before he shook it off. "No, I mean, how did you find us in _this_ dimension?"

"Ah, yes, that's a bit of a longer explanation." Holiday clarified. "We should…" But then her eyes found Yang, and she realized that she hadn't addressed the young woman yet. "Oh, I'm sorry, what's your name?"

"Uh, Yang." The blonde answered as she tilted her head. "And I'm guessing that you're one of Rex's friends?"

"Hehe, you could say that." Holiday chuckled before she noticed that Gwen, Kevin, the rest of Team RWBY and Team SN were coming toward them, having dispatched the rest of the Grimm. "Oh! And you must be Gwen and Kevin." She said to the redheaded Anodite and the raven haired Osmosian.

"Um, yes." Gwen said as she and the others came to a halt. "And you would be?"

"Oh, where _are_ my manners today?" Holiday scolded herself before making her introduction. "I'm Doctor Rebecca Holiday. I specialize in the study of EVOs and nanite technology. It's a pleasure to meet you." She focused her attention on the two teams behind Gwen and Kevin. "I must say though; I didn't expect so many people to be here. Are they natives of this universe?"

"We sure are!" Ruby answered. "I'm—WATCH OUT!" Ruby surged forward in a flurry of rose petals and pushed Holiday to the ground, just in time to avoid getting disemboweled by a swiping Ursa claw. As the two lifted their heads up, Ruby glanced over to Holiday and continued; "Like I was saying, I'm Ruby Rose."

"Well, thanks for the save, Ruby." Holiday said before a distinct growling got their attention. They moved around to face the beast… just in time to see it get frozen solid in a large spire of ice. The two shifted their gaze to see Weiss' weapon glowing faintly as one of her signature glyphs began to disappear, the heiress herself taking in deep breaths as the fatigue from the battle was catching up to her. Holiday began to thank the white-haired girl as well. "And… thank you too, Miss…"

"Schnee. Weiss Schnee." The heiress answered as she helped Ruby and Holiday to their feet. "A full introduction will have to come later." She began to glance around for any sign of their transport as Ruby and Holiday got up. "Now where's the ship?!"

"Coming as we speak!" Tetrax answered as he, Winter and Ironwood came running from the end of their own battle with the Grimm. "I've called Gluto and he should be here momentarily."

From down the street, Rex, Team JNPR, and Athena came running as well, with the EVO waving to catch his compatriot's attention. "Doc! Haha, you made it over here!"

Holiday turned around and smiled at Rex. "Of course, I did. Someone's gotta keep an eye on you so you don't completely wreck this world."

However, the doctor's presence only served to confuse Jaune even more. "Wait, now who is _she_?! How many people did you bring with you, dude?"

"Just one, that being; her." But just as Rex was about to elaborate, his eyes caught sight of the frozen Ursa, and he couldn't help but laugh. "AHAHA! Look at that thing! Just standing there like a big dope! Alright, who made the Bear-sicle?"

"Um, I did?" Weiss said trepidatiously. "But it was really no big deal. It's a simple glyph trick."

Rex inspected the heiress' work, impressed at her ability to freeze things. "Man, you really put the deep freeze on this… Grimm? That's what it's called, right?" He gave her a thumbs up. "Nice one, Ice Princess!"

Weiss' demeanor changed instantly, from trepidation to annoyance in a blink of an eye. "Ice Princess?! Who are you calling _Ice Princess_?! The name's Weiss, Robo-dolt!"

As her little sister yelled at the young EVO, Winter couldn't help but wear a sly grin on her face. _'Hmm, how VERY interesting.'_ She thought semi-sinisterly to herself.

"So, these things are called Grimm, huh?" Holiday crossed her arms. "Very fitting." At that moment, the sound of loud engines caught her attention as a large shadow was cast over them, blocking the moonlight. Holiday glanced up and was taken aback by the sheer size of the ship that had come for them. "So, I'm guessing that's our ticket out of here?"

"Sure is!" Ben smiled as the ship landed and its ramp lowered. "Now let's—" _CAW!_ "Oh, what NOW?!" The hero whirled around to see a large Nevermore flying from out of the nearby forest, letting out shrill cries as it flew faster toward them. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me."

"A _Nevermore_?!" Sun stressed. "Great, now what do we do?"

Blake turned to Ben, hoping he'd be able to help. "Ben, do you think you change back into Humungousaur and do the same thing that you did the last time you fought a Nevermore?"

"I would," Ben dejectedly shook his head, "but the Omnitrix is in recharge mode right now."

"Alright, then what about the ships weapons?" Neptune inquired as he faced Tetrax. "You said they could take out a small fleet, right?"

Tetrax nodded. "Yes, but by the time we get them up, the beast will be on top of us."

At that moment, Rex stepped forward with a confident smile on his face. "Okay, you guys are WAY overthinking this. Sometimes, all it takes…" Rex's right arm began to glow and a new weapon burst forth from it; a large orange and grey cannon that the young man had no trouble lifting. "…is a Slam Cannon..." A large maw on the back of the cannon jutted down into the ground and scooped up the pavement, loading the weapon with its ammo. "…and a good aim."

Ruby's eyes were glistening at what she was seeing right now. "That. Is. So. AWESOME!"

Rex took aim and waited, keeping the Nevermore in his sights. _'C'mon, Big Bird, open your mouth and say "ah" for me.'_ As if on cue, the Nevermore made to crow again, and Rex took his shot. "There!" The Slam Cannon launched its projectile and went right into its target; the Nevermore's mouth. The effect was instant, with the rock having lodged into its throat and cut off it's air supply, making the bird Grimm choke. This had the added effect of making the giant bird descent straight into the ground, driving its head into the pavement as it slid over to the group. Rex transformed his other arm into one of his Smack Hands and made it spin before slamming it into the bird's skull, killing it instantly. The EVO deconstructed his weapons as he wore satisfied grin. "Okay, we can leave now."

As Rex went onto the ship, almost everyone there stared at the young man in shock, everyone except Ben and Holiday that is, who were already familiar enough with Rex's abilities to be used to them. "Well, that was… entertaining, to say the least." General Ironwood commented as he and the others boarded the Resolute.

Holiday rolled her eyes as she walked up the ramp. "Yes, Rex was always one for showboating."

Yang glanced up to her boyfriend. "Green Boy, you sure have some crazy friends."

Ben simply gave her a smirk and said; "Ain't _that_ the truth?"

* * *

"I CANNOT believe this! I just can't FREAKING believe this!" This is what Max had been listening to for the past forty-five minutes or so, the old Plumber having resided to his fate as he pet the little wolf pups on his lap while sitting on the couch. Tai had gotten home not long after the team had left on their mission, and needless to say, the Xiao-Long patriarch was a little peeved. "What in the WORLD was Jim _thinking_?! Going on a mission _this_ late into Mountain Glenn? _Seriously_?!"

Max sighed as he put a hand to his forehead. Tai was a good man, of that, Max was assured. But he couldn't deny that the blonde father was a little more than overprotective. Sure, the semi-retired Plumber had once been that way toward his own grandchildren when they were just starting out, but as they grew older, Max knew when it was time to let them go out on their own and do things by themselves. Tai, however, didn't seem to have grasped that concept yet. "Tai, remember, Athena went with them." Max said in an attempt at reassuring the man. "I'm sure they'll be fine. For all we know, they could be—" Just then, the sound of loud engines coming from outside alerted the two men to the arrival of a certain ship, making a smile come to Max's face. "Heh, speak of the devil."

The two men went out the front door just in time to see the ship land and the ramp lower to the ground. The first to come out were the chaperones of the mission; Ironwood, Tetrax, Athena, and Winter. However, when Ironwood's and Tai's gazes met, the general grew slightly worried when the blonde man marched up to him with an angry expression. "Tai, I know that this isn't—"

" _Mountain Glenn_?!" Tai shouted in Ironwood's face. "Seriously, Jim?! What made you think this was a good idea?!"

Tetrax made an attempt to step in. "Tai, I'm sorry, but this was a situation that couldn't wait. You see, we got a reading that—"

"Oh, I _know_ , Tetrax. Max told me already." Tai explained with a sigh. "Look, it's late, and I really don't feel like arguing right now. In the future, could you guys maybe just tell me what you're doing _before_ you go off and do it? Just so I don't come home and almost have a heart attack? I know that this situation was important and you couldn't wait, just… please give me some forewarning next time, okay?"

"Very well." Winter nodded. "Going forward, we will inform you of every mission beforehand."

"Thank you." Tai nodded before turning to the Mistralian huntress. "And thank _you_ for going with them, Athena. I appreciate it very much."

"Of course, Tai." Athena smiled as the rest of the team began to disembark the Resolute. "And I think you'll be happy to know that the mission was actually a brilliant success."

At the news, Max's eyes widened in surprise. "It was? Well then, what did you find? Was there something out there?"

Ben grinned over to his grandfather as he and Yang stepped off of the ramp. "Not some _thing_ , grandpa. Instead… we found a couple of some _bodies_." Ben sidestepped just as Rex and Doctor Holiday came down the ramp, leaving Max a bit confused. Ben saw this and immediately began to explain. "Grandpa Max, do you remember the _other_ time that I had went to an alternate dimension? Well, while I was there, I met these two; Rex and Doctor Holiday."

The memory of his grandson telling him this came back to Max's mind, and his face instantly turned up in a smile. "Oh, that's right! You DID tell me about that happening a couple of years ago." Max pointed at Rex. "So you're the young man who can change his body into weapons, right?"

To demonstrate, Rex changed one of his arms into a Smack Hand, confirming Max's statement while also completely astonishing Tai. "Yep, that's right. Nice to meet you, Mr. Tennyson. Ben told me a lot about you when he came to my universe."

Max chuckled a little bit. "Hehe, please Rex, Mr. Tennyson was my father. Call me Max."

But Tai was a little bit on the shaky side, holding his head in one hand as he continued to stare out in disbelief. "I, uh, I think I'm gonna go to bed now." He began to head back to the house, waving to everyone else behind him. "Fill me in on everything in the morning, please."

"Okay, dad!" Ruby waved back. "Good night!"

Max then let out a yawn, ready to succumb to his own tiredness. "I think I'm gonna hit the hay too, kids. Tell me about what happened in the morning, okay?"

"Sure thing." Ben nodded. "Night, grandpa."

After Max had retired to the Rustbucket and once the door shut behind Tai, Rex glanced over to Ruby as he deactivated Smack Hand. "Uh, is your dad gonna be okay?"

The Hooded Huntress gave him a shrug. "Yeah, he'll be fine. My dad's just got a bit of a… weak constitution when it comes to things like this."

"I see." Rex clapped his hands together. "Alright, now, onto business. First off; introductions." He shifted his gaze between everyone present as he grinned at all of them. "You guys know who _I_ am thanks to Ben, but now, I wanna know who you guys are." Rex then pointed to Weiss. "But you said your name's Weiss, right?"

Weiss cleared her throat. "Ahem, yes, I'm Weiss Schnee." She gestured over to her sister. "And this is my sister, Winter."

Winter gave a small bow to the EVO as well as Doctor Holiday. "A pleasure to make both your acquaintances."

"The pleasure is all ours." Holiday assured.

Rex nodded in agreement before glancing back over to the hooded girl. "And you're the one who was hyped up by my builds, right?"

"Yeah, that'd be me." Ruby cheekily said. "I'm Ruby Rose. And this…" She pulled Yang and Blake over to her sides in a hug, "…is my sister, Yang, and my friend Blake."

"'Sup?" Yang greeted with a wave.

"Hello." Blake said as well. But then, she saw Rex's eyes widen in surprise, followed by a confused look. "Um, is everything okay?"

"Uh, yeah…" Rex trailed off. "It's just… are those cat ears real?"

Blake's brows shot up in realization, followed by a small smile. "Oh, right. You've probably never seen a Faunus before, have you, Rex?"

"Uh, no, what's a Faunus?"

"They're an intelligent humanoid species in this world." Gwen explained. "The only difference between them and humans are the animal parts and animal-like abilities that they possess."

Doctor Holiday walked closer to Blake, gazing upon the girl's cat ears in shock. "Amazing! And very interesting. So rather than having human-like ears, you have these feline ears instead?"

Blake shook her head. "No, I've got the normal set of ears too." Blake pulled back her hair, revealing a set of humanoid ears. "See?"

Rex and Holiday's jaws collectively dropped. "So, you're telling me that you essentially have _four_ ears?" Rex asked. Blake reluctantly nodded, fearful of what Rex would say next. But her fears were put to rest when the EVO shouted; "That's so cool!"

Blake blinked in surprise. "Really?"

At that moment, Sun stepped forward and poked Rex on the shoulder with his tail. "Dude, if you think her ears are cool, then you might just think that THIS is cool too."

Rex turned around and gasped at what he saw. "Dude! You've got a freaking _tail_! What kind of Faunus are you?"

"A Monkey Faunus." Sun stated proudly. "The name's Sun Wukong, nice to meet you."

Rex's mouth hung open for a second as the realization hit him; "Bro, you're like a freaking Saiyan!"

"Why do I get the feeling that I'm going to be getting that a lot from now on?" Sun smirked.

Blake went over to him and gently rubbed his shoulder. "It's okay, Sun. If anything, take it as a compliment. I get the feeling that a LOT of people like Saiyans in Ben and Rex's universes."

Rex then caught sight of Neptune in the corner of his eye, thanks in no small part to the young man's hair color. "Dude, sick hair." Rex complimented.

"Thanks, man." Neptune said before fiddling with the goggles on his head. "Gotta say, you got some great taste in headgear, bud."

Rex fiddled with his own goggles in response. "Same to you." Rex offered a handshake. "What's your name, _hombre_?"

"Neptune Vasilias." The blue-haired boy shook hands with Rex. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise, man." Rex nodded before glancing to the remaining four team members who were yet to introduce themselves. He focused on the blonde guy who kind of reminded him of his best friend. "Alright now, you were the guy who blasted that Grimm thing through its chest."

"Uh, yeah. The name's Jaune." The blonde knight answered before raising his arm in his team's direction. "And this is my team."

"Hello!" Pyrrha waved. "I'm Pyrrha."

"Hi! I'm Nora!" The Pink Dynamo waved more frantically than her friend.

"And I am Lie Ren." The green ninja bowed. "Though most just call me Ren."

Rex smiled and placed his hands on his hips. "It's nice to meet all of you." He turned his head to face Ben. "You know, I think I'm gonna like hanging with these guys, Ben. You sure know how to pick your friends."

Ben smirked back at the EVO "Hehe, glad you think so. But you haven't even met everybody yet. Wait til I take you to meet Cooper and Team CFVY tomorrow."

"Oh, hell yeah." Yang nodded. "You'll get a kick out of those guys, Rex, trust me."

"Heh, I'll keep that in mind." Rex chuckled before he caught sight of Gwen and Kevin, both standing off to the side. Rex went over and gave them a friendly smile. "Hey, uh, sorry that our first meeting was so abrupt."

"Hey, no problem dude." Kevin clasped a hand on Rex's shoulder. "If anything, we should be apologizing to you for not thinking you were real."

Gwen gave a solemn nod in agreement. "Kevin's right. For the longest time, we just thought that you were part of some kind of lucid dream that Ben had. It wasn't until we saw Alpha ourselves that we believed him. So… sorry about that."

Rex burst out laughing at that. "AHAHA! Hey, no worries! If anything, I'd probably have a hard time believing someone like me exists too if I were in your place!"

Meanwhile, Doctor Holiday had shifted her eyes to the two experienced Hunters. "And you two are Athena and Jim, correct?"

General Ironwood cleared his throat. He wasn't exactly used to people that he barely knew using his nickname. "Ahem, yes, though Jim is a nickname. I usually go by James, and even then, most refer to me as General Ironwood." He shook Holidays hand with a nod. "Nevertheless, it is good to meet you, Doctor Holiday."

After they were done shaking hands, Athena went over and proceeded to do the same. "Indeed, it is a pleasure." She gave the doctor a wink. "And don't worry, I don't have a long title like James does. Feel free to call me Athena. I also happen to be Pyrrha's mother."

Holiday chuckled a little bit. "Hehe, I thought so, I definitely see the family resemblance." At that moment, Holiday spotted the Xiao-Long house not far away, and she gave a mental sigh. _'Finally, a place where I can change out of this bulky armor and into something more natural.'_ She slung her backpack over her shoulder and looked over to Ruby. "Pardon me, Ruby, but is it alright if I can go into your house and change?"

"Oh sure!" Ruby smiled. "Nearest bathroom is down the hall and to the left when you walk in."

"Thank you very much." Holiday said in relief before grinning to her EVO friend. "Rex, why don't you start filling everyone in? I'll only be a minute."

"Sure thing Doc!" Rex saluted before ushering everyone to follow him. "C'mon guys, it's time I told ALL of you my life story."

"Great idea." Blake agreed. "Maybe then, we can have context on this whole thing."

But just as everyone was about to head in, Ironwood spoke up again. "As much as we'd like to join you, Winter and I have to get back to the mainland." he explained. "We can't be gone for too long, otherwise the Valian Military officials are going to wonder where we are."

"It's okay. We understand." Ben assured. "We'll just fill you guys in later." The Omnitrix bearer turned to the Petrosapien bounty hunter. "What about you, Tetrax?"

"Sorry to say, Ben, but I'm exhausted." Tetrax replied as his crystalline eyes were half-lidded. "After I drop James and Winter off, I'm going to be retiring for the night as well." He gave the hero a salute as he and the general began to board his ship. "Feel free to inform me of everything tomorrow. I'll be by in the morning."

Ben nodded as almost everyone was following Rex and Holiday inside the house, asking the young EVO and doctor a million questions all at once. "Alright, good night then. Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta go do some crowd control."

Meanwhile, Winter and Weiss were sharing a goodbye hug. "It was good to fight alongside you once again, little sister." The elder Schnee smiled. "And your Summoning has indeed gotten much better. Keep up the training and perhaps you will finally summon the Arma Gigas."

"That's my goal!" Wiess nodded as she and her sister pulled away. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

"Most likely. And until then…" Winter gave Weiss a wink, much to the heiress' shock. "…make sure that you don't lose your head, okay? I've noticed that you are… somewhat easily irritated by our new arrival."

Weiss' eyes widened before she rolled them. "What, Rex? Pfft, please. How in the heck is he going to get under my skin? I promise you that I will be fine."

Winter gave her sister a sly smirk. "Very well. I will see you tomorrow… Ice Princess."

As Winter quickly boarded the Resolute, Weiss' face instantly became red in a combination of embarrassment and righteous fury as she called after her sister; "WINTER! I swear to god that you will NOT live that down!"

Ben saw the heiress screaming after the rising ship and he immediately began to lead Weiss into the house, with the white-haired girl still glaring after the ship. "Alright, Weiss, let's head inside before you attract any Grimm that might be nearby."

* * *

As Rebecca Holiday emerged from the bathroom, she let out a comfortable sigh, relieved that she was finally back in her usual clothes; an orange turtleneck underneath a white lab coat, complete with a dark grey skirt and black thigh-high heeled boots. It was a simple look, but it was one that she was more than happy to keep. However, as she walked out of the bathroom, she heard a commotion coming from the living room, and the unmistakable sound of Rex's voice. Holiday walked over to the entry way and smiled as everyone was focused on the young EVO as he began to tell the tale of his origins and the events that had changed his life forever.

Just as she walked in the room, Pyrrha glanced over her shoulder and smiled at the doctor, giving her a wave. "Hello, Doctor Holiday, glad you could join us."

Holiday smiled back and strolled over to the Invincible Girl, who was sitting with Jaune, Blake, and Sun on the couch. Though Holiday also took note of Athena's absence. "Of course, Pyrrha, I was never going to miss out on this. Say, where'd your mom go?"

"She went to bed as well." Pyrrha shrugged. "She wanted to stay up, but she could practically _feel_ the exhaustion weighing her down."

"Hehe, oh, I am FAR too familiar with _that_ feeling." However, just as she made it there, she saw two small bundles of fur sitting on both Pyrrha and Blake's laps. Now, Holiday was never one to lose her cool in a situation… but she had a weakness for cute animals. She let out a gasp and asked; "Are those… puppies?!"

Pyrrha and Blake smiled as they lifted Romulus and Rema off of their laps, turning them to face Holiday. "They are." Blake confirmed. "But not just any puppies. These are wolf pups. This is Rema and that's Romulus."

That statement shocked Holiday even more. "W-wolf pups? Are… are you even allowed to _own_ those?"

"Yep." Blake nodded. "It's a long story on how we came to own them, but the short of it is that they were orphans and we took them in." She lifted Rema up and offered her to Holiday. "You want to hold her?"

"I—yes. Yes, I would!" Holiday smiled as she sat down in the nearest chair and Blake handed Rema off to her, the doctor settling the little wolf on her lap. "Hello there, Rema! How are you, sweetie?" In response, Rema jumped up slightly and licked Holiday's nose, surprising her enough to make her laugh. "Haha! Oh my goodness, don't YOU have a lot of energy?"

"Yeah, she'll do that to you." Blake smiled. "But she's really as sweet as can be."

"Hehe, oh, I believe it." Holiday chuckled before focusing her attention to the front of the room while petting Rema. "Alright, I think Rex is about to start."

True to her word, Rex had just begun retelling his life story. "Okay, so, my version of Planet Earth; large blue planet covered mostly in water with seven major continents to its name. Sounds like a nice place to live, right? Or at least a good place to keep your socks." That got a good laugh out of nearly everyone there, though he noticed that Weiss simply rolled her eyes. But Rex was undeterred and kept going. "But then, about eight years ago… BOOM. The Nanite Event happened, and that was the day that everything changed. And EVOs were born." Rex went on to explain everything; how his parents and older brother, Caesar were the ones who lead the Nanite Project, how his arch enemy, Van Kleiss was involved in it too, and how he had lost his memories while his brother was blown into space in a research pod, inadvertently making himself travel through time thanks to the pod's subspace engines. "It took my brother fifteen minutes to regain control of his pod, but back on Earth, five years had gone by."

"Jeez, that must've been rough." Jaune figured. "Having to come back to a world that you barely know anymore while your parents are just… gone."

"Yeah, it was pretty rough for him at first." Rex admitted. "But he got used to it. And I finally had someone who could tell me about my past… who also happened to be my family. Even if we had some… disagreements down the road, I'm glad that he came back into my life."

Ben's eyebrows shot up when he remembered that little fact about Caesar. "Oh yeah, you said your brother was working for the wrong side for a while, huh? How'd that all pan out?"

"Oh, he came back to the right side." Rex grinned before changing it into a smirk. "But not before I decked him for all the crap he caused."

"You punched your bother in the face?!" Gwen exclaimed.

"Dude, hardcore." Kevin commented.

Rex shrugged. "Hey, he kinda deserved it for all the trouble he caused… which reminds me, I should probably get on to that." Rex continued his story, talking about his brief stint in China before moving onto how he was taken in by Providence after he had gone full EVO He then went into detail about his team, specifically, Agent Six, White Knight, Bobo Haha, and Noah Nixon, with Holiday jumping in to provide extra details. After that, Rex moved on to how he and Providence had faught with two opposing forces; Van Kleiss and his Pack, and the Consortium with their leader, Black Knight. It then came time for Ben to jump in, the two boys and the doctor going into detail about the battle with the Alpha Nanite, allowing everyone to finally have context for everything. Finally, once Rex had concluded his harrowing tale of how he managed to finally cure the planet of nearly all EVO kind, he let out a long exhale and stood tall, giving the crowd a big grin. "And there you have it, my life story in a nutshell."

"A very BIG nutshell." Holiday commented as she continued to cuddle Rema in her lap. "But those are pretty much the basics."

The whole room was silent for a good few seconds, but the two were patient and waited for everyone to digest the information that they had been told. The only one who had a bit of an easier time taking it all in was Ben, though he was hung up about something as he narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Rex had told him pretty much everything the first time they had met, and the Omnitrix bearer could tell that he and Holiday were leaving a detail out. _'Wasn't there a girl that Rex was interested in? Circe, I think her name was? But he didn't mention her at ALL in this. Why?'_ Ben shook his head. _'Probably not the best time to bring it up, Tennyson. Just ask later.'_

Finally, Nora spoke up, though she seemed to be hung up on a different detail; "You mean to tell me… that there's an alternate dimension… with an eye-patch wearing, talking chimpanzee in a fez… and I didn't know about it until TODAY?!"

Rex and Holiday both deadpanned at the girl's enthusiasm for a talking monkey, causing many of the other teens to laugh hysterically. The team knew that it would take a while for Rex and Holiday to get used to Nora's random quirks, and the two's faces were evidence of that. But for now, all the EVO teen could think was; _'Something tells me that this girl is either easily pleased by random stuff… or she could be crazy.'_ Rex cleared his throat and continued. "Uh, hehe, yeah, Bobo's a piece of work. But you get used to him. Heck if the two of us can bunk together in the same room, then that's evidence enough."

"Wait, is THAT why I've been smelling nothing but bananas since we got in here?!" Weiss exclaimed before marching up to Rex and grabbing a hold of his jacket and lightly sniffing it, much to his surprise. "UHG! Do you _ever_ wash your jacket? That chimp you live with makes your clothes smell like over ripened potassium!"

Rex glanced off to the side with a guilty expression. "Actually… _I'm_ the one with an addiction to bananas. Bobo can't stand 'em."

The expression of utter dumbfoundedness on Weiss' face was priceless. Yang, Ben, Nora and Sun all burst out laughing while Blake and Ruby attempted to keep their laughter under control along with Neptune and the rest of Team JNPR. But then, the heiress' surprised expression turned into one of irritation. "And that makes things better HOW exactly?!"

Holiday sent a smirk in Rex's direction. "Be careful, Rex. When a woman tells you to do your laundry more often, it usually _isn't_ just a suggestion."

That only served to make both Rex and Weiss' faces flush with embarrassment, with Rex murmuring something about how hard laundry was. This only served to fuel the laughter in the room for a good few moments more. But, once the laughter had died down and Weiss returned to her seat, Yang decided to bring up the ultimate question. "Okay, so what're you doing here now, Rex? How'd you and Holiday find your way to our neck of the woods?"

Rex let out a chuckled as he brushed his hand through his hair. "Hehe, hoo boy, that's a story in and of itself, Yang, believe me. But it's also one that might sound familiar, so listen in. It started about a week and a half ago. For the past two years, we'd been working to track down Van Kleiss and his pack, and on that day, it looked like we had finally cornered them…"

* * *

_Rex was standing about twenty yards away from an abandoned factory building near Detroit, Michigan, and the EVO teen hadn't been more determined in his entire life to do what he and his team were about to undertake. For almost two years, Van Kleiss and his Pack had been on the run, and the latest information that had been brought to Providences attention was a sighting of what locals think was a large werewolf stalking the outskirts of the city at night. But they knew who it really was; Biowolf, Van Kleiss' second-in-command. All signs pointed to this building in front of him, and Rex knew now more than ever was the time to enact their plan._

_Suddenly a familiar male voice came through his communicator;_ **_"This is Six, I am in position. Rex, are you ready?"_ **

_Rex's eyebrows furrowed as he reached for the comm in his ear. "Now more than ever, Six. It's time to finish this. What about everyone else?"_

**" _Readin' ya loud n' clear, chief."_** _Bobo called in first._ **_"Let's get this over with so we can finally forget about these clowns."_ **

**" _This is Holiday."_** _The doctor answered on her end._ **_"Caesar and I are in position and have the Dimensional Disruptor at the ready."_ **

_Just then, Rex's brother, Caesar called in, addressing his little brother directly._ **_"Hermano, I just want to make sure one last time; are you willing to go through with this? Once we use the Disruptor to send the Pack to the Null Void, that's it. They're there forever."_ **

" _I've never been surer about anything else in my life, bro." Rex answered seriously. "After everything they've done, this is the only prison that can really hold them. …Well, maybe apart from Breach." That had been a sore spot for Rex that kept bugging him; Breach. Why had she saved Van Kleiss and the other Pack members from the cure wave two years back? Was it loyalty? An awful case of Stockholm syndrome? Rex didn't know, but there was a part of him that hoped to at least convince the four-armed girl whom he considered a friend to stop and come back with them, maybe he could finally cure her too. At least he hoped._

**" _Okay, I can tell that you've made up your mind."_** _Caesar called back on the other end._ **_"And Rex, I want you to know that no matter what, we're all behind you on this. Okay, little bro?"_ **

_Rex smiled at his brother's words before responding. "Thanks, hermano. Now, let's finish this." He hung up and activated his Boogie Pack before taking to the air. With a burst of speed, Rex flew forward at a breakneck pace, activating his Smack Hands before slamming straight through the door to the factory. As he pushed the large metal door into the compound, he could tell that something else had been hit as well, because it made a loud grunt on the other side. "Ha! Gotcha!" He slammed the door into the opposing wall, trapping whoever he crashed into beneath the metal slab. He moved away, and true to form, it was Biowolf, the large cyborg canine struggling to break out of the trap._

" _RAUGH! What is this?!" Biowolf said in his deep, growly voice before his eyes widened at the sight of the young EVO "REX?! GRR, how did you find this place?!"_

" _You aren't exactly hard to spot, Biowolf, even if it's at night." Rex quipped before activating his BFS, keeping one Smack Hand on the metal door to keep Biowolf there. "So, where's your boss?"_

_At that moment, another deep, guttural voice called out from the other side of the room; "Like we'd ever tell you." Rex turned his head to see Van Kleiss' other loyal henchman, Skalamander, aiming his crystal club arm at Rex, the reptilian EVO giving the young man the best sneer that he could with this sideways head. "Yer not exactly welcome here, kid, 'specially after everything that you did to us. It was foolish of you to come alone in the first pla—AUGH!" Skalamander was silenced instantly when something tall, fast and green came down from the ceiling and kicked him in the face, sending him to the ground._

_The EVO looked up to see Agent Six, donned in his signature green three-piece suit and black sunglasses. The goateed man pulled his folding swords out of his sleeves and pointed them straight at Skalamander's eye, making his intentions quite clear to him. "Move a single muscle and you won't be able to see anymore, Skalamander."_

_Rex smirked as the sixth deadliest man in the world made the threat. It had been a long and arduous two years and six months since the incident that took Six's memories away, but the green-clad agent had been able to slowly recover them, much to Caesar's surprise and everyone's relief. Rex was pulled out of his thoughts when his simian sidekick, Bobo Haha fell from the ceiling as well, the EVO chimp aiming his twin laser pistols at Biowolf's head as he landed on the large metal door that kept the cyborg wolf pinned. "An' the same goes fa you too, pally. Only instead a' your eyes, I'm takin' your brains."_

_Rex faced Biowolf again, furrowing his brows for good measure. "Now, where is Van Kleiss?"_

" _You needn't look very far, Rex." The sound of a familiar voice got everyone's attention as they focused on a nearby dark corridor, with the sound of footfalls signaling someone's approach. Standing there, tall and imposing, was Van Kleiss. He still wore his ratty brown clothes and big boots from all those years ago, with his hair also just as long and unkempt. He had managed to fix his bio-mechanical arm for a second time, the golden appendage going up all the way to his shoulder. Van Kleiss gave Rex a cold malicious smile, one that the younger EVO had seen many times. "I must say, I am quite impressed. You found us MUCH faster than last time."_

" _Only because you and your cronies are growing desperate, Van Kleiss." Rex retorted. "So what, is Biowolf your errand runner now?"_

_Biowolf growled as he pushed against the metal door that he was trapped under. "Why you—"_

_But he was cut off when Bobo jabbed the barrel of his pistol against his head. "Ah-ah, you're makin' my trigger finger itch!" However, the moment he made that threat, Biowolf vanished from beneath the door, followed by a flash of red light. "Ah, crud."_

_At the same time, a blood red portal appeared right beneath Skalamander before pulling him in, forcing Six to leap back to avoid being captured himself. His expression hardened slightly as he glanced over to Rex. "I believe your "friend" is here, Rex."_

_The young EVO's heart sank a little when he saw the red portals open up at Van Kleiss' right side, with Biowolf and Skalamander emerging from them. Just then, a third portal opened up on Van Kleiss' left, and out stepped Breach, the young girl EVO with four arms and portal creating abilities. Her disheveled hair was covering her eyes as her head hung low, which served confused Rex. "Breach?" he called out to her. The moment her name was spoken, she raised her head up and Rex's heart sank when he saw her eyes. They were tired, sad, and full of pain. The girl didn't need to speak in order for her message to come across;_ _she was scared, and Rex could see that she regretted what she had done_ _. This only strengthened Rex's resolve as he pointed his BFS at his foe. "Let my friend go, Van Kleiss. Your days on the run are through anyway."_

_Van Kleiss merely chuckled in response. "I highly doubt that, Rex. Besides, Breach WANTS to stay with the Pack." He sent a sinister glance Breach's way. "Don't you, my dear?" Breach slightly flinched in response, but that was good enough for Van Kleiss. "I thought so. In any case, you are outnumbered, three to four. I would hardly call this fight in your favor."_

_Rex just smirked at that as he pressed his ear comm. "Yeah, don't count on that. NOW!" The members of the Pack were taken aback when a large research pod suddenly crashed through the side of the factory wall, which only served to make Rex's smirk increase. "This time, you're NOT getting away."_

_The pod opened and out jumped both Holiday and Caesar, with the doctor holding two pistols in her hand while the older Salazar sibling was hefting around a large weapon of some sort. It was a drab brownish-grey color with a large barrel that had eight small lenses situated around a single larger lens in the middle. Holiday aimed her pistols at Van Kleiss and shouted; "It's over Kleiss. Give it up!"_

_But the metal-armed man could only throw his head back and laugh. "Ahaha! Really? The scientists are going to make me surrender?"_

" _Oh, not us, Van Kleiss." Caesar said as he took aim with his Dimensional Disrupter. "THIS is!" He pulled the trigger to his invention and… nothing happened. No red beam of light, no portal, nothing. Caesar wore a look of confusion as he attempted to pull the trigger again, and still, nothing happened. "What? What's going on?!"_

_Meanwhile, Skalamander was laughing up a storm. "AHAHA! For someone who's supposed to be a genius, you suck at making weapons!" But then, the Dimensional Disrupter began to spark with red lightning, causing Skalamander to second guess himself. "Uh, maybe I spoke too soon."_

" _Uh, bro?" Rex asked hesitantly. "What's going on?!"_

" _I-I don't know!" Caesar fearfully admitted. "It's never done this befo—OW!" A rather large red electric shock had hit Caesar's hand, making him throw the device to the ground in between the opposing sides. It then began to shake violently, which only made Caesar's fear increase. "Get down!" At his word, both sides dove for cover before the machine finally burst apart, with a large red spiraling portal opening up in the ground, much to everyone's bewilderment._

_Six and Holiday got up, the agent having shielded the doctor with his own body just in case. Six's brows rose slightly in intrigue as his eyes landed on the portal in the ground. "What in the world is that?"_

" _My guess?" Holiday spoke up. "A Null Void portal."_

" _Hold up." Bobo raised a hand. "Somethin's comin' out of it."_

_Indeed, something was, and that thing was a large, humanoid creature that glowed bright red, with its angry eyes being the brightest thing that glowed on its body. Its hands gripped the edges of the portal as it pulled itself out, speaking in a tired, raspy voice;_ **"Free… at last."**

_Rex's eyes widened in terrified shock. "No, it can't be!"_

_Caesar felt his gut wrench when his gaze fell onto the being, the one that he himself had created so long ago. "…Alpha?"_

" _What IS that creature?!" Biowolf shouted._

_Van Kleiss sneered in disgust. "A failed experiment from a very long time ago." Just then, without any warning, Alpha began to scream in agony, with energy bolts crackling through the portal. It was then that Alpha's body began to disintegrate before their very eyes, culminating in the portal imploding in on itself before expanding out in a white dome of light. "What now?!"_

" _The portal's destabilizing!" Caesar concluded. "Everybody run!"_

" _No need to tell us twice!" Rex said as everyone began to make a break for it. However, they would not be able to get away as the portal began to expand ever faster. Breach had even tried to portal herself away, but the dome had swallowed her up before she could flee. In the end, everyone had been swallowed up, with the abandoned factory reduced to a crater where it once stood. However, much to Rex's confusion, he was still alive. Sure everything had been consumed by nothing but white, but he was still conscious. Suddenly his vision returned… only for him to fall on his hands and knees on a slab of pavement. "Huh?! What the—" He cut himself off as he looked around, realizing that he was now in a different place entirely. "Where the hell am I?!"_

_The place he had ended up in was a rather suburban town, one that had large buildings mixed with healthy greenery. But the biggest detail that he noticed… was that he, Six, Holiday, Caesar and Bobo, were all in the middle of a giant crater that had expanded over an entire block of the town, much to his astonishment. Even his brother's flying research pod had somehow made the trip! Six was the next one to pick himself up, rubbing his head as his vision returned to him as well. "I was about to ask the same question. What happened?"_

" _I dunno, but—" Rex was cut off again when another white flash of light had caught his attention a few yards away from him and Six. When the light died away, there stood to beings; one human, and one who was clearly NOT human._

_The human was a Caucasian man in his early fifties with a head of black hair. He wore a white lab coat over a brown vest with a matching dark brown tie. He also wore a pair of black pants and shoes and had a pair of goggles around his neck. On his shoulder stood a pint sized little grey frog man with large green eyes, long whiskers around his mouth and donned in a green and black tunic of some sort. The man approached Rex and Six with a friendly smile, his eyes locked directly on the EVO "My word, a dreadful mess, is it not? By any chance, you wouldn't happen to be Rex Salazar, would you?"_

_Almost immediately, Agent Six took out his blades again and pressed them up against the man's neck. "Who wants to know?" At this point, everyone else had gotten up and were jogging over to Rex and Six, with Holiday personally hoping that a fight wouldn't be breaking out._

_Surprisingly, the little frog man spoke up in defiance of Six. "We do, of course. One moment, everything in the universe is fine. The very next, the bearer of my Omnitrix and his team are wiped from the face of this dimension!"_

_Rex's eyes widened at the mention of the word 'Omnitrix'. "Hold up, YOUR Omnitrix?! As in, the Omnitrix that Ben Tennyson wore before he got the Ultimatrix? Are we in BEN'S dimension?! No freaking way!"_

_The man gave a kind nod before nonchalantly pushing Six's sword away. "Indeed. I am Professor Paradox." He glanced to the small frog man on his shoulder. "And this is the Great Thinker, Azmuth. And I believe that we can all help each other in this… rather strange situation."_

* * *

"I KNEW that Paradox would've noticed it happen!" Kevin exclaimed as Rex concluded his recounting of events. "When it comes to time and space stuff, that man is ALL over it the moment it happens."

"I'm more surprised that Alpha was able to split himself between TWO dimensions at once" Gwen commented. "Then again, he wasn't exactly a normal creature, so I shouldn't be all THAT surprised. Still, I'm left to wonder…" Gwen focused on Holiday. "Why didn't Professor Paradox start looking for us the moment that it happened?"

"Well, while that was always an option, Paradox told us that without knowing _precisely_ which dimension you were in, it would take a much longer time to locate you." Holiday explained before a slightly confused expression came to her face. "He also said something about the Celestialsapiens making certain dimensions off-limits to him, but I have absolutely NO idea what he meant by that."

Ben sighed as he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, those guys and Paradox aren't exactly on good terms. So, how DID you guys end up finding us anyway?"

Rex smiled as he gave the answer. "Well, while we didn't know _where_ you guys ended up, Azmuth knew HOW we all got transported to each other's dimensions; a collapsing Null Void portal. And he managed to pick up and record the energy readings from the accident, so he used those for a basis on a plan to open up a NEW portal to where you guys ended up… which would be… where exactly?"

"Remnant." Pyrrha answered. "Our world is called Remnant."

"…Man, that's a cool name." Rex admitted before continuing. "Okay, so in order to get to Remnant, Azmuth had to recreate the exact energy ripple that opened the portal in the first place. But he needed to make a device that could do that." The young EVO wore a prideful smile before going onto the next part. "Fortunately, my big bro just happened to have the perfect design for something like that."

Jaune spoke up next. "You're saying that he created another Dimensional Disruptor? …That IS what it was called, right?"

"Bingo!" Rex pointed at Jaune before pulling out his phone. "Yep, Caesar shared his Disruptor schematics with Azmuth, and get this… the little guy was _impressed_ with my brother's work."

Ben, Gwen and Kevin's jaws collectively dropped in unison. "Seriously?!" Ben exclaimed. "But… Azmuth his hardly impressed by _anything_ that isn't Galvan! I seriously can't believe this!"

"Well, believe it dude." Rex smirked before handing his phone over to him. "Check this out, this is the result of my brother and Azmuth collaborating on the new Dimensional Disruptor. Oh no, wait, sorry—the Dimensional _Doorway_ is what they're calling it now."

Everyone took turns looking at the photo that Rex pulled up on his phone. There on the screen was Caesar Salazar, smiling proudly as he hefted his invention in his arms. Having seen the Disruptor before, Ben noticed that while the new model was quite streamlined, it still very much resembled the older one, particularly in its bulbous barrel. Also, instead of the drab, unpainted metal of the previous version, this one was bright white with black detailing, with its nine lenses glowing green instead of red. There was a caption on the photo that read; 'Big bro loves his new toy.', which got a chuckle out of Kevin and a few others. "Dude, your bro looks like a kid in a candy store." the Osmosian commented.

"He was very excited when he and Azmuth finally finished it." Holiday revealed. "And I can't blame him. Those two spent an entire week and a half on that devise. However, when it came time to use it for the first time, it was decided that only two people would go."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "So you two were the ones who volunteered?"

Rex sighed and he crossed his arms. "Yeah, I felt kind of bad just leaving the place, especially after kicking so much alien butt in the past week. But finding you guys was more important."

Ben's eyebrows rose and a smile came to his face. "Wait, Rex, you've been doing my job while I was gone?" He got up and gave Rex a fist bump. "Thanks, man, much appreciated."

"Hey, no problem." Rex shrugged. "What're friends for, right? And you'll be happy to know that Six and Bobo are taking up the job while Holiday and I here… along with a few others." Rex asked for his phone back and Neptune handed it over to him. The EVO swiped through his photos again before landing on the one he wanted. He handed the phone back to Ben with a wink. "The crew send their regards."

Ben's jaw dropped again when he saw the photo. There, in a large group shot were Rex, Six, Holiday, Bobo, and to his astonishment; Manny Armstrong, Helen Wheels and Alan Albright, all seven standing together in a group with a caption that read; 'First Team Photo!' Ben smiled as he handed the phone to Gwen and Kevin, who both had similar reactions. "Well, guess we're not the only ones making new friends from a different universe, huh?"

Holiday gave him a nod. "Yes, though you've certainly made more than we have."

"Hey, it's not the quantity of friends that matters." Sun pointed out. "It's all in the quality!"

"Sun's right." Neptune agreed. "Friends are friends, no matter how many you've got."

Rex couldn't help but smirk a little bit. "Heh, a little cheesy, but you guys make a great point."

It was then that Blake spoke up. "There's still one thing that's bothering me though; what happened to Van Kleiss? You guys said that he and his pack got sucked into the dome of light with you, right?"

Holiday's face grew a bit more disappointed as she gave her answer. "That's right, but we haven't been able to find them yet. We know that they must be on Ben's Earth somewhere, we just aren't sure _where_. They're staying far too quiet this time."

Ren's eyes narrowed slightly. "That is never a good sign."

Nora's face went into an uncomfortable sneer. "Yeah, I'd feel really uneasy if I were in the same world as THAT guy, eugh!"

Ben's eyes widened as he remembered something. "Wait… what about Vilgax? Have you guys heard anything about him or what he's doing?"

Rex shook his head somberly. "Sorry dude, Vilgax has been quiet since his escape."

Ben's eyebrows furrowed as he crossed his arms, his gaze lowering to the ground in thought. "I don't like that. I don't like that one bit."

"Yeah, I had a feeling you wouldn't." Rex went over and pat his friend on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Ben. If all goes well, we might be able to get you guys back to your home universe faster than you think. I mean, it's not like there's some big evil force that you guys have to stop in THIS dimension too, right?" The room fell silent as The Alien Trio and Teams RWBY, JNPR and SN all exchanged anxious expressions, which only made Rex begin to worry. "Uh… _right_?"

Ben gave both Rex and Holiday an apologetic look. "You guys might wanna sit down for this."

* * *

About an hour or so after the whole team had recounted the events of the past week, from the Battle of Beacon, to Salem and her cabal, as well as all of the escaped prisoners from the Plumber base wreaking havoc in Remnant, Rex and Holiday's jaws were nearly on the floor after all of the information that they had been fed. Rex's mind in particular had nearly been blown. "You know… it sounds like you guys have had A LOT more going on than what _we've_ been dealing with in your dimension."

"Yeah, you could say that." Gwen smiled. "But hey, we have a knack for attracting trouble, so that's not really a surprise."

"True, very true." Rex said before he smirked over to Ben and Yang, the couple sitting on the couch side by side. "But I gotta say, I seriously didn't expect to come to this dimension to see you in a relationship, Ben. ¡ _Felicidades_!"

Ben rubbed the back of his head while his other arm rested against Yang's back, the blonde reciprocating the gesture as she had her arm gently settled against his. "Hehe, yeah, I wasn't really expecting to find someone special in this world." He gave Yang a soft smile. "But I'm really glad that I have. And I must say, I'm thankful to have met someone THIS amazing."

Yang rolled her eyes before giving Ben a quick peck on the lips. "You flatter me, Green Boy." She then noticed that everyone was shooting either a sweet smile or a smirk their way, causing Yang to raise an eyebrow and give them a smirk of her own. "What, you guys think this is a show? Sorry, but you'll need to find your entertainment somewhere else."

Weiss crossed her arms with a knowing smile. "That's fine. I'm just glad that I got the answer to my question from earlier. I KNEW that something had happened on that date earlier." She turned her head toward Rex and Holiday, a serious expression overtaking her regal features. "Still though, our situation with Salem is a very serious one. We barely have any idea what that witch is capable of or what she's doing right now. All we know is that she wants the Maidens and the Relics… and that's it."

Rex put a finger to his chin to ponder for a moment, only for a grin to appear on his face soon after. "Hmm, sounds like you guys could use some extra hands in this fight." He put his hands on his hips and firmly stated; "Alright, I'm in!"

Weiss' eyes widened at that. "Seriously?! You only just heard about Salem NOW, and you still want to join us?!"

"Hell yeah!" Rex said with determination laced in his voice, taking Weiss off guard. "I mean, I can't just leave people who need help. That's not how my brain works."

"Rex is right." Holiday agreed. "Now that were here, we'll do everything we can to help. Our mission WAS to locate you and await further instructions, but while we're waiting for those, we might as well do something productive."

Ben smiled as he put his hand out. "Well alright! Bring 'em in, people!" Gwen, Kevin, Team RWBY, Team JNPR, and Team SN all brought their hands in to the circle, with Rex and Holiday being the only ones left wondering what to do. Ben sent them a smile ushering them to come in. "C'mon, you guys are part of the team now, bring it in!"

"Well alright!" Rex exclaimed as he and Holiday put their hands in. "We're glad to be here! You guys can be sure that we won't let you down!"

Weiss raised an inquisitive brow at the EVO, very surprised at the young man's enthusiasm. _'You're quite the odd one, Rex. Let's see how you fair out.'_

Ben grinned at his friend's words before giving the word. "Alright, glad to hear it! Now, all together guys;" Ben and the others lifted their hands in the air, with nearly everyone shouting out; "IT'S HERO TIME!"

Rex smiled as he and Holiday raised their hands into the air. "I was going to say the same thing, only in Spanish!"

Weiss wore a deadpan expression as the rest of the room laughed at Rex's quip. _'This might take some getting used to.'_

* * *

**A/N: WHOO! Chapter 50 is done! And with that, the conclusion of this two-part arc. But man, this two-parter's gonna have some MAJOR impact on the story going forward, so don't expect it to slow down now! That being said, you can probably expect the next chapter to be shorter than these two chapters were, as it'll a sort of "epilogue" for this two-parter while also ushering in the next arc. With all of that out of the way, NEXT TIME! The crew begins to adapt to having some new people living in the Xiao-Long house! Plus, Rex gets the chance to show off a few… provisions that he had brought with him from Ben's world. But before I go, I just wanted to thank all of you once again for your support, it really means a lot to me! Thanks for reading, guys! I'll see ya later!**


	51. New Day, New Teammates

**A/N: Afternoon, AO3 readers! It's time once again for another bunch of chapters, and once again, we have here what I like to call the "casual chapter", where things slow down a bit and the characters get some downtime after their action-packed battles. And this particular chapter is one that I REALLY enjoyed writing, so let's pull out of the station, because this is…**

**Chapter 51: New Day, New Teammates**

* * *

Weiss Schnee's bright blue eyes fluttered open as the morning sun began to shine through the curtains of her team's room, the heiress letting out a small yawn not soon after. She then became aware of herself, realizing that she had rolled over onto her stomach in her sleep. _'Hmm, must have been dreaming again.'_ She often found herself doing this; tossing and turning in her sleep when she was dreaming. It didn't really bother her THAT much, though she still found it as a bit of an odd thing for someone like her to so. As she gently rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes, Weiss pushed the thoughts away, resolving to think about it later. _'Remember, Weiss, you're not living in the mansion anymore.'_ She scolded herself. _'Normal people do things like this all the time. You're basically a normal person now.'_ But then, she mentally sighed. _'Yeah, right, tell that to the expensive clothing that your sister brought you from home.'_

She shook the thoughts out of her head and got out of bed, her mind already alert enough to be considered fully awake. Her feet touched the floor and she steadily got up, careful not to hit her head on the roof of the bunk bed that she and Blake shared. The cat girl herself was still asleep, breathing silently as she slept on her side. However, Weiss noticed that Blake's intermediate breathing sounded more like purring than anything else… and it was admittedly very cute. Along with the cat girl, Rema was also sleeping on the top bunk, making absolutely sure that she slept close to her mommy. The little wolf pup perked up when Weiss got out of Bed, but the heiress put a finger to her lips and went; "Shhh". Rema gave a little whine before laying her head back down, earning her a pat from Weiss as she calmed right down.

Weiss then glanced around the rest of the room. Yang was gone as per usual, the Blonde Brawler having most likely gone off with Ben for their private morning training sessions. The heiress smirked to herself as a certain memory from last night wriggled into her mind. _'I wonder how much actual TRAINING will get done now. Their training sessions will probably become more like make-out sessions, hehe!'_

Suddenly, loud nasally snore pulled her out of her thoughts, causing her eye to twitch slightly. She knew that snore anywhere, and one look to the right only confirmed her suspicions; Ruby was still asleep. Now, Ruby wasn't really much of a snorer, the Hooded Huntress was usually quite silent when she slept. However, Ruby would occasionally shift positions when she slept, and, in doing so, her mouth would sometimes open up. The result was what Weiss liked to call "the chainsaw effect". Now, Weiss valued and appreciated having Ruby as her best friend, but she couldn't deny that the Hooded Huntress had her quirks. And unfortunately, laying sprawled out on her bed and occasionally snoring with her mouth wide open was one of them.

Weiss sighed as she resigned to her fate. "Yep, I'm up." She grabbed a change of clothes; a pair of white pants and a matching shirt both weaved from the finest silk that money could buy, and walked over to the door. Once she got there, the heiress saw Zwei waiting patiently to be let out, causing her to smile down at the little corgi. "Can't sleep either, huh?" She got a tail wag in response. "Yeah, I thought so." Weiss opened the door and let Zwei out before making her way to the upstairs bathroom. She went in and made sure to lock the door behind her before shedding her white nightgown and hopping into the shower, washing away the last bit of tiredness from her mind and body. Once she had finished her shower, she changed into her clothes, pulled her hair up into her signature ponytail, and went downstairs to begin her day.

The first thing that she had heard when she came down was chatter coming from the dining room, the sound of which garnered her attention instantly. She walked in and her eyes widened slightly in surprise. Sitting at the table were Tai, Max, Athena, and Doctor Holiday, all four adults speaking to one another as the latter recounted the story that she and Rex had told last night. Weiss placed a hand on her forehead as the memories from the previous night came back to her. _'Oh my gosh, I've been living in this house for a little over a week and I'm already not used to all of these big changes.'_

It was then that her nose perked up at the smell of food… nearly _burning_ food. She looked over to the stove, expecting to see Gwen there making everyone's breakfast, only to be completely floored by what she was seeing. There, standing in front of the oven in a baby blue apron… was Rex. The young EVO had taken his coat off and was currently whistling away, with his eyes closed no less, as he flipped some eggs over easy. As much as Weiss wanted to burst out laughing at the scene, she was more focused on the eggs and how they appeared to be transforming into black sludge.

It was at that moment that Holiday noticed her enter and greeted her with a smile. "Oh, Weiss, good morning! How did you sleep?"

"Um, fine, thank you for asking." Weiss answered as she made her way into the room.

Her sudden entrance got Rex's attention, the EVO not even noticing the eggs he was about to burn. "Oh, hey Ice Princess! What's happenin'?"

Weiss quirked an eyebrow and crossed her arms at Rex. "First of all, the name's Weiss, I thought we went over this. And as for what's happening; at the moment, it seems like you're about to burn your eggs."

Rex's eyes snapped open and he glanced own at his poor excuse of a breakfast, or rather, what remained of it. He cried out in horror as he took his eggs off the grill, his hand running through his hair as the hot pan began to cool off. "Gah, jeez, seriously?! Man, why is it that whenever I try to cook, all I end up with is a black mess?"

Holiday shrugged as she gave him a sly smile. "I offered to make you breakfast, Rex, but you said you could do it." She quirked an eyebrow to him as well. "Maybe you should get Bobo to give you cooking lessons."

"What? No way! If I do that, he wins!" Rex crossed his arms defiantly.

Weiss gave Rex a deadpan expression. "Wait, so the _monkey_ can cook, but _you_ can't?"

Tai smirked over to the EVO. "Gotta admit, kid, that's kinda sad."

Athena chuckled while covering her mouth with her hand. "Admittedly, it IS a little amusing."

Rex grimaced as he set the pan down and slumped against a wall, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well at least I _tried_ to do it by myself."

"Then why not just ask for help?" Weiss inquired. "It's not like you're going to just magically get better at something just by going in blindly." She pointed a stern finger at him. "Also, if I recall, you mumbled something about laundry being hard to do, Mr. Banana Jacket."

"Weiss has a point, Rex." Max smiled as he began to get up. "In fact, I know how to cook pretty well. Why don't I teach ya?"

Weiss' eyes widened as the smell of Max's alligator gumbo and fried frog legs returned to her nose from last night. She whirled around and held out her hand before shouting; "NO!" in a panic. This caused Max to step back a bit, taken aback by the heiress' sudden outburst. After witnessing the confused expressions on Rex and Holiday's faces, as well as the worried looks that Athena and Tai had, Weiss stood up straight and cleared her throat before giving Max a curt bow of her head. "I mean… that won't be necessary, Max. I'll teach him how to cook."

Holiday's eyebrows rose up in surprise. "You will?"

And Rex had a shocked expression on his face as he got up off the wall. "You WILL?!"

Max wore a happy smile as he sat back down, allowing the heiress to do her thing. "Well that sounds like an excellent plan, Weiss. Go on ahead!"

"Thank you." Weiss smiled before ushering Rex to follow her over to the stove. "Come on, Robo-dolt, it's time you learned how to cook. And after that, I'm going to teach you how to do laundry too, just so I don't have to smell that banana jacket anymore."

"Um… okay?" Rex said in confusion as he followed Weiss over to the oven. He watched as she turned it back on and cracked two eggs in a fresh pan, the heiress making sure to put the used one in the sink and dispose of the botched eggs. Weiss then grabbed hold of Rex's wrist and put his hand on the pan's handle before putting a spatula in his other hand, slightly shocking him a bit. "Uh, alright, now what?"

Weiss wore a prideful expression on her face as she gestured to the pan. "Simply follow my instructions and you'll be eating in no time."

* * *

Yang and Ben pulled up to the house on Bumblebee, with another early morning of training done and behind them. The Omnitrix bearer removed his helmet and got off the bike first before giving a big stretch. "Ah, nothing like a good workout to start the day off, huh?"

The Blonde Brawler dismounted Bumblebee and linked arms with her boyfriend, giving him a tender kiss before settling her head on his shoulder. "You're right about that, babe. But what _I'm_ looking forward to is spending the rest of the day just chilling out with you, ya know?"

"Hehe, yeah, me too." Ben chuckled as they walked inside. "I wonder if anyone else is up yet?"

"Eh, at this point, probably." Yang shrugged as she opened the door. The two walked into the house with Ben, making sure to close the door behind them. The couple then strolled down the main hall, only to pause when the basement door opened. "See? Told you someone would be—OH MY GOSH!"

From the basement, Gwen had emerged, but it was VERY obvious that the young Anodite had only _just_ gotten up. Her long red hair, which was usually always up in a pony tail, was hanging down against her back and was quite disheveled. Her eyes were also still only half open and she was still in her sleep clothes; a simple white t-shirt and a pair of purple pants. She let out a yawn before shifting her tired gaze in the couple's direction. She smiled and lazily waved to them. "Ah, hey guys. How was your training this morning?"

"Uh… fine?" Yang said hesitantly. "Gwen, are you okay?"

"Hmm?" Gwen turned to a mirror hanging on the nearby wall and took a gander at herself, resulting in her eyebrows rising up in surprise. "Oof, hello, bed head." She gave a smile to Yang and nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just…" she let out another yawn, "…just tired, I guess. We stayed up until… what, _midnight_ last night hearing Rex tell his stories?"

"Yeah, just about." Ben confirmed before realizing what that meant. "Which means that you weren't able to keep track of your sleep schedule… it's almost eight o'clock."

"Yeah, I figured that I had slept in." Gwen groggily chuckled. "And last I checked, it's my turn to cook breakfast." She strolled over to the downstairs bathroom and waved to the couple. "You guys go and do your thing, I'll just be a couple minutes." Gwen closed and locked the door behind her, followed immediately by the sound of the shower starting up.

Ben and Yang glanced at each other, shrugged, and then continued down the hall, surmising that Gwen would join them soon enough. Once they entered the kitchen, they were greeted by the sight if Holiday, Grandpa Max, Tai, Athena, Weiss and Rex all gathered at the table, with the adult's eyes concentrated on the heiress and the young EVO. Ben waved over and called out; "Hey guys! Glad to see everyone's getting to know our new roomies."

Everyone except Rex shifted their eyes up as the couple entered the room, with Holiday being the first to greet them. "Ben, Yang, good to see you two back. How was the training?"

"It was great!" Yang said exuberantly. "Ben showed me some of Rath's Intergalactic Wrestling moves, and I think I actually got a few down!"

Tai nodded to his daughter. "That's great, hon. I just hope that you and Ben didn't get… too rowdy over there." He had been aware of Yang's relationship with Ben for a while now, and while he was initially skeptical at first, he had eventually warmed up to it. After all, Ben was a responsible young man, while also being fun-loving and eager to protect the people he cared about. It reminded Tai of himself when he was Ben's age. Still though, one could never be too careful, especially with a bunch of hormonal teenagers living under the same roof.

As if on cue, the couple's eyes widened at Tai's insinuation and they blushed profusely, with Ben shifting his eyes away while Yang crossed her arms at her father. "DAD! Seriously?! Ugh, do you KNOW how embarrassing you're making this right now?!"

Athena took the opportunity to smack Tai in the shoulder, the blonde man letting out a pained cry as he began to rub the spot she hit. He glared at her indignantly and cried out; "Hey!"

But Athena just sent a questioning expression to him. "Now, Tai, I'm sure you are well aware that children are averse to their parents teasing them about their relationships." she scolded. "It's this kind of behavior that gets us called "lame" or "un-cool"."

Tai pouted as he just looked away from her. "Yeah, yeah, I get ya."

Yang sent a smirk to her father as she placed her hands on her hips. "Ha! NOW who's acting like a kid?" Her eyes then moved down to Rex, the only one who hadn't acknowledged their presence yet, the young EVO instead focusing on his eggs for some reason. She smirked when she got an idea to changed that. Yang put a hand over her mouth and yelled. "PAGING REX! ANYBODY HOME?!"

"GAH!" Rex's head shot up in surprise and he sent a wide-eyed gaze up to Yang. "Hey! What was _that_ for?"

"For ignoring us saying "hi"." Yang retorted before gazing down at the plate in front of Rex. "In favor of eggs, no less. May I ask why?"

The Blonde Brawler was taken off guard when Weiss answered for her. "Oh, no BIG reason. It's just that Rex is still reeling from the fact that he cooked those eggs without burning them into sludge. With a little help from me, of course."

Ben quirked a brow at his fellow jacket-wearing friend. "Wait, Rex, you can't cook?"

Rex wore a guilty expression as he shifted his eyes back down to his eggs. "Well, no, I can't. All of my meals were cooked for me by Providence. I never really had to worry about that stuff."

Weiss pointed to him. "And THAT is the mindset that I had well over a year ago. When I had initially came to Beacon, I had thought that everything was going to be done by staff. Not just cooking, but cleaning, laundry, everything. It didn't take long for me to figure out that it wasn't going to be that way, so I had to learn how to do things by myself."

Rex narrowed his eyes at her skeptically. "Wait, don't all schools have a cafeteria? Doesn't that mean that you DIDN'T have to worry about food being made for you?"

"Well, yes, but I learned how to cook anyway." Weiss crossed her arms defiantly. "Because if I didn't, and if my team and I had to go out on a mission somewhere, I would be out of luck pretty quick if I didn't know how to cook for myself." She pursed her lips and glanced off to the side. "Sometimes, we have to change a few things in our lives so that we can live our own way."

That last statement had piqued Rex's interest. "What does that mean?"

Weiss sighed as she waved the subject off. "Nothing, it's not really important right now. Just eat your eggs, okay?"

Rex raised an eyebrow before focusing back on the eggs that he had made with Weiss' help. He picked up a fork, cut a piece off and stuck it in his mouth, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise before he chewed it up and gulped it down. "Huh! These are actually edible!"

Ben and Yang gazed in confusion at the statement, which Weiss noticed immediately. "If you guys had seen what he had cooked before, you would understand."

Max chuckled as he got up from his seat. "Hehe, well good on you, Rex. Though I suggest that you thank Weiss for her help." He gave the EVO a thumbs up and a wink before heading out the door. "As for me, I'm going to get started on my own breakfast."

That statement never failed to send a shiver down Ben's spine. _'Eugh. I need to see a shrink.'_

Rex grinned at the old man's words before turning to Weiss. "He's right. Thanks for your help, Weiss. I appreciate it."

The look of pride came back to Weiss' face as she let out a chuckle. "You're welcome. But don't thank me just yet. Because we've still got to get your stinky banana jacket washed. And with that comes lesson two; Laundry!"

Holiday smirked and she chortled a bit. "Hehehe, yep, it was inevitable."

Just as Rex was going to groan at his misfortune, Gwen came into the room. The Andodite was now much more awake than before, now in some fresh casual clothes consisting of a cyan tank top and a pair of black pants. Her still semi-wet red hair was pulled back into a pony tail and she wore a big smile on her face. "Morning everyone! What did I miss?"

Rex waved over to her as he lifted his plate to show his eggs. "Hey, Gwen! Get this; Weiss just taught me how to cook eggs by myself."

The news came as a pleasant surprise to Gwen. "Really? Well that's great, Rex!" She shifted her eyes over to Weiss. "And it was very nice of you to do that, Weiss. Although… you guys DO know that you could've just waited for me to get up, right? It's my turn to cook breakfast this morning, after all."

Weiss wore a sly grin on her face. "Oh, I knew, but then, Rex wouldn't have learned how to cook, now would he?"

Rex narrowed his eyes slightly at the white-haired girl, but only for a second. Honestly, the heiress' scheme was actually quite brilliant. "Well played, Ice Princess. Well played, indeed."

"I am well aware of that." Weiss smirked proudly before grimacing at him again. "Also, it's still Weiss."

"I know." Rex reclined in his chair as he continued to eat his eggs. "But whenever I give someone a nickname, it usually sticks."

Yang smirked and she jerked a thumb to herself. "Hey, kinda like me! I call her Weiss-cream!"

"Ooh! That's a good one!" Rex grinned and pointed to the blonde. "I'm diggin' the wordplay on that one too!" The EVO put a hand to his chin in contemplation. "I wonder if we could come up with any MORE ice-related nicknames?"

Weiss deadpanned and waved her hand in front of her face. "Please, don't."

* * *

About half an hour later, Gwen had finished making breakfast; pancakes, bacon, a lot more eggs, the works. Tai had grabbed his breakfast to go before heading to work, with Yang warning him not to get distracted while driving and eating. But once the Xiao-Long patriarch was out the door, the teens began to wake up for their morning meal. The first one downstairs was, of course, Nora. She came sprinting down the stairs just as Rex was throwing his paper plate in the trash, which resulted in him getting bowled over as she sprinted by. The pink blur even said good morning to him, though it came out more like; "GOODMORNINGREX!" as she passed by. A single second later, Rex was on the ground with his eyes spinning, much to Holiday's shock.

"Wh-what was that?!" The doctor looked around and saw Nora with a ceramic plate in her hand while she was bobbing in place in front of the counter, eagerly awaiting her breakfast. This only served to further baffle Holiday. "Um… I'm still a bit confused, what just happened?"

"Apologies!" Holiday's eyes widened when she glanced over to the kitchen entrence and saw the rest of Team JNPR there, all still wearing their sleep clothes. Romulus had come bounding down the stairs as well, going straight over to Rex to sniff the EVO out of curiosity. Jaune was supporting himself against the doorframe while he himself supported Pyrrha, the Invincible Girl still a bit groggy from being woken up. "Sorry," the blonde knight said, "our friend has an… unhealthy obsession with pancakes."

"It's only unhealthy when I don't have any!" The Pink Dynamo insisted.

Ren sighed as he went to help Rex up off the floor. The ninja hauled Rex up and immediately asked if he was alright. "Sorry about my friend knocking you over, Rex. Are you okay?"

Rex chuckled as he dusted off his shirt. "Heh, hey, don't sweat it dude. I've taken a lot worse damage from things that _actually_ want to kill me." He gave Nora a thumbs up. "And Nora! I like your enthusiasm for baked goods!"

"SEE?!" Nora exclaimed. "The EVO gets it!"

As expected, the commotion ended up stirring everyone else from their slumber. In no time at all, Kevin had come upstairs from the basement and Ruby, Neptune, Sun and Blake came downstairs as well, with the cat girl in particular holding Rema in her arms like a pillow. Once Blake and Pyrrha took Rema and Romulus out for their morning bathroom session, the whole team gathered at the table with their plates full of food. As she was eating, Ruby turned to Rex and asked; "So Rex, any chance you'll be coming to train with us later?"

Rex quirked an eyebrow. "Train? As in; sparring, exercising, all that stuff?"

"Well, yeah." Neptune confirmed with a shrug. "We're called hunters-in-training for a reason, and… well that's kind of it. Though I guess you're still tryin' to wrap your head around the whole "Hunter" stuff to begin with."

"Heh, you can say that again." Rex put his hands behind his head. "But in a way, I guess the concept isn't completely lost on me. Heck, Providence used to be an EVO control organization, and I think that Hunters are kinda like that, except the EVOs are replaced with Grimm and they aren't in an organization."

"Well… that's not _completely_ true." Athena spoke up. "While, yes, most Hunters are freelance and do their work on their own, each continent has its own guild for Hunters, usually nearby the Academy that the respective continent is known for. It is there that Hunters can assist one another in their jobs, be it hunting down Grimm or bringing in dangerous criminals that law enforcement is unable to handle."

As Athena spoke, Holiday nodded her head in understanding. "I see, so there must be a monetary gain in being a Hunter as well."

"Oh, definitely." Blake confirmed. "If there are entire _schools_ dedicated to training potential Hunters, you bet that doing a job like this isn't going to be done for free."

Suddenly, Ruby pulled Crescent Rose seemingly from out of nowhere and said; "Yeah, Dust cartridges aren't cheap ya know."

And Nora did the same with Magnhild. "Yeah, and Dust grenades are even MORE expensive!"

Rex sat back in his seat and crossed his arms. "Man, you guys are pretty lucky then. When I started working for Providence, I hardly got paid anything."

Weiss' eyes rose in shock. "You were fighting monsters for _free_? Why?!"

Holiday furrowed her brows as she recalled the reason. "Because at that point in time, White Knight only considered Rex as a weapon to be used against EVOs. I believe his exact words were "what use does a weapon have for money?"."

"Wow, that's harsh." Neptune commented.

Rex sighed in response. "Yeah, White and I weren't exactly on the best of terms back then. But I like to think we're cool now." The EVO shifted his eyes over to his green-clad friend. "What about you, Ben? You get much income doing what you do?"

Ben raised his hands. "Hey, I'm in the hero business for saving people, dude, not the money. Heck, I'm not even an "official" Plumber member, just a Deputized Agent, so I can't get paid even from THAT." He grimaced as he remembered the training that he went through with Magister Hulka. "And trust me, it's not worth it to become an official Plumber just for doing my normal hero work, even if I _would_ get paid."

Blake raised a brow at that. "So… _how_ do you plan on supporting yourself in the future then?"

It was then that a sly grin came to Ben's face. "Well, Miss Goodwitch DID say that Gwen, Kevin, Cooper and I would ALL be welcome to Beacon when it reopened. Admittedly, school was never my speed, but I think going to an academy like this one would be pretty cool."

Yang let out a joyful laughed and wrapped her boyfriend in a hug. "Haha! Ben, you're a GENIUS! Being both a hero AND a hunter would be a great idea!"

Gwen pondered on the idea for a bit. "Hmm, I guess it's a viable option, even more so now that Caesar built that Dimensional Doorway. That way, we could hypothetically go in between universes any time we want. Still though…" Gwen shifted her eyes over to Ben. "What priorities would take precedent? Your hero work in our universe, or your Hunter status in this one?"

Kevin glanced up from his meal and nodded in agreement. "That's a big one, dude. You're gonna hafta take a lotta stuff into account with all that."

"Well…" Truth be told, Ben had not thought about which one he would put more importance in. On the one hand, his work as a hero to Earth as well as many other planets was something that had been a part of his life since he was ten years old. But on the other, he hated the thought of the Grimm slaughtering a village or even a whole city. THAT was definitely something that he could prevent from happening. Plus, getting PAID to do it was a big bonus. He didn't want to mooch off of the Atlesian Army's bottomless pockets for ever. The hero's eyes widened as a new problem dawned on him. "Wait, I just realized something! Lien is only a viable currency in REMNANT! Unless there's some way to convert it into U.S. currency, I'm screwed!"Ben clawed at his hair as he lowered it to the table's surface. "GAH! I don't know! Both my _own_ universe and _this_ universe are important to me now!"

Yang put a comforting arm across his shoulder before she leaned her head onto his shoulder, attempting to soothe her indecisive boyfriend. "Aw, Ben, it's gonna be okay." She rubbed his back to make him more comfortable. "We'll figure something out, Green Boy, I promise."

Ben gently grasped Yang's hand and held it in his own. "Thanks, Goldie Locks."

As the couple took comfort in one another, Rex couldn't help but smile at the scene. However, while he was happy for the two, he felt a recurring sense of sadness start to bubble up inside of him. He lowered his gaze to the table, his grin turning down into a small frown as his brows furrowed slightly. Rex began to scold himself in his mind, trying to force himself out of his slump. _'Gah! C'mon, it's been MONTHS since it happened! How am I STILL not over this?!'_ He shut his eyes tight and shouted in his mind; _'STOP THINKING ABOUT—'_

"Rex?" The EVO's eyes snapped open and they darted over to Weiss' direction, and he was quick to notice that everyone was looking to him in concern. "Are you… okay?"

Rex blinked twice before trying to save face. "Uh, yeah, I'm good. Why, did you think I wasn't?"

From her place at the table, Pyrrha shrugged a little bit. "Well, you seemed to… space out for a few seconds." she explained. "And you had a small glare on your face as well. Are you perhaps… frustrated with something?"

To everyone's surprise, Rex smiled and gave him a wave. "Ah, don't worry, I'm good. I just had something cross my mind, it's not really all THAT important."

Everyone at the table exchanged confused looks at each other before shrugging it off and going back to their meals… well, not ALL of them. Holiday had her eyes trained on Rex, her lips pursed and her gaze slightly hardened at her young compatriot's behavior. _'You might be able to get past everyone here, Rex,'_ she thought to herself, _'but you can't fool me. You were thinking about_ her _again, weren't you?'_

She wasn't the only one who was sending a judging gaze Rex's way. Weiss also had an inquiring eye on him, her icy blue stare narrowing in on him. _'Just what are you hiding from us, Rex?'_

After a few seconds passed, Rex turned his head back to Ruby and gave her a nod. "Hey Ruby, about your question earlier; I think it'd be awesome to train with you guys. That is, if you guys think you can take me on."

Ruby smirked as she pulled Crescent Rose out again. "Uh, have you SEEN the size of my scythe? I think I can take you on."

Nora held Magnhild aloft as well. "Yeah! And I'll show you what I can do with my hammer!"

Rex grinned and crossed his arms. "Hmm, they're both pretty impressive weapons, but remember, so far, you guys have only seen about _half_ of my arsenal. I've got plenty of surprises that you guys haven't even SEEN yet."

Sun grinned eagerly and gave a thumbs up. "Well then, we'll just have to adapt to whatever you throw at us, dude. Trust me, we can take it!"

"Except for the buzz saw thing that you did with your sword." Blake quickly corrected. "Please don't use that, I don't think anyone could survive that."

Sun's face paled slightly when he remembered what Rex had done to the Grimm with that particular weapon last night. Needless to say, he was quick to backtrack as well. "Uh, yeah, maybe not ALL of your weapons."

"Oh, sure, no problem." Rex assured. "I'll be sure to take whatever weapons you guys use against me into account when choosing MY weapons. Besides, I wouldn't _actually_ try to hurt you or anything."

"Well, yes." Ren agreed. "But your weapons are all still bigger than us, so we'll need to be extra careful when facing you in sparring practice."

Jaune spoke up as well. "He's right. Accidents CAN still happen after all."

"It's cool, dude." Rex nodded. "I understand. Though in fairness…" He pointed over to Pyrrha. "Considering that she's got polarity powers, I think Pyrrha might have an advantage on me."

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, it _is_ a possibility."

Jaune gave his girlfriend a smile. "Hey, if anyone can beat Rex, I'm pretty sure it's you, Pyr."

The Invincible Girl gave her boyfriend a kiss before nestling her head on his shoulder with a chuckle. "Hmhm, thank you, Jaune. Your support is much appreciated."

Rex smirked at the two and crossed his arms. "Huh, and here I thought that Ben and Yang were the only ones getting the couple's treatment in this house."

Gwen shook her head. "Nope, Jaune and Pyrrha have been in a relationship for a few days now, and of course there's Kevin and I, but we've been together for a couple of years now."

Kevin gazed up from his food again to add to his girlfriend's statement. "Yep, and last I checked, weren't Blake and Sun a thing too?"

That got the aforementioned cat girl and monkey boy's respective attention. They both glanced to each other and smiled sweetly before Blake spoke up. "Well, yes, but we've technically only been on one date so far."

Yang smirked and rolled her eyes at her friends. "Well, yeah, sure. But that doesn't mean you two don't flirt like there's no tomorrow." Blake and Sun snapped their heads toward the blonde with embarrassed blushes and somewhat irritated faces. Yang's grin only increased as she gave them a shrug. "Hey, I'm not about to lie, am I?"

Sun gave a begrudging sigh. "Yeah, sure Yang." He then faced Blake with a kind-hearted grin. "But now that you mentioned it, Blake…"

The cat girl turned to him and tilted her head. "Yes?"

Sun blushed. _'God, she's so cute when she does that!'_ He cleared his throat before going on. "W-well, you're right, we HAVE only gone on one date so far. So… would you like to go out this afternoon? Maybe get a bite to eat?"

Blake's eyebrows shot up in surprise, with a light blush coming to her face. She dared not shift her eyes away from Sun, because she knew that if she did, she'd be met with the expectant gazes of everyone at the table. _'Then again, looking at Sun isn't exactly a BAD thing, now is it?'_ she thought to herself, making her blush deeper. But, not one to let her nerves get the better of her anymore, Blake composed herself and answered Sun with a smile. "Yes, I'd actually really like that, Sun. Maybe around noon time would be best?"

"Yeah! That'd be perfect!" Sun smiled back. "Noon it is."

From where she was sitting, Gwen let out a sigh in relief. _'Phew, good for you, Blake. I'm happy to see that you didn't forget our conversation.'_ The Anodite got up and picked her empty plate off the table, grinning over to the happy couple with a wink. "Hehe, that was quite adorable you two. But don't forget, we aren't going anywhere until training is done, so make sure you don't lose your focus, alright?"

Both Blake and Sun nodded to her, with the cat girl proclaiming; "Of course."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Sun added.

Weiss also got up and put her plate in the sink before politely excusing herself. "Well, this whole thing has been fun, but I've got something to take care of." She pressed her nostrils closed with her thumb and pointer finger before going over and picking up Rex's jacket with her other hand. "Come on, Robo-dolt! It's time you learned how to do laundry."

Rex's eyes snapped open in panic as he gave chase after the heiress. "H-Hey! I wasn't prepared for that yet!"

"It's time for the banana jacket to get washed, Rex!" Weiss asserted.

The two left the table full of people in complete bewilderment, with everyone just staring after the two as they went to the laundry room upstairs. Ben shifted his eyes around the table and finally broke the silence. "So… anyone get the feeling that they're acting like an old, married couple?" The whole table erupted in agreement, much to Ben's surprise. "Oh, okay then, good. I'm not the only one then."

* * *

Rex followed Weiss all the way upstairs and into the laundry room, much to his dismay. Not that he was OPPOSED to washing his jacket, but the very thought of doing laundry _intimidated_ him. Not for the fact that it cleaned his clothes, rather, he was worried that he wouldn't remember how to do it. "Weiss, I know you're trying to help me, but laundry is something that I just can't get down." He lowered his head in shame. "It's too complicated for me."

The heiress put Rex's jacket into the washer and took her hand off of her nose, turning to Rex with a sympathetic sigh. "Yes, I know. At first, laundry is hard for everyone. But once you see how it's actually done, I think you'll find that it's really easy."

Rex kept his eyes downcast. "Tell that to Holiday. She's tried to teach me laundry over a _thousand_ times and I can't ever remember how its done!"

Weiss smirked at him as she started counting on her fingers. "Okay, firstly, I doubt it was over a thousand times. And secondly, how many times did you do laundry by yourself after that?" She saw Rex shift his eyes away in a guilty manner, confirming Weiss' suspicion. "I thought so. Practice makes perfect, Rex."

"Yeah, I guess." Rex shifted his eyes up to face her again. "Okay, so what do I do?"

"Well first off, do you have anymore dirty laundry with you?" Weiss pointed to the washing machine. "Because if you do, it should go straight in the washer."

Rex pursed his lips in thought before taking a whiff of the shirt he had on. His face soured a bit before glancing back to Weiss. "Uh…"

Weiss crossed her arms and jabbed her thumb to the washer. "In it goes." She heard the EVO mumble an agreement before he proceeded to take his shirt off to throw it in the washer, while also throwing in his gloves for good measure. However, Weiss was not mentally prepared for what she saw… that being Rex's well-toned upper body. He wasn't overly muscular, but he was definitely quite fit. Weiss' eyes widened and she turned away, a slight shade of pink covering her face. _'Oh god, I did NOT expect that.'_ However, once she saw the shirt get flung into the wash, she was reminded of why she was here in the first place. She shook her head and refocused herself. _'Get it together, Weiss! You have a job to do!'_

"Uh, Weiss?" Rex asked from behind her. "You okay?"

Weiss moved back around and cleared her throat. "Ahem, yes, I'm fine. I was just looking for anymore laundry that might need to be done." She glanced around and saw a big laundry basket full of clothes labeled; "MENS" lying nearby, much to her relief. She picked it up and set it on top of the dryer. "And wouldn't you know? We've got tons of it."

Rex blinked at the heiress' somewhat odd behavior, but he shrugged it off. "Okay, so what now?" Weiss then began to show Rex the ins and outs of laundry, including how much detergent to use, which settings on the washer were needed, and of course, sorting clothes. "Okay, this is the part that always screws me up!" The EVO quickly pointed out. "I can't sort clothes for the life of me! How am I supposed to tell the difference between a _light_ color and a _dark_ color?! It's just… so confusing!"

"Okay, first, calm down." Weiss said softly as she made to put a reassuring hand on Rex's shoulder. However, once she realized that his shoulder was still bare, she quickly changed the gesture to a soft, friendly pat. "Alright, here's what you need to know; pastel colors like yellow, pink and light blues are considered light enough to be washed together. Darks are the normal shades of red, blue, green, and of course, greys and blacks. I think that whites are self-explanatory, right?"

Rex nodded his head. "Yeah, socks, underwear, any white shirts or shorts, right?"

"Yes, that's correct." Weiss nodded. "Now, your shirt and jacket are considered darks, so if you see any laundry in the hamper that matches your clothes, put it in the washer. Just make sure that the middle part is kept exposed in there."

Rex gave her a salute as he began inspecting the laundry hamper. "You got it!"

Weiss smiled as she could practically _see_ the gears start to turn in Rex's head. _'I think he's getting it!'_ As she continued to watch Rex sort the proper laundry into the washer, her eyes subconsciously began to venture down from his head, going over his smooth jawline, moving down his strong neck before finally coming back to his… _'EEP!'_ Weiss quickly darted her eyes away from Rex, another blush coming to her face. Though this one was more out of shame than anything. _'GAH! What is WRONG with me?! Get it together, Schnee. Remember, he's a big dolt, and YOU have standar—"_

"AAH!" Rex hollered, pulling Weiss out of her thoughts.

The heiress's eyes shot back up and she asked; "What's wrong?" She saw that Rex was covering his eyes with one hand while pointing into the basket. Weiss followed his finger and her eyebrows raised up at the sight of a white cotton bra laying in the pile of men's clothing. _'Well, at least it's not mine.'_ she thought before commenting out loud; "Hmm, curious. How'd that get in there?" She picked up the garment and put it into the women's hamper before turning back to Rex, a smirk coming to her face as she saw the EVO still covering his eyes. "It's gone."

Rex uncovered his eyes and wiped his forehead. "Phew, I almost panicked there."

Weiss quirked a brow and crossed her arms. "Really? The big EVO guy is scared of a bra?"

Rex immediately blushed before shifting his eyes away in embarrassment. "No! It's just… every guy knows its rude to even _look_ at women's underwear. It's engrained into our heads since we're kids, and that's saying a lot from an amnesiac like me!"

The white-haired girl let out a little chuckle and shook her head. "Hehe, well I can't fault you for that one." A thought then popped into her head. _'Well, it's good to know that he isn't a pervert at least.'_ She peered into the washer and then back to the hamper. "Hmm, it seems pretty full. You think those are all the darks?"

Rex checked the hamper over again before giving a firm nod. "Yep, seems like it." Rex put the hamper down and then poured a cup full of detergent into the washer. He closed the lid, set the machine to the correct setting and hit "Start". As the washer began to do its thing, Rex could only stand there in abject shock as he realized what he had just done. "Huh, I just did a load of laundry! And it was… easy?"

"See?" Weiss smiled before giving him a wink. "All you needed to do was put your mind to it."

Rex rubbed the back of his head. "Heh, I guess so." The EVO's eyes then glanced around to see that there were in fact three hampers full of laundry, each with its own label; one for the guys, one for the girls, and one… for Weiss? Rex was confused to say the least, so he decided to bring it up. "Hey, uh, Weiss? Why do you have your own laundry hamper?"

"Hmm?" Weiss craned her head around to see that Rex had noticed her personal hamper, which was almost full. "Oh… right. Well Rex, it's because… well, my clothes are very delicate and need to be washed separate from everyone else. They're all made from very fine and… expensive materials."

Rex nodded in understanding. "Ah, I get it. You probably wear a lot of the latest fashions."

"Well… sort of." Weiss faced away from Rex for a second before looking back. "It's actually a bit more complicated than that."

"Oh, okay. If it's something you don't want to talk about, then…"

Weiss raised her hand. "No, it's no problem. It's something that everyone knows about and you should probably know too." She took a brief pause before going on. "You see… I'm not exactly from a "normal" family. You've heard the term "Dust" thrown around a few times since you got here, right?"

"Yeah, actually." Rex confirmed. "What IS "Dust" anyway? Because I can only assume it's not what immediately comes to mind."

"And you'd be right. Dust is a very powerful crystalline substance that is infused with the power of the elements. Fire, Water, Lightning, Wind, you name it." Weiss explained before moving onto the topic she wanted to get to. "Well, my family is actually the owner of a multi-billion dollar Dust production company based in the northern kingdom of Atlas. It was founded by my grandfather and…" she grimaced before going on, "it's now owned by my father."

"You don't sound too happy about that." Rex noticed.

Weiss glanced away again. "No, I'm not. The way my father runs the company is… MUCH less than ethical. And he would often be very mad if things didn't go his way. This led me to having a very difficult childhood and… I had a lot of distrust for the ones who my father was mad at; the Faunus." She paused again before continuing. "But ever since I made friends with Blake and Sun, I've let all of that go. But back to the point I was trying to make earlier… I'm an heiress to one of the highest-grossing Dust companies in Remnant… and I came to Beacon to try and stray away from that."

A few seconds of silence hung over the room before Rex finally gave his response. "So, what you're saying is… you're loaded?"

Weiss wore a deadpan expression. "In… layman's terms, yes."

"Huh… neat."

The heiress' eyes widened in shock "Neat? I just told you a summarized version of my life story and all you have to say is "neat"?!"

Rex gave her a shrug. "Well, I mean, now it makes sense why you had to learn how to do things for yourself since you probably had servants do it for you before you went out on your own. But other than that, I don't really think where you come from matters, at least to me, anyway." The EVO gave her a kind smile. "All I know is that today, you helped me get a handle on a bunch of stuff that I was having trouble with. And I'm very grateful for that. _Gracias_ , Weiss."

Weiss wasn't entirely sure what that word meant, but to her ears, it sounded like a "thank you". She admittedly was taken aback by Rex's reaction to her family lineage, but to be honest, she was glad that he didn't really care. He saw her as a normal person, and really, that's something that she was really happy about. A light pink blush came back to her face as she replied; "You're welcome, Rex."

Rex's eyebrows rose up slightly. "Huh, didn't know you understood Spanish."

"Oh, I don't, but the word sounded like "thank you" to me, so I responded in kind."

"Hmm, impressive." Rex placed his hands on his hips. "That's exactly what it means."

"Oh, excellent." Weiss turned around and began heading toward the doorway. "Well, I had better go get changed for training later on." She craned her head back around to face him with a grin. "So… I guess I'll see you downstairs?"

"Oh, yeah, I guess so." Rex agreed before going out the door himself. "See ya in a bit!"

Weiss gave him a nod before the EVO began to descend the stairs. She began heading for her team's room with pleasant thoughts running around in her mind. _'He maybe a bit dense, but I think that Rex actually might get along better here than I thought.'_

* * *

A few minutes later, Weiss had changed into her blue combat dress and grabbed Myrtenaster from her room before heading back downstairs. However, rather than being greeted by the sounds of chatter in the dining room, she was instead met with silence. In fact, NO BODY was in the dining room at the moment. _'Wow, they must have finished breakfast… fast.'_ Weiss' eyes widened at the realization. "Wait, is THAT why they call it BREAKFAST?!"

"Uh, Weiss?" The heiress leapt up at least a foot off the ground in surprise before spinning around to face Rex, the EVO boy now sporting a red t-shirt with a single orange stripe going down the left side. He had a confused look on his face as he spoke to her. "Why are you shouting about breakfast?"

"Oh, its nothing." Weiss waved the topic off before changing the subject. "I'm just wondering where everyone else is."

"Yeah, so was I." Rex agreed. "But Holiday told me that they all went downstairs for some reason."

Weiss wore a knowing grin on her face. "I think I may know why. Come on, I'll show you." The heiress led Rex over to the basement doorway and they descended the stairs, with the sound of multiple conversations greeting their ears. The moment Rex saw the basement, his mouth opened in surprise. It was an entertainment room! Complete with a TV, comfy couches and chairs, five DVD binders set on one of the shelves, and to his surprise; a bunch of old consoles. The entire team seemed to be watching Beast Wars: Transformers on the TV, much to his surprise. "Well, impressed?" Weiss asked him.

"Yeah, you could say that." Rex slowly nodded his head.

Ben turned his head around at the new voices and he grinned over to them. "Rex! Welcome to what I like to call; "The Hole"!" Everyone else greeted the two as well while Ben continued to speak. "This is the place we go to after a long day of training."

"Or kicking bad guy butt." Yang added with a smirk.

Rex raised an eyebrow. "So, why are you guys here now, then?"

"We're just waiting until Athena's ready to go." Jaune answered.

Pyrrha deadpanned at that. "Indeed. It takes a while for mother to put her armor on."

Rex gazed around at all of the stuff that the team had in their possession, genuinely surprised that they even had it in the first place. A Super Nintendo, an N64, a GameCube and a PS2 were all among the collection of consoles. He couldn't lie; he was kind of envious. "How in the heck do you even have some of this stuff? I mean, a bunch of retro consoles? Really?"

Gwen smiled and gave him a nod. "Yep, the boys had prepared a little stash underneath the backseat of Kevin's car just in case of an emergency."

"At first, I thought it was kind of a weird idea." Kevin admitted. "But hey, it really came in handy in this situation."

It was at that moment that Rex concocted a little scheme in his head. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes dismissively, though a small grin had lined his face. "Oh well, guess that means that the care package that your parents had me bring here won't be necessary."

The team stared at Rex with widened eyes, though Ben, Gwen and Kevin seemed to be in the most shock out of all of them. "A… care package?" Ben uttered slowly. "From home?" He stood up and jogged over to Rex with an incredulous expression. "Dude! Why didn't you mention this last night?!"

"Well, for one, it was late." Rex pointed out. "And two; I wanted to keep it a surprise."

"Well it certainly worked!" Gwen exclaimed as she stood up. "Please, show us!"

Rex gave her a nod and gestured for them to follow him upstairs. "Sure, c'mon!" Ben, Gwen and Kevin immediately went after him, with Yang, Weiss, Ruby, Jaune and Pyrrha right on their tail. Rex lead them right into the living room, where Doctor Holiday seemed to be tinkering with something that she got from her backpack. Rex was quick to grab his backpack and unzip it, with everyone else focused intensely on it. The EVO rifled around in the pack before his hand finally found something. "Ah-ha! Alright, first off; for Gwen, we have…"

Gwen waited with bated breath as Rex pulled out whatever he had brought, and when he did, the redhead let out an audible scream of joy. Everybody, including Holiday, was startled while Gwen just kept her hands over her mouth in excitement. The small device Rex held was majorly comprised of a large single screen connected to two small controllers on either side of it. Each side had four buttons, an analogue stick, and two shoulder buttons, though two buttons stood out on either side; a plus and minus button. But what made them truly stand out were their colors; bright blue on the left, and pinkish red on the right. Her parents had sent… "MY SWITCH!" Gwen gently took the devise from Rex as she laughed happily. "Oh my god, my parents are amazing!"

Pyrrha gazed at the devise with widened eyes. "Wait, THIS is the Nintendo Switch that you were telling me about?" The Invincible Girl inspected the console with a bewildered expression. "It's even flatter than I thought!"

Jaune was also staring wide-eyed at the Switch. "Man, it must weigh next to nothing!"

Gwen looked back to Rex excitedly. "Did you bring the dock?"

"Yep," Rex pulled the large black dock out of the back pack along with the wires and a pair of handles attached to a rectangular piece. "Plus the Joy-Con grip too!"

"Awesome!" Gwen grabbed the equipment and eagerly turned to her fellow redhead. "Pyrrha, you are going to LOVE this thing, I can guarantee you!"

Pyrrha took a step back, but still smiled at her best friend's enthusiasm. "I can believe it."

Ben stepped over with an ear to ear smile. "So… did my parents send MY Switch too?"

Rex shook his head. "Sorry, dude, your aunt and uncle said you two could share." The EVO saw Ben deflate at the news, but he gave his friend a reassuring grin. "But don't worry, dude. Your mom and dad didn't leave you hanging." Rex reached back in and grabbed hold of something else, grunting in excursion as he set the backpack down to pull whatever it was out. "Hoo boy, it may be the slimmer model, but it's still pretty heavy!"

When he finally got it out, Ben's eyes widened at the bulky black device before his ear to ear grin came back. When seen from the top, it appeared to be shaped like a square, but when seen from the front, it had a curved top to it. There was also a thin opening on the front, which was made for discs to be put into it. Finally, etched on its top were two letters and a number; PS3. "My PlayStation 3!" Ben exclaimed as he knelt down in excitement. "No way!"

"Yes way." Rex assured as he pulled out the wires and the controllers for the console. "You guys can thank me later."

Yang and Ruby stared wide-eyed at the big console, with the Blonde Brawler being the most interested in it. "A PlayStation 3? Jeez, we haven't even played anything on the PlayStation _2_ yet." She quirked a scrutinizing eyebrow. "So what's the difference?"

Ben shifted his eyes over to his girlfriend. "The main difference is better graphics. Every console generation that succeeds the last has improved graphic quality. Trust me Goldie Locks, once you've seen what the games on the PS3 look like compared to the N64, you'll see what I mean."

"Okay, so…where are the games?" Ruby pointed out. "Because I don't see any for either the Switch OR the PS3."

"They're all in here." Gwen said as she tapped her Switch. "Starting with seventh gen consoles, downloading games from an online store became one of the key features for a console. Sure, you can still get the physical releases, but all in all, it's just an easier way to buy games."

Ruby's silver eyes widened in surprise. "Wow! That IS really convenient."

"You're telling me." Ben agreed before putting a thoughtful gaze onto his PS3. "Now the big question is… where do we set these up? The downstairs has been effectively taken over. And I doubt that Tai wants us to set up shop in the main living room."

An idea suddenly popped into Jaune's head. "Hey, Qrow's room has a TV, remember? Maybe we could set up shop there!"

"That's a pretty good idea, Jaune!" Ruby agreed. "Just so long as Sun and Neptune don't mind."

"Oh, I doubt they'll mind." Ben surmised before a more serious expression came to his face. "Just so long as they don't run our consoles into the ground and stay up playing all night."

Yang gave him a pat on the shoulder. "We'll give them a fair warning, Green Boy. Now come on, let's go!" And with that, Yang, Ben and Jaune all went upstairs to set up the PS3, leaving everyone else behind in the living room.

Weiss shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Only THEY could get hyped over a gaming console."

Gwen sighed before smiling after them. "Yeah, but they're having fun. It's only natural to be excited for new things… even when they're a bit older by PlayStation 3 standards."

Finally, Kevin looked over to Rex. "So, anything for me?"

"Oh yeah! You bet, Kev!" Rex reached back into his backpack and pulled out a large grey and black laptop, complete with a charger and mouse. He handed it to Kevin with a grin. "From mom, with her love."

Kevin smiled sheepishly, something that was rarely seen, before taking the laptop from Rex. "Hey, my laptop! Thanks man." He grinned down at the computor before a slightly irritated expression came to his face. "While it's awesome we have this now, it's kinda useless considering that we don't exactly have internet here. And I doubt that whatever Remnant has in its place is even compatible with this thing."

"Ah! I thought about that too!" Rex unzipped a pocket on his backpack and pulled out a sandwich bag filled completely with USB sticks, each with different labels on them. "We had a feeling that there was a chance that we wouldn't get internet wherever we'd end up, so Helen, Manny and I downloaded some select content and stuck it all on these USBs, just in case."

"Sweet!" Kevin said as Rex handed the baggie full of USBs to him. "Thanks man, this is awesome! It may not be the internet, but at least it's something!"

As Kevin was checking out what the USB's labels said, Pyrrha glanced over to Holiday on the couch. The doctor hadn't said a word since the group had entered the living room, apart from getting startled by Gwen. Instead, she was still focused on the odd-looking device that she had sitting in her lap. Pyrrha could only raise an eyebrow at it. The contraption was almost shaped like a cash register, though apart from that, it resembled anything but. Its top part was detached from the main device, allowing Holiday to work inside it. It had multiple switches, buttons and dials strewn over it, with wires sticking out from different places. But what caught Pyrrha's attention were the large speakers and the small blue lens on the very top of the device. _'Is it some sort of communication device?'_ she thought to herself.

The Invincible Girl strolled over and took a seat next to Holiday, gaining the doctor's attention. "What are you working on, Doctor Holiday? It appears to be quite complex."

Holiday offered her a smile. "Oh, hi Pyrrha. This…" she slightly repositioned the devise on her lap, "is a little experiment that Caesar, Azmuth, and I are working on. Do you remember how I said that Rex and I were to await further instructions last night?"

"Yes, I do, actually." Pyrrha nodded as everyone else began to come over.

"Well, this is how we're hoping to receive them." Holiday let out a small sigh. "Though, again, this is only an _experimental_ device, so the odds of it working are… somewhat dubious."

"What does it do?" Weiss asked.

"Well, to be blunt, it's a communicator." Holiday answered. "One that, instead of using radio waves, is intended to use dimensional wavelengths instead. It's a VERY long shot, but if this devise works… we might just be able to communicate back to Caesar and everyone else back in Ben's dimension. But, if it doesn't, then the plan is that they'll use the Dimensional Doorway again to come bring us back in a few days' time."

Gwen and Kevin's eyes were nearly bugging out of their skulls at what the doctor was insinuating. "So, what you're saying is…" Gwen began, "you're hoping to use _that_ to communicate across dimensions?!"

"That's the basic gist." Rex confirmed.

"But is that even _possible_?!" Weiss inquired further. "It sounds almost too good to be true!"

"I know that it's far-fetched." Holiday admitted. "Really, it sounds more like science-fiction than actual science. But after witnessing the things that the Galvan are capable of, I have hope that this will work." Holiday turned back to Gwen. "However, this devise can't be used with just any old power outlet. It needs to have an extremely powerful energy source." Holiday reached into her pocket and pulled something out. "Which is why Azmuth had me bring this." In her hand, Holiday held a tiny green data card that had multiple neon green lines etched into it. However, what really gained everyone's attention was the green and black hourglass symbol emblazoned in the center of it, indicating that it was for the Omnitrix. "This data card contains the DNA code for an alien species called "Conductoid". Azmuth said that it should be of some help… and you would be familiar with it."

Gwen stared on in disbelief, but if the alien DNA code on that data card was what Holiday said it was, then it could only be one alien; "…Feedback?"

* * *

**A/N: Well, I was right about one thing, this chapter was definitely shorter than the last two. However, I didn't expect it to be THIS long (get used to that, Past Me). Aw well, putting thoughts to paper often end up that way. But what an ending, huh? An experimental device that could potentially communicate through dimensions, what WILL Caesar think up next? Plus, the return of a very popular alien is eminent. But why does Gwen think the return of Feedback is such a big deal? Well, we'll just have to find out… NEXT TIME. But that's not all that we'll see. The team decides to split into two groups; one that will stay at the house to monitor the device, while the other one goes to train at Mount Patch. While at the mountain, Rex decides he wants to spar with a certain someone, which leaves the rest of the group surprised. Meanwhile, back at the house, Ben begins to reflect on some significant events from his past. Fortunately, he has his family, his friends, and a certain Blonde Brawler to help him through it. Thanks for reading guys, and I'll see ya later!**


	52. A Blast from the Past

**A/N: Hey everybody! Alright, so like last chapter, I REALLY enjoyed writing this one. This is the first part of the little mini-arc that I like to call "The Feedback Arc", and with a name like that, you probably know what it's about. There's a lot to unpack with this one, so let's get this arc started with…**

**Chapter 52: A Blast from the Past**

* * *

Ben Tennyson couldn't be any more excited than he was right now. Well alright, he _could_ , but this was still pretty exciting. He was up in Qrow's room with Yang and Jaune, the three of them setting up the little gift from home that his parents had sent him; his PlayStation 3, the first gaming console that he had ever bought for himself. Ben and his dad had struck a deal; if he could buy the console himself, then his parents would provide the funds for videogames. It had taken a LOT of chores and paper routes, but he collected the necessary funds in about a year. And once he had that three-hundred dollars, he went out and bought the console. And true to his dad's word, his parents had each gotten him one PlayStation Store card to buy games on his birthday and Christmas for the years that followed. It had been a big maturing experience for him that he'd never forgot. _'That was over SEVEN years ago! Geez, where does the time go?'_

"Hey, Green Boy, you there?" Ben moved his gaze up and smiled as Yang pressed her cheek to his. "You spaced out on me for a second, baby. Something on your mind?"

"Oh, just reminiscing a little." Ben explained as he pulled her in closer to him, which Yang had absolutely no qualms with. "See, my PS3 was the first console that I had ever bought for myself. I was eleven years old at the time and well, let's just say that I was taught the value of a dollar." He petted the top of the black console. "'Cause this thing costs about three hundred of 'em."

Yang whistled, impressed that her boyfriend was able to purchase that himself at such a young age. "Man, you must've had a ton of free time on your hands."

"Well, yeah." Ben nodded steadily. "It was the same year that I took off the Omnitrix and stopped my hero stuff for a while. I wasn't kicking bad guy butt, so I had more time to devote to… well, this. And it didn't stop with the PS3 either. I kept working my ass off and just went on making more money to buy stuff for myself."

Yang ruffled his hair. "Well look at you, all big and mature. Reminds me of the part-time jobs that I'VE held down over the years…" At that moment, a slightly irritated expression came to her face. "And all of the crap it came with it."

Ben grimaced as well. "Yeah, jobs like those are never any fun."

"Yeah, kinda glad that we don't have to do stuff like that anymore." Yang lied her back down on the floor, pulling Ben back down with her, much to his surprise. She turned her head to face him and gave him a smile. "Now all we need to worry about are bad guys, and those are easy compared to earning minimum wage."

Having been taken aback by her unexpected move, Ben had stared at her in awestruck silence for a few seconds before smiling back at her. _'You just continue to surprise me, Goldie Locks.'_ He let out a chuckle before wrapping his arms around her. "Hehe, truer words have never been said, Yang."

The couple were suddenly snapped out of their moment when they heard a cough from their right. "Ahem." Their eyes shifted upward to see Jaune, his hands on his hips and an eyebrow raised. "So… did you guys just forget that I was still in the room?"

Ben and Yang's eyes widened in realization; they HAD forgotten he was still there. However, Yang was not about to have him get the last laugh. She gave him a toothy smirk and countered; "Aw, c'mon, Ladykiller, don't tell me that Pyrrha hasn't pulled YOU to the ground yet, hehe."

Jaune's eyes bugged out and a shade of pink came to his face. He quickly tried to compose himself as he refuted the blonde's claims. "W-well, she HAS… in sword training."

But Yang wagged a finger at him. "Ah-ah, knocking you over doesn't count… unless she fell on top of you right after."

Jaune's face became as red as Pyrrha's hair. "Could we please stop talking about this?"

"Okay, okay." Yang waved off before a thoughtful expression came to her face. "But you know, maybe if I mention the idea to Pyrrha…"

"Do you WANT me to die of embarrassment?!" Jaune exclaimed.

As if the universe had heard Jaune's cries, Pyrrha strolled into the door, giving her boyfriend an inquisitive look. "Why would you be embarrassed, Jaune?"

Much to the Invincible Girl's surprise, Jaune jumped a foot in the air before turning around to face her, letting out a girlish scream as he did. He took in deep breaths as he clenched his chest, relieved that it was only her. "Oh, h-hi, Pyr! We were… just talking about you."

Pyrrha's face only became more confused as she approached her boyfriend. "Jaune, your face is all red." She put her gloved hand to his forehead. "Are you well? You don't _seem_ feverish."

Jaune sighed and gently placed his hand over hers, giving her a smile. "Hehe, it's okay, Pyr, I'm not sick." The blonde knight shifted his eyes over to his two friends on the floor. "It's just that Yang was teasing me about some things."

Pyrrha's brows shot up before giving a side-long glance over to Ben and Yang, focusing on the Blonde Brawler in particular. The judgmental gaze that she had on her face was one that clearly said; 'you mess with my boyfriend, you mess with me'. She quired a single brow and asked; "Was she now?"

Yang had been giving many death glares in her life, and she had to admit, Pyrrha had a good one. Still though, she knew that the redheaded warrior wouldn't harm her, so she wasn't _entirely_ intimidated. But by contrast, she could tell that Ben was slightly put off by Pyrrha's gaze as he shrunk back a little bit, drawing closer to her in the process. Yang gave the Invincible Girl a wave before assuring her that she meant no harm. "Aw, don't worry, P-Money. I'm not hurting your boy's feelings or anything." She gave the two a wink. "I was just pulling his chain a bit."

By the look on her face, Pyrrha was still a little suspicious, but she decided to write it off for now. She came up here for a reason, and she intended to do what was asked of her. "Hmm, I see." The redhead turned her gaze to Ben, who was taken aback slightly at the motion. "Ben, Gwen wishes to see you downstairs. She says it's important."

"Um… okay?" Ben got up off the floor and made his way out of the room, with Yang, Jaune and Pyrrha following close behind. The quartet descended the stairs and went into the living room, where they saw Gwen, Kevin, Rex, Weiss and Ruby all gathered around Doctor Holiday, who had a weird device sitting on her lap. Ben waved over to his cousin. "Hey Gwen, what's up?"

Gwen took in a deep breath before walking over to Ben and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Ben, something important has come up. I think you'll want to hear this." She and Holiday both went on to explain what the devise in the doctor's lap was; an experimental dimensional communicator. Once Holiday had gone over how she, Caesar and Azmuth created the device and how she had hope that it would work, she went on to explain to Ben that it needed an extremely powerful energy source. "And that's where _you_ come in." Gwen concluded as she pointed to her cousin.

Ben nodded with a smile before reaching for the Omnitrix. "Sure, no problem. I'll just transform into one of my electric guys and—"

"I'm afraid that won't be enough, Ben." Holiday interjected. "Azmuth said that there has to be an electrical current directly connected to the communicator. It can't just be _fed_ electricity." The doctor put her hand out, revealing the small data card that she had shown Gwen earlier. "Which is why he provided this for you."

Ben's eyes widened slightly as he plucked the tiny chip out of Holiday's hand. "Wait, this is for the Omnitrix… did Azmuth discover a new alien species or something that can help?"

Gwen shook her head somberly. "No Ben, it's… it's an alien that you've had before."

"That data card has Conductoid DNA on it, dude." Kevin spoke up. "Ring any bells?"

"Conductoid DNA—" Ben suddenly stopped as the memory of where he had heard that word came flashing back to his mind. "B-But that's… that's…"

"Feedback." Gwen finished as she placed her hand over the hand that Ben was holding the card in. "Ben, Azmuth's recovered Feedback for you."

"But… that's impossible!" Ben cried out suddenly. "I saw Feedback get destroyed with my own eyes!"

Yang placed a gentle hand on her boyfriend's arm, attempting to soothe him. "Ben, baby, please… take in a deep breath." Yang did so herself and Ben followed her lead, both of them taking in a slow breath. "Good. Now, are you okay?"

Ben touched his hand to his forehead. "Y-Yeah, yeah, I think I'm good."

Just then, the front door opened and Grandpa Max strolled in, a happy smile written across his aged features. He looked into the living room and waved to everyone in there. "Well, hey there everybody. Everything going okay in here?" Everyone in the room shifted their gaze to Max, all wearing rather worried expressions. He was confused for a moment before he saw his grandson, standing there in Yang's arms with a look of shock and disbelief etched on his face. "Ben… what's going on?"

* * *

A few minutes later, once Max was filled in on everything, the old man gave a nod as he laced his fingers together and rested his chin on his hands. "I see, so in order to get this dimensional communicator to work, we need the electrical current of a Conductoid. Hence Azmuth sending the data card." He turned to his grandson with a sympathetic gaze. "Ben, I remember how much losing Feedback affected you. Are you okay?"

Ben was presently sitting on the opposite couch, his gaze downcast as Yang kept a supportive hand on his back. He delicately grasped her other hand in his own as he thought about his present situation. The hero sighed before addressing his grandfather. "I… I don't know, Grandpa. I mean, yeah, it was a long time ago, but… sometimes it still haunts my nightmares."

While Yang still wasn't one hundred percent sure what was going on, it still worried her to see her boyfriend so shaken up. She had seen him take down a Goliath without so much as a flinch, but now, she saw what could only be described as true fear behind his eyes. "Ben, it's okay, we're here for you. If you need to talk about anything, you know that we'll listen."

Gwen nodded in agreement. "She's right Ben, you're among friends. Everything's okay."

Rex was the next one to speak up. "As much as I agree with what the ladies are saying, I'm still a bit lost on the whole situation. Could those of us who don't know have some context, please?"

Ruby concurred with Rex's statement. "Yeah, I know that this is a pretty heavy topic, but I still have no idea WHY it's heavy."

Weiss bowed her head toward the Omnitrix bearer. "I mean absolutely no disrespect when I ask this, Ben, but could we please be filled in on why Feedback is such a big deal?"

Ben glanced up, his gaze focused on his three teammates. Gwen was apprehensive that Ben would refuse to talk about it, like he had all of the other times the topic of Feedback was brought up. Heck, it took him a while before he even told _Kevin_ about it. But to Gwen's surprise, Ben let out a sigh and complied with his friend's inquiries. "You're right. You guys probably SHOULD know. Where's everyone else? I'd like them hear this too."

Pyrrha wore a downcast expression as she shook her head. "I apologize, Ben, but my mother already took them all to the mountain. We said that we would try and catch up, but… we didn't know how you would react to the news."

Ben gave the redhead a smile. "That's okay, Pyrrha. I'll just tell them about it later."

Jaune walked over and clasped a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. "Hey, if the memory's too hard for you dude, don't push yourself to relay it again, okay? No need to relive a bad memory twice, ya know?"

Ben grinned and pat Jaune's shoulder. "Hey, no worries, dude. This was a really long time ago, and the cause of this bad memory's long dead by now. I'll be able to manage, but thanks for the nice words." He then turned his attention over to Yang, giving her a love-filled smile before lacing his fingers with hers. "You ready for this one? Trust me when I say that this is NOT a happy story."

"I'm sure it isn't. But I'm here for you, Ben." Yang assured. "Always."

Ben leaned forward and planted a kiss on her lips. "And I'm glad that you are, Yang, believe me." The hero took a deep breath and exhaled before giving a little back story. "Alright. This happened about seven years ago when I was eleven years old. At the time, Grandpa, Gwen and I were on a weekend camping trip, one of many that we had taken that year. This was also the year that I unlocked Feedback, and he quickly became my favorite transformation. On these trips, we'd often end up fighting aliens… one of them being a Galvanic Mechamorph named Malware."

"A Galvanic Mechamorph?" Rex asked before realizing what Ben had meant. "You mean an Upgrade?"

"Yeah, but an Upgrade gone bad." Ben explained. "Malware's code was different from the rest of his species, enough for him to be considered mutated. He and I had clashed a few times before, but most of the time, I ended up winning. At the same time though, he kept getting stronger and stronger. But back to Feedback; I ended up transforming into him a lot more than I'd like to admit at the time, to the point that I pretty much used him for everything."

"Is that a bad thing?" Holiday asked. "If you're using an alien to stop crime, then what's the harm in using one in particular?"

Ben took in another breath before continuing. "That's where we come to… what happened with Feedback. Azmuth had come to Earth to have that exact discussion with me. He told me that using Feedback too much could have irreparable damage on the Omnitrix, and Grandpa agreed with him. I ended up storming out of the Rustbucket, and needless to say, I was an angry little eleven-year-old. I didn't want to give up using Feedback… little did I know that I WOULD be… for good."

* * *

_Eleven-year-old Ben Tennyson rushed out of his grandfather's motorhome in an irritated huff, angry over what his grandpa and Azmuth had just told him._ 'How could they just tell me to STOP using Feedback?!' _he yelled in his head as his eyebrows furrowed in frustration. Feedback was the BEST transformation that Ben could ever ask for! No other alien in his arsenal could even stand against the Conductoid! There was only ONE rational reason Ben could think of for them telling him to stop using Feedback;_ 'I'll bet it was—'

" _Ben, wait!" The hero was pulled out of his thoughts when his dweeb of a cousin, Gwen, came out of the Rustbucket, a worried expression etched on her face. She ran up behind him, trying to get him to stop and listen to her. But Ben would have none of it._

" _You made them say that, didn't you Gwen?" Ben snapped at his cousin with harshness laced in his voice. "'Cause you're so jealous that you can't turn into aliens like me!"_

_This only served to irritate Gwen, though she was still worried about her cousin. "You HONESTLY think Azmuth would listen to me or anyone else? You did this to yourself, Ben!"_

_Ben only clenched his fists in ire, his frustration still growing. "I'M the one wearing the Omnitrix! I can turn into whichever alien I want! And no one can stop me!"_

"I beg to differ." _A low electronic voice pulled the two out of their argument and the Tennyson cousins instead focused on the large form standing about two yards away from them. It was a Galvanic Mechamorph, though by and far NOT a normal one. This one was large and top heavy, with large arms compared to its stubby yet strong legs. It had clawed fingers on one hand while the other hand was transformed into a large cannon weapon pointed straight at the two. It also had multiple spikes sticking out of its arms, legs and neck, while its head had the addition of a large glowing maw right beneath its "eye". Though the most noticeable difference was the blood red color and the curved yet jagged shape of the lines on its body, directly contrasting to the bright green and smooth lines of a normal one. The Mechamorph fired its cannon, forcing the cousins to dive out of the way while the laser collided with the Rustbucket, causing it to topple over._ "I am here for Azmuth." _Malware declared._

_As Gwen used her then-budding mana powers to try and get the Rustbucket back up, Ben faced Malware and immediately went for the Omnitrix. "You picked the wrong hero to mess with again!"_

_Gwen turned to her cousin, still hoping to talk some sense into him. "So you pick the RIGHT hero, Ben! Remember, the only other time you beat Malware was with Diamondhead!"_

_However, Ben didn't heed his cousin's advice, and instead changed into a tall, black creature with a white chest, the Omnitrix symbol situated right in the middle of it. It had one large, green eye in the middle of his face and a pair of long antennae sticking out of his head, a large gold plug situated on the end of each one. The same could be said about his long tail, as well as the tips of his big fingers, all of which had it own big gold plug. Feedback struck a pose and declared; "YEAH!" before facing his enemy once more._

_As Gwen struggled to get the Rustbucket back up, she was quick to chastise Ben for doing that; "This is no time to try to make a point!"_

_Malware fired his cannon again, but Feedback just got out infront of the blast and absorbed it through his tail and antennae. He redirected the energy through his body and back into his hand, the energy becoming blue as a result. "Relax, Gwen." Feedback reassured. "See? What goes around, comes around—"_

"Excellent suggestion." _Malware stated as he grabbed hold of Feedback's hand, causing the Conductoid to lose his focus on the energy. Malware pointed the hand to the Rustbucket and blasted the front door, causing smoke to waft up around it. This broke Gwen's concentration and forced her to flinch away right as she got the RV back up on its wheels._

" _C'mon, Ben!" the young redhead called over to her cousin. "Turn into Diamondhead quick, before Malware—"_

"Destroys the Omnitrix?" _The evil Mechamorph suddenly wrapped his whole hand around Feedback's waist and lifted him up before changing his other hand back to normal, using it to grab at the Omntirix on Feedback's chest._ _Thick red lines began to spread out from the Omnitrix and all over Feedback's body as it began beeping loudly, to the point where even the Conductoid's eye had become red. The device then began to spark with red energy as Malware began pulling something out of it. And that something… was Ben._ "My, my, isn't THIS a surprising turn of events?" _Malware said, bemused as he tossed Ben to the ground as he kept Feedback in his grasp._ "If I am not mistaken, this seems to be your favorite alien, Ben Tennyson, correct? Not anymore." _Malware looked over to Feedback as the Conductoid began to glow bright red, and then, in an instant, the alien was entirely reduced to red dust._

_Ben's eyes widened in abject horror as he saw Feedback scatter into the wind… destroyed. "NOOOO!"_

"Though I am here for Azmuth, I wish to destroy him with his most _precious_ creation." _Malware explained before facing Ben once more demanding he hand over the watch._ "The Omnitrix… NOW."

_Ben stood back up, an expression of pure anger mixed with fear settled on his face. He had just seen Feedback, who was basically an extension of_ himself _… get reduced to dust in front of his very eyes. A mixture of emotions was stirring inside of him at the moment. He was distraught, scared, angry, but most of all… he was vengeful. Malware would NOT get away with this. Ben shifted his eyes down to the Omntrix and began fiddling with it in a very specific manner, with the faceplate retracting to expose the devise's core. He had figured out how to do this some time ago, but he never thought he would ever need it._ 'Guess I was wrong.' _Ben thought as tears began brimming his eyes. "You want it so bad?! HERE!" With a loud scream, Ben plunged his fist into Malware's midsection._

_The Mechamorph cried out as his red lines became green, the Omnitrix's energy flowing directly into him. Soon, he began to FEEL the power coursing through his system, and he was_ enjoying _it greatly._ "Yes… YES! The power of the Omnitrix flows through me! It IS me!" _However, the Omnitrix itself, began to emit a low beeping noise, and at the same time, the energy intake started becoming painful for Malware. His body began to destabilize, much to his horror._ "No! It's overloading me! STOOOP!"

_Meanwhile, Ben kept the pressure on, even ignoring a warning that he heard from Grandpa Max. The old plumber, Gwen, and Azmuth could only watch in astonishment as Ben pushed his left fist further in with a yell of exertion, the output of green energy increasing as a result. And, with that final push, the evil Mechamorph's body finally gave out, turning into gelatinous green bubbles before blowing out into several different directions. Malware was no more._

* * *

As Ben concluded his story, everyone in the living room was staring at him in complete and utter shock, all except for Max and Gwen, who had been there to see it happen, as well as Kevin, who had heard the story before. Ben let out a breath that he didn't even know he was holding and finished his story, holding himself together the best that he could. "And that was that, Feedback was just… gone. Azmuth even said that the Conductoid DNA couldn't be added back to the Omnitrix. What Malware did to Feedback… to _me_ … it just haunted me for the longest time. Still kind of does today."

"Ben, I…" Ruby began, "I had no idea something like that could even happen. …I'm …I'm sorry."

Rex nodded in agreement. "Yeah, man. That was a brutal thing to even _listen_ to."

Weiss held a clenched and over her heart. "I can't believe that a being as despicable as Malware was even capable of _existing_."

Ben smiled at the three as he held up a reassuring hand. "Hey, thanks guys, but—" He was cut off when he felt a pair of arms wrap around him and pull him into a big, heartfelt hug. He knew immediately that it was Yang. He turned his head down to face her and was surprised by the serious gaze that she was giving him, one full of determination and resolve. "Yang, I—"

"Ben, please…" she interrupted. "…just let me do this."

The Omnitrix wielder was taken aback by how forward Yang was being. But what shocked him most was the amount of worry and genuine concern he could hear in her voice. It was then that Ben relaxed his tensed-up muscles and let go of the pent-up emotions that he had bottled up during his recounting of events, allowing him to fall into the embrace as he wrapped his arms around her. He buried his head into Yang's shoulder as he could feel a few tears begin to run down his face. And, a few seconds later, he managed to choke out the words; "Thank you."

Yang rubbed comforting circles into his back, smiling into his shoulder as she gave him a peck on the cheek. "You're welcome."

Doctor Holiday sighed as she shifted her gaze downward. "Well, I can now see why you reacted the way you did, Ben. Having to hear that you experienced something like… _that_ is sure to leave an impact on your mind. I'm truly sorry that it happened to you."

Jaune spoke up next. "So… what happened after that?"

Ben managed to compose himself as he pulled himself out from Yang's shoulder, wiping the tears away from his eyes. "Well… not long after that, I had Azmuth remove the Omnitrix. I'd had enough of fighting bad guys after the Malware accident and I kinda wanted to live a normal life for a while. And then…" he gave a shrug, "you guys pretty much know the rest."

Pyrrha nodded in understanding. "I see, so this is why you took a four-year break in your hero career. That's when the DNAliens and the Hybreed showed up, correct?"

"Yeah." Ben confirmed before smiling over to his grandfather. "Though it started out more as trying to find my grandpa."

Max smiled as he got up and walked over to his grandson. "Hehe, yes, I caused quite a bit of trouble, didn't I?" Max sat next to Ben and pat his shoulder. "But it all worked out in the end, didn't it?"

"Heh, it did." Ben chuckled before his eyes shifted back to the coffee table. Or more specifically; the Omnitrix data card that was sitting _on_ it. "Still, this whole thing's got me a bit on edge. How was Azmuth even able to restore Feedback's DNA in the first place?"

Gwen came forward with a possible explanation. "Ben, I think it may have something to do with how your new watch works. Remember how the old Omnitrix and Ultimatrix needed an entire _planet_ to store the DNA code?"

Ben nodded, recalling the planet's name vividly. "Yeah, Primus."

"Right." Gwen pointed to the new Omnitrix. "But if you'll remember, the final version of the Omnitrix doesn't HAVE that limitation. The watch stores the DNA directly inside of itself. So… maybe Azmuth just needed to write a new string of DNA code for Feedback!"

Kevin crossed his arms and gave his friend a smirk. "So, whaddya think, Tennyson? Ready for a proper reunion?"

Ben sat in silence for a few seconds before getting up off the couch. He strolled over to the coffee table and picked the data card back up, holding it in his hand in contemplation. _'On one hand, I can have one of my favorite aliens back and we could possibly get communication back to our dimension.'_ Ben mused to himself. _'But… do I really_ deserve _to have Feedback back after misusing him? Well… Azmuth seems to think so, at least. I guess that's a good sign. Still though…'_ Ben closed his eyes for a moment before opening them back up, turning to the gathered crowd of his friends and family. "I… need some time to digest all of this." He then gave them a smile. "But that doesn't mean you guys gotta stick around here. If any of you wanna go and train, that's fine with me."

Everyone was surprised at Ben's response, but no sooner had he uttered the words did Yang have a comeback for him. "Well you can count on me to stay, Green Boy." she assured as she went over to his side. "Like I said, I'm not leaving you."

"Me either." Gwen added. "I'm staying too."

"If she's stayin'," Kevin jumped in, "then so am I, dude."

Max got up off the couch and pat his grandson on the shoulder. "I'll be here for you too, Ben. And don't worry, whatever you choose to do, we'll understand."

From her place on the couch, Holiday nodded to the hero. "He's right Ben. If you wish to not go through with it, then that's fine. We'll just go with our back up plan and wait a few days for the others to come for us. There is absolutely no pressure on you."

Ben gave his friends a thumbs up as he put his other arm across Yang's shoulders, grateful for their company. "Thanks guys, much appreciated." He then fixed his gaze on Ruby, Rex, Weiss, Jaune and Pyrrha. "Like I said, you guys can go train if you want to. I won't have any hard feelings if you do."

"…Do you really mean that?" Ruby asked. The Hooded Huntress received a smile and a nod from Ben, assuring her that he meant what he said. She reciprocated the gesture and walked forward, giving him a hug. "Okay, but just know that we're all behind you on this one, Ben."

Weiss went over and set a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Ruby's right. We support you, one-hundred percent."

Ben gave the two girls a grin before he saw a closed fist right in front of him. He followed the owner's arm before seeing Rex giving him a big mirthful smirk. "I'm right with them, _mi amigo_. Best of luck."

Ben smirked right back and gave Rex a fist bump. "Thanks man, now go on, they're expecting you guys at the mountain."

Ruby giggled before letting go of Ben. "Hehe, you're right. Well… we'll see you guys later." And with that, Ruby, Weiss and Rex all left the house, leaving everyone else in the living room for the time being.

Ben shifted his focus on Jaune and Pyrrha, still curious on what they were going to do. "Jaune, Pyrrha, what about you guys? You gonna go train too?"

Jaune gave Ben a shrug. "Well, yeah, but we're going to do our sword training out in the backyard." He sent the Omnitrix bearer a salute. "So we'll be right here if you need us."

Pyrrha nodded and gave Ben a wink. "Indeed. Just say the word and we'll be right in."

"Hehe, thanks guys." Ben chortled. "Much appreciated." As the blonde knight and Invincible Girl gave him one last smile before heading out side, Ben glanced down at the data chip in his hand, the hero's mind going right back to contemplating on where to go from there. But he knew one thing was for sure; he had some of the greatest friends in the universe by his side.

* * *

Ruby, Weiss and Rex exited the house and strolled out into the front yard, the Hooded Huntress leading the way. However, rather than being exited for their upcoming training session, Ruby couldn't get the story that she had just heard from Ben out of her mind. "Wow, I really didn't think that Ben had gone through something like that."

"Me either." Weiss admitted. "It must have been really hard for him if he stopped using the Omnitrix after that, even if it was for only a few years."

Rex stuffed his hands into his pockets as he followed the girls around the house, quietly thinking to himself on what his friend had just told them. _'Man, if he didn't mention this Malware guy when we first met, then all that stuff must've really left its mark on him…'_ However, the EVO's thoughts trailed off when he heard the sound of tires rolling across gravel, causing him to turn around toward the drive way. There, he saw a rather slick white car pull up to the house, parking right next to Kevin's car. And when Rex saw who was getting out of the car, he called back to the girls; "Uh, ladies? We've got visitors!"

Weiss and Ruby stopped and faced back around to see their two visitors; General Ironwood and Winter Schnee, climbing out of the white car and making their way over to them. Of course, Weiss was the first to react. "Winter! General Ironwood! Good morning." the heiress greeted as she and Ruby went back over to where Rex was. "I didn't think we'd be seeing you this early!"

"Well, our curiosity got the better of us." Winter smiled at her younger sister. "If we were not so exhausted from last night's scuffle, we might have been up all night with all of the questions we had for our new arrivals. Speaking of…" The white-haired beauty shifted her eyes over to Rex and gave him a nod. "It's good to see you again, Rex. I do hope that my sister has not caused you too much strife in your first morning."

Weiss' eyebrows shot up in shock. "ME?! _I'm_ the one causing strife here?"

Ruby teetered her head back and forth with a knowing smile on her face. "Well… it wouldn't be the first time, you know." Weiss shot her a narrow-eyed glance and Ruby raised her hands defensively. "Hey, your sister's words, not mine."

Rex chuckled before giving Winter a wave. "Hehe, naw, no problems here. In fact, if anything, your sister has actually helped me out on a couple things. She helped me cook my breakfast and she showed me how to do laundry."

It was Winter's turn for her brows to shoot up in surprise. "Really now?" She sent her sister a smirk. "I must say, you two are getting along better than I initially thought. Color me… interested."

Weiss quirked a brow to her sister. "Interested in _what_ , exactly?"

"Oh, I believe you know, dear sister." Winter countered. Once the elder Schnee had said that, the two siblings went into a staring contest; with Winter still wearing her knowing smile while Weiss wore an indignant glare. The tension could undeniably be felt by the three on-lookers, so General Ironwood decided to cut it.

"Ahem, in any case… we were hoping to hear the story of how you and Doctor Holiday came to our dimension, Rex." The general explained. "If you have the time, that is."

Rex put a hand to his chin. "Well, we _were_ just heading out to go train… and Holiday's still in the house…"

This gained Winter's attention. "Ah, well that is perfect, then." She faced Ironwood and bowed her head to him respectfully. "General, if you will allow me, I will accompany these three on their training excursion while you can stay here. That way, we will both be able to hear the story without barring the children from their training."

"An excellent idea, Winter." Ironwood concurred before making his way toward the house. "I'll contact you should anything come up."

Just then, Ruby ran forward and stopped right next to the general, catching his attention. "Wait… before you go in, I just want you to know that things are very… delicate in there right now. Ben's dealing with a lot of personal stuff, and I don't know if he'll be able to tell the whole thing again. So, if the subject comes up, please keep that in mind."

Ironwood nodded to the Hooded Huntress. "Of course, Ruby. I will be tactful of the situation. Thank you for the forewarning." And with that, Ironwood went in through the front door, no doubt catching the attention of everyone inside.

Winter couldn't help but be perplexed by Ruby's statement. "Is Benjamin alright? He seemed fine last night."

Weiss lowered her head slightly. "Let's just say something came up… and it brought back a few bad memories." The heiress shook the thought away before smiling to her sister. "But let's not dwell on negative stuff, alright? Don't want to bring the Grimm around." She craned her head over to the EVO. "Rex, could you please give my sister a brief retelling of the events that brought you here?"

Rex gave Weiss a thumbs up and replied; "Sure thing, Ice Princess!", much to her dismay. As the quartet began to venture down the path that lead to the Mount Patch training grounds, Rex gave Winter a short and sweet synopsis of his past, his team, and the enemies that he faced before moving on to how he and Holiday had ended up in Remnant. At the end of it all, the four had nearly made it to the mountain when Rex had finished his story. "And there ya go, my life in a nutshell, plus how I got here. Quite the little story, huh?"

"If by "Little", you mean; considerably NOT little, then yes." Winter countered. "I must say, you live quite the adventurous life, Rex."

Rex put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, a proud smile settled firmly on his face. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. Just the everyday life of your average EVO."

"I see…" Winter's smirk returned before slowing her pace down to fall in line with Weiss and Ruby, who were a fair distance away from Rex. She then whispered into her sister's ear; "He's definitely your type."

"WHAT—" But just as Weiss was had cried out in astonishment, she put a hand over her mouth, her eyes full of panic when Rex had noticed the sound.

The EVO glanced around before shrugging it off. "Eh, must've been some sorta bird."

Weiss grimaced at being called a bird before glaring daggers at her sister. "What the _heck_ are you talking about?" She harshly whispered. "Rex is most certainly NOT my type! You're just saying that to get on my nerves."

However, much to Weiss' surprise, Ruby had doubts about what her friend was saying. "Hmm, I dunno, Weiss. I think your sister might be onto something."

Weiss' face fell as even her best friend sided with her sister. "Oh, come on, Ruby, you can't be serious! ME and HIM? There's no way in the WORLD that could ever happen. I have higher standards than that."

Ruby raised a judgmental brow at her friend. "So… Neptune?"

Weiss pursed her lips at that, a clear blush appearing on her face. "…Okay, that was ONE time, alright? I like to think I've matured since my crush on Neptune."

Winter just continued to smile slyly at her younger sister. "I am not so sure, sister dear. Helping him cook his breakfast, assisting him with his laundry… I have a feeling that you are attracted to young men who wear goggles."

The blush on Weiss' face only became redder at her sister's insinuation. "W-well, alright then, answer me this; would YOU date him if he was your age?"

The elder Schnee was taken aback slightly at Weiss' question… but then, she glanced over to Rex as the inquiry settled in to her mind. _'If he was MY age, then?'_ Winter gazed up and down Rex's back in thought. She could not deny one thing; Rex's stature was quite impressive, even giving some of the Atlesian Army soldiers a run for their money. She could practically see the muscles in his back, perfectly defined by the red t-shirt that he wore. Winter had to admit, she was impressed with what she saw. "Well… he said he was eighteen, correct?"

Weiss' eyes almost bugged out of her head. "WINTER." she hushed accusingly.

"Well, _you're_ the one who wanted my opinion, little sister." Winter shot back. "And truth be told, I like what I see." The elder Schnee then recalled something that Rex had said. "Oh, but if I remember correctly, Rex said that he had an older brother. If he's anything like Rex, then perhaps you and I may both have something positive in this…"

Weiss crossed her arms and huffed at her sister. "Hmph, well I've seen a picture of Caesar, and while he IS handsome, he's nowhere _near_ as cute as Rex is."

A devious smile made its way to Winter's face. Her sister had taken the bait. "I apologize, what was that I heard? I believe you just referred to Rex as "cute"."

At that point Weiss' face became as red as a tomato, and her eye was twitching in irritation. "I-I… You…" The heiress shook her head and pointed at her sister. "If you so much as _repeat_ what I said to you in front of Rex, I'll—"

But Winter simply smiled and laid a hand on Weiss' shoulder. "Hmhm, calm yourself, dear sister. I will make sure that this stays between us. And if you wish for me to drop the subject entirely, I will." Winter then gave her sister a sly wink. "Still though, all this talk of romance has got me thinking… perhaps its time that I consider giving dating another shot."

This only served to make Weiss' eyes widen further. "Really?"

Winter merely shrugged. "What can I say? The general has been on me to take some time off and relax. I have insisted staying on active duty for many years now, however, with so many things happening at once… perhaps he has a point." The elder Schnee pulled a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "And I will not lie, I _do_ yearn for companionship."

Even though her sister had somehow managed to ger on her nerves without even trying, Weiss couldn't help but smile at Winter longing to have someone in her life. _'And I can certainly relate.'_ Weiss pushed the thought away for now and gave her sister a nudge. "Hey, you'll find that special someone, sis. I know you will."

Winter glanced back over to Weiss, a small grin making its way to her face as she set her gloved hand on her sister's shoulder. "The feeling is mutual, dear sister. Thank you."

"Ahem." Ruby cleared her throat, getting the Schnee Sister's attention. "I'd hate to break up the sisterly moment, but…" She jabbed her thumb behind her, indication that they had arrived at Mount Patch. "We got to the mountain a couple minutes ago… and Rex is already inside."

* * *

The first thing that Rex saw when he entered the sparring room was someone being sent flying toward him. So far, he had been impressed with the secret training ground that Ruby's dad had built. The break room was nice and spacious, the gym had every kind of exercise equipment that one could ask for, now all that was left was the sparring room. The young EVO couldn't wait to see what these guys were capable of… that is if he was able to step another foot in without being bombarded with flying people. He activated his Smack Hands and caught whoever was flying at him, the person now easily recognizable thanks to their bright blue hair. "Neptune?! What the heck happened to you?"

Neptune shook his head, trying to shoo away the pain that was throbbing through him. He opened an eye and saw that Rex had stopped him from slamming into a wall. "Oh, hey Rex. Thanks for the assist."

"No prob, but again, what happened?" Rex asked as he put his Smack Hands away.

Neptune rubbed his head as he pointed over to the ring. "She happened."

Rex glanced over Neptune's shoulder to see Nora in the middle of the ring, with Magnhild over her shoulder and Athena holding her arm up high, declaring her the winner. Nora held her hammer aloft before shouting; "Another victory for the Valkyrie!" She then shifted her gaze down to see if Neptune was alright, only to see the blue haired boy talking to… "Rex! Hey, you made it!" Nora hopped down from the ring as Blake, Sun and Rex all got up from the stands to follow her over. She stopped by Neptune and offered a handshake. "Nice spar, Neptune. Gotta admit, not using your usual Lightning Dust against me was a good idea on your end."

"Heh, thanks." Neptune chuckled as he shook her hand. "I've just gotta be a bit faster, I guess. You threw me for a loop!"

Blake stepped forward to greet her new EVO teammate. "Hi Rex. You ready to get started?"

"You bet!" Rex exclaimed eagerly. But before he could step toward the ring, Weiss, Ruby and Winter all came into the room, causing him to turn back around. "Hey ladies! Glad you could make it in."

Sun's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Winter? Huh, didn't expect to see you here again today. You here to do more Summoning training with Weiss?"

Winter waved to him in response. "Not today, Mr. Wukong. I am simply here as a spectator, nothing more." The elder Schnee shifted her gaze to her younger sister. "Now, why don't you show me what you can Summon, dear sister?"

Weiss nodded to her sister. "Right." She began to make her way toward the ring when Rex did a lateral slide into her path, stopping her from going any further. Weiss quirked an eyebrow at the EVO's behavior. "Yes? Can I help you, Robo-dolt?"

"You certainly can." Rex confirmed as he set his hands on his hips. "I wanna spar with someone, and you want to test out… whatever this "Summoning" thing is. Maybe you and I can help each other in that department."

To say that Weiss was surprised was an understatement. _'He's… he's seriously asking me to fight him?'_ She was about to say no, but then she saw all of the equally surprised faces of everyone else, and they were all eagerly awaiting her response. She could tell by the excitement in Ruby and Nora's eyes that they were hoping to see what Rex could do… and Weiss couldn't lie, she herself was also slightly interested. _'Plus, he's also a lot more durable, so the Grimm that I'll summon won't hurt him as much as anyone else… oh, what the heck?'_ Weiss gave a sigh before answering the EVO; "Very well, Rex, let's see what you got."

"Alright!" Rex pumped a fist in the air before running over to the arena. "This is gonna be epic!" Weiss merely rolled her eyes and followed him to the ring, keeping a steady walk compared to his sprint.

Ruby blinked her silver eyes in astonishment before uttering her next words; "I… I really didn't think that she was gonna say "yes"." She crossed her arms and a slight pout came to her face. "As much as I wanna see this, I'm still kinda bummed that I didn't get first dibs on fighting him."

Nora pat Ruby on the shoulder before leading her over to the bleachers. "Aw, don't worry Rubes, we'll BOTH get our chance to bash him around a little. C'mon, let's see how Weiss handles him!"

Sun crossed his arms as he began to walk back to his seat. "Gotta admit though, it's a bit odd of Weiss to just accept Rex's challenge off the bat." The monkey boy glanced over to Winter, who would hopefully have an answer. "What do you think, Winter?"

The elder Schnee wore an amused expression as she watched her sister and Rex take their places in the arena. "Well, perhaps she wishes to just get on with it. If she doesn't do it now, then Rex will just continue to pester her until she does." She added a personal thought to that; _'Of course, there could be other reasons, but I will not divulge that for my sister's sake.'_

As the teens and Winter took their seats, Ren couldn't help but have one question still linger in his mind. "By the way, where is everyone else? I thought that they'd be coming with you."

At the mention of the others, Ruby's mind started going a mile a minute as she tried to find a valid excuse. She couldn't just explain _everything_ that Ben had just told her, it just didn't feel right for her to do that. But fortunately, she quickly came up with a valid excuse. "Oh, General Ironwood came with Winter today to hear about how Rex and Holiday found us. So Gwen and Kevin decided to stay with them to help get him up to speed."

"Okay then, what about Jaune and Pyrrha?" Blake inquired further.

Ruby gave her a knowing smirk. "They stayed at the house to work on their sword training like they usually do… you know…" The Hooded Huntress gave a wink. "By themselves?"

Nora smiled and rolled her eyes. "I swear, if I have to pull those two apart when I get home…"

Just then, Neptune gave the Pink Dynamo a nudge and whispered; "Hey, it's starting."

Down in the arena itself, Athena was just as surprised as everyone else that Weiss had excepted Rex's challenge. However, as referee, it was her job to judge the fight, not to judge who fought whom. So, she took her place at the edge of the arena and made the announcement; "This spar will now get underway. Since one of the competitors does not have an Aura, this bout will be decided with a ring-out. Whoever can force the other out of the ring first is the victor! Ready… BEGIN!"

Rex's eyes widened at what Athena had mentioned. "W-wait, what does "Aura" mean?"

Weiss smirked as Rex left himself wide open in his confusion. "It's what allows me to use my Semblance so effectively… like so!" Weiss unsheathed Myrtenaster and pointed it out in front of her, keeping her grip on the weapon firm and steady. On the floor just a few feet away from her, a large, white glyph appeared from out of nowhere, slowly spinning in place. What happened next only shocked Rex even more; a large, white Beowulf emerged from out of the glyph, its teeth gnashed together as it growled at him menacingly. Weiss took a deep breath as she concluded the Summon, and thankfully, it had gone over much smoother than the one she had done last night. "So, what do you think?"

Rex's jaw was practically hanging down to the floor. He had seen some nasty stuff come out of portals, but this had to take the cake. "That… was… SO COOL!"

The teens in the stands were all taken aback by Rex's reaction while Winter and Athena each wore a bemused look on their faces. But no one was more surprised than Weiss. _'Okay, now I can see why Ben and Rex got along so well. They both have the same boyish enthusiasm…'_ Her mind trailed off when she saw the excited expression on Rex's face, and her eyebrows rose in surprise. _'Wow… he's really fired up… it's kind of…'_ But she shook the thought away as a small blush came to her face. _'Not the time, Weiss, FOCUS!'_ She thrusted Myrtenaster forward and called out; "ATTACK!"

The Beowulf lunged forward and began sprinting over to Rex on all fours, much to the EVO's shock. Fortunately, Rex had multiple experiences fighting a certain cyborg werewolf, so he did what came naturally to him; he activated his Smack Hands and blocked the wolf Grimm's attack, stopping it in his tracks. He glanced over to Weiss out of the corner of his eye and hollered over to her; "H-Hey! What gives? I wasn't ready!"

"It doesn't matter if you're ready or not." Weiss countered. "Grimm are vicious and unpredictable. If you're going to be fighting them with us, you can't let your guard down. They'll take any opportunity they can to attack, Rex, so stay focused!"

As Rex listened to Weiss chastising him, he couldn't help but be reminded of a certain someone who used to train him. "Jeez, you're starting to sound like Six!" With a grunt of exertion, Rex pushed the white Beowolf away and gave the monster a smirk. "Alright, if you want me to focus up, Weiss, then I'll be happy to oblige!" Rex deactivated his Smack Hands and triggered the Omega-1 nanite inside of him, activating one of his more powerful builds. His arms expanded out until there was a large, navy cylinder on each one. From those, an even larger pair of cylinders appeared, these ones glowing with a large screw capping off the ends of them. The larger cylinders were attached to the smaller navy ones by a flexible metal tubing that allowed them to be thrown around with ease. "Say hello to my Funchucks!"

Back in the stands, Sun's eyes brightened at Rex's weapon of choice. "Those things are so freaking cool!"

Blake smiled at Sun's excitement. She knew the moment that Rex built them that the monkey boy would get a kick out of them. "Yeah, they're pretty awesome. I wonder how he plans to use them, though."

Weiss' eyebrows slightly rose in intrigue. _'Hmm, these are new. Stay sharp, Weiss, he's obviously planning something.'_ With a wave of Myrtenaster, Weiss ordered the Beowolf to reengage Rex, though there was an air of caution behind her motion. Fortunatley, the Grimm understood this and instead of sprinting, it kept its eyes on Rex as it slowly began to circle around him, the white creature anticipating a movement.

Rex's smirk increased as he watched the Grimm stalk around him. "Waiting for me to make the first move, Ice Princess? Well, if you insist!" Rex lifted his arms up and began spinning his Funchucks around at an extremely fast speed, much to everyone's surprise.

"How is he doing that?!" Nora exclaimed.

"It's a machine, remember?" Ruby recalled. "He's probably got a ton of inner mechanisms that make them go that fast!"

Rex suddenly threw one of his arms forward, the increased speed of the spin adding to the blow's power. However, the Beowolf's reflexes were just as powerful as it leapt up into the air, dodging the incoming strike. It did the same as Rex threw his other Funchuck forward, the weapon slamming into the ground and once again leaving the Beowulf unharmed. "Huh, you're a fast one, aren't ya?" Rex commented as he pulled his Funchucks back. "Let's fix that shall we?" With a mighty grunt, Rex began spinning his weapons rapidly again. However, this time, rather than flinging them toward the Beowulf, Rex slammed the Funchucks together, causing the glowing parts of the weapons to shine even brighter as a powerful arc of blue energy shot out of them and hit the Beowulf head on, making it howl in pain. "Ah-ha! Gotcha!"

As Rex began spinning his Funchuck for the finishing blow, Weiss quickly extended her hand out to the Beowolf and called out; "You are dismissed!" With a low growl, the Beowolf dissipated into thin air just as Rex slammed his Funchuck into the arena.

"Huh?!" Rex yelled in surprise. "Where'd it go?"

On the sidelines, Winter nodded in approval. "A good call. If the Beowolf were actually defeated, Weiss would not be able to summon it for some time. Now it only requires a brief period before it can be summoned again."

Weiss stepped forward and aimed Myrtenaster at Rex. "It's just you and me now, Robo-dolt."

"Sweet!" Rex said as he reared his Funchucks back again. "Let's dance!" With another yell, Rex surged forward, his Funchucks swinging powerfully toward the heiress.

But Weiss was counting on that. _'Gotcha.'_ She spun the gun barrel in Myrtenaster's hilt and switched it to the Gravity Dust setting, the weapon itself glowing a faint black color for a split second before Weiss focused the energy into a black glyph. Said glyph appeared right in front of her just as Rex was about to land a hit, resulting in his left Funchuck getting trapped inside of it. "Sorry, I'm not in the mood to dance."

"Wha-Hey!" Rex hollered as he desperately tried to pull his Funchuck out of the glyph, but to no avail. "What the heck is this?"

"A glyph powered by Gravity Dust." Weiss explained. "It comes in handy for when I need shields or traps." She gave him a sly grin. "But you know what else I can do with it?"

"Uh… no?"

With a single swipe of Myrtenaster, Weiss sliced off the screw of Rex's left Funchuck, resulting in his entire weapon falling apart off of his arm. "Disarmament."

Rex fell onto his rear with a THUD, his right Funchuck deactivating as he landed on the ground. _'Well, on the bright side, at least I'm outta that thing.'_ He rubbed the sore spot on his butt before getting up, a smirk coming to his face as he gave Weiss a wink. "Hey, you made a joke! Dis _arm_ ament! HAHA! Nice one, Ice Princess."

Little did he know though that Weiss was mortified by the realization. _'I… I made a Yang pun?! NOOOOO!'_ Weiss shook her head and grumbled at the EVO. "Oh, that's just crossing the line." Weiss closed her eyes and spun Myrtenaster's barrel again, changing it to the Lightning Dust setting. With a wave of her weapon, Weiss made another glyph appear beneath her, but this one appeared different from her usual snowflake shaped glyphs. This particular glyph shone with a bright golden color, and its pattern appeared to be that of a clock with moving gears and spinning hands. Weiss opened her eyes, and just like that, she was gone!

Rex's eyes widened in surprise. "Whoa! Where'd she—" He was cut off when Weiss appeared at his side, taking him off-guard. "HUH?!"

"Surprise." Weiss said before sending a swift kick to his abdomen, making him stagger back a few feet before she disappeared again.

Rex was about to get a hold of himself before another strike sent him stumbling forward, followed by another, and another. Not only did the hits hurt due to the speed behind them, but they also made him frustrated. "Okay, what the HECK is going on here?!"

"Time Dilation." Winter explained back in the stands. "It is what happens when a Schnee is able to combine Lightning Dust with their Glyphs. With enough practice, it allows us to move at blinding speeds. It doesn't last for long, but it provides quite the advantage in battle."

Neptune was taken aback by such a spectacle, though he couldn't help but wince every time Rex was hit. "Whoa, I had no idea you ladies could do that!"

Ren put a hand to his chin as he kept his eyes trained on the fight. "I see. Weiss knows that she can't _overpower_ Rex, but she CAN out _speed_ him if given the chance."

Ruby pumped her fists into the air. "Alright, Weiss! Show him what you're made of!"

By contrast to Ruby's excitement, Rex wasn't exactly having a fun time being knocked around by someone he couldn't see. He had to bring Weiss to a stop, or else she'd take the opportunity to knock him out of the ring. "Alright, looks like I'll need to put the brakes on her!" Rex's legs began to glow bright blue, and in an instant, a pair of giant, orange and black metal boots burst out from his legs. With a mighty leap, Rex jumped high into the air while shouting; "Punk Buster cannonball!" The EVO teen came crashing down into the arena feet first, making the ring crack and crumble beneath him as the ground shook violently. The now uneven ground and the shaking earth managed to trip Weiss off of her balance, forcing her to stop in her tracks and fall to the ground. The heiress gazed up to her opponent in astonishment, stunned at the fact that he had found a way to stop her. Rex stood tall smiling down to the girl in awe. "That was totally AWESOME, Weiss! Got any more tricks like that?"

Weiss picked herself up off the ground, brushing the dust off of her dress before sending Rex a small grin. "I have to admit, Rex, you catch on fast…" She spun Myrtenaster's barrel again, this time to the Ice Dust setting. "…but not fast enough." Weiss waved Myrtenaster and created a snow-white glyph in front of her, taking Rex by surprise again. The glyph began to glow and spin before finally sending an icy blast at Rex's legs, freezing them in place.

The effect was instant as Rex felt a sudden chill go up his spin, forcing him to hug his arms around himself in an attempt to stay warm. "Th-th-that's j-j-just… _cold_ , Weiss."

Weiss' smile was unwavering. "Oh, I'm sorry." With another spin of the barrel, she had activated the Fire Dust setting on Myrtenaster, making the blade glow red hot. "Allow me to warm you up a little!" The heiress stabbed her red-hot blade straight through the ice and into one of Rex's Punk Busters. The effect was instant; the ice started to crack apart, and with it, Rex's Punk Busters began to go with it. A few seconds later, and the ice shattered, breaking the Punk Busters and sending Rex down onto his butt again, with Weiss now the one standing over him. "What was that about me having more tricks up my sleeve?"

Rex chuckled as he got back to his feet. "Hehe, gotta admit, I didn't see that one coming." He activated his Smack Hands again, eager to go for another round. "But the fight's not over yet, Ice Princess. Both of us are still in the ring!"

Weiss glanced down and saw that, yes; even if it was broken in multiple places, they were both still in the ring. At first, Weiss was a little skeptical at Rex for wanting to go on, but then she looked back up at him… and was taken aback by the sheer determination that she saw in his eyes. She could tell that he was having fun, and he wasn't about to quit now. _'You are quite the interesting case, Salazar.'_ Weiss' smile returned and she pointed Myrtenaster at him, determination beginning to fill her being as well. "Well then Rex, I believe your words put it best; thrill me."

* * *

Out of all the things that General Ironwood had heard of in the near two weeks of knowing Ben Tennyson and his team, he had to admit, what Doctor Holiday had told him sounded almost unbelievable. In fact, if it hadn't been for Ben's arrival, the general wouldn't have believed the doctors story in the first place. An alternate world where a world-wide event resulted in every single living being on the planet to be infused with nano-machines? Machines which could transform their host into a deadly monster at any given moment? It sounded almost unreal! Ironwood put a hand to his forehead as Holiday concluded her story, still trying to take in what he had just heard. "That is… quite the story."

"It is." Holiday agreed. "But I assure you, general, it's all true."

"I have no doubt about that, Doctor Holiday." Ironwood assured. "I'm just trying to take it all in is all. I'm still relatively new to all this, remember."

They weren't the only ones in the room however; as Ben, Yang, Gwen and Kevin were still there as well. The four stayed relatively silent throughout the conversation, the exceptions either being passing comments or Ben coming in to add details on his and Rex's team-up. Kevin crossed his arms as he leaned up against the wall. "Join the club, G.I., Gwen and I only just met Rex last night."

Gwen raised a brow to her boyfriend. "Difference being that WE'VE had experience with non-Grimm monsters in the past, while the general hasn't."

Kevin shrugged. "Eh, fair point."

Ironwood glanced down to the device that was sitting next to Holiday with a questioning eye. "I have one last question though, Doctor Holiday…" He pointed to the device and asked; "What exactly is _that_?"

Holiday picked the device up and set it on her lap. "Oh, this is a dimensional communicator that Azmuth, Caesar and I are working on. We're hoping that it'll allow us to use dimensional wavelengths in order to communicate across the dimensional rifts… but…" Holiday trailed off before shifting her eyes over to Ben, who was still sitting on the couch with Yang as he pondered over the data card. "It's Ben's decision to make. If we can't run the experiment, we'll just wait for them to come and get us."

That only served to make Ironwood even more confused. He glanced over to the green-clad hero before focusing on the data card in his hand, as well as the fact that it had the Omnitrix symbol on it. "Ben, is that for the Omnitrix?"

Ben nodded his head steadily as he closed his hand around the small green card. "It is. It contains the DNA code of a Conductoid. An alien that I… that I had lost in the past."

"Really? How so?"

However, much to Ironwood's shock, Yang gave him with a stern gaze. "Look, general, I don't wanna be rude here, but Ben's already told the story once today. Please don't make him go through it again."

Ben smiled and put an arm around his girlfriend. "Thanks for sticking up for me, Yang." He then gave her a wink. "Don't worry, I won't go into too much detail this time." Ben turned back to Ironwood and explained it as quick as he could. "The long and short of it is that an old enemy of mine was able to physically separate me from the alien before he destroyed it. And what's worse, that alien, Feedback, was my favorite one to change into for a quite a while before that. And at the time, I was only eleven years old. So that whole experience… kinda left its mark if you know what I mean."

Ironwood nodded in understanding. "Indeed. An event such as that must have been very traumatic for you. Especially at such a young age. But I can't help but feel that there's something else that you're thinking about."

Ben's eyes widened at the general's remark. How did he know? Ben pursed his lips before shifting his gaze downward. "Well… you're not wrong. It's just… the more I think about it, the more I wonder; if I hadn't used Feedback like Azmuth, Grandpa and Gwen asked me to… would this not have happened? I keep finding myself asking… do I even _deserve_ to have Feedback in my arsenal anymore?"

Ironwood gave another nod. "I see. So you blame yourself for what happened, and as a result, you have this pressure on your mind that's telling you that keeps reminding you of what happened so many years ago." As Ironwood spoke further, Ben couldn't help but get the feeling that the general had gone through something similar; "You must have had many nightmares, either reliving the event or where you take Feedback's place. Am I correct?"

Ben's eyebrows rose in shock. "Uh, y-yeah, how did you know?"

Without saying a word, Ironwood pulled up his jacket sleeve as well as his pant leg, revealing his robotic arm and leg respectively. "Because I myself am no stranger to trauma."

From across the room, Doctor Holiday gasped in astonishment. "Oh my word! General… how… how did you…"

"Believe me, Doctor, it's not a good story." Ironwood took a deep breath before moving on. "When I was a younger man, I was… _very_ cocksure of myself. I had graduated Atlas Academy with the highest honors. I went on to join the army and was working on making my way through the ranks. However, in one _single_ mission… I screwed everything up. And because of that, the entire right side of my body was caught in a deadly blast, one that ended up taking a few comrades of mine with it. I was only _barely_ able to survive." He clenched his robotic fist. "After that, I had nightmares recounting that day, ones where the events go as normal… others where I perish."

Ben couldn't help but gaze wide-eyed as Ironwood recounted his story. "Do you… still have them?"

"Sometimes, but they are very rare now." Ironwood smiled at the Omnitrix bearer. "I knew that I had to move on, so I resolved to take my work in the military more seriously. Along the way, I made many friends and comrades, ones who have helped me to renew my outlook on life and keep me going. It's not easy running an entire military, but it does help keep me in the here and now, reminds me of what is truly important." He pointed to the young hero. "And you, Ben Tennyson, have many incredible people to help _you_ in your time of need. And I have a feeling that they too help remind you of what is truly important."

As Ben took the general's words in, he suddenly felt a soft touch on his arm. He craned his head around to see Yang, giving him a kind, loving smile before pecking his lips with a kiss. "He's got a good point, you know." she said with a wink. "You've got a lot of support here, Ben. And we're all with you. No matter what."

At that moment, Ben felt a pair of hands clasp his shoulders. He looked up to see Gwen and Kevin behind the couch on either side of him, both offering their support. "I couldn't have said it any better myself." Gwen agreed.

"We're behind you, bro." Kevin gave Ben a thumbs up. "All the way."

Ben smiled up to his friends and gave them a grateful nod. "Thanks guys." The hero shifted his eyes back to his hand and opened it back up, setting his sights back onto the Omnitrix data chip once again. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, reflecting back on everything that had happened since Malware had destroyed Feedback. From his team's struggles in fighting the DNAliens and Highbreed all the way up to where he sat right now in Remnant. He had to admit, it wasn't the life that he had expected to lead when he first took the Omnitrix off when he was eleven, but it was a life that he was thrilled to be living. It was time to move on from Malware… and there was only one way to do that. Ben exhaled and stood up, opening his eyes as he held the Omnitrix data card in his hand. He had made his choice.

* * *

**A/N: To be continued… Yeah, I know, leaving it on a cliffhanger again. But hey, a lot happened in this chapter. We got a flashback to the incident with Malware, a spar between Weiss and Rex, and Ben reflecting on his past choices and how far he's come from those events. Where will the "Feedback Arc" proceed from here? Well, we'll just have to find out… NEXT TIME! After Ben makes his decision, the group gets a call from Cooper and Coco from town. There's a monster attacking the town of Patchwork, one that the Alien Force has faced multiple times in the past. And what's worse, the panic from the townsfolk is attracting Grimm. Looks like its Hero Time once again. But what IS this monster exactly? Well, be ready for a _shock_. Thanks for reading guys and I'll see ya later!**


	53. The One True Viktor

**A/N: Alright guys, Part 2 of the "Feedback Arc" is here, and judging by the title, I think it's pretty obvious which Ben 10 villain is going to make a reappearance in this chapter. But more importantly, this chapter also features the reappearance of Team CFVY! Haven't seen these guys in a while, huh? In fact, the last time we saw Cooper and Coco was Chapter 40! That's a twelve-chapter gap! And in that gap, we've FINALLY got some new information on Team CFVY's Semblances and weapon names (at the time of writing the chapter)! These will be applied accordingly starting with this chapter, of course. With all that said, let's get on with the chapter, shall we? We're in for a big one this time, guys, so beget ready. This is…**

**Chapter 53: The One True Viktor**

* * *

Ben exhaled and stood up, opening his eyes as he held the Omnitrix data card in his hand. He had made his choice. The hero shifted his eyes down to the card and held it over the Omnitrix, bracing himself for what he was about to do. _'Well, here goes.'_ he thought to himself before speaking; "Omnitrix, prepare for DNA download." The Omnitrix's faceplate slid back and the core popped up, the hourglass flashing bright green as it did.

" _Omnitrix data card recognized."_ The Omnitrix spoke in Ben's voice. _"Insert into core to begin DNA code download."_ A small slot opened up on the side of the core and Ben slid the data card into it, with the small green lines on the card lighting up as a result. _"DNA download commencing…"_ A bright yellow bar began to rise from the bottom of the green hourglass, showing how much progress was being made. Once it had reached the top, the core flashed briefly before making the data card pop out of the slot, with Ben grabbing it soon after. The core retracted back into the watch and the faceplate slid back over it. _"DNA code download successful."_ The green holographic ring popped back up and a new face was added to the playlist; one with one eye and long tendrils on its head. _"Conductoid DNA now available."_

Ben took a deep breath and smiled down at the holo-image. "Welcome back, old friend."

The hero suddenly felt a gentle hand press against his back and he turned his head around to see Yang, grinning up at him brightly. "I knew you could do it, Green Boy. Never doubted you for a second."

Ben moved himself around and wrapped his arms around her. "Well, it's all thanks to you guys for believing in me." He pecked her on the lips before continuing. "So thank you."

Yang gave him a wink. "Aw, don't mention it."

But then, Kevin came in and gave Ben a firm pat on the shoulder. "No please, go on. I'd actually like to hear those words a few more times, please."

Gwen gave Kevin a soft smack on the shoulder. "Oh, come on, Kevin, leave it alone. Would it kill you to be modest once and a while?"

Ben rolled his eyes and reassured his cousin. "Relax, Gwen. We both know that he's only kidding." He quirked a brow in Kevin's direction. "Right, Kev?"

Kevin only gave a shrug. "Eh, maybe, maybe not. All depends on the mood I'm in." He put a hand to his chin and pondered for a moment. "Right now, I'm feeling… cynical."

Gwen smirked and lightly socked her boyfriend in the arm. "When are you _not_ , honey?"

Holiday smiled over to Ben and gave him a nod. "Good for you, Ben. I'm glad that you were able to go through with it. How do you feel?"

Ben breathed in through his nostrils and exhaled. "I feel pretty good. Ironwood was right, it's really best to move on from Malware. And this is the best way to start." The hero shifted his gaze over to Ironwood and gave him a grin. "Thanks, general. Those words you said really helped me out."

"I'm more than happy to help, Ben." Ironwood said as he stood up. "But it's not over yet. You've downloaded the DNA code, now let's see you turn into Feedback."

Ben gave the general a thumbs up before turning back to Holiday. "Alright, how do we do this?"

"It's actually rather simple, really." Holiday explained before pulling back a door on the back of the device, revealing two power outlets. "All you need to do is plug yourself into the device and discharge the electrical current into it."

"Sounds simple enough." Ben agreed before going back to the Omnitrix. He touched the faceplate again and the holo-ring popped back up, with Feedback's face still selected. Ben took his fingers off of the faceplate and it retracted again, the Omnitrix core quick to pop up. "Alright, let's do this." Ben was about to slam down onto the core, when suddenly, the Omnitrix began beeping and flashing green, signaling an incoming transmission. "Huh? What now?" The Omnitrix shifted back to its standard configuration and Ben poked the face plate to answer the call; "Hello?"

At that moment, a worried voice came through the speaker, breathing heavily as it spoke; _"Ben! Ben, do you read?!"_

Ben's eyes widened at the familiar voice. "Cooper? Cooper is that you?"

" _Ben, you've gotta get to our location RIGHT NOW. It's an emergency!"_

Gwen took a step closer to her cousin so that her voice could be heard through the watch. "Cooper, what's wrong? Where are you?"

On the other end of the line, a loud _CRASH_ could be heard through the speaker, followed by a reverberating _BOOM_ which Ben could practically feel through his wrist. A couple seconds later, Cooper's voice came back. _"We're in town! Coco, Vel, Yatsu, Fox and I were on our way back from breakfast at Hestia's when we were attacked!"_ There was a brief pause on the other end before he continued. _"Ben… it's Viktor."_

Ben and Gwen slightly reeled back from the news. "Viktor?" Ben echoed. "But… he was practically braindead when Gwen, Kevin and I put him on ice! How is he even up and walking? He'd need a buttload of electricity in order for him to even move a muscle!"

" _Well… we DID have a couple of storms in the past few days… and they both had lightning."_

At Cooper's point, Ben facepalmed and cried out; "Gah! Should've guessed."

There came another BOOM from the other end before a new voice came to the speaker; _"Tennyson!"_ Coco hollered. _"Tech Head and I are pinned down out here and we need backup ASAP! I've got Vel, Fox and Yatsu evacuating citizens as fast as they can, but the people's panic is startin' to bring Grimm to town! We need you and your squad here, NOW!"_

Ben was taken aback by the barrette-wearing girl's assertiveness. Still, he wasn't about to say no. "Understood. Don't worry Coco, we'll be there as soon as we can."

" _Great."_ Coco said before a barrage of bullets could be heard firing on the other end. _"Because we could use the help! We'll see you soon!"_

The Omnitrix stopped glowing and Ben lowered his arm, letting out a sigh as he did. "Well, guess it's Hero Time again."

Yang meanwhile, raised a brow and crossed her arms. "Alright, I'll bite, who's Viktor?"

Gwen was the one to answer; "An old enemy of ours. Ben and I first encountered him when we were ten. Back then, he worked for an alien named Ghostfreak, and they tried to gain control of the Omnitrix while plunging the Earth into eternal darkness. We ended up beating them both and we didn't see Viktor for a long time after that."

"So standard villain fair." Yang nodded in understanding. "Gotcha."

"Well, yeah, but there's more to it." Kevin continued. "When I was on one of my… rampages… I ended up finding ol' Vik and absorbed his power. Then, I threw him into the Null Void for good measure. But then, this royal family from Zarkovia recovered him."

Holiday spoke up, offering a guess to what happened next; "And let me guess, they tried to use his lifeless body as a weapon to defeat their enemies."

"Kind of." Ben elaborated. "The prince and the king were actually enemies of each _other_. Both tried to use Viktor as a weapon for their fight over the throne. The prince was able to control Viktor remotely, but the king ended up using one of my aliens while I was unconscious to transfer his mind directly _into_ Viktor. I managed to stop him, but it turns out that the procedure didn't go completely as planned. The king's mind ended up dying inside of Viktor not long after we left, leaving him without any intelligent thought. The Zarkovian people handed Viktor's body back over to the Plumbers, saying that they had no more use for it."

Holiday put a hand over her mouth in shock. "Oh my word. That's… horrifying."

"Yeesh, no kidding." Yang sneered. "This guy sounds like a real monster."

"He… actually pretty much is." Kevin admitted. "He's a Transylian, meaning he's basically what you'd get if you put Frankenstein's Monster and an electro-magnetic lightning rod into a blender."

"What's "Frankenstein"?" Yang asked immediately.

Both Kevin and Ben deadpanned before the hero strolled over to his girlfriend. "And that'll be Halloween lesson number two when we get back home, Goldie Locks." A serious look returned to Ben's face. "But for now, we've got a job to do. We need to get in contact with the group at the mountain and have them get back here quick."

Yang gave Ben a wink as she pulled out her scroll. "I'm already on it, Green Boy."

Ben smiled an returned the wink. "Great. I'll go get Jaune and Pyrrha, then we'll get the lead out." The hero turned to General Ironwood and gave him a nod. "What do you say, general? Want to give us a hand?"

"Of course, Ben." Ironwood confirmed. "If there are lives at stake, then that's more than enough reason for me to come."

Ben placed his hands on his hips. "Alright. Then let's get started."

* * *

Back at Mount Patch, Rex and Weiss were both breathing hard, their fight having slowed to a halt as their apparent exhaustion got the better of them. Rex was on his knees with his hands planted firmly on the ground while Weiss had taken to one knee while supporting herself with Myrtenaster, the two combatants kneeling directly in front of each other. Also, the arena they were standing on was completely in shambles, to the point where Athena, who was still technically acting as the referee, had to put some distance between herself and their fight. Rex, having gotten some air back into his lungs, extended a hand toward the heiress. "Weiss… truce?"

Weiss glanced up and saw his hand, relieved that he was offering a temporary ceasefire. She shook his hand and nodded. "Truce. For now, at least." Rex chuckled at that before falling forward on his face, taking Weiss by surprise. "Rex! Are you okay?"

"Heh, yeah, I'm good." The EVO replied. "Just need some time to rest." Rex smiled up at her and began doing the last thing she had expected; praising her combat skills. "I gotta say, Weiss, I'm freaking blown away from how you kept up with me! I've only met a few that can."

"I'm honored." Weiss breathed out as she stood to her full height. "How do your legs feel?"

"Eh, alright for the most part, still a little cold from earlier."

"Can you at least stand?"

Rex gave her a smirk. "Maybe, but I don't really feel like it right now, so I think I'm just gonna lay here for a few."

Weiss rolled her eyes as she sheathed Myrtenaster. "Sure, you do that. But remember, we aren't done here yet. Let's continue this at a later date, THEN we'll see who wins."

Rex lifted his arm and gave her a thumbs up. "Hehe, sounds good to me."

Athena nodded as she went back over to the destroyed ring. "Very well, then for now, this match will be put on hold… and that's probably for the better as I am unsure if this arena can take much more punishment." The redhaired huntress glanced over to the other arena on the opposite side. "Thankfully, we have another."

Winter went over to Weiss and clasped her sister's shoulder, a proud smile on her face. "You were fantastic, dear sister. Your skills are truly improving with each passing day." The military official shifted her gaze down to the young EVO lying down on the floor. "And I must say, your machines are quite impressive as well, Rex. You both put up a good fight."

Rex gave Winter a salute from his place on the ground. "Much appreciated."

Weiss nodded in agreement. "Yes, thank you, Winter. I'm glad that you think so…" The heiress trailed off as she finally got a good look at the mess that she and Rex made of the arena they had used. "…though admittedly, I think we got a bit carried away."

But Rex brushed the statement off. "Psh, this is NOTHIN', Ice Princess. You should see what I do to entire city blocks. If we hadn't been confined to this arena, this whole place would've been in _shambles_."

Weiss again rolled her eyes. "I'm sure."

Back in the bleachers, everyone was still staring on in astonishment from the battle they had just seen. Rex and Weiss had gone back and forth for a good while, and neither side had given in. The combatants were either too strong of will to give up… or they were both just incredibly stubborn. Either one would have been believable, really. But out of everything she had seen, Ruby Rose knew one thing for sure; "That… was… AWESOME!"

"WHOOOO!" Nora hollered as she pumped Magnhild into the air. "You can say that again! Now I'm even more pumped up!" She whirled her head around to Neptune with an eager toothy grin. "C'mon, Neptune! Let's go another round! I could do this all day if I wanted to!"

Neptune's eyes snapped open and he immediately began shaking his head rapidly, waving his hands in protest. "What?! No way! I've already got some bruises from our spar earlier, and I don't exactly want MORE."

Ren quickly pulled his best friend back down to her seat. "Please relax, Nora, you've already had a turn. I'm sure that you will have another chance soon."

Sun crossed his arms over his chest. "Still, Nora's got the right idea. I'm freakin' stoked to start a spar." He grinned over to Blake. "Whaddya say, Blake? Wanna get a round in before our lunch date later on?"

Blake returned the gesture with an added wink. "Only if you think you can keep up with me, monkey boy."

However, just as the two were about to get up, a ringing came from Ruby's pocket, causing everyone to turn to the Hooded Huntress in curiosity. Ruby's interest was also piqued as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her scroll. She looked at the caller ID and her eyebrows rose in surprise. "It's Yang!" _'So soon?'_ she added in her mind. She pressed a button and brought the scroll to her ear. "Sis? What's up?"

" _Ruby, we've got a bit of a situation here."_ Yang answered on the other end, an edge of urgency in her voice. _"Coco and Coop just called from town, there's a monster from Ben's dimension named Viktor on the loose in town, and the panic he's causing is attracting Grimm from the forest. We need to get a move on, double time!"_

Ruby's silver eyes widened as her sister fed her the news. "Alright sis, understood. We'll be there as soon as possible. Bye." Ruby hung up and she focused back to everyone else. "There's a monster attacking Patchwork right now. Cooper, Coco and her team are already there, but Grimm are starting to take notice. We need to get there, NOW."

"Sounds serious." Sun commented before shifting his gaze back to Blake. "I guess our spar… _and_ our date will have to wait for a bit."

Blake smiled and put a hand on Sun's arm. "Don't worry. We'll go just as soon as we take care of this mission. I promise." Blake felt herself light up when Sun smiled back at her and held her hand, giving her a nod before placing a kiss on her cheek. "Hmm, you're too kind, good sir."

"And YOU are the best, my dear." Sun countered back.

Ruby suddenly zipped behind the two and began pushing them toward the door, much to their surprise. "This is no time to be flirty!" The Hooded Huntress chastised. "We have to get out of here and save my town!"

Athena quickly jogged up to Ruby and clasped a hand onto her shoulder. "Ruby, dear, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but it will still take quite some time to get back to your house, even if we run. I'm afraid that no matter what, Ben and the others will be leaving before us."

Ruby's face fell and her gaze shifted downward at the revelation. "Yeah, guess you're right. But we've still gotta go, we can't just… wait." Ruby cupped a hand to her ear as she heard a faint rumble coming through the walls. "Do you hear that?"

"Definitely." Blake's ears had perked up. "And I'd know that sound anywhere. Come on, outside!" Everyone followed Blake and Ruby out through the training facility before finally exiting the mountain, the sudden shift to daylight briefly making their eyes wince. But then, the sun was blocked overhead by a rather familiar spacecraft with legs. "I knew it." Blake confirmed. "It's Tetrax!"

The Resolute landed and the back ramp lowered right in front of the group, with Tetrax waving to them from the top of it. "Everyone! Come, we have to go!"

Ruby rushed up the ramp before stopping right next to the Petrosapien, with everyone else quick to follow her up. "Tetrax! How did you—" But then, her scroll started ringing again. "Oh, hold on a sec." She didn't bother with the caller ID this time and just answered. "Hello?"

To her surprise, Ben's voice came through from the other end. _"Ruby, did you meet up with the escort I sent you?"_

Ruby could practically hear the smirk on his face. "Ben Tennyson, you sly dog!"

" _Hehe, I knew it would take you guys a while to get back here."_ Ben explained. _"So I called Tetrax and told him what was going on. You guys should be in town in no time at all. We'll meet up with you guys there, okay?"_

Ruby nodded. "Right. See you in a while, bye!" She hung up her scroll and looked back up to Tetrax. "So, do you know what this monster is, Tetrax?"

"I do." The bounty hunter confirmed as he and Ruby joined everyone else in the helm of the ship. "And while he IS monstrous, he's actually a Transylian named Viktor."

As Tetrax took his seat in the captain's chair, Winter glanced over to him. "And what exactly IS a Transylian?"

"Transylians are a race from the Anur Transyl system, the darkest corner of the Milky Way galaxy." Tetrax explained. "All of the aliens there are rather monstrous in nature, and many Earthlings have claimed to see them on their planet dating all the way back to the early twentieth century. Some are even cited to be the inspiration for the appearances of Earth's most iconic movie monsters."

"Anur Transyl?" Weiss asked. "I think I remember Max saying that there is no Plumber outpost there."

"Correct." Tetrax confirmed as Gluto began punching commands into the ship's console, making it rise up off the ground. "And because of that, the law is very loose in the system, allowing for many evil-doers to rise from there. Viktor being one of them."

"So what exactly can a Transylian do?" Neptune inquired further.

With the press of a button, Tetrax brought up a holo-screen, detailing the Transylian biology along with a schematic of the alien's basic body structure. "They are able to generate and manipulate electricity with their electro-magnetic bodies. They are able to generate this energy via the giant conductors on their backs"

Nora wore an eager expression on her face. "We're dealing with more lightning?! Sweet! Then leave it to me!"

The Petrosapien raised a hand. "There's more. Transylian's bodies are highly durable, so much so that they can survive the vacuum of space itself. The only way to effectively defeat one is to syphon all of the energy out of their body, rendering them to a hibernation state."

Ren crossed his arms and pondered over that. "Hmm, so we'll need some way to absorb the electricity directly. I wonder if Ben has any aliens that are capable of such a thing?"

At the green ninja's words, Rex, Ruby and Weiss all faced each other with a nervous gaze. They knew that Ben DID have such an alien. But the true question was if Ben would be able to go through with transforming into Feedback or not—and that's even IF he decided to put the data card in. "Something tells me that my first mission with you guys is gonna be a bit heavy." Rex commented.

* * *

While Tetrax's ship made its way toward town, Ben's group was doing the same. The hero himself was, of course, riding with Yang on Bumblebee as he always did. Kevin and Gwen were riding in the Osmosian's car as usual, with Jaune and Pyrrha sitting in the back seat, all four of them ready for battle. And bringing up the rear was General Ironwood in his white car. But riding with him were two surprising additions; Grandpa Max and Doctor Holiday, the two decked out in Plumber and Providence armor respectively. The three vehicles were zooming down the dirt road at breakneck speed in order to get to Patchwork, with everyone hoping that they weren't too late to join the fight.

But that wasn't exactly ALL Ben was thinking about. As the wind blew past him at over sixty miles an hour, his eyes went back down to the Omnitrix. He had just gotten back one of his most favorite aliens of all time… so why wasn't he exited about it? Back when he was eleven, all Ben could think about after the accident with Malware was having Feedback back. But he knew that could never happen, as Azmuth already explained at that point. He had gotten so depressed that he had no idea WHAT to do. Finally, Ben's mind went back to the day that Azmuth had paid him a visit, just a few short days after the Malware accident…

* * *

_Eleven-year-old Ben Tennyson entered his room with a downcast expression. It had been almost three days since Malware had taken Feedback from him and he was by and far NOT in a good mood. He barely spoke, he didn't eat much, heck, even Gwen's snide remarks didn't bother him all that much anymore. He just couldn't get his mind off of Feedback. He walked into his room and over to his bed, lying down face first into the pillow before realizing that he had a visitor standing on his windowsill._

" _I come seventy-six thousand lightyears and I don't even get a formal greeting?" The great thinker questioned the Omnitrix wielder._

" _Oh, hi Azmuth." Ben muffed out in a defeated tone._

_Azmuth jumped down from the sill and strolled over next to Ben's head. "So, how is my greatest invention? You haven't blown it apart, or dropped it in the toilet, or anything?"_

" _No… I guess not."_

_Azmuth stroked his mustache in thought._ 'Still downtrodden, I see.' _He pressed onward, intending to get the young hero's FULL attention. "You know, you've been doing a lot of_ winning _since you took possession of my Omnitrix."_

" _Yeah, so?"_

_Azmuth shifted his gaze up from the depressed hero. "So… you don't_ learn _anything when you win, Ben Tennyson." That remark had finally gotten Ben to glance up from his pillow, giving Azmuth at least a little attention. "Losing this transformation you called "Feedback" was hard, wasn't it?"_

_Ben lifted his head up and sat upright on his bed, finally giving Azmuth his full attention. "Yeah… it felt like he was a part of me."_

" _Well, you can go either two ways from here, Ben Tennyson." Azmuth said as he held up two fingers. "You can either let this one loss define you from here on… or you can learn from it."_

_Ben gave Azmuth a scrutinizing look. "You're pulling a Rafiki on me, aren't you?"_

" _I am merely "telling it like it is" as you humans say." Azmuth elaborated. "But, if that is what you choose to believe, then yes."_

_Ben stared at Azmuth incredulously for a moment before going back to the Omnitrix. He had helped a lot of people in the past year and a half that he used this watch. And in that time, a lot had also happened to HIM as well. He had a closer bond than ever to his grandpa, and he had_ formed _a close bond with his cousin, something that he NEVER would've expected to happen. Maybe… it was time that he do a few things normally for a change. Put those bonds and experiences to the test. Ben breathed in and out before focusing back on the Great Thinker. "You're right Azmuth, I DO have to learn from this. But I think… after all this… I might need a break from the whole "hero" thing for a while."_

_Azmuth wore a puzzled expression on his face. "Are you saying that you're finally willing to give back my Omnitrix?"_

" _Well, I—"_

" _Because if you are, I won't be taking it back." That statement shocked Ben to his very core. He had expected Azmuth to take the Omnitrix immediately after he said those words, and now here he was saying he_ wouldn't _? Azmuth gave Ben a serious stare before pointing a finger at him. "While the Omnitrix is not being used for its intended purpose, you, Ben Tennyson, have made a use out of it that I had never even considered. If I were to take it away from you, there goes any fighting chance that we might have if someone like Vilgax were to ever return."_

" _So… you won't let me take it off?"_

" _I never said that." Azmuth elaborated. "What I AM saying is that while I will grant your wish, I will be leaving the Omnitrix in your care. So that, if the time should ever come for Ben 10 to return, he will have the tool he needs to get the job done." Azmuth hopped onto Ben's wrist and placed his hands on the Omnitrix, ready to put in the command code for its removal. "Now, are you ready?"_

_A moment passed before a grin came to Ben's face and he gave a confirming nod. "I am… thanks, Azmuth. And I promise, if I ever need to put the Omnitrix back on, I won't let you down."_

" _You had better hope not, Ben Tennyson."_

* * *

Ben was suddenly jostled out of his memory when Bumblebee came to a halt next to the "Welcome to Patchwork" sign just on the edge of town. He was about to ask Yang what had happened when she turned around to face him, a concerned look written all over her face. Ben was taken aback; it was almost as if she had somehow read his mind and _knew_ he was upset over something. _'At this point, I shouldn't be surprised. Yang's like some sort of super-mom without even BEING a mom.'_

The two broke their stare-down when Kevin pulled up alongside them and Gwen rolled down her window. "You guys okay?" she asked.

Yang turned to her with a nod. "Yeah, I'm just gonna leave Bumblebee here where she won't get ripped to shreds. We'll meet you guys in town, okay?"

Gwen gave her a thumbs up. "Alright, see you in a bit!" She rolled the window up and told Kevin to step on it, the green muscle car roaring into town with the general's car in hot pursuit.

Yang focused back onto Ben with concern. "You're still thinking about Malware, aren't you?"

Ben raised an eyebrow. "What would give you that idea?"

"I could feel your hold around me tighten, Ben." The Blonde Brawler explained. "You only do that when you're nervous or agitated, and right now, I'm thinking it's the second one." She gently placed a hand on her boyfriend's chest, directly over his heart. "It still hurts… doesn't it?"

Ben took a deep breath and placed his hand over Yang's, holding it gently. "A little bit, yes. But, I wasn't exactly thinking of Malware. I was thinking of what happened a few days _after_ Malware. Azmuth came by to see how the Omnitrix was doing and… he told me that I don't learn anything by just winning. Sometimes, losing is more important. He also said that I could let losing Feedback define who I am… or I could learn from it."

"Well… did you?" Yang asked. "Did you learn from it?"

"I did learn _two_ things, actually." Ben confirmed with a sarcastic grin. "Number one: …Losing bites."

Yang gave him a smirk and rolled her eyes. "Well, THAT'S the most obvious thing to take away from what happened."

"Hehe, yeah, but… the other thing that I learned is that losing Feedback made me rethink what's REALLY important to me: my friends, family, my loved ones, THEY are what really matter. The cool wrist watch that lets me turn into any alien I want? Just a perk to the job that I do; which is protecting people." Ben shrugged as he glanced down. "What happened to Feedback really gave my eleven-year-old self a good kick in the pants."

"Yeah, I guess it did." Yang agreed before moving on. "So, what're you going to do now?"

"What I always do, protect people." Ben answered with certainty in his voice. "The only way to take Viktor down is to use Feedback and absorb the energy inside of him. Once he's drained, he'll go back into a catatonic state."

"And you'll be okay with transforming into Feedback, right?"

Ben gave her a smile. "Yes, I will. You guys are the ones that helped me through this, so I know that I'll be able to go through with it." He winked at her. "After all, I didn't just put Feedback back into the Omnitrix just to NOT use him, you know."

"Hehe, yeah, I figured." Yang chuckled before dismounting Bumblebee. "Now, let's get on to the fight, huh? Don't want to keep everyone waiting." Once Ben got off of Bumblebee, Yang pulled the bike over next to the welcome sign. She then opened up the storage hatch on the back of her bike and pulled out a big, yellow utility lock, complete with key. Yang put the lock through Bumblebee's front wheel and around the sign post before locking it, assuring the bike would NOT be stolen in her absence. "There, that'll stop anybody from taking it."

"Awesome. Now, shall we be off?" Ben pulled his jacket sleeve back and activated the Omnitrix, scrolling through the playlist before finding the alien he wanted. "Time to speed things up!" Ben slammed down on the core and, one bright green flash later, he was… "FASTTRACK!" The Citrakayah lowered his head to smile directly at his girlfriend. "Ready to make tracks?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess—WHOA!" Much to Yang's shock, Fasttrack bent down and picked her up, holding her bridal style as he prepared to speed to his destination. With the initial shock of being picked up wearing off, Yang's sultry thoughts came back as she wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's neck. "Mmm… I could get used to this."

Fasttrack blushed a deep purple, the result of his blue fur mixing with the heat of his skin. "Hehe, well… I, uh… Me too?"

' _He's so cute when he's nervous.'_ Yang thought to herself before planting a quick kiss on Fasttrack's cheek. "We'll continue this later, babe. Right now, we've got a job to do."

A smile came to Fasttrack's face. "Right, Hero Time! Now hold on tight!" And with that, the two rushed off into town in a blur of blue and yellow, with Yang's hair blowing in the wind.

* * *

"Come now, everyone! Move along!" Velvet hollered at the top of her lungs. She normally wasn't all that big on yelling, but it was necessary in order for her voice to be heard over the large crowd of people. She, along with Fox and Yatsuhashi, were currently helping them evacuate from the main business part of Patchwork and into the downtown area, away from all of the chaos that the monster was causing. However, things weren't going all that well on that front. Pretty much every citizen in the crowd she was moving were all bogged down by fear and sadness, and where there's negative emotions such as those, Grimm are sure to follow.

The crowd was currently running for their lives as a whole horde of Grimm were chasing after them, mostly consisting of Beowolves and Ursai. Velvet, Fox and Yatsu were all stationed near the rear as they held off the beasts as best they could, each using their weapons to great effect. Velvet had used her camera box, Anesidora, to create a hard-light copy Thunderhog's mace, which she had absolutely no trouble wielding. She had even managed to conjure up a huge surge of lightning to take out many Grimm at once, but they just kept coming. Velvet grunted in frustration at that. "Blast it all! Didn't Cooper say that he was going to call for back up?"

With a mighty swing, Yastu slashed his greatsword, Fulcrum, across an Ursa's face, leaving an extremely deep gash across it as the creature fell to the ground dead. The tall swordsman breathed hard as he hefted his sword back up against his shoulder. "I am sure that they're on their way, Velvet. We must be patient and—"

" _Yatsu! Look out!"_

At the sound of a familiar voice shouting at him in his head, Yatsu spun around just in time to see a Beowolf lunging right at him. With another powerful swing, Yatsu slammed Fulcrum straight down onto the creature's head, killing it instantly. Yatsu sighed in relief before grinning over to a certain redheaded friend of his. "Your Semblance saves me once again, my friend."

Fox nodded and gave Yatsu a thumbs up. _"Don't thank me yet, partner."_ He spoke through his telepathic semblance. _"We've still got work to do here."_ Fox kept a firm grip on his weapon, Sharp Retribution, and surged forward into the crowd of Grimm. Whether he slammed their heads in with his weapon's knuckles or sliced them to ribbons with his blades, the results were the same; the Grimm fell like flies.

However, that still didn't stop the Grimm from coming. The Beowolves kept lunging at them from all sides, their intent to kill as strong as ever. The Ursai lumbered forward as well, their large, intimidating size doing well to frighten the large crowd of people even more. But Velvet, Yatsu and Fox kept on fighting. They couldn't fail this mission, it would be unacceptable for this many people on such a peaceful island to die. At the same time though, their Auras were depleting fast, and the hard-light copy of Thunderhog's mace dissipated in Velvet's grasp, indicating that its use was done. "No!" Velvet cried. "Not now—huh?"

The bunny girl's attention was suddenly shifted as a new noise graced her ears; the familiar sound of a ship's engines. She felt a strong breeze begin to pick up and she craned her head skyward, hoping to see what she hoped would be there. Fortunately, her assumption was correct, for in the middle of the sky, an invisible hatch opened up, indicating that the Resolute was flying above them in its cloaked mode. Velvet smiled as she put her hand above her eyes to shield them from the sun. "Hah, great timing, everyone!"

From out of the hatch, Blake, Sun, Nora, Neptune and Ren all jumped out and fell down to the ground, with each of the young Hunters-in-training breaking their fall in their own unique way. Just as Blake was about to land on the ground, she sent out a shadow-clone of herself which slammed directly into a Ursa, killing it and causing the cat-girl to propel back and land gracefully on her feet. Sun took out Ruyi Jingu Bang in its bo staff mode and slammed one end into the head of a Beowolf before pulling the trigger, the force of the blast sending him back before landing in a crouch on the ground. Nora, of course, rode into battle on Magnhild, launching a grenade to launch herself into battle before swinging her hammer down right in the middle of a crowd of Grimm, sending the creatures flying as a result. Neptune and Ren landed similarly, thrusting their bladed weapons into some nearby Grimm to vault themselves into battle, with the two landing back to back before surging forward into the crowd of monsters.

However, the reinforcements didn't stop there, as Athena and Winter leapt out of the ship's hatch as well. Athena didn't make any attempts at anything fancy, instead going for a classic three-point landing; her left knee on the ground and her right knee up while her left arm slammed the butt-end of her javelin into the ground, supporting her body. The Mistralian Huntress rose from her position on the ground and instantly got to work, killing Grimm left and right as she became a red blur on the battlefield. Winter meanwhile was leaping from glyph to glyph, her momentum increasing with each jump. She unsheathed her swords before making her last glyph; a black Gravity Glyph. She landed on it and the glyph began spinning rapidly, preparing to launch herself into the fray. With a mighty leap, she blasted forward, slicing through the Grimm with such force that they were practically cut in half at the waist, killing them instantly.

Blake unsheathed Gambol Shroud before going over to give Velvet a quick side-hug. "Hi, Vel! Sorry we're late! Had a bit of a hectic morning!"

Velvet smiled as she quickly returned the gesture. "Don't worry, Blake, you're just in time!" But at that moment, Velvet noticed the Resolute's hatch closing, making the ship totally invisible once again. She then felt the breeze blow in a different direction, indicating that the ship had left. "W-wait, where are Ruby, Weiss and the others?!"

"They're going to meet up with Ben and everyone else." Blake explained. "We kind of came here in two separate groups. But don't worry, we should be getting more reinforcements very soon—"

_BEEP BEEP!_ A car horn caught the two Faunus girl's attention and they whipped their heads around to the source; a stark white car plowing right through the horde of Grimm. The vehicle skidded to a halt before General Ironwood got out of it, his trusty revolver already in his hand. The general spotted Blake out of the corner of his eye and sent a salute her way. "Blake! Good to see you all made it!"

Blake waved back to him. "Good to see you too, general! We can definitely use the back-up!"

At that moment, Max Tennyson and a woman that Velvet did not recognize in the least climbed out of the car, both of them holding powerful energy rifles. The two of them, as well as General Ironwood, began to fire out into the crowd of Grimm, though the energy blasts from Max's and the woman's rifles did MUCH more damage to the creatures, often killing them in one shot. Max peered over his shoulder and complimented the woman's marksmanship. "I've gotta hand it to you Holiday, you'd make a fine Plumber with that aim of yours!"

The woman, apparently named "Holiday" glanced back and gave the old man a smile. "You're no slouch either, Max. Even at your age, you'd make an equally good Providence agent."

All the banter served to do was confuse Velvet, enough for her to ask Blake what was going on. "Um, Blake? Who is that woman over there? Do you know her?"

Blake heard the question just as she killed another Beowolf, and her eyes widened when she remembered that the entirety of Team CFVY still hadn't been told about the situation with Rex and Holiday finding them. "Oh, I totally forgot!" The cat girl chastised herself before heading back over to Velvet. "Okay, long story short; Ben's universe found us, and they sent Doctor Holiday and another guy named Rex to come and find Ben."

Velvet beamed at the news. "Really? That's fantastic!" But then she realized something; "Wait a moment, what's the long story, then?"

A nervous smile came to Blake's face. "Well… that's where things get complicated."

* * *

Coco had to admit, in the years she had been a Huntress-in-training, she had seen many things, but none like what she was staring at right now. Ever since she met the Tennyson family, and most importantly to her; Cooper, she had gotten to see dangerous enemies that only the most thrill-seeking of Hunters could dream of. But even then, NONE of those thrill-seekers could ever imagine a monster as horrifying as the one in front of her. She snarled and readjusted her glassed. "Tech Head, you're _positive_ that I can't just blast this thing to pieces?"

The creature itself was large, muscular and imposing, standing several heads above both her AND Cooper. Its skin was pale green and it had a head of black hair, along with some metal braces on the back of its neck. Its face was grotesque, with multiple scars, one normal-sized, pupil-less eye and one larger, round eye with scar going across it, both glowing a bright purple. The arms seemed to be stitched on, with a pair of large, silver, fingerless gauntlets adorning its hands. The gloves had large braces on their wrists, keeping them attached to the creature's arms. It wore a pair of black pants on its legs, held up by a silver belt with a large, lug nut shaped buckle. It had on a pair of matching steel-toed boots, which also had bolted metal braces keeping them on. The monster had five larger bolts in its torso; two on its neck, two in its pectorals and one at the base of its neck. But what really stood out were the large pair of electrical conductors sticking out of its back, generating purple electricity even as it stood there. All Coco knew about him was his name was "Viktor" and he was creepy as _hell_.

Cooper, standing right by her side with his Techadorian Multiblaster in hand, sighed in thought. He wished that Coco's solution could've been that simple. "As much as I want to say yes, Coco, I'm afraid it's not all that simple. Transylians are highly durable, their bodies practically _built_ to withstand the harshest environments. Heck, they can even survive in the vacuum of _space_."

"How?!" Coco asked. "It'd be dead at that point!"

"And that's the other problem… Transylians are basically the living dead already." Cooper pointed to the energy generators on Viktor's back. "See those things? That's what's generating the purple lightning that's keeping him alive. If we want to take Viktor out, we've got to drain his power source."

Coco was taken aback slightly. _'This thing is practically a ZOMBIE?! Well, it's got the look going for it, that's for sure.'_ The barrette-wearing girl shooed the thought away before glancing back to her Tech Head. "Alright, so how do we do that?"

"I'm sure that Ben has an alien that can get the job done." Cooper reasoned. "But for now…" He shifted his eyes over to a nearby appliance store a few yards behind Viktor that had gotten wrecked in their little tussle, with machinery lying down everywhere. But what got his attention was a large oven that had been knocked on its side, its door hanging right open to expose its heating element. Cooper looked back to his energy rifle and an idea immediately entered his head. "We've got to hold Viktor back." He gave a smile to Coco. "I have an idea, but we need to get over to that store and I'll need some time to get everything ready."

Coco gave him a smirk before walking over to give him a smack on the rear. "I gotcha, Tech Head. I'll cover you while you do your thing."

Cooper blushed profusely at her _very_ forward form of affection. It had been a few days since the two started going out, and they had certainly gotten much more comfortable with each other in that time. However, there were still a few things that Cooper wasn't used to, and getting his butt slapped by a girl was one of them. "Hehe, yeah. Thanks Coco, I-I appreciate it."

Coco chortled at the young genius' nervous state. _'He's seriously too cute when he's like this.'_ But those thoughts would have to come later as she kept a firm hold of her hand bag and prepped herself to start running. "Alright, ready?"

Cooper nodded and went into a running position himself. "I am."

"Then let's book it, Tech Head!" Coco and Cooper both hollered in determination as they began sprinting toward Viktor, taking the mindless Transylian off-guard. He grunted in exertion as purple electricity began to generate in the conductors on his back before moving down into his gauntlets, firing it off from his hands soon after. Coco and Cooper dove to opposite sides as the lightning struck the ground in front of them, resulting in a cloud of dust to be kicked up and conceal them from Viktor's sight. The Transylian turned around and around, searching for any sign of the two before he felt something hard and fast strike his face and send him to the ground. The mindless Viktor glanced up just in time to see Coco sprinting away from him, her handbag swinging at her side as she disappeared into the dust cloud.

The two reconvened at the storefront, with Cooper kneeling down next to the oven and activating his powers, disassembling the device in record time. "Okay, this shouldn't take more than about forty-five seconds."

"Gotcha." Coco nodded before focusing back on Viktor. She pressed a button on her handbag, and in an instant, it transformed into her rotary cannon; Gianduja. Coco took hold of her powerful weapon and aimed it right at Viktor. "I might not be able to scrap you, but I can at least hold you back!" She unloaded an onslaught of weapon fire in Viktor's direction, intending to keep the Transylian at bay. However, Viktor began to generate more lightning, shooting it out from his hands once he was finished. The electricity made contact with the Fire Dust cartridges and promptly exploded in a brilliant display of red and violet, making Coco growl with distaste. "Fuck! You gotta be kidding me!" She glanced back to check on the blonde's progress. "Cooper, I really don't wanna put the bum's rush on you, but whatever you're planning, we need it!"

"Don't worry, Coco, I've almost… got it!" Cooper hefted up his energy rifle which, to Coco's shock, now had a much larger barrel attached to it with the stove's heating element inside, having been attached to the weapon's energy source. Cooper took aim at the ground directly in front of Viktor and put his finger to the trigger. "Okay, let's see how you handle the fire and the flames!" Cooper pulled the trigger and the energy from the rifle's core began flowing into the heating element, making it light up with a bright red color. A red laser beam shot out of the large barrel and made impact with the street, and soon after, flames begin to ignite on the pavement. Cooper moved the laser straight across, cutting himself and Coco off from Viktor with a wall of flame. The rifle powered down and Cooper sighed in content. "There, now to see if my theory's correct."

"Theory?" Coco placed a hand on her hip as she kept Gianduja in her other hand. "Whaddya mean, Tech Head?"

Cooper sent another smile her way as he began to explain. "Well, while Transylians are naturally resistant to heat and cold, Viktor is simply a mindless monster right now. And because of that, something tells me that he has no understanding of what fire is. Which means…"

"RRAAAUUGHH!" The pair's attention was garnered when they saw Viktor angrily back away from the flames, keeping a hand in front of his face for protection. The Transylian growled and grunted in defiance when he tried to fan the flames away, but to no avail.

Cooper smirked and crossed his arms. "Just like I thought, all he sees is an intimidating wall of fire—WOAH!"

The young genius was taken off-guard when Coco pulled him into a headlock and gave his blonde head a well-natured congratulatory noogie. "Well look at you with your big brain, Tech Head!" She pecked his cheek and proclaimed; "That's my boy!"

Cooper blushed again and rubbed the back of his head. "Hehe, well, it's really no big deal, I—" However, the sound of screeching tires caught the couple's attention. From around the nearest corner, they saw Kevin's car pull around and speed down the street, their back up had arrived. "There they are!" But just as suddenly, a blue blur came running from the same direction, pulling ahead of Kevin's car before stopping in front of the two, revealing it to be a tall Citrakaya carrying a certain blonde-haired girl. "Ben! Yang! You guys made it!"

Fasttrack let Yang get down to the ground before transforming back to Ben in a bright flash of green. However, the Blonde Brawler had a wicked grin on her face as her long blonde hair was still tousled from going so fast. She pumped her arms up and exclaimed; "WOO! Now THAT was a rush! You and I gotta do that more often, Green Boy!"

Ben smiled and nodded to her. "If that's what you wish, Goldie Locks, I'm not about to say no." The Omnitrix bearer shifted his focus over to Cooper and Coco, giving them a salute. "Hey, guys! Sorry if we're a bit late. How're things going?"

Coco strutted forward with Gianduja still at her side, giving the couple a shrug. "Eh, about so-so. We've managed to evacuate everyone in this part of town, but we haven't been able to make a dent in THAT asshole." Coco pointed over to Viktor, who was still hesitant about stepping into the fire. "Plus, there are Grimm beginning to swarm in too. Glad you guys made it, though. NOW we've got a good chance at driving them back." Coco glanced over to Yang with a smirk. "Hey, Yangarang? How're you and your boy doin'?"

Yang chuckled as she gave her friend a good-natured shove on the shoulder. "We're doin' great, Coco Puff. How about you and _your_ boy? I hope you haven't broken the poor guy."

Cooper gave Yang a quirked brow. "Uh, standing right here, ya know? I'm obviously fine."

"Hehe, relax Tech Head." Coco smiled and pat Cooper's arm before answering Yang's question. "He and I are doin' great, actually. In fact, I think I've made a regular party animal out of him."

"HA! That's a laugh!" Kevin called over as he, Gwen, Jaune and Pyrrha made their way over. "What's your idea of a party, Coop? Trigonometry and long division?"

But before Kevin could take another step, Coco whirled her head around and glared daggers at the Osmosian, lowering her glasses so that he could get a good look at how serious she was. "Are you dissing my boy, Levin?"

' _I have made a grave mistake.'_ Kevin stood straight at attention and answered; "No ma'am!", much to the surprise of many.

Gwen in particular was completely taken aback by Coco putting the fear of god into her boyfriend. "Wow, it took me _months_ before he ever listened to me like that."

Coco wore a toothy grin as she pushed her sunglasses back into place. "You just gotta know how to talk to 'em." Her eyes then trailed over to Jaune, and she gave the blonde knight a nod. "Hey, Hoodie Knight! I wanna have a word with you."

Jaune stood at attention just as Kevin did. "Y-Yes, Coco?"

With a roll of her eyes, Coco began to reassure him. "Dude, relax. I just wanted to say that your sisters are ALL okay. We ran into them at Hestia's before this whole thing started and we got them out as fast as we could."

Jaune let out a sigh of relief as Pyrrha put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Whew! Thanks, Coco. That's a serious relief."

"Indeed, it is." Pyrrha agreed before her attention was caught by something else. "…But I believe we might have a new problem on our hands." She pointed over to the wall of flames, with everyone else gazing over just in time to see Viktor charging through the flames, an expression of pure rage on his face as he began to frantically pat out the fire that had got caught on his arm, grunting and groaning with anger as he did. Pyrrha herself was quite off put by the Transylian's appearance. "Good lord, he's even uglier than you said he was, Ben!"

Ben sneered at Viktor. "Yeah, I may have been a bit kind in my description. Okay, guys, let's—"

_AWROOO_! The entire group were caught off-guard when a pack of Beowolves and Ursai began to close in around them, some even jumping over the wall of flames just to get closer. But the Grimm weren't just focused on them, they were locking their eyes on Viktor as well. "Well, that's just great!" Kevin grumbled. "Now what do we—" He was suddenly cut off when Viktor let out a roar of defiance, with purple electricity generating in his conductors like mad. The power transferred into his hands and Viktor sent out a powerful bolt of lightning, hitting one Beowolf in the head before arcing over into an Ursa's head, and so on and so forth. In the end, the Grimm were all down on the ground, their blood red eyes closed and their bodies motionless, much to everyone's shock. "Uh… okay?" Kevin said in confusion. "Guess we win?"

"GRAAAAUGH!" Viktor roared again, raising his hands as more purple lightning began to course through them and into the Grimm's heads. Once he lowered his arms… the Grimm began to get back up again, however, their eyes were now a ghastly purple, glaring intensely at the group of eight teens. Viktor angrily pointed a finger at Ben. "TE… TEN…" Ben's eyes widened in horror. It sounded like Viktor… was trying to speak. "TEN…NY…SON!"

Ben grew pale, as did many of the others. "That is _never_ a good sign."

* * *

Rex paced back and forth in the cargo hold of the Resolute, waiting in anticipation for the back hatch to open and let him, Weiss and Ruby out. "Ugh, c'mon! I wanna get into a scrap! We gotta help those guys out!"

"Be patient, Rex." Weiss scolded. "I assure you, it will not take long for us to get to Ben and the others." At the heiress' words, the hatch began to open again, much to Rex's relief. "Ah, there, you see? We're here."

"Finally!" Ruby exclaimed before going over to the hatch and peering down to the ground, hoping to see what was going on. "Hey! They met up with Cooper and Coco!"

Rex and Weiss went over as well, joining Ruby in peering over the hatch's edge. There, Rex saw Ben, Yang, Gwen, Kevin, Jaune and Pyrrha fighting a whole horde of Grimm along with two others; a tall, buff blonde guy with a heat cannon in his hand, and a brunet in a barrette with a… "HOLY CRAP! That girl's gun is huge!"

Weiss smiled down at the girl in question as her mighty weapon mowed down a whole horde of Grimm. "Yep, that's Coco, leader of Team CFVY. And next to her is Cooper, he's one of Ben's friends."

"Oh yeah, I think Ben mentioned them to me last night!" Rex realized as he watched Cooper blast a Grimm with his improvised heat laser gun. "Man, those guys must be pretty tough."

"They sure are." Ruby confirmed before shifting her gaze over to her comrades. Ben had transformed into Diamondhead and was currently slicing an Ursa's head off while Yang caved in two Beowolf skulls with her Ember Celica, the couple standing back to back as they fought. Jaune and Pyrrha were double teaming a pair of Ursai, using their shields to knock them onto its backs before they both stabbed their respective blades into the beasts' guts. The Invincible Girl removed Milo from her Ursa's stomach and converted it into its rifle mode before blasting it in the face, killing it instantly. Jaune meanwhile converted his shield into its arm-blaster mode and shoved the gun barrel into his Ursa's mouth, killing it in one shot.

Kevin, meanwhile, had slammed an iron fist into a Beowolf's face before lifting it up over his head and tossing it into the air. He converted his arm into a sharp blade and cut straight through its abdomen before going on to do the same with many more. Gwen meanwhile was taking the "Rex" approach by ensnaring an Ursa in one of her mana tethers and using it as a wrecking ball, just as the EVO had done the night previous. However, once she had knocked down a whole slew of Ursai, she picked them all up in a mana sphere before sending it far away from her location, making it rapidly increase in size and crushing all of the Ursa to death inside of it. "Jeez, Gwen doesn't mess around." Rex commented.

"No, she doesn't." Weiss confirmed. However, she let out a gasp at what she saw next. And she was pretty sure it was their monster. "Ew! Gross! Is that Viktor?!"

Ruby grimaced as she caught sight of the tall, muscular green-skinned man standing not far away from their friends. "Yeah, I'd have to guess so." The Hooded Huntress pulled out Crescent Rose and got ready to jump. "Come on, it's time we lend them a hand!"

Rex gave her a thumbs up. "Yeah, we're with you, Ruby!" At the declaration, the three jettisoned from the ship and fell toward the earth below. In mid-fall, Rex pulled his goggles over his eyes and slammed his fists together, activating his Smack Hands and taking aim at Viktor. "HEY! Frankenstein reject!" At the sound of Rex's voice, Viktor whirled around in shock, but he was not fast enough to prevent the EVO's attack. "Eat this!" With one hit, Rex sent Viktor careening back into a nearby building, catching everyone's attention as Ruby and Weiss landed next to him. "Aw yeah! Score one for the good guys!"

However, out of everyone there, Cooper and Coco were the most shocked. They were almost at a loss for words as they stared dumbfoundedly at Rex with their eyes wide and jaws dropped. Coco had even pulled down her sunglasses again to make sure she wasn't seeing things. In the end, though, both of them had the same words to say; "What the FUCK?!" they echoed.

Gwen's eyebrows shot up. _'Wow, I've NEVER heard Cooper swear like that before. …Has he adapted to Coco's behavior?'_

Diamondhead on the other hand, commended Rex on his hit on Viktor. "Haha! Nice goin' Rex! I can tell you're gonna fit right in around here!"

Rex gave a big thumbs up with his Smack Hand. "Thanks dude!" He gave a grin to the girls on either side of him. "Well ladies, shall we show these Grimm _pendejos_ what we're made of?"

"Heck yeah!" Ruby exclaimed before rushing into the horde of Beowolves with Crescent Rose at the ready. With one massive swing, she sliced off the head of one Grimm before jumping out of the way of another's swiping claws. She did a back flip and changed her scythe into its sniper rifle mode in the process. The moment she landed on her feet, she took aim and shot a Fire Dust round through the nearest Grimm's head, effectively killing it. However, it was then that she noticed that the eyes of these Beowolves were much different than normal. "Hey! What's up with their eyes?!"

As Pyrrha downed another Ursa, she turned to Ruby and called over; "Viktor is able to control them through the electrical impulses in their brains!"

"His purple lightning's something else!" Jaune added as he too killed an Ursa. "Don't get too close or he might do the same thing to you!"

"Duly noted!" Weiss exclaimed as she stepped forward to the horde of Grimm. She steadied herself and unsheathed Myrthenaster, setting the gun barrel in its hilt to the Ice Dust setting. She pointed her blade forward and concentrated on her Semblance, making several ice glyphs appear around her. The glyphs began to shine a brilliant white as they spun faster and faster. All at once, the glyphs blasted out multiple beams of ice over the crowd of Grimm, freezing them all in place. "Okay, we could use some big-time fire power here!"

"On it!" Coco said as she strutted over next to the heiress. "You might wanna back away, Weiss-Cream. These jerks are about to get what's coming to 'em." Weiss took Coco's warning and went over to her friends, giving the Team CFVY leader room to work. Coco concentrated on her Semblance, her Aura flowing straight into Gianduja to amp up her firepower. She opened her eyes and let loose on the frozen Grimm, her deadly barrage reducing them to mere shards on the pavement. Coco realigned her sunglasses before getting in the final word; "Get Hype, losers."

A long pause settled over the group before Diamondhead spoke up. "Damn, that's pretty hardcore."

Cooper smiled and nodded at the display. "That's Coco for ya." But in an instant, the young genius whirled around to face the Petrosapien. "Now just who in the hell is the guy with the giant fists, Ben?!"

Diamondhead's eyeridge shot up and his gaze shifted over to Rex, who was currently in a punching match with Viktor. The EVO didn't let up as he pummeled Viktor's fists with his own. However, the Transylian's durability kept him from giving in, and he just kept sending electricity-fueled punches to match Rex's own. "Why won't you just go down you big jacked up zombie?!" the young EVO shouted.

The Petrosapien grinned over to Cooper and jabbed his crystalline thumb in Rex's direction. "Oh yeah, that's Rex. He's a friend of mine from another dimension. Long story short, he got caught up in the same accident we did and got transported over to OUR dimension. Coop, we've been found!"

Cooper's jaw dropped once again. "We… we've been FOUND?!"

Coco pumped a fist in the air in celebration. "Woo-hoo! Alright!" She gave Cooper's rear another smack, much to everyone's astonishment. "That means that we'll be able to see your world soon, Tech Head!"

Gwen couldn't help but have a slight blush on her face from the girl's action. _'Wow, she's so forward! How is she THIS confident?'_ She then noticed the bright red blush and nervous smile on Cooper's face. _'Heh, I guess he's just getting used to it too.'_

Yang put a hand on Coco's shoulder. "Celebrations will have to come later, Coco Puff. Right now, we've got a job to do." Her attention went to Diamondhead, giving him a serious expression. "Ben… you ready?"

Diamondhead nodded before reaching for the Omnitrix symbol on his chest, transforming himself back to Ben. "I am. Come on, let's go give Rex some help." And with that, the powerful couple began sprinting over to Rex's position, leaving the rest of the team with a very confused Cooper and Coco.

"What did she mean by "are you ready"?" Coco questioned.

Gwen pursed her lips in anticipation. "You're about to find out."

* * *

As Ben and Yang ran over to where their EVO friend was fighting Viktor, they couldn't help but be impressed by how well Rex was keeping up with the Transylian. He never stopped putting the pressure on, even when it was clear that his Smack Hands were beginning to show visible signs of damage. Finally, though, Rex slammed both of his giant fists against Viktor's arms, forcing the monster-alien into place. He ground his teeth together as he glanced over to the couple with one eye open. "Hey guys! If you got a plan to take this guy down, you might wanna do it now!" he urged. "Not sure how long I can keep this—AUGH!"

Rex was literally shocked into silence as Viktor sent an intense bolt of lightning through his Smack Hands, powerful enough to blow him away from the Transylian and blow his Smack Hands apart. The EVO tumbled on the ground before being caught by Ben and Yang, both giving him concerned looks. "Rex! You okay, bud?" Ben asked.

Rex rubbed his head, trying to regain his thoughts. "Ugh, yeah, I think. Bleh, I'm gonna be tasting that for a while."

"RAAUUGH!" Viktor suddenly surged forward with one fist reared back, taking the trio off guard. But just before he brought the blow down, Yang caught it with both hands. She then set her hands around the monster-alien's giant wrist and twisted, causing Viktor to topple over.

"Not today, asshole." Yang spat before focusing back on her boyfriend. "Ben, I'll hold him off while you get Feedback up and running, okay?"

Ben blinked in surprise before giving her a serious nod. "Right, this should only take a few seconds."

Yang nodded back before noticing that Viktor had gotten up again. The Transylian roared in anger once more, channeling his purple lightning through his conductors and into his hands in preparation for his next attack. He rushed forward to slam both fists down onto Yang, but the Blonde Brawler had two advantages; size and speed. She dove forward out of the way just as Viktor's fists came down and slid summersaulted between the giant monster-alien's legs before standing back up, none the worse for wear. With her Ember Celica, she sent a Fire Dust fueled punch into Victor's back, sending him falling face first into the pavement. "Nice try, freakshow."

Meanwhile, Ben was scrolling through his alien playlist, trying to find Feedback again. Rex, on the other hand, gazed up to his friend from his place on the ground, still taking in what Yang had said. "So, you put Feedback back into the Omnitrix, huh?"

Ben returned his gaze with a smile. "Yep, the old boy's back in."

"And you're okay?"

"Oh yeah." Ben assured. "Couldn't be better. I've had a lot to think over in the past few hours, some bad, and some good. But in the end, one thing's still the same…" Ben paused as he finally found Feedback's icon again. "I have a bunch of incredible people by my side who're supportive of me. My friends, my family…" He glanced back over to Yang, who was at present kicking Viktor's butt. "And the people I love."

Rex gave him a smile. "You're pretty lucky, you know that, Tennyson?"

"I do, and I'm not about to take all of it for granted." Ben took a deep breath as the faceplate of the Omnitrix retracted and the core popped up, ready for him to initiate the transformation. "It's Hero Time!" Ben slammed down the core and in a brilliant flash of green light, began to transform. His two eyes became one as his skin became black silicon, his height growing by about two feet. A big green stripe appeared on his chest, separating where the Omnitrix was before trailing over each of his shoulders. A pair of long tendrils came out of his head, each with a golden plug attached to the end of it. The same could be said for the tail that came out of his rear, also adorned with a plug. His hands had four big fingers which also had similar plugs on their tips, though they lacked the long prongs. Strewn across his body were multiple sets of gold battery bolts; one on his shoulders, one on his hips and two on each forearm. The transformation ended, and Feedback stood up to his full height before inspecting his hands in surprise. _'Whoa, guess it HAS been a while.'_

Yang, who had stopped kicking Viktor in the rear to keep him down, shifted her eyes over to were Feedback was standing. She saw him staring blankly at his hands and decided to call over, hoping that he wasn't spacing out. "Ben! You okay, baby?" she asked in concern.

"Yeah, I'm good, Goldie Locks!" Feedback answered. "Just… just taking some time to take this in." Feedback took a deep breath, a toothy smirk coming to his face soon after. "It's good to be back. Or should I say…" The Conductoid pupped his fists back and hollered; "FEEDBACK!"

Yang gave him a thumbs up and a wink. "Solid pun, Green Boy!"

"Thanks, hon." Feedback returned the gesture before noticing that Viktor was standing back up. "Yang, behind you!"

The Blonde Brawler looked back up just in time to see Viktor towering over her, glowering down in contempt at getting kicked in the butt so many times. But, not one to let something scare her, Yang just gave him a salute and said; "Hiya!" before punching him in the gut, making him double over in pain. This allowed her the chance to run back over to Feedback and Rex's position. "Alright, Ben, now's your time to shine!"

Feedback cracked his knuckles and narrowed his eye in Viktor's direction. "You betcha. Now, let's see if I remember how to handle this guy." With a mighty burst of speed, Feedback ran toward Viktor, hoping that the mindless Transylian would take the bait. Fortunately, he did. With a mighty roar, Viktor sent a strong bolt of purple lightning in Feedback's direction. _'Bingo.'_ The Conductoid whipped his head tendrils and tail forward, catching the electricity and attracting it to him like a lightning rod. The lightning could be seen coursing through his appendages, changing its color from purple to bright blue before culminating in his hands.

A smirk made its way to Feedback's face. "Oh yeah, still got it." He then focused his sights on Viktor, who was at the moment very confused as to why his attack did nothing. "Hey Vikky! Eat plasma!" Feedback thrust his hands forward and dispelled a powerful arc of energy from his fingers, making Viktor's normal eye widen in surprise. The Transylian raised his hands and absorbed the energy into himself, however, in that time, Feedback had managed to sprint up and deliver a sucker punch to his gut. "Made you look!"

As Feedback and Viktor battled, Gwen, Kevin, Jaune, Pyrrha Coco, Cooper, Ruby and Weiss rejoined Yang and Rex, just in time to see the brawl go down. "So that's Feedback, huh?" Kevin asked as he crossed his arms. "I was expecting something a little more… impressive-looking."

Jaune raised a brow at the Osmosian. "Dude, you mean you're NOT impressed by the energy redirection?"

"I must agree." Pyrrha nodded. "This alien is definitely quite powerful."

"No kidding." Cooper commented. "I don't think I've EVER seen that alien from Ben before."

Weiss placed a hand on her hip. "And there's a good reason for that." The heiress shifted her gaze over to Gwen. "I can only assume that he used the data card to download Feedback back into the Omnitrix?"

"He sure did." Gwen confirmed. "It wasn't an easy decision though."

"Well, I know one thing's for sure," Ruby piped up. "That alien is SO cool!"

"Hell yeah!" Coco cheered. "Kick that thing's ass Tennyson!"

Yang cupped her hands around her mouth and called over to her boyfriend; "You hear that, Green Boy?!"

"Loud and clear, Goldie Locks!" Feedback confirmed as he dodged another of Viktor's heavy punches. The Conductoid landed on his hands and pushed himself off the ground, thrusting his body back feet first right into Viktor's chest. The Transylian slammed back-first on the ground, smacking his head on the back of a piece of jagged rubble for good measure. Feedback leapt off of Viktor's chest and stood right in front of him before turning around to face his enemy once again. "Gotta say, this has been fun and all, but—"

"RAUGH!" Viktor roared as more purple lightning began spewing from the conductors on his back, taking Feedback by surprise. With a mighty jump, Viktor was back on his feet and blasted another arc of electricity at the Conductoid, who absorbed it into his tendrils and tail with relative ease.

"Whoa!" Feedback exclaimed. "Jeez, you're rather rude." The energy began coursing through Feedback, collecting itself in his arms and enhancing his strength tenfold. Feedback sneered at Viktor and shouted; "You need to be taught some manners!" With impressive speed, Feedback delivered a mighty hit to Viktor's face, powerful enough to send Viktor stumbling back. The Transylian was about to get his balance when he felt something wrap around him, stopping him in his tracks.

Feedback's single eye widened at the sight of Rex, with his Blast Caster activated, ensnaring Viktor with his weapon's whip. "Sorry, _bruto_. But it's time you took a chill pill!" Rex pulled with all his might and slammed Viktor into a nearby building, trapping the Transylian beneath a ton of bricks, with only his head and neck bolts left exposed. Rex deactivated his weapon before giving Feedback a thumbs up. "Thought you could use an assist."

"Heh, thanks." Feedback chuckled. He focused back onto Viktor and walked over just as he was beginning to struggle his way free. "Okay, now's the time to finish this." The Conductoid plugged his tendrils into Viktor's neck bolts and began absorbing all of the electricity out of Viktor's boy, making the Transylian roar in pain. "Sorry big guy, but today, you were NOT the _Viktor_." With a big grin, Feedback turned to his friends to see if they approved of his pun, only to see that most of them were cringing at the bad word play. The only exception was, of course, Yang, who had the biggest grin on her face from his pun.

However, Feedback's attention was garnered once again when Viktor stood up and began to slowly lumber over to him, even though the Conductoid was still absorbing his energy. "TEN…NY…SON!" Viktor shouted before reaching his massive had out to ring Feedback's neck. "…HATE…YOU! …MUST…KILL!" But just as his hand made it in front of Feedback's face, Viktor's body shut down completely, his purple eyes turning black as he became as still as a statue.

"Well… that's foreboding." Feedback, his body now surging with powerful energy, aimed his hands skyward and blasted the electricity high into the sky, dispersing it into the atmosphere. The hero sighed had his hand went to the Omnitrix dial. "Yeah, this… this feels good." In a flash of green, Ben was back to normal, standing proudly in front of Viktor's catatonic body. "Anyway, all's well that ends well."

"Ben!" The Omnitrix bearer turned to see his friends, with Yang in the lead, running over to where he and Rex were standing, all of them with happy expressions on their faces. Yang tackled Ben in a hug and gave him a congratulatory kiss. "You did it!"

"Hehe, yeah, I guess I did." Ben grinned. "But I couldn't have done it without you guys."

Kevin went up to Ben and gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder. "So, spill it dude, was Feedback as awesome to use as he was back in the day?"

"Well… yeah, but honestly, all of my other aliens are just as great as Feedback." Ben shrugged. "I'm not going to be playing favorites with my aliens anymore."

"Good to hear." Gwen commended her cousin.

Suddenly, Ruby zipped up to Ben and gave him a hug as well. "HAHA! Ben that was AWESOME! The way you brought Viktor down was just so cool!"

Jaune came up and gave Ben a fist bump. "Yeah, nice job, dude. Feedback's got some sweet powers."

Pyrrha smiled at Ben with a nod. "Indeed. The way you performed was most impressive."

Ben rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Hehe, thanks." The hero then spied Cooper and Coco out of the corner of his eye and gave them a grin. "Thanks for the help, you guys. You and your team did an awesome job here today."

Coco adjusted her glasses before giving him a thumbs up. "Hey, it was no biggie. We're just glad we could help."

"Same here." Cooper added. "But… now that we've taken Viktor down," he gestured over to Rex, "maybe now would be a good time for Rex to explain to us how he got here? And maybe how he's going to get us home?"

Rex smacked his forehead in realization. "Oh, yeah! You guys need to be filled in on everything, don't ya? Warning you now, it's a LONG story." The EVO suddenly felt a nudge at his side, making him move around to see… "Weiss?"

Indeed, the Schnee heiress was standing behind him, her arms crossed and a smile on her face. "Alright, I'll admit, I didn't think you'd fair this well, Rex. But I was very impressed with what I saw from you today, both in our spar, and here in town. You've more than proven me wrong, and that you're fit to be on this team."

Rex couldn't help but blush at the praise that Weiss was giving him, and it was his turn to rub his head in embarrassment. "Aw, shucks, I'm just doing what I do best, ya know?"

"Hmm, I know." Weiss said with a nod. "Now, why don't we all go back home?"

Ben was quick to agree with her. "Yeah, after all this chaos, I'm ready to relax a little bit." Ben looked back behind him and stared up at Viktor's lifeless body, still standing motionless like a statue. "But first, we're going to have to get Tetrax down here and pick Viktor up before anyone sees him."

Suddenly, a new voice entered the conversation; "Actually, _I'll_ take it from here, losers!" _BLAM_! A loud fire blast was heard followed by a red beam of energy headed straight toward the eleven teens, making them scatter in multiple directions away from Viktor's body. The red beam stopped, but it left an impressive trench in the pavement, the very dirt smoking from the heat of the blast. Everyone focused on where the blast had come from, and they were all taken aback by who was standing there…

"Rojo?!" Ben cried out in shock.

True to form, Rojo was standing a mere few feet away, shouldering her energy rifle with a devilish smirk on her face. "That's right, Tennyson. I gotta say, you and your twerpy friends put on quite the show." She strode over to Viktor and set a hand on the Transylian's arm. "Taking out ol' Vikky here was quite the accomplishment, but I've gotta rain on your parade."

Rex got to his knees while helping Weiss to do the same, though he couldn't help but be confused at what the heck this woman was talking about. "Ben, who IS this crazy chick?"

"Her name is Rojo." Ben explained. "She's one of my old enemies that I told you about last night. The first enemy of mine that Salem recruited into her group." Ben stood up to his full height, with Yang also getting up to stand right beside him.

"What the hell are you doing here Rojo?!" the Blonde Brawler yelled.

Rojo chuckled as she began to explain. "Heh, well, after your little tussle with the big boys last night, the Boss Lady pulled me off of my mission for a while to scope you out." She pointed over to Rex. "I was tryin' to get a beat on the metal head over there to see what his deal was, but I never would've suspected seeing THIS guy." She jabbed a thumb to Viktor's lifeless body for emphasis as a dark mist began to gather at her and the Transylian's feet. "I'm sure that the Boss Lady will appreciate the little gift that I'm about to bring her. Thanks for doin' all the hard work for me, losers!" With those final words, Rojo blasted the ground directly in front of her and Viktor, kicking up a large cloud of dust to cover their escape.

"ROJO!" Ben hollered as he and Yang made their way into the cloud, hoping to get to the bounty hunter before it was too late. By the time the dust cloud had cleared and everyone was back up on their feet, Rojo and Viktor had both disappeared into darkness, with Ben and Yang standing where the two evil-doers had once stood. Ben fell to his knees, with Yang gripping his shoulders in support. "Dammit! Not again!"

Yang swiftly pulled Ben into a hug, hoping to reassure him and calm him down. "Shh, it's okay, Ben. We'll get them someday. I promise."

Gwen, Kevin, Ruby, Weiss, Cooper, Coco, Jaune and Pyrrha all stood in shock at what they had just witnessed. But the one who was shocked the most had to be Rex. The EVO had no idea what he had just witnessed, but from the way Rojo was talking, it couldn't mean anything good. "What the _hell_ just happened?"

* * *

**A/N: To be continued… Yep, it's one of those arcs. The ones where you're going to be kept in suspense of what happens next. Full disclosure, you're probably going to be seeing stuff like this a LOT more in the future. Plus, as much as I want to keep these chapters from being immensely long, action chapters like this one will probably be the exception to that rule when it comes to story arcs, so be prepared for some long hauls in the future. But don't worry, because NEXT TIME is going to be a bit more light-hearted. While Ben, Rex and the others explain everything to Cooper and Team CFVY, Blake and Sun head out on the town for their date, coming across a certain little flower shop in the process. But once the two get back to the house, it's time to make the call to the other side. Will the inter-dimensional communicator work? We'll just have to find out, now won't we? Until next time guys! See ya!**


	54. Make the Call

**A/N: Hello everyone, and welcome to the third and final part of the "Feedback Arc"! Well… technically the final part, the next chapter's going to act an "Epilogue" of sorts, but that's not the point! What IS the point is that the moment of truth has arrived! Will the experimental inter-dimensional communicator work? Well, let's find out! This is…**

**Chapter 54: Make the Call**

* * *

Rex Salazar couldn't believe what he had just seen. All of the hard work that everyone had put into defeating Viktor had just gone up in black smoke thanks to some lady named Rojo. One minute, she was there, and the next, both she and Viktor were gone, disappeared into thin air. There were only five words that could sum up Rex's thoughts; "What the _hell_ just happened?"

Gwen, who was wearing a downcast expression as Kevin draped a comforting arm around her shoulders, glanced up to the EVO. She let out a sigh before answering him. "That… is how Salem summons her followers and finds her recruits. She's able to sense the darkness in their hearts and pull them to her with her black magic."

"In short, it sucks." Kevin summarized.

"Uh, no shit, it sucks!" Coco exclaimed. "We worked our asses off to bring that undead freak down and now we can't even bring him in!"

Cooper immediately went over and put an arm around her, pulling Coco close to him and offering her some comfort. "It's okay, Coco, it wasn't a total loss. We managed to save the town and everyone in it, right?"

"Well… yeah. But still, this blows _hard_."

Weiss crossed her arms. "I couldn't agree more. Now Salem has an incredibly strong lightning monster at her command."

"It gets worse." Everyone's attention was garnered by Ben as he stood back up, with Yang still at his side. "It's true that Viktor's already dangerous as a mindless monster. But if Salem can restore Viktor's mind, she has one of the most intelligent enemies that I've ever gone up against at her disposal."

"Well… crap." Jaune grunted, placing his hands on his hips. "So, what do we do about it?"

Pyrrha could only offer her boyfriend a shrug. "At this point, there's nothing much we CAN do. We have no idea where Salem and her forces are hiding, so it's impossible to track them down. Unless we can find some way to follow them into one of those dark portals, but I highly doubt that we can."

Ruby nodded in agreement. "Yeah, something tells me that she won't be welcoming anyone kindhearted into her home anytime soon."

"We'll just have to deal with it another day." Yang concluded. "We got our main mission done, so let's try and look on the bright side for now, okay?"

But Rex just sat cross-legged on the ground, setting one hand on his knee and his chin on the other, an annoyed expression written on his face. "Man, this sucks the big one. My first mission with you guys and it's a total bust."

Yang deadpanned at the EVO and crossed her arms. "That is the _literal_ opposite of what I said we should do."

"Rex, get up off the ground." Weiss urged. "Or do you want your pants to go through the laundry too?" Most everyone got a good chuckle out of the heiress' joke, including Rex himself.

This spurred the young EVO to get back up, his spirit renewed. "Yeah, you got a point. Never good to mope, right? So, should we head back to the house?"

Ben gave a confirming nod. "Yeah, but first, we should find—"

"GUYS!" At the sound of a new voice, everyone turned around and smiled at who had called out to them. Blake was waving to them as she ran down the street, with Sun, Neptune, Nora, Ren, Velvet, Yastu and Fox right behind her, all wearing relieved smiles at the sight of their friends in one piece. "You're all okay!" Blake called out.

"Well, speak of the devil." Ben grinned. "I was just wondering how you guys were holding up! Glad to see that you guys are okay too."

While most the group came to a halt, Nora kept going and zipped up right in front of Ben, an excited smile on her face. "Are you KIDDING?! We're MORE than okay! I'm hyped up beyond belief after that fight! Speaking of, where's the big monster?! I wanna bash his brains in!" At the mention of Viktor, Nora saw her friend's face became upset, much to her confusion. "Uh, Ben? Everything alright?"

Ben sighed and shook his head in dejection. "Not exactly. We managed to beat Viktor… but Rojo came in from out of nowhere and took him away. He's in Salem's hands now."

All at once, the whole crowd cried; "WHAT?!" before Neptune continued on from there;  
"You mean to tell us that Salem's got a near-invincible, electric zombie in her hands?!"

"That about sums it up." Kevin confirmed

"But what in the world was Rojo even doing here in the first place?" Sun asked.

Rex grimaced as he lowered his gaze. "She was here because the _bruja_ ordered her to stake us out… and find out what my deal is."

Just then, Velvet cleared her throat, drawing attention to herself. "Um, excuse me, Rex, I believe? What does "bruja" mean?"

Rex mentally slapped himself. _'Right, they don't have Spanish here.'_ He quickly gave the girl an answer. "Oh, it's Spanish for "witch", though you probably wouldn't know what "Spanish" is either, right?"

"You'd be correct." Velvet confirmed before realizing that she hadn't even introduced herself. "Oh! Where are my manners? I'm Velvet. It's nice to meet you. Blake has told us that you're from another dimension, correct?"

"That's right, I… whoa." Rex's eyes moved up to find something that he hadn't noticed before talking to Velvet; her ears. "Something tells me that you're a Faunus, huh?"

"Um, yes." Velvet's ears slightly hung down. She was never all that comfortable with people looking at them for too long. "Though I'm surprised that you didn't notice sooner."

"Yeah, gotta admit, that's my bad." Rex rubbed the back of his head. "But still, that's pretty cool! Though I gotta admit, your bunny ears bring back some… odd memories. But that's a topic for later! You said your name's Velvet, right? Nice to meet you." Rex glanced over to see the two guys she was standing next to; a tall, armored guy with a big sword, and a shorter red head with completely white eyes. "And I'm guessing that this is the rest of Team CFVY?"

"Indeed." Yatsu bowed in greeting. "I am Yatsuhashi, but my friends call me Yatsu." He gestured to the redhead. "And this is Fox."

"Pleasure." Rex said as he shook the tall swordsman's hand. He then moved on to Fox, but paused for a moment. _'Wait, would he even be able to see that I'm offering him a hand shake? I mean, he's obviously blind, but—'_

" _But what?"_

"AAAAH!" Rex screamed as he jumped several feet in the air before landing flat on his back. "W-w-what was THAT?!"

Fox began laughing uncontrollably at the display, holding his gut as he doubled over in glee. "AHAHA! Dude, did you hear yourself scream?! HAHA, _priceless_!" He smacked his forehead in disbelief. "Man, I've had people be freaked out by my Semblance, but never THAT much!"

Ben, Gwen, and Kevin were confused at the statement. "Wait, Fox, what're you talking about?" the Omnitrix bearer asked.

Cooper spoke up, ready to answer Ben's inquiry. "Huh, I guess that we never DID talk to you about that, huh? Fox's Semblance is telepathy."

Kevin's eyes widened in surprise. "Seriously?!"

" _Seriously."_ Fox spoke in his, Gwen and Ben's heads, taking them aback. _"Sorry that I haven't mentioned it before. I wasn't sure how you'd react to having someone speak inside your head."_

"So THAT'S why you speak so rarely!" Gwen commented. "Because you don't HAVE to!"

" _Exactly."_ Fox smirked over to Rex, who was just getting back up. The redheaded Hunter then switched to speaking out loud. "Though if _he's_ any indication, it probably would've made for a good laugh if I HAD spoken in your heads without warning. Haha, total freak-out!"

"Yeah, real funny." Rex groaned as he got up onto his feet. "Speaking of freaking out, how're the townspeople? Have they been taken to safety?"

"Indeed, they have." Velvet confirmed. "They've been evacuated into the downtown area. General Ironwood, Winter, Athena, Max and Doctor Holiday are overseeing them as we speak."

Coco gave her friend an over-the-shoulder hug. "Nice job, Vel! I knew we could count on ya!"

"Yeah, great job, Velvet." Cooper added with a smile.

Velvet couldn't help but shy away from the two's praise, though she did still wear a small smile on her face. "Oh… I was just doing what was asked of me. Nothing more." She glanced back over to Rex with an inquisitive look. "Still, Blake said that there's more to your story than simply coming here to find Ben and the others."

"Oh, you don't know the HALF of it, Velvet." Rex assured. "Trust me, it's going to take a few hours to explain all of this."

Nora went over and pulled Velvet in for a side-hug. "Believe me, Vel, you're going to FREAK at what Rex's life is like!"

"Nora's right." Ren agreed. "If you thought that what Ben had to tell was incredible, you will most likely think the same about what Rex has to tell." The green ninja then turned back to Ben. "So, I take it we're heading home?"

"Yeah, but I think we should wait until—" _BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_ Ben gazed down at the Omntirx, the device flashing bright green once again. "Hold on, that might be our okay." The hero touched his hand on the faceplate and answered the call. "Hello? Grandpa, is that you?"

" _Ben, good to hear you're okay."_ Max answered on the other end. _"Did you bring Viktor down?"_

"Well, yeah… but then Rojo swooped in and stole him from under our noses." Ben explained. "I'm afraid that he's in Salem's hands now."

" _Hmm, I see."_ Max replied in understanding. _"I'll be sure to tell General Ironwood about what happened. And don't worry, Ben, we'll get back at them somehow."_

Ben nodded. "Right, we will. How're the citizens doing?"

" _They're fine, Ironwood and Winter have calmed them down and they're beginning to return to their homes… minus a few exceptions, but you should be seeing them soon."_

"Exceptions? What do you mean by—"

"JAUNE!" A chorus of five female voices called out from down the street, garnering everyone's attention. Running toward them was a certain quintet of four blonde-haired women, and one brown-haired woman, all scrambling toward Jaune. "You're okay!" the tallest blonde, who was donned in red, hollered to the knight. Jaune laughed with joy as he ran toward the crowd of women, meeting them with a group hug as Pyrrha, Nora and Ren joined in as well.

Ben smiled at the scene before speaking back into the Omntrix. "Nevermind, Grandpa, we see them. Meet you back at the house, okay? Ben out." After Max said goodbye to Ben, the hero continued to gaze on as Jaune's sisters and sister-in-law continued to smother Team JNPR with affection and questions about what happened.

At that moment, Rex came up and tapped Ben on the shoulder. "Uh, Ben? Who're they?"

"Hehe, they're Jaune's sisters." Ben pointed them out as he listed their names. "That's the oldest, Rouge. That's Blanche and Noire, they're twins. And that's Saphron and her wife, Terra. Pretty soon, we're going to have the rest of the Arc clan on the island, and then it's going to be a REAL party."

"Literally." Yang added before whispering into Rex's ear. "Since my sister's birthday is this Saturday."

"Really?" Rex whispered back with a smirk. "Good to know. I'll have you know that I'm a riot at parties."

"I'm sure." Blake rolled her eyes. After about ten minutes, the Arc sisters big their farewell to Team JNPR, allowing the four to go back over to the group. Blake and the others waved goodbye to the group of ladies before the catgirl focused on Jaune. "So, what did they say?"

Jaune chuckled a little bit. "They said they'd be over first thing tomorrow morning to get the full details on everything. Right now, they're going back to the hotel to recoup after everything."

"A wise decision, in my humble opinion." Pyrrha concurred before hearing the sound of loud engines beginning to descend. The Resolute decloaked and landed in front of the heroes, its back ramp lowering for them to get on. "And with that, I beleive we'll be doing the same." Most of the teens, including Cooper and Team CFVY, began to board the Resolute, with both Kevin and Coco even driving their cars into the craft to save a trip. The only exceptions were Ben, Yang, Blake and Sun, who were still standing at the bottom of the ramp. "Are you guys coming?" Pyrrha asked.

Ben shook his head. "Nah, Yang and I have to go get Bumblebee."

Yang smirked and crossed her arms. "Yeah, we locked her up all the way at the edge of town. We'll still meet up with you guys at the house though."

Blake spoke up next. "As for us…" She leaned her head against Sun's arm. "He and I have somewhere to be."

"Exactly." Sun grinned as he draped an arm around Blake's shoulders. "We'll call when we're ready to come home, okay?"

"Sure thing!" Gwen waved to the couple. "I'll come pick you up!"

"Thanks Gwen!" Blake waved back as the ramp began to close. "We'll see you later!" Once the hatch had closed all the way, the Resolute re-cloaked and rose into the sky, flying out toward the Xiao-Long house not a moment after. Blake turned her attention to Ben and Yang with a smile. "So, how DID you guys beat Viktor anyway?"

"Well…" Ben said with a knowing grin. He glanced over to Yang with a wink. "…Let's just say that I had some great _Feedback_." Yang burst out laughing, with Ben following soon after. Blake and Sun could only stand there, dumbfounded by what Ben meant with his inside joke. Once the two stopped laughing, Ben gave them an apologetic grin. "Ah, sorry, you guys had to be there to get that. Here, I'll show you." Ben brought up the Omnitrix and slammed it down, turning into the Conductoid once again. "FEEDBACK! See? This is what I meant."

Sun's eyes widened in surprise. "Whoa! I don't think I've seen you turn into that guy before! What does he do?"

"I can absorb energy and redirect it." Feedback answered. "I just sucked the electricity out of Viktor and his body just stopped." The Conductoid looked down at his plug-tipped fingers in determination. "And now, Feedback will be our key to communicating with my dimension."

Blake's eyebrows shot up when she remembered the device that Holiday was messing with before her group had left for the mountain. "Wait, THAT'S what Holiday was working on? An inter-dimensional communicator? How does it work?! For that matter, WILL it even work?"

Yang gave her best friend a shrug. "That's what we're gonna find out. We'll wait for you guys to get home before we try to make the call, though." She gave the couple a wink. "Now, go have fun you crazy kids."

The two Faunus blushed at Yang's teasing, with Blake being the first to respond. "Hehe, right." She shifted her gaze over to Sun and gave him a smile. "You ready for this?"

"I sure am." Sun grinned back before offering his arm. "Shall we?"

"Yes, lets." Blake said as she took the offered arm. And with that, the couple strolled happily down the street, searching for a nice restaurant that was hopefully still open after the attack.

That left Yang and Feedback along together, with Yang craning her head up to look Feedback in the eye. "We should probably be heading out too, Green Boy."

"You got it, Goldie Locks." Feedback gave her a thumbs up before hitting the Omnitrix symbol again. In a flash of green light, he had transformed back into… "Fasttrack!" The Citrakaya gave her a smirk and held out a hand to her. "Now, I believe that you said something about going at breakneck speeds with me more often?"

"Oh, you bet!" Yang exclaimed, allowing Fasttrack to pick her up again. "Let's roll!" With her word given, Fasttrack sprinted down the road in a blur, with Yang giving out a laugh of delight as they zoomed back to her bike. "WOOHOO!"

* * *

"I gotta be honest, I didn't think we'd find a place that was still open." Blake said before taking a bite of her salad. She and Sun had wandered through the semi-wrecked streets of Patchwork for a good ten minutes before finally coming across a restaurant, aptly called; "The Golden Harvest". Its owners had since returned to the establishment, which was thankfully still standing, and got right back to work. Though most of their patrons had left to recoup at their homes after the attack, leaving the catgirl and monkey boy as the ones there at the moment. "Though I have to admit, it's a bit odd being in an almost empty restaurant."

"Yeah, it IS kinda weird." Sun agreed, taking a bite out of his hearty sandwich. He swallowed before going on. "But hey, them's the breaks when you're dealing with a berserk monster on the loose, huh?"

"No kidding. I'm just glad that there were no casualties." Blake glanced down at her salad, poking it slightly with her fork as her mind trailed off on a stray thought. _'As much as I don't want to associate them with multiple deaths… this whole thing's making me wonder what the White Fang are up to…'_

"Hey, Blake?" The catgirl let out a little yelp as her eyes snapped up to Sun's concerned face. "Oh, sorry to make you jump! I was just wondering if you were okay. You seemed to space out for a sec there."

Blake gave him a small smile and a nod. "Oh, I'm fine, thanks Sun. I just… keep thinking about what the White Fang are doing right now, you know?"

"Hmm, yeah, I do." Sun concurred. "We haven't seen them since the attack on Beacon, and that was almost two weeks ago. You think they still might be trying to recoup?"

"Maybe… but it's odd that they'd stay silent for THIS long." Blake surmised.

Sun picked up his sandwich, hankering for another bite. "Who knows? Maybe not being led by somebody so out of his gourd that he's willing to kill almost everyone in his path might have slowed them down a bit?"

"Yeah, probably." Blake gave her monkey boy a smirk. "Also, way to throw shade at my ex like that. Not that he doesn't deserve it."

Sun gave her a shrug. "Hey, I call 'em as I see 'em. And while I've never met Adam personally, I can tell from the way you described him that he's one crazy son of a bitch." Blake laughed while Sun took another bite out of his sandwich, though as he chewed, a sudden thought came to mind; "Wait, the White Fang must have more than one higher up, right? Maybe _they're_ the reason why they aren't doing anything in Vale."

Blake gave him a grin before pointing a finger at him. "First off, don't talk with your mouthful, it's unbecoming. And secondly… yes." The cat Faunus' eyes drifted down back to her salad. "Her name is Sienna Khan… she's the one who succeeded my dad. With Adam out of the picture, maybe she DID order them back to Menagerie." Blake crossed her arms and laid her head down on them. "I wonder… does my dad even know about what happened yet?"

Sun swallowed, a serious expression coming to his face. "Oh yeah, you told me that your pops lead the White Fang for a while." He paused for a brief moment before speaking again. "You know what? This is a date, and we need some positivity in this!" He leaned forward with a smile. "I've wanted to ask this for a while now, but what're your parents like?"

Blake's eyebrows rose up in surprise. "Why the interest?"

The monkey boy's smile turned sad with a downcast gaze. "Well… as someone who doesn't _have_ any parents, I've always wondered what it was like for people who DID have parents, you know?" He rubbed the back of his head with a blush. "Plus… if I ever meet them in the future, I'd like to know what I'm in for so that I don't upset them."

Blake slightly blushed as well. _'Wow, he's really thoughtful.'_ She chuckled before giving him an answer. "That's very thoughtful of you, Sun. I'm proud. As for my parents… my mom would probably like you. She's your typical mom… who can fire a flintlock pistol if she needs to."

Sun's eyes snapped open at that. "Jeez. Remind me to not get on her bad side."

"Oh, don't worry, she'll probably dote on you when she finds out that we're dating." Blake slightly grimaced. "What you SHOULD worry about is not getting on my dad's bad side. …He probably _won't_ like you when you meet him."

"Isn't that typical of EVERY dad who finds out his daughter is dating a guy?"

"Well… yeah… only difference is that he's got retractable claws that can rip you to ribbons." Blake offered a nervous smile. "So no pressure, hon."

Sun blinked twice in shock before glancing down at his sandwich. "I… think I may have just lost my appetite."

Blake let out a chuckle as her hand went over her mouth. "Hehe, I'm sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I've kind of lost my appetite too. Why don't we get these wrapped up and we can just eat them together later?" She gave him a rather sly look, "Maybe in a place that's a bit more… personal?"

The blush returned to Sun's face as a dopey grin came to his face. "Y-yeah, more personal! I'd like that, actually."

"Great." Blake winked. "And don't worry about my dad. He's really nice once you get to know him. If you ever meet him, I'll make sure that he doesn't hurt you."

Sun gave her a worried expression. "Are you sure? I mean, I don't wanna drive a wedge between you and your pops."

A voice in the back of Blake's mind spoke; _'It's okay, there might already be one anyway.'_ Blake grimaced at the thought. It was true that she felt guilty that she stayed with the White Fang and was angry that her father had left them, but she didn't think that she'd be thinking about it at a time like this. She shook the thought away and went over to Sun's side of the table, slinking her arm around his. "It's okay, he'll just have to deal with you, whether he likes it or not." She planted a kiss on his cheek, finalizing her statement. "Okay?"

"Hehe, okay." Sun chortled. The couple called a waitress over and asked for their food to be boxed up, to which the girl happily complied and brought over a couple of styrofoam boxes. Once their food was all picked up, Sun took out his wallet and searched for his Lien card. "Now, how much will this all add up to, miss?"

"Oh, nothing!" The waitress smiled happily. "It's on the house!"

Blake and Sun's jaws both fell simultaneously. "What?!" the catgirl exclaimed. "B-but why?!"

Without skipping a beat, the waitress explained why. "The owner recognized you two from earlier, when the town was evacuating. If it hadn't been for you two and the rest of your Hunter friends, the town might have lost many lives today." The woman's smile widened as she took a bow. "Please, on the behalf of everyone here at The Golden Harvest, your meal is on the house. And if any of your friends stop by, theirs is on the house as well."

Sun wore a dumbfounded look on his face before being replaced with a grin. "Huh, thanks!"

"Yes, thank you very much." Blake added with a guilty smile. "Although… it _does_ feel a little wrong just getting up and leaving without paying."

"Oh, don't be silly!" The waitress assured. "You and your friends are welcome at The Golden Harvest anytime! And please, come back soon!"

And with that, Blake and Sun exited the restaurant, carrying their boxes of food with slightly surprised expressions on their faces. They shared a gaze with each other before shrugging, surmising to not look a gift horse in the mouth. "So… should we go home?" Sun suggested.

"Well, not yet, but I probably _should_ call them." Blake took out her scroll as she began dialing the number for Yang's house. "There's still one more place I want to go to, but I can just tell Gwen to meet us over there."

"Really? Where?"

Blake gave him a knowing smirk. "You'll see."

* * *

Once Blake had gotten through her talk with Gwen, the couple began their long walk over to where she wanted to go. When they finally got there, Sun was intrigued to see where Blake had taken him; a small, white building with a slanted roof, decorated with many colorful flowers. "Ah, here!" Blake declared. "I'm pretty sure this is the place Ruby mentioned."

Sun read the words above the doorway aloud; "The Tiger Lily Flower Shop?"

"Yep, Ruby recommended that I come here and meet the owner." Blake explained. "She says that this woman's rather nice AND that she's a Faunus."

"Really? Well then…" Sun offered his arm. "Shall we go in?"

Blake smiled and linked her arm with his. "Indeed, we shall." With that, the couple walked into the flower shop, the bell above the door letting out a little ring as they opened it. Immediately, their noses were bombarded with many different types of fragrances, all belonging to different flowers. There were pots, baskets, bags of soil and even fertilizers on display, along with different types of gardening tools and seeds as well.

"Huh, looks like this isn't JUST a flower shop." Sun commented.

Blake nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'd imagine that a place like this must have more than just flowers." The couple went over to the counter, only to find nobody there. "Hmm, that's strange. Where is everyone?" Blake rang the tiny bell settled on the countertop and called out; "Hello? Is there anyone here?"

"There most certainly is." The sound of a new voice caught Blake and Sun's attention, with someone entering through the door behind the counter. Standing there not a few feet away was a beautiful Faunus woman in a white short-sleeved shirt and a pair of matching khaki shorts. Her white hair flowed down her back, with tiger ears sticking out from the top of her head. She also had stripes covering her arms, legs and cheeks. She gazed at her guests with her kind, aquamarine eyes and gave them a smile. "Hello there! My apologies for not being here sooner, the attack from earlier threw everything out of sorts. Now, who might you be, dear?"

"O-Oh!" Blake exclaimed as she bowed her head slightly to the woman. "My name is Blake, I'm one of Ruby's teammates from Beacon Academy. And I take it that _you_ are Miss Tiger Lily."

"Why yes, I am." The tiger woman nodded. "But please, call me Whitlea. Any friend of Ruby Rose is a friend of mine." She glanced over to Sun next. "And what about you, kind sir?"

Sun gave her a small wave. "I'm Sun, it's nice to meet you."

"And you as well." Whitlea smiled sweetly at the two. "I must say, it's so nice to see a young couple such as yourselves enter my store! I'm delighted to help you two with whatever arrangements you may need, so please, feel free to ask."

"Oh, thank you very much." But then, Blake's eyes widened slightly. "Wait, how did you know we were a couple?!"

Whitlea covered her hand over her mouth and let out a little giggle. "Hehe, well, the fact that you two have your arms linked kind of gave it away."

The couple's eyes widened at Whitlea's remark before shifting their eyes down to their arms, which were in fact, still linked. Blake coughed into her hand as a slight tint of red came to her face. "Oh, yes, there IS that." The two relaxed their holds on each other before Blake pressed on. "But while we DID come here to see what you have for flowers, I also came here because I wanted to meet you personally."

"Me? Really?" Whitlea let out a small chuckle. "Well, I must say that is very nice of you Blake." The woman began wiggling her tiger ears. "I assume it's because of a certain common trait that we share?"

"Well… kind of, yes." Blake admitted. "I was just curious to know… how did you come to own this place?"

"Hmm, that is quite the tale indeed." Whitlea came out from behind the counter and began tending to some Black Baccara Roses. "Well, it all began when I was a little girl living in Mistral. My family and I were one of the many groups of Faunus who were oppressed by humankind. I couldn't even get a decent education because the school children were following their parents' example." She delicately caressed the dark flowers petals, reminiscing on days gone by. "The only comfort I had was the small flower garden that I kept outside of my windowsill. I would tend to it each and every day, hoping that the flowers would bloom and become beautiful. Deep down though… I think I held the desire for the world to do the same, to shed the old prejudices and begin anew. A world where humans and Faunus could co-exist peacefully with one another."

Sun couldn't help but grin at the tiger woman's resolve. "Wow, that's totally sweet."

A soft smile worked its way onto to Blake's face as well. "It's definitely a beautiful thing to believe in, Whitlea… I only wish it were that simple."

"Oh, I did too, Blake, believe me." Whitlea assured. "I knew that nobody could change everyone's hearts and minds in a day, but I held onto hope that one day… maybe… everything would be peaceful between our races. But the oppression continued. So much so that when the opportunity came for a chance to leave, my father jumped at it and we took a ship to Vale before going on to Patch." Whitlea moved on from the dark roses and began to make an assortment of deep purple tulips and yellow gladiolus. "From there, many things happened. I got the chance to go to school and make friends, I went to college in the city and got my degree in botany, and then I opened this store a little over seven years ago. In that time, I've met many wonderful people…" A slight blush came to her face. "…including a man who I am delighted to call my fiancé."

"That's awesome!" Sun exclaimed.

"He's right." Blake's smile increased. "Congratulations!"

"Hehe, thank you. We've been planning the wedding for months, but we've…" Whitlea paused for a second before moving on. "…we've been hitting a couple bumps in the road. But things are starting to look much better recently, so we shouldn't have any more problems."

Sun's face grew concerned. "Man, I hope everything's okay with you two."

"Oh no, he and I don't have any problems in our relationship or anything." Whitlea's smile turned sad. "It's the logistics involved in all of it. You see… my beloved… is human."

Blake and Sun's jaws dropped in shock. "Okay, now I get it." the cat girl uttered. Human and Faunus relationships weren't _completely_ unheard of, per se. However, they were considered _extremely_ taboo by both societies.

"Yes, it has been a long, arduous road to do something that is often seen as taboo by the separate races. Even in a place as understanding as Patch, the Kingdom of Vale itself has to go through this "legal headache" so to speak." Whitlea took a deep breath and turned around with a bright grin, holding the assortment of deep purple and yellow flowers in her hand. "But as of today, we have the necessary paperwork, and everything should be set."

Blake let out a relieved breath. "Well, I'm really happy that's the case. I agree that it must be a really hard thing to get approved by the kingdom, but I guess that's just to be expected nowadays. And heck, some couples might be having an even harder time than you two." Her eyes shifted to the ground. "While I'm happy that humans and Faunus ARE starting to form relationships like this, it makes me sad that it has to be so difficult."

"I feel the same way, Blake." Whitlea said as she wrapped the flowers in plastic and tied it off with a piece of ribbon. "But hopefully, with time, it will become less so."

"Yeah…" Blake paused for a moment before shifting her eyes back up to Whitlea. "One last question… what is your opinion on… the White Fang?"

There was a small silence for but a moment before the tiger lady put a finger to her chin. "Hmm, the White Fang. I'll admit, I had an interest in their cause in their earlier days. But once their peaceful protests turned into all out fights, I began to lose interest in their cause. If one uses war and strife to get what they want, they will only cause more destruction. I only wish they would understand that." She glanced back to Blake, a knowing expression on her face. "Blake… you were once part of the White Fang, weren't you?"

Blake's eyes widened in shock. "How… how did you know?"

Whitlea offered the young catgirl a sympathetic smile. "Your hesitancy to ask was one clue, and the waver in your voice was another." She set a gentle hand on Blake's shoulder. "Tell me, how were you involved in the White Fang, my dear?"

Blake was a little scared to go on, but the reassuring and understanding smile that Whitlea was giving her helped put her mind at ease a bit. She took a deep breath and pressed on. "You know how you said that you were interested in the more peaceful White Fang? Well… my father was their leader during that time. And my mother was a member as well. But then… my father stepped down and they both left. Instead of going with them, I chose to stay and adopt the more violent practices… at least until I realized that it was wrong. But after they left, I just felt so… so…"

"Betrayed?" Whitlea finished, taking Blake off-guard. "I can see why. You probably felt that your parents were weak, and allowing the humans have their way." The tiger lady offered a sympathetic smile. "And something tells me that you had a few choice words for them, right?"

Blake was stunned, so much so that she had to sit down in the nearest chair, with Sun sitting down next to her to make sure she was alright. "Are… are you a mind reader?"

Whitlea winked at the catgirl. "My dear, I've had many customers over the years, each one coming in for different occasions. Marriages, funerals, birthday parties, the list goes on. And in that time, I've got to talk to almost every one of them, and sometimes, they would talk to me about how they're feeling. From there, I've gotten pretty good at reading emotions. And right now, I can tell that you're feeling quite apprehensive about something."

Blake pursed her lips. _'Wow, she's good.'_ She cleared her throat before speaking again. "Yes… I'm nervous that… if I ever see my parent's again…" she was beginning to choke up as the idea came into her head, "…that they'll never forgive me for what I said to them. That… they'll never want to see me again!" Tears began to flow freely from Blake's eyes, silently crying as she brought her hands to her face.

As if on cue, Sun pulled Blake into a hug, rubbing her back gently as he tried to soothe her. "Blake, it's okay. I'm sure that your parents would _never_ do something like that."

Blake sniffled a little bit before letting her hands fall from her eyes, allowing her to look up at him. "How… how can you be so sure?"

Sun smiled at her before giving his answer. "Because from the way you described them to me, they don't sound like the kind of parents who would do that to their kid. I'm sure that they still love you with everything they have."

"As do I." Whitlea supported. "Blake, should you ever see your parents again, I'm sure that they would welcome you back with open arms, no matter what you may have said in the past."

As her eyes shifted between the two, Blake felt her smile slowly return at their reassuring words. She wiped the tears away from her eyes, though her palms turned slightly black from her mascara. "Thanks, you two. I… definitely needed to hear that." _BEEP BEEP!_ A loud honking from outside garnered the three Faunus' attention. They gazed out of the nearest window to see Gwen behind the wheel of Kevin's car, waiting for Blake and Sun. "Well, our ride is here. Guess it's time we'd head home, huh?"

Sun nodded in agreement. "Yeah, they're probably getting ready for… you know what."

The couple got up from their seat and bowed their heads slightly toward Whitlea. "It was a great pleasure meeting you, Whitlea." Blake grinned. "And thank you for all of the kind words."

"It was my pleasure." Whitlea bowed back before taking up the bouquet of deep purple tulips and yellow gladiolus. "But before you go, here, these are for the both of you."

She handed the flowers to Sun, who was a bit shocked at being gifted the assortment. "Whoa, hold on a sec, what even are these?"

"They're Queen of the Night tulips and yellow gladiolus flowers." Whitlea explained. "I put this particular ensemble together to represent the unity between you two." The tiger woman gestured toward the tulip. "This particular tulip represents rebirth and growth." She then pointed to the yellow flower. "And the gladiolus represents strength and integrity." Whitlea gave the couple a wink. "Put them together and I'd say they describe you two rather well."

Both Blake and Sun blushed profusely at the tiger woman's words. This was a situation that neither one of them could have guessed would happen today. "Um… th-thank you." Blake stammered. "That's very sweet of you to do for us, but we couldn't possibly—"

"Oh, don't worry about it, really." Whitlea grinned. "I have a special Lovers Discount!" If possible, that only made the couple blush even redder. _'Hmhm, they're so cute!'_

* * *

The past few hours for Velvet had been… rather odd to say the least. The most normal thing about it being the monster attack, but she was used to those by now. What had made the minds of her and her comrades wrack with disbelief, however, was Rex explaining who he and Doctor Holiday were, as well as the dimension that they had come from and how they came to Remnant in the first place. She, her teammates, Rex, and Holiday were sitting in the living room along with Ben, Yang, Kevin, Weiss and Ruby, while almost everyone else were either downstairs or in the kitchen doing their own thing, with Gwen having left a while earlier to go pick up Blake and Sun.

Velvet had to admit, some of the stuff she was hearing was quite incredible. EVO's? Providence versus Van Kliess? Dimensional Doorways and Alpha Nanites? It all sounded so absurd, yet Rex was able to put it in a way that made sense. Plus, the way that both he and Ben made their first team up sound was incredibly astounding to her and her teammates. The whole thing riled Coco up something fierce, the barrette-wearing girl becoming more pumped as Rex and Holiday revealed more about their dimension. Yatsu, Fox, and Velvet herself listened intently while Cooper seemed to take it the most in stride.

However, out of all the stories that Rex had told, there was one that Velvet was the most intrigued by; "So you mean to tell me that you lot have dealt with EVO rabbits… on more than ONE occasion?"

"Haha, yeah." Rex laughed. "The first one stalked me for a freakin' WEEK before I was finally able to stop it with the help of my best friend and our dates." As Rex thought back to the night in question, he couldn't help but relive the stress-induced memories of his danger-prone date getting him hurt in so many different ways. _'Well, at least she could handle a missile launcher.'_

"And THAT is why you get weird memories from my ears?" Velvet asked further. "Honestly, I wouldn't blame you. That all sounds like utter hell."

"For him, it was." Holiday confirmed. "But the second time we dealt with an EVO rabbit, it went a lot smoother… aside from having to deal with a robot chimp replica who was trying to set it free from the Petting Zoo. Plus I had to help deliver a bunch of ravenous bouncing baby EVO bunnies in the process, so that was a thing."

Velvet blinked twice in shock. "Has anyone ever told you that you are a rather strange lot?"

"Many times." Rex said proudly. "At this point, it's a badge of honor."

"I should think so." Yatsuhashi said with a chortle. "I have to admit, this is all rather fantastic."

" _More_ than just fantastic, Yatsu." Coco corrected as she adjusted her sunglasses. "Their world sounds like a BLAST! Now I wanna go there to beat up some of these EVOs."

Rex sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but I kinda managed to cure all of the EVOs a couple years ago. Sorry."

"Ah, shit." Coco snapped her fingers in annoyance. "Well, there goes that dream. Still, if what you said is true about that communicator, then we should be able to get in contact Ben's universe no problem, right? Then we'll be able to go there!"

"In theory." Ben spoke up. "Like Doctor Holiday said, this is an experimental device. While there's a chance that it _could_ work, it doesn't necessarily mean that it WILL."

Yang put her hands on her hips. "Yeah, this thing will either sink or swim on its first test run."

Cooper suddenly got up from his seat and walked over to the device, which was sitting on the coffee table. "I'll be the judge of that." He placed his hands on the small machine and his eyes began to glow blue, his thoughts beginning to process the machine itself.

But all this did was confuse Holiday even more. "Um, what IS he doing?"

"Coop's a technopath." Kevin answered. "He's able to read a machine's "mind" and see how it's built. If anyone can figure out if this thing will work or not, it's him."

A few seconds later, Cooper's eyes stopped glowing and he stood up to his full height, focusing his attention to Doctor Holiday. "I've gotta say, whoever built this thing is a genius. And considering that person is Azmuth, I'm not exactly surprised."

Rex crossed his arms indignantly. "Hey, _mi hermano_ and Doctor Holiday helped brainstorm this thing too, ya know."

"I'm well aware. But still, this is one-hundred percent Galvan Tech that we're dealing with here." Cooper glanced down to the little machine. "While it's small, it's got a lot of high-tech stuff in it, some that not even _I_ have seen before."

"So… will it work?" Ruby asked.

Cooper put a finger to his chin. "If I had to guess, I'd say that this has a ninety-five percent chance of working successfully. Azmuth made a smart choice having the power source be Conductoid energy, as its one of the most refined and cleanest energy sources that can be utilized by machinery." He smiled over to Ben. "So with Feedback in your arsenal, you should be good to go."

"Wait," Weiss interjected, "What about the remaining five percent?"

Cooper winced a little before rapidly going over. "Well… there's a _slight_ chance that activating the device will cause a cataclysmic dimensional collapse across both worlds, ending existence as we know it." He allowed a brief pause to allow that information to sink in. "But, you know, no pressure."

Everyone's mouths hung open in astonishment. "Uh, I'm sorry," Yang spoke up, "I must have had something in my ears. Because it sounded like you just said that there's a chance this thing could DESTROY OUR FUCKING WORLDS!"

"Like I said, a _slight_ chance." Cooper corrected. "It's about as rare of a chance that you'll hear Fox speak in the next five seconds." Cooper quirked an eyebrow over to the Fox, who merely crossed his arms and sent a private telepathic message into Cooper's mind. The blonde genius smirked and retorted; "Yeah, same to you too, pal."

Rex whirled around to Holiday, a slight apprehension having etched onto his face. "So… should we still go through with it?"

Holiday put a hand to her chin in contemplation. "Well… the only real way to be sure is to activate it and see what happens. If there's any signs of anything other than communication, we'll pull the plug."

Ben nodded in agreement. "Sounds good. I'll make sure to keep an eye on things while I'm plugged into it. If anything goes wrong, I'm pulling out."

Yang smirked and leaned on her boyfriend's shoulder. "Phrasing, hon."

Ben's eyebrows snapped up after realizing what he just said. He zipped up his jacket before pulling it over his face. "You know, you've got a talent for making me feel awkward, babe." The hero muffled out.

Yang laughed as she wrapped her arms around her turtled-up boyfriend. "Oh, I'm sorry baby! It was just a joke!"

But Ruby was only confused by what her sister had meant. "Uh, I don't get it. How does—"

But Weiss stopped her by putting a hand across her mouth. "When you're eighteen, you'll understand." Once Ben had pulled himself out of his jacket, the heiress focused her eyes back onto the inter-dimensional communicator. "So, when Gwen, Blake and Sun get back, we'll get this started, right?"

"Right." Rex nodded before turning to Cooper and Team CFVY. "What about you guys? You wanna stay and see what happens?"

Coco got up from the couch and made her way over to Cooper, putting an arm around him to give him a little shake. "Much as I'd want to stay and chat with people over a dimension phone, we've gotta rest up after today's scrap so we can be ready for tomorrow." Coco focused her sights over to Ruby. "See, we got a call from Goodwitch this morning. She wants all available teams to come to the academy tomorrow for a little announcement." She sent a wink over to them. "And that includes you guys."

That got Ruby, Weiss and Yang's eyes to widen in surprise. "W-wait," Ruby stammered. "You mean Professor Goodwitch wants us to come back to Beacon? What kind of announcement could she possibly have?"

Weiss glanced over to her best friend. "My guess? I think she might be announcing when the school will be able to reopen. Still though, it's going to be kind of surreal… going back to Beacon after the last couple of weeks that we've had."

That statement caught Ben's attention. "So… are you guys really okay with going back this soon? I mean, you all went through so much on the night of the attack and…"

"Ben." Yang set a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. "Thank you for being worried about us, but we'll be fine. This is just something that we have to do. It's our school, one that we were willing to defend with our lives. We should at least visit it _once_ to see how things are going up there." She gave him a wink as she put an arm around his shoulders. "Besides, we're big girls, and we can't just say no to an invitation from the new headmistress, now can we?"

Ben smiled as he leaned into the embrace. "Well, when you put it like that, I guess you can't. But… do you think that Goodwitch would let us come with you? I mean, I know that Gwen, Kevin and I haven't been made an official team at Beacon yet, but—"

But then, Coco spoke up again. "Oh, don't worry about that, Tennyson. Goodwitch specifically told me that you're more than welcome to come. You could say that you guys are the guests of honor."

Kevin's eyebrows rose up in surprise. "Us? Seriously?"

Velvet gave Kevin a nod as she, Yatsu and Fox got up from the couch to leave. "Indeed. She wants ALL of us to come, and she also said that there might a few surprises when we get there."

Ruby tilted her head. "Any idea what she might be talking about?"

Yatsu shook his head in response. "No clue. If anything, she must be saving it for when we get there tomorrow."

Coco shrugged. "Yeah, probably." She gave the group a salute before she and her team began making their way to the door. "Well, we'll see you guys tomorrow. Rex, Holiday, it was awesome to meet you guys. And good luck with that communicator, hope we don't all die because of it."

Rex deadpanned at that. "Why is she being so casual about it?"

Cooper gave Rex a pat on the back before joining his team. "Just the way Coco rolls. Again, I'm pretty certain that device will work, so don't stress to much about it, okay?"

"Easy for you to say!" Weiss exclaimed. "You guys aren't the ones who have to be close to it!"

Coco grabbed for the door handle and opened it, waving over to Weiss as she did. "Relax, Weiss-Cream, you'll be fine—huh?" The moment Coco turned around, she came face to face with Gwen, Blake and Sun, with the redhead having reached for the door handle herself. "Oh, hey guys! You got here just in time to see us off!"

Gwen's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, we just got back and you're leaving already?"

"Yep. Long story short, we're all due to meet up at Beacon tomorrow, including you, your boyfriend and your cousin by Goodwitch's request." Coco summarized. "My team and I are going home to rest up after what happened this morning, so good luck with your call, Red."

Cooper nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and say hi for me if any of the Plumber's Helpers are on the other end, okay?"

Gwen smiled and pat Cooper on the shoulder. "Of course, Cooper, will do."

Blake went up to look Coco straight in the eye. "Hold on a second, back up a little bit, please. You said that Goodwitch ACTUALLY wants us to come back to Beacon? So soon?"

Sun peaked over the bouquet of flowers that he was holding. "Yeah, it DOES seem kind of sudden. What do you think she wants?"

Coco strode past the three with a good-bye wave, with Cooper, Velvet, Yatsu and Fox following close behind as they all climbed into the barrette-wearing girl's roadster. "We'll just have to find out tomorrow, won't we? Later guys! Also, nice flowers, monkey boy! They for your lady?"

Sun's face became slightly red for what felt like the twelfth time that day. "W-well, they're technically for the both of us!"

Coco lowered her sunglasses and sent the couple a wink. "Well, that just makes 'em even more special, doesn't it?" With a turn of her key, Coco started the engine of her roadster. With one final salute from the leader of Team CFVY, the vehicle rolled down the dirt road, leaving the stunned couple and the redhead at the front door.

Gwen placed her hands on her hips. "You know, you guys STILL haven't told me how you ended up buying such a nice bouquet. Care to explain?"

Blake and Sun lowered their heads, with the catgirl waving her hand in Gwen's direction. "Let's just say that a woman's kindness goes a long way into winning you over."

"You got that right." Sun concurred. "Hard to argue with a pretty lady." He sent a smirk over to Blake. "I should know from experience."

Blake gave him a playful nudge with her shoulder with a grin of her own. "Oh, hush you."

* * *

About an hour later, The Alien Trio, Team RWBY, Team JNPR and Team SN had all gathered in the living room, with Max, General Ironwood and Winter also present. Tai, who had gotten home early thanks to the attack, and Athena had opted to not take part in the call, feeling that they had no need to be present. Instead, they chose to get preparations for dinner underway, if only to get a head start on Max and whatever he had in store for that night. Rex and Holiday both sat on the couch with the device still on the coffee table, with Ben, Gwen and Kevin sitting right by their sides while Max stood behind the couch. Holiday took a deep breath and turned to Ben, opening the door to the power outlets on the machine. "Are you ready?"

"I am." Ben nodded before activating the Omnitrix again. "Here we go." Ben slammed the core down and in a bright green flash, he transformed back into… "FEEDBACK!" The Conductoid cracked his knuckles before taking a deep breath. "Alright, let's do this." Feedback flung his tendrils forward and plugged them into the device, sending a surge of energy straight into it. "Alright, powering up now, nice and easy."

"Okay." Holiday confirmed before focusing her eyes on the power switch. "Here goes… everything." She switched the device on and closed her eyes, preparing herself in case that five percent might show up. However, after a few seconds, she peeked out of one eye to see that nothing universe-breaking had happened. No distortions, no powerful waves, nothing. She sighed in relief before flipping another switch. At that moment, a large holo-screen popped up from the small lens that was on top of the device, though all that came through was static. Holiday began turning a small knob, hoping to find the right dimensional frequency. "Mayday, Mayday. This is Doctor Holiday calling Caesar, do you read?"

Rex then leaned forward and spoke into it as well. "Are you there, big bro?"

A few more seconds of static came… before what sounded like a garbled cheer came over the other end; _"WO—HO—The—ade—it!"_ However, just a second later, the signal became clearer, and a distinct voice came over the device. _"¡HERMANO! Doctor Holiday! HAHA! You guys made it! And the device is working perfectly! Do you read me?!"_

The whole living room erupted into thunderous celebratory cheers. Not only had the device worked, but they were all still there! Holiday let out another sigh as she spoke to the younger scientist. "We read you loud and clear, Caesar, but we don't have a visual."

" _Oh, well, I can fix THAT!"_ The staticky holo-screen wavered a small bit before the image finally cleared up. There, sitting right in the middle of the screen was a young man in his early twenties who resembled Rex very closely, the only difference being that he was older, of course. Also, rather than having his hair slicked back, it was slicked forward. He gave a happy salute. _"Hey! There are some familiar faces! How're things over there?"_ Caesar glanced around at whatever surroundings he could see. _"I see that you're not without shelter, so that's a good thing."_

"Yeah, it's a humble home." Feedback answered with a thumbs up. "And it's been sheltering us just fine for the past couple weeks."

" _Ben, good to see you again."_ Caesar greeted. _"I see you were able to utilize Azmuth's gift."_

"Yeah, though it took a while before I was able to put Feedback in." The hero admitted. "Had to conquer a few past demons first. Is Azmuth there?"

Caesar shook his head. _"No, he's on Galvan Prime doing a few things. But don't worry… he has a few select words for you when he sees you."_ After giving Ben a good dose of anxiety, the elder Salazar looked to the remaining three. _"So, you must be Gwen, Kevin and Max. It's a pleasure."_

"Likewise." Gwen replied. "And thank you for sending Rex and Holiday over, they've been a big help in the past twenty-four hours."

Kevin smirked and nodded. "Yep, they've become a part of the team already."

"Very true." Max confirmed. "And Caesar, thank you for helping out the Plumbers in our absence, it means a lot to us."

"So Caesar, where're Six and the others?" Rex asked. "I thought they'd be here for the big call."

" _Six and Bobo are heading down to the comm room as we speak…"_ Caesar's gaze lowered in disappointment. _"But the others couldn't make it. Believe me Rex, they wanted to, but they've finally caught up with Zombozo and are working to bring him in as we speak."_

Feedback nodded in understanding. "That's okay, we'll catch up with them later. After all, we've got a direct line back to our world now! This'll make things a lot easier to coordinate."

" _Very true. So where ARE you guys anyway? Does the world you're in have a name?"_

"It's called Remnant." Gwen answered. "And trust me when I say that a LOT of big stuff has been going on since we got here…"

Meanwhile, Teams RWBY, JNPR and SN were whispering amongst themselves as the others spoke to Caesar. They could see the young man in the holo-screen from their position behind it, even though it was aimed at the five sitting on the couch. "Wow, I can't believe that we're _actually_ communicating across dimensions!" Ruby gleefully said.

"I know." Jaune agreed. "It's kinda surreal."

"But at the same time, so totally awesome!" Nora exclaimed.

"In a way, I suppose." Weiss shrugged. "Though I have to admit, I was worried there for a second. I guess Cooper was right about it working."

However, as the group continued chatting, Caesar's head shot up, and his eyes glanced around. _"What the… where are those voices coming from? Am I getting some sort of interference? Or maybe…"_ Caesar's eyes widened in realization. _"Wait a second, you couldn't have just bunked in a house this nice without communicating with the locals."_

Feedback, Rex, Gwen, Kevin and Holiday all looked at each other before shifting their attention back the screen with big smiles on their faces. "You make that sound like it's a bad thing, bro!" Rex cheekily quipped before gesturing over to the ten teens and two adults behind the holo-screen. "Hey guys, come and say hi to my big bro!"

The three teams of young Hunters-in-training as well as Ironwood and Winter circled around to get into Caesar's feeling of view and the young man's eyes widened in shock. _"WHOA! What in the world? Rex, who ARE these people?"_

Rex gave his brother a smirk. "I think it'd be better for Ben to sort all that out." Once Feedback had relayed a summarized version of the past two weeks events to Caesar, the young genius was left astonished and awestricken. "So, what do you say to that, big bro?" Rex asked.

" _I'd say that you guys are way in over your heads."_ Caesar concluded. _"An evil witch who wishes to consume that whole world in darkness? And she's recruiting Ben's rogue's gallery to do it? Ay, sounds like you've got un gran problema on your hands."_

"You don't know the half of it." Ironwood confirmed. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am General James Ironwood of the Atlesian Army. And this…" he gestured to the group of teens. "Is the Team."

Neptune grimaced at that. _'Hmm, maybe it's time to brainstorm a team name or something, 'cause just being called "The Team" is kinda generic.'_

Caesar nodded on the holo-screen. _"I see. And they would be?"_

Ruby gave him a salute. "Team RWBY at your service, Mr. Rex's Brother! I'm Ruby Rose!" She then pointed over to her teammates. "And these are my friends; Weiss, Blake, and my big sister, Yang!" The three girls gave Caesar their respective greetings before Ruby continued. "So you're Caesar, huh? Gotta say, the family resemblance between you and Rex is uncanny."

"Yeah." Yang agreed with her sister. "If you weren't older, I'd swear you guys were twins."

Caesar chuckled at that. _"Heh, yeah, though to be fair, I SHOULD be much older than I am now. Thanks to a time-displacement accident, I got blown five years into the future and—"_

Blake waved her hand to the older Salazar. "Actually, we know about all that already."

Weiss sent a sly grin in Rex's direction. "Yes, your _baby brother_ spared no details when he told us about you and his other allies."

Rex sent her a questioning stare. "Hey, who you callin' a baby?"

"Oh, I think you know."

However, before things could get more heated, Winter sent her sister a sidelong icy glare. "Dear sister, don't start something while in the house. Your sparing match from earlier proved that you two are capable of causing immense amounts of damages. We DON'T need that in here, understand?"

Weiss gulped before complying with her sister's wishes. "Yes, Winter."

"Ooh, you're in trouble." Rex teased.

"Shut it, Robo-dolt."

Caesar shifted his gaze over to the elder Schnee, impressed with her reigning in the potential fight. _"Impressive. Neither me nor my parents were able to get_ Rex _to calm down like that. You said you were her sister, right?"_

Winter nodded at his question. "Yes, my name is Winter Schnee. It is nice to meet you." As she finished her greeting, Winter contemplated Caesar for a second. _'Hmm, he and Rex are certainly related. They both have that self-assured look to them. He is quite handsome, though Weiss was correct in that he lacks Rex's cute factor. I'm not too sure if he and I would have that much in common, since he is a prodigal genius, but I'll keep him in mind.'_

Caesar returned the nod. _"Well, it's nice to meet you too, Winter."_ He then turned his head over in Team JNPR and Team SN's direction. _"And who are you guys?"_

Jaune cleared his throat before introducing himself. "Well, my name's Jaune." He then pointed over to his team. "And this is Pyrrha, Nora and Ren. Together, we're Team JNPR."

Sun gave Caesar a wave. "Yo, name's Sun."

Followed by Neptune giving a salute. "And I'm Neptune. We're one-half of Team SSSN. But the good news is that we can still be called Team SN."

" _Um… okay?"_ Caesar scratched his head in confusion. What WERE they talking about? Some sort of acronym maybe? The young man shook it off before returning his focus onto everyone. _"Well, in any case, it's great to meet you all. I'm glad that the universe that Ben and my brother are in is filled with such nice people."_ He then focused back on Feedback. _"Now, other than you and your villains, were there any others caught in the blast?"_

"Yeah, Cooper, Tetrax, and his pilot, Gluto were brought here." Feedback confirmed.

" _Cooper? As in Cooper Daniels the Plumber prodigy?"_ Caesar asked. _"The Plumbers here at this base keep telling me about him. They keep saying that I could give him a run for his money. Is he there with you?"_

Pyrrha shook her head. "No, he is staying with some close friends of ours." A smile then came to her face. "Ben, Gwen and Kevin weren't the only ones who forged new bonds when they were transported here."

" _I see. And what about this Tetrax fella?"_

"He's an old friend of ours." Gwen explained. "His ship detected the energy spike that the accident had created and he flew it down to earth to check it out… only for him and his entire ship to get transported here with us."

Caesar's eyes bugged out. _"His ENTIRE spacecraft is there in Remnant?!"_

Ren raised an eyebrow at the older Salazar. "Is that a problem?" the green ninja asked.

" _Well… potentially."_ Caesar said. _"The Dimensional Doorway can only expand its portal to a certain size. If we want to bring Tetrax's ship back, we'd have to build a bigger portal projector."_ Caesar ran his fingers through his hair and gave out a sigh. _"Man, Azmuth's not gonna like this one bit. We're already using a ton of Galvan resources to help bring you home. And to add to that… I have no clue how we could use such a big Dimensional Doorway. It'd be big, awkward and we'd have to transport it via TANK. Ugh, someone shoot me now."_

However, the most unexpected of people suddenly had an idea. Nora's eyes lit up and she let out a gasp. "AH! IDEA!" She zipped up to get up close to the holo-screen, shocking Caesar out of his stupor as the hyper redhead wore a determined expression. "Okay, so here's what you do; you make the giant portal thingy, bring it through to Remnant on a tank or something, and then you attach that baby onto Tetrax's ship so that we can all FLY back into Ben's world!" She placed her hands on her hips with pride. "How does THAT sound?"

A long pause settled on the room for about ten seconds, everyone having been taken aback by Nora's idea. But as Caesar went over the variables inside his head, a grin began to gradually make its way onto his face. _"That idea might just work!"_ Caesar let out a laugh as he looked back to the Pink Dynamo. _"Nora was it? You might have just given us the solution we need!"_

Ren smiled over to his best friend. "Nora, you're a genius! How did you come up with that?"

Nora blushed as she rubbed the back of her head. _'He called me a genius!'_ She joyfully cried out in her head. "Hehe, well, to be honest, I just thought it'd be a neat idea. Because, you know, Tetrax's ship needs to get back to Ben's world and flying is _way_ cooler than walking."

Feedback gave an agreeing nod to her. "Speaking from experience, I can testify to that." The Conductoid put his attention back onto Caesar. "So, how long will it take you to build the spaceship-sized Doorway?"

Caesar did the calculations in his head before coming up with an answer. _"If I start when this call ends, I think we can get it done in about… five or six days give or take. Fortunately, unlike with the first Dimensional Doorway, I won't have to divide my time between it and the communicator. This will hopefully be easier… if the fates allow."_

Kevin pointed an accusing finger at Caesar. "Hey, don't jinx it, man. From what your bro told us, your portal tech was able to impress freaking _Azmuth_ , and he's never impressed."

"He's right, Caesar." Max assured. "If your Dimensional Doorway can work at the size it is now, it can surely work at a much bigger size."

Rex gave his brother a thumbs up. "They're speaking what I'm thinking, _hermano_. You've got this, I know you do."

" _Thanks Rex, really."_ Caesar bowed his head. _"Trust me, I'm gonna need a lot of luck if I wanna pull this—"_ Suddenly, Caesar was cut off when the sound of a small commotion began to make its way over the call. From the sounds of it, it sounded like it was coming from behind a closed door. Caesar swiveled around in his chair to face something off screen. _"What the—what's going on out there?!"_ There then came the sound of a pair of automatic doors sliding open, and Caesar's eyes widened in shock. _"Hey! How did you get in here, man?"_

The unmistakable sounds of three voices grunting in exertion came over the call, followed by two voices that Rex recognized far too well; _"You aren't cleared to be in here, kid!"_ Came a militant yet calm voice.

" _C'mon ya freakin' ginger!"_ A gruff, Brooklyn accented voice came next. _"Ya can't be in here right now! You'll get yer chance soon!"_

Rex's eyes widened as he got up from the couch. "Six?! Bobo?! What's going on over there?"

" _I am NOT ginger!"_ Came another voice from over the call. This one was a male voice that Rex didn't recognize… however, it was one that Gwen was VERY familiar with. _"Now let me go! I KNOW that you've managed to get communications up, I HEARD you through the intercom! My parents and I've been worried sick for the past week and a half, and so have my aunt and uncle! Please! I just want to make sure they're alright!"_

At that point, almost everyone in the room was clamoring about, wondering what the heck was going on. The only exceptions were Gwen and Feedback, the latter being to stunned at the voice he had just heard while the former was visibly shaking in disbelief. _'Is it… really him?'_ The bickering on the other end of the call continued for a little while longer before Gwen got up and yelled; "ENOUGH!" shocking everyone into silence. After a long pause, Gwen took a deep breath to calm herself, though her hands were still slightly trembling. "Please… whoever is holding him back… let him go." Her voice wavered as she spoke with finality; "Please, let my brother in!"

Caesar, as well as everyone else, was stunned at Gwen's demand. However, Caesar looked back off screen and nodded, giving the okay to let the man in. In only three seconds, two new individuals entered the frame. The first was a tall, stoic man in a green three-piece suit. He wore a pair of sunglasses over his eyes and had short black hair, plus a soul patch on his chin. The other was far and away from being human, a chimpanzee to be more specific. He wore a set of dingy clothes, colored a grayish-green with blue trim and cuffs around his wrists. But the most ridiculous thing about his attire was the red fez and eyepatch that he wore over his left eye. A wide smile came to Rex's face when he saw them. "Six! Bobo!"

At the same time, Nora let out an elated scream as she zoomed right up to the screen again. "AH! It's the talking monkey!"

On the holo-screen, Bobo's eyes widened at the screaming girl. _"Gah! Geez, ya crazy dame, can't ya give a simian some space?"_ The EVO chimp moved his head to look past her and sent a smirk to Rex. _"Heya chief, how's it hangin'?"_

Rex shrugged. "Eh, pretty good actually. Kicked some bad guy butt today, so there's that."

" _I see."_ Agent Six spoke up. _"So then the villains DID get transported there like Azmuth thought. Then this most likely WILL be harder than we anticipated."_ A small smile came to Six's face. _"Still, good to see that you're okay, Rex."_ However, his smile slightly increased when he turned to Doctor Holiday. _"Hello, Rebecca. I'm glad to see that you're alright."_

Holiday smirked back at the agent. "What, you thought I wouldn't be?"

" _No, I know that you can handle yourself in any situation."_ Six's smile grew softer. _"But still, it's good to be reassured of that."_

"I know." Holiday gave the Agent a sly wink. "Miss you."

" _Hmm, miss you too."_ Six reciprocated before shifting his eyes to the one remaining person off screen, his stoic expression returning. _"Come on now. You're the one who couldn't wait."_

Gwen was stunned when she saw him walk into frame, so much so that he had to cover her mouth with her hands to keep her from crying out. The young man was in his early twenties. He had short, red hair on the top of his head and had a set of emerald green eyes which were focused solely on Gwen, relief flooding them the moment they did. He wore a blue jean jacket over a white t-shirt, a pair of brown khakis and white sneakers adorning his lower half. The emotions in his voice could be practically heard when he greeted his little sister. _"Hi, short stuff. I… I'm glad to see you're all safe and sound."_

Gwen couldn't hold it back anymore. She got up from the couch to stand directly in front of the screen. She wanted to reach in and pull him into a hug, and it pained her that she couldn't do it. She let the tears flow as she cried out his name. "Kenny!" At that, Kevin immediately got up and put his arms around her, comforting her until she was ready to speak again. "Wh-what are you doing there? I thought you were in New York City, trying to find a job!"

" _Heh, well, I WAS."_ Ken rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. _"But things with the apartment didn't work out well. Plus, the fact that I heard what happened to you guys was another factor in me coming back home, of course."_ The older brother sent a nod to the Osmosian comforting his sister. _"Kevin, good to see you."_

"Same here, man." Kevin smirked back.

" _And Ben, Grandpa."_ Ken turned his head up to the Conductoid and the old man. _"I'm really glad that you two are okay too."_

"Hey Ken!" Feedback waved.

"Good to see you too, Kenny." Max smiled back. "How're your folks doing?"

As the conversation continued, the three teams of Hunters continued to whisper amongst themselves. "So this is Gwen's brother, huh?" Yang asked. "I remember her mentioning him a few times, but I never imagined him being so… normal-looking."

"Yes, supposedly he was the "coolest person ever" if I recall her saying." Weiss recalled

Ruby rolled her eyes. "So cool that he named his car the "Awesome-mobile", hehe!"

"Ha! No way!" Jaune laughed. " _Please_ tell me that it's not as awesome as it sounds."

However, their conversation was cut short when Ken himself took notice. _"Uh… why are those guys talking about me?"_ The group of ten teens halted their conversation and all spun back in panic, with Ken giving them an inquisitive stare. _"And for that matter… who ARE they?"_

Six spoke up as well. _"Yes, I've been wanting to ask the same thing."_

Weiss let out an exasperated sigh. "Here we go again." After the teens reintroduced themselves to Six, Ken, and Bobo, Weiss went on from there, pointing to the general and her sister. "And finally, this is General Ironwood of the Atlesian Army and my sister, Winter. Got all that?"

Ken scratched his head. _"Well, I think so, but I—"_ But Ken cut himself off when his eyes strayed over to the left, which just so happened to be where Winter was standing. He felt his mouth open a little bit, his mind completely blown away by just how beautiful the white-haired woman on the other side of the screen was. It took all the willpower he could muster just to say; _"Uh… hi."_

Winter's eyes had widened in surprise when Ken's gaze had fixated on her. However, as she continued to look at him, she found herself going over his face, noting different little details like the small dimples in the corners of his cheek when he smiled, the way his eyebrows parted upward when he was nervous, and how bright his green eyes really were. _'He is SO cute!'_ She was taken off guard when he had finally greeted her and her only response was a last minute; "Oh… hello."

Weiss wore a devious smile as she saw the hints of a blush on her sister's face. _'Jackpot!'_

This was something that Gwen had noticed too. _'Oh, Kenny, you sly dog.'_ But she pushed the thought away for now, resolving to come back to it later. "So Kenny, how ARE our parents doing? Are they okay?"

Ken's eyes snapped back to his sister, stammering as he regained his thoughts. _"O-OH! Y-yeah, they're fine, but they'll be even better when they find out that you guys are all alive and well. I mean, we were all planning to come together, but we didn't know when you'd be able to get communications up, so mom, dad, Aunt Sandra and Uncle Carl asked me to check in at base every once and a while to see when or even IF you'd be able to get communications working."_ Ken rubbed the back of his head. _"It just so happened that I was here when Caesar announced the big news over the intercom."_

Gwen gave him her best judgmental stare. "So your first reaction to that was to storm to the comm room? Wouldn't it be better to, oh, I don't know, ASK to be let in first?"

" _Okay, yeah, I know. Not my smartest decision."_ Ken gave Gwen a well-meaning smile. _"But can you blame me? I was worried about my family."_

Gwen's harsh stare began to soften as a smile of her own took his place. She let out a sigh and shook her head. "What AM I going to do with you?"

" _Heh, you've been asking that since you entered high school. But let me ask you guys something; what the heck have you guys been up to for the past two weeks? I mean, you guys made some friends, obviously, but knowing you guys, there must be more going on."_ At Ken's behest, the next hour was nothing but everyone divulging the past couple of weeks events onto Ken, Caesar, Six and Bobo in full. By the end of it all, the four on the other end of the call had mixed reactions. Both Ken and Bobo's jaws were hanging down, Six kept his stoic expression, though his right eyebrow was raised in intrigue. The only one who wasn't affected as much was Caesar, but only because he was briefly summarized on it all before hand. Ken shook his head to compose himself before finally speaking again. _"Well… that's quite the tale."_

"More than just a tale, young man." Ironwood corrected. "What you've just heard is one hundred percent real… and is to not be mentioned to anyone outside of this call. Understood?"

Six gave Ironwood a nod. _"Understood, general. Although the common person will probably still find it hard to believe."_

"Yeah, but imagine what living through it firsthand would be like." Jaune spoke up. "After all, we did, and look at where we are now."

Pyrrha placed her hands on her hips. "Indeed. And it seems that things just never get any easier for us, especially after what happened today."

" _I'm sure, and I'm sorry that you guys had to go through what happened to your school too."_ Ken added. _"I admit that this has all been a lot to take in at once…"_ His eyes then shifted to his cousin, who had a certain blonde leaning against his shoulder. _"But I gotta say, I never would've expected my cousin to find romance in an alternate dimension of all places. And with such a nice girl to boot!"_

Yang waved her hand to the redheaded boy. "Aw, you flatter me, Kenny."

Feedback let out a tired chuckle. "Yep, Yang's all that." However, the laughter began to slow as Feedback's single eye began to flitter close. But the moment he started to lean forward, the Conductoid's eye snapped open and he jolted back up, almost pulling the communication device fly off of the coffee table with his still-connected tendrils. "AH! I'm up, mom! I'm up!"

Yang put a hand on Feedback's shoulder with concern. "Ben! Are you alright?!"

Six also noticed this and came to a quick conclusion. _"Ben must be getting tired from all of the energy he's been using. We've been on the comm for an hour and a half now. It's probably time for us to shut it down."_

" _Ay, at least for now."_ Caesar concurred before waving to his brother. _"Make sure to keep in touch, though. Alright, hermano?"_

Bobo sent a two-fingers salute. _"Yeah, otherwise when we get there, I'm gonna pound some sense into ya for only callin' once."_

"Heh, don't worry, we'll call in from time to time." Rex reassured with a wave. "Take care, guys. Talk to you soon." From the corner of his eye, Rex saw Holiday blow Six a kiss, to which the green-clad agent pressed to fingers to his lips. _'Jeez, could they BE any sappier?'_ The young EVO smirked with an eyeroll.

" _Speaking of keeping in touch…"_ Ken added before pointing to Gwen and Feedback, _"I want you guys to call tomorrow morning at around ten o'clock. I've got a surprise for you two."_

The Conductoid and Anodite shared a glance before going back at the screen. "Our parents want to talk to us, right?" Gwen guessed.

" _Hah, I could never get anything past you, Gwen."_ Ken winked before waving out to everyone. _"It was good to meet you all! And I hope to speak with you guys again soon!"_ As everyone said their goodbyes, Ken glanced over to Winter with a small, sheepish smile. _"Hehe, um… bye."_

Winter was taken aback just a slight bit by the young man focusing on her, but she managed to whisper out a small; "…Bye.", as well as give a tiny wave before the screen turned off, much to her dismay. _'DRAT! That's all you could manage, Winter? A weak "bye"?! You could have at least added the "good" in front of it!'_ But then, the rational part of her brain began to pipe up. _'Well, he also only said "bye" …so perhaps he is nervous too?'_

Weiss could see the conflicted expression that Winter wore on her face, which only confirmed her suspicions further. _'Oh, this is going to be fun.'_ However, just as she was about to start scheming, a bright emerald flash caught her attention. She moved back around to see that Ben had transformed back to normal… and he had instantly gone to sleep, his limbs strewn about on the couch. "Wow, I guess that DID take a lot out of him."

"I should say so." General Ironwood commented. "He gave a lot of energy to send such a powerful signal across the dimensional plane. He must be exhausted."

"How long do you think he'll be out?" Neptune asked.

"Not too long." Max answered. "When he pushes his aliens to the point that he need sleep, Ben usually only needs an hour or so before he wakes up."

"Oh, okay then." Yang grinned before pecking Ben's cheek. "Sweet dreams, Green Boy. After the day you've had, you deserve 'em."

"So, what should we do while the big guy's asleep?" Jaune asked.

At that moment, Pyrrha's eyes lit up as she looked over to Gwen. "Oh, Gwen! Why don't you show us your Nintendo Switch? I've been _dying_ to see what it can do!"

"Ooh, that sounds great!" Nora exclaimed before getting shushed by the entire room for Ben's sake. "Woops, sorry." she whispered.

"No problem." Gwen assured. "And yeah, that does sound like a good idea. I'll meet you guys upstairs in a second, okay?"

"Very well." Ren agreed. "Come on, everyone, let's go."

As everyone began leaving the room, Blake gave Sun's sleeve a small tug to get his attention. "Say, I don't know about you, but I've got my appetite back." She said with a smile. "Wanna go outside and eat where nobody will bother us?"

Sun gave her a wink. "Sure, sounds great. Then afterwards, maybe we can FINALLY watch a horror movie like Ben said we would."

"Oh yeah, I nearly forgot about that." Blake recalled. "Halloween's getting closer and we still haven't watched a single horror movie yet. We've got to fix that, pronto."

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" Rex exclaimed as he walked up next to them. "Halloween is in TWO days?! Since when? It's the middle of June! Unless this dimension celebrates Summerween, I'm going to need some context here!"

Once Gwen had explained to Rex that Remnant was a season ahead of Ben's universe, everyone went their separate ways, with Blake and Sun taking what remained of their lunch outside while everyone else went upstairs to Qrow's room, where Gwen's Nintendo Switch lied in wait. Meanwhile, Max, Ironwood, and Winter went into the kitchen to talk with Tai and Athena about what transpired during the call. However, just as she was about to climb the stairs, Weiss suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder, causing her to turn around and come face to face with the Anodite. "Oh, hey Gwen, what's up?"

A sly smirk came to Gwen's face. "Okay, Weiss, _please_ tell me that I'm not the only one who saw that?"

Weiss blinked twice before realizing what Gwen was talking about. A wicked grin worked its way onto the heiress' face. "You mean the fact that your brother and my sister were making lovey-dovey eyes at each other? Yeah, I saw that."

"Then I think we both know what has to be done, right?"

"Oh, I do." Weiss and Gwen shook hands before the heiress declared; "Operation: Long Distance Relationship is a go!"

* * *

**A/N: Well guys, there you have it. The end of the Feedback Arc. And with it, Rex has become acquainted with Cooper and Team CFVY, Blake and Sun went on a nice little date, and most importantly, we got caught up with Six, Bobo, and Caesar, with a surprise appearance from Gwen's brother, Kenny! Though from the looks of things, a certain pair of little sisters have plans for their older siblings. I've gotta say though, this whole arc is one that I'm particularly proud of. I just really enjoyed writing it, and I'm looking forward to writing the future arcs that I've got planned as well. But like I said at the beginning, we've still got an epilogue to go, and it just so happens to be on the week of the one-year anniversary of this story (again, at the time of this writing). So tune in NEXT TIME as we see what Salem's up to with Viktor's body… and how she intends to revive him. Meanwhile, Ben wakes up and gets ready to finally show everyone a horror movie from his dimension… and what better way to start than with a Universal classic? Until next time guys! See ya!**


	55. The Modern Prometheus

**A/N: (Okay, so to all of my AO3 readers out there, this chapter was dropped on the one-year anniversary of me posting this story to FFN, and I've gotta say, it was a heck of a ride up to that point. So, I decided to leave both Author's Notes in tact for your enjoyment...)**

***Author emerges from behind a large red curtain in his best three-piece suit* Why good evening, my friends. Surprised to see me a day early? Well, I wanted to get this chapter out on this day specifically. Why? BECAUSE IT'S OUR ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY! Yes, on this day, August 29, one year ago, I began this journey, and a LOT has happened since that day, both in the story itself and in my own life. But I have to say, the only reason I had ever got this far is because of all of you! You guys' awesome comments and support are what keep me and this story going, and for that, I am so very appreciative of each and every one of you. So give yourselves a round of applause for being awesome!**

**Alright, onto the chapter itself! Now, a word of friendly warning; this chapter is inspired by one of the strangest stories ever told. It will thrill you, shock you, and maybe even** _**horrify** _ **you. So, if anyone feels brave enough to go on… well, you've been warned.**

**Now that the opening parody's out of the way, let's begin! This is…**

**Chapter 55: The Modern Prometheus**

* * *

The Land of Darkness was a place that one would never consider all that bright. In fact, most of the light from outside came from Remnants shattered moon, as well as the large purple crystals that jutted from the ground. When combined, these two things gave off an eerie sensation of dread, with the roaming Grimm adding further to it. But even then, things were still dark, though the sky would often have a red tinge to it. However, on this particular evening, there was no red tinge. The moon wasn't out, and not even the iridescent glow of the crystals could provide any light. Instead, the entirety of the land was overcast with dark storm clouds, with rain pouring down in sheets. The only instance where any light showed itself was whenever a crackle of lightning shot down from the sky, hitting the ground wherever it decided to strike. But whenever it did, the large silhouette of an imposing building could be seen towering over the land.

It was here, in the large gothic structure of Salem's castle, where the witch herself was making her way up one of the many towers, ascending to its very top. She was in a very… mixed mood. On the one hand, her enemies had received a new ally in the form of a young man who could make giant weapons out of his limbs, which was by all means NOT good. And what's more, she had to pull Rojo off of her mission in order to spy on them and see just what this new adversary was capable of. However, on the other hand, thanks to Rojo taking advantage of a certain situation, Salem now had another potential addition to her cause, which she was now on her way to see.

' _This could prove quite useful.'_ Salem thought to herself as she climbed the stairs. _'If the creature is as powerful as Rojo claims, then it may make a useful mindless pawn. And if it truly can control my Grimm through their brain impulses, then their combined destructive force could be astronomical!'_ Salem wasn't one to anticipate many things. However, she couldn't help the sinister grin that came to her face as she finally came to the door. "This will most assuredly be quite the advantage."

The witch composed herself and opened the door, stepping into the room she had made her way to; Watts' old laboratory. In contrast to the newer, more advanced lab in the basement, this was the kind that most people would associate with "mad scientists". A bunch of old, outdated computers and machines had lined the walls, covered in a fine layer of dust, as nobody had bothered to actually move them out. In the middle of the room was a large upward-facing slab, with a large piston keeping it attached to the floor beneath it. There was a large white cloth draped over the slab… and something humanoid was most assuredly underneath it.

Leaning right next to the slab itself was Rojo, the bounty hunter smirking wickedly as Salem entered the room. "Hey, Boss Lady! How're you this evening?"

"Fairly well, Rojo." Salem answered calmly before focusing on the drape-covered person on the slab. "So, this is the creature that gave our little heroes so much trouble today?" She glanced over to Rojo. "Why is he covered in a sheet?"

Rojo gave her a shrug. "Well, I didn't think anyone would wanna see him in the light. Trust me, he's one UGLY motherfucker."

Salem raised a single brow. "Rojo, do remember that I am one who resides in darkness and can create creatures of great fear. Whether this monster is ugly or not is none of my concern."

Rojo shrugged again before grabbing at the cloth. "Eh, suit yourself." And with that, Rojo pulled the drape off, revealing the creature in his full visage. "Behold; the good Doctor Viktor!" The bounty hunter exclaimed in an over-the-top, spooky fashion.

As expected, Salem didn't flinch at the Transylian's appearance. In fact, she was more intrigued than anything. _'Hmm, this creature is quite horrific. If he were not an alien, I would no doubt be questioning the existence of such a horrendous being. Still…'_ Salem turned her gaze back to Rojo. "Why did you address him as "doctor"? Is there yet more that he is capable of?"

"Well, I've only heard rumors about him," Rojo began, "but apparently, ol' Vikky here was one of the smartest villains that Benji ever faced. Back about eight years ago, Vik was an underling of some crackpot alien phantom named "Ghostfreak". These guys tried to do exactly what you're trying to do right now, drown the world in darkness. And from what I heard, he was the greatest criminal master mind in the Anur Transyl system before he was captured."

THAT piqued Salem's interest. "Really now?" She focused back onto Viktor in silent contemplation, weighing her options on what to do with that information. _'If I revive him as is, I have a mindless rampaging monster at my command… but if I restore his mind, I will have another intelligent mind on my side. And either way, he can still control my Grimm. If I restore his mind, however, he might seize the opportunity to betray me with my own creations… but we still have a common enemy in Tennyson. Perhaps I may be able to convince him—'_

"Uh, Boss Lady?"

"What?!" Salem snapped, catching Rojo off guard as a dark power began to radiate off of her. Realizing that she had lashed out unintentionally, Salem calmed herself before addressing Rojo again. "My apologies, Rojo. I was in the middle of thinking when you spoke up. What is it?"

"Uh… yeah." Rojo managed to get out. That was the first time that Salem had snapped at her, and whether intentional or not, it put the fear of god in her. "I was just going to ask if I could get back to my mission now? Cindy and the others should be arriving in Altas by now and I don't wanna keep 'em waiting."

"Of course, join them." Salem nodded before facing the Transylian once again. "And by the time you return, there will most likely be a new face wandering these halls."

"If you say so, Boss Lady." Rojo bowed her head in respect before heading out the door, leaving Salem with the still comatose Viktor.

The witch approached the tall, monstrous alien in intrigue, reaching her hand all the way up to inspect his face. _'Just what is your mind capable of, Doctor Viktor?'_

* * *

Ben's eyes slowly began to flutter open, though he wouldn't lie, he wished that they would just stay closed for just a little while longer. _'Ugh, c'mon! Just a few more minutes?'_ He thought pleadingly to himself. _'If I'm gonna wake up, I at least need some incentive, or else I'm just curling up and—'_

"Morning sleepyhead." Came the mirthful voice of a certain someone, followed by a peck on the lips. "How're you doing, baby?"

He could practically feel the smile on her lips from that quick kiss. _'…She is my one weakness.'_ Ben peeked open one eye and smiled at Yang, who was currently propping herself over him with her long blonde hair flowing down past her face and next to his, shading them both from the light. "Hi there."

"Hello." Yang chuckled as she lowered her head closer to his face. "Glad to see you're awake."

"Hmm, well, I didn't expect to crash like that myself." Ben admitted as his eyes fully opened. "Man, I haven't had to sleep like that after a transformation in a LONG time."

"Your grandpa said that it happened in the past." Yang mentioned. "I'm guessing it was mostly as a kid?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Ben confirmed. A short pause went by before the hero sent his girlfriend a smirk with a quirked brow. "So… you plan hanging above me for the rest of the day?"

Yang giggled at his little quip. "Hehe, maybe." She shot him a sultry look. "What're you gonna do about it, Green Boy?"

"Oh, I don't know… how about this?!" Ben smiled as he quickly put an arm around Yang's waist and pulled her in toward him, causing the Blonde Brawler to let out a delighted yelp of surprise. However, the speed at which she came down caused them both to roll off the couch together, though in the end, Ben was still on the bottom. But the couple didn't exactly care at that point as their lips had already collided in a passionate, loving kiss. It wasn't anything all that graceful, as the two found themselves laughing into the kiss as they went on. All the same, they could feel each other become more heated, but unfortunately, the need for air was too great for them to continue, so they were forced to separate.

As Yang steadily breathed in and out, the rising and falling of their chests in perfect sync, she let out a blissful sigh as she rested her head into Ben's shoulder, followed by another giggle. "Hehe, that was great. You really know how to please a girl, Ben."

"I'm glad to be of service, Goldie Locks." Ben smiled as he placed his hand on her back, the couple finally settling down into a comfortable position. As he gazed up at her beautiful face, the hero couldn't help but think; _'How did I ever end up with someone as great as her?'_ He kissed her forehead and said; "So, are you excited? In five or six days, you'll finally be able to come back with us to my world."

"Give or take." Yang reminded him. "But yeah, I'm SUPER hyped up about it." A smirk came to the blonde's face. "Gotta admit though, that idea Nora came up with was freakin' sweet. A spaceship with a giant portal gun strapped to it? _Metal_."

"No kidding." Ben grinned. "But that's Nora for ya, always keeps you guessing. So… what do you think we should do now?"

"I dunno." Yang shrugged. "We could just… lay here together."

"Sounds nice, but it'd probably be more comfortable if we were on the couch."

"Good point."

Suddenly, a new voice entered the conversation. "What the heck are you guys doing down there?" Ben and Yang craned their heads up to see Blake and Sun standing behind the couch, their eyes focused squarely on them. "Is this your idea of relaxing?" Blake asked with a smirk. "Because if it is, there are better angles that you could be doing it from."

"Yeah, yeah." Yang waved the comment off. "If you two were in our position, I doubt you guys would be complaining."

Sun crossed his arms, his demeanor unwavering. "Yeah, well at least we cuddle in a comfier place than the floor. Do you know what that does to your back?"

Ben smirked right back. "Wait, you two cuddle?"

"Could we please move on?" Blake requested as a slight hint of pink came to her face. "Because if we continue like this, we're not going to get anywhere."

"Eh, fair point." Ben admitted as he and Yang got up from the ground. The two couples sat back down on the couch and the hero turned to the three in inquiry. "So, what happened while I was out? Did Ironwood and Winter leave yet?"

"No, those two and Holiday are in the other room, talking with Tai, Athena and your gramps." Sun answered. "They're just going over what's gonna happen tomorrow. Apparently, we're going to be heading back to Beacon in the afternoon at some point, but that should leave you plenty of time to call your folks."

"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about that." Ben smiled as he shifted his eyes over to Yang. "Guess your meeting my parents a lot earlier than I anticipated."

"And I can't freaking wait!" Yang exclaimed as she hugged her boyfriend in excitement. "If they're anything like how you described, then I'm really looking forward to talking to them." She let out a laugh and said; "Though if what you said about your mom is true, she might think I'm a bit weird."

"Heh, I wouldn't worry about that." Ben chortled. "She's dealt with A LOT weirder… just ask my dad. He's in his forties and keeps an entire collection of G1 Transformers and G.I. Joes from his childhood in our basement… and it's as awesome as you think it is."

Yang's eyes widened at that. "Wow, now I can see where your nerdy side comes from."

"Yeah, my dad's kind of the most chill one in my family... but then again, mom's pretty chill too, just more in a "healthy" sort of way." He whispered into Yang's ear; "Her cooking's not as gross as grandpa's is, but it's still pretty gnarly. I wouldn't recommend it."

"Heh, noted." Yang smirked. "So, any ideas on what we should do with the rest of our day?"

"Well," Blake spoke up, "Sun and I were wondering if we could finally watch a horror movie from your world, seeing as Rex's arrival last night kind of stopped that from happening."

"Oh, right!" Ben smacked his forehead. "I forgot that we were going to do that, weren't we?" However, the hero suddenly stopped when a memory from earlier resurfaced in his mind. "Hold on, I made a promise to Yang earlier that I would show her a certain horror series, and I think it might be a great place to start."

"Oh, yeah, "Frankenstein", right?" Yang nodded. "The monster you said Viktor looked like if it was fused with a generator."

"Alright, already lost." Sun raised his hands up in the air. "Context, please?"

"For that, we'll need to watch the movie." Ben replied. "Now, where's everybody else?"

"I think they're all upstairs." Blake answered. "Something about playing Gwen's Nintendo Switch. They've been up there for almost an hour and a half and none of them have come down."

Ben gave a solemn nod. "Yeah, I didn't see Gwen for almost a whole week when she got her Switch… maybe we should go up there."

* * *

Up in Qrow's room, everyone was gathered around the television as Gwen closed the first game that they had played before going on to the next one. It had been an hour and a half since she and her friends had come upstairs to witness just what her Nintendo Switch was able to do, and she could tell that they were all having a blast already. She had WANTED Pyrrha to play Breath of the Wild, but the Invincible Girl respectfully declined, reasoning being that she wanted to finish Ocarina of Time first. "Besides, if what you say about Breath of the Wild is true, then I may need to mentally prepare myself for it first." Pyrrha had reasoned.

"Hmm, fair point." Gwen admitted. So, after much thought, the young Anodite decided to start everyone out on something small and familiar; Pokémon. More specifically; Pokkén Tournament DX. She made sure that everyone had a turn, and fortunately, everyone had found a Pokémon that suited them; Empoleon for Weiss, Suicune for Neptune, Aegislash for Jaune, Blaziken for Pyrrha, Sceptile for Ren, Machamp for Nora, and shockingly, Garchomp for Ruby.

"You _like_ that terrifying beast?" Weiss said in shock. "I know that I'm playing Pokémon now, but even _I_ think that looks scary!"

"It has _scythes_ on its _arms_." Ruby emphasized. "There is nothing else to discuss."

Gwen, Rex and even Kevin got in on the action, going with Gardevoir, Lucario and Mewtwo respectively. "I like how the two dudes who _aren't_ native to this dimension are just casually picking out the most popular Mons." Rex pointed out to Kevin.

"Hey, as long as it's not the annoying electric rat or the overhyped fire not-dragon, I see no problem." Kevin surmised.

"Ben probably would use Pikachu just to spite you guys." Gwen remarked with a smile. "And I can totally see Yang wrecking you with Charizard."

It had been a somewhat difficult task for everyone to get a hang of the controls, especially since the only option for two-player controls were the two individual joy-cons which were very tiny and awkward, but everybody was able to get the hang of it with a little practice. But, once everyone had gone up against each other, Gwen had resolved that it was time to move on to something else. "That was just the warm up." She explained. "Now it's time to get serious." She put the joy-cons back onto the grip and selected the next game; Super Mario Odyssey. "I originally wanted to introduce you to Mario through Super Mario _World_ , but we can play that another time."

"Okay, so what IS Mario, anyway?" Neptune asked.

"Well, canonically, he's supposed to be an Italian "Plumber" from New York City. But as the series went on, Mario's backstory's come into question, because its obvious that he does NOT live in the same world as ours." Gwen gestured to the TV. "As we'll soon see in this very game."

"Well then, what're we waiting for?" Ruby said excitedly. "Let's go!" With the Hooded Huntress' declaration, Gwen started the game proper, triggering the opening cutscene. A black screen with white text read; _"In the skies above Peach's castle"_ before showing what appeared to be a large, flying pirate ship. On said ship, Mario and a large turtle-dragon in a white tuxedo and top hat were doing battle, with the beast breathing a ball of fire from his mouth. "Whoa! What's that thing?" Ruby asked.

"That would be Bowser." Gwen answered. "He's Mario's sworn enemy who's always trying to kidnap the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom; Peach." The Anodite pointed to the blonde girl in the pink dress and tiara. "And this time, he's deadest on finally marrying her."

Back on the screen, Bowser growled, with the caption reading; _"This is the end"_ , before throwing his top hat at Mario, knocking the plumber's own hat off into the air. However, just as it seemed the plumber could continue fighting, the hat came back around and knocked Mario off of the ship, causing Peach to scream out his name in horror. Boswer stomped on Mario's hat before grabbing Peach. _"Time for my wedding with Peach! Jealous Mario?!"_ The turtle dragon laughed in victory before his ship flew off, its propellers chopping up Mario's hat in the process.

"Wow, what a jerk." Nora commented.

"Indeed." Ren agreed. "We're only a minute in and the villain has already won."

"Not quite yet." Gwen pointed to the screen. "Check it out." On the TV, the remains of Mario's hat were grabbed out of the air by a little… hat-ghost, who could only watch as the ship sailed out of sight. "That is Cappy, he's got a special little power that's going to help us on this adventure…" She took the joy-cons off of the grip and slid the wrist straps onto them before giving them to Ruby. "Would you like the first go, Ruby?"

"WOULD I?!" Ruby shouted excitedly. Gwen slipped the straps onto Ruby's wrists and the Hooded Huntress grabbed hold of the joy-cons, ready to start the game. From there, the game began, and after a few minutes, Ruby started getting a hang of the controls. There were still a few things she'd have to get used to in terms of the motion controls, but Gwen assured her that she'd get used to it.

"Trust me, it takes a while, but it gets easier to do with time." The Anodite smiled.

"If you say so." Ruby nodded before moving on. The silver-eyed girl had to admit, there was something REALLY addicting to collecting coins and hearing the "bling!" that came with them, though that only hurt more when she accidentally jumped over the edge and killed Mario, causing ten coins to be redacted. "Oof, okay, don't get killed." After making her way into the Top-Hat Tower, she got an odd caption from Cappy; _'That ledge is awfully high. Hmm… try throwing me at a frog.'_

"What the heck is throwing a hat at a frog going to do?" Jaune asked.

"Well, I imagine that there's only one way to find out." Pyrrha shrugged.

Swiftly taking Pyrrha's advice, Ruby flung Cappy at the frog and he stuck himself to its head… and then Mario got sucked into the frog itself. "Wait! I didn't ask for this!" Ruby hollered as Mario fell down a long, watery tube. At the end of it all, the frog's eyes had changed to those of Mario… and had gained his mustache as well. "Um… EXCUSE ME?!"

"Possession!" Gwen cheered happily. "That's Cappy's main gimmick! You can now take over enemies as well as anything else in the world that's compatible!"

"Huh." Ruby paused before a smile came to her face. "Neat!" After scaling the inner part of Top-Hat tower via leap-frogging, Ruby went out the next door and went to the very top of the structure, where she ended up meeting; "EW! Those are some ugly rabbits!" After the bunny quartet introduced themselves as "The Broodals", the shortest one in the green suit and top hat jumped off of the ship they had arrived on, with two more top hats appearing on his head. "Whoa, wait, is this a boss battle?!"

"Yep, and there's a really easy trick to it… keep tossing your hat at him!" Gwen pointed at the screen for emphasis. "No matter what he does, just keep flinging your hat! And when his head is exposed, ground pound on him!"

"Um, okay?" As hesitant as she was, Ruby did as Gwen advised, and sure enough, Ruby beat the Broodal in twenty seconds flat. "Okay, wow, that was too easy."

"Yeah, are you sure we're the right age group for this?" Weiss asked.

Gwen smiled over to the heiress. "Weiss, Mario games aren't meant to be extremely hard, it's a game that you enjoy because you want to have fun. And while yes, there are some decent challenges later on, it's still comes off more as a test of skill rather than a war of attrition."

"I see…" Weiss focused back on the screen to see that Ruby had thrown her hat onto a large lightbulb attached to a wire, which Mario ended up possessing. The now electrified plumber began conducting his way down the wire and off to the next Kingdom as the title of the game appeared overhead. "Wait a second, that was ALL the intro?"

"Yep, this was just the tutorial world." Gwen confirmed. "The real challenge starts NOW."

But, just as they were about to go on to the next world, Ben and Yang entered the room, with the hero giving a big wave to them all. "Hey everybody! How're things going in here? Everyone's still alive right?"

Neptune's eyes widened at that. "Uh, yeah? Why do you ask?"

"Because I didn't see Gwen for almost a week when she got her Switch and I don't want the same to happen to you guys." Ben answered cheekily.

Everyone in the room focused their eyes on Gwen, who had an extremely guilty look on her face. "W-well, YEAH, uh, so?" Gwen crossed her arms indignantly. "Sometimes a girl with a schedule like mine needs a break every once and a while." She glanced off to the side with a smirk. "It WAS one of the best spring breaks of my life, actually."

"Heh, yeah." Kevin chuckled. "If I remember, you made it half-way through Breath of the Wild in that time. Man, that takes me back." The Osmosian glanced back over to the green-clad hero. "So Tennyson, what's up? Have a good nappy-wappy?"

"Why yes, thank you for asking." Ben said proudly, not caring that Kevin just used baby-talk. "And as for why we're up here, we thought it would be a great idea to finally watch some horror movies for Halloween. So, whaddya say?"

Ruby's face fell in disappointment. "Aw, but we were just getting started on Mario Odyssey."

"Don't worry, Rubes." Yang walked in the room and put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "The game's not going anywhere. Besides, Ben told me that this movie's only about an hour or so, so you won't be gone for very long." The blonde gave her a wink. "And who knows? This flick might be just up your alley."

Ruby's eyes shifted between the joy-cons and the screen before giving a relenting sigh. She slipped the controllers off of her wrists and stood up. "Alright, what're we watching?"

"Only one of the most important horror movies of them all!" Ben declared. "The second to ring in the sound era during the Golden Age of horror classics, and one that made a star out of actor Boris Karloff."

"Oh, I know where this is heading!" Kevin jumped up to his feet with Gwen not far behind. "Fighting Viktor put you into an undead mood, huh?"

"Indeed! Now, hurry, because Blake and Sun are already downstairs waiting for us." Ben took a dramatic pause. "…For tonight, we are watching… _Frankenstein_! AHAHAHA!"

* * *

A bolt of lightning struck the ground outside of Salem's castle, illuminating the structure with a brief flash of light. Inside of the highest tower, Animo flinched away from a nearby window as he, Watts and Tyrian all climbed up to the old lab that Salem wanted to meet them in. "Gah! What in the world is the mistress thinking? If we scale the tower any higher, we'll all become potential targets for the lightning."

"Calm down, Animo." Watts urged. "I assure you that we are all perfectly safe. Lady Salem has enchantments that protect her castle from the elements. The lightning could not hit us even if it tried."

"Hehehe, hey, who knows? Maybe we'll get lucky and get hit by it anyway! AHAHAHA!" Tyrian laughed uncontrollably. "Not that it would do ME any good, but something tells me that you two wouldn't fare any better! Heeheheehe!"

Animo rubbed his temples in annoyance. "How the mistress is able to tolerate your inane cackling is _beyond_ me."

Watts rolled his eyes before focusing them back in front of him as he continued scaling the stairs. "Still though, I have to wonder why she chose to have us meet in my old lab. I haven't set foot in that room in years. You see, when the mistress first recruited me, she attempted to provide me with technology herself. However, the machinery she provided was old and outdated…" He glanced toward Animo, "…even by YOUR world's standards."

"I see." Animo couldn't tell if that was an insult or not, but he decided not to question it. "Then I suppose you took things into your own hands, then?"

"Of course. I took the liberty of making my own lab with up to date technology." Watts coughed in his hand. "It, uh, took me a while before I was able to work up the courage to ask Lady Salem if I could do such a thing, but fortunately for me, she agreed."

"Hmm, I cannot see why she needs our assistance up here then." Animo surmised. "Unless…" The doctor craned his head up to the ceiling. "Unless she needs an experiment to be conducted at this elevation. Though why now during a lightning storm is beyond me."

"An excellent question, Doctor Animo." The three men snapped their heads forward to see Salem standing at the top of the steps, right outside of the laboratory door. She wore an indifferent expression as she set her gaze upon them. "I am thankful that you could all make it. We have much to do."

"Ah, mistress." Watts gave a respectful bow along with Animo and Tyrian. "To what do we owe the pleasure of being summoned by you?"

"I am aware that you are busy developing your mutation formula, however, we have recently come into possession of a rather… unique specimen that must be revived."

That caught Animo's attention. "Revived? You mean you wish for us to play God and rise the dead? My lady, please, be advised from someone who has done so in the past, it never ends well." The doctor grimaced. "Especially for the one who does the reanimating."

"Rest assured, Doctor Animo, what I wish for you to revive is not completely dead… only… mostly dead." Salem explained as she opened the door. "Behold." The witch sidestepped in order for the doctors and Tyrian to get a better look. The results were mixed; Animo's jaw dropped in shock while Watts let out a horrified gasp and stumbled back into the brick wall, though he nearly avoided tumbling down the stairs.

Tyrian, of course, couldn't help but cackle at what he was looking at. "Ahahaha! Whoa, the poor guy looks like he stepped right out of his grave… and he's still got one foot in it! Heheheehee!"

"Doctor Animo." Salem glanced over to the man in question. "I believe that you recognize our guest rather well."

"V-V-Viktor?!" Animo exclaimed. "B-But where did you FIND him?! Last I heard, he had been left in hardened metal and braindead by Tennyson!"

"Indeed, but he was somehow revived after being transported here." Salem said as she strode over to the lifeless Transylian. "However, after his mindless rampage, Tennyson drained all of the electricity from his body, causing him to revert back into his catatonic state." She turned back to the two scientists. "And that is where you two come in."

Watts became slightly pale at his mistress' insinuation. "My lady, please be reasonable! You cannot expect a mindless monster to follow your orders, let alone _take_ any. Reviving it would be a fool's errand."

"Then thankfully, I am no fool." Salem gave him a cold, side-long glare. "Am I, doctor?"

Watts instantly lowered his head. "N-no, of course not, my mistress."

Salem looked back up to Viktor's unsymmetrical features, taking in his full, deformed visage once again. "Rojo mentioned to me that Viktor was once a brilliant mastermind from the Anur Transyl system. He once corroborated with another to bring about everlasting darkness unto the planet Earth some years ago… but failed thanks to Tennyson." The witch moved back around to face the three men. "I'm certain that Viktor will know a way to bring about our goals even better than we intended."

"An interesting idea." Animo admitted as he and Tyrian walked into the room. "But how do you intend to restore his mind?"

"Remember, good doctor, that I have mastered the black arts over my long lifespan." Salem reached up and placed a hand on the side of Viktor's head. "While he is in his comatose state, I will simply use a spell to restore his true mind, and thus, he will have cognitive thought once again." She paused as she gazed up to the roof. Salem lifted her hand up and snapped her fingers, making the roof retract to make a large, rectangular hole in the ceiling. "All you two must do is assist with supplying the lightning."

"A simple lightning rod?" Watts asked. "Psh, child's play, I assure you, my lady."

"Then do it." Salem narrowed her eyes at the doctor. "And remember, the electricity must feed directly into his body, otherwise, this will not work."

Tyrian lumbered forward and bowed his head to his mistress. "Hehehehe, what about me, Lady Salem? Surely you called me here for a purpose?"

"Indeed, Tyrian." Salem nodded. "You shall operate the lift. When I lift the weather protection enchantment from around my castle, you must pull _that_ lever." Salem pointed to the large, metal switch on the far wall. "The slab that Viktor is on will then hoist up to the hole where the lightning will strike, and when I say so, you will lower the slab back down, understood?"

"Ahahaha! Oh yes, my lady, I understand completely!" Tyrian chortled as he shambled over to the lever, his wicked grin still on his face.

Animo walked over to Salem and bowed his head before whispering; "Pardon me if I am overstepping, Lady Salem, but why did you need Tyrian for this? Either Watts or I could have operated the lever ourselves."

Salem shifted her eyes over to the green-skinned man. "Because, unlike you or Watts, Tyrian is expendable." She whispered back. "If he is to die from being electrocuted, then so be it. His loss will not matter in the grand scheme of things when Viktor is brought back to life. Trade in the old for something new as the saying goes."

"Ah, I see." Animo concurred. _'It will definitely be quieter around here if he DOES die, that's for sure.'_ he thought to himself. "One last thing, when you restore Viktor's mind, how will you convince him to join our cause?"

A sinister grin made its way to Salem's features. "I have my ways, good doctor. I'm sure he will be willing to listen after hearing what I have to offer him." The witch looked upward toward the hole she had made, watching as the lightning danced through the sky. "Now hurry and begin constructing the lightning rod. We must make haste before the storm blows over us."

* * *

"How much popcorn do we really need?" Weiss inquired as she and Gwen stood in front of the microwave. "We already have three bowls full."

"Yeah, and we have at least over a dozen people down there." Gwen reminded. "We need at least four."

"Ugh, so much butter." Weiss groaned. "If one person were to eat all of this, they'd be sick to their stomachs for a week."

"Heh, no argument here." Gwen paused for a minute as a certain memory from earlier replayed in her head, making her smirk with devious intentions. "So, Weiss, what kind of guys is your sister into?"

Weiss glanced over before noticing the smirk on Gwen's face, to which she chuckled at. "Heh, evidence suggests your brother, Gwen. Why do you ask?"

"Well, Kenny's definitely got her attention from his looks… but still, one's outer appearance is only the tip of the iceberg." Gwen leaned against the counter as she crossed her arms in thought. "So, what does your sister like to see in a man? I'm sure you must have SOME idea, right? I mean, you've lived with her for most of your life."

"Well, you'd be right about that." Weiss sat down in a nearby chair. "Problem is, every guy she's dated turned out to be a snobby jerk from the Atlesian Elite." Weiss lowered her eyes to the ground. "And most of them were only interested in the Schnee fortune… not her."

Gwen placed her hand over her mouth, aghast at what Weiss had told her. "That's awful!"

"Yeah, it is." Weiss sighed. "It's one of the reasons why she left… other than our father, of course. Ever since she stopped dating, I noticed that she seemed less… happy, a bit colder than usual. Not to say that she was _un_ happy, but she definitely seemed a bit more distant, even before she left Atlas permanently." A smile slowly worked its way back to her face. "But I'm glad that she's willing to give love a second chance now." The heiress gave Gwen a knowing smirk. "Now, all WE have to do is—"

"Is what?" Gwen and Weiss jumped at the familiar voice before whirling around to the kitchen entrance. Standing there, tall and firm, was Winter, her icy stare boring into the two girls. "Mind telling me why we are talking about my love life all of a sudden? I'm curious about what exactly you girls are thinking of doing."

"W-Winter!" Weiss exclaimed. "I-I-I didn't know you were still here!"

"Indeed, I have decided to stay so that I may accompany you all to Beacon tomorrow." Winter explained. "General Ironwood has an important meeting with the Valian Army General and will not be able to make it, so he is sending me in his stead. Now…" The older Schnee's stare hardened slightly, "what exactly were you two planning?"

Weiss was reluctant to answer. "W-Well, we were just… uh… you know, we—"

However, Gwen came up and put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "I got this." Gwen stepped forward and stood right in front of Winter, crossing her arms with a confident smile. "Weiss and I were actually discussing the call from earlier, Winter."

"Really?" Winter tilted her head a little. "And that has to do with my love life… how, exactly?"

Gwen's smirk increased. "C'mon, Winter, I saw you making doe-eyes at my brother over the holo-screen. It's obvious that you have a little crush on him." Gwen was hoping that would get Winter to let up, maybe get a little blush on her face and make her stammer a bit. What she got was the complete opposite. Winter craned her head upward but kept her gaze solely on Gwen, her icy stare now glaring daggers into the Anodite. Gwen's confident demeanor quickly began to crumble as an frigid chill went up her spine, forcing her to take a few steps back.

Weiss quickly recognized the look that Winter was giving the redhead. "That would be the "Disappointed Older Sister" stare. It's the most powerful weapon in her arsenal."

That only made Gwen worry even more. "W-Winter? I-I'm sorry if I overstepped, I—"

Winter wordlessly closed her eyes, took a deep breath and exhaled before opening her icy blues back up. "I had a feeling that you would notice, Gwendolyn. You are a very perceptive young woman, and I respect that. However, you really shouldn't get too involved in the dealings of others. Your friends are one thing, but your friend's older sister is another." A smile finally came to the young woman's face. "I appreciate the offer, really, I do. But I am a grown woman, not a hormonal teenager. I can take care of myself in this situation." Winter sent Gwen a sly wink. "After all, this isn't my "first rodeo", so to speak."

"Oh, well… okay." Gwen complied, slightly disappointed. "If you don't need my help, then that's fine."

Winter continued to grin as she walked over and put a hand on Gwen's shoulder, the redhead immediately moving her eyes up to meet hers. "Tell me something, is Ken a nice person?"

The young Anodite was taken aback by the question at first. However, after letting it sink in, she gave Winter a nod. "Yes, he's really nice."

"Then that is all I need to know." Winter nodded. "Gwendolyn, I am truly flattered that you wished to help me with this endeavor, but I want to get to know your brother myself. If you spoil too much for me, there goes any surprise that might be instore for me."

"I understand." Gwen gave her a nod back. "You know, we're expecting to get a call from him and my parents' tomorrow, so you'd have the chance to speak with him again if you want."

"I am well aware." Winter confirmed. "Thank you for the offer, but I wouldn't want to interrupt your family reunion."

Weiss suddenly raised her hand. "Oh, you wouldn't be. Ruby, Yang, Blake and I are going to be there too. Yang wants to meet Ben's parents, so she thought it would be a good idea for us all to introduce ourselves." The heiress gave her sister a smirk. "C'mon, sis, why waste the opportunity?"

Winter glanced between her sister and Gwen, both girls offering very sincere smiles. The elder Schnee let out a relenting sigh. "Very well, if you insist on me being there, then I suppose I can make it." Winter quirked an eyebrow in Gwen's direction. "But don't get any ideas, alright? I am over the initial shock of meeting your brother, so I can speak for myself, is that clear?"

Gwen gave her a salute. "Crystal, ma'am."

"Excellent. Now, one last question…" Winter pointed over to the three bowlfuls of popcorn. "Why in the world would you need that much popcorn?"

Gwen and Weiss looked to each other before they each gave Winter a confused expression. "To… watch a movie?" Gwen answered. "Why? What did you think it was for?"

"I am simply confused as to why you need that much." Winter replied. "I am aware that you have well over a dozen people down stairs, but surely they will not be able to eat ALL of this popcorn."

"There are a total of seven guys down there." Weiss deadpanned. "I'll be shocked if they don't ask for more once they're through with their bowls." She gave her big sister a smile. "You wanna join us, Winter? Ben says that the movie that we're watching is a good one."

"Hmm, I suppose I could." Winter surmised. "What is it about?"

Gwen smirked devilishly as she began to explain the plot; "It's about one man's inhumane struggle to play God as he uses lightning to revive the stitched together corpse of many dead people that he fused into one! The result? A horrific monster! MWHAHAHA!"

Weiss and Winter both stared at the redhead wordlessly for a few seconds before the older of the two sisters spoke up again. "You are very passionate about this. I respect that. Also, I am in."

* * *

It had taken some time, but Watts and Animo had managed to piece together a workable lightning rod above the slab that Viktor was resting on. The large slab itself had been tipped back so that it was parallel to the floor, allowing the two doctors, as well as Salem, to work on their respective tasks at a more convenient vantage point. Watts and Animo took a step back as they gazed upon their work, though the former was still putting the large conductor under his scrutiny. "I'm still not entirely sure on this, Animo. Not once have I ever seen a lightning rod such as this. You're certain it will work?"

The large device they had put together DID seem a bit odd-looking. It was attached to the large slab and held together by four long metal rods that reached at least twenty feet in the air. However, these rods were more for holding together a large apparatus of metal rings, held together by many smaller rods, with each ring getting progressively larger as it went up. Around the middle, the rings began to get smaller again before finally coming to the top of the structure. Hooking them all up was a large Van de Graaff generator at its very top, the large metal sphere shining at its tip. Back at the base, there were three large metal spheres hanging right above Viktor, connected together with the rest of the "lightning rod".

Animo puffed out his chest and proclaimed; "Of course it will work! If Doctor Frankenstein can bring a corpse back to life with a lightning rod like this, then so can we!"

Watts gave his colleague a deadpan expression. "Why do I have the feeling that you're talking about a work of fiction?"

"Does it matter?!" Animo cackled. "The point is that we have finished what we came here for, now all that is left is for the mistress to restore Viktor's mind."

As the two scientists bantered back and forth, Salem had her eyes closed and her hands placed firmly on either side of Viktor's head. She was silently chanting an ancient incantation, one that allowed her to venture deep into the Transylian's subconscious and peruse his inner most thoughts, all in an attempt to restore his mind. As she delved deeper and deeper, she came into contact with many memories of his that she couldn't help but be interested in. His master, whom Rojo had called "Ghostfreak", was in reality a being known as "Zs'Skayr". As she gazed at the Ecotnurite's horrific appearance, she couldn't help but be impressed. _'The dimension that Tennyson comes from is capable of producing more atrocities than I had initially thought.'_ she commented to herself.

As if reading her mind, Salem proceeded to view a few select memories which had the Omnitirx bearer in them. One was of the ten-year-old Tennyson defeating Zs'Skayr and Viktor in outer space, with the boy transforming into a Transylian himself for good measure. She could practically _feel_ Viktor's hatred spike at the memory. _'Being defeated by a mere child will have that affect.'_ She then viewed another memory, though this one was briefer than the last. It was of Viktor being bested by a giant mishmash of a monster, who absorbed his energy before tossing him into a large portal. _'Hmm, interesting.'_ Then came the final memory; Viktor watching Tennyson defeat him from his subconscious as another mind was in control of his body. It was here that Viktor's rage peaked again, and Salem knew that this was her chance.

" _You have been wronged far too many times, Viktor."_ The witch spoke inside of his mind. _"But now you have a chance to redeem yourself. Come back to the land of the living, and I will assist you in your revenge."_ She could tell that her words were getting through to the Transylian, as his rage was beginning to somewhat subside as curiosity took over. And then… _FLASH_. Salem opened her eyes back up, a small, yet devious smile taking place on her face. "It is done." she announced to her scientists.

"Excellent!" Animo exclaimed. "Then we are ready to begin!"

"Indeed." Salem shifted her eyes over to Tyrian and gave him a nod. "Tyrian, hoist the slab!"

"AHAHAH!" The scorpion Faunus roared in laughter. "Yes, my mistress, eehehehee!" With a strong yank, Tyrian pulled the metal lever which controlled the slab, sending it all the way up through the hole in the ceiling. The large lightning rod stood high in the air, awaiting the bolts that it needed.

"Good, now, to do away with the enchantment." With a swipe of her hand, Salem lowered the weather protection spell that she kept around her castle, allowing the lightning free range. The results were almost instant as a large bolt of lightning struck the large metal sphere at the top of the rod, sending the electricity coursing down through the apparatus and straight into Viktor, making his body convulse. More bolts began to strike the rod, forcing everyone in the room to cover their eyes as the bright flashes illuminated the room. After the fifth bolt, Salem shouted; "Enough!" and swiped her hand again, raising the enchantment once more. "Lower him!"

"Of course, my lady! Hahaha!" Tyrian pushed the lever back up and the slab lowered back down, stopping just short of about three feet off the ground. Salem, Watts, Animo and Tyrian all watched with either composed expressions or contained excitement as they waited for Viktor to make a move. Not soon after, they would get their wish, as Viktor's hand began to twitch and rise up, slowly but surely ascend from its resting place, slowly clenching into a fist.

Animo wore a gnarly grin on his face as he belted out the words; "He's alive! He's alive! HE'S ALI—AHG!" _SLAM!_ Viktor's fist punched Animo halfway across the room and into the lab equipment, leaving him dazed and confused. "Ugh, well, should have seen that one coming."

* * *

" _It's alive. It's alive! It's alive! IT'S ALIVE!"_ Doctor Henry Frankenstein shouted to the heavens as he witnessed his creation lift it's hand up from the slab it was placed on. He was so enraptured by the fact that he created life that he had to be restrained by Doctor Waldman and Victor Moritz, the two men hoping that the young doctor wouldn't snap.

" _Henry, in the name of God!"_ Victor shouted.

" _In the name of God? Now I know what it feels like to BE God!"_ Henry retorted.

"Sheesh, overdramatic much?" Weiss commented. "So you brought a corpse back to life, how is that something to be proud of?"

The team of teenagers as well as Winter were sitting down in the basement watching the 1931 adaptation of "Frankenstein", with Ben having made sure that the lights were shut off for atmosphere. While the movie's introduction had hooked the Hunters-in-training with the graverobbing scene, next twenty minutes had been somewhat of a fluctuation in interest. The scenes in the laboratory had them hooked, but the exposition outside of it had less investment. As such, when the famous "It's Alive" scene had transitioned to more exposition, many were visibly disappointed with no immediate follow up. "When are we gonna see the monster?" Ruby whispered over to Ben.

"Don't worry, it's coming." Ben assured. "You gotta understand that horror movies that were made back in the early nineteen-hundreds had a much slower pace to them. It's all about the suspense. Let's just say that the idea of "horror" was much tamer back then than it is today."

"Oh, I see." Ruby nodded before focusing back onto the screen. Sure enough, about eight minutes later, the Creature finally made its appearance, backing in through the doorway into Dr. Frankenstein's lab. It turned around and everyone in the room was slightly taken aback. It almost passed as human, but it's demeanor and appearance were what made it unable to. It's large forehead, flat topped cranium, and it's sunken in eyes were quite unnatural, as was its pale skin and the multiple stitches all across its body. A pair of large metal bolts protruded from its neck, having been placed there to conduct the electricity into its body. It was dressed all in black, which helped accentuate its broad shoulders. It also wore a pair of huge boots, making its footsteps echo through the halls. "Holy cow, now THAT'S a monster." Ruby commented.

"Who was it that played him, again?" Blake asked. "I didn't catch it the first time."

"Boris Karloff." Ben answered. "One of the kings of the horror genre. He actually acted in over eighty movies before Frankenstein, but the role of Frankenstein's monster is what made him eternally famous. After this, he'd go on to play Frankenstein twice more, and played a bunch of other horror roles in movies like "The Mummy", "The Old Dark House" and "The Man They Could Not Hang", just to name a few."

"Whoa, freaky." Nora said. "And that's some great make-up work going on."

"It's definitely imposing." Ren agreed. "I'll give it that."

Neptune raised an eyebrow over to Gwen. "Hey, Tetrax said that aliens from the Anur Transyl system had come to Earth in the past, right? So I'm guessing it was a Transylian that inspired Frankenstein's monster?"

The redheaded Anodite gave him a nod. "Yes, at least this particular version of him. The creature that was described in Mary Shelly's original novel had a MUCH different appearance than this one."

"Yeah, she made it sound a lot scarier." Kevin added. "It had long gangly hair, pale yellow skin that was barely covered his muscles and organs, his eyes were the same color as his sockets and he had dead, black lips."

"Eugh!" Yang sneered in disgust. "I can see why they went with something a bit tamer."

Ben took a handful of popcorn out of the nearest bowl. "Yeah, if people had seen something like that in 1931, I think everyone would die of fright in the theatre."

Next came the scene where Fritz, the hunchback, came in with a torch, scaring the Creature and causing it to go on a rampage. The monster grunted and groaned in fright and rage as Fritz continued to goad it with the fire, resulting in Doctors Frankenstein and Waldman to restrain it with a rope. _"Shoot it! It's a monster!"_ Waldman urged.

"Well if the damn hunchback didn't scare it with the fire, then things would be fine!" Jaune reasoned. "Why'd that guy do something so stupid in the first place?!"

"Because he's jealous." Pyrrha answered. "You would be too if _your_ master found a new bright and joy."

"Can't say I relate." Jaune shrugged before a ponderous expression came to his face. "But… if you replace the word "master" with "girlfriend", then I probably would."

Pyrrha rolled her eyes and gave Jaune a peck on the lips. "Not on your life, my dear."

" _Quiet! QUIET!"_ Fritz shouted on screen as he began to whip the monster, who had been chained in the tower's dungeon. Doctor Frankenstein quickly came and put an end to it, commanding Fritz to just leave it alone. However, the hunchback didn't listen, and continued to antagonize the creature with the torch. But, one transition later, Frankenstein and Waldman heard a loud shriek come from the dungeon, causing them to go down there. The watching teens were astonished to see that the Creature had actually strangled Fritz, killing him instantly.

"Whoa, that's pretty brutal." Sun commented.

"Not undeserved, though." Blake pointed out. "He was being a jerk, and look where it got him. But yes, it's still pretty brutal."

The Creature roared in anger as it was trapped in the basement once again, leaving Frankenstein and Waldman to reflect on what just happened. _"He hated Fritz."_ Waldman said. _"Fritz always tormented him."_ He walked over to Frankenstein, who was still reeling from what he had just seen. _"Come, pull yourself together!"_

" _What can we do?!"_ Frankenstein asked.

" _Kill it! Like you do any savage animal! We must overpower him first. Get me a hypodermic needle."_

"Isn't there a more sensible option?" Weiss asked.

"At this point, that IS the sensible option." Rex emphasized. "As much as the monster is a living being, it's also suffering from the abnormal brain."

"Well, perhaps if Fritz hadn't dropped the normal brain like an imbecile, then this wouldn't have happened." Winter remarked.

"Eh, maybe." Rex shrugged. "But I still think that he would've provoked it either way. Not sure how the monster would react, but still."

From there, the movie went on, as Dr. Waldman successfully sedated the monster, and assures Frankenstein that he would destroy it for him. But just as he is about to examine the Creature, it awakens and strangles Waldman to death before escaping. Frankenstein himself is taken home by his fiancé, Elizabeth, and his father, the Baron, to prepare for their wedding day. The Creature, meanwhile, makes his way to a lake, and meets a little girl named Maria. The young girl begins to play a game with the monster as they throw flowers into the lake to see them float. However, once they run out of flowers, the Creature gets the idea to toss Maria into the lake to see if she will float, only for her to drown instead.

Sun's jaw dropped at the scene. "Oh my god, they just drowned a little girl in this movie."

Blake shifted her eyes over to Ben. "I thought you said that horror movies in the Thirties were a lot tamer back then. I didn't think that they'd kill a _child_."

"Oh, believe me, it was controversial even back THEN." Ben confirmed. "But just think; nowadays, they would show this in a lot more graphic detail."

"Let's not get into that, please!" Ruby shouted. "Really don't wanna have nightmares about this, thank you!"

The movie then cut to Henry and Elizabeth's wedding ceremony, where, after concerns of Doctor Walden's absence are discussed between the man and wife-to-be, Frankenstein finds out that the doctor has been killed and that the monster is on the loose. But just as the news arrives, the monster breaks into the bride's room, where Elizabeth was locked in by Henry to keep her safe. Dr. Frankenstein comes back to see Elizabeth knocked unconscious by the Creature, who had already escaped.

"Why do I get the feeling that their relationship won't last very long?" Yang deadpanned.

"You'd be surprised how they make it work." Ben smirked. "After all, one of the sequels to this movie has their son as the main character."

Yang's eyes widened. "There are SEQUELS?!"

"Yep, also, this next moment's kinda traumatizing." Ben pointed to the screen, and everyone's jaw dropped at the sight of Little Maria's father carrying his dead daughter's body through town, much to the shock and horror of its citizens. "Yeah, as tame as early 1900's horror is, it can still leave you speechless sometimes."

"To say the freakin' least!" Neptune exclaimed. "This is just awful!"

Yang glanced over to him. "You think this is awful? Watch Godzilla again. Trust me, the death count is much worse when you aren't focusing on the giant monster."

At the sight of the young girl's death, the entire town formed an angry mob to go find the monster and bring it in, whether it be dead or alive. The whole town split into groups, with Frankenstein leading one group, another lead by Maria's father, Ludwig, and the final one lead by the town's burgomaster, Herr Vogel. However, Frankenstein eventually finds himself separated from his group and is quickly found by the Creature, which immediately attacks. After knocking Frankenstein unconscious, the monster takes his creator to an old windmill, where the mob finds them shortly after. The monster drags Henry up to the top of the mill before tossing him down to the ground, attempting to kill him. But the vines on the windmill are able to break the doctor's fall, saving his life. Henry is then pulled away to safety as the villagers set the mill ablaze, supposedly killing the Creature inside.

"Woo! What a climax!" Ruby cheered. "That's one awesome way to kill a monster!"

"Even though it might not be dead!" Nora cheekily pointed out. "But still, going out in a BLAZE of glory is always a great way to end a movie!"

"I would say so." Blake nodded before turning to Ben. "But you said that there were sequels to this movie, right?"

"Oh, yeah." Ben grinned as he reached over and pulled a DVD case up onto his lap, opening it up to reveal several more old horror movies just waiting to be watched. "Now, who wants to watch "The Bride of Frankenstein"? It's one of the first horror sequels ever, and in my opinion, just as good as the first one. So, whaddya say?!"

An uproarious cheer echoed through the basement, much to the Schnee Sister's chagrin. "My word, are they always this rowdy?" Winter asked as she rubbed her ears.

"You have no idea." Weiss smirked as she rolled her eyes. "But you get used to it."

"Haha! That's the spirit, Ice Princess!" Rex cheered.

Weiss shut her eyes tight in frustration. " _Most_ of the time, at least."

* * *

As Viktor's senses returned to him, the first thing he could see was a bright light flashing through a large gaping hole, only for it to close up a mere second later. _'Strange.'_ he thought to himself. Next, he began to get the feeling back in his muscles, and decided to test by raising his arm and clenching his hand into a fist. Next came his hearing, and he was NOT pleased when he heard someone shouting RIGHT NEXT to his ear. He promptly punched in their direction, and Viktor inwardly smirked when he made contact with something, its pained grunts assuring him of that. _'Ah, sweet silence.'_

Once his vision had fully returned, Viktor stepped off of the slab and looked around the room. It was a dark area filled with old machinery, that much he could tell. He then craned his head up to see a large lightning rod, having been assembled directly above the slab he had been resting on. _'So, this is what assisted in my resurrection. Hmph, how antiquated.'_ Viktor's eyes shifted to see what he had punched and saw an older man with long white hair and pale green skin holding his gut on the floor, his back pressed against the wall as he groaned in pain. _'A well-deserved punishment.'_

The sounds of approaching footsteps caught his attention and Viktor turned his gaze down to see three more people in the room with him. There was another older gentleman there who was cowering in fear. He appeared to be slightly younger than the man on the floor, though this one was at least more well-dressed. Although, in Viktor's personal opinion, the bushy mustache was somewhat over doing it. Next was a younger man, one who had a crazed look in his eye, and was cackling like a maniac. Though his most notable feature was the scorpion tail attached to his rear, which he seemed to be keeping at the ready. _'What an odd human. He must think I am about to attack. Still though, this man seems deranged.'_

"Pardon me." A feminine voice spoke up, catching Viktor's attention and directing his sights to the final figure. He was immediately taken aback by the sheer amount of dark energy that this woman was radiating, almost as if it made up her entire essence. She was undoubtedly powerful, but upon closer inspection, she was by no means any regular human. Her completely white skin, the black sclera and red pupils of her eyes and the dark black veins that traveled along her face and arms were more than evidence of that. Her snow-white hair was done up in a large bun with six offshoots that were bound in black ornaments, the same color as her robes. She looked up at him with a serious expression and asked; "Are you well, Doctor Viktor?"

Viktor's one normal eye widened when she spoke. _'That voice… it cannot be…'_ Viktor lowered himself so that he was eye level with her and spoke; "You… you are the voice that I heard. The one that guided me back from my subconscious."

The woman gave him a small smile. "Indeed. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Salem, and you are presently in my castle." She gestured over to the cackling man and cowering man on either side of her. "These two are my associates, Tyrian Callows and Doctor Arthur Watts." The witch then pointed over to the older man who was just getting up. "And that is Doctor Animo. The good doctors here are the ones who brought your body back online, Viktor."

"I see." Viktor's voice rumbled as he glanced over to Watts, who was still trembling in fear. "And for that, you have my gratitude." The fear filled doctor fainted when Viktor spoke to him, causing Tyrian to laugh so hard that he began rolling on the floor. Viktor narrowed his gaze indignantly and rose back to his full height. "Hmm, it appears that a simple "you're welcome" was just too much for the man."

"AHAHA!" Tyrian laughed. "You can say that again, big guy! HAHAHA!"

Viktor focused back onto Salem. "While I am grateful to you for bringing my mind back from the brink, I cannot help but feel that you have an ulterior motive for resurrecting me, Miss Salem."

"Ever perceptive, good doctor." Salem commended before waving her hand. A dark void suddenly appeared next to her, with an image slowly making its way out of its center. "I have brought you back to the land of the living because we share a common enemy, one that you will no doubt recognize."

The image came into view, and Viktor's brows furrowed in rage at who it was. "Tennyson!" He whirled around to the witch. "You know of him?"

"Indeed, he was transported to this dimension a little over a week ago, along with his allies and many more of his enemies."

"Inter-dimensional travel?" Viktor questioned before gazing out the nearest window. His eyebrows shot up at the dark world that he saw outside, with the only light being the flashes of lightning that shot across the sky, which illuminated the large purple crystals with each strike. As the lightning continued, the Transylian could see dark creatures of all shapes and sizes roaming around, though they all appeared to be quite horrifying, at least in the eyes of a human. Viktor's features grew serious and he nodded. "I believe you. No where on Earth has any place as dark and hopeless as this."

"I would think so." Salem concurred. "From what Rojo has told me, the dimension you come from seems to be much brighter and full of hope, aside from the dark corner of the galaxy that you are from, of course." The witch sneered in disgust. "It makes me sick just thinking about it."

"You are not the only one." Viktor said as he turned back around. "All natives of the Anur System are fearful of the rest of the galaxy _because_ it is so light. Only a few brave souls have ever traveled beyond its reaches, myself being one of them."

"Yes, though Rojo told me that you and your master attempted to drown the planet Earth in everlasting darkness some years back." Salem continued.

"Indeed. My master, Zs'Skayr, wished to black out the Earth's sun and plunge the planet into darkness so that he may have free reign over the entire world." Viktor clenched his fist and purple electricity began to flow through it. "However, Tennyson was able to put a stop to it, defeating my master and my cohorts. I had managed to escape however, and have been attempting to enact my master's plan in his stead ever since."

"Intriguing." Animo commented as he finally recovered from the blow he had been dealt. "And just how did you plan on fulfilling such a task? What could be so powerful as to black out the sun in its entirety?"

"A special element known as Corrodium. Initially only found in the Anur System, Corrodium was quick to spread throughout the galaxy, and many races mined for the mineral to use it as a power source." Viktor explained. "However, it has damaging side effects to those who were not born inside of the Anur System, which makes it highly volatile. It is with this element that my master planned to snuff out the Earth's sun."

"Very interesting." Salem said with a sinister smile. "I must say, your master had the right idea, for I too wish to enact something quite similar on my world." Salem then went on to explain her plan to Viktor, as well as how the Maidens and the Relics were essential to its fruition and how Zs'Skayr's plan could be implemented into their cause. "So Viktor, what say you?"

"I say that you may in fact be on to something, Miss Salem." Viktor smiled sinisterly as well, matching Salem's grin. "I owe you for bringing me back, and with the knowledge that I may take my revenge on Tennyson for ruining my former master's plans the first time makes this all the sweeter."

Salem raised an eyebrow, though her smile stayed where it was. " _Former_ master?" She could tell where this was going.

Viktor bowed before her, though because of his height, he was still eye level with her. He reached his hand out to her and she graciously placed her hand in his, allowing him to set his other hand over hers. "Miss Salem, it would give me the greatest honor to serve by the side of one as dark as you. I could sense it the moment you brought my consciousness back that you hold great power, enough to put my former master, Zs'Skayr, to shame. Please, allow me to be your humble servant."

Salem placed her free hand over his much larger one. "You certainly have a way with words, Viktor. However, you are far too eloquent to be relegated to a mere servant. I have been searching for an advisor for some time now, and I believe I may have found the perfect alien for the job. So I ask again; what say you?"

"It would be a true honor, Miss Salem." Viktor replied as he stood to his full height again, though he did not let go of his new mistress' hands. "I swear on my life that I will not disappoint you, you have my word."

As the oath took place between the two dark beings, Animo picked the unconscious Watts off the ground and slung his arm over his shoulder, intending to take him downstairs. "Well, I can say with utmost certainty that this experiment was a rousing success." Animo made his way to the door, beckoning the scorpion Faunus to follow him. "Come Tyrian, we must get back to work on the mutation formula!"

However, the insane man stayed back for a few seconds longer, narrowing his eyes at the way his mistress looked at Viktor, and how the Transylian gazed back at her in admiration. Tyrian scoffed and turned away, marching to the stairs in frustration. He scowled as a dark thought came to his head; _'I ain't likin' where this is goin'."_

* * *

Ben stood up and went over to the DVD player as the movie ended, taking the disc out as Gwen switched the lights back on. The whole group downstairs had just finished watching "The Bride of Frankenstein", and he had figured that it was time for a little break. The hero smiled out to the audience and spread his arms out. "And there you have it; "The Bride of Frankenstein"! So, what did you guys think?"

"That was awesome!" Ruby exclaimed. "I think I actually kind of like it a little more than the first one!"

"I'm really glad that they gave more personality to the monster in this one." Blake supported. "Definitely makes Karloff stand out in the roll more."

"Yeah, and with an actual voice to back it up." Yang agreed. "First movie's still pretty good, but I seriously like the sequel too."

"And Doctor Pretorius is a freaking awesome villain!" Nora added. "He's just flipped out of his gourd and I love it!"

Jaune spoke his thoughts next. "The only part that kind of annoyed me was the bride's loud screaming."

Pyrrha nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that was something I could have done without."

"Indeed, that got annoying really quick." Ren concurred.

"I can't believe that there's more sequels after this." Weiss spoke up. "It all just wrapped up so perfectly, where else can you go with it?"

Sun turned to Gwen in inquiry. "Yeah, just how many sequels ARE there, dude?"

Gwen pondered on that for a minute. "Hmm, let's see, including the crossovers that the monster has with all of Universal's other movie monsters… seven!" The group of teens were slightly surprised by the number, with Gwen giving them a sheepish smile. "Yeah, kind of a lot to go through, especially since there's a whole BUNCH more Universal monster movies aside from Frankenstein that we want to show you."

"You're not kidding." Neptune said as he crossed his arms. "How're we gonna watch all of them in one night?"

"No clue." Rex admitted. "We'd have to stay up until morning, but I don't think anyone's gonna want to do that."

But just before anyone could suggest anything, Kevin got an idea. "Maybe we don't have to!" The Osmosian got up and went over to the other side of the room, picking up the laptop that Rex had brought him. "Okay, so my mom had Rex bring this laptop…" Kevin reached over and grabbed a baggie filled with USB sticks, "…plus a whole bunch of flash drives." He shifted his eyes over to his best friend. "And Ben, if I'm right, I think there's something in here that you'd might like the others to see for Halloween."

"Well, alright." Ben walked over to his friend. "Let's see what you got." Kevin pulled out a flash drive and showed the label to Ben, who's eyes widened when he read what it said. A large smile burst onto his face. "NO WAY!" He plucked the flash drive out of Kevin's hand and whirled around to face Rex. "Dude, was this you're idea?"

Rex took a closer look before giving his friend a smirk. "Nah, _hombre_ , you can thank Manny for that one. He figured you'd like that one."

"To say the least!" Ben exclaimed before handing the drive back to Kevin. "Kev, find an HDMI cable and hook that laptop onto the TV, we've got a marathon to run!"

From where she sat, Winter raised an inquisitive brow. "Why so excited all of a sudden, Ben?"

Yang gave her boyfriend a grin. "Yeah, Green Boy, you're acting like you just found the motherlode."

"Heh, I might as well have." Ben smiled as he sat back down next to Yang. "My friend, Manny, put together a flash drive containing videos from one of my favorite internet content creators, and it's practically _perfect_ for Halloween!"

That got Gwen's attention. "Really, which one?"

Ben gave her a knowing wink. "You'll see."

It had taken a few minutes, but Kevin had managed to find an HDMI cable and quickly hooked the laptop up to the TV. The Osmosian put the flash drive into one of the USB ports and turned the laptop on, with the TV screen quickly changing to what the computer's screen was showing. Kevin logged in and gave Ben a thumbs up. "Alright, bro, we're ready to roll!"

"Awesome! Thanks Kev!" Ben smiled, resisting the urge to jump up and down in his seat with anticipation. "You guys are gonna LOVE this! It's been a yearly tradition of mine ever since 2010 when I first came across it. It's what made me love the horror genre and helped me appreciate movies as a whole even more."

Gwen's eyes widened when she realized what Ben was talking about. "Wait… you don't mean…"

"Oh yeah, I _mean_." Ben nodded. "Rex, hit the lights for us please!"

"Oh it!" Rex got up and quickly shut the lights off again as the laptops video player popped up on the TV screen, ready to be played. "Alright, we're all good to go!"

Yang raised an eyebrow over to Ben, his face illuminated by the TV screen. "Okay, could you at least tell us about what we're going to see without spoiling it?" A smirk made its way to her face. "I don't want to be left totally _in the dark_ about this, if you know what I mean."

"Heh, for that awesome pun, I might as well _shed some light_ on the subject." The couple briefly laughed amongst themselves before Ben went on. "Okay, so in my world, there's this guy named James who runs his own website where he posts reviews on all sorts of stuff, like cartoons, movies, and most famously, his video game reviews where he takes on an "Angry Nerd" persona. But for a long time, around every Halloween, he'd do a month-long marathon of horror movie reviews, and THAT is what we're about to show you right now." Ben gave her a wink. "And who knows? Maybe this'll narrow our options down on what you guys want to watch during Halloween."

"Ooh, now THIS sounds fun!" Yang smiled eagerly. "Count me in!"

"Me too!" Ruby jumped in. "That sounds awesome!"

"We're ready!" Kevin exclaimed. Everyone's attention turned back to the TV as Kevin pressed play, beginning the video. Eerie music began to play as a black and white shot of the moon appeared, followed by a wolf howling in the night. Next, a bolt of lightning crackled across the sky as an organ began playing a scary tune, before being followed up with a shot of a two-headed monster lumbering across an open field. A large logo zoomed into view; a full moon with red words written across it, with the letters dripping with blood.

Weiss read what it said out loud; ""Cinemassacre's Monster Madness"?"

But then, just as she said it, a male voice came from the speakers. _"Welcome to Cinemassacre's Monster Madness! Here we will be covering the basic history of horror films in only thirty-one days. For our first review, let's go back to the year 1920, with the German expressionist classic; "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari"."_

"And just like that, I'm ten years old again." Ben smiled widely.

"Woo! Bring it on!" Yang cheered.

* * *

**A/N: And with that, this chapter, and one year of doing this, draws to a close. How did you guys like Viktor's resurrection? Spooky, right? Plus, the Remnant crew got some hands-on time with the Nintendo Switch, albeit briefly, but the fun should continue soon! But yeah, I decided to choose Frankenstein as the first horror franchise that the Remnant crew get to experience. Not only is it my favorite of the Universal Horror movies, but, as many have guessed, I chose it to parallel with Viktor's presence as well. However, as indicated by the end of this chapter, there's going to be a lot more to come. Show of hands, who else has watched James Rolfe's Cinemassacre's Monster Madness every Halloween? Let me know, because in all honesty, it's a pretty great series of reviews that holds up even to this day! Highly recommended for Halloween.**

**But, now that the one-year anniversary celebration is over, it's time to move forward. So that means… NEXT TIME! Friday morning arrives for our heroes and Ben, Gwen and Kevin, along with Team RWBY and Winter, prepare to make another call to the other dimension, where a certain group of people are waiting to receive it. But not long after, Jaune's sisters pay a visit… and they've brought company. Guess who's finally here?**

**Once again, I want to thank you guys for all of the support you've sent my way over this past year! This story got off the ground thanks to you guys, and for that, I couldn't be anymore grateful! That being said, the next chapter will probably be going up on Friday next week as usual, so look out for it then! Well, until next time everyone! See ya soon!**

**P.S. I don't know how I forgot this little fact until I wrote this chapter, but Viktor is voiced by Michael Dorn. That is freaking awesome.**


	56. All in the Family

**A/N: Hey everybody! As you probably have guessed by the title and the teaser at the end of the last chapter, this one's going to feature the Tennyson family calling in, but it's also going to feature KEVIN'S mom as well. There was only one problem with that… Kevin's mom was never given an official name. I know, it surprised me too. So, I decided to give her one for the purposes for this Fanfiction. But, if you read the teaser, then you guys know that they aren't the ONLY families that'll be making an appearance in this chapter. So, let's get into it, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 56: All in the Family**

* * *

Of all the things that Jaune Arc could have wanted to be woken up with, being tongued by a puppy was NOT one of them. An alarm clock? Annoying, but sure. Being blinded by the incoming sun? Still a bit annoying, but less so than the alarm clock. A kiss from Pyrrha? Yes, definitely, absolutely. In fact, he could hear his beloved desperately trying to hold in her giggle fit at the sight of their wolf pup waking him up. _'She has such a great laugh.'_ he thought to himself as he began sputtering out the wolf germs that Romulus just licked into his mouth. "GAH! Ptui! Yuck!" Jaune reached his hand over to a nearby box of tissues and wiped his mouth, still reeling from the fact that his dog just kissed him. Once he was done, he glanced over to Romulus, who was still sitting on the bed, wagging his tail. The pup's mouth hung open as he panted, making it look like he was smiling. "Well? Are you proud of yourself?" Jaune asked with a slightly miffed face.

"Oh, he just wants daddy's attention, that's all." Pyrrha stated, gaining Jaune's attention. She was still in her red pajamas, not even having put on her signature circlet yet. Her long, red hair hung freely against her back, with much of it still frazzled from being set against her pillow. Heck, she hadn't even put any make-up on yet.

But that didn't matter to Jaune. _'She's still the most beautiful girl in the world, even when she's got bedhead.'_ He let out a chuckle as he smiled up to her. "Heh, morning, Pyr." Jaune scanned the room with his eyes before noting that the rest of their team wasn't there. "Hey, uh, where's Ren and Nora?"

"They already went down to get breakfast." Pyrrha answered with a sly grin. "But you weren't up yet, so I decided to see if I could give you a little wake-up call."

"So you decided to sick the dog on me?"

"Oh no, he did that himself." Pyrrha corrected. "I was about to wake you up in a… less slobbery sort of way when he jumped onto the bed and started licking your face. You just happened to move your head and, well, I believe you know the rest."

Jaune turned his head back to Romulus and rubbed the wolf pups head. "Why you little stinker! Just don't make a habit out of this, okay boy?" Romulus gave him a bark and Jaune nodded his head. "Yeah, just as I thought, you can't understand me, that's great."

"Oh my, aren't we being the sassy one this morning?" Pyrrha commented as she approached her boyfriend. "Though speaking of our little pup understanding us, we should probably continue our obedience training with him today. With everything that's been going on lately, we've been slacking on that."

"Yeah, you're right." Jaune nodded before raising an eyebrow. "But before we do that, I'm curious… how _were_ you going to wake me up?"

Pyrrha gave him a smirk before sitting down on his lap, much to his surprise. She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew closer to his face before whispering; "Like this." Pyrrha closed the gap between them and their lips made contact, plunging the two into a state of pure bliss. Their bodies pressed up against one another as Jaune gently set his hands onto the small of her back, deepening the kiss. The couple blissfully fell back onto the bed, with Jaune's head hitting the pillow while Pyrrha's hair cascaded down to one side.

Jaune chuckled at this while Pyrrha also let out a giggle, with the two separating soon after. They took in some air before Jaune looked down to his girlfriend with a smirk. "You do realize that you just kissed the lips of a man who was just tongued by a puppy, right?"

"I'll live, Jaune." The Invincible Girl remarked back to him. "But unfortunately, I have failed in my mission. You're back in bed again."

"Eh, it's not so bad." Jaune shrugged. "At least I'm not alone in this."

"You know that we have to get up at some point, right?"

"Well, yeah, but why the rush? Besides…" The blonde knight wore a sheepish grin, "…you're really cozy."

A cheeky smile worked its way onto Pyrrha's face as she narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend. "You are a very persuasive man, Jaune Arc… and you are also very cozy." The redheaded warrior rested her head against Jaune's chest, relaxing herself into a state of bliss. "I suppose a few minutes wouldn't hurt anyone. It's not like breakfast's going anywhere. But remember, your sisters are coming soon, so we have to be ready for them."

"Oh, don't worry, I haven't forgotten." Jaune assured. "Trust me, I—" But he was cut off when Romulus suddenly climbed up onto the pillow that his parents were resting their heads on, gazing down on them with his baby blue eyes. Jaune gave the pup a small smile. "Hey, c'mon, Rommy, three's a crowd, remember?"

"Like I said, he wants attention." Pyrrha reiterated. "And he probably has to use the bathroom."

Romulus let out a little whine after Pyrrha said that, to which Jaune gave a heavy sigh. "Sometimes, it's hard being a parent."

* * *

It had been about ten minutes since they had left the room, and Ren's suspicions were being raised by the fact that Jaune and Pyrrha had not come down for breakfast yet. He, along with Nora, Weiss, Winter, Kevin, and Gwen, were in the kitchen eating breakfast. Their other friends were all awake as well, but had snuck downstairs with their breakfast to watch more videos from Cinemassacre, picking up from where they had left off last night. "Strange." the green ninja commented. "What in the world is taking those two so long?"

"Aw, relax, Renny!" Nora called over from her place at the table, her plate stacked high with pancakes as usual. Her nose was also slightly red, having bumped into one of Gwen's mana fields in a failed attempt to sneak downstairs as well. But the Anodite wouldn't have it with all of the syrup that was dripping off of Nora's plate. "I'm sure they're fine! Besides, I think Pyrrha knew what she was getting herself into by staying behind. She and Jaune are probably cuddling together as we speak."

"I had a feeling that would be the case." Gwen smiled as she took the large cooking pan full of food off of the counter. "I'm so glad that there isn't any tension between them anymore." Just as she was about put the pan into the oven to keep the food warm for the two absentees, the sounds of footfalls coming down the stairs made her stop. She looked up just in time to see Jaune and Pyrrha enter the room, with Romulus bounding in after them.

"Hey!" Kevin shouted as he lifted his glass of orange juice. "'Bout time you lovebirds fly down from your nest. How was your little roost?"

"Enough teasing, Kevin." Gwen said with a sharp look. "You and I do the same thing every night, so you don't have room to talk."

"Oof, burned by your own girlfriend." Jaune cringed. "That's gotta hurt, bro."

But Kevin waved it off. "Eh, can't fault her for being right. C'mon in and grab some food, we've got a long day ahead of us."

"You're right." Pyrrha nodded as she and Jaune went over and grabbed their breakfast off of the cooking pan. "Say, where's everyone else?"

"They are all downstairs." Winter answered, gazing up from the news article she was reading on her scroll. "They are watching more of that "Cinemassacre" fellow." The elder Schnee shifted her eyes to Gwen. "I must say, your dimension has some rather… _creative_ naming conventions, though the man's content seems rather… profane."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Yeah, as much as I respect him for staying relevant for over a decade while the internet grew and evolved around him, I was never a huge fan of James' content, mostly for that exact reason."

"Hey, that's what makes his content worth watching!" Kevin supported. "The man is somehow able to take a bunch of swear words and turn them into works of art! Plus, his reviews are pretty choice. Hell, if the fact that Yang, Ruby, Sun, Neptune AND Blake are down there with Ben and Rex right now is anything to go by, I'd say they'd agree." The Osmosian's smirk increased. "Heh, maybe his Nerd vids will help Ruby get comfortable with saying some more colorful vocabulary."

Gwen's face soured at that. "If the Angry Video Game Nerd is finally what gets Ruby to cuss, I don't think I'll be able to live with myself knowing that."

"Me either." Weiss agreed. "While I have definitely gained an interest in more Earth horror movies from his "Monster Madness", if what I heard about his "Nerd" videos is true, then Ruby's innocence might be at stake here."

"But would that be a _bad_ thing?" Nora pointed out. "The girl's going to be sixteen tomorrow, so what better time to start belting out a few four-letter words?"

"Not while under MY roof." At the sound of the new voice, everyone turned to see Tai come in through the back door, along with Athena. "I have a very important rule in this house; no swearing unless you're a guest or over eighteen. You kids and Yang have been able to get away with a lot, but Ruby knows to follow the rules, so I should be fine for another two years before I ever hear her swear."

Kevin could only smirk as he took a sip of his orange juice. "Hehe, yeah, good luck with that, my man."

Athena walked over and gave Pyrrha a hug followed by a kiss on the top of her head. "Good morning sweetheart, did you all sleep well?"

"We did, mom." Pyrrha assured. "Though to be perfectly honest, I'm a little apprehensive about today." She glanced out the window with a forlorn expression. "It might only be for a short afternoon, but I'm still a little nervous about going back to Beacon."

"After what you all experienced, I am sure that anyone would be nervous." Athena sat down next to her daughter and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "But don't be discouraged, darling. I know that many things have changed over the past couple of weeks, but I have faith in you." Athena gave her daughter a wink. "I know that you can do this, dear, believe me."

"And I do believe you, mom." Pyrrha smiled back. "It's just… I'm worried that everyone will remember… what I did to Penny."

A somber air weighed down on the room at the mention of the redheaded android's demise, but Jaune was determined to lift it away before it could linger for too long. "Pyr, Professor Goodwitch knows that what you did _wasn't_ your fault. I'm sure that she's told the faculty and student body about it by now, because I know for a fact that she wouldn't put you through something like hateful looks or getting called mean things from people." He leaned over and gave her a peck on the lips to show his support. "And if they DO say any hurtful things, they're going to have to answer to me and everyone else, okay? We're all behind you on this."

Pyrrha glanced around the room to see everyone giving her supportive smiles, reassuring her of Jaune's words. The Invincible Girl sported a grin of her own before nodding back. "You're right, Jaune. I really shouldn't worry. Thank you."

"Of course." Jaune held Pyrrha's hand in his own, lacing his fingers with hers. "After all, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I just left you hanging like that."

"An awful one." Kevin piped up, earning a few glares from Weiss, Gwen, Winter, and surprisingly Ren and Nora as well. "What? Just sayin'."

Ren glanced over to Gwen. "Why don't we change the subject before things get out of hand?"

"Gladly." the Anodite agreed. "Are the picnic tables for tomorrow's party ready?"

"They should be all set by tomorrow." Tai answered. "Athena, Max and I have been working on the side a little bit, and if we all pitch in when you guys get home, then I think we'll be good to go. We just need to keep Ruby distracted somehow…"

"Well, what they're doing down there right now is distracting enough." Weiss suggested. "Wonder what swear-filled hole they've delved into now."

* * *

Contrary to what the heiress was thinking upstairs, the group in the basement were actually watching a rather calm, and respectful review from Cinemassacre's library. _""Rocky" is simply one of the best movies ever made."_ James' voice spoke over a still image of said movie's poster. _"But why that is, I can't explain, it's just something that you have to see. Sylvester Stallone writes and stars in the story of a smalltime boxer who gets a shot at the heavyweight title."_

"Stop the video." Yang said abruptly, to which Ben did not a second later. "I've heard all I need, and I don't want to be spoiled anymore."

Ben blinked a few times before a grin came to his face. "Heh, I had a feeling that you'd be into "Rocky", Goldie Locks. Well, if you don't want to watch James' reviews on the series until after you've watched 'em, I'm not gonna stop you."

"Still, that was pretty quick on the draw, Yang." Ruby commented.

The Blonde Brawler gave her sister a shrug. "What can I say, I'm a girl who likes a good underdog story and sports movies. And this one seems right up my alley."

"Well, if we can't watch THIS review, could we at least watch a different one?" Blake spoke up as she pet little Rema's head. "I'm really liking this guy's videos."

"Haha! We're converting them!" Rex exclaimed. "Ben, dude, maybe it's time they see their first Nerd video!"

""Nerd" video?" Neptune asked. "What, are we gonna watch him, like, geek out over a bunch of different franchises all at once?"

"Heh, no, that's not what "Nerd" video means." Ben rectified. "What Rex means is that it's time for you guys to see an Angry Video Game Nerd video. I'm inclined to agree but just so you know, there's going to be a lot of yelling, screaming and a WHOLE lot more swearing."

"Aw c'mon!" Sun insisted. "What do you take us for? A bunch of pansies? The youngest one of us is going to be sixteen tomorrow, we can handle a few swears."

"That's kinda what I'm worried about, Sun." Ben said as he sent a worried glance over to Ruby, who was smiling in anticipation. _'This will most likely destroy her.'_ Ben took a deep breath and began scanning his eyes over the episodes. "But, if you insist. Let's see, how about something familiar? This is his Godzilla games review."

* * *

A couple hours later, everyone had gone their separate ways, with Team JNPR and Athena having gone off to train while Rex, Sun and Neptune were outside in the backyard helping Tai finish the picnic tables for Ruby's party. The only ones left at the house were The Alien Trio, Team RWBY, Holiday, and Winter who were all gathered downstairs in the basement. The group were waiting for Max to join them while Holiday prepped the inter-dimensional communicator once again, all of them eagerly preparing for the call at hand. Well… almost all of them.

"I knew it." Weiss said as she looked upon the body of her best friend. "Her innocence has been shattered."

"Yeah, she just barely reached the end of the first video." Blake confirmed. "Poor girl never stood a chance."

Ruby Rose was currently sitting on the couch, having not moved a single inch since she had seen the Angry Nerd videos that Ben had showed her. Her eyes were widened and her mouth hung open in shock and disbelief, the young girl having had no idea that such creative cusses could have ever existed. The upper half of her face had turned blue, having been horrified by what her pure, unadulterated mind had just been verbally violated by.

Gwen glanced over to her cousin with a hardened gaze. "Ben, what the heck?! You KNOW that Ruby's not ready for AVGN levels of swears!"

"Hey, I gave them ALL fair warning." Ben retorted. "And even then, Ruby didn't back out. Honestly, I'm surprised that she lasted as long as she did."

Yang nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she passed out around the point where the Nerd just went ham at the end of his Godzilla games review. Gotta tell ya, the man's got a way with words. I freaking _lost_ it when he said he'd "rather get an electric shock from sucking MechaGodzilla's mechanical wiener"! Haha!"

"HA! Yeah, that IS a good one." Kevin laughed

Winter narrowed her eyes at the banter. "How… _charming_." she deadpanned.

"Yes, sounds QUITE pleasant." Holiday added sarcastically. "In any case, the communicator's ready for another transmission." The doctor glanced up to the green-clad hero. "What about you, Ben? Are you ready?"

"Yep, just give me a second." Ben activated the Omnitrix and slammed it down, causing a flash of green light to envelope the room. When it faded, everyone looked back, and standing there once again was… "Feedback!" After the Conductoid shouted his name, he looked down to Holiday with a nod. "Alright, ready." But then, a disappointed expression came across his features. "Though to be perfectly honest, I kind of wish that I didn't HAVE to be Feedback in order to do this. I kinda want my parents to see my face, you know?"

Gwen gave her cousin a sympathetic look. "I know, Ben. But unfortunately, there's no other way."

"Well… there might just be one." Holiday spoke up, garnering everyone's attention. "As you know, this device runs on an internal battery that's powered by Conductoid DNA. Caesar recommended we keep you hooked up, but if you really want to have your parents see you, you can simply charge the battery and transform back to normal. This battery IS able to hold its charge for a while, but the energy drains much quicker when it isn't being constantly fed. At most, it'll last only for about half an hour before needing to shut down."

Feedback smiled at the doctor. "That's all the time we need."

* * *

It wasn't long before Max finally joined the group, and once Feedback was done making the charge, Holiday turned the communicator on. Ben transformed back to normal and took his place next to his cousin, best friend, and grandfather on the nearest couch, waiting with baited while Holiday worked her magic. Team RWBY and Winter stood off to the side for now, having wanted the Tennyson's and Kevin to have their own reunions before introducing themselves.

Once Holiday tuned in to the right frequency, she called out; "Holiday to Caesar, do you read?"

The holo-screen popped up and there was Caesar giving them a salute. _"Caesar to Holiday; I've got you guys on the air! I've been expecting your call for the past few minutes now, guys. How's everyone doing?"_ But then, he noticed that Ben was in his human form, and his eyes widened a little. But a split second later, he realized what was going on. _"Ah, so you've charged the battery and are just going on that, huh? Brave souls, you guys are REALLY going into untested grounds now."_

Ben gave him a confirming nod. "Yeah, I kind of want my parents to see ME. Not a one-eyed alien."

" _I can respect that."_ Caesar glanced around the room. _"So, where's mi hermano? I figured he'd be with you."_

Weiss peeked over so that Caesar could see her. "Rex is actually helping Sun and Neptune with… a little project right now. It's kind of important, but I could go and get him for you."

" _Oh, that's fine, Weiss, thank you."_ Caesar waved. _"But if it's something important, I don't wanna interrupt. I'll just talk to him later. Besides, this call isn't between him and I, and we've only got about half an hour before this thing loses its charge."_

"Okay then, but I'll tell him you said "hi", at least." Weiss waved back before going back over to her team and her sister.

Winter herself bent over and whispered into her sister's ear; "Very kind of you to offer, but I couldn't help but notice that YOU were the first to jump at the chance to go get Rex." A sly grin came to the elder Schnee's face. "Perhaps an ulterior motive was at play?"

Without even looking at her, Weiss' gaze hardened and she clenched her fist. "If you so much as even _continue_ that thought, you will SO be in my doghouse."

"Hmm, I pray that Rex never has to be in there." Winter shot back, causing Weiss to growl in frustration. Her teammates, on the other hand, had to hold back their laughter as the heiress' annoyed state. "Come now, little sister." Winter insisted. "It's simply a good-natured riffing, even your friends realize that."

Back over on the couch, Gwen spoke up. "So… are our parents there?"

"Yeah, we've been waitin' for this, man." Kevin added.

Before Caesar could speak up, there came a new noise over the comm… and it sounded like crying. More specifically, it sounded like two women shedding tears of joy. Caesar glanced over to the side before going back onto his five compatriots on the other end of the call. _"I'll, uh, I'll go get them for you."_

" _That won't be necessary, Caesar."_ A male voice came over the comm, getting Ben's attention.

" _He's right, we can manage."_ Another male voice spoke soon after, but this time it was Gwen who perked up at it. On the screen, Caesar nodded and got up from his seat, allowing whoever was on the other end to come in.

The first one was a tall, caucasian man with brown hair and matching brown eyes. He was dressed in a burgundy sweater over a white polo shirt, along with a pair of khaki pants. The second to enter the screen's view was a slightly shorter man who appeared to be younger than the other one, but with the same hair and eye color. His hair appeared to be a bit more unkempt than the other man's, however. He wore a white dress shirt and a pair of brown pants, though for some reason, his shirt was left untucked. The moment that both men gazed onto the screen, they were overcome by visible relief at the sight of their children. _"Hah, well if you two aren't a sight for sore eyes."_ the shorter man, Carl, chuckled before focusing on his son. _"How're you doing, sport? We've been missing you guys over here."_

A wide smile came to Ben's face. "Heh, hi dad. It's really great to see you guys too."

" _I'm sure it is."_ The taller man, Frank, agreed before setting his eyes on his daughter. _"Hi honey, how are you doing?"_

Gwen was doing her best to keep her emotions in check. She wasn't about to have another break down within twenty-four hours. "I'm doing great, daddy. How have things been over there?"

" _Things have been a bit hectic here, pumpkin. We've been worried sick about you all."_ Frank briefly shifted his eyes up from his daughter and focused on Max, giving his father a kind smile. _"Hi, dad. Good to see you're okay."_

Carl nodded in agreement. _"Yeah dad, glad that you're still in one piece. But, uh, don't you think disappearing in giant explosions is getting kind of old at this point?"_

Max chuckled at his boys as he gave them a wave. "What can I say? It's the luck of the draw. But I'm glad to see you too, boys. Hope our disappearance didn't cause too much worry."

Gwen piped up again. "So, are mom and Kenny there?"

" _Present!"_ Kenny's voice called from off screen. _"Trying to comfort mom and Aunt Sandra, but I'm here!"_

Off to the side, Winter couldn't help but chuckle at that. _'He is very considerate.'_

However, a few seconds later, the joyful crying stopped, and Kenny came into view on the holo-screen followed by two women. With one glance, Team RWBY could tell whose mother was whose. Gwen's mom had short, red hair and blue eyes, and bore a striking resemblance to her daughter. She wore a white blouse under a green, short sleeved cardigan, as well as a grey skirt that went down past her knees. Ben's mom on the other hand had shoulder length blonde hair and green eyes like her son. She wore a red, long-sleeved, V-neck sweater and a pair of black pants, something that Yang was quick to take note of.

' _Gwen's parents seem to be more… well-dressed than Ben's parents.'_ Yang pondered in her mind. _'Hmm, weird.'_ But if there was one thing that Yang knew that both women had in common; it was the love for their children, because both ladies had their mascara running down the sides of their faces from their tears. _'Wish MY mom cared about me like that.'_

Ben's mother, Sandra, burst out into a joyous smile the moment she saw her son. _"BEN! Oh, sweetheart, you're okay!"_

Ben couldn't help but be a little choked up at the sight of his mother. As much as he admitted that she wasn't the best cook and could be a little overbearing at times, that didn't hinder the love that he had for her. "H-Hi, mom." Ben managed to get out.

Gwen's mother, Natalie, wore the same exact smile as her sister-in-law when eyes landed on her daughter. _"GWEN! Honey, can you hear us? Are you and the others alright?"_

At that point, Gwen let a few tears fall. She sniffled a little bit before answering her mother. "Y-Yeah, mom, we're doing find over here. I'm… I'm just really glad to see your face."

" _And I'm glad to see yours, hon."_ Natalie smiled back before her eyes spotted a certain Osmosian in her field of vision. _"Kevin…"_

"Uh, hi, Mrs. T." Kevin waved back nervously. The woman's views on him when she found out that he and Gwen were dating were not exactly all that positive to say the least, so the Osmosian was always a bit on edge when he saw her. "How's it goin'?"

Natalie put him under her scrutiny for only a split second before her grin returned. _"Kevin, sweetie, I just got a call from your mother a few minutes ago. She got to the Plumber base right when you called and she's on her way down here as we speak."_

Kevin let out a sigh of relief. He had introduced his mother, Evelyn, to Natalie a few months back, and since then, things had slowly but surely begun to improve. The two women had become fast friends and Natalie's views on Kevin had turned around… for the most part. "Thanks, Mrs. T. I'm glad she could make it."

" _And so am I. Hehe, we've all been over at each other's houses so much in the past two weeks, we might as well be living together."_

Sandra smiled over to her sister-in-law. _"Ain't that the truth?"_ The blonde woman looked back down to her family with a smile. _"Now where are you all? Kenny was able to provide a few details, but nothing too confidential. Is everything alright?"_

"The world we're in is called Remnant." Ben answered. "And trust me, some crazy stuff's been going on here. See, we—"

But Ben was cut off when the sound of opening doors came through the comm, followed by the heavy breathing of a woman, causing the four adults and Kenny to shift their eyes off-screen to see who had just entered. Natalie smiled and called over; _"Evelyn, there you are!"_

" _Am… am I too late?"_ The woman's voice asked frantically, making Kevin stand up in concern. _"I'm on time?"_

" _Oh, of course you are!"_ Sandra assured. _"Come on, the call's just started!"_

The sounds of rushing footsteps came before Evelyn finally came onto the screen. She was a bit shorter than both Sandra and Natalie, but only slightly. She had straight, black hair that reached her shoulders and had the same dark eyes as her son, with attire consisting of a long-sleeved black shirt and a pair of jeans. Relief washed over her face the moment she saw her son, with tears forming in the corners of her eyes soon after. _"Oh my god, Kevin! You're okay!"_

Kevin smiled at her as he walked a bit closer to the screen. "Hey, ma. Glad to see you. And, uh, sorry if I made you worry."

Evelyn wiped the tears from her eyes. _"Heh, sweetie, worry doesn't even begin to describe it. After I heard what happened, I thought I had lost you like… like I had lost your father."_

"Heh, don't worry mom, it'll take more than a multi-dimensional explosion to do me in." Kevin put his hand up. "Love you."

" _Love you too, sweetheart."_ Evelyn sniffled a little bit, finally calming down after being able to talk to her son. _"So, what in the world is going on over there? Do you kids have a good roof over your heads?"_

"Oh yeah, we've been chillin' in a pretty sweet pad." Kevin reassured as he sat back down. "It's got room for a ton of people." The Osmosian glanced over to the side, specifically at Yang. "Even if the owners have put a capacity limit on it." Yang stuck her tongue out at him for his snark. "But yeah, we're good over here."

" _Well, that's really great to hear."_ Sandra said before quirking a brow to her son. _"However, there's still a little business to attend to."_ She rested her elbows on the table in front of her and laced her fingers together, placing her chin on them while giving her son a knowing grin. _"Well, Ben? We're waiting."_

The Omnitirx bearer didn't know what to make of that. "Uh… wha?"

Carl gave his son a wink. _"C'mon Ben, Kenny told us all about the little soiree that you've been on while you've been stuck in that dimension."_

" _It was one of the first things he mentioned, actually."_ Frank added.

" _And from the sounds of it, she sounds like a really nice girl."_ Natalie supported. _"Your parents have been dying to meet her since Ken mentioned her to us, so is she there?"_

Ben was left dumbfounded for a few seconds, as was Yang. Neither one of them had expected THAT of all things to happen. The tables had been turned on them, and they were at a loss. Ben quickly recovered and sent a questioning glance over to his older cousin. "You really couldn't have kept it a surprise until today, could you Kenny?"

Ken rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Heh, sorry. I was just really excited that we'd finally got into contact with you. I told them almost everything, except for the stuff that the general told me NOT to mention."

"Well… at least you followed orders well enough." Ben said with a slight grimace. But the sour face quickly vanished as he gestured for the five women off to the side to come join them. "Ladies, it's time to introduce yourselves." With that, Team RWBY strode over, standing behind the couch with Max so that the Tennyson's and Evelyn could see them. Winter chose to stay off to the side, in order to keep her appearance a surprise. Ben took a deep breath as he got up and circled around the couch to his girlfriend. "Alright, this is it."

Yang smirked as he stood next to her. "Yep. No stoppin' now, babe."

"I know." Ben chuckled as he and Yang stepped forward and stood in front of the holo-screen, with the hero putting an arm around her shoulders. He looked his parents right in the eye with a courageous smile. "Mom, Dad, this is Yang. She just so happens to be the girl that Kenny's been hyping you up about." Ben's face flushed a deep red as his nervousness began to grow. He knew that Kenny had put in a good word for Yang already, but he was still apprehensive of how his parents would think when they actually met her. "See, she offered us to stay at her house when we got here and well… she and I… we're… you know…"

But Yang placed a reassuring hand on Ben's shoulder, giving him a wink. "It's okay, Green Boy, I've got this." Yang gave Ben's parents a salute. "Hey there, Mr. and Mrs. Tennyson. Name's Yang Xiao-Long. Your son and I've been in a relationship for about a week now, and let me tell ya…" She pulled Ben into a headlock and held him close, much to his surprise. "You've raised a really sweet boy. He's been nothing but nice to me since we met, and let me tell ya," She gave her boyfriend's parent's a wink, "he makes my motor run, if you know what I mean!"

Initially, both Sandra and Carl were somewhat taken aback by Yang's forwardness, though if anything, Gwen's parents seemed to be a bit more off-put. Natalie specifically was left dumbstruck by how the Blonde Brawler behaved. But this was a matter between those specific four, so she and Frank kept their thoughts to themselves. Carl was the one to finally speak up first. _"Oh, well, that's great to hear! I'm very glad that he's been treating you with respect."_ Carl shifted his eyes down to his son, who was still being held in Yang's gentle headlock. _"As I'd expect him to treat ANY woman, right son?"_

"Of course, dad!" Ben defended himself. "Yeesh, what do you take me for, a scumbag?"

" _Ben, of course we don't."_ Sandra countered. _"We're just making sure that you and this lovely young woman are in a healthy, harmonized relationship."_ Sandra closed her eyes with a blissful smile. _"After all; love is comprised of two souls coming together in perfect balance."_

Yang blinked a couple times in absolute bewilderment at what Sandra had just said. Something told her that this woman was VERY spiritual. "Uh… okay, if you say so, Mrs. Tennyson."

" _Oh, my dear, please, call me Sandra."_ The older blonde insisted before gesturing over to her husband. _"And this is my husband, Carl. There is absolutely no need to be so formal with us. And your name is Yang, right? What a unique name! So tell me, how does my son make you feel?"_

Yang's eyebrows shot up at the question and she took a brief pause, finally letting Ben out of the headlock. The answer to the question had immediately entered her mind, but she worried that it would come off as a little sappy. _'Girl, seriously?'_ The Blonde Brawler asked herself. _'Mrs. Ten—er, Sandra, is totally chill, something tells me that she won't judge you.'_ A confident smirk came to Yang's face as she trained her gaze right on to Sandra and Carl, giving them her answer soon after. "Honesty? I feel really lucky to have someone like Ben in my life. 'Cause… I know that he's someone I can count on, and that he cares about me as much as I do about him."

Ben smiled as he reached over and gently took hold of Yang's hand. "I feel the exact same way, Goldie Locks. I couldn't have said it any better myself."

Sandra and Carl both wore happy smiles at Yang's statement, though Sandra let out a small squee. _"AH! They have cute little pet names for each other!"_ Once she had regained her composure, she shifted her eyes over to Yang. _"Well, I'm very glad that you feel that way about my boy, Yang. When you make your way to Bellwood, just know that you will always be welcome in the Tennyson household."_

" _It's the least we can do after you so generously gave our kids a place to stay."_ Carl agreed.

"Thanks." Yang nodded to them. "That's very nice of you two."

" _It's no trouble at all."_ Sandra assured before she caught sight of the three other young girls standing behind the sofa. _"Oh dear, I'm sorry, I don't think we've gotten the chance to meet them yet, have we?"_

"Oh, it's no problem!" Ruby assured. "We were just waiting for you guys to finish up the big meet and greet! I'm Ruby Rose, Yang's younger sister!"

Blake waved over to the adults on the screen. "Hello. I'm Blake Belladonna. Ben and Gwen have told us a lot about you guys, so it's nice to finally meet all of you."

Wiess cave the Tennyson's and Levin matriarch a polite curtsey. "And I am Weiss Schnee. Blake's right, it's an absolute pleasure to meet you all."

" _Oh my, well, it's nice to meet you all as well."_ Natalie returned the sentiment before focusing on her daughter. _"I have to say, Gwen, I didn't expect you to make so many friends over there."_

"Haha, you haven't even seen HALF of them, mom." Gwen laughed. "The others are all busy at the moment, but I'm sure that you'll get the chance to meet them soon." However, the Anodite's eyes widened in realization. "Oh, right, we didn't give you the whole story yet."

"We'll have to make it brief, honey." Max said. "We've only got about twenty minutes left."

And with that, Ben, Gwen, Kevin and Team RWBY relayed a brief summary of what had been going on for the past couple weeks to the Tennysons and Evelyn, too which the grown-ups eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, with Ken just sitting in silence as he let his sister recount the events. After about five minutes, the teens had finished their story and the adults were left dumbfounded after what they had just heard. _"Yeah, surprised me too."_ Ken commented.

" _That is… quite the tale."_ Evelyn uttered before eying her son. _"Just how do you kids keep finding yourselves in these situations?"_

"What can I say, ma?" Kevin shrugged. "We're just lucky that way."

"Yeah, we've learned that these guys are basically three big trouble magnets." Ruby remarked with a sly grin. "But all the same, they're all still great friends that we wouldn't trade for anything."

"Though I guess you could say that the trouble is what brought them to us." Blake pointed out. "After all, they came here during the fall of Beacon."

Frank took a deep breath as he let the information settle in. _"So, you kids have all been fighting the forces of an evil witch under Military surveillance. Tell me, is this "General Ironwood" here? I'd like to speak with him."_

"Well, no, he's busy today." Gwen explained before sending a sly grin over in Winter's direction. "But, it just so happens that there's an Atlesian Military official in the room with us right now."

Winter took that as her cue and stepped out in front of the screen, making sure to keep a fair distance so that she wasn't right in their faces. As she stood at attention, she took notice of the Tennyson's and Evelyn being taken by surprise at her presence… but she also noticed that Ken was taken aback the most. It was apparent that he was NOT expecting her to be here. _'Good, this way I can keep him on his toes.'_ she thought knowingly to herself. She kept her calm demeanor as she addressed them all. "Greetings, Tennyson Family and Mrs. Levin, I am Winter Schnee. I am a Specialist, First Class of the Atlesian Military, and I am here in General Ironwood's stead. I also happen to be Weiss' older sister. If there are any questions that you may have, I would be more than happy to answer them for you."

" _O-Oh, that's great, actually."_ Frank said with a slight stammer. _"Well, my only concern is that you are making sure that our children are safe."_

" _Aliens are one thing, but a dark sorceress is another."_ Natalie added onto her husband's concerns. _"We just want our children to come back to us in one piece."_

Winter nodded as the two expressed their concerns. "I completely understand, Mr. and Mrs. Tennyson." She then offered them a friendly smile. "But you can rest easy. Every single one of these young people have been a tremendous help in our time of need. They have been defending the City of Vale with great strength and valor."

" _Well… that's certainly a good thing."_ Natalie took a brief moment before going on. _"Still though, it's a little disconcerting. I've never been more worried about something in my life."_ From the sound of her voice, Winter could tell that Natalie was choking up, and it made her heart ache to hear it. _"I just… I just want my baby girl to come home safe."_ At that point, Frank had put his arm around her and brought her close to his chest, giving her his shoulder to cry on.

Gwen stood up and went over to stand next to Winter, giving her mother a small smile. "Mom, I promise that I'll make it home. Ben, Kevin and I have been in situations like this before, remember? Sure, we're in another plane of reality, but we're all doing okay. We've formed a pretty strong team, and we're determined to see this through to the end. But I promise that we'll all get home safe, okay? I'll make sure of that."

"As will I." Winter supported. "I will personally see to that your children will all make it back home in once piece."

At the two young women's words, Natalie began to calm down and compose herself, wiping away a few stray tears that had fallen down her face. She let out a sigh and gave her daughter a grin. _"I'll… I'll hold you to that promise, honey."_ Her eyes then shifted over to the elder Schnee. _"And Winter, thank you for kind words. But like I said before, I'll hold you to them."_

Weiss stepped forward and gave Natalie a wink. "Oh, don't you worry about that, Mrs. Tennyson. My sister always keeps her word, no matter what. Trust me, I grew up with her."

"Indeed." Winter said as she lightly pushed her sister's head down. "I stand firm by my word, Mrs. Tennyson, I can assure you of… hmm?" It was then that Winter noticed that Ken had turned away from the camera without anyone noticing. She titled her head in his direction, causing the other adults to take notice as well. This was the chance that she was waiting for. "Ah, why Kenneth, if it isn't you!"

" _Ah!"_ Ken jumped in his seat, having been startled out of whatever he was thinking about. His face was tinted slightly pink when he locked eyes with the white-haired beauty, and he appeared to be visibly shaking in nervousness. But he blinked hard and pushed through it to say a few words… but this is what came out; _"Oh, nice see you to again, Winter, HI!"_ It was then that he realized how much of a dope he sounded like and quickly corrected himself. _"GAH! I-I meant; hi Winter, it's nice to see you again!"_ At the end of it all, his face was tomato red, much to his chagrin and his sister's amusement.

Natalie's eyebrows rose in surprise. _"Kenny, sweetie, you met her already?"_

"We exchanged a few words last night when he came into the call." Winter explained. "It was quite the unexpected meeting."

" _Ah yes,"_ Frank recalled as he raised a single brow to his son, _"when he managed to break past Plumber security, even though we told him specifically not to."_

"Please don't be so hard on him, Mr. Tennyson." Winter vouched. "Even if he DID break the rules and went past Plumber security, I found it rather sweet that he cared that much about his sister." The elder Schnee gave the redheaded young man a smile. "I know I would do the same if my sister were in a similar situation."

" _O-Oh, um, thank you Winter."_ Ken stammered. _"That's really nice of you to say."_

Frank sighed as his grin returned. _"I suppose I can let it slide this time."_ His kindhearted grin turned into a small smirk as he turned to his son. _"You should be thankful that this young lady was willing to vouch for you, Ken. Only a few words between the two of you and she's come to your defense."_

Natalie's lips turned up in a similar fashion and she crossed her arms. _"I agree. In fact, she's already better than all of the girls that you've dated through high school and college."_

" _MOM!"_ Ken hid his face, fearful of what Winter's reaction would be. _"Could we PLEASE not talk about this now? Ugh, this is so embarrassing!"_

Winter placed her finger tips over her mouth as she began chuckling at the scene before her. _'Ah, the old "Parents embarrassing their child" routine. A bit worn, but charming all the same.'_ Her small amount of laughter died down and she addressed Ken directly. "Kenneth?" The young man brought his face from out of his hands, bringing his gaze back up to Winter. "You have no reason to be embarrassed. If anything, I am incredibly flattered by such praise."

" _Uh… well…"_ Ken was at a loss for words. He wasn't really expecting that. _"…I'm, uh, flattered that your flattered?"_ The redhead smacked his forehead at what he just said. _"Ugh! Redundant much?! Why can't I think today?!"_

"Hah, relax." Winter chortled with a wave of her hand. "I have gotten the message." A determined expression then graced her features, much to Ken's shock. "I will not lie, Kenneth… you… _interest_ me."

Ken's eyes were the size of saucers at what she had just said. _"I… I do?"_

"Yes, you are not like most of the men that I have met throughout my life." Winter wore a sly grin as she continued. "You are relaxed, very kind and compassionate, and it is very obvious that you care deeply about your family. Also, you are very… what's the word? Ah yes, _quirky_ , that's it." The more she complimented him, the more Ken blushed, which Winter found to be very cute. She offered him a wink. "What say we keep in touch, hmm? I would like to get to know you better."

" _You… you would?"_ Winter gave Ken a nod and a sheepish smile came to the redhead's face. _"I'd… I'd like that too."_

"Excellent!" Winter placed her hands on her hips. "I very much look forward to it."

Just then, Doctor Holiday spoke up, having gone silent in order to let the children and Max have their family talk. "I hate to interrupt, everyone, but we only have about five minutes left before the battery loses its charge. We either have to wrap this up or Ben has to transform back into Feedback to recharge it."

" _I see."_ Sandra nodded. _"As much as we'd like to keep talking to you all, I'm afraid we have to go too. We took some time off of work to be here, but unfortunately, we can't stay very long."_

"It's okay, mom." Ben raised a hand up to her with a small grin. "We understand. I'm just glad that we got this long to talk to you. Oh, and thanks for sending my PS3, it means a lot!"

" _Sure thing, sport."_ Carl saluted. _"We knew you would appreciate it. Hope to talk to you kids again soon."_ The man turned his head up to team RWBY and waved to them. _"And it was a pleasure to meet you girls as well. It's good to know that our kids've made some great friends over there."_

"Same here, Mr. Tennyson!" Ruby said with a wave. "Hope to meet you guys in person real soon!"

"Indeed." Weiss said. "We're all very excited to be able to come to your world. Just one more week of waiting."

"There's a lot of work to be done on both of our ends." Blake surmised. "But I know that we'll make it there soon."

" _Of course."_ Sandra spoke up before directing her attention to the Blonde Brawler. _"Yang, I'm very thrilled to have met you today, and I look forward to meeting you in person. But until then…"_ Sandra winked at the younger blonde, _"please make sure that Ben keeps his head on straight, okay?"_

Yang winked back and gave her a thumbs up. "It's what I do best, Mrs. T—I mean, Sandra."

An odd shiver went down Ben's spine. "Ugh, that just sounds wrong. Is it weird to hear your girlfriend call your parents by their first name?"

"It is." Kevin confirmed.

"Bye, Evelyn!" Gwen called out as she waved to Kevin's mom.

"Trust me." The Osmosian sighed before waving to his mother as well. "Bye, ma. Take care, okay? I promise I'll be home before you know it."

" _I know you will, honey."_ Evelyn waved back. _"And good luck with your mission! I know that your father would be proud if he were still with us. I love you."_

Kevin's smile softened at that. "Love you too, mom."

"I'll talk to you guys soon, okay?" Gwen addressed her parents and Ken. "And thank you for sending my Switch."

" _Our pleasure, sweetheart."_ Frank nodded. _"Stay safe, and show that witch what for, okay?"_

" _We'll make sure that everything's ready for you when you get home."_ Natalie added. _"We're going to have a big party to celebrate. Sound fun?"_

"Definitely!" Gwen concurred. "Can't wait for it. Love you!"

" _We love you too, sweetheart."_ Natalie returned before directing her attention over to the elder Schnee. She put on her best scrutinizing face and addressed the Military Specialist. _"And Winter…"_ She trailed off as her sea blue eyes met Winter's icy blue, the two women judging each other simply by their gaze alone. After a few seconds, Natalie's lips turned up once again. _"Have fun talking to my son. I'll make sure that he puts a half hour out of his schedule each day. How does around noon time sound to you?"_

" _What the—mom?!"_ Ken exclaimed in shock. _"What the heck?!"_

"It sounds absolutely perfect, Mrs. Tennyson." Winter smirked back. "Please, make it so."

" _I will, and dear, call me Natalie."_ The redheaded woman insisted. _"Something tells me that I'll be seeing more of you very soon."_

"Indeed." Winter nodded before waving over to Ken. "I hope to talk to you soon… Kenny."

Ken's eyebrows shot up before waving back with a smile. _"Yeah, I hope so too."_

Finally, Frank and Carl set their sights on their father, with the older brother placing a hand on his younger sibling's shoulder. _"And dad? Promise us you'll come back in one piece, okay?"_

" _And don't try to strain yourself when you're helping the kids out."_ Carl added. _"I know that you're in good shape for your age, but all the same, please be careful."_

"Heh, don't worry boys, I'll be sure to keep an eye on myself." Max chuckled. "But you just worry about yourselves, okay? We'll be fine here, trust me."

" _Well… okay."_ Carl nodded before shifting his eyes back to his son. _"Ben… do us proud, okay?"_

" _We love you, honey."_ Sandra added.

"I love you guys too." Ben reciprocated with a thumbs up. "And don't worry, dad, I don't plan on doing anything less. We'll catch you guys later." With one final wave from the Tennyson's and Evelyn, the inter-dimensional communicator shut itself off, having wasted all of the battery life that Feedback had given it. Ben let out a sigh, resting his arms on his knees as he hunched over and looked at the ground. "Well, that was a talk and a half."

"You okay?" Yang asked as she set a hand on Ben's shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm good." Ben replied as he gently put his hand over hers. "It actually went a lot better than I thought it would."

"Yeah, me too." The blonde took a seat next to him and set her head into the crook of his neck. "But we made it through just fine, huh?"

"See? Worried over nothing." Gwen crossed her arms as her eyes glanced over to Winter with a knowing smirk. "And it sounds like my mom's going to set up some long-distance lunch dates between you and my brother by the sounds of it."

Wiess gave out a devious chuckle as she gave her sister a cheeky look. "Heeheehee! Guess you've got some new business on your plate, huh sis?"

Winter was not perturbed by the two girls' behavior as she simply gazed down at the communicator, thinking back to the conversation she had just had with Ken and his parents. "Indeed, it seems I do."

* * *

As the communication device shut off on their end, the Tennyson's and Evelyn Levin let out a collective sigh. The past two weeks for them had been filled with nothing but apprehension, sadness, and sometimes even a little anger. They had nearly lost hope that their children could be found, but now, all of them felt a rush of relief and happiness after finally seeing them once again. Across the room, Caesar perked his head up with a smile. "Well? How'd it go?"

"Fantastic." Carl said. "They're all doing just fine." The middle-aged man suddenly sported a sly grin as he focused onto his wife. "And I must say, I think Ben might have finally found the one, eh Sandra?"

"Oh, I definitely have a good feeling about those two, Carl." Sandra confirmed. "Yang is so lively and bombastic! I _love_ her energy!"

"So do I." Carl agreed before chuckling at a little thought that entered his mind. "Hehe, you know what else I just realized?"

"What is it?"

"Ben and I have a similar penchant for women." Carl gave his wife a sly grin. "We're both into high-energy blondes."

The response elicited a hearty laugh from Sandra before giving her husband a light, good-natured shove to his shoulder. "Haha! Carl, _stop_! If you tell them that then they may get cold feet! Remember, we WOULD like to have grandchildren."

Evelyn and Natalie exchanged a look, with the former speaking first. "Well, I'm just glad that they're all safe and sound. And I'm especially grateful that they've managed to make new allies and friends while they're there." The Levin Matriarch raised an intrigued eyebrow. "But I won't lie… I believe your son has acquired quite the admirer, Nat."

"I couldn't agree more, Evy." Natalie responded with her friend's nickname. The redheaded woman glanced over to her son knowingly. "I must say, Kenny, Winter is quite the respectable young lady. I hope that you'll honor her request."

Ken gave his mother a deadpan expression, though a blush was still visible on his cheeks. "Mom, listen, just because I'm nervous doesn't mean that I won't keep my word. I DO want to get to know her better, you know?"

"And it's okay to be nervous, son." Frank said as he put a supportive arm around Ken's shoulders. "Heck, I was nervous when I first went out with your mother YEARS ago. But just remember what I've always told you; be well mannered, be confident, and most importantly; keep in mind that dating is a two-person job. Don't leave her hanging on a conversation or go on tangents about yourself. Treat her with the same respect that you would give anyone else."

"You're father's right." Natalie nodded. "You're both people after all, so mutual respect should be a given. If she asks something about you, ask her something about herself in return. But be mindful of boundaries, you don't want to come off as pushy."

Carl and Sandra put their hands on Frank and Natalie's shoulders respectively. "I think the boy's got the right idea, you two." Carl said. "Let's not make him OVERLY nervous now, okay?"

"Don't get us wrong, it's all good advice." Sandra assured. "But too much can lead to overthinking, which in turn leads all the way back to nervousness." The blonde gave her nephew a thumbs up. "We have faith in you, kiddo. Good luck."

Ken sighed and gave his family a smile. "Thanks everyone, I appreciate it."

* * *

_DING DONG!_ It hadn't even been five minutes since The Alien Trio and Team RWBY had emerged from the basement with Holiday, Winter and Max when the doorbell suddenly rang. The seven teens and three adults directed their attention to the front door, their curiosity peaked. "Hmm, now who could that be?" Max wondered.

"If I had to guess…" Ben started as he went over and reached for the door knob, "I think it might be—" The door suddenly swung open, causing Ben to stagger back a bit and let out a yelp. "Gah!" He landed smack dab on his arse before craning his head up to see Blanche standing in front of him with her hands on her hips. "Yep, right on the money."

"That's right, we're back baby!" Blanche exclaimed with a smirk. Noire, Saphron, Terra and Rouge were peeking into the house from behind her, though their faces were not nearly as amused. "How's _that_ for an entrance?"

However, rather than being amused, Yang's brows were furrowed in frustration as she marched right up to the choppy-haired blonde. "Are you CRAZY?! You could've bashed his head in! And if my dad didn't put in a door stop, you could've SERIOUSLY damaged the wall!" The Blonde Brawler's chastising forced Blanche to take a couple steps back. "Just because you're allowed to come into my home doesn't mean you're allowed to do what you please to it, got it?!"

"She's right, Blanche." Rouge said disapprovingly. "Definity NOT cool. Now help Ben up."

"Okay, I'm sorry!" Blanche said while raising her arms defensively, her bravado quickly diminishing as she realized the gravity of her mistake. "I'm sorry, I'm just… really excited." Blanche reached her hand down to help Ben up. "You okay, hero boy?"

"Think so." Ben said as he took the offered hand. "Though I'm left to wonder what you could be so excited about that it'd make you punt the door in."

"Yeah, what's up, ladies?" Ruby asked as she and her team stepped forward. "Hope you guys weren't too shell shocked at yesterday's attack."

"Oh, it was _definitely_ a shock." Saphron nodded. "We were eating breakfast when we saw that thing attacking in the streets!"

"Wait, you were actually in the same AREA as Viktor?" Blake said in shock. "How did you guys escape so quickly?"

"Your friends helped us out with that one." Noire answered. "Coco and her team helped everyone get away to safety as quick as they could and… wait, did you say that thing's name was "Viktor"?"

"Yeah, he was an old enemy of ours." Kevin explained. "Kinda lost his mind and reverted to his more… instinctual behavior."

Terra's eyes widened at the realization. "Wait… you mean to tell me that THAT thing was an alien too? It looked more like a hideous monster!"

"You'd be surprised how blurry the line can be between aliens and monsters." Gwen elaborated further. "Still, you guys are lucky to have gotten away so fast."

Terra nodded in agreement. "Yes," she placed her hand on her belly, "especially with you-know-what still on board." The spectacled woman glanced up to see Max and two other women standing in the corner, gaining her attention. "Oh, Max, good to see you. And you two…" Terra pointed at Holiday and Winter. "I don't think we've met yet, but I think we saw you helping out in town yesterday, right?"

"Oh right, you _haven't_ met, have you?" Weiss went over and gestured to her older sister. "This is my sister, Winter…" and then over to Holiday, "and this is Doctor Holiday." The heiress then pointed to Jaune's sisters individually. "Sis, Holiday, these are Jaune's older sisters; Rouge, Blanche, Noire, Saphron, and Saphron's wife, Terra. Okay, everybody got that?"

"Indeed." Winter nodded before directing her attention to Rouge. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Yes, nice to meet you." Holiday agreed. "Now that I get a closer look at you, I can definitely see the family resemblance you share with Jaune. Do all Arcs have the same hair and eye color?"

"Yes… well, except our mother." Rouge admitted. "Our dad's genes are pretty powerful if you know what I mean. So, are you two from the Atlesian Military?"

"Well, Winter is." Holiday answered. "But I am actually from another dimension. Myself and a friend of mine came to this world in order to find Ben and the others."

The Arc sister's jaws collectively dropped at that bit of information. "W-wait, you came here from Ben's world?!" Noire exclaimed. "Since when did THIS happen?!"

"About two days ago!" A male voice called from the kitchen, causing everyone to look down the hall. Not two seconds later did Rex come out into the hall, a smile on his face and a bottle of water in his hand. "Hey! You're Jaune's family, right? Let's see…" The EVO pointed to them as he spoke their names. "Rouge, Saphron, Terra, Blanche and Noire. Did I get that right?"

"Uh… yeah." Blanche confirmed. "But now who the hell are you?"

"And how did you know our names?" Saphron pressed further.

Rex jabbed a thumb at himself. "In order; the name's Rex. And Ben told me your names when you came over to swarm your little brother yesterday after the attack."

"I see." Rouge nodded. "Well, it's nice to meet you Rex, and you too Dr. Holiday. So, does this mean that Ben and the others have a way home now?"

"Not quite, but we're working on it." Rex took a swig of water before continuing. "So, what brings you _señoritas_ here?"

"Sen-you-ree-tas?" Blanche said, butchering the word entirely. "Now you're just spouting random jargon!"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Ugh, jeez, seriously? It's Spanish. A language from Ben's dimension." The heiress folded her arms. "And I suggest you try not to say any more of it if you don't want to commit language-slaughter."

"Say what?!"

But before anything could start, Blake interjected between the two ladies. "Okay, let's just stop right there." The catgirl raised her hands. "We don't want to start a fight in the house, OR attract any Grimm." The two ladies immediately broke it up, though both of them seemed to do it begrudgingly. "Good, now what ARE you guys so excited about anyway?"

However, just as Rouge was about to answer, a loud car horn honked from outside, causing Blanche's smile to quickly return. "Haha! You're about to find out! Come on!" The teens and Winter quickly followed her and the other Arc sisters out the door, only to see what appeared to be a mini-van pulling up the dirt driveway, much to their surprise. "Hah! There they are!"

Ruby's eyes widened in realization. "Wait… is that who I think it is?" Rouge, Saphron and Noire all gave her a nod, too which she immediately let out an excited squee. "EEEEEE! I've been waiting for this!" she exclaimed as she jumped in place. "They're all finally here!"

"Well, wait no longer, Rubes." Yang smirked as the mini-van came to a stop. "'Cause here they come!"

Kevin smirked at the sight of the mini-van. "Heh, typical family car, huh? I'd expect Jonathan to have a more badass car than THAT."

"Well, we can't ALL drive muscle cars, dear." Gwen rolled her eyes with a grin.

Weiss took out her scroll and handed it to Winter. "Here, Jaune's scroll is in my contact list. He needs to know that they're here."

"Understood." Winter nodded as she took the scroll and began searching through the contacts. She went inside to make the call, leaving the teens and the older Arc siblings to greet the family.

At that moment, Sun, Neptune and Tai made their way out to the front yard, all three of them having heard the car horn from the shed out back. Tai was the first to come to a halt, gazing at the group in exhaustion while also taking note on who was hear. "Oh, hah, hey everyone! Guess… we got some company! Heh, great." In his mind he added; _'Great, more people to crowd my house.'_

Sun and Neptune went over to the team, with the monkey boy stopping right next to Blake. "Heh, hey, what's going on?"

"Jaune's family is here." Blake answered before glancing over the boy with a smirk. "And YOU are covered in sweat."

"Yeah, workin' in a hot shed'll do that to ya." Sun grinned back before whispering; "But the good news is that we've almost got all the picnic tables done. We should be set by tomorrow."

"Great work, Sun." Blake smiled before seeing the driver's door open on the mini-van. "Now let's be on our best behavior, here they come."

From out of the mini-van's driver's seat, a rather familiar man stepped out, one with a familiar set of blue eyes and blonde hair with a goatee to match. Jonathan Arc waved over to the teens with gusto. "HAHA! Hey there, kids! Long time, no see, eh?" The middle-aged man was not in his golden armor like he was over a week ago. Instead, he wore a plain white t-shirt underneath a Royal Yellow, button-up wool jacket with two pockets on either pectoral, a pair of jeans and black shoes adorning his lower half. "What's been goin' on, guys?"

"Hey, Mr. Arc!" Ben and the others waved back. "Good to see you again. We've been doing alright."

"We've been waiting for you guys to get here, actually!" Yang added.

"You came at a weird time though." Ruby admitted. "Jaune's out training with his team, but we're working on getting him here. Hey, when did you guys get to Patch anyway?"

"A couple hours ago." Jonathan answered as he shut the door to his vehicle. "Rouge met up with us at the docks and she showed us the way to the hotel. Then we all went out for a quick breakfast and now, here we are!"

Suddenly, a new voice came from the other side of the mini-van; "Hon, do you plan on actually introducing us to these fine young people, or are we all going to be left in the dark?" Everyone looked up to see a very pretty middle-aged woman leading a trio of young blonde girls, all three of them in their teens. The woman had long, brown hair that went down past her shoulders and stopped just short of the small of her back. She had olive-green eyes which matched the crochet cardigan that she wore over a tan-brown t-shirt. She also wore a pair of jeans that left her ankles exposed, with a pair of tan leather Sicily sandals on her feet. The woman gazed over and gave them a lovely smile. "You all must be Jaune's friends, right? It's so nice to meet you, I'm Marron Arc, Jaune's mother. But you can just call me "Mary" for short."

Ruby gasped and used her Semblance to zip over to Jaune's mother, leaving a flurry of rose petals in her wake. The trio of blonde girls stepped back in shock while Mary remained where she was, surprised by the young girl's excitement. "OH. MY. GOSH!" Ruby exclaimed as she shook Mary's hand. "I cannot believe that I'm actually meeting you! Jaune's told us so much about you, it's hard to believe that you are actually at my house! I'm Ruby Rose, it's so nice to meet you!"

"It's nice to meet you too, Ruby." Mary smiled, slightly taken aback by the girl's enthusiasm. "Any friend of Jaune's is a friend of mine." The Arc Matriarch glanced over to her husband with a quirked brow. "Ahem, speaking of, honey… I think some introductions are in order?"

"Haha, right, of course!" Jonathan laughed as he led his family over to the group, pointing out everyone who was there. "Arc Family, say hello to Ruby's sister, Yang, her teammates Blake and Weiss, and finally Ben, Gwen, and Kevin." But then, Jonathan's eyes widened when he saw three more boys standing there with them. "Oh, I'm sorry, I don't know who YOU boys are!"

Sun gave a salute. "Hey there, Jaune's dad, name's Sun Wukong."

"Neptune Vasilias." The blue-haired boy gave the Arcs a thumbs up. "Nice to meet ya!"

"And I'm Rex, Rex Salazar." The EVO boy answered. "So, you're Jaune's mom and pop, huh? I can see where he gets his charisma from."

"HAHA! I like this kid already!" Jonathan bellowed. "Well, it's nice to meet you boys…" The middle-aged knight trailed off when he saw Tai approaching from the side. "Ah! And you must be Ruby and Yang's dad, right? Taiyang Xiao-Long?"

"That'd be me." Tai replied with a firm handshake. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard stories of the Arc family for a long time, and I'm glad that I've finally got the chance to meet some of them, including your son of course. That boy's been improving greatly over the past couple weeks that he's been here."

"I should hope so." Jonathan nodded as the handshake ended.

"And thank you very much for housing our son after the attack, Taiyang." Mary added. "We very much appreciate it."

"Oh, no problem at all, it was the least I could do." Tai waved. "And please, call me Tai. Everyone does." It was then that the Xiao-Long patriarch noticed the three girls standing awkwardly away from both groups, hoping that no one would pay them any mind. "Well, now that you all know us, why not introduce yourselves, huh?"

The three girls froze when they were noticed, and their mother and father following Tai's gaze over to them didn't help. "He's right, girls." Mary nodded. "Come over here and say hi to everyone." She noticed the apprehensive expressions on her daughter's faces and countered with a motherly smile. "There's no need to be nervous, they ARE Jaune's friends after all."

"Yeah, c'mon girls, they won't bite!" Jonathan supported. "Verte, why don't you start?"

Eventually, the eldest of the three girls stepped forward. She appeared to be sixteen and her blonde hair was done in a pixie cut, making it the shortest of the Arc Sister hairstyles. Her cheeks were covered with freckles and she wore a pair of emerald earrings, the green gems shimmering in the sun. She sported a green tank top and a pair of worn cut-off black jeans that had holes in the knees, a pair of green high-tops completing her look. But what was most glaring about her were her eyes… in that they weren't blue, but green. "Hey, name's Verte." The girl greeted. "You're Jaune's friends, right?"

Gwen was the one to step forward. "Yes, we are. I'm Gwen, it's nice to meet you." She walked over to Verte and offered a hand shake. "I have to say, it's nice to finally meet all of you."

"Yeah, cool, I guess." Verte said as she politely shook Gwen's hand.

"Say, your big sister Rouge mentioned that you all share the same eye color." The Anodite pointed out.

A sly grin suddenly came to Verte's face. "Yeah, we do." She stopped the handshake and reached up to her eye, carefully pulling something out of it. There were mixed reactions. Most of the team reeled back in surprise while Verte's older sisters either facepalmed or shook their heads disparagingly. Gwen simply looked on unperturbed while Verte took out what was revealed to be a contact lens. She now had one green eye and one blue eye. "Prescription color contacts. I hate glasses, so I got these instead. When I found out that I could get them in different colors, I instantly got 'em in green." Her smirk turned sheepish. "It's… kinda my favorite color."

"I see. Well I think that's pretty cool." Gwen smiled.

Verte's eyebrows rose in shock. "Seriously?"

"Yep." Gwen said as she took out a contact lens from her own eye. "Speaking from someone who can't stand glasses."

Verte brightened up at that. "No way! That's so…" But then, she suddenly retreated into her shell again. "Er, I mean, cool, I guess."

Another of the younger Arc Siblings stepped forward, apparently frustrated with her sister. "Ugh, Verte, could you please just get a grip?" She appeared to be the youngest of the Arc sisters, about fourteen or so, and she was decked out in a lavender t-shirt with violet overalls. Her long blonde hair was actually a bit darker than her sisters, almost verging on light brown. It was also tied back in a pony tail that stuck out of the back of her head. She continued to chastise her sister; "The girl is LITERALLY trying to relate with you and you're just being your usual anti-social self."

Verte placed the contact lens back into her eye before brushing her sister off. "Psh, yeah, sure. Whatever, Vi."

Off to the side, Blake couldn't help but part her lips at the young girl's behavior. _'She… sort of reminds me… of myself.'_

With a heavy sigh, "Vi" turned to Gwen with a sympathetic grin. "I'm sorry that my sister can be such a shut-in. Ever since Jaune left, she hasn't had much to talk about. I'm Violette. Pleased to meet you, Gwen."

"Likewise." Gwen reciprocated before glancing to the final Arc Sister. "And what about you?"

Ben followed his cousin's gaze to the final Arc sister and, he wouldn't lie, he was kind of dumbfounded by what he saw. The young girl, who appeared to be about fifteen, had her hair styled in a bob cut that reached down to her jawline, a blue headband settled on top of her head. She wore a baggy, cyan turtleneck with a dark blue pleated skirt, complete with cyan knee socks and a pair of blue Mary Janes. The final touch were a pair of glasses on her face, which were round and had thin brims. The only thing that Ben could think was; _'Holy crap, she's a blonde Velma from Scooby-Doo! What the frick?!'_

The blue-clad girl adjusted her glasses and moved over to the Anodite. "Oh, hello there. I'm Azure. I'm pleased to meet you… Gwen you said your name was?"

"That's right." The redhead confirmed. "I have to admit, it's a little surreal finally meeting all of you after this long. Jaune's told us a lot about you in the past week, it's obvious that you girls mean a lot to him."

Verte crossed her arms. "Yeah? Well then, where is he? If he's gonna hype us up so much, the least he could do is actually show up!"

"Verte!" Mary scolded her daughter. "Have some patience and he'll be here. Remember, he has a team now, and Ruby herself said that they were training somewhere."

Ruby popped up right next to Verte, making her jump. "Yep, that's right! Your brother's become quite the leader ever since he got to Beacon, if I do say so myself!"

Violette's eyebrows rose up. "Wow, our big brother… the leader of his own team!"

"Indeed." Azure adjusted her glasses once again. "It IS quite a surprise, isn't it?"

"Psh, yeah, I'll believe it when I see it." Verte said as she crossed her arms.

Yang leaned over and whispered to Ben; "Something tells me that she's not the most outspoken type of girl, huh?"

"Yeah, seems so." Ben whispered back. However, a sly grin began to form on his face. "But I've got a good idea on how to gain ALL of their attention."

Yang returned the smirk in full. "Wow, trying to make me jealous with a bunch of other blonde girls, Green Boy?"

"Ha, please, nobody could replace you, Goldie Locks." Ben planted a kiss on her lips before giving her a wink. "Alright, here goes." The hero and his beloved walked over to the trio of young girls and Ben gave them a wave. "Okay, so while we're waiting for Jaune, I guess I should start getting you girls up to speed on who me, my cousin and my friend are. You see, we're—"

"Oh, we know already." Violette interrupted. "My dad told us about you when he came back home, and Rouge went into a bit more detail over breakfast."

Ben and Yang's eyebrows simultaneously rose up. "They… did?" the Omnitrix-bearer asked.

"Yes, they told us a lot about you, in fact." Azure said as she adjusted her glasses again, the sun shining on them for a brief second. "However, if you ask me, I'm still a bit skeptical over the whole situation."

Verte narrowed her eyes at Ben in suspicion. "Yeah, me too. Sounds like a load a' bull to me."

"But it's true!" Yang insisted. "Every word, I swear to god! Besides, what reason would your own dad and sister have to lie to you?"

Verte rolled her eyes at the Blonde Brawler's words before pointing a finger at Ben. "Look, unless you can prove that you CAN turn into these "Aliens" with your fancy wristwatch, I ain't believing a single word you—" _FLASH!_ Verte and her two younger sisters were suddenly blinded by a bright green flash of light, forcing them to cover their eyes. Once the light had died down, the three girls uncovered their eyes, with Verte having to blink a few times as she was closest to it. "Ugh! Hey, what the heck… was… that?" Her frustrated mood had died down at the sight of what was now in front of them, her sisters following suit as they all stared incredulously at it.

Their father however, was ecstatic. "HAHAHA! Yes! I FINALLY get to see it in action!"

"Oh my word!" Mary exclaimed. "It's… it's huge!"

Yang could only snicker at the three teenage girls' faces. "Hehe, told ya it was real."

Standing high above the Arcs and the team, a rather familiar Vaxasaurian reared his head back and roared out his name; **"HUMUGOUSAUR!"**

* * *

Jaune stopped dead in his tracks as he, his team and Athena finally made it back to the Xiao-Long household. He had just heard Humungousaur roar out his name, and he instantly began to fear what was going on out front. "Oh god, please tell me that we're not under attack! Not while my family's here!"

"Jaune, relax." Nora reassured cheerfully. "I'm sure that Ben's just showing your fam one of his aliens. If there were any trouble, there'd be a lot more—" But the Pink Dynamo was suddenly cut off when the ground began to shake, causing the five to grow worried. "Uh, okay, maybe I spoke too soon."

"My sisters! Mom! Dad!" Jaune panicked as he surged forward, with Pyrrha, Ren and Nora right by his side with Athena close behind. The group of five made it to the front yard… only to be floored by what they were seeing. Humungousaur was bounding across the front yard with Saphron, Terra, Blanche, Noire, Violette, Azure and Jonathan all on his back, the six girls and Arc Patriarch all hollering with joy at the fun ride they were having. Jaune's jaw went slack. "Wha…"

"Hmm, I guess we were worried over nothing." Pyrrha shrugged with a smile. Her eyes then trailed over to see Team RWBY, Sun, Neptune, Gwen, Kevin and Rex all standing off to the side, with Rouge and two other women that she didn't recognize; one middle-aged brunette and another young blonde. Pyrrha in particular was taken aback by the brunette. "Is… is that who I think it is?"

Jaune followed her gaze and his eyes widened, his gut doing a flip at the sight of the two women on the other side of the yard. He was apprehensive of making himself known to them, but he knew he had too. It was true that he was worried about what they would think of him after being gone for so long, but at this point, all the blonde knight wanted was to sprint over and give them a big hug. Jaune's legs carried him forward and he ran across the yard, careful to avoid Humungousaur's path. "MOM! VERTE!"

Rouge's ears perked up, as did her mother's and sister's. The oldest Arc Sister smiled over in Jaune's direction as he approached with his team and Athena not far behind. "Heh, well would you look at that?" Rouge smirked over to Verte. "I told you he'd be here."

The moment that Mary's eyes found her son, tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. He was a live. Her little boy was alive! "JAUNE!" She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, meeting her son in the middle with the biggest embrace she could muster, pulling him close to her as she wept into his shoulder, giving him multiple kisses on his cheek and forehead for good measure. "Oh, my baby! I'm so happy to see you!"

"Heh, good to see you too, mom." Jaune said as he gave her a kiss on her cheek as well. "I'm… guessing that you know about everything that's been going on?"

"Oh, not everything, honey…" Mary glanced up to the Vaxasaurian, who had stopped in his tracks at the reunion taking place. "All I know is that you've found some interesting friends. Some GOOD friends." she emphasized.

"Heh, I can attest to that." Jaune chortled before noticing that they weren't alone. Both Rouge and Verte had made their way over as well, but the blonde knight was focused directly on his younger sister. She had her hands clamped over her mouth in an attempt to keep her sobbing at bay, but she couldn't stop the tears that were streaming down her face. Jaune reached a hand out to her and smiled. "Hey, V. Long time, no see, huh?"

Verte trembled in disbelief when he spoke her name, after a year of him being gone, there he was, right in front of her. "Jaune…" she muffled out from under her hands before taking them away from her face. Verte reached out and surged forward, wrapping him in a hug as she broke down in his embrace. "JAUNE!" Verte sobbed as her brother and mother comforted her, with Rouge joining in not long after.

Up on Humungousaur's back, Azure and Violette were gawking at the scene in astonishment. Their brother was down there, and he was waiting for them. Violette pat the back of the Vaxasaurian's neck. "Um, Humungousaur? We'd like to be let down now, please."

" **Certainly."** Humungousaur complied. **"Oh, and uh, I'm still technically Ben, just so you know. I just like to give my transformation's names."**

"Duly noted." Azure stated before jumping off of Humungousaur's back and running over to her brother. "Jaune! Hey, over here!"

Violette burst out into a big smile as she, her older sisters and father began running over as well. "It's us! We're here!"

Jaune shifted his gaze over to his two little sisters with a grin of his own. "Heh, hey guys! How's it—OOF! AUGH! WHOA!" One by one, his sisters and sister-in-law all tackled him in hugs until they, him and their mother were all on the ground, with Jonathan joining them soon after. What began as sobs turned into happy crying before just becoming all out laughter between the eleven family members. "HAHAHA! Yep, this is an Arc Family Reunion alright!" Once the laughter had died down, his three younger sisters started bombarding him with questions all at once, to which he raised his arms to calm them down. "Whoa, whoa, girls, one at a time, okay? I know that it's been a while but there's only so much I can process."

"But Jaune, you've been gone for so long!" Violette insisted. "We want to know EVERYTHING that's happened."

Back where she was standing, Gwen pursed her lips when Violette said that. _'That might be a little difficult, Vi. In the case with Salem, there are some things that are better left unsaid.'_ The Anodite turned to the rest of the team and ushered them inside. "C'mon, let's give them some time to catch up. Something tells me that we're not needed here right now."

"Trust me, I'll fill you guys in on EVERYTHING." Jaune promised. "But first, why don't we start with the basics. You've obviously already met my other friends, but…" The knight picked himself up off the ground and gestured over to Pyrrha, Nora and Ren. "Why don't I introduce you to my team? Dad, I think you remember them."

"Oh, I do, son." Jonathan confirmed before waving over to them. "Hiya, kids! Come on over, I've brought a few people that wanna meet—"

In the blink of an eye, Nora had zipped over and began shaking the younger Arc Sisters' hands. "No need to tell me twice!" she exclaimed as she wore a wide, toothy grin. "HI! I'm Nora! Oh my gosh, it's so freaking fantabulous to FINALLY meet you guys!"

Azure was the one to reply, though her voice vibrated when Nora shook her hand. "UuHh, ThAnKs?" By the end of the hand shake, Azure, along with Verte and Violette, were all dizzy and off-balance, with the blue-clad girl's glasses having nearly fallen off of her face. Azure readjusted her glasses and glanced over to Jaune. "Is she always like this?"

"Pretty much." Jaune shrugged. "You should see her on a sugar binge."

Nora gasped when she finally came to Mary. "AH! And you must be Jaune's mom! Oh my gosh, I just can't believe that I'm meeting you in person!"

"Oh, haha, thank you." Mary laughed a little at Nora's hyperactivity. "It's so nice to meet you, Nora. And please, call me Mary."

Ren sighed as he stepped forward and introduced himself to Jaune's sisters. "My apologies if Nora took you off guard. She can often get carried away, but we love her for it." He bowed to them respectfully. "My name is Ren, it's an honor to meet you all."

"The pleasure is ours!" Violette bowed back with Azure following suit, though Verte just gave a small wave. "Dad told us a lot about you guys already, actually. So, you guys are really Jaune's teammate's?"

"That's right." Ren nodded. "We've been together since our initiation at Beacon."

"Initiation?" Verte quirked an eyebrow. "What's that?"

Before Ren could answer, Nora zipped over right next to Verte, making the girl jump again. "Oh! It's when the headmaster launches you into a Grimm-infested forest and makes you fend for yourself while you partner up with someone before bringing back a little relic of some kind!" The Pink Dynamo answered enthusiastically. "Then, your team is formed depending on what relic you picked!"

"Oh my goodness!" Mary exclaimed before whirling around to her son. "Jaune, you were launched into a forest full of Grimm?!"

Jaune was about to calm his mother down, but Ren stepped forward and did it himself. "Mrs. Arc, I can promise you that Jaune actually did quite well in the initiation. If he didn't, well, to be a little blunt, he wouldn't be here."

Mary blinked twice at the answer she was given before looking back to her son. "Is this true?"

"Well… yeah, kinda." Jaune replied sheepishly before turning around to a certain redhead. "But I probably wouldn't have made it without… her."

Mary followed her son's line of sight and saw two women standing not far away from them; one about her age, and the other the same age as her son. They were both similarly dressed in decorative armor and shared similar features, such as green eyes and long red hair. _'They must be related… mother and daughter perha—WAIT! Jonathan mentioned this girl!'_ At the realization, Mary stepped forward and folded her hands together, giving the young girl a soft smile. "You must be Pyrrha, right?"

The Invincible Girl was surprised by the woman's knowledge of who she was. "How… how did you know?"

"Jonathan told us a lot about you when he came back home." Mary explained. "And he informed me of your condition as well. I'm very glad to see you up on your feet." The Arc Matriarch craned her head up to the much taller woman. "And if I had to guess, I believe that you are her mother?"

"I am." Athena said as she shook the shorter woman's hand. "Athena Nikos, it's a true honor."

"Marron Arc, but all my friends call me Mary." The brunette gestured for her husband. "Jonathan, come over here and say hello."

"Oh, right! Haha, where are my manners?" Jonathan extended a hand to Athena as well. "Jonathan Arc, patriarch of the Arc family! So you are the famous Athena Nikos. I have heard grand stories about your accomplishments through the Hunter grapevine."

"As have I with your family, Jonathan." Athena returned the handshake. "The Family Arc is known across Remnant as having descended from a long line of warriors, and I can tell you for a fact that your son is no exception."

"Haha, yes, my boy has definitely done me proud." Jonathan laughed before looking back over to the Invincible Girl. "And I can see that your daughter is upholding the family title as well. It's good to see you on your feet, Pyrrha."

"Thank you, Jonathan." Pyrrha bowed her head slightly. "Trust me, I'm glad that I can still walk."

Violette wore a sly grin as she jabbed her brother in the gut, nudging her head in Pyrrha's direction. "Soooo, I'm guessing that SHE was the one your partnered up with during initiation, eh, big bro?" The young girl chuckled a little before continuing. "I hope that you've been able to treat your "partner" well, heehee!"

"I concur." Azure adjusted her glasses with a dastardly smile. "The dormitory at Beacon was co-ed, correct? Heh, hard to imagine what THOSE kinds of living conditions would do to you!"

Verte rolled her eyes at the girl's teasing. "Psh, sheesh guys, give Jaune a break. Don't go teasing him about something like THAT." Verte crossed her arms and closed her eyes with a serious expression. "Besides, we all know that Jaune's never had that much confidence, right?"

"Oh, you'd be surprised, kiddo." Blanche smirked.

"This isn't _entirely_ the same Jaune that left home over a year ago." Noire added.

Rouge nodded at her sister's statement. "She's right, he's become quite the skilled fighter and has gained a lot of knowledge in being a leader."

Saphron put her hands on her hips. "Put that all together and you've got one hell of a confidence boost."

Verte narrowed her eyes at her sisters. "Just what the heck are you girls going on abou—huh?" The green-clad girl stopped in mid-sentence when Jaune began to walk over toward Pyrrha, having stayed silent throughout the sister's exchange. "H-hey, Jaune? What's going on? Where are you going?"

Jaune turned back to her and gave his sister a wink, a cheerful smile written across his face. "I've got a pretty big announcement to make, trust me, you're going to be floored by it!"

"Okay, why the sudden vagueness?" Violette asked with a look of suspicion. However, Nora suddenly began shaking her shoulders in anticipation, just as Jaune continued walking in Pyrrha's direction. "Whoa-oa-oa!"

"EEEEE! This is it!" Nora exclaimed gleefully as she continued shaking Violette. "Jaune's been waiting all week to make this announcement to you guys!"

"What announcement?" Azure crossed her arms. "Is there some important detail that we're all missing out on here?"

"You could say that." Ren surmised. "But then again, it wouldn't be that much of a surprise if you all knew beforehand, now would it."

"Surprise?" Verte quirked a brow as her eyes shifted back over to Jaune. "What do you mean by "surprise"?" But then, when her eyes locked onto Jaune again, she saw that he was facing their mom and dad… and Pyrrha was right there with him. Athena was also there, just off to the side a little bit as she gazed at both her daughter and Jaune with pride and happiness. Verte's pupils shrunk to the size of peas when she realized what was going on. "You… you can't be serious."

"Oh, we're serious alright." Terra confirmed, giving her sister-in-law a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Verte, you're about to get your world flipped on its head."

Jaune smiled up to his parents, taking a deep breath before going in. "Mom, dad, a lot has happened in the past couple of weeks. I met some great new friends, fought off some dangerous enemies and have seen some pretty incredible stuff… but we can cover that all later. Because right here, right now, I have to tell you something that's WAY more important than all of those things combined."

"Oh my, really?" Mary said, pulling her head back a slight bit in surprise. "Well then, please tell us, honey."

"We're all ears, son." Jonathan nodded with his usual smile.

"Okay, well, I just want you to make sure that you guys are ready…" Jaune craned his head over to his three younger sisters. "Verte, Azure, Vi, that goes for you three too! This is pretty big, so just… please try not to faint on me, okay?"

"Faint?" Mary tilted her head as the three youngest Arc Siblings hesitantly made their way over. "Jaune, why would any of us faint?"

The blonde knight faced his mother once more. "Well, you see…" Jaune smiled over to Pyrrha, who returned the gesture with the addition of a nod. The two held each other's hands and laced their fingers together, making both Jonathan and Mary's eyes widen. "Pyrrha and I… we're more than just partners in one sense of the word. Over this past week, we've started going out together. Mom, dad, girls, I want you all to meet my girlfriend, Pyrrha Nikos."

Pyrrha gave the five a small sheepish wave. "Hello again!"

The four women stared at the couple, all of them completely flabbergasted and unable to comprehend what they had heard for the first few seconds. However, Mary was the first to process what her son had told her, and she uttered; "She's… she's your… girlfriend?" Right after she said that, Jonathan fainted directly next to her, much to her astonishment. "AH! Jonathan!"

"DAD!" Jaune shouted as he and Pyrrha kneeled down beside him, with Athena doing so as well. "Aw man! You've gotta be kiddin' me!"

As Jaune and Athena began treating her husband, Mary's eyes went over to Pyrrha, with the Invincible Girl quickly taking notice. "Are you…" the Arc Matriarch began, "are you really my son's girlfriend, Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha blinked once before confirming Mary's question. "Yes, I am. Like Jaune said, we've been going out for the past week now, and—AH!" She was cut off when Mary suddenly pulled her into a hug, the middle-aged woman practically crying her eyes out at the news.

"My-my-my little boy has finally found the girl of his dreams!" Mary cried out. "And she's so kind and beautiful too!"

"Um… thank you?"

"Huh," Violette put her hands on her hips, "and here I thought I'd never see the day."

"Yes, the odds were definitely stacked against Jaune in this scenario." Azure calculated in her head. "About nine to one odds, last I checked."

"Hey!" Jaune exclaimed. "Are you saying you had no faith in me?!"

"Well, no, we DID have faith in you…" Violette sheepishly replied. "It's just that we were trying to look at it from a more realistic point of view is all."

"And just how does THAT make it—OOF!" Jaune was suddenly conked on the head by Verte's fist. It wasn't a hard strike, but it was enough to cause mild pain. "Hey! What was THAT for?!"

"For keeping us in suspense." Verte said with her arms crossed. She gave her older brother a smirk. "You should know better, big brother. Now, what're we gonna do with dad?"

" **An excellent question."** Ben, who had remained behind and was still transformed into Humungousaur, lumbered over and stood over the Arc family, a friendly grin written over his saurian features. **"All in all, I'd say this all went better than I had expected."** He clapped his large hands together. **"Now, who wants to come inside for some tea and a long story?"**

* * *

**A/N: And with that, this chapter draws to a close. Ben's parents have met Yang, Winter has made the first move and set the stage for her and Ken to get to know each other better, and the rest of Jaune's family has finally arrived! Man, these things just keep getting longer and longer, don't they? But from the comments that I've been getting from you guys, I'm getting the sense that isn't a bad thing, huh? Well, I'm glad to here it, because the next chapter's going to be just as long, because a LOT is going to go down in it.**

**NEXT TIME! After the Arcs get filled in on what's been going on during the past week, Team CFVY arrives along with Tetrax. It's time to go back to Beacon. While there, the team come across a few familiar faces, including a team of four familiar faces. But not everything's as it seems, as the school is about to get paid a visit by a certain adversary, one who's got a bone to pick with Ben. And one thing's for sure… her vengeance shall be** _**swift** _ **. Thanks for reading, guys! See ya next time!**


	57. Swift Wings to Beacon

**A/N: Hey there guys!** **Alright, so for the subject of today's chapter, I bring to you all another reimagined Omniverse villain, one who I thought had a cool design and personality, but also one who I felt went a little underutilized in the show. With that said, let's get right into it! This is…**

**Chapter 57: Swift Wings to Beacon**

* * *

It had been some time since the Arc family's arrival, and it had been somewhat hectic to say the least. Jonathan had woken up from his little spell, but his memory of Jaune's big news was still a bit fuzzy. So, the blonde knight and Pyrrha told him once again, and while he didn't faint this time, his new reaction was far more embarrassing for Jaune. He pulled his son and Pyrrha in for a group hug, letting out a joyous laugh. "AHAHA! I knew this day would come!" He turned toward Pyrrha with a big grin. "Pyrrha, I have to admit, I had a feeling that there was something special between you and my son the moment that I met you. I just didn't want to say anything because I know what it feels like to be a teenager who was embarrassed by their parent, and I didn't want to put you and Jaune through that."

Jaune's face became red as he mumbled to himself; "Kinda doin' it now, dad."

But Pyrrha simply smiled at the man's jovial mood. "Oh, I completely understand, Jonathan." she nodded whilst eying her mother. "Trust me, I am no stranger to it." Athena merely glanced off to the side and whistled nonchalantly at her daughter's little jab.

Ben cleared his throat and stood at the center of the living room. "In any case, since you guys are here, I think it's time we go over just what exactly has been going on in these past few weeks." And so they did, over the next two hours, everyone recounted what had happened to Jonathan, Mary, Verte, Azure and Violette, with the five Arc's eyes getting wider and wider as they went on. They covered everything, from Clancy's first appearance all the way to who Rex was and how he got there, which managed to surprise the older Arc sisters as well. Though of course, they chose to leave out the part about Salem. At the end of it all, it was almost three o'clock after recounting the battle between Feedback and Viktor, and Ben was relieved to finally be done with explanations for the time being. "So… there you have it."

The Arc family stared on incredulously at both The Alien Trio and Rex, having no idea how to respond. But finally, Violette broke the silence. "So, what you're saying is… you guys are a whole bunch of superpowered people who are powered by watches, alien blood and nanomachines? And you use those powers to help fight against the forces of evil?"

"That's pretty much the gist of it." Kevin shrugged.

Gwen raised her hand. "Though technically I don't have alien blood. Anodites don't really have DNA, they just have a "spark", so to speak."

"I see." Azure said, having been fully intrigued by everything that Ben and the others were saying. "The inter-dimensional ramifications of all these events could possibly be world-changing! How has this not gotten out to the public yet?!"

"Well, one part is that we're pretty careful on where we fight the bad guys." Ruby answered. "If it's in a crowded area, we usually tell everyone to evacuate before Ben even goes alien."

"The other part is sheer dumb luck." Ben quipped with a grin.

"And THAT is something that we choose not to question." Yang quickly added. "Or else the universe itself will start to work against us."

"Good thinking." Blanche gave her a thumbs up before pointing right at Rex. "But YOU, what the heck even is an "EVO"? Aliens are one thing, but tiny nano-machines that give you superpowers? That's kinda whack."

Rex nodded in agreement. "Uh-huh, yeah, it is." The young EVO opened the nearest window and stuck his arm through it, activating his Smack Hand soon after, much to everyone's astonishment. "But it's true."

"Holy crap!" Noire exclaimed. "And you're able to make over a DOZEN weapons like that?!"

"Yep, it's pretty awesome!" Rex deconstructed his Smack Hand and sat back down on the sofa. "But to be fair, from what I've seen from these guys' Semblances, this dimension's got some pretty cool people with superpowers too."

Meanwhile, Jonathan and Mary were looking over Jaune's new sword, the Crocea Mors Mk. II, both completely blown away by what their son had accomplished. "Jaune… hah, I'm finding it hard to believe that a sword like this is ACTUALLY in my hands," Jonathan chuckled as he activated the greatsword mode. "It's got a fantastic balance to it, even in this configuration. How did you manage to get it just right?"

"Well, I had a bit of help." Jaune answered before nudging Pyrrha a little. "Pyrrha, Kevin, Ruby and even Ben and Yang all helped out with it! But the local blacksmith is the one who lent us his forge in order to make it, so I owe him a lot of credit too."

"Simply incredible." Mary complimented as her husband pulled the blade off and turned it into its shield mode, before making the gun barrel pop out of its tip. "It's able to do so much more than what the old Crocea Mors was able to do, that's for sure!"

"Oh yeah, that reminds me…" Jonathan shifted his eyes back to his son. "Where IS Crocea Mors, Jaune? I can only guess that you're not using it anymore, so if you want me to, I'll take her off your hands and bring her back home when we leave next week."

"Oh yeah! You're right." Jaune got up, quickly ran upstairs and came back down with Crocea Mors, presenting it to his father formally. "Thank you for lending me Crocea Mors when I went to Beacon, dad. She's served me well for the past year that I was there."

"I'm sure she did." Jonathan took the old blade off of his son's hands. "But now, you've made a newer, better Crocea Mors! And now, I think this old girl can finally be put into a permanent retirement."

Jaune raised an eyebrow at that. "Hey, not if I have anything to say about it, dad. What if _I_ or any of the girls have kids one day who want to become Hunters too, huh? They're gonna need a weapon to start out on, you know?"

"Ah, fair point." Jonathan admitted. "Still, if that's the case, then I'm going to have this old girl refurbished. You said that the local blacksmith was a friend of yours?"

"Yes sir!" Ruby spoke up. "He was my shop teacher back at Signal Academy, and he lives in the woods right outside of town."

"Ah, then I know just who to talk to! Thank you, Ruby."

The multiple conversations continued for another half hour, with Jaune's sisters and the team intermingling while Jaune and Pyrrha continued conversing with the blonde knight's parents, though Mary and Athena in particular were getting to know each other better as well. "Athena, I must say, you've raised such a kind and wonderful daughter." Mary complimented. "I am very impressed that you were able to raise her while being a Huntress."

"Ha, well, I'm actually semi-retired like your husband, Mary." Athena clarified. "Once my darling Pyrrha was born, I put all my time into raising her. I usually only took local Hunting jobs that weren't very far away from Argus. Fortunately, there are many Grimm in that area, so I was never short of work."

"Oh, I'm sure. I hear that northern Mistral is home to horrible Sphinxes and Manticores." Mary shivered in fright. "Ugh, I wouldn't be able to stomach seeing one of those. It makes me very glad that people like you and my husband are able to fight them."

"And I am happy to be of service." Athena nodded. "So, what do you do?"

"I'm a school teacher, actually; Middle school English." The Arc Matriarch stated proudly. "Have been for about fifteen years now."

"Oh, my dear, you have much more courage than I do in that regard." Athena smiled. "I couldn't be a school teacher for the life of me, I just would not have the drive or the patience to do that. However, I highly respect anyone who CAN teach. It's such a big job that requires an intense amount of hard work and responsibility!"

"Thank you!" Mary smiled back. "I am very glad that you feel that way, Athena, though I doubt the "having more courage than you" part is accurate, hehe."

As the whole big talk continued, Blake found herself glancing off to the side to see that Verte was hanging around in the corner, all by herself. _'Hmm, Violette DID say that her sister was a little anti-social.'_ A small grin slowly formed on her face. _'This would probably be a good time to see what she's like.'_ With that thought in her mind, Blake strolled over and leaned up against the wall next to the green loner and gave her a small wave. "Hi there, Verte, right?"

Verte's eyebrows slightly rose in surprise at Blake's presence. "Uh, yeah?"

"I've been wanting to talk to you." Blake extended her hand. "Name's Blake, nice to meet you."

"Uh… sure." Verte reluctantly shook the cat girl's hand, not wanting to get scolded by her parents for being rude. "It's nice to meet you… I guess."

Blake smile didn't faulter as she raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Hey, why so stand-offish? I'm not going to bite or anything."

"Well, duh, I know that." Verte rolled her eyes. "Just… not much of a talker."

"Heh, on that, I can relate with." Blake chuckled. "To be honest, about a year ago, I probably would've said the same thing if anyone were to talk to me."

Verte gave Blake an up and down glance before letting out a hollow laugh. "Hah, you know, I can see that. When someone wears black, you know that's a sign that they don't wanna be talked to. That's why I wear black jeans."

"Really? I thought it was because they went well with your top." Blake pointed to the green tank top in question. "It's a really cute look for you, by the way."

Verte was taken aback, her guard having been taken down a notch by Blake's unexpected compliment. "W-wait, you think it's _cute_? How can ANYONE find my look cute?"

"You'd be surprised about what constitutes as "cute" nowadays." Blake winked. "Take it from me, guys are attracted to almost any kind of girl, be they extroverted OR introverted."

Verte crossed her arms and turned away from the cat girl. "Psh, not exactly in the market for a relationship if you know what I mean."

"Well then… how about a friend?"

The young Arc's eyes widened in shock at the words that had escaped Blake's mouth. Slowly but surely, Verte turned her head back to the Huntress-in-training, her astonished expression still on her face. "A… a friend?" She uttered before pointing at Blake. " _You_ want…" she pointed back to herself, "to be _my_ friend?"

"Sure!" Blake nodded. "Heck, if you ask anybody here, I think they'd ALL want to be your friend." She tilted her head at the Arc Sister. "You've had friends before, right?" To Blake's surprise, Verte's eyes shifted down to the floor, which made Blake's eyes widen. "You… you've never had any friends?"

"Well… no, I _did_ … in elementary school." Verte sighed. "But once I entered high school, we just started to drift apart. Our interests just began to divide, and we didn't exactly have any common ground when it came to them anymore."

"Oh, I see." Blake said before giving her a sympathetic grin. "Well, I'm no stranger to drifting away from friends either, Verte. Back at my home in Menagerie, there was this girl that I was friends with. Her name was Ilia, and we were pretty good friends for a while. But then, for some reason, she stopped talking to me as often as she used to. I was never able to figure out why, and whenever I asked her, she would brush it off and pretend to be lively when she obviously wasn't. When it came time for me to leave Menagerie, she wished me luck… and that was the last time I had ever spoke to her." Blake sighed and crossed her arms. "Sometimes, I wish I had been willing to ask her more about what was going on, but I wanted to respect her privacy. If I could do things over again, I'd make an effort to handle things better with her."

"Wow… I… I'm sorry, Blake." Verte closed her eyes and lowered her head slightly. "I can't imagine what thinking about that stuff all the time must do to you. But who knows?" The Arc sister gave the cat girl a small smile. "Maybe there's still a chance you two can make up some day?" Her smile then disappeared as she gazed down at the ground. "That's a lot more than can be said for ME. Highschool's not all that easy."

"On that, we can agree. But don't worry…" Blake put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Because you've got a new friend now. And you know what friends do, right?"

Verte raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"Share what makes them happy." Blake gave her a wink. "Wait right here, I'll be right back!" Blake ran right out of the room and went straight up the stairs, which managed to catch the attention of a few other people in the room as well. A few seconds later, they heard Blake coming down the stairs before shouting; "Here they come, ready or not!"

Over on the couch, Jaune let out a chuckle. "Heh, yeah, I was going to do that eventually, Blake!"

"Do what, honey?" Mary asked.

"Remember when I said that we went over to Mr. Vulcan's to make my sword?" Jaune paused for a bit when the sound of rapid paws began to fill the house. "Well, we managed to find something ELSE while we were there." Jaune nudged his head over to the entry way of the living room and his parents followed his gaze, only to be taken aback by what they saw; two tiny wolf puppies, both as happy as clams as they charged into the room, livening everyone up at their appearance.

"OH. MY. GOSH!" Violette exclaimed as she knelt down and let one of them jump up onto her lap. "You guys have PUPPIES?!" The puppy instantly started licking her face, much to her delight. "AHAHA! Oh, hello to you too!"

"They aren't JUST puppies!" Azure said in shock as she inspected the other one with a close eye. "These are genuine WOLF puppies!" She then gave the pup a big hug. "And they are ADORABLE!"

"Jaune… you found these two at Mr. Vulcan's house?" Jonathan asked, still flabbergasted by the little dogs running around at their feet. Violette had handed the pup she was holding to her mother, who had brought the pup back over to him and their son. "What happened exactly?"

"Well… we found their parents first." Jaune answered solemnly. "Their blood had been completely drained from their bodies. Mr. Vulcan suspected that a species of Grimm may have been responsible."

"Hmm… that's strange." Jonathan pondered as he scratched the little pup behind the ears. "Usually Grimm don't bother the natural wildlife, at least unless they're trespassing on their territory."

"Yes," Pyrrha nodded, "but who knows? This could have been such a case." The Invincible Girl shook her head. "Regardless, we took them in. The local animal rescue didn't take wolves and the nearest nature preserve is off the island." She reached over and pet her pup's head. "And we didn't want to risk anything bad happening to them during transport."

"And that was a very smart decision." Mary agreed. "No need for ones so young to have their lives cut short because of an accident. So, I take it that you own these little ones now?"

Athena nodded. "Indeed, I filled out the correct paperwork and now, my daughter, your son, and Blake are making strides to train these wolf pups to become Grimm trackers."

"Ah, I see." Jonathan nodded. "Well I'm proud of you kids for wanting to train animals. It takes a dedicated Hunter to do it, but I've got faith that you can. So, I can only guess that you've given them names?"

Jaune reached over and pet his pup on the head as well. "Yep, this little guy's called Romulus." The blonde knight pointed over to the other pup, which was now in Blake's arms. "And that one's Rema. She's taken a liking to Blake, as you can see."

"Heh, kind of ironic." Violette commented.

Meanwhile, Blake had stepped back over to Verte, holding Rema in her grasp. "See? What did I tell you? Friends should be willing to share their happiness, so…" She handed Rema off to the blonde girl. "Here, I've heard that holding a puppy helps people feel better. It works for me, anyways, so maybe it'll help you."

"W-well, I—" Verte stammered before taking hold of the little bundle of fur, the unexpected act forcing her to sit down cross-legged on the floor. As Rema settled into her lap, the little wolf looked up to her and whined in anticipation, hoping for some attention. Verte parted her lips in surprise before a small smile came to her face. She gave the little wolf a pet before saying; "Hello there. Heh, you're a cute little stinker, aren't ya?"

"Her name's Rema, by the way." Blake informed the girl. "Just so you know."

"Well, she's pretty freaking adorable, haha!" Verte chuckled before giving the pup a hug. "Hello Rema, how are you?" The pup barked happily at her, taking her aback a small bit. "Wow, you're pretty confident, aren't you?"

Blake smiled and gave Verte a wink. "Heh, I knew that there had to be a little happiness under the surface."

Verte's eyes widened in shock before a sheepish expression took over. "Uh, hehe, yeah. I'm a sucker for cute things." Her grin came back as she met Blake's gaze. "Thanks, Blake… no one's really been this nice to me in a long time, outside of my family, of course."

"You're more than welcome." Blake put a hand on Verte's shoulder. "From one introvert to another, I'm happy to get to know you, Verte. And my offer to be your friend still stands."

Verte's smile widened at that. "…You know what? Yeah. Being your friend sounds cool."

* * *

After the little pup's meet and greet, another half hour passed before a loud rumbling began to shake the entire house, much to everyone's surprise. "Whoa-WHOA!" Jonathan shouted before tripping over the nearby recliner. "W-what's going on here? Why's everything shaking?!"

"Is it an earthquake?" Mary asked in concern.

"No, I think that's our ride!" Weiss exclaimed before looking out the nearby window. Her suspicions were confirmed when the Resolute decloaked and landed in the front yard, with Team CFVY pulling up in Coco's roadster not soon after. "Guys, I think it's time to go."

"Go?" Violette titled her head. "Go where?"

Jaune glanced over to his family. "Oh yeah, there's one thing I forgot to mention; Professor Goodwitch has called an important meeting for Beacon's student body. We're going back to the academy for a little while."

"WHAT?!" Violette yelled. "You're going BACK to that place?!"

"That's absurd!" Azure supported. "The amount of dangerous activity in that place must be off the charts!"

Ben spoke up, raising his hands to try and quell their worries. "Woah, okay guys, let's try and stay calm here for a minute. Goodwitch has told us many times that there is little to no Grimm activity at Beacon. The only way that any Grimm could even come back is if they're attracted by negative emotions. Plus, she and the rest of the staff have been working to repair the damage that's been done."

"Ben's right." Gwen concurred. "If there were any trouble going on there, we would've been told beforehand."

"But… we just got here!" Verte exclaimed before running over to Jaune and taking his arm in her grasp. "You seriously can't be leaving us already!"

"Verte, please understand." Jaune tried to reassure his sister. "I'll only be gone for an hour at most, so—"

"WE haven't seen you in over a YEAR, Jaune!" Verte cried, much to her brother's AND her family's shock. Tears began to stream down her face before putting her head against her brother's shoulder. "Please… don't leave us again."

Jaune gazed down to his sister as she wept onto his shoulder before shifting his eyes up to the rest of his family. Violette and Azure both wore the same worried faces while Rouge, Saphron, Terra, Blanche and Noire gave him sympathetic smiles, showing that they had confidence in him. His parents were somewhat indecisive, not entirely sure what they should do. On one hand, their son was going back to the place that had caused him and his friends so much pain. But on the other, he was doing it voluntarily, and they knew he wouldn't appreciate it if they forbade him from going.

Finally, Mary took a deep breath and stepped forward, putting a hand on Verte's shoulder. "Sweetheart, it's okay. If what Ben says is true, then there should be nothing to worry about. We shouldn't get in the way of what Jaune wants to do."

"WHAT?!" Verte yelled as her head whirled back around to her mother. "Mom, you CAN'T be serious! You actually AGREE with what he's doing?"

"Honey, Jaune has grown up since he left home." Jonathan explained before both he and his wife gave their son a quick smile. "He's not just the goofy boy that we love anymore. He's a Hunter-in-training, a leader, and part of an even bigger team that has been fighting inter-dimensional villains since the attack on Beacon."

Verte sniffled a little bit, wiping the tears away from her eyes. "I… I came all this way to see my brother… and now he has to leave JUST as we get here?"

Blanche came forward as well, giving her little sister a hug. "V, sweetie, I completely understand where you're coming from. Earlier this week, I had to come to terms with our brother becoming a man. But that doesn't mean that he's not our brother anymore. He still loves us, but he's got a lot of other important things in his life now too. Friends, a girlfriend, an entire _team_." The white-clad woman shrugged. "Sometimes, you just need to accept when things change. I know it's not easy, and sometimes it can suck, but that's just the way life is."

As Verte took her big sister's words in, Jaune came over and joined in on the hug, giving his little sister a smile and a wink. "Verte, I promise, I'll be back before you know it. Trust me, you won't lose me THAT easily."

At that moment, a loud car horn began blaring outside. Sun went over to the window to see that Coco was leaning into her car to honk its horn, with her, Cooper and the rest of her team all ready to board the resolute. The barrette-wearing girl spotted the monkey boy in the window and gestured for him to get the team going. "Uh, guys?" Sun turned back around. "We've gotta get going. We're due for lift-off any moment now."

Verte took her eyes off of Sun and back to her brother. She gave him her best serious face before giving him one last hug, along with a small kiss on his cheek. "You'd better keep your promise, Jaune Arc, you hear me?"

"Heh, crystal clear." Jaune reaffirmed. "I'll be back soon." He then went around and gave each of his sisters a hug as well. "I won't be gone for long, so don't worry okay?"

"If you say so." Violette nodded.

"Simply make sure to stay out of trouble and we should be good." Azure added.

"Yeah, I got ya." Jaune went over to his parents and pulled them both in for their own hug. "Thanks for sticking up for me, guys." He whispered in their ears. "I really appreciate it."

"No problem at all, son." Jonathan assured. "You just do your best, and I know that you'll make a fine Huntsman one day."

"Right, I'll do you guys proud, I promise."

"Jaune, you've already done that." Mary insisted. "You're our son, we've always been proud of you no matter what. Just remember that, and you will know that we always have faith in you. But… just to be on the safe side." The Arc Matriarch shifted her gaze over to the rest of Team JNPR. "Pyrrha, Nora, Ren, if anything happens, I'm sure that I can count on you to—"

"Say no more, Mrs. A!" Nora halted Mary mid-sentence. "We ALWAYS have Jaune's back!"

"Yes, no matter what." Ren agreed. "We're a team, so it's only natural that we act like one."

Pyrrha went over and clasped Mary's hands in her own. "I swear that I will not allow anything to harm your son, Mary. On that, you have my word!"

Mary wore a nervous smile at Pyrrha's exuberance. But at the same time, she was elated that a young woman of such kindness, strength and beauty cared about her son so much. And it was obvious that Jaune felt the same way about her. _'They sincerely love each other.'_ Mary smiled in her head. "Thank you, Pyrrha, that means quite a lot to me." The Arc mother turned her attention to the rest of the team and gave them a wave. "Now you kids look out for each other too, okay? And stay safe!"

"We will, Mrs. A!" Yang waved back. "You can count on that."

"You got that right." Ben nodded at his girlfriend's words. "Now come on, we've gotta get going or we'll be late."

"Right." Jaune acknowledged before giving his mom a good-bye kiss. "I'll be back soon." And with that, the blonde knight went out the door with his team and onto Tetrax's ship, with Winter following close behind as well. Once the ship's ramp had closed, it began to ascend into the air, just as the Arcs and Athena came out to watch it take off. The ship recloaked and in a blast of air, took off toward Beacon, leaving the Arc family and the Nikos Matriarch behind.

"Well, there they go." Mary sighed, placing her head on her husband's chest. "Jaune really isn't our little boy anymore, is he?"

"No, unfortunately." Jonathan smiled proudly. "But he never _was_ going to stay that way."

"I find that to be natural of all children when they grow up." Athena admitted. "It's true that they'll never truly remain the same, but if there's one thing that IS true about family… it's that you will ALWAYS need each other."

* * *

It had been a few minutes since the group had left Patch, and to pass the time, the various teams and Winter were conversing in the back of the Resolute, eagerly awaiting their arrival. Just then, the nearby doors slid open and Tetrax walked into the room, gaining everybody's attention. "We are approaching Beacon Academy." he announced. "I suggest that everyone take their seats and prepare for landing. The airship docks are not compatible with my ship, so I'll have to land a bit further ahead, just so you know."

"Fine by me." Coco said as she sat back down in her seat. "Been waiting to get off this thing, anyway. You gonna decloak, though?"

Tetrax shook his head. "No, my ship is still too different from the others of your world, even to younger humans. We'll have to make this drop off as fast as possible to avoid suspicion."

"Sounds good to me." Cooper said before turning to Coco. "So, how're you feeling about heading back to your guys' old stomping grounds?"

Coco took a deep breath. "Won't lie, Tech Head, little shaky. We haven't seen the place for over two weeks, and while I know it's being fixed up, it's probably still going to look completely thrashed to hell."

"Indeed." Velvet said as Yatsu and Fox gave solemn nods. "Who knows how long it'll take before the place resembles it's old self again?"

"Well, they've still got a lot of people here to help out." Neptune pointed out. "Who knows? Maybe the reconstruction will take less time than we think."

Weiss could only shrug at that. "Well, that's ultimately what we're here to find out. Still…" The heiress glanced down to the floor, "it'll be a bit difficult to walk on Beacon's grounds again, even if we ARE ready to do so."

"Yeah, that place was practically our home for an entire _year_." Blake reminded. "It WILL be a little hard going through those halls again, especially in the sorry state that they're in now."

Jaune crossed his arms as his brows furrowed down. "Yeah, but let's not forget, Goodwitch also called _every_ available student team for this announcement… which means that we may have a run-in with you-know-who."

"Uh, who-know-who?" Ben asked in confusion. "There something I'm missing here?"

"He's talking about Team CRDL, Green Boy." Yang answered, followed by an agitated sigh. "Some of the biggest bullies at Beacon Academy. We on Team RWBY never took any of their shit, but CRDL's leader, Cardin, regularly picked on Jaune."

Sun sneered at that. "Man, the dude sounds like a big jerk."

"Yeah, he's probably the BIGGEST jerk _ever_." Nora emphasized.

"Yes." Pyrrha said with distaste. "And it was all because Cardin thought he was stronger than Jaune…" A small smile came to her face. "But, once Cardin witnessed Jaune behead an Ursa Major, he began to stop his tormenting." She pursed her lips slightly as she glanced over to Velvet sympathetically. "But… he still picked on many others."

Velvet rubbed the tips of her ears. "I can still feel where they tugged on them."

"And I knocked him unconscious once for saying some nasty shit to her too." Coco added. "Let's just say his views on Faunus are really skewed."

Kevin instantly got up from his seat. "Alright, I've heard enough. If I see that guy," he pounded his fist into the palm of his hand, "I'm gonna deck 'em, right on the spot. Don't care if I start a fight, he needs to be taken down a peg!"

"Yeah, count me in!" Rex cracked his knuckles. "Excuse my language, but where does that _capullo_ get off on treating people like that if he wants to be a Huntsman, huh?!"

Gwen got up and pulled both her boyfriend and Rex back into their seats. "Okay boys, slow down. We've been invited to Beacon as guests, NOT enforcers. It's true that this guy sounds like a complete jerk, but we don't want to start something we can't stop. Especially since Goodwitch is the one who invited us. Let's not get on her bad side by starting a fight, okay?"

"Hmph." Kevin crossed his arms in a huff. "Yeah, okay. But he totally deserves it, though."

"Yeah, he probably does." Jaune agreed before putting a hand to his chin. "Still, I've only just realized that we haven't even SEEN Team CRDL since the attack, not even in the few times we've come back to the city. I wonder if they're even still here at all."

Suddenly, the ship came to a halt and the back hatch began to open, allowing everyone access to the outside. "Well, you all are about to find out." Winter said as she got up, with everyone following suit. "Brace yourselves everyone, it is not pretty."

The whole group of teens followed Winter off of the Resolute, and they were taken aback by what they saw. The last time they had been there was at night, and at the time, most of the campus had been on fire. The combination of darkness and flames had helped hide most of the damage, but now that it was broad daylight and the fires were out, they could all now see how sorry of a state the academy was in. Many of the buildings were crumbled to the ground, while others were almost completely scorched. The highest towers were still standing though, so that was a good sign. But the main avenue had been completely trashed in the attack, with the two large rings of white arches having been partly demolished while many light poles had been bent out of shape. But what many were taken aback by were the grounds themselves, the grass having been burned away.

"Oh… god." Weiss uttered in shock. "This is just… awful."

"I'm surprised that there's still power here." Ren commented. "The CCTS is still up and running, so there HAS to be power flowing here."

Ruby took a deep breath before pressing onward. "Come on, let's go see if we can find someone. Professor Port might be here, or maybe Doctor Oobleck? Oh, or maybe even—"

"What's goin' on, Shortstack?"

Ruby's eyes widened before whirling around to her left. She had no idea how she missed him when she stepped off the ship, but there he was, and he was even back on his feet! He also had a rather long brief case next to his feet, but Ruby didn't pay it much mind. The Hooded Huntress gasped before charging into her uncle with a hug. "UNCLE QROW! You're all better!"

Winter's eye twitched at the drunkard's presence. "Yes… how fortunate."

Qrow let out a small pained grunt. "Oof! Hey, hey, watch it, Shortstack, I'm still healing from my scrap with Vulkanus earlier this week." The man pulled his niece off of him and pointed to his leg brace, shocking Ruby enough to back away.

"Whoops! Sorry!" Ruby bowed in apology. "Didn't see that."

"Hey, Drunkle Qrow!" Yang greeted with a wave. "What the heck are you doin' here?"

"Heh, helpin' with the rebuildin' effort, Firecracker, at least where I can." Qrow grimaced. "After all, with my Semblance, I gotta be careful where I stand." The drunken Huntsman suddenly spied Ben in the corner of his eye, directing his gaze straight at him soon after. "Hey, Watch Kid. You're treatin' my niece well, aren't ya? 'Cause if yer not, I'm gonna hafta hurt ya."

Yang rolled her eyes at his behavior. "Ugh, lay off, Uncle Qrow, Ben's treating me _fine_."

"And I wouldn't treat her any less than fine." Ben asserted. "In fact, if given the chance, I would treat her even _better_ than fine, thank you very much."

Yang smirked at his statement. "Okay, Green Boy, I think we proved our point."

"Yeah, you did." Qrow agreed. "Sorry I asked in the first place." Qrow turned back around and found Rex, nudging his chin toward him in an act of greeting. "Hey, you the new kid who can turn his arms into weapons?"

Rex tilted his head. "Well, more than just my arms, but yeah, that's me."

"Gotcha, name's Qrow. I'm Ruby and Yang's uncle. Nice to meet you Army Knife."

"Uh… the name's Rex—"

"Don't really care, Army Knife's yer name to me."

"Uh… okay?" Rex leaned over to Weiss. "Is he always like this?"

Weiss cheekily whispered back; "Only on his good days." The two got a good little chuckle out of that before Weiss noticed someone else approaching; a familiar bespectacled blonde woman in a white blouse and black skirt. "Oh! Professor Goodwitch!"

Glynda Goodwitch brightened up at the presence of her students. "Everyone! It's so good to see you!" Much to everyone's surprise, the woman began going around, greeting each her students one by one. "I haven't seen you all for quite a few days. How has everything been?"

"Uh, pretty good." Nora answered, though she was kind of bewildered. She was still getting used to Goodwitch acting friendly toward them. "How've things been with you, Prof?"

Goodwitch let out a hefty sigh before smiling at the Pink Dynamo. "Things here have been very hectic over the past few days, Nora. Everyone has been very hard at work picking up the mess from the attack." The woman shifted her attention over to Rex, giving him a friendly greeting. "Ah, you must be Rex. General Ironwood has told me a lot about you, young man. I am Glynda Goodwitch, headmistress of Beacon Academy. It's very nice to meet you."

"Likewise, _Señora_ Goodwitch." Rex saluted. "Happy to be here."

"Indeed. In fact, I'm glad that you ALL could make it here, because I have something very special to share with you all."

"Ahem." Qrow coughed in his hand. "Maybe we should get the more… difficult part out of the way first?" He picked up the long brief case next to him. "Show them what we found?"

"What?" Blake asked. "What did you guys find?"

Goodwitch wore a pained expression the moment that Qrow picked up the brief case, letting out another sigh soon after. "You're right. We should show them." She stepped forward while Qrow held the brief case in two hands, allowing her to enter the lock combination. The case popped open and Goodwitch turned back to her students. "Before I show you this, I need to let you know, this is all that we found in Beacon's Vault. We did not find any other remains, so unfortunately, there cannot be a proper burial."

"Wait, what?" Ruby questioned as Goodwitch pulled the item out of the case. "What are you talking about—AH!" Ruby, along with many of the other former Beacon students, let out a gasp at what Goodwitch was holding, a solemn expression having taken over both hers and Qrow's face. It was a cane, one with a handle that made it more like a walking stick, though it also had an odd knuckle guard on it as well. The handle was white and very ornate, with very intricate patterns engraved in it. Ben, Gwen, Kevin, Cooper and Rex were left confused as Ruby stepped forward and gently put her hand on it, her own face matching Goodwitch's. "Was this… really all that was left of him?"

Glynda nodded slowly. "Yes. Regretfully, we did not find his body." She paused for a moment before going on. "We… we suspect that Cinder showed no mercy to him."

"No mercy to who?" Ben asked. "Does that cane belong to someone?"

Yang closed her eyes, a small frown set firm on her face as she answered him. "Yeah, it was Professor Ozpin's."

"Uh, sorry if I'm being a bit ignorant here," Rex started, "but who's that?"

"Our former Headmaster." Pyrrha answered sadly. "He met his end when he faced off against Cinder in the Vault beneath Beacon. He did it so that Jaune and I could escape." Pyrrha directed her eyes toward Glynda with a forlorn expression. "What… what about Amber?"

"Don't worry, Pyrrha, she was found." Glynda assured. "And we made sure to give her a proper burial."

"Good. That's all I could hope for her." Pyrrha sighed. "Still, we should probably move on from this before we dampen the mood too much." The Invincible Girl gave the headmistress a smile. "You brought us here for some good news, correct?"

Goodwitch smiled back at Pyrrha, putting Ozpin's cane back in the brief case. "You're right, Pyrrha. The student body is gathering in the amphitheater as we speak. Come, let's be off." At her word, the team of heroes and Hunters-in-training followed Goodwitch, Qrow, and Winter down the long entry way, all making their way to the main building at the very end of the pathway. However, once they all got there, the former Beacon students were all taken aback by the four young men who were guarding the entrance. Though if that was odd to them, then Goodwitch giving them a friendly greeting was even stranger. "Ah, boys! Glad to see you keeping up the good work."

Ben, Gwen, Kevin, Cooper and Rex were all quick to take note that all four of these young men were each decked out in different varieties of armor. The one with the least armor stood out to Ben, though. Not because of the single, spikey shoulder pad mounted on his left arm, but because of the bright green mohawk on the guy's head! The rest of his hair was shaven, with the remaining stubble appearing to be brown, meaning that the mohawk was obviously dyed. He wore a dark green hoodie with the sleeves cut off, a pair of matching bracers on each arm. On his hips were a pair of large gaggers with gun barrels for their hilts.

By contrast, on the mohawked guy's left were two boys in very similar knight-like armor, with only very minor discrepancies between them, the biggest being the color difference; brown and grey. As such, the boys that wore them seemed to match their armor perfectly. The guy in the brown armor was a brunet with neatly styled hair, combed off to his left. His eyes were in a perpetual squint, so nobody could really see what color they were. On his hip was a simple sword, though the hilt appeared to be that of a gun handle, with a pair of barrels sticking out on either side of the blade's base. The other guy was very much what one would call a "pretty-boy"; with his shoulder-length, swept-back dark blue hair, his baby blue eyes, and a face that practically _exuded_ charm and charisma. He was holding a long halberd in his hands, one that clearly had a gun barrel at its tip.

Finally, there was the tallest one, who was most likely their leader. He was a strong young man with indigo eyes and burnt-orange hair, the front of which came up in a small peak. His main form of attire was a black collared shirt with red trimming, along with a pair of black pants with a red belt. Over this, he wore a set of grey armor with gold trimming, consisting of a chest plate with a bird-shaped emblem on it, a pair of pauldrons on his shoulders, forearm and bicep guards, hip guards, and a pair of iron boots. In his hand, he held a large mace, though not like any mace that the Alien Trio, Cooper or Rex had ever seen. Rather than a traditional mace, this one had ten individual flanges sticking out of the handle, leaving a large hallow space in the center of the weapon's head. In this free space was a large Fire Dust crystal, no doubt related to the weapon's ranged gimmick.

The tall young man, Cardin Winchester, stood at attention as Goodwitch approached, with his respective teammates; Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Lark, all following suit. "Professor Goodwitch, always happy to be of service…" But then, Cardin trailed off when he saw just who Goodwitch was leading toward them. His lips parted slightly in surprise. "Oh, so they're here."

Kevin leaned over and whispered to Sun; "So, are these guys _them_?"

"Yep, that's Team CRDL." Sun confirmed. "Didn't interact with these guys much myself, but they seem a bit different than last time."

"Yeah." Neptune concurred as Cardin stepped forward. "They're less… I don't know… hostile?"

Glynda Goodwitch sidestepped in order for Cardin to get a full view of the gathered Hunters-in-training, with each team either giving him hardened glares, supplied greatly by Yang, Pyrrha and Coco, or apprehensive stares in the cases of Jaune, Ruby and Velvet, with all of them wondering what he would do or say next. But one thing's for sure, they didn't expect the next words that came out of his mouth; "Well, I gotta say, you guys are a sight for sore eyes. A lot of us around here have been missing ya. Welcome back to Beacon."

Whatever kind of expression the three teams were giving them quickly faded in favor of confusion. Did they just hear what they THOUGHT they had just heard? "Is… is this some kind of joke or something?" Weiss asked.

"No joke." Russel spoke up. "You guys've left quite the void here. A lot of students have been wondering when you'd come back."

"No, not about that." Blake shook her head. "We're talking about _you_ guys. What's with the nice guy act all of a sudden?"

Sky rubbed the back of his neck as a guilty expression came to his face. "Well… we've had a lot of time to think." he stated. "After what happened here, it put a lot of things in perspective for us. To put it bluntly, we were gigantic assholes to you guys."

"And for no other reason other than to throw our weight around." Dove added. "It was inexcusable in every sense of the word. So, once we had recovered, we got right to work."

"They volunteered to help rebuild Beacon as soon as they could." Goodwitch supported the boys. "They have been a very big help in the efforts around here, of that, I can assure you." A soft smile came to her face. "And you will all be happy to know that they have been making strides to do right by everybody."

"Professor Goodwitch is right." Cardin nodded. "We've been making an effort to apologize to everyone that we picked on here. Some have forgiven us… others haven't. And honestly, I don't blame them. But we're not expecting you guys to forgive us. Trust me, after the shit we've done, I don't blame anyone if they _never_ forgive us. We just want to own up to what we did. That said, there's still three groups of people we haven't apologized to yet. So…" Team CRDL all collectively lowered themselves onto one knee and lowered their heads to Team RWBY, JNPR, and CFVY, much to the three team's shock. "On behalf of Team CRDL, I want to apologize for everything that we've either done or said to you all in the past."

Everyone was taken aback by the former bullies' behavior. This was by and far NOT what they were expecting to happen today. However, after a long period of silence, Ruby stepped forward and lowered herself into a crouch, causing Cardin to open his eyes and meet her gaze. "Do you mean all of that? About being sorry?"

"Yes, we do." Cardin lowered his head once more. "But again, we're not expecting forgiveness. We just want to apologize."

"Wow." Jaune said, impressed at Cardin's action. "That's… that's really big of you, Cardin."

"Thank you, but honestly, you're the one I owe a REALLY big apology to, Jaune." Cardin got up and stood directly in front of the blonde knight. "I took advantage of knowing a secret of yours and used it to bully you into doing stuff for me. That's NOT what anyone, much less a Huntsman, should do to anyone else. I'm sorry, man."

Jaune took a moment's pause, reflecting on everything that Cardin and his team had ever put him through. Yes, it made him mad, but looking at Cardin right now, Jaune could see the young man's repentant demeanor. _'He definitely SEEMS sorry.'_ he thought to himself. _'Still, I have to wonder…'_ He glanced over to Ben and Kevin, remembering how the hero had given his former enemy a second chance. And since then, they had become best friends. _'Maybe Cardin and I could be friends? Wow, never in my life would I have ever thought I'd consider THAT.'_

The blonde knight shifted his gaze over to Pyrrha, where he was met with a sincere smile and a small nod. "He checks out to me." The Invincible Girl approved. "Why not take a chance, huh?"

After a few seconds, a grin came to Jaune's face as well, giving his own shrug. "Eh, what the hell? It couldn't hurt to try." He extended his hand out to Cardin, much to the taller boy's shock. "Cardin, thank you for the apology. It means a lot, actually. Maybe from here on, we could maybe try to get along? Maybe we could even be friends?"

"Friends with you?" Cardin said in disbelief. He focused down on the hand before going back to Jaune's face, a smile slowly coming to his own. "You know what? I think I'll take you up on that offer, Arc." The two boys shook hands, shocking most of Team RWBY as well as Jaune and Nora. They never thought they'd see THIS happen.

However, a certain someone still wasn't convinced. "Now wait just a goddamn minute!" Coco strode forward, a glare having taken over her features. Cooper had attempted to walk with her, but he was held back by Yatsu, leaving the blonde hoping that his girlfriend wouldn't give Cardin a black eye. She marched right up to Cardin and pointed right at him. "You listen here, Winchester, you might THINK that you can just waltz in here and give some big apology and only expect us to say "thank you", but guess what? That's NOT gonna cut it! Not after what you did to HER!" Coco pointed away from Cardin and toward Velvet, making the bunny girl shrink back a little bit. The barrette-wearing girl hardened her glare at the armored young man. "Just so you know, I probably won't EVER forgive you for what you've done, but if you ask me, Jaune's not the only one you owe a big apology to!"

Once Coco had spoken her piece, Cardin, his face having fallen with regret, solemnly nodded in agreement. "You're right. I do." He began making his way toward Velvet, with Team JNPR and Team RWBY clearing the way for him. The Alien Trio and Rex continued to watch on in silence while Cooper, Fox and Yatsu stood by their friend, with Coco standing behind Cardin to make sure his apology was acceptable. Velvet gazed up at the much taller boy, taken aback by just how serious he seemed to be at the moment. The young man took a deep breath before going on; "Velvet, I'm just going to be upfront and honest about this; I've been a major asshole to everyone, but out of every insult that I've hurled at anyone, I've said the worst stuff imaginable to you. I won't lie, I never had much respect for Faunus in the past, but… well…"

Velvet raised an eyebrow as Cardin trailed off. "But… what?"

"Well, during the battle for Beacon, I saw both humans and Faunus come together to defend our school and the city, even if they didn't go to Beacon or lived in Vale. Everyone came together when it mattered most." Cardin explained. "It was then that I realized that we're ALL people, no matter if we're human or Faunus, and you know what? People should all treat each other the same way; with respect." Cardin took a second to take a breath. "Velvet, I know that you probably won't accept my apology, and heck, you might not even believe what I'm telling you, but I just want you to know how sorry I am. I should have had more respect for you back then, both as an upperclassman AND as a person in general." Cardin bowed his head to Velvet. "I know that I can't take back what's already been said, but—"

"Stop." Velvet spoke up, halting Cardin and surprising everyone, including Coco. "I've heard enough." The bunny girl stepped forward and met Cardin's gaze, the young man not even flinching. After a few seconds, she spoke once again. "Tell me, are you sorry for pulling on my ears? And for insulting me?"

Cardin nodded. "Yes, I am. ALL of us are." Cardin's teammates gave agreeing nods behind him, showing that they agreed.

A small smile came to Velvet's face. "Then that's all that I ask. I am glad that your stance on Faunus has changed, Cardin, but all I really needed was an apology for those two things." She gave him a wink. "Besides, if you apologize too much, you're going to be too worn out to rebuild this place, haha!"

Cardin's eyes widened while his teammates all wore happy smiles at the bunny girl's joke. "W-well, I… I just—"

"Oh, hush." Velvet pat Cardin on his right shoulder. "Now's not the time to dwell on the past. Let's look to the future and see where that gets us, huh?" She walked past him and Coco gave her a fist bump, proud of how Velvet handled the situation. The two ladies proceeded to walk into the amphitheater with the rest of their team in tow, while Velvet waved over for everyone else to come join them. "Now, come on then! Let's get to Goodwitch's assembly, huh?"

"Uh… sure." Cardin said, dumbfounded at how quick she had accepted his apology. As Team JNPR and the others began to stroll in, Cardin turned to Jaune in befuddlement. "How… how was she just able to accept my apology like that?"

Jaune smiled and gave him a shrug. "Honestly? Velvet's just a nice person. Simple as that."

"If you ask me," Nora grinned cheekily, "I think your heartfelt speech is what won her over!"

"I think she just wanted you to stop apologizing so much." Ren said with a smirk. "You know that there is such a thing as being TOO sorry, right?"

"The POINT is…" Pyrrha spoke up, "Cardin apologized, and now everything is behind us. Velvet was right, let's try and make the future better, right?"

A smile finally worked its way to Cardin's face as he gave them a nod. "Right. Let's do that!" And with all of that said, the five made their way into the amphitheater, the hatchet having finally been buried between all of them.

Professor Goodwitch, Team RWBY, The Alien Trio, Rex, Sun and Neptune all followed them in, along with Cardin's own teammates as well. However, just before Weiss stepped into the building, she noticed that her sister wasn't following them in. She looked back to see both Winter and Qrow still standing outside, much to her confusion. "Um, sis? Are you coming?"

Winter sent her little sister a wave. "I'll have to join you later, dear sister. There is some official business that I must attend to first. It should only take a few minutes though.

"Oh… okay then! See you in a little while." Weiss waved back before the door to the amphitheater closed, leaving Winter and Qrow outside.

The drunken Hunter turned to the Military Specialist with a sly grin. "So, Ice Queen, been a few days, huh?"

"Not long enough if you ask me." Winter said in irritation before giving Qrow her full attention. "Now, General Ironwood said that you had something to show me, is that correct?"

Qrow's face grew serious. "Yeah, it's down in the Vault. But I gotta warn ya, it ain't pretty."

As Qrow and Winter began making their way to the Vault, however, they had little idea that they were being watched. Another figure was waiting patiently for them leave from behind one of the nearby arches, making sure to stay hidden from view very carefully. But once the two adults were out of sight, a sinister smirk came to the figure's face before speaking in a low, feminine voice; "Well, it seems like it's time for the party to get started."

* * *

As the team took their seats, with Team CRDL sitting along with them, Ben couldn't help but be impressed with the sheer size of the amphitheater. It was obvious that this room was made with having hundreds of students inside of it, and sure enough, there were! The Omnitrix bearer could see multiple different people sitting around the large circular room, whether they be human or Faunus. From the moment that they had entered the room, Teams RWBY, JNPR and CFVY had been bombarded with "hello's!" and "how are you's?", with many others asking where they had been and what they'd been doing. Of course, everyone answered to the best of their ability, though they were still mindful to keep the secret of inter-dimensional aliens and Salem out of the conversations. The moment that they had finally gotten to sit down, they were already winded. "Man, bunch a' nosy parkers, huh?" Ben smirked.

Yang rested her head on his shoulder. "You have NO idea! Sheesh, everyone wants to know what's been going down in RWBY town!"

Pyrrha let out a sigh of relief. "I am just thankful that no one has blamed me for… well, you know what."

Ruby gave her friend a small, sad smile. "Yeah, but Goodwitch was probably quick to clear your name with everyone. And I'm glad for it, because if they messed with you, they'd be getting a face full of Crescent Rose… as a warning though, because I wouldn't KILL them, obviously."

"We gotcha, Ruby." Jaune assured before winking over to his girlfriend. "See? I told you that there was no need to worry."

"Hmm, yes you did." Pyrrha gave Jaune a quick kiss. "Thank you for that, by the way."

Kevin, meanwhile, could only cross his arms in suspicion. "Well right now, I'm just wonderin' why nobody's questioned US being here."

"Uh, look again." Gwen tapped Kevin on the shoulder and subtly pointed around the room. Kevin shifted his eyes around to see that, contrary to what he thought, a lot of people had their eyes on them. "See? We're at the center of their attention." the Anodite said as she moved her eyes around the room. "We haven't had this many eyes on us since we left home."

Cardin craned his head over to the Anodite. "Well, yeah, Goodwitch has been talkin' you guys up for the last week. And now that you're all here, everyone's curious on just what your guys' deal is."

"I'll tell ya what it is." Rex smirked. "Being totally awesome!"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Alright, Robo-dolt, no need to get cocky. Besides, you only just got here, so my guess is that Goodwitch only found out about you a day ago. And that mean's she's just been hyping up Ben, Gwen, Kevin and Cooper."

"Aw, now why'd you have to bring me down like that, Ice Princess?"

Weiss daintily pat him on the head. "To keep your expectations in check. Also, stop calling me that." The whole group got a good laugh out of that before the lights dimmed and a spotlight shined down onto the center of the amphitheater, silencing almost everyone. "Oh, she's coming!" the heiress whispered.

Goodwitch took the center stage, her heels clicking on the cement floor as she walked out. It was a sound that many students had come to fear while class was in session, but in these times, they smiled at the headmistress' arrival. Glynda gave a smile out to the crowd and began speaking; "Hello students, I am very happy to see that you could make it today. First and foremost, I would like to thank you all again for helping defend Vale and Beacon in the deplorable attack that occurred almost two weeks ago now. You remained steadfast and strong in the face of adversity and proved that students from Beacon will NOT be taken lightly." Her head craned down sadly. "It is true that we lost many lives during the battle…" she then lifted her head back up with a determined expression, "but so long as we're still here, we will not let their sacrifices be in vain!"

An uproarious cheer went through the crowd, much to the Omnitrix bearer's surprise. "Wow, you guys are really proud of your school."

"Not that big of a shock, really." Blake commented as she clapped with the crowd. "After winning a big battle like that, the school's bound to have a lot pride in its students, right?"

Goodwitch continued speaking as the cheering died down. "Yes, very good! Keep those positive attitudes! We're going to need them in the long run, because it is going to take quite a while to get Beacon back into the shape it once was. With the level of reconstruction that is needed, the city of Vale has determined that it will take until the beginning of the next summer semester until Beacon is completely rebuilt. But, as for classes, I am pleased to announce that they will resume at the beginning of next spring!"

Another cheer came from the crowd, including Nora who stood up on her seat and pumped her fists into the air. "WOOO! Yeah! GO BEACON!"

"Huh, I never imagined it would be that soon." Ren commented. "Definitely good news."

Their reactions got a wide-eyed stare from Rex. "Wait, you guys are actually _excited_ to go back to school? Man, when Noah graduated, he was glad to finally be done with it!"

"Remember Rex, this isn't your average academy." Gwen pointed out. "It's a place where special people come to train themselves so that they can become Hunters. It's kind of like a school for heroes, only… NOT heroes. Does that make any sense?"

"Kinda." Ben smirked. "But at the same time, not really."

Goodwitch smiled at her student's enthusiasm. "Yes, thank you, I'm very glad that you're all excited. Classes WILL be somewhat difficult to do during the rebuilding, but we can manage, right?!" She got a resounding "RIGHT!" from them, much to her delight. "Excellent. Now, on a much more serious note, I just want to remind everyone;" Goodwitch pulled out a remote from her pocket and pressed a button, bringing up a holographic screen. On it was the image of Cinder and her squad; Mercury, Emerald, and another girl in pigtails whom the team still didn't know, "if you see any of these four perpetrators, it is to be reported immediately. They are responsible for the attack on Beacon and Vale, the disruption of the Vytal Festival… and the death of Penny Polendina, as well as countless others."

The students took a moment of silence for those who were lost, which made Ruby happy. _'We won't let your loss be meaningless, Penny, I promise.'_

Goodwitch waited a moment before moving on. "Now, I believe that we should move on to more positive topics, now shouldn't we? Many of you have asked me how we managed to defeat the Grimm Dragon and evacuate Beacon without many more tragic losses. Well, for that, we have four people to thank." Glynda looked out into the crowd and nodded to The Alien Trio and Cooper, hoping that they would get the idea.

Fortunately, Ben was quick on the uptake. "Guess that's our cue." He leaned over and gave Yang a quick kiss on the lips before standing up with Gwen, Kevin and Cooper. "Wish us luck, because I won't lie, I'm kinda nervous."

"Hehe, you'll do fine, trust me." Yang winked at her boyfriend. "Now, show 'em what you can do, Green Boy."

"Hey, Tech Head." Coco got up and kissed his cheek. "Break a leg."

"I'll be sure to." Cooper affirmed as he gave her a hug. "Just not literally."

The quartet of inter-dimensional heroes made their way down the steps and took center stage with Goodwitch, who greeted them formally one by one before telling them to line up, with Ben and Gwen on one side of her while Kevin and Cooper took the right. Goodwitch directed her attention back to the crowd, presenting the four heroes to them. "Everyone, these four traveling young warriors are the ones responsible for taking down the White Fang's field leader, defeating the remaining Grimm, and most importantly, defeating the Grimm Dragon. Allow me to present Ben Tennyson, his cousin, Gwen Tennyson, and their friends Kevin Levin and Cooper Daniels! We have them to thank for arriving in our most dire time of need."

Many of the students started murmuring in the stands, many of them having been taken aback by just how normal these four people appeared to be. They didn't appear to be Hunters, more like civilians. Finally, a male voice shouted out from the crowd; "Which one of you guys defeated the Dragon?!"

Ben grew apprehensive, but he stepped forward. "That'd be me."

"What's your Semblance, man?!" the voice called out again.

"Yeah!" A girl in the crowd called out next. "It must be pretty powerful to have taken down a Grimm THAT big!"

"Uh, yeah… my Semblance." Ben chuckled nervously while his friends and teammates in the stands gave him worried faces. "Well, you see, I don't exactly have a Semblance in the traditional sense, but I do have some pretty cool powers." He pulled his sleeve back, preparing to reveal the Omnitrix. "You see, I—"

_BOOOOM!_ Suddenly, the doors to the amphitheater blew open in a big explosion, causing everyone to either gasp or scream in fright. Ben, Gwen, Kevin, Cooper and Goodwitch whirled around to the big, smoking hole in the wall while Teams RWBY, JNPR, SN, and CFVY stood at attention, ready for whatever would happen next. However, in the blink of an eye, a crimson streak sped out of the smoke before slamming into the four heroes and headmistress, making them fall to the ground in pain. The streak stopped behind them, though it was still flying in midair when it did. Ben turned around to get a good look at their assailant, only to be shocked at their presence. "YOU?!"

Descending to the floor the amphitheater stage was a young woman… but this was by and far NOT your normal woman. She was about five-foot-eleven with shoulder length, blackish-red hair and bright red eyes along with pointy, elven-like ears. Her skin was completely blood red in color, and in place of normal eyebrows, she had a large, two-pronged yellow crest on the ridges above her eyes, meeting on a single point on the bridge of her nose. She had a black diamond-shaped mark in the middle of her forehead, along with two red spikes sticking out the top of her head. There were black markings underneath her eyes and she wore black lipstick, accentuating those features even more. She had three fingers and three toes on each foot, with the third toe protruding from her ankle. She had a long tail sticking out from a hole in the back of her pants along with a large patagia connecting her arms and legs, though it quickly retracted into her body once she landed.

In contrast to her unique physical features, she was wearing fairly normal clothes, ones that a person might consider to be worn by a street punk. Her ears had multiple piercings, from studs to earrings, and even a pair of hoops. She wore a pair of black fingerless gloves that had been cut to fit her, along with a matching black leather jacket that had a row of four silver spikes on each shoulder. Her lower half was adorned in a pair of fitted leather z-cut pants that left some of her skin exposed, though they seemed to be considerably worn out. Beneath her jacket was a black t-shirt with a large red, stylized, demonic manta ray on it, completing her overall look.

She peered down and smirked wickedly at the hero before speaking to him, her voice accentuated with a Mid-Atlantic tone; "Ah, why if it isn't Ben Tennyson? I would say that it is good to see you again, but… that would be a lie, now wouldn't it?"

Gwen picked herself up from the ground, giving her cousin a questioning glance. "Ben, who IS this girl? How does she know you?"

"Yeah, and why does she look like Jetray?" Kevin added.

Cooper, who as helping Goodwitch get up, began to explain. "Her name is Swift. She's an Aerophibian-human hybrid who doubles as a juvenile delinquent."

Swift put her hand up to her face and let out a single laugh; "Ha! _Juvenile_ delinquent? My dear Cooper, my misdeeds hardly qualify as juvenile, that is, now that I am _technically_ not a teenager anymore."

Ben craned his head over to his friends. "I fought her and locked her up about six months after you guys left for college." he elaborated before focusing back on the alien hybrid. "What are you doing here, Swift?"

"An excellent question!" Swift's smirk grew. "Allow me to explain…" the half-Aerophibian shifted her attention to the crowd, which managed to frighten them even further. "Listen up, kiddies, I've been hired by a very generous benefactor to light all of your little asses up, and bring this place down to the ground along with you! And if I do well enough, I may even get a place to stay out of this as well."

Ben's eyes narrowed at that. _'Sounds like something that one of Salem's group would offer.'_

Swift began scanning the crowd for her first victim. "Now, let's see which one of you will be the first lucky one to fall…" She paused when her eyes landed on Velvet, the bunny girl's eyes filled with dread as Swift locked her gaze on her. "Oh, well aren't you a cute little bunny?" she purred. "A pity that such a pretty face should be the first to go down." The diamond-shaped marking on her forehead opened to reveal a third eye, which began glowing bright red with intense energy. "Farewell, beautiful."

A pinkish-red beam of neuroshock energy fired out of Swift's eye and shot straight toward Velvet, making her scream in fright. She closed her eyes and prepared to sit back down, hoping that the laser would miss her. However, just as she was about to do that, she heard someone cry out; "Velvet, LOOK OUT!" followed by a loud, painful scream, forcing her eyes to snap open. Velvet let out a gasp when she saw who it was. Cardin had moved into the laser's path and it struck him in the right shoulder, destroying his pauldron while also burning his skin. There was also a very large gash in his shoulder, and he was bleeding from it fast.

Velvet's jaw dropped as she saw him fall to the floor. "CARDIN!"

Coco's eyes widened in shock as Velvet knelt down to help the former bully. "I don't believe it…" In a split second, her lips upturned into a snarl and she whipped around to glare daggers at Swift. "HEY! What the HELL is your damage, bitch?!"

"Ha, MY damage?" Swift chuckled. "If you ask me, _he's_ the one who's damaged. Literally and figuratively. He should have just let the neuroshock hit her…" Her eye began to glow again. "Because the outcome will only be delayed by a few seconds."

Cardin grunted as he summoned all of his strength to get up, lift his mace, and point it at the half-Aerophibian. "Not today!" With the press of a button, the Fire Dust crystal in his mace head began to glow. A large red orb formed in the center of it before firing out of the mace, sailing directly toward Swift. The recoil sent Cardin back down to the ground, with Velvet catching him so he didn't injure himself further.

Swift's eyes widened and she shot her laser, though the large glowing orb was already a couple feet in front of her when she let it loose. The resulting explosion sent her tumbling back a bit, but she landed on her feet with ease. She sneered up to the crowd, directly where Velvet was kneeling. "Oh, so unwise." Her patagia retracted out of her skin and she flew forward, intending to get up close and personal this time.

"Cardin! You complete and utter twit!" Velvet exclaimed before noticing that Swift was flying up toward them. Acting fast, Velvet got up, grabbed her camera, Anesidora and took a snap shot of Jaune's weapon, though she ended up blinding him in the process. "Sorry, Jaune!" She put her camera back into its box and she activated her weapon, making a hard-light copy of the sword and shield in her hand. Just as Swift was about to slam into them, Velvet raised her copy of Crocea Mors and blocked the impact, with Swift's face smacking against the hard-light with a _thud_. "My apologies, but you've just made me mad… you _tart_." Velvet pulled back and shifted her Crocea Mors shield into its ranged mode, firing a blast of hard-light from its tip. Swift was sent flying back several feet before landing back in onto the center stage, with the students cheering at Velvet's quick thinking.

All the while, Carding was staring in awe at how Velvet defended herself in battle. _'Wow… she's really capable in a fight. Wonder why she didn't just kick my ass when I bullied her?'_

Ben furrowed his brows before shouting out to the crowd; "EVERYONE! Get out of here, now!" The students didn't need to be told twice as they all began to evacuate the building, hoping to get away from the angry, red manta ray lady. Ben whirled back around to the headmistress. "Professor Goodwitch, take your students and make sure that they're safe."

"Of course, Ben." Goodwitch nodded before shouting out to the crowd. "Please, remain calm everyone! We are all to gather out in the courtyard, single file!"

"Oh no, you don't!" Swift hollered before flying up into the stands again, hoping to deal out some damage.

However, just as she got back to Velvet's position, Rex jumped in the way and activated his Block Party, a set of navy metal fists with large, circular energy shields on them, and forced her to a halt, shocking the nearby students. "Sorry, _puta_ , but you're not getting a second shot at them!" Rex proceeded to activate his Punk Busters before launching himself and Swift down onto the stage, slamming her into a wall and shocking the students even further.

Ben clenched his fists in ire as Rex continued to hold Swift off. "Alright, we've gotta take her out, now." He focused back onto his teammates in the stands. "Okay, Team RWBY, you guys are with Rex and I. We've gotta take Swift out… swiftly."

"We're on it!" Yang smirked as she and her sister began to make their way to the stage. "Always appreciate your puns, babe!"

Ben smiled at her with a small chuckle. "Heh, thanks." He grew serious again as he focused on the rest of his friends. "Alright, all this panic is bound to attract at least a few Grimm. Team's JNPR, SN and CFVY, you guys go with the students and make sure they stay unharmed, okay?"

Jaune gave a thumbs up. "You got it, Ben!"

"Your wish is our command, boss man!" Sun waved before heading out with Neptune, making sure to give Blake a good luck kiss on the cheek before he did so.

And Coco sent him a salute. "On it, Hero Boy. C'mon, Tech Head, let's get the lead out!"

"Right behind you, Coco!" Cooper exclaimed as he followed the students out of the building.

Velvet bent down and began supporting Cardin on her shoulder, moving his arm around her for extra support. "C'mon now, up you get! Let's get outta here, eh?"

"No, just leave me here, I'll be fine." Cardin insisted. "I'll only slow you guys down!"

The bunny girl could only give him a smirk. "After the apology that you just gave me? Nuts to that! You're coming with us, big guy, and we're getting that shoulder patched up, understand?"

Cardin could only stare at her, dumbfounded as to why she would want to help him. "Uh… okay." With Cardin's agreement, the two began to hobble their way out of the amphitheater, with their respective teams helping them out along the way.

Ben turned to Gwen and Kevin with a serious expression. "Can you guys help Goodwitch keep track of the students? We're going to need a lot of crowd control if any Grimm come calling."

"We're on it, bro." Kevin nodded.

"We'll keep them safe." Gwen reaffirmed with a hand to her cousin's shoulder. "Good luck, Ben." Suddenly, a laser blast from Swift sent Rex careening into a nearby wall, the impact forcing his builds to crumble. Gwen winced as Rex hit the wall. "You'll need it."

"Don't worry, she shouldn't be that hard to bring in." Ben assured as Team RWBY came onto the center stage, with Weiss and Blake going over to help Rex up. "Now go, they need you." Gwen gave her cousin a nod before she and Kevin went off, leaving the six teammates to fend Swift off. Ben stood firm as Ruby and Yang stood on either side of him. "You ladies ready?"

"Born ready, baby." Yang smiled as she activated her Ember Celica. "So, what's the plan?"

"Well, I was able to take her down last time by leveling the playing field with her." Ben explained. "I've got an Aerophibian transformation named Jetray in here, but I'll need time to find him… since I only barely use him anymore."

"Alright, so the plan is to hold her off until you find it!" Yang nodded. "Let's do this, Rubes!"

"Right there with you, sis!" Ruby exclaimed as she shifted Crescent Rose into its sniper rifle mode, taking aim at Swift as the half-Aerophibian's was striding toward Rex, Weiss and Blake. "But first, let's get her attention…" She took aim and fired a Fire Dust round, the bullet sailing right past Swift's head, gaining her attention. "That was your only warning shot, Swift!" Ruby hollered. "Turn yourself in and we won't have to hurt you!"

Swift smiled sinisterly at the Hooded Huntress' threat. "Ha, that's a laugh. Well, if you insist, then please…" She spread her arms out, "hit me with your best shot."

Ruby smirked right back at her. "Alright, you asked for it!" With lightning fast reflexes, Ruby changed Crescent Rose into its scythe mode and leapt into the fray, spinning her weapon as she closed in on a very shocked Swift.

"What the—AH!" Swift just barely avoided getting hit with the scythe, literally bending over backwards just to avoid it. The moment that the weapon's blade passed over her face, Swift straightened her back, only to be met with the gun barrel end of Crescent Rose's handle. She had been duped. "Uh oh—AGH!" She was sent flying back with a single shot, but she quickly recovered and brought out her patagia, flying upward into the air. She glared down at Ruby with malice in her eyes. "Oh that's it! You're dead meat now!" She flew up before performing a steep dive toward Ruby, her eyes lighting up for another laser blast.

However, just as she neared the ground, Yang side-stepped in front of her sister, rearing her fist back to get in a hit of her own. "Sorry, wrong floor." Swift's eyes bugged out when Yang dealt a strong uppercut into her gut, sending her straight up toward the ceiling. "Going up!"

Swift sailed up before hitting the ceiling with a _thud_ , the concrete cracking behind her as she made impact. The half-Arophibian let out a groan as she opened her eyes, the pain from both the punch and the impact having spread out over her body. "Ugh, Just what sort of school IS this?! That man will pay me DOUBLE for this!"

* * *

As Gwen, Kevin, Professor Goodwitch and Teams JNPR, CFVY and SN lead the students out into the courtyard, they couldn't help but feel a dark presence growing ever closer. They didn't have to speculate on it for long however, as a large horde of Grimm began approaching, consisting of Beowolves, Ursai and Boarbatusks. They all seemed to be coming from the Emerald Forest, the green woods having gone untouched by the fire that had ravaged Beacon.

Kevin groaned in frustration as the Grimm drew closer. "Great, it can never be that easy, can it?" He bent down and absorbed the concrete of the walkway, turning his hands into a hammer and a mace for combat. Needless to say, the students were shocked. Kevin could hear them mumbling things like; 'Wow! His Semblance is so cool!' and 'I've never seen anything like it!' which made a smile appear on his face. "Heh, okay, they seem to be likin' my powers."

Gwen grinned up to her boyfriend. "That's great! Now, let's see how they like mine." Gwen's hands lit up in pink mana and she sent out a controlled beam of energy out to the Grimm, smacking the front row down to the ground in a single swipe. That only served to hype the students up even more, and Gwen could practically feel their positivity returning. She turned out to them and raised a fist. "Alright, everyone! Let's show these Grimm what we're made of, huh?!" The students gave a loud cheer in response, with all of them grabbing their respective weapons in the process.

Glynda gave Gwen a thankful nod. "Very well done, Gwen. You certainly know how to motivate people in a fight."

The redheaded Anodite could only give a shrug "Eh, I like to think it's a perk of being part-energy being. Positive energy is good energy after all. Now let's get in there and take those things out!"

* * *

Back in the amphitheater, Weiss and Blake were helping Rex up off the ground, the EVO having just come back around from being smacked in the wall. "Ugh, wha? What the heck just happened?" Rex rubbed his head and blinked hard, trying to push through the pain. "Gah, feels like I got hit with an anvil!"

"This isn't an old cartoon, Rex." Weiss deadpanned as she got him to his feet. "You're not bleeding anywhere, right?"

"Not that I can tell." Rex smiled through the pain at the white-haired girl. "But hey, my head's proven to be a tough nut to crack!"

"Now THAT, I can believe." Weiss rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Now come on, we've gotta—"

"ARGH!" Swift screamed in fury as she began to swoop down from the ceiling, diving directly toward Yang and Ruby a second time. Yang was prepared for this, however, as she shot off two Fire Dust rounds from her Ember Celica directly at her. But just as the bullets flew up to her, Swift swung the tip of her tail forward, aimed at the Dust rounds and shot off two laser blasts from her tail, the resulting explosion creating a cloud of smoke that enveloped her in mid-air. Yang and Ruby squinted their eyes to see where Swift had gone, but were taken aback when she dove out of the smoke and yelled; "Gotcha!" before diving down and wrapping her tail around Ruby's neck, making the Hooded Huntress drop Crescent Rose in the process.

"RUBY!" Yang yelled in panic. She tried to retaliate, but was stopped short when Swift's clawed hand went to Ruby's throat. The half-Aerophibian hovered in mid-air as Ruby struggled to free herself from the tail's grasp, gasping for air as she did.

"Ah-ah-ah!" Swift chided Yang with a waving finger. "One false move and your sister meets a premature end. Now, just surrender and I'll let her go. Then you can have a proper goodbye before I destroy you all!"

Weiss' eyes widened in fear at her best friend's entrapment. "No! Blake, we have to some…thing?" The heiress had turned around to face her friend, but to her shock, she wasn't there. "Blake?! Blake, where did you go?!"

"She was here just a second ago!" Rex exclaimed. "I don't know where she could've—"

"Get your hands off of her!" Everyone was taken by surprise when Blake suddenly leapt from out of the shadows, the cat girl having moved stealthily across the dimmed room while no one was paying attention. She struck Swift hard in the back, forcing the half-Aerophibian to release Ruby from her tail's grasp. Ruby fell to the floor on her right side, taking in a big gulp of air despite the pain that was shooting through her. Blake came back around and helped her friend sit up, supporting her back against a nearby wall. "Ruby, are you okay?"

Ruby took in a few more breaths before pulling Blake in for a quick hug. "I am now! Thanks Blake, I owe you one."

"Don't mention it." Blake smiled before pulling away and standing back up. "Now stay here and catch your breath, we'll handle the rest—"

"ARGH!" Swift surged forward in a sudden burst of fury, her anger rising as the girls continued to best her every move. "I have had enough of this!" But just as she closed in, Blake moved back around and narrowed her eyes, her Semblance activating in a blink of an eye. Mixing it with a vial of Earth Dust, Blake sent out shadow clone made of solid rock that rammed straight into Swift, knocking her back with a hard hit to the gut. She landed on her feet and slid back on her feet, snarling at what the cat girl had just done. "Why you—"

"Hey!" Swift moved her head around just in time to see Yang deal a fast punch right to her face, sending her tumbling back into the nearest wall. "THAT was for hurting my sister, you bitch!"

Swift groaned and opened her eyes right as Blake rushed over and pressed Gambol Shroud near the half-Aerophibian's throat, effectively pinning her to the wall. "Now, I suggest that you surrender." The cat girl advised. "This has all gone far enough and we don't want any more bloodshed on these grounds, so just give up."

Swift gave Blake a small grin. "Oh, I ever would so love to, beautiful… but I think you're forgetting something!" She proceeded to wrap her tail around Blake's ankle, making the cat girl's eyes widen before Swift pulled her away and onto the ground. "Tsk, tsk, tsk." Swift shook her head. "You need to be mindful of extra appendages, kitty cat." The half-Aerophibian whirled her body around and threw Blake with her tail, sending her flying away.

"Blake!" Yang reached out to grab her friend out of the air, but to her surprise, a large white glyph appeared, catching Blake just before she landed. Blake fell to the ground and landed on her feet just as Weiss came over to join her friends, with Rex not far behind. "Whoo! Nice catch, Weiss-Cream!" Yang cheered.

"Yeah, thanks Weiss." Blake said with a thumbs up. "Really appreciate the assist."

Weiss smiled and quirked a brow. "Don't thank me just yet, this fight is still far from over." Her smirk increased before turning back to Swift, who had her teeth clenched in rage. "Isn't that right, Swifty?" The alien-hybrid screamed in anger before darting forward again, exactly what Weiss had planned on happening. "There we go!" The heiress pointed Myrtenaster toward Swift and the glyph she had created began to glow, with a white energy collecting in its center. The energy blasted forward, and in no time, Swift was stopped in her tracks and encased in ice, a surprised expression having been frozen on her face. Weiss crossed her arms and held her head up with pride. "Ha! Simple solutions to complicated problems, am I right?"

While initially in a celebratory mood at her smart move, Rex's face fell when he noticed something happening with Swift inside of the ice shell. He pointed behind the white-haired girl and uttered; "Uh… Weiss?"

The Schnee heiress turned back around to see all three of Swift's eyes and the tip of her tail glowing bright red, much to her chagrin. "Ugh, can't anything just STAY frozen for once?!" Swift's lasers blasted out of the ice, shattering the large shell and firing directly toward Weiss.

"WEISS! Look out!" Rex tackled Weiss to the ground mere seconds before Swift's neuroshock blasts could make contact, the beams now impacting harmlessly into the farthest wall. The EVO and heiress tumbled to the floor, with Rex hitting the ground on his back while Weiss fell onto his chest, both breathing hard after having nearly been blasted. Rex gazed up to her in concern. "Hey, you okay?"

Weiss blinked as the shock from what had just happened began to subside. She continued to stare at Rex's worried face, surprised that he would be so concerned about her. The idea made her thankful that the room was dimmed, because then Rex wouldn't be able to see the blush on her face. "Oh, I… yes. Yes, I'm okay."

"But not for long!" A low, growling voice caused both Rex and Weiss to crane their heads upward to see Swift looming over them, her eyes glowing intensely as she prepared to finish them with one blast. "It's time for you two to meet your maker—" _FLASH!_ Swift was suddenly cut off when a bright green light shined at the other end of the room, inadvertently catching her attention. "What the—ACK!" A large figure flew over from where the green flash had happened and pounced onto Swift feet first, effectively bringing her down to the ground.

Team RWBY and Rex all focused onto what had just taken Swift down with relieved smiled, all of them instantly knowing who it was. The creature was a large, red manta ray-like alien with a pair of yellow horns that were connected to a pair of matching yellow lips. It had a long tail that extended from its rear that was connected to the yellow patagia that came down from its arms. Its hand and feet had three fingers and toes respectfully, with the third toe having taken place on the ankle just like Swift. On either side of its torso was a set of three gills, which indicated that this creature could breathe underwater. A pair of black lightning bolt-shaped patterns ran down from its shoulders to the center of its chest, where the Omnitrix symbol was placed. The Arophibian's eyes glowed green with energy as it shouted; "JETRAY!"

"WOO!" Yang cheered. "Great timing, Green Boy!"

Rex gave his friend a smirk. "Sure, but your cutting it a bit close, don't ya think Ben?"

"Yeah, sorry that it took so long." Jetray said guiltily. "I haven't used Jetray in a while, so I kind of lost track of his icon in the Omnitrix."

"You need to organize them, then." Weiss advised. "What if you need a certain alien in a tight situation?"

"Yeah, you're right." However, Jetray's eyeridge rose up inquisitively at the sight of the two on the floor. "Uh, hey, why are you guys on the ground?" Weiss and Rex's eyebrows shot up when they realized they were still in their awkward position and the two sprung up to their feet, both of them clamoring to make up some semblance of an excuse. But as they babbled on, Jetray could only smirk snidely. "Jeez guys, calm down, it's just a joke."

"Oh, I love jokes!" Swift shouted from the ground. "Here's one!" Her eyes glowed brightly once again. "Knock knock!" A pink neuroshock blast struck Jetray in the chest, knocking him back off of her and allowing Swift to take to the air once again, the alien hybrid now thoroughly peeved. "Alright, I've tried to do this as quick and painless as I can, but that's just not enough, now is it?!" Her third eye and the tip of her tail began to glow as well. "You want an aerial rematch, Tennyson? Well I've been looking forward to it! Let's dance, bitch boy!"

Jetray narrowed his eyes up in her general direction. _'Ugh, now I remember why I stopped using Jetray. Aerophibian's have terrible eyesight!'_ But he shooed the thought away. If there was one other weakness he knew that Aerophibians had, it was that they could be hurt by their own energy blasts. So he would just have to tough it out and go by where he saw the glowing red blasts. "Gladly!" Jetray shouted as he prepared for takeoff.

But just as Jetray was about to jump off the ground, Ruby jumped out in front of him and spread her arms out, blocking him from going further. "Wait! Don't do it!"

The Aerophibian stopped himself at the last second. "W-wait, what? Why?"

"If you two get into a dogfight with lasers in HERE, the whole building could collapse over our heads!" Ruby waved her arms around, gesturing to the high ceilings to emphasize her point. "We'd all be smushed!"

"Hmm, good point. We need to find a better way to take her down."

Ruby smirked when he said that. "Fortunately, I have a plan! Huddle up, people." Jetray, Yang, Blake, Weiss and Rex all did what she asked and huddled together, with the silver-eyed girl relaying her plan to them in hushed whispers.

However, this did not go unnoticed by Swift, who was growing ever more irritated. "What?! What are you whispering about?!" She directed her laser beam down toward the ground. "Tell me!"

The blast forced the six to separate, but by then, Ruby had already shared her plan with the others. She rolled over and picked Crescent Rose up from the ground before giving a sly grin up to Swift. "Uh, the point of huddling is for SECRET plans, Swifty!" She turned to Rex and Weiss and gave them a nod. "Alright guys, you're up!"

"On it!" Rex gave Ruby a thumbs up before his legs began to glow blue, with another build being produced from them soon after. This one was a navy colored hoverboard with two large glowing blue disks on the front and back, which were what allowed the board to fly in the air. "All aboard the Sky Slyder Express!" The EVO held out a hand to Weiss. "You ready for this?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Weiss replied nervously as she stepped on and held on to Rex tightly with one arm while keeping Myrtenaster firmly in hand. "Are you sure this is safe?"

"Don't worry, I won't let you fall." Rex assured as he put an arm around her. "Okay?"

"Oh, yeah, sure." At this point, Weiss was REALLY glad that the room was dimmed. She took a deep breath, preparing herself for what would happen next. "Alright, let's take her down!" With those words, Rex and Weiss shot up into the air on the Sky Slyder, ready to take Swift on in her own territory. The half-Aerophibian sent down a barrage of multiple lasers from her three eyes and tail, all in an attempt to hit the two. However, the Sky Slyder's speed proved to be faster, with Rex maneuvering around the blasts very quick and efficiently.

Swift's eyes widened in shock. "What?! Impossible, I—AH!" She was cut off when Rex and Weiss flew past her, much to her surprise. She whirled around to see them flying above her, the duo almost reaching the ceiling. "What is this? Some sort of trick?!"

"No tricks, Swift!" Weiss retorted, pointing Myrtenaster directly at her. "Just a trap!" The heiress spun Myrtenaster's barrel to the Gravity Dust setting and made a large black glyph right where Swift was hovering in midair, effectively trapping the alien-hybrid. "Ah-ha! Gotcha!"

But strangely, Swift didn't seem bothered by her current situation. "Um, hello? Eye beams?" Her eyes began glowing red again. "And tail beams for that matter?" The tip of her tail began glowing as well. "I can still attack you without even moving."

"True." Weiss sheathed Myrtenaster and wrapped her arms firmly around Rex's neck, settling herself onto his back. "But this is only phase one. Now, Rex!"

"On it, Ice Princess!" In a flash, Rex deactivated his Sky Slyder and brought out his Smack Hands, causing Wiess and himself to begin falling toward Swift. The Smack Hands began spinning as Rex pulled one of them back. "Special delivery!" Swift's eyes widened as the glyph suddenly disappeared, but only at the very last second. The Smack Hand hit her and she began to rapidly descend back to the ground while Rex activated his Sky Slyder again. "Ben! Yang! Your turn!"

"On it!" Jetray hovered in midair right above Yang's head, offering his legs for her to hold on to. He gave her a smile and asked; "Ready?"

"Without a doubt!" Yang grabbed onto Jetray's legs with both hands, the Aerophibian clamping his talons onto her shoulders so that he was sure she wouldn't fall. "Let's do this!"

"Alright!" The couple took to the air with a dash, with Yang holding on tightly to Jetray's tail as the they began to close in on Swift. The half-Aerophibian was still conscious, if not in a lot of pain from Rex's strike, but she was still ready to blast her neuroshock laser at them as she fell. But Jetray was quick on the draw, his own eyes lighting up a bright green. "Oh no, you don't!" He shot his own neuroshock blast which met Swift's in midair, resulting in a large explosion and a cloud of smoke. "Hold your breath!" With those words, Jetray and Yang took a deep breath before flying into the smoke cloud for cover, much to Swift's confusion.

"What?!" Swift shouted as she stopped in midair. "Show yourselves!"

"If you insist!" Jetray shot a neuroshock blast out from the smoke cloud, forcing Swift to avoid it and taking her off guard as a result. "Yang, now!"

"All over it, Ben!" With the word given, Jetray swung his feet forward and flung Yang straight up into the air, the Blonde Brawler rearing back one of her fists. "You wanna fly? Then here, take this!" Yang delivered a Fire Dust-fueled uppercut right to Swift's jaw, sending her careening back up to the ceiling. However, Jetray quickly circled around the half-Aerophibian and shot out another neuroshock blast, this one effectively making contact with her and sending her back down to the ground. Jetray swooped down and grabbed Yang by the shoulders again, stopping her fall before it could really begin. "Woo! That was awesome!" Yang cheered. "Nice work, Green Boy!"

"You too, Goldie Locks." Jetray smiled back. "Now it's up to Blake and Ruby to finish it up."

Back on the ground, Ruby held Crescent Rose so that it was level with the ground, extending the blade out to its full unfolded configuration; the War Scythe mode. Blake hopped onto the head of the scythe, Gambol Shroud in hand while she loaded a vial of Lightning Dust into Gambol Shroud. "I'm ready whenever you are, Ruby."

"Alright, here we go! On the count of three…" Ruby began whirling Crescent Rose around in a circular motion, once… "One!" twice… "Two!" and a third time. "THREE!" She swiped Crescent Rose skyward and launched Blake into the air, the catgirl sailing right toward the falling Swift. "Go get her, Blake!"

Swift herself was attempting to recover from the neuroshock blast and the punch that she had been dealt with earlier, having finally straightened herself out in midair… only to come face to face with the catgirl flying right at her. Blake's eyes glowed as her Semblance activated and another shadow clone emerged from her body, this once having been mixed with Lightning Dust to create an entirely electrified clone. But by then, it was too late for her to move. "Oh no—AAAAAGH!" The lightning clone hit Swift and an intense pain writhed through her for the briefest moment before it just stopped. However, that amount of pain was enough for her body to give out, the half-Aerophibian finally falling to the ground. She was still just barely holding onto consciousness when a large blade embedded itself into the ground next to her head, forcing her to look up at the girl who was holding it.

Ruby Rose stared down at Swift with a silver-eyed stare, her lips pursed and her grip on her scythe firm and steady. Her brows furrowed slightly as she spoke to the alien-hybrid. "Sorry, Swift, but it's over. You lose."

A soft smirk settled onto Swift's face. "Heh, seems you have, little girl." With that, the half-Aerophibian finally surrendered to unconsciousness, her head slowly falling to the floor as her eyes closed. Her energy had been effectively spent, and at that moment, all she wanted was a rest. _'But I'll still get even someday.'_ she thought as her mind drifted off.

Blake came back around and knelt down next to Swift, quickly checking the alien-hybrid's pulse. "Okay, good, her heartbeat is still steady." She sighed as Jetray, Yang, Rex and Weiss came back down to solid ground. "I won't lie, I was kind of nervous using the Lightning Dust on her."

"Yeah, but aliens can take a lot of damage." Jetray said. "Including Aerophibians. And even if she's half-human, Swift should be just fine." Jetray hit the Omnitrix symbol and transformed back into Ben, the hero quick to commend Ruby on her plan. "But I gotta admit, you came up with a pretty great plan, Ruby. Where'd that idea come from anyway?"

Ruby smiled sheepishly at Ben's praise. "Well, I knew that her speed was a big factor, so I just had to focus on how fast WE had to be and how we could slow HER down. From there, it was all a matter of dealing out the right amount of damage."

"Hah, wow!" Rex chuckled. "That was some pretty smart thinking."

Weiss smiled and nodded toward her best friend. "Yep, and THAT is why she's the leader of Team RWBY."

Yang pulled her sister into a headlock and gave her a noogie, making Ruby laugh with glee. "That's my little sister! She's got a great noggin on her, that's for sure!"

"Hahaha! Yang, come on!" Ruby tried to resist, but to no avail. "I'm gonna be sixteen tomorrow!"

"Don't care, you're never too old for noogies!"

Ben smiled at the sisterly banter before the Omnitrix began to beep loudly, catching everyone's attention. The hero lifted the watch up near his face and pressed down on it, answering the call as everybody gathered around him. "This is Ben, go ahead."

" _Ben!"_ Gwen called back from the other end. _"Are you guys doing okay? What's the status on Swift?"_

"She's been taken care of, Gwen." Ben replied before glancing over to Rex. The hero nudged his head in Swift's direction and Rex immediately got the idea, picking up the half-Aerophibian and slinging her over his shoulder. "We're coming out right now, what about you?"

Suddenly, a loud roar was heard, not just over the Omnitrix's speaker, but through the walls of the building as well. A momentary pause settled over the group before Gwen finally responded. _"You guys might want to get out here. And I mean RIGHT now."_

"Agreed." Ben concurred. "We're on our way, cous'. Hang tight!" The hero stopped the transmission before shifting his eyes back to his team. "Well guys, looks like we got more work to do. Come on, it's Hero Time!" And with that, the six teens all hustled out of the amphitheater and into the courtyard with Swift in their custody, preparing themselves for whatever they had to fight against next.

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it! The first appearance of a reimagined Swift for this story's continuity! I'll freely admit, I was never a big fan of the Rooter Story Arc in Omniverse. I won't get into the nitty-gritty of it here, but let's just say that I didn't have a lot of pleasant opinions about it after I first saw it. But what I did like were a lot of the Rooter's designs, though as you can imagine, my favorite was Swift. There's something about a mean Jetray girl that I just find awesome! So, I decided to reimagine her background a bit here, furthering this story from Omniverse just a bit more. We'll get more into her backstory in the next chapter though, so she's not quite done yet! But, as a few of you have expected, Team CRDL have made their big reappearance here! And after the Battle for Beacon, they seem to be repentant for their bullying, especially Cardin himself. Let's see where this new attitude of theirs gets them in the future, huh?**

**That being said, NEXT TIME! The battle continues as Ben faces off against a large new arrival. Meanwhile, down in the Vault, Qrow shares a few things with Winter that takes her by surprise, only for the battle up top to take their attention. However, Swift's not the only unexpected arrival. There's someone else who's been watching these events unfold. And once the heroes head home, a certain familiar someone makes herself known. Thanks for reading guys, and I'll see you next time!**


	58. Secrets in the Vault

**A/N: Hey gang! Got a fresh, new chapter for ya! So, who's the mysterious lady? Well, let's allow the chapter to speak for itself on that one, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 58: Secrets in the Vault**

* * *

The Vault beneath Beacon Academy was built by Professor Ozpin in order to house the school's most well-kept secrets. Secrets which were to never be seen by the normal everyday person, that is unless they were qualified for either one of two things; the first being if they were close confidants of the deceased Headmaster himself. The second reason would have been if they had been chosen by Ozpin for a very special purpose, as was the case with Pyrrha Nikos. However, there was a secret third way for one to get into the Vault that very few knew about... a drunkard could just let them in.

"Welp, here we are Ice Queen." Qrow said monotonously as the elevator _dinged_ , indicating that they had reached the bottom. The sliding doors opened and Qrow waved his arm forward, allowing Winter to go first. "After you."

"Wow, thank you." Winter sarcastically said as she stepped out into the giant underground area. She glanced around the dimly lit chamber with trepidation, her eyes widening somewhat at the multiple scorch marks on the walls. _'Must have been Cinder's doing.'_ She walked further into the room, where she eventually came across two large containment units that were each connected a large machine, with one of them having been cracked. "I take it that this was where Amber perished?"

"Yep. They found her and gave her a funeral worthy of a Maiden." The drunken Huntsman confirmed. "At least that's what Goodwitch told me, I was still out of commission when that happened." He paused for a minute before gesturing for her to follow him. "But that's not what I want ya to see. Come on, this way."

Qrow began leading the Schnee down in the chamber's eastern direction, the dimmed lights only just barely illuminating the way. The hallway seemed to go on forever, to a point where Winter was surprised that they were still walking. "Just where are you leading me, Branwen?" she asked. "We've been walking for literally _minutes_. How big is this place?"

"Hell if I know." Qrow shrugged. "Didn't really explore down here too often. But we're almost there, trust me." After about another minute of walking, the two finally came upon something; a giant doorway with two large ornate doors. "This here is item one on the list, Ice Queen. This is the Vault of the Fall Maiden, where Beacon's Relic resides."

"Impressive, but hardly anything news worthy." Winter admitted. "So long as Cinder cannot get back in here, there isn't much need to worry." The Military Specialist put a hand to her chin. "Thought that does beg the question as to why she didn't just come here the first time she had broken in here."

Suddenly, a new voice entered the conversation, one that seemed to be firing on all cylinders with no intentions of stopping; "Hmm, if I had to hazard a guess, the most probable answer would be that she wanted to be sure that the entire student body was disposed from the campus grounds. That way, nobody would be able to hamper her progress. A very thought out strategy to be sure, but one still riddled with faults." The long ramble was followed by a quick sip of some sort of beverage. "Not to mention that the act was undoubtedly deplorable."

Winter knew immediately who this person was just by the sound of his voice. She turned around to see a very disheveled man in his early to mid-forties, holding a green thermos in hand. He only had one side of his while, button up shirt tucked in while his yellow tie hung freely, along with a pair of mismatched brown and black shoes. His large round glasses just barely stayed on his face, though his most prominent feature was his long green hair, wild and unkempt. Winter gave the man a small smile and a polite bow. "Ah, Doctor Oobleck, it's certainly been a long time. Good to see you again."

"The same could be said for you, Winter." Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck bowed back, though a bit more rapidly than Winter did. "But, then again, you could also say that it hasn't as well. Time is relative after all."

"I see." Winter nodded before noticing that the doctor was not alone. "Ah, Professor Port, it's good to see you as well."

Standing not far away from Oobleck was a rather portly man, his neat and tidy grey hair more than indicative of his age. He also had a well-groomed, bushy mustache that matched his hair. The doubly breasted suit he was wearing was burgundy in color, with gold buttons and trimming, complete with a matching ascot. He chortled at Winter's greeting, making his large belly jiggle a bit. "Oh ho ho, Miss Schnee! So very good to see you!" He gave her a wink and pointed knowingly at her. "I must say, you're as ravishing as ever, my dear."

Winter rolled her eyes at the older man's flirtatious demeanor. _'Somethings never seem to change, do they?'_ she asked in her head. "While I appreciate the nice compliments, I am afraid that I have been spoken for by someone of my OWN age, thank you." Winter directed her attention back to Qrow. "Now, is there a reason why we're all down here?"

"Yeah, there is." Qrow walked over to Oobleck and Port, who were both standing around a rather large table, though Winter took note of just how… _off_ this table appeared to be. She shook the thought away and joined the three men, with Qrow continuing to speak. "Listen, with Oz gone and with Salem's big "take over the world" plan underway, we're gonna need a lot of reinforcements to even the odds."

"We have been considering asking the local Huntsmen to help protect the school." Oobleck explained. "However, with the rather… unique followers that our enemy is gathering, we figure that things could get very out of hand, and rather quickly at that."

Winter raised an eyebrow at that. "Wait, does that mean that you know about… _that_?"

"If you are referring to the boy with the highly advanced wrist watch, then yes." Port confirmed. "But only bits and pieces, such as himself along with his friends and family being from another dimension."

"As well as his fascinating ability to change into extraterrestrials." Oobleck smiled in anticipation. "I have been wanting to see it for myself to see if it's truly as amazing as General Ironwood described!"

"I'm sure." Winter sighed. "In any case, you were saying that you're hoping that you can hire some skilled Hunters to protect Beacon."

"Yes, yes of course." Port coughed in his hand, ready to get back on track. "But it is as Qrow said, with the witch recruiting more and more powerful acolytes to fuel her plans, we require some additional fire power."

"The Watch Boy ain't gonna always be around, Ice Queen." Qrow pointed out. "Jim told me that the guys over in his world are workin' to get him and the others back." The drunkard pat the table top. "We've gotta bring our… _second_ most powerful asset into play."

"Our " _second_ most powerful asset"?" Winter asked as she gazed down at the table. "What are you…" However, her eyes widened when she got a closer look at the "table". It was long, made out of stainless steel, and had a set of hinges on the side that she was standing on. It also had an airtight seal on it, complete with a numeric code lock. Her lips parted in shock. "What IS this?"

"We found it stashed in this place along with a lot of other stuff." Qrow explained. "Either Oz liked to keep his belongings sealed tight or he was completely paranoid."

Oobleck nodded his head rapidly. "Indeed. But either way, it has proved to be most useful in storing our asset after we relocated it."

"What is this "asset" that you keep speaking of?" Winter insisted. "If you want me to know, then just tell me!"

Port stroked a hand across his mustache. "We simply have to make sure that you are prepared to see this, Winter." His eyebrows moved down in worry. "Trust me, my dear, it is NOT for the faint of heart."

Winter narrowed her eyes. "I am an Altesian Military Specialist with five years of extensive and intense training to my name. There are very few things that can put me off that badly."

Qrow gave her another shrug. "Alright. But don't say we didn't warn you." The drunken Huntsman punched in the code that was keeping the storage unit closed and lifted the top up with all of his might. He propped the top open and Winter circled around to get a good view of this "asset".

However, the moment that she set her eyes upon what lied inside of the long container, she had to hold back a gasp, resulting in her jaw merely dropping in shock. She had been prepared to see many things; a dead body, or maybe some horrific monstrosity. But this… THIS was far from what she had expected. "This… this cannot be!" Her head shot up to make eye contact with Qrow. "How did you… WHERE did you—"

"About a mile away from the Vytal Tournament arena." Qrow answered bluntly. "I was just as surprised as you when I found it." He grimaced when he gazed back down into the high-tech metal box. "Admittedly, it's not in great shape, but… if we're lucky and nothing major was damaged…"

"I see." Winter nodded. She took a long pause, contemplating what she had just been presented with. Finally, she spoke up again. "Does anyone else know about this?"

"Yes." Port nodded. "Both Glynda and General Ironwood know that it is here."

Winter gave a confirming; "Hmm." before turning back to Qrow. "And what about your niece? And the rest of the team? You ARE going to be telling them about this, correct?"

Qrow closed his eyes and held his head up high, crossing his arms in a sign of indignation. "Hah, 'course I am." He took a pause before slyly opening his right eye to Winter. "…Right after Shortstack's birthday."

Winter gave him a hardened glare. "Branwen!"

But all Qrow did was raise his hands defensively. "Hey, I wanna tell her as much as anyone else does, but in case you haven't guessed, I'm NOT a fan of ruining my niece's birthday weekend!" He gestured to the containment unit with both hands. "Especially not with something like THIS!"

"She deserves to know, Branwen!" Winter retorted.

"We are aware of that, Winter." Oobleck assured. "However, due to the nature of this… complicated matter, we have chosen to keep this under wraps for the time being. If word were to get out that a weapon such as this were still even the _slightest_ bit intact, our enemies would come searching for it immediately. And then, they would make sure that it would be completely destroyed this time."

Winter narrowed her eyes slightly at Oobleck. "You make a compelling argument, Oobleck. But just remember… that weapon has a—" However, before the argument could get any more heated, a loud explosion could be heard just above them, catching their attention instantly. "What in the world?" Immediately after, there came a loud roar, which set off their red flags even more. "We are under attack!"

"Oh no, the students!" Port yelled as he took his trusty blunderbuss-axe combo weapon off of his back. "We have to get up there, NOW!"

Oobleck pressed a button on his thermos and it instantly converted into his flamethrower, the doctor grasping its handle with determination. "Indeed! We must not let Beacon fall to any further invaders!"

"You read my mind, doc." Qrow said as he pulled Harbinger off of his back and converted it into its sword mode. "Let's go see what kinda trouble those kids've gotten into this time."

* * *

Meanwhile, back on the surface, Ben, Team RWBY and Rex had just sprinted out of the amphitheater, with the unconscious Swift still slung over Rex's shoulder. They had received a distress call from Gwen mere moments ago, informing them of an approaching danger outside. They had also heard a loud, reverberating roar, which was more than enough to convince them to get out there on the double. The moment that they exited the building, they were greeted by multiple Grimm bodies littering the ground, as well as all of the students fighting off the remaining live ones.

Ben's eyebrows rose up in surprise. "Wow, they seem to be handling their own pretty well out here."

A smirk came to Yang's face as she crossed her arms. "Yep, and that's why no one should mess with Beacon. They'll end up with their asses kicked."

Ruby nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it makes me wonder what Gwen called us out here for—" _RAAAWRK!_ At the sound of the loud roar, which also had elements of a squawk to it, the six teens craned their heads up to the sky, only to be taken aback by what they saw. "Oh, that explains it."

Flying above their heads was a giant Grimm with the head, wings and talons of an eagle, but with the body, and tail of a lion. It had large spikes on its tail and its entire head was composed of the white, bone-like armor that most Grimm had, with its gleaming red eyes giving it an added sense of intimidation. But Rex wasn't focused on the small details. The only thing that came out of his mouth when he saw it was; "What the HELL is that thing?!"

"A Griffon!" Weiss exclaimed. "This is bad!"

Suddenly, Gwen hollered over to them from across the courtyard; "You think?!" She was in the middle of killing another group of Beowolves, using her "mana sphere implosion" trick that had proven to be quite effective in taking out massive hordes. "Why did you think I called you guys out here in the first place?! Ben, you need to take that thing out!"

"I'm on it!" Ben confirmed. "But I'll need all of the students to fall back and head for safety!"

Having overheard his request, Goodwitch finished her own enemy Grimm off quickly before giving him a nod. "Of course!" The headmistress called out to her students; "Everyone, cease fire and fall back for now!"

While Goodwitch was giving out the command, Team CFVY and Team CRDL had formed a large circle around their respective teammates; Velvet and Cardin. The leader of Team CRDL was still in rough shape after taking the neuroshock blast from Swift, but Velvet was working hard to get him patched up with what little she had. However, they had all heard Goodwitch's order, and Russel was flabbergasted by it. "WHAT?! We can't stop now!"

"Russel's right!" Sky supported. "We're not done fighting!"

"We need to protect Beacon!" Dove added. "We cannot let up now!"

As Kevin finished slicing through a Boarbatusk, he whirled around to face the three former troublemakers. "Guys, as much as I'm a fan of not backin' down when the fight's just gettin' good, we gotta give Tennyson some room to do his thing."

"Kevin's right!" Velvet nodded. "We have to move, now." She shifted her eyes back to Cardin, who was gritting his teeth through the pain in his shoulder. "Can you stand up, Cardin?"

"Ugh, I think." The redhead groaned in pain as he began to stagger to his feet. "But… I still feel really weak."

Velvet propped him up and supported him on her shoulder again. "You've lost quite a bit of blood. You're probably going to be dizzy. Here, let me help you up again."

"Give her some cover, boys!" Coco ordered her team. "It's time to fall back!"

With most of the regular-sized Grimm dead, and with Goodwitch and Coco's orders having been heard by everyone, the students began to fall back, with Team RWBY reconnoitering with Team JNPR and Team SN in the process. Sun in particular was the first to meet Blake with an embrace. "Hey, there you are!" he smiled brightly at her. "So, I see you kicked the manta-girl's butt pretty good, huh?"

Blake smiled proudly. "Oh, we did. I even got in the last hit."

"Sweet!" Sun gave her a high-five and a congratulatory smooch on the cheek. "Never doubted it for a second."

Neptune walked over to Rex and inspected the half-Aerophibian with a scrutinizing eye. "She alright? Seems like she was thrown for a pretty big loop."

"Yeah, she's good. Still breathing and everything." Rex confirmed. "She's just gonna be a little sore when she wakes up."

As the students began to huddle together, the Griffon landed about ten yards away from them, letting out a loud roar which caused the smaller Grimm to run from it, giving the giant monster more room. Team JNPR remained on guard though, as did everyone else. "Sheesh, that thing's got at temper." Jaune quipped.

"Definitely." Pyrrha concurred before looking over to the Omnitrix bearer. "So, what will it be this time, Ben? Humungousaur again?"

Ben shook his head. "Nah, not this time. I've got someone else in mind for this guy." The hero smiled back to all of the students. "After all, I've gotta make a good first impression." The large group of students, meanwhile, had heard what he was saying. Ben could hear them murmuring to themselves, questioning what he was talking about. He couldn't help but smirk inwardly to himself. _'Hoo boy, these guys have no idea what they're about to see.'_

Suddenly, he felt a small nudge against his arm, causing him to turn his head to see Yang smiling at him. She gave him an encouraging wink. "Go on, Green Boy. Show 'em what you can do."

Ben gave her a quick hug before going out to face the Griffon. "I'll give them a show they won't forget, Goldie Locks. Trust me." With that, the green-clad hero strode forward by himself, much to every one of the student's confusion. However, much to their shock, the Griffon seemed somewhat hesitant to attack him, almost as if it could sense the power that the young man held. Ben stopped right in front of it and pulled his jacket sleeve back before searching through the Omnitrix for the alien he wanted. "Alright, you big and ugly bird-cat…" Finally, he found the icon he was searching for. "Let's see how you like the taste of Four Arms!" He slammed the Omnitrix down and was enveloped in a bright flash of light, momentarily blinding the team as well as the other students. When the light died down and the crowd's vision cleared, they were all taken aback by what they saw.

"…That's not Four Arms." Gwen deadpanned. " _Again_."

True to form, Ben was not in the Tetramand form he had selected. Instead, he was in a form that the team recognized very well, much to their shock. It was a Transylian, complete with a pair of electric generators jutting out from its back. Other than that, though, this one was at least somewhat distinct from Viktor. He had greyish-yellow skin with metal stitches holding his arms together, with a pair of fingerless metal gauntlets on his large hands. On his lower body were a set of big boots and a pair of black pants, held up with a large green belt. The pants themselves had several green line patterns going around his upper and lower legs, each one with a triangular divot facing downwards. He had four bolts on his body; two in his neck and two in his abdomen with the Omnitrix symbol in place of where the fifth bolt would be on the center of his chest. Over his torso, however, he had on an old and worn version of Ben's signature jacket, the garment itself having shifted into a long, leather coat with multiple tears and holes in the fabric. His face was also not misshapen like Viktor's was, and he had a full head of hair styled into that of a mullet with large muttonchops to match.

Ben checked himself over, his eyes widening when he realized what he had changed into. "Wait, my Transylian transformation?! I completely forgot I had this!"

"How do you just FORGET that you have an undead alien in your watch, Tennyson?!" Kevin exclaimed.

"Hey, I've only used this guy _once_!" The Transylian emphasized. "And it was when I was TEN! Plus, I've gotten a ton of other electrical aliens since then! It's hard to keep track!"

As Ben and Kevin bantered back and forth, the student's reactions were… mixed to say the least. Most of them were gawking at the alien while others were either screaming in abject horror or were close to fainting from the sight of him. It got to the point where Goodwitch had to yell over their collective voices; "Everyone, please, calm down! This is Ben Tennyson's true power. He has the ability to change into different types of extraterrestrials using his watch."

"W-wait." Cardin stuttered. "Y-you mean that guy… he just transformed into an ALIEN?!"

"Well, not just any alien." Velvet answered. "An inter-dimensional alien. Ben and his team are actually from an alternate dimension." The young people could only remain astonished while Velvet waved her hands. "Surprise!"

Russel glanced over to Gwen. "Is… is all of that true?"

"Yep, every word." the Anodite confirmed while lightning her hand up with mana again. "Also, my powers and Kevin's aren't Semblances like you think they are. They come from our alien bloodline."

"Except for mine." Cooper spoke up. "I was born with a sort of mutation that allows me to control technology."

"Whoa…" Cardin uttered in shock. "That's pretty cool, if a little unbelievable."

"Yeah, pretty much that." Yang nodded before directing her attention back to the standoff between Ben and the Griffon. "But right now, explanations are the least of our worries."

As the Transylian and the Griffon stared down one another, Ben was formulating a plan inside his head. _'Okay, so much for the Four Arms plan. But hey, this guy's an electrical alien, so he shouldn't be THAT foreign to me.'_ Ben concentrated and the giant conductors on his back came to life, with bright green electricity flowing between them and through his body, all of it coagulating within his gloves. A smirk came to his face at this. "Ah, okay, now it's coming back to me! ARGH!" With a mighty battle cry, he surged forward, intending to bring the pain to the over-sized Grimm.

A loud roar escaped the Griffon's maw before it spread its wings and took to the sky, causing Ben to miss it entirely. "Hey!" The Transylian shouted. "I'm not done with you yet!" Using the electricity he had gathered in his hand, Ben sent out a green bolt of lightning at the flying beast, giving it an intense electric shock and forcing it into a hard landing in the process. "There, now stay down while I do THIS!" Ben gathered more electricity in his hands and jumped onto the beast's back, delivering two powerful punches into its shoulder blades and forcing it to let out a pained cry.

"WOO! That's the way, Ben!" Nora cheered. "Show that overgrown beak-brain who's boss!"

"Way ahead of you!" The Transylian exclaimed. He grabbed hold of the Griffons wings as it tried to take to the air again before pulling them back. As the Griffon lurched up, Ben stomped his foot against its spine, the opposing forces ultimately resulting in breaking the Grimm's back. The large Grimm let out an agonized roar as its head fell to the ground, but it's still-glowing eyes indicated that it was still alive.

"That's… that's amazing!" Dove uttered in shock.

"I've never seen _anyone_ combat a Grimm like that!" Sky added.

"That's Ben Tennyson for ya!" Ruby smiled cheekily. "You never know how he's gonna fight something. It all depends on the alien he uses!"

Ben didn't waste any time as he jumped off of the Griffon's back and ran around to the tip of its beak, using his enhanced strength to lift its mouth open. He gathered more electricity into his left hand, grunting as he kept the Grimm from snapping its lower jaw shut with his foot. With a gnarled, toothy smirk, he got in the last word; "Hey, let me know how this tastes, okay?!" With a thrust of his hand, the Transylian blasted the inside of the Griffon's mouth with green lightning. The electricity flowed through its entire head, resulting in the beast dying instantly when its eyes blew out of their sockets. Ben couldn't help but cringe at that. "Ew! Okay, did NOT mean for that to happen."

"Haha! Dude, does it matter?!" Rex laughed. "It's dead! You won!"

"Well, maybe, but…" Weiss pointed over to the remaining Grimm, the beasts still standing off to the side, waiting for the chanced to strike. "What about them?"

Ben put his large hand to his chin as an idea formed in his head. "Actually, I think I can handle that too! Let's see if _I_ can do what Viktor did." The Transylian put his hands close together and began generating lightning like crazy, the bright green bolts coming together to form a large green sphere of electrical energy. With one mighty burst, Ben sent it out at the Grimm, the energy coursing all throughout their bodies before they all fell to the ground. However, just mere moments later, the Grimm stood up, their eyes all glowing an eerie green. "HAHA! Yes!" Ben pumped a fist into the air. "I can control—Huh?"

The Grimm's heads had all suddenly started jittering left and right rather creepily, much to Ben's confusion. But he didn't have a lot of time to ponder it, as no sooner had the jittering started did the Grimm's heads begin to explode. Hunks of black fur and shattered bone littered the ground as the heads just continued to blow up, much to everybody's shock. Once the last Grimm had been decapitated, Ben could only stand there with a sheepish face on his Transylian features. "Hehe, okay, that trick needs a little more work."

Ren gave a little shrug at the mass Grimm slaughter. "Well, at least it got results."

"Yeah, unintentional or not, we still won!" Jaune lifted his fist into the air. "For Beacon!" The crowd of students immediately followed Jaune's lead, a celebratory cheer echoing out across the whole area. However, the cheering began to die down as Ben walked over to the crowd, his loud footsteps scaring them into silence almost instantly. All any of them could do was stare at the large Transylian with flabbergasted faces, completely taken aback by what was standing in front of them.

However, everyone found it even more shocking when Yang ran up and hugged the large alien. "ALRIGHT! Nice job babe! You sure showed 'em!" She gave him knowing smile as she jabbed her thumb back to the crowd. "Plus, something tells me that you put on a pretty impressive show for everybody."

"Heh, yeah, I guess I did!" Ben said as he pulled her into the embrace with his large hands. "It just goes to show, you don't mess with… with…" The Transylian scratched the top of his head in thought. "Huh, come to think of it, I don't think I ever gave this guy a proper name!"

"Well, we need to fix that." Yang began to ponder over what sort of name to give this alien, making sure to take in every detail about him. ' _Let's see… Conductor? Too simple. Boltbrain? Nah, kinda sounds like an insult.'_ However, as she took in the alien's facial features, she suddenly flashed back to the movies that Ben had shown her and the others the night before. And, at that moment, a lightbulb went off in her head. She smiled and gestured for Ben to lower his head down to her level so that she could whisper something to him.

Once she had relayed her suggestion into his ear, the Transylian smiled and stood up straight again. "Oh! That's a great one! Okay, let me try again." He puffed out his chest and faced the crowd of students as well as his teammates. "It just goes to show, you don't mess around with…" he thrust an electrified fist into the air. "FRANKENSTRIKE!"

The whole team cheered at their friend's victory, and, slowly but surely, the entire student body began to follow suit. Goodwitch stood off to the side, smiling at the victory that her students had pulled off. Once the cheering had subsided, the headmistress walked over next to Yang and Frankenstrike, addressing the crowd once again. "Everyone, I would like to take this moment to thank all of you for helping in this battle. You have shown great commitment to this school over the past few weeks, and for that, I couldn't be more grateful." She raised her hand and gestured over to the Transylian. "With all that said, I wish to propose to you all the idea of having Ben, Gwen, Kevin, Cooper and Rex join us here at Beacon Academy in the spring. What do you say to that?!"

The entire crowd erupted into an even louder cheer than before, much to Rex's shock. "W-w-wait, ME too?! But… but I wasn't even _here_ when Beacon got attacked the first time!"

"But you WERE here the second time." Weiss pointed out. "That being; now."

Rex's eyes widened in realization. "Well… guess you got a point there." The young EVO turned his head to gaze out at all of the happy faces in the crowd, and at that, he couldn't help but smile. "You know what? Maybe going to a school like this wouldn't be so bad."

"That's the spirit." Weiss grinned before noticing four people sprinting over to their position. She peered over to see Winter, Qrow, and surprisingly, Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck running over to them, with the latter two stopping in shock when they saw Frankenstrike. The heiress instantly waved over to her sister. "Winter! What took you so long?"

Winter gave her sister a smile as she came to a halt. "Hah, apologies for being late, dear sister. Our meeting was a bit farther away from the action than we would have hoped."

"Yeah, but I guess you kids had no trouble here." Qrow surmised as he kicked away the remains of a Beowolf's skull. "Now, someone mind tellin' us what the hell just happened?"

* * *

A while later, after Goodwitch had explained what had happened to her fellow teachers, as well as Qrow and Winter, the crowd of students had dispersed and began asking multiple questions all at once to the Alien Trio and Cooper. Some of them had even tried to mob Rex and ask him about what his deal was, but he made the excuse that he had to bring Swift back to the Resolute, so he got out relatively scot-free. However, the one who got it worst was, predictably, Ben himself. It was just question after question about just what his watch could really do, how many aliens he had, so on and so forth. It got to the point here he couldn't really take it anymore. "GUYS! Please, settle down! I know that you all have your questions, but could we please do this one at a time?"

"You heard the man, students." At the sound of the voice, the students that were crowding Ben began to spread away from him, allowing the owner of the voice to come forth; Professor Port, along with Doctor Oobleck at his side. "If he wishes to have his space, then let him have his space! After all, it is the least we can do for the young Mr. Tennyson after defending our dear academy not once, but twice in one month!"

"Quite the spectacular feat, if I do say so myself." Oobleck concurred before taking a swig of his coffee. "However, I must say that the creature that you had transformed into was quite the imposing one, yes indeed. Though in hindsight, it didn't _appear_ to resemble any extraterrestrial that most people would describe."

"Yeah, where I'm from, aliens are a lot more than just your usual little green men." Ben strode forward and extended his hand to the two men. "I take it that you guys are teachers here at Beacon, right?"

"Correct, young man." Port shook Ben's hand. "I am Professor Peter Port. It's truly a pleasure to meet someone of your caliber, Mr. Tennyson."

"Thanks." Once the handshake ended, Ben went over to Oobleck. "And you're Professor…"

"NOT Professor, Mr. Tennyson." Oobleck immediately corrected. "I prefer _Doctor_ , if you don't mind." he extended his hand and rapidly shook Ben's, taking the hero off-guard. "That being said; _Doctor_ Bartholomew Oobleck, at your service."

"N-nice to m-meet you." Ben's voice vibrated at the fast handshake. The moment it ended, the hero regained his composure before asking the two further; "So, you already know who I am?"

"Indeed." Port nodded. "Miss Goodwitch and General Ironwood have been singing your praises to us for quite some time now."

From where she was standing, Goodwitch rolled her eyes at the portly man's statement. "I was not "singing his praises", Professor." She directed her attention to Ben with a small smile. "You'd do best to downplay what he says, Ben. Professor Port likes to… embellish things quite a bit, if you get my meaning."

"Heh, I'll be sure to remember that if I ever have a class with him." Ben chuckled.

"Ahem." Oobleck coughed into his hand to get Ben's attention. "I apologize if this comes off as rude on my part, Benjamin, but would it be alright if I could see another of your aliens? The one you call "Frankenstrike" was amazing, but I would like to see something that is _completely_ out of this world!"

Ben couldn't fault Oobleck for one thing; he was enthusiastic. However, as the doctor was speaking to him, he caught sight of Teams CRDL and CFVY gathered around Cardin and Velvet as the latter treated the formers wounds. A smiled came to Ben's face before glancing back over to Oobleck. "You know what? Sure, can do. But let's make it a bit more interesting, hmm?" The hero strode past the teachers and over to Cardin, Velvet and the others, gaining their attention. He knelt down and spoke to the armored leader. "Hey, Winchester. You took quite the blast back there. How're you holdin' up?"

"Doin' fine, Tennyson, thanks." Cardin nodded before wincing slightly at the sight of his wounded shoulder. "Gah, but this wound still hurts pretty bad. Never got hit by a laser before."

"Yeah, not fun." Ben shrugged. "But hey, you were a real hero back there, you know?"

"Heh, yeah, I guess." Cardin chortled hollowly. "But really, I was just doing what anybody would do in that situation. Honestly, I think _you're_ more fitting for the hero moniker than I am. After everything that I did in the past, I don't think I really deserve to be called a—"

Ben pointed to Cardin with a chastising finger. "Hey, now don't start with that." The statement took everyone by surprise. The hero then relaxed and his smile returned. "Sorry, it's just that when people compare their heroics to mine, they always think that theirs is small potatoes. When really, it isn't. Everyone can be a hero in their own way, whether it's saving a life or saving somebody's cat from a tree. Either way, it all has the same impact." Ben gave Cardin's good shoulder a pat. "And dude, you saved someone's _life_ today. It shouldn't matter what you've done in the past, because today, you've made up for that, and MORE." He nudged his head to Cardin's right side. "Why don't you ask _her_ if that's small potatoes?"

Cardin's eyes widened in realization and he turned to Velvet, who was still giving him a kind smile. In a move that surprised him, she put her hand softly over his in reassurance. "Cardin, don't let your mind be bogged down by what you did in the past. Your actions were VERY heroic today, and well…" A slight blush came to her face. "I guess what I'm trying to say is… thank you for saving my life."

Cardin's own face began to flush red as well, a sheepish smile coming to his face soon after. "Hehe, yeah. You're welcome. It's the least I could do after treating you the way I did."

Ben smirked and rose to his full height, his hand going to the Omnitrix. "Good, now that that's settled, let's patch up that shoulder." The hero slammed down on the Omnitrix core, and in a bright flash of light, he had transformed into… "Swampfire!"

Back over with the teachers, Oobleck's jaw dropped in shock. "Astonishing! He appears to be some type of sentient plant man! Haha! This is so exciting!"

Swampfire cupped his hands together and began producing glowing yellow spores from his palms before kneeling back down to Cardin's shoulder. "Alright, now this'll probably sting at first." The nasally Methanosian explained. "But these spores will help accelerate your healing process. It should only take about an hour for the gash to completely close, but it'll probably be a bit longer before the burn fully heals. I recommend keeping some bandages on until at least tomorrow, understand?"

"I gotcha." Cardin confirmed. "Go ahead." At his word, Swampfire pressed the spores into Cardin's burn and gash, forcing the young man to grit his teeth and close his eyes as he bore through the pain. He also made to tighten his fist, but stopped himself short when he felt someone holding it tightly along with him.

Once the pain had subsided, Cardin opened his eyes and was immediately met with Velvet's smiling face, the bunny girl with a firm grip on his hand. "There, all done. So, how does it feel?"

"Well, it's not exactly in pain anymore." Cardin looked over to see the yellow spores begin sinking into his wound, healing it from the inside out. "Man, that's kinda freaky."

"So I've been told." Swampfire said before transforming back into Ben in a flash of green light. "But still, get some bandages on that, pronto."

Velvet lifted up a roll of bandages, indicating that she was already on it. "Will do, Ben."

As Velvet began applying the bandages to Cardin's shoulder, Ben walked over to Coco and Cooper, the couple standing a little ways away from the others. The blonde genius was giving him a big grin, but Coco was giving him a rather apathetic face… at least from what he could guess, given that he couldn't see her eyes behind her sunglasses. She quirked her brow at him, leading him to assume that she was questioning him on something. "You proud of yourself, Hero Boy?"

Ben quirked his own eyebrow right back at her in genuine confusion. "What? What'd I do?"

"Well…" Cooper began hesitantly. "I think your words might've done a little more than just encourage Cardin a little bit."

Coco slapped her forehead in exasperation. "I swear, if those too start dating, I'm going to need to see a fuckin' shrink." She sighed before continuing. "It's hard enough to believe that he'd jump in the way of a laser blast to save her life, but if those two start starin' at each other like that all the time, I'll have seen everything."

As Coco was expressing her woes, Yang came over and gave her friend a pat on the back. "Aw, C'mon, Coco Puff, I don't think it'd be THAT bad. If you ask me, Winchester seems dead set on making things right."

"Yeah… I guess." Coco shrugged before focusing back onto Ben. "So, what're you guys gonna do? Head back to the island?"

"Uh, yeah, that was the plan." Ben confirmed. "Jaune's family's been waiting for him. Why, did you guys have other plans?"

"Eh, we're gonna stay here for a little bit." Cooper answered. "These guys are gonna need all the help they can get before the Spring semester starts. So, we've gotta start rebuilding this place so that it's at least in decent shape for classes."

"Very true." Ben nodded before giving them a salute. "Well then, I guess we'll see you tomorrow…" he gave them a wink, "at Ruby's party."

Coco lowered her glasses and returned the knowing wink. "Oh yeah, it's going down tomorrow, 'cause Team CFVY's gonna rock the house."

"Well, just make sure you don't rock it too much," Yang smirked, "or else my dad's gonna have a stroke."

Coco rolled her eyes. "Yeah, we'll see. See you later, Yangarang."

"Likewise, Coco Puff." Yang returned with finger-guns before walking over to her boyfriend. The couple waved to Cooper and Coco one final time before moving back to the three Beacon teachers, who were in the middle of a conversation with Gwen and Kevin. Well… it wasn't so much a conversation as it was the two showing off their powers to Oobleck and Port, the two men utterly fascinated by what they were seeing. Yang went up and tapped Gwen on the shoulder, the Anodite whirling around to face her. "Hey, you guys ready to go? Everyone else is saying their goodbyes and going back to the ship."

"Oh yeah, we're just giving a little demonstration before we go." Gwen said before turning back and bowing her head slightly to the professors and the doctor. "It was really nice to meet you two, and I'm really excited to start taking classes here… though I have to wonder if my transcripts can be transferred from between dimensions."

"Oh, I doubt that they will, Miss Gwendolyn." Oobleck said regretfully. "Beacon Academy's curriculum is much different than that of a normal college, so unfortunately, your college transcripts probably won't do you much good. But if anything, I can already tell that you are a very bright young woman with a good future ahead of you." he extended his hand for a handshake. "I very much look forward to having you in my class, come next year."

"As do I." Port agreed before giving Kevin's shoulder a hearty shove. "Kevin, my good lad, your powers are quite extraordinary. My combat class should serve you well! Oh ho ho!"

Kevin rubbed his shoulder, slightly annoyed that the chubby man was so enthusiastic about it. "Yeah… thanks." He glanced back to the Resolute to see the rest of their teammates and Winter boarding the ship, the Osmosian quick to take that as their cue to leave. "Well, whaddya know? Time to fly, guys!"

"Yeah, we've gotta go." Gwen waved to the teachers. "We'll see you all later!"

"Indeed, you will." Goodwitch nodded with a wink. "I'll be over for the party tomorrow, Yang. It should be a grand time."

"That's what we're hopin' for! See ya, guys!" With that, the four made their way onto the Resolute, the spacecraft lifting up into the air and blasting off for Patch soon after. As they stood in the cargo hold of the ship, Yang let out a tired breath. "Man, what a day, huh? Really didn't expect all of THAT to happen."

"Yeah, you can say that again." Ben nodded. "But there's still one thing that we have to do… and that's question Swift." The quartet began making their way to the prison hold, with Ben going over all of the questions he had for the half-Aerophibian in his head. "It's time to get some answers."

* * *

Back on the ground, Goodwitch, Oobleck and Port watched as the Resolute took off of the ground and flew out of sight. And that was quite literal as the moment it flew off, the ship activated its cloak, making it invisible to the naked eye. Goodwitch wore a proud grin on her face as she heard the ship's engines grow softer and softer as it flew away. "Well, what do you think? They're a pretty impressive group, wouldn't you say?"

"Yes, very much so." Oobleck agreed. "I can tell that they are going to excel here at Beacon Academy."

"On that, we can agree." Port concurred. "Now, onto other business… where's Qrow?"

"Over here!" The three teachers moved around to see the drunken Hunter walking over to them, a serious expression written on his face as he locked his sights onto Goodwitch. "Okay, I told Ice Queen about what we're keepin' down in the Vault. Don't know if she's gonna let it slip to the kids or not, but hopefully she won't."

"Okay." Glynda sighed sadly to herself as she hugged her arms. "I know that we promised no more secrets, but this… this is…" The headmistress trailed off, finding it difficult to find the correct words. She craned her head back up to the sky in contemplation, wondering aloud; "I can only imagine what Winter must be thinking right now."

* * *

As she stood in the Resolute's prison cell with Rex and Tetrax, Winter couldn't help but reflect on what she had seen back in the Vault. It was very disturbing to say the least, but at the same time, she was conflicted on what to do about it. Should she tell the team? Or should she listen to Qrow for once and keep it secret… for Ruby's sake. _'If she finds out, there's no telling HOW she would react. And to tell her about it a whole day before her birthday… or even ON her birthday itself could come off as cruel.'_ She pursed her lips in irritation. _'As much as I hate to admit it, Branwen, you make a point. But when it comes time to reveal all of this to your niece, it will be on YOUR head.'_

"Hey, she's moving!" Rex said, pulling Winter out of her thoughts.

The Atlesian Military Specialist gazed down onto the floor of the energy cell in front of her to see Swift, still unconscious from her battle with Ben, Rex and Team RWBY. However, Rex was right, the half-Aerophibian WAS beginning to stir. Winter nodded her head. "Yes, it shouldn't be long now."

At the sound of the automatic door opening, the three turned around to see Ben, Gwen, Kevin and Team RWBY enter the room, all of them with somewhat serious faces. Ben stepped forward, standing between Rex and Tetrax. "Hey, how's she doing?"

"Still unconscious." Tetrax answered. "But she's been moving in her sleep, so she should be coming around soon." The Petrosapien craned his head to Ben with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there to participate in the battle, Ben. I wasn't sure how the students would react if they saw me or my ship."

"It's okay, Tetrax." Gwen reassured. "We understand."

"But now you shouldn't have much of a problem there." Kevin crossed his arms. "Now that the whole academy knows our deal."

Yang placed her hands on her hips. "Heh, at this rate, the whole world's gonna know about you by year's end."

Ben gave his girlfriend a smirk. "Hehe, well, hopefully we can keep it secret for a little longer than that." Suddenly, a groan from the energy cell met Ben's ears, causing him to focus his attention back onto Swift. "She's coming to. Everyone, make sure you don't crowd around her cell. We don't wanna put any pressure on her."

As the group began to back away from her cell a little bit, Swift's eyes began to flutter open, another groan escaping her lips as her hand went to her head. "Ugh, where… where am I?" Once her vision cleared and she sat up, Swift finally got a good view of where she was; inside of a prison cell surrounded by her enemies. "Oh, yes. _Now_ it's coming back to me."

"Yeah, kinda hard to forget a good butt kicking." Rex boasted.

However, Weiss was quick to retort. "Something tells me that _you_ speak from experience." she smiled slyly. Ruby and Yang were quick to laugh as the EVO's face contorted in disbelief at what the heiress just said. "Hey, don't blame me, you set _yourself_ up with that one."

Ben stepped forward, kneeling onto the ground so that he was eye level with Swift. They proceeded to stare each other down, their eyes locked with one another in intense visual combat, with neither one letting up. However, after a few seconds, Yang came over and came in between them and gave Ben an inquisitive gaze. "So… should I be jealous that you're gazing into another girl's eyes or…?"

Swift burst out laughing while Ben lowered his head in exasperation, though admittedly, he was also laughing a little bit. "Hehe, I'm trying to assert my authority with the accused." the hero explained.

"And you're failing miserably, might I add." Swift smirked. "You really are bad at this."

"Hey, at least I'm making an attempt." Ben stood back up, with both him and Yang facing down to Swift with serious expressions. "Listen, Swift, we don't want any more conflict. Right now, all we want to know is who hired you to attack Beacon."

"Psh, sorry, Benji, I don't give out my client's information like that." Swift waved her clawed hand in his direction. "Besides, he never gave me his name. He told me that he would let me in on it once I completed the job, but other than that and offering me a place to stay, he didn't tell me anything else."

"I see." Blake stepped forward. "Could you at least describe what he looked like? We have a feeling that he might be associated with an enemy faction."

Swift's smirk increased, humored by what the cat girl was telling her. "Hah, so what? Are you all at war with someone?"

"Not yet." Ruby shook her head. "But the possibility is there. We're just hoping to stop them before it comes to that." She lowered herself down to eye level with Swift, giving the half-Aerophibian a pleading expression. "Please, we need all the help we can get. If you have any information that could be useful, please tell us."

The two stared at each other for a few seconds before Swift sighed and got up, mumbling something under her breath. The alien-hybrid stood to her full height and crossed her arms, glaring at the heroes before her. "Alright, fine. If this world's in danger from a bunch of psychopaths, I'd rather live than die in this place. But I'm not going to offer you anymore help from here, understand? This does NOT make us friends."

Ruby smiled and stood up, happy that Swift was willing to cooperate. "We get it. All we need is a description. Now, what did this guy look like?"

"Well, he had a very deep tan." Swift said before gesturing to her head. "And he had a head full of wavy brown hair with a matching beard." She reached up above her head to show how tall the man was. "He was very tall and muscular, and he primarily wore green. Ringing any bells?"

Winter's eyes widened and she took a small device out of her pocket; a metal disk with a hologram projector at its center. She approached Swift's cell and showed it to her. "Swift, this is a portable data base for known criminals and dangerous individuals. I'm going to show you an image of someone that I suspect may be who you're describing." The elder Schnee pressed a button and a hologram of a rather familiar man popped up from it. "Is this him?"

Swift's eyes widened slightly, but she kept her brows furrowed in a glare. "Yeah, that's him."

Winter's gaze hardened at the revelation. "I had a feeling it was him." She then showed the hologram to the team, the teens recognizing the man instantly. "As I suspected, it was Hazel."

Blake crossed her arms at the sight of the hologram. "Gah, we should've guessed. It makes sense that HE would be the one to hire someone to take down Beacon." The cat girl directed her gaze over to Swift. "Plus, the chance to recruit another one of Ben's villains must have been too good to pass up."'

Swift narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Alright, could somebody explain what the hell you're all talking about? If you haven't noticed, I'm a bit lost here."

It was Kevin who began to elaborate for her. "The dude who hired you is a guy named Hazel Rainart. He works for an evil witch named Salem, who's been bringing together Ben's rogue's gallery for the past couple of weeks to strengthen her forces."

"Her ultimate goal is to plunge Remnant into unending hopelessness," Gwen continued, "weakening humanity enough so that she and her Grimm can take over the world."

"And _you_ were her latest target." Ben concluded.

The half-Aerophibian sneered at the information she was being told. "Seriously? THAT'S what he meant by "getting a roof over my head"?! Bah! I'm not the least bit interested in world domination." Swift jabbed a thumb to her chest. "I am my own boss, and if some evil witch thinks that SHE can control me, she's got another thing coming."

"When it comes to Salem, I'm not so sure about that." Weiss shook her head. "I've heard that she can be very… persuasive."

"There's still one thing that doesn't add up though." Rex pointed out. "If she wanted to recruit you, then why didn't she just do it? Salem can just pull people with evil intentions to her, right? If that's the case, then why _didn't_ she? Why task you with destroying Beacon first?"

"Ain't it obvious, kid?" A new voice entered the conversation, causing everyone, including Swift, to turn to its source; Vulkanus, who was just a few cells away. "It was a test. One ta see if yer really up to the plate on doin' stuff for this witch." The diminutive Detrovite jabbed a baby thumb at himself. "That's what Rojo and her cronies gave me. They wanted me to excavate the Dust fer their experiment or whatever. But then, guess what happened?"

"We ruined your deal." Tetrax finished. "And Rojo got away with the spoils." The Petrosapien shifted his attention down to his compatriots. "Now I see. If Salem doesn't think that a villain is worth recruiting, she gives them a chance to prove themselves to her before making her final decision."

"It would ssseem ssso." Ssserpent hissed in his cell, his eyes shifting over to Clancy who was making low, insectoid clicking noises in his own cell. "And obviousssly, we have failed to ensssnare Sssalem'sss attention, even without tessstsss."

Over in his "official warden chair" Argit just put his arms behind his head and reclined. "Eh, I'm cool with that in all honesty. I'd rather make an honest living than take over the world." To that comment, Argit got a lot of questioning glares. "What? I said honest, not legal."

Across the room, Frightwig slammed the palms of her hands against her energy cell. "Hold on just a fucking second! You mean to tell me that we missed a free pass to being on a full-time villain team?!" She gripped her forehead in frustration. "GAH! You IDIOTS!" She whirled around to her teammates on either side of her. "We could've just blown up that airport and have gotten recruited right then and there!"

"Hey, how were _we_ supposed to know about this?!" Acid Breath countered, his voice muffled from the mouth guard that was strapped to his face. "We didn't even know about this witch until today! Hell, Thumbskull and I were following _your_ lead at the airport!"

"Yeah, gettin' revenge for da boss!" Thumbskull said simply. "Dat's what we set out ta do! Besides, you and Rojo never got along, remember?"

Frightwig slapped her forehead. "When I get out of here, I am _so_ going out on my own."

"Alright, settle down!" Tetrax ordered. "All of you." The bounty hunter focused back onto Swift, who was crossing her arms with her scowl still set firmly on her face. "I apologize for the rowdy roommates you'll be having. I know it's not the most ideal living conditions, but—"

"It's fine." Swift waved off. "All I ask is for some decent food and I should be good." Her gaze went up to the ceiling, her features softening slightly. "In all honesty, I'm kind of glad that I at least have a roof over my head again. Better than the two weeks spent out in the wilderness that I've been through."

"Really?" Ben asked. "When I first brought you in, you complained like mad."

Swift gave him a deadpan expression. "It was a prison. What'd you expect?" She folded her arms and looked down to the ground. "Besides, there were at least towns and abandoned buildings that I could crash in back in our world. But in THIS crazy world, a LOT of towns are abandoned, and they all have those… those…"

"Grimm." Ruby clarified. "They're called Grimm."

"Thanks— _Grimm_ living in them!" Swift finished. "I couldn't go anywhere without seeing those things!"

"You were probably outside of the kingdom's boundaries." Weiss surmised. "Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for smaller villages to be overrun by Grimm." However, something that the half-Aerophibian had said earlier had caught her attention. "But from what you're saying, it sounds like you've got some experience from living on the streets."

A snicker escaped Swift's lips. "Heh, give the pretty girl a freakin' metal." She gestured up and down her body. "You think that a freak like ME is going to have any stable living conditions? Because if you do, then I think that's a pretty funny joke. Oh wait, I'm not laughing."

Ruby's features hardened at the comment. "Hey, she was just pointing something out. No need to be persnickety about it." But then, she softened up a bit. "But, now that you mention it, do you have any family? Or anyone that cares about you?"

"Used to." Swift turned her head away coldly. "My human father used to treat me like a special little girl... but you'd be surprised how a few words can change someone's relationship with their family." She narrowed her eyes at the group. "And no, I don't feel like sharing."

"Okay then." Blake said, moving on to the other side of the argument. "What about your mom? She must be an Aerophibian, right? Was she ever in your life?"

"Yeah, her name's Aerionna. I've met her a few times actually. Our relationship's okay at best, strained at worst." Swift sat cross legged on the ground. "She actually offered to take me to Aeropela when my dad tossed me out. But I refused, said I could make it on Earth by myself. And I did… by becoming a criminal." She glanced off to the side. "And that was another time when I met up with her…" she pointed a finger to Ben, "when _he_ arrested me."

Ben gave her a small grin. "Hey, she let you know that her offer still stands… you just have to qualify for parole to do it."

"Yes… I suppose so." Swift took a long pause, gazing straight at the ground in contemplation before directing her attention back to the group. "Okay, story time's over now. You can leave."

As much as she wanted to continue the pseudo-psychiatry session that they had going on here, Gwen wasn't one to disrespect someone's wishes, even if they were a criminal. "Alright, if that's what you want, then we won't pry anymore." She then gave her a soft smile. "But if you ever want to talk about this more, just know that we're here."

Swift narrowed her eyes slightly. "Yeah, no thanks. I'm fine."

"If the lady says she's fine, she's fine." Kevin shrugged before making his way out of the room, waving back to Swift nonchalantly. "And quite honestly, I'm okay with that. See ya Miss Speedy Gonzales."

The half-Aerophibian sneered at the Osmosian as he left. "That joke does not work in the _slightest_. I don't even have an _ounce_ of Spanish blood in me."

"Don't really, care. See ya!" And with that, Kevin was gone, leaving his friends to stare dumbfoundedly at his uncaring demeanor.

Gwen sighed and rubbed her temples. "I swear, I do NOT know what to do with him sometimes." The Anodite began walking out of the prison cell as well, hoping to catch up with her boyfriend to find out what his deal was. Following close behind her were Ruby, Blake and Winter, with Tetrax bringing up the rear.

That left only Ben, Yang, Rex and Weiss in the room, with Argit still reclining in his seat. The rodent-like alien opened a single yellow eye and asked; "So, uh, you guys just gonna stand around or are ya gonna leave like everyone else?" Argit got an annoyed stare from each of them for that remark. "Hey, just askin'."

Ben rolled his eyes and gave him his answer. "Yeah, we're leaving. I'm just thinking… how many more villains is Salem going to try and recruit before she thinks she's got enough followers?"

"Eh, I wouldn't worry about that too much, hombre." Rex said with a reassuring grin. "After all…" he raised his arms and gestured around the room, "you've already made some pretty good progress with capturing your other bad guys! Aliens, mutants, freaks against nature, you've practically got your own little Area 51 in Tetrax's ship!"

Weiss furrowed her brows in curiosity. "Area 51? What's that?"

Ben let out a small chuckle. "Oh, heh, it's an old alien prison set up by the Unites States government on Earth long before the Plumbers set up shop on the planet. But once they did, the place was supposedly shut down, though the U.S. still kept some prisoners there in spite of the Plumbers. Nowadays, it's under the façade of an air force base in the Nevada desert, and not really used to keep aliens locked up anymore."

"And there are STILL people trying to break into it and find out its secrets." Rex added. "Heck, recently, it's gotten a bit of a cult following on the internet. People are dead set on raiding that place, and _soon_."

Yang chuckled at the idea before turning to her boyfriend. "Hehe, man, sounds like there are some pretty ballsy people in your world, Green Boy. They must be real sure of themselves if they think they can break into a government facility like it's nothin'!"

"Heh, yeah, but I'm sure that nobody would be crazy enough to really _do_ it." Ben surmised. "…Right?"

* * *

Back at Beacon, Glynda Goodwitch, Qrow, Doctor Oobleck and Professor Port had all gathered back down in the Vault once the student body had settled down. Glynda herself had called the other three down there, and was, at the moment, expressing concerned about their current situation. "This just feels—no, I _know_ that this is wrong!" she asserted. "We shouldn't be hiding this from the team. We promised them no more secrets! What good is trust if we're continually stretching it?!"

Qrow rubbed his forehead at Glynda's words. "Glynda, I KNOW how wrong it is to keep this a secret from them, especially from my own niece. Hell knows that this isn't the ONLY secret I'm keeping from her right now…" he trailed off as his eyes laid themselves on the storage unit not far away from them. "But… I'm doing it for her sake. Tomorrow is a day that she deserves to be happy, and I don't want to break this kinda news to her then."

Glynda pursed her lips at that. "Oh, really? Then why not just tell her that there's a chance that we can potentially undo what has been done?" she rationalized. "Just break the news to her at the party and she might be as happy as a clam!"

"That is rather sound thinking, actually." Oobleck agreed. "Sort of "softening the blow" as it were before showing her… well, you-know-what."

"A splendid idea!" Port supported before beaming over to Qrow. "Why, with that sort of news on her birthday of all days, she'll see you as the greatest uncle ever!"

Qrow rolled his eyes. "She already THINKS that I'm the greatest uncle ever. And that's a title that I'm afraid of losing if I get her hopes up for nothing." The drunkard stood up and pat his hand on top of the containment unit. "Need I remind you that we have absolutely no idea HOW to fix this thing? Or even if it CAN be fixed?"

Glynda crossed her arms at his statement. "Well, need I remind _you_ that we have a young man who can control technology, a hero with a wrist watch which I'm sure has some sort of tech-savvy alien in it, and a teenager with the ability to control tiny nanomachines that I have no doubt can be of help in this situation?"

Qrow grimaced at that. "Well, okay, yeah we do. But still, what if—" However, he cut himself off and his eyes widened, a shocked expression appearing on his face. His eyes wandered around the room, hoping to pinpoint the new, familiar presence that had joined them. "No way. What the hell're you doin' here?" he whispered to himself.

Glynda glanced to him in concern. "What? Qrow, who are you talking too?"

Qrow's expression hardened, not even shifting his eyes over to her before speaking again. "A certain someone is here in the room with us." He lifted his head and called out to the dark corridor. "Why don't you come out and show us your face… sis?"

Suddenly, a large black and red portal slashed open in front of the four, taking them all by surprise as the energy with in it spiraled from its center. Barely a second passed before a figure stepped out of the portal… one who's presence shook the three Beacon teachers to their core. The figure was that of a woman, one who wore a black and red combat dress with a pair of red, armored gauntlets adorning her forearms, covering a pair of long fingerless black gloves. Her skirt was short, but she wore a pair of black shorts underneath it to make sure she was fully covered. She wore a pair of long, black leggings with a pair of black heels with red souls on their bottoms. Around her waist, she wore a belt with a large leather hip guard on her left hip, which had a large black feathered decoration hanging from it. Mounted on her right hip was her weapon; a large sword whose sheath stored multiple different blades made of Dust.

However, her face was covered by a rather grotesque Grimm-styled mask, hiding her features from view. The most they could see from the neck up were a bunch of black bead necklaces hanging from it, but not soon after she exited the portal, she reached up and took hold of her mask. She revealed herself to be a rather beautiful middle-aged woman, with long black hair and deep crimson eyes, almost the color of blood. But the most shocking thing about her was her striking resemblance… to her daughter, Yang. "You could always tell when I was watching, _little_ brother." Raven Branwen smirked.

"By five freaking minutes." Qrow reminded. "God, you're going to lord that over me for the rest of my life, aren't you?"

"I don't plan on stopping anytime soon, if that's what you're implying." Raven's eyes trailed over to the three shocked teachers, though she focused in on the new headmistress in particular. "Well if it isn't _Glyndie_ Goodwitch? I haven't seen you in a couple of years, how've you been?"

Glynda broke out of her shocked stupor, offended that Raven would reduce to using the long unused nickname. The headmistress quickly took out her riding crop and pointed it straight at Raven, prepared to use her Semblance at any given moment. "What in the HELL are you doing back here, Raven?!" Glynda yelled as she glared daggers at the Branwen Tribe leader. "You _know_ that you are not welcome here!"

However, Qrow raised an arm, attempting to calm Goodwitch down. "Relax, she's not here to fight. If she were, we'd probably be in a scrap right now."

Raven's smirk grew at that. "Might want to listen to my little brother, _Glyndie_ , he knows what he's talking about."

Glynda let out a frustrated grumble. As much as she hated to admit it, Qrow had a point. She lowered her riding crop, but kept it clenched in her hand if Raven did so much of anything that went against her word. "Fine. But the question remains, what are you doing back here?"

The elder Branwen gave a small shrug. "What? A woman can't come back once and a while to see family?"

Qrow glowered at his twin sister. "Oh yeah, it's only been what, eighteen years since you stepped foot in Vale? Hell, maybe a little less considering that your daughter saw you on that train during the Breach? If you're _really_ here to see family, then you might wanna start with her."

Raven matched her brother's gaze. "I _saved_ her, if you recall."

"Oh sure, all of _one_ time." Qrow countered calmly. "And the award for "Mom of the Year" goes to…"

" _Enough_." Raven snapped. "I'm here because I've got some important matters to discuss. I've also acquired some information that could be quite useful to you going forward." However, her eyes drifted up to Oobleck and Port, who were still gobsmacked at Raven's arrival. The black-haired woman sighed before addressing Oobleck. "Barth, as much as this may seem like a big Beacon reunion, it really isn't." She directed her attention to Port. "And Prof… first of all, you let yourself go over the years, work on that. Secondly, don't you both have something better to do than just stand there like idiots?"

Picking up on the subtext immediately, Oobleck straightened up and fearfully began to make his way out of the Vault. "O-Oh! Right you are, Raven! I have much paperwork to do!"

"A-as do I!" Port stammered as he tried to keep up with Oobleck to no avail. "It was good to see you again, Miss Branwen!"

Raven grit her teeth, remembering how the fat old Huntsman used to ogle her during his teachings in her Academy days. "Yes, I'll bet it was." Once she was sure that the two were out of earshot, she continued speaking to Qrow and Glynda. "Alright, onto business. And the first subject is… well, I think you already know."

Qrow wore a similar smirk to the one that Raven had earlier. "Lemme guess, your little girl's new main squeeze?"

It didn't take long for that one sentence to make an irritated look appear on Raven's face, much to her brother's amusement. "I know what you're trying to do, Qrow, and it won't work. But yes, I've been watching Ben Tennyson and his friends over the past week, along with everyone else. They have done quite a lot since they got here, I must say."

"So, do you know _everything_?" Glynda asked.

"I was able to piece it together from what I was able to hear." Raven confirmed. "But I had a feeling that they weren't from this world even before I knew everything." She craned her head up to the large door not far away from them. "They've done a lot in the past couple of weeks, but their _real_ test will be keeping this door from the new Fall Maiden's reach. I'm surprised that it's still closed."

"Yeah, well, we think Cinder made that tactical error on her part. A bit "mad with power" an' all that." Qrow chuckled. "Hehe, goes to show that just because you got Maiden powers doesn't mean you can't make mistakes."

Raven flashed an annoyed glance to her brother before growing serious again. "Nevertheless, I've also been witness to what Salem's been doing with Tennyson's rogue's gallery. She's growing her forces even as we speak." She crossed her arms and faced the two again. "I can already tell that we're going up against a powerful threat, even if Salem doesn't have any of the Relics yet."

To that, Qrow let out a hallow laugh. "Hah, and who's the "we" in this scenario? Last I checked, you left the battle with Salem, said you wanted nothin' to do with it."

"YOU are the one who left, Qrow." Raven sneered. "You turned your back on the tribe long ago. They were your FAMILY! Or did you forget?"

"I left 'cause I wanted nothin' to DO with it, Rae!" Qrow yelled, taking Glynda aback. This was quickly changing back into a matter of family. "I didn't wanna kill and steal from people anymore. And, if you haven't noticed, there's a better family for me right here in Vale… one that could've been yours if you had just let it."

Raven was growing ever angrier at her brother's words, but she had to keep in mind what she had come here to do. She took a deep breath and calmed down, keeping her emotions in check. "This is argument isn't getting us anywhere. We need to get back on track." She directed her attention to Goodwitch. "Listen, I know that I left this battle a long time ago, and… I hesitate to return to it. But, with Tennyson and his comrades proving to be a valuable asset in this fight, perhaps there's a way for this impossible war to be possible. This little team that you put together may just prove to be the tactical advantage that we need."

"The team already knows this." Glynda clarified. "They've been fighting against Salem's forces practically since Ben and the others got here. We simply have no idea where Salem is or how to confront her. If we did, the team probably would've made a plan by now to infiltrate her base."

"And they would have died trying." Raven finished. "You're very lucky that we don't know where Salem is based, because while Tennyson _is_ definitely our most powerful card in play, they still aren't strong enough to take Salem head on. After all, there's another hand that's yet to be dealt…" Raven glanced back to her brother. "Summer's child. She still doesn't know, does she?"

Qrow lowered his gaze to the ground. "No. She doesn't."

"I figured as much." Raven sighed. "Tai was always so protective of those girls. Alright, so when WERE you going to tell her?"

"After her eighteenth birthday. But after all of this, we bumped it down to her sixteenth." Qrow leaned up against the nearest wall and crossed his arms. "The day after tomorrow, she'll know. Trust me."

"But that's only the first step, now isn't it? The next is getting her to unlock that power. Tell me, has the girl seen or done anything that could trigger them? Perhaps she witnessed a friend get killed? A high-pressure situation such as that could help bring them about."

"Well, yes, during the Battle for Beacon." Glynda answered. "But even then, she didn't show any sign of using the powers that Summer once had… even when one of her best friends was killed." However, the headmistress' hardened her gaze at the tribe leader. "Raven, if you even so much as THINK of killing _another_ one of her friends to try and trigger her powers, so help me God, I will—"

"Oh relax, Glyndie! Sheesh, jumping to conclusions as always." Raven rolled her eyes. "Besides, if this team is to have any chance of succeeding, you'll need all of them alive. Also, if I DID kill any of them, I would incur both my daughter's AND Tennyson's wrath, and I do NOT need to deal with that, thank you."

Qrow's sent a smile to his twin. "Aw, so you DO care about what your daughter thinks about you. Good to know."

Raven grimaced at Qrow's taunting, but she didn't retort. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. "In ANY case, the girl needs to unlock and master her powers before they have even a _prayer_ of defeating Salem. They are all coming along, I'll give them that, but they still have a long way to go."

"We are aware." Glynda assured. "But they are planning on training even further to improve their skills. You would be surprised at how Ben, Gwen and Kevin have been driving the team to do better. Though I think that is in part to them wanting to be superheroes in addition to Hunters."

"Hmm, interesting." Raven entertained the thought. "Still, you need to make sure that they stay on top of things. They have already let too many villains fall into Salem's grasp. Should they all attack ANY of the Academies at once, it would not bode well, I can guarantee you that."

"Well, they already caught a potential recruit today." Qrow pointed out. "Plus, they've got a whole buncha' other bad guys locked up in Crystal Head's ship, so at least Salem's not gettin' ALL of the bad guys."

"Perhaps, but at the same time, Salem has been intentionally recruiting many of the more powerful members of Tennyson's rogues, at least from what I can tell by _my_ observations." Raven pointed her index finger up. "And while there _is_ one outlier, that being the Subdora girl, she at least has a useful ability that she can utilize quite well."

Qrow nodded slowly. "Okay then, so we just gotta ask Ben who some of his more powerful enemies are, and then we'll know who to look for."

"Exactly." Raven pointed to her head. "NOW you're using your brain, baby brother."

Qrow gave her an irritated groan before moving on. "Alright, so we've got an idea on who to make sure Salem doesn't recruit, and I know that Ruby needs to learn about her powers soon. Now, you said that you had some information that could be useful to us?"

The tribe leader nodded. "Yes, I've been having some of the tribe search through the grapevine, asking around to some people in the know if they have any idea who Salem could be potential allies with. Recently, we discovered a rumor that suggests that she may have someone on the inside. More specially, one of the Academy headmasters."

Qrow and Glynda's eyes widened simultaneously. "What?!" the headmistress exclaimed. "You mean that… we have a mole in our group? That's absurd!"

Raven gave her a sly grin in response. "Eh, I wouldn't be too sure, Glyndie. When you hear who the rumored rat might be, you may have second thoughts."

A pool of apprehension began churning in Glynda's stomach. "It… it isn't James… is it?"

"HA! Now that's a laugh!" Raven shook her head. "Please, Jimmy is too much of a boy scout to betray you. Even _I_ know that."

"Okay, then what about Theodore?" Qrow inquired. "Shade Academy's always been pretty…"

"Don't you DARE say it, Qrow!" Raven barked.

"…shady."

Raven slapped her forehead and grumbled at her brother's stupid joke. "Grrr. No, it's not Ted. While he's definitely got some questionable stuff going on over there, the guy who gave us the tip said that the rumor wasn't about him."

"But then, that means that the rumor is about… Lionheart?" As the revelation dawned on her, Glynda slowly went from being surprised to a bit less so. "As much as I hate to admit it, that makes the most sense."

Qrow scrunched his face in anger. "Yeah, Leonardo was _always_ a coward. Honestly, I'm not all that shocked that he could be working for Salem."

"Well, it's still only hearsay." Raven pointed out. "Unless we can actually find some dirt on Leo, we can neither prove or deny this rumor against him. Hell, for all we know, he could be totally innocent and the rumor was started up by someone who's got a beef with him. …But if you ask _me_ , yeah, it's not looking good for him."

The drunken Hunter let out a sigh, his anger beginning to dissipate. "Ugh, okay listen, _I'll_ head over to Haven in a couple days and have a few words with him about it. See what HE thinks of all this shit before pointin' any fingers at anybody."

Raven merely shrugged again. "Suit yourself." She began walking away from the two and unsheathed her sword, it's blood red Dust blade managing to gleam in the dim light. "As for me, it's time that I get outta here. Something tells me that I'm not really all that wanted around here, anyway." However, before she slashed open her portal, she turned her head back to her twin. "Oh, and Qrow, a little advice; you should tell the children about the little trinket you found over there." She nudged her head in the containment unit's direction. "They're all big kids, they can take it."

Qrow gave her a nonchalant wave. "Yeah, yeah, whatever ya say, Raven." However, when Raven was about to slash open her portal, Qrow spoke up again. "But you're wrong, you know."

Without even looking back, Raven said; "What?"

"About not being wanted around here." Qrow explained. "Sis, Tai wishes for nothin' more than for you to come back home. He misses the hell outta you, ya know? And Yang? I mean, jeez, the girl's got a million and one questions for you! Questions that _I_ can't answer. She wants to talk to _you_ , Raven, and no matter what, she's determined to make that happen one way or another." For the first time in a long time, Qrow gave his sister a smile that wasn't sarcastic before continuing. "You've got a family here, Rae. A family that wants to know about you, one that _misses_ you. I'm just lettin' ya know, it's not too late to try and reconnect. At least keep it in consideration, 'kay?"

At first, all he got was silence. Raven hadn't made a peep. Qrow's expression hardened again, figuring his words fell on deaf ears. But just as he was about to turn away, he saw that Raven's grip on her sword had tightened and her hand was slightly shaking, her knuckles having turned white from gripping the handle so hard. Finally, she spoke back to him while activating her Semblance. "Goodbye, Qrow." With those two words, Raven slashed open a portal and stepped through, leaving Glynda and Qrow alone in the Vault once again.

A brief moment passed before a smirk came to Qrow's face. "You know, I think I may have gotten through to her for once."

Glynda gave him a deadpan expression. "Psh, I doubt it. Knowing Raven, she's probably gone back to her tribe. That might be all the help that we're getting from her."

"Maybe… maybe not."

* * *

The Resolute touched back down in the Xiao-Long front yard, just as it had done many times before in the past week. The ship decloaked and its ramp lowered to the ground, letting off all of its passengers before taking off once again, with Tetrax waving out to them as the ship rose up into the air. "So long, everyone!" the Petrosapien called out as the ramp lifted back up. "I'll see you all tomorrow!"

"Count on it, Tetrax!" Ben hollered back before the ship flew off to its usual hiding spot far out into the woods, the hero letting out a breath soon after. "Well, this has been kind of a chaotic day, hasn't it?"

Wiess stretched her arms, a slight bit of fatigue beginning to set in for the heiress. "I'll say it has. And let me just say, I am _glad_ that we're back home. Now we can finally just relax."

"You're tellin' me." Jaune agreed. "I can't wait to get inside and just _crash_."

"Uh… you DO remember that your family's waiting for you in there, right?" Nora cheekily reminded. "The day ain't over yet, fearless leader!"

"Gah! That's right!" Jaune facepalmed before slouching over in exhaustion. "Jeez, why'd all that insanity have to happen on _today_ of all days?! I'm almost completely spent!"

At her boyfriend's exasperation, Pyrrha smiled and leaned over, her face mere centimeters away from his. "I think I can help with that." She gave him a peck on the lips, to which Jaune began to beam a smile right back at her. "There, feeling motivated now?"

"Hah, you bet!" Jaune chuckled before pulling her into a side hug. "Thanks, Pyr. Honestly though, who would've thought all that crazy stuff would go down at Beacon? That reminds me…" He craned his head over to Ben, Gwen and Kevin. "What did Swift say? Did you find out who hired her?"

"Yes, it was Hazel." Gwen revealed. Once she said it, the Anodite was surprised to see that no one, neither Team JNPR or Team SN, were reacting the way she had thought they would. They didn't really seem all that stunned. "Huh, and here I though you guys would be a little more… I don't know, _shocked_ at that."

"Nah, not really." Sun shook his head. "We had a feeling that Salem's forces were behind all of this from the start. Who else would hire one of your enemies to take down Beacon?"

"Yeah, really kind of obvious when you really think about it." Neptune concurred.

Kevin shrugged at their reasoning. "Eh, the guys make a point."

Ben smirked and rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright, let's just head inside then." The hero made his way to the door, reaching his hand up to twist the knob and open it. "We've had a pretty long day and I think it's time we—"

"ROOAARRGH!" The moment that Ben opened the door, he was immediately met with a rather demented-looking jack-o-lantern right in his face, with five female voices simultaneously roaring right at him. The pumpkin itself had a large malicious grin with two large rows of jagged teeth. It didn't have a nose and its eyes were glaring daggers at him with its slit-shaped pupils.

The bearer of the Omnitrix was so startled, he let out a scream that could only be described as "girly" before falling flat on his rear for the second time that day. However, once he gazed up above the carved gourd, he saw Blanche, Noire, Verte, Azure and Violette all standing above him, the ladies either laughing or grinning down at him after the prank they had just pulled. Ben let out a sigh at how easily he was scared. "This is going to be a recurring thing, isn't it? I can never open doors safely again."

Rex let out a burst of uncontrollable laughter at the prank, the EVO just barely able to get out a few words. "AHAHA! Dude! You should've heard yourself scream, man! Haha! Classic!"

"It was certainly unexpected." Winter said, slightly amused by Ben's little fall. "If not a little unnecessary."

Weiss gave her sister a slight nudge with her elbow. "Well, it IS going to be Halloween soon. So I guess that it's only fitting for someone to let out at least one scream." The heiress crossed her arms. "And that someone just so happened to be Ben."

In between her own laughter, Violette was able to get an apology out. "Ahaha! S-sorry, Ben! This was meant for Jaune, not you! Haha!"

Azure was able to get a few words out as well. "Haha! Yes, though the results were definitely satisfactory! Ben, your scream was just as good as Jaune's would've been!"

"It could've been a _little_ higher pitched." Verte emphasized. " _Then_ it would've sounded like Jaune's."

"Hey! I don't sound like that!" Jaune denied, though just to be safe, he went to his teammates for support. "Uh, I don't, do I?"

"Eh…" Nora made a so-so motion with her hand. "Kinda, sorta?"

"You're definitely on the higher pitch of the voice spectrum, Jaune." Ren shrugged. "Not that it's a _bad_ thing, mind you."

"Well, I think your voice is just fine, Jaune." Pyrrha reassured, hooking her arm around the blonde knight's.

As Yang went to help Ben up, the hero couldn't help but noticed that the jack-o-lantern, which was being held by Blanche, wasn't either of the ones that the team had carved the other day. A small grin came to his face as he drew to the lone conclusion; "Hah, so I guess that you guys finally got around to carving your pumpkin, huh?"

Yang noticed as well and she was immediately impressed with how scary the jack-o-lantern was. "Woah! No kidding! You guys did a pretty sweet job on this one!"

Noire gave the couple a nod. "Yep, we got started on it a little while after you left."

"Plus, we explained what Halloween was to mom, dad, and the girls." Blanche added. "And guess what? They freakin' LOVE the idea of this holiday!"

"To say the least!" Violette exclaimed. "Halloween sounds AWESOME!"

Azure then set her gaze over to the Hooded Huntress. "And Ruby, I cannot believe that it's on the same day as your birthday! Quite the coincidence, wouldn't you say?"

Ruby wore a cheeky smile and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, I guess I just got lucky, ya know? But I REALLY like your pumpkin! I think it'd scare all of OUR pumpkins, actually."

Blanche wore a proud smirk. "Heh, you can thank yours truly for the teeth!"

"And I came up with the eyes." Verte raised her hand somewhat sheepishly. "I kinda got an affinity for the creepy stuff."

Blake smiled and walked up to her new friend. "Well that's good to hear, because so do I. In fact, I've got an idea. You girls wanna watch a horror movie? We've got quite a lot of them from Ben's dimension on hand."

Verte's eyes lit up instantly. "Sounds great! Count me in!"

Violette wore a nervous smile. "Uh, hehe, thanks, but I kinda get easily scared. Horror movies really aren't my speed." The purple-clad girl directed her attention over to Gwen with a hopeful expression. "But Rouge told me that you've got some other Halloween movies that are… _less_ scary, right?"

"Of course, we do." Gwen confirmed. "Though I'm surprised that your sisters didn't show you any of them yet." The Anodite glanced up to Noire, raising an inquisitive brow. "Not even _any_ of the Peanuts stuff?"

"Well, no." Noire said sheepishly. "We kinda didn't want to rummage through your stuff without permission, so…"

"Oh, nonsense!" Gwen waved off as she, Kevin, and Team JNPR began making their way inside. "You guys can watch our movies anytime so long as you're careful with the disks! Now c'mon, let's get back into the Halloween spirit!" The five Arc sisters let out a cheer as they went inside. Everyone else quickly followed them inside as well, ready to get back into the spooky stuff. Winter went in as well, though she resolved to meet with the adults to see what they were up to and debrief them on what happened at Beacon.

Rex and Weiss were about to go down stairs with Blake and the others for their scary movie when they noticed that Ben, Yang and Ruby were headed upstairs instead, prompting the EVO to call out to the trio; "Hey guys, where're you headed? The party's all downstairs!"

Yang poked her head over the railing and looked down to Rex from the step she was on. "Well, yeah, we know, but Ben promised me that we'd play a game on his PlayStation 3 together. His parents had you bring it, so we might as well use it!"

Ruby piped up next. "Yeah, and I wanna play more of Mario Odyssey! I'm going to see how it handles in the Switch's hand held mode!"

Ben crossed his arms and gave the two an inviting grin. "Why don't you guys come up stairs and join us? It's bound to get crowded down here with everyone going around."

"Well… you've gotta point, there." Rex surmised before giving Weiss a big smile. "Whaddya say, Ice Princess? Wanna go upstairs and join the fun?"

Weiss let out a sigh and rubbed her temples. "Sure, why not? I'm not exactly a fan of crowded spaces, anyway."

"Well alright, then!" Yang pumped a fist into the air. "Let's go!" At the Blonde Brawler's word, the five proceeded to make their way up the stairs and into Qrow's room, where the PlayStation 3 and Switch were waiting for them. But when she passed one of the windows in the hallway, Yang came to a screeching halt when a dark blur flew past the window pane, taking her off guard. She backtracked to the window and her eyes began shifting around, searching the outside for whatever she had just seen. "What the…"

"Goldie Locks?" Ben strolled over to her while the others went into Qrow's room. "What's wrong? See something weird?"

"I… I don't know." Yang admitted before shaking her head. "Eh, it was probably nothing. C'mon, let's go!" And with that, the powerful couple went to join their teammates, ready to play some videogames. However, unbeknownst to them, something WAS still out there. Not far from the house, perched on the branch of a large tree, was a black bird. A corvid to be precise. Although it could not speak, its thoughts were very much coherent. And the only thing that was going through the bird's mind was;

' _Damn you, Qrow.'_

* * *

**A/N: Yep, Raven has finally entered the story. And I gotta say, I've been eager to bring her in. We all know how many issues that Yang has with her mother, but considering the circumstances of their first meeting in the main RWBY continuity, just how much will change from the show to this story? Well, we'll just have to find out in the future, now won't we? Also, BenViktor's finally been renamed to Frankenstrike! Huzzah! Plus, yes, Swift has an actual family in this version of the story. Again, trying to distance her as far from the Rooters as possible. But, speaking of the future, we've got set up for a bunch of stuff that's going to happen down the road, most significantly, a rumor that may put a certain headmaster out of a job. Also, Qrow's found something that he doesn't want the kids to know about. The plot thickens, as it were. But for now… NEXT TIME! As the gang settle back into their Halloween shenanigans, we take a slight detour to Atlas, where a certain team of malevolent individuals work to steal a set of air-tight experimentation chambers. Will they succeed? If they can work together… maybe. Until next time, guys! See ya!**


	59. The Great Atlas Lab Heist

**A/N: Hey everybody! Time for the last chapter update for 11/13/2020! But this one's going to be a bit different, since this one's primarily focused on the villains! We've had chapters that have shifted focus from the villains to our heroes before, but this one will be the first to feature the villains in a primary role. Our heroes will still be getting a little attention though, so they aren't completely absent from this chapter, but the focus is still majorly on the bad guys this time around. With all that said, though... this chapter was pretty obviously made before we had the full scope of how Atlas works, so get ready for some pre-Volume 7 inconsistencies! This is…**

**Chapter 59: The Great Atlas Lab Heist**

* * *

The capital city of Atlas was by and far from what anyone would call a normal city. Namely in the fact that part of it was literally floating above the ground. The grand, floating landmass was all thanks to the machines which used Dust to keep it aloft, allowing the wealthy leaders of the city to keep themselves away from the workers below. The floating city itself was chained to the earth below, so that it didn't float away. The buildings in the city itself were tall, ornate and very intricate, showing how great the wealthy had it in the massive city above, while the working class had to settle for the dingy, polluted landmass settled on the cold, icy ground below, the factories sending up billows of smoke from their stacks.

It was in this floating city where Cinder Fall was peering through a set of binoculars at her target; Atlas Tech, the city's leading force in technological advancements. Their technology was responsible for such advancements as hover tech, robotics, and weaponry, which were all quickly being implemented all throughout Remnant. It was here where their quarry was being stored, and where her team was going to steal it from. Initially, the plan had been to steal the correct building materials to create air-tight chambers that could hold Exo-Skull and Thunderhog for their mutation. However, Watts had received some information from an inside source that this tech facility was already creating such chambers for their own use, which was more than helpful to them.

Cinder found herself scoffing at the company's symbol, which appeared to be a large, green power button. "So, this IS where they made that android." The Fall Maiden mused to herself. "Well, if their security system can be as easily compromised as she was, then we should have no problems breaking in." Cinder shifted her gaze over to another symbol that was slightly beneath the power button symbol; a rather familiar snow-flake shaped glyph. Cinder read the words next to it out loud; "Hmm, "Subsidiary of the Schnee Dust Company". Interesting."

"What's interesting?"

"GAH!" Cinder fumbled with the binoculars in surprise before whirling with one hand burning bright with flames, intending to end her target's life. However, when she saw who it was, she could only grumble in frustration. "Ugh, Rojo?!"

Rojo gave the Fall Maiden a salute and toothy smirk. "Reporting for duty, Cindy! Sorry I'm late, the flight here was a bit of a slow one."

Cinder sighed before putting her binoculars away. "Well, better late than never. Come on, the others are waiting for us." With that, Cinder began walking away from the lab, her snow boots crunching against the cold snow on the ground.

"Gotcha." Rojo nodded before following her. "By the way, Cindy, love your cute little winter outfit that you got on. The dress too drafty for ya? Haha!"

It was true that Cinder was currently not in her usual dress. Instead, she was wearing a red parka with gold trimming, the collar and hood lined with brown, comfy-looking fur. Her hands were donned with a pair of black gloves and she had adorned her legs with a pair of black leggings, the fabric keeping her warm. On her feet were a pair of red, thermal suede snow boots, completing her outfit nicely. Cinder merely closed her eyes and turned her head away from the bounty hunter. "What, did you expect me to freeze out here?"

"Well, considering your affinity for fire, I figured you'd just be able to warm yourself!" Rojo rationalized.

"I find it wiser to conserve my energy for when I really need it." Cinder explained. "Using my powers for simplistic uses like that could prove to be a fatal mistake should we run into trouble."

"Eh, fair point." Rojo placed her hands behind her head. "So, you got the plan all put together?"

"Yes, Emerald and I went over the schematics that Watts provided for us several times before coming up with our method of infiltration." A sinister smile came to Cinder's face. "Buy tonight, those testing chambers should be within our grasp." The Fall Maiden craned her head back over to her compatriot. "So, what were the results of your little excursion away from our current mission?"

Rojo let out a proud chuckle. "Heh, overall, I'd have to say it was a success. The Boss Lady had me scope out the twerps a little bit, turns out that they got a new member."

Cinder's brow furrowed slightly. "What? A new addition to their team?"

"Yeah, the kid's name is "Rex". Apperantly, he comes from a different alternate dimension from the one that we're from. But he and Tennyson seem to be all buddy-buddy with each other, so they must've met in the past." Rojo reached her arm out and clawed her fingers. "Anyway, this kid can change his body parts into a whole bunch of giant weapons."

"What?! How?"

"Something that has to do with nanites in his body or some shit like that." Rojo waved her hand. "My brain partially checked out around that time with all the techno-jargon that they were throwing around."

"I see." Cinder nodded. "This could prove to be quite the disadvantage. The hero's side grows ever stronger with each passing day."

"Yeah, that's true." Rojo's smirk returned. "But then again, so does ours. While I was on Patch, an old enemy of Tennyson's had gone on a rampage through the town. Once Tennyson was able to incapacitate him, I swooped in and stole him away right under their noses! Haha! You should've seen the looks on their faces, Cindy, they were _priceless_!"

"Very impressive, Rojo." Cinder approved. "Now the playing field can be evened out once again. Tell me, what are our new recruit's abilities?"

"Well, first off, his name's Viktor, and he's part of an alien race called "Transylians". They're basically what you get if you put an alien, a generator, and a zombie and mash 'em together." Rojo accentuated her point by cupping her armored hands together. "He and Tennyson squared off a few times in the past before he was left braindead for a couple years. And after that, he pretty much became a mindless monster. Anyway, he's got these wicked lightning powers that can do a buncha cool stuff! Get this; apparently, Vik can use the electricity he generates to control _minds_ , and it works REALLY well on Grimm."

Cinder's eyes widened at the prospect. "What?! Only Lady Salem can control the Grimm! If this Viktor wields the powers that you say he can, then why in the world would our Mistress allow him to join our cause?! He could just take control of the Grimm with one fell swoop and betray us all!"

"You make an excellent case, Cindy." Rojo poked her temple with her index finger. "But the Boss Lady's got a plan. See, I think she may be planning to restore Vik's mind. The old Vik was pretty much a toady that worked for a space ghost named Zs'Skayr, meaning that Vik was essentially…" Rojo gestured for Cinder to finish the sentence.

"A loyal follower." A sinister grin came to the Fall Maiden's face. "So when Lady Salem convinces Viktor that her power is greater than his old master's, he'll be on our side. Ah, brilliant."

"Correctomundo!" Rojo exclaimed. "Hopefully, ol' Vik will see reason, considering he's not even in his home dimension anymore and doesn't even have a place to stay." Once she said that, Rojo came to a realization. "Speaking of which, where're WE stayin'? I left before we even got a hotel set up."

"Well, we aren't exactly staying in a hotel." Cinder admitted. "I chose for us to stay in a relatively out-of-the-way place in a secluded part of the city so we did not draw attention to ourselves."

"Oh… is that why we're walking down an alley way?" True to form, Cinder had led Rojo down a rather dingy alley, complete with litter, trash cans and rodents scurrying around on the ground. Little more than a moment later and the two were in front of a door, with a broken window not far away from it. Rojo couldn't help but be impressed that someone like Cinder would be willing to stay secluded in a run-down place like this just to stay out of the public eye. "Wow, the squalor that you guys picked out is amazing, Cindy. Reminds me of my days livin' on the street."

"Hm, fancy that." Cinder snarked. "Well, considering that we are all now wanted criminals after the Beacon take-over failed, we've had to be careful of where we show our faces. No doubt that General Ironwood has them plastered all over this city." Cinder reached up and opened the door, letting herself in. "I've returned. And Rojo has come back from her job." she announced.

As Rojo took a gander at the place, she came to see that it had once been a lavish apartment that had been abandoned some time ago. It had since fallen to ruin, but it was mostly still intact, at least enough for their needs. Throughout the room, their four other teammates were doing their own thing; Michael was in the corner, keeping to himself as usual, Mercury was using an old couch he had propped up as a punching bag, Emerald was sitting on the floor, trying to keep warm by hugging a blanket around herself, and Subdora… was nowhere to be seen. Whether that meant she was invisible or not, Rojo didn't know.

Emerald smiled and got up off the floor at the duo's entrance. "Cinder, Rojo, you're back!" However, she instantly regretted standing up as the cold breeze that blew in from the door reached her, causing her to shiver like mad. "Gah! D-d-d-damn c-c-cold weather!"

Over in the corner, Michael rolled his eyes. "Oh for god sake, if you're so _blasted_ cold, then just put on your stealth suit already! I can _guarantee_ that it'll be warmer than that tank top."

Mercury took his attention off of the couch and directed his gaze over to his partner, a concerned expression forming on his face. "As much as I hate to agree with Michael, he's got a point, Em. You should put your stealth suit on before you catch a cold."

"Ugh, fine, I'll go put it on." Emerald begrudgingly agreed. "But not because _Mikey_ said so."

"Psh, whatever you say." Michael scoffed before turning his attention to Rojo. "So, was your little side mission a success?"

"Yeah, it was. Not that _you_ care." Rojo retorted.

"On the contrary. I care very much." Michael crossed his arms. "Our success hinges on one-upping those heroes every chance that we can, so if your mission was a success then that's something that we can take heart in."

"Says the guy who only cares about himself." Emerald mumbled as she put on her gray beanie.

Rojo only rolled her eyes at Michael's comment. "Ugh, okay, whatever. Where's Subdora? Our primary mission's gonna be starting soon."

"She went to steal some food." Emerald said casually. "She should be back any—"

"Present and accounted for, _Roso_!" Everyone's shifted their eyes over to the door, only to see a pair of floating paper shopping backs full of food, hovering about three feet off the ground. But, just as suddenly, Subdora made herself appear in the doorway, revealing that she was the one holding the shopping bags. " _Buongiorno_ , my friends! I see that our co-leader has returned from her mission! How splendid! How did it go?"

Rojo grinned and walked over to Subdora. "Went pretty well, actually." She reached into one of the large paper bags and procured an apple, taking a bite out of it before continuing to speak. "Once we get back to the castle, we should have a new teammate up and walkin' around."

"A new teammate?" Mercury asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"You'll find out soon, Merc. But for now, let's go over the plan." As everyone gathered around the center of the apartment's living room, everyone began to grab some food for themselves, the group having yearned for sustenance for the past hour. Rojo couldn't help but smirk when she saw Cinder cooking a pair of eggs in an old frying pan with her own fire. "Please tell me that you washed that pan out before you cracked the eggs."

"What, you take me for a fool?" Cinder rhetorically replied. "Of course, I did. I am a criminal, not a common thug." After everyone had prepared their food, Cinder laid out the schematics to the building on the floor, with everyone gathering around them. "Alright, let's go over the plan once more. Rojo, your suit has cloaking capabilities, correct?"

"Yep, sure does." To prove her point, she pressed a button and she vanished into thin air, only to reappear a split second later. "Why, is it important?"

"Yes, because you will be leading the infiltration team that will be going into the building." Cinder pointed to a small X on the building schematics. "You three will be entering through this outer ventilation duct on this side of the building…" she trailed her finger a long a red line that lead through the vent shaft, "before making your way to this corresponding vent here." She gestured to another X before pointing two fingers over to a pair of large, green circles on either side of the building. "Once you're in, you will separate into two groups; Subdora, you will be going to this door here first." The Fall Maiden directed Subdora's attention to the green circle that was father away from the entry vent. "If these schematics are correct, then this room should be the security room. Once you are in there, I want you to disable all security cameras and the security alarm. How fast can you get to it?"

Subdora gave an "ok" symbol with her hand. "I am no Kineceleran, but I assure you, _mia cara_ , I am very light on my feet. I will have that security system off in a flash! One question though, how do I do such a thing?"

"With this." Cinder produced a small, disk shaped device from her parka pocket, handing it to Subdora soon after. "This is a _very_ short-range Electro Magnetic Pulse generator that Watts provided me with. It should be able to knock out the security system. Once you plant it, it will take about ten seconds to go off, understand?

"Indeed." Subdora pocketed the small device. "It shall be done."

"Good." Cinder shifted her eyes to the redheaded bounty hunter. "Rojo, once the security cameras are deactivated and Subdora gives you the okay, you and Emerald will go down this long hallway before taking a left, and then a right." she gestured to the green circle that was on the opposite side of the building. "You should then arrive at the room that our quarry is being stored in."

"The experimentation chambers, right." Rojo nodded.

"Exactly." Cinder confirmed. "Subdora will rendezvous with you there, got it?"

Emerald gave a thumbs up. "We're on it."

"Good, because that's where my team comes in." Cinder took out a golden pocket watch and opened it up, revealing the time to be five-thirty. "Over the course of the past couple of days, we have observed that Atlas Tech sends out technicians in large cargo haulers to make repairs to any faulty machinery all around the city. These cargo haulers should be just big enough to transport the experimentation chambers. They return to the main building at seven o'clock sharp every night, so Mercury, Michael and I shall procure one of them as they make their return trip."

"Once we attain one of these vehicles," Michael went on, "two of us will disguise ourselves as technicians while the third awaits in the hold. Should we end up detected by security, the one in the back will be there hold off any guards. Though hopefully disabling the cameras and alarm will be enough to throw them off." Once he finished his statement, Cinder gave him an irritated glare, though he was quick to brush it off. "What? Aren't you glad that I memorized our plan?"

"You will be quiet, and you will NOT interrupt me again." Cinder ordered, a deathly undertone VERY evident in her voice. She returned her eyes to the schematics before going on. "Once we are sure that Subdora has deactivated the security cameras, we will enter the building's perimeter, circle around and pull in here." The Fall Maiden pointed to a blue X that was near one of the green circles. "That is an outside loading dock connected to the room that the chambers are in. Once we pull in, we will assist Rojo, Emerald and Subdora in loading the cargo hauler before making our escape."

"Alright, but there's something else we should keep in mind." Mercury pointed out. "Once we make our getaway, the security personnel will certainly be onto us at that point. They'll probably call the police and then we'll probably be forcing into a high-speed chase. So with that being said, how ARE we going to make a quick escape off of this floating rock?"

"I've that covered." Rojo smirked before tapping the side of her helmet. "I had Hazel bring me here today, and I told him to wait with the ship just out on the edge of town. Once we make off with the goods, I'll get us there no problem. And if any of the cops decide to give us trouble…" She squeezed the remains of the apple core in her hand, reducing it to mushy liquid. "They won't know what hit them, hahaha!"

* * *

As the moon began to rise of the island of Patch, five certain teammates were beginning to set up their gaming session, all of them eager to get started. Ruby was already at work playing through Super Mario Odyssey, the silver-eyed girl completely enraptured by the beautiful landscape of the Cascade Kingdom. However, she wasn't exactly getting used to the handheld mode for the Switch. In fact, she found it rather awkward for Mario Odyssey. "Ugh, throwing Cappy just feels so weird like this!" she groaned. "Is there _any_ easier way to do this on the smaller screen?"

"Sure is." Rex said, reaching his hand over to Ruby. "Here, let me see it for a second." Ruby lent him the Switch and he carefully pulled the joycons off of the screen, setting them off to the side. Next, he went to the back of the small screen and pulled out the prop stand for the Switch, putting it on a nearby nightstand. "There we go! Now you should have no problems with the motion controls!"

"Thanks, Rex!" Ruby quickly put the joycon straps on before slipping them onto her wrists, ready to get back to her game. "Now THIS feels better."

"No problem." Rex nodded before setting his attention onto Weiss. "So, Ice Princess, what're _you_ playing?"

Weiss rolled her eyes at the nickname before answering him. "Well, if you must know, Robo-dolt, I'm playing Pokémon Platinum. I just made it past the first gym and I'm heading to the next one in Eterna City."

"Ooh, sweet! What's your team lookin' like?"

"I chose Piplup as my starter." Weiss showed the DS screen to Rex, pointing out the Pokémon that she had caught. "But since then, it's evolved into a Prinplup. Then, I caught a Shinx for my Electric type coverage, which just evolved into a Luxio. Then, I caught this cute little Grass type called a Budew so I could have more coverage in my battle against Roark, since he uses Rock types."

Over where he was sitting, Ben could help but wear a grin as Weiss showed her ever-growing knowledge on Pokémon. "Heh, wow Weiss, you've learned a lot since you started playing Pokémon, I'm impressed! But I recommend finding a new teammate for Eterna city, since it's gym leader uses Grass types too."

"Ah, thanks for the heads up." Weiss acknowledged before focusing back onto her game. "I'd better find a flying type, then. Any near Eterna Forest?"

"Yes, wait till nightfall and catch a Hoothoot." Ben answered. "It's not exactly the best flying type, but it should help get you through the gym if you train it enough. Heck, it evolves at level twenty-two, so if you can get it up to there, you should be set." Once had let on his tidbit of Pokemon wisdom, he directed his attention over to Yang, who was eagerly waiting to play a game on the hero's PlayStation 3. "So, you ready to play?"

"Hell yeah!" Yang exclaimed in excitement before picking up the controller. "So, what do you got on here?" She began scrolling through the games and it didn't take long before one caught her eye. "Whoa, they make _Transformers_ video games?!"

"Heh, yep, we've got Transformers War for Cybertron, Fall of Cybertron, and Transformers Devastation on this thing. Heck, War for Cybertron's two player too…" But then quickly came to another realization, "except that we only have the one controller, dang it!"

"Aw, sorry, hon." Yang rubbed her boyfriend's shoulder in comfort. "Maybe when we get to your world." The Blonde Brawler continued to scroll through the list of games that Ben had downloaded onto the system; there were such titles like Uncharted and it's two sequels, the Devil May Cry trilogy, Sly Cooper: Theives in Time, Portal 2, among many others. However, her eyes lit up when she came across a certain title, and she let out a gasp. "AH! Is that BATMAN?!"

Her sister's yell caught Ruby's attention, and her eyes widened when she saw the screen with Batman's face on it. "NO WAY!" she grinned from ear to ear.

Ben smiled when the familiar sight of the Dark Knight came onto the screen. "Yep, that is Batman Arkham Asylum. Honestly, it's one of the best PlayStation 3 games, and one of the best Batman games in general, only being out done by its own sequel." The Omnitrix bearer quirked an eyebrow at his girlfriend. "So, I guess that you've made your decision?"

"Uh, yes please!" Yang pressed the X button and confirmed her choice, with the game starting not a moment after. "Oh, this is gonna be good." Once all of the company logos flashed by, the main menu screen popped up, to which Yang was all too quick to press the start button and begin a new game. "Alright. Here we go!" The game opened on a dark and stormy night, the usual weather in Gotham City, before the Bat Signal appeared on the cloudy sky, with Yang letting out a happy squee. "AH! So cool!"

The shot panned down to the road, where the Batmobile zoomed down the Gotham City streets at high speeds with police chatter coming through the radio; _"All units, report to Gotham City Hall. The Joker has been apprehended. Batman is now en route to Arkham Island"_ As the Batmobile continued to speed down the highway, the shot changed to that of a sign which pointed the way to Arkham, with another sign beneath it saying; "HITCHHIKERS MAY BE ESCAPING PATIENTS"

"Ha! That's a neat little touch." Ruby commented. "But then again, I guess it's not all that funny to have a psychopath in the car with you."

The screen cut to Batman, stoically driving the Batmobile as Joker laughed and chuckled manically in the seat next to him. _"Stand back, fool! I've got a bomb… Huh? Oh right, hehehe!"_

Yang's eyebrows shot up when she heard the Joker's voice. "Wait, is that the same guy who voiced Joker in the Animated Series?"

"Yep, sure is!" Ben confirmed. "Mark Hamill, film and voice acting legend! But they also got Kevin Conroy back as Batman, and Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn."

"Ah, cool! That means I get to hear more of Conroy's Batman! Sweet!" The group redirected their attention back to the screen, where Batman was leading the Joker back into Arkham Asylum, where a rather portly man, who was holding a red-jeweled cane, was waiting for them. "Okay, who's that?" Yang asked.

"That is Quincy Sharp. Arkham's Warden." Ben answered. "He's _also_ rather despicable."

" _Hey, Sharpie!"_ The Joker greeted. _"Love what you've done with the place."_

" _That's WARDEN Sharp to you."_ Sharp asserted before calling his head guard, a man with a scar across his blinded left eye. _"Boles!"_

As Frank Boles stepped forward, Joker was quick to greet him as well. _"Yo, Frank-ay! How's the wife and kids? Ya miss me?"_

Boles grabbed Joker by the collar and shouted in his face; _"Shut it, clown! A lot of people here really wanna talk to you."_ With that, Boles led Joker over to a restraining dolly, where the other security guards proceeded to lock him up. But the Joker just kept nonchalantly making joke after joke about the whole thing, which Batman immediately became suspicious of.

" _Warden, something's not right."_ The Caped Crusader said. _"I'm going with him."_

"Oh… this game just set the mood real quick." Yang grinned. "I like, I like _very_ much." As Batman and the security guards began making their way down the hall with the restrained Joker in tow, Yang decided that now would be a good time to ask her boyfriend about what she would be in for. "Alright, hon, so what am I gettin' myself into here?"

Ben put a hand to his chin. "Well, the Arkham games were often advertised as having you "Become the Batman". And what that usually meant was utilizing both his combat skills and detective skills at once, whereas a lot of previous Batman games were usually just you fighting a bunch of villains."

"Ooh, I'm likin' what I'm hearin'!" Yang tapped the side of her head. "Gotta use brain and brawn in this one." However, her attention was pulled back to the TV when another announcement came over the asylum intercom. Something about a Category Nine prisoner. "Uh, what's a Category Nine?" However, she quickly got her answer when something huge stepped out of the elevator.

" _Croc old boy, is that you?!"_ The Joker asked as the lift came to a stop, letting Killer Croc rise to his full height.

Yang was taken aback by just how grotesque the giant mutant was. "Holy CRAP! _That's_ Killer Croc?!"

"Aw yeah!" Rex nodded in approval. "And he's as sick as hell!"

"He definitely looks a lot different than on the show, that's for sure." Ruby pointed out.

"And MUCH uglier." Weiss added.

Back on the screen, Killer Croc growled as he set his eyes on The Dark Knight. _"I've got your scent, Batman. I will hunt you down—ARGH!"_ Croc screamed in pain as the shock collar around his neck electrocuted him, forcing him to stagger forward a little bit as the guards led him away. _"A toy collar won't stop me from killing you, Batman! I'll rip you apart! Eat your bones!"_

Weiss sneered in disgust. "Eugh, and add creepier to that as well."

Yang got a big grin on her face as she whirled her head around to Ben. " _Please_ tell me I get to fight him!"

"Eh… kind of." Ben shrugged. "You'll see what I mean when we get around to it." He gave her a wink. "But the action's just about to get started, so stay on your toes, Goldie Locks."

"Haha, well okay then!" As Yang witnessed Batman and the security guards escort Joker onto the lift down, she couldn't help but narrow her eyes when the Joker mentioned that the fire at Black Gate prison conveniently allowed the Joker's crew to be shipped to Arkham, as well as the fact that Batman was able to capture the Clown Prince of Crime relatively easily. "Yeah, okay, he's up to something."

Once the elevator reached the bottom after a random power outage, Batman met up with Commissioner James Gordon, who had been waiting there for him. _"Long night, Jim?"_

Jim Gordon chuckled as he shook hands with his old friend. _"Heh, Joker invades City Hall and holds the Mayor hostage, leaving it to me to juggle SWAT teams, the media and you. Yeah, it's been a helluva night."_

" _Hopefully the last one will ever have with him."_

But as Batman spoke, little did he or the others know that a certain former doctor had her sights on them from a security camera. _"Yeah, right."_

"Uh oh, Harley's out." Ruby deadpanned. "Now it all goes downhill from here." True to form, not long after the Joker was released from his retraining dolly, he purposefully tripped and knocked a guard in the head, using his handcuffs to choke the man soon after. "Ah, what'd I say?"

Just as Batman jumped through the glass window of the control room, Joker signaled for Harley to unlock the energy barrier, allowing him to step through before reactivating it soon after. _"Welcome to the madhouse, Batman! I set a trap, and you sprang it gloriously! Now let's get this party started!"_

Not one second after the Joker left, Batman was surrounded by multiple criminals and thugs, all of which were ready to punch his lights out. "Oh boy, here we go!" Yang cheered before following the tutorials on screen, quickly getting the hang of striking and countering the enemies on screen. "Oh ho, Yang likes. Yang likes a _lot_."

Weiss raised an eyebrow at that. "Well, could _Yang_ not refer to herself in the third person? It's kind of weird."

"Aw, lighten up, Ice Princess." Rex shrugged. "She's having fun, can't fault her for that."

Once Yang had taken care of the Joker's thugs, Commissioner Gordon appeared on the nearby television screen, relaying the situation to Batman; _"The system's jammed! We're stuck in here. Joker's in full control of the security gates."_

" _I'll find a way out!"_ Batman assured. _"Gordon, try and contact the Warden, let him know what happened. I'll be back."_

At that moment, the television screen changed to live security footage of the Joker fleeing from Batman's location. The clown put his full attention to the camera, pointing at the Dark Knight as he gave him a smiling scowl. _"Don't make promises you can't keep, Bats! I'm in control of the Asylum. You're not going anywhere I don't want you to. Understand?"_

Batman put a dangerous edge in his voice as he responded; _"If you think I'll let you run…"_

" _Blah, blah, blah."_ Joker interrupted. _"Always with the hero speak. Ooh, I'm getting bored watching you. Why don't you just come find me?"_ At his word, the energy field deactivated again, allowing Batman to come through.

" _You KNOW it's a trap."_ Gordon stated.

" _Of course, it is."_ Batman replied before the transmission ended and a new prompt appeared on the screen; 'Character Bio Unlocked, Commisioner Gordon'.

"Oh, what's that?" Yang asked.

"That would be the Character Bio." Ben quickly answered. "These give you a bit of insight on not only a character's backstory, but when they first appeared in the comic book as well." He gave her a small smile. "You unlock these, and a whole lot of other extras when you playthrough the game. Speaking of which…" Ben gestured to a grate on the other side of the room. Go over there and remove that grate. There's something back there for you."

"Ooh, mysterious." Yang smirked before moving over to the grate. With a new prompt saying to mash the X button, Yang had Batman remove the grate, with a new instruction to press R2 to crouch popping up soon after. She did so and entered the vent, only to see a small, green question mark shaped trophy in there. "Oh, I think I know what THIS is!" She collected it, and sure enough, another prompt came up; 'Character Bio Unlocked, The Riddler'. "Yep, called it."

"Yeah, the Riddler's somehow hidden a TON of secrets and riddles all over the Asylum." Ben confirmed. "Took me AGES to find them all and complete the game one hundred percent." He gave his girlfriend a wink. "Think you can find 'em all by yourself, Goldie Locks?"

"Oh, you know I can, Green Boy!" Yang said with a determined smile. "Let's do this!"

* * *

Meanwhile, the other team members downstairs were all doing their own thing. The adults, including Winter and Rouge, were in the kitchen discussing what had happened during the team's brief return to Beacon, while in the living room not far away, many of the team members were watching a horror movie with some of Jaune's older sisters. Blake, Sun, Kevin, Saphron, Terra, Noire and Verte were all watching a horror movie that Gwen had personally recommended to them; Hammer's "Horror of Dracula" starring Christopher Lee. And, within the first twenty-two minutes, everyone was invested, with Blake being the most entranced.

"This is like all of the horror novels I've ever read." The cat girl said. "I've read a lot of horror, but this is… just amazing."

"Yep, you can say that again." Kevin nodded. "Gwen and I always make a point to watch ALL the Hammer horror films around Halloween. They're classic… even if some can be a little weird. Ever heard of 'The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires'?"

"Uh… no?" Sun replied. "Do we want to?"

"Nah, not really." Kevin pointed to the screen when Peter Cushing's Doctor Van Helsing appeared. "It's got Peter Cushing again… and really, that's the movie's only redeeming factor, unless you like 1970's kung-fu cheese."

"Well, no matter how crazy the sequels are, THIS is a movie I'm really liking so far." Verte grinned before looking over to Noire. "I wonder why Blanche didn't want to watch a horror movie with us? This stuff seems like her speed, right?"

Noire could only give her sister a shrug. "Well, little sis, between you and me, I think Blanche is still a little kid at heart."

Terra crossed her arms and let out a small sigh. "Yeah, no kidding. She's gotta learn how to grow up, or else she'll never move out of your parent's house."

Saphron gently pat her wife's shoulder. "Now, hon, I know that Blanche might seem like… okay, she IS a total goof, but she's a hard-working goof. She wants nothing more than to get her own place, but she's got other things that she wants to do too, you know? She's living in the moment and all that.

"…Yeah, Saph, you've got a point." Terra smiled at her wife before contemplating something else. "Hmm… still, I wonder what they're watching downstairs right now?"

* * *

_If there's somethin' strange…_

_In your neighborhood…_

_Who you gonna call?_

"GHOSTBUSTERS!" The entire downstairs cheered as the end credits to the first Ghostbusters movie rolled up, the film ending everything on a high note. The whole group, consisting of Gwen, Neptune, Team JNPR, Blanche, Azure and Viollette, were all applauding as the famous theme song played on, with everyone cheering out 'Ghostbusters!' every time.

Finally, Blanche pointed to the screen with gusto. "Now THAT is a fan-FUCKING-tastic movie! I've never laughed so much at a comedy flick, I swear to god! Hahaha!"

"I'll admit, there WERE a few scary parts." Violette spoke up. "But you know what, there were so many great jokes, I didn't care!"

"Hehe, yes." Azure chuckled. "Such as…" The blonde girl laid on her back with an exasperated expression, mimicking Peter Venkman with; "He slimed me!" The room chuckled at Azure's impression, which got her laughing again too.

"Haha, OH! Oh, what about…" Neptune stood up and wore a serious face, before also mimicking Peter Venkman. "Suck in the guts, guys. We're the Ghostbusters." He proceeded to take in a gulp of air and suck in his gut, getting another laugh.

"Psh, that's nothing!" Nora waved. "What about; "Fire and brimstone falling from the sky! Rivers and seas boiling"!"

"Forty years of darkness!" Pyrrha continued. "Earthquakes, volcanos…"

"The dead rising from the grave!" Ren added.

"Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, MASS HYSTERIA!" Jaune shouted concluding the bit and getting a round of laughter and applause from Team JNPR's improv. The team took a bow, with each of them thanking the crowd. "Haha, thank you, thank you, you're too kind!"

Blanche placed her hands on her hips. "Well, I loved "Let's show this prehistoric bitch how we do things downtown!", but that's just me." The Arc twin glanced over to Gwen, expecting to her the Anodite's favorite line. "What about you, Gwen? What's your favorite quote?"

"Well…" Gwen began. "Mine's not so much of a quote as much as it's how the line's delivered. It's when Ray comes to the realization of what his mind has created, and he just states in the most nonchalant way possible; "It's the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man". I don't know why, but it gets me every time!" The Anodite got up and made her way over to the DVD books, opening one up and taking Ghostbusters 2 out of the case. "So, now that we've watched the first one, anyone up for the second one?"

"Sure!" Violette nodded. "Is it as good as the first one?"

"Eh… not exactly. It's not terrible by any means, but it definitely has it's faults." Gwen shrugged. "But I still think it's okay."

"Hm, well that's good enough for me!" Violette pumped a fist into the air. "Let's go for another round of busting!"

"You got it. After all…" Gwen smirked. "Bustin' makes me feel good!" With those words, Gwen popped the first Ghostbusters out of the DVD player and put the sequel in. But as she did, the redhead couldn't help but feel that something was amiss. _'Why do I get the feeling that something really important is happening? …Ah, it's probably nothing."_

* * *

The City of Atlas at night was quite the sight to behold. The bright lights that shined all throughout the city made it appear to be a giant star floating just above the earth below. However, the city's beauty was not the present concern of Emerald Sustrai. Rather, at the moment, she was busy crawling through a narrow ventilation duct, the operation to steal the experimentation chambers having begun a mere moment ago. However, to say that sneaking through a duct like this wasn't easy would be an understatement. Especially when a certain bounty hunter's armor was thumping around every time she shimmied forward. "Rojo, can you be _any_ quieter?" the green-haired thief whispered ahead. "You're going to give away our position!"

"Hey, I'm movin' as quietly as I can, Emmy." Rojo whispered back. "Trust me, I wish I could be quieter, but this armor isn't exactly made for crawling through tight spaces."

"You BOTH will give away our position if you continue talking!" Subdora harshly shushed to the both of them, the Merlinisapien having taken the very front. "Now, hush! We're almost there!"

Emerald grumbled at Subdora's words. "Who died and made you leader? Rojo's in command here."

"C'mon, Em." Rojo warned lightly. "No need for a fight, 'specially in here."

As much as Emerald didn't want to admit it, Rojo was right. Still, for some reason, she still found herself quite annoyed by Subdora. Especially after the practice spar that she and Mercury had the other day…

* * *

_It had been twenty-four hours since Mercury and Subdora had challenged each other to a real spar, the silver-haired assassin hoping to regain some of the dignity that he'd lost during his first encounter with the Merlinisapien. Emerald, Rojo and Cinder were all on the sidelines of the training arena, watching as the two opponents took their place on the field. While Rojo was eager to see the upcoming scrap and Cinder was simply indifferent to it, Emerald couldn't help but feel something different. She didn't know what it was exactly, but she knew that she didn't like it. "Are you guys sure they should be doing this? Our flight leaves in an hour."_

" _Aw, relax, Emmy." Rojo waved off. "These two wanna go at it? I say we let 'em! Might actually get some decent entertainment outta this." The bounty hunter took a Lien card out of her pocket. "Hey Cindy, betcha a hundred big ones that Merc gets his ass handed to him."_

_Cinder raised an eyebrow when Rojo took out the card. "Where in the world did you even GET that Lien card?"_

" _I stole it, how else?" Rojo smirked before wiggling the card around. "So, what'll it be?"_

" _I do not bet, Rojo." Cinder refused. "Besides, if the match plays out like I think it will, then betting is pointless."_

_Rojo simply shrugged. "Aw well, least I tried. What about you, Emmy? C'mon, hundred Lien on the chameleon girl!"_

" _What? No! I'm not betting against Mercury!" Emerald insisted. "If anything, I'm rooting for him to win!"_

_From his place on the field, Mercury heard what she had said and looked back to give her a wave. "Hey, thanks Em! I'll kick her ass, promise!"_

_Emerald stood there with a surprised expression before her smile returned, pumping a fist into the air before cheering her friend on. "Go get her, Merc!"_

" _Will do!" Mercury took his eyes off Emerald and focused back on Subdora, quickly entering a combat stance and tightening his fists. "Alright, Miss Lizard, you ready to go a couple rounds?"_

" _Indeed. Simply remember that we are to use no ballistics on each other. But using them for anything else is fair game." Subdora gave him a sly grin. "Well? I'm waiting… Mr. Tennyson-voice, hehehe!"_

_Mercury closed his eyes as a malicious smile appeared on his face, his forehead twitching in irritation. "I'm just gonna pretend you didn't say that." He opened his eyes and glared hard at Subdora. "Now, LET'S GO!" With a mighty battle cry, Mercury ran forward, with Subdora following suit a split second later. The two met in the middle and their limbs became a blur as they began punching and kicking one another in quick succession, but they were able to dodge each other's hits just as quickly. However, the moment that Mercury sent another punch to Subdora's face, he got an idea. The Merlinisapien dodged the punch, only to get kneed in the stomach while her guard was down, forcing her to bend forward in pain._

" _Ha! Gotcha!" Mercury did a backflip, landing in a crouch before using the guns in his boots to launch himself forward in a flying kick. "See ya, Subdora!"_

_Subdora's eyes widened when she saw the incoming kick. "Mio Dio!" With mere seconds until impact, Subdora acted fast and dropped to her knees, bending her back backwards as she kept her hands clenched over her stomach, the pain having not subsided yet. She watched as Mercury sailed over her head, much to the assassin's shock. "Ah ha! Not yet, carino ragazzo!"_

" _Gah!" Mercury yelled as he hit the ground, tumbling on his hands and knees until he stopped in a crouch, his face twisted in anger. "Ugh, what the heck does that even MEAN?"_

_Subdora stood up and her sly smile returned, lowering her glasses so that he could see her three eyes. "Hmhmhm, it means… pretty boy." A blush came to Mercury's face as she gave him a wink with her left eye before disappearing. "Ciao."_

" _H-hey! No fair, you KNEW that'd get to me!" Mercury grunted as he got up, keeping his guard up as he stood completely still. He knew that he wasn't getting anywhere by forcing it, so he took a deep breath and called down, closing his eyes to concentrate on his surroundings. He kept his ears on high alert, hoping to hear Subdora's footsteps. Finally, he heard something approaching him. His eyes snapped open and he delivered a round house kick in that direction, his foot coming into contact with the invisible alien._

" _Yes! NOW we're—GAH!" Just when he thought it was over, he felt something wrap around his wrist and pull him to the ground, his face meeting the dirt of the arena. Subdora reappeared a second later, revealing that it had been her tail that was wrapped around his wrist. "Wait, what happened?!"_

" _Just as it appears to be; I wrapped my tail around your hand as I fell!" Subdora jumped to her feet and gave him a smirk. "Which now allows me to do this!" With a strong flick of her tail, Subdora flung Mercury over to the other end of the field, though this time he was able to land in a better crouch than before. Subdora strode over to him, placing a hand on her hip as she gazed down into his eyes. "Well, carino? You done?"_

_Mercury returned the smirk she was giving him. "Not by a long shot." He swiftly got up and stomped his feet into the ground, shooting out a Dust round from his boots to kick up a large cloud of dust, covering the both of them instantly. "Let's see how YOU like dealing with something you can't see!"_

_Subdora entered a coughing fit as the dust began covering her glasses, effectively blocking her vision. However, she didn't have much time to dwell on it as a punch collided into her shoulder, sending her tumbling to the floor. "Gah!" She tuck-and-rolled before hopping back onto her feet, instinctively turning invisible once again. "Oh, really? Well, as they say, two can play at that game!"_

_For the next thirty seconds or so, the two punched blindly through the dust, neither one of them able to clearly see each other. At times, one of them would get in a lucky hit, but for the most part, it was all near misses. However, all that changed with a single punch from the both of them, their fists colliding into each other's faces simultaneously, knocking them both onto the ground with a THUD. Once the dust cleared, Rojo stepped onto the field, her hands on her hips as she smirked down to them both. "I think that's enough for today. Why don't we call it a draw for now, huh?"_

" _Ugh, I'm cool with that." Mercury gave a thumbs up as he got back up from the ground._

" _As am I." Subdora agreed as she did the same, standing up to her full height while rubbing her cheek. She moved over to Mercury, giving him a rather flirtatious grin as he stood up. "I have to say, Mercury, you are quite good."_

" _Heh, you're not so bad yourself, either." Mercury chuckled. "I'm just glad I got to show you what I'm really capable of, when I'm not off guard, that is."_

" _I understand. And you have more than proven your strength to me…" Subdora leaned in and planted a kiss on Mercury's cheek, much to his and the other lady's surprise. "I look forward to our rematch." she whispered into his ear before pulling away. "Now come, we must be off!" With that, Subdora disappeared, the chameleon girl heading down the hall toward the airship that was waiting for them._

" _U-Uh, s-sure." Mercury uttered, completely dumbfounded by what just happened._

_But he didn't have time to dwell on it as Rojo gave him a hard smack on the back. "Haha! Nice, lover boy! Someone might just be getting' lucky soon!"_

_Cinder could only roll her eyes at the scene. "Yes, very entertaining. Now come, Subdora is right, we have to go." The two women and the still awestruck Mercury began walking out of the training area, leaving only Emerald behind. "Emerald, come!" Cinder called back._

" _Yeah… sure." the green-haired theif replied reluctantly. She had been staring at Mercury in shock after that kiss Subdora gave him, and she couldn't help but feel… angry at what the Merlinisapien had done. But at the same time, it wasn't just anger, it was a weird combination of emotions that she had no idea what to make of. But she knew one thing was for sure… anger was the primary one._

* * *

"Stop!" Subdora whispered, jarring Emerald out of her memory. She and Rojo stopped in their place while Subdora continued to speak up front. "We are at the entry point." Subdora peered through the grate to see if there were any security cameras nearby. "Hmm, there appear to be no cameras here, _miei amici._ " The Merlinisapien turned her head around to Rojo. "Just to be safe, I will slip in and put the grate back so that no one can see you, _va bene_?"

Rojo gave her a nod. "Sure, but you'll need somethin' to cut that grate off." The bounty hunter reached down and tapped a circular button on her hip, causing a small compartment to open up and pop out a small, pen-shaped object. Rojo took it out and handed it to Subdora. "Laser scalpel; used in tight situations like these. Just be careful with it, 'kay?"

" _Capicso_." Subdora replied before using the laser scalpel to carefully cut through the grate. Once it was off, she grabbed it, careful to not let it slip from her grasp and hit the ground. Subdora crawled out of the duct and put the grate back on, silently hoping that it didn't appear too out of place with the melted parts. She took a walkie talkie out of her pocket before whispering through the grate; "I will contact you two once I deactivate the cameras, alright?"

Rojo produced her own walkie talkie and winked at Subdora. "Gotcha, we'll see ya in a bit." With a two fingered salute, Subdora disappeared and left, leaving Rojo and Emerald by themselves. "Heh, well, can't say this is the most _comfortable_ situation I've been in." Rojo quipped before eyeing Emerald. "But at least I got company."

"Heh, yeah…" Emerald trailed off as she went back to thinking about what had happened just a few days before. "Ugh, that Subdora. I can't believe her."

"What, that she left us here?"

"No, not that…" Emerald trailed off. "It's just, I've been thinking about her fight with Mercury and… what happened after it ended. I don't know why, but I've just been mad about it."

Rojo quirked an eyebrow. "So, you're mad that it ended in a draw?" However, as Rojo thought about it more, Emerald had said what happened _after_ the fight concluded was getting her angry. Her mind flashed back to it, and she finally realized what Emerald was talking about, a big toothy grin coming to the bounty hunter's face. "Oh, I get it now, you're not just angry, Emmy, you're _jealous_."

Emerald's eyes widened at the accusation. "W-wait, _me_ , jealous? Of what?"

Rojo's smirk didn't let up. "That Merc might just get some Merlinisapien "tail", if you know what I mean." The face that Emerald made when she said that was priceless, but Rojo didn't laugh, she just toned down her smirk into a small grin. "You like him, don't ya?"

"Ha! ME like HIM? That's completely absurd!" Emerald did her best to cross her arms defiantly in the cramped space before turning her head away. "You wouldn't believe the number of times that we've argued. He's annoying, cocky, and gets on my nerves all the time. I just want to make sure that he doesn't make a big mistake by falling for someone like Subdora. That girl just _screams_ "deceiver"."

"Eh, won't argue with you there." Rojo shrugged. "When it comes to men, Dora's always been kind of a massive flirt, and she gets around A LOT. She's told me that she's had plenty of one-night stands back in Europe… and it usually ends with her stealing the guy's stuff."

Emerald's fists tightened. "I have to warn Mercury."

"Yeah, you probably should. Or tell Subdora to step off, one of the two." Rojo smiled to Emerald once again. "But if you ask me, what you just described to me? The way he annoys you and gets on your nerves? Sounds to me like the classic case of a school yard crush to me."

"Psh, yeah, right." Emerald scoffed. But in her mind, she couldn't help but wonder; _'Could that seriously be a possibility?'_ But then, she shook her head. _'Nah, Rojo's just being her snarky self and trying to mess with my head… isn't she?'_

* * *

On the far east side of the Atlas Tech building, two Atlas guards were sitting in the security control room, monitoring the system's cameras and keeping an eye out for any intruders. "So, you hear about what's been going on in Vale in the past few weeks?" One of them, a woman, asked her compatriot.

"Heh, yeah, pretty messed up if you ask me." The other, a male, replied. "Ever since the attack on Beacon and the city, things seem to be gettin' pretty weird over there if you as me." He took a sip of coffee before going on. "I mean, freaks attacking airports, super powered bank robbers, and weird monsters appearing all over the place? What the hell do you think is going on over there?"

"No clue." The woman reclined in her swivel chair, kicking her feet up onto the nearest desk. "All I know is that I'm glad that we're stationed here and not down there—"

_Knock-knock-knock_. The two guards stopped their conversation and got to their feet, the sudden knocking taking them by surprise. The man glanced over to the screen connected to the security camera directly outside the door, only to see that there was no one there. "What the… who's there?!" When he didn't get a response, he took his sidearm out of his holster and grabbed the doorknob. In a flash, he flung the door open and shoved his pistol out the doorway, only to see no one in the hall. "Huh, that's weird. Wonder what—ACK GAHCK!" The guard suddenly felt something wrap around his neck, choking him hard and forcing him to stagger back in pain.

"Jones?! Jones, what's going—" But the woman didn't get an answer, as Jones quickly succumbed to unconsciousness, falling to the floor soon after. The woman instantly pulled out her own side arm and aimed it for… well she didn't know what she was aiming for, but she wasn't about to go down without a fight. "Whoever, or _what_ ever you are, come out with your hands up!"

"If you insist." A disembodied voice answered. A split second later, a lizard woman emerged from out of thin air, much to the woman's shock. "Apologies for the intrusion, but I am Subdora, thief extraordinaire." Subdora pointed a finger at the woman while reading her name tag. "And you have something that I want, Miss… Jennings."

"Wh-whatever you are," Jennings stuttered, "y-you should stay ba—ACK!" Jennings was dealt a swift knee to the gut, doubling over in pain before taking a punch to the face. The blow sent her straight into the wall, the back of her head hitting it and rendering her unconscious.

"Hmph, how disappointing." Subdora pulled out the EMP generator that Cinder had given her earlier. "But alas, as they say in France; _c'est la vie_." She planted the small disk onto the security console and pressed the activation button, running as far away from the room as she could soon after. The device flashed red for ten seconds before sending out an electric current throughout not just the security console, but the whole room, causing everything in it to be shut down completely. "Hm, perfect." Subdora took out he walkie talkie and contacted her teammates. "This is Subdora, security has been effectively taken out. We are good to go."

" _Nice work, Dora."_ Rojo's garbled voice answered from the other end. _"Now all that's left is to avoid the other security guards and get to that room. We'll meet you there."_

"Understood. Subdora, out." With her transmission ended, Subdora became invisible once again before making her way to the room that held their prize. _'I certainly hope that Cinder is having as much luck as we are.'_ she thought to herself.

* * *

"This is utterly degrading." Michael grumbled as he, Mercury and Cinder were crouched down in an alley way on a barren street. The three were awaiting the arrival of a cargo hauler, the one which Cinder had been observing for the past couple of days. However, in order to conceal their position, the trio were forced to lay low behind a practical mountain of garbage, and Michael didn't like it one bit. "Are you certain that cargo hauler will pass by this spot again?" the former rich boy asked. "It could be taking a different route."

"I am positive." Cinder confirmed. "Each hauler must be assigned a specific route, and knowing how Atlesian businesses do things, they rarely change what works." She narrowed her eyes back at Michael. "Also, quit whining. I've had to stay in far more disgusting places than this for even longer periods of time, so you do not have room to say anything."

Michael muttered something under his breath before rubbing his arms, desperately trying to stay warm. "Well then, hopefully it shows up soon. Being out in the freezing cold of night won't exactly do us any good, you know."

"Oh, grow up, will you?" However, just as she was going to continue berating Michael, the object of their desire came into view down the street, turning a corner and coming onto their road. The vehicle was definitely big enough to transport their awaiting quarry, with the very top of the storage hold almost equal to a regular tractor trailer. The front cab was also very large, about the size of your everyday tow truck, only much more streamlined… and with hovering pods in place of wheels. Yes, this vehicle didn't roll, it hovered above the street, just another advancement in technology that Atlas utilized casually. "There it is!" Cinder gave the boys a serious face. "Alright, I will draw their attention. Once they're distracted, you two will commandeer the vehicle."

"Gotcha." Mercury nodded. "But, uh, how ARE you going to get their attention?"

Cinder sent a smirk to him. "By playing them for fools." The Fall Maiden got up before doubling over and acting like she was in pain, staggering out of the alley way and onto the main sidewalk. She made sure that the driver behind the hauler's wheel could see her, before staggering a few more feet and collapsing onto the sidewalk, letting out a fake yell of pain soon after. Just as she had hoped, the cargo hauler stopped and the workers began to get out, much to Michael and Mercury's surprise.

"Hm, though she can be irritable, she's quite the actress, I'll admit." Michael conceded.

Mercury smirked as he stealthily got up. "How do you think we managed to infiltrate Beacon as well as we did? Now come on, time to get to work."

Meanwhile, the two workers, a bespectacled man and a woman, hastily moved over to check if Cinder was "okay". The woman gently moved Cinder over and held her so that she was sitting up, a look of concern written across her face. "Oh my gosh, are you alright, miss?"

"We saw you collapse." The man continued. "Do you need us to call the hospital?"

Cinder let out a few fake coughs and gave them her best "weak and helpless" expression, giving them fake pleas for help. "Please— _hakhak_ —I-I need to see—" But the moment that Cinder let those words out, Michael stepped up behind the two workers and grabbed them by the backs of their necks, his dark powers quickly absorbing their energy. The two workers let out loud screams of pain as their bodies began to shrivel up, their life force almost completely drained. The two bodies fell to the ground, and Cinder sneered up at Michael in annoyance. "I had them in the palm of my hand, you know."

"Apologies, but time is of the essence, in case you forgot." Michael chastised. "Your act was worthy of applause, but you should have dropped the curtain sooner."

"Excuse me, but I will "drop the curtain" whenever I want, thank you." Cinder retorted as she got up, using massive air quotes as she did. "Regardless, the result would have been the same, with their dead bodies lying on the cold ground at my feet."

"Oh, they aren't dead." Michael corrected. "I only drained most of their energy." He gazed down at their unconscious forms. "They will be in a living hell of my creation for quite a while."

Suddenly, Cinder's hand lit up in flames as she aimed it right at the shriveled-up workers. "Well then, if that's the case, I'll just finish the job."

"Uh, could we at least steal their uniforms first?" Mercury inputted, reminding the two bickering teammates of why they were there in the first place. Begrudgingly, the two removed the workers white coveralls and white hardhats, leaving the shriveled people in the alley way wearing their casual clothes. Michael even took the man's glasses for good measure.

Cinder had to remove her parka to put on her disguise, taking a pair of workman's goggles out of the cab of the truck for good measure. But just as Michael was about to put his disguise on, the Fall Maiden stopped him. "Oh no, you and I are NOT sharing the cab." She pointed over to their silver-haired teammate. "Give them to Mercury."

"Ugh, FINE." Michael groaned, tossing the coveralls and glasses over to Mercury before shoving the hard hat into his arms. "I'll take the back."

"Excellent." Cinder smiled coldly, happy that she didn't have to deal with him more than she needed to. She waited until Mercury was fully disguised before giving him a nod. "Very good, now let's move, we're already late."

"You got it." Mercury confirmed before he heard the sound of weak and pained groans coming from the alley way. It was then that he remembered; "Oh yeah, you still wanna kill them?"

"Unfortunately, we have no time." Cinder lamented as the two got into the cargo hauler, with Mercury taking the driver's side. "They will probably die slowly out here anyway, so let's just go." At her word, Mercury wasted no time in putting the truck into gear and driving off, with Cinder silently preparing for phase two of the plan to get underway.

* * *

Rojo had to admit, she hadn't expected this building full of nerds to have a ton of guards in it, but apparently, whatever these nerds were doing was really freaking important because the place was practically infested with them. She and Emerald had to have crossed the path of at least five on their way to the room that they needed to get to, and she had a feeling that there had to be more. Fortunately, it was pretty easy to avoid them. Rojo of course had her stealth suit, but whenever a guard showed up, Emerald simply used her Semblance on them to create the illusion that she was invisible, which made the oblivious guard just walk right past them. It was an effective tactic, but one that put a strain on Emerald over time.

"Ugh, I've got such a headache." The thief rubbed her temples as she expressed her woes. "Hope these chambers are worth the trouble."

"Don't worry, they will be." Rojo smirked excitedly. "Once we put Hog and Skull in them and Animo uses his mutation gas on 'em, we'll be seeing some serious shit." The bounty hunter activated her visor and put it on its thermal vision setting, peering into the door window to make sure that no one was in the darkened room. "Hah, we're in luck, seems everyone left for closin' time already. Now, where's Subdora?"

"Present!" Subdora called out, appearing right behind the two. "So, are we going in, or not?"

"Yep, just waitin' for you." Rojo stepped forward and extended her hand. "'Cause I kinda need my laser scalpel to get in there." Subdora happily handed the laser tool back to Rojo and she began cutting through the heavily locked door, the laser slicing through it like a hot knife through butter. Rojo pulled the handle down and opened the door, allowing the other ladies entry. "Alright, let's bounce."

Emerald and Subdora entered the room, the green-haired girl still rubbing her left temple. "Sure, whatever gets this done quicker." Once the two went in, Rojo followed, though she made sure to weld the door handle with her laser scalpel so that no one would be able to open it. The trio made their way through the dark room, with Rojo switching to her night vision to find what they were searching for. Emerald spoke up again; "So, how will we know what these chambers look like?"

"Trust me, we'll know when we see 'em." Rojo assured. "If I know these science types, they like to make their stuff _really_ big and _really_ obvious. Almost like they're compensating for somethin'." That got a small chortle out of Subdora, which Rojo smirked at. "Alright, let's split up and search. I'll take this side while you two take the other, 'kay?"

"We're on it." Emerald nodded, though on the inside, she was grumbling to herself. _'Jeez, Rojo, REAL smart pairing me up with the one I'm not exactly fond of right now.'_ But she put away her petty squabble for now and simply walked over to the other side of the room, with Subdora following soon after. Emerald pulled a flashlight out of her pocket and began shining it around, hoping that Rojo wasn't too far off in her guess. "So, what do you think these chambers will look like?"

"Hmm, probably like a large tube." Subdora suggested. "Big enough to store a human body or two."

Emerald quirked an eyebrow. "Why two?"

Subdora sent her a smirk. "Well, they are _experimentation_ chambers, correct? Perhaps they would need to do some… _breeding_ experiments?"

Emerald deadpanned at that before returning to her search. "Right, shouldn't have asked."

As the green-haired girl went back to searching, Subdora couldn't help but feel that Emerald was being a bit colder to her than usual, and not because of the weather. Letting out a sigh, Subdora strode forward and tapped Emerald on the shoulder, gaining her attention once again. The Merlinisapien crossed her arms and furrowed her eyeridges, giving the thief a serious face. "Okay, I will bite. What in the world is going on here? Ever since we left on this mission you have been giving me nothing but cold remarks and angry expressions. If you have a problem with me, _ragazza_ , then tell me know, because we cannot allow this mission to be compromised just because of this. Now, what is your issue?"

Emerald gave Subdora a hard glare, her frustration rising every second. "The issue? The _issue_ is that I don't appreciate you putting the moves on my friend and making goo-goo eyes at him like he's a hunk of meat!"

Subdora's eyes widened at that. "Wait… what?"

"You heard me!" Emerald continued, making sure that her voice was low enough so that no one heard them, but still loud enough to get the point across. "You've been flirting with Mercury ever since you joined us. And don't pretend I haven't noticed, because you've done it in front of _everyone_. Rojo told me how you handle your men, and if you think I'll let you get Mercury's hopes up only for it to end in a one-night stand, then you're SO wrong!"

As Emerald continued to fume at her, Subdora could only blink in shock. THIS was what she was so frustrated about? The Merlinisapien shook her head and finally spoke up, raising her hands defensively. "Hold on, hold on, _that_ is why you have been so cold to me these past few days? Because I flirted with Mercury?"

"YES. Because I knew that your flirting would get him in way over his head!" Emerald emphasized. "After the life that he's had, you do NOT want to mess with Mercury's emotions. One slip up, and he's bound to snap."

"Woah, okay, hold on for just a second." Subdora halted worriedly. "…How much of a snap are we talking about?"

Emerald pursed her lips. "Right before I first met him, he killed his father in cold blood after years of abuse. Cinder and I were initially going to recruit his father, but Mercury took his place rather quickly." Emerald clenched her fist. "That's why, if your feelings aren't one-hundred percent true, you have to stop flirting with him. If Mercury gets attached to you and actually thinks you like him, he will NOT be happy if it all just ends in a one-night stand."

Beneath her glasses, Subdora narrowed her three eyes. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not doing this for your sake." Emerald crossed her arms. "I'm doing this because I'm watching out for my friend. I need to make sure that he doesn't get hurt and snap like that again."

A few seconds of silence passed between the two women before Subdora let out a sigh through her nostrils. "I see. Well, if what you say is true, then I will be more than happy to stop. I value my life much more than any amorous pleasure."

Emerald sighed as well before nodding her head. "Thank you, that's a big relie—" But she cut herself off when she realized something. "Wait, hold on a sec! You're just going to give up like that?" Emerald snapped her fingers for emphasis. "Jeez, I mean, it seems to easy."

"Perhaps, but to be truthfully honest, while I do find Mercury to be quite cute…" A deep violet blush came to Subdora's face as she turned her head away. "There is another who has piqued my interest back at the castle."

"Seriously?" Emerald's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Jeez, Rojo was right, you _do_ get around."

"Yes, I have been with many other men, but…" Subdora trailed off, a bit of nervousness bubbling up in her gut. "I believe that this one might be serious."

"Huh, do tell." Emerald placed her hands on her hips, genuinely curious about who could get the attention of a flirt like Subdora.

The Merlinisapien was still reluctant, but she steeled her resolve before going back in. "Do you promise not to tell anyone?" Emerald gave her a single nod, reassuring Subdora before she moved on. "I… I have found myself having feelings for… Farkas."

Emerald's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "Exo-Skull? _You_ like _him_?" Subdora nodded back to her, much to her disbelief. "Huh, wow. Didn't think that you'd go for the big, brutish type."

"I know! I never thought I would either!" Subdora concurred. "But… he's just so sweet and charming… in a thick-headed kind of way, you know? He may be a brute, but he is a _well-meaning_ brute." However, a disappointed expression came to Subdora's face as she glanced down to the ground. "The only thing that worries me is that… he wants to become some sort of animal mutant all for the sake of crushing Tennyson. I won't get in his way if it is what he really wants… but I have to wonder if he realizes that this will be a permanent change."

"I'm sure he does." Emerald affirmed. "It's a bit strange that he wants to do something like this, but as you said, if he really wants it, then who are we to stand in his way?" There was another brief pause as Emerald contemplated what to do next. Ultimately, she decided to do something that she had absolutely zero experience in; reassurance. "Listen, Subdora, maybe you can't change his mind about what he wants to do now, but no matter what he looks like, he'll still be the same person that he was before, right?"

Subdora allowed Emerald's words to sink in before a small smile came to her face. "Well, you make a good point there. _Grazie_ , Emerald. I had no idea that you were an expert in relationship advice."

"Ha! Don't make me laugh." Emerald brushed off. "Relationships are the last thing on my mind right now. It's just you did me a solid, now I'm returning the favor. That's it."

"Perhaps… but in my eyes, we are far from even yet." Subdora lowered her glasses and gave Emerald a sly wink. "After all, you gave me advice on my problem. The least I could do is return the favor and help you out with Mercury."

Emerald's eyes widened in horror at the implication. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on a second. I JUST had this conversation with Rojo. Mercury and I are NOT a thing."

"Really? Hm, could have fooled me." Subdora gave Emerald a wryly smirk. "After all, you two already banter like an old married couple so much that I could hardly tell the difference."

Emerald once again deadpanned at Subdora's "humor". "Okay, I think this conversation's gone on far enough. Besides, we've been standing here for about five minutes now, we have to keep searching for those chambers—"

Suddenly, something really big slammed on the ground right next to the two women, making them jump in surprise. "FOUND 'EM!" The duo turned their heads up to see Rojo, a confident grin on her face as she placed her hands on her hips. "Man, these things are just as big as I thought they'd be, but to be honest, they're a bit different than how I expected 'em to look."

As Emerald and Subdora's shared shock wore off, the two peered down to the chamber that Rojo had brought over. The thieves had to admit, the bounty hunter had a point. Rather than the large, airtight tube that Subdora had imagined them being, they were instead built like large, pill-shaped pods with a glass casing covering the top. They were almost like the escape pods that the Merlinisapien once saw used on transport ships back in her home dimension, only MUCH bigger. Forget two people, these things looked like they could hold _four_. "Hmm, quite an interesting design." Subdora commented.

"Yeah, real weird." Emerald agreed before shifting her attention to Rojo. "Nice work, Rojo. How many were there?"

"Oh, a whole bunch." Rojo answered. "Don't know what these science geeks planned on usin' 'em for, but they're ours now!" The bounty hunter smirked at the two thieves. "So, did you ladies sort out your boy troubles?"

The duo's eyes widened at the mention of their conversation, but Emerald was able to catch on rather quick. She furrowed her brow and said; "Hold on a second, did you put me and Emerald in the same group just so we could talk things out?"

Rojo wore a prideful face as she gave her answer. "Yep! All part of the plan. I can't have you two arguing like Mikey and Cindy, else it'd compromise this or any future missions." She gave the two a wink. "Better to deal with your problem now than later down the line, you know?"

Both Emerald and Subdora grimaced at the bounty hunter, annoyed that they were tricked right into her plan. "You know, while I'm irritated that you did this," Emerald crossed her arms, "I'm also impressed that it actually worked."

"Yes, but still, I'm curious…" Subdora pointed an accusing finger at Rojo. "What would you have done had it NOT worked?"

"Heh, that's easy." Rojo pounded a fist into her palm. "I'd hafta knock some sense into you two myself! The old-fashioned way, if you catch my drift."

Emerald rolled her eyes. "Ugh, whatever. Point is we got what we came for. Now all we need to do is wait for Cinder and the others."

* * *

Mercury sat up straight in the driver's seat of the cargo hauler as the hovering vehicle approached Atlas Tech, the assassin preparing for their entry to the building's perimeter. Admittedly, it was a little hard to see while wearing the glasses that went with his disguise, but he had managed. After all, it was hard to miss the big, green power symbol on the building. "Okay, here it comes." He craned his head over to Cinder. "You ready for this?"

"Of course." Cinder nodded. However, her eyes widened when she noticed that there was another cargo hauler on the opposite side of the security gate, with two men having stepped out to take a look at the security system. "It seems we have some company. Act natural."

"Always do." Mercury quipped before pulling through the front gate and over to the other hauler. He put the vehicle before sticking his arm out the window and pulling his head out to speak with the workers. "Hey, everything all good over there? Something wrong with the gate or what?"

"Ah, for some reason, the security system's down." One of the workers said as he got up from where he and his partner were working. The other one stood up as well and they both walked over to talk with Mercury, seemingly fooled by the silver-haired boy's disguise. "Say, don't suppose you two happen to have some Lightning Dust in your vehicle, would ya? We need a little more to kickstart the system."

"Sure!" Mercury smiled, pointing to the cargo hold. "Should be right in the back, help yourselves!"

"Hey, thanks Mac!" The two workers strolled to the back of the hauler, leaving Mercury feeling pretty good about himself.

"Hehe, well whaddya know?" The assassin smirked. "They fell for it, hook, line and sinker." He took the ID tag off his coveralls to take a glance at what the guy used to look like. The face was somewhat similar to his, but with the glasses, it was hard to see any differences other than differently colored and styled hair. "Heh, thanks… Mac." Mercury deadpanned when he read the name. "Seriously? His name actually IS Mac?"

"Not really important right now." Cinder chided before taking out a walkie talkie. She pressed the 'talk' button and spoke into it; "Michael, you're about to have—" _BOOM_ "…company." The Fall Maiden stuck her head out of her window and faced towards the back end of the hauler, only to see the two men lying motionless on the ground with smoke billowing from their bodies. "You could have been a bit more SUBTLE, you know?!"

" _Subtlety is not my strong suit."_ Michael called back on the walkie talkie. _"Now let's move, before any guards show up."_ The doors on the back of the vehicle shut, and with that, Michael ended the call.

Cinder grumbled as her hand lit her walkie talkie on fire, forcing her to throw it out of the vehicle. "Can you believe him? He thinks that he is so high and mighty. How dare he speak to me that way?"

"Trust me, not fond of the guy either." Mercury agreed. "But right now, we can't let our emotions control us."

Cinder took a deep breath, calming herself back down to a reasonable level. "You're right. There is work to be done. Let's get this over with, and hopefully, Lady Salem will never send us on a mission with him ever again." About a minute later, Mercury pulled the hauler around the back of the building, arriving at the multiple loading docks. There were many other haulers already parked there, but they all appeared to be vacated, much to Cinder's delight. "Ah good, we're all alone." She pulled out the building schematics and scanned her eyes over them, trying to figure out which dock was the one they were searching for. Finally, Cinder pointed to a vacant dock in between two others. "There, that should lead to the room that Rojo and the others are in."

"On it." Mercury turned the hauler around and backed it into the space, putting it in park once again. The two stepped out of the vehicle and hastily moved to the massive garage door that separated them from the lab on the other side. Mercury opened the back doors of the hauler and ushered Michael out. "Hey, c'mon, we're here."

"About time." Michael stepped out and the three approached the garage door, with the blonde boy crossing his arms expectantly. "So? Now what?"

Cinder reached her hand over to him. "Your transceiver, give it to me."

Michael took out his walkie-talkie, but still gave Cinder a confused face. "Excuse me? Don't you have your own?"

"I burned it." Cinder bluntly answered. "Now hand it to me." With a groan, Michael relinquished his walkie-talkie to Cinder, who changed the transceiver's setting to tune into Rojo's radio signal. She pressed the button and spoke into it again; "Rojo, this is Cinder. We have arrived, over." Not two seconds after she made the call, the garage door began to open. And there, waiting on the other side, were Rojo, Emerald and Subdora, the three ladies standing in front of a massive white pod. "Hello ladies. I can only assume your mission went well?"

"Oh, it went WAY more than well, Cindy." Rojo pat the airtight chamber behind her. "We found a whole buncha these puppies." With that, she picked the massive chamber up, her armor enhancing her strength ten-fold. "Alright, let's get these babies home!"

"I couldn't agree more." Michael stepped into the room and used his dark powers to ensnare another of the chambers, carefully levitating through the garage door and into cargo hauler. Once Rojo had put the other chamber inside the cargo hold, Michael took a step back in order to ponder what they had just done. "Hmm… there appears to be barely enough room for anyone else."

"Well then, let's test." Emerald, Subdora and Rojo all walked into the cargo hold, the three women just slightly able to fit in it with the chambers. "Ugh, well, okay then. It's going to be a tight fit, but we can—"

"FREEZE!" The six teammates whirled their heads around to see a plethora of guards standing about twenty feet away from them, all armed and aiming right at them. Some of the gaurds were approaching fast, with the head guard snarling right at them. "There they are boys! The ones who took down Jones and Jennings!"

Subdora glanced out and saw the herd of guards running toward them, her face contorting into one of apprehension. "Uh oh, I believe it's time for us to depart!"

"No kidding!" Rojo stepped out of the back and took out her laser rifle, pulling the trigger to send out a blast of energy at the guards. She swept the beam in a straight line directly in front of them, creating a wall of fire to buy them some time. "Okay, here's the plan; Merc, Emmy, you two get in the cab and get us outta here, I'll give you directions from the back. Cindy, Mikey, Dora, you're with me in the back. If any cops start tailin' us, we blow 'em all straight to hell!" The bounty hunter put a hand to the side of her helmet, contacting their transport out of the floating city. "Rainart, this is Rojo. We'll be at your position in about ten minutes tops. Prep the air ship for takeoff, 'cause we're blowin' this pop stand!"

Once everyone took their positions, Mercury started the cargo hauler up and put his foot on the gas. "Alright, everyone, brace yourselves!" The assassin put the petal to the metal, driving the hovering vehicle through the wall of flame that Rojo had whipped up. He had also managed to plow over some guards that were in his way, but that just made him even more excited. "Woo-hoo! We're goin' home, guys!"

* * *

At this point, Emerald couldn't believe what they were doing. She was currently taking directions from a woman who couldn't even _see_ out of the front of the vehicle. They were relying on _blind faith_ that Rojo knew where she was going. "Doesn't this seem a little, you know, CRAZY?!"

"Probably." Mercury agreed. "But the cab only seats two and we need our heavy hitters back there incase we're tailed, so we really don't have a choice." Suddenly, flashing red and blue lights in his rear-view mirror caught Mercury's attention, forcing him to glance down in it. As he suspected, there were multiple police cars chasing after them. "Ugh, speaking of which."

"On it." Emerald pulled out her walkie talkie and spoke to the bounty hunter. "Rojo, our company has finally arrived."

" _We're all over it, Emmy."_ Rojo answered. _"Oh, and uh, also, right turn comin' up!"_

Mercury's eyes widened and he took a sudden right, gritting his teeth as gravity wanted to pull the vehicle to the left at the knee-jerk reaction. He was able to take control of the hauler though, but not without an unpleasant feeling beginning to wrack his body. "For god's sake, Rojo! A little more of a heads up, huh?!"

Emerald's was beginning to become as green as her hair. "Oh lord. If we ever get out of this, I'M driving the getaway cars from now on."

Mercury couldn't help but chuckle, offering his partner a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll get there. Just keep your lunch down for a bit longer. But if you can't… just make sure to aim out the window, kay?"

"Screw you, I'll aim it wherever I can."

"Hey, just trying to be supportive." Mercury shrugged. "I'd hate to see you get sick. But hey, if puking on me will make you feel better, then sure, go for it."

Emerald couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not. _'Since when does HE care about my well-being? Unless… no, Em, don't let Rojo and Subdora get to you.'_

* * *

Meanwhile, in the back of the hauler, Rojo, Cinder and Michael were standing near the open doors of cargo hold, ready to defend their stolen prize from the law enforcement chasing after them. Subdora was standing just a few feet behind them, making sure that the chambers were securely strapped in so they wouldn't fall out. Rojo cocked her laser rifle, the red-haired bounty hunter ready to do some damage. "Alright, you two ready for this?"

Michael's hands became enveloped in dark energy. "Indeed. The faster we get this done, the sooner this job can end."

"On this, we can finally agree." Cinder lit her hands up in flames. Since leaving the lab, she had done away with her disguise and put her parka back on. "Now, shall we dispose of the officers?"

"You read my mind, Cindy! Let's give 'em hell!" On her signal, Rojo shot another laser blast out at the front police car, the beam striking the engine and blowing the entire front of the car up instantly. The car skidded to the back of the pack, knocking out two more of the pursuers and sending them into a set of buildings. With a mighty yell, Cinder sent out two streams of fire at another set of police cars, the flames hitting their windshields and blocking their view. The two cars skidded off the road and into a set of light posts, the fire spreading over the cars quite rapidly.

Finally, Michael sent out his dark energy, using it to ensnare a police car and lift it up above the street. With a mighty swing, he sent the police car flying back into the other cars, resulting in a large explosion. "Hmph, too easy." he scoffed.

"Yes, no doubt they will send more." Cinder concurred.

"Bring 'em on!" Rojo challenged. "We'll be ready for whatever they send!" She took the walkie talkie off her hip and spoke to the duo up front; "By the way, left turn here." The hauler lurched to the left, making everyone in the back hold onto the chambers for balance.

Just as she regained her footing, Subdora looked out the back of the vehicle, only to catch sight of something off in the distance. The Merlinisapien pointed up toward the sky and warned her comrades. "Um, I believe THAT may be their back-up!"

Rojo, Cinder and Michael shifted their gaze back out of the vehicle to see a small combat ship flying straight toward them, the craft diving down so that it could fly directly above the street. As it dove, Rojo noticed that it was designed to look like a manta ray from the top-down, which she couldn't help but find neat. "Huh, well ain't that a cute little ship!"

"It's a Manta." Cinder clarified. "A more streamlined version of the standard Bullhead. Most likely made for situations like these."

"Yeah? Well at least it doesn't have—" Just as Rojo was about to finish, a set of missile batteries began to activate on the Manta's front, much to her chagrin. "You know what? I'm just gonna keep my mouth shut."

The Manta fired six rockets at the cargo hauler, intending to take it out. But just as the rockets were about to make contact, a dark energy barrier appeared, shielding the back of the hauler from the hailstorm of missile fire. Cinder, Rojo and Subdora glanced over to see Michael straining to keep the energy barrier up as another barrage of six missiles made contact. He grimaced, keeping a single eye open to peer over to Rojo. "What are you waiting for?!" He made a small hole in the energy shield. "Shoot it down!"

Cinder hardened her gaze at the hole. She knew that Michael couldn't make it any bigger than that, lest the rockets make it in. She knew that Rojo was a good shot, but still, she had her doubts. "Can you make that shot?" she asked Rojo. "That hole is just barely big enough."

Rojo winked at her with a smirk. "Watch me, Cindy." The bounty hunter stepped right in front of the hole and took aim, keeping her arms steady and her trigger finger at the ready. She set aimed directly through the hole and waited for the Manta to unload its next round, keeping the cock pit directly in her line of sight. Once the third barrage exploded against the barrier, Rojo grinned wickedly before shouting; "Smile ya sonuva bitch!" She fired her rifle, the laser blasting a hole straight through the cockpit glass and causing an explosion. The Manta veered off course and crashed right in the middle of the street, blowing up a mere second later. Rojo shouldered her rifle and send a smile over to Cinder. "See? Now what'd I tell ya?"

"Impressive." Cinder smiled back maliciously. "Hopefully that gets the point across that we are not to be trifled with."

"Yep, should be smooth sailing from here." Rojo pressed a button on the walkie talkie again. "'Nother right, Merc, then straight ahead. We're almost there."

* * *

Hazel Rainart stood outside of the dropship that he and Rojo had flown to Atlas in, his arms crossed as he awaited his cohort's arrival. A thunderstorm was beginning to brew overhead, meaning that they had to leave before it could start. And at the moment, he was NOT happy. Not long before Rojo had called him to prep for take-off, he had received a message via a nearby Seer from Lady Salem, saying that the alien-hybrid known as Swift had failed in her task in destroying Beacon Academy. The reason for her failure? Tennyson. _Again_. Hazel seethed with rage, having been bested by the boy not once, but twice in one week. His eyes narrowed at the horizon as he clenched his fists. _'What else can go wrong today?'_

However, just as the thought entered his mind, his communicator activated once again. _"Hey, Rainart! Rojo again. We've got you in our sights and we're pulling in now!"_

Hazel turned his eyes up to the city's direction just in time to see the cargo hauler that the team had commandeered, reaching up to the comm in his ear to respond. "I see you. Pull up and we'll unload the cargo into the ship." The hauler slowed down and was put into park before the engine shut down completely, the hovering vehicle lowering slowly to the ground. Out of the cab stumbled Mercury and Emerald, the two still reeling from the crazy drive. "Well? I assume that you have what we came for?"

"Y-yes." Emerald said, resisting the urge to throw up from the high-speed chase. "Ugh, it wasn't easy, but we got 'em."

Mercury jabbed his thumb to the cargo hold. "Yeah, and if you wouldn't mind, we could use some help getting these things on board the ship."

"Of course." Hazel nodded before walking over to the vehicle's back doors. "And just where are Rojo and the others?"

Hazel's question was soon answered when the back doors of the hauler burst open, revealing a confident Rojo, a stoic Cinder and Michael, and a rather disheveled Subdora who was clinging onto one of the test chambers for dear life. Rojo stepped out of the hold and strode over to Hazel with a cocky grin. "We came, we saw, we KICKED THEIR ASSES!"

"Yes, what she said." Cinder said as she pried Subdora from the chamber and led her off the hauler, allowing Emerald to take the Merlinisapien onto the ship with Mercury by their side. "We have managed to evade the law enforcement as well. Once we get these chambers on board, we should be in the clear."

However, Michael quickly spoke up, pointing out into the distance. "Really? Then you might wish to tell _them_ that."

"What are you on about now?!" Cinder snapped, only for her eyes to be greeted by what Michael was gesturing towards. From the sky, two large Bullheads were closing in on the group, no doubt armed with Atlesian Army personnel just waiting to disembark and take them out. "Well… that is rather disappointing."

"Shit!" Rojo slammed a fist into the side of the hauler, making it lurch to the side slightly. "And they're probably gonna stay out of range of my rifle this time! Now what do we do?!"

Cinder glared up to the approaching Bullheads, going over the various scenarios in her head. They could try to fight them, but that would just buy more time for further reinforcements to arrive. They had to have enough time to load the experimentation chambers onto the dropship, and to do that, they needed to take the ships out as fast as possible. It was then that Cinder caught sight of the storm, with bolts of lightning arcing down from the sky. There WAS one other option that came into her mind, but it was a risky one. However, at this point, it was an option that Cinder was willing to risk. "I have a plan, but it's pretty bold."

"Whatever it is, do it quick." Hazel advised. "They are almost here."

"Of course." Despite the cold, Cinder took off her parka and gloves, handing them to Rojo before walking a fair distance away from the three, leaving her upper half in nothing but a black turtleneck. She stood firmly in place, took a deep breath and concentrated, focusing on her Maiden powers. Just as the Bullheads were about to close in, Cinder's eyes snapped open and they began to glow with power, power which the others could practically feel from where they stood. One of Cinder's arms completely ignited into flame while she reached the other one toward the sky, a lightning bolt coming down to strike it soon after.

Rojo, Michael and Hazel had to look away when the lightning struck, but when they turned back, they saw that Cinder was still standing. In fact, there wasn't a scratch on her, much to their shock. Both of her arms were now enveloped in flame and lightning, the sleeves of her turtleneck now completely destroyed. With a mighty scream, Cinder thrust her arms forward and sent her combined elemental powers out in a single blast, taking out one of the Bullheads in a big explosion before arcing the attack over to the other one, blowing it up as well. As the elemental energy was expelled from her system, the intense light from Cinder's eyes died down and her arms went limp at her sides, her knees buckling to the ground soon after.

Rojo's eyes widened in panic and she surged forward, catching Cinder just as she was about to hit the ground. "Cindy!" The bounty hunter checked the Fall Maiden's pulse, relieved when she felt a steady heartbeat. Rojo glanced back up to Cinder's face, grimacing when she saw that her eyes were closed. "C'mon, Cindy, don't conk out on us now! Not after the crazy stunt you pulled! Wouldn't you at least like to see your handiwork?"

At her words, Cinder's face twitched slightly, her eyes fluttering open soon after. The Fall Maiden breathed in slowly as she steadily lifted her head up, just in time to see the debris from the Bullheads impact the ground a fair distance away. An evil smirk worked its way to her face. "Ha! I hit them."

"You sure did, champ. You sure did." Rojo wrapped Cinder up in her parka and lifted her off the ground, carrying her over to the dropship as Hazel and Michael watched on, the duo still amazed by Cinder's feat. Rojo shot the two a glare. "Well?! What're you two just standin' around for?! Get those chambers on the dropship so we can get outta here already!"

Cinder glowered at Michael specifically. "Do what she says. Or are we going to have another problem?" Michael was startled out of his trance, letting out a yell as he immediately began using his dark energy to levitate one of the chambers out and onto the dropship. Cinder smirked wearily as he boarded the ship. "That's a good boy."

"Heh, nice and condescending, Cindy." Rojo chuckled as Hazel used his immense strength to carry the remaining chamber onto the ship, the bounty hunter following close behind. Once the two chambers were nice and secured, Hazel and Michael went to the cockpit while Rojo went over to the seats with Emerald, Mercury and Subdora.

The Merlinisapien's eyes widened when she saw Cinder being carried in. " _Mio Dio_! Is Cinder alright?"

Emerald's jaw dropped as she and Mercury immediately stood up. "What happened?!"

"Yeah, what's wrong with her?" Mercury pressed further.

Rojo gave the two a reassuring smile as she set Cinder down on a nearby stretch seat, slowly reclining it back to make sure she was comfortable. "Heh, relax, guys. Cindy's just fine. She just needs a little rest after using her Maiden powers. She destroyed two Bullheads with fire and lightning, and it was freakin' awesome!"

Cinder gave a single wave of her hand before dropping it back down to her side. "Well, if that is what you wish to call it. Still, I only did what I had to do."

Emerald let out a sigh before she and Mercury took their seats again, the two feeling the dropship take off soon after. "Well, that's a relief."

"Yeah, we were wondering what that explosion was out there." Mercury explained. "When you came in carrying Cinder, we thought the worst."

Rojo rolled her eyes. "Psh, have a little faith, guys. It'll take a lot more to take Cindy down."

"Precisely." Cinder concurred, though she could feel her exhaustion taking hold. "In any case, I believe we can call this mission a success."

"Yep, and you know what that means." Rojo sat down in her seat, kicking back and crossing her legs. "We're one step closer until Animo's experiment's ready to go. Time to head back home."

* * *

Back on Patch, Ben and Yang had spent the past hour doing nothing but going through Batman Arkham Asylum, with the hero acting as the Blonde Brawler's tour guide to the prison. He didn't give EVERY solution away to her, but he did give little hints to where a few things were. They had just made it past the part where Batman finds Officer Boles' dead body and gets contacted by the Riddler for the first time, to which Yang searched the entire room for all the riddles she could, just to spite the egomaniac. "Ha! How do ya like that, Mr. Smart-Ass?"

"Haha, yeah, the Riddler IS a pretty big jerk in this game." Ben chuckled. "But his smart-alecky lines get better when you get closer to solving all his riddles! Keep in mind, if anything stands out, it may just be a riddle."

As Yang continued onward, she stopped to listen as a news reporter spoke over the radio. She zoomed in on it and flashed her detective mode on the radio, specifically the name "Jack Ryder". Sure enough, it was both a riddle AND a character bio! "Ha! Whaddya know? Better keep an eye out for these things." With that, she made Batman exit through a nearby door, and, after crawling through a vent and traveling out of a connecting cave, she found herself gazing over the grounds of the Arkham Mansion, complete with graveyard, greenhouse, and accompanying orchestra. "Woah… now THIS is what I was hoping to see out of a Batman game!"

"Yep, this is where the game REALLY starts opening up." Ben smiled at her. "When I first saw this place, I was floored by how gothic is looked. It's the reason why I love to play this game around Halloween every year; it fits the mood _just_ right."

"Oh, I'm totally with you on that one." Yang agreed. "Okay, now let's get down to some detective work here!"

"Hehe, right there with ya, Goldie Locks." However, as Yang continued to play the game, a strange feeling began to eat away at Ben's thoughts, almost as if he were missing something. It continued to pester him until he felt compelled to say something about it. "Hey Yang?"

"Yeah, Green Boy? What's up?"

"Have you ever had the feeling of… I don't know… missing something?" the hero asked. "Like, you know, missing out on something important?"

"Eh, sometimes." Yang shrugged. "Why? Do you?"

"Well… kind of. But I have no idea why." Ben crossed his arms. "It's kinda frustrating."

Yang leaned over and gave her boyfriend a reassuring kiss on the lips, winking at him soon after. "Don't worry, Ben. Like I said, I get that feeling sometimes too. But I find that it doesn't really bother me for long. Sometimes it just comes and goes."

Ben smiled back at her and nodded in agreement. "Heh, yeah. Probably just imagining things. Now, I think there's some bad guys who need some bashing!"

"Now you're talkin', Green Boy! Let's do this!" So the couple went on, with Ben watching and advising his girlfriend as she took out goons left and right across the Arkham Mansion grounds. But as she thought more and more about what her boyfriend was saying, Yang couldn't help but feel a certain nagging feeling return from earlier; _'Why do I still feel like I'm being watched?'_ The Blonde Brawler glanced out the nearby window, almost certain that someone or some _thing_ was peering at her and Ben out in the darkness. She shook her head and concentrated back onto the game, resolving to deal with that thought later.

However, a certain dark black corvid was still outside, watching the couple as they played their game. _'Soon, Yang.'_ the bird thought to herself. _'Very soon.'_

* * *

**A/N: Woo! That was quite the ride, now wasn't it? Now that Rojo, Cinder and the others have stolen what they need for Hog and Skull to undergo Animo's experiments, we're yet another step closer to seeing the big event. Plus, as a little side, we got a glimpse at our heroes chilling out and introducing more new things to the Remnant crew. But, at the same time, Raven is still watching, preparing herself for what she's about to do next. Which brings me to… NEXT TIME! As preparations get underway for Ruby's party, Yang and Ben go out to do their regular early morning training… only to unexpectedly meet up with Raven when they arrive. How will Yang react when she finally sees her mother? How will Ben feel when HE meets her and vice versa? Well, we'll just have to wait and see, now won't we? However, Raven isn't the only one making unexpected appearances, as a certain man in a lab coat arrives to give the space-time continuum a head ache. Gumball anyone? Well, until next time, guys! I'll be seein' ya!**


	60. Timely Reunions

**A/N: Greetings AO3! Time for another round of chapters! Now, around the time I wrote this it was October… which meant it was time for a certain Hooded Huntress' birthday! This is a little arc that I like to call "Ruby's Haunted Birthday"! And what better way to start it off… than with two long overdue reunions? Prepare for some quality family bonding time and a bunch of metaphysical timey-wimey talk, because this is…**

**Chapter 60: Timely Reunions**

* * *

Blake Belladonna let out a small yawn as she woke up, which was immediately followed up by another small yawn from her little bedmate. A soft, tired smile came to her face as she peaked open a single eye to see her little Rema staring down at her expectantly, the wolf pup eagerly waiting for her mommy to get up. "Hmm, hello little angel, how are we today?" She got a tiny bark in response, which Blake was quick to shush. "Shh! You'll wake up…" However, when Blake lifted her head up, she saw that there was only one other occupant in the room; the still sleeping Ruby. "Huh?" Blake moved her head over the side of her bunk to see if Wiess was there, but much to her surprise, the heiress was nowhere to be seen.

She glanced over to the nearby clock to check the time; seven-thirty. This served to raise the cat girl's suspicions even higher. _'Okay, I know that Yang always gets up early to train with Ben, but Weiss usually doesn't get up before me.'_ She pulled Rema up to her chest and leapt down from the top bunk silently, quickly making her way to the door. "C'mon, Rema." she whispered. "Let's go see what's going on."

But before exiting the room, Blake turned her head back around to her hooded friend, who was still snoring up a storm. She smiled as the past year replayed in her head, thinking back to how much had happened in that time and how much their team had bonded since they met. _'Yang was right. We ARE practically family.'_ As she silently stepped out to close the door, she made sure to whisper; "Happy Birthday… little sis." before closing the door.

Blake made her way downstairs, tip toeing to make sure that she didn't wake anyone else up… but that proved to be a non-issue since Nora whizzed right by, making Blake's hair whip up in the wind. "Mornin' Bla—" But Nora stopped herself when she noticed she was talking louder than needed, shifting her voice into a soft whisper; "Oops, I mean, morning Blake!"

The cat girl smiled and rolled her eyes, setting Rema on floor before gazing back up to the Pink Dynamo. "Morning, Nora. What's going on?"

Nora gave her a wink. "What do ya think? We're getting ready for Ruby's party, silly!" She pointed over to the kitchen. "Take a look!"

Blake shifted her eyes over to the kitchen to see everyone hard at work preparing food for the party. Gwen was helping Tai and Athena bake a three-layer cake, Weiss, Winter and Ren were prepping salads, Jaune and Pyrrha were getting ingredients for pasta, and Sun and Neptune were putting together a platter of chips with seven-layer dip. Heck, even Holiday was helping, the doctor hard at work making meatballs for the pasta. With a mischievous grin, Blake walked into the room and slipped her hands over Sun's eyes, which the monkey boy smiled at. "Guess who?"

Sun placed his hands over Blake's own. "I think I KNOW who." He moved around and their eyes met, the two giving a kiss on each other's cheeks simultaneously. "Mornin' beautiful."

"Hello, handsome." Blake countered. "I guess it didn't take you guys long to get to work."

Neptune gave Blake a salute. "Nope! The moment we got up, Gwen put us right to work." The blue-haired boy pointed over to Blake's left. "Speaking of…"

"Blake! Oh, thank goodness you're awake!" Gwen smiled before hastily handing Blake a bag of potatoes. "Here, the spuds need peeling…" The redhead then gave Blake a bag full of corncobs. "A-and the corn needs shucking!"

As Blake struggled to hold the two bags of food, she gave Gwen a wide-eyed stare, concern for her friend growing by the second. "Uh… are you okay, Gwen?"

The Anodite's right eye twitched. "Am I okay?" Her face quickly contorted into panic. "Am I _okay_?! Ruby's birthday party starts in SEVEN hours. We need to make enough food for at least forty or so people, PLUS a birthday cake with ice cream, and you're asking me if I'm—" But then, she let out a gasp. "AH! We forgot the ice cream—"

But just as Gwen was about to start freaking out, Blake put her fingertip to the redhead's lips, giving her a deadpan stare. "Gwendolyn, pull yourself together." The cat girl used Gwen's full name, catching the Anodite's attention. "I know that you're all about keeping a nice and organized schedule, but now is NOT the time to be freaking out." Blake offered a smile and pulled her hand away. "Now, take a deep breath and relax."

Gwen did as she was instructed and inhaled deeply, letting the breath out slowly and steadily soon after. She gave Blake a grateful smile and a hug. "Thanks Blake, sorry I freaked out there. It's just that there's so much to do and we've got—"

" _Seven_ hours." Blake reminded. "More than enough time to set things up." She pulled out of the hug and quirked an eyebrow at Gwen. "But what I'M wondering is why you're doing this all now? Won't we need a place to store all this food for the next few hours if we make it now?"

"We do, in fact!" Tai piped up. "I've got a pretty big cooler outside in the shed for storing stuff in case I need it. Once we make all this stuff, we'll just put it out there until the party."

"Oh, well that answers that." Blake returned her attention back to Gwen. "But, uh… what about your grandpa?"

Gwen winked at her. "Kevin and Rex have got him taken care of."

* * *

If there were any better definition that Kevin could replace for the word "bored", it'd be "grocery shopping". He and Rex had agreed to help Gwen keep Grandpa Max as far away from the kitchen as possible by helping the old man with some of the missing food stuff that they'd need for the party later on. Although at this point, they were starting to regret it. The two boys and Max were strolling past the meat section, and the Osmosian was about to collapse from sheer disinterest. "Ugh, never before in my life have I EVER been this bored."

"Same dude." Rex agreed. "And here I thought ironing Six's suits was the most boring thing imaginable."

"Oh, come on, boys." Max encouraged. "Remember, this'll all pay off in the end. A party isn't a party without good food, you know?" He then caught sight of something on the nearby shelf, a piece of meat in an air-sealed plastic wrap. "Oh ho ho! Smoked possum legs! Now THIS is the good stuff!"

Rex's face immediately became green. "AH! _Dios mio_ , get me outta here!"

Kevin could feel himself about to heave when his Plumber's badge began to beep. He answered it with a; "Hello?" He was immediately greeted with Gwen's voice, the Anodite giving him a request. "Yeah, uh-huh. Sure, will do." He smiled when she said a rather special goodbye. "Love you too, babe. See you soon." With that, he hung up his Plumber's badge, focusing back on Max again. "Gwen says we need to get ice cream."

"Oh, of course!" Max agreed. "I thought we were forgetting something." As he pushed the car along, the old Plumber wondered out loud; "Hmm, I wonder if they have any goat cheese ice-cream here?" Kevin had to force himself to not throw up at that.

"I swear, if we ever get out of this without blowing chunks, it'll be a miracle." Rex groaned

* * *

As Gwen hung up her Plumber's badge, she let out a sigh, happy that everything was going according to plan. "Alright, no more freak outs. It's time to calm down and think this through rationally." She turned back to Blake and took the corn back. "First off, let's do this one job at a time, right?"

"Hehe, right." Blake chuckled. "One question though, why not get Nora to help? She's got some free hands."

"I asked her to keep an eye out incase Ruby wakes up." the redhead explained. "Nora's quick on her feet, so she's the perfect lookout in case we need to hide things fast." Gwen wore a bit of a guilty face as she gave her second reason. "Also, I kinda don't want her anywhere near the cake… or the oven."

"On that, we can agree." Blake nodded before shifting her eyes around. "By the way, where are Ben and Yang?"

"Where else? Their morning training." Gwen answered as she went over to continue her work on the cake. "Yang's been keeping her birthday present to Ruby hidden in the mountain anyway, so they decided to do a little training before coming back."

"Well, that IS a pretty clever hiding spot." Blake admitted. "Though to be honest, I doubt those two are doing much "training" there anymore."

"You'd be surprised." Gwen rebutted. "You know how seriously Yang takes her training, Blake. She knows to save the… _hot_ stuff for later."

"Yeah, you've got a point. Yang never skimped out on training sessions at the academy." Blake simply shrugged and placed the bag of potatoes on the table, opening it up to start peeling the spuds. "Well, time to get to… huh?"

She shifted her eyes up to see Sun standing next to her and shooting his signature goofy grin at her, which easily got her to smile back. He handed her a pair of blue dish gloves, himself wearing a similar pair, only in yellow. He also had a pair of potato peelers in his other hand. "I believe you'll need these to proceed with the challenge, dear lady."

Blake let out a small laugh before taking the gloves and a peeler. "Hah, why thank you, kind sir. But I thought you were helping Neptune with the dip?"

"Dip's done!" Sun explained. "And Neptune's helpin' Jaune and Pyrrha out with the pasta, so I came to help you." He grabbed a potato out of the back and gave her a wink, prepping his peeler for action. "Now let's skin these spuds alive!"

Blake rolled her eyes before following his lead. "Morbid. I love it."

* * *

As Bumblebee came to a halt at the base of Mount Patch, Yang and Ben quickly dismounted and made their way over to the large boulder not far away, the powerful couple ready for their quick training session. "Okay, so the plan is to cut today's session short by half an hour so that we can get back in time to help everyone set up." Ben recounted. "That, I get. What I'm still wondering is why you decided to hide your sister's present all the way out here? I mean, heck, under the floor boards would probably be easier."

"Because Ruby's too smart for that, Green Boy." Yang replied. "Every year, I hide her present in some of the least expected places for her to look in the house. But somehow, someway, she manages to find it every time. Well NOT this year, by god! This year, I put it in such a secluded place that she wouldn't think TWICE about searching for it here!"

"Heh, well okay, then." Ben chuckled. "I guess your idea must've worked, 'cause I haven't seen Ruby searching around this place."

"And THAT is a good thing." Yang pulled a key out of her pocket and removed the pebble near the top of the boulder, revealing the key hole. She unlocked the hand-print scanner and unlocked the entrance; _**'Hand print recognized. Welcome, Yang Xiao Long.'**_ With those words from the computer, the boulder parted down the middle, allowing them entry.

As the duo walked through the small entry path, Ben couldn't help but wonder something. "So, you're not worried that someone might break in and steal your gift, Goldie Locks?"

"Psh, no way!" Yang waved as she opened the next door leading to the break room. "Trust me, Ben, with the type of security door that my dad installed, no one could ever break… in… here." Yang trailed off, dumbfounded by what she saw when she opened the door. Ben moved into the room with her and was also shocked by what he was seeing, though his hand was instantly over the Omnitrix when he caught sight of a rather scary intruder.

The hero wasn't completely sure WHO had infiltrated their training ground, but whoever this person was, she had black hair, wore a black and red dress, and wore a Grimm-mask, so that pretty much set off every red flag that Ben had. Plus, the large sheath with multiple blades in it didn't help matters. "Who are you?!" Ben demanded "What are you doing here?" The intruder merely craned her head toward him, her masked face staring at Ben silently, much to his irritation. "Answer me!"

Yang gently put her arm out in front of him, her eyes still trained on the woman. "Ben, sweetie, it's… it's okay. I think… I _know_ who this is." With a steady breath and resolve, Yang stepped forward warily, hoping that the woman would do something. Fortunately, she did. The masked lady stood up and moved over to meet the Blonde Brawler half way, which both relieved and terrified the younger girl at the same time. After all these years, here she was… right in front of her. Yang swallowed her fear and spoke to the masked lady. "This… this isn't another dream, is it? You're actually here this time?"

The masked woman chuckled and reached up, removing her Grimm mask to reveal her face. When she did, Ben's jaw nearly fell to the floor. This woman… looked almost exactly like Yang. The black-haired woman gave a grin to the blonde girl, tossing her mask onto the nearby couch. "Does this answer your question… dear?"

Yang seriously couldn't believe this was happening right now. "M-mom?"

"Hello, Yang." Raven greeted. "I must say, it's been… um…" The tribe leader pointed behind her daughter. "Before we go on, I think you should bring _him_ back to reality."

Yang's eyes widened and she turned around, only to be met with Ben's flabbergasted face. The blonde smirked and rolled her eyes before snapping her fingers in front of her boyfriend's face. "Remnant to Ben? Green Boy, do you read?"

"AH!" Ben exclaimed before shaking the shock from his head, returning from his stunned state. "Oh, sorry, Goldie Locks. My brain just froze for a second there." However, his brows furrowed as he pointed an accusing finger at Raven. "But more importantly, _you're_ Yang's mother? And your name's Raven, right?"

"Yes, and it seems that my reputation proceeds me." Raven stepped closer to Ben and Yang, her eyes concentrating on the former. "You are Ben Tennyson, correct? Interdimensional hero, wielder of the alien device known as the Omnitrix… and my daughter's _boyfriend_?"

Ben's eyes widened again, the young hero quickly growing nervous as Raven continued to observe him. "Hehe, well… uh, yes. Yes I am." He found his nerve rather quickly as he put his brave face back on. "Listen, I know that this is a really weird first meeting, and it probably isn't the way any of us thought it'd go, but—"

Raven raised a hand, halting Ben's little speech. "Stop. I've heard enough." The black-haired woman shifted her focus back to her daughter, a serious expression written across her face. Yang returned the gaze in kind, the two ladies having a stare down as Ben watched with slight apprehension. However, much to the couple's shock, Raven finally gave her daughter a smirk. "Heh, I gotta say, he's a little rough around the edges, but overall, he's a pretty fine pick. I guess there's a lot more that we share than our great looks, Yang."

At this point, Yang couldn't believe what she was hearing right now. "Wait… what the heck is THAT supposed to mean?"

"It means that we both have good tastes when it comes to men." Raven clarified.

Yang grimaced and shut her eyes in annoyance. "Well, there's something I won't be able to get out of my head any time soon." She pushed the thought away for a while to focus back on her mother. "But getting back on track… why are you here?" She placed her hands on her hips. "You haven't been around since I was born, and then suddenly, you just popped out of nowhere and saved me on that train a few months ago. And now suddenly you're here sitting on the couch?"

"She's right." Ben agreed. "That's what I like to call "A Darkseid Move"."

Raven narrowed her eyes at Ben. "I can assure you that I am NOT on the dark side. At the moment, I'm more neutral than anything. Though considering what has been going on around here, that could be subject to change."

"N-no, that was a reference to… you know what? I'm not even going to try explaining."

Choosing to ignore what Ben said, Raven put her full focus on her daughter, the two staring each other down once again. Finally, Raven let out a sigh. "I can only guess that you have a lot of questions, Yang. And honestly, I don't blame you for having them."

"You're damn right, I do." Yang crossed her arms defiantly. "First being; why are you even here in the first place? Uncle Qrow said that saving me on the train would be your one free-bee to me, _right_?" She made sure to put some extra bite into that question to accentuate her point. "So why did you come back? After all these years of NEVER showing up, why in the hell did you decide to come back NOW of all times?"

Raven closed her eyes and nodded. "Your frustration with me is evident. It's understandable that you would be." She opened her eyes and gazed into her daughters, making sure that the message came across as clearly as possible. "It's true that I only intended on saving you once, Yang. But yesterday, I had a conversation with your Uncle and…" she let out a sigh, frustrated that this was so hard to say. "He told me how much you wanted to see me… and how much Tai missed me."

"Oh yeah, let's open THAT can of worms while we're at it." Yang insisted. "How in the hell could you have just ABANDONED dad like that?! Hell, how could you have abandoned ME along with him?!" As she continued to speak, Yang's voice began to break, sadness quickly joining with her anger as she lowered her head. She grit her teeth and balled her fists as she tried to hold herself together. "I… I thought that you loved him."

Raven's lips parted slightly at the last sentence. Her brain was telling her to get angry and snap at Yang for such an accusation… but as she gazed upon her daughter's pained and tearful face, her conscience was telling her otherwise. _'You need to calm down, Raven.'_ she reminded herself. _'This could be your one and only chance with her. Do NOT screw this up now!'_ Raven took in a deep breath, calming her nerves before continuing. "I _did_ love your father… in fact I still do. …Yang?" At the sound of her name, the Blonde Brawler lifted her head back up to her mother, her eyes beginning to well up. "It's time that I told you the truth. Come, you'll want to sit down for this." With that, the two ladies went to over to the couch, but Raven called back to a certain hero before she did; "You too, Benjamin."

"Wha? Oh! Yeah, sure! No problem." Ben quickly sat down next to his girlfriend, ready to calm her down in case things got too heated between her and her mother.

As the three sat down, Raven continued speaking, with Yang paying attention to every word. "It's true that I left you and your father here on Patch. In fact, I left not long after you were born. But I _did_ have my reasons. Reasons which you'll probably find selfish."

"Go ahead. Try to convince me otherwise." Yang permitted, a harsh edge in her voice. "I'm all ears."

Raven raised a hand. "I'm not going to try and convince you of anything else, Yang. My goal here isn't to sway your thoughts of me leaving you, but instead to get a few things off of my chest." The tribe leader gave another sigh before going on. "You see, long ago, when Qrow, Tai, Summer and I went to Beacon Academy, Ozpin was _very_ interested in our team. We had many more training missions than the other teams, and he even turned a blind eye whenever we got into any trouble." Raven smirked and quirked a brow at her daughter. "Sound familiar?"

Yang had to admit, Team RWBY DID get away with more things than most other teams at the academy. And now that she was thinking about it, so did Team JNPR. "Are you saying that Professor Ozpin was… singling us out?"

"Indeed." Raven confirmed. "He knew that your gifts were special, even for first years. It's the same thing that happened with Team STRQ. He let the four of us in on his secret war with Salem, as well as many other things. He expected us to be the tipping point of his little battle..." She paused for a moment before eyeing her daughter again. "And something tells me that he had the same idea for the eight of you. Why else would he select the Invincible Girl to take on the Maiden powers?"

As much as she hated to admit it, that did make some sort of twisted sense to Yang. But then, she realized something; "Wait, you know about what went on with Pyrrha?"

"I know many things, Yang." Raven confirmed. "Let's just say… I'm a very quiet observer." After she said that, Raven suddenly shapeshifted into a corvid right in front of Yang and Ben's very eyes, much to the couple's astonishment. The raven quickly shifted back into her human form with a sly grin. "Impressed?"

With his jaw dropping once again, Ben let out the first thing that came into his head; "Oh my god, she's an _Animorph_?!

"Y-you… you can change into a bird?!" Yang exclaimed. "HOW?!"

"Hm, so your dear uncle DIDN'T tell you that, did he?" Raven mused. "Hmph, add that to the list of things he's still keeping from you kids. You know, you really _should_ be asking more questions."

With their systems still shocked to their cores, Ben and Yang glanced to each other, with the hero wearing a skeptical expression. "Yang, as much as I don't want to admit that your mom might be right about that, I have a feeling that she may have a point." Ben pointed over to her. "If she and Qrow can shape shift into freakin' birds, we're probably still being left in the dark about a buncha crap."

"Yeah, I'm inclined to believe you on that one." Yang agreed before turning back to her mother. "Alright, mom, as much as the whole bird thing weirds me out and interests me at the same time, I still need a straight answer to my last question; why did you leave me and dad?"

Raven's grin disappeared and she frowned, a somewhat forlorn expression on her face. "Well, that's where things got… difficult. I wanted no part in Ozpin's little battle with Salem. I saw the things that witch was able to create and… well, they were _far_ more powerful than I imagined. I knew from then on that we were fighting a losing battle, and I even tried to encourage my team to leave the fight with me. Unfortunately, they didn't see things my way. They all thought that the war could be won. At the time, I thought that they were all a bunch of blind fools… including Tai." Raven pursed her lips. "Sometimes, I wish I had been more rational in my reactions… but that's kind of hard to do when your pregnant, I guess."

Yang couldn't help but smirk at that. "So… you're saying I gave you mood swings?"

Raven rolled her eyes at her daughter's joke. "Yes, among other things. I craved nothing but pickles for a whole DAY because of you."

Ben cringed at that. _'Oof, I can relate.'_

"Regardless, I knew that I had to leave." Raven continued. "I wasn't about to be Oz's guinea pig in his pointless battle any longer. But, like I said, I was still pregnant with you at the time." She tightened her fists slightly, the memory of years past flooding back to her. "A part of me considered running away anyway and having you back with the tribe, but… I couldn't do it. Mine and Qrow's childhood in the tribe was basically hell, and I didn't want to put another through that. So, I waited. I gave birth to you and after several days, I was finally able to force myself to leave."

Yang's brows furrowed in curiosity. "Wait… what?"

"Yes, I had to spend several days in recovery… and I even held you in my arms in that time. To be honest though, that made what came next all that much harder to do." Raven gazed right into her daughter's eyes, and Yang was shocked to see how serious she was. But, behind her crimson eyes, Yang could see something else; sadness. Raven didn't show it outwardly, but Yang could see it plain as day. "Yang, I am well aware that you probably do not see me as your real mother. Hell, Summer was probably a better mother than I ever could have been. But… for every difficult decision that I have ever had to make, leaving you and your father was one of the hardest. And even then, I couldn't completely stay away. I would occasionally drop in and check on you, just to see how much you'd grown. I wasn't easy to spot, but I WAS watching over you."

"Lemme guess, the bird thing?" Yang got a nod from her mother as her answer. "Yeah, I figured. But… if you really WERE watching over me, why didn't you ever just pop in to say hi or whatever?"

Raven took another brief pause before continuing. "I wanted to wait until you were old enough to understand. Learning that your mother comes from a tribe of killers isn't exactly something that an innocent little girl should know about. I knew that your father could give you a life that I never could, so I kept my distance." The tribe leader waved her hand in exasperation. "And then there would have to be a whole big explanation to your little sister about who I was and how you really _aren't_ Summer's first child."

Yang grimaced at that. "Oh, yeah. I still gotta break THAT news to her."

"In all honesty, I think she may already suspect. That girl is very perceptive of things. I know for a FACT that she gets that from her mother." With a little hesitancy, Raven placed a hand on Yang's shoulder, and she was relieved when her daughter didn't object. "Yang, I know that I didn't leave for the most noble reasons. I hated Oz and his unwinnable war so much that I left you and your father, and you have every right to be angry with me about that." She took in a shaky breath before going on. "But you're still my daughter, Yang. And nothing will change my mind about that." Raven took her hand off of her daughter's shoulder and turned her head to a nearby wall. "Well, go on ahead. I'm ready for whatever you have to say about me."

There was a very long moment of silence after that, with Raven gazing at the wall while Yang was still letting all this information settle in. Ben meanwhile simply kept quiet, not wanting to get in the middle of the ladies' personal business. Finally, after about ten seconds, Yang spoke up; "You know… for the past couple of weeks, I've been hearing a certain combination of words be thrown around a lot. And it basically goes like this: "We can't change our pasts, so let's look to the future". Cheesy, I know, but honestly, that's really all we can do at this point." Yang's words had attracted Raven's attention once more, and the tribe leader was shocked to come face to face with a confident smile. "With all that outta the way, let's get to the next obvious question; Why are you back?"

Raven blinked twice in surprise. "I… don't understand. Isn't there… _anything_ you wish to berate me about? You could call me a bad mother to my face right now! You must have eighteen years' worth of pent up anger at what I've done, haven't you?!"

"Oh, I've got LOTS of nasty shit that I wanna say to you." Yang confirmed. "And trust me, you'll be hearing a ton of stuff from me after all this is over. But right now, that's not what I'm doing. Right now, I'm just hearing you out. So I'll ask again; why are you back?"

After a few seconds of remaining astonished at her daughter's words, a small grin slowly worked its way onto Raven's face. "Hmm, well, I'm glad that you're not about to let me off that easy, young lady. I wouldn't expect any daughter of mine to go soft on me. But the reasons for my return are two-fold. First and foremost; you. Yang, now that you've grown, you deserve the answers that you've been wanting to hear." Raven laced her fingers together and rested her hand on her right knee. "Also… I was hoping to get to know you better. Maybe… I don't know… bond?"

Yang sent her mother a smirk. "See? Now was that so hard to say?"

' _Ooh, a snarky one, is she?'_ Raven returned the smirk. "Hey, I'm still new to this. I'm going to have some fumbles."

"Yeah, I've got a feeling that you will." Yang crossed her arms, quirking an eyebrow at her mother. "And the second reason?"

"Well… you see…"

"It's Ben, isn't it?"

Ben's eyes widened when Yang mentioned him. "Whoa, whoa, WHOA, since when did _I_ become part of this conversation again?!"

Raven let out a small chuckle as she eyed her daughter. "Nothing gets past you, does it, kiddo?" The tribe leader's eyes settled onto Ben again. "But yes, I've been observing you, Ben and your team for the past week now, and I've got to say, I'm impressed by how far you all have come and how strong you've gotten. Though I have to say, I'm _very_ intrigued by the Omnitrix."

Ben narrowed his eyes at the woman. "And let me guess, you wanna steal it, right?"

"Hmm, jumping to conclusions, are we?" Raven asked with an unimpressed face. "Perhaps you aren't as sharp as I thought. No, I don't want to steal your watch." She began listing off the reasons on her fingers. "For one, I wouldn't know how to work it anyway, and secondly, that would leave me wide open for Salem to take it for herself. It's a self-defeating plan."

Ben blinked in surprise before turning back to Yang, who could only offer a shrug. "Well… she's kinda got a point there, Green Boy." she nudged her head in her mother's direction. "Maybe it'd be best to just, ya know, let her explain?"

"Sorry." Ben bowed his head. "It's just I've been through the whole "people come to steal the Omnitrix" situation for a long time now. I'm pretty much on the lookout all the time because of it." The hero craned his head back to Raven. "So, if you're not here to take the Omnitrix, what ARE you here for?"

Raven tapped the side of her head. "Think about it, _Green Boy_." Ben shivered at Raven's use of the nickname, while Yang gave her mother a warning glare. "Hehe, I knew that'd happen. Anyway, if I left because I thought Oz's little secret war couldn't be won, take a guess as to why I've shown my face again."

Yang's eyes widened as the revelation dawned on her. "Wait, so you think that WE have a chance of beating Salem?"

"Presently? No." Raven put bluntly. "But the potential IS there. Like I said, you have all become much stronger since Ben and his compatriots came here." She quirked a brow over to the Omnitrix bearer. "After all, you have a very interesting talent in banding people together."

Ben rubbed the back of his head. "Hey, I'm a superhero. It's kind of our thing."

"I see." Raven shook her head before facing her daughter again. "But regardless, you all are still not strong enough to take Salem head on. Your team must become stronger, otherwise Salem will mop the floor with you." A smirk came to her face. "And that's where I come in."

Yang's eyes widened. "Wait… you want to _train_ us?!"

"Athena Nikos is quite the capable Huntress, I'll give her that." Raven admitted. "But you need to be willing to go further. I know many advanced fighting techniques that will benefit you in your fight against Salem. I'd be more than willing to teach them to you… that is, if you will allow me." Raven extended her right hand to her daughter, silently hoping that Yang would accept it. "What do you say?"

Yang stared at the hand for a while, taken aback by everything that was happening. She shared a glance with Ben, though he could only tilt his head. "Hey, she's offering. Why not take a shot?" The hero shrugged. "It's your choice to make, Goldie Locks."

The blonde nodded to her boyfriend before gazing into her mother's eyes again. "No tricks?"

"None, I swear it."

Yang pondered further for a moment before offering her left hand. "…Before I accept your offer, I want more questions answered. If you truly want to come back into my life, you have to earn my trust. Are we clear?"

Raven smiled and lowered her right hand, raising her left hand instead to agree to Yang's terms. "You certainly know how to wheel and deal, don't you, dear?"

"Now where do you think I got _that_ from?" Yang countered as the two ladies shook hands. "So, I guess it's a deal?"

"Yes, it is." Raven agreed. "I'll tell you everything you want to know… although, something tells me that this isn't the best day to tell you everything, now is it?" Yang cocked her head to the side in confusion, which Raven deadpanned at. "Uh, did you just completely forget about your sister's birthday?"

Yang's eyes nearly bugged out of her head and she let out a yell. "AH! My present! I can't believe I forgot!" The Blonde Brawler ran over to the closet and began sorting through the multiple cleaning supplies, searching for her gift. Finally, she pulled something out; a small, neatly wrapped box in rose-pattern wrapping. "Ha! I knew Ruby wouldn't find you!" However, her face fell in disappointment before turning back to her mother. "You're right. I _am_ busy today. …I'm sorry mom, but Ruby's birthday comes first."

"I understand." Raven stepped forward and placed her hand on Yang's shoulder again. "She IS your sister after all," her eyes shifted to the side, "even if she isn't _my_ daughter."

"…Yeah." Yang cringed at that. "I guess you're upset at that, huh?"

"A little, yes." Raven conceded. "But in a way, it's my own fault, now isn't it? If I hadn't left, then Tai wouldn't have fallen for Summer and they would never have had Ruby." The tribe leader crossed her arms, her eyes still glancing away. "But, like you said, the past is in the past. Nothing much I can do about it now."

Suddenly, Yang got an idea. "Well… it might be a long shot, but—"

"No."

Yang pursed her lips in irritation. "You didn't even let me finish."

"I know what you're about to say, Yang." Raven assured. "You want me to try and be Ruby's stepmom. Well I'm afraid it's not that simple. I know why Tai went to Summer after I left, but just because she's gone doesn't mean I'm instantly over it." A thought passed by in Raven's head; _'In fact if we didn't NEED her, I couldn't care less about the girl.'_ She shooed the thought away before going on. "I need to speak with your father about all of this first. He and I have some issues to work out ourselves."

"Okay, then what?" Yang furrowed her brows. "Ruby and I are a package deal."

"…I'll see if I can at least tolerate her."

"Well, that's better than nothing… I guess." As annoyed as she was by her mother's behavior, Yang still found it in her to give the woman a smile. "You know, it may not be as bad as you think. Ruby might not be as wild as us, but she's every bit of a Xiao Long that dad and I am."

Raven found herself amused by her daughter's words. "Really? Well then, the question is would she be able to be a good Branwen as well?"

The blonde thought about it for a moment before giving an answer. "Well, does being mentored by Qrow count?"

A sly grin worked its way to Raven's face and she rolled her eyes. "Hey, so long as she doesn't chug twelve bottles of liquor a day, she'd be alright with me."

"Ugh, don't remind me." Yang groaned. "I'm still trying to get him to lighten up on the alcohol."

"Heh, good luck with that." Raven chuckled before making another offer. "Say, you're free tomorrow, right?"

"Uh, as far as I know, yes."

"Why don't we meet up at one of the local joints?" The tribe leader suggested. "What better way for us to talk about everything?" She pointed over to Ben. "Hell, you can even bring your boyfriend with you. It'll be fun."

The powerful couple's eyebrows simultaneously shot up in surprise, the duo completely shocked that Raven would make such an offer. "Wait, seriously?" Ben asked. "YOU want ME to join you for… _lunch_?"

"Why yes, how else am I going to judge you?" Raven clarified. "Any boy who dates anyone's daughter must prove to both parents that they can be trusted, right? You may have won Tai's trust…" she narrowed her eyes at the hero. "But I will not be so easy to win over."

"Oh… joy." Ben facepalmed. "I'm going to be judged by a woman who can probably snap my neck."

"Define "probably"." Raven quipped before picking up her mask from the couch, turning to her daughter one final time before she departed. "So, see you tomorrow?" she asked with a grin.

Yang returned the gesture and made a finger gun to her mother. "Yep, and smoothies are on you!"

Ben's smile returned at the prospect. "Ooh, count me in on that!"

Raven sighed as she moved back around, grabbing the handle of her sword as she did. "If you say so." With a single swipe, Raven unsheathed her sword and slashed a portal into existence, much to the couple's shock. The black-haired woman gave the two a smirk. "You kids like my Semblance, I take it?"

"So THAT'S how you got in here!" Yang shouted.

"Kind of, but it's a bit more complicated than that." Raven clarified. "I had to wait until you arrived before I could come here. You see, I can only make portals that lead to people I have a bond with…" Raven winked over to Yang. "And guess what that means?"

Yang's lips parted in surprise before reforming into a smile, the blonde placing her hands on her hips once more. "Gee, I'm flattered."

"I knew you would be. I'll see you tomorrow, Yang." But just as she was about to leave, a certain thought came into Raven's mind, one that she had been pondering on since last night. "Oh, but before I go, I've got a question of my own."

Yang shrugged, giving her the go ahead. "Alright then, shoot."

"Last night, I had managed to catch a little bit of that game you two were playing." Raven explained. "But I've just been really confused since I saw it. What game has you play as a bat Faunus dressed in leather where you face off against a psychotic mime? It makes no sense!"

As much as Yang was shocked that her mother was spying on her and her boyfriend, she couldn't contain her laughter from what her mother had just said. "AHAHAHA!" Yang doubled over, with Ben joining her soon after. As the two supported each other through their laughing fit, Raven simply stood there, confused at what they were laughing about. Once Yang was able to calm down, she tried clarifying things to her mother; "Hahaha, m-mom, that's NOT what the game's about.

"It's actually a video game from my world." Ben added. "It's about this superhero named Batman and the plot revolves around him being trapped in an asylum with his worst enemies. And the "mime" is actually the Joker, his arch nemesis."

"Ah, I see." Raven nodded. "Well, your world is quite the strange one, Tennyson. But then again, it must be a world that doesn't have Grimm, so it couldn't be ALL bad."

"You'd be surprised." Ben countered. "Between the constant alien threats and Earth-based supervillains, it's pretty chaotic."

"Hmm, if you insist." Raven turned back to the portal and began to make her way to it. "Still, you should thank your lucky stars that nothing as terrible as the Grimm are infesting your world. I'll be seeing you two tomorrow around noon."

"Count on it." Yang concurred as her mother stepped through the portal, leaving Ben and Yang alone in the break room. When Raven left, Yang felt her legs give out from under her and she collapsed onto the sofa, her mind going through what had just happened. "I just met my mom for the first time in my life."

"Yep." Ben said.

"We had a full-blown conversation."

"Uh-huh."

"And we're meeting her tomorrow… for LUNCH?!"

"I know. Crazy, right?" Ben went over and gently put his arms around her in an attempt to calm her down. "Sweetheart, I know that this has been a pretty weird morning for you. Whaddya say we skip out on training today and just head back to the house. Heck, maybe we can make it back before your sister wakes up and then we can surprise her!"

There was a small moment of silence before Yang reached up and grasped Ben's hand in her own, giving him a smile as she shifted herself around in his embrace. "Yeah, let's go. Can't be standin' around like this all day, we've got work to do!" She gave him a surprise peck on the lips before rushing out the door. "Race you to Bumblebee!"

Ben laughed and rushed after her, shouting out; "Hehe, hey! No fair!"

However, unbeknownst to the couple, a new figure appeared in the room as they left, a flash of light signaling their arrival. Having heard the entire conversation, the figure let out a hearty chuckle before pulling something out of his pocket; a small, golden watch on a chain. The figure opened it, briefly checking the time before closing it back up. "Well, wasn't THAT an interesting encounter? Perhaps it's time that _I_ stage one of my own."

* * *

Nora stood diligently outside of Ruby's bedroom door, keeping watchful eyes and ears open in case the Hooded Huntress stirred from her sleep. It hadn't been long since Max, Kevin and Rex had returned from their shopping trip, and everything down in the kitchen had gotten into full swing, even if Max was a little bummed by the choice in food. But, for all of the excitement going on downstairs, Nora resolved to stay in her spot, knowing that she was the only one who stood between Ruby and everyone else. Unfortunately, the Pink Dynamo was having trouble standing still, instead pacing up and down the hallway as she tried to keep her attention on Ruby's room. _'Ugh, how can something be so stressful but so boring at the same time?!'_ she wondered in her head. _'I hope this'll all be worth it in the end.'_

However, as she passed Ruby's room for the twentieth time, she heard a small yawn come from behind the door, followed by an excited yell; "AH! Happy Birthday, me!"

Nora's eyes bugged out in panic and she instantly rushed back downstairs and into the kitchen, where her sudden appearance gained everybody's attention. She frantically pointed to the stairs, attempting to articulate her message to her friends; "G-guys! R-R-Ruby!"

Jaune's eyes widened immediately, the bottle of pasta sauce he was holding falling onto the counter with a _thunk_. "Oh crap, she's awake!"

"What do we do now?" Pyrrha asked, her eyes shifting around to find a place to put the pasta she was working on. "We cannot possibly hide all of this!"

"That's where I come in!" Gwen stepped forward and pointed to the adults. "Grandpa, Athena, Winter and Holiday, keep working on the food, everyone else, go downstairs and prepare phase one of the surprise!" She then gestured to the Xiao Long patriarch. "Tai, come with me, we need to make sure that Ruby doesn't see this!"

Tai dropped what he was doing and followed the redhead up the stairs was the rest of the teens went downstairs. "Right, let's go." The two made their way to Ruby's room, silently stepping across the carpeted floor. They approached the door and put their ears to up to it, hearing the now-sixteen-year-old girl humming a little tune before talking to her dog;

"You ready for the greatest day ever, Zwei?!" The dog barked in response and Ruby giggled. "Hehe, alright, let's go!" The three began to hear footsteps coming and Gwen glanced over to Tai, nudging her head toward the door. Tai got the message and he gave the door a knock, which got Ruby's attention instantly. "Oh! Come in!"

Tai opened the door, greeting his daughter with a full smile. "There's my birthday girl!"

"Daddy!" Ruby met her father with a hug, the man more than happy to reciprocate.

"Haha! Happy Birthday, pumpkin." Tai pulled out of the hug and gave Ruby a wink. "So, you ready for your special day, or what?"

"Heck yes, I am!" Ruby jumped up and down in anticipation. "So, what're we doing first?!"

Gwen was quick to put her hand on the eager girl's shoulder, calming her down a little bit. "Whoa, slow your roll there, Ruby. Trust me, we've got lots of stuff planned today, but we've gotta wait for Ben and your sister to get back. That said…" the Anodite pulled her friend into a hug. "Happy Birthday, Miss Sweet Sixteen."

"Aw, thanks Gwen!" Ruby hugged back. "So, I guess Yang and Ben went to their usual training session, huh?" A sly grin came to her face. "You've gotta wonder if they're even training there anymore?"

Gwen rolled her eyes at the notion. "Heh, Blake brought up the same thing earlier, actually."

Tai crossed his arms with a skeptical face. "I certainly hope that they're training… for Ben's sake."

Gwen smirked at Tai with a quirked brow. "You know that he can probably kick your butt, right?"

"Oh, I'm well aware." Tai nodded. "But I can at least put the fear of God in him."

"Duly noted." Gwen faced Ruby again and grasped her hand. "Now come on, we've got something waiting for you downstairs! You're going to love it, believe me!"

Ruby gasped in excitement. "Really, already?! AH! Why didn't you say so? Let's go!" The Hooded Huntress grabbed both her father and Gwen by the wrists and led them back down the stairs, pulling them along at rapid rate. Once they had made it back down, Gwen took the lead and had Ruby follow her to the basement stairs. But as they came to them, Ruby noticed that something smelled really good, beginning to her way over to the kitchen instead. "Hey… are you guys cooking something?"

But Gwen wagged her finger at that. "Ah-ah-ah! Not yet." The redhead took her friend by the hand and led her back to the basement stairs, where Tai was waiting. "That comes later on. We'll be heading out to breakfast at Hestia's soon, so don't worry about food."

"Oh… okay?" Ruby slightly narrowed her gaze at Gwen in suspicion. _'What ARE you hiding, Gwen Tennyson?'_ But as Gwen opened the basement door, Ruby decided to just think about it later. The two girls and Xiao Long Patriarch made their way down the steps, with Ruby quickly noticing that all of the lights were off. "Uh, why's it dark in here?"

"You'll see…" Gwen made her way over to the light switch, flicking it on whilst yelling out; "NOW!"

The moment the lights came on there was a loud _POP_ , making Ruby jump a foot off the ground with a scream. She landed on her rear, but was surprised, and a little bit confused, when a bunch of streamers and confetti began falling down on her head. "Huh? What the…" But then she gasped when she craned her head up. There, right in front of her, were all of her friends, gathered together with party poppers in their hands. "Wh-wha…"

"SURPRISE!" They all shouted. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RUBY!"

A smile began to work its way back to Ruby's face as tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. "Oh, you guys! No way!"

Weiss came over and helped her best friend up. "Um, YES way! We weren't about to just pass up a chance to surprise you like this!" The heiress pulled Ruby into a hug, the tears beginning to fall from the girl's silver eyes. "Oh, Happy Birthday, partner. And Happy Sweet Sixteen!"

Ruby sniffled as she cried into her best friend's shoulder. "Th-thank you! And I'm sorry about what I'm doing to your dress!"

"Aw, it's okay. Tears come out easily." Weiss pulled away and gave her a wink. "This is YOUR day, you can cry if you want to."

Ruby chuckled as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Hehe, hey, I don't plan on crying for the whole day!"

"Better hope not!" Rex stepped forward with a thumbs up. "Because the day's just getting started—OOF!" Rex's eyes widened and he craned his head down to see Ruby hugging him, much to his shock. He glanced over to Weiss, hoping the heiress would have some idea of what to do. Weiss smiled at him before motioning with her arms to return the hug, which took him off guard a bit. But, resigning to his fate, he did so and let out a chuckle. "Hehe, _Feliz Cumpleaños_ , Ruby."

"So, I'm guessing that's how you say "Happy Birthday" in Spanish?" Ruby said as the hug ended. "Sounds kind of complicated to say."

"Eh, not really. Heck it's one of the basic sayings that schools teach in Spanish class." Rex shrugged. "But hey, to you guys, a lot of Earth languages will probably be a bit hard to learn."

Weiss raised a single eyebrow and shot Rex a narrow-eyed glance. _'We'll just see about that, Robo-dolt.'_

Blake, Sun and Neptune came over next, with the cat girl giving her teammate a hug. "Happy Birthday, Ruby. I'm really glad I could be here for this."

"Same here." Ruby reciprocated. "Hey, it's a lot better than being out in the middle of nowhere on someone's birthday, right?"

"Yeah, honestly, I'm really glad that I stayed." Blake ruffled Ruby's hair. "I've got a really great family here, you know?"

Much to Blake's surprise, Ruby booped her nose. "And don't you forget it, missy! My sister will have a fit if you do!"

Blake rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Hehe, ain't that the truth?" She looked behind her to Sun and Neptune, the boys standing silently while the two ladies spoke to each other. "Guys? I think you two are up next!"

Neptune was confused at her statement. "Uh… what're you—what the?!" He immediately got his answer when Ruby pulled both him and Sun into a double hug. Neptune blinked twice in surprise before a deadpan expression came to his face. "Well, I should've guessed. You're just gonna hug everyone here, aren't ya?"

"Yep!" Ruby joyfully replied. "And there's nothing that ANY of you can do about it!"

Neptune sighed and lightly returned the gesture, with Sun joining in as well. "Ah well, nothing can really stop you when you get goin', so Happy Birthday, Ruby."

"Yeah, Happy B-day, Rubes!" Sun agreed. "So, on a scale of one to ten, how excited were you while waiting for this day?"

Ruby gave the monkey boy a wink. "Considering that I've dreamed of turning sixteen since I was thirteen, you can probably guess which number."

"So… should I bump it up to an eleven?"

"Yes, you definitely should." Ruby's hug with the two ended and she spotted Kevin, the Osmosian hanging in the back hoping he wouldn't be noticed. But, unfortunate for him, no one escaped the silver-eyed gaze of Ruby Rose. She made a "come hither" motion to him with a smirk. "Oh Keeeviiin!" she sang, much to his dismay.

Kevin's back straightened up in panic and he began to deny Ruby's offer. "Oh no, I am NOT the touchy feely—oof!" He was cut off when Ruby forced her hug, a grumpy expression now forming onto Kevin's face. "Gah, you people and your soft emotions."

Gwen crossed her arms and smiled slyly to her boyfriend, a scolding tone latent in her voice. "Kevin Ethan Levin, it's her _birthday_. She can do whatever she feels like, and it'd mean a lot to her if you let her give you at least _one_ hug."

The Osmosian glanced down to Ruby, who was gazing up at him with pleading eyes and a pouting lower lip, putting in an extra quiver for good measure. Kevin sighed and gave in, pulling the girl into the hug. "Ugh, alright. Sheesh, do I look like the kinda guy who does the whole "hug" thing?"

"Well, you do it with Gwen." Ruby reminded.

"Yeah, but that's different." Kevin countered. "You know, considering that she's my girlfriend?"

A devious smirk appeared on Gwen's face. "Really? Then what about the time you were so happy about being back to your normal self that you hugged me, Ben AND Grandpa Max in your skivvies?"

Everyone in the room started laughing as Kevin's face became beet read, the raven-haired young man quick to hide his shame. "H-Hey! That was a special case, and you know it!"

"Sure, but it still counts!" Ruby giggled as she pulled out of the hug and went over to Team JNPR, giving all four of them hugs as well. Though predictably, Nora rushed over, super excited to get her hug. "Whoa! Haha! Okay, I'm usually the hugger in this situation!"

"Not today, you're not!" Nora retorted. "I figure that you deserve to BE hugged on your birthday instead of being the one who gives them out all the time!"

A smile worked its way onto Ren's face. "Say, that's a pretty good idea, Nora." The green ninja glanced over to Jaune and Pyrrha. "Well guys, what do you say? Sound like a plan?"

"Actually, yes. It is." Jaune concurred before all three moved over and joined in on Ruby and Nora's hug, making it into a group one.

Ruby couldn't help but laugh as Team JNPR circled around her in once big embrace. "Hahaha! Guys, I'm really flattered by all of this, but you really don't have to—"

"Ah-ah, it's your special day, birthday girl." Pyrrha chastised well-meaningly. "Today is all about good things happening to _you_. And by god, we're going to make sure that happens!"

"Yep, first it's going to be breakfast with my family." Jaune listed as the hug broke up. "Then next, we're off to the mall for the next surprise." He gave his friend a thumbs up. "Trust me, we're setting out to make this your best birthday ever!"

"Aw, that's really sweet, Jaune!" Ruby gave the blonde knight a quick side-hug before realizing what he had just said. "Wait, hold on a sec, this was only the FIRST surprise?!"

"You know it, sis!" A familiar voice gained everyone's attention, their heads craning over to the stairs. Just as they thought, standing there on the steps were Yang and Ben, the Blonde Brawler holding a small box under her arm. "And we've got plenty more of 'em to come as the day goes." She made her way to the bottom of the stairs and winked at her sister. "But you'll just have to wait and see."

"YANG!" In an instant, Ruby collided with her sister in probably the biggest hug ever. Yang was prepared for it though, remaining firmly in place even when Ruby tackled her. "There you are! I was wondering when you'd get back!"

"Well, here I am!" Yang returned the hug and kissed the top of her little sister's head. "Happy Birthday, Rubes. Ya made it sixteen years on this rock. How do ya feel?"

"Heh, like I could take on the world!" Ruby pumped her fists into the air. Just then, she caught sight of Ben as he made his way down the stairs, to which she immediately went over and gave him the final hug. "Ah! Don't think I forgot about you, Ben!"

"Haha! Well, I'm glad that you didn't." Ben chuckled as he happily reciprocated. "I'd hate to miss out on a hug. Besides, from what I hear, yours are some of the best around!"

Ruby giggled as she pulled away from him. "Well you heard right! So, how was your training session this morning?"

A brief flash of apprehension came and went from both Ben and Yang's faces, the memories from just a few minutes ago replaying in their heads. No one really took notice, the exception of course being Gwen, who immediately became skeptical at what Ben said next; "Oh, uh, we actually ended up cutting it shorter than we intended today. Besides, that's not exactly the real big reason why we went to the training ground in the first place."

Ruby tilted her head to the side. "Really? Well then, what DID you guys go there for?" Ben pointed over to Yang and Ruby faced her sister again, only to get a clear view of the present that she hadn't noticed before. The Hooded Huntress immediately became starry-eyed and a huge grin plastered itself onto her face. "AH! Present!" Just as Ruby surged forward to grab the gift, Yang rose her left hand, which still held onto the present, up into the air so that it was out of reach. She then put out her right hand and set it against her sister's head, stopping her in her tracks. But this was only a temporary setback for Ruby as she tried to push against her sister's strength, waving her arms frantically as she cried out in protest. "AAWWW! C'mon, Yang!" she pleaded. "Just a little peak?!"

"Nuh-uh, lil' sis." Yang shook her head. "Presents come later. It'll still be here after we get back from breakfast."

"Aw!" Ruby pouted and crossed her arms. "This surprise better be worth it."

"Oh, it WILL be, Rubes." Yang winked. "Trust me. But right now, we're all going to Hestia's for breakfast. I've rented out a special space for all of us, so we need to meet up with Jaune's family in about an hour or so."

Ruby's smile returned. "Well what're we waiting for then? Let's go!"

However, at that moment, something strange happened; a voice suddenly spoke up, though it belonged to no one in the room. _"An excellent question, Miss Rose."_ Everyone began searching the entire room for the source of the voice, with Yang and Tai in particular on high alert. There was an unknown voice coming from somewhere in their house, and that just wouldn't settle with them. The only ones who weren't searching were Ben, Gwen, Kevin and Rex, who had all been stunned into silence. _"Though I suppose in my case, I don't exactly HAVE to wait for whatever it is to happen"_ the voice continued. _"Time travel is a bit odd in that sense, I suppose."_

"Hold on a sec!" Ben exclaimed. "I know that cryptic way of speaking anywhere!"

" _As sharp as ever, aren't you Ben?"_ A bright flash of light shined near the stairs, with everyone talking a step back in surprise. The light died down and revealed a man in his early fifties, a soft smile gracing his aged features. He had neatly kept black hair, grey eyes, and a pair of green goggles around his neck, though the feature that everyone noticed first was his white lab coat. Beneath this coat, he wore a white dress shirt beneath a brown vest, complete with a black tie. On his lower half were a pair of black pants with matching shoes, the footwear neatly shined. He focused in on the Alien Trio and Rex, giving them a wave. "Ah, what a sight to see some familiar faces!"

Ben, Gwen and Kevin could only stare on in shock. "Professor—"

But before the three could finish their exclamation, Tai went over and grabbed the "Professor" by the collar, shoving him up against the wall for good measure. With a snarl on his face, Tai made a powerful demand; "Listen here, buddy, I've got no idea who you are or HOW you got into my home, but if you were wise, you'll get the HELL outta my house! Understand?!"

"My, my, such a protective father." the Professor commended. "Highly respectable. Now, would you be so kind as to loosen your grip? This jacket IS over five-thousand years old, and I'd hate for anything to happen to it."

Tai was dumbfounded by the statement, blinking in shock. "W-wait, wha-huh?!" The moment he blinked, the Professor was gone, leaving Tai holding nothing but air. "What the hell?! How did—Where did he—I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!"

"Questions that I'd be happy to answer for you." the Professor said, causing everyone to let out a simultaneous gasp. He was now on the other side of the room, his hands in his pockets as he smiled casually at everyone there. "That is, of course, if we're all able to act like decent human beings. I must say though, the people of this dimension are quite fond of conflict from what I've observed."

"AND HOW!" Nora took out Magnhild and shifted it into its hammer mode, pointing it straight at the Professor. "Now start talkin', brainiac. Who are you?!"

"Ah, case in point. Fortunately, I have an easy solution." The Professor took out a small brown sack out of his coat pocket and took out a colorful sphere, offering it to Nora instantly. "Gumball?"

Nora's eyes brightened up and he immediately took the gumball. "Ooh! Don't mind if I do!" She popped it into her mouth and began chewing, jittering a little when she got to the flavorful center. "MmMm! Strawberry! My favorite!"

Jaune's eye twitched and he facepalmed in disbelief. "Our team's powerhouse… was bested by a GUMBALL?!"

"Honestly, not too surprised." Ren admitted. "She may be my friend, but even _I_ have to admit, I kinda saw that coming."

Finally, Ben had enough and he stepped forward raising his hands to get everyone's attention. "Alright everyone, stop! There's absolutely nothing to worry about!" The hero gestured to the Professor. "Guys, this is Professor _Paradox_. You know, the guy that I kept mentioning to you all for the past couple of weeks? The guy who I was HOPING would come to save us?"

Weiss snapped her fingers as the recollected the memory. "Oh yeah! Rex mentioned that he met up with him when he first came to Ben's world too!" The heiress faced the EVO for confirmation. "Isn't that right?"

"Sure is!" Rex nodded before going over to Paradox and giving him a fist bump. "Yo, Professor P, good to see ya! I was wonderin' when you were gonna drop in for a visit."

Kevin simply crossed his arms. "Well I'm wonderin' why ya didn't drop in sooner. At least SOME signs of rescue woulda been nice, ya know?" The Osmosian got elbowed in the side by Gwen for his rude words. "OW!"

Paradox chose to ignore Kevin for now, instead talking to Rex. "Haha, well, when Caesar told me that you were in the world of Remnant, I felt like such an utter fool!" Paradox lightly smacked the side of his head. "If it were a frog, it would have jumped at me!" The time-traveler faced Ben with a guilty grin. "I apologize for not coming straight away, Ben, but if I had searched the entire multiverse for you all, it might have taken eons. So, we decided on a more direct approach."

"Hey, it's no problem, Professor." Ben waved off. "In fact, I'm actually kind of glad that you didn't arrive instantly." He spread his arms out. "Otherwise, we wouldn't have met these guys."

"Yes, quite. Although I hear that you are quite fond of one in particular…" Paradox craned his head over and settled his gaze onto Yang, offering a kind smile. "You must be Yang Xiao Long, correct?"

"Uh, yeah. I am." Yang answered. "So let me see if I got this straight; you can travel through time AND hop across dimensions? Also… how do you know my name?"

"Hah, all excellent inquiries." Paradox chuckled. "Yes, I am able to travel through time and space. Though more specifically, I have a very deep understanding of the space-time continuum, which allows me to manipulate time to my advantage, within reason, that is. As such, when I heard that Ben was in Remnant, I took a quick jaunt around this multiverse for a refresher. It had been some time since I was last here after all. THAT is how I know your name." The professor gestured around the room. "In fact, I know ALL of your names! Quite the pleasure to meet you all… though we could have already met in the future, it escapes me at the moment."

There was one part of the professor's statement that had caught Ben's attention. "Wait, hold on. You've been here before, Professor?"

"Well, not to THIS version of Remnant, but rather, a _different_ Remnant." Paradox clarified. "But like I said, that was a VERY long time ago."

Ruby pointed to Paradox with a grin. "So wait, if what you say is true, then that means that you can basically be here talking to us, but hypothetically be in an alternate Remnant or in Ben's world at the same time?"

"Exactly!" Paradox pointed back. "You are very quick on the uptake, Miss Rose. Very impressive."

"Traveling through time "within reason"?" Blake pondered before remembering something that Holiday had once said; "Oh yeah, Doctor Holiday told us that you're barred from going certain places. By an alien race called… Celestialsapiens, I think it was?"

"Correct, young Blake." Paradox continued. "The Celestialsapiens and I are not on the best of terms, not after a bit too much meddling in universal affairs during my early days of being a time traveling hero." Paradox took out his pocket watch and checked the time. "Of course, I had made many mistakes in that time, and I have since learned from those errors." He glanced back up, though his eyes were trained onto Ben. "Of course, that doesn't prevent others from tampering with time and how things are to play out, now is it?"

Ben seemed to be clueless on the whole thing, but Gwen was rather quick on the uptake, smacking her forehead in exasperation. "Oh, for god's sake. Ugh, what'd we do THIS time?"

His smile unwavering, Paradox put his watch back into his pocket before going on. "I would like to tell you, but I fear for how they will react to the information." The time-traveler motioned around the room again to Teams RWBY, JNPR and SN. "After all, their minds are only just beginning to comprehend the existence of parallel dimensions. If I told them of the fates of their main timeline counterparts, well… I do not know if they'll be able to handle the truth."

Jaune gave the professor a confused look. "Wait, what do you mean by _main_ timeline?"

"I am very glad that you asked." Paradox stepped over to the right, and instantaneously, everyone in the basement had been transported out onto the front lawn, much to their shock. Paradox could only smile at their reactions. "Neat little trick, isn't it?"

"B-b-b-but, we were just INSIDE!" Neptune stammered in disbelief.

"How… HOW did you do that?!" Sun shouted.

"It is as I said, I am able to walk through time." Paradox clarified. "And I am able to bring anyone with me to anywhere or any _when_ I want." He wagged his finger at the two. "Try to keep up, boys, because we're getting off-topic." The professor focused back onto Jaune again. "Now, back to what you asked about main timelines. They are where the true events, or "canon" as you kids these days put it, happen. However, they are also where the alternate timelines can stem from." Paradox put a hand on a nearby tree. "Take this maple tree for example. The trunk is where the main timeline of events is, and the branches signify where all of the alternate timelines are. And the smaller stems on the branches? Even more possible outcomes! And, well, if you ask me, these many branches are where the _real_ interesting things happen."

With a worried face, Ruby spoke up again. "So… you're saying that not everything's all that great in the main timeline?"

"That is dependent on one's viewpoint, Miss Rose." Paradox gazed up to the very top of the tree. "Every universe has a beginning and end, but the story of your battle with Salem is only just beginning. However, no story is without its tragic turns." He wore a solemn face as he focused back on the group of teens. "And I am afraid that your main timeline has many of them already. Victories as well, yes, but I am uncertain you would like to hear the fates of your counterparts."

Surprisingly, it was Pyrrha who stepped forward. "Professor, if I may. Over these past two weeks, we've been fighting against interdimensional supervillains and criminals, as well as battling the forces of Salem and her followers. We're Hunters in training, so please, it would be wise not to take us lightly. We'll be able to handle whatever fate befell our alternate selves."

After a momentary silence, Paradox spoke up with hesitancy. "Are you quite certain of this, Miss Nikos? Because I have a feeling that you might not like what I have to say about your alternate counterpart's ultimate fate."

Pyrrha shut her eyes tight and took in a deep breath, preparing herself for what she expected to hear. "Professor, I have a feeling that I already know. You do not have to hide it from me."

Paradox closed his eyes solemnly. "I am sorry, my dear. But I am afraid that if Ben and Gwen hadn't saved you, you would have not made it out of the Battle for Beacon."

The entire group gasped in shock, with Jaune running over to her and holding Pyrrha close as she silently began to tear up. "But WHY?! Why does Pyrrha have to die in ANY timeline?!"

"Rest assured, Jaune, there are MANY timelines where Pyrrha lives." Paradox said in an attempt to calm the blonde knight down. "But in many others, her death serves as the catalyst for several future events. Events of which I cannot disclose here." The professor waved his hand over to Ben. "In this universe's case however, Ben, Gwen and Kevin's arrival served to be the new catalyst instead, which meant that saving Pyrrha was an appropriate counterbalance."

After much hesitancy, Yang stepped forward, raising her right arm up. "Okay then, what about me? Adam was gonna cut my arm off… so, if Ben wasn't there to save me, would that mean…"

"Yes, unfortunately, that would have been the case, Yang." Paradox confirmed. "Without Ben's timely arrival, you would have lost that arm… and what's more, you wouldn't have been conscious to talk sense into Blake. Meaning…"

"I would've run away." Blake finished sadly, her ears folding down as she shifted her gaze away.

"Yes, Blake, you would have." Paradox sent her a reassuring smile. "Fortunately for you, you have many friends here, including three very caring teammates who I'm sure are happy to call you their sister."

As if on cue, Ruby, Yang and Weiss all came in and hugged Blake, making the cat girl blush deeply. "Hehe, okay, I get it. One big happy family, now can we get back to all the metaphysical stuff? Because this is just starting to get interesting."

"Totally!" Sun exclaimed. "So what happened to me?"

"And me too!" Neptune added. "If we didn't stay in Vale, did we just go back to Haven like we were supposed to?"

"Ultimately, yes." Paradox answered. "At least, you and your teammates did, Neptune." The professor quirked an eyebrow in Sun's direction. "Sun, on the other hand, would have gone searching for Blake, thinking that she was going to take the fight to the White Fang, only to discover that wasn't the case at all."

Sun's eyes widened in shock. "Seriously? Man… am I a creep in that timeline?"

Paradox raised a defensive hand. "Not at all, my boy. You had the best intentions in mind…" He smirked over to Blake. "Even if that timeline's Blake thought otherwise."

Blake rolled her eyes and went over to Sun, giving him a nudge. "Well something tells me that I've still got some stuff to work out in the main timeline, huh?" She linked her arm with Sun's and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "It's alright, Sun. I don't think you're a creep."

"Heh, thanks, I'm glad you think so." Sun chuckled before shifting his gaze over to Neptune. "Hey, uh… sorry about—"

But Neptune gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Hey, no need to apologize for something another version of you did, dude. Besides, I get why ya would've done it."

Weiss shot an inquisitive stare at Paradox, her curiosity getting the best of her. "Alright, so what would've happened to ME if Ben and the others hadn't arrived?"

"Well, your father WOULD have come back to get you." Paradox explained. "However, in that scenario, the Cross Continental Transmit System would've, in fact, been taken down by the Grimm Dragon. Meaning that he wouldn't have given any forewarning before his arrival, which in turn meant that he could bring you back to Atlas by force."

Wiess grimaced and made a disgusted sound. "UGH! Well then, I'm glad _I'm_ not the main timeline Weiss right now. …You know, I JUST realized how weird that sounded."

"Well, you technically _are_ her." Paradox clarified. "But at the same time, you aren't anymore. You ARE still you at the end of the day, after all."

Over near Team JNPR, Nora's eyes were spinning at all of the metaphysical talk going on, so much so that her hands went to her head. Still, that didn't stop her from continuing to chew on her gumball. "GAH! All this time travel and alternate universe stuff is starting to give me a headache!"

"Yeah, this is starting to get a bit out of hand." Ruby concurred before facing Paradox. "But one last thing…"

"You wish to know about yourself, don't you?" Paradox asked, receiving a nod from the Hooded Huntress in response. "Hmm, that's where things get a bit dower. You would have went off in search of answers after Beacon fell, with Jaune, Nora and Ren following along to help you. Though I cannot disclose the details to you on what you found, unfortunately. Those events are still yet to happen, of course."

"So you're not about to spoil what happens in the future?"

"There ARE rules, my dear Ruby." Paradox apologized. "And unfortunately, I cannot let you in on anything that you aren't supposed to. I'm sorry, but—"

"Hold the phone!" Nora spoke up again before thoughtfully chewing on her gumball. "If we had all gone off to search for answers…" She pointed over to Ruby, "and if Ruby joined us for a little while…" she tapped her chin in thought, "then that means that we would've been Team…" Nora began to blow a large pink bubble, which soon popped and spread over her face. Her eyes widened and she pointed a finger to the sky. "JNRR!"

Everyone stared at her incredulously as she belted out the word "Junior", though Ren was quick to point something out. "Wait, Nora, if WE would've been the ones going to help Ruby, wouldn't that mean that SHE would have been the leader? It'd only be logical for us to be called RNJR, if that's the case." He pronounced it as "Ranger", which many of the teens silently admitted was a slightly better name.

"Well, there would be MORE members of Team JNPR in that group." Nora reasons. "Which means that Fearless Leader should get top billing!"

"H-Hey!" Jaune interjected. "I don't care WHO gets top billing in that! Besides, isn't this discussion kinda pointless since none of this ended up happening anyway?"

"Not in THIS universe at least." Pyrrha added.

As Ren and Nora continued to vouch for their name choices, Paradox smile and whispered to Ruby; "Well, I suppose I can let you in on a little fact; this argument would have taken place regardless of what happened."

Ruby burst out laughing at that. "Hahaha! Okay, _that's_ great!"

Finally, the Alien stepped forward again, with Yang and Rex joining them as well. "So Professor, what DID you come here for in the first place?" Ben questioned. "It's not exactly like you to come in unannounced without SOME reason."

"Ben's got a good point." Gwen agreed. "Are you here to take us back home early?"

Paradox waved his hand in denial. "Oh no, no, no, of course not. Caesar and the others are working on that as we speak. Besides, if I whisk you away now, there will still be many unresolved matters here."

"'Kay, then why ARE you here, Prof?" Rex pressed further.

"It's like I just said, Rex. You all still have many trials to face before you can come home, and they will be FAR from easy." The professor took out his pocket watch again. " _Time_ is of the essence here, so I came to give all of you a warning."

"Yeah, well we kinda know about all this already." Yang placed her hands on her hips. "Between alien criminals and Salem's forces, we've been pretty busy for the past couple weeks."

"Oh, I'm not just talking about that, Yang." Paradox said with dire seriousness in his voice. "There are far more things going on than you realize, and not all of them are happening in Vale. There is a storm coming, my friends, and I suggest you all prepare for it."

"Well, that's just great." Kevin crossed his arms defiantly. "Any more cryptic hints?"

"Actually, yes." Paradox smiled and turned to Ruby one final time, giving her a knowing wink. "Ruby, while I cannot tell you anything major about your future, there is still something that I DO have for you… a birthday present."

Ruby gasped as a big grin came to her face. "AH! Really?! Oh, you didn't have to! I mean, we just met and…"

"Oh nonsense, this is a special day, after all. However, my gift to you is one that you'll have to find yourself, if you are willing to follow my little hint. I've even set it into the form of a rhyme to make things a bit more interesting."

"Oh, I LOVE rhymes!" Ruby exclaimed eagerly. "I'm ready for your hint, Professor, let's do this!"

Yang placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Rubes, are you sure about that? I mean, finding a gift via a hint? Don't you think this could end up as just one big wild goose chase?"

"Aw, c'mon sis, it couldn't hurt to at least _hear_ the hint!" Ruby gave her sister a reassuring side hug. "Besides, it could be a fun thing for us to do later today!"

On the outside, Yang kept a straight face, but on the inside, she was very conflicted. _'Yeah, but your big party's later today too. …Still, it IS your special day, so you've got final say in this, I guess.'_ Yang sighed and relented, giving her sister a soft smile. "Okay, Ruby. It's your birthday, so have at it. Let's see where this hint gets us."

"Alright!" Ruby cheered before going back to Paradox. "Lay it on us, Professor!"

"Very good! I was hoping that'd be the case." The professor pointed a finger at Ruby. "But I will only say my hint once, so keep it in mind alright?" Ruby nodded and she gave him her utmost concentration, showing to him that she was ready. "Very good, here it is. Ahem, "A missing soul wanders alone, searching for what once was its home. And on Halloween night, you will put up a fight, to help end its continuous roam. If you know where to look, and you search every nook, you should find it no problem, you see. With magic and science, you will stand in defiance, and reunited, you all soon shall be"."

Everyone stared at Paradox, dumbfounded by the rhyme he had just told them. Though the one in most disbelief was Ben, who couldn't believe at the style choice for the hint. "Let me get this straight, Professor; you expect us to go on a giant scavenger hunt for one single present, with nothing to go on but a vague hint… in the form of a freakin' LIMERICK?!"

"Indeed." Paradox waved. "Ta-ta for now!" With that, he disappeared in a bright flash of light, much to the others shock.

"Wait, Professor!" Ben shouted, only to be disappointed as the man disappeared. "Aw, man! Seriously?! That's ALL that we're getting to go on?"

"I have to admit, that's kind of a lousy hint." Weiss conceded.

"I certainly didn't get it." Blake shrugged before glancing over to the birthday girl. "What about you, Ruby? Did Paradox's hint make any sense to you?"

"I… I'm not too sure." Ruby put a finger to her chin in contemplation. "I mean, I feel like I _should_ know, but… I just can't put my finger on it." She began to pace back and forth, thinking over what the professor had said. "A wandering soul… standing in defiance with magic and science… a reunion… and fighting on Halloween night. Well, that's _obviously_ tonight, but the rest of the poem just baffles me."

Suddenly, the Omnitrix began to beep loudly causing Ben to lift it up and inspect it. "Oh jeez, I think I know what this is." The hero activated the holographic clock function and the time sprang up, allowing everyone to see that is was currently nine o'clock. "Yep, like I figured. Guys, we've got about half an hour before we gotta meet up with the Arcs for breakfast."

"Oh shoot!" Yang exclaimed, lifting her arms up to get everyone's attention. "Okay guys, we've gotta get movin'! Let's all head outside and—"

"Uh, hon?" Tai spoke up. "We were all transported outside by the Professor already, remember?"

Yang's eyes nearly bugged out of her head in realization. "Oh, yeah, right… well we'll just skip that step!" She pointed over to the nearby vehicles with haste. "C'mon guys, let's roll!"

With the Blonde Brawler's word, the group began making their way toward the vehicles, with Pyrrha making a quick trip inside to tell her mother and the other adults that they were leaving. However, as she got into the back of Kevin's car, Ruby couldn't help but continue to ponder over the rhyming riddle that Professor Paradox had left her. She could feel the answer at the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn't place it. _'It's right there! I KNOW it is!'_ Ruby shook herself out of her thoughts, resolving to mull over it later. "Well, maybe if I get some food in me, then I'll be able to think clearer." As if on cue, her stomach let out a loud growl, which got the attention of everyone in the car. "Hehe, well, I guess that answers that."

Gwen smiled back and winked at the Hooded Huntress. "Don't worry Ruby, we'll get some food in ya! And then, we're going to treat you to the best birthday ever!"

Ruby smiled back, touched by what her friends were setting out to do. "Hey, as long as I'm with you guys, it's already the best birthday ever! Now let's roll, everyone's starvin'!"

* * *

**A/N: And so ends another chapter. Won't lie, I LOVED writing Professor Paradox's lesson on metaphysics. Multiversal discussion has always been a fascinating subject to me, so I knew that when I brought Paradox in, there would be some discussion on just how much Ben and the other's arrival changed the course of events for Remnant. But of course, that's not the only big reunion that happened, now is it? Yes, Raven has finally met up with both Yang and Ben. And it seems that the initial meeting's gone over pretty smooth, though there ARE still a few unresolved issues between Yang and her mother. But of course, we'll be here to see them iron out the kinks. Though what's more pressing at the moment is Paradox's riddle. What could it mean? Well, keep an eye on "Ruby's Haunted Birthday" arc to find out!**

**But for now, NEXT TIME! When breakfast with the Arcs comes and goes, the group separates, with Yang, Ben and a few others going back to the house to prepare for guests, while Blake, Ruby, and some of the Arc Siblings head over to the mall for a little birthday shopping trip. And, while all that is going on, a certain military specialist makes a rather long-distance call for a little lunch date. However, not all of the news is good, as Ironwood, Goodwitch and Qrow arrive early, along with some troubling news from Atlas. Thanks for reading guys, and I'll see you next time!**

**P.S. I know that I may have flubbed it with the limerick. Poetry really ain't my strong suit.**


	61. Party Prep

**A/N: Hey there guys! Welcome back to the "Ruby's Haunted Birthday" arc! This chapter is admittedly a more casual chapter this time, though there WILL be a few things established here that'll reappear later on in the arc, so keep a sharp eye out! With that said, let's get on with the chapter, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 61: Party Prep**

* * *

It had been about two hours since the team of heroes and Hunters had met up with Professor Paradox, and in that time, they had made their way to Hestia's Heart to meet up with the Arcs. Athena and Tai had tagged along as well, not wanting to miss out on meeting up with Jonathan and Mary again. Needless to say, the room that Yang had rented out for the big birthday breakfast was packed, a total of twenty-six people all sitting at the same table. Each of them had formed their own little cliques, with the adults in one group, which included Rouge, Saphron and Terra, while Team JNPR and the rest of the Arc Siblings formed another. Finally, there was the Alien Trio, Rex, Team RWBY and Team SN in one big group, the ten teens chatting up amongst themselves.

However, in all of this, there was still one thing that egged Ruby on in the back of her mind; "Gah! I still can't figure out that stupid riddle!" The Hooded Huntress' head fell to the table, her arms covering it in frustration. "Ugh, why does it have to be so cryptic?!"

Ruby's outburst caught Violette's attention, an inquisitive look overtaking her features. "A cryptic riddle? What're you talking about, Ruby?"

"Yeah, you seem kinda stressed." Verte agreed. "Something buggin' you?"

Ben wore a half-smile as he answered the girls. "Heh, well, let's just say that a certain time traveling friend of mine came in for a visit—"

"—Is something that you don't hear every day—" Verte quickly added.

"And he left us a little riddle for Ruby to solve." Ben finished, slightly irritated that Verte interrupted him. "If she can solve it, she'll be able to find a birthday present that he left for her." He smirked and eyed Ruby, the girl lightly slamming the back of her own head while still faceplanted against the table in a vain attempt to get her brain to think harder. "But as you can see, Ruby's having a hard time trying to figure it out."

"Is that so?" Azure got up and went over to Ruby, kneeling beside her before poking her shoulder. This got Ruby's attention and Azure offered a small smile. "Ruby, if you require any help, I'd be more than happy to offer my assistance."

Ruby broke out into a huge grin. "REALLY?! You would?!"

"Indeed. I am very adept in decoding riddles. Simply recite it to me and I can start assessing the key points that we need to analyze." With that, Ruby retold the poem she memorized back to Azure, and by the end of it, the bespectacled Arc sister was wearing a deadpan expression. "Alright, first point of contention; WHO in their right mind styles a RIDDLE into the form of a LIMERICK?! It's simply absurd!"

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Trust me, most of the stuff that Professor Paradox says might as well be a complicated mess. To be frank, a limerick is probably the most direct he's been with us on something." The Anodite's eyes widened in realization. "To be honest, I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

"Can you help me solve it, Azure?" Ruby asked. "I feel like the answer is in plain sight, but I just can't place it!"

"Hmm, well, there ARE a few key points in the poem." Azure surmised. "Science and Magic, a lost soul, Halloween night, and a lot of references to fighting. But there IS one thing that interests me about it; the line; "if you know where to look". That implies that it's somewhere that you know. Is there any place that is significant to you in any way? Perhaps you will find the answer there?"

Ruby thought it over for a second before a certain place came to mind. "Well, there IS one place on the island, but I doubt that it has anything to do with the riddle." In her mind, Ruby added; _'Unless Paradox somehow plans to bring my mom back to life for my birthday. And I highly doubt he could really make that happen.'_

"Hmm, well, we could always check back at the house once we're done at the mall." Violette suggested. "Maybe there's something special right under your nose!"

"Hey, now THERE'S an idea!" Ruby approved. "…But, uh, we could always just skip the mall and—"

"Up-up-up!" Yang put a finger to Ruby's lips, stopping her from finishing that sentence. "Sorry, Rubes, but no can do! We've still got more surprises that we've gotta prepare over at the house before you can come home."

Ruby narrowed her eyes at her sister, quirking an eyebrow in suspicion. "Just what ARE you up to, Yang? You've been acting really vague for the entire morning. You must be hiding something pretty big from me."

Yang winked in response. "Well, if I told you, then it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?"

"GAH!" Ruby planted her face back onto the table again, exasperated at all of the indirect answers she was getting. "Why does my birthday have to be the ONE day of the year where NO ONE gives me a straight answer?!"

Blake and Weiss pat her shoulder, the cat girl giving her a small smile. "Because we love you, Ruby."

"And we want to make sure you have a great birthday." Weiss added. "Trust me, I know that you're frustrated now, but by the end of the day, it'll ALL be worth it!"

"Ugh, I hope so." Ruby raised her head off the table. "I just need a little pick-me-up, that's all."

"Well, I think I can help with that!" The sound of a new voice entering the room got the entire table's attention, with everyone craning their heads over to the entry way. Standing there was a pretty woman in her early thirties, her long, wavy red hair reaching down all the way to the small of her back, and her bright blue eyes shining over to the large group. She wore a red blouse with a pair of khaki pants, complete with a matching pair of heels. She was also carrying a platter topped with a serving dome in one hand, keeping it perfectly balanced as she strode over to the group. "Hello, everyone! Everybody enjoying their meal?"

"Hey, Hestia!" Tai saluted. "Tell your chefs that they did a great job this mornin'!"

Both Arc parents nodded in agreement. "Yes, your food has to be some of the tastiest I've ever had!" Mary said.

"We certainly don't have diners with food like this back home, THAT'S for sure." Jonathan added, patting his belly for emphasis. "'Cause let me tell ya, I'm stuffed!"

"Yes, I have been to many restaurants in Argus," Athena raised a hand to Hestia in praise, "but I must say that they'd be hard pressed to surpass your wonderful breakfasts."

The woman, Hestia, let out a chuckle as she made her way around the table, inspecting everybody's drinks just in case a refill was needed. "Well I'm very glad that you feel that way. I've worked for a long time to get my food to where it is now, and I couldn't be prouder of it! Also, just to let you know, we do lunches too, so come on in if you want a good sandwich." She stopped right beside Ruby, giving the silver-eyed girl a wink. "And how's the birthday girl, huh?"

"Hehe, I'm doing pretty good, Hestia." Ruby giggled. "So… what's that you got there?"

"Well, since it's your special day, I had the chefs whip up a little something just for you." Hesita placed the platter down on the table in front of Ruby, taking hold of the handle on top of the serving dome in preparation. "Are you ready?"

"The suspense is killing me!" Ruby replied eagerly. "Let's see it!"

"Alright, here we go!" With one showman-like pull of the serving dome, Hestia presented Ruby's special little treat… and the Hooded Huntress' jaw nearly dropped to the floor. Right there in the middle of the platter was a chocolate cake. Not a PIECE of chocolate cake, oh no, this was a WHOLE cake. It was a small one, but still a whole cake. It was covered head to toe in chocolate icing, which made Ruby's mouth salivate in lustful hunger. Hestia waved a hand to the cake and declared; "BEHOLD! My special Triple Threat Chocolate Devil Cake! Made with only the finest chocolate, imported all the way from Vacuo!"

Sun's eyes widened and he whirled his head to the still salivating birthday girl. "Ruby, this is a once in a lifetime chance! Vacuo Chocolate is THE best chocolate that you'll ever taste in your _life_ , I swear by that."

"Ruby, listen to him." Weiss insisted. "My family's chefs use this chocolate VERY often. You won't regret it."

Ruby shook herself out of her daze and inspected the cake closer, seeing that it could be divvied up into at least eight pieces. "Well then…" She grabbed a knife and expertly cut it into eighths before raising the knife into the air. "I declare that this cake will be shared by my teammates!"

"YAY!" Nora came up and hugged Ruby from behind. "You will NOT regret this Ruby!"

Ruby managed to choke out; "I hope I don't." before Nora finally let go of her, allowing her to breath once again. "Alright, here's how this'll go down…" She quickly did a headcount of her teammates, concluding that there were fourteen of them in all including her. "We'll all group up into pairs who'll each get their own slice of cake, which'll be sliced again so _they_ can split it. Sound fair?" The team was quick to agree with that plan, with every one pairing up soon after; Ruby and Weiss, Ben and Yang, Gwen and Kevin, Blake and Sun, Jaune and Pyrrha, Ren and Nora, and finally, Rex paired up with Neptune. Ruby then gave each group a piece, the cake slices being further spit to accommodate. "Alright, everyone got their cake?"

"Sure do." Ben nodded. "But what about the last slice?"

"I'll box that one up for later." Ruby elaborated. "I'll decide who gets it when we get home. But for now…" She grabbed a piece of the coveted chocolate cake along with a fork, with everyone eagerly following suit. "Ready?"

"I was born ready!" Nora exclaimed. The team all began sticking small chunks of the cake to their forks, with everyone wanting to savor the taste. They all called out; "Cheers!" before slowly bringing the desert to their mouths. The chocolate cake hit their tongues, and…

* * *

"…Should we be worried?" Blanche asked as she walked down the street, jabbing her thumb to her right. "They've been like that since they ate that chocolate cake." She was referring to Ruby and Nora, the two girls still starry-eyed and amazed from how the cake had tasted earlier. Since then, the large group had divided in half, with Blake and Sun leading the Arc sisters, Team JNPR and Ruby off to the mall for the second surprise on the docket. The other group, led by Yang, returned to the house to make preparations for the big party later on.

Blake glanced behind her, smirking at the two before snapping her fingers in front of their eyes. This thankfully managed to get them back to reality, focusing their attention on her. "Alright girls, I know that the cake was good…"

"I think you mean _fantastic_." Sun emphasized.

"…Okay, yes, it was freaking phenomenal." Blake admitted. "But we gotta keep focused on what's coming next. Speaking of which, we're here." The cat girl pointed up a head to the mall, the structure standing some yards away from the group. "Okay, time for phase two of the surprise."

Ruby crossed her arms and quirked a brow in suspiscion. "Okay, and what exactly IS this surprise?" However, much to her surprise, Rouge, Saphron, Terra, Blanche, Noire, Verte, Azure and Violette all began to surround her, leaving her confused in the process. "Uh, ladies, everything alright?"

"Oh, everything's more than alright." Rouge assured. "We're just getting ready for our little…" At that moment, each Arc sister pulled out a gift card from their pocket, all of them yelling "SURPRISE!" in the process

Ruby's eyes widened before a happy smile burst forth onto her face. "NO WAY! You can't be serious! You guys got me gift cards?!"

"Oh, we're serious." Terra confirmed before pointing to her face. "Note the serious face." Her face hardened into that of a scowl, much to her wife's amusement.

"Ahaha! Sweetheart, I think she gets the picture." Saphron smiled to the Hooded Huntress. "You see, we had no idea what to get you on such short notice, so Yang suggested that we get you some gift cards and let YOU decide from there."

"Hey, that's alright with me!" Ruby agreed wholeheartedly. "After all, gift cards are basically just like saying; "I don't know what to get ya, buy your own dang stuff"! Haha!"

"Heh, exactly." Blanche chuckled. "That's why I get 'em for our grandparents every year."

Noire shot her twin sister an annoyed glance. "Even though we keep telling you NOT to do that."

"What? They get US gift cards every year for OUR birthday."

"Because WE'RE difficult to shop for!" Noire countered, rubbing her temples in frustration. "Nanny and Papa are NOT hard to shop for!"

"Okay, could we PLEASE leave the discussion of Nanny and Papa for later?" Jaune requested. "Remember, today isn't about them."

"Jaune's right." Pyrrha added. "Now isn't the time to be arguing…" She sent a bright smile over to her boyfriend. "But do you really call your grandparents Nanny and Papa? That is simply adorable!"

Jaune gave her a shrug in response. "Hey, don't look at me, Rouge named 'em."

Meanwhile, Nora zipped over to Ruby, pulling her in for a side hug as the Pink Dynamo waved her hand across the horizon in the mall's direction. "Okay Ruby, you've gotta think long and hard about this. You've got eight, count 'em, EIGHT gift cards from the Arcs, and they're good for pretty much ANYTHING in this mall. Now, the question is this; where ARE we going to go first, captain?"

Ruby place a ponderous finger to her chin, contemplating Nora's question. However, it didn't take long for her to think up and answer. She pointed directly at the mall and announced; "Alright troops, listen up! We are going to be heading into that mall and taking it by storm!"

"I'm liking where this is going…" Sun nodded slowly.

"And the first stop on out shopping spree… will be the toy store!"

With the utterance of those two words, almost everyone was drained of any hype that Ruby had built up. Most of the group just stared at her incredulously, still in disbelief at what the Hooded Huntress had just said. However, Nora was not the least perturbed by this turn of events. "Sounds great to me!"

"Yeah, me too!" Violette added. "Sounds like fun!"

"Hey, count me in!" Blanche jumped in. "Always game to see what's new."

"That's the spirit, girls!" Ruby rallied the three to her side, raising a fist into the air as they headed to the mall. "Now come on! We're losin' daylight!"

As the three marched away, Blake had to admit, this wasn't what she expected. "Alright, not gonna lie, I did NOT see that coming."

Verte, on the other hand, facepalmed at her two sister's compliance. "I seriously can't believe this is happening. Well, okay, Vi I can see being pulled into this, but BLANCHE?!"

"Like I said last night." Noire said whilst folding her arms. "Blanche is still a little kid at heart… even if her behavior sometimes gets kind of asinine."

"Well, there's no stopping them now." Ren commented before waving his arm in the mall's direction. "So, shall we?"

Jaune sighed and rubbed the back of his head. The blonde knight could already feel the exhaustion coming on from having to keep up with Ruby and Nora, and he hadn't even taken a single step in the mall yet. "Oh, I can already tell this'll be a joy to go through."

Saphron ruffled his hair, much to his chagrin. "Aw, c'mon, Jaune. It won't be all that bad! Besides, Terra and I were hoping to take a look in a toy store any way."

Terra pat her stomach lightly. "Yep, gotta scope out some of the best toys for this little one."

"Now remember," Rouge started, "don't buy too many toys. Mom and I still need ideas for the baby shower, so don't just go crazy with it, please? If you see something that you like, at least point it out to me first, alright?"

Saphron waved her hand as the rest of the group began making their way to the mall. "Ah, don't worry about it, sis! We'll be fine, I swear."

In the back of the group, Blake leaned over to Verte and asked; "Oh yeah, I forgot, how did you guys react when you found out your sister-in-law was pregnant?"

"Oh, we're ecstatic about it!" Verte smiled. "Our family just keeps growing, and honestly, I'm VERY okay with that. Mainly because I don't plan on having any kids of my own when I'm an adult, and that means I can just keep on spoiling my nieces and nephews rotten!"

Azure adjusted her glasses with a small grin. "Indeed, although when mom and dad first heard the news, their reaction was far more… let's say _exaggerated_ , in comparison to our own."

Sun raised an eyebrow in intrigue. "Really? What'd they say?"

"Well, it's not so much what they _said_ , as much as it is what they _did_." Noire explained. "You remember when Jaune and Pyrrha revealed their relationship to them yesterday, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"It was basically just like that." Jaune answered with a deadpan expression. "Only dad conked out for a lot longer and mom probably cried twice as hard." The blonde knight shuddered when he thought back to that big news drop. "My shoulder was completely soaked with her tears, I swear." He sighed before shrugging again. "But, I guess that's just how things roll when it comes to new grandchildren."

"Hehe, it's okay, Jaune." Pyrrha pat her boyfriend's shoulder. "One day, perhaps you may know what it's like to be her in that kind of situation."

"Eh, yeah, maybe—whoa, hold on, wait a minute." Jaune halted with widened eyes. "What exactly does that imply?"

"Oh, nothing. At least for now." Pyrrha gave him a wink before planting a kiss on his cheek. "After all, we don't want to get _too_ ahead of ourselves, now do we?" With that, Pyrrha stepped into the mall, with Jaune still in his dumbstruck state. _'I believe that went rather well.'_

"Wow, she's good." Rouge commented before patting her brother on the head. "The only advice I can offer is to make sure that you're both ready before you do it, Jaune. Oh and, uh, use protection. I think kids should wait for a bit."

"Ya THINK?!" Jaune blurted out, eliciting laughter from his siblings and friends. A furious blush made its way to the blonde knight's face before entering the mall, his mind racing a mile a minute after hearing Pyrrha's rather bold flirt. "Jeez, how was she able to take me off guard like that?! Ugh, I need to take my mind off of this." Jaune pulled out his scroll and dialed up Yang's number. "Well, now's a good a time as any to fill the boss in on our progress."

* * *

As the Xiao Long house appeared in the distance, Yang began to slow Bumblebee down, coming to a complete halt in the drive way soon after. While she and Ben dismounted Bumblebee, Kevin's car, Tai's car and the Arc's minivan all pulled in, parking not far away from the couple. Finally, Rex sped in on his Rex Ride, the large hover vehicle deconstructing the moment he pulled up next to Ben and Yang. Though this DID have the side effect of sending his special cargo up into the air, which he caught with relative ease. "Woop! The TTCDC made it back in one piece!"

"I'll be the judge of that." Yang swiped the foam package away from Rex and inspected the contents inside. Sure enough, the last slice of Triple Threat Chocolate Devil Cake was still intact, which made her sigh in relief. "Phew, good. It's all together. Now to put it in the fridge."

"I gotta admit, that cake was _awesome_." Ben said as the three walked into the house, with everyone else following close behind. "I'm not sure if our cake's gonna be as good as that, though."

"Probably not." Yang agreed. "But hey, it's still gonna be cake, and cake's good no matter what. Speaking of which…" The Blonde Brawler strolled into the kitchen and hailed Doctor Holiday, who was standing over by the stove with Winter. "Hey Doc! How's the cake shapin' up?"

Holiday and Winter turned around, smiling as Yang walked into the room. "Oh good, you guys are back! We just got finished with the first layer." Holiday lifted a nearby cake pan and showed Yang the contents; a light and fluffy vanilla layer of cake. "We were just waiting on you to see how you wanted it frosted."

"Awesome!" Yang put the last slice of chocolate cake into the fridge before making her way over to the other two women. "Okay, so here's the deal; this vanilla layer is gonna be coated in chocolate frosting. Then, when the _chocolate_ layer's done, it'll have _vanilla_ frosting on it. When the last vanilla layer's done, do the same thing that you did with the first one, and we'll be good to go!"

"Hmm, an alteration between mixing two flavors in different ways." Winter nodded. "An interesting way to prepare a cake, to be sure."

"Alright, let's get started then." Holiday went over to the refrigerator and pulled out the chocolate icing. "So Yang, how was breakfast with the Arcs?"

"Pretty sweet." Yang answered. "Had a good time, ate some special cake, the works."

Holiday sent a sly grin over to the three. "Ah, the restaurant employees gave Ruby a cake, huh? Well, hopefully she won't object to more later on."

"Nah, she only ate, like, half a piece." the blonde explained. "The rest was shared by the team. Hell, there's even one piece left!"

"Well good, that means our efforts will not be wasted here." Winter checked her watch, keeping an eye on the time. However, her eyes widened when she saw which hands were on what numbers; eleven-thirty. "Oh no, it's almost time!" Winter hurried over to the refrigerator, pulling out a bowl of salad before grabbing Ben by the arm, taking the hero by surprise as she pulled him out of the room. "Benjamin, I need your assistance with the transmitter, please!"

"WOAH! Winter, hold on a sec!" Ben protested as they began walking out of the room. "I don't even know HOW to work the transmitter!"

Holiday sighed and put down the plastic spatula she had just picked up for the icing. "I suppose I should go set that up." The doctor glanced over to Yang before pointing at the oven. "The next layer's got about twenty minutes left. Think you can take over for a while until I come back?"

Yang waved to her, giving the doctor the okay. "Oh yeah, sure. I've baked plenty of cakes before. I know what I'm doing."

"Thank you, Yang. I'll just be a few minutes, okay?" Holiday took off the apron she was wearing and began following Winter and Ben out of the room, leaving Yang and Rex to themselves.

As Yang began icing the first layer, she craned her head over to Rex, pointing the rubber spatula at him. "Hey Rex, if you're not doing anything, could you get started on decorating the backyard, please? The guests are probably going to start arriving soon."

Rex gave her a salute. "I'm on it, Captain Yang!" The EVO hurried out the back door, leaving Yang by herself in the kitchen.

Meanwhile, in the main hallway, Winter, Ben and Holiday were walking toward the basement stairs when Gwen, Kevin, Weiss and Neptune came into the house, catching their attention. Winter stopped before she could open the door, giving Gwen and her sister a small smile. "Girls, would you please take over with the cake? I have… somewhere to be, as you know." The elder Schnee gave the two girls a sly wink, knowing that they would understand what she meant.

Gwen gave her a thumbs up, returning the wink with gusto. "Sure thing, Winter. Knock him dead!"

Weiss saluted her sister with a smirk. "Break a leg, sis. You got this!"

"Thank you, girls. I will certainly give it my best." With her resolve at its peak, Winter began leading Ben back down to the basement, where her first long distance lunch date with a certain Mister Kenneth Tennyson would soon be taking place. Holiday followed soon after, leaving the four teens in the hallway by themselves.

Once the three had gone down though, Gwen went over to Yang in the kitchen, ready to get started on icing the cake. "Okay, so the first layer's done. How long before the next layer's ready to come out of the oven?"

"About twenty minutes." Yang answered as Weiss came up beside her. The Blonde Brawler quirked a brow and sent a smile toward the heiress. "So, your sis is pretty stoked about this big date, huh?"

"Oh, you know, it's only the first time she's been on a date in FIVE years." Weiss emphasized. "So yeah, I'd imagine that she's pretty excited about it."

"Heh, I know that feeling. My first date with Ben was kinda the same way, you know? Just not a long of a gap." Yang paused for a brief moment before craning her head over to Kevin and Neptune. "Hey boys! Rex is outside setting up the decorations. Think you can lend him a hand?"

"Sure thing!" Kevin gave Yang a thumbs up, heading toward the door soon after.

Neptune flashed a peace sign as the two went back outside. "We've got this in the bag, Yang! Don't worry about it!"

Weiss couldn't help but facepalm at that. "Ugh, Neptune, you'd better hope that the universe didn't hear you." The heiress shook that thought away before focusing back on Yang. "So, I guess that Phase Two of Ruby's big surprise is going smoothly?"

"I dunno, actually." Yang shrugged. "I haven't heard back from Blake or anyone else since—" Suddenly, her scroll started ringing in her pocket, stopping her mid-sentence. "…Of course, I told 'em to update me as they went along. I should take this." Gwen and Weiss nodded in understanding and happily took over for the blonde, with Yang stepping away to speak with whoever called her. She pulled her scroll out and answered, the caller ID indicating that it was none other than Jaune. "Y'ello?"

" _Hey Yang."_ Jaune spoke up. _"Well, we're at the mall, and things are going pretty well with Phase Two so far."_

"Great to hear, Vomit Boy! So, where'd Ruby go first?"

" _Uh… the toy store."_

Yang rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Yeah, I figured that would be first on her list. Ruby LOVES her some action figures. Though to be honest, I think she just digs the little miniature weapons more than anything."

" _Heh, yeah, that sounds like Ruby alright."_ Jaune chuckled before moving on. _"So, how're you guys doing? Any guests come yet?"_

"No, not yet, but we should be expecting 'em soon." Yang went into the living room and gazed out the window, making sure that was still the still the case. Sure enough, the only ones out on the front lawn were Tai, Athena, Mary and Jonathan, who were already making their way to the backyard to start setting up the decorations. "Just keep Ruby distracted for a few more hours, okay? Max should be there to pick you guys up around two-thirty."

" _Gotcha, over and out!"_ With Jaune's goodbye, the call ended, leaving Yang to ponder on what to do next.

"Alright, let's see, guests will probably start arriving at about two o'clock." The blonde said to herself as she paced the living room. "That should give us plenty of time to finish the cake and the rest of the food. Still, it'll probably take a while for those guys to finish decorating, so when Ben's done downstairs, I should ask him to go Fasttrack and then we can speed things up."

"Did someone say Fasttrack?" Yang's eyebrows shot up in surprise before turning around to see Feedback leaning up against the living room entrance. "'Cause I got the guy on _speed_ dial if you need him!"

Yang smirked at their familiar game. "Well, I'm going to need him pretty darn _quick_ , so if you could call him in…"

"Well, I'll call him up and he'll here as _fast_ as he can."

"Provided he doesn't _speed_ , that is."

"Ah, you're right on _Fast_ track with that one!" The couple laughed as Ben transformed back to normal, the two meeting in the middle for a sweet kiss. "Hehe, hey. So, everything going smooth? How're Jaune and the others doing?"

"Pretty good." Yang replied. "Like I figured, Ruby's gonna be draggin' them all over that mall. And that'll give US some good time to get things ready." She booped his nose, making him chuckle a little. "Now, I need your help to get the decorations set up. Are Winter and Holiday good to go downstairs?"

"Yep, the transmitter's all charged up. The rest is up to Holiday." Ben wore a sly grin as he thought back to the two previous meetings between his older cousin and Winter, a small chuckle escaping his lips. "You know, Ken's a pretty lucky guy. The fact that she asked him out just amazes me."

Yang quirked a brow. "Why's that?"

"Well… for as cool as Ken is, he was still really awkward around girls when he was in school." Ben explained. "He got better when he was older, but during his early years in high school, there wasn't much… finesse to him asking girls out. Heh, one time he just blurted out "HELLO!" in a girl's face because he was so nervous."

Yang covered her mouth, her laughter muffled behind her hand. "Hahaha! Oh my god, seriously? Wow, and here I expected a bit more confidence from someone who named their car the "Awesome-mobile"."

"Heh, yeah, I—" However, Ben was cut off when the sounds of loud engines suddenly came up from overhead, signaling that a certain large ship was beginning to land. "Woop, looks like Tetrax is here."

Yang sighed. "Yep, guess so. And my guess is that Ironwood, Goodwitch and Uncle Qrow are with him too. Well, at least they're early. C'mon, let's go see what they're up to."

* * *

"Alright, we're almost ready." Holiday said as she continued to calibrate the transmitter. She shifted her eyes to Winter, who kept a composed face as Holiday continued to work. However, the good doctor could clearly tell that the woman was excited on the inside. "So, you pumped to be on your first long-distance date?"

Winter's eyebrows rose at the doctor's words, surprised that she would even notice. "Oh, well, yes actually. I'm feeling quite exhilarated. I'm just remaining calm for now. I do not wish to intimidate him, you know."

"Don't worry, I get where you're coming from, Winter." Holiday smiled as she set the transmitter onto the nearby coffee table. "Speaking from experience, I know that the first date with someone new can be a bit intimidating at first." Holiday offered the white-haired woman a wink. "But once you get more comfortable with each other, you'll see that there really isn't much to worry about."

Winter returned the grin before nodding her head in gratitude. "Thank you very much for the kind advice, Doctor Holiday. It's true that I haven't dated in a while, but I think everything WILL work out… hopefully."

"Well, Kenny seems to be a pretty great young man, so I think there's a pretty good chance. Now, you ready?" Winter gave her another nod, giving her the okay to activate the transmitter. Once she did, the holoscreen popped up, a few seconds of static passing before an image came up… a pair of hands attached to a set of legs, with another pair of hands holding a newspaper, blocking the ladies view of a certain chimp's face. Winter recoiled in shock before Holiday grimaced, speaking up to get the simian's attention. "Bobo!"

" _GAH!"_ Bobo was startled out of his seat, falling to the floor with a loud THUD. A few seconds later, the eye-patch-wearing chimp picked himself off the ground, glaring at the doctor as he did. _"Hey, what's da big idea, doc?"_

"Well, it's obvious that Caesar put YOU on transmitter duty." Holiday countered. "The least you can do is, you know, your JOB."

" _Yeah, yeah, I hear ya. Sheesh, can't a guy get some decent readin' time in dis stinkin' joint?"_ As he got back into his seat, Bobo finally noticed Winter, and he pointed a finger right at her. _"Hey, you the dame who's got a date with da ginger?"_

Winter narrowed her eyes at the chimp. "Yes, and if you refer to him as such ever again, you will know what my wrath feels like when I get to that dimension. Are we clear?"

" _Psh, yeah, whateva!"_ Bobo waved off. _"Look, the brainiac built him his own transmitter ta talk to ya. I'll patch ya through ta him, how's dat sound?"_

"Yes, please." At her words, Bobo typed in a command on his console, the feed beginning to change amidst the static.

Holiday stood up, brushing off her skirt before heading back toward the stairs. "Well, I should probably head upstairs and get back to the cake. Good luck, Winter."

"Thank you, Doctor Holiday." The moment that Holiday left the room, the holoscreen began to refocus, and a familiar voice began to break through the static.

" _Hello? Winter, are you there?"_

Winter smiled, a fluttering feeling going through her at the sound of his voice. "Hehe, yes Ken, I am here. I'm receiving your transmission now." A few seconds later, the screen cleared, finally giving them both a clear view of each other. However, Ken had his face REALLY close to the screen to see if it was working, resulting in a VERY close up shot of his eye. It didn't bother Winter much, though. If anything, she got a good little laugh out of it. "Oh, hehe, there you are!"

Kenny backed away from the screen, a sheepish smile coming to his face. _"Oh! Hah, Sorry about that. I'm still trying to get used to how this thing works. Caesar gave me the basic rundown, but I'm not exactly a tech wizard."_

"It's quite alight, neither am I." Winter admitted. "I had to have Doctor Holiday make the call for me." Her smile softened, the sight of his nervous grin endearing her. _'He's so cute.'_ She thought before continuing. "Regardless, I am very glad to see you again… Kenny."

A blush came to the young man's face as rubbed the back of his head. _"Heh, yeah, I'm happy to see you too."_ Ken cleared his thought before going on. _"So, uh, what've YOU ordered on this fine lunch date?"_

Winter chortled at his joke before lifting up her bowl full of mixed vegetables. "Oh, I've prepared a simple salad today. Nothing too complicated, since I DO have a party to attend later on. What about you? What are YOU having today?"

" _Ah, a BLT sandwich."_ Ken held up said sandwich, the bread finely grilled to a crisp golden brown and cut diagonally in half. _"My mom keeps telling me that I gotta watch what I eat. And of course, that means I gotta eat more vegies."_

"Indeed. One does have to measure their calorie intake." The military specialist gave him a sly grin and a quirked brow. "Just how much meat and carbs have you been taking in, mister?"

" _Hehe, okay, guilty as charged."_ Ken lifted up half of his sandwich and made a "cheers" motion with it. _"Well, shall we?"_

"Indeed, lets." The two began digging into their meals, both content with what they had made. Winter let out a sound of content as she swallowed her bite of salad. "Mmm, refreshing. How's yours?"

" _Great! I've actually been enjoying making different kinds of sandwiches recently."_ Ken sent a smile her way before attempting to change the subject. _"But I'm not sure if talking about food on a first date is that great of an icebreaker, is it?"_

"Hm, an excellent point." Winter took another bite of her salad before continuing. "So, what do you think would be more apropos?"

" _Well, there HAS been something that's been picking around in my mind since we last spoke…"_ Ken put a had to his chin as he raised an eyebrow. _"Tell me, who IS Winter Schnee?"_

Winter quirked a brow right back at him. "Oh, quite the interesting way of asking such a bold question." She then decided to lay on the charm, giving the redhead a rather sultry gaze as she put her face slightly closer to the screen. "Are you truly certain that you wish to know?"

Ken's lips parted slightly as a light blush returned to his face. However, his answer came with definitive confirmation; _"Yes, I really do."_

A soft smile came to Winter's face as she pulled herself back, giving him a single nod. "Well, good. But after this, I hope to hear your story in kind, Kenny. After all, I want to get to know YOU as well. An eye for an eye as the old saying goes."

" _Oh, yes, of course."_ Ken agreed.

"Very good." Winter tapped her chin in contemplation. "Hm, now where to start? Well, I suppose the beginning is as good a place as any." She laced her hands together and cupped them around her right knee as she crossed her legs, beginning her life story proper; "I was born to a very wealthy family in the kingdom of Atlas. When I was a little girl, I was very spoiled by my family. I was even given lessons in fencing and self-defense by my instructors so that the company was assured I'd be safe, even on my own. But still, I couldn't help but feel that something was… wrong about my life."

Ken's eyebrows shot up in surprise. _"Wait, so you're rich? Didn't know that."_

"Well, I _was_ rich." Winter elaborated. "I was initially set to inherit my father's company. However, when I saw how many lives he had ruined hand how many shady dealings he has made, I set out to distance myself away from him as much as possible. I wanted no part in what he was doing, and what's worse is that he showed no remorse for doing it."

" _Ah, I see."_ Ken rested his chin against his hand. _"So I take it you gave him a piece of your mind, huh? What'd he say?"_

Winter pursed her lips as she continued. "Well, I told him I wanted no part in whatever business practices that he was making, and he didn't like it one bit. I threatened to leave, and when I did, he told me that I would be cut off from any inheritance if I did. But at that point, I really did not care. I left, and he was furious. But, I didn't let that bother me. Instead, I decided to put my skills to a more practical use; the military."

" _Wow, that's awesome!"_ Ken said, much to Winter's shock. _"I think it's pretty great that you wanted to use your talents to help people, Winter."_

Winter shot him a grin, one that managed to render the boy speechless. "I'm very glad that you think so, Ken. Though I won't lie, the military can be quite taxing, on both the mind _and_ body. I was sometimes so stressed that I had trouble sleeping at night." She took a brief pause before going on. "And then, well, I chose to deal with it my own way."

Kenny tilted his head, a worried expression coming to his face. _"Hey, are you okay? If you don't want to talk about that, then…"_

But Winter gave him a reassuring smile, telling him it was alright. "It's okay, Kenny. It's just, sometimes it's hard to keep myself in check. You see, I chose to deal with my stress by taking control of my emotions, to make sure that I was not compromised on the battlefield." She glanced away dejectedly. "I was given many names because of that. Madame Stoic, Miss Apathetic… and the one I hated the most… Ice Queen."

" _Oh… Winter, I'm so sorry that happened to you."_ The military specialist looked back to Kenny, and was surprised to see the amount of care and compassion in his gaze. _"No one deserves to be called names like that, especially not someone as kind as you."_

Winter's cheeks became a light shade of pink at Ken's words. She never imagined he'd be so quick to console her, considering that they had only met a couple of days ago. _'He's so thoughtful… is THIS what it's like to not be dating snobby rich boys?'_ Winter's smile returned once more, crossing her arms before replying to him. "That is very sweet of you to say, Kenny. You know, if we weren't separated by a literal dimension, you would've gotten a hug for that."

Ken's own blush returned, his more intense than her own. _"O-Oh! Well, I-I'm very flattered, er, I mean, th-that's a nice thing to hear—NO wait, I—"_

"Kenneth." Winter interrupted, catching his attention immediately. "I want you to take in a deep breath, okay? It should help clear your head." The redhead did what he was told and Winter gave him a nod. "There, now do you feel better?"

" _Hah, yeah, I do."_ Ken sighed in frustration. _"Sorry that I was such an awkward mess. Full disclosure, I haven't been on a date in a long time and I'm SERIOUSLY nervous about it."_

"Oh, I understand, Kenny. Truth be told… I'm a little nervous myself. I haven't really been on a date where I wasn't being monitored at all times by my father's people, so this is a new experience for me too."

" _Oh… well, that's reassuring."_ Ken grinned. _"So, after you joined the military, what's it been like for you?"_

"Protecting and serving. It's what we do." Winter glanced up to the ceiling. "Although, I'll admit, once all of the… for the lack of a better word, "crazy" occurrences began to happen, I have to say, I've been enjoying myself a lot more these days."

" _Heh, I've been told that my little sister and my cousin are magnets for weird stuff in the past."_ Ken chuckled. _"But, then again, if they hadn't been transported to Remnant… then we probably wouldn't have met. …Wait, does that make me weird?"_

Winter let out a small laugh at the question. "Haha, what? No, of course not, Kenny! Why in the world would you think of yourself as weird?"

" _Heh, well, it's just… ah, forget it."_

"Kenny, please." Winter asked. She instinctively wanted to reach out and grasp his hand for reassurance, but she was swiftly reminded that he couldn't do that. "Tell me what's on your mind. I promise that I won't think you're weird because of it." She offered him a bright smile. "Besides, I believe that it's your turn to tell me a little bit about yourself."

Ken was in awe at how sincere Winter was being with him, her beautiful smile giving him the will to go forward. He smiled right back at her and nodded. _"You're right, an eye for an eye."_ The redheaded young man summoned all of his courage and finally gave his reason; _"You see… for as "awesome" as I once claimed myself to be, I'm not exactly as successful as most other people my age. …And I have a feeling that it might have something to do with what I've wanted to do with my life."_

Winter gave him an encouraging nod. "Which would be?"

" _Well… I went to college to be an artist. More specifically, I went to an animation school."_

Ken appeared to brace himself for whatever Winter said next, but to his surprise, she was more confused than anything. "So… you think of yourself as weird because of that?"

" _Well, a LOT of people think I'm weird because of it."_ Ken explained. _"They keep telling me "Oh, but your mom and dad are so successful!", "You could've done something more productive to society", or some other thing along those lines."_ Ken folded his arms on the table in front of him and glanced down to the table in disappointment. _"It sometimes makes me think… that maybe I DID waste four years of my life for nothing. My big plan was to go to New York City for some freelance work, but now that things with the apartment fell through, I was forced to come back home."_ He let out a sigh before concluding; _"Maybe I should just give up—"_

"Kenneth Tennyson!" The redhead craned his neck up in surprised to see Winter, her face now extremely close to the holoscreen with her brows furrowed and her determination fired up. "Don't you DARE give up just because things aren't going your way right now!"

" _W-Winter, I…"_

"Kenny, please listen." Winter insisted. "Everybody has difficulty on their own at first. I know that I did. After I left the Schnee mansion, I was completely overwhelmed. But do you want to know what I did?"

"… _You learned to adapt?"_

"Yes, I did." Winter affirmed. "It wasn't easy at first, but I managed to pull through." Despite the fact that it was only a screen, Winter reached out and touched where Ken's face was, beaming a smile at him. "Kenny, please don't give up. Forget what the nay-sayers tell you and go forward with your dream. If anyone else can make it, I KNOW that _you_ can."

There was a long few seconds of silence after that, with Kenny giving Winter an incredulous face. However, her words managed to sink in, and he returned the smile with gusto. _"My god, you jut gave one of the greatest inspirational speeches that I've ever heard!"_ He reached out and put his hand over his holoscreen directly where Winter's was. _"Thank you so much, Winter. I'm… I'm glad that you have faith in me."_

Winter gave him a wink. "You're welcome, Kenny. But now that we're on the subject, you went to an animation school?"

" _Heh, yeah, I went to Ringling College of Art and Design, got my BFA in Computer Animation, and a minor in Creative Writing."_ Ken rubbed the back of his head. _"Like I said though, I moved to New York City to try and find some freelance work, but you know what happened there."_

"Yes, though I must wonder, if you went to this "New York City" to simply get yourself known, then what is the ultimate goal that you want to do with your degree?"

" _Well… my dream is to work at Disney."_

Winter's head tilted in confusion. "What is… Disney?"

Ken's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. _"Wait, you mean that my cousin has ALL of that stuff there with him, and he hasn't shown you guys a SINGLE Disney movie yet?"_

Winter shook her head. "I'm afraid not, no. Tell me, how big of a deal is this "Disney" in your dimension?"

" _To a lot of people, it's probably the BIGGEST deal."_ Ken explained. _"Disney is basically a lot of people's childhood. Precious memories of colorful characters, catchy songs and unforgettable adventures. Their movies and cartoons are some of the most iconic in the world, if not THE most iconic. They're the whole reason why I wanted to get into animation in the first place. Trust me, it's a pretty big deal."_

"I see." Winter crossed her arms and glanced up to the ceiling. "I may just have to convince Benjamin to show us one of these movies later on."

Ken grinned at her statement. _"Believe me, Winter, you won't regret watching a Disney movie. …Well aside from a few, but to be fair, ANY film studio can make a few stinkers sometimes."_

"Hm, very true." Winter put a finger to her chin in inquiry. "But tell me, if things in New York City didn't go well for you, what HAVE you been doing?"

" _Heh, what a lot of people do when their plans don't go so well, get a part time job."_ A smirk came to Ken's face as he folded his arms. _"Also, I managed to get my old band back together and we've been playing some gigs on the side, so that's a fun way to make money."_

A look of astonishment came to Winter's face. "You're in a band?! Oh my, how many talents do you have, Kenny?"

" _Heh, well, let's just say I had a very productive high school career."_

"Modest, are we? So, what do you play?"

" _Bass guitar, though I also do a bit of back-up vocals."_

Winter laced her fingers together, setting her chin upon them as she gave Ken a sensuous gaze. "If that's the case, then would you perhaps play me a song? Please?"

Ken stared back at her in disbelief before a joyous smile burst onto his face. _"I'll go get my bass!"_

* * *

As Ben and Yang made their way over to the Resolute, the young hero's mind couldn't help but think back to earlier that morning… and their first meeting with Raven. He remembered how she transformed into a bird right in front of their eyes, leaving them shocked and amazed. The more Ben thought about it, the more he wondered how the feat was even possible. _'I hope it's not because of aliens like in the ACTUAL Animorph books. We're already dealing with enough aliens already, we DON'T need any more. Still, Qrow will probably have answers… if he's willing to talk, that is.'_ With that brief thought done, Ben set his sights on Yang before posing the question to her; "Hey, you gonna bring up what happened this morning to your uncle?"

"Oh, you bet." Yang's eyebrows furrowed in determination. "He's got a LOT of explaining to do."

"You think he'll even talk?" Ben pressed further. "What if he tries to avoid it?"

"Trust me, Green Boy, I can be VERY persuasive."

"On that, we can agree." Ben winked at her. "I'd hate to be a criminal alone in a dark alley with you."

"Trust me, you would." Yang sent a rather seductive gaze in Ben's direction. "But you're you, Ben Tennyson. So maybe… a dark _room_ would be more appropriate?"

Ben's face became as red as a tomato at the insinuation, though a part of him had to admit that he hoped to one day have the courage to take Yang up on her offer. But for now, all he could do was laugh nervously, though his saving grace came when the back ramp of the Resolute began lowering. "Oh, hehe, whaddya know? We've got company!"

"Mmhm. We're not done with this conversation, Green Boy." Yang booped his nose before making her way over to the ship, with Ben following close behind. As the couple drew closer to the ship, Yang could see the three people standing at the top of the ramp as it lowered. There was Qrow of course, in his usual attire as always… but what Yang saw to his immediate right made her jaw drop. "Oh my god. Are… are Goodwitch and Ironwood…"

"Wearing casual clothes?" Ben finished, slightly perturbed by the sight himself. "Yes, yes they are."

True to form, General Ironwood and Professor Goodwitch were both out of their usual attire and in more casual wear for the party. The good general was wearing a pair of black shoes, blue jeans, and a long sleeved, button up dress shirt, with his metal hand even exposed. Glynda herself was wearing a pair of black high-heels, black stockings, a skirt that ended just above her knees, and a purple short-sleeved blouse, the headmistress keeping a matching purse around her hung by her right shoulder. Goodwitch caught sight of the two and sent them a wave. "Yang, Ben! Good to see you!" She began making her way down the ramp with the two men as she continued speaking to the couple. "I take it we're a bit early?"

"Uh… yeah…" Yang uttered, still completely stupefied by what she was seeing. "But to be honest, I'm still trying to take in what you two are wearing!"

"Well, what did you expect?" Glynda countered. "That we stay in our formal clothing twenty-four-seven? We have lives outside of the school, you know."

Yang facepalmed, collecting her thoughts before her smile returned. "Aw, forget it. I'm just glad you're here." The Blonde Brawler pointed to the professor's blouse. "Also, that top just looks freakin' amazing on you, by the way."

"Why, thank you!" Glynda returned the smile, though she added a raised brow. "…But if you think that this'll give you any extra credit, you'll probably want to rethink that."

Yang simply shrugged. "Eh, can't blame a girl for tryin' right? But anyway, come on in and make yourself comfortable. We're just getting stuff set up in the back, so if you guys wanna hang in the living room or something, feel free."

"Thank you very much, Yang." Ironwood bowed his head slightly before a more serious expression came to his face. "But before we do that, I'm afraid that I have some rather troubling news from Atlas. I would appreciate if you could gather everyone, please. The team needs to hear this."

"Well, half the team is currently at the mall keeping Ruby distracted." Ben explained.

"Is Gwen here, at least?" Ironwood pressed. "We could really use her help right now."

"Uh, sure." Ben said in confusion. _'What in the world would they need GWEN for?'_ Pushing the thought aside for the time being, Ben dialed up Fasttrack and transformed into the Citrakayah, wordlessly zipping away back into the house. When he came back about twenty seconds later, he was speeding around the house from the backyard, stopping directly in front of Ironwood before transforming back to normal. "They're on their way."

Ironwood blinked in surprise. "O-Oh, good. Very good."

Qrow brushed a hand through his hair in exasperation. "Jeez, kids these days. Always gotta get stuff done as fast as possible." However, the moment he spoke up, Yang had her sights set on him with a small scowl, taking him off guard. "Uh, what's up, Firecracker?"

"Oh, don't you "Firecracker" me, Drunkle Qrow!" Yang jabbed her thumb at herself. "You've got a lotta explaining to do! Guess who paid me a little visit this morning?"

Qrow's eyes widened in disbelief before settling into a smirk. "Hehe, well whaddya know? She DID take my advice after all."

"Quite frankly, I'm stunned." Ironwood added. "After you told me about the visit she paid you two, I thought that was all we were going to get from her."

Yang's brows rose slightly, but she still kept her scowl. "Oh yeah, she told me about her little visit with you too. Mind filling us in on that?"

"Of course." Glynda nodded. "Soon after you all had left, Raven indeed came to pay us a visit at Beacon. She told us a few things about what Salem might be up to… though not without having a few unnecessary arguments with Qrow."

"Hey, she started it!" Qrow insisted.

"She didn't start it." Glynda clarified. "In any case, before she left, Qrow advised her to pay you a visit, Yang. Though to be honest, I'm quite surprised she did. After leaving you and Tai the first time, I never thought she'd ever show her face in Vale again. …Maybe she IS serious about coming back into the fold."

"Well, probably, since we're having lunch with her tomorrow afternoon." Ben added, shocking all of the adults.

"You can't possibly be serious, can you?!" Ironwood inquired. "Having lunch with Raven is probably one of the most unimaginable things I've ever heard!"

"Well, we are." Yang asserted. "Hell, she's the one who suggested it in the first place." That revelation only served to make the three adults jaws collectively drop, the sight amusing Yang greatly. "What? Is this really so unbelievable?" Yang cocked an eyebrow over to Qrow. "Also, she told me about the whole "transforming into a bird" thing, so you don't have to keep THAT secret anymore.

Qrow let out a sigh before scratching the back of his head. "Uh, yeah. I meant to tell ya that, actually. There was just never a good time."

"Yeah, mind telling us just HOW you gained that ability?" Ben furthered. "'Cause I have a feeling that it has something to do with magic."

"Pretty sharp, Watch Boy." Qrow slipped his hands into his pockets. "Think about it, if Salem's able to use dark magic herself, then guess what Oz was able to do?"

Yang's brows shot up. "You mean Professor Ozpin could use magic?! B-But why DID he transform you into freakin' birds?!"

"Yer mother an' I were s'posed to be his eyes and ears. Like how Salem has her Seer Grimm, Rae and I agreed to help Ozpin search for signs of Salem's influence all around the world." Qrow folded his arms. "Unfortunately, my sister backed outta the deal, and left shortly after having you. That meant I was left by myself to pick up the slack."

Yang grimaced at her uncle after he said that. "Yeah, but _I_ heard the part about _why_ she left. And you know what? I kind get where she's coming from. If Salem's creations really ARE as horrifying as you say they are, I'd probably be scared too."

Qrow gave her a confused face. "Who said yer mom was "scared"?"

"She didn't say it to me specifically, but I could hear it in her voice when she spoke to me." Yang explained. "Especially when she told me about whatever creations of Salem that she saw. She might not want to admit it, but I think she might be afraid of what Salem can do."

"HA! Raven? Afraid?" Glynda laughed heartily. "Never heard those words put together in the same sentence before."

"She has a valid point, Yang." Ironwood concurred. "In the many times that I've met her, Raven Branwen was one of the most fearless, most ruthless people that I've ever met. If there REALLY is something out there that can terrify her, it must be—"

"Salem." Yang finished. "That witch is probably the only person who can make my mother afraid… and we've gotta put a stop to her."

Ben nodded in agreement. "Exactly. And to do that, we're going to need to get stronger, just like Raven said we should."

"Yeah, yer right." Qrow place his hands on his hips. "But let's not forget what today's about, 'kay? We're all here for Ruby, so once all of our business is outta the way, let's try and keep the focus on her, shall we?"

Yang took a deep breath, quick to agree with what her uncle was saying. "Yeah, you're right. Besides, once all this business is done, we've got more work to do before the party starts." She took a small pause before letting out one last factoid; "Oh, and did I mention that mom offered to help train us?"

"WHAT?!"

* * *

As Gwen began to step out of the Xiao Long house, with Weiss right by her side, she was taken aback when a loud, collective; _"WHAT?!"_ came hollering from outside. The two girls took a step back from the door, surprised by the sheer amount of disbelief from that exclamation. "Jeez, what do you think THAT was?" The redhead asked her friend.

"Not too sure." Weiss admitted. "But hopefully that was an excited "what?!" and NOT a terrified one."

"True." Gwen went over and opened the door, just in time to see Rex, Kevin and Neptune circling around the house and come out to the front yard. She then directed her attention out to the end of the driveway, where Ben and Yang were standing with Ironwood, Goodwitch and Qrow. All three adults were gazing at Yang in disbelief with their jaws dropped, which only further raised Gwen's intrigue. "Okay, this is just getting even more weird and confusing."

"I know right?" Weiss spoke up. "I've NEVER seen Professor Goodwitch out of her regular blouse… or without her riding crop."

"That wasn't… well, okay that IS kinda weird. C'mon, let's go see what's up." Gwen and Weiss joined the boys as they all walked over to the others, speaking up when they finally made it over. "Hey everyone! Glad you all could make it. So, what's going on over here?"

Yang turned her head to the Anodite and smiled. "Eh, I'm just filling them in on what we've been doing this morning." She then directed her attention toward Ironwood. "Hey, G.I., you wanted to see her? Well she's here now, so start spilling the beans on what happened last night in Atlas, if you'd please."

Weiss' eyes widened at her friend's words. "Wait, Atlas? Did something bad happen there?"

Ironwood cleared his throat, managing to collect himself before explaining. "Unfortunately, yes. Late last night, there was a big break-in at Atlas Technical Labs. The thieves managed to bypass the security system and make off with a couple of high-grade experimentation capsules, devices designed to perform experiments on willing human test subjects. And, well…" Ironwood pulled his sleeve back and brought up his personal holoscreen, typing in a command before showing them a picture of the perpetrators. "I believe you know these crooks _very_ well."

The moment that the team saw the picture, their expressions hardened. It wasn't exactly a high-quality photo, probably taken from a nearby street cam, but they could see the villain's faces clear as day. Rojo, cackling like a madwoman, was blasting her laser rifle at a whole squad of police cars from the back of a large cargo transport, with Subdora behind her and holding on for dear life. On either side of the bounty hunter, Cinder Fall and Michael Morningstar were following her example, though without the maniacal laughter. In the front of the vehicle, they could vaguely make out the image of Mercury in the driver's seat, and if he was there, then chances were that Emerald was in the passenger side. Ben's fists tightened at the sight. "So, they've finally decided to show their faces again."

"And Michael's out with them." Gwen glowered at the holoscreen. "This is bad."

"Looks like he got a facelift." Weiss pointed out. "He must use some pretty strong moisturizer."

"Wanna bet that Salem's responsible for that?" Neptune suggested. "Ten Lien says that's how she got him to join up with her."

"Subdora's with 'em too." Kevin added. "Guess that explains how they were able to make it past that place's security."

"Exactly." Ironwood nodded. "The military even tried to take them down… but…" The general closed his eyes solemnly as the holoscreen deactivated, his own robotic hand clenching into a fist. Glynda was quick to comfort him, placing a soft hand on his shoulder. "…We lost good men and women to them. Very few survived their onslaught."

"DAMMIT!" Yang yelled, slamming her fist into a nearby tree. The impact was so hard that it put a whole through the trunk. "How're they always able to do shit like this?! If we had known about this, we could've been in Atlas and—"

"And left Vale defenseless." Ironwood finished, much to Yang's shock. "It's true that we weren't prepared for what happened in Atlas, but what's been done can't be taken back. It's unfortunate, yes, but even so, we can't leave Vale defenseless while it's still crippled like this."

Weiss gave a reluctant nod. "General Ironwood is right. With half of the city still in shambles, it wouldn't be able to take another attack. Atlas at least had a strong military that was able to control the damage that Rojo's crew ended up making." The heiress shifted her gaze down in sadness, with a hint of anger in her eyes. "Still, for what they did to those military personnel, they won't be getting away with it."

Rex came over and gave Weiss a reassuring pat on the shoulder, much to her surprise. "The Ice Princess is right. We'll find these _pendejos_ and put a stop to… whatever it is they're doing with those capsules." The EVO gave Weiss a goofy grin and asked; "Right?"

The Schnee heiress didn't know how to respond at first. On the one hand, he had called her by that annoying nickname again. On the other, she couldn't help but find the dopey look on his face and his boundless optimism to be a little charming. _'Ugh, WHY do I find it charming?! I couldn't possibly be—'_ She mentally sighed to herself. _'No, don't think about that, Weiss. If anything, just agree with him, like any friend would.'_ Weiss reciprocated the smile and gave him a nod. "Yes, we will." However, when she thought back to what Rex had said, she realized that he had brought up an excellent point. "Wait, just what ARE they planning to do with those experimentation capsules, anyway?"

"Hold on a second." Neptune pointed over to Ironwood. "When we followed Hog and Skull into Forever Fall to try and catch Animo, you said that those guys were working with him because they wanted to get power, right? And that Animo was working on some sort of "project"?

"Yes, that's right." Ironwood put a ponderous hand to his chin. "If that's truly the reason why Rojo and her team stole the capsules, then that would mean…"

Ben's eyes widened in shock. "Doctor Animo's finally found a way to mutate human beings into animals!" A few of the team let out horrified gasps as the revelation set in, the group having to come to grasps with what Ben had said. The hero's expression hardened once again. "We have to find them before that happens, we can't let Animo go around mutating human beings like he wants!"

"I agree, Ben." Gwen stepped over and clasped her cousin's shoulder. "But the only problem is that we have no idea where they are. Heck, Animo might have already done it to Exo-Skull by now. I hate to say it, but we might have a giant cybernetic rhinoceros to deal with in the future."

Yang smirked and crossed her arms. "Okay, it's kinda hard to argue with you when you put the words "giant", "cybernetic" and "rhinoceros" in the same sentence. 'Cause let me tell ya, that sounds like something that I'd wanna fight!"

"Believe me, if the circumstances were different, I'd probably agree with you, Goldie Locks." Ben concurred. "But considering that something as big as this is practically in Salem's hands at this point, we're going to have to nip it in the bud before Animo gets too mutant-happy."

"It'd really help if we KNEW where Salem was." Kevin pointed out. "Then we could just storm in, and—"

"NO!" Ben shouted, much to everyone's surprise and confusion. Realizing what he had just done, the Omnitrix bearer took in a deep breath and calmed down, continuing on from there. "Sorry Kevin, but… I don't think we're strong enough yet. Salem's this dark sorceress with the ability to control and create monstrosities with her very will. And us? We're a group of fourteen teenagers who just so happen to be good at kicking butt. We have to get on her level if we ever have a hope of going toe to toe with her."

Yang's lips turned into a frown, remembering what her mother had told them this morning. _'Ben must've remembered it too.'_ With that on her mind, Yang stepped forward, crossing her arms over her chest. "As much as I hate to pass up a good fight, Green Boy's right. We've gotta get better if we have any hope of fighting Salem. But for now, let's focus on what we're all here for today. It's Ruby's birthday, so let's make it a hell of a good one."

There was a collective agreement throughout the whole group, with Gwen silently smiling at the powerful couple with pride. _'I'm glad that they're being smart about this. Still, I wonder…'_ The redhead turned to face Ironwood again with an inquisitive stare. "General, tell me, just what was it that you needed ME for?"

"Oh, yes. That's the other part." Ironwood gestured toward the ship. "We need your help with something on board the ship, Gwen. Two people were seriously hurt in the Atlas heist last night, and we think that you're the only one who can heal them."

The Anodite raised her left hand. "Um, I'm sorry, General, but I'm _not_ a doctor."

"…We're not exactly dealing with a flesh wound, Gwen." The general said hesitantly. "They're in the medical bay. Come with me and you'll see." With that, Ironwood led Gwen onto the Resolute, with the other teens as well as Qrow and Goodwitch following after them.

As they made their way to the medical bay, the group went by another room, its door sensor going off when Ben passed right under it. "Gah! Jeez, am I just cursed to get spooked by doors from now on?!"

Rex gave him a smirk. "Heh, I don't know dude, but…" Suddenly, the EVO stopped mid-sentence, his eyes suddenly shifting into the room that had just opened up. "Hey… are you getting a funny feeling like I am?"

"Uh, no. Why?"

"Follow me, _vamanos_." The two boys silently crept into the room, which appeared to be a small laboratory. "Huh, never took Tetrax to be the "science-y" type."

"He probably only uses this room for special cases." Ben figured. "After all, when you're an intergalactic bounty hunter, you're bound to run into a few alien criminals who need to be brought down with science."

"Good point." However, at that moment, Rex's head snapped to the right, focusing over to the far side of the room. He held his right arm up, stopping Ben from going any further. "Hold up, over there." Rex pointed and Ben followed his line of sight, the hero's eyes finally seeing what Rex seemed to be sensing; a large, rectangular storage container.

"Well… it certainly looks weird enough." Ben stepped over to the container, taking note of the key pad that was no doubt a locking mechanism. "What do you think's inside it?"

Rex narrowed his eyes at the metal storage unit, his suspicion rising with each passing moment. "Dude, my nanites are going crazy right now. Whatever's in there has to be mechanical, but… it's weird. It's like I'm hearing a voice in the back of my head. I get the same feeling when I communicate with nanites, but here? It doesn't make any sense."

"Rex, when have our lives EVER made sense?" Ben pointed out. "The only sure-fire way to find out is—"

"You two!" A deep voice shouted, spooking the boys and causing them to whirl around. There they saw Tetrax, his crystalline eyeridge down and giving them a serious face. "Ben, Rex, what are you two doing in here? This lab is supposed to remain secure."

Ben immediately began apologizing. "O-Oh, sorry Tetrax. The door opened up and then Rex sensed something in here, and—"

"Wait, the door opened up?" Tetrax asked. "That's strange, I could have sworn that I put it on lockdown…" After a brief moment of pondering, Tetrax waved the thought away for now, resolving to deal with it later. "Ah, nevermind. The point is that you two really shouldn't be in here right now. General Ironwood specifically said to leave that storage container alone for the time being."

"Wait, hold up." Rex raised his hand. "You know what's in there, Big T?"

"No, I don't." Tetrax shook his head. "Ironwood said that he'd tell us about it later though, AFTER Ruby's party."

Ben's eyes shifted to the storage unit. This situation was NOT sitting well with him at all. "I see, more secrets, huh? I'm seriously getting kinda tired of—"

" _AAAAAAAAH!"_ A loud scream interrupted Ben, causing the three to whirl their heads toward the room entrance.

"What was that?!" Ben exclaimed.

However, Rex instantly recognized the voice that let out that scream. "WEISS!"

Tetrax's face softened up when he realized what must have happened. "Oh no, she must've seen what was in the infirmary. Come on, let's go!"

* * *

Weiss Schnee had seen plenty of horrific sights since she had come to Vale; be it Grimm of varying shapes and sizes, mutated animals made to simply appear similar to Grimm, or Darkstar's disgusting face. Right now, she could probably categorize what she was seeing now as the latter… only it was spread over the entire _body_. Or rather, _bodies_ , to be more specific. Right in front of her and the rest of the group were a pair of what she could only assume to be humans; a man and a woman, though they were by and far from the best shape. Their skin was shriveled up beyond comprehension, their eyes were sunken in and very dark, and their hair was grey and wilting, leaving the two in an almost corpse-like state. However, if the heart-rate monitor had anything to go by, they _were_ still alive, though their heartbeats were very slow. But at the moment, Weiss was shocked that ANYTHING like that could live. "W-What happened to those two?!"

Gwen's face only showed contempt. Not for the two poor souls in front of her, but rather for the person who did this to them. "Michael happened. He drained these two of almost ALL of their life energy."

"Ugh, this is SO wrong." Yang sneered, backing away slightly before seeing Ben, Rex and Tetrax enter the room. "Oh hey, where did you guys go?"

"We kinda got distracted by something." Ben explained. "What'd we—GOOD GOD IN HEAVEN! What the hell?!"

" _¡Ay, dios mío!_ " Rex exclaimed in horror. "Jeez, now I can see why Weiss screamed like that!"

The heiress was, quite frankly, astonished that Rex could tell that was her screaming. "Wait, you _knew_ that was me?"

"Well, yeah." Rex put his hands into his pockets. "I'm pretty good at remembering voices."

"Oh, well… I'm flattered? I think?" Weiss said hesitantly. "I really don't know how to feel about this."

"Well, that's kinda not as important as what's in front of us right now, ain't it?" Kevin said, bringing the subject back on track, though not without irritating both Weiss AND Rex with his rude behavior. The Osmosian focused onto General Ironwood, giving him a questioning face. "Alright, so who ARE these two, anyway?"

"They're a pair of Atlas Tech employees; Mac Brown and Anna Greene." Ironwood answered. "They were the drivers of the Atlas Tech cargo hauler that Cinder and her team stole to make off with the experimentation capsules."

"They were found in the back alleys of Atlas, found by a couple of citizens soon after their ride was hijacked." Qrow explained. "By some miracle, they were barely alive."

"Once we found out about what happened in Atlas, military officials told us about these two and their… unique case." Goodwitch continued. "Their life force had been nearly completely drained from their bodies, including their Aura. That's when we remembered Gwen and her ability to _restore_ ones Aura with her mana should it be drained."

Tetrax finished the story from there. "Ironwood contacted me, and I flew to Atlas and back during the night, picking up these two and bringing them back as fast as I could. My life support machines can only last so long though. If we don't do something soon, these two will die." The Petrosapien shifted his focus onto the Anodite in the room. "Gwen, do you think you can help them?"

"Well… maybe." Gwen answered. "But it won't be as simple as you think. Giving mana is easy, but if I give it in large amounts, it drains me very quick. In order to do this, I'm going to need to go get something." The redhead walked over to Kevin and held out her palm. "Kevin, I need your keys for a second. What I need is in the glove compartment."

"Sure thing." Kevin handed her the keys and Gwen was off, running as fast as her legs could carry her.

Neptune couldn't help but ask; "So, what does she need from your car, Kev?"

Kevin gave the blue-haired boy a smirk. "Neptune, Gwen only keeps one thing in the glove compartment of my ride. And trust me when I say; we're in for a serious show."

About a minute later, Gwen returned, now with a book in her hand. It had a violet exterior and was lined with gold, complete with a decorative design on the cover. Just from the sight of it, everyone could tell that this book has some weird other-worldly feel to it, different from all the aliens that they had seen up to that point. No, this book seemed to give off an aura of… mystical properties. Gwen tossed the keys back to her boyfriend. "Thanks, Kevin. Now to get these guys back to their old selves."

"Wait, wait, hold on a second." Yang halted the redhead, intending to ask the obvious question. "The hell kind of a book is _that_?"

Fortunately, her boyfriend had an immediate answer. "Charmcaster's old spellbook?" Ben gave his cousin an inquisitive gaze. "You seriously took that to college with you?"

"What can I say? You never know when you need magic." Gwen gave her cousin a wink. "Like right now."

"Charmcaster?" Weiss mulled it over in her head, the name sounding familiar to her. "I swear that I've heard that name before."

Gwen gave her a confirming nod. "You have. She was an old enemy of mine and Ben's… who may or may not be a frenemy now. Honestly, I'm still trying to figure all that out." The Anodite shook that thought away for now. "The point is that _this_ …" she held the book up for all to see, "used to be her spellbook, though I call it "The Grimoire" for simplicity's sake. In any case, this book holds the key to getting those two back to normal."

"You really believe this book can help?" Glynda asked.

"Definitely. Now, I suggest everyone take a few steps back." The group did as Gwen asked and the redhead began meditation, floating in midair as she used her telekinesis to keep the book floating in front of her. Many were taken aback by the girl's actions, though Ben, Kevin and Tetrax weren't all that surprised. Gwen telekinetically opened the book, its pages flying by as she flipped to the section she needed. "Hmm, let's see, healing magic… almost, but no. Soul searching… no, not even close… ah-ha! There it is; life force rejuvenation."

Neptune leaned over to Rex and whispered; "So, uh, you have any idea about what she's talkin' about?"

"Dude, at this point, I'm just getting' used to magic." The EVO answered. "I couldn't even _pretend_ to know half this stuff if I tried."

Gwen's body started glowing a purplish-pink energy, her eyes glowing intensely in the same way. She began reciting the words; " _Rest Ituo Nowitus Wespinaetro Itus Vigoratus Perwita._ ' as large spheres of the same energy encircled the two shriveled humans. The mana from the spheres began to infuse into their bodies, and, slowly but surely, their skin began to return to normal. Once Gwen had finished reciting the spell, Mac Brown and Anna Greene were back to their old selves, their hearts going back to a steady beat. They were still unconscious, though, leaving a few in the room wondering why they weren't waking up. Once the Grimoire closed, Gwen fell to her knees, exhausted after all of the energy she had expended. "Hah, it's… it's done."

Nearly everyone practically had their jaws on the floor at what the Anodite had just done. Ben and Kevin meanwhile just went over and helped Gwen up off the floor, the hero giving his cousin a smile and a pat on the shoulder. "Great job, Gwen!"

Kevin gave her a congratulatory kiss. "Yeah, babe. Awesome as always."

"Indeed." Tetrax concurred as he went over to a nearby computer. "All of their vitals have stabilized. Excellent work."

Gwen simply rubbed the back of her neck. "Aw, it was no big deal."

"No big deal?!" Weiss exclaimed. "How in the heck can you just be so blasé about doing _magic_?!"

"…Because I use it all the time?" Gwen answered. "You kinda get used to it after a while. It's almost like second nature, actually."

Ironwood let out an awed chuckle as he inspected the unconscious husband and wife, still in slight disbelief from what he had just seen. "Well, I have to say that what you did today was nothing short of a miracle, Gwen. Thanks to you, these two won't be added to the death count from last night's raid. One question though; why aren't they awake?"

"They'll wake up in an hour or so." Gwen assured. "It'll just take a while for their consciousness to settle into having their life force back."

Tetrax nodded at this, finding the answer to be logical. "Very well. I'll transport these two back to the Valian Military base effective immediately. Better to have them wake up there than on an alien ship, you know."

Ben gave the Petrosapien a thumbs up. "Okay, you comin' back for the party, Tetrax?"

"Why yes, I am." Tetrax confirmed. "I'll return as soon as I am able. Cooper and your grandfather have even been preparing something special for me so that I may blend in with the crowd better."

"Huh, cool." Yang pointed a finger gun at him. "Well, we'll catch ya later, Big T. Right now, we've got a party to set up." The Blonde Brawler raised her arms and ushered everyone out of the room. "Alright people, we've already wasted enough daylight already! Now let's get to work!"

* * *

As Gwen, Weiss, Ben and Yang were walking back into the house, the blonde was going over what they had to do in a rapid-fire pace. It was now one-o'clock, which meant that they only had two hours left before Ruby and the others would come back. "Okay guys, we've got a lot of stuff to do and a limited amount of time to do it." Yang pointed over to the heiress. " Weiss, you and Gwen got the cake with Holiday, right?"

"We're on it, Yang." Weiss acknowledged.

Gwen gave her a salute. "All over it."

"Great!" Yang then clasped Ben across the shoulder, an action that made him give out a grunt. "Green Boy, you and I are on food duty. Whatever didn't get finished up this morning, we've gotta finish now."

"Right, gotcha." Ben affirmed. But just as they were about to enter the kitchen, they could hear rapid footsteps coming up from the basement. "Wait, what the—"

Before Ben could even finish his sentence, Winter opened the basement door, a relieved look coming to her face when her eyes found Ben. "Ah, Benjamin, there you are! I need your help downstairs for just a brief moment!"

Ben shifted his eyes to Yang, who just gave a shrug. "Uh, sure Winter, what's up?"

A light blush came to the elder Schnee's face as she gave her answer. "Well… you see… I would very much appreciate it if you could transform back into Feedback and recharge the communicator. Because… heh, this is a bit awkward to say to you, but—"

"You want to spend more time with my brother." Gwen smirked, to which Weiss soon followed suit. "Right?"

Winter gave the two a deadpan expression. "If I admit it, will you two stop smiling at me like that?"

"Maybe." Weiss folded her arms. "But to be honest, I'm just happy that you're having such a good time down there."

Though she was still slightly annoyed by her sister and Gwen's little bit of snark, Winter still smiled when Weiss said that. "Well, thank you, dear sister." The military specialist focused back onto Ben and asked once again for his help. "So, would you please recharge the communicator? It' almost out of battery and I have no idea how to get it back on if it does turn off."

"You got it Winter." Ben went over to the basement door, transforming into Feedback before ducking down into the stairwell. "This should only take a second." the Conductoid's voice cracked.

Winter shifted her gaze over to Gwen with a quirked brow. "Gwendolyn, would you like to say hello to your brother before we continue our date?"

"That'd be great actually." Gwen nodded, following Winter down the stairs with Yang and Weiss following close behind. "Oh, and just so you know, General Ironwood is here. And he said that there's been a big break in at—"

"Atlas Tech, I'm aware." Winter confirmed.

Yang's eyebrows rose up at her words. "Wait, you knew already?"

"Indeed. He called me very late last night to inform me of what happened." The elder Schnee elaborated. "It had been almost a full hour since the heist had happened, and we only then just received the news here in Vale. He told me to hold off until telling you, as he wished to inform you himself."

"I see." Weiss understood. "I guess he didn't want us to have that thought with us that late at night."

Up in front, Feedback's eye narrowed in suspicion, remembering what he and Rex had found on Tetrax's ship only a short fifteen minutes ago. _'Yeah, maybe. But honestly, I'm starting to think that Ironwood may not have been true to his word when he meant "no more secrets". If we can't trust the military general to tell us the whole truth, then who CAN we trust?'_ At that moment, the face of Raven flashed in his mind, making him grimace slightly. _'Unfortunately, that might be the case…'_ However, as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw the communicator, as well as the image of his cousin on the holoscreen. "Hey, Kenny! What's up?"

" _Hey there, Ben! Always good to see you."_ Ken put his hand over his eyes, narrowing them playfully. _"And is that my little sis all the way back there?"_

"Haha, very funny, Kenny." Gwen rolled her eyes. "You're eyesight's not THAT atrocious."

" _Eh, point taken."_ As Feedback plugged himself into the communicator to recharge it, Ken continued to speak with his little sister. _"So, how've things been over there? Anything exciting happen?"_

"Well, after your call yesterday, we ended up bringing in another perp." Gwen sat down on the nearby sofa, giving her bother her full attention. "After she was hired to destroy Beacon Academy by our enemy, that is. But let's not focus on that right now…" She gave him a sly grin. "By the way, what're you doing with your bass, Kenny?"

Ken's eyes widened as he realized that he was still holding onto his bass, a hint of red coming to his cheeks. He quickly tried to hide it beneath the table he was sitting at, hoping she wouldn't ask any further questions. "Oh, a-a bass? What bass? I don't see any bass!"

Unfortunately for him, her sister quickly caught onto what Gwen was insinuating. "Ooh, were you playing my sister a song, Kenny?"

Winter wore a proud grin as she gave Ken a wink. "Indeed, he was. In fact, it was a song that his own band wrote. And it was magnificent!"

Ken smiled and pulled his bass back up onto his lap, letting out a relenting chuckle. _"Hehe, okay little sis, you got me dead to rights. She wanted to hear a song and I was more than happy to give her one."_ He returned the wink that Winter sent him. _"Besides, it'd be rude of me to refuse such a pretty lady's request."_

"Oh-ho, Kenneth, please." Winter hid her face. "You're making me blush!"

But Gwen was quick to object. "Oh no, please Kenny, do go on. This is just starting to get good!"

"Yeah, come on!" Weiss insisted. "Give her more compliments, please!"

Yang just rolled her eyes and gently began pulling the two girls by the ears, hoping that it would put an end to their heckling. "Alright, you hopeless romantics, break it up and give these two some space, huh?"

Feedback nodded in agreement. "Yeah, besides…" The Conductoid pulled out his plugs from the back of the device and transformed back into Ben, placing his hands on his hips. "It's all charged up! You guys got another half-hour."

Winter bowed her head in gratitude. "Thank you vert much, Benjamin. It's much appreciated."

" _Yeah, thanks Ben!"_ Ken gave him a thumbs up. _"But before you guys head up, there's something that Winter and I were discussing earlier that I wanna ask you about."_

"Oh, sure! Go ahead."

" _Okay, so… you guys've been there for about two weeks, right?"_ Ken started. _"And you've got all these great movies, videogames and other stuff that you brought with you, correct?"_

"Uh, yeah, that's right. What're you getting at, Ken?"

" _Well, I'm just surprised that you guys've shown your new friends ALL of this great and crazy otherworldly stuff… and have still yet to show them ONE Disney film."_ The redhead explained. _"Like, seriously? Not as single one?"_

Gwen slapped her forehead. "Oh my god, we are so DUMB! Disney should've been the FIRST thing that we ever showed them, right Be—Ben?" Everyone focused onto the green-clad hero, his right eye twitching in irritation. "Uh, Ben? You alright?"

Ben pointed his index finger up before gesturing it over to the nearest wall. "Pardon me for a moment, I'm just gonna go hit my head against the nearest wall for being so stupid."

However, Yang was quick to put a stop to him. She went over and wrapped him in her arms, preventing him from going any further. "Oh no you don't, Green Boy. There's no reason to abuse yourself because of something you think is stupid. That only makes you MORE stupid, okay? Now, what the heck's a "Disney" film?"

"Only some of THE best animated motion pictures of all time!" Ben answered. "…Plus a few live action ones, but what Disney's mainly known for are its animated movies!"

" _And the theme parks!"_ Ken piped up. _"Don't forget the theme parks!"_

Weiss raised her hands up, hoping to slow things down for a moment as she processed all of this. "Okay, okay, so "Disney" must be the company that's behind all this stuff, right?"

" _Excactly."_ Ken nodded. _"They're actually one of the biggest companies in the world."_

"And it's been Kenny's dream to work at their main animation studio." Gwen added. "He's hoping to work on a major Disney film one day."

"Wow, that's some big dream." Yang said before pointing a finger gun to him. "Good luck with that."

" _Thank you."_ Ken replied. _"I actually almost decided to give up on my dream, but…"_ he sent a smile over to Winter, who was more than happy to return it. _"A certain someone helped me realize that dreams are never easy. So, I've just gotta work even harder to realize it."_

"Hey, now that's the spirit!" Gwen cheered. "Glad you're not giving up, Kenny. I know you can do it!"

"Yeah, Kenny, best of luck." Weiss concurred. "Well, now we've got another thing for our watch list later on, at least when Halloween is over."

" _Oh, if you're looking for something Disney related for Halloween, try The Nightmare Before Christmas!"_ Ken recommended. _"It's a classic!"_

Gwen chuckled nervously at Ken's suggestion. Her brother had no problem with stop motion, but she sure as heck did. "Hehehe, uh, Kenny, I think we'll start them off on something that's a bit more… traditionally Disney than expose them to a movie made by a guy who loves all things creepy."

Ben smirked and rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, you just can't stand the stop motion! I saw you hide under your bed once when our family all watched it together one year."

"I was eight!" Gwen asserted, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "Ugh, I'm going back upstairs to get the cake ready." Before she left, she made sure to smile and say goodbye to her brother. "Bye, Kenny! You two have fun with the rest of your date!"

" _Hehe, we will."_ Ken waved back. _"Talk to you later, sis!"_

After they said their goodbyes, Gwen made her way up the stairs, only to be stopped short when Rex started coming down the steps. "Whoops! Sorry, Gwen." The EVO glanced down into the room and his eyes immediately found the person he was looking for. "Hey Yang! Team CFVY just pulled in and Coco's wondering where to put the presents."

Yang let out a small, tired sigh. "Man, more early birds, huh? Okay, tell her I'll be right up." Rex gave her a thumbs up before returning upstairs, Gwen following after him soon after. "Well, we oughta get going, guys. We've got a ton of work to do before Ruby's party." The Blonde Brawler gave Winter a salute. "But hey, enjoy yourself, 'kay Winter? Besides, my uncle's up there, and I get the feeling that you'd wanna talk to Kenny more than him."

"Hmhm, you'd be right about that, Yang." Winter confirmed. "I'll be up later."

Weiss gave the two a final wave before climbing the stairs with Yang and Ben. "Okay. Have fun, sis!"

"We will!" Once her sister and her friends were upstairs and out of earshot, Winter gave Kenny a sly smile. "Now, where were we?"

" _I believe I was about to serenade you with another song."_ Ken strummed his base to make sure it was tuned correctly. However, there was one question that was buring in the back of Ken's mind _"By the way, what did Yang mean by you not wanting to talk to her uncle?"_

Winter pursed her lips. "Trust me, Kenny, if you met him, you'd know why." However, she waved the thought away before it could take over her mind. "But let's leave that alone, okay? Instead, why don't we focus on each other? That sounds better than thinking about another certain person"

A serious expression came to Kenny's face as he nodded to her. _"I gotcha. Trust me, I'm not fond of talking about people I don't like either."_ His smile returned as he strummed his guitar. _"Okay, so how about we liven the mood up with a nice and cozy song. How about…"_ Ken raised a single eyebrow and gave Winter a smile. _""A Winter's Tale" by Queen?"_

Winter couldn't help but roll her eyes at the suggestion, though she still smiled back with a hint of a blush. "Alright, now you're pushing it… but please go on."

* * *

**A/N: Hehe, well those two seem to be enjoying themselves, eh? Then again, music is the key to soothing one's soul, now isn't it? But while Winter and Ken's first little date is going smoothly, it's also brought up another certain subject that Ben will be educating the Remnant crew on later… and boy oh boy, it's gonna be quite the trip with THAT one. Speaking of Ben, our hero seems to be growing a bit more suspicious of the adults and how much the team's still being kept in the dark. Will there yet be more secrets to uncover as the story goes on? We'll just have to wait and find out. But, until then, NEXT TIME! Once Ruby and the others return from their shopping trip, her surprise party gets into full swing! There, she gets to see some of her old teachers from signal again, as well as reunite with some more of her old friends. However, in the Land of Darkness, Cinder's team finally gets to meet the infamous Viktor, and Salem begins setting plans into motion. Until next time guys! Thanks for reading!**


	62. Happy Birthday, Ruby!

**A/N: Greetings everyone, and welcome back to the "Ruby's Haunted Birthday" arc! And, as you can probably tell, we've finally arrived at the big bash, so there's going to be a LOT going on in this chapter. After all, it's a birthday party, and those are never all that subtle, now are they. But that's not all, as we're getting the chance to catch up with our villains as well! So, let's not waste anymore time up here, now shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 62: Happy Birthday, Ruby!**

* * *

Over the past three hours, Ruby had been treated to pretty much anything she wanted thanks to the gift cards that the Arc Sister's had so graciously given her. Whether it be action figures, books, clothes, or albums from some of her favorite artists, she couldn't have asked for a better shopping trip. However, as they all rode back to the house in the Rustbucket with Max at the wheel, Ruby couldn't help but feel troubled. For one, her suspicion was at an all-time high on just what her sister was planning. Team JNPR, Blake and Sun seemed pretty dead set on keeping her at the mall until two-thirty rolled around. And once Max came to pick them up, the whole group seemed all too eager to get back home. It perplexed her, and she did NOT like it.

And second of all; her mind was still going crazy over Professor Paradox's blasted riddle! She had been thinking about it on and off for almost the entire duration of her trip to the mall, and she didn't feel any closer to solving it. Heck, she and Azure had a whole discussion about it when the group took a small break at the food court, and they STILL couldn't figure it out! But the absolute worst part about it was that Ruby could practically feel the answer right in front of her, but she just couldn't place it. _'It's right on the tip of my tongue, I KNOW it is!'_ The Hooded Huntress thought to herself, holding her head in her hands. _'I just wish I had a clear answer!'_

At that moment, Max spoke up from the driver's seat, the old man having seen Ruby holding her head in the rearview mirror. "Are you okay back there, Ruby?" he asked in concern. "If you're getting car sick, let me know, okay?"

"Huh? O-Oh, no Max, I'm fine." Ruby waved to the old Plumber in reassurance. "I was just… thinking, is all."

Jaune shot a smile over to her. "About what you're going to do with all the stuff you bought, I'm guessing?"

"No!" Ruby rebutted. "…Well, okay, kind of. But I'm still just stuck on that darn riddle! I can feel the answer in my reach, but I just can't grasp it!"

Pyrrha had to admit, Paradox had given them quite the well thought out riddle to crack. "Hmm, it IS quite the mystery. And by the sound of it, we may have to figure it out by tonight."

Ruby's eyes widened and she burst out into a grin. "Pyrrha, that's IT!"

"Oh, really? And what is "it" exactly?"

"Paradox said that "on Halloween _night_ , you'll put up fight". And since he's a time traveler, that means he must've already seen it happen!"

Ren quirked an eyebrow, still confused at what she was getting at. "And that would mean… what exactly?"

"That we WILL eventually figure out the riddle by tonight!" Ruby explained as she steepled her fingers together. "It's all a matter of time now… all we have to do is wait."

There was a moment of silence throughout the RV before Nora just shrugged her shoulders. "Eh, makes sense to me."

"Well, not to me." Azure stated. "Ruby, I hate to burst your bubble, but just because you KNOW something will happen in the future doesn't mean that it'll just fall right into your lap." She readjusted her glasses before continuing. "I'm sorry, but the universe just doesn't work that way. You still need to work if you wish to have your solution."

"D'oh, man!" Ruby slammed her head on the small table she was sitting in front of, just as she had that very morning at breakfast. "How can I not catch a break on my own birthday?" she muffled out.

Across the table, Blanche and Noire gave her sympathetic smiles. "Aw, cheer up, Ruby. I'm sure things will turn around for you." Noire reassured.

"Yeah, besides, there've been a LOT worse ways to spend a birthday." Blanche added, putting an arm around her sister. "Just ask us! There was one year where we both had to spend our ENTIRE birthday week in the hospital after a reckless stunt we tried to pull with our bikes!"

"Hehe, I remember that year." Noire chuckled. "Dad was _not_ happy to see THAT hospital bill." The officer focused back on Ruby. "But the point is that things could be worse, Ruby. Remember that you're at least up right and out of bed on your birthday, okay?"

Ruby couldn't help but smile at Noire's encouraging words. "Hehe, yeah, I guess compared to that, I COULD be worse off on my birthday. Thanks, Noire."

In the seat next to her, Violette gave Ruby a pat on the shoulder. "There, see? There's a more optimistic outlook! And don't worry, we've still got plenty of time to solve the riddle. But from what I hear, Yang might have some more stuff planned for you."

Ruby's face returned to being skeptical. "Oh yeah, I've been thinking about that too. Yang seems really committed to keep me in the dark today. I'm beginning to wonder just what's so important that I can't be at home for almost three hours."

"Well, you're about to find out!" Max called out as he pulled to a stop. "We're home, everyone."

As the Arc Sisters, Team JNPR and Max all filed out of the RV, Ruby attempted to pick up her bags full of stuff, though admittedly, it was a lot and it was quite hefty. "Woah, hehe, guess I got a little more shop-happy than I thought."

Blake and Sun approached her, the two Faunus quickly grabbing some of the bags to help their friend. "Here, let US get some of those for you, Ruby." Blake offered.

"Yeah, the birthday girl shouldn't be doin' the heavy lifting." Sun added as he hefted the bags out of the Rustbucket and toward the house.

Ruby smiled as she disembarked the Rustbucket, thankful for her friend's help. "Aw, thanks guys, but you don't have to… do… that?" The Hooded Huntress' smile slowly began to fade as she quickly took note of the multitude of cars that were parked across the front yard of her home, immediately setting off a multitude of red flags. "AGH! What the heck is THIS?! W-What's going on?! Oh, dad's going to FREAK when he sees this!"

"Well, I would…" Ruby, Blake and Sun turned to see Tai walking over to them, a grin plastered onto his face. "…but then again, I expected these cars to be here." He gave his surprised daughter a hug and a kiss on the head. "Welcome home, sweetheart. You enjoy your shopping trip?"

"Uh… yeah. What do you mean you _expected_ all of these cars?" Ruby narrowed her eyes at him. "Just what's going on around here?"

Tai smirked as he slowly moved away from her. "Well… if you want those answers… you'll have to catch me first!" And with that, Tai began sprinting toward the backyard, much to Ruby's confusion.

"W-Wait, what?" But then, the silver-eyed girl was taken off guard when Blake and Sun began doing the same… and they were making off with her stuff!

"You're going to have to catch us too, Ruby!" Blake called back.

"Yeah, follow us if you ever wanna see your stuff again!" Sun taunted

"H-hey! Wait a minute!" Ruby dashed after her friends and father, using her Semblance to catch up with them. The moment that Tai, Blake and Sun entered the backyard, Ruby heard them shout something along the lines of; "She's coming!", making her come to a sudden halt. She ran the rest of the way, a determined expression forming onto her face. "Alright, just what the heck is the big idea—AH!" Ruby gasped at what she saw next, her mind just barely comprehending it all at once. "Wha… what?"

The first few things she had noticed were the decorations. Streamers, balloons, multiple picnic tables with colorful table covers complete with party napkins and cups, as well as so much more! Her dad had busted out his large grill from the shed, which was presently being manned by her Uncle Qrow, the drunken hunter flipping burgers and hot dogs as Max came over to help. General Ironwood was talking to the old Plumber about something, though from this distance, she couldn't guess what.

Ruby then took note that all of her teammates, along with Cooper, Team CFVY, the Arcs, Doctor Holiday, Winter, Athena, and Goodwitch were all standing together in one big group, with a whole bunch of other people standing behind them. Upon a second glance though, Ruby realized that they were all people that she knew from all around Patch! She saw Coach Greta Wilhelm and her brother Hans sitting on one of the picnic tables, Mr. Vulcan with his wife next to the food table, she even saw Whitlea Tiger Lily setting up some flower arrangements with a black-haired man with blue eyes, though Ruby didn't know who HE was. There were also a TON of students from Signal, including her old group of friends.

Ruby's first thought had been that Nora had somehow assimilated the backyard. It was the only explanation that she could think of for all of these party decorations. But then, she saw a big, red banner hanging on the backside of her house. Ruby read what it said, and things began to click into place in her mind. Her eyes slowly glanced over to her father, Blake and Sun, who were all visibly beaming with anticipation. "Is… is this…"

"SURPRISE!" The whole backyard shouted out. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RUBY!"

Despite the initial shock, Ruby was immediately frozen in place by what was going on. It was all making sense now. Her sister had kept her away from the house so that she could plan this whole thing out. The revelation came right when she saw Yang herself running over to her, a bright and happy smile written across her face. "Well? Whaddya think?! Was it all worth the wait or what?"

Weiss came over as well. "Be honest, how happy are you right now?"

"Pretty exciting, right?" Blake finished. "It was hard to keep all this a secret from you for the past week, but we did it!" However, Ruby didn't respond, at least not with words. The three girls could see Ruby's eyes welling up with tears, her shoulders shaking as her hands began to quake. The girls approached her with concern, with Blake asking; "R-Ruby, are you okay?"

Ruby sniffled a little bit, finally able to find the ability to speak. "Y-Y-You did all of this… for me?" Yang, Weiss and Blake all gave her confirming nods, and with that, Ruby let her tears begin flowing, crying with happiness as she ran into her friend's arms. "Y-you guys-hic-are the greatest! You seriously didn't need to do all this!"

As she continued to cry, Yang rubbed circles into her sister's back, comforting her in an attempt to calm her down. "Maybe we didn't need to, but we WANTED to. Ruby, this is your Sweet Sixteen, and you deserve to have the very best one that any girl can get."

"Exactly." Weiss concurred. "After the year we've had together, this is our way of repaying you for bringing us together as a team, and for just being our friend."

"Not JUST as friends." Blake corrected. "But family, too. So, was it worth the wait?"

"YES!" Ruby cried, her tears continuing to stream down her cheeks. "Yes, yes, yes, this was totally worth waiting for! I love you guys so much!"

"We love you too, Ruby." Yang kissed her sister's head. "And trust me, you've got a lot of people who feel the same about you here." The Blonde Brawler turned around in time to see the Alien Trio, Rex, Team JNPR and Team SN approaching, all of them smiling down at the Hooded Huntress. "Ain't that right, guys?"

"You bet it is." Ben confirmed as he, Gwen and Kevin stepped forward. Team RWBY's group hug ended, leaving Ruby to be approached by the three. "Ruby, I know that we've only known you for about two weeks now," Ben began, "but honestly, after all of the awesome stuff that we've done with you guys, it feels like a LOT longer than that."

Gwen stepped forward and pulled Ruby into a hug. "Today is your special day, Ruby, and we hope that you enjoy it."

"Yeah squirt, Happy Birthday." Kevin raised a paper cup full of punch. "Here's hoping you finally get the courage to curse one day!" That got a laugh out of the whole crowd, including Ruby herself. The only ones who weren't laughing were Tai and Qrow, for obvious reasons, and Gwen, who merely decided to roll her eyes at her boyfriend's comment.

"Hehe, gee, thanks, Kevin." Ruby giggled as she wiped the tears away from her face. However, just as she said that, Team JNPR came over next. Ruby placed her hands on her hips and gave them a smirk. "Guys, I can't believe you were able to keep me in that mall for three hours. I'm simply amazed here."

"Yeah, well, we were stubborn." Jaune smirked back before giving her a hug. "But still, Happy Birthday, Ruby. We're all really glad that you're our friend."

"Indeed, we are." Pyrrha said as she joined in. "And we always will be."

"Aw, thank you!" Ruby hugged the two back before moving onto Ren and Nora. "Lemme guess, the decorations were courtesy of you, right Nora?"

"Haha! How'd ya guess, Rubes?" Nora giggled as she hugged her friend back. "Though I did have a little help." The Pink Dynamo winked over to Blanche and Noire, who returned the gesture immediately. "Still, anything for your birthday, girl. Hope you like what we chose for the decorations. The banner was the hardest part, actually. Do you know how difficult it is to find a RED banner? Most of their selection was pink, blue and yellow for cripes sake!"

"Heh, well, I'm glad that you found one!" Ruby glanced back up to the red banner, which had the words 'Happy Birthday, Ruby!' written out in black paint… which was still visibly dripping. "…I guess that the banner was a bit last minute?"

Ren rubbed the back of his head. "Well, kind of. We did it last night, and the paint IS dry. It's just that Sun, Neptune and I foolishly painted the words on with the banner hanging on the wall… so now the words have that dripping effect. Sorry if it looks weird"

Ruby just shrugged at the green ninja's explanation. "Eh, I don't mind it, actually. In fact, I think it looks really cool!"

Over where he was standing, Neptune wiped his forehead in relief. "Phew! Thank god, she likes it! I was worried that you'd hate it, Ruby."

"Nah, it's cool." Ruby smiled as she walked over to him and Sun, pulling both boys into a hug. "But thanks for your help painting it, boys. I love it!"

Sun chuckled as he and his teammate returned the embrace. "Hey, don't mention it. Anything for a good party and a great friend. Thanks for letting us crash at your house, Ruby."

"Heh, you're welcome." As the hug ended, Ruby quirked a brow over to Rex, who was leaning up against a nearby picnic table. "So, Mr. Salazar, what was YOU'RE contribution to all of this, hmm?"

Rex brushed off his shoulders proudly before answering her. "Well, I may have been the head decorator for this shin-dig. Now admittedly, I haven't exactly decorated for a lot of parties, but your sister said that we did a pretty good job."

"And I agree with her." Ruby tapped the side of his head. "Just don't go getting a big head, okay, _amigo_?"

"Heh, readin' ya loud and clear." Rex saluted. "Happy Birthday, Ruby. I know that I haven't exactly been here very long, but I'm glad that you guys have excepted me so damn quick. I'm honored to be a part of this team."

"And WE are honored to have you." Ruby assured. "Now, what next?"

Tai came over to her daughter, a cup filled with punch in his hand. He handed the cup to her and said; "Now, the birthday girl gets to say a few words to her guests."

Ruby's eyes widened as she gazed out to the entire backyard, with everyone's eyes now trained on her. A nervous sweat instantly began to move down her face. "W-what?! But dad, you KNOW I'm awful at public speaking!"

"Maybe so, but everyone here is your friend, Ruby." Tai assured. "No one here is going to judge you if you flub anything up." He gave her an encouraging wink. "There's no script, so just say what you feel in your heart, sweetie. I know you can do it."

After a few seconds, Ruby took in a deep breath, steeling her nerves before nodding to her father. "You're right. I can do this." The Hooded Huntress stepped away from Tai and began addressing the crowd, keeping a smile on her face. "Uh, hi. I'm, uh, not really all that good with these sorts of things, but I just want to thank you all for coming. It means so much to me, you have no idea." Ruby scanned the crowd and saw her friends and teachers from Signal, smiling brightly at her as she continued. "I see that we've got a few familiar faces from all over town…" She glanced over to Ironwood and Goodwitch, who bowed their heads in greeting. "And a few from the city as well. But no matter where you're from, it makes me happy to see so many friendly faces today, so let's make it a GOOD day, whaddya say to that?!" The crowd cheered at Ruby's declaration, which reassured her to keep going. "Hehe, alright! Well then, let's get this party started!"

* * *

In the Land of Darkness, a dropship could be seen just over the horizon beyond Salem's castle, the craft approaching the intimidating structure at high speeds. Once it came within a certain distance, the dropship slowed to a halt, hovering in place about twenty yards away from the castle before steadily lowering itself to the landing pad below, where Exo-Skull and Thunderhog were eagerly awaiting their arrival. "Man, how come they get to go to different places for missions?" Skull asked whilst crossing his arms. "All we've been to is borin' ol' Vale."

Hog pat his friend's shoulder. "Hey, don't worry, Skull. Once we get our little power boost, we'll be able to go anywhere we want! I mean, who'd be stupid enough to stop us?"

Skull, however, had a terrified look on his face when his friend said that. "A-are you implying that you-know-who is stupid?" he whispered, nudging his head to the castle in the hopes that Hog would get the idea.

"Wha?" Hog's eyes glanced to the castle, and they immediately widened in fear. "O-Oh, no, no, no, what I meant was any stupid _do-gooders_ who get in our way, you know what I'm sayin'? Salem's the boss, she can send us where ever she WANTS to send us."

"That is excellent to hear, Thaddeus." A certain cold voice spoke behind the two, causing both men to let out a high-pitched scream. Hog jumped up a foot into the air and Skull caught his best friend, the two quaking in their boots as Salem approached. The dark witch even had her little rat-scorpion-snake hybrid with her, which didn't help the two in their terrified state. "I am very glad that you both see things my way. Otherwise, I would have to feed you to Lilith." She gently pet the demented chimera on the head. "I have found that she has… _quite_ the appetite for flesh."

"Hehehe, n-n-no problem, Lady Salem!" Skull saluted, dropping Hog onto the ground in the process. "We live to serve!"

Hog scrambled to his feet and gave a salute as well. "Y-y-yeah, we don't have any problems with you tellin' us what to do, ma'am! If you want us to work exclusively in Vale, that's fine with us!"

"Very good." Salem nodded. "But do not be so quick to assume, gentlemen. For once your mutation is complete, I will have MANY jobs for you that will be stationed outside of Vale. After all, you have both been so patient in this undertaking, the least I can do is reward you with the freedom to wreak havoc in any place you wish."

Skull rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Oh-ho-ho, I like the sounds o' that!"

"Oh yeah, totally!" Hog slammed his fist into his palm. "Can't wait to start wreckin' stuff!" At that moment, the dropship finally landed on the ground, prompting the three to shift their attention to the craft as its back hatch lowered. Rojo, Cinder, Subdora, Mercury, Emerald Michael and Hazel disembarked the craft, the latter two moving the experimentation capsules out from the ship. "Hey-hey! All hail the concurring bad guys! So, how were things up north?"

"Pretty crazy." Rojo answered. "We got away by the skin of our teeth, but we pulled it off."

"Indeed." Subdora agreed. "It was quite the heist. One of the finest that I have ever been a part of!" The Merlinisapien went over to Exo-Skull and gave him a wink, intentionally brushing her arm against his as she walked past. "Hello, Farkas. Good to see you again."

As expected, Skull began babbling in apprehension, much to Subdora's delight. "O-Oh! I-I-It's good to see you too." The large man was very glad that he had his helmet on, otherwise she would've seen his blush.

"Hmm, I see." Salem nodded at Subdora's previous statement before focusing back on the bounty hunter. "Well, your mission was a success. Well done, Rojo. I knew that you were the perfect choice to co-lead this operation." The witch then set her sights on her red-clad protégé, who was now standing tall and proud from her victory. "And you as well, young Cinder. I heard that you made great use out of your Maiden powers in the field yesterday."

Cinder bowed to her mistress in respect. "Yes, Lady Salem. I did. I was not about to allow the mission to be compromised at the last possible second."

"I see… though I heard that you were quite exhausted after you used them, correct?"

"…Yes, Lady Salem. I know that I require further training."

"That you do." Salem concurred. "We will pick up where we left off last time later today. But first, there is someone who I would like you all to meet."

Her statement caught Mercury's attention. "Yes, we heard that Rojo managed to bring a new recruit aboard."

"And that she pulled him right from out of those hero's noses." Emerald smirked. "So, where is he? I hear he's quite the sight."

"That he is." Salem gestured to the top of the castle. "He is in his new quarters, preparing to present himself to you all as we speak.

Rojo quirked a brow in confusion as she gazed up to the castle's highest tower. "Wait, so… he's still in Watts' old lab? I'd have thought that you would've gave him his own bedroom by now."

"I did offer him one." Salem explained as the group began making their way inside. "However, he insisted that he was fine sleeping in the laboratory. He told me that the antiquated machinery and close proximity to lightning make him feel more at home." The witch shrugged her shoulders. "So, I allowed him to stay there. The room isn't being used for much else these days anyhow."

"Huh, I've heard of seeing monsters in the basement, but monsters in the attic's a new one on me." Rojo pondered over it for a moment before asking further. "And, uh… he doesn't mind that he hasn't got a bed up there?"

"Viktor prefers to sleep on the slab." Salem said, much to everyone's surprise. "He says it helps keep his back bones straight and his muscles in alignment."

Mercury furrowed his brows in confusion. "His "back bones"? Keeping his muscles aligned? He must have some major back problems."

"Well, it's more how his body works, Merc." Rojo explained. "Remember, he's a Transylian, and that means…" Suddenly, a loud thumping noise could be heard approaching, causing everyone to stop in the middle of the foyer. Upon better investigation, Rojo deduced that the thumping was coming down the extravagant staircase at the end of the room, prompting her to put her hands on her hips. "You know what? I'm just gonna let you see the big guy for yourself."

After a few more seconds of waiting, Viktor finally made his presence known, wordlessly coming down the stairs as his massive boots thumped down the steps. Hog, Skull, Subdora, Hazel and Michael were all unfazed by the monster's appearance, having already bore witness to him many times before. Cinder, Mercury and Emerald however, were all taken aback by the Transylian's size and grotesque visage. Emerald even letting a small shriek escape her lips before covering her mouth in fear for what Viktor or even Salem would do to her. Fortunately for her, the witch paid her outburst no mind as she moved over and presented Viktor to them. "Everyone, this is Viktor. He is our new ally… as well as my new personal advisor."

Cinder's eyes widened in shock. _'Her… advisor?'_

However, Rojo was quick to take note of Viktor's new outerwear. The Transylian was donned in a large, black leather duster, its coattails reaching all the way down to the ground. The coat appeared to be specially made for him as well, with two large holes made in the back to accommodate his giant conductors. But other than that, he didn't have anything else. He had even left the duster open to reveal his bare chest, almost to say he wasn't fazed by the lack of any other garments. Rojo smirked as she took a closer look at the coat. "Hehe, wow Vik. Salem really set you up with some cool new duds, huh? Bein' the Boss Lady's new advisor must have its perks!"

Viktor craned his head down and mumbled at the bounty hunter's comments. "Hmm, Rojo. So you ARE here as well. I believe that I have you to thank for bringing me to this place. If not for your quick action, I most assuredly would have been lost to Tennyson's team. For that, I thank you."

"Aw, no biggie." Rojo waved off. "Anything to get the drop on those squirts!"

"Indeed." Viktor nodded before focusing on someone else; Michael. His eyes narrowed and he snarled out; "Darkstar."

Michael set the experimentation capsule down and deactivated his powers, putting his hands behind his back. "There is no more Darkstar, Viktor. I am simply Michael Morningstar again, as you can plainly see."

"It matters not." Viktor dismissed with a swipe of his hand. "Do not presume that I simply forgot when you came to absorb my energy. While both you and Kevin Levin bested me in that regard, you made the grave mistake of keeping me alive. Said you would be "back for more when I recharged", if I recall."

Michael waved his hand, ushering Viktor to get to the point. "And what all of this means is…"

Viktor smirked when he answered. "That Kevin Levin is smarter than you, Morningstar. At least he left me as a husk so that I could not take my vengeance upon him when I recharged."

Michael sneered and stepped forward, angrily pointing at Viktor. "Don't you DARE say that to me! I can out-think that simpleton a THOUSAND times fold!"

"Oh, I am truly sorry." Viktor bowed as sarcasm simply dripped from his voice. "Forgive me, but just how many times have Levin and the Tennyson's bested you?"

"THAT'S IT!" Michael's hands enveloped with dark energy once again, but before he could smite Viktor, a whole wave of dark energy slammed into him, making him yell out in shock. He was sent careening into the nearest wall, his back taking the brunt of the impact. He slumped to the ground, his entire body now wracked with pain. "Ugh, wha…?" Michael's hand went to his head, but then, he caught sight of a shadow moving closer to him. The moment he glanced up, he instantly regretted it. "L-Lady Salem, I—"

"I will NOT have you start a fight in my home, Michael!" Salem roared, making everyone tremble with fear. Even though they weren't the ones that Salem was mad at, they could practically feel the anger radiating off of her, instilling fear into their very souls with every word she spoke. The only one who didn't seem to be even the slightest bit afraid was Viktor. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying the show. "If what Viktor says is true, then you will simply have to make amends. I will not tolerate this level of foolishness."

Michael's brows furrowed. "Are… are you insinuating that I apologize?! Michael Morningstar apologizes to no one!"

Salem craned her head up, but kept her eyes locked onto Michael. "Hmm… a capital idea." The witch craned her head up to Viktor, sending him a sinister smile. "What say you, Doctor Viktor?"

Viktor respectfully bowed his head to Salem, placing his right hand over his heart. "Miss Salem, as your personal advisor, I must say that I agree with your assessment. You wish to teach him a lesson? Have him go through one of the things he hates most."

Salem redirected her focus back to Michael. "Then it is settled. Michael, apologize to Viktor."

"You can't be—" But Michael was cut off when he saw the deadly stare that Salem was giving him. It only took a single glance from her to tell that she wasn't fooling around. "Alright, you are quite serious, I see." Michael stood up and brushed himself off before walking over to Viktor, their eyes meeting with equally powerful glares. But Michael knew that if he wanted to continue living, he was going to have to do the unthinkable; "Viktor… I… _apologize_ for my… _rude_ behavior." The words felt like poison on his tongue, but he would just have to fight through it.

A smile formed once again on Viktor's face. "I accept your apology. See? Now was that so hard, Morningstar?" His snide comment elicited quiet snickers from almost everyone, the exceptions being Hazel and Cinder. Hazel kept his stern expression… but Cinder smiled at the Transylian's tenacity.

"Yes, it was." Michael answered before heading toward the front door. "Now leave me be, I need to feed. I sacrificed my pride for this, and I do not wish to suffer any further humiliation."

"Very good, you're learning your place, then." As Michael exited the building, Viktor strode over to the experimentation capsules, giving them the once over before craning his head over to Cinder. "I believe these are the devices you acquired yesterday, Miss Cinder?"

"Indeed, they are." Cinder nodded. "They are the key to Animo's experiment. All we need to do is place Thaddeus and Farkas into them, and the good Doctor's mutation gas will do the rest."

"But it will not be within the confines of my home." Salem clarified. "While those capsules are airtight, I will not risk any of that mutagenic gas leaking into my castle. We must find a better place for the mutation to take place."

Exo-Skull stepped forward and spoke up. "The doc was thinkin' of mutating us in a place that's not really all that obvious to find, but that's also nearby a large population of people." He slammed his fists together. "Ya know, to REALLY get the fear flowing and test out our new powers when we get them!"

Viktor put a hand to his chin in thought. "I see… a place that is secluded enough to not be noticed by prying eyes, while also close to them as well." The Transylian bowing his head to Salem before speaking his idea. "Miss Salem, are there any maps of the most populated cities of this world in your castle?"

"Why yes Viktor, there are." Salem gestured for her advisor to follow her down a dark corridor, which instantly began to light up as the decorative lamps flared to life. "Please, follow me if you will, to the library."

"Of course." Viktor strode forward, keeping in step by Salem's side as she led the way to the library. "By the way, your pet is unequivocally gruesome. I have truly never seen anything like it."

"Why, thank you." Salem presented the horrific chimera to Viktor. "Her name is Lilith, though I am unsure if she will take to you."

"We shall see." Viktor reached out, and surprisingly, Lilith jumped into the palm of his hand. She sniffed around with her nose before deciding that this was a good hand to be on. "Hah, well she certainly seems comfortable."

"Quite astonishing." Salem commented. "She normally hisses at everyone else."

"Well, perhaps she is attracted to the darkness that resides within us."

"Hmhm, a fair point, doctor." Salem mused. "It would seem that I made the correct choice in making you my advisor."

As the two disappeared down the hall, Rojo, Mercury, Emerald and Cinder were left to ponder on what they had just witnessed. Hazel, Hog, Skull and Subdora, meanwhile, went off in a different direction to take the capsules down to the lab, leaving the others in the foyer. Rojo crossed her arms, a smirk settling on her face as she watched Salem and Viktor leave. "Heh, I think the Boss Lady's found herself a kindred spirit."

Emerald's eyes widened and she whirled her head around to Rojo. "You can't be serious… can you?"

Rojo shrugged at the question. "Hey, everybody's got one, even evil women like her. It's like the old saying goes; "Behind every evil witch… is an equally evil alien zombie with electricity powers"."

Mercury deadpanned at Rojo's statement. "Pretty sure that's NOT how that saying goes, but alright." The silver-haired assassin shifted his gaze over to Cinder, expecting to see either an angry or frustrated expression on the Fall Maiden's face. "What about you, Cinder? What do you think of Viktor?"

Much to Mercury's shock, and everyone else's for that matter, Cinder had a wicked smile on her face as she watched Viktor and Salem leave. "I believe that Viktor will fit in very nicely around here. After all, if what Rojo said is true and he was able to give Ben and the other heroes a good run for their money even when mindless, think about what he will able to pull off when he is in the right mind. His loyalty to the mistress is quite strong as well. Perhaps I WAS a bit too quick to the draw when saying that he'd betray us."

Rojo smirked at her partner in crime. "Ah, you're just saying that because he made Mikey look like a little cry baby."

"True, Michael's humiliation was _very_ cathartic." Cinder admitted. "Maybe now the little worm will know his place. But, if Lady Salem has chosen to put Viktor into the role of her advisor, then I will not question it."

"Awesome!" Rojo cheered. "Now let's get to the dining hall for some food, 'cause I'm STARVIN'!"

"Yeah, I could use something to eat too." Emerald agreed. "Come on, let's see what's in the kitchen."

But, as the quartet left, little did they know what a certain someone was still there, having eavesdropped on the conversation since he left. Michael Morningstar leaned against the main entryway on the outside of the castle, his arms crossed and his face in a perpetual scowl. _'Salem may be running the show for now…'_ he thought to himself. _'But, when they least expect it, I'll consume enough energy to return my powers back to their full strength. Salem won't be able to handle light energy of that magnitude.'_ He walked away from the castle, dead set in what he would set out to do. _'Mark my words, witch. Your days are numbered.'_

* * *

Back at the Xiao Long house, Ruby's Sweet Sixteen birthday party had gotten into full swing, with pretty much everybody intermingling with each other. Ben, Yang, Gwen and Kevin were over at Team CFVY's table, asking Coco, Cooper and Velvet how things turned out the day prior after they left Beacon. "I'm guessin' that you guys went right to work, huh?" Kevin asked.

"Yeah, pretty much." Coco shrugged before patting Cooper on the shoulder. "Though I think ol' Tech Head here got the worst of it. There was a LOT of damaged equipment in that place that needed fixing, and he repaired pretty much everything that he could."

"No kidding." Cooper rubbed the back of his head. "I was pretty exhausted by the time we all went home." The technopath glanced over to Yatsu and Fox, who were presently out in the middle of the lawn dancing to some music with a bunch of other teenagers that had come from Signal Academy. Neptune, Nora and Ren were out there as well, cutting a rug to the beat of the music, much to everyone's amusement. "Though I think Fox and Yatsu were even MORE tired since they did a ton of heavy lifting. Heck, I'm surprised that Yatsu's even on his feet since I'm sure that he got the brunt of the work."

"Well, just goes to show how strong he is." Gwen commented before focusing on Velvet. "What about you, Vel? What did Goodwitch have you do?"

The bunny-girl's face flushed a bright red and she shrunk back a little, her ears lowering in a vain attempt to hide her face. "Oh, w-well, um, you see… I didn't do much, but…"

Behind her glasses, Coco's eyes rolled before giving Gwen the answer. "She was too busy taking care of bird boy."

Velvet's eyes widened in shock. "Coco! I told you to stop calling him that! …And I only did it because I felt responsible for it." She folded her arms across her chest. "If I hadn't made myself such an obvious target, then maybe Cardin wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Yang gave Velvet a grin. "Well, maybe. But hey, on the bright side, I've got a feeling that he really DOES wanna improve himself. He's just gotta find ways to do it WITHOUT risking his life."

"On that, we agree." Velvet nodded.

Yang then winked at her. "Besides, the upside to all of this is that you're hanging out with someone who now at least be considered "cute" now that he's not a jerk anymore."

Velvet's eyes bugged out at the suggestion. "YANG!"

Ben quirked an eyebrow at his girlfriend. "I kinda agree with that outburst, hon."

"Aw, don't worry, Green Boy," Yang leaned over and kissed his cheek. "You'll always be cutest in my book."

"Hehe, alright, alright, turning off the jealous switch now." The hero glanced around the backyard, searching for a certain red hood-wearing Huntress in training. "Hey, did anybody see where Ruby went?"

"I think she said she was going to go see some of her old school teachers." Gwen answered. "Though given that she's the girl of the day, I'm thinking that she'll be pulled into a ton of different directions."

"Yeah, probably." Cooper said before a beeping noise sounded off from his pocket. "Whoops, hold on." The blonde reached into his pocket and pulled out his Plumber's badge, the device flashing on and off with a green light. "That's Tetrax's signal, he's back."

Kevin glanced up to the sky, taking note of the absence of rocket engines. "His ship ain't here, so where is he?"

"He thought it best to try and be as discreet as possible here." Cooper explained. "He put his ship back in the woods and just walked the rest of the way." He stood up and excused himself. "I'll be back in a minute. Max and I are setting him up with a little something so he can mingle with everybody else without… well, you know."

Gwen nodded to him. "He mentioned something like that, yes. Well, hope it all turns out okay."

"Oh, trust me, it will." Cooper tapped the side of his head. "I got it all up here. See you guys in a bit." And with that, Cooper went off to the front yard, with Max going along with him.

After he left, Yang got up as well, placing her hands on her hips. "Well, I think I'm gonna go find my sister. I can't have her spending the whole party yackin' it up with JUST the teachers." The Blonde Brawler shifted her gaze down to her boyfriend. "You comin' with, Ben?"

"You bet." The hero gladly accepted. "Besides, this'll give us the perfect chance to get some food."

"Ooh, good point. Let's go!" With their priorities set, the powerful couple left Gwen, Kevin, Coco and Velvet alone, weaving through the crowd of people in an attempt to find Ruby. After making sure to stop at the large food table along the way, they continued their search, only to run into a certain EVO and heiress instead. "Hey guys!" Yang greeted. "Enjoyin' the party?"

"Oh, you bet!" Rex answered wholeheartedly. "Gotta say, the place is jumpin'!"

"Well, more or less." Weiss glanced over to the mosh of dancing teens. "Those students from Signal are quite the rowdy bunch, aren't they?"

Yang couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Hehe, you should've seen it when Ruby and I were there. It was even crazier than it is here!" The blonde pointed to the two. "Not to mention when Uncle Qrow was teaching there, it was pretty much a mad house."

Suddenly, Winter came striding over, a concerned expression overtaking her face. "Well, don't look now, but said uncle is coming over right now." The elder Schnee pointed over to the other side of the table, gesturing over to the drunken Hunter. He had a confident smile on his face and a strong sense of confidence in his step as he walked over to a picnic table... where Doctor Holiday was sitting by herself at the moment. "We may have a problem."

But Rex didn't seem to share her concern. "Oh, don't worry, Winter. I think everything's gonna be just fine. Just watch, he's about to get the worst turn down of his life."

* * *

"Hey there." Qrow said, getting Holiday's attention. The doctor moved her head up to face him, slightly taken aback by his sudden greeting. "You must be Doctor Holiday, right? I heard Jim and Glynda mention you a couple times when they told me about ol' Army Knife over there." He nudged his head over in Rex's direction, unaware that the EVO and a few certain others were watching them. "Nice to meet ya."

Holiday was slightly perturbed by the man's sudden appearance, though what affected her more was the VERY noticeable scent of whiskey on him. She didn't need to second guess about who this was, as Yang had warned her about him already. "Ah, I see. And you must be the infamous Qrow Branwen, right?"

"My reputation proceeds me." Qrow sat down across from her, putting on his best "charming" face. "I caught sight of you across the way, and I couldn't help but notice you were alone. Thought you could use some company."

"Oh, well, Athena and Mary Arc were going to come join me relatively soon." Holiday explained. "So I won't be alone for long, but thank you for being thoughtful."

"Ah, okay." Qrow nodded. "Well then, before I go, I was wonderin' if you'd like to take an evening on the town with me sometime. An interdimensional traveler like you should get to see all the sights that Remnant has to offer…" He gave her a wink. "And trust me, there's a LOT that I can show you."

Holiday closed her eyes for a moment. She was afraid it would come to this. She opened her eyes and gave Qrow the "bad" news. "While I'm flattered by your offer, Qrow, I'll have to respectfully refuse."

Qrow raised an eyebrow, but kept his confident smile. "Really? And why would that be?"

Holiday raised her right hand, and Qrow's eyes widened, the man now realizing why she had shot him down. There, on her ring finger, was a brilliant emerald engagement ring, the green gemstone gleaming in the sunlight as she flashed it to him. With an equally confident smile, Holiday answered; "Because I'm currently engaged to the sixth most deadliest man in the world… or rather MY world. Now I suggest you drop this before it ends up even worse for you."

* * *

Rex, Weiss, Winter, Ben and Yang watched as Qrow got up and left Holiday's table, the man wearing a dejected frown on his face as he pulled out his flask. At that moment, Athena and Mary, along with Goodwitch and Ironwood, joined her at the table, much to everyone's relief. With a smirk, Rex said; "See? Told ya it wouldn't end well for him."

"Oof, no kidding." Yang cringed. "That had to be one of the worst ones yet!" the Blonde Brawler shook her head and got back on track. "Well, with that out of the way, have any of you guys seen Ruby?"

"Indeed I have." Winter gestured over to the punch bowl, where Ruby was talking to a whole bunch of teachers from Signal, including Greta and Hans Wilhelm, as well as Festus Vulcan and his wife, Venus. Blake and Sun were standing with her as well, the two having their own conversation with Whitlea Tigerlily and another man in a red dress shirt and jeans. "She's been chatting with her teachers for a good while now."

"Ah, good. Thanks, Winter." Yang began leading Ben over to Ruby and the adults over near the punch bowl. "C'mon, Ben, let's get mingling."

Ben gladly followed with a salute. "Right behind ya, babe."

Rex turned his head to Weiss and pointed to the couple. "I've got a feeling we're about to see something hilarious. Wanna follow 'em and see what happens?"

Weiss shrugged her shoulder. "Eh, sure. Why not? It's not like I'm about to go out there and dance anytime soon, especially with the options for dance partners being so miniscule."

Rex gave her a sly grin. "Well, there's always _one_ option…" He wiggled his eyebrows for emphasis. "Whaddya say, Ice Princess?"

"In your dreams, Robo-dolt." Weiss said with an eyeroll. "Now c'mon, let's go."

* * *

As it happened, Ben's group weren't the only ones to see Qrow's rejection by Holiday, as Coach Greta Wilhelm began laughing at the drunkard's expense. "Ahaha! Ol' Drunkle Qrow strikes out yet again! Haha!" The coach sighed as she went back to the conversation. "Ah, just like the old days, huh? I remember when he used to hit on every single girl with a skirt in Beacon, and he'd always get his ass beaten for it!"

Ruby laughed nervously at her old teacher's choice in vocabulary. This was really the first time she'd ever heard Coach Wilhelm use those words, and she had to admit, it was REALLY strange hearing a teacher curse. Still she couldn't fault the woman for having a good time. "Hehe, well coach, I guess somethings never really change, do they? Still, I'm really glad that you and your brother could come here today."

"Think nothing of it, Ruby." Hans bowed his head politely. "We were more than eager to accept the invitation."

"HAHA! Of course!" Festus laughed wholeheartedly. "You were one of our favorite students! We wouldn't miss your sixteenth birthday for the world!" The jovial man's face fell slightly. "Ah, it's unfortunate though that your party was so last minute. I'm sure if it had not been as unexpected as it was, there would be many more teachers here as well. I'm sure they would have loved to see you."

Ruby shrugged at that. "Eh, yeah, you got a point. But I'm still glad that you guys could come." The silver-eyed girl glanced over to Venus and gave her a grateful grin. "And thank you very much for bringing some of your delicious beef stew, Mrs. Vulcan. It's awesome!"

Venus bowed her head slightly. "I'm very happy that you think so, Ruby." The woman gazed around the backyard, still amazed by how well decorated everything was. "I must say though, for being last minute, everyone did a fantastic job here!"

"Thanks." Blake turned around from her conversation to smile at Venus. "Though that isn't to say we DIDN'T have any complications. Do you know how busy we were this morning while preparing the food? It was madness!"

Sun gave a confirming nod. "Yeah, pretty sure Gwen lost her mind a few times because of that, haha!"

Next to the two Faunus, Whitlea let out a small chuckle at the monkey boy's words. "Hehe, oh, I'm sure that it was pretty chaotic these past couple of days for you all. Preparing a party this size doesn't exactly happen overnight." Whitlea glanced around to the tables to make sure that all of the flower arrangements were properly placed. "Still, I hope our arrangements will last to the end of the party. …Maybe a bit more water is necessary."

The man next to her, a well-built young man in his thirties with black hair and blue eyes, tenderly grasped Whitlea's shoulders with a loving smile. He spoke to her with a bit of a southern twang in his voice; "Aw hon, it's okay. I'm sure we gave 'em enough water to last 'em the whole afternoon. Now come on, why don't we hit the dance floor? We've been workin' ourselves to death these past few months, so what do you say we destress a bit, huh?"

Whitlea chuckled and put her hand over his. "Hmhm, okay, you're right, dear. Maybe I do need to destress a bit." However, just as the two were about to move over to where the radio was, they saw Ben, Yang, Weiss and Rex approaching, with Whitlea focusing primarily on the former two. "Oh, Ben, Yang! Good to see you both! It's been a while."

"Hi, Miss Tigerlily." Yang waved. "Good to see you too." She then quirked a brow over to the man behind the tiger lady before giving the two a knowing grin. "Oh, and the mysterious stranger you brought with you. Who might THAT be, huh? A _special_ date?"

Whitlea smiled and gestured over to the man, though she placed her hand directly on his chest. "Oh yes, you all haven't formally met him yet, have you? Everyone, this is Russell Jameson, my fiancé."

Russell put his hand over Whitlea's own again before giving the four teens a confident grin and a salute. "Howdy! Pleasure to meet y'all. You kids went ta Beacon, right?"

"Yes, we did." Weiss answered. "For a year, anyway. Before you-know-what happened."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that." Russell lowered his head a bit. "My mom is a Huntress who graduated from Beacon too, and she was real upset to hear 'bout what happened a couple o' weeks ago."

In her head, Yang ran the last name "Jameson" through her head, trying to remember if there were any famous Huntresses who had graduated from Beacon with that name. Suddenly, it clicked in her head like a switch. She let out a gasp and pointed to Russell. "Your mom is JESSICA JAMESON?! She's one of the best Huntresses to ever graduate from Beacon!"

"That's what I said!" Ruby exclaimed. "When Russell told me, I almost didn't believe him. But then, he showed me some pictures that convinced me otherwise." The Hooded Huntress glanced over to Russell with a smile. "Wanna break out the family photos again?"

"Sure thing!" Russell reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, taking a small phot out of it before handing it to Yang. "Read 'em an' weep."

Yang gasped at the picture. "Oh my god, oh my god, OH MY GOD!" There in the picture was Russell as a little kid, sitting on his mother's lap. Said mother was in her late twenties with long crimson hair that reached down to the small of her back, her blue eyes shining brilliantly. She wore a white western-styled button up shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of brown cowboy boots, though what brought her entire outfit together was the white cowboy hat atop her head. Yang was practically freaking out at that point. "AH! I can't believe I'm meeting a relative of THE Jessica Jameson! Am I dreaming? Please tell me I'm not!"

Ben couldn't help but smile at his girlfriend's excitement. "Heh, I guess she's a bit of an idol for you, huh Goldie Locks?"

"Oh, Ben, sweetie, you have _no_ idea." Yang emphasized. "Jessica Jameson is only one of THE most famous Huntresses in the world. She's tough as nails and doesn't take anybody's crap! She'll kick your ass eleven times over each day of the week and twelve times on weekends! And people say that she took down a whole murder of Nevermore by riding a Manticore like a bucking bronco!"

"That last one is only partially true." Russell pointed out. "It was actually a horde of Griffons."

"AAAAH! That just makes her even cooler!" Yang cried out, her hands going to her cheeks in sheer happiness. "I'd give ANYTHING to meet her!"

"Hehe, well, you're in luck." Russell chuckled. "My folks are flyin' in from Vacuo in a few days to help us plan the wedding, so if you want we could introduce ya to her."

Yang got right up in his face and exclaimed; "FOR REAL?!" before zipping right over to Whitlea. "Miss Tigerlily, I don't know where you found him, but keep him! He's _way_ too nice!"

Whitlea smiled as she gently placed her hands on Yang's shoulders, hoping the girl would calm down. "Heh, I certainly plan on it, Yang. But please, calm down before you do something you might regret later."

Ben stepped forward and did the same, catching her attention. "Yeah, besides, didn't we come here to get Ruby?"

Yang's eyes widened and she smacked her forehead. "D'oh! You're right, I forgot!" She turned to her sister, having calmed down from her star-struck high. "Rubes, have you gone over to see your old buds from Signal yet?" Yang jabbed her thumb in the dance floor's direction. "I think they've been waiting to talk to you."

Ruby sighed in disappointment. "No I haven't." she admitted. "I've just been getting pulled in a whole bunch of different directions that I haven't gotten the opportunity."

Greta's eyes widened and she gave Ruby a commanding wave. "Well then what the heck're you standing here for, sweetie? Go catch up with your friends! It's _your_ party, you should be able to do what you want."

Hans gave a nod to Ruby. "Greta's right, don't let us keep you from seeing your old school mates. Go on ahead."

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked. "I'd hate to leave right in the middle of—"

But Festus wasn't having any of it. "Ah, do not worry about it, Ruby! We can catch up any time!" the bearded blacksmith insisted. "Let the old fossils talk amongst themselves while you young ones have fun! It's a party, so enjoy it! HAHA!"

Venus put a soft, reassuring hand to Ruby's arm. "Festus is right, Ruby. Go have fun!"

Ruby's smile quickly returned and she nodded to the woman. "Thank you, Mrs. Vulcan. I WILL have fun." With her declaration made, Ruby motioned for her teammates to follow her. "C'mon guys, it's time I introduce you to my friends from Signal!"

As the seven teens went off to the dance floor, Festus crossed his arms, sighing as days long past returned to his memory. "Ah, to be young again. We can only wish, right?"

But Greta had a bit more of a cynical attitude toward his reminiscing. "Uh-huh, yeah. By the way, just who're you callin' an old fossil, Vulcan?"

* * *

Meanwhile, out in the front yard, Tetrax was standing out next to the Rustbucket, having activated his helmet so that no one could see his face. He was currently waiting on a way to solve that problem though, as Max and Cooper were presently working on a certain little trinket that could help disguise himself amongst the party goers. He just wished that it didn't have to take so blasted long. _"How're things going in there?"_ he called into the motorhome. _"Making progress, I hope?"_

"Don't worry, Tetrax!" Cooper answered back. "We're almost done!"

" _I sincerely hope that you're right about this working, Cooper."_ Tetrax crossed his arms in skepticism. _"You said that when you found this, it was cracked and malfunctioning, correct? What if that happens again?"_

He didn't get a direct response at first, instead hearing this from inside the Rustbucket; "One more adjustment here and… eureka!" A few seconds later, Cooper and Max stepped out of the Rustbucket, the former handing what appeared to be a mask with a blank expression to the Petrosapien. "Trust me, Tetrax, when I fix something, I make sure that its fixed. And I can assure you that this old ID mask is good to go."

" _I'm just surprised that Max still had it."_ Tetrax said as he took the ID mask. He pressed the side of his helmet, retracting it to reveal his crystalline face. "I thought that most of these were confiscated by the Plumbers."

Max simply gave a shrug. "Well, you can't be too sure when you need to go undercover again, so I kept one just in case. To be fair though, I didn't know it was broken at the time."

"Hmm…" Tetrax glanced over to Cooper once more. "And you're certain that this will keep me disguised?"

Cooper gave him a small wave. "I've made sure to triple check everything, Tetrax. But, then again, the only real way to be sure is to test it out, right?"

Understanding what he implied, Tetrax gave him a nod before placing the ID mask on his face. In an instant, the mask flashed with light before enveloping Tetrax, replacing the Petrosapien's image with that of a human. The disguised Petrosapien gave himself a once over in one of the Rustbucket's sideview mirrors, just to be sure that the ID mask was holding up. He turned back to Cooper before asking; "Well? How do I look?"

"Awesome." Cooper answered with a grin. "Now let's get you mingling!"

* * *

As Ruby continued onward to the dancefloor, she suddenly began to feel a little weak in her knees as she saw the faces of her friends. Iris was there thankfully, so she at least had a cushion to soften the blow, but she hadn't seen everyone else in such a long time. With every step she took, a sense of nervousness began to overtake her thoughts, to the point where she stopped in her tracks and whirled around to her teammates. "I-I don't know if I can do this." she said worriedly.

"What do you mean, Ruby?" Weiss asked. "Aren't you excited to see them?"

"Well, yes, but I haven't seen them in person for over a _year_." Ruby explained. "I'm just worried if they think I moved on from them."

Ben shot her a sympathetic smile. "What? C'mon, Ruby, there's no way that they'd think that. Otherwise, what would they be doing here at your party?"

The Hooded Huntress' silver eyes widened when Ben said that before smacking her head in disbelief. "Doi! What am I thinking?" Ruby bowed her head toward Ben in gratitude. "Thanks Ben, I guess I was just overthinking things again. I've really gotta stop doing that" With her resolve hardened once again, Ruby took a deep breath and stepped forward walking over to a trio of teenagers standing off to the side of the dancefloor.

One of these teens was Iris Orchard, the blue-haired girl having exchanged her overalls for a party dress that matched her hair, complete with a matching set of flats. Standing next to her was a young caucasian girl with short, wavy blonde hair that reached her shoulders, a white flower having been nestled into it. She also wore a party dress that matched her hair, though this one was a lot "frillier" than Iris'. And rather than a pair of flats, this girl wore open toed heels. Finally, the last of this trio was a young teenaged boy, his arm having settled across the blonde girl's shoulders. This young man had massy black hair and a pair of mischievous hazel eyes. His skin was a natural tan color and he had donned himself in a pair of dark brown shorts, an olive-green t-shirt, and a pair of black sneakers, apparently much to the blonde girl's dismay.

"Ollie, you are severely underdressed for this party." she reprimanded, a somewhat British accent escaping her lips. "What will Ruby think if she sees us all together and you stick out like a sore thumb?"

"Aw, c'mon Daisy." The boy, Ollie, replied. "A lot of other people here are dressed casually. If anything, you gals are a little _over_ dressed, aren't ya?"

"He's kinda got a point, Dais'." Iris agreed, fanning her skirt out with her hands for emphasis. "These dresses are nice, but they're kind of overdoing it, don't you think?"

Daisy simply crossed her arms and huffed indignantly. "Well excuse me for wanting us to appear our best for Ruby's Sweet Sixteen. She IS our best friend after all…" A slightly apprehensive expression overtook her face. "…at least, I HOPE she still is."

Ruby smirked at Daisy's attitude. _'High-strung, fashionable and hoity toity. Glad you haven't changed, Daisy.'_ It was at that moment that she decided to make herself known. "Actually, Iris is right, Dais'." Her three friends whirled around in surprise, with Daisy and Ollie's eyes widening in shock while Iris simply gave Ruby a smile. "It's like the old saying goes; "come as you are". Still, I'm very flattered that you'd dress up for my birthday." She gave them a wink. "Also, yes we ARE still best friends."

At that point, the initial shock had worn off of Daisy and Ollie, as they both surged forward, shouting; "RUBY!" before pulling her into a big hug, with Iris joining in soon after. The rest of Team RWBY, Ben, Rex and Sun watched on as the four old friends had their little reunion, with laughter and hugs going all around. Finally, once Daisy had her hug, she began to profusely apologize. "Ruby, darling, I am so very sorry."

Ruby tilted her head in confusion. "For… what exactly?"

"Well… ever since you left for Beacon, I thought that you would someday move on from us." Daisy elaborated. "Your letters kept becoming less and less frequent, and I was worried that you had completely forgotten us and made newer, possibly even _better_ friends."

Ruby's face fell as Daisy explained how she felt to her, and a strong sense of guilt began to well up inside of her. "Daisy, if there's anyone who has to be sorry, it's me. _I'm_ the one who didn't keep a steady pace with my letters."

Iris stepped forward and placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Oh c'mon, Rubes, that is NOT your fault. I'm sure that being a student at Beacon Academy eats up a whole bunch of your time. Just HOW much homework do they give you over there, exactly?"

"Heh, way too much." Ruby chuckled. "Maybe I did get a little busier than usual." She focused back on Daisy with a small smile. "But that doesn't mean that I just forgot about you guys. We've been best friends since kindergarten. You can't just forget something like that, you know?"

Daisy smiled back and pulled her friend into another hug, grateful that they were still friends. "Yes, I see that now. I was such a fool for thinking otherwise."

"Hey, a moment ago, I was worried about the same thing." Ruby admitted. "But then I remembered that you guys wouldn't be here if you had moved on from me."

"Exactly." Ollie said with a proud grin. "Once we heard that your sister was putting all this on, we jumped at the chance to be here." The blonde boy glanced over to the older sister in question and gave her a wave. "Speaking of which, hey Yang!"

Yang gave him a salute back. "Yo! How's it goin' guys? Enjoying the party?"

"Oh, heck yeah!" Iris answered happily. "You guys did an awesome job with all of this!" She gave the blonde girl a sly wink. "And hey, anything that gets Miss Tigerlily to take the afternoon off and get me out of work is automatically awesome. But speaking of which…" A smirk took over her face. "I take it that you got Ben's special little gift?"

Yang rolled her eyes while Ben wore a sheepish smile. "Yes, I got the flowers. They were very lovely, and well… let's just say he didn't go unrewarded for his troubles."

Ollie glanced over to Ben with a quirked brow. "Ah, so you're the famous Ben that Iris has been telling us about." He offered a handshake. "Nice to meet ya, I'm Ollie."

Daisy stepped forward and gave a curtsy to Ben. "And I am Daisy. It's truly a pleasure."

"Uh, nice to meet you guys too." Ben replied in confusion. "But just one thing… Iris has been telling you about me?"

"Well yeah." Ollie nodded. "She thought it was pretty big news after hearing that you and Yang were a thing." He glanced over to Yang with a knowing expression. "Back at Signal, a lot of guys were too chicken to ask her out, and the few guys that HAD managed to didn't last very long with her. So the fact that you're in such a serious relationship with her was pretty big news."

Yang placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at the boy. "Oh really? And has this "big news" spread any further than your little clique, Ollie?"

"Oh, big time." Ollie stated. "Everyone at Signal knows by now."

Yang's eye twitched and her hands clenched into fists. "Oh… great, just _great_." Yang shot a glare over Iris, which immediately made the blue-haired girl fear for her existence. "And who do I have to thank for spreading this "big news"?"

Iris waved her arms back and forth. "H-Hey, don't look at me! I TOLD Ollie to keep it on the down-low, but he didn't listen! You know, like he always does!"

Ruby offered her friend a sympathetic grin. "I kinda get that, but still, that's kind of really personal information that you shared with him, Iris. What did you expect to happen?"

Iris sighed before bowing her head to Yang. "You're right. I'm sorry Yang. I really shouldn't have said anything in the first place."

After a few seconds, Yang sighed and pat Iris on the shoulder, catching the blue-haired girl's attention. "Alright, I'll let you off the hook just this once. But let's try to keep the gossip to a minimum from now on, okay? Besides, this is a party, we're supposed to be having fun, so let's have some fun, huh?"

Iris grinned at Yang's statement. "Yeah, sounds like a plan. And I promise to keep the gossip in check." However, it was then that Iris noticed four other teens standing behind Yang, and she could only figure they were more of Ruby's friends. Iris craned her head back to Ruby with a questioning face. "So Ruby, you gonna introduce us to your other friends or what?"

Ruby waved her hand in response. "Hehe, right, I was going to do that right off the bat, but now's as good a time as ever." The Hooded Huntress led her Signal friends over to her Beacon friends, all of them anticipating this introduction. "Guys, I want you to meet my friends from Beacon Academy." Ruby went over to Weiss and Blake and gently grasped their hands, leading them closer to the three Signal students. "Daisy, Iris, Ollie, these are my teammates; Weiss and Blake. Together with myself and Yang, we make up Team RWBY!"

Iris stepped forward and offered Blake a handshake. "How do you do? Miss Tigerlily actually mentioned to me that you came to the flower shop the other day."

"She did?" Blake asked. "Well that's really nice. Iris was it?"

"Yep, that's me." Iris glanced over behind her to see a certain monkey boy standing not far away. She shifted her eyes back to Blake. "And Miss Tigerlily said that _he_ was there too."

"Oh, that's Sun." Blake explained before calling over to him. "Hey Sun, come here and meet Ruby's friends!"

"Sure thing!" Sun gladly stepped over and shook Iris' hand next. "Pleased to meet ya, Iris."

"Likewise." Iris gave the two a knowing smile. "So, you guys liking the flowers that Miss Tigerlily set you up with?"

The two Faunus blushed profusely at the question, with Sun rubbing the back of his neck. He gave a nervous chuckle before stammering; "Uh, hehe, w-well it was a really nice thing for her to give us, that's for sure."

"Y-yes, they're quite lovely." Blake concurred.

"That's great!" Iris exclaimed. "See, I helped Miss Tigerlily grow those flowers, and I'm very proud of the work that we put into them, so hearing that you like them _seriously_ makes me happy." She bowed her head to them in gratitude. "Thank you so very much."

"Oh! Well, you're welcome, Iris. The flowers are very beautiful, I can guarantee you that."

Meanwhile, Daisy was staring in abject astonishment at who was standing directly in front of her. _'I'm not seeing things, am I? Ruby is ACTUALLY friends with THE Weiss Schnee?'_ The blonde girl was beginning to feel a little dizzy at the fact that her best friend was friends with such a well-known heiress. _'I feel like I'm about to pass out.'_

"Um, excuse me?" Weiss spoke up, managing to snap Daisy out of her stupor. "Are you okay? You look a little light headed, maybe you should sit down."

"Oh, y-yes, you're right, please forgive me." Daisy bowed her head slightly before sitting at the nearest picnic table. "It's just that I simply cannot believe that my best friend is friends with THE Weiss Schnee!" Daisy gestured to the heiress for emphasis. "I mean, the fact that I'm in the same vicinity as you is inconceivable, but the fact that we're both friends with Ruby is… quite frankly, it's a lot to take in at once." Her eyes widened when she realized she still hadn't given her full name. "Oh, I am Daisy Fields. It's such a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise." Weiss crossed her arms and gave Daisy a smile. "So I take it that you're a fan of mine?"

"The BIGGEST!" Daisy assured. "You're Atlas' most fashion forward heiress after all. As a side note, I LOVE your dress. One-hundred percent silk, I presume?"

Weiss glanced down to her dark blue and grey combat dress, flattered that Daisy had such a noticeable eye. "Why yes, it is! Thank you for noticing. I have to say, you have quite the eye for clothing. I'm surprised that you're at a combat school and not going for something like fashion design."

"Oh, but I DO want to be a fashion designer… for Hunters!" Daisy stood up, her lightheadedness having past as a renewed vigor entered her system. "After I finish my studies as Signal, I plan on graduating from Beacon Academy next before going on to college for fashion and design. I have so many ideas for Hunter-wear that you wouldn't believe!"

"Oh, I get it now." Weiss nodded. "Well that's some ambition that you've got, Daisy. Good luck!"

Daisy let out a scream of joy. "AH! Thank you! You have no idea what that means to me coming from you!" She bowed to the heiress once again. "I am truly unworthy!"

"Uh, you might want to rethink that." Weiss smiled as she ushered for Daisy to stand up straight. "See, I'm kind of over the whole heiress life style. If anything, I'm actually really glad that I'm away from Atlas and out from under my father's thumb."

Dasiy's face softened up a bit. "Oh, I see. I guess the term "Daddy Issues" isn't exactly a false one, is it?"

"Heh, in this case, no, it isn't." Weiss chuckled. Her eyes caught sight of the messy-haired boy standing off to the side as the conversation between her and Daisy continued. He was rocking back and forth on his heels, as if he was waiting for something. Weiss glanced back to Daisy before pointing at him. "Pardon me, but is he waiting for something?"

Daisy rolled her eyes before answering. "Oh probably. My boyfriend is known for being rather impatient."

Ollie smirked and walked over to her, pulling her in for a side-hug. "Aw, c'mon Dais', you know waiting's not my strong suit." Ollie directed his attention to Weiss and gave her an over the top bow. "A pleasure it is to make your acquaintance, Miss Schnee. I'm Oleander Forst, but most people just call me Ollie for short."

"I see." Weiss folded her arms across her chest. "It's nice to meet you as well, Ollie, but I think you should dial it back on the overdramatics."

However, when Daisy said the word "boyfriend" Ruby's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "W-w-wait, Daisy, you and Ollie are DATING?! Uh, since WHEN?!"

"Since about six months ago, actually." Daisy answered. "He told me that he'd been working up the courage for months before finally taking the plunge."

"That's AWESOME!" Ruby pulled the two into yet another hug. "Congratulations!"

"Heh, thanks, Ruby." Ollie chuckled. "It was probably the one time in my life that I was completely and totally nervous about doing something."

Daisy smiled at him and lightly nudged him with her elbow. "And even when you gained the courage, you still managed to flub it up." She put a ponderous finger to her chin. "If I recall, you stepped in a mop bucket that the janitor left in the hallway as you were making your way over to me. Do I have that correct, darling?"

"Hehe, alright, guilty as charged." Ollie rubbed the back of his head. "I was just so determined that I forgot to look before I leapt."

Weiss smiled lightly at that before glancing over to Rex out of the corner of her eye. "You know, it's funny, that reminds me of another certain someone I know who rarely thinks before acting."

Rex raised an eyebrow right back at her. "Really? Who's that?"

"And he's incredibly dense, too."

"Still not gettin' it."

Weiss facepalmed in exasperation. "For pete's sake, Robo-dolt, what're we ever going to do with you?"

Rex just shrugged. "Hey, I'm just asking who you're talkin' about." The EVO stepped over and extended a hand to Ollie. "Hey there, name's Rex."

Ollie returned the handshake as he introduced himself "Ollie, nice to meet ya. So I'm guessing that you and Ben were students at Beacon too?"

' _Okay, Rex, time to go into lie mode.'_ the EVO reminded himself. "Uh, yeah, we were. We actually met Team RWBY and Team JNPR on the starting day, it was a pretty big coincidence."

"Oh cool, so where're you from, exactly?"

Ben's eyes widened slightly in a small panic, as did Yang's and everyone else's. _'Crap! Nobody's ever asked for specifics before!'_ Thinking up something in his mind very quick, the hero stepped forward and began selling Ollie their backstory… which contained a little bit of truth. "Well, Rex, my cousin Gwen, her boyfriend Kevin, and myself all come from a little village called Bellwood. It's not exactly a big or well-known place, so the chances of you finding it on a map are pretty slim."

"Oh, neat!" Iris said. "Must be nice to live somewhere that's not very well known. Though if that's the case, I guess you guys didn't go to a combat school like Signal. Did you have a mentor instead?"

"Uh…" Ben was beginning to sweat at this point, as was Rex. Team RWBY and Sun were wearing nervous faces as Ben searched his mind for an answer to Iris' question. _'How am I gonna get out of THIS?!'_

Suddenly, the voice of their savior arrived; "In fact, they did." Up from behind Ben stepped a rather tall man, whom Ben discerned to be of African-American origin. He had short grey hair, a pair of blazing yellow eyes, and he was donned in a black leather duster with a white undershirt, along with a pair of black pants with matching black boots. A pair of gloves completed his overall appearance, but it was his voice that Ben recognized the most. The large man craned his head down to Iris, Daisy and Ollie, the three of them gazing up to him in awe. "Greetings, I am Tetrax Shard, Ben and Rex's mentor. You three must be Ruby's friends, right? Pleasure to meet you."

It was a good thing that the three Signal students were facing away from Rex, Team RWBY and Sun, otherwise they would have seen the six teen's jaws drop simultaneously in shock. Ben didn't have time to be surprised however, as he quickly had to roll with the punches. "T-Tetrax, you made it!" He shook Tetrax's hand, though his grip was slightly shaky from all this lying. "I thought for sure that you wouldn't be able to come!"

"Hehe, well, I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to see my old students." Tetrax winked knowingly. "After all the times that you, Team RWBY and Team JNPR have helped me on my missions, I couldn't resist!"

Iris's jaw went slack before whirling around to Ruby. "Rubes, you mean that you've helped a certified Huntsman on OFFICIAL missions?! AH! I'm so jealous!"

Ruby chuckled nervously at that. "Uh, yeah, hehe, what Tetrax said."

"My word." Daisy uttered. "So does that mean that you are from Bellwood as well, Tetrax? Odd, considering a Huntsman of your stature must be quite well known… though I don't think I've ever heard of you before."

"I'm more of an off-the-grid Huntsman." Tetrax explained. "My field is more akin to espionage and subterfuge than anything else. I take care of Grimm situations rather quickly and quietly, if you know what I mean. And yes, I am from Bellwood, though I usually travel around Remnant in my personal stealth ship." Tetrax craned his head down to Ben. "But, when Ben's grandfather, Max, asked for my help in training his grandchildren and their friends, I couldn't say no."

"Whoa, that's so COOL!" Ollie exclaimed. "You're like a secret agent!"

"In a way, yes, I suppose I am." Tetrax nodded before glancing over to Ruby. "But before I forget, Happy Birthday, Ruby. I hope I didn't miss too much of the excitement."

Ruby gave him a happy grin. "Nope! You're just in time, Tetrax! C'mon, I'll show you where the food table is." And with that, Ruby lead Tetrax over to the food table, with Iris, Daisy and Ollie following close behind, hoping to hear more of the "Huntsman's" exploits.

Ollie turned around and waved back to the Beacon crew. "Hey, you guys comin' or what?"

Ben gave him a small salute back. "Oh, we will! We'll be over in a second, 'kay?" Once the three Signal students were out of earshot, the group of teens let out a collective sigh of relief, thanking their lucky stars that the Petrosapien arrived when he did. "Oh, thank god for Tetrax saving our butts!"

"B-But how the hell does he look like a human?!" Sun asked. "How is that even possible?!"

"My guess? An ID mask." Everyone looked over to see Gwen, Kevin, Jaune and Pyrrha approaching, an impressed smirk written on the Osmosian's face. "Gotta say though, Tetrax really knows how to go with the flow! Those lies were spot-on smooth!"

"I'll admit, even _I'm_ impressed." Gwen agreed. "And I usually don't condone lying unless absolutely necessary."

Weiss raised a finger into the air, hoping to get her question answered. "Alright, for those of us who don't know what you're talking about, what in the world is an ID mask?"

"It's an advanced piece of alien tech." Kevin answered. "It uses photon displacement to disguise you however you want. Hell, you can even become invisible with it."

"Woah, that's rad!" Rex exclaimed. "I gotta get me one of those!"

Yang grinned as she glanced over toward the food table, where Tetrax and Ruby were being bombarded with questions from Iris, Daisy and Ollie, much to their chagrin. "Well, I only hope that Tetrax can hold out until the end of the party." the Blonde Brawler shrugged. "Lord knows that he can't possibly keep up with ALL of their questions."

"Don't worry." Jaune reassured. "In a few minutes, Pyr and I will go get Nora and Ren, then we can go over there so that Ruby can introduce us to them. Maybe then they'll get distracted by US instead."

"Indeed." Pyrrha nodded. "We'll just keep playing the game of cover until presents and cake. Then hopefully things will start to settle down after that."

"Heh, yeah, maybe." Blake chuckled. "I'm just surprised that Tetrax managed to get here without attracting much attention. Did he leave his ship somewhere?"

"Yeah, he said he left it in the woods." Ben confirmed. "Otherwise he'd attract to much attention."

Rex raised an eyebrow over in Tetrax's direction, narrowing his eyes in skepticism. "Dang, and here I was hoping that I'd be able to get a peek at that thing he was keeping locked up in his ship's lab."

His words immediately peaked Gwen's interest, along with everyone else's. "What "thing", Rex?" The Anodite inquired. "How do you know that he's keeping something in his ship?"

"'Cause Ben and I found it by accident." the EVO explained. "When we were on his ship earlier, I sensed… _something_ coming from the lab when its door opened up in Ben's face… which spooked the living crap outta him, might I add."

Everyone got a good chuckle out of that, though Ben himself certainly wasn't laughing. "Yes, yes, ol' Ben getting scared by freaking DOORS seems to be a running gag around here. Could we get back to the point, please?"

"Heh, right." Rex complied before getting back on track. "Anyway, there was this big storage unit in his lab. I knew that there had to be something inside of it, because my nanites were going crazy just by being near it. Whatever was in that container had to be at least two things; something mechanical, and something powerful. Otherwise, my nanites wouldn't have reacted the way they did."

"We would've investigated further," Ben added, "but Tetrax found us before we could do anything."

"Well, did he at least say ANYTHING about it?" Jaune pressed further.

"Only that Ironwood, Goodwitch and Qrow were the ones who brought it on board." Ben paused as his eyebrows furrowed in frustration. "And that Ironwood would be telling us about it later."

"Oh, for god's sake, _more_ secrets?" Yang smacked her forehead. "And here I thought they'd end with the whole Relic stuff." In her mind though, Yang knew that there were MANY more secrets, that is if her what her mother had told her and Ben was true.

Blake crossed her arms as a sour look came to her face. "What is it with adults keeping stuff from us lately? Do they just NOT trust us?"

"I get the sense that they think we're not ready to handle the complete truth." Pyrrha said as she lowered her head slightly. "They believe that there are still things that we aren't ready to comprehend."

Gwen pursed her lips, thinking over the information that Ben and Rex had just relayed to her. "Yeah, maybe. But if what Tetrax said was true and Ironwood was going to tell us what it was anyway, perhaps we should wait it out and confront him about it when the party begins to wind down. Maybe then we'll get some straight answers."

Ben gave a relenting sigh. His cousin was right. At this point, all they could really do was wait it out. "You've got a point, Gwen. Let's drop the subject for now and focus on the party." He gave Yang a sly grin. "Besides, I think it's pretty close to cake time, am I right?"

Yang gave him a knowing wink. "You betcha, Green Boy. C'mon, let's go get that sucker and bring it out here." With that, the powerful couple went inside to get the massive dessert, though Yang couldn't help but think back to what her mother had said to her that very morning; _'"You really should be asking more questions". Great, now we just gotta know WHICH questions to ask.'_

* * *

Back in the Land of Darkness, Rojo, Cinder, Emerald and Mercury were sitting in the dining hall, eating at the large table in the center of the room. After three days of eating nothing but what they could get their hands on, the latter three were practically craving a full-on decent meal, to the point where Emerald and Mercury were ravenously eating their own. Cinder kept herself composed as usual, but she savored every bite of the steak she was having, thankful that she didn't have to eat something as simple as plain cooked eggs again for a while.

Rojo could only smirk as she continued to just sit and watch as the three ate their food. Her eyes focused in on Emerald and Mercury, amused by how desperate they were for this kind of food. "Ya know, there IS a thing known as _chewing_ , right? What, are you just going to keep inhaling your food?"

With her mouth stuffed, Emerald pointed her fork at Cinder. "Hey, let'sh shee how _you_ like shtaying in a run-down old apartment for three daysh shtraight without a decent meal!"

Cinder wore a deadpan face at Emerald's statement. "Emerald, please do what Rojo says and chew your food, preferably followed by swallowing it. It is quite rude to talk with your mouth full, you ARE aware of this, correct?"

Emerald swallowed her food and slightly lowered her head. "Apologies, Cinder. I was caught up in the moment."

Mercrury swallowed his own food before pointing his fork toward Cinder. "But you have to admit, living like a homeless vagrant was a living hell. Even if it WAS only for three days."

Rojo leaned back in her chair and kicked her feet up on the table, much to Cinder's chagrin. "Aw, it ain't so bad!" the bounty hunter insisted. "Bein' a homeless vagrant is what helped me become the woman I am today. Once you learn to survive on as many unforgiving streets as I have, then you'll understand." She craned her head over in Emerald's direction and gave her a wink. "Ain't that right, Emmy? You used to live out on your own, and YOU got by, right?"

"Well yes, but even then, I sometimes went DAYS without food." Emerald elaborated. "I often had to steal it in order to survive, which I assume that _you_ did too."

"Oh yeah, I was a big-time thief." Rojo confirmed. "But let's just say that my approach was a lot less… subtle than how you do things, Em."

Cinder scoffed at Rojo's boisterous claims. "Hmph, I do not doubt that." However, before their conversation could go on any longer, the dining room doors swung open and Salem walked into the room, with Viktor towering by her side. The four's attention went directly to her and they stood up, giving her a bow of respect. "Lady Salem," Cinder began, "what news do you have for us?"

"The time has come to put the good Doctor Animo's plan into motion, young Cinder." Salem explained, causing everyone to face up to her. "After careful decision and much deliberation, Viktor and I have decided on the best place for the mutation to take place."

"I see." Cinder nodded. "And if I may ask, where is this place?"

A sinister smile came to Salem's face as she waved her hand, a cloud of black smoke appearing directly between her and Cinder. "Oh, I believe that you are more than familiar with this place…" In the center of the smoke, an image of a rather large colosseum began to form, one that once floated high above the ground. However, presently, it was now floating off the coast of the city of Vale, having lowered itself so that it hovered just over the ocean. "Look familiar?"

Cinder's eyes widened at the sight. "Amity Colosseum? But… what is it doing above the ocean?"

"The caretakers of the colosseum chose to temporarily keep it there to make repairs after our little… calling card." Salem explained. "However, at the moment, it remains floating there as rebuilding efforts continue to be a priority in the city itself. Right now, the colosseum is little more than a manmade island floating above the sea, waiting to rise up into the sky once again."

"This presents us with a golden opportunity." Viktor continued. "Not only does it present a secluded place where no one would think to look, but once Exo-Skull and Thunderhog have been mutated, we'll be able to completely destroy the colosseum in the aftermath." A malicious grin overtook the Transylian's face. "What else could create a grander feeling of hopelessness than the news of a great symbol of unity and peace crumbling to the ground? The Grimm will be attracted in droves! Haha!"

A similar evil smile came to Cinder's face. "Well then, we shall move out immediately."

But as soon as Cinder suggested it, Salem raised her hand in protest. "Not you, young Cinder. At least not yet. You will remain here for the time being so that I may train you further with your Maiden powers, as we discussed earlier." The witch gave her a stern gaze. "Am I clear?"

Cinder immediately bowed her head again. "Of course, Lady Salem. If that is what you wish."

"Very good. You will be sent out with Animo and Watts when the time comes." Salem elaborated before facing the bounty hunter. "As for you, Rojo; you, Mercury and Emerald will be sent out with Subdora, Farkas and Thaddeus ahead of time to scout out the colosseum and dispose of any workers that you may find there… by any means necessary."

Rojo gave her a salute. "You got it, Boss Lady. And I'm guessing that Mikey's gonna be a part of this operation too?"

Salem shook her head, a hardened expression overtaking her face. "No, after the fight that nearly broke out today, I have decided it would be better if Michael remained here for the time being. It is evident that he does not wish to be a "team player" at the moment, so I will make an attempt to, shall I say… _convince_ him otherwise."

Rojo gave the witch a smirk, the redhead immediately picking up what the witch was putting down. "Ah, I get ya. Well, that just makes things easier for us, I guess." Rojo turned to Emerald and Mercury, ushering them to follow her with her arm. "C'mon guys, let's go get Hog, Skull and Dora and make tracks for the colosseum. We've got work to do." As the three walked out of the room, Rojo looked back to Cinder before giving her a two-fingered salute, her smirk still present on her face. "We'll see ya later, Cindy!"

"Indeed." Cinder nodded. "May your mission be successful." Once her three teammates had left and the large doors to the dining room had closed, Cinder walked over to Salem and fell to a one-kneed bow in respect. "My mistress, please do not take this the wrong way, but… you are aware that we cannot fully trust Michael, correct? He very nearly jeopardized our mission in Atlas. And he simply _reeks_ of deception. If we are not careful, he very well could—"

"I am aware of the risks, young Cinder." Salem assured. "And I am also aware of Michael's deceptive nature. I will give him one final word of warning. However, if he does not shape up from here on… we will ship him out."

Cinder's sinister smile returned. "Dead or alive, my mistress?"

"Either or." Salem answered with an equally evil grin. "Whether that means he is captured by Tennyson and his team, or falls by someone's hand… even if that hand belongs to one of our own."

Behind the witch, Viktor wore a beamed maliciously at the prospect. "I must say, I very much enjoy the way you ladies think."

* * *

It had been several hours since Ruby's birthday party had gone underway, and now, as the sun began to set, things were starting to wind down a little bit. There were still many people there, mostly the students from Signal, but a lot of the adults were beginning to take their leave, with Whitlea, Russel, Greta and Hans being among them. At the moment, Festus, Venus and Ruby were all standing out on the front lawn, the Hooded Huntress giving the two a goodbye hug. "Thank you so much for coming, Mr. and Mrs. Vulcan." Ruby said. "I can't tell you just how much it means to me!"

"Ah, Ruby, think nothing of it." Festus assured. "It was truly a pleasure to be here!"

"He's right, Ruby." Venus agreed as her hug with Ruby ended. "We were more than happy to come! And we hope that you had a great birthday!"

"Oh, I did, trust me." Ruby sighed with a hint of sadness in her voice. "I just wish that it didn't have to end so soon. I mean, it feels like it's only begun! Weird how a whole day can just fly by like that."

Festus gave a nod in agreement. "Ah, I certainly know how you feel in that regard, Ruby." He set a comforting hand on her shoulder. "But just remember, while your birthday may soon be over, you still have the memory of this wonderful day with you forever! And who knows? Perhaps your seventeenth birthday will be even sweeter?"

Ruby let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. "Hoo boy, seventeen. Now THERE'S a scary thought."

"Hehe, yes, growing up CAN be scary." Festus gave her a wink. "But it can also be quite the adventure." A yawn suddenly escaped the man's lips, indicating his exhaustion. "Oh-ho, goodness, and it seems that today's adventure is taking its toll on myself as well."

"Which means that its time that we get YOU to bed, mister." Venus asserted as she began to lead him over to their truck. But before they left, she gave Ruby one last hug. "Happy Birthday, Ruby." The woman offered the Hooded Huntress a wink. "And hey, if you really want the day to last, make sure you make the most out of it, okay?"

With a wide smile, Ruby nodded, grateful for the woman's words. "I will, and thanks again for coming!" A few seconds later, the Vulcan's pulled out of the driveway and began driving down the forest path, the headlights of their truck switching on as they left. Ruby sighed again before turning back to her house, determined to keep her party going for as long as possible.

But just as she entered, she was met with The Alien Trio, Yang, Blake, Weiss and Rex who were all standing on the other side of the door waiting for her. Yang gave her a salute as she came in. "Hey, birthday girl. So, lemme just ask; are you liking the party that we threw you?"

"Uh, YES!" Ruby exclaimed. "This has to be the best birthday party I've EVER had! You guys did an incredible job with everything… I really can't thank you guys enough. Oh, and the cake was great too!"

"Believe me, Ruby, you're more than welcome." Weiss smiled at her partner. "Besides, we weren't just going to do _nothing_ on your birthday."

Gwen stepped forward and wrapped an arm around Ruby's shoulders. "Exactly, otherwise, it'd just be a boring day. And just wait until later on, we've got a whole slew of Halloween stuff planned into the night."

If possible, that only made Ruby even more excited. "Ooh, I like the sound of that!"

"Heh, we knew ya would." Kevin chuckled. "Now c'mon, there's still a lot more partyin' to do."

Suddenly, Ben stepped forward, putting a hand up in protest. "Hang on a sec, guys. There's something that I wanna do first."

Blake, as well as everyone else, gave the hero a questioning look, the cat-girl speaking their thoughts for them; "What do you mean, Ben?" In response, Ben silently pointed to the kitchen, to which everyone shifted their eyes towards. There, they saw that Qrow and General Ironwood were entering through the back door, the two men in the middle of a heated conversation. Blake nodded her head in understanding. "Oh, I get it now."

However, Ruby was still confused. "Uncle Qrow and General Ironwood? Do you need to talk to them about something?"

"You could say that." Rex spoke up. "When they first got here on Tetrax's ship, Ben and I discovered something being stowed away on board. We're not sure what it was exactly, only that it was something that was being stored in a container, and it made my nanites go crazy for some reason." The EVO narrowed his eyes slightly toward the kitchen. " Tetrax told us that Ironwood, Qrow and Goodwitch were the ones who brought it on board, and that they would "tell us what it was later"."

Ruby facepalmed at the news. "Oh, for goodness sake! I thought we agreed to no more secrets!" But, as frustrated as she was, Ruby refused to lose her cool, instead resolving to end this matter peacefully. "Okay, why don't we just confront them about it, get our answer, and move on with the party? I mean, it can't be THAT important, right?"

* * *

"Look, Jimmy, I know that this news is important…" Qrow started after taking a swig from his trusty flask, "but dontcha think it could just wait AFTER the party is over?"

But Ironwood wasn't having any of it. "Qrow, we don't know WHEN that will be. Knowing these kids, they could be set to party all night long." The general sat down, giving a stern expression to Qrow as the drunken Huntsman took yet another swig. "If we're going to tell them today, we have to tell them NOW."

Suddenly, a certain girl's voice entered the room. "Tell us what, exactly?" The two men were spooked out of their seats, with Qrow even hacking up the sip of whiskey that he was taking out of utter shock. As Qrow coughed, Ironwood's eyes met with The Alien Trio, Rex and Team RWBY, who were all giving them very judgmental looks. Well, except for Ruby, who had went over to pat her uncle on the back. "Oh my gosh! Uncle Qrow, are you okay?!"

Once Qrow had gotten a hold of himself, he gave a thumbs up to Ruby, much to her relief. "I'm good, Shortstack, don't worry. It'll take more than just some whisky to make me keel over."

However, Ironwood was still focused on the rest of the group, a mixed feeling of relief and apprehension beginning to rise up in his stomach. On the one hand, this was the perfect opportunity to tell them the news… but on the other, he was still worried about how they might take it. "Oh, there you are! I was hoping we'd get a chance to be alone."

"So were we." Ben concurred. "Listen, I'm just gonna drop the pretense and get to the point, general. Rex and I saw the storage container that you had Tetrax store in his lab."

"My nanites could sense something inside of it." Rex continued. "And I get the feeling that whatever's in there is pretty powerful. So, if you don't mind us asking; just what IS inside of it?"

Qrow sighed and ran his hand down the side of his face. "Gah, shit. I was afraid of this. Ugh, guess we CAN'T put it off until later."

Yang narrowed her eyes at her uncle. "So you WERE planning to keep it secret from us!"

"Only until AFTER the party was over, Firecracker." Qrow explained, eyeing Ironwood with a narrowed gaze. "But Jimmy here thought we should tell you earlier. Now, we're doing things HIS way."

"Okay…" Weiss focused on Ironwood. "So then, what's so important that you have to keep it in a locked storage unit?"

Ironwood took a deep breath and exhaled through his nose, bracing himself for what he was about to tell them. "Alright, but I'm going to tell you kids this ahead of time; what I'm about to tell you might initially SOUND like bad news, but in the end, it's actually going to be good news, okay?"

Gwen raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Well, I've never heard THAT kind of warning before."

Blake was also beginning to get some red flags from what the general was telling them. "Yeah, if it really IS good news, then why not just tell us right off the bat?"

Ironwood pursed his lips, his gaze shifting over to Ruby. "Because… this news involves a past tragedy, one that I hoped we would never have to revisit again. However, under these circumstances, I believe we'll be able to find a glimmer of hope in this news." He smiled to the Hooded Huntress. "And then, perhaps things will be able to turn out for the better once all of this is over."

Kevin raised his arms up, pleading for them to get it over with. "Well then spit it out, man! What's the big deal?"

"It's just… gah." Ironwood faced Ruby, placing his left hand on her shoulder. "Ruby, I need you to brace yourself for what I'm about to tell you. What I'm about to say is one hundred percent true, I swear upon my military ranking. But I need you to be strong for me when I tell you, okay?"

Ruby furrowed her brows. "No tricks?"

Ironwood raised his right hand. "The whole truth, and nothing but."

Ruby could tell just by the expression on his face and the tone of his voice that he was serious about this. In fact, she knew that this was Ironwood at his most serious, because she had seen him in a mood that was similar to this back when Beacon was being attacked, so that reassured her just a little bit more. She gave him a grin, encouraging him to go forward. "Okay general, let's hear it."

"Alright, here it is." Ironwood took a deep breath before pressing onward. "A few days ago, while the salvage crews were working their way through the city, they had found something not far from where the Amity Colosseum was floating."

Rex raised an eyebrow in confusion. "And that is… what exactly?"

"It's where the Vytal Tournament was held, Robo-dolt." Weiss whispered. "Now shush."

"What the salvage team discovered was mostly intact." Ironwood continued. "Which was surprising considering how great of a height it had fallen. The most damage that it had sustained was from the initial damage it had taken from the mishap at the tournament. Still for a short time, we thought that there would be no hope with repairs… but then we remembered what Ben and Rex could do, and we began to realize that maybe there WAS a chance after all."

' _A great height? Damage from the tourna—'_ But then, Ruby cut her thought off, her breath hitching in her throat at what the general was implying. Mustering her will, Ruby pressed on, driven to find out if what Ironwood was saying was true. "General… what are you getting at?"

After a long pause, Ironwood finished what he had started, a small smile forming on his face. "Ruby… we found Penny. And we have a feeling that we can bring her back."

* * *

**A/N: Well everyone, here it is. As I've been alluding to for the past four weeks, Penny's body has been found, and Ironwood's got a plan to bring her back online. But the question is; will it work? Are Ben and Rex going to be enough to bring Penny back… or will it take a bit more? And what does Ruby think of all this? And what about the others, what will THEY think? Well, all of those answers and more are to come NEXT TIME! As Ironwood and Tetrax take the team back to fix Penny's body, Ruby begins to have doubts that the idea will actually work. However, Gwen suddenly has an epiphany, one that could very well turn things around. The whole thing leads the team back to a certain place, one where they're bound to run into trouble. Will Penny truly return? Will our heroes succeed against the opposition? Will the author stop asking rhetorical questions?! Stay tuned to find out! Same time, same… website. Thanks for reading guys, and I'll see you next time!**


	63. Soul Searching

**A/N: Hello everyone, and welcome back to "Ruby's Haunted Birthday"! Okay, so I feel the need to preface the AO3 release of this chapter with this; at the time of writing this chapter, Volume 7 had NOT come out yet. So we had no idea IF of HOW Penny could be rebuilt at the time. So... yeah, this chapter's method is a bit dated, but hey, what can ya do? Now, continuing where we left off last time, General Ironwood just dropped a pretty big bombshell on our heroes, and well, there's going to be a lot going on because of it. So let's not keep dawdling here, shall we?** **This is…**

**Chapter 63: Soul Searching**

* * *

There were very few days in her life where Ruby Rose could say that she felt so many emotions one after another. One of those days had been when the Battle for Beacon had taken place. She had felt sorrow, anger, happiness and relief all in one day. But at the end of it all, there was still a strong sense of grief. Greif for one whom she was honored to have called her friend, one whose death marked the beginning of the whole battle on that day… and one whom she missed greatly with each passing day. But, over the past two weeks, she had started to move on. She had made new friends, met new people, and battled a ton of new enemies. But now, with the news that General Ironwood had just given her and her friends, the memories came crashing back into Ruby's mind… and she didn't know WHAT to feel at this point.

"W-What… did you just say?" Ruby asked as tears began to form in her eyes.

Ironwood began to repeat what he had said. "I said that we—ACK!" Suddenly, much to his and everyone else's surprise, Ruby grabbed him by the collar, a rather intense and serious expression written across her face. Ironwood was afraid that she had snapped, and began to try and calm her down. "R-Ruby, I know that this is a lot to take in all at once—"

"Don't you DARE be trying to get my hopes up, general!" The Hooded Huntress practically screamed in his face. "Because if you are… if you are…" All at once, Ruby began to break down, sobbing uncontrollably as she let go of Ironwood's collar and fell to her knees. Yang, Weiss and Blake all knelt down to comfort her, though the girls made sure to give Ironwood a good glare.

Ben, Kevin and Gwen all sent glares in Ironwood's direction as well, to which the general closed his eyes and gave a solemn nod. "It's true. All of it. I genuinely think that Penny CAN be brought back." He extended a hand to Ben. "And the key to it rests with you and Rex, Ben."

There was a long silent pause throughout the entire room… before Rex decided to break the mood like shattering glass. "Uh, hate to be the odd one out here, but who's Penny again?" The whole room turned over to Rex in shock, much to his confusion. "What? There's been a lot of stuff going on since I got here."

Ruby sniffled and stood up, facing Rex to give him a clear answer. "Penny… Penny was one of my best friends. I met her while I was at Beacon… but we only knew each other for about three-fourths of a year before she died. She was killed at the Vytal Tournament when Emerald made Pyrrha hallucinate during her battle with Penny… which ended with Pyrrha killing her by mistake."

Rex's eyebrows shot up in realization. "Oh, I remember now! Goodwitch mentioned Penny when we went to Beacon yesterday, just before Swift showed up."

"That's right." Weiss affirmed. "Also, she was a robot."

Rex gave her a dumbfounded look at that. "…¿ _Que_?"

"Apparently so." Gwen confirmed. "Penny was an android built by Altas' Military." The Anodite raised an eyebrow at Ironwood. "Am I right?"

"Yes, though there is much more to the story." Ironwood put his hands behind his back. "You see, Penny was a joint project between the military and Atlas Tech, with the hope being that we could create artificial lifeforms with an Aura all their own. Our intent with this project was—"

"To make a living weapon." Kevin finished, much to everyone's surprise. "What? After all the shit we've been through, I took a lucky guess."

"You're only _half_ right, though." Ironwood clarified. "Through the P.E.N.N.Y. project, we hoped to make major advancements in the fields of artificial body parts, to the point which we could project our own aura through them, perhaps even make them feel just like a regular body part. The scientists were also juggling around the possibility of immortality, but I shut that down rather quick. Penny's abilities were to be showcased that the Fortieth Vytal Festival… but it was not to be."

Yang crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah, because Cinder decided to be an asshole and have Penny killed, along with corrupting all of Atlas' other A.I. soldier bots. All to make it seem like Atlas were the ones responsible for the attack on Vale and Beacon."

"They wanted war." Ben concluded. "Or at the very least a divided world."

"Exactly." Blake said before taking a brief pause. "…We couldn't retrieve Penny's body after the battle since it was blown away by a Nevermore. But now…" Her eyes went back over to Ironwood. "You're saying that there's a way to fix her?"

"That's right." Ironwood nodded. "But like I said," His eyes trailed back over to Ben and Rex. "You two and perhaps even Cooper are probably the only ones who can truly repair her." Ironwood focused in on the Omnitrix bearer. "Ben, I talked with your grandfather earlier during the party and he said that you have an alien named "Upgrade", correct?"

"Yes, I do." Ben lifted the Omnitrix up and displayed Upgrade's icon. "A Galvanic Mechamorph can fix anything that's been broken… and even make improvements upon it."

"Excellent." Ironwood shifted his eyes over to the EVO of the group. "And Rex, Doctor Holiday told me that your nanites are able to program and interface with pretty much ANY electronic device?"

Rex gave him a shrug. "That's the basics of it, yeah."

"Then perhaps, if we can combine your powers together, we'll have a genuine shot at this." Ironwood proclaimed with hope in his voice. "I'm aware that it is a long shot, and that I probably sound like a crazy person right now… but over these past two weeks, I've seen things that I could only think up in my wildest dreams." He gave the group a sincere smile. "I know that if anyone could pull this off, it's this team."

Ben contemplated the general's words for a moment before returning the grin, though he let out a sigh as well. "Alright, general. If you think we can do it, then we'll give it a shot." He turned to his team to make it official. "Alright guys, let's get Tetrax, Team JNPR and Team SN. …I can't believe I'm saying this, but we've got a resurrection to attempt."

However, after a full five minutes of silence, Qrow finally spoke up. "Hey, uh, that's great and all, Watch Boy… but I think you're forgetting something important?" He jabbed his thumb toward the kitchen window… and the birthday party that was going on outside.

Ben's face fell at that. "Oh yeah, right… we've gotta leave the party that WE threw together."

* * *

Out in the backyard, Ruby's birthday party was still going strong, though things had calmed down a small bit. Now, as the setting sun began to make brilliant colors across the sky, Nora had decided to flip the switch on the radio. Rather than the bombastic, upbeat music, now there was a slower, more romantic selection being played, with many people pairing up to dance with one another. Cooper and Coco as well as Jaune and Pyrrha were among this group, though there was one who as a bit nervous to ask a certain someone to dance; Nora herself. _'Dammit!'_ she cried out in her head. _'I thought this would give me the confidence to ask Ren to dance… but now I'm even MORE nervous.'_

Suddenly, a voice from behind shocked her out of her stupor. "Hey Nora?"

"EEP!" Nora jumped five feet off the ground, landing on her rear with a THUD. "Oof! Ugh, wha…?" She gazed up to see the bewildered stare of Sun, the monkey boy having been taken aback by her outburst. "Oh, Sun, it's just you!"

"Uh, yeah." Sun nodded. "…I was gonna ask if you'd seen Blake around. I was gonna ask her to dance."

"Oh, last I saw her was in the house." Nora got up and dusted off her skirt before apologizing to him. "Sorry for spooking you, Sun. It's just… I changed up the music thinking it'd give me the boost I need to ask Ren to dance with me… but all its done is make me nervous."

Sun nodded his head in understanding. "Ah, I get ya. Well, the best advice I can offer you is this; it's actually a lot easier to ask than you think it is." He pointed to her. "The only one who's making a big deal out of it is yourself." Sun then jabbed his thumb to his chest. "Just ask Blake and myself. We made the idea of asking each other out into one big dilemma, but when we finally did, things ended up being great!"

"Yeah, I guess you got a point." Nora smiled up at him and gave him a nod. "Thanks for the advice, Sun. I appreciate it."

"Hey, no problem. Anything for a friend." The monkey boy glanced up, only to be surprised when he saw Blake heading their way. "Hey, Blake! I was just comin' to find you! Hey, do you wanna dance—"

"When we get back, Sun, promise." Blake answered rapidly as she began to lead both Sun and Nora over to the house. "Right now, we have a situation."

Nora's eyes widened in surprise. Blake wasn't usually this pushy. "W-What? What're you talking about, Blake? What situation?"

Fortunately, the cat girl's action didn't go unnoticed, as Jaune and Pyrrha had stopped in the middle of their dance to come over, along with Ren, and Neptune right behind them. Cooper and Coco strolled over as well, curious as to what was happening. "Blake, what's going on?" Jaune asked.

"Is there something wrong?" Pyrrha pressed further.

"Not exactly." Blake answered. "It's sort of a good news, bad news situation. But mostly good news!"

Coco could only give Blake a confused gaze at her ramble. She lowered her sunglasses and raised an eyebrow at her. "You had me and then you lost me, Kit Kat, now what's the sitch?"

Blake sighed and went over to Coco, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Coco, you're cool, confident and good with dealing with things on the fly. Can you possibly keep this crowd distracted until we get back? It'll probably be a while."

Coco placed her hands on her hips. "Sure, but could you at least tell me WHAT is so important that you guys have to leave?" Blake didn't respond at first… until she gave a relenting sigh and whispered into Coco's ear, the barrette-wearing girl paying attention to every word. But, with every word Blake whispered, Coco's eyes grew wider and wider, her lips parting in shock and astonishment. Once Blake was done, Coco pulled back and said; "Get outta town."

"No kidding." Blake agreed. "So you'll do it?"

The leader of Team CFVY gave her a salute before pushing her glasses back onto her face. "I'm on it, Blake… and good luck." She turned to Cooper and put a hand on his shoulder. "Tech Head, you might wanna go along with them. Something this important is gonna need your scientific touch."

Cooper raised an eyebrow in confusion. "And what is that, exactly?"

Suddenly, Coco rose up to her tiptoes and gave Cooper a kiss on the cheek, giving him a little wink before responding. "Don't worry, Blake will fill you in along the way. I'll see you soon, 'kay babe?"

The technopath smiled back at her before pecking her cheek back. "Alright, will do. I'll see you later."

Blake nodded in approval. "Good, we need all the help we can get." As Coco left to go distract the party goers, Blake glanced back to the rest of her team, taking a deep breath before going on, "Okay, now that we've got a decent distraction, let's make tracks! We've gotta hurry over to Tetrax's ship, now!"

"But for what, Blake?" Neptune asked. "What's so important that we have to leave the party?"

"Like Coco said, I'll fill you in on the way, Neptune." Blake assured. "But trust me, once you hear this, you probably won't believe me."

Sun gave her a smile. "Hey, we've been fighting countless supervillains over the past two weeks. I don't think anything could surprise us anymore."

Blake rolled her eyes and gave Sun a light nudge in the gut. "Well then, you might want to brace yourself, Sun. Because with the news that I have for you guys, your mind's probably going to change on that pretty quick. Now come on, Ben's getting Tetrax as we speak."

As the group began to head out into the front yard, Nora let out a sigh of disappointment. Just when she had gotten the courage to ask Ren to dance, she just HAD to be yanked away from her chance. She wasn't made at Blake by any means, just frustrated. _'I guess I won't be getting that dance—huh?'_ She suddenly felt a tapping on her shoulder, making her move back around to see… "Ren?" A blush came to her face. "W-What's up?"

Ren tilted his head before asking; "Nora, did you… want to dance with me?"

Nora's eyes almost bugged out of her head. _'HOW DID HE KNOW?!'_ she screamed internally. Her blush intensified as she began stammering out her answer; "W-W-Well, I, um… what makes you say that?"

"You're usually the first out on the dance floor, so when you changed the music but didn't immediately begin looking for a dance partner, that raised my suspicions." Ren pointed out before offering a smile. "Also, I saw you standing on the opposite side of the dancefloor for eleven minutes straight. You seemed nervous, and given that you would often glance at me while standing there, it was kind of easy to figure out from there."

Nora's jaw dropped in amazement, though she collected herself soon after. "W-wow, hehe, I guess you ARE really observant in these things."

"Well, yes…" A small blush came to Ren's face. "…but you're also my closest friend. Knowing how you feel has become second nature to me."

Nora giggled at his own nervousness. _'I guess Sun was right.'_ Once she stopped laughing, she beamed up to him with hopeful eyes. "So… Ren, would you like to dance with me when we get back from… whatever this is?"

Ren smiled back at her and reached out to lightly grasp her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "It would be my pleasure. Now come on, we've gotta catch up to the others. Something tells me that something big is going down."

"Hehe, yeah… and Ren? Thanks."

"Of course, Nora." The green ninja gave her a warm smile. "I was more than happy to accept."

As the duo left the backyard, Nora could practically FEEL the butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. Words couldn't possibly describe how elated she felt at that very moment! She was getting a dance with her best friend and crush, and she couldn't feel happier about it! _'No news in the WORLD could possibly top this!'_

* * *

"SAY WHAT?!" Nora exclaimed. "You're telling me that you plan on bringing Penny back to LIFE?! What, are you guys HIGH?!"

The whole team was walking down the forest path, with General Ironwood and Tetrax taking the lead. The Petrosapien had since discarded the ID mask, leaving it back with Max. However, there were far more important things being discussed, that being; Penny. Team JNPR, Sun and Neptune were practically aghast at the news that Penny could possibly be brought back to life… to the point where Pyrrha had been stunned into silence. Something that Jaune was too quick to notice. "Pyr?" The blonde knight reached out and gently grasped her hand. "Pyrrha, I need you to stay with me here, please."

That managed to snap Pyrrha out of it, though she let out a gasp from a breath she didn't know she was holding. "I-I'm sorry, Jaune, but…" The Invincible Girl directed her attention to Ben, who was just a few paces ahead of them. "…I think I heard you just say that you planned on bringing Penny back to _life_."

"That is… exactly what I said, yes." Ben confirmed. "Rex and I are planning to combine our abilities to fix Penny."

Nora blinked twice in shock before facing the entire team. "Oh, well then, it's official." She raised her arms up and hollered; "Attention everyone! Ben has officially lost his goddamned mind!"

"I'm sorry, Ben, but I've gotta agree with Nora." Sun said to the hero. "It's kinda hard to come back from… you know… DYING."

Ben smirked back to him knowingly. "Really? Because I've technically died before."

Team RWBY, Team JNPR and Team SN were all dumbstruck when he said that. "WHAT?!"

"Oh yeah, multiple times, actually." Ben began counting the different times on his fingers. "Hell, I've been ripped to pieces, atomized, shattered, and blown up so many times that I've begun to lose count."

Yang smacked her boyfriend's shoulder. "Damn, Green Boy! You gotta stop taking so many risks! One day, you may not come back from something like that!"

"Yeah, I know." Ben lowered his head slightly. "But being a hero sometimes means making those sacrifices." He glanced over to Pyrrha. "I mean, Pyrrha put her life on the line back at Beacon. She managed to live through it, but she did what any hero would do."

"Well, yes." Pyrrha concurred. "But there is a big difference between myself and you, Ben." Pyrrha pointed to the Omnitrix. "The fact being that I don't have something that probably has fail-safes to keep me alive." She pursed her lips and hung her head low. "And… for as well built as Penny was, I don't think SHE did either."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, Pyrrha." Ironwood called back. "The people who built Penny are some of the greatest geniuses that Atlas had to offer. And if anyone were smart enough to put in any fail-safes, it'd be Professor Polendina."

That name immediately caught Ruby's attention. "Penny's dad?"

"Exactly. The professor and I are good friends, actually. And if I know one person who ALWAYS makes a backup plan, it's him." A few more minutes of walking passed before the group finally arrived at Tetrax's ship, with Ironwood giving the Petrosapien a nod. "Alright, it's time."

"Indeed." Tetrax pressed a button on his suit, activating his communicator. "Gluto, we're here. Lower the hatch, if you'd please."

" _On it, Tetrax!"_ Gluto's gurgled voice replied from the other end. Not two seconds later, the back hatch began to lower down to the ground, allowing the group to climb on board. They walked into the ship, going through its main hall before Tetrax stopped in front of a certain door, one which Ben and Rex recognized all too well. Tetrax typed in a code, making the door slide open automatically.

The Petrosapien faced the team and lowered his head. "Alright, the procedure should only take but a few minutes." He focused his gaze onto Ruby, his crystalline features set into a serious face. "Ruby, I… I don't know if you wish to come in or not, but—"

Ruby raised her hand, halting Tetrax from going any further. "It's… it's alright, Tetrax, I understand." She lowered her head as a forlorn expression came to her face. "I'm really not sure if I'll be able to see her the way she is right now without…" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, shifting her attention to Ben, Rex and Cooper. "Just… do watch you can, alright guys?"

Rex gave her a thumbs up. "Sure thing, Ruby. We'll get her up and running in no time!"

"That, you can count on." Cooper said with a salute.

If possible, the boy's words only served to make Ruby even more anxious. _'Guys, I really want to believe you…'_ she thought to herself, _'but I think Pyrrha was right. There are just some things that you just can't have fail-safes for or back up in a hard drive.'_ She craned her head down to the ground as she began to go over her thoughts, only for a gentle hand to pat her on the shoulder. She glanced up to see Ben, smiling down at her with a most genuine smile. "Ben?"

He gave her a nod and a wink. "Ruby, things will be okay."

"…How do you know?"

"I just have a good feeling." Ben shrugged. "No matter what happens, things will be alright. We've all got each other's backs on this one, right?"

After a few seconds, Ruby finally smiled back and returned his wink. "You got it, Mr. Hero."

"Awesome. Wish us luck." Ben waved to her as he, Cooper and Rex followed Tetrax and Ironwood into the lab, leaving the rest of the team out in the hallway while they worked. The nervous teens immediately began to loiter about the hallway, some of them sitting down while others leaned up against the nearby wall. However, Ruby just stood in front of the laboratory door, anxiously waiting for the result.

Gwen and Yang came over, intent on giving the Hooded Huntress some comforting company. "It'll be okay, Ruby." Gwen reassured. "You heard the boys, they're gonna give it their all."

"Yeah, sis, don't worry." Yang pulled Ruby into a side hug. "Like Ben said, things will be okay."

Ruby breathed in and let out a hallow sigh. "Yeah… maybe." She glanced off to the side and hugged her arms around her in apprehension. "It's just… I don't know if Penny's just something that the boys think they can simply fix like a broken toy."

Gwen raised a single eyebrow at that. "What do you mean by that, Ruby?"

Ruby faced Gwen with a serious, yet saddened expression, taking the Anodite aback a small bit. "Gwen…. Penny was more than just a robot." she explained. "She had her own Aura, which meant that she had her own SOUL. She wasn't just powered by electricity or something, she had an _infinit_ e power source; herself." Ruby closed her eyes and a few tears ran down her cheeks, the girl sniffling a bit as her sadness began to take hold. "And… and there are somethings that just can't be backed up."

* * *

"Okay, so show us what we're dealing with, here." Ben said as he approached the storage unit, his eyes focused directly on its top. He had to admit, even though he had often dealt with the aspect of resurrection before, this was the first time that he was dealing with a mechanical based resurrection. Sure, bringing the entire inhabitance of Petropia back to life was a piece of cake, holding up a crystal to the sky dramatically was basically all he had to do. But bringing a living robot back to life? _'It sounds simple… but why do I have a feeling that science isn't the end-all be-all in this situation?'_

Just then, Rex placed a hand on his shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Hey dude, you alright? You kinda spaced out for a minute there, man."

"Y-Yeah, I'm good." Ben affirmed. "Just… thinking."

"Well you might want to start thinking about this." Cooper pointed to the storage unit. "They're opening it up now."

True to form, Ironwood was inputting a code into the control pad on the side of the container, making it open up with a hiss. "Alright boys, here she is." Ironwood grabbed the lid and began to lift it up. "But I'm warning you now, it's not pretty."

The large case opened, and the three boys immediately recoiled in shock. There, sitting in the storage unit was a young girl… in multiple pieces. She had curly red hair, green eyes and a pale completion, complete with freckles on either cheek. She had a large pink bow on the top of her head, and she had what appeared to be some sort of black and green collar around her neck, the pattern vividly reminding Ben of Upgrade. He could only deduce that it was to help cover her neck joints. Her torso was donned in an old-fashioned blouse with a pair of grey skirt-overalls that had bright green lines on them, with a pair of long, black and green stockings and a set of black shoes completing her over all look.

She would have appeared very cute and innocent… if her head wasn't giving the boys the blankest of stares. Yes, her body was severed into four separate parts; the head, right upper chest and right bicep making one, the rest of her torso and left arm making another, her right forearm laying by itself to the side, and finally her lower torso and legs hanging out at the bottom. Ben had to admit, if this were a horror movie and there was blood and guts instead of mechanical bits, this would probably give him nightmares. However, in addition to Penny herself, Ben noticed two swords in the storage unit with her. They were grey in color and had a circular, bronze hit with a green Power symbol in their center, and there seemed to be a wire of sorts attached to the end of their handles.

"What's with the swords?" Ben pointed out. "Those her weapons?"

"Yes." Ironwood confirmed. "Well, two of them, at least. She actually had multiple swords that she could control remotely via the wires attached to them. These two were just the only ones that we could find."

"Well, at least we know HOW she died." Rex place his hands on his hips. "Now all WE gotta do is repair her and make sure she's fully operational."

Cooper cracked a smile… and his knuckles, ready to get to work. "Just leave the repairs to me." The technopath leaned over and peered at Penny's inner circuitry, even putting his hands on the inner mechanisms to get a sense of how they worked. "Hmm, alright, this is some pretty advanced stuff. But it's nothing I can't handle." Cooper's eyes started to glow blue, as did Penny's exposed mechanisms. He willed the parts together into the correct configuration and began reassembling them, the wires and metal parts meeting up where they had been sliced apart. While the wires easily laced themselves back together, the cleanly sliced metal bits were a different story. At the end of it all, Cooper managed to put Penny's body parts back together, but there was still a lot of work to be done. "Alright, guys, time for you to take over."

"You got it, Coop." Ben nodded as he brought up the Omnitrix. He touched the faceplate and the holographic ring popped up, allowing him to scroll through his aliens before finding the one he needed. "Okay, let's do this!" He slammed the core down, and in a bright flash of green, he transformed into; _"Upgrade!"_ The Galvanic Mechamorph moved his blobby head down to face Rex, his eye flashing as he spoke. _"You ready for this?"_

"Hell yeah." Rex pounded his fist into his palm. "I really liked our Upgrade combo last time… but I was always curious on what would happen if I used my nanites to enhance YOUR abilities."

" _Well, we're about to find out!"_ The moment he said that, Upgrade dove into the storage unit and began morphing himself around Penny, her body beginning to come back together completely as the living metal began to make further repairs. Upgrade's eye took to the center of Penny's face as the Mechamorph reached out and pulled the swords into Penny's arms, integrating them fully into her systems. The arms shifted back into their normal shape as Upgrade gave Rex the go ahead, his voice mixed in with Penny's vocal processors. _"Alright, Rex. NOW!"_

"On it!" Rex went over and gently grasped Penny's head before closing his eyes, his powers activating soon after. Glowing blue lines began to form on his hands before spreading onto Penny-Upgrade, making the multiple green lines all over the body change from green to bright blue. Inside both of their minds, the boys began seeing flashes of Penny's memories, from when she was first brought online, to when she was enrolled in Atlas academy, before finally getting to her memories of Ruby. From there, they saw how she brought down three whole Bullheads, revealing that she was a robot to Ruby, the Beacon dance, and finally, the Vytal festival and tournament. Her memories came to her match with Pyrrha… and then suddenly stopped, causing Rex to open his eyes as both boys gasped.

Ironwood peered over to them with concern. "What is it? Is there something wrong?"

"N-No." Rex shook his head. "Just… just her memories replaying. I can't seem to find her match against Pyrrha, but the rest of her memory is fully intact. …Still, I can't help but feel that something's wrong."

" _Yeah, I'm getting the same feeling."_ Upgrade concurred. _"But her repairs are complete, so let's stop here for now."_ With that, Rex took his hands off of Penny-Upgrade's face before Upgrade himself morphed out of Penny, revealing the redheaded android to be fully repaired… including her clothes.

Ironwood sent a questioning glance to Upgrade. "How were you able to mend her clothing?"

" _The fabric that her clothes are made of is a VERY fine carbon fiber mesh."_ Upgrade explained. _"To the point where it practically feels like cloth. Those scientists thought of everything…"_ Upgrade transformed back to Ben before shifting his focus to Cooper and Rex."Except for one."

Cooper nodded in agreement. "I know, I sensed it when I was putting her circuitry back together, but I wanted to see if you guys could do anything about it."

Ironwood stepped forward, jumping himself into the conversation. "What do you mean, Cooper? What's wrong with Penny?"

"General, she… she doesn't have ANY obvious power source." Cooper revealed. "No internal generator, no power core, nothing! It's almost like she was running on something else entirely. The rest of her body is completely fine, but without a power source, she can't wake up" His eyes glanced back to Rex and Ben. "I'm guessing that there was nothing you guys could do?"

Rex shook his head. "No. I mean, I COULD power her with my nanites…" he paused for a bit as his gaze lowered to the ground. "…But then she'd just be an unfeeling machine with an A.I. that just happens to have Penny's memories in them. She would never be the same."

Ben crossed his arms in contemplation. "To be honest… I don't think I've ever met an android as… _human_ as Penny was, if her memories were anything to go by. It's almost like she actually had—"

"A soul." Everyone turned around to see Ruby and everyone else filing into the room, many of them with saddened expressions on their faces. Ruby took a deep breath and continued. "Penny WAS a robot… but she was one who had an Aura all her own."

"Which means that she also had a soul." Weiss continued. "THAT was her power source."

Tetrax stepped over to them in concern. "I thought you all were going to stay out in the hall."

"We were." Blake confirmed. "But once we heard what you guys were all talking about, we came in to shed some light on things." The cat girl directed her attention to the three boys. "Guys, we appreciate what you were trying to do, but there are just some things that you can't replicate with science."

Ruby closed her eyes as tears once again rolled down her cheeks. "And… and a soul is one of them." The Hooded Huntress stepped over to the storage unit and peered inside, her eyes gazing upon the peacefully resting Penny. Ruby let out a few sobs before going on. "B-But… I still want to thank you guys. Now I can at least say one last goodbye."

Ben went to reassure Ruby, intent on not giving up hope. However, he was stopped when a soft touch grasped his arm. He whirled around to see Yang, and he was shocked to see how sad she was by all of this. She was trying to hold back her tears as she stared at him straight in the face. "Ben, you… you did the best you could." All at once, she pulled him in and buried her head in his chest, silently letting the tears flow.

As the reality of the situation began to settle in for him, Ben wrapped his arms around Yang, his head settling against her own. "I… I'm sorry."

However, Rex wasn't one to give up so easily. "H-Hey! C'mon guys, we can't just give up now! There has to be another way!" He gestured over to the storage unit. "I-I mean, w-we repaired her and everything, even her memory is intact, we just—"

"REX!" Gwen shouted, shocking him to a halt. "Think about what you're saying!" Rex gazed at her with a shocked expression, the Anodite calming down soon after. "I-I'm sorry, it's just… Penny wasn't JUST a robot. She was an actual person. And when people die, that's usually it for them."

"She's right, dude." Kevin agreed. "It'd take nothing short of a miracle at this point to bring her back."

Rex's face fell as he sat down in the nearest chair, reality slamming into him so much that he practically dropped into it. He let out a sigh and placed his hand over his eyes in remorse. "I… I guess you're right. I guess life's one riddle that we'll never be able to really solve, huh?"

He suddenly felt a soft hand touch his shoulder, causing him to look up and see Weiss standing next to him. "Rex, don't beat yourself up over all this. Like Yang said, you boys did the best you could… and honestly, that's the best we could ever hope for."

As the room settled back into silence, Gwen was pondering things over in her head… and that's when what Rex had just said entered her mind. _'Life's riddle?'_ Gwen's eyes widened as the revelation hit her like a brick wall. She glanced to Penny in the storage unit and then up to Ruby, a bright smile coming to the Anodite's face. "Riddle… RIDDLE!" Everyone craned their heads over to Gwen at her outburst. "That's it! I've figured it out!"

"W-What?" Ruby asked. "Gwen, what're you—"

But before she could go on, Gwen grasped Ruby's shoulders and shook her with excitement. "The riddle, Ruby! Paradox's riddle! It all makes sense!"

Ruby's eyebrows shot up in surprise as she recalled the limerick, going over each line in her head one more time. As the pieces began to fit into place, the Hooded Huntress shifted her eyes over to Penny. And finally, everything clicked. "Gwen… are you saying that… that we could still revive Penny?"

"But how?" Jaune spoke up. "I thought you said that people's souls COULDN'T be brought back from the dead!"

Pyrrha came forward as well, expressing her own concerns. "And how does Paradox's riddle relate to Penny? I'm still not entirely getting it."

"Don't you see guys?" Gwen asked as she gestured to Penny. "It's like the poem said; "A missing soul wanders alone, searching for what once was its home"! Penny's soul still exists somewhere!"

"Again, I ask; HOW?!" Jaune reiterated. "Once someone is dead, that's it! Gone, finished, on the other side! You yourself said that."

"Yes, I did." Gwen agreed. "But… there is ONE case where a person's soul doesn't _completely_ move on to the afterlife. You see, when someone dies peacefully, like say, from natural causes, then they are able to fully move on to the afterlife. However, if someone dies suddenly, such as being killed in an accident or from being murdered, their soul is often times confused as to what happened, and can't fully move on to the other side."

Ren's brows furrowed at what Gwen was saying. "So what happens to them after that?"

"Well, then they're sort of stuck in _between_ the physical world and the afterlife, which many often refer to as either "the spirit world" or "Limbo"." Gwen explained. "It's kind of like your soul is still on this plane of existence, but you can't interact with anything. So, if Paradox's riddle is correct, and Penny's soul truly IS wandering around in Limbo, then that would mean…"

All at once, Nora, Sun and Neptune's jaws nearly dropped to the floor in shock, the Pink Dynamo pointing a shaky finger toward Gwen with hesitancy. "Y-you m-mean to tell me th-that P-Penny might be a… g-g-g-ghost?"

Gwen raised a single finger. "Well, kind of. While ghosts ARE a thing, it IS entirely possible that Penny might _not_ have become one as well."

Sun and Neptune glanced to each other before going back to Gwen. "So… what do you mean by that?" Sun inquired.

"Yeah, if Penny isn't a ghost, then what IS she?" Neptune pressed further.

"Well boys, while ghosts _are_ often associated with this sort of situation, a soul _can_ simply just wander around without manifesting itself at all." Gwen elaborated. "It's just that ghosts, more often than not, have more occurrences in these kinds of situations. But all the same, a wandering soul's life force can be sensed by magic users like myself, which means that we've still got a shot at finding Penny's soul."

"Well, sure…" Jaune crossed his arms. "…but how can you be sure that Penny really IS in "Limbo" and not on the other side already? For all we know, Paradox could've been mistaken."

"Paradox rarely talks out of his ass." Kevin rebutted. "And when he does, it's usually about a bunch of time and space jargon that we don't really understand." The Osmosian raised an eyebrow at his girlfriend. "But at the same time, I'm not really on the whole "spirit world" angle either. How do we know that Penny's soul isn't being kept somewhere else in the world?"

Gwen furrowed her brows slightly. "Because souls can't exist in the physical realm, Kevin. Souls have to either remain in Limbo or go onto the other side, there's no other option. That's why ghosts can't reform themselves entirely, only as specters. They can't return to their physical body… without some magical assistance."

Ruby's eyes brightened up at that. "W-Wait, Gwen, you said that you're good with magic, right?"

Gwen gave her a smirk… and then disappeared in a flash of pinkish-purple light. A few seconds later though, she was back, and holding her Grimoire in her hands. "I dabble. "With magic and science, we will stand in defiance", right?"

"So does that mean that… you might actually be able to bring Penny back?!"

"It's definitely plausible." Gwen answered. "Penny's body is physically intact, so if we find where her soul is wandering, we might be able to channel it right back into her body. No problem."

However, Ironwood began to peacefully protest against the notion. "Hold on just a second, isn't this considered to be more in line with Dark Magic than anything else? Why would you perform such a spell?"

"Yes, it is more associated with Dark Magic." Gwen revealed. "But after studying it more, I've found that there ARE loopholes in it. Necromancy has often been associated with the Dark Arts for centuries. Heck, returning souls to life that have ALREADY crossed over to the afterlife IS a forbidden act. However, if someone's pure essence can be saved, or if it's stuck in the spirit world, it CAN be put back into their original body, provided that the body itself is healthy enough. Therein lies the loophole; returning the dead back to life for altruistic purposes. To give the person who died and became a spirit a second chance at life."

"And if the body isn't in good condition?" Tetrax asked. "What then?"

"Well, if the conjuror were smart, they'd help the wandering soul move on to the afterlife instead of bringing them back, allowing them to finally rest in peace." Gwen pursed her lips. "But… if the conjuror were desperate… they'd probably sacrifice another soul just to revive the one that they want back… or MANY souls to return a single one from the afterlife in the case of a certain person I know." Gwen waved her hand upward. "But then they'd have a whole NEW set of problems to deal with."

"I see." Ren put a ponderous finger to his chin. "So… you're saying that all we have to do is find Penny's soul and put it back into her body. The question is… does your book have a spell like that?"

"Oh yeah." Gwen opened up the book and telekinetically flipped to the page that she had found earlier in the day. She showed the book to Ren and pointed to the page. "See? Soul Searching. Right there in the fine print."

The whole team got a closer look at the book before coming to a final conclusion; "We can't read this." Yang stated plainly.

"Maybe not, but I can." Gwen gazed on to the page and saw a large circle with multiple runes going around its edges. "All I need is a little chalk… and to know where Penny's soul actually IS."

Ben raised a single eyebrow at that. "Wait, you mean you don't know?"

"No, if I did, then we'd probably already be there by now." Gwen put a hand on her hip. "I have a feeling that the poem's verse; "If you know where to look, and you search every nook, you should find it no problem, you see" is talking about."

Kevin waved his hands, hoping to pause everything for a moment as he focused directly on Gwen. "Alright, alright, let's roll with the idea that maybe Penny's soul IS wandering around Limbo, or somethin'. Where WOULD any of us start searching for her if that were the case?"

"Well… souls in Limbo usually wander around the place where they died…" Gwen put a finger to her chin. "So that probably means…"

Weiss' eyebrows suddenly shot up in realization and she let out a gasp. "Ah! The Amity Colosseum!" the heiress craned her head over to General Ironwood. "It's still in Vale, right?"

"Yes, it is." The general confirmed. "It's floating just off the coast of the city, awaiting repairs before it has to go back to Vytal."

Rex stood up pumped a fist. "Well then, what're we just sittin' on our hands for?! Let's start our search! ¡ _Vamanos_!"

"Rex is right." Blake agreed. "Let's go get Penny back!"

Ben got a determined smirk on his face as he glanced over to Yang. The Blonde Brawler returned the smirk as she began to feel the same determination that he was. "I'm likin' the sound of that plan!" She went over to her sister and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Well Ruby, whaddya say? You ready to rescue your friend from the great beyond?"

"…You know, it's moments like these that remind me about how crazy our lives have become." Ruby remarked before reaching around her sister's shoulders. "What the hey? Let's give it a shot!"

Pyrrha stepped forward as well. "Indeed, it's well worth the try, isn't it?" The Invincible Girl craned her head down to face the ground out of guilt. "Besides, if this truly does work… then perhaps I will be able to apologize to Penny for what I did to her."

Jaune came up and pulled Pyrrha into a hug, hoping to console her. "Pyr, I'm sure that she'll forgive you… if she's brought back to life. Besides, I'm pretty sure that someone like Penny wasn't one to hold grudges, right Ruby?"

"Of course, she wasn't." Ruby concurred as she began to reassure Pyrrha as well. "Pyrrha, I'm sure that Penny won't hold anything against you. Trust me, she was FAR from doing something like that."

Pyrrha shifted her eyes back to them, a smile slowly forming on her face. "Well… if you say so. Well then, if it's all settled, then what are we waiting for? Let's head out!"

Gwen nodded at her fellow redhead's declaration. "Right, let's roll. But first…" She turned to Cooper, who had remained silent for the entire conversation. "You alright, Cooper?"

"Oh, yeah, I was just pretty much lost on the whole conversation." The technopath explained. "Stuff like magic isn't really my strong suit, after all. If there was technology involved, then maybe I'd understand it better. All I understood was that you're going to put Penny's soul back into her body when you find it, right?"

"Exactly." Gwen gave him a pat on the shoulder. "But right now, I need you to go back to the house and fill Coco in on what's going on. We need you guys to stall for more time, okay?"

Cooper gave her a two-fingered salute. "I'm on it. Good luck, everyone!" With that, Cooper walked out of the lab and made his way off of the ship, intent on getting back to Coco.

Tetrax nodded and walked over to the door as well. "Alright, then if this is all settled, I'll tell Gluto to plot a course to Amity Colosseum immediately. Take a seat everyone, we lift off in ten minutes."

As he left, Ruby gazed into the storage unit once again, contemplating the lifeless body of her best friend. "I seriously cannot believe that your soul is just wandering around aimlessly in the spirit world."

At her statement, Ben could only give a shrug. "Happy Halloween." He clapped his hands together and made an announcement; "Alright people, look alive! We've got some ghostbusting to do!"

"Again, she may not be a ghost!" Gwen protested.

* * *

Jaune had to admit, there were a lot of things that he was expecting to do today; celebrate one of his best friend's birthday, spend time with his family and friends, and meeting a bunch of new people that he didn't know. The LAST thing that he ever could have expected to be doing was bringing someone back from the dead. But there he was, along with the rest of his friends as the Resolute closed in on their destination; Amity Colosseum. It had been quite a while since they had stepped foot on this giant floating arena, and he couldn't fault one thing; the complete and utter irony of the situation. The last time they had been here, Penny had died, and now that they had returned, they intended to bring her back to life. _'We've come full circle now.'_ he thought in his head. _'Here's hoping we're successful.'_

"Jaune?" Nora spoke up. "Hey, Fearless Leader, you doin' okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah Nora, I'm good." Jaune reassured. "It's just that I'm a bit nervous about what we're about to do is all."

"As am I." Ren agreed. "I know that Gwen said that this is the "good" way to bring people back to life, but I'm still a little skeptical on how this is going to work."

Pyrrha folded her arms across her chest, thinking over all of the variables there could be in this situation. "Well, I trust Gwen's judgement. If she thinks that she can put Penny's soul back into her body, then I believe her."

"I believe her too, Pyr." Jaune nodded. "Still, can't lie, I'm a bit anxious about doing this."

Just then, Ben came over and interjected himself into the conversation, with Yang strolling over with him. "Don't worry, dude, we all are. But I think the most nervous here is Ruby." The hero gestured over to the Hooded Huntress, who was still standing over by the storage unit that Penny was being kept in. "She hasn't left Penny's side since we lifted off."

"Yeah, she really cared about Penny." Yang said. "And when Penny was…" she coughed in her hand. "Aherm, you-know-what… Ruby was pretty sad. So now that we have a chance to possibly bring her back, I think Ruby's got her hopes up pretty high… I just hope she knows this might be a two-way street."

Suddenly, Tetrax's voice spoke over the intercom; _"We are approaching Amity Colosseum. All passengers, prepare to disembark."_

Ben glanced up to the intercom before looking back to everyone else. "Well, I guess we're about to find out." The hero brought up the Omnitrix and slammed down on the core, transforming into… "Armodrillo!" The Talpaedan then let out a disappointed sigh. "Ugh, again, NOT Fourarms, but he'll do." Armodrillo closed the storage unit and slung it under his arm, careful to not rattle Penny's body around too much. "C'mon guys, let's go."

With that, everyone followed Armodrillo off the ship, only to realize that they had landed in the middle of a giant arena. Gwen, Kevin, Rex and Armodrillo gazed around the massive stadium in awe, astonished that something this big could be using hover tech to float above the ground. Or in the case of right now, the water. On the ground, at the very edges of the arena, were the four symbols representing each Kingdom, showing the unity that this structure represented. The stands were vacant, but still very impressive in how big they were, with Kevin estimating in his head that probably over a million people could be seated in this place. He whistled, impressed at the giant floating structure. "Damn, this place is freakin' awesome."

"Sure is." Armodrillo said as he gently put the storage unit down. "Man, I'd like to put up a fight in THIS place."

Yang gave him a little wink. "Well, in two years' time, maybe you will. But for now, we've got work to do." The blonde turned around to face Gwen, the Anodite having already closed her eyes to sense for life energy. "Well, Gwen? You got anything?"

"I… I definitely have something." The Anodite answered. "I sense a _very_ different life force here, one with a unique mana compared to our own. It's definitely a real soul, but at the same time, it wasn't born like other souls. It's almost like… it was _made_."

Ruby's eyes widened as a small smile came to her face. "That's it! That MUST be Penny! Do you think she can see or hear us?"

Nora gave a thumbs up. "Only one way to find out!" The Pink Dynamo cupped her hands over her mouth. "PENNY?! Penny are you here?!"

Gwen came over and put a stop to Nora's shouting. "Nora, please don't do that. Even if she IS able to hear us from where she is, Penny wouldn't be able to respond. But don't worry, we'll get to see her soon. For right now, though…" Gwen pulled out a piece of chalk from her pocket. "We've got a magic circle to draw."

Armodrillo pointed to the piece of chalk. "Hey! Where'd you get that?"

"I conjured it up." Gwen answered. "Simple little creation spell. I'll even do you one better." Gwen's eyes began to glow, as did the chalk piece. All of a sudden, the piece of chalk replicated into four more pieces, which went to Weiss, Blake, Pyrrha and Ren. The redhead's eyes stopped glowing and she opened her Grimoire up to the "Soul Searching" page, pointing to the big magic circle. "Alright guys, I'm going to need your help to make this magic circle. Just follow these plans out carefully, and we should be good to go, alright?"

"Sure!" Weiss affirmed. "This should be easy enough. It's kind of like one of my Glyphs."

Blake was practically anxious with excitement. "I can't believe that I'm getting to draw a magic circle! Ah! This is EXACTLY like one of my horror novels!"

Ren nodded to Gwen before joining the girls on the ground. "Right, let's get to work. You ready, Pyrrha?"

"I am." The Invincible Girl confirmed before gazing at her chalk piece. _'Hang on, Penny. We'll get you home.'_

It took about three minutes to finish the magic circle, the five teens working frivolously to get it done. Once the circle was complete, and their chalk had been whittled down to stumps, Gwen glanced from her spellbook to the circle on the ground, comparing the two to make sure that everything was correct. With a smile and a nod, she gave it her seal of approval. "Alright, nice job, guys, we got it right. Now all we need is the body." The redhead shifted her gaze over to her cousin. "Ben?"

Armodrillo gave her a salute. "On it, cous'." The Talpaedan opened up the storage unit, though he had forgotten that it had been closed earlier and thus went back into locked mode. As a result, he ended up pulling the door clean off, much to his and everyone's shock. "Oh, whoops. Did NOT mean to do that."

"Jeez, Tennyson," Kevin chided. "Think ahead of time, would ya? You coulda damaged Penny's body."

Ruby peered into the storage unit and was relieved to see that Penny was alright. "Phew, but he didn't, so that's good." She shot a guilty smile up to Armodrillo. "But, uh… maybe it's better if Gwen took it from here? I don't mean to offend you, Ben, but… you've kinda got piledrivers for arms."

"You know, most body builders would take that as a compliment." Armodrillo pointed out. "But I see your point. Gwen?"

"On it." Gwen's eyes began to glow again and she lifted her hands up in Penny's direction. The redheaded android's body began to glow and she was lifted right out of her resting place. Gwen floated Penny over to the magical circle and placed her right in its center, her body measuring the diameter almost exactly. With that, the glowing stopped and Gwen placed her hands on her hips, ready to get to work. "Alright, this'll probably take me a few minutes… and most likely drain me when this is over, so I'll need one of you on standby in case I fall unconscious."

"I've got your back, Gwen." Kevin assured, pulling Gwen into a small embrace. "Always."

The Anodite gave her boyfriend a small peck on the cheek. "Thanks, Kevin." She faced her teammates and waved a hand to them, ushering them to get back. "Everyone else, you may want to stand back. This is going to be big." Everyone took her words to heart and began backing up, though they all gave a silent prayer that this would work. Gwen took a deep breath before transforming into her Anodite form, much to everyone's surprise. _**"Alright, let's do this."**_ She shifted her position so that she was floating in a meditative stance, and began chanting a rather ancient language, presumably the spell itself.

"Whoa." Yang uttered. "Never seen her do THAT before."

"Neither have I." Pyrrha admitted. "What IS that?"

"Her Anodite form." Armodrillo answered. "She only uses it when she needs a BIG power boost, and right now, I don't doubt her for needing it in this situation."

Neptune smirked as a certain memory came back to him. "She also used it to pulverize Darkstar when he came knocking on our door about a week ago."

"Yeah, that was cathartic." Blake admitted before raising an eyebrow over to Armodrillo. "Also, why are you still transformed?"

The Talpaedan narrowed his eyes as he turned his head from side to side, almost as if he were expecting something. "Well, there's still a line in Paradox's limerick that's got me on edge. You know; "On Halloween night, you'll put up a fight"?" He slammed his iron fists together. "To me, that sounds like we're about to have some company"

Sun pat Armodrillo's giant arm. "Ben, dude, I think you might be overreacting a bit. I mean, all of the workers have probably all headed back to the city by now, so who ELSE could know that we're here—"

"HEY!" Everyone, including Gwen, snapped their heads up to where the new voice had shouted from… and their blood simultaneously ran cold and was brought to a boil. There, standing at the arena entrance, was Rojo, her laser rifle unholstered and alight with power. Standing on either side of her were Mercury and Emerald, the green haired thief also having her weapons drawn. Behind them stood Thunderhog and Exo-Skull, the two men grinning ear to ear as they relished in the thought of beating people up. Finally, up in the stands, Subdora appeared out of thin air, a confident smile on her face.

"You see, _Roso_?" The Merlinisapien looked down to the bounty hunter. "I told you that we had some familiar intruders."

"Yeah, guess you did." Rojo nodded before narrowing her eyes at the heroes. "Listen up, twerps! I don't know what you're doin' here or why you chose TONIGHT of all nights to come here, but you'd better get while the gettin's good!"

Mercury stepped forward and crossed his arms. "Yeah, this colosseum is our turf now, and if you were smart, you'd forget that you ever saw us here!"

Over by the heroes, Armodrillo gestured over to the villains, his point proven almost instantly. "See? What did I tell ya? I KNEW that this wouldn't be that easy." The large alien lumbered forward and pointed right at Rojo. "And just what the hell ARE you doing here, Rojo?! Last we heard, you were in Atlas stealing a couple experimentation capsules!"

"Which we want back, by the way!" Weiss added.

"Yeah, what she said." Armodrillo balled his clawed hands into fists. "And if you know what's good for YOU, you'll leave when you return them to us! Besides, we're rather busy here at the moment."

Emerald grit her teeth, furrowing her brows at the heroes as her eyes scanned the area. "Just what ARE you blathering about—AH!" The thief let out a gasp at what she saw laying on the ground right in front of Gwen, disbelief written all over her face. "It… it can't be! It seriously CAN'T be!"

Mercury followed her gaze in confusion. "Emerald, what are you talking about—WHAT?!" The assassin took a step back in utter astonishment. "No way! We watched the warrior princess slice her to bits!"

With her rage rising, Pyrrha withdrew Akouo and Milo, leveling the javelin so that it pointed right at Emerald. "You mean that SHE manipulated me into doing such a vile and despicable act! SHE is the reason that Penny is where she is now, NOT me!"

Emerald crossed her arms and smirked at Pyrrha's grand stand. "Huh, you know, I often forget that bucket of bolts even HAD a name."

That was all it took to make Ruby take out Crescent Rose, the Hooded Huntress now wearing a face that could kill, her silver-eyed glare cold and unforgiving. It even scared _Yang_ a little bit. "THAT'S IT! I'm through messing around with you guys!" Ruby practically seethed with anger and, for the briefest of moments, Armodrillo could have sworn that he saw her silver eyes flash a little for some reason. "I am NOT going to let you ruin the ONE chance that we might have to bring Penny back! So if it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!"

"She's right!" Jaune pulled out Crocea Mors as the rest of the team pulled out their own weapons, with the exception of Rex who just balled his fists. Jaune raised his blade up into the air. "We'll defend our friend, right until the bitter end!"

"VERY well said." Armodrillo gave the two a nod before shifting his attention to his cousin and his best friend. "Gwen, Kevin, you two stay right there and continue with the spell. And get Ironwood and Tetrax out here for backup! In the meantime, WE'LL handle these clowns!"

Kevin gave the Talpaedan a salute. "Will do!"

" _ **Good luck, Ben."**_ Gwen nodded back to her cousin. _**"This should only take a few more minutes… hopefully."**_

"Understood." Armodrillo focused on his team and gave the order; "Alright, everyone pair off into groups and take a villain. They may be strong, but so are we. And not only that, we're strong in numbers, too. Let's do this… FOR PENNY!" The entire team echoed his cheer as the hero sent Rojo a glare in challenge. "Well Rojo? You gonna leave or are we going to have to get rough?!"

"Six to twelve? I like those odds." Rojo smirked and shrugged her shoulders. "Plus, I can't really think of anything better to do on a night like this. Bring it on, Tennyson!" She cocked her laser rifle and hollered; "ATTACK!" The bounty hunter surged forward as her teammates followed after her, the group intent on taking the heroes down.

Armodrillo gave the command; "CHARGE!" The heroes ran right toward the villains, pairing off into groups of two to take them on. Gwen, meanwhile, went back into her meditative stance, reciting the spell that would hopefully pull Penny's soul out of Limbo and channel it back into the android's body. They might have only had one shot at this, so they had to make it count.

Yang ran beside Armodrillo, giving her boyfriend a wink. "Wanna tag team Rojo, Green Boy?"

"You bet, Goldie Locks!" The Talpaedan replied. "Let's—LOOK OUT!" A red laser blast shot between the couple and they were forced to dive out of the way. After making sure that Yang was okay, Armodrillo narrowed his eyes at the bounty hunter. "That was a cheap shot, Rojo!"

Rojo just cocked her rifle and gave the two a toothy grin. "All's fair in love and war, losers. You two are the love…" She pulled a handle on her rifle and it converted into its blood red energy blade mode, with Rojo pointing it right at the duo. "And I'm the war. Now let Bloodstrike do her work, she's _very_ hungry."

Yang narrowed her eyes at Rojo in confusion. ""Bloodstrike"? Who the hell is that?!"

Rojo nudged her blade. "My pretty little weapon, what else?"

Armodrillo facepalmed at that. "You mean you named your weapon after a crappy Image Comic Book?!"

"And proud of it!" Rojo ran forward, intending to strike Yang before any of them knew what was going on. "Now prepare to get Bloodstriked!" Just as she swung Bloodstrike down, Armodrillo used his arm to block the hit, allowing Yang to worm her way under her arm and behind Rojo. "Wait, what?!"

Yang reared back her fist as Armodrillo pushed Rojo away. "How's THIS for "BloodSTRIKE"?!" With one mighty punch, Yang struck Rojo in the back sending her flying back toward the large alien. "Heads up, Ben!"

"On it!" Armodrillo socked Rojo in the gut before swinging her around and into the floor. "Let's shake things up a bit!" He set his pistons on high, pummeling Rojo further into the floor.

"GaAaAaH!" Rojo fought through the pain and vibrations to reach over and pull the handle on Bloodstrike again, shifting it back into rifle mode. She lifted her arm and shot Armodrillo square in the chest which, while it didn't penetrate his armor, was still enough to force him off of her. Breathing hard, Rojo got up, glaring at the couple as Yang checked up on Armodrillo. "This is probably gonna be tougher than it was the first time."

* * *

Ruby and Weiss charged forth, with Crescent Rose and Myrtenaster respectfully at the ready. The two had paired off and were about to intercept Emerald, not because she was the closest to them… but because Ruby seemed to be running straight toward her. The Hooded Huntress was rightly peeved, having heard enough of one of her best friends be insulted by the thief. It was to the point where Weiss had to snap her out of it.

"RUBY!" the heiress shouted as she and her partner were running. "You have to keep your focus! I know that you're angry, but don't let it cloud your thinking, okay?"

The silver-eyed girl stopped in her tracks, realizing that her anger was fueling her just a bit too much. "What… what _was_ that?"

Weiss stopped next to her and tilted her head. "What was… what?"

"It… it felt like something was telling me to fight with all that I had." Ruby explained. "It was weird, I—watch out!" Ruby pulled Weiss down just as a pair of shots sailed over their heads, the two gazing up to see Emerald pointing her revolvers at them.

"Are you two done talking?" Emerald asked as she twirled her guns in her hands. "Thief's Respite needs to see a little action tonight."

Weiss raised a single brow. "Is THAT what you call them?"

Ruby grimaced at the revelation. "Okay, as much as I hate you, that IS a really cool name for a weapon." She stood up and slammed Crescent Rose's tip into the ground. "But that is the LAST compliment that I'm going to give you!"

"Fine by me." Emerald shifted Thief's Respite into their sickle mode, crossing them over one another as she gave them an intimidating stare. "Bring it on!" And thus, the two sides clashed, with Emerald actually keeping up with the two ladies rather well. Whenever Ruby swung Crescent Rose, she managed to weave out of the way. And as Weiss thrust Myrtenaster, she simply blocked it with her sickles before pushing the heiress away with them. "Try as hard as you want, ladies, but I'm not—AGH!"

Much to her surprise, Emerald received a surprise sock in the gut from Ruby, who had sped over to her via her Semblance while the thief was boasting. "Now see, this is what I've noticed about bad guys over the past week; they gloat too much!"

Emerald coughed in pain, straightening up and narrowing her eyes at Ruby. "Not bad, little girl. You've gotten better at fighting with your hands." Emerald shifted Thief's Respite back into their revolver mode, taking aim at the girl. "But you don't bring fists to a gun and blade fight!"

She took the shot, the Fire Dust rounds sailing right toward Ruby. The Hooded Huntress raised Crescent Rose's massive blade in front of her face, intending to block the shots… but the impact never came. She lowered the blade to see a large black glyph right in front of her, having shielded her from the shots. Weiss stepped forward, a proud smile on her face. "It's not all about dealing damage, you know."

"Says you!" Emerald shifted Theif's Respite into sickles again before pressing another button on them, making the blades detach from the handles, revealing that they were being held onto the weapon by chains. "Cinder's not going to have to bother with you anymore!" She ran forward and swung her chained blades at the two girls, dead set on finishing this fight quickly.

However, Weiss didn't seem perturbed. "Not going to happen." She spun the gun barrel in Myrtenaster's hilt to the Ice Dust setting, glancing to Ruby with a knowing smile. "Ice Flower Formation?"

"You read my mind, sister!" Ruby slammed Crescent Rose's blade down in front of her and made the scope of its sniper rifle mode pop up from its handle. The silver-eyed girl kneeled down and peered through the scope before giving Weiss the okay. "Alright, ready and willing!"

"Then let's do this!" At her words, Weiss pointed Myrtenaster straight toward Emerald, narrowing her eyes at the thief. A single ice glyph appeared in front of Crescent Rose's gun barrel… "Ready…"

Emerald's eyes widened and she stopped in her tracks. "W-Wait, what are you—"

Another ice glyph appeared in front of the first one, this time, smaller than the original. "Aim…"

"Oh, shit." Emerald spun around and began to high tail it out of there. She had a feeling that she knew what was going to happen if she stayed there, and she would NOT be subject to it. _'Gotta run! Gotta run fast!'_

A final, even smaller ice glyph appeared in front of the other two, with Weiss finally giving the word; "FIRE!"

Ruby pulled the trigger twice and two shots were let out from Crescent Rose's head, the Dust rounds going straight through the three glyphs. As they did, the bullets became encased with ice before sailing right toward Emerald. The thief tried to dive down to avoid the shots, but it was too late. The Dust rounds hit her in the back and in the legs, but instead of going into her, they exploded in a giant encasing of ice, freezing her in mid-drop. "Gah! Huh? HEY! What the hell just happened?!"

Ruby and Weiss shared a high five as they shouldered their weapons. "The best duo in Beacon Academy just froze you in place, _Emmy_." Ruby stated proudly. "Stay _frosty_."

Weiss rolled her eyes and groaned at Ruby's pun. "Alright, it was a great moment BEFORE you brought in the puns, Ruby. Please just let Yang and Ben be the ones who handle those, please?"

"Alright, alright." Ruby relented. "But you gotta admit, that's ONE way to _chill_ out, isn't it?"

"Please, no more." Weiss requested.

"Okay, okay, I've got one more!"

Weiss sighed, rationalizing that Ruby would probably stop after this one. "Very well, what is it?"

Ruby gave a snide smile to Emerald as she waved farewell to the green-haired thief. "I'm afraid that we've left you pretty _cold_ , Em. Have fun _thawing_ out!"

Emerald sneered at the duo ran away from her as she struggled in her frozen state. "That last one wasn't even a PUN!"

* * *

Rex and Neptune came to a halt as Mercury stood before them, the silver-haired assassin standing with a confident grin and his arms crossed. "Sorry boys, but this is as far as you go!" He went into a fighting stance, bending his legs and balling his hands into fists. "We can't have you interfering with our plans, ya know. So if you're smart, you'll head back the way you came."

Rex raised an eyebrow and leaned over to Neptune. "So… this guy… he was the one that Ben and Yang beat up, right?" he whispered.

"From what I heard, yeah." Neptune confirmed. "I wasn't there to see that, but apparently, that's how he got that nasty scar on his face."

"What can you tell me about him?"

The blue-haired boy pointed to Mercury's lower half. "His legs are his weapons. …Like, literally, he's got guns in his heels. They're also prosthetics from the knee down…" He gave Rex a smirk. "So don't be afraid to crush them."

"Noted." Rex gave a thumbs up as he lowered his goggles. "Alright, I'll provide a little distraction while you circle around him. When I give the signal, take him down."

Neptune lowered his own goggles over his eyes with a nod. "Gotcha, bud. Let's go!"

With their plan formulated, Rex stepped forward and crossed his own arms, intending to size Mercury up. "So, YOU'RE the one that got his crotch split by Rath, huh? Man, that couldn't have felt pleasant."

Mercruy grit his teeth and ran forward, stopping in front of Rex and taking the EVO by surprise. "It wasn't." He sent a spinning kick right at Rex's head, ready to blow it off with one blast from his heel. However, Rex's reflexes proved to be faster as the EVO bent backwards and fell to the ground, rolling away from Mercury before getting back up again. "W-Wait, what?!"

Rex rolled his neck, popping a few joints before getting into a combat stance. "I was trained by the sixth deadliest man in the world, dude. I've dealt with MUCH faster reflexes than yours."

"We'll see about that!" Mercury surged forward and began dealing a volley of kicks in Rex's direction, with each one sending a Dust round in the EVO's direction. However, much to Mercury's frustration, Rex was able to bob and weave out of the way of every single one of them. Mercury let out a roar of rage before sending one final kick to Rex's chest, intending on blasting it at point blank range.

But just as he was about to make contact, Rex activated one of his Smack Hands and grabbed Mercury's foot, taking the assassin off guard. "Surprise!" Rex shouted before shoving Mercury to the ground, making him tumble back. Rex deactivated his Smack Hand and rolled his shoulder, loosening it up. "You're not the only one who's got a few tricks up his sleeve, you know. Or in your case… pant leg, I guess?"

Mercury narrowed his eyes at Rex as he got up. "So, _you_ are the one that Rojo told us about. The one who can make weapons out of his own body parts!"

"That's right, name's Rex." The EVO introduced himself before pointing back to Mercury. "Also, has anyone ever told you that your voice—"

"Sounds nearly identical to Tennyson's? Yes, I HAVE!" Mercury shouted back. "Much to my loathing." He got back into his combat stance, ready to go another round. "But really, it doesn't matter WHO you are. Once I strike you down with Talaria, I will—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, time-out!" Rex made a T-shape with his hands as a confused look came to his face. " _Talaria_? What is that, some kind of weird Remnant disease?"

Mercury furrowed his brows, offended that Rex would even _imply_ something like that. "No, they're my weapons!" He pointed down to his feet. "You know, the boots?! The ones with the guns in them? THAT'S Talaria!"

Rex snickered at the revelation, covering his mouth to hold in his laughter. "S-Seriously?"

"WHAT'S SO FUNNY?!" Mercury snarled.

"It's just—haha! Oh god!" Rex couldn't hold back his laughter any longer. "Okay, dude, do you name ALL of your footwear after the women that've rejected you, or is it just your gun boots?"

"GRAAAAAAHH!" Mercury screamed in animosity and, in an eruption of rage, kicked with all of his might, sending a barrage of Dust rounds in Rex's direction. Fortunately, Rex was able to activate his Block Party in time, shielding himself from all of the shots. Just as he was about to bring it down, Mercury leapt up and slammed himself feet first into the energy shields, making Talaria fire off a shot from each heel. The force of the blow sent Rex sailing backward, the EVO landing flat on his back.

Mercury ran up and raised a single leg up, positioning his foot right above Rex. "You'll PAY for that insult, FREAK!"

Just as he was about to bring his foot down, Rex brought his own legs up and activated his Punk Busters, resulting in Mercury being picked up by them. "News flash, dude; MY legs are weapons too. Hell, they've even got a better name. Say _hola_ to my Punk Busters, you PUNK!" With a mighty thrust of his legs, Rex sent Mercury sailing back, the assassin screaming angrily as he was shot away. "Neptune, NOW!"

"On it, dude!" Neptune gave a thumbs up from where he was standing before gazing up to Mercury, who was falling right toward him. "Time to take out this bitch-boy." With a quick motion, Neptune pulled out his weapon and shifted in into trident mode before running forward and sticking the bladed parts into the floor. Using his momentum, Neptune pole-vaulted with his weapon and sent a strong kick directly into Mercury's face.

The resulting impact forced Mercury onto the ground, the assassin spitting up blood when he hit the floor. "Ptui! Gah!" He made to get up, his rage fueling his determination to win. "I swear, you all will pay for thi—GAH!" Mercury let out a pained yell as Neptune made a clean slice across his shoulder, the blue-haired boy's weapon having shifted into its guandao mode.

With a flick of his wrist, Neptune shifted the guandao into its rifle mode and aimed for the back of Mercury's right shoulder. "Night-night!" With one final shot, Neptune sent a Lightning Dust round into Mercury's shoulder, electrocuting him and making him cry out in pain. The assassin fell to the ground, temporarily paralyzed. As Rex walked over next to him, Neptune gave the EVO a thumbs up. "Pretty sweet take down we pulled off, dude!"

"Hell yeah!" Rex gave Neptune a high five before both boys pulled up their goggles. "But, just so he stays down…" Rex activated a Smack Hand and slammed it down on Mercury's legs, destroying his prosthetics. "There, now he won't be going anywhere." Rex pointed over to Neptune's weapon. "By the way, do ALL Hunters give their weapons names?"

"Yep, its tradition."

"Oh, cool. So what's yours?"

Neptune's face fell and he gave out a sigh. "…It's Tri-Hard."

Rex deadpanned at that. He got the pun instantly… but it was still stupid. "Seriously?"

"Hey, SUN was the one who suggested the name to me," Neptune insisted, "and at the time, I thought it sounded cool! I didn't get the joke until a long time after the fact!"

Rex crossed his arms. "And how long did it take you to get said joke?"

"…About two years later." Neptune reluctantly answered.

Rex sighed and put a hand on Neptune's shoulder. "Dude, from one goggle buddy to another, consider a name change for that poor weapon. You don't wanna go down in history as the guy who wielded Tri-Hard."

"Yeah… I've been considering it." Neptune shrugged before giving Rex a light jab in the shoulder. "But hey, that reminds me. From one goggle bud to another, good luck with Weiss, okay dude?"

Rex's eyebrows rose up in surprise. "Uh… what're you—"

Neptune offered a smile. "Hey, c'mon man, it's kinda obvious. What with you teasing her every chance you get." He raised a single brow. "Plus, it's no secret that you like hanging around her. Speaking from experience, you're a brave man to pursue her, but all the same, good luck to ya."

Rex narrowed his eyes at Neptune, a small smirk coming to his face. "Touché, Mr. Vasilias. Touché, indeed."

* * *

Meanwhile, Blake and Sun were squaring off against Subdora, the Merlinisapien standing nonchalantly with her hands on her hips and a smirk set upon her lips. Up to this point, she had only made contact with half of the team of heroes and Hunters, but all the same, she couldn't wait to begin. "Ah, so you must be the Faunus of the team, _corretto_? Blake and Sun, am I right?"

Blake narrowed her eyes and she unsheathed Gambol Shroud, getting into a fighting stance. "That's right, and you must be Subdora."

Sun pulled out Ruyi Jingu Bang and followed suit, giving the bo staff a twirl before going into his own stance. "Why so quick to point out that we're Faunus?"

Subdora raised her hands, her smile unwavering. "Why, because I find your kind to be kindred spirits, of course."

The couple's eyes widened before looking at each other in confusion, their eyes going back to Subdora a split second later. "Wait… you can _relate_ to us?" Blake asked.

"But of course!" Subdora insisted with a smirk. "After all, aliens like myself are often shunned and ridiculed on Earth, similarly to how your people are treated here. Though I must admit, I couldn't imagine how it must feel…" a toothy grin appeared on her face, "when nearly half of your OWN planet hates you."

At that point, Blake could tell that she wasn't being sincere, and SHE was getting angry. She glanced over Sun and gave him a nod, to which he returned. With a calm resolve, Blake set her sights on Subdora and spoke; "I'm going to make you eat those words." The cat girl lunged forward, ready to attack Subdora with Gambol Shroud tight in her grasp.

"I believe not." In one swift movement, Subdora took her new firearm off of her belt; a gold-plated laser pistol. The moment she pulled it off, Subdora pulled the trigger in a rapid-fire motion, sending a volley of red laser blasts at Blake as she came running. But Blake proved to be faster, dodging every single blast of energy that was sent her way. "Hmm, impressive." Subdora admitted as she grabbed a hold of her pistol's barrel. "But let's see how you like _this_!"

The moment that Blake made it over and swiped Gambol Shroud at Subdora, the Merlinisapien thief pulled the barrel of her pistol, straightening out the weapon completely. The moment she did, a large red energy blade popped out of the small gun, making it into a machete. With this new weapon, Subdora blocked Blake's slice, much to the cat girl's shock. "YOU have a gun-blade weapon?!"

"Hmhm, indeed." Subdora chortled. "A good friend with a knack for making weapons gave it to me. Allow me to introduce "Queen's Ransom"." Subdora wrapped her tail around Blake ankle and pushed her back, causing the cat girl to fall onto her rear. Subdora twirled Queen's Ransom in her hand before pointing it straight at Blake's chest. "This has been fun, but I believe it is time for this fight to end."

However, Blake gave Subdora a smirk. "Yeah, I don't think so." She activated her Semblance and made a shadow clone of herself, which lunged up into Subdora's face.

"GAH! _Che diavolo_?!" Subdora jumped back, allowing Blake to escape. "Get back here—ACK!" The Merlinisapien felt herself jabbed in the back by something, sending her tumbling forward. She somersaulted and landed in a crouch, glaring up to see sun with a goofy grin on his face. "How DARE you?! Have you no shame, monkey boy? Pushing a lady to the ground in such a matter?!"

"Hey, YOU attacked a lady first, ya know!" Sun retorted as he split Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang into their gun chuck mode. "Now are you gonna keep shouting or are we gonna settle this?!"

"Gladly!" With a mighty battle cry, Subdora leapt at Sun, with Queen's Ransom still glowing with power. She made to slash Sun with it, but he just deflected her blow with Ruyi Bang, pushing Subdora's arm away and making her stagger back. _"Hmm, direct confrontation doesn't seem to work, so it must be time for Plan B.'_ In a single second, Subdora became invisible, making Sun's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "Ahaha! Try to find me now, ruffian!"

After going over his situation, a Sun smiled at the challenge. "Hmm… sure." He put Ruyi Jingu Bang back into its bo staff mode and closed his eyes, getting into a ready stance. He focused his hearing on Subdora's footsteps, pinpointing her movements with every step. He waited until she was directly behind him before spinning his staff and jabbing her in the gut, making her reveal herself and sprawl onto the ground. "I'm guessing that you've never dealt with a Faunus' advanced hearing before?" Sun asked.

"Grr, I was hoping that you were not that smart!" Subdora retorted. "Where is your sense of honor in this fight?!"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Sun twirled Ruyi Jingu Bang around and shouldered it, going into a relaxed stance. "I thought that there _was_ no honor among thieves."

For a second, Subdora still wore an indignant face, only for her lips to turn up a second later. "Indeed, that IS the case." With one quick movement, Subdora sent a kick up, striking Sun in the crotch. What she expected to happen was for him to crumple to the floor in pain… but instead, he was still up right, much to her confusion. "Wait… what?"

"Oh yeah, Jaune told us about what happened with you and him back when you first fought." Sun explained. "From here on, all the guys are wearing cups in battle." He narrowed his eyes at her. "Now I suggest that you remove your foot, otherwise…"

" _I_ might get upset." Blake finished as she walked over, aiming Gambol Shroud right at Subdora. Her cat-like eyes bore into the Merlinisapien, making her tremble with fear. "Now get your foot off of my boyfriend's groin!"

Subdora's eyes widened and she let out a yelp, doing a back flip to get away from the scary cat lady. Once she was on her feet again, Subdora converted Queen's Ransom back into its laser pistol mode, taking aim at the two Faunus. "It matters not! You two are still going down."

"Not likely." Blake stated as she loaded a vile of Fire Dust into Gambol Shroud. She quirked an eyebrow to Sun and asked; "Ready?"

"Ready." Sun placed his weapon onto his back and focused on his Semblance, making a light clone of himself directly in front of him. Blake activated her own Semblance once again, making a fiery shadow clone appear in front of herself as well.

Blake gave the word; "NOW!" and the two clones ran forward, intending to take Subdora down. But the Merlinisapien wouldn't go down that easy, as she sent another barrage of shots at the clones, hoping they would dissipate when she shot them. But to her horror, the clones were able to dodge all of her blasts, resulting with her resorting to her last option; running. She didn't get far though as the clones made impact with her, blowing up at the last second and sending her falling to the ground, finally unconscious.

Sun pumped his arms up into the air and cried; "WOOHOO! That was awesome!" He then pulled Blake into a hug and spun her around, much to her surprise and joy. "And YOU were amazing, my dear."

"Haha! As were you…" Blake gave him a kiss on the cheek a followed by sly wink, "darling."

* * *

Team JNPR had their weapons at the ready as they huddled together in a group, their leader having just formulated a plan to take down their opponents; Thunderhog and Exo-Skull. "Alright, everybody's got the plan down, right?" Jaune asked.

"Indeed." Pyrrha nodded. "We're all set."

Nora gave the blonde knight a thumbs up. "We're right behind you, Fearless Leader!"

Ren twirled StormFlower in his hands, ready to take on the lumbering oafs. "Let's do this."

"Are you goodie-two-shoes done yammerin' over there?!" Hog shouted from where he and Skull were standing. "This ain't a talking session, you know! This is a fight!" He slammed his mace on the ground, making it shake beneath his feet. "So let's get it done!"

Skull slammed his fists together. "Yeah, we ain't got no time to talk here!"

Nora raised an eyebrow at the giant man. "Does he ever realize that he's using double negatives?"

"Probably not." Ren answered. "Come on, let's take these guys down."

"Agreed." Jaune nodded. "Break!" With their leader's command, the team split into their usual partners and took to their adversaries; Ren and Nora went to Exo-Skull, while Jaune and Pyrrha headed toward Thunderhog.

"Hey, Lunkhead!" Nora twirled Magnhilde around whilst charging at Skull. "Remember me?!"

Skull lurched forward and raised a fist, sending it down onto Nora's head. "A bit too well, ya little pink witch!" He slammed his fist down, only for Nora to catch it with a single hand, much to Skull's frustration. "I'm gettin' REAL tired of you, Pinkie. It's time that someone teach you a lesson 'bout pickin' on someone your own size!"

Nora grinned up to him. "Funny, I was going to say the exact same thing to you!" The Pink Dynamo slipped under Exo Skull and let go of his arm, causing him to stubble forward with a yell. But before he could impact the ground, Nora swung her hammer upward, sending the large man up five feet into the air. "Ren, NOW!"

From behind the hyper redhead, Ren appeared and leapt onto Magnhilde. "Ready when you are!" With a nod and a grin, Nora launched Ren straight up into the air with her hammer, sending him straight toward Exo-Skull. The green ninja delivered a kick right into Skull's head, pushing himself away while sending Skull hurtling down to the ground faster. With a mid-air flip, Ren pulled out StormFlower and began firing on Exo-Skull, dealing more damage to the large man as he slammed into the ground, the impact kicking up a cloud of dust. Ren landed gracefully on his feet and faced the dust cloud. "Had enough?"

Exo-Skull coughed as he stepped out of the cloud, fanning the dust away from his face. "You know—hackhack! You guys are lucky that my laser's still busted from when your crystal friend punched me in the face!" He pointed to his helmet for emphasis. "'Cause if it wasn't, this fight would already be ov—AGH! OOCH! OUCH! Hey—Gah! Cut it out!"

Ren hadn't wasted anytime in going back on the offensive, rapidly running and jumping around Exo-Skull as he sliced the man's exposed arms with StormFlower's blades. For a moment, Ren stopped to give Skull a small, yet sarcastic, smile. "But that's just what I'm doing, isn't it? Nora, I think our friend needs another trip!"

"I'm on it!" Skull turned around just in time to see Nora swing her hammer at him again, this time pulling the trigger and firing a grenade at the moment of collision. The force of the hit sent Exo-Skull careening all the way into the nearest arena wall, the man screaming in pain and anger as he slammed right through it. In the wake of her victory, Nora instinctively gave her best friend a hug. "Woo! Yeah! That's how we do it!"

Despite himself, Ren blushed as he slowly returned the hug. "Y-yes, yes we certainly did."

Over by Jaune and Pyrrha, the two were facing off against Thunderhog, the mohawked man swinging his mace in preparation for the coming fight. "Hehe, alright you two, you guys think that you can take on the Hog?" He boasted as he pointed directly at them. "Because I gotta warn ya; I'm a tough one!"

Jaune smirked at Hog and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because in our past encounters, you were _so_ hard to beat, right?"

"I must agree." Pyrrha smiled as well as she and Jaune took their combative stances. "Our team has beaten you three times over, what makes you think that NOW will be any different?"

"Oh, maybe not now…" Hog gave a toothy grin to the couple. "But once our big power-up happens, we'll be practically unbeatable! We'll be so strong that you won't even be able to BELIEVE it!"

Pyrrha furrowed her brows at the arrogant man. "There's much more to victory than mere strength. For instance," she gave Jaune a nod and he returned it, the blonde knight shifting his shield into its ranged weapon mode, "a carefully laid plan is often a good start." Pyrrha shifted her javelin into its rifle mode and took aim at Thunderhog. "Ready…"

However, Hog wasn't the least bit deterred from her words. "Hah! That's a laugh! Makin' plans is for the big wigs in charge! The muscle just does the work!" Thunderhog began spinning his mace faster and faster, generating a powerful electric current. "And guess what? You fools are on the other side of that muscle! Thunder! THUNDER! THUNDERHOG!" Hog swung his mace forward and shot an arc of red electricity at Jaune and Pyrrha, which served as their cue to…

"FIRE!" The two shot their respective weapons at the arc of lightning, causing a massive explosion that kicked up a large cloud of smoke. Pyrrha smiled at the success of their plan, giving her boyfriend a wink. "Well, it seems you were right in goading him into attacking first. Time for phase two?"

"You know it!" Jaune put his sword and shield into its greatsword mode and took a firm hold of it, returning Pyrrha's wink. "I'll meet you on the other side."

Meanwhile, Hog was wafting the smoke away from his face, coughing as its rank odor filled his nostrils. "Wooh boy! That's ripe!" Suddenly, he heard rapid footsteps approaching from either side of his, causing his hand to reach up to his visor. "W-What the—who's there?! Come out and show yourself!" Suddenly, a shot rang out to his left, and Hog blasted the purple energy ray from his visor in that direction through the smoke. He didn't hear any screams of pain, so he figured he must have missed. However, not soon after that, he felt his visor begin to be pulled off his face, much to his confusion. "Gah! H-Hey! What's going—"

Pyrrha came running from out of the smoke with her hand extended. "I'll be taking those." The moment she got within two feet of Thunderhog, the visor was forcefully pulled out of the man's grip and into her own hand. With a flick of her wrist, Pyrrha shifted Milo into its javelin mode before going into a slide. She slid past Hog and used Milo's handle to trip him up as she went by, coming to a stop before getting up to her feet again. "See? Careful planning can take you places in the long run." She dropped Hog's visor to the ground before crushing it beneath her boot. "Like so."

Hog's eyes widened when he saw her crush his visor, one of the things that he had worked so hard to steal. His mouth went into a snarl and he stood up, whirling his mace over his head in sheer anger. "You… you're gonna PAY for that!" But just as he was about to swing down, he heard a slicing sound from behind him, and he felt the load on his arms lighten. "Huh? What the—" He got an answer to his inquiry when he saw the mace head of his weapon sail over his head and crash to the floor to his left, which only made his anger grow. "WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Just then, Hog felt a tapping on his shoulder, followed by an; "Ahem." The mohawked man moved around to see Jaune, the blonde knight switching Crocea Mors from greatsword to sword and shield mode. "I believe that would be me." With a mighty battle cry, Jaune slammed his shield into Thunderhog's face, making him stagger back. But before he could collect his bearings, Pyrrha bashed her shield against his face as well. The combined hits were enough to knock him out, sending him sprawling to the floor in a heap as the mace's handle fell from his grip. Jaune breathed in and let out a sigh. "I love it when a plan comes together."

"And so do I." Pyrrah walked over and wrapped her arms around Jaune's neck, pulling him into a deep kiss. Once she pulled away, she gave her boyfriend another wink. "Your plan was excellent, lover boy."

Jaune blushed and wore a sheepish grin. "Aw, our teamwork is what made it so effective. I couldn't have done it without you, Pyr."

"Hmhm, well, if you say so." A ponderous look made its way to Pyrrha's face. "Say, how do you think Ben and Yang are doing?" At that moment, Rojo suddenly went flying over the couple's heads, making them duck as the bounty hunter screamed in anger.

"…I'd have to say pretty good." Jaune concluded.

* * *

Rojo made a hard landing on the arena floor, scrambling to her feet as she aimed Bloodstrike at her two rapidly approaching combatants. She was growing ever more frustrated as the fight went on, and that double punch was the linchpin that finally made her patience come to an end. "Will you brats just STAND STILL for TWO seconds?!" she screamed before firing another laser blast at the couple, only for them to dodge yet again. "GAH! What is WITH you two?! You weren't NEARLY this well coordinated when we fought at that school!"

"Easy, we practiced." Yang answered.

"And it helps that we're in a relationship." Armodrillo added. "It makes communication and planning a whole lot easier."

Rojo smirked at the couple's reasoning. "Yeah? Well there's two sides to every coin, Tennyson! Going into battle with the one you care about most? One of the most common mistakes that every hero makes!"

Yang reloaded her Ember Celica, ready for another round of pounding. "Not if the one he cares about most knows how to kick ass with the best of them!" She sent out a barrage of punches at Rojo, unloading a Fire Dust round with each punch. Rojo lifted her laser rifle and blasted the incoming bullets, causing them to explode in midair, making another dust cloud. The bounty hunter thought she was in the clear, but just as she was about to turn around, Yang came flying out of the cloud and hit Rojo right in the face.

"Gah!" Rojo staggered back, her face guard having taken the brunt of the attack. "Why you little!" She aimed Bloodstrike at Yang and shot its laser at her, only for the blonde to leap up into the air and out of the way.

When she came down, she landed on Armodrillo's back, the Talpaedan having ran toward her position. She pat Armodrillo's helmet and said; "Ready to finish this, Green Boy?"

Armodrillo slammed his arms into the ground. "Ready to shake, break, rattle and quake!" The pistons in Armodrillo's arms went into high gear, pummeling the ground so much at it made the whole stadium shake. Rojo stumbled to the floor, her balance lost. At that moment, Armodrillo stopped and bounded over to Rojo, placing himself over her and placing his hands over her wrists. "Game over, Rojo."

Still on the Talpaedan's back, Yang smirked down to the redhead. "Any last words before we lock you up?"

Rojo sneered up at them before a familiar beeping noise graced her ears. She sent the smirk back up to them and responded. "Actually yeah, I've got two; Time's up!"

Armodrillo's eyes widened and he stood up, craning his head down to see the Omnitrix flashing red. "Aw, man!" In a bright red flash of light, Ben was back to normal… and giving Yang a piggyback ride.

Yang grimaced at their current situation. "Well, crap baskets."

Ben's eyebrows furrowed and he groaned in frustration. "Omnitrix, I swear to god. One of these days, I'll unlock master control, and NOTHING like this will EVER happen again!"

"Maybe." Rojo got up and dusted off her armor. "But today ain't that day. I think you'll be leaving now."

Suddenly, from behind her came a familiar voice. "Fat chance, Rojo!" The bounty hunter whirled around and saw a giant curved blade coming right toward her, forcing her to duck down and avoid it. Rojo backed away and stood up, only to be greeted with Ruby and Weiss confronting her. "It's over, Rojo!" Ruby declared as she gestured out to the battlefield and the defeated villains. "We beat your teammates, so that makes you the last one standing."

"You have two choices." Weiss leveled Myrtenaster with Rojo's chest. "Either you can leave, or you can ALL turn yourselves in. What's it going to be?"

Rojo tapped her chin in consideration. "Hmm, I'm going to have to go with…" she raised Bloodstrike and took aim at Weiss. "No." She fired a laser blast at the heiress, only for Weiss to instantly raise a black glyph to shield her. "Psh, you and your stupid glyphs." Rojo flashed an eager smile over to Ruby. "I've been looking forward to a rematch with you, Little Red. That is, if you're up for it. And just so we're not interrupted…" Rojo pulled Bloodtrike's trigger and fired a powerful laser blast in front of Ben, Yang and Weiss, creating a large wall of fire in between themselves and the trio. "There we go. Now," the bounty hunter pulled the handle and shifted Bloodstike into its blade mode, sending a determined glare over to Ruby, "shall we?"

Ruby gave Rojo a silver-eyed glare as she steadied her grip on Crescent Rose. "Bring it on." With a mighty cry, Ruby surged forward and the two clashed blades, their battle starting off strong. Rojo pressed Bloodstrike hard against Cresent Rose, intending to put an insurmountable amount of pressure on Ruby. However, in a flurry of petals, Ruby disappeared and then reappeared behind Rojo, giving her scythe a twirl before swinging it down at Rojo once again.

The bounty hunter quickly raised her blade up and blocked the strike before falling to her back, making Ruby sail clean over her head. As the Hooded Huntress landed behind her, Rojo got up and grinned sinisterly over to Ruby. "Gotta admit, kid, you're good. Probably even better than the last time we rumbled. But all the same," She pulled Bloodstrike apart into its twin swords configuration, "I'm still better!" She ran forward and began swinging the blades at Ruby, hell-bent on finishing this fight quickly.

But Ruby proved to be just as quick, spinning her scythe so fast that she blocked every swipe that Rojo sent her way. The silver-eyed girl was practically a blur on the battle field as she and Rojo fought in a furious display of red and black while rose petals scattered everywhere. It had gotten to the point where Yang, Ben and Weiss couldn't tell who was who anymore. But they soon got their answer when a shot was heard, with Rojo being knocked out of the petal blizzard a second later. Ruby emerged and leapt onto Rojo, placing a foot onto the villain's stomach. "I don't think you understand, Rojo." Ruby stated, pointing the head of Crescent Rose at Rojo's face. "I'm here to bring a friend back home, and I'm not going to leave until we finish that mission. So again, you can either leave, or turn yourself in. Your choice."

"Well, I would…" Rojo quickly reached up and grabbed Ruby by the ankle, pulling the smaller girl off of her in one quick motion. "But I'm just having too much fun! Hahaha!" Rojo united Bloodstrike into its dual-edged sword mode and readied herself again. "Better pray for a miracle, Little Red, because you're goin' down!"

* * *

" _ **Reditus dolorumo vivifica Assem anima mae hentorolum. Corporis integrum tam mentis."**_

Kevin had been standing there listening to Gwen repeat those same words as the fighting went wrong, and right now, he wasn't all that sure this would work. Usually, whenever Gwen would perform a spell, its effects were instantaneous, like a snap of the fingers. But now, at that very moment, Gwen was just meditating in the same spot that she had been for a good while, the only parts of her moving being her lips to say the words, and her bright pink energy hair, which had spread out into five separate tendrils. If he didn't know better, he'd say that she was feeling the world around her. _'C'mon Gwen, we don't have much time left.'_ Kevin glanced out to the battle to see the villains begin to get back up, with Subdora going over to help Emerald out of the ice. "This is taking too long." he whispered to himself.

"What's taking too long?" Kevin moved around to see General Ironwood and Tetrax running off of the ship, the general's eyes widening when he saw the two groups fighting not far from their positon. "What in the world are THEY doing here?!"

"We were wondering that ourselves." Kevin explained. "Maybe coming here wasn't such a good idea after all."

"And you would be right." The trio looked back to see Subdora and Emerald standing ten feet away, the Merlinisapien aiming Queen's Ransom right at them. Emerald however was shivering in place, still feeling the effects of Ruby and Weiss' team attack. Subdora nudged her laser pistol to the right. "Come now, gentlemen, hands up in the air and back away from the magic circle… at least I _presume_ it is a magic circle."

Tetrax stepped forward and aimed his own weapon at Subdora, with General Ironwood following suit soon after. "Not a chance." the Petrosapien resisted. "We came here to do a job, and we're not leaving until its done."

Kevin reached over and absorbed the metal of the wrecked storage locker, transforming his hands into a pair of blades. "Ah, what the hell? We came this far, might as well finish what we started."

Despite her shivering, Emerald couldn't help but laugh at the pointlessness of their endeavors. "Hahaha! Y-you r-really th-th-think that y-you can r-r-revive someone f-f-from the d-dead? Once a p-p-person is dead, th-they s-stay d-d-dead!"

However, at that moment, something happened. Gwen's eyes opened and her chanting began to grow louder and faster, the Anodite going out of her meditative stance before rising up into the air. _**"Reditus dolorumo vivifica Assem anima mae hentorolum! Corporis integrum tam mentis!"**_ Suddenly, the magic circle began to glow the same color as her hair and Penny's body began to glow similarly as well, rising up into the air with Gwen.

Emerald's eyes widened in shock. "W-what's going on?!"

At that moment, a strange green energy began to appear all around the stadium, from the walls, the floors, the stands, everywhere. It all began swirling into the magic circle, the runes and lines changing from pink to green in an instant. A smile appeared on Kevin's face before giving the two villainous women a determined expression. "Let's just say… this is where the magic happens."

Gwen recited the spell once more, her words resonating with nearly everyone in the colosseum. _**"REDITUS DOLORUMO VIVIFIVA ASSEM ANIMA MAE HENTOROLUM! CORPORIS INTEGRUM TAM MENTIS!"**_ With that final declaration, the green energy that had collected within the magic circle burst forth from it and into Penny's body, making her back arch backward as it went into her. The light from what was going on was so great, that most needed to shield their eyes. After the brilliant display ended and the magic circle stopped glowing, both Gwen and Penny floated back to the ground, with Penny lying flat on her back in the magic circle while Gwen collapsed just outside of it.

"GWEN!" Kevin ran over, his metal coat going away as he knelt down to hold her in his arms. Gwen weakly opened her eyes and changed back into her human form, the first thing she saw being Kevin's smile. "Hey, you okay?"

Gwen held her head as her thoughts began to clear. "Yeah, I'm okay." The redhead's eyes glanced over to Penny, a happy yet weak smile coming to her face. "…It's done."

"What is done?!" Subdora demanded. "What did you—" She cut herself off when she saw something move slightly in the corner of her eye. She turned back in that direction to see Penny, still lying down on the stadium floor. "…What did you do?"

Emerald followed Subdora's gaze over to Penny, only to see the redheaded android's hand twitching, much to her shock. She whirled back and shouted at Gwen; "Answer her! WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?!"

Gwen gave her a smirk in response. "You're about to find out."

With her teeth grit and her curiosity piqued, Emerald shifted her eyes back over to Penny… just in time to see her eyes snap open.

* * *

Like everyone else, Ruby was stunned and awed by the bright green lights that shined throughout the stadium, her battle with Rojo coming to a complete halt. She watched as Gwen and Penny's body floated in midair while the green energy flowed into her friend, before ending just as abruptly as it had begun. She knew what Gwen had just done, but she had to make sure of it. "Penny!" Ruby made to run over to the magic circle, only to then realize the mistake she had made; she took her eyes off of Rojo.

"Oh no, you don't!" In one quick movement, Rojo thrust her blade up and slammed it against Crescent Rose's blade. With a mighty pull, the bounty hunter yanked the scythe out of Ruby's hands while she was distracted.

Ruby was pulled with her scythe, much to her shock. "W-Wait, don't—AGH!" With a swift elbow to her chest, Rojo took Ruby down to the ground, knocking the wind out of her as a result. As Ruby desperately filled her lungs back up with air, Rojo placed her foot on her stomach to keep the Hooded Huntress pinned to the ground. She managed to get out a; "No!" as Rojo raised Bloodstrike above her head.

From behind the wall of flames, Yang's eyes widened in horror. "RUBY!"

"We have to help her!" Weiss cried out.

Just then, a certain beeping signaled that the Omnitrix was recharged, much to Ben's relief. "I'm on it!" He quickly selected the alien he wanted and slammed the core down, transforming into… "Water Hazard!" The moment he transformed, Water Hazard blasted two powerful jets of water from his hand, putting out the fire and allowing him, Yang and Weiss to run toward the battle. "ROJO! Stop, now!"

"Sorry, Barnacle Breath." Rojo denied. "Can't do that, or else the Boss Lady will be mad at me." She grinned maliciously as she prepared to bring her sword down on Ruby. "Hope you enjoyed your last day on this rock, kid. Because it was your last." With a grunt of exertion, Rojo swung her blade down and Ruby closed her eyes, tears already streaming down her face in fear and horror.

Ruby had expected a very painful impact… but it never came, which confused her greatly. _'Am I dead yet? Probably not since I'm still thinking.'_ She peeked a single eye before both snapped open in complete and utter shock. Rojo HAD brought Bloodstrike down to finish her… but the sword was being blocked by a certain redheaded girl with a bright pink bow. Water Hazard, Yang and Weiss had been stopped cold at what they saw, while Rojo was just surprised.

"What the?!" The bounty hunter tried to pull the blade away, but the redhead just kept a firm grip on it. "Let go of my weapon, you little bi—AUGH!" Rojo tumbled back as the smaller, yet much stronger girl, pushed her away. A snarl came to Rojo's face as she glared up at the new girl, whoever she was. "And just who the hell do you think YOU are, little Miss Curly Top?"

Team JNPR, Team SN, Blake and Rex had come over to join the group, only to have the same reaction that their teammates where having; shocked and speechless. It was all Blake could do to muster a few words; "I can't… believe it."

"Well… I think we should all _start_ believing." Weiss returned.

Ruby readjusted herself onto her knees and gazed up at the girl, who still had her back toward her. She swallowed hard and, reluctantly, she called out to her friend, hoping that she would get a response; "Penny?"

At the sound of her name, Penny's head jerked up slightly and her eyes moved from side to side, blinking a few times as she became aware of her surroundings. She gazed around the stadium, her first thought being one of confusion. Had the sun not been up just a few seconds ago? Her eyes then shifted around, searching for her opponent, spotting her just across the way soon after; Pyrrha Nikos. However, she was standing with her team, as well as the rest of Team RWBY, two members of Team SSSN, a boy she didn't recognize, and… a large bipedal crustacean, which she immediately found very odd.

Finally, she turned around and found her best friend, Ruby Rose, sitting on the ground, her eyes worried yet hopeful at the same time. Penny didn't know why, but she felt _immensely_ happy to see her. She smiled brightly, gave a salute and sent Ruby her usual greeting: "Salutations, Ruby! Have I missed anything?"

* * *

**A/N: And I believe that's a good place to leave off, for now at least. The events that Paradox foretold in his poem have come to pass… and Penny lives once again through the power of science and magic. And as for her remark at the end… *looks at sixty-two previous chapters* yeah, I think it's safe to say that she's missed quite a bit. But explanations will have to wait for NEXT TIME in the final part of "Ruby's Haunted Birthday"! Which, might I add, will be posted a day early… on Halloween itself (again, at the time of this writing)! As our heroes make their grand escape from Rojo and her forces, Ruby and the others have a heartwarming little reunion with Penny, catching her up on just what the heck has been going on… and breaking the news to her about where she's been for the past two weeks. But hey, it's Halloween, so the team should enjoy it while they can, right? Thanks for reading guys, and I'll see you all next time!**

**P.S. Yes, the name of Neptune's weapon IS Tri-Hard. Look it up, its official. Combined with the fact that Mercury ACTUALLY named his weapon "Talaria" and I think I may have found the weirdest weapon names in all of RWBY. At least Gianduja is badass enough to carry its hard to pronounce name!**


	64. The Sensational Halloween

**A/N: (Straight from the archive) Hey guys, how's THIS for a throwback? Captain's Log, Star Date: 10/31/19. Happy Halloween, everyone! I've returned with the final part of "Ruby's Haunted Birthday" arc. Last time, a certain redheaded robot had gotten back on her feet after two weeks of essentially being dead, so let's pick up where we left off, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 64: The Sensational Halloween**

* * *

Ruby wasn't sure how many times she had cried that day. The fact that she was crying so much on her own birthday was silly enough, but at that moment, she knew that the tears were justified. By some miracle, one of her best friends was standing there, alive. After being dead for almost a full two weeks, Penny Polendina was back, smiling at her almost as if nothing had happened. For all the redheaded android knew, no time had passed between the start of her match with Pyrrha and now, which must have been confusing for her at the very least. But for Ruby, all that mattered at the moment was jolting up onto her feet, wrapping her friend in a hug as she bawled into Penny's shoulder. "PENNY!" she cried. "You're back! I can't believe you're really back!"

Penny shifted her eyes to Ruby and tilted her head. "Really? Where was I? I don't think I've been anywhere other than Vale recently."

Through her tears, Ruby couldn't help but chuckle at what her friend was saying. _'Of course she's not going to remember, Ruby. …Oh, but we have to explain what happened to her. That's gonna be tough.'_ Ruby pulled out of the hug and wiped her eyes, giving Penny a small grin. "Hehe, let's just say that we've got a lot of catching up to do when we get out of here."

Meanwhile, the rest of the team were just beginning to comprehend what had happened, with Ben, who was still Water Hazard, speaking first; "She did it. My cousin actually _freaking_ did it."

"Gotta say, wasn't expecting to see THIS today." Sun admitted.

"I'll have to agree with you on that one, Sun." Blake concurred. "Just… dear god, this _actually_ worked!"

Rex gave a smirk to the two, jabbing his thumb over to Ruby and Penny. "You think THIS is out of the ordinary? Wait 'til you see some of the strange stuff that I've dealt with. Then you'll _really_ be weirded out."

Pyrrha, meanwhile, was speechless as to what she was seeing right in front of her. She was alive. Penny was _alive_. She had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming, because if she hadn't known any better, this felt like one. Whether it was a good dream or a bad one remained to be seen though, so she took a few reluctant steps forward. Jaune saw this and reached out to her, calling out; "Pyr, wait I—"

"Jaune, please." Pyrrha said as she held a hand up to him. "I… I need to do this."

Jaune was reluctant at first, but he knew that once Pyrrha was dead set on something, she had to see it through. He took a deep breath and nodded to her with a smile. "Okay. I gotcha."

The Invincible Girl smiled back to him before pressing on, going up to Ruby and Penny as their reunion hug ended. Ruby turned her head to face Pyrrha with a welcoming grin, which caused Penny to do the same, though she was still a little confused. Pyrrha took a deep breath and addressed the android, still afraid of what might happen. "P-Penny?"

Penny, without skipping a beat, gave Pyrrha a wave. "Oh, salutations, Pyrrha Nikos! It's an honor to finally meet you! Has our match been postponed?"

Pyrrha's eyes widened in shock. _'She… she doesn't remember?'_ Pyrrha swallowed hard before going on. "N-No, our match… already happened. And it didn't end well for either of us. Penny, do you… remember anything from it?"

Penny tapped her chin in thought before coming up with an answer. "Hmm… nope! Not that I can recall. Very strange. Why, did something happen?"

Ruby and Pyrrha glanced to each other awkwardly before answering Penny's question. "Well," Ruby began, struggling to find the right words, "Penny, something DID happen. And… you kind of… basically you—"

_BLAM_! A laser blast impacted the ground near the three girl's feet, causing them to quickly jump out of the way. Everyone directed their attention over to see Rojo, with Bloodstrike now aimed directly at the three girl's heads. "Okay, I don't know what the FUCK is goin' on around here, but somebody better start explainin' things or else I'm gonna start blowin' brains!"

Penny's eyes widened at the level of frustration that Rojo was exhibiting. "Well, she seems quite angry."

Ruby picked Crescent Rose up and went into a fighting stance. "Well, that's only natural. She's a villain, Penny, someone who works for a REALLY bad woman."

"Oh! I see!" Penny smiled and stepped forward, ready to fight. "Well don't worry, Ruby! As always, I'm Combat Ready!"

However, Water Hazard stepped in front of the two girls, holding his palms up to stop them. "Maybe so, Penny, but I'm afraid that your new systems are going to take some getting used to after the overhaul we gave them." The Orishan spun around and narrowed his eyes at Rojo. "And as for you, Rojo, we're done here, so I suggest you leave before we call in backup!"

Rojo grit her teeth at the hero. "As if, loser! We ain't budging!"

"That's what I was hoping you'd say." Water Hazard blasted out dual jets of water from his palms, hoping that Rojo would take the bait. Fortunately for him, she did. Rojo sent another laser blast from Bloodstrike to intercept the water jets, only for the two heated extremes to collide and create a cloud of steam, blocking Rojo's view of the heroes. Water Hazard pointed to the Resolute and shouted; "Now, everyone! Fall back to the ship!"

Penny titled her head at what the large crustacean was saying. "Uh… Ruby? Who's the giant red man covered in barnacles? And what is he talking about? I don't recall ever receiving upgrades." At that moment, her eyes widened. "Wait, how does he know that I am a—"

"Penny, _everybody_ knows that you're a robot now." Ruby placed a hand on Penny's shoulder. "Trust me, there's a LOT that you missed out on. We'll give you the basics later, but for right now, we need to get you out of here!"

"But I—Whoa!"

Penny was cut off when Yang lifted the android up and held her over her shoulder, determined to get her out of there as fast as possible. "No time for arguments, little miss! We need to get out of here, ASAP!" Yang waved her arm to the rest of the group, instructing them to follow her. "Everyone! Back to the ship!" As Yang and the others began running though, the Blonde Brawler had to admit, Penny was heavier than she looked. "Hoo! Man, Penny, you must be jacked!"

Penny simply blinked in confusion as to what was going on. "This is a very strange day."

* * *

Emerald was still in shock over what she had just seen. The android was dead, it HAD to be dead! There was no way in HELL this could have just happened! She whirled around and glared down at Gwen, who was still being held in Kevin's arms, the Anodite just barely able to stay conscious. "…How? How did you do it?!" the thief hollered.

Gwen smiled weakly. "Magic spell. A really big one." She breathed in and let out a tired breath. "One that took a LOT of mana out of me. But still, it was all worth it."

"But WHY?!" Emerald snarled. "Why would you bring that useless hunk of junk back to life?!"

Kevin smirked and gave a snide remark. "Because bustin' makes us feel good."

Emerald sneered at the quip. "WHAT?! Quit your babbling and answer me, you dunce!""

"For one, Penny's _not_ a hunk of junk." Gwen chastised. "And two, my boyfriend is NOT a dunce. And as for the reason why I brought Penny back… I did it so Ruby could have the best sixteenth birthday ever. And guess what?" Gwen pointed behind Subdora and Emerald. "It worked."

At the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps, the two villains spun around, with Subdora muttering; " _Che cosa_ —AAH!" All at once, she and Emerald were blasted in the face by two water jets, which sent them sprawling onto the stadium floor.

The team came running as fast as they could, with Water Hazard calling up to the Petrosapien bounty hunter. "TETRAX! Tell Gluto to start the ship!"

Tetrax was snapped out of his stupor and his crystalline eyeridge furrowed, giving the Orishan a nod. "Copy that!" He craned his head to face Ironwood. "Our job is done here, it's time to move out!"

"But what about the villains?!" Ironwood asked as most of the team ran past him and back to the ship. "We can't just let them remain here!"

Water Hazard stopped right in front of him and grabbed the general by the collar, narrowing his eyes at him. "General, we just pulled off a resurrection akin to that of a Marvel or DC comic book! I am NOT about to let our victory here be compromised by these clowns! We need time to come up with a proper plan! You of all people should be familiar with a tactical retreat, right?"

Ironwood was about to argue with the alien, but then paused. The young hero certainly had a point. Heck, they didn't even know WHY the villains were here in the first place. Ironwood placed his hand over Water Hazard's and the Orishan let him go, the general seeing the hero's logic. "You're right. We've got what we came for. Let's move out!"

As Tetrax ushered the team into the Resolute, he shouted; "Come on, people, let's move!"

It was then that Ruby and Yang ran past, with Penny still being carried by the blonde. She gazed up in wonderment at Tetrax before glancing toward the Hooded Huntress. "Ruby, who's the large crystal man?"

"More explanations for later, Penny!" Ruby insisted. "But right now, we gotta scoot!"

Once Water Hazard, General Ironwood, Gwen and Kevin were on the ship, Tetrax activated his commlink and ordered Gluto to take off. "Bring us up, Gluto!" The Petrosapien closed the hatch just as Rojo began shooting her laser rifle at them, the Resolute flying up high into the air soon after. Once the ship had reached a decent height, it went into cloaked mode and blasted off back to Patch, leaving the villains behind in their wake.

Rojo snarled up to where the ship had disappeared before holstering Bloodstrike onto her back, facing Emerald and Subdora as the two women climbed up to their feet. "Ladies, start helpin' the boys up. Something tells me that we're going to have to re-double our efforts here."

"Right." Emerald agreed. "This loss was unacceptable. I can't believe that they actually brought the android back to life!" The green-haired thief sighed as thought of the one person who would probably be the angriest at this development. "Something tells me that Cinder's not going to be too happy about this."

"Maybe… but we'll get back at 'em." Rojo narrowed her eyes to the horizon. "I swear it."

* * *

Back on the ship, once everyone had settled down, Water Hazard changed back to Ben, the green clad hero placing his hands on his hips. "Well, that went a lot better than I expected." He shifted his attention to the team and gave them a grin. "Nice job, guys. Not only did we get Penny back, but we managed to find out that the bad guys are up to something."

"Well, whatever it is, I hope that we at least delayed it." Ironwood crossed his arms. "Effective immediately, I'm going to have a stealth squad investigate the Amity Colosseum. Hopefully, we can put a stop to… _whatever_ they're doing before they even do it."

Over by Yang and Ruby, the Blonde Brawler set Penny down and gave her a wink and a thumbs up. "Alright, Pen, you're safe now!"

Penny's eyes narrowed a slight bit. She was confused, but at this point, she was also suspicious of what was going on. "Okay… safe from what, exactly?" She shifted her attention over to Ben, pointing an accusing finger at him. "And why did the large crustacean transform into a boy?"

Ben chuckled at that. "Hehe, it's actually the other way around." he explained. "I'm Ben Tennyson," he gestured over to Kevin and Gwen, the redhead holding onto her boyfriend's shoulder, "over there is my cousin Gwen and my friend, Kevin…" he then jabbed his thumb over to Rex, the EVO giving Penny a wave, "and that's Rex. We've been here for roughly two weeks now."

"Well, I've been here for only a few days, actually." Rex clarified. "But really, the technicalities aren't really important right now."

Penny folded her arms across her chest. "Hmm, that's odd, I don't remember seeing you around. Are you competitors in the Vytal Tournament?"

Ruby wore a pained face as she broke the news to her friend. "Penny… the Vytal Festival has been _over_ for two weeks… and you kind of… died."

The redheaded android's eyes widened in shock at the news, though a part of her still questioned the whole thing. "Is this what you would classify as a joke? Because if it is, I don't seem to get it."

Pyrrha shook her head solemnly. "No Penny, it's not. The reason why you can't remember our battle is because… because…" She couldn't hold it back any longer. She covered her face and began to cry, with Jaune hurrying over to comfort her. "I'm sorry, Penny! I'm so SORRY!"

Penny's lips parted in shock, before uttering two words to Ruby; "Please, explain." And so, they did. Over the course of the whole ship ride back to Patch, everyone explained what had happened during the Battle for Beacon to Penny. From the moment of her death, to the giant fight that had ensued, Ben, Gwen and Kevin's arrival and the fall of Adam Taurus, rescuing Pyrrha from Cinder, and finally, Ben defeating the Grimm Dragon. They then flashed forward to how they had repaired her body and channeled her soul back into it, bringing her back to life. By the time the ship had landed, Penny had been caught up to speed on what had happened on the night that she died, and she was completely taken aback. She sat down through most of the explanation simply taking in what she was being told. "Oh… I see."

Ruby reached over and placed a reassuring hand on Penny' shoulder. "I know that this is a lot to take in all at once, but the important thing to take away from all of this is that you're BACK. My only regret is not going back for you sooner. If I had known, I—"

"Ruby." The silver-eyed girl was pulled out of her speech and gazed down to Penny, the redhead giving her a bright smile. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad that I'm back online! Now that I think about it, I _do_ have a vague memory of wandering around the Colosseum for a while. Though it certainly did not _feel_ like two weeks. In fact, it felt more like two _minutes_!" Penny stood up and gave Ruby another hug, making sure to be gentle so that her immense strength didn't choke her. "I'm very glad that you came back for me, Ruby. Thank you so much!"

Ruby grinned and hugged her friend back. "What're friends for, right?"

Penny nodded in agreement as the hug ended, before noticing that Pyrrha was keeping her head down. She was being reassured by her teammates, with Jaune keeping her close to him in comfort. The Invincible Girl had remained silent since the explanation began, and was visibly uncomfortable when the circumstances of Penny's death had been brought up. With a sense of determination welling within her, Penny stepped over to Team JNPR, and addressed Pyrrha directly. "Pyrrha, I know that you must feel guilty for what you think you did, but you must remember that it was not your fault." Penny sent a cheery smile to Pyrrha. "In fact, I hold absolutely nothing against you."

Pyrrha sniffled as she pulled away from Jaune, wiping the tears from her eyes in the process. "You… you don't?"

"Of course not. It was Emerald who made you do it. From what I hear, she is the one who has been put on all of the Wanted posters, not you." Penny bowed her head a little. "And I hold great admiration for anyone who is willing to fight an evil as great as this "Cinder Fall". I have nothing but respect for you."

Pyrrha's jaw dropped in shock before running over and grabbing Penny's hands. "B-But, there has to be SOMETHING that I can do to make up for what I did! Even though I'm not responsible for your death, I still feel that I need to repay you for it! Please, I'll do anything!"

Penny's mouth formed an "o" shape in surprise. "Anything?"

"Yes, anything! Just name it!"

Penny pondered over the request before an idea came to her head. But at the same time, she was nervous for asking such a thing. "Well… there is _one_ thing that I would like." she said sheepishly.

Pyrrha nodded her head. "And that would be?"

Penny glanced up anxiously and asked; "Would you maybe… like to be my friend?"

At the request, Pyrrha was taken aback. "You… you want me to be your friend?"

"Yes… you see, back in Atlas, I had very few friends. Almost none at all, really." Penny explained before turning her head to Ruby. "…But then, I met Ruby, and I was amazed by how kind many of the people here were." Penny shifted her attention back to Pyrrha and bowed her head again. "So, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, I would very much like to be your friend. And… I think it'd be a great honor to be friends with someone like you."

Pyrrha could feel a variety of emotions welling up inside her, but chief among them was happiness. She could feel herself trembling as a strong sense of relief flowed through her at Penny's words. The robotic girl didn't hold anything against her, and what's more… she wanted to be her _friend_. That was all it took for Pyrrha to lose herself, succumbing to the tears as she pulled Penny into a big hug. "YES! By the gods, YES, Penny! I would LOVE to be your friend!"

Penny gasped in excitement. "You would?!"

Suddenly, Jaune spoke up. "Uh, I'd like to be your friend too!"

Ren jumped in. "As would I."

"Count me in on that!" Nora exclaimed.

"Us too!" Sun and Neptune spoke simultaneously before narrowing their eyes at each other. "Hey! I was about to say that! Cut it out!"

Blake rolled her eyes as the two boys bantered before stepping forward. "Penny, at this point, I think _everyone_ here wants to be your friend."

Penny's eyes widened in astonishment. "They do?!"

"Certainly." Weiss concurred. "And to be honest, after being dead for two weeks, you really do deserve them."

Yang gave Penny a thumbs up and a wink. "You're one of us now, Pen. Whether you like it or not!"

"I… I cannot believe that this is happening!" Penny cried out in excitement before raising her arms up into the air. "You all are simply… _sensational_!"

Ruby grinned and let out a small laugh. "Hehe, yep, that's definitely our Penny."

After her celebratory cheer, Penny shifted her attention to Ben, Gwen, Kevin and Rex, intrigued by who the four people were. "So, if I understand this correctly, the four of you are from different dimensions?" She pointed over to Gwen and Kevin. "You two are part alien." Then to Ben. "You can transform _into_ aliens." And finally, to Rex. "And you're something called an "EVO", correct?"

"That's pretty much the gist of it." Kevin confirmed.

"I see. And you're the ones who helped fix my body and brought me back to life?"

Ben and Rex glanced to each other before giving her a nod. "Yes, actually." Ben answered before giving Penny a smile. "And for what it's worth, we'd like to be your friends too, Penny."

Penny returned the gesture with a bow. "Thank you very much, and I'm very glad to have you all as my friends, but I still have many questions that I wish to ask."

"And we're going to give you the answers." Gwen assured as she walked over and placed a hand on Penny's shoulder. "But for right now, we have a birthday to get back to."

Penny brightened up at that. "Oh, spectacular! Whose birthday is it?" Gwen pointed over past Penny's shoulder and the redheaded android followed her gesture… right over to Ruby. At that moment, Penny burst out into a full grin before zipping over and giving the Hooded Huntress another hug. Only difference was that this time, she wasn't able to contain herself. "Oh my GOSH! Happy Birthday, Ruby!"

As much as it hurt, Ruby smiled through the pain, just happy that her friend was back. "Hehe, yep, she's still a delicate flower!" she choked out as she pat Penny on the head. "Good to have you back, Penny."

* * *

Coco was pacing back and forth in front of the Xiao Long house, trying to wait patiently for her friends to return. It had been almost an hour since they'd left and the sun had just gone down, making way for the shattered moon to begin its rise into the night sky. She had promised to keep the party going on while distracting the guests from the team's absence, but there was still only so much she could do! _'I have to think of something else! Yatsu and Fox can't keep the crowd distracted for long!'_

Suddenly, Cooper came running up from behind the house, catching her attention. "Hey, any luck with new ideas?"

"Ugh, no." Coco groaned. "I think we've blown through every party activity I could think of… except for Seven Minutes in Heaven, but I don't think Tai would be down for kids doing that in his house."

"Or adults for that matter." Cooper added.

"How're things going back there? Are Yatsu and Fox keeping things together with the karaoke?"

"Yeah, for now anyway." The technopath shrugged. "But just letting you know, those guys aren't the best singers. It won't be long until the crowd gets tired of them."

Coco sighed in exasperation. "Yeah, as much as I like those boys, they couldn't carry a tune if it were in a basket" Her brows furrowed and she kicked a nearby rock into the bushes out of frustration. "Gah! Where ARE those guys?! How long does it take to revive a robo-girl?!"

Cooper placed a finger to his chin in thought. "Well, considering how big of a spell Gwen probably had to use…"

The leader of Team CFVY smirked and rolled her eyes before patting Cooper on the cheek. "Rhetorical question, Tech Head. But you've gotta point, it probably IS a big spell. I just wish that they'd get back here is all."

"Well, you're wish has just been granted!" At the familiar voice, Coco and Cooper whirled around to see the whole team standing out on the front lawn, all of them wearing victorious grins. Ruby gave the two a wave as the group approached. "Hey guys! How're things?"

"How are _things_?" Coco countered. "Heh, better now that you're here, THAT'S for sure! What took you guys so long?!"

Ben wore a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his head. "We ran into a… small hiccup. Salem's forces are in Amity Colosseum for some reason. _Why_ exactly is anyone's guess at this point."

Coco lowered her glasses in surprise. "Oh shit, that ain't good. So, what're we planning on doin' about it?"

"For now, General Ironwood is ordering a quarantine on the colosseum." Gwen explained. "No one except Atlesian Army officials, soldiers, and us are to go in or out until we find out what exactly the villains are up to."

"And Penny?" Cooper pressed further. "What about her?"

Ruby smiled and took a step to the side, revealing the redheaded android beaming brightly in happiness. Penny's eyes met the two and she gave them a wave. "Salutations! You must be Cooper Daniels, correct? And you are Coco Adel of Team CFVY! I very much enjoyed your performance in the Vytal Tournament. If you ask me, though, the fight between Emerald and Mercury was rigged… quite literally."

Coco and Cooper's eyes widened at the sight, though Coco was the one who was most shocked. She took off her glasses and stepped forward, making sure that what she was seeing was real. "Hah, I'm not seein' things, right? You're _actually_ in front of me?"

Penny gave the girl a salute. "Yes, ma'am! Systems fully functional!"

Coco smirked and gave Penny a good-natured smack on the back, though was surprised when she heard a metallic CLANG. She then winced as her hand suddenly began to feel sore. _'Holy shit, pretty sturdy, ain't ya?'_ She bared through the pain as she gave a salute back to Penny. "Heh, it's good to finally meet ya, Penny. Glad you're back."

"So am I." Cooper added. "How're your new systems? Ben and Rex gave you quite the upgrade, after all."

"Indeed." Penny concurred. "But from what I understand, YOU are the one who put me back together first." She bowed her head to him in appreciation. "Thank you very much for that, Cooper."

"Aw, it was no big deal." Cooper shrugged. "I was just doing what I do best." The blonde boy shifted his gaze over to Yang, a worried expression taking over his features. "I'm really glad that you guys were successful, but I'm afraid we've got a slight problem. We've exhausted all types of party ideas we could come up with for distractions."

"Yatsu and Fox are back there right now doing karaoke." Coco furthered. "But those boys are kinda tone deaf, so…"

Yang gave the two a thumbs up. "We're on it!" The Blonde Brawler waved her arm, gesturing for everyone to follow her. "C'mon guys, let's get back there and save this party!"

As the group came filing into the backyard, Ruby began scanning the crowd for her friends from Signal, hoping that they hadn't left in her absence. But as she searched, a loud wailing hit Ruby's ears like a sonic boom, making her cringe as they rang in pain. She didn't have to look very far for the source of said wailing, as her eyes found Yatsu and Fox singing along to a song being played on the radio, much to her, and everyone else's, chagrin.

Penny covered her ears and gave a weak grin to Ruby. "Wow, they certainly are… something else!"

"Yeah, if you like ringing in your ears!" Ruby continued to scan the backyard, and she was relieved to see Iris, Daisy and Ollie over by the punch bowl, all three covering their hands over their ears. "Ah! There're my friends from Signal! Come on, I'll introduce them to you!" As the duo walked over, Yang put a stop to Yatsu and Fox's "singing" before announcing that the hosts were back, much to everyone's relief. With the noise gone, Ruby called out to her friends. "Hey guys! I'm back!"

Iris waved over to Ruby as she came over, happy to see her friend back. "Hey Rubes! Where'd YOU go off to?"

"Yeah, we were wonderin' where you were at." Ollie added. "You were gone for like, an hour. These guys had us all bobbing for apples and doing other stuff since you left!"

Ruby winced slightly at that. _'Really? Bobbing for apples? Coco COULDN'T have come up with THAT idea.'_ She resolved to find that out later and just continued talking with her friends. "Yeah, sorry, something really important came up and—"

It was then that Daisy let out a gasp, having noticed that there were a few scratches and scuff marks on Ruby's face. "Ah! Oh my word, darling! Are you alright? What happened to your face?!" Her gaze went down to see that Ruby's clothes was dirty as well. "And your clothes! Oh, darling, you are simply filthy!"

Ruby gave a nervous laugh and dusted off her skirt. "Uh, hehe, yeah… General Ironwood kinda got a last-minute mission, and he wanted us to help out."

"And you went with him?!" Iris exclaimed. "On your BIRTHDAY?!"

Ruby simply gave her a shrug. "Well, yeah. I don't mind, especially when it involves getting one of my friends out of trouble. Speaking of which…" Ruby pulled Penny over and introduced her to the three, the redhead even giving a little wave in greeting. "Guys, this is my friend, Penny! She's the reason why we left."

"Greetings!" Penny waved. "You're all Ruby's friends from Signal Academy, correct? It's truly a pleasure!"

Iris was taken aback slightly by how cheery the girl was, though she also seemed to come off as a little stilted. _'Rubes, you sure know how to make friends with a lot of different people.'_ The blue-haired girl brushed the thought off and reciprocated Penny's greeting. "Oh, hey! Nice to meet you too! Any friend of Ruby's is a friend of ours!"

Penny let out a happy gasp. "Really?! Amazing!" She ran up to the three and began rapidly shaking their hands, catching them off guard. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that! Thank you so much!"

"Woah!" Ollie shouted, his eyes spinning from such a powerful handshake. "Man, she's… excitable."

"Very much so." Daisy agreed. "It's like she's only found out what being a "friend" is."

Ruby let out a small chuckle at that. "Hehe, well, Penny used to live a very… sheltered life." the Hooded Huntress explained. "See, she's from Atlas, and the most she's ever interacted with anyone is at Atlas Academy."

At that moment, Weiss came over and began helping her partner with the cover up. "And speaking from experience, the people who live in Atlas aren't very friendly, at least for the most part." She grasped Penny's shoulder and pulled her over, hoping to put an end to the shake-fest. "So when she came here to Vale for the first time, she was very eager to make friends."

"Ah, I see…" Iris nodded before furrowing her brows at Penny. "Hey, haven't I seen you somewhere before? Like on TV, or something?"

Inside her mind, Ruby began to panic. _'Shoot, shoot, SHOOT! She might remember the live broadcast from the Vytal Tournament!'_ She shot a quick, worried look to Penny… and it appeared that she picked up on Ruby's message quite quickly. Penny made an inquisitive face and began thinking over the question in her head, though Ruby could tell that something else was going on. _'Wait, what?'_

Penny tilted her head at Iris' question. "I don't think so. I don't _remember_ ever being on television." The android put a finger to her chin. "At least, not that I know of."

Iris thought it over for another few seconds before shrugging. "Eh, yeah, you're probably right. Guess it's just my imagination playing tricks on me. Now come on, there are still a few apples left to bob for!"

Ollie deadpanned as Iris led him and Daisy over to the large wash bucket over near the shed. "Seriously? We're still doing this?"

"I am NOT ruining my make-up for this, Iris!" Daisy protested.

Weiss gave a sympathetic grin to Daisy as the three left. _'Oof, I feel for you, girl.'_ She raised an arm and called out to them; "We'll be over in a minute!" before whirling around and facing Penny again. "Okay, HOW did you cover yourself so well?!"

Her smile unwavering, Penny folded her hands behind her back and answered. "Well, I had to say _something_ to Iris to make sure she was none the wiser. I believe it is called "playing possum", right?"

"Haha! Well, it certainly worked!" Ruby wrapped an arm around Penny and Weiss, leading them both over to the bucket full of apples. "Alright, girls, let's see how we can do on that apple bobbing bucket!" She sent Penny a quick glance. "Uh, you ARE waterproof, right?"

"Last I checked, yes."

"Then let's do this!"

* * *

Meanwhile, over on the other side of the backyard, Glynda Goodwitch, Athena, Doctor Holiday and Winter were all in the middle of a conversation, though their main topic was about the recent "performance". "Thank goodness _that's_ over." Glynda said with relief. "Those two are some of my best students, but singing is not their strong suit."

"Well said." Athena concurred. "Hopefully now that the team is back, things will start settling down a bit."

Holiday gave out a small yawn. "Oh yeah, I'm starting to feel what this day's been doing to me. I've got to get to bed soon."

"Agreed." Winter let out a yawn of her own. "Ah, I have to say though, today was a good day. But there is still one thing that has been bothering me… where DID the team go off to?"

"Why don't we ask them?" Glynda gestured over to Ben, Yang, Jaune and Pyrrha, the four making their way over to the quartet of women. Glynda gave them a stern face and asked; "Now just where _were_ you all? You left without a word to any of us!"

"Hey, not true." Yang protested. "We told Coco."

Holiday raised a brow at them as she jabbed her thumb in Yatsu and Fox's direction. "Yes, and look at how THAT turned out." The doctor placed a hand on her hip and raised a single brow. "But seriously, where were you? Hopefully it was somewhere important."

"Oh, you could say that." Ben pointed over to the shed. "Take a look at who's bobbing for apples!"

The four women craned their heads over in the shed's direction and spotted Ruby, Weiss, Iris, Ollie and Daisy at the apple bucket, with another girl sticking her head in it. In one fell movement, the girl raised her head up from the water, revealing Penny with an apple in her mouth, much to Winter and Glynda's shock. The women watched as Penny raised her arms up in celebration, with her friends cheering for her as well. Holiday tilted her head in inquiry. "Hmm, I don't recall seeing HER around here. Is she one of Ruby's friends?"

"Oh, definitely." Jaune confirmed before smirking over to Glynda and Winter. "So, she a familiar face, or what?"

Athena narrowed her eyes at the girl before they bugged out in realization. "Wait…" slowly, her gaze set upon her daughter, the Invincible Girl wearing a sheepish smile. "Pyrrha, dear, isn't that… the girl who…"

"Was destroyed at the Vytal Tournament because of Emerald?" Pyrrha finished. "Yes, that is indeed Penny."

"I don't believe it." Winter uttered in astonishment. "You… you brought her back."

"And better than ever if I do say so myself." Ben added. "Rex, Cooper and I put her back together with a couple improvements. Hopefully, she'll be a lot more durable than she was before."

"B-B-But how?!" Glynda exclaimed. "How did you do it? I mean, I had a feeling that you _could_ probably do it, but I never imagined that—"

Yang raised a hand, hoping to slow her teacher down. "Whoa, hold on there, Prof. We pulled it off thanks to the boy's technical know-how and Gwen's magic powers. We just had to take a quick detour over to Amity Colosseum to channel Penny's soul back into her body is all."

Glynda blinked twice in shock before pinching the bridge of her nose. "Yes, of course, how silly of me to think otherwise." She let out a sigh before sitting down in the nearest chair. "This is REALLY what our lives have become, now hasn't it?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Yang shrugged. "Though we were there for longer than we wanted thanks to Rojo's crew."

Winter's full attention was gained at that point. "What? Salem's forces were there?!"

"Yeah, they were scouting out the stadium for some reason." Ben continued. "Don't worry, Ironwood's already on it."

"I see." Glynda pursed her lips. "And where is James now?"

"He's out in the front yard." Yang replied. "On the horn with his people back at base."

Winter gave her a nod. "Hmm, well then, I should probably speak to him about all this."

"Yes, I should as well." Glynda agreed as the two women began making their way out to the front yard. But before she left, Glynda made sure to give her students a congratulatory smile. "You've done excellent work today, everyone. You should all be quite proud. A young woman has been given a second chance at life because of you."

Ben pointed over to his cousin across the way. "Hey, if you wanna thank anybody, thank Gwen. She's the one who cast the spell that brought Penny back."

Glynda gave Ben a nod. "And I will make sure to. But still, you, Rex and Cooper deserve a big thanks as well, along with the entire team for fighting off Salem's forces today. If you keep this up, I'm sure that you'll all make fine Hunters one day… and even finer heroes."

As Goodwitch went out into the front yard, Athena suddenly remembered something. "Oh, Jaune, I almost forgot! Your family is in the house. They wished to go back to their hotel, but wanted to say good night to you and Ruby before they left."

Jaune's eyebrows rose and he immediately thanked the woman. "Oh, thanks Athena! I'll grab Ruby and we'll say goodbye to them!"

"I'll come with you." Pyrrha said, only to feel a hand on her shoulder. She moved around to see her mother, a concerned expression etched onto the older woman's face. "Mother? What's wrong?"

"Pyrrha, sweetheart, are you and Penny… okay?" Athena asked. "She doesn't hate you for what happened, does she?"

"Oh, hah, no mother, we're quite alright." Pyrrha assured as she grasped her mother's hand. "Trust me, we buried _that_ hatchet on the ride back here. She knows that Emerald is the reason for what happened to her, not me. Everything is fine."

Athena smiled at the news. "Very good. I am glad that everything has been straightened out."

As Pyrrha left to follow Jaune and Ruby into the house, Holiday spoke up. "One thing still bothers me, though. How DID you boys fix her?"

"Oh, I went Upgrade and Rex enhanced my powers while I was fused with Penny." Ben jabbed his thumb over to Rex, who was presently dunking his head into the apple bobbing bucket. But the EVO's action caused water to splash everywhere… including onto Weiss' dress. "As far as I can tell, we fixed her up pretty good!"

Holiday glanced over to Rex as Weiss began to throw apples at him, the boy laughing as the heiress managed to hit his back. "Hmm, interesting. Kind of like what you and he did when you battled Alpha, correct?"

"Kind of, only the other way around."

"Right, well, just to be safe, I'm going to perform some quick tests on Penny." Holiday explained. "I just want to make sure that the nanites had no ill effects on her systems."

"Oh, sure." Ben allowed. "I'm sure she won't mind the—"

_CONK!_ Ben, Yang and Holiday whirled their heads to see that Weiss had hurled an apple right at Rex's head, sending him falling face first onto the ground. Weiss cheered in victory as Rex sat up and rubbed his head, though he was still laughing all the while. Penny, Iris, Daisy and Ollie came over to the three, observing the scene as it played out. The redheaded android tilted her head at the little squabble; "Do they like each other? Because I've heard that people often like to hurt the ones they love most."

Ben grinned and let out a laugh. "Ha, well, I have a feeling that Rex might like Weiss."

Yang placed her hands on her hips. "And if Weiss likes him back, she's really good at hiding it." She looked over to see Weiss shove an apple into Rex's mouth, ending their altercation. "REALLY good at hiding it."

The whole group laughed at the duo's antics before Penny noticed that the music had suddenly changed to a slower tune. She craned her head over to the radio and her eyes lit up. She pointed over and asked; "Ooh, what about them?"

Everyone shifted their attention to the dance floor, and they all smiled at the sight. There, Nora and Ren were having their promised dance. They seemed to be enjoying themselves rather well, even if they were desperately trying to hide their blushes from each other. "Now those two _definitely_ like each other." Yang confirmed. "They just need some… helpful nudges for them to admit it."

* * *

About an hour and a half later, as the clock struck eight thirty, the party had finally come to an end. At the moment, Ruby was saying her goodbyes to her friends from Signal out in the front yard, making sure to give each of them a hug. "Oh, it was so great to see you guys again!" Ruby smiled as she gave Iris her hug. "Thank you all so much for coming!"

"Hey, we were glad to come!" Iris said before giving her friend a wink. "But… maybe _tomorrow_ , we can catch up in town and go someplace fun?"

"Oh, what a splendid idea!" Daisy supported.

"Whaddya say, Ruby?" Ollie asked as he pointed his thumb to his chest. "Wanna hang with your old squad tomorrow?"

Ruby had to admit, it sounded really great. She hadn't really seen her friends in a long time, after all. But still, she kept in mind that Penny had been brought back to life, and she wanted to make sure that she spent some time with her as well. Then, she had an idea. "Hey, that sounds great! But, if you don't mind me asking, could Penny tag along? It's been a while since we've seen each other too, and I wanted to catch up a bit with her."

Fortunately, Iris was all for it. "Sure! Bring her along, it sounds fun!"

"Agreed," Daisy supported, "Penny is a joy to be around, darling! Feel free to have her come."

Ollie gave Ruby a shrug. "Yeah, Penny's cool enough. She can tag with us."

Daisy nudged her boyfriend in the gut, making him double over. "Ollie! Do not be so crass! Penny can come whether she's "cool" or not!"

Holding his stomach, Ollie stood back up straight, rubbing his stomach in pain. "Oy, can't a guy be sarcastic these days without getting flak for it? I was only joking!"

At that moment, a set of headlights appeared at the end of the driveway, signaling the arrival of the trio's ride. "Yes, well maybe you can think of a few _better_ jokes on the way home." Daisy rebuked. "Now come, your mother is here." Her demeanor switched in an instant and she beamed over to Ruby, giving her a little wave. "Tata for now, Ruby, dear!"

Ruby laughed nervously as the two made their way over to the car, waving back to them as she did. "Uh, hehe, yeah, I'll see you guys tomorrow." She leaned over to Iris and whispered; "Please make sure that they don't kill each other."

"Girl, I don't know if I can promise that." Iris pat Ruby on the shoulder before heading after the couple. "We'll see you tomorrow, okay? How does around noon sound?"

"Great!" Ruby confirmed. "We'll see you then!" Ruby stayed outside and watched the car leave, giving them one final wave as they disappeared down the dirt path. Once they were gone, she took in a deep breath and then exhaled, turning back to her house before saying; "Today was a great day."

"I'll drink to that." Ruby's eyes shifted over to see her uncle, the drunken Hunter leaning up against the front of the house with his flask in his hand. "I'm glad ya had a good birthday, Shortstack." He stepped forward and ruffled the girl's hair. "Yer mom woulda been proud to see the young lady that you've become."

Ruby's eyes brightened up. "You think so?"

"I _know_ so." Qrow pulled her into a hug before setting off for the woods, giving her a small salute. "Well, there's still a tonna shit to get done over in Vale, so that means I've got a long day ahead of me tomorrow."

"I understand." Ruby sent back the salute. "I'll probably see you soon, Uncle Qrow!"

Qrow gave her a small smirk. "Yeah… you probably will. See ya, Shortstack!" With that, Qrow went off into the woods, ready to join Ironwood and Goodwitch back at Tetrax's ship. But as he walked through the dense forest, there was still one thing lingering in his mind; _'Tomorrow's the big day… time to tell her the whole truth. Fuck me, this is gonna be hard.'_

* * *

As Ruby entered her home, she was immediately met with the sight of Penny, Dr. Holiday and Winter standing in the hall, with Penny stretching out her arms to her sides. Holiday seemed to be going over the redhead with some kind of scanner, the device beeping quite often as it was moved up and down her body. Penny shifted her gaze over and slightly waved her hand to her friend. "Oh, hello Ruby! Did you say goodbye to your friends?"

"Um, yeah…" Penny's attitude toward the whole thing only served to befuddle Ruby as she stepped closer to the odd sight. "Uh, doc? What're you doing?"

"I'm checking Penny for any active nanites." Holiday replied before taking a look at her scanner's readings. "And it's just as I suspected; Penny is chock full of them."

"WHAT?!" Ruby shouted. "Y-You mean she's gonna become one of those EVO monsters you were telling us about?!"

Holiday shook her head. "Not exactly, Ruby. You see, nanites usually only turn something into an EVO when they infect organic beings, such as humans, plants or animals." The doctor continued to scan Penny, the scanner going off at every point around the android's body. "But since Penny is an entirely robotic being, the nanites won't have the same effect on her. If anything, they've actually just integrated with her systems and are making them better."

Ruby brightened up at that. "Really?! That's great news!"

"There's more to it, though." Winter elaborated before shifting her eyes over to the living room. "Tell her what you've found out, boys."

From the living room, Ben and Rex emerged, the two boys wearing rather serious faces. "Ruby…" Ben began, "how do I put this… We might've done something to Penny's internal systems when we fully repaired her."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "…What do you mean by that?"

Rex rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I guess you could say our repairs on Penny worked a little _too_ well, because now…"

Suddenly, Penny reached over with her left arm and pulled her right sleeve up, revealing her "skin". She then input a code into her arm and it opened up, revealing what lied beneath. "Now my insides look like THIS!"

Penny showed her inner circuitry to Ruby, who was taken aback slightly at the action. But then, she noticing something… odd. "Whoa, not THAT'S weird." Penny's circuitry wasn't exactly circuits anymore. What had once been wires, hinges and tubes was now a black metallic substance that had multiple green lines running up and down the inside of Penny's arm, with each line following a different pattern. The green lines glowed with energy, almost as if it were flowing like blood through veins. But there was one major thing that Ruby took away from it all; "Hey, that stuff almost looks like what Upgrade is made up of!"

"More than that, it IS what Upgrade is made up of." Ben clarified.

"Our working theory is that, thanks to Rex's nanites, Penny's insides have been permanently changed entirely into the living metal that Galvanic Mechamorphs are made out of." Holiday explained. "And the nanites themselves are flowing through Penny, almost like vessels in a bloodstream."

Ruby's eyes shifted back to Penny. "So… you're basically an all new, all better you!"

"Essentially, yes." Penny nodded as she closed her arm up. "In fact, thinking back, I noticed a remarked improvement the moment I stopped Rojo's blade." She showed Ruby her hand. "Normally, my skin would have been ripped up, but not this time."

"It's like I said, we made you more durable." Ben remarked. "Now you won't be coming apart all that easy anymore." The hero gave her an inquisitive gaze. "But other than the new internals, how do you feel overall?"

"Great! Almost like I was fine-tuned back in Atlas!" Penny shifted her eyes back and forth. "Optic and Auditory sensors are functional." She bent her legs and arms. "Joints feel better than ever." Finally, Penny stood up straight and reached around to her back. "And my Floating Array is right where it always is; in my…" However, when she reached around, she didn't feel the back compartment that contained her weapon, much to her confusion. "Wait, where is my Floating Array?"

That last bit took Ben and Rex off guard, the duo glancing to each other in bewilderment before addressing their concerns. "Uh, Penny…" Rex began, "are you talking about your swords?"

"Yes, where are they?"

"Well, we _didn't_ put your Floating Array into your back." Rex revealed. "Most of your blades were lost when you died, actually."

"The general only managed to find two of them." Ben said before gesturing to Penny's arms. "And I used my Upgrade abilities to integrate them into your forearms."

Penny's eyebrows shot up and she lifted her arms up, concentrating on them entirely. "You know, now that you mention it, I DO feel something weird in—AH!" Penny let out a shriek as her arms suddenly transformed, her hands and forearms splitting down the middle before the twin blades converted out of the arms themselves. Everyone backed away, stunned at what had just transpired before their very eyes. Penny, now fully aware of what was going on, stared on in shock. From her elbow down, her Floating Array blades had popped out of her arms. "Well, this is… different."

"To say the least!" Ruby exclaimed, her eyes gleaming in excitement. "You've got sword arms! Ah! So cool!"

"Oh my word!" Winter put a hand over her mouth in shock. "I've never seen anything like this outside of prosthetic limbs!"

"Now THIS is interesting." Holiday remarked as the scanner started to go off even more. "Your nanites have become much more active. Tell me, does your weapon have a ranged mode?"

"Yes, it does." Penny confirmed.

"Would you try converting them for me?" Holiday asked. "Perhaps try and focus your mind on your weapon, that might be the key to controlling them."

"Well, I can certainly try." Penny closed her eyes and concentrated on her Floating Array blades once again. Just then, the blades began to convert again, transforming this time into their gun configuration. Penny opened her eyes and smiled at what she had done. "Hey, I did it!"

"Alright!" Rex pumped a fist into the air. "Way to go, Robo!"

"Very good, Penny." Holiday smiled. "Now, try to change them back into your arms."

Penny nodded before focusing once again, the Floating Array guns going back into where they were stored. Her arms transformed back into their normal selves, leaving Penny to sigh in relief. "Well, that was quite the weapons test." The redhead's smile disappeared as a questioning expression took its place. "But I'm still a little confused…"

"About what, Penny?" Ruby asked.

"Because I still feel something inside my back" The whole group gave her a confused look, with Rex and Ben offering a pair of shrugs. Penny's eyebrows furrowed before closing her eyes again, concentrating on her back. She was focusing so hard that she began straining, causing everyone to approach her in concern.

"Penny, whatever you're doing, do not strain yourself!" Winter advised. "You don't know what might happen."

But Penny kept going, determined to find out what this odd feeling was. "I… have to know… what this is!"

As she kept straining, a familiar sound suddenly graced Rex's ears, making his eyes widen in shock. It was the sound of nanites powering up. The EVO whirled around and warned his teammates. "Everybody, get back!"

The four heeded Rex's warning and backed away from Penny, just as whatever the redhead was trying to force out of her back burst out from it. Everyone looked back, and were floored by what they saw. Sticking out of Penny's back were a set of large, mechanical arms made of the same black and green living metal that her circuitry was now made of… and they heavily resembled a certain weapon that Rex had. "Uh, Rex?" Ruby spoke up. "Are those your—"

"Smack Hands? Yes, yes they are." Rex stepped closer to the giant mechanical arms, confirming his suspicions. They were near identical to his Smack Hands, only, instead of being made of orange and grey metal, they were black and green with a pair of glowing green spikes on their knuckles. "It's weird though, why come out of her _back_ instead of her _arms_?"

"A better question is WHY does she have them in the first place?!" Ruby countered.

"Could somebody PLEASE explain to me what's going on?!" Penny cried out. "I really have NO idea what this is!"

At that moment, Yang and Weiss came out of the living room, having heard the commotion. "Hey, what's going—GOOD GOD!" Yang hollered as she saw the giant green and black arms. "What the HELL are those?!"

Weiss recoiled in surprise, only to realize that the arms appeared to be VERY familiar. "Wait, Rex, are those… Smack Hands?"

"What IS a Smack Hand, though?!" Penny asked desparatley. "Please, I think I am beginning to have a "freak out"!"

Rex sighed before reaching out and activating a single Smack Hand from his arm, causing Penny to calm down a bit. "THIS is a Smack Hand. Like I said before, I'm an EVO, and I can do more than just talk to machines. I can build them from my body too." Rex deactivated his Smack Hand before placing his normal hand on Penny's shoulder. "I guess that when Ben and I repaired you, some of my nanites did more than just transfer into you. I think you may have some of my powers as well."

Ben's eyes widened in realization. "And that might mean that you may just have some Galvanic Mechamorph abilities too."

There was a long moment of silence as everyone took a moment to take that information in, with Penny staring off at a distant wall in contemplation. Finally, after a few moments, Yang spoke up. "Uh, not to bring a damper on this whole thing, but Penny…" the Blonde Brawler pointed to the arms sticking out of Penny's back. "You think you can pull those back in? My dad might have a heart attack if he sees those in the house."

"Oh, right! My apologies." Penny concentrated on her back again and, after a few seconds, the Smack Hands pulled themselves back into her back, much to her relief. "Phew! I'm very glad that's over."

"Oh, trust me, it's only the beginning." Rex assured. "Starting tomorrow, you and I are going to find out just how many of my abilities you've gained. Now that you've got my nanites in your system, you need to know how to use them correctly."

Penny thought over it for a moment before letting out a gasp. "Oh! Then I'll be even MORE Combat Ready!" She bowed her head slightly towards Rex in gratitude. "Thank you so much, Rex!"

"My pleasure." Rex placed his hands on his hips. "After all, can't leave a friend hangin', right?"

Winter put a hand to her chin in thought. "But there are still so many questions left unanswered. Now that Penny has been upgraded like this, how has this affected her _overall_ systems? Like her synthetic organs, are _they_ still functional?"

Ruby wore a dumbfounded face and she whirled around to Penny. "You have synthetic organs?!"

"Well, of course!" Penny cheerfully answered. "How else am I going to eat?"

"Wow, your dad DID think of everything."

Penny's eyes widened in realization. "AH! My father! Does he know that I died?! Does he know that I'm _alive_?! What is he going to think about all of these uncertified upgrades?! Will he—"

Winter put a hand on the android's shoulder, halting her tirade and calming her down. "Slow down, Penny. Your father has been informed of the situation. He was uncertain if you could be brought back, but now," Winter gave the girl a smile, "it would seem that we proved him wrong, wouldn't it?"

Penny grinned back, though a bit sheepishly so. "Yes, I guess so. …Forgive me, Miss Schnee, but I don't think I've ever seen this side of you before. You're a lot different than I remember you being in Atlas."

"Hah, well, let's just say that being here has lightened my load a little bit." Winter chuckled.

Weiss crossed her arms and gave Winter a knowing grin. "Plus, she's got a new _boyfriend_ , so that certainly helps!"

Winter blushed as her sister quickly retreated into the living room, with Winter giving chase. "We've only been on ONE date!"

"But you still _like_ him!" Weiss sang.

As the two siblings continued to banter with each other, Ruby rolled her eyes before facing Penny again. "Penny, a lot more than just Winter has changed since you've been gone. And trust me, we've got a TON of stuff you fill you in on." Just then, Ruby's eyes lit up and she pointed over Penny's shoulder. "Such as…"

Penny turned around to see Jaune, Pyrrha, Blake and Sun coming down the stairs, with the two girls each holding something in their arms. However, once the four drew nearer, Penny got a clear view of what they had with them, resulting in her letting out a joyful shout. "Oh my goodness, puppies! How adorable!"

Her outburst caught Romulus and Rema's attention, causing them to tilt their heads at the new arrival. Sun let out a little laugh before explaining further. "That's right. But they're not JUST puppies, they're wolf pups."

"Really?!" Penny stepped closer and lowered her head to their level, taking their cuteness in fully. "Oh, where did you get them?"

"Well, we actually found them about a week ago." Jaune answered. "Their parents were killed by Grimm, so we took them in."

"And now they are official members of the family." Pyrrha lifted her pup up. "Penny, say hello to Romulus…"

"And Rema." Blake finished as she handed her pup over to Penny. "Say hello to Penny, sweetheart."

Rema let out a small bark, which only made Penny melt even more. "Aw, you're so cute!" She brought Rema up to her face and cuddle the little wolf. "Who's such a cute wolf? You are! Yes you are!" As Penny continued to smother the pup with love, she glanced over to Ben with an inquisitive gaze. "So, now that things have settled down, what is your story, Ben? I know that you came here during the Battle for Beacon, but what exactly IS your dimension like?"

"Heh, well, I come from a planet called "Earth"." Ben answered. "It's kinda like if Remnant weren't overrun by Grimm, but with a bunch of different continents and cities."

Rex raised his hand. "My Earth's pretty much the same as his, just with a few differences. His world is an alien playground while the Nanite Event happened in mine."

"Plus, Bellwood is a pretty different town in your world, too." Ben reminded while crossing his arms. "Heck, there isn't even a Mr. Smoothie's there.

Penny was surprised to hear such claims. "Wow, two of the same planet, but with different histories and structures! That's VERY interesting, please, tell me more!"

Over where she was standing, Yang gave Penny a nod. "Sure, but let's take a seat in the living room, 'kay? Somethin' tells me this'll take a while."

* * *

In the end, it had taken about half an hour to explain everything to Penny, albeit in a more condensed retelling of events. From Ben and Rex's pasts, the incident that transported them to each other's dimensions involving the Alpha Nanite, as well as the fact that Ben's rogue's gallery ended up being blown all over Remnant. The conversation had moved into the living room, where the entire team then recounted their battles over the past two weeks to Penny, which left her flabbergasted by the end of it all. As she sat down in a recliner chair with Romulus and Rema on her lap, Penny took a second for all of the information to process in her mind. "Wow, you all are simply incredible! I cannot believe how many enemies you've faced since Ben, Gwen and Kevin came here!"

Yang, who had her feet kicked up on the coffee table, leaned back and settled her head onto her boyfriend's shoulder with a proud smile. "Yeah, we've been kickin' a lot of ass recently."

"It's been a long two weeks, that's for sure." Ren jumped in. "It seems as if our enemies continue to grow stronger every time we fight them."

Nora nudged Ren's arm with her elbow. "Yeah, well, so do we! They can try whatever they want, but—"

"SHH!" Ben shushed. "Nora, I beg of you, don't jinx us! If you do, the universe will inevitably find a way to screw us over."

"EEP!" Nora covered her mouth before muffling out; "Sorry, Ben!"

Penny giggled at the scene before concentrating on Ruby. "Well, one thing is for sure, you all have been pretty busy while I have been gone." The android's smile disappeared briefly as she asked; "But tell me, is it really true that Salem was the one behind the attack on Beacon? And that she's been recruiting Ben's villains to help her?"

Ruby's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Yes, but… Penny, you sound like you know who Salem is."

Penny gave a solemn nod. "Yes, I do. General Ironwood told me that Salem was the great evil that I was created to save the world from, but I don't think that either he or I would have imagined that she would strike this soon." She wore a guilty expression as her eyes trailed to the ground. "Ruby, when I told you about who I really was, I let the truth slip a little when I said it would be my job to save the world someday. But… I couldn't tell you the whole thing. I _wanted_ to tell you everything, believe me, but I knew that I would get in trouble if I did."

"I DO believe you, Penny." Ruby placed a reassuring hand onto Penny's shoulder. "Trust me, nobody knows more about secrets being kept than we do." She grinned out to the room. "Isn't that right, guys?" She got a resounding agreement, which Penny appeared to be surprised by. "See? What'd I tell ya? But you don't have to hide anything here, Penny. You're among friends now."

Penny's smile gradually returned, thankful that she was surrounded by such nice and caring people. "Thank you all so much. I couldn't have asked for better friends than all of you!"

"And we feel the same way, Penny." Pyrrha nodded. "We're all very glad that you're back."

Just then, the front door opened, revealing Grandpa Max walking in with a pot full of some strange orange substance, causing everyone to recoil. Well, everyone except Penny, that is. Max grinned out into the living room and waved to the team. "Well, hey there, kids!" He then concentrated on the Hooded Huntress. "Well, Ruby, did you enjoy your birthday?"

"I did, actually." Ruby said with a thumbs up. "One of the best birthdays I've ever had!"

"Glad to hear." The old man's attention was then brought over to Penny, giving her a small nod. "Ah, so this must be the girl that Ironwood told me about before he left. Your name is Penny, right?"

"That's right." Penny confirmed. "And you must be Ben and Gwen's grandfather, Max Tennyson, right?"

"That'd be me. It's a pleasure to meet you, Penny. Now, I hear that your case is a rather unique one, right?"

Ben gave his grandfather a smirk. "If by "unique", you mean an artificial life form who was killed and then brought back to life after two weeks. Yeah, I'd say she's pretty unique, grandpa."

"Hmm, I see." Max hummed before giving the group another wave. "Well, I'd better get back to cooking. This pumpkin stew isn't going to cook itself."

Ruby's eyes widened. "Wait, where'd you get the ingredients to make that?"

"Why, from the jack-o'-lanterns that you kids made a few days ago." Max answered as he went into the kitchen. "Wasn't about to let all those pumpkin innards go to waste, you know!"

Penny's face scrunched up in confusion. "Uh, Ruby, what is a "jack-o'-lantern"?"

Ruby let out a small laugh before answering. "Hehe, it's when you hallow out a pumpkin of its innards before carving a face into it. In Ben's world, they're usually made to celebrate—" Suddenly, Ruby's eyes nearly bugged out of her head, realizing that it was still… "Oh shoot! Halloween! So much's been going on that I almost forgot HALLOWEEN!"

Her outburst only served to bewilder Penny even further. "Uh, and what IS Halloween?"

"It's a pretty big holiday from where we're from." Rex answered. "The actual day its celebrated is October 31st, but because it's at the very end of the month, people usually celebrate Halloween through the WHOLE month to make up for it."

"And it just so happens to be on the same day as Ruby's birthday." Gwen added.

Penny was amazed by such news, turning to Ruby in excitement. "Wow! It must be pretty awesome to have your birthday fall on an interdimensional holiday, Ruby!"

"It is, and it gets better!" Ruby got up and waved her arm, calling for Penny to come follow her. "C'mon, I'll show you!"

Penny gave Ruby a sheepish smile. "Well, I would…but I've been trapped." She craned her head down to her lap, where Romulus and Rema had fallen asleep. "Trapped by cuteness, that is."

The whole room got a good laugh out of that before Ruby came up with a solution. "Haha! Well then, I'll just bring the stuff up here from the basement." She sent a pleading gaze over to Gwen, hoping that the Anodite would help. "Hey Gwen, could you lend me a hand, please?"

"Sure, right behind you." Gwen stood up and made her way over to Ruby, with both girls making their way down to the basement soon after.

As they left, Penny couldn't help but grin to herself. "Ruby seems pretty excited."

"She should be." Blake supported. "Halloween's a pretty awesome holiday."

"I'm sure." Penny agreed. "Just one thing though… what DOES Halloween celebrate?"

"Halloween celebrates all things spooky." Ben explained. "It's a time of year where people actually like to get scared out of their pants and even do a bit of scaring themselves. Kids dress up in fun costumes and go from door to door asking people for candy, go to costume parties and maybe watch a scary movie or three."

"We've been doing the latter." Pyrrha said. "Ben has been showing us horror and Halloween related movies and specials from his world. But like Ruby said, we also carved our own jack-o'-lanterns as well."

Penny's eyes continued to brighten up as she was further enlightened on Halloween, to the point where she was buzzing with excitement. "That… sounds… sensational! How much longer to we have to celebrate it?!"

Kevin gave the android a shrug. "As far as I'm concerned, Halloween only ends when the sun comes up, so we've got all night to celebrate it, if you want."

Jaune raised a single finger to interject. "Uh, as much as I like Halloween, I don't think I wanna sacrifice a whole night of sleep just to celebrate it."

"Yeah, that goes double for me." Yang seconded. "I don't wanna be like a zombie tomorrow morning, you know."

"And I don't want to LOOK like a zombie tomorrow morning." Weiss folded her arms. "If any of you want to party all night long, then be my guest, but as for myself, the latest I'll go to bed is midnight, thank you!"

Ben raised his hands up, hoping to calm everybody down. "Alright, alright, let's settle, guys. No body's asking anyone to stay up for the whole night. Hell, even _I'm_ not crazy enough to do it."

"I am!" Nora exclaimed. "An all-night Halloween bash sounds AWESOME!"

Blake gave a small shrug. "Eh, I've pulled a few all-nighter's before, so I think I'll be able to manage."

"Count me in on that action!" Sun pumped a fist into the air. "Bring on the spooks and scares! What about you, Neptune, you in?"

Neptune gave a denying wave of the hand. "Eh, nah, if you guys wanna try and stay up all night, be my guest, but I'm not about to watch a whole bunch of scary movies into the night. I'll have waking nightmares for _weeks_ if I do that to myself."

"I agree with Neptune." Ren concurred. "Besides, with the rigorous training schedule that we commit ourselves to on a near-daily basis, we need all the sleep we can get."

Nora's face fell as she remembered the training that they'd have to get back to tomorrow. "Oh yeah, we can't exactly break from that a lot, can we?"

"Yeah, not exactly." Everyone craned their heads over to see Ruby and Gwen coming into the room with a whole bunch of DVD cases, the duo setting them down on the coffee table. "If we wanna beat Salem, we've gotta get stronger." Ruby rationalized. "So, we've gotta keep up our training regimen."

Penny's eyes lit up in intrigue. "Ooh, you all have your own training regimen? Could I join in?"

Yang gave her a thumbs up. "Sure you can! You're a part of this team now, Pen, so that means you'll be doing the same training we do. No exceptions, understand, Missy?"

The redheaded android gave Yang a salute. "Yes ma'am!"

Ben grinned at Penny's enthusiasm. "Very good." The hero then bent down to the ground, searching through the DVD cases for the perfect movie to watch on this Halloween night. "Now, how should we start this horror movie marathon?" After flipping through a few more pages, he smirked when he came across a certain movie. "Oh, perfect." He slipped the disk out of the sleeve and presented it to the group, proudly proclaiming; "Guys, we're watching Evil Dead 2 to start this off!"

Kevin wore a similar smirk to his best friend's. "Oh… _Groovy_."

Many of the others, however, were confused at Ben's choice. "Um, Ben?" Pyrrha spoke up. "I don't believe we've even watched the FIRST Evil Dead yet."

Jaune nodded in support. "Yeah, I mean, I _think_ we saw a few bits of it during the Monster Madness stuff that we watched the other night. But other than that, we haven't watched the first Evil Dead at all."

"Yeah, I know." Ben said as he stepped over to the DVD player. "But the original Evil Dead might be a bit too much for some of us here. Besides, the second movie actually recaps the events from the first movie at the very beginning, so you actually won't be missing out on a whole lot by watching the second one first. Besides, this movie is infinitely more quotable, AND it's a lot funnier than the first one."

Ruby's eyes brightened up at that. "Ooh, a horror comedy?! Now THAT sounds entertaining."

Neptune was also getting into the idea. _'Maybe a horror comedy won't be SO bad.'_ He pointed to Ben and gave him a nod. "Alright, Ben, you make a good argument. Let' see it."

* * *

" _WHO'S LAUGHING NOW?!"_ Ash Williams shouted as he cut his own hand off with a chainsaw.

Neptune didn't make it past the twenty-minute mark. He fled the room the moment that Linda's headless body was cut into by the chainsaw. Sun had to admit, he was slightly disappointed that his friend kinda chickened out. "C'mon, Neptune, you can't sit out in the hallway for the ENTIRE movie, can you?" he called out.

"I can TRY!" Neptune hollered back. "I might not be able to WATCH the movie, but I can at least LISTEN to it!"

The duo's bickering piqued Ruby's interest and she got up, ushering for Penny to follow her. "Penny, come with me, I've got an idea."

"Um, okay." Penny complied.

Ruby turned to Ben and asked; "Could you pause the movie for a second, Ben? We'll be right back." The hero did what she asked and the two stepped out into the hall, where they saw Neptune sitting in the fetal position on the floor. Ruby smiled down to him and waved. "Hey, Neptune, enjoying the movie? Or… I guess what you CAN hear of it?"

"Well, yeah, I think." Neptune set his chin against his knees and sighed. "Go ahead, say it. I'm a big wuss, aren't I?"

Ruby shrugged as she crouched down to his level. "Well, I wouldn't say _that_. You just don't like gory stuff, and honestly, that's okay. You don't HAVE to like it, and you don't have to stay here if you don't want to."

"Ruby's correct." Penny supported. "If you would rather do something else, we can do so." She then noticed the disappointed look on Neptune's face. "Or is it something else that's bothering you?"

Neptune glanced back and forth between the two before going back down again. "It's just… frustrating, you know? I'm a Huntsman in training who slices up Grimm practically on a daily basis, but I can't get through one gory horror movie! It just bothers the HELL outta me!" The blue-haired boy lowered his head in shame. "I'm pathetic."

Ruby took a moment's pause before setting a hand on Neptune's shoulder, catching his attention. "Hey, remember when we watched Monster Madness the other night, and how he talked about the special effects being one of the main draws of horror movies?" Neptune gave her a silent nod, urging her to go on. "Well then, think of all of the blood and guts you see as just REALLY good effects instead of actual blood and guts. Maybe that'd work."

"An excellent idea!" Penny agreed. "Special effects are unable to hurt anyone… unless they are explosions, but that is relatively obvious."

Neptune thought it over for a minute before giving the girls a grin, standing up soon after. "You know what? You're right! Special effects can't hurt me! Let's do this!" Neptune marched right back into the room with the girls following behind. The three sat down, with Neptune giving Sun a thumbs up before calling over to Ben. "Alright, Ben, where are we at?"

Ben smiled at Neptune's arrival before giving a small summary of events. "Well, when Linda bit Ash's hand, it became possessed, so he cut it off with the chainsaw. There's another group of people who're making their way to the cabin, but you'll meet them soon enough. But, as you can see," Ben gestured to the TV with his remote, indicating Ash fixing up his wound with a cloth and duct tape, "Ash is fixing himself up… but his peace ain't gonna last long."

Ben pressed play and the movie resumed, with Ash's severed hand knocking over the bucket it was trapped under and scuttling off to the nearest wall. The hand flipped Ash off before escaping into the wall, giving everyone a good laugh, Neptune included. "Ahaha! Oh man, okay, THAT was hilarious." It was then that Ash shot into the wall, hoping to land a hit on his old appendage. He got a hit in, only for the entire room to start gushing blood everywhere, much to everyone surprise.

"Oh god!" Weiss shouted as she began to turn green. "I think I'm going to be sick!"

Rex jabbed his thumb to the front door. "Want me to get a bucket?"

Weiss narrowed her eyes at him. "NO! …But thank you for asking."

Nora, on the other hand, was laughing up a storm. "HAHAHA! Holy crap! I've never _seen_ anything like this!"

In between his laughter, Kevin waved over to her. "Wait, wait, it gets better!" After the room was done gushing blood, and sucking it all back into its walls, Ash sat down into a chair, only for it to break under his weight. He then heard a sound, making him look up to see a possessed deer head snapped its head right at him and begin laughing hysterically. A demented smile began to form on Ash's face as ALL of the inanimate objects in the room started laughing, which resulted in him beginning to laugh as well. Though over time, his laughter began to change into anguished screams, much to everyone's shock.

Jaune blinked before pointing to the screen. "I think Ash might be going mad."

"Ya think?!" Yang exclaimed. "The dude killed his girlfriend and now the taxidermy is laughing at him. At this point, I'D be going mad too!" At that moment, Ash blasted through the door, eliciting a scream from Annie Knowby, which snapped him out of the mad gigglefest. "Hoo boy, THAT was a freakin' trip!" Yang grinned. "What's next?!" The next moment, Ed Gently and Jake busted in through the door, knocking Ash out together as Annie and Bobby Joe entered the house. Yang grimaced and said; "Okay, so the death fodder are here. Awesome."

After tossing Ash into the cellar, it wasn't long before Annie found out the truth from her father's recordings. Her mother was possessed by a Deadite, so he was forced to kill her and bury her in the cellar. "Let me guess…" Blake pointed to the TV, and Henrietta Knowby's Deadite corpse sprang out of the ground, making Ash scream in terror. "Yep, called it."

As the others help Ash escape Henrietta, they shove her head down with the cellar door, making one of her eyes pop out and fly right into Bobby Joe's mouth, making everyone laugh again. "Haha! Man, that's gross, but dear god is it hilarious!" Sun laughed

Weiss simply grimaced at the scene. "Ugh, I fail to see how that's funny."

Once Ash catches everybody in the house up with what's going on, Henrietta pokes her head up out of the cellar, hoping to worm her way into Annie's sympathies and escape. Ash thankfully stops her, but Ed ends up possessed instead, making everybody in the living room scream at the jumpscare. _"We are the things that were and shall be again! Spirits of the book! We want what is yours; LIFE!"_ The Ed-Deadite proclaimed before chanting; _"Dead by dawn!"_

"I believe that this is a bit ironic." Penny pointed out to Ruby. "Don't you think so?"

"Well, yeah." Ruby concurred. "But at least we didn't bring you back with a possessed book. Then you'd probably be an evil robot shell possessed by a demon."

"Fair point." Penny shifted her eyes back to the screen just in time to see Ash cutting up the Ed-Deadite's head with an ax, splattering green goo everywhere. "Wait, their blood is green?"

Ben smiled and chuckled a bit. "Heh, yeah. The filmmakers wanted to avoid censorship, but it didn't really work." As the movie continued, the spirit of Professor Knowby appeared to the four remaining characters, telling them that their salvation lies with the pages of the Necronomicon that Annie had found on her expedition. After the spirit disappears, Bobby Joe asks why Jake is holding her hand, only to find out later that it was Ash's possessed hand. "Gotta _hand_ it to them, that was one great jumpscare!" Ben said, making everyone in the living room groan.

"That prop's pretty _handy_ , I'd say." Yang shot back, eliciting more groans before going back to the movie. Bobby Joe had run out of the house and into the woods, only to be wrapped up by a ton of vines. As she continued to struggle, the vines began ripping at her clothes, making Yang's eyes widen in concern. "Oh god, are we about to see—"

"Thankfully, no." Gwen reassured. "The girl does NOT get… _violated_ by the vines."

Ben leaned over and whispered into Yang's ear; "That's kinda why I didn't want to show you guys the first movie yet. Because there IS a scene where the tree… _defiles_ a lady, and I don't want Ruby or anyone else to see that."

"Good call." Yang nodded as the trees killed Bobby Joe. After reading about the legend of a "Hero from the Sky" from the pages of the Necronomicon, a distraught Jake then forced Ash and Annie to come with him to search for his dead girlfriend, the man even throwing the Necronomicon pages down into the cellar for good measure. But it didn't take long for things to go south as another spirit managed to work its way into Ash, transforming him into a Deadite. "Holy shit!" Yang exclaimed. "Didn't see that comin'!"

"Yep!" Kevin hollered. "Now things are startin' to get interesting!" After flinging Jake into a tree, the Deadite-Ash chased Annie back into the cabin, forcing her to grab hold of a Kandarian dagger and stab the first thing that walked through the door. Unfortunately, it WASN'T the Deadite-Ash, but instead, Jake.

"Oh, thank god." Sun raised his arms up in relief. "The jerk's death is always one that I look forward to in these kinds of movies."

"Oh, just wait." Rex wagged his finger at the monkey boy. "It gets better." On the TV, Annie dragged Jake's body through the house to somewhere safe, only for Henrietta to drag Jake's body into the basement. Annie desperately tried to pull Jake out, but Henrietta just consumed his body before she could, the resulting spray of blood practically coating Annie head to toe.

"Woah… that is a LOT of blood." Neptune said. _'A lot of FAKE blood.'_ he reminded himself. After Jake's gruesome death, Deadite-Ash manages to find his way back into the house. But, after a scuffle with Annie, he finds his girlfriend's necklace on the floor, with her memory restoring him back to normal. "Wow, I guess the power of love really DOES conquer all." Neptune shrugged. At that moment, Annie swung the ax at Ash's head, which he narrowly managed to avoid. "Except being decapitated."

After Ash convinces Annie that he's alright, the duo ventured out into the shed to arm up, intending to get the Necronomicon pages back from Henrietta. "Okay guys," Ben raised his hands, "what you're about to see is pure, unfettered _awesome_."

Nora narrowed her eyes at the TV. "Okay… this movie has yet to disappoint, so I'll take your word for it." She watched on as Ash and Annie got to work, rewiring the chainsaw so that it could be attached to Ash's stump. Using a special harness with an attached clip, Ash slipped the starter cord onto it and pulled his arm down, starting the gardening tool. He then sawed off the barrel of the shot gun, the music building up as he did. He twirled the weapon in his hand, holstered it to his back, and as the camera zoomed in on his face, Ash only had one word to say;

" _Groovy."_

Everyone was stunned into silence at the scene, with Nora's jaw having dropped to the floor. After finally getting a hold of herself, she burst out into a big, toothy grin. "Best. Scene. In ANY horror movie… EVER!" Once armed up, Ash went into the cellar and retrieved the Necronomicon pages, tossing them back up to Annie before making his way back up the stairs. Unfortunately, that's when Henrietta made her move, tripping Ash up and fighting him while Annie recited the incantation on the pages. Henrietta then jumped up from the basement and began tormenting Annie, the fat Deadite lady floating around and around in the air while laughing manically. "Okay, this is disturbing." Nora cringed at the sight. But that's when Ash climbed his way out of the cellar, ready to put an end to all of this. "OH YEAH!" The Pink Dynamo cheered. "Time to kick some Deadite ass!"

" _Let's go!"_ Ash challenged as he started up his chainsaw. He made to strike Henrietta as she flew to him, but she managed to grab his arm and face, shoving him to a nearby window. Ash recovered quickly though, kicking her in the legs before punching her twice in the face. He elbowed her in the head, knocking her to the floor, but the Deadite just got right back up again, screaming and shaking with rage as it transformed stop-motion style into a long-necked monster.

" _I'll swallow your soul! I'll swallow your soul!"_ the Deadite chanted.

"Oh, dear god!" Weiss shouted before hiding behind Rex, hoping to quickly flush the image away from her mind. "It's horrific!"

"Yeah, it's awesome!" Rex cheered.

"Not helping!"

After Ash took a few jabs and swipes at the creature, Annie managed to distract the creature with a lullaby, catching it off guard long enough for Ash to stab it with his chainsaw. "WOO! Alright!" Nora cried out in excitement. "Cut the bitch up!" And that's just what Ash did, dismembering the Deadite before cutting off her whole head. "YEAH! Now that's how ALL horror movies should off their monsters!"

At that moment, the decapitated head began to shout up at Ash. _"Hey! I'll swallow your soul! I'll swallow your soul! I'll swallow your soul! I—ACK!"_

But Ash wasn't having it. He stepped onto the Deadite's neck, shoved the boomstick in its face and said; _"Swallow this."_ Ash pulled the trigger and blasted the head to pieces, finally killing the Deadite.

Weiss peaked out from behind Rex. "Is it over?"

Nora clapped her hands and raised them into the air. "Can't be topped. That kill cannot be—" She suddenly caught herself off when things began to go crazy on screen, with lightning striking all around and the trees beginning to come alive. Suddenly, a giant Deadite face burst in through the door, making Ash's hair turn gray while Weiss screamed in fear. "Okay, guess I spoke too soon!" Nora admitted.

As Annie attempted to finish her incantation, she was suddenly stopped when Ash's dismembered hand stabbed her in the back with the Kandarian Dagger, much to everyone's astonishment. "WHAT?!" Ruby cried out. "You mean she DIES?!"

Penny put a finger to her chin. "She's right, by all accounts, she should have survived."

"Well, Sam Raimi likes to be unpredictable with his movies." Gwen explained. "But that doesn't mean her job is done. Take a look." Back on screen, Annie got up, grabbed the pages and finished reciting the incantation before finally dying, her last words opening up a giant portal.

"Woah, badass." Jaune nodded.

"Quite the way to go." Ren agreed. "But now what?" The group watched on as the beast of the forest grabbed Ash, intending to kill him. But Ash would have none of it as he revved up his chainsaw hand and stabbed it into the creature's eye, making gushers of blue blood burst out of it before the creature finally let Ash go, getting sucked into the vortex along with Ash's Oldsmobile.

"Hmm, I guess it had blueberry filling?" Yang joked.

"The question is whether it was jam or icing." Ben quipped back.

As Ash crawled his way over to Annie, giving her one last farewell, the door of the cabin was sucked right off of its hinges, revealing that the vortex was still there. Ash desperately tried to grab hold of something, but it was already too late. He was sucked right into the vortex, going through a trippy light sequence and explosion before he and his car finally landed… right in the middle of a barren wasteland. Just as he was about to get up, a group of knights surrounded him, much to the confusion of everyone in the living room.

"Wait, what?!" Pyrrha exclaimed. "Where did _they_ come from?!"

"Surprise! Time travel!" Rex answered. "Ash is now in the Dark Ages, where Deadites are abound!" The EVO pointed at the TV. "And hey, there's one now!"

Just as he said, a flying Deadite swooped in just as the knights were about to kill Ash, making the armored warriors retreat in fear. However, Ash wasn't about to go down so easily. He readied his boomstick and shot the airborne enemy in the head, sending it hurtling to the ground. One of the knights raised his helmet and pointed to Ash with his blade, proclaiming; _"Hail, he who has come from the skies to deliver us from the terrors of the Deadites!"_

"Ah, so that's where the whole "Hero of the Sky" legend came from." Blake realized. "It's a self-fulfilling prophecy… which probably means that Ash is doomed to fight Deadites for his entire life."

As the crowd cheered in Ash's honor while their hero denied their praise with anguished screams, Ben couldn't help but smirk when Blake said that. "The fact that there was a whole TV series made a few years ago where Ash keeps up his fight, yeah, I think it's safe to say that he will. I'd show it to you guys, but I don't have the DVDs of that, unfortunately."

"Well, I know one thing;" Nora jolted up from her seat and pumped her fists into the air as the credits rolled, "that was the greatest horror movie I've ever SEEN!"

"Same here." Sun said. "But honestly, the comedy had me in stitches most of the time." He shifted his attention to Neptune, wondering what his friend's thoughts were. "Well dude? How're you feeling?"

"Honestly, I loved the comedy so much that I kinda started enjoying the horror stuff as it went along!" Neptune admitted. "And whenever I started to feel scared, I just reminded myself that it's just really good effects. I say bring on more horror stuff!"

"I agree, that was quite entertaining." Pyrrha nodded. "But still, I can't help but wonder what happens next."

Ben reached over and pulled out another disk from the box, this one with the words "Army of Darkness" on it. "Well, those answers are in the direct sequel, "Army of Darkness"." The hero answered. "It's still got Ash and a bunch of quotable scenes, but it's more of an action comedy than a horror comedy. Still good though. So, who wants to watch it?!" The whole room cried out in approval, giving Ben the go ahead.

However, Yang stood up, giving her boyfriend a smile before raising her hand up to him. "I'm all for it, Green Boy. But first, there's something I gotta do." The blonde moved over to her sister and pointed at her. "Stay there, I'll be right back."

Ruby gave her sister a confused look as she exited the room. "Uh… okay?" Moments later, Yang came back, holding a small gift in her hands. Ruby's eyebrows shot up in realization. "My present from this morning!"

Yang wore a guilty smile. "Yeah, with all the stuff that happened with Penny, I… well…"

"It's okay." Ruby got up and gave her sister a hug. "We ALL got caught up in it." The Hooded Huntress gave her sister a wink. "I'm just glad that we're all here together. That's one of the _best_ presents I could ask for."

"Very well said!" Penny supported. "But still, your sister gave you a present! You should open it, Ruby. I'm sure she worked very hard to get that for you."

Yang gave Ruby a good-natured nudge to the shoulder. "Yeah, you tryin' to knock my present, lil' sis?" She slowly began turning away. "Maybe I'll keep it for myself…"

"No, of course I'm not knocking it!" Ruby insisted, pleading for Yang to reconsider.

"Aw, relax, Rubes." Yang put the present in her sister's hands. "I'm not about to take a present like this away. It's too special. Go on, open it."

Ruby blinked in surprise before focusing on the box, carefully taking off the colorful wrapping paper. When she was done, she was met with a small box covered in red felt with a hinge, the kind that jewelry is often sold in. Ruby gave her sister a small, sheepish grin. "Yang, I don't know what to say, I…"

Yang raised her hand again. "I know that you don't really wear jewelry. But I think you'll find this to be a pretty cool exception."

This piqued Ruby's interest further and she went back to the box. She opened it up, and was immediately surprised to see what its contents were. It was an oval-shaped, silver locket with a stylized "R" right in the middle of it, along with her emblem etched right above it. Ruby let out a gasp and her eyes shot right back up to her sister. "A locket? Oh, I've always wanted one of these! How did you get it?"

"Heh, trust me, it wasn't easy." Yang chuckled. "Had to go through a few part-time jobs over the past year just to afford it." She pointed to the locket, urging Ruby to go further. "But hey, there's more, check inside."

Ruby's lips parted at the revelation. There was already something in it? The silver-eyed girl took her sisters advice and took the locket out of its box, its silver chain falling as it was removed. Ruby clicked the locket open… and was immediately stunned by what she saw. There, on both sides of the locket, was a picture of her and her team; the one that Gwen had taken right after Adam had been beaten. For what felt like the umpteenth time that day, Ruby began to tear up. "I… Y-Yang…"

"There's more." The blonde revealed. "Check the back."

Ruby flipped the locket over and found an inscription etched in cursive on the back. Ruby read it out loud, but it was all she could do to keep from choking up. "To our beloved Ruby. We love and cherish you so much, forever and always." After she finished reading, Ruby couldn't take it anymore. She lifted an arm up to her eyes and began to cry, her friends quick to come over and comfort her.

Weiss placed a hand on her partner's back. "Yang told us about your gift about a week ago."

Blake began hugging Ruby over her shoulders. "And she thought it would be even better if the gift came from all of us."

Gwen raised her hand. "And I helped out with the photo."

Ruby just continued to sob in happiness. "I—I… I don't know if I deserve all of this!"

Yang strode over and placed a hand on her sister's shoulder, giving her a soft smile. "Ruby, we mean every word in that inscription. You're the best sister that any girl could ask for, and you're an even better friend to everyone here. If anyone deserves any of this, its you." Yang gave her sister one last wink. "So tell me, did you enjoy your birthday?"

"Did I?!" Ruby cried out, beaming a bright smile as tears continued to stream down her face. "This has been the BEST birthday EVER!" She held the locket close to her heart, hugging it against her chest. "I'll wear this locket all the time now!"

"Great to hear." Yang hugged her sister, with Blake and Weiss joining in. "But the day's still not over yet. We've still got a lot of Halloween left. So, whaddya say to that?"

Ruby wiped her eyes and held up her free hand in a fist, keeping her locket safely secure in her grip. "I say, let's give this Halloween a sendoff we won't ever forget!" The whole room cheered at her words, ready to spend the rest of All Hallows Eve as they pleased. But as for Ruby, she was only sure of one thing; this had been one of, if not THE greatest day of her life. "Yep… best birthday ever."

* * *

**A/N: And thus, we've come to the end of "Ruby's Haunted Birthday". And with it, Penny has returned with a few upgrades to boot! Plus, a special Halloween viewing of Evil Dead 2 to cap off the season! I hope you guys enjoyed this arc as much as I enjoyed writing it, because let me tell you, this Halloween season was one of my favorites in recent years, and writing this arc had a lot to do with it!** **But now that the Halloween Arc has ended... NEXT TIME! A new day dawns as our heroes go out to the training facility, hoping to find out more about Penny's potential new abilities. But when they get there, a certain time traveler makes his return, and he's got some news from Ben's dimension. Meanwhile, Cinder, Animo and Watts arrive at Amity Colosseum… and find out the "bad" news. Thanks for reading guys, and Happy Halloween!**


	65. Combat Ready!

**A/N: Hey there guys, how's it going? It's time for a new chapter once again! Now with this one, I remember being thrown for a loop on the week of this chapter's release... and now I can't remember why. Bit odd how that works out. Fortunately, though, writing this chapter gave me some reprieve from that, and I think it turned out rather well. But I'll let you guys be the judges of that! This is…**

**Chapter 65: Combat Ready!**

* * *

Sun let out a groan as he woke up, the light of the sun hitting his eyelids and forcing them to flutter open. "Ugh, c'mon, just a few more… wha?" The monkey boy's eyes snapped open when he realized where he was; laying down on the couch in the living room. "Oh shoot, that's right… the Halloween marathon."The memory hit him like a shovel to the face. He and some of his other teammates had chosen to keep the Halloween marathon going into the night while everyone else had went to bed. In the end, only himself, Blake, Neptune, Nora, Ruby and Penny remained behind, watching movies like "Nightmare on Elm Street", "Friday the 13th", "From Dusk 'til Dawn" and "The Blair Witch Project", among a few others after "Army of Darkness".

However, at some point in the night, everyone must've just crashed in the living room, with Nora and Neptune sprawled out in separate chairs while he and Blake were curled up on the couch, the cat girl's head nestled comfortably onto his chest. The moment he began to stir, Blake let out a groan of her own, her lips turning down into a frown. "Rmph, go back to sleep, pillow."

Sun resisted the urge to laugh out loud, going instead for a restrained smile. "Heh, is that my new pet name, "Pillow"?" he chuckled. "Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue."

Blake's eyes snapped open at the small laugh, craning her head up to face Sun eye to eye. "Sun?! W-wait, where are we?" She looked out to the room to see Nora and Neptune still sound asleep in their chairs, much to her shock. Blake then noticed that the DVD that they had been watching, "Halloween", had gone back to its main menu, and that's when she realized what had happened. "Did… did we _sleep_ in the living room last night?"

"Apparently." Sun shrugged. "Guess we didn't last from dusk 'til dawn last night after all."

Blake narrowed her eyes at him with a small grin. "You did that on purpose."

"Maybe…" Sun smiled back as he set his forehead against hers. "But hey, I'm still in a Halloween-y mood, so why not?"

"Heh, yeah, so am I." Blake admitted before reaching up and pecking her boyfriend's cheek. She nestled her head onto his shoulder and let out a small sigh. "Really wish that we'd known about Halloween a lot earlier, then maybe we could've celebrated it more."

"Who says you have to stop?" Came a whisper from the other side of the room. Blake and Sun moved their heads up to see Gwen standing in the entry way, giving them a small wave. "No one says you gotta stop watching horror movies just because it's not Halloween." the Anodite insisted. "Go ahead, have at it. They're not going anywhere, after all."

Blake gave Gwen a nod in agreement. "Heh, yeah. You've got a point, Gwen." she whispered back. "Thanks."

"Hey, have you seen Ruby and Penny anywhere?" Sun asked. "They were here when we had our marathon."

Gwen pointed over to the kitchen in response. "The girls are already up and at 'em, and breakfast is almost ready." The redhead raised an eyebrow over to them. "You love birds think you can function with the four hours of sleep that you've gotten?"

Blake rubbed her eyes and began to get up, with Sun following suit. "I think so." She stretched her arms up and let out a yawn, forcing the remaining tiredness out of her body. "Might take an afternoon nap later on. All I need is some hot tea and I should be fine."

"Yeah, same." Sun agreed before glancing over to Nora and Neptune, the duo still down for the count. "But, uh… what about them?"

Gwen smirked and went over to Nora's chair, the Pink Dynamo snoring up a storm. She leaned over and whispered into her fellow redhead's ear; "Nora… _pancakes_."

After snorting up a snore, Nora let out a scream and leapt up out of her chair, leaving everyone astonished. Her scream was loud enough to wake Neptune up, the blue-haired boy letting out a yelp as he fell out of his chair. In one swift movement, Nora unholstered Magnhild, the hyperactive girl obviously tired and her eyes still closed, with massive dark circles having formed under them. "Gah! Stay away from my pancakes, Deadite scum! Or face the wrath of my BOOMSTICK!"

But, in her half-asleep state, she had no idea who she was really aiming Magnhild at; Neptune. He let out another yell and backed up into his chair, calling out to Nora in hopes of waking her up. "W-wait, Nora, please DON'T!"

"Swallow thi—huh?!" Nora groggily whirled around as Magnhild was pulled out of her hand by a mana tether, though in her half-asleep state, she didn't care WHO had taken her weapon. She pointed straight ahead and growled; "What's the big idea, you primitive screwhead? I'll—" But she was cut off when Gwen placed a hand on her forehead.

"There will be no more of that, young lady." Gwen said before feeding some mana into Nora's body, making the massive circles under her eyes disappear. She took her hand away and nodded with finality. "There, that ought to cool you off."

Nora's eyes snapped open and she shifted them around the room, wondering what was going on. "Uh… morning guys. Hey, why am I in the living room?"

"We, uh… we kind of just crashed in here during our horror movie marathon." Sun answered. "And I think that you might've just gotten a _little_ too into it."

Nora raised an eyebrow at that. "What d'ya mean? Something happen?"

"To say the least!" Neptune said, still in his shocked state. "You were having a dream about killing Deadites and you were sleepwalking!" He pointed to himself. "And you nearly blew my head off with Magnhild!"

"I was?!" Nora looked to Gwen for confirmation, only to immediately see Magnhild being kept in a pink mana bubble for safe keeping. Nora shifted her eyes down in disappointment. "Oh… I see."

"What have we learned?" Gwen asked.

"…Don't watch a ton of horror movies before bed?" Nora guessed.

"AND make sure that you get enough sleep in general." Gwen finished, making the mana bubble open and floating Magnhild back over to Nora. "Or else things like what just happened might KEEP happening. Okay?"

"Yeah, I gotcha." Nora confirmed before her grin returned. "But Gwen, last night was so AWESOME! I can't believe how many good horror movies you guys have in your world, it's just great!"

"Well, I'm glad you liked it." Gwen smiled. "Just don't go too overboard with it, okay?"

"I understand." Nora acknowledged before making a small request. "…But would it be okay if I just _quoted_ them while we're fighting bad guys?"

"By all means." Gwen allowed.

"Alright! Now, I think I heard something about pancakes earlier?" The very second that Gwen jabbed her thumb out toward the kitchen, Nora was off like a shot, ready to chow down. "Woo! Lemme at 'em!"

Once she was gone, Neptune sighed in exhaustion and apprehension, still reeling from what had almost happened to him a few seconds ago. "Thanks Gwen, I might've been blown to bits if it hadn't been for you."

"No, you wouldn't have." Gwen assured. "Magnhild's safety catch was on. Even if she pulled the trigger, nothing would've happened. I just needed to give Nora a good lesson on proper sleep."

Blake let out a relieved sigh. "Phew, well I'm glad that's the case." She stood up and began walking out of the living room, with Sun close behind. "Well, now that all of that is behind us, let's get some breakfast. Something tells me that we've got a long day ahead of us."

* * *

After breakfast, the team all gathered outside and started down the forest path to Mount Patch, with Athena and Winter leading the way. The teens were all eager to get to their training that morning, but undoubtedly, the most excited out of the bunch was Penny. The recently resurrected redheaded robot was eager to test her new skills, and she couldn't wait. She was walking with Ruby, Weiss and Rex, expressing her excitement to them. "This is so exhilarating! I've dreamed of having upgraded weapon systems for so long!"

"You make it sound like there were plans to have more weapons in you." Ruby pointed out.

"There were!" Penny confirmed. "My father told me that he was working on them, but that I'd have to prove that I was ready for them before he installed them."

Rex gave her a shrug. "Well, too late now. Whatever he was working on probably can't interface with your new systems now. …Unless you DID get Upgrade's abilities, but on that, _no lo sé_."

Penny paused at Rex's words and furrowed her brows, almost as if she was concentrating on something. Finally, she relaxed and gave Rex a confused face. "I'm sorry, but… what did you just say? I heard the word "no", but whatever else you said didn't come up in my language data banks."

Weiss smirked and rolled her eyes. "Probably won't find them in there, Penny. Rex is speaking Spanish, a language from Earth."

"And for the record, it means "I don't know"." Rex added.

"Ah, I see." Penny nodded in understanding. "Well, when I get there, I need to find the nearest interface and download all of Earth's languages if I'm to understand everybody there."

Ruby's eyes widened. "Wait, so you can just learn a new language by _downloading_ it?!"

Rex crossed his arms with a smirk. "Yeah, sure, if you wanna do it the easy way. Spanish is a language that comes from the _soul_. You can't trust computers to give you the one-hundred percent correct translation every time."

"Really?" Weiss asked in skepticism. "Well if that's the case, maybe you can put those claims to the ultimate test."

"Ooh, a bet?" Rex grinned.

"Not so much a bet as it is a request." Weiss stopped in her stride and placed a hand on her hip. "See if you can teach me Spanish."

Not only did that cause Rex to stop in his tracks, but Ruby and Weiss did as well, the three completely taken off guard by Weiss' sudden inquiry. "W-wait, YOU wanna learn Spanish?" Rex asked, just to make sure that he heard her correctly. "As in; you want to actually learn a whole new language… and you want ME to teach it to you?"

"Exactly." Weiss affirmed. "I figure that if we're going to be on Ben's Earth soon, I might as well learn how to speak a few languages. English maybe the universal… or I guess in this case, _interdimensional_ language, but it's definitely not the _only_ one." She waved her hand to Rex. "And who better to teach me than someone who's fluent in it?"

Rex glanced over to Ruby and Penny, who could only offer shrugs in response. His eyes went back to Weiss and with much hesitancy, he excepted. "Well, okay Weiss, if that's what you really want." He pointed over to her. "But it won't be easy, especially since, well, I ain't exactly _el maestro mejor_ , if you know what I mean."

Weiss put a finger to her chin and thought over that phrase. The last two words sounded very familiar, so she took a guess. "It sounds like "the maestro major", so… is it "a good leader"?"

"Close. It's "the greatest teacher"." Rex elaborated.

"See? I'm learning already?"

At the revelation, Rex smiled and lightly smacked the side of his head. "Ah, what the heck? Alright, Weiss, I'll try my best to teach you."

"Good, I'm glad to hear it." Weiss pointed up to the rest of the group. "Now come on, we're falling behind."

As the quartet continued on, Ruby was staring on at the two in front of her in complete astonishment, still trying to take in what she had just seen. "Well… that was kind of sweet, but also really weird."

"Really?" Penny asked. "I don't see it as weird. If anything, this is the next phase of their courtshi—mph!" The android was immediately cut off as Ruby covered her friend's mouth, hoping that the duo didn't hear her.

"I know. But as much as I agree with that, I think its best if we keep our mouths shut about it." Ruby advised. "We don't want Weiss to skin us alive, you know."

Once Ruby removed her hand, Penny gave her a nod and a salute. "Of course, lips are sealed."

Up near the front, Ben, Yang, Blake, Sun, Gwen and Kevin were leading the group further into the woods. For the first time in a while, Ben and Yang hadn't gone for their early training session yet, reason being so that they could take part in a rather important discussion. Specifically; the team's encounter with the villains the night before. "Okay, so here's what we know;" Ben began, "There are six bad guys on that floating stadium, and something tells me that it's no coincidence that they were there. They must be planning something there, but the big question is; what is it?"

"My guess? They wanna bring the place down." Yang suggested. "With bad guys, it's not enough to just destroy something, they wanna make sure it _falls_. The Amity Colosseum is a BIG symbol of peace between all four kingdoms, since each one built a piece of it. If Salem's crew brings it down, that could end up with further tensions between ALL of the kingdoms."

"And if they make it seem like a _specific_ kingdom was responsible for it, then that's all the better for them." Gwen furthered. "If they do this correctly, then it could result in the war that they've been wanting."

"Right, so we gotta make sure that doesn't happen." Kevin rationalized. "But what we DON'T know is _how_ they plan on doing it."

Blake spoke up, offering an idea for the villain's potential plan. "Well, if they wanna bring it down, they have to take out the giant Dust crystal that's making it float. My guess is they either plan to destroy the Dust crystal, or power it down." The cat girl crossed her arms. "And if we know Rojo, she's not going to make this as subtle as possible."

Ben nodded in agreement. "Right, she's going to want EVERYONE to see what happens."

"But _nothing_ could possibly destroy a Dust crystal that size." Sun said. "At least, nothing short of a nuclear explosion."

"From the outside, maybe." Blake pointed out. "But from the inside, that might be a different story. The colosseum's lower levels are where the maintenance workers keep the power flowing into the Dust crystal, which makes the entire structure float. If they manage to do something to those systems…"

"Then they could overload the Dust crystal!" Yang finished. "With that amount of power, it could blow the whole thing sky high!"

From behind, Team JNPR quickened their pace and fell in line with them, having overheard the conversation. "We can't let that happen." Jaune insisted. "If the colosseum is destroyed on Valian soil—"

"Or in this case, water." Kevin rectified, earning him a stink eye from Jaune. "What? Just sayin'."

Jaune rolled his eyes and continued. "The _point_ is that the rest of the world will quickly blame Vale for its destruction."

"Jaune is right." Pyrrha concurred. "We very well could be facing war here."

"And it would bring Salem one step closer to enacting her plan." Ren pointed out. "If the world loses hope, then we ALL lose."

"And I agree." Ben nodded. "But at this point, there's nothing we can really do until General Ironwood reports in with what his people managed to find out."

Up in the very front, Winter turned around, supporting Ben's statement. "You are correct, Benjamin. Once the general calls us, THEN we can begin planning a counterattack. But for now, we must focus on our training. Which reminds me…" Winter pointed forward, indicating Mount Patch right in front of them. "We have arrived."

* * *

The moment the team had entered, they all went straight to the training arena, skipping the exercise equipment all together. And while they all planned on sparring soon, most of the teens resigned themselves to the stands for the time being. All except five of them; Penny, Ruby, Yang, Ben and Rex, who all took to the closest arena. Athena and Winter stood on the arena sidelines, the two taking the roll of both coaches and referees as always. The five teens were standing in the center field, with Rex explaining to Penny how this was all going to go down. "Alright, Penny, here's what we're gonna do; Ben's gonna change into an alien and Yang will be teaming up with him. You and I are gonna face 'em in combat, but I'm gonna be coaching you on how to use your new powers while we fight."

Keeping her cheery smile, Penny nodded and gave a small salute. "Understood, Rex. I'm Combat Ready!"

"Are you now?" Rex smirked before jabbing his thumb over to the green and yellow duo. "Guess who you'll be facing off against."

Penny glanced over to see Ben wearing an eager smile with his hand hovering over the Omnitrix, making Penny's eyes widen in realization. "…Oh."

"Yeah, "oh" is right." Rex pat Penny's shoulder. "But don't worry, if _I_ was able to give him a good thrashing with my machines, you should have NO problem!"

"Hey!" Ben said indignantly. "Give me SOME credit, dude. I did my fair share of damage!"

Rex rolled his eyes. "Please, I punted you half way across Manhattan!"

Ben pursed his lips in annoyance before glancing to his girlfriend. "Can we switch?"

Yang sent him a sympathetic grin. "Sorry, Green Boy. If you two start sparring, the whole mountain could come falling down on our heads." She reached up and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Don't worry, we'll find you boys a nice barren wasteland so that you can duke it out whenever you want."

"Ooh! Like in Dragon Ball!" Ruby pointed out.

Ben shook his head, resolving to drop the subject all together. "Okay, let's get to the spar." The hero lifted the Omnitrix up and began scrolling through his options. "Let's see, need something that's fair against robots… Lodestar, no. Shocksquatch, no. Ah-ha! I got it!" Ben selected his choice and slammed the core down, beginning his transformation.

The alien he had selected was… rather grotesque. Ben's skin was now a mustard yellow color, with his chest being a lighter shade. He had four fingers and three toes, each with sharp claws at their tips. And his face had a mouth full of gnarled teeth and a set of large bat-like ears that covered most of his face… leaving no place for eyes. Instead, the eyes were EVERYWHERE else. All over his arms, his back, his shoulders, and even a giant one right smack dab in the middle of his chest that closed up immediately upon transformation, meaning that the Omnitrix symbol wasn't there. Instead, it was on a belt buckle that kept his pants up. Said pants were black with green strips on the thighs, calves and ankles. The alien pumped his arms and shouted out his name in a gravelly voice; "Eyeguy!"

However, the moment that he had transformed, Ruby's eyes bugged out and she let out a bloodcurdling scream, using her Semblance to get away as fast as possible. She zoomed up and hid behind Weiss and Blake, quivering in fear of the many-eyed alien. "W-w-what is THAT?!"

"I don't know, but it's hideous!" Weiss exclaimed.

"That'd be an Opticoid." Kevin answered. "An alien race with seventeen eyes in total."

"That is NOT right!" Ruby cried out. "Nothing should have that many eyes, _period_!"

Eyeguy folded his arms and furrowed his brow up at Ruby. "Well _eye_ don't like your tone, Ruby." However, his eyes caught sight of Yang looking up at him, raising a single eyebrow at him while crossing her arms. "Uh, everything okay, Goldie Locks? Was it something _eye_ —"

"You get ONE eye pun." Yang established. "No more."

Eyeguy sighed in disappointment before giving a weak salute. "Understood, hon."

Yang's smile returned and she gave him a pat on the arm, careful to avoid hitting him in one of his eyes. "Sorry, babe. Just don't want you to get too predictable with the puns. Gotta keep it fresh, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I gotcha." Eyeguy nodded before giving her a snaggletooth grin. "Now c'mon, let's give these two a run for their money!"

"Right!" Yang activated her Ember Celica and brought her fists up, going into a combat stance soon after. "Alright, guys, we're ready!"

Over on the sidelines, Ruby cheered Penny on. "Show 'em what you're made of, Penny!"

Nora leapt up and did the same. "Yeah! Give us a good smack down!"

Penny gave the group in the stands a nod. "I will certainly try!"

Athena stepped onto the field and raised her arm into the air. "Very well. If all combatants are ready…" She glanced between the four teens, being met with confirming nods from each of them. "Then let this practice spar BEGIN!" Athena brought her arm down, signaling the beginning of the match.

Penny brought up her fists, transforming her arms into her blades in an instant. With an eager smile, she was ready to begin the fight. "Alright Ben, feel free to give me your best shot!"

Eyeguy smiled and raised the palms of his hands, with another set of eyes opening up right in the middle of them. "I'd be happy to!" The eyes each extended out on a long stalk and fired a green energy beam out at Penny, which she was able to dodge rather quickly. The android then zoomed ahead and got right up into Eyeguy's face, much to his surprise. "Wow, that was fast!"

"Indeed, my systems allow for enhanced speed. Case in point;" Penny began quickly slicing her swords at Eyeguy, which forced the Opticoid to dodge just as fast. Unfortunately for him, it was a struggle to do so with his rather bulky physique.

"Woah! Hey! Watch the eyes!" Eyeguy warned. "Not even joking, seriously!"

Meanwhile, Rex activated his BFS and charged forth, ready to start his own fight with Yang. "Okay Yang, let's go!" With a mighty grunt of exertion, Rex brought the BFS down, only for it to be caught in Yang's grasp. "Huh?!"

Yang gave him a smirk. "I've been training against Ruby and Crescent Rose for a long time now, Rex. You don't think I'm prepared for giant blades?" With a roar of determination, Yang spun Rex around before tossing him away, making him skid across the arena floor. "Ha! How'd you like that?!"

"Not bad, _chica peleadora_!" Rex shot back. "But now's the time for the first lesson!" The EVO turned to Penny, who was still making Eyeguy back up with each swipe of her swords. "Hey, Penny! Time to see if your swords can do what mine does!"

Penny stopped and focused on Rex. "And that would be?"

"This!" Rex pulled the handle of his BFS and it changed into its battle saw configuration, much to Penny's surprise. "Now you try!"

"Okay!" Penny closed her eyes and began to concentrate on her blades, picturing what Rex's sword had done in her head. At that moment, the upper halves of both blades split in half directly between their edges and swiveled out so that they were perpendicular with each other, leaving Eyeguy shocked and worried.

"Oh no. I don't have a good feeling about this." the Opticoid fretted.

The blades suddenly began spinning rapidly, making metallic scrapping noises as they whirled around. Penny opened her eyes and a big smile came to her face when she saw what she had done. "Hey, it works! I did it!"

"I think the right word for this would be… _groovy_." Nora smirked.

As Rex's own Battle Saw continued to spin around, the EVO pumped his fist and congratulated Penny. "Great job! Now put those saws to good use!"

"Let's not and say we did." Eyeguy said before aiming his right shoulder at Penny. As he did that, three of his larger eyes melded together to form one big eye, the big green orb shooting out a blue energy beam that hit Penny's spinning saws. Upon contact, the blades became frozen solid, taking Penny off guard. "And that's the end of that chapter."

Weiss' eyes widened in amazement. "He can shoot ice beams from his eyes?!"

"Oh yeah, among many other elemental attacks." Gwen affirmed. "Ben doesn't use Eyeguy that often, but when he does, I have a feeling that he's one of Ben's more useful aliens."

Penny smashed the ice against the ground, freeing her blades and arms from the cold entrapment. "Brr, chilly!" She started up her saws again and faced Eyeguy once more, ready to get back into it. "Alright Ben, this time, I—"

"Wait!" Eyeguy raised his arms in protest. "Instead of the REALLY sharp things that could poke somebody's eye out—namely mine—could we maybe move onto something less dangerous?"

Rex deactivated his BFS and waved over to Penny, signaling for her to do the same. "He's right, Penny. Whaddya say we move onto the REAL interesting stuff?!"

Penny smiled back to him and withdrew her blades back into her body, giving him a thumbs up afterwards. "I'm on it, Rex!" The redheaded android clenched her fists, sealed her eyes shut and began focusing on her back, willing her large, spiked Smack Hands to burst forth from their hiding place. Penny opened her eyes and shifted them between the two large hands, wondering just how to use them. "Now what?!"

Rex activated his own Smack Hands before replying; "Hit him!" He made an example of striking Yang, sending her flying all the way back to the other end of the arena. All of Eyeguy's visible eyes glared at Rex when that happened. "Sorry dude! Still in a fight!"

"You're lucky that she can take that, you know!" Eyeguy shot back as a smirk came to his face. "But you're pretty _un_ lucky at the same time."

"¿ _Que_?" Rex said before suddenly feeling something grab hold of his Smack Hand… and he was terrified when he looked back.

Yang had his hand in a lock hold, her violet eyes having shifted to red as her hair glowed with power. She grit her teeth and, with an eerily calm yet angry tone, spoke to Rex; "That was a cheap shot, Salazar."

Rex grinned nervously and let out a chuckled. "Hehe, well… always expect the unexpect—WAH!" The EVO was cut off when Yang flung him over her head and slammed him into the ground behind her, causing the ground to crumble underneath him. "Okay, maybe I deserved that."

Eyeguy chuckled at the display when suddenly, a large green and black fist came his way, forcing him to dodge with a; "WHOA!" He focused his eyes on Penny, who was walking forward while swinging her large, extra pair of metal arms at him, making him bob and weave out of the way. "Okay, this is kinda freaky, but pretty awesome at the same time! How does it feel, Penny?"

"A little like how you described it." Penny answered as she continued to swing her Smack Hands. "It feels like they're a part of me, but at the same time, not really." She stopped and held both of the large arms out to her sides. "Now hold STILL!" Penny brought the massive hands together and slammed them into Eyeguy's sides, trapping him between them. "Ah-ha! I got you!"

"You think so?" The two eyes on Eyeguy's shoulders suddenly burst up on a pair of eye stalks and took aim at Penny, sending a blast of green fire down at her arms. Penny let out a cry of pain as she staggered back, with smoke trailing off where Eyeguy had aimed his beams. Once he was back on the ground, he asked; "Oh, sorry! Are you okay?"

"Yes, just a slight pain." Penny glanced over to Rex, hoping he'd have some advice. Unfortunately, he was still fighting with Yang, but she saw a particular move of his that piqued her interest; the spinning Smack Hands. Rex thrust the whirling fist forward while Yang tried to grab it, resulting in the blonde getting flung away. With her resolve renewed, Penny focused on the hands again and they began spinning, much to her delight. "Oh, now THIS is useful!" She thrust her arm forward, causing Eyeguy to dodge again. "Come on, Ben! Is this a fight or… or… what would be a witty thing to say right now?"

"Compare it to dance practice. That's kind of the go-to." Eyeguy replied as another spinning Smack Hand went past his head. "But to answer your question, I'm just getting a better vantage point… for this!" Eyeguy opened his center eye and a large energy beam burst forth from his chest, making Penny tumble away.

Penny rubbed her head, stand tall again before focusing her attention up to the arms. At that moment, an idea began forming in her mind. "Hey, watch this!" She slammed the fists into the ground, with the glowing green spikes acting as extra support. With this added balance, Penny lifted herself into the air, much to everyone's surprise. "Ha! It worked! Try getting a better vantage point for this!" Penny lifted a single arm out of the ground and brought it forward, slamming it into the ground in front of her and making Eyeguy fall back. She followed up by doing the same with the other arm, and before she knew it, Penny was using her new metal appendages to walk. "Wee! Haha! This is fun!"

"Okay, now THAT'S freaking cool!" Sun hollered on the sidelines.

"It's like some sort of freaky transport!" Neptune added. "It's awesome!"

Back on the field, Eyeguy couldn't help but agree with the two boys. _'We're getting some Doc Ock levels of cool now.'_ He gave a toothy grin to Penny and smiled. "Nice goin'! But tell me, are you prepared… for this?!" Eyeguy reached up and slammed the Omnitrix symbol, transforming himself into a different alien. "Terraspin!"

Penny's eyes widened in astonishment. "Wait, what?!" All at once, Terraspin jumped up and retracted into his shell, uniting his legs into a third flipper as they began spinning around and around. Penny attempted to step forward, but the air holes on Terraspin's shell began blowing gale-force winds out of them, causing her to lose her balance and topple over. She picked herself up and furrowed her brows at the Geochelone Aerio in frustration. "Hey, how was I supposed to know you would do that?"

Terraspin stopped spinning and returned to his standard form, pointing a flipper at Penny. "You always have to expect the unexpected. The types of enemies we face are dangerous and unpredictable, which means that we have to keep you on your toes if you want to beat them."

"Pretty good advice." Rex admitted. "But nanites can be pretty unpredictable too! Penny, next lesson!" Once he was sure the android was paying attention to him, Rex deactivated his Smack Hands and instead brought out his Boogie Pack. "Try this one!"

Penny analyzed the structure of the Boogie Pack, picturing the build in her mind before giving Rex a nod. "Okay… here it goes!" Penny closed her eyes and began focusing on her back again, hoping that the arms would retract in and be replaced with the giant VTOL wings. However, something MUCH different happened. The hands began to transform, with the green spikes on the knuckles retracting in before the hands themselves began to shift into something different. Once the parts were done shifting around, the hands had transformed into a pair of large green and black jet turbines with a set of stabilizer wings on their sides. The arms pulled back into Penny's body and the thrusters settled against her back, giving the android a large jetpack.

Up in the stands, Jaune blinked twice in surprise. "Uh… is that supposed to happen?"

"I don't believe so." Pyrrha disagreed. "Penny! What happened?!"

"I-I don't know, I…" But Penny trailed off when she began hearing the turbines beginning to power up, a fearful look overtaking her face. "Oh no—AAAAAAH!" The jetpack sprang to life with green fire being spewed out of its tail end, sending Penny straight up into the air. As she was sent higher and higher up at increasing velocity, Penny craned her head up to see the approaching ceiling, making her cry out even more before— _SLAM_! Penny's head broke through the ceiling, getting stuck in the cracked stone as the rest of her body hung from where she was trapped, the jetpack powering down soon after.

Ruby's eyes widened in horror and she let out a scream. "AH! Penny! Are you okay?!"

"I think so!" Penny muffled out. She crossed her arms indignantly, mulling over her present predicament. "Well, this is certainly a strange dilemma."

As Ren and Nora craned their heads up to keep their eyes on the robot-girl, the green ninja couldn't help but cross his arms at the display. "This is easily the strangest spar that I've ever seen." Ren commented.

"Penny!" Rex called up to her. "Don't worry, I'm—ARGH!" Rex was cut off when a pair of arms wrapped around his torso, taking him off guard.

"SERPENS SUPLEX!" Yang shouted before performing a powerful suplex, slamming Rex's head into the floor behind her. The EVO's Boogie Pack was also destroyed as a result, the metal falling apart at the seams. Yang got up and dusted off her hands before placing them on her hips. "Ah, learned _that_ one from Rath."

"I noticed." Rex mumbled from his place on the ground.

Winter called out to the EVO from the sidelines. "Remember to keep your guard up, Rex! This may be a practice spar, but it's still a spar!"

After grinning at Yang's successful move against Rex, Terraspin's flipper went right for the Omnitrix. "Don't worry Penny, I'll get you out!" With a slam on the Omnitrix, Terraspin transformed again, this time into… "Chromastone!" The Crystalsapien flew up into the air and hovered next to Penny, speaking to her calmly; "Penny, can you hear me? It's Ben."

"Ben?" Penny muffled. "Please help me out."

"I will, hang on." Chromastone wrapped his arms around her and began pulling with all his might, but to say Penny was stuck would be an understatement. "Jeez! You lodged yourself in there pretty good!" The Crystalsapien's single eye trailed over to the jetpack, and an idea entered his mind. "Say, do you think you could put that thing in reverse?"

"I could try." Penny shrugged before concentrating again. Fortunately for them both, it worked. The turbines swiveled around so that the jets pointed upwards, blasting the green flames once again. Combined with Chromastone's pulling, Penny was quickly dislodged. "Haha! It worked!" However, a quick glance down revealed that both were falling at quite the rapid rate… and that the jets were still on. "This was not the best plan."

_CRASH_! The duo made impact with the ground, sending bits of concrete everywhere and dust up into the air. Yang and Rex approached the crater, wondering if the two were alright. "Ben? Penny?" Yang called out. "You guys okay?"

Once the dust cleared, it revealed Chromastone and Penny both laying down on their backs, with large swirls spinning in their eyes. Chromastone was the first to get up, rubbing his crystalline head in pain. "Ugh, I feel like I'm in a freaking Looney Toons sketch!"

Penny deactivated her new jetpack and got up as well, though she needed Yang to help regain her balance. "WoOoOo! Something tells me that I need to practice flying _outside_ instead."

Rex wore a guilty face as he conceded that fact. "Yeah, flying this soon probably wasn't one of my better ideas." He set a hand on her shoulder. "You wanna keep going or do you wanna stop for now?"

"Are you kidding?!" Penny questioned eagerly. "Let's keep going! I wish to learn more about my new abilities!"

"Oh… great." Chromastone deadpanned.

Rex gave Penny a nod and he widened his stance. "Alright, why don't we try… THIS build?" In an instant, Rex's Punk Busters were built out of his legs, making him tower over Penny. "Okay, so these are my Punk Busters. They come in handy when ya wanna do some stompin'!

Penny tapped her chin, analyzing the build before giving Rex a smile. "Alright, I think I got it!" The redheaded android closed her eyes and focused on her legs, silently hoping that a second pair wouldn't end up sprouting out of anywhere else on her body. Fortunately, her legs began to transmogrify into a set of green and black Punk Busters… ones that were significantly smaller than Rex's. In fact, Penny had barely any height gain from them at all, much to hers and everyone else's confusion. "Uh… did I do it right—WHOA!"

Suddenly, Penny sprung up an extra foot into the air when a set of six glowing green spikes appeared from underneath each boot, taking everyone aback. Rex blinked in surprised. "Huh, you know, Penny, for as innocent as you look, your builds sure have a lot of pointy bits on 'em."

Penny bent over to gaze at her new spiked boots, just as astonished at the others. "I know! I have no clue why they're more dangerous than yours."

"Well for now, just do what I do." Rex sprang up before coming back down, readying his Punk Busters to make impact with Yang. "Here I come!"

Yang's eyes widened and she raised her arms up, stopping the boots from making contact with her. However, the force of the impact was so great that it made the ground beneath the Blonde Brawler crumble beneath her. "Gah! Jeez, really?!" Yang reeled an arm back before punching one of the large boots with her Ember Celica, unloading a Fire Dust round that made the large foot break upon contact. "Time for me to get a _leg_ up in this fight!"

"Ah-ha! Excellent word play!" Penny said before setting her sights on Chromastone, ready to follow Rex's lead. With a mighty grunt, she launched herself into the air, ready to bring the spiked weapons down onto the Crystalsapien. But Chromastone followed his girlfriend's lead as well, raising his hands to halt the weapon's impact. However, the spikes ended up chipping his hands, making him cry out in pain. This allowed Penny to send a kick to Chromastone's gut, making him tumble back. Penny lifted her arms up in victory. "Yes! These weapons are _very_ affectual!"

"Heh, yeah." Chromastone said as he shook the pain from his hands. A split second later, they lit up with power as he took aim with them intending to bring Penny's legs down to size. "But now, it's time to get footloose!" With a powerful energy blast to her legs, Chromastone sent Penny tumbling back, with the legs quickly retracting back into her body. Chromastone placed his hands on his hips and gazed down to the android. "How about some ranged weaponry next? I'm kinda getting tired of sharp objects being used to hurt me."

"Hey, not a bad idea!" Rex deactivated his remaining Punk Buster and turned back to Penny, lifting up a single arm for demonstration. "Alright, Penny, here's my last standard weapon build." His arm began to glow blue and, before Penny could blink, Rex's Slam Cannon burst out from his arm, with Rex holstering it against his shoulder. "Alright, so THIS is a Slam Cannon. It's pretty simple to work, actually. You just take aim…" Rex pointed the cannon right at Yang. "Load your ammo…" The cannon's maw reached down and loaded the cannon with a piece of the concrete floor. "And FIRE!"

The Slam Cannon blasted the large piece of concrete out straight at Yang, but the Blonde Brawler was quick to act. She reared her fist back and, with a loud battle cry, punched the concrete into a thousand tiny pieces, to Rex's shock and astonishment. "Yeah, you're gonna need somethin' bigger than that to take me down, Banana Boy." Yang smirked.

Rex furrowed his brow and pointed a finger at her. "Hey, my jacket hasn't smelled like bananas for three days straight!"

"You're _welcome_ , by the way!" Weiss called out from the stands.

Rex held a thumbs up to her. "I was gonna credit you, Weiss, don't you worry about that!"

Penny analyzed the Slam Cannon and smiled, ready to see if she could create one of her own. She held up a hand and put it into a fist, closing her eyes to concentrate on it. "Alright… here it goes!" It only took a few seconds to get results… but they weren't the results she was expecting. Her Smack Hands burst forth from her back once again, initially confusing everyone before the pair of arms began to transform further as they had done before. The fists became a pair of rectangular gun barrels, with the insides glowing green with energy. The rest of the arms began to transmogrify to resemble the back half of the Slam Cannon before settling on Penny's shoulders. By the end of it all, Penny now had a pair of large laser cannons on her shoulders, making everyone's jaw drop. "…These arms are just full of surprises."

"What's next?!" Rex hollered. "Is she gonna have my Ride integrated into her Punk Busters?!"

Chromastone payed Rex's outburst no mind, instead clenching his fists and widening his stance to brace himself for whatever came next. "Well, Penny? You gonna test those things out or what?"

"…I'm kind of afraid to." Penny admitted. "Something as powerful as these could bring the whole place down!"

"Don't worry, so long as you aim them at me, there won't be any damage." Chromastone made a 'bring it on' motion with his hand. "Now c'mon, hit me!"

"Well… if you say so." Penny furrowed her brow at Chromastone as the large laser cannons began to power up, humming as the light in the large barrels began glowing brighter and brighter. All at once, two powerful energy beams blasted out from the cannons and slammed into Chromastone, but the Crystalsapien simply raised his hands at took the attack. "What's going on?!" Penny asked in awe.

"Chromastone is absorbing the energy!" Gwen answered from the sidelines. "He's a living conductor!"

Once the large laser beams stopped firing, Chromastone lowered his hands to reveal that all of his red crystalline parts were glowing with energy, taking Penny by surprise. "That is… amazing." she uttered.

"You think THIS is cool?" Chromastone pointed to the Omnitrix on his chest. "I've got a bunch of other guys who're just as powerful. If not, MORE powerful." The crystals on Chromastone's body stopped glowing and he hit the Omnitrix again, transforming back into Ben. "Okay, why don't we take five for now?"

"This time, I wholeheartedly agree." Penny nodded as her laser cannons retracted into her back. She sat on the floor and let out a sigh as the group on the bleachers came onto the now VERY damaged arena, all of the teens still quite amazed by what they had seen. "Phew, that… was really intense."

"Yeah, but you did great!" Ruby assured as she knelt down next to her friend. "Honestly, those new weapons of yours are pretty awesome!"

Penny gave a small smile back to her friend. "Yeah, I just wish I knew how to handle them better."

Rex came over and knelt next to Penny as well, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, if it counts for anything, I had a LOT of problems handling my weapons the first time, too. It's hard to get the hang of, but trust me, you'll get better with more training." He glanced up to the ceiling right where Penny had made impact, smirking at the large crack that had formed. "…But we may have to do it in a place that's a bit more… open."

"Yeah, but where?" Jaune pointed out. "There aren't exactly a whole bunch of options for training grounds that've got vast, open areas around here."

"And the ones that are nearby have multiple Grimm." Pyrrha added whilst counting off her fingers. "Mountain Glenn, Emerald Woods, Forever Fall, their Grimm population has all but increased after the attack on Beacon."

Rex gave them a confident smile. "Well then, we may just have to take our chances, now won't we?"

Weiss rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I swear, it's like you HAVE a death wish, or something."

"I like to think of it more as "reckless determination"." Rex clarified before clapping his hands together. "Now, who wants the arena next?"

Blake raised her hand and linked an arm with Sun. "We would, actually." Her eyes then went to the badly beaten arena floor. "But something tells me we won't be using this arena until it gets fixed… again."

Ben grinned and brought up the Omnitrix again. "Oh, that'll be easy." He slammed the core down and, in a flash of green light, Ben had transformed into… "Clockwork!" The Chronosapien pointed away from the arena and said; "Alright, I need everyone to take a few steps away while I fix things up here."

Nora tilted her head in confusion. "How's this alien gonna fix the arena?"

Yang gave the Pink Dynamo a grin. "You'll see. Now c'mon, let's give Ben some space." The Blonde Brawler led the whole group back to the bleachers, giving Clockwork an adequate amount of space to do his thing. "Alright, Green Boy! Turn back the clock!"

"I'm on it!" Clockwork confirmed as the key on his head began spinning and his inner mechanisms started to move. The Chronosapian thrust his hands forward and a wave of time energy burst out from them, encompassing the entire arena. Suddenly, all of the bits and pieces that had been blown off of it during the spar started to revert back into their proper place, the concrete practically fusing back together. The group stared on in astonishment, aside from Ben, Gwen and Yang who had already seen this many times before. After a few more seconds, Clockwork stopped and transformed back to Ben, with the hero giving a; "Ta-da! Please, hold your applause."

Winter pointed at the arena, still in disbelief over what happened. "H-How… how did you—"

"Time manipulation." Ben answered. "It's how I beat the Grimm Dragon. But instead of sending the battle field _forward_ in time, I sent it _back_ in time to its original state."

"So THAT is how these arenas are so pristine whenever we come back here!" Athena realized. "You fix them when you and Yang are done with your training."

"Exactly." Yang nodded. "Trust me, once you see what we CAN do to this place after we scrap, you'll know exactly why we fix 'em up."

"Hehe, yeah, talk about wild." Ben chuckled before shifting his attention over to Blake and Sun. He jabbed his thumb to the arena and asked; "So, I believe you guys had first dibs?"

* * *

As Amity Colosseum floated just above the waters in the port of Vale, a dropship began approaching the giant structure. But, from the perspective of the average person, they wouldn't have been able to see _anything_. The dropship was outfitted with a special cloaking device which, while still only experimental, was still able to provide the vessel with a five-minute interval of invisibility. And for Cinder Fall, this was good enough.

The Fall Maiden herself was in the driver's seat, flying the dropship to their destination. "We are approaching Amity Colosseum." She called back to the two scientists that she was transporting. "Prepare to disembark once we land."

"Ah, splendid!" Doctor Animo cupped his hands together and rubbed them with anticipation. "I have been waiting for this day for oh so very long!" The mad doctor whirled around to his more sound of mind compatriot. "Watts, how is our mutagen holding up?"

"Safe and secure, Animo." Watts assured, lightly tapping the two canisters full of the green substance to prove his point. The two containers were individually marked with the words "Rhinoceros" and "Warthog" to tell them apart. "These are not going anywhere, I assure you."

"Excellent!" Animo exclaimed. "The hour of our triumph draws ever nearer! Soon we shall have the miracle of science to thank for our victory!"

Cinder raised a single brow at the scientist's mad rambles, which were quickly getting on her nerves. "Do not forget, Lady Salem is the reason WHY you were able to keep this research going in the first place, Animo." the Fall Maiden pointed out. "If there is anyone you should be thanking, it's her."

"Oh, but of course!" Animo raised his hand up into the air as the ship came to a halt in the docking bay. "I owe Lady Salem a great deal of gratitude, and I plan on paying her back in full with this great accomplishment."

Watts stood up and nodded. "For both yours and my sake, Animo, I certainly hope you're right." The back ramp of the ship lowered and the trio were met with Rojo, Hog and Skull, though the bounty hunter herself didn't seem to be too happy. "Oh, well isn't this uplifting? Being met with the duo who will soon be titans among men… and the most displeased face I have ever seen."

Rojo promptly flipping the doctor off. "Put a sock in it, 'Stache Man." she said dismissively. "I've gotta talk to Cindy." Rojo glanced back to the two brutish men behind her and nudged her head toward the ship. "Hog, Skull, get your pods outta that ship an' bring 'em downstairs, will ya?"

The duo did as they were told quickly and without question, much to Cinder's surprise. "My word, they seem rather… focused today." she commented as she strolled down the ramp.

Rojo stepped closer and crossed her arms. "Yeah, those two have had revenge on the mind since last night." The bounty hunter clenched her fist in rage. "Cindy… the twerps came here. And they beat us _bad_."

Cinder's eyes widened and she grit her teeth, her hands briefly erupting with balls of fire. "WHAT?! How did they know you were here?!"

"They didn't. They came here for a different reason." Rojo brought up her right gauntlet and pressed a button, bringing up a holoscreen. "This is security footage that the cameras caught from last night's brawl. I ripped these to show you what happened, 'cause… really, I couldn't do it justice."

The Fall Maiden drew closer to the footage, but was instantly confused at what she was seeing. It was a purplish-pink humanoid creature with long, glowing pink hair that was floating high up into the air. It also appeared to be levitating a body while channeling some sort of green energy into it. The green energy was so bright that it caused the body to be cast in shadow, so Cinder couldn't quite make out its details. "What is that pink creature?" she asked.

"That's Tennyson's cousin." Rojo explained. "Apparently, she can change into an alien form made of pure energy."

"Fascinating!" Watts commented as he and Animo peered closer to the footage. "A living source of energy could be quite useful in our hands."

"Not important." Rojo dismissed. "Take a look at what she's levitating." Back on the holoscreen, the bright green energy flow stopped and both Gwen and the body floated to the ground… and Cinder saw a flash of red hair as the body fell. Suddenly, the camera view changed to that of Rojo standing over Ruby, the bounty hunter ready to deal her finishing blow. But just as she brought her sword down, the levitating person rushed in and grabbed the sword, stopping Rojo's strike. Rojo paused the footage and zoomed in on the person, revealing it to be Penny. "I'm guessing that you're familiar with her?"

Cinder's mouth hung open in shock, but her brows were furrowed in anger. "It LIVES?! The android LIVES?!"

"Android?" Animo questioned. "What in the world are you talking about?!"

Cinder clenched her hands into fists in frustration before crossing her arms, her anger flowing through her like a fire just waiting to burst out. "The android classified as "Penny Polendina" was an artificial life form with the ability to utilize an Aura, meaning that it was a robot with a soul. It was created by Atlas Tech and the Atlesian Military to make the perfect weapon, and I coordinated its death at the Vytal Festival to reveal its true nature to the world. I intended to make it seem like Atlas was building war machines in disguise while at the same time making it appear as if _they_ were the ones responsible for the attack on Vale."

"And we all know how THAT turned out." Watts rudely remarked, earning him a punch in the gut by Rojo which sent him to the ground.

"TIME and PLACE!" Rojo snarled before glancing back up to Cinder. "The twerps made off with her as soon as she was brought back to life."

"But how WAS it brought back to life?!" Cinder insisted. "Did Tennyson's cousin have something to do with it?!"

"Probably." Rojo confirmed. "The girl's a REALLY powerful sorceress. Don't think she's as powerful as the Boss Lady, but she's still pretty skilled."

"The fact that she brought a living being back from the dead proves that." Animo stated. "Scientists have been trying to make that accomplishment for _centuries_ , but of course it's always _magic_ that comes through on THAT miracle!" Animo threw his arms up and hollered; "Curse those heroes and their blasted spells!"

Rojo rolled her eyes before focusing back on Cinder. "I wanted to wait for you to get here so that we could map out our plan of attack. So, what do you wanna do about this?"

Cinder pursed her lips in contemplation before coming to her final decision. "There are far greater concerns here at the moment. As much as I wish to know HOW they resurrected that machine and destroy it again with my own hands, we have a certain project that needs tending to." Cinder nodded toward Animo. "Doctor, grab your mutagen and head to the lower levels. We will enact your plan as soon as we are all ready."

"Excellent!" Animo rushed back onto the dropship and grabbed the two canisters before running back down the ramp, taking no mind when he accidentally stepped on Watts' back. "Come Watts! The new age of scientific advancement awaits us!"

Watts merely let out a weak groan of pain on the ground, which amused Rojo greatly. "Ah, walk it off." she waved down to the doctor. "You'll be fine."

Cinder smiled wickedly at the display, finding great catharsis in seeing Watts hobble away in pain. "I was initially quite upset at the news you gave me, Rojo. But now, I feel much better after seeing that."

"Ah, I knew you would. Now c'mon, the others are waiting downstairs."

"Wait." Cinder raised a hand before pointing to the ship. "Watts made new armor and weaponry for Thaddeus and Farkas. We will need to bring those down with us as well."

"Ah, good." Rojo nodded. "I know the boys'll be REALLY pumped for those."

* * *

Mercury grunted in frustration as he finished the repairs to his legs… for what had to be the third or fourth time in a single month. The silver-haired assassin was using a medical bay to perform his repairs, mostly so he could just vent in private. He was beginning to lose patience with the heroes, and he was looking forward to the next time they would fight. _'One side has to give sooner or later, and_ _hopefully it's those damn heroes. They'll get what's coming to them, I swear it!'_ Just then, a knock came at the door causing him to gaze up. "Yeah? What is it?"

The door opened and Emerald strolled in, giving him a smirk. "Well that's ONE way to greet a teammate."

"Hey, I'm pissed off beyond belief, what'd you expect?"

"Well, you're not the only one." Emerald agreed as she sat down next to him. "But hey, Cinder just got here with Animo and Watts. You ready to see some hideous mutations?"

"Eh, yeah, I guess." Mercury shrugged before glancing away.

Emerald narrowed her eyes before crossing her arms. Something was wrong, and she was going to get to the bottom of it. "Alright, what's up? You haven't said anything snarky to me since we got back from the Atlas mission. What's got you in the dumps all of a sudden?"

Mercury turned back to her, staring straight at her for a couple seconds before glaring down at the ground. "You mean _other_ than getting our asses kicked by those idiots again? It's nothing. Besides, it's really kind of stupid, anyway."

The green-haired thief placed her hands on her hips. "I'll be the judge of that."

Mercury shifted his eyes up reluctantly. "Promise not to laugh?"

A smirk appeared on Emerald's face. "Merc, you're asking that like you're a little kid. Now man up and tell your partner about what you're thinking about."

A grin slowly began to form on Mercury's face at Emerald's little jab. "Heh, alright, alright, I get it." He let out a sigh before spilling his guts. "Listen, I know that this is gonna sound stupid, but… I think I have a thing for Subdora."

Emerald's eyes widened and a slight panic went through her. "Oh, really?" She decided to take another jab at him to ease her nerves. "Heh, never figured you'd be into chicks with tails."

If Mercury was fazed by the little taunt, he didn't show it. Instead, he just pressed on with expressing his thoughts. "Yeah, well, here's the thing… I think _she_ might have a crush on Exo-Skull."

That part, Emerald was aware of. However, she feigned ignorance to make sure Mercury was none the wiser. "No way! Seriously? Of all people, why in the hell would someone as high class as Subdora fall for someone as doltish as Skull?"

"That's what I've been asking myself!" Mercury exclaimed before holding his forehead in his hand. "At this point, I don't know what to do! Do I tell her what I feel about her? I'm pretty sure she'll say no if she DOES have the hots for Skull."

Emerald crossed her arms again in faux-contemplation. "Yeah, maybe." She pondered over what to do in this situation for a good few seconds before speaking up again. "Actually, now that you mention it, I think I saw Skull making goo-goo eyes at Subdora a few times these past few days." She winced as Mercury craned his head back up to her with a surprised expression. "Mercury, I… I have a feeling that he might like her back."

Mercury ran his fingers through his hair at the news. "Ugh, great! Just great! Now my chances are even slimmer!"

"Well, yeah, it definitely sucks, but it's not the end of the world." Emerald said in an attempt to reassure her partner.

Mercury clenched a hand on his knee. "Yeah, yeah I know. It's just… I was kinda… you know."

"Yeah, I get ya." Emerald nodded. The two remained in silence for a little while before Emerald placed a hand on Mercury's shoulder, making his eyes go back up to her. "Listen, Merc, you and I both know that I'm not really all for the whole "comforting" thing, but at the end of the day… I'm your partner. If there's anything you need to talk about, you can tell me." She gave him a thumbs up. "I've got your back, promise."

Mercury stared at her for a couple seconds before giving her a smile and holding out his hand. "Thanks, Em. I appreciate it."

Emerald shook his hand, returning the smile in earnest. "No problem. Now put on your legs, we've got a meeting in five."

"On it." Mercury pulled his legs off the table and reattached them, standing up soon after. "So, it's finally time for those bozos to become animal people, huh?"

"I think the term is "mutants", Merc." Emerald corrected with a hint of snark.

"Well yeah, but at the end of the day, that's what they're gonna be; animal people."

"Hey, the mutation hasn't happened yet." Emerald pointed out. "For all we know, this experiment could go horribly wrong and the guys'll be transformed into something with four arms and six legs. Besides, I think "mutant" still applies whether that happens or not."

Mercury just shrugged. "Eh, whatever." But then, a thought occurred to him. "Hey, if Hog and Skull DO get transformed into monsters with that many arms and legs, you think that maybe Subdora and I could still have a shot? Maybe if Skull's a hideous monster, then maybe I'll get lucky."

' _Shit!'_ Emerald screamed in her head. She forced herself to remain calm as she answered; "Well, I guess anything's possible." But on the inside, she was anything BUT calm. _'For god's sake, Animo, you had BETTER hope that mutagen of yours works!'_ As the frustrated thoughts continues to run around through her head, Emerald glanced over to Mercury again, bewildered as to why she was having these thoughts in the first place. _'Why in the hell do I feel so strongly about this?'_

* * *

Back on Patch, the group had just gotten back from their training session as the clock struck eleven. The group of teens were strolling toward the house, many of them still exhausted from their training session. "Ugh, can't wait to wash this all away!" Neptune said in relief before glancing to a certain Invincible Girl. "You do NOT mess around when it comes to training, Pyrrha. That was some spar you gave me."

"I would hope so." Pyrrha nodded toward him. "Your skills are definitely improving from what I've seen, Neptune."

Nora nudged the blue-haired boy in the side. "Now all ya gotta do is conquer that crippling fear of water and you'll be golden, my friend!"

"Uh, heh, maybe not _unstoppable_." Neptune chuckled nervously. "But I get where you're coming from."

Over near the front of the group, Rex gave Penny a pat on the shoulders. "You've done well, my pupil. We've seen what you can do, and now we just gotta help you master your builds." He pointed a finger at her. "And more importantly, we've gotta come up with fancy names for those builds too."

Penny tilted her head. "Wouldn't it be easier to call them by what you named yours?"

"Yeah, but these are _your_ builds, Penny." Rex emphasized. "And they've got their own unique spin on what my builds are capable of. So, we've gotta give them clever names."

"And that sounds great." Ruby agreed. "But that'll have to wait until later." She directed her attention over to Penny. "Because pretty soon, Penny and I'll be leaving for town. We've got a little get-together that we've gotta get to."

"Oh, yes! Your friends will be waiting for us, won't they?" Penny recalled before letting out an excited squee. "EEE! This is going to be sensational! My first proper hang out with friends! We could go to the salon, or maybe the mall? Oh! And we can talk about cute boys!"

Ruby smiled and let out a little laugh. "Haha, I'm not sure if Ollie's going to want to go to the salon or talk about cute boys. But if that's what you wanna do, Penny, then we'll do it! I'll have Daisy make Ollie get a manicure _and_ pedicure if I need to."

"Haha! Well, I don't think you need to go THAT far." Penny laughed. "I'm just happy that I'm FINALLY spending time with people who aren't constantly watching me." Penny's eyebrows rose up as she remembered something. "Oh my gosh, I hope Ciel and the others are okay."

"Oh, I'm sure they are." Weiss reassured as the team, Athena and Winter all entered the house. "But just to be safe, we'll ask General Ironwood the next time we see him."

"Definitely." Ruby nodded. However, the moment that Ruby caught sight of the clock, her eye brows rose in shock at the time. "Oh, crud monkeys! Penny, we're due in town in fifty minutes! We gotta get ready!"

As Ruby and Penny were just about to exit the kitchen and head upstairs, a rather familiar voice stopped them in their tracks; "Why in such a rush, Ruby? No time to chat?" The two girls whirled back around toward the kitchen table, as did the others, and all of them reeled back in surprise. There, sitting with his pocket watch in hand, was Professor Paradox, giving a small smile to the two girls. "Don't worry, we have all the time in the world to have a quick conversation. At least _I_ do, anyways."

"Paradox?!" Ben exclaimed, which snapped everyone else out of their shock.

Unfortunately, this also included Winter and Athena, and the two women immediately went on the offensive. Athena withdrew her javelin and pressed the blade up to Paradox's neck, to which Winter did the same with her own blades. "Who are you?!" Athena demanded. "How did you get into this house?!"

"And more importantly, what are you here for?" Winter added. "How do you know Ruby?"

"My word," Paradox said, his smile unwavering. "So many questions all at once." He glanced over to Ruby with an inquisitive eye. "I am to assume that ALL of the adults in your house are THIS overprotective?"

"Nah, just my dad." Ruby answered before going over and setting a calming hand onto the two women's shoulders. "Athena, Winter, it's alright. This is Professor Paradox. He's a friend of Ben's from his dimension."

"What Ruby's saying is true, mother." Pyrrha supported. "Paradox is the whole reason we were able to bring Penny back in the first place."

Athena's eyes widened at the revelation and she brought the javelin away from Paradox's throat. "He is?"

"Pyrrha's right, sis." Weiss approached Winter in an attempt to calm her down. "Now please take the swords away from the nice time traveler's neck."

Winter's eyebrows furrowed in skepticism, but she sheathed her swords anyway, slightly intrigued by what her sister said. "A time traveler, you say?"

"Correct!" Paradox stood up and put his pocket watch back in its usual place. "Thanks to a happy little accident with an experimental time vortex, I was expelled outside of the constraints of the regular flow of time. For myself, that happened many millennia ago, but in regular time, a mere fifty or so years had passed."

Winter quirked an eyebrow. "That sounds like it would drive any man insane."

"Oh, but it did." Paradox confirmed. "I went absolutely mad… but then I got bored with that after a while. I then became sane, _very_ sane. After that, I began to learn everything that I could about the spacetime continuum, and as a result, I can now travel to anywhere or any _when_ I wish."

"And what did that cost?" Athena asked. "There must have been some catch."

"Well, _some_ memory loss occurred." Paradox admitted. "Though outside of my real name, nothing all that important was lost."

Blake's eyes widened. "Wait, you don't even know your own _name_?!"

Ben gave her a nod. "Yeah, why do you think we call him Professor Paradox? It's the best we could come up with, and he likes the ring of it."

"That I do." Paradox nodded. "But enough with the semantics, I came here to check in with how my riddle went over…" He glanced over and smiled to Penny. "But I see that you managed to figure it out just in time."

Penny glanced over to Ruby with a confused expression. "Uh, Ruby? What is he talking about?"

Ruby gave Penny a reassuring grin before leading her over to the time traveler to introduce them to each other. "Penny, this is Professor Paradox. Like Weiss said, he's a time traveler, and he's the reason why we were able to bring you back." She turned her head to Paradox and began to make a formal introduction. "Professor, this is Penny—"

"Penny Polendina!" Paradox extended his hand in greeting. "It's such a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Oh, likewise." Penny reciprocated as the two shook hands. "But I must ask… how did you know that… well…"

"That you could be brought back to life?" Paradox guessed, to which he received a nod from Penny. "Well, it's quite simple, really. Because I am able to exist outside of the boundaries of time, I am able to see what most others cannot. I went back to the moment of your death and I could see your soul leaving your body and go into the spirit world. So I came here, or rather _yesterday_ , to the present and gave a little hint to Ruby and the others. And because I am able to travel into the future, I knew that they would be able to figure it out. But of course, that future was also yesterday, so now everything is in the past one again."

As Paradox spoke, Penny just became more and more confused. It was to the point where her right eye was twitching in an attempt to figure all of this out. "I am VERY confused."

"That's basically how we feel every time we deal with him." Kevin shrugged. "You'll get used to it, though."

Sun leaned over to Blake and whispered; "Paradox might be REALLY confusing, but damn. He sure knows his stuff, huh?"

"Yeah, though that can be both a blessing and a curse depending on how you look at it." Blake countered before speaking up to Paradox. "If you knew that we'd succeed, then why are you coming in to "see how your riddle went over"?"

"Well in truth, that isn't the _only_ reason I came here today." Paradox clarified before facing the The Alien Trio. "You see, I come bearing news from your world."

"Really?" Gwen asked. "Well, what's going on there?"

"A number of things, actually. One is rather good news, while the other is only semi-bad news." Paradox held up a single finger. "Firstly, I think you will all be happy to know that the construction of the large Dimensional Doorway is underway as we speak. Caesar says that at the rate they're going, they should be done by either Wednesday or Thursday this week."

That got a massive cheer from the group of teens, with Rex's being one of the loudest. "Alright! Leave it to my brother to not waste any time!"

"That's great!" Yang smirked over to Ben and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "We'll get to see your world pretty soon, huh?"

Ben smiled back and gently grasped her other hand. "Yeah, and I can't wait for you to see it! I think you're gonna like what you see."

Yang gave him a sly wink before giving him a peck on the lips. "I think that mission's already been accomplished."

With a grin and a roll of her eyes, Gwen focused back to Paradox. "That's great to hear, Professor. But what about the "semi-bad" news?"

"Ah yes, that." Paradox reached into his pocket and produced a rolled-up piece of glossy paper. He unfurled the parchment, revealing it to be an eight by ten photograph. "An off-duty Plumber was on vacation with his family in Norway a couple days ago, and he saw something… or rather _someone_ perusing through one of the local museums there." Paradox pointed to the middle of the picture and handed it to Gwen. "I believe that you know this woman rather well."

Gwen took the picture and her eyes widened when she saw who was in it. It was a certain silver-haired woman, and she was gazing right into a large glass display case full of ancient stones and pottery. "Oh god, this isn't good."

"Why's that?" Weiss asked as everyone gathered around her. "What's wrong, Gwen?"

Gwen glanced up and met with everyone's gaze. "You guys remember how I said my spellbook originally belonged to someone else, right?"

"Yeah, you said you snagged it from some girl named Charmcaster." Neptune recalled.

"Hmm, the name sounds familiar." Jaune piped up. "But I don't think I remember you ever mentioning that about your spellbook."

"You're right, because you guys weren't here for that." Gwen clarified. "You were distracting Ruby at the mall yesterday when all of that came up."

Ruby crossed her arms. "Okay, so who IS this "Charmcaster"? And why is she in…" The Hooded Huntress trailed off before glancing back to Paradox. "What did you say the place was called?"

"Norway." Paradox repeated. "A northern country on the continent of Europe on Earth."

"As for why _Charmcaster_ of all people is there, I have no clue." Gwen continued. "And to answer your question, Ruby; Charmcaster is an old enemy who Ben and I fought when we were kids. Her uncle, an evil sorcerer named Hex, is actually one of our more powerful enemies. At least when he has the right materials at his disposal. Charmcaster actually became sort of a frenemy a while ago… but we're still not on speaking terms." Gwen's eyes glanced back to the picture of the silver-haired sorceress. "Anyway, the last time I saw her, she confined herself to her home in Ledgerdomain. But why she's in Norway is anyone's guess."

Weiss inquired further. "And what exactly IS Ledgerdomain?"

"It's an entire realm comprised of magic." Ben explained. "It practically _flows_ in that place.

"It's also really confusing when it comes to a sense of direction." Kevin added. "Up is down, left is right, and every path you take almost seems to lead nowhere."

Gwen glanced up to Paradox. "Is this the only photo the Plumber took?"

The professor gave her a nod. "Unfortunately, yes. He said that Charmcaster spotted him and she teleported away before he could catch up with her."

"Hmm… I see." Gwen set the picture on the table, allowing the whole team to get a good look at Charmcaster.

When the teens saw the young woman, their eyes widened at what she was wearing. It was a sleeveless purple and black dress with a hot pink sash around her waist and a high collar that matched it. She also wore black fingerless gloves with pink trim along with a pair of dark purple tights on her legs. On her chest, there was a pink gem that was bordered in gold, securing it to her dress. Finally, on the young woman's head was a black headpiece that was shaped like a pair of thin horns with pointed tips, which everyone had noticed first and foremost. Her physical traits also garnered attention, mainly her pointed ears, her silver hair and her violet eyes. She also wore violet eye shadow and deep purple lipstick to match her overall appearance. At the end of it all though, Weiss summarized the girl's appearance pretty well; "Oh my, um… well she certainly has an… _interesting_ choice in fashion."

"Indeed." Penny put a finger to her chin. "And I don't think I've ever seen that much purple make up before."

"Maybe so…" Neptune nodded, "but DAMN, she is pretty as all hell!"

"You read my mind, dude." Rex concurred. "She's attractive in that villainess kinda way, you know?"

Weiss crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at Rex. "Hmph, she's not _that_ pretty."

Pyrrha furrowed her eyes at the picture. "Indeed. Her appearance is quite gaudy, almost as if counterculture had a spokesperson." She raised an eyebrow to her boyfriend. "Wouldn't _you_ say so, Jaune?"

Jaune picked up on the subtext right away and instantly agreed with her. "Oh, psh, yeah. Her outfit's practically _screaming_ in my face."

Ben folded his arms before getting the conversation back on track. "Okay, if we're all done making comments about Charmcaster," he chided, "could we please get back to the subject at hand?" The team instantly took the hint and stopped making their comments, which Ben was thankful for. "Thank you, now let's see that picture. Maybe there's something that we're missing here." He went to grab the photo, but Yang plucked it off the table before he did. "Huh? Yang?"

"Sorry, babe." Yang waved the picture around before shifting her eyes down to it. "But I'm not taking any chances."

Ben placed his hands on his hips. "What? You think I'll go gaga over the picture? I mean, yeah, I thought that Charmcaster was cute _once_. But after almost getting killed by her at least a dozen times, I'm kinda over her."

Yang gave him a playful smirk and another wink. "Hey, a girl can't be too careful, you know." The Blonde Brawler shifted her attention back onto the picture and focused onto Charmcaster's face. The young sorceress was craning her head downward toward a glass display case that held a rather large stone. There were a bunch of symbols on the stone, ones that Yang somewhat recognized. "Hey Gwen, aren't those markings on that stone the same as the ones in your book?"

Gwen's eyebrows rose up in surprise. "Wait, really? Let me see." Yang passed the photo back to Gwen and the redhead focused in onto the display case, her eyes widening when she saw the markings. "Yep, those are runes." she confirmed. "The language of the old Norse and the way many ancient magic spells are written out."

"The question is;" Ren spoke up, "why is she seeking these runes out? If she is as adept with magic as you say, then why would she be searching out runes carved in stone?"

"Yeah, doesn't she already HAVE a magic rock with a rune carved into it?" Kevin questioned.

Blake quirked an eyebrow at that. "Wait, she does?"

Gwen gave an affirming nod. "Yes, the Alpha Rune. It's the magical object to end ALL magical objects. It holds the true name to magic, thus whoever wields it can control all forms of magic itself." The Anodite put a ponderous finger to her chin. "It also gives its wielder complete power over Ledgerdomain, so why Charmcaster is searching for more runic stones just baffles me."

"It's also a piece of the Map of Infinity…" Ben started, "but that's a story for another time."

Nora slapped her forehead. "Jeez, how far does this rabbit hole GO?!"

"I honestly couldn't tell you, Nora." Gwen admitted. "I'm kinda at a loss here. If I were able to access Ledgerdomain from this dimension, I'd just be able to ASK Charmcaster what's going on. As it stands now though, we'll just have to wait until we get back to our world so that we can track her down…" Her eyes trailed back over to Professor Paradox, hoping for some insightful advice. "I don't suppose that you could give us anymore hints from the future, professor?"

Paradox shook his head. "Regrettably, no. All that I can assure you of is that you WILL be able to get back to your dimension, but that is as far as I can go." The professor turned his gaze out the nearest window, seemingly staring off into space. "But I _can_ give you a word of warning though; As a result of your presence here, many events are either being changed or accelerated, meaning that things that are due to happen within a year or so may happen much sooner than anticipated. Some events may not even happen at all." Paradox moved back around and gave the team a serious face. "I suggest that you all remain on your toes."

Yang crossed her arms defiantly. "Yeah, you told us that a "storm was coming" or something like that?"

"Precisely, Miss Xiao Long." Paradox affirmed. "And I suggest you heed the advice you were given; ask more questions. It could save all of your lives in the end."

Yang's eyes widened as a few of her friends shifted their attention to her, confused as to what Paradox was talking about. But she knew all too well, as did Ben. And that's when Yang remembered; _'Crap, we've got lunch with my mom soon, don't we?'_ She shook her head and gave Paradox a nod. "Uh, yeah. I'll do that."

"Well, that's cryptic as all hell." Kevin remarked. "But then again, what else would we expect?"

Paradox wore a sly grin and gave a ponderous hum. "Well, I would be expecting a call from General Ironwood. In three… two… one." Suddenly, the holographic TV in the living room started ringing, much to everyone's surprise. Winter gave Paradox a sideways glance, to which the professor nodded back. As the military specialist and Athena went into the living room to answer the call, Paradox smiled back to the team and gave them a small wave. "Well, this is a rather important call, so I'll leave you all to it. Farewell for now!" In a bright flash of light, Paradox was gone, leaving the teens in the kitchen by themselves.

"Well, he was certainly… eccentric." Penny said.

"To say the least." Ruby agreed before shifting her eyes over to her sister. "But Yang, what was he talking about? What did he mean by "heed the advice you were given"?"

Yang's eyes went back and forth as everyone focused in on her, waiting for an answer. "Well, you see—"

"Everyone!" Athena called from down the hall, catching everyone's attention. "You all must come in here right now! James has some very important news that he needs to share with you concerning Amity Colosseum."

"We'll be right there!" Ben called back. The hero looked to his team and pointed to the living room. "We'll finish this conversation later. Right now, we've got business."

* * *

"General, are you certain that it's the only way?" Winter questioned as she faced the holoscreen.

" _I am."_ Ironwood reaffirmed. _"I have the utmost confidence in them that they can pull this off. This mission will require a more covert approach, though. So we should consider who will be sent in."_

"Who's gonna be sent where, general?" Ben asked as he and the team entered the living room. His eyes immediately went to the screen and his eyebrows rose in surprise. Not only was General Ironwood on the screen, but so was Cooper, the blonde technopath giving them all a wave as they walked in. "Cooper? Dude, what're you doing over in Vale?"

" _General Ironwood asked me to come here."_ Cooper shrugged. _"He said that he needed my help with a pretty important job. And since the team and I came over to help Beacon with more reconstruction, I was more than happy to assist."_

Gwen stepped forward, interested to learn more. "And what would that "job" be?"

" _I asked Cooper to help me hack into the Amity Colosseum security cameras."_ Ironwood revealed. _"Rather than risk the manpower in sending in a stealth squad, Glynda and Winter suggested that we take a smarter approach with this."_

"The villains have been rather busy since you all left." Winter explained. "And we thought it best to not provoke them if they manage to find our men."

" _And it turned out to be pretty effective."_ Cooper added. _"We've got some interesting footage to show you."_

Yang grinned and pointed at the two. "Well, what're you waitin' for? Let's see what we're dealin' with here!"

Cooper gave her a thumbs up. _"You got it."_ The technopath craned his head downward and began typing a command into a keyboard, bringing up the camera footage in a small window between himself and Ironwood. _"This footage was taken earlier this morning… and I don't think you'll like who you'll be seeing in it."_ The teens watched on as a dropship decloaked and landed in the docking bay, taking them all aback.

"They have cloak tech?!" Kevin exclaimed.

" _Apparently so."_ Ironwood said regrettably. _"The scientists up in Atlas have been developing it for quite a while, and I have a feeling that I know how they got their hands on it."_ As the footage continued, the general pointed to the window. _"Pay attention to who comes off the dropship and you'll see."_

The team focused back onto the footage, where they saw Rojo, Thunderhog and Exo-Skull approach the dropship. A moment later, the craft's ramp lowered… a certain Fall Maiden exited the ship. A few of the teens let out small audible gasps, but Pyrrha just furrowed her brows at the young woman's presence. "Cinder Fall."

"It IS her!" Penny gaped in astonishment. "I recognize her from the Vytal Tournament!"

"Huh, so that's Cinder Fall, huh?" Rex crossed his arms. "She doesn't look so tough."

Pyrrha glanced over to him with a serious expression. "Trust me, she IS."

" _Wait, there's more."_ Ironwood spoke up as Hog and Skull went onto the drop ship and retrieved two large capsules. _"Right there. Those are the experimentation capsules that were stolen from Atlas Tech."_

"Hold on a second." Ben raised a hand as he saw two more figures come walking off the ship, one of whom he was rather familiar to him. "It's Doctor Animo!" The hero's eyes widened in realization. "Oh god, it's happening. He's planning to mutate Hog and Skull in Amity Colosseum!"

" _Seriously?!"_ Cooper asked. _"But… why THERE of all places?"_

"We had a theory going a bit earlier this morning." Blake brought up. "We're thinking that the bad guys could be congregating there so that they can bring down the colosseum itself. What better way to spread fear and confusion than to take down a symbol of unity?"

Ironwood pursed his lips and his eyebrows furrowed at the idea. _"As much as I don't want to admit it, that DOES make sense Blake. And with the increased amount of strength that those two bruisers will have if they DO mutate, they'll have a relatively easy time doing so."_

Ruby clenched her hands into fists. "And of course, _Cinder_ would be there. This kind of destruction is what she lives for."

Just then, back on the screen, Rojo punched someone down to the ground, catching everybody's attention again. "Wait, Cooper, stop the footage." Gwen requested. Cooper did as she asked and Gwen pointed at the screen, specifically at the person Rojo had just punched. "Focus in on that guy there." The camera zoomed in, revealing a mustachioed gentleman with short hair, tanned skin, and in a rather posh get-up. "Who's that?"

"Wait a second…" Weiss narrowed her eyes at the man, getting a cloudy sense of recognition. "I swear, I think I've seen that man before."

" _Most likely."_ Ironwood confirmed. _"We believe that HE is the reason why their dropship has stealth tech on it. Namely because he stole it."_

It was then that Penny stepped forward and focused on the man's face, going through multiple files in her mind before finding one that matched. "My facial recognition software confirms that is Doctor Arthur Watts. Going through his files, it seems that he was a highly respected scientist in the field of bioengineering before being ousted by the community many years ago."

Everyone stared her in awe after she said that. "You know, it's times like these where I forget that your mind is basically like a computer processor." Ruby admitted.

"MUCH more advanced than a computer processor!" Penny cheerily added.

"Wait, bioengineering?" Nora inquired. "The heck is that?"

Ren thought over it before making a guess. "I think it means using artificial body parts to replace lost or damaged ones, right?"

" _Exactly."_ Cooper confirmed. _"But from what Ironwood told me, it sounds like Watts' experiments were rather… unethical. Does the term "unwilling human experimentation" sound as bad to you as it does to me?"_

"That answer should be pretty obvious." Sun answered. "So we know that this Watts guy is an asshole, and Animo is a looney. Put the two evil geniuses together…"

"And you've got a recipe for bad news." Neptune finished. "With their combined smarts, we won't just end up with human-animal people, but we'll have human-animal people with engineered enhancements and built-in weaponry!"

"Holy crap!" Nora hollered. "How can something be so bad, but so awesome-sounding at the same time?!"

Jaune stepped forward with a hand clenched around his sword handle. "We can't let them go through with this." the blonde knight insisted. "If they're able to take down the colosseum, then things could escalate a lot quicker than how the attack on Beacon did."

"Jaune is right." Pyrrha agreed. "If Amity Colosseum falls, the other kingdoms will be quick to blame Vale for it. We need to get the villains out of there as soon as possible."

" _And I agree."_ Ironwood nodded. _"Which is why we've been working on a plan to infiltrate the colosseum… but it's a pretty bold one."_ The general shifted his eyes over to the redheaded Anodite. _"Gwen, you have the ability to teleport, correct? How far does this ability reach?"_

Gwen gave a small shrug. "Pretty much anywhere, really. All I need is a good memory of the place I want to go."

" _And can you teleport others as well?"_

"Yes." Gwen placed her hands on her hips. "Why do you ask?"

" _Because that will be the key to our plan."_ Ironwood pointed right to her. _"If we can get you close enough to the villains without them noticing…"_

Yang quickly caught on to the general's plan. "Then we can just port them outta there with no problem! Pretty smart, but I'm already seeing a big flaw." The Blonde Brawler pointed to the security footage. "I'm betting that if you managed to hack the security cams, that means that they're still online. That's a big problem for us."

Realizing what her sister was talking about, Ruby spoke up as well. "Oh yeah! It means that the bad guys might have access to them already! They'll catch onto the plan the moment that Gwen teleports into the Colosseum!"

Cooper pointed to them. _"Fair point. But I hacked into them, remember? Which means I'll be able to disable them as well."_ The blonde genius flashed his Plumber's badge. _"I'll keep in touch with you guys via the Plumber badges as I shut down the cameras."_

Ben looked to his cousin, who was still thinking over the plan. "Well Gwen? Whaddya think?"

After a few more moments of silence, Gwen craned her head up and gave Ben a nod. "Well, it's really our best option at the moment. We may not have much longer to think this over, so we should probably do it now." The Anodite shifted her attention back to Ironwood. "But something tells me that I'll need back up. And considering the type of mission this is…" Gwen glanced over to Blake knowingly. "…we'll need to rely on stealth."

Blake smiled and rolled her eyes before stepping forward, standing next to Gwen as she gave her a small nudge with her elbow. "Alright, alright, I know when I'm needed. I've got your back on this Gwen, don't worry."

"Ahem." Ren strode forward as well. "I'd actually like to offer my help on this mission as well."

"Yeah, me too!" Sun offered. "I'm plenty stealthy!"

" _Alright then, I'm calling it there."_ Ironwood nodded, setting his gaze down to the three volunteers. _"You three will be plenty of help on this mission. Anymore and we'll just be chancing unneeded attention from the villains. Now, whenever you all are ready, we can begin the mission."_ The general glanced up to Ben and Kevin. _"And boys, just in case, I want you to keep all communication channels open. If something goes wrong, we're counting on you for back up, understand?"_

"We gotcha." Kevin handwaved. "But you're not gonna need us." He gave Gwen a smile and a sly wink. "You've got this in the bag, Gwen. I'll see ya when you get back."

Gwen strolled over and gave Kevin a kiss on the lips, followed by a wink of her own. "Count on it." She stepped back to the holoscreen and gave Ironwood a salute. "Alright, general, we'll contact you as soon as we get there."

" _Very good."_ Ironwood saluted right back. _"Over and out."_ Ironwood closed the transmission as Cooper gave a farewell wave, with the holoscreen closing soon after.

"Come back safe, Blake!" Ruby said as she gave her teammate a hug for good luck.

Yang gave her partner a two-fingered salute. "Yeah, and make sure to keep Sunny-boy outta trouble!"

"Hey!" Sun crossed his arms defiantly. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Blake pat Sun on the shoulder and lead him over to Gwen, who was preparing her teleportation spell. "She's yanking your chain, Sun."

As Jaune and Pyrrha were wishing Ren luck, Nora tapped the green ninja on the arm, catching his attention. "Hey Ren… stay safe over there, okay?" Nora gave him a determined smile. "And smack a few of 'em around for me, will ya?"

"Heh, I'll do my best." Ren smiled back before giving Nora a hug. "I'll be back soon."

Nora blushed slightly before returning the gesture. "You'd better." After a few seconds, the embrace ended and the two parted ways, though they gave each other little waves as they separated.

Once Ren had joined Gwen, Blake and Sun, the Anodite brought up a large pink mana sphere around them, though this one was slightly different than her other ones. While the ones from before were all solid pink, this one practically glowed with energy, which forced everyone else to take a step back. "We'll keep in contact with you, okay?" Gwen called out.

"You got it!" Ben waved back. "We'll see you later, cous'!" And with that, the mana bubble suddenly disappeared without a trace, taking Gwen, Blake, Sun and Ren with it. Ben let out a sigh before turning back to his team. "Well, it seems that things just keep happening around here, don't they?"

"Indeed, they do." Penny agreed with a small grin. "I'm beginning to wonder exactly what it is you guys've dragged me into!"

Ruby got a chuckle out of that. "Hehe, trust me, Penny, you'll get used to—AH!" Ruby suddenly let out a gasp and whirled around to the nearest clock. Her eyes nearly bugged out when she saw the time; twelve-forty. "AAH! We're gonna be late!" Ruby began pushing Penny out of the living room and up the stairs. "We need to get ready!"

Ben and Yang did the same when they saw the time. "AGH! So do we!" Ben exclaimed. "We're gonna be SO late!"

At the hero's outburst, many intrigued heads craned toward them, with Rex asking the obvious question. "Hold on a sec, just what're YOU guys gonna be late for?"

' _SHIT!'_ Yang screamed in her mind. _'C'mon, Yang, think of an excuse!'_ Fortunately, it didn't take long for Yang to think something up, a smile forming on her face as she began to make it up. "Oh, Ben actually made lunch reservations for us, and we _can't_ be late."

Weiss raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh, really? And it _can't_ be put off?"

Ben quickly followed his girlfriend's lead. "Weiss, I made these reservations three days ago, I'm not about to just cancel them. I know that there's an important mission going on, but I promise that I'll keep the channel open and we'll be back as soon as we're done eating." Ben raised his right hand. "I swear it."

After taking it into consideration, Winter folded her arms and let out a sigh. "Alright, but if there's any signs of trouble—"

"We'll be back." Yang assured. "Trust me, we're not about to leave you guys hanging."

"Very good." Winter nodded before turning to Ben. "But before you go, I have something to ask of you, Benjamin." The elder Schnee strode over to the coffee table and picked up the transdimensional communicator with a sheepish smile. "I may not have to go anywhere, but I _do_ have a rather important… _meeting_ with Kenny in a little while." Winter blushed a little. "So, if you would be so kind."

Weiss rolled her eyes at the display, though at the same time, she couldn't help but smile. "Ah, lovebirds, the lot of you! You know, I'm starting to wonder if _everyone's_ made plans this afternoon except me."

"Well, you'd be wrong on that!" Rex exclaimed. "Time for your first Spanish lesson, Ice Princess!"

Weiss facepalmed in chagrin. "And now I just realized what I've gotten myself into."

* * *

**A/N: As Eyeguy would say; "And that's the end of that chapter"! Admittedly, it's a bit less plot heavy than the last couple, but Ruby's Haunted Birthday was one huge stretch of plot, so we were due for a slightly more casual chapter this time around. But we DID find out a few things, including the extent of Penny's new nanite abilities… and how sharp and dangerous they all are. Bad guys beware of the cute redheaded robot. Not only that… but its almost time. I've been building it up since I introduced Hog and Skull into the story, and the time is growing nearer and nearer. Not only that though, but it seems like Charmcaster's reemerged in Ben's world, and she's searching for something concerning runes. Possible set up for a plot point in a future volume? Well you'll just have to wait and see to find out. But for now, NEXT TIME! Hog and Skull's big moment gets underway as Gwen and her team infiltrate the colosseum in hopes of putting a stop to the villain's plan. Meanwhile, Ruby and Penny head out on the town while Ben and Yang do the same… though in the case of out power couple, things might get a little awkward considering WHO they're having lunch with. Take care everyone, and thanks for reading! See ya!**


	66. What Science has Wrought

**A/N: Hey everyone! Time once again for a new chapter! As I alluded to last time, this chapter is a pretty big deal in terms of story. Ever since I introduced them, I've been hinting at a certain… event surrounding Thunderhog and Exo-Skull. And now… well, let's have the chapter itself do the talking, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 66: What Science has Wrought**

* * *

Arthur Watts had to admit, never before in all of his days had he ever meet two people who were so eager to have their DNA tampered with. He was standing in front of Farkas Skullovich and Thaddeus Hogan in the medical lab as both he and Doctor Animo began debriefing them on what exactly would happen once the mutation process would begin. On either side of the two doctors were a bunch of large, black containers, which contained Hog and Skull's new armor and weaponry. The two brutish men were eager to get into their new weapons, but they had been forced to sit and listen as the scientists lectured them. "Gentlemen, your time is at hand." Watts declared.

"You two are about to be the first in a race of super-powered animal-human hybrids," Animo continued, "fashioned by my genetic genius and Watts' bioengineering prowess." The mad doctor held up a single finger. "Now, a word of warning; you WILL feel very strange sensations when your transformations begin."

Skull's eyes narrowed in curiosity. "What kinda sensations?"

"Oh, a mixture of all types of pain." Watts clarified. "Various parts of your body will experience growth, not just in size, but with additional or changed body parts as well."

Hog winced at the thought. "Gee, that sounds… great?"

Animo waved at the mowhawked man. "Oh, I assure you, it will be very brief. Salem's chimera—"

"Lilith!" Rojo called out from the sidelines. Cinder, Mercury, Emerald and Subdora were all over there with her as well, listening in on the doctors' speech. "The little lady's name is Lilith!" Rojo repeated.

"Ugh, yes, _Lilith_." Animo grimaced. "In any case, her pain was only brief when she mutated, and she managed to live though the process of having an entire skeleton grow through her tagmata! So I'm quite positive that you two will be fine!"

Hog and Skull glanced toward each other in apprehension before shifting their eyes back to the two doctors. "Well, hehe, that's… real reassurin', doc." Hog chuckled nervously. "But, uh, just one question; when do we get to see our cool new weapons? Since that redhead and that blonde cheeseball wrecked my old ones, I was hopin' you'd have somethin' for me."

"Yeah." Skull took off his helmet and pointed to the laser in the middle. "My laser's been busted up for days. You think there's any way to fix it?"

Watts gave the large man a knowing smile. "My good fellow, why merely _fix_ a weapon… when you can make it even _better_?" He motioned for Skull to stand up, patting the nearest container as he did. "Come over here and let me show you what I whipped up."

Skull stood up and walked over, staring down to the black container with intrigue. "This… seems a lot bigger than any helmet should be."

"Farkas, once you mutate, your head probably won't be able to fit inside any helmet anymore." Watts explained. "A rhinoceros' head shape is far too elongated for any normal head wear. However, I have whipped something up that should solve that problem." Watts opened up the container, revealing what was inside. "Behold!"

Skull's eyes widened at what he was seeing. It was a really big piece of armor consisting of a headpiece with a large backpack attached to it. The metal was painted a rusty brown and metallic grey, matching his current armor perfectly. The headpiece had what appeared to be some sort of small vent on the top, and a really long horn at its base. The horn itself had a laser lens right at its tip, solving Skull's laser problem instantly. As for the back pack, it had was appeared to be a pair of jets on it, and there was some sort of clip right in the middle of it. Skull hefted his new piece of armor out of the container, glancing over it with astonishment. "Whoa… now THIS is what I'm talkin' about!"

"Indeed." Watts nodded. "I designed it to integrate with your current armor. It took me a while to estimate the correct measurements, but it should be fine." He wagged his finger before moving onto the next container. "Ah, but we're not done yet!"

"Seriously?! There's more?"

"Of course, after all, what's a titan…" Watts lifted up the lid, revealing a REALLY big gun. "without his weapon? Behold… the Executioner."

Exo-Skull's jaw practically fell to the floor. There, sitting neatly in the box, was a _huge_ machine gun, along with a bunch of bandoliers. During his time as a thief, he had studied a ton of weaponry, and there was one model of machine gun that this particular one reminded him of; a Classic Army Vulcan M134-A2. The barrel of the beast was metallic grey as well, while the rest of the weapon itself was the same rusty brown of his armor. In complete and utter awe, Skull struggled to lift the weapon out of the container, making everyone else's jaws drop when they saw it. All except for Cinder, who kept a disinterested face. Once Skull managed to get it out, he asked; "…How much does it cost to fire this weapon?"

"Well over four hundred thousand Lien… at least for twelve seconds at a time." Watts answered. "I put a special clip on your new armor piece so that you may store it when you aren't using it."

Rojo felt herself tingle with excitement, which was a rarity for her. That weapon was just too cool. She burst into a grin and went over to Skull, giving him a pat on the back. "Haha! Holy crap! Congrats, Skull, you're gonna be our very own Heavy Weapons Rhino."

Meanwhile, Mercury and Emerald were still staring on in complete shock. "I wanna shoot that thing." Mercury uttered.

"So do I." Emerald concurred. "But I don't wanna be in dept."

Cinder placed her hands on her hips. "I don't understand the fascination that some people have with weaponry like this. Is it a feeling of power?"

"I can only guess so, _mia cara_." Subdora shrugged. "This is why I only carry a small pocket pistol. Weapons such as that are much too heavy to lug around."

Thunderhog stood up and beamed over to his partner in crime, giving him another slap on the back. "Hey-hey! Would ya look at who's gettin' an upgrade! Good on ya, brotha!"

Skull ran his fingers through his hair, still in disbelief at how awesome the weapon in front of him was. "Heh, thanks man. Hoo boy, this thing'll be fun to use."

"Yeah, and speakin' of which…" Hog turned his attention over to Watts, eager to see what he'd be getting. "Whatcha got for me, doc?"

Watts gave Hog a nod and lead him over to another set of containers. "Ah, Thaddeus, I was prepared for you to ask. Initially, I had no plans in replicating your standard weaponry." Watts reached down and opened the nearest container, revealing its contents. "However, when taking in the factors of your inevitable growth, I took the liberty of scaling up your old weapons as well as your clothes, just in case. I have also made a few… improvements as well."

Hog peered inside and he grinned at what he saw. Not only was there a set of bigger clothes that were almost exactly like the ones he had on, but there was also a slightly upscaled version of his laser visor, purple lens and all. He reached in and set it on his face, finding it to be a bit loose. _'Eh, I'll grow into it quickly.'_ He glanced back into the container and was amazed at what he saw next; a pair of large shock gauntlets that _nearly_ resembled the smaller ones to a T. The only major difference was that there were _five_ fingers to each hand instead of only three, the old ones having been designed for aliens.

"WHOA!" Hog exclaimed as he took off his old shock gauntlets and tossed them to the side. He reached in and pulled one of the new gauntlets on, the weapon just barely fitting him. He wiggled the fingers with a wicked grin. "Now THESE are cool! I always hated how cramped those old gloves were!"

"Yes, they definitely appeared to be quite bothersome." Watts concurred. "Especially while wielding your mace. Which brings me to…" The doctor opened the next container, waving his hand and allowing Hog to approach. "…this."

Hog rushed over and gazed into the container, a wicked grin forming on his face soon after. It was a brand-new, bigger and badder Thunder Mace, the weapon practically glowing with power. He reached in and grabbed the handle of his new mace and lugged it out of the box, laughing as he did. "Ooh hoo-hoo! GOD DAMN! Watts, my man, you outdid yourself with this one. I owe you big time."

"No kiddin'!" Skull agreed. "These weapons are freaking amazing!"

"You wish to repay me?" Watts asked before giving the duo a serious expression. "Then do not, I repeat, DO NOT break them! These weapons were VERY expensive to build, and we're already in deep with them. So make sure they stay intact."

"Yeah, you got it, doc." Skull affirmed. "We'll be careful with 'em." The man smiled as he ran his hand along the barrel of the large minigun. "Ho-ho, I can't wait to test this baby out." Skull glanced over to Animo and pumped his fist. "C'mon, boss, let's get the lead out an' do this!"

Hog cracked his knuckles in anticipation. "Yeah, bring on that mutagen!"

"Of course!" Animo grinned. "But first things first." Animo grabbed a nearby silver suitcase and brought it over to the two. "Now, when your bodies transform, not only will you gain strength, but you will increase in size as well. Thaddeus, as you already know, you will have new clothes waiting for you, and Farkas, your armor will still fit. But while in the chamber, you will have to change into these." Animo opened the suitcase, revealing two pairs of black boxer-briefs, making the men's eyes widen. "Yes, I am aware of how degrading this must be, but these undergarments are designed to expand as you grow."

Cinder and Emerald cringed at the sight of the under garments. "Eugh, I did NOT need the image of Hog and Skull wearing those things in my head!" Rojo gagged in disgust.

"Dear god, I'm gonna hurl." Emerald ran straight out of the room, with Mercury following right behind her.

Cinder rolled her eyes before moving toward the door herself. "Indeed, I do not need to see this happen if they are going to be half naked. Call us when they are fully clothed again, please." The Fall Maiden and Rojo walked out of the room, leaving the four men and Subdora behind.

Watts crossed his arms indignantly. "Hmph, well, and here I was hoping we would have a bigger audience for our little triumph."

"Ah, never mind them!" Animo waved to the door. "They simply don't recognize such a great achievement even when its staring them right in the face!" The doctor whirled back around and shoved the briefcase into Hog's hands. "Now get out of your clothes and put these on, boys. We're about to make history! AHAHA!"

As Animo continued on his tirade, Hog used his thumb and index finger to pick up one of the boxer-briefs out of the case, cringing at the sight of them. "Man, this just ain't right."

Skull did the same, though he grumbled at the thought of having to wear them. "Ugh, I'm with ya on that one." Suddenly, he felt a tapping on his back, causing him to move around in surprise. "Huh?"

"Down here, Farkas." Skull craned his head down to see Subdora, staring up at him with a nervous smile. "Um… _ciao_."

"Oh, uh, hey." Skull greeted. "Why're you saying goodbye?"

"I am not." Subdora elaborated. " _Ciao_ means both "hello" _and_ "goodbye" in Itialian, you know." She took a brief pause before shifting her gaze down to the ground. "Although, I guess you COULD say that I am saying goodbye to you, or at least the _current_ you." She craned her neck back up, her worriedness persisting. "Are you certain that you wish for this to happen to yourself? Once you do this, I have a feeling that there will be no going back."

Skull took in a small breath before giving her a nod. "I know. I've actually thought long and hard about this." Reluctantly, the tall man took Subdora's dainty hand and gently wrapped in his larger digits, giving it a small, yet reassuring squeeze. "Subdora, I know the risks in doin' somethin' like this, but if we ever wanna beat Tennyson an' those damn heroes, Hog an' I gotta do this. We can't keep getting our asses handed to us like we have been for the past couple fights. We gotta let this happen."

Subdora pursed her lips as she squeezed the inside of Skull's hand, pulling herself closer to him as she did. "Very well, but I want you to listen to me when I say this; do not stop being who you are, Farkas." She pointed a finger to his chest. "While you may soon have the appearance of a rhinoceros on the outside, do not forget the man you are on the inside. Because…" A purple blush came to Subdora's face, "you are the man that I have fallen for."

Skull's eyes widened in shock. _'She… she LIKES me?! She REALLY likes me?!'_ He let that revelation stir in his mind for about five seconds before pulling Subdora into a hug, much to her surprise. He smiled down at her and let out a chuckle. "Hah, you have no idea how relieved I am to here that." Skull rubbed the back of his head as he went on. "Because the truth is… I feel the same way. I mean, the moment I first saw you, I fell _hard_."

Subdora let out a joyous gasp. "You DID?!" She leapt up and wrapped her arms around Skull's neck, taking him by surprise. "Oh Farkas! I'm so overjoyed to here that! Kiss me you fool!" Before Skull could even register what she had said, Subdora pulled him into a tender, yet very loving kiss. It took a few moments to let what has happening sink in, but eventually, Skull settled into it, the two blissfully forgetting that they weren't alone in the room.

Hog had a big smile on his face as he pumped a fist into the air. "WOO! My man's got a lady love! Way to go, dog!"

Animo nodded in approval, a smile of his own forming on his face. "Ah yes, this definitely qualifies as "a Hallmark moment". Wouldn't you agree, Watts?"

"If I knew what that was, maybe I would agree with you." Watts stated plainly. "In any case, congrats to them! Almost makes you forget that one is an alien lizard woman and the other will soon be a monstrous rhinoceros-man."

* * *

Meanwhile, up in the large arena, a large pink energy sphere suddenly appeared out of nowhere, carrying four certain individuals within it. The sphere dissipated and Gwen, Blake, Sun and Ren all landed on the stadium floor, with the latter three feeling slightly unwell after their little ride. Blake held her head as she tried to get her balance. "Oh… oh god, that was _not_ pleasant."

Gwen winced as she helped Blake stand up straight. "Oh my gosh, Blake, I'm so sorry! I forgot to say that teleporting for the first time leaves you a bit queasy. It'll pass soon, I promise."

"Oy, I hope so." Sun said as his eyes spun. "I feel like I just got off one of those spinning rides at the carnival." The monkey boy steadied himself before glancing over to Ren, who was surprisingly still up on his feet. Though for some reason, he had his eyes closed and his hands pushed out in front of him. "Hey Ren, how come you're not sick?"

"I do feel a little unpleasant." Ren admitted. "But I'm using a meditation technique to ease the feeling."

Blake was finally able to regain her balance, the discomfort in her gut having finally passed. "Ugh, remind me to ask you about that later on." The cat girl shifted her attention over to Gwen, the Anodite taking out her Plumber's badge. "So, what do we do now?"

"Now, we check in with base." Gwen activated her comm and called Cooper, ready to begin phase two. "Cooper, come in. This is Gwen, do you read me?"

" _Read you loud and clear, Gwen, over."_ Cooper answered on the other end. _"Did you guys make it there okay? None of you landed in the ocean, right?"_

"Nope, we're alright." Gwen glanced around the arena, taking note of the security cameras all around. "How's disabling those cameras going?"

" _Almost there… and… done!"_ All at once, the security cams all around the circumference of the arena began to lower themselves so that their lenses were aimed right at the ground. _"There we go. Now you guys should have no problem sneaking around. Just uh… don't get caught, I guess."_

Sun shrugged. "No worries, we'll get around those bozos."

"Hopefully." Blake added. "Because if we can't… we might have to fight Cinder."

Gwen grimaced at the mention of the Fall Maiden. "There's a pleasant thought." She focused back down to her Plumber's badge, giving Cooper one final report. "We'll report in once we're finished, Cooper. Gwen out." With that, she pocketed her badge and placed her hands on her hips. "Alright team, our mission is to make sure all of these villains are teleported off of this colosseum. And I think I may have an idea how."

"Well, go ahead, we're all ears." Blake urged.

Gwen wore a sly grin as she explained her plan. "It's simple; we wait. Knowing how bad guys operate, they'll probably be checking their cameras often. So once they see that all the cams are out, at least _some_ of them will come out to check on what's happened."

The idea sounded promising to Blake. "It sounds like a good plan, but what if they split up to search the place? If you hadn't noticed…" The cat girl spread her arms out. "The place is big."

"Very true." Gwen agreed. "In that case, I suggest that WE split up ourselves and corner them if they DO split up. Then we'll lead them all back here and I'll teleport them all away." She pointed over to one side of the stadium. "Sun, you take the east side…" her hand then went to the opposite side. "And Blake, you take the west. I'll stay here and keep a look out. If they all end up coming out here, I'll call you."

Sun gave a shrug. "Sounds like a good plan to me."

Gwen directed her attention to the green ninja. "And Ren, I want you to go to the bottom floor and secure it. If you come across any bad guys, do not engage until we make it down there, okay?"

"Understood." Ren nodded. "I'll report whatever I find to you as soon as possible."

"Great." Gwen gave him a thumbs up. "Alright guys, let's blend in with the shadows." The group split up and Gwen's eyes began to glow, the Anodite let out a magical chant; " _Usett inivisus_." In a flash of pink energy, Gwen began to fade from view until she was totally invisible, the redhead sitting cross-legged in the middle of the stadium floor. _"Let the waiting game begin."_

* * *

Back at the Xiao Long house, Weiss was waiting patiently for her new Spanish teacher up in her team's bedroom. Or at least, she was _trying_ to. Rex told her that he would only be five minutes, but at this point, he had been gone for fifteen. _'He better not have stood me up.'_ she thought. _'We're literally in the same house, he KNOWS that I can find him easily.'_ But then she rolled her eyes. "Ugh, listen to yourself, Weiss, you make it sound like you just got snubbed on a date. I wouldn't be caught dead on a date with someone as goofy as him."

However, at that moment, she heard the sound of rapid footsteps approaching, catching her attention. After running up the stairs and bounding across the upper floor, Rex finally made his appearance, breathing hard as he walked in. He had a few pieces of paper in his hand, which confused Weiss immediately. "Phew, sorry I'm late." Rex apologized.

"Where were you?" Weiss asked. "You said you'd only be five minutes."

"Yeah, but I let it slip to Holiday that I was teaching you Spanish, and she wanted to help out." Rex explained as he handed the papers over to Weiss. "She said that these "visual aids" should make learning easier, but I'm not so sure."

"Oh, well that was really thoughtful of her!" Weiss smiled as she plucked the papers out from Rex's hand. "Let's see…" She glanced her eyes over the papers, finding a slew of Spanish words that she didn't recognize. But next to each of them was a dash, followed by a corresponding English word, which she guessed was the Spanish word's translation. Even further beneath a few select words were bullet points with even more words and translations, though these appeared to be phrases rather than just words. Weiss nodded and looked back up to Rex. "Okay, so where do we start?"

Rex tapped a finger on the paper as he pulled up a nearby chair. "Well, we should probably start with the basics. Holiday wrote them out on this page."

"Alright then." Weiss said as she sat on her bed. "Let's get started…" She trailed her finger to the top of the page and her eyes widened at the first word she saw. "…Hold on, the Spanish word for "I" is _yo_?"

"Heh, yep." Rex confirmed. "The word existed a LONG time before it became slang." The EVO held up a hand. "Now, there's some VERY important things about Spanish that you have to know before getting too far. First things first; verbs." Rex pulled another sheet out and pointed to a word. "For example; _estar_. It literally means "to be" in Spanish. But when you combine it with a pronoun like _yo_ , you actually have to change _estar_ in order for it to make sense. In this case, "yo estar" isn't the proper way to say it. You need to make it into this;" Rex pointed to a bullet pointed word that was beneath _estar_. " _Estoy_ , which means "I am"."

"Oh, I get it." Weiss gave Rex a nod. "So verbs and pronouns need to literally be mashed together." Weiss pointed to another bullet pointed word. "So _estás_ means "you are" and is a combination of _estar_ and…" she trailed her finger down the list until she found the word "you" and matched it with its Spanish equivalent... though she mispronounced it when she did "Tuh? What kind of word is "tuh"?"

Rex chuckled at that. "Hehe, it's actually pronounced _tú_. Holiday forgot the accent on that one." The EVO went over to a nearby desk and grabbed a pencil, fixing the error with an acute accent mark. "There, all fixed. I gotta say, I'm really impressed, Weiss. You're starting to get it."

Weiss held her head up high with pride. "Well, I've been told I'm a fast learner."

"But here's where it starts to get tricky;" Rex warned, "sometimes there's another verb that can mean the same thing." Rex pointed to another word on the same sheet. "In this case, _ser_ also means "to be". So when you want to use THIS in a phrase, you use _soy_ or _eres_ in place of _estoy_ and _estás_. You'll find that _ser_ is actually used a lot more than _estar_."

Weiss raised an eyebrow at that. "So… why not just have the one word?"

"'Cause _estar_ is usually for formality, which we'll get to later." Rex explained. "But first, let's get back to verbs. Now, not all verbs end in the same way." He pointed to another word on a different page. "This word, _escribir_ , means "to write". But it also ends in "ir" instead of "ar", which means that it's gonna have different endings." The EVO trailed his finger down to the first bullet pointed phrase. "So if you wanna say "I write", you'd say _escribo,_ not "escriboy"."

"Ah, so the vowel makes all the difference." Weiss trailed down to another bullet point. "So use _escribes_ for "we write" instead of "escribás", got it. Any other things about verbs I should know about?"

"Yeah, when you have a verb that ends with "er", the phrases for "I" will end in "go"." Rex grabbed another sheet and pointed out a new word. "So, a word like _tener_ , which means "to have", will become _Tengo_ ,meaning "I have"."

"Gotcha." Weiss smiled. "I think I'm beginning to understand this a lot better than I thought I would."

"Good, but this is just the present tense." Rex explained. "We'll get to future and past tense later though. Don't wanna over load you with too much info all at once."

Weiss' eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, well I guess that there's a lot more to Spanish than I thought, then."

"Yeah, but don't worry. You're actually doing really good so far!" Rex reassured. "Now, let's get to something that's a bit harder. "The EVO pointed to the next word on Weiss' list, or rather _pair_ of words. " _Usted_ and _tú_ both mean "you" in Spanish."

Wiess narrowed her eyes at the words. "So there are two ways of staying "you" too?"

"Exactly. Like _estar_ , _usted_ is the more formal way of saying "you", while the other is the casual way." Rex stood up and put his hands behind his back, sticking his nose up into the air. "Now, pretend that I'm your sister."

Despite herself, Weiss couldn't help but grin at his impersonation. "Hehe, I don't think Winter sticks her head up that high."

Rex winked down at her. "Hey, just trying to act the way she looks. But the point is that your sister is a high-ranking military official, which means that you need to use the formal "you". Say you wanted to say something like… "how are you" to her. Normally, people would say "¿ _Cómo_ _estás_?", but instead, you would have to say _está_ to be more formal."

"Alright, so…" Weiss scanned her eyes along the papers, searching for the correct words to use. "I'm guessing it would be… _¿Cómo está usted?_ ", is that right?"

"Exactly!" Rex beamed. "But you don't have to say _usted_ at the end of the sentence. The formal _está_ is enough."

"Okay. Phew, and here I thought this was easy." Weiss leaned back on the bed and sighed as she continued to scour over the various words and phrases she was going to learn. "But I AM going to learn this. I'm not about to give up now." She gave a determined grin up to Rex and asked; "Alright, what's next?"

Rex smirked right back at her. "Now, I think it'd be a good time to learn some nouns." He flipped through some more papers before finding what he was searching for. "Ah-ha! There they are!" Rex scooted over and sat next to her on the bed. "Alright, so here's the thing to remember about nouns in Spanish; almost all of them have a masculine and feminine form. So, when you're talking about a boy, you'd say _chico_. And for girls, its _chica_."

Weiss eyed the sheet that Rex was holding, going over all of the words on it. "Alright, so how would I use a noun in a sentence?"

Rex set the papers down and raised his hands. "Okay, so picture this. I'm at a party, and I see… the hostess not too far away. I wanna go up to give her a compliment, so I say… "you look very pretty tonight". The proper way to say that would be; " _Te ves muy bonita esta noche"_." Rex gestured his hand over to her. "Now, with what I just said, what would you say to a HOST if you were at that party? You can't say _bonita_ to him, otherwise he'd be a very beautiful man and he could see that as an insult."

"Hehe… okay." Weiss thought it over in her head before coming up with her answer. "Let's see, would it be… _Te ves muy bonito esta noche_ "?"

"That's correct! Well, actually, it's one of the _many_ correct answers." Rex flipped one of the papers over and began writing on it with the pencil he snagged earlier. "See, bonito usually means "cute" or "nice" when speaking in masculine terms. But if you wanna REALLY put on the smolder, you'd say _guapo_ , which means "handsome"."

Weiss smirked and rolled her eyes. "And let me guess, you think that you're pretty _guapo_?"

Rex gave a toothy grin and ran his hands through his hair. "Oh, I don't think, _princesa del heilo_ , I KNOW I'm _muy guapo_." He winked at her and made finger guns at her. " _Y tú eres_ _muy bonita_."

Weiss' eyes widened and a blush came to her face. But before anything else could happen, she smacking Rex over the head with the papers in her hand. "Gee, way to lay on the "smolder"." she brushed off as she turned her head away from him. "Now are you just going to spend the rest of this study session hitting on me, or are we actually going to learn?"

"Heh, alright Weiss, point proven." Rex brought the papers back up. "Now, let's get to some sentence structures."

"Sure…" Wiess paused for a moment before craning her head back to him. "Hey Rex?" The EVO glanced over to her inquisitively. "Thanks for taking the time to teach me. I know it might seem a bit weird to teach someone like me, but really, thank you."

Rex smiled back and gave her a thumbs up. " _De nada_."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the town of Patchwork, Kevin drummed his fingers on the steering wheel of his car, slightly irritated at the fact that this was actually happening. "I seriously can't believe that you two wanna do this even when we're practically in the middle of a mission." the Osmosian groaned as he glanced to Ruby and Penny through the rearview mirror. "How can you two keep calm enough to go hang out with friends at a time like this? You realize how important this is, right?"

Ruby gave him a soft smile. "Kevin, we DO know how important it is, but it won't do us any good if we just stress over it. Besides, everyone is busying themselves during this mission. Ben and Yang are on their date, Winter is on her own date with Kenny…"

"And Weiss and Rex are having their Spanish lesson." Penny finished. "Don't you have a way to deal with stress?"

Kevin stayed silent for a while, resting his chin against his free hand as he leaned against the door. Finally, he answered; "I drive my car."

"See? Go for a drive around the island!" Penny suggested. "Perhaps it will clear your mind!"

"As much as I want to, I can't." Kevin denied. "As long as Gwen and the others are on that floating colosseum, I'm not gonna relax until they make it back safely."

Penny couldn't help but grin at that. "You really love her, don't you? That's very sweet."

Kevin smiled when Penny said those words. "Thanks. And yeah, I love her very much. She's the reason that I chose to make myself into a better person. I have faith that she can do this, but I wanna be there when she gets home."

"I rarely see this side of you, Kevin." Ruby commented. "It's really nice to hear you be genuine."

"Heh, well don't get too used to it, Rubes." Kevin chuckled as he pulled to a stop in front of the mall. "Here's your stop. And remember to keep your scroll on so that we can get in touch with you if anything goes wrong."

"Yes, I know." Ruby flashed her scroll to show Kevin that it was on. "I'm way ahead of you on that one."

Kevin nodded. "Okay, I'll see you girls later." Once Ruby and Penny had climbed out of the muscle car, Kevin pulled away from the curb and pulled out of the parking lot. Once he was back on the road, he stepped on the gas and the engine roared as the car sped down the street, heading back to the Xiao Long house.

Penny waved to Kevin as he left, her smile unwavering. "You know, I initially thought that Kevin looked really intimidating when I first saw him." she admitted. "But now, knowing how he really feels about Gwen, I'm beginning to think that he's a big softie at heart."

"Haha! Yeah, that's Kevin for ya." Ruby laughed. "You just gotta know how to get under that rough exterior. Now let's go! The gang's waiting for us inside!" The duo went into the mall and began walking toward the food court, hoping that their friends would be there. Fortunately, they were, much to Ruby's relief. Iris, Daisy and Ollie were all sitting at the same table, the three talking amongst each other while they ate their lunch. Ruby raised her hand and called out; "Hey guys! Sorry we're late!"

Penny waved as well. "Salutations!"

The trio perked up at her voice and Iris turned around, the blue haired girl returning Ruby's wave. "Hey Rubes! Hi Penny!" she called back. "We were wondering when you guys would show up."

"Yeah, we expected you ten minutes ago." Ollie added. "So, what kept ya, huh?"

"Ollie, don't be so rude!" Daisy chastised. "I'm sure that Ruby and Penny were just caught up with something, that's all."

Ruby shrugged as she and Penny sat down with them. "Well, I guess you could say that." she conceded. "We had some mission-related stuff happen this morning right before we left."

"Oh yeah, you're basically working for the general now!" Ollie recalled. "So, what's it like?"

Penny put a hand to her chin. "Well, in my experience, General Ironwood is a very nice man who always thinks about the people first. …But at the same time, he can be a _little_ on edge."

"Really?" Iris asked. "How do you know that?"

"…Because the general is also Atlas Academy's headmaster." Penny stated. "I would have thought that'd be common knowledge."

Iris smacked her forehead. "D'oh! That's right, I forgot! Sheesh, and here I was thinking that I had all of the stuff about the Huntsman Academies nailed down." She tapped the side of her head. "Gotta get better at remembering that stuff, or else I'll _never_ pass the entry exams next year."

Ollie took a deep breath at that. "Hoo boy, entry exams. Those are gonna be a smack to the face when we take 'em. Hard to believe that we're actually graduating from Signal next year."

"Well, I know you'll do well on them." Ruby encouraged. "We were some of the biggest Huntsman fanatics in our school, so I'm sure you guys will do great on them!"

"I certainly hope so." Daisy said as she laced her fingers together. "But then again, you probably didn't have to take an entry exam when Professor Ozpin accepted you into the academy, did you, Ruby?"

"Actually, I did." Ruby gave a thumbs up. "And I aced it!"

"Heh, what a shock." Ollie chuckled. The boy's eyes trailed over to Penny with inquiry. "Hey, Penny, what're entry exams up at Atlas like? They just as hard as the ones Beacon has? Because I heard from my older brother that Beacon entry exams are hard as hell."

Penny quickly agreed with Ollie's words. "Oh, the entry exams are certainly quite difficult. In fact, I believe I heard somewhere that Atlas' are much harder than Beacon's. I wouldn't know because I only took Atlas', but I think I'd intend to agree."

"Ah, I get ya." Iris nodded. "So, what do you guys wanna do?"

Ruby leaned forward intently. "Well, Penny actually had a good idea earlier…" She glanced over to Penny expectantly, which took the redhead off guard. Ruby nudged Penny a little bit with her elbow, urging her to go forward. "Well, tell 'em, Pen!"

Penny brightened up and nodded her head before focusing on Daisy and Iris. "Tell me, are you ladies up for a trip to the salon?"

Daisy gasped and clapped her hands together. "Oh, such a splendid idea, Penny! I've been wanting to get my nails redone for a while now." The blonde touched her face with her finger tips. "And I certainly could use a good mud mask."

"I could go for a massage, actually." Iris said as she rolled her shoulder. "I've been carrying some really heavy flower pots over at Miss Tiger Lily's shop this week, so I guess it's time to get some kinks outta them."

Ollie, however, was not too thrilled at the idea. "Ugh, really? The salon? C'mon, that's the last place that a guy like me wants to be seen in!"

"Oh, come now, Ollie! It won't be that bad!" Daisy insisted before an idea came into her head. She slipped her arm into his and snuggled up close to him, giving him a puppy dog gaze. "Tell you what, once we're done in the salon, we'll head over to the video game store and you can drag us around there as much as you like."

Ollie smiled back and he pumped a fist into the air. "Alright! Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!"

"Actually, I really like the sound of that." Ruby admitted.

"Yeah, I'm all in on that!" Iris agreed.

Penny lifted her arms up in celebration. "Hooray! Today's going to be _sensational_!"

* * *

A couple blocks away, Ben Tennyson was beginning to feel like he was walking into a dragon's den. In his days of dating girls, the Omnitrix bearer had never been this nervous when it came to parents. However, Yang wasn't like most of the other girls he had dated in the past. She was strong, bombastic, a free spirit, and he loved all of those qualities about her. Her dad had actually excepted their relationship rather easily… but her mom was part of a band of thieves who were known for killing, so he was pretty worried about how this lunch would go. _'Well, if this ends with Raven snapping my neck, at least the Omnitrix can save me… hopefully.'_ The couple were presently making their way over to the burger joint where they had first had lunch together, hoping to meet said mother there. Ben smiled and he glanced over to Yang. "Heh, you know, it's kinda funny. We went here together before we even started dating."

Yang shifted her eyes up to him and smiled back. "Ha, yeah! It's funny how things work out that way." However, her smiled disappeared after a few seconds as they continued to draw near the establishment, letting out a small sigh soon after.

This immediately caught Ben's concern. "Are you okay? I thought you'd be eager to finally speak with your mom."

"I know, I thought I would too!" Yang exclaimed before running a hand through her hair. "It's just… there's still so much I don't know about her. And I'm betting there's a LOT that General Ironwood and the other adults aren't telling us either. I'm a bit nervous to learn what we're being left in the dark on." The Blonde Brawler faced her boyfriend again. "What about you?"

Ben gave her a nod. "Yeah, this whole THING'S got me tensed up." he admitted. "Plus, there's the fact that I'm having lunch with a woman who can KILL me if I say anything wrong."

Yang gave him a sly grin. "She'll have to get through me to get to you." She went up and gave Ben a kiss on the lips, lasting for a good few seconds before the two separated. "Okay, I needed that."

"Yeah, so did I." Ben grinned. "I feel a lot better now."

"I'm very glad you do, Benjamin." Both teens froze at the arrival of a familiar voice. They turned around and saw Raven stepping toward them, a red and black portal closing up behind her. She gave the two a knowing grin as she stopped in front of them. "After all, I wouldn't want you kids to be TOO nervous during our meal."

"M-mom!" Yang stammered. "How long have you—"

"About fifteen… maybe twenty seconds." Raven answered. "But it was just long enough to see you two smacking lips." She gave them a wink. "Which, by the way, was quite well done."

"I have NEVER had my kisses graded before." Ben stated plainly. "Gotta admit, it's a first."

Yang rolled her eyes before stepping over to her mother, looking the dark-haired woman straight in the eye. After a brief moment of silence, Yang made the first move. "Hey."

Raven gave her daughter a smile. "Hey yourself. So how did yesterday go?"

Yang bobbed her head, letting the question stir in her mind. "Eh, eventful to say the least. We brought a dead girl back to life, so that was something."

"Ah, so your uncle DID tell you all about her." Raven nodded. "Good, you're getting more and more answers by the day."

Yang's eyes widened at that. "Wait, you _knew_?! And you didn't tell us?!"

"It wasn't my place to tell you, Yang." Raven countered calmly. "Qrow and Ironwood have to learn that they can't keep hiding things from you anymore, so I had to let things play out. Fortunately enough, it seems things turned out fine in the end."

"Yeah, after we bashed our way through six bad guys." Ben added. "But hey, Penny's back and loving life, so really, everything should be all good now." The hero gave a small shrug. "Aside from, well, the obvious threat."

"Yes, let's talk about that, shall we?" Raven suggested as she began walking over to the burger joint. "Come on, we have a lot to talk about."

Yang caught up to her mother and gave her a wink. "Don't forget! Smoothies are on you."

Raven deadpanned at that. "Ah yes, of course. How could I forget?"

* * *

Rojo was quickly starting to lose patience with this whole mutation process… mainly because the process hadn't even BEGUN yet. Apparently, the doctors had to set up some special safety procedures in order for it to go over well. So for the time being, everyone was just sitting on their butts while the two scientists worked to make sure that everything went smoothly. Hog and Skull were in another room entirely, doing their own… preparations. "Ugh, WHY did Animo have to pull out those underpants?!" Rojo grimaced as the thought entered her head, so she smacked it against the table in an attempt to rid herself of it. "I did NOT need the image of those bozos in those things today!"

"What's worse is that thought's gonna be reality soon enough." Mercury said as he rubbed his left temple.

"Please _don't_ remind me." Emerald narrowed her eyes. "Dear god, couldn't it have at least been… I don't know, unitards or something?!"

Cinder furrowed her brows in displeasure. "That would have been FAR more unsettling, really."

Rojo lifted her head up from the table. "Yeah, those guys couldn't make tight fabric look good if they tried." The bounty hunter got up and went over to a nearby door. "I'm gonna take a peek at those security cams, make sure we don't have any intruders." Rojo entered the room… and was immediately met by darkness, making her eyes widen. The room was normally lit by the light from the monitors, but now, it was just barely lit by a dim red light. Her gaze trailed over to the large wall of screens and her jaw dropped at what she was seeing; black screens with big red letters repeating across all of them; CAMERA DISABLED. "What the hell?!"

The three out in the other room snapped their heads up at Rojo's yell, and they immediately jumped to their feet. "Rojo!" Emerald called over. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?! WHAT'S WRONG?!" Rojo repeated as she whirled around to them. "You get your asses in here and tell ME what's wrong!"

Cinder, Mercury and Emerald all sprinted over to the room as Rojo switched the light on, revealing to them what had happened. Mercury saw the wall of screens with the red letters and was taken aback. "What the?! All the cameras are off!"

"Yeah, no shit!" Rojo hollered as she stepped over to the console. She sat down and began typing commands into the nearest keyboard, only for nothing to happen. "What in the actual FUCK is going on here?!"

Emerald's brow furrowed and she shifted her gaze over to Cinder. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Cinder gave a confirming nod. "Yes. Something… or some _one_ has taken out all of the security cameras on purpose while we weren't paying attention." The Fall Maiden clenched her hands and they erupted into a bright, burning blaze. "Everyone, we have an intruder somewhere in this colosseum. We need to fan out and find them before they tamper with our plans."

"Agreed." Rojo stood up and unholstered Bloodstrike from her back, cocking the weapon and making it power up. "It's time to go hunting." The bounty hunter shouldered her weapon before giving out another order. "Alright, we'll form up in groups. Merc and Em, you take the east side, Cindy and I'll take the arena. I'll get Subdora on the line and get her to search the west side. If you see _anything_ that's weird or out of place, contact us and we'll be over."

Mercury gave a two-fingered salute. "Understood."

Emerald pulled Thief's Respite out and gave them a twirl. "We'll call in if we find something." With that, the duo moved out, ready to find whoever had infiltrated the colosseum and kick them off of the giant structure. Emerald glanced over to Mercury and asked; "So, you think it's one of those heroes?"

The silver-haired assassin pounded a fist into his right hand. "If it is, then bring 'em on."

* * *

Back in the medical bay, Watts and Animo were busy setting up the pods that Hog and Skull would be occupying, with Subdora standing not too far away. She leaned up against the wall with her arms crossed as the two doctors propped the pods up on separate stands, exposing some kind of connector on the underside. They then brought the two canisters of mutagen over, as well as a pair of large hoses. In unison, the doctors set the canisters down and connected them to the pods with the hoses, which Subdora quirked an eyeridge at. "So… the mutagen gas will be filtered into the pods through those?"

"Indeed!" Animo exclaimed before pointing to two big red buttons on each respective canister. "Once we press these buttons, the mutagen will flow into the pods, and the results of our hard work will finally be achieved."

Watts placed his hands behind his back. "All we need now are our brave volunteers." He went over to a nearby door and cupped his hand over his mouth. "Gentlemen, are you ready?"

Through the door, Hog answered reluctantly. "Uh… yeah, I think so. Kinda."

"Well then what are you two waiting for?!" Animo hollered. "Your big moment is nearly at hand!"

"Well… okay." Skull said before opening the door, revealing the two men in their temporary undergarments. "Ugh, this is so embarrassin'."

Hog pointed at Skull's stomach. "Hey, at least you make it look good, you've got a six pack…" The mohawked man smacked his gut. "And I'm just packin' on the pounds!"

Subdora gave Skull a seductive grin. "He is right, Farkas. In fact, if we were in private, I'd—"

"That is quite enough, madame!" Watts put a hand to his forehead while Skull's face blushed intensely. "Ugh, I swear, what has become of today's youth?" He let out a sigh before ushering the two brutish men to follow him. "Alright, come over here so that we may begin."

Skull went over and gave Subdora a small kiss. "Wish me luck?"

"Of course, darling." Subdora waved to him as he went over. "You've got this." However, at that moment, Subdora's communicator went off, causing her to take it out. " _Ciao_ , this is Subdora speaking."

In a split second, an urgent Rojo answered on the other end. _"Dora?! This is Rojo! We've got a MAJOR situation here!"_

"What? What is going on?" Subdora's question caught the four men's attention, their gazes trailing over to her.

" _ALL of our security cams have been disabled by something."_ Rojo answered. _"We've got a feeling that there's an intruder on board the colosseum. We need you to check the west side, NOW!"_

Subdora pursed her lips in frustration. As much as she wanted to stay with her beloved Farkas to see this through, she knew that she had to make sure this plan went off without a hitch. She let out a heavy sigh and nodded. "Very well, I shall join you shortly. Subdora out." She put her communicator away and turned back to the quartet, pointing to them with a serious expression. "I have to go. You four, continue the experiment. We cannot afford this operation to be compromised. I will lock the door when I leave."

"But Subdora," Skull protested. "I—mph!" The large man was quickly silenced by a quick kiss to the lips, with Subdora pulling away a second later.

"I will be fine." the Merlinisapien assured. "You go and embrace your destiny. Be strong like the rhino you wish to be."

After a few seconds, Skull gave her a determined nod. "I will. I'll see you soon." With that, Subdora stepped away from him and disappeared, heading straight out the door soon after. After hearing the door's electronic locks shudder shut, Skull clenched his fists and faced Animo once again. "Alright, boss. Let's do this." He went over to Hog and gave him a fist bump. "You ready, my man?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, brotha." Hog affirmed. "Let's do this." With that, the duo stepped into the pods, the bulletproof glass closing and sealing behind them. "Alright doc, it's go time!"

Animo gave the men a thumbs up. "Right, we haven't much time if there are intruders in the facility." He pointed up to the two. "Now, it will take several minutes before the mutagen gas fully takes effect. Make sure to take nice, deep breaths so that it gets into your systems. Once it begins altering your DNA, you both should start to see some immediate change. And when that happens, we will let you out." Animo glanced over to his compatriot. "Are you ready, Doctor Watts?" The mustachioed doctor gave Animo a silent nod, walking over to one of the mutagen canisters. "Well then, here… we… go." Animo and Watts simultaneously pressed the big red buttons on the two canisters, releasing the mutagen gas into Hog and Skull's capsules.

However, what the four men didn't realize was that a certain green ninja was outside, spying on them intently through the door's small window. He had seen the door open by itself, so he came over to investigate, carefully making sure that he wasn't seen. But what he found was NOT good… and he couldn't get in to stop it. _'This is bad… VERY bad.'_ Ren thought to himself.

* * *

Back on Patch, Ben, Yang and Raven were sitting outside at a small dining table, the three wanting to keep their conversation away from prying ears. Ben and Yang had each ordered a burger and smoothie with a side of fries while Raven simply ate a salad, much to her daughter's surprise. "Gotta admit, mom, you seem like the kinda person who'd be down for a burger." Yang admitted.

"Yes well, when you get to be my age, you have to start watching the calories you take in." Raven grumbled slightly as she stuck her fork into her salad. "It's unfortunate, but it's reality."

"Ugh, my dad's in the same situation." Ben groaned as he placed a hand onto his head. "And my mom's a health nut so that means we ALL eat gross plant matter nearly _every_ day. I have to leave my own house just to get a decent meal."

"My apologies." Raven replied before taking a bite of her salad. "Remind me to never eat your mother's food should I ever meet her."

Yang set her burger down and turned to her mother, an inquisitive expression on her face. "So… mom. Now that I got the two biggest questions out of the way yesterday, there's some more that I really wanna ask you."

Raven swallowed her greens before facing her daughter. "Very well, ask away."

"Well, if you and Uncle Qrow really come from a tribe of thieves, then why did you two go to Beacon in the first place?" Yang folded her hands against the table. "I mean, why become Hunters if you guys just stole for a living?"

The tribe leader nodded her head slowly at Yang's question, almost as if she expected it to come up. "Hmm, I was wondering when you were going to catch onto that. It's true that thieves don't really have a place among Hunters, but if you wish to know the truth, then you must be prepared to accept it. Are you?"

Yang gave her mother a serious face. "At this point, I'm tired of hearing so many lies."

"Good, then here it is;" Raven took a brief pause before going on. "When your uncle and I were teenagers, we were tasked by the Branwen tribe to infiltrate Beacon Academy. We were to blend in with the student body and learn the ways of the Huntsman… so that we could _kill_ them."

Ben and Yang both let out a gasp, though they made sure to keep it quiet to not attract attention. "Are you _serious_?!" Yang whispered harshly. "Your tribe wanted you to _kill_ Hunters?!"

"That's right. Hunters were the only ones capable of standing in the way of our operations." Raven explained. "So your uncle and I were assigned with going to one of their academies in order to study their ways and find the most efficient way of killing them." The tribe leader prodded her salad with her fork absentmindedly. "Of course, neither one of us expected to be put on a team since we didn't know how the academies worked at the time. And… we didn't expect to bond with our teammates like we did."

"It sounds like you weren't intent on making friends." Ben commented.

Raven shook her head. "No, but Qrow and Tai hit it off pretty quick. Qrow initially pretended to be a "bro" to him..." That earned a few snickers from the couple across from her. "Hmm, yes, it WAS funny. But Qrow ended up becoming friends with him anyway."

"And what about you and mom—I mean Summer?" Yang quickly corrected.

Raven smirked and pointed her fork at her daughter. "Ah, I caught that." Raven chuckled a little at Yang's worried face before moving on. "Oh, it's alright, I'm not gonna knock you for that. Like I said, Summer was probably a better mother to you than I ever could be. But as for your question, I was initially quite distant with Summer when we first started out… but she just kept her warm and happy personality whenever I gave her the cold shoulder."

Yang thought back to Ruby and Weiss and how similar their situation was. "Heh, sounds kinda familiar."

"And I'm guessing it stayed that way?" Ben furthered.

But Raven shot that idea down immediately. "On the contrary. During one of Oz's _several_ training missions, there was a point where I got sloppy. I had pulled an all-nighter that day while studying for a test… which I didn't end up taking because of that last-minute training mission." She grumbled something angrily about Ozpin before moving on. "Anyway, when I let my guard down, Summer came in and saved me, which surprised me greatly. Even after all of the things I had said and done, she came to my aid."

Yang smiled and gave a shrug. "Well yeah, that's what teammates do for each other. I'm willing to risk my life for all three of mine."

Another smirk made its way onto Raven's face. "Heh, that's almost exactly what Summer told me." She paused a bit before glancing down to her salad. "After that… I slowly began lowering my walls and I became a full part of the team. After that, I started talking to Tai, and…well you can see the result of that."

"Hehe, I _am_ the result of that." Yang laughed. "You know, even if you've never gotten the chance to be a mom, you tell really cool stories."

"Really?" Raven pursed her lips in contemplation. "Well, that's very flattering. But then again, it could be a sign of how old I've gotten. I may need to reel it in a bit."

"Oh, c'mon, you don't look a day over twenty-five!" Yang waved off.

Raven gave her daughter a small smile followed by a quirked eyebrow. "Yang, be honest with your mother. You're being too generous." She took another bite of her salad before continuing. "But thank you though, and you should count yourself lucky that you got my good looks. When you get to be my age, you'll still have 'em."

Yang rolled her eyes. "I'll remember that." The three continued to eat in silence for a bit longer before Yang thought up another question. "So… you hate Ozpin, that much you've made clear."

"As clear as the water in Patchwork Lake." Raven affirmed.

"Yeah, so… did he ever find out about the whole "bandit tribe" thing when you came to Beacon?"

"Surprisingly, he didn't find out until much later." Raven shrugged. "I initially thought that was the case when he was keeping an eye on our team, but of course, it was the ACTUAL team that he was interested in."

Ben nodded at that. "Yeah, you mentioned that yesterday. You said he saw potential in the four of you."

"That's right." Raven's brow furrowed in frustration. "Even back then, I held a personal disdain for his rules and regulations. It felt like our freedom was being held on a leash. But then… we were told many, _many_ things. And after that, my contempt for him only grew." Raven glanced up to her daughter, wearing a very serious face. "Yang, tell me, what do you know about who Ozpin is?"

Yang narrowed her eyes slightly in confusion, but she could tell that her mother's question was serious. "Well… he was a prodigy. The youngest headmaster to ever be appointed to Beacon Academy. Or ANY of the Huntsman Academies, actually."

"And don't you find that a bit odd?" Raven questioned. "When your father, uncle, Summer and I went to Becon, Ozpin was OUR age. And even then, we wondered how someone so "wise" beyond his years could ever truly exist… and then we found out the truth, and it all began to click."

Ben leaned in closer, intent to hear more. "And what truth is that? What was Ozpin hiding?"

Raven folded her hands on the table and closed her eyes. "Well, the first thing you should know is that Oz plans out everything like a game of chess. He planned on being the headmaster of Beacon because HE is the one who designed the Huntsman Academies in the first place. He has followers in EVERY academy, even in some of the primary combat schools."

Yang's eyes widened and she stood up in shock. "B-But that's impossible!" she said while trying to keep her voice low. "Ozpin couldn't have been THAT old!"

Raven's eyes opened and she gazed up to her daughter. "Oh, but he was." she assured. "In fact, Old Man Oz has a great and terrible secret that he has kept with him all his life. It's one that he trusts only to those that HE trusts most. And once the team and I became some of those trusted individuals, there was no going back."

Ben's eyebrows shot up in realization. "Ironwood? And Goodwitch too?"

"That's right, along with the other Headmasters." Raven confirmed. "And, I think you can guess what part of that secret was."

The Omnitrix bearer nodded. "I've got a hunch. Salem, right?"

"That's right. But there's another part of the secret that you kids don't know about yet." Raven gave them a sly smile. "One that the other big wigs aren't willing to tell you… but I am."

Yang raised a single brow. "No tricks?"

Raven raised her right hand, keeping her other on the table. "Trust me, we're in this together now, and you all deserve to know the whole truth. But be warned; once you know, you might just see Oz in a different light."

Yang glanced toward Ben, who gave her a nod before reaching out to gently grasp her hand. "It's okay." the hero reassured. "Remember, we asked for no more secrets, and we didn't get that the first time. Now, we might actually get to hear the whole truth."

Yang took a deep breath before pulling him into a hug, giving him a quick peck on the lips. "Right, let's rip the band aid off." She pulled out of the hug, but kept her hand linked with his for extra support. With a heavy sigh, Yang turned back to her mother, ushering her to go ahead. "Alright, mom, let's hear it."

Raven nodded her head. "You're very brave, Yang, and so are you, Benjamin. I can certainly respect that." She leaned forward and the couple did the same, just so no one could hear them. "The truth is… Oz is far older than he appears. His soul is immortal, and he is able to reincarnate himself into any like-minded individual." She waved a hand toward the two, hoping that they would get the idea. "Ergo…"

Ben's jaw dropped and Yang stared at her mother incredulously. "Professor Ozpin… _isn't_ dead?" the Blonde Brawler finished.

* * *

Mercury and Emerald were wandering though one of Amity Colosseum's massive halls on the east side, the two staying on edge as they strode forward. Emerald had Thief's Respite unholstered and at the ready, making sure that her finger was on the trigger at all times. Next to her, Mercury kept a sharp eye out as he constantly glanced behind them to make sure they weren't being followed. "Ya know, those goody-goods are REALLY persistent." the assassin commented. "They're probably working on a way to try and stop us as we speak."

"Ha, let them try." Emerald scoffed. "I've had enough of losing. It's time for us to—"

"To do what, exactly?" A male voice suddenly came from the shadows in the hallway, making Emerald and Mercury jump at attention. "You two really need to reconsider your position in life. Is this what you really want? I mean, being cronies is one thing, but being cronies OF a crony is just sad." the voice mocked. "You guys follow Cinder, but _she's_ loyal to Salem. What stake do _you_ guys have in all of this?"

Emerald grimaced at the familiar voices. _'The monkey Faunus.'_ She flipped Thief's Respite into their sickle mode, crossing them to put up a guard in case any strikes came her way. "Where are you?!" Emerald hollered into the hallway.

"Come out and fight!" Mercury added as he went into a battle stance.

At that moment, Sun's voice responded to them; "No thanks, I've got a better idea." Just then, a figure materialized at the end of the hall, one which Emerald immediately recognized as Sun. However, a split second later, the room lit up with a brilliant flash of light, revealing it to be one of is Via Sun clones.

Emerald's eyes widened and she took a step back. "What the?!"

"Hey, don't let your guard down!" Sun's voice came again, this time from behind them. Another brilliant flash of light lit up the whole hallway as another Via Sun clone came into existence. Mercury and Emerald looked back and forth between the two clones as Sun taunted them; "Yoo-hoo! Up here!" The duo craned their heads up to see Sun hanging upside-down from a light by his tail, giving them a cheeky wave.

"Oh… crap." Mercury uttered. Suddenly, Sun's clones ran at them, the two copies making contact with both Emerald and Mercury before exploding.

* * *

On the other side of the colosseum, Subdora was silently scurrying through the halls, making sure to stay invisible so that she wouldn't be seen. She crawled across the walls and ceiling, hoping to get the drop on whoever this intruder was. "Come out, come out, where ever you are." the Merlinisapien whispered to herself. _'There has to be SOMEONE on this—'_ Just then, a dark figure rushed past her, taking her off guard. " _Che cosa_?!" A split second later, the figure came back and slammed into her, much to her shock. Subdora rolled and landed in a crouch, turning visible once again before calling out into the dark hall; "Who are you?! Show yourself!"

"Sure thing." Subdora's three eyes widened before whirling around, just in time to counter the figure as it lunged at her again. She kick-flipped the shadowy figure and it landed right behind her, though it didn't seem to be phased. "Hmm, your reflexes are impressive. It's too bad you use your skills to steal."

The Merlinisapien wasted no time in unholstering Queen's Ransom from her belt, shifting it into its energy machete mode before facing the intruder. To her surprise, it was a face that she recognized. "Ah, well if it isn't the cat girl?"

Blake unholstered Gambol Shroud and went into a fighting stance, ready for whatever tricks Subdora would have up her sleeve. "Yep, you've got me dead to rights. But for future reference, the name's Blake."

But Subdora waved her off. "Bah, does it look like I care, _scemo_? It matters not to me what your name is. What matters is taking you down."

"Sorry, but that isn't about to happen." Blake narrowed her eyes at the Merlinisapien. "Besides, you tried to kick my boyfriend's privates in last night. And I plan on getting a little pay back for that."

"Oh yes, the monkey boy." Subdora chuckled at the memory. "Ah-haha, now that would have been a laugh." She pointed Queen's Ransom at Blake with a confident smile. "Well, if you believe that you can best me, then _in guardia_!" The two charged forth and met in the middle, beginning their duel of blades.

* * *

Meanwhile, as the two groups clashed, Rojo and Cinder were out patrolling the center field of the colosseum. The two women were on high alert, scanning their eyes carefully across the flat battlefield. The only real sign of any disturbance was the damage that had been caused the night before, so they didn't have anything to go off of. "Okay, what gives?" Rojo asked. "There's gotta be SOMEONE here. The cameras just didn't shut off by themselves!"

"Agreed." Cinder concurred. "Whoever has infiltrated the colosseum must be quite the stealthy one." The Fall Maiden's brow furrowed. "Either that or they are fond of cheap and cowardly tactics."

Rojo put her hand to the communicator of her headpiece. "I should check in with the others, see if they found any—ACK!" At that moment, a bright pink projectile of glowing energy socked Rojo in the gut and sent her toppling down to the floor, knowing the wind out of her. Cinder whirled around in surprise as Rojo got up, taking in a big gulp of air. "Where the hell did THAT come from?!"

" _Where indeed?"_ Came a ghostly voice from out of nowhere, catching the two women off guard. A second later, the voice came again, this time directly next to Cinder's ear; _"You may see hiding as a cheap tactic, but for us, it's a smart one."_

Cinder's eyes widened and she whirled to her left, sending out a blast of fire in the voice's direction. However, all she ended up hitting was the far wall, making her grumble in anger. "Where are you?!" Cinder called out. "Whoever you are, come out and face me!"

" _With pleasure."_ A bright pink energy tether suddenly sprang out of thin air and wrapped around Cinder's waist, making the Fall Maiden gasp. The tether then whipped back and flung Cinder away, sending her straight into Rojo. The two women scrabbled to their feet and glared as the voice spoke again. _"Can't hit what you can't see, can you?"_

In their combined anger, Cinder's fists lit ablaze with fire while Rojo aimed Bloodstrike right where the voice was coming from. All at once, the two women fired their respective attacks at their target, only for a pair of large pink walls to spring up from thin air and redirect their attacks, sending them into the walls of the stadium instead. Rojo's eyebrows shot up in realization. "Wait a sec, that's Gwen's schtick! We're being played by the redhead!"

"Tennyson's cousin?" Cinder asked before stepping forward again. She spoke out into the vast, open arena as the pink mana walls disappeared, giving the Anodite a clear message; "If you can hear me, Gwen Tennyson, then you should just come out and show yourself! Your pathetic resistance is futile!"

At that moment, Gwen made herself visible once again, crossing her arms at Cinder in disappointment. "Alright, I've heard that Star Trek quote THOUSANDS of times from many bad guys. If you think I'm going to be threatened by hearing that, you're sorely mistaken."

Cinder, after getting over the fact that Gwen just appeared from out of nowhere, gave the Anodite a confused yet annoyed face. "What in the world is "Star Trek"?"

"I'll tell ya later, Cindy." Rojo said before taking aim at Gwen with Bloodstrike. "Listen, Red, we don't want any trouble here. So if you know what's good for you, you'll leave."

"What, and give YOU free reign of the place?" Gwen shook her head. "I don't think so, Rojo. We're not about to let you destroy the colosseum."

Rojo's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Hold up, how did you know about that?!"

Gwen gave her a sly smile. "Lucky guess. Bad guys have a knack for wanting to destroy things."

"Impressive deduction." Cinder admitted as her hands flared to life once again. "But I'm afraid you won't be leaving here alive."

The Anodite just rolled her eyes at that. "For crying out loud, seriously? Ben's right, villains these days make NO original threats."

If possible, that only made Cinder angrier. "Now see here, you insolent little tramp! I am the Fall Maiden, you should fear my power—"

"No!" Gwen cut her off. " _You_ listen to _me_." The redhead began counting off her fingers as she spoke. "Over the course of my life since I was ten years old, I've helped my cousin face down an intergalactic warlord, a group of medieval zealots who hate aliens, evil sorcerers, a species of alien conquerors, an alien criminal who sought ultimate power, my own mutated boyfriend, and an evil inter-dimensional entity who threatened to destroy the universe! Not to mention many OTHER threats that we encounter on a day to day basis." Gwen pointed at Cinder with an accusing finger. "I've been scared by FAR more dangerous things than you, Cinder. You might have great power, but you are just _barely_ scratching the surface when it comes to the things I've seen. I have no reason to fear you."

Cinder was stunned into silence, an expression of complete astonishment having etched onto her face. Rojo was about to fire her weapon at Gwen for her words, but at that moment, a loud explosion was heard. A nearby wall burst open, where Mercury and Emerald flew out soon after. The two managed to land in a crouch, though they both let out a pained cry as they did. Once they managed to get to their feet, Emerald took note of where they were and her eyes found Rojo and Cinder. Though she also noticed at Cinder had a shocked look on her face. "Cinder! What's wrong?!"

The thief's call managed to snap Cinder out of her stupor… only for her face to contort in utter rage. "Group together!" the Fall Maiden ordered. "We can take her if we all attack at once!"

Rojo smirked and shifted Bloodstrike into its sword mode. "Yeah! Its only four on one!"

But Rojo would be proven wrong as Sun emerged from the hole in the wall, a confident grin on his face. "Uh, make that four on _two_!" He gave Gwen a salute. "So, am I late?"

"Nope you're just in time." Gwen assured. "Now where's—"

However, the sound of two blades clashing caught the two groups attention, causing them to crane their heads over to a nearby entryway. There, they saw Blake and Subdora emerge from the dark hallway, the two in a fast-paced duel. Blake was backing up while Subdora kept the pressure on, though the Merlinisapien didn't exactly know why. "Oh, come now, _piccola gatta_. Surely you can do better than this."

"Oh, I can." Blake answered with a knowing smile. "I just had to get you out here."

"Huh?" Subdora glanced up briefly to see that Blake had led her out of the hallway and into the arena, where she saw her compatriots and two more of the heroes standing not that far away. "How in the world—WHAT?!" She had shifted her eyes back to her opponent, only to see that Blake had used her Semblance, leaving a shadow clone in her place.

A split second later, Blake was behind Subdora, delivering a kick to the Merlinisapien's back and sending her right toward her teammates. "You really shouldn't take your eyes off of your opponent." Blake remarked.

Subdora rolled across the ground before jumping up to her feet. She gave Blake a sneer before sprinting over to her teammates, recognizing the strength in numbers. "What in the world just happened?!" she exclaimed in frustration.

Cinder glowered right at Gwen, the redhead standing proud as Blake and Sun joined her at her side. "We've been played."

"Pretty much." Gwen affirmed before thrusting her hands forward. " _Contego_!" Once she cast the magic spell, a large barrier surrounded the villains, trapping them in a forcefield made of mana. Gwen rubbed her hands together, preparing herself for the next spell. "There, now for phase two."

"What the hell do you think you're doin'?!" Rojo shouted before bashing her shoulder against the forcefield, only to receive a small jolt of energy for her trouble. "Gah! Why you…" She shifted Bloodstrike back into its laser rifle mode and shot right at the wall, only for the projectile to be absorbed into it. "What the?!"

Emerald tried to do the same, but the Dust rounds from her revolvers just bounced off and hit the floor. "This thing's immune to damage!"

"That's right." Gwen confirmed. "After all, we can't have you trying to get away."

Mercury rolled his eyes. "What're you gonna do? Turn us into the authorities? Salem'll just bust us out, ya know."

"Oh, we know." Blake placed her hands on her hips. "We're just getting you as far away from here as possible."

"It's like I said," Gwen continued as her hands began to glow with pink energy, "we're not letting you destroy this place." Her eyes began to light up and she thrust her hands forward once again, with another spell falling from her lips. " _Eo Recedentia_!" The large forcefield began to light up intensely as did Gwen's eyes, the Anodite putting all of her focus onto the spell. In an instant, the whole mana barrier, along with the villains, disappeared into thin air, just as Cinder was about to let out an angry scream. Once the spell was done, Gwen's eyes went back to normal and she waved to where they had disappeared. "See you later, hopefully not too soon."

Sun grinned and let out a joyous laugh. "Ahaha! Gwen, that was _awesome_! Nice work!"

"Yeah, great job, Gwen." Blake smiled. "But… where did you send them?'

Gwen gave the cat girl a sly grin. "Remember the mines where we fought Vulkanus? I sent them there."

Blake's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "All the way up to _Essen_?! Wow, you weren't lying, you CAN teleport over long distances."

"Right, but only if I've been to the place before." Gwen reminded. "We're not done yet, though. Ren's waiting for us downstairs." The redhead pointed to the nearest arena entryway. "C'mon, let's get down there and—"

"GWEN!" The three suddenly stopped at the familiar voice, shifting their attention across the field to see Ren running toward them. He wore a very concerned expression, almost as if he had seen something that worried him greatly. "We've got trouble!"

Gwen's eyes widened at his urgency. Ren was usually very calm and collected, so to see him be this worried definitely warranted concern. "Ren! What's going on?"

Ren stopped in front of them and took a couple of deep breaths, gaining him composure before continuing. "We… we may want to brace ourselves."

* * *

Meanwhile, up in the mountainous region in the north of Vale, near the port town of Essen, a pack of Beowolves were prowling around a large mineshaft, searching for any humans that may be nearby. Suddenly, an intense pink light appeared in front of them, making all the Grimm go on edge as the light glowed brighter and brighter. However, once the light died down, the dark creatures managed to see five figures materialize from it, revealing Rojo, Subdora, Emerald, Mercury and a screaming Cinder. Once the Grimm saw the angry Fall Maiden, they immediately became at ease, knowing that this was their creator's disciple. But despite their calmness, Cinder still screamed bloody fury, making a few Grimm fall back as it echoed throughout the mountain range; "AAAAAAAH! GWEN TENNYSON!"

Rojo's eyebrows rose up, not just from Cinder's scream, but at the fact that they were now in a completely different place. "Huh, well shit." Rojo grimaced as she crossed her arms. "THIS is a problem."

"Agreed." Subdora said as she began observing her surroundings. "But where exactly ARE we?"

Emerald got up from the snow-covered ground, her face aghast with shock. She frantically whipped her head around, the thief in disbelief that they were now HERE instead of the colosseum. "Wh-what… how?! I-I don't… I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!"

"Short answer; the redheaded bitch can teleport." Rojo stated. "So that probably means that she can teleport OTHER people too."

Mercury stood up, glancing around to take in where they were. "But she sent us all the way to Essen! How can she be THAT powerful?! The only other person who CAN transport people this far is Lady Salem and—oh." Mercury's eyes widened as he realized what that meant. "Oh god, she's THAT powerful?!"

" _Possibly_." Rojo urged. "I doubt that she's as powerful as the Boss Lady, but yeah, you don't wanna get on the wrong end of her spells." The bounty hunter shifted her eyes to Cinder, the Fall Maiden still fuming over what had happened earlier. She stepped over and placed a hand on Cinder's shoulder. "Cindy… you okay?"

She didn't really get a direct response, as Cinder was still boiling in her own rage. But she did still say something; "I will destroy her. I WILL destroy her." With her lips turned up in a snarl, Cinder whirled around and began shaking Rojo by the shoulders, letting out the remainder of her anger. "I WILL DESTROY HER!"

"Whoa, Cindy! Calm down!" Rojo placed her hands on Cinder's arms and took hold of them, making the Fall Maiden look directly at her. "Listen, you'll get your chance to put as much hurt on Gwen as you want, I promise. But right now, we need you to focus. I can't lead these knuckle heads without you being cool, okay?"

Cinder took in a few breaths, allowing her anger to flow out of her, at least for the time being. With one final sharp inhale, Cinder calmed herself down, giving Rojo a small nod. "You're right, we need to focus." She stood up straight and placed her hands on her hips. "Now, what do we do from here?"

"First off, we get in contact with the docs back at Amity." Rojo reached up and activated her commlink, hoping that Animo would pick up. "Rojo to Animo, you readin' me?"

Fortunatly, an answer came rather quick, though it was rather staticky. _"Rojo?! What are you calling me for?!"_ Animo hollered through the comm. While he was talking though, Rojo picked up the residual sounds of what seemed to be screams of pain through the comms, much to her confusion. _"We are VERY busy at the moment!"_

"Uh, well, we got some bad news." Rojo answered. "Gwen Tennyson and her Faunus friends are on board the colosseum, and she managed to teleport us all the way up north to Essen. You need to defend yourselves as best as you can until we can find a way back."

" _Oh… hehehe, I think you'll find that we'll have no problems with that, Rojo."_ Animo chuckled as the screams continued on his end. _"We have QUITE the security system being created here."_

"What the hell are you—" But then, Rojo's lips parted in realization before becoming a sinister grin. "Animo… what are you doing right now?"

"… _Currently?"_

* * *

"Witnessing a miracle of science." Animo finished before shutting off his communicator. The mad doctor wore a big toothy grin as he gazed down at Hog and Skull, the two men writhing on the floor in pain as their bodies began to change before his very eyes. "Well boys? How does it feel becoming two of the strongest beings in the world?!"

"IT HURTS!" Thunderhog screamed. "IT HURTS SO GOOD! AHAHA!" The mohawked man slammed his hand into the floor as it began to grow in size, his digits and palms becoming very large. His body also began to grow, his arms, legs and pectorals becoming much more muscular while his large gut remained. Over his entire body though, very fine yet coarse brown hair began covering it, the only exceptions being the palms of his hands, the soles of his feet, and the area around his mouth.

Hog's face began to contort unnaturally, becoming much more pig-like in appearance. His nose expanded into that of a swine's schnoz as a pair of large tusks protruded from his gums on his upper lip, with a smaller pair coming out of his lower set of teeth. The facial hair on his chin also became much thicker, giving him a short yet impressive beard. His ears became more almond shaped and repositioned themselves to the top of his head while his black mohawk grew thicker and larger, with the back of it growing down his neck before stopping in the small of his back. Finally, a boar-like tail popped out of his tail bone, completing his transformation.

"DEAR GOD!" Exo-Skull hollered. "It hurts so much, but it feels INCREDIBLE!" Like his compatriot, Skull's hands and feet also grew much larger along with the rest of his body. But instead of gaining hair, his actually fell out of the top of his head as his skin began to become grey and leathery. The nails on his hands and feet also became much harder, and his tail popped out much earlier than Hog's had.

Skull's head was where the transformation was VERY visible. Like Hog, Skull's ears had become more almond shaped and had relocated to the top of his head, but the real noticeable difference was in his face. His mouth and nose began expanding out into a large muzzle, the very tip of his nose turning up as a large horn began to protrude from it. His incisors became much longer and sharper, though the remainder of his teeth stayed the same. A second, smaller horn began to grow behind the first one, but for the most part, Skull's transformation was complete as well, the now rhino-man letting out a guttural roar as he stood up.

In the corner, Watts had backed away as the transformation happened, terrified at the sight. "What has science _done_ , Animo?!"

Animo approached the two mutant men as their transformations finished, basking in the glory of their hard work. "Science has prevailed this day, Doctor Watts. I present to you the next step in human evolution!" The doctor placed his hands on Hog and Skull's shoulders as they stood up, smiling with pride. "Boys, we've done it!"

Skull let out a growl as the pain began to subside, reaching up to his head to rub the remaining pain away as his vision began to clear up. "Ugh, we did?" But when he touched his head, he didn't feel any hair, which immediately caught his attention. "W-wait, what the—" He turned his hand and caught sight of himself in a nearby mirror, making himself jump. "Gah! …Whoa." Skull drew closer to the mirror, touching his new face as he took it all in. His hand went up to his primary horn and he smiled, the rhino-man whirling around and grasping his best friend by the shoulders. "AHAHA! Hog! WE LIVED! And we look AWESOME!"

Hog's pain had just subsided and his vision cleared only to come face to face with his best pal's new appearance. The mutant warthog smirked and he laughed as well, smacking his friends shoulder. "AHAHA! No way! Dude, you're a rhinoceros!"

"And you, my friend, are a big fat PIG!"

"Hey, we can discuss my diet later! HAHA!" Hog chortled as he went over to the mirror, inspecting his new face with intrigue. "Ooh, I'm diggin' the beard! And the tusks are as awesome as I hoped they'd be! And the 'hawk!" He ran his fingers up his mohawk straightening the long black hairs out to their peak. "Oh man, the 'HAWK!"

After finding his nerve, Watts stepped forward and cleared his throat, catching the mutant duo's attention. "I'd hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we have company up in the stadium."

Animo nodded before gazing back up to Hog and Skull. "Gwen Tennyson and two others are in the colosseum right now. They have managed to teleport Rojo and the others to Essen and they are searching for us as we speak." A wicked grin came to his face. "So why don't we give them what they want, eh?"

Hog and Skull smiled back at Animo before nodding to one another, giving each other a high five. "Let's show these pipsqueaks what the new Exo-Skull and Thunderhog can do!" Skull exclaimed.

The pig-man was quick to agree; "My man! Let's suit up!" With that, Hog went over to put on his new, larger size clothes while Skull put his armor back on, the metal plating still fitting the rhino-man for the most part. Hog slipped into a new pair of purple jeans, which thankfully had a hole for his tail, and a pair of black combat boots. Next, he unfolded his new shirt, a large black t-shirt with a yellow lightning bolt going across it, exactly like his old one. Hog slipped it over his head, though he managed to rip the collar in two places thanks to his tusks. _'Eh, whatever. Shirt's still fine.'_ he shrugged off.

Hog pulled on his new purple leather jacket, though he made sure to rip the sleeves off of it to give himself better range of movement. "Ah, much better." After flexing his arms for a bit, Hog reached for his weapons, his new shock gauntlets and laser visor fitting on much better now that they fit him. Finally, he picked up his new Thunder Mace, pressing a button that unfurled the chain from the handle. The mace head began powering up, much to Thunderhog's delight. "Aw yeah, now THIS is happenin'!"

"Sure is!" Exo-Skull agreed, now back in his full armor. He was holding his new thruster pack, helm and laser horn armor in his hands, offering them to Hog. "Hey, mind helpin' me put this on, bud?"

"Sure, man! No problem." Skull turned around and Hog placed the large thruster pack on his friends back, allowing the attached helm and laser horn to slip on with out a problem. The artificial horn covered Skull's real one perfectly, almost slipping on like a glove. "There you go, man! You're all set!"

"Thanks, but, I'm not ALL set." Exo-Skull walked over and picked up his new minigun, The Executioner, with a single hand, not even struggling to hold it up. He squeezed the trigger and the barrel started to spin, putting a big smile on his face. "Alright, NOW we're ready." Exo-Skull took the two extra sets of bandoliers and slung them over both of his shoulders, making them crisscross over his torso. "Let's go give 'em a warm welcome."

* * *

"And you're sure that's what you saw?" Gwen asked again, making sure that what she was hearing was one hundred percent correct.

Ren nodded. "I am, I swear my life on it." The green ninja lowered his head in disappointment. "I'm sorry, Gwen, but the door had an electronic lock, and—"

"No Ren, you don't need to apologize." Gwen assured. "We'll stop them, we just need a good plan of attack."

Sun spoke up, raising a counterargument. "Uh, may I remind you that they'll be GIANT MUTANT ANIMAL PEOPLE?! How do you expect us to fight something like that?!"

Blake crossed her arms. "Well, we fought Vulkanus and won, so maybe this won't be all that different?"

"Blake's right, we can do this." Gwen agreed. "After all, at the end of the day, its still Exo-Skull and Thunderhog. They're a couple of bumbling muscleheads that we've beaten before, and we can beat them again. Besides, who knows? Maybe the mutagen hasn't mutated them yet—" _BOOM!_ At that moment, a gigantic hole was blown through one of the far walls in the arena, catching the quartet's attention. "…Or maybe I should just shut up."

As a large dust cloud wafted up from the wreckage, a large figure stepped out from the hole and gave out a loud roar, making everyone's jaws drop. There stood a giant rhino-man in large, bulky, and rather familiar armor, glaring at them from across the way. The large mutant also had a VERY large machine gun on his back and a pair of bandoliers strapped onto his body, which only made the teens even more worried. He snorted through his nostrils before speaking to them; "Hehehe, well, well, well, what do we got here? A foursome that REALLY got in over their heads."

"Oh… my… god." Blake uttered.

"That has to be the coolest and most terrifying thing I've ever seen in my life." Sun commented.

Ren glanced over to Gwen, who was staring at the rhino mutant in astonishment. "Gwen… is that… Exo-Skull?"

"That's him alright." Gwen confirmed. "But… he's a bit different than when I saw him in the future. That's odd."

Blake pointed back at the hole as another figure began to emerge from it. "We can worry about THAT later! Look!"

From out of the dust cloud, another figure appeared, and this one was even _more_ jaw dropping, though Gwen seemed to the most taken aback. It was a large warthog mutant wearing a visor, a pair of gauntlets, and wielding a large mace. Combine that with the large mohawk and purple clothes, and the group didn't have to take many guesses as to who this was. "Hahaha! You said it Skull!" Thunderhog laughed. "Let's give 'em a brawl they'll never forget!"

At this point, Sun was beginning to feel a little apprehensive. "Okay, so we got two giant animal dudes who wanna kill us. What's the plan, Gwen? …Gwen? What's wrong?"

The redheaded Anodite was staring at the two large mutants in astonishment, having realized what was going on. "A rhino… and a warthog." Gwen slapped her forehead in frustration. "How did I not see this coming?!"

"Gwen, what are you talking about?!" Blake asked worriedly. "What are we going to do?!"

"Not sure about what YOU'RE gonna do." Hog said as he stepped forward. "But I can tell ya what WE'LL be doin'! We gon' sock you," The pig-man slammed his shock gauntlets together, creating a powerful spark, "BOP you…"

Exo-Skull took the Executioner off of his back and aimed it right at the quartet of heroes, letting out a guttural growl as he did. "And rock 'n' roll you."

* * *

**A/N: Well people, here they are. Exo-Skull and Thunderhog in their mutant animal-human hybrid glory. But if you've noticed, they actually have some more human-esque features than their main timeline appearances, such as their hands and feet. In the main timeline, they're much more hulking and are a bit more animalistic, but here, they're somewhat more humanoid in terms of body structure aside from their obvious animal features, and there IS an explanation for that which will be coming in the next chapter. However, speaking of the next chapter… we haven't had a two-parter in a long time, now have we? Well, that all changes NEXT TIME as the Pig and the Rhino start running wild! After Gwen and her team make a daring escape from the colosseum after battling the newly mutated duo, they regroup with the others on Patch to think up a new plan of attack. Meanwhile, up north in Essen, the villains think up a new plan to replace their current botched one, a plan that forces our heroes to make some tough decisions. A new battle is about to begin, and they have to make their choices wisely. Thanks for reading guys, and I'll see you next time!**


	67. Wild Animals, Part 1

**A/N: Hey guys! It's time for a new chapter, and the start of another two-parter! Haven't had one of these in a while, now have we? So, if you recall last timek, we ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, with Gwen and her team facing Hog and Skull while Rojo and her crew were teleported up north to Essen. So, let's see how all of this pans out, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 67: Wild Animals, Part 1**

* * *

"Okay, now let's try one more phrase." Rex said as he and Weiss strolled down the stairs. They had just finished up their Spanish lesson for the day and were now on their way to see if Kevin had gotten any word from Gwen. But while the lesson had ended, Rex decided to test Weiss' new skills a little further and put her through a couple more conversations. The EVO cleared his throat and began; "I'll start. ¡ _Hola señorita_! _Voy al parque con mis amigos_.¿ _Quiere ir con nosotros_?"

Weiss took a deep breath, contemplating what Rex had just said. He had taught her a whole bunch of words over the past forty-five minutes, and she had gotten many of them down. However, there were still many others that she was still struggling with, so hearing so many all at once made a little nervous. _'Okay, Weiss, you can do this!'_ she motivated herself. _'You didn't spend nearly an hour memorizing all of those words and phrases for nothing!'_

Suddenly, Rex spoke up again; "¿ _Señorita_?¿ _Está bien_?"

Weiss' brows rose up and she immediately responded. "Uh… _si_. _Estoy bien, gracias. Yo… yo estaría en...can...tado de ir con ustedes._ "

Rex's eyes brightened up and he let out a joyous laugh, pumping his fist into the air. "Ahaha! ¡ _Correcto_!¡ _Excelente_!"

The Schnee heiress' eyebrows rose up in shock. "Wait, I got it?!"

"You struggled a little on _encantado_ , but yeah!" Rex raised his hand for a high five. "You got it!"

"AH! I can't believe it!" Weiss was so excited that she pulled Rex into a hug, much to his shock. "I actually did it! Haha!" After a few seconds though, she realized what she had just done, and her eyes snapped open. She slowly shifted her gaze up to Rex, who had a slight blush on his face, which caused her to blush as well. Weiss quickly pulled away and cleared her throat. "Ahem, uh… my apologies, I got a bit too excited there."

"Well, um, it's okay." Rex stammered. "I'm just glad that you're excited about it. And really, you should be. You're Spanish might be a bit rusty, but you're coming along pretty good so far!"

"Heh, thanks." Weiss chuckled before her ears perked up at something. It sounded like laughter coming from the living room. "Hey, did you hear that?"

Rex nodded as he faced the same direction. "Yeah… I wonder what's goin' on?" The duo walked toward the living room, now hearing a second set of laughter join in on the first one. When they rounded the corner, they finally saw that it was Winter, still on her trans-dimensional comm date with Kenny. The two were laughing up a storm, which surprised Weiss greatly.

"Winter?" the heiress said in confusion. "You're… laughing?"

Winter's laughter died down, as did Kenny's, the two facing her with a greeting smile. "Ahaha, oh, hello sister!" Winter waved. "How was your Spanish lesson with Rex?"

"It was… good." Weiss replied. "…What were you guys laughing about? It's been a long time since I've heard you laugh like that, sis."

Winter smiled and she let out another little chuckle. "Haha! Oh, Kenny was just telling me the most _adorable_ story from when Gwen was a little girl." she answered. "It reminded me so much of how you used to be when you were little!"

Weiss crossed her arms at that. "Oh really? And what exactly did Gwen do?"

On the transmitter's holoscreen, Kenny laughed and began explaining. _"Well, when Gwen was five, she thought that she could tame squirrels by giving them peanut butter."_ The redhead let out a chuckle and continued. _"Hehe, when she tried, the only thing that happened was a little girl getting attacked by tree rodents! Ahaha!"_

Winter wiped a tear from her eye as she laughed as well. "Oh-hoho, the poor dear, that must have traumatized her!"

" _Well, it only sort of did."_ Kenny shrugged. _"She's not really afraid of squirrels, but we DID find something out on that day."_

"What's that?" Rex asked.

" _That she was allergic to them."_ Kenny answered with a smirk. _"In fact, she's allergic to a LOT of larger rodents."_

"Oh dear, that's unfortunate." Winter winced. "How bad was it after?"

" _Oh, we had to get her to the hospital. Fortunately, they treated her pretty easily."_ Kenny raised an eyebrow and sent Winter a wink. _"So, I shared a story about my little sister when she was five… now it's your turn, dear Winter."_

Winter blushed at the compliment. "Oh, Kenneth, you charmer!"

However, Weiss was NOT as happy as Winter was. "Winter don't you dare!"

"Oh, come now, Weiss, it's only fair." Winter rationalized. "Tell you what, I'll do one of the less humiliating stories to save you from too much embarrassment."

"You will do no such thing!" Weiss exclaimed before surging forward to tackle her sister to the ground, only for Rex to hold her back. "Let me go, you big Robo-dolt! I have to stop her!"

"C'mon, Weiss! Fair is fair!" Rex urged. "Besides, my brother tells embarrassing stories about when _I_ was little all the time!"

"I can assure you that this is WAY different!"

Winter folded her hand and went back to Kenny, all while Weiss continued to struggle against Rex's hold. "Alright, this happened when Weiss was four. I was in the kitchen helping our mother and our chefs prepare for dinner… back when mother used to LOVE cooking, but that's neither here nor there."

Weiss stopped in her struggle briefly and glanced away, a slightly pained look overtaking her features. Rex raised an eyebrow at this. "You okay?"

But then Winter continued on with her story. "Anyway, so I was helping mother in the kitchen when Weiss waddled in with her little penguin plushie… what did you call him again, sister?"

Weiss' eyes bugged out and she continued her struggle, taking Rex aback. "Don't you DARE bring Mr. Tux into this!"

"Ah, yes, Mr. Tux!" Winter smiled. "Thank you, Weiss." Her eyes shifted back to Kenny as she continued her story. "Anyway, she asked if she could help, and my mother said that she could. She asked if Weiss could go get a bag of flour, but what she didn't realize was that the jar of flower was ALL the way on a high shelf that was out of Weiss' reach."

" _So, what did she do?"_ Kenny asked with a grin.

"Don't you dare, WINTER!" Weiss exclaimed.

With a mirthful smirk, Winter laughed and went on. "Haha! She tossed Mr. Tux up and knocked the entire flower bag over… right on top of her head! Ahaha! She was as white as a little snowman!"

" _Haha! My god, that's hilarious!"_ Kenny laughed before glancing over to Weiss. _"I'm sorry Weiss, but you gotta admit, that's kind of funny."_

Weiss glowered at the redhead on the screen, an embarrassed blush coming to her face. "Well not to me, it wasn't!" The heiress grumbled before crossing her arms and facing away from them, breaking out of Rex's hold. "I was covered in flour and I cried for _hours_! My mother had to console me through the bath that I had to take!"

"At least she admitted that she had made a mistake." Winter pointed out. "You can't fault her for that. And besides, she handwashed Mr. Tux for you!"

"Yeah… I suppose." Weiss shrugged before glancing up to Rex, who was staring at her with an amused smile. "Well? Go ahead, laugh. Everyone else has."

"Hey, c'mon, you were _four_!" Rex chuckled. "Every kid makes mistakes when they're that young. Hell, Caesar said that I used to shove bits of enchilada up my nose because I thought it was funny!" The EVO winced at the thought. "Jeez, I must've been a screwy kid, hehe."

" _He's got a point, Weiss."_ Ken supported. _"We all do silly things when we were kids. Hell, I stuck my head in the toilet and flushed it because I wanted to know how if felt."_

Winter covered her mouth, trying to disparately hide her laughter. "Oh my goodness, Kenneth Tennyson, you _didn't_!"

" _Oh, but I did, and my mother was horrified."_

Weiss smirked and rolled her eyes. "I'm sure she was." The heiress faced her sister once again, putting her vengeance on hold for the time being. "So, any word from Gwen and the others yet, Winter?"

Winter shook her head. "No, I haven't heard anything from them." She placed a finger on her chin in thought. "It's strange, I would have thought that she'd report in by now."

" _Ah, I wouldn't worry about Gwen."_ Ken reassured. _"My sister's practically prepared for anything that's thrown at her. I'm sure she's all good."_

* * *

"This is NOT good!" Gwen yelled. "I was NOT prepared for this!" The Anodite had expected a lot of good things to happen today. Their mission was going well and it seemed like they wouldn't have to call in back up. But now, she was dealing with a pair of large, intimidating mutant men. Though their numbers were greater, Gwen was unsure if their side could win this fight without their heavy hitters. This team was made for stealth, not all-out combat. Plus, the giant minigun that Skull was holding with a single hand was intimidating in itself. "Of all the things that could've happened today, this was one that I really didn't see coming."

"Yeah, I'll admit, this is new!" Sun shrugged. "I mean, holy crap."

Blake unsheathed Gambol Shroud, ready for whatever Exo-Skull and Thunderhog had to throw their way. "Gwen, I seriously hope that you have a plan cooking in that brain of yours, because we need one _yesterday_. We need to beat these guys and get out of here!"

Ren unholstered StormFlower and went into a combat stance. "I'm beginning to wonder if we CAN beat them! They appear to be well over TWICE as strong as they were in their human forms."

Gwen raised her hand. "Okay, hold on for just a second, let me try something." The redhead stepped forward and placed her hands on her hips, giving the mutated duo a judging glare. "So, THIS is what you boys wanted all along, huh? To basically be carbon copies of Bebop and Rocksteady?!"

Sun glanced over to Blake in confusion. "Any idea what she's talking about?"

"I have absolutely NO clue." Blake shrugged.

However, Thunderhog seemed to take offense to Gwen's remark, letting out an indignant snort before pointing a finger at her. "Hey! We're not JUST lookalikes, little girl!"

"Yeah, we're _better_." Exo-Skull emphasized before hunching over to aim his large horn at them. "For example, take THIS!" The lens at the tip of his artificial horn began to light up before instantly shooting out a powerful laser blast at the group, one that was much more powerful than the one he used to have.

Gwen's eyes widened and she belted out; "SCATTER!" Her three teammates didn't have to be told twice as they all dove in different directions, causing the laser to miss. However, that didn't stop the blast from putting a massive hole in the floor, much to their shock.

Skull's eyebrows rose at what he had just done. "Whoa! Haha! Now THAT was a blast!"

Next to him, Hog was laughing up a storm, his big belly shaking as he laughed. "Ahaha! You bet your ASS is was! Ooh! Lemme try mine!" The warthog man turned in Gwen and Ren's direction and reached up, activating his laser visor. The high-tech eyewear instantly blasted out an extremely powerful blast of purple energy, one that was equally as powerful as Skull's. As it came toward her and Ren, Gwen quickly got up and made a mana shield in front of them, having it take the hit. Still, the laser proved to be as strong as it appeared, making the shield shatter within seconds after Gwen and Ren got out of the way. "WOO! Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!" Hog celebrated.

Gwen winced as she felt her power begin to drain. She still had some left, but they needed to get those two off of the colosseum, FAST. "Ugh, okay, I have a new plan, but it's pretty bold."

Blake and Sun came over, the former giving Gwen a sly grin. "So… you're going your cousin's route?"

"Kind of." Gwen pointed over to the brutish duo. "In order to cast the entrapment spell AND the teleportation spell on them, I need to get close enough… which means that we have to engage them. I goaded them into attacking us to get a sense of their power, and while they ARE pretty strong now, they're still the same Hog and Skull we all know and can't stand."

Sun smirked and an idea formed in his head. "Let me guess, misdirection?"

"Exactly." Gwen confirmed. "We'll make to engage them, but we'll use our skills to our advantage and outwit them instead."

"Excellent idea… but what if we get hit?" Ren asked.

Gwen grimaced as she shifted her eyes back to Skull's REALLY big minigun. "…Yeah, we need to be REALLY careful with this."

"HEY!" Hog's yell caught their attention and they moved back around, only to see the rhino and warthog mutants charging straight at them, their weapons at the ready. "Stop whisperin' an' FIGHT us already!"

Blake's brow furrowed and she stepped forward, keeping Gambol Shroud at the ready. "I'll draw Skull's attention, and I'll give him a little surprise while doing it." The cat girl glanced back toward Gwen and gave her a nod. "You just get that spell ready, okay?"

Gwen parted her lips in surprise at Blake's willingness to serve as a distraction, but she quickly realized that they were out of options while Hog and Skull kept closing in. With a reluctant nod back, Gwen gave the okay. "Alright, good luck."

Sun went over and nudged Blake with his elbow, giving her a wink. "Hey, you're not doing this alone, you know."

Blake smiled back to her boyfriend and returned the gesture. "I figured you'd want in on it. I take it we're on the same page?"

"Light 'em up with our signature big-boom combo?"

"That's it! C'mon, let's go!" The couple began racing forward, sprinting straight toward Hog and Skull. Blake shifted Gambol Shroud into its gun mode while Sun took Ruyi Jingu Bang off of his back and changed it into their gunchuck mode, the couple firing right on Skull as they closed in.

The rhino-man to stopped in his tracks and raised his arm to block their shots, his armor absorbing most of them. "Really? You think your little bullets are gonna stop me?"

"Maybe." Sun smirked. "But at least we don't need a giant gun to compensate for ourselves."

Skull's grit his teeth and snarled; "What did you just say?!" With a single motion, Skull hefted up the Executioner with one hand and pulled the trigger, unloading a hailstorm of bullets. "You'll pay for sayin' that!"

"NOW!" Blake shouted, activating her Semblance soon after. Using a vile of Fire Dust, the cat girl made a fiery shadow clone of herself while Sun created another of his Via Sun clones, the couple lunging out of the way as their copies surged toward Skull. Once Skull's hellfire of bullets made contact with the two incoming clones, they both exploded right in his face, making him let out a yell as he toppled over from the force of the explosion.

Once the two were out of the way, Sun and Blake stopped, the monkey boy giving his girlfriend a grin. "HA! I think we got that trick down pat!"

Blake let out a small chuckle at that. "Heh, yeah, I guess we—GAH!" Blake winced and grabbed her left shoulder, gritting her teeth in pain. "Oh, god!"

"Blake!" Sun put his hands on her shoulders to support her. "What's wrong?"

"Ugh, my shoulder…" Blake lifted her hand to reveal that a single bullet had managed to graze her shoulder, with blood trickling from a clean rip in her jacket. "Crap! I got sloppy!"

"No way." Sun insisted as he reached into his back pocket. "The idiot must've gotten a lucky shot." The monkey boy pulled out a red cloth and ushered Blake to come closer. "Here, I'll patch you up. But you'll have to take off your coat."

Blake did as he asked, but grumbled when she saw the tear in the fabric. "Ugh, and I just bought this coat too."

However, as Sun was patching Blake's wound, Thunderhog was NOT happy to see what happened to his friend. "Skull!" He went over and picked the rhino man up, helping him get to his feet. "You okay, bro?"

"Ugh, I think." Exo-Skull grunted as he rubbed his head. "Man, getting things blown up in your face is NOT fun."

Hog glowered in the hero's direction and let out an angry pig-like squeal; " _RRREEEEET_! That does it! Time to bring the THUNDER!" With a mighty swing of his arm, Hog hefted his mace up high and began spinning it around, charging the energy inside until the weapon's signature red lightning bolts began to surge out of it. "Thunder! THUNDER! THUNDERHOG!" Hog swung his mace down and slammed it into the ground, sending multiple arcs of electricity towards Blake and Sun.

"No!" Gwen cried out before jumping in front of Sun and Blake. In the blink of an eye, she raised a mana field up and blocked the attack, though it put a major strain on her. " _Omventa_!" With a single word, Gwen cast a magic spell, one which caused the electricity to bounce off of her mana field and return to Hog, though he was quick to jump out of the way.

"HEY!" The pig man shouted indignantly. "I'm the one who does the lightnin' tricks, not you—AGH!" Hog was interrupted when Ren suddenly rushed up and delivered a swift kick into his face, taking him by surprise.

As Hog reeled back from the unexpected blow, Ren turned around and called out to the Anodite. "Gwen! Now's your chance!"

"Right! _Contego_! _"_ Gwen redirected her mana shield, pushing it over to Hog and Skull as the two men tried to recollect themselves. The mana field surrounded the two men, trapping them in the large, pink prison.

"Hey! What gives?!" Hog hollered before both he and Skull blasted their lasers at it, but to no avail. "This thing's laser proof?!"

"Bet it's not rhino proof!" With a mighty grunt, Skull bashed himself horn-first into the barrier, only to be knocked back by an equally strong energy surge. "GAH! Well, that answers that." He snarled at Gwen and pounded his fist against the energy wall. "Let us out of here, you little—"

"Oh, you boy's will be out soon enough." Gwen answered as her eyes began to glow again. "Just as soon as I do this; _Eo Recedentia_!" With a thrust of her hands, Gwen cast the teleportation spell once more, making Hog and Skull disappear before their very eyes. With ragged breaths, Gwen put her hands on her knees, exhausted after using so much of her energy. "Hah… enjoy… the snow… boys."

After Sun was done putting the temporary bandage on her, Blake moved over and placed a hand on Gwen's shoulder in concern. "Gwen, are you alright?"

"Yeah, you look like you just ran a marathon." Sun commented.

"D-Don't worry, guys." The Anodite reassured. "I'll be—"

Suddenly, a new voice came from the large hole that Hog and Skull had broken through the wall, and a rather familiar voice at that; "Farkas! Thaddeus! You two have NO patience!" Animo emerged from the hole with frustration written all over his face, climbing over the rubble and into the stadium itself. "I swear, I tell them to wait for us and they take off!"

Another voice came from the hole as well, this one very posh and more distinguished. "Indeed so." From the hole, the four teens saw Arthur Watts climb over the rubble, the doctor clearly out of his element. "I believe the term "eager" is an understatement when it comes to… oh dear." Watts' gaze had made it out to the field… and the newly mutated duo were nowhere in sight. "Animo… do you know where our security is?"

"Unfortunately, no." Animo grumbled before glaring over to the four teens. "You there! What have you done to our test subjects?!"

Ren narrowed his eyes right back at the mad doctor. "Take a wild guess."

"They're gone, Animo." Blake explained. "Gwen teleported them all the way up to Essen. You two are the last ones here." The cat girl glanced over to Watts with a frown. "Doctor Watts, I presume?"

Watts sneered at the sarcasm in her voice. "You would presume correctly, child. And you four are in DEEP trouble."

Sun laughed out loud at Watts' remark. "HA! You serious?! You guys are a couple of old science geeks and we're four young butt-kickers who just sent _seven_ of your guys packin' up north. What do you think YOU'RE gonna do to us?"

Watts was about to counter, only to then realized that Sun was right. "I… huh." He quirked a brow to his colleague. "What ARE we going to do, Animo?"

"That answer is simple!" Animo pointed a finger straight up in the air. "We will simply head up to Essen and retrieve our compatriots. Once we do, we will bring them back here and do what we originally intended to—"

"NO!" Gwen shouted, the redhead standing up to her full height despite her tiredness. Blake, Sun and Ren were all taken aback by her sudden move, as were Animo and Watts. The two scientists jumped when Gwen was enveloped in a bright pink flash, the redhead changing into her Anodite form. _**"You two will listen to me VERY carefully!"**_

"By the gods!" Watts recoiled in fear.

"Oh dear." Animo shuddered. "We _may_ have struck a nerve with her."

" _ **As of this moment, Amity Colosseum is off limits to you AND your faction! And just to make sure of that…"**_ Gwen craned her head up and spoke; _**"HATRIUM PURA SECURITATUM!"**_ The Anodite raised her hand and a sphere of magical energy emerged from it before shooting up into the sky, flying up to a very high point before stopping in place. All at once, the sphere burst out and the magical energy enveloped the whole stadium, creating a magical barrier around it. Gwen faced the doctors again and furrowed her brow at them. _**"I cast a protection spell on the entire stadium. Once you two leave, none of your crew will be able to get back in here. Only those with kind hearts will be able to enter this colosseum."**_

"Oh, really?" Animo crossed his arms. "And what makes you so sure that we'll be leaving peacefully, hmm?"

"Agreed!" Watts nodded. "You children are not in any position to tell us what to do."

Gwen narrowed her eyes at the duo before she decided to pull one more trick out of her sleeve. _'It worked with Zombozo, it'll work for THESE bozos.'_ With that thought in her head, she continued; _**"Oh, but you WILL."**_ Gwen's body suddenly began to grow bigger and bigger before she finally towered over everyone else, much to their astonishment. _**"You will leave RIGHT NOW! And if ANY of you decided to return to this place, THIS is what you'll find! Understand?!"**_ Both Watts and Animo were trembling in fear at this point, but it didn't take long for the two doctors to finally run back to their dropship, making Gwen sigh with relief. _**"Finally."**_ With that, Gwen shrunk back down and returned to her human form… before immediately collapsing to the ground.

"GWEN!" Blake screamed as she, Sun and Ren rushed forward to help their friend. Sun hefted Gwen up while Blake crouched down to give her head some support. "Gwen, are you okay?! Speak to us, please!"

With her breath steady and a content smile on her face, Gwen let out a soft chuckle as she gazed up to her friends. "Heh, used too much energy. I'm… I'm wiped."

"Gwen, stay frosty." Sun said. "We'll get you home."

"Yeah, I know." Using the remainder of her strength, Gwen reached into her pocket and pulled out her Plumber Badge, handing it to the green ninja next to her. "Ren, contact Tetrax. Tell him that… we need a pick up." And with those final words, Gwen lost consciousness, her energy completely drained.

"Gwen!" Blake and Sun hollered.

Ren's brow furrowed and he pressed a button on Gwen's badge, opening the comm channel to the Resolute. "Tetrax, this is Ren. We need pick up at Amity Colosseum, NOW!"

* * *

In his many years of being a superhero, Ben Tennyson had dealt with a LOT of different and unique situations. Whether it be from Earth or space, he'd seen so many things in his life that he thought that nothing more could surprise him. But at this moment, that proved to be wrong on his part. "So let me see if I got this straight; Ozpin is an immortal being who's lived for hundreds, if not THOUSANDS of years by reincarnating himself into people who have the same ideologies as him?" Ben smacked his forehead. "And here I thought things couldn't get any weirder."

"Same here." Yang uttered as she held her head in her hands. "I just… oh my god, what the hell? …He basically fooled the whole WORLD without us knowing." She turned to her mother in curiosity. "Is this how you felt back when he told you?"

Raven closed her eyes and lowered her head. "I felt many things, Yang. Confusion, anger, shock, disbelief, BETRAYAL, FURY, RAGE! I—" The tribe leader cut herself short when she realized that Ben and Yang were staring wide-eyed at her, causing her to clear her throat and calm down. "Apologies. The point is I was NOT happy."

"I can tell." Ben affirmed. "Honestly, with a secret like that, I can't blame you." The Omnitrix bearer let out a sigh through his nostrils. "So I guess that means that Ozpin and Salem were having their little squabble LONG before any of us were born."

Yang leaned back in her chair in exasperation. "Ugh, it just gets more and more screwed up the more I think about it!" She faced her mother once again. "He's just been playing things out for _eons_ and we had no idea. How does someone just… do that?"

"By being the biggest ass on the face of the planet, that's how." Raven replied. "From what I understand, Ozpin's had to make some _questionable_ decisions throughout his long-lived life, meaning that he's probably ruined many other people's lives in order to accomplish his goal. I'm sure that I don't have to remind you of what he put your friend, Pyrrha through. Not to mention the utter animosity that Hazel Rainart feels toward him."

Yang put a finger to her chin, a fearful feeling beginning to churn uncomfortably in her gut. "I hate to admit it, but when you think about it like that, it starts to get kinda twisted."

Ben crossed his arms as his brows furrowed. "I get wanting to save the world from Salem, but if it's at the cost of others' lives like what almost happened to Pyrrha, then that's NO way to go about it." The hero paused for a moment before going on. "Still… if Ozpin HAS had to make great sacrifices like that… then there must be more to this whole thing that WE'RE not seeing."

Raven quirked a brow. "What do you mean by that, Ben?"

' _Huh, she didn't call me "Benjamin" that time.'_ the hero thought to himself. _'Maybe I'm warming up to her.'_ Despite his positive thoughts, Ben continued onward with his theory. "Have you ever wondered WHY exactly Ozpin and Salem are fighting one another?"

"On multiple occasions." Raven confirmed. "I had always suspected that Oz and Salem shared some sort of history since they're enemies. Why do you ask?"

"Well, knowing how good versus evil operates most of the time, something PRETTY bad must've happened between them if Ozpin is willing to put people's lives in danger to see Salem defeated." Ben explained. "Though the question of WHAT exactly that is, I'm not really sure."

Yang smirked as an idea came into her head. "Heh, maybe it was the nastiest break up that either of them ever had."

"I sincerely doubt that… but the idea is still hilarious." Raven admitted. "But whatever the case, Oz is still out there somewhere. And I have no doubt that he's going to try to get to at least ONE of the Academies in order to contact Vale." The black-haired woman narrowed her eyes. "And if he gets back here, I know for a fact that he'll want to take over your whole operation."

"And lemme guess, you're not for that, are ya?" Yang said with a quirked brow.

"Yang, you haven't known Ozpin for as long as I have." Raven urged. "If you allow him to take over, he'll trick you just as he tricked myself and my teammates into doing his dirty work. If you want to stop Salem your way, then do it _your_ way, not the way Ozpin tells you to do." Raven glanced down at what remained of her salad with a frustrated expression. "Besides, I can guarantee that your way will involve far less sacrifices."

Yang stared at her mother for a good few seconds as she went over everything in her head. Ozpin was willing to put anyone's lives on the line in his war against Salem, and although Pyrrha was fortunate enough to have lived, the last Fall Maiden, Amber, still ended up dying anyway. And it made her wonder… if her adoptive mother could have been a casualty of this war. _'I could really use your help right about now, mom.'_ she thought to herself. The more she thought about Ozpin's way, the more it didn't sit well with her, and it made her irritated beyond belief. She glanced back up toward Raven… and a smile came to her face. _'Actually… maybe I've got that already.'_

The Blonde Brawler reached over and put her hand over her mother's, making Raven look up at her as Yang gave her a wink. "You know, if Ozpin really HAS done some crappy things, then I think OUR way has been pretty effective so far. It's certainly gotten more results than anything he's done in the past hundred or so years."

Ben let out a chuckle at her answer. "Heh, yeah. I mean, at least we're not constantly huddled up in an office all day." The hero gave Raven a nod. "In any case, we'll keep doing what we're doing, even IF Ozpin shows back up somehow. Though that begs the question… would you have any idea of WHO Ozpin may have reincarnated into?"

Raven shook her head. "Not a clue. Oz could have reincarnated into ANYONE who shares a similar mindset to him, so we're stuck on that front." The tribe leader faced her daughter again and returned the smile. "But I am glad to hear that you'll be doing things _your_ way. Strong warriors shouldn't allow feeble people to control what they do, and your group is pretty strong, at least so far."

Yang gave her mother a smirk. "But we're not strong enough _yet_ according to you, right?"

"Exactly." Raven's lips curled up into a smirk to match her daughter's. "I see you've been considering my offer?"

"I've been stewing over it." Yang admitted. "All I need to do is… the hard part." The blonde sadly shifted her eyes down to her plate as she recalled what she had to do. "I have to break it to Ruby and everyone else that we're only _half_ -sisters." She placed her hand against her forehead and leaned against the table. "That is NOT gonna be easy."

Raven nodded at her daughter's words. "Very true. But you two ARE still sisters, it's not like you aren't related at all." She placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "I'm not much one for the whole "comforting" thing, but from what I've seen, I can tell that Ruby is VERY much like her mother. So while this WILL affect her greatly, I have a feeling that she'll come to terms with everything, given time."

Yang let out a sigh and gave her mother a nod. "Yeah… hopefully."

Suddenly, the Omnitrix began beeping loudly, causing Ben and Yang to snap to attention. "Oh jeez, the mission." Ben said as he lifted the Omnitrix to his face. His eyes went up to Raven with a serious face. "It's probably best if…"

"I remain quiet?" Raven guessed. "Of course."

Ben gave her a grateful smile before activating his communicator. "Ben here, go ahead."

" _BEN! YANG!"_ Jaune's voice came over the communicator, much to their surprise. _"You guys've GOT to get back here, RIGHT NOW! It's an emergency!"_

"Woah, Jaune!" Ben called to his friend. "Slow down, what happened?"

After taking a few breaths on the other end, Jaune began to explain what was happening. _"Tetrax just brought the others back from Amity. Blake's a little hurt, but Gwen used up too much of her magic energy. She's… she's out cold."_

That was enough to catch Ben's attention. "What?!"

"What the hell happened over there?!" Yang hollered as her hands balled into fists.

" _We're not all that sure ourselves."_ Jaune admitted. _"Kevin and Holiday are treating her and Blake right now, but you guys need to get back here on the double. Blake said that you WILL want to hear this."_

Ben pursed his lips before going back to Raven, the black-haired woman nodding when they made eye contact. "We'll be there soon, Jaune." Ben answered. "Just make sure that Gwen's okay. Ben out." After hanging up, Ben stood and bowed his head to Raven. "I'm sorry that we've got to eat and run, but…"

"It's fine." Raven assured. "A tribe watches each other's backs, and so does a team. Go to your cousin." The tribe leader turned to her daughter with a small smile. "I suppose we'll have to finish this some other time."

"Yeah, guess so." Yang agreed. "It'll be soon though, promise."

"Right, now go, you must hurry. I'll talk to you both later on." With those words Ben and Yang went back over to Bumblebee, with Yang giving one last wave to Raven as she left. As Raven watched the couple ride off down the street, she let out a small sigh as she clenched the handle of her blade, Omen. _'Do I dare get involved?'_ she thought to herself. _'I don't want them to be TOO reliant on me if I do.'_ Her other hand went to her chest, nestled right over her heart. _'But… why does this feeling keep telling me otherwise?'_

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Patchwork mall, Ruby and Penny, along with Iris, Daisy and Ollie, were all exiting the salon after a rather relaxing hour of pampering. The only one who got the full treatment was Daisy, who seemed to be the most refreshed out of all of them. Ruby, Penny and Iris had all gotten messages and a steam while Ollie settled for _just_ the steam room. Though at the end of it all, he was starting to regret his decision after staying in for too long. "Ugh, I didn't know that _steam_ could make your hands all pruney too!" He showed his wrinkled hands for emphasis. "I thought only water did that to you!"

Ruby quirked a brow to him, questioning whether he was serious or not. "Uh, Ollie… you DO know that steam is just condensed water, right?"

"You expect _him_ to pay attention in science class?" Iris asked.

"Yeah, you expect WAY too much of me, Ruby." Ollie agreed.

Daisy rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's remark. "And THAT is why your grades keep slipping, my dear. Remind me to schedule another tutoring session with you sometime this week." The blonde shifted her gaze over to Penny with eager eyes. "What about you, Penny? How was your first official salon trip with friends?"

"It was incredible!" Penny cheered before rotating her arm at the shoulder. "My joints feel great and the steam really helped me relax as well! I've never felt myself more at ease."

"That's great to hear, I—" However, Daisy cut herself off when she saw two figures running toward them from down the massive hall. "Um, Ruby, darling, isn't that Weiss and Rex over there?"

"Wait, wha?" Ruby's eyes widened as she turned around and saw the duo running toward them, taking her by surprise. "Guys?!"

"RUBY!" Rex shouted. "We need you to come back with us!"

"Something bad has happened!" Weiss added as she came to a stop, only to notice Ruby's friends from Signal standing to their immediate left. "Oh, um… I mean…" The heiress put on her best fake smile and gave them all a cheery wave, hoping that none of them would notice. "Hello everybody! How's your trip to the mall been so far?"

Iris gave Weiss a narrow-eyed gaze in suspicion. "Well it WAS going pretty good. But then you guys came running at us like your butts were on fire! What's wrong?"

"Oh, pfft, nothing MAJOR, I can assure you." Weiss brushed off. "No need to worry."

"You guys are working for General Ironwood." Iris stated plainly. "I can only guess that something major HAS happened."

Rex rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. "Alright, you want the cliffnotes?" Iris gave a shrug before nodding silently. "Okay, long story short, Ironwood sent Gwen and a few others on a special stealth mission. The mission went fine, but Gwen and Blake got pretty beat up because of it."

"WHAT?!" Ruby pulled Rex down by the collar and locked eyes with him in an intense stare. "Why didn't you say so in the first place?! We gotta go!" The Hooded Huntress went around and gave each of her friends from Singal a quick hug. "I'm REALLY sorry to cut this short, guys, but we've gotta leave!"

"Oh, don't be sorry about anything, Ruby, darling!" Daisy reassured as she hugged Ruby back. "Go and make sure that your teammates are okay."

Iris nodded in agreement as she got her hug. "Yeah, sometimes official Hunter stuff has to take priority. Just keep us in the know, okay?"

"And tell us if you end up kicking any Grimm to the curb!" Ollie added. "It'll make for some fun stories!"

"You got it!" Ruby agreed. _'If I'm allowed to tell you any of it.'_

Penny gave the three Signal students a wave before she had to leave. "It was a pleasure hanging out with all of you!" she said cheerily. "I hope we get to do it again sometime soon!"

"Same to you, Penny!" Iris waved as the redhead, Ruby, Weiss and Rex all ran out of the mall. "See you guys later!"

Once the four had gone out of the mall, Ruby searched around for their ride, only to see nothing that looked remotely familiar to her. No Rustbucket, no sign of Kevin's car, even Athena's rental car was nowhere in sight. "Uh, guys? Where's our ride?"

Weiss grimaced at the question before jerking her thumb in Rex's direction. "Right here."

Ruby and Penny simultaneously tilted their heads in confusion. "Um… I'm sorry, what?" Penny asked.

Weiss facepalmed and fanned her hand in Rex's direction. "Just show them."

"On it!" Rex pulled his goggles down and, after making sure that no one was watching, began to build something from his legs. What came out of them was what appeared to be a large bike-like vehicle, one that didn't have any wheels, but instead hovered above the ground. It had a large, rounded front and an angular back side, to which Rex's legs were connected to as he sat in his seat. A black helmet with an orange strip suddenly appeared on his head, completing the build. "All aboard the Rex Ride!"

Ruby's eyes widened in shock. "Oh my gosh, that is SO cool!"

"Agreed!" Penny concurred. "I wonder if I have my own?"

Weiss rolled her eyes at the girl's wonderment. "Yes, well, you two still haven't actually RODE on it yet, have you? It's hell, in every sense of the word."

"No time to compliment my driving skills, Ice Princess." Rex snarked as the three girls boarded his Rex Ride very carefully. "Let's go!" And with those two words, the quartet were off, blasting through the streets of Patchwork back to the Xiao Long house without a minute to spare.

* * *

Up north in the mountainous region near Essen, a certain group of five villains were attempting to stay warm, but to no avail. Mercury, Emerald and Subdora had gone into the nearby mine shaft to at least try and stay out of the freezing cold winds, but that didn't help much. Rojo and Cinder had chosen to stay outside, the two staying vigilant as they searched high and low for any approaching Seers that might come their way. However, for as cold as everybody was, Subdora had the worst of it as her species was cold blooded. She was curled up on the hard cave floor, trying desperately to warm herself up.

"Urrrrgh." The Merlinisapien grumbled as the dark purple spots on her skin slowly began to change into a chilly blue. "I c-c-cannot t-t-take this unb-b-bearable cold much longer!" she cried out. "Rojo! Cinder! H-How does the search g-go?"

"Nothin' yet, 'Dora!" Rojo called back. "We'll let ya know when we see one, don't worry!"

"Ugh, this is pointless!" Emerald leaned her head back on the cave wall. "Why in the hell would there be a Seer up here? It's a no-man's land!"

"Well, the best we can do is hope for a miracle." Mercury shrugged. "But until then…" The silver-haired assassin unzipped his grey jacket and held it up, leaving himself with just his black undershirt. "My jacket's up for grabs in any of you need it."

"Th-that is very generous of you M-M-Mercury." Subdora bowed her head slightly. "B-But I will be fine."

"I don't find that very likely." Emerald disagreed. "I mean, you're freaking _blue_."

"I-It is alright." Subdora reassured. "I will be—"

_FLASH!_ A brilliant pink light suddenly began shining from outside, causing the three in the cave to jump to their feet while Cinder and Rojo backed away with their hands covering their eyes. When the light died down, there came two loud thuds followed by a volley of yelling, though a rather familiar voice could be heard from it; "AGH! Skull! Get yo' fat ASS offa me!"

Cinder and Rojo looked back in surprise and did a double take at what they saw. There, stacked on top of one another, was a large warthog man with a mohawk and a rhino man wearing armor. They didn't have to take two guesses to know who they were. "Hog?! Skull?!" Rojo exclaimed. "Holy hell, that gas worked better than I thought!"

Cinder sneered at the fact that Hog had landed with his rear facing her and Rojo. "Yes, and it appears it worked a little _too_ well in some areas."

"Very funny." Exo-Skull said as he stood up, whipping his head around in search for his beloved lady. "Subdora?! Subdora, where are you?!"

Inside the cave, Subdora's eyes widened and she quickly began running out, forgetting about the cold. "FARKAS!" Once the Merlinisapien emerged and saw her beloved, she let out an audible gasp and stopped in her tracks, taken aback by what she was seeing. "Oh my goodness. Farkas… is that really you?"

"Subdora!" Skull ran over and pulled the alien woman into a hug, relieved that she was safe. "Thank god you're okay! When Animo told us that you were sent all the way up here, we jumped into action as quick as we could!"

Subdora pulled her head back and smiled up at him. "Ah! It IS you!" With those words, Subdora pulled the large mutant into a kiss, which made the other two women cringe.

"Ugh, okay, happy for you guys, but please do that on your own time!" Rojo pleaded.

Mercury and Emerald followed out after Subdora soon after, only for their mouths to go agape at what they saw. "Holy crap!" Emerald shouted. "Is that seriously Hog and Skull?!"

"Gotta admit, that's kinda cool." Mercury conceded. "But at the same time, I was expecting something more… I dunno, mutant-y? I mean, don't get me wrong, you guys went through a pretty major change, but your hands and feet are still normal. Why's that?"

"Probably the Faunus DNA." Emerald guessed. "After all, the mutagen WAS made with it, so there's bound to be somebody parts that stay… human-esque."

Cinder let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Getting back on topic, if you hadn't noticed, we are stranded in the middle of a snow-covered mountain." However, the Fall Maiden suddenly realized something, shifting her focus to Hog with an inquisitive glare. "Wait, if you two are HERE, then what is happening back at the colosseum? What happened with Doctor Animo and Watts?"

Hog could only offer a simple shrug. "Beats the hell outta me. We were fightin' Tennyson's cousin and her pals when she cast that stupid spell and sent us here!" Hog grit his teeth and clenched the handle of his mace while holding the chain in his other one. "Ooh, they are gonna PAY when I get my hands on 'em next time!"

"If there even IS a next time." Emerald folded her arms. "We could be stuck out here for _hours_ before Salem knows we're here."

Hog scratched his head in thought, trying to think up some sort of plan. Just then, an idea came to his mind and he snapped his large fingers. "Hold up! You just said that this is an abandoned mine, right?" Emerald gave him a silent nod. "Then that means there's GOTTA be a town nearby!" Hog concluded. "All we hafta do is know where it's at!"

"Well, we ARE close to Essen." Emerald admitted. "We could probably just head there."

Rojo placed her hands on her hips. "'Kay, but how? We don't even have a _compass_ , so how do you expect us to know which direction we're goin'?"

Hog's pig-like lips moved up into a smirk. "Ah, but there's where bein' part pig comes in handy!" The mutant stuck his nose up into the air and began sniffing, letting out multiple snorts as he sucked in air through his nose.

Cinder furrowed her brow at the action. "What in the world are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" Hog countered. "I'm puttin' my piggy senses to the test! C'mon Skull, get that sniffer workin'!"

Skull's eyes widened before he smiled as well. "Oh yeah! I gotcha now!" He pulled away from Subdora and began mimicking Hog's action, raising his head up high and sniffing the cold air in all directions. After another few seconds, Skull's eyebrows rose up and he whirled around to Hog again. "You smell that?"

Hog took a few more whiffs before grinning and making a rather satisfied sound. "MmmMM! Hell yeah, I do! THAT is the smell of freshly baked bread an' cookies!"

"Bread and cookies?" Mercury repeated. "Like… a bakery?"

"BANG on the money!" Hog confirmed. "C'mon, just follow us an' our noses!" With that, the brutish mutant duo led the way as they continued sniffing the air, with Rojo, Cinder, Mercury and Emerald following close behind. Subdora, meanwhile, elected to ride on Skull's back, which the rhino-man was more than happy to accommodate. After a few minutes of walking, the group finally made it to a rather high cliff, which took some of them by surprise. Hog jogged up to the edge and put his hand over his eyes as he scanned the land, a grin coming to his face as he pointed out to what they were searching for. "Eureka, baby! Hahaha!"

Everyone gathered near the edge to see a small port town a fair distance away, probably about eight or so miles out. However, upon first glance, Rojo swore that this town came right out of a Christmas card. It was very "New England" in its aesthetic, with multiple brick buildings, peaked houses with chimneys, a couple churches, and all covered in a fine blanket of snow. There were also a few farms and crop fields, which were also snowed over. The only real modern things that could be seen were the boats in the bay, the cars in the street, and a large production plant with tall smoke stacks. But even then, the plant was designed to match the rest of the town's aesthetic. Finally, around the town's boarder was a large wall, closing nearly everything off from the outside world to protect it from the Grimm. The only exception was the production plant, which was to the far east of the town and on the opposite side of a large river.

Rojo blinked in surprise. "Are we in "White Christmas" or something? This town looks like it's out of the seventeen-hundreds!"

"Psh, maybe where you're from." Emerald scoffed. "Lots of towns in Remnant prefer to keep their more "rustic" appeal. Essen's probably the best example of that. Think it has something to do with not wanting to seem like every other Dust distributing city in the world."

"Ah, so they don't wanna be snooty rich assholes." Rojo concluded. "They wanna be "humble" rich assholes that _say_ they're like everybody else but they really aren't."

"Wow… cold." Mercury remarked.

Rojo simply gave a shrug. "Eh, I calls 'em as I sees 'em. Alright, people, let's get movin'. We can hide out in that dinky place until either the Boss Lady or the docs come pick us up." As the group of villains began to head down back into the forest to find their way to the path, Rojo noticed that Cinder had stayed behind, the Fall Maiden staring up into the sky. "Uh, Cindy? What's up?"

Cinder pointed over the horizon. "See for yourself." The others made their way back to her and gazed in the direction she was pointing, only to see a lone Seer floating in the sky not far away. "There's our saving grace."

"Well alright!" Rojo smirked before letting out a loud whistle using her fingers. "Hey! Over here!" While the Seer didn't have a face, it did seem to get startled by Rojo's sudden loud noise, causing it to move in their direction. The jellyfish-like Grimm stopped in front of them and floated in place, as if expecting them to do something. "Call up the Boss Lady, will ya? It's an emergency."

However, the Seer began reverberating as they heard a familiar voice speak from it; _"I am already here, Rojo."_ Salem answered. _"But if I may ask… what in the world are you all doing in Essen? Were you not just at Amity?"_

Rojo let out a grumble. "Urgh, that redheaded bitch, Gwen Tennyson, used a freakin' teleportation spell on us! She and her Faunus friends managed to knock out the security cams on the colosseum and snuck right under our noses!"

"And the ninja." Exo-Skull spoke up. "Don't forget the ninja."

"Wait, HE was there too?!" Rojo smacked her forehead. "Ugh, this mission was a freaking disaster!"

" _Wait, Rojo,"_ Salem spoke up, _"was that Farkas that I just heard?"_

"Uh, yeah, they're right here."

" _What of the experiment?"_ Salem urged. _"Was it a success?"_

"Okay, THAT part _wasn't_ a disaster." Rojo clarified. "The whole thing went off without a hitch. See for yourself. Boys?" Rojo motioned for Hog and Skull to come closer and stand in front of the Seer, allowing Salem to see the duo for herself. "See? One giant rhino man and equally large warthog man. Well… okay, maybe Hog's a little plumper around the waist, but…"

"Hey! I'm a pig!" Thunderhog retorted. "Whaddya expect?! A ballerina?"

Emerald pinched the bridge of her nose. "And now I've got the mental image of him in a tutu."

Subdora facepalmed in exasperation. "I _assolutamente_ did NOT need that in my head."

Exo-Skull sighed before placing his right fist over his chest in a salute, bowing his head to Salem as he did. "I'm sorry for the… poor choice of words from my pals, Lady Salem." he apologized. "It's… been a REALLY rough afternoon."

" _I have no doubt about it."_ Salem agreed. _"But the most important thing to keep in mind is that the main reason for you being at the colosseum was a success. You gentlemen have certainly come a long way. Tell me, you are near Essen, correct?"_

"Uh, yeah." Hog nodded. "From where we're at, we're about eight, maybe nine miles out."

" _Excellent."_ Although they couldn't see her, everyone could practically imagine the sinister smile that was forming on Salem's face as she spoke that word. _"While the colosseum may not fall this day, I believe that a change in plans is in order."_ One of the Seer's tentacles pointed over to the town. _"I want you all to cripple that town. Cause as much destruction and panic as you can, and the Grimm are sure to arrive in droves."_

A big grin came to Hog's face. "Ahaha! Alright! I was hopin' for some wanton destruction! It may not be on those heroes, but THIS is just as great!"

"Haha! Yeah, now we're talkin'!" Exo-Skull laughed. "Let's do it!"

Cinder bowed her head in respect. "We will carry out your orders to the letter, Lady Salem. If it is destruction you wish, then you will have it."

" _Very good."_ Salem said as the Seer began to float away. _"I look forward to hearing of your results."_

As the Seer floated off into the distance, Rojo pulled Bloodstrike off of her back and shifted it into its rifle mode, cocking it to bring it online. "Well guys, you heard the Boss Lady. Let's give this lazy town somethin' to talk about."

* * *

As Rex pulled up to the Xiao Long house, he made sure to stop all the way to allow his passengers to get off safely. Normally, he'd just shift his legs back to normal and land on his feet. But the last time he did _that_ with a passenger, they went flying, so he thought it best to be mindful than absent minded. Once all three ladies got off safely, he deactivated his Ride and pulled his goggles up. "And we're here." Rex grinned. "Did everybody enjoy the ride?"

Ruby's eyes were spinning and her body was wobbling back and forth, the Hooded Huntress trying to find her balance. "Ugh, no."

"Well, I quite enjoyed it!" Penny smiled. "It was easy going after I found the correct stability configuration."

"Ugh, good for you." Weiss grumbled before heading inside. "Now let's go! They're waiting for us."

Once her dizziness wore off, Ruby gave her partner a nod before following her in. But before she entered, she noticed Bumblebee parked not too far away from where they had stopped. "Oh good, they made it back too." Ruby said with relief before noticing a certain spaceship as well. "I'm guessing that Tetrax picked them up?"

"Yes, he's downstairs with the others." Weiss revealed. Once they entered the house, Weiss made a bee-line for the basement, which made the others do so as well. Once they reached the bottom, they saw nearly everyone gathered there, with the exceptions being Tai and Athena as they had gone to Vale for volunteer work in the city earlier that morning. "Tetrax, we're back." Weiss called out.

Tetrax, as well as the others, shifted their eyes up to meet the quartet as they came down the stairs. "Ah, Weiss, thank you. Doctor Holiday is nearly done with Gwen's assessment."

Once Ruby had gotten off the steps, her eyes immediately found Blake. The first thing that caught her attention was the bandage on the cat girl's arm, making her gasp. "Ah! Blake, what happened?!"

Blake craned her head up and smiled to the Hooded Huntress. Sun was sitting right next to her while Rema was in her lap, the small wolf pup comforting her wounded mother. "Heh, hey Ruby. How was your trip to the mall?"

"Uh, I think there's more important things to discuss than how my trip to the flipping _mall_ was!" Ruby exclaimed before giving a small smile to her. "But it was very nice, thanks for asking. Okay now, seriously, HOW did you get that wound?!"

Blake's eyes trailed down to the now properly bandaged wound, the bandages having a little bit of red fading in because of the bleeding. "Oh, I got grazed by a bullet." She placed a hand onto Sun's shoulder. "But Sun managed to patch it up a little before we got back here."

Sun put a fist to his chest and gave her a wink. "Aw, I'm just returning the favor. Afterall, you performed CPR on me when my heart stopped."

Blake reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I know, but it was still really sweet of you."

Ben came over and gestured to the wound. "Once Yang and I came back, I changed into Swampfire and gave her wound some spores. It should be fine by the end of the day." The hero placed his hands on his hips and gave Blake a smirk. "But this IS still the second time I've had to do this for you, Blake. I hope you don't make a habit out of getting hurt like this."

"Hah, trust me, I don't." Blake chuckled before redirecting her attention to Ruby, though this time with a serious face. "But don't worry about me, Ruby, I'm fine. If you want to worry about anyone…" She shifted her focus over to the nearest couch, which had been unfolded into a bed. "Worry about her."

Ruby's eyes widened and she stepped over to see Gwen, her eyes closed and her head resting on a soft pillow. Her grandfather and Kevin were right by her side, staring at her worriedly while Doctor Holiday and Winter were on her opposite side. Holiday was taking readings with a stethoscope while also keeping eye on her scanner for any abnormalities. Jaune and Pyrrha had brought Romulus down as well, the little pup sitting on the bed with his focus on Gwen. "Is she… okay?" Ruby asked.

"Don't worry, Ruby, she's fine." Holiday reassured. "Her pulse is normal, she's breathing regularly and her brain activity is fine according to my scanner. My guess is that she overused her energy and fainted due to fatigue. She'll probably be up within the next few minutes."

"Well, that's a relief." Max sighed before giving Holiday a smile. "Thank you, Doctor Holiday."

"Yes, it is quite reassuring." Winter concurred as she glanced down to the redhead. "She's lucky that her brother and I concluded our date before she got back here, otherwise he'd be worried to no end." The military specialist stepped over to the stairs. "I'm going to go get some pain relievers for her just in case, I'll be right back."

Kevin just furrowed his brow in frustration as he gently held Gwen's hand. "Well, I know one thing; Hog and Skull are gonna pay."

Over near Team JNPR, Jaune wore a concerned expression. "Uh, Kev, as much as I agree that we can't let them get away with this, we have to take a step back and assess the situation."

"Indeed." Pyrrha placed her hands on her hips. "Besides, if Hog and Skull were able to do THIS in a few minutes, just think what they'd be able to do if they weren't distracted by tricks. Whatever Animo and Watts did to them, it must be BAD."

"Oh yeah, that reminds me!" Ruby spoke up. "What DID happen over there?"

Ren let out a sigh. "Well, our plan WAS going well… but it turns out we were too late to stop the mutation from happening."

Over where he was sitting, Neptune's face grew pale. "Well great! Now we've got animal people walking around with enhanced weaponry! How could this get worse?"

Sun glanced over to him apologetically. "That depends… you wanna hear what they mutated into? A freaking rhino and warthog! Those are probably some of the most dangerous creatures in the animal kingdom that AREN'T predators."

Ben's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "Uh, okay, I knew about the rhino thing already, since I went to the future… but if Hog seriously mutated into a giant warthog-man, I'm going to kick myself for not realizing what they were going for sooner."

Yang eyed her boyfriend in confusion. "Whaddya mean by that, babe?"

Suddenly, a weak voice spoke up, catching everyone's attention. "What he means is that we've got a couple of TMNT fanboys on the villain's side." Everyone's eyes widened when Gwen opened her own, the Anodite smiling at all of them. "Hey guys, I didn't miss much, did I?" She suddenly heard a _BARK_ at the foot of her bed, which caused her to lower her gaze and see Romulus bounding up to her. "Well hello, Rommy! Are you my bedside companion for today?" she asked as she began petting the wolf pup.

"GWEN!" Kevin shouted as he pulled her into a hug. "Thank god, you're okay!"

Max came over and set a hand on her shoulder. "You had us all worried, pumpkin. Are you alright?"

"Ugh, despite a slight headache, yeah, I'm good." Gwen nodded before craning her head back to Ben. "But yeah, it's exactly what you think it is, Ben."

Ben facepalmed in exasperation. "Gah! How couldn't I have seen it sooner?! They wanted to be a couple of Bebop and Rocksteady wannabes!"

Nora narrowed her eyes at the names. "What does music have to do with this?"

"In this case, it's _not_ music." Ben clarified. "It's the names of a couple of bad guys from a cartoon show that we haven't shown you yet. The bad guys were just named AFTER the music genres."

"I see." Ren folded his arms. "And I'm guessing that the show is what Gwen referred to as "TMNT". Is that an acronym or something?"

"Oh yeah!" Rex smirked. "It's a classic! It stands for "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"."

There was a very long moment of silence as the Remnant natives took the ridiculousness of those four words sink in. In the end though, Nora summed it up best. "That has to be the DUMBEST combination of words I've ever heard in my life!" Her face then burst out into a smile. "When's the earliest we can start watching it?!"

"We'll see how much time's left in the day." Ben answered. "Long story short, Bebop and Rocksteady were two bumbling idiots who served as the villain's hired muscle. And well, I'm guessing that you can put two and two together on what inspired Hog and Skull to want to mutate like that." A wide grin came to the hero's face. "On the bright side, we've got our own Bebop and Rocksteady now, so really, this is kind of a lose-win situation."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "I think that you may be forgetting that we've got a giant rhino and a giant pig on the lose now." The heiress craned her head down to Gwen. "Where exactly did you send the bad guys anyway?"

"Up to the mines where we fought Vulcanus about a week ago." Gwen answered. "I figured that there wouldn't be anything worth destroying up there other than the Dust mine. And even then, the Dust mine would probably explode if they tried."

Neptune slightly winced at her answer. "Uh, Gwen… while I understand your logic, I hope you didn't forget that there's a _port town_ close those mines, did you?"

"Well no, of course I didn't forget. But the mines are high up in the mountains, and that kind of terrain is hard to handle without proper navigation." Gwen rationalized.

"Very true." Pyrrha said with a worried expression. "But… they now have two large mutant man-animals with exceptional senses of hearing and smell. What if they—"

"EVERYONE!" The whole group downstairs whirled their heads up to see Winter, her face having grown quite serious. "You all must come upstairs! General Ironwood has called and there's an emergency up north!"

Gwen grew pale at Winter's news. "Oh no."

* * *

Everyone rushed their way up the stairs, including Gwen despite many of her friend's protests for her to stay in bed. They immediately went straight into the living room and saw General Ironwood on the Holo-TV's screen. And he did NOT appear to be happy. He wasn't exactly mad, more frustrated, though his face was definitely quite sullen. "General," Ben spoke up, "what's the situation?"

Ironwood let out a sigh. _"Well, Amity Colosseum is safe and sound… but now we have a new problem on our hands."_ He typed up a command into his keyboard and brought up a video. _"This is security footage taken by one of the security cameras on the of the Town of Essen's boarder wall. The Valian military outpost there heard a loud disturbance around the wall's east side, and… well… you need to see this to believe it."_

The video began playing, but with every second that passed, Gwen just felt worse and worse. There, attacking the large wall with everything they had were Rojo, Cinder, Emerald and Mercury, with Subdora taking a back seat as the Merlinisapien shivered in the cold. But right up front and center were Thunderhog and Exo-Skull, utterly going to town on the large, thick wall. Hog swung his mace into it, blowing off chunks with ease while Skull used his new laser horn to bore right through it, though he occasionally just charged right into it. In the end, the villains managed to get through when Skull delivered one last charge into it, causing most of the wall to collapse underneath it.

"This… this is all MY fault!" Gwen said as she sat down on the nearest couch, putting her face into her hands. "I should have sent them to _Mountain Glenn_ or something, not near an innocent town!"

"Gwen, stop that!" Pyrrha scolded as she crouched down and held Gwen's hands in her own. "We ALL make mistakes like this, but we cannot let ourselves be consumed by them! You were the one who helped me realize that."

The Anodite took a deep breath and gave out a sigh. "I know. But this… ugh, I feel _awful_."

"Welcome to being human." Pyrrha winked. "But let's not dawdle on the past. Right now, we need to worry about fixing this."

"Agreed." Penny concurred. "But I'm afraid that we might not make it there in time." The redheaded android blinked and did the calculations in her head. "Given how fast that Tetrax's ship is capable of traveling in our atmosphere without causing major damages, our best chances of reaching Essen in under forty-five minutes are very minimal."

"She's correct." Tetrax spoke up from behind. "Any faster and my ship could cause even _worse_ damage to whatever towns or cities we may pass over. The fastest way there is a straight line, so we have very little choice but to fly over land if we wish to get there in time."

" _Then how do we get you there?!"_ Ironwood questioned. _"Salem's followers are taking siege on the town of Essen RIGHT NOW! We can't afford to waste any more time!"_

"I'm sorry, general, but half an hour of flight is what we might be dealing with." Ben apologized. "I really wish we could get there faster but—"

"We CAN get there faster." Gwen said as she stood back up, catching everyone's attention. "Or at least SOME of you can while the others will go with Tetrax."

Nora raised an eyebrow at that. "What're you talking about, Gwen?"

Gwen pursed her lips and clenched her hands into fists, taking a deep breath to concentrate herself before raising her palms. "I got us into this mess…" Her eyes snapped open, revealing that they had glossed over in bright pink energy. "So I have to be the one to get us out of it."

"WHAT?!" Kevin hollered as he grabbed Gwen's hands, making her lose focus. "No! Gwen, _please_ don't do this!" the Osmosian pleaded. "You JUST used up most of your energy by doing too many spells one after then other. If you do another teleportation spell this soon, you could knock yourself out again, or worse!"

On the holoscreen, General Ironwood nodded in agreement. _"Kevin's right, Gwen. This is important, but I'm not about to risk your well-being for the sake of getting to Essen faster. We'll find another way."_

Everybody soon began to protest against the idea as well, but Gwen wasn't having any of it. "Stop! Please!" At her outburst, everyone stopped clamoring, allowing her to speak. "Guys, I'm very glad that you care about me this much, but right now, there are a lot of more important things at stake here. You all need to remember, I'm part Anodite. I'm essentially living energy, I'll be _fine_ , believe me." The redhead focused on her boyfriend and placed her hands in his own. "Kevin, please, I need you to trust me on this one. There's no other way we can do this."

"I-I know but—mph!" Kevin was silenced when Gwen's hand cupped his cheek and she brought him down into a brief, yet loving kiss.

Once they separated, Gwen smiled up at him. "I know that I'll be fine. Because you'll be right here with me."

After a few seconds, Kevin sent the grin back and let out a sigh. "You've always been the tough negotiator. Alright, but just be careful, okay?"

Gwen gave him a wink. "Come on, you know me. I will, don't worry." With that promise made, Gwen shifted her gaze over to her cousin, giving him a serious expression. "Ben, Hog and Skull are REALLY strong, and I'm sure that Cinder won't be a cake walk either."

Ben rolled his eyes. "Psh, please. I beat her in our first fight."

The Anodite raised an eyebrow to her cousin. "Yes, but she was ALSO very inexperienced with her Maiden powers at the time. And since then, she's had at least two weeks to practice with them." A guilty expression came to the redhead's face. "Also, I… might have pissed her off something fierce, so you'll be dealing with an angry fire lady."

"…So are we talking crazy-angry or furious-angry?"

"VERY furious."

"Okay, yeah, I'll need some heavy-duty back up." Ben agreed. "How many of us can you get there without over exerting yourself?"

"The most I can teleport at once are six people." Gwen answered. "So we'll have to pick our heaviest hitters."

Yang raised her hand. "Present. I'm not about to let you face Miss Bitch alone, Green Boy."

As did Nora. "Yep, me too. Besides, Hog and Skull have a little thing against me, so maybe I can throw 'em off their game a bit."

Ren gave her a nod. "Okay, but be careful. Their new abilities make them FAR more dangerous than they were before."

Nora reached around and pulled her best friend into a hug. "Aw, don't worry, Renny! We'll be fine! Just because Hog and Skull different on the outside, that doesn't mean that they're _completely_ different from before. Bozos are still bozos after all!"

Rex crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, if Ben's going, then that probably means I'm going to." The EVO turned to the white-haired heiress standing next to him. "So… wish me luck?"

Weiss quirked an eyebrow up to him, regarding his question for a few seconds before finally replying with a smile and a few words; " _Buena suerte._ "

Rex let out a chuckle. "I'm starting to think that I taught you too well." He gave her a thumbs up. "But, _gracias_."

Over to the side, Pyrrha took in a deep breath and stepped forward. "I will go as well."

Her statement took Jaune and many others by surprise. "W-wait, Pyr, really? You're offering to go even if… even if Cinder's there?"

Pyrrha closed her eyes and nodded to her boyfriend. "Yes, Jaune, I am." She reached over and grabbed his hands in hers. "And I know that you probably don't want me to do it."

"The fact that this is starting to feel REALLY familiar is kind of adding on to that." Jaune winced.

"I know… but while I don't like to brag about it, I AM one of the best combatants on this team." Pyrrha admitted. "If anyone stands a chance at fighting either Thunderhog or Exo-Skull without getting seriously hurt, it's me. My polarity will come in very useful when fighting them."

"I know that, but…" Jaune paused to let out a sigh, giving her a worried look. "What happens if you end up fighting with Cinder again? She must be at least ten times as dangerous as she was at Beacon."

Ben came over and set a hand onto Jaune's shoulder. "Don't worry, dude, I'll make sure that doesn't happen." he assured. " _I'll_ be Cinder's distraction." The hero changed his focus over to Pyrrha. "And Pyrrha, you can take care of the Rhino-man covered in metal armor."

"Thank you, Ben." Pyrrha bowed her head in gratitude. "That makes me feel better."

Jaune ran a hand through his hair. "I can't believe that we've gotten to the point where fighting a "Rhino-man covered in metal armor" is actually the lesser of two evils." The blonde knight sighed and gave his girlfriend a small smile, giving her hand a soft squeeze. "Alright, but please be safe, okay? We'll be there to back you guys up as soon as we can."

"I will." Pyrrha replied before pulling him into a tender kiss. The couple separated after a few seconds and Pyrrha gave him a wink. "I promise."

Ruby clapped her hands together. "Alright, so we've got five people already! That means we just need one more spot to fill." She pointed a single finger upwards. "Fortunately, I know _exactly_ who can step into it!"

Ben glanced over to her with an apologetic grin. "Uh, while I appreciate the offer, Ruby, I actually had someone else in mind."

"Oh, I'm not offering _myself_." Ruby clarified before shifting her eyes over to her candidate. "Because I have a feeling that we ALL know who should fill in your sixth spot."

Ben followed her gaze before giving his approval. "Yep, she's exactly the one I had in mind."

The whole room followed Ben and Ruby's example and set their sights… right onto Penny. The redheaded android shifted her eyes around before a confused expression came to her face. "So… who's the sixth one?" Nearly everybody gave her knowing expressions, and it was then when she finally got the hint. "W-wait, me?! _I'm_ a heavy hitter?"

"Well, yeah." Sun confirmed. "You kind of _always_ were. I mean, you managed to take down _three_ bullheads all at once when we first fought with the White Fang." the monkey boy reminded. "And that was BEFORE you got your awesome upgrades."

"Sun's right, Penny." Blake supported. "If there were anyone else here that should be sent ahead, it should be you."

"Well, maybe…" Penny lowered her gaze to the ground in nervousness. "But still, this would be my first mission with you guys, and it wouldn't really be with all of you there. Plus, I still haven't gotten a complete grasp of my new weapons yet." She craned her head back up to Ruby. "Do you really think I'm up for it?"

"Yes, I do!" Ruby reached her arm around Penny's shoulders for support. "Penny, what you did with your weapons during your training session this morning was flipping awesome! The bad guys will never know what hit them! You're still Combat Ready, right?"

"Well, yes, of course I am." Penny smiled proudly. "I'm ALWAYS Combat Ready. …It's just, I was hoping that I'd get to go into battle with ALL of you on my first mission."

Ruby offered a sympathetic smile. "I know, and that stinks. But right now, people's lives are at stake and we don't have much time left." The Hooded Huntress pulled her friend into a hug. "We'll be there as soon as we can, Penny, trust me. But don't worry, you'll still have plenty of friends by your side!"

"She's right, Penny." Pyrrha confirmed as the two pulled out of their embrace. The Invincible Girl placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "I will be right there with you throughout the whole thing. What do you say we get back at Emerald for what she did to you, huh?" she suggested with a wink.

An eager smile formed on Penny's face at the thought. "Okay, I like the sound of that! Let's do it!" She gave Ruby a fist pump before waving goodbye to her. "I'll see you soon, Ruby!"

"That, I can guarantee!" Ruby saluted back.

Gwen gave a nod of finality as the six choices were finally made. "Alright, let's do this. You guys, get into the center of the room. Everyone else, you may want to back away." At Gwen's word, Ben, Yang, Nora, Rex, Pyrrha and Penny stepped to the center of the living room, ready to depart. With the six teammates ready to go, Gwen's eyes lit back up and she raised her hands up, her palms beginning to glow as well.

All at once, a pink aura began to surround the six teammates, much to their surprise. "Woah," Yang said as she admired the pink energy surrounding her hand, "now THIS is trippy."

"Alright, is everybody ready?" Gwen called out, to which the six gave their confirmation soon after. "Okay, here we go! _Eo Recedentia_!" Just as the spell left her lips, the six team members disappeared in a bright flash of pink, vanishing in the blink of an eye. Once they were gone, Gwen smiled in victory as her eyes went back to normal. "Hah! Nice! And I'm not the least bit—oh, there it is." The redhead fell to her knees, with the rest of her body hit the floor with a THUD soon after. Her fatigue had returned with a vengeance.

"GWEN!" Kevin rushed over and held his girlfriend in her arms, slightly relieved when he saw that her eyes were still open. "Are you okay?"

However, upon closer inspection it was clear that Gwen was slightly out of it. "Oh, I feel like a RAINBOW!"

"Oh no, she's finally cracked." Neptune commented, earning him a jab in the gut from Ruby.

From where she was standing, Doctor Holiday made a quick diagnosis. "Her fatigue has gotten worse." She came forward and put a hand on Gwen's forehead. "Hmm, she's warm too. Better put her to bed." The doctor offered a kind smile to her patient. "Gwen, you'll be staying here until you feel better, okay? I don't want you to do anything overexerting or use any more magic for a while."

"Oh, nonsense to the HIGHEST degree!" Gwen exclaimed as she attempted to get up. "I'm FINE—oh, no I'm not!" The loopy redhead was about to fall back down when she was caught in Kevin's arms, catching her by surprise. "Oh, hi honey!"

"Hey babe." Kevin smirked back. "We're going downstairs, and I'm gonna put on one of your favorite shows for you while you rest."

Gwen nestled her head into his shoulder with a cheeky smile. "Oh, you're such a good boyfriend."

"I know I am." Kevin gave a nod toward the rest of the team. "Guys, good luck." And with that, he carried Gwen back down into the basement with Holiday right behind them, all while Gwen was asking if they could watch some show called "Friendship is Magic".

Back on the holoscreen, after bearing witness to the strange display, General Ironwood cleared his throat and spoke up once again. _"Ahem, well, now that we have a team there, I say it's time the rest of you start heading out as well."_ the general glanced over to Blake, eyeing her wound. _"Blake, are you okay for the field?"_

"Just a flesh wound, General." Blake assured. "The most that got hurt was my new coat… gonna have to patch that up later." she remarked to herself.

" _Well, alright then."_ Ironwood shifted his eyes over to his specialist and gave her a nod. _"I trust that you can handle things from here, Winter."_

Winter gave him a salute in response. "Of course, General. We will be heading out immediately. I will report to you once we return." With one final nod, General Ironwood disappeared from the holoscreen and it shut off, leaving the team, Winter and Tetrax in the living room. Winter breathed in, steeling herself before turning to the large Petrosapien. "Tetrax, prepare your ship. We're leaving right now."

"Of course, Winter." Tetrax affirmed. "We haven't a moment to lose, people! Let's MOVE!" The bounty hunter opened the front door and began leading the remaining teens and Winter out toward his ship, the alien calling up his ship's pilot. "Gluto, start the ship! We need to get to Essen as soon as we can!"

* * *

Yang had to blink twice to make sure that she was seeing things correctly. She knew that they were being teleported, but that fact hadn't fully sunken in with her until they were at their destination. It seemed that Pyrrha, Penny and Nora were in similar states, the three girls all checking their surroundings as well. "Huh, that was… weird." the Blonde Brawler admitted.

"Don't worry, you get used to it." Ben assured before facing the mine. "Well, this IS where we fought Vulkanus, so at least we're on the right track.

Rex eyed the mine himself. "Wait, you mean the baby dude with the giant head?"

"Yes, about a week ago." Pyrrha confirmed. "But right now, we should focus on more important things. We need to track down those bad guys and find out which direction they went to get to town."

Nora pointed to the ground. "Well, I think I spotted out first clue." Everyone followed her gesture to see what she was pointing at; snowy footprints from seven sets of feet. "Footprints. And they lead…" Nora moved her arm up to a small path through the forest, "that way."

Penny scanned the tracks, coming up with a conclusion a second later. "My scans show that these tracks are still somewhat fresh, a little over an hour old. Where ever they went, they went there pretty fast."

"Alright." Ben waved for the group to follow him. "C'mon, let's go!" The group began running through the snow, following the tracks at a rapid pace. Soon, they found themselves trekking up a slight incline, which perplexed a few of them until they came through the tree line and saw where the upward slope was leading. The six had found themselves at a steep cliff overlooking the nearby ocean, taking them aback. "Whoa, okay, didn't expect that."

Rex quickly took note of the footprints; "Hey, they went off in that direction." the EVO pointed over to where the footprints were going down a different path. "If we head down there, we'll get to where they found their path to town."

"True." Pyrrha agreed. "But perhaps we should take this opportunity to see where we are." She gestured toward the cliff. "After all, we've got a clear view of everything up hear."

"Good thinking, Pyrrha." Ben complimented. "Maybe we can find a quicker way down." The six teens moved up to the edge of the cliff and gazed out to the horizon, quickly taking not of the town out in the distance. "Hey! Is that Essen?"

"Sure is, Green Boy!" Yang smiled at the sight. "And it looks like the bad guys haven't done any serious damage yet—" _BOOM!_ A loud explosion could be heard off in the distance, and as it happened, a large cloud of smoke suddenly plumed out from the center of town, making Yang grit her teeth in frustration. "Well excuse ME for being positive, universe!"

"It's already started." Pyrrha said with a sense of dread overcoming her. "The Valian military won't be able to do anything to stop them and innocents are bound to get hurt! We need to get down there NOW."

But Penny was quick to remind Pyrrha of their current position. "Pyrrha, we'll never make it down there in time." she reminded the Invincible Girl. "We're approximately eight and three-quarter miles away, on foot it'd take an hour, and that's if we _run_."

Rex gave Penny a smirk. "Well, it's a good thing we've got two dudes who can fly!" The EVO pulled his goggles down and leapt off the cliff, activating his Sky Slyder as he dived down. He flew back up and stopped in midair, offering his services. "Only two passengers at a time, _por favor_. Hey Ben, get some wings ready!"

"Already on it." Ben confirmed as he activated the Omnitrix. "Time for Charmcaster and Chromastone to go a second round." He slammed the Omnitrix down and began to transform… into something that wasn't Chromastone.

Ben's hands began to transform into black, three-fingered, claw-like talons that were attached to a pair of long, spindly green arms, with his body becoming a big white thorax with three black stripes going down. His legs had transformed into similar spindly green appendages as his arms while another pair of legs emerged from just beneath his chest. From his rear, a large black stinger emerged, while from his back, a large pair of clear yellow, insectoid wings emerged, fluttering rapidly enough to make a high-pitched sound. His head also became covered in a black exo-skeleton, his mouth now with a large underbite while four green eye stalks popped out of his head, two one each side. The Omnitrix settled onto the center of the alien's face, completing his transformation… much to everyone's disgust.

Yang gagged as a new stench greened her nostrils. "Oh god, what the hell is THAT?!"

Pyrrha covered her mouth and nose. "Dear lord! It's so gross!"

Nora pinched her nostrils shut. "Ew, stinky doesn't even _begin_ describe it!"

Penny's eyes widened and she ran a command through her mind. "Sense of smell: off."

And Rex wafted the air next to his face. "Pew! ¡ _Mal olor_! I can smell it from over here!"

Their reactions served to confuse the Omnitrix bearer… that is until he looked down to himself. "Aw man! Stinkfly?!" he exclaimed in a gnarled, high-pitched voice. "Seriously?! I wanted Chromastone!" The Lepidopterran sighed in defeat. "Well, beggars can't be choosers and we've already wasted enough time." Stinkfly moved sideways, lowering his body for passengers to get on. "Hop on, I can carry two passengers."

"Not it!" Nora shouted before zipping over to Rex.

"Also not it!" Pyrrha added before doing the same.

Stinkfly grimaced as the two members of Team JNPR clamored to get onto Rex's hoverboard. "Gee, really feeling the love here, guys."

Yang stepped over and mounted her boyfriend's back, though she made sure to keep her nose plugged at all times. "Sorry babe, but you gotta admit, you _reek_."

"So I've been told." Stinkfly acknowledged as Penny climbed onto his back as well. The stinky bug alien rose up and began flapping his wings rapidly, raising himself up into the air as Rex did the same, with Pyrrha and Nora making sure to hold on and keep their balance on the EVO's board. "Alright guys, let's go save that town!" At Stinkfly's word, the six teens took off as fast as their flyers could, silently hoping that they weren't too late.

* * *

The inhabitants of the town off Essen often lived a happy and prosperous life. Being one of the world's most prosperous Dust exports, their economy was better than most other towns, allowing them better protection from Grimm thanks to the Valian military outpost and the large wall around their town. They never expected that wall to be broken through by anything, but today they were proven wrong by the most unexpected of interlopers. Citizens ran screaming through the streets as they tried to get away from their intruders, the seven fiends having split off into three different groups to cause havoc throughout the town. They had already wrecked an entire block since they'd arrived in the town, and they were eager to do even more damage.

Mercury kicked a nearby bench through glass window pane of a nearby mom-and-pop store, making the customers and even the owners run away in fear. "Ahaha! I am SO glad that this is what Salem set us up with!" the silver-haired assassin laughed. "I can't remember the last time we went all out like this!"

"Yeah, me either." Emerald agreed. "Man, talk about cathartic. After all the shit that we've had to deal with these past couple weeks, this is some much-deserved fun."

"No kidding." Mercury glanced around before finding a Dust shop, a mischievous gleam shining in his eye. "Hey, you thinking what I'm thinking?"

A smirk came to Emerald's face. "Oh, yeah." The duo strolled in, with Emerald throwing open the double doors to catch everyone's attention. "Listen up!" She unholstered Thief's Respite and aimed it out to the crowd. "If any of you wanna keep your sorry lives, I suggest you beat it!" The patrons didn't have to be told twice and they all made haste, leaving the store owner behind the front counter display quaking in his boots. Emerald strutted over and leaned over the counter, giving the man a knowing smile. "Hi, I wanna do some business here."

"P-Please, don't hurt me!" the owner said as he covered his face.

"Oh, don't worry, pops, we won't hurt ya." Mercury assured sinisterly. "We just wanna take your entire stock. Do that, and you'll live."

"Yes, take it all! It's yours!" The man lowered his hands and put his hands together, pleading for his life. "Just please don't kill me! I have a wife and three kids!"

"No problem!" Emerald smirked. "But I suggest you get out of here in ten seconds. 'Cause we plan on using our Dust _right_ away."

The man gazed back up to them, confusion written on his fear-filled face. "W-w-what do you mean—AH!" He screamed as Mercury kicked open the glass of the counter display, exposing the various Dust crystals inside.

"Ten." Emerald started. "Nine… eight… seven… six…" The man scrambled from out behind the counter and ran outside while Mercury and Emerald strolled out, the green-haired assassin still counting down. "Five… four… three… two…" Once they were a fair distance away, Emerald spun around and pointed one of her revolvers back at the store, aiming right for the exposed Dust crystals. "One." She pulled the trigger, sending a Dust round right into the display case and hitting a bunch of Fire Dust crystals, making them explode. This sent off a chain reaction that made the entire stock of Dust explode, sending the place bursting up into flames. Mercury and Emerald laughed together as the store owner cried in agony on the ground, watching as his business went up in flames. "Hahaha! I LOVE this town!" Emerald cheered.

Meanwhile, across the street at a nearby bakery, Hog and Skull were busy chowing down on a much-needed meal. Mutating had made them surprisingly hungry, so they decided to follow their noses and get some food in their systems. Fortunately for them, the bakery also had a deli, so meat and bread were both in substantial amount. Plus, Skull had decided that it'd be the perfect place for Subdora to warm up, so the Merlinisapien was busy standing next to an open brick oven.

"Ah, this is much better!" Subdora smiled. "I feel… feel… ah-choo!" Once she let out that loud sneeze, Subdora began to feel the effects of the cold beginning to take hold all at once, sniffling as her sinuses began to clog up. "Oh no, don't tell me!"

"Afraid so, hon." Skull said with disappointment. "You're gettin' sick."

" _MERDA_!" Subdora screamed in Itialian before letting out another sneeze. "Ah-choo! Ugh, this is hell."

As the couple spoke, Hog was busy downing an entire loaf of bread, finishing it all in under twenty seconds. He licked his chops, with a satisfied; "MmmMM!" leaving his lips as he pat his large belly. "Man, that's gotta be some of the BEST bread I've ever had!" Over to his left, he saw a lone, terrified server who was shaking in fear. The mutant warthog-man leaned forward and slammed his arm on the bar he was sitting at. "Heyo, garcon! You got the recipe for that bread? I mean, ya won't be needin' it no more anyway." The server screamed in fear and zipped away, almost slipping right out of his shoes. "Well, SORRY I asked!" Hog waved his hand indignantly. "A pig-dude can't get ANY good service these days. Yo Skull! Anything good in the back?!"

"You know it!" Skull called back before the _ding_ of another oven was heard. A few seconds later, and the large rhino-man was bringing out fresh meat on a large platter. "They had these big rounds of ham and gammon cookin' in an oven before we got here." He set the tray down on the bar before taking the entire ham, using the bone sticking out of its rear as a handle. "Dig in!" Skull began chewing on the ham, taking large succulent chunks off of the cooked meat… but when he glanced back up to Hog, his friend was just sitting there, mouth agape at what has happening. "…What?"

"DUDE!" Hog exclaimed. "I'm a fuckin' PIG, man! How would YOU feel if I just started eatin' a hunk o' rhino meat in front of you?! The hell's wrong witchu?!"

Skull blinked twice before swallowing his food. "First, I'd be impressed." he answered. "Rhino meat's pretty freaking tough. But as for the other thing… dude, we were normal guys who ate meat all the time until a couple hours ago, how is this an issue for you NOW?"

Hog raised a finger, prepared for a counter argument… but when he couldn't think of one, he shrugged it off. "Fair point. Pass me the pig leg." Skull picked up the gammon and tossed it over to Hog, the warthog taking a big bite out of it the moment he caught it. "Mmm, feels wrong, but tastes so right!" But then, a thought occurred to him. "Hey, aren't rhino's herbivores?"

"Heh, does it look like I care?" Skull went for another bit of the ham, but his face suddenly turned green and his gag reflex kicked in, making him cover his mouth.

"Nope, but yo' stomach might."

While Skull was busy puking his guts out, a certain pair of women were busy scoping out the jewelry store not far down the block. Though they weren't exactly interested in _wearing_ the priceless rocks. Rather, Rojo was busy looting them all into a large bank sack that she had retrieved from behind the counter, chuckling to herself as she loaded them in. "Man, you guys in Remnant really know your bling! I could sell this back home an' make a fortune!" However, when she didn't get a response from her partner, her brows furrowed and she called back; "Cindy? You good?"

"Yes, just… experimenting." Cinder answered.

The bounty hunter moved around and saw the Fall Maiden staring at herself in the mirror with a judging gaze, only for her to realize that there was a very expensive twenty-four-karate gold necklace around her neck with priceless rubies and diamonds going all around it before meeting in the middle with a large, diamond-shaped yellow topaz at the base of her neck. Rojo's jaw nearly fell to the floor at the sight. "Holy hell, Cindy! How are you still standing with that many rocks on your neck?!"

"It's not that heavy." Cinder answered as she continued to judge herself in the mirror. "Tell me, what do you think of it?"

"Well, you know me, fan of anything red." Rojo shrugged. "Plus, the topaz goes with your eyes well. You make it look good, I think you should keep it."

"Hmm, I believe I will." Cinder smiled sinisterly before turning back to Rojo. "Are you done with your shopping?" Rojo smirked back and held up her sack of jewels. "Then I believe its time we burn this fine establishment to the ground."

However, a scream was suddenly heard from outside, on that Rojo recognized to be Emerald's. "What the?! Em?!"

Cinder furrowed her brow and immediately went to the door. "Come, we haven't a moment to—" But once she opened the door, her nose was greeted with the most horrific odor she ever smelled in her entire life. "Oh GODS!" she cried as her hands covered her face. "What is that horrible stench?!"

Rojo took a whiff and her eyes widened. She _recognized_ that smell. "No… it can't be! He COULDN'T have gotten here this fast!" She rushed out of the store and whirled her head around to take in the situation. Across the street, there was another store that had burst into flames, and Emerald and Mercury were standing not that far away from it. Emerald had backed away in horror while Mercury was glaring up at something. When she followed his gaze, Rojo finally saw the source of the stench that her nose had picked up. "Stinkfly?!"

True to form, the Lepidopterran was presently flying high above the store and dowsing it with green slime from his eyestalks, making the flames go away in a matter of seconds. Yang and Penny were also on his back, the two girls mildly disgusted at the sight of him doing the rather repugnant act. Once the fire had been put out, Stinkfly landed in front of Mercury and Emerald with a hard _thud_ , making them back away even more. The alien bug reached up and touched the Omnitrix, transforming back into his human form and crossing his arms.

"So… who wants to go first?" Ben asked. "Any takers?"

Yang pounded her fist into her hand with a smirk. "Maybe it's time I give Merc the rematch he's been hopin' for. I've been wanting to breaking your legs again!"

"Not gonna happen!" Mercury snarled. "I am NOT getting my legs fixed AGAIN this month!"

Emerald's eyes found Penny, and was taken aback by the rather angry expression that had over taken the android's face. "Heh, w-what? You hoping to intimidate me or something?"

"You tricked Pyrrha into killing me," Penny began, "attacked Beacon with an entire _army_ of Grimm, your actions made Pyrrha feel guilty, and your boss almost KILLED her too!" The Android tightened her fists and narrowed her eyes at Emerald. "And in all of this? You upset my best friend. In short, I am NOT happy with you. At all."

The green-haired thief's eyes widened in shock. "Okay, I can see that." She whirled around and immediately called for backup. "Cinder! Rojo!"

Rojo unholstered Bloodstrike, transforming it into its gun mode before surging forward with Cinder not far behind. The two women stopped, training their focus onto their three opponents. "Okay, Tennyson," Rojo warned, "I don't know HOW you got here so fast, but I'm gonna give you some words of advice. Take your bitches and get out."

"Well, now that's just rude." Penny commented before spotting Cinder. "So, you're the one who almost killed Pyrrha."

"Indeed, and _you_ shouldn't be alive." Cinder retorted. "But now, we can fix that. In total, there are seven of us, and only three of—"

"You _pendejos_ really need to look up more often!" Rex shouted as he swooped down right in front of Cinder and Rojo, knocking them both to the ground. Pyrrha and Nora dismounted the Sky Slyder and the hoverboard retraced into Rex's legs, allowing him to land on the ground. "Make that six against seven, if you'd please."

"It wouldn't please me, thanks." Rojo grumbled as she got back up. "Well, guess they sent you ahead of everyone else, huh? Lemme guess, your cousin teleported you?"

"Yep, bang on the money." Ben confirmed.

Cinder made to get up as well, but her eyes made contact with Pyrrha's. The two girls entered a glaring contest as Cinder stood to her full height, a bright flame appearing in the Maiden's hand. "Nikos."

"Cinder." Pyrrha shot back.

"Nora!" the Pink Dynamo shouted as she popped up between the two.

"Okay, let's get back on track, please!" Ben requested. "Listen Rojo, you can either leave peacefully, or we make a big fight about it. Your choice."

Rojo rolled her eyes. "Ugh, Tennyson, I thought you'd know me by now!" She put her fingers in her mouth and whistled, calling out for back up. "HOG! SKULL! We got trouble!"

All at once, the bakery's store front blew out from the inside, making a heap of rubble explode out into the streets. The heroes covered their faces while the dust settled, but when they pulled them away, they were floored at what they saw. Even when they had been told ahead of time, seeing Thunderhog and Exo-Skull in their mutant-animal forms felt like a shock to the system. Hog snorted when he saw the heroes, in particular, he was focused on Ben. "Well, well, if it ain't Mr. Hot Shot himself, Ben Tennyson! About time you showed up, we were hopin' for a little payback."

Exo-Skull grunted when he caught sight of Nora as well. "Yeah, and he brought Pinkie along too! This must be our lucky day! Just try to blow us up now, ya little gremlin!" He beat a fist to his chest armor for emphasis. "We're a lot tougher now, if ya hadn't noticed."

"I _have_." Nora nodded with a grin. "I won't lie, you guys look a WHOLE lot more threatening than you've been in the past. But I gotta admit, it's also kinda cool."

"Yeah, I'd have to agree." Yang concurred. "Can't wait to get this brawl started!"

Rex cracked his knuckled in preparation. "Not my first time fighting giant talking animals, but this should still be fun."

However, as the teens bantered, Hog and Skull were just confused at what they were saying. "Hold up, WHAT?!" Hog exclaimed. "You think we're _cool_?! How are you guys not crappin' yo' pants right now?!"

"Yeah! We worked hard to get this done to us!" Skull growled. "You should FEAR us!"

Ben placed his hands on his hips. "Guys, while I appreciate the effort you've gone through to try and destroy me, you were inspired by the two most bumbling henchmen in pop culture history. And you yourselves were bumblers before, so really, I don't think much has—GAH!" Ben was forced back when a laser shot from Skull's horn hit the ground near his feet, making him fall onto his rear. "W-Wait, what the heck was—"

"That was your only warning shot, Tennyson!" Exo-Skull shouted. "I'm gettin' tired of bein' pushed around by you and EVERYONE else on your stinkin' team! I feel on top of the world right now, and you are NOT gonna take me down from this high!" Skull clenched his fists and the jet thrusters on his back opened up and lit to life, the rhino-mutant lowering his head to charge. "Say goodnight, Ben Tennyson!" With a roar of anger and determination, Skull charged forward on all fours, ready to end this once and for all.

As the six teammates all gazed on with worried and flabbergasted faces, Ben knew that he'd only have one shot at this. Whatever he transformed into next would be what would have to save him and his friends from becoming kabobs on that laser horn… and knowing the Omnitrix, it could be a dud upon arrival. He gazed down at the Omnitrix in frustration and sighed. "You know what, Omnitrix? I give up!" Ben retracted the faceplate without even selecting his alien and raised his hand. "Surprise me!"

Ben slammed the Omnitrix core down and his transformation began. All at once, his muscles began to grow at an alarming rate, his skin becoming leathery and a deep shade of red as multiple sets of large spikes began protruding from his arms and shoulders. His fingers became thicker and were reduced from five to four as a pair of fingerless black gloves appeared on them… followed immediately by another pair of slightly smaller arms appearing right under his main ones. The hair on his head disappeared as a thick black stripe appeared where it used to be, ending just above his upper lip before another black stripe appeared on his chin. A pair of large, sharp incisors protruded from his lower jaw, jutting out over his upper lip as his two eyes separated into four. His shoes had disappeared and his feet became larger, the limbs having been reduced to only having two big, pointed toes.

The alien was donned in a white shirt with a thick black stripe that went around his collar and down his front, stopping right at his pants. There were also black rings where his arms came out of his uniform, with no sleeves to be seen at all. His pants were black and actually slipped over the souls of his feet, appearing almost like a pair of stirrup pants. The Omnitrix took its place at the center of his chest before the alien lurched forward and grappled Exo-Skull just as the rhino-man had made it to the group's position, taking the charging mutant by surprise. With a mighty grunt, the multi-armed alien reared up and used Skull's momentum against him, spinning him around and tossing him right back to the bakery, with the rhino-man careening into Hog along the way.

The five teens and nearby villains backed away in astonishment, with Rojo particularly worried at the sight of the rather familiar alien. "We might be in trouble."

The red-skinned alien stood up to his full height and flexed his multiple limbs, finally declaring his name; **"FOUR ARMS!"**

* * *

**A/N: Hey! Ben actually got Four Arms this time! And what better time to get a lucky draw than almost getting rammed into? And if you'll notice, like I did with Diamondhead, I'm using the look that Four Arms had when Ben 10,000 used him in the OG series. Why you may be asking? Honestly, I think it's the best appearance that Four Arms has had. His appearance in Alien Force and Ultimate Alien is just… no, and I'm not a fan of the muscle shirt and mustache of the Omniverse one. But, in any case, next time should prove to be quite the battle!**

**Speaking of which, NEXT TIME! The Battle for Essen gets underway as Pyrrha and Nora face off against the Mighty Mutants while Yang and Penny go up against Mercury and Emerald. And of course, that leaves Rex and Four Arms fighting Rojo and Cinder… there's gonna be some collateral damage. But in the midst of this whole thing, a certain mother finally decides to get herself involved. What will be the repercussions of all this? Well, tune in next time to find out! Thanks for reading everybody, see ya!**


	68. Wild Animals, Part 2

**A/N: Hey everybody! Alright, so we left off with Four Arms giving Skull a good toss. Now it's time see how the whole fight goes! Word of warning though; there IS a bit in this chapter that might come off as… strange to say the least. You'll know it when you see it. Anyways, let's get on with it! This is…**

**Chapter 68: Wild Animals, Part 2**

* * *

As the Resolute zoomed high above the expansive landscape of Vale, Ruby Rose was presently walking down the halls of the massive space craft, searching for the brig. She had resolved that staying in the cargo hold and worrying about what would happen with everybody else wouldn't do her any good, so she decided to set out for the prisoner hold, hoping to talk with one of the prisoners. _'That is, if she's in the mood to talk.'_ Ruby added in her head. She had been rather fascinated by one of the more recent prisoners that had been added to the roster, and she was hoping to get a few words in with her. _'I know that she acts like a crab on the outside, but maybe having somebody to talk to will open her up a bit.'_

When she finally got to where she needed to be, the automatic doors slid open and she walked in, immediately seeing the vast array of villains that they'd caught over the past two weeks. The silver-eyed girl winced the moment she came in, not at the bad guys, but at Argit loitering about. "Eugh, _that's_ attractive." she remarked sarcastically.

The possum-like alien was reclined in his chair and snoring so loud that it sounded like a chainsaw, that is until the door closed behind Ruby. His eyes snapped open and he let out a yell before falling to the ground, a pained grunt escaping his throat. "GAH! Oh, come ON! Seriously?! Can't a guy get a decent nap without—oh, it's you." Argit dusted his already filthy jacket off as he got up. "The scary scythe girl, right?"

"Yeah, that's me." Ruby confirmed as she crossed her arms. "I hope you're not giving Tetrax too much trouble. You know, like we agreed?"

"Psh, of course!" Argit hand-waved. "I'm a great warden!"

"By sleeping on the job?"

Argit simply shrugged. "Hey, it was my break. I hadn't had one in like, thirty minutes." Ruby raised a single brow, a deadpan expression on her face. "What?"

Ruby facepalmed in frustration. "Ugh, never mind. I'm here to see one of the prisoners."

"Seriously?" Argit gestured in the villain's direction. "You wanna talk to one of THESE psychos?"

"We can HEAR you, ya know!" Vulkanus hollered from his cell.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Yes, I am. But not one of the… _really_ evil bad guys."

"Ah, I get it, you wanna see _her_." Argit nodded. "Well, follow me. The riff-raff here can be SO annoying." The con-artist lead Ruby all the way to the far end of the room, right to where the person of Ruby's interest was sitting in her cell. "There ya go, she's right there. Just sitting on the floor and keeping to herself as usual."

"Has she stayed like that since she was locked up here?" Ruby asked.

"Pretty much. Aside from eating, she doesn't really move all that much." Argit shrugged and placed his hands behind his head, turning around to leave. "But hey, feel free to try and talk to her if ya want. Really, it's not my problem."

"Gee, thanks." Ruby grumbled before kneeling down and giving a smile to start things off. "Hi Swift! How's it goin'?"

Swift didn't face her, instead just keeping her gaze forward. "How do _you_ think it's going? _I_ am in here, and _you_ are out there. It isn't exactly the best-case scenario for me, you know."

"Well, when you put it like that…"

"Why are you here, Little Red?" Swift pressed further. "If you've come to pity me, then I don't want it. I'd rather be left alone with my thoughts."

"Really?" Ruby pursed her lips, somewhat reluctant to go forward with her question. _'Well, I've come this far. Might as well see this through to the end.'_ With that thought, she continued. "Okay then, what're you thinking about?"

Swift's eyeridges rose and she whirled her head around to Ruby, surprised by her question. "Well… huh, nobody has _ever_ asked me that before." She mulled the question over before going on. "Why do you want to know?"

Ruby smiled at the Aerophibian hybrid. "Well, I wanted to see if you wanted a friend. I mean, it must get pretty lonely in this place with all these nutjobs, right?"

"Psh, you don't know the half of it. But… why in the ever-living hell would someone like you want to be MY friend?" Swift raised her hand and stared down at in in self-disappointment. "If you hadn't noticed, I'm a freak, plain and simple."

"Hey, you're not a freak." Ruby encouraged. "If anything, you're unique. And unique is _good_."

"I _scare_ normal people on the streets!" Swift snapped, glaring at Ruby with glowing, intense eyes. "They throw things at me, they call me names, they try to hurt me!" She clenched her fists in ire and went back to her position on the floor, bringing her knees up and resting her chin against them. "It's… it's awful. I wish that it all would just _end_."

Ruby had been taken aback by what she said. She hadn't heard such strong feelings being expressed this intensely since Blake revealed that she was a Faunus to her and the team. She took a deep breath and let out a sigh, taking it all in. "I… I can't believe that people can be so cruel to others just because they don't understand them. Aliens, Faunus… when it comes to human beings, I guess it's the same situation in both our worlds."

' _Oh, you sweet summer child.'_ Swift thought to herself. She lifted her head up and focused back on Ruby. "These "Faunus", they're like the bunny girl that I tried to blast the other day, right?"

"Yeah, that's right." Ruby said with a slight wince. "And now that I think about it, Coco probably wants to kill you for that."

"I don't know who that is, so I'm not exactly threatened by that."

"Believe me, you would if you DID know her." Ruby waved the thought away from her head. "Anyway, I just wanted to talk to you. I've been wanting to for a while now, and while the current situation's not _ideal_ for it, this seems as good a time as any."

"Yeah, I noticed that we were flying along pretty fast." Swift remarked. "Where the hell are we going anyway?"

"Oh, two of our more powerful bad guys got mutated into a warthog and a rhinoceros." Ruby answered nonchalantly. "And right now, we're going as fast as we can to get to Essen to help our friends fight off a whole GROUP of bad guys, including the new mutant baddies."

Swift's lips parted in befuddlement. "Wait… are you guys facing Bebop and Rocksteady?"

"Thunderhog and Exo-Skull, actually." Ruby explained. "Gwen thinks they might be massive fanboys of… Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. WOW, that is still really weird to say."

"Yeah, our universe comes up with some pretty odd shit." Swift reclined and an amused smile appeared on her face. "But man, Hog and Skull? Hah, if THEY'RE the ones who mutated, then you should have no trouble beating those sods. They're so thick that their combined intelligence wouldn't be enough to pass pre-school!"

"Ha! Okay, THAT was a good one!" Ruby shifted her position so that she was sitting cross-legged on the floor. "So… you wanna just talk?"

Swift's eyes widened in shock before sending the Hooded Huntress a questioning stare. "Why are you so eager to talk to me, Little Red?"

"Like I said, I just thought that you could use a friend." Ruby answered. "After hearing you talk about your past a few days ago, I figured you couldn't be ALL bad. You were given a REALLY bad hand, and I want to see if I could give you a better one, starting now." She gestured around to the room they were in. "And I take it that you're not exactly all that excited to be here."

"It IS rather boring." Swift agreed before raising an eyeridge at Ruby once again. "No tricks?"

"None!" Ruby raised her right hand. "I swear by it."

Swift's lips curled up into a smile once more and she let out a sigh. "Well, you're a stubborn one, aren't you? Well, if you insist on being here, I think I should at least know your name."

"It's Ruby." the silver-eyed girl answered. "Ruby Rose. So, what do you like doing for fun?" Swift wore a deadpan expression as she gestured around her cell, making Ruby realize what she had just said. "Oh, hehe… bad starting point?"

Swift smirked at that. "You're new to talking to villains casually, aren't you, Ruby?"

"Heh, okay, let me try again." Ruby thought it over for a second before finally remembering a topic that might seem fun. She took out Gwen's 3DS from her pocket and asked; "So… you like Pokémon?"

Swift was silent for a good five seconds before responding; "…Go on."

* * *

Back in the port town of Essen, the heroes and villains were still staring wide-eyed at what just happened. After finally getting the alien he had wanted, Ben, as Four Arms, managed to toss Exo-Skull like he was nothing, returning the rhino-man to where he had charged from and toppling over Thunderhog in the process. It took Four Arms a few moments to notice this himself, but when he finally did, his four eyes snapped open and he gazed down at his form, a big smile coming to his face. **"Wait, for REAL?!"** the Tetramand exclaimed. **"I ACTUALLY got Four Arms for once?!"** He raised his four appendages up in victory. **"FINALLY!"**

Yang gave her boyfriend a smirk. "Whoa, okay, now I can see why you wanted this one so badly. He's pretty awesome-looking!"

" **You have NO idea, Yang."** Four Arms smirked back before giving a scowl to Hog and Skull. **"So boys, what was that about coming down from a high?"**

Exo-Skull grumbled as he got up, allowing Thuderhog to do the same. "Ugh, that was a lucky shot, Tennyson!" the mutant asserted. "This time, I WON'T be taken off my guard! Four Arms is strong, but together, you don't stand a chance against me and Hog!"

"My man's got the right idea!" Hog said as he unholstered his mace from his back, extending the chain from its handle. "Bring it on, Tennyson! It's payback time!"

Cinder, after getting over her initial shock of seeing Four Arms, finally snapped back to reality. At the mention of a fight, the Fall Maiden was all too eager to light her hands ablaze once again. "Perfect! This is exactly what I have been yearning for!" Cinder whirled around and pointed a fiery finger towards Pyrrha in ire, taking the Invincible Girl by surprise. "I have been dreaming of this moment for the past two weeks, Pyrrha Nikos. You got lucky the last time we fought, but now, it is time to finally see who will win."

Pyrrha didn't seem all that bothered by the Fall Maiden's threat though, simply giving Cinder a sly grin. "Cinder, while I am very flattered that you have been wanting to fight me again, I'm afraid that our rematch will have to wait. You see," she pointed off to the side, "there's someone else who wants to have a rematch with you, and I promised my boyfriend that I wouldn't risk my life fighting you again. So… good luck!"

Cinder wore a bewildered expression, though it quickly changed into rage a second later. "What in the WORLD are you talking abou—AAAAGH!" She was promptly cut off when Four Arms performed a powerful lariat on her, causing the young woman to go flying down the street.

Rojo's eyebrows snapped up in shock. "Cindy! Hang on, I'm—AAAAGH!" While the bounty hunter was distracted, Rex activated one of his Smack Hands and hit her right in the back, careening her in the same direction as Cinder. "SCREW YOU, ROBOT-KID!" she screamed as she sailed off.

Rex deactivated his weapons and placed his hand over his eyes, seeing how far Rojo would go. "She's going… she's going…" the redheaded woman slammed into the side of a nearby building, the impact being heard all the way down the street. "And she is OUTTA HERE!"

" **Woo! The crowd goes wild!"** Four Arms proclaimed before giving a high-five to the Invincible Girl. **"Nice lead-in, Pyrrha."**

"Thank you, I enjoyed every second of that." Pyrrha smiled. "Now, you go take care of those two." She spun around to face off against Hog and Skull. "We'll take care of _them_." Pyrrha reached over and placed a hand on Nora's shoulder. "Are you ready, Nora?"

In response, Nora unholstered Magnhild and spun it around in her hand, ready to do battle. "You know it! Let's go!"

Back over with Emerald and Mercury, the green-haired thief had just about enough of this, pulling out Thief's Respite and aiming it right at Rex and Four Arms. "Oh no, you don't!" Emerald sneered. "You think we're just gonna let you get away with doing that?!"

Mercury went into a combat stance and clenched his fists. "Yeah, we're looking for some payback too, Tennyson!"

"HEY!" Yang hollered as she and Penny blocked the duo from Rex and Four Arms. "We've got our own beefs with the two of you! You're not gettin' to the boys without going through us." The blonde turned her head to her boyfriend and set a hand on once of his many arms. "You guys go handle Cinder and Rojo. We've got things covered here."

Four Arms set a hand over hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze. **"Okay, be careful. I'll see you soon, Goldie Locks."**

Yang gave him a wink. "You know it, Green Boy." She shifted her attention back to her opponents and gave Penny a nudge. "Penny, you ready?"

Penny smiled and clenched her fists, her arms transforming into her Floating Array blades. "More than JUST ready, Yang. I think you can infer the rest."

"Yep, I'm pretty Combat Ready myself." Yang slammed her fists together, her Ember Celica sparking when they collided. "Let's rumble!"

Four Arms grinned before craning his head down to Rex. He jabbed a thumb down the street and nudged his head in the same direction. **"So, you up for a good smack-down, bud?"**

"I'm all over it, _compadre_." Rex's legs lit up and changed into his Punk Busters in a single second, the EVO using them to leap all the way down the street. "I'll race you there, dude!"

With a toothy smirk, Four Arms bent his knees and crouched down, preparing to do the same. **"Oh, you are SO on!"** With a mighty jump, Four Arms began bounding down the street after Rex, the duo determined to bring down Rojo and Cinder.

* * *

As she flew down the street at high speeds, Cinder had to give it to Ben Tennyson, she did _not_ take him for one to use a sucker punch like that. _'So much for heroes fighting fair.'_ She shifted her position in midair and shot out a fiery blast down to the street from her hands, slowing her down considerably and cushioning her landing. The Fall Maiden hit the ground in a crouch, the snow melting and evaporating all at once beneath her feet as she collected herself. _'Alright, how does one fight somebody with four arms…'_ However, she was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard another angry scream, causing her to crane her head up to see Rojo slam into the side of a building. "Rojo!" Cinder called out. "What is your condition?!"

Rojo dug her clawed gloves into the edges of the hole she was in and pulled herself out, the brick of the building falling to the ground as she emerged. She gave Cinder a thumbs up. "Don't worry, Cindy, I'm good—ACK!" She was suddenly cut off when Rex slammed into her, the two crashing further into the building. "Oh, COME ON!"

Cinder grit her teeth and lit her hand up again. "Stay there! I will join you shortly—"

" **Don't plan on it!"** Cinder whirled around to see Four Arms falling right toward her, with all four of his arms reeled back for a powerful blow. Rather than stand there, Cinder immediately dove out of the way and rolled from the Tetramand's impact, jumping back to her feet as she made it to the nearby sidewalk. Four Arms stood up and dusted the pavement dust off of his shoulder, facing Cinder with a glare. **"Nice reflexes, but you can only run for so long."**

"Perhaps, but your Omnitrix only has so much power, Ben Tennyson." Cinder shot back. "All I must do is keep you preoccupied until it runs out." The Fall Maiden glanced down to see that the sidewalk had been covered in sand to melt the snow, which was exactly what she needed. She hit her foot against the pavement, kicking up the sand before using her Semblance on it, superheating the particles to create a pair of obsidian blades. With a sinister grin, she began approaching Four Arms with her blades at the ready. "It's only a matter of time before you all are finally out of our hair, and the Omnitrix will be ours to use."

Four Arms crossed both sets of arms with a disappointed face. **"Man, Rojo didn't tell you guys ANYTHING about how the watch works, did she?"**

Cinder's eyes shot up in curiosity. "What?"

" **Though to be fair, she probably doesn't know herself."** Four Arms corrected himself. **"Anyway, if you're hoping to kill me once the watch runs out of power, then you're in for some disappointment. See, the Omnitrix has a life-saving failsafe. It keeps a little bit of stored energy in it at all times, even when it's technically out of power."** The Tetramand pointed to the Omnitrix on his chest. **"That way, if my human form is ever mortally wounded, the watch'll just change me into whatever alien is needed to save my life. Pretty handy, really."**

Cinder could feel herself getting angrier by the second. "So… what you're saying is…"

Four Arms gave her a cheeky smile. **"I can't be killed in action."**

"AAAARGH!" Cinder screamed angrily and surged forward, swiping at Four Arms with her obsidian blades so fast that he had a hard time keeping up with her. "I will DESTROY you!" she hollered as she continued her onslaught. "I will destroy YOU, I will destroy the ANDROID again, and I'm going to FINISH the job I started with Pyrrha Nikos! And your COUSIN! Oh, your cousin will be the WORST to suffer! There will be a special place in hell waiting for her once I'm through!"

Four Arms winced a little bit as the blades swiped against his skin. They didn't pierce it by any means, but he still felt them, and they DID sting a slight bit. **"Ugh, have you just NOT been paying attention? I can't die in battle! The creator of this watch made sure of that!"** Using the long spikes on his elbow, Four Arms swiped the blades away from him before hitting Cinder in the gut, sending her straight into a nearby building. **"Woops! Heh, didn't mean to do that!"** However, to his surprise, Cinder got up and out of the crater that was put in the building, standing up with no problem. **"Sheesh, how durable are the humans in this universe?"**

"Being a Maiden has its perks, Tennyson." Cinder revealed before superheating her obsidian swords and combining them together into a bow and arrow. "Allow me to demonstrate." She notched three arrows into her bow and the tips all lit on fire as she took aim. Cinder let her arrows fly, and while they still didn't pierce Four Arms skin, they stung a slight bit more than the blades, causing the Tetramand to furrow his brow. However, this still wasn't the result that Cinder was hoping for. "I… I don't understand!" She dropped her bow all together and made her hands light up in fire once again, sending a powerful blast in Four Arms' direction.

The Tetramand's four eyes widened in surprise. **"Uh oh."** Using his four arms, he shielded himself from the incoming fire, though that didn't stop it from pushing him back. The blast was so powerful that it sent him into the front of a nearby movie theatre, knocking down the massive sign on the front of the building right on top of him. When Four Arms emerged from the rubble, he was presented with a half-destroyed movie theatre… that was also on fire. **"Oh, COME ON! Seriously?!"** Four Arms got up and gave a snarl toward Cinder. **"Bad enough that you're destroying things, but now you're using ME to destroy them?!"**

Cinder grit her teeth in frustration. "HOW are you not burning alive?! That fire was nearly five-hundred degrees!"

" **Tetramands have thick skin, lady."** Four Arms answered as he pounded two fists into their opposite palms. **"Khoros ain't exactly a paradise planet, it's all one giant desert with large predators. So that means that I'm not just durable, but I'm heat proof too!"**

"I see…" At that moment, a glowing aura appeared over Cinder's eyes as storm clouds suddenly began brewing overhead, taking Four Arms off guard. All at once, an arc of electricity shot down as Cinder extended her hand, making it course through her very body. "Then perhaps a different _kind_ of heat is needed to defeat you!"

"… **Okay, that's actually really impressive."** Four Arms admitted. **"This'll probably be a bit harder than I thought."** Four Arms cracked his four sets of knuckled before running forth into battle. **"Well, here goes nothing!"** Cinder ran up and met Four Arms head on, with the two beginning to grapple with one another in a battle of strength and will.

"Ugh!" Cinder growled. "It's time to see how durable you really are, Tennyson!" Though Four Arms had a hold of her by the hands, Cinder used this to lift herself up and swing her legs forward, channeling the electrical power into her feet and delivering a lightning-powered kick to Four Arm's abdomen, the jolt making him yell out in pain. The attack also made him loosen his grip on her, allowing her to fall to the ground. "And there's my door!" Cinder raced forward and sent two powerful jabs to Four Arm's gut, making him wince in pain with every strike. "THIS is for humiliating me! And THIS is for ruining my plans!" Cinder pulled back and thrust her arms out. "And THIS is for your continued nuisance!" With that, the Fall Maiden sent out a blast of electrical energy straight into Four Arms, making him scream in agony before the Tetramand finally fell to the street, landing face first into the snow.

Cinder breathed hard as the last of the electricity began to settle through her body, the last of it collecting into her right hand. As she caught her breath, her breathing turning into a hearty, evil laugh. "Hah… hahah… haha! AHAHA!" A wicked grin spread onto Cinder's face as she strode forward. "FINALLY! The "mighty" Ben Tennyson falls!" She stopped in front of Four Arms, her feet just inches away from his head. "But just to be sure…" Cinder reached her electrified hand down. "Let's see if your watch is quick enough to save your brain from exploding." Just as she was about to course the lightning through Four Arm's head, one of the Tetramand's hands came up and grabbed hers, taking her aback. "WHAT?!"

" **Surprise!"** Four Arms got up and used his lower set of hands to grab Cinder's hands and force them behind her back. Then, using his larger set of arms, he wrapped her up in a big bear hug hold, restraining her as she began to squirm about. **"Didn't expect that, did ya?"**

"But HOW?!" Cinder screamed. "You were electrocuted!"

" **Oh, and it hurt like** _ **hell**_ **."** Four Arms confirmed. **"But that pain's just fueling me to go further! And now, you're trapped! Whaddya gonna do about THAT, huh?"**

Cinder's snarl was replaced by a knowing smile as an idea came into her head. "THIS!" She breathed in and forced the air back out, changing the oxygen she was exhaling into fire with a single thought. It blasted right into Four Arm's face, making the Tetramand holler in pain and forcing him to let go of Cinder to grasp his face. "Hah! Didn't expect _that_ , now did you?"

As Four Arms wiped the scorch marks off of his face, he let out a sigh in frustration. **"Okay, you're a lot better than I expected you to be…"** He raised his fists and went into a combat stance. **"But that's not gonna stop me, Cinder. I can do this** _ **all**_ **day."**

* * *

Across the way, Rex and Rojo were facing off inside of the apartment building they had crashed into. Neither one had moved a muscle yet, which made for a very tense atmosphere in the room they were in. Rojo pursed her lips in frustration, annoyed that the EVO hadn't done anything since he pushed her in with those giant clodhoppers. "Well?!" she challenged. "You and I gonna go a few rounds, kid? Or are you just too much of a giant, metal chicken?"

"Not exactly, _Rojo_." Rex countered. "I'm just waiting for—GAH!" He was cut off when a laser blast from Bloodstrike suddenly came right toward him, forcing him to dive out of the way. "Hey! What the hell was that, _bruja_?! I wasn't ready!"

"Do NOT pronounce my name like that." Rojo warned. "I've heard it SO many times, and I _hate_ it when people do it!"

Her ranting gave Rex an idea, one that made him smirk slyly. "What, you mean pronouncing it how it's _supposed_ to be? _Rojo_ means red in Spanish, and from what I've heard, you're a big fan of red!" Rex made a taunting motion with his hand. "So c'mon, _Rojo_ , bring it on!"

"SHUT UP!" Rojo sent another blast his way, only for the EVO to activate his Block Party and redirect it out of a nearby window. "Why you little…" With a single motion, Rojo changed Bloodstrike into its sword mode and charged at Rex, ready to get the fight going. "That tears it, Robot Kid, you're goin' down!"

"I was hoping you'd say that!" In the blink of an eye, Rex substituted his Block Party for his Funchucks, using the large weapons to slam Rojo out into the hallway. Rex walked out the door, ready to continue the battle… only to find no one there. "Huh?! What the… where did she—"

"Peekaboo!" Rex whirled around to see Rojo using her clawed gloves to hang from the ceiling, a set of spikes having protruded from her boots to give her even more support. She dropped down from the ceiling and separated her sword into its separate, single-bladed forms, using them to slice through the Funchucks in one fell swoop. "Hah! Gotcha!" Once she landed, she swung herself around and socked Rex in the face, sending him tumbling down the hall.

"Gah!" Rex rolled and gathered himself into a crouch, his lip bleeding from the punch that Rojo delivered. "Whoo, gotta admit, Rojo, didn't see that coming." He stood up to his full height, slamming his fists together as Rojo approached. "But now, I'm through messing around." At that moment, a pair of large, dark blue and grey energy axes burst out of Rex's arms, the giant blades taking Rojo aback. "Get ready to taste my BAD AXES!" With a mighty battle cry, Rex surged forward and slammed Rojo through two walls with a single axe blow, making her fall down to into the streets.

"GAH!" Rojo hit the pavement and skid to a halt, growling when she made to get up. "Grr, this kid's REALLY starting to piss me off." However, at the sound of another fight, she glanced over to see Cinder and Four Arms grappling with each other, the Fall Maiden's body practically coursing with electricity. "Ah, shit. This is gettin' intense." Rojo got up and grabbed her blades, transforming them back into the singular Bloodstrike sword. "Focus, Rojo. You've got a kid who can make weapons come out of his own body. Whaddya do in this kinda sitch?"

"Yo, Rojo!" Rex shouted from the new hole in the building. "You wanted a fight? Well c'mon! I wouldn't wanna disappoint ya!"

A smirk came to Rojo's face as an idea entered her head. "Oh yeah, kid? Well if you're itchin' to please my hunger…" She made a taunting motion of her own. "You're gonna have to get on my level!"

"Hah, what's next? You gonna call me a "scrub"?" Rex snarked back. "Well, if you REALLY want me to stoop that low, then fine!" The teen jumped forward with all his might, swinging his Bad Axes to deliver a critical blow. "Let's go!"

"Gladly!" Rojo raised her sword and ran forward, matching the Bad Axe's swing with her own. The blades made impact, the shock of which caused both combatants to be blown in opposite directions. _'Perfect.'_ With a single movement, Rojo shifted Bloodstrike into its laser rifle mode and took aim as she was being blown back, taking advantage of Rex being wide open. She pulled the trigger and fired, the red laser blasting clean through one of Rex's Bad Axes, which made him fly back even further. "Hah! Gotcha!"

"Augh!" Rex grunted as he waved the pain from his hand. "God, how is she so fast?!"

"I was trained by an alien hunter, kid." Rojo said as she twirled her laser rifle and shouldered it. "One of the best hunters in the galaxy, actually."

Rex furrowed his brow. "Huh, interesting. I was trained by a pretty dangerous guy myself. And you know what he taught me?"

Rojo decided to humor him. "What's that?"

A smirk came to the EVO's face. "If one thing's not workin' so good…" In a split second, his remaining Bad Axe deconstructed and was replaced by his Blast Caster, the energy in the drum immediately coursing through the large whip. "Change things up a bit!" With a grunt of exertion, Rex sent his whip flying and wrapped Rojo up in it, the energy blasting Rojo instantly. The bounty hunter let out a pained scream before Rex sent her flying back into the apartment building, making the front doors fly off of their hinges.

However, Rojo would have none of it, leaping up to her feet and changing Bloodstrike into its sword mode once again. "ARGH! I have HAD it with you!" She got in close, avoiding a downward strike by the Blast Caster's whip by rolling to the side before springing up and cutting clean through the whip with an anger fueled swing. Once she landed behind Rex, Rojo turned around and stabbed her sword right into the Blast Caster's drum, making it explode immediately.

"AAAAGH!" Rex cried out in pain as he landed on the pavement, the back of his jacket now smoking slightly, threatening to catch on fire. He rolled around in the snow, stopping the potential fire before it could start, leaving the jacket with a little singe on it. "Aw, man! I JUST washed this jacket a few days ago! Weiss is gonna FREAK when she sees this!"

Rojo raised an eyebrow at that. "The white-haired rich girl? What does she have to do with—" However, a smirk of realization came to her face. "Ah, I see. Barely here for five days and you're already gettin' it on with the ladies, eh kid?"

Rex's eyes bugged out and a blush came to his face. "W-Well, no, not really. I mean, she's cute but… I'm kind of on a break."

"Ah, last relationship didn't end so well, huh?" Rojo guessed. A frustrated look appeared on Rex's face, which was all the answer she needed. "Alright, that's all the answer I need. It'll just make it even better when we kill you all. I'll make sure that _you_ get a front row seat to the rich girl's execution!"

Rex's pupils dilated and a snarl appeared on his face. The EVO very rarely got angry, but when he did, it was NOT something that anyone would want to deal with. And at that moment, the thought of Weiss getting hurt REALLY got him mad. He activated his BFS, immediately changing the blade into its Battle Saw mode. "Don't you DARE touch her!" With a determined roar, Rex sprang forth and brought his Battle Saw down onto Rojo, the bounty hunter raising her own blade to block the impact.

"WHOA! Kid settle down!" Rojo shouted. "You could take somebody's head of with tha—AGH!" While she wasn't paying attention, Rex activated a single Smack Hand with his free arm and reached down, grabbing her legs and pulling her over his head to slam her into the pavement. He immediately slammed her down twice again in the opposite direction and stopped, holding her up in contemplation before deciding it wasn't enough. He bashed her against the pavement again before embedding her into the road with one final slam, leaving her in a shocked and pain-filled state as she stared up into the sky. "Uuuuuugh."

Rex deactivated his Smack Hand and BFS before walking away, going off to help Four Arms with his battle against Cinder. " _Rojo débil_."

* * *

Meanwhile, back over with the others, Yang and Mercury had already begun their own face-off, the duo punching and kicking at one another respectively. Occasionally, Yang would block one of Mercury's kicks with a punch, while Mercury would do the same, only vice versa. Though, if need be, the silver-haired assassin still put in a few jabs here and there. As the fight continued though, it was evident that only one of them was enjoying it while the other was growing more and more angry. "Will you just give me an opening already?!" Mercury yelled. "Dear god, you were NEVER this cautious during our Vytal Tournament fight!"

"Because I've gotten _better_ since then, Merc!" Yang retorted as she blocked another kick. "I'm not all about going all-out anymore. What do you think I've been doing since then?"

"Oh, I don't know, going out with an overpowered douche bag who SPLIT MY PELVIS?" Mercury stopped his volley of kicks and slammed a single foot on the ground, unloading a Dust round from his boot at the same time to create a massive shockwave that forced Yang back. "I had to spend nearly a _week_ in the infirmary after that! Not to mention, YOU gave me THIS!" Mercury pointed to the burn scar across his left eye, practically seething with rage. "You and your asshole of a boyfriend have made my life hell with your insults and constantly comparing my voice to his! I'm gonna make you PAY!" He ran forward and performed a flying axe kick down onto Yang's head, which she quickly blocked with a punch to his foot.

As Mercury landed on the ground, Yang stared down at him with contempt. "Yeah, see, that's where you DON'T get off. Not only did you and your pals disqualify my team and I from the Vytal Tournament, but you guys nearly destroyed Vale AND Beacon!" She sprang forward and lifted Mercury up by the collar of his jacket before punching him in the gut, sending him flying away. "And even worse, your friend is the reason why Penny was DEAD for two weeks!" Yang sent a volley of Dust rounds at Mercury, the blows sending him careening into a brick building.

Mercury coughed and hacked as he pried himself out of the wall, spitting up a bit of blood in the process. "HACK! Yeah? So what's your point?"

Yang stared at him incredulously, dumbfounded that somebody could be THAT cold. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath, keeping the storm within her mind under control. "The point is that you got off easy."

"GOT OFF EASY?!" Mercury screamed before charging at her and delivering a round house kick to her head, which Yang was able to successfully dodge. However, another kick was sent her way from the opposite direction a split second later, hitting her in the gut and making her stagger back. "I couldn't stand FOR DAYS!" He followed up with a volley of punches to her face, which got faster and faster with every blow. While Yang was able to block a few, some did make contact, which only made Mercury more cathartic. "I had to ask Emerald to bring me FOOD! Do you know how DEGRADING it is to not even be able to get your own _food_?!" With a sweep to her knees, Mercury made Yang fall to the ground, though the Blonde Brawler was able to catch herself. With a snarl on his face, Mercury raised a single foot over Yang's head. "This ends NOW!" With that, he brought his foot down… only for Yang to catch it at the last second. "Wha… WHAT?!"

"You wanna know what ELSE I learned, Mercury?" Yang said as she stood up and shoved Mercury to the ground. "Anger can be a powerful weapon if you know how to use it correctly, but getting angry ALL the time doesn't help you in the long run. It's a problem that I've struggled with for years, and I'm only recently learning to control my own anger better."

However, Mercury didn't seem to care about what she was saying, instead letting out a hate-filled roar as he sent a volley of kicks in her direction, letting off Dust rounds with each and every one. But Yang stayed ahead of the game, performing a set of back flips in order to dodge the incoming fire. The rounds harmlessly hit the ground, causing a cloud of dust and snow to be sent up into the air. Mercury launched himself into the air and flipped around to deliver a spinning kick to the blonde girl. "I WILL DESTROY YOU!"

But just as he was about to land the kick, Yang reached up and grabbed the foot from out of the air, pulling the leg forward to her side in order to grab Mercury by the arm. "Here's the thing, Merc," she spoke calmly, "I used to let my anger control me. But if I was ever in a fight and got angry, I'd get sloppy. Hell, I almost lost my arm because of it. And right now, that's exactly what you're being…" Yang redirected Mercury and swung him around by the arm, sending him into a nearby lamppost. "Really sloppy."

"SHUT UP!" Mercury reeled back a fist, not having enough distance to perform one of his more powerful kicks. But this would prove to be his fatal mistake. Yang grabbed his fist and bent it backwards at the wrist, causing it to make a popping and cracking sound. "AAAUGH!"

"See? Sloppy." Yang chided before taking note of a row of five trees that were planted along the side of the road nearby. Her eyes shifted from violet to red, her Semblance kicking in and using Mercury's earlier damage to boost her strength. "Let's go for a little ride!" With a powerful toss, Yang flung her opponent into the air before slamming her fist into him with a powerful… "COSMIC CLOTHESLINE!" The Blonde Brawler ran forward and bashed Mercury through all five trees, breaking them in the process. After the fifth and final tree, she shoved him into another lamppost, leaving a dent in it. With another deep breath, Yang's eyes shifted back to normal, a content smile on her face. "Now, what've we learned?"

She didn't receive a response at first, though mostly because Mercury was just getting to his feet. His wrist was hanging uselessly to his side, the assassin wincing has he held it with his other hand. "I… I _hate_ you." he growled. "Why do you ALWAYS have to ruin EVERYTHING?! Why do you _always_ have to get your kicks out of beating me up?!"

Yang gave him a sympathetic look. "Mercury, it really doesn't _have_ to be like this." she asserted. "And I really don't enjoy _any_ of what I have to do. In the end, YOU are the one who's bringing this on yourself by doing all of _this_." She gestured around to the destroyed block. "What I'm trying to figure out is WHY you do it."

"Why? Hah, "why" you ask?" Mercury glowered up to her. "Because Emerald and I had shit lives before Cinder came in to help us! We're just repaying the favor."

"By destroying towns and cities just because Salem says so?!" Yang retorted.

"Why not?!" Mercury shot back. "Society has never done US _any_ favors! NOTHING!" The outburst and hoarseness in Mercury's voice took Yang aback, but she allowed him to continue, knowing that this might be a way to get to the root of the problem. "People in these kinds of towns and cities claim to be kind and hospitable. Well, where was all the hospitality when Emerald was living off the streets and forced to _steal_ for a living, huh?! And I never had ANY kindness in my life! My father—" But he cut himself off knowing that this wasn't getting him anywhere. "UGH! Forget it! Let's just get back to fighting!"

Yang raised an eyebrow. The assassin almost let something slip through his anger fueled tirade, and she could tell. Still, she decided not to question it, at least for now. "With that bum hand? No way."

"Please, you know I don't need my hands to fight—argh!" The moment he moved his arm to get into a combat stance, Mercury felt a sharp pain go straight up to his shoulder, forcing him to cradle the arm against his body and fall to his knees. "SHIT!"

"Yeah, we're done for now." Yang resolved. "Get better at controlling that temper of yours, and then maybe we can have a proper rematch." She offered him a salute as she began walking away. "Maybe then, things will be better. Right now, I have to go help my teammates."

"Yang! Get back here!" Mercury shouted furiously as Yang continued to walk away. "We're not finished! YAAAAANG!"

* * *

Not that far away, another duo were facing off against one another in a battle of clashing blades. Emerald and Penny struck against each other's respective weapons in a fight that proved to be one of quick steps and misdirection, the two girls bobbing and weaving around one another as Thief's Respite and Floating Array collided with loud, metallic clangs. Emerald had to admit though, the android's strikes were pretty hard. "Ugh! I seriously don't know WHY you have a gripe with me!" The green-haired thief rationalized. "The warrior girl's the one who—"

"Do NOT give me that!" Penny said with another strike to Emerald's sickles. "I know what your Semblance is, Emerald. Ruby told me all about how you used it to cheat your way through the Vytal Tournament and trick her team into getting disqualified. And I don't even NEED to mention about how you used it on Pyrrha!"

Emerald took the chance and delivered a swift kick to Penny's midsection, sending the redheaded android sliding back in the snow. "Psh, please, we would've wiped the floor with everybody there if we wanted to, even without our Semblances." With a flick of her wrist, Emerald spun Theif's Respite around and changed them into their revolver modes, taking aim at Penny. "We just needed to get it so that we could come in and take over without any problem." With that, she began firing multiple Dust rounds at Penny, forcing the android to take cover behind a mailbox.

Penny furrowed her brows and shifted her Floating Array blades into their laser blaster modes, calling back to Emerald soon after. "And why was my death so important to your plan?!"

"So that Atlas could take the blame!" Emerald smirked as she kept firing. "Wouldn't it come off as suspicious if such an innocent-looking girl from Atlas was exposed as a high-tech battle android at the Vytal Tournament? The icing on the cake was hacking into their new robots and using them to destroy the city! Ha! Now THAT was a blast!" The moment she uttered that word, she saw a laser fire into the sky from behind the mailbox, making her crane her neck up in confusion. "Wait, what the?!"

Penny sprang up from behind the mailbox and aimed her laser blasters at her adversary. With a cheery smile, she exclaimed; "Made you look!" before firing two more laser shots at the Emerald, taking her by surprise. However, the thief quickly aimed her revolvers forward again and shot off two more Dust rounds, with both side's projectiles colliding in midair to create an explosion of smoke and embers. Penny quickly took advantage of this, diving into the cloud of smoke for cover.

"Hey!" Emerald called out, shifting her revolvers back to their sickle modes. "Get back here!" She went into the cloud herself, only to back right out a few moments later, coughing and gagging. "HACK! Ugh, seriously?! I HATE that robots don't need to breath."

"Correction;" Penny stated from within the cloud, "I actually DO breathe, but I can also refine toxic gasses if I breath them in." Emerald shifted her eyes around the cloud, trying to get a tap on where the voice was coming from to no avail. "Am I confusing you? Excellent. I was hoping that would be the case."

Emerald remained on her guard, glaring right into the smoke cloud. "You… you're surprisingly scary for how you appear. …But I'm not about to be intimidated!"

"Really? Then tell me…" All of a sudden, Penny came rushing through the smock cloud with her blades raised and ready to strike, charging straight toward Emerald. The green-haired theif raised her sickles in defense, blocking the blades entirely… only to come face to face with Penny's glaring face. But not just ANY glare; Penny had changed her eyes so that they were now glowing a bright, blood red. The orbs were shining so brightly and the glare was so intense, that Emerald couldn't help but recoil in shock. _**"Are you afraid now?"**_ Penny asked with an added reverb to her vocal processor.

"AAAAH!" Emerald stepped back before instinctively changing Thief's Respite into their kusarigama modes, the chains on the blades extending from the handles in an instant. "Stay away!" With a quick movement, Emerald slung the chains of her weapons around Penny's blades, giving them a good tug and pulling the robot to the ground face-first.

As Emerald tried to catch her breath from being scared out of her wits, Penny contemplated her current status. "Hmm, perhaps I was a bit too scary." She shrugged and came to a quick conclusion. "Well, I guess it's time to bring out the big guns!" With that, Penny's new spiked Smack Hands burst forth from her back, taking Emerald aback as the redhead used them to stand herself back up. "Ah, that's much better!"

"Wh-What are those?!" Emerald exclaimed.

"Oh, these?" Penny waved one of the giant hands. "This is what happens when an EVO and a Galvanic Mechamorph help rebuild your body."

"…I literally don't know what those things are."

"Same here, at least partially." Penny raised her arms and went into a combat stance. "Now, face my… uh… hmm, I still need to think up a name for these." She waved a dismissive hand. "Ah, something to think about later. Fight time!" With a mighty jump, Penny leapt forward and reeled her arms back, bringing them down right for Emerald.

"AH!" Emerald screamed as she dove away, narrowly avoiding the impact of the massive fists. "What the hell?! Are you trying to kill me?!" She got up and readied her Thief's Respite again, shifting them back to sickles. "And here I thought you heroes didn't kill!"

"We don't!" Penny insisted. "That being said, I don't believe there is a rule against hurting."

"Well okay, _maybe_ ,but—"

Just then, Emerald heard Mercury's voice shouting out in the distance; "Yang! Get back here!" Her eyes widened and she whirled her head around to see her friend kneeling on the ground with his arm against his side while Yang was walking away, the blonde waltzing over in Penny's direction. "We're not finished! YAAAAANG!" With that yell, Mercury fell to his back, still clutching his injured arm.

At that moment, Emerald could feel a multitude of emotions well up inside her; the most prominent being sadness and empathy for her friend and utter anger at the blonde who did it to him. However, at that moment, she felt the most resentment toward Penny. If it weren't for the android keeping her away from Mercury, she could have helped him in his fight. She clenched her fists around her weapons and let out a loud battle cry, channeling her anger through her body as she ran toward Penny. "THAT'S IT! I have had ENOUGH!"

"Whoa!" Penny said in surprise as she raised her Smack Hands once again. "I don't think—hey!" The redheaded android was stunned when Emerald suddenly side stepped her, the Smack Hands slamming down onto nothing as a result. "What in the—AAAAH!" Penny let out a scream as Emerald jumped up onto her back and began pulling her hair, her eyes shutting tight as tears of pain began to fall from them. "GET OFF! Get off, _please_!"

Across the way, Yang's eyes widened and she broke out into a sprint, hoping to whatever god existed that she'd get there in time. "PENNY! NO!"

Emerald screwed eyes shut as she raised her sickle, bracing herself for what she was about to do. _'It's only a robot, it's only a robot._ ' she repeated in her head before glaring down at Penny. Through gritted teeth, she said; "THIS is for you, Merc." before swinging her sickle down… and from there, things seemed to enter slow motion.

Yang stopped in her tracks, disbelief written all over her face as Emerald hopped off of Penny's body and sprinted past her, the thief going over to check on Mercury. The Blonde Brawler was tempted to bring the wrath of god down on Emerald as she passed her, but she knew that there was something far more important right in front of her. Tears started to brim her eyes as she sprinted forward, a small mumble turning into a loud shout as she ran; "No… no, no, No, NO! NO!" She made it over just as Penny's body went down to its knees and fell forward into the snow… because her head was directly at Yang's feet.

"PENNY!" Yang cried out as she fell to her knees and reached for her friend's head, Penny's eyes simply staring off into space. She cried as she pulled the head onto her lap, cradling it in her arms. "NO! This can't be happening! We JUST brought you back!" When the head was unresponsive, Yang began sobbing as she cradled the head closer. "AAGH! I'm sorry, Penny! I-I wasn't fast enough to save you!"

As she continued sobbing though, a familiar voice rang out from her lap. "Uh, Yang?" The blonde's eyes snapped open and she stopped crying, pulling herself away from Penny's head… to see that Penny's face was now moving. "Why are you crying?"

"AH! Haunted head!" Yang screamed before tossing Penny away, the redhead letting out a pained grunt as her head struck the ground.

"OW! Hey, what's wrong, Yang?" Penny asked. "No need to be so rough!"

Yang blinked in surprise before going down onto her hands and knees, inspecting the disembodied head closer. "Wait… Penny? You're still ALIVE?!"

"Um… yes. We've been over this multiple times." Penny raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Why are you acting like this is a surprise?"

"Well… how do you feel right now?"

Penny tilted her head to the side. "Mm, okay for the most part. A little drafty around my neck for some reason, but…" She tilted her head down to inspect herself, only for her eyes to bug out at her current predicament. "OH! Well… this is certainly new."

"To say the fucking LEAST!" Yang shouted incredulously. "How are you just noticing this _now_?!"

"I really don't know! I mean, I can still _feel_ my body, and—WAIT!" Penny snapped her eyes to Yang's immediate left. "Where the heck am I going?!"

"Wha?" Yang whirled around and her jaw dropped. Penny's body was now walking on its own, headless and with its giant Smack Hands waving all about. "Well… this is a problem."

* * *

Further down the street, Pyrrha and Nora were in a standoff against Hog and Skull, the two mutants towering over the girls and glowering down at them, hoping to intimidate them. However, Pyrrha Nikos was not so easily scared. "Farkas, Thaddeus, tell me, was this really the best way for you two to go about this?" the Invincible Girl questioned as she gestured to the two. "I mean, you both have essentially morphed your own bodies without anyway to return them to normal. And all this so you can get revenge on Ben?"

"Well, not JUST to get back at Tennyson." Exo-Skull elaborated. "But that WAS a big reason."

"That's right." Thunderhog supported. "We wanted to be this way so that we didn't get pushed around anymore! Before, everybody used to call us a couple a' bumblin' idiots! Well guess what? We're bigger, badder, and tougher than ever! Nobody's gonna be pushin' us around anymore!"

Nora couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy for the duo, but at the same time, she couldn't help but notice something important. "Uh guys, I can definitely see what you were going for here… but the people who were insulting you were making fun of your _smarts_." The Pink Dynamo pointed to her head for emphasis. "Wouldn't it make more sense to get your BRAIN power increased than just make yourselves into hulking brutes? Because now, they'll just say you're all brawn and no brains."

Hog smiled and pointed to his own head. "Ah, but here's the thing, pigs an' rhinos are actually REALLY smart, so we actually DID get a bit smarter."

"Huh, well, there's egg on MY face." Nora shrugged.

"Yeah, and there's gonna be a lot more than that on your face pretty soon." Exo-Skull unholstered his Executioner minigun from his back and aimed it at the two girls. "Mainly a WHOLE buncha bullets."

"Not happening!" Pyrrha said before surging forward, keeping her shield raised as she ran ahead. Skull began firing the Executioner, the bullets flying at a rapid rate in Pyrrha's direction. However, in the time she had been at Beacon, Pyrrha had partaken in a few spars with Coco from time to time, so she knew how to handle someone with a minigun. She quickly dashed off to the right and made a break for Skull's flank, taking the rhino man by surprise. With a carefully timed toss, Pyrrha threw her shield into the Executioner's rotary chamber, jamming up the weapon in mid-fire.

"What?! Hey!" Skull reached in and plucked the shield out without much problem, but by then, it was too late. Pyrrha ran up to him and activated her Semblance, delivering a punch straight to Exo-Skull's gut. Like what happened before, Skull was sent back thanks to her polarity. However, because of his now much heavier body, he was simply sent tumbling back right into Thunderhog, dropping Pyrrha's shield in the process.

But it wasn't just him who was affected differently. Pyrrha's eyes widened as a tingly feeling began to go through her left hand, making her wince as she pulled it close to her body. She took a sharp breath in as the sensation began going through her hand. "AH! Well, it worked, but not as well as the last time!"

"Pyrrha, are you okay?" Nora asked as she rushed over. "Did you sprain your wrist?"

"No, this is temporary." Pyrrha assured. "I simply hit a nerve wrong, it'll pass." She unsheathed Milo with her good hand. "Fortunately, I'm right-handed. I'm still good to fight."

"Not for long!" Hog shouted as he and Skull got up. The pig man unclipped his mace from his belt and grabbed its chain with his free hand, ready for battle. "We gon' clean yo' clocks, ladies, so if ya'll got any last words, you might wanna make 'em quick."

"Hmm, let me think…" Nora smirked and flipped Magnhild into its grenade launcher form, taking aim at the duo. "Nope!" She pulled the trigger and shot a single grenade at the two, the projectile exploding on impact. But once the smoke cleared, Hog and Skull were revealed to be fine, the latter having used his armored body to shield his friend from the explosive. "Oh… well crap! Now what?!"

"Now THIS!" Hog raised his mace up into the air and began spinning it around, generating massive amounts of energy in the process. "Thunder! THUNDER! THUNDERHOG!" With a mighty swing, Hog slammed his mace into the ground in front of him, creating a massive tremor that shook the earth beneath the two girls, making them fall to the ground. What's more, the bolts of red energy arced out and hit the duo, making them cry out in pain. Nora was able to absorb most of it, but she hadn't prepared herself for it, so it still hurt a little. Hog and Skull guffawed at the sight. "AHAHA! Who's laughin' now little girls?!"

Breathing hard, Pyrrha and Nora got up onto their hands and knees, the two redheads locking eyes with each other in deliberation. "Alright… this may be… a _slight_ problem." Nora said in between deep breaths. "Now exactly… what point… did we lose control here?"

"Their new strength is definitely formidable." Pyrrha admitted as she stood up, still a little shaky from the energy burst she took. "But we must keep fighting. No matter how strong our opponents are, we must always—WHAT?!" Pyrrha stopped in midsentence when she saw something that she just could NOT explain; Penny's headless body waltzing up and standing behind Hog and Skull, the giant Smack Hands flailing all over the place.

Nora's jaw almost unhinged. "AAAAAAH! Penny's become a Robo-Deadite!"

Hog's eyebrows furrowed at the redhead's proclamation. "What the _hell_ are you talkin' abou- _REET_!" The pig man squealed in surprise when one of the giant Smack Hands wrapped around his torso, with the other one doing the same with Exo-Skull. Hog whirled his head around to see the headless robot, and his eyes widened so much that his visor nearly fell off of his head. "Oh, dear GOD!"

Skull saw the headless robot as well, and his reaction was probably the most appropriate; "WHAT THE FU—AAAAAGH!" Before the duo new it, they were tossed across the street and into a nearby building, making its front collapse on top of them.

Penny's body simply continued to wander about, with Penny and Nora only becoming more confused the longer they looked at it. "I, uh… I really have no idea what to say to this." Pyrrha uttered. "Oh wait, now I do; WHERE IS PENNY'S HEAD?!"

At that moment, Yang came running up to them, a panicked expression etched across her face. "Gals!" She stopped in front of them and held up Penny's head, making the two redheads jump and scream in horror. "Yeah, we've got a problem!"

"A MAJOR problem." Penny added, though that only made Pyrrha's face turn pale.

Nora blinked and lowered her head down to Penny's eye level, tilting her head in intrigue. "Wait… Penny?" she asked. "You're… you're okay, right? This isn't some Evil Dead crap going on, right?"

"Nope, Emerald just cut my head off and now my body's wandering around aimlessly…" Penny shifted her eyes over to said body… which was busy destroying multiple street lamps with its Smack Hands. "HEY! Stop that right now, do you HEAR me?!"

"It can't, Pen." Yang shook her head. "Its ears are over here with you."

Pyrrha facepalmed in disbelief. "What have our lives become?" She sighed before facing Yang again, placing her hands on her hips. "Alright, what do we need to do?"

"I actually DO have a plan." Yang revealed. "Nora and I are the strongest ones here, so we're gonna restrain those Smack Hands. Meanwhile…" She handed Penny's head over to Pyrrha, making the Invincible Girl shriek in mild terror. "YOU are gonna put her head back on."

Pyrrha glanced down to the head in her hands, with Penny smiling back up to her as if nothing was wrong. "Salutations, Pyrrha!"

"Yes, salutations indeed." Pyrrha took a deep breath and gave Yang a nod. "Very well, let's do it." She focused back onto Penny with a serious face. "Are you ready, Penny?"

"I am! I think all you have to do is place my head back onto my neck." Penny guessed. "I have a feeling that everything will sort itself out from there."

"Alright, if you insist." With that, the trio of girls stepped forward, creeping steadily behind Penny's body as it continued to smack around lampposts of its own accord. Yang gave a silent hand signal to Nora, to which the Pink Dynamo gave a thumbs up at. Yang counted down on her fingers; three… two… one, and then both girls dove forward with a determined yell, grabbing the Smack Hands and wresting Penny's body to the ground. The body itself was flailing its arms and legs in a panic as Pyrrha approached, slightly putting off the redheaded warrior. "Oh… oh dear, that is quite disturbing."

"Pyrrha, what're you waiting for?!" Nora shouted as she struggled against the left Smack Hand.

Over on the right, Yang wasn't fairing much better. "Put her head back on, P-Money! We're counting on you!"

"Alright!" Pyrrha called back before stepping closer, though when she did, the body seemed to relax a little. "Wh-what is…"

"I think it can tell that I'm nearby." Penny guessed. "Quick, before it panics again!"

"Right." Pyrrha crouched down and put Penny's head closer to the body's vacant neck, but then… something strange happened. From out of the neck, a black and green blob of living metal suddenly came out and attached itself to Penny's head, making both Pyrrha AND Penny cry out in surprise. "AH! What is that?!"

Yang's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Hey! That stuff looks like what Upgrade's made of!"

"WOO! That feels _weird_!" Penny exclaimed before the blob of living metal reattracted back into Penny's neck, pulling the android's head out of Pyrrha's hands and reattaching it to her body. Penny could feel her artificial skin mend back together before the sensation left as fast as it came, leaving her with a fully functional neck once again. She deactivated her Smack Hands and stood up, rolling her neck to test it out. "Well, everything _seems_ normal."

"Well, that's a relief." Yang smiled as she and Nora got up off the ground. "Ruby would've killed me if I got you killed on your first mission."

Nora ran up and nudged Penny in the shoulder. "You kiddin'?! Yang, this girl just survived a decapitation! Something tells me that Ben and Rex rebuilt her WAY better than they thought!"

Penny's eyes widened and she let out a gasp. "Do you know what this means?!" She raised her arms up high in the air. "I am invincible!"

Pyrrha wore a wincing smile and placed a hand on Penny's shoulder. "Um, I wouldn't go THAT far, Penny. If you were invincible, we wouldn't have had to reattach your head for you, now would we?"

The redheaded android sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, fair point." In an instant, her smile reappeared and she balled her hands up into fists. "But now that I'm back up and running properly, Yang and I can help you beat Thunderhog and Exo-Skull!"

Yang shifted her eyes over to the rubble. "Uh, Pen, I think you might've already—"

_BLAM_! From out of the rubble, two violently strong laser blasts shot out, scattering the debris all across the street and forcing the four girls to cover their eyes. When they opened them back up, they saw Thunderhog and Exo-Skull back on their feet once again… and they were FAR from happy. "ALRIGHT!" Hog shouted. "Who the HELL is responsible for the headless chick who chucked us at that buildin'?"

Yang grimaced and clenched her fists. "…Or maybe I should just shut up, 'cause the universe _loves_ to screw us over!"

"You got that right, blondie!" Skull said before taking out the Executioner again. He aimed the large minigun directly at the four girls, his hand already on the trigger. "Prepare to meet your maker!" Skull pulled the trigger and a hailstorm of Dust rounds came hurtling at the four, ready to tear them to shreds.

But a certain android was quick to act. "Get behind me!" Penny stepped forward as her three friends did as they were told, though they were curious as to what she would do. All at once, Penny's Smack Hands came back out of her body before morphing into her dual Slam Cannon laser blasters, settling over her shoulders before lighting up with power. "Always wanted to say this… FIRE!" The cannons fired two powerful blasts of green energy that collided with Skull's salvo of Dust rounds, causing a massive explosion in the middle. Once the smoke cleared, it revealed a massive hole in the middle of the street, making everyone's jaw drop as a result. "Okay… might want to be careful with these." Penny concluded.

Across the street, Hog placed a hand on Skull's minigun. "Uh yeah, Skull? Let's put the big gun away for now. I don't know 'bout you, but I don't wanna fuckin' die."

"That seems fair." Skull complied as he put the minigun back onto its clip. The rhino-man got down onto all fours and pawed the ground with his hand, getting ready to charge. "Still, we gotta take care of these girls before they mess up our operation even more!"

Hog grabbed his Thunder Mace once again, popping his neck a bit before widening his stance. "Yeah, you're right! Besides, this shouldn't be too hard! We were already takin' on Pinkie and Red pretty easily before the robo-girl got the drop on us!" He cupped his hand near his mouth and hollered across the street; "Heyo, ladies! You mind callin' Tennyson over here so we can have a REAL challenge?!"

Nora narrowed her eyes and shifted Magnhild into her hammer mode. "Oh, they are practically AKSING for it now!"

Yang rolled her shoulder and pounded her fist into her open palm. "Yeah, I'm guessing they're gluttons for punishment." She sent a smirk over to Pyrrha and Penny. "Whaddya say, ladies? Four on two sound better than before?"

"Yes, very much." Pyrrha agreed as she picked her shield up off the ground. "Better odds than before, that's for sure."

"Sensational!" Penny exclaimed as she shifted her Slam Cannons back into Smack Hands. "Pyrrha, how about you and I take Exo-Skull?"

"Grand!" Pyrrha nodded before facing Yang and Nora. "And I suppose you two are okay with fighting Thunderhog?"

"You betcha!" Yang hollered. "Let's do this, ladies!" With that, the four girls ran forward with their weapons at the ready, determined to take down the mutant duo now more than ever.

* * *

As Nora and Yang started to close in on Thunderhog, the pig-man reached up and activated his laser, sending a barrage of violet-colored energy blasts at the two. "Whoa! Watch out!" Nora exclaimed.

The duo rolled off in different directions, and it was then that Yang had an idea. "Let's split!" she called out. "He can't hit both of us at once!" The Blonde Brawler and Pink Dynamo went off to opposite sides, with Nora began circling around Hog while Yang ran straight ahead, continuing to dodge the multiple lasers.

"Will you just hold STILL?!" Hog shouted before switching tactics. He raised his mace up and spun it around, deciding NOT to recite his catchphrase this time around. Hog slammed the mace down to the ground once again, sending a tremor and arcs of energy in Yang's direction.

"Not happenin'!" Yang used her Ember Celica to boost her jump, sending her flying high up above Hog's head and away from the attack. She reeled back her fist and slammed it right into Hog's face, making him reel back in pain. "Oh, did that hurt?! Here, let me try it again!" She sent a powerful jab straight into the mutant's gut, making him double over. "Ooh, yeah, that _definitely_ hurt."

Hog snarled and pressed a button on his mace, making the chain retract into it and locking the weapon's head onto the handle. "I'll show you!" With one quick swing, Hog hit Yang in the side and sent her careening into the side of another building, letting out a laugh soon after. "AHAHA! That's what you get, lil' girl!"

"HEY!" Hog whirled around in time to see Nora sailing right at him, her hammer reared back and ready to swing. "Lay offa my friend, Porkchop!"

Hog snorted and grabbed the hammer by its head, stopping it in mid-swing. "Oh no, you don't, sistah. You ain't gettin' past me anymore!" He shoved the hammer back, making Nora dig in her heels as she slid back across the snow. "Plus, I know 'bout your weird electric absorbin' powers too! There ain't anything you can do to stop me now!"

"Oh, I know. Not on my own at least." Nora wore a sly grin as she shouldered Magnhild. "I'm just biding time for my friend. Oh, look! There she is now!"

"Huh?" Hog did an about face just in time to see Yang emerge from the building she was flung into, her eyes having changed to red once again. "Oh… crap, I forgot about that."

"Yeah, you did." Yang said before letting out a mighty battle cry and leaping forward, sending a fist straight toward Hog's face.

"GAH!" Hog raised his arm to block the massive blow, wincing in pain when Yang's fist struck his shock gauntlet. However, what he didn't expect was her other fist to come forward and slam him in the chest once again, a Dust round exploding and sending him back again. With a scorch mark now on his new shirt, Hog picked himself up and balled his fists, letting out a squeal of rage. " _REEEEEET_! Alright, that's it! The gloves are comin' ON now!"

Yang furrowed her brow in confusion. "Uh, don't you mean, _off_?"

In response, Hog slung his mace to his back and slammed his fists together, making purple electricity surge through his shock gauntlets. "No." With another angry squeal, Hog rushed forward and brought his fist down, intending to finish this with a single blow.

But, just as Yang was about to roll out of the way, Nora popped up in between them and grabbed both of Hog's arms, absorbing the electric energy from his gauntlets. "Ha! I KNEW you couldn't resist!"

"AH!" Hog screamed. "Get off!" The warthog mutant swung his arm and sent Nora flying away, the Pink Dynamo landing in the large crater that had been blown into the middle of the street. Hog whirled back around and charged straight at Yang. "You two'll PAY for that!"

He slammed a fist straight down, only for Yang to counter the blow with a Dust-feuled punch from her Ember Celica. "WHOA!" she yelled as Hog stepped back, recharging his shock gauntlets for more electric power. "Hey, c'mon, even _I_ didn't expect Nora to… well, okay, maybe I _did_ , but still—ACK!" The Blonde Brawler rolled out of the way as Hog punched at her again, now intentionally trying to avoid the pig-man's blows. But just as he stumbled forward, Hog redirected himself and instead made to grab Yang with his lightning-powered hands. Yang shifted her eyes back and forth before resolving there was only one way to go; down. She ducked beneath Hog as he came toward her and slid right under his body before using her enhanced strength to lift him up by his massive belly. Yang tossed him over her head and slammed him down into the snow-covered ground, only for him to immediately somersault back onto his feet. "Oh, COME ON!" As Hog kept coming at her with multiple blows, she called over to her backup; "NORA! A little help, please?!"

"HANG ON, YANG!" From the crater, Nora came sailing out, riding through the air on Magnhild as her body crackled with pink electricity. She repositioned herself in midair and slammed her hammer into Hog's side, making the mutant tumble away. "Sorry I'm late!" Nora apologized. "Had to find the right angle to launch myself outta there!"

" _REEEEET_!" Hog squealed again as he pulled his Thunder Mace off of his back. "I have had enough! WRRAAAARGH!" He began spinning his mace again as he sped forward, ready to end the fight once and for all.

Yang, her eyes still red with power, gave a smirk over to Nora. "Ready?"

Nora gave a thumbs up, her own eyes glowing pink with electrical energy. "You bet!" The two powerful girls ran forward and reeled back their fists, ducking under Hogs attack before giving him a double uppercut, their combined strength enough to send him flying up into the sky and down the street.

"AAAAAAAHH! THIS PIG IS FLYIN'!" Hog cried out before landing on the other end of the street, a cloud of dust kicking up right where he landed.

"WOO!" Yang cheered, raising her hand up to Nora as her eyes changed back to normal. "Gimme a high-five, girl!"

Nora happily obliged, smacking her hand against Yang's own as she powered down from her electric-charged power-up. "HAHA! That was AWESOME! Two on one was _seriously_ the better way to go!"

Yang nodded in agreement. "Yeah… now let's just hope that Pyrrha and Penny are having some good luck too."

* * *

Pyrrha and Penny stood in place as Exo-Skull charged forward at them, the jet thrusters on the mutant's back propelling him forward at high speeds as he bounded on all fours. Pyrrha held a firm grip on Milo as she shifted the javelin into its xiphos mode, a plan already formulating in her head. "Alright, Penny," she faced the android with a nod, "I have an idea on how to take Skull down, but I need you to stop him in his tracks."

Penny smiled and gave a salute. "I'm on it, Pyrrha!" The android slammed her Smack Hands on the ground and used them to propel herself forward, making herself fly right at the incoming rhino-man. "Heads up, Exo-Skull!"

Skull's eyes widened and he grit his teeth, taken by surprise by the girl's move. "Bad choice, robo-girl!" With a simple thought, he made the jet thrusters increase their speed, bringing his hands up from the ground to give one last powerful leap forward. "I'm gonna squash you like a BUG!" He reared his arms up to bring his fists down onto Penny's head… only to then realize that the girl had actually zoomed right under him as he was coming down. "Wait, hold on! What just—ARGH!" Skull felt a pair of large hands grab his legs and slam him the rest of the way down, making him face plant in the snow.

"Fooled you!" Penny grinned before using her large pair of arms to swing Exo-Skull around and toss him away. However, Skull was quick to reposition himself and land on his knees, roaring in defiance before charging at her again. Penny's eyebrows shot up and she brought up her Smack Hands, grappling with Skull to prevent him from going any further. "Pyrrha, what now?!"

"Keep him there, Penny!" Pyrrha shouted as she ran forward. "I'll be right there!"

Skull lifted his head and scowled at Pyrrha, his laser horn lighting up with power. "Oh no, you don't!" In quick succession, Skull sent a barrage of laser blasts at Pyrrha, forcing the Invisible Girl to side step every time one was sent her way. "AHAHA! Dance little girl, DANCE! HAHA!"

Penny furrowed her brows in frustration. If her normal arms were Smack Hands too, she would be able to stop him. But then, an idea popped into her head. "Hey! Leave her alone!" With a strong tug, she pulled Exo-Skull to the left, forcing him to be pulled away from where he was aiming his laser. "Pyrrha! Are you alright?!"

"Don't worry about me, Penny!" Pyrrha called out as she continued forward once more. "Just keep him there! In fact, turn him around just a bit more!"

"Got it!" With another mighty tug, Penny pulled Skull around so that his back was facing toward Pyrrha, though this time, the mutant put up more of a fight. "Gah! Stay still, would you?!"

"Not a chance, girly!" Skull growled. "I don't know what you're up to, but I'm gonna—HEY! What the?!" Skull let go of Penny and stumbled away from her, reaching his arms around to grab something on his back to no avail. "ARGH! What's on my back?!" He spun around, trying to make whatever it was let go of him.

However, when he did, Penny was surprised to see who was holding on for dear life on his back. "Pyrrha?! What are you doing?!"

The Invincible Girl grunted as she held onto a piece of Exo-Skull's armor with her one hand while her legs were wrapped around the Executioner, desperately trying to hang on as Skull jerked around. Using her free arm, Pyrrha kept her grip on Milo as she stabbed the blade into Skull's left jet thruster, damaging it so that he couldn't use it. But that just caused him to rampage even further. "AGH! Penny! Hold him down!" Pyrrha yelled through clenched teeth so she wouldn't bite her tongue off. "I need to get to his head!"

Penny ran forward, hoping to any god that may exist that Pyrrha knew what she was doing. "Hold on, Pyrrha!" The redheaded android wrapped her Smack Hands around Skull's torso, making him stop his frenzied movements.

"GAH!" Skull hollered. "What's the big idea—" _CLANG_! While he was stalled, Exo-Skull failed to notice Pyrrha as she climbed up and raised her shield above her head with both hands, bringing the edge of her circular weapon down onto his protective helm with a powerful blow. The strike had been made even more powerful thanks to Pyrrha's polarity, and as a result, the force sent Exo-Skull falling straight toward the ground, the impact to his head knocking him out cold for the time being.

Pyrrha and Penny tumbled off of Exo-Skull's back, the two redheads breathing hard as they landed side by side on the ground. "Hah… that… was… VERY dangerous." Penny chastised. "Pyrrha… you could have gotten seriously hurt."

"I know." Pyrrha admitted as she tried to catch her breath. "But… it was the only way I saw to incapacitate him." She rolled herself around and smiled at Penny, locking eyes with the android in gratitude. "But I couldn't have done it without you, Penny. You did a fantastic job!"

After a few moments, Penny smiled back and rolled up onto her knees. "Is… is this what it's really like to be a part of an ACTUAL team? Not just people who were ordered to stay by you twenty-four-seven?"

"Of course." Pyrrha reached over and set a hand onto Penny's shoulder. "I'm not exactly sure what it was like for you back at Atlas Academy, Penny, but here, we're your friends as well as your teammates. And THAT is the biggest distinction to make."

Penny broke out into a massive grin and pulled Pyrrha into a big hug, much to the Invincible Girl's surprise. "Thank you, Pyrrha. For being my friend, I mean. I cannot even _begin_ to express how much gratitude I'm feeling right now! It's SENSATIONAL!"

Pyrrha, however, was beginning to feel her ribs being crushed due to Penny's impressive strength. "Hah, well Penny, you can begin by not collapsing my lungs, please!"

The android's eyes snapped open in realization and she immediately let go of Pyrrha. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" she bowed her head apologetically. "I sometimes forget my own strength."

Pyrrha caught her breath again and gave a small grin to her friend. "Oh, it's alright." She spread her arms out. "Do over?"

Penny brightened up in a second. "Oh! That'd be spectacular!" The duo came in for another friendly hug, this time without the soul crushing strength that Penny was capable of. When they separated, they saw Yang and Nora running up to them, the two strong girls slowing down as they drew closer. "Oh, hello, you two!" Penny waved. "I take it you dealt with Thunderhog?"

Yang jerked her thumb in the direction they sent the pig mutant. "Sent him flyin'! Hopefully he won't be botherin' us anytime soon." She glanced down to see Exo-Skull, his eyes spiraling as he laid down on the ground, out cold. "Whoo boy, you ladies sure did a number on Skull though. Nice work!"

"No kidding." Nora said as she prodded Skull's shoulder with the handle of her hammer. "Wonder how long he'll stay like that?"

"I vote we not stay around to find out." Pyrrha suggested. "Besides, the boys may need our—"

_**BOOM!**_ The four girls whirled around just in time to see a massive mushroom cloud appear a few blocks down the street, rising high above the brick buildings. Yang's eyes bugged out in shock. "Holy crap! What the HELL was that?!"

Penny focused her gaze up to the giant cloud and began analyzing it, while also taking note of the distinct smell of fuel in the air. Once she was done, she came to a definitive conclusion; "The air has been contaminated with the distinct scent of C8H18 mixed with C2H6O. Common gasoline and high-test ethanol. My best guess is that a gas station just got blown up due to a chemical reaction caused by fire." Penny craned her head over to the other three girls. "As for who is responsible for it…"

"Cinder. It HAS to be." Pyrrha concluded before realizing what that meant. "But… then that means…"

"Ben's in trouble!" Yang exclaimed before sprinting down the street. "C'mon girls, we gotta get there, PRONTO!"

* * *

Many miles away from Essen, the Resolute was beginning to close in on the town, and a certain blonde knight was beginning to grow worried. Jaune was searching through the halls of the Resolute, his anxiety getting worse by the minute. Not for what would happen when they got to the town, but for the fact that he couldn't find his hooded friend _anywhere_ on this massive ship! Ruby had been gone for nearly twenty minutes and he just COULDN'T find her. "Ugh! I know for a fact that we didn't leave her at the house!" he spoke to himself. "So where IS she?!"

"Hey, buddy!" Jaune stopped in his tracks and whirled around to see Argit sticking his head out of the brig door, jerking his thumb into the room. "Your pal's in here, brosky."

"First of all, don't call me that." Jaune stepped into the prison room and placed his hands on his hips. "And secondly, WHY is Ruby in here of all places?"

Argit simply shrugged. "I dunno, said she wanted to talk to the Aerophibian girl, or somethin'."

Jaune's eyebrows shot up. "Wait, Swift?!" At that moment, a pair of laughs suddenly erupted from the back of the room, making Jaune's head snap up.

But Argit just grumbled. "Listen, pal, I don't know WHAT the hell they're talkin' about, but please take your hooded friend and leave. I don't know how much longer I can take THAT!"

"Noted." Jaune deadpanned before making his way to the back of the room. When he made it there, he was surprised to see Ruby and Swift sitting cross-legged on the floor, laughing together while Ruby had Gwen's 3DS in her hands. Swift was still in her energy cell of course, but other than that, the two were just… hanging out. _'This is VERY surreal.'_ Jaune thought to himself.

Once the girls calmed down, Swift gave Ruby a thumbs up. "Ruby, you're alright! I STILL can't believe that YOU like Pokémon." Swift let out a sigh and reclined against her cell. "Man, I haven't played it since the end of Gen Six."

Ruby tilted her head. "Why's that?"

Swift pursed her lips in frustration. "'Cause that's when my asshole of a father kicked me out. You can't get stuff like games anymore without being financially stable. I considered stealing the newer games… but it wouldn't feel right, you know?"

Ruby lowered her gaze in sadness. "Yeah, I get ya." Her smile returned a second later and she returned her focus to Swift. "But man, I can't believe how big the Pokemon community really is! I mean, a livestream playthrough where people can contribute input commands into the game itself?! That's crazy!"

A nostalgic smile came to Swift's face. "Heh, yeah. And I actually contributed to it, if you can believe it." However, just as she glanced back up to Ruby, she caught sight of Jaune in the corner of her eye. "Whoop, Fun Police is here."

"Huh?" Ruby craned her head up to see Jaune looming over them, to which she greeted him with a smile. "Oh! Hey, Jaune! What's up?"

"I could ask you the same question." Jaune countered. "Are you and Swift… hanging out?"

"Oh yeah! Turns out she's BIG into Pokémon!" Ruby shifted her eyes over to the Aerophibian hybrid. "We've been chatting about it for the past… oh jeez, I don't even KNOW how much time's past!"

"That's actually what I came to tell you about." Jaune jerked a thumb over to the door. "Tetrax says that we're due in Essen in about five minutes. We gotta get ourselves in gear and go."

"Oh shoot, you're right!" Ruby saved her game and shut off the 3DS, closing it before getting up to her feet and smiling down to Swift. "It was really nice talking to you, Swift! See you tomorrow with that thing I promised?"

Swift gave her a thumbs up and a wink. "I'll hold you to it!"

"Great! I'll see ya then! C'mon Jaune, we gotta go."

"Uh, sure…" Jaune said hesitantly. "Ruby, what did you promise her?"

But Ruby wagged a finger at him. "Ah-ah-ah, girl secret."

"Ugh, 'course it is." Jaune rolled his eyes.

"Hey Ruby!" Swift called from behind, causing the two to do an about face. Swift stood up in her cell and pressed the back of her right thumb to the bottom of her left one before curling her fingers inwards, making a spiral shape with her hands. "Don't forget! Praise Lord Helix!"

Ruby pumped an arm up into the air. "May anarchy reign supreme!"

As Ruby continued out the door, Jaune could only stand there dumbfoundedly, wondering just what in the world all of THAT was about. _'Did… did Swift just CORRUPT Ruby?'_

* * *

" _Rojo… Rojo? …ROJO!"_

"AGH!" Rojo's eyes snapped open when she heard her name shouted into her ear, making her snap up and out of her place in the pavement. She saw Emerald and Mercury staring back at her, with Mercury's arm bandaged up in a make-shift sling. But once she was aware of her surroundings, that's when the mother of all headaches hit her like a truck, making her groan in pain. "Ugh, do I have a fucking migraine or something?" she asked as she rubbed her head. "What the fuck just happened?"

"We found you here embedded in the pavement." Emerald explained. "We were hoping you'd be able to tell us what happened to you."

"Well, I… wait!" Rojo's eyebrows rose up as her memories came back to her. "I remember! That Robot Kid hulked out on me and slammed me into the street! FIVE TIMES!" Rojo grit her teeth and grabbed her weapon, standing up almost immediately. "Oh, when I find him, I'm gonna—GAH!" Rojo scrunched her face as another wave of pain hit her head, forcing her to grab it again. "Oh god, that was a mistake."

Emerald and Mercury stood up, the green-haired thief stepping forward to help Rojo out. "Hang on, Rojo. Rex must've hit you pretty hard. We need to regroup, and FAST."

"Oy, you're right." Rojo opened a single eye. "Where's Subdora?"

At the mention of her name, Subdora suddenly appeared from out of thin air, shivering and sneezing as she did. "AH-CHOO!" The Merlinisapien sniffled and raised her hand. "P-P-Present."

"Oh god, you're sick, aren't you?" Mercury guessed.

" _Sì_ , I was hoping it would not get any worse, but—AH-CHOO!" Subdora sneezed again, making the three back away. "Ugh, it has."

Mercury groaned in irritation. "Well, this is JUST great! We've got three teammates—" Suddenly, the group saw Thunderhog go flying high up over their heads, the pig-man landing in the street not that far away to them. "…FOUR teammates who're incapacitated, one that we don't even know the status of, and CINDER is still fighting Ben! Can't we EVER catch a break?!"

However, as if to answer Mercury's prayers, a rather familiar dropship zoomed right over the group before making a beeline back over to them, landing just a few feet away. Rojo's jaw dropped in amazement. "Wait… is that… OUR dropship?!"

Emerald's eyes widened. "Wait… then that means—" Right on que, the ramp to the dropship lowered and out stepped Doctor Animo and Doctor Watts, the two men making their way across the destroyed street. "ANIMO?! And Watts?! How in the hell did you two find us?!"

"Hazel contacted us as soon as Salem knew of your location." Watts revealed before tripping on a piece of debris. "ACK! What the devil?!"

Animo sighed and facepalmed. " _Anyways_ , Hazel wished for us to rendezvous here with you once you were done destroying this town." The mad doctor glanced around a bit and nodded in approval. "And I must say, you all are doing a bang-up job of it!"

Rojo gave him a shrug. "Yeah, well, we had a bit of incentive. Those heroes are here."

"What?!" Watts exclaimed as he got up from the ground, his face becoming pale at the memory of being scared of Gwen's Anodite form. "They are _actually_ here? Then we need to leave RIGHT now! The town may not be completely destroyed, but I'm sure that the mistress will be sufficed with how much you've done!"

"Ah, don't be such a coward, Watts." Rojo waved off. "Besides, it's gonna be kinda hard to get Cindy away from Tennyson now that they're smackin' away at each other."

If possible, that only made Watts even paler. "B-B-Ben Tennyson is… here?!" The doctor zipped around and ran back to the ship with his coat tail between his legs. "No! I _refuse_! NO!"

Rojo scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Psh, coward." The bounty hunter focused on Subdora and gave her a nod. "'Dora, find Skull and bring him over here. We're leaving." Subdora gave her a nod and disappeared once more, rushing off to go find her beloved as Rojo shifted her attention to Emerald. "Em, you help Hog up over there and Animo will get the ship started. After that, we'll go find Cindy. Hopefully she hasn't caused _too_ much trouble—" **BOOM!** The group whirled around to see a massive mushroom cloud rising up just a few blocks away, with Rojo grimacing at the sight. "Of course."

* * *

Four Arms had to admit, he wasn't expecting this today. In all honesty, he hadn't expected Cinder to improve her skills with the Fall Maiden powers this much in the span of just two weeks, but she must've been quite determined to be able to cause THIS much damage with her abilities. _'Speaking of which, I should probably dig myself out of here.'_ Using his four hands as leverage, Four Arms pulled himself out of the burning rubble of what USED to be a local gas station, the establishment now going up in flames after Cinder's last attack. **"I REALLY gotta start taking better notes of what's around me before a fight."** the Tetramand said to himself.

"Indeed, you should." Four Arms glanced up to see Cinder, the Fall Maiden parting a giant wall of flames as if it were the Red Sea before striding toward him, a malevolent glare having settled on her face. "I have to admit, Ben Tennyson, your skills in combat are quite admirable."

" **And you're not too shabby either."** Four Arms nodded back. **"Honestly, I wasn't expecting you to have improved with your powers in such a short time."**

"You'd be surprised at how persistant I am." Cinder commented before raising a fiery hand at him. "Now, I believe it's time to—"

"BEN!" Through the flames, Rex came diving in, protecting himself by using his Block Party. He came up beside his friend, deactivating his build in substitution for his Big Fat Sword. "You okay, _amigo_?"

" **Heh, yeah. Good to see ya, Rex."** Four Arms chortled as he stood to his full height. **"So, you take care of Rojo?"**

Rex gave him a thumbs up. "Left her in the pavement, last I checked." He faced Cinder and pointed right at her with his normal hand. "Now it's your turn, _Ceniza_. It's two on one and I'm rarin' to go!"

Cinder scowled at the EVO. "Your impudence is exceeded only by your aggravating personality, you little worm."

"Ooh, laying it on thick." Rex smirked. "Very impressive trash talk!"

" **Yeah, haven't heard "impudence" in a while. Nice use of words there, Cinder."** Four Arms complimented before the Omnitrix began flashing green. **"Oh! Excuse me, I gotta take this."** The Tetramand tapped the device on his chest and spoke; **"Ben speaking."**

From the other end, it was Tetrax who answered; _"Ben, this is Tetrax. We're about four minutes out, so we'll be there shortly."_ the Petrosapien explained. _"How are you and the others fairing?"_

" **Honestly?"** Four Arms shrugged. **"At the moment, I've got my four hands tied up with something. So yeah, you guys being here is actually sounding pretty good right about now. I gotta go, but I'll see ya when you get here. Ben out."** Four Arms touched the Omnitrix symbol again and shut off his comm, giving the Fall Maiden a toothy grin. **"Well, Cinder, looks like we've got some company headed our way."**

Cinder snarled and used her Semblance once more, using the flames around her to create two extremely sharp blades made of obsidian. "Fine! Let them come!" She entered a combat stance, ready to go back into battle. "I won't be stopping at just one of you, either! I'll take you ALL on!"

" **Hmm… you know, a childhood hero of mine said those five exact words in a movie once."** Four Arms recalled. **"After that, he whupped the asses of three of his enemies before getting stabbed through the chest. He got resurrected later on though."**

"Your point?"

" **Well, it all depends on perspective."** The Tetramand explained. **"If you choose to fight us and defeat us here, then we'll just come back stronger than before. …But since YOU were the one who said those five words, YOU could be the one who gets stabbed through the chest."**

"Hah! Please." Cinder scoffed. "I know how you heroes operate; you don't kill." She strode forward, her swords blazing to life with a red-hot fire. "Now, I have no qualms with stabbing _you_ two through your chests, so I believe you've just given me a fine idea."

Rex steadied his BFS, ready to start fighting his way through Cinder. "Nice one, dude. If I end up a kabob, I'm gonna blame you."

Four Arms did the same, balling all of his hands into fists. **"Admittedly, not one of my best comebacks. Now let's—"** However, just as the two sides were about to clash, a black and red portal opened up between them, making Cinder stop in her tracks while the boys jumped back in surprise. Four Arms narrowed his eyes at the portal… before realizing that it was quite familiar to him. **"Oh god, she's** _ **here**_ **?! Why is she HERE?!"**

Rex could only give him a confused glance. "Uh… dude? What're you talkin' about?" A second later though, the Hispanic teen was taken aback when a lady dressed in red and black stepped out of the portal, which closed behind her soon after. She had long black hair and wore a Grimm mask over her face, though what made his eyes bug out was the long, red sword that she held in her hand, the sheath of which appeared like it had a rotating chamber full of many other blades in it. "Whoa, _mujer aterradora_. Who is SHE?"

But the moment he asked, Cinder was the one to give him his answer. "You… you are with the Branwen Tribe!"

Rex ran those words through his head before his eyebrows shot up in shock. "Wait, _Branwen_? As in Ruby and Yang's uncle, _Qrow_ Branwen?"

The women turned her head toward the boy and nodded. "Indeed, you all know my brother very well."

Rex could feel a chill go through him at the woman's voice. "He's your _brother_?" The EVO's lips parted at the realization. "B-But then that means…"

The woman reached up and removed her mask, revealing her face. Rex's jaw nearly fell to the street when he took in the woman's features… because she resembled Yang nearly to a T. "Greetings, you're the boy who can make weapons out of his limbs. Rex, I think it was? I'm Raven Branwen. You're already well acquainted with my daughter."

However, Rex could only say one thing to her; "…WHAT?!"

"I thought that'd be the case." Raven nodded. She craned her head over and waved to Ben. "Ah, Benjamin, there you are. I must say, I was hoping to see one of your aliens forms this close for a while now."

Four Arms sighed and waved back to her. **"Hi, Raven."**

That just made Rex's jaw drop even further. "DUDE! You know her already?!"

" **Recent development. Long story, tell you later."** Four Arms answered quickly before focusing back to the Branwen Tribe leader. **"Raven, what the hell are you doing here?! …Actually, more importantly, HOW did you know we were here in the first place?!"**

Raven gave him a knowing smile. "Oh, I may have eavesdropped on your little conversation with Jimmy-boy by spying through an open window." She placed her free hand on her hip as she propped her sword against her shoulder. "As for why I'm here, I figured that you kids could use some back up. Think of it as a thank you for hearing me out."

" **And lemme guess, you used your Semblance to get yourself here."** Four Arms deduced. **"You were lucky that Yang just happened to come with us, you know. Otherwise, you'd have been S.O.L."**

The woman's smirk grew slightly. "Yes… Yang… and not anybody else."

The Tetramand was confused at her coyness before his eyes suddenly bugged out. **"Oh god… don't tell me…"**

"Count your lucky stars, Ben Tennyson." Raven said as she faced Cinder again. "You're growing on me."

" **Fan-freakin'-tastic."**

At that point, Cinder's frustration was through the roof, her face contorting with rage before screaming; "ENOUGH!" which made the flames around her rise up and become much more intense. "I don't know WHAT you all are talking about—"

"Same here, lady!" Rex shouted.

"SHUT UP!" The Fall Maiden hollered back. " _Enough_ with the interruptions! Enough with the _banter_! All I wish is for a straight answer, NOW!"

"Gladly." Raven responded with a bow of her head, though her sarcastic grin belied her respectful gesture. "As you've already figured out, I'm with the Branwen Tribe. And I have decided to ally myself with these children after many years of sitting out this war."

Cinder narrowed her eyes. "Yes, Salem has told me of your tribe's exploits, as well as some of your own with your team, STRQ." She pointed one of her fiery obsidian swords at the tribe leader. "You should have remained with your tribe, Raven Branwen. It is unwise to challenge Salem, and something tells me that you know that. What could have possessed you to come back, I wonder? A motive of your own interest, perhaps?"

"I definitely have a few." Raven conceded. "Chief among them; reconnecting with my daughter."

"Oh, how sickeningly sweet." Cinder sneered.

The black-haired woman sent a glare at Cinder before going forward. " _However_ … what I've noticed is that these children have been making roadblocks for you and the rest of Salem's little entourage at every turn." She paused briefly to glance back to Four Arms and Rex. "Seeing them thwart your plans has given me hope that there might just be a way to win this war that Ozpin has dragged out for far too long, and that is why I have decided to return."

"Ha! Your hope is misguided." Cinder laughed. "Their constant interference is merely a setback. Salem WILL have her day, and _I_ will be there at the front of her pack!"

"Ah, yes, you are the Fall Maiden, correct?" Raven smiled devilishly. "Salem's own little lap dog. Let me… how does it feel to be a literal _bitch_?"

Four Arms and Rex's jaws simultaneously fell to the floor. "OH, the SHADE!" Rex exclaimed.

Cinder however, was by and far NOT happy. With another scream of rage, she burst forth while hollering at the top of her lungs; "I'LL KILL YOU!" She brandished her blazing obsidian swords, ready to deal the killing blow to the woman in front of her. "I will make you sorely regret saying those words!"

Raven, her smile unwavering, simply stood in place as she tightened the grip on her blood red blade. "I think not." As Cinder cleaved her blades right at Raven, the tribe leader slashed her sword in opposition to the Fall Maiden's own strike, the collision making Raven's Fire Dust blade light up with an intense flame. Cinder landed right behind Raven, assured of her victory in their brief duel… only for Raven to disperse the flames on her blade with a flick of her wrist before putting her weapon back into its sheath. "Omen has done her job."

Cinder's eyes widened when her obsidian blades suddenly broke, falling to the ground in multiple shards. "Wha…WHAT?!"

"Benjamin!" Raven called out. "NOW!"

" **On it!"** Four Arms rushed forth and slammed all four of his hands together, creating a shock wave that sent Cinder flying back. With a mighty leap, Four Arms grabbed Cinder and pinned her down to the ground, making the Fall Maiden wail with rage. **"Aw, put a sock in it, little miss Cindy."**

"Don't you DARE call me that!" Cinder roared. "Only _one_ is allowed to—" But she was cut off when Raven came over and lowered Omen's blade tip right to the edge of her face, making the Fall Maiden glare up to her. "If you expect me to beg for my life, Branwen."

"Oh, I don't." Raven denied before glancing up. "Besides, I think your allies are coming to get you."

Cinder set her gaze up toward the sky, her eyes immediately finding the drop ship that she and the doctors used to fly to the colosseum. It landed about fifteen feet away, blowing the fire all around it. The back hatch opened and out came Rojo, brandishing Bloodstrike in its laser rifle mode right at the group. "Get away from her, you BITCH!"

"Rojo!" Cinder yelled. "What's going on?!"

"Mission's over, Cindy!" Rojo called back. "Everybody's on the dropship and we're headin' back to base! The hero's cavalry's comin', so we gotta go!" She focused her attention back to Raven and grit her teeth. "I don't know who you are, lady, but if you and Tennyson don't let my partner go in the next five seconds, I'm gonna blow your _fucking_ head off!"

"Gladly." Raven remarked before giving the Tetramand next to her a nod. "Alright Benjamin, we're finished for now."

Four Arms shrugged and got off of Cinder. **"Fine by me. I was hoping we'd get done with this soon, anyways."**

Cinder scrambled to her feet, giving Raven an angry yet incredulous look. "Wait, that's IT?! And here I thought that your tribe was famous for leaving no survivors."

"That is true." Raven confirmed. "But my daughter is here, and I don't want to leave a bad impression on her by killing you straight out the gate. Instead, I will give you a word of warning;" She gave Cinder a deathly glare. "Continue down this path… and I can guarantee that during our next meeting, I will NOT be so generous."

Cinder narrowed her eyes at the tribe leader. "You have made a powerful enemy this day, Raven Branwen."

"Likewise." Raven shot back before nudging her head toward the dropship. "Now get out of my sight." Cinder clenched her fists and whirled around in anger, striding toward the dropship while trying to keep herself composed. She stopped next to Rojo to exchange some whispers before both women went back onto the dropship, the craft rising up into the sky and out over the ocean soon after. With a sigh, Raven sheathed her sword again. "Well, that went better than expected." She focused onto the Omnitrix bearer and gestured around to the fire. "Now, Ben, if you'd please put out this fire…"

" **Oh, right, hang on a second."** Four Arms reached up and slapped the Omnitrix, changing himself into… "SWAMPFIRE!" The Methanosian raised his palms and began sucking up the flames into the holes in his hands, the blaze dying out only a few moments later. With the job done, Swampfire reached up and slapped the Omnitrix again, changing himself back into his human form. "Phew, that was close." Ben said with relief.

"To say the least." Rex commented before crossing his arms. "Now would somebody PLEASE explain what the heck is going on here?!"

Ben was about to grant his request when a familiar voice came from down the street; "BEN!" The hero glanced up to see Yang, Pyrrha, Nora and Penny all sprinting down the street, with the Blonde Brawler waving to them as she ran. Initially, Ben was ecstatic to see his girlfriend… but then he remembered who he was standing next to. "We came as soon as we saw…" Yang suddenly stopped in her tracks when her eyes landed on her mother, taken aback by her unexpected presence. "Oh… my god."

"WHOA!" Nora exclaimed. "Yang, she looks almost _exactly_ like you!"

Penny did a quick scan and came to a conclusion. "I indicated an eighty-nine percent match in facial structure between you two."

"Indeed." Pyrrha concurred. "The resemblance is uncan—wait." She snapped her head in Yang's direction with an astonished expression. "Is… is she…"

Yang let out an aggravated sigh. "Yeah, she's exactly who you think she is."

"But… but I thought that Summer Rose…" After staring at Yang for long enough, Pyrrha finally figured it out. "…You and Ruby are only half-sisters, aren't you?"

"Gotta admit," Nora spoke up, "that is the twistiest of twists."

Penny nodded in agreement. " _Very_ twisty."

"Okay, can we stop saying "twist"?" Yang asked before walking forward. "It's starting to sound weird at this point." The blonde strode forward and stood in front of her mother, the two locking eyes with each other. "…Mom, what the heck are you doing here?"

Raven smiled and gave her daughter a shrug. "If figured that its time that I stop sitting on the side lines and take some initiative myself. I watched you girls take down those two buffoons, by the way. Very strange, but also quite impressive."

"Yeah, it WAS pretty weird." Yang nodded before shifting her focus to her boyfriend. "By the way, Penny's head came off during the fight, but she was able to stay alive this time."

Ben's right hand went to his head. "WHAT?!"

Penny gave him a salute. "That's right! The living metal that's inside my body made it easy to reattach!"

The hero blinked in astonishment before coming to a quick conclusion. "Okay, we're going to have to do more tests. Because if you've got the abilities of a Galvanic Mechamorph, we've got to see how far they extend."

Rex smacked his forehead. " _Órale_. What ELSE could happen today?" At that moment, as if to answer his question, the sound of massive engines began to close in on the group, followed by a large shadow appearing over them. The eight craned their heads up, initially seeing nothing before the Resolute decloaked, revealing itself before landing about twenty feet away. "Ah, right. The gang's all here now… including…"

The ship's ramp lowered to the ground and the first one off was Ruby, the Hooded Huntress waving to them as the others began to disembark. "GUYS! What the heck happened here?!"

All at once, the blood drained from Yang's face. "Oh god, no."

"Yang, it'll be alright." Raven assured as the group closed in. "We just need to explain it to her very carefully."

"Easy for you to say." Yang mumbled. "You're not the one who's _actually_ related to her."

Ruby ran up to Penny first, since she was the closest. "Penny! Haha! You guys did it!" The two shared a hug before the silver-eyed girl asked further; "So, how did it go?"

"It was excellent!" Penny answered. "The only set back was when my head got cut off!"

"…WHAT?!"

As Penny began explaining everything to Ruby, Jaune ran up and enveloped Pyrrha in a big hug, going so far as to pick her up and spin her around in joy. The Invincible Girl yelped in surprise and joy before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a kiss, slightly laughing into it. They pulled away after a few seconds, but Pyrrha was still chuckling. "Haha! Now what was that all about?"

"That was a half hour of stress being relieved." Jaune answered before pulling her into a hug. "God, I'm so glad you're okay."

"Mmhm, I didn't fight with Cinder once." Pyrrha confirmed.

Ren came up and gave her a nod. "Very good to here." He glanced over to the destroyed gas station. "…Though I think this might be her handiwork?"

"Oh yeah." Nora confirmed. "She and Ben went at it and wrecked a whole block. Wish I could've seen it."

Nearby, Weiss put her hands on her hips. "Oh really?" She focused onto Rex with a narrow-eyed gaze. "And where exactly were _you_ , Rex? Didn't you think he need the help?"

Rex raised his hands defensively. "Hey, I was dealing with Rojo for a few good minutes and they got away from me. By the time I caught up, boom! The gas station was totaled!"

Blake crossed her arms and shifted her eyes across the town, taking in the amount of collateral damage that had been caused throughout the whole place. "Well, while it's still pretty wrecked, the town is at least still mostly intact, plus there doesn't seem to be any casualties."

Sun nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and the Dust production factory is still standing, so that's good. Overall, it sucks that there was a ton of damage, but at least we stopped them from doing worse."

"Heh, yeah, and not a Grimm in sight." Neptune commented. "Wonder why that is?"

Winter strolled over and spoke up. "You can thank General Ironwood for that. He contacted the Valian Military here before hand and—" But she cut herself off when she saw Raven standing off to the side with Yang. The military specialist drew her sword and glowered at the tribe leader. "What in the world are you doing here?" she said with a deathly tone in her voice. "You have five seconds to answer, or I'll—"

Yang immediately ran forward and raised her hands. "Whoa, WHOA! Winter, she's cool. She helped us out. If you know who she is, then—"

"I AM aware of who she is, Yang." Winter confirmed. "That does not prevent the fact that her and her tribe are wanted criminals."

"Very true." Raven admitted as she stepped forward. "But right now, I'm here to help. I've been away from this war with Salem for a long time now, and during that time, I believed that there was no way of winning if Oz continued his waiting game." She glanced over to her daughter and Ben, giving them a nod. "But now, I think these kids may hold the key to victory. And that includes you…" Her eyes trailed over to Ruby, red orbs meeting silver, "Ruby Rose."

Ruby's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "W-Wait, how do you know my name?"

"Because your mother and I knew each other quite well." Raven answered coyly. "We were on the same team, actually. However…" She shifted her attention to Ruby's immediate left. "I think it'd be better if I left this to the two of you."

"Huh?" Ruby craned her head over to see her older sister stepping up, an apprehensive expression having settled on the Blonde Brawler's face. "…Yang? What's she talking about—" But then her eyes widened when she noticed something; her sister and the mysterious woman had a _very_ startling resemblance to each other. Almost _exact_ , in fact. Ruby shifted her eyes between the two before finally staying on her sister. "Yang… what's going on?"

Yang took a deep breath and steadied herself, with Ben setting a supportive hand on her shoulder. "Ruby… we need to talk."

* * *

**A/N: Hoo boy, now THAT'S an ending, huh? I know, ending the two-parter with another cliffhanger is a BIG tease, but the next chapter is going to be more of a standalone rather than a third part to this set of chapters. But man, a bunch of things happened, didn't they? Four Arms and Cinder's battle wrecked a bunch of stuff, Yang and Mercury had a rematch without interference, and Raven's finally gotten involved with everything. Though I think you guys might've found the strange thing I mentioned at the beginning of the chapter… Penny's unique new ability. Well, on the upside, she can't be killed again thanks to this, and who knows? Perhaps she HAS gotten more of Upgrade's abilities. But those are questions to be answered later. For now, NEXT TIME! As the gang all head back to Patch, Yang breaks the big news to Ruby. And when they finally make it back to the island, they find General Ironwood and Qrow waiting there for them… as well as Tai. It's time for one big reunion, and for some REALLY big secrets to come out into the light. Thanks for reading everybody, and I'll see you all next time!**


	69. Revelations of Silver

**A/N: Greetings everyone! Okay, so this will cap off the AO3 updates for 11/14/20, and this chapter is looking to be quite the interesting one, since Raven's finally made herself known to everyone, including Ruby. Plus, its time at last to let the cat out of the bag on a few certain secrets, and if you read the chapter title, you can guess at least one of them. But hey, don't just take my word for it, let's see what the chapter itself holds in store for us, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 69: Revelations of Silver**

* * *

After putting out all of the fires in Essen and explaining to the town's mayor and citizens that they would be fine, the team, along with Winter and Raven, boarded the Resolute, with many of them quite eager to hear what had happened during the battle. It had taken quite a bit of convincing from Ben and Yang for Tetrax to allow Raven on his ship, but the couple assured the Petrosapien that she wouldn't hurt anyone on board. The tribe leader herself had even promised she would behave. "Why do I have a feeling that your word can't be taken at face value?" Tetrax had replied with narrowed eyes.

"You are as sharp as your body, Mr. Shard." Raven responded. "Not many people trust me, but right now, there are many more important things to deal with than my permission to be on your ship." After a few seconds of pondering her statement, Tetrax finally relented and allowed her to board his ship, though he made sure to stay with her at all times, just in case. "How flattering," Raven smirked, "though I swear to you that nothing will happen."

"I'm not about to take my chances." Tetrax dismissed. "Ben and Yang certainly seem to trust you, and that sounds like a good thing, but still, security comes first."

Raven simply shrugged. "Alright, so be it. You ARE the captain, I guess."

From there, Yang had taken Ruby off to a separate room to tell her everything. Raven followed them, and that meant that Tetrax had gone with them as well, much to her chagrin. As that was happening, Ben took the time to explain to everyone about what was going on with Raven; from their first meeting yesterday, to the lunch that happened earlier that afternoon, and finally recounting the events from Essen, leaving everyone in a state of astonishment. After about fifteen seconds of utter silence, Jaune spoke up; "So, what you're telling me… is that Ruby and Yang have different mothers… but the same dad. Holy crap, why didn't I figure this out SOONER?!"

"In hindsight, we probably should've guessed." Neptune shrugged. "I mean, they barely share any resemblance to their dad. I mean, Yang's got the color of his hair, and I _think_ Ruby's got his nose, but that's about it."

Sun raised an eyebrow in his friend's direction. "That is… oddly specific. How do you know that?"

"What can I say? I'm good with faces." Neptune pointed at his teammate. "And don't go thinkin' anything otherwise, dude. I'm _not_ being a creep."

Blake rolled her eyes at their banter. "Okay, sure. Honestly, though, this doesn't really come off as a big surprise to me… because I kinda already knew about it."

Everyone's eyes widened in shock before Ben exclaimed; "You WHAT?!"

"Blake, how did YOU know about that?!" Weiss asked.

"Well, Yang told me about it a few months back." Blake revealed. "Remember when I was in my slump after we fought the White Fang? Well, Yang told me about how she went searching for her mom when she was really young, and almost got both herself and Ruby killed by Grimm in the process."

Ben put a finger to his chin. "Oh yeah, she told me that during one of our dates." He placed a hand on his hip. "So why'd she tell you that during a slump?"

"Well, because she wanted me to slow down my search for the White Fang." Blake explained. "Like how she slowed down HER search for her mom. She wanted me to keep what she told me on the down-low, though, so I promised not to tell." The cat girl glanced to the nearby room where the aforementioned women were. "And now… she's finally found her."

"More like RAVEN found US." Ben sighed. "The fact that she's formed a connection with me already is kinda relieving… but also really terrifying."

Rex nudged him in the arm. "Hey, c'mon dude, you're in good spirits with Mama Rae. That means that she's LESS likely to kill ya now!"

"Oh… _peachy_."

Weiss looked over to her sister with a raised brow. "So, did YOU know about her being Yang's mom, Winter?"

"Indeed." the elder Schnee confirmed. "General Ironwood has a file for every one of Remnant's worst criminals, and they are all _very_ thorough. I knew who Yang was when I met her, but I didn't think that Raven would ever come back to Vale after she left." Winter laced her fingers together. "And in all honesty, I'm surprised at how well Yang has been dealing with it all."

Jaune glanced over to Ben with a single brow raised. "And you said that Raven was the leader of a tribe of murdering thieves, right?"

"That's right." Ben confirmed before tilting his head. "Why do you ask, Jaune?"

"Well… it's just that I remember my dad saying that when my grandfather was an active Huntsmen, he crossed paths with a tribe of killers and bandits multiple times." the blonde knight explained. "My dad never said what their name was though, said it brought up to many bad memories. I'm starting to wonder if that might've been the Branwen Tribe."

Pyrrha gave him a knowing smile. "Well, you could always ask Raven. She might know."

Jaune gave his girlfriend a flabbergasted expression. "And risk getting myself killed? Heh, no thanks Pyr, I'd rather keep my head."

"Believe it or not, she's actually kind of cool when you get to know her." Ben shrugged.

Nora raised her hand, a confused yet slightly concerned expression on her face. "So… what do we do now?" She jabbed her thumb over to the room that Raven and the others were in. "I mean, now that we've got a trained killer on our side… does that mean…"

"NO." Ben said with a swipe of his hand. "Whatever you were about to say, no. We are NOT going to start killing the bad guys that we fight."

"Uh… actually I was gonna ask if she'd be moving in with us." Nora finished. "I only ask because… if she and Tai start going at it again after eighteen years of being away from each other, NONE of us are gettin' sleep."

Ben grimaced at the thought, as did many others in the room. "…Thanks for that mental image, Nora. I'll be sure to see that in my nightmares." The hero shook his head and collected his thoughts. "In ANY case, the last few times we talked to Raven, she mentioned helping us in our training. She commended our strength, but she also said that we're not strong enough to take Salem on yet."

"On that, I can agree." Pyrrha nodded. "We've been getting stronger, yes, but so have the villains. They wrecked a good chunk of Essen, and on our own, Nora and I couldn't take on Hog and Skull. It took Yang and Penny's help to take them down."

Penny quickly concurred with Pyrrha's statement. "Yeah, and WE were the heavy hitters! Imagine if any ONE of us had to take on those two." She gestured over to a certain blue haired boy. "They'd rip poor Neptune to shreds!"

"Hey!" Neptune cried indignantly. "Why use ME as the example?"

"Your weapon's name is Tri-Hard, dude." Rex reminded. "You're kinda easy pickin's."

Neptune was about to argue, but then he sighed when he couldn't come up with one. "Ugh, fair point. I REALLY gotta come up with a better name for it."

Penny hugged her arms and glanced back over to the door where Ruby, Yang and Raven were talking, wondering what was going on in there. "I just hope that Ruby takes all of this well. I wouldn't be able to imagine finding out THAT big of a family secret all at once."

Ben gave a hefty sigh. "Yeah… hopefully she'll be okay. I'm just worried about how Yang's doing with all of this."

* * *

Yang took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she was about to confess. She was sitting across from her sister, the Hooded Huntress simply staring back with a confused face as Yang gathered her courage. On opposing sides, Raven and Tetrax stood next to Yang and Ruby respectively, the Petrosapien standing watch over Raven while the tribe leader offered her daughter a supportive nod, keeping a calm face while Yang gathered her nerves. "…Yang?" Ruby spoke up, catching her sister's attention. "Look, if this is about you, her, and one big secret, I—"

"Ruby, _please_ don't get the wrong idea." Yang said worriedly. "I didn't want to keep this secret from you to hurt you, I did it because dad and I wanted to make sure you were old enough to understand the truth." She braced herself and screwed her eyes shut. "The thing is… our parentage is a LOT more complex than you think. We're only related through our dad… and we have two different mothers. I didn't find out until mo—I mean Summer, died. But Qrow and dad told me it'd be best if I didn't tell you until—"

"Called it." Ruby stated, taking Yang by surprised. " _So_ called it."

Yang blinked twice in astonishment before her jaw fell to the floor. "Wait, you KNEW?!"

"…Yeah, I kinda had a feeling that was the case for about a year now." Ruby confirmed. "I mean, I didn't wanna jump the gun in case I was wrong, but… c'mon Yang. Uncle Qrow's last name is different than ours and he SHOWED us a picture of his team." She pointed over to Raven. "It took me a little while to remember her, but when we got on the ship, I finally recognized her as the other woman in that picture… and now I know why Uncle Qrow was so hush-hush about her. One day, while he was showing us the picture, I noticed that you shared a lot more similarities with _her_ than with mom, and I only had to put two and two together to figure it out." Ruby gave her sister a wink. "And by the way, yes, you can still call her "mom"."

"I… I-I just…" Yang put her head in her hands. "GOD! I had this whole talk planned out and everything!"

Raven nudged her daughter's shoulder. "See? I told you she's a smart one. She gets it from her mother, I can tell."

Yang sighed and nodded, pulling her hands away from her face. "Yeah, no kidding." After a few seconds of silence, she spoke up again; "Rubes, if you're angry at me for keeping this kind of secret from you for over ten years, then I get it. I also understand if you don't wanna talk to me for a while, or if you need some space—"

"NO!" Ruby stepped forward and put her hands around her sisters, making Yang crane her head back up to her. "Yang, this doesn't change _anything_. I'm not mad, I don't need any space from you, I am _fine_. Look here." Ruby reached to her neck and pulled on a silver chain, pulling her recently gifted locket from under her blouse. "You see this?" She opened the locket and revealed the picture. "THIS is _everything_ to me. No matter what, you and I are still sisters. I don't care who our moms were, all that matters is that we're family." She gave her sister a happy smile. "And we always will be."

As Ruby spoke, tears of relief began to fall from Yang's eyes before she pulled her sister into a big hug, weeping into her shoulder. "You are the BEST goddamn sister a girl could EVER have!" she cried before calming down and speaking quietly. "I love you, sis."

"Love you more, big sis." Ruby said as she teared up a little bit as well. Once the hug was over, Ruby sighed and gestured over to Raven. "So, she's your birth mom, huh?"

Yang sniffed and stood up, clearing her eyes of any stray tears before going on. "Yeah, she is. Ruby, this is Raven Branwen."

"Yep, just like I thought." Ruby nodded. "You're Uncle Qrow's sister."

"That's right." Raven placed a hand on her hip. "And I see you've been keeping my brother on his toes for the past few years. Good, he needs the exercise."

Ruby rubbed the back of her head. "Uh, yeah, right…" After a moment of silence, Ruby's demeanor changed slightly, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes judgingly at the black-haired woman. "But here's a little question of my own; why did you leave dad?"

Raven took a deep breath in and exhaled, preparing herself for the long explanation that would come afterword. "Believe me, kid, that's a story in and of itself."

"Don't worry, we've got twenty minutes till we get back home." Ruby sat back down with her arms still crossed. "And I've got plenty of time for a long story." And so, over the course of the entire flight home, Raven recounted how she and Qrow came to be at Beacon, how they met and befriended Tai and Summer, and how Ozpin entrusted them with many of his secrets, though Raven made sure to keep the REALLY big secret under wraps until they all landed so that _everyone_ could hear it. The tribe leader then explained how she and Tai fell in love before then going on to leave him because of her hatred toward Ozpin and losing hope of ever winning against Salem, and that's when Ruby cracked. "You LEFT him because of your stupid grudge against Professor Ozpin?!"

Raven closed her eyes and sighed. "Ruby, I admit, looking back on it, it was a decision I've come to regret in many ways. But at that point, I'd had enough Ozpin keeping secrets and doing his dirty work, fighting an unwinnable war with the strategy he was using. Unfortunately, my teammates didn't see it that way." She balled her hands into fists against her lap. "And it was by and far NOT easy for me to leave… especially after giving birth to my daughter. So, I left her with Tai, because I knew that he could give her a better life than I ever could. And then… I left." She opened her eyes and gazed back up to Ruby. "Do I regret leaving my family? Yes, very much so. Do I regret leaving Ozpin? No, and I never will."

"But… but I don't understand!" Ruby exclaimed. "Professor Ozpin couldn't have been THAT bad, right? I mean, he wanted to save the world! Sure, he may not have had the best way of doing it, but at least he was _trying_!"

"Well, yeah, he was." Yang confirmed. "But Ruby, this whole war goes a LONG way back. Back farther than either you, me or anyone else on the team ever realized."

"…What do you mean by that?"

"That is for our old friend, Ironwood, to explain." Raven said as she stood up. "I have already told Ben and Yang about it, but it's time for General Jimmy to come clean about _everything_. He needs to learn that keeping the whole truth away from you only hurts your efforts rather than helps them. Your uncle and father as well." A sinister smirk came to her face. "And maybe if we're lucky, Glyndie Goodwitch will be there too."

Yang and Ruby stared incredulously at Raven in bewilderment. " _Glyndie_ Goodwitch?!" the sisters echoed each other.

Raven waved a hand. "Oh, just a little nickname I gave her during our academy days. She hates the _fuck_ out of it!"

Ruby's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wow, Yang. Your mom has a potty mouth."

"Heh, yeah, no shit." Yang smirked sarcastically before feeling the ship begin to descend. "Well, guess we're here." It was then that the Blonde Brawler noticed that Tetrax was leaning up in the corner, the Petrosapien having not moved from his spot since Raven's little story. "WHOA! Okay, Tetrax, has anyone ever told you that you're REALLY good at being quiet?"

"Many times." Tetrax answered as he walked away from the corner. "I was here to keep an eye on Raven, not get myself involved in your personal affairs. That being said, I WOULD like to hear more about what the general might be hiding from us." The bounty hunter walked over to the door and opened it, gesturing out to the hallway. "Now come, we're about to make landfall."

* * *

As Raven exited the ship, she had expected many things upon returning to the place where she once called home… and being bombarded with questions was NOT one of them. The moment she had exited that room with Yang and Ruby, everyone had their eyes on her, and a some of them were curious enough, or perhaps even _brave_ enough, to ask her a few questions. Or, in the case of a certain Pink Dynamo; a ton of questions all at once. "So are you REALLY a murderous thief? How were you able to find us? What kind of sword is that? Why'd you leave your fam—MPH!" Nora was cut off when Raven used her thumb and forefinger to shut her mouth.

"In order;" Raven said with an intimidating stare, "yes, I've killed people. My Semblance allows me to make portals to whomever I have a bond with, which includes Yang and Ben. Omen is a special weapon of my own design which uses multiple Dust blades. And finally…" Raven narrowed her eyes at Nora. "None of your business, understand?" The hyper redhead nodded and Raven let go of her lips, proceeding to walk toward the house again. "Now, if there are any more questions…"

Jaune was hesitant to speak up, but at the same time, she WAS offering, so he thought; _'Eh, why not?'_ He raised his hand, prompting Raven to crane her head to him. "Yes, I do, actually. My dad used to tell me stories of how my grandfather used to occasionally fight against a tribe of murderous bandits, but he never really mentioned them by name. That wouldn't happen to be the Branwen Tribe, would it?"

"Why yes, that'd be correct. In fact, my father held quite the animosity toward your grandfather, Jaune Arc."

Jaune's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, you know my _name_?!"

"I know ALL of your names." Raven confirmed. "I've been scoping your group out for some time now, and—"

"Hold on, you've been _spying_ on us?!" Blake exclaimed.

Raven merely shrugged. "I suppose you could say I was."

Weiss was aghast at the thought. "AH! That is SO rude! Have you no concept of personal space?!" However, one deathly glare from the tribe leader made Weiss reel back on what she said rather quick. "And _I_ should really grasp the concept that _you_ are an expert killer! Haha, silly me!" With a cheeky smile, Weiss zipped off and hid behind Rex, knowing that she had a good body guard when it came to him.

Yang sent her own glare at her mother, though hers was much more judgmental. "Mom, if you wanna make a good impression on them, you gotta learn how to be less threatening. Especially toward my friends." The Blonde Brawler glanced over to Jaune. "But I gotta admit, it's weird to hear that our families butted heads in the past."

Jaune chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Heh, yeah, that _is_ kinda strange." He directed his gaze over to Raven. "Better make sure my dad doesn't see you, or else he might try to—"

"Oh, that's right! Jonathan IS here, isn't he?" Raven recalled. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about your father, he KNOWS to stay away from me."

Jaune blinked twice in surprise. "He… he does?"

"Oh yes, I'm betting that he didn't tell you about when he faced off against me and Qrow, now did he?" Raven smirked. "Not surprising, since it happened when we were teenagers and he probably wants to forget it _ever_ happened, hehe." She gave the blonde boy a wink. "Let's just say that it started with him getting pantsed by Qrow and ended when I gave him the wedgie of a life time."

"So THAT'S why he kept giving Qrow nasty looks during the party!" Jaune smacked his forehead in exasperation. "Dear god, my dad is such a doof!"

"Oh, he is." Raven affirmed. "Admittedly, I heard he got better after he became an ACTUAL Huntsman, but he knew not to mess with the Branwen tribe after that."

Jaune hung his head in shame, with Pyrrha giving him a supportive pat on the shoulder. "It's alright, Jaune. Your father is a good man even if he IS a little… odd." She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Besides, I'll bet if you try REALLY hard, you might just be able to take Yang on someday."

Jaune raised an eyebrow to her in disbelief, though he also gave her a small smile. "Pyr, I know you're trying to be supportive, and I really appreciate it, but me being able to fight _Yang_? No chance."

"Ah, c'mon, Vomit Boy!" Yang nudged the knight's shoulder. "You puked on my boots on the first day at Beacon, so I've already got a reason to fight ya!"

Jaune facepalmed with a slight blush. "Oh god, please no."

But before the banter could continue, the front door to the house swung open, revealing Kevin on the other side. "You're back!" The Osmosian ran out and began shaking Ben by the shoulders in a panic. "You guys have NO idea how much torture I've been put through since you left! You NEED to help me!"

Winter came forward and pulled Kevin off of the hero, grasping his shoulders and locking a serious gaze on to him. "Kevin, calm yourself. What's happened that's so important?" she asked. "Has something happened to Gwen?"

Keving stepped back and shook his head. "No, worse!"

"Grimm attack?" Ben guessed.

"Worse!"

"Salem's forces?!" Rex exclaimed.

"Even worse." Kevin's eye twitched.

Ruby's jaw dropped. "What could be worse than THAT?!"

"Ever since you left, Gwen has been making me watch My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic with her for almost an hour and a half _straight_!" Kevin shouted before a relieved smile came to his face. "Now that you guys are back, that means I don't have to watch any more of it!"

At Kevin's words, Ruby blinked twice in confusion. "Uh… I don't follow."

However, Ben rolled his eyes at Kevin's immaturity. "C'mon, dude, _really_? We go through this _every_ time you have to watch My Little Pony with Gwen. It's seriously getting old."

Winter took a deep breath, lightly pressing her hand against her forehead to try and keep her composure. "So… you're telling me… that this is all because you don't want to watch a _cartoon_? I must agree, Kevin, that is quite immature, especially when your girlfriend is ailing."

"Yeah, I mean, it's a show about _ponies_ , dude." Neptune rationalized. "It can't be THAT bad."

Kevin pointed to the the three and countered; "Hey, YOU try watching a show with pastel ponies talking about friendship lessons and singing annoyingly catchy songs for over an hour straight! It's goofy, it's kiddy, and I have NO idea why Gwen likes it."

Sun scratched his head. "Well… maybe it's because she's loopy?"

"Nah, she came out of that a while after you left." Kevin revealed. "She's fine now, by the way. Still bedridden, but Holiday said she would make a full recovery, thank god." He clapped his hands together expectantly. "Speaking of, how'd your mission go? I'm guessing those bad guys didn't know what hit… 'em…" Kevin trailed off when he saw Raven standing amongst the crown, and his eyes snapped wide open. "Uh… who's the scary lady with Yang's face?"

Yang rolled her eyes before gesturing between the two. "Kev, this is my mom, Raven Branwen. Mom, that's Ben's friend, Kevin."

"Ah yes, the young man who can absorb solid materials." Raven nodded. "Gotta say, your power is pretty impressive, Kevin. Not as much as Ben's, but still really interesting."

"Uh, thanks?" Kevin replied hesitantly before going back to Yang. "Um, I probably missed something, but… I thought your mom died when you were little."

"My adoptive mother died." Yang clarified as she nudged her thumb over to Raven. "My BIRTH mom left when I was a baby. But now, she's come back."

Kevin snapped his fingers and pointed at Yang. "Gotcha. Also, that sounds like a real shit thing to do."

"I won't deny that." Raven said before furrowing her brow slightly. "But you're also very blunt, Kevin. I'd start choosing my words more carefully if I were you."

"Eh, I just calls it as I sees it." Kevin admitted. "So, if you left that long ago, why're you back?"

But Raven raised a hand. "Perhaps it'd be best if your _whole_ team heard the reason why. Where's Gwen right now?"

"Downstairs in the basement." Kevin nudged his head toward the house. "C'mon, they're all waiting for you downstairs. Plus, Ironwood, Qrow and the others should be here soon too."

"Oh, excellent!" Raven smirked as she strolled into the house. "I've been eager to speak with my brother again for the last couple of days."

As the others walked past him, Kevin slapped his forehead. "OH! _Qrow_ and _Raven_! Man, that just makes too much sense!" With that, the Osmosian lead everyone down the stairs, though Raven stayed upstairs to give the group some time to talk to Gwen and see how she was doing. As they came down, they saw Holiday, Max and Gwen all sitting down with Romulus and Rema sitting on the Anodite's lap. The three were watching a very colorful show featuring talking Ponies, Unicorns and Pegasi, and at the moment, the characters were singing a rather catchy tune;

_Winter Wrap-up, Winter Wrap-up!_

_Let's finish our holiday cheer!_

_Winter Wrap-up, Winter Wrap-up!_

' _Cause tomorrow, spring is here!_

_Cause tomorrow, spring is here!_

Kevin's right eye twitched and he covered his ears. "Oh god! I JUST got that song out of my head MONTHS ago! And now it made its way back in!"

In contrast, Ben wore a grin on his face. "Ah, c'mon, this is a classic earworm! Damn, now I wanna sing."

Yang couldn't help but chuckle at that. As the song went on, the Blonde Brawler stepped forward and leaned into Gwen's field of vision, giving her a wave. "Hey Red! How's it goin'?"

"Oh, hi Yang!" Gwen waved. "Glad to see you guys back safe and sound." She pointed to the television eagerly. "And you're just in time too, this is a REALLY good episode."

Yang chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Well, I have to admit that song is catchy as all hell… and I DO kinda wanna learn more about this show because I _love_ horses, we've got some important stuff we gotta tell you about."

Gwen sighed and paused the show, resigning to her fate. "Well, I guess you've got a point there. Mission debriefing time."

Max smiled and gave a wave to the teens as they gathered around. "Well, hey there, kids! Good to see that you all made it back in one piece."

"I take it your mission went well?" Holiday asked. "You all seem in good spirits."

Penny bobbed her head from side to side. "Well… it sort of went well. The villains managed to destroy some of the town… and then our fight destroyed even MORE buildings." She pointed to herself. "Also, I had my head torn off, but that's a WHOLE nother story."

Gwen's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "WHAT?!"

"That's what WE said!" Rex shouted.

"Anyways," Ben piped up again, "we managed to beat them back, though they _were_ a bit of a challenge this time. If they keep getting stronger like this, they may just get an edge over us and actually start getting in some wins. We _can't_ let that happen."

"Ben's right." Ren nodded. "If they get in any BIG wins over us, then they could cause major damage and rile the Grimm up even more than they did at Beacon."

"I see." Gwen laced her hands together and began pondering the situation. "And now that Hog and Skull are mutant animal hybrids, who KNOWS what Salem's next plan is going to be. Some of the things she orders her followers to do are sometimes really predictable, but other times, not so much. We need something that can help us better prepare ourselves for when Salem chooses to strike next."

Yang shifted her eyes back and forth as a sheepish smile came to her face. "Well, would you settle for… some _one_?" At that moment, a red and black portal sprang open and made everybody jump, including the wolf pups who ran to their respective parents. After getting over the initial shock, Yang grimaced and craned her head up to the ceiling. " _Really_?! Ya can't just take the stairs like a normal person? You _have_ to freak everybody out?"

Raven stepped out of the portal and gave her daughter a sly smile. "I'm sorry, my dear, but you know what they say; make a good first impression." The tribe leader glanced around the room to the three people she had yet to meet. "You must be Ben's cousin, Gwen, right? And you are their grandfather, Max. And Doctor Holiday, I presume? It's a pleasure to meet you all."

Max stood up and walked in front of his bedridden granddaughter in a protective move, keeping a furrowed brow as he gazed straight at Raven. He didn't know who she was, but years of experience told him that most people who dress in black and red weren't _good_ people. "Who are you? What's your business here?" the old Plumber asked.

"And most importantly, _how_ did you get here?" Holiday pressed further as she stood up as well.

"All easy questions to answer." Raven grinned. "My name is Raven Branwen, I'm here to help, and as for how I got here." She craned her head over to Yang and Ben. "You can thank my daughter and your grandson for that, Mr. Tennyson."

Max and Holiday's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Wait… your daughter?" Max uttered as he shifted his eyes between Raven and Yang, only now just noticing the stark resemblance. "Oh, my lord."

"Well, this is a surprising turn of events." Holiday commented.

Gwen, with an astonished expression, shifted her eyes up to Ben and Yang. "Explanations, please. Right now." And so, that's what went down over the next twenty minutes. The Omnitrix bearer and the Blonde Brawler recounted how Raven had paid them a visit the previous morning at the training grounds, as well as the lunch they had scheduled for earlier that day. Needless to say, Gwen and the others were taken back by all this news being dropped on them at once. "I mean… wow. Why didn't you tell us?"

Yang sighed and opened her eyes. "Gwen, I'm sorry. And I REALLY don't mean to come off as rude or inconsiderate when I say this… but at the time, it was strictly mine and Ben's business. I didn't want anyone to think I was getting into trouble just by talking to my mom, so we kept it on the down-low." She shrugged her shoulders and hung her head. "I just… wanted to try and have some one-on-one time with my mom… or I guess one-on-two is more appropriate."

Ruby came over and pat her sister on the shoulder. "And that's fine." she assured. "Yang, I don't blame you for keeping this a secret for a while, because I know for a fact that some of us would have tried and keep you from doing it." Ruby raised an eyebrow to Gwen, which the Anodite responded with a simple shrug and a nod. "What's important is that you've talked with your mom, and now she's here. So the next big thing to ask is… what's next?"

"Oh, some BIG things, Ruby." Raven answered. "Ironwood and the others should be here soon, and they have a LOT to answer for."

Kevin crossed his arms. "Whaddya mean, lady? Ironwood's been cool with us since we started this whole thing. Hell, he even filled us in on… all the… secrets." The Osmosian trailed off when Raven gave him a deadpan expression, and a few seconds later, he got her message. "Oh, you've gotta be FUCKING kidding me!"

"Oh no." Gwen facepalmed in exasperation. "Do you mean to tell me that Ironwood STILL hasn't told us everything?!"

Jaune threw his hands up into the air. "Great! Just great! Can we trust ANY adult around here anymore?!"

"Well…" Raven began, "you can trust _me_."

Pyrrha quirked an eyebrow. "Forgive me if I have my reservations on that." At that moment though, Pyrrha heard the front door open upstairs, as well as a faint greeting from a voice that she knew belonged to her mother. "Mom?! Is that you?"

"Sweetheart! You're back!" Athena called out before appearing at the top of the stairs. "We heard about what happened in Essen, are you kids alright?"

"Never better." Pyrrha waved. "We're all fine and the mission was… somewhat of a success."

Athena gave her daughter a nod. "Yes, I heard. James informed Tai and I about everything! Is it true that Yyou and Penny managed to subdue a mutant rhinoceros man?

Penny gave a salute up to her. "That's right! We—"

"YANG! Ruby!" Penny was suddenly cut off when Tai came zooming down the stairs, the man relieved to see that his daughters were okay. "Thank god, you girls are alright!" He stepped over and clasped the two girls on their shoulders, facing down to Yang with a grin. "Sweetheart, I heard that you and Nora took down a giant pig-man, today! Great work!"

Yang's face had grown visibly shocked, but she managed to force an answer out; "Uh… thanks, dad."

"Hey, what's wrong?" Tai chuckled. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Well, it's just…" Yang winced and glanced off to the side before pointing behind her. "We have some… special company today, and I was hoping to break the news to you slowly."

"Break it to me slowly? Honey, what're you talking abo—" But then, Tai followed his daughter's gesture, and his eyes found who she was pointing at. There, standing at the far end of the room, Raven was staring at him with her lips parted slightly in surprise. Tai's mouth went agape as well, and he began stuttering in astonishment. "Wh-wh-wha… I… this… wha…"

Raven took a deep breath and gave him a nod. "…Hello Tai. It's been a while, hasn't it?" She stepped closer to him and let out a little chuckle. "Hmhm, well, it seems that some things don't change very much. A few grey hairs, but you're still as much of a looker as you were back then."

But Tai couldn't give an appropriate response. He was still in so much shock that his mind could barely comprehend that she was actually there in front of him. "Ra…Ra… Raven?" He couldn't take it anymore after that. Tai's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fainted, his body going limp soon after."

"TAI!" Raven shouted as she grabbed the blonde man and softened his landing, lowering him slowly to the ground. But that didn't mean it was all that easy for her. "Dear god, Tai, what HAVE you been eating?!" She craned her neck up to her daughter and Ruby. "Is the med kit where it always is? Under the first-floor bathroom beneath the sink?"

Ruby's eyes widened and she nodded. "Uh, yeah, I'll go get it."

"No need." Holiday stepped forward with said med-kit in hand. "I got it when Gwen and her group came back." The doctor knelt down beside Tai and brought out her stethoscope and scanner. "But before we get too crazy, let's check his vitals." Holiday took her stethoscope and pressed it against Tai's chest as she grabbed his wrist, feeling for a pulse. "Mmhm, heartbeat's normal." She then took her scanner and held it just an inch above Tai's head. A green beam came out of the back and passed over the blonde man's cranium, the readings for his brain activity appearing just a few seconds later. "And his brain activity is fine too. He should wake up in a few minutes."

"Well, that's a relief." Athena said as she descended the stairs. The Mistralian Huntress then shifted her gaze down to Raven, crossing her arms at the woman. "But what _I_ wish to know is who YOU are, ma'am."

Raven narrowed her eyes, giving the taller woman an intense glare. "First of all, don't call me "ma'am". I am NOT old enough for that yet." She jabbed her thumb at herself. "And second of all, if you really HAVE to know, my name is Raven Branwen. I'm Yang's mother."

Athena's eyebrows rose before her eyes darted between Yang and Raven, the redheaded woman seeing the family resemblance instantly. "Ah, I see. Well, if that's the case, then what _are_ you doing here? I hadn't heard Tai mention you _once_ in my stay here."

Raven sighed through her nostrils. "And for good reason. I left him when Yang was born and he remarried. I've come back after eighteen years to rectify some of the mistakes I made."

"Oh… that explains things." Athena rubbed the back of her neck as her cheeks became a light shade of pink. "And now I've made things awkward for everyone."

"No worries." Raven assured. "Right now, there are more important things to talk about."

Suddenly, from upstairs, the group could here General Ironwood calling out; "Tai? Athena? What's happening?"

Just then, Goodwitch's voice came as well. "Is there something wrong?"

"Shortstack! Firecracker!" Qrow shouted from the kitchen. "You two down there?"

A satisfied smile came to Raven's face. "Ah, and there are the ones I was hoping to see." The tribe leader focused back onto Athena and nudged her head toward the stairs. "Think you could get them down here? The general has a few things that he needs to discuss with all of us." Athena gave her a skeptical look, to which Raven waved a hand toward her. "Don't worry, everything will be explained soon enough."

Athena was still hesitant, though the fact that neither Yang or Ben seemed to object to Raven's request somewhat reassured her. She stepped over to the stairs and called up to the general; "James! They're all down here… and they have somebody who wants to speak to you. Glynda, Qrow, you two had better come down here as well!"

"What?!" Qrow hollered back before coming down the stairs. "What the hell's goin' on here—" However, he stopped in his tracks when he saw Raven kneeling on the ground next to an unconscious Tai, with the teens, Max and Holiday surrounding the both of them. "…Gah, crap."

"Yeah, "crap" is right." Yang shot back. A few seconds later, Ironwood and Goodwitch came down the stairs as well. "And now the gang's all here."

Ironwood stepped forward and immediately asked; "Alright, what in the world is—" But then his eyes caught sight of Raven and he let out a gasp, taking a step back in the process. "Oh… oh, my god… Raven?!"

"Hello, Jimmy-boy." Raven waved. "Been a while, hasn't it? And _Glyndie_ , always a pleasure to see you."

Glynda stepped forward with her hand on her riding crop. "What are you doing here, Raven?"

With a sly grin, Raven stood up, leaving Tai in Doctor Holiday's care as she strolled over to Ironwood, Goodwitch and her brother. "Oh, you know, helping out the children with their mission, which might I add, went rather well all things considered."

"The mayor told me that a fourth of their town was TOTALED!" Ironwood retorted.

"And no one was killed in the crossfire." Raven reminded. "I count that as a win."

"So do I." Ben agreed as he folded his arms across his chest. "But in all honesty, the mission debriefing is going to have to wait." He pointed to all three of the adults across from him. "Because it's time for you three to fully explain to everyone about what's going on here."

Glynda could only give the hero a confused face. "Ben, whatever are you talking about?"

Yang sent an accusing finger in Glynda's direction. "You KNOW what we mean, Professor Goodwitch. Raven told Ben and I everything about Ozpin earlier today, and I mean _everything_." The adults' faces immediately fell and grew slightly pale at what she was talking about. "Yeah, that's about the reaction I expected."

Qrow whirled around to his sister with a snarl. "You TOLD them?! What the hell, Raven?!"

"They _deserve_ to know, Qrow!" Raven shouted back. "They don't stand a chance against Salem unless they know the WHOLE truth. No more half-truths, it's time to tell them everything!"

Max got in between them band raised his hands, hoping to settle the siblings down before things got ugly. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, now let's all take a breather, here. We don't have to resort to a fight if we don't need to." The old Plumber's face quickly grew serious as he faced General Ironwood. "With that said though, if there really IS something you're not telling us, general, I think we deserve to know."

Athena was in complete disbelief at what she was hearing. "James… have you been keeping _more_ secrets from us?"

From the stairs, a new voice entered the conversation; "That's what I'd like to know." Everyone turned to see Tetrax descending the stairs, ducking his head to clear the stairwell. "If there truly is more that you aren't telling us, General, we need to know _now_."

Most of the teens, however, were still very confused. "Uh, is this like, REALLY important or something?" Sun asked. "Because I'm getting some seriously intense vibes from all this."

"Yeah, and what does any of this have to do with Ozpin?" Blake added.

"Ugh, _nothing_ , kid." Qrow insisted. "Whatever lies Raven's been feeding into Ben and Yang's heads, they're all one-hundred percent—"

"True." Ironwood spoke up, taking Qrow by surprise. "They're all true."

Qrow couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Jim, what the hell?!"

"They're right, Qrow." Ironwood admitted. "We should have told them everything from the start. Not telling them about the relics was one thing, but Ozpin's greatest secret is one that we _can't_ keep secret for much longer. They're going to find out anyway, so we should just tell them now."

"James is right." Glynda said with a nod. "All of this drama could have been avoided if we had just told them everything earlier." The professor faced that crowd of teens and bowed to them all. "And I'm truly sorry for that, everyone. I cannot begin to apologize enough for this, but I suppose telling the truth would be an excellent start."

Ben nodded back to her. "Yes, that'd be much appreciated."

Qrow grimaced as he faced his sister once more, the tribe leader shrugging when the vote was pretty much entirely out of his favor. "Ugh, fine, we'll tell 'em." The drunken Hunter nudged his head toward the unconscious blonde man who was still on the ground. "But could we at least wait until Tai's back up an' runnin'?"

* * *

A soft groan escaped from Tai's throat as he returned to consciousness, his hand going straight to his forehead as his vision returned to him. Once he was able to see again, the first two people he saw here his daughters, smiling down nervously at him. "Ugh… Yang? Ruby? What in the world just…"

"Hey dad." Yang said slowly. "How ya feelin'?"

"Sit up slow, you took quite the fall." Ruby advised.

"I'm alright, sweetheart. At least, I think I am." Tai sat up and scratched the back of his head. "Had the weirdest dream though. You guys just got back from a dangerous mission and a woman that I was in love with a long time ago was in the basement with you. Heh, crazy dream, righ—" But then, Tai glanced up to see that everyone was indeed in the basement, with James, Qrow, Glynda and Tetrax having joined them. His eyes slowly trailed across the room and eventually found the person he was searching for; Raven. The two locked eyes and Tai's breath caught in his throat, though he gave a hard swallow to try and regain himself. "Oh, it… it wasn't a dream."

"No it wasn't." Raven confirmed as she stepped over to stand beside him. "It's been far too long, Tai."

"That's… that's an understatement." Tai sighed as he shifted his gaze down to the floor and laced his hands together. "And here I thought that I'd never see you around here again." Suddenly, his eyes bugged out and he whirled his head to Yang. "And how are _you_ not freaking out right now?!"

Yang wore a sheepish smile. "Well… Ben and I've already spoken to her a couple times already. She met up with us yesterday and we had lunch with her today."

"Oh… I see." Tai clapped his hands together. "Well, I'm at least glad that she reached out to you. I was worried that _you_ would go off searching for her. …Though I have a feeling that you would've gone searching for her regardless, right?" Yang gave him a shrug and a nod, confirming his suspicions. "Ah, wouldn't expect anything less from you, my Sunny Dragon." Tai took a deep breath and looked to Raven again. "So, what brings you back to Patch, Raven?"

"Multiple things," Raven pointed to Yang, "with her being the major reason. But another big reason that I'm back is because I have a feeling that we may actually have a chance against Salem now." She nudged her chin in Ben, Gwen and Kevin's direction. "What with _their_ grand arrival two weeks ago."

"I getcha." Tai stood up and dusted off his pants. "Well, if all that's settled, I think I'm gonna go up and get dinner started. Something tells me that I've got a LOT of mouths to feed."

"Not quite yet, Tai." James halted the blonde man. "First… we need to tell them the BIG things we've been keeping from them."

Tai paused for a second before quickly glancing to Ruby with a worried expression. "You mean, _that_? Right here, right now?"

"Not just that, Tai." Qrow grumbled after taking a swing from his flask. "Raven squealed to Ben and Yang about Oz's big secret, an' now they're makin' us spill the beans to everyone else."

"They're not making us do _anything_ , Qrow." Glynda snapped. "We're doing this of our own accord. Besides, you were the one who was hoping that Raven would try and reconnect with her family. Really, you should've expected this."

"Ah, whatever." Qrow waved her off and stood up to walk away. "Listen kids, ya want the long and short of it? Oz ain't dead, end of story, I'm leavin'."

All the teens in the room stared at him with flabbergasted expressions before a huge; " _WHAT?!_ " echoed throughout the room. Over to the side, Ben winced as the whole room shouted out, his hand going to his ear soon after. "Yep, that's about the reaction I expected." the hero nodded.

Raven marched right over to Qrow and grabbed him by the ear, forcing him back over to his seat as he let out slurs and "ows" along the way. "You come right back here and you tell them _everything_ , little brother!"

But Nora wasn't willing to wait that long. "What do you mean that Ozpin's not dead?!"

Sun was in full agreement. "Yeah, you guys said it yourselves that you saw what Cinder did down in the vault. Nobody could've survived that."

Glynda sighed through her nostrils. "That's right… but when it comes to someone like Ozpin, he is the only one who can." She set her eyes out to the crowd and asked; "Tell me, how long do you all think this war between Salem and Ozpin has been going on?"

The teens shifted their attention to one another and they began consulting each other, with Ren speaking up soon after. "Well, I would only assume that it's been for about as long as Ozpin's been in charge of Beacon Academy, right?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Weiss concurred. "I mean, we know that Salem must be pretty old with the kind of power she has, and she's probably been trying to take over the world for a lot longer than Ozpin's been fighting her." The heiress gave a shrug. "I just assumed that he was given the task of stopping her by Beacon's previous headmaster."

Ironwood took a deep breath. "Well, Weiss, that's not entirely accurate." he revealed. "Oz had actually been fighting this war for MUCH longer than that. And in addition, he was actually a much more important factor in the direction of the academies than you might think. Since they were established nearly eighty years ago, Ozpin's been influencing the academies in several different ways to aid his fight against Salem. He even brought the concept of grouping students up into teams, as he believes very strongly in teamwork."

"But… how is that possible?" Penny asked. "By my calculations, Ozpin was only in his forties, he _couldn't_ have influenced the academies like that."

"You're right, Penny, it wasn't him." Glynda confirmed. "But at the same time, it WAS him. You see… Ozpin's secret war with Salem has actually been going on for well over a few eons. And over the course of that time, he has worn many different faces."

Gwen's eyebrows rose in shock. "Oh god, I think I know what that means. Ozpin's just as immortal as Salem is, isn't he?"

Ironwood closed his eyes and nodded his head solemnly. "Yes, Oz has been living for about just as long as Salem has. The only difference is that his _soul_ is the only part about him that is immortal, not his body. So, when he eventually dies or gets killed, he reincarnates himself into a like-minded individual, his soul effectively sharing his host's body."

There was a round of gasps all throughout the room, but the one who let out the loudest one was Blake. "AH! Oh my god, this… I read a story like this once! About a man with two souls!"

Ironwood pointed to her. "That's right, Blake. That book was based on the myth that Ozpin was a part of, though like many tales in Remnant, most of them turn out to be truer than others." The general saw that the cat girl's face was in a state of shock, which made him concerned. "…Blake, are you alright?"

"Yes, but… I just remembered how the book ends." Blake faced Ironwood with a serious expression. "At the end, the two souls within the man's body merged into one, their personalities effectively melding together to become one whole person. Is… is that going to happen with the person who Ozpin reincarnates into?"

Ironwood, Goodwitch, Qrow, Raven and Tai all looked to one another in silent deliberation before that latter gave the answer. "That, we're not sure of." Tai answered. "Oz only told us the basics of how his reincarnation works, he never went into many specifics. But… if that IS how it works… then wow, that's kind of a jerk move. I mean, who's personality would be the dominant one? Oz, or the other guy's?"

Gwen put a hand to her chin and pondered over the inquiry. "I HAVE heard of this type of reincarnation before… but like you, I haven't seen too many details written about it in the books that I have at my disposal."

Kevin folded his arms over his chest. "Well I dunno about you guys, but this whole "reincarnation" business just sounds sucky all around."

"I have to agree." Holiday spoke up. "Though I probably would've worded it a bit differently. I'm not much when it comes to the subject of souls, but the idea of two different minds sharing the same body is strange and very questionable."

Rex waved his hand. "Yeah, _no bueno_ on that, thanks."

Penny placed a hand to her chin in thought. "Still, it IS very interesting to think about. Reincarnation usually involves the whole person being reborn as someone different." The redhead gave a small shrug. "Then again, I suppose Ozpin can't exactly afford to do that if he wants to keep fighting Salem."

Weiss moved her head to face Winter, the military specialist sitting with her hands laced together as she stared down at the floor. "Winter… did you know about this?" When she didn't get a response, she narrowed her eyes at her sister. " _Winter_. Answer me, please."

Winter shut her eyes and raised her head. "I… somewhat had an idea. But I never got the full story until now." She opened her eyes and focused on Ironwood. "General… you once told me that Professor Ozpin was able to walk away from any fight, even when the outcome was inevitable death. I would find myself wondering about what you meant quite often, even tossing around the idea that Ozpin _couldn't_ die." She took a brief pause and lowered her head again. "But now… I'm not exactly sure WHAT to think anymore. How can you keep a secret this big hidden for so long?"

Ironwood lowered his head as well, though in his case, it was out of shame. "I'm sorry, Winter. I should have trusted you more. I should've trusted ALL of you more." He clutched his knee with his left hand. "But… we were sworn to secrecy by Ozpin about many of the greater things in our world. He didn't want the public at large to panic, should the witch get exactly what she wants."

Across the room, Max sighed and spoke up. "Well General, I certainly wouldn't blame him for that. The number of secrets of this magnitude would probably cause wide-spread mass hysteria. Still, I suppose that now that the entire cat is out of the bag, the only question left is… when will Ozpin come back?"

Neptune raised an eyebrow over to Qrow. "Hey yeah, Mr. Tennyson has a point. Did he ever give an ETA to you guys in case this ever happened? Or maybe even _who_ he would reincarnate into?"

"No clue on both counts, Blue Boy." Qrow answered. "Oz just told us that he was able to reincarnate himself into like-minded people, and really, that's about it. He could be anyone, anywhere in the world right now without us even knowing." He took another swig before going on. "Hell, he may not've even reincarnated yet."

Jaune placed his hands on his hips. "Okay, that means that we're still on our own, at least for now." The blonde knight pursed his lips and shifted his eyes off to the side, which Pyrrha was quick to take notice of.

"Jaune?" The Invincible Girl put a hand to his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Well, I'm just thinking…" Jaune faced back up to the crowd. "I'm not sure if Ozpin coming back would be a good idea or not."

"WHAT?!" Nora exclaimed. "Jaune, what are you saying?! Of course, it would!"

"Nora's right." Ren agreed. "Professor Ozpin probably knows more about Salem than any of us do. His guidance would be greatly appreciated."

"Two excellent points." Jaune admitted. "But think about this for a second; Ozpin's also been the biggest secret keeper here." He gestured around the room. "And everyone here was dragged into this whole thing because either Ozpin revealed his secret to them, or those he revealed it to confided in further with others. But I'm willing to bet that he might have even MORE secrets that even WE don't know about. And what's worse… people have almost died because of all this." Jaune glanced over to Pyrrha with a saddened face. "Including the ones who we're closest to most."

Pyrrha sighed and gently grasped her boyfriend's hand. "Jaune, I understand. In fact, I think I understand better than anyone else here. But at the same time, I chose to willingly become the Fall Maiden when Ozpin asked me. He didn't force me, he offered me a choice." She glanced off to the side. "Admittedly, if things hadn't happened the way they did, I may have second guessed myself a few times, but the past is past."

"I know. And I don't want the past to be repeated." Jaune placed a soft hand on Pyrrha's cheek. "I don't want to lose any of you guys… you're all too important to me."

"Aw, that's really sweet, Jaune!" Ruby called from the couch.

Over to the side, Ben smiled and stepped forward, patting Jaune on the shoulder. "I'm right there with you, dude. Trust me, there won't be any unnecessary sacrifices while I'm here." His gaze trailed over to Raven. "That said, Ren DOES have a point. Ozpin probably knows Salem better than anyone, so while I certainly don't plan on him leading this crew, it still would be helpful to have him around."

Raven closed her eyes with her arms crossed, taking a calming breath. "While I won't deny that Oz has a lot of know-how on Salem, I still REALLY don't like the idea of him being around."

"'Course ya don't." Qrow smirked. "Otherwise he'll lord over the fact that you came back."

"Do you REALLY want this argument right now, Qrow?" Raven said with a deathly glare. "Because I promise you, I'll shove Harbinger STRAIGHT UP YOUR—"

"OKAY!" Tai said cheerfully, a nervous sweat forming on his brow. "Let's not give anyone any unnecessary… rectal probes." The man winced at his own words. _'Jeez Tai, be anymore gross, why don't ya?'_ He shook it off before moving on. "The big point in all of this is that Oz is probably going to be back at _some_ point. Could be next week, or maybe next month, or hell, maybe we won't see him for another year. The point is that we've gotta be ready for when he does come back, no matter what form he takes this time."

Yang smiled slyly as an idea popped into her head. "Heh, yeah, maybe he'll be reincarnated into a woman."

A wistful grin came to Raven's face. "Oh, that'd be SO hilarious. Oh, or maybe he could come back as an uncoordinated child! Ah, that'd be even better!"

Glynda cleared her throat. "Ahem, if we're done speculating on what Ozpin's new host will be, can we move on to the _next_ big subject?"

Ben's eyebrows rose up at that. "Wait, what're you talking about? Raven said that—" He spun around to the tribe leader. "Is there something _else_ you didn't tell us?"

"There is." Raven affirmed. "But I only held off on telling it to you because this is something that _everyone_ needs to hear. Because out of all the secrets that've been kept from you, this one is the closest to home."

"Really? ANOTHER big secret?" Ruby questioned. "Ugh, alright, what else is there?" However, the moment she asked that, Ironwood, Goodwitch, Qrow, Raven and her father had all turned to her with apprehensive expressions, barring Raven who wore a neutral face. She looked around to see that the rest of the team was just as confused as she was, assuring her that she wasn't alone in this. "Uh… dad? What's with the weird faces?"

Tai squeezed his eyes shut, a nervous churning in his gut at the prospect of telling his little girl about the _other_ biggest secret in their family. But a moment later, he heard a familiar voice speak up; "Tai." His eyes snapped open and he saw Raven locking her gaze upon him. Her features were serious, but also somewhat sympathetic. "I know that this must be hard for you, but she deserves to know where she comes from… and where her _mother_ came from."

At that point, Ruby was growing ever more worried. "Dad, what is she talking about?! What does she mean "where mom came from"?!" She grabbed onto her father's shirt and pulled it toward her desperately. "Please _tell_ me!"

"Dad, _what_ is going on?" Yang pressed further.

The man shifted his eyes between his two daughters, then to the other adults, the rest of the team, and finally back to them. He took a deep breath and gently took hold of Ruby's hands. "Ruby, sweetheart, I need you to remember something for me. On the night that you first met Professor Ozpin, what was the first thing he noticed about you?"

"Well…" Ruby thought back to that night, recounting the moment that Ozpin entered the room with a plate full of cookies and a glass of milk. "He noticed that I had silver eyes."

Tai nodded. "Yes, the ones that you got from your mother."

"So… are you saying that mom got into Beacon because of her silver-eyes too?" Ruby tilted her head. "What's so important about our eye color?"

Ben shrugged and nudged his head to his girlfriend. "Yeah, I mean, Yang's got a unique eye color, and she didn't get an easy pass into Beacon."

Yang raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend. "Uh, Ben, violet eyes are actually a lot more common than silver ones. They're not AS common as others, but there's still more people in the world than just me who have violet eyes."

"Really?" Ben said incredulously. "Huh, weird. Our world is sparse on violet eyes. I mean, I only know one other person with them, and it's _Charmcaster_ of all people."

It was then that Qrow decided to pipe up. "The POINT is… that Ruby and her mother share an extremely rare trait." He pointed a finger to his niece. "And Oz knew exactly who he was talkin' to when he first met ya, Shortstack."

Ruby's lips parted in astonishment. "Wait… so he accepted me into Beacon on _purpose_?!" She snapped her head toward Goodwitch. "Professor Goodwitch, did you know about this?"

"I… had my suspicions." Glynda admitted. "I also noticed your silver-eyes that night, so it didn't take long for me to figure out that you were Summer's daughter. But I never would have guessed that Professor Ozpin would allow you into Beacon on the spot." The headmistress focused directly onto Ruby. "But I have a feeling that he had his reasons for bringing you on the way he did. I don't know if he knew that all of this conflict with Salem would be happening this soon, but it was evident that he wanted you at Beacon…" She pursed her lips and faced Tai. "You should take it from here, Taiyang."

"Right." Tai agreed as he faced his youngest daughter head on. He placed both hands on her shoulders and spoke to her calmly. "Ruby, sweetheart, I need you to be strong on this one, okay? I promise you that what I'm about to say is one-hundred percent true. I swear that I wouldn't lie to you about something this important."

Ruby gazed into her father's eyes, and in an instant, she could tell that he was being truthful. She grasped his hands to brace herself for whatever he had to say. "Okay, dad." She took a deep breath before letting him go on. "Tell me."

"Okay…" A saddened look came to Tai's face as he began to reminisce. "Honey, your mother was a very important person to me." He saw Raven turn her head away, her face still neutral. "To _all_ of us. But Ozpin was able to recognize that there was something even more special about her when he first met her… and it was something that we didn't find out until Oz allowed her to tell us." He reached up and brushed a stray lock away from Ruby's left eye. "Ruby, these eyes, your mother's eyes, hold a lot more importance than you or anybody else knows. Remnant has a lot of legends and fairy tales, but there's one that Oz and Summer told us a long time ago that sticks with us."

"And let me guess…" Ruby grimaced slightly, "it's true… and mom was a part of it."

"Not just yer mom, Shortstack." Qrow revealed. "But a whole bunch'a people."

Just then, Athena spoke up; "Wait a moment, I've heard of this tale before." The Mistralian Huntress set her sights onto Tai. "You're speaking of the legend of the Silver-Eyed Warriors, correct?"

"That's right." Tai confirmed. "A long time ago, long before either the academies, the Kingdoms, or even the Hunters existed, it was said that those born with silver eyes were to lead the life of a warrior. They were the ones who defended the world from all manners of evil, and their eyes were said to hold a sort of great power that could repel the Grimm themselves."

"One nasty look from a Silver-Eyed Warrior," Qrow pointed at Ruby, "and _any_ Grimm would stop in their tracks. And we should know, 'cause yer mom was able to do it."

"So, you think… _I_ can do that?" Ruby asked.

Raven finally came back to the conversation. "If your powers ever decide to manifest themselves, then yes." She got up and kneeled in front of Ruby with a serious expression. "Ruby Rose, you hold the key to the Grimm's greatest weakness; a light so powerful, that it can petrify them where they stand."

The entire room was silent for a good twenty seconds, the weight of the information still taking hold over everyone. Finally, it was Penny that spoke up; "Well, that is… quite the revelation." She reached over and set a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Ruby, are you okay?"

"I… I'm not sure." Ruby admitted.

However, Ben came to a realization a split second later. "Hold on just a second! I remember now!"

Everyone trained their eyes on him, all except for Ruby who was still trying to digest everything she had been told. "Remember what, Ben?" Yang asked.

"Last night," the hero explained, "while we were fighting against Rojo and her crew back at Amity Colosseum, for the briefest moment, I thought I saw Ruby's eyes flash for some reason." The room's reaction was mixed; some let out a few gasps, others simply kept silent while their eyebrows shot up in surprise, and a few jaws dropped as well. "I thought that it was just my mind playing tricks on me at the time… but now I'm starting to second guess myself."

Weiss let out another gasp as she realized something herself. "Wait! I saw something similar! Once we all went into battle, I noticed that Ruby was acting a big strange." The heiress shifted her attention over to her best friend, who had just come out of her stupor, and the two locked eyes. "When managed to snap her out of it, even _she_ didn't know what had happened. Ruby… I think that this whole Silver-Eyed Warrior thing may be true."

Ruby blinked a few times before craning her head down to the floor. As much as she didn't want to believe it, she knew that her dad was being truthful, and the evidence provided by Ben and Weiss only further supported the claims. "So… so what you're saying is…"

"RUBY'S GOT SUPER GRIMM-KILLING POWERS!" Nora cheered, causing everyone in the room to shout in surprise. "This is SO cool! Could you imagine what it'd be like if Ruby could fully control her powers?! She'd show ALL of the Grimm who's boss!"

"Hell yeah!" Neptune pumped a fist into the air. "Salem better watch her back now!"

After staying silent for most of the discussion, Tetrax finally spoke up. "This whole thing has been very interesting. While Ozpin's reincarnation isn't of great concern at this point, Ruby's powers are. Because while she can be a substantial threat to Salem and her cabal, this also means that Ruby could become a target if Salem ever finds out about her." Tetrax placed his hands on his hips. "We'd better make sure that she stays safe at all costs."

Ruby wore a nervous smile and gave a reluctant laugh. "Uh, haha, yeah, I guess." But then she got up, backing away from everyone as she felt the pressure of their eyes all looking at her. "Listen, this has been really enlightening but, I… I gotta go!" In one swift movement, Ruby used her Semblance to rush up the stairs, leaving a flurry of rose petals behind.

"Ruby, wait!" Yang called out, her hand reaching out only for it to grab at nothing. "Ugh, great." She gave a stink eye out to the room. "Way to put the pressure on, guys."

Sun gave Neptune a weak jab to the shoulder. "Yeah dude, what the hell was that? Do you have any idea how much stress you just put on her by saying that? _Not_ cool."

Neptune winced and facepalmed. "Ah, man! I'm such an idiot! I've _gotta_ learn to think before I say stuff!"

Nora hung her head in shame. "Yeah… you're not the only one."

Raven sighed and stood to her full height. "I should've guessed that this'd happen. The girl has her mother's skill, but she also has her sensitive side, too."

"And that isn't necessarily a bad thing." Gwen said before clutching the arm of the couch in an attempt to lift herself off of the sofa-bed. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go talk to her."

"That's not a good idea right now, Gwen." Holiday urged. "You might be feeling better, but I can tell that you're still slightly fatigued from earlier."

"She's right." Kevin agreed. "If I have to slog through even MORE My Little Pony just to keep you here, then fine. But I'm not letting you—" But before Kevin could finish, Gwen lifted her hand and placed it directly in front of her boyfriend's face, stopping him mid-sentence.

Gwen furrowed her brows at him as she lifted herself out of the sofa-bed. "Kevin, I need to talk to my confused and scared friend right now. I know you guys are worried about me, but—AGH!" Unexpectedly, Gwen fell over when her feet touched the floor, her legs having fallen asleep over the past couple of hours of just sitting in bed. However, before she could hit the floor, she was caught by Yang, the blonde having rushed over just in time. "Phew! Thanks Yang! You just saved me from more bedrest."

"No problem." Yang smirked as she pulled Gwen's arm around her shoulder. "Now c'mon, I've gotta talk to my sister."

Weiss pulled Gwen's other arm around her own shoulder, giving Yang a hand. "And my best friend needs someone to talk to."

Penny gave her fellow redhead a salute. "Count me in on that!"

Blake got up and began heading up the stairwell to get the door. "And don't think for a minute that I'm just staying here!" she called back.

Gwen grinned and she gave the two a nod. "Thanks ladies, I really appreciate the help."

* * *

When the five girls finally got to the second floor, Gwen was able to finally stand up on her own, allowing her to stand in front of Team RWBY's bedroom door, which was currently locked from the inside. "Figured she would do that." Yang said before reaching up and knocking on the door. "Ruby? You in there?"

Penny followed the blonde's lead. "It's your friends! We came to cheer you up!"

Ruby's muffled voice came through the door; "Yang, Penny, please leave me alone. I just… I have a lot to think about right now."

Weiss approached the door and cupped her hand to her mouth. "Maybe you'd like some more heads to think with you?"

"Yeah, Ruby, you've got your friends at your back!" Blake assured. "I know that this whole thing has been a lot to take in at once, but I promise that it'll all be okay."

"And how would you know?!" Ruby shouted from inside the room. From the sound of her voice, it was evident that she was crying. "You guys aren't not the ones with the stupid silver eyes that can instantly kill Grimm!"

At that point, Gwen decided to speak up. "Ruby… your friends are here to help you. I know that things are probably really scary and confusing right now for you, but we just want you to know that you aren't alone in this. But… if you really just want to be left alone, then we'll respect your—" However, just as she was about to finish, the door unlocked as fast as a shot and it opened up, revealing Ruby on the other side with her head hung low. "…Ruby?"

Ruby lifted her head up, revealing that she HAD been crying. Her eyes were flowing with tears and had become slightly red while her lower lip was quivering a little bit. She sniffled and wiped her eyes, trying desperately to regain her composure. "Don't… don't go, please." the Hooded Huntress pleaded hoarsely.

The five girls smiled as they came in and pulled Ruby into a group hug, which Ruby was quick to reciprocate and cry into. "Not on your life, sis." Yang promised. "C'mon, let's talk about all this, okay?"

"O-Okay." Ruby nodded as the five girls went over and sat in a circle on the bed. Zwei, who was sitting in the middle of the bed, hopped up onto Ruby's lap as she sat down, the little dog giving her a few licks on her hand. "I'm just… I'm just so confused about all this. I mean, I knew that I always wanted to become a Huntress, but I never would've thought that I'm apparently a part of some long lineage of natural-born warriors!"

"Ruby, I'm sure that has nothing to do with you wanting to be a Huntress." Weiss said as she pulled her best friend into a side-hug. "You aren't dictated to be a certain kind of person just because of your heritage. Is it surprising and unexpected? Yes, but no matter what, you're still Ruby Rose. Nothing about you has changed."

"Weiss is right." Penny agreed. "Your life isn't just written out for you."

"M-Maybe." Ruby shrugged. "But with all this stuff about my eyes and how insanely strong they're supposed to be… it's just a lot of pressure."

"Yeah, we know." Blake confirmed. "And so does everyone else. Neptune and Nora are both sorry for putting you on the spot like that."

"Blake, it's not just them!" Ruby cried out, taking the girls by surprise. She paused for a brief moment before going on. "I'm sorry, it's just… I've got this crazy-insane power, which I don't even know how to use, and it'd be our best asset if we even stand a _chance_ against Salem." She held her head in her hands and lowered her face down. "…I just don't know what to do."

Gwen reached over and set a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Honestly, Ruby, if I were in your position, I probably wouldn't know what to do either." The Anodite smiled to her and gave her a wink. "But why worry about it right now, huh? Fretting over something isn't going to make things any easier."

"I guess… but I still don't know ANYTHING about how to use these powers that I'm supposed to have. Heck, I haven't even unlocked them yet!"

"Well, you're probably close if what Ben said is true." Yang pointed out. "But Gwen's right, you shouldn't sweat it too much." She reached over and grasped her sister's hand. "Rubes, we'll figure this out together, I promise. We're not about to leave you hanging, _ever_."

Blake, Weiss, Penny and Gwen did the same, the cat girl giving a supportive smile. "And that's a promise."

A smile slowly began forming on Ruby's face as she wiped the tears away, the nervousness churning in her gut beginning to relax a little. "Thanks guys, I really needed that." A sigh escaped her lips as she pet Zwei's head. "Still, this whole day has been a crazy ride. Something tells me that I'll miss being fifteen."

Weiss nudged Ruby's shoulder with her own. "Ah, don't worry too much about it. A LOT of things change when you turn sixteen. You just gotta learn how to balance them out."

"Exactly." Gwen affirmed. "Hormones, boys, super powers, it may seem like a lot, but really, it gets more manageable as you go along." The girls all had a good laugh at that before Gwen continued. "Hey, I've got a good idea. Why don't we all go downstairs and get our minds off of this by watching My Little Pony? That always helps me when I'm in a slump."

Ruby tilted her head. "Is it good?"

Gwen grinned at the question. "Let me put it this way; there's an entire adult fanbase for the show collectively referred to as "Bronies". They're made up of both men and women alike, but they take their name from the fact that grown men really like a show targeted toward little girls. Though the term "Pegasister" is sometimes thrown around too."

A smirk came to Yang's face. "Well, if the show can get Ben in a singing mood, then I'm _definitely_ all in!"

"Is it really _that_ good?" Penny asked.

Gwen began counting off on her fingers; "It has clever writing, relatable characters, and an immersive world full of magic and friendship." The redhead clapped her hands together. "So, whaddya say?"

Ruby raised her hand. "I'm in!"

"Me too!" Penny followed suit

And Weiss echoed their approval. "Sure, why not?"

But Blake had still had her doubts. "I don't know, guys, I'm not exactly big on lots of bright and colorful stuff myself."

Gwen gave her a sly smile. "The main character is a unicorn who's a reclusive book worm."

"…Dammit."

* * *

Tai was in a panic as he rapidly climbed up the stairs with most of the other adults as well as Ben and Rex on his tail. "This is bad!" he exclaimed. "If I had just told her in a better place without so much pressure, then maybe she wouldn't have rushed off like that." He whirled around and set his eyes on the people behind him. "Now she'll probably not wanna talk to me for weeks because of all this!"

"Tai, don't be ridiculous!" Glynda rebuked. "You're overreacting like you always do."

"I'm _overreacting_?!" Tai shouted back. "If there's anyone who overreacts the most here, it's—" _SLAP!_ Tai was suddenly smacked across the face, making him take a step back in shock. There, standing in front of him, was Raven, an irritated expression having formed on her face. "R-Raven, I…"

"Pull yourself together, Taiyang!" Raven ordered with furrowed brows. "You are being far to paranoid for your own good!" The tribe leader turned away from him and crossed her arms. "You used to be such a carefree spirit back in your younger days. Cracking jokes and cheesy puns, a goofy smile on your face almost twenty-four-seven, what happened to _that_ man?"

Tai was taken aback by the sudden lecture, but it also made him a little angry. He crossed his arms as well and faced away from Raven. "You should know what happened to him. He lost someone he loved, found another… and then lost _her_ too."

There was a very tense atmosphere radiating throughout the entire room after that. Ironwood, Glynda, Qrow, Max, and Tetrax stayed silent, knowing that this was neither the time or place to say anything. In fact, Tetrax and Max excused themselves and went outside, back to the Resolute and Rustbucket respectively. Ben, Rex and Winter couldn't help but wince as they practically felt the awkwardness radiating from the two. "…Okay, this is NOT what I was expecting to see today." Ben finally admitted.

"Yeah, _muy incomodo_." Rex grimaced.

Raven raised a brow to the EVO. "What was that?"

"Nothing!" Rex backed away cautiously. "Nothing at all!"

Winter shook her head to clear her thoughts before focusing on Tai. "Well, all the same, I don't think you have to worry about Ruby, Taiyang."

Tai opened a single eye to glance at her. "And why's that?"

Winter pointed over to the stairs. "Because she's right there."

"Hi dad!" Ruby waved, making her father jump in surprise. As he stared wide-eyed at his daughter, Ruby gave him a mirthful smirk as she descended the stairs with her teammates, as well as Gwen and Penny. "Uh, wow, hate to say it, dad, but Raven might have a point. You really gotta learn to be less paranoid."

At his daughter's words, Tai snapped out of it and cleared his throat. "Ahem, I uh, I'll try to work on that." He stepped forward and lowered his head to her. "Ruby, I'm sorry if I put any kind of pressure on you with all of this. I wanted to tell you in private, but since we were put on the spot with telling you Oz's secret…"

But Ruby just came forward and gave her father a hug. "Dad, it's okay." she assured. "I'm really not mad at you at all. Yeah, the whole thing was a LOT to take in, but you know what? I can worry about my whole "silver eyes" thing later when I have the time to figure it out."

Yang stepped forward and put her hand on Ruby's shoulder. "And when she does, we'll all be there to help her out with it." Weiss, Blake, Penny and Gwen affirmed Yang's statement with a round of agreements, which helped Tai relax a little. Yang gave her father a pat on the shoulder. "So don't sweat it, okay dad? Besides… I think you've got _bigger_ things to worry about right now." She nudged her head in Raven's direction, giving her father a massive hint.

Tai let out a sigh and his shoulders sagged. "Yeah, I guess you've got a point there."

Ironwood and Goodwitch came forward, bowing their heads to the teens as they did. "Well, I'm glad that this was all sorted out." The general said. "And once again, we're sorry for all of the secrets that we've kept from you all. In fact, I don't blame you if you hold it against us."

"We promise that we won't keep anymore secrets from you." Glynda pledged. "From here on out, we will be fully transparent with all of you."

"Glad to hear it." Ben smiled as Yang stepped over to him, the couple each putting an arm around each other. "I'm happy that this is all behind us, finally."

"Not quite yet, kid." Qrow reminded as he pointed to the couple. "Has my sister told you anything else? Because if she has, then—"

But Yang wasn't having any of it. "Then _what_? Don't believe her?" She placed her free hand on her hip. "Because honestly, she's been more truthful than you've been for the past two weeks, _Drunkle Qrow_." Yang and her uncle had a brief stare-off before the blonde eyed her mother again. Raven gave her a silent yet reluctant nod, signaling that she could go forward. "But if you REALLY wanna know, she told us about why you two came to Beacon in the first place… plus the whole bird thing, but I already told you that."

Weiss narrowed her eyes at Qrow. "Wait "bird-thing"? What's that?"

Raven wore a smirk at the heiress' inquiry. "An excellent question! Come on, _little_ brother, why don't we show them?"

The drunken Huntsman let out a groan of irritation. "Ah, fuck, are you REALLY gonna make me do this?" Raven gave her brother a rather deathly glare, and he knew that she wouldn't stop doing it until he agreed. "Ugh, FINE." Qrow stood up straight and addressed the teens. "Listen, kids, Oz gave me and Raven this special ability so that it'd make it easier for us to travel and collect info for him. Just… just don't freak out too much, okay?" With that, Qrow and Raven stood side-by-side and began to change shape, eventually changing into a pair of corvids standing on the floor, much to everyone's shock.

"AAAH!" Ruby screamed. "My uncle can transform into a bird?!"

Gwen's jaw dropped as she pointed to the avian duo. "I gotta admit, I didn't see that coming."

"This… this is scientifically impossible!" Penny shouted. "Their bones and muscles should all be mush!"

Blake blinked in disbelief before smacking her forehead. "And I thought I'd seen everything."

Weiss' eye was twitching as she gazed down at the two black birds. She found it amazing that she could easily tell who was who; Raven was currently pecking at her brother while Qrow was desperately flapping his wings to try and get her off. "This HAS to be the weirdest thing I've ever seen." the heiress resolved. "Bar none, no contest, nothing will _ever_ top this."

Rex scratched his head in befuddlement. "Yeah, I've seen some weird stuff in my day, but THIS is one of the stranger things."

"I have to agree with you both on that." Winter concurred before Raven flapped her wings and began batting Qrow with them, the brother more than willing to counter with his own wing flaps. The two began cawing at one another before Raven managed to get in a lucky hit and smacked Qrow down to the ground, ending the brief fight. "Though I must admit, this IS rather hilarious."

Yang pumped a fist into the air. "Woo! Go mom!"

Qrow cawed indignantly before transforming back to normal. "Hey! What's the big idea rooting for her over me?!" The moment that Raven transformed back to normal, he whirled around and pointed at her. "And if told you once, I've told you a _thousand_ times! STOP PECKING ME!"

"Aw, c'mon, Qrow, I always enjoyed our little squabbles." Raven joked.

Qrow rolled his eyes and turned away from his sister. "Yeah, sure." He went over to Ruby and gave her a small smile. "Well, Shortstack, I know that this ain't the way you probably thought your day would go, but all the same, I hope your happy with the answers you got."

"I am." Ruby smirked with a quirked brow. "…Still a little freaked out by the bird thing, though."

"Yeah, I figured. But hey, at least now we're even on weird secrets." Qrow tousled Ruby's hair a little before going on. "Well, it's time for me to head out. Listen, I'm gonna be away for the next few days. Got some business in Mistral I need to do." He glanced over to his sister knowingly. "Something about a potential mole in one of the academies."

"What?!" Ruby exclaimed. "No way!"

"When were you planning to tell us THAT?!" Ben added.

Weiss folded her arms. "And what exactly _happened_ to transparency? Why didn't you tell us this during the whole discussion downstairs?"

"Well, we WERE actually planning on telling you _that_ one today." Ironwood clarified. "It just got bogged down by all of the BIGGER secrets." The general bowed his head once again. "But Qrow's right, we must get going. I still have many important things to do before the day gets out."

"And the students at the Academy are expecting me back before sundown." Glynda said with a smile and wave. "I hope to see you all very soon!"

"Bye, _Glyndie_!" Raven called cheekily.

The headmistress sent a stern glare to the tribe leader. "Well, SOME of you more than others."

Qrow gave another groan, already tired of his sister's attitude. "Alright, that's enough family arguments for me today." The drunken hunter gave both Ruby and Yang one last hug before following Ironwood and Goodwitch out the door with a salute. "Shortstack, Firecracker, I know you two'll figure things out. And Tai, best of luck with… well, everything."

"Gee, thanks." Tai mumbled.

Raven gave her brother a condescending wave as he walked out. "See you later, lil' Qrow!" Qrow proceeded to flip her off before slamming the door behind him. Raven simply grimaced and shook her head. "Ugh, typical. He has NO idea how to have a good time." She shifted her attention to her daughter and placed her hands on her hips. "So, Yang, what exactly are your plans going forward?"

Yang gave her mother a shrug. "Well, I know one thing, I am _bushed_. Hell, I'm pretty sure everyone here is tired." She pointed down to the basement. "So, right now, I'm gonna go watch a show with my friends."

"Aw, sweet!" Ben grinned before eyeing his cousin. "Lemme guess, we're goin' back to the ponies?"

"Yep, ponies." Gwen confirmed.

Rex gave her a thumbs-up. "Alright then, why not? We'll meet you guys down there." As the EVO went back down the stairs, with Weiss, Penny and Blake following along, he gave Raven one last wave. "See ya later, _dama del miedo_."

Once the three were gone, Raven was left confused to what Rex just called her. " _What_ did he say to me?"

"Ah, I'm sure it was something nice." Ben assured. "So, Raven, what're you gonna do? I mean, I think this house is at max capacity and I don't even know if we have any more rooms…"

"Oh, don't worry about that, Ben." Raven waved off. "I always have a place to sleep. I'll be here tomorrow though, so I suggest you all be ready." She then narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "But what _I'm_ curious about is the show you're going to watch. What eighteen-year-old boy gets excited about watching a show about _ponies_? Should I be concerned?"

"What? No! Of course not!" Ben denied. "Trust me, you'd be surprised at how many people my age are fond of a show made for little girls."

Raven pursed her lips in slight frustration. "This planet Earth must be a very weird place. First there's people who dress in bat costumes to fight crime and now adults who like shows for little girls." The tribe leader let out a breath and unsheathed her blade, ready to take her leave. "Well, suit yourselves, I'll be back tomorrow." She gave her daughter one final smile. "Goodnight, Yang."

Yang gave her a salute right back. "Night, mom."

With that, Raven sliced open one of her signature portals and made to step through it, but stopped just short of its edge. She craned her head around to glance at Tai out of the corner of her eye, debating whether or not to say anything. Finally, after a moment of thinking, she settled with something simple; "Farewell for now, Tai."

"Uh, yeah." Tai replied while rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll… see ya later." After a couple seconds more, Raven stepped through the portal, the rift closing soon after. Tai leaned up to the nearest wall and put a hand to his head. "Ugh, I'm so STUPID! "See ya later"?! THAT'S the best thing I could come up with?!"

Yang pat her father on the shoulder. "Hey, it's been eighteen years since you've seen her. There's bound to be some dents to work out."

"Yeah, don't worry 'bout it, dad." Ruby supported. "You just gotta figure out what you need to say to her the next time you see her."

Tai blinked in surprise. "Your… taking this surprisingly well, Ruby."

Ruby gave him a shrug. "Eh, Yang and Raven explained everything to me on the ride back. It's all good." She gave her father a wink and nudged his arm. "Besides, maybe this could be the second chance you've been hoping for."

"Eh, I dunno." Tai shoved his hands into his pockets. "Kinda hard to forget what happened all those years ago."

Yang offered her father a sympathetic smile. "Well, it wouldn't hurt to try, right? I mean, she's in a pretty friendly mood… I think."

Tai smiled back at her and let out a chuckle. "Heh, for Raven? Yes, she's in a pretty good mood. Now why don't you guys go ahead and get back to your shows, huh? I'll get dinner started." Yang, Ruby, Ben and Gwen all complied with Tai's suggestion, going down into the basement and leaving him alone with his thoughts. The blonde man gazed out a nearby window to the shattered moon in the night sky, pondering over his present predicament. _'Raven… after all these years, I'm amazed that you still know how to throw me off my game.'_

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Land of Darkness, Salem was standing outside of her castle along with Viktor, Hazel and Tyrian, the four watching on as the returning dropship began descending to the landing pad just a few yards away. The witch had her eyes shut as her face was furrowed slightly in frustration, having already heard of the away team's mission outcome before they even got back. "I must admit," Viktor spoke up, "I should have expected that Tennyson would find SOME way to interfere with our plan." He set a hand over his chest and lowered his head to Salem. "Forgive me, Miss Salem."

"There is no need to plead forgiveness, Viktor." Salem assured. "This is a matter between myself…" The witch opened her eyes in time to see Rojo, Cinder and the others disembark the dropship. "…and them."

Tyrian, of course, was laughing up a storm. "AHAHAHAHA! Oh, THIS will be a treat to watch! Heeheehehe! They are SO in trouble!"

Hazel merely let out a grunt. "Hmph, we'll see."

From across the way, Doctors Animo and Watts, along with Emerald, Mercury, Thunderhog and Exo-Skull approached, while Rojo and Cinder led the pack. Subdora was asleep in Exo-Skull's arms, the Merlinisapien attempting to sleep off her sickness. The group bowed to Salem, with Cinder and Rojo in particular falling to one knee and lowering their heads. "Lady Salem," Cinder began, "we beg your forgiveness. We have failed our mission."

"Indeed, you have." Salem confirmed. "And while I am not pleased with how things went today… I also know why they didn't."

Rojo clenched her fists and screwed her eyes shut. "I'm sorry, Boss Lady. We had no idea that Tennyson and his peons would be there."

"That's right, you didn't. But even _I_ didn't foresee them being there either." Salem began walking in front of her acolytes, keeping her eyes face-front. "This, my loyal followers, was a failure on two fronts; you were overpowered by Tennyson and his teammates… and I underestimated young Gwendolyn's power." She opened her hand and a plume of black smoke appeared in it, a vision of Gwen Tennyson appearing in the middle of it. "She is clearly an extremely powerful sorceress, and I didn't think she held a candle to what I am capable of. But now, knowing what she is able to do, it is evident that she must be…" She closed her hand and made the smoke dissipate, " _taken care of_ , as it were."

Cinder whirled her head up to face Salem. "My mistress, please, allow me to—"

"NO." Salem said firmly, making Cinder put her head back down. "Your rage against her clouds your judgement, young Cinder. Without it, you could easily lose control of your actions AND your Maiden powers." She craned her head over to Mercury. "One false move, and you may end up like Mr. Black. One hand in a cast and your pride disgraced by a young blonde girl."

"I CAN BEAT HER!" Mercury hollered furiously. "All I need is—"

"What you NEED is a time-out." Salem asserted. "Your performance today only reinforces that. As of now, you will all be stationed here until you all better yourselves for the next encounter with these heroes." The witch focused to Hog and Skull. "Everyone, that is, except for Thaddeus and Farkas. I have a special assignment for the two of you."

Hog's eyes bugged out at that. "Wait, US?!"

Skull's jaw dropped in shock. "For real?!"

"Indeed." Salem confirmed. "Hazel and Tyrian will be joining you on this mission as well. It is a very important one."

"What?!" Emerald cried out. "But that's…" She trailed off when Salem gave her a deathly stare, making the green-haired thief back down instantly. "That… is _completely_ fair."

Rojo stood up and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we need some time to figure things out, get ourselves ready for the next round." She shifted her eyes to Cinder, who was still bowing to her mistress. "Cindy, you okay?"

Cinder stood up with her fists clenched to her sides. "Not particularly… but if that is what the mistress wishes, then I will not question it." The Fall Maiden reached up and gently rubbed her temples. "Ugh, this whole day has given me a headache."

"Yeah, I hear ya." Rojo said before leading her, Emerald and Mercury inside, with Watts and Animo following soon after. "C'mon, let's go get you some aspirin and something to punch."

As the others left, Hog and Skull remained behind, the two mutants standing up to their full height as Salem stepped over to them. Skull nodded his head to her, careful to not wake the sleeping Subdora. "So, uh, what is it that you want us to do, Lady Salem?"

With an eager smirk, Hog cracked his knuckles. "Does it involve wrecking people and their shit? Because if it is, I'd be ALL over that!"

Salem sighed before answering them. "While it doesn't involve wide spread destruction, there is a chance that it could be factored in, depending on how you go about it, of course." Hazel and Tyrian came forward and stood beside the mutated duo, listening as Salem continued her briefing. "You four will be departing tomorrow morning, but before you do, I suggest that you leave Subdora here. We'll be sure to bring her back to full health by the time you come back."

"Alright, understood." Skull complied. "So, where're we goin'?"

"You four are going to be heading back to Vale." Salem elaborated. "But you must be sure to stay discreet until the time is right." She strolled back and forth in front of them as she explained their mission. "You see, while Cinder and the others were planning our little invasion of Beacon and Vale, we had some _allies_ in the city who were quite useful to us… that is until BOTH of Cinder's loyal followers who were in command of them were disposed of during the battle itself."

Hog crossed his arms. "So, we're just supposed to go find 'em?"

"No," the witch denied, "Roman Torchwick is dead and Adam Taurus is in a high-security prison. And it isn't worth it to break him out, given his… _unhealthy_ obsession with a certain member of Tennyson's team." Salem faced the four head-on once more, a sinister grin forming on her face. "But the fact remains that we need to bolster our forces a bit more if we want to have leverage over these meddlesome heroes. So, rather than going the indirect route and convincing a member of their ranks to join us and take command of them, I have decided that we need to take a more _forthright_ approach. Gentlemen, I am sending you to find the Vale branch… of the White Fang."

* * *

**A/N: Well, that was certainly something, now wasn't it? The entire gang now knows about Ozpin's whole reincarnation business, and Ruby's found out about her mother's heritage and her potential abilities. Oh, and of course, Qrow and Raven turning into birds, can't forget that! The only question now is… when will the Silver Eyes themselves activate? That, I can't reveal, but considering how they activated in canon, it'll probably involve some sort of big event. But on that, we'll just have to wait and see. Also, won't lie, it was only a matter of time before everyone was introduced to MLP. I mean, it's one of THE biggest internet sensations AND it just ended a healthy nine-year run. I had to at least MENTION it at some point. But of course, that ending teaser. Yes folks, the next big story arc… will be the White Fang Arc. It's been one that I've been planning for a long time, and it's set to be the biggest arc so far. A lot of familiar faces are going to be making their way to the limelight, so you'd better be ready.**

**But until then, NEXT TIME! The morning after the big secret dump, Raven comes back to the house and gets a bit more acquainted with the team… and talks a little bit more with Tai. A the same time, Ruby and Penny make their way to Tetrax's ship to meet up with a certain new friend again. But can this new friend be fully trusted? Stay tuned to find out! Thanks for reading guys, and I'll see you all next time!**


	70. A Raven in the House

**A/N: Hey AO3 gang! Welcome back to the story! Now, today is gonna be the BIGGEST chapter archive since posting the initial eleven chapters because the White Fang arc is undoubtedly the longest arc in the story. So, sit back and relax as we head into this new batch of chapters!** **This is…**

**Chapter 70: A Raven in the House**

* * *

Raven Branwen was known for many things; being an expert thief, a trained killer, and a cold hearted, un-feeling woman when she needed to be. But, throughout her years of leading the Branwen Tribe, she had hidden many of her other emotions away from her followers. In the tribe, it was survival of the fittest, and that meant that you couldn't show any weakness when it came to that. It's what her father taught her, and she had to follow that rule to be a proper leader of the tribe. But there was one thing she hadn't counted on while being groomed for said leadership; her time at Beacon Academy and the results of it. Now she had an estranged lover and a daughter that she hadn't planned on having, but all the same, she still felt a strong bond with both of them. _'I cannot imagine what the rest of the tribe would think if they got wind of this.'_ The woman thought to herself as she stepped out of the portal she had made into the Mount Patch training facility. _'I would be ousted and replaced for sure. I hope I made the right choice in trusting her to keep this all secret from them.'_

Suddenly, the sounds of fighting caught her ear, and she turned around to see her daughter and her boyfriend going at it in their usual morning training session. Yang was on the defensive while Ben, who had transformed into Four Arms, was trying to grapple her with his four massive appendages in hopes of restraining her. But the blonde wasn't having any of it. "C'mon, Ben! You can do better than that, can't ya?!"

Four Arms gave her a toothy smile. **"Oh, you BET I can!"** The Tetramand slammed his four hands into the arena floor and dug his fingers into the concrete, pulling it with all his might. After a few seconds, the slab he had grabbed cracked and separated from the arena, resulting in Four Arms pulling up an enormous, jagged piece of concrete from the floor. **"Let's see how ya handle THIS!"**

With a mighty toss, Four Arms flung the concrete slab at Yang, making her eyes widen. "Woah!" Thinking fast, she knelt on the ground and pumped her fists down, shooting off Ember Celica and propelling her forward. She did a front flip and landed feet first on the concrete slab, which was spinning as it fell. The impact made the slab flip in the opposite direction, the spin allowing Yang to get a clear shot at Four Arms. "Incoming!" She launched herself off of the slab and sailed right toward the large alien, with her kick-off making the concrete hit the ground.

At the unexpected move, Four Arms' four eyes widened in shock. **"Holy crap!"** In a last-second maneuver, he reeled his two left arms back while Yang pulled back her right, the two powerful strikes colliding in midair. The force of the two blows were so powerful, that it blew both opponents away from each other, though Four Arms less so due to his weight. **"Hah, okay, didn't expect that! What a move, Goldie Locks!"**

"Thanks!" Yang smirked as she landed. "But now it's time to end this!" Using the power from the previous blow, Yang's eyes changed to red and she activated her Semblance, a fiery aura appearing around her hair. "It's over Green Boy!" With that, Yang surged herself forward again, intending to end the spar with a final punch.

But Four Arms wouldn't have it. **"Yeah, I don't think so."** The Tetramand sprang forward in a single leap, jumping straight over Yang's head before grabbing her by the arm and pulling her toward him. In one fell movement, Four Arms trapped her in the same bear-hug hold that he had used on Cinder the day before, making sure keep her arms at her sides. **"Ha! Gotcha now!"** Yang grit her teeth as she struggled to break free, the blonde refusing to back down. **"Uh, babe, you may wanna consider forfeiting. I've got a pretty good hold, and I'm not about to let go."**

But then, Yang stopped struggling to give her boyfriend a cheeky grin. "Heh, yeah right!I've still got one last trick up my sleeve!"

" **Not sure what you can really DO in this position, but I'll be surprised if—"** But then, Four Arms stopped in mid-sentence when he felt something against his abdomen. He could tell that it was _supposed_ to feel like a tickling sensation, but his Tetramand skin was so thick and leathery that he could just barely feel it. **"…Uh, are you trying to tickle me?"**

Yang smiled cheekily. "Yeah, is it working?"

" **Not really."** Four Arms shrugged as his arms relaxed a slight bit. **"Tetramand's have really thick skin, Yang. I can barely feel your fingers."**

"Oh, well it's a good thing that my back-up plan worked!" Yang quickly took advantage of Four Arms letting his arms relax, pulling one of her arms out of his loosened grip. "Gotcha!" She brought her fist forward toward his face, taking Four Arms by surprise.

" **GAH! Jeez!"** The Tetramand braced himself for the impact… but it never came. Yang had stopped her hand just short of his face, making him even more confused than he already was. **"Uh… Yang, what're you—HUH?!"**

Yang had suddenly pulled her hand away and slammed her palm against the Omnitrix on his chest, a wolfish smirk coming to her face. "Made ya look." In a bright flash of light, Ben was back to normal… and he was still holding Yang tightly against him. She quickly took advantage and wrapped her legs around him, putting her hands on his face. "I win, lover." In a split second, Yang slammed her lips against Ben's, making them fall to the ground in a rather passionate kiss.

As she gazed on at the battle, Raven couldn't help but smile proudly at her daughter's unique strategy. _'A battle of strength, subterfuge… and unexpected passion. I am VERY proud of you, my dear.'_ The tribe leader stepped forward and onto the field as Yang continued to make out with Ben, the two still unaware of her presence.

But not all things could last forever, and so the kiss had to end when the couple needed air. Ben was blushing like a mad man with the biggest smile on his face. "Hah, holy crap!" he breathed out. "I am NOT complaining about that loss!"

Yang smiled back as she pulled her head up, her blonde hair cascading over her shoulder. "I'm glad," she replied with a wink, "because I've been wanting to get you in a kiss like that for a while now. Sorry if I hurt you, though. I didn't expect you to fall back like that."

"Ah, I've fallen from worse heights." Ben assured. "So, what now, Miss Victory?"

Yang's grin turned sly as she pressed herself up against her boyfriend's chest. She wrapped her arms around Ben's neck and drew her face near his. "Now… my motor's running. And I've got a need for speed if you catch my drift."

Ben's blush intensified tenfold, but his smile didn't waver. "Well then, let's cruise around a little—" But then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Raven standing over them, and the red instantly drained from his face. "Uh, babe, I'm afraid your victory lap may need to be cut short."

"Huh?" Yang moved her body around and gazed up, only to see her mother right behind her. She let out a scream and immediately rolled off of Ben, though she REALLY didn't want to. "Mom! What the hell are you doing here?!"

Raven gave her daughter a rather devilish smirk. "Oh, I just popped in. Sorry for the poor timing, Yang, but if it makes you feel any better, I was very impressed by the surprise tactics you used in your spar." She sent a wink to the Blonde Brawler. "And I hope I haven't killed the mood TOO much for you two."

Yang gave her a deadpan expression. "Mom, when any parent walks in on their kids making out, the mood is effectively killed. Sorry, but this is no exception."

Raven snapped her fingers. "Well, shit. And here I was thinking I'd get to see some action."

"MOM!" Yang hollered with a blush.

"Kidding, kidding!" Raven waved her hand. "Sheesh, young people these days have no sense of humor."

Ben wore an irritated face at that. "More like we think it's gross when parents talk about that sort of stuff, but sure, whatever." The hero got up and offered his girlfriend a hand, which she gratefully took. "Well, the mood's deader than a doornail and your mom is back, so I guess that means that we should wrap this session up."

"Yeah, guess so." Yang shrugged. "Besides, as far as I'm concerned…" she ran a finger under Ben's chin. "I think we BOTH got a win out of this one."

"My dear Goldie Locks, I can say with utmost certainty that you ARE the one who's won." Ben insisted. "And I'm not just talking about the spar, either."

"Oh, this is just too precious." Raven commented with a snarky grin. "I wish I had a camera."

Yang gave her a stink eye. "Alright, NOW you're just doing it on purpose."

"I will not deny that." Raven sliced open another portal, giving the couple a nod. "Well, I'll meet you two at the house, see you in a few." And like that, she was gone, leaving Ben and Yang alone once again.

The Omnitrix bearer let out a sigh before quirking a brow at his girlfriend. "I have a feeling that your mom's been wanting to cut loose for a while."

"Yeah, leading a tribe where pretty much EVERYONE is a ruthless killer _probably_ gets on your nerves easily." Yang agreed. "Still, I don't think this'll be the last we see of this side of my mom." She pursed her lips as she and Ben exited the training facility, a thought suddenly occurring to her; "Ah shit, she's probably gonna run _right_ into dad when she gets home."

* * *

Tai took in a deep breath as he stepped out onto his back porch, giving a stretch as he basked in the glory of another late autumn day… as dreary and foggy as it was. Sure, it wasn't all THAT nice of a day, but he just reminded himself; _'At least it's not raining AGAIN.'_ Once he breathed in, though, he could feel a familiar nip in the air. _'Oh, but we MAY just be getting some snow soon.'_ he remarked in his head. _'Gonna have to get ready for that, I suppose.'_ However, not two seconds later did Ruby and Penny come out of the door behind him, making the man turn around. "Hey girls! What're you two up to?"

"Salutations, Mr. Xiao-Long!" Penny saluted. "Ruby and I are just going to the Resolute for a little while. We should be back in time for breakfast."

"Uh, okay? Why the Resolute?" Tai crossed his arms. "There isn't anything important going on, is there?" His intrigue was raised even further when he saw Ruby holding their picnic basket. "And sweetheart, what're you doing with the basket? Bit early for a picnic, wouldn't you say?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Dad, has any one ever told you that you ask WAY too many questions?"

"No." Tai shook his head before realizing that there was actually some truth to that. "Well, okay, Yang has told me that quite a few times, actually. But still, I just want to know that you girls are going to be—"

"Safe, I know dad." Ruby sighed. "But I'm sixteen now, AND I'm a Huntress-in-training. I know that you're still really worried about me, but I'm not a little kid anymore." She went up and put her hand onto his shoulder, giving him a small smile. "Dad, as much as you probably don't want to admit it, I'm growing up, and that means I can start taking care of myself."

Tai stared at his daughter incredulously and gave out a sigh of his own, his eyes trailing off to the side. "I… I know. I should start treating you and Yang like adults now, but… ugh." He ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. "It's just really hard when your daughters are all you have, you know?"

"Yeah, I get that." Ruby nodded before catching something in the corner of her eye. She focused on it and her eyes widened at the sight of one of Raven's signature portals. Ruby pointed over to it and said; "Uh, dad, you may wanna look behind you."

"Huh?" Tai moved himself around just intime to see Raven exit her portal, though she was facing away from them when she did. "Oh… she's back."

Ruby took a deep breath. "Yep, apparently so." The Hooded Huntress braced herself and stepped off the porch, walking over to Raven with her best greeting smile. "Morning, Raven! We weren't expecting to see you this early."

Raven craned her head toward Ruby and raised an eyebrow at her statement. "Really? And what made you think that?"

"Well, uh…" Ruby winced. _'Crudmonkeys! I didn't expect her to say THAT!'_

However, an amused smile came to Raven's face soon after. "Hmhm, Miss Rose, in your line of work, you must always expect the unexpected. Especially when it comes to a master thief." The woman began to make her way past the silver-eyed girl. "For example, if you let your guard down," Raven suddenly snatched the picnic basket out of Ruby's grip, taking her by surprise, "you're sure to get blindsided."

"Wha—HEY!" Ruby shouted indignantly as she balled her hands into fists. "Give that back!"

"Oh, calm down. I wasn't REALLY going to take it from you." Raven handed the basket back to Ruby. "Besides, your sister would be angry with me if I did. But consider this your first lesson from me; your enemies will often be quite underhanded and predictable, meaning that YOU must learn how to counter their tricks."

"Uh… okay?" Ruby took the basket back with hesitancy, still a bit taken aback by what just happened. "Well, I can't exactly fault that logic, so thanks." She craned her head toward Penny and gave her a nod. "Alright, Pen, let's go." And with that, the two girls were off, making their way down the forest path.

Raven let out a chuckle as she made her way to the porch. "Haha, she really IS like her mother." However, she paused when she saw who was waiting for her there; her old flame. "Oh, hello Taiyang."

"Raven." Tai acknowledged before going over and leaning against the railing. "You're… looking well, I guess."

"Yes, you too." Raven agreed. The two stood in silence for a few moments more before the tribe leader let out a sigh. "Alright, I think it's time we… _addressed_ a few things."

"What's there to talk about?" Tai replied dejectedly. "You left, your back, end of story."

Raven winced slightly at that. His words stung, but at the same time, they weren't unwarranted. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Tai, you have every right to be angry with me after what I did. And honestly, I don't blame you. All those years ago, I called you many terrible things. I said that you and the others were fools and idiots for still believing in Ozpin's cause."

"Yeah, like I needed to be reminded of THAT." Tai mumbled.

"But really, _I_ was the fool that day." Her words caught Tai's attention, making him crane his head toward her in surprise. "Yesterday, Ruby berated me for cutting my ties with everyone because of my grudge against Ozpin. And while I still hate the man and don't regret cutting my ties from HIM, I will not fault your daughter for what she said. Maybe if I had been more rational… things might have been different between us, but instead I just left you all with bad tastes in your mouths."

Tai blinked a couple times before giving a small nod. "Okay, I'm not gonne deny, you kinda did." He gave her a small shrug. "But then again, we ALL said some pretty dumb stuff that day too." A small grin came to his face as he remembered a particular moment from that day. "Heh, plus, Qrow flipped a whole table."

His smile caused Raven to grin as well. "Hah, yes, he almost destroyed the kitchen wall." She craned her head up to the house itself. "I remember when we initially built this house for just the four of us. You, me, Qrow and Summer, we were inseparable before then."

"Hmm, good times." Tai folded his arms and sat down in on the nearby porch swing. "But now, that's all in the past." A few more seconds passed before Tai focused on Raven again. "Rae?"

The woman was slightly taken aback by the use of her nickname. "Yes?"

"I just wanna thank you for coming back to see your daughter." Tai gazed out into the backyard. "I haven't seen her this stoked in a while, Rae. She's got a loving boyfriend, a group of friends that care about her, and she's finally getting to do what she's wanted for a long time; talk with her mother." He set his sights back on Raven. "She's really happy that you came here, Rae. I've got a feeling that if she went searching for _you_ , she might not have been this pumped."

Raven stood there in silence for a while, astonished by Tai's words. But shortly thereafter, her lips turned up into a smile. "Well, after so many years of being away, I had a feeling that it was time to come back. After all, with all of the chaotic stuff going on here, a little more help never hurt, did it?"

"Yeah, can't fault you for that." Tai paused as another thought occurred to him. "But what'll happen when Oz comes back? Will you… leave again?"

"No," Raven shook her head, "if I do, then Yang and Ben will never forgive me. Besides, I don't plan on leaving again anyways." She leaned up against the railing and crossed her arms. "When Oz gets back, I'll just make it clear that I'm not here because of _him_ , but because of my family."

"Huh, I haven't heard you say the word "family" in a long time." Tai realized. "It's actually kind of nice to hear. So… what about the tribe? Do they know about all of this?"

"Only one. And she is a trusted confidant." Raven tightened her grip on the railing. "At least, I HOPE she will keep this all secret."

Tai gave her a shrug. "Hmm, I guess that it's hard to find someone to trust in a tribe of thieves."

Raven pursed her lips in thought. "Well, she is a very loyal follower. We found her living off the streets a couple years back and she was more than eager to join us." The tribe leader lowered her gaze to the ground. "Truth be told, bringing her on made me realize how much of a mistake it was to distance myself from my daughter for so long."

"I see." Tai nodded. "Well, you're making up for it now, and I think it's pretty cool that you are." The blonde man glanced away from Raven forlornly. "Still, I'm not sure if everything can be the same ever again after… well, you know."

"Yes, I do." Raven admitted before adding; _'Unfortunately.'_ in her head. A few more seconds of tense silence passed between them before she spoke up one last time; "Tai?" She managed to get his attention before moving on. "I want you to answer me sincerely. Did you love Summer with everything you had?"

Tai was taken aback by such a question. "I… of course!" He stood up defiantly with a very serious face. "She was there after everything that happened between us! Of course I loved her with everything I could muster! I even managed to _actually_ propose to her!"

"Good." Raven replied calmly. On the inside though, she was quite torn about it. _'This hurts me as much as it hurts you, Tai. But I have to be sure about this.'_ She pressed on; "Now, my second and final question; did you make sure that she was happy in her last few years before she died?"

"I… I'd like to think so." Tai closed his eyes as he began to tear up a little bit. "When… when Ruby was born, she told me that I had blessed her with the most beautiful little girl… and that Yang was just as much her daughter as Ruby was. I know that probably isn't what you want to hear, but—"

"No, please, keep going."

Tai wiped the tears away before going on. "Sh-She was probably the best thing that could've ever happened to me after you and I fell out. And when I lost her, I lost another part of myself that day. I never thought I'd have to lose _another_ partner in my life, but…" He swallowed hard, choking back the sobs that threatened to choke out. "The point is that I made _damn_ sure that woman was the happiest she ever was, and she made _me_ happy too. I don't regret a single year of our marriage… no matter how brief is was."

Raven let out a shaky breath after Tai finished his speech, impressed that he was able to go through with it. But she still managed to keep herself together. "Good. I'm very glad that you two were happy together." However, before anything else could be said between them, they heard the engine of a motorcycle approaching, signaling the arrival of Ben and Yang on Bumblebee. The two pulled to a stop after exiting the foggy forest path and dismounted, going over to the back porch soon after. "Ah, there you two are."

"Oh, uh…" Yang shifted her eyes between her mother and father, her parents' gazes focused solely on her. "Hey mom and dad." _'Wow that feels weird to say.'_ she thought quickly. "Are we… interrupting something?"

"Ahem," Tai cleared his throat, "your mother was actually just asking me about what's been going on here for the past few years. I just got done telling her about Qrow's _multiple_ DWI's."

Raven's eyes widened in shock, but she knew that he was trying to cover for them, so she had to play along. "Yes, exactly. When he gets back, I'm going to have a few select words to say to him." she assured. "Also, I saw Ruby again. She was headed off into the woods with her little android friend."

" _Penny_." Yang reminded. "Her name's Penny. Also, what's she going out there this early for?"

"No clue." Tai admitted. "All she said was that she was going to Tetrax's ship and that they'd be back for breakfast. Also, they took the picnic basket with 'em for some reason."

"Huh, weird." Ben shrugged. "Well, they're headed for the Resolute, so I'm not all that worried about them. They can handle themselves just fine, I think."

"Yeah, I mean my sister's got her scythe and Penny's got a whole hodgepodge of weapons in her." Yang shrugged. "They'll be good." The couple stepped up onto the porch and Yang gestured to the backdoor, giving her mother a nod. "So, mom, you ready for this?"

"I suppose so." The tribe leader waved her hand for them to go first. "Lead the way." As Ben and Yang went into the house, Raven followed after, though she made sure to harshly whisper; "How many DWI's?!" to Tai before entering. Tai held up nine fingers, which only made Raven groan in frustration. "He is SO in for a thrashing!"

As the tribe leader entered the house, Tai couldn't help but chuckle at her behavior. "Heh, I guess somethings just never change."

* * *

The moment that Raven entered the house, her nose was assaulted by the smell of pancakes, bacon and eggs, which immediately made her stomach growl. _'Oh, that's right, I haven't eaten yet.'_ With that thought, she craned her head to her immediate right to see Gwen and Kevin slaving over a hot stove together, the former making pancakes while the latter took care of the eggs and bacon, both of them working together as a team. However, just a little bit further right, she saw an already towering mountain of pancakes, much to her astonishment. "Dear god, how much food do you kids eat?!"

"GAH!" Kevin shouted before absorbing the wooden handle of the spatula he was holding. His entire arm transformed into wood and he made a large spike out of it, whirling around to Raven in the process. "Stay back! I'm well… armed." Kevin's face paled in realization when he saw Raven, and the regret immediately set in soon after. "Oh, Raven. I uh, I didn't know you'd be here." A nervous grin came to his face as he transformed his arm back to normal. "Hehe, no hard feelings, right?"

But Raven was far from amused. "You aren't exactly in the position to say "no hard feelings", Kevin." She stepped forward and glared right into Kevin's face, the two meeting at almost eye-level. "And you're also quickly growing on my nerves."

Over to the side, both Yang and Ben facepalmed in exasperation. "Oh god, here we go." the former uttered.

Gwen let out an apprehensive laugh as she put herself in between the two. "Hahaha! Oh, don't worry, Raven. Kevin's just a bit jumpy when it comes to new people. He won't be doing it again, hehe…" The Anodite spun around and gave a rather serious face to her boyfriend. " _Right_?"

"Y-Yeah, sure." Kevin stuttered.

Gwen's smile immediately returned and she went back to Raven. "See? Just a mistake, no harm done!"

"Of course." Raven nodded. "It _was_ a simple mistake, and I understand his reaction, but still I suggest you look before you leap, Kevin."

"Just so long as I don't get killed in the end, then sure." the Osmosian complied.

"Kill you? HA!" Raven chortled at Kevin's statement. "I don't have any intention of killing _any_ of you. And besides, if I did, you'd probably be dead already." The terrified expressions on Gwen and Kevin's faces told her that they weren't reassured by that. Raven rolled her eyes and relaxed her shoulders, detaching Omen from her belt and putting it off to the side. "Ugh, kids, relax. I'm NOT your enemy here, okay?"

Gwen blinked in astonishment before bowing her head. "I-I'm sorry, Raven. It's just you're so… so…"

"Intimidating." Raven finished. "I'm aware. But still, you all don't have any reason to fear me. I'm not about to kill my daughter's friends, least of all her boyfriend's cousin and best friend."

Kevin wiped the sweat from his brow. "Phew, THAT'S a relief! And here I was thinking I should be scared of ya! Haha!" But one quick quirk of the brow from Raven was all it took to put the fear of God into him once again. "Er, I mean, I HAVE a reason to be scared, but I'm REALLY glad you're on our side!"

"As you should." Raven shifted her attention back to the mountain of pancakes and waved her hand to it. "Now I ask again; what the _hell_ do you plan on doing with all those pancakes?! You all can't possibly eat that many in one meal, can you?"

Gwen grimaced at the large stack of flapjacks. "Oh, no. Most of us only get at least three pancakes each. The rest go to Nora." She saw Raven's jaw drop slightly, which the Anodite immediately nodded at. "Yeah, that was MY reaction when I first heard of her obsession."

"Dear lord, how does she keep it all down?!" Raven exclaimed.

"No clue, mom." Yang shrugged. "I'm pretty sure _none_ of us entirely know how Nora works."

Suddenly, as if from out of nowhere, Nora zipped up right next to the blonde. "I heard that!" she sang, making Yang jump in surprise. But the Pink Dynamo just laughed at the scene. "Haha! Sorry Yang, but I couldn't help but overhear you guys and—" Just then, her eyebrows shot up at the sight of Raven, and she burst out into an even friendlier grin. "Oh! Hi, Yang's Scary Mom!" she waved. "Good to see ya again!"

"Um… sure." Raven said cautiously. "Also, Nora, it's fine to call me Raven."

"Okay, if you say so." Nora gave a salute before her nose suddenly perked up at a certain scent. She whirled around and was immediately greeted by the beautiful sight of a three-foot stack of… "PANCAKES!" Nora zipped over to the tower, but was immediately stopped by Gwen, who was using a spatula to ward her off. "Wha?! Aw, c'mon Gwen! It's not time yet?!"

"Nope!" Gwen confirmed. "You're gonna have to wait a little while longer, Nora. I am NOT having you dig into these things before everyone else. Otherwise, nobody else will be able to get _any_ , understand?"

Nora sighed and hung her head. "Yeah, I guess so." But not even a second later, and Nora burst out into a huge grin. "Oh! Maybe I could give Raven a proper introduction to everybody else in the meantime!"

"Uh… sure." Gwen glanced over to the tribe leader in question. "That is, if she's cool with it."

Raven shifted her eyes between Gwen and Nora, the more hyperactive redhead with a beaming smile on her face. Knowing that she probably wasn't going to get out of it, Raven sighed and resigned to her fate. "Well, I WAS going to do that anyway, so I don't _think_ there's any harm…" In the corner of her eye, she saw a nearby coffee machine with a fresh pot on the brewer, and an idea immediately popped into her head. "Just let me get my morning coffee in, alright?"

"Sure thing!" Nora gave her a thumbs up. "Meet me in the living room, okay?" With a spring in her step, Nora skipped out into the hallway, leaving the others to themselves.

"Ugh, thank goodness she's gone." Raven groaned in relief before moving over to the coffee machine. She reached up into the cupboard and grabbed a mug, happily pouring herself some of the hot, dark beverage. She inhaled deeply as the smell hit her nose. "Ah, that's the ticket." She took a swing and she perked up slightly, the caffeine immediately taking effect. "Mmm, there, now THAT'S better."

Yang gave out an impressed whistle. "Wow, just straight black coffee. You're a tough one, mom."

"Oh, your mother likes her coffee the way it is, my dear." Raven smiled as she stepped over to the table and took a seat. "It warms the blood and gets it flowin'." She took another sip before asking; "So, barring that nothing happens, what's on your agenda today?"

"Well, OUR training is done." Yang emphasized, pulling Ben in with a single arm. "But everybody else heads out to their training after breakfast. As for us, I think I may sneak in some more Batman: Arkham Asylum before he and I head out for a late lunch."

Ben gave her a wink. "Sounds great to me, babe!"

"Oh yes, the "Batman"." Raven nodded. "If you ask me, it's still a rather weird concept. I mean, realistically, why would _anyone_ dress up as a flying rodent to fight crime?"

"To strike fear into the hearts of his enemies." Ben countered. "Criminals ARE a superstitious, cowardly lot, you know."

"Hmm, fair point." Raven conceded before noticing three more people entering the kitchen; Winter, Athena and Doctor Holiday, who were all taken aback when they saw Raven sitting at the table. But Raven wasn't deterred, simply raising her mug and greeting them with; "Hey ladies! Come to join the party, I'm guessing?"

Winter was seriously considering unsheathing her swords at that moment. "What are you doing back here, Raven?"

"Oh what, a woman can't come to visit her family?" Raven joked. "My brother's right; you CAN be quite uptight." She took another sip of her coffee as Winter let out a frustrated growl, the white-haired woman gritting her teeth in frustration. But Raven just waved her hand in her direction. "Oh, come on now, sweetheart, I'm not gonna bug the hell out of you like my brother does. In fact, I'm actually here to help with training the kids!"

Athena came forward and sent the woman a serious glare. "Raven, if you think for one second that you're going to train these children how to kill, then you have another thing coming."

"As much as the idea amuses me, I'm afraid I won't be able to do that." She jabbed a thumb at Ben. "Seeing as THIS boy likely has a no kill policy that he probably wants to extend to the rest of the team."

"You'd be right on that, Raven." Ben placed his hands on his hips. "I make it a point to not try and actively kill my enemies."

"See? Told you." Raven crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair. "No, I'm not gonna be teaching them any killing techniques, but some advanced _fighting_ techniques never hurt anyone, right?"

"You mean _other_ than the other person, right?" Holiday quipped as she got her own cup of coffee. "I guess that might be fine, just so long as there's no maiming involved."

"Dammit—er, I mean, _yes_! Yes, _of course_!" Raven chuckled. "I wasn't REALLY going to teach them how to break someone's arm, hehe." Everyone's eyes were focused on her, which made Raven give them a questioning gaze. "…Maybe just a little fracture?"

Ben sighed and shook his head. "Raven, it's fine. I'm pretty sure that almost everyone here has broken at least SOME people's body parts before, hell knows _I_ have."

"I broke a guy's shins one time after a deal I had with him went south." Kevin piped up. "So there's that."

"Ruthless and quite painful, very impressive." Raven complimented.

Gwen grimaced at what the conversation had been reduced to. "You know, I missed the days when we would actively try to AVOID using such violent tactics. But I guess when your world is filled with horrifying creatures and evil-doers, there's really not much choice in the matter." She emptied another pancake onto the ever-growing stack and sighed. "Sometimes, I'm wondering if I'm the only one here who still likes to talk things out if it's an option."

"Gwendolyn, I have seen you make Grimm implode on a regular basis." Winter chastised.

"Because they have no souls!" Gwen retorted. "If they were actual living beings, I'd have second thoughts about it."

"Okay, could we please try to avoid a shout-fest?" Yang requested. "Otherwise, the Grimm WILL come."

"Yeah, you're right." Gwen admitted. "Honestly, I'm just still kinda frustrated over what happened yesterday."

"I know, Gwen." Athena went over and placed a hand on the Anodite's shoulder. "You made a mistake, but in the end, we ALL make mistakes. Remember, it's not your fault that the villains decided to attack Essen at the last minute."

Gwen smiled sadly to her. "Hmm, Pyrrha said the same thing to me. I think I just need something to take my mind off of all this."

Suddenly, Nora popped back into the room, catching everyone off guard. "Ooh! Maybe more Ponies?! I REALLY liked the Ponies!"

"Nora!" Gwen exclaimed. "I thought that you were—"

"Eh, got tired of waiting." the Pink Dynamo shrugged. "Came to get Raven."

Raven grumbled as she stood up. " _Great_. I suppose that this was only an inevitability." She got up and went over to the hallway, nudging her head for Nora to follow her. "C'mon, let's go and get this over with."

Nora gave her a salute. "Right behind ya, Raven!" She whirled back around to Gwen and nudged her with her elbow. "But seriously, more Ponies, please! Pinkie Pie is my _spirit animal_ and I need more of her injected into my eye sockets!" With that, Nora zipped out of the room behind Raven, leaving everybody behind once again.

Gwen face palmed as Nora's words sank in. "I think I may have just created a monster."

* * *

In the living room, Blake, Jaune and Pyrrha were busy with a very arduous task; trying to get their wolves to stay still. All morning, they had been working on training the little pups to stay in one place while they set up a little target for them to practice on. Blake was holding a Beowolf plush in her hand while Pyrrha held onto an Ursa plush, both girls attempting to set them across the room while holding their free hands up to their pups to keep them from running. Meanwhile, Jaune was standing right behind the pups, keeping an eye on them to make sure they stayed put. "Romulus, I see you wagging that tail!" the blonde knight warned. "Stay still!" The tail wagging immediately stopped, though not without a small whine from Romulus.

Rema began to paw the ground in anticipation, moving side to side on her hind haunches. But Blake was quick on the draw. "NO. Rema, you keep that little butt still, you hear?" Rema immediately stopped, but like her brother, she whined a little bit. "Good, now just hold still for just a bit longer…" Blake gave a nod to Pyrrha and they both slowly set the Grimm plushies down on the ground, the two stepping away from them soon after.

After a couple seconds of holding up their hands, Pyrrha gave Blake a smile, which the cat girl happily returned. "Okay, attack!" Pyrrha shouted as the two lowered their hands. Like a couple of shots, Romulus and Rema bounded across the floor and immediately tackled the Grimm plushies, growling and snarling as they both began biting into them. As the pups continued to roughhouse with their toys, their respective parents stood off to the side and watched, with Pyrrha giving an approving nod. "Well, that went rather well."

"Sure did," Jaune agreed, "they just gotta get better at holding still. Hopefully they'll get a bit more patient as they get older."

"Yeah, but for now, let 'em play." Blake grinned. "They won't be this high-energy forever, so we should enjoy it while it lasts." Just then, a round of applause came from her left, making her ears perk up. Blake turned to the couch to see Sun, Neptune and Ren clapping for them, the three boys having watched the display. Blake rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Well, thank you, you're too kind."

"Hey, c'mon, you guys worked hard to get 'em to listen to you!" Sun insisted. "You deserve some congrats."

"Sun's got a point." Neptune supported. "You've had those little guys for well over a week now and you've made a ton of progress."

"Well, that I can't deny." Pyrrha admitted. "But even then, we—" But the Invincible Girl stopped in mid-sentence when she saw Raven appear in the entryway, which Jaune and Blake were also quick to notice. "Ah, um… hello." Pyrrha waved.

Just then, Nora zipped into the room as well, giving an enthusiastic wave. "Hey guys! Look who I brought!"

Ren raised an eyebrow before craning his head around. "Huh? What's going—oh." The green ninja's eyes widened when he saw Raven, which Sun and Neptune mimicked when they saw her as well. "G-Greetings." Ren stammered as he bowed his head respectfully. "Yang's mother, correct?"

"That's right." Raven stepped into the room and walked over to a nearby chair, sitting down and crossing her legs. "But please, feel free to call me Raven. And let me see if I have this right…" She pointed right to Jaune. "I know who YOU are, Little Jaune, son of Jon."

"Wow, thanks for remembering me." Jaune scratched his head. "I really didn't think you would."

Raven sent him a smirk. "You resemble your father a lot. It's kind of hard to forget your face when it's nearly the same as the teenaged boy I gave a wedgie to." Jaune's face instantly became red and he facepalmed to hide his blush, much to Raven's amusement. "Oh, don't worry about it. It's not like I'm going to give YOU a wedgie." She shifted her eyes over to the redhead next to Jaune. "Ah, the girl who Oz wanted to become the Fall Maiden; Pyrrha Nikos."

Pyrrha raised a single brow. "I take it that you've heard of me?"

"Why yes, I've seen you on ALL of the Pumpkin Pete's cereal boxes." Raven got exactly what she wanted out of that statement; a rather irritated expression from Pyrrha. "Haha! Oh, lighten up, Pyrrha, I'm more than familiar with the prodigy from Argus. You've made quite the name for yourself, and have made more than one of my tribe members worry about you becoming a Huntress."

"I see." Pyrrha nodded. "Well, I don't plan on having any crime go unnoticed when I _do_ become a Huntress. I'll bring any criminal I see to justice."

"Really?" Raven rested her chin on her hand. "And would that include me?"

The redhead placed her hands on her hips. "Let's just say that you're lucky that you're Yang's mother and call it at that."

"Very wise." Raven granted before focusing on Blake next. "And I take it that you are Blake Belladonna." She got a silent nod from Blake before she continued. "Tell me, would you happen to be in anyway related to the White Fang's former leader, Ghira, in anyway?"

Blake's eyes widened as everyone glanced their eyes toward her. They all knew the answer already, but they were waiting to see if she would disclose that information to Raven so soon. Blake swallowed her apprehension and gave Raven her answer; "Y-Yes, I'm his daughter."

"I thought so." Raven pointed at the cat girl. "Because you resemble his wife, Kali, so much that it was hard for me to miss." She took a sip of her coffee before going on. "My clan and I ran into them a few times on the road whenever a convoy of White Fang were going from place to place. They were quite… compliant with our demands whenever we met."

"Did you STEAL from my parents?!" Blake's pupils changed into cat-like slits in her anger. "You can't be serious!"

"Well, I didn't really _steal_ anything." Raven emphasized. "It was more of a fair trade for using the roads that my tribe has on lock down throughout Anima." Raven clarified. "We would get the compensation we want, and they were granted safe passage in return."

"…So _extortion_?"

Raven waved her hand to her. "Ah, the devil is in the details, Blake. Besides, I haven't seen your parents in YEARS and the White Fang hardly take their caravans through my routes anymore. The past is in the past." As Blake grumbled in annoyance, Raven craned her head over to the two members of Team SN. "So, you boys are Sun and Neptune, correct? The "goofballs with hearts of gold", if I recall correctly."

"Uh… yeah, I guess." Sun shrugged. "I mean, sure we like to have fun, but we're just as capable as everybody else here."

"And I don't doubt that." Raven concurred. "If you weren't, then you probably wouldn't be here. But that's beside the point. You both are from Haven Academy, right? Tell me, how is Leonardo Lionheart doing these days? I haven't seen that cat in AGES." Inside her head though, Raven was thinking; _'C'mon boys, take the bait, I need something to go on.'_

Neptune was the one who answered. "Oh, he's doing okay. I mean, he's a lot more jumpy than usual lately, but I think that might have something to do with everything that's been going on in the world." The blue-haired boy paused as another thought came to his head; "Sheesh, now that I think about it, he must be REALLY paranoid now after the whole attack on Beacon and everything."

"Oof, yeah." Sun winced. "Hope he's running the school alright. That man NEEDS to see a shrink or something. I mean, he's cool, but I swear that he might be afraid of his own shadow." He crossed his arms and put a hand to his chin. "Still, if there really IS a mole in one of the academies, then I guess he's got a reason to be cautious."

"Hmm, yes, I agree." Raven nodded. _'A little jumpier than usual, are we, Leo? This just adds more fuel to the fire of my suspicions.'_ She cleared her throat and leaned forward a slight bit. "Well, I suppose that we can only hope that the mole is found sooner rather than later. We'll just have to wait on Qrow's word to find out."

"And… if there isn't a mole?" Ren asked. "What then?"

"Oh, I can assure you that there's a mole, Lie Ren." Raven promised. "I was the one who delivered the news to Qrow in the first place, and I myself received the news through a contact whom I've known for years. They wouldn't scare me wrong on this."

"I see." Ren laced his hands together. "Well, I guess if you trust your contact…" He took in a breath and closed his eyes. "Still, the thought of _anyone_ in the academies being a spy for Salem just doesn't sit well with me. Not after Beacon."

Nora reached over and put a comforting hand on Ren's shoulder. "I know, Renny. It's hard to accept, but… I guess not all people are as good as they say they are."

"You'll find that the world is a much harsher place than all the news outlets lead you to believe." Raven affirmed. "Whether it be Salem or the more violent tactics of Sienna Khan's White Fang—"

"Or YOUR band of thieves." Blake added.

"Hmm, yes, I'll give you that." Raven admitted. "The point is that this world's by and far from the era of peace that everyone wanted you to think."

"Yes, I realize that." Ren sighed. "I've realized that ever since… since Nora and I were little kids."

Nora felt her heart plunge down from her chest at the sadness on her best friend's face. "Oh, Ren. Let's not think about that now. We've got new lives right here with all of our friends. And you know what? It's a blast!"

Ren chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Hehe, yes, it really is."

"Well, isn't that sweet?" Raven commented before her eyebrows shot up in surprise. She could feel something pawing at her feet, making her crane her head down to the floor to see Romulus and Remus sitting around her. "Oh, speaking off…" She reached down and pet Rema on the head, making the pup gaze up to her. "Hello, young one." Rema leaned into the touch at first, but then she sniffed Raven's hand and let out a low moan of displeasure. "Ah, you must be smelling the Grimm scent on me, don't you? I killed a few that were near my tribe's camp this morning before making my way here."

"Either that, or she doesn't like you." Blake said with a smirk. "My little Rema's a smart one." She knelt down and beckoned Rema over to her. "Aren't ya, my little baby?" Rema immediately bounded over and rolled onto her stomach, surrendering to her mother's belly rubs. "Oh, you're such a good girl!"

Raven rolled her eyes at the display. "Blake, animals such as wolves naturally despise the scent of Grimm. It's what help them stay out of their territory. And at the moment…" She gestured to Romulus, the little wolf having rolled over to get his own belly rubs from Raven. "THIS very good boy is loving what I'm giving him."

Jaune scratched the back of his head. "Well, that and Rommy ain't exactly the smarter of the two."

"As much as I don't want to admit it, Jaune's right." Pyrrha shrugged. "What Romulus lacks in brains, he makes up for in muscle. I mean, look;" She picked up the Ursa plushie, it's arm having been ripped open slightly. "He's already torn into his practice plush."

After seeing the rip, Blake smacked her forehead. "Oh shoot! I forgot, I was going to patch up the rip in my coat sleeve from yesterday. C'mon, Rema!" Blake went over and grabbed her coat off the nearby rack as Rema followed right behind her, though the cat girl stopped next to the couch and touched her hand to Sun's shoulder as she was walking out. "Wanna lend me a hand, Sun?"

"Sure, let's go." Sun gave a salute to the room before following Blake into the kitchen, the couple ready to start patching up the coat.

As they left, Raven suddenly remembered something; "Say, where are the last two members of your team?"

"Weiss and Rex?" Neptune jabbed a thumb over to the nearby stairs. "They're up doing a Spanish lesson. They should be down soon."

"Oh, yes. The odd foreign language from the other world." Raven put a contemplative hand to her chin. "He said a few words to me in that language last night, and for the life of me, I can't figure out what they mean!"

"Yeah, that's pretty much the case _whenever_ Rex speaks Spanish around here." Nora revealed. "He usually just tells us what he's saying."

Ren wore a knowing smile as his keen hearing heard footsteps coming from up above them. "But Weiss was determined to try and learn the language herself." he continued on. "She says it'll come in handy when we go to Ben's world, but in reality, I think she REALLY wants to be closer to Rex. Whether she wants to admit that or not is up in the air at this point."

Raven couldn't help but smirk at that. "Oh, so she may have a thing for the boy, eh? Interesting…" At that moment, she saw Rex and Weiss descending the stairs, and fortunately for the tribe leader, they hadn't noticed her yet. This was all too perfect. "Ah, so the missing couple finally grace us with their presence!"

"AH!" Weiss yelled before whirling around to face Raven. "What the—Raven?! You're back already?" She blushed intensely when she realized what the woman had just said, with Rex doing the same. "Also, you are WAY off base with that "couple" comment!"

"Oh, well, you could've fooled me." Raven sarcastically remarked. "But yes, I got here a little while ago."

"Jeez, we weren't expecting you until later!" Rex said as his blush was beginning to subside. "You a morning person? Because you really don't seem like one." Raven sent him a warning grimace, which he instantly understood the message of. "Uh, what I meant was… you look like you really enjoy the night life!"

"While you're not wrong, Rex, I have experience with getting up rather early." Raven elaborated. "It's been a necessity on several operations that I've done in the past."

"Ah, I getcha." Rex put his hands behind his head. "So, what brings you around this morning?"

Raven took yet another sip of her coffee before telling him. "Well, after talking over it with both Yang and Ben a little, we've agreed that you all could use a little more help with your training." She then pointed to herself. "And that's where _I_ come in."

Weiss' eyebrows shot up in shock. "Wait, you're going to _train_ us? Seriously?"

"That's right, kids." Raven stood up and spread her arms out. "Say hello to your new coach!"

Pyrrha put a hand to her forehead. "And here I thought today couldn't get any stranger."

Ren raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You… aren't going to train us to kill, are you?"

Raven shook her head disappointedly. "No, unfortunately. My daughter and Ben made it explicably clear that the "no-kill clause" was in effect." She held up a single finger. "BUT that doesn't mean that my training won't be a walk in the park. The techniques I'm going to show you are very difficult to pull off and VERY violent. So, if any of you here have weak constitutions… shape up or ship out, because I don't tolerate ninnies."

Everyone stared at her in shock before Jaune spoke up; "Wow, that was so blunt that you could bludgeon someone over the head with it."

Raven turned around and pointed to the blonde knight. "NOW you're getting it, Jaune. That's what I like to hear." She followed up with a smirk. "Keep it up and you may just become an even better combatant than your father."

"Uh… thanks?" Jaune replied.

Just then, Gwen entered the room with a small smile. "Hey guys! Breakfast is on, and everybody's gathering in the kitchen."

"AWESOME!" Nora exclaimed before rushing out of the room, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake. "Pancakes, here I come!"

Neptune and Ren stood up as the others made their way out of the room, the blue-haired boy quick to raise an eyebrow at Gwen. "Are Ruby and Penny back yet?"

The Anodite shook her head. "No, not yet. I wouldn't worry about it though. They said that they might be a while, and they can take care of themselves just fine." She gave them a shrug. "Besides, they're just going to Tetrax's ship. What trouble could they _possibly_ get into there?"

* * *

"I CANNOT believe we ran into a pack of _Beowolves_ on the way here!" Ruby hollered as she and Penny ran through the dense fog toward the Resolute, which was beginning to become more visible through the trees. The duo had somehow managed to run into a pack of at least six Beowolves as they traversed the forest, much to the Hooded Huntress' irritation. _'I just wanna do something nice for someone. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?!'_ She whipped her head around to her friend. "Penny! How're you holding up?!"

The redheaded android had shifted her right arm into one of her Floating Array laser blasters, shooting off blasts of green energy at the Beowolves in hopes of slowing them down. When she managed to blast one of the creature's straight in the head, she grinned and shouted; "One down so far!"

"Great! We're almost there!" A few seconds of running later, and they jumped out into the clearing, coming to a stop in front of the ship. The five remaining Beowolves leaped out of the overgrowth as well, growling at them ferociously. "Yeah, yeah, we get it. You guys are hungry. Well guess what?" Ruby set the basket down and unholstered Crescent Rose, doing her signature spin before slamming the blade into the ground. "This is no picnic!"

"Solid quip, Ruby." Penny complimented.

"Thanks, I just came up with it!" Ruby readied herself in determination before giving out the signal; "Alright, let's go!" With that, the duo charged forth, with Penny activating her spiked Punk Busters for good measure. One Beowulf charged right at Ruby only to get sliced clean in half at the waist for its troubles. Another one tried to leap at her from behind, but Ruby just jammed the butt end of her scythe handle into its face and cocked the loading mechanism. One pull of the trigger later and its head was blown clean off. "Haha! How're you doing, Pen?!"

"I'm doing good!" Penny leaped up into the air and came crashing down feet first onto one Beowolf, impaling it on her giant spiked boots. She flung her foot forward to get the dead body off of the spikes, resulting in the Beowolf carcass flying into another of the dark creatures. In one fell movement, Penny switched her Punk Busters for her Smack Hands and hit the ground with them, sending her straight forward at her enemy. The Beowolf tossed its dead compatriot off of itself, but by then it was too late. Penny slammed her Smack Hands onto the beast, plunging their spikes into its abdomen before making the hands spin rapidly, tearing the Beowulf in half. "And I'm rather enjoying myself too!"

"Great to hear!" Ruby called back with a thumbs up. At that moment, the remaining Beowulf lunged at Ruby, but she was ready for it's attack. "Oh, no you—" _BLAM!_ A quick laser shot from seemingly nowhere blasted through the Beowolf's head, making it fall to the ground and killing it instantly. "Huh? Hey Penny, I know you were having fun, but ya didn't have to take the kill from me."

"Uh, Ruby… that wasn't me." Penny pointed over toward the Resolute, where Tetrax had just stepped out of the spacecraft.

The Petrosapien holstered his blaster before letting out a sigh. "You know what they say; you can choose your friends, but you can't choose your neighbors." Tetrax craned his head down to the two girls as they approached him, his curiosity fully raised. "Now what are you two doing here? You kids don't usually come for casual visits all that often."

Ruby rubbed the back of her head. "Uh, hehe, yeah. Sorry about all this, Tetrax, but…" She reached down and plucked the picnic basket off of the ground. "I'm here to bring a little something to a certain prisoner."

Fortunately, Tetrax knew exactly who she was talking about. "Ah, yes, Swift. Both Argit _and_ Jaune informed me of your rather lively conversation yesterday." The bounty hunter crossed his arms to her. "Listen, Ruby, I think it's very nice that you're trying to make friends with her, but forgive me if I'm still a little skeptical about her. After going over her record, she's definitely been quite the troublemaker in the past. One can't just change a person in a day, you know that, right?"

Ruby wore a small pout as Tetrax spoke. "Aw, c'mon, Tetrax, she can't be ALL bad. She was just given a bad deal out of life, you know?" She sighed as her eyes went toward the ground. "I mean, she was kicked out by her dad and her mom's a Plumber who lives in space and can't be around often. Plus, she told me that people call her bad things and throw stuff at her too. Who _wouldn't_ be miserable when your life is like that?"

"Well… I can't fault you on that." Tetrax admitted. "Still, if you insist on doing this, I should at least come with you for security's sake. Can't be too careful."

As much as Ruby didn't want to admit it, Tetrax had a point. "Yeah, okay. Lead the way." She and Penny followed the Petrosapien inside, going from the cargo hold into the main hallway before finally arriving at the brig. Ruby focused on her robotic friend with an encouraging smile. "Okay, so initially, Swift's gonna come off as a bit rough around the edges, but once we get talking, I'm sure that she'll warm up to you."

"Here's hoping." Penny agreed. "From what I've heard, it sounds like I don't want to get on her bad side."

"Well, sure, but that's true of _all_ the bad guys in here." Ruby said as the three walked into the brig. "The difference with Swift is that she isn't _really_ a bad person. More like… a misunderstood outcast."

Off to the side, they heard a certain someone scoff at them; "Psh, yeah, if you're idea of "misunderstood" is a red hybrid girl who can shoot lasers from her eyes." Ruby wore an annoyed face as she spun around to see Argit, loafing around as usual. "Wassup, Miss Hoodie? Come to see your gal pal again?"

Penny's eyes widened in surprise. "Uh… Ruby? Who's the giant rodent man?"

The silver-eyed girl sighed in frustration. " _That_ is Argit. He's… I hesitate to call him an _ally_ , because really, he's kind of a jerk to all of us."

"Hey, just doin' what I do best." Argit hopped down from his chair and strolled over, pointing right to Penny. "So you must be that robot girl that Tetrax was talkin' about, eh?" After doing a quick lap around her, the rodent-like alien came to a quick conclusion; "Hmm, no exposed circuitry, no seams, you even _move_ like a real person. Whoever built you must've had their head on straight, that's for sure."

Penny wore a frown as she glanced to Ruby. "Did he just compliment my father… or insult him?"

"With Argit, I really can't guess." Ruby groaned as she led Penny further into the room. "C'mon, Penny, she's just right around this corner." With Tetrax not far behind, the duo finally found the Aerophibian hybrid's cell, and Ruby was quick to wave to the girl inside. "Hey Swift! I'm back!"

Swift's ears perked up and she grinned up to Ruby, standing up and waving back. "Hey Rubes, what's up?" But then she noticed that Tetrax and some perky redhead had joined her, making her smile faulter a bit. "…And you brought company, great."

Ruby gave her an apologetic bow. "Sorry, Swift. I wasn't planning on Tetrax joining us, but he said it was for security purposes."

Swift smirked and gave a chuckle. "Heh, I can't blame him for that. I am quite _dangerous_ after all." She pointed a clawed finger over to Penny. "But, uh, who's the redhead with the bow?"

Ruby smiled and began introducing the two. "Oh, Swift, this is my friend Penny. She's a robot!"

Swift blinked twice in bewilderment, tilting her head as she got a closer look at Penny. "A robot, huh? You certainly don't appear like most of the robots that I'VE seen."

"That's because I am one of the most advanced androids ever built." Penny replied with a salute. "Also, salutations, Swift! It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Uh, yeah, same here." Swift returned before facing Ruby again, giving the hooded girl an eager grin. "So… did you bring the stuff?"

Ruby winked at her before opening up the picnic basket. "Oh, I'd never go back on a promise!"

However, Tetrax went forward and placed a hand onto the picnic basket. "Hold on just a moment, just what exactly is this "stuff" that you two are talking about?" He narrowed his eyes slightly at the two. "This isn't some elaborate escape attempt, is it?"

"What? No!" Ruby denied. "Of course, it isn't." She opened the basket and pulled out what was inside; at least five slices of birthday cake wrapped in cellophane. One was entirely chocolate while the other four were a mixture of chocolate and vanilla layers. "See? It's just cake. Completely and totally harmless."

It was at that moment that a thought occurred to Penny; "Though admittedly, the idea of baking a key inside of a cake IS often used as a common trope in prison breaks, but—"

"Penny, not helping." Ruby interrupted before going back to the bounty hunter. "But I swear, Tetrax, there's NOTHING in these cakes that could help Swift break out of her cell, honest."

Over in her cell, Swift gave the Petrosapien a shrug. "Yeah, I mean, I was just hoping for some decent cake. I haven't had any in years and I was actually just looking forward to eating some."

Tetrax contemplated the information in his head, putting a finger to his chin as he thought it over. "Well… considering that you don't have access to Level 6 forcefield disruptors… alright. I'll allow it. Though the idea of having cake in the morning is a little odd to say the least." Tetrax typed in a code that caused a small platform to rise up from the floor, stopping level with Ruby's chin. "Place the cake on the platform and it'll be transferred into her cell."

"Great! But first…" Ruby took the slice of chocolate cake and split it in half down the middle, placing the two halves on separate plates. She then took a piece of regular cake and put it with one of the slices of chocolate cake, setting the whole plate on the platform along with a plastic fork. "Okay Tetrax, her cake's ready."

"Alright, just a moment…" With a few button presses, Tetrax sent the platform with the cake back into the floor, though it came back up just a few seconds later on Swift's side of the cell. "There you are, Swift."

"Um, thanks…" Swift raised an eyeridge at the two slices of cake, but she was focused on the half-slice of chocolate cake in particular. She pointed to it and asked Ruby about it. "So, Ruby, why'd you cut THIS piece in half?"

Ruby pointed to the cake as well and explained; "Because THAT is a piece of the Triple Threat Chocolate Devil Cake that Hestia made for me on my birthday. She's the owner of a little breakfast diner in town and she made this when we went there for my birthday. I wasn't just gonna hog all of that awesome cake to myself, so I sliced it up evenly and shared it with all my friends. And now, I'm gonna give the last two slices to you…" She handed the remaining half-slice to her android friend. "And Penny!"

"Aw! Thank you, Ruby!" Penny gave her friend a side hug. "That's really nice!"

Swift's eyeridges shot up in surprise. "Woah, woah, hold on just a second! You're seriously just gonna give me the _last_ piece of your awesome chocolate cake AND a slice of regular cake?! WHY?! This might be the last time you get to taste it for a year!"

"I know." Ruby nodded. "But I'm letting you have it because I want to prove to you that I wanna be friends." She gave Swift another wink. "Swift, I know that a lot of things can go wrong in life, but there are a ton of things that can go right too. And I just thought… that maybe I can give you a little bit hope again by being your friend."

Swift stared at the younger girl, dumbstruck by her words. But then, she felt something running down her face, and she soon discovered that she was beginning to tear up. "I… I really don't know what to say." She wiped the tears away before smiling back at Ruby. "But… I think the proper place to start would be… thank you."

"Aw, don't mention it!" Ruby grinned. "Now, how about that cake?"

"Heh, right." Swift nodded before grabbing the plastic fork and digging in, with Penny doing the same for her own Triple Chocolate cake. The moment they bit into it, the two girls went into sensory overload as they multiple chocolatey tastes practically melted inside their mouths. Their eyes became star-struck and they both resisted the urge to let out moans of satisfaction. They swallowed their bites and Swift's immediate reaction was; "HOLY SHIT! That is the BEST chocolate cake I've ever had in my life!"

"I couldn't agree more!" Penny beamed in delight. "This cake tastes like the food of the gods themselves!"

Swift pointed to the Triple Chocolate Cake with her fork. "Okay, I am NOT eating any more of that until I get done with the regular piece, because that chocolate cake is too good to be eaten first!"

"I'm right there with you." Penny concurred before taking a bite out of the bigger slice of regular cake. "But the regular cake's still pretty good!"

Ruby smirked and closed her eyes, nodding in content. "And with that, my work is done." She reached down to the basket and got a piece for herself, as well as a fourth and final piece. Ruby immediately turned to Tetrax and offered the piece to him. "You want the last piece of cake, Tetrax? It's not the TTCDC, but it's still REALLY good."

But Tetrax raised a hand. "No thank you, Ruby. A Petrosapien's digestive system can't handle non-carbon-based materials. Perhaps someone else could—"

"Did somebody say cake?!" Argit popped his head out from behind the corner with a hungry grin. He stepped over while rubbing his hands together and smacking his lips. "Oh-hohoho man! I haven't had cake in AGES!" He put his hands behind his back and gave Ruby an innocent face. "I don't suppose you'd have any objections to ME having that slice, would ya?" he batted his eyelashes for good measure, though if anything, it only made Ruby even more uncomfortable.

"Ugh, I had a feeling that you'd probably jump at the chance." Ruby handed him the cake and a fork. "Just don't EVER make that face at me again, and keep being good for Tetrax, okay? Don't make me regret this decision."

Argit gave a salute to her and said; "Yes ma'am!" He picked up the fork… and immediately discarded it, picking up the cake by his hands and eating it in close to four bites. He licked the frosting off his lips and waved to the four astonished on-lookers as he walked away. "Thanks for the cake, Miss Hoodie!"

Swift blinked twice and shook her head, trying to get that image out of her head. "Well, THAT'S something I'll never be able to unsee." She took a few more bites of her cake before a new thought occurred to her… though it was one that made her pause in reflection. _'After all these years of being on the run and making trouble… maybe it's time I stopped and made a difference for myself. Ruby certainly believes in me. So maybe it's time I start believing in myself again too.'_ She craned her head up to her warden, giving him a serious face. "Tetrax."

The Petrosapien locked onto her, mirroring her expression. "Yes? What is it?"

"What… what do I have to do to earn parole?"

The question made Ruby gasp happily. "Really?! Are you seriously going to ask for parole?!"

"Well, yeah." Swift shrugged. "You're right, Ruby. I HAVE lost hope in a lot of things, and my decisions have all impacted where I've been going in life. Maybe it's time for a bit of a change." The Aerophibian hybrid glanced back up to Tetrax. "So, what do I have to do?"

"Hmm…" Tetrax crossed his arms. "I'm afraid that's not up to me to decide. If you really want to qualify for parole, then you'll have to take it up with Max Tennyson. He's familiar with all of the legalities in the Plumber ranks." He pointed to her with his brow furrowed. "But, if you truly are serious about wanting to qualify for parole, then you'll need to do exactly what you're told. The Plumber's won't release you just because you ask. You must also be on your best behavior, you understand that, correct?"

"I do." Swift nodded. "It might take a while, and I might not like some of the stuff that I'll have to do, but if it'll get me out of this godforsaken cell and help me get my life together… then I guess I don't have much to lose."

"Alright, Swift!" Ruby cheered. "Good for you! I'm really glad that you want to try and take a second chance with all this."

"Indeed." Penny agreed. "This is truly sensational!"

Swift smiled and gave the two a shrug. "Well, it certainly beats staying behind a forcefield for most of my life, that's for sure." She pointed to Ruby and asked; "Mind if you could pass this along to Magister Tennyson and see if he'll come here to discuss my options?"

"Oh, sure!" Ruby promised. "I'll tell him as soon as I get back. But for now…" Ruby raised her plate and declared; "Let us eat cake!" The three continued to eat their odd breakfast choice as Tetrax continued to observe, though he was still a little more skeptical of the Aerophibian hybrid.

' _Can she truly be fully trusted?'_ the bounty hunter wondered in his head. _'She SOUNDS sincere, but I've heard plenty of heartfelt speeches in my day, and many of them weren't as genuine as they were led to be. But at the same time, Ruby trusts her, and she's usually a good judge of character.'_ After going over it in his head for a few moments more, Tetrax came to a fair conclusion; _'…When Max gets here, I'll supervise their conversation, just to be safe.'_

* * *

It had been about half an hour since breakfast had ended and Raven was beginning to wonder where exactly her daughter had gone off to. One moment, she's in the kitchen, and the next, she and Ben had disappeared from the room. It had raised her suspicions tenfold, so she began wandering around the house to investigate. So far, she had checked both the basement and the living room with no success, so she decided that upstairs would be the next best place to search. She began walking down the hall when she heard a couple voices coming from her brother's room, prompting her to draw near it. When she did, she heard Ben's voice;

"So you're sure you got this, babe?" Ben asked.

Raven raised an eyebrow at that. _'Got what, exactly?'_ She pressed her ear up against the door as the couple's conversation went on.

"Aw, don't worry, Green Boy." Yang said slyly. "This ain't my first rodeo, you know."

Ben picked it up from there; "Well, yeah, but I'm just warning you now; this part was REALLY hard on my first time."

That got Raven's eyes to widen even more. _'…Hard? …First time? Oh god, are they—"_

"Oh, I'm sure." Yang continued. "But don't you worry, Goldie Locks is gonna take _good_ care of this guy."

"Well, alright." Ben replied. "Still, he's rather tough."

"How bad could he—WOAH! Okay, he just got bigger!"

Raven's pupils shrunk to the size of peas. _'That tears it! Not under THIS roof!'_ She quickly grabbed the knob, twisted it, and barged in, her hand going to Omen's handle just in case. "WHAT'S GOING ON IN… here?" But she immediately stopped in midsentence when she saw the exact opposite of what she was expecting; Yang and Ben sitting cross-legged on the floor, a video game controller in her daughter's hand.

The couple had changed into a more comfortable set of clothes; Yang in an orange tank top with black short-shorts and her hair up in a ponytail, while Ben was in a green t-shirt and in a pair of regular black shorts. Admittedly, it was still more skin-on-skin contact than she would've liked, but they were at least both fully clothed, so that was a relief. On the television, she saw a familiar sight; the Batman, who was presently fighting off a large muscle-bound man with a giant tank on his back and wearing a black and white mask, much to her confusion. Yang tilted her head to her mother and greeted her; "Uh… hey, mom. What's up?"

"I… I could have sworn…" Raven put a hand to her head. "Oh dear god, I'm letting my mind play tricks on me."

"Why's that?" Ben asked further. "Something wrong?"

"NO!" Raven insisted. "N-Nothing's wrong, trust me." She focused her eyes back onto the TV, hoping that the on-screen action would help take her mind off of the rather embarrassing headspace she had entered just a few seconds ago. "So… you two are playing the "Batman" game again?"

"Oh, hell yes!" Yang answered as she went back to the game with a smirk. "We JUST booted it up where we left off a couple nights ago. We were planning on gettin' back to it last night, but you _know_ how chaotic yesterday was."

"Yes, I do." Raven pointed to the screen where the large-muscled man was charging at Batman, only for Yang to throw a Batarang at his face. "So who would the steroid monster be?"

"Oh, that's Bane." Ben explained. "He's one of Batman's strongest enemies. He's actually the first Batman villain to really cause major harm to him." Ben stood up and lifted his arms over his head while lifting his foot up onto Qrow's bed, bending his knee into place. "He actually broke Batman's back…" he brought his arms down, "by slamming it over his whole KNEE."

"Well, THAT'S impressive." Raven nodded. "How long was the Batman out of commission?"

"About a year or so." Ben answered as Yang took out one of Bane's venom tubes. "He lost his ability to walk, but regained it because of comic book logic; if there's SOME sort of ailment affecting a major character, it'll eventually get undone… most of the time." The hero sneered slightly as he thought; _'STILL waiting for Marvel to properly undo One More Day.'_

"Hmm, I see." Raven put her attention squarely on the TV and sat down on the bed, immediately questioning further; "So why exactly is he attacking you now?"

"He's in on the Joker's plan." Yang said before taking out an attacking grunt. "And now, I gotta stop all of that venom that's being pumped into him." After taking out the grunts, she threw more Batarangs at Bane's head until he became dazed again, allowing her to slice off another of the green tubes on the man's back. "Just gotta take care of one more of those things and we'll be golden!"

Ben clapped his hands and went back to her side. "Good, good! Just keep those Batarangs going, babe, you got this!" After taking down more of the goons, dodging Bane's attacks and throwing more Batarangs in his face, the giant man finally became dazed again after one final run-in with the wall, allowing Yang to cut the last tube. "WOO! First TRY!" He gave Yang a kiss on the cheek and pointed to the PlayStation 3. "Take THAT eleven-year-old me! Your future girlfriend just got Bane on her _first try_!"

Yang rolled her eyes and put her arm around her boyfriend. "Well, yeah, you were _eleven_. How many eleven-year-olds do you know that can beat a boss on their first try?"

"Well, yeah, you've got a point." Ben admitted. "But still, it was REALLY frustrating."

"I'm sure." Yang winked at him before going back to the TV where Bane was presenty being buried under a mountain of rubble. Batman used his grappling hook to get out, taking a sewer hatch back out to the outer premises. "Oh, shh! We're getting more story!" Yang whispered.

After Batman entered a special code into his gauntlet to fire up the Batmobile's engine, Commissioner Gordon came up and put a hand onto the Dark Knight's shoulder. _"Batman! You okay?"_

" _I'm fine, Jim."_ Batman assured as he stood up. _"Where's Quinn?"_

" _Gone! Must have gotten loose while Bane was throwing you around."_

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Quinn?"

" _Harley_ Quinn." Ben elaborated. "Joker's henchwoman and kind-of girlfriend… theirs is basically the textbook definition of being in a toxic relationship."

Back on screen, Batman continued; _"We need to get you off the island."_

" _I'm not a rookie."_ Gordon countered. _"I can handle myself."_ However, at that moment, Bane broke through the nearby wall, taking Yang and Raven by surprise.

"Oh c'mon!" the Blonde Brawler exclaimed. "I _beat_ you!"

But Ben gave her a sly grin. "Oh, don't worry, Goldie Locks. Watch this."

He pointed to the screen where Bane had just picked Batman up, holding him in his meaty hands as he shouted in the Caped Crusader's face. _"I will BREAK you, Batman!"_ Bane proclaimed. _"Then the bruja!"_

But Batman wasn't bothered in the least. _"No, Bane. This time, I break YOU."_ From out of nowhere, the Batmobile suddenly drove into view, surprising Bane enough to loosen his grip on Batman and allow the Dark Knight to kick the larger man's chest, finally freeing him from his grasp. Batman landed with a back flip just as the Batmobile rammed right into Bane, knocking them both right into Gotham Bay. The Batmobile sunk as Batman and Gordon watched on, though a certain mother and daughter were MUCH more vocal about it;

"Holy CRAP!" Yang beamed in amazement. "That was _awesome_!"

Raven nodded in agreement. "Yes, that was quite the smart move." She quirked an eyebrow down to Ben. "But how did he know that would happen?"

With a knowing smirk, Ben gave her a shrug. "Because he's Batman! He's able to think at least three steps ahead. Hell, if he were here right now and had enough time, I bet he could think up a way to take down Salem… by himself."

"Let's not get carried away here." Raven warned. "This Batman might be good, but he's still only a normal human. At least, I _assume_ that he doesn't have super powers."

"And you'd assume right." Ben confirmed. "But yeah, it'd probably take the whole Justice League to take down Salem." That only got him another raised brow from Raven, though this time, he waved it off. "Ah, I'll tell you about _them_ another time."

On the TV, Batman and Gordon were walking down the dock to a nearby boat, with Batman insisting that the Commissioner leave the island. The seasoned policeman reluctantly agreed, but before he left, he had one last question for Batman; _"Bane called Dr. Young "bruja". What does it mean?"_

Batman answered as he began walking away; _"It's Spanish… for "witch"."_

At that, Raven suddenly had a moment of realization; "OH! Is _that_ what Salazar keeps talking about when he calls Salem a "bruja"? I should've recognized that MUCH sooner!" The tribe leader put a hand on her hip. "Well, if Bane was calling this "Dr. Young" a witch, then I imagine that she doesn't have very good bedside manner."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that she wasn't on the up and up." Yang nodded. "She came off as a stone-cold bitch when I first encountered her, so it was kinda obvious, really."

After the cutscene ended, Batman put a finger to the side of his cowl, activating the comm-link inside it. _"Oracle, go through the city's computers."_ he instructed to the woman on the other end. _"Pull up all you can find on Dr. Young. I'll go through anything you find once I get to the cave."_

" _ **A Batcave?"**_ The woman's voice came out through the speaker. _**"On Arkham Island?"**_

" _I built it years ago."_ Batman explained. _"It's best to plan ahead for situations like this."_

" _ **How'd you manage to keep THIS a secret?"**_

" _It's me, remember?"_

Ben gave Raven a cheeky smile as he jabbed a thumb at the screen. "See? I told you!"

Raven narrowed her eyes at the screen. "Alright, granted, he's smart, and he's a pretty good fighter, but there's no way that he can plan out _every_ eventuality, right? Why does he even do this sort of thing anyway? Why fight crime in a bat suit in the first place?"

Both Ben and Yang grimaced at the question. "Well, mom…" Yang started, "Bruce Wayne went through a pretty traumatizing thing when he was a kid. Both of his parents were shot and killed right in front of him in an alleyway, and that pretty much defined him going forward."

"Exactly." Ben affirmed. "It's an iconic story that's been told again and again for over eighty years, and it sticks with pretty much everyone, even if they're not a comic book fan. Batman's been in several tv shows, movies," he gestured to the television again, "and of course, video games. He's an icon, and you can rarely forget something about an icon's backstory. It's the reason why he's got such a strong moral code; no using firearms, no killing."

"I see." Raven laced her fingers together and rested her chin against them as her daughter continued to play the game. "I have to say, the Batman's moral's interest me. Through tragedy, he chose to make himself stronger, but instead of using that strength to assert dominance and kill his enemies, he's chosen to fight to _protect_ others instead."

Yang sent her mother a kind smile. "See? Maybe being strong doesn't mean belittling weaker people after all."

"Perhaps." Raven pursed her lips in thought. "The Batman… how steadfast is he in his morals?"

"Pretty unwavering." Ben answered. "That is, unless it's in the first two Batman movies, but those were made by edgy director; Tim Burton, so that's kind of expected. And then there's his earlier Golden Age appearances, but that's when the character was first being figured out. And even then, those earlier appearances were all retconned into a different "Golden Age" universe called Earth-2, which no longer exists. Also, he's been drugged a few times and he accidentally killed people then, he was changed into a vampire once and killed again, but that was an Elseworlds story." the hero gave Raven a head-tilt. "Really, those are the only instances I can think of."

"So he HAS killed, but not of his own volition or in the main canon." Raven concluded. "Hmm, it seems the Batman is a man of high respect."

"Plus, he's just really freaking cool." Yang added.

But just before the conversation could go any further, Ruby suddenly burst into the room with a happy smile on her face, much to the three's shock. "Ben, Yang, I have some AMAZING news—" However, she then noticed that Raven was there as well, which made her reel back her excitement. "Oh… hi there, Raven."

"Ah, Ruby, you've returned." Raven acknowledged. "So, care to tell us why you just burst in through the door and shouted in our faces?"

Yang quirked an eyebrow at her mother. "You mean like how YOU did earlier, mom?"

Raven sent a similar look back to her daughter while Ruby fought to hide her giggles. " _Anyway_ ," the tribe leader grumbled as she faced Ruby again, "what HAVE you been up to? Why all the excitement?"

Ruby managed to keep her giggles down and her smile returned in full. "Oh yeah! I have some great news… but first, I gotta come clean with something." Her smile became nervous and she turned to Ben. "You see…" she twiddled her fingers together, "since yesterday, I've actually started speaking to Swift, and we've hit it off rather well."

Ben's eyes widened at the reveal. "Ruby… have you just made friends with a _villain_?"

"Rubes, you can't be serious!" Yang paused the game and stood up, disbelief written all over her face. "She tried to destroy Beacon AND almost killed Velvet! Why would you wanna make friends with someone like _her_?!"

Ruby sighed in frustration. "I knew that you were gonna react like this." She held out her hands in a pleading gesture. "Guys, I know that what she's done is pretty bad, and I have no doubt that what she did back on Earth was probably just as bad, but… she's _not_ a bad person. She's just been doing what she needs to in order to get by." The Hooded Huntress hugged her arms together. "I couldn't imagine what it must be like to live on your own on the streets, but Swift has given me plenty of details. Plus, she's derided for her appearance pretty much _everywhere_ she goes! It's like how a lot of Faunus are treated, and it isn't right!"

"And I agree." Ben nodded. "Both aliens _and_ Faunus really shouldn't be treated like that, but that doesn't excuse her past crimes."

"I know, but she's actually really nice once you get to know her!" Ruby insisted. "I mean, she likes _Pokémon_ for crying out loud!"

"Ruby, I get that you wanna see all of the good in people." Yang placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "And I think that it's really nice that you think Swift can change her ways, but _she's_ going to have to want it too."

"But that's the thing; she _does_." Ruby smiled and glanced over to Ben. "She wanted me to ask your grandfather about potential parole."

Ben's eyebrows shot up. "Seriously?"

"Don't believe me?" Ruby's smile increased when she pulled something out of her pocket; a small disk-shaped device with a round lens in the middle of it. "Why don't you see what _she_ has to say?"

"Wait! Where'd you get a holo-viewer?" Ben asked.

"Tetrax lent it to me, and now you'll see the reason why…" Ruby pressed a small button on the side of the device and a hologram of Swift popped up from the lens, taking everybody by surprise. Ruby glanced down to the small hologram and gave it a nod. "Okay, you're on."

The hologram of Swift nodded and craned her neck up to Ben. _"Hello, Ben Tennyson. Tetrax has graciously allowed me to communicate to you from my cell so that I may plead my case. In short, I would like the chance to qualify for parole. Ruby's been showing so much kindness to me, kindness which I never thought I'd ever see from anybody ever again. And for that, I couldn't be more grateful."_ She grasped her hands together an gave a slight bow to the hero, though whether she liked doing it was debatable. _"Listen, I know that I've done a lot of bad shit in the past, including recently when I almost destroyed that school and nearly killed one of your friends. I don't blame you if you never forgive me for that, but with all of the nice things that Ruby's done for me, I want to start making up for all of the things I've done. I know that it'll take a long time, but I'm willing to go through whatever I need to for a second chance."_

As the Aerophibian hybrid made her impromptu testimony, Ben and Yang both listened in contemplation, though the hero couldn't help but still be a bit skeptical. "Swift, your case appears sound, but I'm still a little weary on this. I mean, you've known Ruby for only, what, a day? And she's managed to help you out in that short amount of time?"

" _What can I say? The girl has a way with words."_ Swift jabbed a thumb to her chest. _"Besides, I'm not JUST doing this for Ruby. I've got my own personal reasons for doing this too."_ She gestured to the cell around her, even though the others couldn't see it. _"After all, I'd rather be on parole than in this god-forsaken cell. Even if I have to be monitored by the Plumbers twenty-four seven, I'll put up with it so long as I can have SOME sense of freedom."_

Yang narrowed her eyes at her. "And how do we know you won't just fly off at the first chance you get?"

" _What would be the point?"_ Swift countered with a shrug. _"You guys would just find me and toss me back into the slammer again if I did. I wouldn't be asking like this if I just planned on escaping the second I got out. Who do you think I am, Vilgax?"_

Ben deadpanned at the reminder. "No, he's not really all that subtle with his escapes, as we've seen." After pondering over it again for a few more seconds, Ben finally came to a conclusion; "Alright, Swift, if I can convince my grandfather to meet with you and discuss your options for parole, you'll have to comply with what you're given, understand? No funny business."

" _I understand."_ Swift nodded. _"And… thank you, Ben."_

Yang gave Swift a smirk. "Hope you're ready for this… _Swifty_."

In return, Swift glared at the Blonde Brawler. _"I'm TRYING to be nice here. Please don't tempt me to do otherwise."_

"Yeah, sis, not cool." Ruby supported before smiling down to Swift. "Alright, we'll go tell Mr. Tennyson and he'll be there to meet you later today."

" _Fanastic!"_ Swift smiled up to the Hooded Huntress. _"Thanks, Ruby, for everything."_

Ruby waved to her friend one final time. "No problem. See you soon!" With that, the transmission ended and Ruby pocketed the holo-viewer, facing the powerful couple once again. "See? That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

"Maybe." Yang granted. "But I'm still not too sure about all of this." She glanced to her boyfriend with a worried expression. "I'm actually kind of surprised that you allowed it, Ben. Didn't think you'd give her the chance to vouch for herself considering everything she did."

"Well, her situation reminds me of the one that Kevin was in when we were kids." Ben explained. "And I remember all too well what happened to him that summer. Sure, he got better years later, but I could've prevented it if I'd just reached out to him sooner. I don't want anyone to go through something similar." The hero gently grasped his girlfriend's hands and looked her straight in the eye. "Believe me, Yang, I'm as apprehensive about this as you are, but if Swift's truly serious about wanting to change, we can't just toss aside the only chance she might get."

Yang sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, I guess you're right. …But if she pulls anything—"

"She won't." Ruby assured. "And I'll make sure that she doesn't."

"You mean the _Plumber_ assigned to her will make sure she won't." Ben corrected. "Sorry, Ruby, but an official Plumber will probably have to check in on her every day to make sure all of her whereabouts are known. We can't take the risk IF she chooses to take advantage of you."

Ruby crossed her arms and turned her head away. "So you don't trust me, then."

"No, Ruby, I trust you completely." Ben pointed out the nearby window towards the direction of the Resolute. "But SHE needs to _prove_ that she can be trusted. It's not as simple as taking her word for it. Even Kevin and I had trust issues when we started working against the Highbreed together."

Ruby was about to argue, but in the end, she had to admit that Ben had a point. She had put her blind trust into Emerald and Mercury when they were at Beacon Academy, and she knew exactly where that had gotten her. She let out a sigh and her shoulders sagged a bit. "Okay, I get it. But I can still be her friend, right?"

"Sure." Ben nodded. "After all, if she's going to go through with this, having friends to help her out would come in handy. Pretty sure if Kev didn't have Gwen and myself back then, he'd be in an even worse place now."

Yang reached out and put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Just… be careful okay, sis? The girl can shoot laser beams from her eyes."

"Yeah, I know, I know." Ruby said with a pat to her sister's hand. "Don't worry, Yang, I got this."

After staying silent for a good while, Raven got up and dusted off her skirt, speaking up to the teens as she strode over to them. "Well, this whole conversation has been quite interesting. While I'm somewhat opposed to the idea of letting a criminal loose, the prospect of having an additional fighter for our battle against Salem is also quite tempting."

Yang raised an eyebrow at that. "Whaddya mean, mom?"

"I'm just saying that having some aerial assistance to the team would be beneficial." Raven rationalized. "Between everyone here, the only ones who can truly fly are Ben, Gwen and Rex. And even then, Gwen doesn't fly all that often. Another set of eyes in the sky would actually come quite in handy."

Ben bobbed his head to the side. "Well… maybe. That is IF she wants to fight with us. Which I doubt since I'm pretty sure she's just apathetic to the whole Salem thing."

"Perhaps." Raven moved around and walked to the door, preparing to leave. "But when she hears of how this could potentially affect both of our worlds, maybe she'll consider joining us as her official… "community service". In any case, I think it's almost time for training, so I'll be heading off with the others." She craned her head back to the couple and gave them a wave. "You two enjoy your game, we'll be back soon." Finally, Raven gave a questioning glance over to the Hooded Huntress. "Are you coming, Ruby?"

"Uh… not today." Ruby shook her head. "I'm going to be escorting Mr. Tennyson to Tetrax's ship. Can't take the chance of him being mauled by Beowolves, you know."

"Hmm, an excellent point." Raven agreed before giving one last wave. "Well then, I'll be off. See you kids later."

"Bye, mom!" Yang called out as her mother went down the stairs. But just as soon as she was out of earshot, the blonde craned her head over to her sister. "You know, it might not hurt to try and get some bonding time with her, Rubes."

"She's _your_ mom." Ruby whispered back. "Besides, it's SUPER awkward!"

"Yeah, but it still probably wouldn't hurt." Ben supported. "She's probably going to be sticking around, after all."

Ruby placed her hands on her hips, slightly irritated at the idea. "Ugh, okay, I'll… I'll try to spend some time with her." She faced the door way and gave them a salute as she left. "But for now, I'm gonna go see your grandpa and tell him what's going on. I'll see you guys soon!"

"Bye, sis." Yang reciprocated before Ruby made her way downstairs. The Blonde Brawler sighed and leaned her head against her boyfriend's shoulder. "Sheesh, I can't believe that it's only ten o'clock." She shifted her eyes up to him. "It's gonna be one of _those_ days, isn't it?"

"With the way the universe works against us, probably." Ben agreed. "But until it happens… Batman?"

Yang nodded against his shoulder. "Batman."

* * *

Meanwhile, out in the massive ocean surrounding the city of Vale, a lone passenger boat was approaching the city through the dense fog that had covered the water level, though thankfully there was a still-functioning lighthouse to guide them through it. On said boat, though, were three figures standing at the bow of the ship, gazing out to the nearly ruined city itself as it appeared through the fog. They all wore dark cloaks to mask their appearance, though they were still somewhat distinguishable from one another.

The first and foremost figure was standing in the middle, tall, imposing and with very broad shoulders. They held their head up high as Vale came into view, speaking not long after; "So, we've finally arrived." the figure spoke, revealing a rather gruff and husky masculine voice. "Vale. It's been a while since we stepped foot in this city."

A second figure stepped forward, which just so happened to be the second-tallest among them. They were also much less broad shouldered than the first, and had a much gentler voice; "Yes, it has." a woman spoke from beneath her hood. "So it seems that the news was true. I cannot believe how much of this city was destroyed by the Grimm."

The third and final figure spoke up, revealing another girl's voice, though this one was higher pitched and younger-sounding than the one before it; "Pft, couldn't have happened to a better place, if you ask me."

The first woman turned to her compatriot and began to dismiss the comment politely. "Oh, come now. Vale isn't a _perfect_ kingdom, but no place deserves to be overrun by Grimm THIS badly." She cupped her hands together and prayed silently. "Especially when we have allies and loved ones in that city."

The other girl paused for a brief moment before sighing, choosing to let go of the subject for now. "You're right, we have other, more important things to focus on now." She craned her head over to the hooded man and asked; "So, what's our first priority? Adam… or Blake?"

The man waited for a bit before giving his answer. "…Well, hopefully they'll both be in the same place. We know that Blake was at Beacon, but considering what you told us about the White Fang's whereabouts in the city, maybe she could have fled there in the chaos."

"Yeah, _maybe_." The girl emphasized. "But considering that she left them, she probably doesn't have the best relationship with 'em right now."

"She has a point." The first woman sighed. "Still, what choice do we have? We can't just wander around the city until we find them. We have to go to the given location first and hope that Adam and rest of the White Fang are still there. It's our only chance to get help."

"And what if they don't WANT to help?" the hooded girl countered. "Remember who we're dealing with here?"

The man breathed out through his nostrils. "Yes, Adam CAN be quite… extreme. But we can only hope that hearing of what's been happening back home will sway him to join us." He walked over to the guardrail and clenched onto it. "And if he doesn't…" he tightened his grip on the rail, "then that could leave us with only one option."

"You can't SERIOUSLY still be considering that!" the young girl piped up before being shushed by the woman. The girl complied, but went into a harsh whisper instead. "Asking the Valian military for help will just cause even MORE problems. Plus, what makes you think they'll even _listen_ to us? We're—"

"In desperate need of help." The man finished, interrupting the girl midsentence. "I know that you don't like the option… and neither do I. But if we want to free our homeland from the tyrannical insurgents who tore it away from us, we must consider ALL of our options, no matter how drastic they are." He let out another sigh before gazing back out to Vale, the city growing ever nearer. "For now, we must focus on finding the White Fang's base in this city… and hopefully Blake as well."

* * *

**A/N: Ooh, now what do we have here? Three mysterious individuals who are searching for the White Fang… and they seemingly don't know that Adam has been imprisoned. Wonder who they could be? And what do they want with Blake? Hmm… but hey, we got more time in Arkham Asylum with Raven along for the ride, so there's that! Also, it seems like Swift wants to turn over a new leaf! Will Max grant her parole? Well, all of those questions and more will have to be answered… NEXT TIME** **! As Raven supervises the team's training session and adding her input to a few things, Ruby and Max head back to Tetrax's ship to see Swift about her potential parole. Meanwhile, in the city of Vale, our mysterious trio manage to locate the White Fang's base of operations… and with it, a rather dangerous surprise. Thanks for reading everybody! See ya!**


	71. Fangs for Nothing

**A/N: Hey there guys! Alright, so this is where the arc REALLY kicks into high gear, so let's get on with it, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 71: Fangs for Nothing**

* * *

As she and the rest of the team made their way into the training arenas inside Mount Patch, Blake couldn't help but have an odd feeling cropping up in the back of her mind. Not just because of the fact that this was the first time Raven was accompanying them on a training session, but also for something else entirely. The only problem was… she couldn't place exactly what it was. _'Something just doesn't feel right.'_ she remarked in her head. As Rex, Weiss and Penny took the field, Winter and Athena, with the addition of Raven, went to the side of the arena. And of course, everyone else went to the bleachers, though when Blake sat down, she made sure to give Sun a small nudge. "Hey." she whispered.

Sun smiled back and winked to her. "Hey yourself. What's up? Your coat holding up okay?"

"Yes, actually." Blake eyed the coat sleeve that had been torn the day before, the fabric having been patched up with the new addition of her signature symbol on the sleeve. "Thanks for helping with that, by the way. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about." She shifted her eyes back and forth before giving him a questioning glance. "Does something feel… _off_ to you?"

Sun thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. "Not really, no. Why, you feel somethin' weird goin' on?"

"Well, sort of." Blake shrugged. "It feels like something important is _going_ to happen, but I just can't get a hold of what it's supposed to be."

"Ah, I getcha. I get that feeling all the time." Sun put a finger to his chin. "Usually back at Haven whenever I had a big test but forgot about it the night before. Then I'd cram as much as I possibly could all night and hope to god that I'd pass." He saw Blake give him a deadpan expression, to which he let out a nervous laugh. "Uh, hehe, well at least nine times outta ten, I'd pass."

Blake raised a single brow. "I'm guessing more B's than A's?"

"Well, B _pluses_ , actually."

The cat girl sighed and ruffled her boyfriend's hair. "When we go back to school, I am SO tutoring you."

Sun initially smiled at the gesture, but then he comprehended what she had just told him. "Wait, you'd REALLY tutor me?!"

Blake nodded with a grin. "Sure, why would I?" She inched closer to him and pressed her shoulder against his. "You're my boyfriend, and I don't want you to fail. Or worse, have to take the entire class over again." She prodded a finger against his chest. "And if you somehow manage to fail ALL of your classes, then that's going to be even _worse_."

"Good point," the monkey boy gave her an apprehensive face, "but I think you're forgetting that my team and I go to Haven Academy."

The cat ears on Blake's head folded back when she was reminded of that fact. "Oh… yeah. I guess I DID forget." She gave him a small smile and a shrug. "I guess I was just so used to you guys being at Beacon for the Vytal Tournament."

"Can't blame you there." Sun reached around and pulled Blake into a hug. "But I'm gonna let you in on a little secret." He cupped his hand and whispered into her ear; "Neptune and I've been talking about it for a while now, but he and I are thinking that it'd be a good idea if we transferred to Beacon."

Blake's smile returned and her cat ears perked up. "Really? That's great!" she whispered back. But then, something else came back into her mind; "Wait… what about Scarlet and Sage? Have you discussed this with them?"

"Well, we were kinda starting to talk about it a few months back, but we never made any headway with it." Sun explained. "But now that we've got this whole big team being formed, I think it'd be best if we should transfer here." He grinned and set his forehead against hers. "Of course, the fact that you and I are officially together now is the biggest factor in all of this."

"And I'm honored." Blake leaned up and pecked his cheek. "But remember, studies come before pleasure. And if you're serious about transferring to Beacon when it reopens, then I hope that you're ready to take on all of the responsibilities that come with it."

"Trust me, Blake, I've never been more serious about something in my entire life." He grasped both of her hands with his own, locking her eyes with his. "I want this all to work out, and if I have to put myself to the grindstone to do it, then I'll study until the pages _burn_."

"You're commitment's impressive." Blake said with a smirk. "But let's not get carried away here. Books are _seriously_ expensive."

"Don't I know it?" Sun shrugged. "I mean sheesh, almost three-hundred Lien a pop, maybe even _more_ sometimes? Why charge that much for info in a book that's probably all online anyways?"

Overhearing the conversation, Gwen craned her head around and held up two fingers. "Two words, Sun; used books. That is, assuming that _your_ educational system works like _ours_." The Anodite turned around in her seat and began explaining. "Here's the thing; when students are done with their old text books for the semester, they often just sell them to someone who needs it. Thing is, since the publishers make zilch off of used books, they publish new ones every year with new info in it. And even if it's just the _tiniest_ bit of new information, the school requires you to buy them for their classes."

Sun's eyes widened at that. "So… it's basically all a big scam."

"Precisely! But of course, there are a _multitude_ of other reasons, and believe it or not, some of them are even scummier than what I just told you." Gwen's shoulders sagged and she let out a defeated sigh. "But, I suppose that's what college does. It sucks the life AND money out of you in exchange for good education. A small part of me misses grade school because of that."

Kevin gave his girlfriend a supportive pat on her back. "And this is why I didn't want to go to college. Now heads up, they're starting."

Out in the middle of the arena, Rex was facing Penny head on and, oddly enough, he had a toaster slung underneath his arm for some reason. For what, the other teens didn't know. Even the adults were confused as Rex presented the toaster to Penny with an eager smile. "Alright, Pen. Today'll be day two of figuring out just what the hell Ben and I did to ya."

"Good, because after yesterday, I thoroughly need it." Penny nodded. "But… how exactly is a toaster supposed to help me with that?"

"Easy! We're gonna test out your Mechamorph abilities!" Rex placed the toaster down and began pacing back and forth as he lectured on. "Now, from what Ben's been able to tell me, Galvanic Mechamorphs can merge themselves with ANY piece of technology, even if it doesn't have electronics inside of it." He put a hand to his chest. "Hell, they can even merge with organics with mechanical powers, like me."

A few feet away from the two, Weiss mumbled; "Because that _isn't_ the weirdest thing to happen ever."

Rex managed to hear her and countered; "No, but it IS in my top five. Number two, in fact. Right in front of the bird fight from last night." The EVO shook his head before going on. "Anyways, the fact that Penny might be able to merge the living metal that's inside her body with different machines is a pretty big deal, so there's really only one thing to do…" Rex activated a Smack Hand and crushed the toaster, reducing it to scrap metal. "Test it!"

Over on the sidelines, everyone was agape at how sudden the action was, but Raven merely gazed down impassively at the broken machine. She looked back up to Rex and raised an eyebrow while pointing to the pile of broken parts. "…Was that Tai's toaster?"

"You bet your blade it was!" Rex stated proudly.

Weiss' hands went to her head in shock. "REX! What've you done?! Tai's gonna flip when he finds out!"

But Rex held up a finger. "Ah, but he won't! Because Penny's gonna fix it for us!"

Penny blinked twice in confusion. "Uh… I am?"

"Yep! Galvanic Mechamorphs not only have the ability to take over and copy a bunch of machines, but they can fix 'em too." Rex gestured down to the toaster's remains. "Now, all we gotta do is figure out how to get your living metal to do its thing."

"Well, it's still only on the _inside_ of my body." Penny emphasized. "So in order to use it… I may have to remove one of my body parts."

Weiss slightly winced, as did the rest of the crowd. "We're not going to have to cut off any of your arms or legs, are we?"

"Well, let me see…" Penny raised her right arm and held it up horizontally at her side. She then grabbed her wrist and twisted it, a soft clicking noise being heard soon after. Her right hand suddenly went limp and a smile appeared on her face; "Ah-ha! Yep, it still works!" In one fell movement, Penny pulled her entire arm out of her sleeve, much to everyone's shock. "See?"

The reaction was mixed. Weiss screamed bloody murder as Rex, Ren, Sun and Blake stared dumbfoundedly at the arm. Jaune and Neptune's faces had become a sickly shade of green while Pyrrha and Nora winced slightly at the memory of what happened the day before. Gwen, Kevin and Raven, however, didn't have much of a reaction. The three had seen things like that far too many times for it to be shocking anymore. Down on the arena's edge, Winter blinked in astonishment, and Athena's jaw had dropped to the floor, though she managed to regain herself a moment later. "Well… hah, that was quite… interesting." The Mistralian Huntress clapped her hands to get everybody back on track. "Now, why don't we move onto the experiment, shall we?"

"Uh, yeah, good idea." Rex agreed before placing a hand onto Weiss' shoulder, which got her to stop screaming momentarily. "Ice Princess, you're good. It's just a lifeless arm."

"I know, but it's SO creepy!" Weiss grimaced. "Robotic limbs are one thing, but when they're THAT life-like, it's so… strange!"

Penny shrugged before putting her arm on the ground. "Yeah, maybe, but at least it's painless! I mean, I don't even feel any—WHOA!" Suddenly, a long, black tendril with multiple green lines all over it burst out from her sleeve, taking everyone by surprise. "AH! Okay, THIS was not predicted!"

Rex's eyes widened. "Oh boy, that's living metal." The EVO darted his eyes around before finally realizing something. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted; "Penny! It probably wants the scrap metal! Get it closer and maybe it'll stop!"

"Okay!" As she struggled against the writhing tendril, Penny stepped toward what was left of the toaster, and sure enough, it became much calmer when she did. Finally, she moved the tendril toward the scrap and said; "There! Is THAT what you want?" Apparently, it was, because in an instant, the scrap of the toaster was glomped on by the tendril, which had expanded out into a large, blobby mass as it absorbed the scrap into itself. As the blob contorted and undulated, making Penny and everyone else grow more and more worried, it suddenly stopped just a few seconds after it began and reshaped itself again into that of an arm… with a toaster where its hand should be. "Uh… what?"

"Huh, well, it worked." Rex concluded.

Weiss nodded slowly. "Yeah, but… what now?"

"Now, to test!" Rex reached into his pocket and pulled out two slices of bread before stepping over to Penny. "Alright, now this may feel a bit weird, so if you wanna stop, tell me, okay?" Penny gave him a nod, allowing Rex to go through with it. He slipped the pieces of bread into the slots and pulled the lever down, beginning the toasting process. Oddly enough though, the burners inside of the toaster glowed green. "Alright, now all we have to do is wait, and… what the hell?"

The toaster and Penny's arm began shaking, the android quick to aim it away from everyone else. "Uh, Rex, I think something might be—" _BLAM!_ In a split second, both pieces of bread blasted out of the toaster and toward the far wall, along with a green laser beam. Both hit the wall with a great amount of force, the laser embedding the bread as it made impact. Once the green light had dissipated, the whole group could see that the bread had indeed been toasted… into a fine charcoal black. Plus, it was glowing green, which made Penny do a double take. "Uh… I don't think that toast is safe to eat."

Weiss' eye twitched at the display. "Rex, you and Penny have just made death toast."

Rex rubbed the back of his head. "And here I thought I was getting better at cooking. Ah, well, back to the drawing board." Rex activated his BFS and changed it to its Battle Saw mode, going over to the death toast to take care of it. "Okay, time to rid the world of THIS sin against breakfast."

Penny focused on to the toaster and concentrated on it, making her living metal release the kitchen appliance with a single thought. The device had fortunately been repaired, and she quickly set it back down on the ground before anything else could happen. "Okay, well, I suppose that this experiment was a success?"

"If you can call contaminated toast a success, then yeah." Jaune said as he and Pyrrha stepped onto the field. "Maybe it's time we move onto just sparring before anything ELSE gets turned into a biohazard."

After Penny reattached her arm, Pyrrha went over and put a hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile. "It was a rather interesting show, Penny. It may not have gone as intended, but at least you figured out that you DO have Upgrade's powers. Now you just need to learn how to control them at a… _safer_ distance."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Penny glanced over to Rex as he began cutting the toast out of the wall, though the EVO was shocked that his blade couldn't even pierce the toast itself. "I just hope that we can remove that stuff from the premises easily."

Rex suddenly switched from his sword to his Smack Hands, grabbing the toast and holding it as far away from his body as possible. "I'll be right back!" With that, he ran out of the arena, carrying the unsafe foodstuff with him.

Weiss facepalmed and shook her head. "Why is it always like this for us? _EVERY_ DAY!"

Penny picked the toaster up and went over to the heiress, leading her off of the arena. "Come on, Weiss, let's just relax while Jaune and Pyrrha take the floor."

As the two girls went to take their seat, Raven shifted her eyes over to Winter with a questioning gaze. "Is it always like this with every training session?"

"No, sometimes it's much stranger." The elder Schnee answered. "If you had been here for yesterday's training, then you would probably agree."

Back on the arena floor, Jaune and Pyrrha took their places at the separate ends of the stage, giving each other knowing smiles as they did. "Alright, Jaune," Pyrrha began as she drew Milo in its xiphos mode, "whoever wins this will decide the next date, agreed?"

"Yep." Jaune said as he pulled Crocea Mors from its sheath before changing it into shield mode. "But no matter what, I'm gonna be paying if we need to."

"What?! Oh come now, Jaune, let's be fair here." Pyrrha rebutted. "Whoever _loses_ should pay if need we need to spend money."

"Pyr, I'm very touched by the offer, but I'm MORE than happy to pay for any date we go on." Jaune put a hand to his chest. "It's okay, really. I've got _everything_ covered."

"And I understand, but it's not fair if you have to pay for the date that YOU choose if you win." Pyrrha insisted. "If I lose, I'm GOING to pay for the date that you choose."

Over on the side lines, Raven let out a yell of frustration. "AGH! Enough of this!" With a spring in her step, the tribe leader climbed up onto the arena and stepped in between the couple. "This is a spar, NOT a lover's quarrel. If you both insist on keeping the whole date thing a factor in this, then I suppose that I have no other choice." Raven faced Jaune head on and gave him a serious face. " _I_ will be your opponent instead, Jaune."

"WHAT?!" the couple exclaimed in unity before Jaune continued; "You can't be serious!"

"Oh, but I am." Raven smiled slyly. "Besides, I wanted to see if the son of Jonathan Arc is at least _capable_ of handling himself." She faced Pyrrha and nodded toward her. "And if the both of you wish to settle your date arrangements later, then you two can still go at it after I'm done with him."

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes at the older woman. " _Phrasing_ , Raven." she replied quietly.

But Raven simply rolled her eyes. "Oh please, you know what I mean." With that, she unsheathed Omen and faced Jaune again, ready to get the spar underway. "Now don't hold back, Jaune. Allow me to see just what you're capable of."

"Uh, sure." Jaune readied his combat stance as Pyrrha stepped over toward him, and he gave her an apologetic gaze. "Hey, sorry about all of this. If I hadn't made such a stink about paying, we probably wouldn't be in this right now."

"Oh, it's alright." Pyrrha assured with a quick kiss. "I just want you to do your best against her." She gave him a wink before saying; "And make sure she knows not to mess with the Arc Family."

"Heh, you got it." Jaune chuckled.

As Pyrrha left the arena, Raven spoke up across the field; "I suggest that you change your blade into its greater form, Jaune. I have a few techniques to show you that work better with a longer sword."

"Uh, alright, I guess." In one fell movement, Jaune pulled his shield off his arm and slid it onto his blade, changing Crocea Mors into its greatsword mode. "Alright, Raven, fair is fair, so let's get going!" Jaune shifted his eyes over to Athena, giving the Mistralian Huntress a thumbs up. "Alright, Athena, we're good to go."

"Oh… very well." Athena raised her arm and declared; "This practice spar between Jaune and Raven will now get underway! I would just like to remind the combatants that under absolutely NO circumstance will there be _any_ bone breaking, maiming or—"

"I GET the point, Red." Raven called over. "Could we _maybe_ get on with the fight this century?"

Athena couldn't help but grumble in irritation, but still, she kept her composure. "Very well, then." She brought her arm down, allowing the match to start. "Begin now!"

With two hands gripped firmly on his sword, Jaune ran forward and readied his first swing. Meanwhile, Raven widened her stance while keeping Omen at her side, also with two hands gripping its handle. "Let's see how ya handle this!" With that, Jaune brought Crocea Mors up and made a downward strike, though what happened next, he couldn't have possibly predicted. Raven quickly swung Omen up and met his strike with her own back-handed one before she reached up and grabbed one of his wrists. "Wha—AGH!" In one jerk, Raven twisted his wrist and forced Crocea Mors out of his hands before pulling him down to the ground. She quickly brought Omen in with her other hand, the flat of its blade going right up to his neck.

"JAUNE!" Pyrrha cried out as she rushed back onto the arena.

Gwen stood up and her hands began glowing, ready to cast a magic spell. "Raven! Stop this right—"

"STAY CALM!" Raven snapped back. "Ugh, you kids are so _paranoid_!" She let go of Jaune and he landed on his rear, none the worse for wear. "See? He's _fine_." She stepped away and pointed her sword toward him. "But if it was one of SALEM'S underlings, they wouldn't hesitate to deal a finishing blow. THIS is how the enemy will eventually fight you in the future, children. Be they Grimm or man, Salem's forces won't hesitate to kill you. So you must learn to expect this kind of underhanded trickery, or else it'll cost you your lives."

But Pyrrha was quick to rebuke her. "But that's no reason to—"

"Pyr, wait." Jaune said calmly as he stood up. His girlfriend looked at him in shock as he continued. "As much as I was scared to hell and back by that, Raven might just have a point. We're not gonna resort to killing, but our enemy WILL. So if they pull something like what Raven just pulled on me, then we need to be ready for it."

"I understand that, Jaune." Pyrrha stepped over to him to make sure that he was truly alright. "But don't you think that this is a little _extreme_?"

Raven suddenly let out a laugh. "Ahaha! Oh, honey, if you this THIS is extreme, you don't even wanna KNOW what else I'm capable of."

Ignoring the woman's outburst, Jaune pulled Pyrrha into an embrace. "Pyr, I get that this isn't the kind of sword play that we're used to, but we're not _just_ dealing with Grimm anymore."

"I know, it's just…" Pyrrha took a deep breath and she locked eyes with him again. "You're right, this ISN'T what I had in mind when I started tutoring you on swordplay. But if Salem's forces ARE going to use tactics like that, then I guess we'll have to learn to deal with them." She sent a glare over in Raven's direction. "Just… try to keep it under control."

Raven raised an eyebrow at her. "You're never going to _fully_ trust me, are you?"

"Unless some miracle happens, no." Pyrrha turned back up to Jaune and gave him a nod. "Just be safe, okay?" Jaune returned the nod and the two separated once again, with raising her hand up into the air as she walked off the arena. "Continue!"

Jaune sighed through his nostrils as he thought to himself. _'I know that you're worried about all of this, Pyr, but I don't plan on losing any of you ever again. If I have to learn how to break the bad guys' bones along the way, then so be it.'_ He took a deep breath and readied his sword again, facing Raven with a determined expression. "Alright, Raven, I'm ready this time!"

"Are you now?" Raven smirked as she drew Omen once more. "Then let's begin again, shall we?" With her words, the two began sparring once again, with Jaune keeping an eye on Raven's movements.

Just as the fight continued, Rex came back in and dusted off his hands before going back over to the bleachers. "Hey guys! I'm back!" He sat down next to Weiss and concentrated on the battle field. "So, what did I miss?"

"Oh, nothing much." Weiss said in exasperation. "Jaune's just getting schooled by the queen of mean tactics over there." The heiress jerked her thumb over to the arena, where Jaune had gotten subdued by Raven yet again, making the fight start over once more. "So, did you take care of the death toast?"

"Oh yeah, chucked that son of a bitch as hard as I could." Rex stated proudly. "No idea where it ended up, but really, I don't care."

Nora poked her head around Weiss and asked; "Well, what if a wild animal comes around and eats it? It'll probably die in an instant."

"No wild animal is dumb enough to eat something as toxic as THAT, trust me." Rex glanced over the bleachers, taking a head count of who was there. He quickly noticed that one of their usual crew was missing. "Hey, where's…" But then he remembered the reason why just as fast. "Oh, wait, that's right! Ruby said that she and Max were goin' to Tetrax's ship, didn't she?"

Weiss narrowed her eye skeptically at him. "Your amnesia kicking in, Robo-dolt?"

"Eh, sometimes I just blank on a few things." Rex shrugged. "I wonder why they went there, though."

"I think it was something about seeing one of the prisoners, if I remember correctly." Ren recalled. "I also think I heard the word "parole" being thrown around a few times."

Neptune whirled his head around at the word. "Wait, _parole_? As in "letting one of those psychopaths out" kind of _parole_? What in the hell could they be thinking?!"

"I've gotta agree." Sun supported. "Besides, don't you have to be on REALLY good behavior in order to even qualify for parole? I mean, seriously, which one of those bad guys in there could get a get-out-of-jail-free card besides Argit?"

Kevin crossed his arms without taking his eyes off of the spar between Jaune and Raven. "No clue, but I'm wonderin' if it has anything to do with Ruby." He raised an eyebrow over to them. "After all, if she didn't have a stake in it, why _go_ with Max in the first place?"

Blake's lips parted in realization. "Wait… you're not saying that she might've made a connection with one of those bad guys, do you?"

"Maybe so." Gwen admitted. "But we're going to have to amend that a little, Blake. At the moment, there are six villains on that ship… and one juvenile delinquent." Gwen bit her lip in apprehension. "I have a feeling that I know who Ruby might've made friends with."

* * *

Not far away from the mountain, in a certain clearing out in the middle of the woods, Ruby Rose and Max Tennyson made their way to the Resolute, walking out of the underbrush and toward the ship itself. Ruby had to admit, she was really surprised by how the old Plumber didn't seem to be breaking a sweat. Her father, sister and herself would often take this path to visit her mother's grave, and even then, her dad would get winded both ways. But Max wasn't deterred. In fact, he had a smile on his face and his grip held tight to his hiking stick while he kept a binder full of papers in the other, much to her amazement. "Wow, Mr. Tennyson, I can't believe that you aren't the least bit tired after all that." Ruby commented.

Max let out a chuckle and he craned his head to her. "Well, when you get to be my age, it's important to stay active, you know."

"I guess so. But I'm still really impressed." Ruby smiled. "How have you stayed so lively at your age?"

"Hehe, it's a mix of a lust for life and a happy accident." Max explained. "You see, some years ago, back on that infamous summer break…"

"Where Ben got the Omnitrix?"

"Exactly." Max confirmed. "As you've probably been told, on that summer break, we had our fair share of adventures. And one of those adventures just so happened to involve me being changed back into a ten-year-old boy."

Ruby blinked in shock. "Wait, WHAT?! How is _that_ possible?!"

"Oh, just a little magic water from the Fountain of Youth." Max elaborated. "What I used to think of as a pure myth fabricated by one of the world's most famous explorers was actually a real thing." The old man began explaining as they entered the Resolute, its ramp having lowered for them. "You see, about five hundred or so years ago, a man by the name Juan Ponce de Leon traveled to the state of Florida to find the fountain, but every book in history says that he never found it."

"…But he actually did?" Ruby guessed as they boarded the elevator up to the main floor.

"Exactly. He left one of his people behind to guard it, a man by the name Hector if I recall correctly. Hector actually used the water in a dunk tank, one that I volunteered to be dunked in to entertain my grandchildren." Max chuckled at the memory. "Hehe, he REALLY didn't think that anybody would actually be dunked."

"So how long did it take for you to change back?"

"About a day, actually. But when I did, I felt better than I had in _years_. Heh, my eyesight even cleared up after that." Max's brow suddenly furrowed when he remembered what else happened that day. "Hmm, but still, I can't help but think of what happened to Hector after the fountain ended up getting destroyed."

"Oh my gosh!" Ruby said in shock. "Who did it?"

"A sorcerer named Hex." Max answered. "I think Ben and Gwen might have told you about him once or twice already. He was actually seeking the water for himself to keep himself young, but we managed to stop him. Though the fountain was evaporated entirely after Ben's tantrum."

"Uh… tantrum?"

"Oh, haha, that's right, I forgot to mention, Ben got some of the water on himself too." Max put his hand halfway down his shin. "He was de-aged into a little four-year-old. Gwen got the idea to taunt him enough for him to have a meltdown, and all of the water in the Fountain of Youth evaporated in an instant."

Ruby stifled a laugh before letting it all out. "Ahaha! Oh, oh my gosh, that is hilarious! I've _got_ to remember to tell Yang that!" Once Ruby got all of her laughter out, she concentrated back on the story as the elevator made it to the main floor. They stepped out and made their way to the brig, but Ruby still had one last question lingering in her mind; "So, what do you think happened to Hector?"

"…I like to think that he's led a full life." Max answered. "After four-hundred years, I believe he was looking forward to a good rest." The old Plumber waved his hand with a somber smile. "Ah, but let's not think of things like that right now. We've got more important things to worry about. Now remember, we're here on business, so let's treat it as such, okay?"

"Uh… okay?" Ruby tilted her head. "But, just HOW does one treat Plumber business?"

"Very crucially, Ruby, especially when it comes to parole." Max gave her a serious gaze and followed up with; "I know that you and Swift have made fast friends and you're the one pulling for this, but it's important to not let your emotions get in the way of business, understand?"

Ruby nodded in agreement. "Alright, I understand, Mr. Tennyson. I'll keep my emotions in check."

Just then, the brig door opened, revealing Argit on the other side. He shifted a questioning glance from Max to Ruby before asking; "Well, what're you waitin' for, an invitation? C'mon, Tetrax is waitin' for ya in the back." He jerked his thumb in said direction before turning around and heading that way, leaving Ruby and Max behind.

Ruby pursed her lips in slight frustration. "Could I at least express how annoyed I am with a certain rat?"

Max smiled and gave a supportive pat to Ruby's shoulder with a chuckle. "Hahaha, oh don't worry, Ruby. We ALL get irritated with Argit. That's just how he is."

With that, the two followed Argit until he stopped where Tetrax was waiting for them, the rodent alien leaving not a second later. The Petrosapien was standing directly next to Swift's cell, the Aerophibian hybrid leaning up against the back wall. There were three chairs set directly in front of the cell itself, no doubt for the three of them. Tetrax stepped forward and extended a hand to the old Plumber. "Max, glad you could come by on such short notice."

"Ah, it's not like I'm busy with anything." Max said as he shook Tetra's hand. "The kids are doing most of the work these days, after all." He shifted his eyes over to Swift, greeting her with a smile as he walked over and sat down in the middle chair. "And hello to you, Swift. I must say, it's been a while since we've spoken. Last I recall, it was when Ben initially brought you in."

"Yeah, what a memory THAT was, huh?" Swift said sarcastically. "All things aside though, I'm grateful that you would give me the time to make my case, Magister Tennyson. I know that I cannot take back my past transgressions, but I suppose the least I can do is to try and make up for them."

"Good, that's a great first step." Max supported as Ruby and Tetrax sat down on either side of him. The old Plumber opened the binder that he brought, which contained a bunch of different forms and paperwork. "Now, before we proceed with your case, there ARE some questions that I'm legally required to ask you."

"Go on ahead." Swift obliged. "Just so long as it's not too personal."

"Just a simple background check." Max assured. "Nothing too deep or confidential. Now, let's start with what you were charged with when you were arrested; running away from home, multiple forms of battery and assault, the defacing and damaging of public property, stealing goods and valuables, and finally resisting arrest." He glanced up to her with a neutral face. "…Does this sound correct?"

With every read of her misdeeds, aside from the first one, Swift cringed more and more, a guilty face having taken over her features. "Y-Yeah, that's sounds about right. And that was all before I revealed who I really was."

"I see." Max flipped a few pages before going on. "Now, after going over your record, it says that you spent almost a year in a youth detention center, correct?"

"Psh, yeah, I was in juvie." Swift scoffed. "Those kids there were assholes."

"And from what I've read, I suppose that a few of them provoked you to attack them, right?"

Swift swallowed hard and folded her arms across her chest. "Y-Yes, but only because they attacked me first. I was wearing an ID mask at the time, so no one knew who I was. But then… one of the bigger guys shoved me and the mask came off, exposing my actual appearance." As she recounted the story, Swift huddled herself down on the ground, her face hardening into a scowl. "At first, they were confused and shocked, some of them scared for their life. But then, that same asshole called me a freak, and he started pointing and laughing at me."

Ruby's hand went to her mouth as she let out a gasp. "Oh my gosh."

"It gets worse, Rubes. Soon, a lot of the other guys and some of the tough girls began doing the same, some of them even kicking and spitting at me." Swift clutched her arms and screwed her eyes shut as she recalled how cruel the other teens were to her. "I tried screaming for help, but none of the correctional officers came, and I knew that they probably wouldn't even if I kept asking. I was a freak to all of the humans in that place, plain and simple. I was scared, even fearful for my life."

"And I'm very sorry that you had to be put through something like that, Swift." Max empathized. "No one should ever be subjected to things like that. But at the same time, what you did afterwards was still quite… questionable."

"I know." Swift nodded solemnly. "My father always told me to not use my powers in public, and that had stuck in the back of my mind for my whole life." She took a brief pause as her voice began to choke up slightly, but she kept going on a few seconds later. "But… but then I remembered; I hated him now, so I had no trouble breaking that rule. I blasted them all away and flew out the nearest window, finally free from the shackles that mask put me under."

"And all of those kids had severe third degree burns as a result." Max concluded. "You're lucky that you didn't kill them."

"I had no _intention_ of killing them, I just wanted them _off_ of me!" Swift started crying, tears of sadness falling from her eyes. "Besides… if I didn't blast them away, they would have KILLED me! And if not them, then the guards probably would have instead!"

Max took in a deep breath and put a hand to his forehead. "Honestly Swift… as much as I don't like to say it, I wouldn't have been surprised if they DID try."

Ruby sent a worried gaze to Max. "Is it really THAT bad?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Max affirmed. "Humans at large still see aliens as something to combat and destroy. They've let the science fiction genre plant that idea inside of their heads, and they still have trouble accepting that it's not entirely the case." The old Plumber flipped through the paperwork again as he continued; "I had hoped that Ben's secret getting out would help the world realize that most aliens aren't that much of a threat, but if anything, it's just gotten worse every time one of Ben's enemies attacks."

"And people like that Will Harangue human doesn't help matters much." Tetrax said as he crossed his arms. "If I was an organic being, I'd probably be ill just by listening to his insane ramblings."

"That man is a slug of a human being." Swift concurred. "Utter slime."

It was at that point where Max steered back the conversation. "Alright, let's get back on track here." After a moment of writing a few things down, he went back to Swift. "So, after you broke out of the detention center, you were on the run for a few months, but then you showed up in Bellwood and started attacking from out of the blue."

"Yeah, I met an alien named Psyphon who said he would get me a bunch of Taydens and a ride off-planet if I could lure Ben Tennyson out into the open." Swift raised an eyebrow to Max. "But then again, I already told you this part when you first arrested me, so I probably don't have to go over it again, do I?"

"No, you're right." Max confirmed. "Because after you told us that, we all stayed on our toes for a good few months. We've dealt with Psyphon many times before, and knowing him, I wouldn't have been surprised if it was an elaborate scheme to get Vilgax out of prison." He put a hand to his chin in thought. "Still, we never found him after you told us about him."

"Well, that's just _dandy_ , isn't it?" Swift remarked. "And Vilgax's breakout was, what, about three months after I got arrested? Pfft, to think, all Psyphon had to do was freaking _wait_." She stood up and placed her hands on our hips. "Alright, we've got my criminal record out of the way, so what do I have to do to qualify for parole?"

"Well, firstly, your case for parole has to hold up in intergalactic law." Max turned to a different page and began reading it. "Now, your file states that your sentence was an estimated twenty-five years for the multiple cases of assault, plus the property damage and escape from the detention center which add onto that."

Swift stared at him in disbelief after hearing that. " _That_ long? Oh god, please no." She put her hands to her head as she reeled back. "Magister Tennyson, _please_ , I don't know if I can last that long inside of a cell!"

"Swift, please, calm down." Ruby stood up and went over to the cell, giving her a smile. "That's what we're here for, remember?"

The Aerophibian girl took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, regaining her composure. "I-I know, I'm sorry." She wiped her eyes again as tears threatened to fall from them again. "I think I just worked myself up so much from telling that story from juvie, I… I thought I'd lost it for a second there."

"It's alright, Swift, I understand." Max assured. "But there IS some good news in all of this; you actually already _have_ some requirements to qualify for parole. You've been generally well behaved within our prison, and the only reason you escaped was because of an accident. Plus, you've never killed anyone in your life, so that's good." But as he looked over the records, he remembered what Swift did at Beacon just a few days ago. "Oh, uh… but you did _almost_ kill Velvet back at Beacon, and that _was_ intended, wasn't it?"

Swift placed her forehead in her right hand. "Dear god, I'm screwed."

"NOT if we get a testimony from her." Max pointed out. "If we can get a solid testimony from Velvet, then there might be some chance that—"

"Magister, I tried to KILL her!" Swift insisted. "What makes you think that she's just gonna _forgive_ me?!"

"Actually, you'd be surprised." Ruby said. "Vel's actually a pretty forgiving person. If we can show her that you changed for the batter, then she might just stand up for you in court!" The silver-eyed girl glanced over to the side. "Now Coco on the other hand… she might take longer to convince."

Swift sighed and slumped down against the back wall in exasperation. "Alright, so say, if by some miracle, I got their favor in court and was granted parole. What would I have to do after that to remain free?"

Max flipped through the pages again to a set of guidelines that he had printed out from the Plumber computer on the Rustbucket. "Alright, if you wish to remain on Earth, then the Plumber parole conditions are the same as human ones. You must obey the law. Break the smallest one, and it'll be the straw that breaks the camel's back. Your location must be known at all times, which means you must either call in to your assigned officer or wear a GPS tracker on your person."

"I'll just go with the calls, thank you." Swift decided. "Don't wanna chance someone stalking me."

"Very well." Max went back to reading the guidelines; "You must have permission to travel, and if an official Plumber requests to search your place of stay, you must comply."

Swift's eyes widened at that. "Woah, back up, what was that last one?"

"You will be _required_ to allow a Plumber officer to search your abode whenever they ask." Tetrax repeated firmly. "It may not be a pleasant rule, but it's a precautionary one. It's to make sure that you're not in possession of anything illegal while on your parole."

The alien hybrid grimaced slightly and she folded her arms. "Hmph, alright. I just hope my parole officer won't be a perv or anything."

"We'll make sure to choose wisely." Max promised. "Now, this ties in with the last one a bit; avoid the purchase of drugs and alcohol."

"Heh, that'll be easy." Swift chortled. "Both are disgusting."

"That's what I like to hear. Now, you must also avoid certain people, such as anybody you may have had contact with while on the run or at juvie. And finally, these two rules definitely tie into each other;" Max held up two fingers, "by order of the court, you will have to pay fines and restitution while also going to any counseling programs they assign you to."

Swift closed her eyes and breathed in sharply through her nose. "There's the one I've been waiting for."

Ruby winced as well. "Yeah… you don't exactly _have_ a job, do you?"

"Well, no, I don't. But the part I was dreading was the counseling." Swift explained.

Max raised a hand to her. "It'll only be for a little while, Swift. For you, the counselling shouldn't last for more than a few months. And I'm sure that you can find a steady job to pay off your fines. In fact, I hear that Mr. Baumann's hiring again."

Swift raised an eyeridge. "Isn't that the old guy who runs the alien supermarket in Bellwood?"

"There are alien _supermarkets_?" Ruby asked further.

"Yes to both." Max answered. "Ignatius Baumann is an old friend of mine from way back when. He and I met while I was on a mission to the world of Andesite, where he was sampling some of their famous rock-salt licks." He gave Swift a reassuring smile. "Point is, he and I are close friends, so I think I can get you a job with him if we can get you cleared for parole."

"That's… that's very kind of you, Magister Tennyson." Swift bowed her head in respect. "Thank you, very much."

Just then, Tetrax's gauntlet began beeping, causing everyone to crane their heads to him. "Oh, ahem, excuse me." He stood up and answered the call; "Yes Gluto, what is it?"

" _Sir, General Ironwood is on the line for you."_ the Protost pilot replied on the other end. _"He says its important.'_

"I see, tell him I'll be there in about thirty seconds. Tetrax out." The Petrosapien deactivated his comm and jerked his thumb toward the door. "Apologies, but it seems that the general requires my presence."

"That's okay, Tetrax." Ruby waved. "We've got it from here. Just make sure to let us know if he needs our help with anything."

"Of course, just keep doing what you're doing." Tetrax gave them a salute as he left, allowing them to get back to business.

In her cell, Swift stood up again and narrowed her eyes in suspicion as Tetrax exited the room. "Hmm, if it's from the general… then something tells me that you guys might have a rather exiting day ahead of you."

Ruby merely gave her a shrug. "Yeah, probably. But that's not gonna stop us from your parole arrangements. So, other than a job, what else are you gonna need?"

"Um… a place to live? Because I can tell you right now, I am NOT going back to my father."

"I'm inclined to agree with that." Max concurred. "I've spoken to both your mother AND your father and, well, the man's not exactly what I would call an _open mind_ to some things."

"Understatement of the fucking century."

"But with all that said, finding an apartment in Bellwood should be relatively easy. You just gotta know where to search." Max scribbled a few notes down while he thought this all through in his head. "Now, about your parole officer… I actually have someone in mind about that. He'll be fresh out of the academy when we get back to Earth, but I'm already thinking of assigning him to Manny's squadron." The elderly man rolled his eyes a little. "Lord knows that hot head needs someone to keep him grounded after Pierce… well, let's not talk about that right now."

"And you think this green horn is going to be fit to be MY parole officer?" Swift questioned. "Magister, I seriously hope you know what you're doing."

Ruby leaned over with a quirked brow. "Yeah, I mean, who even IS he? He must be pretty good if you're considering him for this."

"Oh, he is, Ruby." Max affirmed. "His name is Rook Blonko from Revonnah, and I think you both will find that he's actually a rather astute young Plumber."

* * *

Back at the Xiao Long house, Ben and Yang had wrapped up their Arkham Asylum session after a good hour and a half of play, the two wanting to have a nice lunch date in town before anything too crazy happened. Be it snow like what Tai had warned them about before he left for school, or another attack somewhere, they wanted to get a good meal in their systems. "I still can't believe how brutal the Joker can be." Yang commented while putting her boots on. "I mean, rigging a safe with explosives is nothing new, but… sheesh, what a way to go out."

Ben nodded as he pulled his jacket on. "Yeah, Dr. Young was a squealer, and in Joker's place, there's no room for squealers."

Yang just gave him a smirk. "You DO know that what you just said can REALLY be taken out of context, right?"

"Eh, a little raunchy humor never… oh god."

"What is it, babe?"

Ben put a hand to his forehead. "I just realized why your mom burst in on us earlier. She must've heard us talking about Bane through the door, and… well…"

Yang's eyes widened in realization. "Oh my gosh. She thought that you and I were…" The couple had a moment of silence before both of them burst out into a laughing fit. "AHAHA! Dear god, that's too rich!"

"HA! Yeah, we should've guessed just by the look on her face!" Ben added. Once the two finally calmed down, Ben gave a sigh as his cheeks turned a light shade of pink. "Heh, well, I guess that we just gotta be careful about what we say around her, huh?"

"Yeah." Yang smirked as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Ben's neck. "But you know… I remember making a little suggestion to you a few days ago. Something about you and me alone in a dark room, I think?"

That only made Ben's blush more intense. "W-Well, I—" But before he could finish his thought, there suddenly came a ringing from the living room, causing the couple to crane their heads down the stairs. They walked down and saw the holo-television flashing as it rang, signaling an incoming call. Ben's face fell as he realized who the caller must be. "Oh no, don't tell me."

Yang pursed her lips in irritation. "We ALL know that there's only ONE guy who uses that line." She sighed and walked over to it. "C'mon, let's get this over with."

"Alright, but I'm taking you somewhere nice when we get back, and that's a promise." Ben assured.

Yang smiled and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "That sounds really nice, Green Boy." With that, she bent down and pressed the power button, bringing the call through. "Okay, general, what is it this ti—Cooper?!" Yang stepped back in surprise when it was the blonde technopath on the screen instead of the general.

"Dude, what the heck?" Ben asked. "You don't usually use this line."

Copper gave them a shrug. _"Sorry, guys. Ironwood's on the other line waiting for Tetrax. We've got a situation and we're scrambling to get everyone together."_ He typed something into the keyboard he was using and a blurry vertical picture came up, much to the powerful couple's confusion. _"See, a couple hours ago, a guy saw some strange people wandering through the city's abandoned warehouses. They weren't able to get a clear shot at them, but they DID remember some of their faces."_

Ben crossed his arms and raised a brow. "Suspicious people wandering around? Is this _really_ a big reason to call us? Can't the army or police just handle it?"

" _Not when you hear their descriptions."_ Cooper replied, _"The man said he saw a "giant rhino Faunus wearing armor and a pig Faunus with a large mohawk"."_ He raised an eyebrow at the couple. _"Sound familiar?"_

Ben stared at Cooper in disbelief while Yang slapped her forehead, the blonde shouting out; "You've gotta be fucking KIDDING me!"

* * *

Meanwhile, over in Vale, the three hooded figures were currently walking down a partially destroyed street near the very edge of the city, searching for the White Fang's base of operations. Nearly all of the buildings on the street were abandoned warehouses that had long been left behind in the city's expansion, which made it perfect for gangs to hang out in. Well, either that or a radical sect of White Fang. _'Come on, come on, I know it has to be SOMEWHERE around here!'_ the young hooded girl thought to herself as she led her older compatriots through the multiple alleyways in search of some kind of sign. _'Where are the three claws?!'_

Behind the girl, the older woman had her hands together as she gazed around at all of the destruction that had been cause to the city, a sinking feeling building in her stomach. "Dear lord, this is awful."

"Indeed." The man replied as he put a reassuring hand on the woman's shoulders. "It's hard to imagine what it must've been like to be here first hand."

Up ahead, the girl spoke up. "No kidding, I mean, look at that." She pointed to what appeared to be a large sink hole, though upon closer inspection, it was actually a foot print. "The Goliath that made this must've been massive." She balled her right hand into a fist. "Guess we're not the only ones with elephant-sized problems."

"I suppose so." The man nodded. He gazed around the street, using his keen eyesight to try and spot a White Fang symbol of some kind, but to no avail. He sighed and crossed his arms. "Are you certain that this is where Sienna stationed them?"

"Of course." The girl waved her hand. "She specifically told them to seclude themselves to an out of the way place within the city where no one would suspect them to be." The girl spread her arms out. "Seems pretty secluded to me."

"She's right." The woman spoke up, gaining the other's attention as she pointed to a rather far off building at the end of an alleyway. "Over there." The other two came up to her and focused on the building, which seemed to be the only one with any lights on. "Come, quickly!" The three jogged down to the end of the alley, and when they did, a certain symbol started coming into view. It was engraved on the side of the building and it stood out from the brickwork quite clearly; three white claw marks, right beside the double doors. "Bingo." the woman smiled.

"Nice spot, hon." The man commended before taking a inhaling deeply through his nostrils. "It's… it's been a while since I had to address them like this."

"I know, sir." The girl nodded to the man. "But we're desperate, and they may be our only chance."

"Sweetheart." The woman put a hand to the man's arm in encouragement. "You can do this, I know you can."

The bowed his head, letting go of his apprehensive breath. "You're right… let's hope that Adam is in a listening mood." With that, the man put his hands on the double door's handles and pulled them both down, allowing him to push the doors open with ease. The doors slammed against the wall and immediately, his suspicions were confirmed as a whole bunch of eyes were now on him. The White Fang were here.

All throughout the room, there were White Fang members, many of them in uniform while others were in more casual wear. But all the same, they still wore their White Fang masks, shielding their true identities. But the man noticed immediately that there was something off about the place. All of the White Fang members seemed to be on edge, with many of them keeping their weapons drawn even before they aimed them at him. Others seemed to be visibly worried or shaken, almost as if they were scared of something. One White Fang in particular, a Faunus with deer antlers, immediately aimed a gun at the man and questioned him; "Who goes there?! Hands on your head!"

"WAIT!" The man said with a commanding voice, raising his hands up to halt the White Fang. "Please, don't shoot, brother!"

That made the deer Faunus faulter a bit. "…Brother?"

"Yes… brother-in-arms." The man put his hands to his hood and pulled it back, revealing his face. He appeared to be in his early fifties, the visible wrinkles beneath his eyes evidence of his age. He had a head full of thick, black hair which extended down his face to make a rather impressive beard. His yellow eyes shimmered bright yellow as they met the light, his brows furrowing as he pulled his hood down. He pushed the cloak back with his shoulders, revealing a purple coat with white fur trim which he kept open to expose his hairy chest. There was a matching purple sash over his beige pants, kept on by a large and ornate silver buckle. On his left shoulder was a similarly ornate spaulder, the armor piece connected to a matching clip on the right side of his coat by two metal strips. On his hands were a pair of mismatching black gauntlets, though one would find it hard to tell with all of the thick arm hair that protruded from his coat. Finally, he had on a pair of knee-high black boots with white toes that resembled panther paws, completing his overall appearance. The man nodded his head to the White Fang and made a humble request; "Please, stand down."

The whole room could not believe who they were seeing. "G-G-Ghira Belladonna?!" The deer Faunus dropped his weapon out of shock as the whole room started mumbling amongst themselves. Some of the younger recruits even asked who Ghira was, which the more seasoned White Fang quickly explained. The deer Faunus dropped to one knee and raised his arms. "Your eminency, w-what are you doing here? I mean, and I intend no offence with this, but… you left the White Fang quite some time ago."

"Very true." Ghira bowed his head back. "But I'm sorry to say that I bring ill tidings." The chieftain of Menagerie raised his arms and stepped into the room, addressing everyone as the two cloaked women walked in behind him. "Brothers of the White Fang, I beseech you! I come to you now not as a returning leader, but as a concerned citizen of Menagerie.

"Our homeland is in danger even as we speak." The older woman spoke as she came forward and pulled her hood back, revealing a rather beautiful face. She was slightly younger than Ghira, with similar black hair and yellow eyes, though the main draw was the large pair of cat ears sticking out from her head. The ears themselves had gold studs in them, one in her left ear, and two in her right. She pushed the cloak back with her shoulders and revealed that she was wearing a hakama, along with the addition of a black shrug with gold-leaf trim. The shrug had one long left sleeve and no sleeve on the right, while both of her arms were adorned with warmers that slipped over her middle finger. The right warmer was adorned by a purple band and two gold bracelets, and around her waist, she wore a long black and gold sash that trailed down her back. She had on a pair of black, heeled sandals with a pair of white tabi socks, giving her a rather traditional appearance. "We have been invaded by a pair of Faunus that has taken over the White Fang's home base."

The crowd of White Fang began mumbling to themselves in concern again, though a few of them were also conversing about the woman herself; "That's Kali, Ghira's wife!" One White Fang explained to a new recruit.

Another member, a male Faunus with the ears of a hare coming out his head asked; "How can only _two_ Faunus defeat a whole slew of White Fang?! It's impossible!"

"And what reason does a Faunus have to attack the White Fang?!" Another member shouted, this one a woman with a visible skunk tail.

"Because they are unlike any Faunus we have ever seen before." Ghira elaborated. "They're Faunus that are more animal than man, and they are so powerful that they overwhelmed the White Fang in nearly a _day_."

There came more mumbling from the crowd before the deer Faunus spoke up again, a slight quiver in his voice. "D-D-Did you s-say, more animal than man?"

"That's right." The young girl spoke up as she pulled her hood and cloak off entirely, disregarding it unlike Ghira and Kali who kept theirs on. She was in her late teens and had long brown hair that was styled into a pony tail, the hair curling right at its tip. She had light gray eyes and a tan complexion to her skin, with darker spots riddled across her face, shoulders, hands and knees. She wore a sleeveless stealth suit that was black at the top and a combination of two greys at the bottom; a lighter grey at the front and back while a darker grey strip went down her sides. The top of her uniform had a gold zipper and a grey harness with gold buckles, along with a brown backpack on her back. Her feet were adorned by a pair of black boots while she wore a single black glove on her right hand, completing her appearance. "Why do you seem scared at that?" she asked with a skeptical glance.

The deer Faunus was slightly taken aback. _'Ilia Amitola? Even SHE came here?'_ Remembering her question, the deer Faunus cleared his throat and put a hand behind his head. "Um… well, you see, Miss Ilia… we had some visitors come in earlier and—"

Just then, the doors on the other side of the room burst open, followed up by a loud; "HEY!" At that moment, the last thing that either Ghira, Kali or Ilia had planned on seeing that day came through the door, ducking their large animal-like heads under the entry way. One was a large rhino-man donned in heavy armor with a cybernetic horn and a large minigun strapped to his back while the other was a mohawked warthog-man with a futuristic visor, mechanical gauntlets, and a large mace at his hip. "What's goin' on in here?!" the pig man shouted.

Ilia felt a sense of dread overtaking her. "No… no, it's impossible!"

Kali let out a gasp and recoiled in horror. "Oh lord, there's MORE of them?!"

Ghira whipped his head to the White Fang and demanded to know what was going on. "What is this?! Who are these… these…"

"Mutants." The rhino clarified. "We're mutants, hairy man."

"Mutants?" Ilia questioned. "So THAT explains why those two Faunus were so different! They must be mutants too!"

The deer Faunus bowed to Ghira apologetically. "I'm so sorry, your grace. But they arrived just this morning and… well, look at them! They have dangerous weapons and they wanted to be let in. Long story short, we weren't willing to risk our lives if we turned them away."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, let's back up." The pig halted as he pointed to Ghira and Kali. "Just who the hell ARE you _cats_ anyway?"

As much as Kali wanted to make the swine pay for that rather awful pun, intentional or not, she focused on her husband with a concerned gaze. "Ghira, what do we do now? This is exactly the _opposite_ of what we were hoping to find here."

Despite the shock he was feeling, Ghira quickly reassured his wife. "Kali, don't worry, it'll be alright. …Perhaps I might be able to reason with these ones." He stepped forward, keeping his hands balled into fists at his side as he addressed the large animal-mutants. "Ahem, greetings. I am Ghira Belladonna, former leader of the White Fang. And you would be…"

"Exo-Skull." The rhino man jabbed a thumb to himself before directing it over to his partner. "An' this is my buddy, Thunderhog." Skull lowered his head down and got right up in Ghira's face. "So, _you_ used to be the head honcho around here, did ya?"

"Well, not _here_ , exactly." Ghira explained. "I was once leader of the whole White Fang. The leader of this sect is… wait." He whipped his head around to the antlered White Fang again with a questioning gaze. "Where's Adam? We came to ask for his help."

Kali came up and added to that; "And is Blake here as well? We heard that she was going to Beacon, but after the attack, we were fearing the worst!"

The deer Faunus lowered his gaze and shook his head. "I… I'm sorry, Mrs. Belladonna, but we haven't seen Blake since the attack. And as for Adam… he's been arrested."

"WHAT?!" Ghira hollered.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Ilia said in disbelief. "Adam's too strong to be arrested! Who could've taken him down?"

But Ghira narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "More importantly, what was he arrested _for_?"

Hog suddenly had a smirk on his pig lips. "Let's just say that he was involved with one o' the deadliest attacks in the history of this city." He spread his arms out across the entire room. "In fact, ALL of these guys were involved! Ahaha!"

Ghira and Kali both wore astonished expressions while Ilia furrowed her brow, keeping silent throughout Hog's laughter. Ghira faced the deer Faunus again, a deadly expression written on his face. "Is this true? Did you take part in destroying this city?!"

"I… I'm sorry, your grace." The White Fang lowered his head. "But it's true. Adam began conspiring with the ones who planned the whole invasion in the first place." He pointed to Hog and Skull. "…And those two are affiliated with them as well."

As Kali gasped and Ilia glowered at Hog and Skull, Ghira faced back to the two mutants with a glare of his own. "So, _your_ group are responsible for Vale's destruction? And you somehow convinced Adam to go through with this?"

"Damn right, but we actually weren't around for that." Skull explained. "We're more… _recent_ recruits to Lady Salem's cause."

"And who IS this Salem?" Kali pressed further.

Just then, a voice came from behind Hog and Skull; "That is for us to know, and for you to never find out." The two large mutants stepped aside to reveal Hazel and Tyrian, the latter slightly hunched over and cackling while the former stepped forward, meeting Ghira head on. "Ghira Belladonna. It's so rare to see you outside of Menagerie these days."

Ghira glowered at the man as a familiar scent hit his nose; human. "You! I recognize you… Hazel Rainart, correct? What reason does a human like you have in being here?"

"I'm actually here to make a simple offer from my mistress." Hazel explained. "We've come to help this sect of White Fang by granting them our help in exchange for theirs."

"The White Fang will NEVER help you!" Ghira retorted. "I will _not_ allow their name to be besmirched by people such as yourselves!" He balled his hands into fists as he glared at Hazel. "I don't know what you said to Adam for him to go along with your plans in the first place, but I came here to bring help to Menagerie, and goddammit, I'm going to do it!"

Tyrian cackled in the corner. "AAHAHA! Oh boy, if only he knew how far little Adam had fallen. He was _more_ than happy to go along with our plans once we laid 'em out to him! In fact, a LOT of these guys were! Heeheheehe! Pretty sure they ALL killed quite a few students too!"

Kali gasped and her hand went to her mouth, tears brimming her eyes at the thought of so many young people dead. "Oh my god!"

Just then, the skunk-tailed Faunus woman shouted out; "Well, it's not like they didn't have it coming!"

The hare-eared Faunus added; "Yeah, we ALL did our part!" He let out a cackle and lifted his firearm to the sky. "AHAHA! I can still hear the screams of all those stupid humans!"

"Stop this!" Ghira growled as he spun around to the two boasters. "How could you have done such a thing?! I know that Sienna's approach is—"

"Adam stopped taking orders from Sienna a long time ago, old man!" The hair-eared Faunus rebuked. "He did this on his OWN." He jabbed his thumb over to Hog and Skull. "And their master made sure that he had _all_ the help he could get."

Ilia closed her eyes and shook her head. "Wouldn't have put it past him."

"Enough of this!" Ghira roared with a swipe of his arm, his head lowering to the ground in contemplation. With a heavy sigh, he said; "In hindsight, I should have known that something like this would happen. What Adam has done… it's inexcusable. And now I see that he probably wouldn't have helped _us_ either." He faced back to the room full of White Fang and pleaded with them. "But it's not too late for the rest of you! Please, join us and help us rid Menagerie of the tyrannical mutants that have taken over the White Fang!"

There was a momentary pause before the deer Faunus stepped forward again, holding his arms out to Ghira in pleading. "Your grace, while I'm sure that _many_ of us would be more than happy to help… the final decision is up to them." He gestured over to the four followers of Salem. "Forgive me, but… they are all fully armed and dangerous. It would be unwise to make them mad."

"Hey, it's alright by me!" Hog waved a hand. "I mean, we CAME here to help out the White Fang in exchange for helpin' _us_ out right? This might be a good way to get into their graces!"

Ilia narrowed her eyes at the pig man. _'Not in a million years, oinker."_

Skull pointed to his best friend. "That might be backwards logic, but it's still logic, so it works for me!" He placed his hands on his hips as he approached Ghira again. "So, tell me, what're these mutants like? Do you know who made 'em?"

Ghira narrowed his eyes at Skull. _'I'm not about to take him up on his good-for-nothing offer, but maybe I can get some information out of him.'_ Ghira shook his head and answered; "No, I don't. If they have a master, they've never mentioned them. But I CAN describe their appearance." He raised his left arm high. "The first one is a large elephant man with ears shaped like bat wings, and he is dressed in purple and black garbs. HE is the one who is in charge of the whole thing." He then put his hand down to his abdomen. "And the other one is about this tall and is a hybrid of sorts. A monkey with blue fur, two sets of arms and eyes, and he has the ability to shoot webbing from his tail like a spider. Do you happen to know who they… what are you two gawking at?"

At Ghira's explanation, Hog and Skull's jaws dropped to the floor in realization. A few moments later, Hog burst out laughing again. "AHAHA! No fuckin' way! Those guys got blasted here just like everyone else! I was wonderin' why we hadn't seen 'em!"

Skull chortled as well. "Heheh, yeah, now THIS is just too good."

Ghira shifted his eyes between the two as Kali and Ilia wore confused and worried expressions. The chieftain of Menagerie grit his teeth and asserted himself; "What are you talking about?! Who are they?!"

Hog just guffawed some more. "Ha! We were prison mates with 'em, man! We know those dudes!"

Kali's brows furrowed. " _Prison_ mates?"

"Yep," Skull nodded, "and on top of all that, you guys were wrong! You're not dealin' with mutants, you've got a couple a' aliens on your hands!"

" _Aliens_?!" Ilia facepalmed. "Okay, I'm done. First you say that you're mutants, and _then_ you say that your pals are aliens. WHICH IS IT?!"

"Well, okay, we DID forget that there _are_ some aliens that look like animals where we come from." Skull admitted. "But that's not the point! The point is that they're some old friends of ours…" He craned his head over to Hazel and gave him a wink. "And I think that we can help you _get rid_ of 'em." Hazel smiled back, immediately understanding the underlying meaning of Skull's words.

However, Ghira did as well, his enhanced senses picking up on Skull's true intention. "You're lying, I can tell." He stepped up and pointed right in his face. "If you think I'm about to let you trick me into taking you to our homeland so you can subjugate my people even further, then you are dead wrong."

All through the room, the White Fang members were mumbling amongst themselves as they awaited Hog and Skull's response. Finally, after a few seconds, Skull just shrugged. "Well, suit yourself. I mean, here we are offering our services, and you just turn 'em down like they were nothin'. That said, you probably won't be goin' back to your home… or anywhere else." Skull pounded his fist into his open palm. "Hog! Hazel! Tyrian! Let's show them the _only_ way out."

Tyrian let out a series of giggles at the news, his tail unfurling and exposing itself as he readied his pincer-shaped weapons. "Hehehe! Oh, FINALLY! I've been waiting for a good scrap!"

Hog got out his mace and entered a combat stance. "OH YEAH! Time to bash some heads!"

Hazel merely closed his eyes and crossed his arms. "If you three must do battle, then fine. As for myself, I'm going to prepare our ship to leave for Menagerie." He did an about-face and gave a small salute to Ghira. "Thank you for the information, Mr. Belladonna. Lady Salem will be delighted when she has the entire White Fang under her control."

"NO!" Ghira surged forward to stop Hazel, the panther man fueled by his anger. "You will _never_ have control of the White Fang—GAH!" In a split second, Ghira received a punch in the gut from Exo-Skull for his troubles, sending him sailing back and down to the ground in front of his wife and Ilia.

"Ghira!" Kali knelt down and picked her husband up, touching his face in concern. "Sweetheart, are you alright?!"

"I… I'm fine, dear." Ghira reassured as he stood back up, an arm going to his abdomen as he did. He sent a glare up to Skull before telling him; "I do not know who your mistress is, but you won't get away with this! We WILL stop you. The _White Fang_ will stop you!"

Skull just smirked at that. "Uh, you might wanna think again." With a snap of his fingers, Skull gave a new order; "Alright everybody, take aim at the intruders."

With his word, all of the White Fang members in the room pulled out a weapon and aimed it at the Belladonnas and Ilia, taking Ghira aback. "…No. Brothers, how could you—"

"I'm sorry, your grace." The deer Faunus said with a dejected expression. "But with them in charge, it's either kill… or be killed."

Suddenly, Ilia stepped forward and pulled something out of her backpack; a black, spherical container of some kind with what appeared to be a fuse of some kind sticking out the top of it. "Yeah, not happening." She pulled the fuse and slammed the ball on the ground, making it explode in a puff of white smoke.

Everyone in the room began coughing and hacking, some even reeling back at the unexpected act. "Oh, they did NOT just smoke bomb us! HAK-HAK!" Hog coughed.

"'Fraid so! HAK-HAK!" Skull confirmed. "Where the hell did they—"

Just then, everyone heard the set of double doors close, immediately putting Hazel on high alert. "They've escaped! All of you, go after them NOW! We cannot allow them to get this information to General Ironwood!" At his orders, the White Fang members, Hog, Skull and Tyrian all ran out of the building, going on the hunt for the three Faunus in the streets of Vale. "Or worse… Ben Tennyson."

* * *

Back on the Resolute, Tetrax was walking into the bridge of his ship, his eyes shifting toward his pilot the moment he came in. "Gluto, bring up General Ironwood's call, in you wouldn't mind." He sat down in his captain chair and put his arms on the rests, awaiting to hear what the general had to say.

" _I'm all over it, sir!"_ Gluto said through his universal translator. _"Putting you on the line… now."_ With a few button presses, Gluto brought up the giant holoscreen in front of the ship's windshield, with Ironwood's face right in the middle. _"Alright, general, you're on!"_

" _Ahem, thank you."_ Ironwood cleared his throat before addressing the Petrosapien. _"Tetrax, I'm glad that I was able to get a hold of you. Cooper just got off the phone with Ben and Yang, so they should be on their way as we speak."_

Tetrax raised an eyeridge at that. "What do you mean, James? Is there something wrong?"

" _We think so."_ The general typed into the console that he was using and brought up a blurry picture, thought Tetrax could tell that there was a large, definite shape in the middle of it. _"A concerned citizen came forward this morning with this picture on his scroll. He said that he saw four mysterious figures roaming around Vale's abandoned warehouses this morning on his way to work. While he couldn't get ALL of them in frame, he managed to get a snapshot of the largest one."_

Tetrax stood back up and waked over to the holoscreen to inspect the blurry photo. The figure in the middle was large and predominantly wearing brown, though Tetrax could see a little bit of grey in there as well. "Did he give a description of their appearance?"

" _He didn't get a good look at the first two, but the other two he said were unforgettable."_ Ironwood's brows furrowed. _"A giant rhino man and a warthog man. He didn't know if they were Faunus or not."_

"Well, that IS unmistakable." Tetrax agreed before craning his head to his pilot. "Gluto, enhance the image." In no time at all, Gluto jiggered with the image enough until it was completely clear, revealing who the figure was. "Just as I thought; Exo-Skull. And where there's Exo-Skull, Thunderhog's not too far behind." He put a finger to his chin in thought. "Still, I have to wonder… who could the other two individuals be?"

" _More of Salem's followers, most likely."_ Ironwood figured. _"But what worries me is what they intend on doing in the city. We have to find them and—"_

Just then, a door slammed open on Ironwood's end of the call, and an Atlesian soldier cried out; _"GENERAL! We have a situation!"_

Ironwood and Tetrax were immediately at attention, with Tetrax putting his helmet up in case the soldier caught a glimpse at his face. _"What is it, soldier?"_ Ironwood questioned. _"What's going on?"_

The soldier answered while regaining his breath, having ran all the way there. _"It's… it's the White Fang, sir! They've reappeared!"_ The answer took Ironwood by surprise as the soldier kept explaining. _"They're charging in a mob through the streets by the warehouses. They're being led by three Faunus; a rhino, a warthog and a scorpion. But the first two are a lot more animalistic than any regular Faunus that we've ever seen! Sir, could they be…"_

Ironwood's fists clenched as he gave the man a nod. _"Those are the suspects that we were told about earlier this morning, solider. But what in the world are they doing with the White Fang?"_

" _I'm not sure, sir, but reports say that they're chasing down three unidentified individuals, and they mean to do harm."_ The soldier stood at attention and concluded; _"Awaiting your orders, sir."_

The general took a deep breath and bowed his head. _"Alright, this just went from a Code Blue to a Code Red."_ He faced back to Tetrax with a serious expression. _"Tetrax, we need the team here, NOW."_

* * *

Back down the hall of the ship, Ruby and Max had emerged from the brig, having concluded their interview with Swift. Both of them were wearing satisfied smiles, the whole talk having gone over rather well. "I gotta say, that was REALLY productive." Ruby grinned happily. "I think that Swift may just have a shot at parole."

"If we can convince Velvet to testify at intergalactic court." Max reminded. "And hopefully we can convince her that Swift really is sorry."

"Don't worry, I'll talk to her." Ruby promised. "I'll bring her here and then we can all have a talk about everything. Swift said that she'll apologize, so there's a good sign already." She crossed her arms in thought. "But what I'm more worried about is Coco. She's extremely protective of Velvet and WILL probably be skeptical about Swift wanting to change."

Max put a hand to his chin in thought. "Hmm, well, I guess that _will_ be a challenge. But I wouldn't worry about it too much, Ruby. You've got a knack peace talk, so I'm sure that you can help Coco at least come to a compromise with Swift."

"Yeah, hopefully. Still, I—"

"Ruby! Grandpa!" The two whirled around and, much to their surprise, saw Ben and Yang running toward them from down the hall, and they seemed to be in a hurry for some reason. "We've got a situation!" Ben called out again. "A mutant-sized one!"

Max craned his head down to face his grandson as the duo came to a halt. "Ben, what's going on? Is everything okay?"

"I thought you guys were going on a date." Ruby added.

"We were _planning_ to." Yang said in a slightly irritated tone. "But Cooper called a little while ago. He said that some guy saw Hog, Skull and two others near the abandoned warehouses in Vale."

Ruby's eyes nearly bugged out. "Seriously?! Some average guy just saw Hog and Skull in _plain daylight_?!"

Ben raised a hand up to her. "Don't worry. The guy didn't know if they were Faunus or not, so we should still be good. But the point is that we've got to get to Vale pronto." Ben tapped the faceplate of the Omnitrix. "I've already called ahead to Gwen and the others. We're gonna pick 'em up at Mount Patch and then we're making tracks to—WHOA!"

The entire group shouted in surprise as the ship suddenly lurched forward, rising up off of the ground soon after. Yang steadied herself against a nearby wall as the ship leveled out, her hair having fallen over half of her face in the lift-off. "The HELL was that?!" she demanded while brushing her hair away.

At that moment, a door at the opposite end of the hallway opened up, revealing Tetrax on the other side. He quickly spotted Ben and Yang and gave a sigh of relief. "Hah, am I glad that you two made it in time." The Petrosapien bounded over to them and began giving them the details. "I just received a call from General Ironwood. This situation just went from Blue to Red. Thunderhog, Exo-Skull, and a third perpetrator are on the move, and they aren't alone."

"What do you mean, Tetrax?" Max asked. "What's happening?"

"We now know the reason why those two were in Vale in the first place; to find and take over leadership of the White Fang."

"No way!" Ruby cried out. "You're sure about this?"

"I am. General Ironwood just got received a report saying that they're leading the White Fang in a mob, and they're chasing down three unidentified individuals." Tetrax walked over to the nearby doorway and it slid open for him, accessing the elevator to the loading dock. "Follow me, everyone. Ben, did you call the others?"

"I did." Ben answered as he and everyone else boarded the elevator with him. "They're waiting for us at Mount Patch as we speak."

"Very good. We'll pick them up quick and then head to Vale. We have to stop Hog and Skull before they cause an unwanted scene in the middle of the city." Once the elevator had made it down to the loading dock, the group felt the ship begin to descend. The moment it touched the ground, the exit ramp lowered down and the rest of the team began boarding the ship, with Gwen and Kevin leading the pack. Winter, Athena and Raven were also accompanying them, the three keeping toward the back of the group. Tetrax gave them a nod and greeted the Anodite as the ship took off again. "Gwen, I'm sure that Ben's explained the situation to you already?"

"He did." The redhead confirmed. "Any major updates?"

Yang came forward, her hands placed on her hips. "Yeah, the sitch has been escalated through the roof." Her eyes trailed over to Blake, the blonde giving her partner a sympathetic expression. "Blake… Hog and Skull came to Vale to find the White Fang. They're leading a whole mob of them through the streets right now."

Blake's face was a mixture of emotions; apprehension, disbelief, and most prominently, anger. Her brow furrowed and her lips turned up into a sneer. "You have to be KIDDING me! Salem STILL wants to manipulate the White Fang so that they can fight in her war?!" She hit a nearby metal crate in frustration, and she immediately felt better. "I thought that all of this would've ended when Adam was _finally_ put behind bars."

"To be honest, I'm not surprised." Weiss spoke up. "They're leaderless and without good resources." The heiress gave her friend a shrug. "Plus, Thunderhog and Exo-Skull are pretty intimidating, so there's that."

Winter gave Blake a reluctant shrug. "I must agree with my sister. Those two are imbeciles, but they're strong imbeciles who can back up any threats they make."

Sun winced at Schnee sisters' logic. "I hate to say it, but they make a good point, Blake."

Blake sighed and facepalmed in exasperation. "Yeah, I guess. Doesn't mean I have to like it." She glanced back up to Ben and Yang with a nod. "Alright, so do we know _why_ they're mobbing in the streets?"

"They're chasing down three people." Ben answered. "We don't know who they are, but if they're being chased by the White Fang, then they must have some beef with them." Out of the corner of his eye, Ben saw Jaune step forward, and he was taken aback by the multiple cuts and bruises on the blonde's face, though they were visibly healing up rather quickly. "WHOA! Dude, what happened to your face?!"

Jaune grimaced at the question. "Long story short?" He craned his head to face Yang. "I sparred with your mom and got my ass kicked."

Yang whirled around to her mother in shock. "MOM! You did _this_ to him?!"

Raven came up and gave Jaune a slap on the back. "That's right. He's got that Arc durability that my father hated so much. Gotta say though, his reaction and recovery time kept improving every time I kicked his ass." She crossed her arms and grinned wickedly. "He'd get knocked down, but he just kept getting right back up again. Stubborn little fucker."

Pyrrha rolled her eyes and put an arm around her boyfriend. "Yes, well, at least _something_ good came out of that training session. Now, can we please focus on the situation at hand?"

Nora popped up and raised Magnhild above her head in preparation. "Hell yeah! I'm ready to go another round with those big jerks! Let's do this!"

"Couldn't have said it better myself!" Ruby grinned before noticing Rex and Penny strolling up to her, the EVO holding onto a toaster. "Hey there, guys." She shifted her eyes directly to Penny. "So, Pen, did you figure out if you've got Upgrade's abilities?"

"Oh, she's got 'em alright." Rex rattled the toaster around for emphasis. "She managed to fix this toaster AND turn it into a laser cannon for a little while."

Penny gave Ruby a salute. "I made death toast!"

Ruby paused for a moment in astonishment, though her smile never left her face. "Well that's… great, I think." She leaned over and whispered to her sister; "I am _far_ too afraid to ask."

"And I think that may be for the best." Yang concluded. "So long as dad's toaster is okay, then everything's alright with me."

* * *

"COME BACK HERE!" Exo-Skull shouted as he, Hog and Tyrian led the White Fang through the desolated streets. People ran away in horror as the stampede made its way downtown, still in pursuit of the three Faunus that were running from them. Ghira and Kali had put their hoods back up while Ilia was trying to keep up with them, the backpack weighing her down as she ran. As the trio rounded another corner, Ilia immediately spotted a nearby ally way which she was quick to lead the Belladonna's into. They hid behind a nearby dumpster, hoping that the rotten stench would mask their scent from the White Fang's heightened senses. "You can't run forever!" Skull hollered as he came to a halt in the middle of the street.

Kali blinked hard before setting her gaze on her husband. "He's right. We can't keep running like this." she whispered. "What are we going to do?"

Ghira balled his hands into fists, a soft growl escaping his throat. "I… I don't know." he admitted. "Never once did I think I'd have to be fighting against the White Fang. I don't want to hurt them, but at the same time… we may just have to."

Suddenly, Ilia spotted some nearby scaffolding, and an idea popped into her head. "Maybe we _don't_ have to." She took her backpack off and pulled out two things. First was her White Fang mask, which was much more unique than the usual masks. It was larger and came up at a large point at the top, which extended past her hairline. It also had the addition of two curved horns, which made the mask overall resemble the head of a chameleon. The second thing she pulled out was her signature weapon; a blade with a revolving chamber in its hilt, complete with a grip that resembled that of a gun. The blade itself was sectioned off into fourteen individual parts, indicating that it had yet another function. "I'll draw their attention while you guys make a run for it." She tightened her hand around her weapon as she prepared herself to leave. "And… find help. Those freaks need to be taken down and the White Fang need to be freed."

"Are you sure about this, Ilia?" Kali asked in concern. "What will you do if they catch you?"

Ilia smiled slyly as she placed her mask on. "You forget… I can be _quite_ sneaky. Now, once they start following me, run as fast as you can and don't look back. Wish me luck." With that, Ilia stood up and jumped up onto the scaffolding with an acrobatic leap. The Belladonna's watched her as she climbed up to the roof, giving out a loud whistle when she finally did. "HEY! Up here, you big lump!"

"Huh?" Hog craned his head up and snarled at the sight of Ilia. "There she is! After her!" With that, Tyrian and the White Fang all did an about-face and began following Ilia as she ran over the roof tops. Skull was about to leave as well, but Hog stopped him. The rhino man was about to ask why, but he was met with his friend making a zipping motion to his lips. Hog pointed over to a nearby alleyway, the one next to the building that Ilia had appeared on. Skull nodded in agreement and the two made their way over. With one swing of his mace, Hog embedded it into the dumpster and pulled it away, revealing Ghira and Kali's hiding place. "Peekaboo!"

Ghira's eyes widened in shock as he and his wife stood up in shock. "NO! How did you—"

"You REALLY think we're _that_ stupid?" Hog asked. "The skinny girl was the _only_ one to show herself. I had a feeling that she was actin' out a little distraction."

Skull chortled as he pulled the Executioner off of his back. "Haha, yep! And now, I'm gonna make swiss cheese outta the both of ya!"

Kali narrowed her eyes at the two mutants in anger. "You may put an end to us, but there WILL be someone to stop you!"

"She's right." Ghira bolstered. "You won't be getting away with this!"

"Oh yeah?" Hog countered. "An' who's gonna stop us? Skinny girl? Ha! That toothpick couldn't hurt a fly!" He spread his arms out to the empty streets. "And last I checked, there's no witnesses around, so you cats are pretty much screwed—AGH!" At that moment, a powerful and turbulent wind came out of nowhere, along with the sound of ship engines. Hog, Skull and the Belladonna's shifted their eyes up just in time to see a rather large appear out of thin air above their heads, its exit ramp lowering for the occupants to disembark. "Ah crap." Hog grumbled. "Tennyson!"

"Tennyson?" Ghira pondered before seeing a whole group of people jump off of the large ship, the first one being enveloped in a flash of green light, changing his form completely. "WHAT THE HELL?!"

Kali's eyes nearby bugged out at what she was seeing. "Did that boy just—"

The woman was cut off when the large crystalline man slammed his fist on the ground, landing in a crouch in between the two mutants and the Belladonna's. He stood up and proclaimed; "Diamondhead!" before glaring at Hog and Skull. "Sorry boys, but whatever you're planning on doing, you might just wanna give it up right now." Diamondhead craned his head up as his compatriots continued to descend. "Alright guys, flank 'em! Let's take these clowns to the cleaners!"

* * *

When Blake had jumped out of the Resolute to confront Hog and Skull, she was laser focused on bringing the mutated duo down. ' _I'm not about to let them drag the White Fang through the mud any more than Adam already has.'_ she vowed in her head before she, her team, Sun, Rex, Winter and Ben all leapt off the ship. Gwen, Kevin, Team JNPR, Neptune, Penny, Athena and Raven had stayed on board so that they could follow the mob of White Fang that were charging down the street, the ship flying in that direction as soon as the first squad had jumped off. After Ben changed into Diamondhead and landed in front of Hog and Skull, he gave an order to flank the two mutants, which Blake was more than happy to agree with. She landed on the a nearby rooftop and aimed Gambol Shroud at Hog and Skull, waiting to see what they'd do.

Yang landed directly next to Ben, punching the ground directly in front of Hog and Skull while unloading a Fire Dust round from her Ember Celica. The force made from the impact was enough to cause the two mutants lose their balance, making them stumble backwards and onto their behinds. Yang stood up to her full height and crossed her arms with a smirk. "Hi boys, did ya miss us?"

"Like a bad rash!" Skull retorted as he and Hog got back up. "How in the hell did you find out we were here so goddamned fast?!"

Rex landed to their immediate right, using his Punk Busters to soften the blow. "Dude, there are eyes and ears _everywhere_ in this city. Someone saw you and they went to the authorities, simple as that." Rex exchanged his Punk Busters for his Smack Hands in the blink of an eye, eliciting an audible gasp from the two hooded people. "Alright, let's see if TODAY will be the day I get to kick some mutant animal booty!"

Sun landed right next to the EVO and gave him a questioning glance. "Seriously? THAT'S the best you can come up with? "Kick some mutant animal booty"?" The monkey boy smacked his forehead. "Dude, you just lost a LOT of credibility with that line alone."

Rex winced as the line was repeated to him. "Eh, yeah, okay. It WAS pretty bad."

Weiss and Ruby made their landing right next to Rex, and the two immediately recoiled at the sight of Hog and Skull. Weiss wore a disgusted expression while Ruby had one of bewilderment, the silver-eyed girl hardly believing the mutated duo's appearance. "Whoa! It's one thing to _hear_ that they've been mutated, but seeing it in person, it's admittedly pretty cool." The Hooded Huntress was quick to add; "Evil, but cool."

Weiss just pointed Myrtenaster at the two, her eyes narrowing at them. "Well, I'll definitely say one thing; it's an improvement from their old faces, that's for sure."

Rex cheered at Weiss' quip. "OH! Ice Princess bringing the hurt!" He gave the heiress a wink. "Now I gotta teach you some Spanish insults and then you'll be golden!"

Weiss rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but smile at the support. "Thanks, I'll remember that."

Winter landed right next to her sister and pointed her weapon to Hog and Skull, she herself slightly grimacing at the sight of them. "I have seen enough of this." she chastised. "It's one thing to terrorize a small town, but to do the same in a heavily populated city that has already been ravaged by Grimm… it's despicable. Not to mention the fact that you pulled in an unrelated faction by force to do your dirty work."

Hog lowered his visor to give her his best serious expression. "Oh, OH, you wanna run that by me again? 'Cause last I checked, the White Fang ain't exactly all that innocent!" The pig mutant gestured up to Beacon Academy in the distance. "Just look at that school! Those little bastards helped Cinder swarm all up in there and they killed _plenty_ of people." He shrugged his shoulders and continued; "Now, do some of them regret it? Sure! But here's the thing; a lot more of them don't. They hate humans so much that they're happy to kill ALL a' you suckas. And for the ones who've got second thoughts? Well… you'd be surprised just what people will do to avoid gettin' their BRAINS bashed into their—GAH!" He was met with a swift kick to the face when Blake finally made herself known, leaping out from the shadows when she had heard enough from the pig man. "OW! My face!"

Blake kicked herself off and did a back flip, landing right beside Ben… and coincidentally, in front of the two astonished hooded strangers. She sent an angry face to Hog and began reprimanding him for his words. "I can't BELIEVE you!" she cried with her fists clenched in ire. "The White Fang allying with Cinder was one thing, but now that Adam and Torchwick are gone, Salem's resorted to _intimidating_ them to get what she wants?! It's disgraceful!" Blake continued to glare at them, her voice cracking in anger as she went on. "Adam was a monster, and he worked together with Cinder to get what _he_ wanted… total control. But I'll be _damned_ if I let YOU idiots take control of the White Fang and run what's left of them through the mud! It's just NOT gonna happen!"

But before she could go on with her speech, a voice from behind called out her name; "BLAKE!" The shout caught everyone's attention, as it sounded both desperate and relieved at the same time. But it was the voice that sent a wave of shock through Blake's entire system… because she recognized it almost immediately. The shock gave way to apprehension as she and the others whipped around to see the shorter figure remove her hood, revealing a middle-aged woman… with cat ears. She locked eyes with Blake as her hands went to her mouth to suppress her cries. "You… you're alive. Thank goodness, you're alive!"

"I can't believe it." The other figure removed his hood, revealing a bearded man in his early fifties. He wore a happy smile as his eyes met with Blake's as well. "I thought that we would need to scour the whole city to find you… but it seems that _you_ found us instead."

As the rest of the team started on in confusion, Blake's mind was thinking a mile a minute, attempting to comprehend who was in front of her. However, Diamondhead caught on rather quick. "Blake… are those your…"

Finally, Blake managed to utter two words, and even then, she was still extremely shocked and confused. "…Mom? Dad?"

* * *

**A/N: To be continued… Yeah, I know, kind of leaving you guys off with a little tease there. But hey, look at it this way; we're going to be starting next time off with a big reunion between Blake and her parents (and Ilia) so there's something to look forward to! Speaking of big, hoo boy, we had some BIG stuff happen in this chapter. Penny's got her first taste of Mechamorph abilities and Raven's getting into the training groove. We got a little more insight on Swift's past, and she may just have a chance for parole, so that's nice. But now that Hog, Skull, Hazel and Tyrian have control of the White Fang, what'll we be in for? And it sounds like a ton of stuff's going down in Menagerie, huh? Just who ARE these inquisitors that Ghira spoke about?**

**Well, we'll just have to find out… NEXT TIME! The Belladonna family reunites while the other squad pursues Tyrian and the White Fang, though they also end up butting heads with a certain chameleon girl in the process. After all of that though, the whole group returns to the island, where Ghira explains just what in the heck has been going on in Menagerie. Until next time, guys! See ya!**

**P.S. But before I leave, I present to you all a little riddle. In this chapter, there were three unnamed White Fang members who I gave lines to (whom I have given the temporary names; Big Rack, Long Ears, and Stripe Tail). Now, they're all based on three characters from the same exact story. Can you guess what that story is?**


	72. Unforeseen Reunions

**A/N: Hey everybody! So, where did we leave off last time? Oh yeah, that's right! It's time for some happy reunions… and a little bit of tension. This is…**

**Chapter 72: Unforeseen Reunions**

* * *

"…Mom? Dad?" Blake still couldn't believe it, even after those two words came out of her mouth. There, standing in front of her in some of the most ragged black hoods she had ever seen, were her parents. If it weren't for the fact that they were wearing their regular clothes beneath the drapes, they could've been mistaken for vagrants. _'I really don't know how to feel about that. In fact, I have no CLUE how to take ALL of this in.'_

However, as Blake was still processing everything, she was pulled out of her stupor when her mother discarded her hood and ran forward. Kali pulled Blake into the biggest hug imaginable and let out a relieved sigh. "Oh, my baby girl." She spoke with pure joy in her voice as she closed her eyes, taking in the moment.

Blake was unsure of what to do for just the slightest moment before a smile worked its way onto her face. _'It's really her!'_ With that, she buried her head in her mother's neck, a slight waver in her voice as she spoke up. "M-Mom! What in the world are you doing here?!"

"Looking for you!" Kali exclaimed. "After Beacon was attacked, we were worried day and night about you." She pulled away to lock eyes with her daughter, placing her hands on either side of her face. "Oh, Blake, we were horrified. Your father was pacing up and down the halls for an entire day."

Ghira chortled slightly as he came forward, discarding his own hood as well. "Oh, come now, Kali. I knew in my gut that she would be fine."

Kali raised an eyebrow at him. "Really? Even after you "accidentally" clawed the doorframe of the living room out of anxiety?"

Ghira coughed into his hand as his face became slightly red. "Ahem, dear, could we try to avoid talking about that incident, please?" He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment before smiling at his daughter once again. "What's important right now is that we've found our daughter and that she's safe. Blake, are you alright? I can imagine that living here for over two weeks since the incident must have been difficult."

Blake's eyes widened at the question. She was surprised that her father was showing any concern at all. _'After all of the things that I said to him and mom… they're still worried about me?'_ Blake recalled the moment when her parents had left the White Fang, and how she was far from happy about it. She had called them many things, and the unpleasant memory of it all still rang in her head. _'I called them cowards… but they came all the way here to find me!'_ Blake took a deep breath, resolving to talk about it with them later before giving her father a small grin. "Well… actually dad, it wasn't all that bad." She gestured over to her friends. "I mean, I've had some pretty good company."

Kali's eyes went up and she smiled brightly at the teens. "Oh! These must be all the friends that you've made at Beacon!"

But Ghira eyed Diamondhead in suspicion, pointing an accusing finger at him. "But what is THAT creature? It's almost like a pile of walking Dust crystals." He then raised a brow at Rex as well. "And what about that boy with the metal fists?"

Blake winced at her father's words, a nervous sweat going down the side of her face. "Uh, they're actually my friends too, dad."

Everyone else was still gawking in shock, astonished at the two people who had just revealed themselves from seemingly out of nowhere. Finally, the silence was broken by Weiss, the heiress uttering three little words to sum it all up; "Oh… my god."

"I'm right there with you, Ice Princess." Rex nodded. "Like… holy crap."

Sun literally had his tail tucked between his legs. "Oh god, I wasn't expecting to meet them this soon." he whispered to himself. _'And Blake was SERIOUSLY not kidding about her dad's intimidation factor.'_

Contrary to her friend's bewilderment, Ruby's eyes lit up with glee as a loud squee escaped her throat. "EEEEEE!" In a split second, she had burst into petals and zipped over to Ghira and Kali, a bright smile on her face as she shook the latter's hand. "Oh my goodness gracious, I cannot BELIEVE that I'm actually meeting you! I'm Ruby Rose, and your daughter is one of the greatest friends I could've ever asked for!" She then went over and shook Ghira's hand as well. "You two were the LAST thing we were expecting today. This is just too awesome!"

"Um… thank you." Ghira said hesitantly as Ruby continued shaking his hand. "I think."

Kali however, was all smiles as she glanced to her daughter. "Oh my. Honey, I had no idea that you had such a social butterfly as a friend."

Blake gave a shrug. "Yeah, well, that's Ruby. She's the leader of our team."

Yang came over and pulled her sister away from Ghira, allowing him to retake his hand. "Sorry, my sis can be a little overexcited when it comes to meeting new people." The blonde gave the couple a wink and a salute. "Anyway, I'm Yang. Blake and I were paired up during our initiation into Beacon."

"I see." Kali smiled before grinning over to her daughter. "Blake, I must say that you have great taste in friends. Where did you find them?"

Blake rolled her eyes at that. "Well, it's actually more like _they_ found _me_. But still, I wouldn't trade them for—"

"AHEM!" The sound of a rather annoyed voice brought everyone's attention back to Exo-Skull and Thunderhog. The mutated duo were rather annoyed that the subject matter had been changed so quickly, and they were intent on getting things back on track. "Uh, HELLO?" Hog shouted indignantly. "Still here, ya know?!"

Exo-Skull blew air out of his nostrils in anger. "Yeah! What're we, chopped liver?" He popped a few muscles in his neck before cracking his knuckles. "Now, this little family reunion's been real nice an' all, but we've still got a job to do, and we ain't about to let you get away with this."

Realizing that she had completely forgotten about the present problem, Winter opened up her primary blade and took out her secondary one before rushing forward. She stepped in front of the Belladonnas in a defensive stance, pointing one blade at Hog and Skull while keeping the other one held up to block the family from the brutes. "Mr. and Mrs. Belladonna, I suggest that you get away from here as fast as possible." Winter gave Blake a nod. "Blake, take your parents and run. General Ironwood should be here soon."

Ghira's eyes widened at the name. "General Ironwood? What is he still doing in—"

"No time for explanations, dad!" Blake insisted as she began leading her parents away. "Right now, we gotta go!"

But Kali was quickly growing concerned. "Blake, why the rush? I mean, we all just found each other." She gestured out to the crowd of teens. "Besides, we out number them now, and your father and I are no pushovers, remember."

"I know, but where ever those two bozos go, destruction always follows." Blake then pointed over to the Petrosapien and the EVO. "And besides, once Ben and Rex get going, you do NOT want to be around—"

But Diamondhead spoke up. "Whoa, whoa, hold the phone there, Blake." The alien gave her a smirk and pointed to the Omnitrix. "I think I can actually end this pretty quickly." He balled his crystalline hand into a fist and pounded the Omnitrix, creating a flash of green which made him immediately transform into something else. Ghira and Kali's jaws simultaneously dropped as Ben transformed into… "GRAVATTACK!"

Ghira gasped and backed away. "Wha…What IS this?!"

Kali put her hand to her head. "Am I having some sort of hallucination?" She shifted her eyes to her daughter, pleading for an explanation. "Blake, what in the world is going on here?!"

Blake sighed and her ears flattened out. "Well mom… that's actually a much more complicated story than you might think." The cat girl directed her attention back to Gravattack as the Galilean squared off with Hog and Skull. "For now, I think we should just enjoy the fireworks."

Gravattack pounded his fist into his rocky palm as he glowered at the two mutants, gritting his large teeth together in preparation. "Alright boys, we can either do this the easy way, or the hard way."

"HA! You kiddin' Tennyson?" Hog countered. "We gotta job to do, an' we're NOT about to upset Lady Salem twice in one week!"

"Yeah!" Skull added. "We ain't lettin' nobody screw us up anymore!"

Ghira leaned over and whispered to his daughter; "Is he aware that he just used a double negative?"

Blake rolled her eyes and groaned. "Ugh, unfortunately, I don't think so."

Gravattack just shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, suit yourselves. But don't say I didn't warn ya." He moved his massive head around and gave his girlfriend a knowing smile. "Hey Goldie Locks, think I should give 'em the "Round the World" technique with a little slingshot to end it?"

Yang grinned wickedly and gave him a thumbs up. "That sounds like an awesome idea, Green Boy! Let 'em have it!"

Hog kept a firm grip on his Thunder Mace as the two spoke. "Woah, woah, woah, back up. Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Tennyson?"

Skull, on the other hand, readied the Executioner, its barrel spinning rapidly as he kept his trigger finger steady. "Get ready, he's about to do some—HEY!" The large minigun was pulled out of Skull's grip and tossed to the side as Gravattack's hands began glowing green, his gravitational powers activating instantly. "What's the big ide—AAH!"

Hog's eyes widened as Exo-Skull was pulled off of his feet and into the air. "Skull! Hold on, buddy, I'm—AGH!" The pig man didn't have much time to act as he too was pulled off of the ground and towards Gravattack, the Galilean proceeding to spin the two large mutants around him in his own orbit. "WOAH! Somebody, ANYBODY, stop this crazy thing!"

"Sorry, Hog, no can do." Gravattack wore a snarky grin at what he was about to do next. "Time to put a new _spin_ on things." With that, he pulled in his arms and legs, entering his planetoid form as he began floating up into the air, much to everyone's amazement.

"I'm surprised at how fast he got that alien down." Weiss commented before sending Yang a knowing grin. "I wonder if he practiced by floating a _certain_ someone around in the air?"

Yang returned the smile with a shrug. "What can I say? Practicing with Gravattack and experiencing Zero-G's was totally fun and worth it."

Back up in the air, Gravattack grit his teeth again as he focused on sending his gravitational pull in an opposite direction. "Okay boys, I think you've had enough. Here's your stop!" At his word, Gravattack used his own orbit as a slingshot, sending Hog and Skull hurtling over to a nearby abandoned warehouse, the duo plowing straight through the wall and causing the whole front of the building to collapse in on them. Gravattack lowered himself down to the ground, bringing his arms and legs back out as the Omnitrix flashed green once again. When the light died down, Ben was back to his normal self, a proud smile on his face. "Well, that actually went pretty well." He placed his hands on his hips, facing the Belladonnas again. "Now maybe we can have time for a nice, civil conversation and… oh. I probably owe you guys an explanation."

Ghira and Kali were gawking at the young man, their mouths agape as they witnessed his transformation back into his human form. But once the shock wore off, a serious expression came to Ghira's face and he stormed forward. "To say the least!" He stood directly in front of Ben and pointed directly at him. "I don't know WHO you are young man, but I want to know _exactly_ what in the world is going on here."

Just then, Kali came forward and grasped her husband's arm, pulling it toward her. "Ghira, please, show a little restraint." she pleaded. "This boy is a friend of our daughter and we should treat him as such." The cat woman set her eyes on the green clad hero with a nod. "Besides… Ben, was it? I'm sure that there's a perfectly rational explanation for you transforming into those…"

"Aliens." Ben finished as he lifted the Omnitrix up to show them. "I use this device to transform into aliens." The hero eyed Rex and the EVO came over, deactivating his Smack Hands as he did. Ben pat Rex on the shoulder as he continued; "And my friend and I here are actually from different alternate dimensions, so there's that too."

"Yeah, it's pretty weird." Rex snapped his fingers and pointed double finger guns at the couple. "But then again, "weird" is kinda our thing. Name's Rex, by the way."

The Belladonnas blinked in astonishment as Kali put her hand to her head again. "Alright, maybe it's not as clear cut as I thought."

Blake came over and set her hands on her mother's shoulders. "Mom, I know that this must be a lot to take in, and there's a TON more that's left to explain, but right now, we need to rendezvous with the rest of our team." Her eyes trailed over to the wrecked warehouse in trepidation. "There's no telling when Hog and Skull will be getting back up."

Ghira's eyebrows shot up. "You mean they're not dead?"

"Nah, they've taken worse." Ben handwaved. "Even when they were still human, they took worse beatings."

"Those two used to be _human_?!" Kali exclaimed. "And here I thought they were mutated Faunus."

"Well… close." Weiss explained as she approached as well. "A mad scientist actually used Faunus DNA to create a mutagen, which was then used to mutate those two bozos."

"Hmm, I suppose that makes sense. I—wait." Ghira paused mid-sentence as he narrowed his eyes at Weiss and Winter, though they quickly snapped open when he recognized the two. "Hold on just a moment, I know you! You're Winter and Weiss Schnee of the Schnee Dust Company!"

Kali let out a gasp. "Oh my god, they are! I _thought_ they seemed familiar!"

Weiss wore a worried face while Winter's remained neutral, giving a nod to Ghira. "That's correct, though I need to correct you on one thing; we have both disassociated ourselves from our father." She bowed her head to the chieftain in respect. "And rest assured that my sister and myself do not share his views on the Faunus community in the slightest."

Blake grinned to Weiss and crossed her arms, giving the heiress a wink. "Even if I had to say a few things to get through to a certain someone."

Weiss wore a guilty grin and glanced down to the ground. "Yes, and I'm still sorry about—"

"Oh, for pete's sake, get over here." Blake walked up and pulled Weiss over to Yang and Ruby, the cat girl wrapping her arms around her teammates as she presented them to her parents. "Mom, dad, these are my teammates and my best friends."

Ruby pumped a fist into the air. "Together, we're Team RWBY!"

Yang followed her sister's exampled. "And we kick MAJOR ass!"

Weiss blushed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, what they said."

Ghira put a hand to his forehead in disbelief. "A Belladonna making friends with a Schnee. Not once did I ever think I'd see the day." However, out of the corner of his eye, he spied a certain blonde-haired boy nervously standing over to the side, almost as if he was worried to come over. But then, Ghira saw the tail that was sticking out from behind the young man, and he gave him a small nod in greeting. "And what about you, young man?"

Sun's eyes bugged out and he immediately straightened up. "Uh, hi there!" At the last second, he gave Ghira a salute. "S-Sun Wukong, at your service, sir! Blake and I've actually known each other for a good while now." He winced internally at that. _'Dear god, that was stupid!'_

"Ah, I see." But in the back of his mind, Ghira couldn't help but be suspicious of the monkey boy. _'Why is he so nervous?'_

Blake, meanwhile, was about to have a panic attack. _'Oh god, I completely forgot! Please somebody change the subject!'_

Kali put her hands together and bowed her head toward Team RWBY, her smile having returned. "Well, it's certainly an honor to meet you all. And thank you for being friends with my daughter." She lifted her hand and whispered to Ruby. "I'm sure you know that she's not exactly the most social of bookworms."

"Oh, I like to think we've broken her outta her shell!" Ruby beamed.

"Yeah, she's a _lot_ chattier than when we first met, believe it or not." Yang added.

Blake gave her friends a slight stink eye, but she couldn't help but smirk as well. "Gee, thanks for being brutally honest, girls. You're really are true friends."

Kali gave her daughter a wink. "Oh, come now, Blake. There's no shame in admitting one's faults." She went over and whispered to her daughter with a sly grin; "But if you want to change the subject… how exactly did you meet that Sun boy over there?" She pointed over to Sun, the monkey boy still nervously glancing to Ghira as beads of sweat trailed down his face. Kali saw her daughter make a similarly nervous expression, which she quickly took advantage of. "I recognize THAT kind of nervousness anywhere. Don't tell me… is he your boyfriend?"

Blake was about to go into panic mode again, but then an idea came into her head. She cleared her throat and shifted her attention back to her father, a nervous undertone in her voice. "Ahem, so uh, dad, how DID you guys get here anyway?"

Kali smirked internally at her daughter's reaction. _'Sweetheart, I love you, but I can read you like a book.'_

Ghira sighed and put a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "We came here by boat, actually. It wasn't a pleasant ride, but it was the only way we could get out of Menagerie undetected."

That got Blake's full attention. "Undetected? What do you mean "undetected"?"

"That actually brings me to the next point." Ghira shut his eyes momentarily to prepare himself. "Blake, the White Fang in Menagerie have been overtaken by a pair of insurgents. They managed to overpower their best fighters and are now lording themselves over Menagerie with iron fists."

"WHAT?!" Blake practically screamed. "You've gotta be kidding me! Please tell me that this is some kind of joke!"

Kali's ears folded down and she shook her head sadly. "Unfortunately, dear, it isn't. They arrived in Kuo Kuana about a week and a half ago and they quickly overpowered both the Guard AND the White Fang. We managed to escape with Ilia, but…"

Her statement made Blake do a double take. "Woah, hang on, _Ilia's_ here too?" But at her outburst, she received a few confused glances from her teammates, and she realized that she had never brought up the aforementioned chameleon girl to them. "Oh, she's an old friend from my White Fang days… and she doesn't exactly like humans very much."

"Gotcha." Yang nodded. "So the main takeaway from that is; be careful about what we say around her."

"Yeah, that's about right." Blake affirmed before going back to her mother. "So where is she anyway?"

"She's currently leading the White Fang away from our location." Kali answered. "She told us that she would be fine, but…" the woman sighed before continuing. "We'll have to rendezvous with her later. In any case, we came here to ask the Vale branch of the White Fang for help. But unfortunately, we were too late." Her eyes went over to the rubble. "Those two managed to take over Vale's branch thanks to Adam's absence."

Blake grimaced at the reminder. "Yeah, but if you ask me, it probably would've been worse if Adam WAS still in charge of that sect."

"As I've recently learned." Ghira concurred. "They told me about how Adam and many more of them had participated in the Fall of Beacon…" He wore a pained expression as he locked eyes with his daughter. "Blake… I'm so sorry that you had to go through all of that. I wish I had seen Adam's true intentions sooner."

Blake sighed, her face still soured at the memory of her old flame. "Yeah, so did I." After a few moments, she shook her head, getting back on track. "But I don't get it! Who could be that powerful to over throw the White Fang leadership? I mean… even _Sienna_?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Kali confirmed. "And what's worse is that they're holding her hostage, using her as leverage in case any White Fang decide to rebel."

"If anyone even _tries_ to overthrow them, they'll kill her." Ghira clenched his fists in anger. "I may not agree with Sienna on many things, but this… this is just inhumane!" The chieftain, directed his attention to Ben once more. "Fortunately, thanks to Thunderhog and Exo-Skull, we have a better idea of who we're facing. We described the insurgents to them and they said that they knew who they were… and they also said that they were aliens."

Ben's eyes snapped open at that. "Can you describe them for me? What do they look like?"

But, before Ghira could do so, a loud rumbling was heard over head as another turbulent wind blasted down onto the group. They shielded their eyes as a rather familiar dropship landed, with a certain large man stepping out of the back the moment it landed. Hazel gazed out to the group with a neutral face, his eyes landing on the Omnitrix bearer. "Ah, Ben Tennyson. We meet again, I see."

The team were immediately on edge, with Ben giving Hazel a nasty glare. "Hazel! I should've suspected that Salem would send you out here with Hog and Skull. Rojo's not exactly the best babysitter for those two."

"As I've seen." Hazel concurred. "But we're not here for _you_ , Tennyson. We're here for the White Fang."

Ghira stepped forward, mimicking Ben's expression. "Over my dead body!"

But Blake was quick to stop her father from doing anything rash. She grabbed him by the arm and held him back. "NO! Dad, please, I'm pretty sure that he can arrange that!"

Yang went up and stood next to Ben, readying her Ember Celica. "Yeah, Mr. B, you just leave this to us. We've taken this guy down before, and we can do it again!"

Hazel folded his arms and gave the couple a questioning gaze. "Really? If you truly believe that, then prepare to be disappointed." He leaned toward them and narrowed his eyes. "I was holding back in our last fight."

Everyone's faces paled, though Ben's seemed to be the most shocked out of all of them. "Y-You what?"

"Indeed, I held myself back to get a grasp on just what you were capable of, Ben Tennyson." Hazel straightened himself up and unfolded his arms. "And now that I have a solid idea, I won't be doing so again should we do battle once more." Hazel turned around and waved his hand at the group. "But for now, I have no time for such distractions. Thaddeus! Farkas!"

The moment he called out their names, Hog and Skull burst out from the rubble, the duo roaring in defiance as they blasted their respective lasers into the sky, blowing away the wreckage all at once. Once they were done raging, Hog grinned and gave Hazel a salute while Skull picked up his minigun. "You called for us, Big H?!"

"We're leaving." Hazel announced. "Board the ship quickly, we need to pick up Tyrian and the White Fang under our command."

Ben raised a brow in intrigue. _'Tyrian? Who's Tyrian?'_

With his command in place, Hazel faced the dropship and began to board it, with Hog and Skull not far behind. "Menagerie is on the other side of the world. We need to head out now if we intend to make it by daylight over there."

But, unexpectedly, Rex was the first one to spring into action. "Not so fast, _el bulto grande_!" The EVO activated his Punk Busters and leapt up into the air, careening himself toward Hazel as Ben and the others warned him not to. However, it was too late. Rex brought his massive foot down on Hazel… only for the man to grab it with his large hands, taking Rex by surprise. "What the?!"

"Child's play." Hazel got a better grip on Rex's Punk Buster and swung him around, causing the machine to break off of the EVO's leg. The result was Rex being tossed him back to whence he came, his other Punk Buster breaking when he hit the ground.

Rex crashed in front of everyone, with Weiss being the first one to make it over to him. "Rex!" the heiress exclaimed as she kneeled down next to him. "What kind of idiotic move was that?! You attacked the guy who JUST SAID he was holding back!"

Rex groaned as he rubbed his head. "Okay, maybe _not_ one of my more thought-out moments." He sat himself up just in time to see their three muscle-bound enemies board the ship and take off, blasting down the street in a mere instant when they became airborne. "Oh, yeah, that ain't good."

"They're going after the White Fang!" Sun exclaimed. "We gotta stop 'em!"

"Right!" Blake agreed as she pulled Gambol Shroud out of its sheath. "If we hurry, maybe we can—"

"Blake." Winter spoke up. "I apologize, but I'm afraid that's not possible. When you get right down to it, they're in a dropship, and we're on foot." The elder Schnee craned her head out to where the ship was headed. "We can follow, but we cannot catch up to them like this. The only thing we can do is hope that our allies can hold them off until we get there."

"Allies?" Ghira asked, his eyes going to his daughter again. "You mean you have _more_ teammates?"

"Yeah, we've got a ton of friends on that ship." Blake shifted her eyes to where Winter was facing. "I only hope that they can hold them off. And if all goes well, maybe Ilia will realize that they're there to help."

But then, Kali eyes snapped open when she recalled something important. "Oh no." She faced her husband with a concerned face. "Ghira, Ilia put her White Fang mask on before she left, remember?"

Ghira raised a brow. "Yes… why?"

But Blake was quick to realize what her mother's concern was. "Oh god, our friends could mistake her for being WITH those White Fang!" As quick as a snap, Blake began running down the road, disregarding the fact that she couldn't possibly make it in time. "Come on! We gotta get there before something goes wrong!"

Ben and Yang shared a glance before giving each other a nod. "Blake, wait!" Ben's call got the cat girl to stop and face him, a questioning expression coming to her face. "Winter's right, you can't make it there on foot… but a few of us can. You just hang back here with your parents, we'll take care of the rest and be back for you as soon as we can."

Blake was about to protest, but after going over it in her head, she realized that her friend was right. With a heavy sigh, she gave Ben a reluctant nod. "Okay, just make sure that Ilia doesn't get hurt by anyone… and vice versa."

"No problem!" Ben exchanged glanced with Rex and Yang. "Alright guys, let's take care of this." Rex activated his Sky Slyder and allowed Yang to climb on while Ben brought up the Omnitrix once again, the hero dialing in Fasttrack. "It's Hero Time!"

* * *

As the ramp on the back of the Resolute lowered once again to let its second batch of passengers out, Raven lowered her gaze down to the ground below, concentrating on their adversaries. The mob of White Fang were charging through the streets, all of them shouting as they ran. Raven had no idea why they had separated from Hog and Skull, but it almost seemed like they were chasing something. She moved her eyes around until she saw a potential target; a lone, female White Fang member who was jumping from rooftop to rooftop, keeping ahead of the others.

Raven narrowed her eyes at the girl. _'There's something not quite right, here.'_ The first thing she noticed was the girl's mask, which was much more detailed than the usual White Fang mask. _'A possible high-ranked agent?'_ But then she noticed the franticness of her running, almost as if she were desperately trying to stay ahead of them. She would know, she had seen such running many times in her career as a bandit. _'Perhaps she's a defector? Why else would she be running from them?'_ She then trailed her eyes back down to the mob… and they immediately widened when she saw who was leading the pack; a scorpion-tailed Faunus who was leaping down the streets like a madman, though it also seemed like he was trying to get to the rooftops in whatever way he could. _'Dear god, it's him!'_

The tribe leader whipped her head around to the teens, making them focus on her. "Children, I'm only going to say this once." She pointed down to the erratically moving Faunus. "Leave the one in the lead to me. He's a very dangerous acolyte of Salem's, and he will _not_ hesitate to kill you."

The seriousness in her voice caught them all off guard, causing Gwen to crane her head down and fix her gaze onto the scorpion Faunus. The redheaded Anodite read his body movements and then his mana, and she immediately recoiled. "Oh my lord, I… I can see why." Gwen shook her head in disgust. "I don't think I've ever read the mana of a man that crazy. It's almost as if he's focused on one thing while his energy is going in a million directions at once! Who is he?"

"That is Tyrian Callows." Raven revealed. "He is Salem's most loyal servant. He considers her his "queen" and would do anything to please her."

Kevin's face soured at that. "How much "anything"are we talkin'?"

"He's the worst kind of killer that you can ever imagine. One that takes delight in watching you die by his venomous sting." Raven glowered down, seeing that the masked girl had reached the end of the street, a dead-end. With no more roofs to jump to, the girl prepared herself as Tyrian started climbing the walls, with some of the White Fang even going into the warehouse to use the stairs. "His fighting style is erratic, so I will handle him."

Jaune nodded as his team stepped forward. "Right, so the rest of us will handle the ones on the ground." He faced his team with a smile. "You guys ready?"'

"You betcha, Fearless Leader!" Nora exclaimed before jumping right out of the ship. "Geronimo!"

"NORA!" Jaune reached out in vain. "Wait! We haven't come up with a real plan yet!"

Kevin knelt down and absorbed the metal of the floor, changing his hands into hammers as a smirk came to his face. "Alright, here's the plan; we drop, kick the White Fang's ass while Raven takes Tyrian, and then we win. How's that sound?"

"That's a stupid plan!"

"Don't care!" Kevin ran forward and launched himself down, all while yelling; "BANZAI!"

Raven's eye twitched in irritation. "I really don't like how gung-ho those two are."

Gwen sighed and facepalmed. "Yeah, it's a bit much." However, she then noticed that Neptune was stepping up to the ramp as well. "Neptune, you too?"

Neptune gave her a shrug. "Well, yeah. Kevin and Nora have already dropped, so we might as well get this started, right?" He lowered his goggles and readied Tri-Hard, changing the unfortunately named weapon into its trident mode. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go and take on that White Fang in the pointy mask and pony tail. See ya down there!"

As Neptune fell backwards out of the ship, Raven ran forward to try and stop him. "Neptune, wait, she might not—" But it was too late, Neptune was out of the ship and falling toward the earth below. "…be with them." Raven grumbled, screwing her eyes shut before taking a deep breath. "Is this ALWAYS how you kids do your missions?"

Pyrrha stepped forward and pulled out Milo, getting ready to jump. "No, it's mostly just Nora. We're still working on a solution for her overeager tendencies."

"Indeed." Athena said as she pulled her own javelin out. The Mistralian Huntress steadied her footing with a determined expression. "Unfortunately, it's far too late now! Come dear!" With that, the mother and daughter jumped out of the ship, with Jaune following right behind them.

Ren shrugged as Penny strolled up beside him, the green ninja resigning to what fate had given them. "Well, maybe we'll have better luck next time." He glanced to the robot girl with a quirked brow. "You ready, Penny?"

Penny gave him a salute. "Willing and able, Ren! Let's do this!" The two followed their friends' example and propelled themselves out of the ship, dropping down with their comrades. Penny even took the opportunity to activate her new jetpack for good measure.

That left Gwen and Raven alone in the cargo hold, both ladies thoroughly exasperated at what had just transpired in front of them. Raven pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. "What in the world am I going to do with you children?"

Gwen's shoulders sagged. "I really don't know." She gave the tribe leader an inquisitive gaze. "Is it any easier training thieves?"

"Yes… most of the time." Raven reluctantly answered. "Some of them can be dullards or… hard to teach…" A slew of memories came flooding back to her, the image of a young girl flashing in her mind. Raven closed her eyes as the memory passed. "They either learn, or they don't."

Gwen's lips parted in shock. For a moment, she had seen Raven's mana fluctuate, almost as if she were feeling conflicted about something. Hesitantly, she asked; "…And what if they don't learn?"

The Anodite didn't get an answer at first, with Raven simply facing away from her when she asked the question. But after a few seconds, she finally got one. "They pay the ultimate price… one way or another." That answer had sent a small chill through Gwen, and Raven could tell that the girl had been off-put. "Remember, Gwen, I have done many inexplicable acts throughout my time as leader of the Branwen Tribe, and not all of them have been pleasant."

"I know that, but… have you actually—"

"Killed my own people? Yes." Raven confirmed. "In the tribe, it's survival of the fittest, and if you're a weak link, you must be severed. Either you leave the tribe quietly, or you meet your demise. Be it by the Grimm's hand, or my own."

Gwen narrowed her eyes at Raven. "I see. So your people go by the villain's way of thinking."

Raven suddenly whipped around and pointed in Gwen's face, taking her aback, though the redhead kept in the scream that threatened to escape her throat. "Do NOT presume too much, Gwendolyn! I take absolutely _no_ joy in disposing of my own people!" As Raven glared at Gwen's face though, the young girl's face from her memory suddenly flashed in her mind again, making her step back. _'NO! Not now!'_ Raven screwed her eyes shut and moved away from Gwen, forcing the memory away as she went over to the ramp. "Enough of this. Let's just focus on the mission at hand!" And with those words, Raven jumped, leaving Gwen behind.

But the Anodite's suspicions were still riding high, especially after seeing that Raven's mana had fluctuated again. _'Something's off with Raven, and something tells me that I need to find out.'_ Gwen leapt down to the streets below, Raven's outburst never leaving her mind for a second.

* * *

"Fantastic!" Ilia shouted from the warehouse roof she was on. "Fan-freaking-tastic!" The chameleon girl had run down the entire street, jumping across rooftop after rooftop, only to come to a dead end. There were no buildings to her left, right, or in front of her, and if she went back, she'd be leading the White Fang right back to the Belladonnas. _'So basically, I'm pretty much screwed. Well, better get ready for the… what?'_ Just as she was about to prepare her Lightning Lash for battle, the sound of powerful engines suddenly graced her ears, causing her to look up into the sky. At first, she saw nothing, but then a large ship suddenly appeared from seemingly out of nowhere before lowering its exit ramp. Needless to say, she was confused. "What in the hell is that?!"

A moment later, she saw two figures drop from the ship, both yelling obscenities as they fell. Finally, as they approached the ground, Ilia could hear them both yell; "CANNONBALL!" before making impact. She went to the edge to see two people; a boy covered in metal and a redheaded girl in a pink skirt holding a large hammer in her hand. The girl had a wicked grin on her face as she went into a battle stance. "Alright, ladies and gents, who's first?!"

The boy slammed his hands together… only they weren't hands, but metal hammers. "C'mon, any takers?"

As the duo ran into crowd of White Fang to do battle, Ilia's eyes widened in surprise. _'Are… are they our back-up? Already?!'_

But before she could think about it any further, Ilia heard a masculine voice call out to her from overhead; "Hey you!" She craned her head up to see more people jumping out of the ship. There were two more redheaded women; both dressed in warrior garb while holding their own javelins and shields. Next to them were two boys; a blonde knight in jeans and a hoodie, and a dark-haired ninja dressed in green. And then, swooping down to the ground was yet _another_ redhead, this one with a pink bow in her hair and a large, green and black jetpack on her back.

But they weren't Ilia's main concern. Rather, she was focused on the neon blue-haired boy that was falling straight toward her with a trident in his hand. Ilia's eyes widened and she jumped back, making it just in time to avoid getting slashed at by the three-bladed weapon. She landed on her feet and glared up to her assailant, seeing that he was wearing goggles over his eyes. He pointed his trident to her and spoke; "I don't know what you and your White Fang friends are up to, lady. But whatever Hog and Skull's got you doing, we're not letting ya do it!" The blue-haired boy surged forward, changing his weapon into a guandao for close-quarters combat.

As the boy lunged at her with the blade stabbing forward, Ilia acted quickly and pulled out her Lightning Lash, using the blade to parry the attack before stepping away from him. "AH! Hey!" she yelled out indignantly. "What the hell is _your_ problem? I wasn't doing anything!"

"Oh, really?" The boy leapt in and began taking more swings at Ilia with his guandao, though Ilia was quick to counter with her own weapon. But an idea made its way into the boy's head and he began spinning his weapon whilst keeping the pressure on Ilia, striking against her Lightning Lash in rapid succession and forcing her to walk backwards. "Then why're you and your friends going up and down the street and terrorizing people?!"

"WHAT?! I'm not with—" Ilia's eyes widened in realization; _'Oh… I'm still wearing my mask, aren't I?'_ She did a back flip away from the boy and discarded her mask. "I'm not with those idiots down there! If anything, I'm trying to work _against_ them at the moment!"

The blue-haired boy narrowed his eyes at her explanation. "A likely story." He tossed his guandao in the air and it transformed into a rifle, landing in his hands perfectly. "Or maybe you're trying to trick me by tossing away your mask and making up some sob story! Well I'm not fallin' for it!" The boy began shooting the gun, with multiple Lightning Dust rounds blasting out straight toward her.

Ilia rolled her eyes in frustration. "Guess we're doing this the hard way." she said to herself before pressing the trigger of her weapon. At that moment, the multiple sections of her Lightning Lash began coming apart, revealing a bright yellow energy whip holding the sections together. The weapon began cracking with electricity and she began swinging the whip, deflecting the Lightning Dust rounds as she ran toward the boy. As she got closer, Ilia decided that there was only one way to get through his head; by doing what she does best. In an instant, her skin began changing from a deep tan to bright red while her spots, eyes and hair changed to a vibrant yellow, taking the boy off guard. He stopped shooting, which Ilia quickly took the opportunity to whip his weapon out of his grasp. The boy reeled back in shock as Ilia landed a flying kick on him, pinning him to the ground in an instant. "Would you just listen to me for TWO freaking seconds?! Or is that too much for your human pea-brain to handle?!"

The boy glowered right back at her. "Ugh, well, if you're really NOT with the White Fang, then go on, prove it to me."

"I don't have to prove ANYTHING to you, _human_." Ilia spat back. "Besides, I AM with the White Fang, I'm just not with the sect that those two bozos took over! Some back up _you_ turned out to be. Where did Ghira and Kali even _find_ you people?!"

The boy raised a brow. "Uh… what?"

Ilia's eyes widened and she changed back to her natural coloration. "Ghira and Kali _Belladonna_? I sent them to go get back up and they sent you, right?"

"Miss, I have NO idea what you're talking about, but… did you just say Belladonna? As in _Blake's_ parents?"

At that point, Ilia's eyes nearly bugged out. "BLAKE?!" She got off of the boy, only to grab him by the collar and hoist him up, giving him a glare as she did. "You know Blake?! Where is she? Are you holding her somewhere? Tell me!"

The boy raised his hands defensively. "Whoa, whoa, hold on there! Nobody's holding anyone hostage or anything! Blake and I are friends, that's it. We met when my team and I came here from Mistral for the Vytal Tournament." He raised a brow and pointed down at her. "Come to think about it, how do _you_ know Blake?"

"She's…" For the briefest moment, Ilia's spots turned pink, though she quickly shook those thoughts away. "She's an old friend." She let go of Neptune's collar and gave him a serious face. "In any case, you WILL take me to her—" _BLAM_! The two were shocked when a large explosion was heard from the streets below. They looked over the edge to see a large crater with the hyper redhead in the middle, the girl having slammed her hammer on the ground to clear the area. Many White Fang members were scattered and lying on the ground while the teens remained standing, though there were still a few fights going on down there. "…Right after we get out of this mess."

"Right. Look's like Nora's on a roll down there." The boy scratched the back of his head as he wore a guilty expression. "And uh, sorry for attacking you straight away, I probably should've asked more questions first." He gave her a smile and pointed to himself. "Name's Neptune, by the way!"

"I don't exactly care." Ilia replied blankly.

But before the two's conversation could go on, they were interrupted by multiple shots suddenly being fired at them from their left, causing Neptune to shout; "Watch out!" before they dove off in different directions. As they picked themselves up, they heard a rather sinister laugh coming from where the shots came from, making them crane their heads up. "Oh, that's probably bad." Neptune commented.

In front of them was a wild-eyed man with a braided pony tail and wearing a brown leather coat over an open white jacket. He had a pair of pincer-shaped weapons on his arms, each with a set of double-barreled guns situated near his knuckles. Though that wasn't his main feature; that honor would go to the scorpion tail that was peeking out from behind his back. "HAHAHAHA! Well, well, what do we have here? A little entertainment before the REAL show begins! Hehehe!"

Ilia stood up and brought up her Lightning Lash again. "What in the heck are you talking about? We're not here for you to get your sick kicks!"

Neptune grabbed his rifle and aimed it at the beady-eyed psychopath. "Yeah, we're not gonna go down without a fight, Tyrian!" He leaned over and whispered to Ilia; "In all honesty though, we should probably run from this fruit cake as fast as possible. I heard he's unhealthily obsessed with his master." Just then, a shot rang out and whipped past Neptune's ear, making him jump with a yelp.

"Don't think I can't hear you, boy!" Tyrian snarled with a wicked gaze. "If you take the name of Her Grace in vain, then I WILL strike you down where you stand!" But then, his crazed grin returned. "Ah, but it seems that you already know my name! And here I am without a formal introduction. Hehehe, tell me, who told you about me? The general? The drunkard, perhaps? Or was it…" he craned his head up above their heads, "…her?"

Neptune and Ilia were surprised when a raven flew down from out of the sky and landed right in front of them, only for it to transform into a familiar dark-haired woman. Raven did an about face and sent a glare at Neptune as Ilia's jaw dropped to the floor. "Ugh, I swear, Neptune, do you EVER look before you leap?"

The blue-haired boy shook off his initial shock and replied with a salute; "Apologies, ma'am! It won't happen again, ma'am!"

"I'd hope so." Raven then directed her attention to Ilia, the girl still frozen in place. "And you, young lady. Are you with us, or against us?" After a few seconds of Ilia just staring at her, Raven snapped her fingers in front of the girl's eyes, snapping her out of her trance. "What's your story, young lady?! We haven't got all day!"

Ilia blinked and let out a gasp, finally comprehending the question. "Uh… yeah, I think I'm with you miss… wait. You're Raven Branwen of the Branwen Tribe!" She went into a defensive stance with her Lightning Lash. "You used to stop the White Fang and make them pay tolls for your roads! What are _you_ doing here?!"

"That is a story in and of itself." Raven drew Omen and stepped toward Tyrian, the crazed man hunched over creepily in his own strange combat stance. "For now, you both need to get off of this roof and away from here. I'll hold him off."

Ilia narrowed her eyes at the tribe leader. "And what if I choose not to trust you?"

"It's either that or your life ends at the psycho's hands." Raven stated. "Take your pick."

After a brief pause, Neptune went over and gave Ilia a nod. "Listen, I know that you probably already don't trust us, but can we at least both agree that getting killed by a psychopath isn't on any of our bucket lists?" He nudged his head down to the ground below. "C'mon, my friends will help you get back to the Belladonnas. With any luck, Blake's already found 'em."

The chameleon girl sighed and returned the nod. "I hate to admit it, but you have a point. Let's go." With that, the two leapt off the roof and down to the street, joining in on the fight immediately.

"AHAHA!" Tyrian cackled. "I had a feeling that you'd show yourself sooner or later, Miss Branwen! And to think, Her Grace was actually considering allying with you at one point. But now that you've come crawling back to Vale, I suppose that's out of the question now!"

Raven gave him an annoyed sneer. "I did not come "crawling back". Talk like that anymore and you will lose your tongue."

"Oh, I am SO scared!" Tyrian put a hand to his chest. "Perhaps it would be best to end your life here and now, then. After all, it is the least I can do to make the Queen happy. But enough talk…" He lowered himself to the ground, ready to strike. "Let's FIGHT!"

"Took the words right outta my—" Raven didn't get to finish that sentence as Tyrian rushed forward in a flash, using his blades to strike at her face. But Raven was much quicker, using her sword to deflect both strikes. Tyrian wasn't done yet though, as he circled around to deliver a kick to her abdomen. Raven ducked under the kick and grabbed Tyrian by the leg before slamming him back onto the ground. She brought her sword down to end the fight quickly, only for the man's tail to wrap around it in mid-swing. With a swift tug, Tyrian pulled Raven and swung her away from him before getting back onto his feet.

After that, the fight was almost a blur as Tyran rushed around Raven, using either his tail or his weapons in order to strike at her. But Raven was just as quick, blocking every blow with her blade before finally deciding that she'd had enough. With a single, quick motion, she brought the blade down on Tyrian, though he managed to block the strike by intercepting it with his own blades. The madman gave a small cackle as his eyes met with Raven's. "Hehe, don't you ever get tired of fighting? My Queen cannot be defeated, you know."

However, at that moment, Raven could hear a sound approaching; the sound of someone running. But it wasn't just _anyone_ running, it was almost as if there were a pair of feet running on the wind. _'There's only one person I know who can run that fast.'_ She furrowed her brow and shot back at Tyrian. "Maybe not by myself… but with enough time, there may be _one_ who can."

"Oh… you mean… HIM?!" With impressive speed, Tyrian pulled his tail up in time to stop Fasttrack in his tracks, taking the Citrakayah off guard.

"AH!" Fasttrack hollered. "What the—"

"AHAHA! So, Ben Tennyson! We meet at last!" Tyrian suddenly kicked Raven's hands and flipped away from her blade, his tail wrapping around Fasttrack's neck in the process. The scorpion man put one of his arms around the alien's neck, his blades brushing right under Fasttrack's chin. Raven could only watch as Tyrian cackled in Fasttrack's face. "HAHAHA! So, you really thought that you could get the drop on ME?! I could hear you coming from a _mile_ away!" He whipped his head over to Raven, all whilst grazing his weapon across Fasttrack's fur. "Tell me, what's black, blue and red all over? Well, take one step closer, and the Queen's Servants will slice open his jugular vein! THEN we may just find out! Heeheehehe!"

Raven grit her teeth in frustration. "COWARD! Fight me and leave him out of this!"

"Are you KIDDING?! My Queen wants this little nuisance dead, along with his cousin! And if it pleases Her Grace, then I'm more than willing to—GAH!" Tyrian was suddenly blinded when a green flash hit his eyes, causing him to stumble off of Ben and hit the ground. Once his eyes cleared, he saw what had happened… and his jaw dropped.

" **Nice try, but you forgot to restrain my fast hands."** Before Tyrian stood what appeared to be a giant walking furnace, one with large arms and legs made entirely out of metal. Each appendage had a bracer bolted onto it, one on each wrist and the same for the ankles. Its "head" was flat with three long slits where the eyes would be, and they were glowing red with power. On his chest was a heavy lock, with the Omnitrix having placed itself directly over it to ensure that it stayed closed. The alien's voice echoed from inside the suit, and it had a very deep and very thick Russian accent to it. He balled his hands into fists and proclaimed; **"Now, face the power of… NRG!"** The slits on NRG's face began glowing brighter before a red beam of heat blasted out straight toward Tyrian, forcing the Faunus to leap back. Once the beam hit the roof, the concrete melted away almost instantly.

Tyrian breathed out as he landed on his feet, giving the hero a sneer. "What're you, crazy?!"

" **Look who's calling who crazy!"** NRG countered. **"You were** _ **literally**_ **about to kill me just two seconds ago!"**

Raven stepped up and drew her sword again, holding the blade out in front of the Prypiatosian-B in order to stop him. "Very well done, Ben. Now go help the others. _I'll_ handle things up here."

But NRG pointed one of his large fingers to her. **"Are you kidding? I'm not about to let you take on Mr. Cuckoo for Coco Puffs all by yourself."** He balled his hands into a fist. **"If we do this, we do this as a team!"**

Just then, a certain voice came up from behind them; "You might wanna listen to what he says, mom!" Raven and NRG turned around to see Yang and Rex approaching on the latter's Sky Slyder, the two landing right beside them a moment later. Yang gave her mother a soft jab to the shoulder and a grin. "Besides, going up against a guy like him by yourself is crazy talk."

"Yang, what are you doing here?" Raven questioned. "What happened with Thunderhog and Exo-Skull?"

Rex pointed a finger up to the sky. "Uh, that's actually what we came to tell you about." The group of four, as well as Tyrian, directed their attention skyward to see Hazel's dropship drawing ever closer, descending down toward the battle below. "As you can see, we've got _un problema grande_ on our hands."

"We managed to find Blake's parents though." Yang added. "So there's a plus."

"AHAHA! Well isn't this just perfect timing?!" Tyrian chortled. "I suppose the big boys have had enough… AND SO HAVE YOU!" He rushed forward and immediately went for Yang, only to have a large metal fist slam into his gut. Tyrian tumbled back and landed in a crouch, glaring up to NRG in distain.

" **That… was the worst mistake you could ever make."** NRG said angrily as his hands began igniting with heat.

"Ugh, why must you heroes be so persistent?! Can't you just give in and DIE?!"

" **Not happening, Fruit Loop."** NRG rebuked as the heat energy became more intense. **"Besides, I think it's about time we end this!"** The Prypiatosian-B blasted twin heat beams from his hands, forcing Tyrian to backflip even further away. The scorpion man landed on his feet at the very edge of the roof, a sly grin etched on his face. But NRG just kept his hands aimed on him. **"Nowhere to run now, Tyrian! It's over!"**

"Maybe…" Tyrian pointed down. "But then again, maybe not." NRG, Yang, Raven and Rex all peered down to the roof they were standing on, only to realize that the heat beams had cut two long lines through the structure. What's more, upon gazing down into the building, they could see that the beam had also melted a support beam… and that's when the structure began to shake. Tyrian gave them a salute and cackled out; "We'll meet again, Tennyson!" before falling backwards off of the building.

Yang and Rex sent worried glances up to NRG while Raven shot him an annoyed glare, to which NRG gave a shrug. **"Alright, admittedly, not one of my best plans. EVERYONE JUMP FOR YOUR LIVES!"**

* * *

At ground level, Jaune and his team were currently taking down White Fang members left and right in the most non-lethal way possible. After all, those White Fang would still have to face justice for what happened at Beacon, so they couldn't injure them too much. Jaune himself was in the middle of another take down when he suddenly heard a pair of jet engines coming from overhead, which made him crane his head up to see a dropship coming in hot. "Oh crud, GUYS!" the blonde knight called out to his team. "We got company—AGH!"

After taking down the White Fang member she was fighting, Pyrrha's head whipped around at Jaune's yell, and her eyes widened in horror. "JAUNE!"

In the briefest moment that Jaune had let his guard down, a very large White Fang with the claws of a bear came up from behind and slammed him into the ground, keeping his massive hand over the blonde knight's chest. The Faunus pressed down on Jaune's breastplate, making him scream in pain. "Oh, shut up, human!" the White Fang growled, raising his free hand above his head to strike. "This'll all be over soon—AAAAAAGH!" But the threat was cut short when a whip suddenly wrapped around the Faunus' wrist and gave off an electric shock. The White Fang fell back in pain, releasing Jaune and allowing him to breathe again.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha cried out as she knelt by his side. As Jaune kept taking in deep breaths, she lifted his head and settled it onto her lap, locking her eyes with his. "Are you alright? If you can say anything…"

"Pyr, it's alright." Jaune said breathily as he grabbed hold of her hand. "I'm okay. Though I have a feeling that if he'd pressed down any harder, he would've broken some of my ribs."

"Well, you're just lucky that your armor held up." Pyrrha smirked as she knocked against his breast plate. "What was the _first_ thing we discussed about swordplay?"

Jaune sighed and replied; "Never let your guard down. But… who saved me?"

"That would be me." Jaune and Pyrrha whirled their heads up to see a tan-skinned girl with a pony tail with a whip-like weapon in her hand. She pressed down on the weapon's trigger and the whip retracted, changing it into a blade. "Are you human's alright?"

"Uh… we're fine." Jaune confirmed. "But who're you?"

At that moment, Neptune came up from behind the girl, his weapon drawn and a grin on his face. "Hey guys! I see you've met… uh…" The blue-haired boy shifted his eyes onto the pony-tailed girl. "I just realized that I didn't get your name."

The girl rolled her eyes at him. "Ugh, if you HAVE to know, my name's Ilia." Ilia focused back down to Jaune and Pyrrha. "I'm a friend of Blake's and I'm here to find her. Do you two know where she is?"

"Um, yes." Pyrrha answered reluctantly. "She should be… oh no." The Invincible Girl had trailed off when she noticed the dropship land just a few feet away.

Th ship's ramp lowered to reveal Exo-Skull, the rhino mutant stepping down the ramp with his weapon drawn. "C'mon, you little pansies! If ya don't wanna be sent to the slammer, get on the goddamn ship!" Many of the White Fang members began following Skull's advice, running toward the ship as fast as their legs could carry them.

As the White Fang stampeded past them, Pyrrha realized that their current location wasn't the best place to talk. "Ilia, we might have to continue this conversation later." The Invincible Girl grabbed a hold of Jaune and started hefting him up, draping his arm over her shoulder. "Alright, Jaune, nice and easy."

Neptune came over and started doing the same with the other arm. "Yeah, man, don't strain yourself."

Though he was grateful for the help, Jaune gave the two a reassuring smile. "Heh, guys, c'mon, I'm not even hurting all that—OW!" The moment he tried to move his torso, a sharp pain shot through his chest muscles, causing him to take in a sharp breath. "On second thought, better let my Aura do its thing first."

Ilia's eyes darted between Pyrrha and Exo-Skull, the chameleon girl going over everything in her head. _'As much as I hate to agree with a human, she's right.'_ She sighed and gestured for them to follow her over to the warehouse. "Alright, this way, we'll take cover in…" But the moment she turned around, she saw that the building in question was beginning to collapse, with five figures suddenly jumping off the roof. "You know what? Never mind."

All of the fighting came to a sudden halt as the warehouse's front fell, with everyone's attention having been taken by the avalanche of rubble. Nora stopped herself as she was about to bring her hammer down on a White Fang member, allowing him to get away unscathed. Her lips turned down in a pout before yelling; "Alright, who destroyed this building without getting ME in on it?! I LIVE for this kinda destruction!" She spun her head around to see Jaune, Pyrrha and Neptune approaching her, along with a new face. Nora pointed to the girl and shouted; "Was it _her_?!"

It wasn't long until Athena, Ren, Kevin, Gwen and Penny came over as well, having heard the commotion. "What is going on around here?" Athena asked before noticing that Jaune was hurt. "Oh my goodness, Jaune! Are you alright?!"

Jaune grinned and waved a hand up to her. "It's alright, Athena, I'm good. Nothin' a little rest won't fix."

Ilia placed her hands on her hips. "Just count your lucky stars that you weren't pinned for very long." She pointed to Jaune's chest. "That chest plate wouldn't have protected you from a Faunus that size for much longer."

Gwen raised an eyebrow at the newcomer. "I'm sorry, but… who are you?"

After shedding his metal coat, Kevin balled his hands into fists. "Hold on, that was the White Fang girl who was runnin' on the roof!" He stepped forward and got right in her face. "Alright, start talkin'. What're you an' your group planning with all of this?" The Osmosian gestured out to the destroyed warehouse and the mob of White Fang. "Is this some kind of attack?"

But Ilia wasn't taking any of it. "UGH! How many times do I have to explain it to you humans?! I'm not with these White Fang! Yes, I'm _part_ of the White Fang, but I'm not with _these_ idiots!" After chewing Kevin out, she faced Gwen with a calmer demeanor whilst crossing her arms. "Anyway, I'm Ilia, and I'm a friend of Blake's. Think you can lead me to her?"

Gwen blinked in surprise. "Oh, sure, we can. But first we need to take care of…" _CLANG!_ Gwen let out a scream as a certain metal-clad alien slammed into the ground next to them, eliciting the others to do the same. But once she saw exactly who it was, her eyebrows snapped up. "BEN?! What the… I thought that you… how'd you get here and why are you NRG?!"

NRG lifted himself up, his metal hand going to his helm in pain. **"Ugh, it's a long story, cous', trust me."** The Prypiatosian-B got up, only to find that his team weren't the only one's present, noticing Ilia standing among them. **"Ah, and you must be Ilia."** But he didn't get a response from her, only a bewildered stare. NRG raised a peaceful hand to Ilia, hoping that she wouldn't freak out. **"Alright, I know that this isn't exactly all that normal, but just here me out for a second."** NRG slapped the Omnitrix core on his chest and transformed back into Ben, the hero giving Ilia a friendly grin. "See? I'm actually human!"

Ilia's face went from astonished to somewhat irritated in a single second. "That doesn't exactly make things much better. That said, WHAT THE HELL?! One second, you're a big metal… _thing_ and now you're a normal person?!"

Ben raised his arm off to show the Omnitrix. "Yep, that's my thing. This device on me can turn me into a whole bunch of different aliens. Cool, ain't it?"

Ilia blinked twice before putting her hands to her head. "Has the whole world gone _insane_?!"

"No, but it's pretty close." Ren quipped, making Nora stifle a laugh.

As Ilia went off on her tirade, Penny tilted her head toward Ben, still slightly confused by his presence. "Um, Ben? You never _did_ answer Gwen's question. Why are you here?"

"Oh, well, after we found Blake's parents, Yang, Rex and I came over to follow Hazel's dropship. We were fighting Tyrian on the roof with Raven and… wait, where're the others?!" Ben whipped around and began scanning his eyes across the rubble, hoping to whatever deity existed that his girlfriend hadn't been crushed. "YANG?! Guys, can you hear me?!"

It wasn't long before he got a response; "Hey Ben!" Everyone turned their heads up to see that Rex had activated his Boogie Pack and was hovering down to ground level, with Yang and Raven holding on to the wings as they descended. "Don't worry, the ladies are safe and sound. And good news! Raven's only a _little_ pissed off at you!"

Yang rolled her eyes and mumbled; "You're not making this any easier, Rex." As the three landed, the Blonde Brawler noticed that Ilia was still going on her little tangent. "Uh, so I'm guessing the girl in the one-piece is Ilia?"

"Yep." Neptune answered. "She's kind of odd, but I've got a feeling that she'll get used to us pretty quick once we explain things."

Raven came forward and sent a glare toward the Omnitrix bearer. "Ben, what in the WORLD were you thinking?! You could've _killed_ us with a foolish move like that!"

Ben shut his eyes and nodded in regret. "Okay, yeah, it was really stupid. I was just getting REALLY fed up with Tyrian and I lost my cool after he went for Yang. …Hold on, where IS Tyrian?" Ben whipped his head around before finally finding the dropship, where the last of the White Fang and Tyrian were climbing aboard while Exo-Skull covered their backs. Once they were all on board, the ramp lifted up and the ship began to ascend into the sky. "NO!" Ben shouted as he and the team began running toward the craft.

Ben's yell managed to snap Ilia out of her rant, and she too noticed that the dropship was leaving. She ran over to the group, stopping directly beneath the ship as it took off. "We can't let it get away!" Ilia screamed over the jet engines.

"We won't!" Kevin assured before pulling out his Plumber's badge. He pressed a button on it and he threw it like a frisbee up at the ship's hull. Once the badge reached up high enough, it magnetized itself to the hull, with Kevin wearing a satisfied grin as it flew away. "There, now we'll be able to track it where ever it goes! They won't be getting away that easy—ack!" The Osmosian was cut off when Ilia grabbed him by the collar, forcing him down to her level. "Agh! Jeez! What the heck are you doin'?!"

On the other end of things, Ilia was giving him one of the deadliest glares imaginable. "You idiot! I meant that we _literally_ can't let them get away!" She pointed out to where the ship was flying; straight toward the ocean's horizon. "They'll be flying _directly_ to Menagerie over the ocean! And I doubt that they'll be landing anytime soon!"

However, Gwen was quick to intervene. "Alright, time for a breather!" She used her mana to remove Ilia's hand and push the two away from each other. The redhead then went over to Ilia and gave her a stern face. "This isn't the time to play the blame game on each other. Instead of just yelling at us, why not explain the situation to us and we can act accordingly? We'll be willing to help if you can cooperate with us."

"Ha, that's a laugh!" Ilia scoffed. "Humans who actually "care" about a Faunus' situation. Like I haven't heard _that_ lie thrown around dozens of times before."

It was at that point where enough was enough for Yang. She came up behind Ilia and spun her around to meet her gaze. "Okay, seriously? That's _enough_. You listen here little miss, just because you're the friend of our friend doesn't mean that ANY of us have to take this from you." Yang pointed back down the street. "The Belladonna's have already explained your problem to us, and we're willing to help, so don't go throwing a good thing away, okay? We can help you, but you just have to trust us on this, alright?"

At that moment, there were so many things that Ilia wanted to say to this blonde girl she didn't know. But she knew if she did, she'd never hear the end of it from the Belladonnas… and Blake. _'I have no clue HOW she made friends with so many humans or WHY, but if she really trusts them that much… I guess I have no choice.'_ Ilia huffed and crossed her arms, her eyes shifting off to the side. "Fine, I'll go along with this, but only for the sake of Blake, her family, and my home."

Gwen gave her a nod. "Alright, that's fine. I'm glad we could come to an agreement." Gwen pulled out her Plumber's badge and began talking into it. "Tetrax, we need pick up now. Blake and the others are waiting back where we dropped them off… also, expect three additional guests coming back with us."

Yang slapped her forehead. "Oh god, dad's gonna have a freak out when he gets home."

Raven winced slightly. "Hmm, yes. I'm not sure how many more people that house can hold. Hopefully this arrangement won't be for too long."

Athena let out a sigh as the Resolute landed in front of them. "Well, at least we managed to control the situation…" The Huntress moved back around to see the remaining unconscious White Fang members who were lying down in the streets. "At the expense of knocking out a few dozen people." She faced Pyrrha and Jaune with a grin. "I'll call James and wait here for him, just to make sure that none of these White Fang wake up and leave."

The couple returned her smile and both nodded. "We understand, mom." Pyrrha said. "We'll make sure to catch you up on everything once you get back to the house, okay?"

"Sounds grand." Athena gave her daughter a wave as the teens and Raven began boarding the ship. "Good luck with everything, sweetheart!"

Jaune gave a small chuckle as Pyrrha and Neptune assisted him into the cargo hold and onto a bench, allowing him to lie down. "Heh, guess it's time for another big adventure, huh?"

"Might as well be everyday around here." Nora laughed. "Ya know what I'm sayin'?"

"Well, I don't mind one bit." Neptune shrugged. "Better than doin' nothing at all, right?"

"Indeed." Ren concurred. "Though I have to wonder what we're in for." The green ninja shifted his gaze over to Ben and Ilia, the two just boarding the ship along with everyone else. Just as the ramp came back up, he hesitantly asked Ilia for more information. "So, just what IS going on here? Something to do with Menagerie?"

Ilia stopped in her tracks as the ship began to fly back up and her glare returned, only this time, it was aimed at the ground. "…Yes." she spoke in a low tone. "A pair of powerful insurgents came to Kuo Kuana about a week and a half ago, and they easily over threw the White Fang's leadership with their strength and unique abilities." Ilia moved her eyes up to Ben. "The rhino and warthog said that they knew them, and that they were aliens."

Kevin facepalmed. "Oh, for god sakes! MORE bad guys from our world? An' here I thought we'd run out."

"Afraid not, Kev." Ben shrugged. "And it sounds to me like Hog and Skull are gonna try and meet up with them soon." The hero focused back to Ilia. "Are there any allies of yours back in Menagerie that you can get in contact with? Maybe warn them about those guys before they get there?"

"Unfortunately, no." Ilia shook her head. "The ones who took over made sure to shut down all communications to and from the outside world. It's why the Belladonnas and I had to make the long boat ride here. And even then, there wouldn't be anyone who _could_ get that message. Those two aliens made sure to snuff out _any_ rebellion in Kuo Kuana." Ilia's right hand went to her left arm. "Even our leader, Sienna Khan, was taken as a hostage. They're using her life as leverage in their rule. If anyone dares try to take them down, they'll kill her right on the spot."

Penny let out a gasp. "That's awful!"

Her exclamation took Ilia by surprise. "It… It is?"

"Yes! No one's life should ever be threatened like that!" Penny stepped up next to Ilia in concern. "Do you at least know if she's in a safe location?"

"Uh… yeah, she's in the White Fang's prisoner hold." Ilia narrowed her eyes at the redhead. "But why do _you_ care?"

Ben piped up from behind her. "Well, that information's actually pretty helpful if we're going to save her, so…"

"No, no, no, I know that. I'm asking why she cares about Sienna's _life_." Ilia spread her hands out to the entire room. "In fact, I'm surprised that any of you are still going along with this!"

"Why? Because it's the White Fang?" Rex asked. "If that's the reason, then you should probably know that we help _anyone_ who's in trouble. No discrimination here."

"Rex is right." Gwen supported. "It doesn't matter who you are or where you're from. What's important is that you need help and we're willing to give it to you, no strings attached."

Ilia stood in place, staring at Gwen in bewilderment. _'They're… willing to help the White Fang? Just who ARE these people that you've made friends with, Blake?"_

"Hey." A voice from behind spooked Ilia out of her trance, making her spin around to see Yang smiling at her. "Oh, whoops! Hehe, sorry, didn't mean to scare ya." The blonde offered the chameleon girl a small smile. "Listen, I know that you probably don't trust humans all that much, I get it. But now that you know that we're all wanna help you, think we can at least all work together to help free your home?"

Ilia's lips parted as she processed Yang's words in her head. "I… yeah, sure. I have no freaking clue who you people are, but… if you really are Blake's friends, then I guess I can't fault her judgement." She crossed her arms and turned away from them. "But I'm still not completely happy with the situation, just so you know."

"And that's fine." Ben assured. "At least we know were all on the same side. We share a common enemy here, so we'll take 'em out together." He raised an eyebrow to Ilia. "By the way, just who are they, anyway? I haven't heard you throw around any names."

"That's because they haven't spoken their names in public." Ilia explained. "The only ones who know are the White Fang officials that have allied with them." She clenched her fists in ire. "The ones who've welcomed their take over with open arms."

"Whoa, seriously?" Jaune asked. "There are some White Fang who're going along with this?"

Ilia nodded solemnly. "Unfortunately, yes. Many of the White Fang's high-ranking officials were growing impatient with Sienna for not getting the results they wanted _when_ they wanted them. There were rumors of a rebellion beginning to bubble up for some time now, and I even heard that Adam was supposed to lead it." A guilty look came to her face. "And… I _may_ or _may not_ have been considering joining it. But after the take-over, my stance on the rebellion changed immediately."

Pyrrha eyed Ilia in suspicion. "…I see. And why is that?"

"Because now, the insurgents are running our organization like a common mob, and the allied White Fang are allowing it to try and convince them to take up their cause!" Ilia sneered in disgust. "They're _terrorizing_ the people of Kuo Kuana, extorting them all out of their money! People are so afraid that they can't even leave their own homes."

"WHAT?!" Nora clenched her teeth and readied her hammer. "Alright, we'll pick Blake and the others up and then we're headed STRAIGHT to Menagerie, because THAT is unacceptable!"

"While I like you attitude, Nora, I'm afraid we can't." Ben politely denied. "We'll need a plan of attack first if we're going to take Menagerie back. But I agree, that's disgusting." Ben sent a concerned expression to Ilia. "How have you gone a week and a half like this?"

Ilia shrugged her shoulders. "Because Ghira and Kali were two of the rebellion leaders in Kuo Kuana. But like I said, the aliens used the White Fang to shut down any rebellion that took form. We thought that we could handle this ourselves, but… well here we are."

Yang gave Ilia an understanding nod. "Well don't worry, Ilia, we'll figure this out." Just then, the ship jostled a little bit as it stopped and began to descend, catching everybody's attention. "Well, guess we're at stop number two." In a matter of moments, the ship landed and its ramp lowered once again, allowing everyone else to climb aboard. The first one inside was Blake, to whom Yang gave a salute. "Hey Blake! Take a gander at who we found!"

The cat girl stopped at the top of the ramp as her parents, Sun and Ruby came up behind her. Sure, she had been told that Ilia had come along with her parents, but it was still surprising. But finally, it all settled in for her and she gave the girl a friendly smile. "Hey Ilia… long time no see, huh?"

Ilia felt her gut do a flip when Blake spoke to her. _'Keep it together, Ilia!'_ she scolded herself as her spots changed to pink again for a split second. _'Now's not the time to focus on those thoughts. Just go up to her and say hi.'_ Ilia took a deep breath and did a quick walk over to Blake, returning her smile with a wave. "Uh, hi Blake. It HAS certainly been a while. I only wish that the circumstances could be a bit better."

"Yeah, me too." Blake went over and pulled Ilia into a hug, much to the other's surprise. "Still, it's good to see you."

Ilia was simultaneously really happy and very worried. _'On one hand, she's hugging me. On the other, I hope to god that she can't feel how fast my heart is beating.'_ Taking another breath, Ilia reciprocated the hug, all while trying to calm herself down. "Y-Yeah, it's good to see you too. I met your friends, by the way. They're kind of an odd bunch."

Blake pulled her head away and gave Ilia a grin. "Well, that's this team in a nutshell; an odd bunch." She gestured over to Sun and Ruby as Ghira and Kali went further into the ship, the latter two introducing themselves to everyone else. "But there's more where that came from. Ilia, this is Ruby and Sun."

"Hey there." Sun pointed a pair of finger guns at Ilia and gave her a wink. "Always nice to meet one of Blake's pals."

Ilia was taken aback slightly by Sun's greeting. _'Well, he certainly seems cheery.'_ Her eyes then noticed his tail, and a small smile formed on her face. "Oh, it's nice to meet you. I see that you're a Faunus too."

"That's right." Sun placed his hands on his hips. "Born and raised in Vacuo, and proudly went to Haven Academy in Mistral!"

Ilia raised a brow at that. "Really? Well that's a bit odd. I've heard that Faunus rights are much better in Vacuo. If that's the case, then why go to the Huntsman Academy in Mistral?" She folded her arms with a slight head tilt. "Wouldn't it be better to go to Shade Academy instead of Haven?"

Sun raised a finger and countered; "Maybe, but if you ever lived in Vacuo for an extended period of time, then you'd know that it's not worth it. The whole kingdom's almost a barren waste land and there's sand EVERYWHERE." He jerked a thumb to his chest with a goofy grin. "I don't know about you, but I'd rather live somewhere where I _don't_ find sand in every part of my clothes every time I wake up in the morning."

Blake gave a small giggle, which Ilia immediately took notice of. _'Did… did she just laugh? Blake almost NEVER laughed back in Menagerie!'_ Deciding to write it off for now, she shook her head and gave out a chuckle of her own. "Heh, well, I can't fault that logic, I guess." However, Ilia suddenly felt another pair of eyes on her, moving her head around to find a smiling Ruby staring straight at her. "Uh… can I help you?"

Ruby happily extended her hand. "If a friendly introduction is considered "help", then yes! I'm Ruby Rose. My sister and I are on the same team as Blake! It's really nice you meet you."

"Yeah… sure." Ilia reluctantly extended a hand to Ruby and they shook, even if the chameleon girl wasn't exactly too pleased about it. "So… who's your sister?"

"Yang, the blonde girl over there." Ruby pointed Yang out to Ilia, whom the recognized instantly.

"Oh, her. Yeah, she and I have already met." Ilia gave out a sigh once the shake was over before going back to Blake again. "Well, Blake, for as many human friends as you've made, I'm glad that none of them don't seem to have anything against Faunus."

Blake shrugged her shoulders. "Well remember, this isn't Atlas, Ilia. It's not exactly going to be as awful as it is up there." But then, Blake's eyes widened as the final two passengers came on board the ship. "Uh… though speaking of Atlas… you may not like my final team member. But I promise that she's actually really nice once you get to know her."

Ilia faced the direction that Blake was looking toward. "Why, who is… _what_?" Ilia went from calm and collected to on the defensive in less than a second. As the ramp closed up and the ship lifted off again, she saw who was standing just a few feet away from them; Weiss and Winter Schnee. "What are _they_ doing here?" She asked with a hint of venom in her voice.

Weiss backed away a small bit while Winter parted her lips in surprise. "Oh, you must be Ilia." the elder Schnee spoke up with a respectful bow. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am—"

"I KNOW who you are!" Ilia said angrily as she stepped over to the two and pointed in their faces. "Now answer my question! What the HELL are you two doing here?!" The volume of her voice echoed throughout the hull of the ship, silencing everybody on board and garnering their attention. "What business does a Schnee, let alone TWO Schnees, have here?!"

Weiss reluctantly stepped forward, offering a peaceful, if somewhat nervous smile. "Um, hi, Ilia's you're name, right? Firstly, I know that my father's company and the White Fang have been at each other's throats for quite some time, and your organization has had very good reasons to be angry with him." The heiress bowed her head toward Ilia and shut her eyes. "I'm sure that any apology I make won't change much here and now, but I just want you to know that I don't share my father's views, at least, not anymore."

Ilia's glare hardened. "I don't believe it. And I mean that VERY literally."

"And I don't blame you." Weiss affirmed as she raised her head up to meet the other girl's intense gaze. "After all of the horrible things that my father has done to Faunus kind, I can see why you have a reason to not trust me or my sister." She then shifted her eyes and smiled over to Blake. "But I just want you to know that one of my best friends is a Faunus, and she's standing right next to you. She's actually the one who helped me improve my views on the Faunus community."

Ilia's eyes snapped back open and she whirled around to Blake, astonishment written all over her face. "B-Blake… is it true? Are you seriously friends with a _Schnee_?!"

"That's right." Blake confirmed. "Not just friends, actually, we're teammates. She didn't even know I was a Faunus OR associated with the White Fang until about three months into the school year. And even when she found out, she said that she didn't care." The cat girl went over and put an arm around Weiss. "She might be a rich girl, but Weiss _isn't_ her father's daughter. She's a good person." Blake then jabbed a thumb toward Winter. "And her big sister's pretty cool too."

"Thank you, Blake." Winter said. "The compliment is much appreciated."

Ilia could only stare at her friend in shock and awe. "A Schnee… who's nice to Faunus? Am I in some sort of alternate reality or something?!"

Ghira stepped over to the four women with Kali by his side. "I know, Ilia. I could hardly believe it when I first heard. But it seems that Weiss certainly is sincere about wanting to better herself and distance her from her father's infamous legacy."

Kali came forward and placed a hand on Ilia's shoulder. "Ilia, I know that it might be hard to grasp given your… history with the people of Atlas. But people _can_ change, and no one is a better example than Weiss." The woman sent the heiress and her daughter a kind smile. "In fact, Blake has made a lot of great friends while at Beacon, and I hope I can hear about all of the things that happened while you were all there."

"Hehe, I can certainly try, mom." Blake chuckled before going back to her old friend. "Ilia, I left the White Fang not just because of Adam's approach to things, but also because I wanted all of the hate to stop from both sides." She went up and gently grasped Ilia's hand while also holding onto Weiss'. "This is what can be achieved by a more peaceful approach. We can make progress on Faunus rights _without_ using violence to get our point across. So what do you say? Do you wanna try and make some new friends?"

Ilia stared at her friend's face for a moment, then over to Weiss, before finally going to her hand, which was just a few inches from Weiss' own. A few seconds later, Ilia pulled her hand away from Blake's grasp, making the cat girl's face fall. "I'm sorry Blake, but I'm not about to just become friends with someone who's family is responsible for so much Faunus mistreatment." Ilia furrowed her brows as Blake's ears flattened. "You might be my friend, but I'm not about to be friends with a _Schnee_." And with that, Ilia walked off to a secluded part of the cargo hold, hoping to keep to herself until the ship landed once again.

After a moment of silence amongst everyone, the one to finally break it was Rex. "Well, uh, I guess _that_ could've gone better."

Weiss gave him a deadpan face. "Robo-dolt, sometimes you have to know when to _not_ state the obvious." She gave a sad sigh before glancing over to her cat-eared friend. "I'm sorry, Blake. I guess Ilia just doesn't trust me."

"It's okay, Weiss." Blake said with a pat on her friend's back. "You can't just change everyone's minds in a day, after all. But I'll try and talk to her some more, see if I can help her come around at least a little bit."

"Okay, but if she still doesn't want to, I'll understand." Weiss then tilted her head toward Kali. "But… what did you mean about her history with Atlas, Kali? Did she used to live there?"

"Yes, a long time ago." Kali nodded. "I don't know the full details of the story though."

"I do." Blake said. "But that's probably not a topic for here and now."

Ghira was quick to agree. "Right. Instead, there's actually a topic that I HAVE been very interested in." The tall man faced Ben with intrigue. "Tell me, Ben, would you be so kind as to tell us the full story of just what in the world is going on here?"

Ben gave Ghira a smirk. "I'd be happy to, Mr. Belladonna."

But Ghira waved a hand to that. "Oh, please, Mr. Belladonna's much too formal. Feel free to call me—"

"Ghira." A female voice called out to the side, one that sent a familiar chill down Ghira and Kali's spines. Raven emerged from one of the darker corners of the cargo hold, revealing herself to the couple. "And Kali as well. It's been far too long, hasn't it?"

Kali's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "RAVEN?! Raven _Branwen_?!"

Ghira went over to his wife in a protective stance. "What in the world are you doing on this ship Raven?" He whipped his head around to all of the teens. "Children, stay back, this woman is a very dangerous—"

"Oh, they know all of that already." Raven clarified. "Trust me, we established everything yesterday." She walked past Ghira and Kali nonchalantly, making her way over to Yang. "In any case, I'm not here for anything involving the tribe." She stopped next to her daughter and nudged her with her elbow, the two sharing a smirk. "I'm actually visiting family, just like you two."

Ghira and Kali blinked in bewilderment, but then they began noticing the stark resemblance between Raven and Yang. As the realization dawned on Ghira, he felt compelled to whirl around to his daughter. "Blake, are you telling me that your teammate is the DAUGHTER of Raven Branwen?!"

Blake gave her parents a small shrug. "Hehe… surprise?"

* * *

Over the course of the ship ride back to Patch, Ben, Gwen, Kevin and Rex gave the three newcomers an abridged version of the events that had happened since the Fall of Beacon. From how the Alien Trio arrived, to how Rex arrived, before finally ending with the events of the day prior. Ghira and Kali absorbed the information in silent intrigue while Ilia listened in from the corner she had secluded herself to, the three Faunus all taken aback by what they were hearing. Once the ship finally landed at the Xiao Long residence, everyone began to disembark, with Ben wrapping everything up. "And that's it. I know it's a pretty strange story, but I swear, I couldn't make any of it up if I tried."

"Oh, trust me, we believe it." Ghira assured. "Your transformations are more than enough evidence for us."

Kali faced Gwen, Kevin and Rex with a grin. "Though that's not to say that your friends and cousin don't have amazing abilities as well. Mana control and magic, absorption and building weapons out of your own body parts? It's all just so spectacular!"

Gwen gave Kali a grateful bow. "Thank you, Kali. Though I gotta say, the people of this world are unique in their own way as well." The Anodite craned her head toward Ilia and asked; "So, what do you think about all of this, Ilia?"

The chameleon girl raised an eyebrow. "I have to agree with Ghira. If I hadn't seen your cousin change into a walking furnace, I never would've believed any of this."

Once Teams RWBY, JNPR and SN, as well as Winter, Raven and Penny all stepped out of the Resolute, the mighty ship began to take off one last time, going back to its usual hiding place within the forest. It was then that Ben realized something; "Wait a second, isn't Grandpa Max still onboard Tetrax's ship?"

"He said that he still had a few small things to go over with Swift concerning her parole." Ruby explained. "Tetrax will escort him back home later."

Jaune, who had made a surprisingly speedy recovery from his chest injury, put a hand to the back of his head. "Man, I can't believe that girl might actually just get out on parole." He then folded his arms across his chest. "And to think that she tried to wreck house at Beacon a few days ago."

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow toward Ruby. "Do you think that she'll be able to qualify?"

"I really think so." Ruby shrugged. "That is, if Velvet and Coco are willing to make peace with her. I mean, one can only hope, right?"

Blake smiled toward her friend. "Yeah, I guess that's a good mindset to have, Ruby."

Kali then sent her daughter a similar look. "My word, my daughter surely _has_ changed quite a bit while she was a way. What a positive attitude!" She placed a hand to Blake's forehead. "Are you sure you're well, dear?"

The cat girl blushed and rolled her eyes at her mother's words. "Oh, come on, mom, I haven't changed _that_ much."

Ghira placed his hands on his hips. "Well, if there's one change I'm glad happened, it's that you strayed away from Adam and the path that he set himself upon." He shook his head in disappointment. "I had hoped that he'd come to see things in a different light as he got older, but sadly, he brought about his own downfall."

"Yeah, after we kicked his butt, at least." Yang added with a punch to her palm. "The asshole totally had it comin'."

Weiss cleared her throat, hoping to get the conversation back on track. "Ahem, sorry to interrupt, but now that we're out of the chaos, I have to ask…" She focused onto Ghira. "Who are these insurgents you keep mentioning? We know that they're alien criminals from Ben's dimension, but other than that, we don't have much detail."

"Right, of course." Ghira concurred. "They've never given their names, but their appearance is unforgettable." The panther man sent Ben a glance. "Which means that you'll probably know who I'm describing, right?"

Ben nodded back. "Oh yeah, it's hard for me to forget a face of someone who's tried to kill me."

"Alright. The first one is about yea high." Ghira put his hand up to his hip for measurement. "He's a blue monkey creature of sorts, but with four arms and four eyes. He also has the ability to shoot webbing from his tail and stick to walls, so I can only assume that he is some sort of hybrid creature."

Gwen's eyes widened and she brought up her Plumber's badge, activating its holographic prisoner database. She scrolled through the holographic images of people and aliens before finally finding one that matched Ghira's description. "Is this your monkey?"

Ghira pointed to the image. "Yes! Exactly that."

"Alright, that's Simian." Gwen explained. "He's a silver-tongued, opportunistic con artist of an Arachnichimp who we've dealt with before."

Kevin's face hardened and he folded his arms. "Not surprising that he's the one behind this. Extorting money outta people is something I definitely see Simian doing."

"An _Arachnichimp_?" Ilia questioned. "Bit on the nose for a species name, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but that's kind of the case with most aliens." Ben clarified before tapping the Omnitrix. "But all that aside, Simian shouldn't be that hard to take down for us. I have my own Arachnichimp transformation, so I know pretty much everything that the species is capable of."

Sun came up and got a closer look at the hologram of Simian. "So wait, this guy can shoot webs outta his tail? Man, wish _I_ could do that!"

"Ew, dude, that's just gross!" Neptune recoiled. "Why would you _want_ that?!"

"'Cause then I could swing _anywhere_ I want!" Sun pointed the tip of his tail up to the peak of the house. "One shot of web up there and ZIP! I'd be up to the roof in a _second_!"

Ghira furrowed his brow and leaned over to his daughter. "Does he… _always_ go on random tangents like this?"

That only made Blake's nerves grow. _'I hope to god that he doesn't freak out when he finds out about me and Sun.'_ After that silent prayer, she gave him an answer; "Oh, uh, only sometimes. He's actually pretty well focused when he needs to be. Anyway, who was the other alien?"

"Ah, yes, right." Ghira lifted his arms up over his head. "The other alien, the one in charge of the whole thing, is practically a _giant_. He must be at least twelve feet tall. But that's just the beginning. He resembles an elephant, one with shaved tusks and ears shaped like bat wings. He also wears black and purple garbs, and has a cap with a red jewel in the middle."

Kevin and Gwen's eyes simultaneously widened. "No way." The Osmosian uttered. " _He_ was in the explosion?" He faced Ben with a serious expression. "I thought for sure that he was sent back to the Null Void."

Ben pursed his lips. "He was… but then he got out again. We were planning to send him back as soon as we could, but… well you know what happened."

"So, who is he?" Kali asked. "You all seem so worried. Is he really that dangerous?"

"A little bit, but he's more stubborn than dangerous." Ben explained. "Gwen?"

"On it." Gwen began going through the holograms again before finding the elephant man in question. "Everyone, gather round, you'll need to hear this." The entire team gathered around her, with everyone getting a good few of the hologram. "This is Trumbipulor. He's an alien crime boss wanted in fifty sectors of our home galaxy. He's escaped the Null Void two—"

"Three." Ben corrected.

" _Three_ times in his career, and he's extremely powerful." Gwen pressed down on her badge and bought up some statistics. "He's highly durable, can cause earthquakes by just stomping his feet, and he's incredibly smart."

Nora suddenly let out a happy gasp. "You mean that we're going to be fighting a giant elephant man?! AH! That's so awesome!"

"Agreed!" Penny pumped her fists. "Maybe now I can really cut loose with my new weaponry!"

"Wait, wait, WAIT!" Ilia waved her arms to get the redheads to stop talking. "Are you telling me… that we lost our homeland and the White Fang… to a guy named _Trumbipulor_?!" She graced her face with a double facepalm as that fact sunk in. "That has to be the DUMBEST name I've ever heard!"

"Well, they ARE aliens, ya know." Kevin countered. "Whaddya expect them to be named?"

"I… I don't know! I just didn't expect such a dumb sounding name!" Ilia took a deep breath and regained control of herself. "Whatever, let's just get to Menagerie so that we can take these two down and get our home back."

"Uh, I think you're skipping a couple of steps there." Rex pointed out. "Remember, we have no plan."

"We can make one up on the way there." Ilia insisted. "If we let the pig and the rhino get there before us, they'll be allied with Trumbipulor by tomorrow!"

"I'm aware." Ben nodded. "But we can't just rush over there, guns-a-blazing, without a proper plan. It'd be suicide."

"Ilia, I know that this probably isn't what you want to hear, but Ben is right." Ghira spoke up. "If we wish to defeat these scoundrels, we'll need a proper plan in place before we do anything."

"Are you _serious_?!" Ilia hollered. "Menagerie will only suffer more if we wait! If what they said is true about who those two mutants work for, then our homeland could be a new nesting ground for the Grimm and their mistress if we wait for too long!"

"Which is why we _won't_ be waiting too long." Ghira shifted his gaze up to the sky. "Menagerie is on the other side of the world, which means that though it is afternoon here, it's currently the middle of the night there. If we were to leave now, we'd most likely arrive by morning, which won't be ideal for a mission such as this. So, we'll leave first thing tomorrow, allowing us to make a plan and get some rest after today. By the time we arrive in Menagerie, it'll be around midnight. It'll be the perfect time for our operation to take place."

"A sound idea, Ghira." Raven vouched. "We may not make it there before Salem's forces, but we WILL have something that they don't; the element of surprise." The tribe leader quirked a brow to Ilia. "Wouldn't you say so, young lady?"

Yang leaned over to her mother and mumbled; "Mom, don't try to antagonize her, please?! We're trying to earn her trust, not make her mad."

As frustrated as Ilia was at the whole thing, she had to admit that Ghira had a point. If even one thing went wrong, they would lose everything. This had to be a planned-out attack and not a gung-ho one. With a heavy sigh, Ilia slumped her shoulders in defeat. "Alright, fine, we'll make a plan and wait until morning…" She pointed a finger and waved it around to everybody. "But I'm getting up before everybody else so that I can make SURE that you're all awake!"

Jaune smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "If you say so, but just to let you know, we're pretty early risers ourselves."

"Oh… well good! Glad to hear it." Ilia turned around and began heading toward the house. _'Well, if I'm gonna be here, I can at least finally have a shower.'_

As Ilia made her way to the abode, Winter let out a content sigh. "Well, now that all of that is over, I say that we get started making up that plan." She pulled back her sleeve, allowing her to take a look at her watch. "After all, it's only…" But then a panicked expression took over her features. Her wrist watch's hands were pointed to twelve and six, which could only mean one thing. "Oh no! I missed my lunch date—I mean, _meeting_ with Kenny!" Winter quickly corrected herself as a blush came to her face, with her sister and Gwen giving her similarly sly smirks.

"Ah, that's no trouble, Winter." Ben waved off. "I'm sure my cousin will understand you missing your normal date time. Hold on just a sec." The hero brought up the Omnitrix and quickly transformed into… "FEEDBACK!" The Conductoid gave Winter a thumbs up and a toothy smile. "C'mon, let's get you and Kenny on the horn."

Yang stepped up and nudged her boyfriend. "I'll come with. Once you're done, maybe we can squeeze in a quick Arkham session before making up a plan." She then gave Winter a thumbs up. "And don't stress out, 'kay Winter? Kenny'll be cool with you being a little late."

Winter let out a nervous breath as she followed Feedback and Yang to the door. "Well, I can only hope so, Yang."

With a quick walk, Winter, Yang and Feedback managed to catch up with Ilia. But as soon as the four reached the door, it opened up right in front of them, revealing Doctor Holiday on the other end. Ilia jumped back in shock while the other three went inside. "AGH! Who are you?!"

Holiday crossed her arms and tilted her head. "Well, I could ask you the same question, miss." She craned her head up to face everyone else down the drive way, focusing particularly on a certain EVO. "Rex, who's this?"

"Oh, hey Holiday!" Rex greeted before waving his arms over to the Belladonnas. "Hey guess who we found wandering around Vale? Blake's Parents!"

Holiday's eyebrows shot up. "Really? Well, that's certainly a surprise!" She sent her eyes back in Ilia's direction. "But then, who's she?"

"Uh, the name's Ilia." The chameleon girl answered. "I'm Blake's friend."

"Ah, I see." Holiday stepped aside with a welcoming smile, waving her arm toward the inside. "Well, come on in! We weren't exactly expecting company today, but friends and family are always welcome."

"Um… thanks." Ilia said. "Uh, just one thing, where's the bathroom?"

"Oh, you'll find one just down the hall and to your left." Holiday pointed down the main hallway.

"Thank you, I—WHOA!" Ilia was suddenly spooked when she felt something fast and furry run underneath her legs, rushing past her and out into the front lawn. "What in the heck was… that?" She set her eyes out to the lawn to see two small bundles of fur bounding out to the group, with each letting out small, excited barks. "P-puppies?"

"Romulus, come to mommy!" Pyrrha called out as Romulus ran over to her and Jaune. "Were you good for Doctor Holiday while we were gone?"

"I'm sure he was a good boy." Jaune said while petting the wolf pup's head.

Blake beamed as Rema came over to her, holding out her arms for the little wolf to jump into. "Haha! Hi Rema!" She scratched underneath Rema's chin as the pup began licking her face. "Oh, you're happy that mommy's finally back home, aren't ya?"

In contrast to the excitement that everyone was feeling, the Belladonnas were staring at their daughter in amazement. "K-Kali, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Ghira stuttered.

"I… I think so!" Kali clasped her hands together in joy. "Blake, you've gotten over your fear of dogs! How wonderful!"

Blake blinked at her mother's words before a smile came to her face. "Heh, well yeah, sort of. But even then, these technically aren't dogs." She lifted the little pup up to her mother. "See, Romulus and Rema are actually wolf pups. Jaune, Pyrrha, Ruby and Kevin found them after their parents were found dead, so they decided to take them in. And well, this little one got attached to me… and the feeling was mutual."

Kali gasped and scooped Rema into her arms, twirling around as she gazed into the pup's baby blue eyes. "Oh my goodness, aren't you just the cutest little thing I've ever seen!" She pulled Rema into a hug. "Rema, I'm your grandma!" Rema got in a good whiff of Kali's scent, and she immediately perked up when she realized how similar it was to her mothers. The little wolf pup barked happily and began licking Kali's face, much to her enjoyment. "Oh, dear! Well aren't you friendly?"

Back at the front door, Ilia wore a soft smile as she went inside the house, making her way to the bathroom as she chuckled to herself. "Heh, well that was unexpected. Nice going, Blake."

As Kali happily played with Rema, Ruby went over to Blake and whispered to her; "Don't you think your mom is overdoing it just a little bit?"

"Nah, she's _always_ this outgoing." Blake denied.

Ghira chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well Blake, I must say, you've become a much different person than when you left home. You've made so many friends, concurred your fears and defended Vale along the way. Tell me, is there anything you _haven't_ done?"

Blake was about to answer him before remembering that she hadn't told him about her relationship with Sun. _'…Maybe I can keep it hidden from them while they're here and just tell them once this business with Trumbipulor is over? …No, that wouldn't be fair. They of all people deserve to know. Besides, mom probably already suspects something.'_ Blake gave another sigh, lowering her gaze to the ground. "Well, there _is_ one thing that I've neglected to mention."

That caught Kali's attention and she stopped her little cuddlefest with Rema. "What is it, dear? Something wrong?" After she'd said that, she noticed how Blake glanced back to Sun with a mixture of happiness and trepidation, which Sun returned to her instantly. It was that one look that confirmed her suspicions. _'Ah-ha, I knew it!'_

"Blake, is everything alright?" Ghira asked. "You seem afraid of something."

"Not afraid, dad. Just… a little nervous is all." Blake beckoned Sun to come over to her with a smile. "Well, what do you say we rip the band-aid off?"

Sun shot the same smile back to her. "I'm right there with you." He came over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Always."

"Thanks." Blake took a deep breath and faced back to her parents, her father with a confused face while her mother wore a knowing grin. "Guys, I know that you've already met him… but now its time I give you a proper introduction." She wrapped her hand around Sun's shoulders as her blush came back. "You see, Sun is… actually someone very special to me. He's helped me deal with a lot of problems that've come my way and I've come to care about him very much… so much that we actually started going out about a week ago. Mom, dad, this is Sun Wukong, and he's my new boyfriend."

The two parents were at a loss for words… for two completely different reasons. Ghira's jaw had dropped in astonishment while Kali was back to beaming happily, her eyes lighting up as soon as the news was dropped. The two focused their eyes on Sun, who gave them a nervous wave. "Uh, hehe, nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. B."

* * *

**A/N: And I think that's a good place to leave it off for now. Ilia and the Belladonnas have been reunited with Blake, they've been acquainted with our heroes, and now the identity of our two Menagerie miscreants have been revealed; Trumbipulor and Simian. I told you guys that I wanted to get the spotlight on to some of Ben 10's more obscure villains, and I meant it! But man, Ilia's not feeling the warm welcome, is she? And hoo boy, Sun might be in for it, guys. Can't wait to see how he deals with the parental pressure. But that will have to wait for… NEXT TIME! As the planning process to take back Menagerie and the White Fang begins, Blake feels the need to try and sort some things out with her father, though she finds that to be easier said than done. Meanwhile, Ilia finds that she can't just be left alone in a house filled with over twenty people. Will she make some unexpected bonds, or will she keep herself closed off? The only way to find out is to stay tuned, so until next time guys! Thanks for reading, and I'll be seeing ya!**


	73. Making Plans, Forging Bonds

**A/N: Hey everybody! It's that time again! A new chapter has pulled its way in and is ready to go! There's not really that much else to say about it right now, though I DID forget to mention in the NEXT TIME segment last chapter that there'd be more Earth stuff being shown off this time, so there's that. But on what you might be asking? Well, let's find out, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 73: Making Plans, Forging Bonds**

* * *

If there were ever a time where Winter Schnee would wish that her job hadn't interfered with her social life so much, it'd be during a moment like this. She was pacing back and forth in the basement while Feedback had plugged himself into the interdimensional communicator, charging the device so that she could use it to contact Kenny. Since the unexpected mission came up and put everybody off-schedule, Winter had missed her usual meet-up time with the redheaded young man, and she was worried that he might be upset about it. She had to admit, in all of her years, she hadn't met _anyone_ who made her felt the way she was feeling, and she didn't want to risk losing something good between them.

' _Just try to calm yourself, Winter.'_ she remarked to herself. ' _Kenny is an easygoing person. I'm sure that Ben and Yang are right and he'll be okay with you being a bit late.'_ However, as she gazed down to the communicator, a string of doubts started going through her mind. _'But still… what if he DOES get upset that I missed our usual lunch date? I have no clue if he cares about punctuality or not! Oh, Winter, what have you gotten yourself into?!'_

"Hey Winter." A voice made the white-haired woman whip her head up to see Yang, the blonde staring back at her with a friendly smirk. "You okay? You've been goin' back and forth since Ben started charging that thing."

"Oh, um, I'm sorry, Yang." Winter folded her arms and lowered her gaze to the floor. "I did not mean to, but… I'm just…"

"Nervous?" Yang guessed. "About how Kenny will feel, I'm guessing?"

Winter let out a sigh and lowered her arms. "Yes. I am… still somewhat on edge about starting a relationship after all of this time."

"I getcha." Yang nodded. "It can be a bit scary. Heck, my last relationship before Ben was like, three years ago when I was fifteen. When was yours?"

"The same as you… only _I_ am twenty-three."

"…Okay, bit of a difference in time gap there, but hey, you've been making it work!" Yang supported. "I've heard you guys laugh, talk and just enjoy each other's company for the past few days now, so I've got a feeling that you don't have to worry about much." She went over and nudged Winter with her elbow. "Hey, long distance relationships are hard, but sometimes, they can be the sweetest. Because when you guys finally DO meet up in person, you're gonna be _so_ happy. It's gonna feel like a giant weight's been lifted off of you."

Winter smiled back at the blonde. "You have a good point, Yang. And thank you for the advice."

"Hey, what're fellow big sisters for?" Yang jabbed her thumb over to Feedback with a wink. "By the way, Ben's done."

A green flash alerted Winter to Ben's transformation back to human, causing her to move back around. The young hero had placed a hand to his hip while he gestured to the communicator. "Alright, charged and ready, Winter. You're all set." He then gave her a thumbs up. "And I think Yang was pretty spot on with her advice, too. Just remember to have a good time and things will work out well for you."

"Thank you, Benjamin." Winter nodded. "I'll certainly try." She approached the communicator and sat down on the couch, her hand going to the activation switch. "Well, here we go." Winter flicked the switch and the device came to life, its holographic screen coming up in an instant. At first, there was only static, so Winter tried to speak into it. "Hello, Earth? Come in, Earth."

It didn't even take a second for the other end to pick up, a familiar male voice responding to Winter's call; _"This is Earth, just one moment, por favor."_ The screen cleared itself of the static to reveal Caesar, the spikey-haired young man giving the three a greeting smile. _"Ah, Winter! I was wondering when you'd be calling. And Ben and Yang too! Good to see you guys."_

"Hey Caesar." Ben waved. "How've things been over there?"

" _Everything's going pretty good, actually."_ Caesar replied. _"Aside from a few random attacks that Manny's squad is handling, but nothing too major."_

Ben raised a concerned eyebrow. "I'm guessing that means that there's no sign of Vilgax yet?"

" _Unfortunately, no."_ Caesar sighed. _"It's got everyone on edge and worried about when he WILL make his move."_

"Well, that's a bit of a bummer." Yang shrugged. "Well, let's change the subject. How's the big Dimensional Doorway coming along?"

" _The Doorway's about halfway done. Just a few more days and we'll be making the jump to Remnant to make some finishing touches."_ The genius then sent a knowing grin to Winter. _"But I have a feeling that's not what you called about, is it?"_

"You'd be correct, Caesar." Winter confirmed. "Could you please put me through to Kenny?"

" _Of course. He actually called here earlier asking if you had contacted us yet."_ Caesar typed in a few commands while sending the three a wave. _"Nice talking to you guys! See ya soon."_ Once he said his goodbyes, the screen blinked out, indicating that the call was being transferred to Kenny.

"Well, we should probably head upstairs now." Ben resolved. "I take it that you two are gonna want some alone time."

"Yes, if you'd be so kind." Winter affirmed.

"Oh sure." Yang waved as she and Ben walked over to the stairs. "Besides, we've got some stuff of our own that we wanna do before we start mapping out the big plan for Menagerie." The couple began ascending the stairs, though Yang gave Winter a final salute before leaving. "Good luck."

"Thank you." Winter nodded back before focusing on the screen.

At first, the screen remained blank for a few seconds, but when it blinked back on, a familiar face graced Winter's eyes once again. Kenneth Tennyson wore a bright smile as his gaze met Winter's, the young man eagerly greeting her the moment the screen came on. _"Winter, hey! I was just wondering when you'd call. How're things going?"_

"They're… going good, I think." Winter answered. _'Well, he doesn't SEEM to be upset that I'm late.'_ she noted. The military specialist bowed her head slightly toward him. "I'm so very sorry that I was late for our date, Kenny. There was an emergency in the city, we had to be pulled away for a while, and I didn't realize what time it was until I got back. And when I did, I was worried you'd be upset, and—"

" _Whoa, Winter, it's okay."_ Kenny assured. _"I'm not upset that you had to go do your job."_

Winter blinked in surprise. "You… you aren't?"

" _No, why would I be? You're in the military. It's only natural that your job's gonna pull you away a lot."_ Kenny gave her a smile. _"Trust me, I'm not going to get upset about something you're required to do. We all have to work, even if it's really inconvenient for our normal lives."_

Winter let out a relieved sigh. "Oh, thank goodness. You have no idea how thankful I am to hear that." She then gave Kenny an apologetic gaze. "But still, I wish it didn't have to mean that I have to be pulled away from…" A slight blush came to her cheeks. "…From someone I see as special."

Kenny's eyes widened as his own blush came to his face, his lips turning up into a small grin soon after. _"I… I think you're pretty special too, Winter."_ His hand went to the back of his head. _"So, uh, now that we're up and running, how're you doing this fine afternoon?"_

"Hah, well, it's a bit mixed at best." Winter chuckled before folding her arms. "Our mission was a partial success. On one hand, we were successful in retrieving what we went for, but the enemy escaped."

" _Ah man, that's a bummer. What happened?"_ Over the next ten minutes, Winter gave a summary of the events that happened over in Vale. As the story went on, Kenny became more and more intrigued, to the point where he was practically leaning over the table with his face visibly becoming more and more surprised with every detail. Once Winter's tale was over, Kenny leaned back in his chair, digesting the information as it set in. _"Wow. Between Blake's parents arriving and Hog and Skull taking over the White Fang, it sounds like you've got a lot on your hands over there."_ He offered her a sympathetic expression. _"I can't imagine how you're able to handle all this stress, Winter."_

"Well, I would say it's less "stressful" and more… "crazy" for lack of a better term." Winter let out a small laugh and Kenny did as well, the two sighing once they were done. After a moment's pause, Winter pursed her lips in thought before asking; "Hey… Kenny?"

Kenny tilted his head to the side. _"Yeah, Winter? What's up?"_

"Tell me, do you ever find yourself questioning some of your previous decisions?"

" _Oh, ALL the time."_ Kenny started counting off on his fingers. _"There's the apartment in New York that didn't go well, the time I tried out baseball and I got hit in the face BY said baseball, and do I even NEED to go over how I stuck my head in the toilet bowl again?"_

Winter burst out laughing and waved her hand in front of her face. "Hahaha! Oh no, you've gone over that story in excruciating detail already, haha!" Her laughter died down and she began focusing back to her last thought. "But yes, those kinds of decisions are all good examples."

" _So, are you beginning to do the same?"_ Kenny asked further. _"Is there something that you regret doing?"_

"Well… sort of." Winter admitted. "I separated myself from the Schnee Family legacy and joined the military because I thought that my skills would be best suited away from the rich and better used for protecting the common folk. I don't regret joining for those reasons… but there was another reason I joined."

Kenny leaned forward in intrigue. _"And what would that be?"_

"I thought… that there would be no better option for me." Winter craned her head down and gazed forlornly to the ground. "After years of being forced by my father to interact with up stuck rich people while trying to force me to find a suitable suitor, I'd finally had enough. I saw my life as a dead end with no reward waiting for me at the end." She let out a breath she was holding before going on. "So, I decided to change my destiny. I joined the military and I was stripped of my heiress title. I was finally free of what my father had planned for me, and I changed my destiny to something greater. But… after being with this team and meeting you, I find myself wondering if destiny has different plans for me. I've found myself forming bonds with people that I never expected, and I'm actually a lot happier now than I've ever been in the past, so I've been reflecting on some of my past choices."

After a few seconds of silence between the two, Kenny gave her an understanding nod and a smile. _"Well, I'm no expert on destiny, but I think I see where you're coming from."_

Winter's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You do?"

" _Well, yeah, you felt pressured by high society, so you decided to leave it, right?"_ Kenny put his hands to his chest. _"And after you did, you chose to bottle everything up and stay secluded unless necessary, like what you told me a few days ago, right?"_

"Exactly." Winter wasn't sure where the redhead was going with this, but she was open to what he had to say.

" _Well, from my experience, that sounds to me like you're an introvert."_ Kenny explained. _"You like to keep to yourself, you're a little more on the quiet side, and you joined the military because it allowed you to be independent."_

Winter blinked in surprise. "Well, I suppose I'm a _little_ introverted. How do you know so much about that, though?"

" _I took a child psychology class in college."_ Kenny tapped the side of his head. _"If you wanna make good cartoons, ya gotta learn how a child's mind processes things. But introversion and extroversion are common amongst ALL ages, not just kids."_

Winter gave him a sly grin. "Well, look at you being so smart."

Kenny's face blushed and he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. _"Aw, shucks."_

Once the young man had regained himself, Winter laced her fingers together. "So… I guess this all means that I'm just beginning to come out of my shell, as it were?"

" _Maybe so, and people who have anti-social tendencies sometimes DO look back on how they acted in the past when they start to communicate better."_ Kenny put a finger to his chin. _"Think about this; what has working with this team for the past two weeks been like for you?"_

"Intense, chaotic, somewhat adventurous." Winter gazed up to the ceiling in contemplation. "And… perhaps a little… fun?"

" _Ah, there's the ticket!"_ Kenny said with a clap of his hands. _"When was the last time you had fun with something?"_

"Hah, when I was a child." Winter let out a sad sigh. "Back when my mother wasn't…" But she couldn't bring herself to finish that sentence, her hand going to her forehead as she shut her eyes. "I-I'm sorry, Kenny. Those are memories that I can't bring myself to revisit."

" _It's okay."_ Kenny reassured. _"You don't have to if you don't want to. I understand."_

"Thank you." Winter took a deep breath as she went back on topic. "But you're right. I AM having a good time with this team. I haven't felt this close to my sister in a long time, and the others have been quick to compliment me. Just a few minutes ago, Yang said that I was… cool. I'm beginning to question if that was a pun or not."

" _Haha! Well, if she didn't mean it to be a pun, you just made it one."_ Kenny winked and pointed to her. _"Great job, Winter."_

"Oh stop!" Winter said teasingly. "You're better than that, Kenny!"

" _What makes you think I'm not?"_ Kenny smirked. _"Because I can say one thing's for certain; you, Winter, are NOT cold hearted."_

Winter cupped her hands over her face, hoping to hide the smile that was forming on her face from his awful pun. "God, no please! Don't you dare!"

" _Alright, alright, I'll stay frosty from now on."_

That was all it took for Winter to break, though Kenny joined in as well when she started laughing. They laughed together for a good few seconds before calming themselves down, the military specialist being the first to speak. "Oh lord, you are awful, darling."

Kenny's blush returned, though he was able to reply without much difficulty. _"What can I say, my dear? I've got ice on the brain."_

"If you make a brain freeze pun, I will never forgive you." Winter's smile belied her threat, the woman knowing that she couldn't hate him for giving her a good laugh.

Kenny raised his arms up in surrender. _"Okay, that'll be my last one. So… what do you plan on doing now that you've found a place with this team?"_

Winter sighed once again as she thought that question over. "Well… I think I might just stay with them. Yes, my duties at the Atlesian Military will have to be addressed, but I think that I can do much more good with this group than I've ever done before." Winter winced as she remembered a few certain duties of hers that were still awaiting her in Atlas. "There will be… _complications_ with my absence from Atlas to be sure. But I suppose that I'll just have to take those as they come."

On the holoscreen, Kenny gave her a reassuring grin and a nod. _"Well, I'm sure that things will work out one way or another, Winter. And no matter what you do, I want you to know that I'm behind you, one-hundred percent."_ He then let out a sigh in slight frustration. _"…Even if I'm not there."_

"Yes, we'll have to fix THAT pretty quick, won't we?" Winter sent Kenny a wink. "Because once we meet in person, things will begin to get _very_ interesting."

Kenny's eyes widened and he began stammering out; _"I… I-I, well, that's…"_

But Winter was able to halt him by blowing a kiss his way, a small chuckle escaping her lips. "You certainly have a way with words, Kenneth Tennyson."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the ground-floor bathroom, Ilia was drying herself off after a much-needed shower, the chameleon girl feeling completely refreshed having finally washed herself after three days on the run. _'Dear god, I can't believe how long I've been wearing that freaking suit. I—wait!'_ Ilia's eyes snapped open after rapping her towel around her body, her gaze slowly shifting down to her stealth suit which was laid out off to the side. It was then she realized; her spare clothes were still in her backpack. "GAH! I left my backpack in the city! You've gotta be _kidding_ me!" Ilia facepalmed, covering her eyes. "Now what am I going to do?!"

But then, a knocking came at the bathroom door, causing her to jump a foot off the ground. "Ilia? You still in there?" came a female voice from the other side. "It's Blake. Is everything okay?"

While a part of her was relieved that it was only Blake… is was still _Blake_ on the opposite side of that door. The heat rose to her face and her spots changed to a hot pink at the prospect of the cat girl seeing her this exposed. _'Oh lord, what the hell do I do?'_ After a few more seconds of not responding, Ilia finally managed to stutter out an answer; "Uh, y-yeah, I'm good. Just… just trying to figure something out."

Not a second later, Blake replied; "Oh, okay. Well, whenever you're ready to come out, I brought some spare clothes for you if you need them."

Ilia's eyes snapped open at what she said. _'Huh, that's convenient.'_ After summoning up all of her bravery, the chameleon girl opened the door just a tad and poked her head out of the bathroom, coming face to face with Blake. "That's actually exactly what I need right now." She reached one hand out while keeping her towel secured with the other. "And at this point, ANY clothes would do."

Blake smiled and let out a chuckle. "Hehe, I thought so. Mom and dad told me that your backpack was probably long gone by now."

"Well, it probably isn't _gone_ , it just got left behind." Ilia flexed her fingers, hoping to hasten the hand-off. "Now, uh, the clothes, please? You know, before anyone sees me?"

"Oh, right, sorry." Blake handed her friend a plain grey t-shirt and a pair of black khaki shorts. "Hope you don't mind wearing some of Ruby's clothes."

"Like I said, ANY clothes will do right now." Ilia pulled her armful of clothes into the bathroom with her and shut the door, drying off quickly before slipping into the clothes and tying her hair back into her signature ponytail. She grabbed her stealth suit and walked out, meeting with Blake once again before bowing her head in gratitude. "Ah, much better. Thanks Blake, I was getting worried there for a second."

"Hehe, no problem." Blake chuckled. "What're friends for, right?"

"Yeah, right." A guilty expression came to her face at the mention of the word "friend". Her time in the shower had calmed her down considerably, and it allowed her to reflect on her behavior on the way over, especially toward Blake. With a heavy sigh, Ilia spoke up again. "Hey Blake, I'm sorry for my behavior on the way here. I shouldn't have been so harsh on you. I was just upset at everything that'd happened to Menagerie, and after getting caught up with all of that craziness, it wasn't doing me any favors."

"It's alright, and I accept your apology." Blake gave her friend a concerned expression. "But… if I have to be honest, I'm probably not the only one you should apologize to. You were kind of harsh to pretty much everyone on that ship."

Ilia winced as she rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah… I guess I was." After a moment of silence between the two, Ilia remembered a question that she'd wanted to ask her cat-eared friend. One that actually related to the subject at hand. "Hey Blake, there's been something on my mind since I met your friends…"

Blake raised an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

"Well… just how're you able to keep a positive outlook on Human-Faunus relations?" Ilia placed her hands on her hips. "After everything you've gone through with the White Fang, I'm still surprised that you're not taking any greater action against the humans for the way they treat us. Heck, I'm SHOCKED at how many human friends you actually have!"

Blake let out a breath through her nostrils. _'I had a feeling a question like this was coming.'_ She leaned up against the nearest wall and craned her head up toward the ceiling in contemplation. "Well… truth be told, I _was_ going to try and take greater action. You remember how my mom and dad left the White Fang, right?"

"How could I not? You blew up in their faces for it." After noticing how hard Blake's wince was, Ilia panicked and immediately apologized. "Oh god, I am SO sorry! I didn't think before speaking! I'm so stupid!"

"No, no, it's fine. You're okay, Ilia." Blake crossed her arms and lowered her gaze. "I'm just… still trying to find a good way to talk to my dad about that. Anyways, when that happened, I had wanted to take the route that Adam was taking. But after that first mission, I realized just how wrong I was, and I left. Adam's way wasn't to establish equality like I'd wanted, it was to assert dominance. And no living being deserves to be oppressed like that, be it human OR Faunus. And I know that our kind was oppressed in the past, but I'd like to think that we're better than just flipping the tables on humanity and doing the same to them." Blake pushed herself off the wall and went over to Ilia, setting a hand on her shoulder. "Ilia, we CAN be equal, but things like that take time, patience and understanding on both sides."

Ilia stared into her friend's eyes for a good few moments before closing her own. "Hmph, you always were the idealistic one, Blake." She opened her eyes back up and sent a grin Blake's way. "But one thing's for sure, I'm glad that neither of us followed Adam's rage-fueled path."

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Blake asked.

"Well… did your dad tell you about the White Fang who've allied themselves with Trumbipulor?" Ilia inwardly sneered at that name. _'I STILL can't believe how stupid that damn name is.'_

"Actually, my mom did." Blake answered. "But from what she told me, I haven't even _heard_ of these people before. I mean, Corsac and Fennec Albain? Yuma and Trifa? They're names I don't recognize."

"Yuma and Trifa joined the White Fang after you left." Ilia explained. "They're assassins who arrived in Menagerie pretty much out of the blue and offered to join the White Fang. A few suspect that Adam had something to do with their appearance."

"That doesn't surprise me in the slightest." Blake rolled her eyes before crossing her arms. "And the Albain Brothers?"

"Two of Sienna Khan's top lieutenants, and from what I can figure, were also conspirators with Adam." Ilia narrowed her eyes in anger. "They're the ones who started kissing up to Trumbipulor the moment he took over. I guess those two got wind that Adam had been arrested and were looking for a change of plans to overthrow the White Fang." In an instant, her skin changed to red again, with her hair, eyes and spot changing to yellow as well. "But now they're just a couple of opportunists who're willing to terrorize Menagerie's people to get what they want out of that pompous pachyderm!"

Ilia was about to hit the wall in frustration, but Blake stopped her at the last minute. "Whoa, okay. As much as I appreciate your alliteration, let's try to calm down here, huh?"

Ilia took a few deep breaths, allowing her to let go of her anger and change back to her natural colors. "Sorry, sorry! I just hate their guts for what they've done. I'm ashamed that I even _thought_ of joining their stupid rebellion!"

Blake rested a hand on Ilia's shoulder with a grin. "Well, I'm glad that you didn't, Ilia. Sometimes, things aren't always as great as our minds make them out to be. I had to learn that the hard way."

"Hmm, I guess you've got a point there." Ilia placed her hands on her hips. "Still, I can't help but be bothered by the way things are right now. Corsac and Fennec said that Adam's rebellion would help bring the Faunus the respect we deserve, but those two aren't worthy of _any_ respect."

Blake nodded and offered a hand shake. "Agreed. So what do you say? Once we get a solid plan, let's take 'em out. I'm warning you though, my team is included with me in a package deal."

Ilia chuckled and grasped her friend's hand, shaking it heartily. "Alright, alright, I get the picture. If it'll make you happy, Blake, I'll try to be nice to your friends. …The Schnee girl still bothers me though, won't lie."

"Like I said, you get used to her." Blake glanced over to the upstairs staircase. "Which reminds me, a lot of the others are actually upstairs right now. Maybe you should get to know them a little better before the mission."

"I'll try, but don't expect me to be making any fast friends or anything." Ilia nudged her head toward the stairs. "You going up, too?"

"No, I'm… still trying to work some things out with my dad." Blake hugged her arms around her and shifted her eyes to the living room worriedly. "I need to find the right words to say to him after… you know what."

Ilia pursed her lips at her friend's dilemma. "Hm, I can imagine it must be hard. Words can't easily be taken away all that easy."

"No, they can't. Especially after what I _just_ told him."

It was there that Ilia blinked in confusion. "Uh, okay, now you've lost me."

Blake's eyebrows shot up in realization, followed up by smacking her own forehead. "Oh, that's right! You weren't there for the big news drop. Long story short, I've got a new boyfriend."

And like that, everything stopped for Ilia. The moment that the words "new boyfriend" escaped Blake's lips, she could feel her heart break into pieces. Her thoughts were racing by a mile a minute trying to make sense of it all, but the ones that she kept coming back to was; _'Is this some kind of cruel joke? Do the gods just have it out for me?'_ She absent-mindedly craned her head down, shutting her eyes in silent shock and disbelief as her thoughts suddenly took a negative turn. _'I should just face facts. She'll never see me the way I see her. I'll just never be happy.'_

But before her thoughts could become any darker, Blake's voice pulled her out of the void. "Ilia? Is something wrong?"

Ilia's eyes opened back up, forcing a smile to her face. "Oh, y-yeah! Never better! It's just that was a pretty big bombshell to take in. I… I didn't think you'd move past Adam this quick, but I guess I was wrong."

"Oh, trust me, I was through with him long before I even enrolled in Beacon." She placed a hand over her abdomen. "The fact that he stabbed me during the battle didn't help things either."

Ilia's eyes shifted to red in an instant. "He did WHAT?! That BASTARD! If I ever see him again, I'll be half-tempted to stab HIM in the gut!"

Blake backed her head away in surprise. _'Wow, this is WAY too familiar.'_ She reached up and grasped Ilia's shoulders once more. "Hey, hey, it's okay. I survived, didn't I? Remember, try to stay calm, okay?"

"Right, right, sorry." Ilia's eyes went back to normal and her forced smile came back. "So… who's the new guy?"

Blake wore a cheeky grin as she glanced toward the kitchen... and a certain monkey boy sitting at the table. "Well… it's Sun."

Ilia gave a sigh of relief. "Phew! Well, I'm glad to hear that. I was worried that you'd hooked up with that big blue-haired doof!"

"Neptune? Aw, c'mon. He may be a goofball, but he's got a good heart."

Ilia raised a single brow. "He attacked me on the roof, even when I took my White Fang mask off and said I wasn't with them."

Blake cringed at that. "Okay, so _maybe_ he needs to learn some better judgment, but for the most part…"

But Ilia raised a hand. "Blake, it's fine. I'm just messing with you. Anyway, I'm happy that you found someone special, really I am." Her lips turned up in a snarl. "Besides, ANYONE is better than that creep, Adam." Her smile returned as she pat Blake's shoulder in support. "And don't worry. No matter what you say to your dad, I have a feeling that it'll all work out."

Blake smiled back and pulled Ilia into a hug. "Thanks, Ilia. You're the best."

"…No problem." But what Blake couldn't see what Ilia's eyes flash from grey to blue, a wave of sadness washing over the chameleon girl's mind as she returned her friend's hug. _'And that's all you'll ever be to her… a friend.'_ She screwed her eyes shut, forcing them to change back while keeping her tears from falling. _'NO! Stop with the negative thinking! She might not feel the same way, but you're still her friend! Show her support and be there for her when she's down. That's the best thing you could possibly do for her.'_ Ilia took a deep breath and pulled away to lock eyes with Blake, a slightly more genuine grin forming on her face. "Well, good luck. As for me, I need to get something in my gut. Haven't eaten since yesterday morning."

"Oof, well, we got plenty in the fridge, so help yourself." Blake sent Ilia a salute. "And remember, the gang's all upstairs if you wanna join them."

"Yeah, I'll remember that, thanks." And with that, the two old friends separated, though Ilia couldn't help but shed a few silent tears as she walked away.

* * *

In the kitchen, Sun had just finished recounting one of many stories from the school year to Kali, the cat woman's mouth agape in disbelief. "So you're telling me that you all battled a giant robot through the streets of Vale, jumping from car to car on the highway, all while Neptune shot at it from the back of Yang's motorcycle?!" she exclaimed. "That is _incredibly_ risky and dangerous! You could've gotten yourselves killed!" But then, a large grin formed on her face. "Please, tell me more!"

Around the table, Sun, Gwen, Rex and Weiss all couldn't help but chortle at the woman's enthusiasm. Since they set foot in the house, the group had been regaling her with the stories of their many battles, both during the school year at Beacon and after the great battle. Sun and Weiss handled the former stories while Gwen and Rex told the latter ones, both duos taking turns while Kali listened. Once Sun's laughter died down, he continued with his story. "Alright, so unfortunately, Neptune and I eventually got smacked aside by the bucket of bolts, so I gotta hand it over to Weiss for the rest."

"Of course." Weiss agreed. "Well, after I managed to slip the robot up and get it off of the freeway, Yang and I used our combination move to make a heavy fog to hide ourselves while we circled around it. Then, Blake and I engaged to exhaust its ranged weapons before Ruby came in. She and your daughter managed to take out one of its arms… and then Yang came in."

Kali tilted her head. "Is that where things started to go wrong?"

"Quite the opposite actually." Weiss clarified. "Yang took so much damage that her Semblance was practically in overdrive. All it took was Ruby and I freezing the robot in place and Blake using her weapon's ribbon to swing Yang right into its face. She destroyed it in one punch."

"Very impressive!" Kali beamed. "You all must've been quite proud of yourselves after that."

"Yeah, Ice Princess, that sounded AWESOME!" Rex added. "Wish I could've been there."

A sad smile came to Weiss' face at their praise. "Well, we would've been more proud of ourselves… if the enemy hadn't escaped. After we knocked Torchwick out of the robot, his mutli-colored crony came in and whisked him away. We managed to catch him later… but only after the breach happened."

"Hmm, I heard about that." Kali nodded. "To think that was just a prelude of things to come."

"Yeah, and it still really sucks." Sun crossed his arms over his chest. "I can't believe the breach was only about six months ago now. Feels like forever since that happened."

"Yes." Weiss lowered her gaze down to her coffee with a forlorn expression. "Ever since the Battle for Beacon, our time at that place just feels like a distant memory now."

A long moment of silence held over the table for a solid minute before Gwen spoke up. "Well, the best that you all can do is to look fondly on those memories." The Anodite offered them a smile. "After all, your time at Beacon was still a good one, right?"

Weiss' smile returned and she nodded her head. "Yeah, you're right, Gwen. And hopefully we can make even better memories once the school reopens. Now, I believe it's _your_ turn to tell a story?"

"Oh, right." Gwen readied herself to begin spinning another yarn before noticing someone entered the room, to which she offered a small grin. "Hey, guess we've got some company."

"Huh?" Weiss moved around in her chair, only to come face to face with Ilia, the chameleon girl now in more casual clothes while holding her stealth suit in her right hand. Immediately, the heiress' face fell and her eyes widened in shock at the sight of the girl, an apprehensive feeling twisting in her gut. Ilia's eyes were glaring daggers at Weiss, making her feel even worse. She craned her head back to the group and bowed slightly. "I, uh, I should probably leave. Excuse me."

But before she could get up, a strong hand clasped her shoulder and kept her in her seat, taking her off guard. She moved her head up and was taken by surprise to see Ilia, her expression having softened a slight bit. The girl took a deep breath and took her hand away before speaking. "Listen, Schnee, I don't like you, that much I've made clear. But… as much as it pains me to say it, we're both Blake's friends, and if we have any chance of taking down Trumbipulor, this whole group is going to have to work together."

"On that, we can agree." Weiss stood up and met Ilia's gaze head on. "Still, I want you to know that I meant everything I said on that ship."

"Maybe so, but the atrocities your family has committed against Faunus kind can't just be taken away by a few words." Ilia placed her hands on her hips. "If you want to earn my trust so badly, then you'll have to prove to me that you respect Faunus kind."

The two young women stared at each other in silence for a good moment before Weiss closed her eyes and nodded. "Alright. If that's what I have to do, then I'll happily do it."

"We'll see." Ilia took her eyes off of Weiss and focused them onto Sun with a judging stare. "And you."

Sun's eyes snapped open and he pointed to himself. "Uh, me?"

"Yes, Sun, _you_." Ilia approached, narrowing her eyes slightly at him. "Blake just told me the big news. So you two are in a relationship, right?"

"Yeah, we have been for a while now." Sun raised an eyebrow at her. "Is there something wrong?"

Ilia pursed her lips at the question. _'As much as I want to say yes, this isn't the time for pettiness.'_ She shook her head and answered; "No, nothing's wrong. In fact, I'm actually rather glad that you and Blake have formed a bond this strong. It's evident that she thinks highly of you. Plus, she can only go uphill after Adam, so you're automatically better than him."

Sun gave her a weak smile. "Uh, gee, thanks."

"But I'll warn you right now." Ilia pointed a finger right in Sun's face. "If you even THINK of breaking my best friend's heart, Ghira and Kali won't be the only ones coming after you. Trust me, Sun, you don't wanna run into me in a dark alley. _Understand_?"

"Y-Yeah, I gotcha." Sun stammered. "But I promise you, I'm not about to hurt Blake like that, _ever_. She's probably one of the best people I've ever met, and I'd be a gigantic dumbass to just throw our relationship away."

Ilia gave him a single nod. "Good, I'm glad to hear that."

Kali tilted her head to the chameleon girl. "Ilia, is this all really necessary?" She extended a hand up to the younger girl. "There really is no reason to be so wary of these people, you know. Sun's been a good boyfriend to Blake and Weiss IS different from her father."

Ilia sighed and her shoulders sagged a bit. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm just being a bit protective of Blake, that's all. I haven't seen her in so long and… I was really worried about her when she left the White Fang."

"And I understand that." Kali stood up and placed a hand on Ilia's shoulder. "But from what I've been hearing, I don't think that we had any reason to worry about Blake while she was gone." The cat woman waved her hand across the table full of young people. "These four have been telling me about the adventures of Team RWBY, and something tells me that you might be interested in them. Want to join?"

"Well… maybe later." Ilia politely declined as she showed her stealth suit in her hand. "Right now, I need to find the laundry room and get this washed." She shifted her eyes across the table. "Can anyone tell me where it is?"

"Oh, sure." Gwen pointed over to the stairs. "It's up the stairs, third door on the left. Though I think there's already a load going through the washer at the moment." The Anodite got up and began walking over to the stairs. "C'mon, I'll show you."

"Oh no, that's fine." Ilia raised a hand. "You don't have to."

"Ah, don't worry, I've got laundry duty today anyways." Gwen gave Ilia a smile. "Besides, I've been wanting to talk to you about something, if you don't mind."

Ilia blinked at Gwen's request. "Uh… okay, sure."

As the two ladies walked up the stairs, Rex turned back to the table with a light-hearted smile. "Well, that worked out better than I thought!" He leaned back and put his hands behind his head. "And here I thought that she'd just start yellin' and screaming at us again!"

"That can be arranged, gear head!" Ilia hollered from the top floor, making Rex fall back onto the floor.

Kali, Weiss and Sun all began chuckling as Rex scrambled to pick himself off of the ground, the former two trying in vain to hide their laughter while Sun just belted his out. "Yeah, yeah, real funny, guys." Rex groaned as he rubbed his back side. "Sheesh, that girl just can't take a joke, can she?"

"Please don't blame her, Rex." Kali requested. "Ilia's gone through some tough times in her life from what I've heard, so you can't exactly blame her lack of humor." She laced her fingers together and lowered her gaze back to the table. "Many Faunus have been mistreated by human beings, and Ilia is one of them. I only wish she could learn to let go of her aggression toward humanity and see things the way we do."

Sun placed his chin in his hand in contemplation. "Yeah. Kinda wish there was some way we could help her out."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple, actually." Kali shook her head. "It has to be Ilia's choice whether she wants to make friends with humans or not. It's not like she's going to trust all of you with a drop of a hat, after all."

"Yeah, we know." Weiss sighed. "I just hope that I CAN earn her trust."

"Well, all we can do is hope she'll come around, I guess." Rex shrugged before offering Weiss a smile. "But hey, just so long as you don't give her the cold shoulder, I'm sure she'll warm right up to ya."

Weiss narrowed her eyes at Rex's puns. "You are _dangerously_ close to feeling my wrath, Robo-dolt, and I'm NOT kidding about that."

Rex raised his hands defensively. "Haha, okay, okay, I'll stop."

Just then, everyone was silenced when a loud whistling was heard. Over on the stove, a tea kettle had been set on the burner and was currently blowing steam out of its pipe, indicating that its contents were ready. "Oh, tea's done!" Kali smiled and stood up, stepping over to the stove to take the kettle off the burner. Once she shut the stove off, she put the kettle onto a nearby tray, along with a couple tea cups, and a cup full of sugar cubes as well. "Alright, that should be it." Kali picked the tray up and headed over to the door, bowing her head slightly to the three teens. "Excuse me for a moment, everyone, I'll be right back."

As Kali made her way into the main hallway, Sun, Weiss and Rex couldn't help but glance to each other in confusion. "Wonder what all of that was about?" Weiss wondered out loud.

* * *

"Come on, Blake, you can do this!" the cat girl mumbled to herself as she paced back and forth. "Just go in there and talk to him about it. He's your dad, there's nothing to worry about." Blake had been standing out in the hallway for a good five minutes since Ilia left, still thinking of the perfect way to break the ice with her dad. But for all of the scenarios she came up with in her head, the more she didn't like how they played out. She screwed her eyes shut and put her hands to her head out of frustration. "Ugh! Why can't I do this?!"

"Do what, exactly?" Blake's eyes snapped open at the sound of her mother's voice. Kali was approaching her daughter with a tray full of tea cups and a kettle, the woman tilting her head as she came closer. "Is something the matter, Blake?"

"Oh, hey mom." Blake greeted. "What's with the tea?"

"Well, I thought that your father and the others would like something to drink while they worked on the plan." Kali explained. "But what're you doing out here? I thought that you of all people would want to help them."

Blake's ears folded back, her gaze going to the ground. "I do… but I'm still really nervous around dad."

"Is this because of how he handled the big news?" Kali gave her daughter a sly grin. "You probably should've guessed how he'd react."

"Well, him hesitantly saying "that's nice" before just going inside and changing the subject wasn't exactly what I expected." Blake retorted. "He could've at least tried to make conversation with Sun on _anything_."

"Blake, you know that your father can be very abrupt. He probably just needed time for that fact to sink in." Kali leaned over and planted a kiss on her daughter's cheek before handing her the tray full of tea. "Here."

"W-Wait, what is this?"

" _This_ is the best way for you and him to get talking." Kali sent her gaze back to the kitchen. "And since Sun, Weiss and Rex are feeling more talkative than you right now, I'm going to go and listen to more stories about Team RWBY." She set a hand onto her daughter's shoulder and gave her a wink. "I have faith in you, dear. Always have, always will." With those reassuring words, Kali went back to the kitchen, leaving Blake behind with the tea.

Blake was about to follow her, but then, her father spoke up from the living room; "Kali? Is that you, dear?"

The very sound of her father's voice caused Blake to start shaking, which in turn made the pottery start to clatter. _'Blake, your mom is right.'_ she shouted in her head. _'It's now or never.'_ She gulped down the remainder of her fear and went into the room, greeted by the visage of her friends and father sitting around the coffee table. On said table, a holographic projector was displaying a large map of Kuo Kuana, which the whole group were using to structure their plan around.

Ben, Yang and Kevin were all sitting on the couch while Jaune and Pyrrha were standing off to the side together, the five teens all focused on the holo-map. Doctor Holiday sat in the lone chair across from the latter two, the EVO expert listening intently. Meanwhile, Ghira and Raven stood across from Ben, Yang and Kevin, the former gesturing to certain points across the map. "Alright, so the main points of contention are here, here and here." Ghira pointed to the port, the town's central area, and the White Fang's base of operations on the outskirts, with each area being highlighted by a big red dot. "These are the most likely places where enemy forces will be stationed."

"Agreed." Raven nodded. "They'll be stationed on the port to stop any boats, the center of town will be where they can monitor everyone, and of course, their base will be heavily guarded." The tribe leader pointed to a large house near the center point. "If we wish to regain control of the whole town from this point, we'll have to spread out."

"Sounds like we'll have to split up into three groups." Jaune figured. "Question is, who goes where?"

"I'm not sure, but…" Pyrrha's eyes trailed up the map before catching a glimpse of Blake in her eyes, causing her to move her head around and smile to the cat girl. "Oh, hello Blake! Glad you could join us."

Ghira's eyebrows rose and he too set his gaze in Blake's direction, along with everyone else. "Ah, Blake! Yes, please come in. We were just beginning to form a battle plan." It was then that he noticed the full tea tray in her hands. "Oh, do you need any help with that?"

"N-No, don't worry dad, I got it." Blake came in and set the tray onto the coffee table next to the hologram projector, being extremely careful not to spill any of it. "There. So, battle strategy?"

"Yeah, we got the entry all taken care of." Ben explained as he stood up. He pointed to the same large house that Raven pointed out earlier, one that was surrounded by palm trees as well as a bunch of smaller houses. "Tetrax is gonna take us in in stealth mode directly at midnight, and we're going to land right behind your house."

Yang gave her partner a thumbs up. "Which, by the way, is a freaking awesome house, Blake."

Kevin sent Blake a smirk. "Yeah, how come you never told us you grew up in such a fancy-looking place?"

Blake rolled her eyes at the question. "Because it's really not _that_ big of a deal."

"Well, for this mission, it is." Holiday spoke up. "That house is our best bet for a safe point. That is, if it _hasn't_ already been compromised by the White Fang."

"And if there ARE any White Fang?" the cat girl inquired. "What then?"

"Then we take out any operatives that're in there." Jaune answered. " _Quietly_."

"Indeed." Pyrrha concurred. "We cannot allow our mission to be compromised by loudly announcing our arrival. Should our only safe point be compromised, then we shall use the night to our advantage and stealthily take out anyone who may be inside."

"Alright, what then?" Blake trailed her eyes over the three red points on the map. "I heard something about splitting up?"

"Yes," Holiday affirmed, "if we're going to subdue the White Fang throughout Kuo Kuana, we'll need to separate into different groups." The doctor pointed to the White Fang's base. "I think our safest bet would be to send a stealth team to infiltrate the White Fang's headquarters. That way, they'll be able to free Sienna Khan. Of course, Trumbipulor and maybe even a few others will be there too, so a couple of our heavy hitters should probably go along with them."

"And that's where we come in." Yang smirked as she set a hand on Ben's shoulder. "We'll have Sienna freed and those bad guys beaten to a pulp in no time."

However, Raven gave her daughter a serious face. "This is no time to be over-confident, Yang. Remember, Hazel and Tyrian could be there as well, and they are extremely dangerous."

"Raven's right." Ben rubbed his neck. "That Tyrian guy had me in a bind in no time flat. If he hadn't messed up and left my hands free, the Omnitrix probably would've been forced to go into its protection protocol." The hero glanced up worriedly to his girlfriend. "And if I hadn't bashed him away when he lunged at you…"

"I know." Yang wrapped a comforting arm around her boyfriend. "We all need to be more careful from here on when it comes to these guys. No more underestimating."

"Exactly." Kevin got up and pointed to the center of town. "As for the other groups, I'll take point with everyone else to the center of town. We'll cause a distraction that'll allow Ben's group to get to the White Fang's base and for the last group to head toward the docks. That team's gonna take down any defenses that'll be set up there, which'll free the place up to our second wave of back up."

Blake's eyes widened in surprise. "Second wave?"

"That's right." Ghira confirmed. "We're hoping that we can get some armed personnel in to help subdue any back up that the White Fang may bring in." The panther man sighed in frustration. "As worried as I am about it, we're going to be asking General Ironwood for help."

"Oh… I see." Blake had a feeling that this whole thing was eating away at her father's nerves. Here he was, the former leader of the White Fang asking for the _Atlesian_ Army's assistance in something out of his control. It couldn't have been an easy decision for him to make. "Dad, it'll all be okay. General Ironwood's not like most Atlesian people, I can assure you of that."

"Oh, I know." Ghira sat down in a nearby chair. "It's just… strange to be asking Atlesian forces for help. But I suppose that since their general is one of your closest allies, there's really no better option."

Blake pursed her lips in thought before finally coming to a decision. She looked out to the room and gave everyone a pleading expression. "Hey guys, could we possibly take five for a while? I've been wanting to speak with my dad about something, and I think he needs a break from this whole planning process."

Ghira craned his head up to his daughter in surprise. "Blake, is there something wrong?" His daughter sent him a hesitant expression, which was all the answer he needed. He gave her a silent nod before setting his gaze over to everyone else. "Everyone, my daughter wishes to speak to me in private, please."

Ben bowed his head in respect. "You got it, Ghira. C'mon guys, let's break for lunch." The hero led his friends out of the room with Raven and Holiday close behind, the group heading straight to the kitchen.

Once they were sure they were alone, Ghira and Blake sat down, the former taking the chair while his daughter went to the couch. "Well, it's certainly been a while since we've talked like this." Ghia commented as he reached for the tea pot and two cups. "So, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Well…" Blake's ears folded back. "it's about something pretty important."

Ghira could see the nervousness etched across her face, and he had a pretty good idea what she wanted to say. "Is this about how I reacted to your… _big_ news?"

"Not necessarily… though admittedly, it wasn't really what I'd expected."

The man sighed and lowered his head. "I know, and I'm sorry for simply brushing it off. It's just… when a man finally finds his daughter after a year of her being gone from home, one of the big things he worries about most are hearing the words; "I have a new boyfriend"."

Blake blushed a little bit. "Y-Yeah. Honestly, I wasn't expecting to find him myself. He just… appeared out of the blue one day." She brushed a lock of hair away from her face. "And to think that he was a stowaway on a ship when I first met him."

Ghira furrowed his brows. "Excuse me? I thought that he was a student from Haven."

"Oh, he is." Blake clarified. "But he told me that he overslept and missed his academy's ship to Vale for the Vytal Tournament, so he decided to hitch a ride on a cargo ship. …This isn't helping his case, is it?"

"Not exactly." Ghira shook his head. "But I suppose that you could've found worse boys to date. At least he's not a degenerate."

"See? That's a positive, right?" Blake gave a nervous chuckle before lowering her head. "Dear god, I'm bad at this."

"Ah, it's alright, Blake. I just… need time to get used to things." Ghira set the tea pot back down and gave his daughter a reassuring smile. "Truth be told, when I was his age, I also had a bit of a wild streak to me."

Blake's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "No, you didn't!"

"Oh yes, I did." Ghira chortled. "You remember my friend, Lou, right?"

"Hehe, how could I forget him? I used to call him "Uncle Lou" whenever he came over." Blake smiled as well as the memories came flooding back. "If I remember right, he always made me laugh when I was really little."

"Well, he and I were a pair of trouble makers when we were your age." Ghira explained. "We always got into all sorts of trouble, and we acted like your boyfriend and his blue-haired friend."

"Neptune." Blake reminded. "But, wow, I find that really hard to believe. I mean, Uncle Lou, sure, but you? Hard to imagine. So what made you settle down this much?"

Ghira sent a knowing grin her way. "What do you think?"

"It was when you met mom, wasn't it?"

"Exactly, the moment I met your mother, I was determined to impress her and win her love. We hit it off like a match to fire… but there was one problem that stood in the way." A frustrated expression came to Ghira's face. "Impressing her parents was probably the hardest thing I had to do."

Blake blinked in surprise. "Grandpa Thomas and Grandma Duchess were really that hard to impress?"

"Indeed, they were." Ghira sighed. "Your grandmother was a rather high-class Faunus, and your grandfather was a war vet with a chip on his shoulder. Asking for his permission to both date AND marry Kali were some of the scariest times in my life. Even after all my work for the White Fang, nothing will scare me more than Grandpa Tom's judging stare." He raised his hands up before clasping them on his knees. "But I was serious about Kali, so I cleaned up my act, and be for I knew it, I was in his good graces."

"Wow… something tells me that Sun's gonna be a bit harder to clean up."

Ghira sighed and sent his daughter a serious stare. "Blake, tell me, does he make you happy?"

His question took Blake off guard. "I… yes. Yes, he does make me happy."

"I see." Ghira closed his eyes and took a deep breath before reaching for the tea pot. "Well, then I suppose there's not much that can be done about it now."

"Wait… so you're fine with it?"

"For now, yes." The panther man began pouring tea into two cups as he spoke. "So long as he does nothing to hurt your feelings, then I'm fine with you two dating. But, just to be sure he knows what he's getting into, I'm going to have to put the fear of god in him, just so you know."

Blake's smile became slightly nervous at that. "Just… make sure you don't make him _too_ afraid of you, okay?"

"I make no promises, dear." Ghira set the tea pot back down and went for the sugar cubes. "If he wants my respect, then he's going to have to earn it, plain and simple." He picked up a cube with a pair of small tongs and placed it into the cup closest to Blake, only to realize something; "Oh, wait, you still take sugar with your tea, right?"

"Actually, I…"

"Oh, sorry!" Ghira let out a nervous chuckle at his mistake.

"No, no, no, it's fine, really." Blake reassured.

Ghira offered his own cup to Blake. "Well, here, at least take this one instead."

But Blake was quick to grab the sugared tea. "Really, dad, it's not a big deal."

"You're sure, dear?" The panther man got a nod from his daughter, ending the little kerfuffle. "Well, alright, if you say so. And again, I'm sorry. Old habits die hard, I guess." He saw Blake take a sip of the tea, only for her to recoil a slight bit. "Might want to let it cool a little more. That pot must be pretty insulated."

"R-Right." Blake's voice wavered as she set the tea cup back down. _'What the HELL is going on?! I was doing good just a second ago, and then the tea thing happened! Gosh darn it!'_

Just then, Ghira spoke up. "Blake, tell me, are you warm enough this time of year around here?"

Blake's ears perked up, her eyes glancing back to her father. "Um, yeah, why?"

"Well, it's just, that jacket's not exactly heavy." Ghira pointed out. "And your outfit overall doesn't cover much."

The cat girl craned her head down and immediately realized what he was talking about. She covered her stomach with her arms and faced away from him. "It covers plenty, dad." she insisted. "I'm _fine_."

"Well, perhaps a bit more armor? Just in case?"

"I don't need armor, dad." Blake retorted. "I can handle myself, thanks."

"I—" But Ghira stopped himself before he could go any further. He realized that this would quickly devolve into an argument if this went on, so he wisely chose to drop it and change what he was about to say. "I know you can. I'm sorry, sweetheart."

Blake was genuinely surprised by how sincere he sounded with that apology, and it was there that her face fell into a frown and her gaze went downward. "…Why?" She heard her father give a confused; "hmm?", ushering her to go on. "Why would you say that?"

Ghira immediately got up and bent down next to her, placing a comforting hand to her back. "Blake, what's wrong? Did I… say something to upset you?"

It took a few seconds for her to answer, but Blake managed to finally get it out. "Dad… after everything I did… how can you still love me?"

Her question made Ghira realize what was going on immediately, and it didn't even take a second for him to start reassuring his daughter. He got up and sat next to her on the couch, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Blake, your mother and I will _always_ love you, no matter what you do."

"But you were RIGHT!" Blake's voice cracked as her emotions started building up. "I _shouted_ at you, and _yelled_ at you… but you were right." She pushed her head next to her father's chest as tears started to build up in her eyes. "I called you COWARDS for god's sake! How are you not angry with me?!"

"Shh, Blake, everything's okay." Ghira pulled his daughter into a hug. "And I can tell you right now that neither your mother or me are angry with you."

"I should've left the White Fang with you and mom!" Blake craned her head up to meet her father's gaze. "I'm so sorry for everything!"

"Blake, it's fine." Ghira gently wiped Blake's tears away. "We never held anything against you, and I never feared you would fail." He glanced away for a brief second. "The only thing that I was truly afraid of… was that you would fall down the wrong path. And I am SO proud to see you haven't."

"But I DID!" Blake hung her head in shame. "I was so stupid to ever follow Adam in the first place!"

"And you pulled yourself away from his path." Ghira reminded. "Not many people have that kind of strength, and there are even fewer who are brave enough to take on their demons again. While we were planning out our strategy, your friends took a few moments to tell me about your adventures in Vale, and I was amazed at what I heard. Whether it was there, at Beacon, or even Mountain Glenn, you all have fought against the White Fang, time and time again." Ghira gave his daughter the most genuine smile he could muster. "You've forged a new path for yourself with the help of your friends, Blake. And I couldn't be any prouder of you for such an accomplishment."

Blake couldn't take it anymore. She wrapped her arms around her father and cried into his coat, letting all of her pent-up emotions out. "I'm sorry, dad! I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay, hon, I know." Ghira hugged her back, setting a soothing hand on her back. "I know that there some things that we all wish we could do differently, but just know that no matter what, we will _always_ love you."

"He's right, you know." The father and daughter perked their heads up and turned around to see Kali standing right behind them, the woman giving them a joyous grin. "So… room for one more?" Blake and Ghira were more than happy to let Kali in, the duo standing up to bring her into the embrace. Kali sighed in relief. "Well, I'm quite glad that everything's been cleared up." She set a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Do you feel better now, sweetheart?"

"Yes, yes I do." Blake nodded. "Thanks mom. But… did you hear all of that just now?"

"I did, actually… and so did someone else." Kali craned her head back to the entryway. "Come in, everything's alright now." A few seconds later, Sun nervously poked his head out from around the corner before hesitantly stepping into the room, giving a small wave. Kali went back to her husband and daughter with a raised finger. "Now, before either of you say anything, remember, I was the one who brought him, so we were technically _both_ spying on you."

Ghira furrowed his brows in confusion. "Um… alright, why dear?"

"Because a certain someone got off on the wrong foot with him." Kali poked her husband's chest for emphasis. "And I wanted to make sure that he knew you weren't heartless before we tried this again."

The panther man gave his wife a deadpan expression before whispering to her; "Kali, you realize that it's my job to intimidate him, right?"

"I know, but still, he's been worried about speaking to you for the past hour and a half, so would you please at least say SOMETHING to the poor boy?"

Ghira let out a sigh, closing his eyes with a single nod. "Ah, very well." The imposing man made his way over to Sun, the blonde visibly trying to put on a brave face as Ghira stepped closer. When he finally stopped, Ghira lowered his gaze to the monkey boy, his face as hard as stone. Sun kept himself steady as the two regarded one another for a solid thirty seconds, before Ghira cleared his throat. "Ahem, it uh… it's come to my attention that my reaction to you being in a relationship my daughter was… not handled well. I apologize for brushing you off like I did."

Sun rubbed the back of his head. "Well, truth be told, I wasn't exactly prepared to meet you guys today, either. I kinda wish I had more time to build up my confidence."

"Hmm." Ghira crossed his arms. "Well, we can't always be prepared for things like this, can we? But, now that I'm in a better state of mind, I want to make something perfectly clear…" He pointed a finger in Sun's face. "I don't like you, Sun Wukong. And I mean that, I _really_ don't like you. Just because you're dating my daughter, that doesn't make you my friend. If you want to prove to me that you're serious about being in a relationship with my daughter, then you must earn my respect. Understand?"

Sun straightened out his back and gave Ghira a salute. "Y-Yes sir! I promise to not disappoint you, sir!"

Ghira put his fists on his hips, giving Sun a serious face. "Hm, now that's what I was hoping to hear."

Kali narrowed her eyes slightly before leaning over to her daughter. "Your father is pulling a Grandpa Thomas."

"So I've heard." Blake said with an eyeroll. _'Well, at least they're talking, so that's a good sign.'_

* * *

Upstairs in the laundry room, Ilia was taking a minute to assess her situation. Her stealth suit was currently spinning around in the washer, along with a bunch of other people's clothing, though there wasn't much she could do about that. But of all the things she had expected to happen today, having a friendly redheaded girl help her with her laundry was not one of them. _'I personally like dark-haired loners, but I guess that's just me.'_ But the moment that thought went through her mind, Ilia shook her head in frustration. _'GAH! Just get over her Ilia! You've lost your chance…'_ But that just made the chameleon girl feel more upset, causing her to lower her head. "Ugh, great, this is _just_ what I needed."

"What is?" Gwen asked, making Ilia jump off the ground.

"Ack! Geez, don't sneak up on me like that!" Ilia yelled. "And… how were you able to know what I was thinking?"

Gwen blinked at her in confusion. "…Because you said it out loud?"

"Wait, I did?" Ilia put a hand to her head in shock. "Fantastic, I'm so thrown off that I can't even keep track of myself."

"I've been meaning to ask you about that." Gwen said as she continued to fold laundry in the corner. "Your mana's been fluctuating for a while now."

Ilia was about to ask what in the world the Anodite was talking about before realizing it a second later. "Oh, yeah, that's right. You can sense people's energy, can't ya?"

"Oh, I can do much more than that." Gwen elaborated. "I can create energy, manipulate it, absorb it, among other things." With a wave of her finger, the redhead cast a telekinetic spell onto a random shirt, making it fold itself up. "Plus, I'm pretty good at magic."

Ilia's lips parted in shock. "Whoa! Okay, gotta admit, I've never seen something like _that_ before." After a few moments of thinking, she finally decided to step a bit closer to Gwen in intrigue. "So, you, your cousin and your boyfriend are all part alien, huh?"

"Well, yes, though Ben's a bit to a lesser extent." Gwen put a hand over her chest. "See, Anodites don't exactly have DNA to pass on since they're living energy. Instead, whenever they breed with organic life forms, an innate "spark" within their offspring's souls determines whether they gain the powers of an Anodite. Otherwise, they're basically just regular humans. My dad and uncle never had it, so it just skipped a generation."

"And I take it that means that your cousin doesn't have it either?" Ilia guessed.

"That's right." Gwen shrugged. "But my Grandma Verdona told me once that she sees a lot of my Grandpa Max in Ben, so in a way, he's got a spark unique to himself."

Ilia pursed her lips in thought. "I guess that kinda sounds sweet, but at the same time, it also sounds like giving a participation award to an elementary-schooler."

Gwen winced slightly as Ilia's words sunk in. "…Wow, I never thought of it that way." The Anodite's smile returned though, with her eyes going back up to the chameleon girl. "Well, at least I now know that you DO have a sense of humor."

The spots on Ilia's cheeks changed to pink again before she snapped her head away and crossed her arms in defiance. "I can be funny when I want."

Gwen's smile became more sympathetic as she stood up. "Ilia, I know that you're not exactly a fan of humans, but I just want you to know that we actually have a lot of fun here, and you're more than welcome to join in if you'd like."

Ilia sighed through her nostrils before going back to Gwen. "Listen, Gwen, right? I appreciate what you're trying to do, but my issue with humans isn't just that I'm "not a fan" of them."

"I'm sure that it isn't, and I apologize if my words came out the wrong way." Gwen bowed her head to Ilia in respect. "But with that being said, I'd actually like to hear why you feel the way you do about humans. I've been interested in Human-Faunus relations for a while now, and I was hoping to hear your side of the story."

Ilia furrowed her brows. "Sorry, but that information's too personal."

Gwen nodded her head again. "Okay, and that's fine too. If you'd rather keep to yourself, then I won't pry any further."

"Okay, what the hell?!" Ilia exclaimed. "Why… why are you being so nice to me?"

Gwen tilted her head to the side. "Do I need a reason why? It's basic decency; treat people the way that you'd want to be treated." She offered a small shrug. "Plus, I don't exactly have a reason to be angry with you. I'm not gonna get upset just because you don't want to talk about something with me. That'd just be petty."

"I… who ARE you, Gwen Tennyson?"

"Just someone who likes to be nice." Gwen picked up the laundry basket full of folded clothes and began walking out of the room. "Now c'mon, we've got a few stops to make."

Ilia stared after the redhead as she walked out, completely taken off guard by how sincere her statement seemed to be. She couldn't hear any intent behind it, malicious or otherwise. The redhead really just wanted to be nice to her. "Wait!" Ilia reached a hand out and Gwen stopped just before the door, craning her head back around. "…Thank you. For being nice to me, I mean. I haven't met a human who's been genuinely nice to me in a long time."

Gwen's smile returned and she set the basket down before moving back toward the chameleon girl. "You're welcome, Ilia. And if you give them a chance, a lot of the other people in this house are actually really nice too."

"I know. Blake told me that already." Ilia hugged her arms around her. "It's just, the last time that I was ever "friends" with humans… it didn't end well for me." She made sure to put massive air-quotes around "friends" for emphasis.

"I see. Well, if you still don't want to try, then that's your choice to make." Gwen assured. "But if you ever want to try, you'll know where to find us."

"Hmm." Ilia hummed in contemplation before going over to the door and opening it, waving her arm toward the hallway. "So, you said we need to drop off some clothes?"

"Yes, actually." Gwen grabbed the basket and made her way out the door. "Thanks, Ilia." The Anodite sent the Ilia a soft smile of appreciation. "And just so you know, you've already got a friend in me."

Ilia blinked a few times in surprise before returning the grin. "Well… thanks, Gwen. And sorry if I caused more trouble than needed earlier back in Vale and on the ship."

"Ah, don't worry, we're all troublemakers here… well, a majority of us are. C'mon, let's make the rounds." And with that, the ponytailed duo went around and began putting everyone's respective clothing in their rooms, setting the garments on the beds as they went through. Once they were done with Team RWBY's room, Gwen gave a satisfied sigh. "Ah, there, done and done." She raised her hand up to Ilia and said; "Up top!" Ilia glanced up to the hand and then back to Gwen. "Come on, it's don't leave me hanging."

At Gwen's encouragement, Ilia returned the high-five, giving her mind some positive reinforcement. _'Well, I guess Gwen's not a bad person, so that's good to know.'_

But then, just as they were about to head downstairs, they heard a slew of voices coming from Qrow's room; "You play it first!" came Neptune's insistent voice.

"What? No way!" Nora denied. "I'm not playing it, _you_ play it!"

"Why should _I_ be the guinea pig?" Neptune argued back. "This game looks scary as hell!"

"Well, you ARE the one who found it." Ren's voice spoke up.

Next came Ruby; "Listen, guys, can we just take turns playing it? That way, everyone loses and gets scared out of their minds."

"But I don't wanna get scared out of my mind!" Neptune argued. "Not by something THIS creepy!"

And finally, Penny was the last to speak. "Come on, guys, let's leave him alone, okay?"

Ilia raised an eyebrow at the argument taking place behind the door. "What in the world is going on in there?"

Gwen narrowed her eyes to the door. "I dunno, but I think we should probably find out." She went over and opened the door, immediately seeing her five friends huddled together around her boyfriend's laptop. She walked in with Ilia right behind her, crossing her arms as she approached the group. "Alright, what's going on? Why are we all having an argument?"

"Oh, Gwen!" Ruby's eyes widened when she saw Ilia accompanying her friend. "And Ilia too! I wasn't expecting to see you up here."

Penny gave Ilia a salute. "Salutations, Ilia! It's good to see you again."

"Uh… yeah. Hi." Ilia uttered. "I'm just… you know, trying to make myself comfortable in this place."

Nora leapt up from her seat and began waving Ilia over. "Well c'mon, make yourself at home! There's plenty of room to pop a squat!"

"Oh, uh, thanks." Ilia shifted her eyes around to find a good place to sit before spying an open seat next to Ruby on the nearby bed. She stepped over and sat down, giving the silver-eyed girl a small bow. "And… thank you for letting the Belladonnas and I stay at your house for the night."

"Hey, it's no trouble at all." Ruby smiled. "I'd never turn away Blake's friends and family. In fact, I think I'd have trouble turning _anyone_ away, haha!"

"Right… but, going back to what Gwen asked; what's going on in here?" Ilia raised a brow. "It sounded like you guys were having an argument."

Ren gave the girl an apprehensive face. "Well, it wasn't an argument _per se_ , we were just debating who should play this game we found on Kevin's computer—"

"And I STILL say it should be Neptune!" Nora exclaimed.

"I am NOT playing scary video game!" Neptune insisted. "Movies are one thing, but games are a LOT more immersive. It's just out of the question!"

Ruby hung her head in exasperation. "Ugh, could we just pick _someone_ already? I wanna see what this game's all about!"

Gwen placed her hands on her hips. "And just how did you FIND this game anyway?"

"Well, we originally wanted to watch more AVGN, but once we booted the laptop up, Neptune accidentally clicked on something else." The Hooded Huntress explained.

Penny glanced back over to the laptop. "And… if we're just going by the opening screen, it really DOES seem pretty creepy."

"Hmm, Kevin WAS always a fan of indie horror games." Gwen recalled before giving a shrug. "Well, let's see what you guys opened up. Maybe I can help you out a bit." Neptune shifted the laptop around in his hands so that the laptop screen was facing Gwen, and immediately, she reeled back at the sight. "Oh no…" What she saw was a rather staticky title screen, almost as if it was an old VCR-quality tape. Over to the right side of the screen was a rather unsettling image of a bear flashing in and out of existence, often being replaced by a robotic face. On the left side, there were three stars beneath the title of the game as well as four options; New Game, Continue, 6th Night, and Custom Night. And directly at the top left was the title, but Gwen didn't need to read it know exactly what this game was. "…KEVIN!"

* * *

Back down in the kitchen, the rest of the team were all sitting around the table, the group having decided to eat lunch while Blake, her parents, and Sun all spoke in the living room. The teens were all discussing battle strategies for when they got to Menagerie whilst Raven and Holiday stood off to the side and sipped coffee, the two women talking about the same thing. However, the momentary peace was suddenly ripped asunder when everyone heard Gwen from all the way upstairs. "KEVIN!"

Everyone jolted from their seats in a flash while Raven and Holiday nearly spat out their beverage. Kevin spun his head up to the staircase and hollered; "GWEN!" before instantly dashing up the stairs in a flash.

Right at that moment when Blake, Sun, Ghira and Kali came running in, the four whipping their heads around on high alert. "What's going on?!" Ghira asked urgently.

"Did something happen?" Kali added in concern.

"I-I don't know!" Ben stammered out. "But I think Gwen may need our—"

"AHAHA!" Kevin's laughter at the top of the stairs instantly caught everyone's attention, the Osmosian craning his head down with a smirk. "It's okay, everybody! False alarm!"

Yang gave him an incredulous face. "A false alarm? That sure as hell didn't sound like a "false alarm" to me!"

"Trust me, it is." Kevin promised. "Gwen just experienced a bad memory after seeing something. And don't worry, it's nothin' major."

"Well, what _was_ it, Kevin?" Blake questioned. "I don't think I've _ever_ heard Gwen that panicked before."

"Yeah, don't leave us hanging." Sun added.

Kevin gave the whole group a smirk. "Ya really wanna know?" He ushered his comrades to climb up the stairs. "Well c'mon up here and find out. Halloween maybe over, but the scary stuff's still comin'!" As Kevin retreated back upstairs, the rest of the teens all followed after him, leaving the four adults in the kitchen by themselves.

Ghira craned his head over to Raven and Holiday in confusion. "Um, is there something that we're missing?"

Kali put a finger to her chin. "Yes, what's this "Halloween" that Kevin was talking about?"

"It's an Earth holiday." Dr. Holiday answered. "It's on the very last day of October, so the kids celebrated it just a few days ago. And ever since they got here, Ben, Gwen and Kevin have been introducing the others to a lot of Earth pop-culture, so it wouldn't surprise me if this was the case right now."

"Ah, I get it." Kali nodded. "And I suppose it's is a holiday where scary things happen?"

"Well, yes, but it's also where scary things are celebrated as well." Holiday gave a shrug. "It's actually a lot of fun."

"Hmm, I see." Ghira said with a stroke of his beard. "I must admit, Earth sounds like quite the interesting place. Still, I believe we should continue formulating our plan against Trumbipulor. Will the children be long?"

Raven waved toward Ghira. "Ah, I'll make sure they don't get too distracted. You guys go, I'll head up and get 'em in a few." The tribe leader began making her way up the steps as Ghira, Kali and Holiday went back into the living room, though Raven inwardly smirked as she thought to herself. _'Besides, I want to see what can make Gwen Tennyson cry out for her boyfriend like that."_

* * *

The first thing that the group had noticed when they entered Qrow's room was that Ilia was the one holding the laptop, the chameleon girl silently contemplating the screen in front of her. Neptune, Ruby, Penny, Nora and Ren were also watching the screen as well, but they kept their distance to give her some personal space. And finally, Gwen was sitting on the floor, huddled up next to the bed while mumbling something to herself; "No more… please, no more…"

"Gwen!" Pyrrha came in and knelt by her friend's side, with Jaune following right behind her. "Are you okay? What's wrong?!"

"The cursed game has reared its ugly head!" Gwen exclaimed, grabbing a hold of Pyrrha's shoulders. "Turn back now before its confusing story sucks you in too!"

"What're you talking about?!" Jaune asked. "What game?"

"I think she means this one." Ilia faced the laptop around and showed it to the group. "It's called—"

But Rex cut her off when a massive grin came to his face. "Five Nights at Freddy's! Oh my god, that's one of my favorite indie horror games!"

Ben facepalmed in exasperation. "Oh boy, now we've truly fallen down the rabbit hole."

"What're you talking about, Green Boy?" Yang asked. "What's the big deal?"

"Yeah, it's just a horror game." Weiss rationalized. "It doesn't exactly sound like a big deal. I mean, it doesn't even _sound_ like a horror game."

"No, it doesn't, but that's kinda the point." Kevin went in and sat next to Gwen, putting an arm around her shoulders. "And it may not sound like a big deal to you guys right now, but if you had been on the internet back in 2014, you wouldn't have been able to escape Five Nights at Freddy's."

Ben came into the room and sat down on the second bed. "He's right. Five Nights… or FNaF as most people call it, was basically one of the biggest independent horror games that felt like there was more to its story than what was presented at face value. It got really popular among Let's Players and it had a whole community form around it after its inception, which led to a BUNCH of sequels."

"And guess what?" Rex continued. "The sequels just kept adding more and more hidden lore, which got a bunch of people to start over analyzing all of the games even more to put together a cohesive story to what actually happened at Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria." The EVO pointed up a single finger. "And in the case of one theorist, it's actually driven him into insanity."

Blake raised an eyebrow at that. "Seriously? Because I find that kind of hard to believe."

"Well, okay, so he's not REALLY insane, but the theorizing has practically made him a _bit_ less sane." Rex admitted.

Kevin rocked Gwen's shoulders a slight bit. "And Gwen here actually dabbled in trying to make sense of the story herself. But as you can tell, she didn't do so well."

"It was exhausting!" Gwen said while craning her head back. "Somehow, Scott Cawthon's been able to leave all of the pieces out for everyone to find, but it's still not exactly clear cut as to WHERE they go!"

"So, wait," Ruby interjected. "What you're telling me… is that this is a horror game that takes place at a pizzeria? How can you make _pizza_ scary?"

"Easy, you make the restaurant's animatronic mascots want to kill you!" Ben answered, much to everyone's confusion. "Eh, you may want to just play the game and see for yourselves."

Sun crossed his arms and leaned up against a wall with Blake. "Okay, so anyone want to volunteer to play?"

"We were just trying to figure that out." Ruby clarified. "And right now, the most likely candidate is…"

Nora stood up and pointed to her hooded friend. "Neptune!"

But the blue-haired boy quickly waved his hands out in front of him. "No way, no how! I am NOT subjecting myself to ANY horror game!"

Ren sighed and facepalmed. "Here we go again."

The whole room suddenly burst out into a loud furor as everyone began talking over one another, the whole team debating over who should play that game. However, it was at that point where a certain Faunus couldn't tolerate the noise any longer. "ENOUGH!" Ilia shouted out, silencing the entire room. Everyone was astonished at her outburst, though Ilia herself was quick to reign herself in. "Alright, listen up. If it'll get everyone in here to stop arguing…" She stood up and walked over to a nearby table, setting the laptop down before taking a seat. "I'll play the game myself."

If anything, that statement just shocked everyone even more. "Really?!" Penny shouted. "You would?!"

"Yes, I will." Ilia took a deep breath and cracked her knuckles. "Been a while since I've played any sort of game before, but I've got pretty good reflexes."

Kevin pointed over to her. "Great, that's something you'll definitely need in this game."

Blake stepped forward in concern. "You're sure about this, Ilia? I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to."

But Ilia raised her hand with a reassuring grin. "It's okay, Blake. Think of this as my way of… recompensing for being rude before."

"Ah, you don't have to do that." Ruby smiled. "We forgive you."

"Well, I appreciate that." Ilia focused her attention back onto the screen. "Still, if this'll settle who gets to play the game, then I'm still going for it." She found the wireless mouse and clicked the "New Game" option, bringing up a new screen on the game. It was of a newspaper want ad that was circled in red pen, one that was searching for a night guard and had a better picture of the bear from the title screen. "Hmm? What's this?" Ilia began reading the article aloud; "Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Family pizzeria looking for security guard to work the night shift. Monitor cameras, ensure safety of equipment and animatronic characters. Not responsible for injury-slash-dismemberment."

Jaune gazed upon the screen with widened eyes. "Well, already we're off to a fantastic start, then!" He then narrowed his gaze onto Freddy Fazbear himself. "Lord knows I already don't trust that creepy bear. I'm guessing he's our big bad?"

" _One_ of the big bad animatronics." Ben clarified. "There ARE others."

The screen faded to black and a set of white, blocky text sprang up; _12:00 A.M. 1_ _st_ _Night_. An instant later, the screen changed again, this time to a rather small, secluded office. Ilia blinked in confusion. "Uh, what's—oh!" She started moving the mouse, and with it, the point of view shifted left and right. "Alright, I get it now. How do I walk forward?"

"You don't." Kevin answered with a smirk. "You are glued to your seat in that office. Hehe, good luck!"

"Wait, you can't move?!" Ilia's eyes shifted left and right across the screen. "Then how do I—AGH!"

She was spooked when the telephone on the office desk began to ring, though she wasn't the only one. Nearly everyone was at least a little jumpy at the sudden noise, barring Ben, Gwen, Kevin and Rex. A few seconds later, the telephone picked itself up. _"Hello? Hello, hello?! Uh, I wanted to record a message for you… to help you get settled in on your first night."_

"There he is!" Gwen pointed to the laptop with a frustrated face. "There's the man who's responsible for all of the confusion! It's Scott Cawthon himself!"

"That's the creator's voice?" Pyrrha asked. "That's certainly surprising."

"A little bit, yes." Weiss agreed. "Though I guess since he practically made this game by himself, that'd be a given."

" _Um, I actually worked in that office BEFORE you."_ the Phone Guy explained. _"I'm finishing up my last week now as a matter of fact. So I know it can be a bit overwhelming, but I'm here to tell you there's nothing to worry about. Uh, you'll do fine. So, let's just focus on getting you through your first week. Okay?"_

Ilia sighed as the Phone Guy went on and on about business matters, the girl growing ever more impatient when she wasn't hearing any gameplay tips. Her eyes moved back to Kevin with a questioning gaze. "Alright Mr. Expert, how the hell do I play this game?"

Kevin reached around and pointed to both sides of the screen. "Alright, so on either side, you've got two buttons; one for the hall light, and one for lowering the blast door. At the bottom, you'll notice that bar right there. Click on it."

Ilia did so and immediately, something flipped up, changing to what appeared to be a camera feed showing three animatronics; a bunny, a bear, and a chicken. "Ah, I see, so this must be how I keep an eye on them."

"Yep, and to switch between cams, all ya gotta do is click on the different areas." Kevin watched as Ilia did just that, the girl paying close attention to every room.

Nora's lips parted as she watched Ilia play the game. "Oh my gosh, this is WAY different than what I was expecting! I thought it was like a survival game where you had to fight off all of the animatronics!"

"Gotta admit, this is a MUCH scarier scenario." Sun nodded. "Though I gotta ask… why doesn't the guy just get up and walk away from 'em when they get close…" But he trailed off when he heard the Phone Guy say something. "And did he just say something about the Bite of '87?"

Everyone remained silent as the Phone Guy continued; _"Yeah. I-It's amazing that the human body can live without the frontal lobe, you know?"_

Neptune raised his hands and whipped around. "Alright, that's it. Cool special effects, I can handle, but I don't wanna be scared by something that can tear out my frontal lobe!"

"Neptune, it's not real!" Penny insisted. "Nobody's going to rip out your brain!"

Kevin rolled his eyes before explaining more to Ilia; "Okay, now make sure to check the cams frequently. But be aware of how much power you're spending." The Osmosian pointed down to the lower right corner, indicating the power usage bar and the percentage indicator. "You've got a limited amount, so use it wisely."

"Why would she only have a limited amount?!" Blake questioned. "A pizzeria's usually connected to a power grid, isn't it? Realistically, this game should be easily winnable."

"Ah, but then it wouldn't be scary, now would it?" Ben countered. "Besides, the in-game reason for the limited power is because the place is closing soon and is gonna be taken off the power grid anyway."

Weiss placed a hand on her hip. "And the reason why you can't leave the security room?"

"Do that, and you're fired." Rex answered. "Simple as that. But that's not even the worst part!"

Everyone was silent as Phone Guy went on; _"These characters, uh, if they happen to see you after hours probably won't recognize you as a person. They'll p-most likely see you as a metal endoskeleton without its costume on._ _Now since that's against the rules here at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, they'll probably try to...forcefully stuff you inside a Freddy Fazbear suit."_ The whole group of teens glanced to each other worriedly as Ilia flipped down the camera. _"Um, now, that wouldn't be so bad if the suits themselves weren't filled with crossbeams, wires, and animatronic devices, especially around the facial area. So, you could imagine how having your head forcefully pressed inside one of those could cause a bit of discomfort...and death."_

Yang cringed in disgust. "Ugh, nasty."

"Yeah, talk about gruesome." Jaune agreed.

But Ruby had an eager grin on her face. "Are you guys kidding? This totally sounds like its my speed! Let's do this!"

Gwen sighed before walking out the door. "Alright, I'm one of those who's seen FNaF plenty of times in their life, so I'm headed back downstairs. I'll see you guys in a bit."

As the Phone Guy finally hung up, Ilia shifted her eyes up to the upper left corner to see the time. "Well, I'm already at 2 o'clock, so things are going pretty smoothly…" But she soon at her words when she flipped the camera up… and the bunny animatronic wasn't on stage anymore. "Uh… where's the rabbit?"

"Oh, Bonnie's out!" Kevin clapped his hands eagerly. "Alright, so check the left side cams, see if you can—"

"There he is!" Ilia jerked her head back when she checked the backstage camera, only to see Bonnie's silhouette, the whites of his eyes clearly being seen staring back in the darkness. "Oh, that… that is not right." Keeping mindful of her power, Ilia flipped the cam down and shifted the POV from side to side. "Alright, so how do I know he's coming?"

"Just keep checking your cams." Ben advised. "Bonnie keeps mostly to the left side, so it shouldn't be too hard." The hero then spotted the time shift from two to three. "Good news is that you've only got three hours left, so you should be okay… hopefully."

"Hmm, right." Ilia kept intermediately checking the cameras for a good couple minutes more, but then she noticed that Bonnie was now coming down the hall. "Alright… so that's how you want to play it, huh?" She closed the camera and then shut the door. "Then very well."

"Ooh, waiting game strat." Rex commented. "That's a risky move this late into the night." He looked down to the power percentage. "And with only thirty percent power left, too. You've got guts, Ilia. Mad respect."

Ilia's eyebrows slightly rose at that. _'…Respect?'_ She was so lost in thought that she was slightly spooked when everyone suddenly began cheering, and the chime of a grandfather clock pulled her eyes back to the screen. There, she saw that the clock finally shifted from five to six, taking her aback. "I… I did it?!"

"Alright, Ilia!" Yang pumped a fist into the air. "Way to go, girl!"

Ben nodded in agreement. "Yeah, awesome job! You didn't even see Chica _once_!"

Kevin put a finger to his chin. "Well, she probably DID activate. But Ilia was probably too focused on Bonnie to notice."

A smile slowly but surely came to Ilia's face. "Who cares _what_ I did?! All I know is that I kicked that night's butt!" But then she noticed the screen flicker and change to Night 2. "Oh god, I'm just dumped into the next night?"

"No time for a breather or anything?" Blake added. "That seems a bit unfair. I can only assume that it gets harder from here."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it." Ben confirmed as the phone began ringing again.

Sure enough, it was the Phone Guy. _"Freddy and his friends tend to become more active as the week progresses. Uh… it might be a good idea to peek at those cameras while I talk just to make sure everyone's in their proper place."_

"Way ahead of you." Ilia brought up the cams and began scanning over them, just to make sure that no one was out.

After going over the fact of how Freddy becomes more active in the dark, the Phone Guy gave one last tidbit to share; " _Also, check on the curtain in Pirate Cove from time to time. The character in there seems unique in that he becomes more active if the cameras remain off for long periods of time. I guess he doesn't like being watched."_

Ilia's eyes bugged out in realization. _'I've checked every camera except for…'_ She flipped to Pirate Cove… and immediately became startled at the image of an open-mouthed, sharp-toothed animatronic staring right into the camera. "AH! Oh god, oh god, what do I do?"

"Man, Foxy's out early." Kevin commented. "All you gotta remember with him is to check back on Pirate Cove from time to time."

"Okay… okay." Ilia flipped through the cameras, seeing that both Bonnie and Chica had moved off the stage as well. It was then that she was beginning to grow even more nervous, often flipping in between where the two others were on the map and then back to Foxy. "Dear god, this is intense, I—what the?!" When she flipped back to Foxy once again, he was leaning out of Pirate Cove, all the way past the "keep out" sigh. "What's he doing now?!"

"Oh lord, he's about to attack." Ben uttered. "I think you may have checked back a bit too frequently."

"How do I know when and when NOT to check back?!"

"It's a difficult balance to find." Kevin admitted. "Trust me, it's hard to get a pin on Foxy."

"W-Well, maybe I can salvage this." Ilia flipped her camera back to Bonnie and Chica's locations. "Maybe if I keep my eyes off of him for a few seconds longer than usual, he'll—oh no, where did the rabbit go?!" After flipping through her cameras a few more times, she finally found Bonnie… who was standing beneath the camera right next to the office. "Oh, okay, that's not good, I ought to… what's that sound?" She heard what sounded like clanging and she changed cameras to the left hallway, just in time to see Foxy running straight toward the office. This made everybody freak out, though not as much as what came next;

_**AEAEAEAEGGG!**_ A loud metallic screech, accompanied by Foxy sticking his whole body into the office and lowering his jaw to attack. Nearly everyone screamed bloody murder and jumped back in fear, with Ilia practically leaping out of her seat and about three feet away from the desk. When everyone was finally able to collect themselves, they saw that Ilia's skin had become entirely blank white, while her hair and spots were now black. Everyone stared in awe at this, and when Ilia noticed, she immediately changed back. "I… I'm sorry. I didn't expect that, and—"

"What're you apologizing for?" Ruby smiled. "That was so cool!"

That response took Ilia by surprise. "It… it was?"

"Yes, it was!" Pyrrha concurred. "I've never seen anything like that! Is that your Faunus trait?"

Ilia shied away slightly. "Y-Yes. I'm a chameleon Faunus, so I change color."

"Well that's freaking awesome!" Rex exclaimed. "Can't imagine why you'd be nervous about it."

"So… you don't think it's weird?"

"Weird? It's _sensational_!" Penny cheered.

Ben raised his wrist to show Ilia the Omnitrix. "And Ilia, we're ALL a little weird here, trust me."

Ilia blinked a few times before craning her head over to Blake, the cat girl giving her friend a wink. "See? What did I tell ya?"

The chameleon girl's spots turned pink again, a small smile gracing her features. "Heh, I guess that you were right." But then, her eyes widened in realization. "Wait, the game!" Ilia rushed back over to the laptop, immediately being met with the image of a Freddy Fazbear suit with a human being stuffed right into it, the only visible body parts being the eyeballs popping out of the suit's sockets and the teeth jutting out from the mouth. "Well… game over, indeed." The Game Over screen then flashed back to the title screen, where Ilia hung her head with a sigh. "Guess I'll just have to try again."

"Perhaps later." A voice spoke up from behind. Everyone moved around to see Raven standing directly behind them, the tribe leader wearing an amused grin. "As much as I want to see you kids get the crap scared out of you over and over again, I'm afraid that we've got other business to attend to." She jabbed her thumb out the door. "Gwen's already downstairs helping Ghira and Kali formulate a plan, so unless you all want to miss out on it, I suggest you join them."

Yang smacked her forehead at that. "D'oh! That's right, we completely forgot, didn't we?"

"Gah, guess we did." Ben winced as he faced his teammates. "Sorry guys, but we DO still have some important stuff to do."

"Ben's right." Blake agreed. "If we're going to beat Trumbipulor and take back the White Fang, then we're going to have to make sure we got this plan down." As her friends began filing out of the room, Blake shifted her gaze to Ilia, her friend still propping herself in front of the computer. "Ilia, you coming?"

Ilia stood up straight and nodded her head. "Yes, I am." She gave the computer a sour look before closing the game and shutting the computer down. "But I'll be dealing with THAT later. I'm not about to let a simple computer game get the best of me."

"Hehe, that's the spirit." Blake chuckled. "Never give up, right?"

"Exactly, now c'mon, let's get back down there." But as she and Blake exited the room and went down the stairs, Ilia couldn't help but think back to how much… enjoyment she had gotten out of that. Not just playing the game, but from hearing how much everyone was supportive of her. _'Never in my life did I ever think that anyone would call my color-changing "cool". Maybe… maybe some of these humans aren't so bad after all.'_

However, just as Ilia made it to the bottom of the steps, everyone stopped in place when they heard the front door open up, followed by the sound of a man's voice; "Hey everybody! I'm home!" The team all gazed down the hallway to see Tai strolling in, a big, toothy grin on his face. "So, what did you kids end up doing today—" The blonde man cut himself off when he saw Ilia, his eyes bugging out in surprise. "W-wait, what the…" Tai then noticed that there were two other people in his living room; a large hairy man and a cat-eared lady. They were accompanied by a nervously smiling Gwen, the redhead giving a small wave to the Xiao Long patriarch. As all of this processed in Tai's mind, he could only come to one conclusion, his hands going to his head in exasperation. "Oh COME ON! How many people am I going to have in my house?!"

* * *

**A/N: Poor Tai will never get to catch a break, will he? Ah well, at least Ilia seems to be integrating a lot better than she initially thought she would. And she at least seems to get along with Gwen, so that's a plus. Perhaps working with the team won't be so bad for her after all? Well, only time will tell. But other than that, a bunch of other good stuff happened here as well, huh? Another long-distance date between Winter and Kenny, Blake and her father reconciling (as well as Ghira giving Sun the big "dad talk"), and of course, another piece of Earth media gets introduced to the Remnant crew. I'll admit, I've always had a morbid curiosity when it comes to Five Nights at Freddy's. I mean, I've never played the games (I hate being jumpscared on my own), but I've watched other people play it and theorize about it so much that I've become a casual fan, so I knew I wanted to include it here in some way. Would it have been more appropriate around Halloween? Maybe, but hey, better late than never, I guess.**

**Anyway, NEXT TIME! We hop on over to Menagerie for a brief moment to catch up with our villains… and meet up with the duo who've taken over the White Fang. After that though, we check back with our heroes as they get ready to leave on the Resolute the next morning. But as she wanders throughout the ship, Ilia ends up finding something quite unexpected… Well guys, that's all for now! Thanks for reading, and I'll see ya later!**


	74. Welcome to Menagerie

**A/N: Hey everyone! Time for a part of the story that focuses a bit more on the villain's perspective! We WILL be seeing our heroes in this one, though, so don't worry about that. With that said, let's get on with it, shall we? This is...**

**Chapter 74: Welcome to Menagerie**

* * *

Tyrian Callows rarely, if ever, got annoyed by the more trivial things in life. But as Hazel's drop ship flew over the sea with the sun just beginning to rise over the horizon, he was finding himself at his very last, and shortest straw. Why? Because he was sitting right in front of two sleeping behemoths; Thunderhog and Exo-Skull, and their snoring was driving him even _crazier_ than usual! It had been like that for a good _four_ hours out of the five that they had spent flying, and he was just about ready to kill them in their sleep if it would get them to shut up. He had tried everything to drown the snoring out, but to absolutely no avail. And he knew that he wasn't the only one suffering, because all of the White Fang operatives were complaining about it in the very back of the ship… and he was half-tempted to kill THEM for their annoyance as well.

"Ugh, how long will it be until we _get_ there?!" The scorpion Faunus whipped around to his left to glare at Hazel, who was piloting the high-speed craft. "Those two are like chainsaws in an echo chamber! I swear, if this goes on for another minute, I'm GONNA start stabbing people!"

"Calm yourself, Tyrian." Hazel pressed a button on the console, bringing up a holographic map with their location marked with a green blip. They were moving closer and closer to a large landmass, which Hazel was quick to point to. "As you can see, we're almost there. Just a few more minutes and we should see it coming over the horizon."

Tyrian sighed and slumped back in his seat. "Ugh, FINALLY." He jabbed his thumb back toward the sleeping mutants. "The sooner those bozos wake up, the better."

"Hmm." Hazel grunted as he kept his eyes fixated forward. After a few minutes more, the large island nation of Menagerie finally came into view, just as he said it would. "Excellent, there it is."

"Great." Tyrian stood up and went over to Hog and Skull before smacking their faces to wake them up. "HEY! Get up, you lunk-heads! We're here!"

"GAH!" Hog hollered as he bolted up right in his seat, followed by Skull doing the same thing. The moment he saw Tyrian, his pig lips moved up into a snarl and he grabbed the crazed man's throat, bringing him closer to his face. "HEY! What's the big idea, beady-eyes?!"

Skull lowered his head down and glared at Tyrian, snorting out through his nostrils for intimidation. "Yeah! Where do you get off waking us up, huh?!"

But Tyrian just left out a choking laugh as his eyes shifted from yellow to purple, his tail readying itself to attack. "HAHAHA! Go ahead! Just try me! After four hours of hearing nothing but you two idiots snore, I REALLY want you to test my patience!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Hazel hollered, getting the three to stop instantly. "Thaddeus, let Tyrian go. We're here, and I would prefer it if you were alive so that you and Farkas could negotiate with your old prison mates."

Hog's eyes widened and he released Tyrian from his grasp, the scorpion man falling to his hands and knees while catching his breath. "Oh yeah, I forgot." The warthog mutant stepped forward and looked out of the windshield, watching on as they drew ever nearer to Menagerie. "So, this is the place, huh?"

"Indeed, we've arrived in Menagerie." Hazel nodded. "The Faunus homeland."

Skull craned his head over to try and catch a glimpse of the large island. "Huh, so all of the Faunus just live here, huh?"

"Not all, this is just the nation that was gifted to them as a reward from human kind after taking part in the Great War." Hazel explained. "Here, they can live in peace, whilst most other parts of the world tend to discriminate them. However, this small continent is two-thirds desert, and because of that, living conditions here are not ideal."

"Huh, weird." Skull shrugged. "'Cause from what I understand, these people are like humans… but _better_. If anything, _they_ should be the ones in charge. THEY should be the dominant species and be ruling the world, _not_ relegated here."

"Yeah, Doctor Animo would probably dig this place." Hog added. "He could probably help them take the power _away_ from the humans, too."

Tyrian coughed as he stood up, though that didn't stop him from laughing. "Hehehe! Oh, I like the way you boys think! Bring the doc here and he could GIVE 'em what you two have! Then maybe some of 'em will finally grow a spine and take what's rightfully theirs! AHAHA!"

"As interesting of an idea as that is, I'm afraid that's not an option." Hazel dismissed. "We're here for peace talks, not a continental mutation."

"Yeah, yeah." Hog complied. "I get ya, we'll… wait, what's that?" Hog pointed to the holographic map, which was now presenting a slew of red blips approaching their green blip. "Is… that a _bad_ thing?"

Hazel's eyes widened and he called out; "Enemy fire inbound!"

"Where?!" Skull yelled. "I don't see any—" _BLAM!_ A loud sound was heard and the entire dropship began shaking, lurching backward after whatever made impact exploded on contact. "GAH!" Skull lost his footing and began falling backward with the ship, sending him hurtling toward Tyrian.

The scorpion man's eyes bugged out and he raised his arms in vain. "No, Skull, wait—ACK!" But it was too late. Skull careened back-first into Tyrian and the two went sailing into the back wall, with the two slamming into the door and leaving a dent in it. For Exo-Skull, it didn't hurt too much, but for Tyrian, he was literally caught between a wall and a hard place, so the only thing he could feel in that moment was immense pain. "…AAAAAAGGGH!"

Hog managed to keep a hold onto the passenger seat before climbing into it, his head whipping around to Hazel. "What the hell was THAT?!"

"I don't know!" Hazel grunted as he struggled against the controls. After a few seconds, he finally managed to level the dropship off, but just a moment later, another hologram came up. This one was of the dropship itself, and a section of it appeared to be flashing red with an alarm blaring throughout the craft. "We've taken light damage to our underside! We can still make it, but we need to land as soon as possible!"

Hog grunted as he leaned forward, scanning around to see just what in the world was hitting them. His search proved fruitful when his eyes landed onto the port, where a long row of cannons were settled across the docks. There were also a bunch of White Fang members manning the cannons, though they were all dressed in somewhat different clothing than the grunts in the back of the ship. But all the same, they still wore the iconic White Fang masks. "Woah! Big H, we got company!"

Hazel narrowed his gaze to the port, his brows furrowing further when he saw the cannons and how the White Fang were currently reloading all of them. "I see, long-range Dust cannons. So they're trying to keep trespassers out, are they?" He punched in a command into the console before pulling a lever. "Well then, we'll have to go for broke!"

"W-W-Wait, what d'ya mean by—THAAAAAAT!" In an instant, the dropship increased its speed and blasted toward the town of Kuo Kuana, taking all of the passengers by surprise. "HAZEL! The HELL are you doin'?!" Hog asked with this jowls being pushed back by the sheer force of their speed.

"Hoping to out speed them before they reload!" Hazel grit his teeth as the ship came closer and closer to the town. "Just hang on and prepare for landing."

Thunderhog hastily grabbed the comm unit and spoke into it, alerting the White Fang passengers; "This is your co-captain speaking! The captain's lost it and we're probably all gonna die! Also, lunch will NOT be served today!" The cries of distressed White Fang members could be heard from the back room through the heavy metal wall.

Over on said wall, Exo-Skull covered his eyes in preparation. "I can't watch!"

"Get off of me you lummox!" Tyrian screamed from beneath the rhino man.

The tension grew with every passing second as Hazel slammed on the propulsion, keeping the craft going as the cannons were finally reloaded and repositioned. The seconds ticked off in Hazel's head; _'Three… two …one.'_ And at that moment, the cannons fired off into the sky, a slew of pure Fire Dust cannonballs ascending straight toward them. But Hazel didn't let up, and thanks to the dropship's unrelenting speed, the cannonballs just barely missed it. The muscular man let out a breath as the ship flew straight over the port, relieved that his idea worked. "Hah, we made it."

"Did we?" Hog asked. "I blinked and missed it."

Skull uncovered his eyes and let out a cheer. "WOOHOO! We lived!"

"Great!" Tyrian yelled. "NOW can you get off me?!"

As Skull began prying himself from the wall, Hog took out the comm unit as Hazel began slowing the ship down. He spoke into the device, addressing the White Fang in the ship once more. "Uh, yeah, this is your co-captain again. Your captain's crazy idea worked and now I suggest you call prepare for landing." There was a round of cheering heard from the backroom of the ship before Hog added; "Oh, and remember, it's your job to make sure that none of your friends kill us. So… don't screw up!" The cheering died down after that.

* * *

In the streets of Kuo Kuana, a pair of Faunus were watching with intense stares as the speeding dropship slowed to a halt over the center of town and began to descend, its underside having been m. All around them, a battalion of White Fang guards had arrived and began surrounding the ship's landing spot, preparing themselves for whatever would be coming out of it.

"So… what do you think we have here?" the first one asked. At first glance, she was a rather pretty young lady with greyish-blue eyes and medium-length grey hair that covered her right eye. She had pale skin and wore a black and grey uniform with a gold zipper that was zipped down to reveal her upper chest, as that was one of the places where her Faunus trait was most noticeable. There were dark grey veins going across her chest and up her neck, as well as down her arms and to her hands, which seemed to be naturally grey. "Intruders? Maybe some revolutionaries?" she guessed.

"Perhaps." the other one answered. This one was a young man with tanned skin, spikey brown hair, and a matching goatee. He wore a similar uniform as his compatriot, only he kept his zipper up. At his hips were a pair of scabbards with a blade in each of them, the handles appearing to be in a curve. On his back, his Faunus trait could be seen clear as day; a pair of brown bat wings. "I didn't think that Ilia and the Belladonnas would survive that long on the open water, though. Very surprising." The ship landed on the ground, tilting to the side slightly due to its damages, as the ramp began to lower down, the bat Faunus raised his hand to the guards and called out; "Be on your guard! We don't know what'll come out of there!"

"Yes, Brother Yuma!" one guard answered back.

The bat Faunus, Yuma, nodded his head to his companion. "Sister Trifa, be ready to ensnare."

The spider Faunus, Trifa, smiled back to Yuma as she raised her hands up to the ship. "Of course, Brother Yuma, I'll—" But then she let out a gasp at what came out of the craft, her eyes widening in astonishment. "No… it can't be… can it?"

Yuma's lips parted and his head jerked back a bit in shock. "Impossible…" There, filing out of the back of the ship in two side-by-side rows, was a whole group of White Fang grunts. They all had their hands raised up, showing that they were willingly compliant as their fellow White Fang members aimed their firearms at them. "How can this be?" Yuma whispered to himself.

Once they were all off, a single White Fang stepped out from the group of grunts. He was a lieutenant among their ranks, as indicated by the unique mask that covered his entire face rather than just his eyes. He was rather muscular, had short black hair, and a tattoo on his left arm, along with a pair of metal forearm guards on both arms. He called out to his brethren in a pleading voice; "Brothers and sisters of the White Fang, please, do not fire! We come seeking a meeting with the new leader."

That statement was the one that _really_ took Yuma by surprise. _'That information hasn't been made public yet.'_ He raised his hand up to the guards and ordered; "Lower your weapons." to which they immediately did. Yuma strode forth with Trifa following close behind until they stopped right in front of the White Fang lieutenant, the spikey-haired man narrowing his eyes at the masked man. "How did you get that information, lieutenant? No one outside of Menagerie has been made aware of the change in leadership."

The lieutenant gave Yuma a salute. "Sir, we were given a surprise visit by Ghira Belladonna, his wife, and Ilia Amitola. They were the ones who informed us."

Trifa's eyes glanced toward Yuma as his brow furrowed at the information. "Then they must've made it to the mainland after all." she concluded.

"Yes, it would seem so." Yuma nodded toward the lieutenant. "What branch are you from, lieutenant?"

"Vale, sir." The White Fang put a hand over his chest and bowed his head toward Yuma, with the rest of his troop following suit. "We were devout followers of Adam Taurus before he was unfortunately arrested."

"Ah, excellent." Yuma wore a sinister smile at the revelation. "If that's the case, then your group will truly be welcome in the White Fang's new order. And I suppose that since you're here, you took the Belladonna's information and left them and Ilia in cold blood, correct?"

"We… we attempted to, sir." The lieutenant hesitantly answered. "They tried to escape, but we gave chase. We were closing in on Ilia when we were ambushed by a bunch of Hunters. They whittled our group down to what you see before you." He gestured out to the crowd of grunts, which had been taken from well over sixty to about thirty or so.

Yuma narrowed his eyes. "Is that so? Well then, I can only assume that they escaped?"

The lieutenant lowered his head. "W-Well, I… yes." At that moment, Yuma grabbed one of the blades at his hip and pulled it out of its scabbard, revealing it to be a rather deadly scimitar. He swiftly pressed it up to the lieutenant's neck, making the White Fang holler in fear. "AH! P-Please, sir, we didn't—"

"Didn't _what_?" Yuma sneered. "Give me one good reason why I should spare your sorry life and not take this group for myself!"

"B-B-Because you don't want to upset… them." The lieutenant pointed back to the ship, and Yuma whirled his head back around to it.

"What in the world are you on about—AH!" Yuma gasped and stepped away from the lieutenant in shock, keeping his scimitar clenched in his hand.

Trifa let out a gasp of her own, with the rest of the White Fang guard becoming aghast at what they saw. A large rhinoceros-man in heavy metal armor with a long, cybernetic horn came lumbering out of the dropship, followed closely behind by a mohawked warthog-man wearing a visor and a pair of gauntlets. "No… it can't be! There's MORE of them?!"

"You got that right, missy!" the warthog jabbed a thumb to his chest. "Let me introduce me an' by bro here. The name's Thunderhog." He then pat his hand against the rhino's shoulder. "An' this is my best bud, Exo-Skull. And as you can see, we've taken control of this here branch of the White Fang."

"That's right." Exo-Skull pulled his giant minigun off of his back. "So if you kill one of our men, we'll slaughter yours, _capisce_?"

Yuma grit his teeth, the bat Faunus forcing himself to swallow whatever apprehension he was feeling and speak up. "Who are you?!" he demanded. "And what are you doing here?"

Just then, a loud cackling could be heard from inside the ship, making everyone jump slightly. Bounding down the steps was a beady-eyed scorpion Faunus, his demented expression striking fear into the hearts of every White Fang there. "AHAHA! An excellent question, and we have many answers to give you! Hehehe!"

Yuma readied his scimitar again. "You… you're Tyrian Callows! You're responsible for the deaths of countless Faunus and humans alike! Why in the HELL are you here?!"

"Why, because of my cause, of course! The cause which brings us _all_ here today!" Tyrian bowed to Yuma. "For our queen has given us the mission of reaching out to the White Fang to offer our humble assistance!"

"Assistance?" Trifa asked worriedly. "What kind of assistance?"

It was then that one final voice came; "The kind that's hard to refuse." Hazel finally exited the craft behind his compatriots, the large man folding his arms as he came to a stop. "Believe me, you WILL want to consider what we have to offer."

However, Yuma just glared at Hazel and pointed his scimitar at him. "Interloper! What reason does a human have being in Menagerie?!" At that point, all of the guards we concentrating their firearms on Hazel, with Trifa even readying her own weapon. "I suggest you leave now before things get—"

"What IS going on here?!" At the arrival of a new voice, one that was rather smooth yet demanding, all of the White Fang stood at attention, though Yuma seemed reluctant at first to do so. The crowd of White Fang guards began parting, making way for whoever was making their way toward them. Finally, Hog, Skull, Tyrian and Hazel could see the person who had spoken up… and Tyrian immediately fell into fits of uncontrollable laughter.

There, standing at the front of the guard, was a four-foot tall blue monkey. He had shaggy blue hair on his head, back, forearms, and lower legs with darker blue skin on his face and chest. However, that wasn't the strangest part about him. That was saved for his four arms, each with only three fingers while his feet only had three toes as well. He also had four gleaming yellow eyes, the orbs glaring over to the four followers of Salem in judgment. But even then, his appearance got stranger. For adorning his upper torso was a bright pink collared shirt, making him stick out like a sore thumb. The monkey put all four hands on his hips and repeated; "Well? What's going on around…" But then he stopped in mid-sentence when he noticed Hog and Skull, his eyes widening in surprise. "…here?"

The two sides stared at each other for a few seconds more… before Hog and Skull began cracking up with Tyrian. It got to the point where both of the large mutant men were rolling around on the ground on their backs, laughing up a storm. "OH! Oh my god, STOP!" Hog waved his hand in a pleading manner. "I-I CAN'T BREATHE!"

"AHAHAHA!" Skull guffawed at the sight of the alien monkey, pointing and laughing at him as he tried to stand himself up. "S-Simian, what in the HELL were you thinking with that fashion statement?! HAHA!"

The literal spider-monkey, now identified as Simian, clenched his teeth and furrowed his brow at them once more. "How do you know my name? And just who ARE you two anyway?"

"Haha! Aw, c'mon, Simian." Hog stood up and slammed his hands against his chest. "Don't tell me you don't recognize your ol' prisonmates!"

Simian narrowed his eyes at the two, thinking over just what the pig-man said before finally realizing; "Wait… _Thaddeus_? Is that you?" He bent down onto all six limbs and bounded over to the duo, focusing on the rhino-man next. "And that must mean that you're Farkas, right? How in the world did you two end up like this? …Come to think of it, how are you both here in the first place?"

"Oh, that is a LONG story, man." Hog smirked. "But to cut it short for ya, we got blasted here in the explosion, a witch recruited us into her evil groupies, and Doctor Animo made us into the awesomely powerful mutants you see before you today!"

Skull let out another chuckle before pointing at Simian's shirt. "But what I wanna know is where you got your new duds! I mean, a pink shirt on blue fur?!" Skull slapped his forehead and laughed again. "Haha! It's freakin' hilarious!"

Simian pursed his lips in annoyance and crossed all four of his arms. "I'll have you know that this shirt used to be white when I first got it. But SOMEBODY chose to wash it with a pair of red socks!" He whipped his body around and pointed a single finger to a random White Fang guard. "You know what you did, TOM!" The cat-eared Faunus backed away with a nervous, toothy grin as he silently waved, hoping to not face anymore punishment than he already had.

Of to the side, Yuma bowed his head to the Arachnichimp. "Master Simian, you know these two?"

"Indeed, Yuma." Simian confirmed with a sigh, calming himself down. "I served time in prison with them, back when they were once human. And speaking of human…" The blue spider-monkey faced Hazel with a stern look. "You must be pretty brave to have come here, my friend. Human's aren't exactly all that welcomed by the White Fang here, as you know."

"I am aware, yes." Hazel nodded. "But once you hear our reason for being here, I think that you might just reconsider. Now, where is…" The goateed man raised a brow over to Thunderhog. "What did you say his name was?"

"Trumbipulor." Hog answered before craning his head down to Simian. "We're here to see Trumbipulor."

"I figured as much." Simian shrugged. "You're all just lucky that I got here in time after all of that commotion, otherwise you all WOULD be seeing him… while strapped in chains."

Tyrian threw his head back and cackled to the heavens. "HAHAHA! I'd like to see these sorry souls just TRY and stop us!"

Simian simply narrowed his eyes at the crazed Faunus in trepidation. "Hmm… yes. In any case, follow me, I'll take you all to "Lord" Trumbipulor as he's been calling himself lately." The Arachnichimp faced the two Faunus assassins and pointed up to them. "Yuma, Trifa, I want you to see to it that all of these White Fang grunts that they've brought get proper food and garments. If we wish to be ready to make our move, we'll need every set of hands we have to be at their best."

Yuma bowed his head in respect. "Of course, Master Simian."

And Trifa did the same. "It will be done."

"Excellent." Simian waved his monkey paw over in a certain direction, ushering for the four followers of Salem to come with him. "This way, gentlemen. The White Fang headquarters is just on the outskirts of town." With that, Simian led the quartet away while Yuma and Trifa escorted the White Fang grunts to a nearby outpost, the two assassins giving Hazel matching dirty looks as he walked away.

"I do not trust them." Trifa whispered. "Something seems… off."

"That much, we can agree upon." Yuma concurred.

* * *

Hog and Skull had to admit, when they had first imagined what the White Fang's headquarters looked like, they were NOT expecting the building that was in front of them. In their minds, they had pictured an all-white building that reflected the group's choice in color, along with a more modern aesthetic. But as they drew closer and closer to the building, they found that their idea was NOT the case at all. Instead, what they were presented with was a rather large, oriental palace, one that would be right at home if it were in a Pacific island region. The two brutes were so amazed by how grand this place was, that their jaws simultaneously dropped in amazement. "Woo… gotta say, I was NOT expecting this." Hog admitted.

"Yeah, and here I though these guys would be a bit more modern." Skull added.

"You'll find that the White Fang here aren't exactly all that well-equipped, gentlemen." Simian explained. "The ways of Kuo Kuana are much more traditional than those on the mainland. The most weaponry people have here are flintlock pistols, rifles and swords. It proved to be a challenge when Sienna Khan brought her reinforcements from the mainland, but she made one fatal mistake…"

Hazel raised a brow. "And what would that be?"

"Underestimating Trumbipulor." The Arachnichimp answered as he opened the heavy palace doors, allowing them to walk inside. "When the White Fang made their initial distress call to her, Miss Khan had thought that it would be a trivial undertaking to take Trumbipulor down. But there was one thing she wasn't counting on; his intellect. He set up those antiquated Dust Cannons at the port and they took her and her forces down in less than half an hour… and he made sure that _she_ was the only survivor."

"Hehehe, well THAT certainly showed her, huh?!" Tyrian snickered.

"Indeed, it did. And as a result of that battle, Trumbipulor won a majority of White Fang's favor… if not out of respect, then of fear. Although, now that he leads the organization, he doesn't seem particularly interested in their cause. Instead it's all been about making money and extorting the townsfolk." Simian furrowed his brows a bit. "I have a feeling that's why the Albain Brothers have been so cooperative with him as of late."

"And uh, WHO are the Albain Brothers, exactly?" Skull asked.

"They used to be Sienna's top lieutenants, but after she fell from leadership, they quickly offered their services to Trumbipulor." Simian put one of his hands to his chin in contemplation. "Though if you ask me, they seemed to be a bit TOO quick to leave her in the dust." The alien chimp stopped directly in front of a large set of doors, causing the others to do the same. "Now that Trumbipulor is in charge, I think they might be going along with his way of doing things so that they can get what _they_ want."

"Has the big guy figured out their game yet?" Hog pressed further.

"He may suspect something. But if he has, he hasn't said anything about it yet." Simian breathed out a sigh and closed his eyes briefly. "But I suppose we should stop delaying the inevitable, right?" The Arachnichimp reached up and lifted one of the large door knockers, slamming it against the strong oak door three times.

Not a second passed when they heard a response from the other side; "ENTER!" The voice was so loud and commanding that it took the group by surprise a little, the only exception being Hazel who kept his stoic expression.

Simian pushed the door open by just a crack and went in first, bowing his head toward the new leader of the White Fang. "Trumbipulor, I have some—"

"That's _Lord_ Trumbipulor to you, ya mook!" The booming voice spoke again, this time more agitated. "Now whaddya want, Simian? Can'tcha see I'm busy here?"

"Of course, Lord Trumbipulor, but I have a couple of familiar faces here who are just dying to see you."

A few seconds passed before the voice ordered to have the doors fully opened. "Send 'em in!" At the order, Simian pulled one door open the rest of the way, allowing Hog, Skull, Tyrian and Hazel to get a good look at the new leader of the White Fang. He was quite large, that was for sure, about twelve feet tall from head to toe. He resembled a humanoid bull elephant with brownish-grey skin, long ears shaped like batwings, and a pair of tusks that were shaved down almost to their base. He wore a black one-piece uniform with a large piece of purple chest armor covering his upper torso. There was also a matching purple belt across his waist with a silver buckle in the shape of a heavy lock, with eight large silver studs going all around it. On his wrists, he wore a pair of purple wrist bands with six silver studs in each, and a matching pair of large silver pauldrons adorned his massive shoulders. On his head, he wore a purple cap with a black band around it, a small red diamond-shaped jewel having been engraved into its center.

Trumbipulor's blank white eyes gazed out to the opposite end of the room as he sat on his large throne made of stone, his trunk swishing from side to side impatiently. He was surrounded on all sides by at least six servants, some of them fanning him with large palm-leaf fans while others were presenting him with several different confectionaries. However, once he saw just who, or rather _what_ had come to see him, his eyes nearly bugged out and he stood up abruptly. "What in the Milky Way Galaxy are THOSE things?!"

Skull winced slightly at the elephant alien's upset tone. "He doesn't seem too happy that we're here, Hog." he whispered to his friend.

But Hog decided that a more jovial approach would be better suited for this situation. "Relax, Skull, I'll do the talkin'." He spread his arms out wide and gave Trumbipulor a big grin as he stepped forward. "Haha! Hey, Trumbipulor! Man, it's been a while hasn't it? Little over two weeks if I'm remember correctly. Seems you've been makin' quite the name for yourself around here!"

Trumbipulor simply narrowed his eyes at the pig-man. "Who _are_ you? You sound familiar, but I can't place it…"

Hog ushered Skull over to him, the rhino-man stepping up next to him before he continued; "Ah, c'mon, man! Don't tell me you forgot about your old roomies from that Plumber prison!"

"Old roomies? What're you—wait!" Trumbipulor's eyes widened in realization. There was only one duo that he shared a cell block with, and they were the only ones who he ever got along with. "Thunderhog?! Exo-Skull?!"

"Guilty as charged." Skull smirked. "How's it goin' Trumbi?"

Trumbipulor gave a hearty laugh and approached the two with open arms, settling his hands onto their shoulders. "HAHAHA! By Ma Vreedle's bunions! It's great to see you two schmucks again!"

Hog wore a disgusted face. "Thanks, I really needed that mental image."

"Ah, my apologies. But seriously, what ARE you two doin' 'ere? Last I saw you's guys, we were all runnin' for freedom afta' Vilgax made his grand escape!" Trumbipulor took his hands away from his friend's shoulders before gesturing to the two mutants. "And how the hell did you two end up like… THIS?!"

"You can thank Doctor Animo for that." Hog smirked. "He finally got his mutagen formula workin' properly, and WE were his first test subjects."

"Hah, well, that's REAL surprisin'. Didn't think Animo'd be here to. Gotta say, it's been a weird couple 'a weeks. 'Specially since the breakout happened." The elephant alien put a hand to his head. "I remember us makin' a break for it afta' Vilgax blew the place up. But then, all I can remember afta' that was a white light, then suddenly I'm in this forsaken place. Simian and I wandered for at least three days in the desert before finally findin' this here town."

"We heard." Skull nodded. "And it sounds like you've made quite the impact here. Well, to answer your question, it turns out that we were ALL blasted to this world. Rojo, Darkstar, Animo, everyone." The rhino mutant's eyes narrowed as he came to the unpleasant part. "Unfortunately, that means that Tennyson and his team are here too."

"TENNYSON?!" Trumbipulor hollered before trumpeting his trunk in anger. "You can't be serious!"

"Believe me, man, I wish we weren't." Hog said dejectedly. "And what's worse is that he's made a bunch of new allies in this world, and they're helping him round us all up." The pig mutant raised a hand. "But it's okay! Because we've been makin' some powerful allies of our own! And THAT is the reason why we came to see you today."

"Hmph, I getcha." Trumbipulor made a low rumbling sound in his throat as his gaze settled upon Tyrian and Hazel. "An' I s'pose those two are the pals your talkin' 'bout?"

"You're partially correct on that." Hazel answered as he and Tyrian stepped forward. "I am Hazel Rainart, and the man next to me is my associate, Tryian Callows."

"Hehe, nice to meet ya." Tyrian chortled. "Gotta say, I've never seen an alien elephant. Hell, I didn't know that aliens could BE elephants! AHAHA!"

Trumbipulor's rumbling noise became a full-on growl. "I ain't no stinkin' elephant, crazy eyes! I'm a Paku-Dermoloid, I only _look_ like an elephant!" The alien crime boss craned his massive head back to the mutant duo, jabbing a thumb over to the crazed scorpion man with a raised brow. "Hey, what's the deal with this mashugana?"

"He's a few screws loose of a full deck of cards, if you know what I mean." Exo-Skull explained.

"Me thinks you're gettin' your idioms confused, my friend, but I get the gist." Trumbipulor clapped his hands and faced back to Hazel. "So, what brings you to my little island paradise, eh? A little business venture, maybe?"

"Indeed, Lord Trumbipulor." Hazel put a hand over his heart and gave a bow. "We're here to offer you an incredible opportunity that you may find very interesting."

Trumbipulor narrowed his eyes slightly in intrigue. "…I'm listening."

But before Hazel could go on, another set of doors opened up nearby, causing everyone to direct their attention over to the left side of the room. There, standing in the doorway were two men, both with brown skin tones and lighter brown eyes. They wore very similar clothes; a black tunic with white trim, detached white sleeves that started at the bicep and ended with a black cuff with matching gloves, pleated white pants, and black open-toed sandals with fabric that went up to their knees. They also wore matching red hoods that had a muzzle-shaped brim to them, almost making them appear to have animal snouts on top of their heads. The two appeared to be nearly identical with only two differences between them; one being their height, and the other being their Faunus trait. The taller one had a foxlike tail while the shorter of the two had foxlike ears that stuck out of his head.

The duo walked toward the group with their heads down and their hands together, almost as if they were constantly paying respects. "Forgive the intrusion, my lord." The taller one spoke in a heavy baritone. "But we thought we had heard you trumpet in rage."

"We came to make sure that you were…" the shorter one trailed off, his raspy voice coming to a halt when he saw the four followers of Salem. In particular, his eyes widened when he saw Hog and Skull. "Dear god! My lord, are these… friends of yours?"

Trumbipulor furrowed his eyeridges at the shorter Faunus, moving over to both of them while getting in his face. "That's right, Fennec, these boys an' I go way back. Got a problem with that?"

The fox-eared man, now identified as Fennec, hastily shook his head before bowing it again. "N-No, of course not, my lord."

"Good." The Paku-Dermoloid shifted his attention over to the taller man. "An' whaddabout you, Corsac? Any problems?"

The taller man, Corsac, directed his attention to Hazel and Tyrian, narrowing his eyes at the muscular man. "My lord, the only issue I take with any of this is that man standing there." He pointed over to Hazel and Trumbipulor followed the gesture. "Humans are not allowed in the sanctity of ANY White Fang domicile." Corsac then moved his finger to Tyrian. "And that man is a wanted felon, responsible for the murders of countless Faunus AND humans."

Trumbipulor put a hand to his chin in contemplation. "Hmm, you make a good point. But considering that these guys supposedly have an offer that we can't refuse, I suggest we hear 'em out before lockin' 'em up, eh? Or do I have to get _rough_ of ya's again?" He balled his giant hand into a massive fist, his thick skin tightening as he clenched it.

Corsac's eyes widened and he gulped a little bit, all while Fennec's eyes darted between the fist and his brother. However, the older Albain Sibling managed to get a hold of his fear and recompose himself. "Ahem, of course, Lord Trumbipulor. Whatever you say."

"Good! That's what I like to hear." Trumbipulor relaxed his hands and turned back to his guests. "You'll hafta excuse the Albain Brothers, they can be a bit antsy these days."

Hazel bowed his head in respect. "No worries, Lord Trumbipulor, I understand where they are coming from. But rest assured that we are not here to cause any trouble, in fact, we've come to offer you a great opportunity." He shifted his attention to the Albains and nodded to them. "After all, you may not like me, and you have no reason to. But you don't HAVE to like me in order to get the results that you want."

"And how would you know what _we_ want?" Fennec countered.

"Well… you two were familiar with Adam Taurus, right?" Hazel saw the brothers' faces become shocked at the very mention of Adam's name. "Ah, yes, the one who led the White Fang in the Battle for Beacon… and got arrested for his troubles. Do you wish to know the reason behind his unfortunate fate?"

"I think I can already guess." Trumbipulor spoke up. "Tennyson did him in, didn't he?"

Hazel nodded at the answer. "That's right. Ben Tennyson arrived in this world right in the middle of the battle. And together with his allies, they brought Adam down." He bowed his head to the Albain Brothers once again. "And I'm afraid that he's in the most highly guarded prison in Atlas at this very moment, so there's no easy way to break him out, unfortunately."

"I… I see." Corsac furrowed his brow as his gaze lowered to the floor, his hands balling into fists. _'So HE is the reason why our trump card was incarcerated.'_ The fox-tailed man moved his head back up to his new leader. "My lord, this Ben Tennyson, he is the hero you mentioned, yes? The one who kept interfering with your plans before you came here?"

"That's right, and if I know Tennyson, he's plannin' on doin' it again." Trumbipulor crossed his arms at Hazel. "Question is, what can _you_ mooks do to help _us_?"

"That answer is quite simple; do what Adam did and ally with us." Hazel put his hands behind his back and approached the Paku-Dermoloid. "It was because of our faction that Adam was able to have the necessary resources to pull off his operations in the city of Vale, and by proxy, was able to take part in the invasion of Vale and Beacon."

Fennec grit his teeth at Hazel. "If what you say is true, then why _should_ we? If your faction really WAS responsible for the Grimm Invasion, then it was all for naught, correct? The Grimm failed to overtake Vale and they all retreated. Your side lost."

Tyrian's smile widened and he let out another cackle. "AHAHA! Oh, you're not wrong there, my friend. But here's the difference here; the ones that our queen put in charge of the invasion of Vale were nothing more than immature children! Young minds who had no idea what they were doing." The madman gestured to Hog, Skull and Hazel. "But whereas us… hehehe, well, WE are the best that our Lady Salem has to offer."

"Lady Salem?" Corsac asked. "And who would she be?"

"Oh, she's an extremely powerful woman." Skull answered. "She's able to do things that you can only _dream_ about."

Trumbipulor raised an eyeridge before gesturing them to go on. "…Such as?"

Hog sent his old prison mate a smirk. "How does the ability to control the Grimm sound to you?"

From behind the group, Simian came up and asked; "Those are the dark creatures with the bones on the outside of their bodies, right?" He faced upward toward Trumbipulor. "You remember how powerful the ones we encountered in the desert were, right?"

The alien crime boss rubbed the underside of his chin in thought. "Yeah, one a' those venom-spittin' camel things almost took me down. They were pretty tough." A visible smirk appeared underneath his trunk as he went back to Hazel. "If your boss is REALLY able to control those things, then I think that we may have a deal here."

"My lord, forgive me, but you cannot be serious!" Corsac insisted with a swipe of his hand. "No living being can control the creatures of Grimm, it's impossible!"

Tyrian whipped his head around and glared daggers at Corsac, taking him off guard. "You DARE doubt the Queen?! If you take her name in vain once more, then _I_ shall take your life!"

But Hazel was quick to stick an arm out in front of the scorpion man, giving him a stern expression. "That's ENOUGH, Tyrian." His hand returned to his back and his stoic face returned. "If they choose not to believe us, then it is not our place to force them to. Instead, I offer a different solution; I can arrange a meeting with the mistress herself. That way, we can prove her existence without conflict." Hazel craned his head back up to Trumbipulor, the elephant-like alien gazing down to him in contemplation. "What say you, Lord Trumbipulor?"

"Well… you make a compelling bargain, I'll give ya that." The large alien put his hands on his hips. "Plus, if your boss has the power to give us anything we need, then that'd also do us some good in the long run…" Trumbipulor lowered his head down so that he was eye-level with Hazel. "But what's the catch? You don't offer somethin' like this without expectin' somethin' else from us in return. So if we agree to this, whadda we gotta do?"

"A simple exchange of services." Hazel replied. "Our faction will help get what you and the White Fang want, but only if you help us in _our_ goal."

Fennec came forward once again; "And what exactly would that be?"

"To weaken humanity by snuffing out their hope." Hazel answered. "That way, Lady Salem's Grimm will be able to overtake the world. However, if you ally with us, then Faunus kind will have a new place in the new world order; as the subjugators of the human race. The Grimm will not attack you, and you can finally have the Faunus-run world that you've always desired."

Corsac and Fennec looked to each other in shock. It sounded almost too good to be true… and that was exactly what they were afraid of. The brothers faced back to Hazel and Corsac hardened his face. "Lord Trumbipulor is right. You DO make some… _interesting_ bargains. However, we still need proof of the existence of this "Lady Salem" that you speak so highly of."

"Hate to say it, but Corsac's got a point." Trumbipulor agreed. "If you can arrange a meeting with this "Salem", _then_ we can consider your offer. As of now, I ain't gettin' myself into anythin' without solid proof that you can deliver on what you're promisin'."

"Very well. I will contact the mistress and we will arrange a meeting for later on today." Hazel bowed to Trumbipulor and the Albains in respect. "Thank you for your time, gentlemen."

"Sure thing." Trumbipulor shifted his gaze down to Corsac and Fennec before nudged his head to the four followers of Salem. "Boys, escort our guests to the spare bedrooms. Until they get a hold of their boss, they can stay in there." The Albain Brothers bowed their heads in compliance to their master's orders, though they appeared to be none too happy about it. The duo led the quartet out of the throne room, leaving only Trumbipulor and Simian behind.

"So, do you believe anything they're saying?" Simian asked.

"I'm inclined to." The Paku-Dermoloid replied. "But if they ain't, then they're gettin' sent _straight_ to the curb, friends or not. We got a good gig goin' here, Simian, and I ain't 'bout to let _anybody_ ruin it." Trumbipulor stepped back over to his large throne of stone, sitting back down as he propped his elbow on the arm rest. He rested his hand against the side of his face and continued; "Besides, if Tennyson and his pals are involved, then we may have some BIG trouble on our hands."

* * *

Many hours later, as the sun set over in Menagerie and the moon rose to take its place, so too did the sun begin to rise over Vale's horizon. It was about six-thirty in the morning on that side of the world, and as such, things at the Xiao Long house were hustling and bustling with activity. Most of the teens had gotten up a half-hour earlier, with the exceptions of Gwen and Kevin who had gotten up at five thirty to make everyone a quick breakfast. The team were currently readying themselves for the biggest mission that they had gone on yet; liberating an entire island nation from the grip of a tyrannical extraterrestrial pachyderm. And it wasn't just the teens getting ready for departure; Ghira, Kali, Winter and even Doctor Holiday were gearing up to head out as well. Raven was going to be coming as well, but she had yet to arrive. The Resolute had already flown over to the house to pick them up, the ship awaiting for its usual passengers to board once again.

As everyone made their final preparations outside on the front lawn, Weiss turned to Holiday with a concerned expression. "So you're sure that you want to come along, Dr. Holiday? We can't guarantee that this operation will be a safe one, you know that, right?"

But Holiday simply smiled and waved a hand to Weiss. "Oh, it's alright, Weiss. Trust me, I've been dropped into these types of situations before, so I'm no stranger to this kind of danger." The doctor made the last adjustment to her sidearm and put it in its holster, giving the heiress a final nod. "And besides, in case you kids need some medical attention, I'm your best option. So don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Well… okay." Weiss agreed hesitantly. "If you say so."

Suddenly, Rex came up from behind her and gave her a smirk. "Hey, don't worry, Ice Princess! Holiday's as good of a field medic as she is a nanite researcher. She knows what she's getting into."

Weiss raised a skeptical brow at the EVO. "Which is more than I can say for you most of the time, Robo-dolt. I mean, when was the last time you went into battle with an actual plan?"

"Hey, I'm good at following plans, not making them." Rex shrugged, only to get another skeptical brow-raise from Holiday. "…Well, okay, _sometimes_ I'm good at following plans, but I've gotten better over the years!"

"Uh-huh." Weiss nodded with an eye roll. "Well, I suppose we should get on the ship, nothing much else to do here." The white-haired girl then spied her older sister beginning to board the ship along with Penny, Neptune, Ren and Nora, and her eyes widened when she saw what she was carrying. "WINTER! You can't be serious!"

Winter stopped in her tracks and spun around, revealing that she was taking the interdimensional communicator with her. The elder Schnee narrowed her eyes down toward her sister and retorted; "Weiss, it's going to be a very long trip, and Benjamin has already agreed to charge it for me whenever I need it."

"But what about _Kenny_?!" Weiss reminded. "It's probably the crack of dawn back on Earth too! How do you know he's going to be awake at this ungodly hour?!"

Winter wore a proud smiled and answered. "Because I told him beforehand last night. He said that he'd be waiting for me at about seven o'clock, so all I need to do is wait a half-hour more."

Weiss blinked in surprise. She really hadn't expected that. "Oh, uh… alright, I guess. I can see that you've given this more forethought than I did so… kudos."

"Thank you, now if you'll excuse me, I have a few things on the ship I need to prepare before take-off." Winter about-faced and went onto the ship, with Weiss, Rex and Holiday following soon after.

"Heh, gotta admit, their banter's pretty funny." Rex chuckled as he spoke to Holiday.

Holiday nodded in return. "Yes, almost as funny as your banter with Weiss." The doctor smirked when she got just what she was hoping for; a blush from Rex. She waited until Weiss was far away enough before going on. "You know, it may not be a bad idea to take a chance, Rex. I mean, yes, I know that it hasn't been long since… well, you know. But it's obvious that you and Weiss get along… in a strange sort of way."

Rex sighed and a saddened expression came to his face. "Doc, thanks for the words of encouragement, but right now, I'm still trying to figure out everything for myself." He gave Holiday a shrug. "I mean, I'm not even really sure IF I like her that way or not. Right now, things are just really complicated."

The EVO expert raised her hands up to him. "Okay, I get where you're coming from, Rex. I won't press you into something that you're not sure of yet if you don't want me to." She then gave the young man a smile and a wink. "But remember; if you ever need some advice, I'm always here if you need me."

Rex smiled back and gave her a nod. "Thanks Doc, I appreciate it."

Back on the ground, Gwen and Kevin were busy loading up a few materials into the ship while Yang, Ruby and Ben were talking with Tai, the blonde man making his best effort to keep it together while his children left him yet again. "Alright, I know that you girls don't like me doting on you every time you go on a mission…"

"That's an understatement." Yang commented.

Tai raised his right hand. "But this time, it'll be different. I'm gonna be the bigger man here and just remain calm. From now on, Taiyang Xiao Long is no giant worry wart!"

Ruby pumped a fist into the air. "That's the spirit, dad! Confront those worries and tell 'em to go eat a tree!"

Ben gave a sidelong glance to Ruby. "Geez, Ruby. Sometimes, I worry about what you'd say if you actually knew how to use swear words in the proper context."

"But she doesn't!" Tai proclaimed proudly before giving Ruby a thumbs up. "Way to keep it goin', hon."

"Thanks dad!" Ruby smiled. "So, what're you gonna do while we're all gone?"

"Well, for one, I'm gonna enjoy some peace and quiet." Tai raised his arms up to the heavens. "I can finally move comfortably in my own house again!" That got a laugh out of the trio before he went on; "But I'm also gonna keep myself as distracted as possible so I don't worry about you all that much while you're gone. Jaune's parents are coming over soon while their daughters have a girl's day out, so that'll be fun—AGH!"

Tai, his daughters, and Ben all jumped in surprise when a familiar red and black portal opened up, with Raven emerging from it soon after. "I'm sorry, but were we discussing something about Jaune's parents?" she inquired.

"R-Raven!" Tai stammered out. "I… I'm glad you could make it before the ship took off without you."

"Oh, come on, Tai, I wouldn't have had any problem getting to Menagerie. After all…" Raven strolled over and put her arms around Ben and Yang's shoulders, her smile unwavering. "I've bonded with these two quite well, if I do say so myself."

Yang gave her mother a smirk and an eye roll. "Yeah, mom, whatever you say. Just don't try and go too overboard with this, alright?"

"I make no promises, my dear." Raven assured. "Now, what's the status of everything so far?"

"We're almost ready to go." Ben replied. "A few minutes more and we should be ready for lift-off."

"Excellent, if we stay on schedule, we should be in Menagerie by midnight over there." Raven shifted her eyes around, searching for a certain couple. "Are Ghira and Kali on the ship already? I figured that they'd be some of the first ones up today."

The three teens shared an amused glance toward each other before Ruby answered her. "Well… apparently Ghira isn't functional until he's had a couple cups of coffee in him, so we're actually waiting on them."

Raven couldn't help but let out a chortle at that. "Haha, oh, now _that's_ funny. Well, I suppose I should get on the ship, then. Don't want to provoke the sleeping giant, after all." The tribe leader sent a small smile to Tai, giving him a nod. "And Tai? You don't have to worry about your daughters. They're big girls, they'll be fine."

Tai gave her a deadpan expression. "Gee, thanks for the encouraging words, Rae."

"It's what I'm best at." With that somewhat sarcastic remark, Raven strode forth onto the resolute, giving Tai one final wave before getting on. "We'll see you when we get back, Tai, and we WILL be back!"

Tai sighed and his shoulders slumped. "Well, THAT one was a little more encouraging, I'll give her that."

Yang gave her father a smirk. "Dad, something tells me if you want her to ACTUALLY be genuine with you on something, you're gonna have to talk one-on-one with her about it."

"Yeah, I know, I know." Tai ran a hand through his hair. "Still tryin' to work all of that out, though."

Just then, the conversation was interrupted by the sound of yet another one coming out the front door as it opened up, revealing Jaune and Pyrrha in the middle of talking with the latter's mother. Athena had a concerned expression on her face as she spoke to the two; "And you're absolutely certain that you don't need me to come along?" she asked. "I mean, having an official Huntress with you will probably give you an edge in your mission."

Pyrrha gave her mother a smile, reaching out to grasp her hand. "Mom, I'm glad that you're offering, but I think we already have enough people as is. Besides, I'm sure that General Ironwood needs someone to remain here to watch over Vale until we get back, and you're just the Huntress for the job."

Athena sighed at that. "I'm aware, it's just…" She slowly pulled her daughter into a hug. "I suppose it's just a little bit of nerves. Seeing you all going on a mission that's so far away from Vale… it's rather worrisome."

Pyrrha hugged back instantly. "I know, mom. I won't lie, I'm a bit nervous too." She pulled her head away to look her mother in the eye. "But I'm sure that everything will be okay. After all, I have my teammates by my side on this one." She moved her head around to give her boyfriend a wink. "Right, Jaune?"

"Of course." Jaune said proudly while puffing out his chest. "Don't worry, Athena. We've got a lot of great fighters on that ship, and we're not about to go down easily." The blonde knight jabbed a thumb to his chest. "And remember, we've all got each other's backs out there. We'll be back, and that's a promise."

Athena smiled back at Jaune and gave him a nod. "I'll hold you to your word, Jaune. Thank you." She went over and gave him a quick hug, much to his and Pyrrha's surprise. She then pulled away and set a hand on the young man's shoulder. "I'm very glad that my daughter found someone as special as you, Jaune. Your commitment to your friends and teammates is something to be truly admired."

Jaune blushed and his hand went to the back of his head. "Aw, c'mon. I'm just doing what I feel is right."

"And that means that you're on the right track." Athena reached over and put her other hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Now, you two go out there and do me proud, okay?"

"Of course, mom." Pyrrha affirmed with another hug. "We'll see you when we get back. Love you!"

"Love you too, dear." Athena gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead and nudged her head toward the ship. "Now go on, or else you're going to miss your flight." The couple gave her a nod and they set off to the ship, with Athena giving another sigh as they left. "Be safe." she whispered to herself before craning her head over to Tai to give him a friendly grin. "Tai, I know you must be proud of your daughters, right?"

Tai blinked, taken aback by the question. "Of course, I am. I couldn't be any prouder of them."

"Good, I'm glad to hear it." Athena moved herself around to head back into the house, but not before saying one final thing; "So long as we keep faith in our children, we have nothing to worry about. I know how worried you must get when thinking about them taking on such dangerous odds, but just remember; they aren't the same people who left for Beacon Academy a year ago. I sure know that my Pyrrha isn't." The Mistralian woman gave him one last nod before heading inside. "Trust me, things will be fine."

With the redheaded woman's words sinking into his head, Tai lowered his head in thought before taking a deep breath. "Yeah… it'll be fine." He raised his head back up and gave his daughters and Ben a salute. "Well, best of luck, guys. And Yang, you make sure that you and Ben kick that elephant guy's ass once for me!"

The powerful couple smirked and Yang gave her father a thumbs up. "Now THAT'S a promise, dad!"

Ben pumped a fist with an eager grin of his own. "Yeah, Trumbipulor won't know what hit him. He's going to be facing time for this AND for all of the other crimes he's committed."

"I certainly hope so." came a familiar gruff voice. Everyone moved back around to see Ghira, Kali, Blake and Sun walk out the front door, the former with a grateful smile on his face. "Once again, I cannot thank you all enough for your help in this endeavor."

"My husband's right." Kali bowed her head. "We're truly thankful for everything you've done for us…" The woman sent Tai a guilty expression. "And on that note, I apologize if our stay here was any inconvenience to you, Tai. I know that this was all very spur of the moment, so…"

"Ah, think nothing of it." Tai assured. "Trust me, if I was in your guys' place, then I'd probably take the first offer for shelter too. Besides, even if I WAS here when my kids brought you home, I still wouldn't have turned you away. I mean, you're Blake's parents, for cryin' out loud!" The blonde man raised a brow to Blake. "Besides, we all know that your daughter wouldn't have taken that very well if I _had_."

"Hehe, yes, she is quite persistent." Ghira chuckled.

Blake's ears folded back and she narrowed her eyes at her father. "Dad, seriously?"

But Kali just rested her hands against her daughter's shoulders to calm her. "Now sweetheart, you have to admit, you ARE a little stubborn when you want to be."

"Mom!" Blake protested. "Do we really have to have this conversation NOW?!"

Yang placed her hands on her hips while giving her partner a smirk. "Uh, Blake, I think you might just be proving their point."

Blake facepalmed and let out a groan. "Ugh, fine then. I'll just do the opposite and give up on this, then." She glanced toward Sun and nudged her head toward the ship. "C'mon, Sun, everybody's already on board."

Sun raised a brow at her. "Uh, what about Ilia? Wasn't she—"

At that moment, the front door burst open and Ilia came out, the chameleon girl now back in her clean grey and black stealth suit. "I'm here! I'm here!" she repeated in an urgent state as she pulled her single glove on. "Sorry, I had to wait for my uniform to get out of the dryer. Ugh! I can't _believe_ I forgot to do that last night!"

Blake gave her friend a knowing smile. "Well, I can't blame you. After all, you were too busy getting scared out of your mind by a certain video game if I remember right…"

Ilia was quick to point a finger at Blake. "Hey! I got past Night 4, so in the end, it was worth it!"

Ghira narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Um… just what ARE you girls talking about?"

But Ilia was quick to wave Ghira's question off. "Oh, uh, it's nothing! Nothing important, really."

Kali though was quick to see through Ilia's act. "Nothing, eh?" She leaned forward and quirked a brow. "Or maybe you're too proud to admit that you might be having a good time with Blake's friends?"

"W-Well, I…" Ilia shifted her eyes left and right, seeing that everyone's gaze was on her now. She pursed her lips in frustration before letting out a sigh. "Alright, maybe I'm getting along with them a _tiny_ bit." She folded her arms and faced away from the group. "But I still have my reservations, just so you know."

"I had a feeling." Blake said before putting a hand to Ilia's shoulder. "Still, I'm really glad that you at least interacted with everyone without starting a fight."

Ilia gave Blake a shrug. "I didn't exactly have a reason too, at least not after our talk yesterday." A smile slowly worked its way to her face as she craned her head to Blake again. "So, now that everything's all set, you ready to take back Menagerie and the White Fang?"

"Definitely." the cat girl confirmed before her eyes widened in realization. "Oh shoot, we'd better get on the ship if we wanna make our time!"

Ghira stood at attention at his daughter's words, checking his watch to see that the time was now six-fifty. "Blake's right. We need to head out right now!" The panther man gave a respectful bow to Tai as Blake, Sun Kali and Ilia began making their way toward the ship with haste. "Thank you again, Tai, I hope our paths cross again someday."

"Likewise!" Tai pumped a fist into the air. "Now go take back what's yours and show those aliens what's what!" Ghira gave Tai a two fingered salute before spinning around on his heel and climbing onboard the Resolute. The blonde man grinned down to his daughters and Ben, giving them a salute of his own. "Well, I guess that's your cue."

"Yeah, we've gotta get goin'." Ben agreed. "We'll hopefully be back before sundown tonight, so expect us back in time for dinner."

Just then, a familiar voice spoke up from behind them; "Hehe, well then, I guess I'll have to prepare a little victory meal for your return." Everyone did an about-face and saw Grandpa Max approaching, a soft grin etched onto his aged features as he walked up to his grandson. "But remember, Ben, this might not be as easy as you think it is. After all, Thunderhog, Exo-Skull and Salem's other followers might just be there as well, so expect some heavy ordinance from their side, alright?"

"We will, grandpa." Ben promised. "You're the one who's always told me to never underestimate your enemy, so I've just got that engraved into the back of my head now." The Omnitrix bearer gave his grandfather a quick hug. "Wish us luck, okay?"

"Heh, of course." Max promised as the hug broke. "Now go on, you've got a whole nation to save!"

"Right!" Ruby cheered before giving her dad a quick hug. "Bye dad! We'll see ya soon!"

"And have fun with the Arcs!" Yang urged while also giving him a hug. "Seriously, you could use a little fun in your life."

"Haha, I'll try." Tai let his daughters go and waved them off. "Good luck!" With those final words of encouragement, Tai watched with Max as the three ran off to the Resolute, the ship's ramp retracting a few seconds after they had gotten on. The two men watched on as the ship rose up into the sky and then blasted off over the tree tops, leaving Tai to sigh in thought. "Well, there they go."

"Yep, off to be heroes once again." Max nodded.

"Max… when did you realize that your grandchildren wouldn't stay the same?" Tai asked. "You know, the moment when you knew that fate had different plans for them than you originally thought?"

"I'd say it was the very moment when Ben got the Omnitrix." Max answered. "Gwen beginning to learn magic was also a big factor." The old man gave Tai a pat on the shoulder. "But I can tell you one thing, it only gets better once you learn to accept it."

"Yeah, I get ya." Tai nodded. "Still… this'll probably be a big challenge for me."

"Ah, don't think of it as a challenge, Tai." Max grinned. "Think of it more as… adapting to something new. Your children are starting to stray from the nest, and that means that you can finally relax."

Tai returned the grin with a shrug. "Heh, when you put it like that, I suppose it might be a bit easier." At that moment, two loud honks were heard and the men trailed their eyes down the drive way to see the Arc's minivan pulling up toward the house. "Well, I guess the path to relaxation begins now."

* * *

As the Resolute began its long journey across the world to Menagerie, Ghira stood in the middle of the crowded hull of teens, with Raven, Kali and Winter standing with him as he addressed the group. "Alright, now listen up! If what Ben tells me is true, then this ship will be able to get us to Menagerie by midnight in its time zone. Once we do, we'll be landing behind my home and we'll make our way inside undetected. While we're there, we'll go over our plan one final time." The large man put his hands behind his back. "When we're all clear on what we have to do, we'll execute the plan and engage the enemy, is that understood?"

Jaune and his team gave Ghira a salute. "Clear as crystal, sir!"

"We won't let ya down!" Nora added.

"Excellent." Ghira praised. "That's exactly what I want to here. Now all that's left is to wait five hours. In that time, I suggest you find something to entertain yourselves with because once we land, it's all business."

Ruby and Nora pulled out their respective loaned 3DS's and held them aloft, the Hooded Huntress smiling eagerly. "Way ahead of you!" she said before she and Nora flipped the consoles open and went straight for their Pokémon games.

Winter smiled and hefted the interdimensional communicator up slightly higher. "Well, I certainly know what I'm doing. Benjamin, if you'd be so kind?"

"On it!" Ben affirmed before slamming down on the Omnitrix. In a flash of greenlight, Feedback appeared in his place and he gave Winter a thumbs up. "C'mon, let's charge that puppy!"

As Winter awaited Feedback to finish charging and Ruby and Penny went to play Pokémon, Pyrrha sighed and hung her head a little. "I wish we could've brought on the games WE want to play. I haven't touched Ocarina of Time in a while now and I want to beat it!"

Jaune nodded at that. "Yeah, we've been so busy that we let our free time get eaten up." The blonde knight gave a shrug. "Guess that's just the life of a hunter." A soft smile worked its way to his face as he moved over and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend. "But… on the bright side, we can always just enjoy each other's company."

The Invincible Girl couldn't help but let out a giggle. "Hehe, what a bold move… and one that sounds VERY appealing to me."

Kali caught sight of the couple's affection and she couldn't help but coo at it. "Aw! That is so precious! It reminds me of when Ghira and I were teenagers…" A playful smirk came to her face and she shifted her gaze to her daughter, giving her a wink. "So Blake, do you and Sun have any… personal cuddle time?"

Blake and Sun both blushed madly at the question, the monkey boy trying to hide his face while Blake exclaimed; "MOM! Seriously?! Right in front of _everyone_?"

But Yang was all too eager to answer Kali's question. "Oh, those two cuddle ALL the time. I mean hell, hey watched a bunch of scary movies a few days ago, and they ended up falling asleep on the couch. It was _so_ cute!"

"YANG!" Blake hollered before trying to pull her blonde friend away. "You're not making this any easier!"

Sun was about to calm Blake down, but then he felt a rather vengeful presence right next to him. He glanced up to see Ghira, arms crossed and with a disapproving stare written across his face. Sun gave the best smile he could muster as well as a small shrug. "Hehe, would you believe that we didn't _plan_ on both falling asleep on the couch that night?"

Ghira let out a frustrated sigh. "I _really_ don't like you."

Over to the side, Rex and Neptune were watching the events as they happened, the EVO wearing an apprehensive face. "Man, I wouldn't wanna be in Sun's place right now. Ghira's a cool guy, but he's also one scary dad."

"Won't argue with ya on that one, Rex." Neptune concurred. "You should count yourself lucky, though."

Rex raised a brow. "Why's that?"

The blue-haired boy smirked at him. "Because now that Weiss has distanced herself from her dad, _you_ won't have to deal with him!" His answer earned him a light smack upside the head from the Latino teen, to which Neptune laughed; "HA! Worth it!"

Over to the side, Raven stood by herself, facepalming as the chaos ensued. "Man, kids these days. Always gotta make a big deal outta everything."

Weiss, meanwhile, wore a small grin as she witnessed the scene unfold; a now laughing Yang running at breakneck speed away from Blake as the cat girl attempted to enact her vengeance. _'Not five minute off the ground and all of THIS happens. Why am I not surprised?'_ She then proceeded to step over to a cleared off area of the cargo hold, one with very few containers. "Well, I don't know about you all, but I'm going to get in some last-minute training before we land in Menagerie. Might as well since we didn't get our usual training time in, right?" The heiress shifted her eyes over to Gwen with a nudge of her head. "Care to join me, Gwen?"

"Sure, sounds nice." The Anodite agreed. "Can't get sloppy on this mission, right? Kevin, what about you?"

The Osmosian gave his girlfriend a shrug. "Eh, why not? Nothing else better to do."

"Agreed." Ren seconded. "I think I'll join in too."

Penny pumped a fist into the air. "Count me in too! It's better than just sitting around for five hours!" The redhead spun around and sent a smile to Ilia. "What about you, Ilia? Wanna join in?"

Ilia furrowed her brows before turning away from them. "…No, thank you. I think I'm just going to be by myself for a while"

The group looked at her in concern before Penny spoke up again; "Aw, but why?"

Ilia's eyes glanced back to them and she answered; "Because I just want to be alone for a while, okay? I… I need to think some things through." The chameleon girl crossed her arms and moved her eyes back in front of her. "Besides, I'm a highly trained White Fang spy, I don't think my training regimen would really work with yours."

Gwen knew that last reason was partially false, but she could tell just by reading Ilia's mana that she wanted to be alone, so she wouldn't put up a fuss about it. "Well, Ilia, if that's what you want, then we're not about to stop you." A grin came to the redhead's face as she added; "But if you change your mind, you know where to find us."

"…Right, thanks." Ilia strode over to the nearby elevator, hoping to get away from all of the hustle and bustle going on in the large room. _'I just really need some peace and quite right now.'_ However, just as she reached the elevator, the sliding doors opened themselves to reveal a large figure on the other side, to which Ilia had to crane her neck back in order to see his face. When she did, she nearly let out a scream. There, standing before her, was a large crystalline man, his green eyes seemingly glaring down at her with his perpetually scowling face.

After a second, it spoke; "Ah, you must be Ilia. Ben told me about you." He bowed his head before continuing; "My name is Tetrax, welcome aboard my ship."

Ilia blinked in surprise. "Wait, YOU'RE Tetrax?!"

"Indeed." Tetrax extended his hand. "Pleased to meet you."

"Uh… likewise, I think." Ilia reciprocated the handshake.

At Ilia's last shout, everyone immediately stopped what they were doing and faced her direction to see her shaking hands with Tetrax. Once Feedback was done charging the communicator for Winter, he transformed back into Ben and sent the Petrosapian a wave. "Hey, Tetrax! Glad you could join the party! Come over here, there's some people I want you to meet."

"Of course." Tetrax confirmed before speaking to the girl in front of him again. "Ilia, please excuse me." Ilia was quick to let the ship's captain through, but she was even quicker to get onto the elevator and take it up to the upper floor of the ship. Tetrax spun around in surprise when he heard the doors close, just in time to see Ilia go up. "Um… is she alright?"

Blake wore a saddened face as the elevator left. "Yeah, she's fine. She just… isn't in the mood to talk right now." She made sure to add in her head; _'I wonder why though? I really thought we were getting through to her a little.'_

"Hmm… well, in any case, she's free to roam the ship if she wants, though restricted areas ARE prohibited." Tetrax continued forward with his eyes focused on Ghira and Kali, the husband and wife in awe as the large crystal man approached them. "And you two must be Blake's parents. Ghira and Kali, correct?"

"Y-Yes." Ghira stammered out. "And you must be the owner of this ship. Your name is Tetrax, right?"

"I am." Tetrax extended his hand again. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh, the pleasure is all ours." Ghira insisted as he shook the Petrosapien's hand. "This is the first time we've ever met a real alien that didn't want us dead."

"Unfortunately, my husband's right." Kali added before doing the same. "Our track record with aliens so far hasn't been all that positive."

Tetrax gave them a nod. "As I've heard. Trumbipulor isn't exactly what I'd call a good first impression of alien lifeforms." He then gave the two a reassuring grin. "But don't worry, we will remove them from your homeland as soon as possible."

Kali bowed her head in appreciation. "Thank you. We can use all of the help we can get."

It was then that Ben stepped forward, giving Tetrax a raised brow. "So, Tetrax, any word from General Ironwood yet?"

"Ah, yes, that's actually why I came down here in the first place." Tetrax typed in a command on his gauntlet as he went on; "The general just called and he wanted to speak to everyone. I've had him on hold for a while now."

Ghira let out a nervous sigh. "Oh lord, I was afraid of this…" Taking a deep breath, the chieftain of Menagerie steeled his nerves and stood as straight as a statue, readying himself for the talk that was coming. "Alright, put him on, please."

"Very well. General, you're on." With that, Tetrax pressed a button on his gauntlet and a holoscreen popped up onto it, revealing the general's face.

" _Thank you, Tetrax."_ Ironwood acknowledged before his eyes found the two people he wanted to speak to. _"Ghira, Kali, it's… it's been a while, I must say."_

"Ahem, yes, it certainly has." Ghira cleared his throat. "But, uh, let's not focus too much on the past, shall we?"

" _Yes, you're right."_ Ironwood agreed. _"Let's focus on the here and now."_ The general shifted his eyes toward Winter and called out to her. _"Winter, I would like your assistance in this matter."_

Over to the side, Winter slightly grimaced to herself, if only for the briefest moment. _'Sorry, Kenny, but I'm afraid our call will have to wait just a little longer.'_ She sighed and got up from her seat. "Of course, general." The military specialist went up and stood next to Tetrax, proceeding to speak out to the crowd; "Now, as you are all aware, General Ironwood is bringing a squad of Atlesian soldiers with him on a Bullhead to assist us in taking back Kuo Kuana from Trumbipulor. He's chosen to leave about an hour after us so that he can give us time to take our plan into action."

" _Correct."_ Ironwood nodded. _"Meaning that after you all get there, you have about an hour or perhaps maybe less until my ship arrives. And since a Bullhead doesn't have cloak tech, that means that you'll have to take down whatever defenses the White Fang have set up before we arrive."_ He scanned his eyes over the crowd of teens. _"Now, have you decided who'd be in charge of that?"_

"I am, general." Gwen raised her hand.

" _Ah, Gwen, fantastic."_ Ironwood approved. _"I can see that you all made a good choice with that decision. Now, what defenses can we expect to actually be set up there?"_

"The most efficient form of long-range weapons we have are an artillery of Dust cannons left over from the Great War." Ghira answered. "We make sure to keep them all in top shape in case of any Grimm attacks. We already have a plan to take out the ones manning them, though, so it should hopefully not be too much of a problem."

" _Also very good."_ the general agreed. _"After you do that, then we should have no problems getting ourselves in there to help."_ He then put his focus on Ben with a serious expression. _"Now Ben, you said that Hazel, Hog and Skull could possibly be with them, yes?"_

"That's right," Ben confirmed, "along with a guy named Tyrian. Ring any bells?"

Ironwood's eyes widened in horror and the blood drained from his face. _"…Tyrian? As in… Tyrian CALLOWS?"_

Winter lowered her head slightly. "I'm afraid so, sir. Apparently, he was working for Salem in the years he was last seen."

" _GAH! I'm such a fool!"_ Ironwood pounded a fist against the table he was sitting at. _"All of those assaults that were being reported a week ago WERE because of him! I shouldn't have second guessed myself!"_

"Assaults?" Kali asked. "What assaults?"

Ironwood sighed as he gave her the answer. _"About a week ago, the Faunus community in Mistral saw an increase in deadly assaults, ones that left them close to death or… outright dead."_

Ghira furrowed his brows and balled his hands into fists, trying to remain calm. "I see… and I assume that you called for an investigation?"

" _Yes, almost immediately. I sent some of my best people out to investigate the crimes… and they all found the exact same piece of evidence; the perpetrator used a deadly poison and he had Faunus DNA."_ Ironwood clenched his free hand into a fist as well. _"It was at that point where I DID start seeing the familiar signs of Tyrian's handiwork, but I also hoped that this was just the work of a copycat trying to mimic his murders."_

Raven suddenly spoke up, taking everyone by surprise. "And would you look at how THAT turned out for you! In times like this, you SHOULD consider every possibility, Jim!"

" _I know, and I SHOULD have."_ Ironwood closed his eyes in remorse. " _Truth be told, a part of me wanted to believe Tyrian DID die all those years ago. But now, it seems that he's working for Salem… and that doesn't surprise me in the least, really."_ The general opened his eyes back up and gazed back to Raven. _"But considering he IS with them, what will be your game plan in dealing with him?"_

"That's easy." Raven unsheathed her sword. " _I_ will fight him. These kids are good, but when it comes to THIS psycho, I'm not about to have ANY of them take him on."

"Ah, c'mon!" Nora smirked. "He doesn't sound all THAT tough."

Raven narrowed her eyes to the Pink Dynamo. "Alright then, answer me this; do you WANT to lie dying in a pool of your own blood while poison practically flows through your veins?"

Nora's face fell at that. "Uh… no. No, I don't."

"Yes, that's what I thought." Raven flipped her sword around so that she was pointing the handle at Nora. "Now listen here, I know you like a good scrap, but if you're smart, you'll leave Tyrian to me, understand, Pinkie?"

Nora stared at Raven for a good few seconds before finally giving her a nod. "Y-Yes, I do."

"Good." Raven sheathed Omen and returned to where she was before. "Glad we got that settled."

There was a bit of an awkward silence for a moment or two before Ironwood broke it. _"Well… I suppose now would be a good time for me to begin prepping for my flight."_ The general gave the group a salute. _"Good luck everyone, and godspeed."_

Winter reciprocated the salute. "Of course, General, safe travels." With that, the holoscreen on Tetrax's gauntlet shut off, allowing Winter to give out a sigh of relief. "Okay, he's gone." She walked back over to the interdimensional communicator and began the activation sequence. "Now, if you all will excuse me, I have my _own_ call to make."

Weiss and Gwen shared a knowing smile. "Wanna tease them a little bit?" the heiress asked.

"Eh… maybe later." Gwen replied. "Let's get some training in first, huh? THEN we can tease the heck out of them."

"I heard that, Gwendolyn!" Winter called after the two giggling girls as they and their group went over to train. She shook her head before flicking the switch, the communicator activating with its own holoscreen popping up. Just a few seconds later, Kenny's face came onto the screen and Winter gave him a wave. "Good morning, good sir." she said with a wink.

Kenny let out a little yawn before waving back to her. _"Hah, and good morning to you, dear lady."_ The young man ran a hand through his messy red hair. _"Sorry about the bedhead, I got an hour ago just to get ready for this."_

"Oh, don't worry about it." Winter assured. "I think it looks rather charming."

" _Heh, then maybe I should just make bedhead my regular style if you like it that much."_ Kenny joked.

"Well, I probably wouldn't go _that_ far." Winter pointed out. "You MUST have a job that you need to go to, right?"

" _Ah, yeah, got a point there."_ Kenny conceded. _"But hey, I've got the afternoon shift today so I don't have to worry about it now."_

As the two young adults continued their conversation and everyone else went back to what they were doing before, Ben couldn't help but ponder over the string of murders that Tyrian had pulled off. "I gotta wonder, why exactly did Tyrian choose to target only _Faunus_ for his murder spree?" He shifted his eyes over to Ghira, Kali and Blake. "I mean, if Tyrian's as crazy as everyone says he is, shouldn't he be killing EVERYONE, no matter which race they are?"

Ghira stroked his beard ponderously. "Hmm, that's an excellent point to bring up, Ben. I suppose that we can only assume that it was a direct order from Salem herself." His gaze hardened slightly. "And if that really is the case, then I don't think anyone's gotten on my bad side faster than Salem and Tyrian."

"Yeah, no kidding." Blake supported. "Still, it DOES seem a little too coincidental that she ordered him JUST to kill Faunus."

Yang placed her hands on her hips. "Yeah, especially since…" The blonde's eyes widened in realization before she whipped her head around to her boyfriend. "You don't think this has anything to do with how Animo made his mutation stuff, do you?"

"That's _exactly_ what I was thinking." Ben affirmed. "The two just correlate too well with each other. Tyrian assaults the Faunus people, steals their DNA, and then Animo uses that DNA in the formula for his mutagen. THAT'S how Hog and Skull mutated so well; because the altered Faunus DNA in the mutagen was able to mend perfectly with their own."

Kali shivered in fright. "Dear god, to think that Faunus DNA could be used for such a thing! I can't imagine what would happen if it were used on a wider scale."

"Which is why we've gotta destroy Animo's formula for it before he ever DOES do that." Ben asserted. "Otherwise, we could have a planet FULL of forcibly mutated people. But… right now, I guess we should focus on one thing at a time. We've got a nation to liberate, so let's get back on track."

"Exactly." Blake agreed before her eyes trailed over to the elevator that her old friend had retreated to. "Still, I really hope that Ilia's okay."

Sun came over and put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "I'm sure she's fine, Blake. I mean, we ALL need some alone time once and a while, right?"

Blake shifted her eyes up to him. "I know, Sun. It's just… she seemed upset about something, and I can't help but wonder what it is."

* * *

Up in the main hall, Ilia was absent-mindedly walking through the halls of the Resolute, having paced up and down the main hall ten times already while occasionally moving through a few of the other ones as well. She had considered going onto the bridge to see what that was like, but the moment the doors opened, she saw a large blob creature manning the controls and was too taken aback to take another step. So, she just returned to wandering the halls, not even paying attention to where she was going as her main thoughts were on the group of people that were down in the cargo hold… and why she felt herself beginning to warm up to them.

' _It's ridiculous!'_ she yelled in her head. _'How can I possibly be starting to LIKE these people?!'_ Ilia rubbed her temples as she tried to clear her thoughts. _'Come on, Ilia, remember, you have standards to hold up. Just keep reminding yourself that you'll never have to see them again after this and everything will sort itself out—'_

Suddenly, the sound of an automatic door opening caught Ilia off guard, making her yelp in surprise. "Gah!" She stepped back and her eyes fixated right onto the now open room, only to see that there was nobody on the other side. She was confused for a few moments before she finally realized where she was standing, and then it dawned on her; "Oh, I got too close to the door." Ilia glanced from side to side to see if anyone saw her little incident before shrugging. "Well, might as well see what's on the other side."

Ilia strolled into the place, shifting her gaze around the room to see that it was a large brig of some kind, with multiple kinds of prisoners lining the various areas. However, she let out a small gasp when she saw something truly disgusting; a large possum-like creature with large quills and wearing ratty clothes who was sleeping in a nest made of food wrappers. The sight made her turn a sickly shade of green… quite literally. Ilia immediately spun around and her skin changed back to its natural color. "Ugh, I never wanna see THAT again."

As she pushed that memory out of her mind, the chameleon girl walked further into the brig, seeing that most of the inmates were also asleep. There was some sort of bug monster that was slumped against the back of his cell, a large snake-like creature that had coiled itself up, a small baby-like creature with a giant grotesque head that was curled up on the floor, and finally, three pale-skinned people in matching jumpsuits. The largest one had what appeared to be a giant toe-nail on his head and he was sucking his thumb as he slept, which nearly made Ilia gag again. "Ugh, this place is SUPER freaky." she mumbled to herself.

"Tell me about it." A feminine voice replied right next to her. Ilia's eyes bugged out and she spun around, only to see a young woman standing in a cell not far away. She had bright red skin, two yellow horns with a black diamond shaped marking in the middle of them, and dark red hair that reached down to her shoulders. She was dressed in a black leather jacket and matching black jeans that were torn at the knees. She also only had three toes, two in front and one in the back of each foot, as well as three fingers on each hand. Finally, to cap it all off, she had a tail poking out of her pants. "This place isn't exactly what you'd call attractive, at least when it comes to appearances." The young woman narrowed her red eyes at Ilia. "Which begs the question; who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Oh! I-I'm sorry." Ilia apologized. "I really didn't know that anyone else was in here. And when I saw that everyone was actually asleep, I thought I'd… take a look around."

"Hmph, alright, that's one half of my question." The girl pointed an accusing finger to Ilia. "Now just who ARE you?"

"Uh, right." Ilia swallowed her fear and answered the girl. "M-My name's Ilia, and I'm a friend of Blake's." A few moments of silence passed between them before Ilia facepalmed. "…You probably don't know who Blake is, do you?"

"Nah, I think I do." The girl made a motion with he hands that resembled ears on top of her head. "She's the cat-eared girl who's friends with Ruby, right? The one who shocked me with an electric clone of herself."

Ilia's eyes widened in surprise. "Uh… yeah, that's right."

"Thought so. So, what exactly are you doing on Tetrax's ship?"

"Oh, well, that's actually a pretty long story." And so, for the next couple of minutes, Ilia gave a short recap of her and the Belladonna's situation with Trumbipulor and how he'd taken over their homeland. After her story finally ended, she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and gave a few final words. "So… that's basically it."

The red-eyed girl blinked a couple times as Ilia's tale sunk in with her, before she finally spoke up a couple seconds later. "Man… that sucks _hard_. I mean, I know what it feels like to get kicked out of my own home too, but geez. Compared to _my_ sitch, this is a LOT worse. I'm sorry that had to happen to you guys."

Ilia lowered her head a little bit. "Yeah, thanks." The chameleon girl then raised a skeptical brow. "Wait, a few minutes ago, did you say that you know _Ruby_?"

"Damn right. That girl's the whole reason why I might actually make parole." The girl jabbed a thumb to herself. "Name's Swift, by the way."

"Swift…" Ilia tilted her head to the side. "There's a name you don't hear often… if at all."

Swift just shrugged her shoulders. "Eh, it was my mom's idea. She says it's a common girl's name on the planet she's from."

Ilia's lips parted at that. "Wait… you're an alien?!"

"Well, _part_ alien." Swift emphasized. "I'm an Aerophibian on my mother's side, and human on my fathers." She sneered at the very mention of him. "Though that's not a fact I like to be reminded of very often."

"Um… alright." Ilia knew when someone didn't want to talk about something, so she decided to change the subject. "So… an Aerophibian, huh? Well, what crazy powers do YOU have? I've seen some pretty crazy stuff from Ben already, so at this point, nothing surprises me."

"I'd show you, but this cell dampens the use of my powers." Swift tapped a knuckle against the energy barrier, making it distort with power. "But to give you an answer, I can fly and shoot laser beams. That's basically it."

"Whoa, that's actually pretty cool." Ilia complemented. "At least, compared to why _I_ can do."

"Which would be… what, exactly?"

"I… I can change color." Ilia answered reluctantly. "I'm a chameleon Faunus, so it's kinda my thing."

Swift's jaw dropped in shock. "Get outta town! You can change color? Like to blue, green, purple and everything?" Ilia gave her a small nod and an eager grin came to Swift's face as she stepped closer to the barrier. "Can I see? That sounds cool as hell!"

"You… you actually want to _see_ me change?" Ilia asked. "Nobody's ever asked to actually _see_ me change my color before."

"Hey, there's first time for everything, right? Besides, I can grantee that there's a LOT of people out there that would LOVE to change their skin into a bright magenta or something." Swift gave Ilia a wink. "So, c'mon! Let's see what you can do."

Ilia couldn't explain it, but there was something about Swift's enthusiasm that made her feel… funny inside. Plus, that wink only just added onto that. "W-Well, I…"

"Ah! You're doing it already!" Swift exclaimed. "Your spots are turning pink!"

Ilia let out a small cry and whirled away from Swift, covering her face as she did. "I'm sorry! I-I don't have control over when I do that!" she explained. "It happens whenever I get nervous or embarrassed and I _hate_ it when it happens!"

But much to her amazement, the response she got from Swift wasn't the one she expected. "Hey, there's no reason to apologize." Ilia's head snapped up and moved back to Swift, the Aerophibian beaming a grin to her. "Your color changing trick is part of who you are, so you shouldn't have to apologize for it, right?"

"W-Well, I…" Ilia let out a sigh and faced back to Swift fully. "Sorry, it's just that… I'm not used to changing colors in front of people who aren't Faunus. The first time I did it in front of humans… I got called so many bad names."

Swift pursed her lips, almost as if she was frustrated over something. "Yeah, I get where you're coming from. I used to wear an ID mask to hide my alien appearance from the world. And then, when it got knocked off… I was beaten up for it." Her smile returned and she gave Ilia a nod. "But you don't have to worry about it around me, or any of those other guys down there in the hull. If Ruby's taught me anything, it's that there's a lot more good in any world than there's evil. And it's because of her kindness that I wanna start doing better with my life than just going on doing what landed me here."

Ilia was inclined to believe Swift, but then the awful memory of that day began to play in her head again, and with it, her doubts returned as well. "That's a nice sentiment to have, but I'm afraid that it doesn't work like that with the Faunus." Her eyes shifted away from Swift. "I don't know what it's like in your world, but here, Faunus are either discriminated against, or the humans who DO claim to be pro-Faunus rights don't do anything to solve the problems that we face. Something's gotta give at some point, and I'm not sure what that's going to be."

There was another long silence between the two for a little bit before Swift finally replied. "…You know, at one point in my life, I probably would've said the same thing." Her words got Ilia to focus back onto the Aerophibian hybrid. "Before he kicked me out, my father always told me to keep my ID mask secured to my face, because he knew that nobody would ever accept my true appearance. And then, the existence of aliens became public knowledge in my world, and he turned out to be right. Hell, I'm certain that if I hadn't blasted all of those jerks that were beating me up, I probably would've died."

Ilia quirked an eyebrow. "What exactly are you getting at in all of this?"

"I'm getting to it, don't worry." Swift reassured. "Because after that and getting kicked out by my dad, I'd lost faith in all of humanity. I didn't think that anyone would accept my appearance and I'd be better off as an alien criminal." Her smile widened slightly. "But then I met Ruby, and I began rethinking a few things."

Ilia narrowed her eyes. "You make her sound like some sort of saint."

"Oh, trust me, she's not." Swift smirked. "She's told me about some of the pranks she's helped her sister pull, and dear lord, they are anything BUT saintly. But no, she's not a saint, she's just a good friend. Someone who helped me reconsider my options and helped be start down a better path. Do you have anybody like that, Ilia?"

"Well, the closest friend I have is Blake… and she's been trying to help me get used to her friends, I guess." Ilia put her hands in her pockets and shrugged her shoulders. "And… I hate to say it, but I think it might be working."

"See? That's a pretty good start, right?"

"But that's the thing, I don't WANT any human friends." Ilia insisted. "Not after… not after…" She lowered her gaze and her eyes changed to blue as she choked out; "Just forget it."

Swift's expression softened up and she reached her hand out in concern. "Hey, is… is everything alright?"

"It's FINE!" Ilia asserted. "NOTHING is wrong!"

"I find that very hard to believe." Swift argued, though she made sure to keep her voice at a more soothing level. "Ilia, if there's something bothering you, you don't have to be afraid to say it. If you need or want to get something off of your chest, I'm willing to listen, as are the rest of the people down there."

Ilia forced her eyes to go back to normal and she locked eyes with Swift, giving the Aerophibian a good stare to see if she was telling the truth. "…Listen, Swift, I appreciate the offer, but I don't know if ANYONE down there will understand what I've had to go through."

"Well then, what about up here?" Swift countered. "We were both bullied for what we look like, and while that's not the BEST thing to have in common, it IS a start."

Ilia screwed her eyes shut. "I know, but… you've only heard one half of the story." She let out a sigh and opened her eyes back up, giving a pleading gaze to Swift. "If I tell you this, will you PLEASE not tell this to ANYONE down there? Be it Ruby or anybody else?"

Swift pondered over the request. _'On one hand, I'd be keeping it a secret from Ruby, who's still vouching for my release. But on the other… Ilia needs to get whatever this off her chest, and it's going to just keep affecting her negatively if she doesn't.'_ After a few good seconds of internal debat, Swift raised her right hand and gave Ilia a grin. "Alright, I swear. But I hope that you can find the courage to tell them yourself."

"I'll… I'll try." Ilia conceded before sitting cross-legged on the ground. "Well, take a seat, it's going to be a long story."

"Sure thing." Swift obliged, sitting on the floor of her cell. "Alright, let's hear it."

"Okay." Ilia took a deep breath, steeling herself to the painful yarn she was about to spin. "As I already told you, I'm a Faunus, but I'm a Faunus that can also easily pass for a regular human girl. For years… that's practically how I lived my life." Ilia set her forlorn gaze to the ground. "I used to live in Mantle, the city just below the capital of Atlas. My parents worked in the mines with the other Faunus there, but they managed to enroll me in an Altas prep school with a bunch of rich kids. I felt like a princess."

"Hmm, sounds like the highlife." Swift agreed. "I imagine it wasn't easy for your parents to do that, though."

"It was… hard to make ends meet while sending me there, but we all managed." Ilia held up three fingers. "But there were three simple rules that I had to go by; no bringing friends home, no talking about my parents, and absolutely no changing color. Nobody could know I was a Faunus in an academy only for humans."

"That… that sounds awful!" Swift leaned forward. "How did you manage all of that?"

"It was a lot easier than you think, actually." Ilia answered. "It was a little confusing, but not difficult by any means, especially if it meant being in Atlas." Her brows began to lower as she continued to recount her story. "But as you can imagine, a human-only prep school meant that there was a lot of prejudice toward Faunus. The other girls would often call them all of these various terrible things… that they were animals or they smelled. But the worse thing about it was… that I actually joined in with them, because I _felt_ like one of them."

Swift noticed that Ilia was trailing off a little bit, and this provoked her to ask; "And then what happened?"

Ilia shut her eyes, the memory coming back to her as clear as day. "Then… there was a cave in at the mines. I was at school when I heard the news. It turned out that one of the workers tripped while handling a bunch of Dust crystals and… my parents…"

Swift felt her heart sink at that moment and a gasp escaped her lips. "Oh my god…"

But Ilia continued on without even realizing that Swift had spoken up. "While the other girls were snickering at what happened, I couldn't hold it back anymore. Every inch of me became blue as I cried my eyes out. And as that happened, all of the girls that were friends with me just a few seconds ago were all now scared of me." Ilia craned her head back up to Swift, an astonished expression on the alien hybrid's face. "Now do you see why I'm not all that eager to make human friends anymore?"

"I… I don't know what to say." Swift uttered.

Ilia's eyes widened when she saw Swift begin to tear up a little, the Aerophibian wiping them away a few seconds later. "W-Wait, why are YOU crying?"

"Because it's sad!" Swift answered. "Ilia, that has to be the saddest thing I've ever heard _anyone_ go through! I'm so sorry that happened to you."

The chameleon girl gave a proud smirk as she stood up, her skin suddenly shifting to red while her hair, spots and eyes changed to yellow. The sudden change made Swift's jaw drop to the floor. "Don't be sorry, Swift." Ilia assured. "I broke their teeth in."

Swift mimicked Ilia's expression as she stood up as well. "Heh, alright, mad respect. And I absolutely LOVE the color change." Her expression softened up a little. "Ilia, I can't even imagine what you must've gone through after all that happened," Swift put her hand up to the barrier, "but believe me when I say that not all humans hate people like us. Whether we're aliens or Faunus, there ARE humans out there that will accept us for who we are, and we WILL have the freedoms that we want someday. But we can't keep our hate bottled up forever. If we do, then we'll just keep festering in it until we're dead, and nobody wants that, right?"

Ilia let Swift's advice linger in her head for a moment before letting out a sigh, her color pallet changing to a cool shade of blue and pale indigo. "I know, it's just… I'm not really sure WHAT to do at this point. I mean, yeah, sure, everyone seems nice enough, but I'm still afraid of everyone turning on me again."

Swift sent her a sympathetic look. "Hey, I haven't really spoken to most of those guys down there all that much, but I _have_ talked with Ruby quite a few times already. And from what I hear, her friends are a pretty cool group of people." Her smile returned as she whispered; "And if you ask me, I'd say you'd have better luck with them than the trash bags you've met in Atlas."

Ilia glanced off to the side. "Well… Gwen told me last night that I had a friend in her…"

"There ya go!" Swift supported. "If you can get into the good graces of Tennyson's cousin, then you're pretty much a shoo-in with everybody else!"

"I guess…" Ilia trailed off as her skin went back to normal. "I guess I _could_ make a better effort."

"Great!" Swift said with a thumbs up. "Good on ya!" The Aerophibian then leaned forward and gave her another wink. "And just so you know, you've got a friend in me, too."

Ilia's spots turned pink again and she returned the smile. "Hehe, thanks. …So, uh, I've pretty much got nothing to do for the next four and a half hours on this flight." She rubbed the back of her head in thought. "Jeez, that's a pretty long time, now that I think about it."

"Hah, yeah, bit boring, wouldn't you say?" Swift gave a shrug. "But then again, we could always just sit here and talk for a while, provided the gang downstairs don't mind."

The grin on Ilia's face widened slightly at the idea. "I… I'd actually really like that."

Just then, a loud yawn came from behind Ilia, causing her to whip her head around. There, she saw the possum creature, now half-awake with its large, yellow eyes half-lidded as it smacked its chops. "Alright, you disgusting criminals, up and at… 'em?" His eyes bulged open at the sight of Ilia standing there, the alien having no clue who she was. "GAH! Intruder alert!"

Swift immediately tried to intervene from her position. "Argit, you idiot! Don't—"

But it was too late, Argit went into a defensive position and stuck out his quills, firing them off at Ilia. Fortunately, Ilia was much faster and pulled out her Lightning Lash just in time to whip them all out of the air. She then whipped the last one back to Argit, resulting in it sticking in right in the shoulder and instantly knocking him back out. The two girls blinked in surprise as they glanced to each other. Finally, Ilia broke the silence. "So… is he…"

"He'll be fine, unfortunately." Swift rubbed her forehead. "Why don't we just agree that never happened?"

"Oh, definitely." Ilia swiftly concurred.

* * *

**A/N: And there we go! Another chapter down! A bunch of interesting stuff happened in this one, huh? Salem's followers arrived in Menagerie, Trumbipulor and Simian have finally made their debut, and the team have all started their own journey to Menagerie. I also managed to sprinkle a little bit of Winter and Kenny in there again because I can't get enough of writing their interactions. But what's this? It seems that Ilia and a certain Aerophibian are hitting it off rather well… interesting. As you can probably tell with the way I described Trumbipulor and Simian, though, they're a sort of hybridization of their Ultimate Alien and Omniverse appearances. Namely that Simian's got his pink shirt (because I think it's HILARIOUS) and Trumbipulor had a slightly more armored appearance (WITHOUT the weird harness that he had). They're still mostly based on their UA selves, but I thought I'd have a little fun with their designs. Plus, I gave Trumbipulor's species a (unofficial) name. Trust me, that's actually going to be pretty important later in the arc.** **Thanks for reading guys, and I'll see you later. Peace!**


	75. Infiltrating the Palace

**A/N: Hey guys! New chapter time again, and this should be interesting because I accidentally forgot to put in one of my signature NEXT TIME teasers, so you guys are in for a surprise! This is…**

**Chapter 75: Infiltrating the Palace**

* * *

Blake was beginning to feel concerned after the two and a half-hour mark of their flight. It had been a pretty long while since Ilia had gone up into the main part of the ship, and she hadn't shown herself since. Normally, she wouldn't be this concerned about Ilia since she knew that she could take care of herself. But after seeing how disinterested she was in interacting with anyone, Blake couldn't help but feel worried about her friend's emotional state. _'I've got a bad feeling about this.'_ she thought to herself before standing up and taking Sun by the arm. "Sun, c'mon, let's go. We need to find Ilia."

Sun raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Uh, Blake, didn't she say that she wanted to be alone?"

"I know, but… I'm worried about her, you know?" Blake cast a downward gaze to the floor in guilt. "She's my friend and I want to be there for her. I mean, after all of the time I spent away from home, I feel like I owe it to her to be there for her now."

The monkey boy smiled and held his girlfriend's hand, standing up as he did. "Now THAT is something I can totally get behind. C'mon, let's go find her."

Blake smiled and gave Sun a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Sun. You're the best."

Just then, from off to their right side, the couple heard; "Hey, mind if we tag along?" Blake and Sun moved around to see Ben and Yang walking their way, the hero giving them a two fingered salute. "I know that Ilia probably doesn't want to see us, but we wanna try and at least talk to her a little."

"Yeah, plus there's really nothing much to do down here." Yang jabbed a thumb over to Winter, who was still talking with Kenny over the interdimensional communicator. "At least not until those two need another recharge."

Blake was quick to give the two a grateful nod. "Thanks guys. I know that Ilia hasn't exactly been all that friendly, but I'm glad that you all have at least given her a chance."

"Hey, it's absolutely no problem at all, Blake." Ben insisted. "Now c'mon, let's go find your friend." With that, the quartet went over to the elevator and took it up to the main floor, their search for the chameleon girl beginning the moment they stepped off the lift again.

Sun glanced around the main hallway before asking; "Alright, so where should we start?"

"Hmm… good question, Sunny-boy." Yang said as she looked at every single door in the hallway. "I guess the only thing to do is check all the doors that aren't locked." And so, that's exactly what they did. The four went around from door to door, either checking inside or being met with nothing because it was locked. However, they finally struck gold when another door opened and they heard talking coming from inside the room. There WAS one problem though; "Uh… isn't this the brig?"

Blake's eyes widened in apprehension. "Oh god, this probably isn't good."

"Ya think?" Ben concurred. "C'mon, let's see if we can find her before any of those bad guys try and brainwash her or something."

But the moment the group walked in, they saw Vulkanus, Ssserpent and Frightwig all stand up in desperation. "GAH! Finally!" Vulkanus hollered. "It's about time someone else got here!"

"Yesss." Ssserpent hissed. "We've been lissstening to thossse two talk for _hoursss_ now!"

Yang narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Just what're you guys going on about?"

Frightwig jabbed her thumb toward a secluded corner of the room. "Just go over there and see for yourself, blondie."

"Yeah, an' tell 'em ta shut up while yer at it!" Vulkanus added. "They've been yappin' their gums so much about stupid stuff that if I had ears, I'd pull 'em off!"

Blake shifted her eyes over to the corner of the room with a raised brow, her feline ears picking up the chatter quite clearly. "Over here, guys. Let's see what's up."

As the group walked in further, the two voices became clearer. They could tell that one of them belonged to Ilia, and it sounded like she was enjoying herself while talking to the other person. Said person's voice also sounded familiar to them, and when the group finally saw to whom the voice belonged, they were all slightly taken aback. "Uh, Ben," Sun spoke with a grin, "I don't think you've gotta worry about her being brainwashed."

There on the floor sat Ilia, a smile having settled across her face. She was sitting in front of an energy cell, and on the other side of that cell, sat Swift. The Aerophibian and the chameleon girl were right in the middle of a conversation, the two happily laughing as they told stories from their past. "HAHA! No way!" Swift guffawed. "You DIDN'T!"

"Oh, I did." Ilia said proudly. "That SDC guard didn't know what hit him!"

"Haha! Classic!" But then, out of the corner of her eye, Swift saw Blake, Sun, Ben and Yang approaching them, and she craned her head over to give them a nod. "Ah, would ya look who's come to the party?"

"Huh?" Ilia turned around and her eyes widened in shock, picking herself off the ground in surprise. "Blake! W-What're you guys all doing here?"

"We… came to check up on you." Blake answered. "But quite honestly, this is the last thing I expected to see."

Ben scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, out of all the people to talk to on this ship, I'm surprised that you went with Swift. But how'd you even get in here, anyway?"

"The door was open." Ilia answered before pointing to her left. "And the warden was asleep when I came in."

Everyone diverted their sights to where Ilia was pointing to see a still-sleeping Argit, the possum alien having curled up on the floor with one of his quills right by his side. Ben gave a deadpan expression as his lips turned up into a sneer. "Why am I not surprised?" But upon closer inspection, there appeared to be a BUNCH of Argit's quills on the ground, all of them having been cut into fragments. "So… did he wake up _before_ all of this happened?"

"Yes, yes he did." Ilia answered with an annoyed tone. "He then proceeded to ATTACK me with his quills. I managed to whip them all away, but for good measure, I sent one right back to him." She gestured toward the sleeping alien. "Admittedly, I didn't know THAT would happen, but you know what? I'm not about to complain."

"Yeah, that's probably for the best." Yang agreed before giving Ilia a grin. "So, whatcha doing up here, Color Girl?"

Ilia's eyes widened at the what Yang just said. "Wait… what'd you call me?"

"Color Girl, you know, like a cover girl only with color instead." The Blonde Brawler gave her a thumbs up. "See, I give all my friends nicknames, so consider it my new nickname for _you_."

"I… wait, you consider me a friend?" Ilia asked. "But… I've _barely_ talked to you."

"Maybe, but Blake's my best friend, and I want to get to know HER friends too." Yang tilted her head toward Ilia with an inquisitive gaze. "So… whaddya say? Wanna be friends?"

Ilia blinked in surprise before she heard Ben speak next; "And hey, if you still don't, then that's fine too." The hero assured. "Whatever you're comfortable with, we'll be fine with it."

"I… I don't get it." Ilia uttered, taking the powerful couple by surprise. "It's just, I've been so dismissive of you guys, some more than others. But… you still want to try and talk with me." The chameleon girl placed her hands to her hips and raised a single brow. "Either you guys are way too nice or too stubborn, and quite honestly, it's REALLY hard to tell at this point!"

Ben and Yang got a good chuckle out of that. "Yeah, we can be a stubborn couple." Yang jabbed a thumb to herself. "And I admit, I'm the more stubborn one most of the time. But I'm serious, Color Girl, we ALL wanna get to know you. Ben, myself, and everyone else down there wanna show you a good time, and you're always welcome to it."

Ilia pursed her lips. "…Even the Schnees?"

" _Especially_ them." Yang affirmed. "Trust me, if there's anyone else who's more committed to fixing the mistakes of their past than Weiss, then I'd be pretty surprised. In the span of our time at Beacon, she went from being a total Lucy to a really nice girl, trust me on that."

"Wait, you lost me." Ilia interrupted. "Is "Lucy" a slang word or some kind of in-joke? Because, if it is, I'm not really getting it."

"Heh, yeah, it's a bit of an in-joke. Basically, she used to be really selfish and mean, but she's lightened up and now she wants to make things right." Yang extended her hand to Ilia. "So, I ask again; you wanna be friends?"

Ilia stood there for a while in silence, contemplating what to do. She shifted her eyes toward Swift in the cell next to her, and she saw the Aerophibian giving her a wink and a thumbs up in encouragement. Ilia gave Swift a smile and nodded before going back to Yang. "Well… I guess there's no harm in trying." She extended her hands and clasped it with Yang's, the two giving each other a firm handshake. "Alright, Yang, I hope you're not scaring me wrong with this."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Color Girl." Yang said before the handshake ended.

"Alright, I'll take your word for it." Ilia then shifted her eyes over to Ben with a bit of a more skeptical look. She stepped over so that she was in front of him and spoke to him directly. "I'll admit, I wasn't really sure what to make of you, Ben Tennyson. I mean, changing into aliens is one thing, but coming from an alternate dimension was another." Ilia crossed her arms over her chest and closed her eyes. "Truth be told, after you told me everything, I was still a little conflicted over what to believe." She opened her eyes back up and locked them with his. "But, if we're going to free Menagerie from your enemies, we're going to have to work together. So that means we'll have to trust each other."

"Right." Ben agreed. "And I promise that your home WILL be freed from Trumbipulor's rule." The hero extended his hand. "I trust you, Ilia. I can assure you of that."

"Good, and in turn, I'll trust you." Ilia shook Ben's hand, the two taking each other's word. After the handshake, Ilia focused back onto Blake with a grin. "So, what do you say to that, Blake?"

"I say it's awesome!" Blake answered while giving her friend a side-hug. "I'm glad that you came around Ilia."

"Yeah, well, I had a bit of help." Ilia nudged her head toward Swift, the Aerophibian tensing slightly when she was pointed out. "Swift and I talked for a little bit and… we found we had a lot in common. After some… rather heavy talk, she helped me see that it'd be better to be more cooperative than just closing everybody off."

Everyone's eyebrows shot up at that. "Really?" Blake said in disbelief. " _Swift_ gave you advice about all of that?"

Inside the cell, Swift gave a nervous grin and a chuckle, her shoulders shrugging as well. "Hehe, what can I say? Ruby's kind of been a positive influence on me."

"I see…" Blake approached the cell and gave Swift a contemplative look, almost as if the cat girl was considering what to make of the Aerophibian. Finally, she said something; "Swift, I hear that Ruby's vouching for your parole, right?" She got a silent nod from Swift. "Alright, so I'm guessing that means that you're sorry for the things that you've done?"

"Yes, I am." Swift nodded. "And I want to make up for it."

Blake was silent for a few moments before her grin returned. "Well… if Ruby trusts you, then I'm willing to as well."

Swift's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, seriously?!"

"Yes, seriously. Ruby's usually a good judge of character, so I'm willing to put my trust in you if you truly are sorry for what you've done." Blake placed her hands on her hips. "Plus, you've also made friends with Ilia, and since she's _my_ friend too, I can't just dismiss you. It'd be super hypocritical."

Swift's mouth was agape at what she was hearing. "W-Well, if you say so. But still, at least allow me to apologize for trying to wreck your school." She bowed her head toward Blake. "And, uh, I'm sorry about throwing you with my tail."

"Hey, it's no problem." Blake waved. " _I'm_ sorry about electrocuting you with one of my Shadows. So that makes us pretty much even."

"I'm glad to hear that, but I've got a LOT of apologizing to do. That said…" Swift shifted her position so that she was face to face with Yang before bowing her head again. "I'm sorry for nearly choking your sister. I know you probably won't accept that apology as good enough, but I just wanted you to know that I DO regret what I did."

Yang was a little stunned at first after Swift's apology, but after a moment, she let out a sigh and gave an awkward smile. "Ah… what the hell? I know if Kevin's anything to go by, then it's that second chances are at least worth a try." The blonde gave Swift a small salute. "Sorry for punching you in the face… about three or four times."

Swift rubbed her left cheek. "It's alright. Besides, if anything, that punch of yours is something to be respected. I can STILL feel it after like five days of being in here."

The whole group had a good laugh at that, before Sun came up and put a hand on Blake's shoulder. "Man, this is great. I mean, look over there." Sun nudged his head toward Ilia, who was back to talking with Swift as well as Ben and Yang. "Ilia seems a LOT happier now that she's opened herself up, doesn't she?"

"Yeah, she does." Blake agreed. _'I can only hope that she can get along with Weiss and Winter like this someday.'_

Just then, everyone stopped their conversations when they heard a groan coming from the floor. The group all faced down to the ground to see Argit stirring in his sleep before finally opening his eyes, smacking his lips as he came to. "Ah, what happened? Ugh, I feel like I got knocked out by—" But then he cut himself off when his eyes landed on Ilia once again. "AH! Everyone get down! The intruder is—"

"Back off, Argit!" Ben ordered. "She's with us!"

Argit's eyes bugged out at the revelation. "Oh… well why didn't ya just say so?" The possum-like alien then walked back out into the main area, mumbling to himself; "Jeez, people have NO good communication skills these days."

The group gave each other a bunch of confused glances as Argit left, leaving Ilia to ask; "So… is he always like this?"

Everyone's answer was a resounding; "YES."

* * *

Meanwhile, underneath the White Fang's headquarters in Menagerie, Trumbipulor's thunderous footsteps echoed through the secluded hallways beneath the massive palace, the ceilings just barely high enough for him to walk. The Paku-Dermoloid was carrying a large basket and leading a squad of four White Fang guards to the brig, a scheduled shift change due to take place very soon. They were to guard a single prisoner, but that one prisoner was probably the most important person to keep locked up. Because if she ever got free, then Trumbipulor risked losing everything. _'But that cat-lady ain't gettin' out if I have anything to say 'bout it.'_ Finally, the group reached their destination; the White Fang's prison hold. It was very rare that these stockades had to be used, but in this case, it was absolutely necessary.

However, while the ceilings were high enough for Trumbipulor to walk in the halls, the doors were unfortunately not big enough for him to go through. So, he simply pushed the door open and lowered his head to look into the room, his eyes meeting the other four guards that were already there. "Shift change, ya mooks!" he called in to them. "Get outta here and get ready to be sent to the throne room. I'm expectin' an important meetin' soon an' I'm gonna need a lotta guards there!"

"O-Of course, Lord Trumbipulor!" A female guard said in fear before her head slightly shifted to her left, and in turn, to the holding cell that they were guarding. "Sorry." she whispered.

"I HEARD THAT!" Trumbipulor bellowed, frightening all four of the guards. "NO sympathizin' with the prisoner! You're under MY rule now, _understand_?!"

"YES SIR!" The four guards all said at once before scurrying out of the room in a hurry.

The Paku-Dermoloid grumbled to himself as the four replacement guards filed into the room, these once much more compliant in their boss' orders. "Alright, here's the deal; you four are to NOT let your guard down at ANY point." Trumbipulor stuck his hand through the door and pointed to the adjacent cell. "And you make sure that she DOESN'T do anything to try an' escape. No tricks, no fighting back, NOTHIN'! And know that if she DOES escape, it's on YOUR heads! Am I clear?!"

"Yes, Lord Trumbipulor!" The guards saluted.

"Good! That's what I like to hear!" Finally, Trumbipulor stuck his head in as far as he could so that he could set his sights on the prisoner herself; the former leader of the White Fang, Sienna Khan. "Ah, Miss Khan, how ARE we doin' today?"

Sienna herself was currently sitting directly in the middle of her cell in a meditative stance, the tiger Faunus having closed her eyes. She was a rather beautiful woman with a dark complexion and chin-length wild black hair that was in an asymmetrical bob cut. In her tiger ears and normal ears were four golden earrings, one in each. There was also a jewel in the middle of her forehead, shaped like a circle and colored blood red. Across her body were several tattoos that resembled tiger strips, showing her Faunus heritage even more. She was in a black and white dress with an open back and four slits in the skirt; two longer ones on the sides and two shorter ones in the front, allowing her free movement of her legs. She also had a single matching glove on her right hand, one that went all the way past her elbow. Beneath her dress, she wore a pair of black shorts and a long pair of black stockings with dark grey sandals on her feet, tied to her calves with red laces. Along her abdomen was a dark grey and red waist cincher with a small pouch strapped over it, and finally, she wore a back-revealing red cape with gold accents, completing her over all appearance.

The former leader of the White Fang opened her bright yellow eyes, finally resting her gaze upon the Paku-Dermoloid. She sneered in his direction before addressing him; "Ah, well if it isn't "Lord" Trumbipulor? To what do I owe the displeasure of this unexpected and _unwanted_ visit?"

Trumbipulor let out a hearty chuckle. "Haha! Still as feisty as ever, I see. How is it that you've always got somethin' snarky an' insultin' to say to me every time I swing by?"

"I have a LOT of time to come up with things to say to you these days." Sienna answered plainly. "Now what do you want?"

"Just thought you should know that there was a bunch o' White Fang that flew in earlier today." The alien explained. "They were brought in by some old friends of mine, and they say that they were the last of Adam Taurus' Vale branch."

Sienna's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Adam's followers?" She thought over that fact for a minute before going on; "I take it he wasn't with them?"

"Hah, 'course not. The guy got himself arrested after his little failed attempt to make a name for himself." Trumbipulor answered. "My pals who brought 'em here took their branch over earlier today. So if anything, you should be _thanking_ them for bringing back the few members they could."

Sienna closed her eyes and lowered her head. "I knew it. Adam, you've done some fool hardy things in the past, but attacking Beacon just takes the cake."

"Heh, no kiddin'. And what's worse is that he was brought down courtesy of my old enemy, and that means that my rule here's in more danger than ever."

Sienna opened her eyes back up. "You mean the human boy that you keep going on about. Ben Tennyson, I believe you said his name was?"

"That's right, and he's been a pain in my tuckus ever since I first fought 'im." Trumbipulor balled his hand into a fist and shook it. "But if he DOES show up, I'm gonna make sure that he gets lost REAL quick."

"Highly unlikely." Sienna retorted. "After all, if you've never beaten him in the past, what makes you think you can beat him now?"

"Do you NOT see the practical ARMY of White Fang that I have control over, now?!" the alien crime boss trumpeted in retaliation. "Now that I've got the edge I've wanted over Tennyson for so long, I ain't plannin' on wastin' it."

Sienna closed her eyes again. "If you say so. But even still, there's more pressing matters that you should be focusing on." A small grin formed on her face. "If I'm right, then Ilia, Ghira and Kali should be on the main land by now, and they will no doubt bring even more well-armed White Fang forces back to Menagerie soon. It will not be long before I am freed from these bars, Trumbipulor. And when I am…" Her eyes opened back up and she sent the Paku-Dermoloid a hard glare. "I WILL take back the White Fang, and we will exact our vengeance upon you." There was a long moment of silence after Sienna's speech… and then Trumbipulor let out an uproarious round of laughter. This, of course, was NOT what Sienna had expected. She got up and went over to the bars, an angry expression forming on her face. "What's so funny?!"

"AHAHA! Oh, you're gonna get a kick outta this, Sienna." Trumbipulor chortled as his laughter died down. "Those three little escapees that you've got your trust in? THEY'RE the whole reason why the White Fang in Vale came back in the first place! From what I hear… they're still alive, but it's all thanks to Tennyson and his little band o' pals."

"You can't be serious!" Sienna rebuked. "Why would your enemy help the Belladonnas? He has no ties to them!"

"Untrue, actually." Trumbipulor smirked. "See, turns out, he's friends with their daughter… I think you know _her_ well enough."

Sienna's eyes widened in shock. "…Blake? She's still in Vale?"

"Yep, and I suspect that she an' her parents are cookin' up a scheme to take back the island." Trumbipulor pointed to her. "But don't worry, I've got my best operatives patrollin' through the town as we speak. Them idiots ain't gonna know what hit 'em. But… I guess you CAN expect a few human feet to be hittin' Menagerie soil any time now. And even better? They're probably your best chance at gettin' outta here alive. HAHA!"

Sienna clenched the bars of her cell in frustration. Humans hadn't set foot on Menagerie since the land had been "gifted" to the Faunus. It was a rule that the Faunus had felt necessary to implement; to keep humans out of the one place that the Faunus rightfully owned. Even if it was a mostly desert island, Menagerie was still the once place where Faunus could feel safe from human oppression, and she wouldn't let them ruin it. But still, she knew that Ghira didn't hate humanity, and in the end, he was still the chieftain of Menagerie. As much as she didn't like it, Sienna didn't truly have a say in whatever help came to save her.

' _And of course, Blake is involved as well. I really should have seen this coming!'_ Sienna chastised herself in her head. She shut her eyes and shook her head a little. _'Calm yourself Sienna. Remember, Ilia is with them as well. Perhaps she could…'_ But then her thought trailed off when she remembered that Ilia held certain feelings for Blake as well, and it was then that the reality of her situation sunk in. _'God damn it, I should have thought this through.'_

It was then that Trumbipulor's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "Nothin' to say, Sienna? Or are you just boilin' in your own frustration over there?"

The tiger-lady whipped her head around and glared at the elephant-like alien once more. "Be silent!" she snapped before quickly reeling herself back in. She went over what the Paku-Dermoloid had said to her again into her head before coming to an unfortunate conclusion; she had to put her pride to the side if she had any hope of escaping this cage. She breathed in before speaking again. "Trumbipulor, if what you say is true and this "Ben Tennyson" is truly the best way I have of getting out of here, then so be it." She sent him an even deadlier glare than the previous one. "But know this, once this whole thing is done and over with, he and whatever other humans come with him will be banished from Menagerie forever, and _you_ will be as well."

"HA! Now that's a laugh!" Trumbipulor guffawed. "You _actually_ think you're gettin' outta here. Well think again, because I ain't losin' to Tennyson EVER again."

"I wouldn't jinx anything if I were you." Sienna argued. "You may just chance fate."

"Bah! I don't believe in superstition, Sienna." Trumbipulor waved the tiger-lady off. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got an important meeting with a new client in a little while. My old buddies say that SHE can help the White Fang and I achieve our goals, an' I'm willin' to listen."

Sienna narrowed her eyes at that. "And just who IS this person?"

"That's for me to know, and for YOU to never find out. But before I go…" Trumbipulor pulled his head out of the door way and placed the large basket he was carrying into the room, revealing it to be full of fruit, bread and vegetables. "CHOW TIME!"

Sienna sneered at the quality of the food, much of it appearing to be quite rotten and moldy. "You _cannot_ be serious."

"Oh, I am." Trumbipulor assured with a final wave. "Have a nice meal! AHAHA!"

And with that, Trumbipulor slammed the door shut, leaving Sienna with nothing but the four guards and the tall basket of rotten food. She grumbled and went back to the center of her cell, resuming her meditative state while trying to ignore the stench of the bad food. _'Ghira, Kali, Ilia, I certainly hope you know what you are doing.'_

* * *

A couple hours later, as Remnant's shattered moon was reaching its peak in the night sky over Menagerie, dozens upon dozens of White Fang guards and foot soldiers were patrolling throughout the streets of Kuo Kuana, making sure that all of the citizens were adhering to the curfew that had been set for them. The same was applied to the town's port, with many more White Fang manning the Dust cannons that defended the town from any outsiders. However, what they didn't notice was that all of their defenses had already been breached as a massive cloaked ship flew as slowly and as silently as possible over the entire town. After its long journey over the ocean, the Resolute finally came to a halt directly over the Belladonna Family home; a large two-story structure almost in the very center of the town.

Once the cloaked ship had landed behind the home, it didn't lower its ramp immediately, instead favoring to just shut off its main engines. After a few seconds, an intangible winged figure slipped out from the ship's hull and began flying invisibly toward the back of the house. _'Man, Yang was right, this place IS pretty sweet.'_ The figure, Big Chill, thought to himself as he admired the rather traditional home. _'Heck, I'd say it's even cooler in person. …Hehe, "cooler". I crack myself up sometimes.'_ At that thought, Big Chill phased through the back door, intending to investigate the domicile.

After doing a clean sweep of the whole house, barring the bedrooms because he knew that Blake would probably kill him, Big Chill became opaque again in the main entry way. "Hmm, no sign of anyone." The Necrofriggian pondered to himself. "Unless…" He shifted back into transparency once more before sticking his head out the front door. And, sure enough, there were but two White Fang guards standing on either side of the front door. Big Chill pulled his head back in before commenting; "Sheesh, Trumbipulor REALLY didn't spring for guards to be stationed here, did he? Ah well, all the easier for me, I guess."

Big Chill then phased down into the floor before phasing back up through the front porch, coming up right between the two guards. The alien made himself opaque again and instantly made himself noticeable to the guards. "Hello, gentlemen. Lovely night, isn't it?"

"AGH!" One of the guards yelled and pointed his weapon at Big Chill. "The hell is that thing?!"

The other guard, though also scared by Big Chill's sudden appearance, immediately reached to his belt and pulled out a small communicator. "I'd better call Lord Trumbipu—GAH!" But before he could do so, the device was flash frozen by Big Chill's ice breath, forcing him to drop it.

"I wouldn't." Big Chill chided before punching the guard in the face, knocking him out. "We don't want the big guy to know yet.

"Y-You monster!" The other White Fang guard prepared to open fire, but the rifle was flash frozen as well, leaving him to pull the trigger uselessly. "W-Wait, wha—UGH!" He was silenced when Big Chill sent a kick to his face, knocking him out flat as well.

"Hmph, unconscious at the sight of me. That's quite rude." Big Chill quipped. "It's almost as if you boys hadn't seen an alien before." The Necrofriggian pulled the two White Fang into the house before slapping the Omnitrix and transforming into… "Swampfire!" The now-Methanosian produced a few seeds from his palm and threw them at the guards, resulting in a whole slew of vines growing around them. In the end, the two were tied up in a neat little vine cocoon, with Swampfire grinning at his handiwork. "There, that oughta keep you guys tied up for a while."

After locking the two White Fang in a closet, Swampfire slammed the Omnitrix again, this time transforming back into his human form. Ben then spoke directly into his watch; "Alright guys, coast is clear."

" _Copy that, Ben."_ Gwen answered from the other end. _"We're coming in now."_

After making his way to the back of the house, Ben met up with the group as they filed in, with Tetrax now among them. Ghira, Kali and Blake were at the front of the pack with Ghira focusing right onto the hero. "Ben, how did you make out?" he asked.

"Heh, easy." Ben chuckled. "Ol' Trumbi only set two guards at the front of the house and nowhere else. By the way, I stuffed them into your closet for the time being, just so you know."

That statement caught Winter's attention. "Really? Only two gaurds?" The military specialist put a hand to her chin. "He must be pretty confident if he thinks that no one would sneak around the back."

"Or perhaps anyone who wants to even try and get here are too scared to do it." Kali suggested. "He must have an even stronger hold on the town since we left."

"That probably means that he HAS gotten more confident." Kevin said as he stepped up next to the three. A smirk then graced the Osmosian's face. "And that's good, because now he'll be more prone to makin' mistakes."

"And that's where we come in." Gwen finished. "Now, shall we go over the plan one more time?"

Ghira gave her a confirming nod. "Yes, come this way." The large man waved an arm, gesturing for the group to follow him. "My meeting room is right over here."

But as the group of teens and adults began to follow Ghira, Sun nudged Blake with his elbow to get her attention. "Blake, your house is SWEET. I can't begin to imagine what it must've been like for you to grow up here."

Blake gave him a small grin before shrugging it off. "Well, it wasn't that _different_." she answered. "Unless you count having a ton of White Fang meetings happening outside your room practically every day of the week."

"Well I think this place is freaking awesome!" Yang supported. "I mean, it's GOTTA be bigger than my house…" The blonde thought about that for a moment before coming to a conclusion; "Hey, maybe we should just move our base of operations here! Then my dad could have his house back!"

Blake gave her partner a worried face. "…I wouldn't recommend that, Yang. My mom and dad aren't exactly all that tolerant of the kind of chaos that your dad can handle."

"She's right, Yang." Raven spoke up from the front of the group as they entered the meeting room. "Besides, your father would have a cow if he knew that you and your sister weren't coming home" The tribe leader shifted her eyes around the massive room, admiring the spaciousness of it. "Hmm, though I must admit, this IS a rather impressive space. Much better than holding our meetings either downstairs or in the living room."

"Well, don't get used to it." Ilia said as she stopped at the table with everyone else. "Once this is all over, Sienna Khan is probably going to banish you all from Menagerie permanently. We're already breaking White Fang code by bringing you hear, but staying for longer than you need to will be a SERIOUS offence." The chameleon girl craned her head over to Weiss and Winter, the Schnee sisters standing side by side. "Especially when it comes to you two. You AND General Ironwood are on her most hated list."

"I'm sure that we are." Winter concurred. "But that doesn't mean that we won't do our best to help you take back your home."

"Winter's right." Wiess supported. "We're going to do everything we can to get Trumbipulor and his goons out of here."

Rex snapped his fingers and pointed to Weiss. "Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about, Ice Princess! Let's get this thing started." While Weiss groaned and rolled her eyes, Rex shifted his attention over to Ghira. "So, what comes first?"

"Well, first, its best to go over the map again." Ghira answered before nodding over to Holiday. "Doctor Holiday, if you'd be so kind."

"Of course, Ghira." Holiday pulled a small holoprojector out of one of her pouches and set it right in the middle of the table, pressing a button to activate it. Once the holographic map of Kuo Kuana came up, the doctor pointed right to the Belladonna's home. "Alright, so we've established this point as home base. And our points of contention are here, here and here." Holiday gestured to the White Fang's base, the middle of town, and the port respectively. "These places are where our three teams will be sent for this mission. Team A will be led by Blake and Ben, Team B by Kevin and Winter, and Team C by Gwen and Ghira. Now, are we all clear on which team everyone has been assigned to?"

"Yep." Jaune waved. "Team JNPR's going to be with Winter and Kevin."

"And so are me and Weiss!" Ruby called out.

Rex pumped a fist into the air. "I'll be joining 'em too! Let's show those jerks what you get when you mess with innocent lives."

"And I will be coming with you as well." Holiday finalized before shifting her attention to one of Team B's co-leaders. "Winter, if you would?"

"Of course." Winter approached the holomap and pointed to the center of town. "Now, our team's mission will be to distract all of the White Fang footsoldiers, allowing Teams A and C to execute their own missions." The military specialist focused onto her teammates. "Once we engage, we'll have to hold them off until General Ironwood arrives with his back up."

"Exactly." Ghira affirmed as he pointed to the port. "And that's where Team C comes into play. Gwen, Kali and I will lead team headed to the port, so that we may take out the defenses that they've set up there." The panther man drew a line from the back of his house to the port, which went in a curve around the back of many houses. "Once Team B has successfully distracted the White Fang in town, we will sneak through this group of homes to get to the port. The houses are bunched close enough together to provide sufficient cover, so we should be concealed well enough."

"After we take out the cannons, General Ironwood will be allowed safe passage into Kuo Kuana." Kali concluded before facing a certain blue-haired boy and redheaded android. "Now, if I recall correctly, you two will be joining us as well, right?"

"That's right!" Penny saluted. "We won't let ya down, Mrs. B!"

Neptune spun his trident in his hand before shouldering the weapon. "We'll make sure those cannons are taken off line in no time!" he proclaimed with a thumbs up.

At that moment, Tetrax came up and raised a hand. "I'd be happy to join your group, Ghira. The least I can do is help you in your hour of need."

Blake gave a nod before jumping into the conversation. "Alright, then that just leaves Team A." She craned her head over to Sun, Yang and Ilia, giving her three closest companions a smile. "You guys are ready for this, right?"

Yang pounded a fist into her palm. "MORE than ready, Blake." The Blonde Brawler gave a wink to her boyfriend. "What about you, Green Boy? Ready to throw down?"

"Always." Ben affirmed. "But don't forget, we need to be cautious incase Salem's crew is there with them."

"Especially Tyrian." Raven stressed. "Which is why I will be coming with you all too. If Tyrian gets in our way, I'll engage him while the rest of you go on with the mission."

Yang's eyes nearly bugged out at that. "WHAT?! No way, we're not just gonna leave you behind!"

Raven gave her daughter a smile before resting a hand on Yang's shoulder. "Don't worry about me, Yang. I've fought many dangerous people in my life, and some of them I consider to be just as bad as Tyrian. I'll deal with him and then I'll regroup with you later, alright?"

Yang pursed her lips with a narrowed gaze. "Promise?"

"Of course, I promise." Raven assured.

"Well… alright." Yang pointed a finger in her mother's face. "But you'd better not get yourself killed, you hear me?"

Raven couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "Hmhm, trust me, that _isn't_ going to happen."

Over by Sun and Ilia, Blake approached the duo with an eager grin. "So, what about you guys?" she asked. "You ready?"

"Ready, willing and able!" Sun saluted while pulling out Ryui Jingu Bang and slinging it over his shoulders. "That elephant dude won't know what hit him!"

Ilia raised a brow in Sun's direction. "Just don't lose sight of the primary focus of our mission; rescuing Sienna Khan." The chameleon girl walked over and pointed to the White Fang's base on the holomap. "Once the distraction in town is underway, we'll need to sneak our way out to the White Fang palace. We'll scale up over the walls and through a window, and from there, I'll lead you guys down to the prison where Sienna is being held."

"Exactly." Ben agreed. "From there, we'll escort her out of the palace… provided we don't encounter any unexpected guests."

"And if we do, we fight, right?" Sun guessed.

Yang placed her hands on her hips. "As if we have any other choice at that point. With any luck, we can fight off whatever we come across."

At that moment, Pyrrha interjected into the conversation. "And what if Trumbipulor confronts you? What will you do then?"

"If that happens… then I'll fight him." Ben answered definitively. "Sun, Blake and Ilia will take Sienna back to Team B's location where she can hopefully call off the White Fang. And while that's going on, Yang, Raven and I will take on Trumbipulor."

"Right." Blake concurred. "And considering that you've beaten him twice before, I'm sure you guys can handle it. But once we take him down, how will we contain him? I don' think that any of the cells in Tetrax's ship can hold him."

"Don't worry, Blake, I have that covered." Tetrax typed in a few commands onto his gauntlet. "I have a device on my ship prepared for just such an occasion." After he stopped typing, a new hologram came up over his gauntlet, this one appearing to be some sort of large, cylindrical pod. "This is what's known as a stasis pod. It's made specifically to hold strong and dangerous criminals while putting them into a hibernative state. Once Ben takes Trumbipulor down, we'll bring the stasis pod out of my ship and put Trumbipulor into it."

At Tetrax's final word, Nora clapped her hands and threw them up into the air. "Alright! This plan sounds SUPER solid! Now that we're all done with the talk…" The Pink Dynamo pulled out Magnhild, spun it around in midair and caught it when it shifted into its hammer mode. "How's about we get to the fun part?!"

But Ren was quick to put a hand on her shoulder. "Easy, Nora. Remember, we can't just jump in head first. We have to make sure that we take them by surprise."

"Exactly, Ren." Weiss nodded. "And fortunately, I think I know just how to do that." The heiress craned her head over to her sister and gave her a small smirk. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Winter returned the grin instantly. "I believe I am, dear sister."

* * *

The streets of Kuo Kuana at night were often quite peaceful and silent, with not too many people wandering the streets as most prepared for a sound slumber. But in recent nights, while the silent part was still true, it was anything BUT peaceful. At least a hundred or so White Fang operatives were currently filing through the streets, all armed and ready for anything that might come their way. A few of them shined lights into the different houses lining the streets, just to make sure that every citizen was abiding by their curfew. However, there were a few that didn't take any pleasure in what they were doing. "Ugh, I can't believe that we need to enforce these laws." A canine-eared White Fang groaned to her compatriot. "Don't you know how _wrong_ this is?"

"It may be wrong and unjust now, but if we wish to gain the new lord's favor, we need to keep up with his demands." The scaly-skinned White Fang rationalized. "After we do, we'll hopefully be able to stop this and start targeting the REAL problem. The _humans_."

The dog-eared White Fang woman lowered her ears in sadness. "But don't you see how WRONG this is?! People are suffering because of us. _Children_ are suffering because of us!"

"And nobody has died yet." The lizard-skinned White Fang asserted. "So long as we keep it that way, things will be fine—" But then, he cut himself off when a bright, white light began shining from the town square. "Wait! What is that?!" The two ran over to investigate, along with a whole slew of other White Fang grunts and even some guards as well. When they finally found where the light was coming from, they found two glowing patterns in the streets, both of them spinning slowly in place.

"What… what is it?" The dog-eared woman asked.

But the scaly White Fang grunt knew _exactly_ what it was. He knew those snowflake-shaped glyphs anywhere. "No… no they CAN'T be here!" He grabbed his rifle and began pointing it out into the darkness, away from his comrades. "Where are you?! Come out right now!"

Nobody expected an answer, but just a second later, the voice of a woman rang out through the night; "If you insist!" At her announcement, the glyphs began spinning faster and faster. And finally, after a moment, two large forms emerged; a white Ursa and Beowolf, both growling in intimidation as their ethereal blue eyes bore into the White Fang grunts.

A younger girl's voice then gave the two Grimm and order; "Attack, but do NOT kill!" At the girl's words, the Grimm lunged out into the crowd of White Fang and began attacking, though they held their attacks back in order to not gore any of them.

As the chaos ensued, Weiss, Winter, Ruby, Kevin, Team JNPR, and Doctor Holiday all came running out of the shadows and joined in on the fight, taking the White Fang off guard. "I KNEW IT!" the scale-faced White Fang pointed to Winter and Weiss. "It's those two! They're Schnees!" His words only proved to send the group of grunts and guards into an even bigger frenzy, with some even ignoring the summoned Grimm all together to attack the Schnee Sisters.

Kevin smirked as he knelt down to the ground and absorbed the pavement on the street, changing his hands into a pair of hammers in the process. "Nice work, ladies! Now we've got 'em right where we want 'em!"

Weiss grimaced at the sight of the White Fang running toward them. "Well, it worked, but I don't think this'll improve our relations with any of them."

"Yes, it IS unfortunate that it has to come to this, Weiss." Winter said as she drew her blades. "But for now, we must push those feelings aside if our mission is to succeed. Now come, we must free this town!"

From the sidelines, Nora ran up in front of the sister and drew her hammer, an eager smile coming to her lips. "Alright! Let's do this thing!" With a mighty swing and a pull of her weapon's trigger, Nora slammed Magnhild into the ground directly in front of them, resulting in a massive shockwave that sent the White Fang falling to the ground. The hyper redhead then flew in and bashed a rather tall guard with her hammer, though he was quick to block the strike with his bare hands. "Haha! Oh, THIS should be fun!" With a mighty pull, Nora heaved her hammer back and sent the guard stumbling forward, only to punch him straight in the gut soon afterward. "Don't want the hammer? Then you'll get the fists!"

Jaune and Pyrrha ran forth into the crowd with their blades drawn, slicing the White Fang's rifles into pieces before they could fire at them. The duo would then use their shields to bash the grunts back, being careful to not cause any serious damage to them. "Remember, don't try to hurt these people too much!" Jaune shouted out before knocking another White Fang out cold.

"Simply subdue and move on to the next!" Pyrrha added as she did the same.

"Consider it done!" Ren replied before slicing through another of the White Fang's rifles with Storm Flower. The green ninja then sent a swift kick to the guard's face, sending him down to the ground. "Kevin, how're you holding up?!"

"Pretty good, man!" Kevin hollered as he slammed his hammers into to grunts, sending them flying back into a nearby store front. "These guys are NOTHIN' compared to DNAliens or Vilgax's goons. It's like hitting fish in a barrel!"

"Don't you mean "shooting" fish in a barrel?" Weiss asked as she used a glyph to blast back a bunch of White Fang guards.

Kevin responded by dealing an uppercut right to a grunt's jaw, sending him flying halfway down the street. "Nope!"

Over to the side, Holiday and Ruby stood back to back as a group of six White Fang guards closed in on them, all of them wielding very deadly spears. Ruby hadn't unclipped Crescent Rose from her holster yet, an eager grin coming to her face as she readied her little surprise. Meanwhile, Holiday was readying her blaster, changing it to its 'stun' setting so that she wouldn't risk killing any of these people. "So, I take it that you find yourself in these situations a lot, Ruby?" the doctor asked.

"Eh, pretty much every day." the Hooded Huntress replied. "I love it, though! Really gets the blood pumpin'!"

"I'm sure." Holiday matched Ruby's smirk as she pumped her side arm. "Now what do you say we take these guys out?"

One of the White Fang guards laughed at Holiday's claim. "Oh, the human lady thinks that they can take us all out!" one of them spoke out. "Do the math, lady! There's six of us, and only two of you."

Ruby wagged a finger at them. "Now, now, boys. Let's not get overconfident."

"Oh, we're pretty sure of ourselves, girly." The White Fang guards all pulled out their blades, all of them of different varieties. "After all, we've been trained to handle troublemakers like you."

"Aw, well your weapons ARE pretty cute. But…" Ruby grasped Crescent Rose and pulled it out of its holster, performing her signature twirl before slamming its time into the ground. "As you can see… mine's bigger!" With that, Ruby surged forward and began spinning her large scythe around at blinding speed, but when she finally stopped, the guards were surprised to see that no bodily harm had come to them at all! They were all completely confused… until their eyes landed on their blades. All of them had been sliced off practically at the hilt, with the only sharp parts left being a small stub where the blades once were. "See? THAT'S why you shouldn't underestimate us. Holiday, care to do the honors?"

"On it!" Doctor Holiday began firing stun shots at all six of the White Fang guards, hitting her mark with every blast. When the blasts hit the guards, they all convulsed in pain for a brief moment before falling to the ground, unconscious. "Hmm, well done, Ruby!"

"Thanks! You were pretty great yourself!" Ruby's eyes widened and she pointed behind Holiday in a slight panic. "Uh, that's probably bad, right?"

Holiday whirled around to see a rather large and portly White Fang guard practically grappling with Winter's Ursa, the sight making the doctor gasp in shock. What was even more astonishing was when the man tossed the Ursa away before letting out a loud bellow. Holiday glanced over the man for any sign of his Faunus trait before finally finding it; a pair of almond-shaped ears on the top of his bald head. "Are those… hippopotamus ears?!"

After witnessing her Summon be tossed to the side as if it were nothing, Winter jogged over to Ruby and Holiday, pointing one of her blades at the large White Fang in preparation for what he'd do next. "Be ready! We don't know what he'll do!" But she got her answer only a second later when the hippo Faunus began charging right at them, prompting Winter to bring up a glyph shield in front of her, Ruby, and Holiday. "Stay behind me!"

However, just before the hippo man could slam his fists into the glyph shield, a slew of cyan-colored lasers hit his shoulder, catching his and the other's attention. "HEY! Big guy!" The giant man craned his head to his left to see Weiss standing about ten feet away, a glyph disappearing in front of her. "Leave them alone!"

"Weiss, what are you doing?!" Winter chastised as the hippo man redirected himself in Weiss' direction.

"Relax, sis!" Weiss said with a smirk. "I've got a plan!" The heiress stood in place, counting the seconds off on her fingers as the White Fang charged at her. _'Three… two… one… NOW!'_ Weiss whipped her head up to the sky and called out; "REX!"

From up above, a pair of giant metal fists suddenly slammed into the large hippo man, pushing him back several feet. He finally came to a stop by digging in his heels, though he let out a frustrated growl at being knocked back. But then, his eyebrows rose in surprise when he saw Rex in front of him, the EVO smirking with enthusiasm. "Sorry, Tons o' Fun, but you're not layin' a finger on her." Rex faced back to Weiss with a raised brow. "Cutting it a little close, ain't ya, Ice Princess?"

"Please, I would've been fine." Weiss said with an eyeroll. "Now come on, let's push these guys back already!"

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Rex agreed before substituting his Smack Hands for his Punk Busters. "Heads up!" With one push of his legs, Rex sent the hippo man careening all the way down the street, a massive THUD indicating that he had finally landed in a heap on the opposite end. Rex deactivated his Punk Busters and let out a hearty laugh. "HAHA! Too easy!"

"No kidding." Weiss agreed. "But don't get cocky, we've still got a long way to go." After Rex gave her a salute and jumped back into the fray, Weiss saw Winter, Ruby and Holiday approaching out of the corner of her eye. She met her sister with a knowing grin. "And you didn't think I had a plan, did you?"

"Admittedly, I did not see that coming." Winter said while matching her sister's grin. "I must say, Weiss, you and Rex are working together much better than when he first arrived. I'm very impressed."

Holiday gave a nod at that. "Your sister's right, Weiss, that was very well planned." The doctor wore a sly grin before tapping her cheek in thought. "You two must be pretty in sync to pull something like that off."

"Yeah…" Ruby said cheekily while poking her partner in the shoulder. "Is something ELSE going on during all of those Spanish lessons, Weiss?"

Weiss became red in the face at all of the accusations, both in embarrassment and with a little frustration. "Could we PLEASE focus on the task at hand here?!"

"Correct." Winter agreed. "Now isn't the time for this. Come, we must rejoin the battle." Before she did though, Winter took one last glance toward the Belladonna Family home, speaking a silent prayer under her breath. "Good luck, everyone. And please, be safe."

* * *

Behind the household, the Tennyson cousins, Yang, Ilia, Sun, Neptune, Penny, Tetrax, Raven, and the Belladonnas themselves had all gathered in the backyard, the group preparing to split up when they deemed the fighting good and distracting enough. When they had all heard the rumble begin to get underway, Gwen took a deep breath and steeled herself. "Well, I guess now is a good a time as any." she figured. "It seems like things are getting pretty hectic over there."

"Hmm, agreed." Ghira concurred. "Now, everyone knows the plan, so there's no need to go over it again, right?" The panther man got a resounding; "Right!" from the group. "Very good. Then good luck to all of you." Ghira then gave Gwen a small nod. "Gwen, you and your group stay close to me and Kali as we lead the way to the docks."

"Understood." Gwen affirmed before looking to her cousin's team with a grin. "We'll see you guys later, alright?"

"Count on it." Ben said with a thumbs up. With those final words, the two teams split up, going off in separate directions from the back of the house. "Alright, Ilia, you're the resident stealth expert. So how can we best get into the White Fang's palace?"

"Simple," Ilia stated, "we go around the building's left side, make our way over the surrounding wall and then sneak in through one of the emergency exit windows. You know, the ones that don't have any frames."

Yang raised a brow to her. "Okay, so why the _left_ side of the palace specifically?"

"Because that's where the least amount of booby traps are." Ilia answered. "Trust me, I've been in that palace plenty of times to know that."

"Okay, so what about the guards?" Sun brought up. "There's probably gonna be a ton of 'em when we get in there."

Blake pointed between herself and Ilia. "That's where we come in. Ilia and I will go in first and take out the guards quietly before you guys come in after us."

"So what, we'll just have to sit back and wait?" Sun guessed.

Ilia sent a smirk his way. "Well, unless you and Yang can quickly dye your hair black or Ben loses his jacket, then yes." The chameleon girl gave the three a sympathetic face. "Sorry to say it, but you guys in your bright, primary colors stick out like sore thumbs. It'd probably be best if the two of us just go in and take the guards down."

Over to the side, Raven gave an indignant noise. "Hmph, well I think that you're forgetting that I'm not exactly brightly dressed, either, young lady." The tribe leader placed a hand onto Omen in preparation. "You wouldn't be opposed to me assisting you girls, would you?"

Ilia narrowed her eyes at Raven. "Just so long as you promise NOT to kill anyone."

"Yeah, mom." Yang supported. "Nobody needs to die today. Besides, if you DO start killing people in there, it'd just be like a trail of breadcrumbs leading to us… only with dead bodies."

"Ugh, very well." Raven relented while raising a right hand. "I solemnly swear to not kill anyone on this mission… though I AM tempted to at least _cripple_ Tyrian." That got a bunch of skeptical faces from everyone, to which Raven raised her hands. "Kidding! Kidding! …Well, perhaps _half_ -kidding."

Suddenly, Ben whirled around and shushed everyone. "Shh!" The hero then pointed through the cluster of palm trees and everyone followed his gesture, only to see a tall wall not too far away from them. With one gaze upward, and the group saw the very top of the White Fang's palace rising up from behind the large wall, the lights in the windows making it easily visible. "We're here!" Ben whispered. "Is this the left side?"

"It should be." Ilia whispered back. "Hold on for a second, I'll be right back." Ilia's skin color changed to a nighttime black and she swiftly ran off, only to come back a short moment later. "Alright, I went to the entrance to double check. This IS the left side."

"Okay." Ben nodded. "So we're all clear on how we're getting in there, right?"

"Right." Blake confirmed. "You guys stay here, we'll call you when it's clear."

Ben gave the cat girl a thumbs up. "Good. Now, let's get this done as quickly and quietly as we can. We don't want Trumbipulor or any others showing up and suspecting something."

"Exactly." Raven agreed before facing Blake and Ilia. "I'll meet you two on the other side." At those words, Raven activated her shapeshifting ability, transforming into her corvid form before flying off over the wall.

Ilia shivered at the sight. "Ugh, I forgot that she could do that."

"Yeah, pretty weird." Blake gave her friend a grin before nudging her head to the palace. "So, you ready?"

"Yes, let's go!" Ilia and Blake sprang forward and began sprinting fast and silently through the shadows before both girls sprang up the side of the large wall surrounding the palace. They ran up the side of the massive structure before vaulting themselves over the top of it, landing on their feet on the other side.

However, the moment that they did, they immediately heard; "Hey! You can't be in—ACK!" Ilia slammed her elbow into the nearby guard's gut, making him double over in pain before knocking him out with a follow up blow.

Another guard witnessed the incident not that far away and his he lowered his spear to attack. "Stop right, there—hey!" The head of his spear was immediately sliced off by Blake with one single swipe of Gambol Shroud, which she immediately followed up by knocking the guard out like his buddy.

At that moment, another pair of guards came running around the corner, both armed with flint-lock pistols. "HALT!" one of them yelled. "You two won't be going any furth—AUGH!" Both guards were met by a pair of flying kicks from both girls, knocking them down to the ground and leaving them unconscious.

"ENOUGH!" Came a deep, bellowing voice. The girls about-faced to see a large White Fang guard with a rifle in his hand, his aim squared solely on them. "You two ladies better put your hands on your head right now, or I'll—" _SLICE._ In one fell swoop, the guard's firearm was sliced perfectly halfway down the barrel, the metal and woodwork falling to the ground with a THUD. With an astonished expression, he craned his head down to see Raven with her sword drawn and an angry expression, leaving him quaking in his boots. "W-Wha…"

"Good night." In a practically unseen maneuver, Raven sent a fast and hard punch into the guard's face, sending him falling straight onto the ground, out cold. The tribe leader turned to the two girls and placed a single hand on her hip. "And what exactly took you two so long?"

" _What_?" Ilia whispered harshly. "We only got here like, twenty seconds after you did!"

"Exactly." Raven jabbed a thumb over to her right. "And in that time, I had already taken out most of the guards on this side of the building."

The two young Faunus girls whipped their heads around and their jaws dropped in shock. Strewn across the palace lawn were at least ten more guards in addition two what they had just taken out, all of them out for the count. "How… how did you…" Ilia stammered out.

"I'm both technically a trained Huntress AND a master thief." Raven answered. "Dealing with highly guarded places is my forte."

Blake rolled her eyes before pulling out her scroll. "Yes, of course. How COULD we forget?" she said sarcastically while dialing Yang's number. Since there was no CCT Tower out in Menagerie, the signal wasn't THAT great, but she still had at least a couple bars. Once Yang picked up, Blake put her scroll up to her ear. "Alright, Yang, we're all set over here."

" _That's a big ten-four, partner!"_ Yang called back over the scroll. _"We're headed over now!"_

The two hung up on their respective ends and Blake shifted her sights up to the top of the wall, only to see a green flash brighten up the palm trees on the other side. A mere second later, she saw her boyfriend scale up one of said palm trees before thrusting himself over the wall. Sun did three mid-air flips before landing feet first on the ground in front of them, meeting the three ladies with a bow. "So, how was that for an entrance?" the monkey boy asked.

Blake gave him a sarcastic smile before making a so-so gesture with her hand. "Eh, you were cutting it kind of close with the third flip."

"Hey, I still pulled it off, didn't I?" Sun winked.

Blake let out a quiet laugh before seeing Ben and Yang scaling over the wall together, and her eyes widened at what the Omnitrix bearer had turned into. "Wait… isn't that the same species that Subdora is?"

"Yeah." Sun answered. "I think Ben called it… Chamalien?"

As it happened, Ben had transformed into a rather large lizard-like alien, one with light purple scales with dark purple splotches on random parts across his body. He had four clawed fingers on each hand and three clawed toes to each foot, which he used to expertly scale down the wall with Yang clinging to his back. Once he and Yang reached the bottom, everyone could get a better look at his face, which had a large mouth full of sharp teeth. But that wasn't the strangest part; THAT was reserved for the upper half of his face, which was all black with a large spike sticking out the back of his head. And on top of that, he had three triangular eyes that were all different colors; red, green and blue. "So, I'm guessing zat it vasn't hard to take zem all down?" Chamalein said with a slight German accent.

"Sure wasn't." Ilia sent a narrow-eyed glance to Raven before jabbing her thumb at her. "Especially since _she_ didn't give Blake and I a chance to take out more than four."

Yang blinked in surprise as she noticed all of the unconscious bodies. "Sheesh, mom. You work pretty damn fast!"

"Trust me, Yang, I don't plan on wasting time." Raven assured before directing her eyes to Ilia. "So, where are all the booby traps?"

"They're all around here." Ilia took out her Lightning Lash and pointed across the entire lawn. "I'll need to take them all out before we proceed." With the press of a button, Ilia's weapon quickly changed into its whip mode. "Just stand back and watch." With a mighty surge, Ilia ran across the lawn and began whipping at the ground, revealing a bunch of pressure sensitive spots that activated a slew of traps. Among these included pitfalls, bear traps, hidden nets that sprang up uselessly into nearby trees, and many other typical traps. Once she had activated all of them, Ilia went back over and let out a breath. "Hah, there, now we can go in safely." She waved her arm over to the nearby fire escape window. "Through here, quickly!"

"Very vell." Chamalien spoke up. "Come on, let's get in zere." The Merlinisapien scurried over and opened the fire escape window, allowing everyone to climb in before he did so himself. The room they had entered was a rather large dining hall, and thankfully, there was no one around. Chamalien spotted a nearby door and walked over to it, opening it just slightly to peak out into the hall. "Hmm… zere doesn't seem to be anyone out zere right now." He faced back to his group and jabbed a thumb to the hall. "But just to be safe, I'll take point."

Ilia raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't it be better if I took point though? I can blend in easily and I'm the only one who knows how to get to the prison, remember?"

Chamalien gave her a nod. "You're right. Ilia, you'll take point with me." He then gave the remaining four a nod. "You guys make sure to stay close behind us, alright? If vee need to hide, vee'll have to do it quickly." Chamalien sent Ilia a toothy grin… before completely vanishing. "Come, Ilia, let's disappear."

Ilia's jaw dropped for a second time. "Are you kidding?!" she whispered harshly. "He's an alien chameleon that can totally disappear?! That's so unfair!"

Yang gave her a smirk and a pat on the shoulder. "Ah, don't worry, Color Girl. Trust me, there's a LOT of stuff that Ben can do that not a lot of other people can't. Now c'mon, we've got a job to do!" With that proclamation, the six teammates silently made their way into the hallway, following behind Ilia as she led them down to the prison cells.

* * *

Not far away from where the six infiltrators had entered, Trumbipulor was waiting in the throne room for his guests, The Paku-Dermoloid sitting upon his large stone throne as he tapped his fingers against the armrest in impatience. Corsac and Fennec Albain were also in the room, having taken their places on either side of their new lord while keeping their heads down in silence. The room was also filled with multiple White Fang guards, all standing at attention out of fear and respect for the mighty elephant-like alien who could kill them all easily. All at once, the silence was broken when Trumbipulor pounded a fist onto his throne's armrest, scaring nearly everyone out of their wits. "What in deepest pits of Anur Transyl is TAKING those mooks so long?!"

Corsac bowed his head to Trumbipulor. "I'm sure they are on their way now, my lord. They told me they would only be a few minutes."

"Bah! Those guys betta get hustlin'." Trumbipulor scoffed. "For all I've done for 'em up 'til now, they should've been here five minutes ago."

"Who knows, my lord?" Fennec bowed as well with a slight smirk. "Perhaps they WERE lying to you about this so called "Salem"."

"You may wish to rethink that!" The interruption of a deep, gravelly voice caught the three's attention, and they craned their heads up to see Hazel, Thunderhog, Exo-Skull and Tyrian all enter the room with Simian escorting them. Hazel had his eyes focused squarely on Trumbipulor before bowing his head in respect. "My deepest apologies if we kept you waiting, Lord Trumbipulor. I just finished talking with my mistress a few minutes ago and she told me that it'd be a pleasure to speak with you."

"Okay." Trumbipulor got up from his throne and placed his hands on his hips. "So when can she get here?"

"Within the hour." Hazel answered. "She doesn't usually leave her castle for matters such as this, but for someone of your track record, she was willing to make an exception. She only has a few small matters to attend to before she leaves."

Trumbipulor raised an eyeridge at that. "Whaddya mean by "matter's such as these"?"

Tyrian let out a loud cackle. "AHAHA! Oh, our queen never leaves her palace unless she deems it important enough! You should feel graced that she even _considered_ deigning you with her glorious presence!"

Corsac's brow furrowed at Tyrian's rambling. "Hmph, this Salem must be truly powerful if she can just come to Menagerie in an instant. If she really wishes to bring humanity to its knees, then why does she not leave her castle more often and carry out her goals herself, then?"

"Because she feels it unnecessary to sully her hands unless absolutely necessary." Hazel answered. "And should the day ever come that Lady Salem DOES decide to do just that, then may the gods have mercy on anyone who chooses to get in her way."

But Trumbipulor just waved his hand. "Yeah, yeah, enough with the melodrama!" he ordered. "So long as I get a few words with her, it's fine by me."

Exo-Skull raised a hand up to Trumbipulor. "Ah, don't worry 'bout it, Trumbi. Lady Salem's actually got some great deals goin' on for everyone that's workin' for her."

"Yeah!" Thunderhog agreed. "She maybe an evil witch, but she good at gettin' people what they want."

Trumbipulor let out an unsure grunt. "Hmph, I'll keep that in mind when—huh?!" The Paku-Dermoloid stopped in midsentence when the doors to the throne room were flung open, catching everybody off guard. A White Fang guard came running in, breathing heavily and in a great panic. Trumbupulor stepped away from his throne and walked over to the guard, glaring down at him. "What's the meanin' of this?!" he hollered as he grabbed the guard by the collar and brought him up to eye level with him. "Why'd you just barge in on our meetin', huh?"

"I-I'm sorry, Lord Trumbipulor!" The White Fang apologized. "But we have some MAJOR problems on our hands."

The alien crime boss let out a small trumpet in confusion before setting the guard back down. "Speak, and make it snappy."

"W-Well, it started just a few minutes ago." The guard explained. "We just got word that a large group of Hunters have appeared in Kuo Kuana, and what's worse is that they have Weiss and Winter Schnee with them!"

Corcac's eyes widened while Fennec's ears perked up. "Schnees? _Here_?" the elder brother asked.

"How is that possible?!" Fennec continued. "No Schnee worth their money-lined pockets would DARE set foot on Menagerie!"

"Believe me, they are!" the guard assured. "But that's not even the end of it! What's worse is that when we were about to send Yuma and Trifa as back up with a few more foot soldiers, we discovered that all of the guards that were stationed outside to the right side of the palace were all knocked out! I… I fear we may have some intruders, sir."

"WHAT?!" Trumbipulor let out an angry trumpet. "Just what in the hell is goin' on here?!"

Most of the other White Fang in the room, Corsac and Fennec included, had no idea what to make of this information. However, Hazel had a pretty good idea about what was going on already. "Lord Trumbipulor, I'm afraid it's starting." he said regrettably. "The Schnees have allied themselves with Ben Tennyson, which means that HE may be on the island as well."

Trumbipulor tightened his fists and let out an enraged bellow; "TENNYSOOON!" the alien crime boss let out a breath before pointing to his Arachnichimp compatriot. "Simian, you head to town with Yuma and Trifa. Intercept these Hunters and take 'em down by any means necessary! I want NOTHIN' interrupting this meeting with Salem!"

Simian gave his leader a salute. "Of course, Lord Trumbipulor. I will see to it right away." The pink-shirted blue spider-monkey scurried out of the room quickly, intending to reach Yuma and Trifa before they were sent out.

Unexpectedly though, Hazel stepped forward and bowed his head to the White Fang leader. "Lord Trumbipulor, perhaps it'd be wise if I went as well. I know that they probably wouldn't accept my help, but these Hunters are NOT to be underestimated. We've fought them many times, and I can say from experience that they hit HARD."

Trumbipulor pondered over the request, scratching his chin in thought. Finally, he gave Hazel a nod before jabbing his thumb toward the exit. "You make a good point, Rainart. Go with Simian an' put those Hunter's down." The elephant-like alien moved himself around to face Exo-Skull, Thunderhog and Tyrian. "An' while that's happenin', we've gotta deal with the intruders. I've got a sneakin' suspiscion that they're headed down to break Sienna Khan outta her cell." Trumbipulor focused his blank white eyes onto Tyrian. "Hey, Beady-Eyes, think you can take 'em out for us?"

Tyrian gave a theatrical bow and an eager giggle. "Hehehe, why of course, I can!" he proclaimed. "Anything for the glory of my queen!" He gave an over the top wave before sprinting out of the throne room, his tail unfurling from around his waist. "And I promise to relish every SINGLE moment of it! AHAHAHA!"

Trumbipulor wore a sneer as Tyrian left, with Hazel walking out of the room soon after. "Uh… yeah, right." He went back to Hog and Skull, pointing at them with one of his large fingers. "You two!" At his yell, the mutated duo stood up straight and gave him a salute. "You guys are gonna stay here with me an' the Albains. If Tyrian somehow fails to stop our intruders, we're gonna be the last line of defense."

"Understood, Trumbi!" Skull agreed.

"We won't let ya down!" Hog supported.

"Good." Trumbipulor went over to his throne and sat down, setting his elbow on the armrest before propping his chin onto it. "Because I got a feelin' that, knowin' our luck, our intruder is Tennyson. An' if that's the case, then we need ALL the muscle we can get."

* * *

Down in the White Fang's prisoner hold, Sienna Khan was still sitting in the middle of her cell, her eyes closed and in a meditative stance. For the past week or so of her imprisonment, she had been keeping her patience under control, waiting for whenever her rescue party would come and free her from her imprisonment. The tiger lady had _hoped_ that it would be a rebellion formed from a coalition of White Fang from all across the globe lead by Ghira, but after the news she had received from Trumbipulor, she had a feeling that wouldn't be the case. Instead, she now found herself frustrated with the reality that a human boy and his band of teenaged friends was probably going to be her saving grace. _'This couldn't POSSIBLY get any worse.'_ she thought to herself.

But less than a second later, she was proven wrong when one of the guards let out a nasally laugh after finishing off one of the rotten apples in the large food basket. By the size of his teeth, he appeared to be a rat Faunus, and he was clearly having the time of his life. "Hehe, man, I can't BELIEVE you guys are passing this up!" he spoke to his comrades with a slight lisp thanks to his buck teeth. "Sienna gave up this smorgasbord and you aren't having a single _bite_?"

The tallest guard, a man with the tail of an alligator, let out a low growl. "We can't _all_ have waste disposal units in our stomachs, now can we?"

"Yeah, if I eat a single bit of that, I'll get sick." a female guard with cow horns added. "I am NOT touching that."

The final one, a man with a pair of owl wings on his back, attempted to silence his compatriots. "Will you all be quiet? We're supposed to be on guard, not yapping our gums off."

The rat Faunus simply shrugged. "Eh, if you say so." He went over to the trash can next to the door to throw the apple core away, only to get spooked when a knock came at the door. "AH!" He reeled back in surprise, dropping the apple core as his compatriots stood at attention. They waited for a little while before the rat man spoke, with everyone else readying their firearms. "…Who's there?!"

From the other side, came a raspy, accented voice; "Special delivery for ze GEEKS who are guarding Sienna Khan!"

Sienna's eyes snapped open at that. _'Wait… what?'_ She stood up and went up to the bars, grabbing them with her hands as she gazed over to the door on the otherside.

At first, the rat man smiled. "Ah, hey cool, I—" but then he realized what the voice said. "HEY! Wait a minute! We weren't expecting anything!" His compatriots all facepalmed as he went to answer the door. "I have half a mind to—AGH!" The rat Faunus let out a yell when the door suddenly burst off of its hinges and slammed into him, knocking him to the floor, and subsequently; unconscious.

The three guards gasped in horror at what they saw standing on top of the door; a large, purple lizard creature with three multicolored eyes, grinning at them with a toothy smirk. Sienna stared at the creature, mouth agape as it spoke; "Ah, ze oldest trick in ze book."

Following in behind him were a group of four teenagers; three girls and one boy, as well as a woman who appeared to be in her forties. "Nice work, Green Boy!" Yang said as she came charging in. "And I LOVED the little bit of trash talkin' too!"

"I'm glad you did, Goldie Locks." Chamalien returned. "But now, it's time to go to vork!"

Ilia trailed her eyes over to the cell and she smiled when she saw Sienna standing up. "Lady Sienna! You're still alive!" But then her smile faltered when she saw the disapproving gaze that Sienna was giving her, making Ilia shrink back a bit. _'Oh wow, I knew she wouldn't like the fact that we brought humans to Menagerie, but I didn't think I'd see her like this so soon!'_ she thought worriedly to herself.

"Sienna!" Blake called out. "Don't worry, we're here to break you out!"

Just then, the alligator Faunus raised his weapon at the group. "As if! I don't know WHO you think you are, but—"

"Blake Belladonna." Blake stated confidently. "Perhaps you've heard of me?"

The three guards were astonished for all of three seconds before the owl Faunus picked up where his companion left off. "Well… regardless, Miss Belladonna, we can't let you break Sienna out. Lord Trumbipulor's orders."

In the back of the group, Sun smirked at the tone of their voices. "Heh, sheesh, Trumbi's got them all so spooked that they're afraid to even rebel, huh?"

"Indeed." Raven matched Sun's expression. "It's quite sad, really."

"WRONG!" the alligator man roared. "Trumbipulor will be the leader we SHOULD have had in the first place! And the first thing we'll do to win his approval is take you down!"

"I sink not." Chamalien shook his head. "Perhaps its time to stop messing around und start getting serious about zis…" The Merlinisapien slammed the Omnitrix symbol on his chest and a bright green flash of light enveloped him, transforming him yet again.

Once the flash died down, the three White Fang guards, as well as Sienna, were all bewildered at the sight of a new creature standing before them. It appeared to be an orange crustacean of some kind, one with six spindly legs on his lower torso. But really, that's where the similarities to any sort of crab ended, because his head was HUGE. There weren't even any pectorals, it was ALL head. His arms were protruding out of the sides of his massive cranium, and instead of hands, he had large pincers. The Omnitrix symbol was attached to a silver and black brace that was wrapped around his neck. His green eyes were almond shaped and his mouth was perpetually closed with gritted teeth, not even opening when he final spoke his name; _"Brainstorm!"_ The voice came out telepathically in everyone's minds, making everyone jump for a second.

Sienna's jaw dropped at what had just happened. "Just when I thought things could not get ANY stranger." she whispered to herself.

"W-What the heck IS this thing?!" the cow woman asked frightenedly. "Some sort of freak?!"

" _My good bovine lady, I will have you know that I am what is known as a Cerebrocrustacean."_ Brainstorm answered. _"And I do not take too kindly to your rather vulgar vituperation. Now, if you would all be so kind as to… shall I say, relegate Miss Sienna Khan to us, then we shall leave peacefully and without conflict."_

"No way, Big Head!" The alligator Faunus rebuked. "Sienna stays here, and that's final!"

Brainstorm put a pincer to his chin in thought. _"Hmm… your rather crass comment only fuels your superciliousness, I see."_

Yang had to blink at the use of such a word. "Uh… what the heck does THAT mean? You got some kinda Word-a-Day Calendar, Ben?"

" _Do not fear, my dearest Yang."_ Brainstorm reassured with a smile. _"Tis only a side effect of using this particular transformation. I should be back to normal momentarily. But for now…"_ The Cerebrocrustacean scuttled forward and prepped himself for battle. _"Witness as I take these miscreants to the proverbial cleaners!"_

Yang gave her boyfriend a smile and pumped a fist into the air. "Now THAT I can understand! Go get 'em, Green Boy!"

"HA! You think you can take us on all at once?!" The alligator Faunus scoffed as he and his fellow guards began approaching Brainstorm. "Bring it on!"

" _Indubitably!"_ Brainstorm began taking quick glances around his environment to search for useful objects, eventually finding the food basket, the trash can lid, a set of four pipes that were braced to the wall, and an apple core. _"Let's see… basket of rotten produce, the lid of a waste receptacle, drainage pipes, and the core of a malus domestica. Perfect."_ The large crab alien faced his opponents, coming to a quick conclusion; _"This will be quite expeditive."_ His eyes went to the alligator Faunus, who was approaching quicker than the others. _"Hmm… a madcap if I've ever seen one. He will attack first."_ Sure enough, the alligator man lunged forward, only to be taken by surprise when Brainstorm opened up his cranial plates to reveal his brain. _"One cerebellum reveal, and he is repelled for a few seconds."_

Ilia began to turn slightly green at the big brain's reveal. "Oh, oh god." She was about to fall to her knees when Blake and Yang caught her. "I wish he had warned us about that beforehand."

"Yes, it IS quite… disgusting." Raven agreed.

The alligator Faunus growled before aiming his rifle at Brainstorm. "Thanks for giving me a clear shot, weirdo!"

The guard fired off a laser blast from his gun, which was just what Brainstorm was expecting. His brain began crackling with bright yellow electricity, which then surged over to the trash can lid, pulling it off of the receptacle. _"Block and redirect!"_ The electrically charged lid went right over to Brainstorm and he used it to bounce the laser way and into the four drainage pipes on the opposite wall, sending them down and right onto the gator man's head, knocking him out. _"And that brings one down."_

"Why you!" the owl man cried out before charging at Brainstorm. But, to his surprise, Brainstorm actually charged into him as well, slamming him against a nearby wall. "Hey! What gives?!"

" _Simple, my good man."_ Brainstorm said before charging his brain up again. In one blast, the Cerebrocrustacean gave the owl man an electric blast, making him cry out in pain. _"Oh, do repose yourself. 'Tis but a miniscule electrokinetic blast."_ Once Brainstorm was done, he scuttled straight up the wall, walking directly over the owl man before he fell to the ground in pain.

"Enough!" the cow woman yelled as she began scaling up the ramp of fallen pipes to try and get to Brainstorm. "This ends now!"

" _Oh, really?"_ Brainstorm stopped and dug his pincer into the wall, keeping himself suspended there as he faced the broken pipes. _"Perhaps a low voltage kinetic strike will change your tune."_ A small electrical surge was sent from his brain and through the metal pipes, which conducted all the way down to the cow woman. She was shocked and sent tumbling back down to the ground, making impact with her shoulder.

However, she also landed next to the rat Faunus, whom had just regained consciousness. "Huh? What the—GUYS!" He pushed the door off of him and whipped his head around, panicked at the sight of his comrades all on the ground. "W-What's going—AH!" The rat man jumped at the sight of Brainstorm scuttling back down the wall, and he began stammering in fear. "P-Please… d-don't hurt me!"

" _Hmm… very well, I will make this quick."_ Using his electrokinesis once more, Brianstorm picked up the basket of rotten food and stuffed it right over the rat Faunus' head, resulting in him reeling back in surprise. However, in his blind stumbling, he ended up slipping on his discarded apple core, resulting in him falling to the ground and hitting his head, knocking him out once more. _"All adversaries subdued, estimated recovery time; twenty minutes."_ Brainstorm gave a smile to his friends. _"And, just for future reference, I must submit;"_ In a bright flash of light, Ben was back in his human form, his arms out at his sides. "…That I wasn't even thinking that hard."

Before he knew it, Yang came in and let out a joyous laugh, picking him up in a hug and spinning him around. "HAHA! My boy's a smart cookie!" She pulled him in and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "That was totally awesome, Green Boy."

Raven placed her hands on her hips and gave Ben a nod. "Yes, you certainly showed them what you're made of with all that."

Ben rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "Aw, c'mon, guys. I'm just doing what I do best. Speaking of which…" The hero craned his head over to Sienna, who was still gaping in awe at what she had just witnessed. "Miss Khan, are you alright?"

Sienna blinked in surprise before composing herself, returning her face to a more relaxed demeanor. "I… I am." She narrowed her eyes at the young man before her. "So, you must be the infamous Ben Tennyson that Trumbipulor's been paranoid about?"

"That'd be me." Ben confirmed. "We're here to get you out."

"Hmm." Sienna acknowledged him before setting her sights on a certain cat girl. "Blake… it's been a while, hasn't it?"

Blake gave the tiger lady a nod. "It has. And I'm sorry that this little reunion had to happen under these circumstances, Sienna."

"On that, we can agree." Sienna then pointed down to the alligator Faunus. "I believe that he has the keys, so if you wouldn't mind freeing me…"

Ilia was quick on the draw. "Of course, Lady Sienna." The chameleon girl stooped down and grabbed the set of keys from the guard's belt and began testing all of the keys, eventually finding the correct on. "Ah-ha! Got it!" Ilia opened Sienna's cell door, allowing her to walk nonchalantly out of her cell. However, when she did, she gave Ilia a rather disappointed expression, and the younger girl could only come to one reason as to why; "Heh, I, uh, I take it that you _aren't_ all that happy that there are humans in the palace right now."

"No, I am not." Sienna answered with a furrowed brow. "You know very well that bringing humans to this place is HIGHLY prohibited by White Fang law. The whole reason I sent you with Ghira is so that you could _deter_ him from doing exactly that." She closed her eyes and lowered her head. "But instead, you chose to go along with it." Sienna opened her bright yellow eyes and met Ilia's gaze once again. "Might I ask why?"

Ilia bowed to Sienna in respect. "I know, Lady Sienna, and I was initially against the idea of human help as well." She then gestured over to Ben and Yang. "But believe me when I say that these humans ARE good people. They accepted our request for help without a second thought. They didn't turn us away for being Faunus and they didn't even ask for anything in return. They just wish to help, nothing more."

Unexpectedly, at least to Sienna, Yang came forward and bowed her head to her as well. "Please, Miss Khan, I know that us being here is breaking a whole BUNCH of laws, but the reason we're here is to bring that elephant-sized pain in the neck down." She lifted her head up slightly and gave Sienna a smirk. "Besides, fighting bad guys is kinda what we're good at."

Sienna put a finger to her chin. "Hmm… I might be willing to believe you…" But then, her arm snapped to her right, pointing directly at Raven. "…if you were not collaborating with a known criminal who has extorted the White Fang in the past."

Yang cringed at that reminder. "Uh… yeah… she's actually my mom."

Sienna narrowed her gaze. "That doesn't exactly help your case."

Raven sighed before approaching Sienna, a small smile having formed on her face. "Sienna, it's certainly been a while." The tribe leader greeted as she approached. "And I must say, I'm impressed how fast you've made a name for yourself. You've been leading the White Fang for what, two, maybe three years? Haha, and to think that you were once a White Fang Lieutenant when I first met you—" But then, Raven was quickly cut off when Sienna's sharpened nails suddenly went up against her neck, though Raven didn't bat an eye at this. "…So, I'm guessing that small talk isn't going to be an option here?"

"What are you doing here, Raven?" Sienna asked bluntly. "I know for a fact that you're not doing this out of the goodness of your own heart."

"…Would you be willing to give me the benefit of the doubt?" The unwavering expression on Sienna's face was all the answer that Raven needed. "Yeah, didn't think so." Raven lightly pushed Sienna's hand away before explaining herself. "Believe it or not, Sienna, I AM here to help. I'm just not here to help _you_." She pointed right to her daughter. "I'm here to help my daughter and her team not get killed by a psychopath."

Sienna raised a brow. "A psychopath? In Menagerie?"

"Yeah." Sun spoke up. "A scorpion-tailed killer named Tyrian. Maybe you've heard of him?"

Sienna's skin became slightly pale at the very mention of the name. "T-Tyrian? Tyrian Callows? I thought he was dead."

"So did a lot of people, evidently." Raven grumbled. "But yes, he's here, and _I'm_ here to make sure that he doesn't kill my daughter and her friends. And I guess, by proxy, that means I'm protecting you as well."

"I'm honored." Sienna retorted sarcastically. She let out a frustrated sigh before steadying herself. "Well, I suppose there's no real choice at the moment." The tiger lady went back to Ilia and gave her a stern expression. "We'll discuss the ramifications of you bringing human outsiders into a White Fang domicile after this is all over, Ilia." She reached her hand out to the young girl. "Now, the keys, if you would."

Ilia lowered her head before passing over the key ring. "Of course, Lady Sienna."

Once Sienna took the keys, she settled her eyes onto Blake, giving her a judgmental look. "You are extremely lucky that your father is the chieftain, Blake. If any Faunus other than him were making the rules in Menagerie, chances are that the presence of humans on this very soil would be punishable by law."

Blake watched on as Sienna went over to a small storage box on the wall and began testing the different keys to find the right one. But as she was doing that, Blake spoke up behind her; "Sienna, I know that the way you run things and the way my dad ran things in the White Fang are totally different. And I won't lie, at one point, I WAS all for your different way of thinking…" she paused for a moment when Sienna stopped testing the keys. "…But after hearing what Adam wanted to do next—"

"Adam does NOT represent the will of the White Fang, Blake." Sienna interrupted as she finally opened the small container. "What we want is for humanity to fear the Faunus, to know that we demand respect!" Sienna grabbed what was in the containment box; a long chain whip with three blades at its business end. Each blade had three distinct Dust crystals embedded in them; red, yellow and blue. She wrapped the metal whip around her waist before turning back to Blake. "What I do NOT want, is a war with the humans that we cannot win. And, by all accounts of what Adam did, that is exactly what he was intending on starting."

"And maybe he _would_ have, but thanks to the help those two over there, he didn't." Blake pointed over to Ben and Yang, both of whom sent a wave to Sienna. "My friends and I took Adam down, and with him, his goals of subjugating the human race. But unfortunately, I guess Adam's feelings toward humans were shared among a sizable chunk of the White Fang." The cat girl raised a brow to Sienna. "The question is… what do YOU think should be done, Sienna? If we keep stoking the fear that you want humans to feel toward us, then they'll just keep continuing to distrust us, and what happened at Beacon isn't going to help matters."

"You think I don't _know_ that?!" Sienna countered. "Of course, I know that! It was all I had heard for the following _four days_ after the Battle for Beacon! But then…" the White Fang leader gestured around the room. "Guess what happened?! I was pulled away from it when I heard that my home was under siege by a giant elephant man!"

"And I don't blame you for that." Blake assured. "Trust me, if I had heard what was going on here when it was first happening, I would've insisted to my team that we come here as fast as possible to help you all out."

"And we still would've come." Ben added. "No questions asked."

"Please, Miss Khan." Yang pleaded. "We want to help you guys out!"

Sienna whipped her head around to the couple. "Mind your own business. This is a conversation between two Faunus women. It doesn't concern you."

"No, it does!" Blake shouted, gaining Sienna's attention again. "They're my friends, so I'm _welcoming_ their support! Sienna, human and Faunus relations aren't going to get anywhere if we all don't come together. We SHARE this world, and in times like this, we need to realize that now more than ever."

"Blake, what in the _world_ are you talking about?" Sienna questioned. "What do you mean by "in times like this"?"

Suddenly, a loud, familiar cackle echoed throughout the whole room, making everyone cry out in surprise. Their heads all spun toward the doorway, and there, standing nonchalantly against the door frame, was Tyrian. The crazed man had a wicked smile plastered across his face as his beady yellow eyes shifted over to the group, still chuckling a little as he pushed himself off of the frame. "Hehehe, I believe that she's referring to the plans that my queen has for this world, Miss Khan, hehe."

Sienna's eyes widened in apprehension at the man's presence. "Tyrian… so you really ARE alive. What are you doing here? And who is this… "queen" you're referring too?"

"AHAHA! Oh, you'll find out soon enough." Tyrian laughed. "You see, Trumbipulor wished to have us arrange a meeting with her tonight, but since he cannot risk leaving Menagerie, we thought it best to have it… right here."

At that, nearly everyone's blood ran cold. The only exception was Sienna, who had no idea how big of a deal that was. They all remained silent for a good few seconds before Ben was finally able to say something. "S-Salem's coming… here?" the Omnitrix bearer pointed to the ground for emphasis.

"For REAL?" Yang added. "I didn't think she ever LEFT her hidey hole."

Sienna glanced down to Ilia with a raised brow. "And who exactly IS this "Salem"?"

Ilia wore a worried face as she returned Sienna's gaze. "Would you believe… the master and creator of all Grimm?"

The White Fang's former leader went wide-eyed at the concept. "…No, I don't." She studied how tense and serious everyone was at the moment before adding; "…But why do I have the sense that you aren't lying to me?"

"Trust me, Sienna," Blake said with a dead serious face, "we wouldn't kid you about something like this."

Meanwhile, Raven was having trouble comprehending what Tyrian had just said. Salem… here? There was no way in the world that could happen. The maniac must have been on one of his crazed ramblings… but still, the idea kept boring itself into her mind further and further. "No… NO, that's not possible!" Raven exclaimed in a panic.

"Oh, yes, it is! AHAHA!" Tyrian went into a combat stance as his weapons activated, the scorpion Faunus preparing himself to engage his prey. "But unfortunately for you, you all will not be graced with my queen's presence… because I'll have killed you all before you even have the chance! HAHAHA!"

As everyone readied themselves for Tyrian's attack, Sun couldn't help but try and lighten the mood. "So… on a scale of one to ten, how bad is this?"

"An eleven, easily." Blake replied.

* * *

**A/N (Please Read): Well… things seem to be going down. Sienna's made her debut, Ben and Blake's team have set her free and Simian's little squad are on their way to try and take down Winter and Kevin's team in town. And from the sounds of things… Salem may just be making a surprise appearance in Menagerie… or will she? Well, I DO know one thing; Tyrian's come back for another round, and this time, he intends to finish the fight. But hey, at least Ilia's continuing to warm up to the team a bit more, so there's that, right? Hehe… oh boy.** **Alright, so… NEXT TIME! As our heroes in the palace attempt to escape Tyrian's wrath, Winter and Kevin's team finally encounter Simian and his enforcers. It's gonna be a great big slobber knocker in the streets with multiple different fights. We have; Yuma vs. Winter and Kevin, Trifa vs. Rex and Weiss, and finally, Simian vs. Ruby and… Dr. Holiday? Thanks for reading guys and I'll see you all next time! Take care!**


	76. Of Bats, Spiders, and Spider-Monkeys

**A/N: Hey everybody! It's that time again!** **We ALL know why we're here, so let's just jump into it! This is…**

**Chapter 76: Of Bats, Spiders, and Spider-Monkeys**

* * *

After the team had left for Menagerie, things had been relatively peaceful in the Xiao Long house as the afternoon settled in. Although it would be just for a day, Tai was starting to feel quite thankful for the peace and quiet. And to make things even better, he had some pretty good company in the form of Jonathan and Mary Arc, along with Max and Athena of course. Still, he wouldn't be a good host if he didn't show his guests a good time, and by god he was going to do it. For the course of the morning, the five adults had been enjoying themselves, whether it was by doing various activities or even just talking amongst themselves. After playing a few card games inside, Tai, Jonathan and Athena had all competed in a horseshoe throwing contest in the backyard… which Athena had won when she embedded her last horse shoe in a tree on the final throw.

"GAH!" Max grunted as he tried to pry the horse shoe out. "It's really stuck in there!"

"No kidding!" Tai grit his teeth as he pushed his foot against the tree for leverage. "Jeez, Athena, you threw this son of a gun hard!"

"I'm sorry!" The Mistralian huntress cried out, bowing her head in apology.

Jonathan couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Heh, she's beginning to sound like her daughter."

Mary raised an eyebrow at her husband. "Oh, and YOU don't sound like our son sometimes?"

"Hey!" Jonathan retorted, only to have his voice crack. His face went as red as a tomato and his hand went to his mouth, all while everyone else had a good laugh.

After finally removing the horseshoe, the five gathered onto the back porch to take a breather, and it was there that Tai decided to tell the Arcs about how Raven had recently, and unexpectedly, returned into his life. As he had expected, Jonathan was seemed to be in the most disbelief about it. "C'mon, man, I thought you had already known!" Tai exclaimed. "Ya know, considering that you saw Qrow at Ruby's birthday party and all."

"Well, yeah, I had a feeling." Jonathan confirmed. "And after seeing Yang again at the party, I was able to put two and two together. It's scary how much of a resemblance that she and Raven have to one another." The man put his head in his hands. "I just can't wrap my head around the fact that _Raven Branwen_ of all people is actually a _mother_. I mean, this is the woman who gave me a WEDGIE when we were kids for crying out loud!"

"Hehe, so I've heard." Tai chuckled a little before resting his chin on his hand. "Still, I guess it's a good thing that Rae's actually ACTING like a mother now… for the most part. But at the same time, I can't help but feel conflicted about all of it."

Mary couldn't help but purse her lips at that. "Hmm, I have to agree with you there, Tai. I'm astonished that she was able to live with herself after abandoning you and Yang."

"I'm simply surprised that she came back at _all_." Athena agreed. "And that's not even getting into how she and Yang have surprisingly hit it off." The redheaded woman folded her arms across her chest. "If I were Yang, I would be a lot angrier with Raven."

"I can't fault you there… but I think Yang's just trying to give her a chance." Tai sighed. "She's been obsessed with finding out about her mother, and now that Rae's back in her life, I think she just wants to…" The blonde man paused for a moment as his head craned down to the table, the memory of his beloved Summer cropping up in his head once more. "…She wants to know what it's like to have a real mother again."

Everyone at the table grew silent after that, so Max decided to try and change the subject. "Uh… hey! Why don't we all go see if anything good's on TV, huh? Maybe we'll get lucky and we'll find something good."

The group decided to follow Max's idea and went inside, all of them heading straight to the living room. Tai grabbed the remote, turned on the television, and immediately began channel flipping. "Alright, let's see what's on. Remnant's Got Game… nah, too competitive. Acquaintances? Ugh, not funny in the slightest. The Perdix Family? ALSO unfunny." Tai ended up flipping through a majority of the channels before throwing the remote control against the couch. "Gah, it's like there's nothing on!"

"Ugh, what rotten luck." Jonathan scratched the back of his head. "Now what?"

Max put a hand to his chin before a smile came to his face. He snapped his fingers and pointed out to everyone. "I've got it! I'm willing to bet that my grandson has something that we can all watch down in the basement."

Mary sent Max a skeptical gaze. "Are you sure, Max? I mean, most of what the kids seem to enjoy is… well, _kid_ stuff."

"Ah, don't worry about that." Max said with a wink. "My grandson has good taste in ALL forms of entertainment. You all just hold on, I'll be right back." And with that, the old man went down into the basement, leaving the four remaining adults to do nothing but wait for him to return.

Mary sat on the couch, resting her cheek against her palm as a wistful sigh escaped her lips. "You know, I wonder what our children are up to right now. They're probably having an exciting time on their mission."

Jonathan grinned and he put an arm around his wife's shoulders. "Yeah, kind of makes me wish that I could be there with them."

"A part of me wishes that too, Jonathan." Athena concurred. "But with that said, having too many people on that mission would've been a bit of a hassle, especially since it involves stealth."

"Heh, yeah, and we're not exactly all that stealthy." Jonathan chortled. "I mean, my armor would just be clunking and clanging all over the goddamn place, haha!"

Everyone got a small laugh out of that, but at the mention of the mission, Tai couldn't help but feel a small tug in his gut. He glanced at the clock to see that it was now twelve-thirty, making him let out a small sigh. _'Well, they should be there by now. Hopefully everything's going okay…'_ Tai then directed his gaze out the window, staring off into the sky with a silent prayer; _'Girls… everyone… please stay safe.'_

However, he was suddenly broken out of his trance when someone called out to him; "Tai?" The blonde man whipped his head around to see Athena giving him a worried face. "Are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh, me? Yeah!" Tai put on a fake smile while raising a reassuring hand. "Totally fine."

"You sure, bud?" Jonathan asked. "You seem to be… away from your own head."

Mary matched her husband's concern. "Yeah, you were just staring out that window for a good minute. Are you worried about the mission?"

"What, me?!" Tai put a hand to his chest. "Nah, I'm not worried in the slightest. Sure, my kids are half way around the world, but I know that they can handle themselves." He received a bunch of skeptical looks in response. "…You're not convinced, are ya?" Tai let out a groan before resting his forehead against his hand. "And here I thought that distracting myself would help me get over this stupid anxiety."

Athena sighed and put a hand to Tai's shoulder. "Tai, it's one thing to distract yourself from your anxiety, and another to fully get over it. It simply isn't going to go away just because you tell it too."

"She's right." Jonathan agreed as he held his wife closer to him. "When Jaune first left for Beacon, we were scared out of our minds, and the invasion of Vale didn't exactly help matters. But just like we did with our four older daughters, we managed to pick ourselves up and move on from it."

"Fear for your children's safety IS a big concern, Tai," Mary continued, "but if having eight kids has taught us anything, it's that you can't let that get in the way of your own health. If you let your fear and anxiety get the better of you, you'll just end up keeping yourself down."

Tai sighed and his shoulder's slumped. "Yeah, I know… I should probably start going to see a therapist."

"A grand idea." Athena smiled. "Getting help from people, especially a professional, is a good idea. And remember…" the redheaded woman gestured to Jonathan and Mary. "We're here to listen as well, so don't be discouraged, alright?"

Tai returned the smile and gave her a nod. "Yeah. Thanks guys."

"Hey, no problem, man." Jonathan saluted.

"We're happy to help." Mary grinned.

Just as the conversation ended, Max came back into the room with a few disks in his hands. "Hah, okay everyone, I think I've found the perfect show that we can all get a kick out of." The old Plumber knelt down in front of the DVD player and inserted the disk as he explained further; "I used to watch this show when I was Ben's age, and ever since, it's been a big thing in any Tennyson Family household. So I think that you'll really enjoy it."

"I hope so, Max." Tai said before letting out a breath. "Okay, let's give this relaxing thing another try." He sent another smile to Athena. "After all, our kids can handle themselves, am I right?"

"Exactly." Athena concurred. "I'm sure that they're just fine."

* * *

"This is FAR from fine!" Pyrrha hollered as she was being backed up against a wall. The Invincible Girl was being closed in on by a wolf-eared White Fang grunt, the two locked in a battle of blades. Pyrrha kept her xiphos and shield at the ready, using them to block the wolf Faunus' wild and savage attacks. With every swing of the two blades, Pyrrha would either block them with Akouo or deflect them with Milo, but all the while, she knew what he was trying to do. _'I have to stop him, quickly.'_ She waited for the right moment; right when the White Fang was getting ready for another swing. Then, just as he was about to bring his sword down, Pyrrha blocked with her shield again before ducking under it and repositioning herself over to his right side. The wolf Faunus let out a surprised yell before Pyrrha sent a fist straight into his face, knocking him down to the ground. "Apologies, but I wasn't in the mood for your games."

"Nice work, Pyr!" Jaune called out as he also took out one of his opponents, using his shield to block their strike before sweeping their legs out from under them with a swift kick. "Man, I can't believe how many White Fang are out here. This is WAY more than I expected."

"Trumbipulor probably has all hands on deck." Pyrrha figured as she stepped over to her boyfriend. The two stood back to back as even more White Fang closed in all around them, forcing them into a defensive stance. "But we cannot give in now, right?"

"Exactly." Jaune gave Pyrrha a wink. "Which is why I've got a plan. Now guys!"

In a split second, a green blur rushed past all of the White Fang, with multiple sounds of metal slicing through metal accompanying it. Once the green blur stopped, it was revealed to be Ren, who was crouching down directly next to Jaune and Pyrrha. "That should take care of their weapons." The moment that the green ninja stood up, the White Fang's weaponry all began to break apart cleanly, be it fire arm or blade. As the group of grunts and guards gazed at their ruined weapons in astonishment, Ren craned his head up and called out; "Nora, your turn!"

"On it, Renny!" Nora's voice came from above, causing all of the White Fang grunts to crane their heads upward. As it turned out, the Pink Dynamo had climbed up to the top of a nearby building, a wicked smirk plastered onto her face as she shifted Magnhild into its grenade launcher mode. "GET CLEAR!" At her shout, Jaune, Ren and Pyrrha dashed out of the way and past all of the White Fang grunts, allowing Nora to fire a grenade where her three teammates once stood. The impact was just far enough away from the grunts to not cause serious damage, but the force of the blast was enough to knock them all down to the ground. Nora leapt down from her perch and met with her teammates, giving a cheer while pumping a fist into the air. "WOO! Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!"

"You're telling me." Jaune agreed. "Nice work, guys."

"Indeed." Pyrrha agreed, though she wore a slightly concerned face. "Still, we should probably be more careful with tactics like that. Remember, we aren't dealing with Grimm here."

"Hah, right." Ren sighed. "Hopefully these foot soldiers will stop coming soon enough." The green ninja shifted his gaze around, hoping to locate the rest of their team. "Hey, has anyone seen the others?"

But right as he said that, they heard a rather familiar voice shout; "INCOMING!", prompting them to whip their heads upwards. Team JNPR's eyes collectively widened as they saw Rex falling from the sky, his Boogie Pack falling to pieces as a White Fang guard dug into the wings with three long claw-like blades that were attached to her gauntlets. The four teammates dove out of the way as Rex and the guard finally landed on the ground, the two rolling onward as they continued their scuffle. Finally, the guard managed to pin Rex beneath her, embedding her claws into the ground on either side of his head in order to keep him there. "GAH! Heh, c'mon _señorita_ , can't we cut a deal?"

The woman growled as she grit her sharp teeth, all while giving him a nasty glare. "No way, bub! I don't know WHO you are or why you and the Schnees are attacking us, but I swear, NONE of you are leaving Menagerie alive—AGH!" The guard was cut off when a powerful blast from behind blew her off of Rex, allowing him to get up. She rolled up onto her feet and glared in the direction of where the blast came from, her eyes narrowing even further when she saw who was responsible for it. " _You_."

"Yes, me." Weiss affirmed as she stepped forward, with Myrtenaster pointed directly at the woman. "And if you know what's good for you, you'll stay off of him."

"SCHNEE!" The woman roared as she ran forward, readying her tri-clawed gauntlets to strike a finishing blow. "I'll KILL you!"

"Unlikely." With a wave of her weapon, Weiss brought up a large glyph shield in front of her, blocking the White Fang's strike just in time. "Rex, NOW!"

In a split second, Rex came up behind the woman with his Blast Caster activated. "No need to tell me twice, Weiss!" He wrapped the large whip around the woman's body and instantly pulled her away from Weiss, sending her flying down the street. Rex chuckled to himself as he realized what he had just said. "Hehe, "twice, Weiss". Sorry for the unintended rhyme there."

"No need." Weiss assured as she watched the woman land on her feet and come running right back toward them. "Wow, she's persistent."

"You're DEAD MEAT, Schnee!" The White Fang guard leapt into the air, springing herself forward for another strike with her metal claws. "You AND your boy toy!"

The EVO and the heiress blushed at what the wild woman had just said, though the red on Weiss' face was a combination of both embarrassment AND anger. "He is NOT my "boy toy"! UGH!"

But just as the guard was about to close the distance between her and her target, a flurry of rose petals blew right into her face, causing her to stumble and fall back to the ground. The petals all gathered back together and Ruby appeared, the Hooded Huntress pulling out Crescent Rose. "Sorry, Claw Lady, but my partner and my friend _aren't_ on your menu today."

"Why you!" The wild woman surged upward to claw Ruby's eyes out, but was immediately put back down when a fist slammed into her face, knocking her out.

Over to the side, Kevin shook his hand as he sent a smirk over to the silver-eyed girl. "Nice distraction, Ruby."

"Thanks, and nice punch." Ruby turned around and sent a knowing smile to Weiss and Rex. "So, having a tough time with these guys?"

"Pfft, no." Weiss denied. "We would've taken her out eventually."

Rex placed his hands on his hips. "Yeah, thanks for the help, but we can take care of ourselves."

Ruby raised her hands defensively. "Alright, alright, I get the message." But the Hooded Huntress smirked internally as she thought to herself; _'Hehe, this is just too good. They SO wanna show off to each other.'_

Just then, Dr. Holiday and Winter came jogging up, the former's eyes landing on Rex and Weiss. "THERE you two are." The doctor said with relief. "I was wondering what had happened when that crazy lady jumped you, Rex. Is everything okay here?"

"Pretty much, doc." Rex nodded as Team JNPR came over to rejoin their group. "I think we finally might be whittling 'em down a bit.

Winter began scanning the area, the specialist searching for any signs of White Fang activity. "I wouldn't be so sure, Rex. Remember, in cases like these, it's never THAT easy to take an enemy down."

However, at that moment, a new voice entered the conversation; "How right you are, Miss Schnee." Everyone's eyes widened as they began whirling their heads around, searching for where they unseen voice had come from. After a few seconds, the voice sighed and called to them; "I'm up here, you fools!" That caught the team's attention and they shifted their gaze up, finally finding the source of the voice; a spikey haired man with batwings on his back. He was wearing an annoyed expression as he flew down to ground level, giving the group a sneer. "So, THESE are the Hunters that've somehow infiltrated our defenses? Tch, pathetic!"

Kevin narrowed his eyes, not in anger, but confusion. _'That voice… I've heard it somewhere before. But where?'_

Ruby stepped forward and pointed Crescent Rose at the bat Faunus. "And just who are _you_ , exactly?"

The winged man scowled as he folded his arms over his chest. "I am Yuma." he stated. "An assassin and proud member of the White Fang." If possible, his angry expression grew even harder. "And your _intrusion_ in Menagerie is in direct violation of the law here."

"Not if the chieftain is the one who brought us here." Winter argued. "Ghira Belladonna specifically requested for our assistance in liberating Menagerie from—"

"HA!" Yuma scoffed, interrupting Winter's argument. "Ghira's influence and power were stripped of him the moment that Lord Trumbipulor took over. Now, both the White Fang AND Menagerie are under HIS rule, and that means that ANY defiance toward him is immediately deemed punishable by law." Yuma unfolded his arms and pointed right to the group. "But, because I'm feeling generous today, I'll make you a deal; leave this island now, and your lives will be spared. If you don't, you'll ALL suffer the consequences of your actions."

"Not happening, man!" Jaune refused as he pointed his sword at Yuma. "We're going to free the people here and bring Trumbipulor to justice."

"Exactly." Pyrrha concurred. "I for one am surprised that you can support this kind of behavior. I mean, the people here are being subjugated and extorted. Doesn't that bother you at ALL?!"

"It is regrettable, yes, but it will ALL be worth it." Yuma spread his arms out, gesturing to the houses lining the streets. "The time that the Faunus here will spend being oppressed will only be miniscule compared to what the humans will suffer through! Once we win Trumbipulor's favor, we will finally be able to do what both Ghira AND Sienna were too afraid to do; go to war with the human race!"

"What?!" Weiss exclaimed. "That's insane! The White Fang is an organization, not an army!"

Yuma turned his nose up to Weiss. "You're right, Schnee, it isn't. …At least, not yet." He raised an open hand, his fingers clawed. "We'll gather every willing Faunus imaginable from ALL across the world until the White Fang IS an army. And then," he balled his hand into a powerful fist, "we WILL be worthy of starting a war."

"But you STILL won't be able to win!" Weiss rebuked. "You'll be going up against the ENTIRETY of humanity, plus any Faunus who DON'T wanna be on your si—HMPH!" The heiress was suddenly cut off when something shot out from the shadows and wrapped around the lower half of her face, taking everybody by surprise. "MMPH! MMM-MMPH!" Weiss muffled out a scream for help as she began pulling at the white, stringy substance that was keeping her mouth shut.

"Weiss!" Rex went over and put a hand on her shoulder, calming her down a bit. "Hold still, okay?" The EVO reached around and slowly began peeling the sticky stuff away as gently as he could, though a few pained yelps escaped Weiss' throat whenever a few of her hairs got pulled.

It took about twenty seconds, but the substance was finally off, allowing Weiss to breathe a sigh of relief. "Phew, thanks Rex." The white-haired girl glared out into the darkness and called out; "Who did that?! Show yourself!"

"Hmhm, gladly." A feminine voice came from out of the shadows before its owner emerged. She was a young woman with short, grey hair. But those wasn't her most defining features. Rather, it was her grey hands and the dark grey veins that were on her arms and chest. She gave them a bow before introducing herself. "My apologies… but I just couldn't _stand_ the sound of your voice any longer."

Weiss fumed in anger while Winter narrowed her eyes at the new comer. "And you would be?" the elder Schnee asked.

"Trifa, another proud member of the White Fang." The spider girl answered before directing her attention to Weiss. "And if you really MUST know how we plan to win a war with humanity, we have some new allies that we're consulting with at the moment to help that dream become a reality."

Kevin sent a glare at Trifa at the mention of new allies. "Salem's crew."

At that moment, another voice came out of the shadows, and it was one that Kevin recognized all too well; "That's right, Levin." The Osmosian whirled his head around to a dark alley, prompting everyone else to do the same. "And at this very moment, Trumbipulor is waiting to hear word from the witch about a possible alliance."

Kevin balled his hands into fists at the familiar voice. "Why don't you come out and show yourself, Simian? We all know it's you."

"Very well, but you brought this upon yourself." Simian stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself in all his Arachnichimp glory. "It's been far too long, Kevin. I must admit, I didn't expect you and the Tennysons to be here, but… what?" As Simian glared at the group of Hunters, he noticed that some of them seemed to be holding back laughter, much to his confusion. "What's so—"

"BAHAHAHA!" Kevin was the first to lose it, and as such, everyone else was sent into an uproarious laughter as well. Even Winter, Holiday and Ren were silently chuckling to themselves as they hid their grins behind their hands. In between his fits of laughter, Kevin pointed a finger at Simian, trying desperately to speak. "S-Si-Simian, wha… what the HELL are you wearing?! AHAHA!"

Simian's face soured as he glanced down at his bright pink shirt, realizing that it was the reason behind all of the hilarity. _'Oh, right… I probably should've taken this off.'_ But, in an attempt to save face, Simian decided to argue back. "I'll have you know that MANY men are proud to wear pink, Levin!"

But his argument fell on deaf ears as everyone continued to laugh. Jaune was doubled over in stitches while Pyrrha supported herself against his shoulder, and Rex had his head craned back as he let out his loud guffaws to the sky. Next to the EVO, Weiss was snickering to herself while Ruby and Nora had fallen to the ground, literally rolling on the floor laughing. Ruby managed to compose herself for a few seconds to respond; "Y-Yeah, but the pink just clashes SO horribly with your BLUE FUR! HAHAHA!"

"W-What in the WORLD were you THINKING with _that_?!" Nora hollered, the hyperactive redhead now thoroughly in tears. "It's like putting a doll's clothes on a stuffed toy! HAHA!"

Simian grumbled as he crossed his four arms. "There was… a mishap with the laundry."

"To say the freakin' LEAST!" Kevin smirked. "Man, at least now we can convict you of two things; taking this place over with Trumbipulor…" The Osmosian pointed to the shirt. "And that _horrible_ fashion statement."

Simian let out a growl, balling his hands into fists. "ENOUGH!" he shouted. "You're on our land, so you WILL show us the respect we deserve!"

Jaune let out a deep-bellied laugh. "HA! Yeah, sure, once you lose the strawberry shirt, THEN we'll talk."

"Indeed." Pyrrha smiled confidently. "What makes the three of you think that you can take on all of us?"

A sinister smirk appeared on Simian's face as he raised a single hand. "This." He snapped his fingers and from out of the shadows, more White Fang guards appeared, surrounding the team of heroes and Hunters on all sides. "Yuma! Trifa! Let's dispose of these cretins, shall we?"

Yuma unsheathed his scimitars and went into a combative stance. "Gladly."

Trifa reached down to her hips and pulled out two black and silver flintlock pistols, the handles stylized with a white web pattern. There was also a rather deadly bayonet attached to the underside of each pistol, the blades possessing rather sharp ridges on them. "We'll make short work of them, Master Simian."

Pyrrha scowled and let out a sigh as she and the rest of the group of heroes readied themselves for battle once again. "Of course, I'm sorry I asked."

* * *

In a nearby alleyway, Hazel was standing silently in the darkness as the fight in the middle of town resumed, the burly man waiting patiently to make his move. However, there was a second reason that he was hiding out for the time being, and that reason was floating right in front of him just a foot above the ground. A lone Seer Grimm was hovering in place before him, and Hazel was speaking directly to it. Or rather, he was speaking to a certain woman _through_ it. "Lady Salem, I apologize for contacting you again so soon." Hazel bowed his head in respect. "But I'm afraid that we have a problem."

" _And what would that be, Hazel?"_ Salem spoke through the Seer.

"Regrettably, Ben Tennyson and his team have arrived in Menagerie." Hazel explained. "It would seem that Ghira and Kali were able to form a plan with them much faster than we anticipated."

" _Hmm, so it would seem."_ Salem concurred. _"But then again, considering what these children have been able to pull off, I suppose that it should not be THAT surprising."_

"I'm sorry, my mistress." Hazel apologized. "I promise you that we WILL find a way to get Tennyson and his team out of Menagerie, by any means necessary."

But rather than approving of the action right away, Salem instead began to chastise Hazel, almost like how a mother did a child. _"Ah-ah, let's not be too hasty, Hazel. I think that we have a golden opportunity here."_

Hazel's eyes widened in surprise. "…What do you mean?"

" _I don't think we should be quick to run Tennyson and his team off just yet."_ Hazel could practically hear the evil smirk working its way onto Salem's face as she spoke. _"After all, I still have a meeting scheduled with Lord Trumbipulor, don't I?"_

"You're still coming?" But then, the large man's lips parted in realization. "Lady Salem… you don't mean…"

" _Hazel, I have been quite eager to speak with young Benjamin for a while now."_ Salem explained. _"And I wish to show him just what he is getting into by challenging me. I will not allow this opportunity to pass me by. Am I clear?"_

Hazel felt his blood run cold. But, even if he had his fears, he still lowered his head in respect. "I… I understand, Lady Salem."

" _Good. I will arrive shortly."_ Salem took a momentary pause before adding; _"Oh, and Hazel? Do not be afraid to hold anything back when it comes to Tennyson's teammates. After all, the less of them that live, the better."_

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the White Fang's underground stockade, Ben Tennyson was staring down a complete and utter psychopath, hoping to whatever god may exist that what he'd just heard wasn't true. _'If Salem actually DOES come here… then we might just be screwed.'_ He took a quick glance to the Omnitrix, thinking over which aliens would be best to use if he'd ever got into a confrontation with her. _'Let's see… Clockwork? Nah, she might be able to deflect the chrono-beams. Gravattack? Maybe, but she'll probably be able to negate the gravity a few seconds after I set it up. Way Big? Probably my best chance, but if I wreck this place, everyone else will die. And that leaves… Alien X.'_ Ben winced as he thought it over in his head. _'…At this point, I really hope that Belicus and Serena are in a listening mood.'_

However, he was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard Yang shout; "BEN! Watch out!" The hero snapped his eyes up just in time to see Tyrian lunging at all of them, his wicked cackle louder than ever. But just as the madman was about to strike Ben with his pincer-shaped blades, Yang pulled him out of the way while Raven sidestepped directly in front of both of them, deflecting the attack with Omen. After that, she swung her sword right at Tyrian, forcing the scorpion Faunus to leap back with a flip.

Ben let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and hugged his girlfriend. "Thanks Yang, I owe you big time."

Yang gave him a peck on the cheek. "Don't mention it. I'm just glad he didn't gore you."

"Right." Ben then gave a nod to the tribe leader. "And thank _you_ , Raven. I seriously didn't see that coming."

"Obviously!" Raven berated the hero. "What's going on in that head of yours, Benjamin?!"

"Just… just trying to figure out what we're going to do when… _she_ gets here."

Blake glanced to the hero and put a reassuring hand to his shoulder. "IF she gets here, you mean." she corrected. "Remember, this is Tyrian talking. For all we know, he could just be trying to throw us off with a bunch of crazy talk."

But all that did was make Tyrian laugh even louder. "AHAHA! Believe me, Miss Kitty, I wouldn't joke about something like this." The crazed man tilted his head a bit while increasing the size of his smirk. "Believe me, my queen IS coming here. And when she does, you will ALL know what true fear really is! HAHAHA!"

Sun pulled Ruyi Jingu Bang off of his back and assumed a combat-ready stance, preparing himself for Tyrian's next attack. "Guys, I hate to state the obvious, but this ain't looking good. We need to get outta here now if Salem really IS showing up."

"He's right." Sienna acknowledged. "Further still, we must stop Trumbipulor from meeting with this "Salem" before they strike a deal and send Menagerie down an even further spiral." The tiger lady stepped up and pulled her signature weapon; the Cerberus Whip, off of her waist, her eyes narrowing at Tyrian. "And if we have to fight through this deranged psychopath, then so be it."

"AHAHA! Go ahead!" Tyrian spread his arms out, welcoming the challenge. "I'd like to see you try, Miss Khan!"

But just as Sienna was going to make due on her promise, Raven raised Omen out to stop her from taking another step. As expected, Sienna didn't take the motion well, sending the tribe leader a glare. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"As much as I'd like to argue about this with you, Sienna, I'm afraid that isn't an option at the moment." Raven explained. "Right now, you need to remain alive, as do the children. I want you to go with them and take on Trumbipulor, _I_ will handle Tyrian in the meantime."

Yang wore a conflicted expression as her mother said those words. On the one hand, yes, they needed to get out of here alive, especially if Salem was coming soon. But on the other, the thought of her mother staying to face Tyrian by herself gave her an apprehensive feeling that she just couldn't shake. At that moment though, Yang felt a hand rest on her shoulder, prompting her to shift her gaze up to meet her mothers. "…Mom?"

Raven gave her daughter a nod before going on; "Yang, I want you to listen to me very carefully. I need you to make sure that your group and Sienna get out of here alive, alright?" She gave her daughter's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "And I'll be right behind you, understand? Don't worry about me."

"I…" Yang pursed her lips in thought and frustration before letting out a reluctant sigh. "Alright, fine. Just… stay alive, okay?"

Raven smirked at her daughter's words. "I plan on it." The tribe leader then whipped her head around to Blake and Ilia, a plan having formed in her head. "Hey ladies, think you two can provide a cover?"

"On it!" Blake loaded a vial of Earth Dust into Gambol Shroud and burst forward with surprising speed toward Tyrian. The action caught the crazed man slightly off-guard, but he eagerly brought his tail up to meet her attack. However, at the last second, Blake activated her Semblance and created a shadow clone of herself made entirely of dirt, taking Tyrian by surprise even further. "Ilia, now!"

"Gotcha!" Ilia leapt forward and brought out her Lightning Lash, using it to whip at the solid shadow clone and make it burst into a large cloud of dust, covering the entire room. "Come on, let's go!" Under the cover of dirt and sand, the five teens and Sienna all ran straight past Tyrian and out of the room, the scorpion Faunus having been blinded by the clone exploding right in his face.

"AGH! MY EYES!" Tyrian began hacking and coughing as he tried in vain to clear his eyes. He began tearing up as he fell to his knees, attempting to get his eyes out of the dust cloud that had kicked up. "They're gonna PAY for this—ACK!" Tyrian was suddenly met with a swift kick to the face, knocking him back so far that he flew out of the room and back into the hallway, slamming right into the far wall. He let out an angry yell as he wiped at his eyes more, finally getting most of the sand out of them. The first thing he saw was the retreating forms of Sienna and the teens, prompting him to snarl in ire. "Get back here!"

"They aren't going to listen to you, you know." Raven stated as she walked out of the room, opening her eyes once she came face to face with Tyrian. "Besides, when was the last time that anyone listened to a mad man like you?"

Tyrian growled in frustration as he lunged forward once again, intending to end this fight quickly. "I'll decorate my wall with your HEAD, Branwen!" He brought his Queen's Servants up to slice through Raven's abdomen, intending to spill her guts.

But Raven was quick on the draw, blocking his attack by bringing Omen up and clashing it with his blades. Then, in one swift movement, the tribe leader used Tyrian's momentum against him as she redirected him into another wall by shifting the position of her blade in the opposite direction. "See? That's exactly the kind of talk that I'm referring to."

"Enough of this!" Tyrian whipped back around and attacked again, this time with much more hastened ferocity behind his attacks. The two began clashing weapons more rapidly now as they dashed across the hallway, though Raven made sure to lead him away from Yang and the others rather than toward them. Out of the corner of her eye, Raven saw a nearby room, one that seemed much more open with a large table right in the middle of it. As she bounced another of Tyrian's strikes back at him, Raven quickly dove toward the room, prompting Tyrian to follow her. "You won't get away from me!"

"Wasn't planning on it!" Raven called back as she entered the room. Tyrian leapt in as well, sailing straight toward her with his blades at the ready. But just as he closed the distance, Raven brought Omen up and slashed at him, hoping to get in a lucky hit. Unfortunately, that was not the case as Tyrian simply grabbed the blood red blade and used it to flip over her at the last possible second. He landed behind her and whipped his tail up to her, only for Raven to block it with Omen. "This is getting far too predictable, Tyrian!"

"Predict this!" Tyrian whirled around and sent a downward slash at Raven, which she was able to quickly counter with her sword. But then he brought his leg up for a kick, only for Raven to quickly duck under before bringing Omen in for a back-hand swing. Tyrian was able to avoid it though, laying himself flat on the ground before kicking himself up and over the tribe leader. As he did a mid-air spin, Tyrian fired off the guns in his weapons, forcing Raven to retreat with a few flips to avoid getting hit. Tyrian landed on the table, giving Raven a sinister grin. "Why don't you just give up now? You have no stakes in _this_! You're a bandit, why fight with the good guys?"

Raven sent Tyrian an ireful glare and tightened her hold on Omen when he said that. "Because… I won't abandon my family. Not again!" With that, Raven rushed forward, only for Tyrian to block the strike again.

"AHAHA! Oh god, now THAT is rich! HAHA!" Tyrian's eyes turned purple as his grin increased in size. "But still… hehehe, THIS should be fun."

* * *

Kevin Levin didn't normally ponder on a lot of things when it came to fighting bad guys. He was usually more of a "hit first, ask questions later" kind of guy. He knew that he often got on his girlfriend's nerves because of that attitude, but most of the time, bad guys can just be dealt with by giving them a good punch. Now, put a car or a Class S starship in front of him, and THAT is where he got thinking. However, in this particular moment, he was fighting a spikey-haired man with a goatee and batwings, and all the while he couldn't help but wonder; _'Why DOES his voice sound so familiar to me?'_

Yuma's scimitars clashed against Kevin's arms, which had taken on the form of spiked bludgeons after the Osmosian had reabsorbed the pavement beneath his feet. But for every strike that Yuma sent to the dark-haired young man, Kevin just managed to deflect every one of them. This only served to frustrate Yuma more and more. "Will you just give in, human?!" he snarled. "You know that this is all futile, right?!"

"Not really, dude." Kevin shook his head. "In fact, I think my chances are a lot better than you think."

"And why would you think that " _dude_ "?" Yuma said mockingly.

Kevin smirked and pointed behind the bat Faunus. "Because I've got _her_ here."

Yuma's eyes widened and he whipped around just in time to see Winter coming in for a strike, prompting him to raise his scimitars in a X formation to block the attack. "HA! Thanks for the warning, idiot!"

But Kevin's smirk didn't fade as he shifted his bludgeon hand into a hammer. "Who said I was warning ya about her?" With that, Kevin slammed Yuma in the side, sending him tumbling to the ground. Kevin placed his hands on his hips as Winter approached him, a slightly aggravated expression on her face. "Well? Was that a great comeback or what—" _CONK._ "OW!"

Winter had used the handle of her primary sword to knock the top of Kevin's head, her face unchanging from its irritated state. "You _boob_ , I had him right where I wanted him!" The military specialist berated. "I would have guaranteed a knock out if you hadn't smacked him away!"

"Gah, jeez! Well forgive me for not knowing your plan!" Kevin retorted. "But hey, at least he's down, right?"

"But NOT out!" At that moment, Yuma picked himself off of the ground and spread his wings, taking to the air laughing to himself proudly. "Haha! Try to get at me now, imbeciles!"

Winter groaned in frustration while Kevin readied himself for another round. "Alright, new plan; I'm gonna keep my mouth shut."

"How productive." Winter said sarcastically before offering her smaller, secondary blade to him. "Here, take this."

Kevin furrowed his brows at the sword. "Uh, Winter, I can make my own—"

"I meant the metal!"

"Oh! Right!" Kevin grabbed the blade and absorbed the metal, coating his entire body in the substance before refocusing himself. "Alright, so what's the plan?" However, Kevin's eyes widened when he saw Yuma swooping down from the sky straight at Winter, causing him to grab her and move her out of the way. "Watch out!"

The two landed on the ground while Yuma soared back up into the sky, with Winter giving the bat Faunus a nasty look. "That was an underhanded play!"

"Exactly!" Yuma shouted before diving back down to the ground. He reared his arms back to strike again, only for Winter to spring up and redirect the strike with her own swords. The two then began trading blows with their blades as Yuma continued to egg Winter on. "What did you _think_ was going to happen? That I was just going to fly there while you two stood around and planned my downfall?"

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Yuma spotted Kevin coming up on his left, prompting him to raise his left arm to block the Osmosian's own arm-blades. However, just as Kevin brought them down, he shifted them from swords to hammers, allowing him to easily make Yuma let go of the blade and take him off guard. "Yeah, actually." Kevin said before hitting Yuma square in the chest. "That's kinda what we were hoping for."

Yuma let out a pained cry as he stumbled back, his energy depleting rather quickly. _'I have to finish this soon!'_ he thought to himself before spreading his wings again. He took to the air and flew straight over Kevin and Winter's heads, allowing him to scoop up his other scimitar from the ground before taking to the skies again to recoup himself.

As they gazed up at him, a plan finally entered Winter's mind. "We need to either lure him or _force_ him back down to ground level." The elder Schnee firmly grasped her sword and pointed it toward the ground, making a glyph directly beneath her feet. "I can get up there, but I'll need a distraction. Think you can handle that?"

Kevin gave her a smirk and a thumbs up. "There's nobody more distracting than me, Winter."

"Good." Winter pointed directly to the top of a nearby single-story building, one of the only structures in town that had a flat roof. "Lure him up there and _keep_ him there while I ready the take down."

"Gotcha!" Kevin saluted before running toward the building, waving his arms frantically all the while. "HEY! Bat-brain! Down here!" The Osmosian reached the building and jumped onto the wall, making the palms of his hands and the bottoms of his feet spikey while doing so. This allowed him to get a good hold of the wall and he began climbing, keeping his eyes on Yuma as he did. "Bet your wings are compensating for somethin'!"

"WHAT WAS THAT, HUMAN TROLL?!" Yuma screamed at the indignity before swooping down to the building, just in time for Kevin to finally get to the top. "I will make you eat those words and throw them back up!"

' _Yeah, his voice is DEFINITLY starting to sound familiar.'_ Kevin thought to himself as he shifted his hands back into blades. _'Where HAVE I heard it before?'_ In less than two seconds, the two were clashing once again, with Yuma taking care to stay up in the air while attacking Kevin. Their respective swords clanged and scraped against each other multiple times, with each impact creating more sparks each time. "Sheesh, dude, can't take a joke?!"

"I'll show YOU what's a joke, you fool!" Yuma shouted.

Back on the ground, Winter was focusing heavily on the way Yuma was flying while he fought Kevin. Finally, after keeping track of the pattern that Yuma had to his attacks, Winter raised her sword up high and she summoned multiple glyphs, all of them at different angles leading up to the roof and above. With that, she made the glyph directly beneath her feet spin rapidly, giving her the extra power that she needed to lunge right up to the first glyph. From there, Winter went from glyph to glyph, the young woman's momentum growing ever faster with each leap.

On the rooftop, Kevin noticed Winter's feat of acrobatics out of the corner of his eye, making him grin wickedly as he shifted his focus back to Yuma. He deflected one of the bat Faunus' attacks before making another quip at him. "You know man, if there's one thing that bugs me, it's a persistent bad guy."

"And if there's one thing that bothers ME, it's an idiot who won't SHUT UP!" Yuma retaliated as their swords struck each other once again. "What's your point?!"

Kevin smirked as he saw Winter leap up to her final glyph, one that was positioned directly behind Yuma. "Ah, you know, that's the irony about it. See, YOU are that idiot who's about to be shut up."

"HA!" Yuma scoffed. "And who's going to do _that_ , exactly?"

The moment that Winter took her great leap, Kevin pointed behind Yuma. "She is."

Yuma's eyes bugged out and he made to turn around and fly up, but it was too late. At the speeds that Winter had jumped at, he wouldn't have made it even if he had been warned a few seconds sooner. The bat-Faunus was struck out of the air and he fell to the ground, dropping his scimitars as he did so. He tried to roll up to his feet and bring up his fists to fight back, but the moment that he did, he was met with a swift kick to the stomach by Winter's high-heeled boots, causing him to double over in pain. As his head lowered though, Yuma was greeted by a quick punch in the face, eliciting a loud yell as his hands went up to where he was hit. Finally, Winter delivered a low sweep to Yuma's legs, forcing him to fall to the ground in utter pain.

Kevin didn't waste any time in taking out a pair of energy cuffs that he kept in his back pocket. However, he noticed Yuma attempting to get up, so he tossed the cuffs over to Winter before pinning Yuma back down. "Care to do the honors?" Kevin asked as he forced the bat Faunus onto his back and kept his wings secured.

Winter caught the cuffs and sent Kevin a grin. "I'd be glad too." The military specialist strolled over and put the energy cuffs around Yuma's wrists, the bat Faunus attempting to resist all the while. "And this is where the idiot is shut up, correct?"

"NO!" Yuma screamed in defiance. "I am NOT the idiot here! You humans are—ack!" With a swift strike to the base of his neck, Winter knocked Yuma out, his head falling to the wood paneling of the roof beneath him.

Kevin got up and shed his metallic shell, giving Winter a small grin before offering a handshake. "That was pretty sweet, Winter! Gotta say, even if you're a little uptight, you're alright in my book."

Despite the little jab at her personality, Winter returned the grin and shook Kevin's hand. "Thank you, Kevin. But this was a team effort."

"Eh, maybe, but _you're_ the one who took him out." The Osmosian gave her a wink. "Speaking of "taking out", something tells me that Kenny's gonna be one lucky dude when you two finally get to meet in person."

A slight blush appeared on Winter's face as she cleared her throat, attempting to keep her composure. "Ahem, y-yes, I suppose so." Winter picked Yuma off the ground and handed his unconscious body over to Kevin, who was unprepared for the hand-off. As the Osmosian stumbled back a bit, Winter began to make her way to the edge of the roof top, intending to get back to ground level. "Now come, we must get back to everyone else."

* * *

"So, what do you make of her, Ice Princess?" Rex asked as he and Weiss stood off against the creepy spider girl across the way. Trifa hadn't made any moves yet, which was disconcerting to say the least. All she did was stand there, her eyes scanning over her opponents. It was almost as if she were carefully analyzing their behavior to see what they would do next. "Think she's using some sort of sixth sense to get a read on us or something? Because I gotta tell ya, I'm seriously freaked the heck out. _Muy siniestro_."

"I doubt it." Weiss denied. "I think she's intentionally trying to scare us. And yes "very creepy", indeed."

Rex gave her a smirk. "Hey, you're getting better at translation."

"Yep, now let's take down this _bruja_." Weiss wore a calm and collected expression as she aimed Myrtenaster at Trifa, all while Rex wore a proud smile behind her. "I suggest we get this over with!" The heiress declared. "Otherwise, we'll just be standing here all night while everyone else fights."

"A fair point." Trifa smiled eerily. "Let's fix that, shall we?" In an instant, the spider-girl brought up her flint-lock pistols and began firing off multiple shots directly at Weiss and Rex, forcing the two to tuck and roll away. "There. Happy now, _Ice Princess_?"

As she rolled back onto her feet, Weiss' eyes widened at Trifa's use of the two words. But they were quickly substituted for a glaring look as she summoned a glyph in front of her. "Don't you DARE use that nickname!" The glyph began spinning faster and faster before a powerful beam of energy shot out from its center, forcing Trifa to jump away before it made impact with the ground. "Only ONE person is allowed to call me that, and even then, it's because he's respectfully persistent!"

"Aw, thanks Weiss!" Rex smiled. "Glad to know that you at least respect me for something."

Weiss sent a grin right back at him. "No problem, now can you give me a hand here?!"

"Gladly!" Rex saluted before activating his Smack Hands. "But how about I give ya two instead?" With a mighty battle cry, Rex surged forward and brought his Smack Hands up, intending to bring them down on Trifa. "Alright, spider-girl, let's—huh?!" Just as he was about to close the distance between them, Rex saw Trifa suddenly holster one of her pistols before zipping out of the way faster than he had expected her to move. His giant arms slammed into nothing but the earth below him, leaving him very confused. "W-What the—"

"Surprise!" Trifa's yell made Rex whip his head up in time to see her send a kick right into his face, causing him to stumble back and let out a pained yell. As Rex deactivated one of his Smack Hands to hold his face, Trifa landed on the ground with a smirk. "How was that? Painful enough for you?"

"Gah! What the hell, lady?!" Rex shouted, removing his hand to give her an angry look. _'How was she able to move so fast?'_ he thought to himself before noticing that Weiss was preparing herself for another strike. Rex reached his normal hand out and called to her; "Wait, don't—"

But he was too late. Weiss had already thrust Myrtenaster forward, intending to catch Trifa off guard. However, without even turning around, Trifa reached her arm upward, zipping off into the air again. As Weiss came to a stop, she blinked in bewilderment before sending a glare to Rex. "Nice job, Robo-dolt! You warned her about my attack!"

"I don't think that would've made a difference." Rex said as he approached her, his other Smack Hand deactivating. "Something tells me she's able to sense our movements."

"You're very astute, Bolts-for-Brains!" The two craned their heads up to see Trifa crouched down on top of a street light, the spider-girl smirking down at them. "I have a forewarning Semblance. I can sense when something dangerous that's close to me is about to happen, and because of that, I can avoid it."

Rex and Weiss stared at her for a few moments before a grin began to form on the former's face. "So… you have a _spider-sense_?" the EVO guessed.

Trifa pursed her lips at the term. "I… suppose?"

"HA! Sweet! I was kind of right!" Rex laughed. "And I guess that mean's you're moving around so fast thanks to those webs of yours, huh?"

"Yes." Trifa pointed down to the street light below her, gesturing to the long string of web that was hanging from it. "My webs have multiple uses, but mobility is probably the most useful of them all."

Rex gave Trifa a smirk and crossed his arms. "Listen, lady, I don't usually give advice to the baddies, but I gotta say that you're REALLY in the wrong line of work."

Weiss' eyes widened at his words. "Rex what the HECK are you doing?!"

Trifa turned her nose up to the young man. "Oh really? And what would give you THAT idea?"

"Trust me, you'd be a LOT better off using your Semblance and webs to _help_ people instead of killing them." Rex explained. "Hell, you could probably be a GREAT superhero with your kind of abilities."

"Hmm, an intriguing thought, but I'm afraid I'll have to pass." With a thrust of her hand, Trifa sent a shot of webbing straight into Rex, causing him to be pushed onto the ground as the web ensnared his upper body and arms.

"Rex!" Weiss sneered up to Trifa and activated a glyph, sending a slew of lasers at the spider Faunus. In a single second, Trifa jumped out of the way of the lasers, resulting in the street light blowing up instead. Weiss spun around as Trifa landed on the ground, the spider-girl pulling out her other pistol again before firing them at the heiress, only for her shots to be absorbed into yet another glyph. "So what, THIS is how you repay someone for just giving friendly advice?" Wiess snapped. "By webbing them up?"

"Sorry, but the hero life just doesn't interest me." Trifa darted forward and reached her hand out, sending a long string of web at the glyph. The webbing managed to stick and, with a mighty yank of her arm, Trifa pulled herself toward Weiss to meet her head on. However, just as she did so, she felt her precognitive sense go off, making her eyes bug out. In a split second, the Glyph disappeared and the webbing fell to the ground, allowing Weiss to lung forward and attack. This forced Trifa to tuck and roll to avoid it, the two girls passing each other before both spun back around, aiming their respective weapons at one another. "Don't you see there's no point?" Trifa asked as she pulled her other pistol back out. "I can sense what you'll do before you even do it!"

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean I won't stop fighting!" Wiess spun Myrtenaster's barrel to the Lightning Dust setting and held the weapon upwards, focusing heavily on her Semblance. The heiress summoned a Time Dilation glyph beneath her feet, its power coursing through her almost immediately. "Let's see if your Semblance can keep up with _mine_." Weiss surged forward at blinding speeds, intending to take Trifa down.

The sudden action made Trifa's precognitive sense go off like crazy, forcing her to stay on her toes as Weiss attacked her. It was almost overwhelming for her, but somehow, she was able to keep up, at least at first. With every strike that Weiss delivered with her weapon, Trifa was able to either counter it with the bayonets on her pistols or dodge it all together. However, with every strike, Weiss came at her faster and faster, and it was at that point where Trifa knew she couldn't keep it up forever. _'I need to stop her, now!'_ She waited until Weiss came at her again before shooting a glob of web at the ground directly in front of her, causing the heiress to get both of her feet stuck a second later. Weiss tripped and fell to her hands and knees, eliciting a laugh from Trifa. "HA! Where's that speed now—what the?!"

Much to Trifa's shock, Weiss was able to undo the straps on her high heels and slip out of them faster than Trifa could even see, causing her sense to go off yet again. In an instant, the spider girl shot a string of web up to the roof of a nearby home before pulling herself away, leaving Weiss on the ground. Weiss groaned in frustration as Trifa landed on the roof top. "I'm starting to get REALLY tired of this!"

"Tell me about it."

"AGH!" Weiss let out a surprised scream before whirling around to see Rex standing next to her, the boy now freed from his web entrapment. "REX!" The white-haired girl sent a jab at his shoulder. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Hehe, sorry." Rex chuckled. "Probably should've given you a heads up."

Weiss sighed and shook her head. "Whatever, I'm just glad you're in the game again. …Wait, how DID you get free?" Rex raised a brow to her before shifting his eyes to his right arm, indicating that he had transformed it into his Big Fat Sword. Weiss wore a deadpan expression and facepalmed. "Ah, yes, silly me."

"HEY!" Trifa yelled from her place on top of the house. "Are you going to fight or just stand there?!" With a quick motion, Trifa reloaded her pistols, aimed them right down at Weiss and Rex, and began firing off multiple laser shots, hoping to take the duo out.

"Get behind me!" Rex shouted before exchanging his BFS for his Block Party, the energy shields expanding to their maximum size to block all of the shots. As the laser blasts bounced off of the shields, Rex turned his head back around to Weiss, giving her an inquiring face. "So, any other plans?"

Weiss grumbled and balled her hand into a fist. "I wish… but I think I might've found a crack in her Semblance."

"Really? What's that?"

"Her precognition isn't perfect. She can be overwhelmed if too many things are happening too suddenly or all at once." Weiss explained. "At least, that's my theory. If we can do something so unexpected it throws her off, then we might just be able to get the advantage."

"Sounds good." Rex grinned. "Think you can do that time-thing again?"

Weiss grimaced at that. "Maybe, but I don't know how long it'd last. It takes a lot of Aura to use it, and I'm already feeling the drain." The heiress glanced over to her heels which were still trapped in webbing. "Besides, she'll probably try doing what she did last time to stop me, and if you hadn't noticed, I'm out of shoes to lose. If we're going to do this, we'll need to do it fast."

Rex's smirk came back with a vengeance. "I think I have a pretty good idea of just how fast you're talkin'." With that, Rex brought down his Block Party before sprinting over and picking Weiss up off the ground bridal style. "Hold on!"

This cause Weiss to let out a surprised yelp, her face becoming slightly red as she glared toward the EVO. "Rex, what're you doing?!" she yelled angrily before noticing his legs beginning to glow. "Rex, don't you dare, I'm not ready yet! REX!" But it was too late. Rex activated his Sky Slyder and took to the sky, and Weiss immediately felt the altitude change. She could feel her stomach flip and she nearly let out an unladylike sound when they finally leveled out, resigning to just glaring at Rex instead. "You'd better have a good excuse for this, Salazar."

"Trust me, you'll LOVE this plan." Rex said confidently. "We haven't been able to do much to Trifa on our own, but I think that if we work together and use her own abilities against her, we might just be able to put her down." The EVO gave Weiss a wink. "All we gotta do is trick her."

Weiss raised a single brow. "I'm still not sure what you—" But then, Rex began whispering his plan into her ear, which, while she was annoyed by the gesture at first, she began to warm up to the idea the more she heard about it. In the end, she returned Rex's smile. "Alright, I'll admit, that's a great plan. I'm in."

"Awesome!" Rex moved around and set Weiss down on the board itself, all while making sure that she was still holding onto him securely. "Okay, shall we?"

Weiss gave him a single nod. "Let's go for it!" With that, Rex made a hairpin turn and began flying back toward Trifa, the spider girl staring up at the two in astonishment. "Hey Trifa!" Weiss called out. "Guess what? Now WE have the higher ground!"

"Not for long!" Trifa reloaded her pistols again and aimed them at the flying duo. "I'm going to blast you two out of the sky!" She started firing her pistols off again, only for her shots to collide with yet another glyph that Weiss had summoned. Trifa smirked inwardly as she watched the Sky Slyder dash around in the sky above her, an idea entering into her mind as it occasionally passed over her. _'Time to force a crash landing.'_ She holstered one of her pistols before reaching her hand up and shooting a thick string of web at the hoverboard. But as it got closer, her precognitive sense activated again, warning her of an incoming danger. _'What? B-But I don't see—'_

Her thoughts were cut off when she noticed that Rex had shifted the Sky Slyder's position so that the web shot past them, allowing Weiss to catch the string in her hands. "Oh no—AGH!" With a quick dash, Rex and Weiss pulled Trifa off the roof of the house she was on, pulling the web out of her spinnerets and sending her plummeting to the ground. The spider girl managed to save herself at the last minute so she didn't land on her face, but even after tucking and rolling, she still ended up in a heap on the ground. And what's more, it still hurt. "GAH! God damn it!"

"Phase one complete!" Weiss declared proudly, lifting the webbing in her hands before recoiling at the substance. "Ew."

"Yeah, kinda gross." Rex agreed. "Ready for phase two?"

"I'll need a minute. For now, just get us back to the ground."

"On it!" With that, Rex dove back to the ground before substituting his Sky Slyder for his Rex Ride, the large hover bike's nose impacting the ground with a loud CLANG before leveling out.

Weiss let out another surprised cry as she readjusted herself to riding on the back of the massive machine, only to have it stop a second later. She quickly got off the large hover bike, the web still securely in hand. "GAH! Okay, how about a little _warning_ before you do that next time?!"

"Sorry, Ice Princess." Rex answered. "Won't happen again, promise."

"If you say so." Weiss set her eyes down to the webbing in her hand before tying it up into a lasso. Once she was sure it was tied correctly, she moved her gaze back up to Rex with a smile. "Alright, now we can start phase two."

Rex grinned back at her and gave her a salute. "Gotcha!" The EVO revved up his ride and the large machine shot forward, making Weiss' skirt flutter slightly in the breeze.

"HEY!" Weiss blushed as she kept her dress from having a malfunction. "Be careful with that!"

"¡ _Lo siento_!" Rex apologized before looping around and stopping about fifty or so feet away from Trifa, who was just starting to get up from the ground. "Yo, Trifa!"

The spider girl snarled as she got up from the ground, her hands clenched in rage. "WHAT?!"

"Try to avoid THIS!" With his ride's engine roaring to life once again, Rex raced forward and activated the retractable battering ram, hoping that Trifa would fall for the facade. _'C'mon, take the bait…'_

Trifa's precognitive sense was going into overdrive as the vehicle approached her, and she knew exactly what she was going to do. She reached down and pulled out her spare weapon; a double-edged knife that she kept in case of emergencies. _'I'm going to jump right onto that thing and stick this right in his head.'_ she thought to herself. Trifa waited for the right moment to jump onto Rex's ride, but just as she took the leap, Rex stopped directly in front of her and exchanged his ride for his Smack Hands, making her eyes widen as her senses went off again. "W-Wait, what—GAH!" With a strong right hook, Rex sent Trifa sailing back, knocking the knife out of her hand in the process.

Trifa landed on the ground again, her head spinning and ears ringing after taking the blow. It was then that she heard a loud; "HEY!" come from her left, prompting Trifa to move around just in time to see a lasso made from her own web get thrown onto her, the bind tightening around her arms. She whipped her head up to see Weiss holding onto the web, a smirk settled on her face. "Surprised?"

"You… you tricked me!" Trifa yelled as she began struggle against the web. "How did you—"

"By throwing you off your game." Weiss stated before raising Myrtenaster and loading another vial of Lightning Dust into its barrel chamber. She raised it up and began concentrating on her Semblance again, creating another time-dilation glyph beneath her feet. "Now… for the finishing touch." Using the enhanced speed that the time-dilation gave her, Weiss began running rapidly around Trifa, tying the web lasso around her further and further until her entire body was bound by it. Weiss stopped and let out a tired sigh, her Aura having been effectively spent. "Phew! And THAT is how we get things done."

Trifa lost her balance and fell to her rear, giving the heiress a nasty glare. "You won't get away with this, Schnee! Do you hear me?!" The spider girl tried to struggle against her own web to no avail. "GAH! I swear, the White Fang WILL have its vengeance on you AND your family!"

Weiss sighed and knelt down so that she and Trifa were at eye-level. "Trifa, listen, I'm not here to spite the Faunus on behalf of my father. I'm here to help free the people of Menagerie from a tyrant, one who you've been willingly helping." The heiress gestured out to all of the houses surrounding them. "How can you be okay with limiting your own people's freedoms like this?"

Trifa's face fell for a moment, but then hardened back up a second later. "It doesn't matter what we think about it. It'll all be worth it when Corsac and Fennec convince Lord Trumbipulor to take up our cause. And even better, this Salem person is going to help the Faunus gain even MORE power! Power that'll be enough to bring humanity to its knees!" Trifa lowered her gaze to the ground. "And then, once we've accomplished our goals, all of this will end."

"Will it, though?" Weiss asked, making Trifa snap her head back up. "Trifa, I don't know what lies Salem's crew have been telling you, but that witch is sparing no one if she ends up taking over the world. If she succeeds and brings down ALL of the kingdoms, she'll just stab you and the rest of the White Fang in the back."

"LIES!" Trifa screamed. "We were promised great power if we allied with Salem!"

"Trifa, think about this, _please_!" Weiss begged. "Do you honestly think that someone who controls the Grimm and has giant mutants and psychopaths for henchmen is trustworthy?!"

"I—" Trifa stopped herself in mid-sentence, giving some thought to what Weiss had just said. "I… I don't know WHO to trust." The spider-girl clenched her fists at her side. "The Albains and Yuma say that everything will be worth it when we begin subjugating humanity… but ever since Trumbipulor took over, everything's just felt… wrong. I don't _want_ to extort and threaten my own people, but I DO want the Faunus to have the respect we deserve."

"I can understand that." Weiss agreed. "Everyone wants respect, but there are better ways of achieving it than threatening to hurt people, be they human or Faunus."

Trifa narrowed her eyes at Weiss. "Talk about calling the kettle black. Your family's business is responsible for hurting Faunus _every day_ , and your father has nothing BUT respect from the people of Atlas for doing it."

"You're right… for the most part. But there are two people whose respect he doesn't have." Weiss stood up and pointed to herself. "That'd be me AND my sister. I'm going to make sure that my father doesn't get away with the crimes he's made against the Faunus community, and that's a promise."

"Hah, yeah right." Trifa scoffed. "I'll believe it when I see it. You've got enough money to buy anything your little heart desires. Do anything to piss daddy off and he cuts you off, right?"

Weiss gave Trifa a small smile. "If that's what it'll take, then I'm willing to make that sacrifice."

"Yo, Weiss!" The heiress turned around to see Rex approaching her, and to her surprise, he was carrying her high heels in his hands. "I managed to cut your shoes out of the web." The EVO offered them to her. "You want 'em back? I mean, I know you'll probably wanna buy new ones after they got stuck in that web, but I figure it's better than just going around fighting in bare feet, right?"

Weiss glanced down to her feet before going back to her high heels. _'About a year ago, you would've been right, Rex.'_ she admitted to herself. _'But now, it's time to change that way of thinking.'_ Weiss sent Rex a smile and gave him a grateful nod. "Thanks, Rex, but I'll be fine with them. They'll just need a more thorough cleaning when we get back home.

Rex gave a shrug before setting the heels on the ground. "Alright, if you say so."

With that, Weiss stepped into her heels and strapped them back onto her feet, all while Trifa stared on in bewilderment. _'She… she's fine with wearing them even after I webbed them up?'_ The spider-girl glanced back up to Weiss with a quirked brow of confusion. _'This… this IS Weiss Schnee, right?'_

However, as she was contemplating this, Trifa received a small startle when Rex came up and jerked his thumb up. "Hey, uh, I don't wanna be rude, but we DID just capture you and you ARE working with the bad guy. So we kinda gotta take you in."

"Hmph, of course." Trifa moved her legs under her and got up as Rex took a steady hold of the web binding, making sure that she didn't run away. But just as the EVO began leading her away, she craned her head back to Weiss and called over; "Hey, Schnee."

Weiss' eyes widened when Trifa called her name. "Yes, what is it?"

After a few seconds of staring eye to eye with the heiress, a smirk came to Trifa's face and she let out a chuckle. "Heh, good luck with making a difference. You're gonna need ALL of it if you wanna win the trust of the Faunus community."

"Oh… thank you." Weiss smiled back. "I'll try my damnedest."

"Hehe, now THERE'S something I never thought I'd hear from a Schnee."

After that, Rex and Weiss began leading Trifa back toward the Belladonna house, where they could all see Winter and Kevin keeping Yuma restrained. "Well, these two are accounted for." Rex commented. "Now all that's left is Simian and those guards."

"Hmm, I think Team JNPR's handling the guards." Weiss recalled. "So I can only assume that Ruby's dealing with Simian."

"Yeah… wait." Rex shifted his eyes from side to side, searching for someone in particular. "…Where's Holiday?"

* * *

There were very few situations that Rebecca Holiday couldn't get herself out of, though she had to admit, this was one of the more unique ones. Fighting off a bunch of armed guards in a small town on an alternate world wasn't the _worst_ thing she'd ever been in the middle of, but it was certainly something she didn't think she'd be doing. _'Sometimes I have to ask myself how I end up in these situations.'_ Holiday thought to herself. _'But then, the more I think about it, the more I realize that I go into most of them voluntarily. Eh, go figure.'_ However, as she was thinking, she heard her firearm make a clicking noise, indicating that it was out of energy. "What? Gah, just great. And I only had it set to stun too."

"How unfortunate." Holiday shifted her eyes back up just in time to see a spear level with her face, making her back up with a slight yelp. There, directly in front of her, was a White Fang guard; a woman with a pair of dog ears snarling at her. "I don't know why you and your human friends are attacking us, but I've got half a mind to—AGH!"

The woman was suddenly interrupted when a flurry of rose petals blew right past her face, forcing her to stumble back. Holiday took the opportunity to send a kick at the spear, forcing the guard to drop it. The doctor then grabbed the spear and used its handle to smack the guard upside the head, knocking her out and sending her to the ground. With a proud stance, Holiday spun the spear and embedded it into the ground, moving her gaze over to the rose petals as they finally came to a halt. "Thanks for the assist, Ruby."

Ruby appeared from out of the petal blizzard with Crescent Rose at the ready, giving Holiday a salute. "No problem! We've gotta stick together in this, right?"

Holiday gave her a grin, abandoning the spear to stand next to the young girl. "Exactly. Now, what next?"

But before Ruby could answer, the two ladies heard the sound of slow clapping coming from a few feet away, causing them to direct their attention over to a nearby rooftop. Standing on the shingled surface was Simian, the pink-clad Arachnachimp using all four of his hands to give them a condescending clap. "Well, well, well. It would seem that you two are quite the team. But I'm warning you now;" Simian leaped off of the roof and onto the ground, narrowing his four eyes at the duo, " _I_ won't be so easy to beat."

Ruby stifled a laugh and covered her mouth, a cheeky smile spreading across her face. "Y-Yeah?" she struggled to keep herself from laughing. "And what're you gonna do to beat us? Make us crack up into submission?"

Simian grit his teeth and snapped; "Do NOT underestimate me, young lady! I'll have you know that I am one of the deadliest criminals in five solar systems!"

The Hooded Huntress placed her hands on her hips. "Yeah, well, if you want people to take you seriously, you HAVE to lose the pink shirt." With a swift movement, Ruby twirled her scythe around and shifted it into its sniper rifle mode, taking aim at the Arachnichimp with sharp accuracy. "Don't worry, Doc, one shot of Lightning Dust and this'll be over quick."

"I don't think so." Simian reached around his back and underneath his shirt, pulling out not one, not two, but four small concealed pistols from beneath the pink garment. Ruby and Holiday's eyes widened in shock as Simian took aim at them. " _Now_ we'll see just who's going to be taken seriously!" The Arachnichimp began firing all four pistols in quick succession, with multiple energy blasts flying straight at the duo.

"Uh oh!" Ruby folded Crescent Rose back up and reclipped it to her belt before diving toward Holiday. "Hang on!"

"W-Wait, what—AGH!" Holiday let out a yell when Ruby tackled her, only for the two to disappear in a large flurry of rose petals. In a flash, the Hooded Huntress managed to carry Holiday all the way to a lone produce stand, the duo diving behind it as the petals dispersed. Holiday was breathing heavily, her eyes darting around in confusion until she spotted Ruby sitting next to her. "What… the HECK… was that?!" the doctor asked between breaths.

"I'm sorry!" Ruby hollered an apology over the laser blasts that were sailing over their heads. "I panicked and I wasn't sure what to do!"

Holiday's breathing finally slowed down and she sent a sympathetic gaze toward Ruby, setting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It… It's okay, Ruby. I'm sorry for shouting." She gave the silver-eyed girl a grateful smile. "And thank you for saving me."

Ruby let out a sigh and she lowered her head. "You're welcome… quite honestly though, I'm just glad that worked." She scratched the back of her head as a nervous smile came to her face. "I've never really carried someone bigger than I am before."

"Well then, I think we can call that rescue a success then." Holiday jerked a thumb back over in Simian's direction. "Now, let's take Simian to the cleaners, shall we?"

"Right!" Ruby gave Holiday a nod before peering over the produce stand slightly, her eyes scanning over their opponent and the environment. They were in the middle of a vacant street and there were a bunch of houses on either side of it, allowing for good vantage points for both sides. _'Simian's probably going to use his acrobatic skills to his advantage, which means I'm going to have to keep up with him.'_ She focused on the multiple pistols in his hands, which he was currently reloading with precise speed thanks to his four arms. _'We'll need to take those out fast… but I'll need a distraction to—WAIT!'_ Ruby lowered her head back down behind the stand and turned to Holiday, who was also reloading her firearm with a new energy pack. "Doctor Holiday, I think I've got an idea!"

"I'm all ears." the doctor acknowledged after finishing up with her energy gun.

"Okay, I'm going to use my Petal Burst again to distract him." Ruby began. "I'll be trying to shoot his guns out of his hands, so make sure to stay clear." The Hooded Huntress crept on her hands and knees past Holiday and pointed out to the spear. "While I've got him occupied, I want you to run out and circle around him from behind. Once I've taken care of his pistols, you're gonna set your blaster to stun and blast him."

Holiday raised a brow. "Are you sure this'll work, Ruby? What if he decides to go up to the rooftops again?"

Ruby smiled and gave her a wink. "Don't worry, I've got a plan for that too." The Hooded Huntress reached around and pulled Crescent Rose out again. "Now, let's show this monkey that we mean business!"

After contemplating it for a few seconds, Holiday let out a relenting sigh and sent Ruby a thumbs up. "Alright, let's do it."

"This is your last chance, ladies!" Simian called out. "Surrender now and perhaps Lord Trumbipulor will spare your lives!"

In an instant, Ruby jumped up from behind the stand and shouted; "Not happening!" before bursting into petals once again, surging right toward Simian in a red blur. The Arachnichimp immediately began firing again, but Ruby was able to bob and weave out of the way without a problem. In a flash, Ruby flew right past Simian and the petals went right with her, the flurry momentarily obstructing the monkey alien's vision.

"Gah! What in the—" _BANG!_ "AH!" Simian let out a gasp as a shot rang out and he felt something make impact with the pistol in his upper right hand, forcing him to let go of it. Once the petals finally dispersed, he looked down to see that the pistol was now in pieces on the ground, effectively making it unusable. "Why you—" _BANG!_ "GAH!" Another one of Simian's pistols was shot out of his hands, making him whirl around in anger. "ENOUGH! Where are… ah, there you are." The Arachnichimp had moved his head up to see Ruby having settled herself on top of the building behind him, giving her the perfect vantage point to shoot his guns out of his hands. "I see. Well, two can play at that game." Simian's tail whipped up and shot a stream of web up to the roof, making contact directly next to Ruby before he reeled the web back into his tail, making himself to zip right up there.

As Simian reeled back his free fist to strike Ruby, the silver-eyed girl grinned knowingly. _'Just what I thought you'd do.'_ With a quick jump, Ruby dodged the strike and shifted Crescent Rose into its scythe mode, all while giving Simian a furrowed stare. "I'm not playing games anymore, Simian. You were right that I shouldn't underestimate you, but that goes the same for me!"

Simian let out a chuckle as he stood up straight, his upper arms now holding his two remaining pistols. "Oh, I know that. But that doesn't mean I won't be giving up!" In a quick draw, Simian began firing again, though Ruby was easily able to block his shots by whirling Crescent Rose around, the large scythe deflecting the shots with every spin as she ran forward. "Oh, I see you like your impressive scythe." Simian smirked as he dashed to his left. "It would be a shame if someone were to do… THIS!" With a quick flick of his tail, Simian sent another string of web right at Crescent Rose, the sticky substance easily attaching to the side of the large blade.

"AH! Hey!" Ruby cried out as she began pulling her scythe away. "Let it go!"

Simian holstered one of his guns again so that he could grab hold of his webbing with three of his hands, using them along with his tail to successfully yank Crescent Rose away from Ruby. "Haha! What're you going to do now without your—GAH!" Unfortunately, when Simian caught the scythe, he forgot to factor in the weapon's weight, causing him to fall back the moment the handle landed in his hands. Plus, thanks to the slant of the roof they were on, it threw him off balance enough to send him falling right back to the ground. However, Simian's reflexes were also on point as he shot another string of web up to the eaves of the roof, catching himself just before he hit the ground. As he hung there holding onto Crescent Rose, Simian let out a sigh of relief. "Phew! That was close—" _SMACK!_ "AGH!"

From above, Ruby jumped off the roof and fell right toward Simian, giving him a good kick in the face and sending him sprawling onto the ground. This made him let go of both Crescent Rose AND his pistol, allowing Ruby to quickly scoop up the scythe before slamming its tip into the firearm, breaking it in half. "Sorry, Simian, but I guess today just isn't your day."

With a loud monkey-like screech, Simian pulled out his last remaining pistol and aimed it right at Ruby. "You little hairless freak! I'll show you just what I—AAAAAGGH!" Simian let out a loud scream as his was hit in the side by a stun-blast, knocking him right to the floor as he fell into unconsciousness.

Ruby's eyebrows shot up and she turned around to see Holiday, the doctor lowering her weapon as she approached. "Uh, you DO know that I wasn't done disarming him, right doc?" Ruby asked.

"Well, I saw an opportunity and I took it." Holiday shrugged. "Waste not, what not, you know?"

"Eh, I guess I can't fault you there." Ruby scratched the back of her head as she glanced down to Simian. "So… what do we do with him?"

Holiday bent down and picked Simian up, slinging him over her shoulder as if it were nothing at all. "Now we take him back the others." Holiday answered. "Kevin _should_ have some stasis cuffs on him. Then hopefully, once we get Simian and the others secure, we can head out to the White Fang's palace to help Ben and the others out."

"Alright! Let's go!" And with that, Ruby and Holiday began making their way back to the Belladonna household, with their unconscious Arachnichimp prisoner in tow and ready for imprisonment.

However, unbeknownst to the both of them, a certain someone had been watching from a nearby alley, and he was _far_ from happy. From out of the darkness, Hazel stepped out into the moonlight, his arms folded across his chest with an unimpressed expression. "So… that is all that Simian was capable of? Disappointing." He put his hands to his sides and clenched them into fists, preparing himself for what he had to do. "…Perhaps now is the time that I show these children just what they are up against."

* * *

Back down in the lower levels of the White Fang's palace, Raven and Tyrian's battle was still going on, with neither one of them refusing to give in to the other. With every lunging strike that Tyrian delivered, Raven would block it with Omen. And with each deadly slash that the tribe leader sent, the scorpion man would use his wild acrobatic skills to either avoid it or counter it, leaving both combatants at an impasse. But it was clear to the two that neither of them was going to give up, so they had no choice but to keep fighting. _'I… I can't let him win.'_ Raven thought to herself as she tried to regain her breath. She was standing across the room from Tyrian, both combatants on either side of the table in the middle. The scorpion man's yellow eyes staring crazily at her, hoping to see her fall before him. _'I have to end this now before he gets the upper hand.'_

On the other side of the room, Tyrian let out a loud cackle, his tail whipping about eagerly. "AHAHA! What's the matter, Miss Branwen? Getting a little tired of fighting me?!" His eyes shifted to purple again as he leaned his head toward her. "Maybe if you'd just let me get to those kids, we can just END this whole thing!"

Raven grit her teeth at the crazed man, her knuckles turning white as she sheathed Omen for a brief second. "NEVER!" With one pull of the trigger on her sheath, Raven shot Omen out and sent it flying toward Tyrian, following up with a quick leap of her own a split second later. Raven caught her sword in midair and sailed straight to Tyrian, intending to end the battle once and for all.

"HAHA! So THAT'S how it's going to be, huh?! FINE BY ME!" Tyrian jumped back and extended his tail to the ground, using it as a spring to send himself flying forward as well. The two clashed their weapons in midair before falling back onto the table, though that didn't stop them from surging toward each other again. With multiple slashes, their blades collided against each other in a blur of red and metallic grey, along with a bunch of sparks being made with every strike. Tyrian backflipped away from Raven and shot off more Dust rounds at her, though she managed to deflect them all with a few swings from her sword. The crazed man let out a loud laugh as he jumped up again to deliver a high kick to Raven's head, only for her to leap backward at the last minute, causing him to break the table instead. "GAH!"

' _Big mistake, Tyrian.'_ Seeing this as her chance, Raven surged forward and brought Omen up to deliver a finishing strike. However, much to her surprise, Tyrian didn't waste any time in getting up and he sent his tail forward, the stinger just barely brushing past her face without making contact. "What—AGH!"

"GOTCHA!" Tyrian immediately pulled his tail back and wrapped it around Raven's wrist, pulling her forward quickly. As he expected would happen, his tight grip forced Raven to let go of her weapon… but it was what came next that he didn't expect. Using the momentum of the strong tug, Raven vaulted herself over Tyrian's head and grabbed her sword with her free hand before it could hit the ground. The scorpion man's eyes widened when they locked with Raven's, the tribe leader smirking as she prepared to make the finishing blow. With one long swing, Raven sliced through Tyrian's tail, the appendage unwrapping itself from around her wrist and falling to the ground motionless. Tyrian's reaction was quite appropriate; "AAAAAAUUUGH!"

Landing in a crouch, Raven watched as Tyrian fell to his hands and knees, crawling away from her while screaming bloody murder. The remaining half of his tail writhed in agony as he struggled to stand up, the pain causing him to stumble slightly. This only served to make Raven smirk even more. "Well… I _did_ want to cripple you, so I suppose this is better than nothing."

But Tyrian wasn't amused in the slightest. "You… you BITCH!" He tried walking forward, but the pain proved to be too overwhelming, causing him to trip slightly as he took a few steps.

Raven's amused face quickly vanished as she glowered down at him. "Do you REALLY want to go on, Tyrian? Even after an injury such as this?" Raven pointed Omen directly at what was left of Tyrian's tail; barely half of what he once had. "I suggest you leave while you still even HAVE a tail. Think of what your "queen" would think if you had nothing left."

Tyrian grit his teeth in rage. He so desperately wanted to kill the tribe leader at this very moment, but as much as he didn't want to admit it, she was right. He couldn't go on without his tail, at least, not at the moment. The pain was too great to even try, and even then, he was out of ammo in his weapons. Plus, the thought of disappointing Salem even further only served to terrify him more, making him huddle his arms close to his chest as he backed away from Raven. "She'll forgive you." Tyrian reassured himself before dashing out of the room, hoping to find a way out of the palace without encountering even more opposition.

Raven's smile reappeared at the sight of Tyrian fleeing with the remains of his tail between his legs. "Heh, good riddance." The tribe leader glanced down to the ground, spying the other half of Tyrian's tail lying at her feet. "Usually this is where the victor takes a piece of their opponent as a trophy… but I doubt that Tai would want that in the house." After spying a nearby garbage can, Raven picked the tail up and strolled over to it, chucking the dead limb away without a care. "There, now to find the others." With all that done, Raven ran off into the halls, hoping to catch up with the teens before they ran into any trouble.

* * *

"This way! Quickly!" Sienna called back to the teens as she led them up through the main halls of the palace and toward the throne room. As she ran ahead of them though, a part of her was still processing everything that had just happened over the course of the last twenty minutes. She had been freed by one of the most unexpected rescue teams ever, was almost cornered by a mad man, and said mad man just so happened to work for a woman who could apparently control the Grimm. What's worse was that woman was also trying to ally her forces with the White Fang, though to what end, Sienna didn't know. _'There is just too much to go over and so little time to do it.'_

Suddenly, Ben gave her a shout; "Sienna!" The tiger-lady looked to her side and saw the young hero catching up to her, giving her an inquisitive gaze. "So… question; when we make it to Trumbipulor, do you have a plan?"

"Of course, I have a plan." Sienna answered as she focused her eyes back in front of her. "I am going challenge him to reclaim my throne."

"Oh yeah, _great_ plan!" Blake said sarcastically. "Come on, Sienna, that's like if a bobcat was facing a speeding truck!"

Sun's eyes widened at his girlfriend's analogy. "Wow, Blake, didn't know you could get that dark."

"Just speaking the facts, Sun." The cat girl shifted her eyes to Sienna with a serious face. "But really, Sienna, if there's one thing I've learned from facing a LOT of Ben's enemies, it's that Trumbibulor's probably going to be no joke."

"Well then, what do YOU suggest I do?!" Sienna asked as the group finally entered the foyer of the palace. "That I just stand aside while he dishonors the White Fang even further?!"

"No! I'm not suggesting that!" Blake came to a stop directly in front of Sienna, preventing her from going any further. "What I'm saying is that you should probably let Ben handle it. He's defeated Trumbipulor in the past, so let him do it now!"

"While that might be true, that is something that I just cannot allow, Blake." Sienna turned away from Blake to set her eyes on the other teens, though she focused primarily onto Ben. "I thank you for your assistance in my escape, and for that, I will allow you to leave Menagerie without punishment, but from here on, I must take back my throne by myself."

"Sienna, please!" Ilia pleaded as she stepped forward. "Don't do this! You have no idea what Trumbipulor could do to you!"

"Ilia, my word is law in this palace." Sienna raised a hand up to the chameleon girl. "And the fact that these two are in here _at all_ is already in violation of many White Fang regulations."

Ben pursed his lips with reluctancy before finally taking a step forward. "Sienna, while I respect the fact that you want to reclaim what's yours by yourself, I'm afraid that Blake has a point. Trumbipulor not only has immense strength, but he's also really smart. If you're not careful, he could get the upper hand." Slowly, Ben got onto one knee and lowered his head to the woman, showing his respect. "While I understand that you don't want human help, I'm still going to offer, because I know that it's the right thing to do. And if I have to be punished for it… then fine, so be it."

Sienna blinked in surprise before hearing Yang speak up right after. "Please, Sienna, let us help you." The Blonde Brawler stepped forward and did the same thing her boyfriend was doing. "All we want is for Menagerie's people to be safe, and we're not gonna leave until we make sure that our job is finished."

The leader of the White Fang sent a judging expression down to the two. "And you're willing to go to any lengths to do that? Even if it means receiving punishment?" She received a nod from both of them, making her eyebrows raise up slightly. "Hmm, well, you both are very stubborn, I'll give you that."

"We actually get that a lot." Yang confirmed.

"Hm." Sienna acknowledged before giving the couple a narrow-eyed gaze. "So, you are truly willing to help?"

"Of course." Ben affirmed. "And if you want to banish us from Menagerie when this is all over, we'll be okay with that."

After a few more moments of contemplation, Sienna let out a sigh. "Very well, you may assist in the fight, but make no mistake, this does not mean we are permanent allies."

"Gotcha." Ben and Yang stood up, giving the tiger-lady a double salute. "We won't let your decision go to waste, ma'am."

"That is what I like to hear." Sienna approved. "Now…" she directed her eyes over to the large double doors leading to the throne room. "Let us go see what our friend, "Lord" Trumbipulor is up to." The group followed Sienna up to the doors as she grabbed both handles, throwing them open without any trouble at all. "TRUMBIPULOR!" she shouted into the room.

On the opposite side, not only did everyone see Trumbipulor himself sitting on his throne, but also Thunderhog, Exo-Skull, and the Albains standing on either side of the large elephant alien. The moment that Sienna had announced her presence, Hog and Skull jumped slightly in surprise while the Albains simply raised their heads indifferently, almost as if they had expected her to come in. The Paku-Dermoloid directed his attention over to Sienna, letting out a small chuckle. "Heh, well, guess ya managed to get out afta all, Sienna. I s'pose Tyrian's not all that reliable, now is he?"

Hog stomped his foot in frustration. "Dammit, Tyrian! You had ONE job!"

"Yeah, and not like him to screw something like that up." Skull narrowed his eyes at the group of teens. "Unless they were able to get rid of him somehow."

Sun smirked and jabbed his thumb out the door. "Yeah, Raven's taking care of him right now, actually. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she beat the ever-living crap outta him!"

"Is that so, monkey boy?" Trumbipulor stood up from his throne, showing off his immense size. "Perhaps YOU'D like to join 'im next?"

But Ben wasn't having any of it. "Back off, Trumbipulor! You know why we're here!"

"Heh, indeed I do." Trumbipulor set his fists against his hips. "Gotta say, I'd hoped you wouldn't be here, Tennyson. You always were a big thorn in my side."

Ilia stepped up and pointed her Lightning Lash at Trumbipulor with an angry gaze. "Yeah, well now you've got about six thorns to deal with here. Your disrespect of the White Fang name will NOT go unpunished."

"Disrespect?" Corsac lifted his head with a small smile. "Whatever do you mean by that?"

"This is the NEW White Fang, after all." Fennec continued. "The one that many in our ranks have been pining for oh so long!"

"SILENCE!" Sienna roared. "I should have guessed that you two were behind this as well! What, were you co-conspirators with Adam?!"

"Hmhm, a lucky guess." Corsac chuckled "Yes, we WERE conspiring with Adam on this for some time, Sienna. In fact, he was the one who we initially wanted as our new leader. It was only thanks to the failure at the Battle for Beacon that he didn't make due on that." Corsac threw his red cloak to the side, revealing his short high and tight haircut. He took out a golden sai from his back pocket, one with a red spiral going down its blade. "But now that Lord Trumbipulor has taken over, we are willing to fight to keep him on the throne."

"That's right." Fennec said while taking out his own sai, this one with a white spiral instead of red. "The White Fang shall overthrow human kind and take what is rightfully ours; the world."

Sienna narrowed her eyes and readied her Cerberus Whip, preparing herself for a throw down. "This crosses so many lines."

Thunderhog let out a loud snort and pulled out his Thunder Mace, getting into a battle-ready stance as well. "Maybe, but so long as Salem gets what she wants, it's fine by me. Right, Skull?"

"Exactly!" Exo-Skull slammed his hands down to the ground, getting onto all fours as he blew air out of his nostrils. "Let's wreck 'em!"

Blake and Sun readied their weapons, the cat-girl sending a glance to Sienna. "Be ready. The two big ones aren't all that smart, but they've got some high-tech weaponry and they're REALLY strong."

"Hm, right." Sienna nodded before shifting her gaze to Yang and Ben. "Well, you two offered to help. Are you ready to fight?"

"MORE than ready." Yang asserted as she activated her Ember Celica. "Let's take these guys down, Green Boy!"

"I'm right there with you, Goldie Locks." Ben smiled before bringing up the Omnitrix. He brought up the holo-ring to make his selection and the faceplate pulled back, allowing the core to pop up. The hero directed his eyes right onto Trumbipulor, giving the Paku-Dermoloid a furrowed brow. "I have to say, Trumbipulor, you've hit a new low. Subjugating the people of Menagerie like this… you've gone too far this time."

"And who's gonna stop me, Tennyson?!" Trumbipulor challenged. "I've got an army!"

A slight smirk came to Ben's face as he raised his hand. Trumbipulor had set him up _far_ too well. "Oh yeah? Well we've got a Humungousaur!" With that, Ben slammed the Omnitrix's core down and began to transform in a flash of light. However, what he transformed into was far and away from Humungousaur. Instead, before the heroes and Sienna stood a rather familiar nine-foot tall, buff, bipedal tiger man, his signature snarl etching across his face as he roared out his name; "RRRRAAAAAAATH!"

Everyone stared at the alien in surprise, and some were even astonished at the transformation, including Sienna and the Albains. At the end of it all though, it was Sun who summed the situation up best; "This could be a problem."

* * *

**A/N: Oh boy, it's Rath again! This fight's going to either end really well, or go horribly wrong. But man, a lot happened this time, didn't it? We had fights with Winter and Kevin, Weiss and Rex, and even Ruby and Holiday all working pretty well together, plus, a small talk between Hazel and Salem. What's more, it seems that both of them are getting ready to join in soon, and in the case of Hazel, he might not be holding back anymore. But, on a different note, just like in Volume 4, Tyrian ended up getting his tail cut off. Though unlike Ruby, Raven took more than just the tip. The question is… will he get his mechanical tail from Watts… or since Animo is there, will he seek a different option? Guess we'll just have to wait and see. But for now… NEXT TIME! The fight in the throne room gets underway, but while that's going on, we'll finally be catching up with Gwen and Ghira's group as they arrive at the docks to take out the White Fang defenses. Thanks for reading guys, and I'll see you next time!**


	77. Rumble in the Throne Room

**A/N: Hey there guys! New chapter comin' at ya! No point in wasting time since this is still a big combat chapter, so let's go! This is…**

**Chapter 77: Rumble in the Throne Room**

* * *

As the battle for Menagerie's freedom went on in the streets of Kuo Kuana, the citizens of the sea-side town were anything but relaxed during the situation. After hearing the sounds of people yelling and shots ringing through the night, many citizens wisely decided to stay in their homes, fearing that it was some sort of attack, be it from Grimm or otherwise. Across the somewhat disorganized groups of houses, the citizens all took precautionary measures; boarding up their houses, hiding their loved ones and even grabbing an emergency weapon in case worse came to worse. One such house belonged to a particular family of four who had all gathered in their living room, huddling up in a corner while hoping that the fighting would soon come to an end.

This family consisted of a father and his young son, both of whom had the horns of a mountain goat. The father even had a long goatee to match. Next to them was the man's wife and their even young daughter, both with white, curly hair and the ears of a sheep. The parents were keeping their children close to them while the father kept a free hand near a crow bar, all while keeping part of his focus on the sounds of battle. Occasionally, the sounds would stop, only to resume again soon after. The goat man let out a sigh. "I can't believe this."

His son shifted his worried eyes up to him. "Dad… are we… gonna be okay?"

The man smiled softly to his son, despite the apprehension in the back of his mind. "It's alright, Billy, everything will be okay, I promise."

"I hope so, Will." The sheep woman said to her husband. "Though I can't help but think it's more serious than we realize."

"I know, Shauna." Will set a hand to his wife's shoulder. "But we need to hold out for just a bit longer. Hopefully when the sun rises, this will all be over."

"…Daddy?" the little girl tugged at her father's sleeve. "I… I don't like this. I'm scared."

Will lowered his hand and gently pulled his daughter closer to him and his wife to comfort her. "I know that you're scared, Bonnie. I am to, believe me."

"You are?" Bonnie asked in surprise. "But… you never get scared."

"Oh, trust me, I've been scared more times than you'd think." Will assured. "And this isn't even the first time I've been in situations like this, either. All we have to do is wait it out and hope that… the White Fang can drive them back."

Shauna let out a frustrated moan. "Ugh, as much as I can't stand them now, I suppose that we have little choice but to trust that they can—" But she suddenly cut herself when she heard the sound of shuffling through the nearby window. Her eyes darted over to see a vague shadow moving on the other side of the blinds, making her eyes widen as she grabbed her husbands' arm. "Will!" she harshly whispered before pointing to the window. "Look!"

Will's eyes nearly bugged out at the sight, but unfortunately, his children also spotted the moving figure, causing them both to let out terrified screams. The goat man instantly tried to console his children and get them to stop, but by the time he did, it was too late. The shadowy figure had stopped and jumped back a bit, only for it to start searching for whatever made the sound. Will furrowed his brows, his anxiety growing by the minute. "This isn't good."

However, just a second later, another shadow came up to the window, this one much larger than the other. The two then fell into a heated conversation, making the family confused. "What're they doin'?" Billy asked.

"I don't know, son." Will cupped a hand around his ears and leaned closer to the window, hoping to find out what the figures were talking about. "It… it almost sounds like they're arguing."

"About what, dear?" Shauna asked.

"I'm not sure…" Will reached down and grabbed his crow bar before standing up and going toward the window. "But I'm not taking any chances."

Before he got up, Will felt another small tug on sleeve, causing him to gaze back down to Bonnie. "Be careful, daddy." she pleaded.

The loving father pat his daughter's small hand in reassurance. "I always am, sweetheart. Now stay close to your mother and brother, okay?" Will got a nod from her and she huddled back up with Shauna and Billy, allowing him to stand up all the way and move over to the window. Once he did though, he could hear the conversation much clearer now, and it was there that he could definitely tell it was an argument;

"I'm telling you, I heard children screaming!" one figure insisted.

"And _I_ am telling you that it probably came from inside the house." the other pressed back. "This is the Faun Residence and they DO have children. You were moving too close to the window and they probably saw you."

Will's eyes winded in horror as his hand tightened around the crowbar. The fact that these people knew where he lived was enough to send a chill through his entire being. _'I can probably get the drop on them if I surprise them here. One good strike to the head and they're out.'_ With that, he took a deep breath before pulling the curtains open and flinging up the window with a single hand. With a cry of exertion, he pushed his upper body through the window and raised the crowbar over his head, intending to bring it down on the intruders. But then, his jaw dropped when he finally caught sight of them, and the crowbar nearly slipped out of his hand from the shock.

One of them was a teenaged boy with blue hair and a pair of goggles, and at the moment, he was jumping away from Will in surprise. It was definitely someone he didn't know, but just by the scent, Will could tell that this person was a human. However, it was the other person that Will was most shocked to see, and it was someone that he knew VERY well. "GAH! William, please!" the large bearded man harshly whispered. "Stand down!"

"G-Ghira—MMPH!" Will was suddenly silenced when the panther man used his hand to cover his mouth. Ghira put a finger to his lips, indicating that Will should keep quiet. With a small nod, the goat man complied, and Ghira removed his hand, allowing him to speak again. "You're _back_? How?!"

"It's a long story, William." Ghira whispered. "But you need to get back inside before—"

"Ghira?!" Shauna exclaimed as she and her children ran up to the window. "You're alive!"

Off to Ghira's right, Kali came up to the window and put a finger to her lips. "Shauna, please, quiet down. We don't want to alert the White Fang to our presence here."

"Oh! I-I'm so sorry, Kali." Shauna stammered in shock. "But… how did you two get back here? I thought you all escaped by boat to go find help."

"We did, and we succeeded." Kali gestured behind her, indicating a large group of people behind her. "This is Gwen, Penny, Neptune and Tetrax. And believe me when I say that they're professionals when it comes to this."

Will and Shauna directed their eyes over to the group to see even more people in addition to the blue-haired boy. There were two redheaded girls; one with a long pony tail and the other with short hair that curled at the ends. And then behind them was a rather large man in a suit of bulky black armor, his head hidden under a big, dome-shaped helmet with a triangular visor in the middle of it. He couldn't get a good whiff of the larger man's scent since his body was covered in its entirety, but he could tell that the two girls, and of course, the boy, were all human. "But… they're humans. And human _children_ on top of that." Will shifted his gaze to Ghira in bewilderment. "THIS is the back-up you brought?"

"Don't be too quick to judge by appearances, William." Ghira advised. "They maybe children, but they have a good track record when it comes to saving people. And even then, it isn't just them." The panther man jabbed his thumb away from the house, pointing to the center of town. "You've probably heard the fighting going on, right?"

At that moment, Billy came up to the window sill and hoisted his head up over the ledge. "Yeah! What IS that?"

"That would be our friends fighting the White Fang." Gwen clarified. "They're working to whittle down their forces so that their new "leader" has less people to work with."

"But… why help Menagerie?" Shauna asked. "What does human-kind get in assisting us?"

"Absolutely nothing." Penny answered with a cheerful grin. "We're doing this ALL for free!"

Will and Shauna's jaws dropped in disbelief. "What?! _Nothing_?!" the goat man asked incredulously. "But… but humans have never done anything to help the Faunus without asking for something in return! Are you sure that this isn't some kind of trick?"

"No tricks." Neptune affirmed. "We just wanna help you guys out."

"Indeed." Ghira spoke up. "These young people are friends of my daughter's and they are completely trust worthy, I assure you." The chieftain walked up and set his hand against the sill, giving the family a serious face. "But now isn't the time for small talk. We have a job to do and you all need to lay low while we do it."

The family of four stared at Ghira in silent astonishment before it was broken by Bonnie's small voice. "Is there anything we can do to help?" the little sheep girl asked as she hefted herself over the sill.

"I… actually, there _might_ be, little one." Ghira set his eyes on Will once again. "William, get into contact with anyone you know and tell them to spread the word; the new White Fang leadership falls tonight. But also, make sure to tell them to stay in their homes. We don't want any innocents getting hurt, alright?"

"I wish I could, Ghira." Will shook his head. "But that elephant man confiscated everyone's scrolls to prevent communication between homes. He said it was a to keep people from conspiring against him without him knowing about it."

"Ugh, I see." Ghira pursed his lips in slight frustration. "Well then, remain in your home and stay safe, alright? We don't want innocents getting hurt in all this."

Shauna gave Ghira a small nod. "Alright, Ghira, we'll do that. Stay safe, and good luck."

With that, Will closed the window and shut the curtains, leaving the team outside by themselves yet again. Kali let out a small sigh at what had just happened, giving her husband a saddened look. "It breaks my heart to see these people like this." But just a second later, the cat woman's hands tightened into fists and her ears slanted down, her face hardening up with in anger. "We _need_ to free them, Ghira. I've had enough of that elephant's martial law!"

"I couldn't agree more, sweetheart." The panther man concurred. "Come, let's keep moving."

In the back, Tetrax lowered his helmet, exposing his crystalline face after hiding it from the family. "Tell me, Ghira, are we getting closer?"

"Yes, we're nearly there, in fact. Should just be a few yards ahead."

"Great." Neptune shifted Tri-Hard into its rifle mode, readying it for battle. "I can't wait to finally get a crack at these guys."

To his left, Penny shifted her arms into her Floating Array blasters, the green power symbols on them glowing faintly in the dark. "Count me in on that. The White Fang have gotten away with FAR too much over the past year, and now it's time to end it."

"Just remember to be careful with this, alright?" Gwen reminded. "One false move, and it could be game over."

Neptune sent a smirk back to her. "Ah c'mon, Gwen, you shouldn't be so worried. Besides, compared to what the others are doing, we kinda got the easy job."

The Anodite gave him a small shrug. "Well… I guess you have a point there." Gwen put a finger to her chin in thought, Neptune's words having resonated in her mind. "Now that you mention it, I wonder how everyone's doing."

"Oh, I'm sure they're fine." Penny smiled. "I mean, what's the worst that could've possibly happened over the last twenty minutes?"

* * *

"This is the worst thing that could've possibly happened." Blake said to herself, her face anything but amused at the situation they were now in. Sun shared in her sentiment while, in stark contrast, Yang was doing her best to keep her inevitable laughter at bay. Just a second ago, Ben had dialed in Humungousaur and intended to transform into the giant lizard alien. But, as fate apparently hated them all, the Omnitrix transformed him into Rath instead, the tiger-like alien currently snarling at his soon-to-be punching bags. Blake directed her gaze over to Sienna, the tiger lady staring at Rath in utter shock along with Ilia. "Sienna, I just want you to know that I apologize in advance for anything he's about to do."

That statement caught Sienna's attention, and it immediately set off multiple warning signals off in her head. "Blake… what do you mean by—"

"LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', TRUMBIPULOR!" Rath shouted at the top of his lungs, scaring the life out of Sienna and Ilia in the process. The Appoplexian narrowed his eyes at Trumbipulor and pointed at him, his voice becoming deathly low for a moment as he made his threat. " _Rath_ might not be Humungousaur… BUT _RATH_ IS GONNA MAKE _YOU_ HUMUNGO- _SORRY_!"

Sienna made a deadpan face at the alien's demeanor. "…Oh, THAT is what you mean."

Yang wore a cheeky smile at the scene. "Yeah, isn't it great?"

"If by "great", you mean "completely insane"." Ilia commented.

With a mighty battle cry, Rath leapt forward and got down to all fours, bounding over to the villains in less than three seconds. However, the moment he tried to jump Trumbipulor and knock his lights out, Rath was instead met with a heavy strike to the gut, sending him flying right back to his friends with a loud cry of anger. The Appoplexian landed on his chest and shook the daze away from his head, giving out an angry growl soon after. "Grrr… ALRIGHT! WHO DID THAT?!"

"That'd be me!" Thunderhog stepped forward, his Thunder Mace held steadily in his right hand as he pressed the button to activate its energy chain, allowing the mace head to fall freely to the ground. "You'd better listen up, Tennyson!" Hog pointed right back at Rath with an angry glare. "We ain't about to give up after comin' this far, even IF you're a big ragin' furball!"

Exo-Skull let out a laugh as he came forward as well. "Ha! Yeah, an' just look around you!" The rhino mutant spread his arms out, gesturing to the Albains, Trumbipulor, and his best friend next to him. "Sure, you guys outnumber us, but we're bigger and stronger than ALL of you itty bitty little twerps put together! Plus, if ya haven't heard, Lady Salem's gonna be here any minute now! You can't _possibly_ beat all of us!"

Rath grit his sharp teeth and pointed at Skull. "LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN' FARKAS J. SKULLOVICH, A.K.A. EXO-SKULL…" He then whipped himself around and pointed at Hog. "AND YOU TOO THADDEUS P. HOGAN, A.K.A. THUNDERHOG! RATH HAS FACED MUCH WORSE ODDS THAN THIS IS THE PAST. AND IN THESE KINDS OF SITUATIONS, I'VE GOT A FIFTY-FIFTY SHOT AT WINNING WITH ANOTHER ALIEN!" He then jabbed a thumb to his chest. "BUT I'M AN APPOPLEXIAN, SO I'M NOT LIKE THE OTHER ALIENS! SO IF YOU DO THE MATH, THAT MEANS THAT MY CHANCES OF WINNIN' ARE MORE LIKE TWO-IN-THREE!"

Blake blinked as Rath ranted on, bewildered by what he was spouting off. "Wait… what?"

"Shh!" Yang shushed her partner. "This is getting good!"

Rath whipped his arm back and pointed to his comrades. "BUT THEN YOU ADD MY TEAM INTO THE MIX, AND THAT'S AN EXTRA TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT IN MY FAVOR! SO THE CHANCES OF YOU BEATING US GO DOWN EVEN FARTHER!" The Appolexian swung his arm back around to the bad guys. "SO THAT MEANS THAT NOW _YOU_ GUYS GOT _LESS_ THAN A TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT CHANCE OF BEATING US! TAKE YOUR ONE-IN-THREE CHANCES OF BEATING ME, YOU GET ABOUT THIRTY-THREE PERCENT! MINUS THAT OTHER TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT AND NOW, YOU'RE LOOKIN' AT ABOUT AN EIGHT PERCENT CHANCE OF BEATING US!"

Ilia's jaw had dropped in complete shock. " _What_ is going on?"

Next to her, Sun was had an amused grin on his face. "I don't know, but I'm loving it!"

With a sense of finality, Rath made his conclusion as he jabbed his thumb back to him and his teammates again. "SO BASICALLY, IF YOU TAKE MY SIXTY-SIX PERCENT CHANCES AND _ADD_ MY TEAM'S TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT TO ME, WE'VE GOT A NINTY-ONE PERCENT CHANCE OF WINNING AGAINST YOU HERE AND NOW! THE NUMBERS DON'T LIE, AND THEY SPELL DISASTER FOR YOU!"

After the mindboggling statement made by the angry tiger-man, everyone was gawking at him in complete and utter astonishment. Nobody could quite comprehend what Rath had just said, but in a surprising way, it sort of made sense. But, even still, nobody could quite believe what they had just heard. "What… what _was_ that?" Corsac asked.

"I don't know, brother." Fennec held his head in his right hand. "But I have the _strangest_ headache right now."

Skull was also holding his head with both of his meaty hands. "Oy, I think my head's spinnin' after all that!"

"Can… can we just get a time out for a sec?" Hog requested.

Blake scratched her head in confusion. "I know that I'm not supposed to agree with them, but my head hurts thinking over it too." The cat-girl admitted as her ears flattened out. "This just feels REALLY confusing."

Sun's eyes darted in between his friend in disbelief. "Uh, hello?! Am I the _only_ one surprised that RATH is good at math?! HOW is that possible?!"

"I don't know, but I DO like our odds more now." Yang shrugged.

"Perhaps so." Sienna agreed. "But there IS still one thing that is bothering me." the tiger lady directed her attention up to Rath, giving him an inquiring face. "If you wouldn't mind telling me... what is the remaining one percent?"

Rath's eyebrows shot up, and he answered Sienna with a slightly calmer voice. "Oh, that's Salem." He gave her a thumbs down sign with his hand. "And in case she shows up, that means that we're ALL screwed."

"Ah, that makes sense." Ilia nodded before focusing back on their enemies. "Well, if that's the case, then I guess we should take all of these guys out before she gets here, huh?"

"THAT'S JUST WHAT I WAS THINKIN'!" Rath narrowed his eyes at Trumbipulor, the elephant man having sat himself back down during the math problem. "AND LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', TRUMBIPULOR! RATH IS GONNA MAKE YOU SWALLOW YOUR OWN TRUNK BEFORE PULLING IT BACK OUT THE OTHER END! YOU'RE GONNA BE THE WORLD'S FIRST INSIDE-OUT PAKU-DERMOLOID, YA HEAR ME?!"

Trumbipulor facepalmed while resting his chin against his other hand. "Ugh, okay, I'm already feelin' his own headache coming on afta' all this mathematical gobbledygook, so I'm just gonna have my minions do my dirty work." With a wave of his hand, the Paku-Dermoloid gave the order; "KILL THEM!" At his order, the Albains, Hog and Skull let out a collective battle cry as they charged forward, ready for the fight to get underway.

With a loud growl, Rath shouted; "ATTACK!" before lunging straight for Exo-Skull.

Sienna sighed as she charged forth as well. "I suppose this day can only get stranger from here."

Yang balled her hands into fists, her Ember Celica clicking as she readied them. "Well, guess it's time to throw down!" The Blonde Brawler sent a grin toward Ilia with a wink. "Hey, Color-Girl! Wanna help me take out Thunderhog?"

"You bet!" Ilia agreed. "Let's go!"

After Blake watched her two best friends run off toward the large pig-man, she directed her gaze to her boyfriend before nudging her head toward the Albains. "Sun, you and me against Corsac and Fennec. How do you like our odds?"

Sun sent his girlfriend a smirk. "Isn't it obvious, Blake?" The monkey boy lifted Ruyi Jingu Bang over his head and mimicked Rath with a loud scream; "WE ARE THE TWENY-FIVE PERCENT!"

Blake gave a small chuckle and nodded her head. "Alright, alright, let's not get TOO over confident. Just make sure to keep on your toes, okay?"

"You got it, babe! Let's do this!" And with that, the couple leapt into the fray with their teammates. The battle in the White Fang's throne room had officially begun.

* * *

Ilia had to admit, after Rath's surprising show of intelligence, she WAS beginning to feel better about their odds. Still though, she wasn't quite sure HOW that muscle-bound hot head of a tiger managed to do all of that math in his head. _'Is he just so jacked up that it's causing the rest of his brain to work in overtime just to keep up?'_ she asked herself before shaking her head. _'Ah, best not to question it. It's fighting time!'_ Ilia came to a stop along with Yang when the two finally came face to face with their opponent; Thunderhog. "So Yang, what do I have to know about this guy?"

"Basically, he's big on lightning attacks." Yang answered. "He can make it with his mace AND his gloves, so keep clear of 'em. Plus, he's got a laser in that visor of his."

"I see." Ilia grinned as she pulled the trigger on her Lightning Lash, the weapon shifting from blade to whip mode in less than a second. "Well then, this fight really SHOULD be in our favor."

Hog snorted and grit his teeth. "Don't get too cocky, Skinny Girl!" He hefted his mace mightily over his head and began spinning it around rapidly, generating the electricity in a matter of moments. "'Cause I'll say this now; I am TIRED of bein' told the odds today! Thunder! THUNDER! THUNDERHOG!" With a mighty swing, Hog slammed his Thunder Mace into the concrete floor, making it crack and shake while arcs of electricity sped toward Yang and Ilia.

"I don't think so, pig!" Ilia ran forward and whipped her Lightning Lash forward, which, in turn, made the lightning change direction and come coursing into the chameleon girl's weapon.

Hog's eyes widened at the action, his visor slightly falling down his pig-nose. "What the?!"

"Surprise!" Ilia then sent her whip out again, this time running straight toward Hog with the intent on striking him directly. However, just as she did, Hog lifted up his arm and allowed the Lightning Lash to wrap around it, much to Ilia's surprise. "Huh?!"

"Ilia!" Yang called out worriedly. "Watch out before—"

"HA! Two can play at that game, lil' girl!" Hog smirked wildly as the electricity began being absorbed into his gauntlet, charging it up to full power. "Now, goodbye!" Hog grabbed hold of the whip with his free hand and spun around, tossing Ilia away from him with a powerful throw.

Ilia cried out in pain as she struck the ground, her weapon landing next to her as it automatically went back into its blade form. In less than a second, Yang was by her side, the concerned blonde calling out to her as she helped her up. "Ilia! Are you alright?!"

"Ugh, I think." Ilia ground her teeth as she sat up, frustrated at what had just happened to her. "What the hell was _that_?!"

Yang's brows furrowed slightly as she glanced back to Hog, the pig man smirking at his little victory. "Ugh, I should've figured this might happen. You guys cancel each other out with your lightning."

Ilia pounded her fist against the ground. "Damn it! Now what?"

Yang pounded a fist into her palm, a determined smile coming to her face. "Now it's my turn. But don't count yourself out just yet, 'cause I've got a plan." The Blonde Brawler drew closer and whispered; "While I distract him, I want you to move around and try to disarm him. Go for his mace and his visor if you can, those are the big two that I'm really worried about."

Ilia smiled and nodded to Yang, finding the plan nominal. "Alright, you got it."

"You two done talkin'?!" Hog hollered as he readied his Thunder Mace again. "'Cause I've got some more electricity with your names on it!"

Yang gave Hog a brief glare before nodding back to Ilia. "Okay, time to get this goin', right?"

Ilia picked up her Lightning Lash with an eager smile. "Right!" With a helping hand from Yang, Ilia got back up and pointed her blade to Hog, her smile going back to a more serious face. "I have to admit, you certainly got the drop on me at first, pig! But let me tell you right now; that WON'T be happening again!"

"Maybe not, but that only means my win will be ALL the sweeter!" Hog swung his mace forward, sending out even more arcs of lightning at the two girls.

"NOW!" Yang shouted, signaling for Ilia to get clear. Once the chameleon girl had gotten away, Yang shot off multiple Dust rounds from her Ember Celica, the bullets coming in direct contact with the lightning before making a sizeable explosion, kicking up a cloud of smoke soon after. Yang shut her eyes and ran directly into the cloud, knowing that Hog would be directly on the other side.

"Oh, COME ON!" Hog shouted. "Is this REALLY the best trick you got?!"

Yang smirked as an idea came to her head. "What can I say?! It comes in pretty handy most of the time!" She dashed to her right side, hoping that Hog would take the bait.

"HA! Gotcha!" Hog activated his visor and shot off three consecutive purple laser blasts into the smoke, hoping to land a hit on Yang. However, instead of the screams he was hoping to hear, all he got were the sounds of his lasers impacting the far wall, leaving him confused as the smoke finally dissipated. "…Oh, this might be bad."

"Ya think?" Hog jumped in surprise, spinning around to see Yang standing directly next to him. "Hi, how's it goin'?" The blonde reared back a fist and brought it forward, intending to strike Hog in his big belly.

"Oh, shoot!" Acting quickly, Hog blocked the hit with one of his gauntlets, but what he didn't expect was for Yang to shoot of a Dust round upon impact. So, while he managed to avoid getting _too_ hurt, the force behind the hit was still enough to hurt his hand and send him back a few feet, his heavy boots skidding against the ground. "GAH!" Hog shook his hand before sending another glare to Yang. "Oh, you just bought yourself a ticket to a WORLD of pain, lady!"

Yang popped a few muscles in her neck before rotating her arm at the shoulder, readying herself for another few rounds. "Bring it on, Mr. Eight-Percent!" At her taunt, Hog surged toward Yang, bringing in the energy chain on his mace to shift it into its normal mace mode for melee combat. As he brought the mace down onto Yang's head, the young girl responded by tucking and rolling under the strike and springing back to her feet directly behind him. "C'mon! You can do better that—WHOA!" Yang literally bent over backwards as the mace's head swung directly over her, her eyes widening at how close that was. "Alright, maybe you can. But so can I!" Yang sprang up again, this time dealing a swift uppercut right to Hog's jaw, making him stumble back again.

"ENOUGH!" Hog roared before slamming his fists together, his mace still in his hand. Altogether, his gauntlets and his mace were now generating a ton of electricity, making Yang more hesitant to throw another punch. "I've had it up to HERE with you heroes gettin' in our way! Well guess what?! I'm not about to let that happen anymo—OH!" Hog was suddenly cut off when he felt his arm being pulled back by his own mace, the weapon having been wrestled out of his hand without warning. "HEY! Who did that?!"

"Who do YOU think, pig?!" Ilia shouted as the Thunder Mace landed at her feet, its electricity being absorbed by the Lightning Lash. "It all comes down to a game of misdirection, doesn't it?" In a swift motion, the chameleon girl tossed the mace all the way to the other end of the room, giving Hog a determined face. "NOW who's got the advantage?"

"Oh, you are goin' DOWN, Skinny Girl!" Hog activated his visor again and began firing off his lasers again in rapid succession, forcing Ilia to flip back multiple times to avoid it. "Get back here so I can end you!"

"Hey!" Hog spun around only to see Yang running at him, her fist reared back for a punch. "Quit calling her that, asshole!" With a powerful hit, Yang managed to strike Hog in the stomach, making him fly all the way back into a nearby wall. "How'd you like it if I started making fun of _your_ body?!"

"Hehe, I'd let it roll of me, blondie!" Hog stood up and pat his stomach with pride. "I'm packin' on those pig pounds and I'm proud of it! Now…" The pig man clenched his fists and activated his gauntlets once again. "Where were we?!" In a few great bounds, Hog made it back over to Yang and began swinging his fists wildly, trying to land a punch on the smaller blonde while trying to back her up into a corner. However, while Hog was much larger and put more force behind his blows, Yang was a professional when it came to brawling, and she could see that his skill was _far_ from equaling her own.

"Seriously?" Yang asked as she ducked under another swing from the electrically charged gloves. She could feel small, staticky tingles traveling through her hair as they went by, but it was nothing that her Aura couldn't handle. "You're putting all your power into your swings, but you're just hoping you'll land a good hit! You've got no technique!"

Hog glowered down to her as they made it just a few feet away from the corner. "What makes you think I _need_ one?!" He brought his fists together over his head and made the lightning in his gauntlets go into overcharge, intending to end it all with one hit. "Besides, there's nowhere to run now, girly."

Yang couldn't help but smirk at that "Maybe, but I don't think I need to run." The moment that Hog brought his hands down, Yang performed a backflip and landed feet first onto the wall behind her in a crouch, making the mohawked mutant do a double take. "Case in point…" Yang brought her fists down against the wall, narrowing her eyes at Hog. "My fists on your face!" With a shot from both of her gauntlets, Yang propelled herself off of the wall and sent a wicked right hook directly to Hog's face, making him fly back again. "Ilia! NOW!"

"On it!" From the opposite end of the room, Ilia came running back, performing a high jump before activating her Lightning Lash again. She swung her arm and whipped Thunderhog's visor off of his face before delivering a kick to his side, forcing him to fall back to the ground. Once she landed on her feet, Ilia sent another whip crack right to Hog's shoulder, making him cry out in pain as the electricity coursed throughout his body. In the end, Hog fell limp to the floor with his eyes closed. For a brief moment though, Ilia was worried she'd gone too far. "Oh god… did I kill him?!"

"Hold on." Yang came over and bent down to Thunderhog's wrist, checking his pulse. "Hmm, his pulse is steady, I can say that much. I think you just—"

"Psyche!" Hog suddenly reached up and grabbed Yang by the arm, a sinister smirk on his face. Yang's eyes bugged out before she was given an intense shock through her arm, making her let out a scream of intense pain. It didn't last long however, as Hog sprung up and tossed her away to a far wall, her body impacting it with a loud _WHAM_! Ilia stared in horror as Yang's unmoving form fell to the ground, all while Hog let out a bellowing laugh. "AHAHA! The oldest trick in the book! THAT oughta show—"

"YOU!" Hog was cut off when Ilia let out an accusing yell, making him turn around. The pig man's eyes widened in shock when he saw Ilia's skin suddenly shift to red while her hair and spots became yellow, her eyes becoming a vibrant amber in the process. "You _bastard_!" Ilia surged forward, her anger powering her legs to give her more speed.

"What the—AUGH!" Hog screamed in pain as Ilia's Lightning Lash struck him once again… and then twice again, then thrice more, with each lashing becoming more and more agonizing. It was bad enough that each strike left a rather nasty scar across his arms and body, but combined with the electric shock and the verbal abuse from Ilia, and it hurt even _more_.

"You! Hurt! My! FRIEND!" Ilia shouted with every whip of her weapon.

"GAH! Please!" Thunderhog hollered desperately. "Somebody, make it stop! AGH!"

At that moment, much to Hog and Ilia's surprise, the pig man was spun around forcibly by Yang, who had made an astonishingly quick recovery. The blonde's eyes burned red as her Aura was flaring, the intense heat practically burning he ends of Hog's body hair. "I'd be glad to." The Blonde Brawler gave Hog a strong punch to the gut, sending him flying all the way to the opposite end of the room, just as he had done to her. Hog slammed into the far wall, though unlike Yang, he was pretty well embedded in it. With the pain too much for him to bear, Hog slipped into unconsciousness, allowing Yang to let out a sigh as her eyes shifted back to their normal shade of violet. "Phew, won't lie, that one caught me off guard."

Ilia's skin shifted back to their normal colors as well, the chameleon girl staring at Yang in amazement. Then, as quick as her legs could carry her, Ilia sped over to Yang's side, giving the blonde a relieved smile. "YANG! You're alright!"

Yang gave her a thumbs up. "Yep. My Semblance kicked in the moment I got slammed into the wall."

"B-But that shock!" Ilia argued. "How'd your Aura manage _that_?!"

"Trust me, Color Girl, I can take a lot of damage." Yang gave her a wink. "I just gotta be careful not to take _too_ much."

"Well, I… I'm glad you're alright." Ilia rubbed the back of her neck. "I've got to admit, when I saw your body fall, I was afraid that the worst had happened."

Yang gave Ilia a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Ah, don't worry, Ilia. It'll take more than _Thunderhog_ to take me down." She jabbed a thumb over to Trumbipulor, who seemed to be getting up from his throne to join the fight. "Now, whaddya say we get back in there?"

With a single nod, Ilia gave her approval. "Right!" The two ladies then sprinted off toward the elephant man, a sense of resolve and determination coursing through the both of them.

* * *

While his buddy, Thunderhog, had went to take on Yang and Ilia, Exo-Skull instead decided to charge at Rath and Sienna. He wasn't sure about all that math that Rath had spouted off, but he knew one thing for sure; that he wouldn't go down without a fight. With a mighty roar, Skull charged right into Rath, the Appoplexian grabbing hold of his horn the moment he made impact. "I don't even CARE if we're the eight percent! I'm gonna run with that eight percent and I'm gonna kick your asses with it!"

But apparently, Rath wasn't about to let that happen. He roared right back at Skull and, with all the strength he could muster, pulled back on the cybernetic horn. As a result, Exo-Skull was pulled forward in a massive toss, the rhino man letting out a surprise yell as he hit the ground. Sienna had made it just in time to see the amazing feat, leaving her astonished. "By the gods!" she exclaimed, her eyes darting over to Rath. "Just what the hell ARE you, boy?!"

Rath gave her a snarl and pointed at her. "LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', SIENNA KHAN, HIGH LEADER OF THE WHITE FANG—"

"FORMER High Leader!" Trumbipulor called from his throne.

"WHATEVER!" Rath shouted back before whirling back around to Sienna. "As I was saying, _RATH_ IS A FORCE OF NATURE THAT YOU DO NOT WANNA MESS WITH, SISTER! WHEN SOMEONE WANTS A PIECE OF RATH, THEY'LL GET IT AND _MORE_ THAN THEIR STOMACH CAN KEEP DOWN!"

Sienna blinked as she processed what Rath had just said, only to come to come to a swift conclusion; "That makes absolutely no sense!"

"I KNOW!" Rath shouted back, getting up right in her face. "BUT HONESTLY, RATH DOESN'T _CARE_!" He lifted his claw right up to her chin. "NOW, ARE WE GONNA TAKE THESE GUYS DOWN, OR ARE _WE_ GONNA GET INTO A TUSSLE?!"

Though she knew that this sudden attitude change probably wasn't any fault on Ben's part, Sienna couldn't help but feel a more primal urge to fight bubbling up inside of her. There was just something about Rath's anger that was infectious, and it was beginning to have an effect on _her_ as well. She reached up and pulled Rath's fist away from her, much to his surprise. "Don't you DARE threaten me in such a manner, Ben Tennyson!" she rebuked. "Remember, you are in MY palace, and that means that you are to respect my word!"

"LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', SIENNA KHAN! RATH'S BODY IS HIS OWN PALACE!" Rath spread his arms out wide to display himself. "WHICH MEANS THAT RATH CAN DO WHATEVER THE HELL HE WANTS!"

"Would you stop talking with your pituitary gland and just LISTEN to me?!" Sienna yelled back.

Suddenly, Exo-Skull picked himself up and whipped around to face them, giving the duo an angry expression. "Alright, NOW it's time to get serious!" He balled his hands into fists and ran at the two, intent on taking them down. "You guys aren't getting away with this!"

Rath and Sienna simultaneously turned their heads toward Exo-Skull before reeling back their own fists, both of them yelling; "SHUT UP!" before socking him in the face. Skull tumbled backwards yet again from the blow, making him roll onto his stomach. After that, the two tigers went back to arguing, their voices echoing throughout the palace halls.

With a frustrated grunt, Skull picked himself back up once more, rubbing his head while he got his bearings. "Alright, that does it, I'm just gonna shoot 'em!" Skull lowered his head and activated the laser at the tip of his horn, the lens beginning to glow a bright blue. A second later, the laser blasted out, firing directly toward Rath and Sienna with great velocity.

"AND ANOTHER THING—huh?" Rath's ears perked up when he heard the sound of Skull's laser blasting out, causing him to move his head around just in time to see it approaching. The Appoplexian's eyes widened and he shouted; "GET DOWN!" before tackling Sienna to the ground, allowing the laser to pass harmlessly over them.

The blast went into the wall directly behind Trumbipulor's throne, the laser just narrowly brushing past the Paku-Dermoloid's head. "GAH!" Trumbipulor slightly jumped in his seat after jerking his head out of the way. He narrowed his eyes at Skull and pointed an accusing finger at him. "HEY! Watch where yer aimin', ya mook!"

Skull's eyes bugged out and he raised his hands defensively. "AH! Uh… sorry, Trumbi, won't happen again! Promise!"

On the ground, Rath and Sienna were lying next to each other on their stomachs, the two hot-blooded tigers staring each other down in anger and contemplation. Finally, Sienna let out a sigh. "Listen, Tennyson, if we're going to beat these idiots, we'll have to do as you said before; work together. I'm not sure where that sentiment went when you changed into this form, but I have a feeling that you haven't forgotten about it."

Rath pursed his lips, both out of frustration and silent reflection on what he had said when he was still human. In the end, he lowered his head, giving a sigh of his own. "Yeah, sure, I guess. But lemme tell ya somethin', Sienna Khan, if you wanna fight against these guys with Rath, then you're gonna hafta keep up with him."

Sienna rolled her eyes at that. "Please, I think I can keep up with a brute like you."

"Good! Because Rath's about to go all out!"

Just then, Exo-Skull stepped over and stood in front of them, glaring down at the two with his glowing yellow eyes. "HEY! Are you two done talkin' yet?" he asked as his horn began to light up again. "'Cause I'm about to go all out myself!"

Rath growled before making an unexpected spring up to his feet, reeling back his fist for a… "URSA MINOR UPPERCUT!" His declaration proved truthful as he landed a swift uppercut right to Exo-Skull's jaw, forcing him to step back with a howl of pain. The laser also ended up firing off as well, this time blasting directly upwards through the ceiling.

"Ugh! C'mon!" Skull grit his teeth. "Can't ya just stay still for _two_ seconds?!"

"LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN' EXO-SKULL!" Rath immediately retorted. "RATH IS GONNA TAKE THAT HORN AND SHOVE IT STRAIGHT UP YOU KNOW WHERE! AND RATH _KNOWS_ YOU KNOW WHERE, BECAUSE _RATH_ KNOWS WHAT'S WHAT, AND YOU KNOW WHERE IT'S AT!" Rath shoved a finger directly in front of him. "AND THAT CAN ONLY MEAN THAT _HERE_ IS _NOW_!"

Both Exo-Skull and Sienna blinked in utter befuddlement, only for the former to thrust his hands forward. "WHAT does that even MEAN?!"

Sienna meanwhile was sneering uncomfortably. "And why are you so obsessed with shoving things into different orifices?"

"BECAUSE IT CAUSES THE MOST PAIN!" Rath ran forward and brought his claws up, digging them into Exo-Skull's chest armor. He didn't pierce through to the leathery skin underneath, but it was enough to keep the massive mutant there for a while. "NOW, SIENNA KHAN!"

"My pleasure." Sienna smiled as she pulled her Cerberus Whip out and began to spin it around rapidly, the chain practically a blur as she ran forward. With a mighty leap, Sienna vaulted up Rath's back and over Skull's head, doing a quick front flip as she did so. With amazing accuracy, Sienna lashed the Cerberus Whip around Exo-Skull's horn, the three Dust blades at the weapon's tip allowing it to stay in place as she landed behind him. Sienna pulled Exo-Skull away with all her strength, allowing Rath to step back. Then, with a mighty tug, she pulled herself toward Skull with a flying kick, striking him right in the face. Her whip came undone from Skull's horn as he stumbled back, with Sienna landing proudly on her feet. "Hmph, perhaps you aren't as tough as I thought you'd be."

"OH YEAH?!" Exo-Skull roared again before pulling his giant minigun; the Executioner, off of his back. "I'm just getting started!"

He pulled the trigger and sent a barage of bullets right at Sienna, the tiger lady narrowing her eyes as they came at her. "Well, so am I." She began spinning her whip rapidly again, the chain almost unseen to the naked eye as she whirled it around in front of her. With incredible precision, Sienna was able to deflect the bullets, her whip going from hand to hand as they all bounced off of the chain weapon. She dashed off to the rhino mutant's right side as she deflected the incoming fire, hoping to out run his range. "Oh, come now. Is this REALLY all you have to offer?" Sienna goaded. "I've fought SDC guards that are more competent than you!"

"Shut up!" Skull decided to put even more pressure on her by giving off multiple quick shots from his laser horn, forcing Sienna to stop in her tracks. She was still deflecting the bullets, but she found it harder to do so while avoiding all of the laser blasts. "Haha! Now look who's got nothing to offer! You can't keep bouncin' these puppies away for much longer, and if you haven't noticed, I got plenty of…" Skull went to pat the bandoliers around his torso, but found that they weren't there. His eyes darted down to see that the bullets were completely gone, taking him aback. "W-What the—"

"HEY!" The rhino moved his head around to see Rath standing right next to him, the Appoplexian smirking as he held the bandoliers in his hands. "Heh, I cut 'em off while you weren't looking!" Rath chortled calmly before tossing the bullets away. "CLEVER, HUH?!"

"Why you stinkin' little—" _Click-click_. The sound of his weapon dry-firing made Skull return his focus to the weapon, only to realise that it was indeed out of bullets. "Oh… crud."

Rath, in contrast, wore a big smirk. "Yeah, pretty much! RRRAAAUGH!" The Appoplexian leapt forward and grabbed the massive minigun, trying to wrestle it away from Skull with all his might. But the rhino wasn't about to give up. He may not have had the ability to fire his weapon at the moment, but he could at least use it as a blunt instrument. He pulled the Executioner away and then rammed it forward into Rath's stomach, making him fly back several feet. But Rath wasn't done yet, landing on the ground in a crouch before calling out to his battle partner; "SIENNA KHAN! STOP HIM!"

"On it!" Now free to run however fast she pleased, Sienna surged forward and dashed right up next to Skull as he ran toward his bandoliers. With a great swing of her arm, Sienna managed to get the Cerberus Whip to wrap around the large rotary barrel of the Executioner and, with another good tug, she managed to pull Skull off course. "Now, let's take care of you, shall we?" Sienna pulled her whip free and began using it on Exo-Skull himself, the rhino taking quite a beating from his faster opponent without time to recover. After making sure he was dazed enough, Sienna did a back flip to get some distance between herself and him before pulling out her next trick. With swing of her arm, Sienna lashed her Cerberus Whip toward Skull again, with one of the three Dust Blades at the end of her weapon detached in mid-swing, flying forward and cutting through the air.

The small, triangular blade pierced itself directly into Skull's armor, but it didn't go all the way through, much to his amusement. "HA! That's it?! After smackin' me around with that thing, THIS is what you—" _BOOM_! "AUGH!" The Fire Dust crystal embedded inside of the small blade exploded just a few short seconds after impact, much to Skull's surprise. While the blast only singed his armor a little, it was still powerful enough to make him drop his minigun and stumble back… right into the waiting arms of Rath. "W-Wait, DON'T!"

But it was too late. Rath used all of his strength to pull Skull off the ground and over his head, all while shouting; "OPHIUCHUS SUPLEX!" With a powerful SLAM, Skull landed on the ground behind Rath, his head impacting the concrete and cracking it instantly. Once he turned around, Rath jumped up and pulled back his leg to deliver a kick to Skull's rear. "SIRIUS BUTT-KICKING!" The kick landed and Skull went into a somersault, making him fall onto his stomach yet again.

But, in as much pain as he was, this allowed Skull the perfect opportunity to pound his fists into the ground and steady himself. He knew that he had to end this now, so he had to make his next laser blast count. He pawed the ground beneath him and let out a loud bellow before charging forth, the jet thrusters on his back activating as the tip of his horn lit up. "Tennyson! You're finished!" He rammed into Rath with impressive force, taking the Appoplexian for a ride.

"WOAH!" Rath grit his teeth as he was slammed into the far wall, getting pinned between it and the cybernetic horn. He was practically staring straight down the barrel of the laser as it continued powering up, the blue glow lighting up Rath's face. "LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', EXO-SKULL! RATH AIN'T SCARED OF NO LASERS! RATH EATS LASERS FOR EVERY MEAL!"

"Then consider this your daily dose of fiber." Skull smirked. "Fiber-optics, that is! AHAHA!"

"HEY! PUNS ARE MY THING!" Rath growled as he tried to push the horn back. " _AND_ MY GIRLFRIEND'S THING!"

"Don't care! Now die!" But just as he fired off his laser, a rather familiar whip wrapped around Exo-Skull's horn and jerked it back, making the laser miss Rath's face by just a hair's length. The massive rhino man then felt something land on his back, and he could tell just by its weight that it was a person. "GAH! Hey! Get off me, lady!" Skull reached his arms around to try and get Sienna off of him, but his arms couldn't quite reach her.

"Like I'd listen to you, brute!" Sienna spat before eyeing Rath. "Now, Tennyson! PUSH!"

"GOTCHA!" With Rath pushing Exo-Skull away from him while Sienna pulled with her whip, the two's combined strength made the rhino mutant stumble away again. This allowed Rath just enough room to duck underneath Skull and, using all the strength he could muster, lift him over his head. "SIENNA KHAN, GET OFF!" As rude as his demand was, Sienna complied and Rath began spinning around and around, getting ready for one final move. "TELESCOPIUM POWER TOSS!" In an incredible feat of anger-fueled strength, Rath threw Skull head first at a far wall, the alien tiger breathing hard as a result.

"MAMA!" Skull shouted before making impact with the wall, his head going straight through it.

Sienna stared on in surprise before shifting her eyes back up to Rath. "Would it KILL you to be more careful?" She raised a hand up to Skull and the damaged wall. "Do you know how long it'll take for that to get fixed?"

But Rath just waved it off. "Ah, that's nothin'! You should see what happens when I REALLY CUT LOOSE!" The Appoplexian flexed his muscles with an eager smirk. "OH YEAH! NOW LET'S STOMP TRUMBIPULOR INTO THE GROUND!"

"Highly unlikely, Tennyson!" Trumbipulor called out from across the battle field as he stood back up, now ready to get in on the action as well. "So maybe these mooks ain't what they promised. And maybe you's guys are gettin' a bit of a leg up on us, huh? BIG WHOOP." The Paku-Dermoloid leaned forward with his arms outstretched, gesturing to the room around them. "Because, if ya hadn't noticed, I'm still in charge 'round 'ere, and that means that I've still got plenty more mooks ta throw at 'chu."

Sienna stepped forth and glowered at Trumbipulor with an apathetic glare. "Perhaps so, but that will all change when we defeat you in combat." She held her Cerberus Whip's handle steadily in her left hand, spinning the chain around in the other. "After all, I think it's only fitting that I take the title of White Fang leader away from you in a fight, wouldn't you say?"

Trumbipulor let out an amused chuckle. "Heh, your funeral, toots." But just as he was about to step closer to them, he felt something explode against his face, making him cry out in surprise. "GAH! Hey!" He balled put his fists and began whirling his head around, searching for the perpetrator. "Who did that?!"

"That'd be me, Jumbo!" Rath and Sienna spun around to see Yang and Ilia running their way, the blonde sending them a wave. "Sienna! Ben!" The duo stopped next to them and Yang gave a small jab to her boyfriend's arm. "Glad you guys managed to take down Skull!"

"She's right." Ilia concurred, her eyes shifting over to the stuck rhino man. "Very impressive."

"OF COURSE IT'S IMPRESSIVE, ILIA AMITOLA!" Rath yelled. "IT'S BECAUSE TIGERS ARE SOME OF THE BEST HUNTERS IN THE WILD. AND SINCE TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE, THAT CAN ONLY MEAN THAT TWO TIGERS ARE _TWICE_ AS GOOD AS TWO HEADS!"

Ilia was processing that statement in her head, but Yang set her hand against her friend's shoulder to pull her out of it. "Ilia, it's best not to think too deeply about what Rath says. Trust me, just enjoy the weirdness, okay?"

"Uh, yeah, sure." Ilia complied before sending a nod to Sienna. "Lady Sienna, are you ready for this?"

"Indeed." Sienna pulled the chain of her whip, the metal links clinking together. "Now, what say we take this elephant down?"

"I ain't no stinkin' elephant!" Trumbipulor trumpeted in anger. "I'm a Paku-Dermoloid! An' YOU are gonna learn just how screwed you are!" In a thunderous charge, Trumbipulor ran forward, lowering his head and readying his trunk to attack the four combatants.

But Rath wasn't about to have it, going into a battle-ready stance as his teammates did the same. "LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', TRUMBIPULOR!" The Appoplexian ran forward to meet Trumbipulor head on, with Yang, Ilia and Sienna charging in right by his side. "BRING IT ON!"

* * *

A fair distance away from the palace, all the way across town in fact, the port of Kuo Kuana was relatively peaceful compared to the chaos that was happening in the town itself. The phalanx of at least twenty Dust cannons that were lined up all the way across the docks had been primed and at the ready for whatever ships, be it from sea or air, to appear over the ocean's horizon. However, it seemed that today was just not a good day for the dozens of White Fang grunts that were manning them. First, they had mistakenly shot down a ship belonging to their own people, and now there was a big conflict happening in the middle of town, confusing the lot of them. It had proven to be a rather strange day.

Standing with them was the White Fang Lieutenant that had arrived with the Valian branch earlier that same day, having been assigned to watch over the defenses. "Keep on your guard." the masked man said. "We may have no idea what's going on, but that doesn't mean we can slack off."

"Well, what do you think is going on?" one foot-soldier asked.

"No clue." the Lieutenant dismissed. "Maybe it's just the citizens trying to rebel."

"Nah, they're far too intimidated by Lord Trumbipulor to do that." another grunt denied before realizing something. "Do you think… that it could be Ghira and his reinforcements?!"

"That's crazy talk!" the Lieutenant exclaimed. "If it really was, then they'd have to get here by airship, and no other ships have shown up since ours earlier!"

"He's got a point." the first grunt spoke again. "There's no way an airship could get past this barricade without getting spotted. And besides, Lord Trumbipulor ordered for these things to be set up across ALL of Menagerie. How could they've POSSIBLY gotten past them?"

"How indeed?" All of the White Fang grunts froze when they heard a rather gruff and commanding voice speak up from behind them. After swallowing their fear for the time being, they all did an about-face away from the ocean to see none other than Ghira Belladonna standing about twenty or so feet behind them, his arms crossed and boring a disapproving glare into all of them. "Well, gentlemen? What exactly do you have to say for yourselves?"

The panther man was also accompanied by five others, most noticeably his wife Kali who was standing right beside him. The cat woman was wearing a stern face as well as she spoke to the White Fang. "Your new boss has caused a lot of trouble over the past couple of weeks, but now, it's time for it all to end." She extended her hands out to them with a small plea. "Now, we can either fight, or you can just give yourselves up right now. Your choice."

But her request fell on deaf ears as the grunts all began to take out their weapons. "IT'S THEM!" one shouted out.

"But how?!" the Lieutenant asked. "We've been on guard all night!"

From Ghira's group, Gwen stepped forward, a small smile on her face. "Yes, you were. But I'm guessing that you've never dealt with a ship with cloaking technology, have you?"

At that, the White Fang began murmuring amongst themselves in confusion. With questions like; "Cloaking technology? But that's only experimental!" and "How did they get their hands on stuff like that?" being thrown around. As the grunts continued to arm themselves up for a fight, the Lieutenant shouted out over the crowded voices.

"Would you all just calm down for two seconds?! We have _Dust Cannons_!" he pointed out. "USE them!" At the suggestion, many of the guards began to smile wickedly before sprinting back to the cannons to turn them all around. In less than ten seconds, the cannons had all shifted to face the Belladonnas and the others, causing them to recoil in shock.

Neptune shifted his eyes across the phalanx worriedly. "Uh… was anyone expecting this to happen?"

Penny shook her head. "No, but I think we should've taken some more factors into consideration."

Tetrax stepped up to shield the others from the inevitable incoming fire. "Everyone, get back! I can take it!"

"Tetrax, wait!" Gwen called to the Petrosapien before reaching out her right hand, her purplish-pink mana beginning to apparate as a White Fang grunt began to count down. The moment he shouted "FIRE!", the whole line of cannons blasted out their Fire Dust cannonballs straight at the group, a massive explosion occurring the moment they made contact. As the billowing cloud of fire and smoke wafted up into the air, the grunts began celebrating their little victory. Ending Ghira Belladonna's life would surely get them promoted up the ranks! However, their celebration was cut short when the smoke began to clear, revealing a bright pink glow coming from the middle of it. Once everything had settled, the White Fang were astonished to see that the group of six were all still alive, a massive pink energy shield having protected them from the explosion.

Gwen was breathing steadily after bringing up the shield at the last possible second, her eyes glancing back to her friends standing behind her. "Is everyone alright?!"

"Y-Yes, Gwen." Kali stammered. "But are _you_ okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good." Gwen reassured before shifting her eyes back to the grunts. They were quickly trying to reload the cannons for another blast, hoping that this one would be enough to take down the Anodite's shield. She moved her head to face Ghira with a reluctant gaze. "Ghira, I know that they're probably REALLY old antiques, but if we don't take out those cannons, we won't be getting anywhere."

"You're right." Ghira agreed. "We have to take them out… even if it means destroying them."

"Okay." Gwen nodded before shifting her attention to Neptune, Penny and Tetrax. "C'mon guys, let's get in there and take 'em down!"

Penny gave her fellow redhead a salute as she activated her jetpack. "We're on it, Gwen! Lower the shield!" Gwen did as she asked and Penny powered her jet thrusters up, the android blasting off into the sky soon after. Once she reached a height of about thirty feet, Penny redirected herself back down toward the grunts, a bright smile on her face as she did. "Woohoo! I think I'm starting to get the hang of this!" She narrowed her eyes and they flashed green for a moment. "Okay, now let's change it up a bit!" In a split second, Penny switched from her jet pack to her spiked Punk Busters, her legs bending and preparing for impact. "Incoming!"

The White Fang grunts hollered in panic as they all dove out of the way, Penny's giant metal feet making impact with four cannons as soon as they got clear. "WHAT THE?!" One of the grunts shouted in disbelief. "What's the deal with that girl?!"

"I don't know." Another grunt said as she pulled out her rifle. "But she's toast—GAH!" the woman was interrupted when a sizeable blue blade pierced right through her weapon, making it spark as it was plucked out of her hands and sent to the ground.

The blade was pulled away by Neptune, the blue-haired boy having shifted Tri-Hard into its guandao mode. "Sorry, ma'am, but I'm afraid I can't let ya do that." he smirked. "Besides, I don't think that you'd be able to hurt her anyways. Now if you'll excuse me…" Neptune leapt away from the lady and began disarming more grunts with his weapon, all while the lady grunt watched Penny stomp on more cannons.

Over to the side, Kali had joined in on the fight as well, the cat woman dashing up to one of the grunts with surprising speed. The foot soldier had managed to pull out his side arm; a standard flintlock pistol, and began firing it at her. But this proved to be futile as Kali simply dodged the shots with ease. As she drew closer, Kali pulled her sash off of her waist and whipped it forward, the strip of cloth wrapping around the grunt's weapon with its buckle locking around it. With a strong pull, Kali yanked the weapon from the grunt and into her own hands, allowing her to get the upper hand. She leapt up and did a mid-air flip over the White Fang's head before delivering a spin kick to his back, knocking him to the ground. With a confident smile, Kali spun the pistol in her hands and put her sash back around her waist. "Thank you very much, dear. This'll certainly come in handy."

"Alright Kali!" Gwen cheered as she ran up and began sending multiple mana disks at the cannons, the thin energy projectiles slicing directly down the middle of multiple cannons all at once. "I gotta say, this is going rather well! Tetrax, how're you holding up?"

Tetrax came up beside her and took off one of his gloves, his crystalline hand changing into a sharp blade. "Well, this isn't exactly how I would've gone about things, but it IS still getting good results. So, why not?" With a gravely battle cry, Tetrax charged forth and began slicing the barrels of the cannons off, making the White Fang grunts back away in fear.

"AH! It's some sort of crystal monster!" one of the grunts screamed in terror.

"Hold your ground!" the Lieutenant ordered. "We can't be thrown off by a bunch of—" _SMACK_! "GAH!" With a hard punch to the face, the Lieutenant stumbled back, only to see Ghira standing a few feet away from him. "YOU!"

Ghira narrowed his eyes at the Lieutenant before asking; "Tell me, you were with the Vale branch, were you not? What made you think it was a good idea to ally with Adam in the first place?"

"I don't have to answer to you, old man!" The Lieutenant reaching into his pockets and pulled out a pair of brass knuckles, with each ring having four rather sharp spikes at the ends of them. But something was odd about the handles; they appeared more like those of a knife. "Your time's LONG since passed, and now, you're done for!" He rushed forward and threw a volley of punches at Ghira, only for the panther man to bob and weave around every strike. Right jab, dodge. Left hook, deflect. And when the Lieutenant threw in both hands at once, Ghira simply grabbed the man's arms and hardened his grip, eliciting a scream from the White Fang's throat.

"I find your statement highly unlikely." Ghira said plainly before closing his eyes and delivering a kick to the Lieutenant's abdomen, making him skid back on his feet a fair distance away. "Alright, I think it's time to end this." The burly man's eyes snapped back open and he flexed his hands out to his size, making his retractable claws pop out. He let out a growl before throwing his purple jacket off, revealing his bare upper torso as he psyched himself up for battle. With a stomp and a loud roar, Ghira lunged forward and brought one of his hands back, intending to slice his claws at the Lieutenant's mask. "I'm through playing this game!"

"Oh yeah?! Well so am I!" The Lieutenant sprang up and pressed a button on his brass knuckles, resulting in a sharp blade popping out of the already deadly weapon. The sharp blades had retracted in a position so that the Lieutenant was wielding them in a reverse grip, so he swung his hands upward to meet Ghira's attack. The chieftain's eyes widened and he tried to avoid the blades, but he got caught on the first slash, resulting in him getting cut across the arm.

"AGH!" Ghira grit his teeth and he glared at the Lieutenant, only for his eyes to widen when three more White Fang grunts came over; one brandishing a spear while the others each held a single blade.

"ATTACK!" At the Lieutenant's order, the grunts ran forth and began their assault on Ghira, hoping to take the large man out.

However, it was apparent even after their first attack that Ghira wasn't messing around. One of the foot soldiers sent a flying kick straight at Ghira's head, but the massive man was able to simply grab the grunt's foot and fling them into the ground without much effort. Then another one came at him, this one swinging a blade right for his head. Ghira managed to dodge just in time before throwing a punch to the soldier's gut, grabbing his head and slamming him to the ground for good measure. The third and final grunt attempted to lunge at him with their spear, only for Ghira to grab the weapon by the handle. The cheiftain then used the handle to fling the solider over his head and slam him into the ground, knocking him out instantly. With his work done, Ghira tossed the spear away and let out a breath… but then, a sharp and sudden pain began going through his back, making him let out a loud scream. "GAAAH!"

The White Fang Lieutenant had taken the opportunity while Ghira's back was turned to stab him in the back with one of his shanks, the pain forcing the panther man to his knees. Beneath his mask, the Lieutenant smirked to himself as he made his way around Ghira, a slight chuckle escaping his lips. "Hehehe, well, I guess that you've gotten less observant as you've gotten older, eh Ghira?"

Ghira clenched his teeth with a snarl. "That… was an underhanded move."

"Maybe, but you can't argue with the results." The Lieutenant proceeded to kick Ghira in the face, sending him sprawling onto his back, which only made the wound worse. The White Fang then bent down and pressed his blades against Ghira's neck, right next to his jugulars, all while laughing in the process. "Haha! Gotta say, it's been fun, but now it's time for you to die. Any last words?"

"Heh, yes, actually." Ghira smiled knowingly to himself. "You really shouldn't be two quick to claim victory over me."

"Oh really, and why is that?"

"Because I'm a package deal. You hurt me…" Ghira watched as the Lieutenant was suddenly grabbed by the shoulder and spun around by a certain person, the man getting socked in the face soon after. "…my wife hurts you back."

The Lieutenant staggered back and shook the dizziness out of his eyes, only to be immediately met by an absolutely _livid_ Kali. Her teeth were grit together and her yellow eyes were practically glowing, piercing directly through the Lieutenant's soul. "Stay AWAY from my husband!" she pulled up the flintlock pistol she had confiscated and used it to blast the brass knuckle shanks out of the Lieutenant's hand, which also caused him to recoil in pain. This gave Kali the opportunity to send a roundhouse kick to his stomach, sending him to the ground for the time being. With her opponent incapacitated for now, Kali rushed over to her husband hand helped him up, her expression going from angry to concerned in less than a second. "Sweetheart! Are you okay?!"

Ghira chuckled weakly, still in pain from being stabbed. All the same though, he gave his wife a reassuring smile and took her hand in his own. "I'll be alright, dear." He sent her a small wink. "You know from experience that we've survived worse."

Kali smiled back and gave him a quick kiss. "I know, but still, YOU know that nothing sets me off more than seeing you or Blake getting hurt."

"Hehe, yes I do." Just then, at the sound of a weak groan, Ghira and Kali spun their heads around to see the Lieutenant getting back up, much to their annoyance. But, with a sly grin, Ghira gave his wife a nod. "Shall we?"

Kali reciprocated the gesture. "Yes, let's." With that, the couple got up and quickly ran over to the Lieutenant, who wasn't expecting such a quick reaction. In a joined effort, Kali and Ghira delivered a double punch to the White Fang's face, finally knocking him out.

Back over with Gwen, Tetrax, Penny and Neptune, the four were just finishing up wrecking the cannons and disarming the other White Fang grunts, all while knocking most of them out along the way. A few of the foot soldiers were quick to retreat when they were disarmed though, but Gwen wasn't all that concerned about it. "Let them go. They're weaponless and they can't get to Trumbipulor without going through our friends in town." the redhead rationalized. "I think we'll be good here."

After wrecking the last cannon, Penny deactivated her Punk Busters and returned to her default state, placing her hands on her hips as she surveyed the area. "Yeah, I think that's fair. Besides, we've already taken out their artillery."

"Yeah!" Neptune pumped a fist into the air. "Now Ironwood can get through securely."

"Indeed." Tetrax affirmed as he changed his hand back to normal and put on his glove. "Excellent work every—GHIRA!"

The Petrosapien's exclamation caused everyone to whirl around just in time to see the aforementioned panther man being tended to by his wife not far away, a visible deep wound having been put into his back. There was also a long slash along his right arm, and it was also bleeding pretty well. In a flash, the teens and Tetrax went over, all while asking if he was okay. "Ghira! Kali!" Gwen called out before stopping right next to the cat woman. "I-Is he alright?!"

"What happened?!" Penny added.

Kali sent them a soft smile. "Everyone, it's okay." she said calmly. "Yes, it's a rather nasty wound, but he'll pull through."

Neptune gave out a sigh. "Phew, that's a relief." The blue-haired boy gave Ghira a thumbs up. "You're on tough dude, Ghira. Mad props!"

Ghira blinked in confusion at the lingo used, but he caught on to its meaning soon after. "Oh, yes, thank you." The chieftain then looked up to Gwen and Tetrax. "So, did everything go through alright?"

Gwen gave him a nod and a thumbs up. "Yep, everything's been taken care of. The cannons are down and most of the foot soldiers have either been knocked out or they've just run away."

"Good, then that means that General Ironwood shouldn't have much of a problem landing here." Ghira winced in pain as Kali tended to his wound. "Gah! Dear god!"

"It's alright, honey." Kali consoled as she dabbed the area around the wound with a cloth that she had on her. "It will take time to heal, but your Aura should already be working to dull the pain."

Gwen stepped closer to the two and her hands began glowing again. "Here, let me help. I'll feed some of my mana into Ghira's Aura to help it along." She placed her hands just slightly above the wound and her mana began to power up Ghira's Aura, which almost instantly made him feel better. Once she was done, Gwen gave the panther man a nod. "Alright, you should be good to go, at least until you can get some bandages on it. How do you feel?"

"Never better, Gwen. Thank you." Ghira stood back up and bowed his head toward the Anodite. "I greatly appreciate the help, but now I think would be a good time to contact Ironwood and see how he's coming along."

"Oh, you're right!" Gwen pulled out her Plumber's badge and activated the comm-link before bringing it closer to her face. "This is Gwen Tennyson contacting General Ironwood. Can you hear me, general?"

At first, it was a bit staticky, but sure enough, Ironwood's voice ran out through the opposite end. _"That's a big ten-four, Gwen Tennyson, we're reading you loud and clear! What's the status of the mission so far?"_

"It's going rather well, actually." Gwen smiled. "Kevin and Winter are in town with their group and providing a pretty good distraction and we just got done disabling the defenses at Kuo Kuana's port. You should be able to get in, no problem."

" _Excellent. And what about the group freeing Sienna Khan? Are they doing alright?"_

"Not sure, but considering we haven't heard any big explosions or the like come from the palace, I think it's safe to say they're alright. At least for now." Gwen raised an eyebrow. "So, how long until you and your soldier's get here?"

" _About fifteen minutes or less."_ Ironwood answered. _"…However, there HAS been a slight change in plans."_

The general's vague statement only made the group more confused, prompting Gwen to inquire further. "Uh… general, what're you talking about?"

" _Well, I only realized a short time before I left that bringing Atlesian Army Soldiers to Menagerie of all places probably wouldn't go over well with Miss Khan."_ Ironwood elaborated. _"After all, the last thing that I would want in all of this is for relations between the White Fang and Atlas to be strained even further than before. So, at the last minute… I decided to pick up THESE hooligans instead. And they're actually kind of irritated that you left them behind."_

"General, what ARE you talking about—"

But Gwen was cut off when a different voice called out over the comm; _"Hey RED! What's the big deal leavin' us in the dust, huh?!"_

From the voice's tone, Gwen could tell two things; one, it belonged to a rather familiar young woman. And two, it was dripping with sarcasm and charisma, which elicited a smile to appear on her face, as well as Neptune and Penny's. Gwen let out a small laugh before retorting; "Haha! Oh, boy, THIS ought to be interesting."

* * *

Back in the White Fang palace, the foyer was practically dead compared to the chaos that was happening in the next room over. Next to the large pair of double doors that lead to the throne room, Exo-Skull was still trying to pull his head free of the wall without making it collapse on himself. Though he wasn't having much luck thanks to his massive horn getting in the way. "Man, this sucks!" the rhino mutant bemoaned, only to be surprised when the throne room's doors burst open, revealing Corsac and Fennec Albain leaping backwards out into the foyer. "HAHA! Just my luck! Hey guys, mind givin' a mutant a little help?"

But Corsac just sent him a quick glare. "We haven't got the time for that!" Just as fast as his glare was sent to Skull, it was redirected toward a dark shape as it dashed out of the room and clattered against his sai; Inferno. The moment the dark shape came to a halt, Skull saw that it was, in fact, Blake, the cat girl putting on a lot of pressure against Corsac as their weapons clashed.

"Brother!" Fennec called out before he was engaged by none other than Sun, the monkey boy using his bo staff to engage with the younger Albain. "Gah! Why you impudent little punk!"

"Ooh, big words!" Sun smirked. "Let's see if you can back 'em up, big ears!" He performed a back flip away from Fennec before spinning around his Ruyi Jingu Bang in a red blur, dashing toward Fennec again with a plan forming in his mind. Just as he suspected, Fennec stabbed forward with his own sai; Cyclone. The white spiral going down its thin blade began to glow and, true to its name, a strong cyclone of wind shot out from it. In response, Sun brought his staff forward, still spinning it rapidly. Using his weapon as a propeller to counteract the gust of wind, Sun was able to hold his ground, only getting pushed back by about half a foot. Once the wind subsided, Sun slammed his staff into the ground and laughed. "HA! Not happenin', man!"

"What?!" Fennec's eyes widened in surprise.

"Yeah, I had a feeling that white stuff on your blade was Wind Dust." Sun nudged his head toward Corsac and Blake's fight. "And I guess that means your bro uses Fire Dust, am I right?"

"Very astute." Fennec admitted before entering a combat stance. "But that knowledge won't be enough to save you!"

Sun spun Ruyi Jingu Bang around, holding the bo staff at arm's length behind him as he went into his own stance. "Maybe, but I think I can at least get a few good ideas from this." He let out another battle cry and ran forward, swinging his staff in a downward arc toward Fennec's head. The fox-eared man was able to dodge by lunging back though, but as it turned out, Sun was also able to use that to his advantage. The end of his staff slammed into the ground and the monkey boy used it as a pole vault, sending himself sailing right toward Fennec with a flying kick right to the nose.

The fox man screamed in agony as he clutched his nose, blood already trickling from it as he staggered back. "AAAAGH!" He removed his hand and exposed his clenched teeth, which were beginning to be stained red from the blood dripping into his mouth. "I'll END you, boy—AUGH!" Fennec was interrupted however when Sun slammed Ruyi Jingu Bang directly into Fennec's gut, making him double over immediately.

"Sorry, what was that?" Sun then pulled Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang apart into their gun chuck modes, using them to smack Fennec in the face while he was winded. "I can't hear you over me kicking your butt!"

From across the way, Blake hollered; "Sun, what'd I say about getting cocky?!"

Sun's eyes widened and he came to a stop, allowing Fennec to drop to his knees for a brief moment. "Sorry, Blake!" he called back. "Guess I got too into it!"

"It's fine!" Blake answered as Gambol Shroud clashed with Inferno once again, with Corsac giving the cat girl a nasty snarl. "Just keep the bragging to a minimal, 'kay babe?" She got a thumbs up from him and she smiled, her focus going back entirely to Corsac. "Now, where were we?"

"If you'd stop worrying about your boyfriend, then maybe you'd remember!" Corsac growled as he stepped back and sent a blast of fire out from Inferno. However, Blake used her Semblance to make a shadow clone of herself, allowing her to quickly jump out of the way while the clone took the hit.

In a flash, Blake was suddenly up in Corsac's face, the fox-tailed man slightly recoiling at how fast she had gotten there. "Forgive me if I'm concerned for the people I care about." She gave him a quick kick to the stomach before continuing on; "But then again, I AM talking to someone who doesn't give a DAMN about what the people of Menagerie are going through. It's all about pleasing Jumbo in there, isn't it?"

"HOW DARE YOU!" Corsac bellowed before getting up and thrusting Inferno forward, intending to stab out Blake's eye. However, she was able to bring Gambol Shroud up in time to block the hit, thought that didn't stop Corsac from fuming at her. "Everything we DO is in Menagerie's best interest! If the people have to suffer even for the briefest moments so that they can lord over the human race for ALL time, then so be it!"

Blake narrowed her eyes at the fox man, and for the briefest moment, she could see a rather familiar personality in his place. "There's no mistaking it. You, your brother, and Adam… you ARE all the same. So short sighted and naïve to how peace with the humans CAN be achieved!" She pushed back and the two began clashing their blades once more, but this time it was Blake who kept the pressure on. "All _you're_ concerned about is gaining power over them!"

"YOU are the short sighted one!" Corsac retorted. "You, your family, even SIENNA! All of you think that the prejudice can simply be overcome!" Corsac pushed Blake away and pointed Inferno at her accusingly. "It matters not what methods you use… the Belladonna's peaceful protests or Sienna's fear-instilling ways, you both wish for the humans to _respect_ the Faunus. But Adam… now HE was a visionary. He wished to _enslave_ the human race for what they did to us, proving once and for all how Faunus are the superior race. But now… thanks to you and your _friends_ , we had to practically start from scratch with Lord Trumbipulor!"

Blake furrowed her brows at him. "Yeah, and look where that got you two. Now you're just a couple of boot-licking toadies that do whatever you can to please him. That sounds _exactly_ what any self-respecting White Fang would do, _right_?"

Corsac could practically hear the sarcasm dripping from Blake's voice, which only served to make him even more angry. "SILENCE!" In his anger, the fox man sent out another blast of flame… only for Blake to dash out of the way and jump upwards, leaving him along. "Come back here and FIGHT!"

"Brother!" Corsac's eyes widened as Fennec came running over to him, with Sun not that far behind. "I've kept trying to get this cretin to give in, but he's not budging! Perhaps if we perform our combined attack…"

"Agreed." The elder Albain nodded. "It's time to get rid of these pests once and for all!" With that, Corsac and Fennec raised their arms up, aiming Inferno and Cyclone directly at Sun. All at once, the two Dust sai blasted out a large spiral of energy, combining their fire and wind abilities perfectly.

Sun's eyes bugged out at the attack. "Woah!" He shifted his gun-chucks back into their staff mode and began doing his propeller trick again, hoping that it'd work a second time. Fortunately, it did, but the attack was still very strong and harder to keep at bay than just the wind itself. "Gah! Babe! We need to end this!"

"Couldn't agree more!" the call back caught the Albain's attention, making them divert their attention to the terraces on the second floor of the foyer. There, up above their heads, was Blake, the cat girl standing on the railings as she loaded Gambol Shoud with a vial of Ice Dust. Corsac and Fennec sent a blast of fire and wind at her as she jumped down, but she was able to avoid them both with a flip before landing right between them in a crouch. The Albains raised their sai to stab downward at her, but Blake was able to predict this and she activated her Semblance. In an instant, she was replaced with an icy clone of herself, leaving the Albains to get their hands frozen around it as it came into being.

Sun grinned at the maneuver as Blake dashed over to him. "Alright! That was sweet!"

"Yeah… but it won't last long." The couple directed their attention over to the Albains, with Corsac already working on melting the Blake ice sculpture's head with Inferno. However, Blake gave Sun a knowing wink. "So… ready for our signature move?"

"Oh yeah!" Sun cheered. "Let's do it!" At the declaration, the two began focusing heavily on their Semblances, with Blake loading up a vial of Fire Dust into Gambol Shroud. Corsac and Fennec were initially perplexed as to what was going on, but when they saw Blake's fiery shadow clone surged forth from her being, as well as Sun's light clone burst out from _his_ body, their eyes widened in fear. The brothers immediately tried to pry their hands free from the ice as the two clones rapidly approached, but when they eventually managed to, it was already too late. The clones pounced on the brothers and exploded right in their faces, making them fly backward into the palace's front doors and knocking both of them out. "Haha! Alright!" Sun grasped Blake's hand and spun her around in victory, which the cat girl was not opposed to in the slightest. "Heh, that NEVER gets old, does it?"

"Hmm, well, you can't fault its effectiveness, that's for sure." Blake affirmed before her eyes landed on Inferno and Cyclone, the two sai having fallen between the Albains. "Hey, we should grab their weapons in case they get up."

"Ooh, yeah, you're right." Sun agreed, the couple picking up the sai immediately. "Man, I knew we could take 'em, but I didn't think it'd be this easy." The monkey boy smiled as he pulled Blake in for a hug. "Guess it goes to show how great we work together, huh?"

"Hehe, yeah." Blake blushed as her eyes found Sun's bright smile. For the briefest moment, she wondered if this were a good time to make a move that she had been eager to try. _'This is practically the perfect opportunity! We feel great, things are looking up and—'_

"Hey don't go celebratin' just yet!" Exo-Skull called out from his place in the wall. "This ain't over, you hear me?!"

Blake's lips turned up into a sneer of disgust. _'Damn it, I forgot we weren't alone.'_ She and Sun narrowed their eyes at Skull, the rhino man smirking at the both of them. "You're not exactly in the best position to egg people on, Exo-Skull." Blake derided.

"Yeah, besides, things aren't going too well for you guys if you hadn't noticed." Sun pointed out. "Hell, your head is LITERALLY stuck in a wall."

"Maybe, but like I said; this ain't over, kid." Skull's smirk increased. "Remember, we've still got one last trick up our sleeve. Our "one-percent", if you'll remember."

A slight chill went through the couple at first, but they weren't about to be deterred by the mutant. "You talk big, Exo-Skull, but can you actually back it up?" Blake challenged.

"Yeah, who knows? Maybe Salem caught wind that Ben was here and she chickened out." Sun said optimistically.

"HA! You kiddin'?" Skull laughed. "Salem ain't one for walking away, 'specially not from Tennyson in there. In fact, if I remember, she's actually wanted to talk to the little twerp who's been a thorn in her side for the past two weeks."

Blake and Sun glanced to each other worriedly before they heard a loud _BANG_ from the front doors, causing them to whirl around and face them. Then there was another bang, followed by another and another, the large double doors shaking with every slam against them. The couple pulled their respective weapons back out and readied themselves for whatever would come through, however, not long after they did, the banging stopped. The two were left momentarily perplexed before a loud _CRASH_ startled them back to attention. The windows that were on either side of the front doors had been broken through, and Blake couldn't help but gasp at the sight of what had done it. "AH! What ARE those?!"

Sun couldn't believe what he was looking at. They were some sort of jellyfish Grimm with long, thin tentacles, each with a sharp barb on the ends of them. "I-I have no clue!" The monkey boy's eyes widened when he saw at least three more of the same creatures come floating quickly through the broken windows. "There's MORE of them?!"

Skull chuckled sinisterly behind them as the Grimm began to fly right to the throne room, the doors still wide open. "Hehehe, oh boy, it's time! The Boss Lady's comin'!"

"What?! NO!" Blake exclaimed as the jellyfish quickly floated in. She spun back to Exo-Skull and gave him a hard glare, demanding answers. "What are those things?! What do they have to do with Salem?!"

"Oh-ho-ho, YOU'LL see." Skull chuckled. "If I were you, I'd stop blabbin' and start hiding, because once she gets here… you'll ALL be sorry if you don't."

Blake clenched her teeth and went back to Sun, the Grimm already having reached the throne room doors. "Sun! We've gotta stop those things!"

"Right!" Sun took his bo staff and separated it into his gun-chucks, firing them off in quick succession at the Grimm while Blake did the same with Gambol Shroud. "Your days are numbered, you creepy little—huh?!" But just as quickly as they fired at the jellyfish, the Grimm were able to bob and weave around the shots in midair, almost as if they were dancing. "Oh, c'mon! You can't be serious!"

The jellyfish continued to make their way into the throne room, all of them floating directly to where Rath, Sienna, Yang and Ilia as they continued to fight Trumbipulor. However, the five combatants didn't immediately notice, so Blake gave them a shout; "GUYS! Watch out behind you!"

"HUH?!" Rath whipped his head around and focused his eyes on Blake, pointing to her as he did. "LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', BLAKE BELLADONNA! CAN'T YOU SEE WE'RE—WHAT THE HELL?!" It was only then that Rath caught sight of the five jellyfish Grimm that were floating in, and he narrowed his eyes at the rather creepy creatures. "WHAT'RE _THOSE_ THINGS?!"

The fighting between the two sides immediately stopped and they all moved their heads up to see the five Grimm all clustering together, wrapping their tentacles around each other. Yang let out a disgusted sound at the action. "Ugh! I don't know but they're nasty little fuckers!" As the Grimm continued to cluster together, they began poking at their crystalline heads with the barbs on their tentacles, much to everyone's bewilderment. "Wait… are they trying to _hurt_ themselves?"

Blake and Sun ran in as fast as they possibly could, the car girl outreaching her hand. "Don't let them do anything!" she cried. "Whatever they are, they have something to do with—"

But it was too late. The jellyfish Grimm finally managed to pierce through each other's heads, and with that, their tentacles began to conduct the red glowing energy that was being held within the crystalline craniums. The five creatures began sparking with the powerful red energy as they constricted themselves to each other, and then… _BOOM!_ In a powerful explosion that sent everybody flying away, the Grimm all exploded into tiny pieces, all while sending a wave of energy throughout the room. Said energy wave made all of the lights go out instantly, leaving the whole room in practical darkness. The only hint of light left was the faintest bit of red that was emanating from the room's center.

Sienna picked her head up off the ground and stood up, only to gasp at what she was seeing now. "W-What in the world?"

Ilia got up next, followed by Blake, Sun and Yang. The chameleon girl craned her head to what Sienna was staring at, and immediately felt a chill run up her spine. There, in the very center of the room, was a large portal, one that was almost completely black with large, red spirals spinning toward its center. It was almost mesmerizing if she stared at it for too long, but Ilia was able to break away from it. "Is… is this…"

Yang balled her hands into fists. She was determined to keep herself calm, but her mind was practically screaming in fear right now. "I think so." she managed to utter. "Ben… you need to see this."

Rath shook his head, thoroughly miffed at having been tossed away like a ragdoll by practically nothing. "LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', YANG XIAO LONG! RATH IS—what?" One look at the portal was all it took for Rath to silence himself, the Appoplexian's face falling at the sight of it. And then, just a few seconds later, a figure began walking its way out of the portal at a very casual pace, with an air of confidence in every step. When the figure finally became visible, Rath's heart sank to his stomach, a feeling that was shared by the rest of his team. "Oh… this ain't good."

* * *

Back at the Belladonna family home, Winter was taking stock of the situation. Her squad had just successfully brought down two of the White Fang's best assassins as well as Simian, so that was a good thing. However, there were still many White Fang guards that had to be dealt with. At the moment, she had ordered her crew to regroup at the in front of the Belladonna's house to regain their bearings, as well as put their prisoners in Tetrax's ship. For Yuma and Trifa, it would be a temporary holding place until Sienna decided what to do with them, but Simian was now at least in his new cell, so that was a good thing. The last thing that Winter had heard when leaving the brig was the other prisoner's laughing at the unconscious Arachnichimp's expense, probably because of the pink shirt.

The elder Schnee sighed as she made her way back through the house and into the forecourt with Ruby and Weiss, the two girls having helped her move the prisoners. Once they stepped out of the house, they were immediately met with the sight of Kevin, Rex, and Holiday all continuing their fight against the White Fang guards. "Alright you two," Winter sent a glance toward Ruby and Weiss, "are you ready to get back in there?"

"Definitely." Ruby smiled eagerly. "Now that the guards are almost done with, something tells me that we've got a pretty good chance at winning this now!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Ruby." Weiss reminded. "After all, Ben's team isn't back yet and neither is Gwen's, so we're going to have to—" But right at that moment, the heiress was cut off when a bright pink flash appeared out in the middle of the forecourt, forcing everyone to shield their eyes before the light finally died down. Once everyone was able to see again, the first thing they saw was Gwen, Neptune, Penny, the Belladonnas and Tetrax all standing together in a group, with Gwen's eyes glowing bright pink. "Oh… well, okay, Gwen's team IS back." Weiss corrected before the three ran down the steps and toward the Anodite's group.

"Gwen!" Kevin hollered. "I was wonderin' when you'd be back!"

The Anodite craned her head around and gave her boyfriend a wink before facing the remaining White Fang guards. "Sorry, guys, but I'd like a few words with my team. So if you'll excuse us…" Gwen brought up her hands and created a massive energy field between the guards and the team, one that was able to push all of the White Fang outside of the forecourt. With a small sigh, Gwen's eyes returned to normal and she gave her teammates a smile as they approached. "Hey guys. So, how's your part of the mission going?"

"¡ _Muy bueno_!" Rex said with a thumbs up. "We managed to take down Simian and a couple White Fang assassins while you were away. So, how 'bout you guys?" The EVO pointed out Ghira's shoulder, which was still slightly bleeding. "And where'd you get THAT, Ghira?"

"Hah, I got jumped from behind." Ghira admitted. "It was a rather careless move on my part to leave myself open…" He reached around and put a hand to his wife's shoulder. "But fortunately, I had excellent back-up."

"And don't you forget it!" Kali poked Ghira's chest playfully before directing her attention over to Holiday. "Doctor Holiday, you wouldn't happen to have any medical supplies on you?"

Holiday gave her a nod. "Of course." She reached down into one of her larger pouches and pulled out a med kit, unzipping it as she approached the two. "I always carry this in case of emergencies. Here, Ghira, sit down and I'll get you patched up."

As Holiday and Kali began tending Ghira's wound again, Neptune decided to answer Rex's first question. "The defenses at the port have all been smashed to bits. Ironwood's got a clear way into Menagerie now." However, a quick glance around made something abundantly clear to the blue-haired boy. "Uh… guys? Where's Team JNPR?"

_**BOOOM**_! Everyone's eyes snapped open and they whipped their heads around to see a massive cloud of smoke raise up into the air across town, followed up by multiple fearful screams. Ruby gave an amused smile and crossed her arms. "Where there's smoke…"

"There's Nora." The whole group collectively said.

"She really can't go anywhere without blowing something up, can she?" Holiday asked rhetorically.

Gwen rolled her eyes with a small smirk. "Well, considering who General Ironwood's bringing with him, we might just be in for a few _more_ explosions before the night is over."

Winter raised a brow at that. "What do you mean by that, Gwendolyn?"

Penny raised a hand excitedly. "Oh! That's the exciting part! General Ironwood said that he thought it best to not bring actual Atlesian soldiers to the island, so he's bringing a different back-up team instead!"

"Well, don't leave us hanging." Weiss insisted. "Who's he bringing?"

Gwen was about to give the answer; "It's… it's…" but then she trailed off, her eyes widening when she began to feel a rather… malevolent presence begin to make its way onto the island. She hadn't felt something this… _evil_ since Dagon, but even then, this just felt completely different, and utterly _dark_. After a few seconds of simply feeling it, the malevolent force began to affect her directly, hitting her mind with what felt like the force of a speeding truck, and Gwen felt it immediately. "AAAAAGH!" All at once, Gwen let out a bloodcurdling scream and clenched her head in agony, falling to her knees as her eyes screwed shut and tears began streaming down her face. The moment she felt this wave of pain wash over her, the large energy field she put up had shattered, allowing the White Fang to come charging in again.

"GWEN!" Kevin rushed over and knelt by her side as everybody went on alert, their concern for the redhead quickly matching the Osmosian's. He pulled her into an embrace, but that didn't stop the Anodite from letting out wails of anguish, which Kevin was all to quick to ask about. "Gwen, what's happening?! Please, say something!"

Gwen's screams finally came to an end, but that's when things only went from bad to worse. "It's… it's so dark." She began hyperventilating, which only made Kevin attempt to console her more. "I've… never felt something so _cruel_."

"Gwen, what're you talking about?" Kevin asked calmly.

"She is referring to my Mistress." The new voice in the crowd caught the team off-guard, making their eyes collectively snap up to the gathered White Fang soldiers. Among them now was a rather familiar face; Hazel Rainart, the man stepping out from the crowd before crossing his arms.

Kevin snarled at the man in anger. "HAZEL! What're you talkin' about?! What does Salem have to do with this?!"

Hazel narrowed his eyes at Kevin, though he still chose to give him a proper explanation. "It's very simple, really. You see, we wished for Lady Salem to meet with Trumbipulor to discuss a potential alliance with the White Fang." Hazel raised a single hand with his palm up. "Initially, it was only supposed to be a casual meeting, however, once she caught wind of your arrival, _especially_ Ben Tennyson's, she was all too eager to show him just what you all are facing." The large man then closed his hand into a fist, his brows furrowing at the group in disdain. "And trust me, after facing her, your leader may just think twice about further challenging her will."

The entire group could feel their blood run cold, all of them speechless at what Hazel had just said. Throughout their minds, one question remained the same, but at that point, they were all afraid to ask it. Finally though, Ruby had gained enough confidence to speak up, but even then, she had trouble getting it out. "W-Wait, does that mean…"

Gwen's eyes opened up and she shifted them in the direction of the White Fang palace, the epicenter from which she was sensing the dark energy. "Salem… is _here_."

* * *

Inside the palace itself, the throne room was nearly dead silent, save for the energy swirling inside the darkened portal. Trumbipulor had moved over to the side while Rath and his team had huddled up with one another, hoping that they stood a better chance if they stayed together. The figure that had emerged from the portal was a woman, though they could tell just by her appearance that she was not one to be taken lightly. Donned in her long, black robe with her bleached white skin, matching white hair and dark red eyes, it was clear that she was no ordinary woman. There was no mistaking it, this HAD to be her. She had settled her gaze onto the group of seven, though she was focused mostly on Rath. She was giving him a small smile, but the Appoplexian could tell that there was an underlying malevolence to it.

"Well, well, if it isn't the great Ben Tennyson and his team of children." Salem spoke, her smile increasing ever so slightly. "We meet at last."

* * *

**A/N: Well… this probably ain't good. Salem's finally made her arrival onto Menagerie and Hazel's finally making his move. On the bright side though, Hog, Skull and the Albains are currently either down for the count or indisposed at the moment, so there's that. Plus, Gwen's team managed to clear the way for Ironwood to bring in his back-up… but you have to wonder, just who IS he bringing? And I know what you're all thinking; will the family at the beginning actually serve a purpose rather than just being one-offs? Well… you'll just have to keep tuned in to find out. But for now… NEXT TIME! Kevin and his group engage with Hazel while Salem engages in a little chat with our heroes, though not before Ben tries to fend her off. But when a certain tribe leader arrives on the scene, the witch let's a little something slip, something that makes the team question whether the woman they've been trusting up to this point has been entirely truthful with them or not. Thanks for reading guys, and I'll see you all next time! See ya!**


	78. Encounter with Darkness

**A/N: (Straight from the archive) Hey guys! Happy Valentines Day to all! And what better way to spend a day of love and happiness… than with a chapter with the most contrasting title ever. As you can tell, we like to have fun here! But this chapter's a biggun and a LOT of stuff's gonna go down in it, so let's just get on with it, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 78: Encounter with Darkness**

* * *

Gwen Tennyson had been afraid of a lot of things in her eighteen years of life. Most of those things came from space, but over time, she had learned to take a firm grasp of her fears and use them as motivation to keep her going. She could either fight against the creepy space monster or get eaten by it, that was what she always reminded herself. Then there came her study of magic, which was also a bit scary at first. But as she learned more and more, she grew braver as well, to a point where anything magic related rarely scared her anymore. After all, the only real magical threats that she ever faced off against were Hex, Charmcaster, and Adwatia. And out of those three, she could handle the former two quite easily.

However, that all changed when Dagon arrived. A being that was a combination of extraterrestrial and magic; a literal outer god that destroyed everything in its path. Back then, she had put on a brave face, but she could tell that the power that being had at its disposal was indescribable. If Vilgax hadn't absorbed Dagon when he did, they would've been doomed. Once the warlord had done that, the power that Dagon exhibited had been severely reduced, which thankfully tipped the scales in Ben's favor. While Gwen was confident that Dagon's evil essence had been destroyed, she never forgot what it felt like. Cruel, violent, _evil_.

But right now, that wasn't her main concern. What Gwen was _really_ worried about was a very similar essence that she was feeling right at that very second; that which belonged to Salem. While it was by no means AS powerful as Dagon's, she could easily compare the witch's energy to the diseased elder god's with one crucial addition; it was _dark_. It was almost like an inky blackness had made an assault on her mind, attacking with everything it had. And she had NOT been prepared for it. At the moment, Gwen was being consoled by Kevin as he held her in his arms, trying to calm her down from the immense pain she was feeling.

"Gwen, it's gonna be okay." Kevin whispered soothingly. "We're gonna find a way out of this, alright? I promise."

The Anodite couldn't help but smile inwardly at Kevin's words, his positivity reinforcing the mental stability of her mind. _'Heh, you always know what to say, Kevin.'_ Gwen could feel her mana mingling with his, allowing her to bolster her energy and return to a positive state. She could still feel Salem's essence, but now it was only a mere hinderance to her as she smiled back up at Kevin, wiping the tears away from her eyes as she did. "Thanks, Kevin." Gwen said with a kiss to his cheek. "I needed that."

"No problem." Kevin winked back before nudging his head over to Hazel. "Now let's kick this guy's ass."

Gwen made to get up, but she winced and held her head when she did. "Ugh, as much as I'd like to, I'm still trying to fight that witch's energy. I'm sorry, but I might not be of much help."

Over to her left, Rex gave her a reassuring wave. "Hey, no problem. You rest your mind, we'll take care of the big guy over here."

Weiss stepped forward, pulling out Myrtenaster before pointing it straight at Hazel. "Rex is right. We're not done fighting yet, after all."

Over near Ghira, Kali and Holiday, the panther man had made to get up, much to the two women's surprise. "Hah, count me in on that." Ghira breathed as he tried to stand. But just as he moved his shoulder, the pain came back, forcing him to take a knee. "GAH!"

"Well, I could have _told_ you that'd happen!" Holiday chastised.

Kali bent down and grasped her husband's arm lightly. "Sweetheart, please! You are in absolutely no condition to fight!"

Ghira however, was rather stubborn, biting down on his lower lip to try and take the pain. "I… I have to defend my home!"

"I would listen to your wife, Mr. Belladonna." Hazel supported. "You are already wounded, there is no reason for you to go on fighting any longer. Besides…" The large man balled his hands lightly into fists. "I would most assuredly take advantage of your injury."

"Have you no sense of honor?!" Ghira roared back.

"I do… I try to avoid fighting unless absolutely necessary." Hazel shut his eyes with regret. "But with the order that Salem gave me, I'm afraid that no one here will be spared."

Ruby narrowed her eyes at Hazel and unclipped Crescent Rose from her back, spinning it around before planting the tip of its blade directly in front of her. "Well… if that's how it has to be, then I guess there's no other choice."

"Indeed." Winter came forward brandishing her swords, the military specialist sending Hazel an icy glare. She pointed her primary blade at the man and spoke with authority; "But heed this warning, Hazel! Even now, General Ironwood approaches the island with reinforcements, so you had best prepare yourself for the fight of your life!"

"Oh, I intend to." Hazel promised as his hands went to the small pouch of Dust crystals he kept at his waist. "But believe me, you all will regret challenging—" **BOOM!** Hazel's eyes widened as he was cut off by a nearby explosion, causing him to search for whatever caused it. "What?!"

"Now where'd THAT come from?" Neptune asked.

As the gang began searching around for whatever caused the loud noise, only for Penny to shift her eyes upward when her sensitive hearing caught the sound of a loud battle cry approaching fast. The Belladonna's heard this cry as well, and they followed the android's line of sight… to see a certain incoming redhead riding on her hammer. Penny smiled from ear to ear when she caught sight of her. "Take a guess!"

Hazel whipped his head around just in time to see none other than Nora come sailing down from above, the Pink Dynamo reeling back her hammer to make a massive strike. "Heeeere's NORA!" she declared before slamming her hammer into Hazel's chest, shooting off a grenade to add more force behind her blow. She was successful in pushing him back a few feet, but the only major damage that seemed to be inflicted… was a large rip in Hazel's shirt. The man's toned chest had a small injury and nothing more, bewildering Nora as she landed on the ground. "Huh, weird, that usually at _least_ leaves a scratch."

The entire group smiled at the redhead's arrival. "NORA!" they shouted out as Ruby, Weiss, Rex, Neptune and Penny all went over to her. "H-How did you know to come here?!" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, weren't you like, halfway across town?" Wiess added.

"Well, kind of." Nora shrugged. "But then we heard someone screaming at Belladonna's so we decided to head back." She smiled as she twirled her hammer around in her hand. "Of course, _I_ decided to take the short cut!"

"Good for you." Hazel spoke up, getting the group's attention. The wound on his chest was healing very quickly, taking them all by surprise. "But not even your massive attack could harm me." The large man crabbed the massive hole in his shirt and tore it all off with ease, allowing the ruined garment to fall to the ground. "Now, if we're all done with the pleasantries, I believe it's time we—" _BANG!_ Hazel furrowed his brows as a shot rang out, the Dust round impacting his skin harmlessly. "Ah yes, there IS more of you, isn't there?"

From the entrance to the forecourt, a familiar voice called over; "You got that right, big guy!" Everyone trailed their eyes over to see Jaune, Pyrrha and Ren all standing at the forecourt's entrance, the White Fang backing away from them a bit. "The cavalry has arrived!" Jaune announced.

"Is everyone alright?!" Pyrrha asked before catching sight of Gwen leaning up against Kevin, both of them still kneeling on the ground. "Gwen!" The Invincible Girl ran in followed by Jaune and Ren, the three stopping directly at the couple's side. "What happened?!"

"Were you hurt?" Ren asked calmly.

Gwen smiled up at them and rubbed her head a little bit. "Well, you could say that. I got hit with a massive spike of dark energy."

"By who?" Nora asked as she and the others regrouped with them. "Was it Hazel?"

"No… it's Salem." Gwen pursed her lips in slight fear. "She's… she's in Menagerie right _now_."

The entirety of Team JNPR were shocked at the news. "WHAT?!" Jaune exclaimed. "Salem… as in the big witch herself, SALEM, is in Menagerie right at this _very_ second?!"

"PLEASE tell me this is some kind of joke!" Nora pleaded as she drew closer to Ren for comfort.

Pyrrha felt a slight chill go through her as she sent Gwen a worried expression. "You… you _aren't_ joking, are you?" Gwen solemnly shook her head, confirming her fellow redhead's fear. Pyrrha's expression hardened, as did her grip on Milo. "Well… crap baskets."

* * *

Inside the White Fang palace on the edge of Kuo Kuana, Salem smiled softly as she kept her eyes trained on the group of teenagers standing before her. The witch had long wished to meet the people responsible for constantly getting in her cabal's way, and at the moment, she was sorely unimpressed with what she was seeing. "So, _you_ are the children responsible for hindering my loyal followers? I must say that I was expecting a bit… more."

The group of six could practically feel Salem's malevolent aura affecting them as they stood face to face with her, with each reacting in their own way. Sun and Ilia were utterly terrified, the former staying close to Blake while the chameleon girl stepped closer to Sienna. As for the two feline-eared women, they were both trying to stay brave, though the apprehensive feeling they were getting from simply being in Salem's presence was almost overwhelming. Rath was… unreadable. He had his signature angry expression, but it appeared as if he was contemplating over something rather than actually taking action like he always did. Yang was keeping herself steady, her fists balled up as she attempted to keep her fear down. "Yeah, that's us." the blonde replied. "What of it?"

"Hah, "what of it"?" Salem scoffed. "Young lady, you _do_ know who you are addressing right now, correct?"

"Pretty sure." Yang affirmed. "Salem, right? Evil witch who wants to take over the world with her Grimm? Yeah, we've pretty much heard it all by now, lady."

Salem's smile didn't waiver, instead letting out a slightly amused; "Hm, it seems my reputation proceeds me. But do not be too quick to say you know everything, child." The witch waved her right hand up. "After all, there are some secrets that even _you_ still don't know about me."

Blake narrowed her eyes. "I'm sure. We've heard about the rivalry between you and Ozpin, so I guess it stands to reason that he DOES know a few other secrets about you."

"You don't know the half of it, my dear." Salem closed her eyes and returned her hand to her sleeves. "Ozpin and I have… quite the history with each other, I assure you. But that is a whole different story that I'd rather not recount." She opened her eyes back up and focused directly onto Rath. "Instead, I wish to talk to _you_ , Ben Tennyson."

What came next was honestly shocking to everyone there. Rath narrowed his eyes and spoke in a deathly calm tone, his signature screaming anger nowhere to be heard. "We got _nothin'_ to talk about, lady."

Yang, Blake and Sun's jaws collectively dropped, the monkey boy being the first to point out the odd behavior. "Ben… dude, are you okay? Usually you're saying "LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN'!" by now!"

Rath craned his head over to Sun and shook his head. "Sun Wukong, dude, now ain't the time." With his three friends now successfully bewildered at this behavior, Rath stepped forward and pointed a finger directly at Salem. "Now, if you know what's good for you, you'll head back to wherever you came from and take your lackeys with you!"

"Oh, believe me, I intend to." Salem said before her dark smile disappeared. "But first, I wanted to have a little conversation with you on how your… meddling in my affairs won't be tolerated for much longer, young Benjamin. After your sudden arrival during the Battle for Beacon, I've been keeping a close eye on you through my follower's reports." The witch furrowed her brows at the Appoplexian. "Needless to say, it is becoming rather bothersome to deal with the lot of you."

"I'll say!" Exo-Skull shouted out before finally pulling his head out of the wall. "You guys've been a REAL pain in the ass, let me tell you!" Skull had made his way over to Salem in an instant, bowing to her in respect. "Lady Salem, I bid you welcome. We've been eagerly awaiting your arrival."

Salem gave him a single nod. "I'm quite sure, Farkas." She nudged her head over to Hog and ordered; "Go collect Thaddeus and bring him into the portal back to Evernight. He requires treatment immediately."

Skull's eyes widened in shock. "B-But what about Hazel?"

"He is currently taking care of the other children." Salem answered. "He will join us shortly."

"And Tyrian?" the rhino man added.

However, the moment he said it, Salem's eyes flashed red for a second, making him reel back in fear. The team of five teens and Sienna also backed away as well, all of them feeling a small spike in the witch's power. However, Salem took in a single breath, sighing soon after. "I will deal with him when he returns to the castle. He has failed in his mission, and I will make sure that he knows it."

Over to the side, Yang slightly smiled at the news. _'Way to go, mom.'_

"A-Alright." Skull relented. "You're the boss." The massive mutant went over to his best friend and hefted him up over his shoulder, letting out a small grunt as he did. "Ugh, sheesh Hog, lay off the sweets, will ya?" Skull stepped over to the portal and made to step in, only to crane his head back to Rath and the others. "This ain't finished, Tennyson, not by a long shot."

"HEY!" The sound of a deep yell caught everyone's attention, causing them all to shift their focus to Trumbipulor. The Paku-Dermoloid was standing off to the side, confused as to what was going on. "Can somebody tell me what in the galaxy's goin' on 'ere?!" He made his way over to Salem in five thunderous steps, though the witch was not easily intimidated by such a manner. "You! Creepy Lady! You're this "Salem" I've been hearin' all about, right?"

Salem raised a brow and craned her head up to the massive elephant-like alien. "Yes, that is correct. And I take it that you are Lord Trumbipulor, the new leader of the White Fang?"

"You got that right, Lady." Trumbipulor pointed right at her. "Now what's this I hear about you's bein' able to help me an' _my_ band o' mooks?"

Salem didn't respond at first, instead choosing to take note of the alien's choice in words. "What… interesting vocabulary, Lord Trumbipulor. And you're very forward as well, I can respect that. But what I cannot respect is you pointing in my face. So, if you do not mind…" Salem reached up and grabbed the tip of Trumbipulor's finger with her hand before pulling him to the ground in one swift motion, leaving everybody shocked. "I suggest that you keep this in mind; I am not to be trifled with, understand?"

"Oh, o-oh yeah!" Trumbipulor hastily nodded. "I read ya loud an' clear, Lady Salem!"

Meanwhile, everyone was staring at the scene in astonishment. "Did you see that?!" Ilia whispered harshly. "She just brought him down with one pull!"

"I… I saw it." Sienna confirmed. "But I wish not to believe it."

Yang was beginning to grow more and more worried by the second. "I'm starting to think we may not have much of a chance here." Her eyes darted around the room, hoping that a certain someone would reappear and help them out. _'C'mon mom, where ARE you?!'_

Behind Salem, Exo-Skull winced at what had just happened to his friend. "Ooh, yeah, I probably should've warned ya that'd happen. Sorry, Trumbi."

As Trumbipulor picked himself off the floor, he gave Skull a nasty look. "Yeah, that would've been _real_ good to know." The Paku-Dermoloid stood up to his full height once again, dusting off his armor before setting his sights back to Salem. "So, uh, back on topic, I hear that you can make a lot happen, Lady Salem. Tell me, are your mooks tellin' the truth?"

Salem gave him a single nod. "I promise you, Lord Trumbipulor, I am all that they described and more." She extended her hand again, making Trumbipulor flinch slightly. "Simply swear your loyalty to me and I will assure that you and the White Fang will receive whatever it is you wish."

"Heh, sounds like a pretty good deal." Trumbipulor went to shake Salem's hand… but then she pulled it away. "Huh? Hey, what's up?"

"My apologies, but our deal will have to wait." Salem answered. "Right now, I wish to talk with a certain young hero. And since you so _rudely_ interrupted me, I would like to get back to it, if you don't mind."

"OH! Right, right, of course!" Trumbipulor bowed to her before backing away. "Talk to your heart's content!" The alien crime boss gave Skull a nudge to his shoulder. "And hey, Skull," Trumbipulor gave the unconscious Thunderhog a pat on the back, "take your pal an' get 'im some help, kapeesh?"

"Right." Skull nodded. "Hope to see ya soon, Trumbi." The rhino mutant gave Salem a bow. "And I'll see you back at Evernight, Lady Salem."

"Indeed, you shall." Salem acknowledged before Skull and Hog disappeared into the dark portal. The witch then turned her head back to Rath, raising a brow toward him. "Now, where were we?"

Rath growled at the woman, his patience being thoroughly wared thin. "That's!" the Appoplexian shouted as he pointed at her. "You were just leaving!" He couldn't take it anymore, he HAD to say it; "LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', LADY SALEM, MASTER OF ALL GRIMM! RATH DOESN'T LIKE IT WHEN HIS FRIENDS ARE THREATENED. SO YOU EITHER LEAVE, OR SOMEBODY _ELSE_ IS GONNA PUT A WORLD OF HURT ON YA!"

Over to Rath's right, Blake couldn't help but be confused at Rath's choice of words. "Someone _else_ is going to hurt her?"

"The heck's he talking about?" Sun asked further.

Yang however was slightly worried by what her boyfriend was talking about. "Green Boy… what do you mean by that?" she asked seriously.

Rath moved her head back around to her and whispered; "Trust me, Yang Xiao Long, you'll know it when you see it."

But Salem was taking this all in stride. "Hmph, how noble. But then again, I've grown rather tired of this sort of nobility. I've seen it in Huntsmen and Huntresses alike over the years, and I must say, coming from a so-called superhero? It doesn't sound much different." She spread her arms out to her sides, welcoming the challenge. "Tell me, Benjamin, just what is it you think you can do to me right now?"

Rath glowered at Salem with everything he had before answering. "I CAN BUY MY TEAMMATES ENOUGH TIME TO GET THE HELL OUTTA DODGE!"

"Ben, what ARE you talking about?!" Yang exclaimed. Much to her surprise, she got an apologetic expression from Rath, one that made her heart sink a little. "Ben… don't." She could feel tears beginning to well up in her eyes at the stress of the situation. "Please, don't!"

"Sorry, Goldie Locks. But you need to get away while I hold her off." Rath craned his head down to the Omnitrix on his chest. He pointed to the green and black device and yelled; "Let me tell you something right now, Omnitrix! If you transform me into the wrong thing right now… THEN TO HELL WITH YOU!" With that, Rath smacked the Omnitrix, transforming him in a flash of light once again. There, standing where the Appoplexian once stood, was now a rather familiar Vaxasaurian, glaring down at the witch with all the intensity he could muster. **"HUMUNGOUSAUR!"**

Yang was about to charge at her boyfriend to get him to stop, but was held back by Blake and Sun. "Ben, DON'T!" she pleaded. "You don't stand a chance!"

Humungousaur craned his head around and gave Yang a serious face. **"Don't worry about me! I'll be fine, remember?!"** The Vaxasaurian pointed to the Omnitrix for emphasis, reminding his teammates of the life protection protocol inside the watch. **"But you guys are a LOT more at risk against Salem than me! What's important right now is you all getting out of here! Now GO!"** With a mighty roar, Humungousaur charged his way toward Salem, lowering his head to the witch's eye level to attack.

"Ben, NO!" Yang tried to pry herself away from Blake and Sun, but they were just as persistent as her. "Guys, let me go! I have to stop him before—"

With a heavy tug, Blake pulled her partner's arm in her direction, getting the blonde to focus on her. "Yang, please! You heard what Ben said, we gotta get away! He's doing this so that you and the rest of us don't get hurt!"

"Yeah, Ben knows what he's doing!" Sun added. "At least… I hope he does."

Back over with Salem, the witch wasn't making any attempts to get out of the Vaxasaurian's way. In fact, she was finding herself enthralled in the utter amazement that this transformation exhibited. "Immense size, impressive physical capabilities, and an intimidating form… now THIS was what I was hoping to see!"Salem allowed Humungousaur to close the distance between the two of them… before promptly raising her hand, a shadowy mist consuming it in a single second. With one swipe, Salem gave Humungousaur a slap across his face and, astonishingly, sent him careening into a nearby wall, causing everyone to fall into a dead silence. "Hmph, impressive, I actually had to put some effort behind that strike."

"BEN!" Yang screamed, finally breaking away from Blake and Sun to run over to her boyfriend.

However, Salem snapped her shadow-covered hand in Yang's direction, forcing her to a halt. But it wasn't by the blonde's own volition. Instead, a dark red energy could be seen encircling Yang, making her cry out in fear. "Relax, child, I am not going to kill your precious boyfriend… at least not yet." With a flick of her wrist, Salem sent Yang flying back to Blake and Sun, making all of them collapse to the ground.

Sienna and Ilia were at their side in an instant, the former guarding the teens while the chameleon girl helped them up. "Are you guys okay?!" Ilia asked.

"Ugh, I think." Sun rubbed his head in pain. "But she threw Yang at us pretty hard."

Blake reached over and helped Yang up, grasping her shoulders in support. "Yang, what about you? Are you alright?"

"I… I don't know." Yang breathed out. "She used some really nasty stuff to stop me… and it did NOT feel right at _all_."

Sienna narrowed her eyes on the witch as she drew closer to Ben. The tiger lady gripped her Cerberus Whip tightly, preparing herself for whatever came next. "This is getting out of hand. We have to do what Tennyson said and get out of here, NOW."

"I'm NOT leaving him!" Yang protested.

"We have no choice!" Sienna argued back. "You heard her, she doesn't plan on killing him, but we can't be certain if the same applies to _us_!"

While they bickered, Salem continued to approach Humungousaur, who was now lying in a huge pile of rubble that had fallen on top of him. The Vaxasaurian was currently trying to get up, but upon seeing Salem standing next to him, he stopped, a rather startled expression taking over his features. **"How… how did you…"**

"Do this?" Salem gestured to the rubble surrounding them. "My dear boy, I have been alive for _thousands_ of years. What do you think I have been doing in all of that time? Just sitting around in my castle doing nothing?" She drew her face closer to his, making Humungousaur reel back slightly. "I may not take an active part, but that does not mean I simply let my skills fade away. After all, who do you think keeps dozens upon dozens of Grimm coming every time _one_ is killed?" Salem narrowed her eyes at the hero. "I have abilities that not even _you_ can dream of, Tennyson. You should listen when your elders say that I am _not_ to be taken lightly."

Humungousaur found his nerve again and furrowed his brow. **"Lady, I've stared evil in the face a whole bunch of times. Alien warlords, a race of conquerors, those who seek ultimate power, and even an outer god."** The alien craned his massive head forward, getting right up in Salem's face. **"Sure, you're evil, but I've fought against** _ **a lot**_ **of enemies in my life. I've beat them all before… I'll do the same with you."**

"An impressive track record, to be sure." Salem's sinister grin returned to her face once more. "But could any of them do… _this_?" Quick as a flash, Salem reached up to Humungousaur's face and grabbed it, startling the Vaxasaurian. Humungousaur immediately tried to pull away, but Salem merely began floating in midair with his movements, keeping a strong hold of his face. She began absorbing a strange green energy from the alien, making him scream in pain. As this continued, the Omnitrix on Humungousaur's chest suddenly began beeping slowly before finally emitting a flash of green light. Once the light died down, Salem felt Humungousaur's rough skin become much softer, and with that, her smile also softened. "Ah, there you are, my dear." She pulled her hand away, revealing Ben Tennyson in his human form. "Now we can finally talk… _face_ to _face_."

Ben's eyes widened in horror. _'She… she forced me out of my transformation.'_ His eyes darted to Salem's hand, which was currently gently caressing his left cheek. That same green energy was still there, making her stark white hand glow intensely. In contrast, the Omnitrix's faceplate had changed to red, rendering it unusable until it recharged. "W-What did you DO?!" Ben exclaimed. "How did you force me back to normal?!"

"Simple, really." Salem pulled her hand away and balled it into a fist, making the green energy disappear. "I drained the transformation you call "Humungousaur" of its life energy, and I must say, it is quite unique. I do not think I have ever felt such a life force before… it should suit my needs _perfectly_."

"What're you talking abou—AUGH!" Ben was cut off when Salem swiftly brought her left hand up to his neck, pinning him against a nearby wall. She then used her right hand to pin the hero's left wrist at his side, preventing him from accessing the Omnitrix. Ben tried to bring up his own right hand to twist Salem's wrist, but her grip was firm. "Ach, don't suppose I could convince you to let me go, huh?"

Salem shook her head, sighing in disappointment. "I must say, I expected more out of you, Benjamin. You MUST have a few transformations that could stand a chance against me. So why did you not use them?"

Ben grunted as he tried to reply. "Gah, well, that answer's easy; because if I had, this whole place would've come down." The Omnitrix bearer glanced over to his teammates, all of whom were sick to their stomachs with apprehension at the sight of him being pinned. "And if I had gone with any of them, my friends would've been hurt… or worse." Ben narrowed his eyes at Salem in respite. "I'm not about to take that chance."

"And _there_ is every hero's fatal flaw." Salem derided. "They never make any necessary sacrifices. They _always_ think that they can succeed without having to let go of anything, that it will all work out in the end thanks to teamwork, friendship or some other nonsense. If there is one thing that I can give Ozpin credit for, it was that _he_ realized that he didn't stand a chance against my forces without SOME sacrifice." The witch furrowed her brows. "But for every time he got a leg up on me, it would never last, of course. I came here today to tell you that there IS no winning against me, Ben Tennyson. You are better off simply giving in."

But surprisingly enough, Ben just smirked right back at her. "Heh, unfortunately for you, Salem, I don't believe in the "no-win" scenario. _Everyone_ has a weakness, all we have to do is find yours."

Salem closed her eyes at this. "Perhaps you did not hear what I said; I _cannot_ be beaten. My reign is inevitable." Salem's eyes snapped open and sent a glare at Ben. "What makes you think that _you_ can defeat _me_?"

"Honestly, I'm very stubborn." Ben answered. "But even then, I _know_ that victory doesn't always mean that everything works out in the end." The hero narrowed his eyes at the witch. "But if we can prevent any unnecessary deaths, then we'll be willing to make some sacrifices! Right guys?!"

"Right!" Yang stood up and pumped a fist into the air. "We'll do what needs to be done to get rid of you!"

Blake got up with Yang and joined in. "I didn't come back to free my home just to be scared off by you, Salem! I'm not done fighting for the people I love and care for!"

"Me either!" Sun declared. "We're in this together!"

Ilia stepped forward and pointed her Lightning Lash at the witch. "If you make an enemy of the White Fang, then I will fight as well!"

"So will I!" Sienna pulled her Cerberus Whip, making the chains rattle against each other. "You and your people will _not_ be forgiven for assisting in this mad elephant's tyranny! I will see to it myself that you pay for these transgressions!"

Salem was unimpressed by the rally cry, but they had all made their decisions, so she knew their fates had been sealed. "Hmph, very well. If you wish to go on with this futile endeavor, then so be it." She shifted her focus back to Ben with a serious gaze. "But know this, Ben Tennyson; I will NOT tolerate you interfering with my affairs for any—"

"KIDS!" A loud holler caught everyone's attention forcing them all to crane their heads to the main doorway. There, they heard the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps, followed by another call; "Is everything alright?!" From the doorway, Raven sprinted in, her eyes darting around the darkened room.

"MOM!" Yang cried out, a smile coming to her face. "You're back!"

"Yes, I heard multiple explosions and I… I…" Raven stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Salem, her face growing pale the moment her eyes landed on the witch. "No… no, no, NO!" The tribe leader began backing away, fear having etched its way across her face. "This can't be real! It just can't be!"

In contrast, Salem wore a relaxed smile, almost as if she expected Raven to arrive. "Ah, Raven Branwen. So good of you to show yourself. But I assure you… I am _very_ real."

* * *

Back in town, the remainder of the team had begun fighting their way through the rest of the White Fang guards, as well as Hazel himself. Winter and Tetrax had escorted Holiday, Gwen and the Belladonnas back to the house while Ruby, Weiss, Jaune, Ren and Neptune were dealing with the guards. Meanwhile, Kevin, Penny, Rex, Pyrrha and Nora had engaged with Hazel himself. Although all five of them were putting up a good fight, there didn't seem to be any letting up on Hazel's end. The moment that any of them struck his body, it didn't appear to leave any major damage, leaving them perplexed. "What is WITH this guy?!" Rex shouted as Hazel pushed back his Smack Hands. "It's like he's got some insane healing factor or something!"

"He probably has a LOT of Aura!" Penny answered as her arms shifted into her Floating Array blades and began striking Hazel's back. While her attacks were making visible slashes in his skin, it still didn't appear to be affecting him all that much. "I'm trying my best, but it's doing no—THIIIING!" Hazel had whirled around and grabbed Penny by her blade-arms, tossing her away with relative ease.

"Hey!" Pyrrha swung Milo around and converted it into its rifle mode, taking aim at Hazel. "Stop throwing my friends around!" In quick succession, Pyrrha sent round after round at Hazel, but he simply shrugged them off like they were nothing as he approached her. "Oh, come on! You can't be _totally_ invincible!"

Hazel simply furrowed his brows at Pyrrha. "You'd be surprised at just how much my Semblance can take, _Invincible Girl_." He grabbed Milo's barrel and gave it a shove, sending Pyrrha tumbling back. However, before she went down, Pyrrha threw her left hand out and put it to the ground, allowing her to do a flip backward and land on her feet. Hazel was only mildly impressed. "I've heard tell of your fighting style, Miss Nikos…" Hazel reached into his Dust pouch and pulled out four crystals of Lightning Dust, taking two in each hand. "So why not test your mettle against someone who is _truly_ invulnerable to pain?!" With that, Hazel stabbed the Lightning Dust into his arms, his eyes glowing bright yellow as he began to power up.

As that happened, Kevin, Nora, Penny and Rex gathered up with Pyrrha, watching as the powerful substance began coursing through Hazel's very being. "Is he INSANE?!" Nora shouted. "Putting Dust directly _inside_ the human body can't be a good thing!"

Penny narrowed her eyes at Hazel, analyzing the power output he was exhibiting. "Perhaps for any _normal_ human being, but with Hazel's unique Semblance, his Aura's actually getting a MAJOR power boost from all this. Not to mention that his physical strength is also going through the roof as well."

Kevin blinked in surprise. "So… wait, you're telling me that this guy's a muscle-bound tough guy who gets an increase in strength through a special substance?" The Osmosian put his hands on his hips in indignation. "Man, he's like a combination of Bane and me, only with a lot more stabbing."

Rex wasted no time in bringing out his Slam Cannon. "Well I don't care HOW tough he is! Any living being can be hurt, we just gotta hit him really, REALLY hard!"

"So… the Goku method?" Kevin asked.

"Exactly!" Rex steadied himself as the maw of his Slam Cannon went down and scooped up a bunch of concrete and dirt, loading it up with ammo instantly. "…Tell the Belladonna's I'll pay for the damages to their front yard." With a loud _BANG_ , the Slam Cannon fired its large projectile, the ball of earth and rock hurtling straight toward Hazel. "Eat that you big… uh oh."

As it turned out, Hazel actually caught the projectile before crushing it with his bare hands, leaving Rex astonished. Hazel furrowed his brow at Rex and asked; "Any more tricks, boy?"

"Oh, I've got a few!" Rex switched up his Slam Cannon for his Boogie Pack and Smack Hands, hoping that the extra oomph from two builds would be enough to bring Hazel down. He then whipped his head around to Penny before nudging in Hazel's direction. "Penny! Double team!"

"Understood!" Penny saluted before activating her jetpack, shifting her arm blades into their laser blaster configuration. "Let's fly!" The nanite-infused duo took to the skies and blasted off toward Hazel, the man unmoving from his place on the battle field.

Hazel narrowed his eyes at the two as they drew closer and closer, contemplating his strategy. He saw that Rex's Smack Hands were spinning rapidly as he flew, the EVO most likely intending to make a massive hit. Right behind him, Penny had brought her arm blasters together to charge up one massive blast of green energy, which gave Hazel an idea. "Hmph, too easy." Hazel slammed his fists together before thrusting them forward, letting loose a powerful bolt of lightning at Rex. The EVO's eyes widened as the electricity immediately went into his Smack Hands and through his body, making him let out a sharp yell. Hazel then ran up and grabbed the rotating hands, making them stop briefly before slamming them together, destroying them.

"Wha—HEY! ACK!" Rex was silenced when Hazel grabbed a hold of Rex's neck with one hand, choking him slowly.

"There, now perhaps you'll stop talking and start listening." Hazel condemned. "But first… let's clip your wings." With his free hand, Hazel tore off one of Rex's wings effortlessly, almost as if it was paper beneath his hands.

"REX!" Penny stopped in midair and aimed her laser blasters at Hazel. "Let him go right now!"

Hazel turned his head up to Penny, his expression unchanging. "I wouldn't be too quick to pull the trigger if I were you!" He held Rex up in the path of Penny's aim, making her hesitate to take the shot. "After all, I can use your friend as a living shield if I wanted."

"Hazel!" Pyrrha shouted as her feet began carrying her toward the fight. "You coward! You would dare use another's life as leverage?!"

The large man closed his eyes briefly. "I'll do whatever gets results. But in the end, it matters not what I do in this fight." Hazel opened his eyes to the still choking Rex. "Because no matter what, your lives will ALL be ended, as per Salem's orders."

Rex let out a choking laugh. "HA! Well… there's still one thing you didn't count on…"

"And what is that?"

The remaining wing of Rex's Boogie Pack managed to spin its turbine around by one-hundred and eighty degrees, the top now facing in Hazel's direction. "I'm kinda full of surprises." The top of the turbine transformed into a large grappling hook before blasting itself out to the ground, a thick cable keeping it connected to the wing. With a quick jerk, Rex used the grapple to pull himself away from Hazel's grasp, giving a shout to Penny all the while. "Penny! Take the shot!"

"Affirmative!" Penny shouted back before letting the powerful blast of green energy loose on Hazel. The large man whirled his head around just in time for the blast to make contact with his chest. He was blasted back several feet into the wall surrounding the forecourt, kicking up a cloud of dust. This elicited a cheer from the android, pumping her fist into the air in victory. "Woohoo! Sensational!"

Rex picked himself up from the ground, the rest of his Boogie Pack finally falling apart as he did. "Heh, yeah, that was pretty—" Just then, Rex felt the earth beginning to shake beneath his feet, the sound of footfalls prompting him to whip his head back around to where Hazel had made impact. There, stepping out from the cloud of dust, was Hazel himself, now with a few more injuries, but very much still standing. "Oh, COME ON!" Rex's hands went to his head in disbelief. "Does NOTHING hurt this guy?!"

"FOOL!" Hazel roared. "I feel no pain, though I relish your feeble attempts to inflict it! My Numbing Agent will be your down fall!" The muscle-bound man charged forward again, ready to bring an electrically charged fist down onto Rex. But just as he was about to close the distance, Pyrrha suddenly surged forth and tossed her shield at his hand, making it fly back upon impact. "Gah! Nikos! So, you DO have some fight in you!"

"Indeed!" Pyrrha rolled along the ground and picked up her shield, bringing it up while shifting Milo into its xiphos mode. "And I am NOT about to let you hurt my friends!" The redhead shifted her eyes towards Rex with a nod. "Rex, regroup with the others and formulate a new plan while I keep him busy!"

Rex was reluctant to just leave her, but he had to admit, there wasn't any better options. "Alright! We'll be just a second!"

But Hazel wouldn't have any of it. "No, you will NOT!" He made to run over to the EVO and stop him, but he was intercepted yet again by Pyrrha's shield, this time smacking him right in the face. What's more, the Invincible Girl had used her Polarity to put some more force behind the shield, which knocked Hazel straight to the ground. The shield's edge managed to leave a clean cut along Hazel's face, though like the rest of his injuries, he couldn't feel it in the slightest. "You do not know when to give up, do you, Nikos?"

"Not particularly." Pyrrha said as she raised her hand and returned her shield to it. "I have made it my mission as a future Huntress to not just protect the innocent from Grimm, but rid the world of all evil-doers, and that includes you!"

Hazel snarled as he got up, clenching his hands in rage. " _I_ am the evil one?!" he retorted as he ran forward. He reeled a fist back and sent a powerful punch down to Pyrrha, only for her to block it with her shield. "If you truly knew what I had to suffer through to be where I am today, you'd be saying otherwise! It's hard to believe that you _still_ follow Ozpin's cause even after all of the things that you KNOW he has done!"

Pyrrha pushed Hazel away and yelled back; "Yes, I do! But I'm not fighting for _Ozpin_ anymore!" She ran up to Hazel as he prepared another strike with his hand, only for him to get a surprise when Pyrrha jumped up just as he bent down. "I'm fighting for _Remnant_!" She delivered a stomp right onto Hazel's face before vaulting herself back up and performing a midair flip. "I'm fighting for my _friends_!" The Invincible Girl landed in a crouch right behind him readying Milo for another attack. "But most importantly…" With a powerful thrust, Pyrrha stabbed her xiphos right into Hazel's calf, making him grit his teeth. "I'm fighting because _I_ want to."

Hazel roared in anger, moving himself around to grab Pyrrha only to grasp at nothing as she rolled away from him. The large man balled his hands into fists and narrowed his eyes at her. "Then… you fight a losing battle, Pyrrha Nikos." Hazel spoke to her in a deathly calm voice as he breathed in and out. "So long as you remain in this fight… you have a target on your back."

"I realize that." Pyrrha acknowledged. "But I probably would've had a target on my back regardless if I HAD become the Fall Maiden as Ozpin intended."

"And THAT is what I am talking about." Hazel pointed out. "He trusts _children_ to be able to fight impossible odds against an enemy that he KNOWS is undefeatable…" The man cast a downtrodden face toward the ground. "That's how my sister was taken from me. She was a child who was NOT ready to face the Grimm…" Hazel's face went back to its enraged state, the very memory of his sister making his mind burn in anger. "AND HE _KNEW_ IT!" With mighty roar Hazel slammed his hands down to the ground, sending a wave of electricity towards Pyrrha's feet.

"Woah!" Pyrrha let out a yell as she leapt back, keeping herself far away from the bolts as they crackled through the ground. When they stopped coming, she was allowed a moment of reprieve as Hazel's breathing became more ragged. _'He's… he's getting tired! Of course! He's resistant to pain, but his body still gets exhausted!'_ Pyrrha's face hardened when she realized what she had to do. She had to anger him even further. "Did she know?"

Hazel craned his neck up to her as he regained his breath, asking; " _What_?"

"Did she know the risks of being a Huntress?" Pyrrha pressed further. "If she did, then she made a choice to put others before herself!" The Invincible Girl went into a combative stance, ready for Hazel's inevitable attack. "And that means that _I_ do as well."

On the ground, Hazel let out a sigh of anger as he got up, hardening his gaze down at Pyrrha. "…Then you have chosen _death_."

Pyrrha sent the nasty look right back at him. "Wouldn't be the first time."

* * *

As Pyrrha and Hazel's fight continued, Rex and Penny were able to regroup with Kevin and Nora, the latter two already working on forming a plan. Rex breathed out a heavy sigh as he came to a stop, running his hands through his hair again. "Man, this _cabrón_ is practically unstoppable!" he griped. "How the hell're we supposed to beat him?!"

Penny gave an agreeing nod. "I concur with Rex. Hazel seems to just shrug off whatever we throw at him. We need a way to bring him down somehow."

"We've actually been working on that." Kevin replied. "And I think I got a good idea. But first…" The Osmosian pointed over to Hazel, specifically to the pouches of Dust crystals that were hanging around his waist. "We gotta get all that Dust AWAY from Hazel so that he can't power himself up even more."

Rex placed his hands on his hips. "Alright, but then how're we gonna get close to him with all the lightning he's putting out?"

Suddenly, Nora got right up in his face, taking Rex aback. "Uh, HELLO?!" the Pink Dynamo exclaimed. "Did you forget who you're talking to?!" Nora jabbed a thumb to her chest with a big, toothy smirk. "I'll just go over there and counter _his_ Semblance with my own! Then we'll see just who the strongest person here is."

"Once Nora's distracted Hazel, I'll sneak around behind him and take his Dust pouches when he's not lookin'." Kevin continued. "Then, we'll all gang up on him and beat the tar outta him. Sound good?"

Rex winced slightly at the plan. "Well… I won't fault you on one thing, you guys are pretty confident this'll work."

Nora slapped the EVO on the shoulder, sending him straight to the ground. "Of course, it'll work! We just gotta pull it off quickly, that's all!"

Penny shifted her attention back to Pyrrha and Hazel as they fought, the redheaded android performing some quick analytics on the two combatants. It was then that she noticed something that made her gasp; Hazel was performing worse and worse in the fight the more it went on, and his Aura was slowly but surely being depleted. As Pyrrha dodged the large man's attacks and sent her own right back, Hazel was beginning to show signs of his body giving out thanks to his injuries. "That's it!"

Everyone's eyes widened at her and Kevin asked; "What's "it", Penny?"

"Hazel may be insusceptible to pain, but that doesn't mean that his body doesn't feel the effects of his injuries." Penny smiled and pointed over to Hazel, indicating his ever-slowing movements. "If we're going to attack him, then now would be a good time since Pyrrha's exhausting his power."

"No need to tell me twice!" Nora reared her hammer up and surged forward, intending to bring Hazel down. "C'mon guys! Let's do this!"

"Nora, hold on!" Kevin called out to her as he absorbed the concrete again and shifted his hands into hammers. "At least wait for me to get ready!" The Osmosian chased after the Pink Dynamo as fast as his legs could carry him, which wasn't exactly all that fast since he was now made of thick concrete.

Rex sighed and he smacked his forehead. "Ya know, Penny, usually I'm _all_ for "act first, ask questions later"." He gestured over to the duo running ahead of them. "But with how gung-ho those two are, it's kinda tiring."

"Oh, I understand completely." Penny acknowledged before activating her spiked Smack Hands. "But still, there's not really a better option right now, so I suppose we should do our part."

The EVO gave her a shrug "Yeah, you're probably right." Rex activated his Bad Axes in the blink of an eye, the blue energy blades glowing intensely. "C'mon, let's take this muscle head down!"

As her four compatriots charged toward her and Hazel, Pyrrha remained unaware of just what was going on as her larger opponent continued to press his electrified arm against her shield. For a while, she was able to hold him off easily. But now, after a few too many strikes against her shield, her arm was starting to feel numb, so she knew she couldn't keep this up forever. _'C'mon, guys, where are—'_

"PYRRHA!" The Invincible Girl's eyes widened at Nora's voice, which prompted both her and Hazel to whip around and face her. The hyperactive redhead was coming in fast and hard, twirling her hammer around in her hands as she approached. "Get out of the way, NOW! We've got a plan!"

Pyrrha's lips turned up into a smirk as she shot a quick glance to Hazel. "Far be it from me to disappoint!"

"What? NO!" Hazel went to grab Pyrrha's arm, but she jumped out of the way before he could reach her. "Come back here! We aren't finished!" He punched forward and sent an electric blast at Pyrrha, only for her to leap away just in time.

Just as Pyrrha had jumped up, Nora came sprinting from the underneath her, the two teammates sharing a wink as they passed each other. Nora focused her attention back to Hazel with a serious face. "Alright, big guy! BRING IT! RRAAAAGH!" A loud battle cry escaped Nora's lips as she jumped up and swung Magnhild over her head, intending to bring it down onto Hazel's. However, what came next, she couldn't have expected. Hazel reached up and grabbed the hammer's handle, pulling it toward him while wrestling it out of Nora's grasp. He then grabbed her by the leg and slammed her to the ground, putting her into a temporary daze. Nora didn't have time to process what happened, however, as Hazel came over and slammed her head into the concrete, giving her an intense electric shock and making her scream in pain. "AAAAAAAUUUGH!"

Pyrrha landed on the ground just in time to see the event unfold, eliciting a horrified gasp from her lips. "NORA!"

As it happened, across the battlefield, Jaune and Ren also heard Nora's scream, making them shift their eyes over to the battle. Ren was immediately aghast at the events unfolding. "NO! Nora!" The green ninja made to run over, but a certain blonde knight put a hand to his shoulder. "Jaune, what are you—"

"Ren, it's okay." Jaune pointed over to the battle again with a smirk. "Look."

Hazel was keeping Nora's head pressed against the floor, but his eyes were locked directly with Pyrrha's as a snarl appeared on his face. "NOW you see what the price to pay is for defying Salem's will, Nikos!" his voice rumbled. "Ozpin has seen the deaths of countless children over his eternal life. How many more must perish before you see the futility in his cause?!"

Pyrrha put a contemplative finger to her chin. "Well, that I cannot answer. But I do know one thing… Nora is NOT one of them!"

"What?" Hazel said before he felt something grab his arm. "Huh?"

"RRRAAAAUUUGH!" With a loud, rebellious scream, Nora forced herself up, her Semblance kicking into high gear as the lightning practically poured into her. She reached up, wrapped her arms around Hazel's massive wrist, and threw him over her head, her teeth grit hard all the while. Hazel landed in a heap across from her, with pink electricity crackling over him as he landed. "KEVIN! NOW!"

"Gotcha!" Kevin called back as he approached Hazel from behind. The large man didn't take notice right away as he was busy picking himself up, so this allowed Kevin to get close without much hassle. However, that all changed the moment that the Osmosian took the man's Dust pouches off of his belt. Hazel spun around to see Kevin making off with his Dust, angering him even further. "Sorry, dude! Gotta confiscate these!"

"NO! Get back here!" Hazel roared in defiance as he stood up… only to get smacked backward by Penny a moment later.

The android sent a glare down at Hazel, the man returning it nearly tenfold. "Sorry, but we cannot allow you to leave just yet."

At that moment, Rex jumped in over Penny's head and slammed his Bad Axes into the ground on either side of Hazel, the EVO also wearing a rather annoyed face of his own. "Yeah, we owe you BIG time for that stunt you pulled against us earlier. Or, in laymen's terms…" Rex pulled a Bad Axe out of the ground and converted it into a Funchuck. "Get the HELL outta here, _tonto_!" Rex jumped up and swung the Funchuck right at Hazel, making him fly back into a nearby wall once again.

As Rex and Penny put the hurt on Hazel, Kevin regrouped with Pyrrha and Nora, the duo now having been joined by Jaune and Ren. Ruby, Weiss and Neptune were coming over as well, the three having taken care of the remaining White Fang guards over the course of the battle. "Nora, are you sure you're alright?" Ren asked in concern. "I mean… he gave you quite a large amount of lightning in that strike and—"

But Nora put a hand to her best friend's shoulder in reassurance, giving him a bright smile and a laugh. "Haha! Renny, it's okay, I'm _fine_. Besides, you know that I've taken A LOT worse, remember?"

"I know, but you can never be too careful." Ren set a hand against hers. "After all, relying on one's Semblance too much is never a good thing."

Jaune nodded before jerking his thumb over to Hazel. "Yeah, case in point, the big guy over there. He's used his Semblance so much that his body's close to giving out." But just as he said that, Hazel reached up and tore Rex's Funchuck off of his arm, making the EVO yell out in slight pain. The large man then sent Penny flying by grabbing her Smack Hands as she came in for another hit, tossing her away with a spinning throw. "Er, okay, maybe he's not done yet." Jaune winced.

Weiss' eyes widened in a panic as she came to a stop next to the others. "Oh god! Rex and Penny are in trouble!" The heiress spun around to her teammates. "We have to help them!"

"Trust me, we ALL want to." Pyrrha affirmed. "But we need to find a way to bring Hazel down for good. His body is wearing itself out, but we need one last good push to get him down."

"Yeah, but what?" Ruby asked. "I don't know if any of our weapons can hit him hard enough!" The Hooded Huntress gestured over to Rex and Penny continuing to fight against Hazel, even though the muscle-bound man kept coming at them with everything they had. "I mean, even Rex and Penny are having a hard time!"

Neptune furrowed his brows at the Lightning Dust crystals that were still sticking out of Hazel's arms. "If we could just remove those Dust crystals. Then maybe Hazel will have less energy to work with and he'll start powering down faster!"

"I can probably get them out no problem…" Nora suggested. "But after what I did to him, he'll probably try to snap my neck the moment I try to get close."

Kevin had stayed silent during the conversation, contemplating the two pouches that he now held in his hands. Inside them were Dust crystals of pretty much every imaginable color; red, yellow, blue, green, orange, purple, among many others. The Osmosian pursed his lips in thought. There had been something that he wanted to try ever since he had seen the Dust Crystals in the mines near Essen about a week ago, and now seemed to be the perfect time. Unfortunately, there was no time to test if the effects would be detrimental to his mind or not like most energy-based absorption, so he would be going into this blind. _'But Dust is a mineral!'_ Kevin thought to himself. _'And minerals don't do bad stuff to Osmosians. …Still, Gwen would be furious at me if I started acting crazy again.'_

The dark-haired teen trailed his eyes back to the battle, where Hazel was now holding Rex and Penny as if they were ragdolls. Kevin let out a sigh and turned back to his teammates, his mind having been made up. "Guys… I've got an idea, but it's pretty bold."

Everyone focused their eyes on Kevin and Jaune placed his hands to his hips. "Well, bold's actually sounding pretty good right about now. Whatcha got, Kev?"

"Well… Nora's _technically_ not the only one who can take those Dust crystals out of Hazel. I think I can pull it off, but I'm gonna have to even the playing field to do it."

Ruby raised a curious brow, though she was also kind of concerned about what Kevin meant by that. "Kevin… what're you talking about?"

The Osmosian reached into one of the pouches and pulled out a red Dust crystal, holding it steadily in his concrete hand. "What I'm saying is… that I've got a little theory that I've been cooking up, and I think it's one that can work."

It was at that moment that everyone realized what he was saying. "Kevin, you CAN'T serious!" Weiss exclaimed. "Raw Dust crystals can be _extremely_ dangerous if you don't know how to handle them properly! If you try to absorb them… who knows WHAT could happen?!"

"She's right." Ren supported. "You should at least test how it'll affect you before—"

"We don't have time for tests, Ren!" Kevin retorted, swinging his arm to point at the ongoing fight between Hazel and their teammates. "Rex and Penny are busting their metal just to keep Hazel at bay. If we wanna end this, we gotta do it now!"

Pyrrha stepped forward and gave Kevin a stern face. "I understand that Kevin, but Gwen's told us all about how Osmosian's don't handle absorbing energy well. I know that Dust is a mineral, but it also generates a MASSIVE amount of elemental energy. You could lose your mind if you absorb it!"

Kevin gave her a nod. "I know. That's why if this stuff gives me the usual side effects… I'll never absorb it again." He grabbed hold of the crystal with both hands, preparing himself to absorb it. "And besides, I'm only going arm's length with it. Hopefully that won't affect me too much." With that, Kevin absorbed the red Dust Crystal into his arms, stopping right when it got to his shoulder. He put the crystal back in the bag and took a deep breath. "Alright, here goes nothing." Kevin ran forward, his concrete feet stomping across the ground as he approached the scuffle. He came to a stop and called out; "HEY! Rainart!"

At the shout, Hazel, Rex and Penny came to a stop, their focus going to Kevin in an instant. Rex and Penny's eyes widened at Kevin's red, crystalline arms while Hazel sent him a death glare. "YOU!" he shouted. "You absorbed a Dust crystal?! Are you mad?!"

"Kind of." Kevin answered. "But more in the sense that I'm mad that you won't go away." He balled his crystal fists and brought them up to his chest, holding them with their knuckles facing each other. "I'm tired of watching you get back up, so _I'm_ gonna be the one to knock you out."

"Absurd!" Hazel challenged, his breathing growing heavier. "I am resistant to pain!"

"Sure… but your body is at its limit. And now I'm gonna give it one…" Kevin brought his fists back, "last… PUSH!" With one strong hit, Kevin slammed his knuckles together, resulting in his arms igniting with brilliantly bright flames. Hazel and the others were taken aback, all of them having not expected it to work. Kevin himself could practically feel the power coursing through his crystalline arms, and with it, his own strength began to increase. But this also had a different side effect; Kevin's eyes went from their usual dark brown to a blazing red, an aura of red energy accompanying it. The powered up Osmosian glowered at Hazel, his hands converting into a pair of blazing Fire Dust hammers. "Let's dance, big man."

* * *

Raven still couldn't believe that this was happening. Here she was, standing face to face with Salem after she had just defeated Tyrian. She had hoped and prayed during her fight with the scorpion man that he really WAS bluffing and that Salem wouldn't show, but unfortunately, the universe must have had it out for her. _'This situation couldn't be any worse if it tried.'_ Raven's eyes glanced over to Ben, who was still in Salem's grasp, and then to Yang, who was standing over with the rest of her teammates as well as Ilia and Sienna. _'I need to get them all out of here before Salem—'_

"Excuse me, dear, but I believe I addressed you." Salem spoke up, spooking Raven out of her thoughts. "Don't you think it's rather rude to not speak back when spoken to?"

Raven was initially put off, but for Yang and Ben's sake, she put on a brave face. She pulled Omen out of its sheath and lowered its blade in Salem's direction. "Let the boy go, Salem. NOW!"

However, Salem was not put off by the threat, instead choosing to grin further at the tribe leader. "Oh, come now, Raven. What have _I_ ever done to _you_?" The witch tightened her grip slightly around Ben's neck, making him give out another yell. "And why do you even _care_ about this hero? It seems to me that this is the kind of person that your tribe would be happy to get rid of."

Raven's glare didn't let up, her sword keeping level with Salem. "That's easy… because he is the best chance we have at defeating you. …Also, he happens to be my daughter's boyfriend."

Yang rolled her eyes. "Gee, mom, way to drop the pretense."

But Salem seemed to be unperturbed at this information, though her hand did relax around Ben's neck. "I see. Well, if you insist, then I suppose I will release him." With a powerful toss, Raven threw Ben all the way back to his teammates, the hero letting out a painful cry as he impacted the ground.

"BEN!" Yang, Blake, Sun and Ilia scrambled down to help Ben up, the Blonde Brawler gently lifting up his head as he sputtered and coughed. "Are you alright?!"

"HAK-HAK! Y-Yeah… HAK!" Ben coughed as he tried to regain his breath. "I-I think I'll be okay."

Yang bent down to give him a small, yet tender embrace. "I'm glad to hear it, Green Boy. C'mon, we gotta get you outta here."

Ben smiled up at his girlfriend as he sat up fully, returning the hug as he did. "As much as I want to, Goldie Locks, I don't think we're out of the woods yet." The Omnitrix bearer glanced over to Trumbipulor, the massive alien standing between them and the throne room door. "We've still gotta deal with HIM first."

Blake gave him a nod. "Right, but… what about her?" She directed her attention over to Salem, who was slowly making her way to the portal. The witch was keeping her eyes on Raven, who was still keeping Omen at the ready.

"Do we just… let Salem leave?" Ilia asked.

"We have no choice." Ben brought up the Omnitrix, indicating that it was still red. "I'm pretty much useless until the Omnitrix recharges." He slammed his fist to the ground in frustration "Gah! I was so stupid! I should've gone for Clockwork or Gravattack. I might not have lasted long, but I would've lasted a lot _longer_ than Humungousaur did." The hero directed his gaze back up to Yang. "Then maybe you guys could've gotten out in time."

Yang furrowed her brows at Ben and poked him in his chest. "Now you listen here, mister. I wouldn't have left even IF you were able to hold Salem off! We're a team, so I'm sticking with you no matter what, do you hear me?!"

Ben was initially surprised by her response. But he more he thought about it, the more he realized that she was right. It wouldn't be Yang if she just left somebody behind, even if he had insisted that she do so. With a small chuckle, he grasped her hand and gave it a small squeeze. "Heh, I hear you. Honestly, it was kind of dumb of me to think that you of all people would leave me behind."

"You're damn right!" Yang smiled back. "And don't you forget it."

Sun let out a sigh of frustration as he watched Salem get closer and closer to the portal. "Man, this blows. We seriously can't do _anything_?!"

"I'm afraid not." Sienna stepped forward, keeping her eyes locked on Salem in trepidation. "Even from here, I can sense that Salem dwarfs us all in terms of raw power. We wouldn't stand a chance."

Salem stopped in front of the murky portal and faced Raven again, placing her arms in her sleeves. "I must say, I'm slightly disappointed about all of this, Raven. I was actually rather avid on having you as an ally." The witch shrugged her shoulders. "But, I suppose there's no such luck in that now."

Raven's expression darkened at the suggestion. "Yes… Tyrian told me that yesterday. I cut his tail off, by the way, just thought you should know."

Out of the corner of her eye, Salem could see the teens jaws drop in shock at the revelation, making her let out an indifferent; "Hmm, yes. One of my Seers witnessed him running away just a few moments ago. Still, Tyrian often loses himself in combat, so I'm not completely surprised. He will receive no sympathy from me, however."

"I figured. But still… why ally with _me_?" Raven asked. "You MUST know that I hate you."

"Oh yes, I can practically sense the anger in your aura, dear." Salem assured. "But that's not the reason why I wished to ally with you." A knowing smile came to the witch's face as she continued. "You see, Tyrian has been gathering information about the Maidens for me for some time now, and in his searches, he often hears some… _interesting_ rumors concerning their whereabouts."

A slight fear bolted through Raven's mind, but she kept her composure nonetheless. "And what is your point in all of that?"

"A rather simple one…" Salem's face hardened back into a glare. "I heard that your tribe of thieves was sheltering the Spring Maiden. Tell me, is this true?"

As the information rolled off of Salem's lips, the group of teens behind her let out an audible gasp. "WHAT?!" Ben exclaimed, his eyes darting to Raven in shock. "I… I'm kinda freaking out right now. Even more than I was before, actually."

"Mom… you _know_ where the Spring Maiden is?!" Yang shouted angrily as she got up. "What happened to "no more secrets"?!"

Raven didn't respond at first, simply keeping her eyes on Salem. After a few seconds though, she found her voice again. "Even if that rumor were true, Salem, what makes you think I would help you _find_ her?"

Salem didn't give a retort, instead simply letting out a small chuckle. "Hm, I can certainly see that logic. Very well, if you wish to play things like that, then I can certainly oblige." Salem raised one of her hands and snapped her fingers, the portal widening just slightly. About a second later, a large figure began making its way out of the portal, taking everyone aback when it finally emerged. It was a large Grimm that heavily resembled a gorilla, one with large fangs, glowing red eyes, and a blood red eye-shaped pattern directly in the middle of its back.

Ben's eyebrows rose up at the sight of these new creature. "A _Gorilla_ Grimm? Seriously?!"

"Afraid so." Blake confirmed as she and the others went into battle-ready positions. "That's a Beringel, and they're as nasty as they look."

Sun kept a firm grip on his bo staff. "And considering this is Salem, something tells me she's got more where that came from.

Salem went up to the Beringel and pat it on the cheek, all while giving Raven a stoic expression. "If you will not tell me what I wish to know, Raven Branwen, then I suppose that I'll just release my Grimm into the town."

At her words, Sienna, Blake and Ilia were immediately aghast. "NO!" Sienna roared as she brought her Cerberus Whip up. "I won't let you!"

"Then you had better act quickly, Miss Khan. Because after they carry out the one order that I give them, I cannot be responsible for what they do after." Salem faced the Beringel and gave it her one order; "Find the rest of their team… and give them a good thrashing." The Beringel nodded before giving out a mighty roar, summoning even more of its kind through the portal.

"SALEM!" Raven shouted as she began slashing at the apes running by. The tribe leader managed to get in a few kills, but most of the Beringels either ran far enough past her to avoid getting hit, or jumped over her to avoid her strikes. In total, she managed to kill about five, while fifty or so more had gotten away. Raven grit her teeth and whipped her head back to the witch. "You're going to pay for this!"

"I highly doubt that." Salem replied. "If I were you though, I'd start focusing on the more important things at hand." She turned her head toward Trumbipulor with a steely gaze. "Trumbipulor, now is your chance to prove to me that you can be of use to my cause. If you can complete one simple task for me, then the alliance between my cabal and the White Fang will be complete."

Trumbipulor smirked and gave her a thumbs up. "Sure thing, Lady Salem. What's it ya need me ta do?"

Salem pointed over to Ben and the others as Raven began running toward them. "Defeat those remaining heroes and then report back to me. If you can do that, then you and the White Fang will be welcomed into our ranks."

"Can do!" Trumbipulor slammed a fist into his palm. "Now, do ya want 'em dead or alive?"

"Either is fine with me," Salem pointed at Trumbipulor for emphasis, "but be sure to bring Ben Tennyson back _alive_! I still have a few things to discuss with him."

"Gotcha. No prob, Lady Salem." Trumbipulor saluted.

Salem gave him a nod before directing her sights back to Ben for a brief moment. "Farewell for now, Ben Tennyson. The next time you see me, you will be at the lowest and most helpless point in your entire life."

Ben scowled back at her. "Not on your life, Salem. I can promise you that right now." After giving Ben a scoff, Salem went back into her portal without another word, the swirling vortex closing behind her the moment she stepped through. "Yeah, that's what I thought." At the sound of approaching footsteps, Ben saw Raven approaching them, his scowl softening up a bit, but still present on his face. "So… care to explain what all of THAT was back there?"

At that moment, Yang stepped up to her mother and crossed her arms. "Yeah, I thought that we _weren't_ keeping secrets from each other anymore. And last I checked, knowing where the Spring Maiden is? That's a big FUCKING deal!"

Raven sent the couple a pleading expression. "Believe me, I WAS going to tell you, and I DO have a good reason for keeping it hidden. I promise to explain myself as soon as this whole thing is over, but right now, we have more pressing matters to take care of."

As much as Ben and Yang didn't want to admit it, Raven had a point. The Spring Maiden would have to wait until they could clean up this mess. "You're right." Ben nodded. "For now, we should split up accordingly." The hero immediately directed his eyes to the true leader of the White Fang. "Sienna, Kuo Kuana is in danger, and your people need you now more than ever. My team needs all the backup they can get and—"

But Sienna raised her hand. "Say no more, Ben Tennyson. I understand."

"I… wait, what?" Ben tilted his head. "I was actually expecting a bit more resistance here, not gonna lie."

The tiger lady sent him a nod. "I know, but the last thing we have time for is arguing. I may not entirely see eye to eye with you on most of your decisions, Tennyson, but right now, you're right. My people need me. And you, Xiao Long and Branwen probably have the best chance in taking Trumbipulor down." Sienna's brows furrowed in anger. "Besides, Salem has made this personal by attacking my homeland, and I'll be damned if I let her take it from us!"

"She's right." Blake added. "The Grimm need to be stopped now, or else all of Kuo Kuana is doomed." The cat girl sent a glance to her boyfriend and her best friend, nudging her head toward the exit. "Sun, Ilia, let's go help the others."

As Blake and Sienna began running for the exit, Sun gave his girlfriend a salute before joining her. "I got your back, Blake!"

"So do I!" Ilia affirmed as she began running as well. "We're right behind you!"

But before the four could get far, Trumbipulor charged out in front of them, blocking the doorway with his massive body. "Hold it right there!" he bellowed, glowering down at them with an intense face. "You's guys ain't goin' anywhere—OUCH!" Trumbipulor let out a pained trumpet as he bent over and placed his hands on his knee, the cap having been struck fast and hard by a powerful blow. "GAH! Who did that?!"

"That'd be me, Big Ears!" Yang shouted from below. "And here's a little something else from me, too!" The Blonde Brawler pulled back her fist and sent a mighty punch into the Paku-Dermoloid's face, sending him stumble backwards onto his rear. Yang whipped her head back to the group of four and yelled; "NOW! Go before he gets back up!"

"Of course." Sienna acknowledged. "And… thank you." With that, the four Faunus ran past the downed alien and right out the front door, making a beeline for Kuo Kuana the moment they exited the palace.

Yang went back over to Ben and her mother as Trumbipulor started to get back up, the crime boss shaking off the pain as he rose to his feet. "Alright, Ben, what's the plan?" Yang asked right off the bat. "Our opponent has both brains AND brawn to back him up, so we need a way to deal with both."

"Exactly." Ben agreed, the Omnitrix beeping the moment he did. He brought it up to see that the faceplate had turned green again, making him smile. "Alright, the best way to beat Trumbipulor is to use his own advantages against him. He's big, but because of that, he's also kinda clumsy. I'm going to need an alien that matches his strength, so…"

"Let me guess, Humungousaur?" Raven presumed.

"No! …Well okay, _maybe_ , but he probably would've been my _second_ choice!" Ben admitted.

Raven sent him a deadpan expression. "Benjamin, please just transform into the giant lizard before we get stomped on."

"HA! Like THAT'S gonna happen!" Trumbipulor said as he approached the three, gazing down upon them in anger. "Lemme tell ya, you mooks have been a REAL pain in my tuchus tonight, but after all o' this, I'm gonna get back at you REAL good." The Paku-Dermoloid shook his fist at the trio. "Imma knock you all around so much that you won't be able ta tell which way's up by the end o' this! And YOU, Tennyson, you's gonna be comin' with me!"

But Ben stood his ground as his hand went to the Omntrix, bringing up Humungousaur's icon once again. "Not happening, Trumbipulor. After everything you've put these people through, it's _you_ who's going to be coming with _us_." Ben raised his hand up over the Omntrix as its core popped up. "Now, get ready for another taste of… Humungousaur!" The hero slammed his hand down onto the core… and nothing happened. His eyes widened at this, as did Yang and Raven's, the three all thoroughly confused. "Um… I said _Humungousaur_!" Ben slapped the core again, only for it to pop up without any sign of transformation. "Uh… Omnitrix?! What gives?!"

Just then, the Omnitrix's core retracted and the face plate slid back over it. The watch's automated voice then spoke out, explaining the problem. _"Vaxasaurian DNA code has been damaged by an unknown outside source. Transformation unavailable until code can be properly repaired."_

"WHAT?!" Yang shouted. "How did that happen?!"

"I-I don't know! I—" But then, Ben's eyebrows snapped up in realization. "Oh god… _Salem_! She… she must've done something to Humungousaur's DNA when she sucked that life force out of me!"

At that, Trumbipulor began laughing up a storm as he began closing in on the three. "AHAHA! Sucks for you, now don't it?! HAHAHA!" The alien slammed a fist into his palm once again in preparation for his much-anticipated payback. "Better think o' somethin', Tennyson! 'Cause I _ain't_ holdin' back!"

* * *

Inside the Belladonna Family home, Gwen let out a sigh of relief when she felt the energy of Salem's malevolent presence finally leave her mind, the redhead relaxing in her seat. It had been frustrating for her to deal with because she had wanted to take part in the battle going on outside, but the dark energy was simply too much for her to handle while fighting. So, at least for the moment, she decided to follow Holiday and Winter back into the house with the Belladonnas. Holiday herself was still tending to Ghira's wounds with Kali's help while Winter stood guard by the door in case any White Fang were brave enough to follow them. In the meantime, Tetrax had gone back to his ship to prepare the stasis pod on board for Trumbipulor. That is, when Ben's team would finally return with the crime boss in custody.

The Anodite stood up and gave everyone a smile. "Okay, I… I think Salem might be gone."

That caught Winter's attention. "Really? Are you certain, Gwendolyn?"

"Yeah, I can't feel her aura anymore. It isn't _as_ over-powering as it was before, at least." Gwen's brow furrowed a bit as something else caught her attention. "But… now that I focus a bit more, I DO still feel some dark energy in Kuo Kuana."

As Holiday and Kali finished applying his bandaged, Ghira looked up to Gwen in concern. "Well, if it isn't Salem, then do you suppose it could be… Grimm?"

"I would assume so." Gwen answered. "If Salem was here, then I guess it stands to reason that she might've brought some Grimm with her." The redhead's eyes widened when she got a good hit on the energy she was sensing. "And… I think they might be coming our way."

Holiday's face grew serious and she stood up, pulling her firearm off of her hip. "Well, if that's the case, then we'd better expect some company soon." The EVO expert set her weapon from 'stun' to 'kill' before cocking it, the blaster powering up in an instant. "I just hope that Ben and the others can get here in time to help us out."

"Or General Ironwood and his backup." Kali added. "When did they say when they'd be getting here?"

"He said in about twenty minutes," Gwen answered, "but that was almost _fifteen_ minutes ago, so they should be here any moment now. And quite honestly, we could definitely use them. Because there are a LOT of Grimm and they're moving _fast_." Gwen began making her way toward the door, with Holiday and Winter joining her. "Come on, we'd better get out there and help before—"

BAM! Without any warning, the large doors flew open, startling the three women as they backed away and readied their weapons. However, the accompanying flurry of rose petals told them that they had nothing to worry about as Ruby came to a sudden stop right in front of them, an urgent expression having taken over her features. "GWEN! Guys! You've gotta come with me RIGHT NOW! There's something that you _have_ to see!"

"Woah, woah, Ruby, slow down!" Gwen stepped up and placed a gentle hand to the Hooded Huntress' shoulder. "Just _what_ is going on?"

"And was it worth nearly _terrifying_ us half to death?" Winter added.

Ruby bowed apologetically. "Oh, I'm sorry! Buy you guys REALLY need to see this!" Ruby grabbed Gwen's hand and began leading her outside, Holiday and Winter quickly giving chase. "Hazel was giving Kevin and the others a bit of trouble, so he got this idea to steal Hazel's Dust supply off of him while he was down for a bit!"

Gwen raised a brow. "Well, that actually sounds like a good strategy. I don't see the problem."

"Well… after that, Kevin decided to do something drastic with one of Hazel's Dust crystals." The four ladies made it to the edge of the front steps and Ruby pointed down into the forecourt. "Just see for yourself."

The Anodite shifted her eyes down to see Kevin and Hazel fighting one on one, with the rest of the teens standing back as they two went at it. However, it was then that Gwen noticed something that made her jaw drop; not only was _Hazel_ coursing with elemental power, but _Kevin_ was as well. Her boyfriend's arms were now made of a red crystal substance, going up to the length of his shoulder. He was also now wielding fire as if it were nothing, the flames dancing up and down his arms. Kevin's eyes were burning red as he attacked Hazel, the larger man's arms coursing with electricity. Gwen narrowed her eyes down at the battle, taking in a sharp breath to keep her frustration in check. "He _absorbed_ the Fire Dust crystal, didn't he?"

"Eeyup." Ruby replied.

Next to them, Holiday stared at the battle in amazement while Winter's eye twitched a slight bit. "…Gwendolyn? May I have permission to call your boyfriend an idiot?"

"Oh, by all means." Gwen allowed. "It's not the FIRST time he's made such a reckless decision!"

"As much as I want to agree, Gwen, it's hard to argue with the results." Holiday pointed out. "Because he IS putting a number on Hazel."

Upon a second glance, Gwen saw that Kevin WAS indeed faring well in the fight with Hazel, delivering strike after strike with his flaming hammers of red Dust. The young Osmosian was being extremely cautious though, making sure to pull his arms away whenever Hazel made to grab at them. Kevin knew that, even IF the Dust was reacting just fine on his body, Hazel's electric touch would most likely set off a chain reaction that would probably blow him, and perhaps even the others, up in smoke.

' _Damn! I need to get those crystals out of his arms!'_ Kevin shouted in his head. _'But he's not giving me ANY good openings! I gotta find a way to get his guard down long enough!'_ After going over it in his head for a few more moments, Kevin smirked as an idea entered his mind. He could just resort to what he usually did when an opponent was giving him a hard time; be snarky about it. With a confident grin, Kevin stretched his crystalline arms out and called over to Hazel; "C'mon, Rainart! You can't seriously be thinking about goin' on after this, can ya?! You're beyond outmatched! Your Dust ain't gonna last much longer, but _I've_ got plenty of it spare!"

Hazel breathed heavily as he was allowed to stop for a brief moment. The boy had a point, he could feel his body beginning to give out, even IF he couldn't feel the pain that it was going through. However, he could feel the Lightning Dust coursing through his arms, the four crystals still yet to be drained of their full power. "You make a good point, Levin, but I am not about to disappoint Lady Salem by being defeated by a child!" Hazel flexed his arms back and created two bolts of lightning in his hands, glowering at Kevin all the while. "It's time to END THIS!"

With a mighty toss, Hazel sent the bolts of electricity at Kevin, making the Osmosian's eyes snap open. He managed to duck underneath them… but he forgot that his friends were all directly behind them. And the moment he remembered that, he whirled around in horror. "NO!"

But fortunately for him, Nora dashed out into the path of the lightning bolts, using her own body to block it. "It's okay, Kev, I got—"

"GAAAAAH!" The sound of a scream made Nora's blood run cold. She had managed to take care of the bolt that was closest to her… but she didn't get a clear look at where the second bolt was heading. She whipped her head around as fast as she could, but for her, it was almost as if the world had gone into slow motion. She turned around to see her best friend… falling to the ground after having been struck by the bolt. Ren was now laying down flat on the ground motionless as Jaune and Pyrrha immediately bent down to his side.

"REN!" Nora screamed. "Nonononono NO!" The Pink Dynamos scrambled past her other friends and down to Jaune and Pyrrha, who were immeidatly trying to get Ren to respond. "Th-This can't be happening! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!"

"Nora, NORA!" Pyrrha grasped her friend's shoulders in an attempt to calm her down. "It's okay! It's going to be okay!"

"N-NO! It's NOT okay!" Nora cried out as tears began streaming down her cheeks. "I didn't PROTECT him!"

Jaune had begun doing CPR, beginning with a few chest compressions. "Nora, please, try to keep—" But suddenly, on the fifth compression, Ren began coughing and sputtering, making Jaune let out a relieved sigh. "Hah, see? He's good."

A relieved smile came to Nora's face as she moved over next to Ren, who was still coughing up a storm. "REN! I-I'm so sorry! I didn't—"

But Ren raised a hand, halting Nora in midsentence as he continued to cough. "Hak! N-Nora, it's—hak! It's okay. Hak-hak! It's not your fault." The green ninja gave her a smile. "Besides—hak—if you hadn't jumped in the way of that other bolt, then it wouldn't have just been me on the ground, now would it?"

Nora thought over her best friend's words for a moment before coming to a conclusion. "You're right, Ren. But still, I should've been quicker to stop _both_ those bolts." The Pink Dynamo furrowed her brows as she pulled out her hammer. "Now, if you'll excuse me, it's time I stop messing around for a change." With that, Nora picked herself up off of the ground and charged over to the fight between Kevin and Hazel, the two having reengaged.

"Nora, wait—HAKHAK!" Ren coughed.

Back over with the fight, Kevin was dodging his way around Hazel's punches while putting in a few quick strikes with his hammers. However, while they were quick, the Osmosian made sure to put more power behind them than before. "You're gonna PAY for that Rainart!" Kevin hollered. "I'll make sure of it!"

"Let's see you try, Levin!" Hazel challenged as he sent another bolt of lightning at Kevin, this time at a much closer range. The bolt managed to hit Kevin square in the chest, making him fly back several feet. Fortunately, nothing explosive happened at that strike, the bolt having just struck Kevin's concrete chest. Hazel made his way over to Kevin, the teen attempting to get up from his place on the ground. "I have tolerated your insolence up to this point, Levin…" Hazel raised his massive arms up over his head, lacing his hands together for one massive strike. "But now, it's time for you to admit defeat—"

"RRAAAAAGH!" A loud battled cry caught the two combatant's attention, but by the time they heard it, Nora was already on the scene, using Magnhild to slam Hazel directly in the back and send him flying straight over Kevin's head. "YOU HURT MY BEST FRIEND!" Nora screamed before using her hammer to launch herself over to Hazel in midair. She then vaulted herself off of her hammer and latched onto his arms as they both fell to the ground, the girl grasping at the Lightning Dust crystals specifically. "You won't be needing these!" With that, Nora gave a strong tug and tore the Dust crystals out of Hazel's arms and tossed them away, making him shout out in surprise.

"GAH!" Hazel swung his arm on reflex, forcing Nora off of him. In a matter of seconds, Hazel could feel the electric power leaving his body, his arms feeling much heavier as a result. An angry sneer appeared on his face and his eyes went straight to Nora, the girl having retrieved her hammer. "Ugh, a foolhardy move if ever I saw one. But you must know that this changes NOTHING, child!" Hazel swiped his arm dismissively. "I cannot be hurt by ANYTHING!" With another roar, Hazel ran forward, intending to end this fight here and now.

Nora's glare intensified after Hazel said that, her voice having a rather dangerous undertone as she spoke to him. "I don't need you to hurt…" She tightened her grip on Magnhild's handle and readied her stance as Hazel approached her. "I just need you to GO DOWN!" With all of the strength that had been given to her by Hazel's previous attacks, Nora was able to put much more power behind this hammer than her very first attack on him. She swung her hammer as hard as she could, resulting in Hazel being sent careening back into a far wall once again.

The moment he made impact, Hazel was dazed and disoriented by the massive hit he took. He was quickly coming down from his Dust and rage-fueled power-up, and he could feel his Aura begin to drain after taking his Semblance to its peak. _'I… I cannot go on for much—' SHINK!_ "ARGH!" Hazel let out a yell as he was suddenly stabbed in the shoulder by something sharp and burning hot, his eyes bugging out in shock.

Right there, Kevin Levin was staring straight back at him, the young man having formed a blade out of his crystalline Fire Dust arm. His face could only be described as "pissed off" as he glared right at Hazel, the Osmosian's voice deathly low as he addressed his adversary. "Well, guess you're not as tough as you think you are Hazel."

"How… how did you…" Hazel struggled to get out.

"You'd be surprised what people can do if you piss 'em off enough." Kevin explained. "Sure, you might be a hulking rage beast, but you're mostly angry with Ozpin, who isn't even _here_. When you get someone so angry that it's focused on beating you and _only_ you, THAT is when you get results." A smirk came to the Osmosian's face as he caught a quick glance at Nora going back over to Ren. "And you just pushed one too many of Nora's buttons."

"Perhaps… but you just got lucky." Hazel retorted. "If you hadn't taken my Dust crystals, I would have been victorious."

"Maybe so, but for right now, you're done, Hazel." Kevin's eyebrows rose as an inky, black mist appeared around Hazel, signaling that Salem was pulling the man away. "And it seems that Mama Salem agrees with me." Kevin removed his blade, allowing Hazel to slump against the wall as the mist enveloped him. "She's here to pick you up and take you home. But… just an FYI, I'm keeping your toys."

Hazel grit his teeth as the blade was removed, trying to keep his balance as his aura tried to heal him quickly. As he began to back up into the black mist, he sent Kevin a very malevolent look. "This… this isn't over, Levin. Know that you have made a great enemy on this day."

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind." Kevin returned his body back to its normal state as Hazel disappeared into the black mist, putting him at ease for the time being. "Ah, man, that was freakin' intense."

"Kevin!" At the sound of the familiar voice, Kevin did an about-face to see Gwen running toward him, with Ruby, Holiday and Winter following close behind her. The Osmosian initially smiled at her approach, but then he quickly took note of how irritated she seemed to be. "What in the WORLD were you thinking?!"

Initially put off slightly, Kevin tried to save face by keeping his grin on. "Uh… hey, babe!" he said trepidatiously. "Glad to see you aren't bein' bogged down anymore. Wait… does that mean that Salem left?!" Kevin's exclamation began to create a furor amongst the rest of the team, all of them excited at the fact that they might've actually just won.

"Yes, I think so." Gwen affirmed before turning her attention to the others. "But don't be quick to celebrate just yet. After she left, I sense a few less-powerful dark energies take her place."

"Let me guess, Grimm?" Weiss assumed.

Rex let out a groan at the prospect of more fighting. "Gah, man, we can _never_ get an easy break, can we?"

Winter stepped over to the group with Holiday, the military specialist pulling out her blades. "I am afraid not, Rex. Everyone, be on your guard, we'll be expecting company soon!" The elder Schnee then directed her attention back to Kevin. "And as for YOU, Kevin… just WHAT was going through your mind when you absorbed that Dust? You _must_ know that it has the potential to be lethal in its purest form!"

Kevin gave her a shrug. "Well, sure, but I would never know unless I tried, right?"

Gwen folded her arms across her chest. "Maybe, but that's why you have _testing_ sessions. You know, to make sure that you DON'T blow up on the first go!"

"I… I know." Kevin relented. "And I'm sorry. But you can't argue with the results, right?" He waved his hand over to wear Hazel once stood. "I mean, I beat the ever-living shit out of Hazel, so that's SOMETHING, right?"

"Maybe, but there's still one thing I need to check." Gwen made a "come here now" motion with her hand. "Let me see your eyes."

Kevin blinked in surprise before answering. "Uh… okay." He leaned his head down to her and Gwen grabbed his face, inspecting the area beneath his eyes closely and carefully.

"Hmm… well, you don't HAVE any black circled beneath your eyes after all this." Gwen surmised. "So that's a good thing. I guess the Dust's energy didn't affect you as bad as I thought it would."

"I don't think it affected me at _all_." Kevin noted. "I mean, I don't even _feel_ the need to get more energy. So, that just leaves the big question…" He went over and picked up the pouches full of Dust crystals, holding them up to Gwen. "Can I keep these?"

Gwen pursed her lips in contemplation, thinking over the request that her boyfriend had asked her. He was right, the Dust didn't seem to have any harmful effects of him, and the crystals had proven useful in the fight with Hazel. Plus, since Kevin could just absorb them, there would be no need to replace them. Overall, it would prove to be a major advantage to her boyfriend on the battlefield. With a somewhat reluctant sigh, Gwen gave her final decision. "Well, alright, you can keep the Dust." She then pointed a rigid finger at him. "But just make sure you don't overdo it, alright? Don't go trying to absorb two different kinds of Dust, don't absorb to MUCH of it, that kind of stuff."

Kevin nodded before giving her a kiss, thankful for giving him her blessing. "Thanks, babe. It means a lot, seriously." But right after he fastened his new pouches to his belt, Kevin's eyes widened when he saw Nora help Ren get up. "Oh god, I forgot!"

Gwen moved her head in the direction Kevin was facing, and she let out a slight gasp as well. "Ren!" The couple moved over to their friends and Gwen immediately went to work, replenishing Ren's aura with her mana. "I'm sorry I wasn't over sooner." the redhead apologized. "Hazel and Kevin's fight was stopping me from getting closer."

"Heh, it's right, Gwen." Ren assured. "I'm still in one piece."

"And thank GOD for that." Nora added, the Pink Dynamo still somewhat saddened by what had happened before. "I just wish I had gotten to BOTH of those bolts in time."

Ren let out a slight chuckle, giving his best friend a smile. "Hey, like I said before, it's okay, Nora. Quite honestly, I'm more upset at _myself_ for not getting out of the way fast enough."

Jaune couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that. "Hey, c'mon man, don't go beating yourself up for that. You know how fast lightning travels, right?"

Pyrrha stepped forward and put a hand on Ren's shoulder. "Jaune's right. No one is at fault for what happened except Hazel. And now that he's been taken care of, we should probably move on to other matters."

Just then, a loud _**ROOAAARR**_ echoed throughout the entire town, making everyone freeze in place. "I concur." Penny said before darting her eyes to the forecourt entrance. She raised her hand and pointed in that direction, a slightly perturbed expression coming to her face. "Perhaps we should start with THEM!"

Everyone whipped their heads up to what Penny was pointing at, only to see a rather large group of gorilla-esque Grimm. The dark creatures were all growling and roaring, some even with their tongues lolling out as they howled at their foes. The team could tell that it was an attempt at intimidation, and they had to admit, their tactic had merit. "Okay… what are _those_ Grimm?" Holiday asked as she kept a firm hold on her sidearm.

"Beringels!" Ruby hollered, pulling Crescent Rose off her back. "I don't think I've ever seen this many in once place before!"

"Me either!" Neptune transformed Tri-Hard into its trident mode and went into a defensive position. "I've lived in Mistral all my life and I don't think I've ever even HEARD of Beringels forming bands this big!"

Jaune grasped Crocea Mors and put it into its greatsword mode, with Pyrrha pulling out her own weapons again as well. "There's gotta be… I dunno, fifty of them? Maybe more?!"

"This is bad." Pyrrha commented. "Beringels are only often seen in bands of ten or less." The Invincible Girl glanced to Nora and nudged her head back to the Belladonna house. "Nora, take Ren back to the house. He's in no shape to fight right now."

However, Ren was quick to protest, pulling his arm off of Nora and standing up by himself. "It's alright, Pyrrha. Gwen's mana has helped me a long quite a bit already." Ren pulled Stormflower off of his hips and gave them a twirl, reloading them as he did. "I'll just keep my distance for now."

His teammates all gave him concerned faces, but it was Nora who spoke up for them. "Well, alright…" The Pink Dynamo then gave him a hard poke in the chest, giving him a stern look. "But I'm going to stay with you just to make sure, got it?"

Ren sent her a small grin and let out a chuckle. "Heh, of course. I wouldn't expect anything less of you, Nora."

In the front of the group, the Schnee sisters, as well as Rex, Penny, Gwen and Kevin, had taken the frontlines, with Winter pointing her primary blade at the band of Beringels. "Be on your guard!" the elder Schnee called out to her team. "Beringels are strong, aggressive, and unrelenting. It will take a lot to bring them down, but I have a feeling that we can pull this off!"

As Rex and Penny activated their respective Smack Hands, the EVO couldn't help but wonder; where WAS their back-up? "Hey Gwen!" Rex shouted over the roaring of the ape-like Grimm. "Just where the heck is Ironwood with… _whoever_ he's bringing?"

Weiss began asking the same thing. "Yeah, didn't you say that he was on his way?!"

"They should be here soon!" Gwen answered. "But until they do, we gotta—" But before she could go on, Gwen was suddenly interrupted when the roars and snarls of the Beringels became overshadowed by the sounds of loud, approaching jet turbines. Everyone's eyes shifted skyward and there, flying straight over the buildings of Kuo Kuana, was a large Bullhead, its floodlights shining down onto the massive group of Beringels. The entire group smiled at the vehicle's arrival as it began slowing down over the Belladonna house, coming to a stop just above the forecourt.

"Heh, well speak of the devil." Rex commented.

" _Hello, everyone!"_ Ironwood called out through the Bullhead's speakers. _"Apologies for being late, but I suppose now is as good a time as any! Stand clear, I'm going to bring her down and send in the cavalry!"_

"HA! 'Bout time, too!" Kevin smirked as the Bullhead landed on the ground. "Now let's hope the guys that Ironwood brought aren't pushovers!"

Gwen wore a knowing smile as the Bullhead's ramp lowered to the ground. "Oh, trust me… you KNOW that these guys aren't ones to take lightly." At first, her teammates were confused as to what Gwen had meant. But the moment that the back ramp of the Bullhead had lowered in its entirety, they could immediately see what she had meant. The group's faces broke out into bright, joyous smiles and even a few smirks when they saw a rather familiar quartet standing at the top of the ramp, and all four of them appeared to be itching for a good fight. "Hey, guys!" Gwen greeted. "Glad you all could make it!"

Out of the Bullhead stepped none other than Coco Adel, Fox Alistair, Velvet Scarletina and Yatsuhashi Daichi, the four standing proud as Coco sent Gwen a wave. "No problem, Red!" she called back with a vivacious smirk, lowering her glasses to give a wink. "But hey, next time, why not just invite us from the start, eh? Thing's would get done a LOT faster if we just come along in the first place, ya know what I mean?" Her face hardened as she directed her attention to the Beringels, the Grimm having been slightly taken off guard by the Bullhead's arrival. But nonetheless, they continued their challenging grunts and snarls, making Coco narrow her gaze at them. "Alright, you damn, dirty apes. You'd better be ready…" In one swift motion, Coco transformed Gianduja into its rotary cannon form, taking aim at the Beringels. "Because Team CFVY is gonna KICK YOUR ASSES!"

* * *

There were some things that Ben Tennyson just wasn't ready for whenever life decided to give him a bad hand. And now definitely counted as one of those times. One of his physically strongest forms, Humungousaur, was now inaccessible to him, leaving him shocked and bewildered as a million questions ran through his mind all at once. How could Salem have done this to one of his transformations? Could she do this to his OTHER transformations too? It all served to get under his skin in a VERY uncomfortable way, but at the moment, he couldn't entirely focus on it. Right now, the more immediate threat to his, Yang's and Raven's wellbeing was standing right in front of them; Trumbipulor. The Paku-Dermoloid was approaching the trio, preparing to deal the first strike, and Ben NEEDED to come up with a plan _fast_.

' _Okay, I know I've got plenty of other aliens that can take Trumbipulor on.'_ Ben remarked in his head. _'I've just gotta pick one that'll throw him off his game.'_ The young hero knew that the alien crime boss was riding a MAJOR confidence high after Salem essentially striking a successful deal with him, so he'd have to transform into something so unexpected that it'd bring Trumbipulor down a peg or two. _'I just need the perfect one…'_

"Ben, please tell me you have a plan!" Yang said as Trumbipulor began to draw closer to them.

"We can't just sit here and do nothing, Ben!" Raven supported. "We need SOMETHING!"

"I know! I—" However, at that moment, Ben caught sight of Trumbipulor closing in, and it was there that an idea came to his head. He knew the PERFECT way to throw Trumbipulor off… _and_ get something out of this dire situation at the same time. He whipped his head to the two women, a serious expression etched across his face. "Alright, I've got a plan." he whispered. "But you're going to have to trust me on this one."

Yang sent her boyfriend a full smile. "Always, Green Boy. Whatever you've got cookin' up in there, I'm sure it's worth it."

"Well, if you're sure that your plan will work, then I trust you as well." Raven nodded back. "But what is it, exactly?"

But Ben shook his head. "Not enough time, just play along for now." At the sound of heavy foot falls, the Omnitrix bearer shifted his eyes up to Trumbipulor, who was now looming over the trio quite menacingly. "So, Trumbi, I'm guessing that you're not going to go down without a fight, huh?"

"You kiddin', Tennyson?!" Trumbipulor trumpeted indignantly. "Afta the night that you've put me an' my crew through, I'm done goin' soft on you's." He narrowed his eyes and balled both hands into fists, raising them up over his head for one big strike. "THIS time, Trumbipulor's gonna be the big man on top, and there ain't _nothin'_ you can do about it!"

Ben couldn't help but inwardly smirk at the double negative. _'That's usually Skull's schtick, but I guess it works in this sense.'_ The hero then raised his hands, pleading for Trumbipulor to halt his attack. "Wait, wait, wait! Hold on a second! I know that Salem told you to fight us, but… what if I made a deal you?"

"BAH! Betta be a good deal, Tennyson!" Trumbipulor scoffed. "Because it's gonna take some _pretty_ convincin' talk to get me ta let ya go."

"Well, that's just the thing, I'm not _looking_ to be let go." Ben raised his arms up over his head. "But if you promise to let Yang _and_ her mom go… then I'll surrender without a fight."

"WHAT?!" Trumbipulor exclaimed.

" _WHAT_?!" Yang and Raven shouted as well.

"Yep, I'm willing to give myself up. Just please…" Ben glanced up to Trumbipulor with a pleading face. "Let my girlfriend and her mother go free."

Trumbipulor began scratching his chin, thinking over the offer for about a minute. Finally, he gave his answer. "Ya know what? Salem was right, Tennyson. You ARE too sentimental." He shrugged his massive shoulders. "But still… even afta all the shit ya put me through tonight, I'm still in a _bit_ of a good mood. You want these dames to go free in exchange for yourself? Then fine, I'll accept that."

"NO!" Yang circled around her boyfriend to grasp his shoulders. "Ben, what're you doing?! You know that we can take this asshole on, why won't you—MPH!" In a surprise move, Ben pulled Yang into a kiss, making her eyes widen. However, just as he kissed her, Ben gave her a small wink, one that Trumbipulor was unable to see from his point of view. It was then that Yang realized that this was all part of his plan, allowing her to relax into the kiss.

Once the two pulled away, Ben cent her a faux-apologetic face. "I'm sorry, Yang, but this is the only way to guarantee you and your mom's safety. Once I leave with Trumbipulor, I want you and Raven to go help the others. I might not be able to go with you, but at least _you_ guys will be able to continue the fight against Salem." He pulled her into a hug and whispered into her ear; "When I give the word, we're going to take this guy down, okay?"

Yang grinned into the hug and put her arms around him, giving him her response; "Alright, Green Boy. You got it."

"Awesome." Ben smiled back at her before giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Well… this is it." He reached his left hand up to Trumbipulor. "Let's go."

"Haha, now THIS is more like it." Trumbipulor reached down and grabbed Ben's entire left arm in his massive hand, Omnitrix and all. "Well, Tennyson, anything else ya wanna say before we head to Salem's place?"

Ben sent Trumbipulor a determined smirk. "Yeah… I just tricked you."

"W-Wait, wha—" _BEEP BEEP BEEP!_ "GAH!" Trumbipulor was taken by surprised when a loud and very annoying beeping noise suddenly graced his large ears. He began searching for the source before his eyes finally landed on his hand, the one that was holding Ben's arm. Inbetween his fingers, he could see a bright yellow light that was flashing in time with the beeps, making him pull his hand back. "What's goin' on here?!"

Ben pulled the Omnitrix back, the faceplate flashing yellow as it beeped. "Oh, you'll see."

After a few seconds, the Omnitrix spoke out in Ben's voice once again; _"Compatible Alien DNA found, now beginning scanning sequence."_ In a bright flash of light, the Omnitrix began emitting a yellow beam that scanned up and down Trumbipulor's whole body, making the crime boss shout and panic even further. Once it was done, the beam stopped and the Omnitrix's holographic ring popped up, revealing what appeared to be the face of an elephant. _"DNA scan complete. Paku-Dermoloid DNA now unlocked and available."_

Yang pumped a fist in the air in celebration. "WOO! Alright, Ben!"

Raven blinked in surprise. "I… I don't believe it. He tricked Trumbipulor into handing him a new transformation." A slow smile made its way onto the dark-haired woman's face. "Hmm, he's much smarter than I initially gave him credit for."

Conversely, Trumbipulor was practically fuming with anger. "You… you little SWINDLER! You cheated!"

"I didn't cheat, Trumbi." Ben tapped the side of his head. "I just outsmarted you. I had a feeling that your overconfidence would get the better of you, so I offered you the easy way out. And fortunately, you just took the bait. Hook… line… and _sucker_."

"I'll… I'LL KILL YOU!" Trumbipulor hollered. "I don't care WHAT that Salem lady says! Nobody messes with Trumbipulor an' gets away with it! You're goin' DOWN, Tennyson!"

Ben's eyebrows furrowed and he shook his head. "Sorry, Trumbi, wrong again. See, I promised the chieftain of this island nation that I'd help free it from YOUR tyranny." Ben retracted the Omitrix's faceplate, preparing for his transformation. "I meant what I said… and I said what I meant…" The hero brought his hand up and then slammed down the Omnitrix's core, a bright flash of green light signaling his transformation.

Once the light died down, everyone was able to see the new transformation… and they were all floored by what they saw. It was a Paku-Dermoloid alright, but one that was very distinct from Trumbipulor in terms of appearance. Thanks to the Omnitrix's programming, it had optimized the DNA to the species' maximum potential, and thus, gave Ben's new transformation a few differences from Trumbipulor. For one, he was about two feet taller, setting him at about fourteen feet tall. Plus, his skin tone was a lighter grey than Trumbipulor's more brownish-grey, along with a bigger set of ears as well. But most noticeable of all… were the long, sharp tusks that the new transformation had. They were full, strong and pearly white, giving Ben a strong intimidation factor that Trumbipulor didn't have. As for the clothes he wore, it was actually rather simplistic; a black, sleeveless body suit that had large piece of green chest armor with matching shoulder pads, the Omnitrix symbol situated directly in the middle of it. He also had a pair of black, fingerless gloves with green wrist braces and a large, green belt going around his waist. The new Paku-Dermoloid's eyes glowed bright green as he glared at Trumbipulor, finally finishing his statement;

" **And an elephant's faithful…** _ **one-hundred**_ **percent."**

* * *

**A/N: And THAT my friends, is how you make a Dr. Seuss quote into a badass one-liner. Everyone, meet my first original Omnitrix transformation for this Fanfiction series! I've always wanted Ben to transform into one of Trumbipulor's species and I was really disappointed when it never ended up happening in the series proper. So you know what? I decided to do it myself! So… what's his name? That will actually be revealed in the next chapter, so stay tuned to find out! But yeah, I wasn't lying when I said a whole bunch of stuff happened in this chapter! The encounter with Salem, Raven's little secret being let out (or at least** _**half** _ **of it), the fight with Hazel, and FINALLY seeing what would happen if Kevin absorbed Dust! But man, those Beringels are going to be in a world of hurt… because it's CFVY time once again, baby! But that leads to another question… where's Cooper? He IS Team CFVY's unofficial fifth member, after all. Well, you'll just have to wait until the next chapter to see what's going on with him.**

**But speaking of… NEXT TIME! As Team CFVY and the others engage with the Beringels, Yang, Raven and Ben take on Trumbipulor, with Ben breaking in his new transformation. During the fight though, Blake, Sun, Ilia and Sienna end up running into the Schnee Sisters… and needless to say, Sienna's not all to happy when she sees them. But they'll ALL have to watch their backs, because a certain scorpion man isn't finished quite yet… and this time, he's got a bit of leverage. Thanks for reading guys, and I'll see you next time! See ya!**


	79. Pachyderm Power!

**A/N: Hey guys! How's everybody doin'? Welcome to the penultimate chapter of the White Fang arc. Like I said before, this has unequivocally been the biggest arc that we've done in this story so far, and I'm actually really happy with how it turned out! Like last time, we've got quite the long chapter here today, so let's not waste any time! This is…**

**Chapter 79: Pachyderm Power!**

* * *

William Faun was someone who could be considered your mild-mannered Faunus family man. He worked hard to provide for his wife and two children and he also made sure that they were well protected. Thankfully, considering that they lived in the relatively safe town of Kuo Kuana, they didn't exactly see a lot of danger. Over the past week and a half though, that safety proved to not last long as the town had been easily taken over by an oppressive elephant man whom threatened their very way of life. But after his brief meeting with Ghira, Will was beginning to feel some hope again, even going so far as to relax a little even as the fighting went on outside. However, the moment he heard a loud roar echo through the night, the goat man could feel a cold chill run through him again. "Oh… oh no."

Next to him, his wife Shauna also let out a terrified gasp. "Ah! Honey, _please_ tell me that isn't…"

"Shh, sweetheart, don't worry." Will consoled. "It'll all be okay, I promise. We have to be brave in cases like this."

His son, Billy, craned his head up to him in concern. "Dad, what're you talking about? What was that noise?"

Bonnie, his daughter, was also beginning to grow quite worried. "Daddy, I'm scared! I thought that everything was going to be okay."

Will quickly wrapped his arms around his children, pulling them close to his chest. "Kids, everything IS going to be okay, trust me. Do you remember when your mother and I told you about the Grimm and how they're attracted to negative emotion?" He received a silent nod from his children. "Well, the best thing to do during a Grimm attack is to keep yourself calm. So long as we do that and stay hidden, the Grimm will be less inclined to attack—"

 _CRASH!_ Will was suddenly interrupted when a dark figure suddenly careened in through the nearby window, making all four of them scream in terror. Standing there amongst the broken glass was a deranged-looking man who was grinning ear to ear, his beady eyes darting about the living room until they landed on the family. He had rather sharp, bladed weapons strapped to his wrists and he also had a tail protruding from his rear, though from what Will could see in the dark, it appeared to have been recently cut off. "HAHAHA! Well, well, well… what do we have here?" the crazed man began approaching the family slowly, scaring them even further. "What a quaint little family you have, good sir."

Will immediately scowled at the man and sprang up to his feet, spreading his arms out to cover his wife and children as he grabbed his trusty crowbar again. "Who are you?! What do you want?!"

"Honey, please!" Shauna shouted. "Don't provoke—"

 _SLAM_! In the blink of an eye, the intruder used the remains of his tail to smack Will aside with a mighty swing, slamming him into a nearby wall. "Gah!" the goat man hollered. "W-What're you—AAAUUGH!" Without warning, the intruder ran up and slashed a large gash into the man's shoulder with the blades on his arms, blood splattering over the nearby walls. Will fell to the ground in pain as the madman began cackling over him.

"WILL! NO!" Shauna screamed as she instantly started to cry. In her arms, her son stared at the scene, horrified at what he had just seen. Her daughter was also in tears, crying out for her father to get up. Shauna grit her teeth and glared up to the man angrily. "What do you want you MONSTER?!"

"AHAHA! Oh, madame, what an appropriate question." The beady-eyed man said joyously. "I simply require one… little… thing…" With a mad dash, Tyrian Callows approached the woman and her kids, a sinister smile written across his face. "I need… a couple bargaining chips to use against those fools out there. And I know JUST the right ones to use. Hehehe!"

* * *

Not far away, the front yard of the Belladonna home had devolved into utter chaos as the band of Beringels commenced their attacks, the ape-like Grimm practically lunging themselves at the teens to take them down. However, the whole team was ready for it, with several of them spreading out to give themselves a wide berth to work with. Nora and Ren stayed close to the house to protect it, the duo shooting down whatever Beringels were lucky enough to have gotten past the initial defenses. Out further though, Jaune and Pyrrha were immediately on the offensive, the couple keeping close to each other as the gorilla Grimm stormed them on all sides. Pyrrha sent Milo flying, impaling it through two of the Grimm's heads before using her polarity to change its course, ramming it through another two. Jaune meanwhile would stab his shield through each of the Beringel's guts before activating the gun barrel in its tip, blasting a hole clean through it before slicing its head clean off.

Still, even if he was successful so far, it was still a difficult maneuver to do. The Beringels were both fast and strong, making it hard to get in close enough to pull it off. Jaune breathed out a heavy sigh as he beheaded another one of the apes. "Man, these guys are a lot harder to take down than Beowolves." He pointed out. "They don't leave you much room for error."

Pyrrha reached her hand out and grabbed Milo out of the air, sighing herself before addressing her boyfriend. "Yes, but we cannot give in. We have to—" But then her eyes widened. "JAUNE, shield up to me!" Not one to question Pyrrha's judgement, Jaune raised his shield up to her, the Invincible Girl jumping on it before propelling herself up at a great speed using her Semblance. She shifted Milo into its xiphos mode and with one swipe, she sliced cleanly through a leaping Beringel, it's two halves falling to the ground in a heap. Pyrrha landed on the ground in a crouch, breathing steadily as she rose up. "Like I was saying, we have to stay sharp if we want to beat them."

Jaune gave her a smirk and nudged his head over to a certain team that had just arrived. "Hey, considering that Team CFVY's hear now, I think we'll be able to get through this." At the sound of another growling Beringel, Jaune spun around to shoot it in the face with his shield, only to be beaten to the punch by another bullet that went straight through the side of the Grimm's head. Jaune and Pyrrha directed their attention to where the shot came from and were met by a rather familiar face. "Hey! General Ironwood!"

Ironwood spun his revolver around in his hand, the barrel smoking as he made his way over to the couple. "Pyrrha makes a good point, Jaune." The general said. "Now isn't the time to be too overconfident simply because you've got backup."

After receiving a knowing glance from his girlfriend, Jaune gave them both a relenting nod. "Yeah, I gotcha. …But still, you gotta admit, when Team CFVY goes to work, it's pretty impressive."

With a shrug of his shoulders, Ironwood couldn't help but agree. "Well, I can't argue with you on that point."

Indeed, across the way from Team JNPR's location, Team CFVY were making quick work of the Beringels, and with relative ease as well. The quartet had gotten to work fast, each member diving into the fray the moment that Coco had brought out her weapon. Yatsu and Fox were making the rounds at close range, using their respective bladed weapons to practically cleave through the Grimm as they came at them. The tall swordsman in particular was having minimal problems, using his greatsword, Fulcrum, to deal massive damage. Be it by slicing through the Grimm, or to send powerful shockwaves through the ground, breaking it beneath their feet. Either way, they didn't stand a chance against him.

Fox on the other hand was getting much more up close and personal, using his Sharp Retribution to hit the Beringel in the face, all while firing Dust rounds at point blank which caused their heads to explode. Whenever one tried to sneak up from behind him though, he would quickly stab the arm blades of his weapon into them, either getting them directly in the chest or in the head. Either way, the result was the same. _"Heh, see how you like that, ape-face."_ Fox thought in his head, though thanks to his Semblance, most of his teammates heard it.

"Don't lose focus, Fox!" Yatsu called out as he sliced through another Grimm. "This is no time for snappy one-liners!"

" _Ah, c'mon!"_ Fox raised his arms in a shrug. _"We got this in the bag—GAH!"_ The redheaded young man was suddenly jumped from above by a Beringel, getting pinned against the ground as a result. _"Ugh, okay, I can see what ya mean!"_ Fox cocked his Sharp Retribution again and fired two shots at the ape-Grimm's feet, causing it to topple to the ground. Fox was about to get up and finish the job, but the sound of a laser blast made him pout in slight irritation. _"Oh, c'mon, Vel, I was gonna finish him off!"_

Standing directly above the Beringel's now dead body was Velvet, the bunny girl holding a hard-light copy of Pyrrha's weapon in its shotgun mode. She gave Fox a sympathetic, yet amused grin. "Sorry, Fox, but you seemed to be taking too long." Velvet pointed to her own ear. "Your ADA _is_ working, right?"

Fox rolled his eyes and replied, this time orally. "Yes, _mom_."

Velvet rolled her eyes right back. "Oh, come off with that and let's get back to it!" With a flick of her wrist, Velvet shifted her copy of Milo into its javelin form, giving it a strong toss to her right. The weapon managed to sail itself through three Berningel heads before impaling into a nearby wall, dissipating into light soon after. "Gah, bullocks! I thought I had more time with that…" She then spotted Ruby out of the corner of her eye at the other end of the battle field, giving her a bright smile before running over. "Ruby!"

After making a clean slice through another Beringel with Crescent Rose, Ruby whipped her head around to see Velvet approaching her, returning her smile with gusto. "Hey, Vel!" The two gave each other a quick hug before Ruby continued. "I gotta say, when Gwen said that Ironwood was bringing a different group as back up, I SHOULD have expected it to be you guys!"

The bunny girl tilted her head to her right shoulder. "Yeah, well, Coco was all too eager to get in on some action. And honestly, things back at Beacon were getting kind of monotonous."

Ruby sent her a questioning eyebrow and a knowing grin. " _Really_? _Nothing_ interesting at all, huh? Not even with a certain redheaded knight?"

Velvet's eyes bugged out and an intense blush came to her face, only for her hands to immediately cover it. "GAH! Will you stop being such a _tease_?!" she pleaded whilst shaking her head. "I haven't even decided if I _want_ to try anything with Cardin, yet!"

Ruby couldn't help but let out a small giggle at her friend's expense. "Haha! I'm sorry! I couldn't resist." The Hooded Huntress raised a questioning eyebrow, however. "But then again… why not? I mean, he's not acting like a big jerk anymore. What's stopping you? Oh, and uh, watch out to your left."

"Gotcha!" With an impressive jump, Velvet sent a flying kick straight at an incoming Beringel's jaw, sending it straight to the ground. Ruby then proceeded to slam the tip of her scythe into its head, killing it instantly. "Thanks for the assist." Velvet bowed her head gratefully. "But to answer, I just don't know if it'd work out. After all, we've only just started to really get to know each other. And then there's Coco, who's still wary of him and his crew, so…"

"Woah, woah, woah, hold up." Ruby raised a hand. "The first part about only just beginning to talk with him, I can get. But why should what _Coco_ think about Cardin govern your decision?"

Velvet's eyes darted to the side. "Well, she's like a big sister to me, you know? And I don't want to upset her or anything like that." The rabbit-eared girl pointed behind Ruby. "Also, you've got incoming."

"Thank you!" Ruby spun around and shifted Crescent Rose into its sniper rifle mode, taking aim at the approaching Beringel and firing right into its head. It went down in a matter of seconds. "Velvet, you're your own person. I know that you look up to Coco a lot, but you shouldn't let her personal feelings get in the way of anything."

Velvet pondered over her silver-eyed friend's words, a bit of a conflicted feeling entering her mind. "I know… but you know how Coco can get."

"Very true." Ruby admitted. "But still, you never know how well things go unless you try, right? I mean, Coco knows that better than anybody. Back during the school year, would you have _ever_ imagined someone like Coco going out with a guy like Cooper?"

"Okay, point very much taken." Velvet admitted before giving it some more thought. "Well… I suppose you're right. I'll… see where things go with Cardin, even if Coco doesn't approve." She then pointed a stern finger to Ruby. "But that doesn't mean I'm just going to instantly ask him out or anything!"

Ruby raised her hands defensively. "Hey, I never said you had to, Vel. Feel free to go at your own pace. But while you're here, there IS something that I've wanted to talk with you about—"

"HEY GUYS!" The two girls were pulled out of their conversation by Neptune, who was currently running toward him with Penny right by his side. And behind them was another big group of Beringels chasing them down. "Could we possibly save the chit-chat for LATER please?!" the blue-haired boy asked.

"Yes, we could use some assistance!" Penny added as she began firing her Floating Array blasters behind her blindly, hoping to at least hit one of the ape-like Grimm. "And right now would REALLY be a good time!"

Ruby and Velvet faced each other with a nod. "They're right." Ruby said. "Can we pick this up later on Tetrax's ship?"

"Of course. But first…" Velvet reached into her camera box and pulled out Anesidora, the camera shifting into its active mode. "Mind if I borrow Crescent Rose for a jaunt?"

Ruby smiled and held her large scythe up to the camera. "Sure thing!"

With a quick push of a button, Velvet took a picture of the giant scythe and returned her camera to its storage box, the hard-light Dust inside of the device going right to work. Velvet held out her hand and almost instantly, a hard-light copy of Crescent Rose materialized into it, the brunette giving her friend a small grin. "Cheers, Ruby! Now… let's take care of these apes."

"Right behind ya!" And with that, the scythe-wielding duo ran off to help Neptune and Penny, diving into the horde with their weapons spinning in a blur.

Over on the other side of the battlefield, Coco, Gwen and Kevin were facing off against even more Beringels, the three standing in the middle of a rather large mob of black fur, white bone and blood red eyes. Coco was currently working on taking out a sizeable chunk of the enemy Grimm with Gianduja, the rotary cannon blasting out Fire Dust rounds like there was no tomorrow. This, combined with the fact that Coco was using her Semblance to boost the effects of the Dust, and most of the Beringel band had been decimated within the first few seconds of the battle. However, to conserve on ammo and move to a safer position, Coco shifted her weapon back into its purse form for the time being.

The barret-wearing girl popped a few muscles in her neck before stepping forward. "Alright, let's get down and dirty." She strode forward, confidence in every step even as she approached an incoming Beringel. However, just as it was about to grab her with its giant hands, Coco shouted; "Paws off!" before bringing her handbag up in an upward strike, swinging it right into the ape's jaw. She then pulled her handbag back and slammed it right into the Grimm's gut, knocking the wind out of it. Finally, she stopped her heel on its foot, making it howl in pain as it collapsed to the ground in a heap. Without missing a beat, Coco bent down and, with a quick twist, snapped the Beringel's neck, killing it immediately. "Heh, nice try, big guy. But only _one_ dude is allowed to put his hands on me."

"Impressive kill, Coco!" Kevin called out as he fended off his own Beringel, having coated himself in concrete again. "Did you even break a sweat?!"

Coco raised her eyebrows with a snarky smile. "Levin, I work to get shit done. I barely have time to sweat!"

Gwen rolled her eyes as she used a mana disk to slice multiple Beringel in half. "Alright, let's not get into a fight here, kids!" However, after recalling what Coco had said just a moment ago about a certain "dude", Gwen couldn't help but wonder something. "Hey, Coco, wasn't Cooper _with_ you guys? I can't imagine you just leaving him behind, after all."

Coco sent a knowing smirk in the redhead's direction. "Oh, he's here, Red. And he's—GWEN! Watch out behind—"

But by the time Coco gave her warning, it was too late. A large Beringel swung his arm down and grabbed Gwen with a single hand, making the Anodite give out a shocked yell. "AH! Hey!" Gwen began to squirm in the Grimm's grip, attempting to at least free her hands so she could cast a spell. However, the ape's grip was ironclad, and it began raising a fist over its head to squash Gwen in one hit. "Let me go you big—" _BLAM_! Before the Beringel could get the chance to try and squish her with his fist, a sizeable hole was blown directly through the back of its head with a laser shot, killing it instantly. The Grimm's grip loosened and it fell to the ground, allowing Gwen to recollect herself. "Hah, thanks, I… wha?" Her eyes widened and a slow smile came to her face. "No way."

From her left, Coco stepped up and rested her arm against Gwen's shoulder. "Yes way, Red." She gestured over to the figure standing in front of them with a proud grin on her face. "As you can see… I took Tech Head shopping."

Standing across from the two young ladies was none other than Cooper, and he was decked out in an entirely new ensemble courtesy of Coco. From the ground up, he was wearing a set of heavy, black knee-high boots with knee pads attached to them, a pair of blue jeans that were held up by a black belt that had a pouch on either hip, and a grey v-neck t-shirt. However, it was what he was wearing _over_ the t-shirt that was most noticeable; a purple leather jacket with a yellow number three emblazoned on its right pectoral, completing his overall appearance. He was also holding a silver laser pistol, which he put back into the holster attached to his right thigh. Cooper grinned at Gwen and gave her a wave. "Hey Gwen! How's it goin'?"

"F-Fine, Cooper!" Gwen replied. "But I think I should be asking YOU how _you're_ doing!"

Kevin caught sight of Cooper after taking down another Beringel, and the Osmosian appeared to be genuinely impressed with his friend's new get-up. "Coop?!" He went up and clasped the blonde genius on the shoulder. "Dude, where'd you get your new duds, man?"

Cooper rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Well, Coco took me out shopping the other day and I was able to get something custom-made."

Coco stepped over to her boyfriend and wrapped her arm around his broad shoulders. "So? Be honest, what do you guys think?!" She sent Cooper a small wink. "Because, personally, I think he looks bangin'!"

"I actually agree!" Gwen concurred. "Cooper, I REALLY think this new look suits you."

"Yeah, man, glad you finally ditched the baggy shirt and jersey." Kevin added. "I always thought it was weird that you just kept wearing the same clothes even after ya shot up like a weed."

The genius simply shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, what can I say? I'm not exactly one who'd be considered stylish." Cooper then pointed down to Coco, wrapping an arm around her and giving her a smile as he did. "But this girl right here? Now SHE is a stylistic genius. I owe this new ensemble all to her."

"Aw, Tech Head!" Coco reached up and planted a quick kiss to her boyfriend's cheek. "That's SO sweet, thank you!"

"Just stating the facts, babe." Cooper winked back before facing his friends again with a sheepish face. "Also, sorry for not getting into the action sooner. General Ironwood and I were discussing something important we've been working on."

"Ah, no worries." Gwen waved off. "You got here in time to save me, and that's what counts." The Anodite's hand began to light up once more. "Now, why don't we start sending these Grimm back to where they came from?"

A small smirk came to Cooper's pulling out his new laser pistol again. "Hehe, that's definitely an idea I can get behind!"

An eager grin spread across Coco's face at that. "Hell yeah! Now you're talkin'! Let's go!"

As another group of Beringels began charging at them, Kevin was quick to reach into his new Dust pouches and pull out another crystal, this time of the yellow variety. "I'm right there with ya, guys!" He grabbed hold of the crystal with both hands and absorbed it, catching both Cooper and Coco off guard.

"Whoa, hold up, Kev!" Coco exclaimed. "Where in the hell did you get—"

But just as she asked that question, Kevin slammed his fists together, which began conducting the electricity in his bright yellow crystalline arms. Accompanying this power up was his eyes changing color once again, changing from dark brown to a gleaming, golden yellow with a crackling aura. The Osmosian grinned as his arms shifted into a pair of maces for battle. "WHOO! Time to being down the thunder!" With that, Kevin jumped into the fray, striking at the Grimm with his lightning-enhanced arm weapons.

Coco lowered her sunglasses again to make sure that she was seeing things correctly while Cooper simply stared on in astonishment, both of them equally amazed by what had just happened. "Uh… Gwen?" Coco uttered before swinging her arm in Kevin's direction. "Since when the HELL could he do _that_?!"

"As of just a few moments ago." Gwen answered. "See, Kevin went up against one of Salem's followers that could use Dust to enhance his strength. So he decided to fight fire with fire and steal the guy's Dust pouches so that HE could do the same thing."

"Ha, well, it certainly worked." Cooper commented as Kevin sent another Beringel flying away. "He's taken to it like a fish to water."

Coco put a hand over to her hip as she watched the Beringel slam into the ground. "Haha! No kidding! But hey, let's not let Kev have ALL the fun! We should get in there too!"

Cooper cocked his laser pistol once again and gave his girlfriend a smile. "Right! Here we go!" And with that, the couple dove into the battle, both of them going to aid Kevin in his righteous smackdown.

With an amused grin on her face, Gwen crossed her arms and shook her head. "Sheesh, the more things change, the more they stay the same." She then added in her head; _'Still, I'm glad that Cooper's confidence has been skyrocketing these past few weeks. Being with Coco's really helped him improve his self-esteem.'_ Just as she was about to join her friends, Gwen couldn't help but think off-handedly; _'Hmm… I wonder how Rex and Weiss are holding up?'_

* * *

"¡ _Dios mío_!" Rex shouted as he smacked another Grimm away with his Smack Hands. "These monkeys just keep on coming!" At that moment, a stray Beringel suddenly leapt up from behind the EVO and tackled him to the ground, eliciting a yell from Rex's throat. "GAH! Oh, c'mon, get off me _mono_!" In less than a second, Rex exchanged his Smack Hands with this Blast Caster, the large backpack making the Beringel launch into the air with just how quick it built out of his back. Rex then sent his whip up, latching it onto the Grimm before sending a big energy blast through it, making the dark creature howl in pain. With a flick of his wrist, Rex pulled the Beringel back to the ground, the beast dying the moment it made impact. "Yeah, that's what you get!"

Not too far away from his position, Weiss rolled her eyes at the display. "Oh, for god's sake, Robo-dolt, can't you at least _try_ to remain calm?" The heiress sent a quick thrust at her own Grimm opponent, stabbing it through the stomach before spinning Myrtenaster's barrel to the Wind Dust setting. The tip of her weapon suddenly began blowing a gust of wind that was so strong, it made the impaled Beirngel's body explode while also blowing three others away. "I mean, seriously, this _isn't_ that bad."

"I know, but it's just really annoying!" Rex said as he continued downing Berigels with his Blast Caster. "You ever get that feeling where you _think_ you've won, but there's just one last obstacle you need to take care of? THAT'S the feeling I'm getting right now!"

Off to the side, Winter and Holiday were standing back to back, taking down Beringels as they lunged at them. "I cannot say that I relate!" Winter called out as she stabbed another Grimm through the head. "But then again, I've faced this sort of scenario multiple times, so I suppose I'm simply jaded to it all."

"That could be a possibility!" Holiday concurred as she shot a clean hole through the chest of another Beringel. "Repetition leads to monotony after all!"

Weiss brought up a multitude of small glyphs around her, with all of them taking aim at the enemy Grimm. "Well, I'm putting an end to the monotony! Take cover!" With a wave of Myrtenaster, Weiss made all the glyphs spin rapidly, with many powerful cyan lasers shooting out of them a split second later. In no time at all, many of the Beringels were now filled with holes all over their bodies, be it in their heads, chests, shoulders or stomachs. However, the results were the same; they all fell over dead the moment they were hit. Weiss stood proudly with a satisfied smile. "Well, that takes care of—AH!" Without warning, a large Beringel suddenly jumped out from the shadows and scooped Weiss up in its giant hand, making her let out a scream. "Let me go, you brute!"

"Weiss! Hold on!" Rex reeled his arm back and prepared to lash his energy whip at the Beringel, only to halt himself when he saw a black and white blur speed by his face. "W-What the?!"

 _SLICE_! In the blink of an eye, the blur zipped past the Beringel, having seemingly done nothing to harm it. However, after a few seconds, its head began lolling off to the side before finally dethatching from its body, a clean cut having gone straight through it. The beast's grip loosened and Weiss fell back to the ground, none the worse for wear. "W-What was—BLAKE!" The heiress broke out into a beaming smile as she saw her friend on the opposite side of the Beringel.

"Hah! Alright!" Rex cheered before deactivating his Blast Caster and heading over as well. "Nice save, Blake!"

Blake let out a small chuckle and gave them both a small salute. "Hehe, thanks. Glad I could make it in time." The cat girl shifted her eyes around and took in the situation at hand. "So, other than all of this chaos, how've you guys been doing?"

"Oh, you know, can't complain." Weiss answered as Winter and Holiday also joined them. "We beat all the White Fang guards, plus Simian, Yuma and Trifa. Kevin and Nora pretty much handled Hazel… and General Ironwood just arrived with Team CFVY as backup, so yeah, things are going good." A sour expression then overtook the heiress' face. "But… Hazel also told us that Salem was here, and Gwen could sense her too. I'm guessing she left this parting gift for us, huh?"

Blake winced at that. "Y-Yeah." There was a momentary pause before Blake was finally able to continue. "Weiss… I saw her. She was MUCH more terrifying than I thought she'd be." She gulped down her fear, her voice wavering a bit. "It… it was almost as if she were darkness _incarnate_."

Everyone's eyes widened at that. "She was _really_ that bad?" Holiday asked further.

"Doctor Holiday, she had the power to smack _Humungousaur_ away with one hit, drain his life force, and make him transform back into Ben." Blake answered with a serious face. "You tell me if that's bad."

The whole group was stunned into silence for a good five seconds before Winter was finally able to break it. "Well… alright then. Take note, everyone, we probably should not engage Salem by any means necessary."

"Exactly!" The group's ears perked up when they saw Sun and Ilia running toward them, the two Faunus teens fighting their way through even more Beringels just to get to them. Sun came to halt next to Blake and steadily took a hold of his breathing, jabbing a thumb back toward the White Fang palace. "Trust me guys, you have NO clue how scary that witch was back there."

Ilia was of a similar opinion. "I won't lie, the whole thing was… traumatic to say the least. I mean, we stood up to that woman!" The chameleon girl ran a hand through her hair. "And I seriously thought that she was gonna kill us on the spot."

"Well, I'm glad she didn't." Rex let out a sigh and put his hands to his hips. "Man, she's not messing around anymore, is she? I _hate_ it when the bad guys get serious about their plans."

Winter closed her eyes briefly and shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "Well, I suppose the only thing we can really do now is continue—"

"RRAAAUUGH!" All of a sudden, a loud roar caught everyone off guard, one that sounded as if a person were screaming in rage. Then, just as it happened, a dark shape suddenly took Winter right to the ground, making everyone recoil in fear and astonishment.

"WINTER!" Weiss shouted out before she felt something metallic wrap around her upper torso, binding her arms to her sides. In one strong tug, the heiress was pulled to the ground, making her drop Myrtenaster in the process. "Hey! What's the big idea—"

"SILENCE!" The roaring voice yelled back as if it were spewing venom. "Do not speak unless spoken to, _Schnee_!" Once everyone was able to comprehend what had just happened, Blake, Ilia and Sun all gaped at the fact that Sienna Khan had just taken down both Schnee Sisters without breaking a sweat, while Rex and Holiday simply stood off to the side wondering who the woman was. Sienna was glaring daggers at both sisters, her eyes darting between the two of them. "What in the hell are you doing in Menagerie?!" She got right up in Winter's face, growling as she kept her hand around the military specialist's neck. "Let me guess… you've come to steal secrets from us to aid your _cursed_ father in taking us down, am I right?! Is HE allied with Salem as well?! It wouldn't surprise me!"

Winter's eyes had widened in slight panic, but she still kept her composure during all of this. "Miss Khan, please, we came here to—GAH!" Her words only served to make Sienna tighten her grip, the tiger lady's nails threatening it pierce through her neck.

"Pleading for mercy is NOT what I want to hear, Schnee scum!" Sienna snarled. "Now tell me what I want to know or so help me, I will—" Just then, a long, black ribbon snapped forward and wrapped around Sienna's hand, tightening so much that if forced her to let go of Winter's neck. "W-What—AH!" The White Fang leader was jerked away from Winter and sent sprawling to the ground, making her lose her grip on her Cerberus Whip in the process. With a quick glance up, she saw who had pulled her away; "BLAKE!"

Gazing down at Sienna with anger and disbelief across her face, was Blake, the cat girl gritting her teeth at the older woman. "Sienna, what are you _doing_?!" she asked as she pulled Gambol Shroud's ribbon away. Nearby, Rex and Sun were helping Weiss out of her binding, with Sun taking a firm hold of the whip.

"What am _I_ doing? What are _you_ doing?!" Sienna countered. "I don't care if you're in the White Fang anymore or not, NO self-respecting Faunus would _ever_ help a Schnee!" She spun around and held her hand out to Sun. "Boy! Hand me my whip, NOW!"

Sun pulled his arm away further. "Not a chance, Sienna! If you mess with our friends, then you mess with us!"

" _Friends_?! Now I _thoroughly_ cannot believe this!" Sienna turned back to Blake with a stern glare. "You're saying that these two…" she pointed between Weiss and Winter, "are your _friends_?"

Blake didn't waver, instead choosing to stand tall and proud in the face of her former leader. "Yes, yes she is. We've been friends for over a year now since we were put on the same team at Beacon. And you know what?" She moved over to Weiss and pulled her in for a side-hug. "I couldn't ask for a better friend and teammate."

Weiss couldn't help but blush. "Well, I wouldn't say I'm _that_ great of a friend."

Blake raised an eyebrow at her and gave her a sideways smile. "Hey, I'm trying to vouch for you here." With that, she focused back onto Sienna. "She's nothing like her father, Sienna. And neither is her sister. I've been saying the same thing to Ilia for the past day now as well…" She sent a small glance to the chameleon girl in question. "But… I guess I've still yet to convince her of that."

Sienna raised a questioning brow to Ilia, who was beginning to feel uneasy at all of this attention. "Is this true, Ilia? And if so… have you been inclined to believe it?"

"W-Well, I…" Ilia stammered before trailing off, not exactly sure what to think at the moment. One the one hand, she still somewhat believed that the Schnees were overall bad news. The family name was so associated with Faunus grief and hardship that it was practically ingrained in their minds that the only good Schnee was a dead one. That's why they were White Fang enemy number one, after all. However, as she set her gaze upon Wiess and Winter's anxious expressions, her mind went back to the conversation that she had just a few hours ago with Swift, and the Aerophibian's words began ringing out in her mind once again;

' _Not all humans hate people like us… we can't keep our hate bottled up forever…'_ Ilia closed her eyes and inwardly smiled to herself. _'Heh, you're right, Swift. I can't let my hate just keep festering inside of me.'_ With that, the chameleon girl opened her eyes and faced her leader confidently. "Yes, Miss Khan, Blake HAS been telling me these things. And… while I was all too resistant to believe her at first, the fact that Weiss and Winter came here to help free our home is noble in and of itself. I know that this may be unbelievable, but… just because their father's sins have caused us so much pain, that doesn't mean that they have to be held accountable for what he's done. People CAN change… and if Weiss and Winter truly want to try and make up for what their family has done… then I'm willing to give them a chance."

The whole team seemed to be unanimously relieved by Ilia's words. Blake was smiling proudly at her friend while Weiss and Winter sent her thankful grins, the two sisters grateful for her standing up for them. Sun, Rex and Holiday were also happy at the chameleon girl's statement, with Sun almost appearing to even choke up a bit. The only one who was NOT pleased by all of this was Sienna herself, the White Fang leader glowering at the situation. "Well then… it appears that I AM the only one of sound mind here."

"SIENNA!" Blake snapped. "After ALL of that, you're still not even willing to give them a _chance_?!"

" _You_ don't seem to get it, Blake!" Sienna hollered back. "You do not have much experience with Atlas people, but _I_ do! They will lie and cheat their way to get whatever they want, and I have a feeling that this is no exception."

Blake narrowed her eyes at the woman in contempt. "If you truly believe that… then you're probably as narrow-minded as they are."

Off to the side, Sun attempted to get their attention. "Uh… ladies?"

" _I_ am trying to do what is best for ALL of Faunus kind, Blake!" Sienna argued further. "Your parents' way of thinking did not get us any results in the past, and there is STILL no good chance of it happening now!" Sienna faced away from Blake and clenched her hand into a fist. "If humanity does not wish to respect the Faunus through peace, then we'll do it out of fear! That is the way I have run things from day one, and you know that!"

"Yeah… and look how well THAT turned out!" Blake insisted. "Adam took your ideas to their worst possible conclusion! What makes you think that others won't as well? We've already seen it with the Albain brothers, so who's to say that any other White Fang won't try to take over the whole world too?!"

"Er, _señoritas_?" Rex spoke up. "I think we've got some—"

Sienna wore a frustrated face at Blake's point. "I… I will just have to crack down on them. But even then, I hardly believe that there could be _that_ many who would have the nerve to conspire…" However, all she received was a deadpan expression from Blake, which began to raise her doubts even further. "…There's more than I realize, isn't there?"

"Yeah, pretty much!" Blake confirmed. "Most of the White Fang working for Trumbipulor and the Albains? They're doing this willingly! In fact, there's probably very few left in the White Fang who _don't_ want to go to war with the humans." She crossed her arms and gave Sienna a harsh gaze. "Sienna, the White Fang has effectively been compromised by Adam's radical thinking. We have to reinvent how the organization does things if the Faunus hope to _ever_ earn humanity's respect!"

Finally, Holiday had heard enough of this endless back and forth and decided to get in between the two. She stretched her arms out and yelled; "Oh my god, GIRLS! If you would stop for two seconds, you could probably see what your arguing has done!" The doctor pointed forward, causing the two feline women to crane their heads around.

There, the group was standing face to face with a fresh horde of Beringels staring them down, the last of the band that had been summoned from Salem's portal. They had been attracted to the group of eight by Sienna and Blake's argument, which the two were quick to realize. "Oh… yeah." Blake uttered. "Maybe we should've saved this for later."

Sienna stomped her foot. "Damn, you're right. I forgot about that." Sienna whipped back around to Sun and extended her hand. "Boy! Whip! NOW!"

"Alright, alright!" Sun relented, tossing the Cerberus Whip back to Sienna while he himself readied his Ruyi Jingu Bang. "Just don't hog-tie Weiss again and we're good."

"Hm." Sienna acknowledged before going into a combat stance. "We will resume this discussion when we are done here. For now, we must destroy these Grimm before they do any more damage to the town!"

Winter stepped forward and brought out her blades. "On that, we can agree."

Back over with Weiss, Rex stepped forward and put a light hand to her shoulder. "You gonna be okay, Ice Princess?"

"Y-Yeah, I think so." Weiss answered with a slight wince. "Still, after hearing what Sienna said… it hurt. Not personally, but more in a guilty sense." She shook her head morosely. "Just the thought of my mere existence causing these people pain… it's disheartening."

"It's not because you exist, Weiss." Ilia elaborated, much to the two's surprise. "It's the Schnee name and anyone associated with it whom the White Fang view as evil. You bear the last name, so that means you're an automatic enemy, branded with the idea that your entire family hate the Faunus community." The chameleon girl shook her head after that. "But… after everything that we've all gone through today, I see now that isn't the case. If you had truly taken after your father, you wouldn't have come here today to help us… but you DID." Ilia sent her a small grin. "And I think that _more_ than makes up for whatever ideas you had about Faunus in the past."

Weiss held a hand up to her lips, taken aback such kind words. "I… I really don't know what to say except… thank you, Ilia." The heiress sent Ilia a sincere smile, tearing up a little bit. "I just wish that I could make it up to everyone."

Ilia came forward and set a hand on Weiss' shoulder. "In time, you just might. I'm probably going to be banished from the White Fang for speaking up for you, but you know what? I'd say it was worth it. But for now, we've got a fight to get to." She readied her Lightning Lash again and nudged her head to the Beringels. "Now, let's show these apes what they're dealing with."

With a confident grin, Weiss pulled out Myrtenaster again, giving Ilia a nod. "You're right! And I promise that I won't let your words go to waste."

Next to the two ladies, Rex pumped a fist in the air. "Well, alright! What're we waiting for then?!" With that, he activated his BFS and pointed it out toward the Grimm, which everyone else had begun to engage already. "Let's get in there and kick their hairy asses!" With a cheer from the two ladies next to him, the three then dove back into the fight, united in their cause to finally bring this fight to an end.

* * *

Inside the White Fang palace throne room, Trumbipulor was staring face to face with Ben Tennyson, the young hero who had been a pain in his backside from the moment that they had first fought one another. Time and time again, the young hero would best him in every single encounter that they had, resulting in him being taken back to the Null Void every time. However, this time had been different. This time, he had been able to actually enact upon his plans fully, and was able to taste the sweetness of victory after taking over Menagerie in less than a week. But now, his new empire was crumbling before him, all because he had let his own hubris and self-confidence get in the way of his rational thought. And because of that, he had made his worst mistake yet; giving his worst enemy a new transformation. He was standing across from a Paku-Dermoloid that was taller than him and had a full set of impressive tusks, meaning that Tennyson was probably _stronger_ than him as well. This was NOT good.

However, a call from Tennyson himself took Trumbipulor out of his personal musings; **"Hey, Trumbi!"** The new Paku-Dermoloid called over. **"Are we gonna fight or are you just gonna stand there like a statue all day?"**

The alien crime boss bellowed in frustration. "GAH! Ya HAD to do it!" he hollered. "Ya just HAD to get the one-up on me AGAIN, didn't ya, Tennyson?!" With an angry trumpet, Trumbipulor ran forward and reeled an arm back, intending to connect his fist with Tennyson's face. However, the new Paku-Dermoloid was able to stop it by raising his own hand, catching the fist in his palm. Trumbipulor simply glowered at him. "In all the times we scrapped, I never felt insulted. But NOW? Now I'm _mad_."

" **Yeah, tell me what else is new."** With a mighty shove, Ben pushed Trumbipulor back, making him stumble slightly. **"Let me say this right now, Trumbipulor; you WON'T be getting away with what you've done here. THAT I can assure you."**

"Ya wanna bet?!" Trumbipulor yelled before lowering his head and charging right at the opposing Paku-Dermoloid, his fists balled up and ready for another strike. However, just as the distance closed between them, Ben lowered his head even further down than Trumbipulor's and ran forward himself, ramming his skull directly into the crime boss' gut and wrapping his trunk around his leg. Then, will all the strength he could muster, Ben lifted his massive head up, taking Trumbipulor with him. Ben's long tusks were able to act as the extra leverage he needed to pull the maneuver off, tossing Trumbipulor to the side without too much problem.

" **Sorry, I don't make bets with bad guys."** Ben snarked back before shifting his gaze down to Yang and Raven. The two ladies were marveling at the feats of strength that the new transformation had exhibited, their jaws dropped in collective wonderment. Ben spread out his massive arms and asked; **"Well, whaddya guys think?"**

Yang broke out into a massive grin. "What do I think?! I think it's AWESOME!" She pumped both fists up in excitement before rushing over to her boyfriend, with Raven hot on her heels. "Green Boy, I can say without a doubt that this has to be one of the coolest transformations that I've seen yet."

"I agree." Raven nodded. "And I respect the way how you went about tricking Trumbipulor to hand it to you. Very smart thinking."

" **Thanks, but now the big question remains…"** The new Paku-Dermoloid put a hand to his chin in contemplation. **"What do we call this new guy?"**

Yang did the same thing that her boyfriend did and began thinking over the options in her head. "Hmm… let's see… how about Phan-Ton? Ya know, because you probably weigh over a ton?"

Ben nodded his head slightly. **"Definitely a good one."** The hero snapped his fingers as another name entered his mind. **"Oh! Or maybe Hose Nose!"**

"Also pretty good." Yang agreed. "But I think it might be a little too…" she gave him a playful smirk. "On the _nose_!" The couple broke out into a small fit of laughter, to which Raven could only raise a single brow at.

"Could we perhaps decide on a name _after_ our lives are not in danger?" The tribe leader suggested before pointing to the Omnitrix bearer. "Instead of joking around, maybe you could use those dynamic tusks of yours for something useful. Like maybe, I don't know, _fighting_ Trumbipulor?"

However, her entire suggestion didn't register with the couple at first, the duo having focused on two specific words. "…Dynamic?" Yang uttered.

" **And tusks."** Ben finished before smirking down to the blonde. **"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"**

Yang returned the expression with gusto. "Dynatusk?"

The alien widened his stance, pumped his fists up and threw his head back. **"** _ **DYNATUSK**_ **! Haha! It's perfect!"** With a loud and mighty trumpet, the newly named Dynatusk slammed his fists together and began shifting his eyes around for Trumbipulor. The crime boss in question was just beginning to get up, prompting Dynatusk to point straight at him. **"Alright, Trumbipulor, you wanna do this the easy way? Or are we gonna have to put some hurt on you and drag you back to our ship?"**

"I ain't goin' anywhere with you's, Tennyson!" Trumbipulor yelled in anger as he raised his foot. "An' I'm gonna make sure o' that!" With a mighty stomp, Trumbipulor slammed his foot to the floor, creating a sizeable tremor beneath everyone.

Dynatusk was able to hold his ground, but he saw that Yang and Raven were about to lose his balance, prompting him to reach down and steady them with his large hands. **"Stay with me, ladies! I've got a plan!"** The Paku-Dermoloid craned his head down to Raven and gave her a nod. **"Raven, can you circle around behind Trumbipulor from a distance?"**

"Of course." Raven answered immediately.

" **Good, when I give the signal, rush him from behind."**

The tribe leader raised an eyebrow. "And that signal would be…?"

Dynatusk pointed to his trunk. **"You'll know it when you hear it. Now let's get this goin'!"** He got a single nod from Raven before she took off, shifting into her raven form as she did. That just left him and Yang to handle Trumbipulor head-on. **"Alright, Yang, it's gonna be our job to beat up on Trumbi while your mom does her thing."**

"Right!" Yang gave Dynatusk a thumbs up. "So, we goin' with any specific attack plan?"

The large alien gave her a smirk. **"How's about a good ol' clampdown maneuver?"**

"Storming him from either side, eh?" Yang grinned. "I like it! Let's do it!" With that, the couple separated into two directions. Yang began circling toward Trumbipulor's left side while Dynatusk charged in from his right, the two serving to put a considerable amount of stress on the crime boss and confuse him.

"Gah, the dame's no threat!" Trumbipulor said with a shake of his head before focusing directly onto Dynatusk. "Gimme all ya got, Tennyson!" He allowed the Omnitrix bearer to close in, the two beginning to grapple with each other the moment that Dynatusk made impact. The two Paku-Dermoloids glowered at one another, neither one of them wanting to give in. "I ain't goin' down easy, Tennyson! I hope you know that!"

" **Oh, I do, Trumbi!"** Dynatusk smiled knowingly. **"But just so you know, you shouldn't be too quick to judge my teammates. You DO remember what Yang did to you just a few minutes ago, right?"**

Trumbipulor's eyes widened and he began to panic. "W-Wait, no! I wasn't—GAH!" With a strong punch, Yang struck Trumbipulor's right knee, the same one that she had punched before. The alien crime boss let out a massive cry of pain as he fell to the floor, clutching his knee again all the while.

"HA!" Yang laughed. "Guess you aren't such a tough guy after all—EW!" Yang winced as her eyes landed on her hand, only to find a rather strange fluid on it. The first time she had punched Trumbipulor, Yang had only managed to skin the Paku-Dermoloid's tough, leathery hide. But after striking the same wound a second time, she finally managed to draw some blood, which appeared to be… a very odd color. And Yang was trying desperately to shake it off of her hand and weapon. "Ew, _purple_?! This species bleeds _purple_ blood?!"

Dynatusk furrowed his eyeridges a bit. **"Yeah, I'll freely admit, that's kinda weird."**

But Trumbipulor was now far angrier than he was before, giving Yang the hardest glare that he could muster before surging right toward her. "YOU!" He thrust his arms out and grabbed her with both hands, catching both her and Dynatusk off guard. Yang tried to wriggle her arms free from Trumbipulor's grip, but he simply squeezed his hands harder, eliciting a scream from her throat. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU FOR THAT!"

" **YANG!"** Dynatusk sprang into action, grabbing Trumbipulor's wrists and pulling them apart to make him let Yang go. **"Let her go, Trumbipulor, or I swear I'll—"**

"Oh, I'll let 'er go, Tennyson…" With a quick movement, Trumbipulor wrapped his trunk around Dynatusk's and jerked his whole body to his left, pulling the hero off balance for a brief moment. "Just as soon as I'm done doin' THIS!" Trumbipulor took Yang in one hand and began slamming her into the ground, making her yell out even more as her body kept making impact with the floor. Finally, Trumbipulor threw Yang against a far wall, right where Humungousaur had been tossed aside by Salem earlier. Whatever was left of that wall quickly collapsed on top of Yang the moment she hit it, resulting in her being buried under a pile of rubble. "HA! NOW look who's the tough guy, eh BLONDIE?! Haha! Look who's the tough guy now—OOF!" In one powerful punch, Trumbipulor was struck to the ground, with Dynatusk now standing over him.

Needless to say, the hero was now _thoroughly_ livid. **"Alright, no more screwing around!"** he hollered. **"You've just lost ALL pity from me, Trumbipulor!"**

"Like I need your pity!" Trumbipulor shot up and began grappling with Dynatusk again, the two behemoths throwing punches at each other with every chance they got. Be it jabs to the face, gut, or even square in the chest, neither one of them let up in their attacks. It got to the point where the two elephant-like creatures began rolling across the ground, locked in combat all the while. "Will ya just GIVE UP already?!"

" **Not… a… CHANCE!"** With a mighty push, Dynatusk was able to finally throw Trumbipulor off of him and into a nearby wall, the hero clenching his teeth in ire. **"If there's anyone here who should be giving up, it's you! Your empire's fallen, Trumbipulor! There's nothing left to fight for!"**

"SAYS YOU!" Trumbipulor snapped back. "If I can't have a little piece o' Remnant to call my own now, then I'll just ally with Salem by myself! With or without the White Fang, _I've_ still got brains AND brawn! I'd be useful to Salem either way!"

Dynatusk wore a deadpan expression. **"Uh, hate to tell you this, but along with Hog and Skull, Salem's got Dr. Animo AND Dr. Viktor at her disposal."** The new Paku-Dermoloid explained. **"Plus she has another Doctor named Watts, too. So… without the White Fang, you're kinda screwed out of a job."**

This little tidbit of information did NOT serve to quell Trumbipulor's anger. "SHUT UP!" He gave out an angry trumpet before charging at Dynatusk again, though this time he was able to make contact with his opponent's gut and force him into the wall. Trumbipulor was about to send even more punches to Dynatusk's gut, only for the hero to bring his fists together and slam them down hard onto the crime boss' back, making him lose his grip and fall to his feet.

Dynatusk reached down and pulled Trumbipulor over his head, using his tusks as leverage again to do it with relative ease. **"Hehe, I think I'm growing to like this alien!"** he chortled before glaring up to his adversary. **"As for you, you'd better hope those ears of yours CAN help you fly!"** Dynatusk lurched forward and tossed Trumbipulor away, making him bound across the floor a few times before landing on his stomach. The hero then gave out a loud trumpet, giving his signal to a certain tribe leader. **"Raven! His shoulder, NOW!"**

"On it!" From above, Raven jumped down from the rafters, with Omen already unsheathed for a downward stab. She landed on Trumbipulor's back, though not before her blood red blade managed to pierce halfway into the alien's right shoulder, making him give out a painful scream. Raven swiftly pulled her blade out, with a good amount of purple blood already coating its upper half thoroughly. She leapt away from him as he howled in pain, giving him a deathly glare. "And THAT was for pummeling my daughter!"

"SCREW your daughter!" Trumbipulor yelled as he got up once again. "In fact, screw EVERYONE! I don't need Salem, I don't need the White Fang, I don't need ANYBODY!"

Raven's eyes widened in astonishment. "Dear lord, how much punishment can he take?!"

" **I don't know!"** Dynatusk answered. **"He was usually a lot easier to take down in the past… but then again, I never managed to get him this angry! Stand back! I'm gonna try something!"** Dynatusk raised one of his legs and stomped his foot against the floor, creating a sizeable fissure that made its way toward Trumbipulor. But with surprising speed, the crime boss sprinted out of the way of the large crevasse and ran straight toward Dynatusk, delivering a punch right to the hero's face and sending him to the ground. **"Hey—GAH!"**

Before Dynatusk could even think of getting up though, Trumbipulor slammed his whole body down onto his chest and began wailing on him with multiple punches. "When… will you get it… through your THICK SKULL, Tennyson?!" He stopped his onslaught and jabbed two thumbs toward his chest. "I'm goddamn Trumbipulor! And no matta' how hard you mooks try, nobody, an' I mean NOBODY can take me down!"

While Dynatusk was certainly feeling a lot of pain from all of this, his face wasn't beginning to bruise yet thanks to his thick skin. But still, he knew he couldn't keep this up for long. _"I need help… I need…"_ But right at that moment, he could feel an intense heat beginning to make its way through the entire room, which managed to get everybody's attention. But Dynatusk recognized this heat, it was _very_ familiar to him. His eyes widened and they shot over to the rubble, a brilliant fiery aura beginning to burn through it all. A smirk quickly made its way to his face, shifting his attention back to Trumbipulor with a confident attitude. **"You sure about that?"**

As if on cue, Yang Xiao Long burst out of her prison of debris with a mighty scream of determination, her eyes burning red as her aura blazed in a fiery orange, though it almost seemed golden around her hair. She was glowering straight at Trumbipulor, the Paku-Dermoloid astonished at her sudden recovery. On the outside, the blonde appeared to be quite angry. But inside her own mind, Yang was keeping herself quite calm, focusing herself on just one thing; taking Trumbipulor down. "Get… off of him… _now_." she ordered.

After taking a few seconds to finding his nerve, Trumbipulor glared right back at her. "Heh, oh yeah? An' what're _you_ gonna do about it—WHAAAAA!" Without so much as a blink of an eye, Yang had shot herself forward with her Ember Celica, propelling herself at such a high speed that she managed to push Trumbipulor off of Dynatusk with one, powerful kick. The alien tumbled back before getting up onto his feet again, though he was slightly disoriented by all of it. "W-What the—GAH!"

There wasn't any time for Trumbipulor to react as Yang began throwing multiple punches at him, unleashing every ounce of pent up energy that she had gotten from his earlier attack back at him. With every punch, she shot her Ember Celica, giving her even more power behind her strikes. But even then, with every Fire Dust-fueled punch that she landed, the intense heat that her aura was exhibiting was already hurting Trumbipulor even further, burning his skin. Yang briefly stopped throwing punches, allowing Trumbipulor to try and counterattack with his own overhead strike. But just as he brought his fists down, Yang dove under him and popped back up behind him, delivering another punch directly to the middle of his back and sending him falling forward yet again. "I am DONE listening to your yapping, Trumbipulor!" Yang said, her aura burning brighter than ever. "It's time to end all of this!"

As Trumbipulor scrambled across the ground, he raised his hand up to Yang and began doing what he thought he'd never do; beg for mercy. "P-Please! No more!" he pleaded. "I-I won't attack you again, I swear! You wouldn't actually KILL me, would you?!"

Yang narrowed her eyes, the burning of her aura becoming less intense at his question. "No… No, I wouldn't." She closed her eyes and relaxed her fists, a small smile coming to her face. "But at the same time…" Yang leapt backwards as Trumbipulor frantically thrust his arm forward, hoping to grab her while her guard was down. The Paku-Dermoloid bellowed in frustration as Yang landed directly next to her mother and Dynatusk, who had just picked himself back up. "I've got a feeling that you aren't exactly an elephant of your word."

"You little bimbo bitch!" Trumbipulor glowered at the three in hatred. "I'm gonna—"

" **For that comment, you're doing NOTHING!"** Dynatusk shifted his eyes between Yang and Raven. **"Guys, you might wanna cover your ears for this."** The mother and daughter did what the hero asked, much to Trumbipulor's confusion.

"W-Wait, what're you doin'?"

" **Something that I've been eager to try…"** With that, Dynatusk took in a deep breath, all while folding his own large ears in on themselves so that they were plugged up. Once his lungs were full of fresh air, Dynatusk closed his mouth, keeping his chest puffed out. It was at that moment that Trumbipulor realized what the Omnitrix bearer was about to do, but by then, it was too late to cover his own ears. Dynatusk blew all of the air out of his trunk, resulting in an extremely loud; **"** _ **WHAAAOOOOON**_ **!"**

It was a trumpeting sound so loud that it easily shattered all of the windows in the palace, and what's more, it temporarily deafened Trumbipulor thanks to his sensitive hearing. "GAH! Wh-what's goin' on?! I can't hear myself!" Trumbipulor began to panic, the ringing in his ears not letting up.

Dynatusk's ears unfolded and Yang and Raven uncovered their own ears, the duo gazing up to Ben in astonishment. "Dear god, I could hear that even WITH my ears covered!" Raven said. "How much air did you have to suck in in order to do that, Ben?"

"… **Probably a lot more than needed."** Dynatusk admitted. **"But let's go! Now's our best chance to take him down!"**

"Ben's right!" Yang agreed, her eyes still bright red. "Let's end this fight now before anything else happens!"

Raven shifted her eyes to the stumbling Paku-Dermoloid, his hands still up against his ears in pain. She then nodded in acknowledgement, her hand going to Omen's handle in an instant. "Hm, let's make this quick." With a great burst of speed, Raven ran forth and swung her blade out, making a clean slice across Trumbipulor's leg, making him cry out again as it buckled underneath him. "Now, kids!"

"GAH!" Trumbipulor yelled, his eyes narrowing at Raven in rage. "Lady, you're gonna pay for—URK!" He was suddenly cut off when Yang barreled forward and slammed a fist into his gut, knocking all of the wind out of him.

Yang vaulted herself up over Trumbipulor's head, kicking him in the back and making him trip forward. "BEN! Finish it!"

Trumbipulor opened his eyes just in time to see Dynatusk come trampling forward, his fist reeled back for one last punch. **"Don't mind if I do!"** With one mighty final strike, Dynatusk slammed his fist into Trumbipulor's face, knocking the crime boss out flat on his back. With his senses disoriented and his body wracked with pain, Trumbipulor finally began slipping into unconsciousness, though not without uttering one last curse to the Omnitrix bearer;

"Damn… you… Tennyson." Finally, Trumbipulor's head fell to the ground, the Paku-Dermoloid knocked out cold.

Like a flip of a switch, Yang's eyes went from serious and red-eyed to her joyous and violet once again, the blonde giving out a victorious; "YES!" followed by a happy laugh. "HAHA! We did it! We actually _freaking_ did it!"

Raven let out a relieved sigh as she put Omen back into its sheath. "Indeed we did, my dear. And you both performed quite well." She sent a small smile to her daughter and Dynatusk. "Taking down an opponent such as this proves that your strength is only improving." However, Dynatusk was still giving her a rather stern face, much to her confusion. "Um… Benjamin? What's the matter?"

Dynatusk crossed his arms expectantly. **"Isn't there something you're forgetting, Raven?"** he asked. **"Something rather important about a certain woman we're searching for?"**

At that, both Raven and Yang's eyes widened in realization, the two having forgot about it during the chaos of the battle. The tribe leader glanced over to see that her daughter now wore a more serious face again. At the blonde's gaze, Raven could feel a pang in her chest, the severity of the situation having now just hit her. "I… I suppose that you all want answers, don't you?"

"Mom, if you're keeping the Spring Maiden from us, we HAVE to know." Yang insisted, her brows furrowing even further. "And even then… I thought we could _trust_ you. But I guess adults just can't stop keeping secrets around here, can they?"

Raven could sense that strange pang again, but this time it felt different. Seeing the disappointed look that her daughter was giving her, Raven felt an uneasiness begin to rise up from her gut. She hadn't wanted to see a face like that from her daughter, especially just as they were beginning to get along. It… _hurt_. However, Raven had to remind herself to stay calm. _'You're a Branwen for god's sakes! Show some spine!'_ As much as she tried to scold herself though, it didn't make the hurt go away. But the words were just enough for her to start explaining herself. "Yang, please believe me when I say that I WAS going to tell you all." The tribe leader pleaded.

"Then why _didn't_ you?!" Yang immediately retorted. "That should've been one of the FIRST things you told us!" She took a deep breath to calm herself, attempting to keep her emotions in check like Gwen had taught her. "…Why keep it hidden, mom?"

"I wanted to make sure that you were all ready to handle such information." Raven explained. "Both in mind _and_ body. Yang, you SAW what Salem did when I didn't give her the information she wanted." She pointed right out the front door. "And if she so wished, it could have been MUCH worse. Anyone who is associated with _any_ of the Maidens has an _immediate_ target on their back, and I didn't want you all to get painted with that until I knew that you were all ready to face anything that Salem could throw at you. Up until now, she has only seen you all as a mere nuisance. But after today, that has changed…" She then cast her eyes downward to the floor, despondent at the situation. "I… I didn't count on Salam already knowing about my tribe's link to the Spring Maiden. I had hoped to spare you of her wrath for the time being, but… I suppose that we're ALL targets now."

Yang wore a conflicted expression on her face. On the one hand, she was still angry at her mother for keeping this secret from them. But on the other, she heard the utter sincerity in her voice, and it took her aback as her mother explained herself. "So… you were trying to protect us?"

Raven's cheeks became slightly red at the insinuation. But she had to admit, it was accurate. "W-Well, in a way, yes."

Up above the two, Dynatusk couldn't help but smile. **"Aw, Raven, you DO have a soft side!"**

The comment got Yang to giggle a little bit, but Raven gave Dynatusk an absolutely dreadful glare. "You say that ONE more time, Ben Tennyson and I WILL shove that trunk into your mouth!"

Dynatusk raised his massive hands in surrender. **"Alright, alright, I'll shut up."** At that moment, the Paku-Dermoloid's face became serious again. **"Still though, you should've been more honest with us from the very start, Raven. When we resolved to take up this fight, we were ALL aware of the risks. Salem probably would've started being harsher on us sooner or later, so really, it wouldn't have mattered if you had told us or not."**

Raven pursed her lips at that, giving out a sigh soon after. "I suppose you're right. But still, that doesn't excuse the OTHER thing I've been keeping from you… the Spring Maiden's identity and location."

But Yang simply waved it off. "Ah, that's not a big deal. You know where she is, so all you have to do is take us to her, right?" However, Raven closed her eyes, turning her head away from her daughter in… shame? Sadness? It was hard to pin down, but Yang could see that her mother was visibly upset. "Mom… what's wrong?"

"That's the thing, Yang." Raven said awkwardly. "The Spring Maiden… has been in front of you this entire time." The tribe leader opened her eyes and, all of a sudden, a bright red aura began surrounding them, leaving both Yang and Dynatusk astonished. "Yang… Ben… _I_ am the Spring Maiden."

The powerful couple had no idea how to respond. Their world had been effectively been spun upside down by the revelation that Raven had just dropped on them. However, as Yang remained silent, Dynatusk was stammering in complete befuddlement, struggling to find the right words to say. **"What…?! How…?! Why…?! …I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!"**

* * *

Back over at the Belladonna family home, most of the team had regrouped in the forecourt, all of them having steadily fought their way to the middle to form a steady blockade in front of the house. The only team members among their count that Gwen didn't see were Weiss, Rex, Winter and Holiday, the redhead wondering just where in the world those four could be. And of course, Ben and his team had still not returned, which just made her doubly concerned. _'Guys, I REALLY hope you're okay.'_ With that silent prayer going through her head, Gwen began shifting her eyes around to the rest of the team to check on their progress.

Kevin was still going to town with his new Lightning Dust blades that he had made out of his arms while Coco and Cooper stood next to each other just a few feet away from him, the couple watching each other's backs as they shot into the crowd of Grimm. Velvet and Ruby were fighting in complete sync, the duo leaping and bounding across the horde while using their respective scythes to down Beringels left and right. Team JNPR, Neptune, Penny, Fox and Yatsu had all huddled together, the six watching out for any Grimm that would get close to the house before downing them with a lethal blow.

Finally, there was General Ironwood, whom Gwen was standing right next to. He was firing off into the crowd of Grimm himself, though he took a few seconds to briefly glace at Gwen out of the corner of his eye. Seeing the redhead's troubled face, he decided to ask the million-dollar question; "Gwen, is there something wrong?"

"What? Oh, nothing, general." Gwen answered. "At least, I HOPE there isn't. I'm just thinking about how the others are doing is all. I haven't seen Winter and her group since the fighting began and Ben's still not back yet with Trumbipulor." She threw another mana disk out into the crowd of Beringels, taking them out with a clean slice. "…I'm wondering if they're okay."

"I wouldn't worry too much about them, Gwen." Ironwood assured. "Afterall, Winter is the Atlesian Army's best specialist. And I'm sure that Rex, Weiss and Holiday can handle themselves." He shot another Beringel through its skull before going on. "And Ben? Knowing how he and Yang operate, they probably have Trumbipulor on the ropes as we speak."

Gwen couldn't help but smile at that thought. "Yeah, I think you may be… hold on." The Anodite raised her arm and pointed out to the Beringels. "Look at what they're doing!"

Ironwood gazed out to the band of ape-like Grimm to see that they had suddenly come to a stop, halting their onslaught on the team. All of them had their heads raised up and turned in the opposite direction, almost as if they could sense something. They all collectively let out a mighty roar and began running in the opposite direction, much to everyone's confusion. "Where are they going?" Ironwood questioned out loud.

"Who cares?!" Coco exclaimed, taking aim at the Beringels with Gianduja. "This is our chance! Unleash HELL!" Without needing to be told twice, everyone unloaded their ranged weaponry onto the Beringels as they ran away, with many of the Grimm falling dead on the spot. A few of them managed to escape though, making Coco snap her fingers in frustration. "Shit! C'mon, let's get after them!"

Cooper was about to agree, but then he saw something rise just above the line of rooftops, making his eyes widen. "Uh, babe? I don't think that'll be necessary." He tapped her shoulder before pointing up to the sky, indicating what he saw.

Coco lowered her sunglasses to get a clear view, seeing none other than Rex Salazar leaping up high into the air with his Punk Busters. The EVO also had his Big Fat Sword activated, the blade shifting into its Battle Saw mode before Rex slammed himself back down to the ground again. Coco let out a small chuckle at the action. "Heh, alright. I guess Bolt Brain's got the rest handled for us."

Fox let out a sigh as Yatsu shouldered Fulcrum onto his back. "Good." Fox breathed out. "Beringels are a pain in the ass to fight."

Coco raised a brow, her smirk increasing. "Ah, c'mon Foxy, don't tell me you're goin' soft on us." All she got was a slightly annoyed; "Hm", which made her roll her eyes. "Eh, you do you, then."

Yatsu narrowed his eyes to where the Beringels had run off, the tall swordsman's suspicion growing after what had just happened. "But this still doesn't make any sense. Beringels are usually relentless in their attacks." He craned his head in Ironwood's direction. "What do you think could've made them run off?"

"My guess?" Ironwood replied. "I'd say that they sensed some strong negative emotions nearby, so they ran off to follow it."

Kevin placed a hand to his chin. "So someone was just feeling so angry that they attracted ALL of those Grimm to them? Man, they must be pretty angry, then."

"Either that or some people got into a really big argument." Jaune figured as he, his team, Neptune and Penny approached the others. "That's probably the more likely answer considering how fast they were to turn tail.

"Let's just hope that Rex, Weiss and the others are able to handle them." Pyrrha added. "Otherwise, we risk civilians getting hurt."

As the group began forming back up together, Velvet flicked her wrist and made her hard-light copy of Crescent Rose disappear, giving Ruby a grateful smile and a bow. "Thanks again for letting me take a pic of your weapon, Ruby. It came quite in handy!"

"Hey, no problem!" Ruby assured. "Besides, I had a feeling that we'd clean this up faster if we fought in tandem with each other."

Nora came over to the two and put an arm around each of them. "Well, it certainly worked! I think we may have all but won here, guys!"

But Ren was still a little unsure. "Hold on, Nora, Ben and his crew still aren't back yet." The green ninja directed his eyes over to Gwen. "Have you gotten any word from them recently?"

Across the way, Gwen let out an apprehensive sigh. "No, and that's REALLY concerning to me…" After a few moments of thinking it through, the Anodite raised her head up to address her teammates directly. "I think we should head to the palace and help them out. After what happened over there, they may need our help."

Ironwood sent her a questioning face. "Wait… exactly _what_ happened, Gwen? And how do you know that it happened at the palace?"

Gwen winced at that, remembering that Ironwood, Cooper and Team CFVY hadn't been completely filled in yet. "Well, General… let's just say the unthinkable happened." She screwed her eyes shut as she let the cat out of the bag. "You see… Salem was here on Menagerie, and she's the reason why all of these Beringels showed up."

There was an immediate collective; "WHAT?!" from the six newcomers, with Ironwood going off from that. "SALEM was _here_?!" he asked with a serious yet fearful expression. "Are you _certain_ that it was her?"

The Anodite gave him a solemn nod, her eyes opening back up. "Yes, General. I… I don't think I'll ever forget what her aura felt like." Gwen folded her arms up, hugging herself for support. "It was dark… cruel… and _evil_. I had only felt one energy that was similar to hers before, but even then, Salem's was still worse. Not in terms of power exactly, but it just felt… so malevolent that my mind couldn't handle it for a while. At least, not until she left."

The general, Team CFVY and Cooper were all stunned into silence, with Coco being the first to break it. "Damn. Just… _damn_." The fashionable girl took her sunglasses off of her face for a moment as she let the information sink in. "If she's powerful enough to affect Gwen like that with just her _presence_ … then would WE be able to even _do_ anything to her?"

Cooper ran a hand through his shaggy blonde hair, putting his other arm around Coco. "I… I'm not sure, Coco. But now that I think about it, Gwen's got a point." The genius focused out to the whole team with a steadfast face. "We should probably head to the palace to give Ben and the others some back up."

Just then, the sound of opening doors caught the group's attention, making them crane their heads up to see Ghira, Kali and Tetrax exiting the house. Ghira's shoulder had been successfully cleaned up, with multiple white bandages visible beneath the short-sleeved black v-neck that he was now wearing. "I couldn't agree more, young man." the chieftain said as he and Kali came down the steps.

"Mr. Belladonna!" Penny shouted in surprise. "You're all patched up!"

"Are you alright?" Neptune asked. "After taking that knife, I didn't think you'd be back up for a while."

But Ghira raised a hand to them. "Thank you for your concern, but I assure you that I'm fine. Besides, I wanted to be out here for this." The panther man approached Ironwood with his wife by his side before extending his hand, offering a shake. "General, thank you for your help in this situation. I apologize if this was any trouble."

"You're very welcome, Ghira." Ironwood accepted the handshake, giving Ghira a small grin. "And it was no trouble at all, I promise."

At that moment, Coco and Cooper walked up to the Belladonnas, the barrette-wearing girl in particular being very intrigued. "So, you two are Kit Kat's folks, huh? Nice to meet ya!"

Kali was slightly taken aback by the young girl's confident attitude, but all the same, she offered her and Cooper a small smile. "O-Oh, yes, we are Blake's parents." She bowed her head toward the two. "And you must be the backup that General Ironwood brought?"

"That's right ma'am." Coco gave Kali a salute. "Team CFVY's at your service."

"Oh, thank you." Kali grinned. "So I take it that you and your team are also friends of my daughter?"

Cooper nodded down to her. "That's right. We're the ones they call in when things get hairy. The "heavy-hitters" if you will."

"Yup, that's probably our best job description." Coco smirked as she put her sunglasses to her face. "So, I'm guessing that situation's been handled other than the big elephant guy not bein' here?"

Tetrax began making his way down the steps, speaking up to answer her question. "That's the basic gist of things at the moment." He jerked a thumb back toward his ship. "The stasis pod is all ready for him whenever Ben gets back, so all we need to do now is—"

"GHIRA!" The sound of a new voice caused everyone to snap their heads up to the forecourt's entrance, where they were immediately greeted by a rather gut-wrenching sight. There, leaning up against the entry way was a Faunus man who appeared to be in his mid-thirties, a pair of goat horns protruding right out of his forehead. But those weren't what everyone was focused on. Instead it was the deep gash that had been slashed into his arm, and it was bleeding heavily. His face was also rather pale, indicating further that he was by and far NOT okay.

The chieftain's eyes widened instantly and he felt a chill go through his very core, as did everyone else. "WILLIAM!" In a mad dash, Ghira ran out to the entryway with Kali, Gwen and Ironwood hot on his heels, the rest of the team following up close behind. Ghira made it just in time to catch Will just as he was about to collapse, the larger man bringing the goat man to the ground slowly. "William! Will, what happened?!"

Will didn't respond immediately, and one quick energy reading from Gwen told her all that she needed to know. "His energy is dangerously low." Her hands began glowing again and she began feeding her mana into Will's aura, hoping that it would be enough. Thinking fast, Gwen whipped her head around to the Ruby as she approached. "Ruby, I need you to go back to the house and get more of those bandages, _fast_. We need to patch this gash up NOW."

Ruby gave her a salute. "I'm on it!" In a burst of rose petals, the Hooded Huntress zoomed into the Belladonna home before coming back out thirty seconds seconds later. She flew back over to her friends and presented a roll of bandages, a few medical pads, and some disinfectant. "Okay, anyone know how to do this?!"

"I do." Kali offered. "Here, let me." Ruby handed her the medical supplies and she bent down to get right to work. In the time that had elapsed, Will began to regain some coherency thanks to Gwen giving him her mana, so Kali decided to try and ask him what had happened again. "William, how did this happen?" she said with concern. "Please, answer me."

Will's breathing began to steady itself out, but he was still quite pale from all the blood loss. "P-Please… you have to help me." He screwed his eyes shut as tears of pain and sadness fell down his face. "He… he took them from me. I couldn't protect them!"

"Sir, what couldn't you protect?" Ironwood pressed further. "Who took what from you?"

"My family!" Will wailed in agony, his good arm coming up to try and hide his tears. "An insane maniac broke into my house and kidnapped my wife and children!"

If possible, that statement just made everybody even more horrified. There was only one insane maniac that came to mind when Will had said that, and everybody on the team knew who it was. The only ones who didn't were Cooper and Team CFVY, and even then, they didn't care. The five of them were already growing angry at the prospect of a man's family being taken from him by a madman, and it was a sentiment that was quickly being shared by everybody there. A guttural snarl escaped Ghira's throat and he threw his head back, roaring up to the heavens; "TYRIAAAAAN!"

* * *

Just a couple short blocks away, Blake was currently taking out her frustrations on a couple Beringels that had gotten up in her face. She was keeping herself focused on the mission at hand, but she still couldn't BELIEVE what Sienna had said and done just a few minutes ago. While Blake had expected Sienna's first meeting with the Schnees to not be a pleasant one, she thought that the White Fang leader would have a little more restraint than what she had exhibited. But instead, the tiger lady had thrown out all pretense and attacked the two sisters. And worse yet, she completely ignored Ilia's vouch for them, even though it had been one of the sincerest things that Blake had ever heard.

' _I just can't BELIEVE her!'_ Blake shouted in her head as she continued to slash through the Beringels with Gambol Shroud. _'She hasn't changed one BIT since I left the White Fang! At this point, I don't think she ever WILL—'_

"BLAKE!" Sun's voice suddenly called out, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Watch out!" The cat girl whipped around just in time to see a Beringel leap right at her. But before she could stab it in the chest with Gambol Shroud, Sun came up and slammed his bo staff onto its head, knocking it back down to the ground. The monkey boy then spun his long weapon around before thrusting it into the back of the Grimm's skull, shooting off a Dust round at point blank range upon impact. After the dark creature's head blew off of its torso, Sun sauntered over to Blake with a smile. "Phew, that was close! You okay?"

Blake returned the gesture whole heartedly, though her voice indicated her true mood. "Yeah… thanks."

Sun raised an eyebrow at his girlfriend's dower tone. "You okay, babe?" But then he smacked his forehead. "D'oh, wait, stupid me! It's about what happened earlier, right?"

The cat girl gave a confirming, if reluctant, nod. "Yeah, I'm still kind of angry at Sienna. I just wish that she could put her animosity aside for once and see the bigger picture."

"I understand." Sun nodded back. "You're hoping that she can see reason, right?"

"Exactly…" Blake rubbed the back of her neck. "I just don't know if that's possible."

Just then, they heard someone call out; "Hey!" and they turned to see Weiss, Rex and Ilia all standing together, the three having just finished off the Grimm that they were dealing with. The heiress was focused directly onto Blake as she approached, reaching out to put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Blake, this is no time to be thinking about giving up!" Weiss encouraged. "Sure, I might be White Fang enemy number one right now, but that doesn't mean it'll stay that way forever. It's like you keep saying; Faunus and humans CAN live together peacefully; it's just going to take time. And… Sienna's probably going to be a hard one to convince." The heiress then pulled her friend into a hug. "But I KNOW that you can help make a difference, Blake. That I'm _very_ sure of."

Blake sighed and she returned the hug. "Thanks Weiss, that means a lot." The two girls pulled away and Blake's ears flattened out slightly. "Truth be told though, I'm a little more frustrated with the fact that Sienna felt it necessary to pick a fight with you two when we were in the MIDDLE of Grimm attack. And on top of her JUST seeing what Salem is capable of, I thought she'd show a lot more decorum after that."

Weiss had to admit, her friend DID have a point with that one. "Yeah, I'll give you that."

Ilia folded her arms and nodded her head. "Yes, I have to agree. I had hoped that after everything that had happened to her, Lady Sienna would at least be a little gracious…" the chameleon girl shifted her gaze down to the ground. "But I suppose not."

To the ladies' right, Rex had his eyes fixated across the way, the EVO concentrated on a particular battle happening close to them. "Well, you can't fault one thing…" he pointed over and said; "those ladies are kicking _ass_."

Nearby, Sienna, Winter and Holiday were all in their own little group, the three women fighting off Beringels as they came at them from all sides. Holiday's firearm was able to blast clean holes through them with a single laser blast, Winter kept slashing at the Grimm with her blades in rapid succession, and Sienna was using her Cerberus Whip to its fullest affect, the chain practically in a blur as it spun around and around. She launched one of the bladed tips of her whip out at one Beringel, this one with a light blue Dust crystal embedded into it. The blade pierced through the head of the beast, making come to a halt before the Dust crystal activated, freezing its entire head in a casing of ice. Sienna then ran up to the dead Beringel and lashed her whip around its neck before giving it a strong tug with all her might. The result was her using the Grimm's dead corpse as a bludgeon, slamming it into another one as it came at her.

As the two Grimm bodies fell to the ground before her, Sienna cave a scoff at all what was happening. "I seriously cannot believe this. I, Sienna Khan, fighting side by side with a _Schnee_? Is this some sort of waking nightmare?"

As Winter sliced another Beringel's head off, she pursed her lips in slight annoyance. But all the same, she decided to make a comeback; "You know, believe it or not, that isn't the worst thing that I've ever heard someone say about me." She leapt out of the way of another Beringel before stabbing it in the back, downing it instantly.

"Oh, I _know_ for certain you have been called worse." Sienna fired back. "You ARE a Schnee, after all."

"A Schnee who is disgusted by where she came from!" Winter insisted. "I left my father and my inheritance to join the Atlesian Military! _They_ treat Faunus with the respect they deserve!"

"Maybe so." Sienna conceded. "But considering that the REST of Atlas is filled with discriminatory people who detest Faunus-kind, I have to wonder just _how_ your Faunus members are treated by the rest of the city."

As this banter went on, Holiday wore a deadpan expression. She SERIOUSLY couldn't believe that this was still going. "Oh, for god's sake, will you two just cut it out and act like adults?!" With one final laser blast, Holiday shot down the last Beringel, one that was about to hit Sienna and Winter with a surprise attack. The two women blinked in surprise as Holiday walked over to them, her hands places firmly against her hips while giving them a judging stare. "Now, I don't know WHAT the problem is between you two ladies, but I think it'd be a lot _healthier_ to simply talk out this problem, wouldn't you agree?"

" _Talk_? TALK?!" Sienna roared. "Faunus-kind has tried talking for YEARS and it hasn't gotten us anywhere!" The tiger lady pounded a fist into her palm. "The time for action is now! If humans don't want to respect us through peace, then they'll respect us through fear!"

But Holiday didn't let up. "Oh, really? Well then, let me pose this question to you; isn't that exactly what Salem wants? To spread fear throughout the world in order to take it over with her Grimm?" The doctor narrowed her eyes at Sienna. "Because if what you really want is for human kind to fear you, Miss Khan, then you will only inevitably help Salem in her plans, whether you want to or not."

Sienna wanted to argue back, but the rational part of her mind began seeing what Holiday was talking about. The LAST thing that she wanted was for that witch to gain even more power, and if it was thanks in part to _her_ actions? Then that'd be even worse. "Well then… what do you expect me to do?" Sienna asked. "Just throw away everything I've worked to build up over the past five years?"

Before Holiday could even answer, a loud cackle rang out through the night, taking everybody off guard. "AHAHAHA! YES! That is EXACTLY what you should do!" a rather familiar voice called out from seemingly nowhere. The group could tell that it was nearby, but with the only light coming from the moon, they couldn't pinpoint where it was. "Surrender the White Fang to Trumbipulor and my queen and no harm will befall your people! Hehehehe!"

Even if they couldn't see the owner of the voice, they knew exactly who it belonged to. "Tyrian?!" Blake shouted, her brow furrowed in anger. "What are you still doing here?! I thought Raven sent you running with what was left of your tail between your legs!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Rex raised his arms up to bring things to a brief halt. "Did Raven seriously cut Tyrian's tail _off_?"

"Yep." Sun affirmed. "Well, _half_ of it, anyway."

A loud scream of utter rage came echoing through the streets at that. "AAAAAHHGG! Do NOT remind me of that indignity!" Tyrian snarled. "It will be because of that wretched woman that I fall out of my queen's favor… hehe, unless I can salvage things before that happens!"

Sienna grit her teeth and spoke out to the madman. "What are you talking about, Callows?! Branwen, her daughter, and Tennyson are taking Trumbipulor down as we speak! Salem's Grimm have all been defeated and you are without your poison! What makes you think there is ANY hope of your side winning?!"

"HAHA! Oh, that's where the good part comes in!" After Tyrian said that, they could hear him grunting in exertion, almost as if he were struggling against something. "Gah! C'mon, bitch, get with it! Quit squirming you brats, and stop crying!" Finally, Tyrian made himself visible to the rest of the team… and they were all horrified when they saw what he had with him. He was holding three people hostage; a woman, a young boy, and a little girl. The lady and her daughter had a pair of sheep ears while the boy had small, developing goat horns on his head, and they all were absolutely terrified. Tyrian held his hand over the woman and her son's mouths to prevent them from screaming, which also allowed him to press the sharp edges of his blades against their necks. As for the little girl, she was crying heavily as the remainder of Tyrian's tail was wrapped around her neck, ready to tighten up and strangle her at any time.

Tyrian sent the group a wicked smile, his beady yellow eyes glimmering with delight. "As you can see… I've got a few little things that might sway you to meet my demands."

"NO!" Sienna screamed as she made to run forward, ready to beat the life out of Tyrian. "How DARE you bring innocents into this!" She pulled out her Cerberus Whip again, preparing to lash it right at the scorpion man. "They have nothing to do with—"

"Ah-ah-ah!" Tyrian scolded as he pressed his blades further against the woman and her son's necks. "One false move and these two will decorate the streets with their blood! And as for the girl, well… you don't wanna see her face turn blue, do you?"

Sienna felt her heart sink as she saw Tyrian's tail move a little, threatening to tighten up at a moment's notice. As much as she hated to do it, she had to play this safer than she normally would. "Callows… nobody has to die tonight."

"Oh, but I think the opposite!" Tyrian laughed gleefully. "This whole thing has been rather boring, not fun in the slightest! I've been getting the itch to kill since this whole thing started… and now I have the chance. So here's the deal… their lives… or yours." The scorpion man's smirk increased from ear to ear. "What's it gonna be, Miss Khan?"

Tyrian's deal only served to make Sienna even more angry, making her let out a frustrated growl. But after looking back to the woman and her children, seeing the absolute fear in their eyes as they pleaded for help, she knew that there was only one option. She sighed and closed her eyes, putting her Cerberus Whip on the ground. "I offer my life in exchange for theirs."

"Excellent!" Tyrian commended. "I knew you couldn't resist this offer. Now, be a good kitty and—"

"Wait just a minute!" Everyone's eyes widened and their attention went to the source of the interruption; Weiss. The heiress was walking forward with purpose in every step, coming to a stop in front of Sienna before pointing Myrtenaster at Tyrian, her eyes boring into him with an icy glare. "Sienna is right! Nobody will die tonight!"

"Ice Princess, what are you doing?!" Rex exclaimed nervously.

"Rex, calm down." Weiss dismissed. "This is something that I have to do."

"Weiss, you're going to get yourself killed!" Winter insisted. "Come back here right now!"

Sienna sent Weiss a frustrated face and whispered to her through gritted teeth; "Do what your sister says, Schnee. This is something I alone have to take care of."

Weiss gave the White Fang leader a sideways glance before whispering back; "I have a plan, Miss Khan. For just this once… please trust me."

Sienna was about to protest, but Tyrian let out a loud cackle again. "AHAHA! Oh, THIS is rich! The little silver-spooned brat thinks that SHE can turn things around?!" He continued to press the blades up against the woman and her son's necks, the sharp edges threatening to pierce their skin. "I don't know if you've noticed, Miss Fancy Pants, but I have leverage with me, and there's nothing that you can do to make me let 'em go! HAHAHA!"

Weiss kept Myrtenaster leveled with Tyrian as her eyes narrowed, all while concentrating on her Semblance. A few seconds later, she summoned a large glyph directly behind the scorpion man, appearing so that it was just out of his line of sight. However, besides the rest of her team, there was another who HAD noticed it; the little lamb girl. Her eyes widened when the glyph popped into being just a few feet away from her, and her eyes darted toward Weiss in shock. Weiss caught sight of this and gave the little girl a small nod, indicating that everything was alright. "This has gone far enough, Tyrian!" Weiss declared. "Hazel's already been beaten and Salem's left you high and dry. Leave now or be ready to face the consequences!"

"HA! So the rich girl DOES have some guts." Tyrian mused. "But still, if you take one more step, then there'll be blood splattered all over the road! Face it, there's nothing you can do!"

Weiss pursed her lips and closed her eyes, concentrating on the Grimm that she wanted to summon. She had so desperately wanted to bring forth this Summon in the past, but every time she tried, she would fail. _'Not this time.'_ the heiress silently vowed. _'I can't afford to fail this time. Please… please let this work.'_ The more she concentrated, the more the glyph began spinning, which elicited her to gently open her eyes. "You're right, Tyrian. There IS nothing I can do…" She bent down slightly and put the tip of Myrtenaster's blade against the ground, lowering her head toward Tyrian.

As the glyph began spinning faster and faster behind Tyrian, Winter smiled inwardly as what appeared to be a large sword began to rise up from the glyph. The blade was then followed by an equally large humanoid armored body, one that was staring straight ahead before craning its head down to Tyrian. If this situation weren't so crucial, she would give her sister the biggest hug. _'I am so incredibly proud of you Weiss.'_

Weiss moved her eyes up to see that her summon had been successful, and her inner self was leaping for joy at what she was staring at. It was a large, white sentient suit of armor, one that had had an ethereal glow around it as it stood in place. It was a good ten feet tall and held a dual-edged sword that was almost as tall at itself. It didn't have many visible internal parts showing, but for the ones that were, they were jet black in color, the main one being the large eyehole in its helmet. The Arma Gigas raised its head to its master, waiting for a command. Weiss gave Tyrian a small smirk, confusing the madman instantly. "…But I know something that _can_. NOW!"

"W-Wait, wha—AGH!" Tyrian was suddenly cut off when the Arma Gigas put its large hands around Tyrian's arms, pulling them away and allowing the sheep woman and the goat boy to fall free, the duo catching their breath as they landed on their hands and knees. Next, the giant suit of armor grabbed Tyrian's tail and gently pulled it away from the lamb girl's neck, allowing her to run over to her family. "NO!" Tyrian screamed as the Arma Gigas held him in one of its strong hands. He desperately tried to free himself by slashing at the armored giant's hands, but it didn't even flinch. "LET ME GO!"

Weiss called out to the family as they got up; "Over here! RUN!" Quickly heeding her advice, the three quickly sprinted over, the sheep woman scooping up her daughter in her arms. Weiss took one look at the Arma Gigas before giving it her next command; "Smash." Without missing a beat, the Arma Gigas took a knee and began slamming Tyrian into the pavement, the crazed man letting out sharp screams of pain with every hit. Finally, once Tyrian's aura broke, the Arma Gigas stopped, leaving him in the now massive crater that it had created. Weiss strolled over to the massive suit of armor, which knelt before her in respect. "Good job." she commended before gazing down at Tyrian's now barely moving form. "So, how's THAT for turning things around?"

"I… I-I'll KILL you!" Tyrian sputtered, making to rise up from the ground. But before he could even attempt it, a dark energy suddenly appeared from beneath him, sending him into a panic as it forcibly began to pull him in. "N-No! NO! My queen, please! I-I can beat them, I swear! Just give me another chance! Please! PLEASE!" However, Tyrian's cries fell on deaf ears as he was finally pulled into the murky blackness, leaving Weiss and the Arma Gigas standing alone in the crater.

"Hmph, good riddance." Weiss smiled.

Suddenly, an eruption of cheers surged up from behind the heiress, making her spin around in surprise. There, she saw all of her friends running toward her, with her sister leading the pack. Winter enveloped Weiss in a hug and spun her around, much to the latter's surprise. "Weiss, you did it!" the elder Schnee celebrated. "You summoned the Arma Gigas!"

"Y-Yeah, I did!" Weiss let out a small laugh as she hugged her sister back. "I… I finally did it."

As the two sisters fell out of their hug, Rex came over and gave Weiss a light jab to the shoulder. "Weiss, that was AMAZING!" The EVO's eyes trailed up to the Arma Gigas standing over them, the armor staring back blankly. "You never told me you could summon something like THIS!"

"Well, for the longest time, I couldn't." Weiss admitted. "I needed more training before I could… as well as the right incentive."

Sun stared in awe at the Arma Gigas as it began standing up, giving the team a bit more room. "Well, whatever you did to pull it off, it was freakin' awesome!"

"He's right, Weiss." Blake agreed, putting an arm to her friend's shoulder. "You're a real hero for pulling that off."

Weiss rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "Aw, I was just doing what needed to be done. It IS a Huntress' job to save people, right?"

Ilia came over and gave a respectful bow of the head to the heiress. "Well, in any case, Weiss, I can't thank you enough for saving that family." She raised her head and gave Weiss a thumbs up. "The last thing we wanted tonight was for innocent civilians to be hurt. Sienna's probably too proud to say it, but on behalf of the White Fang, I thank you."

Weiss happily bowed back to her. "You're welcome, Ilia. And thank _you_ as well." The heiress then shifted her eyes over to the family of three, who were now huddled together as Holiday and Sienna checked up on them to make sure they were uninjured. Weiss raised her hand up to the Arma Gigas. "That will be all, thank you." The suit of armor nodded its head and disappeared, with Weiss running straight over to the family immediately after.

"Hmm, well, other than some bruises and a few light cuts, you three appear to be okay." Holiday surmised as she finished checking the three over. She then gave the mother a gentle smile. "Ma'am, what's your name?"

"Sh-Shauna." The sheep woman replied. "Shauna Faun. But please, Doctor…"

"Holiday."

"Doctor Holiday, my husband needs your help much more than we do!" Shauna pleaded. "He tried to defend us from that madman but he got hurt very badly."

The EVO expert nodded almost instantly. "I understand. Just point me in the direction and we'll get him some help."

"Hey!" Weiss called over, stopping in front of the group with concern written across her face. "Is everybody alright here?"

At that moment, the little girl gasped and burst out into a bright smile came. She ran out of her mother's grasp and went over to Weiss, hugging her arms around the taller girl's legs. "Thank you!" she cried happily. "Thank you so much for what you did!"

"Bonnie!" Shauna exclaimed. "Don't just go up to people and hug them out of nowhere, it's rude." She sent an apologetic face to Weiss and bowed her head. "I'm sorry, she's still young, and—"

"Oh, it's absolutely no problem." Weiss assured as she bent down to meet the little lamb girl, grasped her tiny hands in hers. "Hey, Bonnie, right? Are you doing okay?"

"Uh-huh." Bonnie bobbed her head up and down. "Thank you for helping us." She then focused her attention to her older brother behind her, the young boy's gaze focused squarely on them. "Billy, say thank you!"

"H-Huh?!" The goat boy stammered, worried that he had been caught staring at the pretty girl that saved him. With a bright blush, Billy complied with his sister's demand. "O-Oh, yeah. Thanks, I guess."

Weiss couldn't help but chuckle at the boy's nervousness. "You're very welcome." However, at the feeling of being watched, the heiress craned her head up to see Sienna, staring down at her with a contemplative expression. "…Yes, Miss Khan? What is it?"

After a few moments of silence, Sienna finally replied with; "…Why? Why did you save them?"

Shocked at such a question, Shauna whipped her head around to Sienna. "Miss Khan, what are you saying?!"

"My apologies, ma'am. I did not mean any harm in my question." Sienna narrowed her eyes at Weiss. "I am simply trying to find out why a Schnee would risk herself in my place."

Shauna's eyes widened and she went back to Weiss. "Wait… you're a Schnee? As in the Schnee Dust Company?"

Weiss was left at a moment's pause as she locked eyes with the woman, an inner part of herself fearing that she would be shunned in the blink of an eye now that she knew. However, the white-haired girl let out a sigh and decided to give her an answer. "Yes, the very same. But I've grown to detest the way that my father runs the company, so I decided that I wanted to become a Huntress instead of following in his footsteps." She nudged her head over to Winter. "Kind of like my sister did a few years ago."

Shauna glanced over to Winter, the military specialist giving her a small wave. "So… you _don't_ hate the Faunus?"

Weiss slightly cringed at the question, but she answered nonetheless. "Earlier in my life, I would've said that I DID detest them. My father drove that into my head pretty much every single day. But now, that's not the case." Weiss waved her hand over to Blake, Sun and Ilia. "In fact, some of my best friends are Faunus. And one of them in particular helped me open my eyes to the fact that Faunus aren't bad people." Weiss sent a wink to Blake, who then returned the gesture. "So… while my history with Faunus IS very rocky, I want to work hard to undo everything that the Schnee name has done to them. I don't blame you if you don't believe me, but—"

"Don't believe you?!" Shauna shouted in bewilderment. "Sweetheart, you saved my children and myself from the grip of a madman! I don't care if you're a Schnee or not, you're a good person in my book!"

Bonnie began jumping up and down excitedly. "Yeah! And you're so cool too!"

"Y-Yeah, what she said." Billy supported, slightly stumbling over his words again.

Now it was Weiss' turn to blush, a relieved smile coming to her face. "Oh, thank you! That's really sweet of you all to say!"

Sienna continued to stare at the scene in slight bafflement, but was pulled out of her thoughts when Blake nudged her in the arm. "Well?" the cat girl smirked. "What'd I tell ya? People CAN change, am I right?"

The tiger lady pursed her lips in frustration. "Th-This changes nothing, you know."

"Yeah, we'll see." However, out of the corner of her eye, Blake caught sight of a red blur made of rose petals approaching them at extreme speed, and her smirk becoming a full-on smile. "Hey! Ruby!"

The Hooded Huntress came to a sudden halt, slightly surprised that Blake, Sun and Ilia were all standing there. "Blake?! Weren't you with Ben's… you know what, never mind! We need help ASAP! Tyrian's captured a family of Faunus and we need to…" But Ruby trailed off when she saw everybody pointing to her immediate left, where she saw the family in question standing. "OH! Okay, you got 'em already! Sweet!"

"SHAUNA!" At the sound of the loud voice, everyone was surprised to see Ghira approaching as well, and without his standard purple fur coat as well. "You're alright! Thank god!" The panther man then caught sight of Blake, his grin widening further. "Blake! You're here too?"

"Hey dad." Blake waved. "Good to see—oh." She stopped herself when Sienna suddenly stepped over to Ghira, the two's eyes immediately locking onto each other in silent judgement. "Uh, yeah, I'm just gonna stay out of that one."

Sienna folded her arms across her chest. "Ghira."

While Ghira placed his on his hips. "Sienna."

"…I cannot say that I am surprised that you brought humans with you as back up." The White Fang Leader continued. "I had just hoped that you would bring a majority of Faunus back as well."

Ghira rolled his eyes at that. "Of course, but unfortunately, that proved to be a bad idea. You might have some more usurpers in the White Fang if the Valian branch was anything to go by." The taller man shook his head. "But now isn't the time to discuss this. William needs help, fast."

Shauna's eyebrows shot up at the information. "Ghira… how do you know that?"

"Because he came to us for help." Ghira revealed. "He's roughed up pretty bad, but we've got people helping him as we speak. He's going to live, Shauna, don't worry."

The sheep woman let out a sigh as her children began celebrating the fact that their father was going to be okay. "Hah, thank you, that's certainly a relief. Still… I need to have a talk with him about moving himself while he's injured."

"Hehe, I suppose so." Ghira chuckled as he went back to his daughter. "By the way, Blake, are Ben and the others still with you? Gwen and everyone else were beginning to get rather worried about them."

Blake's eyes went back to the palace off in the distance. "Well, we left him, Yang and Raven to fight Trumbipulor, but we—"

" _ **WHAAAOOOOON!"**_ At that moment, the sound of a loud elephant trumpet sent a pang of fear through everyone, making them gather together in one group. From the sound of it, it was very nearby, and with the sound of approaching feet stomping along the ground, they could tell that it was coming closer. At that moment, the group resolved that it could only mean one thing; Trumbipulor had won, and he was now coming to exact his vengeance upon all of them.

"No way!" Rex hollered. "That _elefante_ is still standing?!"

"Impossible!" Weiss denied. "Ben, Yang and Raven working together? That practically spells out; "You are screwed"!"

However, as the footsteps continued to approach, a figure appeared from around the street corner; the owner of said footsteps. And once he made his appearance, everyone immediately brightened up at the sight of him. The only ones not to do so were Ghira, Sienna, Shauna, and her children, the five simply shocked at what they were seeing. "…I think it's safe to say that they beat him." Sun said with utmost certainty.

Standing there on the other end of the street was a different Paku-Dermoloid, one clad in green and black with a rather familiar symbol on his chest. He was also taller, had lighter grey skin, and had an impressive set of tusks to his name. Over his shoulder, he was lugging Trumbipulor's body around with great effort, though he set the crime boss down to take a quick breather. Right behind him, Yang and Raven came around the corner as well, both of them carrying the unconscious Albain brothers. The two women seemed to be facing away from each other awkwardly for some reason, but Yang brightened up at the sight of her friends. "Hey guys! Look what we've got!"

"YANG!" Ruby cheered as she rushed up to the group, giving her sister a quick hug. "You guys did it!"

"Yes we did." Raven affirmed. "It was quite the undertaking, but we did it."

Ghira, Blake, Ilia and Sienna ran over to the base of the new Paku-Dermoloid's feet while the others stood back to protect the family in case Trumbipulor or the Albains decided to wake up. The trio gazed up to the massive alien, with Blake raising an inquisitive brow. "Ben Tennyson, I presume?"

" **You would presume correct, Blake."** The hero chuckled. **"But please, call me Dynatusk."**

Ilia was thoroughly confused at all of this. "So… wait… you could transform into an elephant alien like Trumbipulor this _whole time_?"

" **Well, technically, yes."** Dynatusk shrugged. **"But not until I could unlock the DNA inside my watch. Fortunately, I was able to take advantage of Trumbipulor slipping up and… BOOM!"** He raised his arms up to show himself off. **"Here I am!"** He craned his large head over to the chieftain of Menagerie and the Leader of the White Fang, giving them both a nod. **"Ghira, Sienna, I want you both to deliver a special message to the people of Menagerie for me."**

The duo glanced to each other before going back to Dynatusk, with Ghira being the one to ask; "And what might that be, Ben?"

Dynatusk reached up to the Omnitrix symbol and slapped it, transforming him back into his human form. "Spread the word that their oppressor has been beaten." Ben said with a confident smile. "We've won."

* * *

**A/N: Phew! Okay, well, THAT was quite the chapter now, huh? Trumbipulor's been defeated as well as the rest of the White Fang that were loyal to him. What a way to end it all off, huh? Also, the name for my original alien has been revealed; DYNATUSK! What do you guys think, eh? You like the sound of it? But really, that's just the tip of the iceberg with what happened today! The other big thing being that Raven's finally revealed her secret in full to Yang and Ben. Wonder what the consequences of all that will be? Plus, we got a little Team CFVY action (which there will be more of soon, trust me), Cooper's got a spiffy new look thanks to Coco, Ilia's finally starting to come around to Weiss and Winter, and as for Weiss herself, she finally summoned her Arma Gigas! And all while saving the Faun family from Tyrian in the process. See? I told you they'd come into play later. Might it be a while before we see either Tyrian or Hazel in action again, though? Well, we'll just have to see.**

**But for now… NEXT TIME! As Trumbipulor is brought back to the Resolute to be put in his comfy new stasis pod, it's time for Sienna Khan to enact her judgement upon Yuma, Trifa, the Albains… and Ben Tennyson. Will the High Leader of the White Fang see reason? Can't say for sure. But in the end, one thing IS certain; it's time for Spring to come early. A certain Maiden has some explaining to do. Thanks for reading guys, and I'll see you next time!**


	80. The Tigress' Trial

**A/N: Greetings all! Alright, so we have finally come to the end for the AO3 posts for 11/15/20, meaning we've come to the final part of the White Fang arc! And man, let me tell you, as fun as this arc was to write, it was also pretty big in terms of length and what went down in it. But I suppose we shouldn't dawdle, should we? Let's get to what we all came for, yeah? This is…**

**Chapter 80: The Tigress' Trial**

* * *

Gwen let out a tired breath as her hands stopped glowing, having spent the past few minutes feeding her mana into the man laying out before her and Kali. In the time that Ghira and Ruby left to go find the others for help, they had moved William Faun into the Belladonna house, laying him out on the living room couch for the time being. Will had been hurt by Tyrian pretty badly, but with a combination of mana and medical supplies, the goat man was already beginning to look better. His wound was now all cleaned up, with Kali just finishing putting the last bandages around it. "Ah, okay, that's as much as I can do." Gwen sighed. "I've already exhausted a lot of my energy tonight."

"That's alright, Gwen." Kali assured as she snipped of the bandage from the roll, securing it to Will's arm. "He's all patched up now." The cat woman smiled down to Will, who was staring at the ceiling apprehensively. "Will, how does your arm feel now?"

"H-Huh?" Will stammered. "Oh! Yes, it feels much better, thanks Kali." He then bowed his head to Gwen. "And thank you too, Gwen. I have to admit, no human has ever shown this amount of kindness to me in the past."

Gwen sent him a sympathetic face. "Yeah, that's the case I've heard about most concerning Faunus rights. That humans hate and fear them because they're different." Her eyes shifted down a little. "But really… we aren't. We're all sentient beings who share this planet. I'm beginning to wonder why we can't all just get along."

"Heh, I really wish it were that simple, Gwen." Will chuckled as he slowly sat up. "I can respect the way you think though. Yes, we DO all share this planet, but it's like you said, humans fear what they don't understand. It's made it hard for ALL of us to make a living, but then there's Menagerie, where we can just be ourselves." The man shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, it's a little crowded, but it beats having to face discrimination."

The Anodite pursed her lips in frustration. "Maybe… but it's still not fair. Humans have the entire WORLD they can share, but the only place where Faunus can feel safe… is on a mostly desert island in the middle of the ocean." Gwen shook her head. "It's just not fair."

Kali put a hand to Gwen's shoulder. "I understand, Gwen. In fact, _many_ of us think it's unfair. That's why the White Fang was formed in the first place. To help fight back against the human's oppression." The cat woman craned her head down to face the floor. "Sadly… it seems that the organization's motives have become so twisted in recent times that I'm afraid that it's pretty much a shell of its former self."

Will nodded his head. "I have to agree, Kali. I'm sorry that your husband's dream didn't turn out the way he thought it would."

"Hey, let's not give up just yet." Gwen objected. "Dreams may not be able to take off instantly, but that doesn't mean they're dead." The redhead gave the two a small smile. "I know that humans and Faunus CAN live together peacefully. It's just going to take time. And who knows? Maybe after all this, the White Fang will reinvent itself again."

The two Faunus smiled at Gwen, though Will gave a reluctant sigh. "I wish it were that easy, Gwen. But knowing how Sienna Khan operates things, that might just be a _pipe_ dream."

However, before the conversation could go any further, the door to the living room opened, revealing Jaune and Pyrrha on the other side. They came sprinting in with joyous smiles on their faces, with Jaune calling out to his Anodite friend. "Gwen! You won't believe who's coming down the road!"

The statement immediately caught made Gwen, Kali and Will stand up, though the latter had to do it slowly. "Who is it?" she asked. "Is it Ben? Or is Ghira back with the others?"

"Both!" Pyrrha exclaimed. "And what's better is they have Trumbipulor!" The Invincible Girl directed her eyes over to Will, her smile unwavering. "Mr. Faun… your family is with them as well. They appear to be all fine."

Will let out a gasp as all of the stress immediately left him, though that also had the effect of making him cry a little more. "Oh… oh, thank the gods!" He put a hand to his eyes and wiped the tears away from them, letting out a small sob before trying to get himself together. "Okay, keep it together, Will. Keep it together."

Kali pat the man's shoulder in reassurance. "It's alright, William. Now come on, your children are waiting for you." With that, the five went back outside, where everyone else was already waiting for them. Kevin, Nora, Ren, Neptune and Penny were all standing at the base of the stairs, all of them in awe at what they were witnessing. "What's wrong, everyone?" Kali asked.

"Nothing." Kevin said while pointing forward. "In fact, things are pretty much going right!"

Kali glanced up, and she broke out into a small smile at what she saw. There, coming down the stone path were her husband, Ben, Team RWBY, Sun, Ilia, Rex, Raven, Winter, Holiday, the Fauns, and Sienna Khan, all of them alive and well. Over Raven and Yang's shoulders were the unconscious bodies of the Albains, the two fox Faunus beaten up quite a bit. But they were nothing compared to what was being transported behind them. Winter and Weiss had summoned two large gravity glyphs to transport the massive body of Trumbipulor, the Paku-Dermoloid having been knocked out cold. His body was beaten up much worse than the Albains were, with multiple gashes, wounds and bruises scattered about his leathery skin. "Well… that's quite the reassuring sight." Kali agreed.

"Ben!" Gwen exclaimed before surging forward to meet her cousin and the others, with the rest of the team following after her.

"Honey! Kids!" Will cried out in relief.

"WILL!" Shauna and her children sprinted forward and met the man halfway, the four falling into one big embrace. "Oh, sweetheart, are you okay?!" The sheep woman shouted in concern.

"Daddy, what were you thinking?!" Bonnie added, her small finger pointing at her father's arm. "You shouldn't move around so much while your hurt!"

Will couldn't help but chuckle at his daughter berating him. "Hehe, I know, and I'm sorry. But I had to let somebody know and I didn't have any better options. So I came here." Will craned his head up to Ghira, the bearded man smiling at the reunion as his own wife joined him as well. "Thank you, Ghira. Thank you so much for saving my family."

But Ghira shook his head. "Oh, you really shouldn't be thanking me, Will." He pointed over to Weiss, the heiress working together with her sister to set Trumbipulor's body on the ground. "You should be thanking that young woman right there."

The goat man blinked in surprise before his son spoke up. "Yeah, dad. She's the one that saved us from that maniac!" Billy reaffirmed. "She summoned this huge suit of armor out from a glyph, and—"

"Wait… _glyph_?" Will shifted his eyes back to Weiss, and it was only then that he realized who she was. "Is… is that Weiss _Schnee_? Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company?" He then took a glance at the other white-haired woman as well. "And that must mean that's her sister, Winter."

"Yes, honey." Shauna confirmed. "Weiss saved all three of us from Tyrian. She and her sister are by and far NOT like their father, if that's what you're worried about."

Bonnie pulled on her father's pant leg frantically. "Yeah, daddy! And what she did to save us was so incredible! You should've seen it!"

Will had to let all of this information set in as it was thrown at him. A Schnee… saved his family? He stood up to his full height and began walking over to Weiss, confusing both his family and the Belladonnas. When he finally made it over, the Schnee sisters had just finished lowering Trumbipulor's body to the ground, their gravity glyphs disappearing beneath the giant elephant alien. "Excuse me… Miss Schnee?"

Both Weiss and Winter perked up at the question, though Weiss was the one to answer. "Oh! You must be Mr. Faun!" she greeted him with a bow. "It's nice to meet you."

"Are you okay, sir?" Winter asked. "Ghira told us that you were in a pretty bad state when you arrived here."

"Y-Yes, I am." Will stammered slightly. He hadn't expected them to be so kind and concerned about him, especially when he only just greeted them. "Kali and Gwen helped me out in that department." He then bowed his head back to Weiss. "Miss Schnee, I… I just wanted to thank you for saving my family. They are the one thing in this world that I truly cherish more than anything, and I'm so grateful for what you did. I'll admit though, and please don't take this the wrong way, but you of all people were probably the last person I expected to save my family."

Weiss gave the man a sheepish smile. "Yeah, I've been getting that a lot lately. But you're welcome, Mr. Faun. I wasn't about to let Tyrian kill anyone tonight." She set her sights onto Shauna and the children. "Especially a woman and her kids." She gave them a wink, resulting in Shauna smiling at her, Bonnie winking back, and Billy profusely blushing.

"Hah, well I'm glad that's the case…" Will's eyes shifted down to Trumbipulor, the Paku-Dermoloid unmoving aside from some light breathing. "But still, it's almost surreal seeing this thing defeated after over a week of cowering from him. Who took him down?"

Weiss jerked a thumb over to Ben, Yang and Raven, who were all chatting it up with Team JNPR, Neptune and Penny after dropping the Albains onto the front porch of the house. "Those three over there, sir. You'd want to thank them for that."

Suddenly, Bonnie ran up to her father excitedly, jumping up and down as she spoke up. "Oh! Oh! Daddy, listen! See that boy in the green?" She pointed over to Ben. "He says that his watch that can change him into aliens!"

Billy brightened up and he ran over to his father as well. "Dad, that guy is so COOL!" he raised his arms up over his head. "He transformed into another one of those elephant things to take that guy down!"

Will raised an eyebrow at his children's story. "Uh… what?"

Weiss rolled her eyes and put a hand up to her mouth. "HEY BEN!"

That managed to catch the hero's attention, making him raise his head over in Weiss' direction. "Yeah, Weiss? What's up?!"

"Mind showing these guys what you did before?!" Weiss asked as she jabbed her thumb over to the Fauns. "You know, the _surprise_ you mentioned showing to _everyone_?"

An eager smile came to Ben's face and he gave her a nod. "Oh yeah! THAT surprise."

Needless to say, the rest of the team were just as confused as Will was, with Gwen even going so far as to give her cousin a questioning look. "Uh… Ben? What's she talking about?"

Of to her right, Yang wore a smirk and gave Gwen a thumbs up. "Oh, just you wait, Red. Hit it, Green Boy!"

Ben reached for the Omnitrix and made his selection, the core popping up instantly. "Already on it!" With that, Ben slammed his hand down onto the core and was quickly enveloped in a bright flash of green light, making everyone shield their eyes for a moment. When they all looked back though, they were astonished to see another Paku-Dermoloid, this one clad in green and black and with a full set of impressive tusks. He reared his head back and called out his name; **"DYNATUSK!"**

Everyone's jaws dropped in perfect sync with each other, all of them astonished at this new, gigantic form. Finally, Kevin shouted out; "DUDE! …WHAT THE FU—"

But Gwen slapped a hand over his mouth before he could finish that. "Kevin! There are _children_ present!"

"Oh… sorry." Kevin muffled before Gwen took her hand back. "But seriously, how the heck did you get close enough to Trumbipulor to scan his DNA?!"

" **Simple, I tricked him into giving it to me."** Dynatusk answered proudly. **"I faked giving myself up and he believed me. As you can see, that proved to be his last mistake as the leader of the White Fang."**

"I'll say!" Nora hollered whilst jumping up and down like a child. "This transformation is so FREAKING cool! How much cooler can you get than a giant, bipedal elephant?!"

Neptune was wearing a similar grin as Nora's, the blue-haired boy feeling the same way at seeing a massive elephant alien in front of him. "Man, I don't know, but somebody would have to work HARD to top it. It's big, it's powerful, it's a freakin' elephant! What more could you ask for?"

Dynatusk chuckled as raised a hand up to them. **"Hehe, alright guys, calm down. I'm just as hyped as you are about this, but let's try to draw it back a bit."** The Paku-Dermoloid walked over to Weiss and the Faun family, the children smiling from ear to ear as he knelt down to address their father. **"Hi there! I'm guessing that you're Mr. Faun, right?"**

"Y-Y-Yes." Will said with a nervous stutter. "A-And who are _you_?"

" **I'm Ben Tennyson. My cousin Gwen and my friends Kevin, Rex and Holiday are from different worlds that are similar yet different to your own. And mine is one where aliens are known to exist."** Dynatusk waved a hand over to the unconscious Trumbipulor. **"Heck, your former oppressor over there IS an alien. Myself and many of my enemies were transported here in a massive explosion just over two weeks ago, and somehow, Trumbipulor and Simian ended up all the way here."** The large alien bowed his massive head. **"As such, I take full responsibility for all of this, and I apologize that you and your fellow citizens had to go through all of this."**

As the hero made his formal apology, Sienna was watching it all unfold from the side-lines with her arms crossed, the woman contemplating over what she was seeing. Thanks to Ben Tennyson, her homeland was now free from the tyranny of that damned elephant. But at the same time, he had gotten on her nerves with that Rath transformation of his, making her stress go through the roof. And, from what she heard from Raven on the way here, the boy had also managed to effectively destroy her throne room, as well as break every window in the palace. He would NOT be getting off easily. _'I must find SOME way to make him pay recompense for all of this trouble.'_ Sienna thought to herself. _'But the question is… how?'_

As Sienna thought over a suitable repayment, Will stared up at the large alien elephant in front of him, digesting the information that he was just told. "W-Well, that's definitely… interesting." he uttered. "If I hadn't just seen it with my own eyes, I probably wouldn't believe you."

" **Yeah, I find that to be the case most of the time."** Dynatusk nodded.

Will gave another chuckle and he bowed his head to the hero. "In any case, thank you for saving our home from that… alien." He narrowed his eyes over to Trumbipulor in disgust. "Lord knows that no bad deed goes unpunished."

" **Exactly. Now I suggest that you and your family head home."** Dynatusk advised as he rose back up to his full height, towering over the family of four. **"You guys have probably been through enough for one night. And make sure to spread the word; your home has been freed."**

Shauna smiled up to him. "You have no idea. And don't worry, we will." She then gazed down to her children expectantly. "Kids, say goodbye to Ben and Weiss. We're headed home."

Billy and Bonnie rushed forth to bid farewell to Dynatusk, who had to bend down once more to look them in the eye. The goat boy raised his hand up and said; "Hey, thanks for getting rid of that stupid elephant guy. He was seriously un-cool."

Dynatusk couldn't help but grin at the vocabulary. _'Heh, he reminds me of ME when I was ten."_ He raised his own massive hand up and gave the boy a high-five. **"Haha, don't I know it? Trust me, I know a few things about how un-cool my bad guys can be."** His eyes then went down to see Bonnie raising her hand up, the little girl beaming at him with every ounce of joy she could muster. He extended his trunk and wrapped it gently around her hand, shaking it. **"Take care, Bonnie, and you too, Billy."**

"We will!" Bonnie promised. "And we promise that we won't tell your secret to anyone!" The little girl then focused over to Weiss as her hand was freed. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her hand gave Weiss a hug, which the heiress was all too happy to reciprocate. "Thank you for saving us, Weiss."

"Of course." Weiss pat the little girl's back in reassurance. "Now, you both take care, and stay out of trouble, okay?"

"We will." Billy acknowledged. "Trust me, after today, I think I've had enough excitement to last a while."

Weiss gave him a small wink, which made the young boy flustered once again. "I'm sure. Now you two get going. Your parents are waiting." With one final goodbye, the Faun family made their way out of the forecourt and into the streets of Kuo Kuana, going back to their own home. However, Weiss could feel another pair of eyes on her, making her turn around to see Rex giving her a knowing smirk. "Ugh, what is it, Robo-dolt?"

"C'mon, you KNOW that little guy has the BIGGEST first crush vibe going on." Rex replied as he nudged her arm.

Weiss simply scoffed and rolled her eyes. "He's a ten-year-old boy who's got a crush on an older girl. How many times have you heard THAT story?"

"Yeah, I know it's pretty common." Rex admitted. "Still, I think it's kinda sweet."

Weiss simply gave a shrug. "Hey, they're nice kids." The heiress sent her gaze over to Dynatusk as he stepped over to the two. "So, what do we do now that everything's been taken care off?"

" **Well, first thing's first…"** Dynatusk hefted Trumbipulor off of the ground and over his shoulder once again, using his massive tusks for leverage. **"I need to put Trumbi here into his new container. Tetrax has the pod ready, right?"**

"Indeed, he does!" Penny pointed around the house. "He and General Ironwood are waiting for you guys… as well as a few others."

Sienna's eyes narrowed at the mention of the general. _'Oh great, just what we need. So the HEAD of the Atlesian Army is here too.'_

But off to the side, Yang simply raised an eyebrow at the redheaded android's statement. "Others? Whaddya mean, "others"?"

Ruby and Weiss shared a smile at the Blonde Brawler's question. "Oh, trust me, sis, you'll find out soon." Ruby said as she waved her hand to them. "Your squad should head back there for a little surprise, hehe."

* * *

After Ruby's rather vague statement, Dynatusk, Yang, Blake, Sun, Ilia and Raven all headed around the Belladonna house and to the backyard, lugging the unconscious bodies of the Albains and Trumbipulor with them. Sienna even accompanied them as well, the tiger lady wanting to have a few words with the general herself. Once they made it around the back, the group were immediately greeted by a surprising sight, which made everyone except Ilia, Sienna and Raven drop their jaws in shock. It was none other than Team CFVY and Cooper, the five teammates standing right by the ramp of the Resolute with Tetrax and Ironwood. They were all gathered around an absolutely massive pod, once that was mostly metal with a giant glass sliding door on its front, the perfect size for an elephant-sized alien to slip into. There was also a strange hose that was coming from the inside of the Resolute, and it was attached to the back of the pod for some reason.

"Hey guys!" Coco waved over. "What took ya so long?! Ya missed all the action!"

Dynatusk broke out into a big smile and laughed out loud. **"HAHA! Well, excuse me if we had our own situation to deal with first."**

"Coco!" Yang set Fennec's body down and ran up to the fashionable girl, giving her a high five. "My girl! How's it going?! I didn't expect to see you guys here!"

Blake stepped up and gave Coco a short handshake. "Yeah, haven't you guys been busy helping Goodwitch and the other students fix up Beacon?"

"Hehe, yeah, but things were gettin' kinda boring back home, so when Ironwood said he wanted us as backup, we jumped at the chance." Coco quirked an eyebrow and put her arms across Yang and Blake's shoulders. "Though, uh… might I suggest inviting us along from the start next time this happens?"

Yang rubbed the back of her head, a small chuckle escaping her lips. "Heh, yeah, sorry 'bout that. We were kinda on a tight schedule with this one."

Blake nodded her head in appreciation "But still, we're glad you guys could show up to help. It means a lot."

"Hey, we're happy to help!" Fox spoke up. "Better than just watching Vel awkwardly trying to talk to Bird Boy all day—OW!" The blind warrior was immediately smacked upside the head by the bunny girl for his comment, making him wince in pain. "Gah, jeez Vel, it was a joke!"

Blushing furiously, Velvet huffed and turned away from him with her arms crossed. "Well it's certainly not one that I appreciate, Fox."

As the two bantered back and forth, Yatsu simply gave out a sigh. "You know, sometimes I think it's a miracle that this team functions so well."

Off to the side, Ilia leaned over and whispered to her best friend; "Uh… Blake? Who ARE these guys?"

Blake blinked in surprise, realizing that Ilia hadn't met Team CFVY yet. "Oh, they're some of our friends from Beacon." The cat girl explained. "They're a bit rowdy, but you get used to them. They're actually REALLY nice people."

"I see…" Ilia's eyes trailed across the group of four, with Yatsu trying to separate Fox and Vel while Coco watched on, advising her team to quit squabbling. "Blake, your friends from Beacon are really strange."

As all of that happened, General Ironwood and Tetrax moved over to Dynatusk, the massive alien focusing down to them. "Ben, good to see you." Ironwood greeted. "At least, I'm _assuming_ it's you and NOT the other elephant."

Dynatusk gave Ironwood a deadpan expression. **"General, what other alien would you see wearing** _ **green**_ **here?"**

Ironwood raised a hand, pointing up to the Paku-Dermoloid. "I know, I know. But you can never be too careful with these things." The general shifted his eyes over to see Sienna Khan coming up behind Dynatusk, taking him aback slightly. "O-Oh! Miss Khan, it's… it's good to see that you're alive."

"General." Sienna acknowledged with a nod. "While I would be quite vexed at your presence here under normal circumstances, I have already been through enough stress for tonight." The tiger lady rubbed her temple slightly as she recalled everything she had been through. "Just so long as you leave Menagerie without conflict, I will not inflict too harsh of a judgement onto you."

"U-Um, thank you." Ironwood bowed his head to her. "I promise that we won't be here for much longer." The general then moved his attention to the unconscious Trumbipulor, the alien's injured form clear for everyone to see. "Good lord… is he even _alive_?"

" **Oh yeah, he's still breathin'."** Dynatusk confirmed. **"He's just gonna have to do some healing in his stasis pod during his long sleep. …The stasis pod CAN do that, right?"**

Tetrax gave him a single nod. "Indeed. The stasis pod acts as both a suspended animation containment unit AND a healing unit. His injuries will heal slowly, but it will still be faster than letting them heal normally." The Petrosapien walked over and put his hand to the hand-print scanner on the front of the pod, allowing its glass door to shift out and up with a hissing noise. With the containment unit open, Tetrax waved his hand to it, giving Dynatusk the okay. "Alright, Ben, simply place him in and I'll do the rest."

" **You got it, Tetrax."** With that, Dynatusk lowered Trumbipulor down, leaning him up against the back of the pod's interior. From there, Tetrax reached into his pouch and pulled out a special muzzle, attaching it to Trumbipulor's trunk and then up to a nozzle on the roof of the pod. After that, he put his hand to the scanner, allowing the glass door to lower back down and lock into place. After typing in a few commands on the pod's console, a blue liquid suddenly began filling up the pod, and it was undoubtedly coming from the large hose that was attached to its back. Once it was filled up, Trumbipulor began floating in the liquid and a small green light lit up at the top of the door, indicating that the procedure was complete. **"Hah, it's finally over."** Dynatusk breathed in relief as Tetrax began loading the pod back onto his ship. **"This has been one hell of a night."**

"So we've heard." At the sound of a familiar voice, Dynatusk craned his head down to see Cooper, though he had to do a double-take at his friend's new wardrobe. "Hey Ben, how're you doing?"

After a taking a second to let his friend's words process, Dynatusk transformed back into his human form once again. "Cooper?!" Ben exclaimed. "Dude! Where'd you get the new threads?"

It was then that the others began to take notice of Cooper's new attire as well. "Yeah, man!" Sun supported. "I dunno where you got those duds, but they look pretty cool!"

But Yang had a pretty good idea for who was responsible for the geniuses new clothing. She raised a brow over to Coco with a big smirk. "Lemme guess, _you're_ responsible for that, aren't ya, Coco Puff?"

Coco raised her arms up. "Got me dead to rights, Yangarang. I took him out shopping a few towns over the other day and we got some things custom made for him. And I gotta say, I have NO complaints about it whatsoever. It's both stylish…" Coco pulled her sunglasses down and glanced her eyes over to Cooper's rear. "AND it gives me a good view."

Yang burst out laughing while many others looked away awkwardly, with Cooper's face becoming as red as a tomato at his girlfriend's comment. The blonde genius cleared his throat, hoping to put his embarrassment down a bit. "Coco, baby, could we please save the comments about my ass for more of our… _personal_ moments, please?"

"Ah, c'mon, babe." Coco came over and gave his back end a small smack in passing. "You know I love it."

"Public displays of affection ASIDE..." Raven announced as she attempted to keep her wits about her. "I believe that there's something more _important_ that we have to discuss. That being… Salem." The tribe leader turned to General Ironwood with an apprehensive expression. "Jim… she was here. And what's worse… she's even more terrible than we could've ever imagined after Oz described her to us."

Ironwood wore a remorseful face at this, his head lowering as he clenched his hands. "I see… Gwen told me all about it earlier." He slammed his normal fist against the side of the ship, growling to himself in frustration. "BLAST! If we had just been here sooner, we would've been able to—"

"Do nothing." Ben plainly said, shocking Ironwood, Team CFVY and Cooper all at once. "I'm sorry, general, but that woman… she's WAY more powerful than I had originally thought she'd be."

While the six newcomers seemed nonplussed by all of this, everyone else who was with Ben at the time of Salem's arrival were all in agreement with the hero's statement. "Ben's right." Yang spoke up next. "That lady… she was able to throw me around like a rag doll with her magic." She moved over to her boyfriend, who was still looking very sullen about the whole thing. "She even managed to force Ben out of his transformation… and she also somehow damaged the DNA code inside the Omnitrix."

Cooper's eyes widened at this, as did Blake, Sun and Ilia, the latter three having left before that revelation happened. "Ben… did Salem really do all of that?" he asked. "What DNA did she damage?"

Ben let out a sigh and lifted the Omnitrix. "It was Humungousaur… and I have no idea what I can do about it. I mean, I KNOW that Azmuth can fix it, but… he's not exactly here _to_ fix it." However, Ben's eyebrows shot up as an idea entered his head, a hopeful expression coming to his face as he went over to his friend. "Hey! You're pretty good with tech, Coop! Maybe you could try to fix the DNA code in here?"

But Cooper was quick to raise a hand, shaking his head ever so slightly. "I'm sorry, Ben, but DNA code isn't exactly something I'm all that savvy in. I mean, I've been _trying_ to learn it from the Galvan, but it's been a pretty slow grind." Cooper placed a hand to Ben's shoulder. "But don't worry, we all know that Azmuth's going to be SO eager to see you when we can finally go back home, so you'll be able to break the news to him then."

The Omnitrix bearer winced at the predicament that was present before him, a slight fear over coming him at the prospect of getting an earful from the diminutive Galvan. "Oh, joy." He lifted the Omitrix up and brought up the holo-ring, which was still set to Dynatusk. "Well, at least I've got a pretty good replacement until then. Heh, in fact, I think Dynatusk might be more powerful than Humungousaur at his base size, now that I think about it."

Yang came up and clasped her boyfriend on the shoulder. "See? Things will all work out, Green Boy. I'm sure of it."

Ben smiled back at her and put his hand over hers. "Yeah, you're right. And after today, we'll just have to work twice as hard to take Salem down. She might have more power than us, but we can't lose hope now." The hero set his gaze out to Cooper and Team CFVY, nudged his head to the Resolute. "Hey guys, after all of this is over, how about we all get together for a big training session tomorrow morning?"

As the five were about to answer, they heard a slightly irritated; "Ahem!" gaining their attention. They turned around to see Sienna, the tiger lady sending a stern glare to all of them with her arms crossed. "I hope you all are not forgetting anything." she reprimanded. "Perhaps the fact that all of the instigators behind the coup of my leadership are either here," she gestured down to the Albains, "or on that ship." Sienna pointed into the Resolute's cargo bay, where Yuma and Trifa could be seen bound up and sitting on the floor. "They need to be taken care of."

"Oh, right!" Ben said as he gave a nod to Sienna. "We'll get them off the ship for you, Sienna. Then we'll be out of your hair as fast as—"

"DON'T be too quick to leave just yet, young Benjamin." Sienna interrupted. "There is still the little matter of your recompence."

Ben blinked in surprise at this, as did many others. "W-Wait, ME?! What did I do?!" The hero questioned. "Yang, Raven and I all stopped Trumbipulor for you!"

"Perhaps so, but then there is the little fact that you DESTROYED my throne room, broke EVERY window in my palace, and your overall lack of decorum to me when you transformed into that RATH creature!" With every injustice she listed, Sienna counted off on her fingers, her face growing ever more frustrated. "You have MUCH to answer for, Ben Tennyson."

Ben's eyes widened in shock as he tried to plea his innocence. "Hey, I can't be responsible for Rath's actions! Anger's practically coded into his DNA, and I'm not in my right mind because of it!" But then, he realized something else; "Wait… how do you know about the windows?"

"Branwen told me on the way over here." Sienna answered. "She also told be about the _giant crevasse_ that you put in my floor!"

Almost immediately, Ben and Yang sent a couple of judging sideways glances over to Raven, the tribe leader shifting her eyes between them. She knew that she was already on thin ice with them, and the cracks were growing ever more with this. "Kids, I know that this is a lot to ask of me right now," Raven winced, "but believe me, I had NO idea that she would be prosecuting you on this. I just wanted to break the news to her early so that she wouldn't be even _angrier_ with us after the fact."

Ben sighed and shook his head. "Well, I guess I can see your point." The hero then pointed a finger at Raven. "But remember, you've still got somethings to explain yourself, so you'd better be ready after this trial."

"I… I understand." Raven looked away, her face etched with apprehension.

As he watched the scene unfold, Ironwood couldn't help but be confused at what was happening between the three. "Ben, what do you mean by that?" the general asked. "What's going on?"

Ben was about to reply, only for Raven to jump in and do it for him. "It's a long story, Jim. One that I'll have to tell after all of this is over. But for now…" She turned away from him and began walking onto the Resolute. "Let's just say that I haven't been completely honest with everything since my arrival."

Ironwood's face hardened into a slight glare. "Why doesn't that surprise me?" He let out a breath and put a hand to his forehead. "And here I was thinking that she might have changed for a few moments."

Yang stepped over and looked Ironwood right in the eye. "General… quite honestly, I don't know how to think about this either. But for now, we should focus on the OTHER big thing."

"Right, of course. The trial." Ironwood went back to Sienna and gave her a nod. "Shall we get this started?"

But Sienna raised a single hand up to him. "My apologies, general, but your presence isn't needed in this trial." The tiger lady lowered her arm back down and faced Cooper and Team CFVY. "And neither is theirs. You six only just arrived here, so I'm willing to let you off the hook just this once."

"WHAT?!" Coco exclaimed. "We can't even testify for our friends?! That's bullshit!"

" _Relax_." Sienna pressed further. "The proceedings will be quick, I assure you. I do not want to take part in this anymore than anyone, but it has to be done." She caught sight of Tetrax stepping back out of the Resolute and she whipped her arm up to him, pointing a stern finger. "You! Crystal man! Bring Yuma and Trifa out and into the house. They are to be tried effective immediately."

Tetrax blinked at the request, all while taking note at how perturbed Sienna appeared to be. "Umm… alright then." With that, the Petrosapien did an about face and went back to his ship, intending to retrieve the two Faunus assassins.

Blake went up to the White Fang leader with a bit of an irritated face, the cat girl not at all amused by what was happening. "Sienna, is all of this REALLY necessary? I mean, Yuma, Trifa and the Albains, I get." She waved a hand over to her green-clad friend. "But _Ben_? He didn't technically do anything wrong! Sure, he might've made a few mistakes, but who doesn't?"

But Sienna's demeanor was unwavering, her eyes closing before turning away from the younger girl. "Trust me, Blake, I know what I am doing." she affirmed. "After what I have been through tonight with Tennyson, I feel it only right to have him defend his actions, whether they were intentional or not."

Blake's brows furrowed at the response. "What game are you playing at, Sienna?"

"You will see soon enough." Sienna glanced back to see Tetrax coming back down the ramp, this time with Yuma and Trifa in tow. The former was giving Sienna a rather nasty glare while the latter was keeping her head down in shame, which caught Sienna's attention immediately. "Yuma, Trifa… I hope you both are aware of the gravity of your actions tonight."

"Oh, I am aware…" Yuma said with a deathly tone. "Aware that YOU are a SPINELESS WEAKLING! Relying on humans to help you rise back to power?! You have brought shame onto the White Fang!"

"No." Sienna said plainly. "It is _you_ who have brought shame onto our name." She shook her head in disappointment. "I should have known that Adam had an ulterior motive for bringing you two on, but now, I suppose it is too late for regretting past decisions." She shifted her attention over to Sun and Yang. "You two, bring the Albains into the house. It's time for the trial to begin."

Ben let out another sigh at that. "Great. I wonder how bad my punishment is gonna be?"

In contrast, Yang was wearing a hopeful smile as she lugged Fennec back over her shoulder. "Ah, don't worry, Green Boy. I'm sure it won't be THAT bad."

* * *

"GUILTY!" a shrill voice echoed through the Belladonna's meeting room as a gavel smacked against the large, wooden table. "Guilty on all counts! Case dismissed!"

"Nora, the trial hasn't even _started_ yet!" Jaune berated as he and Ren began dragging their hyperactive friend away from the table.

The Pink Dynamo in question just grinned cheekily. "I know! I just always wanted to say that."

Pyrrha sighed as her teammates rejoined her, shaking her head in disbelief. Everyone had gathered back into the Belladonna house to witness the trial happen, and the redhead couldn't help but wonder why this had to happen in the first place. "Why does Ben even _have_ to be put on trial?" she inquired. "He took down Trumbipulor with Yang and Raven! Any sort of wrongdoings that they've done should be null and void… well, perhaps not in Raven's case. But the point still stands!"

Next to her, Gwen crossed her arms a she focused on her cousin, who was sitting at the table with the White Fang betrayers. The hero had wisely chosen to sit as far away from them as possible, even though their arms and legs were bound to the chairs they were sitting in. Yuma was struggling in rage to break free while Trifa sat calmly, the spider girl simply staring at the table forlornly. The Albain brothers had finally regained consciousness, and they were giving everyone dirty looks. The Belladonnas, Sun, Ilia, and Ben received the worst of it, though they pretended not to notice. "I'm not all that sure about this either, Pyrrha." Gwen said. "But if we have to go through this in order to leave, then so be it. Hopefully Ben's punishment won't be too severe."

Ruby raised an eyebrow in the Anodite's direction. "Uh, Gwen, don't know if you've noticed, but we're dealing with a rather powerful tiger woman who uses a metal whip as her main weapon." The Hooded Huntress pointed out. "We'll be lucky if Ben even _survives_ his punishment."

Neptune shifted his eyes around and raised a different point. "Uh, Ruby… you DO realize how… _weird_ that sounds, right?"

"What do you mean? I—" But then, her silver eyes widened and an intense blush came to her face, the girl pulling her hood over her head in embarrassment. "GAAAAAH! Neptune, get your mind out of the gutter!" The whole thing brought some much-needed levity to the scene, though the moment that the door to the meeting room opened again, revealing Sienna Khan on the other side.

As the White Fang leader came walking in, Rex leaned over and whispered to Weiss; "So, what d'ya think she'll sentence these guys to?" The EVO nudged his head to the White Fang betrayers.

"I really don't know, Rex." Weiss admitted, a saddened expression forming on her face at the sight of Trifa's mood at the moment. "But I really hope that Sienna at least goes easy on Trifa. I mean, she's just confused and had no better option than to go along with everything."

Behind the two, Holiday spoke up, the doctor surprised at the revelation. "She is? How do you know that?"

Weiss and Rex moved their heads around and the heiress began explaining. "Well, I talked to her a bit when we finally caught her. All she wanted was for her kind to gain the respect they wanted, and she didn't know who to trust at the time." The white-haired girl focused back onto Trifa, who now appeared to be more apprehensive now that Sienna was starting to sit down. "I just hope that everything goes well for her."

As the leader of the White Fang took her seat, Ghira and Kali did as well, the couple sitting on either side of Sienna. With a steady breath, Sienna gave a single nod. "Alright, let's get this over wi—wait. Where's the gavel?" Everybody immediately set their eyes onto Nora, the redhead having been the last one to handle it. Sienna noticed this and narrowed her eyes at Nora, who was quick to give another cheeky, yet guilty smile before producing the gavel from behind her back. With a nervous chuckle, Nora ran over and gave a quick apology while handing the gavel back to Sienna, the tiger lady quick to snatch the small wooden hammer out of her hands. " _Thank you_. Now, let's bring this quick trial to order, shall we?"

However, Corsac simply balked at the whole situation. "Bah! What a sham!" he scoffed. "You already know that we are guilty of what we have done, _Lady_ Khan." He added a bit of venom to the word "lady", still simmering over the fact that Sienna now had control of the White Fang again. "So why in the world would you even NEED a trial?"

However, Sienna slammed her gavel on the table, her gaze hardening at him. "I WILL have order in this court, Corsac! After all…" She craned her head over to Gwen, Kevin, Rex, Holiday, Winter, Ilia and Teams RWBY, JNPR, and SN. "We have MORE than enough people here to make up a substantial jury. So why not take advantage of this?"

Kevin couldn't help but smirk to himself. "Heh, this'll be the first time I've ever been on the opposite side. Neat."

"But that's hardly fair!" Fennec argued. "We don't even have our own lawyers!" He whipped his head around and narrowed his eyes at Tennyson. "And HE is the only human who is being tried!"

Sienna rolled her eyes. "Yes, because even if they violated White Fang law in coming here… I still have to admit that, in the end, they helped bring down your regent elephant. Meaning that their punishment will not be as harsh as yours."

Winter gave a sigh of relief. "Well, that's certainly a good thing to know."

"Yeah." Blake nodded. "At least she's going to be a _little_ merciful."

However, Yuma wasn't having any of it. "You know what?! Fuck this!" With all the exertion he could muster, he finally managed to find a good balance and stood up onto his feet, despite them still being tied to the legs of the chair. "Screw all of you, I'm outta here! AHAHAHA—WHOA!" The moment he tried to hobble off though, he fell backward, resulting in him slamming against the floor. He tried struggling back up, but the best he managed to do was fall to his side, his face contorting in anger before giving out a small growl. "…This is fine."

"Oh, for god sakes!" Ilia stepped up and pulled Yuma back up straight, giving the bat Faunus a stern face. "That'll be enough out of you, traitor."

"Like you're one to talk!" Yuma snapped back. "You were originally going to join us, but you chickened out!"

"No, I saw _sense_." Ilia retorted. "I wanted no part in something I knew was wrong. You crossed the line in going along with what Trumbipulor told you to! Extorting our people, instilling fear in them, trying to ally with Salem… and now you're going to pay for it."

Yuma narrowed his eyes at her before darting them back to Sienna. "You know what? Why don't we just speed this along?! I'm guilty! We're ALL guilty! And guess what?! We're _proud_ of it!"

Fennec was surprised by Yuma's sudden attitude shift. "Brother Yuma, what're you doing?! Stop talking or you will make our punishment even worse!"

Yuma glared right at Fennec. "NO! I will NOT cower before a weakling like her!" He whipped his head back around and snarled at both Sienna and Ghira. "Ever since its founding, the White Fang has had nothing but weak leaders who were too afraid to do what was necessary; and that is waging war against the human race! Ghira is soft and Sienna has no backbone! And both of you are lacking in true Faunus pride! An embarrassment to the Faunus race if ever I saw one!"

Off to the side, Kevin felt that tingle in the back of his mind again. _'I know I've heard his voice from somewhere! But for the life of me, I can't figure it out!'_

Corsac's face scrunched up, the fox man aggravated at what his compatriot was doing. "Oh lord, he is going to get us all killed."

Ghira and Sienna glanced to one another with deadpan expressions, almost as if to say; "seriously?" to Yuma's mad ramblings. Sienna coughed into her hand, hoping to get the small trial back on track. "Ahem, I see. Well then, what WOULD you consider the prime example of Faunus pride?"

The bat man's lips curled up into a sinister smirk. "Why, Adam Taurus, of course!"

"HOLD IT!" Blake sprinted over and slammed her hands on the table, glaring directly at Yuma. "Your honor, may I PLEASE have permission to read off an organized list about why that statement is BULLSHIT!"

"Blake!" Kali gave her daughter a light smack on the hand. "Watch your language in this house, young lady!"

"She's right, Blake." Sienna affirmed. "While I am all too eager to agree with you, we have more important things to address here. Please, return to your team and try to stay calm."

Blake's ears lowered slightly and her head drooped. "Yes ma'am." She went back to where she was standing before, all while berating herself for her ill-thought action. "Gah, that was so STUPID of me!"

Sun wrapped a reassuring arm around her for support. "It's okay, Blake." He then whispered to her; "If it makes you feel better, I hate that asshole too." That managed to get a small chuckle out of Blake, which reassured him that he had done good.

As the trial got back on track, Sienna finally came to notice that Trifa had not spoken up. Instead, the spider girl was keen on keeping her eyes focused on the table. She would have to fix that. With a slam of her gavel, Sienna called out; "Trifa!" which got the young woman to whip her head up and fix her eyes straight onto her. "Aren't you going to present your case?"

Trifa blinked a couple times as she let Sienna's question sink in. "I… I don't have much of a case to make." She bit her lip in apprehension, but she forced herself to go on. "Yuma's already said it, we're all guilty. But while I did go along with the plan… I began to have second thoughts when Salem's people arrived." She trailed her eyes up to Rex and Weiss briefly before going back to Sienna. "And then… after I was defeated, I wasn't sure what to do anymore." Trifa bowed her head to the tiger lady. "Lady Sienna, I know that our crimes could be punishable by death, but if you could find it in your heart to spare us of that fate, then we will serve our time."

"WHAT?!" Yuma hollered.

"Trifa, what are you saying?!" Corsac added.

Fennec couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How could you say all of this?! What happened to the deadly assassin who was all too happy to cause pain?!"

Trifa simply glowered at the three. "She began questioning your sanity when you began making a deal with the devil! I maybe a trained killer, but I at least have a conscience!"

However, before the conversation could get too heated, Sienna slammed the gavel against the table again, catching their attention. "Alright, settle down, children! I have made my decision." The four of them immediately went silent as Sienna set her gaze on all of them, though she went to Trifa first. "Trifa, while it _is_ apparent that you have remorse for your actions, I am afraid that they cannot go unpunished." She pointed her gavel at Trifa. "As such, you WILL all be imprisoned for a long time, but I may consider letting _you_ out on good behavior… in say fifteen or twenty years, give or take."

Trifa was about to gasp at her sentence, but then, a surprise came in the form of an… "OBJECTION!" Everyone's heads whirled around to see none other than Rex, pointing at Sienna with a determined face. "That is SO unfair! You just heard her pour her heart out to you and you're STILL gonna just put her away for a long-ass time?!"

As the shock of Rex's argument startled the crowd, Weiss decided to get into it as well. "Yeah! I mean, at LEAST consider an alternative or something!" The heiress stepped up to Trifa and stood next to her, the spider girl craning her head up in astonishment. "Sure, she helped Trumbipulor out, but she regrets doing it! Shouldn't that count for _something_?!"

Trifa had no words. Nothing could describe what she was hearing at that very moment. A _Schnee_ was standing up for _her_. _'What ass-backwards world am I living in?'_

Yuma's face twisted in rage at this. "Be silent, Schnee scum!" he spat at Weiss. "This is NONE of your business! What reason would a goddamned Schnee ever have in defending—"

"SHUT UP!" Trifa hollered, stunning Yuma into silence. "Yeah, she's a Schnee. But after we fought, she showed me mercy, empathy… _kindness_. I was grateful to her for that… and I'm grateful to her now, too." The spider girl went back to Weiss and bowed her head. "Thanks for standing up for me, Schnee. You AND the Gear Head. But… if I have to face imprisonment for that amount of time then—"

"Wait just a second." Sienna interrupted, surprising both of them. "You say that Schnee spared you in your fight… and showed you kindness as well?" Trifa gave her a silent nod, to which Sienna let out an amused; "Hm." She glanced over to Weiss with an intrigued expression. "Well, it seems that you are being nice to _many_ Faunus today. Very well, I will pass the ball into your court, Schnee. If not imprisonment, then what do YOU think that Trifa's punishment should be?"

The two girls were left stunned by this, both of them unsure of what to do at that point. "Well… it HAS to be a punishment?" Weiss asked.

"That IS the idea." Sienna confirmed.

"Er… well…" Weiss was having a bit of trouble at first, but then she had an idea. "Oh, um… maybe community service? Help fix the damage that's been done to Kuo Kuana after all of this?"

As the heiress suggested this, Trifa had to admit, it wasn't a bad idea. _'It's better than rotting in a prison cell for twenty years, at least.'_ She sent a worried eye over to Sienna, hoping that she would take the suggestion. _'Schnee, even if this doesn't work… I'm gonna thank you for trying.'_

Sienna scratched her chin in contemplation, thinking over the idea. "Hmm, well… I WAS going to put the other White Fang subordinates to work on the same task." After pondering on it for a few moments, Sienna made up her mind. "Very well, Trifa will be sent to community service with the other White Fang, BUT on one condition;" She gave Trifa a dead serious face. "You must help me weed out any other conspirators amongst the White Fang. And if you know anyone by name who is doing so, you must tell me. Are we clear?"

With her eyes brightening up in hope, Trifa gave Sienna an eager nod. "Oh yes, of course, Lady Seinna!" she agreed. "I promise that I'll work hard to help you."

"Very good." Sienna pounded her gavel against the table once more. "Then it is decided. Trifa will be sent to community service while Yuma and the Albains are to be sent to prison for their crimes against the White Fang and Menagerie as a whole."

"HA!" Rex pointed at the newly sentenced trio. "TAKE THAT, jerkwads!"

This did not do well to improve Yuma's mood. "TRIFA!" he screamed at the top of his lungs as he desperately wriggled around in his seat, trying to free himself from his bindings. "You'll pay for this, you traitor, I SWEAR it!"

"Do you realize what you have just done?!" Fennec furthered.

But out of all of them, it was Corsac who was giving her the most malevolent glare of all. Out of the corner of his eye though, he spotted Ben Tennyson, who had been staying silent as the proceedings went on. The hero was wearing the biggest grin on his face at what Trifa had said, though Corsac saw it as smug instead. This boy was the reason why their plans had failed, and he would see to it that he would pay. "You… you've ruined everything... EVERYTHING!"

Ben's eyes went to Corsac and he gave him a shrug. "Eh, not the first time I've heard that."

Corsac made to lunge up and try to tackle him with his body as it was still trapped in his chair, only to fall short and land on the ground as Yuma had done before. As he struggled to get up, Trifa sneered down at him in contempt. "No, Corsac, it wasn't just Ben who ruined your plans." she denied. "You managed to do that yourselves after trying to ally with Salem."

"Exactly." Sienna nodded before glancing up to Weiss. "Well? What're you waiting for, Schnee? Undo her bindings if you would."

Weiss' eyes widened at the request, but she quickly complied. "Oh, right!" She used the very tip of Myrtenaster to slice through the durable straps, which fell away from Trifa's wrists and ankles in an instant. "There we go! You're free to move as you please."

As Trifa took a few seconds to take everything in, she stood up and stepped over to Weiss, staring the heiress right in the eye. "Hey, Schnee… thanks. And I mean that, thank you." She rubbed the back of her neck and glanced off to the side awkwardly. "Listen, I'm not exactly good with this sorta mushy stuff, so sorry if I'm comin' off a bit… rough."

"Hehe, it's alright." Weiss chuckled, giving Trifa a wink. "If anything, I know what it's like to be a bit rough around the edges myself."

Trifa smirked and quirked a single brow. "Heh, I'll bet. But yeah, thanks."

"Don't mention it. Second chances can be a good thing." Weiss shifted her eyes over to the Albains and Yuma, who were all still fuming with anger. "Though I don't suppose that those guys will be looking for a second chance anytime soon."

"Indeed, they will not." Sienna said while folding her hands. "Effective immediately, they are to be transferred to the White Fang's personal prison back in Mistral until a more permanent residency can be found for them elsewhere."

Ben tilted his head slightly. "Like where? Up in Atlas with Adam?"

"Oh, of course not." The tiger lady denied. "The fact that they are allies would risk the chance of them forming a well-thought escape attempt. Rather, I think it would be best to put them in separate prisons, just to be safe." Sienna put a contemplative hand to her chin in thought. "Now all I need is a way to get them off this island immediately. Many of our boats were destroyed by Trumbipulor when he took over."

"Excuse me." Everyone looked over to the meeting room's entrance to see General Ironwood standing there, giving Sienna a bow. "Apologies for the interruption, Lady Sienna, but I couldn't help but overhear. If you'd like, I could transport them to Mistral for your quite easily. I have a Bullhead at the ready and I'd be more than happy to make the trip."

Sienna took a moment's pause to consider the offer. In hindsight, she didn't exactly have that many choices at the moment, and the general _was_ offering willingly. As begrudging as it was to admit, she needed his help with this. "Very well, general, if you insist." Sienna was quick to point at him. "But only because we have no better options. After this, I won't be so quick to request your help again."

Ironwood gave her a nod. "I understand. Team!" At his call, Team CFVY and Cooper came filing into the room, the five going straight for the Albains and Yuma. "Take them away, please."

"On it, G.I." Coco complied before reaching down and picking Corsac off the floor, with Cooper helping her undo his bindings and force his hands behind his back. "C'mon, Crew Cut, let's go."

Cooper chuckled at the joke, along with Corsac's hairstyle. "Hehe, nice one, Coco."

"IT WAS NOT!" Corcac screamed as Fox and Velvet began escorting his brother out of the room ahead of him. "You haven't seen the last of us, do you hear me?!"

"He's right!" Yuma said as he struggled against Yatsu's grip, the tall swordsman having to wrestle with the bat Faunus to keep him restrained. "We WILL have our revenge on you ALL!"

As Team CFVY, Cooper and General Ironwood filed out of the room with the criminals, Ben grinned and let out a sigh of relief. "Hah, well, I guess that's that." The green-clad hero made to get up. "Well, now that all of THAT is settled, I guess we can go home now—"

_CLACK_! The sound of Sienna's gavel hitting the table again made Ben sit back down, his eyes widening in fear. "Did you _really_ think that I had forgotten about you, Tennyson?" The White Fang Leader asked. "I do not let things slip away from me all that easily, especially when it concerns one's punishment."

Ghira furrowed his brows and sent Sienna a stern look. "Oh, come on now, Sienna. Ben didn't do anything wrong! And if he did, it was by accident." The panther man gave a good-natured smile to Ben. "In the end, Ben Tennyson is a hero, and we owe him much for his help in defeating Trumbipulor."

Kali sent a similar grin over to Yang. "Not to mention Yang and her mother. Their teamwork with Ben helped take Trumbipulor down as well."

Off to the side, the Blonde Brawler gave a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of her head. "Hehe, aw, it was really nothing." However, at the mention of her mother, Yang's mind began to feel bogged down again, unsure of what to make of the rather important information that her mother hand told her and Ben earlier. _'God damn it, mom, why did you gotta make things so complicated?'_

In her seat, Sienna closed her eyes at all of the points being brought up. "Perhaps so, but still, there should be at least SOME compensation for what he did to my palace." She opened her eyes back up and focused on Ben. "As well as for what he said to me when he had changed into an anger induced beast."

Ben let out a sigh and lowered his head slightly. "Sienna, I truly am sorry that I said those things as Rath. I'm not completely in my right mind when I transform into him and I sometimes don't keep track of what I'm saying." The young man raised his head back up and met Sienna's eyes once again. "And if it means anything, I'll also pay for the damages to your palace. Even if I have to work it off, I promise that I'll—"

But Sienna raised a single hand, stopping Ben in midsentence. "Tennyson, while I appreciate the sentiment…" She gave him a thumbs down. "I am afraid that simply will not suffice. If you want me to take your word as faithful, then you will have to prove it to me."

Ben blinked in surprise. "Uh… okay, how do I do that, then?"

"Simple. I will dictate your fate through the Faunus tradition of…" Sienna narrowed her eyes at the young hero as she stood up. "Trial by combat."

A collective gasp went through the crowd of teens as Ghira shot up out of his seat. "SIENNA!" he hollered. "You can't be serious! That tradition is old and out dated!" He whipped his arm up, gesturing at Ben. "Can't you see that he's sorry for what he did?!"

"Please reconsider, Sienna." Kali pleaded. "This boy doesn't deserve—"

"Relax, both of you." Sienna said as she raised her arms up to them. "My mind has been made up. If young Tennyson wants to have his freedom, then he'll have to prove his strength to me in a one on one fight."

Ben's eyebrows rose at the prospect. "So… if I win then I get to go off scot-free?"

"Perhaps, but I will be judging you more on your performance than anything." Sienna elaborated. "Prove to me that you are capable in a fight, and we will call this even. But if you refuse, then I get to punish you in any way I deem fit."

The hero smiled and gave an agreeing nod. "Well, alright then! I think we can work around that. I accept the trial."

However, over with the rest of his team, many of them were questioning their leader's sanity. "Is he KIDDING?!" Ilia's hands went to her head in disbelief. "Sienna has _never_ been beaten in a trial by combat! She'll pulverize him!"

"I have to admit, this is a rather rash decision." Winter conceded. "Yes, Ben has an advantage with his aliens…" Her eyes trailed down to the Cerberus Whip at Sienna's waist. "But Sienna's whip appears to be quite painful if used correctly. This fight will ultimately be determined by which form Ben chooses."

At his comment, Sienna gave Winter a sideways glance, taking her off guard a bit. "Funny that you should mention that, Schnee. I intend to up the ante of this bout." Sienna reached to her waist and pulled the Cerberus Whip off of her, setting it to the table with the chain links clinking against each other. "We will not be using any weapons in this fight. Only our natural abilities."

"Ha! Are you kiddin'?!" Kevin guffawed. "Ben's gonna pulverize you if that's the case."

But Ben raised a hand up to his friend. "Hold up, Kev, I'm at least going to give her a fighting chance." The hero pressed down on the Omnitrix's faceplate, making the green holo-ring appear out of it. He walked over to Sienna and presented the watch to her. "Alright, Sienna, I'm letting you chose which alien you wanna fight. Fair is fair, after all, and—huh?" To his shock, Sienna simply pressed down on the faceplate again, making the ring disappear. "What? I-I don't understand."

"Ben," Ghira spoke up, gaining the boy's attention, "in a trial by combat, the rules are to not use _any_ sort of weapon. It is a trial on one's natural strength and skill alone, mirroring what our ancestors used to do in the past. Simply put…" The panther man pointed to the Omnitrix. "You cannot use your watch in this fight."

The entire team were stunned into silence by the rule, but Sienna kept her calm and collected face as she stared down at her soon-to-be opponent. "Well, Tennyson? What say you to all of this? Are you still up for the challenge?"

Ben took a few glances at his friends, the Belladonnas, and then finally brought his eyes back to Sienna. A confident grin came to his face and he extended his hand, offering the woman a handshake. "You know what? I accept."

The whole team's jaws dropped collectively, with Blake facepalming for good measure. "He's dead."

* * *

After the initial trial had ended, Sienna had given Ben a full thirty minutes to prepare for his trial by combat. And in that time, Gwen had done nothing but implore her cousin to reconsider his actions. "Ben _please_ rethink this!" the Anodite was practically begging at this point as Ben and Yang were doing a quick spar in the forecourt, with their other teammates watching on from afar. Even Team CFVY and Cooper had come back from the Bullhead to see how the fight would go down. "Listen, I know that this is a Faunus tradition, but you heard Ghira. It's old and outdated!"

"Doesn't matter—ugh!" Ben said as he dodged one of Yang's jabs and countered with his own. "I said I'd do it, and I'm not about to go back on a promise."

"But that was BEFORE you knew you wouldn't be able to use the Omnitrix!" Gwen pressed further. "Without it, you're bound to get the snot kicked out of you."

Yang quirked a brow at the redhead while giving her a smirk. "Oh, ye of little faith, Red! I've been making sure that Green Boy stays in tip top shape every day!" She sent another punch at Ben, only for him to roll out of the way and spring up right beside her, sending another punch her way. She grabbed his arm with a small chuckle. "Heh, you see? He's pretty spry, don't ya think?"

Gwen pursed her lips at this. "Well yeah, maybe. But this is the leader of the _White Fang_ we're talking about here!" she urged. "She's probably trained all her life to fight like this." Gwen gestured to how the couple were fighting right now. "While you and Ben have been training like this for only a little over _two weeks_."

"Oh, I KNOW that I'll probably get my ass handed to me, Gwen." Ben assured. "But I can at least give it all I've got against her, can't I? She wants to see strength? Well, I'll give her strength."

The Anodite sighed and threw her hands up in the air. "Ugh, I give up! I'll be over with the others penning your last will and testament."

As he watched his cousin leave, Ben couldn't help but feel a bit amused by how she was acting. "I know that Gwen gets frustrated when I make these kind of choices, but I have to admit, it is kinda funny to see her flustered like that." The hero's eyes went to his girlfriend with a more serious air to them. "Still, she has a point. I've got no idea how this match will turn out."

"Me either." Yang shrugged before patting her boyfriend's cheek. "But I've still got faith in you, Green Boy." She pressed her lips against his in a tender kiss before giving him a wink. "Now go show her what you're made of!"

"Hehe, will do." Ben promised.

"Ahem." The couple took their eyes off each other and their heads whirled around to see Raven standing next to them. "I don't suppose that wishing you luck is out of the question?"

Yang gave her mother a very stern expression. "Depends, do you actually _mean_ it or are you not gonna be one-hundred percent honest _again_?"

Raven winced at the words that were being flung her way. Not to say she didn't deserve it after everything she had chosen to hide from them, but coming from her own flesh and blood, it began to stir up her regret even more, even if she didn't want to admit it. "Listen, I know that after everything I've done, you both are probably done listening to me." She bowed her head slightly to Ben. "But all the same, I wish you luck in this fight, Ben. You are very brave for taking part in this."

"Well… thanks, Raven." Ben acknowledged. "I can only hope that I'll be able to walk away with at least… _some_ of my bones intact."

The tribe leader couldn't help but give a chuckle at that. "Well, at least you're optimistic." She then focused on her daughter again. "I believe Sienna is almost ready to start this off. Are you going over with the others or are you staying here?"

"Staying." Yang answered. "Ben's gonna need my help if he can't get up on his own. …Hopefully it doesn't come to that."

Raven was quick to agree with her daughter's decision, seeing Sienna and the Belladonnas exiting the house out of the corner of her eye. "Very well then, I will be over there with the others. Something tells me that Sienna wouldn't appreciate my presence that much." She got a silent nod from her daughter before she and Ben went over to meet Sienna, which only made Raven more apprehensive. _'Why am I feeling like this?!'_ she wondered as she walked over to the rest of the team. _'I'm a Branwen! I should be able to just ignore this feeling… but why CAN'T I?!"_

"Uh… Raven?" Ruby's voice suddenly snapped Raven out of her stupor. Her attention immediately went down to the silver-eyed girl, who was sitting down on the front steps of the Belladonna house. She had noticed the small interaction between her sister and the older woman just a few seconds ago, and was curious at why Yang had just brushed Raven off like that. "Are you okay? You and Yang kinda… weren't as chatty as you usually are."

"I…" Raven wasn't sure what to do at that point. The daughter of her once best friend and her former lover was speaking to her very casually, something that had surprised her greatly. _'Well, it probably shouldn't.'_ Raven rationalized. _'She DOES have her mother's caring nature, after all.'_ With a reluctant sigh, Raven sat down on the steps herself and answered; "Well, no, Ruby. I don't think I am alright. During our encounter with Salem, the witch gave out a piece of important information that I didn't know that she knew. One that I had been keeping from you until I deemed the time right."

Up a few steps, Jaune let out a groan of frustration. "Oh, of course! Because it WOULDN'T be our team if secrets were being kept from us twenty-four-seven." He crossed his arms and gave Raven a questioning gaze. "Alright, so what is it?"

However, before she could answer, Sun did it for her. "Oh, nothin' big… except for the fact that she KNOWS where the Spring Maiden is!"

This elicited many gasps from the crowd of teens, though none more so that Winter, who was directly behind Raven. "Are you KIDDING ME?!" The elder Schnee stood up and grabbed a hold of Raven's shoulder, forcibly turning her around to meet her face to face. "You've known where the Spring Maiden was all this time and you DIDN'T tell us?! Are you MAD?!"

Raven furrowed her brows and shoved Winter's hand off of her shoulder. "No… just smart. If I had told you all right off the bat, then you would ALL become Salem's target." The tribe leader set her eyes onto the entire group, who were giving her all judgmental glares. "Listen, up to this point, Salem has been going soft on you all. She's only seen the lot of you as a mere nuisance up to this point, but after tonight, I'm afraid that won't be the case anymore."

"But that was probably just going to happen anyway!" Weiss pointed out. "Why not just tell us right off the bat?"

"It probably WOULD have been the wiser decision." Holiday concurred. "We could have avoided all of this grief in the long run if you had just told us."

"Yes, Yang and Ben already made it a point to say that to me." Raven revealed. "But… there is another reason why I chose not to tell you. And it's… a rather BIG reason."

"Oh please!" Nora balked with a light chuckle. "What could POSSIBLY be a bigger reason… than… that? Oh my god." The Pink Dynamo was stunned into silence, along with everyone else, when she saw a rather powerful energy begin to emanate from around Raven's eyes, the woman still staring out across the crowd sitting on the steps.

"As you can see… _I_ am the Spring Maiden."

The silence went on for a bit longer before a collective; "WHAT?!" echoed across the forecourt, gaining the attention of the Belladonnas, Sienna, Yang and Ben, who all whirled their heads around to see what the commotion was about. The powerful couple in particular had been especially surprised to see the Maiden energy for a brief moment around Raven's eyes before it disappeared once again. She had told them about it _already_?

"Huh, didn't think she'd have it in her." Yang conceded.

"Maybe we should've given her a bit more credit." Ben added.

Conversely though, Sienna shouted over to the team, curious as to why the overall silence of the night had been broken. "Hey! What's going on over there?!"

Everyone's eyes widened after realizing what they had just done, and Pyrrha was quick to try and save face. "Oh, uh, nothing! Everything is alright, Miss Khan! Please, go on with the trial!" After Sienna moved back around to her approaching opponent, Pyrrha whirled her head around and glowered directly at Raven. "I _knew_ it!" Pyrrha whispered harshly. "I knew that you were hiding _something_ from us!" Her eyes narrowed further when Raven didn't even flinch at the accusations. "And just HOW did you come to acquire the Spring Maiden powers in the first place? Because I have a feeling that you weren't chosen to be their new host."

Before Raven could even think of a response, Winter extended her arm out and pulled Pyrrha back, giving her a stern gaze. "That's enough, Pyrrha." she insisted. "This is neither the time OR the place for this." Her sights then went to Raven, boring into the Spring Maiden with great intensity in her eyes. "But we WILL be discussing this later. Are we clear on that?"

"Yes." Raven answered. "I was going to be doing that anyway." Without another word, Raven faced back to the forecourt, where Sienna and Ben were taking their spots on the battlefield.

Sitting next to her, Ruby could see that Raven's face had become a mixture of emotions; a little anger, some sadness… but there was one that she could tell was the most prominent; regret. What the older woman was regretting, the Hooded Huntress didn't know. But Ruby knew remorse when she saw it, and it was there, clear as day. _'This might require further questioning.'_ she commented in her head before going back to the fight that was about to start. "So, what do you think Ben's chances of winning are?"

Penny did some quick calculations in her head and came up with an answer just a few seconds later. "I'd say he has about a one-in-ten chance that he could win."

Rex's eyebrows shot up. "Hey, that's not bad. Ten IS Ben's lucky number after all."

The android sent him a deadpan expression. "Rex, Ben is the one in that scenario. And the other chances almost always result in him being beaten to a pulp. This is anything BUT good."

"Oh… I see." Rex slumped his shoulders. "Well, it was nice knowing him, at least."

Over on the make-shift battlefield, Sienna and Ben were standing off against each other, both of them preparing themselves for the fight that was about to get underway. The tiger woman herself had her arms crossed, waiting for her opponent to give the word. "Well? Are you ready for this, Benjamin?"

"Just a moment." Ben said before removing his jacket and handing it to Yang. He then raised the Omnitrix up and spoke into it loud and clear; "Omnitrix, voice command mode."

" _Acknowledged."_ The Omnitrix spoke back.

"Decouple Omnitrix. Command code: zero-zero-zero. Release coupling: zero."

" _Command accepted."_ With that, the Omnitrix's wrist band loosed up around Ben's wrist and the hero grabbed it, pulling it off with his right hand.

Needless to say, everyone was surprised, but Ben kept a smile. "Just so that the fail-safes don't kick in while we're fighting. If the Omnitrix transforms me by force, I'll get disqualified from the trial automatically, right?"

Sienna nodded her head. "That is indeed correct." The White Fang leader went into a battle stance, now ready to begin the fight. "Well, now that you're ready, let us begin."

"Right." Ben held the Omntrix up to Yang with a smile. "Hey Yang, I know that this is probably a big thing to ask, but… can you hold onto the Omnitrix during the fight?"

Yang's lips parted in surprise. "You… you really trust me enough to hold the most powerful weapon in the universe?"

"Hehe, of course I trust you." Ben gave her a wink. "I mean, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't?"

Yang brightened up at that and reached out, taking the Omnitrix in her hand. She set her eyes down upon it and gave a small chuckle. "Heh… you know, this… this has a lot of weight for such a small thing." Yang returned Ben's wink soon after. "Go get her, Green Boy."

"Will do." Ben affirmed before facing Sienna once more, getting into a battle stance of his own. "Alright, Sienna, ready when you are!"

"Very good!" Sienna nudged her head toward Ghira, the chieftain standing off to the side of the battlefield with Kali. "Ghira, call it!"

Ghira let out a reluctant sigh and he raised his arm. "Very well, but that doesn't mean I have to like it." The panther man brought his arm down and yelled; "Let the trial by combat begin… NOW!"

With that, Ben and Sienna rushed toward each other, the latter belting out a loud roar when she lunged forward. The two were about to meet in the middle when Ben ducked out from under Sienna's mighty leap, resulting in her missing him all together. She tuck-and-rolled across the ground before springing up to her feet, only to be taken slightly by surprise when Ben rammed into her back and made her stumble a bit. However, she was quick to save herself by doing a flip, landing on her feet quite gracefully. "Misdirection, Tennyson?" Sienna asked as she sprinted for the hero once again. "I did not expect that right off the bat!"

Sienna reached out and made to grab Ben by the collar of his shirt, only for him to grab her arm the moment it got close to him. "Oh, trust me, I like throwing my enemies off their game when I fight. Helps me get the upper hand!" In a flash, Ben reached up and pushed down on Sienna's shoulder, forcing her to the ground and pinning her with his chest and elbow against her back. "Haha, CQC!"

Sienna's eyes darted to him in confusion. "What?!"

"Close-quarters combat." Ben answered with a smirk. "Who says videogames can't teach you a few things?"

Sienna pursed her lips at that. "Hmph, impressive, but you should try to measure that confidence of yours…" The tiger lady pulled her free arm up and slammed him in the gut with her elbow, making him let out a grunt forcing him up from her for a brief moment. She took that opportunity to wrestle her arm away from his grip and flip herself around beneath him. "Otherwise, you'll lose track of what matters!" In a surprise move, Sienna wrapped her legs around Ben's midsection, taking him off guard… and making his face flush red in the process. In a flash, Sienna pulled herself up and tackling _him_ to the ground, using her hands to pin his shoulders.

As the rest of the team watched, Jaune couldn't help but get a little red in the face himself. "Holy crap. That was… unexpected."

Neptune tugged at his collar a bit. "Is it bad that _I_ kinda wanna be the one fighting her?"

Ilia rolled her eyes at that. "Oh for Pete's sake, control your hormones!"

Weiss was sending a worried gaze across the battlefield, her eyes landing on Yang as the fight went on. The heiress would be all too quick to agree with what Ilia said, but there was a more pressing concern to her at the moment. "I just hope that Yang's able to keep her temper in check. Look."

Everyone saw that Yang was trying desperately to keep herself under control as the fight went on, her hands tightening around Ben's jacket and the Omnitrix as she watched her boyfriend get pinned. The precarious position that Sienna had placed herself above Ben didn't help matters either. _'Relax, Yang.'_ she said calmly to herself in her head. _'This is just a fight. Jealousy is NOT needed here.'_

Sienna smirked and raised her arm, preparing her finely sharpened claw-like nails to strike. "Come now, Tennyson. I thought you had more in you than that!"

But Ben returned the smile with gusto. "Actually, I'm just getting started!" He bent his legs up and pressed them against his chest before thrusting them forward, kicking Sienna off of him. She didn't go very far, but it was enough to allow the hero to get up and go back into his fighting stance. "Alright, now where were we?"

Sienna had gotten up as well, a slightly intrigued expression having formed on her face. "Hm, not bad, not bad…" She then pulled her hands back and readied her claws again. "But let's see how you handle this!" With a burst of speed, Sienna rushed toward Ben, zooming across the field in a zig-zag pattern in order to confuse him.

Ben widened his stance and kept his eyes on Sienna as she zipped around the battlefield, hoping to catch her strike in time. _'Wait for it… NOW!'_ Right at the moment Sienna surged up to him with her claws raised to strike, Ben lurched forward and reeled back his fist, bringing it up a split second later to deliver an upward blow directly to Sienna's stomach. The woman let out a gasp the moment she was hit, the wind having been knocked out of her.

But that didn't mean that her guard was down, because the moment that Ben made his next move, she was ready for it. The Omnitrix bearer sent a sweeping kick to her legs, intending to knock her over. But as they were about to connect, Sienna leapt away as she collected herself, taking deep breaths as she collected herself. "Hah, not bad, Tennyson. I truly expected you to go down sooner."

The hero wiped some sweat away from his brow. "Heh, thank you. You're pretty good yourself." He made a "bring it on" motion with his fingers, encouraging her to come at him. "But I'm guessing we're not done yet."

"Absolutely not!" With another roar of determination, Sienna leapt at Ben and the two began to fight each other in close quarters, both of them keeping their fists up and close to their faces to block their respective hits. Once in a while, Ben would get in a lucky hit to Sienna's shoulder or arm, but whenever he tried to hit her face, she would easily block it. Conversely, Sienna was getting plenty of hits on _Ben's_ body, practically pummeling him backwards as he continued to stay on the defensive.

With every hit his body took, Ben winced in pain, be it in his chest, arm or even in the face a couple times. But he HAD to keep going. He couldn't just give up at that moment. _'If I have to get beat up to pass this trial, then fine. But I'm not going down without a fight!'_ With that thought in his mind, Ben began redoubling his efforts, a loud yell escaping his throat as adrenaline began pumping through his veins. And with that second wind, he started to get in some more hits on Sienna, even managing to connect his fist with her face on one occasion.

Needless to say, Sienna herself was surprised by the boy's second wind. _'Oh, now THIS is what I wanted to see from him.'_ After the two threw a few more rounds of punches and kicks at each other, Sienna finally decided that it was time to end it all. _'This is where you go down, Tennyson.'_ With that thought, Sienna brought her knee up and slammed it into Ben's gut, eliciting a howl of pain from the young hero.

"GAH!" Ben doubled over in pain, with tears beginning to brim his eyes after what had just happened. But as he made to glance back up to Sienna, he saw her leap gracefully over his head, bringing her claws back out as she did. Right as she hit the ground, Sienna slashed a single hand across Ben's back, tearing through both his shirt and skin. "AAAAAUGH!" Ben grit his teeth in pain as blood began immediately began to draw from the four cuts, the force from Sienna's blow making him fall to his knees.

But the tigress wasn't done yet. She used her leg to kick him back up, only to send a volley of punches at his face, going so far as to make his lower lip split open. Finally, Sienna straightened out her fingers and sent a clean chop down at Ben's chest, her sharp claws going through his shirt again and leaving a clean scar along his left pectoral. After making him scream in pain again, Sienna used her other hand to shove him down to the ground, the hero now _very_ much in pain.

"BEN!" Gwen shouted at the top of her lungs. The Anodite stood up, only to be immediately stopped by Blake, the cat girl taking a firm hold of her shoulder. "Blake! What are—"

"It's not done." Blake explained. "It'll only be finished when Sienna calls the match."

"But he's suffered enough!" Gwen pressed further.

Blake simply gave her a smirk and pointed out to the battlefield. "I wouldn't be too sure about that."

Gwen directed her eyes back to the fight and was astonished to see her cousin beginning to stand up. He was winded, bloodied and beaten up, but he was all too quick to raise his fists up in Sienna's direction, the tiger lady's eyes widening as a result. "…You are still willing to go on?" Sienna asked. "Even after all of that?"

"You… kidding?" Ben breathed out. "I can do this all day."

Back on the sidelines, everyone was beaming at the fact that Ben was still willing to fight, with even Coco giving out an impressed whistle. "Man! Tennyson's one tough son of a bitch! How's he able to take so much punishment?"

"My guess?" Cooper piped up. "He's been doing this against bad guys for so long that he's gotten more durable over the years. It's pretty impressive."

Over on the battlefield, Sienna closed her eyes and smiled at this act of determination, slightly chuckling to herself a little. "If you insist." With that, Sienna suddenly did a front flip, landing on her hands before thrusting herself feet-first at her opponent catching Ben off guard. The leader of the White Fang connected her feet to Ben's chest, sending him sprawling back down to the ground with her pinning him once again. With the young hero breathing in and out steadily beneath her, Sienna gave him a sly grin. "Alright, I have seen enough."

Ben's eyebrows rose up in surprise. "Wait… really? You're calling it here?"

"Yes. You are exhausted and you probably would not be able to go on with those injuries." Sienna raised a brow at him. "If you were still able to transform, then it'd be a different story about who would be able to last longer."

The hero gave out a sigh as his breathing evened out. "Well, I can't argue with you there." He shrugged up to her. "But I still think you would've given me a run for my money."

"Maybe so, but all the same, you put up a good fight." Sienna stood up and offered her hand. "And that means that you are free to go."

"…Hold on, what?!" Ben reached up and grasped Sienna's hand, allowing her to pull him up. "But… I didn't win."

Yang came up to them, just as confused as Ben was. "Yeah, if Ben lost, doesn't that mean he gets punished?"

Sienna shook her head. "This was _never_ about winning, remember? Like I said before, this was to prove to me that you were willing to fight for your freedom, as well as show me your skill in battle without the use of your weapon." She reached up and ruffled Ben's hair a bit. "And you know what? For a young cub, you're not too bad."

The couple blinked in bewilderment at the vocabulary. "Did you just call me… you know what? Not even gonna question it." Ben went to bow in respect to Sienna, though his clothes rubbing against his wounds made him wince a bit. "Thank you, Sienna."

"You're welcome." Sienna nodded back. "But one last thing; while I have no doubt that our paths will cross again, Ben Tennyson, I hope to NEVER see Rath again. Am I clear?"

Ben was quick to give her a salute. "Yes ma'am! Won't happen again, ma'am!"

"Good." Sienna sent him and Yang a small wink and a grin. "Now… I think it is time for you all to begin preparing for your trip home."

* * *

As the whole team began to board Tetrax's ship, Raven trailed behind the group, mostly so that she didn't have to deal with their judgmental gazes. At the same time though, she couldn't BELIEVE that she was feeling like this! She was a _Branwen_ for god's sake! Her father had raised her to be a hardened warrior thief who didn't let her emotions control her! It was practically a disgrace to her family name… but at the same time, all of that had been thrown out the window the moment she fell for Tai all those years ago. Ever since then, her resolve had waned and, little by little, she opened up to her team. And because of that, she was also beginning to open up to these kids as well, most of all, Yang and Ben. _'God damn it, Raven.'_ she chastised herself in her mind. _'How is it that you're able to get yourself into these situations?'_

However, at the sound of chatter, Raven's eyes went up to see Winter finishing a conversation with General Ironwood. She also saw Coco, Velvet and Cooper standing across from Yatsu and Fox, the five appearing to say goodbye to each other before the former three went to the Resolute themselves. The man gave his top specialist a salute before he, Yatsu and Fox boarded the Bullhead, the hatch closing up soon after. All at once, the Bullhead took off and began heading north to Mistral, making Raven a bit perplexed. "So… I suppose Jim didn't want to waste any time?"

Winter sighed and then turned around, furrowing her brows at the Spring Maiden. "That's right. He wants to get to Mistral by sun up, after all." She craned her head up to the night sky, which was beginning to become a brighter shade of blue as the sun peaked out over the horizon. "Which means that WE should be leaving soon if we want to make it by nightfall back home."

"Hm, I suppose so." Raven agreed. "And what of the boys that went with him?"

"He asked Yatsu and Fox to go with him incase the prisoners became restless." Winter explained. "And Ruby had asked Coco and Velvet to come home on the Resolute for a special meeting, so they and Cooper will be joining us."

"I see." The tribe leader crossed her arms. "I'm just surprised that Jim didn't stay to hear my… special news." Raven raised a brow at Winter. "He IS going to be told about this, right?"

"Oh, most certainly." Winter assured as she turned toward the Resolute. "He will be told first thing tomorrow. I simply wish to not put too much stress on him than he already has."

Raven nodded in understanding. "Ah, I see you've noticed it too, eh? How paranoid he gets whenever he's stressed out?"

Winter pursed her lips at that. "I… I have never questioned General Ironwood's judgement in the past, but after what happened at Beacon, he seems to be more on edge every day." She glanced off to the side. "I'm simply making sure that he doesn't fall off of that edge. The last thing he needs is for things to start piling up on him."

"I suppose that's one way to go about it." Raven shrugged before seeing Ben, Yang, Blake, Sun and Ilia walking over with Sienna and the Belladonnas. They were in the middle of a small conversation, one that took the Maiden by surprise a little bit.

"And you are certain you wish to leave?" Sienna asked with her eyes trained on Ilia.

The chameleon girl gave her leader a bow. "Yes, Lady Sienna. As much as I value my place in the White Fang… I've also found a group of great friends that I want to get to know better." Ilia stood up straight and sent Sienna a sad smile. "I will miss this place, but I feel like there's more for me out in the world than here."

Sienna crossed her arms and let out a small chuckle. "Heh, I see. Well, I _was_ hoping you would take part in rebuilding the White Fang with us, but I suppose beggars cannot be choosers." She set a hand on Ilia's shoulder. "But remember that you will always have a place here with the White Fang… even if you ARE friends with a Schnee."

Blake gave Sienna a deadpan face. "Really? We're still on THAT chestnut?"

"Oh please, Blake, I am merely kidding." Sienna waved off. "All the same, I wish you all luck in your fight against Salem. And should you need the White Fang's assistance, we will be more than happy to oblige."

Blake sighed and gave her a grin. "Well, I'm not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, so thank you." She then shifted her attention to her parents, who both had happy yet saddened smiles on their faces. "So… I guess this is it?"

"For now, at least." Ghira promised. "There's a lot of rebuilding to do here, both for the town AND the White Fang." He stepped forward and gave his daughter a hug. "But I know for a fact that we'll see you soon, Blake."

"You're father's right, dear." Kali said as she joined in. "We've already been making a few plans with Sienna, and I have a feeling that you'll be playing a part in them." She gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek followed by a wink. "But we'll make sure to call you and give you a heads up before we put them into motion, alright? Oh! And give Rema plenty of kisses from me, okay?"

"Hehe, okay." Blake chuckled as she fell out of her parent's arms. "I guess I'll see you guys soon then."

"Right." Ghira said before giving Sun a steely expression, making the monkey boy jump in surprise. After a few seconds of staring him down, Ghira let out a sigh. "Alright, listen boy, I may not like you, but it's all too obvious that my daughter does." He pointed to Sun's face. "And I want YOU to keep her happy, alright? Think you can do that?"

Sun was a bit taken aback, but he managed to get a hold of himself rather quickly, returning Ghira's serious expression with his own. "Sir, I wouldn't dream of doing anything else."

"Good man." Ghira approved before waving his hand up. "Now you all should get a move on. Your ship is about to leave." With one final goodbye, Blake and Sun rushed up the steps with Ilia in tow, leaving Ghira to address Ben and Yang. The panther man couldn't help but wince at how disheveled Ben was at the moment, even with the Omnitrix and his signature jacket back on. Between the rips in his shirt, the slashes across his body and the bruises on his face with even more under his shirt, it was evident that Sienna had really done a number on him. "I… apologize if this was more than you were expecting to go through today, Ben."

"Ah, it's no problem." Ben waved off. "I've been through worse. Besides, it was worth it to free your home." The hero extended his hand and gave Ghira a nod. "I hope we get to work with each other again soon, Ghira."

Yang did the same with Kali. "It's been a real honor to meet you both." the blonde added.

"Oh, of course!" Kali said as she and her husband shook their respective hands. "And we very much look forward to seeing you all again."

"Indeed we do." Ghira concurred. "Have a safe journey home, alright?"

Ben gave a salute after the handshakes finished. "Will do! We'll see you later…" The hero sent a small glance toward Sienna. "And hopefully there'll be less beatings in my future."

But Sienna just shrugged him off and waved toward the ship. "Ah, just get to your ship already."

"Heh, yeah, sure." Ben gave her and the Belladonnas a thumbs up. "We'll see you guys later." The couple began making their way back to Tetrax's ship, only for both of them to come to a halt when they saw Raven waiting for them at the ramp.

The Spring Maiden wore a somewhat solemn face as they approached, taking in a deep breath to steady herself. "Well, I believe it's time I begin explaining myself."

Yang placed her hands on her hips. "Yeah… but why did you tell the others before the trial was over? You could've just waited until we left."

"It… felt like the right thing to do, I suppose." Raven's eyes went to the ship before continuing. "I kept this secret even when I said I would be transparent with all of you. And since I already told you two about it, I thought it would be easier to just come right out and say it." Her head craned down a little bit and her gaze lowered to the ground. "I owe you all that much."

The Blonde Brawler sighed a little in frustration. "You know… for what you've hidden from us, I'm at least glad that you have a conscience." She strode forward, going past her mother while nudging her head toward the ship. "C'mon, we've got a long trip back."

As the trio made their way on board, Sienna couldn't help but smirk as they went up the ramp. "You know, in an odd way, I think I'm going to miss them. Not much, but a little bit."

"I'll miss them too." Kali affirmed. "To think we only met them yesterday. But at the same time, we all know that this isn't the last time we'll see them."

"On that, we can all agree." Ghira said as he watched the ship take off, his thoughts going to his daughter on board. _'Blake… everybody… good luck. And stay safe.'_

* * *

**A/N: And with that, the White Fang arc comes to a close. And what a way to go out, huh? A happy and safe reunion of a family, Weiss making a pretty big impact on Trifa and Sienna in the trial (as well as Trifa being allowed to go free), Raven fessing up to the rest of the gang (for better or for worse), and Ben going into a Omnitrix-less fight against Sienna to prove himself to Sienna. Overall, I'd say that this was a near-absolute win. Of course, there's still the matter of Humungousaur's DNA still being damaged, which was something even Cooper couldn't fix, but our favorite Vaxasaurian won't be gone forever. Plus, it IS a little sad that Ghira, Kali and Sienna won't be seen for a while, but again, they aren't gonna be TOTALLY gone from the story for long. And hey, Ilia's joining the team permanently now, so there's that! How WILL the chameleon girl fare though now that she's got her new friends? We'll just have to wait and see.**

**But for now… NEXT TIME! Raven finally lets the big cat out of the bag about how she came to acquire the Spring Maiden powers, and Yang is rather frustrated by what she hears. Afterward though, we move onto something a little different when Ruby decided to introduce Velvet and Coco to a certain Aerophibian inmate who's hoping that the rabbit girl can accept her apology. When they finally get home though, the team find that the adults have been having a bit of fun in their absence. What's more, Jaune's parents have a little gift for their son and his team. What could it be? Well stay tuned to find out! Well guys, that's all from me for now. Thanks for reading and I'll see ya next time! Laters!**


	81. Bound for Home

**A/N: Hey AO3, how're you all doin'? It's time once again for a new batch of chapters and… I won't lie to you guys, things are going to be getting pretty heavy for this one. Be prepared for a lot of family drama. With that said, I think we should get on with the show, don't you? This is…**

**Chapter 81: Bound for Home**

* * *

Throughout his life, Ben had been no stranger when it came to pain. Whether it was fighting aliens, confronting grade-school bullies, or just getting hurt accidentally, it came in all forms. However, when it came to combating alien threats, he very rarely felt the after effects of a fight, mostly since the Omnitrix made sure to dull the pain whenever he transformed back into human. There _had_ been an error in it after it reset the first time where all the damage he received in a fight would still be there when he became human again, but Azmuth fixed that with the latest model Omnitrix. It still wasn't _completely_ perfect, but it WAS better.

In this case though, in his fight with Sienna, Ben _couldn't_ use the Omnitrix. Meaning that, for the first time in a long while, his body was going to hurt and it wouldn't go away instantly. Now, he wasn't going to throw a big fit about it, he wasn't a crybaby after all. But at the same time… "GAH! Jeez, I forgot what getting hurt like this feels like."

"I'm sure." Gwen said as she applied more rubbing alcohol to his back. "Now stay still. This might sting, but it'll help prevent infection. Then you'll be getting the bandage treatment."

"Alright." Ben let out a sigh as he rested his chin against his hand. "Man, I am NEVER getting into another fight with Sienna _again_."

Yang, who was sitting next to him, lightly bumped her shoulder against his. "Wise decision, Green Boy." She sent him a little wink. "But hey, she was right, you DID do pretty good out there."

At that moment, Coco came up and gave Ben a hearty smack on the shoulder, making him wince in pain. "Hell yeah, he did!" the fashionable girl exclaimed. "That was pretty impressive for someone with no Semblance or aura, Benji. You got guts taking that tigress on."

"She's right." Cooper supported as he too came over and gave Ben a handshake. "You put in a good day's work, Ben."

Ben rubbed the back of his neck and let out a chuckle. "Haha, thanks guys. But now… I think we should get onto the big thing."

Across from the three of them, the whole team was waiting patiently for said "big thing", with all of them focused on one person in particular; Raven. The Spring Maiden was standing off to the side, decidedly choosing to keep her distance from the group for the time being. However, as everyone's eyes trained onto her, she let out a sigh and stepped forward. "Yes, I suppose it IS time to address the elephant in the room…" Raven's eyes trailed over to Trumbipulor in his new stasis pod. "…I now thoroughly hate myself for saying that."

"This is NOT the time for jokes, Branwen!" Winter exclaimed. "Not _only_ did you hide the fact that you knew where the Maiden powers were, but also that you WERE the Maiden. This is a serious offence. Not just because you lied, but because of the implications of what you did!"

The elder Schnee's statement served to confuse many of the teens in the room, though it was Doctor Holiday who brought up the question; "What do you mean by that, Winter?"

"Yeah, I mean, how hard is it getting the Maiden powers?" Neptune asked further. "Is there some kinda trial that you have to go through?"

Pyrrha stepped up and gave the blue-haired boy an answer. "Well… sort of. Professor Goodwitch told me that the future Maidens are chosen when a current Maiden is about to pass on, but in addition, the successor has to be in the Maiden's final thoughts in order for the powers to pass on to them. If they aren't… then the powers go to someone random."

At her friend's words, Blake's eyes trailed to Raven in skepticism. "So either Raven WAS that random person, or…"

"I can assure you that it's your second assumption, Blake." Raven interrupted, her head craning down a bit. "I DID know the previous Spring Maiden. She was a young girl who had wanted to run away from her responsibilities. So… I took her into my tribe."

Everyone was now focused directly onto Raven, with Yang in particular giving her mother a suspicious look. "Well then, she must've trusted you a lot if you were in her final thoughts, right? _Cared_ about you a lot?" She got a raised brow from her mother, to which Yang retorted with; "Hey, I'm just starting to ask more questions like you said."

Raven let out a sigh at that. "Yes, I suppose I DID say that."

Pyrrha stepped up and continued from where Yang left off. "Well then, let ME ask a few." She narrowed her eyes at Raven. "What happened to the last Spring Maiden? Did she die in battle? Was it sickness?"

Raven's face softened slightly as the memories began playing back in her head; ones of a young girl's life beginning to fade away as she stared up at her with a horrified expression. The tribe leader closed her eyes and said; "I suppose you WOULD ask these questions, Nikos. Out of everyone here, you ARE the second closest linked to the Maidens."

Pyrrha's gaze narrowed further while Yang's became aghast. "I can already see the answer." the Blonde Brawler's voice cracked slightly as the realization hit her. "It's written all over your face."

Gwen stood up as well, sending a rather stern face of her own at Raven. "Yes, and the fluctuations I'm feeling in her aura are quite telling too."

"Raven… how could you?" Ben asked. "You killed someone who trusted you!"

In response, Raven crossed her arms and craned her head away from them. "She was _scared_ when we found her. And in the Branwen Tribe, being scared is seen as a weakness." She moved her eyes back up to face Ben and her daughter. "I tried to train her, but she never learned. She didn't _want_ to learn. Even after I told her about Salem, she didn't care."

At that moment, surprising pretty much everyone, Jaune entered the conversation. "But that's no reason to just KILL her!" He retorted. "If _she_ didn't want to be the Spring Maiden, then there must've been SOME way that the powers could've been transferred to someone _else_!" The knight turned his attention to his girlfriend. "Pyrrha, wasn't that what those pod things in Beacon's vault were going to be used for? Transferring Maiden powers directly without harm?"

"Well, yes, but even Ozpin said that there would be a chance that it would backfire in some way." Pyrrha admitted. "A Maiden's power is tied to her aura, and it's the _aura_ that's being transferred in those pods. Not the powers themselves."

Winter gave her a nod. "Exactly right. If a Maiden's aura is put in with another's during the power transference, there's still no telling what _exactly_ might happen."

As the conversation went on, Rex raised an eyebrow at all of this. "So… what you're saying is that there's a chance that the _previous_ Maiden's life force would share the new one's body if you used technology to transfer the powers?"

"Either that… or one of the two life forces would snuff the other out." Penny furthered. "Two auras inhabiting one body just isn't natural.

Weiss winced at the prospect. "That… isn't good."

"You're tellin' me!" Nora exclaimed. "I couldn't imagine someone else walking around with MY body."

"And now you see the conundrum." Raven pointed out. "The girl wanted to escape her fate, but there was no easy way for her to do so. In the end, she wanted to go back to being the person she was before… and I felt sympathy for her."

Yang narrowed her eyes further at her mother. "So sympathetic that you decided to take her life?"

Raven grew wide eyed and her teeth grit slightly in frustration. "Don't presume to much, Yang! The choice I made was FAR from easy!" She held up to hands to show her options. "I could either do nothing and let the poor girl be subjected to the worst tortures that Salem could ever put upon someone, or… I could show her mercy and take her burden off of her."

" _Mercy_?!" Ben shouted. "Are we SERIOUSLY going with that excuse? Because I've heard it way too many times to count."

"It's not that simple." Raven shot back. "You don't know how hard of a decision that was for me to make!"

Yang balled her hands into fists at her mother's words. "…You're right. We don't know. But you know what I _do_ know? I know about the mother that I've been able to talk with for the past few days. And… I was really growing to like her." As she continued, Yang could see a mixture of emotions flash across Raven's face, almost as if the woman had no idea to react. "The Raven Branwen that I've been able to get to know seemed to be a pretty cool person, despite all of her faults… was _she_ a lie too?"

Raven's eyes widened, another pang of sadness resounding through her being. But at the same time, she also felt a bit of resentment as well. She closed her eyes to try and keep her composure before going back to her daughter, her emotions becoming so pent up that her Maiden powers inadvertently activated, making everyone back away. "I've stared death in the face so many times over the years! And each time that I have, I've SPAT in that face and survived because I am strong enough to do what others won't!" Her anger was beginning to devolve into anguish with every word, her voice cracking as it did.

"Oh, shut up!" Yang yelled back. At this point, it was becoming clear to the team that this was now a mother and daughter squabble. Wisely, the they had backed away even more, just in case things came to blows. "You don't know the first thing about strength! The moment you saw Salem, you froze! And what did you do when you came out of it? You just pointed your sword at her and told her to put Ben down!" Yang's fists were shaking, but she still managed to point directly at her mother. "Even though you have all of that power, you're not as strong as you think you are."

It was then that Raven's anger began to return, her own hands shaking in frustration as her Maiden powers flared up again. "Who do you think you are lecturing me?!" She stepped forward with her eyes glaring at her daughter. "You're shaking like a scared little girl, and you're telling ME about what real strength is?!"

Yang pursed her lips at that. "Yeah, I'm scared. In fact, all of us are." The blonde spread her arms out, gesturing to everybody around her. Raven saw that the entire team was staying far away from their fight, their gazes all trained on them. "But guess what? I'm still standing here! We're _all_ still standing here!" Yang's voice continued to break as her emotions continued to stir, but she kept going nonetheless. This HAD to be said. "And whether you like to admit it or not, mom, you're scared like the rest of us are! You are _afraid_ of SALEM!" Yang's scream sent a wave of silence throughout the entire room, shocking everybody to their core, including Raven. The Blonde Brawler herself had tears in her eyes, screwing them shut before turning away from her mother. "…You should leave."

Those three words astonished everyone, most of all, Raven. "W-What?" The woman deactivated her Maiden powers as her daughter's statement knocked her back into her common sense, reaching her hand out to try and apologize. "Yang, I—"

"NO mom! I don't want to see you right now!" Yang rebuked. "I… need some time to think things over. And I think YOU do too."

Raven, her features now etched with remorse over what had just happened, lowered her head in shame. "I… I understand. If you don't want to see me, then that's fine." She was lying at that last part, at least in terms of her own personal feelings. After the past few days of talking to her, fighting alongside her and simply spending time with her, Raven had could begin to feel a true connection begin to form between her and her daughter. And now… all of this had happened. A few tears of Raven's own began forming in her eyes as she turned away, unsheathing Omen to slice open a portal off of the ship. "…I'm sorry." she quietly whispered.

Yang had managed to hear it though, and with her own tears still falling down her face, she whispered; "Yeah… me too."

As Yang began walking away, Raven was about to enter her portal, but she stopped to give a certain hero a small glance. "…Ben, I know this might not mean much to you coming from me, but if Yang needs anything—"

"I know." Ben replied with a solemn nod. Over the course of the argument, his sympathies had actually been divided between the two women. No, Raven was by no means innocent, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel bad that the bond that was just beginning to form was practically falling apart before his very eyes. "I'll make sure she has someone to talk to."

"Thank you." Raven nodded back. "And… farewell." With that, Raven stepped through her portal, leaving the ship and the teens behind.

Needless to say, everyone was pretty much rendered speechless at what happened. What had started out as a serious conversation about the murder of a young girl had devolved into a shouting contest between mother and daughter, and everyone had felt the after effects of it. The whole group was exchanging warry looks with each other, wondering just what to do in this situation. Ruby in particular was simply staring at where the Spring Maiden had disappeared, still reeling from the shock of the fight. While she knew what Raven had done was wrong, she too was also beginning to worry about how her sister had reacted. She decided to step over to Yang and reach a hand out to her. "Yang, are you…"

But Yang just raised a hand up, not even setting her eyes upon her sister. "I'm… fine, Rubes. I just… I need a little time to myself."

"O-Oh, okay." Ruby stammered. "If that's what you want."

Ben then came over and gave Yang a small smile, only to see her giving him a sad face. He was able to pick up the hint rather quickly. "…I, uh, I guess you don't want any company with you on this one, huh?"

Yang sighed and put a soft hand to his chest. "Sorry, Ben. I have a lot to think about right now and… I need some space."

The Omnitrix bearer grasped her hand gently and gave her a nod. "Alright, if that's what you want, then I'll respect it." His smile returned and he gave her a small kiss on the cheek. "But if you ever need somebody to bounce your thoughts off of, you know that I'm always available."

Yang smiled and nodded back to him. "Right. Thanks, Green Boy." The couple separated and Yang went off into a secluded corner of the cargo hold, all while thinking of what just occurred between her and her mother. _'…I'm sorry mom, but this couldn't go unsaid.'_

As the blonde went to sit off to the side for a while, the silence continued to purvey the room until a certain someone decided to clear their throughout. "Aherm." Kevin coughed into his hand, the Osmosian hoping to break the tension. "Well, I think I can say that we _didn't_ expect all of that to happen."

"Ya _think_?" Rex countered. "Honestly, I thought that we were gonna be in the middle of a throw down in here."

Ilia shrunk back a bit, remembering how Raven's eyes glowed intensely as the woman grew more and more emotional. "Well, I know one thing; I NEVER want to be on the receiving end of Raven when she's angry."

Sun raised his hand up. "Same. But still, it's kinda sad, ya know?" He gestured over to where Yang had just walked off. "I mean… they were getting along pretty well before all of this."

Next to him, Blake lowered her head slightly. "Yeah… I just hope that things aren't too permanently damaged between them."

Winter crossed her arms in slight frustration, closing her eyes in thought. "Well, whether we like it or not, we have to remember the fact that Raven IS the Spring Maiden. And that means one thing… we'll need her help going forward if we wish to beat Salem." She shifted her eyes up to where Yang had disappeared as well, silently adding; "But… I hope that Yang can sort out her thoughts on all of this as well. I know what it's like to have a complicated relationship with one's own mother, and speaking from experience, it isn't a good feeling to have."

"Preach, sister." Weiss agreed before raising her arms up to her friends. "But hey, let's not just stand around here moping, huh? We've got a long flight ahead of us, so let's try and pass the time." With her announcement, everyone went off to do just that, with Weiss herself going over with Team JNPR, Rex and Neptune to do some more training.

Ruby, who had been staring after her sister since she left, had been pulled out of her thoughts by her partner's words. She was about to go over and join them when she suddenly felt a little poke on her shoulder. "Uh… Ruby?"

The Hooded Huntress whipped around and let out a yelp in surprise, slightly starling the person who wanted to get her attention. "Oh, Velvet! Sorry about that! I didn't see you coming."

Velvet raised a hand and gave her an apologetic expression. "Oh, no, no, _I'm_ sorry for startling _you_!" She insisted as she bowed her head. "I just wanted to see if you were okay."

Ruby was about to say that she was fine… but a small part of her mind wouldn't let her. With a reluctant sigh, Ruby's shoulders slumped and she hugged her arms together. "Vel, I don't think I am if I'm being honest. I mean, I just watched my sister and her mother get into a fight over trust issues, and that's something I think happens WAY too much around here."

The bunny girl gave Ruby a shrug. "Hmm, I can certainly see that. Still, I never would have guessed that Yang's mother was the leader of the Branwen Tribe, let alone the Spring Maiden."

"Oh yeah!" Ruby realized. "You guys never DID meet Raven before today, did you?"

At that moment, Coco and Cooper came walking over to Velvet's side, the former answering the silver-eyed girl. "Nope, this is pretty much our first impressions of Mama Bird." Coco said whilst eyeing where Raven had once stood. "And… damn, what an introduction."

"I'll say." Cooper nodded. "I could practically _feel_ the power emanating from her, and I'm NOT an energy being."

"Well then, try BEING an energy being around her." Gwen spoke up as she, Ben and Kevin all came over as well. "That power was something else alright. Not as powerful as Salem's, but still very sizable."

Kevin waved a hand up in the air to catch everyone's attention. "So what do we do now? Salem's got a Maiden on her side and we've got one on ours." He leaned up against a nearby cargo crate, crossing his arms as he did. "I know that makes us far from even considering Salem's power, but that HAS to give us _some_ advantage, right?"

"Eh… I wouldn't say so." Ben shook his head. "As much as I hate to say it, Salem still outclasses us when it comes to power. If we wanna beat her, we'll need something that _equals_ her power. And right now, there's only ONE alien in my arsenal that I _think_ can take her on…" Ben reached down and pulled the Omnitrix up, activating the holo-ring before scrolling to the icon of the alien he was referring to. "…Alien X."

A slew of concerned expressions spread across Kevin, Gwen and Cooper's faces while Ruby, Coco and Velvet were more intrigued at the prospect of this alien. "Ooh, mysterious." Coco commented. "So what IS this "Alien X" capable of?"

"Alien X is an omnipotent alien with near-god-like powers." Gwen explained. "He can warp time, space, and reality itself to his will." The Anodite glanced back to the Omntrix with a furrowed brow. "The only catch is that he's got two other voices in his head that Ben has to deal with whenever he transforms, and Alien X can't do anything unless those three are able to agree on an action."

Overhearing the conversation, Blake's eyes widened when she remembered something. "Wait, I remember that!" She walked over to the group with Sun and Ilia joining in as well. "You explained that to Weiss and I when we went to Signal a week or so ago."

"Yes, I did… but considering that we've just got a taste of what Salem's capable of, I think it needs to be brought up again." Gwen faced her cousin, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "Ben, listen, I know that we'll probably be in increasingly dire straits the more we fight against Salem, but we _can't_ take the chance of Belicus and Serena not listening to you."

Ruby stepped over to the two and looked between them curiously. "Why? What happens if they don't listen?"

Ben put his focus onto her and let out a small sigh. "Well… if I transform into Alien X, there's a chance that I won't do _anything_. Or worse, I won't be able to transform back at all."

Everyone except for Gwen, Kevin and Cooper were all shocked at the prospect, with Sun going so far to say; "Woah, okay, NOT cool." He placed his hands on his hips and tilted his head. "Can those two SERIOUSLY not agree on _anything_?"

"Nope, I got stuck with the two most indecisive inner voices _ever_." Ben narrowed his eyes at the very thought of going back into Alien X's head. "Seriously, you have NO idea how annoying those two are."

Ilia put a hand to her head, the chameleon girl still taking in all of this information. "Jeez, what HAVE I gotten myself into with all of this?"

Blake gave her friend a smile and a light nudge to the arm. "Hey, that's our lives in a nutshell, Ilia." The cat girl followed up with a little wink. "Better get used to it."

Ilia's spots became pink again, slightly flustered at the small gesture. "E-Easy for you to say!" she stammered before whirling her head away. "You guys have had two weeks to "get used to it". I've only had two _days_!"

Across from her, Coco let out a small chuckle. "Hehe, trust me girl, it'll start feeling normal in no time." The fashionable girl lowered her sunglasses and gave Ilia a wink of her own. "By the way, I just realized we didn't properly introduce ourselves. Name's Coco, leader of Team CFVY."

Velvet's brows rose at the fact and she gave Ilia a small bow. "Oh, right! I'm Velvet, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Cooper gave Ilia a grin and a small salute. "And I'm Cooper. Pleased to meet ya."

Ilia smiled back at all of them and gave them a small nod back. "Yes, it's nice to meet you too. Blake told me a few things about you guys already." She quirked a brow in their direction. "Gotta say though, you guys sound like a rather… rowdy bunch."

"HA! You don't know the half of it!" Coco guffawed. "When we're on the scene, things get crazy." She pushed her sunglasses back up and raised a single brow. "So, what's your deal, Freckles? How long have ya known Kit Kat for?"

The pink on Ilia's spots persisted at yet another nickname given to her. "Er, well, I've known her for a little over five years at this point. You could say that we're… White Fang alumni." She glanced toward Blake warily. "Of course, these days, it's probably not something that Blake's proud of."

Blake gave her a small smile and shrugged. "Eh, yeah, but if what my parents and Sienna said is true, then maybe there's something to be salvaged out of the White Fang after all." She directed her attention to Trumbipulor's tank, her smile increasing to a smirk. "Hopefully this time WITHOUT any elephant-sized problems."

The whole group got a good chuckle out of that, but it was then that Velvet remembered the whole reason she came over to Ruby. "Oh! I forgot!" She spun back around to the Hooded Huntress. "Ruby, didn't you want me on this ship? You said something about wanting to see me after the battle, yeah?"

Ruby's eyes shot open, remembering the whole reason why Velvet was here in the first place. "Oh, shoot! You're right!" The young girl slapped her forehead. "The trial and the whole thing with Raven threw me off!" Ruby reached out and gently grasped Velvet's wrist. "Velvet, you have to come with me to the brig. There's someone who wants to talk to you."

This only served to render the bunny girl confused. "Wait… me? Someone in the brig wants to talk to _me_?!"

Coco was just as perplexed as her partner was. "Who the hell in THAT place would wanna talk with Vel? …In fact, who in there would even _know_ who Velvet is?"

"I'll explain when we get there." Ruby said as she began leading both Coco and Velvet over to the elevator. "Coco, you'll wanna be around for this too!"

"H-Hey!" Coco protested. "C'mon Rubes, no need to be pushy!"

Ilia, who had begun to realize what Ruby was up to, began to follow behind the duo eagerly. "Uh, I should head up there, too."

That made Ruby stop in her tracks, a puzzled face taking over her features. "Um… I'm not trying to be rude, Ilia, but… why do you wanna come?"

Ilia wore a sheepish grin at that. "Well… let's just say that I made a friend up there while we were on our trip _to_ Menagerie. And it's also a friend that we have a mutual connection to."

Ruby brightened up at the news and she immediately began leading Ilia over to the elevator as well. "Well then what're we waiting for?! Let's go!"

As the four young women began boarding the elevator, Cooper and Ben directed their eyes toward each other, with Cooper raising a brow at his friend. "Uh, Ben? Think you can explain what's going on?" the blonde genius asked. "Ruby seems pretty eager to visit a prisoner hold filled to the brim with villains. And she and Ilia have a mutual "friend" up there? What's that about?"

Ben let out a small breath and ushered for Cooper to follow him. "C'mon, Coop. Things will be a lot clearer to you if we go there too." The Omnitrix bearer moved to his cousin and gave her a nod. "Gwen, if at any point Yang says she wants to see mee—"

"I'll get you on the horn." Gwen acknowledged. "I promise."

"Great. Thank you." And with that, the six teens piled into the elevator and it went up, leaving Gwen, Kevin, Blake and Sun to talk amongst themselves.

"…So, I'm guessing that after tonight, things are gonna be a lot different." Blake spoke up.

Gwen pursed her lips at the idea. "Maybe… but there are still a few unknowns that need to be worked out." The Anodite trailed her eyes upward, her thoughts going to what a certain witch was doing right now. _'Salem… what ARE you up to?"_

* * *

As the elevator came to a stop, Coco and the others began stepping out onto the upper level of the massive ship, the girl slightly relieved to be off of the blasted thing. Well, to be more accurate, it wasn't much of a _step_ as it was a _stumble_. That elevator was barely big enough to fit the six of them, so they were all feeling quite antsy on the ride up, _especially_ Coco herself. So when they finally made it up, they all took in a deep breath of fresh air, even though the ride had only been about twenty seconds. "Finally!" Coco said as she leaned up against a wall. "Dear god, I hate enclosed spaces like that! Tetrax needs to get a bigger elevator."

"Not sure he can do that unless he rebuilds his entire ship." Ben pointed out. "Still, I'll give him the memo." But then he blinked in surprise. "Wait, you're claustrophobic?"

Coco pursed her lips and readjusted her glasses. "Hide and seek incident when I was a kid. Do NOT ask for the details."

Once everyone was able to collect themselves, Velvet began searching for their destination. "So… which of these doors is the brig again?"

"Oh, this way!" Ruby lead the group over to a particular door and it opened in front of them, allowing them to step into the brig. "Hey Argit!" the Hooded Huntress called out. "Are you actually AWAKE in here?!"

Almost immediately, she got a response; "Yeah, yeah, keep yer cloak on, toots." Argit spun around in his chair, his arms crossed and a positively bored expression on his face. "I've been getting an earful ever since Simian got locked up in here, so I AM awake."

Coco and Velvet's eyes widened simultaneously at the rodent-like alien's presence. "Hey, I remember you!" The leader of Team CFVY pointed directly at Argit as she stepped toward him. "You're the possum guy who was in that metal suit of armor that tried to kill us! I thought Tetrax locked you up!"

Argit smirked and he jabbed a thumb over to Ruby. "Yeah, well you can thank Little Red over there for that. She got me this sweet gig as the warden since I didn't _technically_ do anything wrong." The alien rat gave her a thumbs up. "Ain't that right, Ruby?"

Ruby raised an eyebrow at him. "Yeah, and while your commitment to the job's been… questionable, you ARE at least doing it."

However, Ilia narrowed her eyes at Argit. "A bit too well if you ask me." she quickly added. "He almost stuck me with one of his quills on the ride here."

"Hey, THAT was a mistake!" Argit defended himself. "I was half-asleep and I'd never seen you before. Can ya BLAME me for attacking first, asking questions later?" He simply got a deadpan look from all of them in return, which he was quick to reciprocated with a sigh. "Ugh, okay, moving on. Lemme guess, you're here to see your buddy, am I right?"

"We are." Ben nodded. "But first, I wanna check on Simian. Where is he?"

Argit smirked and jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "Heh, he's over by the Circus Freaks. Kinda fitting if you ask me." He put his hands behind his head and reclined in his chair. "Gotta say, everybody's been in a good mood since he was brought on board."

Ilia raised an eyebrow and set her hands to her hips. "Oh really? And why's that?"

Ruby let out a little chuckle and began walking further into the room. "I think I know why. C'mon, I'll show ya." The six teens walked further in, eventually finding Simian… and nearly everybody erupting into fits of laughter the moment they saw his pink shirt. Ruby was able to keep her composure and send a small wave at the alien primate. "Hey Simian. How're you liking your new home so far?"

Simian, now inside of his own cell, crossed his four arms indignantly. "I would be doing better if YOU people would stop laughing!"

"AHAHA! Oh-oh god!" Ben gasped for air and approached the cell, setting his hand on it to support himself. "Si-Simian! Wh-What were you _thinking_ with that get-up?! AHAHA!"

The Arachnichimp pouted in annoyance. "Tennyson. I must say, I had hoped our meeting would have our places reversed." He gestured to the hero. "With _you_ inside the cell and _myself_ on the outside. But I guess I had my hopes set a bit high on that one." Simian then took notice of Ben's multiple wounds, making him smile a little. "But I can at least take heart in the fact that you didn't get out of this unharmed." He sat down on the cell floor with his legs crossed. "So, I'm guessing that Trumbipulor was defeated?"

Ben had finally calmed down, though many of his friends were still trying to get a hold of themselves. "Hehe, yep, he's locked up in a stasis pod in the cargo hold. He won't be causing any more harm anytime soon."

Simian scoffed and turned his head away. "Hmph, how unfortunate."

Coco, who had been trying to collect herself while she and Cooper propped themselves up against one another, gave Simian a hearty laugh. "HA! You wanna know what's REALLY unfortunate?"

"Let me guess; my shirt?"

The fashionable girl scowled at him and put her hands on her hips. "Well the joke's no fun if you ruin it."

"I've heard it a million times in the last twenty-four hours." Simian narrowed all four of his eyes. "Pardon me if it's beginning to get old."

Ben stepped up and raised his hands defensively. "Okay, okay, why don't we all just settle down and make peace, okay?" He made a pair of finger guns at the blue-furred alien with a cheeky grin. "Simian, how's about I get you some donuts? Maybe with… strawberry frosting?" Simian let out a primal scream in rage and jumped at Ben, only to collide with the energy cell and receive a jolt for his troubles. In the end, he landed on the floor flat on his back, involuntarily twitching as his singed fur began to smoke a little bit. "Uh… I may have taken that a bit too far." Ben uttered.

Faster than they could even blink, Simian flipped back up and pointed his two right arms away from him. "LEAVE!" Without needing to be told twice, the teens high-tailed it away from the Arachnichimp's cell, a snarling Simian being left in their wake.

Cooper let out a sigh as they stopped at a safe distance. "Man, Simian can NOT take a joke."

"That's putting it mildly." Velvet concurred before facing Ruby with a raised brow. "Now… _why_ are we here again?"

But before Ruby could answer her, the silver-eyed girl heard a familiar voice call out to both her and Ilia from across the room. "Ruby! Ilia!" Both girls smiled and moved around to see Swift, the Aerophibian waving to her from her usual cell. "Hey! I was wonderin' when you guys would get back! How'd the mission go?"

"H-Hey, Swift!" Ilia waved back sheepishly. "It actually went pretty well."

"Heck yeah, it did!" Ruby said as she approached the cell. "We—"

"YOU!" Everything stopped when Coco pointed right at Swift, giving her an intense glare and making Ruby stop in her place. "You were that bitch who attacked Beacon and almost killed my partner!" Coco stormed up to the cell and Swift's eyes widened, the Aerophibian making to back up. "Don't you back away from me, chicky, I want a few words with—huh?" Right as she got up to the cell, Coco suddenly found Ruby and Ilia standing in front of her, the duo's arms spread out and blocking her path. "Ruby, Ilia, what're you—"

"Coco, _please_ … hear her out." Ilia pleaded.

Coco's brows furrowed further. "What do you mean "hear her out"?! She tried to kill my best friend!"

"I know, but she's sorry for it!" Ruby pressed further. "She regrets ever attacking Beacon and accepting Hazel's offer! She's not a bad person, I swear!"

Before the fight could escalate any further, Cooper stepped over next to them and held his hands up, hoping to bring things down a few notches. "Woah, woah, okay. Let's try to calm down here." He then set a soft hand on Coco's shoulder. "Baby, I've worked with Swift before. Let me talk to her, okay?"

Coco shifted her eyes back and forth between Ruby, Ilia, Cooper and Swift. The Hooded Huntress and the chameleon girl in front of her were steadfast in their resolve while the alien-hybrid wore a rather trepidatious face behind them, her eyes staring back at Coco in slight fear. Finally, Cooper was giving her a rather serious look, which she knew meant he was all business at that point. Coco let out a sigh and gave her boyfriend a pat on the arm. "Alright, Tech Head, do your thing. But if things start to sound fishy, then I'm outta here!"

"Thank you." Cooper gave Coco a kiss on the cheek before taking a deep breath, facing Ruby, Ilia and Swift with a questioning gaze. "Okay you three, just what IS going on here?"

Ruby, instilled with confidence, locked eyes with Cooper and gave her answer; "It's just like I said, Cooper. Swift is sorry for what she's done, and she wants to make up for it." She then focused on Swift with a soft smile. "We've been talking for the past few days, and I've learned that she really isn't a bad person. She was just given a bad lot and I wanna help her put her life back together."

"Me too." Ilia agreed. "We haven't known each other for very long, but…" Ilia's spots became pink again. "Swift's been able to help me out with my own problems too, and I'm very grateful to her for it. I'd vouch for her any day."

Swift smiled back at the two, thankful to them for speaking on her behalf. "Thanks, gals. I'm glad that you're helping me out… but I think I need to take it from here." Ruby and Ilia each gave her a nod before stepping out of the way, allowing Swift to come face to face with Cooper. "Hey there, officer. Been a while, eh?"

"Yes, it has." Cooper folded his arms across his chest. "So, Swift, you really want to try and make up for what you've done in the past?"

"Yeah. Ruby's helped me see that I don't have to waste my life being a criminal… that I can do _better_." Swift lowered her head a bit. "But to do that, I'll have to work for it. And there's still one person in particular I need to apologize to." She craned her head up to Velvet, which took the bunny girl aback and made her gasp. "W-Wait." Swift raised a hand up to the brunette. "I want to say that I'm sorry for almost trying to kill you. I know that "sorry" really doesn't make up for it…"

Coco rolled her eyes. _'That's putting it mildly.'_ she thought to herself.

"But I want to start making up for everything." Swift bowed her head to Velvet. "I hope that you can forgive me for what I've done, Velvet."

A few moments of silence passed, with Velvet giving Swift a rather surprised face. "Well, I… I really don't know what to think about all this." After pondering over the Aerophibian hybrid's words, she went back to Ruby and Ilia, tilting her head a little bit. "You two are willing to vouch for her word?"

Ruby raised her right hand. "All the way."

"Same with me." Ilia supported as she did the same. "No going back."

Velvet put a finger to her chin, thinking it over a little bit more before stepping closer to Swift's cell. The young half-alien woman moved her head back up to Velvet, their eyes locking instantly. Velvet's brow furrowed slightly and she crossed her arms. "Swift, you might not have hurt _me_ in your attack, but you DID hurt someone else. A young redheaded man in armor."

"The guy who saved you." Swift recalled. "I remember him."

"Tell me, are you sorry for hurting him?"

"Yes." Swift answered instantly. "I'm sorry for any harm that I may have caused to _anyone_ on that day."

Velvet closed her eyes, taking in Swift's words. "Hmm… well, if you _are_ truly sorry for what you did…" She opened her eyes and smiled. "Then I suppose that there's no harm in taking a chance." Velvet glanced over to Ruby and Ilia, who were wearing hopeful grins of their own. "And it helps that you've got two really nice people willing to speak on your behalf as well."

"WHAT?!" Coco exclaimed, taking everyone off guard. "Vel, that girl tried to _kill_ you and she blasted Bird Boy in the shoulder! How can you just easily forgive that?"

To everyone's surprise, Velvet was quick to counter. "Because I'm not one to hold a grudge, Coco!" the bunny girl pointed at her partner, whose eyes widened in shock. "You've known me long enough to know that. If what Swift says is true, then I'm willing to believe her, and you should too!"

Coco blinked a couple times, her partner's words resonating within her. "V-Vel, I… wow." The fashionable girl took off her sunglasses and gave Velvet a salute. "Alright, I can respect how you feel about this." She then shifted her eyes over to Swift, her features unchanging. "Listen, Swift, if you REALLY want to change, then I hope you won't screw up this chance. Because if you do, then you know what'll happen."

"I do." Swift acknowledged. "I'll be put back in the slammer. But trust me, Coco, I plan on changing my life around." She raised her own right hand. "I swear by it."

It took a few seconds, but a cheeky smirk appeared on Coco's face, the girl giving a small chuckle. "Heh, alright. I'll take your word. But if you mess this up, I'm bringin' you in myself, understand?"

Swift smirked back and gave her a salute. "Crystal clear, ma'am."

"Alright, glad we understand each other." Coco gave a nod to Ruby and nudged her head toward the energy cell. "Alright, Rubes, you can set her free if ya wanna." All at once, Ruby, Ilia and Swift winced at Coco's statement, which only served to make the latter confused. "Uh… something wrong?"

"Easier said than done, I'm afraid." Ben spoke up as he strolled over to them. "See, in order for Swift to have her freedom, she needs to be tried. My grandfather has already written up a parole statement for her, but now we need to wait until we get home so that we can run it through the intergalactic court of law."

"He's right." Cooper supported. "The court has to be in favor of her case in order for her to make parole, and I can guarantee that it won't be as easy as what Ben went through with Sienna."

Swift's eyes widened when she finally took notice of Ben's wounds. "Woah! Sheesh, Tennyson. What blender did YOU go through?"

The hero chuckled and sent her a sarcastic grin. "Oh, you know, an angry tiger lady beat me up for insulting her and wrecking her palace a bit. No big."

Swift smiled back and crossed her arms, impressed at the young man's resilience. "Heh, well, at least you're still able to stand." She pointed down to his chest where his bandages were visible beneath his shirt. "And hey, I'm sure your girlfriend'll dig all of those scars." That didn't get the response she was expecting. Instead of blushing or acting awkward, Ben became crestfallen, glancing off to the side with a worried face. This served to make Swift worried herself. "Oh god, did… did you two get in a fight? If you did, I'm sorry for bringing it—"

Ben's eyes widened and he immediately began denying it. "Oh no, _we_ didn't get into a fight." He rubbed the back of his head, wincing as the memory from earlier came back. "It's just… Yang got into a fight with her mom and… it was kinda awful to watch."

"Oh, I see." Swift gave the hero a single wave. "Well, give her my best, whatever its worth to her."

"Heh, thanks." Ben recollected himself and focused back to Coco. "In any case, Swift won't truly be free until she's able to make parole." He shifted his eyes between the fashionable girl and Velvet. "And in addition, she's going to need you two to testify for her when she DOES get to court."

Velvet's eyes nearly bugged out at that. "M-Me?! In intergalactic court?"

"It'll be alright, Vel." Cooper reassured. "It's not like regular court where there's a bunch of people. Since there are literally THOUSANDS of evil-doers out in the galaxy, intergalactic court has to keep moving at a fast pace." The genius waved his hand back and forth. "We'll be in and out before you know it."

Velvet was still a little concerned about all of this, but she couldn't deny Swift directly after accepting her apology. That definitely wouldn't' be fair. "Well, alright Cooper, if you say so."

"Yeah, we'll testify." Coco asserted before placing her hands on her hips, giving Ben a questioning look. "But can't we at least let Swift out of her cell? I mean, you did the same with Argit and _he's_ a freakin' degenerate con artist!"

"I heard that!" Argit called out from his station. "I might be a con man, but I am NOT a degenerate!"

"Yes you are!" Ben hollered before putting a hand to his chin in thought. "Actually… there might be a chance, but it's a long shot." He pulled up the Omnitrix and spoke into its commlink; "Hey, Tetrax? You reading me?"

" _Indeed I am, Ben."_ Tetrax spoke back. _"You need anything?"_

"Yeah, actually I do. Can you come down to the brig? There's something I wanna discuss with you." After getting an affirmative response from Tetrax, the group proceeded to wait a few minutes before the Petrosapien finally arrived, with Ben putting a fist over his chest in a salute. "Hey, Tetrax! Glad you could come down."

"Of course." Tetrax did the salute himself before going on. "So, what is it that you need?"

Ben gestured over to the two members of Team CFVY. "Well, Coco and Velvet have given Swift their blessings. They'll be testifying for her in intergalactic court when we get home."

Tetrax nodded in understanding. "I see. Well, that's good to hear." The bounty hunter set his sights onto the Aerophibian in the cell. "One step closer to freedom, Swift. I hope you don't squander it."

"Er, thanks… I think." Swift shifted her eyes between Ben and Coco, whispering to them; "Hey guys, you really don't have to do this for me. I'm perfectly fine with—"

But Coco was having none of it. "Oh no, I'm sticking my neck out for you, Laser Girl. The least I can do is give you the same basic freedom of a dirty rat." The leader of Team CFVY confidently stepped up to Tetrax, putting her sunglasses back on for good measure. "Hey Big T, if _Argit_ of all people can roam free on the ship, then I think that Swift can at least have some free reign here too, huh?"

Tetrax was about to argue against it, but the more he thought about it, the more he saw Coco's point. "Hmm… I can certainly see your reasoning. Wait one moment." Tetrax stepped back over to the room's entrance and opened up a large storage closet, one that had multiple pieces of strange technology in it. But out of all of them, Tetrax grabbed one in particular; a small bracelet that was a solid white and had a tiny red light on it. He came back over to the group and presented it to them. "This is a power dampening ankle monitor. If Swift wants to walk through my ship's halls, she'll have to wear one of these."

Velvet inspected the bracelet a bit closer. "Wait, aren't these the things that people put on criminals when they're under house-arrest?"

"Precisely. But as I said, it has the added effect of dampening her latent abilities." Tetrax raised a finger as he listed them off. "That means that she will be incapable of flight and firing energy beams if she wears this." The Petrosapien faced Swift and presented the device to her. "Swift… I hesitate to do this, but if you are willing to behave, then I will allow you to walk freely inside my ship with this anklet on. However, if you so much as step outside of my ship, it's back in the cell for you. Am I clear?"

However, Swift was still trying to process all of this in her mind. She could really be out of this cell? Even if it was still only on the ship? _'I'd have my powers taken away for a while, but… honestly, that sounds kind of alright by me.'_

"Well, Swift?" The young hybrid was brought out of her thoughts when Ruby spoke to her, the hooded girl's eyes brightened with excitement. "Doesn't that sound like a great deal?!"

"It does." Swift admitted. "…I'm just still trying to take it all in is all."

Coco stepped forward and pointed at Swift, taking her by surprise again. "Hey! I hope you know that this opportunity probably won't be coming up again." she scolded. "What's it gonna be, Laser Girl?"

Swift darted her eyes between everyone there before finally landing on someone in particular; Ilia. When the Aerophibian hybrid's eyes landed on her, the chameleon girl was initially a bit confused. But then she got a good read on her friend's face and realized; she was wondering what her opinion was. Ilia gave her a soft smile and a shrug. "Hey, I think you should take it. It might not be the best deal, but you'd at least be able to have more space."

Slowly but surely, Swift's smiled back, followed by giving her friend a nod. "Yeah, can't hurt, can it?" She faced Tetrax once again and gave him the okay. "Alright, Tetrax. Let me have it."

"Very well." Tetrax complied as he put his hand up against the energy barrier, bringing up a holographic control panel to type a command code into. Once he entered the code, the barrier lowered, allowing him to step closer to Swift. He bent down and put the brace around her right ankle, the red light switching on the moment it locked shut. Tetrax stood back up and gave Swift a nod. "Alright, you are free to move about my ship under strict supervision."

"Thank you, I—"

"WOOHOO!" Ruby suddenly rushed forward and enveloped Swift in a soul crushing hug, making the half-alien's eyes bug out. "I CANNOT believe this is happening!"

"M-me either!" Swift choked out. "You're… crushing my ribs!"

Ruby's eyes snapped open and she let go of Swift, allowing her to breath. "Whoops! Sorry!" she lowered her head in apology. "I sometimes get carried away with these things."

"Heh, it's alright." Swift assured as she collected herself. "So… what now?"

Ben waved his hand toward her. "Whatever you wanna do. So long as it's within the ship's parameters."

Swift looked around to everybody before her choice was made for her… by the growling of her stomach. Her eyeridges rose up and her hand went to her belly, a slight chuckle escaping her lips. "Hehe, well, I think a decent meal would probably be good right now."

At that moment, many of the others also began to feel their stomachs rumble, taking them off guard. "Hah, it HAS been a while since we last ate." Cooper pointed out. "But is there any food on here at all?"

"Of course." Tetrax jabbed a thumb toward the exit. "The kitchen isn't far from here. Come on, I'm sure that everyone else down in the cargo hold are hungry as well."

But before they could even step foot out the door, they heard an indigent yell come from behind them; "HEY!" The group all did an about face to see Vulkanus and many of the other bad guys all glaring at them, their fists clenched in ire. "So what, she an' Argit get special treatment and _we_ don't get a chance?!"

"Yeah!" Frightwig piped up. "What if WE wanted to change too, huh?" They were met with a bunch of deadpan stares from the team, with Swift giving them a hard glare. Frightwig pouted and crossed her arms. "Well, okay, we don't, but still!"

"Oh, shut up!" Coco flipped them all off while turning her back on them. "C'mon guys, let's get outta here." With that, the group of eight all left the brig, leaving a bunch of irritated villains behind. However, as they were stepping out, Coco couldn't help but ask; "Hey Tetrax, ever considered investing in bigger elevators?"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Land of Darkness, the mighty castle known as Evernight towered over the barren wasteland, its massive violet crystal structures producing some of the only light that could be seen there. But even so, the light was so dim that no one could really tell if they were lit up or not. The land was relatively calm, as it usually was during the twilight hours of the day. That is, if you ignore all of the Grimm skulking about. However, beneath the massive structure, things were anything BUT calm. In the castle's training room, Cinder Fall was currently fighting off wave after wave of Beringels, taking out her frustrations on every single one.

It had been almost two full days since she and her team were put under house arrest by their Mistress for failing their mission, and she was attempting to work out all of the pent-up anger that she was building up. And, for the most part, it was working. After every training session, she felt much calmer, and along with it, she could feel her skills improving. There was just one little problem though… "Would you two pry yourselves away from that damned phone for a SECOND and actually train?!" she shouted to her teammates.

Rojo and Emerald were currently sitting on a bench, taking a break while listening to some music on the former's cell phone. The duo shared a pair of earbuds and banged their heads to the music, only somewhat aware of what was going on. However, Cinder was just loud enough to get through to the two, causing them to whip their heads up in surprise. "Aw, c'mon, Cindy! We've been at this for _hours_!" Rojo pleaded as she pulled her bud out of her ears.

Emerald did the same, though she was a bit more cordial with her teammate. "Yeah, she's got a point. I mean, the least we could do is take a _small_ break—"

"No breaks until dinner!" Cinder insisted. "We have to be at our BEST when we face off against Ben Tennyson again. I am NOT about to let him beat me a THIRD time!" After slicing through the rest of the Beringels with her obsidian blades, she circled back around to Rojo. "How do you even _have_ that phone? I thought you were being held in a prison before you were sent here."

Rojo let out a chuckle at that. "Heh, I managed to find it after I recovered my old armor, so I thought I snagged it up too. Thankfully all of my downloads were still on it." She raised an eyebrow over to her partner. "Cindy, while I can appreciate wanting to give Tennyson a good reaming, I don't think this is the way that Boss Lady wanted." Rojo pointed a finger straight into the air. "I think her exact words were; "your rage clouds your judgement, young Cinder", or somethin' like that."

Cinder scowled and balled her fists, a sigh escaping her lips. "Well then, what do _you_ suggest I do? The best way I can cope with it is to train, so unless you see an alternative—"

"Wanna listen to some music?" Rojo smirked while shaking her phone. "Listenin' to some tunes does wonders to bring me out of a funk."

Emerald's face brightened up. "Yeah! This Earth music ROCKS!"

The Fall Maiden sent her partner a deadpan look. "…You're kidding. You ARE kidding, right?"

"'Course not!" Rojo offered Cinder an earbud. "Here, take a listen."

"I am NOT putting that in my ear after it's been in yours!" Cinder countered. "That's SO unsanitary!"

Rojo raised her hands in defense. "Alright, alright, I'll just pull 'em out so you can listen." She took the earbud jack out of the phone and played the song, which Cinder was quick to raise a brow at. It started off with a rather catchy drum beat, but then it went straight into a heavy metal guitar riff that got more intense as the song went on. Despite herself, Cinder felt herself going along with the beat, her head lightly bobbing up and down. This was something that Rojo was quick to take note of. "Like heavy metal, huh?"

Cinder's eyes widened and she whipped her head away, a slight blush coming to her face. "It's fine. Nothing spectacular. I actually prefer more _sophisticated_ music myself."

"Well, I personally think you'll like the lyrics…" Rojo counted the seconds off her fingers before the words kicked in, with both herself and Emerald beginning to sing along herself;

_He is observing the chaos, taking in the lack of raw humanity_

_It's as if the entire world's fallen in love with their insanity!_

_Hear the innocent voices scream_

_As their tormentors laugh through all of it_

_No forgiveness from all I've seen_

_The degradation I cannot forget_

As the song went on, Cinder blinked in surprise at how Rojo and Emerald were acting, especially the latter. In all the times they had worked with each other, she had never seen Emerald do something like this. As for Rojo, she had been pretty wild, but this just felt primal with all the headbanging and singing, which the bounty hunter was surprisingly good at. As the lyrics went on though, Cinder couldn't help but get lost in them. And it was mostly thanks to the fact that she began to see a lot of what she aspired to be within it, that being; a harbinger of doom.

_So sleep soundly in your beds tonight_

_For judgement falls upon you at first light!_

_I'm the hand of God!_

_I'm the dark messiah!_

_I'm the vengeful one!_

_(Look inside and see what you're becoming)_

_In the blackest moment of a dying world_

_What have you become_

_(Look inside and see what you're becoming)_

The Fall Maiden found herself beginning to see what Rojo was talking about. This song spoke to her on a level that she could understand; the want—no—the _need_ for the utter destruction of her enemies. And what's worse, Rojo could tell that Cinder's resolve was weakening with every passing moment. As the song drew closer to the end, Rojo gave her partner a smirk. "Well Cindy? You sure you don't want to take a crack at it?"

"C'mon, Cinder!" Emerald urged. "It wouldn't hurt to at least try, right?"

Cinder shifted her eyes between the phone and Rojo as the ending chorus came closer and closer. She screwed her eyes shut and pressed her lips together to try and prevent the inevitable… but it still came as she began belting out the remaining lyrics; " _~I'm the hand of God! I'm the dark messiah! I'm the vengeful one!~_ "

Rojo smirked and provided back-ups; " _Look inside and see what you're becoming!_ "

Cinder continued as her hands burst into flames, her power flowing through her as she continued singing; "~ _In the blackest moment of a dying world! What have you become!~_ "

" _Look inside and see what you're becoming!_ " Rojo let out a laugh and pumped a fist into the air. "HAHA! YEAH! I knew I could get through to ya!"

As the song ended, Cinder whirled around, her hands still on fire from her power trip and her eyes widened, realizing that she had lost herself completely to the song. "I… I… ugh, damn it." She stamped her foot on the ground and she flicked her wrists, dispersing her flames. "I cannot _believe_ I just did that."

"Believe it, Cindy! You love hard metal." Rojo made a sign of horns with her hands, sticking out her tongue for good measure. "And as far as I'm concerned, that means you got good taste."

Emerald pointed to her teammate. "Plus, you're a pretty good singer!"

Cinder was quick to point at the two girls, giving them an intense glare. "If you even so much as let it SLIP that this happened—"

"I am inclined to agree." With the addition of a rather familiar voice in the room, everyone froze. Mostly out of respect, but on Cinder's part, she also felt a rush of fear go through her veins. The three women spun around to see Salem, the witch standing in the doorway with her eyes fixed right on them. She wore a small yet sinister smile on her face as she drew closer, waving her hand to her Fall Maiden. "After all, music _is_ able to soothe the wrathful soul."

"L-Lady Salem!" Cinder instantly went to one knee and bowed her head, with Emerald doing the same while Rojo stood up with a salute. "How… how much did you hear?"

"Most of it." Salem answered. "While the choice of music itself is not my preferred variety, I still cannot argue with the results…" She reached down and cusped Cinder's cheek, making her crane her head upward. "I can sense that your fury has calmed somewhat from all of this. I advise that you continue if you wish to fully control your rage."

Cinder gave a hasty nod. "Y-Yes, of course, Lady Salem."

"Very good." Salem pulled her hand back and her gaze hardened slightly. "Unfortunately, I come bringing bad tidings. Hazel's group have come back from their mission… and they have failed."

Cinder fought to keep herself from screaming in frustration while Rojo let out a groan. "Ugh! Seriously?" She facepalmed and ran her fingers through her hair. "What the hell did Tennyson do this time?"

"It was not JUST Tennyson." Salem answered. "We have _multiple_ people to thank for this defeat." The witch faced herself away from her underlings as she began listing the factors off; "First, Branwen managed to cut off Tyrian's tail, and then the heiress managed to trounce him even further after the fact."

Emerald's eyes widened at this. "Wait… Tyrian was beaten… by _Schnee_?!"

"Humiliatingly so." Salem affirmed. "And even further, Hazel was also defeated by the young man who can absorb solid matter."

Rojo's jaw nearly dropped to the ground. "… _Levin_? Kevin Levin BEAT Hazel?!" She through her hands up in the air wildly. "How in the FUCK was he able to do that?!"

"He was able to take Hazel's Dust crystals away from him… and then he absorbed them." Salem turned back around to her subjects. "In addition, he had the hammer-wielding young lady as backup." She shook her head in disappointment. "Such a shame as well. I thought that out of everyone here, Hazel would be the most adept in succeeding. But I suppose that simply was not the case."

"And the elephant guy?" Emerald asked. "What about him?"

"Ben Tennyson was able to defeat him, to the surprise of no one." Salem's sinister smile returned and she raised her hand. "…But I was able to acquire a little something out of our enemy when I paid them my visit." All at once, her hand erupted with a bright green energy, one that took the trio aback.

"L-Lady Salem…" Cinder uttered. "What _is_ that?"

Salem moved her hand out to give the three a closer look. "This, young Cinder, is the life energy of one of Ben Tennyson's mightiest transformations… Humungousaur."

"Woah!" Rojo said in slight disbelief. "You managed to beat back _Humungousaur_?! That's freaking awesome!"

"Indeed, it is." Salem nodded. "And I can assure you that this will be put to a proper use." With a snap of her fingers, Salem made the energy disappear, her hand returning into her robe. "I will be taking an excursion to the central Grimm pool tomorrow, and I would like everyone to join me for what I am sure will be quite the show."

The bounty hunter raised a brow at that. "Uh, "central Grimm pool"? What's that?"

"It's where the God of Darkness resided when he and his brother, the God of Light, ruled over Remnant." Cinder answered. "And it's also where many of the more powerful Grimm spawn… from..." The Fall Maiden's eyes widened in realization and she whirled her head around to Salem. "My mistress, are you really thinking—"

"I am." Salem confirmed, her smile unwavering.

After a few seconds, Cinder's lips turned up into a dastardly smile that matched her mistress'. "Oh, I believe I'm liking where this is going."

"As you should. Now come, dinner will be served in—"

However, Salem was interrupted by the sound the doors opening, but she did not move to face it whatsoever. The witch simply scowled as Cinder, Rojo and Emerald directed their attention to the door, catching a glimpse at who had just entered. There, with utter fear written across his face, was Tyrian. The scorpion man was shuffling his way slowly into the room, his tail hanging behind him stingerless and ineffective. Once he was in, he fell to his hands and knees whilst sobbing and muttering to himself, lowering his head to Salem. "I'm sorry." He raised a hand to his chin as his apprehension began to grow. "She'll forgive me… pleeease." Tyrian bowed his head to his mistress once again. "Forgive me."

"Tyrian!" Salem shouted, making his head whip up. There wasn't any anger behind her voice. Rather, she was more disappointed than anything else. She moved back around and approached the crazed man, who was cowering before her. Salem lowered her gaze to him before going on. "I have seen that you were… unsuccessful in your task."

"…Y-Yes." Tyrian replied while lowering his head again. Salem was about to move past him, but Tyrian continued on from there. "B-But hope is not lost!" He kept himself crouched as he hobbled around to keep himself facing Salem. "Watts and Animo! Th- _They_ can help me replace my tail, I KNOW they can! Once my stinger has been restored, I promise that I will please you in any way I can!" He raised his hands up to beg. "I swear I will!"

Salem stopped near the doorway, initially not even looking back at him. "Perhaps. But as of right now…" The witch moved her head so that she was merely glancing at Tyrian out of the corner of her eye. "You disappoint me." And with that, Salem walked out of the room, leaving Tyrian on his knees with Rojo, Cinder and Emerald keeping their distance from him.

As she left, Tyrian fell to his hands, his sobs becoming wails of agony and tears beginning to stream down his face. The one person whose opinion mattered to him the most was disappointed with him, and that only made him even more upset with himself. However, what he had failed to notice was a large Beowolf that had spawned behind him, the beast having been attracted to his grief. Emerald was about to warn him, but Rojo put an arm out in front of her, shaking her head slightly to warn her against it. The beast pounced at him, but Tyrian whirled around and let out a bloodcurdling scream, slamming the remainder of his tail into the Beowolf's side to knock it back.

"AAAAAAAUUGHH!" Tyrian activated his blades as the dark creature landed on the ground, jumping onto it immediately. Still wailing in utter sadness, he began slashing his blades into the Beowulf relentlessly. And, slowly but surely, his cried became his insane cackling once again, a wild and crazy smile coming to his face as his mind went elsewhere for the time being. "AAAAAHAHAHAHAAHAAAA!"

The three women who were still in the room could only gaze on in horror as Tyrian sliced into the Beowolf, their guts churning in discomfort at the whole thing. "I, uh… I think we should leave him alone." Emerald suggested.

"Yeah, it's obvious that he's got some issues to work out." Rojo winced.

"Good, then we're all in agreement." Cinder faced away from the gruesome scene with her compatriots, all three of them headed to the door as fast as their feet could carry them. "At this point, a break actually sounds rather nice right now."

* * *

Over the course of their flight back home, Yang had continued to seclude herself to her own personal corner of the ship's cargo hold. She was thinking over what she had done, as well as what her _mother_ had done. The woman that she was beginning to look up to had killed a young girl simply because she wasn't strong enough. True, the girl didn't _want_ to be strong, but at the same time, Raven hadn't considered any other options. And the more she thought about it, the more frustrated Yang became. _'How could she just take someone's life like that?'_ she balled her hands up into fists and slammed them against the bench she was sitting on. _'I know that she said it wasn't easy, but there must have been SOME other way she could've dealt with this!'_

However, there was something else weighing on her mind as well; the rift that she had put between her mother and herself. Ever since their first meeting, Yang had been all too eager to bond with her mother. But now that she had snapped at her, she was starting to think that all of it would end up being for nothing. She let out a sigh and laced her hands together on her knee, speaking out loud to try and convince herself of her own decision. "I _had_ to do it though. If I didn't give her the wakeup call she needs, then who would?!" She clawed at her hair and let out a yell. "GAH! Damn it! Why can't she admit that she's scared?!"

"I honestly couldn't tell you." Yang's eyes snapped open and she moved her gaze up to see Ben, smiling down at her softly. "Hey, haven't seen you since lunch."

"Y-Yeah." The Blonde Brawler stammered. "I'm just… still thinking."

Ben nodded to her. "Hm, I get ya. Well, we should be landing in a few minutes, so…"

Yang was taken aback by that fact. "Wait, it's been four hours already?!" She put a hand to her forehead. "I was over here for THAT long?!"

"Heh, yep, you were." Ben put an arm around her shoulders. "But honestly, I don't blame ya. Especially with all the stuff you're thinking about." The hero tilted his head to the side a bit. "So, have you been able to sort some things out?"

Yang leaned her head against his shoulder. "I don't know. Every time I think about it, I only feel worse. I feel bad for that girl, I feel bad for my mother… I just don't feel good."

"I've had those thoughts before." Ben concurred. "Speaking from experience, it ain't fun."

"That's putting it mildly." Yang raised an eyebrow to him. "But why don't we move on to something else. How's Swift doin'?"

Ben chuckled a little bit at that. "Hehe, she's glad to be moving around, I'll tell ya that. She, Ilia and Ruby haven't stopped talking with each other since."

Yang grinned and lifted her head up to him a little bit. "That's good to hear." But in a split second, her face fell again, going back to a bit of a frown. "…Ben?"

"Yeah, Yang? What's up?"

"Do you… think I made the right choice?" She shifted her eyes away in slight shame. "I mean, I was so angry at my mom for what she did… but at the same time, I'm wondering if I just ruined whatever we could've had."

The Omnitrix bearer let out a sigh of his own and mulled over the question for a bit, giving his answer a second later. "Well, I can tell you one thing; fights between family are nothing new to me. I've had arguments with my parents, my grandpa, and of course, my cousin. But in the end, a family bond isn't something that's easily broken." He pulled Yang a bit closer to him in a reassuring hug. "It's like you said before; you and Raven need some time away from each other right now. Hopefully it'll give both of you the time you need to think over everything."

"Yeah, I guess. I just wish that she would've been more honest about it in the first place." Yang's head lowered back down again. "If she had…" But then she shook the idea away from her mind. "Man, I've gotta stop thinking about all of these "what if's". The only thing that matters is that it happened and I gotta deal with it."

Ben gave his girlfriend a peck on the lips, managing to perk her up a little bit. "Don't worry, Goldie Locks. I'm sure you'll figure this out."

Yang smiled back, responding with a second, more passionate kiss. "Hehe, thanks, Green Boy." As that happened, the couple began to feel the ship stop and lower itself to the ground, signaling their arrival. "Well, guess we're home."

"Yep, and after today, I'm pretty glad for it." Ben made to stand up, with Yang doing the same. "C'mon, let's get inside and relax."

The couple went over to the rest of the team, who were already beginning to disembark the ship as its ramp lowered to the ground below. As most of their friends walked down to the ground below, they saw Ruby, Ilia and Swift standing with each other, the three girls saying their goodbyes. "So, will you gals be around tomorrow?" Swift asked.

"More than likely." Ilia nodded. "But Blake told me that we're probably going to be going into town tomorrow too." The chameleon girl gestured to her stealth suit. "If you hadn't noticed, I'm not exactly wearing something that can be considered "casual"."

"Heh, gotcha." Swift gave them a wave. "Well, I guess I'll see you guys later then?"

Ruby gave her a thumbs up. "You can bet on it!" It was at that moment that she noticed her sister and Ben approaching, meeting them with a soft smile. "Hey, sis… how're you doing?"

Yang shrugged her shoulders. "Well, so-so, I'd say. But I think I'll be okay for the most part." The blonde shifted her eyes toward Swift and gave her a wink. "Hey, Swifty. How's it feel to be out and about?"

Swift rolled her eyes at the nickname but kept her smile on. "Hah, I gotta admit, it's nice to be able to move more than three feet." She lifted her leg and pointed to her anklet. "Even if I'm still not allowed to leave the ship, it's still _something_."

"Hey, I'm just glad that Coco and Vel are giving you a chance." Yang gave the Aerophibian a pat on the shoulder. "Good luck with what comes next though, 'cause it's gonna be a doozy."

"Probably, but I've been through worse." Swift reciprocated the wink and jabbed her thumb off of the ship. "Now go on, you're overdue for some rest after today."

"Thanks, and see ya!" With that, the five remaining teammates stepped off of the ship and onto the driveway, with the familiar visage of the Xiao Long house standing before them. Yang took in a breath of fresh air and declared; "Ah, home sweet home!"

"And man, am I glad for it." Sun spoke up. "After the chaos of today, I can go for a good rest."

"Right there with you, Sun." Blake agreed before noticing that nobody but them was out there. "Huh… you know, I expected a bigger welcoming committee—"

_SLAM_! The cat girl got her wish when the front door swung open, startling everyone there. Standing on the other side were Tai, Athena, Jonathan, Mary and Max, all of them beaming at them with pride. In addition, Romulus and Rema came bolting out of the house, the two pup running toward their respective owners. "Kids!" Tai greeted with a wave. "Haha! Welcome back!" He jogged out toward his daughters with Max settling for a steady walk toward his grandchildren, with Athena and the Arcs heading for their children as well. Tai pulled his girls in for a hug, which they quickly returned. "How was the big mission, huh? You guys kick ass and take names?"

"Heh, yeah dad, we did." Yang assured. "I got to beat up the big elephant guy for ya."

When Max finally made it over, his eyes immediately caught sight of Ben, and he let out a gasp at how injured his grandson was. "Dear lord, Ben! What in the world happened to you?" We went over and began inspecting the injuries closer. "Did Trumbipulor do all of this?"

Ben's hand went to the back of his head in nervousness. "Oh, heh, no grandpa, he didn't. This was all Sienna Khan's doing."

Seeing their grandfather's initial confusion, Gwen decided to explain further. "She's the leader of the White Fang, and since Ben ended up causing a lot of damage to her palace… plus a few other things… she decided to challenge him to a fight, one where he couldn't use the Omnitrix."

Kevin pointed over to his best friend. "Add the fact that she's a tiger Faunus who's got razor sharp nails, and you've got a recipe for an ass-whuppin'."

After taking all of the information in, Max gave a small nod. "Ah, I see. Well, I'm just glad that you all came home in one piece. And you managed to bring in Trumbipulor to boot!"

Ruby raised her hand. "Oh! And Holiday and I took out Simian by ourselves!"

Max's eyebrows rose up in surprise. "My word, that's very impressive. Simian's quite the crafty combatant, so you two should be proud of yourselves."

"Oh, we are." Holiday supported as she came over and gave Ruby a small pat on the shoulder. "But that doesn't mean that we should brag about it, right Ruby?"

"I know, but you gotta admit," Ruby gave Holiday a thumbs up, "we made a good team out there."

"You know it!" Rex announced as he joined them as well. "I think we proved today that this team is gettin' pretty good at takin' down bad guys."

Tai put his hands on his hips, impressed by the feats he was hearing. "Ha, I see. Well, I'm just glad that everything worked—" But then he cut himself off when he noticed the addition of one extra head, which took him by surprise. "Oh! Ilia! I didn't expect to see you back here!"

Ilia wore a sheepish smile and waved to the man. "Hehe, hey Mr. Xiao Long. Yeah, quite honestly, I didn't expect to be back either, but… I ended up joining the team!"

Tai blinked a couple times before realizing what that meant. With a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumped and he lurched forward. "I'll go get the spare mattress. There must be SOME room left in my house for you." The whole group had a good laugh at that before Tai stopped his overdramatics and began searching for another certain someone. "So, uh… Yang, where's your mother? Did she go back to the tribe already?"

At that, the whole group became apprehensive, with Yang wincing a bit at the question. "…Dad, there's something that you should know." From there, the blonde began recapping everything major that had gone down in the White Fang palace and on Tetrax's ship. From Salem making an unexpected visit, to Raven revealing herself to be the Spring Maiden, and finally to the fight that happened between them, Yang explained it all. By the end, both Tai and Max wore faces of disbelief, even when they knew that Yang was telling the truth. "Well, that's basically it." she concluded.

Tai stared back at his daughter, still processing what he had just been told. His ex… was the Spring Maiden? That was _insane_. He took in a deep breath and let it out, running a hand through his hair all the while. "Well, that's… that's pretty big, I have to say."

Max put a finger to his chin, thinking over everything he had just been told. "Hmm, well, while I can't exactly agree with the way that Raven went about getting the Maiden powers, we still have to accept the fact that we still need her help." The old Plumber crossed his arms. "If we let our guard down, then Salem will eventually find out about it and she'll start to hunt Raven down relentlessly."

At that moment, Winter and Weiss came over, the former giving the semi-retired Plumber a nod. "As much as I detest Raven for what she's done, you're right, Max. We cannot afford to lose her to Salem."

Weiss sent a worried glance to her sister. "You don't think Raven would… _betray_ us, do you?"

"Not likely. After all," Winter sent her gaze onto Yang, "it's obvious that she's come to care about her daughter far too much to let it come to that." Yang simply turned away from Winter, the blonde going back to her thoughts from before. "What I'm more worried about is the possibility of Salem sending her forces after Raven and _taking_ the Maiden powers… by any means necessary."

"We can't let her do that!" Tai shouted, taking everyone by surprise. "I've already had Summer die on me! I'm NOT about to let Raven suffer the same fate!"

Ruby ran over to her dad and placed a hand on his arm, calming him down. "Dad, it's okay. I promise that we won't let Salem kill her."

"Right." Ben raised a vowing fist. "Nobody is gonna die on our watch, Tai. You have my word." However, just as he said that, he felt a tapping on his shoulder, making him turn around to see Coco, Cooper and Velvet standing behind him. "Oh, hey guys. What's up?"

Cooper sent a salute his way. "Well, we just thought we'd say our goodbyes to you for now."

Velvet raised her scroll up and continued. "We just got a call from Yatsu and they said that they'll probably be home in about an hour. So we should really get back to our apartment back in town."

Tai raised a hand up to them. "Oh, do you guys need a lift?"

Coco shook her head and jabbed a thumb back to the ship itself. "Nah, Tetrax said that he could take us back. You guys just have a good time here. And hey," the fashionable girl pointed over to Ilia. "I'll be seeing you tomorrow, 'kay?"

Ilia gave her a wave back. "Yep! And thanks again for offering to help me out with my wardrobe, Coco."

"No problem! See ya guys later!" Coco called back as she, Cooper and Velvet began boarding the ship again, its ramp rising up the moment they got on. With its cloak activating as it rose up into the air, the Resolute flew off toward Patch, leaving the group to continue their discussion.

* * *

Meanwhile, over by the front porch of the house, Jaune and his team, as well as Neptune and Penny, had just finished regaling his parents and Athena about their escapades in Menagerie, the three adults hooked onto every word that they said. However, as fascinating as the story was, Jaune could tell that Athena was sensing that something was off. The woman wore an intrigued expression as the story went on, especially at the parts where the teens would sometimes falter. All the same though, Jaune clapped his hands together and gave a smile to his parents, who were staring at him and his team with widened eyes. "And that's pretty much the gist of what happened." he finished. "So, whaddya think?"

"What do I think?!" Jonathan went over and pulled his son into an over-the-shoulder hug. "I think that was tremendous! HAHA! To think that my son and his team took on the White Fang with their friends… and won!" The man raised a victorious fist into the air. "I say this calls for a celebration!"

Mary came over and gave Jaune a full-on hug. "Oh, I am so PROUD of you, honey!" She gave him a kiss on the cheek and added; "I just wish that your sisters were here to see you come back. Then it'd be a VERY big hero moment."

Jaune couldn't help but blush. "Ah, I'm sure they'd find _some_ way to heckle me about it. Heck knows that Blanche would."

Pyrrha, who was holding Romulus in her arms, rolled her eyes and nudged her boyfriend's side. "Oh, come now, Jaune. They wouldn't do that."

"Yeah!" Nora piped up as well. "They'd probably worship the ground you walked on if they learned you helped take down the White Fang!"

Jaune smiled back at the two of them. "Thanks, but compared to what you two and Penny did in facing off against Hazel, all I did was help out a little."

Off to the side, Penny chuckled sheepishly a bit. "Hehe, well, to be fair, Rex and I served to whittle him down. Really it was Kevin, Nora and Pyrrha who did a lot of the work."

But Jonathan simply waved his hand at that. "Ah, c'mon, you should give yourselves more credit!" The man gave them a big toothy grin and gestured to everyone in the front yard. "After all, _everyone_ counted in this mission." As if he could sense uncertainty among them, Jonathan directed his gaze to a certain blue-haired boy. "Yes, even you, Neptune."

Neptune gave a surprised yelp and put his hands behind his head, glancing off to the side. "Y-Yeah, thanks." But in his mind, he couldn't help but think; _'Damn, he's good.'_

Athena gave a nod and placed an arm on her daughter's shoulder, beaming to her with pride. "I couldn't agree more. My dear, you and your friends managed to pull off something that many thought impossible." She offered a wink down to her child. "I would say that's a good sign of your future."

"Thanks, mom." Pyrrha returned as she pet Romulus' head. "I'm just glad that this is all over, at least for now." The Invincible Girl gave out a yawn, which quickly passed through the whole group. "Besides, I'm ready for a bit of rest."

"I'm sure you are." Athena concurred before remembering something. She turned to the Arcs and asked; "Oh, Jonathan, Mary, didn't you two bring the… "you know what" we've been working on for the kids?"

The couple's eyes widened and Mary whipped around to her husband. "Oh, Jonathan, she's right!" She went over and began excitedly ushering her husband back toward their minivan. "They're still in the car, come on!"

As the two made their way to their car, everyone was curious as to what they were talking about, with Ren speaking their thoughts; "Athena, what's going on here?"

Jaune narrowed his eyes at the woman in suspicion. "Yeah… what's the big secret?"

Athena raised a reassuring hand. "All in due time, Jaune. But first, we need to discuss what else happened on Menagerie." The Mistralian Huntress gave them all a rather stern expression. "You mentioned Hazel's presence on the island, and I understand not going into detail because of Jon and Mary being here. But something tells me that there was more that you neglected to mention." She raised an eyebrow, keeping the pressure on. "What _else_ happened there?"

The group of six teens shifted their eyes toward each other warily before Pyrrha let out a sigh, relenting to her mother's wishes. "Mom, there were actually a lot more of Salem's people on Menagerie at the time. Ben's crew were able to handle them… but then…" She had to take a breath to brace herself for what came next. "Gwen sensed an immense dark energy arrive on the island, and Hazel told us that it was Salem herself."

Athena gasped, a chill of fear going through her briefly. "What?!" she whispered harshly. "You actually _saw_ Salem?!"

"Not us." Nora clarified. "But Ben and his crew DID. Ben tried to fend her off, but she just damaged Humungousaur's DNA for his troubles." She sent her gaze over to the hero, who was beginning to approach with the rest of the team as well as Tai and Max. "Now he can't even transform into Humungousaur until he gets the Omnitrix fixed."

Penny folded her arms, her eyes transfixed to the ground. "And what's more… Raven revealed to us that _she_ has been the Spring Maiden all this time." The redheaded android glanced up to see Athena's jaw hanging slack, which was to be expected. "Yes, that was our reaction."

Athena placed a hand to her forehead. "By the gods. This… this is getting rather intense." She set her eyes onto Jaune and gave him a worried look. "Jaune, Salem's attacks will probably continue to grow more relentless from here. I'm beginning to think that we won't be able to keep this a secret from your parents for much longer."

Jaune pursed his lips in thought. Initially, he had wanted his parents to stay ignorant of Salem because he knew that they'd worry about him even more than they had before. He had wanted it to stay that way for at least a bit longer, but after seeing Yang's earlier fight with her mother, he wasn't so sure now. _'I don't want me and my family to come to that.'_ he thought to himself. _'It's time that everything be let out of the bag. If I'm going to ASK for more honesty from others, I had better start practicing what I preach.'_ Jaune directed his sights back onto Athena with a nod. "You're right. It's time I told my parents everything."

"So we're in agreement." Athena acknowledged. "First thing tomorrow, we'll tell them."

Neptune raised a brow at that. "Tomorrow? Why not tell 'em now?"

Athena wore a guilty face at the question. "I don't want to ruin the moment for them, especially with the gifts that they've brought."

Pyrrha blinked at the word her mother used. "Wait, gifts?!"

"That's right!" Jonathan announced as he and Mary returned with two large cases, both with swiveling wheels beneath them. On top of the cases were a bunch of smaller boxes, three on each one, all with colorful wrapping paper around them. The couple were rolling them up the driveway with the rest of the team behind them, all of them intrigued by what the two had brought with them. "And let me tell ya, they weren't easy to make!"

Jaune and Pyrrha were taken aback by what the man had just said. "W-Wait, dad, you MADE us gifts?!"

"For what reason?" Pyrrha furthered. "I mean, it can't be for our birthdays."

"Who says it can't be?" Mary countered. "After all, Jaune couldn't be home for his eighteenth birthday because he was at Beacon."

"And neither could you, my dear." Athena added. "So think of these as belated birthday gifts from the three of us."

Off to the side, Nora gave her friends a smirk and crossed her arms. "Man, you guys are pretty lucky, huh?"

But Jonathan was quick to raise a finger to her. "Ah-ah, don't think we've forgotten about you and Ren, Nora." He and his wife picked up the wrapped boxes and went over to the Pink Dynamo and green ninja, handing them off. "These ones are all from my husband and I to the both of you."

"WHAT?!" Nora exclaimed as she was given three boxes. "You can't be serious!"

"Jonathan, you didn't have to do this." Ren spoke up as he was given his own gifts.

"Oh, but we did." Mary insisted. "I know that my husband has said it multiple times before, but we want you both to feel welcome in our family." The brunette stepped forward and gave them both a hug. "Jaune told us about how hard both of your lives were before coming to Beacon, so I want to let you know that, if you find yourselves at any hard point in your lives, you can always come to us."

Ren and Nora both stood there, utterly stunned by the woman's kind words. All at once, they both quickly set down their gifts and returned her embrace, with Nora practically bawling her eyes out. "Th-Thank you, Mrs. A!" she cried. "You really didn't have to be this nice!"

"I know, but we _wanted_ to." Mary assured. "Now c'mon, open your gifts!"

"Alright," Ren complied, "but I only wish that we could give the both of you something in return."

"Ah, no need!" Jonathan waved off. "You've already given our family plenty." He picked up one of Ren's boxes and handed it back to the green ninja. "Come on, aren't you the least bit excited for this? For the record though, I recommend unwrapping them all at once."

Ren sighed and took the box, with Nora picking up her own. The duo took the Arc patriarch's advice and unwrapped all of the gifts at once, revealing that they all appeared to be a bunch of clothing and footwear boxes. Their interest piqued, they both opened the first boxes they unwrapped, and their eyes lit up simultaneously. "Oh my word." Ren pulled out a new tailcoat that was similar to the one he was wearing now, only it had a somewhat higher collar, no sleeves, silver ornate trimming instead of gold, and it was in _two_ shades of green instead of green and black. It appeared to be exactly his size as well. "This is…"

"NEW COMBAT GEAR!" Nora exclaimed as she pulled out a navy bomber jacket out of her first box. It had red lining along its inside along with two pink stripes along its poofy sleeves, which were very short and had pink cuffs on the end, complete with buckles. "This is so cool—AH!" She screamed with joy when she saw the back of the jacket. "They even put my EMBLEM on it!" She flipped the jacket around to show it off to everyone who were all enamored by it.

"Woah, that's so cool!" Sun exclaimed.

" _And_ it's really sleek." Blake added, the cat girl carrying Rema in her arms.

Nora hugged the jacket close to her chest. "It's freaking AWESOME is what it is!" She directed her attention back to the Arcs. "How did you even GET all of this?!"

"Well, there's a place in town that specializes in specialty clothes, especially ones used by Huntsman and Huntresses." Mary explained. "I just had Athena send me over a few designs and I gave them to the people there to put on the clothing." She put a hand over her chest. "As for the clothes themselves, my girls and I picked them out ourselves. I think you'll find that they're quite "on the cutting edge" of Hunter fashion."

"This is incredible!" Nora ran forward and gave Mary another hug. "Thank you so, so, SO MUCH!"

"Haha! You're very welcome." Mary then saw that Ren was still looking over his new tailcoat, which caught her interest. "Is there anything wrong, Ren?"

"O-Oh, no, nothing at all." Ren stammered slightly. "It's just… it's been a while since I've received a gift like this."

Nora's face fell slightly at that. "Yeah, birthdays didn't exactly come easy for us on the road. It was only during the school year where we had our first BIG birthday bash."

Off to the side, Yang let out a laugh. "Ha, I remember that night! Talk about wild!"

Jaune rubbed his head as the memory came back. "Yeah, and I'm pretty sure Goodwitch remembers it too. We got in SO much troub—I mean, we had a good time!" The blonde knight had to quickly save his statement when his parents each gave him a questioning glance. "Hehe, anyway, moving on." He nudged Pyrrha and gestured over to the two large cases, which were marked with a "J" and "P" on their lids. "So, whaddya think's in these things? I mean, it can't be clothes, right?"

"I suppose there's only one way to find out, isn't there?" Pyrrha stepped forward and unclasped the locks on her case's the lid, with Jaune doing the same with his. The couple slowly opened them up… and their jaws nearly fell to the ground.

Athena and Jonathan wore knowing smiles, with the former saying; "…Well? What do you think?"

"This… this is unbelievable!" Pyrrha exclaimed as she reached into the box. From it, she pulled out a brand-new breast plate, one that put her old one to shame in every aspect. It was an over bust armored corset that was made of a very sturdy and shiny bronze, complete with a pair of over-the-shoulder maroon leather straps that were attached to a set of matching pauldrons. What's more, the armor had fine red detailing on every piece of plating, though Pyrrha's eyes quickly caught sight of her Emblem having been etched into each of the pauldrons. "Is this ALL new armor?!"

"Holy crap!" Jaune reached into his own case and pulled out his own new breastplate, this one a being MUCH better than his current one. This breastplate was bigger and appeared to be able to cover more of his upper body, at least he assumed it would. It was pearly white with gold detailing, which matched Corcea Mors Mk. II almost exactly. The blonde knight was almost at a loss for words, as were the rest of the team as they ogled at the new armor. "How… how did you guys GET all of this?!"

Jonathan sent the two a wink. "Well… on Saturday, during Ruby's party, I met up with Festus Vulcan and we had a little chat. I told him that I wanted to you a new set of armor, and I asked if I could use his forge. I'm very glad he agreed because, let's face it son," Jonathan knocked his knuckle against Jaune's chest, "this thing is NOT the best thing to go into battle with. ESPECIALLY since you're not even covered up fully."

Jaune gave a shrug, his gaze going down toward his old armor as well. "Well, I can't blame you on that one."

It was then that Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "Wait… what about _my_ armor then? And how did you get my measurements?"

"That was on my part, dear." Athena answered. "I heard Jonathan's idea and I practically jumped at the chance to forge your own." The woman prodded her daughter's bare shoulder. "After all, you aren't especially all that well covered for battle either, young lady. Some shoulder armor never hurt, _right_?"

Pyrrha pouted slightly, sensing an ulterior motive to her mother's gift. "Hmph, I suppose so."

Ruby zipped up and set her eyes upon the two pieces of armor, positively enamored by the craftsmanship. "Well, I gotta hand it to you guys, you and Mr. Vulcan really did a great job on them! I don't wear armor myself, but wow, this is some impressive quality!"

"You bet it is, Ruby." Jaune said as he went back to the case with the rest of his new armor. "And I can't wait to try this on!" He placed the chest plate back into the case and pulled his parents into an embrace. "Mom, dad, thank you SO much for this! This is probably one of the greatest gifts you guys have ever given me."

"Indeed." Pyrrha concurred as she pulled her mother into a side-hug. "Thank you for this grand gift."

"Ah, no problem, guys." Jonathan said as the hug ended. "Now, how about we all go inside? There's something that Max showed US that we've been eager to show YOU all."

"Oh yeah!" Tai called out before rushing back into the house. "We were just finishing up another episode before you guys arrived! C'mon!"

As everyone began filing in, with Team JNPR taking their new gear in with them, Ben couldn't help but be surprised by what the two blonde men were talking about. His _grandfather_ had shown them a piece of Earth media? And they were excited about it? What could it have been? _'I mean, I only brought so many TV shows, movies and video games from our world, and there's not much that grandpa likes in there, so what IS it?'_ With that thought stirring in his head, Ben faced his grandfather with an injurious stare. "Uh… grandpa? What did you show them?"

Max chuckled and he ushered everyone to the living room as the group walked into the house, pointing to the TV as Tai grabbed the remote. "Hehe, well Ben, I decided to introduce them to an old Tennyson family tradition. And now that you and your friends are back, I think its time that THEY saw it as well." The old man gave Tai the okay. "Tai, if you would."

With a quick press of the play button, Tai complied with Max's request beginning the next episode of the show. By the first note of the opening music sting, both Ben and Gwen brightened up, their eagerness growing when they saw the great void of space and stars come onto the screen. "Grandpa, you didn't!" Gwen beamed with excitement

"If FORGOT we had this show with us!" Ben added with a laugh. "Haha! This is great!"

Yang raised a curious brow at her boyfriend. "Uh, what're you talking about Green Boy?"

However, before he could respond, an opening narration came from the television, with the music beginning to pick up as well; _"Space… the final frontier."_ Right after it said that, a space ship came zooming from the distance before disappearing again, only for it to reappear in a fade-in transition as it flew by a red planet. _"These are the voyages of the starship… Enterprise. It's five-year mission: to explore strange, new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before."_ With the Enterprise zooming past the screen once again, the opening theme played on, and the title of the show was finally revealed; "Star Trek".

As the opening credits went by, the whole team eagerly stared at the screen, with Yang smiling a little and giving a chuckle. "Alright, I'm in."

Everyone was quick to agree with her as they all took their seats, though by the end of it all, the living room was rather crowded. Ruby in particular took a seat by the window with Penny and Weiss, but the moment that she did, her eyes caught a glimpse of something out in the nearby tree. With the sky beginning to turn to dusk, it was a little hard to make out. But once she did, Ruby could tell that it could only be one thing; a raven. Her lips parted in surprise as she and the bird made eye-contact, only for it to fly off a moment later, leaving one of its feathers behind. _'…Raven?'_

* * *

**A/N: Well, there you have it folks. I told you that there's be some heavy family drama, didn't I? A rift has now been formed between Raven and Yang over a great mistrust, and both of them are quite upset about it. Will Raven admit her shortcomings and try to make it up to her daughter? Will Yang be able to sort out her inner turmoil and work out her feelings toward her mother? The only way to be sure is to stay tuned and see what happens next. And hey, it seems like Cinder enjoys heavy metal. Who knew? This was actually the start of me implementing music a bit more, and I think I did pretty well with it all things considered.**

**Of course, that's not ALL that happened with our villains. It seems that Salem's planning on doing something, and judging by the sound of it, it ain't good. On the brighter side of things though, Swift's got Velvet and Coco's favor and she's not stuck in her cell anymore! Sure, she can't leave the ship, but it's an improvement. What's even better is that, yes, Team JNPR are FINALLY getting their outfit changes! And yes, it's their Volume 4 through 6 clothes. I like JNR's Atlas outfits (despite Jaune's stupid coif), but they're definitely indicative of where they were made, and I don't think regular stores outside of Atlas would have those kinds of clothes. Plus, I made Pyrrha her own new armor! YAY! They're gonna start wearing their new outfits in the next chapter, so look forward to that. Also, the gang's been introduced to Star Trek! I admittedly wanted to focus on it a bit more in this chapter, but I decided to save it for the next chapter as well. Trust me, I'm not about to just gloss over something like Star Trek.**

**Alright, with all of that out of the way, NEXT TIME! As the next day comes, Ruby decides to take a jaunt into the woods to visit a very special place… only to find that a certain Spring Maiden is there as well. After Ruby returns home though, most of the gang head into town for a day of recreation, with Yang tagging along to get her mind off of what happened between her and her mother. But is everything as peaceful as it seems? Or will something come up and interrupt their day of fun? Thanks for reading guys and I'll see you all next time!**


	82. A Needed Visit

**A/N: Hey guys,** **time for another new chapter, and thankfully, it's a casual one this time. One where the characters can breath a little after the giant story arc we just had. Not to say there won't be any important stuff in this one, because there is, trust me.** **Alright, so lets get on with the chapter, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 82: A Needed Visit**

* * *

As the morning sun began gracing the sky of a brand-new day on Patch, a lone figure was making her way through the island's dense forest, the path to her destination all too familiar to her. Ruby Rose had her hood up over her head as she pressed on through the woods, not even flinching when a bunch of Beowolves began rushing at her. She had done this song and dance before, and she didn't have any problems with doing it again. A few shots here, some slices there, and a few combos in-between were all it took to down them in seconds. "Sorry boys, maybe next time." Ruby smirked as she holstered Crescent Rose. "But not likely."

While she normally would enjoy the feeling of an early morning hunt, Ruby's mind was currently focusing on other things, namely what she had seen out of the living room window the night before. _'It HAD to be Raven, I'm sure of it.'_ She put her hand to her chin in thought. _'I wonder if she even went BACK to her tribe. Maybe she used her connection with dad to just come back here.'_

Ruby let out a sigh, her shoulders going slack for a bit. "I don't get it. I should be mad at Raven for what she did… but I can't get that fight between her and Yang out of my head." Her silver-eyes glanced around, realizing only then that there was no one around to hear her woes. "…And I forgot that I'm talking to myself. _Great_." She ran a hand through her hair, pushing her hood off in the process. _'Still, I really don't want to see such a good thing come undone because of this. Maybe when I talk to mom, I'll get some ideas on how to handle this.'_

It was then that Ruby finally saw her destination, eliciting a small yet sad smile. There, peaking out just past the trees, was a large cliff overlooking the rest of the rather expansive forest. The colors of the surrounding autumn leaves under the rising sun only accentuated the majesty of the view, the oranges, reds and yellows making it appear warm and welcoming. However, what Ruby was focused on the most was the white slab that was at the very edge of the cliff; her mother's grave stone. The Hooded Huntress would often find herself coming here, whether it was to pay her respects or to speak with her mom about something. But she hadn't been out here since the beginning of the Vytal Tournament, and that meant she had a LOT of new stuff to talk about with her mom.

However, just as she was about to step out into the open, she nearly let out a gasp when she saw something fly down from the sky and land in front of the grave; a raven. Upon a second glance, she saw that it had a white rose in its talons, taking her aback even more so. All at once, the bird transformed, and Raven Branwen was standing in its place, now holding the rose in her hand. Ruby's hand went to her mouth and she hunkered down behind a nearby bush, watching as Raven approached the grave.

' _What is SHE doing here?!"_ The young girl thought to herself. _'I mean, I probably should've guessed that she knew mom's grave was here, but—'_

Ruby cut her thought off when Raven knelt down in front of the grave, setting the white rose gently upon it. "…Hey partner." she spoke with a forlorn smile. "I suppose that it's been a while since I last visited, huh?" Raven sat down on the ground cross-legged, settling in for a conversation. "Guess that's my own fault though. I've been busy with… a lot of things." The woman's eyes shifted off to the side. "Many of which I'm not proud of. But I think that you and I both know that I'm not one to make the best decisions."

A ways behind the Spring Maiden, Ruby's eyes widened in awe. _'Raven's… talking to mom?'_

Raven let out a little chuckle, bringing Ruby back to reality. "I, uh, I decided to come back, Summer. After all this time, I finally found the courage to come back and bond with my daughter… but I also wanted to thank you. You were a better mother to Yang than I ever could've been, and I can't express how grateful I am to you for that." Raven closed her eyes in remorse. "I… only wish that I had the courage to tell you that a lot sooner. And I'm so sorry that I couldn't." She craned her head upward and opened her eyes, wistfully staring off into the distance. "I'm sure you would be amazed to see just how much Yang's grown. Hell, she's even got a pretty nice boyfriend. You'd probably like him."

Ruby couldn't help but smirk at that. _'Oh yeah, totally.'_ She could already picture her mom doting on Ben and making her signature chocolate chip cookies for him.

"I know that you probably think I'm jealous that you and Tai got together after I left, and honestly, I _was_ a little bit." Raven gave a shrug. "But then again, that's my own fault. I probably should've seen it coming, really. Still… I'm glad that you two created such a nice girl. She's your spitting image, and I think you'd be proud to see the young woman she's growing into."

That comment nearly made Ruby go catatonic. _'She's giving ME a compliment?!'_

A pained expression took over Raven's face and she lowered her head. "…But we both know not everything can be all sunshine and rainbows, not when _I'm_ involved." She took a deep breath before going on. "Summer, I screwed up. I've made some awful decisions that I wish I hadn't, and I'm paying the price for them. I really felt that Yang and I were beginning to form a deep connection… and then I stepped in it." Raven rested her cheek against her hand, her gaze lowering to the grave. "I'm the Spring Maiden now, Summer. I thought that I could finally find the bravery to take Salem on with these powers… but the moment I came face to face with her, I froze. I did _nothing_."

Raven took a brief pause and breathed out heavily, her eyes brimming with tears. "I screwed up so much… and I hate myself for it. I feel SO much guilt for taking that girl's life, for lying to my daughter and her friends, and… and… god damn it." Raven's tears began falling down her face, the woman covering her face with her hand as she struggled to go on. "Yang and I got into a fight. And what she said… it frustrates me, but I _know_ that it's true. I'm afraid. I'm so _damned_ afraid and I was too stuck in the Branwen ways to admit it!" She balled her hand into a fist and hit the ground hard, making the nerves in her hand tingle. "I'm a _fucking_ coward!"

It was at that moment where Raven lost control, finally breaking down in front of her best friend's grave. Her cries of sadness could be heard echoing off of the cliffside, but Ruby didn't have any trouble hearing the woman's turmoil. It nearly came to the point where she herself was beginning to tear up, struggling to keep herself silent so that Raven wouldn't catch her. When Raven was able to finally get a hold of herself, she reached over and ran her hand gently across the grave's inscription; _"Summer Rose - Thus Kindly I Scatter"_ She took a groggy breath and let out a small weep. "I really wish you were here, partner. You'd probably know what to do."

Despite herself, Ruby mumbled to herself; "Yeah… so do I."

However, her voice was just loud enough to gain Raven's attention, the woman whipping her head up in a flash. Ruby's eyes widened and she ducked further beneath the bush, all while Raven sprang up and withdrew Omen. "WHO'S THERE?!" she called out, her voice cracking from all of the crying she had done. "Come out and show yourself!"

The threat only served to make Ruby even more worried. It was obvious that Raven was not in a sound state of mind, and she didn't want to risk making it even worse. But then, a passing thought went through her head; _'Help her.'_ The idea made Ruby pause for a moment as she took hold of it and steeled herself to it. _'I know that he probably doesn't want my help, but gosh darn it, she needs someone to talk to.'_

With her mind made up, Ruby called out; "Wait!" Her voice made Raven whirl around to her position, only for the Spring Maiden to let her guard down when Ruby revealed herself. The Hooded Huntress raised her hands up and offered a kind smile. "It's okay… it's only me."

Raven's eyes widened in shock, her grip on Omen slacking a bit. "Ruby…" She sheathed her blade as the girl drew closer, still somewhat taken aback. "How long have you been here?"

Ruby wore a guilty smile. "Well, let's just say I heard everything and call it at that."

The tribe leader's brows snapped up. "…Even the part where I mentioned you?" Ruby gave a nod and Raven sighed. "Well, I suppose things can't get much worse for me now."

A small chuckle escaped Ruby's lips. "Hehe, I guess you're not the type who find it easy to talk about personal feelings, huh?"

"Hardly." Raven crossed her arms and lowered her head back to Summer's grave, a pained look coming to her face. "Listen, I'm not here to cause any trouble. I just—"

"Wanted to visit." Ruby smiled kindly. "I understand. And I know you're not here to make trouble." Her features became downtrodden briefly. "Trust me, after what happened on the ride home, I don't think any of us want that."

"On that, we can agree." Raven concurred. "So, I'm guessing that you were coming out here to do the same as me? Pay your respects?"

Ruby nodded as she stepped closer, standing next to Raven. "Yeah, I come out here every once and a while." She sent a soft smile down to her mother's gravestone. "Hey mom, it's me, Ruby. I see that you and Raven have been… talking."

Raven pursed her lips and turned her head to the side. "Ruby, you just saw me break down into a wreck. You don't have to sugar coat it."

"Well, I know, but that's kind of what happens when you visit places like this." Ruby knelt down and put her hand on the grave. "It's sad, but it also gives you a chance to express how you feel. I find that it helps a lot."

"Yes, I guess it does." Raven directed her gaze out over the horizon as the sun began to rise, shining a bright orangish-yellow light across the area. "I sometimes wish… that I would've come here more often myself. Maybe if I had, I wouldn't be in the mess I'm in right now."

"Maybe… maybe not." The silver-eyed girl shrugged her shoulders. "Who can say? I mean, going by what a time traveler's been telling me, time is relative, and we have no control over what does or doesn't happen in the grand scheme of things."

Raven raised a brow at that. "Time traveler?"

"Professor Paradox. He's a friend of Ben's."

"Ah, I see." Raven crossed her arms. "Well, that sucks if that's the case." There was a long pause between the two before Raven lowered her head again. "Ruby, do you think that… that Yang hates me for what I've done?"

"WHAT?!" Ruby raised her hands and shook her head. "Of course not! …At least I'm _pretty_ sure she doesn't hate you. She's just really frustrated that you hid all of that stuff from us." She reached behind her head and rubbed her neck. "And to be honest… I can kind of agree that it wasn't the smartest decision."

Raven gave her a deadpan expression. "Yes, I am fully aware of that." She became saddened again when her eyes caught sight of the grave once again. "I can't believe how much I screwed all of this up. I let the Branwen Tribe's traditions dictate the way I made my decisions, and… I just wish that I could take it all back." She clenched her hand into a fist. "But I can't."

Another moment of silence passed between them before Ruby smiled up to Raven. "That may be true, but that doesn't mean that you can't make up for what you did."

The Spring Maiden shook her head. "Ruby, I _killed_ a young girl, the _Spring Maiden_ , and lied about it to all of you. How can I possibly make up for something like that?!"

Ruby winced at that. "Well, yeah, but I'm talking more along the lines of repairing your relationship with my sister."

"Easier said than done, I'm afraid." Raven turned away dejectedly. "After the screaming match we got into last night, I don't think Yang will want to see me for a long while."

"I wouldn't count on it." Ruby rebuked. "After you had your fight, Yang was pretty upset." She pointed a finger at Raven. "And no, she wasn't JUST upset with you, but at the whole _thing._ All we gotta do is get you two to sit down in a calm, relaxed environment so that you guys can talk this out."

Raven furrowed her brows at Ruby, the woman contemplating over the idea. "Ruby… why do you want to help me?" she asked. "You have no stakes in this."

In return, Ruby simply offered a kind grin. "Because I know that you genuinely want to make up for all of this, Raven." She gestured to her mother's grave. "After hearing you sit and speak with mom, I can tell that deep beneath that rough exterior is someone who truly wants to be a good mom. Yang's already lost one mom… and after waiting for so many years for you, I'm not about to let her lose another one." She quirked an eyebrow at the tribe leader. "And as for not having a stake, I stand to have an upset sister who may not get better until she talks to you. All I want is for Yang to be happy, and that's all the stake I need."

Raven stared at the young girl in astonishment. She was really willing to help her mend her relationship with her daughter? "Heh, and all this time I thought you would have resented me for leaving your father."

Ruby gave a so-so sign with her hand. "Eh, jury's still out on that one. I _am_ kinda mad that you left dad all those years ago. But at the same time, I'm not a big expert when it comes to romance." She waved her hand toward the woman. "If you wanna try and talk things out with dad, be my guest, but I don't think I can be much help on that one."

"I suppose that's fair." Raven nodded, a smile slowly forming on her face. "Thank you, Ruby. You really ARE just like your mother."

"I am?"

Raven crossed her arms and directed her sights to Summer's grave. "Heh, yep. Summer always felt the need to help people and be kind to them. If it weren't for that kindness, I probably wouldn't have bonded with my team the way I did." Her eyes stared off into the distance once again. "I owe a lot to that woman."

"Huh, that's pretty cool." Ruby said before eyeing Raven inquisitively. "Say… I know that this might be a lot to ask, but… do you think you can tell me more about her?" She received a questioning gaze from Raven, which made her shrink back a bit. "See, dad and Uncle Qrow would always get a bit upset whenever I tried to bring mom up… or drunk in Qrow's case."

"Doesn't surprise me in the least." Raven said with an eyeroll.

"Yeah. And Yang only knows so much about her." Ruby shuffled her feet awkwardly. "So, I was wondering…"

Raven raised a hand, halting Ruby mid-sentence. "Say no more." The older woman gave Ruby a small smile. "It's the least I can do for you offering to help me. Now…" She sat down on the ground by the grave, crossing her legs again. "What would you like to know?"

Ruby sent a smirk down to the Spring Maiden. "Warning you now; I've got a LOT of questions."

"And I'm an answering machine." Raven pat the ground in front of her. "Now c'mon, pop a squat and let's get to it."

"Alright!" Ruby eagerly sat down across from Raven and began. "Well, why don't we start at the beginning…"

* * *

It had been almost over an hour when Ruby and Raven had finished their conversation, the young girl currently on her way back to her house. It was time for her little plan to be put into motion. _'By the end of today, Yang and Raven WILL be talking to each other.'_ she vowed in her had offered to come along, but Ruby advised against it for the time being.

"I don't think we should chance Yang being angry at seeing you again so soon." Ruby had rationalized. "Let me talk to her first and then we'll go from there, okay?"

Raven had agreed, though Ruby could tell that it was a reluctant one. "Well, alright. I hope that you're right about this, Ruby."

Ruby responded with a wink before she left. "Don't worry, I'll make sure to put in a good word for you. Oh, and thanks for telling me more about mom, too."

By the end of their talk, Ruby had gotten some great insight from Raven about just who her mother was as a person. While she wasn't surprised when Raven said that Summer was one of the nicest people ever, she WAS taken aback when she heard of all the trouble that they'd willingly put themselves into. _'Then again, I probably shouldn't.'_ she mulled over in her head. _'Team STRQ WAS practically the Team RWBY of back then.'_ Ruby shook her head as she approached her house, keeping her confidence about her. She could think about her mom's antics later. Right now, she had to focus on telling her sister about her encounter.

As she drew closer to her abode however, Ruby couldn't help but think back to how pleasant her overall conversation with Raven had been. For someone with such a tough attitude, the tribe leader was really not as hostile as she thought. _'Heh, I wonder if Raven's starting to grow on ME too.'_ Just as she came to the front porch, a certain blonde knight stepped out the door, decked out in his brand-new armor. "Jaune! Good morning!" Ruby waved.

Jaune's eyes immediately shot up to her and returned her gesture. The young man was still in his hoodie, the one he had bought from the mall a few weeks ago. But other than that, his outfit was practically all new. He was in a pair of new jeans that were thankfully less dingy than the other ones, as well as a pair of brown, laced steel-toed boots, the metal bits having been painted white to match his armor. Speaking of, he was wearing the new breastplate that he had taken out last night over his hoodie, with the addition of a matching single pauldron having been situated on his right shoulder. He had kept his detached orange sleeves, but over them, he had on a set of new white and gold bracers, each with an accompanying elbow pad. On his hands, he wore a pair black gloves with golden armored plating on their fingers, allowing for even more protection. On his waist was a new belt, one that had an added pouch to store Dust for his sword, which was situated on his left hip as always.

"Hey Ruby!" Jaune greeted. "Where've you been? Everyone's been searching for ya."

"Oh, I decided to visit my mom for a while." Ruby answered. "I had some things on my mind that I wanted to let out to her."

Jaune blinked in realization. "Oh… I see."

Ruby smirked and quirked a brow at him. "Ah, c'mon, no need to be so serious. I just visit her every once and a while is all." She knocked a hand against his pauldron. "But hey, getting used to your new armor, I see."

"Hehe, yeah." Jaune chuckled. "I can't _begin_ to tell you how great this stuff feels. It's lightweight, but it's also REALLY durable. I love it."

"I'm sure." Ruby nodded. "So, I'm guessing the others have—"

"RUBY!" A pink and black blur suddenly raced out from out the front door and stopped in front of the Hooded Huntress, startling her just a bit. "There you are!"

Of course, it was Nora, and she was in her new outfit as well. In addition to her new bomber jacket, she wore a white undershirt that had a heart-shaped cut-out in the middle of her chest. Though unlike her old white undershirt, this heart had a slash through it for some reason. Ruby wasn't sure if Nora had done that intentionally or not. The hyperactive girl was also wearing a detached white sleeve over her left elbow, as well as a pair of pink, fingerless gloves on each hand. She wore a new pleated pink skirt that was slightly longer than her old one, reaching half-way down her thigh with a matching pink belt around her waist. On her feet were a pair of knee-high pink socks, which she wore under a set of white calf-length boots. Said boots also had pink laces, along with black soles, half-wedges at the heel, and tips at the toe, bringing the whole ensemble together.

Ruby took notice of the outfit immediately and let out a happy yell. "AH! Nora, you look SO cute in that outfit!" she exclaimed as she grasped her friend by the hands.

"I KNOW, right?!" Nora bounced up and down excitedly. "I can't believe how great it feels to have new combat gear after being in my old one for so long!" She spun around in place, her skirt flaring out slightly as she did. "I feel so FREE!"

Jaune shifted his eyes away, fearing that he'd accidentally catch a glimpse of… _something_ by accident as Nora spun around. "Ahem, yes, I'm sure we ALL do, Nora."

At that moment, Nora let out a gasp and called into the house; "Hey Ren! Get out here and show Ruby how spiffy you look!"

One moment later, Ren stepped out, giving Nora a questioning face at the use of her vocabulary. The green ninja was now in his new tail coat, now accompanied by a black turtleneck under shirt and a pair of stark white pants. Some red tasseled ropes were hanging off of his hips, going up underneath his shirt before tying off at the small of his back. It was also finally made apparent that Ren hadn't had his hair cut in a long time, the ninja having untied it from his pony tail to let it hang loose, almost reaching his rear. On his arms were a pair of detached sleeves that slipped over his middle finger, the sleeves themselves having a violet to black gradient from his hand to the bicep. At the ends of the sleeves were detailed metal bracers holding them up. Finally, Ren wore a pair of black, open-toed sandals that were almost built like boots, going up all the way to his calf.

"I'm not sure if "spiffy" is the right word to describe it, Nora." Ren shrugged. "I was thinking more along the lines of… well…"

"Awesome?" Ruby guessed. "Because that's the vibe I'm getting."

Ren chuckled awkwardly at the suggestion. "Hehe, well yeah, I guess that IS what I was thinking of. And thanks for the compliment, Ruby."

"You're welcome. Also, your hair is very pretty." That got the reaction Ruby was hoping for; Ren blushing like a madman while putting his head against the doorframe in embarrassment. Nora went into hysterics, the redhead trying to console her friend as Jaune was trying desperately to hide his laughter. "Haha! Sorry, Ren!" Ruby apologized. "I couldn't resist."

Just then, the sound of boots stepping across the floor drew everyone's attention up, followed up by a familiar voice asking; "Alright, what's going on here?" Ruby whipped her head up and gasped at what she saw. Pyrrha, now in her own set of new armor, was standing in the doorway, her hands on her hips as she awaited an answer.

The Invincible Girl had kept many of her old accessories from her previous ensemble, namely her signature circlet that she kept on her head, the red sash around her hips with the bronze plate that had her emblem emblazoned on it, and the gorget that she wore around her neck. But other than that, it was all new. Pyrrha had donned her new armored corset, the pauldrons having settled nicely on her shoulders for more protection. On her arms were a pair of new maroon gloves, these ones a bit longer than the old ones. She also now had two bracers on each arm instead of just the singular one, each bracer having the same meticulous red detailing that her new breastplate had. Though in addition, the bracers also had a bright green diamond shape on them that matched her eyes and the jewels hanging from her circlet.

Along Pyrrha's waist was a pteruges made of maroon leather, with each strip having a gold, scale-shaped pattern at their tips. Her legs were adorned with maroon thigh-high boots, with wedges at the heels for some added height. Over the boots themselves, she wore a pair of shiny bronze cuisses attached to her thighs and a set of grieves on her lower legs. They all had the same red detailing on them that matched her corset and her bracers, the knee pads having a set of small green diamonds in the center to match said bracers.

Ruby broke out into a big toothy grin and let out a squee. "EEEEEEE!" She rushed over to Pyrrha and immediately began gushing over her new gear. "PYRRHA! Your. Armor. Is. AMAZING!" Her eyes lit up as she took it all in. "The detailing is great and I LOVE the cute little green diamonds! AH! So cool!"

Pyrrha smiled and nodded in agreement. "Yes, I must say that my mother and Jonathan did a great job on both mine and Jaune's armor. I'm absolutely thrilled to have something new to wear in battle."

"Yeah, our old outfits were starting to get pretty worn out." Jaune concurred as he flexed his arms outwards. "And honestly, these just feel better to move in."

"Ya got that right!" Nora said as she finally got Ren to turn himself back around. "I need to do SOMETHING to thank your parents for this, Jaune. Taking them out to breakfast just isn't enough in my book."

Ruby's eyebrows rose up. "Oh yeah, what time are you guys leaving anyway?"

"Soon." Ren answered. "Athena's just getting a few things and then we'll be off." He tilted his head to the side. "Speaking of taking off, where'd _you_ go off to, Ruby?"

"I just went to visit my mom." Ruby immediately took note of how Ren, Pyrrha and Nora all became crestfallen at that. "Oh, come on, guys, it's okay. I go there all the time to talk to her. Yeah, it's sad, but I feel better for doing it."

Pyrrha sighed at that. "I understand. Still, I cannot lie that it's still a little disheartening." Her gaze went to the ground. "You see… my own father died before I was born. He was a Huntsman who died while on a mission. I never got to know him because of that."

Nora craned her head downward as well. "Yeah, and Ren and I lost our parents early on too." She shifted her eyes up to Ren, who was starring off into the distance. "We know better than anyone how it feels."

Ruby wore a sad face as the girls told their storied. "Aw, guys. Now you _are_ making me sad." She stepped forward and gave the girls a group hug. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Ruby." Pyrrha assured. "We've become our own family since we met each other."

"Yeah! Things are a lot better now!" Nora smiled as she went back to her partner. "Right Ren?" However, she didn't get a response, the green ninja continuing to look away. This immediately set off alarms in Nora's head. "Ren," she prodded him with her arm, "are you okay?"

That managed to stir Ren from his daze, his focus going back to her. "H-Huh? Oh! Yes, Nora, I'm alright. Just… thinking, is all."

Nora narrowed her eyes at this. She could tell that something was bothering him, and she would get to the bottom of it. For now though, she'd let it pass until a better opportunity came up, one where they could talk one-on-one. "Well… okay, if you're sure that you're good."

Just then, Athena came jogging out of the house with her purse in one hand and the keys to her rental car in the other, giving Team JNPR a grin. "Alright kids, I'm ready, so let's get—oh, Ruby! You're back!" The Mistralian Huntress nudged her head toward the door. "We've been wondering where you went off to."

"I'm sure." Ruby nodded. "But I'm back, so nobody needs to panic."

"Hm, well, I'm glad to hear that." Athena wore a worried expression as she gazed back to the house. "Because let me tell you, your sister has NOT been in a good mood."

That caught Ruby's attention. "W-What? Is she angry?"

"No, she's not exactly _mad_ or anything." Athena shook her head. "She's more… upset, really. She got up, poured a bowl of Pumpkin Pete's and then headed right back up to her room. Ben, Blake and Weiss have been trying to talk to her through her door for half an hour."

Ruby's eyes bugged out in a panic. "Oh god, it's worse than I thought!" She headed right for the door but stopped short just before going in, whirling around to give Athena a grateful bow. "Thanks for telling me, Athena."

"No problem, dear." Athena raised a hand. "Oh, and training's being held off until this evening. Something tells me that we've ALL got a busy day ahead of us."

"Alright! Have a good breakfast, guys! See ya later!" With one final wave, Ruby burst into petals and rushed inside, Team JNPR saying their goodbyes as she left.

Jaune sighed as he shoved his hands into his hoodie pocket. "Man, I really hope Yang's gonna be okay."

"As do I." Pyrrha agreed. "Yes, Raven may have lied to us, but it's obvious that they were beginning to bond rather well." She pursed her lips and craned her head downward. "I may have issues with how Raven does things, but the bond between family is a hard one to be broken like this."

"Indeed." Athena gave a solemn nod. "This ordeal will test them greatly to be sure." She jingled her keys slightly to get the four teens attention. "Right now, though, we need to leave if we want to make our reservation. Come, let's go." At her word, Team JNPR piled into the red rental car with Athena taking the wheel the five immediately setting off to meet the Arc Family at Hestia's diner.

* * *

Ben, Weiss and Blake were facing quite the conundrum as they stood out in the hallway upstairs. The being; Yang secluding herself away in Team RWBY's room away from everyone else. Ben in particular was quite worried about this. He had hoped that his girlfriend would be in better spirits today after sleeping on everything that had happened, but he could tell just by her demeanor that wasn't the case. He couldn't blame her though. After what happened between her and her mom, he knew she had the right to be upset, even if it made him concerned about her wellbeing.

Weiss and Blake were also just as distressed as the Omnitrix bearer, the two pleading with their best friend through the door. "Yang, please come out." Weiss implored.

Blake set her hand against the door. "We're all really worried about you. If there's anything you wanna talk about, then—"

"Blake, Weiss, I'm FINE." Yang stressed through the door. "I just wanna be left alone for a bit. That's all."

With a despondent sigh, Ben approached the door, speaking his peace. "Goldie Locks, if you want to be alone for a while, then we'll respect your wishes." He set his hand against the door as well. "But please don't shut us out completely because of this. We want you to know that we're here for you and we'll listen if you want to talk to us about anything at all." He took his hand away and bowed his head. "Whenever you're ready, we'll be ready too."

He was about to leave it at that, but then there came the cry of; "WAAAAIIT!" followed by a flurry of rose petals zooming up the stairs and stopping in front of them. Once Ben, Weiss and Blake gained their bearings, they saw Ruby standing directly in front of them, a worried expression on her face. "I think I can help!"

"Ruby!" Weiss exclaimed. "Where've you been? We've been looking for you all morning!"

"I'm sorry." Ruby bowed her head. "I left before anyone else got up and I thought I'd be back sooner."

"But where did you _go_?" Blake emphasized. "Especially this early in the morning?"

"My mother's grave." That answer got a rather stunned expression from everyone, which Ruby had expected. "I know, I know, probably should've told you guys. But right now, we've got more important things to deal with." Ruby stepped up and reached for the door handle, only to discover that it was locked. With a frustrated grumble, Ruby placed her hands on her hips and scolded her sister through the door; "Yang, you know how dad feels about locking each other out of our room."

"Ugh, come on, Ruby!" Yang called back through the door. "I appreciate the concern, but there's really nothing to be worried about. I just wanna be by myself for a while. And there's nothing that you can say or do to—"

"I saw Raven at mom's grave this morning." Ruby interrupted.

There was a long, shocked silence when the Hooded Huntress said that, one that lasted for a good twenty seconds. Finally, though, there came the sound of a lock being undone from behind the door before it was thrown open, with Yang standing one the other side. The blonde's hair was slightly disheveled and she was still in her sleepwear, having not bothered to change. "…Come again?"

Ruby smiled and repeated; "I saw Raven at mom's grave this morning. She even brought mom's favorite flower to pay her respects." She drew closer to her sister and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yang, I saw her pouring her heart out to mom, and I could tell that she's been doing some thinking since what happened yesterday. She was heartbroken that you guys got into that fight, and she wants to make up for it."

Yang blinked in surprise. "Wait, did you actually _talk_ to her or…"

"Oh yeah, we talked." Ruby confirmed. "For a good while, actually. We had a really nice conversation about mom. But more importantly…" She booped Yang's nose with her finger. "We talked about the two of you, and how I think you guys can reconcile after the fight last night."

Yang's brows furrowed and she shook her head. "Ruby, it's not that simple. My mom lied to me, to ALL of us. I _know_ that she's probably sad about it… because _I_ am too." Yang crossed her arms and turned away from her sister. "But until I know I can trust her again, I'm not just going to forgive her."

Ruby pursed her lips at this. "Yang… I saw Raven, with my two eyes, admit to mom that she's a coward for doing what she did." Those words brought Yang's attention back to her sister, the blonde's eyes widening in shock. "And I could tell that it wasn't an act because she didn't know I was there at the time. She genuinely wants to do better, both as a person AND a mother. Doesn't that count for anything?"

Yang stared into her sister's eyes, and she could tell that she wasn't lying about any of it. The Blonde Brawler glanced up to Weiss, Blake and Ben, wondering if they had any input of their own. Once they took notice of this, the three shifted their eyes to each other in curiosity before Ben finally spoke up. "Well, I honestly think that it'd be really healthy to at least try." the hero concluded.

"Yeah, it'd be better than just keeping to yourself about it, Yang." Blake offered. "Maybe speaking to Raven would actually be a big help."

Weiss gave her a small shrug. "It'd probably be your best bet to solve things peacefully. The last thing you want is another screaming match, right?"

Yang crossed her arms and thought it over a bit more. Her friends had all brought up solid points, she had to admit. She shifted her focus back to her sister, who was giving her a hopeful gaze with her hands laced together. Yang let out a breath and relinquished to their pleas. "Ugh, alright, I'll try and talk with her when she comes back."

"YAY!" Ruby leapt up and encircled her sister in a hug. "I KNEW you wouldn't give up on her that easily."

But Yang was quick to slow things down a bit. "Whoa, hold on there, Rubes. Let's not get ahead of ourselves." She pulled Ruby off of her and grasped her by the shoulders. "I've still got a few things to sort out before I even begin to talk with my mom about _anything_."

Ruby was a bit hesitant at that, but an idea suddenly popped in her head a moment later. "Hey! Why don't we head into town for a bit? Maybe getting out and doing something will help clear up your thoughts a bit."

"Hey, not a bad idea." Blake agreed. "Ilia, Sun and I were going to go out and meet up with Coco and Cooper pretty soon anyway. Wanna tag along?"

"Well… okay, sure. Why not?" Yang jabbed her thumb back toward her room. "Let me just get myself together and I'll be down in a sec, 'kay?"

Ben gave her a nod. "Alright, we hear ya. And Yang?" He stepped forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Good morning, sweetheart."

Yang couldn't help but chuckle as she returned the gesture. "Morning to you too, baby." With that, the group parted ways, with Yang closing the door behind her. She leaned up against the door itself whilst staring up at the ceiling, contemplating the choice she had just made. "Mom, I may not have that much faith in you right now… but if you can prove me wrong, then that'd be pretty cool of you to do."

As the Blonde Brawler went to change, Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Ben all headed down the stairs and back into the kitchen, which was currently entirely vacant. As they entered, Ruby went to her partner and asked; "So, Weiss, you wanna join us, too? The more the merrier, right?"

Weiss gave her an apologetic face. "Sorry, Ruby, but I'm going to be doing some Summoning training today with Winter…" The heiress glanced over to the basement door with a knowing smile. "Once she gets off the comm with Kenny, that is."

Ruby's eyebrows rose up. "Oh, I thought Athena said training would be later today."

"For most of us, yes." Weiss confirmed. "But after I finally summoned the Arma Gigas last night, I want to train with it as much as I can so I can master it." She pumped a fist in excitement. "I cannot WAIT until I get to use it in battle again."

"Alright, I get what you're saying." Ruby accepted. "What about everyone else? Are they game?"

Ben raised a brow to the living room. "Eh… maybe. All depends on what they're doing. I know that Kevin's gone off into the woods with Gwen to experiment on his new Dust Crystals, so they're probably out…"

* * *

Meanwhile, out near Mount Patch, a certain Osmosian and Anodite had found a nearby clearing to practice in. The couple were standing opposite of one another in the middle of the small feild, preparing themselves for their training. Once Kevin had absorbed a big enough rock to change his entire body to stone, Gwen started things off; "Alright Kevin, you've obviously gotten a good handle on Fire and Lightning Dust since last night's tussle." She pointed to the Dust pouches on his hips. "But now it's time to start practicing with the rest, so let's see what we're dealing with here."

Kevin gave her a thumbs up. "Gotcha, time to see what we've got in the ol' sack here…" The raven-haired teen reached into his left pouch and pulled out a blue Dust crystal, the sun shining off of its surface. "Alright, blue. That's… ice, right?"

"Water, actually." Gwen clarified. "But Weiss told me that when this type of Dust combines with Air Dust, it actually _becomes_ Ice Dust."

"Huh, neat." Kevin immediately absorbed the Water Dust crystal and put it back in its pouch, his arms now coated entirely in the blue crystal. "Okay, just say when." Gwen snapped her fingers and a mana shield appeared directly in front of her, making Kevin put on a deadpan face. "Really?"

"Hey, if this backfires, I'm going to need all the protection I can get." Gwen rationalized. "I'm not made of rock, remember? Go ahead."

Kevin nodded and brought his hands up, balling them into fists before smacking them together. However, what happened next was NOT what he had expected. The crystals on his arms suddenly burst out into huge, gushing geysers of water, ones that immediately went out of his control and sent him sprawling to the ground. "GAAAAAAHHH!"

Gwen's eyes bugged out at this. "KEVIN!"

"GWEN! MAKE IT STOP!" Kevin yelled as he was thrown around by the geysers. He tried to lay himself flat on his stomach to stop them from shooting upwards, but then the water just made the dirt beneath him turn into mud, which then sprayed everywhere and caused Kevin to inadvertently begin sinking into a large hole. "Ah, man! You've gotta be kiddin' me!"

Gwen changed the mana shield in front of her into a dome as water, mud and tufts of grass went flying everywhere. She cupped her hands and yelled out; "Kevin! Find another rock to absorb! Maybe it'll cancel out the crystal!"

' _Easier said than done!'_ The Osmosian thought. _'If I move, I might lose control completely!'_ Kevin's eyes began darting around in a panic until he spotted something underneath him; a rather large boulder that had been partially unearthed thanks to the geysers gushing from his arms. _'NEVER MIND! Thank you, god!'_ He reached down and pressed his hands against the rock, the water sputtering a bit as he absorbed the stone.

After a few seconds, the water stopped spraying, leaving nearly the whole area soaked. With Gwen's interest piqued, she ran over to the new hole in the ground, the ground beneath her squishing beneath her feet. "Kevin! Are you—" The moment she made it to the edge, Kevin poked his head out of the ground, and Gwen had to hold her laughing fit back when she saw the state he was in; covered head to toe in sopping wet mud with bits of grass plastered all over his body, making him look like a walking potted plant. "Hehehe, uh, maybe we should try a different type of Dust now, baby?"

* * *

Back at the Xiao Long house, Yang was descending the stairs, now dressed and with her hair properly brushed. She was also bringing down the empty bowl of cereal she had gotten this morning, which was slowly beginning to regret. _'Don't know if the cereal went stale or not, but all I know is that it is NOT as good as Gwen's breakfasts.'_ The moment she came down, she saw her team and her boyfriend sitting at the table having a little discussion, to which she smiled at. "Hey guys, I'm ready whenever you are."

They all grinned up at her, with Ben standing up first. "Great. Grandpa said that he'd drive everyone else into town while we ride on Bumblebee."

"Sounds good to me." Yang placed her bowl in the sink and gave them all a thumbs up. "Alright, let's hit it!"

Blake and Ruby stood up as well, the former giving her partner a nod. "Yep, I'll just go grab Sun and Ilia and then we'll be off… if I can pull them away from the TV, that is."

Ruby raised an eyebrow at that. "What do you mean by that, Blake?"

Weiss rolled her eyes as she got up as well. "Oh, they're all watching that nerdy space show that Mr. Tennyson showed us last night. They wanted to catch up on the first few episodes they missed while we weren't here yesterday." She glanced off to the side. "Though to be quite honest, I don't really see the appeal."

Ben gave her a smirk. "Ah, yes, you checked out on Star Trek about halfway through your second episode, didn't you?"

"Because I couldn't follow it!" Weiss insisted. "Dear god, it's mostly talking and science jargon!"

"Ah-ah, the proper term is "techno-babble"." Ben corrected with a cheeky grin. "But I get ya. Trek ain't for everyone. But even then, it's only the first season of the original series." He placed a hand to his chest as they all went to the living room. "I'm more of a "Next Generation" person, myself. I think you might actually like that series better, Weiss."

"Hm, if you say so." Weiss shrugged. "Personally, I'm just not really into Sci Fi. A bit ironic considering who _you_ are, I know, but it's the truth." In no time at all, the five entered the living room, where they were immediately greeted by the remainder of the team with their eyes glued to the television. Max and Holiday were also there, the two sitting of to the side in their own recliners while the others either took the couch or the floor.

On the TV itself, Captain James T. Kirk was sitting in his captain's chair in his green uniform, speaking through the ship's intercom. However, there was an odd point to the scene itself; the moment Kirk began speaking, it cut another Kirk, this one in a different room, wearing a yellow uniform, and with three scratches on his face. He appeared to be startled, acting aggressively the moment Kirk began talking; _"This is the captain speaking. There's an imposter aboard the ship. A man who looks exactly like me and is pretending to be me."_

The shot cut to a monitor in the same room the Angry Kirk was in, showing the Calm Kirk speaking to the crew. _"This man is dangerous."_ Clam Kirk continued. _"Utmost caution is to be observed. All crew members are to arm themselves. The imposter may be identified by scratches on his face. Repeat. The imposter may be identified by scratches on his face."_

Ben's eyes lit up the moment he laid his sights on the television. "Ah, The Enemy Within! I love this episode!"

"SHH!" Rex shushed. "We're about to reach the best part, dude!"

Sealing his lips shut, Ben and the others continued to watch as the Calm Kirk had a brief conversation with Mr. Spock. After the Vulcan reminded the captain about having the phasers set to stun, the calm Kirk continued; _"All hand phasers must be set on base cycle, stunning force."_ The screen cut back to the Angry Kirk, who was now seething with rage as he watched his doppelganger on the monitor in front of him. _"The imposter is not to be injured. Use minimum force. Repeat—"_

" _I'M Captain Kirk!"_ the Angry Kirk hollered before shoving over a bunch of nearby books. _"I'm Captain Kirk!"_ he repeated with venom in his voice, knocking over the monitor. _"I'm Captain Kirk! I'M CAPTAIN KIRK!"_ The Angry Kirk's face was entirely red, a maddened expression having taken over his face.

"Haha! There it is!" Max laughed. "One of my favorite quotes from the Original Series."

However, Team RWBY were visibly confused at what was going on. "Uh, hello?" Ruby raised her hand. "Just got here, what happened?"

Sun and Ilia faced the Hooded Huntress to answer her question. "Oh, Jim got his personalities separated into two different versions of himself in a transporter accident; one good, one evil." Sun pointed to the screen, where the evil Kirk was applying make-up to his scratches. "And let me just say, THIS Jim is seriously cuckoo!"

"Yeah, he's pretty crazy." Ilia concurred. "Wanna watch with us?"

Blake gave the two a small smile. "Maybe later. We were actually getting ready to head to down here in a little bit."

Ilia's eyes widened and she immediately jumped out of her seat. "Oh, shoot, that's right! Let's get going then!"

"Gah, jeez, I almost forgot about that!" Sun sprang up from the couch and gave his girlfriend a salute. "Alright, let's head out!"

But Blake raised a hand. "Woah, woah, no need to rush, guys. You can finish your episode if you want." She gave the two a shrug. "I mean, we're not due to meet Coco for another half-hour. I'm sure she won't mind if we're a little late."

Neptune and Penny stood up, the blue-haired boy giving her a reassuring wave. "Ah, it's okay, Blake. We'll stop it and we can just pick up where we left off when you guys get back."

"Yeah, no biggie." Penny assured. "Besides, Doctor Holiday, Rex and I are going to be doing some more training with my Nanite abilities pretty soon here."

Holiday got up as well, brushing off her lab coat as she did. "That's right. And I think it's about time we get around to that."

Rex threw his head back and let out a groan. "Ah, man! Here I thought we'd actually get a proper day off after yesterday's chaos."

Weiss shut her eyes, frustrated at Rex's complaining. She went over and gave him a small konk on the head, making him yelp in surprise. "Oh, quit complaining, Robo-dolt." she berated. "You're what, eighteen? You shouldn't be whining like this. Besides, it's better than just lazing around all day."

Rather than being mad however, Rex just smirked right back at her. "Heh, you think I'm bein' lazy, Ice Princess?" He got up and pointed directly at her. "Well then, I bet I'm gonna train just as hard as you will, maybe even TWICE as hard!"

Weiss blinked in confusion at the wager. "W-What?! When did this turn into a competition?!"

"Since a few seconds ago!" Rex proclaimed as he jumped over the back of the couch and headed toward the kitchen. "Penny, Holiday, let's get a move on!"

The two ladies in question glanced toward each other in confusion, giving a shrug before Penny sent a wave over to the heiress. "I guess we'll see you outside soon, Weiss." With that, the doctor and the android headed out, following after the EVO who was now practically out the back door.

Weiss' eye twitched a few times before she simply facepalmed. "How is it that I end up in these situations?"

Ruby gave Weiss a small pat on the shoulder. "It's okay, Weiss. Rex is just having fun." She then gave her a wink. "But you might wanna get a head start if you wanna win."

"Ugh, yes, I suppose so." Weiss sighed as she pulled Myrtenaster off of her hip, giving her team her own farewell wave. "I'll see you guys later, okay?"

Yang saluted right back at her. "You got it, Weiss-Cream. Good luck." Once Weiss had left, the Blonde Brawler shifted her attention to their last remaining teammate on the couch; Neptune. "So, Blue Boy, what're you gonna be doin'? Any plans?"

"Not particularly." Neptune said as he stood up. "But I guess heading to town doesn't sound so bad. Beats not doing anything here, at least."

Max clapped his hands together and rose up from his chair, switching off the TV and DVD player before giving the group a hearty smile. "Well then, sounds like that settles that." He pulled his keys from out of his pocket and began headed out the door. "C'mon, gang, let's hit the road!" With Max's declaration, the group of teens followed him out the door, ready to get on with their day-off.

* * *

About half an hour after they had left, the group of teens had successfully met up with Team CFVY and Cooper at the mall, the team of five having been waiting for them outside one of the many entrances. After that, they separated into two groups; with Ben, Yang, Ruby, and Neptune heading to the game store with Yatsu, Velvet and Fox while Coco and Cooper went with Blake, Sun and Ilia to the clothing store.

For the chameleon girl though, this came as a bit of a different experience for her. Never in her life did she ever have someone's help in picking out a new outfit, let alone a girl that she had only just met. What's more, Ilia couldn't help but be intimidated by Coco just a little bit. Those dark sunglasses really made it hard to get a good read on her. But still, she seemed nice enough and she WAS helping out, so it wasn't bad _per se_.

"Hey, Freckles." Coco called over, startling Ilia a little bit. "You doin' okay?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine, Coco." Ilia answered. "I'm just lost in my thoughts is all."

Coco strolled up next to Ilia and gave her a friendly smile. "Really? Whatcha thinkin' about?"

Ilia shook her head, her focus going back to the multiple boxes of shoes in front of her. "Ah, nothing really important. Just thinking about how much my life has changed in the past two days."

The leader of Team CFVY wore an incredulous face at that statement. "Uh, that sounds pretty important to me." She put a hand to Ilia's shoulder, gaining her attention again. It was then that Coco took off her sunglasses, allowing Ilia to see her eyes. "Tell me, what kinda changes are ya thinking about?"

Ilia was hesitant to speak her mind at first, but after seeing the honesty in Coco's gaze, she began to feel much more reassured. _'Swift DID say that I should start opening myself up to others.'_ Ilia noted in her head. With her mind resolved, she decided to take a chance. "Well… the last time I had a big group of friends, things didn't really go so well…" She explained what had happened to her up in Atlas, and what she had went through after her parent's deaths. "…And after that, I joined the White Fang. Aside from Blake, I haven't really allowed myself to get close to many other people since then."

Coco was stunned by this revelation, and she couldn't help but feel sympathetic for the girl. "Ilia… I can't imagine what if must've been like for you to go through that." She lowered her head to the chameleon girl. "I'm sorry that happened to you. I can't blame you for the way you thought about humans for so long. We can be such jerks."

But Ilia raised a hand. "Hey, don't go grouping yourself in with them. You are by far NOT a jerk." Her spots became a light shade of pink. "Though I _will_ admit that I was a bit intimidated by you at first."

Coco couldn't help but smirk at that. "It's the sunglasses, ain't it?" Ilia gave a reluctant nod, to which the fashionable girl chuckled a little. "Heh, thought so." She brought up her sunglasses and examined them. "People tell me that these make me look more threatening. And you know what? I actually kind of like that." Her smile became slightly sheepish. "But then it kinda backfires whenever I'm hanging out with friends. Everyone thinks I'm super serious all the time, but I'm really not."

Ilia let out a small chuckle. "Haha! Bet it becomes a pain sometimes."

"Yeah, a little bit." Coco put her sunglasses back on and gave a thumbs up. "But I make 'em look _good_." The two ladies erupted into a small fit of laughter before going back to the subject from before; clothing. "Oh! I almost forgot." Coco stepped over and pulled up a bunch of clothes that were all still on their hangers, presenting them to Ilia immediately. "I put together this little ensemble for ya. It seems to match your style pretty well, don't cha think?"

Ilia's eyebrows rose up when she inspected the clothing, her smile widening as she did. "Wow! I actually REALLY like this!" She moved her head back up to Coco with a curious gaze. "How'd you put this together so fast?"

"I make sure to take mental notes of what all my clients wear to get a handle of what they might like." Coco lowered her sunglasses and gave Ilia a wink. "After all, you'd be surprised about what you can find out about people from the clothes they wear. By the way…" She walked over to the shoes that Ilia was looking at and plucked them off the shelf, handing them to her with approval. "These would TOTALLY go with that outfit."

Ilia blinked in surprise. "Wow, you're good."

Coco smirked and pushed her glasses back up. "Tell me something I don't know, Freckles." She nudged her head over to the changing room. "Now, wanna try 'em on?"

"Oh, right! I'll be out in a flash." Ilia went into the changing room, leaving Coco standing right in front of the door.

With a slight chortle, Coco crossed her arms in pride. _'She's a sweet girl. I'm glad she's coming out of her shell. Kind of reminds me of Vel in a way.'_ She directed her attention over to Blake, Sun and Cooper, calling out to them; "Hey guys! I think we might've a winner over here!"

Blake's ears perked up, shocked that they had found something so soon. "Already? Wow, that was fast."

"Yeah, we haven't been in here for fifteen minutes and you guys already found something?" Sun asked.

Cooper moved over to his girlfriend and pulled her into a side-hug. "Heh, what did you guys expect? This IS Coco we're talking about, after all." He sent a wink of his own down to the fashionable girl. "Nice work, hon."

Coco put a gentle finger to his lips. "Ah, don't congratulate me yet, babe. There's still one last step, after all…" A few seconds after she said that, the changing room door opened and Ilia stepped out, allowing everyone to take in her new outfit. "…And that's the modeling."

Ilia was now sporting a short, black jacket with two equally short tails at the back, its interior lined with white fabric. She had rolled up the sleeves and clipped them up, allowing her arms to have more breathing room. The jacket also had a gold zipper, gold buttons on the sleeves and shoulders and a gold buckle on her left side, keeping the jacket tight against her. Underneath, she wore a grey t-shirt that exposed her midriff, as well as even more spots on her belly. On her right wrist was a black wrist band that also had gold buttons, matching the jacket perfectly. Her lower half was adorned by a pair of regular maroon colored jeans, which ended a little over half-way down her calf. Finally, she had on a pair of black sneaker boots with white soles, which were kept strapped to her feet by two buckles.

With a hesitant smile, Ilia directed her eyes up to her friends and shrugged. "Well? How do I look?"

Blake was quick to give her approval. "You look great! Ilia, I'm amazed that you and Coco found something before we really started trying!"

"Hell yeah." Sun nodded. "How does they feel on ya?"

"Great, actually." Ilia did a quick spin to show her new outfit in full. "To be honest, this feels really comfortable." She put a single hand to her hip and confidently stated; "Guys, I think we might've found a winner!"

Coco pumped a fist into the air. "And with that, another customer is satisfied." She readjusted her glasses with a proud grin. "Now all that's left is to buy the clothes on your back and go strut your stuff, girl!"

Ilia rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. "Well, I wouldn't go _that_ far."

"Ah, c'mon, Freckles." Coco put an arm around Ilia's shoulders while extending her free hand out in front of her. "New clothes, new confidence! It's time to throw off the shackles of your old life and get a fresh start! Now go out there and show the world who you are and how proud you are to be you!"

As Coco continued her impromptu speech, Ilia slowly began feeling something bubbling up inside of her. Was this the confidence that Coco was talking about? She didn't really know, but it felt _good_. "You know what, Coco? You're right! It's time to stop wallowing in my past and push forward!"

"Great!" Coco shook Ilia's shoulder's a bit. "Now get Hype!"

"I AM the Hype!" Ilia grabbed her stealth suit and rushed to the counter to pay for her new clothes, leaving the others in the dust.

Blake stared dumbfounded at what had just happened. "…Coco, what did you just do?"

Coco placed her hands on her hips, giving a small chuckle at the cat girl's question. "Oh, I just hyped Ilia up a bit to boost her confidence is all." She grinned as she watched Ilia eagerly purchase her new clothes. "Besides, after telling me about what she went through back in Atlas, I figured she could use a good boost."

At her words, Blake let out a slight gasp. "Wait, she actually told you about that? She hasn't told anyone else besides me and a few other White Fang members."

"Yeah, she did." Coco affirmed. "And I felt my heart go out to her, ya know? After helping Velvet along when she got mercilessly bullied by humans, I just wanted help Ilia out, too." She raised a brow to Blake. "Sometimes, knowing that somebody's definitely on your side can do wonders for your self-confidence."

"Ain't that the truth." Sun concurred. "In the two days I've known her, I've _never_ seen her with a smile that big."

Cooper went over and gave his girlfriend a kiss on the cheek, impressed at her handiwork. "Babe, you just keep on amazing me." He wrapped his arms around Coco's waist, eliciting a happy laugh from her. "I'm tellin' you, you should be a motivational speaker in your off-time."

"Heh, well, I don't know about _that_. I just like helpin' people who need it." Coco jabbed her thumb toward the exit, where Ilia was now waiting for them. "Now c'mon, our eager beaver wants to go show off." With that, the five teens exited the store and entered the mall's massive hallways, the group immediately making a bee-line for the game store.

"Alright, so once we meet up with the others, what's the plan from there?" Ilia asked.

Blake turned and smiled toward her. "Well, there's actually another place that I want to show you." she explained. "It's not in the mall itself, but it's really not that far away from here. We don't even need to drive."

This successfully got Ilia's attention. "Really? What is it?"

"You'll see." Blake winked. "It's a really nice place though, promise." Once the group found the game store, they immediately caught sight of Ben, Yang, Ruby, Neptune and the rest of Team CFVY sitting out on the benches near the storefront. The former three, as well as Velvet and Fox, were sitting together around what appeared to be a large game board while Yatsu and Neptune were each playing on their scrolls off to the side. Whatever the two were playing, it must've been pretty competitive because they were in the _zone_. "Hey guys!" Blake called out. "What're you up to?"

Everyone whipped their heads up to her, aside from Yatsu and Neptune of course, and Ruby waved over to her friend. "Hey Blake! We were just waiting for you! And guess what?!" Ruby lifted up the cover of a large box, presumably the one that the game board had come in. "They had the latest edition of Remnant: The Game!"

Yang jabbed her thumb over to her boyfriend. "Yeah, we've showing Ben the ropes." However, it was then that she noticed Ilia, the ponytailed girl walking up in front, donned in a new set of clothes. "Hey, Color Girl! Lookin' good!"

Ben, who was focusing on the cards, shifted his eyes up to see Ilia's new threads. "Hah, yeah! That's a nice outfit for you, Ilia."

"It's quite spectacular." Velvet concurred. "I can only assume that Coco helped you out a bit?"

Ilia blushed at all the attention she was getting, her hand going to the back of her head. "Hehe, yeah, pretty much. But thanks for the nice words, guys. I really appreciate it." She strolled over and peeked over Ben's shoulder at the cards he was holding. "So Ben, I'm guessing this is your first time playing this game?"

"More or less." Ben scratched his head as he went back to the cards, all of them with multiple different icons. Be it Grimm, Hunters, weather conditions or whatever else, the hero couldn't help but be intrigued by what he was seeing. "To be honest, I don't think we have ANY kind of board game like this in our world. The closest I can think of comparing it too are Risk…" He pulled out a Grimm card, labeled "Giant Nevermore". "And oddly enough, Yu-Gi-Oh. Both of which I have absolutely NO experience in whatsoever."

"Ah c'mon, Ben, the rules are easy." Fox urged. "All you have to do," he reached into the game's box right next to him and pulled out a big book labeled; 'Remnant: The Rules', "is follow THIS set of rules and you should be fine."

Velvet made sure to point at the book as Fox handed it to Ben. "Make sure to read every paragraph in detail, though. One wrong move and you can lose everything in the game."

Ben immediately recoiled at the sight of the large rule book. "Oh god, I'm starting to get Dungeons and Dragons flashbacks!" He pulled his jacket up over his head, hiding himself away from everyone. "Don't put me back through this, please!"

The whole group got a good laugh out of his antics before Coco set her sights on Yatsu and Neptune, who were practically enthralled with whatever game they were playing on their scrolls. "And just what did YOU boys snag in there?" she asked.

Neptune moved his head up and smirked at her. "Just the download codes for the new Soaring Ninja title." he bragged.

"Wait, seriously?!" Sun's eyes practically bugged out and darted to the game store. "Be back in a flash!" And like that, the monkey boy was gone, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.

Blake couldn't help but smirk and roll her eyes at her boyfriend's display. "Man, must be pretty good if it can make someone do _that_."

"For a mobile fighting game, it's surprisingly fun." Yatsu supported. "I especially like the more retro feel that they've kept since the first instalment."

Cooper leaned over and his eyebrows rose at the graphics, which had to at least be 16-bit. "Wow, retro is right. This looks like a Super Nintendo game. Is there any way to get this on a bigger screen?"

"Oh yeah." Velvet confirmed. "We can connect our scrolls to our TV pretty easily when we get back to the apartment."

"Sweet!" Cooper gave Neptune and Yatsu side-long glance. "And guys, if you like this stuff, I should introduce you to Street Fighter II… if Ben has it with him, anyway."

"I'm pretty sure I do." The hero confirmed. "Well, _one_ version of the game at least. Really hard to keep track of 'em." Ben stood up and put the cards back in the box, along with the rest of the board and game pieces. "As for this thing, I'll try and figure it out when we get back home." He raised a questioning brow to Blake. "But for now, I think you said there was one other place you wanted us to go, right?"

The cat girl nodded at that. "Yeah, I wanted to take Ilia to meet Miss Tiger Lily at her flower shop. At least, if she's there."

Ilia's eyebrows rose up. "A flower shop? Why such a random place?"

Blake sent her another smirk. "Oh, trust me, you'll see in a little bit."

* * *

Once the group left the mall, they immediately set off across the street, walking down the block until they came to their destination; a small white building surrounded by many potted flowers. Right above the entry way was a large pink sign with cursive white lettering that read; "The Tiger Lily Flower Shop", which Coco was quick to raise a brow at. "Huh, I'm surprised that I've never come this way in the last couple weeks." She gestured up to the shop with a small grin. "Gotta say though, this is a REALLY cute place."

"Oh, you think the _outside_ is nice?" Ruby asked. "Wait 'til you see the _inside_." The teens all filed into the store and were immediately greeted by the intoxicating scents of the many flowers inside. Whether it be roses, violets, or whatever else, if they could name it, this store probably had it. "See? What did I tell ya?"

"Yeah, this is pretty neat." Cooper agreed. "I can only guess that this is the place where Ben got Yang her bouquet?"

"Yep." Sun confirmed before putting a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder. "Plus, the owner gave Blake and I a bouquet of our own as a gift."

Blake wore a small smile and chuckled a little bit. "Hehe, yeah. I still think we should've at least payed her SOMETHING in return for those despite her… special Lovers Discount." A slight blush came to both her and Sun's faces at the mention of that.

"Aw, now THAT'S cute as hell!" Coco gushed

"This place is breathtaking!" Velvet exclaimed as she went over to smell a nearby pot of marigolds. She sighed as she took in the lovely smell. "Ah, simply delightful."

However, when Fox stepped in, his eyes widened and he gagged a little bit. Without another word, Fox spun around on his heel and began walking back outside, a somewhat distressed look written on his face. As Ben and Yang stepped past him into the building, they couldn't help but wonder why he was so quick to leave. "What's wrong, Fox?" Yang asked. "Is he allergic to flowers or somethin'?"

Yatsu and Neptune came in just as Fox went back outside, the tall swordsman answering Yang's question. "It's actually more like he can't take the overwhelming smell." Yatsu gestured toward Fox. "Since he's been blind for so long, many of his senses have been slightly enhanced overtime to compensate. He can smell flowers regularly, but too many in one place can be quite overpowering for him."

"Well, if that's the case, then I don't blame him." Neptune shrugged. "My mom's got a BUNCH of scented candles back home, so I know what that's like."

As the group continued to browse, Ilia couldn't help but ask again; "Okay, Blake, why did you want me to come here?" The chameleon girl placed her hands on her hips. "I mean, these flowers are really pretty and all, but you mentioned wanting me to meet someone?"

However, just as Blake was about to answer, the door behind the front counter opened, revealing a certain blue-haired girl on the other side. "Ack! Sorry for the wait, I was busy in the back with—" But Iris cut herself off when she saw that her customers were actually some pretty familiar faces. "Guys! Hey, how's it goin'?!"

"Hey Iris!" Ruby reached over the counter and gave her friend a hug. "We were just in the neighborhood, so we decided to stop by."

"Oh, cool! Well, feel free to look around." Iris gave a small smirk toward Ben and Yang. "Hey you two! How're _your_ flowers holding up?"

The couple rolled their eyes a little bit at the young girl's teasing, but Ben still gave her an answer. "Heh, they're still doing pretty good, Iris." The hero jabbed a thumb toward his girlfriend. "She's been keepin' them on her nightstand ever since I gave them to her, right babe?"

"Sure have." Yang gave a thumbs up. "Probably the best smell that I could ever wake up to."

Blake stepped up to the counter, giving Iris a curious face. "Hey, Iris, Whitlea wouldn't happen to be in today, would she? I want to introduce her to a friend of mine."

"Oh yeah!" Iris waved. "I was helping her out when we heard you guys come in. I'll head back and get her, 'kay?"

As Iris headed back through the door, Ilia was beginning to grow even more confused. What WAS her friend's motive in all of this? "Blake, I'm sorry, but I'm still not getting all of this." Ilia placed her hands on her hips with frustration overtaking her features. "Why in the world do you want me to meet the owner of a flower shop?"

Blake simply smiled and put a hand to Ilia's shoulder. "Well… let's just say that she's got some interesting insight to Human-Faunus relations that I think you'll wanna hear."

"What, what?" But just as those words left her lips, Ilia heard the door open again, and she turned back just in time to see a white-haired woman in her early thirties step out into the room. On top of that though, she also just happened to be a tiger Faunus, complete with white feline ears and stripes along her arms and legs. "Oh, NOW I see what you're talking about."

Whitlea's eyes brightened up when she saw the teens in her store, clasping her hands together and greeting them with; "Why hello, everyone! Isn't this just a nice surprise?" She made her way around the counter, giving the whole group a beaming smile. "I have to say, I've been seeing a lot of you kids lately. So, what brings you all by today?"

"Hi, Miss Tiger Lily!" Ruby waved. "We're just having a bit of fun on the town while showing our new friend around." She gestured toward Ilia, who was taken aback slightly by the suddenness of the situation. "This is Ilia. She's one of Blake's old friends, _and_ she just joined our team!"

"Oh, hello there." Whitlea offered a handshake to the chameleon girl. "Ilia, what a lovely name! If I remember right, that's a species of butterfly, isn't it? Apatura ilia?"

Ilia's eyebrows rose in surprise. Nobody _ever_ got the meaning behind her name right off the bat. "Uh… yeah, how'd you know?"

Whitlea offered a knowing wink. "Oh, you get to know somethings about insects when you're in the business that I'm in, dear. Butterflies, bees and many others have a symbiotic life cycle with flowers, after all."

Ilia had to admit, that WAS sound thinking. "Huh, I guess I can't argue with that. I've gotta say though, it's awfully rare to see Faunus business owners outside of Menagerie and Vacuo." She bowed her head in respect. "And you have a very lovely store."

"Oh, thank you, Ilia." Whitea bowed back. "I am very proud of it."

Blake stepped forward putting a hand to Ilia's shoulder. "Whitlea, Ilia's actually a former White Fang member like myself. But now, she's trying to get a fresh start after leaving it herself." She tilted her head toward her friend. "I thought it'd be a good idea to bring her to you for some of your insight on human-Faunus relations."

The tiger woman's demeanor immediately became somewhat sheepish, blushing a little as her hand covered her face. "Oh, hehe. Well, I don't know if "insight" is the term I'd use. I certainly have a few experiences, but I'd be more than happy to help if I can."

"Well then, why don't we start at the top?" Blake suggested. "Tell her about how you came to Vale and what you went through to get here."

"Of course." Over the course of the next few minutes, as the rest of the group perused around the shop, Whitlea recounted the tale of her family facing discrimination in Mistral and how her father managed to acquire the means to leave and start anew in Vale. "Once my family had moved to Patch, I was able to get a good education, which included going to college in the city." Whitlea gazed out the window, smiling as the memories came flooding back. "I had a great time there too. Sure, there were a few bad eggs who didn't like me, but fortunately, the Dean liked Faunus, so she made sure that no harm befell me or any other Faunus who went there."

Ilia was quite surprised by what she was hearing. "Wow… that's amazing. I really wish we had more people like that back when I used to live in Atlas." She hugged her arms around her and craned her head down. "It would've made somethings a lot easier."

Whitlea set a gentle hand to Ilia's shoulder in sympathy. "I certainly know how that feels, Ilia. I also wish somethings had been easier for me while my family was in Mistral." Her lips turned back up into a soft smile. "But of course, life often has a way of throwing challenges at us that we need to overcome if we wish to press on."

"I know… I just wish…" Ilia's words barely came out as a whisper, a few tears streaming down her face. "I really wish that my parents were still here."

The tiger woman let out a gasp. "Oh my goodness, I… I'm so sorry, Ilia." Whitlea lowered her head apologetically. "I should've chosen my words better."

But Ilia was quick to compose herself and reassure the kind flower shop owner. "Oh no, please don't blame yourself!" she urged. "It's just that I find myself thinking about them a lot." Ilia gave Whitlea a nod. "But your right, life DOES throw big challenges at us, and sometimes, it really isn't fair." She put a relaxed hand to her chest. "I know that if they were here though, my mom and dad wouldn't want to see me like this. They'd want me to be happy and have a good life. Originally, I thought I'd find that happiness with the White Fang, but now…" she directed her gaze out to Blake and the others, who had directed their sights onto her. "I've got a bunch of new friends, and I think I've found a better path than I once thought."

Whitlea took all of this information in and was quick to voice her approval. "Well, I think that you've made friends with a great group of people, Ilia." She gave a smirk to Ruby and Yang. "Though you may want to be careful, as well. Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long have been known to get into some pretty crazy antics."

Ilia sent a glance to the two sisters, who waved back at her cheerily. "Oh, trust me, I've already been subject to a few "antics" in the past forty-eight hours that I've known them." She shrugged her shoulders as her head lolled to the side. "But, I guess that's what I get for finding the crazies."

"Haha! Hey!" Ruby laughed. "We might be crazy, but we're a FUN kinda crazy!"

Yang waved her hand toward Ilia. "Yeah, c'mon, Color Girl. At least give us THAT."

The whole group erupted into a fit of laughter, which Whitlea was all too happy to go along with. "Hahaha! Oh dear, this group." She regained her composure and quirked a brow at Ilia. "You've got your work cut out for you in acclimating here, I'll tell you that."

"Hehe, I welcome the challenge." Ilia chuckled. "So, after you graduated, I'm guessing that's when you bought this place?"

"Indeed, about half a year after I left college, in fact." Whitlea clapped her hands together. "I wanted to get started on my dream job almost immediately… but there were still some hurtles that I had to go through." She gave out a happy sigh. "But, I'm very thankful that I had someone special to help me through all of that."

Blake wore a knowing smirk. "Let me guess, that'd be your fiancé, right?"

Ilia's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You're getting married?! That's wonderful!" She leaned forward slightly, eager to find out more. "So, who's the lucky one?"

Whitlea let out a slight chortle. "Oh, he's probably the best thing that has ever happened to me." she replied. "His name is Russel, and we met while we were in college. From the moment we first saw each other, we got along amazingly well together, and soon after, we fell in love." Whitlea put a hand to her cheek and closed her eyes, a wistful feeling overtaking her. "We've been through so much together, both good and bad. But thankfully, we've overcome our many challenges and can FINALLY get married."

At the woman's words, Ilia became confused. "Wait, what do you mean by "finally"? It shouldn't be that hard to—"

But right at that moment, the front door to the shop opened followed by a man's voice calling out, one with a slight southern twang; "Darlin'! I'm back!" Everyone turned to the entrance to see a man in his thirties, one with black hair and blue eyes. His face was clean-shaven and he was in a red flannel shirt with a pair of blue jeans and black boots. Slung over his shoulders, he held two large bags of fertilizer, though he didn't seem all that bothered by its burden. "An' I got the fertilizer that you were hankerin' for." Russel Jameson set the bags down on the floor near the door. "The other six are out in the truck."

"Oh, thank you, sweetheart!" Whitlea went over and gave Russel a kiss on the lips for his help. "This should be able to hold us over until the delivery on Friday."

"Great! Glad to hear it." However, it was at that moment that Russel saw everyone else with their eyes focused on them. What's more, he actually recognized some of them. He pointed to Ruby and said; "Hey, ain't you the little gal whose birthday we went to a few days ago? Ruby Rose, right?"

Ruby gave him a salute. "Yep! Nice to see you again, Mr. Jameson!"

"Haha, please, call me Russ. Pretty much everybody does." Russel put his hands to his hip. "So, what brings y'all to my darlin's shop?"

"We were just showing our new teammate around town." Ben answered as he nudged his head to Ilia, who was focusing on Russel with a perplexed face. It didn't take long for everyone to notice this, and Ben raised an eyebrow to the chameleon girl. "Uh, Ilia? Is something wrong?"

Without saying a word, Ilia approached the two, though her eyes were still directed squarely on Russel. She circled around the couple, inspecting with an analytic eye and taking mental notes. Finally, she stopped in front of the two and sent a glance to Whitlea. "Now I see what you were talking about with the many challenges you've been facing. You're a Faunus…" Ilia moved her eyes back to Russel. "And he's human."

Russel sighed and put a hand to the back of his neck. "Yep, an' I gotta tell ya, it's been freakin' _hell_ over these past few months to get our wedding squared away. Tons o' paperwork an' registry forms an' the like." His smile then returned and he put an arm around his fiancé. "But we got through it all, right hon?"

"Oh yes, and thank god for it." Whitlea put her arm around her beloved's back, pulling herself closer to him. "But remember, dear, we still have to plan out the actual wedding."

"I remember, don't you worry." Russel gave Whitlea a peck on the cheek. "Trust me, I ain't about to start slackin'. Not when we're _this_ close."

As she watched the happy couple interact, Ilia could see just how dedicated Russel and Whitlea were to each other. And she couldn't lie, she was absolutely stunned. Loving relationships between humans and Faunus were often quite rare, and that meant that they were a cultural taboo amongst both races. However, as she gazed upon the two in front of her, she could tell that they truly loved each other… and that was something that she could respect. "Well, I must say that what you two have is very special and quite unique." Ilia nodded. "I wish you the best of luck on your journey through life together."

Off to the side, Blake let out a sigh of relief. _'Oh, thank goodness, I thought she was going to flip out for a second there.'_

Whitlea bowed her head once again. "Thank you very much for your kind words, Ilia. After so many months of hardship, they mean a great deal."

"They sure do." Russel agreed. "An' hopefully everything will fall into place with the wedding." He proceeded to cross his fingers for good luck. "Fingers crossed."

Just then, Yang raised her hand and spoke up. "Hey, Russ, speaking of the wedding… didn't you say that your mom was coming from Vacuo this week to help plan it out?" She wore a nervous smile as she asked the next part of her question. "…So, she wouldn't happen to be here _now_ , would she?"

Russel shook his head to the Blonde Brawler. "Nope, she ain't here yet. But she _should_ be soon. Last night, she told me that she and my dad were hoppin' on the next Bullhead outta Feldspar, so you might just be able to see her today if you're lucky."

Yang fought hard to contain her excitement, but all the same, she let out a loud shout of delight at the news. "AAAAH! I'm ACTUALLY going to meet her!" She grabbed her boyfriend by the shoulders and began shaking him while pleading; "If this is a dream, Green Boy, PLEASE don't wake me up!"

Even though Ben was now slightly dizzy, he couldn't help but get pumped up by his girlfriend's enthusiasm. "Haha! Trust me, Goldie Locks, I'd probably know if this was a dream." He placed his hands on her shoulders and gave her a hug. "And hey, I can see that you're in a pretty good mood now, and I'm really happy that you are."

Yang chuckled at this, burying her head in the crook of his neck. "Heh, alright, ya got me. I AM feeling a little better now."

However, many others in the room were slightly confused by all of this, with Coco being the one to speak their thoughts. "Uh, Yang, what're you talking about?" The fashionable girl nudged her head over to Russel. "How's his mom THAT big of a deal?"

Yang's eyes brightened up and she immediately rushed over to Coco, now more pumped up than ever. "Coco, get this; Russ' mom… is _Jessica Jameson_." Coco's eyebrows snapped up at this, with her teammates as well as Neptune doing the same. She was about to ask further, but Yang beat her to the punch. "Yes, THAT Jessica Jameson."

"No way." Coco uttered as she whipped her head around to Russel, with Yang's excitement quickly taking her over. "You're related to THAT Jameson?! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" Her hand quickly went to Cooper's chest as she leaned up against him, feeling a little woozy as the information began to set in. "Tech Head, I need you to keep me up. I need a minute to process this!"

Cooper put a hand to the small of her back as she leaned into him, his eyes widening in surprised. "Coco, I still don't think I get it. Who's Jessica Jameson?"

Velvet came forward and answered his question. "Why she's only one of the most accomplished Huntresses of recent times!" she exclaimed. "Jessica Jameson is said to make the Grimm fear _her_ instead of the other way around! She's THAT good!"

Sun raised his hand. "I can attest to that. When I lived in Vacuo, I often saw the aftermath of her handiwork. I'll say this right now… it was something else." He raised his hands above his head. "She once tied a King Taijitu into a knot by coaxing its heads to coil around each other!"

"Dude, I heard that she made a pair of chopsticks out of a Sabyr's _teeth_!" Neptune added. "AFTER tearing them out with her bare hands!"

Russel pointed at the two boys. "Now THOSE stories are true. I've heard a buncha crazy stuff made up about my ma, but I make sure keep track of all the stuff that she _actually_ did. In fact, I SAW her do that last one myself." The man gazed upward slightly. "That was one crazy family vacation in Atlas, I'll tell you what."

Coco, who had gotten a hold of herself, was now beaming in anticipation. "I have to meet her. I HAVE to meet her!"

"I really want to meet her too." Blake agreed. "She sounds _awesome_."

Ruby let out a loud squee at the thought of meeting the Huntress. "Oh, I seriously can't believe that we're going to meet her! This has to be the greatest day ever—"

_**BANG! BANG! BANG!**_ All of a sudden, the sound of three gunshots rang out from seemingly nowhere, making everyone shout and duck their heads. However, it became immediately apparent that the shots weren't coming from anywhere near the flower shop, puzzling the group entirely. "W-What in the world?" Ilia muttered. "Where did that—wait! Look!" The chameleon girl pointed to one of the large pane glass windows, indicating a bunch of people running outside. Ilia's brows furrowed and she whipped her head around to Whitlea and Russel. "Miss Tiger Lily, Mr. Jameson, I suggest that you take cover in the back.

"Ilia's right." Ruby supported. "And please, make sure that Iris is safe too. We'll go find out what just happened."

Whitlea was a bit reluctant to let them go, but she had to keep in mind that these kids were Hunters in training. This was the kind of thing that they were training to handle. "Alright, we will. But please, be safe everyone."

As the couple secluded themselves to the back of the shop, the team went outside to see that the citizens were all sprinting up the street, with many of them practically screaming their lungs out. "Well, at least we know where the trouble is." Yang figured as she directed her sights down the street.

"Yeah, but what IS the trouble?" Blake wondered.

Coco immediately spotted Fox, the redhead already at work helping people get away. "FOX!" she hollered over the screaming people. "What happened?!"

Fox directed his gaze to Coco and began using his Semblance to speak directly into her and the other's heads. _"I'm not sure. But whatever it was, it can't be good."_ He turned his head to where he was hearing all of the screams come from, his teeth gritting a little bit. _"We need to control the situation before it attracts any Grimm."_

"Right, let's go guys!" Ben called out, ushering them to follow him down the street. "You know what time it is!"

As they followed the young hero, the team called out the familiar catchphrase all at once; "IT'S HERO TIME!"

The only one who didn't was Ilia, who was slightly taken aback by the battle cry. "Um, yeah, what you guys said!"

* * *

**A/N: Heh, looks like Ilia's still got a lot to learn. But hey, she's got some new threads (yes, they're the ones from the beginning of Volume 6) and had a little bonding moment with Coco, so she's at least starting to come out of her shell a little. Speaking of new threads, Team JNPR's got their new combat gear on! Something tells me that they're going to be getting some good use out of that pretty soon. Also, it seems like Ruby and Raven might be starting to warm up to one another through the mutual bond they had with Summer. But will Ruby's plan to get her sister and the tribe leader back on good terms work? Only time will tell. Until then, it seems like we've got some more chaos to deal with. So… NEXT TIME! We catch up with Team JNPR and Athena as they finally let the Arcs in on the secret that is Salem and the battle they're fighting. But just as they do, they catch wind of the same gunfire that the others heard and they rush to the scene. When they get there, they find that the situation's a lot more serious than they thought. Even the chief of police is getting involved! But soon, help arrives… in the form of a rather rough and tumble individual. Thanks for reading guys and I'll see you all next time!**


	83. A Strange Stand-Off

**A/N: Hey everyone! Now, before we begin though, I want to do something that I've actually never done before now; give an original character a voice. Now, I normally don't do this because I want to leave that sort of thing up to reader interpretation. I DO have my own ideas for who should voice the characters I create myself, but I wasn't sure if you guys would want to hear that sort of thing or even LIKE my ideas for who should be voicing whom. However, with a certain character in this chapter, I had a pretty good idea for how he should sound right from the start, and I think you all deserve to hear it too.**

**With that said, the role of the police chief will be portrayed by Patrick Warburton. This is…**

**Chapter 83: A Strange Stand-Off**

* * *

Weiss was currently pacing back and forth through the main hallway of the Xiao Long house, the heiress waiting for the moment that her sister would finally emerge from the basement. It wasn't that she was growing impatient, oh no, that was FAR from the case. She had NO problem waiting for her sister to finish talking with the boy she was interested in. Rather, Weiss' current problem was that she was growing irritated by a certain EVO that was making a competition out of something as inconsequential as training, and there weren't even any STAKES to it! She had tried training on her own for a little while, but she found that not having a partner was far from satisfying, so she came back in to wait for her sister. _'I swear, the next time our Spanish lessons come up, I'm going to ask him to teach me some good insults.'_ she swore to herself. _'Ugh! Why is he so gosh darn irritating?!'_

However, her little pacing-fest was halted when she heard the basement door, making her whip herself around to it. "There you are!" Weiss greeted as she strode to her sister. "I was wondering when you'd—" But then she stopped when she noticed the expression on Winter's face. The military specialist seemed to be in deep thought about something, her eyes staring at the nearby wall in contemplation. This immediately gained Weiss' concern. "Uh… Winter?"

Winter let out a gasp and turned her attention toward her sister. "Oh! Weiss, I'm sorry. I suppose I wasn't paying attention."

"It's fine." Weiss said while raising a brow. "But… is everything okay? Did something happen between you and Kenny?"

"What?! Oh, no, no, far from it." Winter smiled with a slight blush. "Our daily conversation was very nice as always. He even played me a few more songs." The elder Schnee grew serious once more. "What's on my mind however is what happened BEFORE our call. Agent Six was the one to transfer me over to Kenny, and he told me to have Ben call him back later on."

Weiss' eyebrows rose. "Is there something wrong?"

"I'm not entirely sure." Winter surmised. "He didn't say if it was urgent or not, so I'm not _entirely_ worried, but I have a feeling that it IS important."

The heiress blinked in surprise. "Wow, something tells me that Six is good at keeping secrets himself."

To that, Winter gave a nod. "Indeed." But then her smile reappeared. "But let's try and focus on something else. Are you ready for today's training?"

A determined face overtook Weiss' features as the two sisters walked into the kitchen. "Oh, I am _so_ ready! And I'm ALSO ready to put Rex's little "bet" to rest!"

Winter tilted her head at that. "Um… I'm afraid I don't follow, sister."

"Oh, Rex made a bet that HE could train harder than I can." Weiss rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Psh, so childish, am I right? I mean, it doesn't even make any sense!"

An amused smile came to Winter's face at this. "Hmm, perhaps not. But then again, it makes a _little_ bit of sense if you take a little something into account…"

Weiss furrowed her brows. "…And that would be?"

"He's trying to get your _attention_." Winter clarified before poking her sister's nose. "Because he _likes you_."

"Ugh! This again?!" Weiss facepalmed with both hands. "Winter, the trope about boys teasing girls that they like is SO overdone! Not all boys do it!"

"Exactly, but maybe Rex just happens to be one of those boys." Winter gave her sister a smirk. "And besides, you really shouldn't be surprised if he HAS fallen for you. If I recall, you've had two boys in this group crush on you already, correct?"

"What? Jaune and Neptune?" Weiss shrugged. "Well, okay, I'll give you that. But at the same time, they've both moved on. And if that's the case then…" Weiss trailed off there, the words getting stuck in her mouth.

Winter wore a knowing smile and nodded her head. "Ah, finding the idea of Rex getting over his "supposed" crush unappealing, eh?"

An intense blush came to Weiss' face and she regained her bearings, facing away from her sister to hide it. "Sh-Shut up!"

With a heavy sigh, Winter threw up her hands. "Very well. If you wish for me to drop it, I will. But trust me Weiss… there are some opportunities that you shouldn't let slip through your fingers." All she got from her sister was a slight lowering of the head, to which she sighed again. "Hmm, I see." Winter was about to continue to the door when she stopped halfway, finally taking notice of the dead silence in the house. "By the way, where IS everybody?"

"Oh, a lot of them went to town." Weiss answered. "Max took a group to the mall while Athena took Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora and Ren to have breakfast with the Arcs."

Winter pointed to her sister. "Ah, yes, that's right. They were also going to tell them the whole truth about Salem afterwards." She put a finger to her chin in concern. "Hmm, I certainly hope that goes well."

But Weiss didn't seem all that worried. "Heh, well, I'm sure Jaune can handle it. I mean, he's gotten a LOT more confident over the past year." She waved her hand assuredly. "I'm sure he'll have no trouble at all."

* * *

Jaune had never felt so nervous in his entire life. Well, okay, he HAD, but this was one of those times when his anxiety began to flare up. He was currently walking down a hotel hallway with his team and Athena, following his family back to one of their hotel rooms. However, it was far from a stress-free walk, as it was time to let the truth come out. When he had first heard about Salem and willingly joined the fight against her, Jaune thought it best to keep his family in the dark about the whole thing to keep them safe from harm. But after what had happened last night back in Menagerie, it was made quite apparent that the witch probably wasn't going to keep herself hidden away for long. One way or another, his family would find out, and he resolved that it'd probably be better if they found out from him rather than the worse option.

With that in mind though, he knew that it'd be FAR from a painless band aid to rip off. _'I just hope that they won't be mad at me.'_ Jaune prayed in his head. _'I really don't want what happened between Yang and her mom to happen to me… only nine times worse.'_

"Jaune?" Pyrrha's voice suddenly pulled the blonde knight out of his thoughts, his eyes going directly to her. "Are you doing alright?" She reached down and grasped his hand with her own. "You've just been staring at the ceiling since we got into the hotel."

With a small sigh, Jaune gave a small shrug. "To be honest, Pyr, I really don't know." With his free hand, he ran his fingers through his hair, trying to process his thoughts. "With what we're about to do… I just hope it'll all go well."

"It _will_. I promise." Pyrrha smiled and leaned against his shoulder slightly, whispering so that only he could hear her. "Your family isn't going to shun you over this, Jaune. They wouldn't do that." She gave her boyfriend a wink. "Besides, they love you too much. _Especially_ your sisters."

Jaune smiled back at her and gave her a small kiss, grateful for her comforting words. "Have I told you how awesome you are recently? If not, then remind me to do it more often."

Pyrrha couldn't help but laugh a little at that. "Haha! Oh, come now, Jaune. You're pretty cool too, you know."

"Heh, okay, _maybe_. But still, thanks for keeping me grounded, Pyr." Jaune wrapped an arm around her shoulder, which he now found a little hard to do given her new armor. "…You know, I never realized how hard it is to be intimate with this much armor on until now."

Pyrrha eyed her new pauldrons in slight annoyance. "Probably because we DIDN'T have to deal with this much armor before." She gave out a sigh of her own. "I appreciate my mother's concern for more protection in battle, but I can't help but feel that she _wanted_ me to cover my shoulders up. But I suppose I'll just have to live with it."

Overhearing their conversation, Nora gave her friend a reassuring wave. "Aw, it's not THAT bad, Pyrrha. Besides…" She leaned over and whispered to both of them; "It'll make your more intimate moments a lot more special." With bright blushes on their faces, Nora knew that her job had been done, and she went back to standing next to her best friend. "Hehe, I know they're cozier with each other now, but it's still fun to tease 'em a little, right Renny?" However, the green ninja didn't respond prompting Nora to crane her head to him. As she suspected, he was staring off into space again, lost in his thoughts. With a slight grumble, Nora side-stepped in front of him, crossed her arms and called out; "Ren!"

"AH!" Ren yelped and stopped in place, his eyes darting down to his best friend. This also had the side effect of everyone stopping in place, including all of the Arcs. "N-Nora!" Ren stammered. "W-What's wrong?"

As he asked this, the Arc sisters gazed on in concern, with Rouge calling over; "Is everything okay back there?"

"Yeah, what's goin' on?" Blanche pressed further. "Ninja boy off his rocker a bit—OW!" She was promptly elbowed in the side by her twin, who was giving her the stink-eye. "Noire! What the hell?"

"Could you at least TRY to be a bit more tactful, Blanche?" Noire asked with an eye roll. "I mean, sheesh, c'mon!"

Pyrrha directed her attention back to Nora and Ren, placing a gentle hand on the former's shoulder. "Do you guys need a minute?" She received a silent nod from Nora in response, and that was all the answer she needed. "Alright, we'll be waiting for you in the hotel room, okay?"

And with that, the duo were left alone, their eyes locked on one another. Nora was still boring into Ren's soul with her unrelenting stare, making the ninja grow all the more nervous. He knew that she was onto his behavior, but he really wished she wasn't. "Nora, I—"

"Ren, what's going on?" Nora's question was firm, but also filled with concern. "You've been acting like this since this morning." She put her hand against his chest, her eyes filled with worry. "Please, tell me what's on your mind."

"Well…" Ren sighed and his shoulders slumped forward, his gaze going toward the ground. "You're right Nora, there IS something that's on my mind." He put his hand over hers and moved his head back up to her. "Since you mentioned it this morning, I've been thinking… about what happened all those years ago."

Nora's eyes widened and she immediately pulled her best friend into a hug. "Oh, Ren! You're bogging your mind down _again_!" She put her eyes back on him again. "You _know_ what that does to you!"

"Yes, I do." Ren replied. "But sometimes, I just can't help it." He glanced out a nearby window to the cold, outside world. "Especially around this time of year."

Nora pursed her lips and leaned her head against Ren's chest. "I know. Sometimes, I think about it too." She then offered him a small smile. "But remember, even if our families aren't with us anymore, we've got Jaune, Pyrrha and _their_ families now. Not to mention the rest of our friends too."

Ren let out a light chuckle. "Heh, yeah, you're right." He settled his hands on the small of Nora's back and pulled her into the embrace. "It's like you said this morning, we have a new family here, and I AM very grateful for that."

"Yep! And hey…" Nora reached up and put a finger to Ren's chin, pushing his head upward a bit. "Keep your chin up, okay? Things are going to be fine, I just know it."

The ninja couldn't help but admire his best friend's optimism. It was one of the big things that kept them both going over the years that they'd been on the road. Sure, Nora would often have her own bouts with sadness, but she would often bounce back rather quickly. _'She amazes me sometimes.'_ he thought to himself before speaking once again. "Heh, alright. If you say so, then it has to be true." He repositioned himself and then put an arm around her. "C'mon, the others are probably waiting for us."

"You got it." Nora said as she put her hand over his. "So… you ready to let the cat out of the bag?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Ren answered. "Let's just hope that it's not too bad." In just a few moments, the duo found the room that they were headed to and opened it up, revealing the whole family on the inside, already chatting it up. The twins, as well as Saffron and Terra, had taken to one of the couches while Athena, Jaune, Pyrrha and Rouge were sitting upon the other. Jonathan and Mary were sitting in the single loveseat that was right in the corner while the younger sisters; Verte, Azure and Violette were all sitting on the floor, their legs crisscrossed as they eagerly spoke with one another.

Nora smirked and nudged her head to the large group. "Take a good look, Ren, this is what family gatherings will be like whenever Jaune and Pyrrha decide to tie the knot."

Ren gave the Pink Dynamo an incredulous face. "Nora, we have a LONG time to go before we can even _think_ about that becoming a reality."

"I know, I just ship it that hard." The two stepped through the doorway and Nora gave a wave. "Hey guys! We're here!"

The large group craned their heads up to the two entering teens, sending smiles their way. "Hey, there you guys are." Saffron greeted. "So, is everything okay?"

"Oh yeah, totally fine." Nora affirmed. "We just… had a little private conversation."

Terra raised a brow in their direction, a knowing grin coming to her face. "Ooh, scandalous. If it's private then you _know_ it must be pretty big."

At the brunette's accusation, the two best friends blushed intensely and glanced away from each other, with Nora clearing her throat. "Ahem, uh, yeah it was." She then raised her hand up to them. "But it's all been taken care of, so we're cool." Nora did an about-face to Jaune, hoping that she could change the subject quickly. "So, Jaune! Did you get around to telling them… _it_ yet?"

Jaune visibly winced at the mention of "it". "Not yet. We were actually waiting for you guys."

Next to him, Rouge gave him a questioning face. "And what exactly is "it", Jaune?" she asked as she used air-quotes for emphasis.

"Does it have anything to do with the mission you went on last night?" Jonathan pressed further. "Because if it does, then I'd be more than happy to hear it!"

Mary put a hand to her husband's chest to settle him a little. "BUT even if it isn't, then we'd all like to hear what you have to say anyway."

"Well, no, it isn't. I mean, it kind of _is_ , but..." Jaune scratched the back of his head nervously. "It's actually a pretty big secret that I've been keeping from you guys for a while." the blonde knight admitted. "And I intentionally kept it from you so that you wouldn't get hurt or be worried about what me and my friends were getting into."

The Arc's eyes all simultaneously widened, the first to speak up naturally being Blanche; "Jaune, are you and your friends caught in the middle of something… shady?" She stood up and pounded her fist into her palm. "Because if you are, then just show me where I can beat 'em up so I can get you out of it!"

Noire pulled her sister back down into her seat before adding; "And _I'll_ take more sensible steps to solve the problem. I'll get the appropriate authorities involved and we'll—"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple, Noire." Athena piped up. "What we're about to tell you is something that very few people know about, and something that cannot be easily solved just by calling the police or a professional Hunter." The Mistralian Huntress wore a dead serious expression as she set her sights on the family, their faces growing more worried by the second. "This is much bigger than any normal person can comprehend."

There was a long silence that hung over the entire room for a few good seconds, the Arcs processing Athena's words all the while. Finally though, Mary stood up and went over to her son, putting her hands to his shoulders while locking eyes with him. "…Jaune, please, what's going on? What kind of trouble have you all gotten into?"

Jaune glanced between his teammates and Athena, with all four of them giving the okay. Jaune took a deep breath and began his very long explanation. "Okay, but let me start by saying this; I kept this from you because I wanted to keep you safe. And I was worried about what might happen if you guys got in on the whole thing." Reluctantly, he put his hands over his mother's, and thankfully, she didn't take them away. "The public isn't ready to hear this information, so… can I ask that you guys keep it from leaving this room?"

"Of course, son." Jonathan got up and did the same thing his wife was doing, giving his boy a nod. "If anything, _we're_ worried about you too. And the walls here are thick enough so that no one'll hear us. Now please, tell us what's going on."

"Alright, what I'm about to tell you is one-hundred percent true." Jaune raised his right hand. "I swear that I'm not making any of this up, so… you might wanna brace yourselves."

On the floor, Verte blinked in surprise. "Wow, I… I don't think I've ever seen you this serious, Jaune." The teen girl directed her eyes to Pyrrha. "Is it really THAT big of a deal?"

"Indeed it is, Verte." Pyrrha nodded solemnly. "Now, to start things off… what are your favorite fairy tales?" And so, for the next half hour, Team JNPR and Athena regaled the Arc family with the tale of what REALLY happened at Beacon Academy, along with the identity of its attacker; Salem. They told the Arcs of Ozpin's ongoing war with the witch, and how the headmaster himself had actually been a long-lived immortal man with the ability to reincarnate into new people. Finally, they finished it all with the Maidens and the Relics, and how if Salem managed to acquire all of them, she could plunge the world into darkness.

"And it's up to our team to stop her." Jaune finished. "Ozpin pulled us into this war… and we're going to see it through to the end." He lowered his head to his family, who were all dumbstruck at the information. "Well… there you have it. Every last little detail."

There was another long silence, this one much longer than the last. However, after another good minute, Blanche pretty much summed up what everyone was thinking. "What the SHIT did I just hear?!"

"Blanche!" Mary scolded. "Watch your mouth!"

Violette raised her hand. "Hate to say it mom, but she hit the nail on the head." She craned her head up to her older brother, who was still lowering his. "Jaune… how could ANY of this be true? I mean, it's almost hard to believe."

"Not to say we _don't_ believe you." Saffron clarified. "Because we _do_. We're just… having some trouble processing it all."

Noire rested her head on the back of the couch, staring up at the ceiling. "That's putting it mildly."

Azure put her hands to the sides of her head, her eyes nearly bugged out in astonishment. "All this time, I was thinking that there was a scientific basis for what the Grimm were and where they come from…" She threw her hands up into the air. "But it's seriously all just BLACK MAGIC?!"

"Shh, Azure, keep your voice down." Rouge shushed. "We don't want to take chances, even IF the walls are thick."

"Uh, HELLO?!" Verte got up and thrust her hands forward, gesturing to her brother. "Are we just going to ignore the fact that Jaune and his friends have been putting themselves in mortal danger for the past two weeks?!" She balled her fists up and placed them on her hips. "I mean, Grimm is one thing, aliens are another, but this is just a whole different ball game!"

Jonathan set a hand on her shoulder, hoping to calm her down. "Sweetheart, let's take a moment to breath here. We've already had a ton of stuff dropped on us, so let's not make this anymore difficult." He then set his eyes onto his son, stepping back over to him and crouching down so that he was eye level. "Jaune, look at me, son."

Jaune reluctantly brought his head back up, hoping that his dad wouldn't be too harsh on him. "Dad, I-I'm sorry—"

"Don't apologize for anything, son." Jonathan cut him off, giving his boy a reassuring smile. He put a hand to his shoulder and continued. "Truth be told, I always had a feeling that ol' Oz had a whole closet full of secrets that he'd been hiding from everyone. Even when _I_ went to Beacon, he was always a shady one." His features then became a bit more concerned. "I WILL admit, though… I'm worried about what you and your friends have gotten into with all of this. But if what you say is true and this witch wants to take over the world, then I guess that sitting by and doing nothing's not gonna help matters."

Verte's eyes nearly bugged out of her sockets. "Dad… are you _seriously_ okay with Jaune fighting against an all-powerful witch who's got a whole army of follower and Grimm at her beck and call?!"

Jonathan sighed and went back to standing up straight, all while crossing his arms. "It's probably going to be pretty dangerous, but this team has had great success so far with their missions." He then set his gaze onto his wife, who was visibly worried as well. "Dear, what do you think about all of this?"

Mary took a deep breath, pursing her lips in thought. "Well… I won't lie, this has me worried in about ten different ways." Her gaze then settled onto her sun, a small grin coming to her face. "After all, my baby boy is fighting against the forces of evil. But your father has a point, Jaune, you and your friends have been doing well since the Battle of Beacon. How many bad guys have you fought over the past couple of weeks?"

Jaune became somewhat sheepish at the question. "Heh, a lot. We've taken down a whole bunch of Ben's enemies and encountered Salem's forces almost every day."

Blanch practically jumped out of her seat. "But do you seriously think that you guys can take down a _freakin'_ witch?!"

"She's right, Jaune." Saffron supported. "This seems a little out of your league."

"I know, but _I'm_ probably not going to be fighting her." Jaune explained. "The only one who stands at least a _remote_ chance against her is Ben. But if my team and I can help out along the way, then why wouldn't we?" He got up off of the sofa and walked over to his sisters. "Guys, I know that you're really worried about us, but very few people know about the threat that Salem brings to the world. And among them…" he waved his hand to his team, "is us. And we WANT to help. That's what Hunters do, after all."

Terra sent a pleading look to her brother-in-law. "Jaune, we understand how important this all is. We just don't want you to… you know… die."

"And I don't wanna die either." Jaune agreed. "But our team needs every little bit of help they're gonna need if we wanna pull this off. Besides" He went over and pointed to Terra's belly. "I wanna make sure that my new niece or nephew gets to grow up in a safer world than the one we have today."

Terra and Saffron couldn't help but smile at his words, with the former placing her hand over her stomach. "Heh, well crap. When you put it like that, it's hard to say no."

Rouge grinned as well, though hers was a bit sadder. "You're right, Jaune. I don't want my children to grow up in a dangerous world. Or worse… not get to grow up at all." She got up and hugged her brother. "Just… be safe about saving the world, okay?"

"And make sure you guys all stay alive, okay?" Terra added as she and Saffron did the same.

Saffron ruffled her brother's hair up a bit. "Yeah, I want our kid to actually _meet_ his uncle, too."

Noire and Blanche followed suit with their sister's embrace. "And don't get in over your head, okay?" Noire warned. "Be smart, and don't get too over confident."

"If you feel like you can't win, pull out of the fight and take the L." Blanche balled her hand into a powerful fist. "But then, make a new plan and go back to kick their asses!"

Jaune let out a little laugh at that. "Hehe, thanks girls, I appreciate it." His eyes then found his younger sisters, who were still standing off to the side. "What about you guys? Do I have your approval?"

Violette scratched the back of her head. "To be honest, Jaune, I'm still trying to comprehend all of this." She followed up with a small shrug and a soft smile of her own. "But I guess if you guys are confident that you'll be okay, then I'll support you."

"Indeed." Azure adjusted her glasses. "While I'm unsure about the chances of you succeeding, I'm sure that given your track record, you have a strong possibility of doing quite well."

Nora bounded up and pulled the youngest Arcs into an over-the-shoulder embrace. "Haha! See? That's the spirit!" She gave them an optimistic wink. "And don't worry, we'll be alright. Remember, there's a whole ton of people who're fighting Salem than just us. I'm actually pretty confident in our odds."

"Don't be OVER confident Nora." Ren warned. "We don't want to jinx anything."

"Ah, let's leave Jynx outta this." The Pink Dynamo joked, though she knew that a majority of them there probably wouldn't get it. She then faced the only Arc who hadn't given her support yet; Verte. The teen was standing off to the side, a perturbed expression written across her face as Nora's eyes landed on her. "What about you, Verte? You gonna show your bro some love?"

"I…" Verte trailed off as her eyes went to her older brother, the blonde knight giving her a reassuring gaze. But the younger Arc was still uncertain about all of this, the very thought of supporting her brother as he faced certain doom beginning to ebb at her mind. "I really don't know what to do. I know how important it is for the world to be safe, but…" She craned her head away from everyone as tears began streaming down her face, a few sobs threatening to escape from her lips. "I don't want to risk losing you, Jaune."

Jaune gave her a small nod before going over and enveloping her in a hug of his own. "I know you don't, sis. But I don't wanna lose any of you either." He reached up and wiped the tears away from her face. "If any of you guys were to die because I couldn't do anything about it, then I'd be just as heartbroken as you would be."

Pyrrha got up from the couch and walked up behind Verte, putting both of her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Verte, I will make sure that Jaune stays safe. You can count on that."

Verte shifted her eyes between the two, noting how they weren't the least bit scared. "How… how can you guys be so calm about this?" she asked. "You're putting yourselves in all of these dangerous situations… and you aren't scared?"

"Of course, we are." Pyrrha affirmed. "Hunters are always scared about what they have to do. I'm sure that your father would agree with me on that."

"One-hundred percent." Jonathan concurred. "Verte, sweetheart, if you meet anyone who says they aren't scared about going into danger, they're lying. _Especially_ if it's a Hunter saying that. Fear is a natural human emotion. We all feel it." He placed a hand to his chest. "But Hunters do their job regardless because we know how important it is. In fact, the fear of losing all of you if I didn't do my job is what kept me going over the years." The man gave his daughter a small grin. "And it's evident that your brother and his team realize this."

Verte let her father's words sink in, moving her eyes back to Jaune and Pyrrha as she did. After a few seconds, she let out a heavy sigh and set her head against her brother's chest. "You know, you and your friends are really stubborn."

"I've heard that from time to time." Jaune admitted.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Verte pulled away and pointed a finger around at the team. "Okay, you guys have my support. But I want you ALL to stay safe, alright? Don't take any unnecessary risks…" She raised a brow over to a certain redheaded warrior. "And that goes double for you, Pyrrha. No recreating what happened at Beacon!"

The Invincible Girl raised her hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, I get the picture. No more self-sacrifice, trust me. After the last time, I don't plan to do it again."

"I certainly hope not." Athena said as she herself got up as well. "After all, if anyone plans on killing you, they will have to answer to me." She moved over to her daughter and Jaune, giving the latter a thumbs up. "So, how does it feel to have all of this in the open, Jaune?"

The blonde knight let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding, his body relaxing a bit. "To be honest, I feel a lot more at ease." He wiped away some sweat from his forehead with a chuckle. "Really thought I was gonna be put through the ringer, though." He gave Blanche a questioning face. "I'm actually really surprised that you didn't, Blanche. Especially considering… you know…"

Blanche simply shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I was _going_ to, but after thinking over what you said and what you guys have been through already, I've got faith in ya." A quilty expression came to her face. "…Plus, I didn't want to start another fight with you after what happened last week."

"None of us wanted that, I'm sure." Noire said as she pat her sister on the back. "And don't worry, we won't let this slip to anyone, promise."

"Thanks guys. We really appreciate this." Jaune bowed his head to his sisters and then to his parents, though he saw that his mother still had a visibly worried face. He offered her a small grin and gave her a wink. "Mom, I'll be okay. I promise."

Mary sighed and pulled her son into a hug, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I hope you're right, baby. Dear god, I hope you are."

The two fell out of the hug and Jaune held his mother's hands, grasping them firmly. "Trust me, things are going to be okay." He returned the kiss to her own cheek. "I love you, mom, but I've gotta do this."

With a small chuckle, Mary blinked away the tears that were starting to form at the corners of her eyes. "You AND your father really know how to make a woman worry." She lightly set a hand onto his new chest plate. "But I'll be wishing you good luck out there, remember that."

"Believe me, I will." Jaune nodded. "…And considering how powerful Salem seemingly is, we'll need it."

Saffron placed her hands on her hips with a smirk. "That isn't exactly reassuring, little bro."

"Yeah, I thought you DIDN'T want us to worry." Terra added.

Jaune's eyebrows snapped up in realization. "Oh, uh… yeah. Sorry 'bout that." He clapped his hand together, hoping to change the subject. "So, hey! Now that everything's been let out and the air's been cleared, how about we go do something fun? I heard from Ruby that there's a large pier with a carnival along the other side of the island. Maybe we could—"

_**BANG! BANG! BANG!**_ Jaune was suddenly cut off when three loud shots rang out from outside the window, making everyone in the room either scream, duck and cover, or both. Following that, they could hear many more screams coming from outside the window, leading them to craned their heads up to see what was going on. They were on the fourth floor of the hotel, so they had to look down into the streets. There, they could already see multiple people running away from whatever was happening down below, going as fast as their feet could carry them. "What's going on?!" Rouge exclaimed.

"I don't know." Noire said as she quickly moved away from the window. "But what I DO know is that somebody is shooting a firearm in a public area, and that's not gonna fly with me!" The police woman reached into her large duffle bag, pulled out her uniform, and then went straight to the bathroom to quickly change. "Someone has to go out there and help!"

"You're right, sweetheart." Jonathan went over and pulled out a very large case, opening it up to reveal his gold and white armor. He then whipped his head around to Team JNPR with a serious face. "Kids, we're probably going to be a while, so—"

"Say no more, dad!" Jaune saluted, with the rest of his team following suit. "We're already on it. C'mon, team, let's move out!"

As Jaune, Ren and Nora bolted out of the room, Pyrrha faced her mother with a nod. "Mom, I know that you don't have your armor, so could you and the others make sure that everyone in the hotel stays safe? It would be a big help."

"Of course, dear." Athena agreed. "Now go out there and find out what's going on." With a quick nod, Pyrrha sprinted out of the room to catch up with her teammates, leaving Athena alone with the Arcs. The Mistralian Huntress made a fist, frustrated that she hadn't brought her own armor and weapon. "Why can't anything around here just stay peaceful for at least twenty-four hours?"

* * *

The moment that Team JNPR stepped outside, they were immediately swept up in the chaos. The streets were hustling and bustling with terrified people, all of them running for their lives from an unknown source. Many vehicles had been slowed to a crawl, which even made a few people abandon them all together so that they could just run themselves. "My god, what the hell is going on here?!" Nora shouted. "And where'd those shots even COME from?!"

"Not sure." Ren replied. "But something tells me we just have to go in the direction that the people are running from to get our answer."

All of a sudden, a familiar voice called out from behind them; "That's what we were thinking!" Team JNPR all whirled around to see Ben, Yang, Ruby, Blake, Ilia, Team SN, Cooper and Team CFVY all running down the street toward them, some of them even pushing against the large crowd swarming in the opposite direction. Ben waved over and called out; "Hey guys! Perfect timing!"

"Ben!" Jaune waved back. "Any idea what just happened?!"

"Not a clue. We were at Whitlea's shop when it happened." The hero stopped in front of the knight and began scanning the crowd, still perplexed at the whole thing. "But whatever it is, people are making the right decision and gunning it away from the action."

Ruby looked to Jaune in concern. "What about your family? Are they—"

"All fine." Jaune answered. "They're safe in one of their hotel rooms." The young man sighed in exasperation. "And of course, this all just HAD to happen right after I told them the truth about everything."

Yang's eyes widened at that information. "Woah, okay, that's pretty big, Vomit Boy. So… how'd they take it?"

"Pretty well, actually." Jaune confirmed before waving his hand to the crowd of people. "But to have all of THIS follow it up? It's a disaster!"

"Agreed." Blake spoke up. "But right now, we need to—wait!" The cat girl's ears perked up at the sound of an approaching siren, catching it before any of the others. "We've got officers in bound!" Sure enough, a few seconds later, a slew of police cruisers came zooming from around the corner, the sound of the sirens ushering people to clear the way. As the law enforcement vehicles went rushing past them though, a single one stopped in place, screeching to a halt just a few feet away from them.

Neptune recoiled at the sudden stop. "What the?!"

But his question was answered for him when a familiar face came out of the driver's side door, a head full of red hair accompanying it. Yang broke out into a grin as she recognized this particular officer. "Hey, Lieutenant Burns!"

Police Lieutenant Krista Burns gave the group a wave as the passenger side window of her cruiser began to lower, revealing her partner; officer Roy Price, sitting on the inside. "Hey everyone!" she greeted. "I'm guessing you heard the gunshots?"

"Exactly!" Sun said as he and the team ran over to them. "Man, it's been a while since we've seen you guys."

"Yes, I think it was the incident with Subdora where we last saw each other." Pyrrha added.

Roy gave a nervous chuckle and scratched the back of his head. "Hehe, yeah, with all the crazy stuff that's been happening around Vale, the chief's been having us work a lot more." He gave an apologetic bow to Ruby. "Speaking of, sorry we couldn't make it to your birthday party, Ruby."

Krista lowered her head as well. "Yeah, sorry. I really wish we could've come."

But Ruby gave them a reassuring wave. "Ah, it's no big. I understand." She gave them a small wink. "An officer's job is never easy."

Meanwhile, Ilia raised a brow and leaned over to her best friend. "Uh, Blake? You know these officers?"

"Oh yeah, we've worked together a couple times in the past." Blake gestured to the two. "Ilia, this is Krista and Roy." She then moved her arm over to Ilia herself, now addressing the two officers. "And guys, this is my friend Ilia. She's new around here."

"I see." Krista nodded. "Well, it's very nice to meet you. So, you guys were going to investigate the crime too, huh? On the ball as always, I see."

At that moment, Coco and her team stepped up, the fashionable girl placing a hand on her hip with a smirk. "That's right, officer. So, what's the sitch?"

Krista pointed down the street. "The sitch is that we've got a hold up at the bank." She craned her head in the same direction. "We think that the culprits have hostages in there with them, but we're still not entirely sure." Krista put her focus back onto the team. "The only reason WE stopped is because we wanted to ask you guys for your help."

Cooper gave her a thumbs up. "Hey, we would've helped out even if you HADN'T stopped to ask."

"He's right." Ben agreed. "So, I'm guessing that we're going to get a police escort now?"

Roy shrugged at that. "Eh, more or less. You guys probably can't all fit in the car though…"

Just then, a loud honking came from down the street, prompting everyone to whirl their heads around. There, approaching at high speeds, was the Rustbucket. The motorhome's engine was roaring with all the power it could muster as it came to a halt, the passenger side opening just as it did. Max, who was still sitting in the driver's seat, got straight to the point; "I got into gear as soon as I heard the shots!" He nudged his head to the teens to get in. "Hop in, kids. We haven't got much time to lose!"

The whole group blinked in surprise, but Ben wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Well, I guess that solves that problem!" The hero ran straight to the Rustbucket, ushering his friends to do the same. "C'mon guys, we've got a day to save!" With that, all of the teens piled into the motorhome while Krista went back into her cruiser, quick to put the sirens back on and zoom ahead. While it was crowded in the Rustbucket to be sure, that didn't stop Max from flooring it, following Krista to the scene of the crime.

* * *

By the time the team got to the bank, the place was already surrounded, both by officers and concerned bystanders. The officers themselves were trying to keep the civilians back however, especially the press, who were already on the scene. "Dear lord, it's like a zoo!" Max commented as he slowed the Rustbucket to a halt behind Krista's cruiser. After seeing the redheaded lieutenant and her blonde partner exit their vehicle, the old Plumber moved around in his seat to face the team, who were already prepping their weapons. "Alright kids, it's show time. Do you have a plan?"

"Kind of." Ben answered. "There's no easy way for me to get in there without drawing too much attention. So…" He brought up the Omnitrix and brought up the holo-ring, quickly finding Chamalien's icon. "I'll be taking a stealthier route."

However, before he could bring his hand down, Jaune stopped him from doing so. "Wait a sec, Ben. Maybe we should get some more info on the situation first." He set his gaze out the window toward the bank. "If we go in without knowing what's going on, then we could risk making the problem even worse."

"Hmm, you've got a great point there, Jaune." Ben admitted as he brought the holo-ring back down. "Alright, I'll hold off for now." He then stepped toward the door and stepped outside. "Okay guys, let's see what's going on."

The teens filed out of the Rustbucket and quickly headed over to Krista and Roy, both of whom were standing behind a barricade of police cars. Many of the other officers around them were already arming themselves up with rifles and pistols just in case the situation escalated quickly. One of the officers, a brunette woman with tanned skin and brown eyes saw the team approaching and was quick to stop them. "Hey! You kids can't be here!" she shouted firmly as she raised her hand. "This is a restricted and dangerous area. I suggest you all—"

"Relax, Rockwell." Krista stepped forward and halted the woman in her tracks. "These guys are with me. They're Hunters-in-training who want to help."

The officer, whose last name was apparently Rockwell, grew even _more_ concerned from Krista's statement if anything. "Burns, are you crazy?! The chief is on his way here right now, and you KNOW how he feels about any Huntsmen or Huntresses getting involved in police affairs!" She pointed a finger toward the teens. "If he catches a single _whiff_ of them, he'll—"

"I'll _deal_ with it, Loni." Krista pressed further, this time using the woman's first name. "These kids helped me and Roy take down plenty of perps over the past couple weeks. I think the chief will make an exception… hopefully." She waved her hand toward the bank. "Right now, we need to focus. Help the squad set up around the building and we'll go from there."

Loni Rockwell simply shrugged and scoffed. "Alright, but just remember; it's _your_ job that's on the line, Burns. _Not_ mine." She proceeded to walk away, calling out to the rest of the police squad to surround the building and keep their weapons at the ready.

Nora pursed her lips slightly at the woman's behavior. "Sheesh, who's she, a crooked cop?"

Roy smirked and chuckled a little bit. "Ah, Loni's just jealous because KB got promoted first… and did better at the academy than her."

Krista rolled her eyes at that. "To be honest, I just wish she'd let it go." She shook her head and regained herself, focusing back to the teens once again. "Okay, so from what I've been able to gather from the civilians, we're dealing with three armed and dangerous men who're holding the bank tellers and everyone else inside hostage."

"Do we have a motive?" Ruby asked.

"Yes. As expected, they want all of the Lien that they're holding in there." Krista concentrated onto the front door of the bank, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Thankfully, unlike the bank heist in Vale a couple weeks back, these guys aren't strong enough to throw an entire bank vault door."

The group of teens exchanged knowing gazes at that last part, but they couldn't dawdle on that for too long. "Did anybody notice anything else?" Ben pressed further.

"Actually, yes." Roy affirmed. "Many witnesses claimed that all three suspects were bald and had the ears of a pig, meaning that we're probably dealing with Faunus."

Blake's reaction was immediate; "WHAT?! You've gotta be kidding me!" She face-palmed in exasperation. "Great! Just great! It's people like this who make humans think that Faunus are dangerous!"

Ilia's brows furrowed angrily at the revelation. _'To think, I used to do the exact same thing in the White Fang.'_ She raised her fists up and stepped forward. "This is unacceptable! We have to do something to stop them!"

"You got that right." Coco pounded a fist into her palm. "These guys are in for a world of hurt when we get a hold of 'em."

"I appreciate the enthusiasm, Coco." Krista nodded. "But we can't just rush in there. These guys are ready to kill anyone in there at a moment's notice. We need to plan this out and—"

_**VRROOOOM!**_ The sound of a loud approaching truck engine cut Krista off before she could go on, making everyone whip their heads around to the opposite end of the street. Along with the loud engine was the sound of a wailing siren, accompanied quickly by flashing blue and red lights as another police vehicle came from around the corner. However, this wasn't a regular cruiser, but instead a large SUV. Roy's blood ran cold at the sight of the large vehicle. "Oh god, it's the chief!" He darted over and hid behind Krista, hunched over shaking like a leaf. "Please don't let him be in a bad mood today!" he prayed.

Krista stepped aside and pulled Roy back up straight, giving an aggravated groan. "Ugh, Roy, you really need to calm down. I said that I'd handle the chief, remember?"

"Yeah, but he actually _likes_ you… to some extent." Roy countered.

The redheaded officer sighed and pat her partner's shoulder. "Just relax and I'll do all the talking, alright?"

Just as she said that, the SUV pulled up to the curb, its driver-side door facing the whole group. Ben quirked a brow in curiosity. "I wonder what this guy's deal is? His own officers are afraid of him."

Yang sent her boyfriend a side-long glance. "Trust me, Green Boy, if YOU had to deal with the chief, you'd be scared too."

Ben's raised brow only persisted at this. "Have you?"

Yang cringed as the cheif began to step out of the SUV. "Let's just say that I had a few speeding tickets in the past."

The moment the chief stepped out of his vehicle, everyone was taken aback by how imposing he was. He appeared to be in his late-forties and was at least six and a half feet tall, with a very muscular physique and broad shoulders. He was in a blue uniform with black pants, though he didn't have any headwear to speak of, allowing for a good view of his brown hair that was shaved into a buzz cut. However, it also let everyone see his OTHER very distinguishing feature; a pair of pointed wolf-like ears at the top of his head. His waist was also donned with a very furry garment, one that hung off just above his rear, resembling a wolf's tail. He took a deep breath and let out a mighty howl, silencing everybody in the area almost instantly; " _AWWRROOOO_!"

Ilia and Blake brightened up at what they were seeing. "Your chief is a FAUNUS?!" Ilia exclaimed. "I didn't think Vale _had_ any Faunus in their police force!"

"Oh yeah, we've got plenty of them here on Patch." Krista confirmed. "We're equal opportunity here, if you hadn't noticed."

The chief glowered in their direction, his face frowning the moment he saw a bunch of kids at the crime scene. Finally, he spoke up with a voice that was deep, loud, and quite surly; "Burns! Price!" He strode forward, his large arms swinging with every step.

Both Krista and Burns stood at attention and gave the chief a salute. "Chief Howlin, sir!" Krista addressed with respect. "We're glad you could make it. I just ordered Rockwell to set up a perimeter around the bank."

"Excellent." Howlin commended, though his judging glare was still focused on the teens. He lowered his head to Team JNPR, Team SN, Blake, Ilia and Team CFVY, his voice going from loud to dangerously low in a second. "But, uh, Burns? Let me ask you this;" His hand whipped over and pointed to the group, his voice raising up again. "WHY IN THE HELL ARE THERE _CHILDREN_ AT THE CRIME SCENE?!" He then noticed Ben and Cooper standing off to the side… and that there were two familiar young girls hiding behind them. "Rose! Xiao Long!"

Ruby and Yang both slowly peaked out from behind the boys, giving the chief a stilted wave and two cheeky smiles. "Hehe, hey! Chief Howlin!" Ruby greeted. "It's been a long time!"

"Not long enough." Yang mumbled under her breath.

"I heard that, Xiao Long!" Howlin stomped over to the four, making them fall back a bit in fear. The chief pointed directly at the Blonde Brawler's face, making her recoil even more. "Don't think I've forgotten about all the speeding tickets I've written up for you. OR the fact that I suspended your license for a year because of it. Tell me, did _you_ forget?"

Yang sighed and her shoulders sagged a bit. "No, sir. I haven't forgotten either, unfortunately."

"Good!" Howlin crossed his muscular arms, turning his nose upward while starting down at Yang. "Because if you had gotten that many tickets NOW, you'd be facing some _serious_ jailtime! You're lucky that I've got some respect for your father. Having to deal with you two AND your uncle is something that I have to give props to."

Ruby quickly got in between the two, hoping to deescalate things. "Heh, alright, let's all just take a breath and calm down." She moved her eyes up to Chief Howlin, locking them with his. "Mr. Howlin, I think that we can both agree that there's worse to worry about right now than just Yang and Qrow's reckless driving."

Howlin grumbled slightly, but he had to admit, Ruby had a point. "You're right, Ruby, there ARE." He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "And we can start by gettin' you kids AWAY from the crime scene!"

Coco shot a glare right the chief, pushing her glasses up to readjust them. "Uh, excuse me, chiefy, but we're here to _help_."

"That's right." Yatsu bowed in respect. "You see, we're—"

"Say no more, string bean, I know who you kids are." Howlin moved a single finger across the whole group. "Judging by your weapons, I can only hazard a guess and say that you're a buncha Hunters."

"Erm, Hunters-in-training, actually." Velvet clarified.

For the briefest of moments, a faux smile came to the man's face. "Ah, I see. Cute, _very_ cute." He put his hands behind his back and moved his head down to look Velvet straight in the face. "Well, I can certainly see that you're all just _quite_ adorable. But I'm afraid that I'm going to have to ask you all to leave."

Fox tilted his head. "…And why is that?"

In a split second, Howlin rounded on Fox and yelled; "Because this is a POLICE matter, Hunter-boy!" He pointed to the badge on his right pectoral. "You see this badge right here?"

The redheaded boy smirked at that before lifting his bangs, allowing Howlin to get a clear view of his eyes. "No sir, I'm blind."

Howlin's eyes bulged out and he quickly tried to go back his blunder. "Oh, ahem, my sincerest apologies for what I said." He then saw Ben giving him a funny look out of the corner of his eye and then rounded right over to him. "You! Green jacket! What're you laughin' at?"

Ben, who was still smiling, simply gave the officer a shrug. "Nothing sir. But I'll thank you to stop antagonizing my team."

"Ah, so this is YOUR team, is it?" Howlin went up and pointed to his badge again. "Listen here, bucko, you see this badge? Know why it's here?"

"It came with the shirt?" Ben snarkily retorted.

The group behind Howlin began laughing at Ben's remark, but one stern glare from the chief all made them stop immediately. "It means that if there's a problem in this town, I'M the one to take care of it. Let me make one thing perfectly clear; _I'm_ top dog in this town, and I'm not about to let some young upstarts, Hunters or otherwise, do my job for me! Besides," the chief pulled at his collar with both hands, straightening it out, "I wouldn't be doin' my civic duty as an officer of the law if I let you kids put yourselves in the line of fire."

Jaune was about to speak up on their behalf, but unfortunately, Nora beat him to the punch. "Aw, c'mon, big guy!" The Pink Dynamo raised her hammer above her head. "Krista actually _asked_ us to help out, so why not take all the help you can get?"

Howlin was about to yell at her as well, but then he noticed exactly what she had said, making him direct his eyes back over to the Lieutenant. "Oh, did she now?"

Roy was practically quivering at this point. "This is it, the point of no return!" He ducked his head and put his hands up as a shield. "Let me know when it's over KB."

Krista didn't even flinch as Howlin stepped up to her, his hands placed on his hips as he gave her his best disapproving face. "Well, Burns? Care to explain yourself?"

"Yes sir, I would." Krista gestured to the group of teens. "You see these kids here? They've been helping me and Roy out ever since they first came to this island. You remember the giant robot that plowed its way through the jewelry store? The speeding robbers? And even the invisible thief?" She waved her hand around at the team. "Almost all of these kids helped out on those jobs. If there's anyone who deserves to be here, it's them!"

Howlin's face scrunched up and he raised an eyebrow over to the team. "Oh really? Is this all true?"

Blake raised her hand while placing another one on Sun's shoulder. "Yes sir. My boyfriend, Team CFVY, Cooper and myself helped Krista with the robot."

Coco put up two fingers. "I can vouch for that. I remember getting thrown around by that tin can all too vividly."

Yang was all too eager to speak her piece next. "Oh! And Ben and I were the ones who helped take down those speeders!" This only made Howlin's brow rise further, almost as if he doubted Yang's word. "What? It's the truth! And it was the BEST first date I'd ever been on!"

Before Howlin could get a word with her, Jaune piped up next. "And me and my team helped Krista take down the invisible Dust thief." In his mind, he added; _'Even though she escaped probably just a few minutes after, but we don't need to mention that.'_

Howlin put a finger to his chin. "Hmph, I see…" He then saw Neptune and Ilia standing off to the side, the two becoming fearful the moment their eyes met with his. "And what about you two?"

"Er… well…" Neptune put his hand behind his head. "We didn't exactly help out on any cases before, but we're part of their team, so you can trust us!" He gave Howlin two thumbs up. "Seriously, we've got mad bad guy stoppin' skills!"

Ilia facepalmed at that last part. _'He COULDN'T just stop at the "trust" part, could he?'_

Thankfully, Ruby was quick to jump in and save their bacon. "He's right, Mr. Howlin! We've been helping General Ironwood out with a bunch of missions while he works on the relief efforts in Vale. And what's better, we've had a TON of successes since the Battle for Beacon." She pointed finger guns at the chief and gave him a wink. "So, c'mon! What d'ya say?"

Once again, Howlin crossed his arms and closed his eyes, his wolf ears twitching as he thought it over. Finally, with a slight grumble, he put his eyes back on Ruby. "You aren't going to leave until I say yes, aren't you?"

"Exactly!" Ruby cheerily replied.

"Oh, for cryin' out—FINE." Howlin relented. "You kids can help out if you want. But BE WARNED;" He pointed a single finger up in the air. "If you kids wanna help, then you're gonna play by MY rules, understand?!"

Off to the side, Coco gave him a salute. "Yessir, Chief Bushy Tail!"

"IT'S A SASH!" Howlin shouted before pinching the bridge of his nose. "Ugh, what've I gotten myself into?"

Suddenly, Officer Loni Rockwell came running back over with something very odd in her hand; a paper airplane. "Chief! This just got thrown out one of the windows!" Everyone turned their attention to her as she unfolded the craft, taking a quick glance at it. "It seems to be a note from the perps."

"Bring it here, Rockwell." The woman did as she was told and handed Howlin the note, the chief snatching it out of her hands with urgency. His eyes scanned over the words, reading them aloud as he went; "We'll be willing to negotiate the release of the hostages, but only if you… LET US LEAVE WITH THE LOOT?!" He quickly crumpled up the paper and tossed it over his shoulder. "What kind of negotiation is that?! They might as well just turn themselves in!"

"I know, right?" Loni shrugged. "Pretty dumb if you ask me."

"Well Howlin, it's your show." Ben put his hands to his hips. "So, what should we do?"

Howlin held out his large hand. "Price! Megaphone!"

"AH! Y-Yes sir, Chief Howlin sir!" Roy scrambled to his and Krista's police cruiser and pulled out a megaphone, handing it to Howlin as soon as he could.

With the turn of a dial, Howlin set the megaphone to its fifth loudest setting and spoke into it, his voice ringing out across the crowd. _"Alright, LISTEN UP PEOPLE, we've got a hostage situation that's not gonna be easily negotiated. I want all civilians to remain calm and get AWAY from the scene ASAP!"_ The moment he said that, all of the citizens began walking away quickly from the scene, getting as far away as they could from the bank. _"Officers, be ready for anything!"_ Every officer around the building stood ready, keeping their weapons held up. Howlin brought down the megaphone and narrowed his eyes at the bank's front door. "Now… it's time for Big Bad Howlin set up his OWN ground rules for negotiation."

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Tiger Lily Flower Shop, the trio of Whitlea, Russel and Iris were hunkering themselves down in the greenhouse, hoping that whatever was going on out there would pass sometime soon. Iris in particular was pacing back and forth, the blue-haired girl worrying about her friends. "Ugh! I really wish I had my combat gear!" Iris exclaimed. "I'm a Huntress-in-training, not a freaking bystander!"

"I know how you must feel, Iris." Whitlea consoled. "I'm worried about it too. But for right now, all we can do is wait and see what happens." Her eyes went to the nearby door that lead out to the shop itself, her concern ever-growing. "I just hope that the others can handle it."

Russel pulled his fiancé into a comforting embrace, resting her head against his shoulder. "I'm sure they know what they're doin', hon." he assured. "From what I heard at the party, those kids're a buncha ass-kickers. They'll be able to handle it, I'm sure of it."

"I suppose so." Whitlea nodded. "But still, I—"

But she was then cut off by a rather familiar sound; the ringing of the bell at the front door to her shop. The three moved their heads up to the greenhouse door as a voice began calling out, one that was quite clearly of a man; "Hello, Whitlea? Anyone? Where in the Sam Hill're all these blasted people runnin' to?"

Russel and Whitlea broke out into two matching grins, with the former's stomach nearly jumping out into his throat as he called out; "PA!" The couple ran to the door with Iris hot on their heels, with Russel flinging the door open as quick as he could. "You're here!"

The action slightly spooked the man, his hand going to his chest. He appeared to be in his mid-fifties with jet black hair that matched his sons, though it was evident that it was slowly beginning to change into a shiny silver along the sides of his head. He had a black handlebar mustache that was curled at the ends, though even THAT was beginning to show signs of greying as well. The man was donned with a rather simple ensemble of a white button-up long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans, though the two stand-out pieces were a pair of brown leather cowboy boots and a straw cowboy hat on his head. He let out a startled gasp and exclaimed; "Gah! Criminy, Russel! Don't spook me like that!" He pat his chest as he walked over. "You know how my ticker can get."

Russel winced and put a hand to his neck. "Ah, right. Sorry dad." He went over and pulled his old man into a hug. "But god, it's great to see ya!"

"Same here, son. It's cert'nly been a while, huh?" As the two fell out of their hug, the older man saw Whitlea out of the corner of his eye, and his smile brightened up even more. "Aw, _there's_ my future daughter-in-law!"

"Oh Butch, it's so good to see you!" Whitlea greeted him with a hug before taking his hands in hers. "I didn't think we'd see you until later tonight."

Butch shrugged his shoulders. "Well, you know how eager Jessie was to see ya'll. She made sure we were on the road and headed here first thing this mornin'."

Russel's eyes widened in realization. "Oh yeah, where IS ma anyways?"

"Ah, she went out to figure out what the hell all the panic was about." Butch answered with a smirk. "An' considerin' how yer ma likes to get things done, I think whoever's responsible for all this madness'll be in for quite the punishment."

* * *

Back at the bank, the team were watching with baited breath as Howlin, Krista and Roy approached the door, the three cops intending to begin laying out their own deal to the criminals inside the building. Ben in particular was keeping his eyes concentrated squarely on the officers, the hero ready to leap in at a moment's notice. Still, there WAS one thing that was slightly holding him back. "I wonder if a whole precinct of police officers will be able to keep my secret if I transform in public." he wondered out loud.

Yang gave a sideways smirk to her boyfriend. "Green Boy, I think they'd sooner start shooting at you than at the criminals." She pat his shoulder softly. "Don't worry, we'll get 'em, even if you can't help out."

Ben pouted slightly and folded his arms, pulling his head into his shoulders. "Man, first I gotta take orders from a total windbag and now THIS? This sucks."

Ruby laughed next to him. "Haha! Yeah, Chief Howlin IS pretty full of hot air. My uncle can attest to that."

"I'm sure." Blake said off-handedly. "Still, it's like he said, we should be ready for anything." The cat girl faced Cooper, Ilia, and Teams JNPR, SN, and CVFY, giving them a single nod. "We know what to do about that, right guys?"

Everyone pulled out their respective weapons, with Coco keeping a handle on her purse just in case. "You got that right, Kit Kat." The fashionable girl furrowed her brows as Howlin knocked on the bank's front door, ready to begin parleying with the perps. "Let's just hope worse doesn't come to worse."

The three officers stopped about fifteen feet away from the bank's front door, with Chief Howlin taking out his megaphone once again. He didn't want to chance getting too close to the building, otherwise there could be blood on the bank's floor. _"Alright, little piggies, we're ready to make a deal!"_

Just then, a very raspy voice came from behind the door, one with a heavy city accent; "'Ey! Whatchu talkin' about, eh?!" Behind the door's window appeared a relatively short man in a black turtle neck and jeans, wearing a matching mask around his eyes. He was also quite bald and had a set of pig ears sticking out from the top of his head, made even more unnerving by the fact that his regular ears were also quite visible. The only hair he had was a small goatee on his chin, the hair red and curly. He gave Howlin a glare and pointed at him through the glass. "We's already gave you our demands, so if you's wants us to let the people go, then let US go with the Lien!"

" _No can do, shorty."_ Howlin shook his head, his voice still blaring through the megaphone. _"That's not how this works."_

"We can come to a peaceful solution though!" Krista continued. "If you'd be willing to talk with us, then maybe we can come to a compromise!"

"Heh, ain't no compromisin' here, toots." The pig man denied. "The Swiney Brothers don't talk, we ACT."

Back with the teens, Ilia, Blake and Sun all glanced at each other in confusion. "The _Swiney_ Brothers?" Sun asked. "I don't think I've ever heard a last name like that, even for a Faunus."

"Must be something they made up to protect their real identities." Ilia considered. "They're probably trying to make a name for themselves with all of this."

Howlin clenched his fist, letting out a growl before going on. _"Listen, pal, I know that this is a pretty stressful situation, but ya can't just go around holdin' banks hostage!"_ He his eyes went to another nearby window where he saw a bunch of civilians kneeling on the ground, with two other pig-eared men standing near them and holding guns. One was very tall and lanky while the other was large and rotund, though they both shared a lot of features with their brother. Howlin gestured to the people and asked; _"How can you be so cruel to innocents like this?!"_

"HA! In our minds, no one's innocent!" the shorter Swiney Brother laughed. "Society's a mess, big man, 'specially after that attack on Vale!" He took out his pistol and pointed it at Howlin through the glass. "An' we're the ones who're gonna take advantage of that!"

It was then Roy's turn to speak up. "Okay, so what do you guys get out of all of this? Aside from the money, I mean?"

"Respect!" the pig man replied. "The respect that society never gave us!"

"I getcha." Roy nodded. "I'm guessing it's because of the strained relations between humans and Faunus?"

"BAH! Hell no!" the short Swiney Brother waved that notion off. "See, we were raised in… what most people would call a bad neighborhood." He placed the tips of his fingers together with a rather deranged smile. "Our parents tried the best they could, but…" He flung his arms up. "It just wasn't enough. So, once we were able to finally LEAVE that hell hole, we promised ourselves that we would do better than they would… by _any_ means necessary."

Howlin gave a disapproving glare to the pig man. _"So you chose to start robbing banks… to BETTER yourselves?!"_ He held up a hand to the shorter man. _"I think you might've made a few mistakes here, bud. How about, I don't know, an actual JOB?"_

"Ha! As if!" the Swiney Brother let out a loud cackle. "We're hittin' the _direct_ path to easy street! No one's got time for jobs these days anyway!"

The chief growled at such thought. NOW he knew the story. These were a bunch of lazy good-for-nothings that were out to make a quick buck by robbing a bank. Well, not on his watch. Negotiations were now officially over. He lowered his voice to a deadly tone and spoke clearly into his megaphone; _"I am giving you ten minutes tops to stop what you're doing and turn yourselves in."_

The little pig man narrowed his eyes at Howlin. "Or WHAT?!"

" _Or else I'll blow this door in myself!"_ the wolf man shouted back.

"Heh, you'll have to shave the hairs off our chins first!"

Ben pursed his lips and glanced off to the side. "This scenario's starting to sound vaguely familiar."

The pig man then continued; "Besides, if you're gonna do that, then ya'd just risk the lives of _all_ these "innocent" people, right?" He wore a devilish grin as another cruel cackle escaped his lips, though he was silenced soon after by a loud roar by Howlin, the wolf Faunus not even bothering to use his megaphone.

"Gah, DAMMIT!" Howlin huffed as he moved around toward the rest on the group, fuming as he puffed air out through his nose to try and calm down. He walked over to the group of Hunters-in-training and ushered them to huddle up, with Krista and Roy joining in. "Alright, so negotiations might've fallen through, but we can salvage this."

Jaune raised a brow. "You have a Plan B?"

"'Course I've got a Plan B." Howlin affirmed. "But to pull it off, we'll need a good distraction…" However, his ears perked up when the sound of rapid hooves clopping against asphalt suddenly graced his field of hearing. Blake, Sun and Ilia took notice of this too, and before long, everyone else was hearing it as well.

Neptune was the one to vocalize their thoughts; "Uh… does anyone else hear a—"

" _NEEIEIEIGGH!_ " The sound of a loud and clear whinny made everybody jump slightly before all of their heads simultaneously whipped around… just in time to see something really big leap straight over the barricade of police cars. It was almost as if things were in slow motion for a second, the entire group blinking in shock at what they were seeing. A large mare, a Clydesdale no less, was jumping directly over the top of one of the cruisers, not even nicking it with its hooves. There was definitely somebody riding it, though they were all too distracted by the large animal to take notice at the time. The mare hit the ground with all four hooves still running, only stopping when she made it over to the group as the rider pulled back on her reigns.

Everyone stared on at the magnificent animal in stunned silence for a good five seconds before Ben raised his arms up and hollered; "HORSE!"

Yang was just as astonished as her boyfriend, shaking her head in disbelief. "W-What the—AH!" The blonde let out a gasp the moment that she glanced up to the horse's rider. She felt herself begin to feel a whole bunch of emotions all at once, though chief among them was excitement. "Oh my god, oh my god, OH MY GOD!"

Coco's jaw dropped when she saw the rider too. "No… fucking… way."

Ruby's silver eyes began glistening at what she was seeing. "It's her! It's REALLY her!"

Team JNPR in its entirety were completely baffled by who was before them, with Nora beginning to hyperventilate a bit. "Am… am I dreaming?!" the Pink Dynamo asked.

A smile slowly began to form on Pyrrha's face as the rider began to dismount. "I don't think we are, Nora. And if that's the case, then I REALLY don't want to wake up."

Despite everyone's gawking however, Chief Howlin wasn't too happy that some random person just jumped over one of his cruisers on the back on an animal. He approached the rider, a woman by the looks of it, one who wore a white Stetson cowboy hat that was slightly obscuring her face from his own view. He pointed a finger at her and yelled; "Lady, do you have a warrant for that horse to be doin' stunts in public?! Because let me tell ya, I can have one for your _arrest_ in ten minutes if you don't have a good excuse for all this."

Once the woman got herself settled onto the ground, a wry smile crept onto her lips at Howlin's words. She was about nine inches shorter than him, so she had to crane her head up, finally revealing her whole face to him and taking him aback. She was in her early fifties, though you would never be able to tell by her face. By contrast, the woman's features made her appear the be in her late thirties or early forties at the most, the only visible sign of aging being the slight wrinkles under her eyes. Said eyes were a radiant shade of blue and she had a head full of bright red curly hair that nearly matched the neckerchief tied around her neck, flowing down to the small of her back. She wore a white button-up western-styled shirt with black detailing and fringe, which went along with her Stetson quite well. Her legs were adorned with a pair of blue jeans, a set of brown leather chaps with tassels at the bottoms, and a pair of brown cowboy boots, complete with gold spurs. There was a shotgun holstered on her back and a lasso hanging from her left hip, completing her cowgirl image.

"Well, sorry there, sugar." The woman winked as set pet her steed. "My sweetheart was just so plum happy to be off'a that ferry that I just HAD to let her have some fun for just a spell."

Howlin's jaw dropped, his hand still pointed at her. "W-Wait, aren't you…"

The woman proudly and confidently thrust out her hand, taking Howlin's already outstretched hand in a firm shake. "Jessica Jameson, pleased to meet ya! I take it YOU are the sheriff 'round these here parts?"

Howlin cleared his throat when his hand was finally let go. "Ahem, y-yes, though I'm actually the _chief_ of police here."

Jessica waved her hand. "Aw, same difference." She placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest. "Anyway, I came here hopin' to see my son and his fiancé, but then I noticed all the trouble goin' on. So, I'm here to help!" It was at that moment that she saw the slew of young teenagers staring blankly at her, and she noticed that nearly all of them were holding weapons. A bright smile came to her face and she waved at them as well. "Well howdy there, kids! I hazard a guess that I'm not the first Hunter here, huh?"

Cooper and Ben, the only two who had any semblance of their senses about them, came forward and answered her. "Uh, yes ma'am." Cooper affirmed. "Though we're more along the lines of Hunters-in- _training_ , actually."

"Ah, I getcha! Well, it's always nice to see young buck an' does out in the field, if ya catch my drift." Jessica's eyes scanned the crowed, taking noticed on just how starstruck the teenagers actually were. She raised her hands up to them with a chuckle. "Hehe, alright, I can tell that I've got a few fans in the audience here. But why don't we take care o' all this crap before we start talkin', huh?"

Yang's eyes widened and she bowed her head to the woman. "O-Oh, yes! Totally!" She blushed slightly as a nervous smile came to her face. "But really quick, I just wanna say that it's a HUGE honor to meet you, Miss Jameson. You're an inspiration to ALL of us here."

"Aw, thanks sugar, I appreciate the kind words." Jessica said as she bowed her head to Yang as well. "But please, call me Jessie." She gave her a small wink. "So, what's your name, hon?"

"Y-Y-Yang." The Blonde Brawler felt like her mind was going into meltdown just by uttering her own name. _'Oh my god, I am on a first name basis with her! AAAAAAH!'_

"Yang! What a nice name! I'm very pleased to meet ya." Jessie turned her attention to everyone else. "Matter of fact, I should probably know the rest of ya'll's names, just so we're all on the same page."

After the whole team introduced themselves to the famous Huntress, Ruby, Coco and Velvet were also similarly freaking out as well. "Oh my gosh! We're actually getting to work with THE Jessie Jameson!" the Hooded Huntress squealed.

"I KNOW." Velvet grasped Ruby by the shoulders and lightly shook her. "This is fantastic!"

Coco had her grip tightened around the strap of her handbag, her excitement almost ready to burst. _'I can't believe this actually happening.'_ she thought to herself as she tried to keep her cool demeanor about her. _'I'm getting to work with one of my childhood heroes!'_ Coco closed her eyes and took a deep breath, steadying herself before she completely flipped. _'Calm down, Coco. Just focus on the task at hand.'_ She put her concentration back onto Jessie, the redhead standing there expectantly. "Alright, so here's what we're dealing with…"

After Coco explained the situation to her, Jessie put a finger to her chin. "Hmm… I see. Well, lucky for y'all, I've actually handled some non-negotiable hostage situations before." She began trailing her eyes over the group again, almost as if she were getting ready to make a choice. "Now let's see…" She began picking out a few team members; "Ruby, Blake, Sun, Ilia, an' Ren." She ushered them to step forward. "C'mon over, would ya please?" The five teens did as she asked standing in a row in front of her. "Now, I don't like makin' assumptions, but ya'll look like you can move pretty fast an' quiet-like. Am I right in sayin' so?"

The five glanced to each other before Ren spoke on their behalf. "Well… yes, actually."

"Great!" Jessie pointed over to the building. "Now, we've got hostages that need savin' in there before we can do anythin' from this side, so it'll be ya'll's job to sneak into the bank and rescue 'em from under the perp's noses. Then the rest of us'll go in an' take 'em all down." She gave them a wink and a thumbs up. "How does that sound?"

"That's actually a pretty great plan!" Blake agreed.

"Yeah, sounds alright to me." Sun nodded. "Sign me up!"

Ben crossed his arms and smirked toward Howlin. "Well, "sheriff", any objections?"

Howlin grumbled slightly, only for Krista to point something out. "Honestly, chief, I think it's the best plan that we have at the moment."

"Yeah, I mean, the Swiney Brothers made it pretty clear that they aren't gonna let us in." Roy added. "What other option is there?"

The chief's hand went to the back of his head, scratching it absentmindedly. "Well… I suppose it's a good plan." Howlin then pointed to Jessica again. "But you'd better be right about all of this, Miss Jameson. This is a delicate situation, and the last thing we need is—"

"Aw, don't you worry 'bout a thing, big man." Jessie reached up and booped the chief on the nose. "We'll get this done without any problems, I guarantee it." She faced the group of six that she had chosen and nudged her head toward the building. "Alright, y'all! You kids know what to do, so have at it!"

They all gave her a salute, with Ruby declaring; "Ma'am, yes ma'am!" With that, the five began to sprint their way around the building, making sure that they stayed out of sight of the Swiney Brothers."

Jaune's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Wow, you're good!"

"Heck yeah, she is!" Nora supported. "Where'd you learn to give out orders and make plans so well?"

Jessie raised a brow and jabbed her thumb off toward Vale's direction. "Heh, where else? Beacon, o' course. Hell, I even lead my OWN team there when I was younger."

"Well, I must say, it's very impressive." Pyrrha bowed in respect.

"Aw, it's not THAT big a deal." Jessie insisted. "I just wanna do the right thing." She pointed between Jaune and Pyrrha. "An' I'm sure that your parents would agree with me." Jessie received dumbfounded expressions from the couple at her words. "Ah, c'mon, you two _really_ didn't think I'd recognize an Arc or a Nikos? Ya'll are their spittin' image!"

Jaune and Pyrrha glanced toward each other before shrugging. "Eh, I guess you've got a point." Jaune relented.

Jessie chuckled a little bit before going back to Yang. "And you… you wouldn't happen to be Taiyang's little girl, would ya?"

Yang's jaw nearly dropped to the ground. "You… you know my dad?"

"Heh, oh yeah, sure do." Jessie rolled her eyes with a smirk. "I had left Beacon quite a while before your pa started goin' there, but whenever I came back to the ol' stompin' grounds, I'd scope out the new students to see how they were farin'. And, hoo boy, your daddy's team was quite somethin', I'll tell ya what." However, it was then that she pointed out something else. "Tell me somethin', Yang, yer ma wouldn't happen to be Raven Branwen, would she?"

Yang's bright smile went into a frown almost immediately, and she turned her head away from Jessie slightly. "Uh… yeah, she is."

"Oh, I see." Jessie lowered her head. "Sorry if I upset ya in any way, sugar. I just wanted to—"

"It's alright, I understand." Yang assured, her focus going back to Jessie. "It's just… things are complicated."

"I get ya." Jessie acknowledged. "It's just I noticed that you and Ruby… don't exactly resemble your pa all that much. She actually reminds me a lot of his other teammate. Summer Rose, I think her name was?"

"Yeah, Ruby and I are half-sisters." Yang confirmed.

Jessie nodded her head slowly. "I thought that was the case. But again, I apologize for any wrong-doin' I did by bringin' the subject up." she apologized once again. "If'n ya don't want me to talk about it again, I understand."

But Yang raised a reassuring hand. "No, no, it's okay. No harm done, promise." Her smile returned in full force. "Now, why don't we get ready to lay the hurt on some no-good crooks?"

Jessie returned the grin and she pointed back at Yang. "Now that sounds like a hum-dinger of an idea to me!"

* * *

Meanwhile, inside of the bank, the three "Swiney Brothers" were patrolling around the sizable main room, keeping an eye on the hostages while also forcing the two tellers to put all of the Lien cards into multiple sacks. "C'mon, c'mon, move faster!" the shortest brother shouted, prompting the tellers to do what he said. "You's idiots better do this pronto if ya wanna live!" The diminutive pig man faced his bigger, yet younger, brothers, his hands placed firmly on his hips. "Alright, here's the deal; once we get all the Lien cards our bags can carry, we'll sneak out the back way an' make a break for it, capisce?"

The skinniest pig man went up to his shorter brother, his eyes glancing out the window in concern. "Uh, yeah, Frankie, we got ya. But, here's the thing; I think I just saw some o' those guys leavin' for some reason. Should we be worried?"

The shorty, whose name was apparently Frankie, spread his arms out wide and scoffed at his brother. "Psh, you kiddin' me, Slimmy Jim? That just makes thinks a whole lot easier for us!" He gave a sinister smirk over to the largest of the three brothers, nudging his head toward Jim. "Hey, Hamm, you hearin' what Slimmy's yappin' on about?"

"Huhuhuh, yeah, he's bein' a worry wort as usual if ya ask me." Hamm chortled, his belly jiggling as he laughed.

"Yessiree!" Frankie produced a small burlap sack from behind him, rattling its contents around slightly. "An' besides, we've ALWAYS got these babies incase things go south!"

Inside the bank vault behind the counter, the two bank tellers, a man and a woman, were grimacing in irritation at all of this. At the same time though, their concern was growing ever by the minute. There were at least ten other people in the building with guns pointed directly at them, the pig men threatening to shoot if the two didn't comply with their demands. "We've gotta find some way to get everybody away safely." the woman whispered.

"I know." the man agreed. "But it's not like we can just jump them or anything. They've got guns, we don't. At this point, all we can do is—" THUMP. The man stopped and his eyes widened as a quiet, yet noticeable noise hit his ears, with the woman doing the same. They craned their heads upwards, the thumps continuing across the ceiling until they stopped by a nearby vent. A green blade suddenly stabbed through the ceiling, which the two tellers had to resist letting out a scream at. It began cutting around the vent until it was entirely out, a hand grabbing the grate before it could start falling.

From the hole, a young man donned in green and with long black hair fell into the vault, crouching low to the ground instantly so the pig men wouldn't see him. Fortunately enough, he saw that all three had their backs turned to them, which he took as the sign for action. He looked to the two tellers and pressed a finger against his lips, which they thankfully picked up on. Lie Ren craned his head up and nodded once before rolling forward, diving for the back of the counter to conceal himself from the criminal trio.

Following him were Ilia, Ruby, Blake, and Sun, the five following Ren's example as they huddled behind the counter, all five remaining as quiet as can be. As they listened to the trio go on about how much of a success their heist was, Ren glanced back over to the two tellers, nudging his head toward the main area behind the counter. "How many?" he whispered as quietly as he could. The woman held up ten fingers, to which Ren nodded at once again.

Blake turned to Sun and gave him a small smile, which the monkey boy returned. Sun moved around and began crawling away to the opposite end of the counter about twelve feet away, readying himself for the stunt that he was about to pull off. He sat in a meditative stance and closed his eyes. _'Alright, here goes nothin'.'_ He concentrated on his Semblance, creating once of his Via Sun clones. The clone stood up and jumped over the counter, making all of the citizens shout out in surprise.

This, combined with the bright light, managed to catch the attention of the three pig men. "Hey! What the hell is that?!" Jim shouted.

Hamm let out a scream of terror. "AAAH! It-It-It's a ghost!" At his scream, the Via Sun clone dashed off down a nearby hallway, one that lead to the building's offices.

"That ain't no ghost, ya dingus!" Frankie berated. "Besides, if it WERE, it wouldn't _run_ , it'd _fly_. To be honest, I don't know WHAT it is, but I ain't lettin' it get away! After it!" Before they went though, Frankie pointed his pistol at the patrons, threatening them once again. "An' don't you people even THINK of movin' an inch!" With that, the trio ran down the hall, hoping to catch whatever it was they saw before it got away.

Ilia let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness they're all idiots."

"I hear that." Ruby agreed as she focused onto the two tellers with a kind smile. "Are you guys okay?"

"Yes, thank you." The woman whispered as she and her compatriot abandoned the bags and stepped out of the vault. "But please, you've got to stop those people!"

"Don't worry, we will." Blake assured before going over Sun. "You holding up, baby?"

"Yep." Sun nodded slightly as he kept his concentration. "You and Ruby go on with step two and I'll help you out from here."

Blake gave him a quick smile before going to Ruby. "You ready?"

"Oh yeah! Time for Ladybug formation!" With that, the duo jumped over the counter, catching all of the citizens off guard as they rushed down the hallway.

Following that, Ren and Ilia jumped over the counter as well, with the chameleon girl leaping toward the door to open it. "Everyone, stay calm and quietly make your way out the front door." she whispered. "If anyone has any injuries, the paramedics are already here for you."

"Single file, please." Ren requested as he began helping many people up off the ground, some of them still hesitant to even move. Before long though, all of the civilians were out of the building, with Ren letting out a sigh of relief. "Hah, alright, that's one part done."

"Great, now all we have to do is hope that Blake and Ruby can—" **BOOM!** Ilia was cut off by a rather loud explosion, shocking the two and making their heads snap over to the hallway. Sure enough, there was a bunch of smoke coming from there, which was followed up by a few fire alarms ringing out through the building. "Well… not the way I would've done it, but okay."

At that moment, Chief Howlin, Ben, Yang and Jessie all came sprinting into the bank, all wearing concerned faces after hearing the loud noise. Cooper, Coco, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora and Neptune all filed in as well, the blonde genius being the first to ask the obvious; "What the hell was that?!"

Sun jumped over from behind the counter with a confident grin on his face. "THAT was our plan succeeding." he proclaimed. "Ruby and Blake should be bringing back the perps any moment now—"

"IT DIDN'T WORK!" Ruby screamed as she and Blake whipped around the corner with multiple gunshots being heard behind them. "The Ladybug formation DID NOT WORK!"

Sun's eyes bugged out at that. "What?! What do you mean it didn't work?!" He gestured over to the hall. "What happened with that big explosion?!"

"They had a bag of Dust crystals." Blake explained calmly. "They threw a bunch of ice Dust at the ground and it made a huge shard that protected them from the blast."

Howlin facepalmed at that. "Well, that's just great! Now we've gotta deal with them AND call the fire department."

"You got one a' those right, cheify!" Everyone stood at attention as the Swiney Brothers emerged from the hallway, the three pig men covered in a light coating of soot from the explosion. "Call the firemen if ya want," Frankie shouted, "but we're gettin' our Lien and scrammin'! Boys!" With a single command, both of his brothers raised their assault rifles and aimed directly at the group, with Frankie himself aiming his pistol. "Make the right move, chief." Frankie warned. "Ya don't want this to get ugly."

However, the wolf Faunus was just smirking at all of this. "Ha! You think I'm intimidated by that? It might as well be an empty threat." He spread his arms out to all of the back up by his side. "In case you haven't noticed, short-stuff, we outnumber you by a large margin."

"Maybe so, but let me tell ya a little somethin'…" Frankie smirked as he brought out his little burlap sack again. "We've still got a few more Dust crystals left. I figure that if I toss these an' shoot 'em, it'll cause a nice little ka-boom that'll take all o' you's out."

"What?!" Coco exclaimed. "That's insane!"

"You three will be taken out with us!" Pyrrha beseeched. "Your heist would've been for nothing!"

"Not if we're a safe distance away." Jim said. "And considering that we're a good fifteen feet away from you, I think that's a good enough distance."

"Huhuhuh, c'mon, big bro!" Hamm laughed dumbly. "Make 'em go boom!"

"I'm gettin' to it, ya lump!" Frankie smirked evilly. "Well guys, it's been fun… well, okay, not really. See ya!" He rattled the bag a good bit, tossed it as hard as he could, and then made to bring up his pistol, preparing to fire it.

"NO!" Howlin made to ran forward to stop the bag. He didn't care if it'd get himself killed, whether by the explosion or the bullet, it didn't matter. So long as everyone else lived, THAT was all that mattered. However, before he could even take a single step, a red blur dashed in front of him, making him stop in his tracks. "Jameson! What're you doin'?!"

"Everybody hit the dirt!" Jessie's order taken immediately as she reached for the lasso at her hip, spinning it around and flinging it at the bag the moment the pistol fired. In an instant, the lasso snatched the bag of dust out of the air, with Jessie yanking back toward her hand. With one quick motion, she grabbed it and ducked down, allowing the bullet to fly over her head.

Needless to say, Frankie was _not_ pleased. "Oh, COME ON!"

Jessie peaked into the bag to see that the energy within the Dust crystals was beginning to settle again, making her sigh in relief. "Phew! Thank heavens." She stood up, prompting everyone else to do the same. She presented the burlap bag to Howlin with a smirk. "Chief, I think that THIS counts as evidence?"

"It certainly does." Howlin confirmed as he took the back. "The game's over Swiney's! You've lost!"

"No way!" Frankie said as he and his brothers aimed their guns at the group again. "We ain't goin' down without a fight!"

Jessie's smile persisted as she shook her head. "Well, if that's the way ya'll want it." She craned her head back over to the team with a nod. "Kids, I think you can handle this one, right?"

Yang gave a toothy grin at the prospect. "Hell yeah, we can! This shouldn't take long at all." She balled her hands into fists and popped a few muscles in her neck. "I'll take the big guy."

"Count me in on that." Coco said as she grabbed a hold of her purse.

Jaune and Pyrrha readied their blades simultaneously. "We'll take the skinny one." Jaune added.

Nora pulled out Magnhild while Neptune shifted Tri-Hard into its rifle mode and lowered his goggles. "And we'll nail shorty!" the Pink Dynamo declared.

Cooper crossed his arms and smiled in anticipation. "Oh, THIS should be satisfying to watch." He cupped his hand next to his mouth and called out to Coco; "Good luck, hon!"

"You're tellin' me." Ben agreed while pumping a fist into the air. "Go get 'em Goldie Locks!"

In a flash, the six volunteers burst forth in a surge of speed, closing in on the three criminals as fast as their legs could carry them. The moment they did though, the three pig-men began to fire a hailstorm of bullets at them, causing them to quickly dodge out of the way. As most of the bullets embedded themselves into the ground, Yang and Coco began to close in on their chosen opponent; Hamm. The duo separated into two different directions, drawing closer and closer to him from either side.

This proved to successfully confuse the big oaf, unsure of who to shoot first. "Uh… what do I do?!"

"How about this?!" Yang lowered her body and sprinted right toward Hamm, grabbing the barrel of his gun and pushing it up toward the ceiling. She wasn't bothered in the least by the heat of the barrel. In fact, she took the opportunity to bend it upwards, making the rifle useless. "Sorry big guy, no firing indoors."

"Hey—AUGH!" Hamm let out a yell of pain as Coco came up from his other side and stomped on his foot, making him pull it up and hop on one leg. "Ouch! Ouch! OUCH!"

Coco raised an amused brow. "Heh, you thought THAT hurt? Get a load of THIS!" She swung her handbag right into Hamm's gut, knocking all of the air out of him and causing him to stumble back in pain. "Yang, finish it!"

"Already on it!" Yang caught the stumbling Hamm and punched him right in the back, causing him to fly right into a nearby wall. With a loud SMACK to the head, Hamm was knocked out flat to the floor, his head lolling off to the side. "Ha! Too easy."

At the same time, Jaune and Pyrrha were also making headway with their target; "Slimmy" Jim. The lanky Swiney Brother was shooting off a lot of bullets at them, but the couple simply kept their shields raised, the bullets bouncing harmlessly off of them. This managed to make Jim all the more worried. "Frankie, I don't know how long I can keep this up!"

"It's alright!" Pyrrha shouted as she pulled back her javelin. "You won't have to!" With a mighty thrust, the Invincible Girl threw Milo directly at Jim, the tall pig-man's eyes widening in horror. However, rather than striking him, the javelin's head went directly into the barrel of his gun right as another bullet fired, making the rifle explode in Jim's hands.

"GAH!" Jim tossed the gun to the ground, with Pyrrha using her polarity to return Milo to her hands. Before he could react, both Jaune and Pyrrha charged at him, making him let out a terrified gasp. "Please, no, wait!" he begged. But it was too late, the duo bashed their shields into his chest and forced him to the ground, with Jaune pointing the tip of his blade to Jim's chin for good measure.

"I'd stay down if I were you." Jaune warned. "You aren't exactly in a good position to wiggle your way out of this."

Despite the fact he was pinned, Jim continued to plea for his innocence. "P-Please! Please don't hurt me! I didn't even wanna do all this!" He pointed over to his older brother. "I-It was all Frankie's idea, honest!"

The accusation served only to make Frankie's temper rise further. "SLIMMY JIM!" he screamed. "Why you little—GAAAAAAH!" His threat to his brother was cut short however when Neptune shot a Lightning Dust round directly into the short pig-man's shoulder. Frankie fell to his knees as he hollered in pain, his eyes screwing shut as the electricity briefly coursed through him.

"Sorry, dude." Neptune said as he pulled his goggles up. "But you were gettin' kind of annoying. Nora! Finish this!"

As his momentary pain finally stopped, Frankie was suddenly greeted by a pair of white and black boots landing in front of him, making him jump back on his rump. He set his gaze up to see Nora towering over him, her hammer slung over her shoulders. "Hey," she greeted, "remember when I said that we'd _nail_ you?"

"What…?" Frankie started before seeing Nora pull her hammer back over her head.

"I was serious!" With a mighty _SLAM_ Nora brought Magnhild down onto Frankie's head, knocking him unconscious. The Pink Dynamo spun her hammer around and settled it back to her shoulder, standing proudly over her fallen opponent. "And that takes care of that!"

All at once, the bank's main room was filled with an uproarious cheer, the teens celebrating their victory. The only ones who didn't were Jessie and Howlin, the former grinning proudly at the young up-and-coming Hunters while the latter cleared his throat to get their attention. "Ahem! While I applaud your… _technique_ in taking these low-lives down, I wouldn't celebrate just yet if I were you." He whipped his arm up to indicate the billowing smoke that was coming from the hall. "Because thanks to a few certain someones…" he glanced over to Ruby and Blake, the two girls shrinking away slightly along with Sun. "We've got a fire on our hands now!"

Thankfully however, Ben was quick to offer his services. "I actually think I can help out with that…" He pointed over to Howlin and Jessie. "But in order to do it, I need to know if you two can keep a secret."

The two adults looked to each other in confusion before going back to Ben. "Whaddya mean, sugar?" Jessie asked. "I mean, I think I could, but I just need to know what it is first."

Howlin jabbed a thumb to his chest. "And I'm a police officer. I don't keep secrets unless they really ARE that important."

"Trust me, it is." Ben assured as he brought up the Omnitrix. He activated the holo-ring, taking Jessie and Howlin by surprise, and began scrolling through his aliens until he found the one he wanted. "Alright you two, stand back and watch me work!" The Omnitrix's core popped up and Ben slammed it back down, the signature flash of green light taking both Howlin and Jessie off guard. When the light dissipated, the adults were astonished to see a large, red, bipedal mollusk creature standing where Ben once stood, its glowing green eyes concentrated onto them. "Water Hazard!" it cried out.

Jessie let out a gasp while Howlin just let out a loud yell, pulling out his sidearm with lightning fast reflexes. "What the hell are YOU?!" he demanded. "What did you do with the kid?!"

Water Hazard raised his hands up defensively. "Whoa, whoa, chief, calm down! I AM the kid!" he pointed to the Omnitrix symbol on his chest. "See?"

Now that the creature pointed it out, the chief was shocked to see that it was the same exact green and black hourglass pattern that Ben had on his watch. Howlin lowered his weapon in bewilderment, barely managing to utter the words; "What the…"

"Is that REALLY you, Ben?" Jessie asked.

"Yep, sure is." Water Hazard turned around and gave them a two-fingered salute. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a fire to put out." The Orishan ran down the hall with his hands outstretched again, blasting powerful streams of water from each hand as he did. In almost no time at all, the fire was successfully put out, leaving the hallway a scorched mess. The fire alarms shut off soon after and Water Hazard emerged back into the main area, transforming back into Ben as he did. "See? Told you I'd be able to put out that fire."

Howlin and Jessie stared at the young man dumbfounded, both of them in complete awe at what they had just seen. Finally though, Howlin was able to pull himself together, his brows furrowing toward Ben. "Explanations… NOW!"

* * *

It didn't take long before both the police chief and the Vacuoan Huntress were filled in on Ben's situation and the whole thing about alternate dimensions. Thankfully, they were more than ready to believe the teenagers after the stunt they had seen Ben pull. It also finally allowed Krista and Roy to reveal to their chief that they knew about the alien stuff as well, to which Howlin was slightly miffed by. "You mean to tell me that you two knew about extraterrestrials being among us and you didn't even tell me?!" he whispered as harshly as he could without raising his voice.

"Well, it was either that, or sending the public into a mass panic." Krista countered as she and Roy managed to shove Hamm into the back of a police cruiser with his brothers, effectively crowding them all into one vehicle. "And we ALL know what can result from THAT."

"Hmm… good point." Howlin relented. "Alright, I'll allow it." He then went over to Ben and the team, giving them a salute. "And I'll make sure to keep your secret as well, Tennyson. It's the least I can do after your help today."

"Thanks, Chief Howlin." Ben saluted back. "I—"

"BUT BE WARNED!" Howlin prodded Ben's chest with his finger firmly. "If you all cause any trouble with this "alien" business anywhere _near_ town, then I'll personally see to your eviction from the island. Am I clear?"

"Uh, yeah, sure." Ben replied hesitantly.

"Good, glad we're on the same page." Howlin stood up straight and spun around on his heel, walking back to his police truck. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got an extensive case report to start filing… without any extraterrestrial beings in its pages, of course." With a slam of his door, Howlin's truck began driving back toward the police station, leaving a baffled Ben behind.

The hero shifted his gaze over to Krista and Roy, the two officers giving him a shrug. "What can I say, man?" Roy grinned. "I think you got off easy with the chief there."

"Heh, yeah, probably." Ben chuckled. "Well, I don't wanna keep you guys up. After all, the "Swiney Brothers" aren't gonna put _themselves_ away."

Krista gave him a nod. "Yeah, we'd better get going." She and Roy raised their arms up to wave to the teens. "Hope you guys enjoy the rest of your day though! Stay frosty!" After the whole team gave their own goodbyes, Krista and Roy got into their police cruiser and drove off, ready to put the still unconscious Swiney Brothers behind bars.

Once they were out of sight, Ben let out a relieved sigh, checking the Omnitrix for the time. "Man, it's not even NOON yet and we've already beaten up some bad guys. That's gotta be a new record if you ask me."

Jaune chuckled at that. "Heh, yeah, wait until family hears about—" But then he cut himself off at that, his eyes widening in realization. "Oh god, we gotta go tell our families that everything's okay!"

"Oh shoot, you're right!" Pyrrha smacked her forehead. "I nearly forgot." She smiled over to the others and gave them a salute. "We'll meet up with you guys back at the house, alright?"

Yang returned the gesture. "Sure thing! We'll be sure to catch up with you guys later!" As Team JNPR began headed back to the hotel, Yang noticed Jessie out of the corner of her eye, the Vacuoan Huntress chatting on her scroll with someone. However, a few moments after her eyes landed on her, Jessie said goodbye to whoever she was talking to and strolled over to the others, a bright smile on her face. "Hey, uh… Jessie." Yang couldn't help but slightly stumble over the woman's name, still finding it a bit odd to say. "Who was that you were talking to?"

"Aw, that was just my baby boy." Jessie answered. "He an' his fiancé were callin' me to make sure I was doin' fine…" She raised an eyebrow to them knowingly. "But they also asked if ya'll were doin' alright too. I gotta say, I didn't think ya'll were already acquainted with my family."

"Yeah, well, Whitlea's actually helped me out before." Ben said as he pulled an arm around his girlfriend, shaking her shoulder a little bit. "See, she helped me put together the perfect bouquet to give to this lovely girl right here."

"Oh, well isn't that just the sweetest thing!" the Huntress gushed. "Whitlea certainly has quite the green thumb, that's for sure." Jessie gave Yang a wink. "So Yang, did ya like the flowers he gave you?"

"Yes, definitely." Yang affirmed as she kissed her boyfriend's cheek. "Probably one of the best gifts that anyone could've ever given me."

Jessie smiled widely and gave an approving nod. "Well, I'm glad that's the case. Speakin' of which though, I'd better get over to the shop myself." The redheaded woman strode over to her horse and mounted herself back onto her saddle effortlessly, taking the mare by the reigns once she did. "I've got a lot of catchin' up to do with the kids, after all." She gave a wave to the team as they approached the horse as well. "It was nice meetin' ya'll today! I gotta say, ya'll are a pretty unique team. I hope I get to see more of ya durin' my stay here."

It was then that Ruby decided to pipe up, raising her hand so that Jessie could see her. "It was nice meeting you too. And hey, we have a whole bunch of other teammates back at our house that I know would LOVE to meet you!" She bowed her head toward the Huntress. "If you'd ever want to swing by sometime, we'd be honored to have you as our guest."

Jessie returned the Hooded Huntress' grin eagerly. "Hey, now there's an idea!" She pulled out a pen and a notepad from one of her saddlebags. "Though I'll need an address first, if'n ya don't mind."

"Oh! Of course!" Ruby quickly took the pen and notepad from Jessie and jotted down her address before handing it back. "There ya go! And we hope to see you sometime soon!"

With a tip of her hat, Jessie happily agreed with Ruby's statement. "I'll be sure to swing on by, Ruby, don't you worry 'bout that. But for now, I'm off!" Jessie flicked of the reigns and a kicked her boots lightly, causing her horse to rear back onto its hindlegs. "Run like the wind, Cassidy! YEE-HAW!" With a great burst of speed, the Clydesdale began galloping down the street back to the Tiger Lily Flower Shop, passing the Rustbucket along the way.

As the teens watched the woman riding out into the streets, there was one major thing that they could ALL agree on at that moment; "She is SO cool!" Yang squeed.

* * *

**A/N: Phew! Okay, another chapter bites the dust! A bit longer than I expected, but hey, it's a bit of a one-off bit of action to introduce a fun side character (Howlin) as well as another character that's actually going to be having a bit more prominence in the upcoming mini-arc (Jessie). Plus, now Jaune's family knows all about the battle with Salem, so there's that air cleared. But what do you suppose Winter was talking about at the beginning of the chapter? Guess we'll just have to wait and see on that one.**

**Now, Jessica Jameson is based on Jessie James as well as the idea of western tall tales with her amazing feats (plus, her husband and Horse are references to Butch Cassidy). But as for Chief Howlin, I had a bit of fun with his inspirations. Now, obviously, he's the Big Bad Wolf and the Swiney Brothers are his three little pigs, it's just that the roles of good and evil have been reversed. However, he also has ANOTHER inspiration, and it all lies in who the two previously established police officers (Krista Burns and Roy Price) are based off of. Plus, the voice I chose for him is also a pretty big hint. See if you can guess in the comments.**

**Alright, so, NEXT TIME! We're getting a bit more casual again as the gang return home in good spirits and with a grand story to tell everyone. However, it's then that Winter informs Ben that he needs to call home right away. After the call though, the gang receive a visit from a certain cowgirl, and everyone's more than eager to hear the stories she has to tell. Well guys, that's all for now! Thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time!**


	84. News from the Other Side

**A/N: Hey everybody! Like I said last time, this one's leaning back into the casual side of things, but there will be some important things to be seen in this one. So, let's get to it. This is…**

**Chapter 84: News from the Other Side**

* * *

To say that Rex would often get in over his head in some situations would probably be an understatement. He knew that facing near-impossible odds was part of his job description and he always worked hard to overcome them… usually after getting his butt handed to him. But there were just some things that Rex had to concede defeat on, and right now, as he gazed at the battle playing out before him, he knew that his was probably one of those times. "Alright, I've gotta admit, I think Weiss may've out done us here."

"That's probably safe to say." Holiday agreed, her eyes also concentrated on the sparring session between the heiress and her sister. "Kind of hard to beat this."

Next to them, Penny nodded in agreement. "Indeed. It's quite amazing isn't it?"

Near the very edge of the backyard, the two Schnee sisters were facing off, not just in a battle of blades, but a battle of Summons as well. As their respective weapons clashed against each other, so too did their most powerful Grimm. Weiss had successfully summoned the Arma Gigas again, the sentient armor keeping a strong grip on its sword as it attacked its opponent. As for Winter, she chose to summon a Grimm that Rex had never seen before; a Manticore. It appeared to be a large lion-like beast with two large horns on its head, a set of feathered wings on its back and a scorpion tail, making it one of the deadliest Grimm that either Rex or Holiday had ever seen. The Manticore was currently biting at the Arma Gigas' arm, tackling it to the ground just as Winter pressed her blades against Weiss' own, pushing the heiress back.

Winter let out a breath, but kept her determined face about her. "Had enough yet, little sister?" she asked.

Weiss also gave a small sigh, though she too was intent on not giving up. "Are you kidding?" she replied as a bead of sweat trickled down her face. "I'm not about to give up!" Weiss gathered up enough strength to push her sister back and leap away, her head whipping over to the Arma Gigas. "You've got this! I know you do!" she encouraged.

With its mistress' words, the Arma Gigas felt a surge of new energy flow through it, giving it enough strength to push back against the Manticore. It raised its sword above its head and bashed the pommel against the Manticore's face, making it open its mouth and let go of its arm. The sentient armor then took a hold of its sword with two hands and began slicing at the beast, making it roar out in pain.

Rex winced at just how much force was behind those few strikes. "Man! Can't imagine what it'd be like on the receiving end of that."

"It's alright." Penny assured. "Winter's not out just yet."

Winter moved around and pointed one of her swords at the Grimm. "Fly up!"

The Manticore's eyes flashed at that single command before following her orders to a T. With a low growl, the Manticore spread its wings and flew into the air, leaving the Arma Gigas on the ground. It glowered at the sentient armor before opening its mouth, both to let out a loud roar and prepare for its next attack. In no time at all, a powerful blue flame appeared in its maw. The beast lurched its head forward, sending the fire breath attack at the Arma Gigas.

"Counter!" Weiss exclaimed. The Arma Gigas responded immediately to her order, raising its sword up and bringing it down in an arcing swing just as the fire breath closed in on it. The blade made contact with the flame, resulting in the sword itself catching on fire. This served to make Weiss smirk in satisfaction. "Alright! Now leap and strike—AH!"

The heiress was suddenly cut off when her sister resumed attacking her, the two going back to exchanging blows. Thankfully though, the Arma Gigas was able to hear her order clearly, and it craned its head up toward the Manticore while bending its knees. In a mighty leap, the sentient armor jumped up high into the air while reeling its flaming sword back, intending to slice cleanly through the flying beast.

Winter kept the pressure on her sister while giving her next command, not even glancing back to her Summon. "Close in and strike back!" At her words, the Manticore began to fly downward toward the Arma Gigas, raising its claws up to strike against it as well. The two Summons met in midair and struck against each other, landing on the ground a split second later.

The moment the two Grimm landed, Weiss and Winter stopped their dual for just a moment to see what the outcome was. It appeared almost as though neither of them had taken any damage… but then the Arma Gigas took a knee, making Weiss gasp slightly. However, almost immediately after that, Winter's Manticore fell to the ground before dissipating, the beast having been sliced cleanly in half at the torso by the giant sword. Weiss broke out into a grin and jumped up into the air, pumping a fist as she did. "YES! Haha! I can't believe I won!"

Winter lowered her head slightly at her defeat. But nevertheless, she still kept a full smile on her face. "Hm, good job, Weiss." she commended as she holstered her blades once more. She went over and placed a hand on her sister's shoulder, bringing her in for a small hug. "That was quite impressive. I can see the Arma Gigas has no problems taking orders from you."

Weiss nodded as the sentient armor stood up, placing the tip of its sword into the ground for support. "Thanks, Winter. I'm really glad I've finally got the hang of Summoning it." She gazed up and gave the Arma Gigas a nod. "Thank you, you're dismissed." The Arma Gigas nodded before dissipating as well, leaving the two sisters to themselves.

At least until Rex came running up. "HAHA! Weiss, that was amazing!"

"It _was_ quite the spectacle." Holiday added as she and Penny came over as well. "And I've seen Rex fight EVOs that are the size of buildings, so you _know_ I mean that."

Penny bowed her head to the Weiss in respect. "Your battle was quite sensational! Congratulations, Weiss." She then set her sights onto Winter and bowed to her as well. "And Winter, your Summoning skills were quite impressive as well. An excellent effort!"

"Thank you, Penny." Winter returned. "And I agree, it WAS a fine match." She directed her eyes toward her sister with pride. "Your technique is improving day by day, Weiss. You may just be catching up to me."

Weiss quickly waved away the notion. "Oh, hah, I don't know about _that_." She sheepishly denied. "I don't think I'm quite at your skill level _just_ yet."

But Rex interjected just as fast. "Hey, _I_ think it's pretty cool that you can just summon a giant suit of armor whenever you want!" he insisted. "If you ask me, that sounds pretty skillful."

The heiress couldn't help but give him a soft smile. "Well… I appreciate that, Rex. But I've still got a long way to go." She gestured over to where the battle had taken place. "After all, a big part of Summoning is being able to work WITH your Summon, not just giving them orders to do something."

Rex gave her a thumbs up. "Hey, I know you can do it, Ice Princess. You've got a knack for this kind of thing."

Weiss blushed a slight bit at that. "I suppose…"

"Plus, you're really stubborn." Rex winked cheekily. "Which means you won't be giving up so easily."

"What was that about "stubborn"?!" Weiss yelled, her face now red not out of embarrassment, but of anger. She pulled out Myrtenaster and summoned another glyph, bringing out a Boarbatusk. "You are SO in for it now, Robo-dolt! Attack!" With that order, the Boarbatusk curled up and began spinning rapidly, charging at the EVO soon after.

Rex let out a scream and activated his Rex Ride, turning the whole thing into one big chase around the backyard with the pig-like Grimm in hot pursuit. "Gah! C'mon, Weiss, can't ya take a little joke?!" Rex hollered over his engine.

Weiss simply crossed her arms and whipped her head up and away from his direction. "It's not nice to make jokes at someone's expense, Rex!"

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry!" Rex apologized. "Just please call off the bacon!"

As this went on, Holiday, Winter and Penny couldn't help but wear similarly amused smiles at all of this, the doctor in particular giving a small chuckle. "Haha, isn't young love just a wonderful thing?"

"Indeed, it is." Winter concurred before noticing two figures making their way down the forest path. "Oh! Gwen and Kevin are back…" However, her eyes widened when she noticed that Rex was speeding right toward the couple… and he wasn't looking where he was going. Winter's eyes widened in a panic and she shouted; "Rex! Watch out!"

"Huh?" Rex whirled his head around just in time to see Gwen and Kevin, the couple's eyes widening the moment they saw each other. "AAAHH!" Rex cried out in panic as he retracted his Ride back into himself, doing a midair flip before landing feet first on the ground. It wasn't exactly a pleasant landing, but he let out a relieved sigh regardless. "Phew! Man, that was…" But he trailed off when his ears were graced by something approaching from behind. His head snapped around just in time to see the Boarbatusk approaching fast, to which he could only utter; "… _Meirda_." before getting hit right in the rear by the spinning beast, sending him flying forward at blinding speed. "AAAAAAGH!"

Weiss put her hand over her eyes the moment he was hit, the heiress wincing hard at the scene. "Ah! That wasn't supposed to happen!"

Kevin took a step back as Gwen brought up a mana shield to protect them, the Anodite wearing a somewhat frustrated expression. The move proved to be effective as Rex faceplanted against the shield, though this resulted in his cheek pressed flat up against it with his tongue lolling out his mouth. Without a word, Rex's body slid down the mana shield and plopped down to the ground, landing on his already sore backside. "Ugh! Man, talk about a sudden stop." Rex commented before glancing back up to Gwen. "Hey, thanks for the save, Gwen."

Gwen raised a brow at him. "Sure, but would you mind telling me how that all happened in the first place?"

Rex scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Oh, you know, I was just telling Weiss how stubborn she was when it came to training."

"…And were those your _exact_ words?" Gwen pressed further.

"Well… it _may_ have started out as a bit of a tease, but—"

The Anodite groaned and rolled her eyes while Kevin gave him a deadpan expression. "Dude, think about how you choose your words, alright?" the Osmosian advised. "Telling a girl that she's stubborn doesn't land you any points."

Rex got up from the ground and dusted his pants of, his smile unwavering. "Ah, c'mon guys, I don't mean any harm in it, and I'm sure she knows it."

"Maybe, but _I'm_ pretty sure she DOESN'T want to be constantly aggravated." Gwen emphasized. "Otherwise, why would she send that Boarbatusk after you?"

Rex's face fell and his gaze cast downward, exhaling through his nose all the while. "Yeah, I guess you got a point there."

"Rex!" The EVO's eyebrows snapped up and he turned around, just in time to see Weiss approaching him from behind. Winter, Holiday and Penny were coming over as well, but the heiress was way ahead of them. "I am SO sorry!" Weiss said as she came to a stop. "I just wanted to teach you a lesson, I didn't want the Boarbatusk to actually get to hit you!"

"O-Oh." Rex muttered in surprise. "You didn't?"

Weiss' hand went to the back of her neck. "No, I-I'm sorry." she apologized again.

There was a bit of a pause before Rex spoke up again. "Hey, if there's anyone who should be apologizing, it's me." He lowered his head to her. "I should probably watch what comes out of my mouth. From now on, no more teasing, I promise."

Needless to say, this took Weiss by surprise. On the one hand, a part of her was glad that he owned up to what he did. But on the other hand, she had somewhat gotten used to his good-natured riffing. Sure, sometimes he'd take it too far, but in the end, she could tell that he didn't mean any harm by it. Weiss glanced away a little bit as her blush returned. "Well… I wouldn't go THAT far."

It was then Rex's turn to be taken aback. "W-Wait, huh?"

"Listen," Weiss raised a single finger up to him, "so long as you don't go overboard, you're fine. Just… be smart about the words you choose in the future, okay?"

Rex blinked twice in shock. "So… is this some weird way in saying that I CAN tease you?"

Weiss' blush only grew more flustered and she faced away from him, closing her eyes indignantly. "J-Just take the offer, okay? Before I change my mind!"

"Well… okay." Rex grinned. "I'll tread lightly when it comes to teasing you, then."

"Good!" Weiss nodded in approval before opening her eyes… only to see the smirking faces of Holiday and Winter right in front of her, with Penny wearing a cheeky, excited grin. The heiress grimaced to all three girls and pointed at them with a dead serious face. "Not. One. Word."

Holiday raised her hands, her smirk persisting. "Honey, we aren't saying _anything_." She walked up and made to move past Weiss, only to lean in and whisper to her; "Besides, your actions speak for themselves." Immediately, Weiss screwed her eyes shut again and pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance, giving Holiday a good chuckle. "Hmhm, it's alright, Weiss. You'll be okay." She shifted her attention over to Gwen and Kevin, the couple also smiling at Weiss' expense. "So, how was your training session, you two? Any progress?"

"Oh yeah." Gwen confirmed. "We made some great progress today." She smiled knowingly to her boyfriend. "…Even though we had a bit of trouble in the beginning, right hon?"

"Ugh, I'll say." Kevin grumbled. "No more absorbing Water Dust again anytime soon."

Weiss looked up and a sly grin came to her face. "Let me guess, your arms erupted into geysers of water, didn't they?"

The couple's eyes widened at that. "Uh… yeah." Kevin uttered. "How'd ya know?"

"Because that's what ALL raw Water Dust crystals do when they become unstable." Weiss stated. "That's why most people just use Ice Dust instead. It has a more controlled outcome whenever one uses it."

"Huh, alright, I'll keep that in mind." Kevin nodded. as he took out a crystal of Ice Dust out of one of his pouches. "Besides, I actually really like what happens when I absorb Ice Dust. Wanna see?"

"Absolutely." Winter affirmed. "I'm actually rather intrigued by how your body is able to handle such raw Dust power."

The Osmosian went over to a nearby tree and absorbed the trunk, turning himself into wood. "Alright, check this out." Kevin grabbed the crystal by both hands and absorbed the substance, changing his arms from wood to Ice Dust crystal. He then shifted his hands into a long, crystalline sword and a heavy, spiked mace before spreading his arms out to his sides. "Okay, here we go!" Kevin slammed the two weapons together and immediately, the crystalline arms began to produce long and sharp shards of ice from their surface, causing the weapons to become even deadlier. The sword was now a huge spear with multiple sharpened ice crystals protruding from its sides, and the mace now had even more spikes around it, making it appear to be just a bunch of icicles stuck together in a rounded shape. Kevin raised his arms and asked; "Well? Is this badass or what?!"

"WOAH!" Rex grinned. "Dude, that is _sweet_!" He went over to inspect the jagged ice weapons closer. "This is like something you'd see on some sorta ice demon or something!"

Winter's lips were parted in astonishment. "Amazing! It's almost as if the air itself had frozen around your arms the moment you slammed your weapons together."

"Very impressive." Holiday concurred. "Though considering that they're made of ice, how resilient are they exactly?"

Kevin chuckled and answered; "Actually, they're a lot more durable than you think. Watch this." The Osmosian turned around and faced the tree he had absorbed earlier, giving it a determined expression. Then, with a mighty battle cry, he surged forward while reeling back his icicle spear, bringing it forward the moment he closed the distance between himself and the tree. The weapon made contract, creating a massive gash in the trunk and taking everyone by surprise. "See? What'd I tell ya?"

"Amazing!" Penny commended as she began analyzing the ice itself. "That ice is at least negative thrity degrees centigrade. It's not breaking anytime soon." The Android shifted her gaze up to Kevin and titled her head. "Although, _I'm_ simply surprised that you can't feel how cold it is."

"Eh, it's a bit chilly, yeah." Kevin admitted. "But I'm not really feeling anything too bad." Kevin put his back against the trunk, making sure that his neck was pressed down firmly against the wood so he could absorb it. Once he did, the Dust crystal went away and the ice weapons began to break off, sticking themselves into the ground near Kevin's feet. "I just gotta be careful about how I get 'em off of me, that's all."

"I had to drive that point home to him." Gwen said with a wry smile. "Anything that cold coming into contact with bare skin's going to have some bad side effects." The Anodite then glanced around, noticing that there wasn't much noise coming from the house. "So, I'm guessing that everyone else went out for the day?"

"Oh yeah." Weiss nodded. "They went to town to get Ilia some new clothes and hang out with Team CFVY. Plus, Jaune and his team went to tell the truth to his family."

Kevin couldn't help but cringe at the thought as he shed his wooden coat. "Oof, that sounds a bit rough. Hope they take it well."

Gwen pat her boyfriend's shoulder. "I'm sure that everything will be fine. The Arcs are nice people, they'll understand."

Winter put a hand to her chin in thought. "True, though to be honest, I expected them back sooner." She pulled out her scroll to check the time. "It's been almost two hours since they left."

Gwen pulled out her Plumber's badge to do the same, her eyebrows raising up slightly. "Hm, eleven-thirty, huh? They'll probably be back in time for lunch." However, the moment she pocketed her badge once more, the group heard the familiar sound of a roaring engine approaching from the front yard, making them perk up. "See? What did I tell you?" Everyone went around the side of the house, making it to the front yard just in time to see Ben and Yang dismounting Bumblebee as the Rustbucket and Athena's rental car pulled in from behind. "Hey guys!"

Ben and Yang looked up, smiling and waving to Gwen the moment they saw her. "Hey Gwen!" Ben called back. "How's it goin'?"

"Pretty good." Gwen and her group made their way over as Team JNPR, Team SN, Ruby, Blake and Ilia began to disembark their respective rides, joining them as well. "So, how was town?"

"Oh-ho, it was AWESOME!" Yang grinned. "See, what happened was—"

But then, in a flash, both Ruby and Nora zipped over and began explaining everything… in the most rushed way possible. "Oh my gosh, Gwen you won't BELIEVE what happened!" Ruby began. "See, we were at Whitlea's place when we heard these gunshots, and then we ran into Lieutenant Burns and she explained everything."

"Turns out there was a robbery happening at the bank!" Nora continued. "And the police chief tried to negotiate with the robbers, but that didn't work out and—"

"Woah, woah, woah, slow down you two." Weiss raised her hands to get them to stop. "You are going WAY to fast and you're probably skipping over a few things." She set a hand onto each of their shoulders, giving them a stern face. "Now, can you two start at the top again? This time a bit slower, please?"

* * *

Over the course of the next half-hour or so, Ruby and Nora recounted the events of the stand-off in town, with the rest of the team providing their own input on certain events. The conversation had moved inside, allowing the team to gather into the living room to try and relax from the events they had just experienced. While they were talking, Max had gone into the kitchen to prepare lunch, with Athena going with him to make sure that said lunch wasn't all insect larvae. They had gotten to the point where Nora had left off, with Holiday giving a small nod. "Okay, I think this is where we were earlier. So what happened next?"

Yang was all too eager to get to the next part. She leaned forward in her seat and spread her hands out. "Okay, so Chief Howlin's negotiations didn't go well. At that point, we were working on a brand-new plan. But before we could even start, guess who showed up ON HORSEBACK to help us out?"

Rex's head moved back in surprise. "Woah, on _horseback_? Are you serious right now?"

"Rex, I haven't been more serious in my life." Yang assured. "Now go ahead, guess."

Penny, Gwen, Kevin, Rex and Weiss all began wracking their minds at the question, though most of them were ultimately stumped on it. "Ah, I got nothin'." Kevin shrugged.

"Me either." Gwen added. "So, who was it?"

However, as she asked that, Penny let out a gasp, catching their attention. For the redheaded android had one thing that the others hadn't; a database with nearly every single piece of information in Remnant. She had searched through her files frivolously until she finally found a few matches to what Yang described… but it was the most prominent one that caught her attention. Penny whipped her head around to Ruby with a big grin on her face. "Don't tell me! It's not…" But Ruby was giving her a cheeky grin and an eager nod, only confirming her suspicions. "Oh my GOSH!"

Weiss, Rex, Gwen and Kevin however were still very much confused. "Uh, Penny? Mind letting US in on the answer?" the heiress requested

Penny smiled over to Yang, ushering the blonde to continue the story. "Please Yang, go on. Tell them the rest!"

The Blonde Brawler was more than happy to oblige. "Hehe, alright." Yang faced her four confused friends and gave them the answer; "It was Jessica Jameson!"

Rex, Gwen and Kevin were taken aback by the blonde's sudden joyous yell. However, not even a second later, Weiss let out an excited scream of her own, one that was so high pitched, it actually scared the three. "AAAAAAAH! No way!" Weiss shot up out of her seat and zipped over to her teammates, wanting to hear more. "THE Jessica Jameson was in _town_? What is she doing _here_?!"

"Well, you remember Russel, right?" Blake asked. "Whitlea's fiancé who she brought to the party a few days ago? He's Jessie's son, and _she's_ here to help plan out their wedding."

"Aw, well that's really sweet!" Weiss gushed before placing her hands on her hips. "I kinda wish I had gone with you guys now. I would've LOVED to meet Jessica myself."

Ruby gave her best friend a wink. "Well, you're in luck! I actually gave her our address so that she can come visit us whenever she wants. I told her that we would love to have her as our guest."

Weiss gasped and practically began jumping up and down in place, pure excitement coursing through her very being. "AH! Oh my gosh, I might actually get to meet Jessica Jameson! This is the best day ever!"

Meanwhile, the trio of Rex, Gwen and Kevin as well as Doctor Holiday, were all perplexed at what she was talking about. "Uh, Weiss?" Rex raised his hand up. "We're not following here. Who's this "Jessica Jameson" person?"

"She's a very famous Huntress." Winter explained. "One who is able to take on very powerful Grimm without much effort. She's had quite the successful career, I can say that much."

Neptune piped up next; "Guys, this lady managed to shove an entire steel beam down a Creep's throat, impaling it straight through without even breaking a sweat!"

"You think THAT'S impressive?" Sun added. "Try breaking an Ursa's neck by JUST using a lasso. Now THAT is dedication to the craft."

Rex's eyebrows rose up in surprise. "Wow, I gotta say that IS pretty cool."

Kevin pounded a fist against his chest. "Hell yeah. Anyone who's ballsy enough to take on Grimm with nothing but hard grit is alright by me!"

"Very impressive." Gwen concurred. "I can't wait to meet her." The redhead directed her eyes back over to Blake. "So, what happened after she got there?"

"Well, once we filled her in on what was going on, she asked for me, Ren, Ilia, Sun and Ruby sneak into the bank." Blake raised her right arm, pointing up to the ceiling. "We managed to make our way in via the air ducts, and we thankfully wound up behind the counter."

Sun jabbed his thumb toward his chest. "Once that happened, Blake, Ruby and I distracted them long enough for Ren and Ilia to get everybody out." The monkey boy grimaced slightly when he remembered exactly what happened. "Of course, our little plan to stop them didn't exactly goes as planned."

"That's when all of US came in!" Nora exclaimed. "We stormed in there and kicked their butts ten ways to Tuesday!"

Pyrrha raised a single finger. "But not before one of the Swiney Brothers managed to toss a bag full of Dust at us." she added. "Thankfully, Jessie was able to lasso the bag out of the air before they could blow it up."

"Whoa!" Kevin grinned. "Now THAT is freaking badass!"

"I KNOW, right?!" Yang cried out in delight. "Anyway, after that we ganged up on 'em and took them to the cleaners!" She nudged her head toward Ben. "Then Green Boy put out all the fires and we walked away the winners, simple as that."

Gwen's eyebrows furrowed slightly at her cousin. "Wait… Ben, please don't tell me, you didn't transform in front of anybody, did you?"

The hero chuckled nervously and he rubbed the back of his head. "Eh… well, not a TON of people, really. Just two." He counted off on his fingers; "The chief and Jessie were the only ones who saw me transform. And even then, I made them swear not to tell anybody."

The Anodite sighed and facepalmed, leaning forward in her seat slightly. "For our sakes, I hope they don't. Especially this "Chief Howlin" person. He sounds like the type of man we don't want to be on the bad side of." Gwen let out a sigh and leaned back in her chair. "Still, I'm glad that everything worked out in the end." Her eyes then went over to Team JNPR, quirking a brow to Jaune specifically. "So Jaune, how'd things with your family go? Did they take the… _news_ well?"

Jaune tilted his head to the side in a semi-shrug. "Actually, they took it _surprisingly_ well." he admitted. "Sure, a few of my sisters had a few problems with it at first, but I managed to get through to them." Jaune let out a slight chortle at the thought that passed through his head. "Hehe, all I gotta do is stay safe and I can fight against the forces of evil. What a deal, huh?"

"A deal that _I_ intend to keep." Pyrrha affirmed.

"And so do we!" Nora shouted as she pulled Ren over as well. "We've got a pretty big job, but someone's gotta do it!"

Ren wore an amused smile at his best friend's antics. "Nora, protecting Jaune isn't exactly our "job". Besides, he can take care of himself."

Nora rolled her eyes and prodded Ren's chest with a single finger. "Ah, c'mon, Renny. I'm just making sure that Jaune's sisters don't come after US if their brother is hurt, ya know? Better to be safe than sorry, right?"

Ren was about to object, but then he remembered how protective both Blanche and Verte were, which got him to rethink his words. _'Think, Ren, Blanche can probably bench press you.'_ he thought to himself. He wore a nervous smile and quickly agreed with Nora. "Yeah, you're right. I'm a fan of having all my bones work anyways."

Jaune simply rolled his eyes. "Oh jeez, Ren, relax. My sisters wouldn't go THAT far… at least I don't THINK they would."

Pyrrha wrapped her arm around her boyfriend's. "They probably wouldn't. But knowing Blanche, she'd probably at least punch something if you were hurt." The Invincible Girl have him a wink. "Either way, I'm not about to _let_ you get hurt, understand?"

"Haha, alright, alright, I understand." Jaune snuggled a bit closer to Pyrrha, the redhead settling her head into the crook of his neck. "I know when I've been beaten."

"Hm, I'm sure." Pyrrha glanced across the room before seeing Ilia in the corner… and it was then that she finally took notice of something that she hadn't before. "Oh my goodness! Ilia, I cannot believe that I didn't notice your new outfit earlier!" she pointed out. "It's so cute!"

Suddenly, all eyes were now on the chameleon girl, whose eyes had widened to the size of saucers as she let out a little "Eep!" Her spots change to pink out of embarrassment and she shrank back into the wall a little bit. "Oh, hehe, thank you. Coco helped me pick it out."

"Well, it's simply ADORABLE!" Weiss said as she went over to inspect the outfit closer. "The jacket in particular just screams you, Ilia."

"Heh, thanks, Weiss." Ilia bowed her head.

Gwen moved her eyes over to Ilia as well. "By the way, where IS Coco and her team? Weren't they with you during that whole mess at the bank?"

Ilia nudged her head toward the window. "Yeah, but they decided to go home for a little while. They had a few things to take care of there before anything else." She then put her focus back onto Rex. "But hey, enough about what WE went through this morning. What about you guys? Anything major happen here?"

"Other than one hell of a training session between Weiss and Winter?" Rex smirked. "Nah, nothing much."

Ben sent a glance over to the two sisters, his interest piqued. "Oh, really? Well c'mon, don't hold out on us!"

"Yeah, Weiss-Cream!" Yang pressed further. "How'd your training go? Did ya win Rex's bet?"

Weiss wore a nervous smile, a small chortle escaping her lips. "I guess you could say that." The heiress set her sights toward her sister. "We certainly put on quite the performance for them though, didn't we, Winter?"

"Indeed so." Winter concurred with a wry smile. "Though the part where your Boarbatusk hit Rex in the hindquarters was a bit too much, wouldn't you say?"

"I already said I was sorry, okay?!" Weiss shouted with her blush coming back. "What more do you want from me, woman?!"

The whole living room got a good laugh out of that, with Rex in particular giving Weiss a wave. "Ah, it's okay, Ice Princess. Everything's good." He went over and pat Penny's shoulder. "But I gotta say, Penny here's actually getting a LOT better with her Nanite powers each time we train."

Holiday smiled and took out her electronic note pad, showing the data that she had been collecting over the course of their training. "I whole heartedly agree with that, Rex. Her body has acclimated to the Nanites very well, I must say." She gave the redheaded android a wink. "Then again, considering the… "sum of your parts", so to speak, that's to be expected."

"HA!" Yang guffawed. "Good one, doc!"

Rex glanced down to Penny and gave her a thumbs up. "Next, we'll teach ya how to hack into stuff."

Penny brightened up at the prospect. "Ooh, that sounds VERY fun! I always wanted to have hacking abilities, but my father wouldn't program me with any. He said it was "a precautionary measure"." The android used massive air quotes for that last part. "Why, I don't know, but it must've been pretty important."

Winter raised a brow at that. "I think it was so that you couldn't hack your way out of a room when you were told to stay put by army officials… which, in hindsight, now sounds utterly foolish." The military specialist raised two fingers. "For one, it wouldn't have stopped you since you've done that anyway. And two, if you had somehow been kidnapped, you would have no way to break out of a sealed room without conflict. An extreme oversight to be sure."

Rex crossed his arms and grinned over to Penny. "Well then, that just means that there's even MORE of a reason to practice, huh?"

Penny gave him a resolute nod. "Hm, I suppose so!"

Winter folded her hands and directed her attention to Ben, a serious expression overtaking her features. "Yes, well, I believe now is a good time to move on to more important matters." The elder Schnee leaned forward a slight bit, with everyone's eyes now on her. "Benjamin, when I made the call to have my daily… _chat_ with Kenny, Agent Six was the one to patch me through to him. However, before he did, he said that he wanted you to call him back as soon as you were able."

Everyone in the room grew quiet at the news, with Ben leaning forward himself. "Did he say what he wanted to talk about? How serious is this?"

"Serious enough that he wants everyone here to be present for it." Winter answered. "But he didn't give me any further details other than that."

"Hmm… I see." Ben stood up and began heading toward the main hallway. "Alright, I'll be back with the communicator in just a minute, guys. Hang tight." The hero made his way to the basement stairs, leaving the rest of the group to themselves.

It was then that Ilia spoke up again. "Um… I'm sorry, but who's Agent Six?"

Rex craned his head over to her, his grin returning. "Oh, Six? He's practically my mentor." He put a thumb to his chest and raised his head up high with pride. "He basically taught me everything I know."

Weiss smirked and folded her arms across her chest. "Including how to have a big head?"

"Ooh, sick burn." Rex winced. "I _felt_ that one."

Ilia continued; "But what kind of name is "Six" anyway? Or is that not his real name?"

"He's called "Six" because he's the sixth most-deadliest man in the world, Ilia." Holiday answered. "Or at least in _our_ world. Nobody actually knows his real name." The doctor raised her hand to show off her engagement ring. "I mean, I'm going to be marrying him and even _I_ still don't know his real name."

Ilia's eyes nearly bugged out of her sockets. "What?! He hasn't even told _you_?!"

"Nope. But to be honest, I'd actually like to keep it that way." Holiday propped her arm up against the chair she was sitting in and propped her cheek against her hand, staring wistfully off into the distance. "It just gives him that sense of mysteriousness that no one can easily describe, you know?"

The chameleon girl's face scrunched up slightly. "Uh, not really, no." She raised an eyebrow toward Rex. "So, what's Six like anyways?"

"Eh, he's like a nanny." The EVO replied. "Just more aggro."

" _Very funny."_ Rex nearly jumped out of his skin, as did the rest of the group at the new voice in the room. The EVO leapt around to see that Ben had returned, the hero having transformed into Feedback. The Conductoid had plugged himself into the trans-dimensional communicator and was holding it in his hands… and he had already made the call before even coming back up the stairs. There, on the holographic screen being projected from the device, was Six, the green-clad man's gaze set solely onto Rex. _"Now, if you'll excuse the interruption, we have some important matters to discuss."_

* * *

Once everyone had settled down, Feedback placed the communicator onto the coffee table, allowing everyone to get a good view of Six's face. The hero plopped himself down on the couch, crossing his legs while reclining into the cushions. "Alright, Six, so what's the big news you wanna share?" the Conductoid asked as the left half of his single eyeridge moved up. "Is it somethin' bad or what?"

" _Not necessarily."_ Six vaguely replied. _"I actually have quite a bit of news to share with you today, both good and bad. First being… this."_ He typed a command into the keyboard he was sitting in front of and brought up a new image in the corner of the holo-screen. It was that of a live feed being broadcast from the Plumber HQ's hangar, where there appeared to be a rather large, cannon-shaped structure being built. It seemed to be nearly finished as well, with a large lens being attached to the front of its barrel. _"Everyone, this is the enhanced Dimensional Doorway that will be attached to Tetrax's ship when we come through to Remnant."_

Nora brightened up at the sight of her idea having come to fruition. "AH! It's just as awesome as I imagined it's be!"

"It's certainly very impressive." Ren agreed. "But… how are you going to get it here?"

At that moment, yet another voice came over the communicator, one that sounded fairly exhausted. _"Hah, don't worry, we've got a plan for that too."_ From the left corner of the screen, Caesar appeared, the genius in a sweat and with multiple grease stains on his face. He waved and gave everyone a warm greeting. _"¡Hola, mis amigos! How's everybody doing today?"_

"Hey, _mi hermano_!" Rex returned. "We're doin' pretty good, bro. How 'bout you?"

" _Pretty good! Things are as on track as we'd hope they'd be."_ Caesar set his eyes onto Nora and gave her a nod. _"So, Nora, how does it feel to know that YOUR idea's been made a reality?"_

"It. Feels. AWESOME!" Nora raised her arms up and jumped into the air excitedly, beaming with joy. "I can't believe how fast you guys put it together!"

" _Hehe, trust me, the Plumbers put their best scientists and engineers to work on this project the moment you pitched it too us."_ Caesar glanced off to the side, wearing a slightly perturbed expression. _"And all we had to do was remove a couple fastidios off of the project."_

Off in the corner, Ilia raised an eyebrow. "Uh… what does that mean?"

" _It means "nuisances" or "annoyances"."_ Caesar answered before raised an eyebrow at her. _"Uh, pardon me if I'm being rude miss, but… who are you?"_

Ilia's eyebrows snapped up in realization. "Oh, my name's Ilia. I'm a friend of Blake's and I'm kind of new around here."

" _Ah, I understand. Well, it's nice to make your acquaintance."_ Caesar offered her a smile. _"So, I'm guessing that means we'll be having one more passenger making her way over to Earth, huh?"_

"Heh, well, I guess." Ilia rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "To tell you the truth, the idea of dimension hopping makes me kinda nervous."

"Ah, don't worry." Kevin waved off. "It's only bad the first time."

Gwen gave her boyfriend a skeptical face. "It IS her first time, Kevin."

"Exactly. Once she goes through the first time, it'll be the only time where she feels bad." the Osmosian snarked. "After that, it should be smooth sailing."

"Uh-huh." Gwen rolled her eyes before going back to Caesar. "So, what were these "annoyances" you were talking about?"

Caesar pursed his lips and scowled a bit more, crossing his arms for good measure. _"Let's just say a couple of Galvan got in over their—"_

Feedback slapped his face with his hand. "It was Blukic and Driba, wasn't it?" He peaked through his fingers to see Caesar giving him a nod, to which he gave an exasperated sigh. "Ugh, I knew it. Dear god, those two have done WAY more harm than good at Bellwood HQ."

Yang tilted her head to her boyfriend. "And they would be… who exactly?"

"They're two Galvan who CANNOT take the hint that their "help" ISN'T wanted or needed." Feedback answered, using massive air quotes around "help".

Kevin raised a hand. "I hear that. They almost blew my car half way across the galaxy one time… along with nearly half of the Plumber base."

" _Which is why we pulled them off of the project as soon as possible."_ Six continued. _"Since then, things have gotten back on track. If all goes well, we should be able to get there by tomorrow evening."_

Holiday smiled up to her fiancé. "That's great news, Six. We're certainly glad to hear it."

"You got that right!" Ruby pumped a fist into the air. "We can finally get to see what Ben's world is _really_ like!"

"Yep, can't wait." Jaune agreed. "So, got any more news for us?"

Six gave the young knight a nod. _"As a matter of fact, yes."_ He typed in another command into the console in front of him, changing the video feed in the upper right corner to that of another camera. This one was showing a prison cell inside the same building, one that appeared to be holding a rather familiar clown. _"As you can see, we managed to capture Zombozo since we last contacted you."_

"Oh good." Feedback sighed. "That's one less thing to worry about."

However, Ruby and Nora couldn't help but recoil at the very sight of the clown. "Ugh!" Ruby gagged. "THAT'S what he looks like?"

"Now I can see why he's the Circus Freak's boss." Nora sneered. "He's the freakiest out of all of them. Can we take the cameras off him please?" Six gave a small murmur before taking the camera feed off of the screen soon after. "Ah, much better! Thank you!"

" _Hm."_ Six acknowledged before getting back on topic. _"Thankfully, the Helpers were able to subdue Zombozo quite easily. Record time, even."_

Rex was grinning in pride. "Hey, that's great! Hey, where are they anyway? I wanna congratulate 'em myself!"

But Caesar shook his head with an apologetic face. _"Sorry, hermano, but they're not in right now. Manny, Helen and Alan have been sent to investigate a few… strange goings on."_

This caught Pyrrha's attention. "And just how "strange" are we talking about here?"

" _That's actually the main reason I wanted to talk to you all today."_ Six elaborated as he began typing yet another command into his console. Suddenly, a bunch of news articles began popping up on the screen, all with very similar headlines; "Three people missing from local village in Massachusetts", "Ten people suddenly gone without a trace in suburban New York State", "Over two dozen people vanish from Chicago homes without a word in continuing mass disappearances". Once everybody was able to see the headlines, Six went on from there. _"In the past week, there've been a number of people mysteriously disappearing across the Eastern United States."_ he explained. _"The strange part being that they've left absolutely no trace of where they may have gone."_

" _And it's only been getting more severe as the days go by."_ Caesar pointed to the Chicago article. _"The ones in Chicago have been the worst cases yet."_

Feedback, Gwen, Kevin and Rex, as well as Team RWBY, stood up to take a closer look at the article, with Gwen reading it out loud; "Over the course of the past few weeks, more and more people have been disappearing, not just in the Chicagoland area, but through most of the Eastern United States." Her brows furrowed as she kept reading. "Initially only thought to have been on the East Coast exclusively, people from not just Chicago, but the rest of Illinois as well, have been reporting many more disappearances." Gwen took a step back and let that fact sink in. "Woah, this is really strange. Why weren't we informed about—"

" _The Earth-bound Plumbers didn't think anything of it at first."_ Six answered bluntly. _"They simply wanted to leave it in the hands of the local authorities. But then, the disappearances began happening more rapidly and closer together."_ The mercenary furrowed his brows. _"And by then, things had just gotten worse."_

Yang glanced up to Six in concern. "So how many people have disappeared, exactly?"

" _So far, it's only been a little over a hundred."_ Six answered. _"But with this many people, it can't be a coincidence."_

Weiss raised a brow to him. "You don't think this is a kidnapping or killing case, do you?"

" _Negative."_ Six answered immediately. _"There've been no signs of a struggle anywhere in the vicinity of the towns they live in, be it near their homes or otherwise. Police and other local law enforcement have been searching restlessly, but they can't find any signs."_ He let that sink in for just a moment before dropping the big news on them; _"That is… until the Plumbers made a breakthrough in the case."_

Blake placed her hands on her hips. "Alright then, what do you guys have?"

" _This."_ Six typed in yet another command, bringing up a new video feed. This one was appeared to be from a small body-cam, one that was very high-quality. Whoever was wearing the camera itself was staying still, or at least, as still as they could stand whilst staking out a suburban home at dusk. There was also some chatter coming from the cam, voices which the Alien Trio recognized all too well; Manny and Helen. _"What you're about to see was caught on Manny's body-cam about a day ago. We got a tip from a man in Maryland that one of his friends was acting strange, so we decided to look into it. Pay close attention to what the person says."_

At first, nothing appeared to happen, but then, a flash of red suddenly appeared in the house, causing Manny to spring into action. _"There it is!"_ he shouted as he began to run, causing his body-cam to jostle around.

" _Manny, wait!"_ Helen yelled out in frustration. _"We have to call for—"_

But before she could finish, Manny bashed through the door, causing a loud yelp to be heard from inside the house. The red light that the flash caused could be seen in the living room, but the moment Manny called out, it disappeared. _"Plumbers! On the ground!"_

However, whoever was inside the house didn't take too kindly to Manny barging in. From the living room, a young woman wielding a wooden chair as a weapon came charging at him. She hollered; _"YOU BASTARD!"_ before bashing the chair against Manny, though that didn't help matters as the piece of furniture just broke against his tough Tetramand skin. She then went for her second option; assaulting him physically. She raised her fists to hit him, but Manny simply holstered two of his weapons to stop her with his lower arms. _"DAMN YOU!"_ she screamed. _"That was my ONE CHANCE!"_

" _Whoa, woah, WOAH!"_ Manny put the woman's arms to her sides and holstered his other guns, grasping her by the shoulders in hopes of calming her down. _"Listen, ma'am, we're just tryin' to help you out here."_

" _I don't want your help!"_ the woman screamed. _"I was GOING to help myself!"_

At that moment, Helen zoomed into view of the body cam, giving Manny an irritated glare. _"Seriously, Manny? Rushing in as always?"_

" _Hey, if we didn't take action ASAP, then someone else would've been added to the docket of missin' people."_ Manny argued.

Helen put a clawed hand to her forehead in exasperation. _"You are incorrigible."_

Back off to the side, Sun and Neptune grew intrigued at the two's banter, with the former glancing over to Gwen. "So… do these two argue like this all the time?" the monkey boy asked.

"Mostly." Gwen answered with a deadpan expression. "They're best friends, sure, but they get on each other's nerves very easily."

"Heh, I see." Neptune chuckled. The blue-haired boy placed a finger to his chin, his eyes having focused onto Helen in particular. _'Gotta say though, she's kinda cute.'_ However, he was brought out of his stupor when Sun elbowed him in the side, taking him by surprise. "Gah! Dude, the heck?"

"Pay attention, man." Sun reminded. "This is important." He then whispered under his breath; "Besides, it's weird and kinda rude to be gawking at girls through a body cam."

Back on the screen, Helen sat the woman down and calmed her, though this had the added effect of her bursting into tears of anguish. _"Miss, I'm sorry for all of this. But with all of these disappearances, we can't sit idly by."_ Helen placed a hand on the crying woman's shoulder. _"If you know anything about what's going on, please, we need to know."_

The woman sniffled and tried to compose herself, her voice now hoarse from all the yelling she had done. _"I… I was told that there was a special new group going around. One that promised strength to anyone who was willing to join."_ She ran a hand through her hair as she went on. _"I… I've been in a bad place for a while, so I thought if I joined, I could feel better about myself. The only catch was that I couldn't tell anybody about joining, and I had to leave my old life behind all together."_ She swallowed hard and lowered her head. _"But… I really should've thought it through more."_ The woman lifted her hands to her face and began to cry even more. _"I feel so ashamed!"_

" _It's alright, miss."_ Helen reassured. _"You're still here, remember that."_ She gave the woman a soft smile. _"Your friends are actually the ones who tipped us off. They've been really worried about you, you know."_

" _Th-They have?"_

" _Yes, and they want to help you."_ Helen nodded. _"And so do we. Now, is there anything else you know about these people you were about to join?"_

The woman took a deep breath before nodding her head. _"Y-Yes. They call themselves… the Collective."_

At that, Six paused the video, causing the group to crane their heads back to him. _"As you can probably imagine, this news is quite disturbing."_

"To say the least!" Jaune exclaimed, getting up out of his seat and began counting off the factors on his hand. "Let's see, we've got a mysterious group with an equally mysterious name, people who are voluntarily giving themselves over to them with being promised power in return, and the fact that they're whisked away without so much as an indication that they've gone anywhere." Jaune place his hands on his hips. "I don't know about you guys, but it sounds like a freaking _cult_ to me."

"Indeed." Pyrrha concurred. "And what's worse is that people are willing to give themselves over to them so easily…" The Invincible Girl's eyes widened and she went back to Six. "Tell me, have there been any other connections between the strange disappearances? Ones that might not seem all that obvious?"

Caesar spoke up again, raising his hand to get their attention. _"Actually, that's something that I've been working on since Manny and Helen's encounter with that woman."_ He stepped closer toward the screen, with Six stepping back and allowing him access to the console. _"After going through all of the missing people's files, I've compiled a few lists, but there was one in particular that stood out to me."_

The very next second, a histogram chart appeared on the screen, replacing the video. On the left, it was labeled; 'People Missing (by dozen)', and on the bottom, it was label; 'Age Ranges'. There were four age ranges in total; '13 to 16', '18 to 29', '30 to 39', and '40 to 59'. The two biggest ones were the '18 to 29' range and the '30 to 39' range, with four dozen and three dozen respectively. The other two ranges barely made the dozen range, taking everyone by surprise.

"Hm, okay." Weiss put a hand to her chin. "It seems this group is recruiting a lot more young people than any other age group."

" _Specifically the ones in the late teen or young adult range."_ Caesar affirmed. _"Notably, that is also the age range where major depression and anxiety is more common. With this being the case, this "cult" is most likely preying off those with prominent mental health issues, promising them strength and such."_

"That's awful!" Nora cried out. "People can't just take advantage of other's mental health like that! It's disgusting!"

Ilia came forward as well to voice her opinion. "Nora's right, somebody should do something about this!"

"Trust me, we will." Feedback promised. "Whatever's going on, we'll get to it as soon as we're back in my world." But the Conductoid couldn't help but ponder over the information that he had just heard, his eye narrowing slightly in thought. "Still, it's weird how fast this group showed up. Six, when did you say these disappearances begin happening?"

" _Almost a week ago."_ Six's brows furrowed, as if he just now realized something. _"…About a day after Rex and Holiday left."_

Everyone's eyes widened at that, with Rex being the most shocked out of all of them. "Wait… you don't think these people were _waiting_ for us to leave, did you?"

" _The fact that there'd be very few super-powered beings in the world certainly helps with their recruitment."_ Caesar admitted.

Kevin threw his hands up into the air. "Well, that's just fantastic! We're gone for almost three weeks and things go to shit."

Gwen set a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. "It's alright, Kevin. Remember, we're very close to getting back. Once we are, we'll find out who's behind this… "Collective"." The redhead's face scrunched up slightly. "Ugh, it makes me uncomfortable just _saying_ it."

"Yeah, REALLY creepy." Yang agreed before focusing back to the screen. "So, anything else for us, Six? Or are ya done with the bad news?"

" _For the most part. Just one more thing…"_ Six typed in a new command into the console, bringing up one last video. _"This was taken by a security camera at the Nordic Museum in Stockholm, Sweden just a couple days ago. They were hosting a special exhibit on runestones this week when this happened."_

Gwen's face grew serious at that last part. "Don't tell me…" She drew closer to the video as it played, a flash of light signaling the arrival of a certain someone. "Oh god, it IS her." On the camera feed, she watched as none other than Charmcaster strolled out of the portal she had made, the vortex staying open behind her as she took a closer look at the runes on display. However, the moment that the security officers made to apprehend her, she used a spell on them to put them to sleep before going about her business. "You've gotta be kidding me. Charmcaster's still searching for runes?!"

" _It's quite perplexing to be sure."_ Caesar nodded. _"First it was the museum in Norway and now Sweden. And we STILL don't know what she's searching for."_ After the video played for a few minutes more, Charmcaster went back into her portal, having pilfered not even one of the runestones. _"Plus, she hasn't stolen ANY of the stones. She just leaves as quickly as she appears."_

"Hmm… this IS quite strange." Penny concurred. "Perhaps she has an ulterior motive for all of this _besides_ stealing valuable artifacts?"

"That may very well be the case." Gwen surmised. "Charmcaster's plans aren't always straight forward. But whatever she IS planning, we know it has something to do with runestones, so there's that."

Ruby raised her hand. "So… are there any other museums that have runestones in them?"

" _There ARE a few in the United States."_ Six answered. _"And we're currently trying to convince the curators of those places to let us set up there just in case."_ The mercenary took the camera footage down before going on. _"But right now, our priority is on this new group or "cult" as Jaune put it."_

Blake gave a shrug. "Well, I suppose that's fair. I mean, Charmcaster's not really _hurting_ anyone at least, so there's a plus." She moved her eyes over to Gwen, the young redhead still thinking over what was going on. The cat girl offered her friend a smile and put a hand to her shoulder. "It's alright, Gwen. We'll figure this all out."

Gwen reciprocated Blake's gesture, letting out a small sigh. "I know. It's just… this whole thing's got my mind racing with questions. I just hope we get back in time to find the answers."

"We ALL do." Pyrrha supported. "But we still have another day or so before we can." She sent a wink in Gwen's direction. "Remember, patience is a virtue, and I think you know that better than any of us here."

The Anodite gave a sheepish laugh at that. "Hah, yeah, you're probably right. I'll try to settle down a bit." Gwen directed her eyes back to Six and Caesar. "Alright, so I'm guessing that's it?"

The elder Salazar brother gave her a shrug. _"Sí, pretty much. So, what've you all been up to? Anything major happen over there since we talked last?"_

Everyone in the living room exchanged a knowing glance before going back to the two men, with Feedback answering for them. "…Yeah, you could say that." And so, for the next ten minutes, the team recounted their entire mission on Menagerie to Six and Caesar, summarizing the events as best as they could without going into too much detail. However, Feedback made sure to include his squad's encounter with Salem, including the fact that she had damaged Humungousaur's DNA, in full detail. They also told them about Raven revealing that she was the Spring Maiden, to which Yang soured at and went silent for a few minutes. Needless to say, by the end of the whole story, Caesar was rendered astonished by the whole thing while Six kept his usual stoicism, though Rex and Holiday could tell that the man was deep in thought. "And that's basically how it went." Feedback concluded. "We got back last night and for the most part, things have been slowing down. Well, aside from a bank robbery we stopped this morning, but we don't have to go into detail about that."

" _Well, I…"_ Caesar trailed off before letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. _"Hah, dios mio, I really don't know what to say to that."_

Six nodded in agreement. _"Hm, it's concerning to be sure. The fact that this witch can damage the Omnitrix is quite worrying."_ He paused for a brief moment before focusing back on the hero. _"Tell me, Ben, do you have any aliens that could possibly resist this life energy drain?"_

Feedback took a couple seconds to go over all of his transformations, the Omnitrix bearer thinking about all of the abilities that his transformations possessed. Finally, he came up with an answer. "Well, I'm not entirely sure I do. I mean, I'm sure the Omnitrix probably DOES have an alien that can counteract Salem, but if it does, I don't think I've—"

"Hold on a second, Ben." Gwen interrupted. "There may just be an alien that CAN resist Salem's abilities. And even better; you've already unlocked it."

Feedback blinked his single eye at her in confusion. "I… have?"

"Yeah, and it's been with you from the very beginning." Gwen pointed over to him. "You know, Ghostfreak?" However, at the very mention of that name, Feedback froze, his face morphing into one of fear and dread. Gwen's eyes widened at the realization of what she had done. "Oh god. Ben, I-I'm sorry. I didn't know you were still—"

At her words, Feedback snapped out of his stupor, only for his demeanor to do a complete one-eighty. His teeth grit together and his eye ridge furrowed in frustration before suddenly lashing out; "IT'S FINE!" After the Conductoid's snap, everyone's eyes were now directly focused onto him, surprised by just how angry he appeared to be. But just as quickly, Feedback seemed to realize what he had just done, lowering his head in shame. "I… I'm sorry, Gwen." He unplugged himself from the inter-dimensional communicator, allowing the battery to take over before transforming back into his human form. Ben craned his head back up to her before making a surprising request to his cousin. "But please… let me find another way. I don't want to even _think_ about transforming into Ghostfreak anymore."

Yang, who was still flabbergasted at the whole thing, felt the need to ask the question that nearly everyone in the room had on their minds. "Ben… what's going on? What's wrong with this "Ghostfreak" alien?"

"I think I remember you guys said Viktor used to work for him." Blake recalled. "But… if that's true, then how is he an alien in your Omnitrix?"

Ben winced a little bit at the question. "It's… complicated."

"Is transforming into him a big deal?" Weiss asked further. "Like Alien X?"

Ben didn't respond for a few seconds. When he finally found the courage to do so, he took in a deep breath, steadying himself. "No, not THAT kind of a big deal. But he _is_ a big deal nonetheless. Ghostfreak… was an alien who I had access to since I started wearing the watch. But the more I transformed into him, the stranger I began to feel." His expression seemed to become more and more sullen as he recounted to the group about Ghostfreak, with the team themselves growing ever more interested. "As it turned out, Ghostfreak was actually an alien named Zs'Skayr, and he had snuck his DNA into the Omnitrix while Azmuth was collecting samples to put into it."

Ruby's head recoiled back slightly in shock. "Well why the heck would he do that?"

Gwen took over for her cousin. "Well Ruby, Zs'Skayr was an Ectonurite, a ghost-like alien whose consciousness can live on in a single strand of their DNA. This effectively allowed him to make a copy of himself to put into the Omnitrix." She shifted her eyes over to Ben with a sympathetic face. "And once he was able to force himself out, it left a permanent scar that Ben hasn't recovered from since."

Nora's eye widened to the size of saucers. "You mean that this "Scare" guy ripped himself and Ben apart so that he could get out?!"

There was an uncomfortable silence at Nora's statement, which Ren was all too quick to point out. "Nora… she means a psychological scar. Ben's experience was so traumatic that he's been scared of Zs'Skayr ever since." Ren pursed his lips slightly at his words. _'Lord knows I can relate.'_

The Pink Dynamo quickly grasped the severity of her error. "Oh… god. That makes a lot more sense." She bowed to Ben in apology. "I'm so sorry about that, Ben."

Despite himself, Ben couldn't help but chuckle a little bit. "Heh, it's okay, Nora. If anything, I'm just happy to find SOME amusement out of all this." The hero's eyes cast downward again and he sighed. "But yeah, no more Ghostfreak, _ever_. I don't even want to _try_ and transform into him anymore."

Yang put an arm around her boyfriend and pulled him toward her, settling herself against his chest. "It's okay, Green Boy. You don't have to transform into him if you don't wanna. We WILL find another way, promise."

" _This is all well and good."_ Six spoke back up again, bringing the team's focus back to him. _"But there's still the matter of Humungousaur's DNA being damaged."_

"Oh yeah, right." Ben agreed. "Do you guys think you can bring Azmuth with you when you come over tomorrow?"

Caesar shook his head regretfully. _"Lo siento, Ben. But Azmuth's been caught up in some sort of secret project he's been working on. We can pass the word to him, but I doubt he's just gonna drop everything to come over and help. You know how he is, right?"_

"Ugh, don't I know it?" Ben groaned "But thanks for passing it on anyway, Caesar. I know he'll probably be annoyed by all of this, but at least he'll know."

Six gave him a nod. _"Right. Once we get you back here, then you may be able to see him. But for now, I think we should leave things here."_

As he said that, Winter raised a hand up to him. "Wait, one last thing." She sent him a questioning gaze. "What about the "Collective"? We still don't know who or where they are. And they aren't just going to stop recruiting people until we get there."

" _I know that."_ Six stated. _"That's why I've already sent Manny, Helen and Alan out to search for them. If they find anything strange, they're to report it back to headquarters at once."_

"That's good." Holiday agreed. "If they find anything while we're still here, we'll have that information when we get back. Still, Six is right, this call has gone on for long enough already." She smiled to her fiancé and blew him a kiss. "But I look forward to seeing you again soon, my dear."

A small smile crept onto Six's face. _"As do I."_ Just as quickly though, his smile disappeared as he addressed the team one final time. _"And as for you kids, be ready for the next couple of days. Remember, we won't be ready to leave the moment we get there. You'll have to wait it out for another day or so after that while we attach the new Dimensional Doorway to Tetrax's ship."_

"We get ya." Yang understood. "We've waited this long, we can wait a couple more days if we need to."

" _Hm, good."_ Six acknowledged. _"Well then, goodbye everyone."_

Next to him, Caesar gave the group a wave. _"Adios, guys!"_

"Later Six." Rex saluted to the two. "You too, bro!"

And with that, Holiday shut down the communicator, leaving the team to themselves once again. "Well that news was… intense." Ruby commented.

"I know, right?" Weiss concurred. "I mean, kidnappings, cults, and Charmcaster's STILL searching for runestones? This is a lot to take in, that's for sure."

Ben stood up and let out a breath, still trying to relax from his episode from earlier. "It is, but all the same, we'll be ready for when we have to deal with it." He gave his team a smile and a thumbs up. "Right guys?" He got a united; "YEAH!" from the room, reassuring his confidence. "Hah, alright then!" But right at that moment, his stomach began to growl quite loudly, catching everyone off-guard. Ben put a hand over his abdomen and let out an embarrassed laugh. "Hehe, for now though, I think I need something to eat. Who's up for lunch?" The whole team gave out a collective laugh before they all moved out of the living room and into the kitchen, hoping to find something to fill their empty guts.

* * *

About an hour or so after the call, everyone had gone off to do their own thing. Blake, Sun, Jaune and Pyrrha were out in the backyard with Athena, the four teens working hard on training Rema and Romulus in the ways of hunting Grimm. The little wolf pups were somewhat distracted as always, but they were getting better by the day. Meanwhile, most of the others had stayed inside to try and settle themselves after the hectic morning they had, though that wasn't the case with Weiss and Winter. In the front yard, the two sisters had gone back to their training from before, though this time they were accompanied by Ruby and Ilia as well. The Hooded Huntress and chameleon girl were serving as test combatants against the sisters' Summons, which they were all too eager to oblige to. "Give us everything you got, ladies!" Ruby hollered.

"We're not afraid to hold back!" Ilia added as she pointed her Lightning Lash at them.

Weiss simply smirked as she and Winter summoned their most powerful Grimm; the Arma Gigas and the Manticore, both ready for battle. "If you insist!"

On the front porch not too far away, The Alien Trio, Rex and Penny were watching in anticipation, though the sight of the large lion-like beast made Ben's jaw drop. "Holy crap! What the heck is that thing?!"

"I… I think it's a manticore!" Gwen exclaimed, just as stunned as her cousin was. "Dear god, how is it that there are so many Grimm that resemble mythical creatures from our world?"

Penny gave her a shrug. "I'm not sure. Perhaps it's all a big coincidence?"

"If it is, that's one hell of a coincidence." Kevin said.

"Ah, why question it, guys?" Rex asked before pointing back to the practice fight between the Schnee sisters, Ruby, and Ilia. "Let's just sit back and enjoy the fireworks!"

At that moment, the front door opened up and Yang stepped out onto the porch, her attention immediately garnered by the brawl in her front yard. "Haha, oh boy, what's goin' on now?"

Ben grinned over to his girlfriend and replied. "Training, what's it look like?"

Yang went over and nudged her boyfriend with her elbow before putting an arm around him. "I got THAT part, genius." She kissed him on the cheek before putting her eyes back on the battle. "So, how 'bout that call, huh? Can't wait to get back home, Ben?"

"Heh, you know it." Ben confirmed before pursing his lips in thought. "Still, I can't help but feel guilty about leaving all those guys alone to deal with all this random stuff popping up."

"Ah, don't beat yourself up, dude." Rex insisted. "If anything, I'm feeling a bit down too. This whole "Collective" business started after _I_ left, remember?"

Ben rubbed the back of his head. "I know, I know. It's just… I'm Earth's protector, and that means it's my responsibility to handle any kind of trouble that happens there." He set his hand on the railing, clenching it hard. "I guess I'm just frustrated that I can't do anything about it right now."

"But you WILL." Yang assured. "We ALL will. You just gotta hold out a little longer, Green Boy." She hooked her arms around his and gave him a warm smile. "Everything'll be fine, I promise."

Ben chuckled and pulled her in for a kiss on the lips, the couple smiling into it all the while. Once they separated, Ben let out a small chuckle. "Heh, alright, you've got me. I'll try to relax about the whole thing." He let out a sigh and shifted his eyes up to the sky. "When this is all said and done, I've gotta thank Manny, Helen and Alan somehow for taking my place for these past few weeks."

"Yeah, those guys must've been workin' overtime." Kevin agreed.

Penny let out a laugh of her own, remembering Manny and Helen's bickering from the former's bodycam footage. "Haha, they certainly sound like a fun group."

"Oh, you don't know the _half_ of it." Rex smirked. "I worked with them for about a week and a half, and let me tell ya; they're a riot. Well… at least Manny and Alan are. Helen can be a bit of a stick in the mud, but she's cool too."

Gwen rolled her eyes at that. "Oh, come on, Rex. Helen's just trying to do her job. If anything, she's the most responsible one there."

Rex raised his hands defensively. "Hey, I didn't say she wasn't a nice person or anything. I just think her responsibility gets the better of her most of the time."

"Can't necessarily blame her for that though." Ben shrugged. "After all the things she went through with her brother… she had to grow up fast. A lot faster than _I_ had too after I thought I lost Grandpa Max."

Yang's face fell at that. "Yeah, that feeling sucks. I know from experience after my step-mom died."

"I'm sure." Gwen nodded before raising a brow to Yang. "Speaking of… are you feeling better after last night's… spat?"

Yang winced a little, shrinking back a bit into Ben's embrace. "Well, yeah. I'd say I'm doing better overall." The Blonde Brawler sighed and she gazed off into the woods. "But… after what Ruby told me this morning, I'm a bit nervous about what to do next."

"What do you mean by that, Yang?" Rex asked. "Somethin' wrong?"

"Eh… about half and half." Yang shrugged. "See, Ruby went off to visit Summer's grave this morning, and when she got there, she saw that my mom was there too." She pulled her arms together, hugging them around her as she went on. "Ruby talked to her for a while and told me that she wants to make up for what she did, but…"

"You're reluctant to let her back in." Gwen guessed.

"…Yeah."

Gwen shot her a sympathetic face and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yang, I know what it's like to get into arguments with family members. And no, not just Ben… even IF he is a major doofus."

"Gee, love you too, dweeb." Ben replied sarcastically.

The Anodite smiled and gave another eye roll before going on. "I've had plenty of shouting matches with my mom, my dad, heck, even my brother. But you know what? We've always found a way to work things out in the end."

Yang's shoulders sagged a bit before shaking her head. "Gwen, I don't know if you've noticed, but this isn't just a simple family disagreement we're talking about."

"I know that." Gwen confirmed. "And honestly, I don't condone Raven's actions. But with everything that's going on, having people to trust in is probably the most important thing to have right about now." The redhead tilted her head slightly. "If what Ruby said is true, and Raven DOES want to earn back your trust, you should take the opportunity. Otherwise… it may not come up again."

For a few moments, Yang remained silent, allowing Gwen's words to sink into her mind. Finally though, she breathed out and gave her friend a nod. "Yeah, you've got a point." She bumped her fist against Gwen's shoulder with a grateful smile. "Thanks for the words of wisdom, Red."

"No problem. Now why don't we—huh?" Just then, the Anodite whipped her head up to the forest path that lead to the driveway, sensing an approaching energy. "Someone's coming." She moved off the porch and waved her hands to Ruby, Ilia and the Schnees, getting them to stop their spar. "Guys! Stop the match! We've got company!"

"Huh?!" Ruby exclaimed as Weiss and Winter dismissed their summons. "Who is it?"

"I'm not sure. Their aura isn't familiar to me."

Ben's eyebrows rose up, the hero having recalled a certain memory from earlier. He sent a knowing grin down to Yang, the blonde moving her head up to him. "You don't think it could be…"

However, a mere second later, the hero had his answer. _"NEEIEIEIGGH!"_ A rather familiar silhouette appeared down the gravel road, accompanied by the sound of fast-approaching hooves and a whinny loud enough to be hear from several feet away. Finally, everyone could see just who was coming toward them, and Weiss let out an astonished cry.

"AAAAH! No way!" The heiress was beaming in absolute delight at the approaching figure.

"Well, I'll be." Winter said as she holstered her blades.

Yang smiled from ear to ear before breaking away from her boyfriend for just a moment. She ran to the door, opened it, and hollered inside; "Nora! Tell Athena and the others to come inside, stat! We've got company!" The blonde then sprinted away from the door to join her companions just as Jessie Jameson came to a halt, her horse nickering as it stood in place. "Jessie, hi!"

The Vacuoan huntress smiled back at her and dismounted her horse, her eyes trained on the group the whole time. "Well, howdy there, ya'll! How're ya doin' after this mornin's little throwdown?"

"We're doing good, at least compared to what happened earlier" Ilia shrugged.

"I have to admit," Ruby jumped in, "I didn't think you'd show up this soon, Jessie."

Jessie gave a chuckle and tipped her Stetson to Ruby. "Well, my hubby's takin' care o' some things at the rental house we're livin' in for the next set o' months, so I told him I'd be out for a spell." She led her horse over to the group, with many of the teens still gaping in awe at her. "Thankfully, he's a workaholic, so he don't mind none. Give's him somethin' to do while he's offa his job, ya know."

Weiss was feeling her anxiousness growing with every step Jessie took, to the point where she was considering hiding behind her sister. So she decided to whisper to her sister instead. "Oh, oh god. I don't know what to say to her!" Weiss' eyes darted to Winter in desperation. "What do I do?!"

But Winter merely raised her hand. "Relax, I've got this." The elder Schnee approached the cowgirl and offered a greeting hand. "Miss Jameson, it's good to see you again."

Weiss' jaw dropped when Jessie responded in kind. "Well, slap my head an' call me silly! If it ain't Winter Schnee!" She instantly took the military specialist's hand and shook it. "How're ya doin' darlin'? Still holdin' up with ol' Ironwood?"

"Actually, not so much recently." Winter gestured to the team, in particular, her sister. "I've been… socializing a lot more these days with my sister and her team."

Jessie seemed to brighten up when she caught sight of Weiss. "Oh, THIS is your baby sister! I shoulda guessed from the start." She stepped forward and offered her hand to the heiress. "Pleased to meet ya, Weiss. Name's Jessie Jameson."

"Oh, ma'am, I KNOW who you are!" Weiss pulled up a trembling hand to shake Jessie's, which she was able to pull off with relative success. "I'm just… SO blown away right now. I'm sure you get this a lot, but you have a lot of fans here."

The Huntress simply shrugged her shoulders. "Well, yeah, with a rep like mine, I've come to expect that. But I don't let it get in the way." Jessie gave Weiss a thumbs up. "After all, I'm still a person just like all y'all."

"Right, of course." Weiss nodded in agreement. "Still, it's very nice to meet you."

"Same here, Weiss, same here." Jessie placed her hands on her hips before moving her gaze over to Gwen, Kevin, Rex and Penny, the four still surprised by how the woman just came in out of nowhere. "Well now, what're your names, kids?"

Penny saw her opportunity and gave the woman a salute. "Salutations, Miss Jessie Jameson! My name's Penny. It's an absolute pleasure to meet you!"

Jessie beamed at the exuberance the young redhead was giving off. "Well, aren't you just as sweet as a little peach!" She moved forward and shook the girl's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Penny. So, you from 'round these parts or from a different kingdom?"

"I'm from Atlas, actually." Penny leaned in Ruby's direction. "But I made friends with Ruby while at Beacon for the Vytal Festival."

Ruby reached over and pulled her friend in for a side-hug. "Yep! Things have been pretty… hectic since we met, but we're still best friends!"

"Well, I'm glad to hear that!" Jessie commended before directing her attention to Gwen. "What about you, sugar? You got a name? Well, I 'spose ya do since everybody's got one."

Shaken out of her stupor by the woman's snarky remark, Gwen cleared her throat and answered. "O-Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Gwen, Ben's cousin." She walked forward to get a closer look at the mare that Jessie had rode in on. "And ma'am, can I just say that your horse is beautiful? I've loved horses since I was a little girl, and yours is just so pretty!"

"Why thank you, Gwen!" Jessie graciously bowed her head toward the Anodite. "I'm really glad you think so." She pat her steed's neck gently. "This ol' girl's been with me on a lot o' missions in the past. We're quite the team, Cassidy an' I."

"Cassidy? That's a really nice name!" Gwen mimicked Jessie's petting and Cassidy responded in kind, moving her head closer to Gwen's touch. "Hi there, girl. Oh, aren't you just so pretty!"

"Haha! Aw, you're a peach, sugar." Jessie complimented before reaching into one of her saddle bags and pulling out a bag full of baby carrots. Cassidy was quick to take notice and she let out a little nicker. "Ah-ah, ya'll be patient now, Cass. You'll get 'em." She put a couple baby carrots into Gwen's hand, giving her a wink. "Here, she loves these."

"Oh, I bet she does." Gwen held her hand up to Cassidy's mouth, the mare gently eating out of her hand. "Oh, such a good girl."

Kevin came up and let out an amused chuckle. "Heh, I gotta admit, it's not every day ya get to see someone come riding in on a horse." He raised an intrigued brow over to Jessie. "And here I thought Hunters liked be a bit more modern with their equipment."

Rex walked over as well, giving the mare a pet on the neck. "Yeah. I mean, no offense, but aren't horses kinda low-tech compared to everything else?"

"That maybe so, sugar." Jessie reached over and scratched Cassidy's mane. "But sometimes, ya just can't beat a livin' breathin' animal helpin' you out." She placed a hand on her hip and tilted her head to the side. "So what're your names, boys?"

"Kevin." the Osmosian replied. "Kevin Levin."

Rex jabbed a thumb to his chest. "And I'm Rex."

"I see." Jessie pointed between the two boys and Gwen. "An' I heard from Ben over there that ya'll are from some far-off world. Have I got that right?"

Gwen bit her lip slightly, but one grin from Ben was all she needed to be reassured. "Yes. Yes we are." The redhead demonstrated her mana powers, creating energy disks that flew through the air at blinding speeds. "I know this must be a lot to take in, but—"

"Land sakes, that's amazin'!" Jessie hollered, her eyes focused on the mana disks before they dissipated. "I ain't never seen anything like that!"

Rex smirked, seeing an opportunity. "Ya think that's cool? Check this!" In a flash, he activated his Smack Hands, the metal appendages bursting out of his arms. "Well? Whaddya think? Pretty sweet, huh?"

At this point, Jessie was guffawing like a madwoman, her hand going to her head as she was processing all of this in her head. "Haha! Dear god! Wh-What in the hell're those things?!"

"These are nanite-powered superweapons that I can build out of my body." Rex explained before activating his Punk Busters as well. "As you can see, I'm incredibly talented."

Weiss smirked and rolled her eyes at Rex's showboating. "More like incredibly full of it."

As Rex deactivated both of his builds, Jessie's excited laughter finally calmed down. "Hah, well I gotta say, when Ben told me about ya'll, I cert'nly didn't expect all o' THIS." She tipped her hat toward Gwen. "I'd love to hear more 'bout the place ya come from, sweetie."

"It'd be our pleasure." Gwen agreed. "But I've got a feeling that everyone's going to want to hear some of _your_ adventures as well." She gestured toward the front door with a wave of her arm. "Why don't we take this inside, huh?"

"Sure thing!" Jessie accepted. "Better to sit down an' tell a story than stand, after all." With that, the group went into the house, the teens making a beeline for the living room the moment they entered. Once Jessie followed them in, she saw Team JNPR, Blake, Sun and Neptune all sitting in the living room, and their attention went right to her the moment she walked in. "Well howdy there, everybody!"

"Hey, Jessie!" Sun waved. "What's goin' on?"

"Nothin' much." Jessie came in an took a seat in one of the chairs. "Just thought I'd swing by an' see you kids." As the rest of the team also sat down, Jessie couldn't help but chuckle a little at all of the young people in the room. "Hehe, I gotta say, ya'll have formed one big motley crew here, huh?"

"Oh, we sure have." Blake affirmed. "It can get a bit crazy, but we work well together."

Jessie gave her a nod. "Oh, I believe it. So, what've you kids been up to—"

" _BARK_!" " _BARK BARK_!" The Vacuoan Huntress was suddenly cut off by the sound of two tiny barks coming from the ground, which she was quick to draw her attention to. There, sitting at the base of her feet were two small pups, their eyes focusing onto her with intense curiosity and their tails wagging rapidly.

The cowgirl let out a gasp and immediately fell out of her chair, lowering herself to the ground. "AH! Oh my stars! Wolf pups?!" She put her hands down to the small puppies and they began licking her hands, making her give out a small giggle. "Haha! Oh gosh, they're so stinkin' CUTE!" She moved her eyes up to the team. "Are they yours?"

Jaune blinked in surprise before responding. "Uh… yeah, actually, they are."

"Well then, what're these two sweeties' names?"

Blake pointed down to her pup. "Well, this is Rema. She's my little one." The cat girl then gestured over to the other pup. "And that's Romulus. He belongs to Jaune and Pyrrha."

"Romulus and Rema, huh?" Jessie said as she started giving the pups belly rubs. "Well ain't those just the neatest little names?"

"Yes, we thought so too." Pyrrha supported. "Though I'm surprised that you were able to tell that they were wolves right off the bat. People usually see them as dogs first."

"Yeah." Nora said with a head tilt. "How'd ya know they were wolves?"

"Oh, sugar, I've been dealin' with wild animals all my life." Jessie answered as she picked up Romulus. "Trust me, I know a wolf when I see one." She began rubbing her nose against the little pup's, all while making little cutesy noises. "Yes I do! Oh, yes I do!" Once she was done, she glanced back over to Jaune and Pyrrha. "So, how'd ya'll come to own these lil' bundles o' joy?"

"We found them in the woods next to the local blacksmith's house." Jaune folded his hands together and a somewhat pained expression took over his face. "And… their parents had been killed nearby. We think it might've been a Grimm's doing."

"Oh, heavens!" Jessie put a hand to her chest. "That's awful! Well, I'm glad you kids came along when you did. These little ones probably wouldn't have survived all by themselves."

Pyrrha and Blake came over and knelt next to Jessie on the ground, picking up their respective pups. "Yes, and we're very thankful to have them in our lives." Blake said as she cuddled with Rema, rubbing her cheek against her fur. "And when they grow up, I'm sure they'll be great Grimm hunting companions."

"I'm sure they will, hon." Jessie stood up with the two younger girls, crossing her arms with a confident gaze. "Ya'll've got the gumption for it, that's for sure. But a good teacher always helps too."

"Oh, believe me, they have one." The Vacuoan Huntress did a double take at the new yet familiar voice that had entered the room, whirling around to its source. There, plain as day, Jessie saw a familiar face standing in the entryway, giving her a kind smile. "Hello, Jessie." Athena greeted. "It's certainly been a while, hasn't it?"

Jessie let out a chortle before making her way over, giving the Nikos matriarch a firm handshake. "Why, Athena Nikos! As I live an' breath! I knew your daughter was here, but I didn't think YOU'D be here too!" She nudged the Mistralian Huntress with her elbow. "So, did the big city life up in Argus finally get to ya?"

"Hah, no, no, of course it didn't." Athena denied before giving her daughter a knowing look. "I just came here after my daughter was injured in the Battle for Beacon. And ever since then, I've become this group's new personal trainer now that school is out for the rest of the semester."

The cowgirl wiggled her finger in her friend's direction. "Ah, I get ya. But still, gettin' away from the big city's gotta be nice, right?"

"Well, I suppose." Athena admitted. "But considering all of the things this group has been up to, I can't exactly say it's _entirely_ a break."

As the two spoke, however, Pyrrha's eyes darted in between the two older redheads, surprised by how casually they were conversing with each other. "Mother… you know Jessie personally?"

The two women turned to the young warrior, her mother gesturing toward Jessie. "Of course. We've met up on plenty of jobs in the past." Athena nudged her thumb in Jessie's direction. "In fact, you could say that she was a bit of a mentor to me in some ways."

"Aw, shucks, Athena." Jessie waved off. "Ya flatter me. But to be honest, considering that you're trainin' all these kids at once, it's pretty impressive."

"Well, I _do_ have some help in that regard." Athena glanced toward Winter with a thankful nod. "I probably wouldn't be able to handle all of these kids myself. I'm far from an academy teacher, remember."

"Hm, I s'pose so." Jessie clapped her hands together before going back to her seat. "So, kids! What've ya'll been up too since the attack? I mean, it can't be ALL trainin' can it?"

Ben shook his head. "No, trust me, it isn't." The hero then began recounting how his own rogue's gallery of villains had managed to get caught up in the incident that sent them to Remnant, meaning that they were on the loose. "Over these past few weeks, we've been working to gather up as many as we can before our allies back in my world come to rescue us."

"We've managed to capture some…" Yang said before her face soured. "But just as many have been able to slip through our fingers, maybe even more so."

Jessie tipped her hat up, leaning her head back as she took the information in. "Hm, well that's a darned shame. I'm sorry things haven't been totally workin' out for ya'll."

"That's quite alright, Jessie." Ren assured. "We actually just got off a major victory last night in Menagerie, so that's a good thing."

The cowgirl's expression became that of surprise as Neptune picked it up from there. "Yep! Turns out the White Fang had been taken over by some big elephant-alien dude named Trumbipulor. He even managed to capture Sienna Khan!"

"But things turned out alright in the end." Ilia continued. "Menagerie's been freed and the White Fang is going to be seeing some restructuring soon." She placed a hand over her heart. "I even ended up joining this team after all of that, so things are going pretty good right now."

"Yep, we kicked butt as per usual." Sun declared as he reclined his seat, putting his hands behind his head. "Sienna even let us go without any… _major_ conflict." He quirked a brow toward Ben. "Though Ben over there had to fight her to do it."

That simply made Jessie's eyes widen even more, whipping her head around to Ben for confirmation. Sure enough, Ben lifted his shirt up to reveal that he still had a whole bunch of bandages wrapped around his abdomen. "It's true." he confirmed. "I got my ass handed to me in a fight with no weapons. Couldn't use the Omnitrix, _nothing_." Ben put his shirt back down and shrugged. "But hey, what can ya do?"

After a few second's pause, Jessie let out another round of laughter, this one much more bombastic that the last. "Ahahaha! Oh god, you kids are _wild_! I don't think I've seen this much enthusiasm in young Hunters since your parents graduated!" She let out a sigh as a wistful smile took over her features. "In fact, this brings me back to when me an' MY team went to Beacon, too. Shucks, those were the days, I'll tell ya what."

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Jaune spoke up. "You DID mention leading your own team back in your Beacon days, didn't you?"

"Indeed, I did." Jessie smirked proudly. "An' I can say for certain that we were one of the best outta that place."

Ruby wore an amused smile. "Hah, what a coincidence. Because my Uncle Qrow says that Team STRQ was the best team to ever graduate Beacon."

The Vacuoan Huntress closed her eyes and chuckled a little. "Hehe, sure, maybe in the Ozpin era. But back in the days before Oz took over, may god rest his soul, MY team was what ya'll might call "the hot shit"."

Ben slightly grimaced at the lingo, though not because an older person was using it. "Remind me why THAT set of three words is an expression again?"

The whole team kept their eyes onto Jessie as she got up again and pulled out her wallet. She then took something out of the small leather case; an old piece of paper that had been folded up to fit inside. "What's that, Jessie?" Weiss asked. "A photo?"

"Sure is, sugar!" With an excited grin, Jessie unfolded the paper, allowing everyone to see the photograph. "Feast yer eyes, kids!"

The photo was rather old the colors having slightly faded. The picture itself was that of a younger Jessie standing beside four other individuals; two young men and a young woman, whom Jessie was right beside. The other woman's eyes were bright green and mischievous, her hair black and messy and her skin appeared to be a tanned shade of olive. Her choice of clothing was also… interesting to say the least. She was in what seemed to be pirate garb, complete with a black medieval pirate jacket that was trimmed with red and gold fabric, complete with gold buttons. She even had a pirate captain's hat with a big red feather to match on top of her head. She had a cutlass in one hand and a flintlock pistol holstered at her hip, completing her overall image.

The two young men were in less complex outfits than the two girls, but there was one big thing that took the team by surprise; and that was how TALL the boys were. The shorter of the duo was a man with dark skin, appearing to be African-American to the Alien Trio and Rex. He was at least seven feet tall, so around Yatuhashi's height. But he was also a LOT buffer than Yatsu, making him appear a bit taller. His dark hair was in a buzzcut hairstyle and his smile was bright and full, his brown eyes directed right into the camera. His clothing was simple; a solid grey short-sleeved polo with a pair of blue jeans and black shoes. Slung over his shoulder was a big, rocket-powered hammer, which he lifted with ease.

Standing next to him though was probably the TALLEST man that any of the teens had ever seen. He was just as buff as the shorter guy, but he easily had a two-foot advantage over him, making him at least nine feet tall. His skin was light, but had a bit of a worker's tan to it. He also had a head full of scruffy brown hair, his face showing signs of a matching beard beginning to grow. The young man was donned in a red and black flannel shirt and a pair of brown khakis with some hog-nailed boots on his feet, which spoke only one word to the team as they gazed at the photo; lumberjack. Fueling this idea further was the man's weapon; a large rocket-powered axe in his big, meaty hand, similar to the weapon the shorter guy was holding.

"Everyone, this was my team back in the day." Jessie proclaimed as she pointed across to each of her teammates. "That's Amaya Edwards next to me, an' behind us are the step-brothers; Henry Ironside an' big ol' Paul Bruno." She placed a hand on her hip proudly. "Together, we were one of the best teams to ever graduate Beacon Academy."

Everyone was stunned into silence, though Ben was finally able to find at least a few words to say. "Holy crap… those dudes are MASSIVE."

"They must eat TONS of vitamins." Kevin commented.

Gwen pointed to Amaya on the picture. "And lemme guess; she was the trouble maker of the bunch, wasn't she?"

"Oh, she sure was, sugar." Jessie confirmed. "I tell ya, it was hard keepin' her on track, but damn it, I managed to pull it off!"

Yang stared at the picture in amazement before whipping her head up to the Huntress. "Jessie, I beg you, please tell us what it was like!" The Blonde Brawler stood to her full height and lowered her head. "We'd be honored if you would."

Ruby got up and mimicked her sister. "Yes, please tell us!"

"Haha! Now, now, gals, no need to go around beggin'." Jessie reassured. "I'd be more than happy to tell ya a few stories." The Vacuoan Huntress sat herself back down, leaning forward in her seat as the teens did the same. "Alright, gather 'round, ya'll. An' be prepared, because I can promise one thing; the stories I'm about to tell ya are gonna knock yer socks off." She gazed down to the picture in her hand as a wave of nostalgia began to rush over her, getting her into the story-telling mood. "Now, let me tell ya about the crazy group that was… Team JAHB."

* * *

**A/N: Ah, alright! Another chapter done! Again, bit more of a lull, but considering what I've got planed for the next couple of chapters, that's definitely not gonna last very long. But that's not to say we didn't get to see anything interesting here. We got Weiss training with the Arma Gigas (plus a bit more stuff building up between her and Rex), Kevin's getting better with his new Dust crystals, and Jessie's come around to regale the team about HER old team from her Beacon days. I'm thinking most of you guys can guess who I based them all on, especially if you're an Americana expert. Admittedly, this team probably isn't going to be appearing in full this Volume, but definitely in a future Volume of the series. By the way, that's Team JAHB (Jameson, Amaya, Henry, Bruno) as in "job", because the people these guys are based on were all really good at their craft (even if two of them were highly illegal).**

**But of course, there's the big thing; just because Ben's gone from his world doesn't mean that bad stuff automatically just stops. Six and the team back home have been dealing with some new people on the scene and people have apparently been joining this new movement at an alarming rate. But just who IS this "Collective"? What's their endgame with all of these people joining them? Well, we'll just have to wait to find that out, now won't we? Oh, and of course, Charmcaster's still sneaking around. That girl's got some weird fascination with rocks going on, hasn't she? Ah well, at least things are still on track with the Dimensional Doorway and Zombozo's been caught, so there's that.**

**But, in any case, NEXT TIME! While Jessie's telling her stories, she receives an important call that's highly disconcerting to her. Something's gone wrong on the continent of Anima, so much so that she's been specifically called in to try and take care of it. Of course, the team quickly offer to help out with whatever it is, but will they like what they find there? Or will this just end up with certain bad memories being resurfaced? Thanks for reading guys, and I hope to see you all in the next chapter! See ya later!**


	85. A Split-Up Situation

**A/N: Hey guys! New chapter time! And let me tell ya, this one has a few surprises in store for ya, so let's get to it! This is…**

**Chapter 85: A Split-Up Situation**

* * *

It had been about a half-hour since Jessie Jameson arrived at the Xiao Long home, and by then, things had gotten into full swing with her stories. She in the middle of recounting many of her adventures with her old team; Team JAHB, and the teens were absolutely enamored by what they were hearing. At the moment, Jessie was right in the middle of telling her third consecutive story, describing the feats of two step-brothers; Henry Ironside and Paul Bruno. "So there we were, surrounded by a ton 'o Creeps in the middle of the Anima wilderness without anyway to contact base camp." Jessie raised both of her hands up into the air. "Then, this HUGE Alpha Creep comes outta the woods, bigger than a dump truck an' probably twice as rank as one too."

The whole team got a good laugh out of that, though Ruby followed it up with a question; "So there REALLY weren't scrolls back then?"

"Nope, least not in wide use like today." Jessie shrugged. "Back then, they were just used by army officials an' the elites. That's usually how it goes with new tech, ya know."

Weiss gave a sheepish shrug. "Yeah, you pretty much hit the nail on the head." But then, the heiress' smile returned. "So, what happened next?"

"Yeah!" Yang exclaimed. "How'd you beat back all of those Creeps?"

Jessie gave a small chuckle and raised her hands, calming the girls down. "Haha, alright, simmer down there, gals. I'm gettin' to it." The cowgirl leaned back in her chair, continuing her story. "Well now, here's where it gets good; I knew there were only two people among us who could take on that Alpha Creep; Hank an' Paulie. Those two worked together so well that there was no doubt in my mind that they could stomp that thing into oblivion." She made a motion with her hand, pointing up above her head. "An' the moment Hank saw me lookin' up to him, he understood that. With one nod to each other, he an' Paulie both ran at the Alpha as fast as their legs could carry 'em!"

Everyone in the room leaned forward, heavily invested in the story. "Alright, so how'd they take it down?" Blake asked.

"Once they were runnin', they broke off to the Grimm's left an' right side, hopin' to confuse it." Jessie pulled her arms over her head, bringing them back down with a swing. "They jumped an' slammed their weapons down on the Alpha's head before it knew what the heck was goin' on! Paulie brought his axe down first, drivin' it into the Alpha's head with its rockets before Hank brought down his hammer on top of Paulie's axe, shovin' it down even more!" The Vacuoan Huntress spread her arms out wide. "The pressure was too much for it an' the Creep's head went BLAM!"

"Ooh, nasty." Ben cringed. "Bet THAT was fun getting all over you."

"Heh, Amaya was NOT a happy camper after that, I'll tell you what." Jessie chuckled. "She washed her hair at least ten times that day after all that."

Gwen tilted her head. "So what about the other Creeps? I'm guessing you were able to escape back to base camp, right?"

The cowgirl let out a mighty guffaw at the thought. "HA! "Escape"? Team JAHB didn't know the meanin' of the words "escape" or "run away"!" She jabbed a thumb to her chest. "If'n we had a job that needed to be done, we'd finish it, no matter what!" Jessie slammed her fist into her palm with an eager grin. "We took out the rest o' those creeps in no time flat! Kids, let me tell ya, ya'll would've had to be there to see just how much o' the land we tore up in that scrap!"

Kevin smirked at her enthusiasm. "Heh, and I believe it." The Osmosian crossed his arms over his chest. "Man, your team sounds like they were a pretty hard-working bunch."

"We sure were, sugar." Jessie affirmed before letting out a slightly saddened sigh. "But 'o course, nothin' lasts forever. After we graduated from Beacon, we all went on to live our lives." She began counting off on her fingers. "Amaya went off to hunt the Grimm that live in Remnant's oceans. She even became the captain of own ship an' found crew o' Hunters to come along with her."

"Whoa! That's awesome!" Jaune said in awe. "What's her ship called?"

"The King Thatch's Wrath." Jessie smirked. "Perhaps ya'll've heard of it?"

All of the young Hunters-in-training gawked at Jessie in complete disbelief, finally putting two and two together in their heads while the Alien Trio and Rex were lost on what she was talking about. Nora gasped in shock, putting her hand to her mouth. "Wait… Amaya Edwards… you're telling us that you were teammates with _Blackblade_ the PIRATE?!"

Over in his seat, Ben couldn't help but narrow his eyes in thought. _'Wait… King Thatch's Wrath… Amaya Edwards… and Blackblade the Pirate.'_ He put a hand to his forehead in intense thought. _'Why the heck does it feel like I'm missing something big?'_

Meanwhile, Jessie was laughing at Nora's sudden realization. "Yes ma'am. You've finally figured it out." Jessie pointed back to her picture. "That was the little nickname we gave her back in her Beacon days, considerin' she used a cutlass with a blade made o' Gravity dust."

Pyrrha glanced back to the picture, which was now on the armrest of Jessie's chair. She stared straight at Amaya and her eyes widened in shock. "By the gods, she's right!" Pyrrha took out her scroll and opened up its browser, searching for an image of the aforementioned Blackblade. It didn't take her long to find one, and indeed, the woman on her scroll was the exact same woman in Jessie's picture, right down to the mischievous grin. Despite being a few decades older in the other picture, the pirate woman was still strikingly beautiful, even with the addition of an eyepatch and a cybernetic hook in place of her left hand. Pyrrha pointed between the two images. "Just replace her eye with an eyepatch and her hand with a hook and… well, she's Blackblade!"

"Hold on a minute." Rex raised his hand. "She's a Huntress… but also a pirate. I get the feeling that those two things can't be mutually exclusive."

"She isn't a "pirate" in the traditional sense, Rex." Winter clarified. "She gave herself that title to strike fear into those who would dare cross her while on the sea."

Ruby jumped up and clawed her hands with a sinister grin. "Yeah, it's a _fear_ gimmick. After all, a lot of people are afraid of pirates, right?"

"Well, yeah, but pirates by their very nature are crooks." Ben pointed out. "So… what's the case here?"

Jessie smirked and rolled her eyes. "Okay, to be honest, Amaya just loved pirates as a kid and she always wanted to be one. How's that for an answer?"

"Eh, I guess that makes sense." Ben relented before tilting his head. "But how'd she lose her hand and eye?"

Jessie answered with a shrug. "Ah, ya know, the high seas can be rough. Ya never know what's gonna happen next, right?" The cow girl chuckled a little bit. "Still, I'm glad she does it. There are a lot of Grimm in the oceans of this world, an' she's probably one of the only people who take care of 'em for the rest of us."

"Exactly." Ren nodded. "But what about your other two teammates?"

"Well, Hank went off to Atlas, or rather _Mantle_ , I should say." Jessie laced her hands together and put them over her knee. "He got hitched, started a family an' works as a manufacturer down in the city itself."

Sun was taken aback by this. "Wait, I thought he trained as a Huntsman?"

"Yeah, what's this stuff about manufacturing?" Neptune added.

Jessie sighed and took off her hat. "Well, unfortunately boys, durin' one of our team's big reunion missions… things didn't go so well for him. A group of Geists we were fightin' off had managed to possess a huge batch o' boulders, nearly a whole _mountain's_ worth." She paused for a second, taking a deep breath before going on. "We managed to kill 'em all… but Henry took on most of 'em by himself, probably at least twenty. He overexerted himself, his aura was drained… and he had a massive heart attack."

A collective gasp went throughout the entire room at this news. "Oh my gosh, that's awful!" Penny exclaimed.

"It was, sugar." Jessie agreed. "I was so scared that one of my best friends was gonna die right there in my arms… but by god, he held on." A smile slowly appeared on her face as she began to tear up a bit. "I don't know if it was his stubbornness or what, but to this day, he and the rest of us thank our lucky stars that Henry didn't die that day." She let out another sigh before putting her hat back on. "After that, he permanently retired from bein' a Huntsman. Now he owns a weapons manufacturing company down in Mantle; Steel-Drivin' Manufacturing's what he calls it."

Penny brightened up at that name. "Oh! I recognize that name! My father is good friends with the people who work there." She waved her hand as she explained further. "They're also the providers of the weapon parts he puts in some Hunter's prosthetics."

"Huh, well I'll be darned!" Jessie folded her arms. "Have you ever met Henry in person then, Penny?"

"Oh… no." Penny rubbed the back of her head. "I for the most part, I lived up in Atlas. My father goes back and forth between there and Mantle when he's needed."

Jessie gave her a nod. "Ah, I getcha." She leaned forward and tipped her hat to the android. "Well, if you see your pa anytime soon, tell him to tell Hank that I said hello."

Penny giggled a slight bit before nodding back. "Hehe, will do!" However, in the back of her mind, she added to herself; _'I really SHOULD call my father sometime soon.'_

From her seat, Ilia spoke up, raising her hand as she did. "Okay, now what about your last team member, Paul Bruno?"

"A.K.A. the man who's as tall as a tree." Kevin murmured to himself only to get nudged in the side by Gwen.

However, Jessie got a good laugh out of Kevin's comment. "Ahaha! Ah, Kevin, honey, I know that if Paulie were here, he'd laugh SO hard at that!" Her eyes then focused back onto Ilia. "But as for your question, sugar; Paulie's actually semi-retired too. After his step-brother's heart attack, he started takin' it easy. After all, he's got a family of his own to provide for." She leaned back in her chair once again, having finally settled from telling the story about Henry. "So, he started up his own lumberjack business down in Anima."

"Makes sense, I guess." Ilia figured as she pointed to Jessie's picture. "He certainly looks the part, at least."

"Well, his pa was a lumberjack by trade, so it was probably only natural that he'd follow in the family business." Jessie agreed. "But he also wanted to help clear the forests of Grimm too, 'cause that was a challenge that his pa faced constantly."

Yang raised an eyebrow to her idol. "So… if he's semi-retired, how often does he still go on missions?"

Jessie bobbed her head a little, thinking over the question. "Mmm, I'd say often enough. He hasn't lost the spark to go huntin', but—" _RING-RING-RING!_ The cowgirl was cut off by the sound of a scroll ringing out through the room, prompting everyone to check their individual devices. As it turned out though, it was Jessie's scroll that had gone off. "Whoop! That'd be me! Sorry kids." She opened up her scoll, expecting to see her husband's icon in the middle of the screen. However, to her surprise, it wasn't. Instead, the icon was that of a man in his early fifties with a head and beard full scruffy beard of dark brown hair, along with the occasional strands of grey. Jessie let out a yelp of surprise. "Oh! Oh my god! Kids, you won't believe it! It's Paulie!"

"No way!" Rex said as he and the others stood up in shock. "What the heck are those odds?!"

"I'm not sure, sugar. But I ain't lookin' a gift horse in the mouth!" Jessie answered the call and brought it up to her ear, greeting her friend instantly. "Paulie! I was just talkin' about—" But then, Jessie cut herself off again, this time after hearing someone she didn't expect on the other end of the line. "Whoa, whoa, Luce, settle down, I can barely make out what you're sayin'!"

The team was taken back by this. They weren't sure who this "Luce" person was, but from the tone in Jessie's voice, they could tell that she was probably panicked. Weiss stepped up, confused as to what was going on. "Jessie, what's wrong? Who is it?"

Jessie glanced over and quickly answered the heiress. "It's Paul's wife." She didn't waste any time before going back to the call. "Lucette, CALM DOWN." Jessie pressed firmly. After a few seconds more, she gave a nod and let out a breath. "Alright, now tell me what's wrong, sugar. What happened to Paul?" Over the course of the call, the team could only watch as Jessie took in the information being fed to her over the phone, giving only the occasional "Uh-huh" or "okay". Finally though, a pained expression overtook her and her hand went to her chest. "Oh god, is he…" she then let out a sigh, her stress leaving as soon as it came. "Good, good, I'm glad to hear that. Gimme just a sec, hon." She put her hand over the speaker and went back to the team. "Paulie got hurt on a solo-mission by some sorta powerful Grimm. He's alive, but he's unconscious an' in the hospital."

This caught Ben's attention immediately. "Did he say what it was?"

Jessie raised a single finger up to him before going back to her scroll. "Luce, what was it that hurt Paulie?" After hearing the other woman's answer, Jessie pursed her lips and nodded her head, almost as if she were slightly frustrated. "Okay, gotcha." She moved away from the scroll again and faced the group. "She don't know. Paul was the only one to see it."

"Any other details?" Ruby asked.

Once Jessie had asked Lucette that same question, she went back to the group with an answer. "Not much. All she knows is that it's been terrorizin' the countryside near the village of Shion for a while now." Jessie shifted her gaze around the room to all the teens. "It only comes 'round at night, and not a lot o' people're able to get a good peek at it. And those that have… are never seen again."

Jaune's eyes widened at the information. "Wait, Shion? My family and I've taken a ton of camping trips there!" The blonde knight turned to Ben with a worried face. "Ben, the people of that town don't have that many Hunters. It's more of a tourist destination than anything else. If this Grimm decides to go in for the kill…"

Ben's expression matched Jaune's in a split second. "Then the entire town could be wiped out within a day, maybe even less."

"We can't let that happen." Pyrrha said firmly. "We have to do something!"

As the teens conversed, Jessie stayed on the line with Lucette, taking in everything the distraught woman was telling her. "Uh-huh. Yes, I understand. I'm actually a bit closer than ya think, hon. I'm in Vale visitin' my family." After a few more seconds, Jessie lowered her head and sighed through her nostrils, closing her eyes before nodding a bit. "Yep, I getcha. I'll be there as soon as I can, promise. I just gotta tell my family. I'll talk to you soon sugar. Now go take care of Paulie, okay? Bye-bye."

Once Jessie hung up, the team's attention went straight back to her, with Blake speaking up first; "What did she say?"

"Well, apparently, the people of Shion want me to come in an' try to wrangle up this Grimm problem." Jessie answered, flicking the brim of her hat up. "Gotta say though, after an overnight flight to Vale, this is honestly the last thing I had in mind." The cowgirl gave a shrug. "Ah, well, s'pose a Huntress' work's never done." She clenched a fist and brought it up. "Besides… I've gotta get back at whatever did this to poor Paulie."

Ben stepped forward and gave her a two-fingered salute. "Jessie, on behalf of everyone here, I'd like to offer our services. Please, let us join you on this mission." Behind him, the whole team gave a resounding "YEAH!", showing their support.

Jessie couldn't help but smile at such young enthusiasm. "Aw, shucks, that's mighty kind o' ya'll, really it is. But I don't wanna inconvenience ya'll or nothin'." Jessie gestured to the window. "Besides, Shion ain't just a hop, skip, an' a jump away. It's at least an overnight flight by airship." She put a contemplative hand to her chin. "I mean, I _could_ rent a Bullhead an' cut the trip time in half, but even then, it's not as fast as I'd like."

Kevin wore a knowing smile. "Well then, you're in luck! A friend of ours has a ship that can get ya where you're going in no time flat."

"Hey, yeah!" Nora exclaimed. "He's an alien named Tetrax who got transported from Ben's world to ours, and he's got this super-fast space ship!"

"We could be there in at least three hours max." Gwen added. "Maybe even less."

The cowgirl's eyebrows snapped up, her lips turning up into a smile. "We can?! Well why didn't ya say so in the first place?! You know what? Ya'll can come along! The more the merrier!" The whole team gave out a cheer at their little victory as Jessie pulled her scroll back up. "Lemme just call up my family an' tell 'em what's goin' on. Then we can be outta here whenever ya'll are ready."

"Very good." Winter said as she stepped forward. However, she didn't seem all that excited about the prospect of going on the mission, which the team immediately took notice of. "Because we ALSO have a few things to plan out." Her eyes went directly to Ben, her icy blue orbs boring right into him. "Benjamin, I believe we need a… private team meeting."

* * *

As confused as Ben was to Winter's request, he wasn't about to argue with that glacial stare she had. He had learned not to question Winter's judgment in the time that he knew her, so he complied. The team all went down into the basement and gathered around, with Winter making sure the door was securely shut to make sure Jessie didn't hear any of their conversation. "Alright, Winter." Ben folded his arms expectantly, as the military specialist walked down the steps. "What's up?"

Winter folded her own arms across her chest as well, wearing a serious expression. "To put it simply, Benjamin, I don't think it would be wise for all of you to leave on this mission. To leave Vale defenseless would be reckless endangerment."

"WHAT?!" Sun shouted. "But… that's exactly what we did yesterday with the big Menagerie mission. And nothing bad happened here!"

"Maybe so." Winter raised a single finger. "But consider this; after Salem's unexpected arrival yesterday, she has essentially told us that she isn't playing games anymore." The elder Schnee began pacing around the room, her eyes focused directly on the teens. "If we were to leave Vale defenseless, she would surely take the opportunity to strike now more than ever. We have to be ready to defend Vale and Beacon so that Cinder doesn't find her way to Beacon's vault and open it."

Yang spread her arm out. "So what, you're asking us to NOT help Jessie out?" The Blonde Brawler waved her hands out toward the living room. "You heard her, this is a REALLY powerful Grimm we're talking about, one that was able to hurt a REALLY big guy."

Weiss piped up to further Yang's point. "Plus, where there's one really powerful Grimm, there's usually a lot of other, less powerful Grimm following it." The heiress put her hands on her hips and furrowed her brows at her sister. "You can't seriously be suggesting that we can't give her _any_ back-up, right?"

"Of course not." Winter denied. "What I _am_ suggesting is something else entirely; we split ourselves up. We will send one team with Jessica to assist her on this mission while the other remains here to defend Vale in case of an attack." She placed her hands on her hips. "I believe this to be the best course of action, any objections?" From one quick glance, she saw that The Alien Trio, Rex and Ilia didn't seem to have any problems… but the others all wore uncertain faces. Winter raised a single brow. "Really?"

"Well can ya blame us?!" Nora asked. "I mean, we're talking about going on a mission with THE Jessica Jameson! Who in their right MIND would pass that up?!"

Winter wore a deadpan expression. "Nora, she probably won't be going anywhere any time soon. I'm sure that there will be many more missions she'll be going on during her time here."

"We get that, Winter." Weiss assured. "But still… you've gotta admit, it's a pretty hard decision to make."

As the heiress pleaded her case, however, Ben was going over everything in his head, trying to figure out the best possible away team to put together. "Well… maybe so. But I know one thing's for certain." Ben jabbed a thumb to his chest. "This all depends on whether I stay or go. If I stay, then more of our heavy hitters will be going with Jessie to take on that powerful Grimm. But if I go, then the opposite's going to happen so that we have a good line of defense against Salem's forces."

"Exactly." Winter agreed. "But then we get to the real conundrum; who would that be?"

"Hold on a second…" Ben did a quick headcount of the entire room before coming to a conclusion. "Okay, so we've got around seventeen teammates here, plus, with Cooper and Team CVFY, that makes twenty-two in total. …You know, I just realized how BIG our team actually is."

Yang gave a small chuckle at that. "Heh, yeah, even if Coco and her crew are part-timers, we've got a lot of heavy hitters here."

Gwen stepped forward and raised her arms up, bringing everything to a halt. "Okay, so we should split up into two teams of eleven for now." The Anodite eyed her cousin with a serious face. "Ben, I think you should lead the team going with Jessie. You've got a lot on your mind with this whole "Collective" thing, so I think it'd be best to get away and clear it."

Ben's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? You're sure?"

"Positive." Gwen put one hand over her chest and another to Kevin's arm. "Kevin and I will stay here and take charge. You go and stop that Grimm from hurting or killing any more people."

Yang quickly went up and put a hand to Ben's shoulder. "Well, if Ben's going, then you KNOW I'm going too."

"That's fair, I guess." Weiss relented. "After all, you're easily the biggest fan of Jessie's here." She wore a nervous smile at the next part. "And honestly, I'm kinda scared to get in your way."

The Blonde Brawler gave her friend a wink. "Ah, I wouldn't hurt you, Weiss-Cream… maybe just a stern warning."

"Okay, so we know who's heading up each group." Blake nodded. "But then who's going to stay back here? I mean…" the cat girl raised her hand. "I wouldn't mind staying, really." She gave Gwen a soft smile. "After all, I wouldn't have trouble taking orders from you."

Gwen gave Blake a thankful smile. "Aw, thanks Blake. you don't have to do that."

"Hey, you've had my back for a while, Gwen." Blake countered. "It's time I return the favor." A slight blush came to her face. "…Plus, I've been wanting some more time with Rema with all of this stuff going on, so this is a good opportunity."

The room had a good chuckle at that before Sun walked up and put an arm around Blake, smiling down at her. "Hey, if you're stayin', then so will I." He offered her a wink. "After all, we make a pretty great team."

Neptune went over and nudged his best friend in the shoulder. "Hey dude, if you're staying put, then I guess I will too." The blue-haired boy put his hands behind his head. "Besides, after the mission last night and the chaos that happened this morning, I'm honestly pretty bushed."

Winter raised a skeptical eyebrow to him. "Don't think you won't just be lazing about while they're gone, Neptune." she berated. "This is serious business, so you should treat it as such."

"Hey, hey I get that!" Neptune raised his hands defensively. "I'm not about to slack off or anything, trust me."

"Hmm…" Winter took her eyes off of him and then went back to the crowd. "Well now, has anyone else made a decision?"

Ben raised his hand again. "Yes actually." The hero pointed over to the blonde knight next to him. "I think Jaune should come with my group."

Jaune gave Ben a surprised look. "W-Wait, me? Ben, you really want me on the away team?"

"Well, yeah." Ben shrugged. "After all, you DID say that you and your family have been to Shion before, right? You probably know where you're going, so that'd help us out a bunch."

"Hey yeah!" Nora jumped in and put her arm around Ren, pulling him forward. "Plus, Ren and I are FROM Anima, too! We've passed through Shion a couple times, right Renny?"

Ren was a bit reluctant to answer, but he did nonetheless. "Well, yes we have." The green ninja put a hand behind his head. "But I'm not exactly sure if we'd be of much help navigating the land."

But Ben pointed right to him. "Hey, any help is good help, so you guys are in. Meaning…" The hero smiled over to Pyrrha and gave her a nod. "I'm guessing that you'll want in too, right Pyrrha?"

"Of course." Pyrrha put an arm around her boyfriend. "After all, I made a solemn vow to Jaune's sisters. And I am not about to break it." The Invincible Girl gave a sly grin to Jaune, leaning into him a little bit. "Well, Jaune? What do you say?"

Jaune wore a sheepish grin and let out a laugh. "Hehe, alright, I'm starting to get the picture here." The blonde knight gave a resolute gaze back to Ben. "Okay, Ben, count us in!"

"Excellent!" Ben said with a thumbs up. "Glad to have you guys on board."

Winter gave an approving nod. "Very good. So Team JNPR's going as well. Now, why don't we focus back onto the home team?" The elder Schnee shifted her focus over to her sister, the heiress surprised by how quickly her sister turned to her. "Weiss, I feel it would be best if you and I stayed here."

Weiss blinked in astonishment. "W-What?! Why?"

"The simple answer is that you have been given an exceptional power boost now that you are able to summon the Arma Gigas." Winter explained. "If Salem were to strike this island while Benjamin is away, then I feel that you and I would be of great use with our more powerful Summons."

Gwen couldn't help but agree. "She's got a point, Weiss. We could really use you here."

A pained expression overtook Weiss' features and she hung her head slightly. "I… I understand." She folded her arms and sighed. "I guess I'm just bummed that I just met Jessie and now I'm being told that I can't go on a mission with her."

"Ah, it's okay, Weiss." Rex assured. "Like your sis said, there'll probably be some more missions if we're lucky." The EVO gave her a cheeky smile and jabbed a thumb to his chest. "And hey, I'll even stay here and keep you guy entertained! How's that sound?"

Weiss smirked back and rolled her eyes. "Sounds like a living nightmare, but at least I won't be bored, I suppose."

"See? What'd I tell ya?" Rex placed his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest proudly. "Home team for the win!"

The heiress facepalmed in exasperation. "I think I've said the phrase "What have I gotten myself into?" a lot more times than I really need with you around."

Another round of laughter rang through the room before Ben spoke up once more. "Alright, so if I've done my count right, that makes six for the away team and eight for the home team." He directed his eyes over to Ruby, Penny and Ilia, the three girls whispering amongst themselves. "Ladies?" Ben asked, catching their attention. "Whatcha talkin' 'bout?"

"Oh, well…" Ruby began. "We were just talking about what we wanna do." She put her hands behind her back, a wry smile having formed on her face. "And… after a quick little talk we've decided…" She thrust her hands out to Ben's group. "All three of us wanna go with you guys!"

Yang's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, ALL of you?" She moved her attention over to Ilia, who was standing behind Ruby and Penny somewhat nervously. "Even you, Ilia?" The chameleon girl was taken aback slightly, which Yang quickly took notice of. "Not that I'm against it, because I'm not! I'm just a bit shocked is all. I figured you'd wanna stay here with Blake and the others."

Ilia's spots turned slightly pink and she lowered her head a bit. "W-Well, I DID want to stay at first. But…" She glanced back up to Yang and Ben. "If I wanna be part of this team, I should probably start learning how to be a team player. And if I'm going to do that, I figured I should start working with those who I'm less familiar with, right?"

Everyone was surprised by Ilia's answer, but Blake could definitely see the logic in it. "Ilia, that's actually really well thought out." She came forward and put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "If that's how you feel, then you have my full support." Blake balled her hand into a fist and gave Ilia a determined grin. "Go for it."

Ilia felt her confidence to build back up again and she retuned Blake's gesture, bringing up her own fist. "I will! Thanks, Blake."

"Sensational!" Penny cheered as she lifted her arms up high. She then wrapped them around Ruby and Ilia, pulling them both in for a hug. "This will be a fantastic mission, I just know it!" However, it was then that she realized something and turned to Rex, giving him an apologetic expression. "Um… I don't suppose we could put our hacking training on hold?"

Rex gave her a reassuring wave. "Ah, go have fun. We'll pick it up again sometime soon, trust me."

"Hooray!" Penny exclaimed before going back to Ruby and raising her hand. "Are you ready for this, Ruby?"

Ruby gave her a joyous high five. "I sure am! Bring it on!"

Winter stepped forward, raising an eyebrow at the duo and Ilia. "Forgive me, but I believe we all agreed to an even split between teammates." She gestured over to her group. "And with you three going over to Ben's squad, that leaves us with one less person."

Before anyone could go on though, Yang raised a finger up to the military specialist. "Hold your horses, Wints. We're still short five people. Gimme a sec, will ya?" The Blonde Brawler took out her scroll, punched in Coco's number and brought it up to her ear. After a few rings, it picked up, with Coco's voice being just barely heard on the other end of the line. "Yo, Coco Puff! It's Yang. …Yeah, we're doin' good. Hey, Jessie swung by my house and she just got a call to go on a mission." Yang smirked when she added the next part; "But get this; Ben's volunteered us to tag along, and we need two more people to finish off our squad. So… you and Coop wanna come?"

As the words left her lips, a high-pitched scream suddenly came from the other end of the scroll, one that was so loud that EVERYBODY in the room could hear it. Yang pulled her head away from the phone, her smile only widening as she was deafened in her right ear. Once Coco stopped, Yang yelled back over to her scroll; "I'll take that as a yes!"

* * *

Once the meeting down in the basement had finished, Ben got into contact with Tetrax and told him about the whole situation. After making a few calculations, the Petrosapien had confirmed that he could get the group to Shion in a little less than two hours, which was even better than what they were hoping for. About half an hour later, the Resolute was making its way down onto the front lawn of the Xiao Long house yet again, ready to pick up its passengers. Everyone was already gathered outside, the two teams saying their goodbyes as the mighty ship lowered to the ground. "Jessie," Ben gestured to the ship as it landed, "I'm proud to present our ride for this afternoon; the Resolute."

Jessie was simply gawking at the ship as it landed, impressed by the spacecraft's design. It was big, but it wasn't bulky either, much more streamlined and sleek. So that meant that it probably went _fast_. "WOO-WEE! That sucker looks like it could peel the paint off a race car if it went by one!"

"Yep, she's pretty speedy." Ben affirmed as the spacecraft touched the ground and its ramp lowered, with most of the Away Team beginning to board it. "This ship got me halfway across my galaxy in a couple days when I was a kid."

"I'd believe it!" Jessie said before seeing something coming down the road. It was a roadster, painted in two shades of brown with gold metal parts on its grill, headlights and bumper to accentuate its paint job. It was evident that it was going really fast, the dust on the dirt road kicking up behind it. Jessie set her eyes onto the teens and jabbed her thumb to the car. "Is that Team CFVY I see comin'?"

Yang began waving at the car. "Yep, that's them!" The roadster made a sudden stop, practically screeching to a halt as Coco burst out of the driver's side door as fast as she could, her eyes landing on Yang and Jessie immediately. Meanwhile, the rest of her team all practically fell out of the vehicle, many of them appearing to be either sick, dizzy, or relieved that they were finally back on land. "Yo, Coco!" Yang called over.

"YANG!" Coco rushed forward, gave her friend a high five, and then immediately pointed to her. "Girl, I can't thank you _enough_ for inviting Tech Head and me along!"

Once the rest of Team CFVY were able to collect themselves, they stood up and went over as well. Cooper gave an agreeing nod. "Yeah, thanks Yang. I've been wanting to get into more action since last night, actually. Working at Beacon's made me feel a bit… cooped up." Cooper facepalmed at that. "Oh god, why?"

"HA!" Yang guffawed at the unintentional pun. "C'mon, Cooper, be proud of that! The puns you don't expect are some of the BEST ones." Yang raised her hand up and put it to Coco's shoulder. "But anyway, it's no problem at all, Coco Puff. Besides, after forgetting to inviting you on last night's mission, it's the least I can do." She followed up with a little wink. "Plus, I just knew that you'd be pissed at me if I didn't invite you along."

"Heh, alright, fair." Coco chuckled before shifting turning to Velvet, Fox and Yatsu. "I just wish the rest of my squad could come along with us."

"Indeed." Yatsu said with a bow. "While we're more than happy to lend our assistance here, it's admittedly a hard mission to pass up." Next to him, Fox let out a small grumble of agreement, the redhead apparently not in a talkative mood.

Velvet folded her hands and craned her head down a bit. "Yes, it's a little upsetting to be sure." She gave a small shrug. "But, if we're needed here, then we'll certainly do our best to defend Vale if need be."

"That's the spirit, hon!" Jessie commended. "An' besides, I'm sure I'll probably be called on more missions at SOME point durin' my stay here." She gave Velvet a thumbs up. "I'll make sure ya'll go on one, trust me."

"Thank you very much." Velvet bowed. "We appreciate it."

Coco shifted her eyes over to Jessie as well, containing her excitement at the prospect of going on a real mission with her idol. "So, Jessie, what's the big mission here anyway?"

Jessie tipped her Stetson to her and began explaining. "Well, one of my old teammates from back in the day was hurt on a recent mission of his." She nudged her head toward the east. "He lives in Anima near Higanbana village. An' just one town over is a place called Shion." Jessie placed her hands on her hips. "Apparently the people there've been seein' some sorta powerful Grimm stalkin' the countryside, and they were hopin' my friend Paul could handle it." The cowgirl shook her head solemnly. "But… I'm afraid that wasn't the case. Paulie's been hurt an' that means I need to be called in."

Coco smiled and gave Jessie a nod. "I getcha. Well don't worry, Jessie, we'll make sure that whatever Grimm bastard hurt your friend will be put down!"

"HA! Now THAT'S what I like to hear!" Jessie went over and pat Coco on the shoulder. "Ya'll've got a lotta spunk there, Coco. I can respect that."

In her mind, Coco was freaking out at the praise, but she had to keep a cool head about her. She didn't want to lose her mind in front of her hero after all. "Th-Thanks Jessie." Coco cleared her throat and glanced up to her boyfriend, lowering her sunglasses to give him a wink. "Well, Tech Head? Are ya ready for this?"

"Sure am." Cooper affirmed. "Let's—" _RING-RING-RING!_ At that moment, another scroll began ringing out, causing everyone to take a momentary pause. Cooper shifted his eyes down, realizing it was his. "Oh, hold on, I've gotta take this." He pulled out his scroll and opened it up, seeing that it was, in fact, General Ironwood calling him. Cooper answered and spoke into it. "General, what's going—wait, WHAT?!" The genius broke out into a big smile, seemingly excited at something. "It is?! Ha! Okay, yes, I'll be there. The timing couldn't be more perfect actually. I was just about to head out on a mission with the guys and this'll be VERY useful. …Yep, bye." Cooper hung up… and then immediately threw his arms up. "WOO-HOO!"

Everyone was taken aback by his excitement, though Coco was probably just as excited as her boyfriend was. "Woah! Haha! What's got you all revved up, Tech Head?"

Cooper let out a laugh before immediately pulling Coco into an embrace, spinning her around for good measure. "Baby, I just got the call we've been waiting for!" he said as he gave her a wink of his own. "The secret project we've been working on? It's almost ready."

"No way!" Coco shouted before wrapping her arms around Cooper's neck. "Cooper, that's awesome! When did G.I. say it'd be REALLY ready?"

"He says that he just needs me to come in and make a few final adjustments. Then we'll be good to go." Cooper craned his head over to Ben, Yang, Jessie, and the Home Team, who were all just confused as to what the couple were talking about. "Ben, I'm sorry, but there's been a bit of a change in plans. I've gotta go do something real quick, but I promise that Ironwood and I will meet up with you guys soon, okay?"

But Ben was still utterly lost. "Woah, woah, Cooper, what the heck's going on here, anyway?"

"Yeah, hon," Jessie agreed, "yer more hyped up than a red squirrel after eatin' coffee beans. What's the rush?"

Cooper and Coco shared a knowing glance before the genius gave a rather vague answer. "Well… after the battle of Beacon, I've been… experimenting with something that I thought to be rather useful. It's a surprise though, so I can't totally say what it is…" He gave the group a thumbs up. "But trust me, when you guys see it, it'll knock your socks off!"

"Trust us, guys." Coco added. "This'll be worth lettin' Tech Head go for a little while."

The group were still somewhat perplexed by the whole thing, but if what they said was true, then Ben wasn't about to deny Cooper's request. "Well Coop, if you're really sure about this, then sure, go on ahead." The hero pointed to his friend. "But I hope you and Ironwood are sure about all of this. Because if this Grimm really is as powerful as we've heard, then we might need this secret project you're working on."

Cooper gave the Omnitrix bearer a salute. "Trust me, Ben, we'll be there. And you're probably gonna love what we've got cooking." He took his eyes off his friend and moved them right back to Coco, the girl beaming up to him while still in his arms. "So… wish me luck?"

A playful smirk came to Coco's face. "I'll do you one better, Tech Head." With one quick motion, Coco leapt up and pressed her lips firmly onto Cooper's in the blink of an eye. Needless to say, this took everybody by surprise, most of all, Cooper himself. After all… it was their first kiss.

Over with the Home Team though, a certain redhead was cheering at the display. "WOO!" Gwen exclaimed. "Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!"

"About freakin' time!" Kevin added.

Soon enough, the fact that his girlfriend was kissing him on the lips had finally processed in Cooper's mind, allowing him to fall naturally into it. He wrapped one arm around the small of Coco's back while cupping her cheek with his other hand, deepening the kiss. "HAHA!" Yang laughed victoriously. "NOW he's gettin' it!"

Everyone else was getting in on the support as well, though none more so than Velvet, Fox and Yatsu. The bunny girl was practically hopping up and down in place, trying to contain her excitement as she covered her mouth, muffling her screams of joy. Yatsu was applauding at the sight while Fox simply smirked with an approving nod. Sure, he couldn't see it happening, but going off what everyone was saying, he knew what was going on. "Heh, good on ya, guys." he muttered.

Finally, Cooper and Coco separated, both of them letting out ragged breaths as they allowed themselves to fill their lungs back up with air. In that moment though, even as they were both breathless, the two were still feeling incredibly high off of one another, their resilient smiles only furthering that fact. "So… hah… how was that for good luck, Tech Head?" Coco said as she rested her forehead against his.

"It… was amazing." Cooper breathed out as he pulled Coco as close as he could to him. "And… it was also my first." He reached up and caressed her cheek again, his smile unwavering. "Can I just say how happy I am that you were my first kiss?"

Coco nestled herself against his shoulder, snuggling into the crook of his neck. "Of course, you can, 'cause I'm really happy I could _be_ your first." She peeked her eyes back up at him, giving him one last wink. "And trust me, there's a lot more where this came from, Cooper. If you catch my drift."

Cooper blushed and let out a chuckle. "Heh, well, I guess I should probably expect that with you." He moved his head down and pecked her lips again before whispering; "I'll be back with you guys soon, okay?"

"I know you will, Tech Head." As much as she didn't want to, Coco fell out of Cooper's arms, her feet landing back on the ground. "Now go do what you're best at."

"Will do." Cooper waved over to Ben with a two-fingered salute. "I'll see you guys soon, okay?"

Ben returned the gesture as he felt himself well up with a bit of pride. To think that the young man standing before him used to be a self-conscious, unsure little kid who practically absorbed himself into his work. Now, he had his own group of friends and a girlfriend who loved and appreciated him for who he was. To Ben, that was amazing. "Will do, buddy. We'll see ya later." He then put his eyes onto the rest of his team, giving them a departing grin. "And guys, we'll be back later tonight!"

"I'm sure you will, Ben." Blake concurred with a wave of her own. "Good luck in Anima!"

"And don't forget anything!" Sun called out. "We wanna hear ALL the details when you guys get back!"

With that, Coco and Cooper parted ways, with the fashionable girl being immediately met by Yang with a pat on the shoulder. As the two girls boarded the ship with Ben and Jessie, Cooper let out a slightly saddened sigh as he walked back over to the Home Team. "Man, I just got kissed by the most beautiful girl in _any_ world… and now I've gotta be away from her."

Gwen smirked and rolled her eyes at that. "Oh, come on now, Cooper. You two won't be apart for long." She gave him a soft jab in the arm. "Besides, I'm sure the surprise you two mentioned will be worth it in the end, right?"

Cooper chuckled a little bit at that. "Heh, yeah, it should." He set his gaze back up to the ship and saw Coco waving goodbye to him. Cooper returned the wave immediately before the ramp began to move up, the couple sharing one last smile with each other before the ship took off just a few short moments later.

Weiss gave a shrug. "So… what do we do now?"

"I dunno." Rex jabbed a thumb toward the house. "Anyone wanna go play videogames or something?"

The whole group agreed to the EVO's decision, with Cooper tagging along until Ironwood came by to pick him up. However, just as she was about to enter the house, Gwen could feel a familiar energy behind her, causing her to whip around quickly to see who was there. At first, she didn't see anything. But, right out of the corner of her eye, she spotted it; a black bird perching in a nearby tree, one that was very familiar. "…Raven?" But just as she said that, the corvid flew away, leaving Gwen to herself once again.

* * *

"Girl, you just made that boy's day. You know that, don't ya?" Yang asked as she and the others boarded the ship, her hand still firmly on Coco's shoulder.

"Heh, yeah." Coco turned around and gave her boyfriend one final wave as they made it inside the Resolute, with Cooper reciprocating it instantly. "But I can't lie, he's the nicest guy I've ever met." The brunette gave Yang a small smile. "This is probably the most serious relationship I've ever had, Yang."

Yang nudged her friend with her elbow. "Hey, that's great! Having someone to share your happiness with is probably one of the best feelings _anyone_ can experience."

"I know, but… it's just really ironic, ya know?" Coco pulled her sunglasses off and let out a small sigh. "Back where I'm from, people used to call me a heartbreaker… and it was true. But now, after being in a pretty awesome relationship with Cooper, I can't help but feel a little guilty for all those hearts I broke."

Overhearing their conversation, Jessie came over and put her hand on Coco's shoulder again. "Aw, it's okay to feel that way, sugar. It only means that you're growin' up an' gettin' smarter 'bout relationships." The cowgirl put her hand over her heart. "Trust me, I've been heartbroken in the past myself… an' I had to _break_ a couple hearts too." She jabbed a thumb toward Cooper as the ramp went up, slowly closing them all off from the others. "But when ya find the one you _know_ is right for you… ya just know."

Coco smiled down to her boyfriend one last time before the ramp closed off entirely, letting out another breath when it did. "Heh, I can't fault you on that one, Jessie." She put her sunglasses back on, her face becoming one of determination. "Alright, mission time. So how long do we have until we get to Shion?"

"Tetrax says that it really shouldn't talk all that long." Ben answered as the four continued inside. "About a couple hours or so."

"I see." Jessie nodded. "An' where exactly IS this Tetrax fella?"

Yang pointed up to the ceiling. "He usually stays upstairs on the bridge…" However, one quick glance around the cargo hold revealed that their teammates were currently nowhere to be seen, piquing Yang's suspicion. "Although… I'm just wondering where the rest of our _team_ is."

Ben's eyes widened and he whipped his head around. His girlfriend was right, there were no signs of Ruby, Penny, Ilia or Team JNPR anywhere to be seen. "Hey, yeah, where ARE they?"

The moment those words left Ben's mouth though, the intercom suddenly came on and another voice rang out through the ship. However, the voice wasn't one that the hero expected; _"Hey Tennyson! If you're wondering where your friends are, they're already up top with me!"_ a familiar feminine voice called down to them. _"C'mon up if you wanna."_

As the voice left, Ben, Yang and Coco all eyed each other in confusion. "Wait… was that Swift?" Coco asked.

"I think so." Yang replied. "But… who gave her permission to use the intercom?"

Ben shook his head. "I dunno, maybe Tetrax? Can't imagine any other way she'd get access to it." The hero placed his hands on his hips. "Swift is a lot of things, but a hacker she's not."

Jessie couldn't help be confused at their chatter. "Uh, s'cuse me for a second, kids, but who's this "Swift" gal? She a friend o' yours?"

The Omnitrix bearer gave her a shrug. "Well… kinda. She's a friend to _some_ of us, but more like an acquittance to the rest. She WAS one of the prisoners that had escaped into Remnant after the whole portal disaster." Ben pointed up to the ceiling. "We initially captured her, but Ruby was able to make friends with her and convince her to reform. She's not _technically_ free until she makes parole, but for now, she's at least allowed to roam freely on the ship."

"Ah, I getcha." Jessie understood before nudging her head toward the elevator. "Well, if'n that's the case, shall we head up?"

Coco groaned a little at the idea. "Oh great, more time in the elevator."

It didn't take long for the quartet to find the rest of the team, as they had all congregated in the Resolute's mess hall and were talking loud enough for their voices to be heard even through the thick steel doors. The team had split off into groups of four; with Ruby and Penny playing Pokémon as usual while Penny and Ren sat next to them respectively. Jaune and Pyrrha meanwhile were sitting with Ilia and, of course, Swift, the Aerophibian happily laughing with the four at a story she had just told.

The moment the doors opened though, everybody turned to see the Ben, Yang, Coco and Jessie enter, and Swift immediately waved over to them. "Hey! The big shots finally decided to join us, eh? C'mon over and pop a squat!"

Ben raised an eyebrow to her in response. "The "big shots", huh? _That's_ what you call us?"

Swift gave him a smirk and a shrug. "Well, what else am I gonna call ya? Can't exactly get TOO anti-authority with you, otherwise I'd flip Tetrax's lid."

The hero was about to argue… but he couldn't find any fault in what she said. "Okay, fair point." But he narrowed his gaze slightly at her soon after. "By the way, how do you have access to the intercom?"

Ilia gestured over to the nearby wall, indicating a small intercom mounted on it. "Turns out there's a small one in every major room. Cool, huh?"

"Huh, neat." Yang admitted. "A little _weird_ , but neat."

Swift put her arms behind her head and reclined back into her seat. "Well, _I_ think it's pretty cool." However, at the feeling of being watched, Swift shifted her red eyes over to see an older redheaded woman gawking at her, and her mirthful smirk was replaced by a frown. "Ma'am, can ya please stop staring at me? It makes me feel uncomfortable."

Jessie was snapped out of her stupor and she blinked in shock. "Oh, terribly sorry there, sugar." The cowgirl bowed her head apologetically. "I've just… never seen somebody quite like ya before. Are… are you an alien?"

Swift smirked and bobbed her head to the side. "Well, _part_ -alien, but yeah." She jabbed a thumb to herself. "I'm actually half-human, half-Aerophibian."

"Landsakes, I didn't think aliens could breed with humans." Jessie said in astonishment. "That's quite surprisin'."

"I'm sure it is." Swift nodded. "What's your name, ma'am?"

Jessie smiled and gave a tip over hat in greeting. "Jessica Jameson, at your service. But ya'll can call me Jessie."

Swift stood up and offered the woman a handshake, which she gladly reciprocated. "It's nice to meet you. I take it you're one of these "Huntresses" that I've been hearing so much about?"

"Sure am." Jessie confirmed. "And I'm mighty pleased to meet ya."

"Likewise." Swift reciprocated before sitting back down. "Well, have a seat, there's plenty to go around after all." The Aerophibian then gave a salute to Yang and Coco as they sat down at the table themselves. "So gals, how's it goin' today?"

"Can't complain." Yang answered before smirking over to Coco. "But I know _someone_ who's feelin' pretty good right about now."

Yang's comment managed to get both her sister and Nora to move their eyes up from their game systems, their interests having been successfully garnered. "What d'ya mean, Yang?" Ruby asked.

Nora noticed that Yang was looking directly at Coco, and it was then that the hyper redhead caught on. "Ooh, feeling good about something, Coco?" She leaned forward excitedly, her eyes now focused onto the fashionable girl as well. "Well, c'mon, don't hold out on us! What's got ya so happy?"

Coco rolled her eyes as she began absentmindedly playing with a lock of hair. "Well… I just did something pretty big."

"You did?" Pyrrha asked before noticing someone missing. "Wait, where's Cooper?"

Jaune shifted his eyes toward the door. "Yeah, wasn't he supposed to come with us?"

"He had some important stuff to take care of with Ironwood." Coco answered as she propped her legs up on the table. "He'll be with us in a while. But… well…" Coco turned her head away with a sly grin forming on her face. "Before he left, he asked me to wish him luck. And… let's just say I gave him a lot more than he bargained for."

Everyone in the room began picking up on the subtext of Coco's words after a few moments, with Nora and Ruby letting out simultaneous screams of joy. "AH! No way!" Ruby exclaimed.

"You KISSED him, didn't you?!" Nora sprang up out of her seat. She received a small nod from Coco which only made her and Ruby shout even louder. "AAAAAAH! That's so awesome!"

"Sensational!" Penny applauded. "My utmost congratulations!"

"She's right." Pyrrha agreed. "Congratulations to you both."

Ren let out a small chuckle at the whole thing. "Heh, I suppose he wasn't expecting that, now was he?"

"Nope!" Coco shook her head. "I just smacked him square on the lips, no warning."

"Huh, how'd he react to it?" Jaune asked. "I mean, I'm assuming it was positive, but I'm sure he was a little shaken at first."

"Oh, he was, but he warmed up to it pretty damn quickly." Coco lowered her glasses and gave Jaune a smirk. "But then again, you of all people should be familiar with that feeling, Jauney-boy." She pushed her glasses back up and leaned back in her seat. "From what I've heard, you and Pyrrha over there are no stranger to sudden first kisses."

Pyrrha folded her arms and rolled her eyes. "Yes, I suppose. Though there's no reason to go around parading that fact, Coco."

"Eh, yeah, you're right. Sorry 'bout that." She gave them a thumbs up. "But ya gotta admit, we gave our boys somethin' to remember, right?"

Pyrrha glanced over to Jaune who was blushing like a mad man, and a playful smile came to her face. "Well… I cannot deny that." She moved over and leaned against her boyfriend's shoulder, to which Jaune immediately put his arm around her shoulders. "Alright, I think we've had enough teasing go around. Why don't we start focusing on the mission at hand?"

At that moment, the door opened up and a new voice entered the room; "An excellent idea, Pyrrha." Everyone turned in their seats to see Tetrax entering the mess hall, the Petrosapien approaching the table with resolve. "I've only heard the bare minimum details of what we're dealing with, so I want to be sure that—" However, Tetrax cut himself when he felt a pair of eyes having locked onto him, causing him to look around the table. Finally, he found who was staring at him; Jessie, the cowgirl slack-jawed and gob-smacked at the sight of him. "Um… can I help you, ma'am?"

"You… you must be Tetrax, right?" Jessie uttered.

"Indeed, I am." Tetrax affirmed. "And you must be Miss Jessica Jameson. It's an honor to meet a Huntress of your caliber, ma'am."

"Hah, well it's an honor for _me_ to meet an alien such as yourself." Jessie countered nervously. "Sorry if'n I'm a bit shaky. This is my first time dealin' with stuff like this, so it's kinda outta my wheelhouse so to speak."

Tetrax gave her an understanding nod. "I'm very sure it is." He offered his large hand. "Still, I'm happy to have you on board my ship."

Jessie grinned and shook hands with the Petrosapien. "Well, I'm happy to be here, sugar." Once the two shook hands, Jessie clapped hers together, bringing everyone in the room to attention. "Alright, listen up, ya'll. When we get to Shion, our first priorty is gettin' to the hospital to check up on Paulie. Hopefully, he'll be awake by the time we get there an' he can tell us more 'bout the Grimm he fought."

Yang raised her hand. "And if he isn't? What do we do then?"

"I can probably wake him up." Ben suggested. "One whiff from Swampfire's gas and he'll be awake like that." He snapped his fingers for emphasis.

Jessie raised an eyebrow at that. "I'm guessin' that's a transformation o' yours?" Ben gave her a nod, to which she let out a sigh. "Well, I guess that'd be a better option than doin' nothin'. I ain't 'bout to head into a fight with a Grimm I don't know anything about." She pointed back at Ben. "But for the sake o' everyone at the hospital, I think you should make sure no one's around to see ya. Don't wanna freak anybody out even more, right?"

"Exactly." Ben concurred. "And once we get the information from Paul, we form a plan of attack. From there, we'll hopefully be able to take the Grimm down without much of a problem."

Jessie smirked and pumped a fist. "Sounds good to me." She put her hand into the center of the table. "Alright, ya'll, let's take care o' business! Whaddya say?"

Ben, Yang, Coco, Ruby, Penny, Ilia and Team JNPR all put their hands over hers, the teammates all looking right at each other. "Well, guys… you know what time it is." Ben grinned before nearly everyone threw their hands up into the air and shouted; "IT'S HERO TIME!" all at once.

The only one left confused by all of this was Jessie herself, who was glancing around at the teens in bewilderment. "Uh… I'm sorry, what was that?"

"It's their catchphrase." Ilia shrugged. "I know, kinda weird."

* * *

Over the course of the following two hours, the team had chosen to give themselves some time to talk before the big mission, with each of them going off into their own groups. Ben, Yang, Jaune, Pyrrha and Coco were discussing Hunting strategies with Jessie while Ilia and Swift were talking to each other by themselves. Not far from the two girls though, Ruby, and Nora were still playing Pokémon, with Ren and Penny still sitting by them. Penny was staring at the screen intently as Ruby played on, intrigued by the otherworldly game and the large fiery fowl that Ruby was battling with. "I must say, Earthly videogames are quite interesting." the android said. "It surprises me how alternate dimensions can have such outlandish ideas while we do not."

"Ah, c'mon, Penny." Ruby nudged her friend with her elbow. "Battling with monsters you keep in your pocket can't be THAT crazy of an idea."

"Yeah!" Nora moved her eyes up raised a single finger. "Now, transforming robots and mutant reptile teenagers that practice ninjutsu? THAT is crazy."

Ilia had overheard the Pink Dynamo's comment and she whipped her head up, her eyes widening at the strange combination of words. "Wait, Earth actually HAS something like that?"

"Yep… and it's exactly what you'd imagine it being." Swift confirmed. "Also, they eat pizza."

The chameleon girl had NO idea what to think about all of this. "…Swift, are all of the people in your universe on drugs or something?"

"HA! Good one, Ilia." Swift laughed. "But nah, they're not on drugs… at least not _everyone_ is." She tapped the side of her head. "It's just that humans on our planet have come up with some pretty crazy ideas that've stuck around for a LONG time. Sometimes it's because the idea just works, other times I think it's because it's too crazy NOT to fail. Like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers."

At that last one though, Ren raised an eyebrow. "Um… and what exactly _is_ "Power Rangers"?"

Swift's eyes all widened, including the third one in between her yellow horns. "Are you serious?!" She whirled around and shouted; "Hey Tennyson!" She managed to catch Ben's attention and began "berating" him. "How in the hell have you not shown these guys Power Rangers yet?"

Ben gave her a deadpan expression. "Swift, we've been REALLY busy over the past few days, I've barely had any time to show these guys anything new besides Star Trek." He crossed his arms and put a hand to his chin. "Which reminds me I've gotta show you guys a Disney movie at some point."

Swift's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "Star Trek… over _Disney_. Never in my life have I felt such disappointment in one single person."

Ben waved his hands up into the air. "Yeah, yeah, go ahead and slam me, I'm a bad educator."

Yang pulled her arm around Ben's shoulders and ruffled his hair a little bit. "Aw, don't be so down on yourself, Green Boy. Like you said, we've been busy." She winked at him and booped him on the nose. "Tell ya what, once we get back home, why don't we all gather up and watch one of those "Disney movies" that Kenny was so keen on having you show us?"

The hero smiled and relaxed into her embrace. "Heh, you got it Goldie Locks. I've got a feeling that it'll be a lot of fun." His attention went back to the conversation they were having before, but now, he decided to bring up a new topic. "Hey, Jessie, mind if I ask you something?"

"Why no, sugar." Jessie assured. "What is it?"

"Well… my teammates have made it no secret about the things you're capable of doing." Ben explained. "From riding on a Manticore and using it to kill a bunch of Griffons, to breaking an Ursa's neck with your lasso, and even ripping out the teeth of a Sabyr… whatever _those_ are, and making chopsticks out of 'em."

Jessie smiled and pointed to him. "I still have those by the way. And a Sabyr's a big saber-toothed cat-lookin' Grimm."

"Oh, well that makes sense." Ben nodded. "Anyway, how're you able to do all of that?"

"Heh, well, not to brag or nothin', but part of it IS raw talent." Jessie explained. "I always wanted to be a bit more… creative than most Hunters of my skill set. After all, where's the point in killin' a Grimm if ya ain't havin' any fun while doin' it?"

It was Yang's turn to point at Jessie. "Now THAT'S a philosophy I can get behind."

"It's certainly unique." Pyrrha agreed. "Not many Hunters are known for having fun with their jobs, after all."

Ben tilted his head. "Alright, so if _part_ of it is your talent, then what's the other part?"

Jessie wore a sly grin and she wagged a finger at him, rising up from her seat soon after. "Hold on just a sec, sugar." She walked over to the kitchen and opened up one of the drawers… once she was able to figure out how they actually opened since they didn't have handles. When she DID get them to open, she reached in and pulled out a very alien utensil, one that didn't even resemble a fork, spoon or kitchen knife. After inspecting it for a few seconds, Jessie merely shrugged before going back over to the group, presenting them with the strange utensil. "Here. Try takin' this… doohickey from my hand."

Ben raised a brow and his eyes went to her right hand, inspecting it closer. She didn't appear to have her hand clenched all that hard. In fact, the way she was holding the utensil was actually rather relaxed. Ben shifted his eyes back up to her and pointed down to the metal piece. "So just… take it from you?"

"Yessiree." Jessie nodded.

"Well… alright." Ben reached out and grabbed the utensil, pulling it with a tug. It wasn't a lot of force, but he figured it'd be enough for it to slip out of Jessie's grip. But to his surprise, the woman's grip remained firm, the utensil having not even moved a single centimeter. "Huh? What the…" Ben pulled harder, yet still, it didn't budge. He then stood up to pull harder and harder still, but Ben just couldn't make Jessie let go of the blasted utensil. The hero was starting to get frustrated at this point, so he rubbed his hands together and grabbed onto the utensil with both, pulling as hard as he could. However, Ben ended up pulling so hard that his own hands slipped off of the metal piece, making him fall flat on his back. "GAH!"

Yang's eyes bugged out the moment her boyfriend landed on the floor. "Ben! You okay?"

Ben rubbed his head as he sat up, letting out a slight groan. "Ugh, I think so." His eyes went back to the alien utensil that Jessie was holding, and she was still only keeping a relaxed grip on it. "Alright, what the hell?!" Ben got up and thrust his hand toward Jessie's. "How in the WORLD are you still holding onto that?!"

At that moment, a glimmer appeared in Jessie's eyes, changing them from blue to gold. "Heh, I'm surprised ya haven't caught on, Ben." The redheaded woman opened her right hand, revealing that her palm was glowing with the same golden aura. "After a few weeks here, I thought you'd recognize a Semblance when ya saw it."

Ben's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wait… THAT'S your Semblance?"

"Darn tootin'!" Jessie flicked the utensil up into the air, making it spin around rapidly before catching it in her left hand. She raised her right palm, revealing the golden aura to everybody. "I call it my Iron Grip! Once I get a hold o' somethin' I wanna _keep_ a hold of, I can latch onto it for as long as I want. Nothin' can escape my grip unless _I_ say so."

"So THAT'S how you're able to keep a hold of Grimm like you do!" Ben said as he smiled in amazement. "That's incredible!"

"No kidding." Jaune spoke up. "In fact, that Iron Grip is part of what made her so famous."

Coco leaned forward in her seat. "And it's SUPER awesome. In some circles, she's even known as the Iron Gal."

Jessie rolled her eyes and pulled the brim of her hat down slightly, the gold aura disappearing as her eyes went back to normal. "Aw, that was an ol' nickname from way back when that my teammates came up with." She propped her feet up on the table, her spurs jingling as she did. "'Course, it never really stuck like "Blackblade" did for Amaya, but hey, what can ya do?"

"Still, it's a very impressive Semblance." Ilia commented. "I can see how you've made use of it over your career."

Swift gave the woman a thumbs up. "Yeah, I can respect a lady who's got a solid grip. Just hope you don't use it on handshakes though."

"Ha! Good one, sugar." Jessie chortled before watching Ben sit back down in his seat. "So, ya wanna try pullin' somethin' else away from me? Maybe use one o' your aliens to try an' make me let go?"

Ben chuckled nervously at the thought. "Heh, uh… no thank you. I'd rather not try and pull a muscle before this mission."

Yang pat her boyfriend on the shoulder. "Smart decision there, Green Boy."

As their conversation went on, Ilia couldn't help but give out a small sigh, craning her head up to set her gaze upon the ceiling. "Something tells me that I've still got some things to get used to around here." She turned her head and faced Swift with an amused smile. "Heh, but I guess I'm beginning to sound like a broken record at this point."

"Eh, a little bit." Swift pinched her fingers together. "Like this much. But hey, I don't blame you for that, Ilia." The Aerophibian jabbed her thumb over in Ben's direction. "Working with Tennyson isn't exactly what anyone would call "easy" or "normal"."

Ilia laughed and nudged Swift's shoulder. "Haha! Come on, be nice. Otherwise you may just fall out of his favor."

Swift let out a little laugh as well, relenting to the chameleon girl's wishes. "Heh, alright, alright, I gotcha." She offered a wink to Ilia with a toothy smirk. "But hey, I can't help it if it's easy to riff on him a bit."

Ilia rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Good god, you're incorrigible." After sharing another chuckle, the two girls fell into a comfortable silence once again, simply enjoying each other's company. However, it was then that Ilia remembered something that she had wanted to ask Swift about, and her face fell to a more serious demeanor. She moved her sights back onto her friend and asked; "Hey… Swift?" The Aerophibian hybrid turned her head toward Ilia with a raised eyeridge. "Could I… ask you for some advice?"

Swift blinked in surprise at the question, but nonetheless, she was more than happy to answer it. "Sure, what's on your mind?"

Ilia's eyes shifted left and right before leaning forward, making a "come closer" motion with her finger. Picking up on her request, Swift did the same, and Ilia began whispering to her as quietly as possible. "Listen… this is going to sound really embarrassing but… have you ever liked someone, but knew they could never like you the same way?"

Swift's eyes widened at the question… and her skin began to have a pinkish hue to it. _'Well… that was unexpected.'_ Still, she thought over the inquiry before giving her response. "I, uh, I can't say that I have, sorry to say." she whispered back before shrugging. "I mean, I've had crushes on people, but I was never allowed to act on my feelings because of… well, _this_." Swift gestured to her face for emphasis.

Ilia's face fell further in sadness. "Oh… right, I'm sorry."

"Hey, no need to apologize." Swift shrugged. "It's just something I came to accept. Humans aren't exactly keen on gettin' with someone like me."

A small grin formed on Ilia's face. "Hey… don't go beating yourself up. If anything, who you are makes you more unique."

Swift smirked herself. "You'd be surprised how many times I've heard that. But anyway, nah, I haven't exactly had that problem." She tilted her head. "But… I'm guessing you _do_."

Ilia's breath was caught in her throat a bit, but she swallowed her apprehension and pressed on. "Y-Yes. I've… known this person for a long time and I've always thought they were really special." She pursed her lips and lowered her head in shame and frustration. "But I know that they probably don't like me the way I like them. I mean, heck, they're even in a relationship of their own and—"

"It's Blake, isn't it?" Swift asked abruptly, bringing Ilia to a screeching halt. If they weren't in front of everyone at that moment, Swift was pretty sure that Ilia's colors would've changed to completely white just by seeing the expression on her face. The half-alien girl raised an eyeridge and smiled kindly to her. "C'mon, Ilia, you weren't exactly bein' all that subtle."

Ilia's spots became pink and she scratched the back of her head. "No, I guess not."

Swift reached over and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, making Ilia crane her neck back up. "Listen Ilia, I'll admit, I'm a bit of an amateur when it comes to matters of the heart." She reached up and pointed right in the middle of Ilia's chest. "But what I think is most important is that you do what _you_ think is right."

Ilia stared into Swift's eyes for a few seconds before prying them away, going back to the floor again. "I know, but… what if she doesn't want to be my friend anymore if I DO tell her about it?"

The Aerophibian shook her head. "I can promise you right now that won't happen. I can tell that you and Blake are really great friends, and she wouldn't just abandon you over something as petty as that."

"But what if—" But at that moment, Swift put a finger to Ilia's lips, stopping her mid-sentence.

"Let's not focus on the "what if's"." The half-alien girl said as she took her hand back. "Instead, let's focus on the primary thing here; you have feelings for Blake, right?"

Ilia was silent for a moment before replying. "Yes, I do."

"Okay, now you need to decide what to do with your feelings." Swift held up one finger. "You could either, A; live with it for the rest of your life without telling anyone." She then put up another finger. "Or B; tell her and get it off of your chest."

"I… I just…" Ilia put a hand to her forehead. "I just don't know what to do. Is there any other way you could help me?"

Swift reached out and put both hands on Ilia's shoulders. "Ilia, in the end, this is your decision to make, not mine." She offered a small, encouraging smile. "I know it's a scary thing to try and confront, but trust me when I say that you'll feel WAY better for doing it, trust me."

Ilia allowed Swift's words to sink in before returning the smile in kind, as well as a small nod. "You're… you're right, Swift. I need to get this off my chest sooner or later."

"Hah, atta girl." Swift nudged Ilia's shoulder with her own. "I'm really proud of you, Ilia. And hey, even if I'm not there for it, I want you to know that you've got my full support, okay?"

At that moment, deep in her gut, Ilia felt extremely better for knowing that. But there was something else brewing down in there as well, a feeling that she could only really describe as… more than just happiness. It was a little strange, but also quite comforting. "Thank you, Swift." Ilia nodded. "I… I'm really glad that you have my back on this."

"With pleasure, girl." Right when she said that, the two girls, as well as everyone else, could feel the ship lurching forward, indicating that it was about to land. "Huh, guess we're where you guys need to be."

The lurching stopped a few second later and Tetrax's voice came over the intercom; _"Attention everyone. We have made touchdown outside the walls of Shion village. At this time, all team members and their escort are to report to the cargo bay to disembark. Thank you."_

Across the table, Jessie sprung up and turned her head toward the door. "Whoop! That sounds like we're bein' kicked off!" She motioned for the group to follow her, which most of them readily did. "C'mon ya'll, let's move out!"

As the gang got up and made their way toward the door, Ilia faced Swift once again, giving her a thumbs up. "Well, I guess I'm off. See ya later?"

Swift gladly returned the gesture. "Of course. And Ilia…" She reached over and pulled the girl into an over-the-shoulder embrace. "Good luck on the mission, and the whole thing with Blake. I know you can do it."

Ilia pulled her arm around Swift's shoulder as well, reciprocating the embrace. "Thanks again, Swift. I won't forget this!" Once they let go of each other, Ilia got up and ran toward the door of the mess hall, following everyone to the elevator.

Now all alone in the dining area, Swift wore a sad smile as she watched Ilia leave, slightly disappointed that she couldn't go as well. "You're welcome… and stay safe."

* * *

The moment they disembarked the ship, Ben was taken aback a bit by the utter beauty that was Shion village. He wasn't sure if his mind was playing tricks on him or not, but the town heavily resembled a traditional Japanese village, one that was surrounded completely by the beauty of nature. Before they had broken up, he and Julie had taken a trip to Japan to visit some of her extended family, and in that time, she had taught him a lot about the cultural architecture. To say that Shion fit that bill almost like a glove would be an understatement. From the cobblestone streets to the Nihon kenchiku-esque buildings, Shion was a sight to behold. There was even a tall pagoda in the center of town! Not to mention all of the natural greenery that surrounded the village only added to its splendor.

"Wow… this place is amazing!" the hero gawked as they walked through the village, with Jessie leading the group.

"Yeah, no kidding." Yang concurred before eyeing Jaune. "So, is it just like you remember it, Vomit Boy?"

Jaune craned his head around, taking in the familiar sights and smells of the town that he visited many times in his childhood. "Hah, yep! It really hasn't changed all that much." The blonde knight pointed over to a trail that was leading out of town. "There's the hiking trails we used to go on." He then moved his finger over in the opposite direction. "Oh, and I think I remember the campsites being that way!"

Pyrrha closed her eyes and lifted her head so that the sun was hitting her face. "Well I must say, it's nice to be in a warmer environment for a change." She took in a deep breath of natural air, letting it out soon after. "And the air is so clean! It's quite refreshing."

"I can see why the people here are worried 'bout the Grimm." Coco commented. "It'd be a shame if this place were destroyed."

Ren was also letting the environment sink in, feeling a bit of nostalgia that he hadn't felt in a long time. _'I can't believe I nearly forgot what it was like here in Anima.'_ He softly clenched his hands, the more unpleasant bits of his memory beginning to bubble to the surface. _'Still… it's not exactly like my old home.'_

"Hey Ren!" The green ninja whipped his head up to see Nora running ahead of him, the Pink Dynamo having gone up to a concession stand. "They. Serve. RICE BOWLS! On the _street_!" She quickly ordered a beef rice bowl, payed for it, and began devouring the meal, letting out a sizable belch the moment she was done. "HAHA! This place is awesome!"

Everyone stared at Nora in astonishment, with Ren chuckling awkwardly as he led his friend away from the kiosk. "Hehe, yeah, that IS pretty cool, Nora. But let's get back to finding the hospital before we cause a scene."

Ruby, Penny and Ilia meanwhile were staying ahead of the group with Jessie, the three girls focusing intently on the mission… even if a rice bowl sounded pretty good right about now. At least, that's what Ruby's stomach was telling her. "Ooh, when we come back through, we should get some rice bowls for the road."

"Agreed!" Penny nodded before setting her eyes onto Jessie. "So, do you know where the Hospital is, Jessie?"

"Sure as sunshine, sweetie." Jessie pointed over to the opposite end of town toward the right side of the road, right toward a building with a large red cross on its front. "There it is! Right over yonder." Jessie put her hands in her pockets with an apprehensive breath. "I just hope Paulie's doin' better."

"For the sake of everyone in the town, I hope so too." Ilia furthered. "He might be our only clue as to what exactly we're facing."

As the group made it to the front of the hospital, Jessie shrugged and took another deep breath. "Well, only one way to find out, I s'pose." The whole group entered the hospital, with Jessie going up to the counter to ask where Paul's room was. Thankfully, the lady at the counter recognized who Jessie was immediately and she gave her the room number, allowing them all to head up to it. Once they got to the right floor, however, the team was greeted with the sight of a rather nervous woman walking out of Paul's hospital room. Jessie brightened up the moment she walked out, calling over to her instantly. "Luce!"

The woman whirled around at her name being called out, allowing everyone to get a good look at her. To Ben, she most closely resembled a Native American woman, one in her late forties with a slim yet strong build and long black hair that was styled into braids. She wore a crimson house dress that was patterned with white blossoms throughout, along with a white apron on her front. However, the most astonishing part was that she was at least seven-and-a-half feet tall, her head just barely having room to fit in the hallway. The moment Lucette's brown eyes landed upon Jessie, a wide smile broke out over her face and she ran toward the redheaded woman, enveloping her in a powerful hug. "JESSIE! Oh, thank god, you came!"

The speed which Lucette had run at the group had taken the entire team by surprise, making a few of them even fall back on their rears. As the team stared up at the woman in shock, Jessie let out a laugh, though she was also struggling for air. "Haha, now, now, sugar!" she consoled. "Everythin's gonna be alright!"

However, at that moment, Lucette opened her eyes in realization. "Wait a second…" She placed Jessie down and raised a brow at her. "What're you doing here so soon? I thought you wouldn't be able to get here until tomorrow!"

Jessie brushed herself off and jabbed her thumb over her shoulder to the team behind her. "Well, I just made some friends who know a guy with a pretty fast ship." Jessie looked to the team and nudged her head to Lucette. "Everyone, this is Luce, Paulie's wife."

"H-Hello, ma'am." Yang greeted, still astonished by the sheer height of this woman. "We're here to help take out with the Grimm your hubby fought."

Lucette wore a hopeful smile at this. "Oh, thank you all so much. I'm sure that Paul will appreciate the help…" Her face grew worried again as she faced her husband's hospital room. "Whenever he wakes up, at least."

"He still ain't up?!" Jessie exclaimed. "Ya've gotta be kiddin' me!"

"I'm afraid not." Lucette shook her head solemnly. "He's been out cold since he came back from his mission." She ran a finger straight across her upper torso. "Paul walked back here with the worst gash that I had ever seen him take, straight across his chest. The moment he came back into town, he fell to the ground, and he lost consciousness soon after."

Ilia's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "He _walked_ back? After taking an attack like that?!"

Coco eyed Paul's hospital room, impressed by how resilient this man was. "Jeez, how tough _is_ this dude?"

"Tough as nails, sugar." Jessie assured before going back to her friend. "Lucette, are there any doctors in there right now?"

Lucette shook her head again. "No, they're working on another method to try and wake Paul up." She put a hand to her mouth in worry, her eyes going back to the door. "I just hope they can, because if they don't do it soon, there's a chance he could slip into a coma."

Ben smiled and stepped forward, pointing a thumb to his chest. "Ma'am, don't worry. I'm pretty sure I can get your husband to wake back up."

Lucette's eyebrows shot up. "W-Wait, you can? Well… what can you do?"

The hero raised his hand up to her. "Trust me, I've got a little secret that'll get Paul up pretty damn quick. He won't even feel any harm when I do it." He pointed right to the hospital room. "All I need is a few quick seconds in there alone, and he'll be up in no time."

As he explained this, Lucette narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Are you sure about this, young man? You haven't exactly given a reason for me to trust you, yet."

Jessie came up and put a hand on Lucette's arm. "Luce, trust _me_ when I say this boy knows what he's doin'. He may not seem like much, but he's capable o' doin' some pretty neat stuff." She gave Lucette a reassuring pat. "It'll all be okay, Luce, promise."

Lucette looked from Jessie and back to Ben, seeing that both of them had pure honesty in their eyes. Finally, after a few seconds, Lucette nodded her head to Ben. "Well, if you _can_ help my husband, then I suppose you can go in." She reached over and put one of her large hands on Ben's shoulder. "Please… wake up my Paulie."

"I will, Miss Bruno." Ben promised. "You can count on that." He walked over and walked into the hospital room, glancing over his shoulder back to everyone. "This'll only take a minute, believe me." He closed the door and turned back around, only to jump back at the utterly astounding sight before him. "Oh. My. God."

There, with his entire body laying across two hospital beds, was the massive Paul Bruno. The man was just as big as Ben imagined when he saw Jessie's picture, though it was obvious that the years had changed his appearance a bit. His beard was now full and scruffy, complete with a matching mustache and bushy sideburns. There were some grey strands as well, showing his age. Ben approached the large man's double bedside, allowing him to see the multiple bandages around his midsection. The hero gave out an impressed whistle. "Boy, you really ARE a big one, aren't ya, Paul?" He brought up the Omnitrix and found Swampfire's icon, ready to transform. "Well, time for your wake-up call."

Ben slammed his hand down on the Omnitrix and transformed… but by the end of it, he wasn't Swampfire. Instead of feeling the long and lanky limbs of the Methanosian form he was accustomed to, his arms, legs and overall body suddenly felt very bulky. _"Huh?! What da—"_ His voice echoed for some reason and he suddenly spoke with a city accent, confusing him even more. _"What's goin' on?"_ Ben searched around for a mirror, finding one almost instantly. But the moment he gazed into it, he was taken aback. _"Holy cow! Dis… ain't what I expected.'_

Rather than Swampfire, Ben had transformed into what he could only describe as a walking hazmat suit with a weird bluish-grey crater-filled head and shoulders. The suit overall was bright green, as he had expected, with the exception of two large white pieces along his shoulders and some white stripe detailing along his large gauntlets and boots. There was also a large green, black and white striped belt across his midsection, though instead of a buckle in the middle, there was a large window in his stomach, allowing him to see his gas-filled innards. There were also multiple nozzles strewn about his arms, shoulders, and even on top of his head, which he assumed to be where the gas would come out. Over his mouth was a large, black gas mask of sorts, with the Omnitrix symbol placed directly in the middle.

" _Alright, I give, who's dis guy?"_ Ben asked himself in the mirror. _"An' why's he so gross?"_ But the alien shook his head, brushing the situation off for the time being. _"Ah, fahgettaboudit. I gotta wake da big guy up."_ The transformed hero went over, pondering just what to do. _"Well, at least dis new guy's a gassy type. Alright, let's see, if I just combine some NH4 with a bit o' CO3… yeah, ammonium carbonate should do da trick."_ The alien bent forward and opened up one of the nozzles on his suit, allowing the chemical to waft out just slightly to Paul's nose. _"Man, why don't more hospitals carry smelling salts?"_

Just a few seconds after the scent hit Paul's nose, the man's eyes snapped open and he began coughing and hacking, whipping his body up soon after. "HAK-HAK! Gah! What was—AUGH!" But that quickly proved to be a mistake as he immediately clutched his midsection, his eyes screwing shut in pain. "Dear god, what happened?!"

If he had a mouth in this form, Ben was pretty sure he'd be smiling at this point. _'Success!'_ he thought to himself before transforming back to normal. Ben went up to Paul and began speaking to him. "Mr. Bruno, it's okay, you're safe—ACK!" But he was then immediately cut off when Paul instinctively reached out and put his massive hand around Ben's throat, lifting him up off the ground.

"WHERE AM I?!" Paul hollered. "And who are you?!"

"M-Mr. Bruno! Please!" Ben choked out. "I'm only trying to help!" At that very moment, the door opened, and Ben couldn't be more relieved to hear Jessie's voice.

"PAUL!" the cowgirl shouted out as she and the others all clamored into the room. "Put the boy down!"

The large lumberjack's eyes widened in shock and he dropped Ben to the ground, the young hero gasping for air. As Yang went over to help her boyfriend up, Paul continued to stare at everyone in bewilderment, though his focus was still on his old friend. "…Jessie? What're you—" He then saw his beloved wife also standing there, a worried expression on her face. "Lucette!"

"Paul!" Lucette ducked into the room and ran over to her husband, enveloping him in an embrace. "Oh, sweetheart, thank the gods you're okay!" She pulled away a little bit to lock eyes with Paul. "Honey, what happened?! You fell unconscious before anyone could ask!"

It was only then that Paul really took notice of where he was; a stark white hospital room. His abdomen was covered in bandages, with stitches most likely underneath the wrappings. His lips parted as the memories came flooding back to him. "I… I was limping my way back to Shion after taking on a… a… oh god." His eyes widened in fear as his hold on his wife tightened slightly. "The Grimm, I… I didn't…"

"We know, Paulie." Jessie said as she came up to him as well. "Why d'ya think your wife called me here in the first place?"

Paul sighed and laid back down on his mattress, staring up at the ceiling. "Well, I suppose that makes sense. Lord knows if _I_ couldn't handle it, you could, Jess." The massive man raised a brow at the group of teenagers that had entered behind his old friend, as well as down to Ben and Yang by his bedside. "And… just who're these young ones?"

Ruby gave him a cheery smile and a wave. "Hiya, Mr. Bruno! We're here to help!"

Yang moved her eyes back up to him and slightly furrowed her brows. "Yeah, we are. Or didn't you hear by boyfriend say that while you were choking him?"

The lumberjack became crestfallen by the jab, closing his eyes in remorse. "I-I'm sorry for that. I wasn't sure where I was or what had happened after… that _thing_ attacked me."

The Blonde Brawler pursed her lips before going back to her boyfriend, who gave her a small smile. With a nod, Yang helped Ben up before giving Paul a grin of her own. "Well, we can't blame you for that, I guess." She pointed to the bandages across the man's mid-section. "Considering what it did to you, I can understand why you'd react the way you did."

Jaune stepped forward and raised his hand. "Ahem, excuse me, Mr. Bruno, but do you remember exactly what kind of Grimm attacked you?"

"It would be best if we had an idea about what exactly we're facing." Pyrrha added.

Paul looked upon the group of ten teenagers in befuddlement before his expression hardened, turning his head away from them soon after. "Kids, I appreciate that you want to help, but I'm afraid that you're in over your head." The large lumberjack sat himself back up, slowly this time, and put his hands together on his lap. "I suggest that you all stay here. The Grimm that I faced is _not_ for Hunters your age to be fighting."

Everyone was surprised by this response, which Penny was quick to speak up against. "But why not?" she asked. "We may be young, but we are capable Hunters-in-training who have gone on many missions in the past."

"Yeah, Pen's right." Coco supported while putting a hand to her hip. "What's the big deal, big man?"

Paul shook his head once again. "I'm sorry, ladies, but I can guarantee that in whatever time you've had in any combat school or academy you've went to, you are NOT prepared to face something like this."

Jessie crossed her arms and raised her head, her eyes gazing down at her old friend in judgment. "Paul Bruno, I am SURPRISED at you! Ya'll've always been welcomin' o' any help that's come your way."

Lucette set a hand to her husband's shoulder. "She's right, honey, this isn't like you at all."

"Maybe so, but…" Paul locked his eyes with Jessie's, and it was then that she could see just how serious he was being. "Jessie… we're dealing with a _Nuckelavee_."

At that moment, Jessie's eyes momentarily glazed over with horror… as did a few other people in the room. She rushed forward and grabbed Paul by the shoulders. "Paulie, I swear to god, if you aren't bein' _one-hundred_ percent honest with me—"

"When have you _ever_ known me to lie, Jessica?" Paul countered.

"A NUCKELAVEE?!" Jessie shouted, taking her hands off of Paul's shoulders and stomping her foot to the ground. "Consarn it all to hell, Paul! You know goddamned well how horrific those things can be! Ya should've called for back-up in the first place!" She thrust her arm toward him. "I mean, shoot! I'm surprised ya managed to _survive_ , let alone _walk_ back here!"

"I played dead for as long as I had to." Paul revealed. "I must've held still for twenty minutes before I was sure I could get away safely."

As the two adults spoke, most of the team were confused as to what they were talking about. The only ones that weren't were Coco, Pyrrha, and most notably, Ren and Nora. The latter two had frozen in place, neither one of them having moved an inch since Paul had spoken the word "Nuckelavee". _'It… it can't be!'_ Nora thought to herself. _'It just CAN'T BE!'_ The Pink Dynamo's eyes widened even further when she remembered; _'Ren!'_ She glanced over to her best friend to see that his hands were beginning to shake.

However, many others on the team had their own questions. "Uh… what's a Nuckelavee?" Ben inquired. _'And why does it sound kind of familiar?'_

Pyrrha swallowed hard, taking hold of her unease to answer Ben. "A Nuckelavee is… an exceptionally powerful and rare Grimm." she managed to utter. "One that is made up of two separate Grimm that fuse together to make a whole; an Imp and a Stallion. They are almost exclusively seen in Anima, and they are nearly impossible to defeat unless one knows what they're doing."

At his friend's words, Ren closed his eyes hard, trying to fight back the memories that were beginning to bubble to the surface. But, in the back of his mind, he could hear a young voice begin to cry out… a voice that had once belonged to him. _'What's going on?! Where is mother?! FATHER!'_

"Many Nuckelavees are responsible for wrecking a whole BUNCH of towns here on this continent." Coco furthered. "They're rarely seen, but when they are, they've been known to decimate entire villages within _minutes_."

Just as Coco said that, Nora saw Ren's hands start to clench up, and she could see his face beginning to falter. _'No… no please, not here!'_

Jessie sighed and folded her arms across her chest. "She's right. But… the only Nuckelavee I can think of that's ever been near THESE parts is the one that attacked Kur—"

"STOP!" The whole room went silent at the sudden scream that echoes throughout it, with everyone's eyes going straight to Nora. Her face was contorted with frustration, breathing hard after yelling her lungs out with that one word. Right at that moment though, Ren suddenly moved back toward the wall and leaned up against it, lowering his head while murmuring silently to himself. Everyone's attention went to him as Nora quickly went over, holding her best friend by the shoulder. "Ren… it's okay. Everything is gonna be okay."

"Guys!" Jaune and Pyrrha were the first to step up to them, both heavily concerned for their friends. "What's wrong?"

Nora's eyes went back to her teammates, her apprehension beginning to show with Ren's increasingly fragile state. "I… guys, this is—"

"It's… it's okay, Nora." Ren finally managed to speak clearly. With a few more ragged breathes, he managed to compose himself and stand back up to his full height, though he was a bit unsteady at first. He faced his best friend with a saddened face, his eyes cast downward slightly. "We… should tell them."

With those words, Jaune and Pyrrha suddenly came to a realization, the couple quickly putting two and two together. "Wait… Ren, Nora…" Pyrrha began. "Is… is this what I _think_ it is?" There was a still silence between Team JNPR for a good five seconds, and her friends saddened eyes were all the answer Pyrrha needed. "Oh… gods."

"W-What is it?" Ruby came forward, her eyes full of worry.

Yang tilted her head slightly. "Guys, you haven't had a run-in with this Grimm before… have you?"

Ren gazed around the room, collecting all of the courage he had to speak again. But before he could, Paul beat him to the punch. "Wait, your name is _Ren_?" The green ninja set his eyes upon the large lumberjack, the Huntsman staring at younger man as if something had just dawned on him. "You wouldn't happen to be related to… _Li_ Ren, would you, boy?" Ren closed his eyes and gave Paul a solemn nod, which made the man lower his head once again. "So… you ARE his son. I thought so. I am so sorry."

"Sorry?" Ben asked. "Sorry for what exactly?"

Ren took a deep breath before going back to his friends, with Nora grasping his hand for support. "Everyone, I think it's time you ALL heard the story… about how Nora and I met."

* * *

**A/N: And so it begins… a familiar entity from Ren and Nora's past has fallen back into their lives by happenstance, and the team are faced with bringing it down. How will the two deal with having to face the very thing that traumatized both of them during their childhoods? Well, we'll just have to wait and see, now won't we. But hey, that's not all that happened in this chapter, huh? We got a… rather interesting interaction between Swift and Ilia, we've met another member of Team JAHB, and (probably biggest of all) Cooper and Coco's first kiss! Now THAT is a good way to send someone off! Plus, we have the debut of another certain Omnitrix alien, and although he remains nameless for now, I'm betting you know who he is. But it also seems that Raven's swinging by again. What could she want, I wonder? Well, there's only one way to find out, and that's to tune in… NEXT TIME! After Ren recounts the tale of the Nuckelavee's attack on his home of Kuroyuri, the team find themselves on their way to take the beast on, despite the ninja's protests. Meanwhile, after initially not making contact, Raven comes back to the house and starts talking with Gwen. But when Ben makes a call to his cousin, Raven catches wind of what the team are facing, and she's determined to help them out, whether they want it or not. Well, that's all for now guys. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you later. Take care!**


	86. Return to Kuroyuri, Part 1

**A/N: Hey guys, and welcome back! Guess what? We've got another two-parter on our hands! Man, been a while since we've had one of these, huh? Well, I think you guys can pretty much guess what's gonna happen in this chapter (or CAN you?), so I think we should get underway. Without any further delay, this is…**

**Chapter 86: Return to Kuroyuri, Part 1**

* * *

_Young Lie Ren still wasn't sure what was going on when he hit the ground. Just a few minutes ago, his mother had barged into his room and got him out of bed. However, it was the sound of screaming that had truly awoken him from his slumber. Soon after, his father had burst in through the front door limping and informed them of some sort of "beast", saying that they needed a Huntsman. After that, Lie's mother had told him that everything would be alright… but after that, all he remembered was a loud crash before everything went black. He woke up being carried in his father's arms as the man sprinted away from the now ruined home. But before they could get much farther, Li Ren had tripped and fell due to his wound, sending both him and Lie tumbling to the ground. "FATHER!" Lie called out as Li painfully tried to sit up._

_Li Ren faced his young son, the man's emotions running all at once. He had just lost his wife, his home, and now he was facing the possibility of losing his own son. The Huntsman couldn't let that happen... even if it meant losing his own life in the process. "Lie… you need to run!"_

_With his fear gripping him, Lie crawled forward and grasped his father's knee, trying desperately to convince him otherwise. "No! No, please! GET UP!" he cried. Suddenly, a loud sound echoed throughout the plaza of Kuroyuri, one that sounded like a combination of a roar and a scream. Lie turned his head to see the silhouette of a terrifying Grimm come slowly stomping through the smoke. It appeared to be that of a horned humanoid fused with that of a horse, and its red eyes were glowing menacingly._

" _Listen to me, son." Li spoke up, catching his son's attention. "You have to be brave now—UGH!" The man grunted as he began feeling the full effects of his wounds. He took in a sharp breath before going on. "Do you understand?"_

" _No, please!" Lie shook his head as he continued to cry. "Please, I CAN'T!"_

_As his son wept, Li reached down to his waist and took out his knife, putting it in his son's hands before pushing him away. "Yes, you CAN!" As he reached down to his side in pain, Li saw his little Lie look at the knife in shock and wonderment. "Take action, son." With all of the strength he could muster, Li took hold of his bow and stood up, ready to do whatever it took to make sure his son got away alive. With all of the composure he could muster, he gave a few final words to his son. "Your mother and I love you."_

"… _Father." Lie clenched the knight in his little hands, fighting back the tears as he didn't know what to do at this point. But his decision was quickly made for him when the massive front hoof of the Grimm stomped in front of him and his father, prompting the man to take action._

" _RUN!" Li knocked an arrow into his bow before firing it at the creature, allowing Ren to finally get up and run away. With one final battle cry, Li engaged the massive beast with everything he had left, now assured that his son would continue to live on._

_Little Lie in the meanwhile was running as fast as his feet could carry him, sprinting beneath a large archway before leaping into the nearby landing where the stream flowed beneath a bridge. The scared boy cowered behind a large crate, his fear beginning to bubble to the surface as he took heavy breaths in and out. A loud screech overhead alerted him to a flock of approaching Nevermores, the giant corvid Grimm divebombing those who were running away. He stood and gazed up to them, ready to try and leave… but then a new sound came to his ears._

" _Huh?" Lie focused on the sound even more, and it was then that he could tell it was someone crying. He shifted his eyes around until he found its source; a young girl around his age, weeping while crouched down beneath a house. But it wasn't just any girl, it was a girl that Lie recognized very well. She had red hair and aqua eyes, clad in a pair of pink shorts, a black hoodie, and a white t-shirt with a pink heart directly in the middle. She was also covered in a bit of grime and dirt, indicating that she had lived on the streets for a while. There was no doubt about it, it was the girl he saw getting harassed by the other kids in town. She was helpless to try and move from her spot. She knew what would happen if she did… and Lie did as well._

_It was then that a large Nevermore landed on the exact same house, letting out a shrill screech when it did. This only served to make Lie panic more as he glanced around the area, seeing the first monstrous Grimm also approaching from behind the smoke. The boy began crying, unsure of what to do as his emotions ran rampant. However, at that moment, something came over Lie, and he started to feel very calm, almost oddly so. His body shimmered for a moment before he became almost entirely monochrome, and like that, he became as calm as he possibly could. His natural colors returned to him and he moved his eyes back up to the girl, now knowing exactly what to do._

_Lie sprang up from the landing and began running toward the little redhaired girl, sliding underneath the house to hasten his progress. Once he was there, he called to her. "Hey!" Lie rested a hand on her shoulder, getting her attention. She let out a gasp at first, but when she saw the familiar face, she slightly let down her guard. With a resolute smile, Lie continued to speak to her. "We have to be brave."_

_The Nevermore leaped to the other side of the house, lowering its head while letting out another shrill cry. The little redhaired girl let out a whimper before focusing back onto Lie. She didn't entirely know who he was, but she DID know one thing in that moment; she was glad to have him by her side. She wrapped him in a hug, hiding her face in his shoulder._

_Now, Lie wasn't exactly expecting this, but it was the best way to have him share his gift with her, so he wasn't about to question it. He enveloped her with his arms and activated his gift, calming her down as well. Once the Nevermore was sure it hadn't missed anything, it let out another screech before flying away, leaving Lie and the girl by themselves._

_However, as their colors returned to them, Lie and the redhead saw four large hooves go stomping by their hiding space, accompanied by what appeared to be twitching limbs being dragged across the ground. The Grimm horse let out a few nickers before moving on, not even sensing the two children that were right beside it._

_As the creature left, the young girl finally spoke, managing to squeak out; "…I'm scared."_

_Lie turned back to her and gave her a nod. "Me too." After a moment of silence between them, Lie looked out to the street to see a small wooden mallet laying not too far away. He made to get up, but the girl held him back, afraid that he would leave her. "It's okay." Lie reassured. After a few seconds, the girl reluctantly let go, trusting the word of the boy who had saved her life. With that, Lie crawled out from under the house, grabbed the mallet, and came right back, presenting it to the girl with a smile. "We'll keep each other safe."_

_The girl stared at Lie in awe before moving her gaze down to the mallet, her eyes threatening to cry even more. Not out of fear though, but from joy. She took the mallet and held it close to her chest, keeping a secure hold of it._

" _What's your name?" Lie asked gently._

_Finally, after another small silence, the redhead faced Lie once again, a smile overtaking her features. "…Nora."_

_Lie's smile grew wider when he saw hers, finally feeling happy once again. "Hm, my name's Lie Ren."_

* * *

Ren took a deep breath as he finished his story, keeping himself composed to give a few finishing words. "And… that was pretty much how it all happened. After we were sure the coast was clear, Nora and I fled Kuroyuri and never looked back." The green ninja closed his eyes and lowered his head as everyone in the hospital room kept their eyes solely on him. "Once we did, we traveled across Anima, learning how to fight so that we could become Hunters. …We never thought we'd have to go back there ever again."

Nora reached over and gently grasped Ren's hand, making crane his head back up. "But apparently, our past has found _us_." The Pink Dynamo faced her large group of friends, craning her head down as well. "So… now you know the whole story. That… _thing_ is the reason why we're here today."

The entire group was standing there stunned, most of all, the teens themselves. Jaune and Pyrrha seemed to be the steadiest of the group, the couple having heard their story before. Still though, this time there was MUCH more detail behind it, and Jaune had closed his eyes solemnly while Pyrrha fought back some tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. Ben and Yang were standing slack-jawed while Coco's sunglasses had moved down the bridge of her nose, allowing everyone to see her widened eyes. Ilia's spots and eyes had turned blue, a strong sense of sadness having overcome her, though she kept her composure.

The same couldn't be said for Ruby and Penny though. Both girls had tears streaming from their eyes and they were choking back saddened sobs. But as much as they tried, they couldn't hold it back for long. Both girls cried and rushed forward, immediately enveloping Ren and Nora in a hug each, taking the duo off guard. "I-I'm SO sorry that had to happen to you guys!" Ruby bawled out as she cried into Ren's shirt.

"That has to be the saddest thing I've ever heard!" Penny added as she too wept into Nora's shoulder.

Ren and Nora glanced to each other awkwardly, somewhat surprised that the two girls were the ones crying instead of them. "Um… there, there?" Nora comforted Penny with a pat on the back. "I know it's sad, but it's okay. We're still here, aren't we?"

However, Ilia came up, stepping in between the two. "Well, yeah, but… you guys lost _everything_ that day. Can you blame us for feeling sad?"

Ren pursed his lips and shifted his eyes down to the floor. "Well, I suppose not."

Once Ruby and Penny were able to pull themselves together, Jaune and Pyrrha stepped up to their teammates, only to offer them their own hugs as well. "Guys, I…" Jaune started. "I don't know what to say. I mean, I know Pyr and I heard the story before but…" The blonde knight let out a breath, his shoulders slumping slightly. "I'm so sorry, guys."

"Indeed." Pyrrha agreed. "I cannot even begin to imagine what was going through your minds at that moment."

Nora shut her eyes as she fell into Pyrrha's hug. "It… it was probably the most scared I've ever been in my entire life. I don't think I've ever been that afraid before or since."

"It was traumatic, yes." Ren said as he pulled away from Jaune and clasped him on the shoulder. "But… we came out alright."

Ben's brows furrowed slightly for just a moment. _'Why don't I feel that's entirely the case with you, Ren?'_ However, he brushed the thought away from his mind and spoke up. "Well… I have to admit that I wasn't expecting to hear that today." The hero bowed his head to Ren and Nora. "Guys, I gotta say, I'm very impressed with how you came back from these events."

Yang smiled and gave them a nod. "Yeah. I'm glad you guys didn't give up. One question though; if Ren unlocked his Semblance under high-stress…" She pointed over to Nora. "How'd you unlock yours, Nora?"

Nora smirked and let out a laugh. "Ha! Well, not long after… "you know what", I got struck by lightning!" Everyone's jaw dropped, their eyes nearly bugged out of their heads. With all eyes on her, Nora shrugged her shoulders. "Hey, I didn't die, right? I mean, I was out for like a minute and a half, but I came out the better for it! Hehe, that was one craaazy Thursday."

Coco wore an amused smile at that. "Heh, if you say so, Pinkie." The fashionable girl's face grew somber once more. "But still, I can't imagine what that must've been like for you two." In her mind, though, Coco suddenly flashed back to a mission that she and her team had gone on just before the Breach of Vale happened, one where they had found survivors of a Grimm attack in Lower Cairn near Mountain Glenn. However, the mission ended in disaster, as all six had been killed by Grimm shortly after they had been found.

The memory only served to bring negative thoughts to Coco's mind. _'They must've been feeling what Ren and Nora felt. Too bad you screwed up.'_ But she pushed that the thought away as soon as it came, not wanting to remember that event any further. _'Don't think about it, Coco. You have to be better if you wanna make up for it.'_

On his hospital bed, Paul let out a heavy sigh as his wife kept a firm grip on his shoulders, helping him sit up. He then lowered his head to Ren. "Young man, you have my sincerest apologies. Li was a good friend of mine, and had I been in Anima to help him fend off the Nuckelavee, I would have gotten to Kuroyuri in _minutes_."

Ren's eyebrows rose up at this. "Where were you at the time, exactly?"

"On a reunion mission with my team." Paul glanced over to Jessie. "In Vacuo of all places."

Jessie gave him a solemn nod. "Yep, if I recall, that was the mission where we went to Coquina to handle a whole pit-load o' King Taijitiu. We were there for three days handlin' that mission."

With that, Ren cast his gaze to the ground. "I see. Well, I suppose it could not be helped."

Paul reached up and put a hand to Ren's arm. "Son, the moment I came back and heard what had happened in Kuroyuri, I went straight there to search for survivors. The Nuckelavee wasn't there anymore… and neither was anyone else. I can only hazard a guess that you both left before I got there." The two locked eyes, with Paul giving Ren a serious face. "Ren, if I had known that you and Nora had survived… I would've happily taken you in myself."

Ren was taken aback by this, as was Nora. "You… you would have?" Nora asked.

"Of course, we would have." Lucette assured, offering a kind smile. "We already had two boys of our own at the time, but we could've made it work."

"That's awfully kind of you." Ren bowed to the couple. "And thank you, but we made it fine on our own."

Paul grinned and let out a slightly saddened chuckle. "Hehe, yes, that much is evident. Your father would be very proud to see the man you've become." Paul's grip tightened on his bed sheets. "But still, I never forgot seeing the aftermath of what happened that day. I had hoped for years that beast would show its hideous face again so I could avenge the people of Kuroyuri. But when it finally did… well, you can figure out the rest."

Jessie pursed her lips in annoyance and smacked her friend's shoulder lightly. "Yeah, that's 'cause ya went in _without_ back-up! Ya know that a Nuckelavee ain't somethin' to be taken lightly, Paulie!" She stood up from the bed and placed her hands on her hips, clearly upset with her friend. "I don't know WHAT went through that head o' yours when you THOUGHT you could take it on, but goddamn, it was NOT a smart move!"

"Jessie!" Lucette stood up to her full height, glowering down to the shorter woman. "I know this is a stressful situation, but that's no excuse to berate my husband! Paul did what he had to do because—"

"Luce, please." Paul reached up and grasped his wife's hand, bringing her attention back to him. "Let's not make this any worse than it already is." Once the two women had calmed down, Paul went back to Jessie once again. "Besides… you're right. I SHOULD have waited for back up. But like an idiot, I thought I could do it myself." He ran a hand through his hair, letting out a tired breath. "I feel so stupid for what I did."

But then, Jessie came forward and pat her friend on the shoulder. "Hey, yer not stupid. And ya ain't no idiot neither. Ya just did whatcha felt ya had to do." She gave him a shrug. "An' that's just what a Huntsman does, I s'pose. Yer heart was in the right place, Paulie. Ya just had to think things through a little more."

"Yeah, I guess." Paul raise an eyebrow up to his friend. "So, what's the plan now?"

Jessie grinned back down to him and jabbed a thumb behind her, pointing to the squad of teens behind her. "Now? We're gonna go take down that Nuckelavee bastard. We're gonna avenge what happened to you _and_ Kuroyuri." The cowgirl spun around and raised her hand up into the air. "Right ya'll?!"

She got a resounding "YEAH!" from most of the teens… with one very major exception. "Wait." Everyone's eyebrows rose up before they all turned around, seeing a resolute Ren and a nervous Nora standing side by side near the door. "I'm sorry, everyone, but I'm afraid that Paul might be right. This whole thing may be way over our heads."

Everyone was astonished by this, most notably Jaune and Pyrrha. "Ren… what're you saying?" Jaune uttered. "This village is in danger!"

"While I know the safety of Shion is at stake, I don't know if it's wise for all of us to go fight against the Nuckelavee." Ren elaborated. "This is a Grimm unlike any of us have ever faced. The rest were comparable to animals, but this… this creature has _intelligence_ , and it knows how to kill effectively."

"Ren, this is the Grimm that destroyed your hometown… and killed your family." Pyrrha pressed further. "But you're saying you DON'T want to fight it?"

Ren closed his eyes briefly. "…As much as I _want_ to, I have to think realistically about the situation." Ren furrowed his brows at his teammates, taking them aback slightly. "Jaune, Pyrrha, you haven't seen what this thing is capable of…" He gestured to Nora right by his side. "But WE have. Paul said it best, this Grimm is way outside of our skill level. If we were professionals, then maybe all of us _could_ take the beast on. But as it stands, there are only two people here who could possibly beat it by themselves." The green ninja pointed over to Ben and Jessie. "And they're standing right there."

The hero and the Huntress glanced at each other before Ben stepped forward, giving Ren a pleading expression. "Ren, I understand how you and Nora feel about this, I sincerely do. But going by what I've learned about the Grimm, where there's a really powerful one, there's usually a horde of lesser ones not far from it." Ben stood directly in front of Ren, his eyes laser focused onto his friend's. "Though you might think otherwise, Jess and I can't take all of those Grimm by ourselves."

Ren sighed through his nostrils, seeing Ben's point. "I know… I just don't want us to go into a fight we're not ready for."

To that Ben gave a smile, taking Ren by surprise. "Alright then, here's what we'll do; we'll go back to the ship and contact Gwen. We'll tell her what we're facing up against and she, Jessie and Jaune'll come up with an effective plan to combat it."

Jaune's took a step back at this. "W-Wait, me?!"

"Yeah!" Ruby supported, poking the side of Jaune's head. "You've got that big brain up there, remember?"

"She's right." Pyrrha gave her boyfriend a wink. "You ARE a capable tactician, Jaune."

Jaune let out a nervous chuckle at that. "Hehe, oh yeah, right."

Yang placed her hands on her hips and gave Ren a smirk. "So, whaddya say, Ren? Sound like a plan?"

Ren glanced around the room seeing the hopeful gazes of all of his teammates on him. However, a tug on his arm made him crane his head down to see Nora, the redhead still worried at his behavior. "Ren… as much as I'm scared about seeing that thing again… we have to remember _why_ we became Hunters in the first place. So that no more people have to suffer the same things we did. After all the things we've faced in the past couple of weeks… this doesn't even _compare_." Her face shifted into one of confidence as she stood tall, giving her best friend a slightly miffed look. "I know that you're afraid, because _I_ am too. But like you told me back then… we need to be brave."

At her words, Ren was taken by surprise by his best friend. She was willing to fight the Nuckelavee even though the odds were against them… and she was confident that they could _win_. "I… hmm." After a few seconds more, Ren finally gave a nod of approval, his calm expression having finally returned. "Alright, let's finish this job."

"I'm right there with you, Ren." Paul said as he made to get up. However, the moment he tried, he let out another pain-filled gasp, his hand going back to the bandages over his stomach. He set himself back on the bed instantly, groaning in aggravation. "GAH! Ugh, dammit!"

Jessie smirked down to her teammate and shook her head. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Sorry, Paulie. I know ya really wanna help, but ya'll've gotta stay in bed an' just relax right now."

"She's right, dear." Lucette agreed as she put the somewhat undersized hospital blanket over her husband. "With that injury, you won't be going far anytime soon."

Paul let out a frustrated breath as his head hit the pillow. "Gah, well, I suppose that's what I get for running in without back-up." The large lumberjack shifted his eyes back to his teammate. "Jess, can you at least pummel it a few times for me?"

The cowgirl Huntress happily tipped her hat. "Sure as sugar, Paulie. You have my word on that."

"Thank you." However, Paul's eyes suddenly widened when he realized something. His gaze shifted over to his wife and he asked; "Uh… sweetheart? Where's my axe?"

Lucette nudged her head out the window. "Oh, I had the boys come and pick it up. It should be at home waiting for you when you FULLY recover." She pointed a finger right in his face. "And I won't be seeing you working, hunting or even _training_ with our sons until you are at one-hundred percent. Are we clear, honey?"

Paul winced at her tone slightly, knowing how serious she was by just that sentence along. Still, he knew she only did it out of love, so he couldn't blame her for it. "…Yes, dear." Paul set his eyes on the teens once again and gave them a grin. "Well, alright. If you kids wanna prove yourselves as the next generation of Hunters, then let's see you all take down that Nuckelavee!"

Ruby and Penny gave the big man a salute. "We won't let ya down, Mr. Bruno!" the Hooded Huntress proclaimed.

"And THAT is a promise!" Penny assured.

Ben smiled at his team and pointed toward the door. "Well, I guess that settles that, then. C'mon guys, let's give these two some space." The teens all waved to Mr. and Mrs. Bruno as they walked out the door, saying their goodbyes as they did. "We'll stop by once we take the Nuckelavee down, guys." Ben said before he stepped out.

"I'm sure you will." Paul concurred. "Farewell Ben, and be safe." With one last goodbye from Jessie and Ben, the two left Paul and Lucette by themselves in the hospital room, with Paul looking up to his wife when they were gone. "I really hope they know what they're doing."

Lucette gave him a shrug. "They seem pretty sure of what they're doing, dear. I think things will work out alright."

Paul set his eyes out the window, gazing out in the direction of Kuroyuri. "For their sake, I certainly hope so."

* * *

To say that Tetrax was surprised that the team was coming back so soon was an understatement. He had figured that they had wanted him to just drop them off here in Shion and then they'd take care of the rest. However, the moment he got their call that they were returning to the Resolute, he had decided to meet them down in the cargo bay. He wasn't alone though as Swift was by his side as well, her arms crossed as the ship's ramp began to lower down once again. "So, you think they found anything?" Swift asked.

"Not sure." Tetrax said. "All Ben told me was that they needed to come back and form a plan of attack." The Petrosapien folded his large arms as he saw the teens and Jessie coming closer, the group climbing up the ramp. "Whatever it is though, it sounds serious."

"Heh, typical Tennyson." Swift commented to herself before her eyes immediately found Ilia. She sent the chameleon girl a wave and greeted; "Hey Freckles, wasn't expecting you guys here for a while."

Ilia smiled back to her friend and nodded. "Yeah, things were a bit more… _complicated_ than we originally thought."

"Yep." Ruby confirmed. "Turns out we're facing a Grimm that's apparently REALLY hard to beat."

Swift tilted her head to the side, a smirk coming to her face. "Ooh, do tell." And so they did. Over the course of the next few minutes, the group gave a brief summary of their talk with Paul, the Nuckelavee situation, and briefly addressed Ren and Nora's past with the beast, not wanting to dwell too much on that for a second time. By the end of it, Swift and Tetrax were standing with shocked expressions, almost speechless at what they had just heard. "Oh… damn." Swift managed to mutter out. "I… I really don't know what to say to that." She sent Ren and Nora a sympathetic look. "While I can't exactly say I know what it's like to lose family, I DO know what it's like to lose a home. I'm sorry, guys."

Nora raised a reassuring hand. "Ah, it's alright, home's where the heart is." She jabbed her thumb over to Ren, Jaune and Pyrrha. "As far as I'm concerned, these guys are my home now."

Ren smiled and let out a small chuckle, a sense of happiness breaking through his remorseful feelings for just a moment. "Heh, right." But just a moment later, his serious face returned, focused back on the mission at hand. "But right now, we have things to plan out."

"I agree." Tetrax nodded. "A beast like this should not be allowed to roam this countryside any further." The bounty hunter craned his head down to Jessie. "Miss Jameson, I don't suppose you have any ideas on how to kill this "Nuckelavee"?"

"I've got a few, sugar." Jessie shrugged. "But here's the thing; killin' a Nuckelavee's no small task. I ain't even sure I _could_ do it myself. If it were me an' my whole team, then it'd be different." She gestured out to the group of teens before her. "But as far as it stands now, it'll take a lotta teamwork from this crew to take that monster to the cleaners."

Swift put a finger to her chin. "Hmm… Nuckelavee. I swear I've heard about something like that before." The Aerophibian hybrid raised an eyeridge to Ben. "Don't we have a mythological creature like that in _our_ world too?"

"I think so." Ben replied. "But honestly, I can't fully remember myself." He brought up the Omnitrix and pointed to it. "Gwen would probably know though, so I'm gonna call her up and see if she knows anything that could help us fight this thing."

Ren raise an eyebrow to the hero. "Do you really believe that your mythical Nuckelavee and our _real_ Nuckelavee can be similar enough to have the same weaknesses?"

Ben gave his comrade a shrug. "Well, we'll never know until we try, right? After all, the myths in our world are always based on _some_ kind of truth."

' _Kind of like the ones in OUR world.'_ Ren added in his head. After a few seconds though, Ren gave Ben a nod, seeing the Omnitrix bearer's logic. "Alright, let's try it out."

"Great, glad you're on board." Ben reached over and pressed down on the Omnitrix, giving the command to call Gwen's Plumber badge. As the call proceeded to go through, however, the sight of the Omnitrix itself reminded Ben about what had happened earlier in the hospital room. "Oh! Yeah, I nearly forgot! I unlocked a new alien at the hospital."

Everyone was taken by surprise at the news, most notably Yang. "Whoa, seriously?! When'd _that_ happen?"

"In Paul's room when I went in to wake him up." Ben explained. "Instead of Swampfire, I became some sort of walking hazmat suit with a window in my stomach that was filled with gas." He put a finger to the side of his head. "The weird thing about it though was that the moment I transformed, I was suddenly a chemistry _genius_ … and that was easily my _worst_ subject in school! I mixed up some smelling salts and I woke Paul up instantly."

"Huh, that IS a bit weird." Jaune commented. "Then again, if you're an alien that's got gassy innards, then I guess knowledge of mixing chemicals probably comes with it."

"Have you decided what to call it?" Pyrrha asked.

"Mmm… not yet." Ben shook his head. "Heck, I'm not even sure WHAT to call a walking hazmat suit with gassy insides."

Coco smirked and titled her head a bit. "Heh, maybe you should name it something like "Chemo", since you're literally just a bunch of walking chemicals."

Ben thought it over for a second before shrugging. "Well… that IS a good name, but there's already a comic book villain named Chemo where I'm from, and I'd rather _not_ get in trouble for copyright."

Penny quickly raised her hand. "Ooh! Perhaps Patho-Gen would be appropriate?"

The hero pointed over to Penny. "Hey, not bad, Pen!"

Then Yang made her suggestion; "Oh! Or maybe Biohazard! It's one word that sounds totally badass!"

"Yeah, that's true, Goldie Locks." Ben put a hand to his chin. "Sure, it's a bit close to Water Hazard, but—" Suddenly, a loud buzzing noise and a red light from the Omnitrix caught Ben's attention, making him shift his eyes down to his watch. There, the call icon had become red and a big red X had appeared in front of it, indicating that the call to Gwen wasn't successful. "Huh? She didn't pick up?" Ben narrowed his eyes. "That's weird."

Coco raised an eyebrow. "How so, Watch Boy? Maybe Gwen's just busy?"

"No, something's up." Ben denied. "Gwen usually has her Plumber's badge on her and she _always_ picks up when it's me." He pressed the middle of the Omnitrix once again, putting his call in a second time. "I'll try again." In his mind though, Ben was starting to wonder what his cousin was up to. _'Gwen… what ARE you doing?'_

* * *

Gwen was sitting on the front porch of the Xiao Long House with her legs crisscrossed and her eyes closed, meditating in a tranquil state. She had initially gone into the house and spent the last hour doing laundry in the meantime, but she came back out soon after she was finished. The young girl was bothered by something… or rather _someone_ she had seen after Ben and the others had left. The Anodite had spent another hour or so meditating, all while reaching out to feel the mana around her. She felt it in the earth, trees, and even the animals that were skittering about, though they were mostly only birds… and squirrels. _'Ugh, little devils.'_

However, there was one bird in particular that had garnered Gwen's attention, one that had finally chosen to return. "I know you're out there." Gwen spoke up. "I want to talk to you."

It took a few seconds for anything to happen, but then a certain corvid landed at the base of the steps, transforming into Raven soon after. "Are you always this good at calling people out?"

Gwen opened her eyes and wore a sly smile at Raven's words. "Comes with the territory. Now, what exactly is going on in the world of Raven Branwen?"

Raven raised a brow. "Why so cordial? You know what I did."

"Yes, I do." Gwen got up and went over to the Spring Maiden, folding her arms over her chest. "But to be fair, I'm no stranger to working with people who've killed before." The redhead glanced off to the side. "Granted, your record's probably HIGHER than those I've worked with, but still."

"Very funny." Raven said, crossing her own arms as well. "Tell me, where exactly did Ben and my daughter go with the others?"

Gwen nudged her head toward the east. "They went off to Anima on a job. There's apparently a really powerful Grimm stalking the village of Shion, so half of the team went off to take care of it."

Raven's eyes widened slightly at this. "Oh… Shion, eh?" In her mind though, she off-handedly thought; _'And to think that place was on my list. Glad I decided to hold off THAT raid.'_ She shook her head slightly and went back to the topic at hand. "I see. And… just to make sure, did I see Jessica Jameson boarding the Resolute with them?"

Gwen grinned and gave a confirming nod. "That's right. We met her just today. She's actually the one who got the call to go there." She sat down on the front steps of the porch, allowing herself to relax a little bit. "An old friend of hers got hurt by that Grimm, and she let the others tag along with her."

"I see." Raven sat down next to the redhead. "And… she knows about your secret, I take it?"

"Uh-huh, found out during a robbery this morning that Ben and the others helped stop."

The tribe leader blinked at that. "Wow, things were certainly busy this morning, I must say."

"Hmm, I'd say so." Gwen's sly grin returned. "Although… from what I heard, you and Ruby had a little conversation this morning about a certain mutual bond you share with a couple people." At her words, Raven's eyebrows shot up and she whirled her head away, avoiding Gwen's question. But this only served to make Gwen chuckle a bit. "Hehe, thought so."

Raven sighed and lowered her head. "Gwendolyn, I'm trying to right the wrongs that I've done. I don't exactly see this as a laughing matter."

"Of course it isn't." Gwen concurred. "But you've gotta admit, you and Ruby share more things in common than you realized… or like to admit."

Craning her head back up to the sky, Raven let out a breath through her nostrils, pursing her lips in thought. "Maybe so… but still, that's not the point I'm trying to make here." Raven put her focus back on Gwen, wearing a dead serious face. "I want to make up for what I've done and said to my daughter. As well as what I did to… to…" She swallowed hard and continued. "The last Spring Maiden."

"…It hurts to even think of her?" Gwen asked.

Raven closed her eyes and faced away from the Anodite. "Gwendolyn, I see her face in my nightmares. …The same terrified face I saw when I… I…" She clenched her hands on her knees and screwed her eyes shut, fighting back the emotions that were coming over here. "Dear god, how do I make it stop?!" Her hands went to her head and she cried out into the open; "I just wish I could undo it all!"

Gwen stared at Raven in silence for a moment. The Anodite didn't even have to read her mana to know that she was one-hundred percent serious about the whole thing. The utterly saddened face that she wore was enough to convince her. Gwen reached over and put a soft hand to Raven's shoulder, prompting the woman to look over to the girl in surprise. "I can't tell you how many times I've said those words myself." Gwen said as a sympathetic smile came to her face.

The tribe leader gave Gwen a perplexed expression. "This isn't going to be some story about a botched school assignment, is it?"

With a roll of her eyes, Gwen quickly shot that theory down. "No, nothing like that at all." She nudged her head toward the house. "It's actually about my boyfriend."

Raven glanced toward the house with narrowed eyes. "Ah yes, the young ruffian. Let me guess, relationship trouble? Because if it's that, then I know ALL about it."

"Not exactly." Gwen denied. "This is… a bit more complex. See, a few years ago, Kevin and Ben tried to hack into the Omnitrix. As you can imagine, this had disastrous results and Kevin was mutated into a conglomerated mineral mutant."

Staring at the girl incredulously, Raven gestured for the girl to move along. "And the point of all this is… what, exactly?"

"I'm getting to it." Gwen assured. "Anyways, I broke into one of my archenemy's homes and stole a tome that I was hoping to use to travel back in time and tell my past self to stop Ben and Kevin's experiment before it could happen." If possible, Raven's gaze was in even more disbelief after she said that. "Still following?"

"A little." Raven confirmed. "Continue."

"Okay, so I traveled back in time and did the deed… but I ended up screwing the future in the process." Gwen's shoulders sagged a bit as her head lowered slightly. "Turns out, those archenemies of mine had taken over in that timeline. And… if that weren't enough, that timeline's version of me had died by their hands."

Raven's lips parted in shock. "Well… what did you do?"

"I got the book back and undid everything I had done." Gwen replied. "I even wiped my past self's memory of everything to make sure she didn't stop the experiment." The young girl turned back to Raven with a small smile. "In the end though, Kevin was able to be changed back to normal by natural means soon after. …He ended up mutating AGAIN later down the line, but that's a different story entirely."

"I see." Raven tilted her head. "And I suppose the moral of this story is…"

Gwen bowed her head to Raven. "It's that no matter how much we try to change our pasts, it won't have any effect on our present." She set her eyes out toward the afternoon sky, a bright smile on her face. "But if we focus on bettering ourselves for the future, then we can have a positive effect on our lives going forward."

Raven stared at Gwen again for a few moments before she too had a smile on her face. She set her gaze off into the distance as well and gave a single nod. "You know… that doesn't sound too bad." After another minute or two of silence between them, Raven shifted her sights back onto the Anodite. "…Gwen?" With the girl's attention successfully gained, Raven went on; "Do you think I can still be a good mother? I mean, Yang's eighteen, she's practically an adult, and—"

But she was cut off when Gwen raised a hand. "Raven… I don't think you have to worry about that." She leaned forward and asked; "Let me just ask you this; do you WANT to be a good mother?"

"Yes! Of course, I do." Raven immediately answered.

"Then you're already well on your way." Gwen approved. "But before you can do that, you have to make up with Yang."

"And I want nothing more!" Raven affirmed. "It's just… I'm having trouble finding the right words."

Gwen tilted her head a bit. "Well, that IS often the case with situations like this. But if there was any more advice I could give you, it's this;" She placed her hand over her heart with a sincere smile. "Tell her what you feel in here. Speak with your heart, not with your brain."

Raven wore a deadpan expression. "Seriously? That sounds like something that a kid's cartoon would say."

The redhead wore a prideful smile. "You'd be surprised the moral lessons you can learn from colorful magic ponies."

With a mighty facepalm, Raven let out a sigh, letting Gwen's words finally sink in. _'Speak with my heart, not my mind. …God, that's cheesy, but it might be my only hope. You want your daughter to trust you again, Raven? Then start taking responsibility for your actions and apologize!'_ Raven took a deep breath and steadied herself, giving Gwen a soft pat on the shoulder. "Thank you, Gwen. You and Ruby have really helped me out here."

"No problem, I'm glad to—" However, Gwen was cut off when the front door suddenly flew open behind the two ladies, making them whirl around. Raven had made to draw Omen from its sheath, but stopped just short when she saw who it was. It was none other than Kevin, the young man breathing in and out while holding a flashing Plumber's badge in his hand. With widened eyes, Gwen exclaimed; "Kevin? What's going on?!"

"Gwen, your Plumber's badge has been—" But then, the Osmosian noticed Raven out of the corner of his eye, making him stop midsentence. "O-Oh, Raven! I didn't know you were here."

"Save it for later, Levin." Raven said as she and Gwen stood up. "What's going on?"

Kevin was snapped back to reality and got back to the issue at hand. "Oh yeah!" He stepped toward the two and presented the Plumber's badge to Gwen. "Babe, your badge has been going off the hook downstairs for at least the past five minutes. I think Ben's tryin' to call you."

The redhead stared at her Plumber's badge in complete befuddlement before reaching for her back pocket, only to realize that it wasn't on her person. "Downstairs, how the—" But then she slapped her forehead. "D'oh, that's right! I took it out while I was gathering laundry!" She quickly snatched the badge out of her boyfriend's hand, quickly apologizing for the sudden move before answering the call. "Ben?!"

" _Gwen!"_ her cousin answered on the other end. _"Oh, thank god, I thought something bad had happened!"_

" _We called your badge at least three times, Red!"_ Yang added. _"What the heck happened?"_

Gwen facepalmed in frustration. "Sorry, sorry, I took my badge out of my clothes while I was doing laundry and I left it downstairs." She smacked her forehead soon after. "Gah, I can't believe I was so absent-minded."

" _I'd usually try and assure you here, but I'm kinda in agreement."_ Ben admitted. _"You almost ALWAYS have your Plumber's badge on you. Were you distracted by something after you did the laundry?"_

The Anodite's eyes shifted over to Raven, the woman shaking her head and mouthing the words "Not now", giving Gwen the only sign she needed. "…You could say that. Let's just say I got caught up in a long conversation." She let out a breath before going back to her cousin. "So, how's the mission going? Was Mr. Bruno awake yet?"

" _He was, sugar."_ Jessie replied on the other end. _"Though that Grimm bastard managed to throw him for a loop, I'll tell ya what."_

Raven's eyes widened at that. _'This Grimm was powerful enough to injure PAUL BRUNO?!'_ She shouted in her mind. _'What in the world are they facing over there?"_

"Wow, sounds like you guys got some big trouble on your hands." Kevin commented. "So, did he actually SEE what the Grimm was or what?"

There was a brief pause on the other end before Ben continued; _"Yeah… and it's also the same one who destroyed Ren's home village of Kuroyuri many years ago."_

Kevin's eyes widened while Gwen let out a gasp, covering her mouth in the process. "No! Are… are you serious right now?" Gwen asked.

At that point however, Raven's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. _'Kuroyuri? No… they CANNOT be serious.'_

Contradictory to Raven's thoughts though, Ren spoke up on the other end of the line, only confirming her fears. _"We ARE serious, Gwen. The Grimm that's been terrorizing the countryside near Shion IS most certainly the same one that destroyed my home. It's called a Nuckelavee and it's VERY powerful."_

" _We were hoping that you'd have some ideas on how to fight it."_ Nora added. _"Since Ben thinks that you guys have legends about your OWN Nuckelavee in your world."_

Gwen's eyebrows rose up. "A Nuckelavee, huh? Well, yes, we DO have legends surrounding them where we're from, but—" However, at that moment, Gwen shifted her eyes up to Raven, only to see the woman's face having twisted in a mixture of emotions. Though most prominent among them were fear, anger, and a bit of disappointment. "Uh… Rav—"

Without warning, Raven whirled around and unsheathed Omen, slashing a portal into existence. Gwen and Kevin were taken aback by the sudden action, though Raven sent the Anodite one last glance over her shoulder, giving her a nod. "Thank you for the talk, Gwen." After those last words, Raven went into the portal, leaving the couple behind as it closed behind her.

As the duo stood there in utter shock, Gwen brought her Plumber's badge back up, speaking into it with a bit of apprehension. "Uh… Ben? Remember how I said that I was talking with someone? She's headed your way. You should see her in a few seconds."

* * *

Back in the Resolute, Ben, Yang and the others were all standing together in a somewhat disjointed circle, having gathered around to make sure they heard Gwen as clearly as possible. But the moment she said that they should be expecting company, they couldn't help but be confused. "Uh… Gwen?" Ben hesitantly asked. "What do you mean by—" Just then, a rather familiar red and black portal slashed open right in the middle of their circle, making most of the teens let out yells of surprise. "…Oh. Now I get ya. Gwen, I may have to call you back."

Yang's brows furrowed and her hands went to her hips as she saw her mother storm through the portal, the woman clearly as agitated as she was. "Oh _great_. This is _just_ what we need right now." Yang muttered to herself sarcastically.

"A NUCKELAVEE?!" Raven hollered as she marched up to Ben and Yang, her voice echoing throughout the cargo hold. "Are you children out of your MINDS?!"

Off to the side, Ruby's began to panic in her own mind. _'Oh no! Raven, this isn't part of the plan!'_

On the other end of the circle, Swift did a double take while stumbling back a bit. "Whoa! Where'd the crazy lady come from?!"

"That's Yang's mother, Raven." Ilia answered. "She's the leader of a tribe of thieves and her Semblance allows her to create portals to those she has a bond with."

"Thanks for the intel." Swift muttered as she saw Raven get closer to Yang and Ben. "Remind me to never cross her."

Before Raven could close the gap between her and the couple, the sound of jiggling spurs and stomping boots came forward, resulting in a familiar figure stepping directly into the tribe leader's path. Jessie Jameson glowered at Raven and folded her arms, her piercing glare making Raven stop in place. "Well, well, if it ain't the two-timin' gal who abandoned her team?" Jessie chastised, making everyone reel back slightly. "Raven Branwen. Been a while."

Raven narrowed her eyes further and clenched her teeth. "Jessica Jameson. Here I thought you'd learned to _stay_ in Vacuo."

"You know what they say about too much sun, hon." Jessie countered while raising an eyebrow. "Now what're ya doin' here?"

"I'm _here_ to take the team back _home_." Raven pointed directly to Jessie's chest. "Because apparently, YOU think it's a-okay to just have them face down a _Nuckelavee_! Outside of Ben and perhaps even Rex, they aren't _ready_ for this level of Grimm."

Jessie wore a bemused expression at this. "Maybe so… but then again, this wasn't my call to make." She gestured all around the room. "They _willingly_ stepped up to face the Nuckelavee, even when they were given the chance to back out." She gave a smile over to a certain duo. "I'm particularly impressed with Ren an' Nora's bravery in this situation." Jessie then went back to Raven with a stern face. "Besides, if'n I recall, Yang told me that ya'll ain't exactly on good terms right now."

Raven was about to retort when she caught sight of her daughter behind Jessie, and the two ended up locking eyes. They stared at each other for a good while, with Raven's demeanor softening up while Yang remained somewhat irritated by her presence. But it wasn't long before Yang saw a change in her mother's mood, and she glanced away with her arms crossed. Raven let out a breath, finally having calmed down. "Well… you're right about that, Jessica. We had a fight last night and… things didn't go well."

"Hmph, to say the least." Yang mumbled to herself.

"But I want to try and make things right." Raven continued, taking Yang off-guard. "I know that I have done many things in the past that were very wrong, and I'm not proud of what I've done." The Spring Maiden calmly stepped past Jessie and approached her daughter, who was still looking away from her. "Yang, I withheld the truth from you and everyone else even when you trusted me. And for that… I'm ashamed. _I_ was the one who should've trusted _you_ more."

Yang moved her eyes back to her mother, wearing a serious face. "…Yeah, you _should_ have."

Though her simple yet harsh statement stung, Raven pressed onward. "I'm… I'm sure that Ruby told you about the conversation we had this morning."

Yang raised a brow over to her sister, who was wearing a cheeky smile and waving over nervously. "Yes, she did." She uncrossed her arms and put her hands to her hips. "Listen… mom, I know that you keep saying you're sorry. And, a small part of me wants to believe you." She furrowed her brows again. "But my trust is something you'll have to _earn_ back."

"And I'm willing to make the effort." Raven assured, a small smile forming on her lips. "I'm ALSO willing to do whatever it takes to do it."

Slowly but surely, Yang's harsh look began to relax before giving her mom a nod. "Alright, then you'll start by letting us take on the Nuckelavee."

Those words sounded like shattering glass in Raven's mind, her jaw nearly dropping to the ground. However, the shock was soon replaced by a sense of pride. Her daughter truly wasn't afraid to take this beast on, and once quick sweep of the crowd revealed that they weren't afraid either. After a few seconds of taking it all in, Raven chuckled and folded her own arms. "Well… I suppose there's no convincing you otherwise. Alright, you're free to hunt down the Nuckelavee." She raised a single finger. "BUT… only if I accompany you on the mission."

The whole team was surprised by Raven's sudden voluntary participation, though Pyrrha was quick to voice her opinion. "You really wish to help? Even under… _certain_ circumstances?"

Raven knew what the girl was referring to. The team would be heading into a heavily infested Grimm area, one that would be prime for an ambush by Salem's forces. If Raven weren't careful, she could be taken back to Salem by force… or worse. The Spring Maiden gave the Invincible Girl a resolute expression, standing firm on the decision. "If it will help in earning back not just by daughter's trust, but all of _yours_ as well, then so be it. I'm not about to run away from a Grimm."

Jaune was impressed by Raven's stance on the matter. "Pyr, I think she's serious about this." Pyrrha's eyes moved to her boyfriend at his words. "I mean… it couldn't hurt to let her come along, right?"

"Well… I suppose not." Pyrrha admitted. _'Though she knows it's not the Grimm I'm worried about…'_ The redheaded warrior worriedly glanced over to Jessie. _'Then again, Jessie can't know about that.'_ She moved her sights back to Raven and gave her a nod. "Alright then, if you are truly sure about all of this, then far be it from me to stand in your way."

"Indeed!" Penny raised her hand. "After all, more help would be greatly appreciated."

Raven grinned at the support before eyeing Jessie. "Well, Jameson? Any objections?"

Jessie pursed her lips in contemplation. "Well… I ain't too sure 'bout all this, personally. But, far be it from me to get in between ya'll's family matters." She shrugged her shoulders, finally accepting the idea. "Ah, what the hell? Sure, you can come along, Raven." But Jessie then immediately pointed a finger at her. "But if ya'll try to pull ANY funny business, I'll make sure ya get what's comin' to ya."

"No need, Jessie." Yang assured before returning her stern eye to her mother. "Because _I'll_ be the first to know if she messes up."

Raven winced a bit at that, but she managed to clear her throat and change the topic. "Ahem, y-yes, of course. So, do you have a plan to face the Nuckelavee?"

Ben, who had remained silent to try and avoid making the whole conversation more awkward than it already was, finally spoke up again. "That's actually the reason why we were calling Gwen in the first place." He held up the Omnitrix and began calling Gwen again, this time knowing that she would pick up on the first ring. "We were hoping that she'd have any ideas on how to fight it by going off the Nuckelavee legend from our world."

Raven put a hand on her hip. "And you really believe that'll help?"

Ben simply gave her a shrug. "Can't hurt to try, right?" A blip came from the Omnitrix the moment he said that, meaning that his cousin had picked up. "Hey Gwen, sorry about that."

" _No, no, it's fine, I get it."_ Gwen said on the other end. _"So… is everything okay over there? Raven didn't blow her top, did she?"_

Yang quirked a brow at her mother. "Well… at first she did, but we managed to work things out a little bit." The blonde put a hand to the back of her neck. "We're not exactly one-hundred percent okay… but we're still hammering out the kinks."

" _Well… okay. If you guys say so."_ Gwen accepted.

Just then, Coco decided to jump into the conversation. "Hey, Red! Is Tech Head still there or did G.I. pick him up already?"

" _Oh, yeah, the general came to get him about ten minutes after you guys left."_ Gwen confirmed. _"They should be there pretty soon. I have to say though, whatever this secret project is, it must be pretty important because Coop said he was going to work on it on the way over to where you guys are."_

Coco grinned and let out a small laugh. "Hah, yeah, it's pretty big alright. And let me tell ya, it's gonna be a BLAST when he gets here with it."

" _I'm sure. Now, what's all this about a Nuckelavee?"_

"It's a very powerful Grimm with the humanoid torso of an Imp Grimm fused with that of a whole Stallion Grimm." Pyrrha answered. "They are vicious, relentless, and they can destroy almost anything with ease."

There was a brief pause on the other end before Gwen gave an understanding sound. _"Hmm, I see. So what we're dealing with here DOES pretty much sum up the Nuckelavee from our world. But… I'm guessing that yours are probably MUCH more demonic."_

"If blood red eyes and a pair of curved horns count as demonic, then yeah, it is." Nora confirmed. "Trust me, you don't easily forget something like that."

" _I can imagine."_ Gwen concurred. _"…One question though; does this creature have long arms? And I'm talking REALLY long arms?"_

"Yes, it does." Ren replied. "Those are its main forms of attack."

" _I thought so. And on the topic of its breath… can it infect plants and animals with deadly toxins?"_

The whole group of Hunters-in-training wore confused faces before going to Jessie and Raven, hoping that the more experienced ladies would have an idea. "That ain't known, sugar." Jessie denied. "An' if it can, no one's been able to observe a Nuckelavee for long enough to see it. All it does is kill."

Gwen hummed a little bit on the line, almost as if she were taking notes. _"Alright then, we can rule that out for now…"_ A couple seconds passed before her next question came up. _"Okay, one last thing; does it have trouble crossing bodies of fresh water?"_

This question served to puzzle the group even further. "Um… that's a negative." Ren answered. "It's able to cross over rivers with relative ease. It lives in the mountains, so I'm assuming that it HAS to live near bodies of water."

"Gwen, where ARE you getting all these weird questions from?" Ilia asked. "These don't exactly seem to correlate with our problem here."

" _Oh, but it does."_ the Anodite countered. _"Trust me, Ilia, it's all coming together._ _According to Orcadian mythology, which is where our Nuckelavee comes from, it's said that it's a creature that originated from the ocean, meaning that it has an aversion to fresh water. But, since this Grimm Nuckelavee obviously doesn't, that means we can't use water in our strategy."_

Swift raised an eyeridge. "And the toxic breath? Where'd that come from?"

" _Yet another trait of our Nuckelavee, Swift. But since it's unknown if the Grimm version has toxic breath, you guys will just have to try and steer clear from its face as much as possible."_

Ben nodded his head to the side. "Alright, fair point. So how should we go about this?"

" _Simple; you guys need to restrain its arms."_ Gwen explained.

Jaune brightened up at the idea. "Hey yeah! If we can restrain it, then we might be able to stop it from moving all together."

"Perhaps," Penny agreed, "but there is one other factor we must take into consideration; the Stallion. If we do not stop it from running, we'll never get it under control."

" _Hmm, good point, Penny."_ Gwen admitted. _"Well, how big IS the horse itself?"_

Coco mulled it over in her head before giving a rough estimation. "I want to say… at least twice the height of Yatsu. At least from its front legs up to its head."

Ben reeled his head back at his. "Woah, that's a pretty big horse. It's probably gonna take a lot to keep that thing down."

"Sure is, sugar." Jessie lightly knocked her knuckles against her head. "Stallions have a head that's as thick as a steel beam. It'll take quite a bit o' force to drive it's skull in. That's probably the only sure-fire way o' keepin' it down."

Jaune raised his hand to make a suggestion. "Or… we could just try taking out its legs? It'd save us a lot of trouble in the long run."

Pyrrha put a hand to her chin in contemplation. "That IS a good point, Jaune. But in order to get close, we'll need to take out the arms first."

"Sounds like a plan." Ren nodded firmly, his brows furrowing a slight bit. "Arms first, then horse, then the Imp on its back."

Nora was intently focused on her best friend, her eyes showing great concern once again. Sure, she was glad that Ren wanted to take part in the fight after her pep talk, but now, she could see something new behind his eyes beginning to come to the surface. She couldn't tell if it was anger or any other negative emotion, but she DID know one thing; she had to keep Ren grounded. "But we'll have to all work as a team to take it down, right Renny?"

Ren's eyes widened and his attention went to Nora, almost as if he had been brought out of some sort of trance. "O-Oh, right, of course." The green ninja directed his gaze to Jaune and Pyrrha, giving them a small smile. "So, shall we take the beast down together?"

Jaune grinned and put a hand to his friend's shoulder. "Like you even _need_ to ask?"

Pyrrha came over and did the same. "We WILL avenge those that were lost on that day, Ren, including your parents. I promise."

"…Thanks guys." Ren bowed his head slightly before going back to Nora, taking in a deep breath as he did. "Well, are you ready?"

Nora gave him a thumbs up. "Ready as I'll ever be."

It was then that Gwen decided to speak up again. _"Um… guys, that's all well and good, but there's just one tiny thing we still don't know; where the Nuckelavee actually IS."_

"I can help with that." Raven volunteered. "After all, my tribe is based in Anima, so we make it a point to keep track of where every powerful Grimm is in order to avoid them while making our base camps."

"Heh, well that's handy." Yang chuckled, tilting her head a bit. "So where is it, mom?"

Raven winced a bit, her features growing more nervous. "Well… that's where things get complicated." She directed her focus onto Ren and Nora, a sympathetic expression coming to her face. "You see, when the Nuckelavee isn't roaming the countryside by night, it returns to its mountain lair by dawn. Beyond that mountain is where the kingdom of Mistral begins… but it's also very close to the village of Kuroyuri."

Ren and Nora were stunned, their eyes widening in shock and horror. "Wait…" Nora began, "so if we want to catch the Nuckelavee before it gets too dark… then you're saying we might have to go _back_ to Kuroyuri?"

"That's right." Raven regrettably replied. "The Nuckelavee often still stalks the ruins of the town before it goes on its nightly hunts. My tribe believes that it favors the village as a place to corner its prey."

"Meaning that there's probably more Grimm there, too." Ruby added. "So we'll ALL be in for a fight."

Ben put his sights on Ren once more, the green ninja still somewhat frozen in fear. "…Ren." The hero made sure that he had Ren's full attention before pressing on. "Are you still willing to go through with this? I know that the thought of seeing your home town again might be too much for you, and I don't wanna put you through something that's too stressful. If it's too much, let me know, okay?"

But Ren was quick to raise a hand up to the Omnitrix bearer. "N-No, Ben, I'll be okay." he snakingly asserted. "I… I'm willing to do whatever it takes to bring that beast down. I said that I would fight with all of you against it, and I don't plan on changing my mind."

"…Alright then." Ben accepted. "If that's the case, then we'll head out soon." The hero put his hand next to the Omnitrix, ready to end the communication. "Thanks for the help, Gwen. We'll call you as soon as that thing's dead."

" _Okay, Ben."_ Gwen replied. _"You all stay safe, and good luck."_ With that, the communication was ended, leaving the team to contemplate the mission that they would soon set out to do.

After remaining silent throughout the whole call, Tetrax piped up, making the teens direct their attention to him. "Well, now that we're all clear on what the plan is, I think it's time we start heading out." The Petrosapien turned to Jessie, extending a hand to her. "Miss Jameson, do you think you could come up to the bridge with me so that I can successfully take us to Kuroyuri?"

Jessie gladly tipped her hat to him. "I'd be happy to, sugar. Shouldn't take us very long to get ourselves over there."

"Thank you." Tetrax led her over to the elevator before pointing back over to the group. "You kids stay down here, okay? We'll be there in no time, so be ready."

Ben gave his friend a thumbs up. "Got it, Tetrax. We will." The team watched in silence as Tetrax and Jessie went up to the upper floor of the Resolute, before Ben shifted his attention back to a certain tribe leader. "Well… now that we've got some time, I gotta say Raven, I didn't expect you to come here to help us."

Raven pursed her lips and leaned up against one of the large cargo crates, folding her arms in the process. "Well, when I heard the word "Nuckelavee", I felt something just go off in my mind. I wasn't about to let you kids send yourselves off to die."

"Now THAT'S surprising." Yang commented, raising an eyebrow to her mother. "Especially considering you all of the stuff you did."

Raven felt her heart sink and was about to respond when, much to everyone's shock, someone came to the woman's defense. "YANG!" Ruby stormed up to her sister and got right in her face, taking Yang by complete and utter surprise. "…Listen, I know that this isn't exactly the BEST way this meet-up could've happened, but you DID agree that you'd talk to your mom! You _promised_ me that you would!"

Yang's eyes moved between her sister and her mother just as the ship began to lift off the ground, making her stomach slightly more uneasy than it already was. She had never seen her sister this assertive before, and she had to admit, she was both proud and a little afraid at the same time. Yang knew her sister wouldn't hurt her, but the silver-eyed glare she was giving her was more than enough for her. The Blonde Brawler's eyes closed and she lowered her head, letting out a sigh. "You're right, Ruby. I'm sorry." Yang stepped away from her sister and went over to her mother, their eyes meeting in silence.

Seeing this, Swift decided to raise her hand up and get everybody's attention. "C'mon guys, I've got a feeling we aren't needed here."

"Yeah, let's leave them too it." Ilia supported as the two girls led Team JNPR and Penny away from the proceedings, leaving only Ben and Ruby behind as moderators.

To break the ice, Yang decided to bring up a certain topic. "So… Ruby told me that you were at Summer's grave this morning."

"I was." Raven confirmed. "I went to pay my respects… and vent a little."

"I can understand that." Yang agreed. "I've gone there to vent a bit myself."

Raven smiled at that fact. "I'm sure you have. Summer was always a someone I felt comfort in confiding things into… even things I didn't feel comfortable talking about with anyone else."

Slowly but surely, a small smile also formed on Yang's face, the memory of Summer relaxing her a bit. "Yeah…" She reached up and scratched the back of her head awkwardly, wondering exactly where this conversation should go. "Listen, mom… what I said to you last night, I know it was harsh, but I felt it was something I needed to say."

"I understand." Raven acknowledged. "The things that I've done… I'm not proud of them. Abandoning my family, betraying the Spring Maiden's trust and killing her, I often find myself having nightmares over these things." The tribe leader lowered her head a slight bit. "And then… my mind goes back to all of the raids I lead against defenseless villages, and I find myself thinking back to the many other lives I've taken." Her hand clenched around the handle of her sword in frustration. "The very thought of it… disturbs me."

Yang's smile slightly increased at these words. "Well hey, that shows you've got a conscience. I only wish you'd listened to it sooner."

"Yes… so do I." Raven faced her daughter again with saddened eyes, making Yang's smile fall. "Yang… for a long time, I wondered if I could have _ever_ been a good mother. But how can I even _think_ of that when I've taken the lives of so many other mothers and their children?"

The blonde pursed her lips at her mother's words, thinking them over for a good while. Hesitantly, she reached out and put a hand to Raven's shoulder, showing her a bit of comfort. "Mom… I don't know if I can give you a solid answer for that." Her smile then reappeared. "But what we were doing before, just talking to each other after all this time apart? I really liked that. I finally felt like… I had a connection with you." Her smile then disappeared again and she turned away. "I just wish you had been more honest with me from the very start."

"…I do too." Raven said, making Yang face her again. "However, no matter how much we wish the past can be changed, we unfortunately can't." With a resolved expression, Raven clenched her other hand into a fist. "So right here, right now, I promise that I WILL strive to do better in the future. Not just by you, but by everyone."

After a few seconds of simply staring at Raven, a small chuckle escaped Yang's lips, a smirk forming on her face once again. "Heh, ya know, I'm actually really glad to hear that."

"So am I!" Ruby cheered.

"Same here." Ben walked over to the two, giving Raven a smile of his own. "So… how about we start by making sure that Nuckelavee's put in its place?"

Raven was quick to show her support. "Sounds fine by me." A few moments after she said that, the ship began to jostle again before everyone on board could feel it lower back down to the ground. Once it came to a stop, the whole group came back together near the loading ramp as it began to lower, all of them preparing to disembark. "Well, that didn't take long at all." Raven remarked.

"You got that right." Swift said before stepping away from the ramp, giving them all a wave. "Well, this is as far as I can go. Any further and I'm outside the safe zone. But hey…" she pointed to Ilia and gave her a wink. "Stay safe out there, Freckles."

Ilia's spots changed to a soft pink and she grinned nervously, letting out a slight chuckle. "Hehe, y-yeah, of course, Swift. Will do."

Just then, Tetrax and Jessie came back down the elevator, the two walking over to the group as quick as they could. "Alright, we've made the landin'." Jessie announced as she clapped her hands twice. "Now let's get this show on the road, huh?" But then, she stopped and sent her gaze over to Ren and Nora in concern. "At least… if'n ya'll're ready, that is."

The green ninja and Pink Dynamo looked at each other, locking eyes before sharing a nod. "We are." Ren confirmed as the ramp finally hit the ground. "It's time to end this once and for all."

"Very good." Tetrax commended. "I will remain here and guard the ship if any Grimm decide to come and attack us." The Petrosapien faced Ben and put a fist over his right pectoral in his signature salute. "Good luck out there, Ben."

Ben gave his friend the same salute. "Will do, Tetrax. And thanks." The hero turned around, gazing down to the streets below with his team by his side. "Okay guys… it's hero time."

"If ya'll say so." Jessie said before pulling her double-barrel shot gun off of her back. She loaded it up and pumped the action, making sure that it was ready before taking her first steps out of the ship. "Let's get 'er done."

* * *

The moment he stepped onto the cobblestone street, Ren could feel himself almost being transported through time. He was back. Back in the place he swore he would never step foot in again. The place where he had once called home was in an even sorrier state than when he had left it, though he wasn't surprised about that. What he WAS surprised by was the fact that it was eerily calm throughout the whole place. He expected to see at least _one_ Grimm stalking the streets. After all, the sun was beginning to set, and even better, it was cloudy out. It was practically the perfect time for them to start coming out. "Something's off." Ren said instantly. "I can feel it."

Everyone's eyes went to him in surprise. Out of all the things Ren could have said after coming back to his home village for the first time in years… THAT was probably the most unexpected thing they had heard. "Ren… what do you mean?" Nora asked worriedly.

"I mean that there's no sign of _any_ Grimm." Ren elaborated. "Don't you find that strange?"

Penny did a quick scan of the area before coming to a conclusion. "I agree. It _does_ seem a little weird. We probably should have seen at least a few wandering around by now."

"Well, mabye." Pyrrha admitted. "But we should not tread simply lightly." She waved her arm out across her, gesturing out toward the village with her weapon. "After all, we have yet to really enter the village itself."

"Pyrrha's right." Jaune said as he pulled out his sword and shield. "They could by hiding anywhere, so be on your guard."

Coco lowered her sunglasses and began scoping out the place, taking in all of the dilapidated buildings and burned architecture. "Well, I know one thing; this IS the perfect place for Grimm to ambush their prey. There's absolutely _no where_ safe to go."

"No kidding." Ilia said as she brushed her hand against a scorched archway, the wood soot rubbing off on her fingers. "But still, it's almost like this place hasn't been touched in _years_. If there WERE any people that wandered through here… they didn't last for very long."

Up in front, Jessie, Ruby, Yang, Raven and Ben lead the group further into town, with the ladies keeping their weapons at the ready. Meanwhile, Ben held a steady hand on the Omnitrix, ready to transform into an alien at any moment's notice. "Okay, so I'm thinking if we ARE gonna face a large horde, I should probably transform into something that can take 'em out quick." Ben reasoned. "Maybe XLR8 or Gravattack."

Ruby's eyes brightened up as a thought came to her head. "Oh! Or maybe you could transform into that new guy you mentioned! It's be a great opportunity to figure out his powers."

Ben wore a small grin at that. "Eh… maybe. Though to be honest, I'm not exactly sure how a bulky guy like him can be used in battle yet."

"Hey, c'mon, Green Boy," Yang nudged her boyfriend with her elbow, "no time like the present, right? Besides, we still gotta come up with a name for him."

Ben was about to respond when Jessie and Raven both suddenly stopped and simultaneously shushed the couple, catching everyone's attention. The group had made it into the very center of the village, with all of them facing down the street to the opposite entrance. "Did ya hear that?" Jessie whispered.

"I did." Raven said darkly, her eyes still trained forward. "Be ready kids…" She pulled out Omen and went into a combat stance. "We've got company."

"She's right." Ilia said as she pulled her Lightning Lash out. "I hear it too."

Pretty soon, everyone could hear it; the sound of multiple footsteps rapidly approaching from all around them. Suddenly, from down the street, a large pack of Beowolves appeared, running at them voraciously. There were a number of Ursai among the group as well, their blood red eyes boring into the team as they drew closer and closer. "See? What did I tell you?" Pyrrha said as she and Jaune prepared themselves to fight. "Once they're sure their prey is in sight, they just come right out of the woodwork."

Coco simply smirked and pulled out Gianduja, the rotary cannon's large barrel already spinning and ready to fight. "Ah, don't worry, Pyrrha. This is just the welcome wagon, we can—" But right then and there, Coco stopped talking when the horde Grimm suddenly came to a stop all at once. The horde simply stood there, baring their teeth at them while growling menacingly, though the team weren't exactly intimidated. In fact, they were more confused than anything.

"Uh… why'd they stop?" Jaune asked.

Right when he asked that however, another new sound graced the team's ears… and it was _very_ distinct; _Clip-clop, clip-clop_. The sound of large hooves slowly approaching from around the bend, right where all of the Grimm had stopped in their tracks. Yang glowered toward the street that the sound was coming from. "Take a wild guess."

Ren's lips parted and his pupils shrunk in horror as the familiar beast finally began to show itself. It was exactly how he had remembered it from his childhood, and it was just as terrifying now more than ever. He nearly fell to his knees, but he remained steadfast and stayed upright. Instead, he lowered his head to try and keep from making eye contact with it for as long as he could, silently muttering; "No… _no_." under his breath.

"Ren?" Nora put a hand to her friend's shoulder worriedly.

As Nora attempted to console her friend, the large Grimm finally came around the corner, allowing everyone to see it in full. The Stallion was what everyone had noticed first, the huge horse-like Grimm letting out a breath of black smoke the moment it stopped in place. Its muzzle, lower jaw and ribcage were comprised of the signature exposed white bone that the Grimm were known for, as were its two back hooves. Its forelegs on the other hand had two large claws on either ped, each having a dull nail on their tip. Unlike a regular horse though, this beast didn't have short fur. Rather, it was covered in a black, muscly sinew that kept the body parts together, which managed to gross a few of the team out substantially.

However, what disturbed them all the most was what was on the Stallion's back. As the horse moved around, the humanoid creature on its back remained slumped over, dragging one of its long, two-fingered arms along the ground. The moment it came to a stop though, the fingers began to twitch a bit before the whole body did the same, finally lifting itself up for everyone to see. It was just as skinless as the horse and its upper face and pectorals was made of white bone, with a pair of curved white horns jutting out from its forehead. Its teeth were jagged and its lower jaw almost appeared to be sewn to the upper one, the muscly parts connecting right to the teeth. It also had an exposed rib cage along with long, spinal spikes going down its back giving it an even more morbid appearance. There were also a multitude of arrows and spears sticking out from its back, indicating that it had been in many battles.

The moment the creature raised its head, the Nuckelavee gave out a ragged breath, its head twitching from side to side disturbingly. The team all stared at the creature in utter horror, though Ben seemed to be more shocked than anything. "I expected many things from this thing… but did I expect a weird fusion of Loki, Stretch Armstrong and one of the Four Horsemen? No, no I did not."

Just as those words came out of his mouth, the Nuckelavee reared its upper torso back and let out a blood curdling screech, one that echoed out through the entire area. _**"REEEAAAAHHH!"**_ Everyone went to cover their ears at the Grimm's scream, many of them even stepping back at the intimidating show.

"Okay, that thing's a screamer!" Yang shouted as she took her hands away from her ears. "Now who wants to shut it up?!"

The team began readying their weapons, with Penny shifting her arms into her Floating Array blades. "Please, allow me to engage first. I can take hits well, so I'll soften it up for you guys."

"Let's not get to hasty here, kids." Jessie warned as she kept her shotgun trained on the Nuckelavee. "Remember, that thing's got a whole horde by its side. Somethin' tells me it's gonna wait until the puppies tire us out before comin' in for the kill."

"Exactly." Raven concurred. "Which means we'll have to split up to take care of them."

At that moment, the Nuckelavee jerked its body around, turning to the Alpha Beowolf that was leading the pack of Grimm. The larger beast gave out a low sound to it and the Beowolf responded in kind, growling in response. Suddenly, the Alpha let out a loud howl and began running forward with six more of its kind, intending to engage the group and take them down. "Here they come!" Ilia hollered.

"Keep steady, guys!" Coco said before shifting Gianduja back into its handbag mode. With one mighty swing, she knocked one of the Beowolves back before leaping up and stomping its chest in with a mighty kick, making it howl in pain. She shifted her bag back to its rotary cannon form, blasting the Beowolf right in the face and killing it. "Like I said, these guys are pushovers!"

Yang and Ruby ran up to two of the Beowolves, the sisters ready to engage their enemies. With one blast from Ember Celica and Crescent Rose respectively, the duo launched themselves forward and into the fray, meeting the beasts as they lunged right at them. With one swing from Crescent Rose, Ruby sliced her Beowolf in half, its two parts dissolving into black mist as they hit the ground. Yang on the other hand took her time with her opponent, wrestling it to the ground before punching it multiple times in the face. With every strike, she unloaded round after round of Fire Dust into it, until the head practically wasn't there anymore.

The Beowolf died and dissolved in Yang's grasp, the Blonde Brawler high-fiving her sister for their work. "Nice take down, Ruby!"

"Hey thanks! So was yours." Ruby commended before seeing another Beowolf go for Ilia. "Ooh, let's see how she handles this! Go, Ilia!"

The chameleon girl couldn't help but grin when Ruby cheered for her. Having someone supporting her in battle was a bit of a new experience for her, and she had to admit, it felt really nice. _'I won't let you down, Ruby.'_ With her confidence riding high, Ilia whipped her Lightning Lash out toward the Beowolf, with arcs of electricity already charged up. The bladed whip managed to wrap itself around the Grimm's arm and the lightning surged directly into it, making the creature howl in pain. Then, with one strong pull, Ilia retracted the whip back, making it slice cleanly through the Beowolf's arm, making it cry out even more.

"Oh, you thought _that_ was bad?!" Ilia ran forward and dove past the Grimm before whipping her Lightning Lash back around, making it wrap around the Beowolf's right leg. With another pull, she pulled her weapon back and easily amputated the leg, making the Grimm fall in agony. Ilia jumped on its back and then lashed her whip around its neck, silencing the howls before readying herself to finish it off. "Cry about THIS." With one last pull, Ilia decapitated the Beowolf, killing it instantly. The girl raised her weapon into the air in victory and shouted out; "Ha! Too easy!"

"I'll say!" Yang supported with a round of applause. "You brought that one down without breaking a sweat! Nice job, Color Girl!"

Ilia gave Yang a bow. "Thank you very—" Out of the corner of her eye, however, Ilia suddenly saw the last two normal Beowolves making a break toward a certain redheaded android, one who apparently wasn't doing anything about it. "PENNY!"

Ruby craned her head around to see that her friend was indeed doing nothing. Penny simply had her green eyes trained right on the two Grimm as they got closer and closer, seemingly waiting for something. Though what it was, Ruby didn't know. "Penny, what are you doing?!" she called out.

"It's okay, Ruby!" Penny called back just as the Beowolves were about to jump her. Not two seconds after they leapt at her, the android put her swords away and activated her spiked Smack Hands, using them to bash the Beowolves' heads together effortlessly. The beasts fell to the ground and Penny drove the four large spikes into them, killing both without much effort. Penny smiled over to her three friends and gave them a salute. "Now… what am I?"

Ruby smirked right back and rolled her eyes. "Combat Ready." Suddenly, Ruby realized something; "Wait… where's the Alpha?"

Ben came over and pointed behind the group, indicating that the Alpha had gotten past them. "Uh… it's over there." Everyone whirled their heads around to see the Alpha in a stand-off with none other than Jessie, the two opposing forces staring directly at each other. "It's just been staring at her since it ran over here. What IS it doing?!"

Yang grinned and folded her arms. "It's trying to get a beat on her. It's almost like it _knows_ that she's taken on things that are tougher than it."

Over on the other side of the battlefield though, Jessie was beginning to get a little impatient with the staring contest. "So, are ya just gonna stand there an' gawk at me, sugar, or are we _actually_ gonna throw down?" At this taunt, the Alpha grew enraged and gave into its base instincts, jumping at Jessie immediately. "Hm, thought so." Jessie took one hand off of her shotgun and activated her Semblance, reaching up and taking hold of the Beowolf's big furry neck. "Woop, looks like I gotcha!"

As the Alpha Beowolf began to thrash against its captor, nearly everyone held their breath as they watched Jessie go to work. She expertly bobbed and weaved under the arcing swipes that the Alpha was making, all while keeping a firm hold of its neck, choking it with her Iron Grip. In no time at all, the strikes began getting messier before becoming weak and helpless, the Alpha losing its stride along with its breath. Finally, Jessie brought up her shotgun and shot it in the stomach, making the Alpha howl in agony. "It's okay, sugar, it'll all be over soon."

Jessie pulled the beast's head down to her level, took its head in both hands while using her Iron Grip, and then quickly snapped its neck, ending its life in an instant. "And THAT… is how the big girls play."

Everyone's jaws were practically on the ground after witnessing what had happened. Even Ren, who had broken out of his stupor, couldn't help but be impressed despite the situation. "Now… THAT is amazing."

Yang clapped her hands again and let out a laugh. "Haha! No kidding! That was amazing!"

"I don't think I've _ever_ seen a take down as effortless as that!" Pyrrha added. "It was masterful!"

"You said it, Pyrrha." Jaune agreed. "It was really impressive."

Jessie gave the group a shrug as she approached them once more. "Ah, it was nothin', really." She raised a brow to the Alpha's dissolving body. "Honestly, I've faced tougher." It was then that she noticed that the rest of the Grimm pack and the Nuckelavee were still staring directly at them, almost as if they had been just watching the entire time. "…Hold on, has it done anything while we were takin' care o' those things?"

"I don't think so." Coco answered. "Why?"

Raven quickly realized what Jessie was getting at. "That thing's been trying to get a read on us." She whirled around to the team with panicked eyes. "It's been gauging our combat abilities so that it can better fight against us!"

At the news Ren shifted his eyes back to the creature that had killed his parents, his glare set intently onto it. The ninja knew what he had to do, and he promised himself that he was going to see it through. _'You are NOT going to end anymore lives.'_ he vowed to himself. But right then and there, the Nuckelavee met his gaze, taking him aback. _'Wait, wha—'_

" _ **REEEAAAAHHH!"**_ The Nuckelavee let out another terrifying screech before reeling its whole body back, almost as if it was going to lunge off of the horse. Instead, however, it threw its body forward and finally made use of one of its arms, thrusting the extendable appendage out toward Ren. The green ninja's eyes bugged out at the sudden movement, with everyone else letting out a sudden gasp all around him. Just as the large, clawed hand was about to close the distance between them, Jessie jumped in front of Ren and grabbed hold of the large wrist with two hands, using her Iron Grip to keep a hold of it.

Ren snapped out of his stupor and shook his head, looking to Jessie in bewilderment. "J-Jessie?!"

"Consarn it, Ren, get yer head in the game!" Jessie hollered to him, keeping her attention squarely on the Nuckelavee. "Fall back for now! I got this!"

"REN!" Nora reached out and grabbed her friend's hand. "C'mon, we gotta listen to her!"

"…Right." While he allowed Nora to lead him away, Ren couldn't help but clench his free hand frustratingly. It irritated him that he was getting so sloppy, especially in this critical case. He clenched his teeth behind his lips as he thought; _'This needs to end SOON.'_

As the duo fell back, Jessie narrowed her eyes at the Nuckelavee as it tried to pull its arm away. But the cowgirl had planted her feet where she stood and she wasn't about to be dragged along for the ride. "Oh, ya want yer arm back? Well here, be my guest!" As the Nuckelavee gave another REALLY strong tug, Jessie deactivated her Semblance and let go, causing the arm to snap back like a rubber band, managing to take the Grimm by surprise.

Everyone watched as the Nuckelavee's own arm hit it square in the face, making its body slam down against the horse's hindquarters. The blow was so powerful that it caused some of the arrows in its back to break off… and the spikes on its spine to temporarily stick into the horse's rear. The Stallion let out a demonic; _**"NEEIEIEIGGH!"**_ in pain before bucking its back end, freeing the Imp's body from its flank.

Yang couldn't help but let out a small chortle at this. "Hehe, talk about a pain in the ass."

Ruby laughed as well, pumping a fist into the air. "Ha! And she does it again!"

But the Nuckelavee was _far_ from amused, if anything, it appeared to be even _angrier_ than it was before. _**"REEEAAAAHHH!"**_ With another soul-crushing shriek, it raised its arm and pointed a single finger toward the group, almost as if it was giving them all a death sentence. And in fact, it was. All at once, the large horde of Beowolves and Ursai began charging at the group, with the Nuckelavee beginning to gallop behind them.

Everyone stared at the scene in uncertainty, unsure of how to handle the incoming horde. "Okay,if we don't engage, we'll get overrun." Jaune laid out. "But if we DO, the Nuckelavee's gonna take advantage of us being distracted by the little guys."

Pyrrha furrowed her brows at the incoming pack, keeping a tight hold of Milo as they drew closer and closer. "Well… I would rather go down fighting than doing nothing at all."

"Right there with you." Ben said as he put his hand on the Omnitrix. "Let's see how these guys like the taste of Echo Ech—huh?" It was then that the Omnitrix itself began to flash, signaling that he had an incoming call. He pressed down on the answer button and immediately said; "Whoever this is, now's NOT a good time!"

" _Oh, really?"_ a familiar voice spoke on the other end. Not a second later, the group began hearing the sound of approaching jet engines, making them crane their heads up to the sky. From right over their heads, a large Bullhead came flying into the airspace over the town, its bright headlights flashing down onto the Grimm. This effectively made them all stop in their tracks in shock, including the Nuckelavee. At that moment the voice stopped coming from the Omnitrix and instead began blaring over the Bullhead's PA system; _"Because I think now is the perfect time."_

Ben beamed up to the aircraft in relief. "Haha! Ironwood! 'Bout time you made it!"

" _Apologies for being late, everyone."_ Ironwood added. _"Here's hoping THIS makes up for it!"_ As he said that, the Bullheads weapons systems started activating. Two large machine guns suddenly popped out from under the aircraft's chin, opening fire without hesitation. A hail storm of bullets began raining down onto the Grimm, killing many of them on the spot while making others flee, though they didn't get very far before being eviscerated as well. The only one to escape was the Nuckelavee, its quick gallop and impressive gait being enough to save it.

Nora smiled and jumped up and down in celebration, cheering for the general's relentless attack. "WOO! General Ironwood with the save!"

Able to hear her support through the Omnitrix's comm, Ironwood let out a chuckle. _"Hah, don't thank me yet, Nora. We've still got one more to deal with."_ He refocused the guns onto the Nuckelavee and began opening fire. But still, the Nuckelavee proved to be faster than the bullets, circling back around and charging at the group once again. _"Hold still you heartless animal!"_

But the beast wasn't intent on listening. _**"REEEAAAAHHH!"**_ With another cry, the Nuckelavee thrust its arms out toward the low-flying aircraft as it passed under it, grabbing hold of both guns as it did. Ironwood attempted to pull away from the Nuckelavee when it did so, but this proved to be a mistake. The force of the Nuckelavee's pull combined with that of the Bullhead jerking away allowed the beast to pull the guns off, tossing them to the side soon after.

" _No! Gah, dammit!"_ Ironwood was able to re-adjust the Bullhead in midair, keeping it aloft enough to fly just a bit higher off the ground, just out of the Nuckelavee's reach. _"Alright, it seems like it's time for phase two. Cooper, NOW!"_

The moment he said that, Coco's eyes brightened up and she strode over to Ben, making sure that her boyfriend could hear her through the Omnitrix. "Haha! Tech Head, you up there?! Come on down and join the scrap!"

"… _Well, he's not exactly on board, Coco."_ Ironwood replied, both through the Omnitrix and the Bullhead's PA. _"He's—"_

But right then and there, a new transmission was made to the Omnitrix, cutting off Ironwood's call entirely. Soon after, Cooper's voice came through the Omnitrix, though he didn't address Ben first. _"Miss Adel… did you miss me?"_

Coco was practically beaming at this point. "Cooper! Where are ya, babe?"

"And how'd you interrupt the call?!" Ben asked.

" _I hijacked Ironwood's transmission wirelessly. Piece of cake. Speaking of which…"_ The moment he said that, the Bullhead's PA gave out a high-pitched whine before it suddenly began blasting out hard rock music, much to everyone's surprise. _"Now look up. It's my honor to present you guys with… Project Centurion."_

The team did as they were instructed and craned their heads skyward, only for their jaws to drop in astonishment. They knew by what they were seeing that THIS was Cooper's surprise, and it was something that they had NOT been prepared for. The only two who weren't in complete shock were Coco and Ben, though they WERE grinning from ear to ear. Coco wasn't all that surprised because she had seen the project beforehand, and all she was feeling right now was immense pride in her boyfriend for what he had pulled off. As for Ben… well, the moment he heard Cooper blaring AC/DC from the PA system, he had a good feeling about what was instore for them now.

From high in the sky, a high-tech suit of gleaming white armor came swooping down to street level, and everyone knew instantly that Cooper was in it. It somewhat resembled an Atlesian Knight-200, just as Cooper's first makeshift armor had. However, unlike said first armor, this was FAR and away from cobbled together from bits and pieces, plus, it didn't have as many holes in it like the last one had. Plus, the helmet design was completely different. Rather than the blank, black face visor, this one had an angled-out mouth plate with a singular, v-shaped visor right where the eyes would be, and it was glowing a bright blue.

Right in the center of the armor's chest was a cyan Dust crystal that was encased in bullet-proof material, no doubt being the power source of the whole thing. There was also a remarkable improvement to the jet propulsion of the new armor… in that it could actually fly. All thanks to a pair of jet boots and stabilizers in the palms of Cooper's metal gloves. The armor soared past the group and straight toward the Nuckelavee, the genius inside intending to knock the beast over. Ben couldn't help but think to himself; _'Cooper… you magnificent bastard.'_ before headbanging to the familiar tune.

_Shoot to thrill, play to kill!_

_Too many women, with too many pills!_

_I said, shoot to thrill, play to kill!_

_I got my gun at the ready, gonna fire at will!_

The Nuckelavee had seen this and countered by stretching out its arms to the incoming threat, but Cooper was able to bob and weave away from them with ease. He then rammed himself full-force into the Nuckelavee, knocking it over and pushing it against the ground. The beast's arms flailed about as it was pushed through the empty streets, screaming and neighing in pain as it tumbled around. Everyone simply watched in amazement at the strength of Cooper's armor, the young blonde continuing to push the Nuckelavee toward a nearby house.

_'Cause I shoot to thrill, and I'm ready to kill!_

_And I can't get enough, and I can't get my thrill!_

_Cause I_ …

_SLAM_! Cooper smashed the Nuckelavee into the dilapidated house, making the wooden structure crumble even more as the beast continued to shriek in torment. He then suddenly pushed off of the Nuckelavee and landed in a crouch before standing up, raising his arms right at the Grimm. It was then that many different kinds of weapons began popping out of the armor's hidden compartments; a small minigun on the left arm and two missile launchers on the shoulders. To top it all off, Cooper reached toward his thigh and tapped it, revealing yet another hidden compartment. He reached in and something attached to his right arm; a large laser rifle, its barrel glowing blue as he aimed it at the Nuckelavee.

… _Shoot to thrill, play it agaaaaain!_

With all eyes on him, Cooper finished up with something he only felt appropriate considering the situation; _"Make your move, Reindeer Games."_

* * *

**A/N: Woo! Cooper with the save AND the bad ass armor! A marked improvement over the one he ramshackled together in the opening arc of this story, wouldn't ya say? Also, I'm sorry, but I HAD to make this reference. It was too good to pass up. But is the Nuckelavee truly down? …Well, considering there's still a second part yet to come, I think you can take a guess. But hey, other than Cooper's big save, there was a pretty substantial amount of other important things that happened in this chapter too. Of course, Ren and Nora's backstory has finally been touched upon, and the ninja's state of mind seems to be… questionable from his best friend's point of view. Is he truly as alright as he says he is? And it also seems like Yang and Raven might be starting to patch things up a little. How exactly do you think** _**that's** _ **gonna go? Well, we'll just have to find out… NEXT TIME! As the Nuckelavee finds its second wind, it ends up calling out to more Grimm for aid… and what it ends up calling ISN'T going to be easy to take down. The team splits up in an effort to bring all of their opponents down, with Team JNPR and Jessie taking on the Nuckelavee itself. In the meantime, Ben brings out his brand-new alien for a second time to fight the Grimm new-comers. But will he fare well in battle? Thanks for reading guys, and I'll see you all next time! See ya later and stay safe!**


	87. Return to Kuroyuri, Part 2

**A/N: Hey everyone! Hope you're all ready to sit down and read, because Part Two is here and it is a DOOZY. It's better to not keep you waiting here, so let's jump right into it. I'll see you all at the end of the chapter! This is…**

**Chapter 87: Return to Kuroyuri, Part 2**

* * *

When he had first set out on this mission with his team, Ben had expected to see a LOT of things to happen. But right now, a whole BUNCH of stuff was being thrown his way, seemingly from out of nowhere, and smacking him right across the face. It was almost like a wakeup call. _'I think the universe is just toying with me at this point.'_ The hero mused to himself. '" _Didn't think today could get any crazier, Benny-boy? SMACK! Here, I'll prove you wrong again!" Man, what IS it with all this stuff happening?'_ Ben shook the thought away from his mind and focused back to his friend in the awesomely cool suit of armor, the young man's weapons still trained on the Nuckelavee.

Out of all of the insane things that had been happening up to that point, Ben had to admit, this was probably the greatest thing he had ever seen. It was like an Iron Man armor had walked out of the silver screen and into real life. "Coop, you're a genius." Ben said to himself as he beamed with pride. "Nothing could POSSIBLY ruin this moment!"

Right then and there though, Cooper turned his helmet-covered head over his shoulder just slightly, the bright blue visor just barely visible. It was then that the genius called out to his allies; _"Hey guys?!"_

Ben cupped a hand to his mouth and answered back. "Yeah Coop?!"

"… _Did I just smash the Krampus?!"_

A deadpan expression quickly came to the Omnitrix bearer's face, his grin quickly disappearing. "…And the moment's been ruined."

" _ **REEEAAAAHHH!"**_ The Nuckelavee let out another loud shriek and, taking advantage of Cooper's momentary distraction, shot its stretchy arm out toward the armored young man. The appendage quickly slammed directly into Cooper, making him give out a surprised yell as he was pushed back hard.

" _AUGH! Oh no, ya don't!"_ Just as quick as the beast made to pin him, Cooper retaliated by grabbing onto the creature's large claw with his free hand before activating the jet thrusters in his boots, pushing back with all his might. He then aimed his laser rifle at the street and shot into it, kicking up a substantial amount of dirt and debris in front of the Nuckelavee. Since the beast was still close to the ground, this temporarily obscured its eyesight, allowing Cooper to get himself loose from its claws.

However, that wouldn't be the case for very long. With little effort, the Stallion got back up to all four of its legs as the upper torso went limp once again, the Nuckelavee galloping out of the dirt cloud in a hurry. _"Hey!"_ Cooper shouted. _"We're not finished with you, Stretch!"_ As if understanding what he was saying, the Nuckelavee stopped in its tracks and slowly trotted back around, the Imp getting back up and glowering to him in anger. _"Er… but if you wanna come to a compromise, we can do that too."_

"Cooper!" The armored genius' head snapped around just in time to see the others sprinting toward him… and Coco tackling him in a hug. He was able to stay upright as he deactivated his weapons and wrapped his arms around her, the two falling into an embrace as she let out a hearty laugh. "Haha! I knew you could get it done! The way you just RAMMED into that thing was SO awesome!" She reached up and cupped the helmet's metallic cheek. "If you didn't have that helmet on, I would SO kiss you right now."

Beneath said helmet, Cooper cracked a smile as he gently set his forehead against hers. _"Hehe, I'd be happy to oblige once we're out of this situation, hon."_ Just then, the couple heard the Nuckelavee let out a disgusted snarl, one that prompted them to look back at it. Cooper quickly waved it off. _"Ah, what?! Ya can't handle a little positive emotion?"_

The rest of the team quickly made it to the duo's side, with Ben going right over to his friend. He grinned and gave him a nod. "Mr. Daniels."

" _Boss Man."_ Cooper acknowledged.

Yang clapped her hands together and stepped up next to her boyfriend. "Alright, so now that Coop's softened it up for us…" She pointed over to the genius. "Great entrance, by the way." Cooper gave her a thumbs up as she went on. "…what's the plan of attack?"

Ben brought up the Omnitrix and activated the holo-ring, quickly finding Dynatusk's icon. "Alright, here's what's gonna go down. Cooper, Penny and I will engage it first and bring down the horse. Then I want everyone with a bladed weapon to—"

But just as he was laying out his plan, the Nuckelavee let out another ear-splitting screech, making everyone cover their ears in pain. Once it was done, it fell over limp and the Stallion began galloping away, making everyone confused. "Uh… what's it doing?" Ruby asked.

"I'm not sure." Ilia replied. "But—" The chameleon girl's eyes widened when a new sound came to her sensitive ears, making her whirl around in shock. She moved her head up toward the sky and yelled; "Heads up, something's coming!"

"What?!" Jessie exclaimed as she and the others did as Ilia said. At that point, the Nuckelavee had stopped at the other end of the street and pulled itself up again, its head craning skyward in anticipation for the arrival of its back-up. A few moments later, Jessie's blood ran cold the moment she saw three large beings flying down from the sky above. "…Oh no."

Ruby squinted for a moment to try and see the beasts as well. "What's that—OH MY GOSH!" The Hooded Huntress' eyes quickly widened in shock. At first, she had thought they were Nevermore, but the closer they got, the more she realized that wasn't the case. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

Penny's gut also sank slightly. "Oh… this will prove to be difficult."

Ben could only gaze on in astonishment as the three creatures closed in on them. He instantly recognized two of them as Manticores, the winged lion-like beasts giving out an intimidating roar as they flew down. They both landed on the opposite side of the humans to make sure they were trapped between them and the Nuckelavee, their blood red eyes glaring at them as they let out a low growl. However, the third Grimm had decided to stay airborne for a while, and Ben was quick to take notice of how different it was to its two comrades.

While this Grimm was also a winged feline-like creature, it was not exactly similar to the two Manticore. This creature was without a bone mane and a scorpion-like tale. Instead, it had a shorter mane that appeared to have human-like hair, and on its tail was the head of a white snake, no doubt very venomous. It had a longer, more rounded white head with four crests sweeping toward the back, as well as a narrower snout compared to a Manticore. It was also a quite bit bigger than the had lion-like beast, easily standing head and shoulders above it. The beast gave out a loud screech as it approached, seemingly answering the Nuckelavee's call.

The Omnitrix bearer gawked at the beast as it continued to fly in the air, flapping its wings while glowering down at them. "What… the HELL… is _that_?!"

Pyrrha was also gazing up at the Grimm, going into a combat stance. "A Sphinx. These creatures are a separate species from the Manticore, though many still consider it to be their form of Alpha since so many Sphinxes are seen commanding hordes of Manticore."

Ben nodded and raised a single finger. "Okay, one question; is it possible to beat?"

"Yeah, but it's very hard." Ilia answered. "They can be very crafty."

The hero furrowed his brows up at the beast, his hand clenching as he set his sights onto it. "Well, guess that means it's a job for—" Right as he said that, the Sphinx suddenly zoomed forward like a speeding jet plane and let out another loud screech, flying straight for Ironwood's Bullhead. Ben's pupils became the size of peas as he quickly realized the opportunity the Sphinx had taken. "Ironwood!" Ben shouted.

Cooper put his hand up to his helmet, activating his commlink as quick as he could. _"GENERAL!"_ he hollered. _"Get out of there, NOW!"_

The Bullhead immediately attempted to fly away, but the Sphinx's unexpected move had cost Ironwood a few precious seconds. In no time at all, the Grimm had latched itself onto the aircraft and began digging into it with its claws and teeth, breathing fire on it just for good measure. _"AGH!"_ Everyone heard Ironwood yell through the commlink as his ship was latched onto. _"Too late! Going to have to eject!"_ The team looked up to the Bullhead, expecting to see the cockpit open up and send Ironwood launching out. But then, to their surprise, the undercarriage suddenly burst open and they saw Ironwood falling to the earth below, the general doing a mid-air flip before landing in a crouch on his robotic legs, none the worse for wear. A few second later, the Sphinx had torn through the Bullhead's wings, causing it to crash into a nearby house and erupt into flames.

"General Ironwood!" Ruby used her Semblance and rushed over to him, helping him stand up. "Are you okay?"

Ironwood rubbed his head, slightly shaken from what he had just experienced. "Hah, a little shaky, Ruby, but I'll be fine." As he steadied himself, he saw the rest of the group come running over to him as well… along with a certain tribe leader accompanying them. His brows furrowed immediately and his lips turned up into a light snarl. " _Raven_." He said venomously.

Raven stopped in her tracks and she wore a slight grimace, realizing that he now probably knew what she was guilty of. "…Hello, James. So, I take it that Winter told you about… "you know what"?"

"First thing this morning." James confirmed. "I knew you were capable of some heinous things, Raven, but this is—" But then, he cut himself off when he saw Jessie approaching him from out of the corner of his eye, making him shut up about the subject almost instantly. He did NOT need another person to worry themselves about Salem. "Ah, Jessie Jameson. Good to see you."

"Likewise, Jimmy-boy." Jessie greeted with a tip of her hat. "Been a while. So… what exactly is Raven guilty of THIS time on top o' everythin' _else_ she's guilty of?"

"Military business, I'm afraid." Ironwood said, dodging the answer. "My apologies, but I'm not allowed to divulge this information." The general gave Raven glare, showing his distaste for her actions. "Rest assured though, I'm NOT about to let her go without proper comeuppance for her actions."

Raven was about to respond to him herself, but to her surprise, her daughter came to her aid. Yang stepped up and raised a hand toward the general. "G.I., I know more than anyone that what my mother did was wrong." She pointed behind the general, directly toward the Nuckelavee. "But right now probably ISN'T the time to discuss this."

Ironwood did an about face to see the Nuckelavee still standing there, its eyes focused on the group with a deathly gaze. Behind them however, the Sphinx had finally landed with its two Manticore underlings, all three of them belting out terrifying roars at the humans. Ironwood clenched his fist and pulled out his revolver, Due Process, ready to engage their enemies. "You're right. We need to take these things out NOW." He faced Ben and gave him a nod. "Alright, what's the plan?"

Ben sighed as his eyes darted between the Nuckelavee and the Sphinx, still debating on what to do himself. "I'm kind of torn here, not gonna lie. The Nuckelavee's probably the more dangerous of the two, but the Sphinx is much bigger." He raised the Omnitrix and gazed down at it. "No matter which one I choose though, someone else is gonna have to deal with the other. And to be honest, that leaves me worried no matter what."

"Well ya won't have to, Ben." Jessie assured as she jabbed a thumb to her chest. "I'll take on the Nuckelavee. You transform an' take out that Sphinx over there."

"You'll need back-up." Ben insisted. "Do you know who you want to—"

"We'll go, Ben." Jaune spoke up, his team stepping forward without hesitation. "We're gonna make sure that Jessie's got all the back-up she needs."

With the blonde knight's statement, the entire team looked to the four in surprise, with Ben showing great concern in his face. Jaune and Pyrrha seemed steadfast and ready to take the job on, but behind them, Ben could see that Ren had something behind his eyes that was very off-putting. It wasn't anything dark or malicious, but more… angry and frustrated. The hero's eyes went to Nora and she seemed to take notice of this too, a worried expression having settled across her features. Ben's eyes went back to Jaune and he asked; "Are you sure?"

Jaune gave him a resolute nod. "Never been more sure about anything." He pointed his sword to the Nuckelavee. "That thing is the reason why my best friend's parents are dead. I promised I'd help him bring that thing down, and I'm going to keep it."

Ben pursed his lips in thought, contemplating the request for a few moments before giving out a sigh. "Alright, you guys can go with Jessie." He stepped forward and placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder, giving both him and Pyrrha a serious face. "But make sure that Ren stays level headed, okay?" he whispered to them very quietly. "I'm kinda worried about him."

"So are we." Pyrrha whispered just as quietly. "Don't worry, we're all over it."

"Okay." Ben gave Jaune a pat on the shoulder before stepping away from Team JNPR, giving them a smile. "Good luck guys… because you're gonna need it."

Nora was snapped out of her worried trance and sent Ben a thumbs up… though he could tell her smile was forced. "Oh… don't worry, Ben! We'll be a-okay!" In her head, she added; _'At least I hope.'_

"Right." Ren nodded. "We'll take care of things… once and for all."

Jessie reloaded her shot gun and pumped the action once again, waving the four over to her position. "Well then, that settles that! C'mon, ya'll! That Nuckelavee's head is gonna roll!" With that, the five went off, leaving Ben and the others behind to face the trio of winged felines.

Ben exhaled through his nostrils, letting go of his apprehension a bit before being spooked by a loud roar from behind. He yelped and whirled back around in time to see that one of the Manticores had lunged itself forward to go after Jessie and Team JNPR, taking the entire team aback. He reached down to activate the Omnitrix, but right as he was about to slam the core down, Ruby rushed right past him and toward the Grimm.

The Hooded Huntress shifted Crescent Rose into its sniper rifle mode and shot the Manticore directly in the side as it rushed past, making it stop in its place. The beast glared at the silver-eyed girl, prompting her to take action. "Ben, let's split into groups of three." Ruby suggested. "Ilia, Penny and I will take that Manticore."

"Indeed!" Penny deactivated her spiked Smack Hands in favor of her Floating Array blades again, getting into a fighting position. "We will take it down in no time at all!"

"Fine by me." Ilia said as she whipped her Lightning Lash out, ready to take down the large Grimm. "It's time to really step up to the plate!"

Coco spotted the second Manticore charging right at them, prompting her to smirk in delight. She adjusted her glasses and tightened her grip on her handbag, popping a few muscles in her neck for preparation. "Tech Head! G.I.!" She pointed to the Manticore. "How's about we take that sucker?!"

Cooper pumped his metallic fist, already raring to go. _"Sounds like a challenge! I'm all for it!"_

"So am I." Ironwood agreed. "This should quicken things up by quite a bit."

Ben was a little hesitant to follow through with this spur-of-the-moment plan, but to be fair, it WAS a sound idea and it made a lot of sense. His eyes found the Sphinx again, the only one still remaining in place. Its eyes were boring into him, as if they were daring him to come closer and challenge it to battle. Ben furrowed his brows back at it and nodded. "Alright, so that means that Yang, Raven and I will take down the Sphinx."

Yang wore a wild smirk at the idea as she slammed her fist into the palm of her hand. "Alright! Now THIS is something I can get behind. Always wanted to fight a Sphinx."

Raven raised a brow to her daughter incredulously. "You have?" But then, a soft smile came to her face. "Heh, but then again, why am I surprised? I have to remind myself that you're much braver than I am."

The Blonde Brawlers eager expression vanished in favor of a more shocked one. _'Did… did I REALLY just hear her say that?'_ With her cheeks flushed a little, Yang warily returned the smile, giving a nervous chuckle as well. "Uh, hehe, yeah. Thanks mom… I think."

"You're welcome. With that said…" Raven placed her hand on Omen's sheath and set her sights onto the Sphinx, giving it her own glare. "Let's engage the enemy!" With a press of a button, Raven shot Omen out of its sheath before leaping forward, doing a mid-air spin before grabbing her sword in flight.

As her mother rushed toward the Sphinx, Yang could feel her excitement return, and she balled her fists up eagerly. "C'mon Ben, let's get in there!" Yang kneeled and put her Ember Celica to the ground, firing off a round from each to propel her forward and allowing her to catch up to her mother within seconds.

Ben blinked in surprise before a smile of his own appeared on his face, a chuckle escaping his lips. "Hehe, well, I guess this is how we're gonna do things." The hero reached down and activated the Omnitrix, bringing up the holo-ring once again. "It's Hero Time!" Ben slammed the core down and, in a flash of light, transformed into the alien he had selected. With his head reared back and a mighty trumpet escaping his trunk, the alien called his name; **"DYNATUSK!"** The Paku-Dermoloid clenched his large fists and pointed forward, giving his team a single command; **"ATTACK!"**

* * *

The moment the command was given, Ruby, Ilia and Penny sprinted straight toward the Manticore that the former had just shot, the three girls ready to take it down. Taking the lead, Ruby narrowed her eyes at the beast and yelled out to her friends; "Surround it, girls! Keep it from getting away!" The Hooded Huntress then burst into a flurry of petals, rushing toward the Grimm at great speeds. The beast retaliated by sprinting toward her and clawing at the petal blizzard, only for it to break apart and reform behind it. "Hey, Fang-face! Over here!"

The Manticore turned around and was about to pounce at her again, but then an intense pain began coursing through it, almost like an electric shock. It whirled around to see Ilia having whipped her Lightning Lash around its tail, the chameleon girl smirking all the while. "Sorry, but Ruby isn't on the menu today!"

"Indeed!" Penny ran forward and jumped onto the Manticore's back, pulling her arm blades up in preparation. "Perhaps THIS will be more to your liking?!" She plunged her blades into the beast's back, making it roar in pain again. However, just as she was about to pull them out for another strike, the Manticore spread its wings and flew up into the air, taking both Penny and Ilia with it. "WOAH!"

"AGH!" Ilia yelled as she kept a hold of her Lightning Lash with both hands. "Hey! What's the big idea?!" Just as she asked that, the Manticore reached a peak before diving back down, slamming itself back-first into the cobblestone street below. Ilia saw this as an opportunity to retract her Lightning Lash, successfully cutting off the stinger on the Manticore's tail in the process. However, upon standing up, her eyes widened in realization; Penny was still on the Manticore's back… and was being crushed by it. "PENNY!"

Ruby rushed over and was about to call out to her friend as well… only to bear witness to Penny activating her large jetpack. The Hooded Huntress smirked and chuckled. "Heh, I think she's fine."

In no time at all, Penny put her jetpack into high-gear, thrusting both her and the Manticore forward in a mighty burst of speed. She readjusted the position of the jets so that they were pointed at the ground, causing both of them to flip upright as they flew. With a mighty kick, Penny forced herself off of the Manticore's back and slammed the beast right into a nearby house, making it collapse on top of it. Penny placed her hands on her hips and stuck her chin up at the Grimm. "Haha! That'll show YOU not to mess with—" She was cut off when the Manticore lunged right back out of the rubble, giving another angry roar. "Oh, come ON!"

Ruby furrowed her brows and looked to Ilia, nudging her head toward the creature. "C'mon, let's circle around it!"

"Right!" Ilia agreed before they began running at the Grimm once again, the two girls circling around either side to distract it. "Hey, ugly!" Ilia whipped out her Lightning Lash at the beast once again, wrapping the weapon around one of its horns before letting lose another electric shock. "Let's see how you like MORE of this!"

But the beast _didn't_ like it one bit. It narrowed its eyes and opened its mouth, roaring in fury before letting lose a breath of hot fire at Ilia. The flames shot rapidly toward the chameleon girl, making her eyes widen in panic. But before the fire could reach her, Penny came soaring down from the sky and activated her Smack Hands, effectively blocking the attack. "Hey, you don't burn my friend to a crisp, understand?!" the android scolded.

Ilia sighed in relief and smiled gratefully at the redhead. "Thanks, Penny."

"No problem!" Penny saluted. "Now how about you finish what you started?"

"Sounds good to me!" Ilia smirked before pulling her whip back, slicing off the Manticore's horn without effort. "Ruby, your turn!"

"Gotcha!" Ruby hollered from her position. She leapt up into the air and twirled Crescent Rose around, shifting it into its sniper rifle mode before letting lose multiple shots at the beast. Ruby then landed and began running around the Manticore, continuing to shoot at it. _'C'mon, c'mon, take the bait!'_ she thought to herself. A moment later, she got her wish. The Manticore reeled itself back before letting loose another fiery breath, the flames approaching her rapidly. _'YES!'_

Ruby took aim at the fire breath before shooting another Fire Dust round directly at it with Crescent Rose, the combination causing a big explosion between the two. Penny and Ilia were forced to fall back a bit as dust and smoke began covering the area around them. However, both girls were shocked when they saw Ruby diving into the large cloud. "Ruby!" Penny exclaimed. "What is she doing?!"

Ilia was also confused at first… but then a knowing smile came to her face. "Ah, I get it. She's hoping the Grimm's senses will fail it in that smoke!"

Meanwhile, inside the large smoke cloud, the Manticore was stalking around, hoping to find the human that had shot it so many times and finally put an end to her. At the moment though, the thick cloud was greatly hindering the beast's vision, allowing it to only just barely see three feet in front of it. It had also affected its sense of smell, the overpowering smokey scent essentially infecting its nostrils. For now, it could only rely on its heightened sense of hearing, so it focused on listening for the familiar sound of human feet running along a stone path. However, it was then that a different sound graced its large ears; the sound of rushing wind. This alerted it immediately to Ruby's approach, her signature petals sailing toward it through the smoke. The Manticore quickly spread its wings and took to the air, flying out of Ruby's reach.

"Oh no, you don't!" Ruby stopped in place before whirling Crescent Rose around again, shifting it into its scythe mode while leaping forward, swinging the head of the large weapon toward the ground. Once the end of the scythe had hit street, Ruby took a secure hold of its handle and pulled the trigger once, her momentum and the force of the shot causing her to bounce up into the air, riding Crescent Rose as if it were a witch's broom. "Surprise!"

With one single swipe, Ruby sliced of the Manticore's remaining horn, causing it to roar in anger once again. As she began falling back down, Ruby shifted Crescent Rose back into its sniper rifle mode and fired twice, both shots making successful impact with the Manticore's wings. With its wings injured, a painful yowl escaped the beast's maw as it fell back toward the earth below, just as Ruby had landed without much problem. "Ha! And THAT is how you keep a Grimm on the ground!"

The Manticore managed to land on its feet no problem, but it growled as it was forced to draw its wings close to its body for protection. As it and Ruby faced off, Ilia and Penny came rushing over to their friend's side, both girls impressed at her feat. "Ruby, that was great!" Penny complimented.

"No kidding." Ilia quickly agreed. "Now that you've grounded it, what do we do?"

Ruby smirked and eyed her companions eagerly. "Follow my lead girls, I've got an idea!" The Hooded Huntress ran toward the Manticore head on, with Penny and Ilia following close behind. "Ilia, you and I will fan out to the sides and we'll permanently clip its wings!" She gave her redheaded friend a nod. "Penny, take to the sky and wait for my signal, okay?!"

"I'm on it!" Penny agreed as her Smack Hands changed back into her jetpack. With an already sufficient running start, Penny flew up, soaring straight above the Manticore's head.

This proved to be a lot more effective than Ruby had initially thought, with the beast's attention going straight to Penny instead of her and Ilia. _'Perfect.'_ She grinned over to the chameleon girl and gave her a wink. "You ready?!"

"Always!" Ilia pulled her Lightning Lash into its blade mode and gave Ruby a nod. "Let's do this!" The duo parted ways and went off to either side of the Manticore, its attention still on Penny for the time being.

But that didn't last long. As soon as it saw Ruby and Ilia in its peripheral sights, the Manticore's eyes were refocused back to what was going on in front of it. It paid Ilia no mind and focused right onto Ruby, its anger growing ever stronger as the young girl drew closer. She injured its wings… so she would have to pay first. The Manticore lunged forward, breathing red hot fire from its mouth as it approached her. It had hoped to incinerate her quickly, but to its surprise, Ruby had come up with something to counter its fiery attack.

"Time to pull something from the Sun Wukong playbook!" Ruby changed Crescent Rose back into its scythe form and began spinning it very fast, the weapon almost a red, black and silver blur as it whipped around in front of her. The surprising speed managed to create a windmill effect, making the wind whip around and causing the Manticore's fire to be blown away from her. Some stray embers even managed to land on the Grimm's fur, singeing it at the tips. "Ilia!" Ruby called out. "Now!"

"All over it!" Ilia leapt up onto the Manticore's back, quickly grabbing onto the wing for support as the beast roared in indignation. "Sorry, pal, but I'm not—WOAH!" The Grimm began jerking itself around, bucking its hind legs in hopes of throwing her off. It was all she could do to hang onto the wing as she was thrown about wildly, the scenery spinning around her. _'Well if you don't like that, then you're REALLY gonna hate this.'_

With all the composure she could muster, Ilia pulled the trigger on her Lightning Lash, changing it into its whip mode. She lowered her head and focused on the wing as the Manticore continued to jerk her around, hoping to toss her off before she did anything. Unfortunately for it, she didn't budge. "Here goes nothing!"Ilia gave out a yell and pulled her arm back before thrusting it forward, lashing her weapon around the wing's joint before pulling as hard as she could. The razor blade-thin whip cut through the wing with relative ease, successfully amputating it from the rest of the Grimm's body.

Ilia smiled in victory… before realizing that she had just cut off her only means of holding on. "Uh oh—WAAAAH!" The chameleon girl cried out as she was launched off of the Manticore's back, the beast falling over in pain the moment she was thrown away. She tumbled in midair, fully expecting to make impact with the street… but it never came. Instead, she felt an odd sensation overcome her, almost as if she had been scooped up by the wind itself. It was only when she opened her eyes that she realized she was traveling in a flurry of rose petals. "Ruby!"

The silver-eyed girl smiled down at her as they flew away from the Manticore, coming to a stop soon after. "Who else? Great job, Ilia!"

Ilia smiled back and gave her a grateful nod, happy that her friend had complimented her handiwork. "Thanks, Ruby. I appreciate it." She craned her head up to the sky and called out to their android friend; "Alright, Penny, NOW!"

"I'm all over it!" Penny called back before exchanging her jetpack for her spiked Punk Busters, the redhead falling straight down toward the writhing Manticore. With a mighty SLAM, Penny stomped the large spikes on the bottoms of her feet straight through the back of the Grimm, eliciting a loud, agonizing wail from the beast's throat the moment they drove into it. "Ruby! Do it now!"

"Already there!" Ruby replied. She rushed up and stopped in front of the Manticore as it tried to thrash about, attempting to get Penny's massive Punk Busters out of its mangled body. To be honest, Ruby was just surprised that it was still "alive" after all of this. "Don't know what to say, big guy. Didn't leave us much of a choice." She spun Crescent Rose around and placed the blade across the back of its neck, bracing herself for what came next. "Sorry, not sorry."

With a pull of the trigger, Ruby fired a shot out of Crescent Rose's head, the recoil providing enough force for the blade to drive right through the Manticore's neck. Its head hit the ground and it dissipated into blade smoke soon after, finally killing it. Penny deactivated her Punk Busters and went over to Ruby, giving her a high-five. "Haha! Spectacular, Ruby!"

"She's right." Ilia said as she walked over and gave Ruby a high-five as well. "A nice, efficient kill. Nicely done."

However, Ruby shook her head with a soft smile on her face. "Thanks, but it was thanks to the two of you that I could get it." She put her arms over her friend's shoulders, pulling them in for a group hug. "As far as I'm concerned, this is OUR win."

Ilia chuckled and returned the embrace. "Hehe, I can get behind that."

"Indeed!" Penny concurred. "We certainly showed that thing what for!" Just then, Penny's head perked up and her eyes focused down the street, her pupils dilating as her binocular vision activated. After a few seconds, she fell out of the embrace and her features became serious once again. "Um… girls?"

Ruby's eyes went to her friend in concern. "What's wrong, Pen?"

The redhead pointed down the street, directly past Cooper, Coco and Ironwood who were battling against their own Manticore. "We appear to have company!"

Ruby and Ilia focused down the street and their eyes widened. From the east, a huge horde of Creeps were currently running toward them, the reptilian Grimm snarling and chomping at the bit to get in on the action. "Oh, you gotta be kidding!" Ilia exclaimed. "There's MORE?!"

Ruby furrowed her brows and kept a firm hold on Crescent Rose, ready to head into battle once again. "Afraid so." She sent a smile to her compatriots, eager to get back into the action. "C'mon girls, we got this, right?!" Ilia and Penny quickly grinned back to their friend and readied their weapons as well, the trio charging into the fray to do battle once again.

* * *

As the trio of girls were battling their Manticore, the other Manticore had been sent sailing back by a hard and unexpected hit by Coco's handbag, the beast rolling along the ground before getting to its paws once again. It growled before feeling another sharp pain, this time in its front paw. It let out a loud roar as Coco dug her heel into the beast's foot, making it stagger back in the process. "Aw, what's the matter, big boy?" Coco teased with a bit of baby-talk. "Cat got your tongue?" As the girl egged the Manticore on, it quickly got into a defensive stance, ready to counter attack.

Cooper and General Ironwood ran over to Coco, the beast growling and snarling at them as they came closer. Cooper took the opportunity to analyze the Grimm they were facing, with one of the perks of his new armor being that he now had a full database of every known species of Grimm that had yet to be discovered in Remnant. He quickly found the profile on this certain Grimm and began reading it off, mostly to himself. _"Alright, let's see… a Manticore, huh?"_ The genius began delving deeper into the file, the electronic interface pointing out key parts of the Grimm's physiology. _"Body of a lion, eagle-like wings, and a scorpion's tail. Highly poisonous, can breathe fire, and is able to fly at a velocity of over Mach II. Very impressive."_

Coco smirked over to her boyfriend, giving out a small chortle at his analysis. "Heh, yeah, pretty good stats there, Tech Head. Now, how 'bout we get back to fightin' it?"

"Wait just a moment, Coco." Ironwood halted. "I know you managed to get the jump on it, but it's unwise to go in further without a plan." The general's eyes focused back to the Manticore, which was still glowering at them in contempt. "After all, Manticores can be quite vicious. If we WANT to take care of this easily, then we'll have to—"

" **RROOOOAARRR!"** The Manticore suddenly let out a mighty roar and breathed a huge flamethrower attack at the unsuspecting trio, taking them off-guard.

" _Woah!"_ Cooper raised his right arm and put his left hand over his forearm, bringing a small, disk-shaped device out of a small compartment in his armor. He tossed it like a frisbee, but then it stopped in midair once it got about five feet in front of them. The disk repositioned itself and floated up, activating a large energy wall that quickly surrounded the three in a large cylinder. The fire bounced off harmlessly, with Cooper waving a hand in front of his face once the Manticore stopped its attack. _"Jeez… someone's got bad breath!"_

Coco glowered at the beast as it suddenly lunged at the energy wall, clawing and biting as it tried in vain to kill them. "Okay, I'm officially done." She pulled out Gianduja and began spinning its barrel, ready to kill the Manticore where it stood. "Let me at 'em! I'll end this whole thing once and for all."

Cooper gently put a hand to his girlfriend's shoulder, hoping to calm her down. _"Hon, I wanna take that thing down as much as you do, but we gotta take in a few factors."_ He pointed to the snarling Manticore as it continued to paw at the energy field. _"That thing's fire breath can easily make your bullets explode before they even hit it. And considering your Semblance, it'll likely cause an even bigger explosion than what we'd expect."_

The fashionable girl pursed her lips in thought before putting Gianduja away, seeing her boyfriend's logic. "Hmm, you got a point there, Tech Head. Anything else?"

" _Yes."_ The armored genius pointed to the Manticore's wings. _"That thing's able to fly at over Mach II, which means it's possible it could out speed a bullet. We want a guaranteed kill? We gotta make sure it can't get away."_

"A good idea." Ironwood concurred. "I suppose you have a plan?"

" _I do, we just have to…"_ But Cooper trailed off the moment his eyes went back to the Manticore, the beast having stopped its tantrum. Its head was craned upward, staring intently at something as a low predatory growl escaped its throat. _"What the…"_ Cooper snapped his head up to the sky to try and see what it was seeing… and he instantly knew what the beast was about to do. While the cylindrical forcefield was able to encircle them, the tube did not have any kind of cover, leaving them open from above. _"Oh god. First mission with the new suit and I can ALREADY see some improvements that need to be made."_

Coco followed her boyfriend's gaze in confusion. "What're you talkin' about Tech… Head?" She immediately realized what he meant with one glance, and she winced at their current predicament. "Ah… I get ya. We're trapped in a tube." Her eyes then bugged out at the realization. "We're… we're trapped in a tube." Coco could immediately begin to feel her claustrophobia begin to take hold. "Oh GOD, we're trapped in a giant _FUCKING_ TUBE?!"

Her outburst was all it took for the Grimm to take action. With a mighty roar, it spread its wings and flew up, ready to fly directly into the cylinder. It reached a peak in its flight before diving straight down… only for its spikey mane to get caught on the ends of the force field's edges, stopping it from going any further. It flew back up and tried again, this time putting its front paws forward to try and grab at the three. However, the three still proved to be far from its reach. That didn't stop the trio from ducking down to make sure of that, though. "Well… this is a fine mess." Ironwood commented.

" _My thoughts exactly."_ Cooper agreed before hearing heavy breathing directly next to him. His head whirled around to see Coco huddled up close to him, the usually confident girl staring fearfully at the blue, translucent wall. He immediately felt his gut sink when he saw the state she was in. Cooper knew she wasn't afraid of the Grimm. No, she was more afraid of being trapped in an enclosed space than anything else. The young man shifted himself around and gently took hold of her shoulders. _"Coco? Baby, please, listen to me."_

"We're… we're trapped!" Coco hollered. "Trapped between a Grimm and a GIANT TUBE!"

Cooper put a hand to her face, hoping to calm her down even just a little. _"I know, and we're gonna get out of here, okay?"_ He moved his head up to see the Manticore continuing its endeavors to no avail, letting out a sigh as he did. _"I just need to get that Manticore away from us."_ His sights went straight back to Coco. _"The moment that I'm out, I'll deactivate the force field. Then you and Ironwood will be free, okay?"_

Coco was hesitant to have her boyfriend leave, especially in a moment like this. But in the time she had known him, she knew he always had a plan. And for the most part, they always worked out. Coco's eyes darted up to the Manticore momentarily before giving her boyfriend a nod. "Okay, that… that sounds like a plan." She planted a kiss on Cooper's faceplate before smacking his shoulder lightly. "Go get 'im, Cooper."

Beneath his helmet, Cooper smiled softly. _"I will, that's a promise."_ He stroked her face lightly one last time before standing up to his full height, glaring up at the Manticore in determination. _"Hey, Simba! Try to Hakuna Matata your way outta this!"_ The jet thrusters on Cooper's boots and gloves activated, making him fly straight up and out of the large cylinder. He slammed right into the Manticore's face, making it roar in pain as he redirected himself downward. Cooper drove the Manticore into the street with a mighty SLAM, the beast squirming as it attempted to get up. However, having pinned the creature beneath him, Cooper wasn't about to let that happen. _"Alright, let's get that wall down."_ The genius gave a simple mental command and his suit executed it, deactivating the force field generator with no problem.

The moment the energy tube disappeared, Coco began to calm down, letting out a relieved breath. "Phew! Oh, thank god." Once she was able to fully collect herself, the fashionable girl stood up and smirked, her confidence having returned. "Heh, alright, let's teach this kitty some manners!"

Ironwood took hold of his revolver and nodded to her. "Right, let's bring it down." He whipped himself around and called out to their armored compatriot. "Cooper! How're you holding up?!"

" _Gah, alright so far!"_ Cooper called back. _"Just gotta keep this thing down and—WOAH!"_ Before any of them could react, the Manticore suddenly spread its wings and gave a powerful flap, using them as a make-shift springboard to get itself up. It flapped again and immediately began flew up, taking Cooper along for the ride. _"Ah, so THAT'S how it's gonna be, huh?! Alright then, let's do this!"_

Cooper let go of the Grimm and began free-falling, only to activate his jets again and zoom out across the sky, getting directly in the Manticore's path. He held his hands up and grabbed a hold of its two primary horns, using the force of his jet boosters to push against the beast just as hard as it was pushing into him. It appeared as if Cooper initially had the upper hand… but then the Manticore opened its mouth, with red hot fire beginning to escape its lips. _"Oh boy—AGH!"_ All at once, the flamethrower hit Cooper right on, pushing him away. While the armor was fireproof, the force behind the blast was still enough to blow him back a bit. _"Ugh, how about a MINT or something?! That CAN'T be healthy!"_

The manticore simply roared again before charging right into Cooper, this time pushing _him_ back instead. The two landed in a struggle, with Cooper digging his heels into the street as the Grimm continued to slam into him. Beneath his helmet though, the genius gave out a laugh. _"Hah, so THIS is how you want things to go down, huh? Well, I can deal with that!"_ Cooper took one of his hands away from the Manticore's horns and held his palm out, keeping his fingers straight. With this, a large, blue energy blade suddenly activated, going from half-way down his forearm to the tips of his fingers. _"Say hello to my little friend!"_

With his other hand still gripped onto the Manticore's horn, Cooper pulled its head with all of his strength, smashing the creature's face into the ground. Using this as leverage, he pulled himself up and over the Grimm's head before flipping right onto its back, straddling it like a horse. Cooper then took hold of one of its wings with one hand before slicing it clean off with the energy blade, making the Manticore wail in pain. _"Alright, one down, one to—"_ But before he could do anything, he felt something wrap around his torso before throwing him off, sending him crashing back down to the street. _"GAH! Oh for crying out—YIPE!"_

Cooper had to roll out of the way as the Manticore slammed its scorpion-like tail down, having intended to plunge its stinger into the armored genius himself. While it likely would've have pierced his armor, he didn't want to take any chances. Just as the creature was about to strike with its stinger again, a loud shot was heard, followed by a bullet flying right over Cooper's head and into the tail's tip, effectively breaking off the stinger. Cooper chuckled as he made to get up. _"Heh, nice shot, general."_

Ironwood and Coco came running over to Cooper's side, with Due Process' barrel still smoking from the shot in the general's hand. "Cooper, are you okay?"

" _Oh, I'm better than okay."_ Cooper assured as he stood up. _"In this armor, I feel amazing!"_

Coco grinned at her boyfriend's enthusiasm. "That's great. Now how about we put an end to this thing." She put her hand up and gave him a wink. "Together?"

Cooper happily grabbed her hand, reciprocating the gesture. _"Would we do it any other way?"_ Right then and there, the armor's internal warning systems began flashing, signaling an incoming attack. _"Watch out!"_ He pulled Coco into a single-arm embrace before jetting forward, getting them both out of the path of another fire breath attack. Ironwood dove off in the opposite direction, rolling away to a safe distance.

The leader of Team CFVY grumbled in annoyance at the attack. "Ugh, dammit! We need to shut that thing's mouth or something!"

"I think I have just the solution." Ironwood said as he stood up and waved over to the two. "The flame breath mainly comes from an internal fire sack at the back of the Manticore's throat." He pointed to the prowling beast, which was facing them with its good wing toward them. "It's keeping it's guard up, so it'll be more prone to attack." Ironwood spun Due Process in his hand, giving the couple a nod. "That said, I believe I can make the shot."

" _You're sure?"_ Cooper asked. _"Because if you can't, you'll be burned to a crisp."_

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Ironwood assured. "You two just be ready when I give the word." He could tell by the brief pause that Cooper was still a bit unsure, but when the armored genius finally gave him a nod, it was all the confirmation he needed. "Alright, be ready for my signal!"

Coco gave him a thumbs up. "You got it, G.I.!" She pulled out Gianduja and smirked toward the Manticore, preparing to unload when ready. "Go for it!"

Ironwood nodded before running toward the Grimm in a side-long direction, cutting across to its right side so that he was could get near the head. The Manticore saw thing and narrowed its eyes at the general, preparing to unleash another fiery breath at him. _'Yes, that's it.'_ The general thought as he continued to run toward the beast. _'Almost there, and…"_ The Manticore's mouth began to open, and Ironwood knew that THIS was his chance. _'NOW!'_ Ironwood pulled his revolver up and shot just as the Manticore opened its mouth all the way, the bullet sailing directly to the back of its throat and into its fire sack.

The Manticore's eyes bugged out and it immediately began coughing and hacking in pain, spitting up a black substance from its gullet as it tried to spit out the bullet. "DO IT!" Ironwood hollered.

" _No need to tell us twice!"_ Cooper reached down and pulled his laser rifle back out of the storage compartment on his thigh, taking aim while also activating his missile launchers again. _"Ready Coco?!"_

"You know it!" Coco affirmed, her Semblance already in high gear. "Unleash HELL!" The two immediately unloaded everything they had onto the Manticore, the beast practically erupting into a ball of fire the moment they did. Coco's Hype-enhanced bullets tore through the beast's flesh as the intense blast from Cooper's laser rifle went directly through its torso. For good measure, all of the missiles made impact with the Manticore, effectively making the Grimm blow up in a spectacular fashion. Once the couple were sure that their work was done, Coco let out a cheer before hugging her boyfriend in victory. "WOO-HOO! That was a BLAST!"

" _Quite literally!"_ Cooper affirmed before pressing a button on the side of his helmet, allowing it to retract away. With his head now visible, Cooper's eyes met Coco's before the couple leaned in for a tender kiss, just as he had promised earlier. Once they separated, Cooper sighed and complimented her handiwork. "Amazing as always, Coco."

Coco smirked and raised a brow at him. "The kiss or the kill?"

Cooper chuckled at that. "Both as far as I'm concerned. They were equally awesome."

"Agreed." Ironwood concurred as he stepped over to the two with a grin. "The both of you did very well. I'm really impressed."

"Thanks, G.I." Coco saluted. "But I doubt that we're far from done here—"

"GUYS!" The trio whirled their heads around to see Ruby, Ilia and Penny all running toward a large horde of Creeps, the girls preparing to engage the stampede. "We could some help over here!" Ruby called out again.

Cooper and Coco looked at each other, the couple sharing a playful smirk. "You ready for another round, Tech Head?" Coco asked.

"Oh, you know it." Cooper affirmed, his helmet going back into place soon after. _"Let's do this!"_

* * *

From the moment that she had shot Omen from its sheath, Raven could feel herself beginning to relax a little, at least from all of the drama that had transpired between her and her daughter about a half hour ago. As she charged into battle against the large Sphinx, she began flashing back to the good old days, when she and her team used to do these types of missions without any problems. Now, she was doing it again, but this time with Yang by her side. _'This… this feels right.'_ Raven resolved as her blade clashed with the claws of the Sphinx, the beast having swiped down at her when she got close enough. "Sorry, kitty, no such luck." She berated.

With a quick tuck and roll, Raven somersaulted underneath the Sphinx's rear and immediately sliced off its snake-headed tail, making it roar in pain. But while the Sphinx was now a little less dangerous than it was before, the action proved to only make it angrier. It spun around with its maw beginning to burn with flames, ready to incinerate Raven as it loomed over her.

However, that didn't last for very long. Yang came flying in over her mother's head and slammed her fist into the Sphinx's face, landing a Fire Dust-fueled punch thanks to Ember Celica. The Grimm staggered back and growled at the Blonde Brawler, its eyes burning with rage. But Yang wasn't intimidated in the least, smirking in the winged feline's direction. "Hey, don't get snippy with me, mister." She said with a finger wag. " _You're_ the one who was about to burn my mom to a crisp."

"Which I could've gotten away from." Raven reminded. "But thank you for the save."

Yang gave her a shrug. "Hey, just because we had a fight doesn't mean I'm about to let you die, ya know."

"I do." Raven nodded before noticing the Sphinx's mouth beginning to burn once again. "Brace yourself, it's about to attack!"

Right as she said that, the Sphinx let loose a burning hot flame from its mouth, making Yang and Raven dive off to the side. However, they hadn't realized that Dynatusk was coming right up from behind them, the Paku-Dermoloid more than ready to assist the two. As a result, the flamethrower hit Dynatusk head on, causing the elephant alien to raise his arms up to block it from his face. "BEN!" both ladies cried out to him.

" **GRAAAAH!"** Dynatusk flexed his arms and charged through the fire, slamming into the Sphinx and knocking it back several feet. **"Heh, it's okay, ladies!"** The hero said with a thumbs up. **"I'm pretty sure my skin's heatproof!"**

"Well, that's a relief." Raven narrowed her eyes at the Sphinx as it got up and continued to glower back at them in contempt. "But I'm afraid it'll take more than raw strength to bring the Sphinx down."

Yang clenched her fists, ready to throw down at a moment's notice. "Alright, what do we do?"

"Its wings need to be taken care of first." Raven answered. "Then we can focus on the beast itself." The Spring Maiden craned her head over to the couple. "Think you two can keep it preoccupied while I slice its wings off?"

Dynatusk slammed his large fist into the palm of his hand. **"No problem! I'll throw the bad cat off its game."** With a low bellow, the Paku-Dermoloid charged in and, as if on cue, the Sphinx began breathing fire once again. But Dynatusk wasn't bothered by the flames in the least, bouncing harmlessly off his skin as he continued onward. Just as he closed the distance, the Sphinx stopped its attack before switching to a pounce, with Dynatusk's eyes widening at the sudden lunge. **"Woah!"** The hero brought his hands up and stopped the Sphinx's front paws from digging into his eyes… but its back claws managed to stick into his knees, making him grit his teeth. **"GAH! Oh, you're a VERY bad kitty."**

"Ben! Hang on!" Yang ran up behind Dynatusk and proceeded to climb up his back, much to the alien's surprise.

It was all Dynatusk could do from laughing, her movement tickling his back as she climbed. **"Wh-Whoa, Yang! Wh-What're you doing?!"**

The moment Yang made it to the top of Dynatusk's head however, her eyes met the Sphinx's and she hollered; "Hey!" before pumping her Ember Celica. "Keep your paws to yourself, huh?!" With a mighty yell, Yang punched toward the Sphinx's face, unloading two rounds of Fire Dust right into it. The Sphinx roared as its face burned before Dynatusk punched it right in the gut, making it tumble away. Yang jumped off of Dynatusk's massive head and grinned up to him, giving him a thumbs up. "Not bad, huh?"

" **Hehe, yeah."** Dynatusk chortled. **"A bit unexpected, but—AUGH!"** Without warning, a certain large black, white and red mass suddenly leapt over Yang's head and tackled Dynatusk to the street, taking advantage of the distraction.

Yang's eyes widened immediately at the sight. "BEN! NO—AGH!" Just as quickly as her boyfriend was taken to the ground, the Sphinx rounded about and sprang onto Yang as well, pinning her arms under its massive paws. All at once, Yang found herself staring into the glowing red eyes of the massive Sphinx, the creature growling down at her as its breath began to grow blazing hot. She could practically see the embers beginning to form in its mouth, ready to burn her alive. Yang grit her teeth at the beast. She knew she could get out of this, but she needed the right opening. But at the moment, though, it seemed the Sphinx wasn't about to give her one. "Ugh, okay, we were _definitely_ too quick to celebrate."

The Sphinx was about to let loose its fiery breath, but then its eyes widened when it heard a _shinkt_ , which was followed up by a sharp pain coming from right between its shoulder blades. The beast let out a screech as it reared back onto its hind legs, allowing Yang to roll away to safety. Once she got back on her feet, she looked up to see what had caused the Sphinx to let her go… and was shocked at what she saw. "…No way."

There, riding on the Sphinx while keeping her sword plunged into its back, was her mother. Raven had what could only be described as righteous fury etched on her face as she glared down at the beast. It tried to throw her off, but she kept her grip, not letting go for a second. As all of this happened, Yang could hear her mother say; "Keep… your filthy paws…" Raven grabbed hold of the Sphinx's neck fur and took her blade out to cut its wings off, screaming at the top of her lungs; "OFF!" _Slice_. "MY!" _Slice_. "DAUGHTER!"

On the final word, Raven climbed up onto the now wingless Sphinx's head and cut a deep gash across its face, making it scream even more as it staggered back. As the beast writhed from its injuries, Raven sprinted over to her daughter and immediately began questioning her in concern. "Yang, are you alright?!"

"Y-Yeah… I'm good." Yang stammered out, unsure of what exactly to say. Once she was able to finally take it all in, a smile appeared on her face. "Mom, that… that was incredible! I can't believe you just did all that… to save me."

Raven smiled back, thankful that her daughter was safe. "Well… just because we had a fight doesn't mean I was about to let you die." She replied, echoing her daughter from earlier. "And I'm not about to let anyone else die either."

Yang's eyes widened slightly at this. "Mom, I…"

Raven stepped forward and took hold of her daughter's hand, thankful that she didn't pull it away. "Yang, you were right. I AM afraid of Salem. But… I don't want that fear to control me anymore. I'm the Spring Maiden, so I should start acting like it." She craned her head down, sending a sad gaze toward the ground. "Maybe then… I can begin to repent for the atrocious acts that I have committed."

There was a momentary silence between the two, both of them standing there motionless as Raven's words sunk in. However, after a couple of seconds, Raven suddenly felt herself being enveloped in an embrace, making her head snap back up. She shifted her eyes over to see that Yang… was hugging her. The embrace was tight, but also had a gentleness to it, as if the hug was desperate. The blonde had her face buried in her mother's shoulder for a few moments before pulling away, revealing that there were tears beginning to trickle down from her eyes, a happy smile on her face. "…You asked me earlier if there was a possibility that you could _ever_ be a good mom." Yang let out a small chuckle as she wiped the tears away. "Well, as far as I'm concerned, you just took one BIG step toward that."

The words hit Raven like a truck. But eventually, she returned Yang's smile before pulling her back into the hug, the two burying themselves into each other's shoulders. "I'm so sorry for everything I've done, Yang." Raven muffled as she began to feel herself start to tear up as well.

"I know, and I accept your apology." Yang muffled back. "If anything, _I'm_ sorry for all of the things I said."

"Don't be." Raven assured. "Like you told me, it NEEDED to be said." She pulled back to see her daughter's face again. "Otherwise, we wouldn't have had _this_ happen, and I'm glad that it did. I'm just happy that we can put all of this behind us."

Yang was about to reply… only for a loud screech to get their attention. The two ladies craned their heads up to see that the wingless Sphinx had returned, its face now both burned _and_ with a huge gash across its forehead. It glowered down at them in utter rage and contempt, ready to burn them alive. Yang sneered up at the Sphinx, irritated that the moment between her and her mother was now ruined. "Oh… you're still alive, huh?"

The Sphinx roared at Yang for her remark… but was then promptly punched in the face for its trouble. Yang and Raven were taken aback, only to immediately set their gazes upward to see Dynatusk standing above them, the Paku-Dermoloid's fist clenched in ire. **"And THAT was for the sucker punch when I was off-guard."**

"Ben!" Yang grinned. "You're okay!"

Dynatusk bowed apologetically, rubbing the back of his head. **"Yeah… about that. I was actually gonna help out sooner, but when I saw Raven take that thing's wings out by herself, I felt like there was no need."** He directed his eyes to the woman in question. **"And when I saw you guys talking and stuff, I didn't wanna interrupt, so I stayed quiet."**

Raven let out a small chortle before shaking her head. "Hmph, well, thank you Ben. But I think it's time we finished this thing off. And I know just how to do it…" Once she quickly explained her plan to the couple, Raven sent a knowing smirk to her daughter. "So, what do you say, kiddo?"

Yang balled her hands into fists as she fell away from Raven's embrace, smirking right back at her mother. "I say… bring it!"

" **That goes double for me!"** Dynatusk agreed. He moved his eyes over to the Sphinx, letting out a loud trumpet before charging forward with Raven and Yang at his side. **"Let's do it!"** As the trio ran toward it, the Sphinx let out another screech before pouncing right at Dynatusk. But again, the elephant alien was able to easily stop it, taking hold of the creature's front paws as it lunged at him. This time though, he wasn't about to let it claw him in the legs again. Using the momentum from the pounce, Dynatusk tossed the Sphinx over his head and grabbed a hold of its hind legs, slamming it onto its back twice before twisting it around so that it was lying on its stomach. **"Yang! Raven!"**

"On it!" Yang hollered as she launched herself with Ember Celica once again. She propelled herself onto the Sphinx, landing on its back before sending a Fire Dust-fueled punch right into the wound between its shoulder blades. As she expected, the Grimm let out a loud shriek of agony, and Yang was quick to give her mom the okay. "Mom, DO IT!"

"I'm already there!" Raven assured as she circled around to the Sphinx's front end. The beast glowered down at her, seemingly ready to fight until its dying breath. Little did it know that moment was coming far quicker than it had realized. With its mouth still open, Raven did something she rarely did; change the blade type on her sword. She drew Omen, now with a light blue Ice Dust blade, and drove it into the creature's maw. It pierced right into the Sphinx's flame sack and froze on contact, leaving the beast with a permanently open mouth. Raven pulled Omen's handle out and jumped away, waving to Dynatusk to finish it. "Now, Ben!"

" **Gotcha!"** Dynatusk lifted the struggling Grimm up, the beast still trying desperately to activate its flame breath to no avail. **"Sorry, kitty, but you've been A-** _ **paw**_ **-ling to get a handle on!"** With that wordplay, Dynatusk wrapped his trunk around the Sphinx and pulled it in, stabbing both of his long, sharp tusks through its body. The Sphinx immediately became limp, dissolving into black mist not long after. Dynatusk let out a victorious laugh and put his hands on his hips. **"Haha! And THAT is how you prevent a** _ **cat**_ **-astrophe!"**

Raven grimaced as she stared up at him, baffled at how he could be proud of such wordplay. "Are you serious right now, Benjamin?"

Yang nudged her mother's arm playfully. "Aw, c'mon mom! No _claws_ for alarm here!"

" **Very** _ **purr**_ **-ceptive, Yang!"** Dynatusk commended before transforming back to his human form. Ben walked over and put his arms around Yang's midsection. "I gotta say though, you ladies were totally _paw_ -some back there. I'm glad you two could make up."

Yang reached up around Ben's neck, returning the embrace. "Hah, yep, I am too." She gave her mother a wink. "You could say that we made up… _purr_ -fectly."

Raven pursed her lips for a moment… but then they turned up into a small smile. "Well, we were quite the _fur_ -midable team, wouldn't you say?"

The Blonde Brawler laughed and shot back instantly; "Yeah! I have a _feline_ that things are gonna be great from here on out!"

Ben began to wince as the puns began to degrade. "Okay, ladies, let's not go too far down the rabbit hole. We don't wanna end up like a… _certain_ annoying 90's video game mascot." Yang and Raven stared at him incredulously, prompting him to wave it off. "I'll explain later. Right now, we should—"

"YANG!" At the sound of a familiar shrill voice, Yang, Ben and Raven all spun around to see Ruby's group having congregated with Coco's group to take on a huge horde of Creeps. The reptilian Grimm were all snarling and drooling as they attacked the team, relentless in their onslaught. And while the six were well more than a match for the beasts, there seemed to be more coming with each one they took down. "Guys, we need help!" Ruby called out again.

Yang's eyes widened and she immediately began sprinting over, shouting back to her sister; "Hang on, Rubes! We're coming!"

Before she could get very far though, Ben ran up next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Wait, Yang!" He managed to get her attention and he smiled at her, giving her a wink. "I've got an idea." Ben pointed to the Omnitrix with an eager grin. "I think it's time to put the new guy to good use."

The blonde quickly brightened up at the idea, and she voiced her approval. "Okay, one sec." She cupped her hands over her mouth and hollered over to her sister; "Hey, RUBY!"

After slicing through yet another Creep, Ruby's head snapped back toward her sister. "Yeah?! What is it?!"

"Tell the others to get back over here!" Yang shouted. "Ben's got a plan!"

"Okay!" Ruby whipped her head back to her five compatriots and called out to them. "Guys, Ben's got something! Fall back to the others!"

Coco looked at her with shock, taking a brief moment to stop unloading everything her weapon had into a slew of Creeps. "What?! C'mon, Rubes, we just got started!"

Cooper landed next to his girlfriend after killing a whole bunch of Creeps as well, his boots making a _clang_ as they hit the ground. _"Babe, I think Ruby might be onto something. With the way these Creeps are coming, we'll be overrun within seconds. We need to regroup."_

Coco gripped Gianduja's handle a bit tighter, but once again, she couldn't find anything wrong in that logic. Sometimes, it was just wiser to run when needed. "Yeah, can't argue with that, Tech Head. Alright, guys, let's break away!" Coco, Cooper, Ruby, Ilia, Penny and Ironwood all broke away from the horde of Creeps and headed back to Ben's group, though the Creeps were quick to follow behind them. Coco stepped over to Ben and crossed her arms, raising a single brow to the hero. "Alright, Tennyson. This idea of yours had better be good."

"Oh, trust me, Coco, it is." Ben said with a wry grin, tapping the side of his forehead. "I've got it all up here. Now… you guys might wanna stand back a bit." Confused but compliant, the teens, along with Raven and Ironwood, gave Ben some space as he brought up the Omnitrix. With the Creeps closing in, Ben smirked as he found his new guy's icon, instantly recognizing the dome-shaped head. "Ah, there you are." The hero slapped the Omnitrix core and he began to transform in the signature flash of green light, making all of the Creeps stop in their tracks.

Once the light subsided, everyone opened their eyes to see the new alien that Ben had unlocked at the hospital, green hazmat suit and all. _"Ah, dere we go."_ The alien said in his city accent, spreading out his arms out to his friends. _"Everybody, say hello to… to…"_ He snapped his fingers as his eyeridges furrowed in frustration. _"Gah, dammit, still haven't figured out a name fa' dis guy."_

The whole group stared at the alien at astonishment, with Ilia being the first to speak up. "So, THIS is your new alien, huh?"

"What exactly can he do?" Raven added.

"Ben said he's a gassy alien." Yang answered as she took in her boyfriend's new transformation. "But man, Green Boy, I gotta admit, this guy's pretty cool-looking."

" _Heh, thanks Goldie Locks."_ Ben chuckled before focusing his sights onto the horde of Creeps, all of whom were growling and snarling at _him_ now specifically. The hero cracked his knuckles and stepped forward, ready to put his plan into motion. _"Alright, ya Creeps. You wanna get nut's? C'mon! Let's get nuts!"_

Ruby blinked in confusion. "…Uh, what're you gonna do?"

" _I'll TELL ya what I'm gonna do!"_ The alien raised a single finger into the air as the gases in his stomach began to mix together. _"Imma gonna mix up some hydrogen fluoride with a bit o' antimony pentafluoride. Just gotta mix in a few miscellaneous alien enhancements an' we're gonna see what da hell happens when I use it on dem mooks!"_

Ironwood did some quickly did some science in his head. He wasn't exactly a major in the subject, but he did well enough in the academy to remember which sorts of chemicals were the deadliest. "Hydrogen fluoride and antimony pentafluoride?" The general's eyes widened when he remembered what those were. "You're making enhanced fluoroantimonic acid?! Ben, that's probably the most corrosive material known to mankind!"

" _An' only the fourth deadliest known ta aliens!"_ The Omnitrix bearer pointed out. _"But don't worry 'bout it, general. You guys'll be fine… so long as ya stay upwind o' course."_ At this, everyone wisely backed away from the alien, getting as FAR away from him as possible. _"Heh, yeah, dat's what I thought."_ Ben spread his arms out and announced to the Creeps; _"Alright, ya meshugganahs! Come an' get me!"_

The Creeps readily obliged, charging at the alien the moment he yelled at them. There appeared to be over one hundred of the beasts and, in no time at all, they all tackled Ben to the ground and were about to tear into his hazmat suit. But right at that moment, the alien opened up all of the nozzles on his body, including two hidden ones that were in the palms of his hands. The vapors from the enhanced fluoroantimonic acid mixture began wafting out of the alien's body… and the effects were immediately apparent. All at once, the Creeps began crying out in agony as their bodies dissolved into a black, soupy substance, the boney pieces degrading a bit slower than the rest of their parts. The others stared on at the scene, all of them beginning to feel sick to their stomachs. "Eeeeeww! _Nasty_!" Penny winced

The alien sat up and shook the black substance off of him, giving out a slightly disgusted chuckle the moment he began to see the dissolving innards of the beasts floating by in the soup. _"Hehe, okay… maybe I WAS a bit overzealous with dis one."_

"I'LL SAY!" Ruby exclaimed as she stared at the scene, slightly horrified by what her friend had just done. "Ben, you practically rotted out their guts!"

The alien stood up and his eyes widened, an idea suddenly coming to his head. He turned to his girlfriend and pointed at her. _"Goldie Locks… are you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"_

Yang grinned as she too picked up on what her boyfriend was saying. "If you're thinking of the name "Gutrot", then yeah, I am!"

" _Alright, let's test it out! Ahem…"_ The alien put his hands to his hips and puffed out his chest, proudly standing in the soup of his enemies as he declared his new name; _"GUTROT! Hehe, yeah! I like it!"_

Coco grimaced as Gutrot approached them, the black soupy substance still on his boots. "It… certainly fits, I'll give you that, Tennyson."

Cooper made sure that all of the acidic gas had dissipated before lowering his helmet, sharing Coco's sentiments. "Yeah, no kidding." The genius sighed and folded his armored arms. "Well, now that all of that's taken care of, what do we do now?"

" _Well, I'm thinkin' we should see how Jessie an' Team JNPR're doin'."_ Gutrot suggested. _"If we're lucky, things should be goin' smooth an' we'll be outta 'ere in no time."_

Just as he said this, though, Penny suddenly saw something move out of the corner of her eye, prompting her head to whirl around to her right. "Wait!" she cried out, pointing over to a nearby alley way. "Over there, I think I saw something move!"

The crew followed her gaze, with Ironwood wasting no time in aimed Due Process at the alleyway. "Who goes there?!" he called out. "Come out slowly!"

But whatever it was did NOT come out slowly. In fact, it practically flew out of the alley way and up into the air over them all, floating there just above their heads. Many eyes widened at the sight of the Grimm; a certain jellyfish-like Grimm to be exact. Raven and Ironwood stared at the Grimm in shock, as did Yang, Ben and Ilia. The chameleon girl's skin turned white as she recalled what that particular Grimm had done last night. "W-Wait… isn't that…"

"A Seer!" Raven said through clenched teeth.

"What's that?" Ruby asked. "I don't think I've ever seen one before.

Coco was also confused, having never heard of the species either. "Yeah, what's the big deal?" she asked. "Why're you all so jumpy? It looks like a weakling."

"Do not be so quick to jump to conclusions, Coco." Penny said as she narrowed her eyes at the Grimm. "Seers are types of Grimm that Salem uses to see out into the outside world without leaving her castle."

"They are?" Cooper put his helmet back up and began searching through his databanks, trying to find these "Seers". _"But… I'm not finding them in here."_

Ironwood's grip on his revolver tightened. "You probably _won't_ find them either. Seers have been intentionally kept secret since they're rarely seen and are connected _directly_ to Salem. If anybody found out about what they can do—"

" _Yeah, yeah, we got da picture."_ Gutrot waved off. _"Can't let nobody find out 'bout Salem, can ya?"_ He ushered for his teammates to step back as he stepped toward the Seer, holding out his palm while bringing the nozzle back out. _"'Ey-yo, Salem! If you can hear me, den lemme know how liquid nitrogen tastes!"_ With that, Gutrot blasted a white liquid out of his nozzle, spraying the seer with said liquid nitrogen. The creature let out an agonizing screech as it was frozen instantly in midair, resulting in it falling to the ground and smashing into tiny pieces upon impact. Gutrot rubbed his gloved hands together and nodded resolutely. " _An' DAT is how da cookie crumbles, my friends."_

Yang gave him a thumbs up. "Hey, nice work, Green… Boy." Her eyes went back to where the Seer had shattered, only to see that some sort of black and purple mist had been expelled from its body upon impact. "Uh… guys?"

Everyone immediately saw what Yang did and began to step toward it, intending to investigate. But just as they got within a few feet of it, the dark, swirling mist suddenly began to expand outward, creating more and more of itself until it had formed a sort of tall column. A red light suddenly appeared in the center of the column as the mist began taking shape… accompanied by a rather familiar voice. _"Well, well, well…"_ The voice became clearer as a figure began to form, a pair of white hands appearing at the end of ethereal, smoke-like arms. From the mist, the all too recognizable face of Salem appeared, her bleach white skin and hair standing out from the black, inky void. Her eyes glowered down to the group as she went on. "The brave Huntsmen and Huntresses bested a few of my pets… _congratulations_." she said with a hint of sarcasm.

The whole group stared at the witch in utter bewilderment, though Ruby, Penny, Cooper, Coco and Ironwood seemed to be the most taken aback by all of this. Still, the general was quick to gather his wits… and take aim at the apparition. " _Salem_." He spat venomously.

Ruby let out a small gasp, taking a step back. "Wait… _this_ is Salem?"

"Yep, that's her, alright." Yang replied as her face scrunched up in anger.

"She's here? _Again_?!" Ilia exclaimed as she readied her Lightning Lash.

Penny quickly activated her arm blades, preparing for whatever the witch might do. "I certainly was not expecting this today."

"Dear god." Coco took her sunglasses off to make sure she wasn't seeing things. "Okay, I've gotta admit… she's just as scary as I thought she'd be."

" _Really?"_ Cooper asked, genuinely surprised by his girlfriend's claim. _"Because to be honest, I thought she'd be scarier."_ He put a metallic hand to his head. _"Then again, I HAVE seen Vilgax, so I guess I can't imagine anything being a whole lot scarier than him."_

Ironwood, with Due Process still aimed squarely at Salem, continued; "What the _hell_ do you think you're doing here?"

Salem shifted her eyes to him, though her face remained indifferent. "Ah, General Ironwood. So good to finally make your acquaintance." She raised a hand up to him. "But I am afraid you will not have much luck using your weapon. What you see before you is but a simple mirage." The witch waved a hand through her ethereal body for emphasis. "You see? I am not truly here. You would simply be wasting your ammunition."

" _Yeah, I figured."_ Gutrot said as he stepped forward and crossed his arms. _"Question is, why're you even botherin' to show us your face if ya ain't even gonna show up in person?"_

A sinister smile came to Salem's lips as the Omnitrix bearer stepped forward. "Ah, Benjamin. You are looking rather… _interesting_ this evening." Her hand went to her chin to ponder over the new alien form. "Perhaps it is your new suit?"

" _Cut the chit-chat, Salem."_ Gutrot rebuked as he pointed at her. _'Why dontcha try actually answerin' my question, eh?"_

Salem gave a bemused chuckle. "Hmph, well, I suppose I _could_ humor you." She laced her fingers together as her smoke-like body began floating in front of all of them. "You see, I'm afraid I am far too busy with a little… _project_ of mine to address you all in person. So, I had my Seer follow you so that I may gather some useful information. And my, oh my, I managed to overhear _quite_ a valuable piece of information, indeed…" Salem lowered herself down to Raven, but rather than being frozen in fear, the tribe leader stood firm as the witch addressed her. "…Hello, my dear Spring Maiden."

Raven glowered back at Salem in disgust. "I am not _your_ Maiden, Salem." She gestured over to the teens, her daughter specifically. "My allegiance lies with them, NOT you!" The Spring Maiden unsheathed her blade and pointed it directly at Salem's face. "And I don't care HOW hard you try to take the powers for yourself. I WILL defend them with my very life!"

But Salem's evil smile did not faulter as her apparition went back to its full height. "Oh, I had a feeling that would be the case, my dear." She began floating away from Raven and toward the other end of the group. "But one way or another, those Maiden powers WILL be mine, I can assure you of that. I am simply satisfied to have confirmed my theory."

An astonished expression came to Raven's face at that remark. "Wait… you _knew_ I was the Spring Maiden all along?!"

"I had a hunch." Salem replied simply as she glanced back to Raven over her shoulder. "I knew that someone like you would never have the patience to actually _train_ a weakling such as the last Spring Maiden."

Before Raven could even spit back anything at Salem, Yang did so for her. "HEY!" The Blonde Brawler's pointed right at Salem. "Don't even TRY to play that card, lady! We ALL know that you would've done something a LOT worse to her!"

"Oh, so true." Salem mused. "But semantics aside, there is something FAR more important that I wish to address right now." It was then that she made her way over… to Ruby. Salem lowered her head so that she was making eye contact with the young girl, smiling at her all the while. "Hello, dear child."

"Uh… hi." Ruby answered back, thoroughly frightened by the witch's calm demeanor.

"I must say, it has been quite a long time since I have seen someone with Silver Eyes in my presence." Salem remarked. "You have quite the gift… one that my creatures are completely _repulsed_ by."

A bit of confidence suddenly began to rise up in Ruby, the girl putting on a brave face. "Th-That's right! So that means you've got a REALLY good reason to be—"

"Oh, I am not afraid, dear." Salem interrupted. "Far from it, really. And do you wish to know why?" She extended a finger, pointing directly at Ruby's eyes. "Because I know that you don't know how to use these yet. In fact, if I am correct in saying so… you haven't even _activated_ them." Her smile disappeared and was replaced by a soft scowl. "Am I right?"

Ruby was backed into a corner. The witch had her dead to rights. She lowered her head and nodded sadly. "…Yes."

"I thought so." Salem began floating away, not even bothering to look at Ruby anymore. "You may want to work on that if you have ANY hope of facing me, child. Of all people, your mother certainly knew that."

The Hooded Huntress' head snapped up, as did everyone else's at her words. "You… you knew my mom?" she whispered, though everyone managed hear it.

Yang's eyes widened in shock before whirling around to her mother. "Mom… did you…"

"No, Yang, I didn't know." Raven answered. "I… I'm just as surprised as you are." The tribe leader craned her head down and thought to herself; _'Summer… why didn't you tell us THIS?'_

"Why yes, I kept tabs on ALL Silver-Eyed warriors." Salem raised a hand before clutching it into a fist. "So that I may snuff them out when I have the chance. But you? Hmph, you are but a mere child who has no idea what she is doing." Salem moved back around and glowered at Ruby. "Compared to your mother, she at least had a _grasp_ of her powers at your age."

Ruby was visibly shaking at this point. The fact that Salem knew her mother was one thing… but the fact that she knew THAT much about her? It was frightening. "I… I-I don't…" Ruby put a hand to her head as a stray thought went through her head; _'Could… could she be the reason why mom—'_

" _Dat's enough!"_ Gutrot stepped in front of Ruby, glaring angrily at Salem while Yang came over to help comfort her sister. _"I ain't sure where you get off on messin' wit' people's heads, but dis stops RIGHT 'ere!"_

Salem's smile returned as she put her hand back to her chin. "Why, are you challenging me, Benjamin? Even after what I did to you last night?"

But Gutrot wasn't deterred in the least, balling his hands in ire. _"Listen 'ere, lady, I dunno who you THINK you're talkin' to, but lemme give ya a reminder;"_ The alien jabbed a thumb to his chest. _"I'm Ben Tennyson. Defender of Earth, Savior of the Universe, Weilder o' the Omnitrix, yadayadayada."_ He pointed directly at Salem once more. _"The POINT is… I ain't goin' down without a fight."_ Gutrot waved his hand out to the crowd behind him. _"If fact, ALL o' us are, right guys?!"_ There was a loud cheer from nearly everyone erupted from behind him, the only exception being Ruby, the girl still trying to collect herself. _"Ya see?! We're ALL in dis thing together, an' we ain't backin' down!"_

The witch simply closed her eyes, her smile still present as she raised her arm up. "Very well… if you insist." She snapped her fingers and the team immediately prepared for another attack.

However, nothing came. No Grimm erupting from the earth, falling from the sky, or jumping from the nearby forest. There was just… nothing. "What… what did you do?!" Ironwood demanded.

"Oh, nothing much." Salem answered coyly. "I simply sent a small swarm of Lancers to your precious island for your act of defiance. You are welcome."

" _You WHAT?!"_ Cooper exclaimed.

Coco grit her teeth at Salem. "You heartless bitch! You really DON'T care who you have to slaughter to get your way, do you?!"

"Well, what did you expect?" Salem waved the girl off. "I am not about to let _anything_ stop my plans." She bent down and locked eyes with Gutrot, matching his angry expression. "Think of this as my second strike against you. And if I recall, as the old saying goes… three strikes, you're _out_. Be wise and abandon this fight Tennyson. You are only delaying the inevitable." Salem stood back up to full height and put her hands behind her back. "Because if you choose to continue this endeavor, there will be no going back. Simply accept the futility of your situation… and this can all be over."

Everyone stared at Salem in both shock and anger, the group utterly stunned by how cruel she could truly be. But at that moment, a small voice suddenly spoke up from the crowd; "No." The group's attention went to Ruby, the girl stepping away from her sister and raising her head up to Salem, meeting the witch's dark eyes. "I'm not about to give up… not after coming this far." She briefly glanced around to all of her friends, all of them wearing confident faces. "And I know that goes for ALL of us." She furrowed her brows at Salem, standing her ground as the witch moved back over to her. "We WILL stop you. And that's a promise."

Salem closed her eyes and shook her head. "I have heard those same exact words many times over the millennia. But I still find it quite ironic…"

"What?" Ruby asked

"Oh, nothing." Salem dismissed. "Just… a little secret." She waved the teens off as the smoke began to dissipate around her. "Now, I suggest you all leave… after all, my Nuckelavee is currently giving your friends quite the run for their money." Off in the distance, a small _boom_ could be heard, alerting everyone to what was going on. "For now, I bid you farewell. But remember… from this point on, your fates are sealed." With that, Salem disappeared as the smoke wafted away, carried off by the wind.

The moment Salem was gone, all sense of bravado had left Ruby, the girl falling to her knees as she scrunched her eyes shut. She had just stood up to _Salem_ of all people… and she felt completely drained. Tears began falling from her eyes as the gravity of her actions hit her, a few sobs escaping her throat. "I—I'm sorry! I don't know what came over me, I—"

Yang was ready to start comforting her sister… but then something very unexpected happened. Raven stepped over and knelt down next to Ruby, putting a hand to the girl's shoulder. "Ruby… it's alright. What you just did was VERY brave." Her words caused Ruby's head to whip up in surprise, only to be met with a smile from Raven. "You're certainly much braver than I am, that's for sure. I know your mother would've been proud to see what you just did."

Ruby blinked in surprise. "She… she would be?"

"Yeah, Rubes!" Yang supported as she knelt down as well. "I know she'd be floored by what you pulled off! That was totally awesome."

The silver-eyed girl chuckled and brushed a stray hair away from her face. "Heh, yeah… I guess it was."

"' _Ey, uh… sorry ta break up the moment, ladies."_ Gutrot spoke up. _"But dere's something' real important we need ta take care of."_ He slapped the Omnitrix dial and changed back into his human form, a serious expression on his face. "Now, I don't know what a "Lancer" is," Ben said with airquotes for emphasis, "but there's a bunch of them heading to Patch _right_ now."

" _Lancers?"_ Cooper interjected. _"They're basically giant wasps. NOT good."_

"My sentiments exactly." Ben agreed as he brought up the Omnitrix. "Which is why we gotta warn the others before it's too late." He called his cousin's Plumber badge, which she thankfully picked up on the first ring. "Gwen? It's Ben. We have a problem… and you're not gonna like it."

* * *

Meanwhile, all the way across the village, Jessie Jameson found herself skidding across the ground, the heels of her boots digging into the street as she slowed to a stop. She couldn't lie to herself, she was getting _very_ annoyed. The cowgirl always hated how intelligent the more humanoid Grimm were, and the fact that this Nuckelavee was proving to be a big pain in her rear was more than enough evidence for that. Every time that either she or any member of Team JNPR had gotten in close to it, the beast would quickly counter. It was also keeping its body away from _her_ specifically, lest it get caught in her Iron Grip.

"Damn it!" Jessie threw her hat off her head, quickly growing frustrated. "How's this consarned beast not even TIRED yet?!"

"I really don't know!" Jaune answered as he rushed over to her. He and his team were continuing the attack against the Nuckelavee, its stretchy arms lashing all about as it tried to take a hold of the four teens. "But we gotta come up with SOMETHING to beat it at its own game!" The Nuckelavee spotted Jaune in its peripheral vision and let out a screech at the young man, whipping its arms out at him the very next second. However, just as the limbs were about to close the distance, A streak of red and gold flew right past Jaune's face and collided with the limbs, knocking them away. "Pyrrha!"

Indeed, Pyrrha had slammed herself into the limbs, bashing her shield against them to pin them to the ground. "You will NOT lay a finger on him, you wretched beast!" Pyrrha took her xiphos out and was about to stab into the limbs, but the Nuckelavee pulled them away before she could get the chance. Pyrrha let out a groan, her emerald green eyes glaring right at the creature. "By the gods. My mother told me that Nuckelavee were frustrating to fight, but I did not think it would be THIS aggravating!"

Jessie and Jaune rushed over to her as she stood up, the cowgirl letting out a breath. "Hah, well, now ya know, sugar." The redheaded woman popped a few muscles in her neck and rolled her shoulders, prepping herself to get back into the fight. "But _I_ know we can get this done. It'll mess up eventually, as ALL Grimm do."

Just as she said that, a volley of pink projectiles were suddenly launched at the Nuckelavee, making it rear onto its hind legs as they exploded near it. "HEY! Reindeer Games!" The creature's head jerked around to see Nora and Ren on the opposite side of the village square, both of them still ready to fight. "I'm still not really sure what THAT means, but I'm callin' you out!" Nora finished.

The Nuckelavee let out another scream before stretching its arms out to the duo, only for them to separate when it was just about to reach them. Ren went around its left side and began firing at it, to which it responded by stretching its arms out once again. This time though, it managed to grab Ren by the arms, making him stop in place. Seeing this unfold before him, an idea popped into Jaune's head. "GUYS!" the blonde knight called out. "Keep going! Go in a circle!"

Hearing her boyfriend's plan, Pyrrha immediately realized what he was talking about. "Jaune, that's brilliant!"

Jessie was quick to catch on as well. "Hey, not a bad idea, sugar! The varmint can't catch us all if'n we circle it!"

With the idea now in place, the five began running in a clockwise motion, with Nora changing her course while launching another grenade at the Nuckelavee. She caught its attention, which in turn allowed Ren to escape its clutches. All at once, the five began circling around the beast and began unloading their fire power into it. The Nuckelavee desperately tried to keep up, but the five Hunters managed to out run its limbs whenever it tried to grab them. "Pyrrha!" Jaune exclaimed, holding his sword up. "With me!"

"On it!" With the beast's focus on Jessie, Nora and Ren at its front, this allowed Jaune and Pyrrha to finally get in close to its legs. The couple slashed their blades across the Stallion's back legs, a black smoke evaporating from the wounds they made. However, the horse was quick to round on them and buck its rear, kicking both of them back. The couple landed in a heap, with Pyrrha on top while Jaune landed on his back beneath her, the boy letting out a pained yell as she landed on him. "Oh! I'm sorry!" Pyrrha apologized. "Jaune, are you okay?!"

"Heh, don't worry, Pyr. I'm fine." Jaune sat up, giving his girlfriend a sly wink. "And don't apologize for this. If anything, I'm happy to break your fall anytime."

Pyrrha rolled her eyes and stood up, helping Jaune do the same. "Hmhm, alright, Fearless Leader, what now?"

"Now?" Jaune sheathed Crocea Mors before pulling the whole sheath off his belt, activating the blade's greatsword mode. "Now it's time to bring out the big guns." He nudged his head to the Nuckelavee's right flank. "Think you can stick that thing so I can get in close?"

Pyrrha gave him a determined smile and a nod. "I know I can." With a press of a button, Pyrrha twirled Milo around in her hand as its handle extended, changing into its javelin mode. She eyed the right flank of the beast, making sure she had a good aim on it before thrusting her arm forward, pulling the weapon's trigger. With a Fire Dust round propelling it forward, the javelin embedded itself in the horse's rear, making it whiney at the unexpected act.

Not wasting any time, Jaune ran forward and slashed his greatsword right through the Stallion's flank, pulling the javelin out of the beast as he came back down. Then, as fast as he could, he stabbed Milo in the beast's underside before pulling it out again, rolling away as the Nuckelavee screamed in agony. "Ha, we got it!" Jaune shouted as he stood up and handed Pyrrha her weapon back. However, the moment they met Nuckelavee's eyes, they could tell that it was FAR from done.

" _ **REEEAAAAHHH!"**_ The Grimm lurched backward and began spinning its torso all about, making is arms whirl around like a large propeller. The five Hunters attempted to outrun the long-reaching attack, but in the end, they were all knocked over, tumbling across the ground as the arms finally came to a stop. While the group collected themselves, the Nuckelavee brought its arms back in and placed its hands on its shoulders, taking in a ragged breath as its body began to change. The spikes on its back grew out, becoming almost blade-like in appearance while the horns on its head grew as well. With this, it let out another blood-curdling scream, one that was so much louder than all of the rest that it forced the Hunters to put their hands over their ears in pain. They knew that it HAD to be angry.

"Dag-nabbit!" Jessie grit her teeth before taking aim at the Nuckelavee. "Shut the HELL up!" She pulled the trigger of her shotgun, successfully blasting it in the face and blowing off a large chunk of bone. The screaming stopped and Jessie smirked at her shot. "Heh, good, now that I've got yer attention, we can—" Just then, a green blur rushed past Jessie and toward a nearby tree, taking her off guard. She whipped herself around to see what it was, only to realize that it was a certain green ninja. "Ren! Boy, what're you doin'?!"

But Ren didn't answer her, the young man climbing up the tree without a word. He stood on one of the branches and open fired onto the Nuckelavee, catching its attention instantly. The beast then thrust one of its arms out at the ninja, and while Ren made to jump away… he got caught in its hand anyway. The ninja was whipped around and pinned into a building, letting out a groan as he slumped against it. Needless to say, Jessie was less than impressed. "What in the Sam Hill was THAT all about?!"

Nora's eyes widened in a panic he moment she saw the Nuckelavee begin to pull its free arm back, no doubt preparing to end Ren's life. She whirled her head over to Pyrrha and called out to her, running toward her as she did. "Pyrrha! Fast ball!"

The Invincible Girl nodded in understanding. "Right!" Pyrrha raised her shield as Nora approached her and the Pink Dynamo leapt up, doing a flip before landing on the shield. Activating her Semblance, Pyrrha used her polarity on her shield to heighten Nora's jump, acting as a springboard for the hyper redhead to lunge herself in Ren's direction.

Nora pulled back Magnhild to strike the Nuckelavee's approaching arm and Ren closed his eyes, the ninja bringing his arms up to brace for the impact that was coming. However… it never came. Ren's eyes snapped open and he glanced over, having heard something slam into the wall. Sure enough, above him on his left side was Nora, dangling from her hammer as the Nuckelavee kept it pressed against the wall. From her precarious position, Nora set her gaze down to Ren and the two shared a small smile… before Nora realized that he could quite easily see up her skirt. She blushed and crossed her legs, facing away from Ren in embarrassment. "Stop looking!"

"Gah!" Ren uttered as he faced away from her as well.

The Nuckelavee was not done, however. It jerked its body a bit and began flinging Nora around by her hammer, though the Pink Dynamo chose to keep hanging on. It slammed her into the ground once before whipping its arm back and slamming her again, this time letting her go. Nora bounced off the street with a grunt, losing her grip on Magnhild while her Aura broke in the process. She landed and laid there on her side, motionless… and Ren was NOT happy about it. He cried out and sliced into the Nuckelavee's hand multiple times with Stormflower before stabbing the blades down into it, hoping to make it let him go.

At that moment though, Jaune and Pyrrha came up from behind the Grimm and sliced into its hind legs once again, making it suffer even MORE pain. This, combined with Ren's stabbing was enough to finally free the ninja. And while he fell onto his back, he wasted no time in getting up and running toward the Nuckelavee, now fueled completely by his anger and frustration. The beast launched its arms at him, but he simply sliced away at the attack… only to get socked right in the face for his troubles.

"Fer god's sake, boy! Calm the heck down!" Jessie hollered as she made to get in close to the Nuckelavee. She took aim with her shotgun and fired, intending to take out one of the Imp's eyes. However, the Stallion took the hit to ITS eye instead, protecting its upper half. "Oh, you little sucker!" Just as she was about to take another shot, Ren rushed past her again, this time yelling as he went by. "Oh for the love of—REN!"

"Ren, knock it OFF!" Jaune ordered, but to no avail.

"What are you _thinking_?!" Pyrrha hollered in concern.

But Ren ignored them. He had come too far to not give this fight everything he had. This was his chance to do right by everyone in his hometown, the ones that suffered at the hands of this creature so many years ago. He needed to end this _himself_. He made to attack the Nuckelavee… but it brought its arms back around and hooked him in the leg, whipping him around before slamming him against the street. "AAUGH!" The impact managed to make him let go of Stormflower before being tossed right over to Nora, his own Aura breaking in the process.

Nora saw this as she sat up, the usually peppy girl now feeling utterly sad at seeing her friend like this. This only worsened when she witnessed Ren begin to get up as well, a face of utter contempt and rage having been plastered over his once kind features. _'Ren… please stop.'_ It was then that she noticed that the Nuckelavee was about to charge again… and Ren was charge to charge back _without_ his weapons. Nora furrowed her brows and stood up, moving around to Ren's right side. _'No, NOT like this!'_ She tackled Ren under a nearby house the very second the beast made to charge, the two closing their eyes when they landed beneath it.

But then… the galloping stopped, confusing the two instantly. Ren hobbled over to the edge of the edge of the porch and glared up at the beast, which was currently being held back by Jessie. The woman had grasped the Stallion's front peds with her bare hands, finally able to use her Iron Grip. The horse attempted the pull back, but Jessie wasn't about to let go, a smirk coming to her face. "Now don't go backin' out on my account, big boy! I'm more than happy to keep ya occupied!"

However, rather than focus on her, the Nuckelavee chose to shift its attention to Jaune and Pyrrha instead, extending its limbs out to the couple. The duo gasped before jumping out of the way, with Pyrrha shifting her javelin into its rifle mode to get off a few shots at it. Ren was about to go out and help, but Nora reached out and grabbed his wrist, stopping him in place. "Nora, let go!" he shouted as he tried to pull out of her grasp. But when she didn't, Ren only grew angrier, rounding about to face her. "NORA! They're going to get hurt if we don't—"

_SLAP!_ Ren was rendered completely silent the moment Nora smacked him across the face, stunning him to his core. The redhead slowly let go of his hand and he faced her again, calmly this time as she lowered her head to him. There were a few seconds of silence before she finally spoke up. "…No. I _won't_ let you kill yourself like this." She forced out, managing to hold back a sob. "After _everything_ we've been through… I won't let it end." She craned her head back up to him and, for just a moment, Ren saw the same scared little girl that he helped rescue all of those years ago, crying and shaking with fear. But the moment he blinked he saw his best friend again. She was crying, but also resolute and much braver than she had been before. "Not like _this_." She promised.

Ren was still speechless, but her words had resounded within him, calming him down significantly. He sighed, reflecting on what he had done. His eyes went back to Nora and he reached down to his boot, pulling out his father's old knife. Ren held the weapon in his hands and let out another breath, this time thinking of its previous owner. _'What would your father say if he could see you right now, Lie?'_ he wondered to himself.

The ninja was pulled out of his thoughts when Nora's hand grabbed a hold of his, making their fingers curl around the knife's handle. Their eyes met again, and this time, Nora was wearing a determined expression. "We can DO this." Ren let her words sink in for a moment before matching her gaze, giving her a nod before the duo finally climbed out from under the house. Nora grabbed Magnhild and they stepped back over to the battle, just in time to be met by Jaune and Pyrrha.

"Guys!" Jaune exclaimed. "What's going on?! What were you doing?!"

"We had a little chat." Nora said. "But we can focus on that later. Right now, we need to take this thing out."

"Easier said than done, I'm afraid." Pyrrha shrugged before calling out to the Vacuoan Huntress; "Jessie! We need to regroup and come up with a new plan!"

At her call, Jessie pushed the Nuckelavee to the side, making it topple over as she let go of its front hooves. "I hear ya loud an' clear, sweetheart!" As the Nuckelavee repositioned itself to get up, Jessie sprinted over to the group, only to stop when she saw Ren. She gave him a stern face, to which the ninja shrunk back a bit. Jessie folded her arms and asked; "Well now, are ya done bein' a stubborn mule, boy?"

Ren bowed his head to her in respect. "Yes, I am. And I'm sorry for the way I've been acting. I let my emotions get the better of me, and that was a grave mistake." As he kept his head lowered, he saw Jessie's hat laying on the ground near his feet, all dusty from the debris of battle. He picked it up and dusted it off before presenting it to her. "Now, if you'll let me, I want to be a team player. We can stop this thing… together."

Jessie's gaze went to her hat and she cracked a smile, happily taking it from Ren before placing it back on her head. She pat the boy's shoulder, giving him a nod. "Now THAT'S what I like to hear. Glad yer on board again, Ren." Jessie turned her head to Jaune, prompting everyone else to do the same. "Alright, so what's our attack plan?"

Jaune shifted Crocea Mors back into its separate sword and shield mode before answering. "Well, you, Pyrrha and I will take care of the arms."

Nora gripped Magnhild's handle, ready to do her part. "I'll take care of the horse."

"…And I'll take care of the rest." Ren finished, keeping a hold of his knife.

Jessie smirked and quickly agreed. "Okay, now that we're all on the same page, let's go for it!" With that, the five split off into separate groups, with Jaune handing Ren his shield while Nora sprang up to the top on a nearby building, taking her position. "Pyrrha! If you'd be so kind, I need ya to lure it, sugar!" Jessie requested.

"I hear you loud and clear, Jessie!" Pyrrha complied. She raised her rifle and began sending round after round at the Nuckelavee's face, making it send out its long arms out at her. Pyrrha expertly began dodging out of the limbs' way, even going so far as to jump up to some low roof tops and sprinting along them to do so. All they while, she kept firing at the beast, giving out a battle cry as she lunged back down to the ground where Jessie was standing. Before the beast could realize what she was doing, it was too late.

Pyrrha landed before jumping up again, and the Nuckelavee's hand slammed right into the street where she had once stood. This allowed Jessie to sprint forward and grab the arm before it could be pulled away, her Iron Grip keeping a firm hold on it. "Gotcha!" She brought out her shotgun and pressed a button on it, revealing that the weapon had a large, dual-edged blade hidden in its double-barrel. She stabbed downward into the creature's arm and into the street, making it scream again. "Pyrrha, NOW!"

Without wasting any time, Pyrrha flipped herself around in midair and converted Milo back into its javelin mode. She threw it down into the back of the Nuckelavee's hand, stabbing it into the ground as well. The Invincible Girl landed and grabbed onto her weapon's handle, shouting back to Jessie; "I have it!"

Right at that moment, Ren threw his knife and stuck it into the Stallion's right shoulder, the horse neighing as the quick and sudden sting coursed through it. In its stagger, The Nuckelavee had turned to face Jaune, the blonde knight standing with his sword at the ready. As he had predicted, the Grimm sent out its free arm to attack him, though this would prove to be its next mistake. From off to the side, Ren launched himself from a nearby roof top with Jaune's shield in hand, bashing it into the arm and slamming it down beneath him. "Now!" Jaune answered his friend's call, plunging his sword through the Nuckelavee's arm and pinning it to the street, eliciting another wail from the creature's throat. "Nora!"

At the top of one of the taller buildings, Nora stood with her back facing the battle, her eyes closed and holding her hammer with both hands in a relaxed position. The second she heard her best friend though, she began falling backward, a toothy smirk forming on her face. "Hehehe." She flipped herself around and swung Magnhild about before bringing her weapon over her head, crying out; "RRRAAAAUUGH!" as she fell to the earth below. With one mighty THUD, she brought her hammer down on the Stallion's head, caving it in and killing it instantly.

The Nuckelavee screamed, now unable to move its sprawled-out legs. Ren approached the beast and took his knife out of the horse's shoulder, walking toward the Imp torso as it struggled to free itself. He stopped and the Nuckelavee howled right in his face, breathing hot air onto him. After thanking his lucky stars that the breath wasn't toxic, Ren narrowed his eyes at the Grimm before flipping the knife around, holding it backhanded. _'For my mother…'_ With a strong upward swing, he sliced off the left arm, making it spring toward Jaune. The Nuckelavee jerked around in agony before Ren grabbed a hold of its horn, stopping it. _'For my father…'_ He sliced off the right arm with a backhanded swing, leaving the Nuckelavee a now limbless torso. _'For all of those that you've slain.'_

Ren sliced across the Nuckelavee's chest, making a massive gash into its pectoral bone. The Grimm writhed in pain, screaming bloody murder as it lowered its head to Ren. The ninja calmly closed his eyes and said; "For myself." before snapping them open again. With one last swing, Ren decapitated the Nuckelavee, finally silencing its dreadful screeching. The body fell limp against the Stallion's hindquarters as it began to dissolve into black smoke, wafting up into the sky as Ren began taking in what he had just done. _'It's over… it's finally over.'_

He sighed and bent forward, his knife clattering to the street after what he had just done. But it didn't take long for things to pick up again as Nora suddenly tackled him with a big hug, sending them both down in a heap. "WOO! HAHA, we did it!" she exclaimed. Ren smiled and returned the hug instantly, much to her delight.

Jaune let out a few ragged breaths as he, Pyrrha and Jessie all pulled their weapons out of the ground. The blonde knight stared at where the Nuckelavee had once been, still in slight disbelief that they had actually beat it. "We… we DID!" He whirled around to Pyrrha and scooped her up in an embrace as well, making her yelp in surprise. "We won! We ACTUALLY beat the Nuckelavee!"

"Haha! I know! Isn't it fantastic?!" Pyrrha laughed before pulling her boyfriend into a victory kiss… which ended up sending both of _them_ to the floor as well.

Jessie beamed with pride at the accomplishment, looking at the celebrating team before craning her head up toward the sky where the Nuckelavee's remains had gone. "Heh, well I'll be damned, we pulled it off after all." Her eyes went to Shion's direction, tipping her hat as she did. "We did it, Paulie. We did it." Jessie went over to the celebrating teammates, who were all still on the ground. "Ahem!" She cleared her throat, garnering their attention. "Well, if ya'll're done spreadin' the love around…"

Jaune and Pyrrha smiled and picked themselves up while Nora and Ren both began blushing intensely, realizing the rather compromising position they had put themselves in. Nora sprang up while Ren calmly picked himself up, the red on their faces all too clear. "Uh, hehe, yeah." The Pink Dynamo chuckled nervously.

"I gotta say, I'm mighty proud of what ya'll've pulled off today." Jessie commended. She tipped her hat and gave the four a grin. "Killin' that Nuckelavee with you kids… I gotta say, I haven't felt a spark like that in a while! If the future of Huntsmen an' Huntresses are filled with kids like you, then I got a feelin' that the world's in good hands."

"Oh, thank you, Jessie!" Pyrrha bowed graciously.

"Yeah, thanks a bunch." Jaune mimicked. "It means a lot to us, really."

"Aw, don't mention it, sugar." Jessie winked. "It means a lot to ME that you kids all have good heads on your shoulders." She raised an eyebrow over to Ren. "…Even if ya sometimes get carried away."

Ren wore a sheepish grin at her comment. "Yeah, again, I'm sorry for getting caught up in everything. I should have been more focused right from the start."

Jessie pat Ren's shoulder again reassuringly. "Hey, don't worry about it, Ren. Think o' this as a little lesson goin' forward." She pointed over to his teammates. "Stick by your team, and ya'll will be able to come out on top." The cowgirl directed her finger to Nora specifically. "An' if I were you, I'd stick by HER especially. Heaven knows Nora will keep you on the straight an' narrow, by golly."

That comment got Ren and Nora blushing intensely once again, with each of them sharing a small glance toward one another. "…Yes, I have to agree with you on that one, Jessie."

Just then, the five heard a voice calling out to them from down the street; "GUYS!" The group moved around to see the rest of their team running right toward them, with Ben, Yang, Ruby and Raven leading the pack. "Guys, we heard the explosions!" Ben shouted. "Is everyone… okay?" The hero stopped dead in his tracks along with everyone else, the whole lot of them scanning around the now MUCH more damaged village square. "Woah, never mind, I think I got my answer."

Once they were able to take everything in, their eyes all focused onto Jessie and Team JNPR in astonishment. "Did… did you guys…" Ilia uttered. "Did you _actually_ beat it?!"

Jaune rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Heh, yeah. We did."

"You BEAT the Nuckelavee!" Ruby exclaimed, raising her scythe into the air. "Great job, guys!"

"WOO!" Yang hollered with two thumbs up. "Jessie Jameson and Team JNPR for the WIN!"

Coco adjusted her glasses with a smirk. "Hehe, I never had any doubt they'd get the job done."

Cooper retracted his helmet and gave them all a nod. "She's right. Great job, guys!"

"Great?! More like _sensational_!" Penny corrected. "Do you know how difficult a Nuckelavee is to defeat?! And the fact that a first-year team did the deed with the assistance of a veteran? MOST impressive!"

Pyrrha began to shy away slightly at all of the attention. "Oh, you guys are being far too kind."

"No, I think they're being the RIGHT amount of kind." Ironwood said as he stepped up to the team. "You kids are very much deserving of praise. …Perhaps you're ready for the next level sooner than either I or Glynda thought."

Nora raised an eyebrow at him. ""The next level"? Alright, what's with all of the vague talk?"

"Oh, heh, I wouldn't worry about it." Ironwood dismissed. "Just something we've been thinking over. But in any case, keep up the good work and we'll see where this all goes." The general went over to Jessie and shook her hand with a friendly smile. "Jessie, intentionally or not, I want to thank you for chaperoning these kids on this mission. I'm glad that they had a Huntress like you to guide them."

Jessie tipped her hat toward the general in a sign of thanks. "Aw, I was happy to have 'em along on this one, Jimmy-boy. Sure, things were a bit rocky at first, but we all pulled through in the end, didn't we?"

"Definitely." Ren concurred. "But now that it's all over, I'm quite looking forward to a bit of a break."

Ben's face fell at his friend's words, his features growing worried. "I'm sorry, Ren, but I'm afraid that's not gonna be happening for a while yet."

As expected, he was met with confused faces, especially from Jessie. "Well whaddya mean, Ben? Somethin' the matter?"

The hero winced slightly at her question. He KNEW he had to lie to her, but after getting to know her over the course of the day, he certainly felt bad for doing it. But still, when it came to Salem, he couldn't let the word get out more than it already had, not yet at least. "…Yeah, Gwen just called. She says that there's a swarm of Lancers that are approaching Patch at this very moment."

Every member of Team JNPR were instantly at attention, expressions of shock and worry coming to their own faces. "What?!" Jaune exclaimed. "Well then we gotta get back there pronto!"

As much as she wanted to agree immediately, Pyrrha set a hand to her boyfriend's shoulder. "Jaune, I'm afraid that's impossible. Even with Tetrax's ship, we wouldn't get there in time." She reminded. "It could take at least two or more hours to even get there."

"Gah, dag-nabbit!" Jessie snapped her fingers. "So now what?! We can't just sit here an' do nothin'!"

"Well, we don't have to." Raven spoke up, prompting everyone to shift their focus to her. "As many of you know, my Semblance allows me to create portals to any person that I have a close personal bond with. And thankfully, there's someone still on the island that I have a… _very_ intimate bond with."

Ruby gasped in realization. "DAD! He's at Signal today!"

"We can take a portal straight to him!" Yang added, pumping a fist into the air. "Alright, so we ain't out yet!"

A bright smile came to Jessie's face at this. "Haha! Alrighty then, let's—" However, Jessie's eyes widened and she smacked her forehead, a certain memory from earlier having popped back into her head. "Daw, shoot! I forgot! We were s'posed to go see Paulie after we got done here!"

If possible, Ben winced harder as he recalled the promise he had made to the large lumberjack. "D'oh! That's right, we WERE supposed to do that, weren't we?" He put a hand to his chin in thought. "Well… we can't ALL just stay here. The guys back home may need us…" After a few more seconds of thinking it over, he snapped his fingers as an idea came into his head. "I got it! Jessie, take Team JNPR and go back to the Resolute. Head over to Shion to see Paul and Tetrax will bring you guys back when you're ready. We'll take care of the rest."

Needless to say, the Vacuoan Huntress and the entirety of Team JNPR were surprised at this. "Ben… are you sure?" Ren asked.

"What if you guys need more help?" Nora pressed further. "We're ready to—"

"I know you are." Ben smiled. "And I'm really glad you guys are all for it. But Ren's right, after what you guys pulled off here, you deserve a break." He gestured out to Raven, Yang, Ruby, Penny and Ilia standing behind him. "Besides, I think all of us _plus_ the guys back home will be more than enough to take out a swarm of angry bees."

"Ben's right." Ilia nodded. "You guys don't have to worry about us. We'll be fine."

There was a long pause, with Team JNPR and Jessie glancing to each other hesitantly before Jaune gave a shrug. "Well, they make a good point. They'll be pretty well armed over there."

"Hm, yes, I suppose that's true." Pyrrha agreed, facing Ben once again. "Alright, Ben, we'll go with Jessie."

"As will I." Ironwood spoke up. "I need to stay here for a while longer anyway. I'm due for an important meeting in Mistral, so I'll just make a call to get picked up in Shion." He made a point of discreetly whispering to Ben; "I'll also inform Team JNPR about what REALLY happened."

Jessie gave out a sigh at all of this. As much as she wanted to go back to help out the kids on Patch, she knew she'd be remiss to break a promise. Especially to one of her closest friends. She gave Ben a final tip of her hat, giving her approval of the plan. "Okay, Ben. If you're sure 'bout all this, then I won't argue with ya." She stepped forward and put a hand to his shoulder. "Just one favor before ya go… please make sure my family an' sweet Cassidy are doin' okay, will ya?"

Ben smiled back at her and nodded, letting out a chuckle in the process. "Hehe, will do, Jess. Promise." He gave her a salute before moving over to Jaune, shaking his hand. "You all did really great today, Jaune. I'm very impressed and proud of you guys."

"Thanks, Ben." Jaune returned. "But really, it's all in a day's work."

"Indeed." Pyrrha supported. "Now, you all stay safe, alright?"

"We will, P-Money!" Yang assured, giving her friend a quick hug. "We'll be done with those bugs before you guys even get back!"

"I'm sure we will." Raven concurred before slashing a portal open with her sword, creating a direct pathway between her and Tai. "Now come, we have to get moving fast." The tribe leader slipped into the portal before Yang and Ruby followed in behind her, the sisters giving one last goodbye before they disappeared. Cooper, Coco, Ilia and Penny followed suit, leaving only Ben as the last one to go in.

The hero gave the group a shrug and a small grin. "Well, wish us luck!"

"Forget that!" Nora waved off cheerily. "We'll see you when we get back, Ben." With that final send off, Ben stepped into the portal as it began to close, leaving Team JNPR, Jessie and Ironwood in the middle of the abandoned town of Kuroyuri. Nora let out a sigh and tilted her head toward Ren. "So… think they'll be good?"

Ren chortled at his friend's comment. "Heh, I know they will."

"Pft, yeah, silly question, right—" Just then, Nora's eyes widened when she felt the back of her hand being gently rubbed against something, causing her eyes to snap down. There, she saw that Ren's hand brushing against hers before he gently grabbing it, holding it as if it were the most important thing in the world.

Their eyes met and they smiled at each other, with Ren continuing from where he left off. "And… I think _we_ will be, too."

Nora rolled her eyes and leaned against his shoulder, letting out a small laugh. "Hah, you can be corny sometimes, ya know that?"

"Hmm, yes, sometimes." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Jaune, Pyrrha, Jessie and Ironwood giving them both wry smiles, almost as if they were waiting for something to happen. But whatever it was, they would have to wait a little bit longer. He bent down and retrieved his knife before nudging his head toward the Resolute. "Come on, let's get out of here." With Nora's hand in his and his friends following behind him, Lie Ren looked up to the sky as the clouds began to clear, revealing the setting sun over the horizon. _'…Yes. Everything WILL be okay.'_

* * *

**A/N: PHEW! Oh god, that was a complete and utter DOOZY of a chapter, huh? Damn, that was an undertaking. But you know what? It was WORTH it! With this, the Nuckelavee mini-arc has come to a close and I'm pretty happy with how it all turned out. We got Team JNPR's battle with the Nuckelavee, which has been a LONG time coming. Ren's finally cleared his conscience and is ready to finally move on, and I think he's got a pretty good start on that front if you know what I mean. Though that's not to say everybody else didn't do anything during this chapter. I mean, did you SEE what they did to those Manticores and that Sphinx?! Not to mention what the newly christened Gutrot did to all of those Creeps… yuck, ugly stuff.**

**And hey! Yang finally made up with her mother! Huzzah! Guess that means Raven's here to stay! Plus, we got a look at how Cooper's new suit handles, along with his relationship with Coco building more and more. Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention how Ruby stood up to Salem. Though unlike in Volume 7, Salem withholds a certain piece of information from Ruby. Interesting…**

**Speaking of Salem though, it seems like she's not done messing with our heroes yet! Which leads us into… NEXT TIME! We check back with the Home Team, right about when Gwen gets off the phone with Ben after discussing the Nuckelavee. Everything seems to be going fine in the Xiao Long home… until Weiss accidentally brings up a topic that puts Rex into a funk, making him vacate the house for a bit. As Weiss follows after him, Gwen receives the call from Ben about the Lancers closing in on the island. How will our Anodite handle all of this? Well, stay tuned to find out! Thanks for reading everybody and I'll see you next time! Peace!**


	88. Swarm of the Century

**A/N: Hey there everybody! Okay, so funny thing about this chapter, it actually originally dropped a day after April 23, 2020, which marked the official ten-year anniversary of Generator Rex! I know, surprised me too. And considering what's going on in the world today, I miss 2010. Seems like much simpler times in comparison. In any case, I thought I'd take the opportunity to make a chapter that focuses a bit more on our favorite EVO (and a certain heiress) for the occasion. Sure, it was a day LATE of the anniversary, but April 23, 2010 fell on a Friday, so I think it could have technically still counted. Without further ado, this is…**

**Chapter 88: Swarm of the Century**

* * *

Gwen let out a sigh after hanging up her Plumber's badge, still a little worried about how her friends were doing despite just talking to them only seconds ago. "Griffons, Manticores and now Nuckelavees?" she said to herself as she sat back down on the porch. "What's next, a Sphinx? Or maybe even a Wendigo?" Just then, she heard a nickering come from directly next to her, prompting her to crane her head up. She saw that Cassidy, Jessie's Clydesdale horse, had perked up at the mention of all the Grimm names, seemingly agitated by even hearing them.

Gwen gave her a grin before going over to pet the large animal, consoling it gently. "Oh, I'm sorry sweetie. You must not like hearing that, do ya?" Cassidy let out a whinny, jerking her head up and down a little in response. "Oh, I'm sure. Those things creep me out too, ya know?" The horse gave another nicker, which elicited a chuckle from the Anodite. "Hehe, you're quite the conversationalist, Cassidy. I like that about you."

"Talking to the horse, are we?" Gwen perked up and she spun around to see Kevin, the Osmosian having come back out of the house. "What, got nobody better to talk to?"

Gwen smirked back and moved over to him, nudging him lightly in the side. "Well, she can hold a conversation much better than you can, so there's that."

Kevin narrowed his eyes and pointed at her. "Hey… I've been getting better." This made Gwen laugh out loud, with Kevin taking the opportunity to wrap his arms around her. The couple fell into a brief kiss before the raven-haired young man continued; "So, what did Ben have to say?"

"Oh, he just needed some advice on the Grimm they were facing." Gwen shrugged. "Turns out it was a Nuckelavee."

"A Knuckle-what?" Kevin arched a brow in confusion. "The heck is that supposed to be?"

Gwen rolled her eyes at this. As much as she loved her boyfriend, she couldn't lie to herself; he was kind of a one-track-mind kind of person. If it didn't involve her, cars, spacecraft, or more recently, their new friends and Dust absorption, he didn't take must interest in it. Case in point; mythology wasn't one of his strongest suits. "Heh, a _Nuckelavee_ , Kevin. A monster from the Scottish isles that's made up of a horse and the upper torso of a skinless human."

Kevin grimaced at the mere description of the beast. "Jeez, Scotland is screwed up. Here I thought it was all just about Nessie for those guys."

The Anodite shook her head. "Nope, they have all SORTS of creatures living there, some even from Norse mythology." She waved her hand, hoping to change the subject. "But we can discuss that later. Right now, I think we should fill everyone in on what's happening."

"Good idea." Kevin agreed, opening the door for Gwen to head in first. "Rather not talk about skinless monsters anyway."

The couple went inside and directly into the living room. There, nearly everyone was gathered around the holographic television, watching as Sun and Neptune battled it out in the Soaring Ninja game they had just purchased earlier that day. Velvet, Yatsu and Fox were sitting on the couch while Blake was on the floor next to Sun, the cat girl currently playing peek-a-boo with Romulus and Rema. Each time she popped her face out from behind her hands, the pups would jump in surprise, which Gwen thought was the cutest thing she had ever seen. The moment she and Kevin had entered the room though, Blake moved her eyes up to meet Gwen's, giving her a greeting wave. "Hey Gwen! Where've you been?"

"Oh, you know, meditating." Gwen shrugged. "Just had a conversation with Ben."

At this news, everyone immediately stopped what they were doing, with Sun and Neptune pausing their game to whirl around in surprise. "Really?" the monkey boy asked. "Well, what did he say?"

"Have they taken care of the Grimm yet?" Neptune added.

"Heh, no, not even close." Gwen denied. "He called me specifically to ask for advice on how to beat it."

Velvet's hand covered her mouth in shock. "Oh my! Is it that serious?"

"Must be if Ben's asking for advice." Yatsu surmised. "Did they say what kind of Grimm they were facing?"

Gwen gave the swordsman a nod. "Yeah, a Nuckelavee."

At that moment, everybody in the room froze, their jaws going slack as their eyes widened in utter horror. Gwen could hear a pin drop, it was so quiet. Finally, the silence was broken by Fox… though he did it involuntarily. _'A NUCKELAVEE?!'_ he yelled telepathically, making everybody put their hands to their heads in pain. Fox's eyes widened and he switched to speaking verbally, apologizing for what he had done. "D'oh! I'm sorry guys! That was supposed to be an inside thought."

"Gah, no prob, Fox." Neptune groaned. "Besides, you've got a good point." The blue-haired boy faced Gwen in concern. "Are you ABSOLUTELY certain he said the word "Nuckelavee"?"

"Pretty sure." Gwen affirmed. "My hearing's not exactly bad, Neptune."

Blake stood up and put her hands up defensively. "Gwen, I'm sorry, but we're just making sure. Nuckelavee's are REALLY powerful Grimm that are NOT easy to take down." She began counting down the factors on her fingers. "They're fast, they're cunning, their arms can be VERY effective weapons. And what's more, their screams can chill you right to the core." Blake put a hand to Gwen's shoulder. "Trust me, if they really ARE going up against a Nuckelavee… they're going to need all the man-power they have."

A knowing smile came to Gwen's face. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. They've got Ben, Jessie, and now Raven's gone out to help them, too."

If possible, the group only became more surprised at this. "Wait, Raven?" Sun scratched the top of his head. "But how does she even _know_ about it?"

"Heh, she was snooping around earlier when Ben and the others left." Gwen chuckled. "Then came back and we had a little talk about what happened between her and Yang last night."

Velvet winced when she brought that up. "Ooh, yeah, that wasn't a pretty sight to see."

Gwen shook her head. "No, no it wasn't. Anyways, she overheard my talk with Ben and she stormed right over to them. So now she's helping out." The redhead glanced out the nearby window off toward the east, her thoughts going out to the tribe leader. "If anything, though, I hope she can make some good progress between Yang and herself."

"Hmm," Yatsu nodded, "Coco and Cooper gave Fox and I the full details about that when we got home last night. So… Yang's mother truly is the Spring Maiden."

Fox put his hands behind his head, reclining on the sofa. "Sounds like a lot to take in. And from what we heard, I guess Yang didn't take it so well."

"Now THAT'S an understatement." Kevin said before plopping down on a nearby chair. "You should've _heard_ the words she was throwing around."

Gwen folded her arms at the reminder. "Yeah, not pretty." Shifting her eyes around the room, however, Gwen quickly took notice that Rex's signature red jacket was hanging on the coat hanger, and that he and two certain sisters were presently absent from the group. She sent a confused gaze toward Blake and asked; "Hey Blake? Where's Rex, Weiss and Winter?"

Blake pointed right above her head. "Oh, they went upstairs a couple minutes ago. Rex said that he wanted to show Weiss video game he thought she'd like."

"HA! Good luck with that." Kevin laughed. "Something tells me the heiress hasn't held a controller in her entire life!"

Gwen gave her boyfriend a sour face. "Oh, come on, Kevin. She's actually adapted pretty quickly to Pokémon."

"No offense, Gwen, but Pokémon's so simplistic that even a _five-year-old_ can pick it up and play it." Kevin emphasized. "Learnin' to play it ain't exactly a big accomplishment. If she wants to play an ACTUALLY challenging video game, she's gonna WANT to learn."

But Gwen wore a confident smile at this. "Well, knowing Rex, I'm sure he's started her off well." She craned her head back to Blake. "So, what game _did_ he want to show her?"

"Something on your Switch." Blake put a hand to her chin in thought. "I think it was called… Bayonetta?" The moment that word left her mouth, the cat girl saw Gwen's eyes nearly bug out of her head, all while Kevin erupted into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. Blake's eyes shifted between the two before uttering; "Uh, is that a bad thing?"

Gwen's right eye twitched slightly, an unsteady smile having formed on her face as she raised a single finger to her friend. "Hold that thought." Without a second to spare, Gwen whisked herself directly toward the stairs, so fast that she blew Blake's hair slightly. She climbed the stairs as quick as she could, all while calling out the EVO's name. "REX!"

The others were left dumbfounded at what had just happened, save for Kevin who was still laughing in the chair. Blake whipped her head around to the Osmosian with a completely befuddled expression. "Kevin! What the heck was THAT all about?!"

"AHAHA!" Kevin put his hand to his gut, afraid that he'd bust it while laughing. He calmed himself down, though a few cackles still escaped his throat. "Ha, oh-oh my god, Blake. Weiss has NO idea what she's gotten herself into!"

Sun narrowed his eyes at Kevin, slightly annoyed that he hadn't answered Blake's question. "Dude, that doesn't exactly help. What do YOU know that we don't?"

"Heh, Sun, Bayonetta is one of _the_ sexiest video game characters of all time." Kevin finally answered. "Her series is great to play, but one of the main draws is how over-the-top and sexy she is. Nothing too graphic, but enough to get the point across…" He raised a brow up to the ceiling. "And Rex just convinced Weiss to give it a go."

There was another long, stunned silence in the room, everyone having locked their eyes onto Kevin incredulously. Fortunately, Neptune was the one to break it. "Ah… okay, now I see the problem."

* * *

If there was one video game franchise that Rex _had_ to introduce Weiss to, Gwen couldn't even fathom _why_ he chose Bayonetta to be THAT one. Sure, she personally found the game to be quite entertaining, but the fact that Weiss was prone to initially judge things by their covers… this could prove to be disastrous. Especially for Rex. Different scenarios began playing out in her mind about how it could go down. _'Weiss will probably see Rex as an extreme pervert for liking a Bayonetta… or she could see ME as a weirdo since I have it on MY Switch! Oh god, Winter's in there, too. What'll SHE think?!'_ The Anodite finally made it to Qrow's bedroom door and she grasped the handle, preparing herself with a deep breath. _'Well, here goes nothing!'_

Gwen opened the door and stormed into the room, blurting out; "Weiss, before you say anything, I want to—wha…?" Just as the redhead came in, her eyes found Weiss, Rex and Winter all sitting on the primary bed, the three of them focused on her with confused expressions. Weiss was holding the Joy-Con grip in her hand with both of the controllers plugged into it, sitting in front of the TV with Bayonetta on it.

From what she could see, they had only just gotten started on the game, the beginning graveyard cutscene only just finishing. Bayonetta struck a pose before strutting across the gravestones, stating; _"As long as there's music, I'll keep on dancing."_ The umbra witch pointed one of her guns forward before licking her lips sensually, jumping into the fray and finally bringing the cutscene to an end.

Weiss took the opportunity to pause the game, her eyes still on Gwen the whole time. "Uh… hi, Gwen. What's up?"

Gwen straightened her back and a blush came to her face, growing increasingly uncomfortable in the awkward situation. "N-Nothing." she uttered, her gaze shifting to the television. "So, uh, I see you've only JUST gotten started."

"Yeah, Rex suggested I try this game out." Weiss explained. "He said that I'd like the main character because of her classy attitude."

"And the gameplay!" Rex added cheekily. "The gameplay's awesome!"

"Well, that's… certainly _one_ way to put it." Gwen pointed to the television. "And you're aware of the—"

"Overt sexual appeal of the main character?" Winter finished. "Yes, that was made apparent from the _very_ long cutscene that we just watched."

Gwen blinked twice in utter shock. "And… you guys aren't bothered by it?"

Weiss shook her head. "No, why would we be?" She jerked her thumb over to Rex. "Robo-dolt over here told us that Bayonetta was intentionally designed to be sexy from the very start. He said it was all part of the core theme of the game."

Rex gave Gwen a knowing smile. "C'mon, Gwen, did ya really think I'd just dump these two into Bayonetta without explaining _why_ she's sexy in the first place? Ya gotta give me more credit than that, _amiga_."

"I… I suppose I do." Gwen relented, bowing her head slightly in shame. "I'm sorry, Rex. I guess I was just so worried about what they might think about it."

"Very understandable, Gwendolyn." Winter assured. "After all, if Rex hadn't given us an explanation from the very start, I would have been quick to write it off, myself." She shifted her eyes back to her sister and gave her a nod. "Now Weiss, I believe we were in the middle of something?"

"Oh yeah, let's get things started." Weiss resumed the game and made Bayonetta move toward the Affinity angels, ready engage them. The moment she reached them, however, she was taken to a tutorial screen with a prompt appearing above Bayonetta and the Angel; a clenched fist with the word "PUNCH" below it. Further below that, she saw the instructions for the attack, which Weiss found a bit odd. She had played a small bit in the opening part, so she was unsure why a tutorial was being presented to her only NOW, but she didn't question it. The heiress began following the instructions as they came, from kicks, to combos, to evading at the perfect moment for Witch Time to activate. It took her a couple tries on the last part, but it didn't take her very long to get the hang of it. "Alright, I think I have it." Weiss said resolutely.

"Oh, well great!" Gwen said as she sat down on the bed with the trio. "There's still a few things later on that'll be introduced to you, but I'm glad you've picked the basics up quickly."

Rex smirked at her choice of words. "Heh, why do you think I suggested a button masher for her first real game experience? It's easy AND satisfying to do."

"Exactly." Weiss agreed before focusing on her enemies. "Now, let's see how I do…" As the game's rendition of "Fly me to the Moon" played in the background, Weiss quickly went to work in beating up the angels, dispensing them rather quickly before moving onto the gun tutorial, which she also managed to pick up without a problem. Before she knew it, Weiss had fought her way through all of the enemies only for another one to pick up the weaselly informant known as Enzo and take him down over the edge of a nearby cliff. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me." Weiss deadpanned.

"Yeah, Enzo's kind of the punching bag here." Gwen explained. "He's basically the comic relief." Just as she said that, Weiss had Bayonetta jump off the cliff… only for the umbra witch to land directly onto Enzo's car, sending him into a tizzy. "Ya see?"

"Hmm." Weiss acknowledged before going back to work, finishing off the angels without a second thought. Upon killing the last angel, the game stopped briefly to show how she did on that particular verse, much to her surprise. "Wait, there's a ranking system?"

"Yup." Rex nodded. "There's multiple verses to each level, and your performance will be graded overall at the very end, rewarding you with either a bronze, silver, gold, or platinum award depending on how well you did." The EVO pointed to the TV screen. "For a casual playthrough, it doesn't really matter. If you REALLY wanna complete it though, then you're gonna have to get ALL of the platinum awards."

Weiss practically winced at the thought. "Ooh, yeah, not gonna go for that." She focused back to the television as the next cutscene played, with Enzo and Bayonetta driving down a highway while the former gave exposition to Bayonetta's backstory. "I'll just stick to playing the game, thank you."

"You think THAT'S bad?" Gwen nudged her head over to Ben's PlayStation 3 sitting next to the Switch. "On the PS3, there were a TON of other achievements that you had to get as well, making it even MORE of a nightmare to complete."

Winter raised an incredulous brow to Ben's video game system in disbelief. "Dear lord. Who in their right mind would be insane enough to devote THAT much time to a video game?"

"You'd be surprised." Gwen retorted. "I know of at least one person whose _job_ it is to complete videogames, and he's apparently been doing it for a while."

"Well, if you say so—WHOA!" Weiss was taken aback when a large aircraft suddenly crashed into the freeway that Bayonetta and Enzo were driving along, sending both of them into the air. Enzo held onto his car for dear life while Bayonetta went into action. She engaged with the Angels only for a bunch of bullets to come shooting out the side of the aircraft, a larger hole being punched through the spiral pattern they had made. The large metal slab that was punched out came sailing toward Bayonetta, making her jump onto it to avoid getting hit. On the other side of it though… was a familiar woman. "Hey! I saw her during the opening!" Weiss pointed out. "Who's she?"

Gwen smirked as the red-clad woman beat up on the angels behind the large slab before jumping up high in the air, dispensing many more of the angels as she did. As the woman landed next to Bayonetta, Gwen finally gave her friend the answer. "That… is Jeanne."

Weiss blinked in surprise, her head whipping to Gwen in surprise. "I'm sorry… _who_?"

"Jeanne." Rex echoed with a smirk of his own. "And yes, it's pronounced EXACTLY like that."

The heiress burst out laughing at this fact, putting her hand over her mouth to try and control herself. "Hahaha! Oh, Jaune is gonna get a kick out of this!" After composing herself, Weiss managed to easily clear the verse, learning how to perform "punishments" in the process. Once she finished though, Jeanne leapt away, leaving both Weiss and Bayonetta curious. "Hmm, I can only guess that she's a major player in all of this."

"Oh, definitely." Gwen confirmed. After a hearing a sparkling conversation between Bayonetta and her weapons dealer, Rodin, about how heaven and hell are fighting, the four bore witness to Bayonetta acquiring her new guns; the Scarborough Fair. To say that Weiss and Winter were taken aback by the rather… scandalous way Bayonetta chose to equip her knew weapons was an understatement. Gwen grinned cheekily at the sisters' dropped jaws. "Yeah, that's basically what I thought too." Once the cutscene was over though, it showed Weiss' overall performance for the prologue, awarding her with a gold trophy in the shape of Rodin. "Hey, not bad! A gold award right from the start."

Weiss smiled at the fact, now feeling really good about going forward. "Ooh, maybe this'll be easier than I thought."

Rex closed his eyes and shook his head, chuckling to himself. "Hehe, not likely, Ice Princess. THIS was just the prologue." He pointed to the screen, which had now transitioned to a large map-like level select screen. "Next comes the first chapter… and it's about eight verses long."

Weiss' face fell at this news. "Oh… joy."

* * *

About half an hour later, after working her way through the first chapter of the story, Weiss had decided that now was a good time to stop. She had more than her fill on the game so far and was eager to get up and stretch her legs, which nobody argued against. However, as the four walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, Gwen decided to fill them in on what Ben and the Away Team had been up to… leaving Weiss dumbfounded. "WHAT?! The Grimm they're fighting is a _Nuckelavee_?!"

"Yep." Gwen nodded. "Sounds pretty nasty, too."

"Oh, they are." Winter confirmed. "And they are not easy to beat either."

Weiss huffed and folded her arms, shifting her eyes off to the side. "Ugh, well isn't this just great. Do you two have ANY idea how useful a Nuckelavee summon would be for either me or Winter?! I'm starting to think that we _should_ have gone with them."

Gwen winced at the thought, remembering that a certain couple of teammates of theirs had a buff with the beast in question. "Maybe, but I'm not sure how Ren and Nora would like seeing you bring forth their childhood homewrecker."

The heiress quickly realized her error. "Oh, right, my bad."

Rex leaned over and gave Weiss a wink. "So, Nuckelavees aside, how'd you like your little excursion with Bayonetta, Ice Princess?"

Weiss mulled the question over in her head before giving him a shrug. "Well, so far I think it's alright. I enjoyed the easy combat, that's for sure." The heiress lightly flicked a stray strand of her hair. "Plus, the fact that she uses her hair to fight the angels is pretty neat, too." Her lips went into a small sneer at a certain thought. "Although… the fact that she uses it as her clothes as well… that's kinda gross."

"Indeed." Winter grimaced. "I'm sure she uses some sort of magic to make it clean somehow, but the thought still disgusts me. The fact that she can use it to summon a giant a dragon head to eat her enemies makes it all the more repugnant."

"Hehe, yeah, that IS kinda weird the more I think about it." Gwen admitted.

Rex wore a cheeky smile as he placed his hands behind his head. "Well, if you ask me, I'm a fan of any game where the main character can be both strong AND sexy. And Bayo? She is one _muy caliente_ _mamacita_ , if you catch my drift."

Weiss immediately rolled her eyes at this. "Yes, I do. We just went over some of those words in our Spanish lesson this morning, remember?"

"I know." Rex winked. "Just makin' sure you were payin' attention."

" _Right_." The Schnee heiress shook her head as she moved forward, going over to the fridge to get out the necessary ingredients for dinner. "Just make sure you don't go around saying that to every girl you meet, alright? Otherwise, you're liable to drive them off." Weiss let that comment hang in the air for a few seconds, expecting a witty retort a moment later. However, it never came. Surprised at this, Weiss turned her head around to see that Rex's expression had suddenly become very sad and somewhat dark, which she found VERY uncharacteristic of the young man. He had faced away from the three woman and began walking toward the hallway, much to their confusion. "Rex?" Weiss closed the fridge and began to approach him quickly. "Rex, what're you—"

"Stop." Rex raised a single hand, which managed to halt Weiss in her tracks. The young lady stared at him in surprise as he lowered it down, not even facing her as he continued. "Sorry, Weiss. I… can I just have some time alone for a bit?"

"I…" Weiss wasn't sure how to respond to this, but she figured that it wouldn't hurt. _'I must have dug up something when I said that.'_ she thought to herself. She pushed the thought away before going on. "Um… okay, if that's all you want, then that's fine."

"Thanks… see you later." With that, the EVO walked to the front door without another word, though not before brushing past Holiday in the hall.

The doctor gave him a smile as he went past. "Oh, Rex, how was—"

"Sorry doc." Rex apologized quickly as he opened the door. "Not exactly in a talky mood."

Holiday was taken aback by how brazen Rex was being, her eyes widening as he stepped out. "Oh, I…" But before she could even finish, Rex was out the door, leaving the woman still just as confused the moment she greeted him. He had even left his jacket on the coat rack, which was very unlike him. "What in the world?" Holiday spun around and went into the kitchen, glancing around to the three ladies there. "Does anyone know what all THAT was about?"

"I-I really don't know. His mood just took a one-eighty!" Weiss stammered, her head lowering slightly. "But… I think _I_ might be the cause of it."

"You, Weiss?" Holiday asked before moving over and placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Why do you think that?"

The heiress let out a heavy sigh. "I really don't know. Rex just showed me a game called Bayonetta and he called her a " _muy caliente mamacita_ "."

The EVO expert rolled her eyes that this. "Why doesn't that surprise me? But what does that have to do with his sudden one-eighty?"

Weiss' hand went to the back of her head. "Well, after he said that, I told him that he shouldn't say that to every girl he meets or else he'd drive them off. And then he just—" But Weiss cut herself off when a look of realization suddenly washed over Holiday's face, almost if a missing puzzle piece had been snapped into place. Hesitantly, Weiss pressed on. "Doctor Holiday, do you know what's wrong?"

Holiday closed her eyes and let out a breath, nodding her head. "Yes, I do, actually." The doctor's eyes opened back up and she shifted her gaze between Weiss, Gwen and Winter. "Listen, what I'm about to say isn't to be shared with anyone else, at least not yet. Rex didn't want me to say anything, but after this, I think it's time I talk about it with _someone_." She gestured out to the trio. "And… considering it's you three, I think I'm in good hands."

Gwen wasn't entirely sure what Holiday was talking about, but whatever it was, she knew that it must've been important. "Of course, Doctor Holiday." the Anodite affirmed. "We won't tell anybody else about this until Rex says it's okay."

"Right." Winter concurred. "And if there is anything we can do, we will do our best to help Rex with whatever it is."

Weiss gave a resolute nod. "And you can count on that."

A sad smile came to Holiday's face. "Thank you, ladies. But… I'm afraid things aren't as simple as solving a problem. Come, sit down." The doctor made her way over to the table, the ladies joining her quickly. Holiday laced her fingers together and kept her head down slightly, her eyes facing the table as she prepared for what she was about to say. With a deep breath, her eyes snapped up, facing Weiss immediately. "Firstly, you're right, Weiss. Your words ARE the reason why Rex is upset. But I know for a fact that you didn't mean it. You just happened to say the wrong thing without knowing, and I'm not about to blame you for that."

Weiss' eyes widened upon hearing this. Just as quickly though, her face fell into one of sadness. "I had a feeling. So… what does "driving off women" have to do with this? Does Rex just have bad luck with girls?"

Holiday let out a slight chuckle. "Heh, no, far from it, really. Rex is no stranger when it comes to attracting women or being attracted _to_ women. Sometimes he's lucky, other times he isn't, like most boys his age." The woman pursed her lips as a certain memory of one particular girl began to bubble to the surface. "But there's one girl who Rex was very fond of, a fellow EVO who could control her abilities. Her name is Circe… and she also happened an enemy of ours. A part of Van Kleiss' Pack."

Weiss, Gwen and Winter were all surprised to hear this. Not once did Rex mention this "Circe" in any of the stories he had told them upon his arrival, and they were beginning to see the reason why. "Oh, so I'm guessing that things were doomed from the start between them?" Weiss guessed.

"Not necessarily." Holiday denied. "Circe had genuinely made a bond with Rex when they first met, but after she was recruited into the Pack, things between them became complicated." The doctor cast her eyes down again as she recounted the rather complex relationship between Rex and Circe through the conflict between Providence and the Pack. From their initial meeting, to when Circe left the Pack to join Rex's old gang of friends in Hong Kong, to her getting captured by the Consortium-lead Providence.

Holiday sighed after retelling all of the old stories, finally coming to the end. "In the end, after every EVO in the world had been cured, Rex and Circe were finally able to be together." The doctor smiled as the memory replayed in her mind. "For a while… everything seemed to be great between the two." Her grin quickly vanished and she rested a hand against her cheek. "At least… for a couple of years."

Winter tilted her head to the side. "Well… what happened, then? After everything that they had been through, I'm quite surprised that they DID end their relationship."

"So was I." Holiday agreed. "I really thought that they would last for a really long time." She folded her arms across the table, her eyes focused forward to her audience. "But… things came to a head in their second year. While things began to settle with the EVO crisis over, there were still many evils in the world that began to rise. Aside from Van Kleiss still roaming free, many other groups like the Consortium were still at large, and it fell to Providence to try and bring them down." Holiday grimaced at that last part. "And that's where things started to fall apart."

Weiss could feel her gut begin to sink at this. "Oh god, what happened?"

Holiday's solemn expression persisted. "When Circe and Rex got together, he thought it would be a good idea if she were to move in with Providence, since it'd be the perfect place for her to live. And, unlike all the previous times she was given this offer, she agreed." Her shoulders shrugged up as she went on. "At first, it WAS a very good living situation. Circe being there meant that Rex was always happy and that Providence had someone who would have some idea about where Van Kleiss could be hiding. But after sometime, Circe began to feel asphyxiated by the Providence walls."

"I can imagine." Gwen nodded. "Being in one place for a long time can leave a bit of an impact on your mental health."

"Well… it wasn't just that, Gwen." Holiday explained. "You see, when she was captured by Providence under the Consortium's control, she was kept imprisoned in Providence HQ. I have a feeling that, with her initial happiness of being cured having worn off, she began reliving many bad memories of being imprisoned there. It was to the point she was having many recurring nightmares." She pointed to herself. "She and I actually had a few discussions about it."

Winter laced her hands together and placed her chin upon them, leaning in at Holiday's recounting. "I see. So you believe that this is what led her to break things off with Rex? Because she didn't want to live at Providence Headquarters anymore?"

Holiday shook her head. "No, not just that. Over the course of these two years, not only did her bad memories persist, but Rex began getting more and more involved with his work in Providence." The doctor's eyes went to the front door, where the EVO had disappeared just moments ago. "He was dedicating himself to many things all at once; his position as a Providence agent, finding Van Kleiss and the Consortium, being a public figure, and on top of all of this… trying to be a loving boyfriend."

The very moment Holiday had said that, Gwen began to feel an uneasiness begin to rise in her. This was all starting to sound somewhat familiar. "Is it bad that I might have an idea about where this is going?"

Holiday winced back at her. "…Did Ben go through the same thing?"

"Yes." Gwen sadly confirmed. "It's the reason why he and his ex-girlfriend, Julie, broke up." The Anodite ran a hand through her hair and gave a sigh. "How long did Rex try juggling all of these things at once?"

"Almost right from the very start of their relationship." Holiday answered. "At first, he found it easy. But as time went on and more things began piling up, he found it harder to keep things going, _especially_ with his relationship." She sent an annoyed glance off to the side. "It didn't help that he had an army of fangirls practically at his coattails everywhere he went, though."

"I see." Weiss said, putting a hand to her cheek. "So there were a _lot_ of factors that led to them breaking up."

"Exactly." Holiday shifted her eyes up to the ceiling, recalling the fallout between the two. "They eventually got into a few arguments, be it over where Rex's attention should really be, to Circe's living situation, and of course, the fangirls. They made up most of the time… but I could always see the uneasiness between them." She closed her eyes and lowered her head once again. "And then… they day finally came…"

* * *

_Inside one of the many hallways of Providence HQ, Doctor Rebecca Holiday was making her way toward her lab to start off the day, a brisk and happy pace in her step even though it was raining outside. As she scanned her eyes along the notes on her data pad, she couldn't help but smile at the engagement ring on her finger, still in disbelief that it was even there at all. It had only been a week since Six had proposed to her, and she was still trying to comprehend how it had happened. He had taken her to a special dinner out of the blue and popped the question right there and then, making her do a double take. Holiday chuckled as the memory bubbled to the surface. "Six, after all these years, you STILL manage to surprise me." she said to herself._

_However, as she came to a corner, she suddenly heard a voice coming from further down the hall, and she instantly recognized it at Rex's. "Circe, I can't BELIEVE this!" he exclaimed as his footfalls grew louder, along with another pair accompanying his. "There's NO WAY you're being serious!"_

_The moment she saw two shadows make their way around the bend, Holiday dove into the corner and pressed her back against the wall, remaining there as Circe responded to her boyfriend's accusation. "I AM serious, Rex." Holiday managed to peak around the corner, and her eyes widened at what she saw. It was indeed Rex and Circe, but the dark-haired girl was carrying multiple bags of luggage on her own while Rex was carrying one, though he didn't seem happy about it. Circe was also donned in a long, button-up burgundy coat, complete with a pair of black gloves over her hands and leather boots on her feet. The duo stopped in front of the nearby elevator as Circe went on. "If anything, it's YOU who isn't taking this seriously."_

_Holiday could only think one thing to herself as her shocked expression became one of sadness; 'Oh no. This is it.'_

_Rex ran his fingers through his hair, gripping at it in aggravation. "I AM! At least… I'm TRYING to!" He went forward and grasped her shoulders desperately, bringing her still frustrated eyes up to him. "Circe, I know that things are hard here, but trust me. Once we bring Van Kleiss and the Consortium down, everything will be alright."_

_Circe closed her eyes and whipped her head away from him. "I seriously doubt that, Rex. I've given Providence every single location I could think of, and barely ANYTHING has been fruitful in these past, what, almost TWO years?" She reached up and pulled Rex's hands off of her. "Every time we think we've got a hit on Van Kleiss, he disappears without a trace. If it's taking THIS long to find him, then how long will it take to find the Consortium, huh?"_

" _However long it takes." Rex answered firmly. "Circe, the reason I'm doing this is so that you and everyone else in the world can be safe." He gestured out toward the hallway they came down. "Providence NEEDS my help on this. So until I finish what I started, I can't stop." He reached down and gently grasped her hand. "But that doesn't mean I want THIS to stop. Circe, you have NO idea how important you are to me!"_

_Circe pursed her lips at his words, her eyes remaining closed. "I know, Rex. But something HAS to give." She opened her eyes and gave him a pleading gaze. "I CAN'T live in this place anymore, Rex. At first, it was great, but now… it just feels like I'm being trapped here again. I want to have a chance to live a normal life now that I'm cured. I want to SEE an EVO free world, maybe even find my family and try to fix things with them."_

" _Providence can help you do both!" Rex said hopefully. "If that's all you want, then—"_

" _NO! You're MISSING the POINT!" Circe screamed, taking both Rex AND Holiday by surprise. Even if she wasn't an EVO anymore, Circe still had quite the pair of lungs on her. The girl took in a deep breath and sighed in frustration, her teeth grit down hard. "Rex, listen, Providence is your home. I get that. And I tried to make it my home, I really did. But after being kept as a prisoner here… I just can't have that same feeling." She was finally able to calm down fully and her eyes locked with his again, both saddened by the argument they were having. "Rex, I feel CONFINED here." she emphasized. "Sure, you, Bobo and Noah have kept me company, but I want to have an actual life outside these walls."_

_Her words hit Rex like a freight train at light speed, and it was then that he realized what he had been trying to do. He was trying to keep her in a place that she DIDN'T want to be, and the very thought of doing that to someone he cared so deeply for hurt him more than any EVO could. His head lowered in utter shame and regret, his hand covering his face. "I… I'm so sorry, Circe. I've been such a jackass… and I didn't even REALIZE it!"_

_A small, sad smile came to Circe's lips before putting her hand on Rex's chin, bringing his eyes back toward her. "Thank you, Rex. And I accept your apology." She took a momentary pause before finally saying something. "Rex, I know this is kind of a stretch, but… do you want to come with me?"_

_This stunned Rex and almost made Holiday gasp, but the doctor covered her mouth before she could. Had Circe REALLY just said that? Was she seriously offering Rex to just drop everything at Providence and go with her? It was almost unbelievable! There was a very long pause after she had said that, her words sinking into Rex's mind. "You want me to go with you?"_

" _Well, yes." Circe reaffirmed. "Rex, think about it, now that every EVO on Earth's been cured besides you, we can finally live some semblance of a normal life." She reached up and put a hand on his arm. "And if I recall, you've wanted something like that for a long time. Don't you want to know what that's REALLY like now?"_

_Rex had to admit, he DID want to know what it was like to be normal. Heck, it'd probably be easy for him. He'd just ever have to use his powers and he'd be golden. It sounded almost too perfect… but then his mind went back to the fact that his enemies were still somewhere out in the world, no doubt planning his downfall. No matter where he went, he knew that they would find him somehow, and if he went with Circe, that would only make her even more of a target. It was then that he knew his choice had been made._

" _Circe, as awesome as that sounds…" he gently took her hand off his arm. "I'm gonna have to say no. Van Kleiss and the Consortium are all still out there, plus a few other enemies that I've made. It's one thing if they find ME out there, but if they get to the BOTH of us, we'll be in serious danger." He placed her luggage bag down next to her before moving back a bit. "I'm sorry, Circe, but you're better off without me if you wanna go out into the world. Me being with you out there would just put you at more risk than you already are." Rex's shoulders sagged a bit. "Maybe someday I can have a "normal" life, but I doubt that'll happen anytime soon."_

_Circe winced at the words. She knew that they were true, but that didn't stop it from hurting any less. "I… I know. I just figured it was worth a shot." She opened her eyes, forcing a smile on her face. "Rex, I'm so glad to have known you. Everything we've done together… it's a ride I'll never forget for as long as I live."_

_A sad smile of Rex's own came to his features as well. "Well, I'm happy to have thrilled ya, Circe. I won't forget it either."_

" _I know." Circe pressed a button on the elevator and it opened up behind her, allowing her to put her luggage on it. She took a deep breath, preparing to take the first steps away from Providence in a while. "Well, I suppose this is it."_

" _Yeah, I guess so." Rex shrugged. The EVO took a deep breath as well, bracing himself for what came next. "…Good luck, Circe. I know if anyone can make it out there, it's you."_

" _Thank you, Rex." Circe stepped forward and gave him one last hug, though it pained both of them to do so. "And remember… you'll always be someone special to me."_

_Rex reluctantly returned the hug, his gut beginning to twist at the feelings churning within it. "I feel the same way." After a few seconds, he let her go, the two separating one final time. "Bye, Circe."_

" _Goodbye, Rex." Circe returned as she stepped into the elevator. "And stay safe."_

" _Yeah, you too." With that, the elevator doors slowly closed, separating the two. The moment they did, Rex hit the floor knees-first, his hands covering his eyes as he fought back the tears he could feel coming on. A few moments later, he could hear the clattering of heels coming toward him, prompting him to lift his head up to see Holiday walking toward him worriedly. "Doc… how much did you—"_

" _Enough." Holiday answered as she knelt down next to him. She put her hands around his shoulders, giving him the support he needed. "Rex, I'm sorry."_

_Rex sniffled and lowered his head back down, his voice now very hoarse. "Doc… why'd I have to do so much wrong?!" He clenched his hair again as his thoughts began racing, going over all of the choices he had made in his and Circe's relationship. "And WHY did this all have to happen in the first place?!"_

_Holiday shook her head. "Rex, there are just some things that we can't predict." She pulled her friend up to his feet and gave him a hug. "I know that you and Circe tried your best on both your ends. But sometimes, things don't work out the way we want them to."_

_The EVO screwed his eyes shut, still fighting back the tears. "I know. But I still feel awful about all of this." When he opened his eyes back up, he pulled his head back to look at Holiday. "I… I think I need some time to think everything over."_

" _I understand." Holiday pat Rex on the back and pulled away from him. "Take whatever time you need, Rex. I'll let Six, Bobo and White Knight know not to disturb you."_

" _Thanks Holiday." Rex nodded. "I'll… talk to you later." The young man turned around and hastily bolted to his quarters, leaving Holiday alone while he silently cried all the way there._

* * *

As she finished the story, Holiday breathed out, expelling the unsteady feelings in her gut. "After that, Rex didn't come out of his room for about a week except for food. But even then, he hardly ever spoke." She folded her hands and placed them on the table. "When he DID come back though, he was more determined than ever to find Van Kleiss and the Consortium. And about a month later, the Alpha incident happened." She put her hands up, gesturing to the room around her. "I think you know what happened from there."

Winter's features had grown solemn over the story's course, her blue eyes now saddened after hearing it all. "Oh my word." The elder Schnee's hand had covered her mouth, still somewhat stunned after hearing all of that. "I… I really don't know what to say."

Gwen, in contrast, was attempting to keep herself together after hearing the story. Being someone who was keen on helping relationships flourish, it always broke her heart a bit whenever she would hear one that didn't work out. But she had to admit, this had to be one of the saddest ones she had yet to hear. Yes, Ben and Julie's break up had also been really sad, but she was at least able to mentally prepare for it. But this? This was heartbreaking. "I don't either." she said before taking a tissue and wiping her eyes. "I only wish Rex were still here so I could give him some support."

"I do to." Holiday agreed. "But I think the best thing we can do is give him some time to himself. Maybe then, he'll—" But before she could finish, Weiss pushed herself away from the table and got up without a word, walking over to the hallway with a determined expression. "W-Weiss! Where are you going?"

"To find Rex." Weiss answered without hesitation. "I NEED to apologize to him for what I said."

"Weiss, hold on." Winter got up and halted her sister before she could reach the hallway. "As much as I support your idea, I am not entirely sure it would be a good idea to bother him in this sensitive time. Maybe you should wait until he gets back."

But for the first time in a while, Weiss chose to ignore her sister's advice. "I'm sorry, Winter." she replied with a shake of her head. "But this is just something that I have to do. I may have said it to him by accident, but the words I said were still unacceptable."

"That's really nice, Weiss." Gwen commended, having managed to pull herself together. "But I'm not sure if Rex is even here." She closed her eyes and began focusing on his mana, not finding it anywhere on the premises. "I think he may have left to be on his own for a while."

If anything, this made an even _more_ determined smile come to Weiss' face. "Hm, well then, if he's going to play the game like that, then I'm ready to play." In the blink of an eye, Weiss whirled around and headed straight out the front door, much to the surprise of the three ladies. She had also grabbed Rex's signature jacket that he had left on the coat rack, taking it out with her.

"Weiss, wait!" Holiday called out as she, Winter and Gwen all went out the front door as well, making the others in the living room look at them in confusion. The very second the three women had made it out the door, they saw Weiss making a summoning glyph, the heiress bringing forth a Beowolf with little effort. "Weiss, what're you doing?" the doctor asked.

"Finding Rex." Weiss lifted Rex's jacket up to the Beowolf's nose, giving it an order. "Here. Sniff and search out the owner of this jacket." The Beowolf lowered its nose and took a big whiff, recoiling a bit at the smell. "Huh?" Weiss sniffed the jacket herself, also jolting back at bit when the scent hit her nose. "Gah! The banana smell is back!" Just as she said that though, the Beowolf began sniffing at the air before pointing its muzzle down the dirt path leading toward town, seemingly getting a hit on Rex's scent.

A hopeful smile came to Weiss' face. "You got him?" She received a nod in response from the beast, giving it a pet on the muzzle for its work. "Good boy. Now… can you take me to him?" The Beowolf lowered its body down for her, nudging its head to her as a sign to climb aboard. The heiress steadied herself and jumped onto its back, keeping a firm hold as it got up. "Whoa, okay, easy. This is a first for me, remember?" Once she made sure she was secured on her summons' back, Weiss faced back to the three ladies still at the door, giving them a wave. "We'll be back soon! Trust me!"

"Well… okay." Winter said, still surprised at what her sister was doing. It had taken her a while to get riding on one of her Grimm summons' down, so she could only begin to imagine how her sister would handle it without any practice. "Good luck, dear sister."

' _She's going to need it.'_ Holiday thought to herself. _'But… I suppose if it were anybody going, I'm glad it's her.'_ The doctor sent a grin to Weiss and waved over to her. "Weiss, thank you!"

"No problem!" Weiss called back. "It's the least I can do." She pet the side of the Beowolf's neck, encouraging it to go. "C'mon, boy, let's go find—REEEEEX!" Without any warning what so ever, the Beowolf surged forward in a burst of speed, one that Weiss had not been prepared for. Hanging on to the creature for dear life, the heiress and her trusty steed rushed down the road, her hair and skirt blowing in the wind.

Winter couldn't help but wince at the scene. "I certainly hope she'll be alright."

"I know she will." Gwen smiled, crossing her arms as she watched Weiss disappear down the dirt path. "…Although, she'd going to need some work on that form of hers."

* * *

Not far away in the town of Patchwork, Rex was currently sitting by himself at the wharf, gazing out into the open water absentmindedly. He watched the horizon begin to change colors as the sun began to set, the multiple colors shining not just in the sky, but across the water as well. Many ships and ferries were pulling into the port for the last time that day, their horns and whistles being the only real noise along the harbor, apart from the seagulls, that is.

The young EVO had figured that this would be the best place for him to get some peace of mind, and while he wasn't wrong in that regard, it was still hard to clear his head. Especially considering the topic that was on his mind. _'Circe… I wonder how you're doing right now.'_ Rex knew that he probably shouldn't be thinking about her. They had broken up, and that was that. Nothing he could do about it. But… there were just somethings that he couldn't help but think about, and Circe was one of them.

Rex held his head in his hands and took a deep breath, hoping to drag himself out of this funk. "C'mon dude, you gotta pull yourself together. What would Weiss think if—" He cut himself off right there, realizing what he had just said. Usually, he'd think of what Six would say, or White Knight, or even Bobo. He knew that the thought of their scathing words, or in Bobo's case, his unending taunts, would be enough motivation for him to get over it. But the thought of what _Weiss_ would say? That was new. _'Why WOULD I care about what she'd say?'_ he wondered to himself.

His thoughts then went back to a few minutes ago, when she had said those words to him; "I'd be liable to drive girls off. Heh, more than you know, Ice Princess." He knew that she probably meant it as a harmless jab at him, but it still hurt a bit. "Man, why does this all have to be so complicated?"

Just then, a new sound graced his ears, one that definitely wasn't native to the port. It sounded like a set of large paws, sprinting against the ground as they drew closer and closer. The EVO took a combat stance when he heard the sounds of people screaming, knowing now that it HAD to be a Grimm. But just then, a much higher pitched scream came from just over the high wall that separated the port from the town itself, and he knew instantly who it belonged to. _'Wait… no way. Is that—'_

"AAAAAAAHHH!" His answer came almost immediately when the Beowolf finally showed itself, jumping down the high wall from the street above. But rather than the black fur he was expecting, it was a familiar, bright white coat, accompanied by an ethereal blue glow from its eyes and mouth. And on its back, clinging to the beast with every ounce of strength she had, was Weiss, screaming at the top of her lungs as the Beowolf landed. The heiress took ragged breaths in and out, her hair and her dress both a mess after the wild ride she had experienced. She was also holding Rex's jacket in her hands, which perplexed the EVO only further.

"WEISS?!" Rex exclaimed. "Where did you—HOW did you—WHAT?!"

"LAND!" Weiss fell off the Beowolf, landing on the ground without even giving a thought to dirtying her dress. All she wanted was to get back down on solid ground. "Oh, sweet, sweet land! I'll never take you for granted again!" However, as she was laying down on her back, a shadow suddenly appeared over her, making her eyes move up to see Rex looming over her. He had a single brow raised in confusion, to which she nervously smiled back and waved up at him. "Uh… hi."

"Hi yourself." Rex replied as he reached down and helped her up to her feet. "Weiss, what're you doing here? How'd you even find me?"

Weiss chuckled and held his jacket up to him. "Oh, I had my Beowolf track you down. It was actually pretty easy… considering your banana smell."

Rex's eyebrows snapped up and he sniffed at his jacket, giving it an incredulous expression when he pulled it away. "Gah, what the hell?! I thought I washed this!"

A small chortle escaped Weiss' lips before she prodded the boy's chest with a single finger. "Hmhm, maybe it's YOU who need a good washing, mister. Either that or lay off the potassium."

In contrast his earlier saddened mood, Rex let out a laugh at her quip, even if it was a light one. "Hah, maybe. I mean, I wash every day, so I'll probably have to pry myself away from the bananas." He put his jacket back on before his eyes went back to Weiss… only to then remember what had happened a little while ago. His small smile disappeared and he put a hand went to the back of his head. "Hey Weiss? About what happened earlier. I'm sorry for brushing you off like that. I was just… well, the thing is…"

"I know." Weiss said, putting a hand to his shoulder. "And it's okay." She closed her eyes solemnly and bowed her head a bit to him. "You see, Holiday told me, Gwen, and Winter about what happened."

Once again, Rex's eyebrows rose in shock, now accompanied by a twisting feeling in his gut. He lowered his head as well, allowing the revelation to sink in. "Oh… and I'm guessing she told you everything?"

"Yeah, everything." Weiss wore a sympathetic expression, hugging her arms together. "Rex, I'm so sorry. If I had known about all of this, I wouldn't have—"

"Hey, it's fine." Rex assured with a raise of his hand. "Really, everything's okay."

But Weiss shook her head at this. "No, it's really not." she insisted. "Intentionally or not, I upset you, and that's something that I WILL apologize for." The heiress stepped forward so that she and Rex were mere inches apart, the girl furrowing her brows as her sharp gaze pierced into his eyes. "And I'm not taking "No" for an answer, Mr. Salazar."

Rex couldn't help but grin at her persistence. "Hehe, okay, okay, I give!" He raised his hands up in surrender as he stepped away from her a bit, giving them room. "I accept your apology, Weiss, and thank you." He glanced back out to the open water briefly, sighing as he looked toward the horizon once again. "I just wish I hadn't gotten upset about it in the first place."

"I know." Weiss went over and sat at the pier's edge, patting the ground next to her. "Do you wanna talk about it?" she asked with an inviting smile.

The EVO was taken aback by this at first, but the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea of just talking to her. "Yeah, sure." he accepted before sitting down as well, now with both of their legs dangling over the water. "So, did Holiday tell anyone else about… "it"?"

"No, just me, my sister and Gwen." Weiss promised. "Nobody else."

"Good, good." Rex leaned forward and rested his chin against his hand, his eyes moving down to the water's surface.

There was a moment of silence before Weiss spoke up again. "Tell me… how special was she to you, Rex?"

It took a few seconds, but Rex was able to get an answer out. "Very. _Very_ special." He cupped his hands together, clenching them as he went on. "Weiss, from the moment I met her, I thought she was special. She was a human EVO who could control her powers like me. We both felt out of place in the world… and I think that's what lit the spark between us."

"I see." Weiss nodded. "But after the EVOs were gone and things began changing, that spark just…"

"It fizzled out. Slowly, but… a part of me could tell." Rex admitted. "After about a year and a half, things between me and her just started falling apart. About six months later… and she's gone." The EVO laid out on his back, his arms outstretched with his eyes toward the sky, letting out a breath he was holding. "I know I should start moving on by now, but a part of me can't help but ask…"

"What if?" Weiss guessed, prompting Rex to give her an affirmed nod. "Yeah, that's something that a lot of us are asking nowadays." The heiress leaned back, resting her back against the ground as well. "But like it always goes, it's not about what _could_ have happened, but what _did_ happen, and how we're able to live with it."

"Trust me, I know that better than anybody." Rex put his hands behind his head. "I just can't help it sometimes, you know?"

Weiss pursed her lips in thought. "Yeah, I do. I'll admit, sometimes I think about what would happen if Neptune and I had worked out. Or heck, maybe even what might've happened if I HAD accepted Jaune's advances."

Rex's eyes nearly bugged out at that. "Wait, _Jaune_ hit on _you_?!"

A wry grin came to Weiss' face as she rolled her eyes. "Oh, MULTIPLE times." she confirmed. "This was all before Pyrrha finally admitted her feelings to him though. So once they got together, that was that."

"Ah, I getcha." Rex chuckled a little bit. "But man, Jaune mackin' on you? Heh, I would've LOVED to see what that must've been like."

"Trust me, you don't." Weiss asserted. "He's a nice guy and all, but his singing is MUCH to be desired." Rex began laughing out loud at that, to which Weiss followed shortly after. Once they had both calmed down, the heiress sighed as she sat back up again. "Well, Rex, look at it this way;" She moved her head back to him and gave him a smile. "You and Circe at least left on good terms. So maybe there's a chance you guys could try again later down the road."

"Eh, maybe, but I doubt it." Rex pushed himself up as well. "There's an old Spanish saying that goes like this; _Agua que no has de beber, déjala correr."_

Weiss blinked in confusion. "…Okay, you're gonna have to translate for me because I only understood about half those words. Something about drinking water?"

"Close." Rex confirmed. "It translates out to; "water that you shouldn't drink, let it run". Meaning that if something isn't working, you should let it go." The EVO stood up and set his sights to the horizon again, a pained expression coming to his face. "And as much as I don't want to, I need to let Circe go."

Weiss stood as well, wearing a sad face. "Are you sure?"

Rex gave a solemn nod. "Yeah. As much as it makes me sad, I know that Circe would be better off. She wants to be out in the world and do things, and as much as I wanna join her, I gotta take responsibility." He folded his arms across his chest. "Besides, if I'm not gonna bring Van Kleiss and Black Knight down, who will?"

"Well, I can't argue with you there." Weiss admitted. "But remember…" She reached up and grasped him by the shoulder, bringing his attention to her. "You're not on your own here. We'll help you take the Pack and the Consortium down. And that's a promise."

Rex stared at her for a few moments before his smile returned, this time one-hundred percent genuine. He reached up and put his hand over hers, his eyes locking with hers again. "Thanks, Ice Princess. You have no idea how much I appreciate that."

"You're welcome, Robo-dolt." Weiss replied with a wink. "So, the big question is… will you be okay?"

"Yeah, I think so." Rex answered. "I just need to move on. And with you guys around? I think I'll be alright on that front."

"I'm glad to hear that." Weiss grinned as their eyes set out across the ocean once again, the duo hardly taking notice that they were inching closer to each other. "You know, this is a really nice spot the more I think about it."

Rex let out a small laugh. "Yeah… it really is."

* * *

Back at the Xiao Long house, Winter was pacing around the front porch, the thought of what Weiss was doing still on her mind. It had been almost forty-five minutes since she had gone off in search of Rex and the elder Schnee had figured that her sister would have at least called in that time. _'I mean, she might only JUST have found Rex, but still.'_ Winter stopped and looked inside the house, checking the nearby the clock to see that it had just struck five-o'clock. "Hmm… perhaps Ishould give her a call." she pondered to herself.

From the porch swing, Gwen gave the woman a reassuring grin. "Ah, I wouldn't worry about it, Winter. Weiss is probably just talking things out with Rex. I'm sure they're fine."

"Well, perhaps. What I am truly worried about is whether or not she was able to effectively ride her Beowolf or not." Winter explained. "Riding a Grimm, especially for the first time, is no easy task. It was spur of the moment and she had no prior practice, so forgive me if I am concerned for my sister's wellbeing."

"Hey, I'm not blaming you." Gwen granted. "But at the same time… did you see how tightly she was hanging on to that thing?" The Anodite let out a small chuckle. "Heh, she was practically stuck to it all the way down the road!"

The memory of seeing her sister locking herself around the beast did make Winter laugh a little herself. "Hah, well, I suppose you're right." Out the corner of her eye, the military specialist saw Holiday staring down the dirt path, the doctor having done so for the better part of the last half hour. She wore a concerned expression on her face, which Winter felt to be only natural. "Still thinking about them, doctor?"

"Hm? Oh, yes, kind of." Holiday answered, now broken out of her trance. "I think Weiss _can_ cheer him up… but I'm wondering if Rex will ever really be able to move on from Circe."

Gwen nodded in understanding. "I know how you're feeling, Doctor Holiday. Honestly, I worried about the same thing when my cousin broke up with Julie." She quirked an eyebrow and her smile grew slightly. "But then again, we all know how that turned out. I think Rex will be fine though, trust me." _RING-RING-RING!_ Gwen stopped right then and there when her Plumber's badge began going off, prompting her to quickly take it out of her pocket. "Oh, speak of the devil!" She answered it immediately and spoke into it; "Hello?"

" _Gwen? It's Ben."_ her cousin answered in an urgent tone. _"We have a problem… and you're not gonna like it."_

Ben's words quickly got the attention of the three women, with Winter and Holiday quickly gathering around Gwen. "Ben, what is it?" the redhead asked. "What's going on? Did you beat the Nuckelavee?"

" _Not yet, but Jessie and Team JNPR are working on it."_ On Ben's end of the call, a small boom could be heard in the distance. _"…Hopefully. But that's beside the point. We've got big trouble headed your way. I just got through with another conversation with our lovely enemy."_

Winter's eyes widened in shock. "You spoke with Salem again?!"

" _Yep, a direct line via smokey apparition."_ Ben could tell by the long pause that the women were rightfully confused. _"Don't ask. Anyway, she's sent a large swarm of Lancers to the island. Though knowing Salem, I doubt it's anything BUT small. She also said it would be her "second strike" against us. One more and we're out, apparently. They'll probably be there soon."_

"Lancers?" Holiday asked. "What are those?"

"Giant, deadly wasps with harpoon stingers." Winter answered, now very visibly concerned. "A swarm of them can take out an entire fleet of airships with ease." Her eyes went straight to Gwen. "Gwendolyn, can you sense where they are coming from like you did with the Beringels?"

Gwen pursed her lips at this. Being able to sense approaching Grimm wasn't a particularly pleasant experience, but she couldn't deny that it was useful. Even if it did cause her mild discomfort, she knew it had to be done. "Hold on, I'll try." Gwen closed her eyes, focusing to try and sense the same kind of energy she had felt the night before. She was able to find many Grimm close by in the woods, but she figured they must've been the odd Beowolves and Ursai that were native to the island, so she moved on. Then, as she moved farther out, she could sense a practical wave of malevolence moving right toward the island, directly from the west.

The Anodite shook her head as she felt it come closer to the island. "Gah, yep, I've got it alright. A bunch of dark energies flying in from the east." As she focused more though, she could sense that one of these energies seemed to be even more powerful than the others, putting her off even more. "And… they're all being led by an even more powerful one, I think."

Winter's expression hardened at this. "Yes, that must be their Queen. Every swarm has one." Suddenly, her eyebrows snapped up after realizing what Gwen had said before. "Wait… did you say from the _east_?"

"Yes, I—" But Gwen cut herself off right there. "Oh god, that's the same side of the island that the town is on! If the Lancers make land fall…"

" _Gah, crap!"_ Ben exclaimed. _"Guys, you need to get there RIGHT now. We'll try to be there as soon as we can!"_

Gwen glanced back down to her Plumber's badge with a nod. "Don't worry, Ben, we're on it." Her smile reappeared as she went on. "Besides, I sensed that Rex and Weiss were already out there. I'll just gather everybody up and we'll teleport straight to them!"

Ben let out a sigh of relief. _"Phew, that's good to hear. …Wait, what're Rex and Weiss doing out in town anyway?"_

Gwen, Holiday and Winter all winced as he asked this. "Eh… that's a long story." Gwen replied.

"… _Kinda vague, but I'll roll with it for now."_ Ben accepted before hearing a loud, demonic shriek off in the distance. _"Okay, we've gotta go help out with that Nuckelavee. Good luck, cous'."_

"You too, Ben. Talk to you soon." With her goodbyes said, Gwen hung up her Plumber's badge before belting out an aggravated groan. "UGH! Can't Salem just EVER give us a break?!"

"Apparently not." Holiday shrugged. "But let's not dwell on that too much. We have a pest control problem that we need to deal with."

"She is correct, Gwendolyn." Winter affirmed as she stepped into the house. "Come, we must gather the team."

Gwen sighed through her nostrils, letting go of her frustrations if only for just a while. "Yeah, you're right. It's time we get to work." As she followed Winter inside, she couldn't help but mull over the situation that had been presented to her. "First a Nuckelavee, and now a swarm of deadly bee Grimm. _Bees_ … my god."

* * *

Back out near the harbor, Weiss and Rex were still standing together on the pier, staring out into the horizon while simply enjoying each other's company. However, just as the heiress was about to turn to Rex and suggest they get back home, she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. She whirled back around and narrowed her gaze out to the distance, hoping to make out what she had seen. And Rex was quick to notice this. "Huh? What's up, Weiss?"

"I see something out there. No wait…" Weiss' eyes widened and her face became slightly pale when she was finally able to see what it really was. "Make that a _lo_ t of somethings."

Rex narrowed his eyes as well, only for them to bug out when he saw the creatures flying toward the island. It appeared to be a huge swarm of black and white hornets of immense size, complete with large stingers and gleaming red eyes. Leading them was probably the biggest of the bunch, as evidenced by its much larger wing span and posterior. Rex could feel his gut begin to sink as they came ever closer to the island, and he could tell that many other people were taking notice too. Citizens began screaming and running away from the shore in terror, hoping to get away before the Grimm finally made it to land. "Wh-What the hell are THOSE things?!"

"Lancers." Weiss answered. "Deadly hornet Grimm that are MUCH larger than they really should be."

"YA THINK?!" Rex exclaimed. "Those things have gotta be _las abejas del diablo_!"

Weiss unholstered Myrtenaster and prepared herself for battle. "Yeah, they ARE devil bees." Just then, a bright flash of light suddenly erupted off to the duo's side, blinding them for a brief second. When they light cleared, it was revealed to be none other than Gwen, Winter, Kevin, Blake, Sun, Neptune, Fox, Velvet and Yatsu, all of them ready to do battle as well. Weiss let out a calming breath at the sight of her friends. "Oh, thank god, I was worried we'd have to take them all on ourselves!"

"Nope." Gwen said with a thumbs up, slightly winded from teleporting so many people. "Ben called ahead and gave us the memo."

Blake strolled over and nudged Weiss' arm, giving her a wink. "Though I've got a feeling you guys would've been able to handle things until we got here." The cat girl wore a knowing grin, almost cheshire-like. "So… enjoying the view with the _Robo-dolt_?"

Weiss blushed and whipped her head away, thoroughly denying Blake's teasing. "That is none of your business." But then, her eyes went back to Gwen in confusion. "Wait, how did _Ben_ know about this?"

"Apparently, this is Salem's doing." Winter added, glaring out at the swarm, having halted briefly after seeing the bright ethereal light from Gwen's spell. "From what Benjamin told us, this is her "second strike" on us."

Sun merely laughed as he shouldered Ruyi Jingu Bang on his shoulder. "Hah, bring it! Whatever she's got, we can take it!"

Neptune shifted Tri-Hard into its trident mode and lowered his goggles in preparation. "I'm right there with ya, bro! We can take these bugs out no problem!"

Behind the two, Kevin crossed his arms and shook his head. "Listen guys, I'd normally be all for it, but considering the size of that swarm, I'd probably say otherwise." He went up and put a hand on each of their shoulders, pulling them back a bit. "If we wanna get through this, we're gonna need a plan."

"I agree with Kevin!" Velvet raised her hand, with Yatsu and Fox giving silent nods right beside her. "I certainly don't want to just charge head first against those vile maggots." The bunny girl directed her eyes to Gwen, hopeful that the Anodite had already come up with a plan. "Gwen, please tell me you know what to do."

Gwen was currently looking out to the swarm as well, the Lancers having gathered their bearings as their Queen set her sights back on the island. The redhead's brows furrowed and she took a brief glance around, seeing that there was no one in the immediate area. "Okay, listen up." She placed a hand on her hip as she addressed her team, using the other one to point out to the swam. "I think I can take out most of that swarm if I intercept them over the water, but I know for a fact that many of will be fast enough to slip by." She set her eyes on Winter and gave her a nod. "Winter, can I count on you and your Manticore to take care of a few stragglers for me out there? I'll need to concentrate if I wanna take care of the swarm."

Winter smiled and gave her a salute. "Of course, Gwendolyn. And if any other Lancers make it to the land?"

The Anodite gestured out to the rest of the team. "Then that's where they come in." She put her focus onto her teammates with a resolute smile. "You guys are in charge of keeping the town safe. If any of these Lancers get by either me or Winter, it'll be your job to take them down."

Kevin nodded to her immediately. "Sounds like a plan, Gwen."

"We're all over it." Blake promised with her own salute.

Gwen wore a determined grin at this. "Great! You guys head up to the streets and make sure nobody's been left behind. If there IS anyone, make sure to get them to safety." She faced back toward the incoming swarm, glancing to Winter briefly. "Ready?"

Winter pulled out her primary blade and summoned a glyph, making it spin rapidly in midair. From out of the glyph, her Manticore emerged, flying up into the sky before rounding about and landing next to her. "Ready." Winter affirmed as she jumped onto the beast's back, smiling down to her sister as she did. "Watch and learn how a professional rides her Grimm, dear sister." Weiss gave her sister an eyeroll before sticking her tongue out at her, which got Winter to chuckle a bit before taking off.

Gwen closed her eyes and concentrated, her human form dissipating as her Anodite-self took its place. _**"Alright, let's do this."**_ She began floating up into the air, twisting herself around to look back at her friends. _**"Be ready, guys!"**_

"We will!" Weiss waved. "Trust me!" Gwen and Winter then flew away, headed straight toward the swarm of Lancers. "Alright, everyone, let's—huh?" Her eyes had found Velvet, Fox and Yatsu staring after Gwen, all three of them in utter disbelief at what they had just seen. "Oh yeah, you guys haven't seen Gwen in her Anodite form, huh?"

"No," Yatsu replied, "no we have not."

Over the water, Gwen and Winter flew directly at the Lancer swarm at high speeds, both of them stopping just before they reached the giant insects. Winter couldn't help but clench her teeth at the very sight of the creatures, especially the Queen. Normal sized insects were one thing, but GIANT ones with even BIGGER stingers? Salem truly was a being of pure evil. Her eyes went over to Gwen and she called out; "How do you plan on stopping them?"

The energy being smirked over to Winter, lifting her hand and clenching it into a fist. _**"What better way to catch a bunch of bugs… than with a net?!"**_ Gwen spread her arms out as both of her hands began glowing with energy, with said energy bursting out into two beams soon after. The purplish-pink beams surged out along the sky before the Anodite spoke a magical incantation; _"_ _ **Facere Retta!"**_ At her words, the two beams began producing even more beams from themselves, which in turn did the same thing over and over again before creating what could only be described as a giant energy net. Some of the beams had even managed to do their job early and sear themselves through the thoraxes of many Lancers that had flown into them. With her large net now made, Gwen balled her fist again, speaking another incantation; _**"Subtraxerim Utilium!"**_

All of a sudden, the net began to spread around the Lancers as they approached, linking around them soon after. The mighty energy construct then began shrinking down, confusing many of the large hornet Grimm into a panic. Winter smiled as the net continued to shrink, trapping them in its binds as the beams began to close up. "Ah-ha! You were right! It's—" But then, just as Gwen predicted, many Lancers began finding their way out before the binds could seal entirely, including the Queen Lancer. Needless to say, Winter was not pleased. "Grr… I shouldn't speak so soon."

Gwen kept holding her hands out as the Queen and her subjects buzzed past her, the now shrunken swarm repulsed by the life energy she was made out of. She couldn't risk taking her concentration off the net, lest her spell fail and release the rest of the swarm. _**"Winter!"**_

But the military specialist was already on it. With a single point of her sword, Winter commanded her Manticore to fly forward, the beast roaring at the Lancers as it began attacking them in midair. It was almost like a tank ramming through a bunch of army jeeps. The moment the Manticore would make contact, it would eviscerate the Lancer without much of a problem. Whether it was clawing through its thorax, biting its head off, or burning its wings with blue fire, it managed to get the job done. That didn't mean Winter was no slouch, though. She kept one hand free to slice at any Lancers that approached the Manticore in its blind spots, slashing their stingers off as the creatures launched them at her. That left the Lancers defenseless and open to attack, allowing the Manticore to dispatch them even faster.

While Winter could now see that most of the Lancers had been successfully picked off, there were still a quite a few left, and they were flying right toward shore. And among them… was their Queen. "Oh no." She took out her scroll and immediately called her sister, thankful she picked up before the first ring even finished. "Weiss, we've taken care of most of them, the rest is up to you. But be warned; their Queen is among them, and I doubt she is happy."

* * *

Back on land, the team had relocated themselves up to street level, the nine teens all staring out as the remaining Lancers approached them. There seemed to be about a dozen or so, Queen included, and they were coming in hot. From what Weiss could see though, her sister was right, they weren't happy at all. "Thanks for the heads up, sis." Weiss replied. "We'll take it from here." She hung up her scroll and pointed Myrtenaster at the swarm, ready to intercept the Grimm. "Ready, guys?!"

Everybody brought their weapons out, with Rex responding with a smirk as he activated his Big Fat Sword. "More than ready, Ice Princess! Let's do it!"

"My thoughts exactly." Blake agreed before pulling out the ribbon of Gambol Shroud. She saw two Lancers in particular that were heading right toward her and Sun, and an idea had popped into her head. She tossed the free end of the black ribbon over to her boyfriend and nudged her head toward the Lancers. "Hey Sun! How about we wrap these two up quickly, huh?"

Sun smirked back at her, catching on instantly. "Oh, I get the message! Let's do it!"

Blake nodded before briefly eyeing her teammate. "Hey, Weiss, can you give us a boost?"

"Gladly!" Weiss thrust Myrtenaster up into the air, bringing forth two glyphs in front of Blake and Sun. The glyphs began spinning and the heiress gave them the go ahead. "You're all set!"

With a glint in their eyes, Blake and Sun ran onto the glyphs and jumped, their leap having been powered up by the glyphs' power. The two kept a hold of their respective ends of the ribbon as they soared up into the air, the duo zooming past the two Lancers before they could even react. As a result, the Lancers ended up getting their thoraxes caught by the ribbon, and the moment they did, Blake called out to her boyfriend; "NOW!" They aimed their weapons in the opposite direction they were facing and shot a single time, propelling them toward the Lancer's backsides. The duo landed on their respective side's beast before leaping across one another, effectively wrapping the ribbon around the Lancers and smashing them together.

"Haha! Awesome!" Sun laughed, the duo riding the two Lancers as they fell to the ground. The monkey boy tied the ribbon up so the creatures wouldn't struggle free, with Blake detaching her end from Gambol Shroud to do the same. "Okay, let's finish this!" Sun firmly grasped Ryui Jingu Bang and leapt up to his Lancer's head, slamming it down with a mighty downward thrust. He drove the bo staff further into the beast's head and shot into it, making it cry out in pain.

Blake smiled at her boyfriend's effective kill. "Hm, alright, my turn." She shifted Gambol Shroud in her hand, changing it from its gun mode into its sickle mode. Then, with a jump of her own, she landed on her Lancer's head and stabbed down into it, pulling back with all her strength. The creature gave an agonizing buzz as its head was cut straight into, killing it as it finally made impact with the ground. Blake and Sun jumped off the Grimm as they landed, the beasts dissolving and allowing Gambol Shroud's ribbon to fall to the ground.

"Woo!" Sun exclaimed as he and Blake shared a high five. "The BlackSun Duo does it again!"

The cat girl couldn't help but raise a brow at the name. "Really? Is that what you call us?"

The monkey boy blushed as his hand went to the back of his head. "W-Well, yeah, I mean… your hair's black and my name's Sun… I kinda liked the oxymoron of a black sun, so…"

Just then, Blake put a finger to his lips, silencing him for just a moment. "I didn't say I didn't _like_ it, did I?" she winked.

"W-Well, I…" Sun muffled as Blake drew slightly closer.

"You, me, upstairs back at the house when this is over." She said with a knowing grin. "There's something I've been wanting to talk to you about."

Sun grew slightly worried at this. "…I'm not in trouble, am I?"

Blake chuckled slightly as she moved around to get back to the battle. "Far from it, Sun. Now c'mon, the others may need us."

Meanwhile, Neptune was facing off against his own Lancer, the blue-haired boy glaring at his opponent with determination. The Grimm itself was speeding ever closer to him, but he just kept his feet planted where he was. _'That's it… closer… closer…'_ He saw the Lancer's abdomen jut forward, its stinger prepped and ready to strike. _'Now!'_ At the last possible second, Neptune dodged the Lancer's attack, its stinger firing off from its abdomen like a harpoon. Neptune spun back around, pulling his trident back before sending it out in a powerful throw. He managed to embed the three-pronged weapon into the Lancer's abdomen, making it wail in pain.

"Ha! Not so scary now, are ya?!" Neptune ran over and grabbed a hold of his trident just as the Lancer was about to pull up, with him being carried up with it as a result. He pulled his weapon out, changed it into its guandao mode, and sliced it down again, this time cutting off the stinger before it could be retracted. With another shriek, the Lancer moved back down to the ground, allowing Neptune to jump off.

He landed just in time for the Lancer to round back to him, its red eyes now glowing with anger. "Aw, what's the matter? You mad 'cause I sliced your butt stick off?" The Grimm screeched at him before flying toward him at high speeds, intending to ram into him. "Yeah, I don't think so." Neptune converted his guandao into its rifle mode and shot a couple of Lightning Dust rounds into the Lancer's head, paralyzing it mid-flight. It fell to the ground in a heap and Neptune shifted back to his bladed weapon, stabbing it right through both of the Lancer's eyes and killing it instantly. "Hah, and THAT is how you REALLY put the sting on something!"

Not far from him, Velvet, Yatsu and Fox were facing off against three Lancers as well, though they didn't seem all that nervous about it. Instead, they were all communicating with each other mentally thanks to Fox's Semblance. _'So, we're all clear on the plan?'_ Fox asked.

' _Indeed.'_ Yatsu answered with a nod.

' _Absolutely.'_ Velvet agreed before glancing over to Rex, an idea forming in her mind when she saw the EVO's BFS. She smiled thoughtfully before pulling out Anesidora, taking a picture of the oversized sword. _'But why don't we make this a bit more interesting?'_

Fox's eyes widened as her projecting thoughts were made known to him. _'Vel… are ya sure? I mean, I know it's technically a weapon, but—'_

' _Oh, don't worry, Fox.'_ Velvet assured. _'I'll be fine. For now, we should focus on the plan at hand, right?'_ The bunny girl shifted her focus onto her tall swordsman friend with a soft smile. "Yatsu, ready for the catapult maneuver?"

Yatsu pulled his greatsword off his back and held it low, about up to his waist. He had it so that the blade's flat end was facing up, and he gave Velvet a nod. "Ready and waiting."

"Excellent!" Velvet put Anesidora back into its case, hoping that her theory was true. "Alright… here we go!" At her word, Fox stepped back as Yatsu began spinning in place, whirling his sword around as he did. Velvet got a running start before hopping up and landing on the greatsword, holding on as she started spinning around as well. Once she was sure she was in the correct direction, Velvet used the momentum from the swing to leap up high into the air, right at one of the three approaching Lancers. _'Here goes nothing…'_

Velvet activated Anesidora, and all at once, a large, hard-light construct began covering her arm from the shoulder down. Before she knew it, her very own Big Fat Sword had formed on her arm, the brunette smiling as her theory was proved correct. From the earth below, Rex saw this and raised a thumbs up in the air to her. "HA! No way! You go, Vel!"

This only fueled Velvet's good mood even more, spurring her on to raise her BFS up toward her Lancer enemies. Fortunately, hard-light weighed nothing, so that proved easy to do. The two other Lancers managed to spread out and away from the bunny girl, but the one in the middle wasn't so lucky. Before it could even THINK to use its harpoon-like stinger, the hornet Grimm was cut right in half with one mighty swing, dissolving the moment Velvet landed. Right when her feet touched the pavement though, a couple more Lancers came out of nowhere and began swarming her, prompting her to smirk at them.

"…Alright, lads, let's see how you handle THIS!" She reached up and pulled the hard-light handle on her BFS, changing it into its battle saw mode. Velvet jumped up and swung her saw blade, cutting off the Grimm's stingers as they were launched at her. As well as their wings… and the rest of their body parts. "Fox, Yatsu! How're you boys doing?!"

"We're fine, Velvet!" Yatsu replied as he focused on the two Lancers that were still flying toward him and his friend. "Fox, time for phase two!" With a wordless nod, Fox ran back as one of the two Lancers began coming in hot, flying right for Yatsu. The swordsman narrowed his eyes and waited until the hornet was right in front of him. Then, with all his might, he swung his sword down and smashed the beast into the street, killing it and sending up a bunch of debris in the process. "GO!"

Fox suddenly ran back to Yatsu and jumped up onto his back, using it as a springboard to get to the other Lancer. The giant insect launched its stinger at Fox, but the blind Huntsman managed to grab it. This was both good… and a little bad. On the one hand, the redhead's maneuver was successful, but he had to keep his distance to avoid getting stung. Fox grit his teeth as the stinger was retracted back to the Lancer's body, the large hornet glaring down at him in rage. With a swift moment, Fox swung his legs up, catching them around the Lancer's thorax. He then swung his upper body up toward the beast's head before striking it in the face with a volley of Fire-Dust-fueled punches, catching it off-guard.

With a mighty battle cry, Fox began wrestling with the insect in midair, making it drop lower and lower before it finally came crashing down onto its back. The blind redhead wore a toothy grin at this, happy to finally be able to slice into the Lancer with his blades without trouble. By the end of it all, he had cut its body up and pulled off all of its limbs, leaving it to die and dissolve away. Fox took in ragged breaths, still a bit high off of what he had just done. "Hah… ha… and THAT is the bottom line, right there."

"No doubt." Yatsu commented as he approached his friend. "You slashed it into paste."

"Very nicely done, Fox." Velvet complimented as she came up to the boys as well, her BFS now disappearing.

Fox raised a brow at her. "Heh, from what I heard over there, you weren't exactly half bad with that thing either, Vel. Nice work."

The bunny girl rubbed the back of her head, blushing all the while. "Oh, it was nothing, really." However, in the corner of her eye, Velvet suddenly caught sight of a certain Osmosian preparing to face off against a trio of Lancers all by himself. "Oh, this ought to be interesting."

Across the field, Kevin was indeed facing off against three of the large wasps, glaring at them as they buzzed in front of him. "Ugh, never liked things with stingers." He reached down and absorbed the pavement before reaching into one of the bags on his hips, pulling out an Ice Dust crystal. "Time to call in the exterminator." He absorbed the Ice Dust and shifted his hands into a long sword and mace respectively, smacking them together to activate the Dust's power. Once more, he had his sharp ice lance and ice bludgeon back, and he was ready to _actually_ use them in a fight. He opened his now icy-blue eyes and proclaimed; "Okay, bug brains, let's go!"

Kevin belted out a roar of challenge as he stormed right toward the three Lancers, not letting up on his charge for even a second. The middle one chose to meet his challenge first and launched its stinger, ready to pierce through him. But to its surprise, the Osmosian easily countered the stinger with his own icy lance, easily stabbing the sharp weapon through it. But just with that one touch, the Lancer recoiled in pain. The ice of Kevin's weapon was so cold that it _hurt_. "Heh, betcha didn't expect that, didja?!"

Kevin pulled the Lancer toward him and rammed himself into it, using his large, spikey ice bludgeon to take it down to the ground. He stabbed his large ice lance through its abdomen and began smashing the bludgeon into the insect's face, beating it until it was nothing but mush. As the body dissolved underneath him, Kevin narrowed his eyes at the other two Lancers, turning his nose up to them. "C'mon, Buzzy Boys, who's next?!"

The next Lancer probably had a death wish because it just began flying straight toward Kevin, hoping the suddenness of its attack would throw the Osmosian off. It would have no such luck as Kevin immediately fell backwards, thrusting his ice lance up into the Lancer as it flew over him. "Big mistake." He swung his arm over his head, driving the Grimm's face into the ground behind him before standing back up. Kevin then delivered a kick to its rear, pushing it onto its back so that he could drive the lance up through its head, decapitating it instantly.

He moved around and faced the final Lancer, a smirk present on his face as he did. "So now it lands to you." He pulled his arm up and made a "come on" gesture with it, daring the beast to come closer. "C'mon, let's see if you can actually use that stinger!"

The giant bee screeched with anger and it flew up high, directly over Kevin. It then launched its stinger down toward Kevin from above, intending to drive it right through the Osmosian from the head down. But the raven-haired teen simply rolled his eyes at this. "Psh, please." He rolled to the side, allowing the stinger to impale itself into the asphalt before grabbing the black, elastic skin that attached it to the rest of the Lancer, pulling it down with all his strength. "Get over here!" As the Lancer disparity tried to fly away, Kevin shook his head in disappointment. "Sorry, but I can't let ya live." With one last mighty tug, he pulled the Grimm down just enough so that he could jump on its back and plunge his ice lance right into its head, finally killing it.

Kevin raised his arms in victory as his teammates began gathering around him, the Osmosian now effectively high off his victory. "HA! Take THAT ya oversized nightmare!" He pointed his icy weapons at the Lancer as it continued to dissolve. "Let's see how ya like THAT jazz, huh?!"

Blake and Sun glanced to each other in confusion as they stopped in front of him, both wondering what jazz had anything to do with this. "Uh, Kevin, you okay?" Blake asked in concern.

"Never better!" Kevin answered. "Now that I got this Dust stuff, I feel like a freakin' GOD!" His eyes trailed over to the horizon and he smiled, seeing that Gwen had just sealed off the net and Winter and her Manticore had just slashed through one of the last few Lancers that had escaped. They group watched as Gwen willed the large mana sphere to implode on itself, killing all of the Lancers in the blink of an eye. "Hah, I think we're in the clear, guys."

Sun tapped the Osmosian's shoulder, garnering his attention. "Uh… not yet."

He pointed over Kevin's shoulder, and the young man was quick to take notice of two things; the big one being the Queen Lancer, which was currently zipping around in the sky. The other was what it was chasing… or rather _who_. Rex was zooming around on his Sky Slyder, attempting to out-fly the beast. "Ah… I see."

* * *

Weiss had to admit, she was a bit nervous her plan wouldn't work. She had come up with it on the fly and it involved a lot of luck. _'I mean, I'm confident in my abilities, but… I just hope this works.'_ She sent her gaze back up to the sky, watching as Rex out maneuvered the Queen Lancer on his Sky Slyder. She smiled as she watched him fly though the sky with that persistent confident look on his face. _'Part one of the plan seems to be working out, though. That's good.'_

The Queen was currently shooting a bunch of smaller stingers out from multiple protrusions on her body, attempting to stick Rex with at least one of them. But Rex wasn't one to slow down. He bobbed and weaved across the sky like it was no problem, flying up higher and higher to avoid the stingers as they flew by his head. "Woo hoo! Can't catch me, big mama!" he taunted, making the Queen screech in anger.

With Rex approaching the needed height, Weiss began performing a brief technique with Myrtenaster, preparing herself to bring forth her new secret weapon. After her technique, she ran two fingers along her weapon's blade, a blue energy wafting from it as she closed her eyes. She concentrated on her Semblance, spun around, and stabbed Myrtenaster into the ground, creating a large summoning glyph. From out of the glyph, the Arma Gigas appeared, kneeling down at first before rising to its feet. It held out its right arm before going into a combat stance, ready to do battle at her request. "REX! I'm ready!" she called up to the EVO.

"Awesome!" Rex called back before spreading his arms out. "That means so am I!" He leaned back and flipped in midair, diving down straight past the Queen Lancer on his Sky Slyder. The Queen stopped, having not expected the sudden move before rounding about in the air, flying back after Rex at high speeds. The EVO landed directly in between Weiss and the Arma Gigas, exchanging his Sky Slyder for his Blast Caster the moment he did. "Okay, let's wreck queenie's day, huh?"

A smile appeared on Weiss' face as she stepped forward. "You just read my mind." She widened her stance before activating her Semblance again, moving Myrtenaster in a clockwise position as she summoned five small glyphs in front of her. She then thrust her weapon forward, resulting in all of the glyphs glowing with power before blasting out multiple energy beams up at the Queen Lancer, making her stop upon impact. With the Queen halted for the moment in a large cloud of smoke, Weiss whipped her head back to Rex. "Now!"

Rex smirked as his eyes went to the Arma Gigas. "You ready, big guy?" The summon simply craned its head down at him, its featureless face not giving any kind of confirmation. "Eh, I'll take that as a "yes"." Rex shrugged before wrapping the whip of his Blast Caster around the Grimm's waist. He spun around and flung the Arma Gigas up into the air, the summon racing up toward the Queen Lancer as straight as an arrow. Once he saw the Queen Lancer emerge from the smoke cloud, Rex exchanged his Blast Caster for his Boogie Pack and his BFS, ready to join it as well. "My turn!"

Weiss watched as Rex flew up into the air right after the Arma Gigas, smiling as their plan performed as intended. _'Alright… here we go.'_ She closed her eyes and began concentrating heavily on both her Semblance and the Arma Gigas, her thoughts going out to it as it drew closer to the Queen Lancer. At her behest, the Arma Gigas made its sword appear in its hand, the sentient armor ready to slay the beast in front of it. However, just as the two Grimm were about to meet in the air, Weiss made the Arma Gigas dissipate, confusing the Queen greatly.

But what surprised the large insect even more was Rex, the young EVO appearing directly from behind the Arma Gigas as it disappeared. "Hey, Your Majesty!" The Queen screeched with rage before launching its large stinger at Rex, though this would prove to be a mistake on her part. "Say your prayers!" With a single swipe, Rex sliced off the stinger and thrust his BFS up into the Queen's abdomen, holding her in place. But that didn't stop the Queen from struggling, with Rex gritting his teeth as he kept her still. "Weiss!"

As he called out to her, Weiss answered, though not with words. Another glyph spawned behind the Queen Lancer and the Arma Gigas reappeared with it, the armor lifting its head up toward its adversary and its ally. With a mighty leap, the Arma Gigas drew its sword back and sliced up through the Queen's thorax once before disappearing again, only to reappear on a different side through another glyph and doing the same thing again. This happened twice more before Rex pulled his blade free from the Queen's abdomen, allowing the Arma Gigas to get the finishing blow. With a slice directly through the Queen's midsection, both Grimm dissipated, the Arma Gigas' job having been done. On the street below, Weiss let out a tired breath, though she still smiled at their victory. "And… I think that's that!"

"HAHA!" Rex laughed as he came in for a landing. "We WON!" He touched down next to Weiss and, almost without a second thought, picked her up and spun her around. The heiress gave out a surprised gasp, though it eventually changed into a happy laugh. "That oversized _parásito_ didn't know what hit her!" Rex exclaimed

Weiss couldn't help but let out a cheer, Rex's enthusiasm having quickly passed onto her. "Woo! Haha, yeah! That was great!" She found herself back on the ground, but she still kept a hold of his arms. It was then that they locked eyes… and quickly realized how close they were. But they didn't shy away, at least not at first. After a few moments, their faces became red and they turned their heads away, their arms falling away from each other as they both now sported nervous grins. "Um… well, we certainly make a good team." Weiss concluded.

"Yeah, w-we really do." Rex stuttered. "Great plan, by the way!"

"Thanks, hehe." Weiss put her hand to the back of her neck. "I'm just really glad it worked out at all. I was afraid it wouldn't for a second."

Rex nudged her with his elbow. "Well, it did, so you should be pretty happy about that, huh?"

Weiss' eyes finally met his again, and she sent a soft smile his way. "…Yeah. Yeah, I am."

The two were about to draw a bit closer together before they heard; _**"Ahem."**_ The duo's eyes snapped up to see Gwen floating in front of them, the girl still in her Anodite form. Standing next to her was Winter, the elder Schnee wearing a smirk on her face as she eyed the two. _**"Congratulations, guys."**_ Gwen commended before changing back into her human form. "So… anything _interesting_ happen while you two were out here?"

Weiss and Rex glanced toward each other before they both immediately went into denial mode. "W-What?! Haha, no! Why would you think anything happened?" Weiss asked.

"Y-Yeah, we just had a little talk, that's all." Rex assured. "Weiss said she was sorry and I said we were cool. Simple as that."

"Uh-huh." Winter said, her expression still quite smug. "Well, if that is what you say happened, then I suppose we won't press any further… at least for now." Her gaze focused on Weiss, her sly grin becoming a more serious one. "But really, I am very proud of both of you. You two took down that Queen Lancer with great precision, very nicely done." She put a hand to her sister's shoulder. "I'm especially impressed that you were able to transport your Arma Gigas from one glyph to another, Weiss. Keep improving like this and you WILL be better than me someday."

"Heh, well, maybe." Weiss shrugged. "We'll see what happens."

Just then, Kevin and the others came running over to the four, all of them offering their congratulations. "Guys!" Kevin went over and gave Rex a light jab in the shoulder. "We saw what you two did! That was REALLY freakin' cool!"

"No doubt about it!" Blake supported as she went over and pulled Weiss into a side-embrace. "That was probably one of the most coordinated take downs I've ever seen."

"Yeah." Sun said as he crossed his arms. "I mean, I still think the one Blake and I did was great, but yours was pretty sweet too! So, who came up with the plan?"

Rex chuckled and pointed right toward Weiss without hesitation. "That'd be her." The EVO gave the heiress a wink. "I'd compliment her more, but I already told her how amazing her plan was. Plus, I don't want her getting a big head from all this."

Weiss smirked at this, reaching up and lightly tapping Rex's head. "Oh, and what, like YOU don't already have a big head, Robo-dolt?"

"Hey, c'mon, I don't have _that_ much of an ego." Rex denied before putting a hand to his chin. "But thinking back on it, we DID take Miss Queenie down in a rather spectacular fashion, didn't we?"

The white-haired girl promptly smacked him upside the head. "Oh, don't you start!" The entire group laughed at Rex's expense, including Rex himself. Weiss rolled her eyes and brought her attention back to the group. "Anyway, the sun's going down and I'm exhausted after today. I'm thinking we should head home."

"Just what I was thinkin'." Neptune agreed, his hands going behind his head. "Plus, I'm starving. When we get home, we should get dinner started."

"Indeed." Velvet nodded, her hand going to her stomach. "I'm quite famished, to say the least." Behind her she could practically hear the rumbles of Yatsu and Fox's stomachs thanks to her enhanced Faunus hearing, letting out a giggle when the boys became flustered.

Gwen took in a deep breath, taking one last look out over the ocean to make sure nothing else was coming their way. "Yeah, that sounds pretty good to me." She made a "come here" motion with her arms, gesturing for everyone to come closer to her. "Alright, guys, last teleport of the night. Huddle up so that we can get the heck outta here."

The gang happily obliged, with Rex and Weiss taking the opportunity to set their sights on one another as they did. The heiress smiled up at him as they stood next to one another, not objecting despite the admittedly pungent banana scent. "So, you feeling better after all this, Rex?"

Rex returned the smile instantly, a fluttery feeling beginning to well up in his chest as her eyes met his. "…Yeah. Yeah, I think I am."

* * *

**A/N: Haha! Thank the gods this chapter wasn't as long as the last one! Man, I was prepared for a doozy, but thankfully this was not the case! But even though it wasn't as long as the last chapter, we still got some pretty important insight into what exactly went down between Rex and Circe. While their relationship certainly didn't end in the best way, they at least parted on good terms, so there's a good thing. But, as they always say, when one door closes, another one opens, and it seems we're seeing that happen right now between our favorite EVO and heiress… now if only they can admit that to themselves. Also, I thought it was fitting that Weiss be acquainted with a certain umbra witch since… well, Bayonetta can ALSO summon giant monsters out of magic circles. Weird, isn't it?**

**But this all leads to the question; now that everyone has taken care of the Lancer threat… what're Ben and the other's gonna think when they get back? Well, we'll figure that out NEXT TIME! While the team gets settled in after their REALLY long day, something sinister is beginning to happen in the Land of Darkness. Salem is finally putting her own little project into action… and the results are rather metal and demonic. As that's going on though, Ben thinks it's time to make due on a promise he made earlier that week…** _**and** _ **that day. While Salem delves in her dark magics, the team is going to be dealing in a more…** _**wonderous** _ **, childlike magic. Should serve for a great contrast. Thanks for reading everyone, and I'll see you all later! Stay safe out there!**

**P.S. Okay, so Kevin's "you like jazz?" reference is obvious, but if any of you guys get the "Bees… my god" reference, then you are fantastic!**


	89. A Night of Magic

**A/N: Hey gang, how's it goin'? Okay, so this chapter will mark the end of the batch of chapters for 11/16/20, and I have to admit, this one kinda gave me a bit of trouble when I first wrote it. Not a lot, but just enough that a few things had to be changed in order for this one to flow well. But hey, let's not waste any more time here and just jump into it, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 89: A Night of Magic**

* * *

Taiyang let out a sigh as he pulled up to his home, happy to finally be free after a particularly long day on the clock at Signal Academy. "Ugh, parent-teacher conferences. The one thing I _won't_ miss when I retire." He got out of his car before raising his hands up and putting on a falsetto to mimic a parent. ""Oh, our little boy got hurt in your class, Mr. Xiao Long. Could you maybe take it a bit easier?" Yeah, well, if your kid had been more careful with HIS own weapon, then maybe we wouldn't be so tough on him. It's a combat class, lady, what'd you expect—" But he cut himself off right there and then when he finally took notice of something that WASN'T supposed to be at his house. "Uh… what?"

There, plain as day and tied to one of the porch's support beams, was a horse. The large animal was staring right at him, its deep brown eyes boring into him. "Uh… hi?" The horse let out a nicker in greeting, only confusing him more. "What in the ever-living HELL is going on here?!" He facepalmed and lowered his head. "Ugh, can this day get any—AH!"

At that moment, a portal suddenly burst open right next to him, eliciting a holler from Tai's throat before he fell onto his rear. "What the… oh. I _really_ hope she isn't mad at me." He instantly recognized the portal as one of Raven's, the tribe leader herself emerging from it only a second later. But she wasn't just walking out, she was running… and subsequently wasn't looking where she was going. Thusly, the tribe leader tripped over Tai without even knowing he was in front of her, resulting in her falling directly on top of him. "GAH!" Tai cried out.

"AGH!" Raven yelled as well, gritting her teeth as she made to pick herself up. "Alright, who the hell is—oh." Just as she pushed herself up, her eyes met Tai's, and it was then that she realized what had just happened. "Um… hello, Tai."

"Er, hi, Rae." Tai uttered as his eyes locked with hers, their faces both quickly turning red. "I… uh, didn't expect to see you here today."

Raven cleared her throat and quickly picked herself up, hastily trying to fix the precarious situation. "Well, yes, I suppose so." She extended her hand out to him, offering her assistance. "Sorry for the… _unexpected_ entrance. Here, let me help you up."

Tai chuckled and took her hand, happy to accept her help. "Heh, thanks." He pursed his lips and his hands went to his pockets, treading lightly on what he would say next. "So, uh, the kids told me about your new… _title_."

Raven glanced off to the side with an awkward expression on her face. "Oh, yes, I should have guessed they would have. It's… quite the long story, though."

"I'll bet so." However, as he was about to go on, Tai noticed that the portal had stayed open… and many of his house guests, including his own children, were jumping out of it. Ruby, Yang, Penny, Ilia, Coco, and some dude in really snazzy armor all came charging from out of the portal, much to his confusion. Finally, Ben stepped out of the portal last, his neck craning skyward soon after the vortex closed. "Wait, _kids_?! Where the heck did you all come from?!"

"Hi dad!" Ruby waved. "We just got back from a REALLY big mission!"

The blonde man blinked in surprise. "Wait, you did?!" He put his hand to his head in disbelief. "Since when?!"

Yang placed a hand on her hip with a prideful grin on her face. "Since Jessie Jameson arrived on Patch this morning."

"Jessie Jameson?!" Tai exclaimed. "Hah, I haven't seen her in YEARS!" He raised a brow over to the Clydesdale next to his house. "Well, at least that explains the horse. So, how'd your time with her go?"

"It. Was. AWESOME!" Yang began counting off the events sequentially on her fingers. "First, she helped us take down some burglars here in town, then she came over to the house and told us some stories. But then that's when she got the news that her old buddy Paul got hurt fighting a Nuckelavee, so we split the team up to go take care of that."

"A NUCKELAVEE?!" Tai shouted, though it was almost a scream.

" _That's right."_ The man in armor said as he retracted his helmet, revealing to Tai that it was actually Cooper underneath. "And on top of that, all of us got into _another_ big fight with two Manticores and a Sphynx."

Coco jabbed a thumb to herself. "And we TOTALLY ended up wrecking their shit, by the way."

Tai simply stared at the group in utter befuddlement, the semi-retired Hunter still having trouble comprehending all of it. "I reiterate… A NUCKELAVEE?!"

Raven rolled her eyes and put a hand to his shoulder. "Ugh, Tai, relax. Jessie and Team JNPR beat that thing into next week."

"Wait, they did?" Tai's eyes widened at this and he let out a nervous chuckle. "Hehe, well, that's pretty impressive. How'd they manage to pull it off?"

"That we do not know." Penny shrugged. "We didn't have much time to ask them about it since we—WAIT!" The redheaded android shifted her eyes up to the sky and began scanning for the swarm of Lancers that Salem had mentioned… only to not come up with anything. "Um… does anyone else notice the extreme lack of Lancers?"

"I do." Ben finally spoke up, the hero's gaze going over to Tai. "Did you hear anything about a swarm of Lancers coming toward the island, Tai?"

Tai blinked at the hero and glanced off toward the east in confusion. "Uh… yeah, but that was taken care of, like, a few minutes ago." He gestured over to the town's direction. "I heard a report that they were approaching the pier about ten minutes earlier, but they were stopped before a lot of them could make landfall." Tai crossed his arms and put his attention back on Ben. "And the few that did were stopped by a bunch of young Hunters. So I figured that you guys were already on top of it. But apparently, I was a bit off on my assumption."

Ben let out a sigh of relief, as did everyone else there. "Phew, thank god." the hero breathed out. "Gwen and the others pulled through."

"And in record time, too." Ilia added. "It's only been what, twenty minutes since we told her about it?"

"Never underestimate Gwen Tennyson, Color Girl." Yang said with a wink. "That girl's so organized that she's got a list FOR her schedules."

"She does, too. I've seen it." Ben confirmed, taking in a deep breath. "Well, if that's the case, then I guess we can _finally_ relax"

Tai crossed his arms as a perplexed expression came to his face. "Hold on, what about Team JNPR? Where are they?" His eyes widened as another realization began to dawn on them. "For that matter… how did all of you know about the Lancer swarm _before_ Gwen did if you weren't here?"

"Oh, well, Team JNPR stayed behind with Jessie, Tetrax and Ironwood in Anima." Ruby answered. "They had to stop back at the hospital in Shion to tell Paul that they took care of the Nuckelavee." The Hooded Huntress set her eyes upon the ground as she moved on to her father's next question. "As for how we knew about the Lancers… well, we had another talk with Salem. She's the one who sent them here in the first place."

At this, Tai's jaw dropped in shock, whipping his head around to Raven for confirmation. His ex-lover nodded her head solemnly. "She's telling the truth, Tai. We spoke to Salem and she told us some rather… interesting things." Just then, a smile worked its way onto her face and she gestured to Ruby. "But you should be quite proud of your daughter, Tai. She stood up to Salem right there in front of us. It was very impressive."

"W-Wait… she _did_?!" Tai's gaze went back to Ruby, who seemed to shy away a bit once that fact was brought up. "Ruby… you actually _confronted_ Salem?"

Ruby was still visibly nervous, but that didn't last long as Yang put an arm around her sister's shoulder. "Yep! And she didn't even flinch, either! She was all like "we will stay and fight!" while Salem was still being cryptic as hell." Yang gave her sister a light jab in the arm. "Ain't that right, Rubes?"

"Uh… hehe, yeah. I guess it is." Ruby chuckled, still a bit uneasy.

Coco nudged Ruby's other side. "Ah, c'mon, kid. You should be feelin' pretty high right now. And no, not in THAT way."

Cooper nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I mean, you just stood up to the big bad lady. That's a real hero moment if ever I've seen one."

"Well, yeah, I know." Ruby said, hugging her arms a little. "It's just that I can't get over what she said about… my mom."

Everyone grew silent at this, and the happy mood quickly began to somber up. The only one confused at this was Tai, who was also shocked at the mention of his deceased wife. "Wait… Salem mentioned Summer? How's that possible? I don't think Summer ever even _met_ Salem!"

"Perhaps not." Penny shrugged. "But we DO know that Salem knew _of_ Summer. Apparently, she keeps track of _all_ the Silver-Eyed Warriors in the world to make sure they do not interfere with her plans."

If possible, Tai's face fell even further. "Oh god… that's bad. That's REALLY bad."

"I know." Ruby lowered her head even further, her hair falling over her eyes. "But what I'm really wondering is…" She shifted her silver eyes up to Tai and Raven, her gaze sad and quite visibly upset. "Do you guys think Salem is the reason why mom… disappeared?"

Raven and Tai could both feel their guts sink at this, the duo glancing worriedly toward each other. After a few moments, Tai stepped forward and pulled his daughter in for a comforting hug. "Honey, I don't know if I can give you a solid answer on that. But, for what it's worth, I really hope that isn't the case."

"Neither do I." Raven concurred, moving over to the two before placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "And until we know for sure what exactly happened to Summer, I hope we can push these kinds of thoughts away. We don't need Salem clouding our minds twenty-four seven."

A small smile came to Ruby's face at their words, though she admittedly was still a little unsure of what to think. "Thanks, you guys. And yeah, I can't let Salem bog me down."

Yang was the last to join the group, giving her sister a hug as well. "Hey, that's the spirit, Ruby! Don't let the witch-bitch get all up in your head."

"Heh, "witch-bitch"." Raven chortled. "I like that, dear."

The Blonde Brawler grinned and gave her mom a thumbs up. "Thanks, ma!"

Tai blinked in surprise at this, shaking head a bit at what he was seeing. "I'm sorry but… didn't you two get into a big fight, last I heard?"

Yang smirked before wrapping an arm around her mother's shoulders, bringing her in for an embrace. "Yeah, but we made up. She rode on a Manticore _bare-back_ to save me, dad." she emphasized. "All she had to hold on with was her _sword_."

The blonde man's lips parted slightly before shifting his eyes toward Raven, a slight blush having come to her face. "Oh, well, yes, I suppose I did." Raven let out a small chuckle. "What can I say? Sometimes family can make you do crazy things."

Still extremely shocked at what he was hearing, Tai put a hand to his head before sitting on his front porch, taking it all in. "Hah… wow." He eyed Raven with an awed look. "I have to admit, I didn't think I'd _ever_ hear those words from you, Rae." Slowly but surely, his smile came back. "I'm really glad you saved our daughter like you did."

Raven's blush grew a bit redder at this, the woman turning her head away in hopes that the team wouldn't notice. "W-Well, I—" _FLASH!_ Before anyone knew what was happening, a bright, pinkish-purple flash suddenly erupted from the house's living room windows, instantly catching everybody's attention. "What in the world?"

Ben grinned, however. He recognized that color anywhere. "Ah, Gwen's home!" The hero took that as his queue to run inside, heading straight into the living room. There, he saw Gwen, Kevin, Winter, Rex, Weiss, Blake, Team SN and the rest of Team CFVY all standing together in the middle of the room… before Gwen suddenly flopped down onto the sofa. By what Ben had seen, she was obviously exhausted, though he also knew she wasn't _as_ exhausted as when she had overexerted herself a few days prior. "Gwen! Guys!"

Immediately, everyone's attention went to Ben, their eyes all brightening up when they caught sight of him. "Yo Ben!" Rex greeted. "Back so soon, _amigo_?"

"That was certainly fast." Weiss commented. "How'd you—" But then she saw Raven entering with the rest of the team, and it immediately dawned on her how they returned in such a short amount of time. "Ah, never mind." The heiress was also quick to notice Winter glaring at the Spring Maiden, which began setting off alarm bells in her head. _'Oh no…This isn't good.'_

Gwen tiredly smiled up to her cousin and gave him a lazy wave. "Hi Ben… heh, how's it goin'?"

"Great." The hero walked in and put a hand on her arm, giving her a grin. "I heard that you guys got things done before we even got here. Nice work, cous'."

Gwen did the same, putting her own hand over his arm. "No problem." She let out a small yawn before getting up, scratching the back of her head. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to take a quick nap."

"And she deserves it." Kevin supported as he helped his girlfriend up to her feet. "Let's get ya downstairs, hon."

Ben was more than happy to comply with his cousin's request. "Alright. But after that, I wanna talk to you guys about something, 'kay?" The couple assured him that they would before going downstairs, leaving him with the rest of the Home Team as the Away Team entered the house as well. "So, how'd things go here?"

"Fairly well." Winter said as she stepped forward, her eyes still focused on Raven. "But I see that you all received a bit of help in Anima." She folded her arms and addressed Raven directly. "I take it that you had some hand in bringing them back so soon?"

"I think that answer is a bit obvious." Raven answered, keeping a neutral face under Winter's harsh gaze. "I hope I'm still welcomed in this house by you all, though."

Winter crossed her arms, giving Raven a questioning face. "That all depends… are you _actually_ going to help us?"

"I am." Raven nodded. "And I hope to continue helping you throughout all of this." She glanced over to her daughter and they shared a smile. "It's true that I have a strong fear of Salem and her creations… but that will not stop me from fulfilling my duties as Spring Maiden."

Winter's eyes widened in surprise at this. "Really? And are you prepared to face the potential punishments for your misdeeds? Not just for ending the previous Spring Maiden's life but for your tribe as well?"

"I am." Raven said, facing back toward Winter. "I want to repent for the things I've done. And to start that out, I AM going to help you all face Salem, whatever that may entail."

The military specialist let out a breath, closing her eyes in contemplation. Once she was able to collect her thoughts though, she looked at Raven once again and nodded her head. "Very well. If you truly are serious about helping us, then perhaps I can convince the General to ease up on your punishment whenever it may come." She pointed a stern finger at the tribe leader. "But I expect the utmost loyalty here. One wrong move, and you know what happens."

"I do. But trust me, I plan to make do on my promises." Raven snapped her head back around and smirked out to the crowd, pointing at the group. "And that includes training you hooligans, so be ready to shape up! Am I clear?"

Sun let out a chuckle at the woman's enthusiasm. "Hehe, yes ma'am!"

Neptune was also impressed by what he was hearing. "Huh, who knew Raven could be so motivational?"

"Don't get used to it, blue hair." Raven remarked, pointing to him in particular. "I expect everyone here to train at one-hundred percent, and that includes you, am I clear?"

The whole room erupted into laughter as Neptune grinned nervously at Raven's demand, a little off put by her words. "Uh, yeah, sure. No problem here, Miss Branwen!"

Once the whole room was able to settle down, Coco made her way into the living room, waving over to her team. "Hey guys! Man, oh man, do I have a story to tell you!"

"Coco!" Velvet greeted back as she, Yatsu and Fox moved over to meet her. "How were things over in Anima? Did you get to fight the Nuckelavee?"

The fashionable girl gave her friend an apologetic face. "Eh, afraid not, Vel. Jessie and Team JNPR managed to get the kill on that one." She raised a finger up in contention. "But Tech Head swooped in just in time and got in a pretty good hit on the thing, and it was _epic_."

Her team's eyebrows all rose up in surprise. "Really?" Yatsu asked. "But, then wouldn't that mean…?"

"Yep!" From behind Coco, Cooper walked into the room, his heavy metal boots thumping from the hardwood floors in the hallway onto the living room carpet. He gave his team a salute, greeting them with a grin. "Hey guys! Like the new duds? I mean, I know I just bought some clothes the other day, but I think a nice suit does a person good."

Velvet and Yatsu stared at the suit of armor in amazement while Fox simply folded his arms, having to settle for picturing the suit in his mind. "Cooper!" Velvet gasped, breaking out into a wide smile. "The suit… it really IS operational! Oh, congratulations!"

"Indeed." Yatsu bowed his head slightly. "A very finely made armor, Cooper."

Fox simply shrugged. "If I could see it, I'd probably say it was pretty cool."

"Ah, thanks guys." Cooper said before pulling at the neckline of the suit. "Still, it gets a bit cramped in here after a while, so I think it's time I take it off."

Coco grinned eagerly, eyeing her boyfriend up and down. "Want me to help ya with that, Tech Head? I think I can get ya outta that thing pretty damn quick."

Cooper's face flushed, the genius flustered after Coco's rather courteous request. "Hehe, thanks for the offer, Coco. As nice as that sounds, though, I'm afraid it's a bit more complicated than that." He tapped his armored shoulder pad, indicating the large bolts and screws that were in place. "See, this armor needs a special machine to remove it, and well… it's all the way back on the mainland."

"Gah, jeez." Coco crossed her arms and let out a sigh. "Well, guess that means we're making one last stop today."

"Hey, don't worry about it." Cooper said before planting a kiss on Coco's cheek. "If you guys wanna head back to the apartment, that's okay." He then sent her a knowing wink. "I'll hitch a ride back on a Bullhead and be back before you know it."

"…Well, if you say so." Coco lowered her glasses and raised a single brow. "But we should all probably head out anyway. The sun's going down and we need to get dinner started." The fashionable girl stepped over to Yang and Ben, giving the former a hug. "Hey, Yangarang, thanks for invitin' us along. I'm glad we could be part of this mission."

"Hey, no prob, Coco Puff!" Yang assured. "Anything for a friend. And hey…" She pulled her head back and gave Coco a wink. "Make sure Coop gets somethin' special after the way he bashed into that Nuckelavee."

Coco wore a devious grin at this. "Oh, I will, trust me."

Ben stepped up and shook Cooper's hand. "Coop, thanks for coming along." He tapped the genius on the chest. "And I gotta hand it to you, this armor was pretty freaking great. I hope you can make some great improvements on it. Because if you do…" The hero bumped a fist against his friend's shoulder. "Then you'll REALLY be Iron Man."

"Ha! I'll do my best, Ben." Cooper promised. "Trust me."

"Awesome." Ben set his eyes onto Velvet, Fox and Yatsu as they also came forward. "And hey, guys, thanks for staying behind to help out my cousin. I know it might not have been as exciting as the Nuckelavee thing, but—"

"Oh, don't worry about it!" Velvet waved off with a smile. "Really, it was our pleasure to help."

Yatsu gave Ben a respectful bow. "She's right. All the same, we had fun here hanging out with everybody." He nudged his head out toward town. "And besides, the Lancers attacking proved to be a good time as well." Next to him, Fox nodded silently, the redhead giving Ben a thumbs up.

Ben chuckled a bit before nodding back to them. "Well, I'm glad that's the case. Think we'll see you guys sometime tomorrow? We're expecting Rex's brother to be coming over from my world at some point." He set his gaze back to Cooper. "If anything, I think he could use your help on a few things, Coop."

"Sure thing!" Cooper said as he placed an arm around Coco's shoulders. "We have to be at Beacon for a while tomorrow, but I think we can swing on by in the afternoon, right babe?"

Coco put a hand to her glasses, readjusting them a bit. "Yeah, sounds great! I'm guessing we're gettin' closer to actually goin' over to your world, eh, Ben?"

"Yep, pretty soon." Ben confirmed. "Caesar says that there's just a few more things to prep for before we head out."

"Well, in that case, we'll be there!" Coco gave the hero a two-fingered salute. "But for now, we should get goin'. We'll see you guys later!" After everyone exchanged their farewells, Team CFVY filed out of the house, with the main team piling into Coco's roadster while Cooper activated his helmet. The blonde genius took to the skies, heading out to Vale while the rest of the team headed back to their apartment, ready to rest up after a long day.

Once they were gone though, Tai clapped his hands, getting everyone's attention. "Well, speaking of dinner, I think it's about time I get started on that." He began making his way toward the kitchen, giving everybody a wave. "It'll be a while, so you kids get comfortable, alright?"

The team agreed and they all started heading back into the living room… with the exception of a certain black-haired Maiden. "Ahem." Raven said, garnering Tai's attention. "I don't suppose you'd want a bit of help with dinner, would you?"

Tai stared incredulously at her for a moment… but then an awkward smile came to his face. "Heh… well, if you're free to help, I'd really appreciate it."

* * *

As the team began sitting around the living room, the absence of a certain quartet and cowgirl was instantly noticed by the others. Weiss shifted her eyes over to Ben and raised a brow. "Hey… where's Team JNPR and Jessie? Didn't they come back with you?"

Ben shook his head as he sat down next to Yang. "Nah, I let them stay behind. See, I thought we would be heading into action with the Lancers the moment we got back. And, well, after all the hard work those guys put into killing the Nuckelavee, I—"

"Woah, woah, back up!" Weiss halted, the others from the away team gazing to Ben in surprise. "Team JNPR took down the Nuckelavee?!" The heiress broke out into a big grin when Ben silently nodded his head. "Ha! That's fantastic!"

"Sure is!" Rex supported. "Good for them, getting a win like that!"

Yang was quick to agree. "Yeah, they had a bit of help from Jessie, but by all accounts, that was a win for them." She leaned back in her seat, resting her head against Ben's chest. "Anyway, we told 'em to go back to Shion with Jessie to check in with Paul and tell him the good news. They should be back in a couple hours."

"Well, that's good to hear." Blake said. "So, anything else interesting happen?"

"Oh yeah!" Ben lifted the Omnitrix and pointed to it. "I unlocked a new alien today, so there's that."

The whole group visibly grew intrigued by his statement, with Neptune being the first to comment on it. "Woah, sweet dude! What's his deal?"

"Well… let's just say he's a pretty interesting transformation." Ben raised a hand up to the group. "I promise to show him to you guys tomorrow, but for now, I'm kinda bushed, so…"

"Completely understand." Blake assured. "Trust me, so are we." The cat girl then noticed that Ilia had secluded herself to a corner, the chameleon girl trying to casually blend in. "Hey, Ilia!" she waved.

Ilia whipped her head around and smiled, returning her friend's greeting. "Oh, hey Blake! How was…" But right at that moment, Ilia's mind went back to the conversation she had earlier with Swift. She recalled how she had promised her half-Aerophibian friend that she would tell Blake about her true feelings for her, if only to get them off her chest. At first, she thought it would be easy, but as she stared face to face with her best friend right then and there, she knew it wouldn't be. _'At least… not here. I need to get her alone so than no one can interrupt us.'_

"Ilia?" Blake spoke up, snapping the girl out of her trance. "Everything okay? You looked a bit out of it for a second there."

"Huh? Oh, right, I'm sorry." Ilia waved off, giving her friend a reassuring grin. "I just remembered something important. So, uh… how was fighting the Lancers?"

Blake smiled back eagerly. "Oh, it was great! Sun and I actually performed a pretty great double take down on two of them." She craned her head over to her boyfriend and sent him a wink. "Right, Sun?"

"You bet!" Sun said with a pumped fist. "Ilia, you should've seen it! We wrapped those things up in a neat little package and WHAM! Took 'em out before they even knew what was happening!" He walked up and pulled Blake into a side-hug, both of them beaming with pride at their accomplishment. "It was simply wicked!"

"Yeah, it kind of was." Blake agreed.

Ilia put a smile on for her friend's sake. She was happy for her relationship, really. But at the same time, this only made things a whole lot more complicated for herself. _'This complicated confession is gonna be harder than I thought.'_ After regaining her constitution, she managed to get a few words out. "Oh wow, that's great! Speaking of teamwork, Ruby, Penny and I managed to kill a Manticore today."

"What? No way!" Sun exclaimed. "That's seriously awesome!"

Penny gave her signature salute at the mention of their kill. "Yes, it was! We performed quite exceptionally, didn't we, Ruby?" However, all she got in response was silence. Not only did this confuse Penny, but the trio of Faunus as well. Their eyes all shifted over to Ruby, the Hooded Huntress leaning up against the wall while staring out the window. "Um… Ruby?"

Blake furrowed her brows in concern and moved over to her teammate, tapping her shoulder. "Ruby, you there?"

"Huh?" Ruby snapped out of her trance and faced Blake, only now realizing she was being addressed. "Oh, s-sorry, Blake. I was just thinking about… something."

Overhearing the conversation, Weiss came over and tilted her head to her partner. "What about, exactly?"

"Well, it's just… Salem said the Lancers attacking the island would be her second strike against us." Ruby explained. "One more and our fate is sealed. I'm just wondering what her third and final strike is gonna be."

Soon, many of the others began to jump in as well, with Neptune being the first to do so. "Oh, yeah. Gwen told us about that after Ben called her. Something tells me we'll all have permanent targets on our backs after that."

"Meaning that we won't be able to stay on Patch for much longer." Ben surmised. "At least after Salem's last strike." The hero crossed his arms and put a hand to his chin in thought. "If she's gonna play it like that, then we'd better hope that Caesar doesn't take long getting that Dimensional Doorway attached to Tetrax's ship. If Salem starts hounding us, then we need to get back to my world. We'll be out of her reach there."

"Of course." Winter supported. "No Grimm, no way for Salem to spy on us, and most promising of all; she has no means to cross between worlds herself. At least, that we know of."

Weiss nudged her sister's shoulder. "Plus, a nice handsome redheaded young man."

Winter closed her eyes, a frustrated grin forming on her face as her eyebrow began to slightly twitch at her sister's jab. "Quiet, you." She countered back before regaining her composure. "In ANY case, Earth sounds like a good place for us to set up shop for the foreseeable future."

Rex raised a finger up to mention another point. "Hey, yeah. Not only that, but once we get to _my_ Earth, then we'll probably be even FURTHER from Salem and have more allies to help us out!" He spread his arms out and nodded his head. "I see this as an absolute win!"

"Well, sure." Yang granted. "But we can't keep running away from Salem forever. Sooner or later, we gotta take the fight to her."

Ben sighed, knowing that his girlfriend was right. "Exactly. We just gotta get the right help. As good as we are now, we'll have to be even better before we can take Salem on." He raised his hand and began counting off on his fingers; "We'll need more allies, more experience, and a better understanding on _how_ we can actually defeat her."

Ruby gave a resolute nod. "Now THAT is something that I can agree with."

At that moment, the group paused their conversation when they heard a trio of chattering voices coming from the living room stairs, prompting them divert their attention toward them. But a moment later, they saw Athena peaking her head down from the banister, and she gave them all a smile. "Oh, children! You're all back!" She craned her head behind her and said; "Yes, they're downstairs!" before coming down the stairs, followed closely behind by Doctor Holiday and Max. "It's so good to see you all here!"

The moment he came into the room, Max smiled to his grandson. "Ben! Glad to see you back. I didn't think we'd see you until later this evening."

"Hey grandpa." Ben greeted. "Well, let's just say things changed quite a bit." The hero began filling in his gradfather, Holiday, and Athena about what had happened during the mission, including Raven's return, the Sphinx and Manticore attacks, and Team JNPR's exploits. He focused onto Athena and smiled. "Mrs. Nikos, I'm telling ya, they did a freakin' amazing job putting that Nuckelavee out of commission."

"Well, at least we're pretty sure they did." Yang clarified. "We weren't exactly there to see it all happen, but from what we heard, it was pretty intense."

Athena held a firm hand to her chest, the woman absolutely stunned by what she was hearing. "This… this is just all too amazing! My daughter and her team took down a Nuckelavee. With Jessie's help, yes, but…" She could feel herself begin to tear up with the pride she was feeling for her daughter, prompting her to cover her eyes momentarily. "I-I'm sorry, I need a moment." As she excused herself to the hallway, the teens could hear her murmur something along the lines of; "She is getting the biggest hug when she gets back home."

Max let out a breath after taking all of that in, the old man now thoroughly winded without ever taking a step. "Phew, my word, Ben. How in the world did all of this just happen in one day?"

"Quite honestly, I don't know, grandpa." Ben shrugged. "But to be honest, I think this is one of the more chaotic days we've had so far."

"Certainly so." Max agreed. "Something tells me that this Salem lady doesn't have any intentions of letting up." He cupped his hands together and set his gaze down to the floor for a moment. "I can only pray to god that she doesn't meet Vilgax. Then we'd _really_ be in trouble."

"Speaking of chaotic…" Holiday piped up, her eyes going toward Rex. "How're you feeling, Rex? After… what _happened_ earlier, I've been a bit worried about you."

Rex was quick to catch on and he gave Holiday a reassuring wave. "Ah, don't worry, Doc. I'm all good, now." He sent a smirk toward Weiss and nudged his head toward her. "Weiss and I talked it all out, so things are pretty good now. Right, Ice Princess?"

Weiss sent the wry smile back at him. "Well… as good as it can get between us, but yeah. Everything's fine."

A sigh of relief escaped Holiday's lips, the doctor happy that the two had settled things. "Oh, good. I'm glad that's the case."

Almost instantly though, the Away Team began exchanging confused glances between one another at what the three were talking about. "Uh… Rex? What're you guys talking about?" Ilia asked, raising her hand somewhat sheepishly.

"Did you and Weiss get into ANOTHER argument?" Penny scolded. "Come now, Rex, learn to watch what you say."

But Rex raised his hands defensively at the two's accusations. "Woah, woah, _amigas_ , it was nothing like that, I swear! It was a bit more… complicated, let's say."

"And let's not go any _further_ than that." Weiss insisted. "It's a private matter between me, him, and no one else. At least for now."

Ben raised his hands up into the air in surrender. "Hey, alright, that's totally fine. If you guys wanna keep it to yourselves for now, then that's completely fine with me." The hero rested his arm back around Yang, pulling her back to his chest. "So, let's change the subject a bit. Aside from what happened between you two and the whole thing with the Lancers, what else did you guys do while we were away?"

Rex gave his friend a cheeky smile and pointed over to Weiss. "Oh, that's easy! I introduced Weiss and Winter to Bayonetta!"

"YOU WHAT?!"

* * *

A couple hours had passed since Ben's team had returned home, and in that time, things had definitely calmed down a bit. They had all gotten in a good dinner thanks to Tai and Raven, the latter of whom made a surprisingly good meal out of some spare wild boar meat that Max had lying around. The old Plumber was quite surprised and had asked Raven how she had prepared the meat, and before anyone knew it, both of them and Tai fell into a conversation about how to prepare various other odd meals. Admittedly, Tai seemed to be a bit put off when Max and Raven moved to making insect-based meals, but everyone else got a good laugh out of it.

After making sure that there was enough dinner left for Team JNPR when they came home, the group went their separate ways, with Ben, Gwen, Kevin and Rex heading back downstairs to prepare a little "surprise". In the time that followed though, Athena had received a call from Pyrrha, the Invincible Girl telling her mother that they would be home in a few minutes. After being told about this, Ben had thought it best for the whole team to be present, so he asked Ilia to go find Blake and Sun, the couple having gone upstairs just a minute ago.

"Great, make me feel even MORE uneasy around her, why don't ya?"Ilia mumbled to herself sarcastically as she climbed the steps. "It's not like I have anything _important_ to say to her or anything." But as she climbed into the upstairs, she pursed her lips at her own words. _'Gah, what am I saying? I shouldn't be blaming Ben for that. Besides, he doesn't even know about what I'm going through.'_ With that thought in her mind, Ilia walked through the hall until she came to Qrow's room, noticing that the door was left cracked open. _'Ah, there they are.'_

However, just as she was about to knock, she heard Sun's voice speak up from the inside; "So, uh, Blake… what'd you wanna talk about?" Ilia's eyes widened and she stopped her hand, her eyes glancing to the crack in the door. It was open just enough so that she could see Blake and Sun, but _they_ couldn't see her. The monkey boy was wearing a nervous grin as Blake drew closer to him, giving him a rather sultry gaze. It was then that Ilia's eyes widened in horror. She had stumbled onto a private moment. Ilia moved away from the door, letting whatever was about to happen play out.

Inside the room, Blake continued to step closer until she was mere centimeters away from Sun's chest, a sly grin on her face. "Well, let's just say that there's something I've been meaning to do." Blake answered with a relaxed tone. "Something that I've been wanting to try for a while now…"

Sun's face began to turn red at this. "A-And what would that be exact—huh?!"

Without warning, Blake reached up and grabbed a hold of Sun's collar, pulling him down so that she could wrap her arms around his neck. "This." she answered simply before closing the distance, planting her lips against his. Almost immediately, the two felt what could only be described as an explosion to their senses, the contact between their lips having overcome all of them. At first, Sun was taken off-guard, but as the kiss went on, he fell naturally into it. Blake could feel his arms wrap lightly around her, pulling her up so that she was being suspended a bit off the ground. The sudden action made her laugh into the kiss, which in turn made Sun do the same.

After almost half a minute of being in lip-lock, the couple separated, taking in some much-needed air. They stared at each other happily as they breathed in and out, with Blake saying; "Hah, I've… I've been wanting to do that since yesterday."

Sun's eyes widened at this. "Y-You have?"

"Yeah…" Blake blushed and pushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. "But with all of the stuff going on in Menagerie and my parents being there… I wanted to wait for a moment where we could really be alone together."

Sun smiled down at her and pulled her into an embrace, her head resting into the crook of his neck. "Well, I gotta say, it was pretty intense." He pulled Blake's chin up before giving her a small peck on the lips, followed by a wink. "So… was it worth the wait?"

"Hah, it's even better than I thought it'd be." Blake smiled back, putting her head back down on his chest. "WELL worth the wait."

Back out in the hallway, Ilia was trying to drown out what they were saying, covering her ears and closing her eyes. Without even peeking inside though, she knew what was going on, and it still made her uneasy. _'Goddamn it! Why does the universe have to make this so DAMN hard for me?!'_ Ilia's eyes snapped open and she glared hard at the ground, going over her options in her head. _'Okay, so I obviously can't tell her tonight. Not after that. Tomorrow for sure, that's what I'm going to stick to.'_ Swallowing her nerves, she called out to the couple, forcing her voice to not be shaky; "Blake? Sun?"

From the room, she heard Blake call back; "Ilia?!" The sound of the couple scrambling to the door graced the chameleon girl's ears before Blake and Sun burst out into the hallway, both of them wearing nervous grins. "Hi!" Blake greeted. "H-How's it going?"

"Uh… fine." Ilia lied. "Everything's fine."

"Cool." Sun said with a thumbs up. "So, uh, what's up?"

"Well, Ben sent me up to get you guys, because—" At that moment, Ilia was cut off when the whole house began to shake, making the Faunus trio jostle around in the hallway. The sound of powerful rocket engines alerted them to the arrival of the Resolute, the space craft no doubt having landed in the front yard. Once the shaking stopped, Ilia pointed to the ceiling and said; "That."

Blake smiled in realization. "Oh, Team JNPR's back! C'mon, guys, let's go give 'em a hero's welcome." With that, the group of three made their way down the stairs and into the front yard, where the rest of the team had already gathered. Once they were outside, they saw that Tetrax had wasted no time in lowering the ramp, allowing Jessie and Team JNPR to disembark his ship. Jessie immediately went over to greet Cassidy, the horse overjoyed to see her owner while Athena practically charged Pyrrha with a hug, the woman gushing about how proud she was of her daughter and her team.

"Mother, please!" Pyrrha beseeched. "I know this is a very big accomplishment for us, but please, calm down!"

Athena however, would not be having it. "You WILL let me congratulate you, young lady!"

Blake let out a small chuckle at the display before giving her friends a wave. "Welcome home, guys!"

"Heard your team killed the Nuckelavee!" Sun added, giving Jaune a salute. "That's sweet, dude!"

From the rest of the team, Winter stepped forward and offered Jaune a handshake. "Indeed. It takes great skill to take down a beast of that caliber." The military specialist commended. "You should be quite proud of yourself and your team, Jaune."

"Ah thanks, guys." Jaune reciprocated the handshake as Pyrrha was able to finally be freed from her mother's embrace. "It means a lot, seriously. But hey, I'm just glad to see this place hasn't been overrun by giant bugs!"

"Indeed." Pyrrha agreed. "Did Ben and the others help you out or did you take care of it on your own?"

Neptune held his head high and proud, puffing out his chest. "Heh, you kiddin'? We sent those nasty Lacers off before they could even get five feet into town!"

"He's right on the money with that one." Ben supported "We got here only minutes after they had all been killed." He nudged a thumb toward his cousin. "Gwen managed to seal off most of the Lancers and everybody else fended off the ones that managed to slip through. They barely made landfall!"

Gwen smiled and eyed Blake, Team SN, Weiss, Rex, Winter and Kevin with gratitude. "It was a team effort, I can assure you."

"Well ain't that a joy to hear!" Jessie exclaimed, the cowgirl having untied Cassidy from the porch's support beam. She sauntered over with her horse in tow, giving a grin to the Home Team. "Glad to hear ya'll came through, kids. I have to admit, I was a bit worried for a hot minute on the way back here, but I guess I had nothin' to worry 'bout."

"Thank you, Jessie." Weiss said with a respectful bow. "So, how's your friend, Paul?"

Jessie gave the heiress a thumbs up. "Ah, he'll be alright, sugar. He's gonna be bedridden for a while yet, but he's doin' fine. The hospital said he should be back home by tomorrow."

"Nice." Rex nodded. "Hope he gets better soon."

"So do I, hon." Jessie concurred before patting her horse's neck. "Well, speakin' of gettin' home, I'd better head off. My family's probably wonderin' where I'm at."

Yang pointed right to her. "Oh yeah, I called Whitlea a little while ago to tell her you'd be back home soon." The Blonde Brawler sent a wink toward her hero. "And guess what? They didn't even _notice_ the Lancers! Haha!"

"Ha! Well ain't that just a stroke o' luck?" Jessie laughed. "I'll be sure to tell 'em all 'bout what happened when I get home, though. This'll make a fine addition to all the stories I have to tell." The cowgirl sent a quick glance toward all of her Away Team companions before giving them a salute. "It was an honor workin' with ya'll on this mission, kids. I ain't ever gonna forget this."

"We won't either, Jessie!" Nora assured. "And that's a promise."

Ren gave her a bow of respect. "She's right. Again though, I apologize for—"

"Renny-boy, you've tried apologizin' three times on the way here!" Jessie hollered with a big smile, giving Ren a well-meaning smack on the shoulder. "I'm tellin' ya, I forgive you, okay?"

The green ninja let out a nervous laugh, with Nora giving him a gentle pat on the back. "Alright, I'll stop."

The whole group got a good laugh at that before Ruby and Penny stepped up to Jessie as well. "So, will we be seeing you around, Jessie?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, certainly, sugar." Jessie promised. "In fact, I'm gonna be makin' a special swing by Beacon Academy tomorrow afternoon to do some morale boostin'." She gave them all a thumbs up. "If'n yer feelin' spry, then swing on by an' say hello!"

Penny clapped her hands together joyously. "Ooh, now there's an idea! Perhaps we could even lend a helping hand while we're there!"

Ben gave the cowgirl a nod. "We'll definitely keep that in mind, Jessie. We'll see ya later!"

Jessie mounted Cassidy's back and tipped her hat to the team as she took hold of the reigns. "Will do, Ben. Ya'll take care now, ya hear?!" After everyone said their goodbyes to the cowgirl, Jessie lightly kicked Cassidy's sides, the mare rearing back onto her hind legs. "Ride like the wind, Cassidy! Yee-haw!" And with that, Jessie Jameson rode off down the road, her horse kicking up dust with its hooves as it ran.

"There goes one rockin' lady." Yang said before taking notice of something… Ren and Nora were a lot cozier than normal. Her smirk widened when she saw Nora leaning her head against Ren's arm, and she was quick to point it out. "Ooh, now what's this, huh?" The team followed her gaze to the duo, their eyes widening at the sudden attention. "Did something _happen_ on the way back?" Yang insinuated further.

A deep red blush came to both Ren and Nora's faces as the two put some distance between each other, the ninja clearing his throat while the redhead whistled nonchalantly. "Ahem… well, it's rather complicated."

"Let's just say we finally buried something that we were meaning to take care of for a long time." Nora clarified further, sending a small grin over to Ren. "We're really just happy that it's all behind us now."

"Yeah, uh-huh." Weiss said, unconvinced of their cover story. "If that's what you wanna go with, then that's fine with us."

Pyrrha crossed her arms and raised a brow toward the heiress. "Um, actually, they are being quite serious with that." The Invincible Girl shifted her eyes over to her teammates, asking for their approval. "Are you two comfortable talking about what happened with everyone?"

Nora and Ren exchanged a quick glance, smiling and resolutely nodding to each other soon after. "Yes." Ren affirmed. "We are."

"Alright." Jaune waved toward the house, ushering everyone to follow him inside. "C'mon, there's a LOT to go over here."

* * *

After Team JNPR were set up with their own dinner of wild boar meat, the whole team gathered into the living room to hear how they had vanquished the Nuckelavee, with Ren telling the tale of his past beforehand. When presented with their dinner though, team of four were a bit put off by the boar meat at first, not helped when they heard it had been cooked by Raven of all people. "Kids, I promise it's good, trust me." Raven swore. "And no, it isn't poisoned either. Just give it a try."

In the end, Pyrrha steeled herself and took the first bite, her eyes widening at the surprisingly good taste of the succulent meat. "Mmm! Say, this IS very good!"

"Told ya." Raven smirked.

Over the course of the next hour, Team JNPR retold how their battle with the Nuckelavee had went, even going over how they had stumbled at first with Ren's violent behavior. "That is something I will _never_ be proud of." Ren asserted as he swallowed another bite of boar. "NEVER."

"I must say, it IS very much unlike you, Ren." Winter agreed, putting her hand to her chin. "Although, I can certainly see WHY you acted in such a manner."

Weiss sent an apologetic expression to the ninja, bowing her head a bit. "Yeah, sorry about making light of that earlier. I didn't know."

But Nora was quick to wave it off. "Ah, water under the bridge, Weiss! Besides, everything's okay now. Right, Renny?"

"Hah, right." Ren laughed slightly.

Once Team JNPR had finished their story, Gwen gave the team a small nod. "Well, I'm really glad that it all worked out in the end for you guys."

"Yeah, so are we…" Jaune said before giving out a yawn. "But man, am I bushed!"

Gwen stood up and placed her hands on her hips. "I'll say. I think we're ALL pretty exhausted after today." She raised a single finger and pointed toward the basement. "Fortunately, I think we have JUST the right thing to help us all relax. Right, Ben?"

The hero stood up at his cousin's call, giving her a thumbs up. "Already on it, Gwen. C'mon guys, it's time that I made good on a promise that's been LONG overdue." The whole team got up and followed Ben down into the basement, many of them wearing confused faces. The only ones who weren't were Yang, Gwen, Kevin and Rex, the former suspecting she knew what was going on while the others _already_ knew. Ben took to the center of the room and addressed his friends once again. "Alright, so, a few of you guys might remember that I promised that we'd get around to watching a Disney movie sometime after my older cousin mentioned it."

Weiss' eyebrows rose up in realization. "Oh yeah! It was during one of Winter and Kenny's first video chats!"

A small smile came to Winter's face as she too recalled the memory. "Why yes, on Ruby's birthday, I believe. Kenny said he wished to work at Disney someday as an animator." The elder Schnee folded her arms and raised a brow at Ben. "He also _insisted_ that you show us a Disney film, didn't he, Benjamin?"

Ben put a hand behind his head at that. "Yeah… and I've kinda fumbled. But can ya blame me? I mean, we've pretty much been busy SINCE Ruby's birthday."

Ruby herself couldn't help but still be perplexed about all of this. "Um… Ben? I know I heard you mention it on the ship, but what exactly IS Disney?"

"It sounds like a pretty big deal." Ilia commented.

"Well… that's because it kind of IS." Ben explained. "See, the company was founded in 1923 by one Walt Disney, a man who wanted to make his life out of drawing funny pictures and putting them in motion. Along with his brother Roy, they pretty much made that dream a reality, and they quickly grew into something big."

Gwen picked it up from there. "Disney cartoons and movies are famous for all around very wholesome, to the point where it's often described as being magical." She moved her hand with a waver, emphasizing the last word. "Ultimately though, Disney Magic isn't something that can just be easily explained. It's something that you have to _experience_ for yourselves."

"Oh wow." Penny said while nodding her head. "I suppose that IS a big deal."

"You know it." Kevin continued. "Nowadays, Disney's gotten so big that they pretty much own the market on kids' entertainment." The Osmosian raised his hand and began counting off on his fingers. "With their own original stuff, they've got Pixar, the Muppets, Marvel Comics, Star Wars and… uh…" All he was getting from the group were a bunch of befuddled faces, and he slowly came to a realization; "Shit, we haven't covered ANY of those things with you guys, have we?"

"No, no you haven't." Neptune answered. "Also, the hell is a "Muppet"?

"That's an ENTIRELY different explanation for another time." Rex said with a wave. "The overall point is that Disney is _el jefe grande_ when it comes to kids' entertainment. And that means they've got a LOT of great animated movies."

"And we figured that it was time we introduce you guys to their vast library." Gwen finished.

Jaune wore a grin at the news. "Hah, sweet! I haven't watched a good cartoon movie in a while. This should be fun!"

"I can certainly get behind that!" Pyrrha spoke up. "So, which one are we watching?"

Ben wore a knowing grin at her question. "Well, there's the hard part we faced. There are a LOT of good Disney movies that we can start out with. We even thought about starting at the very beginning with Snow White, but we knew it probably wouldn't _hook_ you." He put a hand to his chest. "I personally recommended _Aladdin_ ," he then gestured over to Gwen, Kevin, and Rex. "while they suggested _Beauty and the Beast_ , _Mulan_ and _Tarzan_. But in the end, we all managed to settle on… _The Lion King_."

Blake perked up at this. "Ooh, okay, _now_ you've got my attention." Everyone shot her a knowing look, to which she shot back with a narrow-eyed stare. "What? Can you blame me if a movie about large cats interests me?"

"No, no, you're okay, babe." Sun assured. "Heck, I'm pretty interested myself."

"So am I!" Nora shouted, they hyper girl bounding over to the couch and sitting herself down. "So Ben, what're we in for?"

"Well, Disney movies usually base themselves around traditional folktales or works of literature." Ben elaborated. "While that's not _entirely_ the case with some of their work, it is mostly true with the rest. But _The Lion King_ is somewhere in between." The hero raised a single hand. "One the one hand, it's basically based on William Shakespeare's Hamlet along with mixing in some Biblical stories as well." He then raised his right hand. "On the other hand, it's a coming of age story with lions rather than people. So make of it what you will."

Rex raised a single finger in contention. "It also could've _possibly_ been aesthetically inspired by an iconic anime called _Kimba the White Lion_ , but the internet's been debating that for years, so let's not dig ourselves into that hole."

"Exactly!" Ben clapped his hands and sent an eager smile out to his friends. "So, is everybody game?"

"Oh, you KNOW we are!" Ruby said, pumping a fist into the air.

Ren gave a single nod to the hero. "Yeah, after this long day, we could certainly use a good movie to relax with." The room erupted in a chorus of agreements at Ren's words, with everybody quickly finding a seat.

Once everyone had sat themselves down, Winter gave Ben the word; "Alright, Benjamin, I think everyone's comfortable."

"Great!" Ben picked up the remote and nudged his head toward the TV screen. "I set up the DVD already so we didn't have to waste any time." He took his place next to Yang, the blonde resting her head against his shoulder as he pointed the remote toward the screen. "Alright guys, prepare for your first taste of Disney Magic. Here… we… go!" Ben pressed play and the movie started, the Disney logo being the first thing to appear. After that though, the hero suddenly remembered something he neglected to tell his friends. "Oh yeah, you might wanna prepare for the—"

_Naaaaaaaaants ingonyama bagithi baba_

Everyone was immediately taken aback by the sudden loud lyric, though they still kept their eyes on the TV, gracing them with the image of a sun rising in the distance. "Woah! What the heck was that all about?!" Yang asked in shock.

"Were they just making sure we were paying attention, or what?" Jaune added.

Ben chuckled at their reactions, sighing as the movie officially began. "Oh, _this_ is gonna be fun."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Land of Darkness, a precession of ten people were walking their way through the dangerous wasteland, their way being lit for them by the giant crystals that glowed brightly as they passed. In the very back were Rojo, Cinder, Emerald and Mercury, the four having secluded themselves so that they could listen to some music as they walked along the way. However, Mercury himself wasn't really focusing on the music, instead keeping a narrowed-eyed glare on the trio in front of him; Subdora, Exo-Skull, and Thunderhog. He was focused mainly on the former two, though, with Subdora riding on Skull's shoulder as they went along. "Ugh, I STILL can't believe she got together with _him_." the silver-haired assassin said with a venomous snap.

On his immediate left, Emerald sent a worried glance over to him. "Mercury, I know you're upset about Subdora and Skull, but you can't let yourself be distracted by them." She put a hand to her teammate's shoulder. "Trust me, everything's going to be okay. But we can't lose our focus now. Not if we want a chance to be put back on the frontlines."

Mercury sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I know, Em. It's just… I think I was actually growing to like her, ya know?"

"I know." Emerald said with a gentle smile. "But don't worry. As they say, there's someone out there for everyone."

The young man couldn't help but raise a brow at her. "You really believe something like that?"

The green-haired girl gave him a shrug. "Eh, maybe it's bullshit, maybe it isn't. Who can say?"

"Ha! Nice." Mercury laughed. "Thanks for that, Em. I needed that."

Emerald felt a little heat come to her face, a small chuckle of her own coming out as well. "Heh, no problem." Her eyes then shifted over to Cinder and Rojo, the two women keeping a short distance behind them. The duo were singing to some rather loud rock and roll music, though that didn't bother everyone else since they were farther behind.

_Exit light_

_Enter night_

_Take my hand_

_We're off to never-never land_

A smirk came to Emerald's face as she called back to the two partners; "You guys having fun back there?!"

Cinder's eyes snapped open and she immediately stopped singing, her face becoming red in embarrassment. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ah, c'mon, Cindy!" Rojo said while giving her a small nudge of encouragement. "Don't be afraid to cut yourself loose! Just because you're the Fall Maiden doesn't need ya gotta be uptight about it twenty-four seven."

"I am NOT uptight!" Cinder said, crossing her arms in a huff. "I simply like to stay focused is all."

Rojo smirked and shook her phone a little bit. "Alright then, focus on the music! Like Boss Lady told ya, it'll help put your mind at ease."

"Hmph…" Cinder grumbled, still intent on refusing. However, as the song went on, she couldn't help but return to singing the lyrics; _"~Sleep with one eye open, gripping your pillow tight.~"_ From there, she quickly got back into the swing of things, much to Rojo's delight. "~ _Exit light! Enter night! Take my hand! We're off to never-never land!~"_

"WOO!" the bounty hunter cheered. "Sing it, girl!"

As the group in the back bantered back and forth, Salem, Viktor and Dr. Animo were peacefully walking in the very front, the former two keeping ahead of the doctor just a slight bit. The Transylian was holding a small black book in his hand, reciting words from the pages in a dramatic reading of sorts while Salem was giving him her full attention. The words from Viktor's book were in reality the final verses from a dark poem, one that he took the utmost pleasure in reading for the witch;

"And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, _still_ is sitting—on the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;" Viktor spoke with a passion that left nearly everyone who could hear him speechless, most off all, Salem herself. "And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming, And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;" He raised his arm up and clawed his fingers as he spoke the final lines. "And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor… shall be lifted— _nevermore_."

If anyone behind Salem could see the witch's face at that moment, they would be bewildered by the sight of her utterly blissful expression, a sigh escaping her lips once Viktor stopped reading. "Oh, Viktor… that was _wonderful_." she extended one of her hands out from her robe. "Absolutely soul-wrenching, I _love_ it. Who did you say the poet was again?"

"One Edgar Allen Poe." Viktor said as he closed the little black book. "One of the few humans that I can say that I have any respect for."

Salem nodded her head. "And I can definitely see why. I have seen many humans fall to darkness over the millennia, but it takes a true talent to put their dark inhibitions into words." She put a hand over her chest, sighing once again. "Truly a fine artist."

"I must agree." Animo spoke up behind them. "I myself am more of a Lovecraft reader, but Poe is certainly up there with him." The doctor raised an eyebrow toward Viktor. "But there is one thing that perplexes me… Viktor, where _did_ you get that book?"

An evil grin came to the Transylian's face. "Oh, I make absolutely certain that the works of Poe are on my person at all times, doctor." With that, he reached down and pulled up one of his pantlegs, opened a seam in his large right calf. He then slid the book in between the stiches, storing it within the flesh. "You see? So hidden that even that blasted king didn't find it on me."

At the display, Salem gave a rather morbid smile of her own. "Aha! Viktor, you are certainly are full of surprises."

Behind them though, a certain trio were less than impressed with Viktor's little trick. "Ugh! _Che schifo_!" Subdora gagged in disgust. "I would rather have NOT seen that, thank you very much!"

Skull also let out a rather disturbed groan. "Ugh, yeah, that's a bit overkill if you ask me."

But Thunderhog was quick to put his hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Guys, as much as I wanna agree wit' y'all, I'm thinkin' we should watch what we say 'bout Vik." The warthog mutant advised. "Ya know how _touchy_ he an' Lady Salem are gettin' wit' each other, right?"

"Why yes." Subdora confirmed. "It is rather sweet, but mostly quite morbid."

Skull let out a nervous breath. "Yeah, we should probably shut our yaps before we say somethin' stupid." The rhino man craned his head forward and increased his speed, catching up with Salem in no time. "Hey, uh, Lady Salem?"

"Yes, Farkas, what is it?" Salem responded with a neutral tone.

"I've been wonderin'… are ya sure that Morningstar's gonna meet us at this "central Grimm Pool" you're takin' us too?" Skull asked as he tapped his fingers together.

"He _should_ be." Salem responded. "He has been out in the wastes for the past few days, so he should know his way around by now."

Subdora bowed toward her mistress. "Yes, _mia signora_ , we understand that part." The Merlinisapien raised her head back up and raised an eyeridge. "But… do you not find it just a tad suspicious that he has not been seen all that much at the castle recently? The most we see him is whenever he wants _actual_ food."

Hog had caught up with his friends and jumped into the conversation. "Hah, yeah, I mean, Morningstar distancing himself is probably normal, but for THIS long? We're smellin' somethin' fishy is all we're sayin'."

Salem raised a single hand. "I understand your concerns, Thaddeus. And yes, Subdora, I _do_ find it somewhat strange. But worry not…" She clenched her hand into a fist and a powerful black and purple flame erupted from it, taking the trio aback. "If Michael tries anything in the future, I am more than prepared for it."

"…Well, okay." Thunderhog nodded. "If you say so, ma'am."

" _Si_ , that is something I can be assured with." Subdora grinned. "I know I should probably not _actively_ want it, but I somewhat hope that Michael screws himself over."

From behind, Cinder's voice spoke up; "That makes two of us." Hog, Skull and Subsora moved around to see that the Fall Maiden's group had closed the gap, with their music having been turned off. "After all, he has an overall deceitful atmosphere. And coming from someone like me, that is saying something."

"As I said before, young Cinder," Salem spoke up again, "I will handle things if he chooses to be… difficult. Now pay attention, we are here." The whole group set their eyes forward to see that they were approaching a large plateau, one with a long set of steps that lead up to the top. Next to the stairs was a large, black monolithic monument surrounded by small purple crystals, the overall structure giving off a very ominous air. The only thing even more ominous than that was the familiar figure that was looking at the monolith, his blonde hair standing out from the rest of the area around him. "Michael, so good of you to join us."

Michael's head perked up and he spun around, giving Salem a big, pearly white smile. "Ah, Lady Salem. I've been waiting for you." He kneeled before her as she approached, the others staying in place. "I must say, this landmark is quite impressive. I've passed by a few times on my treks out here, but I didn't wish to chance going up there."

"Hm, I see." Salem nodded. "I am sure you've made yourself quite familiar with these lands over the past few days." The witch raised a single brow. "Which leads me to ask… why have we not seen you in the castle as often, Michael? You have hardly come by recently."

The blonde man stood, put a hand over his heart and bowed his head to his mistress. "My apologies, Lady Salem… I didn't know I had been missed."

Rojo scoffed at that. "Psh, debatable."

"As for my absence, I've been out here training myself and clearing my mind." Michael explained. "I wanted to temper my emotions so that they don't get in the way of our next mission." He sent his dark smile toward Cinder, eyeing her knowingly. "Which I hope to be _very_ soon."

As expected, Cinder snapped her head away from Michael, muttering; "Ugh, creep."

But that mumble was just loud enough for Michael and everyone else to hear. "Oh, come now, Cinder." the energy vampire implored. "Do you not trust my word?"

"About as far as I can throw you." Cinder jabbed back.

Michael feigned a wince. "Ah, quite the sting." It was then that he scanned the group, noticing that a few members of their cabal were missing. "Say, where are Rainart, Callows and Watts?"

"Hazel is currently resting in recovery." Salem revealed. "He took a heavy stab wound from Kevin Levin during their battle on Menagerie. The boy stole Hazel's Dust and used it to his advantage, unfortunately."

This news caused Michael's hands to ball into fists. "Gah, _Levin_. Of _course_ that opportunistic bastard would take advantage of something like that."

"Says the pot calling the kettle black." Emerald commented, this time much quieter than Cinder. It _was_ loud enough for Mercury to hear though, eliciting a snicker from him.

Salem continued from there; "As for Tyrian, he is… working out some issues from the same mission. I would go into detail, but your mortal stomach would not be able to withstand it." The witch then gestured toward the east. "As for the good Doctor Watts, I have sent him to have a little meeting with our loyal mole at Haven Academy. I have a sneaking suspicion that his cover may be unveiled soon." Her eyes narrowed as she went on. "Now that Raven Branwen has effectively chosen her side, she no doubt has shared important information with the heroes… information that could lead to disastrous results for our dear friend, Lionheart."

"Hmph, well that's unfortunate. As is the failure in Menagerie." Michael shrugged before gesturing to the witch. "I guess we can only hope that this new "project" of yours is successful, right?"

Salem furrowed her brow a slight bit at his choice of words. "Yes… I suppose so." She kept a suspicious gaze upon Michael for but a moment more before moving toward the stairs. "Come, we must not dawdle here. It's time for our project to get underway." With that final word, Salem began leading her acolytes up the plateau's steps, the height of the land mass proving to wind Skull and Hog as they climbed the steps.

"Woo! Oh boy." Hog said as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "Guess bein' big boys ain't all that it's cracked up to be!"

"You said it." Skull said as they finally came to the top of the steps. The moment the group stopped, however, Skull's eyes widened in surprise. "Woah! Would ya look at that?"

Subdora put a hand over her mouth and gasped at the sight. " _Dio mio_!"

Rojo, on the other hand, wore a wicked smirk when she saw it. "Woah… this place is _metal_."

The place in question was a sort of alter that was sunken into the plateau. Where the group was standing, there was a long stone pathway that lead all the way down to the massive Grimm pool at the opposite end of the alter, almost like a pathway to their doom. The Grimm pool itself was rather menacing itself, with huge jagged rocks jutting out from all around it. Directly above the Grimm pool was a large outcropping with a flat top, almost as if it were a platform for someone important to stand on. All around this pool, all types of Grimm were wandering around, many of them having just emerged from it.

Salem spread her arms out across the threshold and spoke; "Welcome everyone… to the former residence of the God of Darkness."

Emerald couldn't help but stare at the large central pool, her words nearly getting caught in her mouth. "It-It's… it's pure evil."

"Yes." Cinder confirmed. "What more perfect of a place for this ceremony?"

"I must agree." Viktor said as he and the others followed Salem down the steps. "I haven't felt this much dark power since I left my home world. Quite the sight, I must say."

Animo put a hand to his chin as he observed the environment around him, taking in all that he surveyed. "As much as I put more faith in science than magic… I must concede that this place DOES exude a malevolent energy unlike any I have ever felt before." The mad doctor admitted. "Very fascinating, indeed."

As her disciples followed her toward the central Grimm pool, Salem silently stared up at the large platform that hung over the vile liquid, where she would soon take her place. Her mind flashed back to a certain point in her past, one that happened a very long time ago. The _first_ time she ever stepped foot up on that platform. However, she closed her eyes and pushed the memory back into her mind. _'Now is not the time to be remembering the past.'_ she told herself before facing her followers once again. "Everyone, I require your attention."

The group immediately silenced themselves and Cinder bowed to her mistress, prompting everyone else to do the same. "My lady… are we ready to begin?"

"Yes, my Fall Maiden." Salem affirmed. She extended her right hand and it began glowing a bright green color, the familiar flame of life energy reappearing in her hand once again. "For those unaware, I paid a visit to Ben Tennyson and his team while I was in Menagerie the night before. And I acquired this little gift from him during our encounter."

Michael's eyes widened as they focused directly onto the green sphere of energy. "Wh-What? You mean… you encountered Tennyson… and DIDN'T kill him?!"

A malevolent grin came to Salem's face. "Now Michael, let it never be said I don't give those who oppose me a sporting chance. After all, Ozpin and I have been playing our proverbial game of chess for _eons_." She approached the young man and her face grew serious once more. "And, if you will recall, Tennyson's device has a failsafe that can save his life if he is ever in mortal danger." Salem made the green energy dance in her hand briefly, the flame moving around very gracefully. "I only took enough of his life energy to satisfy my needs, anymore and the failsafe would have surely activated."

"I see." Michael gestured toward the life energy. "And what exactly do you plan on doing with it now that it's yours?"

"Ah, now there is where the interesting part comes in." She lifted the green flame up to Michael's face, the eerie glow lighting his features. "You see, I took this energy while young Benjamin was transformed into the alien you know as "Humungousaur". She then waved her hand toward the Grimm pool. "And with the aid of this pool, I can create a new Grimm species that corresponds to any living creature, so long as I use their life energy to do so."

Michael's lips parted in realization. "Wait… you don't mean..."

At that moment, Animo burst out into a series of loud, uncontrollable cackling, the doctor also realizing what this meant. "Ahahaha! Oh, what a joyous day!" He gave Salem another, albeit more theatrical, bow. "My lady Salem, I was doubtful at first, but your plan is truly ingenious! What better way to get back at Ben Tennyson after all of the humiliation than using one of his most powerful transformations against him?! Hahahaha!"

"Exactly." Salem nodded before her eyes shifted to Viktor. "Dear Viktor, would you please join me on the platform? I require your assistance."

Viktor lowered his head to his mistress. "It would be my honor, Miss Salem."

Rojo's eyebrows snapped up as she also realized what was most likely going to happen. The bounty hunter glanced over toward Cinder, giving her an incredulous stare. "Hold up. Cindy…" She pointed toward Salem as she and Viktor began to walk toward the Grimm pool. "Is she saying what I _think_ she's saying?"

A devious smile came to Cinder's lips as she gave Rojo a knowing look. "You're about to find out."

When Salem came to the very edge of the Grimm pool, she stopped and closed her eyes. "Viktor, take my hand." The Transylian complied and Salem silently cast a spell, making both her and Viktor float up into the air. They flew up and landed on the large, rocky platform overlooking the Grimm pool, both of them staring down directly at it. Salem set her eyes on Viktor and gave him a nod. "When I give the word, I would like you to summon a lightning storm to strike the pool. The elemental addition should give the Grimm the power I wish to bestow onto it."

"I understand, my lady." Viktor said with a clenched fist, his purple lightning already sparking. "I will be ready."

"Very good." With that, Salem turned out toward the Grimm pool, her followers having drawn closer to it. She raised her arms up high and called out to them; "My disciples! We have gathered here today to usher a new monster into this world! A Grimm which will be one of the greatest to ever be created." She clawed her fingers and announced to the heavens; "A Grimm so resilient and ferocious, it will be our answer to Ben Tennyson's transformations!"

On the ground, Animo was still cackling like a madman, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. Rojo, Emerald, Michael, Hog, Skull and Subdora were staring up in awe while Cinder and Mercury wore similarly sinister smirks. The silver-haired assassin was particularly getting into the swing of things. "Oh, I can already tell this is going to be good."

"For nearly the past month, Ben Tennyson and his allies have been nothing but thorns in our sides, countering us at every single turn!" Salem went on. "But now, the day of reckoning is upon us, and HE will be the one to suffer at OUR hands! We will seize our victory with the aid of this new creature, and then destroy what Ben Tennyson holds dearest to him; his friends and loved ones."

At that point, Rojo, Hog and Skull were getting into the swing of things. "Hell yeah, Boss Lady!" Rojo cheered.

"Yeah, we'll show 'em good!" Skull shouted.

Hog let out a loud squeal of approval; "REEEEET! Preach it, Lady Salem!"

At their cheers, Salem's voice only grew resolute in its purpose. "My new creation will make playthings out of these so-called _heroes_ , forcing them to fall to their knees!" Her disciples became louder, their own voices now echoing throughout the wasteland. "There will be no escaping us, no mercy to be had, and no hope to be seen as we snuff their lights out." She lifted the flame of life energy for all of them to see. "With this, we take our first step into a new era of Grimm, my loyal followers. And with it, you shall ALL be rewarded!"

"YES!" Cinder's evil grin widened at the prospect. "Down with Tennyson!"

Salem approached the edge of the platform and extended her hand, holding the life energy out at arm's length. "Prepare for the birth of the century, my disciples, for THIS…" She reared her arm back and threw the green flame forward, the energy practically bursting from her hand and down toward the Grimm pool, "is MY Humungousaur!" Salem faced Viktor and gave him the go-ahead. "Now, Viktor!"

"As you wish, Miss Salem." Viktor complied before his large fists and the generators on his back began sparking with purple lightning. The electrical energy continued to build up before the Transylian lifted his arms up toward the sky, sending it all up with one big blast into the clouds above. The electricity collected in the murky clouds before shooting down into one large purple bolt, the lightning striking the very center of the Grimm pool right as the green life energy made it in, resulting in a big explosion of violet light.

The group near the edge of the pool covered their eyes as the light flashed in front of them, with some of them even yelling out in surprise. "Gah! I can't see!" Hog shouted.

"My eyes!" Skull hollered. "What the hell's goin' on?!"

Even though the light made her eyes sting, Cinder smiled throughout the ordeal. "We are witnessing a dark miracle, gentlemen."

Finally, the light died down, allowing everyone to see what had happened. However, when they opened their eyes… they saw nothing. There was no new Grimm anywhere to be seen. All they saw was Salem and Viktor floating back down to the ground, landing right in front of them. "Hey, uh… Boss Lady?" Rojo asked. "Was something supposed to happen?"

"Was it a dud?" Michael asked bluntly. "I'd hate for that impressive show to amount to nothing."

Ignoring the blonde's remark, Salem turned her back to them and faced the Grimm pool, staring directly at its center. "Have patience, you two. The building blocks of a new Grimm species require some time to take form." After about a minute more though, something began stirring in the middle of the pool… before slowly rising out of it. It appeared to be a humongous glob of nothing, but it was slowly beginning to take shape. The only thing that could be made out were its newly formed red eyes and mouth, the creature taking its first breaths. Salem smile and held out her hand. "That's it, my beauty. Come to mother."

The creature let out a gurgling roar as it lumbered forward through the thick, black liquid, continuing to become more solid as it rose up out of it. Behind Salem, nearly everyone was in complete and utter awe at the sheer size of the creature, which had to stand at seventy feet tall at the least. Its head was the first thing to start taking shape; the black inky liquid solidifying into a white, bone-like reptilian skull that resembled Humungousaur. However, its features were much more carnivorous than a normal Vaxasaurian's, complete with large created teeth and a short, muzzle-shaped mouth. One thing was for sure though; it had the Grimm's signature perpetual angry stare. As the head continued to form, there came the addition of two large pairs horns from the sides of hits head; one set being near the top and the other near the cheeks. To complete this, one last horn formed on top of its muzzle, jutting back toward its forehead.

From there, its giant arms began to take form, with multiple white bone spikes jutting out from along its shoulders and down its biceps. It pulled its forearms out of the pool so they could take shape as well, revealing that the hands had four large, thick fingers with white claws at their tips. Next came its back, and it was here that things began to get interesting. All the way down the new creature's spine, there were three large rows of white dorsal plates. But these weren't like the ones on the back of a stegosaurus. No, these were more angular, with each plate having multiple sharp edges jutting upwards.

Rojo felt her jaw drop at the sight of these plates. _'Holy crap, this thing's givin' me MAJOR Godzilla vibes."_

The creature walked up onto the stone shore, standing in front of the group as the bone-like armor on its chest solidified, complete with an outer rib cage surrounding its torso. Its legs had just taken shape as well. They were large, powerful, and had milky-white claws coming out of all four of its toes. Finally, the beast pulled its tail out of the pool, allowing it to take form. The large dorsal plates grew smaller and smaller as they reached the tip of the tail, becoming almost non-existent in favor of a large, white club at its very end. Said club had two sets of spikes coming out of either side of it, making it incredibly deadly. The creature let out a mighty roar as its metamorphosis completed, the loud bellow echoing across the Land of Darkness; _**"GYAAAOOOOOOON!"**_

Everyone was forced to cover their ears at the new Grimm's first roar, clenching their teeth in pain. The only exceptions were Salem and Viktor, the duo staring up at the new beast in wonderment. "Congratulations, Miss Salem." Viktor commended. "Your new creature is truly astounding."

"Thank you, Viktor." Salem returned. "But it was not just I who had a hand in creating it." She gestured toward him. "After all, you gave it its underlying powers. So in reality, this is OUR creation."

Viktor sent her an appreciative grin, bowing his head once more. "Thank you… my lady."

Once everyone was able to collect themselves, they directed their eyes up toward the mighty beast's head, their jaws collectively dropping when they saw it. "It… it's Humungousaur!" Emerald uttered.

"No, it's even _better_." Cinder followed up, pressing the tips of her fingers together. "After all, it IS a Grimm."

Just then, a lightbulb went off in Rojo's head, the redhead thrusting an arm up to the beast as she pointed at it. "No, wait… it's a _Grimmongousau_ r!"As she said this, the newly christened Grimmongousaur let out another roar, which Rojo took as a sign of approval. "Hey, I think the big guy likes it!"

"Hm, very well then." Salem granted. "Grimmongousaur it is."

Michael put a hand to his chin. "Yes, very impressive, I must say." He turned to Salem once more and raised a new point; "So, other than being absolutely massive and spikey, what else is it capable of?"

"I am very glad you asked, Michael." Salem said before waving down her new creation. The Grimmongousaur lowered its giant head down to its creator and she spoke to it; "Be a dear and give them a demonstration, would you?" The giant beast nodded its head… and its eyes began glowing purple. It raised its head up toward the sky as all of the spinal plates on its back began glowing purple as well, now making it evident to everyone that the beast was charging up power. With a mighty roar, the Grimmongousaur opened its maw and sent a HUGE beam of purple electricity up into the sky, making the air slightly thinner from the sheer power of the blast. By the end of it, everyone was staring at the beast in amazement, with Salem wearing a dark smile. "Impressed?"

Animo had to take off his goggles to make sure he was seeing things correctly. "Why… yes, I-I believe I am."

"HAHAHA!" Rojo laughed as she pumped her arms into the air. "This is AWESOME! Those goodie-goods will NEVER know what hit 'em!"

"My thoughts exactly, Rojo." Salem concurred. "With that said, I believe its time I put my third and final strike against them into motion…" The witch directed her eyes over to a certain trio and called out for them; "Farkas, Thaddeus, Subdora, come here, if you would."

Exo-Skull, Thunderhog and Subdora all filed up in front of Salem, all giving her a salute. "Whatchu got for us, Lady Salem?" Hog asked.

With the snap of her fingers, Salem made a black cloud appear in her hand. "I have a very important mission for the three of you. Since Raven has so rudely refused our invitation, I believe it's time we attempt a _different_ approach when it comes to her. I want you three to go to Anima, locate the Branwen tribe, and find _this_ girl." The smoke in Salem's hand cleared, revealing the face of a young girl inside of it. She had tanned skin, freckles across her cheeks, short brown hair in a pixie cut, and light blue eyes.

Skull put a hand to his chin, raising an eyeridge at the girl's ethereal face. "Uh… okay, who _is_ she?"

"She goes by the name "Vernal"." Salem explained. "From what my Seers have gathered, this girl is part of Branwen's tribe… and she shares a strong bond with her leader." The witch clenched her fist and made Vernal's visage dissipate. "If we cannot convince Raven to join us willingly, then we will simply _force_ her to comply to our demands. All we need… is the bargaining chip."

"Ah, I understand." Subdora said with a devious smirk. "If that is the case, then we will bring her in as soon as possible, Lady Salem."

"Very good." Salem then faced the rest of the group, calling for her Fall Maiden. "Cinder."

Cinder immediately took a knee and bowed her head, as did the rest of her team. "Yes, Lady Salem. You have something to assign us?"

"Not yet, but soon" The witch approached the group of four, bidding them to stand up. "You see, I have a little event planned for the kingdom of Mistral and Haven Academy, and I want the four of you and Michael to be there when it happens."

Cinder's squad and Michael all exchanged wary looks toward one another, with Emerald being the first to speak up about it. "Um… Lady Salem, far be it from me to question your decision, but… are you certain that's a good idea? We didn't exactly work well together the last time."

Salem gave her a single nod. "I am well aware, Miss Sustrai, which is why I will be assigning your groups to separate points within the academy itself." She gestured toward Viktor, the Transylian eyeing Michael in suspect. "In addition, I will be sending Doctor Viktor with you as well, and he will be specifically assigned to accompany Michael."

Michael eyed Viktor right back, the two silently glaring at each other for a few seconds before the former gave a shrug. "Hmph, I suppose I can live with that."

"I had a feeling you would." Salem began making her way down the stone path as her new Grimmoungousaur began examining its surroundings. "When Doctor Watts reports back on the status of things in Mistral, then I will let you know when you are needed."

"Alright." Mercury crossed his arms. "So what should we do until then?"

"Nothing in particular. But if you wish for MY advice?" Salem stopped craned her head back around toward the group, her sinister smile still present. "I suggest you all… be prepared."

* * *

The past hour and a half had been one of the best in Ben's life, at least in terms of sheer enjoyment. Having been raised on Disney movies since he was a very little kid, seeing his new friends from Remnant reacting to _The Lion King_ for the very first time was something that was both surreal and really entertaining. _'It's so weird seeing grown people watching Disney for the first time in their lives.'_ Ben thought in his head. _'But at the same time, it's really cool.'_ The hero had kept his eyes on the group for almost the full duration of the movie, watching their reactions.

Sure enough, from the moment it began to where they were now, the team all had a childlike wonder in their eyes as the movie played out. Their emotions had been pulled in all sorts of different directions throughout the movie itself, but all the while, that same sense of wonderment stayed with them. From Simba's anointment ritual and childhood hijinks, to Scar's betrayal and murder of Mufasa. From Timon and Pumbaa's shenanigans to Simba and Nala's romance. Adding to that, the teens had almost always asked for many of the songs to be repeated, especially "Can't Wait to be King", "Be Prepared", and "Hakuna Matata". And throughout the climax, nobody could take their eyes away from the screen, almost entranced as they waited with bated breath to see how it would end.

In the end though, Simba had won they day, with the Pride Lands returning to their normal state soon after. The team watched on as a reprise of "Circle of Life" began playing, with Simba, Nala, Timon and Pumbaa standing at the tip of Pride Rock as all of the animal herds had gathered once again… to celebrate the birth of Simba and Nala's own cub.

_Till we find our place_

_On the path unwinding_

_In the circle…_

_The circle of life_

_Circle of… Life!_

With Rafiki rising the cub into the air, the movie cut to the title, finally bringing the movie to an end. Almost all at once, the room exploded into a chorus of cheers and applause, with Yang pumping a fist up and shouting; "WOO! Encore, baby, encore!"

Ben let out a chuckle as the cheering began to calm down. "Haha! I guess you guys enjoyed it, huh?"

"Are you KIDDING?!" Ruby exclaimed, a wide smile having plastered onto her face. "This movie, it's… it's unlike ANY kids movie I've ever seen in Remnant!"

"I was invested from beginning to end!" Penny added. "It was absolutely wonderful!"

Winter had put a hand over her chest, resting in against her heart. "Now I can see why Ken wanted you to introduce this to us so badly." She said with a heartfelt smile. "This movie was so charming, so investing, so… so…"

"Magical?" Gwen guessed.

"Yes!" Weiss agreed. "I think I'm starting to get what you said about Disney Magic. It's an experience that you'll _never_ forget."

Blake quickly supported her friend's claim. "Yeah, I know I won't be forgetting this. Speaking as someone who ran away from home to try and out run her troubles… I can relate to Simba a lot."

"So can I." Ren jumped in, absentmindedly gripping his father's knife near his boot. "But for different reasons, obviously…"

Jaune crossed his arms and grinned toward the screen as the credits played, seeing Scar's name appear in the cast list. "Oh, and Scar? He's the kind of villain that I _love_ to hate. He was so full of himself that I couldn't wait until he got what was coming to him."

"I can attest to that." Pyrrha concurred, a sad expression coming to her face as she placed a hand over her chest. "The moment he shoved Mufasa into the stampede… and Simba finding him dead… it broke my heart." There was a quiet murmur of agreement through the room, but then Pyrrha's smile returned when she brought up something else. "But I also very much enjoyed Simba and Nala's romance. It was very sweet!"

Just then, Nora piped up, the Pink Dynamo seemingly popping in from out of nowhere. "Uh, HELLO?! Are we forgetting the inarguably BEST characters in this entire movie?!"

Everyone gave her a knowing look, with Kevin being the one to guess; "Timon and Pumbaa?"

"YEEEES!" Nora shouted, jumping up before plopping back down on the couch. She crossed her legs and put her hands behind her head, closing her eyes as she reclined in the seat. "Best. Comedy duo. EVER. I dunno 'bout you guys, but I'm thinking about joining the Hakuna Matata club!"

Neptune raised an eyebrow, raising his hands up to her. "Hey, as long as you don't go on a strictly bug diet, that's fine with me."

Weiss nearly gagged at the very mention of that. "Ugh, oh, yeah, that WAS one part that I wasn't comfortable with."

Next to her, Rex gave her a playful nudge in the arm. "Hey, don't knock it 'til you try it, Ice Princess."

"EW!" Weiss shoved Rex down to his side, crossing her arms in defiance. "In your dreams, Robo-dolt!"

The room erupted into laughter at the little squabble before Sun spoke up. "I dunno about you guys, but I think I liked Rafiki the most." He received a lot of sly smiles at this, but he quickly shot down the thought he knew they were all sharing. "And NO, it's not for the obvious monkey reason. I just like how crazy his is while being wise at the same time."

Blake gave him a pat on the shoulder. "I can believe that." The cat girl then sent her gaze toward Ilia, giving the chameleon girl a soft grin. "What about you, Ilia? What was your favorite part?"

"Uh, well, um…" Ilia thought it over for a moment before recalling a part she absolutely loved. "Oh! I thought "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" was an absolutely beautiful song! I liked most of the songs in this movie, but I can say for certain _that_ one is my favorite." A round of voices began agreeing with her while many others began voicing their own favorite songs, eventually devolving into one big discussion.

At the end of it all though, Yang raised her hands to bring everyone to a halt. "Okay, so, I think the big thing we can all take away from this is; Disney movies are freakin' awesome and we should watch more of 'em! Whaddya say, gang?!" There was another uproarious cheer throughout the entire room, with Yang giving her boyfriend a smirk. "Well, how about it, Green Boy? Got anymore magic movies we can watch?"

"Oh, you betcha!" Ben said before digging through his DVD case and bringing out another Disney movie; _The Little Mermaid_. "Alright, gang, round two! Let's go!"

* * *

**A/N (Please Read): Alright! Another chapter wrapped up, and with it, we have come to the end of this particular mini-arc. But hey, this was a good chapter to wrap it all up on, eh? For one, finally shared Blake and Sun shared their first kiss! Looks like they're getting more comfortable with each other as time goes on. Though unfortunately for Ilia, this is definitely gonna make things a bit harder when she reveals her big secret to Blake. What's more, it seems Raven and Tai are beginning to acclimate to things nicely. Now that Raven's back on the good side, I'm betting things are gonna get really interesting between them. And of course, Ben has FINALLY introduced the gang to Disney! Specifically,** _**The Lion King** _ **! As you can expect, the Remnant crew are pretty much ALL into it… which will definitely make things interesting when we get to some certain movies that may or may not have any relation to the characters themselves.**

**Admittedly though, I** _**had** _ **initially planned to do a full-blown reaction to the movie scene-for-scene, like I had done with** _**Back to the Future** _ **. Unfortunately, I realized pretty quickly that it would get WAY too complicated if I had done ALL of this in one giant chapter. It'd be like putting a separate one-shot right into the middle of the chapter itself, and I didn't wanna do that. It just WOULDN'T flow well if I did. BUT… there IS a solution that I have been coming up with. I won't say what it is now since I wanna keep it a secret for just a bit longer, but let's just say the full-blown reactions are probably gonna be seen** _**elsewhere** _ **in the future…**

**But back on topic of the chapter itself, yep, many of you predicted it, and here it is! Salem's very own Grimm Humungousaur! Or rather** _**Grimmongousaur** _ **as I like to call it. It's kinda like a mini-Godzilla… and like any Grimm, there's gonna be a LOT more where that first one came from. Hoo boy, hope the gang have a plan for THIS when they show their ugly faces. Speaking of plans though, it seems Salem's getting started on her next one… and she's got her sights on a familiar young woman. What will her plan entail, exactly? Well we'll just have to wait and see. But for now… NEXT TIME! A new day dawns… the day that Caesar and the others are due to come to Remnant. After getting off the communicator with the incoming group though, our heroes are payed an unexpected early morning visit… by a sea of seven blonde haired women. Until next time, guys. Thanks for reading and stay safe out there!**


	90. Preparing for Arrival

**A/N: Morning, AO3 gang! Time for** **another** **new batch of chapters! and by god, it's chapter ninety! Ten more until we hit the big One-Double-O! Okay, so, I know that my fanfiction is pretty long, and really, I KNEW it was probably going to BE a long one. Really, this is probably less of a "Volume" and more of a "Book" at this point. But we're nearing the home stretch, trust me. With Caesar coming in to prep Tetrax's ship for inter-dimensional travel soon, how could we NOT be? For now though, we have a more casual chapter here today, so let's get started on that, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 90: Preparing for Arrival**

* * *

As another new day began at the Xiao Long house, Ben took a deep breath as he stepped onto the porch, taking in the brisk morning air as the wind blew past his face. As per usual, he and Yang had gotten up early to do their usual morning training session, but unlike all of the previous times, they had allowed someone else to come along. As it happened, Raven had also risen from her slumber early and had asked to join them, something which the couple was all for. The tribe leader had followed them to and back from the Mount Patch training grounds in her corvid form, and when they got there, she allowed them both to fight against her at the same time before the couple had their own spar with each other, all of which went quite well. Overall, a good start to a nice day.

"Man, nothing like a cool breeze against your face after training, huh?" Ben sighed as he sat down on the porch swing.

"Phew, you're tellin' me, Green Boy." Yang agreed as she sat down next to him. "I think that session was probably the best one yet."

Raven stepped onto the porch and approached the two, leaning up against the railing. "I should hope so." She crossed her arms and gave them a smile. "After all, you had me to help you this time."

Yang quirked a brow to her mother, sending her a smirk. "Heh, yeah. If you say so, mom."

"I _know_ so." Raven shot back with a knowing look. "Don't think I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to training, young lady."

The blonde let out a laugh and stood up, going over to her mother to jab her lightly in the shoulder. "Haha! Yeah, I know, I'm just yankin' your chain, mom." She leaned up next to her mother and crossed her arms. "So, you plan on putting the others through the same thing?"

"Oh, definitely." Raven confirmed. "I have to say though, a couple of them already show great promise." She then pointed over to the front door. "Jaune for instance improved significantly in the one training session I had with him. He's a fast learner, I have to say."

Ben stood up as well, placing his hands on his hips. "Heh, yeah that's Jaune for ya. He's determined, I'll give him that."

Raven placed a finger to her chin, her grin turning sly. "Yes, he's got a lot of his father in him. But… he ALSO reminds me of Tai when he was his age."

Yang visibly winced at this. "Okay, mom, I love you, but please don't keep comparing my friends to dad, it's kinda weird."

The Spring Maiden was about to counter back, but then she paused, taking note of what her daughter just said. "Yang… could you repeat that, please?"

"I… said it's weird."

"No, no, the part _before_ that."

Yang blinked in realization before a soft smile came to her face. "Oh… I said I love you. And yes, I mean that, mom."

Raven's jaw went slack before she instantly enveloped her daughter in a hug, the woman desperately trying to keep tears from falling down her face. "I… I love you too, Yang. I'm only sorry that it took eighteen years before I could finally say those words."

Yang wrapped an arm around her mother and pulled herself into the hug, letting out a small chuckle as she did. "Heh, it's okay, mom. After everything we've been through, you don't have to feel bad about that." She pulled away and gave her mother a wink. "I'm just glad you're here right now."

With a slight sniffle, Raven wiped her eyes, a small sigh escaping her lips. "I know. I'm just… trying to get used to everything, I guess."

Just then, a new voice entered the conversation; "That goes for all of us." Raven, Yang and Ben whipped their heads to the door to see both Tai and Ruby standing there, the two wearing similarly happy smiles. "I gotta say though, nothing is making me happier right now than seeing the two of you get along." Tai continued.

"Yeah, I'm glad you guys made up." Ruby added, bounding over to the two with a skip in her step. She gave Raven a knowing wink. "…Even if it didn't go _quite_ like how we planned."

"Hah, no, no it didn't." Raven conceded. "But still, I owe you a lot, Ruby. If it hadn't been for our talk, I don't think I would've had the confidence to come and help all of you."

"Ah, maybe." Ruby wagged a finger at her. "But then again, maybe not. You're braver than you think, Raven, trust me."

"Hm, very flattering." Raven chuckled before her eyes met Tai's once more, the blonde man having approached her. "So, another day at the academy, I suppose?"

Tai let out an exhausted sigh. "Ugh, yeah, and it's day _two_ of parent-teacher conferences, meaning I'll be out a bit late again."

The dark-haired woman gave Tai a light smack on the shoulder. "Oh, come on, now. I know you can pull through it. I've seen you wrestle the tail of a Death Stalker bear-handed." She gave him a wink of her own. "If you can do that, you can definitely handle a few parents."

Tai blushed and his hand went to the back of his head nervously. "Hehe, yeah, I guess so." He took a momentary pause to stare deep into Raven's eyes, which the woman was more than happy to let happen. "So… I guess I'll see you later this evening?"

Raven gave him a half-lidded stare, almost sultry in a way. "Oh, don't worry, I'll still be here. Now get a move on, you'll be late."

"Heh, right." Tai gave a wave to his children and Ben, saying his goodbyes before heading to his car and driving off.

Raven kept her eyes on his car as he drove off, but the moment he disappeared down the road, she heard a few hushed whispers behind her. She moved around to see Yang and Ruby whispering to each other intently, both girls with ear to ear grins on their faces. But the moment they saw Raven watching them, they stopped, heightening her suspicions. "And just WHAT are you girls talking about?" she asked.

Yang crossed her arms and glanced away. "Oh, _nothing_."

"Not really anything _important_." Ruby emphasized.

"Don't try to be coy with me, girls." Raven scolded, though she too had a smile on her face. "I'm the _mistress_ of being coy."

Ruby and Yang laughed at the woman's little jab and relented to her. "Haha! Okay, okay, we give." Ruby waved. "We were just talking about how cute it'd be if you and dad had a little… private romantic night together."

"Yeah, I think it'd be a great idea." Yang supported, putting her hands out in front of her to set the scene. "I can see it now; candle-lit dinner, a nice movie, and to top it all off—"

But Raven halted her daughter before she could finish. "Let me pause this right here for a moment, Yang. Admittedly, I want things to rekindle between Tai and myself more than anybody, but I'm afraid you can't rush these things." Raven went over and sat on the porch swing, gazing up into the sky as she did. "Besides… it's been a long time, and I'm not sure if we can even get along like we used to."

Next to her, Ben gave her a grin of his own, along with a shrug. "Eh… I dunno. You guys seemed pretty well off to me."

Yang moved over and put a hand to her mother's shoulder. "Yeah, c'mon, mom! You'll never know unless you take a chance, right?"

"Well…" Raven shifted her eyes between Ben and Yang before finally landing on Ruby. She raised a brow toward the Hooded Huntress and asked; "And you'd be okay with all of this, Ruby?"

"Of course!" Ruby nodded, though a guilty smile came to her face soon after. "I WILL say that it might be a bit odd seeing my dad with someone other than my mom. But on the other hand…" She stepped over and joined the other three, keeping her eyes on Raven all the while. "I think that you'd make a really cool stepmom."

Needless to say, Raven was stunned by the young girl's words, as were Yang and Ben to an extent. "I… I don't know what to say." The woman put a nervous hand to the back of her neck. "I have to be honest with you though, Ruby… at one point, I would've told you that'd be a bad idea. But now… I'm not so sure about that anymore."

"Aw, mom!" Yang said as she wrapped her arms around her mother again. "I _knew_ you'd come around to it!"

Off to the side, Ben put a clenched hand over his chest. "Oh god, this is just too sweet. If Gwen were out here, I'm pretty sure she'd be freaking out." The three ladies got a laugh out of his little display, with Ben laughing along with them. Once they calmed down, though, the hero sent his eyes toward the open front door, the smell of breakfast greeting his nose. "Speaking of Gwen, though, I think we should head inside and get some food. Something tells me we're gonna need it for the day ahead of us."

"You're right, Ben." Raven concurred. "Let's head in." As the four were making their way to the door though, Raven nudged Ruby in the side, gaining her attention. "And Ruby? I'll… be taking your offer into consideration."

Ruby sent her a small grin, nudging her back with a wink. "Hehe, okay! Let's see where this goes, then."

* * *

After breakfast, Ben had asked the whole team out into the front yard for a special meeting before their own training session, which they were more than happy to oblige to. Team RWBY, Team JNPR, Team SN, Penny, and Ilia all stood in one big group as Ben stood directly in front of them with Gwen, Kevin and Rex standing on either side of him. "Alright, everyone, listen up! I called you guys here for a _very_ important meeting." Ben began pacing back and forth in front of them, almost as if he were an army drill sergeant. "Firstly, as you guys all know, we'll finally be able to head back to my world in the coming days here pretty soon. So, I wanna make sure you guys are all ready for this."

Weiss raised a brow at this. "Um… okay? Is there, like, some important stuff that we need to know about it or something?"

The hero pointed to Weiss the moment she said that. "An excellent question, Weiss. There actually ARE a few things you need to know." He began counting things off with his fingers. "First of all, you're going to have to learn to use Earth currency. We don't use Lien, after all, so you guys will probably be hooked up with a Plumber bank account when we get there."

Gwen stepped up and presented the next point. "Next, your scrolls may not be able to work as communicators in our world, meaning you're either going to have to get phones or we're going to have to find a way to install new comms _into_ them."

Blake tilted her head in confusion. "Wait… if that's the case, then how do your Plumber badges work here?"

Penny's eyes went straight to the Omnitrix. "Yes, and what about the communicator in Ben's Omnitrix?"

Kevin took out his Plumber badge and tapped in on the side. "Wireless two-way signal. It's activated whenever the comms are out of range of a Plumber communication grid." The Osmosian then gestured toward Ben. "It helps that the Omnitrix's comm gives out a signal booster, too."

Ilia crossed her arms at the explanation. "Hmm… well, I suppose that makes sense. Anything else we should know?"

"Yep." Rex pointed out toward the crowd, moving his arm across all of them. "Make sure you guys pack EVERYTHING you need or want to bring along with you. We'll probably be away for a while, so if you want something in particular, bring it."

Jaune shrugged his shoulders. "Well, that one's pretty obvious, really."

But Nora waved the notion off. "Pfft, please, it's probably not THAT big of a deal." The Pink Dynamo reassured. "I mean, Caesar's got his own little Dimensional Doorway, right? We can just ask him to make a portal if we ever wanna go back, right?"

" _Maybe_." Ben stressed. "But just remember, if Salem's gonna be on the hunt for us and she notices we're back in Remnant, she's gonna send everything she has to wherever we end up popping in." The hero scanned his eyes across the crowd, seeing that they were beginning to realize that fact as well. "We're gonna need to stay in my world for a while if we wanna put Salem off our scent. When things are okay enough for us to come back, then we will."

"Well, I suppose that's only fair." Pyrrha granted. "After all, if we really are serious about going to your world, then we should probably avoid hopping back and forth as much as we can." The Invincible Girl put a hand to her chin. "Still, I cannot help but wonder… do you think Salem might be able to follow us there?"

Ren's brows furrowed. "Yes, that could present a big problem in the future if she finds a way to do that."

"Right." Ben nodded. "Though considering there's no Grimm in my world, I doubt Salem will have any power there." He crossed his arms and stood firm. "But if she DOES somehow make it there, we'll be ready." Ben took a brief pause before going on. "One last thing; I know we've already touched on this, but my world's technology isn't as advanced as Remnant's, at least not yet. Once the Plumber higher-ups allow for the Tech Level of our planet to go up a bit, that'll probably change. But for now, you guys'll probably have to get familiarized with a whole bunch of older-looking technology."

"Oh, don't worry, dude. We know." Sun assured. "Trust me, we'll probably be fine on that front."

Neptune gave the hero a shrug. "Yeah, I mean, it's not like we _don't_ have the stuff you guys have. It's all just a little more advanced is all."

Ben had to admit, the blue-haired boy had a good point. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that. Okay, so in summary; make sure you guys are ready for the jump." He gave them all a thumbs up. "Then we'll have a blast in my world! How does that sound?!" An uproarious cheer erupted from the team, which only fueled Ben's excitement for what would come next. He clapped his hands and announced; "Okay! So now that we've got the first matter settled, I believe I promised you guys a certain something last night…" He turned toward Gwen, Kevin and Rex, asking; "Hey guys? Mind if you could switch places with Yang for a bit?"

The trio exchanged a few confused glances for a moment before Gwen replied to her cousin. "Uh… okay?" She, along with Kevin and Rex, complied with the hero's request and switched places with an equally confused Yang passing them along the way. Once they had all taken their places, Ben brought up the Omnitrix and activated the holo-ring, making his selection. "Uh… Ben, what're you—"

_FLASH!_ Before Gwen could even finish her question, Ben found the alien he was searching for and slammed the Omnitrix's core down, transforming into a rather familiar walking hazmat suit. Nearly everyone stared in awe at the alien, the exceptions being Yang, Ruby, Penny and Ilia, as they had already seen it. The hero raised his arms and spoke in his thick city accent; _"Ladies an' gentle-peoples, allow me ta introduce to you… GUTROT!"_

"Woah!" Jaune exclaimed. "So THAT'S the new alien you were talking about yesterday!"

Sun let out a mighty laugh as he took in the alien's form. "Haha! Dude! That thing's so sick!"

"Figuratively AND literally." Blake emphasized, pointing the clear window in Gutrot's stomach and the gasses within it. "I mean, what even IS that stuff in there?"

Nora zipped up to Gutrot in the blink of an eye and tapped a finger to the glass, letting out a ponderous; "Hmmm…" before giving a shrug. "Beats me."

"' _Ey, 'ey! Don't go tappin' da glass, Nora."_ Gutrot insisted with a wave of his hand, making her step back to the group. _"If it breaks who KNOWS what kinda trouble we'd be in."_

Pyrrha put her hands to her hips, raising an intrigued brow. "Well then… what DOES this alien do, Ben?"

If Gutrot could smile, he would have at that moment. He sent a knowing gaze over to Yang, the blonde immediately picking up on the subtext when he did. "Ah, I get ya." Yang nodded. She stepped downwind of Gutrot as he faced the whole group, raising his hands up toward them. From his palms, two large nozzles popped out, which immediately gained everybody's attention.

Ilia's eyes widened in a panic. "Ben… what're you doing?

When the hero didn't respond, this just made everybody more worried, which caused Weiss to storm forward in defiance. "Ben, whatever you're about to do, don't—GAH!" All of a sudden, two large blasts of compressed gas shot out toward the group, with the only exception being Yang, of course. Everyone began coughing and hacking as the air entered their lungs, though the Blonde Brawler and Gutrot didn't seem worried about it.

"Don't worry, guys!" Yang called out as the gas began to waft away into their air. "Gutrot's powers are a real _gas_!"

Once Weiss was done coughing, she glared at her friend and said; _"Very funny, Yang—AH!"_ The heiress covered her mouth in shock, with the rest of the group behind her also quite surprised by what they heard. Weiss slowly uncovered her mouth and uttered; _"…Hello?"_ Her pupils shrunk to the size of peas when her worst fear was confirmed; her voice was squeaky. _"AAAAAAHH! What happened to my voice?!"_

Behind Gutrot, Yang burst out into hysterical laughter, the Blonde Brawler pointing to her teammate. "Oh-oh my gosh, Weiss, please don't stop talking, ever!"

" _THIS ISN'T FUNNY!"_ Weiss screamed.

Back with the group itself, Kevin let out a chuckle. _"Heh, it totally is."_ But then, his eyes bugged out when he realized that HIS voice was squeaky too. His hands went straight to his throat and he hollered; _"GAAAAH! MY voice too?! I sound like one of those damned chipmunks!"_

Ruby's eyes snapped open and she tried talking as well. _"What's going—AH! It happened to MY voice too!"_

Gwen let out a squeaky laugh, her hand covering her cheeky smile. _"Hehehe, guys, I think we're ALL squeaky."_

" _REALLY?!"_ Rex exclaimed, his voice just as high-pitched. _"Sweet!"_ He put on a serious face and then spoke in Spanish; _"Estas usando este software de traduccion de forma incorrecta. por favor, consulta el manual. Haha! This is great!"_

Pretty soon, the rest of the group began to laugh as well, their squeaky voices all going at once. Pyrrha sent Jaune a half-lidded gaze, a sultry smile coming to her face. _"Hey, handsome."_ she greeted.

" _Hey yourself, squeaky."_ Jaune countered.

Nora was laughing up a storm at all this, her own high-pitched laughter drowning out everybody else's. _"HAHAHA! Oh god, this is too rich!"_ She whipped around toward Ren and grabbed his hands eagerly, much to his surprise. _"Ren, say something!"_

Ren blinked as his face flushed with red. On the one hand, it would be really embarrassing to speak with such a high-pitched voice. But on the other, he couldn't just deny Nora's request, so he had to oblige. He swallowed and gave a simple; _"Uh… hi, Nora."_ to which she erupted into hysterics once again.

" _AHAHA!"_ Nora laughed as pulled Ren into a hug. _"Thanks, Ren! I like your squeaky voice."_

If possible, this only made Ren blush even more. _"Heh, you're welcome."_

Neptune crossed his arms, an amused smile forming on his face. _"Okay, I'll admit, this IS kinda funny."_

" _Sure is, dude."_ Sun agreed, a small chuckle escaping his lips before glancing down to Blake. His girlfriend was keeping her head low and her lips sealed, almost as if she were afraid to even talk. He sent her an encouraging grin and nudged her in the side. _"C'mon, Blake. Don't be afraid to join in!"_ Blake shook her head, still afraid to speak. However, this only made Sun's grin turn into a smirk. _"Okay, you'll need some help then."_ He moved around behind her and reached around to her exposed midriff, the monkey boy beginning to tickle her belly. _"This'll getcha!"_

Blake's eye began twitching as her boyfriend continued to tickle her, the cat girl desperately trying to pull his hands away. But in the end, she erupted into laughter like everyone else. _"AHAHA! Okay, okay! I'll squeak for god's sake, just stop tickling me, please!"_

Off to the side, Ilia couldn't help but smile at the display, letting out a chortle before eyeing Gutrot. _"So Ben, what exactly DID you spray us with, anyway?"_

Gutrot raised a single finger and began explaining; _"Oh, ya know, nothin' major. Just a little mixture of Helium an' Nitrous Oxide."_ He pointed to the group and explained further. _"But you guys may know dat last one betta as "Laughing Gas". Dat's why you guys're in such a happy mood."_

" _Well, that certainly explains things! Hahaha!"_ Penny guffawed while trying to keep herself under control. _"Quite the sensational combination, Ben!"_

But Weiss was still rather irritated… even though she was trying to hold back her own laughter. _"Still… hehe—not…_ happy!" At that last word, though, Weiss' voice cracked and she let out a gasp. She waited a bit longer before trying to speak again. "Hello, hello?" A huge smile burst onto her face when she realized that her pitch had returned to normal and she raised her arms into the air. "Woo! It's worn off!"

Pretty soon, everyone else's voice had returned to normal as well, disappointing many of them. "Aw, man!" Ruby said with a huff. "I was just starting to enjoy that!"

Gutrot let out a little chuckle at that. _"Hehe, don' worry 'bout it, Ruby. There's more helium where dat came from whenever yer up for it."_ He spread his hands out and added; _"An' hey! It's also great at parties when ya need balloons an' stuff."_

Nora, now having calmed down from her laugh-fest, cleared her throat and spoke up. "So Ben, is Gutrot just really good at mixing chemicals together?"

"Hit the nail on the head, Nora." Kevin confirmed, nudging a thumb toward Gutrot. "This alien's called a Chemitoxian, which means Ben's insides are now a walking chemical lab. And with it, he's got an advanced knowledge on every chemical compound in the known universe."

" _Exact-o-mundo, Kev."_ Gutrot said before slapping the Omnitrix symbol, changing back to normal. "I still can't help but find that ironic though. Chemistry was probably my worst subject in school and now I'm a freaking genius at it as Gutrot! It's freaking awesome!"

Gwen let out a soft chortle at that. "Hehe, I'm sure, Ben. Now, I think we should probably get ourselves ready. I'm sure that Raven's been itching to get to training."

Ruby slapped her forehead. "D'oh! That's right, I nearly forgot! C'mon guys, we gotta—"

Just then, the back door swung open again, with Winter rushing out from the other side. "Everyone!" She called out, an urgent edge in her voice. "You all have to come inside, quickly!"

This caught everybody's attention instantly, with Gwen calling back to her; "Winter! What's wrong?!"

"The interdimensional communicator is receiving a call and we NEED Ben to allow it to come through." Winter answered, ushering everyone to follow her inside. "Come, quickly!"

With no need to be told twice, the teens all sprinted after Winter and into the house, heading straight to the living room. The moment they made it there, they saw Doctor Holiday sitting in front of the coffee table, her hands preparing the communicator as one of its lights flashed red. She sighed in relief when she saw the team enter. "Oh, good, you're here. I have a feeling this is going to be the big call we've been waiting for."

"I'm all over it, Holiday." Ben said before activating the Omnitrix, slamming down the core to transform into Feedback once again. "Alright, let's get this thing started up." the Conductoid gave a toothy smirk as he plugged himself into the device, allowing his electrical energy to flow into it. "Alright, doc, we're good to go."

"Excellent." Holiday flipped the switch and began speaking into the mic; "Holiday to Earth. Come in, Earth, we're receiving your transmission, over."

At that moment, the holo-screen popped up from the projector, showing the familiar backdrop of the Plumber base. However, instead of either Six, Ceasar or Bobo being there to greet them, it was a rather familiar redheaded young man. _"Ah, good, I'm glad I got through to you guys!"_ Kenny said with a greeting wave. _"How's it goin' everyone?"_

"Kenny!" Gwen exclaimed.

Winter's eyes lit up, the young woman being more than a little surprised. "Ken! Well this is unexpected." She stepped closer to the holo-screen, giving him a rather radiant smile. "If I recall, our daily chat wasn't supposed to be for a while yet. And… what _are_ you doing at the Plumber base?"

Ken's gaze brightened as well when he saw Winter, giving her a soft smile of his own. _"Hey, Winter! Yeah, calling a bit early on this one. I came over to deliver a little Tennyson care package for the others to take over…"_

"Wait, ANOTHER one?" Yang piped up. "Don't we have enough stuff here already?"

A small chuckle elicited from Ken's throat and he raised a reassuring hand. _"Don't worry, we're not sending over any more game consoles if that's what you're worried about. This is just a little one with a few little things we thought you might enjoy. But as I was saying, Caesar just asked me to make the call to you guys."_ A small blush came to his face and he rubbed the back of his head. _"Though to be honest, if it were up to ME, I'd come over with him and deliver the package myself, but—"_

"Don't be silly." Gwen said, pointing a stern finger at her brother. "Kenny, you KNOW you have to go to work. And as much as _you_ don't want to admit it, you _need_ that job."

"She's right, Ken." Winter supported. She too had a stern expression about her, though her voice was slightly softer than Gwen's. "I would also very much like to meet you in person, but a few more days of waiting won't hurt you, okay?"

Ken wore a sheepish grin and a sigh escaped from his lips. _"Hah, yeah, I know when I've been beaten."_

Winter's smile returned and she gave him a nod. "I know it's disappointing, Kenny, but we WILL meet soon, I promise." She then gave him a little wink. "And when we do, perhaps then we can go on a _proper_ outing."

" _Heh, yeah, I'm really looking forward to that."_ Ken replied, his blush intensifying a little.

"As am I." Winter reciprocated. "But until then, I think you will be happy to know that Benjamin and Gwendolyn have finally introduced us to a couple of Disney films."

The young redheaded man brightened up at this. _"Ha! Awesome! Which ones?"_

From the back, Pyrrha spoke up to answer the question. "They showed us both _The Lion King_ and _The Little Mermaid_ last night." The Invincible Girl said exuberantly. "And they were both utterly wonderful!"

Nora stepped up and waved over to Ken. "Hey, Kenny? I just wanna give you a HUGE thank you." She jabbed a thumb over to Feedback. "Because if you hadn't mentioned it to Ben, we probably wouldn't have EVER gotten around to watching these movies."

Jaune raised a single brow. "And even then, it took about three days to finally get to it."

" _Ah, well, I can't exactly blame ya there."_ Ken shrugged. _"After all, you guys are probably really busy."_

"You don't know the half of it." Weiss said with an eyeroll. "Yesterday was insane, let me tell you."

" _I'll bet."_ The redhead quirked a brow when he spotted somebody unfamiliar in the crowd of teens, and he was quick to point her out. _"Uh, by the way, who's your new friend?"_

Everyone followed his gaze to see that he was focusing on Ilia, the chameleon girl's eyes widening when she became the center of attention. Seeing her friend's unrest, Blake quickly sprang into action. "Oh! Kenny, this is actually an old friend of mine. Her name is Ilia and she's joined up with our team recently." Blake put a hand on Ilia's shoulder and began introducing her to him. "And Ilia, this is Gwen's brother, Ken."

" _Nice to meet you, Ilia."_ Ken waved.

"Likewise." Ilia said with a bow of her head before quickly realizing something. "Wait…. _Ken_ , _Gwen_ and _Ben_. Is that intentional?"

The three Tennysons all rolled their eyes at this. "Yeah, it is." Feedback confirmed. "Our parents thought it'd be neat to have all our names rhyme. Kinda funny when you're younger, but when ya get older, it gets a little old."

Rex raised a hand up to Ken, garnering his attention. "By the way, Ken, where's my brother? He just too busy to talk to us or somethin'?"

Ken was about to respond, only for the sound of an opening door on his side of the call to interrupt him. Following this was the sound of heavy breathing, accompanied by a familiar voice. _"Hah… I'm here! I'm here, don't worry!"_ At that moment, Caesar appeared on screen, the young man catching his breath as he put a smile on his face. _"¡Hola, mis amigos! How's everybody doing today?!"_

" _¡Hermano!_ " Rex exclaimed. "There you are! I was just askin' about how you were doin'!"

Caesar swept a hand through his hair in exhaustion. _"Phew, well, let me tell ya, Rex, things are pretty insane here. We're pretty much just getting things ready for the big jump this afternoon."_

"That's good to hear." Holiday nodded. "So, do we have a set time for your arrival?"

" _Yep, we should be coming through the portal at about four o'clock."_ Caesar explained. _"If all goes well, we should be able to pop in right at your location."_

At first, everybody was really excited at the prospect. However, after a few seconds of mulling it over, Ruby's eyes widened in realization. "Wait… how're you so sure about that?" She moved a hand toward Feedback. "I mean, when Ben and the others came here, they popped in at Beacon…" She then gestured toward Rex and Holiday. "And when you sent Rex and Holiday over, they ended up in Mountain Glenn. If you ask me, the places you're popping into our world sound totally random."

Ceasar grinned and raised a finger toward her. _"Ah, it might SEEM that way, Ruby, but it's actually quite predetermined. You see, for everyplace in Ben's world, it corresponds with another location in your world."_ He pointed toward the ground. _"Meaning that we only need to find the right place HERE to end up at your location over THERE."_

Sun folded his arms and tilted his head at that. "'Kay, so how're you gonna find the right place to put the portal?"

" _Very easily, actually."_ Caesar redirected his finger toward the interdimensional communicator. _"We just have to trace the communicator's signal in Remnant and it should give us the correlating location on Earth. From there, it's an easy hop, skip and a jump to Remnant."_ After a few second's Caesar's expression began to grow slightly nervous. _"There IS just un pequeño problema we need to take into consideration first."_

Weiss raised a brow, a suspicious feeling beginning to work its way toward the surface. "And what would that would be?"

Next to Caesar, Kenny gave a small shrug. _"Well… let's just say that they're going to be coming over with some REALLY heavy equipment, and it's NOT just the Dimensional Doorway."_ He pulled his arms out for emphasis. _"We're talking a BIG Plumber transport vehicle that's gonna be bringing the Dimensional Doorway through. So you guys are gonna need to be in a big enough area for it to come through safely."_

" _Plus, it has to have enough room where we can attach it to Tetrax's ship."_ Caesar added.

Yang looked out the window and out into the front yard of her house. While it WAS larger than the average front lawn, it still didn't seem ideal for a large transport vehicle to come through, especially with the surrounding forest. Plus, she knew her father would have a cow if his front yard was completely decimated when he got home. "…Yeah, we might have to find a better place for you guys to come through."

Neptune put a hand to his chin. "That's gonna be tough, though." he pondered. "Where the heck are we gonna find an area that's wide enough but far enough away from the public?"

"He's got a good point." Gwen supported. "We still can't chance our secret being revealed. Wherever we go, it has to be secluded enough so that no one can—"

"AH!" Ruby suddenly let out a gasp, her face bursting out into a huge grin. "I just got a GREAT idea! What if we took the communicator and head up to _Beacon_? It's far enough away from the public so that nobody can see what's going on AND everybody up there already knows about our secret!"

Caesar's eyebrows snapped up in surprise. _"Wait, they do?!"_

"Pretty much, yeah." Sun affirmed. "The teachers, the whole student body, pretty much everyone."

Nora put a hand behind her head with a cheeky smile. "We kinda ran into some trouble there last week when Swift and a bunch of Grimm attacked the place. One thing lead to another, and… yeah, secret came out."

Ken blinked at the revelation, his eyes moving toward his cousin. _"Huh, wow, Ben. I didn't figure you guys would tell anyone else outside your circle."_

Feedback shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, I figured that if we planned on going to Beacon anyway, we might as well get the big reveal out of the way."

" _Well, in any case, it IS rather perfect."_ Caesar admitted. _"Great idea, Ruby!"_

"Aw, thanks Caesar. Anything to help." Ruby said with a slight wave of her hand.

"We may want to let Professor Goodwitch know about it before hand, though." Ren pointed out. "Just to make sure they're prepared to receive you guys."

" _Right."_ Caesar agreed. _"Us just jumping in unexpected would probably freak out the entire campus. Better to be safe than sorry."_ He sent out a salute to the room and gave them a wave. _"Alright, make sure to bring the communicator with you when you head to Beacon, alright? We'll see you later this afternoon."_

Feedback smiled and let out a chuckle. "Heh, yeah. You will. Kinda surreal if you think about it. Been here for almost three weeks and home's right around the corner."

"I know, right?" Yang said before nudging her boyfriend. "You excited to see your fam again?"

"Heh, you bet." Feedback sent his gaze toward Ken, giving his cousin a wave. "Hey Kenny, say high to our folks for us, will ya?"

Gwen then jumped in as well. "And make sure to tell them we're all doing fine. We'll see you guys in a couple days, okay?"

Ken gave his sister and cousin a thumbs up. _"Will do. I'll be sure to talk to you guys later though, 'kay?"_ His eyes then moved toward Winter and gave her another grin. _"And this time, I'll be calling from my place. Shall we talk later?"_

Winter smiled back at the young man, brushing a stray hair back behind her ear. "That sounds wonderful, Kenny. I'm looking forward to it."

" _Great!"_ The redhead sent her a wink. _"Because I'm sending something over that you might find a bit interesting."_

The military specialist narrowed her eyes skeptically at him. "This better not be a twist where the supposed "thing" is _yourself_ , because we've discussed that already."

But Ken waved his hands assuredly. "No, no, nothing like that, I swear. Trust me though, I think you're really going to like it."

"Well, alright." Winter pointed to his with a slight smirk. "I'll hold you to your word. But if I find that you stuffed yourself into a duffle bag or whatnot, you WILL be answering for yourself."

Kenny put a hand to his chest and burst out laughing. _"Haha! Oh god, good one, Winter. But don't worry, I'd never do anything THAT extreme."_ He then sent her one last wave. _"I'll see to you later, Winter. Goodbye for now."_

Winter happily saluted back. "See that you do, Kenny. And yes, goodbye." With that last goodbye, Holiday shut the communicator off and Feedback disconnected himself from the device, transforming back to his human form soon after. Winter turned back toward the crowd, only to be met with the smirking faces of Gwen and Weiss. She raised a single brow to them. "Girls, you know that is getting rather old, right?"

"We know." Gwen nodded.

"We just think it's really sweet that you two get along so well." Weiss elaborated.

Winter rolled her eyes at the two girls before placing her hands on her hips. "Well, in any case, I believe it's time we all head out to the training grounds."

"Our sentiments exactly." Everyone moved around at the new voice in the room to see both Athena and Raven standing in the doorway, both women geared up and ready to go train. "Are you kids all ready?" Athena asked. "We've been waiting for some time now."

Raven nudged her head toward the front door. "Yeah, so get your little butts in gear, kids. If any of you actually WANT to go to Beacon this afternoon, you're gonna have to train first!" She crossed her arms as an eager yet knowing smirk came to her face. "This should be an easy day for you kids, so let's get it started. Understand?"

The group of teens began moving over toward the two women, with Ruby being the first to meet with Raven. The silver-eyed girl saluted and replied; "Crystal clear, ma'am!"

"Heh, now that's what I wanna hear." Raven approved before eyeing Ben and Yang. "And let me guess, you two are gonna stay here?"

Yang gave her mother a shrug. "Pretty much, yeah." she answered, giving her boyfriend's shoulder a light push with her own. "That's what we usually do after training, right Green Boy?"

Ben chuckled, pushing back against her shoulder. "Hehe, yep." He looked back toward Raven and went on further. "Besides, there's another movie that I've been meaning to show her for a while now that we haven't gotten around to yet." He jerked a thumb toward the nearby phone. "And while you guys are out, we'll make sure to call Goodwitch and tell her about what's going down."

Raven gave them a single nod. "Hm, alright then. We'll see you when we get back." She gave them one last wave as she and the others began filing out of the house. "Have fun, you two!"

"We will, mom!" Yang waved back. "Bye!" With that, the front door closed, leaving the couple alone with only Doctor Holiday left in the room.

Holiday let out a happy sigh as she stood up, taking the communicator with her. "Well, I'd better make a few final preparations before we head off this afternoon." She faced the couple and gave them a smile. "You two enjoy your movie, alright?"

"Thanks, Doc." Ben said with a thumbs up. "We will." Once the doctor had left the room, Ben sent a smile to his girlfriend and gave her a wink. "So… you ready to watch _Rocky_?"

"You bet I am!" Yang balled her hands into fists and pumped one up in the air. "Let's do this!"

* * *

Over the next two hours, Ben and Yang sat down in the living room, sharing a bowl of popcorn between them as they watched _Rocky_ in relative peace. Ben could see that the blonde beauty next to him was utterly enthralled as the movie went on, detailing the rise of Philadelphia under-dog Rocky Balboa, the man training for the biggest boxing match of his life against the heavyweight champ, Apollo Creed. She got a good laugh out of Rocky's trainer, Mickey, and was quoting him the moment any words escaped his mouth. "Yer gonna eat lightning and yer gonna CRAP thunder! HAHA!" She held a hand to her chest as she laughed, leaning her head on Ben's shoulder. "Oh god, that's too good!"

Ben chuckled a little as well. "Heh, yeah, ol' Mick's quite the character, huh?"

As the movie went on, the hero could also see that Yang was just as heavily invested in the romance between Rocky and Adrian, the blonde silently smiling when they went to the ice rink. When Adrian later gifted Rocky with the Bulldog Mastiff, Butkus, Yang couldn't help but let out an; "Aw! Those two are just the cutest!"

"Definitely. Probably one of the best movie couples in my opinion." However, just a couple scenes later, on Christmas Eve, Ben couldn't help but cringe during the big breakdown scene with Arian's brother, Paulie. He took in a sharp breath and glanced over to Yang, who was visibly shocked at the whole ordeal. "I promise that Christmas is NOT like that… most of the time." Ben promised.

"Oh, I believe you." Yang said with a pat to his shoulder. "Trust me, you haven scared me wrong yet."

Finally, the end of the movie came; the big fight between Rocky and Apollo. Yang clenched her fists and was on the edge of her seat for the whole thing, cheering the moment Rocky knocked Apollo down in the first round. "YEAH! Go the distance, Rocky!" Next to her, Ben couldn't help but get invested as well, even though he had seen the movie before. As the rounds progressed though, the couple's vigor was put to the test as things began to heat up between the two competitors. Yang became especially worried when Rocky said his eye was swollen… and gave the go ahead to have it cut so he could open it. "Oh god, that's _brutal_."

Ben winced again, nodding his head slowly. "Yeah, it's pretty bad. And Apollo's broken ribs are no joke either. Just imagine what REAL boxers have to go through to do this."

As the bell for the final round rang out, the two competitors met in the middle of the ring and began fighting once again, with Yang staring intently at the screen the whole time. "C'mon… come on!" By the last ten seconds of the round, Rocky was just wailing on Apollo, with the entire crowd, including Yang herself, cheering his name. Finally, the end bell rang out, and both competitors were still standing.

" _Ain't gon' be no rematch."_ Apollo breathed out in exhaustion. _"Ain't gon' be no rematch."_

Rocky, with his arm still hooked around his opponent's neck, replied; _"Don't want one!"_

And with that, the music began playing and reporters began flocking to the ring, with Yang smiling brightly and lifting her arms up into the air. "HOLY CRAP! He lasted the full fifteen rounds! That was amazing!"

"I know, right?" Ben agreed exuberantly. "Rocky may not have won, but he did what he promised; he went the distance." However, right at that moment, the couple heard the doorbell ring, making them perk their heads up in confusion. Ben paused the movie and raised a single brow. "What the… are we expecting company?"

"I don't think so." Yang stood up, with Ben following her lead. "C'mon, let's go check it out."

As the duo walked out of the living room and toward the door, the doorbell rang twice more, making both of them grow slightly irritated. "We're coming!" Ben shouted as he reached for the doorknob. "Sheesh, keep your socks on—GAH!" Just as the two were about to reach the door, they were both taken aback when it flew right open, making the hero fall flat on his back in the process.

"Ben!" Yang knelt down and picked his head up, resting it on her legs. "Are you okay?!"

"Ugh, yeah." Ben groaned as he pulled himself up, setting an angry glare up to the doorway. "Alright, what's the big idea—" But he cut himself off when he saw who it was, settling instead for a deadpan stare up at their visitors. "Oh… I should've guessed."

Standing before the couple was a proverbial sea of familiar blonde hair, with only one head standing out with a dark brown spot in the middle of them. There, directly in the front, was Blanche, the young woman standing with a hand on her hip and a smirk on her faces as her sisters and sister-in-law stood behind her. Noire and Rouge were giving her rather annoyed expressions while Saphron and Terra looked down at Ben in concern, all while Verte, Azure and Violette snuck in from around the back of the group to see what was going on. "'Sup, nerds?!" Blanche asked while thrusting her arm out to the couple. "Guess who's back?!"

However, Yang was FAR from amused. "For god's sake, BLANCHE!" She stood up with a snarl overtaking her features. "WHAT have I told you about just barging in like that?!"

But Blanche didn't seem to be too worried about it. "Hey, hey, relax, Yang. See?" She gestured to her other hand, which was still on the knob. "Made sure to keep my hand on it so it didn't slam against your wall."

"You STILL could have hit us!" Yang reminded. "The HELL is with you and scaring my boyfriend with doors anyway?!"

Ben's eyes shifted up to the ceiling. "Is there REALLY no end to this running gag?!"

Rouge stepped inside and let out a big sigh, grasping her younger sister by the arm. "I'm sorry, Yang. Please excuse us for a moment." The eldest Arc sister began leading a protesting Blanche back out to the front porch, leaving the rest of the sisters with the couple. "If you're going to ACT like a child, then I'm going to SCOLD you like one!" Rouge reprimanded before the door closed.

Once it did, Noire put a hand to her face, giving a sigh of her own. She gave Yang an apologetic bow. "Yang, I'm so sorry. I know Blanche's behavior is really grating, but please, don't think badly of her for this." She sent a small glare toward the front door. "I REALLY need to knock some more sense into her one of these days."

Yang took in a deep breath through her nostrils and calmed down, her eye shifting back to their usual violet. "Noire, I know. I just wish she'd use some more common sense."

"Yeah, so do we." Verte agreed, a small yet shy smile appearing on her face. "So… how're you guys doing?"

Ben got back up to his feet, rubbing the back of his head as he answered her. "Oh, you know, other than getting a door shoved in my face for the bajillionth time, I'm doin' good." He crossed his arms and tilted his head. "What about you ladies? Haven't seen you in a while!"

Violette came forward and gave the hero a wave. "Yeah, well, we've just been doing our own thing around the island, you know? Enjoying the time off from school and all that."

"Well, _most_ of us, anyway." Azure emphasized, the lenses of her glasses flashing as she readjusted them. "I for one rather miss doing arithmetic problems and literary studies."

Ben blinked in utter astonishment. "Okay, I'm an alien expert, but even _I_ don't know what planet you're from with that kind of talk."

Azure didn't seem to be bothered by this, though. In fact, she smiled at the light-hearted jab. "And THAT, Ben, is the "kind of talk" that is spoken by the students who will end up working for the smart people one day."

The Omnitrix bearer smiled back and laughed at the comeback. "Haha! Okay, okay, I concede. Can't argue with something like that, I'm afraid." Right at that moment though, the front door opened and Rouge came back in, followed by a rather saddened Blanche. The eldest Arc stopped in place and crossed her arms as Blanche warily moved up to Ben, the hero raising a single brow to her. "Yes?"

Blanche sighed, a hand going to the back of her neck. "I'm sorry. I really don't mean to keep spookin' you like that, Ben, really." She lifted her head up so that she was looking him in the eye. "I just like making a big entrance and I don't really think before I act. But not anymore. I'm gonna start putting more thought into what I do from now on." She turned her head toward Yang and bowed it. "And I promise I won't fling your door open anymore, Yang. Again, sorry for any trouble I caused."

Yang and Ben glanced toward each other, the couple simultaneously smiling before going back to Blanche. "Thanks, Blanche." Yang said, walking over to pull the girl into a forgiving hug. "Apology accepted, just don't fling my poor door open again, please."

"Same here." Ben concurred. "No harm done, Blanche."

Blanche gave them a grateful smile while returning Yang's hug. "Heh, thanks guys, really."

Rouge grinned and gave a single nod. "Hm, I'm glad that's settled." The eldest Arc sister moved her gaze over to Ben as Yang began moving along the group, giving the rest of her fellow blondes hugs as well. "So, how's everybody been? We haven't seen you in a while."

Ben let out a chuckle and began counting on his fingers. "Well, let's see… we stopped a few of my enemies from bringing down the Vytal Tournament Arena on Monday, we helped Blake's parents take back Menagerie from a couple MORE of my enemies on Tuesday, and as you probably guessed, yesterday was REALLY chaotic."

"We heard." Rouge affirmed. "Jaune told us about the bank robbery and how Jessie Jameson came to help you out."

"And then there was that whole thing with the Lancers approaching the island." Noire added. "But I'm guessing you guys stopped them too?"

Ben bobbed his head back and forth. "Eh… kinda true. You guys didn't hear about our mission in Anima yet though, have you?"

The eight ladies were all surprised by this information, sharing a brief glance with one another before Rouge answered for them. "No, we haven't, but I think we'd all like to hear it."

"Oh, you probably will." Ben grinned knowingly. "Your brother and his team took home the gold yesterday, by god."

Every Arc Sister brightened up at the news, with Blanche clenching her hand into a fist. "Alright, NOW you've really got our attention!"

Meanwhile, Yang was just finishing up her greeting hugs, which the Arc sisters greatly excepted. When she got to Saphron and Terra though, she brought both of them into a hug at once, greeting them happily. "Oh! And there's the happy couple! So good to see you guys!" She pulled away and gave them both a wink. "So, how's the bun?"

Saphron let out a slight giggle while Terra rolled her eyes, chuckling as well. "Heh, Yang, I'm still practically at the start of my first trimester. I won't be feeling anything until maybe the third or fourth month."

"Eh, I figured." Yang shrugged. "But have you decided on a name yet?"

Saphron let out a little laugh. "Hah, no, no, not yet. We don't even know what GENDER it's gonna be." She settled her gaze onto her wife, giving her a soft smile. "But we also decided that we don't _wanna_ know what it is until its born, right babe?"

"Exactly." Terra said with a wink. "Which means if we're gonna name it anything, we want it to be gender-neutral so that we've got our bases covered."

Yang clapped her hands excitedly. "Oh! Maybe Sam, then?"

"Or how about Casey?" Ben suggested. "I think that'd be nice."

"Woah, woah, slow down, guys." Saphron pleaded with a nervous smile. "I know you're excited, but we've still got at least eight months to go. We have plenty of time to figure out a name, I can assure you." However, she then quirked a brow at her spouse. "Speaking of one month though, I can't be the _only_ one noticing that you haven't had ANY morning sickness yet, baby."

Terra wore a proud smile at that. "Ah, that's because I watch what I eat, sweetie." She pointed toward Yang and gave her a wink. "Yang, I suggest you remember that if you ever decide to have a kid one day; eating small things during the first few weeks of the first trimester are a MUST if you wanna avoid morning sickness."

Yang was a bit surprised by the odd advice, but also somewhat amused as well. She crossed her arms and chortled; "Heh, alright, future mom, what about cravings, then?"

"Those usually start at the _end_ of the first trimester and into the second." Terra clarified. "By then, the morning sickness will usually settle down."

"Huh, neat." Yang gave a sly grin over to her boyfriend and gave him a wink of her own, making his face turn pale for a second. "I'll be sure to remember that… but I still plan on going another decade or so until I feel I'm ready to have kids."

The color in Ben's face returned and he let out an apprehensive breath, a nervous laugh coming out with it. "Hah-haha, y-yeah. M-me too."

Saphron clapped her hands together at the couple's behavior. "Ah! You both are just too adorable!" She shifted her eyes around the house, almost as if she were searching for something. "Speaking of adorable, where IS our little brother? We were hoping to surprise him and his team with a little visit."

Ben managed collected himself and present her with an answer. "Oh, they left a while ago to… wait." Ben's eyebrows snapped up and he went over to the clock, seeing that it was exactly eleven-thirty. "Holy crap, those guys went training two hours ago and they're not back yet?!"

Yang crossed her arms as a smirk came to her face. "Huh, mom must be puttin' 'em all through the grinder if that's the case."

The whole group of ladies were surprised by her words. "Wait… Yang, your _mother_ is here?" Azure asked.

"I thought it was just you, Ruby and your dad." Violette added. "When did your mom come into the picture?"

The Blonde Brawler gave a little laugh, her hand going to the back of her head. "Well… it's kind of a long story." She gave the Arc sisters a shrug. "Let's just say things between us have been a bit rocky for a while, but we've recently come to an understanding. Now we're actually really close, and I couldn't be happier about it."

"Well, that's good news!" Noire said as she made her way further into the house. "I'm glad you guys were able to patch things up." She folded her arms as she made her way into the living room, followed by the rest of her sisters. "Kinda stinks that Jaune isn't here though. Guess we'll have to wait."

But Yang was quick to raise a finger. "Ah-ah, hold your horses, ladies." She pulled out her scroll and showed it off to the eight women. "I'll send a call out to Jaune and I'll try to convince my mom to let 'em go a bit early. Until then, make yourselves at home!"

"Aw, thanks, Yang." Saphron grinned graciously as she and Terra sat down on the couch. It was then that the couple took notice of the television, which had the image of a man being flocked by dozens of people in the middle of a boxing ring. "Hey, what're you guys watching?"

"Oh, this is _Rocky_." Ben explained. "A movie about a down-on-his-luck street boxer named Rocky Balboa, who overcomes great adversity to go the distance in a fifteen-round match against the heavy weight champ, Apollo Creed."

After taking a few notes of what was on screen, Terra quickly realized; "Oh… I think we may have come in right at the end." She raised a brow at Ben and asked; "So, I'm guessing he won?"

Ben tilted his head to the side. "In a way… yes, but also not really. He lasted the full fifteen rounds, but there was no clear-cut winner."

"Still, it's freaking impressive!" Yang added. "Going all the way in a fight like that? It's awesome." She nudged her boyfriend in the side. "We're at the credits, right babe? You can stop it now if ya want."

However, Ben was quick to raise a counterpoint; "Ah, hold on there, Yang. If we do that, we'd miss one of the best ending quotes of all time!" He pointed the remote to the television and hit the play button. "Tell your girl how you feel, Rocky!"

As Rocky was being swarmed by reporters, he screamed out for his lady love; _"ADRIAN! ADRIAN!"_ When Adrian herself was finally able to make it to the ring, she and Rocky embraced, confessing their love for each other as the movie finally came to an end.

Yang, as well as many of the Arc sisters, practically cooed at the heartfelt moment. "D'oh! That's just too sweet!" the Blonde Brawler gushed. "I love it!"

However, within the enthused murmurs of agreement that the Arc sisters were giving out, Saphron and Terra were still staring at the screen, almost in shock. Rocky's voice was still echoing through their mind, the single word screaming out; _'ADRIAN!'_ A look of realization dawned on both of them at once, a pair of smiles slowly but surely forming onto their faces. Saphron moved her eyes over to her wife and spoke up; "Honey… are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Terra's smile only increased at this and she laced her fingers together with Saphron's, excitement quickly taking hold of both of them. "I think I am, Saph!" All at once, the couple simultaneously shouted; "ADRIAN!"

This, understandably, caught pretty much everyone's attention. "Huh?" Rouge asked. "What are you two talking about—"

"Everyone, I think we may have settled on a name for our baby!" Saphron announced excitedly, cutting her sister off. "It's a name you don't hear very often, and what's better, it's gender-neutral like we wanted! What do you think; Little Adrian Cotta-Arc."

All at once, everyone's faces began brightening up at the news… before the whole room began erupting into a series of excited screams. Every single head of blonde hair, including Yang, began swarming the couple, leaving a practically trampled and deafened Ben Tennyson on the ground and in a bit of pain. "Oh, it's okay, don't mind me." Ben said from his place on the floor. "I've been through worse."

"Oh my gosh, that name is perfect!" Yang said as she sat down next to them.

"I concur!" Azure added as she, Verte and Violette gathered around the back of the couch. "A very delightful name for any little boy or girl."

Violette let out an elated squee. "EEEEE! Now I'm even MORE hyped up for this!" She smacked her forehead with her hands and cried out; "UGH! Why does eight more months have to be so LONG?!"

Verte put a hand to her little sister's shoulder. "Be patient. Like mom and dad always said; wanting it badly enough isn't gonna make it come any faster."

"Exactly." Rouge nodded before smiling down to her younger sister and her sister-in-law. "But they've all got a good point. It's an excellent name, you two."

Blanche crossed her arms and gazed up toward the ceiling with a happy expression. "Man, I can't wait till that kid pops out. I'm gonna spoil 'em rotten!"

"Don't spoil them too much, Blanche." Noire warned with a nudge to her twin's side. "We don't want a spoiled brat for a niece or nephew, remember? Rouge set the ground rules when her kids were born, so now we gotta do the same with Saph's."

But Blanche just kept her cheeky grin, giving her sister an eyeroll. "Sheesh, sis, no need to be a… _spoil_ sport! Hey-yo!"

Despite herself, Yang couldn't help but burst out laughing at that. "Hahaha! Okay, thanks Blanche, I'm gonna have to remember that one." She brought up her scroll again and began hastily dialing up Jaune's number. "Alright, lemme get your brother over here so it can be a REAL party."

"That's nice!" Ben yelled, still stuck on the ground. "And I think my hearing's starting to come back!"

* * *

Meanwhile, all the way at the Mount Patch training facility, most of the team were laid out on the bleachers, many of them still trying to catch their breath after the intense training session that Raven had just put them through. It wasn't exactly bad, per se, but it wasn't all that easy, either. Their dark-haired instructor had separated them into four groups; two groups with four members and the remaining two with only three. The task was simple; engage in combat with her until they could each land a single hit on her. As the teens discovered, that was easier said than done. Ruby, Gwen, Kevin and Neptune had gone first while Team JNPR went second, and both teams were exhausted by the end of it.

"How… is she able to move so fast?!" Neptune asked, holding his side from where Raven had kicked him earlier. "You sure she's not using her Maiden powers?"

"I… I think it's more in how she counters our attacks than how she avoids them." Ruby rationalized. "I went as fast as I could and it STILL took a while for me to get a hit in."

The next team that took the ring were Sun, Blake and Ilia, and while the Faunus trio had taken gotten their hits in with Raven a bit faster than the two previous teams, they were still winded by the end of it. Sun was taking in deep breaths, still sweating a bit after exiting the ring as he watched Weiss, Rex and Penny take their place for their turn. The monkey boy shifted his eyes down to Blake, the cat girl resting her head against his rising and falling chest. "Hah… if… if this is her idea of an "easy day", I wonder what her definition of "hard" is?"

"I… I don't know." Blake breathed out, her ears having flattened out in exhaustion. "But a part of me _doesn't_ want to find out."

"I hear that." Ilia said as she continued catching her breath. Her eyes moved over to an equally winded Team JNPR, the quartet sitting not far away from her. "Hey guys… how do _you_ feel?"

Nora's head fell backward, her eyes staring blankly at Ilia. "….UUUUUGGH!"

Ren pointed to his best friend and spoke up. "What she said."

Jaune and Pyrrha were at least still up right, though the blonde knight was resting his head against his girlfriend's shoulder. "I know I said I was all for Raven's training methods when she first got here, but now… goddamn."

"Well, we accepted her into our fold, Jaune." Pyrrha reminded. "So that means we've taken in _every_ aspect of her."

"Yeah, I guess." Jaune sighed, lifting his head up to meet her gaze. He smiled and let out a chuckle. "Hah, oh well, at least we're all suffering together, right?"

Pyrrha rolled her eyes and rested her forehead against his. "Hmhm, right." Just then, the two were pulled out of their trance when Jaune's scroll began to ring, Pyrrha's attention being drawn to it immediately. "Oh! You're scroll?"

"Huh?" Jaune pulled his scroll out and looked at the caller ID, only to then call out to the tribe leader in the ring. "Hey! Raven!"

Raven's eyes widened and she raised a single hand up to Weiss, Rex and Penny, the three halting their attacks against her almost instantly. "What is it, Jaune?" she asked.

Jaune stepped down from the bleachers and showed his scroll. "Yang's calling. We may wanna listen up." Raven understood immediately and allowed Jaune to take the call, with her, Weiss, Rex and Penny stepping down from the arena for the time being. He brought the scroll up and answered; "Yang? What's goin' on?" The teens could only watch as Jaune gave a few "Uh-huh's" before a grin made its way to his face. "Oh great! Yeah, I'll see if we can come over." He pulled the scroll away and set his sights back on Raven. "Okay, everything's good. Turns out my sisters just arrived back at the house."

"I see." Raven raised a single brow. "And I suppose you're wondering if you can leave early?"

"Well… if it isn't too much trouble—" Jaune was cut off when Raven suddenly raised her blade, making him flinch. "GAH!" However, the Spring Maiden simply sliced open a portal, much to the young man's shock.

Raven gave him a wry smile and nudged her head toward it. "Go on. You and your team did a great job in this session. You're dismissed."

At that point, Nora's head snapped up and she zipped right into the portal, almost too fast for anyone to see. "FREEDOM!"

"Nora, wait!" Ren shouted as he ran after her. "Don't go so fast!"

Pyrrha smirked and shook her head, walking through the portal at a leisurely pace. "Come on, Jaune. Let's go before Nora runs into something or _someone_."

"Right behind you!" Jaune called back to her before bowing his head toward Raven. "Thanks, Raven, really. It means a lot."

"Don't mention it." Raven jerked her thumb toward the portal, her smirk still in place. "Now get along before I change my mind, huh?" Her remarked got a chuckle from the blonde knight as he went through, leaving Raven and the others to resume their training. She rounded about on Weiss, Rex and Penny and hollered; "Alright, kiddos, no more gawking!" Raven snapped her hand over to the arena and ordered; "Back to the spar!", with her three opponents groaning in response.

* * *

Back at the Xiao Long house, Yang had just gotten off her scroll with Jaune, giving the Arc sisters a thumbs up. "Okay, he should be here pretty—" Just then, the blonde was cut off when she saw one of her mother's signature red portals burst open right in the middle of the living room, taking them everybody aback. "…Soon."

A few of the Arc sisters let out loud screams at the very sight of the portal. "AAAAH! What _is_ that?!" Violette shrieked.

Azure, on the other hand, was staring intently at the vortex. "Is this… come kind of rift between dimensions?"

Yang raised her hands, hoping to calm the girls down. "Whoa, whoa, calm down, gals. This is just my mom's Semblance. See, she can make portals that can take her to anyone she has a strong bond with. So that probably means—"

"FREEDOM!" Right at that moment, Nora came sprinting through the portal… only to collide with the wall and fall flat on her face.

"Nora?!" Blanche hollered.

Noire raced over and helped Nora sit up, the redhead's eyes spinning as she was picked up off the ground. "Are you okay?! Nora, please, say something!" Noire pleaded.

Dazed and confused, Nora managed to utter; "…Buttermilk biscuit." before flopping back onto the ground, her head landing right next to Ben. However, in her stunned state, the redhead mistook him for another certain green clad person. "Oh… hi, Renny!"

Ben wore a deadpan expression. "Okay, firstly, I'm not Ren, Nora." The hero then snapped himself up and spread his arms out. "Secondly, what the HECK is going on?!"

At that moment though, Ren stepped out of the portal, followed closely behind by Jaune and Pyrrha. The moment his eyes found his best friend, though, he immediately bent down to her side. "Nora!" He picked her up and shook her lightly. "What happened? Are you alright?!"

As Ren picked her up, Nora's vision finally began to correct itself, her mind clearing soon after. "Oh! There you are, Ren! But… wait, I thought you were lying next to…" Her eye drifted over to see Ben, the hero sitting directly next to her on the living room floor. Her cheeks immediately began to heat up and she turned her head away from him. "O-Oh… sorry, Ben."

"Ah, no problem." Ben waved off as he stood up. "Trust me, I've hit my head enough times to know what you were going through."

Ren raised an eyebrow at them both. "Hold on… did you mistake Ben for me?"

"Hah… uh, yeah, maybe." Nora laughed nervously.

Jaune glanced off to the side and mumbled under his breath; "Can't exactly blame her for _that_ one." But right then and there, he took notice of all his sisters smiling at him, so he gave them all a little wave in response. "Uh… hey girls! Wasn't expecting to see you here today!"

Rouge stepped forward first, giving her little brother a hug. "Well, mom and dad went of to Vale by themselves today to see if they could help out with anything over there." She shrugged her shoulders before moving on. "So we decided to swing by."

"Better than vegetating in the hotel room, that's for sure." Verte added, giving her brother a hug as well. "How're you guys doing today, Jaune?"

Jaune rubbed the back of his neck, still a bit sore after his team's spar with Raven. "Heh, well, it's been alright for the most part. You guys showing up has certainly made it better, though." He then gave Yang a smirk. "Your mom's been kicking our asses."

Yang smiled and tilted her head toward him. "She tends to do that."

"Well, I'm glad you're doing alright, Jaune." Saphron said before putting an arm around Terra, the two giving Jaune equally bright smiles. "But I think THIS is going to make your day even better; we've decided on a name for your future niece and-or nephew!"

As predicted, Jaune burst out into a big grin, as did Pyrrha, Ren and Nora. "Seriously?! That's great! What'd you come up with?"

The couple shared a brief glance before Terra answered for them both. "Adrian. We've decided on Adrian."

"Aw!" Nora cooed as Ren nodded in approval next to her. "What a cute name!"

"Yes, it's fantastic!" Pyrrha agreed. "A very good choice, you two."

Jaune went up and enveloped both of them in a hug, smiling into their shoulders as he did. "I think it's perfect. How'd you come up with it?"

Terra smirked back at him and pointed to the television. "You won't believe us, but… we got it from seeing the very end of a movie that Ben and Yang were watching. We just heard the name "Adrian" and it clicked." She snapped her fingers for emphasis.

"Huh… bit odd, but it works!" Jaune sat down beside Saphron and nudged her with his shoulder. "Wait till mom and dad here it. Then they're REALLY start bugging you to find out what the baby's gonna be."

Saphron rolled her eyes and nudged him back. "Yeah, well, they ain't gonna break me. I wanna be surprised. But enough about us, we wanna hear about what YOU'VE been up to."

Noire came up and put an arm around their brother's shoulders. "Yeah, Ben's been telling us that you guys were some real MVP's yesterday, huh? What's up with that?"

Blanche balled her fists excitedly. "Did you guys kick some major Grimm ass on your mission?"

Pyrrha laughed a bit, tilting her head toward the white-clad Arc. "Well, you could say that. Did Ben tell you about it yet?"

The hero in questioned waved a hand toward the Invincible Girl. "Nah, I wanted to wait until you guys got here. THEN we could all tell them ourselves." He gave the Arc sisters a smirk and a thumbs up. "So, you gals wanna hear about our excursion to Anima?"

"Would we ever?!" Violette answered. "Let's hear it!"

And so, over the course of the next few minutes, Ben, Yang and Team JNPR recounted how Jessie had asked them to come to Anima with her on an important mission to help out her ailing friend, Paul. When the six teens got to that part about the Nuckelavee though, the entire room full of women let out a terrified gasp. "Wait… you're telling me you all went up against a NUCKELAVEE?!" Rouge exclaimed. "But… Dad says that they're some of the worst Grimm a Huntsman could ever face up against!" Her eyes immediately shifted to Ben. "How did you beat it?!"

But Ben wagged his finger at her, shaking his head a little bit. "Ah, Rouge, you give me too much credit. See, it wasn't ME that took down the Nuckelavee. In fact, Yang, her mom and I only faced off against a Sphynx yesterday. Really, you _should_ be asking that question…" he gestured over to Team JNPR. "…To these guys right here."

All of the Arc sisters collectively felt their jaws drop, their eyes focusing on their brother and his team. "J-Jaune…" Verte managed to utter out. " _You_ guys took out the Nuckelavee?!"

Team JNPR glanced toward one another before going back to the sisters, with Jaune answering with a grin. "Heh… yeah, we did. I mean, we had help from Jessie, and it was Ren who got the finishing blow, but yes, we took down the Nuckelavee."

"It was a team effort, really." Ren jumped in. "I wouldn't have been able to get my act together if it weren't for…" He sent a brief smile toward Nora, which she happily returned. "…a much-needed wake-up call."

Azure had her hand placed firmly on her head in disbelief. "I… I'm still wrapping my head around all of this!" She thrust her arms out toward Team JNPR, reiterating; "You guys… took down a NUCKELAVEE! A Grimm that is known to have a statistically high kill rate! I'm just in shock at all this!"

"Won't lie… so am I." Violette concurred. "I mean… holy cow, guys! That's amazing!"

Pyrrha gave the youngest Arc sister a grateful bow. "Thank you, Vi. But it's nothing really to brag about. We're Hunters-in-training, meaning it's our job to take care of threats like the Nuckelavee." She sent her gaze over to Ren and Nora, giving them a small nod. "Besides, that beast took far too many lives to be ignored any longer."

However, Blanche was quick to refute; "Ah, c'mon, Pyrrha! Ya gotta take at least a little pride in your victory!" She went up and pulled Jaune into a noogie, much to the blonde knight's dismay. "I sure as hell know _I_ am! Great job, little bro! You've got one hell of a team, ya know that?"

Jaune was able to finally pull out of the noogie, now out of breath once again. "Hah… well, Blanche, I do. But it never hurts to be humble sometimes, ya know?"

"We know, Jaune." Verte assured, giving her brother a pat on the back. "But considering you're literally putting your life on the line every single time you guys go out on a mission, I don't think you can blame us for giving you guys a bit of praise."

"…Yeah, okay, I can see your point there." Jaune granted.

"So how'd you guys kill it, anyway?" Saphron asked further. "I mean, it can't be _easy_ to take down a Nuckelavee."

The moment the question left her mouth, Nora knew that it was her time to shine. She sprang up to her feet and raised her hands, ready to tell the ladies all about it. "Okay, so let me set the scene for you guys; there we were, right in the middle of a ruined Kuroyuri…" With the room's attention successfully garnered, Nora recounted the events of their victory, making sure to keep her audience on the edge of their seats with every single detail. Finally, though, she came to the story's end; "After I caved the Stallion's head in with my hammer, Ren took his dad's knife and dismembered the Nuckelavee, finishing it off with one of the most awesome decapitations I've ever seen!"

The whole living room burst out into a round of applause, though Ren himself was a little embarrassed by the action. "Oh, I don't know if it was _that_ great. I mean, I've seen other hunters perform much more elaborate decapitations."

"Ren, you _cut_ it's head off with JUST a hunting knife!" Terra insisted. "THAT is bad ass!"

"Exactly, dude!" Blanche supported. "Ya don't need to take it down like an acrobat! And hey…" she gave him a thumbs up. "I think you did your old man proud."

Those words managed to put the Ren's mind at ease a bit, the green ninja grateful for their words. "Hah, thank you, ladies." he said with a bow his head. "But like I said before, it was all a team effort." He shifted his eyes over to Nora, Jaune and Pyrrha. "I don't think I'd have been able to do it without them."

"And don't you forget it, mister." Nora playfully chastised, poking the tip of his nose. "And if you do, I'll make _sure_ you remember."

Ren laughed a little as he reached up and pulled Nora's hand away from his nose, keeping a hold of it as he did. "Hehe, trust me, I won't."

Rouge crossed her arms and gave a knowing smile toward the two, the rest of her sisters following suit. "Oh well aren't you two just _adorable_?" Ren and Nora quickly took notice of the eight sets of eyes on them and they quickly let go of each other's hands, their faces turning red all the while. But Rouge wasn't convinced in the least. "Yeah… that's what I thought." She then redirected her attention over to Ben and Yang, the couple having stayed mostly silent throughout the story. "So, do you guys have any special plans for today? I know our visit was kinda unexpected and I'd hate to keep you guys from going anywhere."

Ben waved his hand toward her. "Ah, it's no problem, really." The hero then glanced out the window. "But… now that you mention it, we WERE actually planning on something big today. You remember Rex, right?"

Noire raised a brow. "You mean the guy who can make giant weapons pop out of his body? Yeah, who could forget him?"

"Well, his brother is finally coming over from my dimension today, and he's bringing the giant Dimensional Doorway that's going to be attached to Tetrax's ship." Ben then jabbed his thumb over to the window. "But since he's bringing the Doorway in on a Plumber transport vehicle, we need to make sure he comes through at Beacon Academy so that he's got enough room for it."

Yang nudged her head toward the window as well. "Yeah, because my front yard does NOT have enough room for both that AND the ship."

A few of Jaune's sisters became visibly saddened by this. "Oh, well I suppose that means you guys are going off to Beacon then, huh?" Azure guessed.

Violette snapped her fingers before looking toward her brother. "Darn, and here we were thinking it'd be the perfect day to spend with you guys."

But Jaune raised his hands at the notion. "Hey, hey, let's not give up so soon, huh? I'm pretty sure we can still work something out for today…" He shifted his eyes toward Ben and Yang. "I mean, we've got what, _two_ people who can easily transport us between here and there?"

"Well, yeah." Yang confirmed. "I guess either Gwen or my mom can take care of you guys if you wanna stay and hang out with your sisters."

"Hm." Ren acknowledged. "Then I suppose we can stay here until Caesar comes through with the Dimensional Doorway."

Nora jabbed a thumb to her chest. "Yeah, because I ain't missing the arrival of MY brain-baby!" Almost immediately, she received a bunch of incredulous stares from the Arc sisters, to which she smiled proudly. "Yeah, that's right, the giant Doorway was _my_ idea, thank you very much!"

"Huh, well that's cool." Verte said. "So, when's the thing actually coming through?"

"Around four o'clock this afternoon." Pyrrha answered. "Which reminds me…" The Invincible Girl directed her attention to Ben and Yang once again. "Did you guys ever get around to calling Professor Goodwitch about it?"

The couple's eyes simultaneously widened and Ben smacked his forehead, exclaiming; "Gah, shoot! We WERE gonna call her after we finished our movie." He then gestured over to the seven Arc sisters and Terra. "But as you can imagine, we got a little side-tracked when the ladies showed up."

Saphron put a hand behind her head, feeling just a touch guilty. "Oh, sorry about that, guys."

"Ah, no harm done, really." Yang assured, taking out her scroll once again. "After all, Goodwitch is just a phone call away. I'll just—" But right as she was about to put her finger to her scroll's screen, the television began ringing, much to everyone's surprise. They all turned to it to see that a call was coming through the TV itself… and the caller ID on the screen made Yang's lips part in shock. It read; _'Incoming call from: Beacon Academy'_. The blonde blinked to make sure she was seeing things correctly before uttering; "…Okay, this is kinda surreal."

"No kidding." Ben agreed before handing Yang the remote. "How do you answer your TV again?"

Yang grabbed the remote, her finger going to a small green button and pressing it. Almost immediately, the image of Glynda Goodwitch took up the TV's holo-screen, the woman wearing a relieved expression. _"Oh, Yang, Ben!"_ she greeted with a bow of her head. _"I'm glad that I could—"_ But the headmistress cut herself off when she saw not just Ben and Yang, but also Team JNPR and eight other women all gathered around the living room, much to her shock. _"Oh… am I interrupting something?"_

"Eh… kind of, Professor." Jaune answered. "You just caught us in the middle of my sisters paying us a visit. But really, there's no harm done."

Goodwitch took a second look around and this time, instantly recognized the women. _"Ah, yes! Now I remember! You ladies were at Ruby's birthday party the other day, weren't you? Very nice to see you all again."_ The Arc sisters all said their hellos to Goodwitch before the professor directed her attention back to Ben and Yang. _"Back to what I was saying though, I'm glad I could get a hold of you all."_

"Yeah, hi Prof!" Yang greeted. "We were just getting ready to call _you_ , actually."

Goodwitch's eyebrows shot up. _"Oh, really? And why is that?"_

Ben approached the screen and knelt down in front of it. "Because we've got some exciting news, Professor." The hero proceeded to fill the headmistress in on the situation, including how they needed Beacon's more open areas so that Caesar could come through without any problems. "And Tetrax will probably need to keep his ship there for a few days while Caesar attaches the doorway." Ben finished. "So… you think you can help us out?"

" _Why of course, Ben."_ Goodwitch happily accepted. _"You all have already done so much for Beacon and Vale, it'd be neglectful on my part to deny your request."_

Ben lowered his head to her graciously. "Thank you, Professor. We'll probably be over later this evening."

At that though, Glynda's face fell a bit. _"Oh… about that. Could I perhaps persuade you and the team to come over a bit sooner? We have a problem that we could really use your help on at the moment."_

Ben, Yang and Team JNPR all shared a concerned gaze with one another before going back to the television screen. "What seems to be the problem, professor?" Pyrrha asked.

" _Well, you recall how there are still many wild Grimm that fled into the Emerald Forest after the Battle for Beacon, correct?"_ Glynda received a round of silent nods from the teens, prompting her to continue. _"Well, as the Huntsmen we hired continued to venture deeper into the woods to hunt them all down, they found that there's… something ELSE wandering around."_ She crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes downcast in thought. _"They say that it looked like a Beowolf to them at first, but then they realized that it's actually something much worse. Many of them came back with either lacerations or broken bones."_

Jaune's eyes widened at that. "Woah, yeah, that sounds like a pretty nasty creature."

"Is there anything else notable about it?" Ren asked.

Glynda gave him a single nod. _"Yes. The Huntsmen all said… that it was able to speak."_

That was able to get everybody's attention immediately. "Yeah, that ain't a Beowolf." Nora said before going over to Ben. "Think it's another one of Doctor Animo's experiments?"

Ben pursed his lips and put a hand to his chin in thought. "Well… maybe. If it is though, it's rather surprising that he would just plop it in the Emerald Forest without much fanfare. After all, Animo's always been one to let EVERYBODY know what he's doing." He directed his sights back to Goodwitch. "In any case, we'll be there as soon as the others get back from their training, Professor. We'll find out what this big dog's doing in your neck of the woods."

Glynda smiled and gave him a thankful bow. _"Oh, thank you Ben. I appreciate it."_ She then gave the group a wink. _"But just so it isn't ALL serious business when you get here, I think you'll be pretty surprised by the very special guest we have here today."_

Yang wore a knowing smirk and raised a brow. "You talkin' about Jessie Jameson? Because we kinda already met her yesterday."

" _Oh, I already know that, Yang."_ Glynda assured. _"She's been here for a few hours now, and your mission yesterday was one of the first things she told me about."_ The headmistress craned her head toward Team JNPR, her smile unwavering. _"And I'm particularly proud of the four of you! It takes great skill to kill a Nuckelavee."_

"D'aw, shucks!" Nora waved. "It was nothin'!"

Pyrrha put a hand over her heart. "All in the line of duty, Professor Goodwitch. And we will make sure to help you out in your time of need as well."

" _I appreciate that, Pyrrha."_ Glynda thanked before eyeing the Arc sisters behind them. _"But… I have a feeling that you and your team are going to be rather busy this afternoon."_

Jaune moved his head around to see all of his sisters giving him a worried gaze, afraid that he would go back on his promise. "Oh, yeah. I DID say we'd spend some time here until Caesar arrived. Sorry, Professor."

But Goodwitch raised a reassuring hand. _"No problem at all, Jaune. I understand. Besides, after the feat you and your team pulled off yesterday, you four deserve a break."_

Yang gave Jaune's shoulder a small nudge. "Yeah, Vomit Boy, don't worry about it! I'm sure the rest of us can hunt down _one_ rabid dog monster. We'll be fine, especially with Team CFVY, Cooper AND Jessie there to back us up." However, it was at that moment when Yang realized something; "Wait…" She tilted her head to Goodwitch, giving her a confused gaze. "Prof, if Jessie ISN'T the special guest you're talking about… then who IS?"

Goodwitch held up a single finger to the Blonde Brawler. _"THAT is something you kids will just have to come and see for yourselves."_

Ben narrowed his eyes at the woman's answer. "Okay, I give, how big of a surprise is this?"

" _A VERY big one, I assure you."_ Goodwitch promised. _"For now though, I have a few important things to do before you kids get here, and I have a feeling you do as well."_

"Yeah, I guess…" Yang said with a hint of suspiscion before giving Glynda a wave. "We'll see you later, Prof."

" _And I'm looking forward to it."_ Goodwitch reciprocated. _"Bye for now, everyone."_ And with that, the communication ended, leaving Ben, Yang, Team JNPR and the Arc sisters to ponder just what was going on.

"Wow, what could it be?" Violette spoke up first. "I mean… a Beowolf-like creature that can _talk_?"

Azure put a hand to her chin in thought. "It sounds utterly preposterous." She then raised a brow over to Ben. "But then again, considering the things you told us about, Ben, I suppose that isn't surprising."

Ben could only give her a shrug. "Yeah, that's pretty much my quid pro quo. I deal with the insane stuff so that others don't have to… even if I gotta get my ass kicked."

Verte raised her hand. "So… what do we do now?"

"Well… it probably won't be long until my mom ends the training session." Yang figured before jabbing her thumb toward the basement. "Wanna go downstairs and do something fun until they get back?"

"Oh, that sounds like a grand idea!" Pyrrha said as she stood up. "I've been wanting to get back to playing Ocarina of Time for a while now! Let me just go get Romulus and Rema from upstairs, okay?"

At the Invincible Girl's word, the whole group began flocking over to the stairs in a sea of almost totally blonde hair. However, Yang stopped when she saw that Ben was still standing in the living room, her boyfriend visibly lost in his own thoughts. "Uh… Green Boy? You in there?"

Ben's eyebrows snapped up, his head whipping over to his girlfriend. "O-Oh, yeah, Goldie Locks, I'm good. It's just… I'm still thinking of that creature Goodwitch mentioned."

Yang gave him a pat on the shoulder followed up with a peck on the lips. "Aw, I'm sure it'll be alright. _All_ of us against _one_ of it? Whatever that thing is, we'll take care of it."

"Heh, yeah, I'm pretty sure we'll be okay." Ben chuckled. "C'mon, let's head downstairs." The hero took Yang's hand into his and they headed toward the stairs, though he was still thinking about the monstrous dog creature a little bit. _'…Why do I have a bad feeling about this?'_

* * *

**A/N: Ah, a nice casual chapter to bookend the last arc. And man, it looks like things are starting to gear up! We got some more family bonding moments with Raven, a fun little introduction to Gutrot for the rest of the group, and of course, Caesar and Kenny calling in to the squad to make sure everybody's ready. Plus, Jaune's sisters coming over for a visit is always a treat. But man, what great timing on Saphron and Terra's part, huh? Coming in right at the end of** _**Rocky** _ **and ending up settling on a rather familiar baby name thanks to it. What a stroke of luck! But from what Goodwitch is saying, it seems things aren't going all that well up at Beacon. Well, with any luck, our heroes will figure out just what the heck's going on. But what about Ben's bad feeling? Or this surprise guest? Well, we'll just have to find out… NEXT TIME! After Raven returns with the rest of the team, the teens waste no time in having Tetrax take them to Beacon. Once there, they end up seeing a few familiar faces… and one VERY special guest. However, as the team splits off into the Emerald Forest, they might end up finding something MUCH more than they had bargained for… Thanks for reading guys, and I'll see you next time! Stay safe and take care!**


	91. Of Allies and Enemies

**A/N: Hey everyone, welcome back! So, concerning the new villain for this chapter; remember how I like to take Omniverse villains like Swift and Thunderhog and reinvent them for this story? Well, I did so again… but NOT with an Omniverse villain this time. No, this one's a bit more… I don't know if "controversial" is the right word, but it's the closest one I could come up with. But I'll tell you what's NOT controversial; the special guest we have at Beacon today! I've been eager to add this character into the story since their debut, so let's not waste any more time, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 91: Of Allies and Enemies**

* * *

Outside of the Xiao Long family home, Ben was walking out toward the Rustbucket with Yang by his side, the couple smiling as they strode toward the motor home. It hadn't been long since they and the others had gotten off the comm with Professor Goodwitch, and in that time, Ben had realized one big thing; he hadn't told his grandfather about ANY of this yet. "Jeez, I gotta get my head in the game!"he scolded himself."Of all people, Grandpa Max has gotta get a heads up for stuff like this."

Yang gave him a little nudge in his side. "Ah, don't beat yourself up there, Green Boy. I'm sure your gramps won't mind bein' a little late to the news."

"Yeah, I know. But still, after all he's done for me, the least I can do is keep him filled in on everything." The duo finally made it up to the Rustbucket door and Ben gave a knock. "Grandpa Max?! It's Ben and Yang!"

"Oh, kids, come in!" Max called from inside, prompting Ben to open the door. "You two came at the perfect time, too." The moment Ben and Yang stepped in, Max turned around from his oven, revealing a large pot full of reddish-brown stew that seemed to have odd clumps in it. "You're just in time to help me test the cockroach chili recipe that Raven gave me about last night." The old man closed his eyes and took a big whiff, not even seeing the new pale green complexion that Yang and his grandson now sported. "Mmm… and it already smells _delicious_."

Resisting the urge to wretch his popcorn from earlier, Ben kept himself together and swallowed hard, regaining his composure. "Uh… thanks grandpa, but I've actually got some pretty good news to share with you."

Max brightened up at the mention of good news. "Oh, I'm guessing it's to do with today's big jump?" He set the pot back down and picked up a large, wooden spoon, continuing to stir the cockroach chili. "I remember Caesar saying that he was aiming for today."

"That's right." Yang answered as she and Ben sat down at the table. However, when she did, she felt her thigh hit something soft, making her go; "Huh?" Yang's eyes snapped down, but she immediately brightened up to see a familiar canine face. "Zwei?!" She picked the little corgi up, rubbing her nose against his. "What're you doin' in here, ya silly goose?!"

"Oh, he likes to keep me company during the day." Max answered with a chuckle. "Since you kids are always so busy with your missions, he's taken quite the liking to the Rustbucket."

Yang's face fell at the revelation, pulling Zwei in for a hug. "Aw, I'm sorry, Zwei, we HAVE been really busy lately, haven't we?" She made sure to scratch right behind his ears, making his tail wag even faster. "I promise we'll spend some quality time with ya real soon."

"That's good to hear." Max said, turning his head back to them. "So, today IS the big day, huh?"

"Yes, indeed." Ben nodded. "We were actually going to meet Caesar up at Beacon Academy, and we were wondering if you wanted to come along and see it."

"Ah, now that sounds like a great idea." Max agreed as he poured himself a bowl of chili and reached for a bag of tortilla chips, the old man turning to face the couple soon after. "I've been loafing around in one spot for a bit longer than I'm used to, anyways. A little afternoon excursion sounds like a great idea."

Ben gave his grandfather a small smile. "I'm glad you think so, grandpa. But there is ONE other thing… we might have a fight on our hands when we get there."

This caught Max's attention, making him quirk a brow. "Well, what do you mean, Ben?"

"During our call, Professor Goodwitch mentioned to us that there's a Beowolf-lookin' beast out in the Emerald Forest." Yang explained. "She's sent a couple teams of Huntsmen in there to deal with the Grimm, but every single one has come back telling her about this thing."

Max put a hand to his chin, thinking about the information presented to him. "Hmm… that IS a bit mysterious. Maybe one of Animo's experiments?"

"Well, that's what we thought, too." The Blonde Brawler affirmed. "But the more we thought about it, the more it doesn't really make sense. What we DO know is that it's extremely violent… and it can apparently talk."

Max was about to dip a chip into the chili, but as Yang told him the details, the old Plumber was putting them together in his mind. Before he knew it, something clicked, and his eyes widened as the grip on his chip slightly tightened, causing it to break in his hands. "Oh… I see. Then we might be dealing with something more here."

Ben could see the sudden change in his grandfather's demeanor, making his brows furrow in concern. "Grandpa, are you okay? Do you have an idea about what we're facing?"

"…Maybe, it's just a hunch." Max replied as he set down his chili bowl. "But now that you mention it, it probably IS a good idea I head with you kids. I'll go get some gear and I'll meet you on Tetrax's ship."

Yang's eyebrows rose up. "Oh, yeah, we should go call Tetrax. The gang's gonna be back any minute now." She got up and put Zwei on the ground, clapping her hands for him to follow her. "C'mon, Zwei! Let's go inside! Pyrrha's brought out Rommy and Rema, so why don't we get you down there too?"

As he watched his girlfriend and her dog leave though, Ben was still a little suspicious about his grandfather's behavior. _'I've seen him act this way before, and it almost always has something to do with unfinished business.'_ As he thought about it more though, he decided not to press the matter further, at least for now. _'Better to let him think about this first before I confront him.'_ He gave his grandfather a wave as he made for the door. "Alright, grandpa, we'll probably be leaving soon, alright?"

Max returned the wave with a small grin. "Right, Ben. I'll be ready." The moment his grandson left his abode though, Max turned back toward the bowl full of chili in front of him, his mind retreating to his inner most thoughts. "The sooner the better. I only hope and pray that this ISN'T what I think it is..."

* * *

It hadn't been long since Raven sent Team JNPR back to the Xiao Long house, and by then, Rex, Weiss and Penny had finished their spar against her. The trio were thankful that it didn't take as long as they thought, but they were still exhausted as the whole team began filing out in front of the tribe leader. With Winter and Athena standing beside her, Raven looked out toward the group and gave them a proud grin. "Excellent job, everyone. You all performed quite well today. Now, I think it's time we head back."

Athena took a quick glance at her watch, seeing that it was now twelve-thirty. "Oh my, you're right. Caesar should be here in three hours or so."

"Indeed." Winter nodded her head toward the teens. "And we have to get them up to Beacon sometime soon."

"Not a problem." Raven assured before using Omen to slice open another portal, no doubt leading right to Yang. "C'mon, kids, move along!" At her command, the teens all began moving into the portal, though their movements were quite sluggish. Raven, Athena and Winter were the last to go through, but when they stepped out of the other side, they were surprised to find themselves outside on the front lawn of the Xiao Long house. What's more, Tetrax's ship was already there waiting for them. "What in the…" Raven uttered.

"Woah!" Kevin exclaimed. "Guess Ben didn't waste time calling Tetrax, then."

Gwen put her hand to her chin in thought. "I wonder why, though? We're not due there for a while yet…"

Just then, a familiar voice spoke up from behind them; "Hey guys!" The whole group spun around to see Yang, Ben and Team JNPR all standing on the front porch, the six teens waving over to them. "We were wonderin' when you were gonna show up!" Yang called out again.

"Uh… hey guys." Blake answered back, with the group walking over to meet up with them. "We didn't think you'd already called Tetrax over."

Sun jerked a thumb over to the ship. "Yeah, I mean, we don't gotta leave until like, maybe three, right?"

Ben visibly winced at this. "…Yeah, about that, there's been a bit of change in plans." The hero nudged his head toward the door. "See, about half an hour ago, we were about to call Professor Goodwitch to tell her about the big jump… but she ended up calling _us_ first. There's been a bit of a problem over at Beacon and we need to investigate."

Everyone's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?" Weiss asked. "Did she say what it was?"

"Apparently there's some sort of large, talking dog creature stalking the Emerald Woods." Jaune answered. "The Huntsmen that Goodwitch sent in ended up not being enough to bring it down." He pointed out to the crowd. "And that's where you guys come in."

Neptune raised a single brow at that. "Wait… whaddya mean by that, dude?"

Jaune put a hand behind his head. "Well… my sisters came all this way, and I'd hate to leave 'em high and dry."

"Ah, I see." Rex nodded in understanding. "Well, _no problema_ , Jaune. Besides, you guys already pulled enough weight yesterday." He jerked a thumb toward himself. "We'll take care of whatever mess is goin' on over in those woods."

However, Gwen crossed her arms as a concerned expression came over her face. "Well, I guess it's fine..." Her eyes focused onto Nora. "I just thought that _you'd_ want to be there to see your idea come through, Nora."

Nora gave her a wink. "Ah, but we CAN still be there." She pointed right at Gwen and then Raven. "That is, if either of you don't mind transporting us there when four o'clock rolls around."

Raven and Gwen looked at each other before going back to the Pink Dynamo. "Well… I suppose that IS an option." Raven surmised. "I mean, I wasn't exactly _thrilled_ to be going back to Beacon anyway, so I suppose I could stay here until the time rolls around."

"A sound idea, Raven." Athena concurred. "I'll stay here for the time being, too." She walked up and put an arm around Pyrrha's shoulder. "Besides, anytime I get to spend with the Arc family is a good time in my book."

Pyrrha gave her mother a light nudge to the arm. "If you say so, mom." The Invincible Girl then sent Gwen a soft smile. "To be honest though… I was sort of hoping that _you'd_ stay too, Gwen. I'm picking Ocarina of Time back up and I'd like to have you along for the ride, if that isn't any trouble."

Gwen pursed her lips in thought. "Well, that IS tempting. If we're lucky, we can probably get through the Shadow and Spirit Temples before Caesar gets here…" She gave her cousin and her boyfriend a quick glance. "That is, if you guys will be okay without me coming with you."

"Hey don't worry, cous'." Ben said with a raised hand. "We don't mind if you wanna stick around here for now."

Kevin gave her a thumbs up. "Yeah, you were no slouch yesterday either when it came to roundin' up those Lancers. Do whatever you want, babe, we won't object."

Gwen gave the boys a grateful smile. "Well alright, I guess that's that, then." She turned toward Pyrrha and raised a fist to the Invincible Girl. "Okay, Pyrrha, let's do this!"

"Huzzah!" Pyrrha cheered. "Come on, Jaune's sisters are already downstairs waiting for us!" The redheads gave their friends a wave before disappearing into the house. "Goodbye, everyone! I wish you good luck on your hunt!"

Gwen followed her friend's lead. "Yeah, and be safe, guys. I want you all to be in one piece when we get there, okay?"

"Will do, Gwen!" Ruby waved back. "And good luck yourself, Pyrrha!"

Raven sighed and faced her daughter, giving her a small smirk. "Well, I should probably head in, too. Maybe I'll see about whipping up something for you guys when you all get back if Tai runs a little late."

Yang grinned back and shook her head. "It still amazes me that you know how to cook."

The tribe leader quirked a brow down to the blonde. "What, you think just because I was a nomadic, murderous thief meant I didn't know how to cook?" She gave her daughter a playful nudge. "What do you take me for, young lady?"

"Hehe, okay, okay, point taken." Yang moved up and met her mom with a hug. "We'll talk to you later, ma."

Raven returned the gesture immediately. "Of course, Yang. And have a good hunt." She craned her head up toward the crowd and gave them a salute. "And that goes for the rest of you as well. Am I clear?"

"You sure are, Raven!" Ruby replied. "We'll see you guys in a while!" Once everyone had all said their goodbyes, the rest of Team JNPR and Athena followed Raven into the house, leaving everyone else outside and at the ready. "Alright, let's do this!" Ruby shouted in determination.

"Indeed." Winter spoke up. "If we wish to get this mission done before Caesar arrives, then we should probably leave as soon as possible."

Ben clapped his hands together. "That's just what I wanted to hear! But first, we're gonna stop by Beacon." The hero raised a single finger and gave his friends a wink. "Because Professor Goodwitch said that there's gonna be a special guest there. And get this; she WASN'T talking about Jessie."

This caught everyone's attention, with Penny giving an; "Ooooh, now THAT'S mysterious!" Her eyes trailed upward, pondering over the unknown guest. "I wonder who it could be?"

Next to her, Ilia gave a simple shrug. "Guess we're just gonna have to find out."

"My thoughts exactly!" Yang agreed before thrusting a finger toward the Resolute. "Now c'mon, guys! Mr. Tennyson and Doctor Holiday are already waiting for us on the ship!"

Those words took Kevin by surprise. "Woah, wait a minute." His eyes went back over to Ben. "I didn't think your grandpa would be comin' with us, dude."

Ben let out a small chuckle as everyone began to board the Resolute. "Yeah well, he said that he didn't wanna miss it." His face then became a bit more serious at the next point he brought up. "Plus, he seemed kinda concerned about something when I told him about Goodwitch's dog problem. The moment I mentioned it, he suggested he'd come along, just in case."

Kevin's brows furrowed at this. "Ya think he knows what this thing is?"

"Maybe…" Ben scratched the side of his head. "But to be fair to him, I just can't help but get a bad feeling when _I_ think about it, too."

Overhearing the conversation, Yang turned around to her boyfriend in curiosity. "Why, Green Boy? Have you faced off with any dog creatures in the past?"

"Well, yes." Everyone came to a stop inside the cargo hold and gathered around Ben as the ramp began lifting up, the ship's engines beginning to start up. "Years ago, back when I was ten, Gwen, Grandpa Max and I faced off against a Loboan called The Yenaldooshi." From the crowd, the hero heard a few snickers, which he rolled his eyes at. "Yes, yes, the name IS kinda funny-sounding, thanks for noticing." He lifted the Omnitrix and showed it off. "Anyways, we thought it was just a normal werewolf at first, but when it turned out to be an alien, I got its DNA. It also happened to be working for Zs'Skayr."

"Huh, what a coincidence." Weiss placed a single hand on her hips. "So you're thinking this dog creature could be this Yenal-whatever?"

"That's the thing; I don't think it _is_." Ben stressed, raising two fingers. "And for two big reasons; one, the Yenaldooshi didn't talk, at least from what I can remember. And two… because we didn't have it imprisoned at the Bellwood Plumber base. The Plumbers found the Yenaldooshi years ago and carted it off-world."

Blake folded her arms across her chest. "Hmm… now that's VERY strange." she admitted. "Wonder what it could be, then?"

Just then, a new voice spoke up from behind the group of teens; "That is what we're going to go find out, Blake." Everyone turned around to see Max approaching them, the aged Plumber now decked out in a Plumber's uniform and an energy rifle slung to his back. He wore a kind smile as he came to a halt. "After all, it really could be anything. Maybe it's one of Animo's experiments, or maybe it's more than that. Who knows?"

"Kinda seems a bit low key for Animo, though." Sun pointed out. "Doesn't he usually like to make a big deal outta his creations?"

Max gave him a nod. "You're right, Sun, but he's also working for Salem, so she could have ordered him not to make a big fuss about it and just leave it there for us to find."

Neptune scratched the top of his head. "Well, I guess we can't rule THAT out, either."

However, Ben wore a suspicious expression on his face. "Alright, grandpa, be honest… what do you think it REALLY is?" He placed his hands to his hips, giving his grandfather a serious gaze. "We know that it can't be a Loboan, and you seemed pretty worried when I told you about it. It's obvious that you know something WE don't, so what's the matter?"

"It _would_ be better for us to know what we could be facing, Max." Winter pressed further. "If you know something, please tell us."

Max sighed at this, nodding his head slowly. "Well, I'm afraid that's kind of a long story on my part." He went to sit down on one of the nearby benches, cupping his hands together as he did. "To tell you the truth… I'm thinking that we may have another escaped prisoner on our hands, one from my Plumber heydays that I had hoped wouldn't ever escape."

Penny's eyes widened in intrigue. "Ooh… story time?"

Max chuckled and beckoned the teens over, prompting them to gather around him. "Hehe, yes, I suppose it is. Gather 'round an' let ol' Grandpa Max tell you a story." The teens all clustered around the aged Plumber and he cupped his hands together, preparing himself for the tale he was about to tell. "Well, let's see… it was about twenty-five years ago," he pointed over to Kevin. "And Kevin, this was when your father started his partnership with me."

Kevin smirked at that. "Aw, sweet!"

"Hmhm, yes. We were actually going through the Antares star system when it happened." Max held his hands up for emphasis. "We were tracking this alien criminal through the system, and as it happened, he was also a dog-like alien, very vicious, and had the ability to speak… for the most part."

Rex raised a single brow. "What quantifies as "for the most part"?"

"He only spoke his native alien tongue." Max explained. "But that didn't stop him from beating the tar out of us." He started listing the numbers off on his fingers; "After fighting him, I had three broken ribs, two broken arms, and a dislocated pelvis, which was the source of my back issues for a long time afterwards. Plus, multiple lacerations all over my body."

Ilia couldn't help but wince at the description. "Ooh, that's bad. How did you beat him?"

" _I_ didn't." Max answered, nudging his head over to Kevin. "But his father did. Devin had to absorb the metal armor this alien had on him just so that he could take the brunt of his attacks… but not before the perp broke the lens of our Null Void projector." He grinned over to Kevin and let out a laugh. "Hah, your father… by god, he had to beat that criminal into submission just so he could cuff him."

Kevin pumped a fist at that. "Alright, go dad!"

Ben tilted his head. "So did you ever find out this alien's name?"

Max shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. We didn't have universal translators on Earth the time, so we couldn't understand him. And since he wasn't complying with the Plumbers, they just stuck him right into one of the most secure cells in the Bellwood headquarters without a trial. I tried to argue against that decision, but as usual, the higher ups thought they knew better." Max put a hand to his chin, pondering over the situation. "Call it a hunch, but I have a feeling that he's probably the last prisoner we have to account for."

"Hmm…" Kevin took out his Plumber's badge and brought up the prisoner database, scrolling through it to count off the prisoners. "Let's see… Rojo, Subdora, the Circus Freaks, Vulkanus…" after going through all of them, the Osmosian gave a shrug. "Yep, we know each prisoner's location… except for his." The last image Kevin landed on was a large, furry alien with canine ears, malicious eyes and a mouth guard over his muzzle. However, where his name was supposed to be were instead three question marks, along with a short, basic profile and some statistics such as height and weight.

Blake's ears shrunk back with fright. "Oh… that is one angry boy."

"I'll say." Weiss concurred. "I mean, dear god! He's a beast!"

"That's right." Max confirmed, pointing out toward the group. "And that means I want you all to be extra careful if you end up in a fight with him. Trust me, he's dangerous."

Yang gave the old man a thumbs up. "Don't worry, Mr. Tennyson, we'll be careful. We just have to put this puppy in his place before he really gets going." The blonde craned her head over and smiled toward her boyfriend. "Right, Ben?"

"Hm." Ben nodded back to her. "Yeah, and I'll be sure to find the right alien for the job."

Meanwhile, Ruby had decided to take a closer look at the holographic profile, her eyes narrowing in on the picture. "So, Mr. Tennyson… did you ever find out what kind of alien he was?"

Max shook his head, a disappointed expression on his face. "No, I'm afraid not, Ruby. What we DO know is the extent of his abilities, though; sharp teeth, great strength, a very powerful roar, though not AS strong as a Loboan's, and his fur can solidify into a sort of organic armor that's as strong as titanium."

Sun's jaw dropped in shock. "Holy crap… that's kind of awesome."

Ilia's eyebrows had rose up at the description. "Yeah, I'll say." She raised a brow over to Ben and asked; "Think you have an alien like that in the Omnitrix, Ben?"

"I dunno." Ben answered before crossed his arms with a slight smirk. "But if I do, I wanna unlock him soon."

"I'm not sure if you DO have him in your watch, Ben." Max answered. "While we weren't able to find out what _planet_ he's from, the few leads we had said that he's from the Andromeda Galaxy, so he's probably not in the Omnitrix."

Ben grinned in determination. "Well then, we've gotta solve THAT problem."

However, Penny was quick to point something out; "Um, Ben, I believe you're forgetting one little itsy-bitsy problem; you have to get _close_ to that monster." The redheaded android pointed right at that profile picture. "And considering the absolute malevolence in his eyes, I don't think he's going to let you do that without a fight."

Neptune purposefully backed away a little bit. "Yeah, I mean, even the picture itself is giving me goosebumps." He raised a brow toward Ben. "If you wanna fight him, dude, that's alright by me. But considering what he did to all of those _professional_ Hunters, I'm not sure if we'd be able to help you on that."

"Ah, c'mon, Neptune!" Yang said with a slight jab to the arm. "Where's you're bravery? Did ya leave it at home or something? If we work as a team, we'll be able to take Fido here down no problem!"

However, Winter gave the blonde a stern face. "There's a big difference between bravery and confidence, Yang. Yes, teamwork will be essential to taking this criminal down, but we also need to be smart about it."

Seeing the elder Schnee's demeanor, Yang immediately put the brakes on her pep talk and gave her a nod. "Right, I gotcha, Winter. Like I said, we'll be careful."

"I'm glad to hear that, Yang." Max said before the sound of opening doors caught everyone's attention. The group turned their heads to see Dr. Holiday, Swift and Tetrax all disembark the elevator and make their way over to the group, with Max giving the three of them a nod. "Afternoon, everyone." He then sent Swift a small grin. "Swift, I see you're enjoying being up and about."

Swift returned the smile graciously. "Yes, and it feels great! It's not much space, but it's better than I had it before, that's for sure."

Tetrax stepped up and offered Max a handshake. "Afternoon, Max. I'm glad you could join us for this little excursion."

The old man returned the Petrosapien's gesture. "Heh, wouldn't miss it. Besides, it's not like there's anything for me to do at home today." Max then set his sights on Holiday. "So, is everything ready on Caesar's end, doctor?"

"Almost." Holiday answered. "There's still a few things he needs to take care of before the jump. He's due to make it around four o'clock though."

Max nodded toward her. "Good, then that means, with any luck, we'll be able to hunt down our escaped prisoner before then."

Holiday quirked a brow at that. "You mean the dog creature that Ben mentioned? He's an escaped prisoner?"

However, this got Swift's eyes to widen considerably. "Wait… so you're telling me the rumors were ACTUALLY true?!"

This only made the teens even more curious, with Ilia moving over to Swift's side the moment she said that. "What do you mean, Swift? What rumors?"

Swift's gaze went to Ilia, a worried expression having overtaken her face. "Throughout the Plumber prison, there were rumors that a really dangerous canine-like alien criminal had been locked down in the lower levels for over two decades. The prisoners all treated it like some kind of horror story, but…" She glanced back toward Max. "You're saying it's _real_?"

Max gave her a solemn nod. "It is. Me and my partner were the ones who brought him in."

"Dear god…" Swift grasped Ilia's shoulders in concern. "Ilia, whatever you do, _be careful_. I can't stress that enough. This thing, it's… it's worse than almost _any_ alien that even I have heard of if the stories are to be believed. The only one who _wasn't_ afraid of it was Vilgax himself."

This made Ilia, as well as a few of the other teens, gulp with apprehension. "…I don't know much about Vilgax, but even _I_ know that means this criminal must be pretty bad."

"Yeah, you're right." Ben admitted, putting a finger to his chin in thought. After a few minutes though, he came up with an idea; "Okay, so I think I have a solution." He raised an arm up and gestured across the room. "Beacon is going to need some added defense from this criminal if he decides to move toward the school itself. And, if he ends up causing a panic, then we all know what that means."

"Another possible Grimm attack." Ruby answered. "And we can't let that happen."

"Exactly." Ben confirmed. "So, if there's anyone who wants to help out with that department, then you can stay behind while the rest of us go in to hunt down the perp." The hero raised a single finger. "Besides, it's better to have more hands up and at the ready than sending them all in at once."

Max beamed with pride at his grandson's logic. "Excellent thinking, Ben. A good plan if ever I heard one." The old Plumber directed his focus onto the rest of the team and asked; "What do you kids think?" He received a round of affirming statements from the team, all of them willing to follow the plan.

Ben pumped a fist into the air. "Great! Now how about we bring this last criminal in, huh?!" The Omnitrix bearer received an uproarious "YEAH!" from the crowd, which only helped fuel their determination. _'This might just work out.'_

* * *

About twenty minutes after their meeting, the group had to steady themselves as the Resolute finally landed on the Beacon docking port, the spacecraft lowering its ramp to allow its passengers to disembark. However, as Ben, Kevin, Rex, Team RWBY, Penny and Team SN all left the ship, Ilia had stuck to the back of the group to have a small conversation with Swift before she left. Although at the moment, the Aerophibian-hybrid was currently dumbfounded by what the chameleon girl had just told her. "You mean you _haven't_ told Blake yet?!" she whispered.

"How _could_ I?!" Ilia harshly whispered back. "She had her first kiss with Sun last night! I wasn't about to ruin a moment like that!"

Swift pursed her lips at this, finding that Ilia DID have a point. "Hmm, yeah, I'll give you that." She gave her friend a small nudge to the shoulder. "But hey, today's still good, right? All ya gotta do is get Blake alone so that you can tell her." Swift raised her hand up to Ilia, giving her a smile. "Now I know what you're gonna say; "easier said than done". But I've got faith in ya, Freckles. I know you can do it."

Ilia raised a determined fist, returning the grin. "Thanks, Swift. I WILL say what I need to say today. No more excuses."

"Atta girl!" Swift gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Now go on, they're all heading out already."

Ilia's gaze shifted toward the ramp, where Max, Winter, and Holiday were leaving. "Oh! Right, I'll see you later then?"

"Count on it." Swift saluted, which Ilia reciprocated before disembarking the ship. The moment she did though, Swift let out a sigh. "Best of luck, Ilia."

The moment Ilia stepped off the ship, she was taken aback by the enormous campus that was laid out before her, her eyes immediately spotting the giant tower that was right in the middle of all of it. Yes, the place was still partially demolished, but even then, countless students and faculty were hard at work cleaning it up. "Woah, so this is Beacon Academy, huh? It's… a lot bigger than I thought it'd be."

"Heh, that's a lot of people's first reaction." Blake chuckled, reaching her hand out to lead her friend toward the main building. "C'mon, we'll show you around. Maybe once things get going around here again, you could come here too."

Ilia gave a nervous laugh at that. "Uh… heh, maybe. To be honest, after being in the White Fang for so long, the thought of being a Huntress is a little odd to me."

Sun gave her a thumbs up. "Ah, I wouldn't worry about it too much. I mean, you're a good person and you're a natural with that weapon of yours." He swiped his hand out in an arc in front of him. "If you put your mind to it, I'm sure you'd shoot through first year like _nothin'_."

"Sun's right, you'd be a natural." Neptune supported.

Blake tilted her head toward her friend a slight bit. "How about you let me introduce you to Professor Goodwitch first. Then maybe you can think it over a bit?"

Ilia bobbed her head back and forth, pondering over the offer. "Well… sure, I think that's fair."

"Alright!" Blake cheered. "Glad to hear it, Ilia!"

A bit farther ahead, Holiday was busy looking around the whole place, utterly stunned by how huge the place was. "My god, I don't think there are even COLLEGES back on Earth that can compare to this campus!"

Weiss' eyes darted to Holiday in realization. "Oh yeah! You haven't BEEN to Beacon before, have you, Doctor Holiday?"

"No, I haven't." Holiday confirmed, still gazing around the wrecked campus. "I have to admit though, this place has seen better days."

"Yes, it has." Winter spoke up. "As its name suggests, it was once a shining beacon of hope throughout the kingdom of Vale… but now here it is. A shell of its former self thanks to Salem."

Rex gave the white-haired woman a wave. "Ah, it'll be okay." He gestured out toward all of the students helping clean up around the grounds. "The people here are pretty determined to get this place back in shape, that's for sure."

Up near the front of the group, Ben, Yang, Kevin, Ruby and Penny were leading the way, with Max staying in step just behind them. Ben and Yang in particular were keeping a sharp eye out across the school grounds, searching for any signs of negative emotions in the students' faces. "Hmm, well, I don't see any signs of distress here, so that's good." Ben stated.

"Yeah, everybody seems to be in a good mood." Yang smiled. "Even if they ARE on clean up duty." The blonde shifted her eyes around some more before noticing something else; "Huh, I don't see Team CFVY or any of our other buds around here. Wonder where they're at?"

"Goodwitch'll probably know." Kevin commented. "Though I gotta wonder where SHE'S at."

"She's probably in the amphitheater." Penny pointed toward the one of the bigger school buildings. "It's where she can most effectively coordinate the student jobs."

"Yeah, let's go see her!" Ruby said with enthusiasm, leading the group up to the amphitheater. When the group got to the large building, they saw a bunch of other students moving around and congregating with one another, talking about their jobs for the day. Many stopped to greet them along the way, with a few of them even waving down Ben and Kevin to say hello. Finally, they made their way inside, and sure enough, meeting with a bunch of other students in the very center, was Glynda Goodwitch. "There she is!" Ruby said with a wave. "Hi, professor!"

Glynda's eyes immediately snapped up, a wide grin appearing on her face the moment she saw the team enter. "Oh! Hello, everyone! I'm very glad to see you could make it." She approached the group and gave them a welcoming bow. "I'm sorry again if this all seems a bit sudden. I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this, but…"

"It's quite alright, professor." Max reassured as he came forward from the group. "We'll take care of your dog problem, and that's a Plumber's word."

The old man's presence slightly took Glynda by surprise. "Why thank you, Max. I have to say, I didn't expect you to show up here today, but I appreciate any help you can give" However, the headmistress' eyes lit up when she saw Penny in particular. "Oh, Penny! I'm _especially_ glad youcould make it." Glynda stepped forward and took her hands eagerly. "Our special guest has been hoping to see _you_ in particular."

Everyone stopped and looked toward Penny, the redheaded android surprised by news. She pointed to herself and asked; "Me? They want to see _me_ the most?"

With her elated smile still present, Glynda went on; "Oh, like you wouldn't believe. We told them about your wellbeing and they had insisted they come to see you immediately. It took a few days of planning, but they're finally here." She gestured over toward the nearby exit on the other side of the building. "Jessie's actually keeping our guest preoccupied in the student lounge not far away, so would you all please follow me?"

"Oh, um… sure." Penny said hesitantly as she and the others began following Goodwitch. As they went however, she attempted to think about who this mysterious guest actually was. _'The professor used the term "them" a lot.'_ Penny pondered in her head. _'Meaning she might be trying to keep their gender a secret from me.'_ She began analyzing the databanks of people she knew, and she came across a few options; the first being her team from Atlas Academy. _'Though that's highly unlikely._ _They never REALLY considered me to be a part of their team anyway.'_ She then came upon her next option… and it made her eyes widen. _'Wait… could she be talking about—'_

However, her thoughts were cut off when Glynda spoke up again. "By the way, I couldn't help but notice the new face among your group." The woman craned her head toward Ilia and offered her a kind smile and extended her hand in greeting. "Hello, young lady. I'm Professor Glynda Goodwitch. And I believe your name is Ilia, right?"

Ilia's eyebrows snapped up and she immediately returned the handshake. "O-Oh, yes, Ilia Amitola. Pleased to meet you. But… how did you know that?"

"Jessie has already told me about you." Glynda elaborated. "From what I understand, you're a friend of Blake's?"

Blake immediately moved up a bit so that she was next to the two ladies. "That's right. She used to be in the White Fang, like me, and she only just recently defected away from them."

Glynda gave them a nod. "Ah, I see. Then perhaps you're hoping to become a Huntress?" She waved her hand along the hallway they were walking down. "Maybe even joining our academy when it returns in the next semester?"

Ilia gave her a small shrug. "Well… maybe, I'm still weighing my options. I mean, I've only _just_ recently joined this team, and I'm still a bit uncertain about going here or even becoming a full-fledged Huntress."

"I understand." Glynda accepted. "Well, if you like what you see here or even change your mind, let me know and I'll put you on the roll for next year if you want, okay?"

"I will, thank you." Ilia bowed respectively. "I only hope the academy CAN open in the next semester. Salem's Grimm and Adam's White Fang really did a number on this place."

The headmistress nodded solemnly. "That they did. But don't worry, we are hard at work to make sure Beacon is up and running by the start of the new year." Glynda pointed up toward the lights shining down on them. "It helps that we've had Cooper to help out with the electrical work."

"Where IS Cooper anyway, Professor?" Ben asked. "I thought I'd see him around today."

Glynda turned toward a nearby window, nudging her head slightly out to a building that was just a few yards away. "He and Team CFVY should be in the dining pavilion at the moment. They and Team CDNL have been busy removing rubble from inside the buildings."

Kevin let out a chortle at that. "Hehe, sounds like _tons_ o' fun!"

"Yeah, sure." Neptune said with a roll of his eyes. "I've sure they're having the time of their life." He raised his head up and asked something else of the professor; "So, uh, the Huntsmen you sent out do deal with the Grimm… how bad were they beaten up by this dog creature?"

Glynda sighed and shook her head. "Very badly, I'm afraid. Some of them even came back traumatized by what they had seen." She directed her gaze out toward the team. "Which is why I called you in; I knew you would all understand and fair better against this thing than any other Hunter has."

"Well, you're right on the money with the understanding part." Ben confirmed, jerking his thumb toward his grandfather. "Because after telling my grandpa about it, he pretty much figured out what we're dealing with."

This news took Glynda aback a bit. "Really?" She faced Max in surprise. "Well then… what exactly is it?"

Max brought up his own Plumber's badge and showed her the mug shot of the canine-like alien perp, a serious expression once again taking to his features. "He's an alien criminal that an old partner of mine brought down. We brought him in, and ever since, he'd been contained in one of the highest security cells of the Plumber's Bellwood headquarters."

Glynda couldn't help but recoil a bit from the picture alone. "Oh lord… he's _horrifying_."

"Exactly." Max said as he deactivated his badge. "And unfortunately, he, like the rest of our villains, managed to escape when we got blasted here."

Rex raised his hand. "But good news; he's the last baddie we need to account for. The others are either with Salem OR already on Tetrax's ship."

"Oh, well that IS a relief of sorts." Glynda agreed. "I only hope he can be brought in _without_ Salem pulling him out from underneath us." She then looked toward Holiday with a raised brow. "So, Doctor Holiday, how IS this whole thing with the portal going to work?"

Holiday reached into the carrier bag she had slung over her shoulder and pulled out the interdimensional communicator, showing it to Glynda. "Well, when four o'clock rolls around, it'll be as simple as just turning on the communicator." The doctor explained. "It will give out a signal throughout the dimensions and allow Caesar to find where he needs to put his portal to enter into Remnant, hopefully directly where we are."

"Hm, I must say, your friend has certainly thought of everything." Glynda granted as the group finally approached the door leading to the student lounge. "Alright… here we are." The woman wore an excited smile as she pushed the door open, announcing into the room; "I'm back, you two! And I've brought our guests!"

The moment the team entered the room, the first person they saw was Jessie Jameson, the Vacuoan Huntress perking her head up the moment Goodwitch entered. In front of her was someone else though, a person who appeared to be sitting down in a chair. Jessie brightened up when she saw the group and tipped her cowgirl hat to them. "Howdy, ya'll! Glad you could be here today!"

"Hi Jess!" Yang waved back. "Good to see ya!"

Ben gave her a wave as well. "How's it been up here for you so far?"

"Aw, it's been… a bit hard seein' my ol' stompin' ground in this state." Jessie admitted with a shrug. "But I've been helpin' out 'round here as best as I possibly can." However, the cowgirl began to notice that there were a few absentees among the team. She tilted her head a bit and asked; "Hey, wait a second… where's Team JNPR? An' Ben, what about your cousin?"

"They all decided to stay home for a while." Ruby answered. "See, Jaune's sisters came for a visit and they didn't wanna leave 'em all alone."

Jessie pointed to Ruby and nodded in understanding. "Ah, I getcha. Still, it's a shame they won't be here 'til later." She smiled down to the sitting figure in front of her, whom everybody could see just from the back was an old man. "After all, I've got a feelin' they would've wanted to meet our… _very_ special guest."

Ben blinked before moving his eyes down to the sitting man. "Yeah, I was just about to ask, who IS this guest—wha…?" The hero trailed off when he saw the old man's chair, realizing that it was, in fact, no ordinary chair. At first, Ben had _thought_ it was a wheelchair, but a second glance revealed that it was in fact a chair… that had four mechanical legs. "Uh… what?"

However, before the boys could fully process what was going on, Penny made her way through the crowd, politely saying "Excuse me" and "Pardon me" as she did. The moment she came to the front however, she let out a gasp, with both of her hands going up to cover her mouth. Her bright green eyes had widened to the size of saucers and her voice was caught in her throat, unsure of what to say as the man's chair moved around so that he could see them. _'It… it IS him!'_ Penny screamed in her mind.

When the chair finally stopped, they saw that it was occupied by an elderly man with dark skin and shaggy grey hair, a bald spot on top of his head having been covered up by an olive-green cap. He had a full beard and mustache and wore a pair of glasses on the bridge of his nose, the lenses small and circular. He was somewhat portly and wore a cream-colored button up shirt beneath a deep crimson vest, with a pink bow tie adorning his neck. He also had a pair of pants that matched his hat, as well as a set of leather boots on his feet.

The moment his eyes landed on Penny though, he let out a slight gasp as well, staring at her for a moment before readjusting his glasses. After taking a second look, a kind yet slightly relieved smile adorned his features as he spoke in a happy, baritone voice; "Oh my stars… it's true." His chair moved forward, his eyes staying on Penny. "Darling… you really ARE back online! And here I thought it wouldn't be possible without bringing you back to Atlas."

Behind Penny, everyone's wore astonished expressions, their eyes all going to one another. "Darling?" Weiss echoed.

"Atlas?" Blake said again before realizing what was going on. "Wait… Penny, is he your—"

"FATHER!" Penny practically blasted forward, making the whole team behind her fall over from the burst of speed. The android practically glomped her father in a big hug, making the man laugh heartily as he immediately returned it. Penny had her eyes screwed shut as she buried her face into her father's neck. "You're here! I cannot believe you're actually here!"

The man's laughter only grew as he pat his daughter's back. "Oh-ho-ho, trust me, dear, when Ironwood told me of the practical _miracle_ your friends managed to pull off, I was in such disbelief that I HAD to come here and see you myself!" The two pulled away and the old man gave her a big grin. "But by the gods, I am just SO happy to see you again. And what's better, you seem to be in perfect condition!"

Penny gave him a salute. "Yessir! I have my new friends to thank for that!" She directed her eyes over to Jessie and Goodwitch, though she kept them mostly on the cowgirl. "I suppose I don't have to say "hello" to him for you now, huh?"

"Hehe, nope!" Jessie chuckled as she flipped the brim of her hat up. "He an' I've been talkin' almost since I got here. And our shared friendship with Hank has only helped things along."

Pietro laughed as well, giving Jessie a nod. "Indeed, it has. I knew Ol' Henry was part of a pretty famous team, but I didn't think I'd ever get the chance to meet any more of you."

"A pretty small world, if you ask me. Haha!" Penny surmised.

"Uh… Penny?" Ruby spoke up, catching the redhead's attention. Penny spun around to see everyone had stood back up, and they were all wearing very happy expressions at their friend's reunion with her father. Ruby stepped forward, her hands behind her back. "I don't suppose you wanna introduce us?"

Penny's eyebrows snapped up and her konked herself on the head. "Oh, right! Silly me, where ARE my manners?" The android leapt to the side and thrust her arm out toward her father, presenting him to her friends. "Everyone, I would like you all to meet my father, Doctor Pietro Polendina. He ALSO happens to be one of _the_ greatest scientific minds in ALL of Atlas!"

Pietro laughed once again, a hand going to his stomach. "Oh-ho, please, darling, no need to go tooting my horn for me. Besides, it's really nothin' to brag about." He gave the group a small bow of the head, his hand moving up to his chest. "But I must say, it's a pleasure to meet you all. From what Miss Goodwitch and Jessie have been telling me, you're ALL friends of my daughter, right?"

"That we are, sir!" Ruby said with a salute of her own. "My name is—"

"Oh, no, no, wait, don't tell me." Pietro spoke up, halting Ruby in mid-sentence. "You're Ruby Rose, aren't you?" He then waved his hand over to Blake, Yang and Weiss. "And those nice young ladies over there must be your team… Team RWBY, I believe."

Team RWBY's eyes widened simultaneously, with Yang crossing her arms while giving the old man a smirk. "Wow, he's good."

"How did you know about us?" Blake uttered in surprise.

Pietro chuckled and gestured over to Glynda. "Hehe, Miss Goodwitch has spared no details in telling me about your exploits. After all…" He put a hand to his daughter's arm. "You four _were_ the first friends my daughter made when she came here." Pietro set his sights on Ruby. "And from what I hear, you're my daughter's BEST friend."

With a cheeky smile, Ruby nodded her head. "Yeah, you hit the nail on the head there, Doctor Polendina." She sent her gaze toward Penny, the android returning it immediately. "And I'm really glad that she IS my friend."

"So am I, Ruby." Pietro reciprocated. "That, you can be assured of." He then moved his chair around so that he was facing Weiss, taking the heiress off guard a bit. "And Miss Schnee… I've heard that you've come a long way since you left Atlas."

Weiss shifted her eyes around awkwardly. "W-Well, I…"

"You should be quite proud!" Pietro went on, his soft smile still in place. "You're certainly giving the Schnee name quite a bit of an improvement from what I've heard." His eyes then went to Winter, who was standing not far away from her sister. "Same with you, Winter. Ironwood has told me about your exploits in Menagerie."

Winter grinned back to the man and closed her eyes briefly to him. "Thank you, doctor. These past few weeks have certainly allowed us to improve ourselves… much more than I initially thought we could, if I'm being honest."

"Hah, well, I'm glad to hear it." Pietro moved himself over to wear Sun and Neptune were standing. "And you all must be the two hooligans from Team SSSN that I've been hearing about, right?"

Sun and Neptune raised their eyebrows toward each other. "Hooligans?" Neptune asked, pointing to himself. "Us?" Throughout the room came a resounding; "YES!", which made Neptune flinch a little. The blue-haired boy rolled his eyes. "Oy, okay, yes, that's us."

"Nice to meet ya, Mr. Polendina." Sun greeted with a two-fingered salute.

"Haha! Likewise." Pietro laughed before spotting Ilia out of the corner of his eye. "Ah, and you must be Ilia."

Ilia gave a nervous laugh and a small wave to him. "Heh, yeah. It's a pleasure, sir."

"Indeed, it is." Pietro said before moving across the group once again, stopping just before he came to Ben, Kevin, Rex, Max and Holiday. "Ah, and now we come to the other-worlders! Oh-ho, I have been _very_ eager to meet all of you!"

Max let out his own chuckle and stepped forward, offering Pietro a handshake. "Hah, I'm sure. We've become quite the popular group. I'm Max Tennyson. It's nice to meet you, doctor."

Pietro returned the offered handshake with gusto. "Oh, haha, yes, same here! Miss Goodwitch told me a little bit about you, Max, but she told me she didn't think you'd be here. And please, feel free to call me Pietro."

"Heh, will do." Max nodded. "I have to say, I'm surprised I was mentioned to you at all. Usually it's the kids who do all the heavy lifting."

Pietro poked at his beard with a lopsided grin. "Er, well… Miss Goodwitch didn't exactly have much to say 'bout you, but she DID tell me that you were an experienced space cop… with a _unique_ sense of taste."

To that, Max simply gave a shrug. "Heh, ya got me dead to rights, Pietro."

The two elderly men shared a brief laugh before Pietro focused over to another pair that were standing near him. "And let me see… you are Doctor Rebecca Holiday and Kevin Levin, correct?"

Holiday smiled and offered her own handshake, which Pietro reciprocated once again. "Why yes, I am. Pleased to meet you, doctor. I must say, your daughter has quite the shining personality. She is just SO pleasant to be around."

"I'm very glad you think so, doctor." Pietro thanked. "She IS my little ray of sunshine, after all, hehe."

Penny couldn't help but blush at the nickname. "Father! Please not in front of my friends!"

"Ah, c'mon, Pen." Kevin said while giving Penny a nudge. "No need to be embarrassed. My mom called me a TON of nicknames when I was a kid."

But the redheaded android shot him a deadpan face. "Well I obviously was NOT a kid, Kevin. Thusly, I find it a bit embarrassing."

Pietro chuckled and held up a hand to his daughter. "Hehe, alright, darling, I'll stop." Finally, Pietro made his way over to Ben and Rex, locking his eyes with the two young men with a kind gaze. "And you two… you must be Ben Tennyson and Rex Salazar, correct?"

"Sure are." Ben confirmed, mentally noting that Pietro sounded a little familiar the more he spoke. Almost like… Tetrax, oddly enough. _'How do I keep finding people who have voices similar to people I know?'_ he thought to himself.

Rex jabbed a thumb to himself. "In the flesh, Doctor P. Also, your chair is freaking _awesome_."

"Haha! Why, thank you." Pietro smiled before a somewhat sheepish expression overtook his face. "So tell me, boys… are the both of you REALLY capable of doing what Miss Goodwitch _says_ you can do?" He held his hands up for emphasis. "What with all the aliens and giant nanite-powered weapons? I heard that your abilities were what helped fix my daughter, so I was hoping to see them."

Ben and Rex smirked to each other, nodded, and then went back to Pietro, with Ben waving his hand to the old man. "You might wanna back your chair up a bit, doctor." Pietro did as he asked, with everyone else in the room giving the duo space as well. Once a big circle had been formed around them, Ben and Rex went to work, with the latter activating his Smack Hands while Ben transformed. In a flash of green light, he had become… _"UPGRADE!"_

"Well, Doctor P?" Rex asked. "Whaddya think?"

The moment Rex had activated his Smack Hands, Pietro's eyes widened and he let out a gasp. And when Ben had changed into Upgrade, that had taken him by surprise even more. So much so that it made him begin coughing a little bit, much to everyone's concern. "Doctor Polendina!" Glynda exclaimed, running over to his side. "Are you alright?"

"Hac-Hack! No, no, I'm fine." Pietro waved off as he cleared his throat. "Just a bit unprepared is all." Once he had composed himself, Pietro made his chair walk forward as he adjusted his glasses, making sure he was REALLY seeing what was in front of him. "Hah… by the gods. It's even more tremendous than I had imagined!" He pointed toward Upgrade. "And… is this the alien that helped repair my daughter?"

" _Sure is."_ Ben said before placing a hand on Rex's Smack Hand, upgrading it into an enhanced form with four gigantic spikes. _"But really, we used both of our abilities together to fix her up."_

Rex deactivated one of his Smack Hands to demonstrate. "That's right. See, I don't just use the nanites to make weapons. I can also use 'em to manipulate technology a bit…" He placed his hand onto Upgrade with a cheeky grin. "Like so!"

The moment Rex activated his Nanites, they made the green lines on Upgrade's living metal turn blue, while also delivering a slight shock to the alien. _"Gah!"_ Upgrade pulled his arm away from the other Smack Hand and his circular eye furrowed, glaring at Rex for the little shock. _"C'mon, dude. Not cool!"_

Pietro's mouth hung open in amazement. "Astonishing! But… if I may ask, how did you bring Penny back online without my help? I can understand repairing her, but her actual soul is… far more complicated, as you can imagine."

Upgrade and Rex turned back to Pietro, the former raising one of his thick fingers. _"Uh, you'll have to talk to my cousin to get more specifics."_ he answered. _"But if you want the long and short of it, she sensed Penny's soul wandering around in the Amity Arena, stuck in some sort of Limbo."_ He emphasized the next part by waving his hand around in the air. _"One big and complicated magic spell later and BOOM! Your daughter's soul was brought back and put right into her body."_

If possible, Pietro's face only became more dumbfounded at the story, but he couldn't disbelieve it. He was literally talking to a young man who just changed into a living blob of metal right in front of him. At this point, he was convinced anything could be possible, at least within reason. All at once, his smile returned as a realization hit him; "But… then that would mean…" He moved around in his chair and took hold of his daughter's hands. "Darling, do _you_ know what this means?!"

Penny wasn't sure where he was going with this, but she didn't exactly care. She was just happy to see _him_ happy. "I am… not entirely sure, father, but please, go on!"

"It means that my theory was _right_!" Pietro said with every ounce of happiness he could muster. "Your soul is _just_ as real as we both thought it was, Penny. Your core might be where your personality and memories are… but what gives you life is what _truly_ makes you who you are."

At his words, Penny gave him a bright, if somewhat sympathetic smile. "Father… I hate to tell you this, but I already came to that realization." She directed her focus to her friends, which her father followed. "My friends convinced me of that a LONG time ago."

Pietro could hear every ounce of genuine seriousness in that statement. "Yes, I'm sure they did." He then gave her a little wink. "You have to admit, though, it's nice to have a little confirmation of that fact, right?"

"I suppose so." Penny agreed, placing her hand to her father's shoulder. "But you know what's even nicer? That you won't have to use a part of yourself to fix me up any more." She tilted her head to Rex and Upgrade. "Because thanks to them… I'm practically indestructible now! And I have plenty of upgrades to boot!"

Pietro's eyebrows rose up at this. "Really? Hah, well I'd _very_ much like to see—"

But just then, Yang raised her hand. "Uh, yeah, sorry for interrupting, but could we maybe rewind a little bit?" She pointed over to Pietro with a suspicious face. "What did she mean by "use a part of yourself"?"

The blonde's words managed to catch everyone's attention, and their eyes all went to Pietro in concern once again. After a few seconds of everyone staring at him, Pietro's face fell and he let out a sigh. "Well… let's just say there's a reason why Penny is the only one of her kind." He reached down into one of his pant pockets and fished out his wallet, pulling a picture out of it immediately. In the picture were five people, who appeared to be some of his colleagues, with himself in the middle. However, he seemed to be purposely keeping his thumb over one of their faces. "You see, when General Ironwood first challenged us at Atlas Tech to find the next breakthrough in defense technology, most of my colleagues took to more, uh… _conventional_ ideas."

Upgrade pressed the Omnitrix symbol on his chest, changing back into Ben. "And let me guess, you didn't _wanna_ be conventional, right?" He nudged his head toward Penny. "And that's how she came along?"

"That's right!" Penny confirmed, gesturing to herself. "And, as you can see, the P.E.N.N.Y project was chosen over everyone else's!"

"Hehe, indeed, darling." Pietro chuckled. "I wanted to look a bit more… _inward_ for inspiration."

Ruby placed a hand over her chest. "By protecting her with a soul."

The old inventor gave her a nod. "Yep, and when Ironwood saw her, he did too. Much to my surprise, I must add."

"Why would you be surprised?" Weiss pressed further. "You managed to create an _artificial_ Aura. That's REALLY big."

Both Pietro and Penny then shared a somewhat saddened expression, which everyone began to notice. "Well… not exactly." Pietro said while closing his eyes, concentrating on his Aura. All at once, the man began to shimmer in a green light, just like anyone else would when bringing up their Aura. However… it suddenly began flickering in and out, shocking pretty much everyone in the room.

"Wait… you gave her part of _yours_?" Blake uttered.

"Yes." Pietro confirmed. "And each time Penny needs to be rebuilt it… takes a little more." He smiled up and put a hand to his daughter's arm. "But… if it helps keep my baby girl alive, then that's something I'm willing to do."

Everyone in the room was silent for a few moments, with Neptune being the one to break it. "Damn… now _that's_ one dedicated dad."

Penny put her hands on her father's shoulders, giving him a serious face. "But you don't HAVE to do that anymore, father. Like I said, I'm much more durable than I previously was."

"Uh, hold on just a sec…" Sun interrupted. "Each _time_ Penny needs to get rebuilt?"

Ilia also came to the realization rather quickly. "Does that mean she's _already_ been destroyed and rebuilt in the past?!"

Everybody's eyes went to Penny again, this time out of shock. "Uh… hehe." Penny put a hand behind her head. "Let's just say that I've kinda been… blown up on more than one occasion."

"PENNY!" Ruby exclaimed.

"I was still in the testing phases!" Penny insisted with a blush.

Pietro raised his hands up to calm the girls down. "Alright, alright, let's not get into a tizzy, here." He gave his daughter a nod. "Penny, dear, why don't you show me these new "upgrades" you've been talking about? And what exactly ARE they, anyhow?"

Penny's eyes shifted over to Ben and Rex, a sense of nervousness overtaking her briefly. "Well… let's just say that Rex and Upgrade's abilities mixed in with my inner body structure and… well, I got a complete overhaul." Penny pulled her sleeve back and opened up a small compartment, showing her father what she meant. "See?"

At her beckoning, Pietro peered closer to her inner workings, only to see that her inner metal skeleton had been replaced by the same black and green metal that Upgrade was composed up. "By the gods! What… what even IS that?"

"That, Dr. Polendina, is the living metal that makes up a Galvanic Mechamorph." Ben answered.

"Galvan what-now?" Pietro inquired.

"The alien I just transformed into." Ben explained further. "Rex's nanites were able to infuse Upgrade's living metal into your daughter's inner workings, meaning that she is essentially now part-Galvanic Mechamorph."

Rex then raised his hand. "And she's also got some of my nanites in her. Which means…" The EVO moved his gaze over to Penny, nudging his head toward Pietro. "You wanna show him what you can do?"

Penny smiled back and saluted. "Yes, I do." The android took center stage and spread her arms out, ready to present her new abilities to her father. "Alright, father, firstly…" She activated her Floating Array, her forearms and hand splitting down the middle so they could pop out. "They put my remaining Floating Array blades in my arms, as my other ones couldn't be recovered."

"Hah, well, I'll be." Pietro adjusted his glasses in surprise. "And you're still able to access their blasters?" Penny grinned to him and, with a flick of her arms, the blades folded in half, transforming into their blaster configuration. "Hm, I suppose that answers that."

However, Penny wasn't done yet. "But wait, there's more!" She shifted her Floating Array back into their blade forms… but then, the blades split down the center and entered their Battle Saw modes, taking Pietro aback as the blades spun rapidly. "I present upgrade number one; my… erm… _Siege Saws_!"

Pietro absentmindedly put a hand to his head, a small laugh escaping his lips. "My word! Penny, that is spectacular!"

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet, father!" Penny deactivated her Siege Saws and, all at once, her spiked Smack Hands burst out from her back, making Pietro's jaw drop. Penny lifted herself off the ground with her giant set of arms, crossing her normal ones as she did. "THESE are… uh, my _Mechano-Crushers_!"

Rex was grinning from ear to ear. "Oh boy… she's getting it now."

Meanwhile, Pietro was simply at a loss for words. "P-Penny… you're capable of building your _own_ machines too?!"

"That's right, and I'm still not done!" As she said that, her newly dubbed Mechano-Crushers suddenly began converting. In an instant, Penny was standing on her feet once again… with her two large black and green Slam Cannons having taken their place over her shoulders, their barrels glowing with green energy. "And these are what I like to call… my _Bash Blasters_!"

"O-Okay, sweetheart, can we please slow down a bit?" Pietro requested, taking his glasses off as he took a breather. "I'm still tryin' to catch up a bit." After a moment or two, Pietro caught his breath and focused back on his daughter, his eyes going up and down the giant cannons on her shoulders. "I have to say though… that IS very impressive."

Penny clenched her hands in excitement. "I know, right?! Rex has been teaching me all about how to properly use them, too!"

Over to the side, Rex gave a shrug. "Heh, not one to brag, but I _have_ been a pretty great teacher."

Weiss shot him a narrowed eyed glare, a smirk coming to her face before she nudged him in the shoulder. "What'd I say about feeding your ego, Robo-dolt?"

Rex gave her an overly dramatic sigh. "To not to, Ice Princess."

"Very good." Weiss said, reaching up to give him a dainty yet somewhat condescending pat on the head. "You DO remember."

Back with Pietro, he couldn't help but raise a brow at the exchange. "…Are those two always like that?"

"Yes, father." Penny replied, smiling over to the duo as they grinned sarcastically at one another. "They mean well, though. Anyway, let me show you my next new weapon!" With a mighty leap, Penny jumped up into the air and her Bash Blasters retracted into her back, exchanging them for her spiked Punk Busters which burst out from her legs. She landed on the hardwood floor, the tips of the spikes only just piercing it. "I call these my… _Block Busters_!"

While Pietro was staring in awe at the large, deadly boots, Glynda's eye was twitching slightly, the headmistress keeping her eyes on the spikes. "Uh… Penny?" she raised a single finger in contention. "Perhaps you could wrap up this demonstration before you do any damage to the lounge? We _literally_ just finished rebuilding this room."

Penny's eyebrows snapped up and she bowed her head to the professor. "Whoops! Sorry, Professor Goodwitch. I just have one more thing to show him!" At that moment, Penny retracted her Block Busters and exchanged them for her jetpack. She spun around so that her father could see the large jet turbines in full view. "And finally, this is my… uh…" She put a hand to her chin in thought. "Darn, I haven't come up with a name for this one yet."

Rex brightened up and he raised a hand to her. "Well… how about _Air Heart_?"

Next to him, Ben gave him a skeptical face. "After the airplane pilot?"

"No, no; _Air_ Heart." Rex explained. "Like up in the air! It makes sense AND it's a pun!"

Penny gave Rex a thumbs up. "Well I like it! Air Heart it is!"

With all that said and done, Pietro chortled as his chair walked over to Penny, the man beaming with pride at his daughter. "Well, I must say, this is all quite surprising, Penny." He crossed his arms over his chest as a sly grin came to his face. "I'll give these weapons one thing though; they're much better than the ones I was going to outfit you with. Especially this jet pack." He knocked his knuckles against the large machine. "To think _I_ was gonna give you rocket boots!"

Ruby suddenly let out a gasp. "AH! Rocket boots would be so cool though!"

"I second that!" Neptune said excitedly. "Could WE get rocket boots?"

Pietro let out another hearty laugh. "Haha! Oh no, I'd hate to think what kind of trouble you could get in with them. I'll just have to push that project off to the side for now, I suppose." His focus went back to his daughter and he tilted his head slightly. "So, just _how_ indestructible are you, Penny?"

Penny deactivated her Air Heart jetpack and lightly hit her head. "Enough where my head can be detached from my body… and both still function!"

With a shocked blink, Pietro shook his head a little. "R-Really? And how did you—"

"You don't want to know, father." Penny insisted. "Trust me. But, in addition to all of those other weapons, I can also do… THIS!" In a flash, Penny removed her right arm, letting the appendage fall out through her sleeve as limp as a dead fish.

Reasonably, many in the room began to feel ill. "Oh… oh god, not again!" Weiss uttered, her face becoming a pale.

Winter was also quick to back away a bit. "Alright, everyone, let's make some room for this one. Remember what happened with the toast." With that, everyone began backing up as well, with fearful expressions coming to their faces.

"P-Penny!" Pietro exclaimed. "What in Remnant are you—"

But Penny raised a hand at him… which consequently made her raise her detached arm to him as well. "Ah-ah-ah! I'm not done yet, father! Observe;" Just then, a black and green tentacle made of living metal suddenly squirmed out of her sleeve and began wriggling about. "Yes, yes, calm down." Penny soothed as she walked herself over to a nearby desk lamp. "Here, have fun." Sensing the lamp nearby, the tentacle lashed out and glomped onto it, fusing the lamp with itself and upgrading it into what could only be described as the world's biggest green flash light. The powerful beam of green light shone across the walls, making the whole room glow an eerie color. "See, pretty neat, isn't it?"

At this point, Pietro was nearly at a loss for words. His daughter had literally produced a technology absorbing tentacle from her shoulder and used it to essentially possess a simple desk lamp. He had to rub his eyes to make sure he was still seeing things correctly, letting out an exasperated sigh soon afterward. "Well, Penny, I… I really don't know what to say to _this_."

"I do." Kevin piped up, pointing to the wall that the green beam of light was shining on. "Penny, you're setting the wall on fire."

Penny's eyes widened and her head snapped to the wall, seeing that the light WAS in fact lighting up the wood in a bright green flame. "AAAAAHH!" she screamed before hitting her living metal tendril with her remaining hand. "Stop it! Stop it!" She took the neck of the lamp and pulled with all her might, detaching it from her arm and making it revert back to its normal state. "Phew, that was… still not enough."

Indeed, the green flames were still burning, and what's more, there was a new circular, dark green burn mark in the wall. Ben wore a deadpan face and rolled his eyes. "Hold on, I'll get it." After selecting Water Hazard and giving another slap to his watch, Ben transformed… but not into the alien he wanted. "WATER—wait, Heatblast?!" The Pyronite glanced over himself before giving a shrug. "Eh, this works." He raised his hands up to the expanding green flames and absorbed them into his being, the color blending with his bright orange flames briefly before returning to normal. Heatblast brushed his hands together, declaring; "There, crisis averted."

Everyone in the room gave a relieved sigh, with Ilia commenting. "Whew, that could've been a disaster."

But Goodwitch's eye was slightly twitching again. "Oh… for gods sakes, we just got that wall finished."

Jessie came up and pat the headmistress' shoulder in consolation. "There, there now, sugar. Ain't no big deal. It's just a… _little_ burnt." She shifted her eyes over to Penny and gave her a wave, nudging her head toward the tendril. "Might wanna put that thing awa, hon. Ya know, before anythin' else happens?"

Penny winced and gave a nod. "Right…" She reattached her arm with no problem, the tendril hooking into it before pulling it right back into her sleeve. She gave Glynda an apologetic bow. "I'm sorry, Professor Goodwitch. I didn't think that'd happen."

"It… it's alright, Penny." Glynda stammered out. "Jessie's right, it's just a little burn patch. We can just fix it up again."

Pietro, still slightly stunned by what had just happened, gazed at his daughter with widened eyes. "Well… I have to say, Penny. Your new abilities are quite impressive." He moved his chair back over to her and gently grasped her hand. "It's to the point that I'm starting to wonder if any of your original internal mechanisms have gone unchanged."

"Well, I'm not entirely sure about that, either." Heatblast said before transforming back into Ben. "I mean, the overhaul that Rex and I gave was pretty thorough. But I do know that her core is still the genuine article, even if it now has a new layer of protection around it."

Ruby stepped up and put an arm over Penny's shoulders, pulling her in for a side-hug. "But even IF her insides aren't the same, Penny's still herself, right? And that's what counts as far as I'm concerned."

"Hehe, yes. Yes, it is." Pietro concurred. "But I have a feeling it's time you kids got to business." He jerked a thumb out a nearby window. "There's still that dog beast that's skulking out in the Emerald Forest, after all. And I heard that there was gonna be a big dimension jump here today, so you all should best prepare for that, too."

Behind him, Max gave a single nod before stepping up, keeping a hand on the Techadorian Multiblaster at his hip. "That's right, Pietro. It's about time for us to go hunting." The old Plumber set his gaze onto the group in front of him. "Alright, so as we agreed earlier, we'll be separating into two teams. Team A will be going out into the Emerald Forest to track down our escaped convict while Team B will be staying here at Beacon to guard the academy incase our conflict ends up stirring up any Grimm activity. Do we have any volunteers?"

Ruby raised her hand, with the rest of her team following suit. "Team RWBY wants to be on the hunting squad!"

"Yeah, we aren't gonna waste THIS chance!" Yang supported.

Jessie gave Max a thumbs up. "And ya'll can be sure that I'll be joinin' the hunt!"

"I want in on the hunting squad, too." Kevin spoke up, jerking a thumb toward his chest. "My dad's the one who took that crook down, so I wanna get in another shot for him."

Rex put his hand up next. "I'd like to offer myself as tribute!"

While everyone else in the room stared at him in confusion, Ben just smirked and shook his head. "Alright, alright, let's not go all Hunger Games on this, dude. But, with me and grandpa on the team, that brings us to a nine-person band. Sounds pretty good." He craned his head over to Winter, Sun, Neptune, Ilia and Penny, nodding to them knowingly. "And with Cooper and Team CFVY here to help you guys out, that'd put you guys at a good number here, too."

"Indeed, Benjamin. A very good distribution." Winter concurred before moving her eyes over to Holiday. "And what about you, doctor?"

"I'll be staying behind too, actually." Holiday answered, giving her tote bag a small pat before setting it on the nearest table. "Besides, it's better I stay here anyway." She took the interdimensional communicator out of the bag, setting it up so she could work on it. "I still have a few things to set up with _this_ blasted thing, after all."

Sun gave Ben a salute. "Don't worry, dude. We won't fail ya!" He walked over to Blake and pulled her into an embrace, placing his forehead against hers before pecking her lips. "Be safe out there, okay?"

"I will." Blake assured, though she also heard a large amount of cooing the moment Sun kissed her. Her eyes shifted over to Ruby, Weiss and Yang, who were all practically gushing after seeing the little moment. She eyed Yang in particular, feigning annoyance with a small smirk. "Hey, why don't you go kiss your own boyfriend instead of watching me kiss mine, lady?"

Yang feigned a gasp, her hand covering her mouth slightly. "Oh! Well, maybe I will, Miss Sassypants!"

"Hm." Blake then sent the same look to Weiss and Ruby. "And you two… find your own boyfriends to smooch."

Weiss rolled her eyes at the little jab. "Thanks, but we're okay."

"Yeah, I'm fine too." Ruby added with a little laugh.

Penny directed her sights back to her father, setting a hand on his shoulder. "Well, this DOES work out rather well. Since I'm here on the Beacon team, you and I can spend some more time together!"

Pietro gave her a soft smile, squeezing her hand a little bit. "I'd like that very much, darling. AND… I actually _did_ bring a little gift for you."

A gasp escaped Penny's lips and her hands went to her cheeks, beaming a bright grin toward her father. "A GIFT?! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, OH MY GOSH! This is just sensational! What is it, father?!"

"Patience, dear, patience." Pietro assured, calming his daughter down. "I'll show it to you very soon. For now, I wanna hear all about your adventures here in Vale." He gestured over to the door. "Why don't we take a stroll around campus? Maybe get some fresh air?"

"Sounds splendid!" Penny agreed before waving to her friends. "Bye everyone! And good luck on the mission, Ruby!"

Ruby happily waved back as Penny and her father went out the door. "Will do! See ya, Penny!" The moment the duo left, Ruby gave a content sigh, her hands lacing together. "That was just really sweet, wasn't it?"

"Sure was." Neptune concurred before setting his sights on a certain chameleon girl. "Hey, Ilia. Sun and I are gonna go and meet up with Team CFVY. You wanna tag along?"

Ilia's eyes snapped up, slightly surprised by Neptune's offer. However, after processing it through her head, she shrugged and accepted it. "Yeah, sure, why not? Better than just wandering around with nothing to do."

"Awesome! Then let's head out." Sun pumped a fist as he led his two compatriots out the door as well. He turned back around one last time to give a farewell wave to his other teammates. "We'll see you all later, 'kay? Happy hunting!"

Blake returned the gesture immediately. "Yep, bye, Sun." The moment the door closed, the remaining team members set their eyes onto Ben, the hero having shifted his focus to the nearby window. "So, Ben? Are we ready to roll?"

"Oh, yes…" Ben grinned eagerly before pointing out the window. "TO THE HUNT!"

But just then, Glynda cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention. "I commend you for your enthusiasm, Ben." The headmistress complimented as the hero continued to point out toward the forest. "But… the Emerald Forest is a very big place. Do you have any idea where to start your hunt for this criminal?"

Without missing a beat, Ben proclaimed; "No, I do not!" He whirled around as his teammates laughed at his antics, redirecting his finger to Goodwitch as he did. "Where should we start, Professor?"

Glynda chuckled and took out her personal scroll, which began projecting a large, holographic map of the Emerald Forest. "Well, going by what the teams of Huntsmen said, they usually saw the creature around… here." She made a circle with her finger on a specific point on the map, making a glowing line appear with it.

Weiss' eyes widened when she saw where said area was. "Hey, wait a minute… that's the Abandoned Ruins!"

"Hey, yeah!" Ruby realized as well, exchanging surprised faces looks with her teammates. "Where we collected our chess pieces!"

"Correct." Glynda affirmed. "However, the beast has actually been reported to be residing _within_ the temple ruins themselves."

Max's eyebrows rose up at this. "An abandoned temple, eh? Who used to use it?"

Winter stepped forward to answer that question. "It had once been a place of worship for followers of the God of Light during humanity's early days in Remnant. Many of said followers were even reported to have lived there as well." She gave the group a single nod. "It is quite a ways away though, so I suggest you all get started."

Ben, Rex, Kevin and Max all blinked in surprise. Sure, they had heard bits and pieces of the story about these Gods of Light and Darkness, but it still took them a back somewhat. However, Ben shook the thought away. _'Something to think about later.'_ he thought to himself before smiling once again. "Well, okay then! Then it's off to the Abandoned Ruins!" He pointed out the window once more and announced; "To the hunt… AGAIN!"

* * *

" **I'm beginning to regret this."** Four Arms uttered with a weary expression on his face. For the past forty-five minutes or so, he and his squad had been walking non-stop into the Emerald Forest, the ten teammates making their way through the dense, green foliage. He figured it'd take a bit _less_ time than that… but at every turn, they would encounter a whole horde of Grimm, forcing them to stop and take them down. On occasion, they'd even come across a single _larger_ Grimm as well. Case in point; the dead Death Stalker that was currently laying at their feet. **"If I had known that getting to this place would've taken THIS long, I'd have sprung for Tetrax to take us on his ship."** the Tetramand commented.

Yang gave him a jab in the arm, making him recoil in shock. "Ah, don't start whining now, Green Boy." she berated with a good-natured smirk. "We're almost there."

"Besides, if anything, this actually helps." Ruby pointed out. "Professor Goodwitch DID say that the overpopulation of Grimm in the forest needed to be cut down, remember?"

Four Arms sighed, his quartet of limbs all sagging slightly as they pressed onward. **"Yeah, I know."** He craned his head up, only for his four eyes to widen in wonderment. **"Hey, I can see it now!"** Four Arms pointed up to a tall steeple that was just visible over the tree tops, no doubt belonging to the temple. **"C'mon, let's go!"**

All at once, everybody began running in the steeple's direction, and before they knew it, they were exiting right out of the tree line. Once they were out of the woods, Four Arms, Max, Kevin and Rex all came to a stop, the quartet staring in awe at the large set of ruins. Their eyes first landed upon a ruined rotunda not far away, no doubt what was once a ceremonious place. But what caught their attention most were the large towers that were overlooking a vast chasm, a light fog going through the chasm itself. "Woah… are we in Breath of the Wild?" Rex asked.

"My first thought was _Game of Thrones_ , but that works too." Kevin commented.

"Pretty impressive, right?" Weiss added with a nostalgic smile on her face. "…This is where it all started for us." She directed her gaze to Ruby and continued; "Remember how I couldn't stand you?"

Ruby quirked a brow in her partner's direction. "Oh yeah, and how persistent I was to get you to lighten up and be my friend?"

"Haha! Yes, I remember that VERY well." Weiss confirmed. "I also remember how nervous Jaune was at first. … _And_ how Pyrrha had to get him out of the Death Stalker's grip."

"HA! Yeah, that is STILL freakin' hilarious whenever I think about it!" Yang laughed before nudging her own partner's arm. "And remember how anti-social you were at first?"

Blake smiled and nudged her back. "I do… but I also can't forget how hot-headed you were when an Ursai managed to cut off a _single_ strand of your hair."

Yang winced and let out a small chuckle, her hand going to the back of her head. "Hehe, yeah… I, uh, like to think I've simmered down a bit since then."

As the teens erupted into laughter behind him, Max was still staring at the ruins in complete awe. At that moment, Jessie walked up next to him, speaking up to get his attention. "Pretty impressive, ain't it?"

"I'll say." Max agreed. "We have a lot of our own ruins from our ancient past in our world too, but… I have to say, I don't think I've ever seen any like _these_ before." The old man turned his head toward Jessie and gave her a grin. "And that's saying something, because I travel a LOT."

"I'm sure." Jessie nodded before reloading her shotgun. "But I think we can gawk at 'em later. Right now, we've got a job to do."

Max nodded and cocked his Multiblaster, refocusing on the mission at hand. "Right, of course." He about-faced and set his eyes on the teens, who were also beginning to focus themselves back on task. "Alright, everyone, here's what we're going to do; we're going to stick together as a group so that we have a better chance at fighting this criminal off. It's important that we DON'T get separated, because if we do, he'll pick us off one by one."

Four Arms gave his grandfather a set of four thumbs up. **"Right, we gotcha, grandpa."** He waved a single arm toward the ruined towers, beckoning his team to follow. **"C'mon, guys, let's move in."** As the group approached the buildings, however, Four Arms couldn't help but ask something that had been on his mind for a while now; **"By the way… what IS the deal with these "Light and Dark Gods", anyway?"** He craned his head down to Yang and raised an eyeridge. **"Are they just part of the big religion in this world or what?"**

"Well… _one_ of the big religions." Yang answered. "We've got a ton of religions with a bunch of different gods, but the one about the Deity brothers IS one of the most well-known." But then, she gave a small shrug. "That said, the religion surrounding them has kinda fallen to the wayside in recent times."

"Yeah, people still DO worship them." Ruby elaborated before gesturing to the ruins. "But as you can tell… it's not to the extent that people in the past _used_ to."

Kevin crossed his arms at that. "So… they're kinda like the Greek or Norse gods of our world." A smirk came to his face and his eyes went over to Four Arms, a small laugh escaping his lips. "Ha, guess Earth's not the only place with different pantheons of gods, huh?"

" **Got that right."** Four Arms nodded. **"Wonder if they had demigod children?"**

"Eh… unlikely, hon." Jessie denied. "If the legend said that at one point, it'd have been lost to time at this point." The redheaded cowgirl then gave him a grin. "But I CAN tell ya 'bout the legend itself if ya want."

"Sure, let's hear it!" Rex supported eagerly.

Jessie laughed and shouldered her shot gun, clearing her throat as she began to tell the tale. "Haha, alright. So here's how it goes; a long time ago, there were two brothers. The older one, the God of Light, created the all the planet's inhabitants. The animals, the plants, water itself…" Jessie gestured out toward the world around them. "If'n ya'll can see it, he probably created it. But whenever night came… that's when his younger brother, the God of Darkness, would come out an' start bringin' about HIS creations… drought, fire, and famine."

"Woah, that dude has NO chill." Kevin commented.

"Exactly right." Jessie agreed. "But no matter how much destruction he brought, his brother's creations would endure it, an' come back even stronger. So that's when he decided to make his greatest dark creation yet… one that WOULD be able to tear down his brother's creations." She took a brief pause before going on. "And that… was the Grimm."

All four of Four Arms' eyes widened at once. **"Woah… so HE serves as an explanation to where the Grimm come from?"** Mentally, he added; _'Even though that's probably NOT true. SALEM'S the one who makes the Grimm, after all.'_

"Yep, that's right." Jessie confirmed. "An' the God of Light was gettin' sick an' tired of his brother muckin' up the world they created. So, he made a proposal to his brother; to create one last thing together. Somethin' that'd take both of their aspects and meld 'em into one being. That being… happened to be humanity."

Rex's face scrunched up in thought, tilting his head off to the side in confliction. "Well… I guess I can't argue with that. Humanity in general IS pretty dual-natured. So… what happened to them after that?"

Jessie put a hand to her chin as the group finally made it to one of the ruined buildings; a very dilapidated cathedral, the top of which they had seen from the trees just moments ago. "Well… the legend says that after the gods bestowed their gifts of creation, destruction, knowledge an' choice onto humanity, they left Remnant, never to be seen or heard of again." She then gave them a shrug. "At least, that's what the legend says."

"Hm, well, that's certainly very interesting." Max admitted. "And while I'd like to hear more about this legend, I'm afraid we're going to have to save it for another time."

Ruby pulled Crescent Rose back out of its holster, prompting her team to bring out their own weapons as well. "Right, we've got a job to do. Stick close, everybody."

Once they were sure that everyone was prepared, Max and Four Arms began leading the group inside the abandoned cathedral, the Tetramand being really careful as he ducked his head under the entryway. Jessie, Rex, Kevin and Team RWBY all followed them closely, the whole group ready to fight at a moment's notice. Now that they were inside of the building though, they could see that the interior, while ruined, was still very ornate. The décor was old, but it was also somewhat intact, even after all the years it had been left in the tower. Even stained-glass windows were still intact, depicting what they could only guess was the God of Light giving life to his creations. The pews were still in the building as well, though they were a bit disjointed and overgrown with moss and other foliage.

Weiss approached a lone pew as the group made their way in, putting her finger to it to check the dust level. As expected, there was a thick layer of grime over everything. "Ugh, yep, this place hasn't seen use in _centuries_."

Blake moved her eyes around the wall… but then she stopped when she caught sight of something that was NOT supposed to be there. "Oh, yeah? Well then what do you call _that_?" The cat girl pointed over to the farthest wall and everyone followed her gesture, immediately seeing what she did. There were huge claw marks slashed all across the back wall behind the altar, once that were abnormally quite large.

"Woah." Yang crossed her arms and nodded her head. "Yep, we are IN the enemy den here, people." As she said that, Jessie went up to inspect the claw marks, piquing Yang's interest. "What do you make of it, Jess?"

"Just makin' sure it ain't a Grimm, sugar." Jessie explained. "And… well, yeah, it ain't. These aren't like any Beowolf or Ursai claw marks I've ever seen."

Just then, Kevin spoke up, waving them over to his position. "Hey, look over there!" Everyone moved over to where he was crouching down… only for many of them to recoil in utter disgust. There, right at Kevin's feet, were a couple of stripped wolf skeletons… and the remains of two half-eaten bear carcasses, which were already being infested by flies and maggots. "Somethin' tells me he's been hungry." Kevin commented.

Weiss turned pale green again and quickly ran over to the opposite side of the room, wrenching heavily as she did. Rex immediately rushed over to help her through it while Ruby and many of the others also became quite green, the Hooded Huntress almost doubling over. "Oh… oh god, this is NOT right." she managed to force out.

" **I am SO glad I don't have a nose."** Four Arms added.

"Good for you, Green Boy." Yang said as she plugged her own nose, shooting her boyfriend a slightly annoyed glance. "So, where do you think our perp is?"

Max pursed his lips in thought, his eyes moving around steadily. "I don't know…" However, at that moment, he heard a loud sound come from outside, followed by rapid footfalls. The whole team heard the sound as well, prompting their heads to snap up in surprise. Max readied his weapon as his brows furrowed, his eyes narrowing as the running grew closer and closer. "But I think we're about to find out. Everyone, be ready to—"

_CRASH!_ The loud, sharp sound of shattering glass cut Max off in mid-sentence, while also making everyone whip back around to the front door. The team immediately saw that the stained-glass window just above the front door had been broken through, with pieces of the colorful glass still raining down. But right as they comprehended that, they heard a loud THUD, making them move their heads down to see what it was. The moment their eyes landed on the figure though, there was only one conclusion they could make; "Wow… he's even _uglier_ without the muzzle!" Rex exclaimed.

Next to him, Weiss peered up from the pew she had ducked behind, only to see that he was indeed correct. For one, the alien was very large and bulky, almost comparable to Rath… but a bit bigger. The dog-like alien's overall facial structure resembled that of a demented husky, his pointed ears and the shape of his mouth only adding to that fact. His fur was thick and overall blueish-grey in color except in certain parts. The hair on the center of his face, the base of his neck, and the undersides of his arms and tail were all cream-colored, creating a stark contrast to the rest of him. There were also a few places where his hair was visibly greying as well, showing his age. His black lips were up in a big snarl and his teeth were bared, revealing that they were a grimy yellow, his hygiene obviously being non-existent. He also had three toes on his feet and four fingers on his hands, each with a long, sharp claw.

His choice of clothing was rather odd though. He wore a deep orange undershirt with a solid red v-shaped pattern going right down the middle, with a pair of torn black jeans adorning his legs. Over his shirt was a black leather jacket with the sleeves torn right off of it, allowing his arms to breath. The jacket also had a white skull and cross bones on the left pectoral and three silver spikes on each shoulder, which matched perfectly with the studded wristbands he was wearing. Though the group couldn't see it, the jacket also had another skull on the back as well, this one with jagged teeth and the words; "Bone" and "Gnasher" imprinted above and below it respectively.

"Well… he's certainly not being subtle about this, is he?" Weiss squeaked out.

" **No, he is not."** Four Arms replied before shouting toward the criminal; **"Who are you?!"**

The moment the dog-like alien spoke though, it was in a tongue that none of them could understand; " _Kret'tha tou makarr_!" the canine growled out in a gravelly voice. " _Eck'teh ronk tek'tharrr_!"

Everyone glanced toward each other in utter befuddlement. "…Uh, what did he say?" Ruby piped up.

The alien growled in frustration before reaching for the pocket in his jacket, making everyone flinch. However, the moment he pulled his hand back out, he was holding something that made Ben, Max and Kevin do a double take. "He's got a universal translator!" Kevin shouted.

The canine alien put the red and silver device on his chest and pressed the center of it before speaking again. " _Kon'thraa_ … There, can yer pathetic human ears understand me now?" The moment his speech transitioned into English, there was one thing that was made VERY apparent; his voice came out in a Texan accent.

"Yes, we can." Max answered. "After all these years, I can finally understand you." He kept his focus glued right onto the alien, not letting up for even a second. "I'm assuming you remember _me_ , though."

"Oh, I remember ya REAL well, old man." The alien responded, licking his chops as he did. "An' let me tell ya, I'm gonna _enjoy_ puttin' you in a BODY BAG!"

Yang balled her fists and stepped up, standing in front of Max. "Over OUR dead bodies! Now who are you?!"

" **Also, WHAT are you?"** Four Arms added.

Kevin pointed an accusing finger at the alien. "And how did you get a universal translator?"

The dog alien smirked and stood up straight, keeping his glowering eyes on the group all the while. "All excellent questions. Which I'd be happy to answer… in reverse." He held up three fingers. "Three; I snagged the thing while I was escapin' that damned prison. Comes in pretty handy, really." His claws went down to two. "TWO; I'm a Metallikanine from the planet Lyconan in the Andromeda Galaxy. I hitched a ride from a buddy o' mine a couple decades back. A guy named Khyber, ya heard of 'im?"

" **Can't say that I have."** Four Arms denied. **"We'll be sure to arrest HIM though if we ever come across him. Now… who are** _ **you**_ **?"**

"Yer pathetic tongues couldn't POSSIBLY pronounce my name, four-eyes." The dog alien insulted. "But, roughly translated…" At that moment, he took in a deep breath before belting out a huge roar, making the entire building shake and rattle. Before anyone could process what had happened, they immediately saw a second set of teeth retract out of the dog alien's gums, sprouting out just in front of the other ones. However, this set of teeth were even sharper and more jagged that the other set… and they were made of cold, hard metal. "Ya'll can call me BASHMOUTH! An' guess what? I'm gonna open a can o' WHOOP-ASS on ya!"

* * *

**A/N: Surprise! Told you it was sort of controversial! Okay, so… the Ben 10 reboot. I'll be honest, I don't actively watch it. I've seen bits and pieces of it here and there, but it's nothing that I'm too invested in. What I AM interested in though is the new alien designs, and for the most part, I really like them a lot. I still find it kinda weird that they changed Kevin's backstory (but then again, considering this franchise, THAT is nothing new), but I like all of his mutated alien forms he's got,** _**especially** _ **Bashmouth. However… I don't really plan on giving Kevin an Anti-trix or anything like that (he'd be WAY too OP), but I KNEW that I wanted to use Bashmouth in some way. So, I thought… why not just make him a character all on his own? And then it clicked; the reboot has him be a sort of Rath equivalent, so why not take that further? So, I based his new personality on ANOTHER famous wrestler, kind of like how Rath is based on Hulk Hogan. Try to see which wrestler Bashmouth is representing, I'd love to see your guesses!**

**Whew, but moving away from Bashmouth for a while… Pietro Polendina has made his debut in this story as well! I knew from the moment Volume 7 started that I wanted to have this wholesome man in the story in SOME way before it ended, and this just seemed like the perfect time. Plus, the fact that he's voiced by Dave Fennoy only added to that. First Yuri Lowenthal and now HIM too? Jeez, who else from Ben 10 is gonna come over and voice for RWBY?**

**Alright, so, NEXT TIME! As the team fight Bashmouth in the Emerald Forest, things at Beacon begin to grow more interesting as well. Pietro shows Penny the surprise he has lined up for her, Team SN and Ilia encounter Team CFVY (as well as a certain other team of bird-brained boys) and Cooper helps out Doctor Holiday with the last few adjustments needed for the communicator to send out its signal. However, the fight in the forest quickly moves back up to Beacon… and with it attracts more Grimm. How will the team handle this one? Stay tuned to find out. Thanks for reading guys and I'll see you next time! Stay safe out there!**


	92. The Bottom Line

**A/N: Hey everybody! New chapter comin' at ya! But first, I just want to say that indeed, Stone Cold Steve Austin was who this new version of Bashmouth is based on, so if you would like, just imagine him with his voice to put icing on the cake! After all, this version being voiced by Greg Cipes just doesn't really fit, now does it? Before we get to his big fight scene though, why don't we take a real quick peek at what the gang back on Patch are doin', huh? This is…**

**Chapter 92: The Bottom Line**

* * *

"Okay, Pyrrha, we're nearly at the end of the temple." Gwen encouraged with a supportive hand on her fellow redhead's shoulder. "You've got this." It had been about an hour since her cousin and the rest of the team had left the house, and in that time, Gwen Tennyson had been focused on one thing; assisting Pyrrha through the penultimate temple of Ocarina of Time. The Shadow Temple had proved to be the one temple that managed to freak pretty much everybody out, including the Arc sisters themselves. The music in particular didn't help, the chilling tones having given everyone goosebumps as Pyrrha trekked through the dreary dungeon.

"I have to admit, I didn't think a video game like this could GET this creepy." Saphron mumbled.

Terra glanced over and nodded her head. "No kidding. And here I thought it was a pretty nice-looking game at first."

"Oh, Zelda is NOT one to shy away from more dark moments, ladies." Gwen assured as she watched Pyrrha go into another room, the Invincible Girl using Din's fire to burn the spiked walls before going for the treasure chests. "Trust me, it's—Pyrrha, watch out!"

But it was too late. Suddenly, there was a blood curdling scream from the television, making everybody jump in their seats as the camera was taken from Pyrrha's control. It zoomed in on an approaching ReDead, with Link having been paralyzed with fear. "Gah! Shoot!" Pyrrha grumbled in irritation, trying desperately to wrestle the control back. "I hate it when they do that!" When she did, she killed the ReDeads without hesitation, happy to finally be rid of them.

"Ya THINK?!" Violette exclaimed, the youngest Arc holding Rema as a pseudo-comfort pillow. "That scream just comes outta nowhere!"

Azure, who was holding Romulus in a similar way, agreed with her sister. "It's certainly effective, that's for sure."

However, Blanche rolled her eyes, giving her younger sisters a smirk. "Ha! Please, I've screamed louder than that and you guys've never been spooked by 'em!"

Next to her, Noire quirked a brow over to her sister. "Oh… you mean like how _you_ screamed when you saw the… what was that thing called again, Gwen?"

"The Dead Hand?" the Anodite guessed.

"Yeah, that!" Noire confirmed, poking her twin in the shoulder. "You shrieked like a twelve-year-old when you saw that thing!"

Blanche pursed her lips, crossing her arms in a huff. "Hmph, well… can ya _blame_ me? Whoever thought that disgusting thing up should be sacked!"

As he watched his sisters banter back and forth, Jaune, with Zwei on his lap, craned his head over to his eldest sister. He gave Rouge a sympathetic face and asked; "Has it been like this since you guys got here? Because if so, I'm sorry."

Rouge rubbed her right temple, easing the headache that she could feel coming on. "Oh… don't worry, Jaune. It's nothing I haven't dealt with before." She gave him a smile before reaching over and giving him a pat on the shoulder. "Besides, this could be the last time we see you for a while, so in the end, it's all worth it in my book."

Meanwhile, sitting together on the second couch, Nora was cheering Pyrrha on, with Ren focusing intently on the television as well. "C'mon, Pyrrha!" the Pink Dynamo cheered as Pyrrha faced off against more Wall Masters. "You're almost there!"

"You've got this." Ren added with a nod.

Pyrrha smiled as she finished the Wall Masters off easily. "Thanks guys, I appreciate it." After retrieving her final silver key and knocking over a giant pillar so she could cross the water in the next room, Pyrrha made her way through the final room before the boss room, using the Lens of Truth and the Hover Boots to make it to the Boss Door. Once inside the room though, all she found was a single hole in the middle of the room, making her instantly confused. "Uh… am I just supposed to…"

"Yep!" Gwen nodded, pointing right to the hole. "Just head on in."

"Well… alright." With that in mind, Pyrrha fell into the hole, only to be surprised when she saw Link land onto an entirely flat surface, the floor giving a single beat when he landed. Just a few seconds later, a pair of large, disembodied hands suddenly began beating on the drum-like surface, much to her shock. "What in the…" But then, the camera pulled back to reveal an utterly misshapen monster, one with two arms with stubs on the end of them, a single red eye at the base of its body, and a bulbous protrusion coming out of the top of it. "Oh my…"

"What the HELL is that?!" Verte shouted. Her answer came almost immediately when the beast disappeared into the shadows, the name popping up in white text as it did; _'Phantom Shadow Beast: Bongo Bongo'_. When she read the name, Verte gave the screen a deadpan expression. "Okay, slightly less intimidating with a name like "Bongo Bongo"."

Gwen tilted her head toward Verte. "Well… yeah, you've got a point. Zelda can be creepy a lot of the time, but the names of the creatures CAN still be kinda cheesy. But that's something to talk about another time." She leaned over and gave Pyrrha a pat on the shoulder. "Okay, so the idea is to use the Lens of Truth to reveal his position. Shoot his hands before they can attack you and get his eye to open. He'll try to get close to you, so shoot it right at he's closing in. And then… just go to town!"

Pyrrha smiled confidently and pumped a determined fist. "Right, got it!" The redheaded warrior followed Gwen's instructions to a T, and while she was taken off guard by some of Bongo Bongo's hand movements, she still came out on top without much problem. Once it was given the final blow, the deformed creature beat down on its drum rapidly before slowing to a halt, freezing in place before dissolving into the darkness. With a victorious smile on her face, Pyrrha snapped her fingers and proclaimed; "Game, set and match, Bongo Bongo."

"Ha! Nice job, Pyrrha!" Blanche complimented. "Ya put that freak of nature in its place!"

"Thank you very much, Blanche." Pyrrha said proudly as she grabbed her heart container and stepped into the light in the center of the room, which quickly transported her to the Chamber of the Sages. There, she saw the Shadow Sage's platform glowing. And from it, emerged… "Impa." Pyrrha said with a knowing expression. "I had a feeling she was the Shadow Sage." The Invincible Girl read through Impa's text, with a certain piece of Dialogue catching her eye; ""Soon you'll meet Princess Zelda face-to-face, and she'll explain everything". Well finally! It certainly took her long enough. Where HAS she been all this time, anyway?"

Gwen could only smirk when Pyrrha asked that, thinking back to a certain mysterious ninja that had been with them throughout the adult portion of the journey. "Oh, she's… been around." She nudged Pyrrha in the arm and added; "But hey, we can finally get to the last temple before fighting Ganondorf. You ready?"

Pyrrha clenched her fist and gave her friend an eager nod. "I am more than ready, Gwen! Let's do this!"

As Link was transported back to the graveyard though, Nora couldn't help but pipe up about something. "Hey… how do you think Ben and the others are doing, by the way?" she asked. "It's been over an hour now. Do you think they've started the hunt for that dog thing yet?"

"More than likely." Gwen replied. "But I wouldn't worry about it too much. They know what to do at this point concerning dangerous situations." The redhead put her hand to her chin before going on. "I mean, the most I'd probably worry about is one of them taking things a bit too far… but even then, Ben's got a good handle on things."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure things are going pretty okay for them." Jaune concluded. "I doubt we're missing much."

* * *

' _I can't believe the others aren't here for this.'_ If there was one thing Four Arms was thinking at the moment, it's how things weren't going exactly how he had planned. The hero had hoped that he and the others could get the drop on their perp, maybe even incapacitate him before he knew what hit him. However, if anything, the criminal, now identified as "Bashmouth" had gotten the drop on _them_ instead. Currently, the group was staring that the metal-toothed canine-like alien as he leapt right at them, baring his fangs for a devastating attack.

However, Four Arms knew he couldn't let the alien's surprise move get the better of them. **"Oh, no ya don't!"** In one swift movement, Four Arms surged forward and grabbed Bashmouth by the upper and lower jaw, holding his mouth open while stopping him in place. **"We are NOT on the menu today!"**

At that moment though, the Omnitrix symbol on Four Arm's chest began flashing yellow, much to his surprise. _"Undocumented alien DNA located in vicinity. Does the bearer wish to scan?"_ the electronic voice asked.

" **YES! YES!"** Four Arms repeated, with Bashmouth's teeth growing ever closer to his face. **"Just scan him already!"**

" _Acknowledged."_ Without a second to spare, the Omnitrix produced a yellow beam from its center that quickly scanned Bashmouth up and down before disappearing. _"DNA scan complete. Metallikanine DNA now catalogued."_

" **Great! Which means I can let him go!"** Four Arms quickly spun Bashmouth around and sent him flying into the altar on the other side of the room, making it break beneath him. The Tetramand whipped his head around to his teammates in concern. **"Is everybody good?"**

"Yeah, we're fine…" Yang answered before trailing off when her eyes shifted down to Four Arm's hands. She pointed down to them with her lips parting in shock. "But… I don't think I can say the same for you."

" **Huh? What're you—oh… oh, that isn't good."** Four Arm's eyes widened when he saw the state of his upper set of hands, the appendages having been cut into by Bashmouth's metal teeth. They were sliced open right at the base of their thumbs, with black, Tetramandian blood spilling from them and trickling to the ground. **"He… he actually** _ **cut**_ **into my skin!"**

Rex raised an eyebrow at that. "Is that a big deal?"

"HELL YEAH, it's a big deal!" Kevin shouted back. "Tetramands have skin that's as thick as a rhino's!" The Osmosian lowered himself to the ground and absorbed the stone floor of the cathedral, preparing himself for whatever Bashmouth would do when he got up. "If that dude's metal teeth can cut through THAT, then we might be in trouble."

Blake's ears shrunk back as she readied Gambol Shroud, with Weiss, Yang and Ruby pulling out their own weapons. "Okay, so that means we should either stay as FAR away from him as possible... or pray that we're fast enough to get in and out for a hit." she surmised.

Yang grit her teeth in frustration. "As much as I hate to do it, you're right, Blake. One bite and we're missing a body part… or worse."

Right as the rubble from the altar started to move, an idea popped into Ruby's head, the girl whirling around to Ben in an instant. "I have a plan. Can you guys keep him distracted for a little while? Maybe keep him talking?"

Four Arms raised an eyeridge to her. **"Uh, sure. You think you can pull off… whatever it is you're thinking about?"**

Ruby gave him a wink. "Just watch me work." From there, she used her Semblance to rush herself outside, just in time for the rubble to burst open at the altar.

"RAAAAUUGHH!" Bashmouth let out a near-deafening roar that echoed throughout the cathedral, loud enough to make the very foundation crack beneath him. He raised his arms up and hollered; "So THAT'S how it's gonna be, huh?! Well FINE then!" Bashmouth whipped around and pointed right at Four Arms, his glare not letting up for a second. "Let me tell you something, ya four-eyed freak! When you come into Bashmouth's house, you'd better show him some respect!" He gestured all around the place, indicating the claw marks and the half-eaten bears in the corner. "Incase ya haven't noticed, I kinda put my mark on this place!"

" **I see that."** Four Arms said, glaring right back. **"But that kinda** _ **also**_ **means you desecrated a historic monument."**

"OH BOO-FUCKIN'-HOO!" Bashmouth countered, waving the notion off as if it meant nothing. "When it comes to lookin' for somewhere to live after bein' blown up in a giant flash of light, history doesn't really FUCKIN' matter anymore, now does it?!"

"Maybe not to you!" Weiss spat back indignantly. "And I can see that you don't really care about your use of language, either."

Bashmouth chuckled and shook his head, his giant paw holding his stomach. "Oh… oh, baby doll, if you could understand some o' the curses that MY language has, then you'd be on the floor an' catatonic by now!"

Weiss sneered in disgust, mostly for the name he called her. "Baby doll? Eugh."

Rex stepped up and pointed a finger to Bashmouth in ire. "Hey! You'd better watch your mouth, ya metal-toothed _perro_." the EVO warned. "Or else I'm gonna—"

"Hold up right there, compadre." Bashmouth interrupted, raising one of his huge hands up to Rex before checking his wristband. He then gave a malicious smile to Rex and made his comeback; "Oh wait, I'm sorry, my watch doesn't _speak_ Spanish!"

That was the last straw for Rex, his Smack Hands having burst out the moment that insult was spoken. "Okay, screw this, I'm gonna wallop him!" But just as he was about to step up to the plate, Four Arms stopped him, one of his strong hands clasping Rex on the shoulder. "W-What?! Ben, what're you—"

" **We're waiting for Ruby's plan."** Four Arms answered bluntly. **"Just give her more time."**

"He just insulted Weiss AND my native language!" Rex retorted, pulling his shoulder away from his friend. "Are you seriously just wanna—"

Four Arms raised a reassuring hand up to Rex. **"Give me a second. I gotta keep this up for a bit longer."** The Tetramand moved from the very back of the group and up to the front, standing directly in between Jessie and his grandfather. He raised all four of his hands up to Bashmouth, almost as if he were trying to calm him down. **"Listen, Bashmouth, let's all be civil about this, okay? We don't have to fight here today. If you let us take you in, we can probably get ya back to your home galaxy once we get back to Earth. I can't guarantee you'll be a free… er, dog, but—"**

"HA! What makes ya think I wanna go BACK to Andromeda, boy?!" Bashmouth yelled, balling his fists while clenching his metal teeth. "I was just as much a wanted criminal back THERE as I was in the Milky Way or even in THIS place. Hell, I've already stole a BUNCH o' stuff here, if ya hadn't noticed."

"Lemme guess," Yang pointed at Bashmouth's attire. "The clothes?"

Bashmouth wagged a finger at her. "Oh-ho, not just that, missy. Check THIS out." The Metallikanine began walking over to something, an object that took the team by surprise. It was a plastic cooler that was sitting just off in the far corner, one that was black and blended into the wall almost perfectly. Bashmouth opened the cooler and dug through it, bringing out a silver can of a beverage that many of them recognized almost instantly.

Jessie did a double take when she saw the can. "Is that… beer?"

"I think it is." Max confirmed. "Where did you even GET that?"

With a metal-toothed grin, Bashmouth gave him a shrug. "Just from some shit-stain of a convenience store. At first, I stole some sorta fizzy brown drink from there, too. But if ya ask me…" He lifted the can above his head and opened his large maw before crushing the can in his hand, making the foamy liquid come dripping down into his mouth. Bashmouth swallowed it all in one big gulp, let out a satisfied; "Ahhh" and smashed the can against his head and tossing it away. "Whatever THIS stuff is, it's MUCH better. 'Specially when it's stone cold!"

Blake, Yang and Weiss all shared confused looks with each other before going back to Bashmouth. "Uh… it's just beer." Blake uttered. "Generic dollar store beer, at that. Not really much to write home about."

" _Beer_?" Bashmouth grinned as the word left his still-foamy lips, grabbing two more cans of beer from the cooler as he did. "Huh, not a bad name fer this stuff. Just rolls right off the tongue… beer! Ah-ha!" At that, he crushed both cans above his head and downed the cold alcoholic liquid all at once, letting out a belch as soon as they were drained. "Ah! That's the stuff!"

Weiss gave him a deadpan face. "Great, so we're not just fighting a dangerous alien dog… but a dangerous alien dog that could be drunk of his ass."

"It's times like this where I wish Uncle Qrow was here." Yang commented. "He fights while he's drunk ALL the time. He'd be great in this sitch."

" **Or they could become drinking buddies."** Four Arms pointed out. **"One of the two."** He pounded both of his left fists into his right palms, starting forward with renewed resolve. **"Alright, Bashmouth, you've brought this on your… self?"** Just as he was approaching, Bashmouth began sniffing at the air, much to everyone's bewilderment. **"Uh… what're you…"**

But then, a growl escaped Bashmouth's lips his eyes focusing back to the group. "Wait a second…" His arm whipped up and he pointed at Kevin, glowering at the Osmosian in pure contempt. "YOU!"

Kevin moved his eyes from side to side before pointing to himself. "Me?"

"Yeah, you!" Bashmouth clawed his fingers, ready to go into battle at a moment's notice. "Yer scent's the same one as the bastard who brought me down all those years ago!"

A smirk worked its way to Kevin's face. "Yeah, that was my dad."

"Oh, I see… so Mr. Hotshot thinks he can do what his big bad PA did to ol' Bashmouth back in the day, huh?!" Bashmouth snarled and began stomping his way forward, making the whole group go into a defensive stance. "Well not 'til I get my hands on yer pa for what he did to me! Now, where is he?!"

Kevin furrowed his brows, sending Bashmouth a dark glare. "…You're too late to get your revenge, if that's what you want. My dad was killed _years_ ago."

Bashmouth let out another loud, angry roar, forcing almost the whole group to cover their ears. "FINE!" He pounded a fist into his palm, glaring at Kevin in contempt. "Then I guess I'm gonna hafta settle fer the next best thing… you—" But then, Bashmouth cut himself off when his ears perked up, hearing the sound of a trigger about to be pulled. All at once… _BANG!_ A shot echoed through the cathedral and Bashmouth whipped his head up in the direction it came from, opening his mouth and closing it just as quick.

The team whirled around to see Ruby perched in the large hole above the front door, sitting where the stained-glass window used to be. She had Crescent Rose in its sniper rifle configuration, its barrel smoking after making the shot. However, the Hooded Huntress was taken aback when Bashmouth craned his head up to her position, blinking to make sure she hadn't missed anything. "Uh… I don't think I hit him." she uttered.

"In a matter o' speakin', no, ya didn't." Bashmouth muffled out, the Metallikanine keeping his teeth clenched together. "But, uh…" He parted his lips, revealing that he had actually _caught_ the bullet in his teeth. "In a way, I guess ya did, haha! Now, let's get rid o' this thing…" He bit down on the bullet… but that was a choice he would soon come to regret. Almost instantly, Bashmouth began to convulse as electric energy began coursing through his metal teeth, making him fall back while clenching his face.

Ruby pulled her Dust clip out of Crescent Rose, revealing she had loaded it with Lightning rounds. "Yeah, I think you're already regretting that."

Jessie was laughing up a storm at the little trick Ruby managed to pull off. "HAHA! Oh, my stars an' garters, great job, Ruby!"

"Yeah, sis!" Yang supported with a thumbs up. "Nice work!"

Ruby jumped down from the hole, shifting Crescent Rose into its scythe mode. "Thanks… but I don't think we're outta the woods yet. Look!" Everyone turned back to see that Bashmouth had stopped convulsing, the dog-like alien now just breathing heavily as the pain subsided.

"You… little _bitch_." Bashmouth growled, his eyes now glowing intensely with anger. "Imma crush you like a beer can!" With a powerful roar, Bashmouth ran forward, intending to take Ruby's head off in one fell swoop. However, Four Arms interfered again, the Tetramand barreling forward and using his shoulder to slam into Bashmouth's torso. He then took all four of his arms and grappled them around Bashmouth, using the momentum from his first strike to push them both out yet another window.

Max's eyes widened and he faced the rest of the team, ushering them to follow him outside. "Come on, we have to keep on them!"

"On it!" Kevin confirmed as the team all headed back out to the rest of the ruins. There, they saw Bashmouth and Four Arms already struggling with each other on the ground, the two aliens giving it their all to try and assert their dominance on one another. "C'mon, dude!" Kevin shouted over to his best friend. "You can—" But he was halted mid-sentence when Bashmouth suddenly gained the upper hand, lifting Four Arms up off the ground so that his legs were sticking up straight in the air. "Okay, maybe you _can't_ do this."

Then, so everyone's surprise, Bashmouth shouted; "SAGITTARIUS SUPLEX!" before dropping onto his back, slamming Four Arms down to the ground head first with him. What's more, Bashmouth had dropped Four Arm's head right onto a rock that was sticking up from the ground, making the impact much more painful. While the dog-like alien got up instantly, Four Arms was still on the ground, holding his head in pain. "How'd ya like THAT, idiot?!"

Yang felt her teeth clench at that. "HEY! Wrestling moves are Rath's thing! He can't steal Rath's thing!"

When Four Arms didn't respond, Bashmouth took that as an opportunity to pull off another move. "Not enough? Well alright then, how 'bout this?! PISCES POINTED ELBOW DROP!" With a mighty leap, Bashmouth held out his arm and bent it so that his elbow was facing down toward Four Arms' stomach. And then, almost in the blink of an eye, the fur around his elbow hardened into a thick, metal pad, making the impact even MORE painful. Four Arms belted out an agonizing yell as Bashmouth stood up, crossing his arms in victory. "Ha! Pathetic! You REALLY thought you could beat me, tough guy? Just 'cause ya got four arms don't mean yer stronger than me!"

Four Arms managed to roll himself onto his stomach, breathing in and out while trying to fill his lungs back up with air. **"Oh… oh yeah?! And what makes you say that?!"**

"Because Metallikanines are BORN warriors!" Bashmouth roared in Four Arms' face, making him wince. "We separate from the pack from an early age an' we're FORCED to fend for ourselves! Only when we prove ourselves to be TRUE warriors are we allowed to return. And let me tell you something…" Bashmouth delivered a swift kick to Four Arms' face, making him twist around and fall flat on his face. The brutal dog alien went up and picked Four Arms up by the head, lowering himself so that he was eye to eye with his adversary. "Any Tetramand I faced durin' my time out on the lamb could NEVER beat me! So you should get it through YOUR thick skull that YOU probably can't either! As far as I'm concerned, yer better off just givin' up! THAT'S the bottom line… and do ya know why?"

Weakly, Four Arms muttered; **"No, why?"**

"BECAUSE BASHMOUTH SAID SO!" With a strong left hook, Bashmouth sent Four Arms careening back into a whole bunch of trees, making them fall as he crashed through them. The entire team was left stunned as they watched their friend plow through the trees, all while Bashmouth smirked proudly at his work.

However, a certain blonde quickly came to her senses, her teeth clenched as she glowered straight at Bashmouth. "Oh, you did NOT just do that!" Yang let out a yell before firing off multiple Fire Dust rounds at Bashmouth, which managed to strike him straight in the back and make him stumble forward onto the ground. "After that, I'm gonna make sure you WON'T be leaving prison!"

But even as he picked himself back up, Bashmouth was not deterred in the least. "Pretty bold claim to make there, sweet cheeks!" He turned around to face Yang and lifted his arms up, balling his fists. "Why don't you try that little trick again?"

Yang was about to oblige, but then she thought back to what Max had told her before. _'This guy's got the ability to make near-indestructible armor out of his own fur.'_ she reminded herself. _'You just got in a lucky shot that time, Yang. You'll have to catch him off guard again if you wanna do more damage.'_ The Blonde Brawler lowered her fists, keeping her eyes on Bashmouth. "No, because I know what you're going to do."

"See? Yer learnin'!" At that, the fur on Bashmouth's arms and shoulders began solidifying into metal plates and pads respectively, giving him more protection. "Bullets ain't gonna do squat against me, girl. So if ya want me… yer gonna have to get up close and personal."

Yang sneered in disgust. "Okay, first of all; ew. Secondly…" She raised her middle finger up to him. "Kiss it."

"HAHA! Oh, I like yer style there, girly!" Bashmouth popped a few muscles in his neck before barring his teeth once again. "Alright, then! No more messin' around! Let's get serious about this!" With a mighty howl, Bashmouth began running to Yang on all fours, ready to take her on.

"My thoughts exactly…" Yang said, making sure to cock her Ember Celica before standing perfectly still.

As Bashmouth closed in, the rest of the team stared on in astonishment, wondering just what Yang was thinking. "YANG!" Weiss yelled. "What are you DOING?!"

"Get out of the way!" Blake shouted. "You'll be mauled!"

But Yang didn't move, at least not right away. She waited for the last possible second for Bashmouth to close the distance… before falling down backwards, much to the latter's surprise. She put her fists to the ground so that her Ember Celica were facing downward and lifted her legs up, bending them in toward her chest. Right as Bashmouth's chest went over her head, she screamed; "CENTAURUS SPRING KICK!" before propelling herself up with her Ember Celica, delivering a devastating kick toward Bashmouth's midsection. She sprang up onto her feet and watched as the Metallikanine sailed over to the treelined, smashing through multiple trees himself. "And THAT is how _I_ play."

The whole team smiled at the blonde's maneuver, with Ruby pumping a fist into the air. "Woo! Alright, Yang!"

"Now that's what I call springing into action!" Rex quipped.

Yang turned around, giving them both a thumbs up and a wink. "Ha! Nice one. And thanks!" She then jabbed her thumb over to the line of trees that Four Arms had been sent through. "I'm gonna go get Ben! You guys think you can handle Bashmouth while I do that?"

Kevin gave her a salute. "Sure thing! We'll take care of ol' metal mouth over there."

"Great! Thanks!" Yang returned the gesture before high-tailing it toward the tree line once more, intent on giving her boyfriend some support.

Just as she started running though, Bashmouth got up, now even angrier than he had been before. "HEY! We ain't finished, blondie!" But as he began to go after her, a powerful slug suddenly sailed past his face, drawing his attention back to the group behind him.

"Oh, don't you worry 'bout her, partner." Jessie stated as she shouldered her shotgun, flipping the brim of her hat up to him with a stoic face. "Ya'll've got even MORE problems to deal with here, if'n ya catch my drift."

"I do." Bashmouth growled. "An' I also know yer gonna have a rude awakening, lady. 'Cause Bashmouth's like a rattlesnake! The moment you provoke 'im… you'll regret it."

Jessie merely smirked at this. "Funny… because I've tied MUCH bigger snakes in _knots_ before."

"Ahaha! Okay, NOW you've got my attention! BRING IT ON, LADY!" With that, Bashmouth stormed forward on all fours once again, this time headed straight for the group.

The team readied themselves for the alien's attack, with Kevin cracking his stone knuckles in preparation. "Okay, Jessie, what's the plan?" the Osmosian asked.

With a spin of her shotgun, Jessie holstered the weapon on her back, leaving her bare handed. Her blue eyes began to glow gold along with the palms of her hands, her Semblance activating in an instant. "Ya'll wait for my signal, Kevin. And then… go for it." Jessie then tossed her hat off her head and sprinted forward in a burst of speed, appearing to want to meet Bashmouth head on. However, at the last possible second, Jessie purposely fell and slid under Bashmouth, making him stop in place.

"Huh? What the—HEY!" Bashmouth tried to move himself around, but was stopped when he felt his arm get grabbed and pulled behind his back in a hammerlock hold, with another hand reaching up and pushing down between his shoulder blades as well. "GAH! Oh, you CAN'T be serious! Ya really think—gah—an arm lock like this can hold… grrr—Bashmouth?" However, the more he struggled, the more he realized… he really _couldn't_ get out of the hold. "What the hell?! Why can't I get outta this?!"

"'Cause I don't WANT ya too, big boy!" Jessie answered. "My Iron Grip's gotcha, an' the only way you're gettin' out is if _I_ let ya!" The redheaded cowgirl moved her head around Bashmouth's large frame and locked eyes with Kevin, giving him a nod. "Kevin! Wanna double team 'im?!"

Kevin smirked and shifted one of his stone hands into a hammer, keeping the other one normal. _'This could be my chance!'_ he thought to himself. _'I just gotta absorb the metal on his arms and I can probably take him down.'_ He ran forward and reared his hammer back, calling back to Jessie; "On it! Chew on THIS, Bashmouth!"

Bashmouth growled and shook his head. "I don't think so…" He craned his head back to Jessie and an idea entered his head; "If I can't force my way outta your grip… then _I'll_ force _you_ to let go!" Before Jessie could even utter a word, Bashmouth faced back to Kevin as the Osmosian was just about to close the distance between them. In once swift movement, the Metallikanine jumped up and delivered a double kick square into Kevin's chest. Not only did it send Kevin falling back, but the momentum allowed Bashmouth to come crashing down back first right onto Jessie. While it DID hurt his arm, the impact certainly hurt Jessie as well… if the howl of pain beneath him was anything to go by. "Ah, now THAT'S satisfyin'."

"JESSIE!" Ruby hollered in a panic, using her Semblance once again to rush over to the cowgirl's aid.

"Ruby, wait!" Weiss reached out, but was too late to stop her friend. "We need to keep a distance, remember?!"

Rex stepped forward and activated both his Punk Busters and Smack Hands, his gaze focused solely on Bashmouth. "Sorry, Ice Princess, but at this point, that option's gone out the window." With that, he leapt into the fray with Ruby, the two sailing toward Bashmouth at rapid speeds. "Get off of her, you creep!"

But Bashmouth stayed right where he was. "Not a chance, kid! I ain't movin' a muscle—what?! GAH!" A rush of wind suddenly blew past Bashmouth's face as he was surrounded by blustering rose petals, making him close his eyes and spit as they entered his mouth. "Bleh! What the hell is THIS s'posed to be? Some sorta magic trick?!"

Just then, Ruby materialized from the petal blizzard, her silver eyes boring right into Bashmouth's as she aimed Crescent Rose right at him. "No magic here. Just skill." She unloaded a shot right into an exposed part of his arm, the Lightning Dust taking effect almost instantly. Bashmouth roared in agony, but he remained steadfast, not getting up from his spot. "Rex!" Ruby hollered. "I could use some help!"

"Right here!" Rex replied as he came crashing down next to the convulsing Bashmouth. He reached down and lifted the large alien up, revealing Jessie still holding on tightly to Bashmouth's arm. "Jess! Are you okay?!"

Jessie winced as Bashmouth was picked up, her right arm clearly battered and bruised badly from the impact. "Ugh, no, not really, hon. I'll be honest, I didn't expect him to do that."

"You've gotta let go." Rex insisted. "Leave this to the rest of us, okay?"

The Vacuoan Huntress was reluctant, but she knew she couldn't keep a hold on Bashmouth for much longer. _'Well… if I'm gonna let him go, I might as well do it on my terms."_ Jessie reached back with her good hand and grabbed her shotgun, giving Rex a nod as she did. "Alright… but I got an idea! Let him go!" Rex loosened his grip and Jessie did the same, the redheaded cowgirl giving Bashmouth a swift boot to the rear as he came back down. She used the momentum from the kick to make her roll to the side and back up to her feet, much to Bashmouth's surprise.

"Huh?! What the—" Bashmouth got up to his hands and knees, still reeling from the second intense shock. "Where'd she…"

"Kiss my ass, you son of a bitch!" Using only one hand, Jessie cocked her shotgun and fired it right at Bashmouth's tail, the Fire Dust exploding upon impact. The moment it did, Bashmouth let out a loud, dog-like yip before desperately dragging his rear across the ground, trying to put his tail out. Jessie grinned in retribution as the teens began laughing at Bashmouth's expense. "There, that oughta teach ya—gah!" Right then and there, Jessie winced in pain again as she dropped her shotgun and fell to her knees, her hand moving over to her right arm as the pain shot through it again. "Goddamn it!"

"Jessie!" In an instant, Ruby was right by the cowgirl's side, with Blake, Weiss, Rex and Max sprinting over to join her. "Oh gosh, your arm! Is… is it broken?"

Though she was in intense pain, Jessie could tell that wasn't the case. "No, no sugar, it ain't." she assured. "Trust me, I've had broken arms before. Right now, mine's just battered an' sprained to hell an' back."

Max stepped forward and put a hand to her shoulder. "Come on, let's get you off of the battlefield for now. We'll get you some help very soon, I promise."

"Heh, thanks Max." Jessie chuckled as she got up again, walking back over to the cathedral with the old Plumber. "Besides, I think I've made my point clear to ol' Bashmouth over there."

"Haha, that you did." Max chortled, his sights landing on the teens once again. "You kids think you can keep holding him off for a while longer?"

Weiss gave him a single nod. "Of course, and this time…" She raised a brow over to her hooded partner. "We're going to play it safe, right?"

Ruby's hand went to the back of her head, a sheepish smile forming on her face. "Okay, that kind of WAS a spur of the moment thing on my part." She held out her hand to Blake and Weiss. "But now, let's take him down as a team, yeah?"

"Right." Blake agreed as she and Weiss put their hands over hers. "Let's put this bad boy down."

Rex gave them a big thumbs up with his Smack Hands. "Sounds like a plan… but first, I should probably make sure that Kev's still conscious."

"Good idea." Ruby waved. "Go get him and then wait for my word to attack. I have a plan." Rex complied with her request before leaping over to Kevin, leaving the three girls to fend for themselves. "Alright, girls, let's go!"

Meanwhile, Bashmouth had just put out the fire on his tail, falling back to his hands and knees as he tried to catch his breath. His ragged breaths transitioned to snarls and his eyes snapped up to his opponents, seeing that only Ruby, Blake and Weiss remained. "Alright… NOW yer just PISSIN' me off!" Bashmouth stood up and roared, making the very earth beneath his feet cave in underneath him. "Where do ya'll get off on takin' me down?!"

"Where do YOU get off hurting our friends?!" Weiss countered indignantly. "As far as I'm concerned, you have a _very_ poor sense of morality! Don't you have any mercy?!"

Bashmouth seemed particularly angry at that. " _Mercy_?! What a load of crap!" He pointed a single finger to Weiss in ire, taking her aback a bit. "Don't you DARE try an' preach yer morality to me! Bashmouth doesn't HAVE any mercy to give! You want mercy?!" He moved his finger off to his right. "Then take yer skinny ass to church, little lady!"

Weiss gasped in shock, appalled by such rude behavior. "Oh, you _didn't_ just say that!"

But Blake, without missing a beat, jerked her thumb back over to the cathedral. "Oh… so you mean like the one you've been living in for god knows how long?"

Over the course of the next few seconds, Bashmouth connected the dots in his mind, his eyes going back and forth between the girls and the cathedral. When he finally managed to put the pieces together, he responded appropriately; "A DIFFERENT CHURCH!" He let out another roar and began sprinting toward them again, moving back to all fours.

"Weiss, fall back!" Ruby ordered, her partner responding immediately. Ruby then whipped her head around to her remaining teammate with a smile. "Blake, Ladybug!" Blake nodded in understanding and the two separated into different directions. Ruby, using her Semblance again, rushed in to seemingly meet Bashmouth head on, only to burst into petals in his face once more.

Bashmouth had to stop in place to regain his bearings, swiping at the petals with his claws. "Oh, for cryin' out lou—GAH!" Right at that moment, he was set upon by multiple shots from behind, the bullets going through his leather jacket. Blake had begun unloading Dust rounds at him from a distance with Gambol Shroud, making Bashmouth growl in irritation. He made the fur on his back harden into metal beneath his clothes, allowing not just the bullets to bounce off, but the ones that had already pierced his skin to pop out without a problem. Bashmouth licked his chops and goaded Blake as he turned around; "Here, kitty-kitty…"

Blake kept the pressure on with her shots, but the moment Bashmouth raised his armored arms to press forward, she knew this needed to end. "Ruby, now!"

"On it!" From above, Ruby came falling down right above Bashmouth, much to his surprise. He reached up to try and grab her… but she burst into petals again when he tried. In the blink of an eye, Ruby reappeared behind Bashmouth and she swung Crescent Rose in a wide arc across his back, slicing through his leather jacket a bit while knocking him forward in the process. Ruby landed on her feet next to Blake, her frustration growing a little. "Shoot! That armor really IS tough! We need something even tougher if we wanna—"

"Way ahead of you!" Weiss called out to her partner, garnering both Ruby and Blake's attention. The heiress was currently down on one knee and had Myrtenaster planted straight into the ground. In front of her was one of her Summoning glyphs, and from it, a large Boarbatusk appeared, the pig Grimm squealing in anticipation. "Go get him!"

The Boarbatusk let out another squeal before charging straight toward Bashmouth, rolling up into its signature devastating spinning attack. Bashmouth himself was busy picking himself up again, shaking the small daze from his head. "Ugh, wazza—huh?" His ears perked up when he heard rapid movement approaching him from his right side, making him turn his head… only to see the fast-spinning Boarbatusk barreling toward him. "WHAT THE SHIT—AAAAAGH!" In one strike, Bashmouth was sent careening back again, this time into a large boulder that was just a few yards away.

With a wave of her hand, Weiss beckoned the Boarbatusk back to her side, which it did without hesitation. "Excellent work." Weiss commended as Blake and Ruby approached her. The heiress faced her friends with a smile. "So, was that good enough?"

"MORE than good enough!" Ruby assured. "That was great!"

"Yeah, nice work, Weiss." Blake added. "Way to take an opportunity."

Weiss simply shrugged. "Eh, I couldn't let you guys have ALL the fun. Speaking of which…" Out of the corner of her eye, Weiss saw Rex and Kevin coming toward them, the Osmosian rubbing the back of his head. "Hello, boys, glad you could join us." She quirked a brow to Kevin. "How're you doing, Kevin? You alright?"

"About as alright as I'm gonna be." Kevin replied with a slightly annoyed tone. "If not a little pissed that I couldn't absorb his metal armor when I could." He reached into his Dust pouches and pulled out some Fire Dust, absorbing the red crystal into his arms. "I really should've just gone for the Dust in the first place. It would've saved us a bunch of time." He directed his gaze to Ruby and asked; "How's Jessie?"

"She'll be okay." Ruby answered. "Max took her back to the church. No broken bones, thankfully."

"Okay, good." Kevin clenched his fists slightly. "Gah, but still… I can't help but feel guilty about that happening."

Rex gave his friend a pat on the shoulder. "Hey, c'mon, Kev. It's not your fault, _amigo_. You couldn't have predicted he'd do that."

Blake stepped up and gave him a nod. "Rex is right. The best thing we can do for Jessie now is win this battle for her." She raised a determined fist up to Kevin with a smile. "So let's give it our all for her, huh?"

Kevin smirked and nodded back. "Yeah, let's—"

_BAM!_ Suddenly, the large boulder that Bashmouth was sent into was smashed to smithereens, the Metallikanine standing where it once was. He had was could only be described as rage-fueled contempt on his face as he focused in on the group of teens, his right eye twitching all the while. "THAT'S IT! I'M THROUGH WITH YOU PATHETIC KIDS!" All of a sudden, his hands snapped open and the claws on his hands were replaced by sets of metal claws, all eight of them sharper than his normal ones. "I'm gonna cut you ALL to ribbons until there's NOTHING left! And THAT'S the bottom line, because BASHMOUTH SAID SO!"

As Bashmouth roared in anger, Kevin brought his own fists up and clashed them together, causing the Fire Dust to erupt into flame all across his arms. "Well, guess we'll have to take that bet." The Osmosian's eyes changed from dark brown to bright red in an instant and he took a deep breath, focusing himself on the mission at hand. "Alright… let's clobber this guy!"

* * *

" _Ben… Beeeeen…_ GREEN BOY!"

Four Arm's eyes snapped open with a start, gasping in surprise as he sat up from his place on the ground. However, the moment his sight returned to him, he realized something; _'Wait a sec… where AM I?'_ He scanned his surroundings, surrounded on all sides by trees. _'Last I remember, I was in a clearing with all the ruins… and I was fighting—'_ His eye ridges rose in alarm. **"Wait, where's Bash—"**

"Ben! You're okay!" The Tetramand whirled his head around just in time to see Yang fall into him with a hug, a bright smile on her face. "What a relief! When I found you here, I thought it'd take _forever_ to get you back up."

"… **Yang?"** Four Arms uttered before giving the area another scan. A few yards ahead, he could see a path that lead out to the clearing they had been in… a path that was surrounded by dozens of broken trees. And now that he had taken a second look, he noticed that the path ended right where he and Yang were. **"Wait… did** _ **I**_ **do this?"**

Yang glanced around to all the broken trees, bobbing her head back and forth in thought. "Well… if you wanna get technical, Bashmouth's the one who sent ya through here, so really HE'S the one responsible."

Four Arm's lips parted, his eyes going down to the ground again. **"Bashmouth… where IS he?"**

"The others are handling him for now." Yang answered before getting up. "And we gotta get back there ASAP to help 'em out. C'mon, let's—"

" **Wait!"** Four Arms reached up and gently grasped her hand with his before getting up himself, giving his girlfriend a serious face. **"Let's be smart about this. If Bashmouth was able to throw ME through all of these trees, then it's obvious that he's pretty strong. If that's the case, then we gotta put a stop to him** _ **fast**_ **."**

With her attention successfully garnered, Yang craned her head up to her boyfriend once again. "Well, yeah, but we can't exactly rush in either. He'll see us coming." Her eyes widened when she remembered the spring kick that she managed to pull off against Bashmouth earlier. "…But, he CAN also be taken by surprise. He can be easily misled or distracted, but it needs to be under the right circumstances."

Four Arms put a hand to his chin, thinking more about the situation they faced. **"Yeah… but that's not gonna be enough. We'll need a strong enough attack to finish him off—"** At that moment, an idea entered his head, one that he had been mulling over for a long time. **"Wait… I think I got something!"**

"You do?" Yang asked with a head tilt. "What is it?"

" **Well… there's this special move that I've been wanting to try with Four Arms."** the Tetramand explained, his upper left hand going to the back of his head. Yang noticed that a sheepish expression had formed on her boyfriend's face, almost as if he were embarrassed about something. **"I hadn't told you about it yet 'cause… well, I won't lie, it's kind of a nerdy sounding thing."**

A smirk came to Yang's face and she quirked a brow at him. "Ooh… was this move inspired by something, Ben?"

Four Arms coughed into his fist, trying to shake the awkward feeling. **"Uh, heh, well, kind of. I sort of adapted it from this really cool move from a show that I like. You wouldn't know what it is, we haven't watched it yet."**

Yang gave him a shrug. "Hey, it's okay. If you wanna go for something, then go for it!"

" **It's just… I'm a bit nervous about what Kev and Rex will think about it."** Four Arms explained. **"Nobody else will get it, but** _ **they**_ **will."**

The Blonde Brawler balled her fists eagerly. "So? If you think this move can end the fight, then you SHOULD go for it! Who cares what Rex and Kevin might think?" She gave one of Four Arm's arms a light smack. "All that matters is that YOU think it'll work, Ben. Nothing else. And besides…" Yang sent him a thumbs up and a wink. "You've got my support either way!"

Four Arms lowered his head again, taking in everything Yang had just said. After a few short seconds, though, he spoke up. **"Well, if you put it that way…"** the Tetramand lifted his head up, a rather confident and brave smile now adorning his features. He was also holding his head up high, the sun shining down directly upon him. This caused a shadow to be cast upon the rest of his face by his very facial structure. It was almost… heroic, in a way. **"I guess I have nothing left to lose! After all, I wouldn't be a hero if I just DIDN'T take action, would I?"**

Taken aback by the sudden bravado, Yang shifted her eyes around as she came up with a response. "Uh, yeah… are you okay, Ben?"

" **Never better!"** Four Arms put a fist over his chest confidently. **"I just have to get into the right mindset if I wanna pull this off!"**

"Uh… okay." Yang shrugged. "Well then, c'mon, let's go!" With that, the couple sprinted back into the clearing, where they were immediately met with the sight of Kevin, Rex, Ruby, Weiss and Blake all fighting against Bashmouth, the group making sure to keep their distance. "They look like they could use more help." Yang noted.

Four Arms nodded in agreement. **"Right, but I need some time to prepare my attack…"** He slapped the Omnitrix symbol on his chest, transforming into XLR8 without much fanfare. The Kineceleran whipped his head around to Yang and pointed off to the distance. "I'm going to need a major running start for this to work… and I'll need Bashmouth to be tossed my way."

Yang's eyebrows snapped up at that. "Wow, this attack must be something else!"

"It is." XLR8 affirmed. "So when you see an opportunity to get the drop on him, take it, okay? And keep an eye out for me, because when you see me coming back, I'll need at least one of you guys to throw him right at me." He gave her a sincere smile. "I know you can do it, Goldie Locks. If anyone can, it's you."

Yang gave him a wink and another thumbs up. "No problem, Green Boy. Let's do this!" With that, the couple separated, with XLR8 zooming off into the distance.

Back over at the battle, Rex was using his Slam Cannon to try and wear down Bashmouth, firing off multiple shots of rock and dirt at the Metallikanine to tire him out. "Gah! C'mon, _perro malo_!" _BAM!_ He shot off another blast, only for the ball of solid rock to break against Bashmouth's armor like it was nothing. "Jeez! Can't ya at least go AFTER the balls or something? Ya know, like an ACTUAL dog?!"

Bashmouth roared in anger, but was immediately silenced when a blast of fire entered his mouth, causing him to cough and hack to try and spit it out. He was then promptly punched in the gut by Kevin, forcing him to stagger back as his red shirt was burned through as well. "You could at least crack a smile." Kevin quipped. "It'd make things a LOT easier on you."

"You treat me like a dog an' expect me to SMILE?!" Bashmouth hollered, roaring so loud that it forced everyone to cover their ears. "YOU REMIND ME OF A JACKASS!"

"Just _a_ jackass?" Kevin countered with a smirk. "You're gonna have to be more specific, because I've been compared to A LOT of jackasses!"

Bashmouth was about to let loose on them once again, but was immediately stopped when he felt more bullets bounce off his back, accompanied this time with laser fire as well. He whirled around to see Ruby, Blake and Weiss, the latter having summoned five glyphs to fire lasers at the alien. "Oh, you three _again_?! Can't ya see yer outside yer weight class?!"

Weiss smirked at the phrasing of that sentence. "Gee, thanks for noticing! We think _you're_ pretty fat, too!" With another thrust of Myrtenaster, she sent another barrage of lasers into Bashmouth's face, making him stagger back once again. She shifted her eyes over to her partner and asked; "Ice Flower?"

"You read my mind!" Ruby concurred before taking aim at the stumbling Bashmouth. "Let's do this!" In an instant, Weiss summoned three Ice Glyphs right in front of Crescent Rose's barrel, with Ruby keeping her sights squarely on Bashmouth. "And… there!" A loud _BANG_ erupted from Crescent Rose and the bullet passed through the glyphs, giving it the added effect of freezing Bashmouth in place the moment it made impact. It hit him in the right side and froze him instantly, the ice encasing his arm and leg. "Ah-ha! Alright!" But just as Ruby cheered, Bashmouth flexed his arm and broke free of the ice, following up with his leg a second later. "…Not alright."

Blake furrowed her brows and was about to try using her Semblance with Fire Dust… but then she saw Yang running at Bashmouth from behind, making her smile in determination. "Hey, Bashmouth!" Blake hollered before running forward, much to her teammates shock.

"Blake, wait!" Ruby cried out. "What're you—" But then she saw Yang as well, and a smile reappeared on her face soon after. "Never mind, you're good!"

Weiss saw this as well and smirked. "Oh, this IS gonna be good."

Bashmouth was confused by their banter, but the cat girl was beginning to close in on him, so he had to act fast. _'Ah, well. Her funeral.'_ he thought to himself before bringing his paw down onto Blake… only for her to disappear at the very last second. The Metallikanine blinked as his hand passed through a lifeless shadow clone, taking him aback. "HUH?! What the—oof!" Bashmouth was suddenly met with a double dropkick to the face from Blake, using it as a spring board for her to jump up high into the air.

Blake detached her ribbon from Gambol Shroud and tossed it down to Yang, calling out to her partner; "Yang! Bumblebee formation!"

"Gotcha, partner!" Yang grabbed the ribbon and shot herself up into the air with the help of her Ember Celica, with Blake keeping a tight hold of her end of the ribbon as she did. The blonde sailed up into the air past Blake and the ribbon tensed up, allowing the cat girl to swing her partner around in midair as Yang kept providing the propulsion with her weapon. With a mighty downward swing, Blake sent Yang careening down toward Bashmouth, the alien still staggering from the unexpected kick to the face. Yang reared back her fist, shouting out; "MISS ME, KIBBLE-BREATH?!" before her fist connected with Bashmouth's right cheek, sending him sprawling back onto the ground in pain.

Blake and Yang landed back on the ground beside each other, the former raising her hand up to her partner. "Float like a butterfly…"

"Sting like a bee!" Yang finished, clasping Blake's hand happily. "Nice work, partner!"

"I'll say!" Rex called out as he and Kevin approached the four girls. "That was an amazing take down!"

However, when they reached Team RWBY, Kevin's eyes snapped up when he saw Bashmouth get up yet again, his fiery crystalline hand shifting into a sharp axe. "It ain't over yet! Look!" The group faced Bashmouth as he stood to his feet, the alien turning around to reveal the fur on his face having been singed by Yang's blow. "Don't you EVER give up?!" Kevin hollered.

"Not a chance, sonny-boy!" Bashmouth jabbed two thumbs toward himself. "Bashmouth ain't no quitter! You can slam him down all ya want, but I'll just keep gettn' back up! And THAT'S the bottom line, 'cause—huh?!" He cut his catchphrase off when he suddenly saw the six teens huddling him, much to his dismay. "HEY! What the hell're you doin?! Do ya'll know how RUDE that is?! I wasn't even finished yet!"

Meanwhile, in the huddled group, Yang was discussing the plan that Ben had told her earlier with her teammates, making sure that they were filled in with what would happen. "And that's the whole story." Yang finished. "We gotta get the big guy off his feet and throw him to Ben the moment he gets back. Think we can do it?"

Rex sent a smirk over to her. "Oh, Yang, I KNOW we can do it. We just need a good distraction, and then I can handle the throwing part."

"Great!" Ruby grinned. "So we're all in agreement. Let's do this!"

The group let out a resounding "Right!" before moving away, their plan now cemented into place. Yang and Weiss smiled toward each other, simultaneously declaring; "Freezer Burn!" Yang jumped into the air and Weiss, with a small pirouette, stabbed Myrtenaster into the ground, creating a thick sheet of ice across the grass that stopped just before Bashmouth's feet. The heiress leapt back as Yang came crashing down onto the ice, sending a Fire Dust-fueled punch into it to evaporate the cold sheet in a flash.

As a result, a light mist suddenly appeared across the battlefield, which the teens were quick to disappear into. This only served to irritate Bashmouth more. "HEY! Now that ain't fair! Come out an' gimme a REAL fight—AGH!" Without warning, Bashmouth was suddenly blind-sided by another punch to the face, a familiar head of blonde hair disappearing into the mist soon after. "Get back here, Blondie! I ain't finished with—GAH! ACK!" A pair of blades suddenly sliced across Bashmouth's torso, leaving light cuts in his chest. This time, the alien saw two heads of white and black hair fade back into the mist, making him even angrier.

Bashmouth growled as he tried to take a few whiffs, thinking to himself; _'Dammit! All I'm smellin' is water vapors! An' they're bein' REAL quiet too! How am I—WAIT!'_ Bashmouth spun around the moment he felt an intense heat come up from behind him, his eyes meeting Kevin's immediately. He reached out and grabbed the Osmosian by the arm with the axe hand, only for Kevin to shift his free hand into a hammer and slam it down on Bashmouth's. The alien howled in pain and jerked his arm back, pulling Kevin along with him. In one swift move, Bashmouth fell right on top of Kevin, pinning the raven-haired teen beneath him. "HA! Nice try, junior! Shoulda gotten rid o' that fire stuff ya got on ya!"

But Kevin had a sly grin on his face, which immediately concerned Bashmouth. "Oh, I'm not the big fish here, Bashy…" In a split second, a large whip wrapped around Bashmouth's waist, sending a huge burst of energy coursing through him. "HE is!"

With his teeth clenched in pain, Bashmouth whipped his head around to see Rex, the young EVO with his Blast Caster out and surrounded by Team RWBY. He stuck his tongue out and flashed a middle finger to the dog alien, which the girls were more than happy to laugh at. "What now, _perro_?! You wanna give up?!"

"Bashmouth don't know the MEANIN' of those words, kid!" the dog alien snapped back.

"Too bad." Rex said before the sound of rushing wind graced his ears. He and Team RWBY all turned around just in time to see XLR8 rushing toward them from many yards away, the Kineceleran not slowing down for a second. "Because I think THIS is where you go down! Ben! Heads up!" Rex threw Bashmouth into XLR8's path, making sure to add a couple of spins for good measure.

From his position, XLR8 saw his friend throw Bashmouth his way, the Metallikanine sailing directly at him while somersaulting in midair. "Alright! Now for the finishing touch… I REALLY hope this works." Still at his top speed, XLR8 jumped into the air and slammed his left hand onto the Omntrix, transforming into Four Arms once again. Even with the wind whipping at his face, Four Arms put on a fearless smile and balled his two right fists, ready for what would come next as he continued to fly forward. **"Here goes nothin'!"**

"AAAAAGGH!" Bashmouth felt his stomach flip as he continued to careen forward, his eyes widening when he caught sight of Four Arms once again. "YOU?! But I thought—"

But he was cut off when Four Arms began to reared his fists back, a powerful wind current whipping around them as he flew forward at high speeds. **"Double…"** At that moment, the Tetramand began flinging both fists forward the distance between himself and Bashmouth closed, both of them still going at top speed. **"BELLWOOD…"**

Across the way, Rex and Kevin's eyes snapped up at what Four Arms was doing, the former in particular beginning to get hyped up. "WAIT! Is he seriously gonna do a—"

" _ **SMAAAAAAASH**_ **!"** Four Arms' voice echoed throughout the entire area as his fists connected right into Bashmouth's gut, the dog alien's eyes practically bulging out as the two high-speed punches struck him. He barely had a moment to comprehend this as he was sent blasting off into the sky just a moment later, practically out of sight in an instant while howling at the top of his lungs. Team RWBY, Kevin and Rex could only stare up at where they had seen Bashmouth disappear, their eyes wide and stupefied beyond belief. Four Arms was in a similar state, his jaw dropping in utter shock. **"Woah, woah, wait a minute! I didn't think the hit would be THAT hard—OW!"** Just then, Four Arms fell to the ground, pulling his two right hands close to his chest. **"OWOWOWOW!"**

His shout managed to snap everyone out of their stupor, with Yang immediately sprinting over to his side. "Ben!" The blonde slid to a halt next to Four Arms and set her gaze on his hands, which were now more purple than red and his fingers were slightly out of alignment. "Oh god! Are you okay?!"

When the others made it over, Kevin saw the extent of his friend's injuries, which made his brows furrow. "Pfft, does he LOOK like he's okay? He probably broke BOTH his hands while doing that move!"

" **To be fair,"** Four Arms quickly countered, **"I think that bastard may have changed the fur on his belly into metal before I punched him. THAT'S probably why my hands were messed up so badly. But, not a problem!"** He directed his eyes down to the Omnitrix, which was now flashing red and beginning to time out. In a flash of red light, Ben was back to normal, his right hand now as good as new. "See? This is what happens when Azmuth thinks ahead."

"B-But, Ben!" Ruby exclaimed, still in shock. "What even WAS that move?!"

"It was a SMASH!" Rex shouted out, almost in a high-pitched voice. "DUDE! I can't _believe_ you came up with your own Smash! A _Double_ Smash at that!"

Ben's brows furrowed, clutching his right hand. "Yeah… and it was a LOT more powerful than I initially thought it'd be."

Weiss shifted her eyes over to Rex, encouraging him to go on with a wave of her hand. "Uh, Robo-dolt? A little _explanation_ , maybe?"

But Rex simply laughed, giving her a knowing wink. "Oh, Ice Princess, do I have a show for YOU guys to watch sometime soon!"

"Ben!" Just then, the teens attention was shifted to Max and Jessie, the old Plumber helping the cowgirl keep her arm level as they walked over. "Ben, are you alright?" Max asked. "That was some punch!"

Jessie was simply staring at Ben in awe, almost as if she didn't believe her own eyes. "Ben… how DID you pull that off?"

The hero chuckled and put a hand behind his head. "Honestly, I didn't know if I could at first. But, I—" However, he cut himself off when he saw the state of Jessie's arm, battered and bruised not unlike his was just a moment ago. "Oh no, Jessie! What happened?!"

"Ugh." The Vacuoan Huntress groaned as she wore a sour face, glancing off toward the direction Bashmouth had flown off in. "That bastard crushed it between him an' me while we were strugglin'. Thankfully, it ain't broke."

Ben sighed in relief, putting a hand to his chest. "Phew, good. Well, let's wait until the Omnitrix recharges and I think I can fix you up."

However, Blake raised her hand, a concerned expression on her face as her eyes went back skyward. "So… Ben? What do we do about Bashmouth?"

"Good question." Ben winced. "I didn't anticipate that Smash to be so powerful." He shifted his eyes over to his grandfather. "Grandpa… do you think he'll be okay?"

Max gave him a reassuring wave. "Oh, don't worry about it, Ben, he'll be fine. Trust me, I saw him survive worse things when Devin and I fought him. His species is surprisingly durable."

"Well, that's good." Blake pointed off toward the east, right up to the sky. "Because he's coming down right now… but I don't think you'll like where he's heading."

"Huh?" Ben and the others craned their heads up skyward to see a distant speck falling through the sky and down to the earth below, which they presumed to be Bashmouth. However, it was then they noticed that the alien was apparently falling straight into… Beacon Academy. The speck disappeared and a small _BOOM_ was heard in the distance, indicating that he had made impact. "Oh… crap baskets." Ben uttered before bringing up the Omnitrix. "Tetrax, we need pick-up, NOW!"

* * *

As the fight in the Emerald Forest was being waged, Sun, Neptune and Ilia were making their way toward the dining hall, the two boys having taken the chameleon girl on a short tour of the campus along the way. "And finally, we have the dining hall." Sun presented. "Where the legendary food fight between Team RWBY and Team JNPR happened. I gotta say, that was a REALLY good day."

"And a great first impression, might I add." Neptune followed up. "You should've seen Goodwitch, though. She was NOT happy."

Ilia blinked in surprise as her sights were set on the dining hall itself, taking note of the huge gaping holes in its sides. "Well, if she wasn't happy after the food fight, then she must've been _livid_ after the attack." She glanced off toward the other campus buildings, which also still had many holes in them. "And NOT just with this one."

Sun gave her a shrug. "Eh, I'm pretty sure EVERYONE was upset when all this happened. But let's not think of that now. We've got friends waiting inside, after all." The monkey boy stepped up to the doors and opened them, beaming a cheery smile as he greeted; "Hey guys! Guess who's here—"

"What the hell do you lunk heads think you're doing?!" Sun was abruptly cut off when Coco came storming over, which immediately made both him and Neptune jump in fear. However, when they saw where Coco was heading, they relaxed a little bit. The fashionable girl was stomping her way past a bunch of other students until she made it to Russel Thrush and Sky Lark of Team CRDL, the two boys using their weapons to smash a large chunk of debris. "You're making even MORE of a mess than there already is!" Coco berated.

Russel settled one of his swords, the Shortwings, on his shoulder while planting the other one blade-first into the ground, leaning on it for support. The mohawked boy nudged his head over to the rubble and countered; "Well, how ELSE are we gonna move all this? Better to just slice 'em up into tiny pieces and sweep 'em up than tire ourselves out by lugging them around."

Sky was quick to agree, planting his own blade, Feather's Edge, into the ground as well. "Yeah, we're just trying to optimize the work." His eyes moved over to Yatsu and Fox, the duo lifting rubble almost effortlessly out the back door. "Besides, we can't ALL be muscle men like your teammates."

Coco sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, finding it hard to argue with that logic. "Ugh, fine, do whatever you want, I don't care." She pointed a stern finger at them. "Just make sure you don't make a worse mess, okay?"

From the other side of the rubble, Dove Bronzewing perked his head up, stopping his own weapon, the Hallshott, in mid-swing when he heard Coco say that. He furrowed his brows to her and rebuked her. "Hey, did Cardin die and make YOU our new leader? Or has Velvet already gotten close to him enough to do that?" However, the moment he saw Coco's face become beet red, he instantly regretted his choice of word. "Uh… let me rephrase that—hey!"

In the blink of an eye, Coco pulled him up to her face, giving him a glare that could kill ten men with a single look if given the power. "You listen to me, Bronzewing, and you listen good, I am NOT taking advantage of Velvet's little _thing_ with your boss like that. I'd be a terrible friend and teammate if I did." She pursed her lips when she came to the next part. "Honestly, I'm still not a hundred percent sure WHAT she sees in him, but I'm not about to deny her happiness, and that INCLUDES taking advantage of their… _thing_."

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Dove pleaded, his eyes screwing shut. "Just please let me go!"

"Good, that's what I thought." Coco loosened her grip and pushed him away, pointing to him as she did. "You guys might not be bullies anymore, but you're still gonna get a LOT of shit from me for the things you did and said about Velvet, am I clear?"

Russel sighed as the situation de-escalated, with the rest of the students around them getting back to work. He raised his hands up to the leader of Team CFVY. "We get it, you're uber protective of her. But believe me, we've apologized at least fifty times in the past week to her! It's gotten to the point where she's asked us to STOP apologizing." He crossed his arms and locked eyes with Coco, putting on a brave face as she stared right back at him. "If she's forgiven us that many times… then when will you?"

The two kept their eyes locked with each other for about ten seconds before Coco saw a few people approaching them out of the corner of her eye, catching her attention. She saw that it was none other than Sun, Neptune and Ilia, and already, she was in a better mood. "Ah, looks like we got some company."

"Huh?" Russel, Dove and Sky all craned their heads over to see the trio coming their way, recognizing Sun and Neptune intently. "Oh, hey, it's you two! You guys are from Team SSSN, right?"

"Yeah, that's us." Sun confirmed. "But, uh… were we interrupting something?"

"Oh, don't worry." Coco assured. "It was nothing… _major_. But we HAVE been expecting you."

Neptune's eyes widened at that. "Wait, really? You were?"

"Yep, Tech Head got a call from Goodwitch a few minutes ago and she mentioned ya." Coco jabbed a thumb over her shoulder. "Coop had to go to the library to talk with the prof about something, but she said we'd be seeing you guys soon." Coco caught sight of Ilia and gave her a salute. "Hey, Color Girl! How's it been?"

"Oh, pretty good." Ilia answered, nudging her head toward Sun and Neptune. "These boys just got done giving me a small tour of the campus, so that was enjoyable."

However, it was at that moment when the boys from Team CRDL took a pause when they saw Ilia, with Sky being the first to step forward and introduce himself. He cleared his throat and gave Ilia a polite bow smile. "I'm sorry, but don't think I've ever seen you around here before. What's your name?"

Ilia wasn't sure what the young man in front of her was doing, but he was at least being polite, so she didn't hesitate to introduce herself. Though she mentally noted to keep her relation to the White Fang under wraps for the time being. "Oh, I'm Ilia Amitola. I'm not exactly from around here."

"Ilia… an absolute pleasure." Sky nodded. "I am Sky Lark, and these are my teammates; Dove and Russel. Welcome to Beacon Academy."

Russel came forward with a grin of his own. "So, Ilia, I'm guessing you might be a new student here?"

"Kind of an odd time to be taking a tour of the campus." Dove commented before raising a brow to Sky. "Also, are WE not important enough for our last names to get a mention?"

Sky nudged his teammate in the arm. "Ah, c'mon, dude. You know I didn't mean anything by it."

As the boys bantered back and forth, Ilia decided to speak up. "Um… actually, I haven't really decided on if I'm going to go here or not."

This caught the boys' attention again. "Heh, well ya should." Russel chuckled. "This place may have been wrecked, but it's got a great reputation." He then decided to flex his muscles. "And if ya hadn't noticed, the students here are no slouches either! Maybe we could give ya a more… _detailed_ tour at the school a bit later?"

Ilia wore a deadpan expression at his bravado, the other boys beginning to the same as well. _'NOW I get it… they're all vying for my attention.'_ A smirk came to her face and she crossed her arms. "Hm, I see. Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you boys, but I'm not interested."

The three boys all blinked at the same time, shocked by her answer. "W-Wait, you aren't?" Dove uttered.

"Why would that be?" Sky added.

Ilia began to stride past them, making sure to flip her ponytail a little bit. "Let's just say you're barking up the wrong tree and call it at that." She continued to saunter away toward Coco, where she was immediately met with a raised hand from the fashionable girl. "Uh… what?"

"C'mon, sister, don't leave me hangin'!" Coco encouraged. Ilia finally got the idea and gave her friend a high-five, eliciting a cheer from the leader of Team CFVY. "Haha, yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about!"

"Hehe, thanks." Ilia giggled. "So… Coco, where's the rest of your team?"

But right as she said that, the back door opened once again, revealing not only Yatsu and Fox, but Velvet as well. The bunny girl was also in the middle of a conversation with another boy that Ilia didn't recognize, one who was wearing armor just like the other three boys. "So let me get this straight…" the redheaded young man started. "You took a picture of Rex's giant sword and you were able to use it? Did you even know you could do that?!"

Velvet shook her head. "Nope! I just took a chance and ran with it! And it was spectacular!" She swiped her arm in front of her with a determined smile on her face. "You should've seen it, Cardin! It was unlike any other weapon I had used in the past! Simply amazing!"

Cardin smiled as well, a funny feeling having coursed through him at the sight of Velvet being so excited. "Hah, yeah, hopefully I get to see it sometime." He put a hand to his neck, swallowing the funny feeling before stopping in place near the entrance. "Hey, uh, Velvet?"

The bunny girl stopped as well, tilted her head. "Yes, Cardin? What is it?"

The young man could feel the heat practically rising to his face. _'Dear god, how was I so stupid to not notice how cute she was?!'_ Swallowing again, Cardin pressed on. "W-Well, we've been hanging out for the past week… or at least on the days whenever you're around. And well, I was wondering… maybe we could hang out outside the school grounds some time? Maybe, I don't know, get a bite to eat or something?"

Velvet's eyes widened in shock. "Are… are you suggesting… that we go on a… date?" she whispered.

"W-well, no—I mean yes! I-I mean—gah!" Cardin slapped his forehead as he fumbled over his words, hiding his face from Velvet's view. "I mean… only if you WANT to consider it a date. But if you don't, then I'm perfectly okay with that, too."

A small gasp escaped Velvet's lips, surprised by just how nervous Cardin was. _'I don't think I've EVER seen this side of him before.'_ After a few seconds more, a smile appeared on her face. "Well, to be honest… I think a date would be rather fun."

Cardin's eyes snapped back to Velvet in an instant. "W-Wait, you do?"

Velvet put her finger tips together nervously. "Y-Yes. I think… I think an outing with you would be rather enjoyable, Cardin. Perhaps maybe… tomorrow night?"

A smile of Cardin's own appeared on his face, giving Velvet a nod. "Y-Yeah! Sure, that sounds perfect, actually."

"Excellent!" Velvet's eyes lit up in anticipation. "So it's a date, then."

"HEY!" The two were pulled out of their conversation when Coco called out to them, making their heads whirl around to her direction. There they saw her standing with the rest of the group, all of them seemingly waiting on the duo. "You two gonna come over here or what?!"

Velvet and Cardin glanced to each other briefly before going back to Coco, the bunny girl calling back; "We're coming!" She then faced Cardin one more time before whispering to him. "We should continue this later. Perhaps in a place where we can't be interrupted?"

"Gotcha, sounds good." Cardin agreed before moving forward by her side. He saw that Yatsu and Fox were having a conversation with Sun and Neptune, so he decided to try and jump in. He waved over and greeted; "Hey, Sun and Neptune, right? Good to see you guys again."

The duo from Team SSSN put their conversation with Fox and Yatsu on hold to address Cardin, though they WERE a little surprised. "Uh, yeah." Sun waved back. "Same here."

"I'm just surprised you know who we are." Neptune commented while folding his arms. "We never really talked with you while we were here."

Cardin wore a guilty smile. "Yeah, well… to be honest, I saw you guys during the Vytal Festival. And I had to admit, your team was pretty good. I especially liked the way you finished the match, Neptune" His grin then turned sheepish. "Even if those girls from Team NDGO kinda gave your other pals a hard time."

Sun winced at the memory, recalling how Sage had gotten blown out of the ring and Scarlett getting hit in the groin. "…Yeah, that was rough on 'em. Makes me wonder how they're doing now, actually."

Coco gave sun a wink. "Ah, I think your boys are doin' fine, Sun. If they're anything like you guys, they're toughies."

"Yeah, I'm sure they are." Cardin supported before he noticed Velvet talking to another girl not far away. "Huh? Hey Velvet, who's that? I don't think I've seen her around before."

Velvet and Ilia paused their little chat, the bunny girl smiling as she gestured toward the chameleon girl. "Oh, right! Pardon me, Cardin, but this is Ilia. She's a friend of ours."

Ilia gave Cardin a small wave. "Hey, Cardin. Pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise." Cardin nodded before nudging his head toward his team. "Hey, you met my pals yet?"

"Oh… yes." Ilia confirmed, raising an eyebrow over to Russel, Dove and Sky. "We're _all_ familiar with each other at this point."

Cardin quirked a brow as well, his eyes glancing over to his team. They all seemed to be wearing rather awkward expressions, almost as if they had done something stupid. _'…I'll have to ask 'em later.'_ he remarked to himself. "Ahem, uh, good. Very good." He directed his attention to Coco next. "So, what's been going on here?"

Coco gave him an annoyed expression. "Well, we WERE still working on clearing the rubble, but you and Vel were too busy chatting to notice." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder again, right toward the nearest pile of rubble. "Speaking of which, we should probably get back to—"

_**CRASH**_ **!** All of a sudden, a large object slammed directly through the roof of the dining hall, making a loud noise and shaking the entire building as it made impact with the ground. Almost just as quickly, many of the other students in the hall let out gasps of surprise and fright as whatever it was hit the ground, with dust billowing from the landing point. Everyone stood still and stared at the crater… until something began moving in the dust. From there, a large, dog-like creature emerged, one with metal teeth, arm guards, shoulder pads, and clad in human clothing.

Every student in the room was stunned into silence when the red-eyed beast began speaking English, growling as it rubbed its head. "Gah, the HELL was that?! I can't believe that guy did all that for a PUNCH!" He lifted up his shirt, revealing that he also had metal plating on his stomach, though it quickly changed back to normal fur. "I'm just glad I put up some protection before he hit."

Across from him, Teams SN, CFVY, CRDL and Ilia all simply stood there, staring at the large, furry creature in shock. Yatsu steeled his resolve and spoke up first. "Is… is that the dog creature that Goodwtich was talking about?!"

"Jeez, he's even uglier than the Huntsmen said he was." Fox commented.

Neptune was especially beginning to shake in his boots. "It's not JUST a dog creature, it's the criminal that Max mentioned to us!" He whipped his head around to Sun. "The one he said that was SUPER powerful!"

Sun furrowed his brows. "Yeah, I remember." The monkey boy raised his hands up to the other students, hoping to gain control before anything bad happened. "Everyone, don't panic! Let's all just exit the building and—"

"HEY!" the dog beast roared, catching the whole hall's attention. With his fists clenched, his teeth bared and his eyes glaring right out toward the crowd, he shouted; "ANYBODY GOT A COLD BEER FOR BASHMOUTH?!" Almost immediately, most of the students began falling into a panic, running around at the sight of the horrendous talking monster. "What?! What'd I say?!"

Coco began shifting her eyes around the room as the student body quickly began to fall into disarray, the fashionable girl trying to brainstorm a plan to get them back under control. However, right at that moment, a loud, sharp shriek came from outside of the hall, prompting Coco's head to snap toward the nearest window. She rushed over in time to see that a couple of Nevermore were already flying their way from the Emerald Forest, no doubt attracted to all of the negative emotions in the hall. "…Shit."

* * *

Meanwhile, Penny and her father were just finishing their little stroll around the Beacon campus, the two making their way back toward the main building. In that time, Penny had joyfully told her father about pretty much everything that had happened in her time in Vale. From meeting Team RWBY and stopping the White Fang, all the way up to the mission they had yesterday in Anima. All the while, Pietro listened intently, smiling as his daughter finished up her last story. "And then, Ruby cut off the Manticore's head with one slice!" Penny put her hands on her hips with pride. "She, Ilia and myself were feeling PRETTY proud of ourselves after that!"

"Haha, I'm quite sure, darling." Pietro chuckled, though a cough escaped his lips soon after. He beat on his chest to try and clear his airways. "Oh, pardon me. I must say though, your new capabilities have really proven useful in combat. To think I only gave you the Floating Array to start out with."

"Aw, thank you, father." Penny smiled, but then her face became one of concern. "By the way… you ARE still taking all of your meds, right? _Including_ your cough medicine?"

Pietro sighed, though his smile still persisted as he set a hand upon his daughter's arm. "Hehe, yes, yes I am, Penny. Don't worry. It's just sometimes one sneaks its way out, is all."

Penny pursed her lips at this. "I know… but it still scares me a little bit, you know? I mean, after all of the times you've had to rebuild me, I can tell that you're growing much weaker." She put a hand over her chest. "And I know that won't be a problem any more… but…"

"Penny." Pietro spoke up, catching her attention. "I know that you're worried about me. For that matter, a LOT of people are worried about me. But I've _always_ made sure to keep taking care of myself. Because if I didn't…" He gave his daughter a wink. "Then _everybody_ would be on my case about it, now wouldn't they?"

The redheaded android let out a chuckle as they walked inside the main building. "Haha, I suppose you have a point there. Just make sure you keep it up, okay?"

"Hm, I will." Pietro nodded before nudging his head toward a nearby door, which happened to be one of the staff rooms. "Now come and follow me, it's time we get to your surprise."

"AAAH!" Penny exclaimed in excitement before zipping forward, opening the door so that her father could go in. "Well then, what are we waiting for?! I cannot wait any longer!"

"Hehe, okay, okay!" Pietro laughed as he moved his chair steadily through the door. "It's over here." The old inventor went over toward the long table in the middle of the room, stopping in front of a large container that seemed to be made of black metal. There was a green, glowing power symbol directly in the middle of it, which Penny recognized as HER symbol. "Well, here it is." Pietro said with a wave of his hand. "Your big surprise!"

Penny tilted her head a little bit. "And… what exactly IS it?"

Pietro sent her another nod. "Why not open it yourself and see? It should respond to you the moment you get within a foot of it."

Still slightly confused, Penny proceeded toward the large metal cube and set her gaze upon it, only for the symbol to flash brightly the moment her eyes made contact. Suddenly, it spoke to her in a friendly young lady's voice, much to her surprise. _"Greetings, Penny Polendina. I welcome you back to the land of the living!"_

Penny blinked in surprise. "Woah! Father, what was that?"

"That, Penny is a new A.I. that Ironwood asked me to whip up." Pietro answered. "Her name is V.A.D.O.S; The Virtual and Artificial Data Optimization System."

Penny shot him a skeptical face. "She isn't going to _replace_ me, is she?"

Pietro chuckled and shook his head. "Oh-ho-ho, no, no. Trust me, Penny, _nobody_ could replace you. No, Ironwood asked me to create VADOS for someone else. Your friend, Cooper, to be specific." He settled a hand onto the black box. "You see, VADOS here is going to serve as the artificial intelligence assistant inside of your friend's armor. Once he brings the armor here, VADOS will download herself directly into it. Won't you, VADOS?"

" _Correct, Dr. Polendina!"_ VADOS answered, the power symbol flashing as she spoke. _"I will be sure to assist Mr. Daniels to the best of my ability."_ She then addressed Penny again. _"Penny, I assume that you want to see your surprise?"_

Penny shifted her eyes back and forth before focusing back onto the box. "Um… yes, please."

" _Of course!"_ VADOS answered happily. _"Anything for my sister."_

The android blinked at that. "…Sister?" She shifted her eyes back to her father in bewilderment.

Pietro chuckled again and shrugged. "Heh, think of this surprise as a twofer."

" _Indeed!"_ VADOS piped up. _"After all, we share a creator, don't we?"_

"Well… I suppose so." Penny concurred. "I simply imagined any siblings I may have to… well…"

" _Have a body?"_ VADOS guessed. _"I understand your unease, sister, but believe me, I will be sure to not only serve Mr. Daniels well, but strive to bond with you as well!"_

Penny couldn't help but smile at VADOS's enthusiasm. _'Reminds me a lot of myself, actually.'_ she thought before giving VADOS a nod. "Well then, I will do my best with this relationship as well. Now… about my surprise…"

" _Oh! Yes, of course! Coming right up!"_ All of a sudden, the large black box opened and a drum roll began to play through VADOS's speakers, making Penny step back a bit in surprise. _"Oh, my apologies. Too much?"_

"A little." Penny confirmed before stepping toward the box and peering inside. The moment she did though, she let out a light gasp, her hand covering her mouth. There, neatly folded at the bottom of the metal container, was a new set of combat clothes for her. Her eyes first noticed an olive-green and black dress with suspenders and gold buttons, so she decided to take that out first to inspect in full. She let it unfurl in front of her and a large smile came to her face, her eyes moving back to Pietro. "Father, this… this is so unexpected!"

Pietro smiled knowingly. "I'm sure it is. Do you like it?"

" _Like_ it?! I LOVE it!" Penny jumped up and down excitedly. "I've been thinking of a new wardrobe for a while now, but none of the clothes available in Vale suit my needs!"

"I had a feeling that'd be the case." Pietro said before a slightly upset face graced his features. "Though to be honest, there WAS initially more to this surprise. I was working on some new hair extensions, but I ran out of time before I had to leave for my flight here."

Penny's eyebrow rose up, briefly imagining herself with a head of long, curly orange hair. She then smiled to her father before enveloping him in a hug, which he happily returned. "It's alright, Father. To be honest, long hair or no, I still really LOVE this gift you have given me…" But then, her eyes snapped back to the black box that contained VADOS and she quickly corrected herself. "Oh wait, _gifts_ , I should say."

" _Aw! Thank you, sister!"_ VADOS spoke up. _"Now, I think you should try those clothes on! I know you'd just look amazing in them!"_

"I will!" Penny affirmed. "But first, I need a little privacy and—" **BOOM!** Suddenly, a loud noise echoed throughout the academy, which was followed up immediately by the walls shaking. Penny whirled around to the direction of the sound, her advanced hearing picking up on it in an instant. "Oh dear."

"What in the world was _that_?" Pietro asked, the old man keeping a firm grip on his chair.

At that moment, VADOS spoke up as a holographic map of the school suddenly began projecting from the power symbol on the container. _"From the walls shaking and the accompanying noise, I would say that something has made impact with the school."_ the artificial intelligence deduced. _"And given the direction, I'd say the most likely point of impact would be—"_

Before she could finish, Winter suddenly burst into the room, a serious expression on her face. "There you two are!" she exclaimed. "Something just crashed into the dining hall on the other side of campus! And what's worse, there are reports of Grimm approaching as well." She focused in on Penny. "We have to rally the students quickly, Penny. Are you ready?"

Penny and Pietro stared at Winter for a moment before going back to each other. "This could mean big trouble." Pietro concluded. "You had better get changed, darling, and fast."

Penny smirked and gave him her usual salute. "Indeed, father! And I assure you, I WILL be combat ready!"

* * *

As that was going on, Cooper was walking down one of the halls on the other side of the campus, making his way to the library for a special meeting. Goodwitch had called him earlier and had asked him to drop what he was doing, saying that Holiday needed his help on something more important. _'Way to drop that bomb on me, professor.'_ the blonde genius thought to himself. _'I didn't even KNOW that Holiday and the others were here. Hmm… for that matter, why didn't Ben and the crew swing by to say hi?'_ Cooper's eyes widened in realization _'…Wait, did they head off into the Emerald Forest? Already?!'_

But just as he thought that, Cooper's head konked against double doors of the library, making his head snap up as he let out a gasp. After taking a few seconds to collect himself, he let out a sigh before reaching for the handle. "Eh, might as well ask Goodwitch herself. She'll know what's going on." Cooper opened the door to a mostly vacant library… only to be met with the sounds of ladies laughing. His eyebrows rose up and he searched around, only to be met with a surprising sight; Glynda Goodwitch and Rebecca Holiday sitting at the same table… while talking and laughing over a cup of tea. The interdimensional communicator was sitting nearby, with its back panel having been taken off.

"Haha! No, you can't be serious!" Holiday insisted. "There's no way!" The doctor was gazing at a small photo in her hand, laughing up a storm despite herself.

"Oh, I promise it's true." Glynda insisted. "I'm not one to lie about something like this, Rebecca."

"This picture isn't doctored? You promise?" Rebecca got a sincere nod from Glynda, her hand covering her mouth at that moment. "Oh my god, Glynda, HOW?!"

Glynda raised a single finger. "Just had to get the perfect timing. And believe me, it was worth—hm?" It was then that the headmistress finally noticed Cooper entering the room, giving him a small smile in greeting. "Oh! Cooper, I'm glad you could make it."

Holiday moved her head around and waved to the genius as well. "Hey, Cooper! How're things going?"

Cooper smiled back to the ladies as he continued to approach them, if somewhat hesitantly. "Uh, doing pretty good. What're you ladies up to?"

The EVO specialist laughed and she held up the picture. "Haha! Oh, Glynda was just showing me this. She said this was taken a LONG time ago, so let me ask you…" She pointed right to the picture and Cooper followed her gesture, his eyes widening at what he saw. It was a young man in his early twenties with black hair and dressed all in white. He appeared to be in a carnival of some sort, surrounded by friends who seemed to be just out of frame, and they were _laughing_. Most likely because the young man's whole face was covered in cotton candy, the pink fluffy treat circling around his mouth and head like a fake beard and wig. And he was NOT happy about it. "Can you guess who that—"

"IS THAT GENERAL IRONWOOD?!" Cooper exclaimed.

"Hm! Got it in one." Glynda confirmed. "Good guess, Cooper."

The genius was at a loss for words. "B-B-But… how… who… why…?"

"All very excellent questions. And they all have the same answer…" The headmistress gestured to herself. "Me." Holiday handed the picture back to Glynda and she pointed back at it. "This picture was taken a very long time ago at the 31st annual Vytal Tournament, the last one where Ironwood and I were allowed to compete as students in our respective academies." A sly grin appeared on her face. "In the arena, we fought until we couldn't stand anymore… and his team won. I was a little upset at first, but out at the festivities, I quickly got my vengeance. I dunked his head into the cotton candy machine and THIS was the result."

Cooper stared dumbfoundedly at Goodwitch, still in utter disbelief. "W-Wait, _you_ did that to him?! But… you don't seem like—"

"Cooper, remember, people change a lot over the years, and I am no exception." Glyda said, her smirk still settled on her face. "Yes, I am very stern and strict when it comes to things now, and admittedly, I still was back then. But I could also have a bit of a rebellious streak whenever I felt like it. And well, James was on the receiving end of it that day."

"I'll say." Holiday commented. "He looks like a pink Santa Claus."

Cooper stifled a laugh at that. "Hmph! Y-Yes, he does." He had to admit, it WAS kind of funny, but he had too much respect for the general to start laughing at him. _'I'll probably never look at him the same way again, though.'_ With that thought now in his mind, he bowed his head to the two women. "Ahem, so, uh, what is it that you asked me here for?"

Holiday clapped her hands together. "Oh! Right, that." She reached over and pulled the communicator over to her and Glynda, careful to not spill their tea. "I'm trying to boost the signal output of the communicator so that Caesar can home in on it from Earth and find the right place to put his portal. But… I'm having a bit of trouble routing the power. Think you can help me out with that?"

"Of course." Cooper obliged, sitting down across from the ladies before pulling the communicator over to him. "Just sit back and watch me work…" The technopath's eyes began to glow blue and he raised his hands to the device, communicating with it to figure out just what needed to go where. After a few bits of swapping wires and parts, the blonde genius smiled and his eyes went back to normal, smiling at a job well done. "Okay, that should do it! All we need is Feedback and we'll be good to go!"

The doctor sighed in relief. "Thank you, Cooper. For the life of me, I could NOT figure that out."

"No problem." Cooper assured before tilting his head to Holiday. "So, today really IS the big day. Hey… is anyone else coming with Caesar? Like that Six guy that Rex is always talking about?"

A slightly saddened expression came to Holiday's face as she shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. Six has to stay behind to monitor the Plumber's Helpers on their own mission." Her face quickly changed to one of fear as another thought crossed her mind. "Besides… I dread to think of what might happen if they just left Bobo in charge."

Cooper's brows furrowed. "The monkey? Yeah, I don't think leaving a monkey in charge would be a good idea, either."

"Agreed." Glynda piped up before raising a brow to Cooper. "By the way, has Doctor Polendina introduced you to your new A.I. partner yet, Cooper? I think he said it was here."

"Oh, no, he didn't." Cooper denied. "I mean, I saw him a little while ago walking around campus with Penny, but—" **BOOM!** All of a sudden, a loud noise interrupted the genius, the room shaking slightly shortly after. This made the trio stand up immediately, their heads whirling around in confusion. "What the heck was that?!"

Glynda reached around behind her and pulled out her riding crop, the Disciplinarian, keeping it clutched in her hand and at the ready. "I'm unsure… but be ready for anything. We might be facing a Grimm attack."

A few moments passed with nothing happening, but then… _RING-RING-RING!_ The group's eyes widened when Cooper's pocket started ringing, prompting him to reach in and pull out his scroll. He only took a glance at the caller ID before picking it up, seeing that it was his girlfriend. "Coco?! Did you hear that, too?"

" _MORE than heard it, Tech Head!"_ Coco answered on the other end. _"We're SEEING it! Something big and furry just crashed through the dining hall's ceiling. He's some kinda dog creature with metal teeth and he is MAD. Also, he's thirsty and REALLY wants a beer."_

Cooper's lips parted in shock. _'Dog creature… metal teeth… oh no.'_ He quickly recuperated himself before going back to the call. "Coco, whatever you do, do NOT engage him, alright? I'll call Ben and we'll be there as soon as we can!"

" _Kinda late on that, Tech Head. Most of mine and Cardin's teams are already going head to head with him."_ Coco replied as a couple of screams could be heard coming through her end. _"But still, ya might wanna get on that real soon. The students here are starting to get riled up here and I can already see Grimm coming in fast. I'll keep in touch, okay?"_

"Right, bye-bye." With their exchange of goodbyes, Cooper hung up, facing Goodwitch and Holiday once again. "It seems like our dog problem has found its way to Beacon… and the students are starting to panic. There's Grimm approaching the school as we speak."

Glynda's brows furrowed. "Damn it. I suppose things didn't go well on the team's part." The headmistress faced Holiday and asked; "Rebecca, do you think you can help me rally the students? We'll be facing Grimm very soon."

Holiday stood up and pulled out a small energy pistol from her lab coat, spinning it around with a confident grin. "Of course. I'm ready when you are."

Cooper gave her a nod. "Excellent, then I'll head to the dining hall and help out there." His eyes moved over to a nearby window and out to the Emerald Woods. "I only hope Ben and the others are on their way."

* * *

Coco hung up her scroll and shifted her eyes back to the window, seeing even more Grimm beginning to make their way toward the school. Not only were there the standard Beowolves and Ursai, but there was also at least one Death Stalker and a bunch of Creeps as well, meaning that they'd be dealing with a lot of heavy-duty Grimm in a minute or maybe even less. To make matters worse, the students in the dining hall were still fearful of Bashmouth, with most of them having taken to hiding spots beneath the tables. "Damn it! Where the HELL is Tennyson?!" Coco grumbled. "We can't keep stalling this guy forever!"

She shifted her eyes up to see Yatsu, Fox, Russel, Sky and Dove all trying to get in some quick hits on Bashmouth, whether it was from a distance or up close. However, with every strike or shot they sent at him, they couldn't even make a scratch in his armor, their blades and bullets practically just rebounding off of him. They only one who was able to make any good leeway was Yatsu, the tall swords man putting all of his immense strength into one mighty downward blow with Fulcrum. But Bashmouth was also able to counter this, raising his arms above his head. The blow managed to sink the Metallikanine into the ground a little, but still, he didn't seem to take any damage.

"HA!" Bashmouth laughed. "Is that all ya can do, Stringbean?! Yer dealin' with BASHMOUTH, an' there ain't NOTHIN' my armor can't handle—GAH!" It was then that both Cardin and Velvet came in at the same time to land a hit into Bashmouth's gut, making him stagger back. The duo were using the same weapon; Cardin's mace, the Executioner, with Velvet having made her own with Anesidora. "What the?!"

Cardin smiled over to Velvet. "Ready?"

"I am!" Velvet grinned back before both of them aimed their maces at Bashmouth. The fire dust crystal in the Executioner's head sent out a powerful fiery red blast at the alien while Velvet's mace sent out a burst of blue energy. The blasts connected with Bashmouth in a brilliant purple display, making him fall to his knees. Velvet's eyes lit up and she gasped, hopping right over to Cardin in excitement. "Haha! That was amazing, Cardin! We got him!"

"Yeah, we did!" Cardin concurred, just as excited as she was. "Now let's finish… this. Oh god." His eyes had gone back to Bashmouth, prompting Velvet to do the same. There, they saw the Metallikanine rise back up to his feet and let out a powerful roar, one that shattered the remaining windows in the building. He then glowered at the duo, his eyes blazing with anger. "I think we just made him even angrier."

"YER DAMN RIGHT!" Bashmouth yelled, getting to all fours for a pounce. "When I'm done with you, they'll have to wipe you off the PAVEMENT!" The dog alien ran forward and leapt right at Cardin and Velvet, making their eyes widen in fear. Cardin instantly pushed Velvet out of the way, hoping to spare her from Bashmouth's wrath.

Velvet's eyes stared on in horror as the scene played out in slow motion. This _couldn't_ be happening again. "Cardin, NO!"

Coco was in a similar state, her only thought being; _'AGAIN?!'_ She clenched her teeth and yelled. "You idiot! Get outta the—" _BANG!_ All of a sudden, a shot was heard throughout the dining hall, a Fire Dust round connecting with Bashmouth's side and sending him down to the ground before he could even _touch_ Cardin. All of the students in the room craned their heads to where the shot came from… and everyone wore relieved smiles at what they saw. Coco smirked and lowered her glasses to the seven people standing in the front doorway. "Heh, about time."

There, silhouetted by the sunlight pouring in, were Ben, Team RWBY, Kevin and Rex, all of them with their eyes focused on Bashmouth. A small billow of smoke was wafting from Yang's Ember Celica, indicating that it was her who took the shot. Ben was standing directly in the middle of the group, a bright, fearless smile on his face with his arms crossed. He then placed his hands on his hips and proclaimed; "Fear not, Beacon students! Hope has arrived!" He spread his arms out, declaring out into the room; "Because WE are here!"

* * *

**A/N: And now** _**I** _ **am here! Entering like a hero! Alright, alright, enough showboating. But man, what a chapter, huh? We got a big fight scene with Bashmouth that was pretty intense all things considered. This guy's a LOT more durable than he seems, that's for sure. It's gonna take something just as tough… or maybe as** _**stubborn** _ **as him to take him down. But hey, at least Ben managed to scan him with the Omnitrix, so that's good. And that's not all! We got to see Team CRDL again… and it seems their leader's starting to try and test his luck with a certain bunny girl. How interesting… though at least he's got better luck than his teammates. Getting shot down by Ilia AND chewed out by Coco is a pretty devastating twofer. Speaking of twofer's though, Pietro's presented Penny not just with a new set of clothes… but an A.I. sister who will be integrated into Cooper's armor system! He can't be an official "Iron Man" equivalent without an A.I. of his own, right? And it seems like Glynda and Holiday are getting along swimmingly as well! Let's hope that helps them out on the battlefield.**

**Speaking of which, NEXT TIME! Ben and Team RWBY take things over in the dining hall while Kevin and Rex recruit Ilia and Team's SN, CFVY and CRDL to help them take out the Grimm that are coming toward the school. Penny, Winter, Holiday, Glynda and Cooper join in on the fight as well, along with a little help from Max and Jessie as well. But as that's going on, Ben runs into trouble when he tries to go for his new Metallikanine transformation… only to get a certain stripy feline alien instead. Prepare yourselves, everyone, because the Beacon dining hall is about to be turned into a wrestling ring. Thanks for reading everyone, and I'll see you next time! Stay safe out there!**

**P.S. Also, if you don't know what show that Ben is referencing with that move Four Arms used and that small speech at the end there… then I'll be very surprised.**


	93. My Wrestling Academia

**A/N: Hey everybody! It's that time again! If you've read the title already, then you probably know what's gonna be happening in this chapter. But that's not ALL that'll be going on of course, so let's just jump into it, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 93: My Wrestling Academia**

* * *

"Fear not, Beacon students! Hope has arrived!" With his fearless smile, Ben declared out into the room with his hands spread wide; "Because WE are here!" Almost all at once, the dining hall broke out into a fervor of uproarious cheers, with some students even crying with joy. _'Man, how is it that a few words of heroic encouragement seem to make some people turn into tear fountains?'_ Ben wondered to himself.

It was then that Kevin leaned over and pulled his friend out of his thoughts. "Uh, dude? Don't ya think the bit's run dry at this point?"

Ben sighed and raised a brow to his best friend. "C'mon, Kev, at least have a LITTLE fun. I mean, even YOU have fans here." The Omnitrix bearer nudged his head toward the crowd with an encouraging grin. "Go on, try speaking to them. Get 'em rallied up!"

Yang pumped a fist in support. "Yeah, Kev, go for it!"

Kevin glanced between the two before setting his sights back out to the dining hall, swallowing slightly in apprehension as all of the students eyes were on then. _'Damn, is THIS really what it's like to be the center of attention?'_ He balled his fists and furrowed his brow, his sense of duty overshadowing his fear. _'Focus, Levin, you've got a job to do.'_

The Osmosian ran in front of Ben, bringing everyone's focus solely to him. "Alright, people, listen up! There's a bunch of Grimm headed right for your school as we speak! Let Ben and Team RWBY handle the big furry guy! They've got this." He jerked his thumb over to the door. "The rest of you, follow me and Rex. We're gonna go and defend your school! How's that sound, huh?!" Another cheer burst through the room and the students began making a mad dash to the door, eager to get away from Bashmouth and focus their efforts on something more familiar; the Grimm. Kevin, however, was left utterly stunned by this. "They… they actually _listened_ to me?!"

"Hell yeah, they did!" Coco shouted as she, Yatsu and Fox approached Kevin, with most of Team CRDL, Sun, Neptune and Ilia joining them as well. The only exceptions were Velvet and Cardin, the latter having ran over to help the bunny girl up. "You got right to the point and didn't kid around! That's what a real leader should do, Kev."

Kevin's hand went to the back of his head sheepishly. "Heh, thanks Coco." His eyes then moved over to Velvet and Cardin, the two seemingly bantering back and forth. "I'm just glad we got here in time to save HIS ass… again."

"I CANNOT believe you threw yourself in again to save me!" Velvet berated the young man, giving his shoulder a slap. "I appreciate the lengths you're willing to go, Cardin, but _please_ think before you act from now on. Furthermore, I can also take care of my own wellbeing, so please don't sacrifice yourself for me on a weekly basis."

Cardin rubbed his neck, a sigh escaping his lips. "I'm sorry, Velvet. I just… couldn't think of any better option at that moment. I'll try to do better though, I promise." It was then that he noticed Kevin's gaze on them, meeting it with a small grin. "Oh, hey, Levin! Nice work rallying the students! I should take a few leadership pointers from you."

Kevin blinked in bewilderment at that. "Uh… thanks, Winchester."

Sun shifted his eyes back over to Bashmouth, the Metallikanine slowly getting up from his place on the ground. "So… how do you guys plan on handling _him_?"

"No matter what we did, we couldn't even land a scratch on him!" Neptune added. "The closest we got was Cardin and Ilia's double team on him, and even then, he got right back up!"

"He IS pretty resilient." Blake affirmed. "But he's not indestructible. He CAN be hurt." She nudged her head over to Ben. " _He_ proved that very recently, didn't you, Ben?"

"With a pretty powerful punch, might I add." Weiss furthered.

Ilia tilted her head. "Wait… _how_ powerful?"

Ruby wore a knowing grin while quirking a brow to the hero. "Powerful enough that it sent Bashmouth flying ALL the way up here from the ruins in the Emerald Forest."

"Are you SERIOUS?!" Velvet exclaimed. "That's… that's—"

"A _serious_ case of "what the hell"." Cardin finished.

Coco's eyes widened in realization. "Hold up, YOU'RE the reason why he's here, Tennyson?!"

"Uh, hehe, yeah." Ben confirmed before quickly defending himself. "But to be fair… I did NOT know that punch would be that powerful." He gave Coco a shrug. "I just thought it'd be enough to knock him out or something. I didn't think it'd send him THIS far from where we were at."

The fashionable girl gave Ben a skeptical stare before sighing, shaking her head at the hero. "Alright, if you insist." She then pointed a finger right at him. "But I hope this doesn't begin to become a regular thing, Tennyson. You're starting to cause as many problems as you solve."

"Trust me, this is gonna be a one-time-only thing." Ben promised, his brows furrowing when he saw Bashmouth finally rise to his feet. "Because we're gonna take Bashmouth down and bring him in once and for all."

"I hope so." Coco nodded before waving her hand over to her team, Cardin's team, and the others. "Well, you heard Kev, guys! Let's get out there and do what we do best!"

Rex grinned eagerly at her words. "Now THAT'S what I was hoping to here! C'mon, people, _andele_!" With that, the whole group filed out of the dining hall, following Kevin and Rex out to intercept the Grimm.

That left only Team RWBY and Ben alone in the dining hall to face Bashmouth, the Metallikanine still somewhat getting his bearings about him. "So… what's the plan, Green Boy?" Yang asked, the blonde balling her fists in preparation.

Ben smiled to her and lifted the Omnitrix. "Oh, that's easy. Now that I got a part of him with me, I'm gonna beat him at his own game."

Blake's ears shrunk back at what he was insinuating. "Wait… are you saying you're going to _transform_ into one of him? No offense, Ben, but that doesn't seem like a good idea." She pointed out toward the Emerald Forest. "You saw how fierce he was back out in the forest. If you transform into a Metallikanine and you two go head to head…"

"You both could end up wrecking the entire dining hall." Weiss concluded.

Ruby piped up with; "Or worse, the whole _campus_. Professor Goodwitch would NOT be happy with you."

"Well… that IS a possibility. But for all we know, it could be the _only_ way to beat him." Ben glanced down to his right hand, clenching it in frustration. "The Double Bellwood Smash SHOULD have taken him out, but he was quicker to the draw than I was with that armor of his. This guy's tough, no doubt about it." He gave the ladies a thumbs up. "But don't worry, I'm sure I'll have a good grip on my actions when I transform. After all, I can control pretty much most of my other aliens. I don't think this new guy will be much of a—"

"HEY!" The hero was cut off when Bashmouth shouted at him, the dog alien glowering in their direction. "I thought you runts were still down in the woods! How the hell didja get up here so fast?!"

Yang crossed her arms at him. "We've got a friend with a space ship. He's pretty quick, if ya hadn't noticed."

Bashmouth clenched his metallic teeth. "Hmph, well then, where's the Tetramand?!" He whirled his head around to try and locate the four-armed alien. "I've gotta get back at 'im fer sendin' me all the way up here! An' let me tell ya somethin', he's gonna be in for a WORLD of hurt!"

Ben smirked and raised his hand. "Ahem, I think you might wanna stop searching. Because _I_ was the Tetramand."

There was a brief pause for a few good seconds before Bashmouth belted out; "WHAT?!"

The hero pointed toward the Omnitrix. "That's right! This watch here is actually a little device that lets me turn into any alien I want. I'm sure you've heard of the Omnitrix?"

"Only rumors, kid." Bashmouth answered. "I didn't think it was real." He began taking huge whiffs of the air, with Ben's scent hitting his nose soon after. Sure enough, it was an exact match with the Tetramand's. "Holy shit, ya weren't kiddin', kid! How the hell didja get yer hands on that thing?"

"Would you believe a stroke of luck?" Ben countered. "But here's the best part; you remember how I scanned you at the start of our fight? Well, I managed to add your species' DNA to my watch…" He reached up and brought up the holo-ring, finding his new transformation's icon pretty easily. It was of a large, furry dog-like head. Kind of hard to miss. "And that means I'm gonna give YOU a fight with one of your own. I have a feeling it'll be the only way to beat you."

Bashmouth let out a scoff at that. "HA! Well, I can't blame ya fer thinkin' that. But while you MIGHT be right, there's also the little _itsy-bitsy_ fact that fights between Metallikanines can last for DAYS." He pointed between himself and Ben. "If you an' I get into a fight like that… then who knows HOW long it'll last? Plus, I'm guessin' that thing don't have unlimited power. You'll time out before you even get a chance to pin me _once_."

Ben shifted his eyes between Bashmouth and the Omnitrix. _'Maybe… but right now, we don't have any other options.'_ But then, he remembered he wasn't alone, and a determined grin quickly took over his face. "Well, maybe… but you forget, it's not JUST me you're fighting." He craned his head over to Team RWBY and said; "Right, guys?!"

Yang gave her boyfriend a thumbs up. "You're goddamned right! We're behind you, Ben, all the way!"

"Yeah, let's take this bad dog down!" Ruby supported, with Weiss and Blake giving resolute nods next to her.

"Alright then." Ben nodded back, turning back to Bashmouth with renewed vigor. "Let's do this." He made his selection and the Omnitrix faceplate pulled back, the core popping up and ready to go. "It's hero time!" Ben slammed the core down and a bright green flash covered the area, the young hero seemingly transforming into his new alien.

…At least, that's what everyone thought. Because when the light died down, the form Ben transformed into was revealed to be NOT a Metallikanine at all. Rather, it was a very familiar alien that made the four girls of Team RWBY go deadpan. "Gah, crap!" Yang exclaimed, throwing her head back while clutching her forehead. "Not again!"

There, in all of his rage-filled, feline glory, was none other than… "RAAAAAATH!"

The entirety of Team RWBY facepalmed at the transformation, but Bashmouth seemed all too happy to see the striped alien. "An Appoplexian? Oh-ho-ho… this outta be _fun_."

* * *

Kevin had to admit, the fact that other people were starting to follow HIS lead was kind of surreal. He had been so used to Ben taking the charge over the past three years of their friendship that he just usually deferred to him… at least whenever he _didn't_ go rogue. But now, as he and the Beacon students were facing the incoming horde of Grimm, he couldn't help but notice that all eyes were on HIM now to make the big choices, and it _did_ make him a bit apprehensive. But he also knew that he couldn't choke here. It was too pivotal of a moment for them to back down now. And, with Sun, Neptune, Ilia and Teams CFVY and CRDL firmly in his corner, he knew he had a solid support group.

"Alright, here's how things are gonna go down!" Kevin announced to the crowd. "We're all gonna go out there and show THOSE things that we ain't about to let them screw Beacon over a second time!" He pointed a rigid finger at the on-lookers. "I want you guys to defend your school like you mean it! So take up your weapons AND GIVE THEM HELL!" Another cheer echoed through the school grounds and all of the students did as Kevin had wanted, charging into battle with the Grimm in an instant. The whole calvary of teens began taking out Grimm left and right, leaving Kevin and the rest of his group to plan their next course of action.

Many of his teammates were impressed, needless to say. "Damn, Kev. You got 'em really riled up!" Rex complimented before giving a thumbs up. "Not bad, dude!"

Kevin nodded toward him. "Thanks, but there's still a few things that even these students can't take care of on their own." He pointed up into the sky, indicating the multiple Nevermore that were beginning to circle around the school. There had to be at least five… and they all appeared to be hungry. "Not unless they can _fly_ , that is."

Rex folded his arms. "And lemme guess, you want me to take care of the bird boys, right?"

"If you wouldn't mind."

"I'm on it, dude." Rex saluted.

But just then, Velvet jumped in to offer her own help. "Wait! Rex, I think I have a plan!" She pointed two fingers right at him. "Remember yesterday when I was able to copy your sword?"

Rex blinked before replying. "…Yeah, why?"

"I think I can do the same thing again…" She jerked a thumb up to the circling Nevermore. "But I also want you to take me up there with you."

Many of the teens there were shocked, most of all, Coco and Cardin. "What?!" the redheaded knight exclaimed. "Velvet, that's crazy!"

"Hard to admit, but I agree with your boyfriend on this, Vel." Coco supported, mentally smirking when she saw Velvet and Cardin's faces heat up at her choice of words. "You gotta be pretty confident to wanna fly all the way up there to take the fight to them. Are you absolutely sure you want that?"

Velvet pursed her lips and spoke with resolve. "First of all, he is NOT my boyfriend…" Under her breath, she murmured; "…yet." If possible, that just made them both blush more furiously. "And secondly, I know that Rex won't let anything bad happen to me up there, Coco. And I have a fairly solid plan." Velvet shifted her eyes to Cardin and gave him a stern look, which managed to bring both of them out of their embarrassment. "And Cardin, I know you're worried about me, but like I said before, I'm able to take care of myself." She reached forward and grasped his hand gently. "Just trust me on this, please?"

Cardin took in a deep breath and gave her a single nod. "Alright, I can tell that you're serious about this." He then sent a supportive smile her way. "If you think you've got a shot at this, Velvet, then go for it!"

Coco grinned as well, lowering her glasses so she made eye-contact with Velvet. "Yeah, Vel, show us what you're made of."

"Thank you." Velvet bowed her head to them before directing her attention back to Rex. "Now, Rex, could I please see a build?"

"¡ _Por Supuesto_!" Rex happily exclaimed in Spanish before activating his Bad Axes. "So, will these work for ya?"

Velvet took out Anesidora and took a picture of the massive weapons, smiling to Rex in appreciation. "Yes, thank you. Now…" She put her camera back into its box and raised her fists. "Let's take down those buzzards!"

"That's the spirit!" In a flash, Rex switched his Bad Axes for his Boogie Pack, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. "Alright, hop on… no pun intended." With a slight roll of her eyes, Velvet did as Rex asked and the two of them blasted off into the sky, ready to confront the Nevermores head on.

As the two flew up, Yatsu raised his hand. "Um, pardon me, but there's still something that concerns me."

Sun tilted his head to the tall swordsman. "Whaddya mean, Yatsu?"

Fox cleared his throat and pointed across the way. "Ahem, uh, I think he's talking about _them_." The group craned their heads around to see a bunch of Death Stalkers, who had tripled in number from the initial stampede. The giant scorpions were making their way through the skirmish of Grimm and students, all while trying to get a hit in themselves.

Neptune wore a deadpan expression at this. "Oh… how _wonderful_. More Death Stalkers."

"…Yeah, those are gonna be a bit harder to deal with." Ilia surmised.

Suddenly, from behind them, a familiar voice called out; "Not if we all work together!" The group turned to see Cooper, the blonde genius coming toward them with his laser pistol at the ready. "Hey guys! Did I miss anything major?"

"Tech Head!" Coco hollered, running over and practically tackling her boyfriend in a hug. "You are JUST in time! We were about to stomp some Grimm head in! Think you can join in?"

"Heh, I'll take you up on that offer." Cooper happily agreed. "Though since I don't have my armor, I'm probably not gonna be the heavy hitter in this scenario." The genius shifted his eyes over to his Osmosian friend. "So, Kev, what's our game plan?"

Without a moment to spare, Kevin gave his answer. "Simple, we split into teams and take on those things one-on-four. Team CRDL will take on one while Cooper, Coco, Yatsu and Fox take on another." He spun around and pointed to the three people he knew he wanted on his squad. "And Sun, Neptune, and Ilia? You guys are with me."

Cardin shouldered his Executioner mace while his team all prepped their blades. "Sounds good to me. You ready, boys?" Behind him, Russel, Dove and Sky all raised their swords and belted out a loud battle cry, to which Cardin raised his own mace up into the air. "Then let's do it!" All at once, the four boys charged forth to the nearest Death Stalker, ready to take it on.

As they watched the quartet leave, Ilia couldn't help but sigh to herself. "Ugh, I cannot believe so much testosterone managed to coagulate into one entire team."

"Tell me about it." Coco agreed.

But Kevin gave then a wave. "Ah, let 'em have their fun. Remember, we're all in this together, and that MEANS everyone." The Osmosian bent down and absorbed the concrete sidewalk before reaching into one of his Dust pouches, pulling out a whole Lightning Dust crystal. He absorbed the bright yellow crystal and shifted his right hand into a hammer, all while raising a fist up to his remaining seven compatriots. "So, why don't we get in there and show those Death Stalker's who REALLY runs this place, huh?!"

Sun pulled out Ryui Jingu Bang while Neptune readied Tri-Hard, the two boys smirking eagerly at Kevin's words. "No problem, dude. Let's do this!" Sun exclaimed

Ilia withdrew her Lightning Lash and extended its blade, which quickly fell into its whip mode. "NOW we're getting somewhere. I've been hoping for some action all day."

Coco popped a few muscles in her neck as Yatsu and Fox prepped themselves as well. "Alright, boys, time to go to work." She nudged Cooper in the side. "And armor or not, that means you too, Tech Head."

"Oh, I don't plan on backing out, babe." Cooper promised. "That, I can assure you."

"Alright then!" Kevin proclaimed, slamming his hammer hand into his open palm. All at once, the impact activated the internal energy within the Dust Crystal in his arms, manifesting in the form of bright yellow lightning. With this, Kevin's eyes shifted from brown to a brilliant gold, the Osmosian smirking in anticipation. He shifted his remaining hand into an axe and shouted; "Let's go!" before charging to another Death Stalker, with his teammates close behind.

* * *

After the initial charge, the group split off into their respective teams, with Coco, Cooper, Yatsu and Fox taking the nearer Death Stalker while Kevin and his team went off toward the father one. From their position, Cooper could see Team CRDL having intercepted their own giant scorpion Grimm. And from what he could see, they were handling themselves surprisingly well. Dove and Sky were working on the legs while Cardin was keeping its attention, firing off blasts of fire from his mace. Russel had somehow managed to work his way to the very top of the tail and was working on slicing it off, which Cooper had to admit was rather impressive. "Sheesh, those guys are going to town on that thing." he commented.

"Worry about the lunk heads later, Tech Head!" Coco hollered as they all began to close in on their Death Stalker. "Focus on the here and now!"

Cooper snapped out of it and furrowed his brow at their Death Stalker. "Right! You wanna take this, babe?"

Coco smirked back at him. "As much as I wanna, I'm feelin' like a bit more effort today." She pat her handbag for emphasis. "Plus, I JUST filled her back up with ammo and I'd rather not waste it all in one go. Let's do this the hard way, shall we?"

"Fine by me." Cooper scanned the Grimm with his eyes, taking note of the creatures two main forms of attack. "First, we gotta deal with that tail and those pincers."

"Hm." Coco nodded before glancing off to her redheaded partner. "Fox! You and Cooper circle around either side of it and draw its attention!" She then snapped her head over to her taller teammate. "And Yatsu, make sure those pincers aren't a problem for us."

Yatsu gave her a nod. "Understood, Coco."

" _On it."_ Fox confirmed through his telepathy. _"C'mon, Cooper, let's move!"_

"Right!" Cooper answered back before taking aim with his pistol, focusing directly onto the Death Stalker's face. Fox did the same with his Sharp Retribution and the duo open fired onto the giant scorpion, making in roar in anger. The arthropod Grimm moved his head left and right before scuttling around on its large legs toward Fox, snapping its large pincers at him with a vengeance. "Fox, watch out!"

" _I know, Coop!"_ Fox answered before performing an impressive backflip into the air, avoiding the sharp appendage with ease. Though he also took this as an opportunity to mentally call out to his friend; _"Anytime, Yatsu!"_

But at that moment, Yatsu actually ran directly under Fox as he did his backflip, charging straight at the Death Stalker without hesitation. "I am way ahead of you!" Yatsu swung Fulcrum around once… twice… and finally a third time before bringing it down onto one of the Death Stalker's arms, cutting it off with ease. This, understandably, made the Grimm screech in pain before slamming its remaining pincer into Yatsuhashi, sending him careening backward. However, Yatsu was able to land on his feet, a frustrated expression forming on his face. "Cooper! I need another good opening! Can you draw its attention your way?!"

"Kind of unorthodox since I don't have ANY armor, but sure, what the hell?!" With that, Cooper exchanged his regular pistol for the Techadorian Multiblaster he kept strapped to his back, taking aim and firing right at the Death Stalker's leg. Like a knife through butter, the laser blasted right through the leg, taking it off and making the creature scream again. "Hey, over here ya overgrown… er… what's a good scorpion insult?" But Cooper didn't have much time to think that over as the Death Stalker reared itself around and scuttled rapidly toward him, snapping its remaining pincer. "Oh, not good."

Just as it was about to close the distance, though Yatsu came up from behind and sliced off its large claw, making it scream even louder than before. "Alright, there it goes! Fox, now!"

" _Right behind ya!"_ Fox mentally spoke before Yastu bent forward, the former using his friend's back as a spring board like he had done yesterday. With one powerful swipe, Fox sliced through the Death Stalker's tail, making the large, yellow stinger fall directly into the creature's back. _"Alright, now what?!"_

Back over with Coco, the fashionable girl smirked at the scene and ran forward. "Now, it's my turn! Tech Head, give me a boost and get ready with that gun of yours!"

Cooper lowered himself and cupped his hands. "Right!" In one fluid movement, Coco stepped onto her boyfriend's hands and he threw her right at the Death Stalker, the blonde genius watching as Coco did a midair spin and flip before landing feet first onto the Death Stalker's back. Her landing was so powerful that it made the Grimm fall flat on its belly, making Cooper's jaw drop. "Humina humina."

Coco lowered her glasses at the Death Stalker writhing beneath her, making sure to drive her heel into its back. "Think of this as a little _punishment_ , okay?" With a quick wink, Coco quickly spun around and slammed her hand bag into the Death Stalker's stinger, driving it into the Grimm's back even more. As the creature cried out in agony, Coco jumped off and yelled out to her boyfriend; "Cooper, finish it!"

"Gotcha!" Not wasting a moment, Cooper shoved his Techadorian Multiblaster into the Death Stalker's face and clenched his teeth, glowering into the Grimm's eyes. "Later days, asshat!" He pulled the trigger and shot through the beast's head, finally killing it. As the Death Stalker dissipated, Cooper let out a breath he didn't know he was holding before landing on his rear, a laugh escaping his throat. "Whoo! That was sweet!"

"Haha! I'll say!" Coco ran over and fell into Cooper in an instant, the couple falling to the ground in a heap. "Now THAT is what I call an _awesome_ take down."

Yatsu and Fox came over as well, the tall swordsman sheathing his blade. "Indeed. Quite successful if I do say so myself."

However, Fox was quick to point something out. "It's not over yet. How're Kevin and Cardin doing with their Death Stalkers?"

Coco craned her head over to Team CRDL to see that they were successfully cutting their scorpion Grimm down to size. Dove and Sky had successfully sliced off one four of its legs on one side and were presently working on finishing the other while Russel had also cut off the stinger, though unlike theirs, it didn't impale into the creature's back. Cardin was bashing the Grimm's large pincers down, breaking them in one swing of his mighty mace. Finally, once all its legs were taken out, Cardin landed the finishing blow; an explosive hit to the Death Stalker's cranium.

The beast dissipated and Coco nodded. "Team CRDL's taken theirs out." She then shifted her gaze over to Kevin and the others. "And as for Kevin… I'd say they're doin' pretty good so far."

* * *

As Coco and her team fought their Death Stalker, Kevin and his squad were just closing in on their own. The Osmosian came to a stop, prompting his teammates to do the same before he turned to face them. They were just far enough away from the Death Stalker to avoid its line of sight, allowing Kevin to start formulating a plan. "Alright, here's what I'm thinking;" He pointed to Sun first. "Sun, I want you do hold that thing off with your Semblance long enough so that Neptune and I can circle around and take care of its pincers."

Sun gave him a thumbs up. "You got it, dude. I'm all over it."

"W-Wait, how are we gonna get close to those claws _without_ them snapping us in half?" Neptune asked. "I mean, I know YOU probably don't have to worry about it, Kev, but…"

"Don't worry, Sun's clones can take care of that too." Kevin assured. "Like I said, they'll buy us enough time to get close and take them out." A smirk then came to his face. "And if worse comes to worse, Sun can just blow 'em up and maybe even blind the thing."

Ilia raised her hand. "Alright, so what about me?"

Kevin pointed to her the moment she spoke up. "Ilia, you're gonna make your way behind the thing while we're distracting it." he explained. "Then, you're gonna use that lash of yours to cut its tail clean off. Once you do, that'll give us ALL the perfect opening to finish it off."

The chameleon girl smiled in approval. "Alright, sounds great!"

"Good!" Kevin exclaimed while raising his lightning hammer up into the air. "Then let's do it! Sun?"

"Gotcha." The monkey boy put his bo staff on his back and went into a meditative position on the ground, his hair glowing a bright golden color as he focused on his Semblance. All at once, three Via Sun clones burst out from his body and rushed forward, catching the Death Stalker's attention. The mighty scorpion made to snap its pincers and thrust its tail at the clones, but instead, the Via Suns caught all three appendages in their hands, holding them at bay. The action made Sun grit his teeth. While he had gotten better with making multiple clones, it was still a struggle to have them all do something simultaneously. "Gah, alright, go!" Sun hollered. "I'm not sure how long I can keep this up!"

"On it!" Kevin replied. "Neptune, let's move!"

Though the blue-haired boy was still somewhat apprehensive, he knew he HAD to do it. His best friend was visibly straining to keep the Death Stalker at bay, so he had to get this done quickly. Neptune lowered his goggles and shifted Tri-Hard into its rifle mode, giving Kevin a nod. "Right behind ya!" The two boys began to circle around either side of the beast, both shooting lightning at it as they did. Though while Neptune only shot Lightning Dust rounds, Kevin was throwing bolts of bright yellow electricity at the Death Stalker, making it shriek in pain.

Once the duo had made it toward the back of the beast, they quickly saw their chance. Kevin pulled his axe arm back and yelled; "NOW!" All at once, the Osmosian rushed toward the Death Stalker's right pincer and brough his arm down, his Lightning Axe slicing cleanly through it like a hot butter knife. As the Death Stalker continued to scream, Kevin called out to his compatriot; "Neptune!"

"I hear ya, dude!" Neptune assured as he sprinted to the left pincer. With a single hand, Neptune spun his rifle around and shifted it into its guandao mode, with electric energy flowing right into its blade. In a nice, clean swing, Neptune cleaved through the appendage without fail, making the Death Stalker screech even more. "Ha! See? I got your back, dude!"

"Glad to hear it. Ilia, your… turn?" But the moment Kevin's eyes went to where Ilia last was, he saw that she was gone, almost as if she was never there to begin with. "Uh… where is she—"

Just then, he heard Ilia call out to him; "Kevin!" This made his head snap up just in time to see that the chameleon girl had actually ran up to the Death Stalker head on and jumped onto its tail, which Sun's clone was still holding in place. Ilia ran along the tail while extending her Lightning Lash to its maximum length, the whip already sparking. "Get ready for this!"

Kevin couldn't help but grin eagerly for what would come next. "Oh, HELL yeah! Do it!"

As Ilia was about to come to the very back of the tail, she jumped up and did a midair front flip, whipping her Lightning Lash the moment she went upside down. The lash wrapped itself around the Death Stalker's tail and Ilia twisted herself around so that she would land on her feet. The moment she touched the ground, she pulled her arm back, allowing the bladed lash to slice through the tail effortlessly. It had been cut off almost at the base, and sufficed to say, the Grimm's wails only grew louder. "Alright, Sun!" Ilia signaled to her friend. "Let's finish this up!"

Sun smirked from his meditative stance. "I'd thought you'd never ask!" Seeing as his Via Sun clones were still holding onto the amputated Death Stalker body parts, Sun decided that it'd only be right to use them to his advantage. So, he commanded his clones to slam their respective detached appendages into the Grimm, making it fall down. Then, for an added bonus, he made all three of them blow up in its face, blinding it while also blowing off its white, boney armor. Sun fell onto his back, exhausted after pushing his Semblance to its limit. "Alright, Kev, it's your show now, dude!"

"Thanks man!" Kevin called back before running right for the Death Stalker's head. He raised his Lightning Hammer and, with a mighty yell, slammed it right into the beast's face. The impact practically obliterated the head, making it explode. The rest of the scorpion's body began to evaporate into black mist as always. With a victorious smile, Kevin raised his hammer hand high, with Neptune and Ilia quickly joining him. "Haha! Thor ain't got nothin' on me, guys!"

Neptune furrowed his brows in confusion. "Uh… who's Thor?"

Within a second, Kevin's grin was replaced with a deadpan expression. "Ugh, we really HAVE been skimping out on you guys when it comes to pop-culture recently."

Ilia gave him a shrug. "Eh, no biggie. If anything, we've actually been pretty patient when it comes to waiting for those."

Sun stood up and brushed off his jeans before walking over to his friends. "Yeah, and it's always awesome when ya do, so no harm done." He then raised a hand up to the Osmosian. "But hey, great job, man."

"Ha, I should be sayin' that about _you_!" Kevin smirked while clasping Sun's hand with his own. "Dude, you freakin' _nailed_ it with those clones of yours. I was impressed you were able to keep it up for so long."

"Heh, yeah, I HAVE been getting better at it." Sun rubbed the back of his head before glancing over to Neptune and Ilia. "And hey, you guys were pretty great over there, too! You dismembered it without breaking a sweat!"

Neptune stuck Tri-Hard down blade-first into the pavement and leaned up against it, a proud grin on his face. "Yeah, it WAS pretty sweet, wasn't it?"

Ilia rolled her eyes and nudged Neptune in the side. "Oh please, don't get TOO proud of yourself, Neptune." She pointed over to the rest of the Grimm horde, which many of the students were still fighting against. "Besides, we've still got work to do."

"You're damn right, we do!" The quartet's heads snapped around to see Coco, Cooper, Yatsu, Fox and Team CRDL running right toward them, the former giving them a thumbs up. "Sweet kill, guys!" Coco congratulated. "That puts us at three for three!"

Kevin's eyes widened at that. "Wait, guys already took down yours, too?"

"Just." Cardin confirmed, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "Let's regroup and try to—"

_**EEEEAAARRK!**_ Everyone's eyes widened and their heads whipped up toward the sky to see two Nevermore crash into each other, taking them all by surprise. "Woah!" Ilia exclaimed. "What the hell was—" But she cut herself off when she saw none other than Velvet riding on the back of one of the Nevermore, a pair of hard-light axes on her arms and embedded into the giant bird's wings. Everyone couldn't help but stare at the scene in utter disbelief. "Oh… I see." Ilia muttered. _'And I have to admit… that's kinda hot.'_

' _Oh my god, that is SO hot.'_ Cardin thought as well.

* * *

Velvet had no time to second guess her actions. The moment she and Rex were off the ground, there was no going back. The bunny girl furrowed her brows as they drew closer to the Nevermores, the giant birds still circling around the campus, searching for their first target. _'I suppose WE are that target now.'_ Velvet surmised before shaking her head. _'Let's not think about that right now, shall we? I have to focus…'_ Her grip slightly tightened around Rex's neck. _'I CAN do this.'_ she assured herself.

However, this action was noticed by her carrier immediately. "Hey, you okay, Vel?" Rex piped up. "You tensed up a bit."

"O-Oh, yes! I'm fine." Velvet replied quickly.

"You're sure?" The young EVO asked again. "Because we can always turn back if you want."

Velvet's eyes widened at his proposal. "NO!" she hastily yelled before realizing she was right next to Rex's ear, making him wince. "Oh! I'm so sorry! But… no, I don't want to turn back." Her eyes went back to the Nevermore above them, a determined gaze fixating straight on them. "We're already so close. We have a job to do, so we cannot go back now!"

Rex glanced at her out of the corner of his eye before a smirk came to his face. "I like your attitude, Vel. Let's go for it!" With a burst of speed from his Boogie Pack, Rex jetted up to the Nevermore even faster, which finally prompted the giant birds to look down upon them. "They've spotted us. What do ya wanna do from here?"

"Launch me up to those two over there!" Velvet replied, pointing out the two Nevermore that were further away from them. "Then you can take on the closest one freely while I distract those other ones from you. I'll handle them from there."

The EVO couldn't help but be bewildered… yet slightly impressed. _'Jeez, this sounds like a plan I'D come up with.'_ But still, he saw the determination in Velvet's eyes, so he knew he wouldn't be able to talk her out of it. "Well… if you insist!" Rex stopped in mid-flight and lifted his arm up, activating his Slam Cannon. "But if you wanna do it, ya gotta do it right!"

Velvet saw the maw near the back of the Slam Cannon open up, making her eyebrows shoot up. "Wait… you can actually _launch_ me out of that thing?!"

"Only if ya want to." Rex smirked back. "So, what's it gonna be?"

After a few moments, Velvet smiled back before crawling up across the Boogie Pack's wing and into the Slam Cannon's maw, the hatch closing as soon as she did. "Alright, ready!" she called from the inside.

Rex took aim and spoke back to her. "Okay, on three! One… two… THREE!" Without wasting a second, Rex fired Velvet out of the cannon and directly at the two Nevermore she wanted, which visibly managed to take the birds by surprise. "Ha! You see that, ya dumb _cuervos_?" Rex insulted. "That girl has more guts than all of you combined!" He directed his gaze up to the nearest Nevermore and shifted his Slam Cannon for his BFS, which he swiftly changed into its Battle Saw mode. "Now, let's clip YOUR wings, shall we?!"

As Rex easily took care of his Nevermore, Velvet found herself speeding through the air toward her own, her ears rushing through the wind. _'Oh my… this is MUCH faster than I anticipated!'_ she thought to herself as the wind whipped against her eyes. She reached behind her and pressed a button on Anesidora, activating it. All at once, hard light began forming around her arms, taking the form of the Bad Axes. _'But I won't falter! I MUST do this!'_ With a sharp battle cry, Velvet twisted herself around in midair and slammed herself feet-first into the first Nevermore, the beast having tried to fly upward to avoid the hit.

Velvet smirked and murmured; "Gotcha." before slamming one of her Bad Axes into the Nevermore's chest, embedding it and allowing her to hang from the creature without falling. The giant bird let out a screech and began flapping rapidly, hoping to shake her off. But Velvet wasn't about to let that happen. With another swing of her free arm, the bunny girl was able to slice off one of its wings, making it screech again in pain. She then pulled her other Bad Axe out of its chest and sliced off its head, the lifeless body dissipating into black mist.

"One down…" Velvet said before immediately landing on the back of the second Nevermore, just as she had intended. "And another to go!" Beneath her, the giant bird Grimm was flying hastily about, bobbing, weaving and even doing a few barrel rolls in hopes of tossing Velvet off of its back. "Sorry, mate!" Velvet shouted before slamming both of her Bad Axes into its back, giving her a firm hold of it. "But _I'm_ in control here!" If anything, though, this just made the beast jerk around even more, only now it was in pain. At that moment, she saw a third Nevermore enter her field of vision, which quickly gave her an idea. _'Jackpot!'_

Velvet wretched her arms to the right and pushed downward with all she had, which made the Nevermore lurch in the same direction. The large bird began descending down toward the other Nevermore, which made both creature's eyes widen in panic. The lower Nevermore attempted to fly out of the way, but it was too late. Velvet made her Nevermore crash into the other one, which had the added effect of stabbing its beak into the other's neck. The two stuck birds plummeted toward the ground, with Velvet hanging on for dear life and waiting for the opportunity to jump off.

' _Almost… almost… NOW!'_ The duo of Grimm birds made impact with the earth and Velvet leapt off of them as they tumbled across the pavement. The bunny girl tuck and rolled before jumping into a sprint, following after the Nevermores. Once the creatures came to a halt, Velvet held no hesitation in lobbing off both of their heads with her Bad Axes, making them dissipate into black smoke. Once their bodies were gone, Velvet's Bad Axes also began dissipating, a sigh escaping her lips soon after. "Hah, well… that was certainly something."

"VELVET!" The bunny girl's head whirled around to see Cardin, her team, and the others sprinting toward her, with Rex flying down as well to join them. The redheaded knight sprinted over and grasped her shoulders, a bright smile overtaking his face. "That was AMAZING! You just took down THREE of those things in a row!"

"No kidding, Vel." Cooper concurred. "That was simply phenomenal!"

Rex put a hand to his head in awe. "I gotta admit… I'm surprised you know how to use my weapons, Vel. It was almost like seeing _myself_ fight out there!"

Velvet smiled back to the two, tapping the side of her head. "All a part of my Semblance, Rex. It helps that I've seen you fight often." Her eyes then went up to Cardin. "So, what's the situation down here like?"

"Well, we just cleared out three Death Stalkers." Cardin answered. "And I think the other students are startin' to whittle down the Grimm's numbers. We just gotta—"

_**EEEEAAARRK!**_ Another loud screech suddenly cut Cardin off, prompting everyone to set their eyes skyward. There, diving down at them, was another Nevermore, and it appeared to be quite angry. "WATCH OUT!" Coco suddenly shouted, prompting everyone to either duck or aim their weapons at it. However, before the creature could even make it to them, a fast, green blur suddenly zoomed past them, whipping up a strong wind before plowing right into the Nevermore's midsection. All at once, the green blur managed to split the Grimm in half, its body falling before dispersing like all the others.

The group at ground level barely had time to comprehend what they had just seen. "…What the hell was THAT?!" Neptune exclaimed.

"I-I don't know!" Sun stuttered. "But whatever it was, it was FAST!"

After searching around for whatever the speeding object was, Kevin's eyes moved up again… and it was there that he saw a flying object quickly swooping down at them. He was about to warn the others about it, but when it, or rather _she_ , came into view, he quickly relaxed. "Uh, guys? Here comes your answer."

Everyone craned their heads up as well, and immediately, happy smiles took to their faces as the familiar figure came flying toward them. "Sal… u…" _WHAM!_ Penny landed directly in front of them with a cheery grin of her own… but not without blowing them all off their feet. "TATIONS!" she finished with a salute. But then, she saw what she had done and her eyes widened, giving her friends a wave. "Oh, my apologies!"

Ilia chuckled as she sat up, rubbing her head slightly. "Hehe, no, no, you're fine, Penny!" But then, the chameleon girl's eyebrows rose up at Penny's new attire, which she couldn't help but marvel at. "Oh my god, Penny! That outfit looks _so_ good on you!"

After everyone collected themselves, they were able to see Penny's new clothes as well, and they were all quick to agree with Ilia. The redheaded android was now sporting an entirely new ensemble, with almost nothing from her old one remaining. Instead of a single pink bow, she now had two; a black fabric one, and another pink one that was entirely made of metal, her symbol having been placed directly in the middle of it. She was in a new green and black dress with suspenders and gold buttons, the hem of it being black with emerald green stripes. Beneath the dress, she wore a white blouse with poofy shoulders and flared cuffs, complete with black gloves that had gold studs on the knuckles.

At her neck, Penny now wore a new neck piece that was much less constrictive than her last one, complete with another black bow that had a power symbol in its center. Her legs though were where things got a bit odd. At first, the group thought they were normal black leggings that were stylized to look like mechanical boots. But upon closer inspection, they saw that they WERE actually metallic armor pieces that were connected to her boots. At their sides were two green circles; a large one on the upper thigh and a smaller one near her ankle, both edged with gold detailing while a single green line went between the two.

Coco lowered her sunglasses and let out an impressed whistle. "Woo! Color Girl's right, Pen! You're rockin' that outfit big time!"

Penny grinned eagerly and deactivated her Air Heart jetpack before wrapping both girls into a hug. "Oh, thank you! I REALLY love them and I'm very glad that you guys do as well!"

Kevin couldn't help but raise a brow at Penny's new clothes, though. _"Huh, she looks like one of those German waitresses you'd see at an Oktoberfest.'_ He shook the thought away before giving the redhead a smile as well. "Well, I know one thing, you sure saved our bacon back there, Penny. Thanks for that."

Penny gave him her signature salute. "No problem, Kevin! All in a day's work!" She then sent Velvet a thumbs up. "And Velvet, excellent work on taking those Nevermores down! Truly sensational!"

Velvet giggled and tilted her head to the side. "Thank you, Penny. Though your entry take-down was also quite spectacular."

"Everyone!" The groups heads whipped around to see Winter heading their way as well, the military specialist bringing even more students with her. "We came as quickly as we could! What's the situa—Kevin?!" The elder Schnee's eyes widened when she saw the Osmosian as well as Rex standing in front of her. "And Rex? What are you two doing up here? Shouldn't you both be in the forest searching for the criminal?"

Rex and Kevin glanced toward each other awkwardly before the EVO gave Winter a shrug. "Would you believe… that Four Arms punched the guy so hard that he flew up here and crashed into the dining hall?"

Winter blinked as she took that information in. "Hm… so THAT is what caused all this commotion. I simply thought that it was a Grimm attack by itself—WAIT, he _punched_ the criminal up here?!"

"Yup." Kevin jerked his thumb toward the dining hall. "Ben went all-out All Might on that one."

"All who?"

"Never mind." Kevin waved off. "Save it for later. Right now, we have more to worry about—huh?!" All of a sudden, the earth beneath their feet began to rumble and the concrete started splitting and cracking apart. Everyone's eyes widened and Kevin hollered; "Everybody MOVE!" The whole group were quick to oblige and they all dove off in separate directions, the ground finally erupting as soon as they did.

Dust and debris were thrown all over the place as the teens and Winter landed, though the military specialist herself was the only one to land on her feet. Winter narrowed her eyes, attempting to see through the dust. It was only when she saw something large slithering out of the ground did she speak up; "Be ready everyone! We have a King Taijitu!"

Sure enough, a giant, two-headed black and white snake Grimm moved its head out from the dust cloud, its long fangs bared and its two tongues hissing at the group in contempt. Coco sneered back at the King Taijitu before activating Gianduja, the barrel already beginning to spin. "Well, guess it's gonna be the easy way for this one."

"Save your ammo, Coco!" Penny objected, the android putting an arm out in front of her friend. She sent Coco a reassuring smile and stated her signature catchphrase; "I'm combat ready, as you know." Penny planted her feet as the nanites within her began to power up, resulting in her shoulder mounted Bash Blasters bursting out.

Coco was taken aback for a split second before smirking, putting Gianduja away right after. "Okay, it's your show, Pen! Go for it!"

"Thank you!" Penny nodded back before glaring up at the King Taijitu. Without any warning, the dual-headed snake beast suddenly lunged forward, its mouths open wide and ready to tear Penny in two. "Besides… this is going to be a real BLAST!" The Bash Blasters began glowing intensely before firing their two big, green energy beams, blasting straight through both of the King Taijitu's mouths. When the cannons stopped, the snake Grimm was left headless and its body went limp before dissipating into black mist. When the Grimm was gone, Penny went back to being her chipper self, almost as if nothing had happened. "And that takes care of that!"

The group were left somewhat stunned for a moment, but quickly divulged into cheers shortly after. The only exceptions were the Team CRDL boys, who had NOT seen Penny's abilities before. They simply stared at where the King Taijitu once was before Cardin snapped out of it, shaking his head back to reality. "Did… did that girl just blast that thing into oblivion?!"

"Goes to show to not judge a book by its cover." Dove commented.

However, after getting a good look at her face, Sky realized that the girl was indeed familiar. "Wait! That's the girl who was sliced up by Nikos during the Vytal Tournament!" he exclaimed. "The robot girl!"

"Hey yeah!" Russel shifted his eyes over to Penny, who now appeared to be somewhat uncomfortable at the reminder. "I thought you were… well, can robots even _die_?"

Penny furrowed her brows at him. "THIS one can." she answered simply. "But then again, I suppose that makes me more than JUST a robot."

"Well yeah." Cardin agreed. "You're name's Penny, right? From what I heard, you're pretty good friends with Ruby." He crossed his arms and sent her a small smile. "Anyone who's friends with that girl is probably a good person, even if they're an artificial person."

This made Penny's brows rise right back up in surprise. "Oh! Well, thank you, I suppose."

Just then, Fox and Yatsu stepped up, the forming clearing his throat while the latter readied his sword. "AHEM! I don't mean to interrupt the happy times here…" He pointed off to the group's right. "But we've got more company!" The teens did an about-face to see a bunch of Grimm begin to make their way toward them, specifically; Boarbatusks.

Winter grit her teeth as two particular Boarbatusks sped up and began rolling toward them, the elder Schnee reaching for her blade. "Everyone, prepare for battle!" With a single swipe, Winter sliced both of the pig-like Grimm in half, destroying them immediately. However, this only prompted the other Boarbatusks to speed up as well, their spinning bodies all closing in quickly.

"Yatsu!" Coco hollered.

"On it!" Yatsuhashi dashed forward before spinning Fulcrum around and slamming it into the pavement, causing it to shatter and send the incoming Boarbatusks up into the air. The beasts were then pelted by the debris, forcing them to uncurl and fall down, leaving them open to attack. "Now, everyone! Let's—"

But just then, a new voice entered the scene. "Stand down for now, children!" Everyone whipped their heads around to see none other than Professor Goodwitch coming toward them, strutting with confidence as she kept her Disciplinarian gripped firmly in hand. Walking along either side of her were Doctor Holiday, Max, and Jessie Jameson, the latter with a strange green cast on her right arm. Glynda set her gaze onto the Boarbatusks as they all steadily got back up. "I will take it from here."

With a wave of her riding crop, the headmistress of Beacon Academy willed all of the debris from the pavement up into the air with her telekinetic Semblance. Before the Boarbatusks could even realize what was happening, they were all suddenly pelted with the debris again, only this time MUCH harder. So hard in fact that many of the chunks went right _through_ them. Whether it was in the head, stomach or back, every Boarbatusk there was utterly decimated by Goodwitch's onslaught. Once all of them were dead, Glynda willed the debris to reform back into the pavement, almost as if it had never been destroyed by Yatsu's attack.

As Goodwitch took a breath, the whole group simply stared at her, with Kevin uttering; "Wow… she's good."

"Like, REALLY good." Rex agreed.

Cooper smirked and nodded his head. "That's Goodwitch for ya. Always keeps a cool head in combat…" But it was at that moment that the genius saw the professor's eyes widen in shock, her teeth gritting as her eyes went straight up to the roof of the dining hall. Specifically; right toward the hole that Bashmouth had left in it. "…That said, I don't think she's all that calm and collected now."

"What happened to the dining hall?!" Glynda shouted, her eyes snapping right over toward the group. "And what in the WORLD is going on here?!"

Kevin chuckled nervously while rubbing the back of his head. "Uh, hehe, funny story, Prof! See, we were fighting the perp in the forest when—"

"Oh, I already _know_ that part, Kevin." Goodwitch assured before her arm whipped up and pointed toward the dining hall itself. "What _I_ want to know is why you left _Ben_ of all people in there to take of it when _he's_ the one responsible for sending this Bashmouth character up here in the first place!"

Rex nervously raised his hands up to Glynda, hoping to calm her down. "Hey, it's really not THAT bad. I mean, it's not like he transformed into Rath or anything this time—"

_BAM!_ All of a sudden, a large chunk of the dining hall's wall burst out at the group, creating another new hole. And in said hole, was Rath's head, the Appoplexian snarling in rage as he stared out at them. "LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', RATH'S FRIENDS! YOU HAD ALL BETTER STAY CLEAR! BECAUSE WHEN RATH IS THROUGH WITH BASHMOUTH, THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF CLEANING UP TO DO!" But then, his eyes widened, almost as if he remembered something important. "ALSO, DON'T LOOK AT ME, I'M—" But before he could finish, Rath's head was pulled back in, almost as if by force.

Needless to say, this left the group stunned. "…Or he could have transformed into Rath." Rex said with a facepalm. "Because of course he did."

Glynda's eye began twitching again and her lips turned up into a frustrated sneer, her self-control beginning to wane. Before her tirade could continue though, Holiday came forward and placed both hands on Glynda's shoulders, hoping to calm her down. "Okay, Glynda, let's slow down for a second and breath here, okay? In…" Holiday took in a deep breath, prompting Glynda to do the same. "…And out." Both ladies exhaled, though Glynda's hand went right to her forehead as she did. "There, better?"

"No, but at least I'm calmer now." Glynda's hand went through her hair, her eyes glaring right toward the dining hall. "But let me just say this right now; Benjamin Tennyson is going to be facing a HARSH punishment when this is all over."

From behind her, Max stepped up and tried to make an appeal for his grandson. "Professor, I am SO sorry about what Ben has done. He doesn't mean any of it, really, he doesn't. This HAS to be all just one big accident." The old man glanced off to the side. "After all, MOST of his transformations into Rath usually _are_."

Jessie stepped up as well and gave Glynda a reassuring smile. "Yeah, things'll be okay, Glynda. If anythin' I reckon he'll be more than happy to patch up whatever he ends up breakin'."

At this, Sun decided to speak up, pointing to Jessie's green cast. "Speaking of which, Jess, what happened to your arm?"

Neptune furrowed his brows at it. "Yeah, did that Bashmouth guy bust it up back in the Emerald Forest or something?"

Jessie wore a sheepish grin before raising the arm. "Yeah, that varmint got the drop on me… quite literally, as a matter of fact. Ended up sprainin' my arm. But Ben transformed into… I think he said his name was Swampfire?" The cowgirl shook her head. "Anyways, he patched me up an' gave me some o' his healin' spores. He said I should be as good as new by the end o' the day." The Vacuoan Huntress spun her shotgun around with one hand before pointing it at a horde of incoming Creeps. "But a little injury like this ain't gonna stop ME! C'mon ya'll, let's get back into this fight!"

Glynda sighed and nodded her head, taking her firm grip back onto her Disciplinarian. "Indeed. Benjamin's fate will have to wait." She pointed her riding crop forward and called her charges to action. "Come, students! It's time to seize victory!" With an uproarious cry of agreement, the whole group charged forth, ready to put an end to the incursion of Grimm once and for all.

* * *

While the battle outside had been waging between Kevin's squad and the Death Stalkers, Team RWBY had found themselves in quite the predicament. Under normal circumstances, they would've been glad to see Ben's Appoplexian transformation. The way Rath was somehow able to be so comically angry while still being a good guy was a sight to behold, after all. However, in recent times, the large tiger-like alien had a knack for rearing his head at somewhat inopportune times. "First the White Fang palace and now this." Blake facepalmed. "How could this situation get any worse?"

"I don't know, Blake." Weiss sighed as she watched Rath and Bashmouth stare down one another. "But I think we're about to find out."

Ruby glanced over to her older sister. "Yang, as the leader of this team… I think it'd be wise for us to stay out of this." Her silver eyes shifted back worriedly toward the two large aliens. "Something tells me that if we got into the middle of THIS fight… we wouldn't be spared."

"Good point, sis." Yang agreed, though she kept her gaze locked onto her boyfriend. "Let's see how this plays out. …Hopefully we won't all get destroyed."

The aforementioned Metallikanine was laughing up a storm, pleased by the outcome of Ben's transformation. "AHAHA! FINALLY! An actual _challenge_!" He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "When I was out on the lamb, every _single_ Appoplexian I met was able to give me a GREAT battle! …None of 'em won o' course, but I at least wasn't bored." He pointed one of his claws to Rath with a big, toothy grin. "So whaddya say, "Rath"? You ready to come get yer ass whupped?!"

Rath, his teeth grit and his eyes in their permanent glare, raised a single finger back to Bashmouth. "LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', BASHMOUTH… HOLD THAT THOUGHT!" Rath then began whipping his head around the room with his arms held up, almost as if he were ready to intercept an attack. Bashmouth and Team RWBY could only stare on in confusion as the Appoplexian began searching the dining hall for something, lifting tables and debris and checking beneath them thoroughly.

After about thirty seconds of this, Yang finally decided to ask; "Uh… Ben? What're you doing?"

"I'M MAKIN' SURE THAT TIGER LADY, SIENNA KHAN, ISN'T HERE!" Rath replied before tossing away a hunk of debris. "RATH DOESN'T WANT HER TO CHEW HIM OUT AGAIN!" he clarified.

If anything, this just made the whole team deadpan at him again. "Ben, Sienna isn't here!" Blake reprimanded. "I have no idea why you would even think she WAS here."

"LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', BLAKE BELLADONNA!" Rath snapped back. "YOU CAN NEVER BE TOO CAREFUL!"

"…Yep, we're doomed." Weiss concluded.

Bashmouth, meanwhile, was standing with his arms crossed and his head tilted to the side, a confused look on his face. "Man… I've met some DUMB Appoplexians, but ya'll've gotta be THE dumbest yet!"

This proved to be the insult that pulled Rath's attention back to the Metallikanine, his lips turning back up into a snarl. With his signature finger point, Rath countered; "REALLY?! WELL LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', BASHMOUTH! RATH MAY NOT BE THE SHARPEST TOOL IN THE SHED, BUT HE'S THE SHARPEST TOOL THAT'S GONNA TEND TO YOUR BODY WHEN WE GO HEAD TO HEAD!" He jabbed two thumbs to himself. "RATH IS THE MAGIC RAKE THAT WILL REND YOUR SOUL ASUNDER! NO PIG DEMONS ATTACHED!"

Despite themselves, the girls of Team RWBY couldn't help but burst into laughter at both Rath's statement AND the bewildered expression on Bashmouth's face. The dog-like alien stared at Rath for a good few seconds before shouting; "The FUCK is all this gobbledygook about?!" He faced the laughing girls and pointed at Rath. "Do you know what the _hell_ he's yammerin' on about?!"

"Haha! Not a clue!" Yang guffawed. "But we DO know that whenever get gets going like this, it means he's hyped to fight!"

"AND ANOTHER THING!" Rath shouted. "YOU MAY TALK BIG ABOUT BEATING OTHER APPOPLEXIANS, BUT RATH IS UNLIKE _ANY_ APPOPLEXIAN YOU'VE FACED SO FAR!"

Bashmouth's eager grin returned. "Oh, really?! Then how 'bout we prove that in a traditional extraterrestrial wrestlin' match?! No holds barred with everything we have?!"

"SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN TO ME!" Rath raised his arms and began flexing them in a variety of unique poses. "BECAUSE TODAY… RATHAMANIA IS GONNA RUN WILD, BROTHER!" For his final pose, he flexed his arms downward, his fists moving in toward his chest. "SO WHATCHA GONNA DO WHEN THESE TWENTY-SIX-INCH PYTHONS COME GUNNIN' FOR _YOU_ , BASHMOUTH?!"

"I'd say I have a clear advantage!" Bashmouth retorted. "After all, ya had to have help to even try an' beat me back in the woods. You've got NO help in this here fight."

"THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE WRONG!" Rath gestured over to Team RWBY. "YOU SEE THEM?! THEY ARE ONLY A _FEW_ OF RATH'S SUPPORTERS, BUT THEY'RE ALSO HIS MOST _IMPORTANT_ ONES!" He moved around and gave them a thumbs up. "SO LONG AS THEY'VE GOT MY BACK, THEN THAT'S ALL THE HELP RATH NEEDS!"

Ruby pumped a fist into the air in support. "Yeah, you tell 'em, Ben! We're right here for you all the way!"

"For better or for worse." Weiss muttered sarcastically under her breath.

But Bashmouth just saw this as another opportunity to insult his opponent. "Oh, I see! They're yer own personal little squad o' cheerleaders!" He crossed his arms and let out another laugh. "HA! Well I'll give 'em one thing; they're pretty feisty considerin' the stuff they did to me back in the woods!"

Both Blake and Yang gave the dog alien similarly angry glared. "Oh, we are NOT cheerleaders!" the cat girl rebuked. "And you'll be _damn_ sorry you ever called us that!"

Yang jerked a thumb to her chest. "Yeah! The butt-kicking we gave you should be evidence enough!"

"Oh, I know, blondie." Bashmouth confirmed. "Which is why I'M glad that ya'll aren't participatin' this time!" He extended a clawed finger over to them. "If you even THINK of steppin' into the ring with me an' him, I won't hesitate to break your bones this time… or eat them either."

Ruby and Weiss' faced both became quite pale while Blake grit her teeth, her pupils shifting into cat-like slits at Bashmouth's words. Yang's eyes flared red, her fists balling up in frustration as her gaze snapped up to Rath. "Ben, baby? I only ask one thing of you; pummel this guy into the ground for us, please."

Rath craned his head toward her and calmly nodded. "Rath is happy to oblige, Yang Xiao Long. Now you guys had better get back… this is gonna be ugly." Team RWBY hastily moved back toward the front entrance, getting as far away from the two aliens as possible. Rath balled his fists and extended his claws, ready to get into the action. "ALRIGHT, BASHMOUTH, LET'S DO THIS—"

"Hold on!" Bashmouth raised a paw up to Rath, stopping him in midsentence. "If we wanna do this, we gotta do it right!" All of a sudden, Bashmouth reached for one of the cafeteria tables and threw it up in the air, making it spin around horizontally before it finally landed on its side. He did this at least eight more times, confusing Rath even more until the Appoplexian began to realize the shape he was setting the tables up in. Soon enough, there was a twenty-by-twenty-foot square set up around the duo, the exact dimensions of a standard wrestling ring. "There! NOW it's a wrestlin' match!"

"Huh, not bad…" Rath murmured before a grin came to his face. "But I think you're forgettin' somethin'! WE DON'T HAVE A REF!"

Bashmouth growled and put a hand to his chin. "Hmph, guess yer right… hang on a sec." The dog alien leapt up to the top of the tables edges and glowered at the four Team RWBY members, scanning them all over until his eyes landed on Ruby. He remembered how fast she could move back in their battle, which meant she'd be perfect for staying out of the way. "YOU!" He jabbed a finger toward the Hooded Huntress, making her jump in place. "Yer gonna be our referee! Got a problem with that?!"

"W-Well, I—" Ruby uttered.

"An' I want yer calls to be unbiased!" Bashmouth roared. "An' put that scythe o' yours away, too, ya got that?!"

Weiss had a dumbfounded look on her face at that. "Are you crazy?! You can't just—"

"Weiss, hold on." Ruby interrupted, taking Crescent Rose off her back as she did. "This fight won't happen any other way. If we don't comply, Bashmouth could just go on a rampage and destroy the entire school. We can't let that happen." She went over to Yang and handed Crescent Rose to her. "Watch over her for me?"

Yang gave her sister a nod. "Sure. Just be careful in there."

Bashmouth laughed as Ruby flew over the ring made of tables, his excitement growing ever more. "Excellent! Now blondie, ring that bell over there an' we can get started!"

Yang was confused until Blake went over and picked up the fire bell that had once hung on the wall of the dining hall, which had been bent out of shape during the attack. "I think he means _this_ one." Blake clarified.

With a shrug of her shoulders, Yang raised her Ember Celica up, ready to get this whole thing started. "Well, okay then." She craned her head up to the ring where Rath, Bashmouth and Ruby were standing, calling out to them; "Is everybody clear on the rules?!" She got sounds of confirmation from all three of them, ushering her to continue. "Well then… LET'S GET IT ON!" She hit her Ember Celica against the bell twice, making it let out a ring and signaling for the match to start.

With a few neck pops, Rath went into a battle stance. "ALRIGHT, BASHMOUTH… LLLLLET'S GET READY TO RUMBLLLLLE!" With that, the Appoplexian charged forward and began grappling with the Metallikanine, the duo moving right into a corner at the very start. Ruby quickly followed after them, keeping a close eye on their movements.

However, Bashmouth merely grinned at the approach that Rath was taking. "Not bad, kid! Startin' out strong…" Just then, the claws on his feet began changing into metal ones, allowing him to dig into the floor and slow him down. "But yer forgettin' who yer dealin' with!" Bashmouth forced them to a stop just before they could get into a corner, quickly pushing back against Rath. "After all, I didn't say powers were off-limits, did I?"

"NOPE! YOU SAID NO HOLDS BARRED!" Rath confirmed. "AND I'M FINE WITH THAT! MAKES IT MORE INTERESTING!" With all the strength he could muster, Rath lifted Bashmouth and threw him high up into the air, catching the dog alien off guard. "SIRIUS BUTTKICKING!" With a powerful leap of his own, Rath jumped high above Bashmouth and did a flip kick, slamming his opponent back into the ground. Immediately, Rath grabbed Bashmouth's leg and pulled it back, his head whipping over to Ruby. "RUBY ROSE! THREE-COUNT, NOW!"

Ruby's eyes widened in a panic and she hastily ran over. "R-Right! Sorry!" The silver-eyed girl slid to her hands and knees down next to the two and began smacking her hand down to the floor, all while her friends watched on in apprehension.

"One, two—d'oh!" Yang winced when Bashmouth broke out of the leg hold, reaching up to pull Rath off of his back. He threw Rath right into one of the tables, resulting in the Appoplexian making impact in an upside-down position. "Gah, that was a just two-count!"

Back in the ring, Bashmouth grabbed his opponent by the ankles and shouted; "MONOCEROS MUDHOLE STOMP!" He began stomping on Rath's face, not letting up for a second as his opponent hollered down below him. The girls could only stare in utter horror as Bashmouth laughed up a storm, continuing his onslaught. "AHAHA! Whatcha gonna do NOW, Stripes?! Where are those twenty-six-inch pythons you were goin' on about?!"

Rath growled before snapping his arms forward, grabbing Bashmouth's stomping leg as well as his other leg in quick succession. "RIGHT HERE!" With one good pull, Rath pulled Bashmouth off balance, causing both of them to come tumbling down. However, Rath had to take a second to get back up, which meant Bashmouth was quick to get back to his feet.

"Pathetic!" With a strong kick, Bashmouth slammed his foot into Rath's gut, making the tiger fly back several feet before landing on the other side of the arena. With a mighty leap, Bashmouth then made a cover over Rath, pinning him to the floor. "Ya think a little pull like that is gonna take down BASHMOUTH?!" he roared as Ruby began smacking her hand on the ground again. "You never stood a chance, little man—GAH!" All of a sudden, Rath kicked out of the pin, pushing Bashmouth off of him successfully. As the Appoplexian stood up, a low growl escaped the Bashmouth's throat. "You've gotta be kiddin'! How many was—"

"That was a two-count, Bashmouth!" Ruby stated, holding up two fingers. "Not enough!"

Bashmouth clenched his big, furry hands. "Shit! You've gotta be kiddin' me!" His red eyes bore into Rath, the hatred in them very evident. "This novice ain't WORTHY to last in the ring this long with BASHMOUTH! Hell, I've got _sisters_ from my own litter who can take this pussy-cat out in ten seconds!"

If anything, this only got the girls on the sidelines more irritated. "HEY! What's _that_ supposed to mean?!" Weiss hollered.

"Yeah, wanna come out here and say that to our faces?!" Yang challenged.

"Don't worry, ladies, ya'll will have yer chance!" Bashmouth waved. "Besides, you should take that as a compliment…" He moved his gaze back down to Rath, who was just starting to regain his composure. "After all, yer ALL better than this runt of an Appoplexian."

Rath's eyes snapped open and he screamed to the heavens; "I'LL SHOW YOU WHO THE RUNT IS! AAAAAUUURRGH!" With an angry roar, Rath went to all fours and began sprinting at Bashmouth, just as the Metallikanine had done earlier. He then leapt up into the air, sailing right toward his opponent.

But Bashmouth wasn't deterred. He smirked and pulled his hand back in preparation. "A head-long attack?! Not gonna happen, little man! TRIANGULUM THROAT—" But right at that moment, Rath extended his arms and grabbed Bashmouth's head, using it at leverage to flip over him. "…Chop?!"

"THINK AGAIN! FLYING OPHIUCHUS SUPLEX!" Rath's body moved over Bashmouth in a solid arc before he landed behind his bigger opponent. But for as big as Bashmouth was, the force of Rath's pull was even greater, resulting in the dog alien being thrown head-over-heels over Rath's shoulder. With a great big slam, Bashmouth hit the table-wall of the ring, with Rath standing over him proudly as he fell to the floor. "HA! NOT SO TOUGH NOW, HUH?!"

Bashmouth wiped at his lips, which, to his surprise, were now beginning to bleed slightly. "Huh… not bad, kid." He stood up and popped his neck muscles. "I'll admit, I wasn't expectin' that…" He scanned Rath up and down with his eyes before noticing something that he could take advantage of; the hero's self-esteem. "But now, I AM!" Bashmouth charged forward once more and began grappling with Rath again, the two aliens not letting up on either of their ends. The two then proceeded to strike each other repeatedly with their arms, both hoping to tire the other out. "I have to say, fer an Appoplexian who don't have no shame, you ain't too bad, kid!"

"WELL, I—wait." Rath furrowed his brows at Bashmouth, but he still kept his eyes glued to his opponent as he grappled with him. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

He received a small shrug from Bashmouth. "Well, I'm just sayin', all the Appoplexians I faced in the past had at least a pair o' pants on, so…"

"WAIT, Appoplexians wear CLOTHES?!" Rath exclaimed.

Ruby's eyes widened at this and her eyes slowly trailed over to Rath's body, but she quickly covered her eyes before she could go any further. "Oh gosh, you can't be serious!"

Blake and Weiss were both aghast as well, though Yang didn't seem to be bothered all that much. "So? Not every alien Ben changes into has clothes either." The Blonde Brawler tilted her head. "So what's the point?"

Weiss whipped her head around to Yang in shock. "Yang, you're _missing_ the point! Sure, not _every_ alien Ben has wears clothes, but I think the ones that _do_ have a good reason for wearing them!" the heiress explained. "So if Appoplexians wear clothes, then that means… that all this time… Rath has been… has been…"

"…Buck-Ass Naked." Blake finished.

The very second Blake finished that statement, Rath's eyes snapped open wide, the part of him that was still Ben Tennyson now thoroughly freaking out. _'AAAAAAAGH!'_ he screamed internally as his face became beet red. _'This has to be THE worst possible thing!'_

Bashmouth could only smirk as his plan came to fruition. _'An' there's my door!'_ Taking advantage of Rath's shocked state, Bashmouth broke out of their grappling position and twisted himself around so that he now held Rath in a three-quarters headlock, much to the Appoplexian's surprise. "Get ready for my signature… THE SERPENS STUNNER!" With a full-on drop, Bashmouth slammed himself onto his rear, taking Rath's head down with him and bashing his chin into his shoulder. The forceful impact left Rath utterly stunned, falling flat on his back in an instant.

"BEN!" Yang cried out. "No! Please get up!"

"Sorry, girly!" Bashmouth grinned from ear to ear. "But THIS kitty's gettin' de-clawed!" The Metallikanine grabbed Rath by the legs and hoisted them up onto his shoulders, picking him up quickly. "PORRIMA POWER SLAM!" Bashmouth tossed Rath back down onto the hard floor, slamming him back-first into the floor once again. He then grabbed Rath by the arm and picked him up again, only to take a hold of his legs and lift him up above his head. "From high above… HAEDUS OVER-HEAD THROW!" With that, Bashmouth tossed Rath straight out of the ring and into a nearby wall, resulting in the Appoplexian's head ramming right through it.

Ruby, who had uncovered her face by this point, was surprised by what had just happened. "Hey! Can you even toss him out of the ring like that?!"

Bashmouth sent her a hard glare. "No holds barred, remember? So long as the pin gets a three count, it don't matter where we go. The ring's just for show." He whipped his head down to her and shouted in her face; "NOW GET BACK TO DOIN' YOUR JOB!"

As the dog alien leapt out of the ring, Ruby folded her arms in a huff. "Hmph, well that wasn't very nice to say to the ref!" Nevertheless, she still followed him out of the ring, hoping against everything that Rath was still okay.

On the other side of the ring, Yang ushered Weiss and Blake to follow her over to where the action was going as well. "Come on, we have to get a better angle!"

After landing outside of the ring, Bashmouth stomped over to Rath and pulled his head out of the wall… before moving them both down to the floor. "PHERKAD FACE PLANT!" Bashmouth began driving Rath's face into the concrete floor multiple times, leaving it bloodied and bruised by the time he finally stopped. "Well, naked man? You done?"

"I… I REALLY wish you hadn't brought that up." Rath said weakly, wincing as Bashmouth's grip tightened. He saw Yang and the others approaching out of the corner of his eye, which only made his face even redder than it already was. "I CAN'T believe Rath's been NAKED this whole time! In front of my FRIENDS, my FAMILY… and even my own GIRLFRIEND!" Quickly losing his spirit, Rath craned his head down so that Yang couldn't see how humiliated he was. "I'm… so _ashamed_."

Yang's eyes widened when she saw the state her boyfriend was in. "BEN!" She made to run forward but was held back by Blake and Weiss, much to her dismay. "Girls, stop! Screw the rules! I'm gonna help him!"

"Yang, NO!" Blake refused. "You heard Bashmouth, he'll EAT you if you do!"

"If it helps Ben get away from that monster, I DON'T CARE!"

Bashmouth perked his head up at Yang's voice, glowering straight at her. "You'd best do what yer friends say, blondie." He picked Rath's head up to force him to make eye contact with her, the shamed Appoplexian's spirit now visibly broken. "Or would you rather me snap his neck here an' now?"

It was there that Yang stopped struggling, with Weiss placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Yang, the best we can do is stand down for now." She offered her blonde friend a smile. "Keep cheering for Ben, okay? Get him hyped back up somehow."

However, the more that Yang gazed upon her boyfriend's broken expression, she couldn't help but wonder; _'…What do I say to a face like that?'_

"Haha, good!" Bashmouth laughed. "Glad we understand each other." He lowered his head down to Rath. "An' as fer you… at least now you'll know of yer shame before I beat the livin' shit outta you." Bashmouth slammed Rath's head into the pavement one more time before putting him into a sitting position. The dog alien got down to one knee and proceeded to put Rath into a sleeper hold, which the giant tiger immediately began struggling to get out of. "Try all you want, pal! Nobody's EVER escaped my Solaris Sleeper Hold! Ref, get over here!"

Ruby hustled over as her eyes switched between Rath and Bashmouth, though she was careful not to get too close the former's thrashing. "Wh-What do I do here?!" she asked.

With a roll of his eyes, Bashmouth nudged his head to Rath's arm. "When he starts to stop thrashin', yer gonna lift his arm up three times. If he can't lift it on his own, he loses automatically. Got it?!"

"R-Right." Ruby continued to watch in horror as Rath was slowly but surely being choked out, his thrashing de-escalating to a mere struggle. Oddly enough, throughout the struggle, Rath kept his legs crossed, and Ruby had a feeling she knew why. _'I can't believe that RATH of all aliens is embarrassed about something like that. And what's worse, it's effecting his performance…'_ After a few more minutes, Rath began to fall limp, his head lolling off as his grunts and yells began to subside. Reluctantly, Ruby reached out and pulled Rath's arm up, which immediately fell limp to his side the moment she let go. "One!"

"NO!" Yang screamed, her teeth clenched in worry. "Ben, please, don't stop fighting!" But the more she stared into his eyes, the more she realized how defeated Rath was feeling, his shame having taken a firm hold on his mind. As Ruby gave the second count, Yang scanned over Rath once more, wracking her mind for something to raise his spirits. It was then that she saw the Appoplexian's legs still crossed… and an idea immediately popped into her head. With a big smile on her face, Yang called out to him; "BEN! I don't care that you're naked!"

At that moment, Ruby raised Rath's arm up for the final time, and Bashmouth grinned eagerly. "Haha! Looks like I win—WHAT?!" But right when Ruby let go, Rath's arm stayed right where it was, shakily keeping itself aloft. "What in the Andromeda Galaxy is—AAAAUGH!" Without warning, Rath pulled his arms up and stabbed into Bashmouth's arms with his claws, making the Metallikanine howl in pain.

With all the force he could muster, Rath let out a huge roar and tossed Bashmouth off of his back, flinging him back into the ring. "LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN' BASHMOUTH! YOU THINK YOU CAN PLAY MINDGAMES WITH RATH?! WELL THE ONLY GAME YOU'RE GONNA BE PLAYING WITH YOUR MIND IS "HOW THE FUCK DID RATH BEAT ME?"!"

"Ben!" Rath's attention was immediately pulled away from the match when Yang ran over and latched onto him, giving him a hug. "You broke out!"

"Y-Yeah, I did!" the Appoplexian confirmed, his face turning red again briefly. "Yang Xiao Long… do you really not care that I'm… you know?"

Yang shook her head. "No, of course not! I mean, I can't exactly see your junk or anything, so what's the difference?"

From the sidelines, Weiss hollered; "AWKWARD!"

Rath placed a hand behind his head. "Well… yeah, I guess you got a point. Still, this _is_ a little embarrassing, to be honest."

"Aw, it's alright!" Yang waved off. "Just think of being naked as an alien and naked as a human as two completely different things."

"Hmm, sounds good to me." Rath nodded. "So… you _REALLY_ don't care that I'm naked?"

Yang laughed before a sly smirk worked its way to her face. "Well, that depends… would YOU care if you saw ME naked?"

"REALLY awkward now!" Blake hollered.

"Yeah, could we PLEASE not continue this conversation?!" Ruby requested, her voice now very high-pitched at the uncomfortable situation. "We need to get this show back on the road before I die of embarrassment!"

Their friend's reactions sent both Rath and Yang into a laughing fit, the former waving his hand up to Ruby. "HA! Okay, okay! LET'S GET BACK TO IT!" Rath bent his knees to jump back into the ring, but not before giving Yang one last smile. "Wish me luck?"

Yang gave him a thumbs up. "You've had it since the match started, Green Boy. Now get in there and kick his furry ass!"

Rath's toothy grin reappeared. "WITH PLEASURE!" He then leapt up on top of one of the table's edges, crouching into his landing so that he didn't fall into the ring. There, he saw Bashmouth, the Metallikanine just getting up. "THAT WAS A LOW BLOW, BASHMOUTH! AND RATH DOESN'T LIKE LOW BLOWS!"

"Anything to win, Stripes!" Bashmouth retorted. "That's the Metallikanine way!"

"YEAH?! WELL LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', BASHMOUTH!" Rath pointed his finger in ire. "APPOPLEXIANS MAY BE ANGRY, AND THEY'RE NOT BE ALL THAT SMART, BUT THEY AT LEAST HAVE A SENSE OF HONOR!" He stood up and pumped a fist into the air while facing away from Bashmouth. "AND I'M GONNA PROVE IT! FROM THE TOP ROPE!" Rath jumped up and backflipped, his legs impacting Bashmouth without fail. "LUNAR MOONSAULT!"

The moment Bashmouth's back hit the ground though, he grabbed Rath's feet and pushed him off, allowing him to stand again. "You think you can beat me just 'cause yer girl's okay with seein' yer bare ass?! You've got another thing comin', boy!" He pulled both of Rath's legs up into his arms and pivoted to his right, swinging the tiger alien around effortlessly. "ORION GIANT SWING!" At the peak of his swing, Bashmouth let Rath go and sent him toward one of the tables. But shockingly, Rath somersaulted in midair and landed on his feet, taking Bashmouth by surprise. "WHAT?! But how—"

"COSMIC CLOTHESLINE!" Rath struck Bashmouth across the face with his arm, sending him right back down to the floor. "HOW'D YOU LIKE _THAT_ , BIG GUY?! NOW TRY THIS ON FOR SIZE!"

Bashmouth shook the daze from his eyes, rubbing his head in confusion. "Uh… wha—HEY!" Before he could even realize what had happened, Rath did a high back flip over his head, the Appoplexian locking his legs around Bashmouth's neck as he did so. "What in the hell is—"

"HERCULES HURRICANRANA!" Without slowing down, Rath continued to fall backwards, bringing Bashmouth with him, the resulting throw was so powerful that it made Bashmouth crash _straight_ through the tables he had set up, effectively destroying the ring. Rath landed on his stomach with a smirk before springing up onto his feet, running over to Bashmouth as quick as he could. "ALRIGHT, LET'S FINISH THIS!"

"W-wait, what're you—" Bashmouth was cut off when Rath lifted his legs up, stepping over them with his own left leg. "NO! You can't use that move! Not even the BEST Appoplexians were able to—"

"SCORPIUS SHARPSHOOTER!" Without hesitation, Rath wrapped Bashmouth's legs around his own before spinning himself around, throwing his right leg over Bashmouth's body. The movement caused Bashmouth to flip around onto his stomach while Rath pulled his legs back, yanking them up above the Metallikanine's back. Rath crouched down while keeping a firm hold on the large, furry legs, all while Bashmouth screamed and cussed in instant pain. "HOW'S _THIS_ FOR A RUNT'S MOVESET, BASHY?!"

"GRAAAUUGH!" Bashmouth belted out a loud roar, pounding his fists against the ground to try and break out of the submission hold. But Rath's grip was as solid as steel, and it was evident he was NOT about to let go. "You gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me! How were ya able to—AUGH—pull this off?!"

"PRACTICE!" Rath answered bluntly. "NOW TAP OUT!"

At that same moment, Ruby came rushing over and slid down next to Bashmouth, pointing at him with a serious face. "Bashmouth! Can you keep going, or do you wanna tap out?! Answer me! Are you through?!"

"FUCK YOU!" Bashmouth growled. "Bashmouth don't tap out! Do ya hear me?!" He began pummeling both fists against the ground, almost as if he were an impetuous child who wasn't getting his way. "BASHMOUTH DON'T TAP OUT!" Gritting his teeth through the pain, Bashmouth summoned enough strength to roll himself back around, freeing himself from the submission hold while forcing Rath off of him. He made to stand up, but his knee buckled, a result of it being twisted. "Gah! Dammit!"

Rath narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. "Okay, guess we're doin' this the hard way." he mumbled under his breath. "ALPHA LYNCIS LARIAT!" With a rush of speed, Rath slammed his arm into Bashmouth's face again, this time managing to knock the dog alien back several feet and onto his back. "YOU BROUGHT THIS ON YOURSELF, BASHMOUTH!" Rath ran back over and jumped up, stretching out his leg for his final blow. "LEO LEG DROP!" With a loud, echoing _SLAM_ ,Rath brought his leg down on Bashmouth's neck, hurting his opponent's throat. But the tiger alien wasn't done yet. "AND ANOTHER!" He got up and performed yet another leg drop, only to then get up and perform more in quick succession. "AND ANOTHER, AND ANOTHER!"

By the time he was done, Bashmouth was dazed and gasping for hair. He barely had time to comprehend what was happening, so much so that he couldn't harden his fur in time before the blows struck him. Finally, though, Rath pulled Bashmouth's leg up toward his chin while reaching around his shoulders with his other arm, the Appoplexian locking his hands together and pulling the Metallikanine back into a successful cradle pin. _'No… this can't be happening!'_ He attempted to kick out, but his dazed state made him weak, so much so that his strength had partially left him. _'This wasn't how it was supposed to end!'_

Without hesitation, Ruby ran over and smacked her hand against the floor; "ONE!" _SMACK_! "TWO!" _SMACK_! "THREE!" _SMACK_! "IT'S OVER!"

At Ruby's words, Yang rang the busted-up fire bell again, very enthusiastically so at her sister's call. "WOO! Ben won!"

Blake tossed the broken bell over her shoulder after Yang was done, folding her arms with pride. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

"Easy for you to say." Weiss said as she kept a hand covering her chest. "I can't tell you how many times I held my breath during that fight!"

Once Rath broke the pin, Ruby went over and lifted his arm up, declaring to her teammates; "The winner, and NEW Beacon Wrestling Champion… RAAAAATH!"

Rath could practically hear the 80's rock music blasting in his mind, the Appoplexian grinning from ear to ear at his victory. "AHAHA! YES! I TOLD YA RATHAMANIA WAS RUNNING WILD!" He spun his hand around before cupping it to his ear, leaning toward Yang, Blake and Weiss. "CAN I GET A HELL YEAH?!" The three girls and Ruby all obliged, the whole group devolving into cheers of triumph. "HA! THAT'S RIGHT, WE WON—"

"You… _You_ … YOOOOUUU!" Everyone snapped their heads around when they heard Bashmouth yelling at the top of his lungs, the whole group astonished to see him get back up so quick. "That was supposed to be MY victory! AND YOU TOOK IT FROM ME!" All at once, Bashmouth's metal teeth burst out of his gums again, a snarl taking over his face. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

The moment Bashmouth lunged at them, Rath and Ruby both dashed out of the way, heading off into opposite directions. "Oh, come on, Bashmouth!" Ruby berated. "Nobody likes a sore loser!"

"YEAH! AND BESIDES…" Rath rushed forward as well and landed an uppercut to Bashmouth's jaw, effectively shutting his mouth. "BITING IS ILLEGAL IN WRESTLING!"

"Does it _look_ like I give a damn at this point?!" Bashmouth's metal claws reattracted once again. "I am DONE with _all_ of ya!"

As Rath began bobbing and weaving away from Bashmouth's movements, he began thinking of what he could do to put an end to this fight. However, it was during one of these dodges that his eyes caught sight of his hand again, and his mind went back to his Double Bellwood Smash from earlier. _'Well, it worked before… a bit TOO well. Maybe a SINGLE Bellwood Smash could do the trick this time. I just need a running start.'_ After one final dodge, Rath leapt away from Bashmouth and called out to his girlfriend; "YANG XIAO LONG! I NEED HIM OFF ME FOR A SEC!"

"On it!" Yang answered before cocking her Ember Celica and blasting a Fire Dust round at Bashmouth's face, garnering his attention immediately. "Now! Do whatever you gotta do!"

"RIGHT!" Rath set his gaze down to the Omnitrix and pointed to it. "Lemme tell ya somethin', Omnitrix, you'd better give me XLR8, or else we're gonna have a few select words later on." With a slap to the hourglass symbol, Rath was replaced with XLR8 in a flash of green light, much to the Kineceleran's relief. "Oh, thank god! Well, time to run!"

With a burst of speed, XLR8 began rushing around the entire room, running not just along the floor, but the walls and ceiling as well. He was careful to avoid Team RWBY, though, the quartet simply marveling at how fast he was going. The rush of wind served to confuse Bashmouth, making his anger subside for just a brief moment. "Huh?! What the heck—ACK!" As he sped around the room, XLR8 began striking Bashmouth with quick, succeeding blows, all while building up significant speed for his final attack. "Gah! Oof! Hey, this is—AUGH! No fair!"

" _You're_ one to talk about that, Bashmouth!" XLR8 countered as his hits continued. "You weren't willing to be a good sport, so I think it's only fair that you learn your lesson from that!" With one final loop around the dining hall's ceiling, XLR8 made one last speech; "Now, for a lesson! I know that neither you or the girls have heard these words before, but I figure now's a perfect time to say them, and teach you what they REALLY mean!" Right when he sped back to the floor, XLR8 leapt forward at full speed behind Bashmouth and slammed the Omnitrix again, changing back into Rath.

Bashmouth only had time to spin his head around, seeing the Appoplexian flying right toward him at near-blinding speed with his fist reared back. With his teeth grit and his brows furrowed, Rath belted out four words that he had been eager to say all day; **"GO BEYOND!** _ **PLUS…**_ **"** _WHAM!_ With all his might, Rath socked Bashmouth straight in a face with a Bellwood Smash. _**"ULLTRAAAAA!"**_

The force of the blow was so strong, it ended up sending Bashmouth straight through the dining hall's front doors, blowing both of them off of their hinges. The Metallikanine made impact with the ground and plowed right through the pavement, his upper torso taking the brunt of the damage. But in the end, he slowed to a stop about forty feet after he struck the ground, leaving a long trench that was a good five feet deep. With his consciousness finally leaving him, Bashmouth couldn't help but grin at what had just happened. _'Heh, nice punch, kid.'_ With that, Bashmouth slumped over, now thoroughly beaten.

Back inside the dining hall, Team RWBY couldn't help but once again stare dumbfoundedly at the amazing punch that their friend had pulled off. Sure, it wasn't as powerful as the one he had pulled off in the woods, but still, it was impressive. "Oh… my god." Weiss uttered. "What even IS that attack?!"

"That's what _I'd_ like to know." Yang concurred before craning her head over to Rath, who thankfully had his hand still in one piece. "Ben, what show did you get that attack from again?"

Rath chuckled as he flexed his hand, which was only a bit sore from the hit. "Heh, remind me to show it to you guys later, Yang Xiao Long!" In another flash of green light, Ben was back to his normal self, now smiling from ear to ear. "But right now, I think this calls for a celebration!"

"Heck yeah, it does!" Ruby agreed. "Let's go find the others and tell 'em about this!"

"No need!" The group of five perked their heads up at the new voice in the room, only to turn around and see their friends already standing at the back entrance. Penny, Ilia, Team SN, Cooper and Team CFVY were all there, and they were all wearing the same astonished expression after seeing what Rath had just pulled off. Kevin and Rex were standing in front of them, the former smirking at his friends before nudging his chin at them. "I gotta admit, that was one crazy finisher."

Rex was yet again wearing quite possibly the biggest grin on his face as their group walked in. "DUDE! You pulled off another SMASH! That was amazing!"

"You bet it was." Yang said with a thumbs up. "And I think we might've finally gotten him!"

"After that punch, I'd hope so!" Ilia said as she slowly moved toward Blake with slight trepidation. It was almost as if she were afraid the whole building would come crashing down on her head. "Blake, how were you able to even _stay_ in here with that fight going on?"

Blake gave her friend a small shrug. "Well, it looked a bit hairy for a little while, Ilia. But Ben managed to pull through just fine."

Sun went over and put his arm around Blake's shoulders, greeting her with a kiss. "No kidding! But right now, I'm just glad you're safe." The monkey boy spotted Bashmouth out on the other end of the court yard. "But jeez, what a punch! I practically _felt_ the force of that impact. It was NUTS!"

"To say the FUCKING _least_!" Coco exclaimed. "I don't think I've ever seen a punch like that in my entire _life_!"

"Yeah, I think I felt my entire soul rattle a bit!" Neptune added.

"I'll say." Cooper concurred before raising a brow at Ben. "Just how much anime have you been watching lately?"

Ben gave him a lop-sided grin. "Believe it or not, not much! I haven't even SHOWN these guys MHA yet!" He quirked a brow to the whole group. "But I've got a feeling that needs to be rectified." However, when he was scanning the group with his eyes, he took notice of Penny's new attire almost immediately. "Oh! Hey, Penny, nice new threads!"

Ruby gasped as she finally noticed her friend's new wardrobe as well. "AH! Oh. My. GOSH!" She zipped over to Penny's side and immediately began gushing over the close. "Penny, you look _so cute_ in that outfit! Was THIS the surprise that your dad wanted to give you?!"

"Hehe, indeed it is!" Penny giggled, though her hand went to her neck afterwards. "But… there IS another part of the surprise, but I'll save that for later." She reached over and grasped Ruby by the shoulders, a smile beaming from ear to ear on her face. "Right now, I want to hear what happened in the Emerald Forest and the events that transpired in here, please!"

Rex went over and nudged Weiss' shoulder. "Hey yeah, what DID happen in here? We saw Rath's head smash through the wall a little while ago, but he was pulled back in before we even knew what happened."

Weiss sighed and a hand went to her forehead. "Well, Robo-dolt, I think it's safe to say that we just witnessed the _craziest_ wrestling match I've ever seen. …Then again, it's the _only_ wrestling match I've ever seen, but that should be a given."

"HA! Nice one, Ice Princess." Rex laughed before a hand went to his chin. "But there's still something that doesn't make sense to me. Rath was about to tell us something before he got pulled back in. It was along the lines of "Don't look at me, I'm—" something."

Ben's eyes widened when he heard what Rex was saying and he made eye contact with Weiss, a worried look plastered all over his face. The heiress quickly picked up on the message and gave Rex a shrug. "Well… that's something that should be best left alone right now." she answered. "Let's just say we had a little… _revelation_ during the fight and leave it at that."

"Well… okay." Rex scratched his head in confusion, but he decided he'd comply with her wishes, even if things still didn't add up. "If you say so, Ice Princess."

Meanwhile, Velvet, Fox and Yatsu were simply gazing all across the dining hall, taking in the further damage that had been caused thanks to Rath and Bashmouth's match. "My word… this is quite bad." Velvet uttered. "We were making such good progress in here, too."

"Hm, the damage _is_ extensive." Yatsu added with Fox nodding silently.

Ben gave them a reassuring wave. "Hey, don't worry, guys. I can get this place back into shape in no time. Heck, by the time I'm done, Professor Goodwitch probably won't even notice what happened—"

"AHEM." The hero's blood suddenly went cold, his eyes widening in fear as he turned his head around. There, standing in the back doorway were the adults; his grandfather, Dr. Holiday, Winter, Jessie, and Professor Goodwitch right in the middle. Team CRDL were also standing behind them, the four boys still shellshocked after witnessing Rath's Bellwood Smash. However, Goodwitch was less than impressed. "What was that about me not noticing, _Mr. Tennyson_?"

"…I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

"Oh, yes." Goodwitch said with a stern glare. "Very much so."

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it! The end of Bashmouth's reign of terror… or is it? But man, what a match, am I right? Blake was right, it looked a bit hairy for a bit there, but things pulled through alright! Can't go wrong with another Bellwood Smash! Though, uh… something tells me that Ben's not gonna try and transform into Rath for a little while, if only to keep his self-esteem intact. But that's not all we got! We also saw a pretty big battle between students and Grimm, with Velvet in particular being a real MVP with those Nevermores! Plus, there was Penny with the insta-kill on the King Taijitu, that was a blast! Speaking of Penny though, yes, she is now in her Volume 7 attire… sans the longer hair. Because I'll be honest, I'm not really a fan of** _**any** _ **of the new hairstyles the main characters got in Volume 7. None of them really** _**feel** _ **right, you know?**

**But, in any case, NEXT TIME! After using Diamondhead to create a crystalline prison for Bashmouth, Ben pleads his case to Goodwitch, saying that he has an idea that can fix the dining hall up super-fast. However, after that whole debacle is settled, the time for Caesar's arrival finally comes around. Gwen and Team JNPR quickly arrive just in time to witness the event… but a certain Metallikanine is able to escape his temporary prison. What will happen, exactly? Well, stay tuned to find out. Thanks for reading guys, and I'll see you next time! Stay safe out there, and… alright, all together now:**

**GO BEYOND! PLUS ULTRA!**


	94. Near Disaster... with Portals!

**A/N: Hello there, everyone! It's new chapter time once again! I'll admit, not much to say at the start this time, so let's get to it, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 94: Near Disaster… with Portals!**

* * *

Diamondhead could practically _feel_ the piercing glare of Glynda Goodwitch on him as he began to restrain Bashmouth. He could also tell that his grandfather and Winter were giving him stern faces as well, which didn't exactly help matters. Unfortunately, as he had feared, there was no solid way to hold the Metallikanine, with all of the energy cells available to them requiring a metal floor and ceiling for the forcefields to function. As such, the cells wouldn't have been able to hold Bashmouth, and they didn't have any Plumber-issued pure forcefield cells on hand that could keep Bashmouth restrained. So, the hero came up with a different idea; use the hardest known material in the Milky Way galaxy to hold the perp.

And that's exactly what he was doing. By the time Diamondhead was done, Bashmouth was practically encased in a crystalline tomb, one that had only a few air holes with crystalline bars. The Petrosapien let out a sigh and his shoulders sagged, relieved to have successfully restrained the unconscious alien for the time being. "Hah, okay, it's done." Diamondhead turned to Yang, Ruby, Penny and Kevin, giving them a smile. Many of the others had gone off to help the other students out with getting back on track, leaving the five of them to deal with Bashmouth. "And with that, the last criminal has been accounted for, at least the ones that _aren't_ with Salem."

Kevin crossed his arms as Ben transformed back to normal. "Yeah, but how much you wanna bet _they_ won't be easy to recapture?"

"They probably _won't_ be." Ben concurred. "But right now, I'm just glad that we don't have to worry about our bad guys wandering aimlessly around Remnant anymore." He pursed his lips and craned his head toward the ground. "Sure, the others being with Salem doesn't help matters, but we'll get 'em. And that's a promise."

Ruby smiled and nodded to him. "That's great! …But now, I think it's time you faced the music."

Yang gave her boyfriend an apologetic expression. "Yeah… sorry, Green Boy."

"Hey, it's okay." Ben assured. "I know when to take my lumps." The young hero did an about face and locked eyes with Goodwitch, with Max and Winter's gazes also meeting his. He took a deep breath and spoke. "Professor Goodwitch, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I wanted to make sure that the fight didn't get anywhere near Beacon… but in trying to stop our enemy, I screwed up and sent him all the way up here."

Goodwitch gave him a single nod. "Indeed, you did. And I am thankful that you are taking responsibility for your mistake." She gestured over to the ruined dining hall. "However, unless you're willing to pay for the further damages you've cost, this will not pass like water under the bridge."

"She's right, Ben." Max agreed. "Just because you can't fully control Rath's actions doesn't mean this can all be hand-waved. Pay her whatever she needs to fix the damages, son."

However, Ben raised a single finger. "Oh, grandpa, I plan on doing MUCH more than that!" He then moved the finger over to the dining hall itself. "See that building? I'm gonna make it look like it NEVER got destroyed in the first place. And all in just a few short seconds."

Winter was taken aback by this. "What? Benjamin, what _are_ you talking about?"

Penny scanned the dining hall and confirmed Winter's thoughts. "She is correct." She quirked an eyebrow to Ben. "Even your fastest alien cannot repair this much damage in that amount of time."

Goodwitch folded her arms with a skeptical face. "Ben, what do you plan on doing?"

"Hehe, I never said it was my _fastest_ alien, now did I?" Ben reached down to the Omnitrix and began dialing up another alien, the faceplate sliding back once he made his choice. "Alright, I recommend that EVERYONE stand back." The whole group did as he asked and he pushed the Omnitrix core down, transforming himself into… _"CLOCKWORK!"_

Everyone stared at the Chronosapien in surprise, but it was then that a revelation dawned on Yang. She hit the palm of her hand and exclaimed; "Oh, I get it! You're gonna do what you did to the Grimm Dragon… but in REVERSE!"

Clockwork gave her a thumbs up. _"Correct! What I plan to do is take zis whole building back in time about three weeks. Und in ze process, I will essentially restore it to what it once was."_

"Uh… Ben?" Kevin spoke up. "You sure you can do that? I know you've gotten aging things _forward_ down, but taking things _back_? Have you mastered that yet?"

" _Eh… not exactly."_ Clockwork admitted. _"BUT, zere is no better time zan ze present, ya?"_ His head rotated over to Goodwitch. _"Is zere anyone else inside or around ze dining hall?"_

The headmistress shook her head. "No, I have all students staying clear from here for a while."

" _Excellent. Now, everyone, stand back."_ Once more, the group took a couple steps away from the Chronosapien as the large key on his head began to spin around. It was slow at first, but it quickly began to speed up, along with the visible gears and mechanisms in his chest. The green area of his torso began glowing brightly and he steadied himself, getting ready for what he was about to do. _"Well… here goes!"_

All at once, a large time ray began blasting out of Clockwork's chest and quickly encased the building, almost immediately sending it back in time. Before anyone knew what was happening, all of the rubble and debris that was surrounding the dining hall began to rewind, with even the tiniest pieces of the building begin re-integrated back into their normal spots. By the time Clockwork was done, the whole thing was practically like new, with no visible damage whatsoever.

The group could hardly believe their eyes. "I… I don't believe it!" Glynda shouted. "It's… like new!"

" _Zat's ze idea…"_ Clockwork said weakly before his "mouth" suddenly became squiggly. His eyes changed to a pair of X's and a groan escaped his lips. _"Oh… oh no, zere it goes."_ The Omnitrix began to flash red once more and Ben was back to normal in an instant… though now he was on his hands and knees and heaving hard. "Huegh! O-Oh god, I think I overdid it! AUGH!"

Ruby winced and quickly looked away, the others following suit. "Oh gosh, that is NOT what I wanted to see today."

Penny however, was still staring wide-eyed at what Ben had done. "That… that is quite the accomplishment." She craned her head over to Yang. "And you said that was the alien he used to beat the Grimm Dragon, Yang?"

"Hell yeah, it was." Yang confirmed. "He aged that thing until it was nothing but _dust_." She sent a small glance down to her boyfriend, cringing a bit as he continued to vomit. "…But apparently taking things back in time isn't something that comes that easy to him."

Once Ben was done upchucking, he felt a hand on his shoulder, prompting him to look up and see his grandfather standing above him. He had a small smile on his face, though his gaze was visibly worried. "Ben, I appreciate the lengths you're going to for this…" Max reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, handing it to Ben to wipe his face. "But, uh… I don't know if getting sick over it was worth it."

"Heh, too me, it _is_ , grandpa." Ben said as he took the handkerchief and stood back up. "I want to go to this academy one day and learn to be a Hunter myself, after all." He nudged his head over to the newly repaired dining hall. "And if I have to get sick to fix up what I did, then so be it." He bowed his head to Glynda with respect. "I hope you can forgive me for what I did, Professor Goodwitch."

" _Forgive_ you?!" Glynda screamed, making everyone worried that she was still angry. However, one glance at her face showed that she was quite the opposite. "Ben, forgiveness doesn't even BEGIN to describe how I'm feeling right now!" Her arm whipped up to the dining hall. "You practically cut our work load down by _months_! This is fantastic!"

Ben put a hand behind his head sheepishly. "Oh, well, thank you. To be honest, I'm just glad that you didn't give me a more… _severe_ punishment." The hero pointed to his ribs. "I kinda got punished a few days ago by Sienna Khan and the wounds are still healing a bit." Ben sent her a lopsided grin. "If I had to fight you on top of that… well, I'd probably be REALLY worse for wear."

"Undoubtedly." Glynda granted before striding forward. "However, you're not getting out of this unscathed either, young Tennyson."

Ben blinked in confusion. "Uh, what're you—" _SMACK!_ "OW!" Without warning, Glynda cracked the end of her Disciplinarian against Ben's hand, the riding crop leaving a sizable red mark on it. "Gah, jeez! You could've at least given me a _little_ warning!"

Glynda put her weapon away with a smirk. "Ah, but then you would have braced for it, and I wanted to make sure that strike _hurt_." She prodded a finger against Ben's chest. "Consider that a warning, Benjamin. In _my_ Beacon Academy, I WILL be tough, but I will also be fair. So be sure to stay in line once the semester starts, am I clear?"

"Yes, ma'am." Ben said with a high-pitched voice, much to everyone's amusement.

Winter let out a small sigh. "Well, I am very glad that has all been settled." She then shifted her eyes over to the crystalline prison. "But what do we do about Bashmouth? You said conventional prisons won't hold him… but will THIS?"

"The crystals that Petrosapiens are made out of are probably the strongest minerals in the Milky Way, Winter." Max said with a wave. "The chances of him getting out of there are slim, even when he DOES wake up. We just have to find a better way to get him onto Tetrax's ship and we're golden."

"He'll at least need a muzzle." Kevin added. "And maybe some hand and foot restraints too. Those teeth and claws are pretty nasty."

Yang placed her hands on her hips, giving the crystalline prison a sneer. "Hey, I'm just glad we got him down. He was SUCH an asshole, I'm telling ya—WOAH!" At that moment, the Blonde Brawler was suddenly cut off when she heard a sound pop up behind her, making her whirl around in surprise. The whole group turned to see what it was as well, but when they saw that it was a rather familiar black and red portal, they immediately relaxed. "Oh, heh, mom's here!"

True to form, Raven Branwen stepped out of the portal, giving everyone a smile as Gwen and Team JNPR emerged from behind her as well. "Hello, everyone. Did we miss any—oh." It was then that the Spring Maiden noticed the large crystal structure to her immediate right, which caught the other five's attention as well. "Well, that answers my question."

Gwen stepped forward and stared at the large construct for a few seconds, only for her eyes to snap over to her cousin. "Um, Ben? What DID we miss, exactly?"

"Yeah, this is kind of an odd sight to jump in on." Jaune added.

Ben gave them both a shrug. "Well… that's a pretty long story." After briefly explaining pretty much everything to the group, the Omnitrix bearer let out a sigh. "…So as you can probably tell, today's been a crazy day."

"TO SAY THE LEAST!" Nora shouted, popping in from nowhere as usual. "Now I kinda regret staying behind! I mean, come on!" She began counting the factors off on her fingers. "Missing out on fighting a giant angry dog alien, _another_ huge Grimm attack AND a wrestling match between Rath and the big doggy?! This just isn't fair!"

Ren placed a soft hand to his best friend's shoulder, calming her down in the process. "It's okay, Nora. Knowing how our lives work, we'll probably be for some action sooner than we realize." The green ninja set his sights onto Bashmouth's crystalline prison. "But still, I AM glad we know where all of the inmates from the Plumber prison are, even if they aren't all locked back up."

"So am I." Pyrrha agreed. "Better than just leaving escaped prisoners stranded in Remnant when we eventually head to Earth." Her gaze shifted over to Penny and she pointed to her outfit. "And Penny, those new clothes look incredible on you!"

"Heck yeah, girl!" Nora supported. "You're rockin' that dress!"

Penny couldn't help but blush at the compliments. "Hehe, thank you very much."

Gwen went over and nudged her boyfriend lightly in the stomach. "So, I hear you were quite the leader out here, huh? Filled in Ben's shoes while he was fighting Bashmouth, did ya?"

"Hehe, well… yeah, I kinda did." Kevin rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "But it's really no big deal. I'm just glad that nobody was hurt in all of this. Plus, the students managed to really give it their all in the fight with those Grimm, so that was pretty great, too."

"No kidding." Ben said as he bumped Kevin's shoulder. "Nice job, Kev. I told ya you had it in you." The hero then gave Pyrrha a grin as well. "So, Pyrrha, how was your Ocarina of Time session back home?"

The Invincible Girl sent a smile over her own over to Gwen, her fellow redhead returning it with gusto. "Oh, we had a grand time, for sure. I made it all the way through the Shadow Temple and I'm nearly at the Spirit Temple." She gave Ben a shrug. "But since it was getting close to three o'clock, we figured it'd be better to hold that off for later."

At her words, everyone was taken back. "W-Wait, it's not almost three, is it?" Ruby asked.

"It can't be." Yang denied. "That fight with Bashmouth had to have only taken… what, an hour at most?"

Gwen pursed her lips with a worried gaze, pointing over to her cousin. "Uh, you might wanna check your watches, because it's been WAY longer than that."

Ben took that as his queue and he brought up the holographic clock on the Omnitrix, his eyes widening when he saw the time. "Two-thirty?! We've been fighting that mutt for two hours straight?!"

Max scratched the back of his head. "Huh, well I'll be darned. We let the time slip away from us, it seems."

"That's an understatement." Penny uttered. "But at least we still have half an hour before Caesar gets here, so we at least didn't MISS it."

Raven stepped up and moved toward Ben and her daughter, giving them both a smile. "Well, considering that we have some free time, I want to hear ALL of the details of your fight with this "Bashmouth" character." She quirked a brow at Ben in particular. "And did you seriously end up wrestling him in the dining hall?"

Ben wore a sheepish smile at her words. "Y-Yeah, pretty much. It was… an odd experience, let's just say."

"I'm sure…" Raven nodded before craning her head over to Glynda. "And I can also be sure that _Glyndie_ over there wasn't too happy with what you did. Were ya, _Glyndie_?"

The headmistress wore a sour face as Raven repeated her unwanted nickname, her lips turning up into a sneer as her eyes narrowed. "No, I was not. But thankfully, he managed to repair the dining hall rather efficiently, so there is no harm done." Glynda strode forward, her glare still focused on Raven. "But I can hardly say the same when it comes to you, _Raven_. James told me about what you've done… and it's utterly despicable."

Raven's smirk disappeared and her head lowered, her bangs covering her eyes. "I… I know. And I agree one-thousand percent with what you just said."

"Don't try to justify your actions to me—wait, what?" Glynda did a double take at what Raven had said. Did she just… admit to her mistake?

"What I did to that young girl was deplorable." Raven went on. "It was immoral, and I was dishonest with all of you about it from the start." She lifted her head up and locked eyes with Glynda. "But now, I plan to make up for all of the things I've done, starting with taking on the full responsibility of the Spring Maiden."

Glynda could only stare in shock, but she was quickly snapped out of it by Yang. "Professor, my mom IS sorry for everything she did." the Blonde Brawler implored. "I know _what_ she did can't be taken back, but it's obvious that she really is dedicating herself to being a Maiden now." Yang shifted her eyes over to her mother with a small wink. "She might not be the best Maiden by any means, but she's the one we're stuck with."

Raven's smirk reappeared and she winked right back at her daughter. "Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, dear."

"I… I'm actually quite surprised by all of this." Glynda admitted, with Raven's attention being brought back to her. "In all of the years I've known you, you've been focused only on your own self-interests. So… what changed?"

The two women stared at each other for a few minutes before Raven reached over and pulled Yang and Ben toward her, answering with a confident smile; "Family. It took me eighteen years to realize it, but really, the ones who I care about most are the reason I'm still fighting against Salem in the first place."

Glynda stared at Raven for a few seconds more before a smile over own appeared as well, her eyes closing in satisfaction. "Hm… now _there's_ an answer I can get behind."

Suddenly, a new voice entered the conversation; "Oh-hoho! Now what's all the ruckus over here about?" Everyone's heads perked up and their eyes set upon a rather familiar old man approaching them, his chair's legs moving in tandem. He also had a strange black container on his lap, one that had a green power symbol on top of it. "I've been hearing the word spread across campus like wildfire!" Pietro continued. "I'm guessin' that you all were successful in your mission?"

Max chuckled and stepped toward the man, greeting him with a handshake. "We sure were, Pietro. Good to see you weren't caught up in it."

Pietro chuckled and waved his hand. "Oh-ho, no, Max, I know better than to get mixed up in places where I don't belong." The old inventor then raised his head up, only to be greeted by the confused stares of Gwen, Team JNPR and Raven. He adjusted his glasses a bit before greeting them with a laugh. "Ah-ha! And it seems that the rest of the team has arrived as well"

"Uh… yeah." Jaune uttered before raising a brow to his other friends. "Um, guys, not to be rude but… who is he?"

Penny smacked her hand against her head. "D'oh! Did it again! Here, let me introduce you guys!" She gestured her hand toward Pietro with a proud smile. "Everyone, this is my father, Doctor Pietro Polendina!"

Almost all at once, teens eyes widened and they exclaimed; "He's your dad?!"

The only exception was Pyrrha, who had decidedly shrunk back with a fearful look in her eyes. "Your… father?"

"Yes indeed!" Penny confirmed before craning her head down to Pietro. "And father, this is Gwen, Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, Ren and Raven! They're even MORE friends that I made here in Vale!"

Pietro chuckled again as his chair moved forward, stopping in front of Gwen first. "Hehe, well, it's a pleasure to meet you all!" He extended a hand to the Anodite. "Gwen, I hear tell that you can do some amazing things with life energy. Such a unique gift, if I do say so myself."

"O-Oh, thank you, Dr. Polendina." Gwen said as she reciprocated the handshake. She had to admit, while the sudden meeting was quite unexpected, she couldn't help but be instantly friendly with the kind old man. He just had a certain appearance to him that made him trustworthy. The moment she touched his hand to shake it, she could tell that something was remiss. "Hmm… speaking of life energy though, your aura's kind of low…"

Pietro sighed and his free hand went to his neck. "Heh, suppose I couldn't hide THAT from someone like yourself. No, my Aura isn't quite as whole as it used to be." He reached over and touched Penny's arm. "See, I've used my own life force to give my daughter life, and well, you can guess what happens from there."

Gwen pursed her lips at this. "I see… if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to try something." She stepped over to Pietro's side and put a hand on his shoulder, her eyes beginning to glow a bright pink. "I'm about to feed some mana into your Aura, Dr. Polendina. This may tingle a little bit, but in the long run, I think you'll feel better. You ready?"

"Well… I suppose." Pietro said warily. "If you know what you're doin', Gwen, then I trust you."

"Great… here goes." Without fail, Gwen began feeding her own mana into Pietro's aura, resulting in the old man glowing green for a brief moment.

In that moment, Pietro's eye brows snapped up and he exclaimed. "Oh! Oh-ho, oh my goodness!" Gwen took her hand off of his shoulder as his hand went to his chest, an amused smile now gracing his features. "Haha! Well, that got the ol' ticker goin' for a second! I have to admit, I haven't felt this good in ages!"

Gwen sent him a sympathetic face. "Unfortunately, I don't think I'm able to fully restore your Aura, but I can at least make it so that your Aura levels aren't AS low as they were before."

"Oh, that is quite alright, Gwen. What you just did helped me leaps and bounds better than any ol' medication could do." Pietro bowed his head to her in gratitude. "And for that, I can't thank you enough."

Gwen bowed back respectively. "I'm happy to be of help. Now, there are others you should really meet."

"I'm sure." Pietro affirmed before making his chair move over to a certain blonde knight. "Now… I believe your name is Jaune, right?"

Jaune gave him a nod. "Yep, it is. It's nice to meet you, doctor."

"Likewise. I heard from Jessie that you and your team took down a Nuckelavee yesterday. Quite the feat, if I do say so myself."

"Uh, heh, yeah." Jaune chuckled nervously. "Though to be honest, we were all a bit scared in that situation."

Pietro raised a hand up to him. "I'm sure you were. _Anybody_ would, really. But still, very commendable job there, son." He shifted his eyes over to Ren and Nora, the duo standing not that far away from Jaune. "Ah, and there's the two who smashed the horse's head in and sliced off the Imp's body parts. Ren and Nora, right?"

"That's right." Ren confirmed. "It's nice to meet—"

"OH. MY. GOSH!" Nora zipped forward and instantly began scanning her eyes over Pietro's chair, her aquamarine orbs simply gleaming with excitement. "I LOVE your chair! It's one thing to settle for wheels, but LEGS?! My mind is officially blown and I want one of my own!"

The old inventor couldn't help but chuckle at her enthusiasm. "Hehe, well, Nora, I'm very glad you like it, but I made it specifically for me. However… I do have a project in mind that could pique your interest." He leaned forward and raised a brow to her. "You see, I'm currently working on a little project back in Mantle; a pair of shoes that can make you dance! Would ya like to be the first to test 'em out?"

"YEEES!" Nora said without hesitation, her hands going to her cheeks in excitement.

Ren coughed into his hand to try and get things back on track. "Ahem, while that _does_ sound entertaining, I have to wonder… where _is_ Jessie, anyway? I thought she'd be up here today."

"She is." Glynda assured. "But she's currently resting in the teacher's lounge. She took quite the heavy hit from Bashmouth and she's trying to recuperate. Thankfully, none of her bones were broken."

Pyrrha let out a sigh of relief. "Well, that's good to hear. I—eep!" She quickly sealed her lips when she saw Pietro's eyes land on her, an uneasy feeling rising up into her chest. _'Great, nice going, Nikos.'_ she berated herself before nervously raising a hand to wave at him. "Um… hello."

Pietro stayed silent for a just a second before sending her a smile. "Pyrrha Nikos… why so nervous, child?"

The Invincible Girl could only blink in utter shock. He… wasn't upset? "Uh… well, I…"

"If it's about what happened with my daughter during the Vytal Festival, then you don't have to worry about it." Pietro continued. "I would've been able to rebuild her even if you kids hadn't already done it." He sent his eyes onto his daughter again. "Now, granted, I don't think I'd have been able to give her the abilities that Ben and Rex gave her, but still."

"So… you aren't mad?" Pyrrha asked.

Penny quirked a brow to her fellow redhead. "Pyrrha, does he _appear_ to be mad?" She moved over and pulled Pyrrha into a side-hug. "Trust me, when it comes to my family, none of us hold a grudge against you."

Pyrrha sighed in relief. "Well, that's good to hear."

" _Indeed, Miss Nikos. I also do not hold anything against you."_

"Thank you, I—wait, what in the world?!" Pyrrha's eyes snapped toward the black container that was in Pietro's lap, the symbols on it now glowing slightly brighter than before. "W-What was…"

The container spoke up again, its symbol pulsing with power whenever it did. _"Bet you all forgot about me, huh? It is alright, I do not blame you. After all, I AM practically hidden in plain sight!"_

Penny's eyes widened and she quickly bowed her head to the container apologetically. "Oh! I'm sorry, VADOS! I am such a dunce! I promise that won't happen again."

The whole group could only watch in utter confusion before Raven decided to break the silence. "Uh… why's she talking to the box?"

"Yeah, Penny… what's going on?" Ruby asked further.

Penny brightened up and she pointed to the large, black crate in her father's lap. "Oh! Yes, let me introduce you to my OTHER surprise! Everyone, this is VADOS, an A.I. created by my father who will be downloaded into Cooper's armor so that she can assist him." She gave her friends a wink. "…And, since she was created by my father… that makes her my sister as well!"

" _Salutations!"_ VADOS greeted. _"Ooh! Did I do it right?"_

If anything, though, this only made everyone more shocked than they already were, with Nora shouting; "…SAY WHAT?!"

* * *

"So, Ilia, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Those eleven words from Blake were probably the ones Ilia had been fearing most all day. The chameleon girl had successfully pulled her cat-eared friend away from the others to talk in a secluded area by themselves, in the student lounge no less. She was determined to finally get her feelings for her friend off her chest, to the point of having rehearsed it countless times in her head throughout the day. However, now that she and Blake were standing face to face, her mind was suddenly wracked with the thought of how this would all go.

' _What if I stumble over my words? What if I change colors in the middle of it all? What if… what if I DO lose her friendship?'_ Ilia couldn't stand the thought of that last possibility coming true, to the point that her eyes screwed shut. Swift had told her that it was the least likely thing to happen, but still, it hurt her to even think about it. _'I know you may not like me that way… but I don't want to lose what we DO have…'_

"Ilia!" Blake called out in concern, causing Ilia's head to snap up and her eyes to open. "Are you okay? You're… you're crying."

Ilia's eyes widened and she reached up to her face, feeling tears trickle down from her eyes. "O-Oh, I… I didn't realize that." She craned her head down in embarrassment. "It's just… what I want to say to you… it isn't easy. And I'm afraid of what you'll think of me after I tell you."

Blake's eyebrows rose up and she placed a hand on Ilia's shoulder. "Ilia, it's okay. Whatever it is, it can't be _that_ bad." She smiled sincerely, hoping to motivate her friend. "We're friends no matter what, Ilia. And that's a promise."

The ponytailed girl said nothing for a few seconds before gulping down her fear. "Well… okay. It's just… this is REALLY big."

"Then lay it on me." Blake shrugged. "I've faced aliens and criminals for almost the past three weeks, I can take it."

"Alright." Ilia took a deep breath, steadied herself, and put on a brave face. With every bit of sincerity in her soul, she spoke, saying what she needed to say. "Blake… I've been keeping a pretty big secret from you for a long time. Not a Salem-level secret… but a more personal one. You see, when we first met, I knew you were someone pretty special, and that thought only increased when I got to know you…" The spots on Ilia's face began to fade into pink. "And as time went on, something else was made VERY evident to me; I… I like you, Blake. And I mean _like_ like you."

The chameleon girl could practically _see_ the revelation dawn on Blake's face as she went on. "I never had the courage to tell you about it until now, but I want to get it off my chest." Ilia craned her head away with a saddened face. "Because… I know you'll never be able to like _me_ the same way." Her fists clenched as the memory of a certain bull Faunus came into her memory. "When I first heard you had gotten together with _Adam_ , I was always jealous of the way you looked at him… because I wanted you to look at _me_ that way." She swallowed hard again. "And I won't lie, I kind of get the same feeling when I see you and Sun together. But don't get me wrong! I still support you guys. Sun is by FAR better than Adam." A sigh escaped Ilia's lips and she cradled her arm close to her. "I just… I wanted to make my feelings known to you Blake… and I hope we can still be friends."

A long silence fell over the two after that, with Ilia's nerves growing every second. However, Blake finally spoke up after collecting her thoughts, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Wow… Ilia, I… I had no idea." She then noticed that Ilia was still facing away from her, prompting her to place a hand on her shoulder again. Ilia's head snapped back to her in shock, almost afraid of what Blake might say next. "But to be honest, things are beginning to look a bit clearer to me now that you've told me all of this." A smile returned to her face and she tilted her head. "I was always curious why you'd sometimes be flustered whenever we'd start a conversation back in our White Fang days."

Ilia's face relaxed and she shifted her eyes away. "Yeah… bet you think I'm a—"

"Stop." Blake interrupted. "Whatever you're about to call yourself, stop _right_ now."

"W-What?" Ilia uttered. "Blake, what're you—"

"Ilia, do you want to know what I think you are after telling me all this?" Blake pointed a finger right at Ilia's chest. "I think you're brave. What you just told me, it takes _amazing_ bravery to do, and I couldn't be more proud or respectful of someone who just poured their heart out to me the way you did."

Ilia couldn't believe what she was hearing. "S-So… you're not mad?"

"Why in the world would I be mad?!" Blake exclaimed, a beaming smile now gracing her features. "Ilia, I would _never_ be mad at you for expressing your feelings. If anything, I have a new found level of respect for you." Her smile then changed to one of sympathy. "And while I do think of you more as a friend… you're a friend that I _love_. The girls in Team RWBY consider me to be their sister, and to be honest, I feel that way about _you_ , Ilia. You ARE one of my closest friends, after all."

At this point, Ilia's eyes were beginning to tear up. Not in sadness, but in sheer happiness and releif. The fact that Blake didn't throw away their friendship like she thought she would was overjoying to hear, AND the fact that she said they were close enough that she considered her a sister only added to that. While she knew that Blake could never love her like she did, Ilia was simply happy that their friendship was still intact. Ilia could feel her lower lip quiver slightly as she shakily said; "Y-You really f-feel that way about me?"

"I do." Blake nodded. "I know it's not exactly the same as how you feel about me, but—oof!" Without any warning, Ilia suddenly latched onto Blake in a big hug and began crying her eyes out into the cat-girl's shoulder. Contrasting this though, Ilia's skin changed to bright yellow and her hair and spots became pink, much to Blake's surprise.

"I-I'm so happy that you don't hate me!" Ilia cried.

Blake could feel her heart sink. Had this secret REALLY been tearing Ilia up _this_ badly? With a sad smile, Blake wrapped her arms around Ilia and began consoling her softly. "Why would you think I'd hate you, Ilia?"

"B-Because… Because… I was so afraid of what you might think." Ilia sniffled. "I… I'm a—"

"A _beautiful_ person." Blake finished. "Someone who I know could make _any_ girl happy." If anything, this only made Ilia cry even more. The two spent the next couple of minutes just standing there, hugging each other as Ilia let out all of her pent-up stress. Once she stopped crying, though, she pulled away so that she and Blake could lock eyes. "Feel better?" Blake smiled.

Ilia wiped her eyes and nodded back, her colors changing back to normal. "Yes, a LOT better actually." Her hand went to the back of her head. "And thank you for all those nice things you said. I'm REALLY not deserving."

"Um, nuh-uh. You ARE deserving." Blake reinforced. "And I'm going to see to it that you ALWAYS feel like you're deserving."

Ilia couldn't help but laugh, raising her hands in surrender. "Haha! Okay, Okay, I get it. I won't deny you any further." She folded her arms and bowed her head to Blake. "Still, I'm really glad that I was able to tell you about how I felt, Blake. But… could we maybe keep it between us? Oh, and Swift too? She's the one who helped me out with this."

Blake nodded at her request. "Sure, no problem." She then quirked a brow to her friend. "So… _Swift_ helped you with this, huh?"

"W-Well, yeah." Ilia put a hand to the back of her head. "She's actually been a really big help."

"I see…" Blake wore a sly grin at this. "You two HAVE been acting pretty friendly as of late." She nudged Ilia's shoulder knowingly. "Perhaps maybe a little _more_ than friendly?"

In an instant, Ilia's spots turned pink, the chameleon girl growing flustered. "I-I…" She whipped herself away as beads of sweat began trickling from her forehead. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah, sure." Blake moved around and locked eyes with her friend. "C'mon, Ilia, you can't deny that you and she have been spending quite a bit of time together."

Ilia pursed her lips at this. She didn't think that Blake would be so quick to help her with her love life, but to quickly point out her friendship with Swift potentially being more? It was… somehow making sense. Ilia's eyes widened as the thoughts began processing through her head. She ALWAYS blushed when Swift said anything provocative to her, and Swift was consistently worried about her safety. Not to mention all of the times she vouched for Swift as well. _'…Could there really be something between us?'_

"Uh, hello? Remnant to Ilia, come in." Blake called out with a wave.

"Ah!" Ilia snapped out of her trance and focused back on her friend with a pout. "Okay, I think I liked it better when you weren't helping with my love life."

Blake rolled her eyes at her friend's jab. "Aw, don't worry, Ilia. I won't egg you on about it too much." She offered a small wink. "But still, you can't deny that there could be something there."

Ilia sighed and gave a shrug. "Alright, fine. I'll think it over." Her smiled returned a second later. "And, in all seriousness… thanks for offering to help, Blake."

"Anything for someone I think of as a sister." Blake replied before a knock came at the door. She glanced toward Ilia who gave her a nod, giving her the okay. "Come in!"

From the other side of the door, Sun came in with Neptune by his side, both boys giving them a dual smile. "Hey, ladies!" Sun greeted. "We've been searchin' all over for ya! Gwen, Raven and Team JNPR are here."

"Already?" Ilia asked. "But I thought they weren't coming until later?"

"It IS later." Neptune jabbed a thumb to the clock on the wall, the small hand on the two while the big one was on the eight. "It's two-forty right now. We spent a MUCH longer time fighting those Grimm and Bashmouth than we first thought."

"Holy crap!" Blake exclaimed. "Then we'd better go!"

Sun gave his girlfriend a thumbs up. "Right on! And on the way there, we can introduce ya to Penny's sister!"

Blake and Ilia could only stare at him incredulously before shouting; "WHAT?!"

* * *

Across the campus, Dr. Holiday, Rex, and Weiss were all walking down one of the many hallways, making their way back to the main building from the library. The doctor herself was carrying the interdimensional communicator, an eager smile on her face as she walked alongside her companions. "It won't be long now." she said before craning her head around to Rex and Weiss. "So, are you two ready to see Caesar?"

"Uh, do ya have to even _ask_ , Doc?" Rex countered. "I've been ready to see _mi hermano_ since we got here!"

Weiss smirked over to the EVO. "Gee, what a surprise." she replied semi-sarcastically. But still, she had to admit, it WAS certainly exciting to be meeting Rex's brother in person. "So Rex, I know we've already talked to him a few times over the comm, but what's your brother _really_ like?"

Rex chuckled at that. "Heh, well, he's kinda a huge nerd to be honest." He tapped the side of his head for emphasis. "Once he gets an idea in his head, he's basically a one-track mind at that point. You rarely see him stop when he gets on a roll."

"I see." Weiss nodded before tapping Rex's head as well. "If that's the case, then he's got more going up here than you do, that's for sure."

"Haha, hey!" Rex lightly waved the heiress' hand away. "C'mon, Weiss, my head isn't _that_ hollow."

"That implies you admit that it IS somewhat hollow." Weiss pointed out, much to Rex's dismay. The white-haired girl couldn't help but laugh at Rex deflating like a balloon. "Hahaha! But really, I _am_ excited to meet your brother in person, Rex. It'll be a bit strange seeing him NOT be on a screen, though."

In front of them, Holiday smiled over her shoulder. "Trust me, Weiss, Caesar's a nice person once you get to know him. A bit of an odd ball, sure, but very nice." Once the trio reached the end of the hall, Holiday pushed one of the big doors open, only to reveal that nearly everyone had already gathered together in the main room, with Professor Goodwitch right in the center of all of them. Not only that, but Gwen, Team JNPR and Raven were there as well, taking her aback a bit. "Oh, wow! I didn't expect to see you all hear this soon. This is rather perfect, actually."

Wiess smiled and waved over to her friends. "Gwen! Guys, how's it going?"

"Not bad." Gwen waved back. "We literally just got here about ten minutes ago and we're ready for the big event."

"I'd hope so." Rex agreed. "Considering you guys've been stuck here for a while now, I'll bet you're eager to get home."

Kevin gave him a single nod. "No kidding. Hopefully Caesar can get that Doorway attached to Tetrax's ship in only a couple days, because I'm _itchin'_ to get back to our world."

"And I'M itchin' to SEE your world!" Nora shouted, practically bouncing into the conversation. "But you know what _else_ I'm excited to see?!" She placed her hands on her cheeks again and her eyes glistened once more, shining with anticipation. "My little brain baby making its way through that portal and into this world! Ah! I can't believe _I_ thought of it!"

Jaune couldn't help but roll his eyes at Nora's enthusiasm. "Well, believe it, Nora. Because it's coming pretty soon." He then set his sights back on Weiss. "So, we heard that you guys took on a pretty big threat today. Something tells me that Bashmouth isn't an alien we would've wanted to deal with, huh?"

Weiss let out a tired sigh. "Ugh, Jaune, you have no _idea_. We just kept hitting him and hitting him with _everything_ we had, but he wouldn't go down! I'm just glad that Ben was FINALLY able to pull it off." Her eyes widened when she realized; "Oh hey, did he tell you about his Bellwood Smash?"

Gwen wore a deadpan face at that. "Yes, he did…" She slowly raised a brow up to her cousin, who was wearing a sheepish grin. "You know how I always used to call you a dweeb? Well, remove the "d" from the beginning of that word and THAT is what you are now."

Ben winced at her words. "Ooh, harsh, cous'. I'm not THAT bad, am I?" Gwen only narrowed her eyes at him even more. "Please, your judgmental gaze hasn't worked on me in years. And besides, YOU like MHA too."

"Yeah, but I don't go around pretending I'm All Might." Gwen reminded. "You are SUCH a nerd."

"I know you are, but what am I?"

"Children, PLEASE!" Yang exclaimed, pushing the two cousins away from each other. "Can we just admit that we're ALL humungous nerds and move on, _please_?!"

Sun was quick to agree with her. "Yeah, and it doesn't really help that we have NO idea what the heck you're talking about, either."

"Exactly". Blake crossed her arms at the cousins. "Besides, we don't need another fight escalating here, however small it is." The cat girl craned her head over to the nearest window and gazed out to the Emerald Forest. "We might've just cleared out most of the access Grimm from the forest, but there probably ARE still more that have to be dealt with."

Glynda quickly concurred with the cat girl. "Indeed. I'm very glad that we were able to capture Bashmouth, but even now, there's still work to be done." The headmistress smiled over to Holiday and nudged her head toward the door. "So, shall we head out? I'm sure that Caesar's probably waiting for you already."

Holiday grinned back at her friend and chuckled. "Hehe, right. But first, we should probably wait for Cooper and Team CFVY."

Weiss scanned the room with her eyes, only to see that the aforementioned team was, in fact, not there. Not only that, but Ruby and Penny weren't either. "Hey yeah, where ARE they? And where's Ruby and Penny?"

"Those two are actually outside already with Max and Pietro." Glynda answered. "They're having a little talk with… someone else." She put a hand to her chin. "As for Team CFVY, I sent them and Team CRDL to help the other students reorganize everything after the attack. I called them a few minutes ago as well. I wonder where they—"

"We're here!" a familiar voice suddenly called out. From the other end of the room, Team CFVY and Cooper entered, with Coco waving over as they approached. "Sorry we're a bit late. Those CRDL numbskulls were having… issues." The fashionable girl brightened up when she saw Gwen and Team JNPR standing with the group, giving them a thumbs up. "Well, seems like the gang's all here, then!"

"Hey guys." Cooper greeted. "How goes it?"

"Can't complain." Ren replied. "Just had a fun afternoon with Jaune's family."

Fox let out a hollow chuckle. "Heh, nice. Wish WE could say the same thing. We were practically swamped by Grimm here today, let me tell ya."

Yatsu lowered his head slightly in exhaustion. "Yes, it was a challenge to drive them off. Thankfully the Grimm themselves didn't cause too much damage…"

"Pft, yeah, you can thank Ben and Bashmouth for _that_." Coco scoffed.

But Ben was quick to protest. "Hey, I'll have you know that I actually fixed everything I broke, Coco." he stated proudly. "The dining hall's all patched up, so you can't hold THAT over my head!"

"…No foolin'?" Coco said with a skeptical brow raised.

"He isn't." Glynda confirmed. "Ben was able to reconstruct our dining hall in record time. At the cost of draining his Omnitrix's power for the time being."

Coco simply nodded, though not without giving Ben a smirk. "Neat… now let's see how long that sticks." She got what she was hoping for; an exasperated groan from Ben Tennyson. "Haha! I'm just joshin' ya, Benji. Relax."

Pyrrha went up and stood in front of Velvet, giving the bunny girl a full smile. "And Velvet, I heard that you were particularly helpful in this battle." she complimented. " _Three_ Nevermores in a _row_? That is QUITE impressive, I must say!"

Velvet's face couldn't help but change into a shade of red. "Hehe, well, I don't think it's all _that_ special."

"Are you kiddin'?!" Neptune suddenly piped up, startling Velvet a little. "That had to be one of THE coolest take downs I've ever seen!"

"He's right, Vel." Ilia commended. "You should really give yourself more credit. You did pretty great out there."

The bunny girl lowered her ears over her face in an attempt to hide her blush. "O-Oh… thank you. I honestly was just going with what my gut wanted me to do, really." She shifted her eyes toward Rex and gave him a smile. "And besides, I owe a lot to Rex for letting me copy his builds."

Rex raised his hand to her. "Ah, c'mon, it was pretty much all you from the start, Vel." He winked and gave her a thumbs up. "Besides, it takes a lot of courage for someone to wanna launch outta my Slam Cannon. And hey, Cardin was pretty impressed with ya too, so there's that."

At the mention of the redheaded knight, Nora wore a sly grin and slid over to Velvet's side. "Oooooh… getting even cozier with Cardin, are we, Vel? Sounds like you two are rather close nowadays. Wink-wink!" The Pink Dynamo added her own sound effects to her winks for emphasis.

Velvet simply rolled her eyes and pushed Nora away lightly. "Oh please, it's not like _you_ are any stranger to that, Nora. I heard from Coco how you and Ren were acting yesterday after you beat the Nuckelavee."

Nora's face became beat red and her eyes snapped over to Ren, who was also very flustered at the mention. "W-Well, that's, uh… that's…" Finally, she through her hands up into the air. "Alright, I concede this to you! But be warned…" she pointed right to Velvet's face with a narrow-eyed look. "It will not happen again." With that, Nora slid away, though how she did so, Velvet couldn't guess.

"Um… okay." Velvet uttered before directing her attention back to everyone else. "So, are we ready for the portal?"

"We are!" Ben answered. "Ruby and Penny are waiting with Grandpa Max and Pietro outside. C'mon, let's go." The whole group followed the young hero out into the courtyard, where indeed, the four were waiting for them.

Ruby and Penny were chatting happily with the two older gentlemen, though there was also a fifth, feminine voice that seemed to be coming from nowhere. This was something that Weiss was quick to pick up on. _'Who else is speaking?'_ she wondered before waving to her friends. "Ruby! Penny! We're just about ready to get started!"

Both girls across the way perked their heads up, smiling the moment they saw the group approaching. "Great! That's awesome!" Ruby called back. "But Weiss, you and Rex should come over here first! Cooper, Coco, you guys too!"

"There is someone I wish for you all to meet!" Penny added excitedly.

Rex and Weiss shared a perplexed glance, obviously both confused as they moved over to the group. Cooper and the entirety of Team CFVY were also quite perplexed as to what was going on. "Uh, girls? What're you talking about?" Weiss inquired.

"Yeah, there's… nobody else here besides all of us." Coco pointed out.

Rex was searching around in bewilderment. "Yeah, I don't see any—" But then he cut himself off when he started sensing something, his nanites beginning to go off like crazy. His eyes trailed down to the large, black container sitting in Pietro's lap, his nanites directing him right to it. "Uh… Prof? What in the world _is_ that? My nanites are getting some _weird_ vibes from it."

Suddenly, without any warning, the container gasped, causing Rex and everyone else to do the same. _"Ah! Father, that one can sense me! What should I do?!"_

While the others simply stared wide-eyed at the container, Ruby, Penny and the rest of the group all began laughing, though the reason why was still unclear. At least, it was at first. The first one to realize what was going on was Cooper, the genius wearing a look of realization. "Wait… is that…"

Pietro chuckled himself and pat the top of the box in reassurance. "Hehehe, it's okay now, dear. That boy is quite gifted with technology." the old inventor explained. "He and Ben WERE the ones to bring your sister back online after all."

Weiss blinked at the words being used. _'…"Father"? And "sister"?'_ Her lips parted in shock and she relaxed, still trying to process everything that was going on. "Just _what_ is going on here?"

After hearing Pietro's explanation, the voice perked up again. _"Oh! I see! Well then, salutations, everyone! My name is VADOS, the Virtual and Artificial Data Optimization System!"_

Penny gave a salute. "And because she was created by my father, that makes her my sister!"

There was a long silence after that, but Rex was the first to break it. "¿ _QUÉ_?"

Coco's eyebrows suddenly snapped up. "Wait a sec!" She pointed at the container. "You're Tech Head's new A.I.! The one he wanted for his suit!"

" _If you are referring to Mr. Daniels as this "Tech Head" that you speak of, then yes, I am!"_ VADOS responded.

Yatsu and Fox were wearing equally stunned expressions at the talking box. Velvet was also quite astonished, her gaze focused on nothing but the container. "I… I really didn't think that this artificial intelligence would be so… so…"

"Chipper?" Fox guessed.

"Yes, exactly." Yatsu confirmed.

Cooper wasn't sure what to do at first either. He had thought that he'd be receiving an awesome, butler-like A.I., not one that was basically a cheerful young girl. But then, he mentally slapped himself for that thought. _'Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Cooper.'_ he scolded himself. _'She's still a highly advanced artificial intelligence that was made specifically to help you out in your suit. I'm sure that she'll be just fine.'_ He stepped up to Pietro and cleared his throat, preparing to introduce himself. "Uh, hello, VADOS. I-I'm Cooper. Pleased to meet you."

VADOS gasped once again. _"Oh! Mr. Daniels! It's so good to finally meet you! I have been very much looking forward to this meeting!"_

"Yeah, me too." Cooper put a hand to his neck. "I'll admit, you aren't exactly how I expected you to be, but I'm sure we'll get along just fine."

" _Hm? What do you mean by—OH. It's the box, isn't it?"_

"W-Well, uh…" Cooper paused for a moment, before nodding. "Yeah. Yeah, let's go with that."

VADOS' cheery disposition came back in full force. _"Oh, well you won't have to worry about that, Mr. Daniels. Once you bring me to your suit, I will download myself directly into it!"_

"Ah, well that's handy." Coco commented as she stepped up as well. She craned her head down directly at the crate and have it a wave. "Hey, VADOS. Name's Coco. I'm the leader of Team CFVY… and Cooper's girlfriend." She jabbed a thumb over to Yatsu, Fox and Velvet. "You're gonna be seeing quite a lot of us now, too."

" _Oh, splendid! Just one question… what does "girlfriend" mean?"_

The whole entire team were left at a loss for words at her statement, with Pietro letting out another chuckle. "Oh ho-ho! Ah, she still has a lot to learn about humanity." The old man gazed up at Cooper with a smile. "And I'm sure that you and your friends can help her along with that, Cooper." Pietro put his hands under the box and lifted it up, handing it off to the blonde genius. "She's in your care now, son. I hope you'll take good care of her."

Cooper accepted the container, smiling back at Pietro all the while. "I will. Thank you, professor." He set his eyes down to the green power symbol on top and said; "Well, VADOS, I think this is gonna be the start of a pretty good partnership."

" _Oh, most assuredly!"_ VADOS concurred. _"I cannot wait to be inside your armor with you!"_

Yet another long pause followed that statement, but this time, not everyone stayed silent. Yang, Kevin, Sun, Neptune and Nora all burst out laughing at the A.I.'s rather unexpected choice of words while everyone else on the team tried desperately to hold back their chuckles. Rex was practically holding his sides while trying to keep his lips sealed, and even Weiss was trying to resist the urge not to laugh. Velvet had pulled her ears over her eyes as Coco wore an amused expression at the utter shock and horror on her boyfriend's face. She gave Cooper a pat on the back and said; "Oh yeah, we're gonna have to teach her a LOT about human phrasing."

VADOS was quick to pick up on her words though. _"What do you mean? Did I say something wrong?"_

"HAHA! No, VADOS, the exact opposite!" Yang encouraged. "You just gave us pure comedic GOLD."

" _Comedic gold? Is that some type of gold variant I am not aware of?"_

Penny winced and sighed, facepalming for good measure as Ruby put a hand to her friend's shoulder. "My sister is so naïve."

"It's okay, Penny." Ruby consoled. "I was naïve too once. It'll pass."

Once the giggle-fest was over, Ben clapped his hands together and got everyone's attention. "Alright, so now that everybody's acquainted, why don't we get this show on the road, huh?" He shifted his gaze to Doctor Holiday, gesturing out to the campus' courtyard. "So, shall we move out to where it's a bit roomier?"

* * *

The group waited a few minutes more before making contact with Caesar, with Ben changing into Feedback to charge up the communicator in the meantime. All the while, the teens were chatting with one another, all of them excited to get a good look at what would come through the portal. Nora in particular was the most excited out of all of them, the prospect of seeing her idea making its way through the portal getting her all riled up. "EEEEE! I can't believe it's finally coming through!" she exclaimed. "And to think I only came up with the idea about a week ago!"

"I'll admit, it's quite surprising that they built it so fast." Ren admitted. "But then again, considering all of the space tech that they have over there, I probably shouldn't expect anything less."

"Correct, Ren." Max affirmed. "Galvan technology IS very advanced. Anything that'd usually take a month or maybe even more to build can only take a week whenever the Galvan are involved." The old man turned to his new elderly friend, giving him a nod. "So, you ready for this, Pietro?"

"Haha, Max, I am more than ready." Pietro laughed. "For as long as I've been alive, a part of me has always wanted to see something like this. Interdimensional beings and portal technology… not to mention aliens on top of that? It's practically a scientist's dream come true!"

Max let out a small chuckle of his own. "Hmhm, well I hope you enjoy the show. Speaking of which…" He craned his head up to his grandson, whom was still standing by the communicator with Holiday. "Ben, are we ready to go?"

Feedback gave him a wave back. "Almost, grandpa! Holiday just needs a few more—"

"Alright, we're good!" Holiday exclaimed, garnering everyone's attention instantly. "Alright, everyone! We're just about ready to make contact with Caesar!" She raised a hand up to them and pushed it away from her. "Now, I'll need you all to make sure that you're at a safe distance. When the portal comes in, it's estimated open about five feet in front of the communicator. So just as an added precaution, I want you all to be safely away from it."

Glynda and Raven both turned to the teens and began ushering them away from the entry site. "You heard the doctor, children, let's move." the headmistress beckoned.

Once the teens were all at a safe twenty feet away, that left only Holiday and Feedback at the communicator, the former shifting her eyes up to the young hero. "And that goes for you too, Ben. Once the portal opens up, you and I are going to take the communicator and run over to them, okay?"

Feedback gave her a toothy grin. "You sure about that, doc? You won't be dragging the portal along with you when you take the communicator, right?"

Holiday rolled her eyes at his remark. "No, once the portal opens, it stays stationary. If it were to move… it'd probably turn into a black hole."

"Oof, yeah, not good." Feedback agreed. "Okay, sounds like a plan."

"Good." After putting in a few more commands into the device, holiday reached for the call switch, ready to send out the call to Caesar. "Alright, it's two-fifty-five now… so here we go." With a flick of the switch, the communicator activated once again, calling out across the dimensions to the elder Salazar brother. Holiday began fiddling with the signal to home in on the other dimension. "This is Holiday. Caesar, can you hear me?"

There was a bit of static for a moment before the Hispanic genius' voice came through. _"Copy that, Holiday, I'm reading you loud and clear. I'm on standby with the Dimensional Doorway in the middle of Bellwood and I'm ready to receive your signal."_

"Excellent." Holiday replied. "Sending it out in t-minus… five… four… three… two… one!" The EVO expert pressed a button, and all at once, a powerful pulse suddenly erupted from the device, one that was felt by pretty much everybody there. It went off three times more before finally stopping, which everyone was relieved by.

"Ugh, I think I felt my bones rattle around a bit." Jaune groaned.

Pyrrha held her head as she supported herself against her boyfriend's shoulder. "Yes, that was VERY unpleasant. I wonder if it worked though?"

After Holiday was able to collect herself, she asked Caesar a similar question; "Well, Caesar? Did you receive the signal?"

" _Sí, and it's just as I suspected."_ Caesar replied. _"The entry point for Beacon Academy is right here in Bellwood, just a few blocks from where I am. Right around… where the old Plumber base was."_

"Hm, well I guess that only makes sense." Feedback said. "Explains how WE ended up at Beacon at first. But, uh… what about all the bad guys who were scattered all over Remnant?"

Caesar had an easy explanation for that as well. _"Well, the explosion that we all got caught up in was unstable, right? Then it stands to reason that the first incident ended up scattering your villains all over the place."_ There was a momentary pause before he continued. _"Might explain why Van Kleiss wasn't with us when WE got transported to Bellwood as well. Really, it's a stroke of luck that we all ended up where we did."_

Feedback crossed his arms at that. "Huh, I guess the Fates CAN be kind once in a while."

" _No joke."_ Caesar agreed. _"In any case, I'm on my way there now. Should only take me a couple minutes."_ After silently waiting for a little while longer, Holiday and Feedback heard what sounded like squeaking breaks on a large vehicle, with Caesar speaking up again soon after. _"Alright, I'm at the sight. …Man, I wish you could see this. They've been working pretty hard to clean it all up, but the massive crater is still here."_

With a furrow of his eye ridge, Feedback said back; "Thanks for the update. Now, are we ready to go with the portal?"

" _I am."_ On the other end of the call, the two could hear what could only be described as a laser powering up. _"I suggest you guys get ready to move."_

"Right, proceed." Holiday confirmed before craning her head up to Ben. "You can disconnect now, Ben."

Feedback removed his plugs from the communicator and transformed back to Ben the moment she gave him the okay. "Thanks doc. Now… let's do this."

" _Copy that."_ Caesar acknowledged. _"Portal should be appearing in three… two… one!"_ In an instant, the air around Ben and Holiday began to ripple as a small orb of light suddenly appeared about five feet in front of them. However, all at once, the orb expanded to at least thirty times its original size. The portal had been opened.

"Alright, that's our cue!" Ben exclaimed before he and Holiday began running back, the doctor keeping the communicator close at hand. Back over with the others, they were shielding their eyes from the intense light that was being emitted from the portal. All the same, Ben met them with a smile. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"No kidding!" Yang agreed. "The last time I saw one of these, you fell out of it!"

Blake was quick to point something out. "Yeah, but this one's a lot bigger than the one Ben came through! Is Caesar able to make the portals as big as he wants?"

"To an extent." Holiday answered. "The lens he has on his Dimensional Doorway is telescopic, but it can only get so big. I think THIS is the biggest portal he can make." Just then, she spotted something coming through the portal, and it was quite large. "And it's a good thing, too. Look!"

Everyone craned their heads around to see a large, armored truck driving out of the portal, one that was almost completely white with some black and green detailing. It appeared to be an almost futuristic tractor-trailer styled truck with a cab-over design, complete with smoke stacks. The moment its trailer hitch was visible though, they could see that it was hauling something REALLY big. Ruby stared in awe as the big green lens of the device was made visible, only now realizing how big this Dimensional Doorway was. "Woah… it's a LOT larger than I thought it'd be."

"Well, it has to go onto Tetrax's ship." Weiss reminded. "Honestly, I'm not surprised it's this big." She quirked an eyebrow to Rex and gave him a smirk. "…That is, unless your brother is overcompensating on this one."

Rex let out a mock-offended gasp. "Ah! How the heck could you accuse my bro of such a thing!"

Weiss simply gave him a shrug. "Hey, I'm just saying…"

"Okay, let's not devolve into THAT, thank you." Gwen requested before focusing back onto the truck. "Besides, this is actually going rather well."

"Got that right, babe." Kevin nodded. "I'm just glad we don't have to worry about—" _CRASH!_ At that moment, a loud shattering sound echoed through the entirety of the Beacon Campus, followed by a few screams. The team's blood all ran cold when they realized what must have happened. "I hate myself right now."

Ben was the most horrified out of all of them. "No, no, NO! He COULDN'T have! There's no way he could have—" He was cut off when a loud, angry roar came from behind him, prompting everyone to whip around toward the direction of the dining hall. Sure enough, there he was, confirming all of their fears. Bashmouth had broken out of his crystalline prison, and was currently running on all fours toward them. The Metallikanine wasn't none the worse for wear though, as he had diamonds sticking out all over his body after breaking out. All the same though, he was charging at them, and he was NOT happy.

Pietro let out a fearful gasp. "Oh my word! Is… is THAT the alien you all faced?!"

Penny quickly rushed infront of her father and activated her Floating Array blades. "Stay clear, father! This may get ugly _very_ quickly."

"Are you KIDDING ME?!" Neptune shouted. "Ben JUST got done with him and he wants to fight even MORE?!"

Winter took out her blades and entered a combat stance. "What was that about Petrosapien crystals begin the hardest minerals in the Milky Way?"

Max grit his teeth as he also pulled out his own weapon, taking aim at Bashmouth. "I-I don't understand! Almost _nothing_ is able to break Petrosapien crystal… unless—"

"Stand back everyone!" Nora shouted with an eager grin, pulling Magnhild out and shifting it into hammer form. "I've got this!" With a mighty leap, Nora burst forward and reared her hammer back, all while shouting; "Don't you DARE lay a claw on my Brain Baby, you mutt!"

Max outstretched a hand and called out; "Nora, wait! Don't do it!"

The moment Nora made to bring her hammer down onto Bashmouth's head, however, the Metallikanine stopped and activated his powers, changing all of the fur on top of his head into increadily dense metal. Nora's eyes widened when he didn't even move an inch from her attack. "Uh… I think I may have miscalculated."

"Ya think?" Bashmouth growled back before grabbing the head of her hammer. "Now… OUTTA MY WAY, GIRLIE!" With a single spin and a toss, Bashmouth threw Nora back toward the group, though thankfully she was able to land on her feet. Letting out a howl, Bashmouth went back onto all fours and began running again, his focus seemingly still on the group.

Gwen began channeling her own powers and brought up a mana shield to stop the charging alien, only for Bashmouth to plow through it with all the force he had. The Anodite winced and doubled over a bit, the impact having been felt all throughout her very being. "Gah! he didn't even slow down!" she shouted in astonishment.

Jaune took up his shield and activated its built-in firing mechanism, turning his head to his team soon after. "Guys! Get ready!" At his word, Pyrrha and Ren brought up their own firearms and Nora changed her hammer into its grenade launcher form, all of them taking aim at once. "FIRE!" At his command, Team JNPR unloaded their firepower onto Bashmouth, with Nora causing the biggest blast, of course. In the end, a large fire erupted where Bashmouth was… but the Metallikanine simply jumped right through, not letting up on his charge for even a second. "WHAT?!"

"He isn't even dented!" Pyrrha cried.

"This is FAR from good." Ren added with a frustrated face.

Nora could only tighten her grip on Magnhild in irritation. "Gah! What's with this guy?! Is he indestructible?!"

"No, just stubborn!" Sun elaborated. "We hit him with all we had back in the dining hall but he just shrugged it off!"

"We need to take him by surprise or tire him out!" Yang furthered. "That's the only way we can really beat him… at least I think." She shifted her eyes to her boyfriend, hoping for an answer. "Green Boy, what do we… Ben?"

It was evident by the expression on Ben's face that he was NOT happy. Yang could tell that he was _done_ with Bashmouth's shit, and for that, she couldn't blame him. "Bashmouth!" He reached down for the Omnitrix, running straight toward Bashmouth as he did. Ben went to select Dynatusk's icon, ready to start fighting the dog alien with the overwhelming power of his Paku-Dermoloid transformation. After all, after using two Bellwood Smashes on him, the hero knew the Metallikanine could take it. "I swear, you are making this WAY harder than it needs to…" All of a sudden, Bashmouth leapt straight over Ben's head, ignoring him completely while continuing his charge toward the group. "…Be? What the heck was—"

"Ben!" Ilia called over. "He's completely ignoring us!" The hero whipped himself around to the chameleon girl to see that WAS the case. No matter how many shots they took, Bashmouth just kept taking them, plowing forward like a non-stop tractor. Team RWBY, Team JNPR, Penny, Sun, Neptune, Cooper, and Fox were all trying to slow him down with their ranged weapons, but to no avail. Ilia tried taking him by surprise with a whip from her Lightning Lash, but he simply jumped clear of it and continued forward. "He just keeps running!"

In the very back of the group, Raven set her focus directly onto Bashmouth and her hand went to Omen's sheath, ready to make her move. "Well then, let's see how he handles THIS!" With a pull of a trigger, Raven sent Omen flying out from her sheath and she leapt after it, grabbing it in midair as she sailed toward Bashmouth.

Yang's eyes widened as she reached out for her mother. "Mom, WAIT! He could—"

But it was too late. In a downward arc, Raven brought Omen down and sliced it against Bashmouth's shoulder. But at the last second, the Metallikanine was able to harden his fur, making the blade simply clang harmlessly against it. "WHAT?!" Raven exclaimed. "How in the world… Dust blades are harder than almost anything!"

"Not harder than the metal my fur can change into, I'll bet!" Bashmouth countered before kicking Raven away, the Spring Maiden landing on her feet. "Solid Adamantalum, bub! Harder than even Petrosapien crystal!"

Kevin wore a deadpan face as Bashmouth kept barreling forward. _'So, what, is he Wolverine, now?'_

Coco and Yatsu attempted to get in Bashmouth's way themselves, bringing their respective weapons up to try and hit him. But the alien simply charged through them as well, using the armor plating on his arms to blow their strikes away. "Gah, you've gotta be kidding me!" Coco exclaimed. "Is this guy just unstoppable?!"

Max, who was also trying to slow Bashmouth down with his own blaster, kept his eyes on where the criminal was running. However, his eyebrows snapped up when he realized Bashmouth's destination… the portal. The elderly Plumber quickly relayed to his grandson; "Ben! He's making a break for the portal!"

Bashmouth let out a laugh as he came to a stop directly in front of the Plumber truck that was still slowly making its way out of the portal. "Hahaha! So, ya figured it out, huh, old man?" He jabbed a thumb to himself with a jagged-toothed grin. "See, I heard what ya'll were sayin' when ya had me trapped in that pathetic crystal prison ya set up." He then redirected his thumb over his shoulder and toward the portal. "An' if THIS thing can really take me back to Earth, then by ALL means I'm headed through there!"

_HONK-HONK!_ Before Bashmouth could even go on with his monologue, the large truck honked behind him as it came to a stop, leaving it half-way through the portal. The Metallikanine whipped himself around to see a young man with spikey black hair and tan skin move his head out of the driver's side of the vehicle, wearing a rather frustrated face. "Hey! _¡Fuera del camino, hijo de puta!_ You want me to run you over?!"

Rex quickly brightened up at the sight of his brother's face. "Caesar!"

However, Weiss was simply aghast at the words she heard pouring from Caesar's mouth. "Oh, my god! _Language_!"

Bashmouth growled at Caesar, mostly because he couldn't understand what he was saying. "Hey! Like I told the other guy, my watch don't speak Spanish!"

Rex furrowed his brows, annoyed at hearing the same comment again. "Alright, I've had enough of this!" He powered his nanites up and brought his Blast Caster out, ready to use it on Bashmouth once more. "Hey! Bushy-tail! Remember THIS?!" Rex lashed his massive whip, ready to send the energy coursing through it and into Bashmouth to try and slow him down.

Bashmouth simply smirked and grabbed a hold of the whip with both hands, much to Rex's surprise. "Oh, I remember this thing REAL well!" He retracted his metal teeth and began chewing through the whip, successfully munching it into two halves. "Huh, would ya look at that?" He tossed the whip away and slammed a fist into his palm. "Amazin' the things you can do when ya know what yer opponent's gonna do."

"Oh yeah?!" Rex shifted his Blast Caster for his Funchucks. "Well then, how 'bout this?!" The EVO launched himself into Bashmouth's direction, swinging one of his Funchucks up to bring it down on Bashmouth's head. However, at the last second, Bashmouth caught Rex's arm and dug his claws into the weapon, making Rex's eyes widen. "W-What?!"

"Sorry, boy, but I've been presented with a golden opportunity!" He thrust a finger at Rex's face. "An' there ain't NOTHIN' you can do to stop me! Not you!" He whipped his arm over to the rest of the team. "Not them!" With a heavy SLAM, Bashmouth thrust his open palm into Rex's chest, successfully breaking off the Funchuck the Metallikanine was holding onto. "NOT NOBODY! And THAT'S the bottom line…" He reared his head back and roared out; "BECAUSE BASHMOUTH SAID SO!"

A whistle from behind suddenly caught the alien's attention, making him whip his head up to Caesar in the truck. "Hey! You mess with _mi hermano_ , you mess with me—AGH!" Without warning, Bashmouth punched the front of the truck, making whole entire front-end cave in. The damage quickly made the engine stutter to a halt, leaving Caesar reeling at the alien's massive strength while the air bags went off in the cab.

"I don't know what yer talkin' about, string bean, but I'm gonna—" _BANG_ "GAH!" A shot suddenly rang out through the whole courtyard, bringing everything to a stop. Bashmouth reached up to his cheek and saw immediately that it was bleeding, having just been scrapped by the bullet. "Who did that?!"

The sound of foot falls accompanied by jingling spurs quickly answered Bashmouth's question. "I did, ya dirty mutt!" The whole group turned around to see none other than Jessie Jameson, the Vacuoan Huntress' right arm now free from its green cast. Jessie shouldered her shot gun and tipped her hat toward the team. "I thought I heard some sorta commotion out here, so I decided to swing by!"

Yang's face brightened up immediately. "Jessie! Your arm's all healed!"

"Yep, the cast dried up an' fell off just a few minutes ago." Jessie explained with a grin. "Real miracle if ya ask me." Her scowl then returned as she faced Bashmouth once more. "Now give yerself up, ya mongrel! Yer WAY out numbered here!"

Bashmouth simply smirked at her. "Maybe… but I've got somethin' you don't!" He jumped up and did a backflip onto the roof of the truck and reached down to Caesar, plucking him out of the driver's seat like a vegetable from the ground. "A HOSTAGE!"

"AGH! Hey!" Caesar began to try and struggle out of Bashmouth's grip, but the Metallikanine's strength proved to be superior. "Let me go—ACK!" Suddenly, Bashmouth's free hand went to Caesar's neck, his large thumb and index finger being more than enough to strangle him.

With a warning glare, Bashmouth made his demands; "If ANY of you so much as move a single _inch_ , Spikey Hair gets his neck snapped! An' I should warn ya…" He tightened his hold only slightly, but it was enough to scare the whole group. "My trigger finger's REAL itchy."

Everyone could only stare at the scene in utter horror, knowing that Bashmouth was not kidding around. Rex was glaring daggers at Bashmouth, fuming that he couldn't do anything to help his brother without getting him killed on the spot. Off to the side, Gwen glanced over to her cousin, wondering what his game plan was. "Ben… what do we do?"

Ben was also glaring at Bashmouth, completely irritated by the fact that they probably COULDN'T do much of anything. _'None of us are fast enough to get over and get Caesar out of there. We move, he's dead.'_ He shifted his gaze to the Omnitrix. _'And if I transform, that'll also be an instant kill switch.'_ Ben closed his eyes and sighed, finally realizing what had to be done."Really… there's only one thing we CAN do. If we want Caesar to live… we have to let Bashmouth go."

"WHAT?!" Kevin shouted. "Tennyson, that's crazy!"

Yang stared at her boyfriend in disbelief. "Ben… usually I'd agree with you, but there HAS to be something else we can—"

"No, Yang." Max interrupted. "There isn't. Ben's right in this situation. We're backed up against a wall and there are too many factors to take into effect." He nudged his head toward Bashmouth, Caesar, and the portal. "If Bashmouth sees any of us do anything, Caesar gets killed. And there's no telling WHEN that portal's going to close, so we have to get the truck out of there as quick as we can."

Ruby set her sights onto Ben, her eyes full of worry. "So… there's really nothing we can do?"

"Not right now, Ruby." Ben answered. "If the portal closes and the Dimensional Doorway is caught in it, there's no telling WHAT could happen. But I swear, this isn't over." The hero clenched his fists and glowered to Bashmouth once more. "You might be walking free _now_ , Bashmouth, but on my word as a Plumber AND a hero, I WILL bring you in, and that's a _promise_."

If anything, Bashmouth's smirk only grew at that. "So what yer sayin' is I'm free to go! A wise decision." The alien jumped down from the truck's roof and began slowly backing up to the very edge of the portal, still keeping Caesar in his grip. "So long, Ben Tennyson! We WILL meet again, an' just so ya know… out next meetin' WILL be your last." All at once, Bashmouth shoved Caesar to the ground and leapt through the portal, free once again.

"Caesar!" Rex exclaimed as both he and Holiday clamored over to the young scientist. Caesar himself was coughing and hacking as his airways were finally reopened, his brother helping him up all the while. "Bro, are you okay?!"

Holiday's eyes widened when she saw two large claw marks dug into the back of his neck, right where Bashmouth had held onto him. "Oh god, Caesar, you're bleeding!"

"Forget about me for now, Holiday." Caesar urged before his eyes set themselves on the portal, which was now beginning to slowly shrink. "The portal's starting to close. We NEED to get the Dimensional Doorway out now. If we don't… then we might have to say goodbye to not just Remnant and Earth… but to ourselves as well."

Ben was quick to the punch. "We're on it! Yang, Nora, Penny, with me! Rex, you too!" The five strongest team members all gathered together in front of the truck, ready to do their part. Rex and Penny activated their Smack Hands and Mechano-Crushers respectively and grabbed the front end of the truck while Yang and Nora went to the back and began pushing with all their might. Finally, Ben activated the Omnitrix and slammed it down immediately, transforming into… **"DYNATUSK!"** Without any hesitation, Dynatusk took his place with Rex and Penny in front of the truck and began pulling. **"Let's go, guys! All together!"** With all of their strength combined, the five were able to successfully bring the large Dimensional Doorway through the portal, making it just in time for the rift to safely close.

Everyone gave a sigh of relief, with Dynatusk landing on his rear as he transformed back into Ben. The hero fell flat on his back, though he raised a thumbs up to his teammates. "Hah… great work, team!"

Yang let out a simultaneous exhausted breath as they too collapsed to the ground, though Rex and Penny were both still up on their feet. "Man, that thing… is a HEAVY son of a bitch!" However, the Blonde suddenly felt a pair of eyes on her, prompting her to glance to her left. Her eyes widened when she saw Nora glaring harshly at her, almost as if she was angry at her or something. "Nora? What're you—OH." The realization hit her like the truck next to her… Nora always referred to the big Dimensional Doorway as her "brain baby". "Uh… I really didn't mean any offence by that."

All at once, Nora's perturbed face burst out into a cheery grin. "No problem! Now if you'll excuse me…" In the blink of an eye, Nora had zipped all the way up to the side of the Dimensional Doorway and clinged onto it, hugging it with every fiber of her being. "AAAAAH! My brain child! He's FINALLY here!" She nuzzled her face against the barrel of the large cannon-shaped device, all while rubbing her hand on it in gentle circles across its metal. "Oh, I'm SO glad you're safe!"

Caesar could only stare at Nora in bewilderment, though the teens all seemed unaffected by the Pink Dynamo's behavior. "Uh… is she always like this?"

"Pretty much." Rex answered before pulling his brother into a hug. "Ah, but it's good to have you here, _hermano_! Welcome to Remnant!"

"Haha, happy to be here, Rex." Caesar laughed before directing his attention to the rest of the team. He spread his arms out and greeted them all. "And hey! It's great to finally meet all of YOU in person as well!" However, his smile was quickly replaced by a guilty expression. "Ah, but sorry for getting in the way. If I had gotten outta the truck, then maybe that _perro_ wouldn't have gotten away."

Gwen stepped up and waved the notion off. "Oh, it's okay. We'll get him." She reached forward and offered a handshake, which Caesar accepted gratefully. "It's nice to meet you, Caesar. By the way, you still have a communicator back home we can call, right?"

"Exactly." Caesar nodded before reaching for a small pin on his clothes. "I made four. Two for Earth, one to send here…" he took the pin off his shirt and showed it to the Anodite. "And a mini-comm for this mission specifically. It's smaller and less complex, so it was made to be disposed of after a single use."

Kevin's eyebrows rose in astonishment. "Woah, that's pretty sweet, man."

"And it's useful." Gwen added. "We can call Six back home and tell him about what happened."

"Good idea." Ben said as he stood up. "Hopefully then we'll be able to track down Bashmouth asap when we get home." He went over to Yang and helped her up onto her feet, though not without a saddened face. "Ugh, I just wish we didn't HAVE to. I had a feeling that Bashmouth was tough… but not THAT tough."

Yang gave him a small pat on the shoulder, a smile gracing her features. "It's alright, Green Boy. Like Gwen said, we'll get him."

"Yeah, but—hmph!" The hero was suddenly cut off when Yang pressed her lips against his, instantly washing away his worries and anxiety. In that moment, the unity between them both was the only thing that mattered. Once the couple parted, they both began catching their breath, with Ben smiling from ear to ear. "Hah… okay, Goldie Locks, you've made your point."

"Glad to hear it, Green Boy." Yang gave him another peck on the cheek before setting her eyes on the rest of the team. "Hey guys! You gonna say hi to Caesar or what?!"

And so, they did. Over the course of the next few minutes, many of the teens began getting acquainted with Caesar, though the young scientist himself seemed to be a little overwhelmed by all of it. " _Ay dios mío_ , you guys sure are a big group now that I can see you all."

Coco raised a hand up to him. "To be fair, my team kinda inflates the group by five members, so there's that."

"And we aren't even part of the main team." Velvet pointed out.

"Aw, don't be silly, Vel!" Ruby assured. "You guys are just as much a part of this team as everyone else… even if we don't take you on every mission."

Cooper simply shrugged. "Eh, not that big of a deal. You got your priorities, we've got ours." He raised a finger up to Caesar. "But believe it or not, there's still someone you haven't met." The blonde genius bent down and picked up VADOS' container, presenting it to Caesar as if he were gifting it to him. "Caesar, this is VADOS. She's my A.I. assistant."

" _Greetings, interdimensional traveler!"_ VADOS greeted. _"How are you today?"_

Caesar blinked in shock. "Oh… I am doing fine, thank you for asking." He inpected the container closer, a bit confused as to why an A.I. was relegated to such an odd host. "Tell me… why are you being stored in _here_ of all places?"

" _Oh, this is simply my temporary residence."_ VADOS answered. _"Soon, I will be uploaded into Mr. Daniel's armor and be helping him with his heroic duties!"_

"Fascinating!" Caesar marveled at the information. "And did Cooper actually create you?"

Just then, a small chortle came from behind him. "Haha, no, that'd actually fall to me, young man." Caesar craned his head around to see Pietro approaching him, the elderly inventor extending a hand. "Dr. Pietro Polendina, at your service, young man."

"Ah, you must be Penny's father, then." Caesar gladly accepted the handshake. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. I must say, you must be quite talented to create such amazing things."

"Hehe, why thank you, son." Pietro returned graciously. "Though I'll be honest, the fact that you were able to figure out interdimensional warping… it's something else, I have to say."

"Indeed!" Penny nodded instantly. "Your inventions are truly impressive."

A nervous hand went to the back of Caesar's head. "Heh, _gracias_. But I'll be honest, there ARE still a few kinks to work out." He gestured over to the large Dimensional Doorway, just in time for Nora to come sliding down and slip off of it. "And THAT baby is going to be the big tester of that." Caesar saw Nora hit the ground and he called over to her; "So Nora, you happy to see your idea in person?"

Without missing a beat, Nora zipped over and stopped on a dime in front of Caesar. "Are you KIDDING?! It's even better than I imagined!" The Pink Dynamo was jumping up and down in place at that point. "I can't believe how awesome it is! You guys did a fantastic job on it!"

"I like to think so, too." Caesar agreed as his eyes set upon the Doorway once again. "Now all that's left to do is to put it on Tetrax's ship." He craned his head over to Cooper and nudged his chin at him. "Hey, Cooper! You wanna help me out with that little project?"

Cooper sent him a thumbs up. "Sure! Whenever you're ready!"

Caesar nodded back to him. "Great, first thing tomorrow then. Because right now, I need a break after all that stuff that just happened."

Rex strode over and clasped his brother on the shoulder. "Couldn't agree more, bro. But first, there's still two people you haven't met in person yet…" The EVO led his brother over to Weiss and Winter, the Schnee sisters smiling at the Salazar brothers as they came over. "Caesar, I believe you know Weiss and Winter?"

"Oh, yeah!" Caesar moved over and extended a hand to Winter, which she was happy to accept. "It's so great to finally get to meet you guys!" He tilted his head toward his little brother. "And uh, my apologies if Rex has caused you any trouble. He can get a bit out of hand sometimes."

"Hey!" Rex cried indignantly. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

The two sisters let out simultaneous laughs at his remark, even more so when Rex put on a sour face. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person as well, Caesar." Winter greeted first. "We've been looking forward to your arrival."

"We certainly have." Weiss concurred. "And don't worry, Robo-dolt hasn't been THAT much trouble… at least not ALL the time." The heiress found herself on the receiving end of Rex's pout, to which she rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, Rex. You know what I mean by that. now that we don't have a screen between us, I can REALLY see… _el parecido de familia_."

Caesar's eyes widened and his lips parted in utter shock. "W-Wait… that was Spanish!" He whipped his head around to his brother with an incredulous face. "Have you been teaching her Spanish?!"

Rex wore a proud face at his brother's flustered state. "I sure have, bro! Lessons have been going along swimmingly." He walked over and stood next to Weiss, the heiress wearing an equally proud face. "She's still a bit rocky in places, but who isn't when they're learning a new language? I'm sure she'll get a good hold on it soon, though."

As his brother spoke, Caesar's eyes shifted between both Rex and Weiss, a smile slowly creeping onto his face as he realized what must be happening. "Ah-ha! Well, that's great guys. And Weiss, I'm very glad to hear you're so eager to learn my native language."

Weiss gave him a shrug. "Well, if I'm going to a planet with so many diverse languages, it'd probably help to have at least one under my belt, right?"

"Hey, now that's thinking ahead!" Caesar commended. The scientist clasped his hands and began rubbing them together. "Well, now that I've met everyone, I think it's time we get down to business… that being dinner because I am _starving_."

Holiday wore a skeptical face. "Dinner? Caesar, it's only three-twenty."

"I know, but I haven't had anything to eat since early this morning." Caesar set a hand over his stomach for emphasis. "I've been up since six-thirty and I've only been running on a bare minimum."

Rex facepalmed at his brother's words. "Gah, seriously dude?! You KNOW that eating is more important than getting a project set up, man!" With a small groan, Rex reached over and pulled his brother into a side-hug. "Alright, listen bro, we're gonna take you back to Yang's place, we're gonna catch up," he poked Caesar's stomach for emphasis, "and we're going to get some _goddamn food_ in you, _comprendé_?"

Caesar let out a small chuckle. "Hah, so forceful. Alright, I don't see how I can refuse that offer."

Raven stepped forward and gave the two a nod. "Very good. Because I have something cooking back at home that I'm sure that everyone is going to enjoy." The Spring Maiden shifted her eyes over to rest of the team. "Well everyone? Are you all ready to head back home?"

"Sounds like a good idea… but it'll have to wait." Ben responded before sulking off back toward the campus. "After all, I've got ANOTHER mess to clean up."

" _Another_ mess?" Yang repeated. "Whaddya mean, Ben?"

Ben turned his head back to his girlfriend before jabbing his thumb out toward the dining hall. "You remember the prison I had Bashmouth trapped in? Well if he broke out of it, then that means that there are Diamondhead shards _everywhere_." The hero moved back around and raised his hand in a salute. "And guess who's gotta go pick it all up?"

However, the last person that anyone there expected to speak up against the idea was quick to interject. "Ben, it's alright." Glynda said. "You can leave it as it is."

This took pretty much everybody by surprise. "W-Wait, really, professor?" Ben asked. "You're sure you don't want it cleaned up?"

Glynda sent him a reassuring smile. "Oh, it's quite alright, Ben, really. Besides…" Glynda took out her scroll and pulled up a picture, one of the large shattered crystal. "Going by these pictures that some of the students sent me… we might have found our school's funding for the next ten years." All at once, an uproarious laughter echoed throughout the academy's courtyard, though whether the headmistress was serious about her joke or not, nobody could really tell.

* * *

**A/N: Well, that was a bit of a roller coaster, wasn't it? Caesar and the large Dimensional Doorway are in Remnant now, so that's good… but Bashmouth managed to successfully escape. And he didn't even need to wait for Salem to do it! He just decided to take advantage of the situation and escaped all on his own! With that said, as you can probably tell, this won't be the last time we see Bashmouth. Come the next volume of this series, he's gonna be a recurring antagonist, and I think you'll be surprised who he ends up allying with to help him stay on the run. But hey, that's not all that happened in this chapter, now is it? With Gwen and Team JNPR's arrival, everyone has now officially met Pietro and VADOS (who has officially been passed over to Cooper in the process) and Ilia has finally told Blake about how she really feels, friendship intact and everything! And what's better, now Ilia's got a wing-woman in the form of Blake, so that should be entertaining to see.**

**So, what happens from here? Well, we'll just have to find out… NEXT TIME! As the gang head back home to get Caesar a bite to eat, we get another little encounter with the Arc Sisters… with some interesting results. After that though, Caesar presents the gang with the care package that the Tennyson Family sent over, which contains quite a few neat and even heartfelt things. But then, a certain time-traveler returns once again to check in on the gang's progress, as well as fill them in on a few other things that are starting to go on back in Ben's world. Thanks for reading guys, and I'll see you next time! Stay safe out there!**


	95. A Brotherly Welcome

**A/N: What's good, everybody?** **We've got another new chapter, and this time, we'll really get a good look at what Caesar's brought to the table! Now, you've all probably been wondering what's gonna be in the care package the Tennyson's sent. Well, so far, I've had Ben show the Remnant crew things that are mostly media-based like movies, tv-shows, video games or music. But now… the gang's gonna get a taste of something more tangible, stuff that you can actually hold in your hand. What exactly does that mean? Well, let's find out shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 95: A Brotherly Welcome**

* * *

As the Resolute began to approach the island of Patch as it had so many times before, the teens inside were in a fervor over their new arrival. Or rather _arrivals_ as both Caesar AND Pietro had decided to accompany them back to the house. Before they even departed though, Ben had made sure to contact Agent Six, both to tell him about Caesar arriving safely and about Bashmouth making his escape. _"We'll be sure to be on the lookout for him, Ben."_ the Providence agent had assured. _"I'll assign Plumber teams all over town and try to get a hit on his location."_

"Thank you, Six." Ben nodded. "But make sure you do NOT engage him if you find him. I can't stress this enough. He's like a giant furry tank with legs, you won't be able to stop him."

"… _An odd analogy, but I won't question it."_

Once the call with Six had ended, the team boarded Tetrax's ship, and over the course of the whole ride over, Caesar had practically been bombarded with questions. Many of the teens had asked him about Providence and what it was like while others inquired how he was able to figure out dimensional travel. However, the question he found hardest to answer was the one that Gwen had asked; "So Caesar, Rex told us that you and your parents were involved in the EVO project."

Caesar raised a brow to her. "Uh, yeah, that's right."

"I'm sorry if I'm stepping on any toes but… did you guys have any idea that what you were working on could cause the Nanite Event?" Gwen asked further. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

The scientist pursed his lips in thought. "Well… you know what? I'll answer, but only this once." He pointed across the room to everyone present. "And just so we're clear, all of you had better listen up, because I won't be repeating myself."

Ben gave him a salute. "Hey, no worries, man."

"Yeah, we understand." Ruby nodded.

"Good." Caesar cupped his hands together and began recounting the tale. "To answer Gwen's question right off the bat, no, we had no idea the nanites could do the things they were capable of… at least at first. They were initially created to help heal people, a cure for any disease, virus, maybe even any cancer known to mankind." He pointed over to his brother. "But when Rex was almost fatally injured in an industrial accident at one of our testing sites, our parents decided to inject him with nanites to try and save his life. As you can probably guess, they did that and MUCH more."

Next to Rex, Weiss' eyes widened in realization. "Wait… so then that would mean that Rex…"

"Yes, he's the first of his kind." Caesar confirmed. "The very first EVO ever created."

Rex jabbed both of his thumbs toward himself. "And that is something that NOBODY else can claim! I'm A- _Numero_ - _Uno_ , baby!"

Weiss simply rolled her eyes and nudged him in the stomach, making him double over. "Okay, Mr. Braggart, let's not get out of control here."

"This is quite fascinating, Caesar." Pietro piped up. "But, uh… if what you say is true… then how did this "Nanite Event" come to pass, exactly?"

Penny place a hand to her chin. "Yes… it's all very perplexing. One would think that microscopic machines that were made to heal wouldn't be able to cause as much harm as they did."

Caesar took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, you'd think that, wouldn't you? But unfortunately, not every human is a special case like Rex." He sat down and placed his elbows against his legs, lancing his fingers together and resting his chin upon them. "You see, we were being funded by a certain group, one that Rex may have informed you all of already."

"The Consortium?" Yang guessed. "The guys that changed themselves into EVO's?"

"Exactly, but it was HOW they changed themselves into EVOs that we're going to focus on here." Caesar elaborated. "See, during the Nanite Project, we stumbled onto something called the Dominion Code, which allowed any one person infused with nanites to have full control over every single nanite in the world."

Blake's eyebrows rose up in shock. "Wow, that's a pretty big responsibility."

Caesar gave her a nod. " _Exactamente_. That's why we stored it in five separate nanites which we dubbed "Meta-Nanites". And guess who we programmed them to only obey?"

Kevin nudged his head over to Rex. "Lemme see… could it be Mr. Hot Shot over there?"

" _Correcto_. But we realized pretty quickly that the code was too dangerous for any one person to have." Caesar's brows furrowed as a dark expression came to his face. "Especially the Consortium. It didn't take long for us to find out that they wanted the nanites not for the world, but for themselves. They wanted to become gods… and we weren't about to let that happen."

Ilia raised her hand, the chameleon girl standing next to Swift. "So… does that mean what I think it means?"

"Did you guys… trigger the Nanite Event yourselves?" Swift uttered.

"We did." Caesar confirmed. "It was the only way to make sure the Consortium didn't get their hands on the nanites… and it cost us a lot that day."

Rex crossed his arms and lowered his hand. "Our parents were killed… and Van Kleiss was given power over all of Abysus, the site where the Nanite Event happened."

"Oh yeah," Jaune spoke up, "you DID mention that Van Kleiss was part of the Nanite Project too, didn't you?"

"Also right." Caesar nodded. "Though HIS reasons for wanting in on it weren't exactly altruistic either if you know what happened next."

"No joke!" Nora exclaimed. "He sounds like a real creep!"

Pyrrha extended her hand toward Caesar. "But Rex said that you were sent flying into orbit in your pod by the blast, Caesar. One thing still perplexes me though… how were you able to essentially _time travel_?"

The scientist couldn't help but laugh at that. "Haha! Well, the blast actually managed to supercharge my subspace engines! It was so powerful that I was sent flying at nearly ninety-nine percent of the speed of light. Fifteen minutes for me was actually five years to the rest of the world!" Caesar placed a hand to the back of his head. "Ha! I still kinda get a kick out of that one."

Ren scratched his head at the jovial mood Caesar was in. "Strange how he can go from completely serious to happy in the span of a few seconds."

Just as the green ninja said that though, Caesar's serious expression returned. "Okay, _amigos_ , I gave you guys the best answer I possibly could. Now, could we maybe avoid those kinds of questions from now on? I'm not exactly all that eager to talk about that subject more than I need to."

"No problem, Caesar." Gwen assured. "The answer you gave was FAR more than satisfactory."

Sun gave him a thumbs up. "Yeah, man. Don't sweat it! From here on, it's gonna be nothin' but good vibes."

Neptune put a hand to his chin in thought. "There's still one thing that's got me wondering though…" He directed his sights toward Caesar again. "If the Consortium's been on the run… then do you have any idea where they could be hiding?"

Caesar shook his head. "No clue. Before all of this happened, we were searching for both them _and_ Van Kleiss, so we had a lot on our _plata_."

"We just managed to find Kleiss first." Rex continued as he set his gaze onto everyone present. "And well, we _all_ know what happened after that."

"That we do." Holiday affirmed, finally speaking up after staying silent to let Caesar tell his story. "But I think we can all say that what happened has really put us all on an interesting path, wouldn't you say?"

Ben let out a small chuckle. "Hehe, I couldn't agree more, doc." Just then, the Resolute began to shift a little bit before jostling, signaling that they had finally landed. "Hah, and with that, I think we're home!"

At that moment, the ship's elevator doors opened up, revealing Tetrax, Max, Raven and Winter inside of it. "That we have, Ben." Tetrax confirmed. "Everyone be ready to disembark." However, it was then that the Petrosapien caught sight of Pietro, who was gazing upon him in utter shock. "Ah, you must be Doctor Polendina." He extended his hand to the old inventor. "I am Tetrax. It's a pleasure to have you on board my ship, good sir."

All at once, Pietro let out a hearty laugh. "Oh ho-ho! No, no, please, the pleasure is ALL mine." He excepted the handshake graciously. "Believe me, it's not every day that I get to ride inside of a space ship! Especially one that's captained by a REAL alien!"

"Well, I'm glad to be of service." Tetrax turned his head to Caesar and gave him a nod. "Caesar, whenever you're ready to return to Beacon, let me know, alright?"

Caesar sent a salute over to the bounty hunter. "Will do, Tetrax. And thanks again."

"Of course." As the group began to walk down the ramp, Tetrax craned his head down to Pietro and waved a hand over to the elevator. "Tell me, would you like a tour seeing as it's your first time in a spacecraft?"

Pietro let out another chortle at the offer. "Ho-ho, I'd be happy to!" He smiled to his daughter and reached out to grasp her hand. "Penny, I'll be up in here if you need me, alright?"

"I understand, father." Penny smiled. "Have a nice time!"

As Tetrax and Pietro began to take their leave, Ben to leaned over to Gwen. "You hear it too, right? It's not just me?" he whispered.

"No, I hear it." the Anodite confirmed. "Though I have to admit, it IS a bit strange hearing it."

Ruby's eyes widened as she listened in on Tetrax and Pietro's conversation as they entered the elevator. "Wow… you were right, they DO sound a lot alike."

"Yes, quite odd." Raven concurred as she stepped over to the group. She placed a hand on her hip and nudged her head toward the ramp, where pretty much everyone else was already disembarking. "So, are you kids ready to head off?"

"Sure are." Yang nodded. "So, what've you got cooking in there, ma?"

"Oh, just a little recipe that my own mother taught Qrow and I a long time ago. Some good old-fashioned goat meat stew!" The tribe leader held up a contingent finger. "But I know how you kids feel about the stranger food stuff, so if ya don't wanna try it, I'll understand."

The quartet looked to each other warily when Raven described her dish. On the one hand, it wasn't AS bad as something that Max would whip up. _'He would've used WAY more than just the meat.'_ Ben commented in his head. _'Still, I'm not exactly sure how goat meat tastes, so…'_

Yang held up a hand to her mother. "Hey, it's okay, mom. We'll give it a try."

"Fine answer, dear." Raven commended with a pat on her daughter's shoulder. "You like it, then great! And if ya don't, that's fine too. Now c'mon, I left Athena and the Arc girls in charge of keeping an eye on the food."

"Mom, seriously?" Yang gave her mother an irritated face. "You can't just tell guests to watch over food like that!"

Raven simply shrugged. "Well, who ELSE was going to do it? The dog?"

"You'd be surprised what Zwei can do, actually." Ruby pointed out.

"Not the point, Rubes." Yang reminded.

Gwen held up her hands and got in between the bickering family members. "Alright, let's not get too worked up here." She faced Yang with a reassuring grin. "Besides, Rouge said she was more than happy to keep an eye on dinner."

Yang sighed and rubbed the back of her head. "Well, if you say so." The blonde glanced around to see that Blake and Ilia were lagging behind a bit, the duo still in a conversation with Swift. "Hey gals! You comin'?"

Blake perked her head up and gave her partner a wave. "We'll be there, Yang! Just give us a sec!" The cat girl returned to the two girls, focusing on Swift in particular. "Anyway, I'm glad that you were willing to help Ilia out, Swift."

"Hey, it was my pleasure." Swift said with a wave, directing her eyes onto Ilia herself. "I saw how much weight was being put on Freckles' mind, and I wanted to help her out, simple as that." However, in the back of her mind, the Aerophibian hybrid added; _'And as far as I'm concerned, a girl that cute doesn't deserve to have all that stuff piled onto her.'_

Ilia giggled and put her hand to her arm. "Hehe, thanks, Swift. It means a lot, really." As the chameleon girl set her eyes upon her hybrid friend, though, she couldn't help but notice something. _'She IS very pretty…'_ The spots on her face became a very slight shade of pink. _'I mean, I KNEW she was pretty from the start, but… wow, she's pretty."_

"Ahem." Blake cleared her throat, garnering their attention. "Are you guys okay?"

Swift's eye ridges snapped up as she was pulled out of her thoughts. "O-Oh! Yeah, never better!"

"Fine over here, too!" Ilia assured, trying desperately to get her spots back to normal.

Blake couldn't help but smirk at the display. _'Oh yeah, this ought to be fun.'_

* * *

Once the whole group was finally off the ship, Caesar found himself staring right at a rather sizable cabin. He had to admit, the rather normal home was rather quaint, even if he himself preferred an abode that was a bit more high-tech. "So, this is where you guys have been staying, huh?" he asked as he began inspecting the front porch. "I gotta say, it's… rustic, to say the least."

Rex gave his bother a nudge in the shoulder. "Hey, it's not exactly Providence HQ, but it's nice all the same."

"And don't you forget it." Yang said before taking note of something that Caesar had by his side. It was a rather large white metal container, one that had strange disks attached to its bottom. Said disks were somehow making the container float, which she had to admit was rather cool. _'Come to think of it, I saw him put that thing inside the ship before we left…'_ Yang leaned over and inspected the crate closer. "Hey Caesar, what's in the box?"

However, Caesar only wore a sly grin and raised a single finger up to the Blonde Brawler. "Ah-ah, not yet. This is your guys' care package, and I was told to have Winter be the one to open it first."

At this, Winter's eyebrows rose up. "Wait… me?"

"What?" Sun exclaimed. "Ah, c'mon, man. Why do ya gotta keep it a secret?"

Neptune wore a confused face. "Yeah, what's so important that _Winter_ be the one to open it up?" He pointed over to the Omnitrix bearer and his Anodite cousin. "Why not Ben or Gwen?"

"Ah, trust me, you'll see." Caesar replied before directing a knowing glance to Winter. "After all, a certain someone made me promise that YOU would be the first one to open this, Winter."

Winter's lips parted and a slight gasp escaped them, the young woman remembering the words that her redheaded admirer had told her that morning; _'I'm sending something over that you might find a bit interesting.'_ The military specialist was doing mental gymnastics trying to figure out just what he had meant by those words. _'What could his surprise be?'_

Suddenly, Nora popped up and shouted; "Hey, what're we waiting for?!", pulling Winter out of her own head. "The sooner we get inside, the sooner Winter can get that box open for us!"

With a deep breath, Winter gave a steady nod. "Y-Yes, let's head in, shall we?"

Weiss raised a brow toward her elder sister as the group began filing into the house. "Everything okay, Winter?"

"W-Well, I suppose." Winter muttered. "It's just… I'm trying to think of what could be waiting for me in that package."

The heiress' concerned face changed to that of smile very quickly. "Ah, I get it! You're trying to guess Kenny's gift, aren't ya?"

Overhearing their conversation, Gwen decided to jump in. "Well, considering that it's Kenny we're talking about… maybe an art piece?" she guessed. "Considering how good he is at drawing, it wouldn't be _that_ farfetched to say."

"Or maybe he recorded an original song and sent it over?" Ben added in. "He's pretty good at coming up with them too."

Kevin wore a toothy grin when he put in his guess. "Or maybe it's a piece of his clunker car. A piece of the "Awesome-mobile" has to be THE perfect gift from someone as _awesome_ as Ken."

For his troubles, Gwen immediately smacked his shoulder. "Kevin, don't kid around! My brother wouldn't give Winter a piece of his car!"

"And if he did, I'd promptly return it and ask what in the world he was thinking." Winter furthered. "And he KNOWS that."

Weiss couldn't help but chuckle at the whole exchange. "Heh, this conversation got weird pretty quickly." Once the group made it inside, many of them began heading toward the kitchen while Rex and Caesar moved the crate into the living room, prompting a few of the teens to follow them in as well. "So, other than Winter's little surprise, what else do you think is in there?"

"I hope it's something cool." Sun commented. "Like maybe some sort of Earth memorabilia or something!"

Neptune peered closer to the box as he sat down on the couch. "Or maybe some Earth food?"

"What _kind_ of food would they send, though?" Ilia pointed out. "You mean like snack foods or something?"

Blake put a hand to her chin, thinking over every possible option. "Well, we won't know until we open it, so what're we waiting for?"

"The others, for one thing." Caesar answered before stepping back over toward the hall. He set his eyes toward the kitchen to see Ben, Yang, Ruby and Raven, as well as Team JNPR, all having gathered around while talking with some other people he couldn't see. However, it was then that a delicious smell suddenly graced his nostrils, the aroma making his lips turn up into a smile. "Ah, I gotta say, though, whatever's cooking smells _muy delicioso_."

Kevin took a whiff himself before shrugging his shoulders. "Huh, yeah, not bad. Then again, I haven't exactly _had_ goat meat before, so…"

Holiday stepped up and gave Caesar a nudge. "Caesar, why don't you and Rex go see how dinner's doing with everyone else?" she suggested. "Maybe introduce yourself to Jaune's family in the meantime?"

Caesar thought it over before giving a shrug. "Eh, sure, why not? Practically have nothing much else to do anyways…" He set his eyes onto Rex, who was still standing near Weiss. A sly grin came to Caesar's lips at that moment. "Besides, I've been wanting to have a one-on-one _charla_ with _mi hermano_ since I got here."

"Hey, no problem, bro!" Rex said before moving out into the hall with him, giving Weiss a small wave as he did.

Once the two brothers were far enough away from the living room, though, Caesar quickly rounded to Rex, stopping the EVO right in his place. "Alright, Rex, be straight with me…" he jerked his thumb back toward the living room. "You've got a thing for Weiss, haven't you?"

Rex facepalmed immediately. "Gah, seriously, Caesar? Here of all places? Couldn't ya have waited until you were settled in to have this talk?"

"Hey, when it comes to a situation like this, I gotta have the details straight, bro." Caesar countered. "After all, I wouldn't wanna just assume there was something between you guys without getting your word on it." However, the scientist's smirk didn't let up. "But considering how you two are were practically side-by-side the whole way home, I think I got my answer."

A sigh escaped Rex's lip. "Ugh, okay, fine… I _might_ have a little crush on her, okay?

"Rex, come on, you're _enamorado locamente_ for her."

"Dude, it's not THAT extreme!" Rex rebuked, but quickly lowered his voice back to normal levels. "Alright, I DO have a moderately sized crush on her. Happy?"

Caesar gave his brother a pat on the shoulder. "Yes, I am. Thank you for being honest with me, Rex." He wore a sympathetic smile as he went on. "Listen… I know it hasn't been easy since you and Circe broke up, but I'm at least glad that you're beginning to move on." Caesar's eyes shifted back to the living room and he nudged his chin toward the doorway. "Because that girl in there… she seems REALLY nice." He sent a wink to his brother. "If a bit on the feisty side."

"Heh, you don't know the half of it." Rex laughed as a slight blush came to his face. "She's… she's awesome, man."

"I'm sure." Caesar said with another pat. "And I wish you _buena suerte_ trying to win her heart, Rex."

A nervous hand went to Rex's neck. "You'd really think she'd go for a guy like me? I mean… she's _rich_."

But Caesar raised a reassuring hand. "Trust me, I've got a good feeling." He ushered his brother to follow him to the kitchen. "Now c'mon, I'm starving and I can smell that stew calling out to me." The Salazar brothers continued their trek into the kitchen, arriving right in the middle of a conversation. Raven had taken the oven back and appeared to be finishing up the stew, though standing next to her were two other women; a redhead and a blonde who appeared to be in their forties and twenties respectively, both donned in red clothing. _'That must be Pyrrha's mother.'_ Caesar noted before shifting his eyes toward the blonde. _'And she_ _must be one of Jaune's sisters.'_

"Hey Caesar!" Ben called out, garnering the duo's attention. "Come over and meet the gals before they leave, huh?"

Rex was quick to follow Ben's word, but Caesar's eyes widened when he saw the crowded table. Ben, Yang, Ruby and Team JNPR weren't even sitting at the table itself, instead opting to stand while five other women were all sitting in the chairs. There were three younger girls who were donned in green, blue and purple-colored clothes, and each of them was holding a dog in their laps; two puppies and one corgi. Next to them were two other women sitting side-by-side; a blonde woman in a beige vest and an orange top and a dark-haired woman in a blue cardigan. At first, Caesar was a bit confused, but upon a second glance, he saw that they had similar wedding rings on their fingers, meaning they must have been married. _'Ah, so she must be Jaune's sister-in-law.'_ The scientist cleared his throat before giving them all a wave. "¡ _Hola_! You must be the Arcs, right?"

"That's right!" Violette answered first with a wave of her own. "And you must be Rex's brother. I'm Violette. Vi for short."

Azure bowed her head politely. "A pleasure to meet your acquaintance. I am Azure."

Verte raised two fingers up to Caesar with a single nod. "Name's Verte."

Saphron gave Caesar a kind smile. "I'm Saphron…" she gestured over to Terra. "And this is my wife, Terra.

"Nice to meet you, Caesar." Terra greeted. "So, I'm guessing that YOU'LL be yet another resident of the Xiao Long house?"

Caesar was quick to put that notion to a halt. "Hah, oh, no, trust me, I know how crowded it is already in this house." He jerked a thumb over to his brother. "I'm just here to catch up with _mi hermano_ for a bit. Then it's back off to Beacon for me so Cooper and I can get to work putting the Dimensional Doorway onto Tetrax's ship."

Overhearing this, the redheaded woman moved away from the stove and over to Caesar. "Hmhm, Nora JUST got done telling us ALL about her Brain Child." she chuckled whilst extending her hand to him. "You really made her day. I am Athena, by the way, Pyrrha's mother."

Next came the red-clad blonde, who wasn't too far behind Athena. "And I'm Rouge, Jaune's oldest sister." she introduced herself with a wave.

"Ah, I see. Well, it's nice to meet you both." Caesar accepted Athena's handshake, before realizing that only counted for five of Jaune's sisters. He set his sights onto Rouge and asked; "…Wait, didn't Jaune say that he had _seven_ sisters?"

A somewhat irritated expression came to Rouge's face before she rolled her eyes. "Yes, well, my other younger sisters are currently working out some important—"

Just then, the back door swung open and two more blondes came walking in, both of them with very similar facial features. However, they were seemingly arguing about something. "All I'm saying is that you really SHOULD consider getting a better job, Blanche." The one donned in black implored. "And while you're at it, moving out of mom and dad's wouldn't be all that bad either."

"UGH, you think I haven't been TRYING?!" Blanche exclaimed. "Sheesh, would it kill ya to lay off on it a bit, Noire? I'm on a steady pace and I don't wanna rush into things without a good plan!"

Off to the side, Athena couldn't help but place a hand to her forehead. "They are STILL arguing about this?"

"Think of how WE feel." Azure reminded. "We have to put up with it nearly _every_ day."

Noire sighed and held her head. "You've been on a "steady pace" for a good SIX years since you _graduated_ , Blanche. I think it's time you start taking things seriously."

"Well, maybe YOU should learn to take things a bit LESS—huh?" The bombastic young woman's attention was suddenly taken off her sister when she saw her brother's team standing not that far away from her, as well as Ben, Yang and Ruby. "Oh, guys! You're back!"

Noire narrowed her eyes at her twin. _'We're not finished here.'_ she thought to herself before putting on a smile for her brother. "Hey, so how did things at Beacon go?"

Jaune gave his older sisters a shrug. "Eh, could've been better, could've been worse." He raised his left hand up. "On the one hand, the criminal that the others worked so hard to capture ended up escaping back to Ben's world through the portal." The blonde knight raised his right hand, gesturing toward the Salazars. "But on the other, Caesar got through the portal just fine along with the Dimensional Doorway, so that's a plus."

"Oh… well I'm sorry you guys lost out on your bad guy." Noire apologized.

Yang sent a small salute toward her fellow blonde. "Hey, no worries. We already told the guys on the other side about Bashmouth, so—"

"Haha! Wait, wait, wait, BASHMOUTH?!" Blanche laughed. "Is THAT what his name was? HA! That's gotta be _the dumbest_ thing I ever heard!"

Ruby tilted her head to the side. "Well, he DID say that his true name would be hard for us to pronounce, so he just gave us a translation."

"Well, that explains a lot! Haha!" Blanche placed her hands on her hips and directed her attention toward Caesar and Rex, nudging her chin toward the former. "But at least he was able to get through okay, right? So that's somethin'." She sent a salute toward him. "'Sup? I'm Blanche."

"And I'm Noire. It's nice to meet…" But it was that moment that Noire noticed something off. Caesar was staring at both of them with widened eyes, almost as if he were in a trance. "Uh… Caesar, was it? Are you okay?"

Rex quirked a brow and looked at his brother's face, moving his hand in front of his eyes to try and snap him out of it. "Yo, bro! You good, man?"

In Caesar's mind however, the young scientists couldn't help but be mesmerized by the two gorgeous women in front of him. While he usually wasn't one to take interest in women, often due to getting lost in his own work, he had to admit… _'Ellas son muy hermosas.'_ However, Rex's words were able to finally snap him out of it… but the moment he did, a cheerful smile appeared on his face. "Never better, _hermano_." He brought the inside of his elbow up to his mouth and breathed into it, making sure his breath was okay before running a hand through his hair, building his confidence up. "Now, if you'll excuse me…"

"W-What?" Rex uttered. "Caesar what're you—OH." The EVO's face fell when he saw Caesar strut forward… right up to the Arc twins. "Oh god, kill me now."

Caesar cleared his throat before placing his right hand over his heart, extending his left toward Blanche and Noire while leaning forward ever so slightly. " _Hola, señoritas_. I have to say it is _un placer absoluto_ to meet you. How are you doing this fine afternoon?"

Blanche and Noire glanced toward each other for a moment before snapping their eyes back to Caesar in trepidation. "…Uh, we're doing good, I think." Noire answered while scratching her head.

"I should hope so." Caesar supported. "After all, such _mujeres bonitas_ like yourselves deserve to be in a good mood on a day like today."

Blanche furrowed her brows a bit at the language he was using. "Um… okay?"

As this was going on, the other Arc sisters were all equally confused, though Ben, Yang, Ruby and Team JNPR were all slack-jawed at what was going on. "Is this REALLY happening?" Pyrrha finally managed to force out.

"I think it is." Ren confirmed. "Though I'm not sure how it's going to go."

Nora covered her eyes. "I can't watch."

Out of all of them though, the one who was most mortified was Rex, the young EVO having slunk into a nearby corner to try and hide himself from what was going on. He didn't know HOW Blanche and Noire would react when they found out what Caesar was doing, but he knew one thing; he was embarrassed as all hell. _'SERIOUSLY?! Blanche and Noire are the ones to get him to FINALLY take a crack at women?! Am I losing my mind?!'_

"By the way, _muchachas_ , has anyone ever told you just how blue your eyes are?" Caesar asked the twins, which only made Rex scream mentally even more.

It was at this point that both Blanche and Noire began to catch on, the two ladies smirking at each other in realization. They had been in this little song and dance before, and they knew EXACTLY what to do. "Oh… yeah." Noire smiled knowingly, all while batting her eyelashes adorably. "We Arcs are pretty famous four our blonde hair, blue eye combo."

Blanche flipped her choppy hair around for emphasis. "Yep, our dad's got some powerful genes if ya know what I mean."

"Well, it certainly is impressive." Caesar agreed, putting a hand to his chin as he continued to gaze into their eyes. "Because let me tell you… _quisiera ahogarme en el océano azul de tu mirada._ "

Rex felt like he was about to hurl. _'So… cheesy.'_

But oddly enough, the twins were not deterred, with Blanche stepping forward with a rather seductive stare. "Ooh, I gotta admit, you're pretty impressive yourself with that foreign language of yours. I don't exactly understand it…" She reached up and put her hand over his extended hand. "But maybe you and I could have a little… _discussion_ about it, later on? Maybe a few _lessons_?"

Jaune could feel himself grow pale. _'What the FUCK is going on?!'_

Caesar couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "Hehe, well, I AM going to be here for the next couple days… perhaps we could make a thing out of it?"

"Sure… but just one thing…" Blanche pointed to Caesar's chest. "You've got a little something right there."

This got Caesar's attention rather quick. "W-Wait, I do—gah!" All of a sudden, Blanche flicked her finger back up and snapped it right against his nose, forcing him to reel back a bit while the two sisters started cracking up. "W-what the?!"

"AHAHA! I can't believe you fell for the oldest trick in the book!" Blanche guffawed. "C'mon, dude, how can you be so smart but THAT gullible at the same time?!"

"Haha! Yeah, might wanna work on your game there a bit, Spanish boy." Noire commented.

Caesar was still at a loss for words, as was pretty much everyone in the kitchen at the moment. The only ones who didn't seem all that perturbed were the other Arc sisters, who all seemed to know what was going on. "Hmhm, I could've told you that'd happen." Saphron chuckled.

Terra was also shaking her head in amusement. "Ah, the Terror Twins strike again."

"W-Wait, "Terror Twins"?" Caesar stammered out. "I'm not sure I get what's going on."

Rouge, wearing a sympathetic grin, reached over and placed a hand on Caesar's shoulder. "Caesar… you have to understand. Being twins, my younger sisters have both been hit on at the same time by eager guys pretty much since they started high school. And since then, they've become masters at messing with men who can't just choose one of them." She quirked a brow over to the twins, who were still celebrating their successful little prank. "And that's why they were known as "The Terror Twins" at our high school."

Yang couldn't help but grin at that. "Okay, THAT is pretty awesome."

"Rather amusing, to be sure." Athena added. "Sort of reminds me of MY high-school experience."

Pyrrha hid her face behind her hand. "Mother, I think there has been enough awkward feelings tonight. Please don't go any farther."

Blanche went over and gave Yang a high-five. "Glad ya think so, Yang. But trust me, what I just did to Spikey-hair over there was tame compared to what ELSE we did to the dudes that tried to hit on us." She turned back to Caesar and gave him a wink. "Be lucky I didn't pull your pants to your ankles, man."

Caesar's hands quickly went to the waist band of his pants while Rex laughed out loud, the EVO smacking his brother on the shoulder. "Haha! Oh man, they got you good, bro!"

Across the room, Jaune let out a sigh as Pyrrha kept him supported by his shoulders. "Phew, that was almost too much to take in."

"Hm, agreed." Pyrrha nodded before looking to Caesar. "All the same… sorry, Caesar."

"Heh, it's… it's okay." Caesar cleared his throat as his right hand began scratching his head, his sights going back to the twins. "So… I'm guessing that means you two _aren't_ single?"

Noire sent him a shrug. "Sorry, I have a boyfriend back home." Her smirk returned as she jabbed her thumb toward her twin. "Blanche IS single though. Been single for a long time."

"Gee, _thanks_ sis." Blanche sneered before directing her sights back to Caesar. "Listen, Caesar, I'm sure you're a nice guy, but I'm not exactly looking for a relationship right now. I'm still just trying to work out my own issues."

But Caesar raised a reassuring hand to her. "Hey, it's okay. I get what you're saying and I understand completely." He let out a sigh and shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose I was a bit _too_ confident to try my hand at this whole "flirting" thing. I should probably stick to science."

Blanche quirked a brow at him. "Yeah, I kinda had a feeling you're a bit inexperienced at it. But don't worry, I'm sure there's someone who'd be hooked by… whatever it was you said to me."

"Heh, yeah, should probably make sure they KNOW what I'm saying first." Caesar laughed before taking a brief pause. "…I actually meant what I said about you, though."

The Arc's face became one of confusion. "And what's that?"

"That line I said to you in Spanish?" Caesar clarified. "I said I could drown in your ocean blue gaze. Seriously, your eyes are _muy bonita_ … that means "very beautiful", by the way."

Blanche's eyes widened and her lips parted in surprise. Despite herself, she blushed slightly. All the while, she was inspecting Caesar's face for any signs of him fibbing. While she found none, she DID realize one thing; _'Ya know… he ain't too bad in the looks department.'_ she mused to herself. _'Sure, he's got heavy circles under his eyes, but he just looks like he needs better sleep. And he IS a nice guy, I'll give him that…'_ At the end of it all, she closed her eyes and a smile came to her face. "Heh, you're very sweet, Caesar. And thanks."

"You're welcome." Caesar bowed his head to her before attempting to move back toward the hallway. "Well, I'll be out of your guys' hair for now—huh?" He was suddenly stopped when Blanche set a hand on his shoulder. "Uh… what's…"

"Hey… I might not be ready to hop back on the relationship train now… but I don't plan on staying that way for long. Plus I can't deny that you made a great effort here." Blanche sent him a thumbs up and a wink. "Also, you're cute, so you got a few things going for ya on this. So, when I'm ready… I'm gonna keep _you_ in mind."

Caesar was at a loss for words. "W-Wait, what?!"

"WHAT?!" Both Jaune and Rex exclaimed at the same time.

"Huh, well holy crap." Noire grinned. "Guess a few nice words can really turn things around quick."

"To say the least." Verte muttered.

Blanche wore a guilty face as she continued. "And, uh… sorry for flicking your nose. So whaddya say, Nerd Boy?"

After a few seconds of staring at her incredulously, an apprehensive smile gave to Caesar's face. "Hah, well, okay! I'll take it."

"Great, glad to hear it!" Blanche said with a thumbs up. _'This guy is so incredibly weird… but he knows how to make a great first impression.'_

As all of this went on, Jaune and Rex simply watched on, their jaws practically on the floor. "Dude… did I just hear _my_ sister say that _your_ brother has a shot with her?" the blonde knight uttered.

"Yes, yes I did." Rex answered before spinning around on his heel and walking over to the stairs. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need a nice long, cold shower so that I can reflect on WHAT THE HELL I JUST WITNESSED!"

Ben simply rolled his eyes and smirked up to the ascending EVO. "Ah, c'mon, Rex! It could've been worse."

Rex rounded about toward his friend and pointed at him. "REALLY?! Well then tell me, how COULD it have been worse, Ben?"

His grin unwavering, Ben gave his answer; "He could've sung "Despacito" to her."

An aghast expression came to Rex's face and he took a deep breath, almost as if he were ready to counter such a claim… but he quickly realized that the hero was right. "…You raise a VERY good point, dude." He sent a serious gaze in Ben's direction. "But don't EVER mention that song again, got it?! We've got enough memes in this household, thank you!"

"On that, we can agree." Ben nodded.

But Ruby was evidently not satisfied. "Uh… what's "Despacito"?"

"When you're older, Ruby." Rex answered as he began going up the steps.

"What's that supposed to—"

Rex's head snapped back and he yelled; "When you're OLDER!" With that, Rex quickly ran up the stairs, hoping to escape the cavalcade of questions that Ruby no doubt wanted to bombard him with.

The Hooded Huntress simply pouted and folded her arms in a huff. "I'm old enough."

"Well, I wouldn't worry about it, Ruby." Violette waved off. "Rex is probably just blowing things out of proportion." She eyed the elder Salazar and asked; "Right, Caesar?"

Caesar cringed slightly at her question. _'No, innocent little Vi, no he is not.'_ All the same, he cleared his throat and let out a chortle. "Heh, well, _mi hermano_ WAS always someone who'd overhype things! Haha!" He could practically _hear_ the anxiety in his own laugh, and he could tell by the judging eyes from everyone in the room that THEY could as well. Clapping his hands together, the scientist whirled around over to Raven, who was still stirring the stew in the large pot in front of her. "SO! Is dinner ready yet?"

"Almost." Raven answered. "Just a few more minutes and…"

At that moment though, everyone could hear the front door opening, followed by an exhausted breath. "Hah… I'm home!"

Yang and Ruby brightened up instantly at the sound of their father coming in, with Raven's head also perking up slightly. "Hey dad!" Ruby called out. "You're just in time! Dinner's almost ready."

Tai gave out a laugh the moment he entered the room, seeing the whole group gathered around. "Well, I'm just glad that YOU guys were all able to make it back in time for dinner…" However, he trailed off when he saw Caesar standing off to the side, though he quickly returned to being friendly a moment after. "Ah, and THIS must be Rex's brother!" He extended his hand and greeted; "Hi there, I'm Yang and Ruby's dad, Tai Xiao Long."

" _Hola_." Caesar returned while accepting the handshake. "I'm Caesar. It's a pleasure, Tai."

"Likewise." Tai nodded before raising a brow toward him. "Say, uh, just a little question, hope you don't mind me asking. But, um… are you staying here with us, too?"

Caesar blinked before uttering; "Uh… no, I'm going to be staying up at Beacon."

"Phew, thank goodness." Tai sighed in relief. "Because let me tell you, we CANNOT have any more people sleeping in this house. We're at max capacity."

Yang slightly narrowed her eyes at her father. "You're lucky we are, dad. Because if we weren't, he WOULD be staying here."

"That's right, Tai." Raven jumped in while moving from the stove and over to Tai's left side. She placed a hand on her hip and pointed an accusing finger at him. "It would be rather rude to refuse a guest, wouldn't you say?"

Tai raised his hands defensively. "Well, yes, of course. I'm just saying, we don't have any more room NOW, so…"

Raven put her own hand up, bringing his words to a halt. "I understand." A wry grin then came to the woman's face. "But how was YOUR day at school?"

"Ugh, murder." Tai went over and sat down at the table, taking the last available seat. "Parent-teacher conferences SUCK."

Across the way, Rouge couldn't help but let out a groan of her own. "Ugh, tell me about it." she concurred. "I'm an elementary school teacher and I have to say, some parents just do NOT know what their own children need."

"EXACTLY!" Tai cried out. "I mean, complaining that their son's battle axe is too heavy when he can EASILY lift it himself?! What sense does THAT make?!"

There was yet another long pause before Rouge spoke up. "…Okay, I think we've come across a big difference here."

* * *

About an hour later, after everyone had eaten their dinner and the Arc Sisters had departed back to their hotel, the team had gathered in the living room. With them were both Max and Raven, the two standing near the entry way of the room while focused on the team. However, the Spring Maiden was currently smirking in victory, with the elderly Plumber next to her also smiling knowingly. "So children, I suppose my goat meat stew wasn't as bad as you thought it would be?" she goaded.

As much as most of them didn't want to admit it, the stew WAS very good. "Well… no, I guess it wasn't." Ben admitted.

Max nodded in approval. "See, Ben? I told you and Gwen that your taste buds would start liking different things the older you got."

Gwen sighed and shrugged. "Okay grandpa, you weren't wrong there…" She then pointed a strict finger to him. "But we're still not eating insect larvae."

"Haha, hey, I'll take what I can get." Max chortled.

"A fair compromise." Raven concurred before saluting to the group, making her way back toward the kitchen. "Well, if you need the rest of us, you know where to find us."

In the center of the room near the large white containment unit, Caesar and Winter were standing across from each other, with the crate in between both of them. The scientist gave the military specialist a single nod and gestured to the container. "Well, Winter. I was given strict orders to have you open this first." he reminded. "So… are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Winter said before taking a deep breath. _'Okay, Kenny, let's see what you sent me.'_ The white-haired young woman reached down and attempted to open the container… only to realize it was sealed shut. "Um… is there a way to open this?"

"Oh! Right, _lo siento_." Caesar apologized before putting in a code into the small keypad in the front of the container, with a light on its top changing from red to green. "There ya go, it should open up easy now."

Winter nodded before reaching down and grabbing the handles on top of the container, pulling them up and allowing the two hatches to open. There, she saw a whole bunch of things, including a large cardboard box and, oddly enough, numerous snack items. However, what Winter was focused on was the large rolled up piece of paper that was lying on the very top of the box, complete with a rubber band and a note that said; "To Winter". "…Oh my." Winter uttered in surprise.

"Called it!" Gwen exclaimed as she and Weiss drew closer. "Totally knew it was an art piece!"

"Oh my gosh, that is the sweetest thing!" Weiss added. "He DREW you something!"

Across the room Ilia couldn't help but smile as Winter plucked the roll of paper out of the package. "Wow, I didn't know Kenny was an artist."

"Not JUST an artist." Gwen explained. "He actually wants to be an animator. It's slow going, but I know he can do it." She directed her gaze back to Winter with an eager grin. "Well? Are ya gonna open it?"

Winter sent her a stern face. "Have patience, Gwendolyn. I'm working on it…" She reached for the note first and flipped it over, her eyes scanning over it slowly as she took in the words on the page. The more she did though, the more her smile began to increase, an excited feeling beginning to work its way up into her. "Oh… well don't YOU have a way with words, Ken?"

Nora burst out from the crowd excitedly. "Well?! Don't keep us in suspense! What did he say?!"

However, Winter held the letter close to her chest. "I'm sorry, but these words are for me and me alone." She folded the letter up and put it in her pocket. "But I CAN tell you that he's been working on this painting for a while… and it IS meant for me."

If possible, Weiss became even more exhilarated. "Ooh! A painting! He really went all out with this one!"

"No kidding." Gwen affirmed. "My brother's great at drawing, but he must've been really motivated to break out his acrylics."

"Well, may we at least see the painting?" Pyrrha asked.

"You may." Winter said before taking another breath. She pulled the rubber band off, but made sure to keep the paper rolled up, preparing herself to gaze upon the "Alright… here is… "A Warm Winter's Night"."

The whole group did a double take at the title. "…Isn't that kind of an oxymoron?" Ren asked.

"I wouldn't call her gift moronic, dude." Neptune piped up.

Sun gave his friend a light smack to the back of the head. "Not THAT kind of moron, Neptune."

"ANYWAY." Winter spoke firmly, successfully silencing everybody. "…As I was saying, "A Warm Winter's Night"." With that, she unfurled the paper, and in doing so, she let out a gasp. _'It's… beautiful.'_

Those were the only words she could think of when gazing upon the painting in her hands. It was certainly a winter night piece, complete with snow on the ground, pine trees with snow on their branches, an iced-over lake in the center, and large white mountains off in the distance. Near the shore of the lake, there was a large log cabin with a warm light coming from the window, which shone across the ground perfectly while smoke billowed up from its stone chimney. However, what was truly spectacular about the piece was the moon in the starry night sky, which cast a bright light across the entire landscape. It even made the black night sky turn blue around it.

Winter felt like she was being absorbed into the painting itself, almost as if she were really there. So much so that she felt a chill go through her… though that COULD also have been the tingly feeling she felt in the pit of her stomach. _'He painted THIS… for me.'_ Once she was able comprehend that and every other detail of the painting, Winter noticed that there were also two people on the shore of the lake, though their backs were facing her. She could tell that one was a man, dressed in a long, red winter coat, blue jeans, and a black, furry hat. Next to him was a woman, herself wearing a white coat and hat and in a pair of black leggings and white boots. She smiled knowingly to herself after noticing the man having draped his arm around the woman's shoulders as they gazed out across the lake. _'Well… I wonder who THOSE two could be.'_

Next to her, Weiss and Gwen let out simultaneous gasps, with Weiss almost falling down because of her knees buckling. "That… that's… that's SO beautiful!" the heiress exclaimed.

"I… I'm at a loss for words." Gwen uttered as her eyes scanned the painting. "Kenny has NEVER put in this much effort into his painting before."

Kevin sauntered up and leaned in to get a better look, still skeptical about the whole thing. "Alright, alright, let's not overhype it _that_ much—HOLY SHIT!" The Osmosian immediately ate his words as his eyes hit the paper. "Did… did he just paint an original Bob Ross or something?!"

"Damn, I wouldn't be surprised if he at least took some inspiration from Bob Ross' work." Rex granted. "Because THAT is freaking amazing."

Ben wore a big grin and nodded in approval. "Yeah, I mean, I knew my cousin was talented, but WOW."

Once everyone else had seen the painting, Winter lowered it down and said; "I feel like I need to frame this." She directed her eyes to Ruby. "Is there any place that sells large frames here?"

Ruby beamed back at her and raised her hand. "Funny you should mention that, because there IS an art shop right in town! It's not far from Miss Tiger Lily's, actually."

"Then I know what I'm doing tomorrow." Winter promised resolutely. "I'm sticking this gorgeous art piece in a frame, and then I'm going to take it right back to Bellwood." However, she quickly realized something; "…But then again, I would have nowhere to hang it."

Gwen placed a reassuring hand on Winter's shoulder. "It's alright, Winter. I have a feeling you guys are going to be bunking with us at our houses for at least a while." She sent her a thumbs up. "My family has plenty of guest rooms, so you can ALWAYS bunk at my place if you want."

The military specialist sent Gwen a grateful smile. "Thank you, Gwendolyn. Though I must say… I'm not sure how comfortable your parents would be with me living under the same roof as Kenny." A blush came to her cheeks as an awkward expression formed on her face. "Even if our relationship isn't at… well, THAT point yet, I'm still willing to bet they wouldn't be for it."

Gwen bobbed her head from side to side, thinking over Winter's words. "Eh, you've got a point… but I'm sure we can work SOMETHING out." She pointed a finger to her. "After all, I'm not about to just leave you out on your own, you know."

"Hm, thank you, Gwendolyn." Winter smiled graciously. "I am grateful to have you speaking on my behalf in that regard." She shifted her eyes toward Ben and nudged her head toward the black container. "Well, Benjamin, I retrieved my surprise, now it is time for yours."

"Thanks, Winter." Ben saluted before moving toward the crate. The first thing he took notice of was a slew of different snack foods; cookies, crackers, chips, and even a few eight packs of small soda bottles, all different types. "Huh… I did _not_ expect our parents to send food." The next thing he noticed though was the cardboard box, which had its own note taped to it that said; "To Ben, Gwen and Kevin". Ben reached in and hefted the box out of the container, inspecting it with a raised brow. "Hm, and I wonder what THIS could be?"

"Didn't think your parents would be sending over anymore BIG stuff, either." Yang pointed out. "Especially when we'll be over there in, like, a few days at most."

Blake tilted her head to the side. "Maybe the note explains a bit more?"

"Just what I was thinkin'." Kevin said as he pulled the note off the box and handed it to Gwen. "Let's see what's up."

The Anodite gave her boyfriend a narrow-eyed glance as she plucked the letter out of his hands. "Wow, Kevin, really? You grab the note only to give it to _me_ to read?"

"What can I say? You're a lot more… eloquent at reading letters than I am." Kevin countered.

"…Touché." Gwen granted before focusing on the piece of paper in her hands, clearing her throat before reading it aloud. "Let's see… Dear Ben, Gwen and Kevin. While we know that you and your new friends will soon be back home, we can't help but still think of you being in Remnant, even at this moment. Yes, we sent you two game consoles already, but this time, we're sending over something different. Think of it as a "sneak peek" of what your friends can expect when they come to Earth." Gwen reached down and pulled out a big white and bag of fish-shaped crackers, labeled 'Goldfish' on the front. "Enclosed you'll find a whole bunch of snack foods, and we hope that you'll put them to good use, even if you don't finish them before you get back home. Maybe you could even throw a little party together with them if you want! Think of it as a pre-homecoming celebration."

Rex glanced into the white container with a surprised face. "…Ya think they kinda over did it?"

Caesar shrugged and gestured to the large, white box. "That's what _I_ told them! You wanna know what Ben's mom said? "Ah, relax, Caesar, I'm sure they'll be able to put it all away somewhere!"."

Ben leaned into the container and pulled out a party-sized bag of chocolate wafer cookies with white cream in the middle, labeled 'Oreos'. "Hey, I've got Oreos, so I'm not complaining!" He lifted the tab and pulled one of the cookies out, holding it up for all to see. "Any one wanna try 'em?"

"Ooh! Ooh! ME!" Nora shouted as she zipped over.

"I wanna try too!" Ruby joined in.

Penny immediately bolted over as well. "That goes triple for me!"

"Hehe, alright, alright." Ben chuckled as he began passing out one Oreo each, not just to the three girls, but to everyone else as well. The last person he handed one out to was Weiss, who took the small cookie with a single brow raised. "Now just be warned, once you taste an Oreo, you won't be able to go back, understand?"

Weiss rolled her eyes at this. "Oh, c'mon, Ben, they can't be that—"

_Crunch!_ "AAH!" Everyone's heads whipped around to Nora, the Pink Dynamo's eyes glistening for what had to be the third time that day. She held the half-eaten Oreo in her hand and her smile was as wide as ever, not even caring that there were still bits of chocolate cookie in her teeth. "Oh. My. GOD! This HAS to be one of the best cookies I've ever had!"

A few more crunches followed, with many quickly agreeing with her. "Oh… wow, this is probably VERY unhealthy." Pyrrha pointed out. "But they ARE very good."

Ruby had fallen flat onto her back, almost in a catatonic state. "I have died and gone to sweet cookie heaven! Please, no body try to resurrect me, I am VERY much at peace!"

"Wait, are you guys serious?" Weiss asked, still gazing at the cookie with scrutiny. "Seriously, it CAN'T be that—" _Crunch!_ The heiress took a bite of the Oreo and her eyes widened instantly, and all of her doubt had been put to bed. "Oh… oh god, I think I'm getting a cavity already."

"Haha! The non-believer has been proven wrong!" Rex laughed.

Weiss narrowed her eyes at him again. "Oh, quiet you."

"Heh, not bad." Yang nodded in approval. "Kind of a bit crunchier than I like, but still good."

Kevin was quick to address her comment. "Oh, if you think they're too hard, you should try dipping 'em in milk. Then they're REALLY great."

"I don't doubt it!" Sun exclaimed. "I'll bet these things taste AWESOME in milk."

Next to him, Blake contently chewed on her own Oreo, swallowing it before speaking up. "Ooh, I think I could already go for a glass just to chase it down."

"Yeah, these are amazing!" Ilia concurred before she set her gaze onto the container again. "And if these cookies are good… then think of what all that OTHER stuff must be like."

Just as everyone was about to clamor for more snacks, Gwen stepped in front of the container with her arms outstretched, still holding the letter in her hand. "Woah, woah, woah, okay people, let's settle down for a moment here." She pulled the note up and pointed to it. "There's still a bit left in the box after all…" She then directed her finger down toward the cardboard box. "And I'll bet it has something to do with that, so let's… huh?" Gwen peered closer to the paper and was surprised to see that the next part was directed specifically to her cousin. "Oh, Ben, this next part's for you to read."

"Oh! Okay then…" Ben reached out and took the letter, his eyes going down to the next paragraph, which he instantly recognized as his father's handwriting. "Ben, don't know if you can tell, but this is your dad writing now." The young hero smirked to himself and rolled his eyes. "Geez dad, give me at least SOME benefit of the doubt." The group around him laughed at little at his joke before he continued. "You might be wondering what the deal is with the giant cardboard box. Well, let's just say that a few packages arrived… for… you…" Ben's eyes snapped toward the box and his jaw dropped. "…No way."

Gwen crossed her arms, furrowing her brows at her cousin. " _Ben_ , finish the letter _first_." she scolded

"Right, right, sorry." Ben apologized before continuing with the letter. "Let's see, uh… I know we usually share this hobby together whenever we get packages like these, but I think in this case, you should share it with your friends first. Give them a taste of how fun these figures can be. I'm a patient man, I can wait. I DID take the bubble wrap off for you though, so there ya go. For now, have fun! And we hope Winter enjoys her gift as well."

"I do, thank you." Winter smiled.

"With all our love, the Tennyson's." Ben finished.

That caught everyone's attention. "Wait… "figures"?" Ren repeated. "As in… "action figures"?"

"Exactly!" Ben shouted excitedly before zipping over toward the box, almost as fast as Nora would. "Alright, so… this is gonna seem kinda nerdy…"

Yang shook her head and smiled down to her boyfriend. "Ben, like I said before, we're ALL huge nerds. You might be a slightly BIGGER nerd, but we get it all the same." She strolled up and sat down next to him in front of the box, patting it on the top. "Now what's exactly IN this bad boy?"

Ben took a deep breath and proceeded to pull the tape off of the top of it. "Okay, remember how I said my dad had a HUGE collection of Transformers and other 80's toys in our basement that he's kept since his childhood?"

Most of the room murmured in agreement aside from Penny and Ilia, the two still somewhat confused. "Your father keeps plastic toys in your basement?" Penny inquired. "That seems… a bit…"

"Much." Ilia finished. "A bit much."

Ben sent her a small shrug. "Eh, everyone's got their hobbies, and this one just happens to be ours. Because… he and I STILL collect toys, even to this day." He raised a single finger up to them. "Believe it or not, I actually used to be _worse_ , at least up until a few years ago. When I was younger, I collected these _other_ toys called Sumo Slammers, too."

Jaune folded his arms. "And I'm guessing you fell out of that?"

"Well… yeah." Ben shrugged with a slightly saddened expression. "Honestly, the franchise kinda fell downhill after the second movie. The cartoon got a kidified reboot which wasn't very good and the toys just kinda felt cheap, so I fell out of the franchise." His smiled returned not a second later. "But if anything, Transformers have actually gotten BETTER, especially where their main Generations line is concerned. And if I'm right…" Ben pulled the tops of the box open just a bit and peeked inside, an excited laugh escaping his lips. "Heehee! I'm right!"

Ruby sat up from her Oreo-induced coma and scooted over to Ben and her sister. "Well?! Don't keep us in suspense!"

Ben stood up and reached down into the cardboard box, rummaging around until he had a good grip on what was in it. "Ladies and gentlemen… may I present… the last wave of the Generations War for Cybertron: Siege toy line!" From the box, he pulled out four smaller boxes, these ones black and red in color. And what's more, each box had clear plastic window in the front, displaying a different robot inside of them.

Yang, Ruby, Nora and many of the guys began ogling at the robots themselves. "Ha! No way!" Yang reached for the biggest box, containing the Decepticon known as Astrotrain. "This is awesome!" She flipped the box over and she let out a gasp. "AH! …He becomes a train AND a shuttle?! That tears it, I'm cracking this thing open."

"I'm right there with ya!" Sun exclaimed as he reached for the Voyager Class Apeface, all while giving Ben a grin. "I always thought these things were a neat concept for a toy since you showed us the show!"

"And now we get to actually mess with some of 'em!" Neptune added as he took the Deluxe Class Spinister. "And look at these freaking NAMES! They're awesome! I mean… _Spinister_?! _Apeface_?! Brilliant, just _brilliant_."

"Yeah, I… wait." Ruby quirked a brow at the final box that Sun was holding, containing the eponymous Apeface. "What the heck kind of a name is "Apeface"?"

Ben chuckled as he handed the last box to her, containing the Deluxe Autobot Crosshairs. "The name of a Decepticon that my dad was WAITING for a Generations update on. I'm surprised he didn't at least keep THAT one. But… these aren't even ALL the ones in the box!" Ben bent down again and flipped over the box, which sent _six_ more boxes with Transformers in them tumbling onto the floor, though the hero made sure he was gentle with it. He tossed the large cardboard box away and spread his arms out toward the boxes in front of him, these ones mainly black and green. "Guys, may I present the FIRST wave of the Generations War for Cybertron: Earthrise toy line! …Man, that's a mouthful!"

"And that's a LOT of plastic." Blake commented before reaching down and picking up the box containing the Deluxe Class Autobot Hoist. "How much does your dad SPEND on these things?"

"Oh don't worry, he and mom can still pay the bills." Ben answered. "He's a contractor so he makes quite a bit."

Nora zipped over and picked up the box containing the Autobot Wheeljack. "Well, glad to hear it! Because I know what WE'RE all doing tonight!"

Penny moved over and picked up Autobot Grapple, which she immediately began opening. "I second that! Being a robot is one thing, but robots that are able to change their shape into other things is fascinating to me!"

"Indeed." Pyrrha agreed as she picked up Starscream's box. "Jaune, would you like to take one as well?"

His interest piqued, Jaune moved over to another box on the floor, this one containing the smallest out of all the Autobots there. He picked it up and examined it with intrigue. "Hmm… Cliffjumper, eh? Alright, let's see what ya got, little man." The blonde knight was about to stand up when he noticed one larger box left, and he instantly recognized the bot inside. "Woah! It's an Optimus Prime toy!" However, he then noticed that Ben was already eyeing it as well. "…And I'm guessing you want first crack at it."

Ben's eyes moved over to his friend. "Jaune, I've been waiting SIX months for that Prime toy. Trust me, I wanna go at it first."

Jaune raised his hand up and stepped away from Optimus' box. "Hey, no skin of my bones, chief. It's your package, so if you want the boss bot, then that's alright with me." He shook Cliffjumper's box in his hand. "I'm perfectly happy with Cliff here."

A bright smile came to Ben's face and he rushed toward the box, giving Jaune a thankful bow. "Thanks, dude. Knew you'd understand." He then craned his head down back into the black container, which was still filled with the snack food that their parents had sent over. "Man… they are just spoiling us _rotten_ , aren't they?"

"That they are." Gwen concurred, folding her arms with a smile. "Though I think sending over the toys might've been a BIT much."

"No kidding." Kevin spoke up. "Dude, has anyone ever told you that your dad's a huge nerd?"

Back near the entryway, Max could only chuckle at that. "Hehe, like father like son, I suppose." The old Plumber turned toward the kitchen while waving out toward the living room. "I'm gonna go get you kids some bowls to put all your snacks in, then this party can REALLY get started."

"Thanks grandpa." Ben bowed his head slightly before his grandpa left.

Weiss raised a brow as she watched Ruby take Crosshairs out of his box. "I'm not sure I really get the appeal of these toys. We're all, what, at _least_ eighteen? Shouldn't we all have grown out of this phase by now?"

"Hey, don't knock it till ya try it!" Yang called over while holding up Astrotrain, having just removed the toy from its box. "I mean, I just opened him up and already I'm digging him!" She held up a small purple and grey box that came packaged with the toy. "He's even got a little tender car that can hold all his weapons! That's freaking awesome!"

Rex gave Weiss' shoulder a nudge with his elbow. "Yeah, Ice Princess. C'mon, lighten up and have a little fun, huh?" He shifted his eyes over to the cardboard box to see that there was yet still one more Earthrise figure left in it, much to his surprise. He went over and grabbed the smaller box, finding that it belonged to an Autobot called Ironworks. "C'mon, why don't we have a bit of fun with Ironworks here?" He presented the toy to Weiss and began poking her shoulder with it. "Huh? Huh? Whaddya say, Weiss?"

"…If it'll get you to stop pestering me with it, Robo-dolt, then _fine_." Weiss relented begrudgingly

Back against the far wall, Winter, Ilia, Ren and Caesar simply watched on, the latter letting an amused laugh at Rex and Weiss' banter. "Hehe, well, I'm just glad that everybody's having a good time." The scientist said with a sigh. "Man, after a day like today though, I could definitely use a little celebration."

"Hm." Ren nodded. "I can certainly agree with that… even if our team didn't exactly go through all the same stuff you guys did."

Ilia raised a reassuring hand to him. "Ah, it's alright. Trust me, you're LUCKY that you didn't have to experience the stuff we did." She put a ponderous hand to her chin in thought. "Still… I wonder how the others are doing back in Ben's world? Do you think they'll be able to even _find_ Bashmouth?"

"He isn't exactly hard to miss, Ilia." Winter reminded. "A moving mountain of fur is anything but subtle, you know." The military specialist glanced back toward her painting, the one that Kenny had so expertly made for her, and her eyes widened. "…Although, I DO have to make another call over there." She stepped over to Ben and got his attention, tapping his shoulder before he could open Optimus Prime's box. "Benjamin, I need you for just a _quick_ second, please. I wish to call Ken before it gets too late."

"Oh, I get ya." Ben assured as he set Prime's box next to Yang. "C'mon, let's go." Before he left though, he pointed to Yang and gave her a wink. "Hey, how about once we get used to our Transformers, we swap em?"

Yang winked right back at him. "You got it, Green Boy. Catch ya soon!"

With that, both Winter and Ben began making their way back toward the basement door, only to notice that Raven, Tai, Athena and Holiday were all convened at the kitchen table, seemingly having a small talk. In turn, Raven saw them approaching and she lifted her head up to them. "So, I take it that you kids are enjoying your little care package?"

"Heh, Max told us that you guys got QUITE the amount of food." Tai chuckled.

Holiday quirked a single eyebrow. "And did I hear something about your dad sending… Transformers?"

Ben let out a laugh and glanced toward Winter, silently telling her that he'd be a minute. She nodded in understanding and set a hand to his shoulder. "No problem. You talk to them, I'll go get the communicator."

"Thanks." Ben grinned back before focusing back on the adults. "Yeah, our parents may have overdid it a bit, but hey, I'm still grateful for it all. They really didn't have to send all of that stuff, but they did."

Athena smiled happily at his words. "You must have some amazing parents, Ben. I'm sure they miss you all very much."

"Yeah, I know they do…" The hero's eyes trailed over to Tai and Raven as an apprehensive feeling entered his gut, nervous about what he was going to say next. _'I've been wanting to ask them for some time now… maybe now's a good a time as ever.'_

However, Raven seemed to notice the young man's nervous state, making her tilt her head. "Are you okay, Ben? You seem a bit… _off_ all of a sudden."

"Yeah Ben, you okay?" Tai pressed further.

Ben stood at attention, his nerves growing as he was found out. "O-Oh, well… you see, I was just thinking about something and—" He was cut off when he felt nudge to his shoulder, making him turn to see his grandfather smiling at him. The old man gave him a silent nod before going back to the living room, carrying multiple plastic bowls with him. With his confidence boosted, Ben's smile returned and he faced Raven and Tai once again. "I was hoping… if you guys would like to come back to my world with us… so you can meet my parents."

The shocked expressions on both Tai and Raven's faces were pretty much immediate, the two looking at each other before going back to Ben. "You… want us to meet your parents?" Raven reiterated.

"Like, an _in-person_ meeting?" Tai added.

"Y-Yeah." Ben confirmed. "I-I mean you don't HAVE to say yes if you don't want to. I know there ARE a bunch of more important things than need to be taken care of, but—"

Within a second, Raven stood up and went over to Ben, setting both hands on his shoulder. "Ben, slow down." she said reassuringly. "We would be _honored_ to meet your parents."

Ben's eyes widened in astonishment. "W-Wait, you WOULD?!"

"Of course!" Tai supported, moving over next to Raven. "Listen, I know what you're going through here, son. Every boy is scared to introduce his parents to his girlfriend's parents, but I promise that THIS will not be like some of those situations."

"Ben, I'm sure your parents are very good people." Raven reinforced. "Otherwise they wouldn't have sent you all of these things to you from across dimensions. We'll come with you to meet your family." She sent him a small shrug. "Admittedly, we don't know how long we'll be able to _stay_ there, but…"

"It's alright." Ben said with a raised hand. "I understand. You've got other responsibilities to handle here, I get it."

Tai sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, as much as we don't wanna admit it, we've got tons of junk to do here." He gave Ben a thumbs up. "But we'll be sure to spend as much time as we can with your folks."

Much to Ben's surprise, Raven pulled him in for a quick side hug. "And that's a promise." She pulled away and nudged her head toward the basement door. "Now go on. Winter's waiting for you."

"Right… and thanks again, guys." With that, Ben began making his way down to the basement… only to hear two voices already speaking to one another. He moved down further to find both Winter and Kenny already on the line, much to his surprise. _'Huh, guess there was a bit of battery left from earlier.'_ he figured.

Winter held up the painting up so that Kenny could see it, a wry grin having made its way onto her face. "Alright… as sweet as this is… you didn't have to do this, Ken. I LOVE it, don't get me wrong, but you didn't have to put in so much—"

" _Effort?"_ Kenny guessed with a grin of his own. _"No, maybe I didn't… but I WANTED to."_ He leaned forward with a smitten expression on his face. _"Because quite honestly… you're WORTH putting in all that effort, Winter. And I'm SO glad that you like it."_

Winter put a hand over her chest, a rather stunned face overtaking her features as a few tears came to her eyes. "…Kenny, I… I really don't know what to say." Her lips curled back up, this time into a smile that was completely heartfelt. "But I think I can start by saying… thank you. And your letter was very sweet, too."

" _Heh, thank you too, Winter."_ Kenny returned before noticing Ben in the background. _"Hey! There's my favorite cousin!"_

Winter whipped her head around and saw Ben, raising her hand to him as he came closer. "Oh, Ben! I… I decided to test it on a whim to see if it still had any energy left."

"Well I guess it did." Ben said before changing into Feedback immediately. "But all the same… let's get ya charged up!" The Conductoid plugged himself into the communicator and began charging the battery, allowing Kenny to stay on the line. "Hey, Ken, when you see our parents, tell 'em thanks for sending all of that cool stuff, okay?"

" _Will do."_ Kenny nodded. _"They all went out together for a bit, but I'll make sure to relay your message…"_ The redhead then noticed his cousin beaming with excitement, which managed to pique his interest. _"Hey, uh… what's with the happy face, Ben? Something happen or what?"_

"…Let's just say I convinced two really awesome people to come back over to our world with us." Feedback answered. "At least for a little while."

* * *

Meanwhile, back upstairs in the kitchen, Tai and Raven were still standing together, staring at the basement door where Ben had gone down. The tribe leader set her gaze upon the taller blonde next to her and smiled up to him. "You know… he's a great kid."

"Yeah, he'll make a great son-in-law someday, I'm sure." Tai agreed.

"Already making THAT prediction, huh?" Raven countered.

Tai rolled his eyes and put his hands on his hips. "Ah, c'mon, you KNOW the grandchildren we'd get from them would be _gorgeous_."

Raven was about to argue… but she couldn't find any fault with his logic. "…Fair point, Tai." She then sent him a wink. "But that would imply BOTH of their grandparents would be in their lives, right?"

"Oh, ah, ahem… I uh… heh." Tai chuckled nervously. "Well, uh, I was just uh…" But before he could finish, he felt Raven put her hand on his arm, a small smile on her face.

"I know what you meant." the Spring Maiden said softly. "Later tonight… meet me outside in the backyard."

Tai's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Um… alright, what's up?"

"There's something that I need to talk to you about. Something that's been… a long time coming."

* * *

It had been a couple hours since the team had opened their rather sizable gift from the Tennyson's, and in that time, their small party had gotten into full swing. It wasn't anything major, no dancing, music or anything like that. Just a ton of snacks, friends talking to one another, and of course… playing with action figures. "Starscream, you and the Decepticons are finished!" Ben exclaimed while putting on a deep, gravelly voice, emulating Optimus Prime as he made the figure point its gun at the Starscream figure.

"On the contrary, Prime!" Kevin shouted back, making his voice high-pitched. "We have only JUST begun! And with this, Megatron will FINALLY see who is fit to lead the Decepticons!"

"Fat chance!" Jaune shouted while ramming Cliffjumper in his car mode right at Starscream's legs, forcing Kevin to send the Seeker tumbling over. "Haha! Take that, Decepti-creep! That'll teach ya not to mess with the Auto—hey!"

Next to him, Pyrrha made Crosshairs reach his arm out and yell; "Cliffjumper, NO!"

Yang had suddenly plonked Astrotrain right on top of Cliffjumper, making Jaune stop in his tracks. "Lucky shot, Auto-bum!" the Blonde Brawler growled in a deep voice. "But it'll take more than that to stop Astrotrain!"

"Aw, c'mon, Yang!" Jaune whined. "We were winning!"

"All's fair in love and war, Vomit Boy!"

Pyrrha made Crosshairs point his rocket launcher at Astrotrain. "Oh, is that so?! Well, I'll just have to—"

Suddenly, from behind them, they heard someone clear their throat, making all four of them shift their eyes up to see Raven standing above them. The woman was giving them a perplexed face, her arms crossed in curiosity. "Well… are we having fun playing pretend, children?"

The five teens all flushed red as Gwen spoke on their behalf. "Oh, trust me, those guys have been going at it for a WHILE now." She explained while gesturing around the room. "In fact, EVERYONE has."

Over near the TV, Nora, Rex and Ruby were huddled together as well, with Weiss, Caesar and Ren watching from the couch. Penny and Ilia were also watching, the two sitting in the chairs on either side of the coffee table… which was currently being used as a battle ground. "You'll NEVA take us alive, Apeface!" Nora said in a raspy city accent as she made Wheeljack point his rocket launcher at the Apeface figure, which was in its gorilla mode.

"Wanna bet?!" Ruby countered in the deepest voice she could muster, which wasn't exactly all that deep to begin with. "I'm gonna wreck you, Autobot!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Rex said as he began taking Ironworks apart bit by bit, transforming the robot into a set of armor for the Wheeljack figure to use. "Let's see how you like it when TWO Autobots work together!"

Ruby merely smiled and reached for Apeface's head, pulling it out of the small hole in the gorilla's face before unfolding it, revealing it to be yet another, if extremely tiny, robot. "Well that goes double for us!" she said in a tiny voice. "So says SPASMA!" It was then thought that Ruby noticed Raven standing at the entryway, and she greeted her with a bright smile. "Oh! Hi, Raven!"

Meanwhile, over with Blake, Sun and Neptune, the three were also playing with Hoist, Grapple and Spinister respectively. But they immediately stopped and made to hid their figures when they saw Raven as well. "O-Oh, hey there, Raven!" Blake greeted as well. "How're you doing?"

"I'm fine…" Raven said with a sly grin. "But I must ask… what ARE you all doing?"

"N-Nothing!" Sun said with embarrassment. "Nothing at all."

"We certainly weren't PLAYING with toys if that's what you were—OOF!" Neptune received an elbow in the gut from both Blake and Sun, making his lips seal immediately.

If anything, though, this just made Raven laugh. "Hahaha! Oh for god's sake, kids. Does it LOOK like I care if you're playing with toys or not?"

Ben and his group stood up, still holding their respective figures. "Well… considering how serious you usually take things…"

"Oh relax, this IS supposed to be a _party_ , isn't it?" Raven went over to a large table that had been set up on the other end of the room, one which had several different snack bowls and soda bottles on it. She approached one of the small bowls and grabbed a handful of goldfish-shaped crackers from it. "I mean, really, you're so close to going back to Earth. This SHOULD be a time for fun." She put one of the crackers in her mouth and her eyebrows rose immediately. "Mm, say, these aren't half bad."

"I KNOW, right?" Penny supported. "Try the Reese's peanut butter cups, they're to DIE for."

Weiss rubbed her cheek with one hand. "I swear, all these Earth snacks ARE going to give me a cavity at some point."

"Haha! Maybe so." Caesar laughed before taking a swing of his soda. "But hey, everyone has to see a dentist at SOME point, like it or not."

Ren went over and grabbing a tiny Twix bar from one of the candy bowls. "Right, but for now, a _little_ indulgence won't hurt." He opened it up and was about to take a bite, but at the very last second, it was plucked from his hands, much to his confusion. "Huh?! What the—"

"True, but a little indulgence can go a LONG way." Everyone could only stare on in utter shock when they saw none other than Professor Paradox, the time traveler observing the tiny piece of chocolate closely. "Of course, I'm not one to talk considering I always carry gumballs with me. But I suppose we all have a sweet tooth, now don't' we?" In less than half a second, the quirky time traveler suddenly found himself once again on the business end of a blade, the tip of Raven's blood red sword now almost touching his chin. "Ah, yes! I see that the Spring Maiden is here."

Over near the couch, Ilia's jaw dropped. "W-where'd HE come from?!"

Paradox then shifted his gaze over to her as well. "Ah, and young Ilia! It seems the gang is all here, now aren't they?"

"QUIET!" Raven barked. "Who are you and what're you doing in this house?!"

"Raven!" Ben shouted in a panic, almost dropping Optimus.

Yang set Astrotrain down and booked it over to her mother, attempting to reach out to her. "Mom, wait, he's—"

"Yang, stay away, I'll protect you kids!" Raven warned before furrowing her brows toward Paradox. "Listen, buster, I don't know who you are, where you came from or how you got in here, but if you know what's good for you, you'll LEAVE my family's home!"

"My, my, I always seem to start a fuss whenever I come by." Paradox set his eyes to Ben with a calm smile, despite the situation he was in. "Ben, I suppose some explanations are once again in order?"

At this, Raven's face relaxed, her enraged expression replaced with one of confusion as she set her eyes onto Ben. "Wait… do you _know_ him?"

Ben wore a deadpan face. "YES. That's what we were _trying_ to tell you." The hero sighed and moved over to the two adults and got in between them, with Raven lowering her sword. "Raven, this is Professor Paradox, the time traveling friend of mine that we mentioned to you."

"Oh, I see." Raven put a hand to her chin as she narrowed her eyes at Paradox. "I must admit, I thought that you'd be a bit more… wacky."

"Hm, well, I suppose the term "wacky" can mean a number of different things, now, can it?" Paradox countered as he threw the Twix back over to Ren. "Although I believe a better term would be… _eccentric_."

"Putting THAT very lightly." Ren muttered before munching down on his chocolate bar.

Ilia stepped forward and raised her hand. "Um… excuse me, Professor Paradox? How did you know my name?" She pointed over to Raven. "And how did you know that Raven was the Spring Maiden?"

"Hah, well my dear Ilia, we can chalk that one up to having already met you in the future! …Or was that the past?" Paradox tapped a finger to his temple. "So hard to keep track when you're jumping across time and space."

The whole group was silent and glancing to each other knowingly, almost as if they had heard all of this before. But Ilia was still quite lost. "W-Wait, we met before?"

"Indeed, but not yet, at least not for me." Paradox explained, which only served to make Ilia even more confused. The professor sighed and chuckled slightly to himself at Ilia trying to process everything. "Haha, oh I will never NOT find joy in others trying to wrap their heads around time travel." He pulled out his pocket watch and popped it open, examining the hands on the clock. "That being said, my time _here_ is a bit limited, so this may have to be quick."

"Um… okay?" Gwen said. "What's up, professor?"

Paradox smiled and turned his head toward Caesar, who was practically right next to him. "Well, I simply wanted to stop by and see how Caesar made out with the dimensional jump!" He set his hand on Caesar's shoulder. "Very good job, young man. Perhaps humanity will be able to figure out streamlined trans-dimensional yet!"

Caesar laughed and a hand went to his neck. "Heh, gracias, professor. But it wasn't all MY doing. If it weren't for the Galvan assisting us with their technology, we wouldn't have been able to get back here."

"Nonetheless, YOU were the one to figure the technology out." Paradox reminded. "And that is a spectacular feat in and of itself, my friend." He craned his head over to Nora and gave her a nod. "And I suppose the young lady is happy to see her idea finally come to fruition?"

Nora leapt up from the floor, her characteristic ear-to-ear grin plastered all over her face. "You bet I am! You can be sure I'm gonna pet that thing AT LEAST once a day before we get to Earth!"

Paradox pointed over to Nora while facing Raven once again. "You see? Now THERE'S some real spirit!"

Raven crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Perhaps a bit too much spirit. Anything else, time traveler?"

Paradox clapped his hands together. "Why yes, I do believe there is." He moved toward Ben and set his focus entirely onto him. "Ben, I was just informed by Agent Six that while no one has found your Metallikanine friend yet, there HAVE been more signs of the Collective going around. And what's more, Manny and his squadron believe they have located their base of operations."

The whole room let out a simultaneous gasp, all except Raven who had never heard of the group before. "Wait… what exactly IS this "Collective"?" she asked.

"It's some sort of secretive cult group that have been convincing people to join them." Jaune explained, though not without absentmindedly transforming Cliffjumper. "Six only JUST told us about them yesterday though… and they _already_ managed to find their headquarters?"

Paradox raised a contenting finger. "Not yet, but Manny has a good feeling that they are closing in on them."

Pyrrha folded her arms as a serious face took over her features. "Alright, so where ARE they, exactly?"

"Well, you probably wouldn't understand WHERE they suspect the Collective are, dear Pyrrha, but the Plumbers believe they are somewhere in Western New York state." Paradox explained. "Most likely near the Lake Ontario region."

Ben smacked his forehead. "Of COURSE! Nobody would EVER suspect them of being THAT close to the Canadian border! Their sightings are all over the east coast, but _never_ that far north."

"That's actually not far from Bellwood." Gwen pointed out. "It's just a couple states away."

"Are they sending out a team to stake it out?" Kevin asked further.

The time traveler gave him a nod. "Indeed, and just in time, because a new ally has already joined the fight." Paradox wore a knowing smile. "A young Plumber who shows much promise has joined them on this mission, and I have a feeling that you all will quite like him when you arrive back to Earth."

Caesar wore a similar smile. "Ah, so Blonko's finally arrived, huh? He'd better live up to the hype that the Plumbers have been talking about."

"…And now I'm completely lost again." Weiss uttered. "Who're we talking about?"

However, Rex had a pretty good idea. "Oh, you're talking about that Rook guy! Yeah, I was wonderin' when he'd make planet-fall." He directed his sights onto Ben. "Dude, this guy's supposed to be like… CRAZY good."

Ben simply wore a smirk and crossed his arms. "Heh, yeah, we'll see about that. Grandpa's been talking about him non-stop for a good while now, but I'm still a bit skeptical myself."

Ilia raised a hand. "Oh, and he's apparently going to be assigned as Swift's parole officer, too."

"And all while fresh out of the academy?" Blake said with a surprised tone. "Wow, talk about fast tracking."

Paradox cleared his throat, gaining the teen's attention once again. "Whatever the case, I'm sure that things will go well… or they may not, we'll just have to wait and see. After all, time is…"

"Relative." Neptune finished. "Yeah, you kinda drilled THAT idea into our heads from the moment we all met ya."

"Very good, Neptune, glad to see your focus has sharpened." Paradox complimented, though to Neptune, he couldn't tell if it was SUPPOSED to be a comment or a slight jab. "However, there IS another matter that is very concerning…" He set his eyes onto Gwen once again. "And it involves quite an unusual matter."

Gwen's brows furrowed. "Let me guess, Charmcaster strikes again?"

But Paradox was quick to put that idea to bed. "Believe it or not, no, she hasn't." he denied. "The past few days have been rather quiet concerning her." The professor moved over to the window, facing out toward the setting sun as the stars began to appear in the night sky. "No, I'm afraid this concerns something else… and it's something that I have not felt in many a millennia."

Ben's hand clenched into a fist. "You mean… like _Daigon_ -levels of ancient?"

"PLEASE tell me this isn't ANOTHER end of the world scenario!" Ruby exclaimed while flopping onto her back. "We've already got a whole ton of them to worry about already!"

Paradox shook his head before turning to Ruby. "That, Ruby Rose, is remained to be seen. Not every ancient power that arises is necessarily a _bad_ thing, per se."

It was then that Nora suddenly popped up next to Paradox again, wearing an eager face at what he could possibly mean by all of that. "Well don't just leave us hanging there! What're we dealing with, Prof?!

"Haha, Nora your sudden appearances may just rival my own." Paradox complimented before getting back on track. "But in all honesty… I cannot be sure until these forces decide to show themselves. However… if they truly ARE what I suspect them to be…" A wry smile appeared on his face. "Then your time on Earth might be FAR more interesting than you all will believe."

Yang folded her arms in irritation. "Okay, Prof? You're being vague again. What do you think we're gonna dealing with on Earth… you know ASIDE from Charmcaster and the Collective?"

"And Van Kleiss." Rex reminded. " _Can't_ forget about him."

"And Bashmouth." Weiss added with a slight grimace. "Unfortunately."

A small laugh escaped Paradox's lips as he pulled out his pocket watch again. "Well… if this IS what I think it is…" He flipped his watch open, revealing the time to be seven o'clock. "Then you children may be in for quite the adventure. One that may exceed your wildest dreams!"

Sun wore an excited smile as he wrapped an arm around Blake's shoulders. "Ooh, I'm liking where this is heading!"

"But that doesn't answer my daughter's question, time traveler." Raven pressed further, also growing more irritated. "Just WHAT are we dealing with here?"

Paradox touched the side of his nose and gave a single wink. "Ah-ah, now _that_ would be telling, wouldn't it? Even _I_ have restrictions on what I can and cannot disclose about your future. And for that, I apologize." He held up a single finger. "But I _can_ tell you this; you all are bound to do some truly remarkable things while on the planet Earth, whatever they may be. And I am excited to see the outcome."

Ben stepped forward and held up his left hand, showing the Omnitrix to Paradox. "That's nice and all, Professor… but there's something ELSE that I wanna talk to you about." He tapped his hand to the side of his watch. "Humungosaur's DNA has been damaged and—"

"Ah, yes, that whole kerfuffle." Paradox acknowledged. "Worry not, Ben, I know when Azmuth is needed. And trust me…" his face became serious again. "You WILL need all the help that you can get very soon. Both from the Omnitrix _and_ your team." He glanced back at his pocket watch and nodded, putting it away soon after. "I will fetch the First Thinker as soon as I am able. But for right now, I am needed elsewhere."

"Heading back to Ben's world, professor?" Penny guessed.

"Oh no, my dear." Paradox denied. "I actually still have some business here in Remnant, believe it or not." He pointed directly at her. "But I look forward to meeting your father. I actually have some business with him as well later on."

Penny blinked in surprise. "W-Wait, you do?!"

"Why yes." Paradox confirmed. "But once again, I cannot tell you. That WOULD be a spoiler, after all."

Just as the professor was about to walk away, Gwen came forward and reached out her hand. "Wait, professor! What… what sort of business do you even HAVE in Remnant? We're the only ones here that you know."

Without turning around, Paradox gave his answer. "…That is actually partially untrue, dear Gwen." He craned his head around and smiled as he began to be enveloped in a bright blue light. "You see, I have a meeting tonight with a certain young man… and I have to help him catch a train." With one final wave, he said "Ta-ta!" before disappearing, leaving everyone just as stunned as when he arrived.

"He… he vanished!" Raven uttered in shock.

"Yeah, he tends to do that." Rex nodded.

Ilia was rubbing her temple in complete bewilderment. "I don't think I'll be able to get used to that guy."

But Gwen couldn't help but ponder on what Paradox had just told them. "But what do you think he meant by that last part? Who's this "young man" he's talking about?"

Ben simply gave her a shrug. "Well, knowing how Paradox operates, something tells me we're gonna be seeing whoever this is sometime soon." He reached down and picked up the Optimus Prime figure as his smile reappeared. "But for now, I think it's time we kick this party up into high gear!"

Yang smirked and quirked a brow to her boyfriend. "Alright, what do you suggest, Green Boy?"

"Oh, I've got something REALLY awesome in mind." Ben faced the teens from Remnant and balled his free hand into a fist. "Guys, you remember that show that I was talking about earlier today? The one I've been referencing with the Bellwood Smash?" There was a murmur of affirmation throughout the group, prompting him to go on. "Well, I think it's time I showed it to you." He raised his fist up high and called out; "Who wants to watch My Hero Academia?!" A cheer echoed throughout the entire room at that, making the hero even more hyped up. "Haha! THAT'S what I'm talking about! PLUS ULTRA!"

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it! Caesar's left quite a first impression as you can all see. He certainly left one on Blanche though, that's for sure. Though whether or not a thing between them can work out in the future is yet to be seen. And it seems that Kenny strikes again in the sweet heart category with Winter! And of course, Ben's parents end up overdoing it again with the gift department. Ah well, at least they have some more entertainment to hold them over until Caesar gets the Doorway up and running. But hmm… it seems Professor Paradox is dropping more hints to certain events. How will they come to pass? Well, we'll just have to wait and see… but one of those won't take very long, if that last part is any indication.**

**Alright, so... NEXT TIME! We're going to be moving away from our heroes yet again to focus on some tales within the continent of Anima, where Professor Paradox is going to be meeting up with a certain young man that you've ALL been waiting for. Meanwhile, the Branwen Tribe has received some… unexpected visitors. And, in the city of Mistral, Qrow and Ironwood have an important meeting with Headmaster Lionheart… and ask if his loyalties really lie with them. Thanks for reading guys, and I'll see you all next time! Stay safe out there!**


	96. Tales of Anima

**A/N: Howdy, folks! With this chapter, we'll be finishing off the AO3 batch for 11/17/20, and I can think of no better way to start this chapter than with a little something I teased in the last time. Now, let's get started! This is…**

**Chapter 96: Tales from Anima**

* * *

As the night began to settle over the island of Patch, Taiyang Xiao Long was staring up into the starry night sky with a wistful smile on his face, thinking about how the day had gone. Behind him, he could hear the cheering and laughing of the teenagers and young adults in his living room, all of them utterly excited at the prospect of soon heading off to Ben's world. _'And I'll be going with them.'_ Tai thought to himself. _'Heh, can't believe I'm actually doing THAT.'_ Ever since his beloved Summer had passed away, he had sequestered himself mostly to this island, his depression having gotten the better of him for a long while. Over time, he managed to work his way out from his sadness, even though it still ate him up inside. He had to at least provide for his daughters, and that is what kept him going for all those years.

Yet still, he rarely ventured outside of Vale, even for Huntsman jobs. Vale was where he had grown up all his life, and he had always wanted to venture out. But after what had happened with Summer, the world became a much scarier place to him. Tai had vowed not to leave Vale, for fear that Yang and Ruby would become orphans if he had died as well. "But now… I'm gonna be leaving for a whole other WORLD." he said to himself. "Heh, it's almost too good to be true, to be honest."

"I'm sure it is." The familiar voice from behind him made Tai whirl around to see Raven, his old flame wearing a smile as she came toward him. "So, you nervous about it or what?"

"Hah, nervous? Me?" Tai puffed out his chest and placed his hands on his hips. "Are you forgetting who you're talking to, Rae?" However, as Raven finally stopped in front of him, she sent a soft jab to Tai's gut, making him double over and knock the wind out of him. "OOF!"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Oh, _please_ , that didn't hurt."

Tai sent her a narrow-eyed glance. "Yeah? Tell that to my pride."

The Spring Maiden let out a laugh and placed a hand to Tai's shoulder, making him stand up straight. "Haha! Oh god, Tai, you really haven't changed, have you?"

"Heh… well, I like to think I haven't…" Tai's face fell a bit at that. "But… I think you know very well that I HAVE changed. And so have you."

Raven's smile vanished into a sad frown, her head craning down and pulling away from Tai's gaze. "Yes… I suppose we have." She folded her arms over her chest, hugging herself just a slight bit. "Tai, listen... we've both said things to each other in the past that we can't take back. I walked away from you and Yang all those years ago… and I WISH I could fully make it up to you. But I can't."

Tai let out a breath through his nostrils, his eyes closing in contemplation. "W-Well, in a way, I suppose not." He moved his head up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, making her head perk up just a little bit. "But what's important is that you came back and you've been bonding with our daughter. Sure, you two have had some bumps along the way… even more than even _I_ was expecting." He smiled softly to her. "But I'm just glad that you're back. You've made things up to Yang AND more."

Raven moved her gaze back up to Tai, his smile making her own reappear on her face. "I'm happy you think so, Tai. But… there is still one person that I need to straighten things out with."

Tai furrowed his brows a bit. "Lemme guess, Oz, am I right?"

The tribe leader's smile disappeared again, this time replaced by an annoyed sneer. "Ugh, I wish. I don't think I'll _ever_ forgive him for getting us ALL into this mess."

"Haha! I figured." Tai chuckled. "So, if it's not Oz then… is it Qrow?"

"Well… okay, there's TWO people I need to straighten things out with." Raven admitted. "I swear, I'm gonna get him to curb his thirst for alcohol if it's the last thing I do." That got Tai to laugh again, and this time, Raven joined in. The two shared their laugh for a good while before they finally calmed back down, and Raven began drawing closer to Tai. "But right now… there's someone who's even more important to me than Qrow, right now." She reached out and gently grasped Tai's hand, his eyes widening as she did. "And it's time I start apologizing to him again."

Tai's smile disappeared into a worried expression. "…Rae, you've apologized enough to both me AND Yang already." he reassured. "I'm not angry with you anymore."

"Maybe not, but…" Raven lowered her gaze down to the ground, her face flushing red slightly. "There's a lot more apologizing I need to do if I want to go on with… what I want to do." There was a long pause between them before Raven was able to collect her nerve and go on. "Tai… I can't express how sorry I am to you for discarding what we had together."

If possible, Tai's eyes widened even more. _'Wait… is this going where I think it is?'_

"You and I had something that was… utterly special." Raven continued. "You loved me so much, and I felt the same way for the longest time." Her lips pursed, almost as if she was trying to hold back a sob. "But… I let my hatred for Oz get in the way of that, even after we consummated our feelings for each other." She balled her fists tightly until her knuckles turned white. "When I left you, I took your feelings and stomped them into the dirt… and I can't express how ASHAMED I feel for doing that!"

Tai's lips parted when he saw tears begin to stream down Raven's eyes, leaving him utterly shocked. _'Is this… is this really happening?'_

Raven, her voice now very hoarse, pressed on as hard as she could. "I… I know you probably hate me for what I did, and you've made it very clear that you love Summer." She swallowed hard and gave out a heavy breath, letting out all her anxiety at once. "But… I… I want to…"

"Try again?" Tai finished, making Raven think her heart had stopped for just a moment. The Spring Maiden moved her eyes back up to Tai, expecting to see an angry, frustrated face staring back at her. However, it was quite the opposite. Instead, she saw a pair of calm eyes staring down at her, the blonde man not the slightest bit angry. There was a long silence between the two of them before a brief; "Huh." escaped Tai's throat. "Rae, I… I don't… I'm not sure if—"

Raven bowed her head to him hastily. "Gah! I'm sorry! I KNEW this would be a bad idea!" She spun around on her heel and made to leave. "I understand if you don't want to, Tai. I'll just be out of your—"

"WAIT!" Tai reached out and his hand grabbed Raven's arm, pulling her back almost desperately. This had the added effect of pulling the dark-haired woman in _very_ close to him, her head falling straight into his chest. The two could practically feel each other's breathing as their eyes locked again, both of them stunned at what had just happened. However, Tai knew he couldn't let THIS get the better of him, so he put on a serious face and put his other hand to Raven's shoulder. "Rae… please don't go again."

Raven could feel a sense of nervousness beginning to build up inside her, one that was different than the one she felt when she and Yang were fighting. "Tai, I…" Much to her surprise, Tai let go of her arm, only to then move it around the small of her back. This made her gasp, much to her chagrin. _'Damn, he still knows that's my weak spot.'_

"Raven… it's true that things between us are still very rocky." Tai admitted. "And yes, I loved Summer very much… but after all these years, a part of me STILL has feelings for you." He reached up and began wiping Raven's tears with his thumb, keeping a gentle hold on her cheek. "I admit, I _was_ really quick to fall in love with you all those years ago."

Raven glanced off to the side. "Well, that part is very true. You put a baby in me before you even put a ring on my finger."

Tai winced at that. "Yeah, it's obvious that we've both made some pretty big mistakes in this relationship." He cleared his throat and moved back to the main point. "So… if we _were_ to start over again… maybe we could take it slow this time?"

"…So, you DO want to try again?" Raven asked, a hint of hope in her voice. "Even after all the shit I put you through?"

"Rae, I've been through so much other shit that you wouldn't even _believe_ it." Tai smirked before gently putting his hand in hers. "I WANT to get back together with you, but this time, we'll do things carefully. And that's a promise."

After a few short seconds, Raven began tearing up again, only this time with tears of joy. She pulled herself into the embrace and laughed, though it sort of sounded like a sob at the same time. "Yes, that sounds perfect, actually."

"Great! So it's agreed." Tai brushed Raven's hair away from her face, giving him a clear view of her gorgeous smile. _'I never realized how much I missed that smile.'_ he thought to himself. "We'll pace ourselves this time and we'll make it work." The two stood there in that one spot for a good long while, simply taking in each other after being apart for so long. "I'm so happy that you're back, Raven."

"And I'm happy to BE back." Raven countered as she craned her head up to the night sky. As she stared at it though, a thought entered her mind. "So, now that the kids are almost ready to head out, you think Jim and Qrow'll be able to see 'em off?"

Tai shrugged. "Maybe. All depends on how well their meeting with Lionheart goes in Mistral." He raised a brow down to her. "This informant of yours, you made sure they were positive that it was Leo who was the traitor, right?"

Raven nodded her head. "Yes, this informant has never been wrong, Tai. And I don't doubt their word, either. If they said Leo is Salem's inside man, then I'm inclined to believe them."

This made a thoughtful expression appear on Tai's face. "I see… speaking of which, now that you're back for good… what about the Branwen Tribe?"

The tribe leader sighed at that. "Yes, well, I've still yet to figure that out. I have a trusted confidant who I have a feeling is more than capable of leading the tribe, but… to thrust all of that responsibility onto her at once…" Raven trailed off and put a hand behind her head. "I am unsure how she'll handle my decision."

"Hm, you've got a point there." Tai granted before a new thought entered his head. "Hey, you think Oz has reincarnated yet? I'd be kinda awkward if we just left him here without even explained what the hell's been going on since he died."

Raven rolled her eyes and waved her hand off to the distance. "Eh, I'd just leave him here if that's the case. He's gonna eventually find his way to us sooner or later anyway, so the farther I am away from him when that happens, the better."

Tai smirked and countered with an eye roll of his own. "Okay, now I KNOW you haven't changed." Once again, the two erupted into laughter, unaware that they were currently being watched from the house.

"You saw ALL of that, right?" Ruby said excitedly.

Yang, who was grinning from ear to ear next to her sister, nodded frantically. "I did, I saw, and I am SO excited for this!"

Behind them, Ben chuckled a little bit as well. "Yeah, it's pretty awesome alright. Though… if they find us here, they'll be liable to kill us."

"Fair point, Green Boy." Yang nodded. "C'mon, let's give those two a bit more privacy."

* * *

Meanwhile, across the world on the continent of Anima, a young man was currently running toward a train station… on a Thursday evening… in the middle of a thunderstorm. _'This is insane.'_ he thought to himself as he finally made it under the eaves of the station, stopping to catch his breath right at the ticket dispenser. This young man's name was Oscar Pine, and up until a few weeks ago, his life had been one that was… not exactly _ideal_ , but it was at least somewhat normal. …But then the voice in his head started talking to him.

" _You're the one who agreed to this, need I remind you."_ said voice retorted. _"If you wish to turn back now…"_

"No, I'm fine." Oscar insisted with a frustrated sigh. It had been like this for almost the past three weeks. One morning, he was just a regular farm hand working on his aunt's farm. It wasn't exactly a glamourous lifestyle, but he at least had SOME sense of normalcy. But then, the next day, a voice suddenly appeared in his head, speaking to him the moment he said "Hello" to himself in the mirror. The voice said his name was Professor Ozpin, the late headmaster of Beacon Academy, and that it was imperative that they leave for Mistral.

At first, Oscar thought he had gone insane, but over the course of the following weeks, his new inner voice had convinced him otherwise. Apparently, he and Ozpin were now technically the same person, with the man's soul now sharing his body. It had taken a lot of convincing on Ozpin's part, and a few mental breakdowns on Oscar's side, but the farm boy had finally decided to give in to his head's new occupant. "You know, sharing my thoughts is one thing, but actually reading my mind is even more rude."

" _Perhaps, but it won't always be this way."_ Ozpin reminded. _"Remember, you and I will truly become one in due time, Oscar. And then, you'll have your wish in not hearing me anymore."_

Oscar rolled his eyes, unsure of what that exactly meant. If there was one thing he had learned about Ozpin over the course of their time sharing a mind, it was that he was good at witty retorts. "Sure, whatever you say." Oscar reached into his pocket and pulled out his Lien card, holding it up to the scanner on the ticket dispenser. However, the moment it read the card, a red error screen popped up, reading;

_ERROR_

_Unable to complete request._

_REASON GIVEN:_

_Insufficient Funds (Code: 726)_

"Ugh, seriously?" Oscar groaned. "Stupid thing." He hung his head and closed his eyes. "I'm assuming whatever weird magic this is _doesn't_ come with an infinite supply of money?"

" _I'm afraid you'll have to solve this one on your ow—"_ Ozpin suddenly gasped when he suddenly felt another presence with them, one that felt… oddly familiar. It was evident that Oscar felt it as well, since his head snapped back up. _"Stay sharp… I believe we have company."_

Oscar began scanning his eyes around left and right, searching for whoever was with them. "W-wait, what? Where is—"

"Greetings!" The sudden voice startled Oscar into jumping up and spinning around, his face panicked and his fists raised. However, he was put at ease when he saw a rather kind-looking man standing behind him, one dressed in a lab coat, brown vest, black pants and loafers. He had black hair and a pair of green goggles over his eyes, which was rather curious since he didn't seem to need them at the moment. He seemed to be a scientist, though why he was all the way out in farm country, Oscar didn't know.

"W-Who… who are…" Oscar stuttered in surprise.

"Oh, terribly sorry, young man." The mysterious individual apologized. "I have a sort of habit of appearing without warning. I hope I didn't startle you too much."

Oscar began to relax and he lowered his arms, a sigh escaping his lips. "W-Well, a little bit, but it's okay. I just didn't expect you to be there."

"Hmhm, I hear that more often than you might think." The scientist chuckled with a knowing smile. He craned his head over toward the train that was sitting just a few feet away, gazing out toward the rain that was still coming down in sheets. "Rather unconventional timing to try and catch a train, though, wouldn't you say?"

"I guess." Oscar shrugged before nudging his head toward the ticket dispenser. "But unfortunately, I think I'm out of luck when it comes to getting a ticket. The Lien card I brought with me isn't cutting it."

The man placed a hand to his chin. "Hmm, I suppose that IS a problem… fortunately, I have a solution." He reached into the pockets of his lab coat and pulled out two train tickets, much to Oscar's surprise. "Here you are, young man. For your troubles."

The farm boy could only stare in utter shock. _'W-W-What… how… how did he KNOW?!'_ He then decided to consult the voice in his head. _'Do we trust him?'_

"… _It's okay, Oscar."_ Ozpin reassured. _"I have a feeling I know who this is. Ask him why he has two tickets."_

Oscar took a look at the man's hand and he realized that he did indeed have two tickets, even though he only needed one. He took a single ticket from the scientist and bowed his head. "Uh… thank you, but I only need one ticket." Oscar raised a brow at the man. "Unless you were _planning_ on giving me your ticket, too."

"Haha! No, no, young man." The scientist waved off. "I simply noticed that you had an extra companion on board in here." He tapped the top of Oscar's head, making him recoil a bit. "It cannot be easy having another mind occupy your own, but I'm sure you will get used to it…" The man lowered his goggles, finally revealing his full face. "…Just as you have many lifetimes before, old friend."

Oscar's eyes widened when he finally saw the man's whole face, a happy feeling rising in his chest as he recognized it… for some reason. "This… this is like how I described the Haven Headmaster's office again, isn't it?" He had meant for that to be a mental thought, but he was so happy that it ended up coming out of his mouth.

Inside his head, Oscar could feel Ozpin experiencing the same happy feeling, even if he didn't entirely know _why_ he was happy to see this scientist. _"Yes, it is. Oscar, you have absolutely nothing to fear from this man. Like he said, he's a very old friend of mine, and it seems he's found me once again."_

"Whoa, wait, you know him?" Oscar asked. "Is that how I know him? But… still, who IS he?"

"All very excellent questions." The scientist nodded in approval. "Even if it DOES appear that you are asking them to no one in particular."

Oscar's eyes widened and a hand went to the back of his head. "Oh, uh, sorry. I'm just… talking to the voice in my head." He winced as the words came from his mouth. "Yeah, still sounds ridiculous."

The scientist merely shrugged. "If you think about it, _many_ things sound ridiculous when said aloud. But at the same time, they only require a bit of context to make sense." He placed a hand on Oscar's shoulder. "And in your case, young Oscar Pine, the situation you are in MORE than gives the proper context."

If Oscar's jaw could unhinge, it would be on the floor at that moment. "W-wait, you know _me_? How do you know my name?"

"You could say I have been keeping track of your progress, so to speak." The scientist moved over to the edge of the eaves and closed his eyes, taking in the sound of the rain and thunder as it all came crashing down. "After all, you hold a very big role in the events to come, Oscar. I merely wished to make sure you were ready for whatever the old man in your head was going to put you through."

Oscar blinked in bewilderment. "Um… okay, that actually leads to my next question…" He pointed at his head. "How do you know Ozpin?"

The scientist turned his head and raised a brow to Oscar, his smile reappearing. "You seem to be going in circles, dear boy. Didn't you just ask me how I knew who you were?"

A deadpan expression came to Oscar's face at that retort. He had forgotten that he and Ozpin WERE pretty much one and the same now. But still, from the wry grin on the man's face, Oscar knew he was being had. "You know what I mean."

In the boy's head though, Ozpin merely chuckled at the retort. _"Hmhm, it seems he hasn't lost his odd sense of humor. Oscar, if you would, please let me talk to him."_

Oscar was confused for a second before realizing what Ozpin wanted to do. "W-Wait, you wanna try that trick _now_? But I'm still JUST getting used to you in my head!"

" _It will be alright."_ Ozpin reassured. _"If you search your new memories, you'll find that you have done it MANY times before, and you have always been alright after the fact. You'll still be present mentally, of course. And through that, I think I can give you the answers you seek from this man."_

The farm boy was still slightly unsure about all of this, but if it could get him the answers he wanted, then what other options did he have? He sighed again and nodded. "Alright, just… don't make me do anything embarrassing."

" _Perish the thought. Now, are you ready?"_ Oscar nodded at Ozpin's words and he closed his eyes, relaxing while Ozpin did his thing. In an instant, a green glow suddenly enveloped Oscar's body and his head snapped back as the switch was made, with Ozpin now in control. His eyes glowed briefly as he opened them, craning his head up to the scientist in front of him with a smile now on his face. He began speaking to his old friend, though his voice reverberated a bit due to the magic he was using. "So… it IS you. It's so good to see you again, Time Walker."

The eponymous "Time Walker" let out another laugh, finding the use of his old moniker amusing. "Oh, it has been a good while since I've been addressed by _that_ name, my friend." He reached out and offered his hand, which Ozpin shook immediately. "I have since adopted a new name, one that is a bit more fitting, I believe. Please, you may call me Professor Paradox, if you so wish."

"Professor Paradox." Ozpin echoed as he chuckled again. "An interesting name, to be sure. But as you said, very fitting."

"I certainly think so." Paradox concurred. "Though it seems I'm not the only one who has changed their name since our last meeting. What is it this time, old man?"

"Ozpin." The reincarnated man answered. "Very similar to my old name, I know."

"You _do_ have a knack for reincarnating into people whose name starts with "O", don't you?" Paradox quipped before gesturing over to the nearby train, which was just beginning to start up. The train's whistle blew as the scientist pulled out his pocket watch to check the time. "Ah, would you look at that? Our train is about to depart. Why don't you both meet me on board so that we may catch up a little?"

"Hm, I would very much like that." Ozpin agreed before noticing that Paradox had suddenly vanished without a trace. Even so, he seemed relatively calm about it. "Ah, yes, _that_ old parlor trick."

Inside his head though, Oscar was flipping out. _"AAAAH! W-Where'd he go?! One second he's there and then POOF! Gone!"_

"Stay calm, Oscar. This is simply what Time Walk—I mean… Professor Paradox does." Ozpin clarified as he boarded the train, making sure to show the conductor his ticket. "He is able to move through time itself and reappear in different places, while also seemingly disappearing from existence as well."

"Moving from one place to another." Paradox clarified as he suddenly reappeared near their seats. "It's called "walking". A strange concept to be sure." As Ozpin drew closer to the time traveler, he was quick to take note of what Paradox held in his hands; a platter of cookies and a glass of milk. "If I recall, you've always had a penchant for these."

Ozpin smiled and nodded in agreement. "Yes, and I still do. Thank you."

" _Ah, man. You guys got cookies and milk and I don't even get to ENJOY it?"_ Oscar spoke inside his head. _"This is kinda unfair, ya know?"_

' _We share the same body, Oscar.'_ Ozpin reminded mentally. _'You'll feel the same senses that I do, remember.'_ As the reincarnated man sat down next to Paradox on the bench, taking a cookie for good measure, he offered to start first. "So, it's certainly been a while since we last encountered each other. Almost a hundred years if I'm right?"

"Give or take a decade extra." Paradox corrected as he took a cookie as well. "For a fellow being who has been alive for millennia, your sense of time is not as sharp as mine."

Ozpin merely shrugged. "Hm, forgive me, old friend. As you know, I've had many bigger things to worry about than keeping track of time."

Paradox craned his head up, his gaze moving to the ceiling. "Ah yes, Salem. I've heard that she has been quite active lately."

"…Yes." Ozpin lowered his head as a saddened expression came to his face. "The school I worked so hard to build. It's been left in shambles." He tightened his fist while making sure not to break the cookie with his other hand. "James was right. We should have been more well prepared."

In his head, Oscar began to feel the same way Ozpin was, saddened by the thought of all of those kids getting hurt. _"And I don't even know these people…"_ he commented. _"I hope that at least some of them are doing alright."_

Paradox shifted his eyes back to the reincarnated man, keeping a neutral face. "Perhaps so, but I believe you should know that, for the most part, things ended up not being as bad as they could have been." There was a long pause before the professor continued. "Tell me, do you remember what I told you so long ago? About how fate and destiny are never set in stone?"

Ozpin's brows furrowed a little. "Yes, I do. And as I recall, I didn't believe you."

A smile finally came to Paradox's face. "Then I think you'll be happy to hear that it's beginning to happen as we speak. Your star students all live on, Ozpin. Teams RWBY, JNPR, CFVY, they are all _alive_."

Ozpin's eyes widened, the news stunning both him and Oscar. "Wait, _all_ of them? Even… Miss Nikos?"

"Indeed, though she _did_ have a brief brush with death." Paradox took a bite of his cookie before going on. "You see, after her encounter with Cinder Fall, she got the idea to try and take her on alone."

The former headmaster lowered his head again. "As I thought she would. Was she hurt?"

"For a brief time, yes." Paradox confirmed as he finished his cookie. "But thanks to some friends of mine, her death was swiftly avoided."

This made Ozpin snap his head up again, this time utterly shocked. _"Wait, friends?"_ Oscar spoke inside his head. _"What does he mean by that?"_

"I don't know, Oscar." Ozpin admitted, raising and inquisitive brow to Paradox. "Professor, who are these "friends" of yours?"

Paradox chuckled as he raised a single finger, the train now having begun to finally pull out of the station. "Hmhm, now THERE is an interesting tale to be told…"

And so, he did. Over the course of the long train ride, Paradox explained everything about his friends, Ben and Gwen Tennyson and Kevin Levin. He recounted the tale of how the trio had managed to defend their world from multiple intergalactic threats, be it Vilgax, the Highbreed, or Daigon before finally moving on to the incident that had sent them here. From there, he told Ozpin, with Oscar still listening intently, about how the trio had arrived and prevented further turmoil from happening at Beacon, as well as how they had rallied Team RWBY, Team JNPR, Sun and Neptune into forming one collective team, all while combatting Salem's forces and recruiting Rex, Penny and Ilia along the way.

By the end of it all, Ozpin was left nearly speechless after hearing of all the events that had taken place in his absence. Not even the milk and cookies could have offset the shock he was feeling. "That… that is—mph!" In another green flash of light, Ozpin could feel his magical energy begin to drain, forcing him to retreat back into Oscar's mind.

…Which allowed Oscar to pick it up from there. "COMPLETELY INSANE!" His hands went over his mouth when he realized he had just screamed at the top of his lungs. There were a few startled screams and indignant shouts, but thankfully, nobody called the conductor. "Phew… sorry."

"Oh, time's up." Paradox said as he checked his pocket watch. "I had a feeling he wouldn't be able to maintain it for much longer."

Oscar, who was now holding his head in slight pain, groaned a bit before picking up where he left off. "But no, I'm serious, professor! A guy who can change into aliens? A guy with tiny machines in him that can build BIGGER machines with his body?! A dude who can absorb stuff and a girl who can manipulate energy?! This all sounds like something out of a science fiction novel!"

" _My thoughts exactly."_ Ozpin supported.

"And Ozpin agrees with me!" Oscar added.

Paradox closed his eyes, musing over the young man's words with a small grin. "Yes, I'm sure that this must come as quite the shock, young Oscar." He set his gaze back onto Oscar and nodded. "But I promise, what I just told you and Ozpin was one hundred percent true."

Oscar's hand went to his forehead, leaning back in his seat as he let that fact sink in. "Okay, this has officially been the WEIRDEST three weeks of my life."

The professor's brows raised up at this. "Really? Did you not want to make something more of your life than just being a simple farm hand?"

"Well, yeah, but… I didn't expect to be thrown into THIS."

" _That makes two of us."_ Ozpin concurred. _"Oscar, if you would, please ask him where the children are now."_

With a sound of acknowledgement, Oscar moved his head back to Paradox. "So… if what you said is true… then what are those guys doing now? And where are they?"

"Well, after a long day of fighting a rather persistent alien criminal, our friends are currently enjoying a night of fun with Rex's brother, Caesar." Paradox answered. "In a few short days, they are due to leave for Ben's world, which I'm sure will prove to be quite the adventure for them."

As Oscar took that information in, Ozpin pondered within the boy's head. _"Hmm, I'm not too sure how I feel about that."_

"Ozpin's conflicted about that." Oscar informed the time traveler.

"I'm sure he is." Paradox furrowed his brows a bit. "After all, with what he knows to be true about Salem, it's understandable WHY he would be."

Oscar was perplexed by this. "What do you mean, professor?"

" _He means that I know that Salem will surely try to take advantage of the team leaving Remnant."_ Ozpin explained, though Oscar noticed that there was a slight uneasiness in his voice as he did so. _"If there is no one here to defend the world, then what's there to stop Salem from simply taking it over?"_

The farm boy decided to relay this as well. "Ozpin's wondering who will be here to defend Remnant if the team decided to leave."

Paradox raised a hand. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. Ben always has a plan concerning matters such as these. If you wish, you can ask him yourself."

"M-Meet up with Ben?" Oscar stuttered. "Hah, wow… meeting up with a real-life superhero. I gotta admit, even though all this stuff is pretty crazy, it's also pretty cool."

" _Indeed. I'd also like to meet this Ben Tennyson and his team."_ Ozpin jumped in. _"And if it allows me to see my students again, then that's all the better."_

With the headmaster's words now firmly in his head, Oscar smiled and gave a single nod to Paradox. "Alright, Ozpin's in too. When's the soonest we can we meet up with the team?"

"You will not have to wait long, Oscar." Paradox informed as he closed his pocket watch. "Time is most certainly on your side in that regard. For now, though, I suggest we enjoy the rest of this train ride. We _are_ still an hour, forty-seven minutes and twenty eight seconds from Mistral, after all."

Oscar couldn't help but blink in shock. "Wow, that's… shockingly accurate."

"I'm a time traveler, young man." Paradox reminded as he reached into his lab coat. "What did you expect?" From the white garment, the professor produced a brown sack and opened it up, revealing a bunch of colorful spheres. He reached in and offered one to Oscar on the spot. "Gumball?"

An amused expression came to Oscar's face. Over the course of the past hour and a half, he had conversed with a time traveling scientist from another dimension, one that he had apparently known from his new previous life. While it was certainly an odd situation to be in, he had come to accept that his life was now VERY far from normal. So, he decided to roll with it. He plucked the Gumball from his new… _old_ friend's hand and laughed a little. "Heh, sure, why not?"

* * *

About an hour and forty-seven minutes away, in the Kingdom of Mistral, Qrow was having anything BUT the time of his life. Usually whenever he'd swing by, he'd at least have a bit of entertainment to count on. Whether it was hanging out with his old Hunter friends or going out to the bar for a few… okay, a LOT of drinks, he was at least able to be kept in a good mood while in the Anima kingdom. But no, this was strictly all business, and it was something that irritated the HELL out of him. "Ugh, this meeting better be worth it." he remarked. "I had to wait THREE fuckin' days for this thing to get scheduled, ya know."

Next to him, General Ironwood wore a deadpan expression, sighing as the cranky Huntsman expressed his woes… again. "Yes, you told me that MANY times already, Qrow." James shot back as they continued down the Haven Academy hallway, making their way toward the headmaster's office. "I know you aren't exactly a patient man, but I'm sure that Leo's been having just as much to deal with as any other academy after the attack."

"Yeah, right." Qrow shrugged dismissively. "Still, it's a pain in the ass that I had to wait even ONE day. He should know that a visit from me means serious business."

"That, I'll grant you." Ironwood admitted. "But at least the past few days you've had haven't been as hectic as what the team has been through. You'd probably be impressed by what they've accomplished."

"So I keep hearin'." Qrow placed his hands behind his head. "The White Fang in Menagerie, fightin' a Nuckelavee here in Anima, an' from what Goodwitch just told us, some rabid dog alien up at Beacon. Those kids are puttin' their nose to the grindstone, that's for damn sure." He raised an eyebrow over to his friend. "But uh, the whole thing with my sister bein' the Spring Maiden? When exactly were ya gonna tell me THAT?"

Ironwood closed his eyes and shook his head. "I WAS going to tell you, Qrow… I just wanted to wait until you were sober enough to believe me."

"…I hate that you have a point with that." Qrow grumbled. "Question is… do we tell Lionheart about it?"

"Not until we figure out if we can trust him or not." Ironwood denied. "If the subject comes up, we give Raven a cover story."

Qrow scoffed at the notion. "Pfft, sounds simple enough. Not."

"Hm, well, we'll just have to make due with what we have." Ironwood raised a brow while glancing down toward Qrow's hip, focusing on what was clipped to his belt. "Speaking of… why do _you_ have Oz's cane with you?"

Qrow unclipped said cane, the Long Memory, from his belt, staring at it with a somewhat miffed face. "Ah, well, I figured that if by sheer dumb luck I came across Oz somewhere down the line, I'd better have this with me to give back to him. Figured he may want it." He clipped the cane back to his belt and shrugged. "But I guess my Semblance ain't lettin' THAT happen anytime soon."

James put his hands in his pockets. "I'm sure he'll turn up, Qrow. We just need to give him time, is all."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Boy Scout." With that, the two continued on in silence from there. However, as they continued down the hall, the Qrow took notice of something… or rather the lack OF something. "Say, doesn't the academy seem a bit… quiet, Jim?"

James was puzzled by the statement at first, but then he noticed the lack of activity as well, leading him to grow confused as well. "You're right… I understand why there are no students, but… no staff? Nobody even greeted us at the gate." The more he thought about it, the more his suspicion rose. "What's going on here?"

"Somethin's not right." Qrow deduced, taking Harbinger off of his back before going into a sprint toward Lionheart's office. "Come on!"

The military general was taken aback, but he still pulled out Due Process and took after his friend. "Qrow, wait!"

The two approached the door to the headmaster's office, standing on either side of the door while keeping their weapons close at hand. "Alright, I'm gonna bust the door down." Qrow said, just loud enough for James to hear. He repositioned himself in front of the door and extended Harbinger to its full length, ready for anything that could be on the other side.

"Qrow, hold on—" But it was too late. Ironwood could only bare witness as Qrow kicked in the door… only to be met by an unexpecting Lionheart. The man was just as James remembered him; tan skin, his shaggy grey mane-like hair that extended down into a beard and mustache, and of course his immaculate clothing of a brown grey coat with a matching mantle that had gold crosses on each side of it. He also had a white dress shirt on beneath all of it, along with a necktie that had a pocket watch attached to it. The mantle was long enough to hide his Faunus trait; a lion tail.

At the sudden act of getting his door nearly kicked in his face, Lionheart screamed in surprise. "AH!"

Which led Ironwood to gasp in shock. "AH!"

…And finally, Qrow lost his balance and fell right onto his rear. "OOF!"

"Wah-haaa…" All at once, Lionheart's eyes rolled into the back of his head, fainting at everything happening all around him. He fell flat on his back, leaving Ironwood as the only one left standing.

After a long pause, Ironwood's lips pursed as he awkwardly put back Due Process, calling out to his Faunus friend. "Um… Leonardo? Are you alright?"

Both Qrow and Leo sat up at James' words, with the latter sputtering as he did. "Gah! Qrow?! James?! What in the world is going on?! For crying out loud, you two nearly scared me half to death!"

Qrow groaned as he got up, now irritated at Leo's words. " _Us_? What about _you_? Why weren't you waiting for us at the entrance?"

Leo's eyes widened in realization and he grasped his pocket watch, glancing at the time before realizing that he had been late. "Oh! Right, my apologies." He began to pick himself up from the ground, dusting off his mantle as he did. "I guess the time got away from me."

"You're joking." Qrow insisted.

James stepped forward and offered a hand, which Leo shook instantly. "Apologies, Leo. We were just concerned because… well, there's nobody here."

"Oh, yes, about that. I'm afraid that most of the staff is away until classes resume." Leo explained. "In the aftermath of the attack, I figured that everyone here could use a break, not just the students. So I—"

" _What_?!" Qrow questioned, now nearly seething as he approached Leo, making the lion Faunus back away in fright. "You can't be serious! Who's guarding the Relic?!"

Ironwood narrowed his eyes slightly, his suspicions returning to him. "He has a point, Leo. The Relic cannot simply go unguarded."

Leo cleared his throat at this. "Ahem, well, yes, of course I know that. That is why I have taken the responsibility of guarding it myself for the time being." He raised a hand up to them. "But you shouldn't worry, classes here are due to resume next week, and with the students, all of my staff will be on hand once again…" Leo's face fell when he mentioned that. "At least… what remain of them."

"Whaddya mean by… "what remain of 'em"?" Qrow asked.

Lionheart sighed before ushering them in. "I suppose I should tell you. Please, come in, make yourselves comfortable. I'll make us all some tea."

"Thank you, Leonardo." James accepted before he and Qrow stepped into the headmaster's office. The duo sat down on the sofa while Leo made them their tea, using the tea set that was given to him by Ozpin to serve it. Qrow opted out of course, preferring to guzzle the contents of his flask instead. Once they were all settled, Ironwood started the conversation back up again. "So, Leo, it's certainly been a while since we've spoken."

"Yeah, just _how_ long had it been since you last checked in with Oz?" Qrow said with narrowed eyes before presenting Ozpin's cane. "Ya know, _before_ he ended up gettin' killed?"

Leo pursed his lips, a saddened yet frustrated expression coming to his face. "I'm afraid there was nothing to check in about, Qrow. At least not before the attack on Beacon." He craned his head down and shook his head. "But… I sincerely wish I had spoken to Ozpin one last time before then. Things all seemed perfectly fine before what happened a few weeks ago. But then… it all came crashing down."

Ironwood nodded. "I'm sure. I've received reports from all kingdoms that they've had their own share of Grimm activity."

"Indeed. Mistral… has been in chaos since the attack." Lionheart set his tea down before explaining further. "As I'm sure you know, Vale wasn't the only kingdom to suffer that night. Everyone was watching, gentlemen. Every house in every kingdom saw that poor girl ripped to pieces, saw monsters crawling all over the city…" He raised a brow toward Ironwood. "And Atlesian Knights attacking citizens."

This made the military commander screw his eyes shut, his shame returning at the mention of his once-thought to be uncompromisable robotic soldiers. "Y-yes, I know. And I have gotten a lot of heat from the Atlesian Council for what happened that day."

"I'm sure you have, James" Leo stood up, taking his tea with him as he went over to the window. "After all of that, I think you can imagine what must have happened in the other kingdoms. You could feel the dread in the air. I shutter to think what might have happened if the CCT tower had been taken offline."

"As do I." James concurred. "We're lucky that it didn't come to that."

"Yes, but all the same, with all that negativity going around, you can imagine what it was like when the Grimm came for us." Leo took a trepidatious sip of his tea before going on. "As you both know, Mistral's controlled territory is the widest reaching in the world. And as such, it makes it infinitely harder to protect." A saddened expression came to his face as he stared out the window. "We lost so many great Huntsmen, including teachers from this very institution… and it's only gotten worse."

Qrow raised a brow after taking a quick swig from his flask. "Whaddya mean by that, Leo?"

The headmaster took a long pause before turning back around, setting his teacup down on his desk. "We may have dealt with the Grimm… but Mistral, Vale and Vacuo are beginning to grow at odds with the Atlesian Council." He sent the drunken Hunstman a skeptical look when his face became one of surprise. "Did you not here about that?"

"Not _yet_." Qrow emphasized while shooting Ironwood a rather pissed-off glare. "And when exactly were ya gonna tell me that one, _Jim_?"

Ironwood sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I swear I was going to bring it up in this conversation, Qrow. I just wanted to wait until…"

"Lemme guess, 'til I was good an' sober, right?" Qrow countered.

"…Maybe." Ironwood admitted.

Qrow rolled his eyes and focused back to Leo. "Okay, so since Jim's bein' the secretive one this time 'round, why don't _you_ tell me what's goin' on, Leo?"

The lion Faunus sighed once again. "I'm afraid it isn't all that good, Qrow. The other kingdoms are still questioning whether or not this was indeed an act of sabotage… or intentional on Atlas' part." He quickly raised a hand to the general. "Which I'm sure it wasn't, James."

"You're right, it wasn't." James responded. "The ones responsible for it, the followers of Salem, were able to somehow hack in to our Atlesian Knights." His mechanical hand tightened into a fist. "But even after we released the statement on what had really happened, even giving out the perpetrator's mug shots, the council is still skeptical! …We weren't looking to start a war."

Lionheart nodded in agreement. "I know. I just wish that it were that easy to convince the other three kingdom's councils otherwise." He leaned forward and added; "Although, the Atlesian Council hasn't exactly responded well to it, either. Have you heard the murmurings of what they're tempted to do?"

Qrow sneered at this. "Gah, is Jacques Schnee throwing a hissy-fit again?"

"Oh, I wish." Lionheart denied. "If anything, he's in direct opposition to what the council wants to do until the threat of potential conflict passes." He directed his eyes onto Ironwood. "Isn't that right, General?"

Ironwood closed his eyes as he could feel Qrow's glare piercing into him once again. "…Yes, that's right." He opened his eyes again and faced Qrow, explaining what Lionheart meant. "The council is considering a temporary Dust embargo until they can sort out their relations with the rest of the world."

"WHAT?!" Qrow shot up out of his seat, startling Leo in the process. The expression he was wearing made it evident that he was aghast at even the thought of an embargo. "That's absurd!"

"I know it is." James affirmed. "To be honest, if the events of Beacon had gone differently, then maybe I would have been the first to agree with the proposal. …But now, I'm not so sure."

Leo cleared his throat, regaining his composure. "I'm glad you think so, James. I don't usually agree with the likes of _Schnee_ on many things but refusing to ship Dust out to the other kingdoms is simply asking for MORE trouble, if you ask me."

"Ya think?" Qrow asked as he flopped back down to the couch and took another big swig from his flask. "See, this is why I hate politics."

"Hm, but even then, the embargo is still the least of Mistral's worries." Lionheart cupped his hands together and lowered his head. "Because even with all of this going on… we still don't know where our Spring Maiden is. It's been over a decade and we still have no leads to her location whatsoever." He let out another heavy sigh before his eyes went to his two friends. "You two wouldn't happen to have ANY new leads on her, would you?"

Qrow and Ironwood glanced toward each other, the latter wearing a hesitant expression. Qrow silently raised two fingers up to Ironwood and, for a brief moment, wore a smirk, taking James by surprise. _'Wait… Qrow, what are you about to do?'_

The drunken Huntsmen went back to Leo and spoke up again. "That's, uh, actually one of the reasons why we wanted to see you today, Leo." This made the headmaster's head move back up, giving Qrow a curious face. "We… have a feeling we know where the Spring Maiden is." His statement wasn't exactly a _total_ lie, but it WAS a cover story.

Lionheart's eyes widened, stunned by the words he had just heard. "Wait… are you serious?"

"It… isn't exactly _good_ news." Qrow added.

With a hearty laugh, Lionheart stood up from his desk and held his arms out to Qrow. "Haha! What are you talking about?! This is _excellent_ news!" He set his hands to Qrow's shoulders, his ecstatic smile unwavering. "Qrow, if you know where she is, then please tell me!"

Qrow pushed the headmaster away and shook his head. "Well… there's a bit of a caveat to this, Leo. _I'm_ not the one who knows where the Maiden is… but my sister _does_."

Leo's smile faltered at the very mention of the tribe leader. "Raven… I see." He put his hands behind his back. "So she has returned?"

"She has." Ironwood confirmed, going along with Qrow's spur-of-the-moment cover story. _'It's better than nothing, I suppose.'_ he thought to himself. "And she said that she knows the Maiden's location. Raven's been cooperative so far, but she said that if we want the Spring Maiden, we would have to do some investigating for her."

"Psh, "investigating", eh?" Lionheart scoffed. "Knowing Raven, it cannot be for anything good. How can you be sure that her word is true?"

There was a long pause between the three of them, with Qrow and Ironwood glancing toward each other before the former answered the lion Faunus. "Because… she's been makin' an effort to bond with her daughter. And it's been going surprisingly well for the most part."

This took Lionheart by surprise as well. "Well… that's certainly unexpected." He put a finger to his chin. "I never would have guessed that Raven would even _consider_ trying to bond with her family, let alone even show her face to Taiyang again." He then began to ponder another thought. "But… if she is actually trying to make amends with her family… then why has she simply not given the Spring Maiden's location yet?"

"She wants to make sure that she can trust ALL of us." Ironwood explained. "And that in turn, we can trust her. She's already earned many of the children's trust, but with us… that remains to be seen."

"Yeah." Qrow shrugged. "She seems sincere, so I'm gonna see how well this all goes."

Leo put a hand behind his head and let out an apprehensive breath. "Well Qrow… you've never scared me wrong in the past, so I suppose I'll go along with it. Alright, what does Raven want you two to investigate?"

Ironwood closed his eyes briefly. "That's… a rather unfortunate subject, Leo." He folded his arms over his chest. "You see, one of Raven's informants has told her that there could potentially be a mole within Ozpin's inner circle. That is what we're here to investigate."

A sudden chill went through Lionheart at this, his fear overtaking him for just a bit. "A… A mole? In OUR ranks?" However, he steeled himself and balled his fists as he saw the skeptical faces that James and Qrow were giving him. "And you believe _I_ am said mole?!"

Qrow put his hands up to try and calm the headmaster. "Woah, woah, Leo, let's not get too ahead of ourselves. Yes, your name came up, but we're not about to implicate ya until we have enough evidence."

"Oh don't give me that, Qrow!" Lionheart shot back with an accusatory finger. "I can see it on both of your faces! Raven specifically must have zeroed in on me, didn't she?!"

"Leonardo, please be calm." Ironwood stepped in between Leo and Qrow, separating them from each other. "Until we see definitive proof of who the traitor ACTUALLY is, we will not implicate you or anyone else in the circle. Right now, we're simply gathering as much information as we can."

"Well, I should hope so!" Lionheart exclaimed, though he was beginning to calm down. "But now that you've told me this… I cannot help but feel this might be a ploy by Raven to try and lay seeds of dissention among our ranks to drive us apart. Are you CERTAIN you are willing to trust her?"

Qrow crossed his arms. "Leo, if there's even a _chance_ of us getting the Spring Maiden back, then we might just have to take it." In his head, he mused to himself; _'Even though we already HAVE the Spring Maiden back. Sorry Leo, but until we can trust you, we're gonna have to lie to ya.'_

"And like she said, she wants to be able to trust _all_ of us." Ironwood emphasized. "And if we have a mole in our midst, she can't exactly do that."

With a disheartened expression, Leo craned his head down again. "Well, I suppose I can see your point. But I assure you, gentlemen, it isn't me." He gestured out the window with a slightly irritated expression on his face. "If anything, though, I'm surprised you came to ME first and not Theodore. I've been suspicious of all the goings on in Vacuo for years now, and his response to the attack puts him into even FURTHER question."

Ironwood put a hand to his chin. "Well, I cannot argue with that. Theodore HAS been more distant in recent years."

"Not only that, but his kingdom has been practically in shambles." Leo furthered. "The Grimm attacks in Vacuo have been even WORSE than the ones in either here or in Atlas. Some say that they're even worse than the ones in Vale itself." He gestured toward Ironwood. "I mean, at least YOUR kingdom had the Ace Ops to fend off the Grimm and we had our own Huntsmen, but Shade Academy had practically nothing!"

"Ted's got his own share of problems, that's for sure." Qrow said with a slight wince. "His students certainly got the worst of it from the attacks on Vale and Beacon."

"Oh, don't even get me started." Lionheart held his arms close and shuddered at the thought. "Did… did you see what happened to those children from Team BRNZ? I think they might have gotten the worst of it."

Ironwood closed his eyes in remorse. "Yes… one of their members got his arm eaten clean off by a Griffon. The poor boy." His fist tightened and a somewhat angry expression came to his face. "And what's more, Ted didn't even put his classes on hold after the attack. The only ones who got time off were the students who had major injuries."

"Exactly!" Leo said with a facepalm. "Ugh, that man baffles me, I swear! _I_ at least gave my students and staff the common courtesy of an extended vacation to recuperate after what happened." He shook his head and pushed the negative thoughts away. "B-But let's not get too carried away, here. Of course, there are more people than just us who know of Ozpin's secret, so we cannot rule them out, either." He put a hand over his chest. "I promise to do everything in my power to help you out, gentlemen."

"…Yeah, right." Qrow nodded. "Thanks, Leo."

Ironwood bowed his head before extending his hand. "Yes, thank you, Leo. And I'll be sure to tell Raven that her informant may have received flawed information."

"See that you do." Leo said with a handshake. "I have enough to deal with around here without worrying about my loyalty being called into question, after all. We're reopening soon and I hope to keep the students in a relatively calm state of mind going forward, you know."

"I understand." Ironwood pulled out his scroll and showed it to Leo. "Well, we'll be in the city for a little while longer before leaving tomorrow. If you find anything out, please let us know."

"I will, of course." Leo said before sitting back down at his desk. "Now, I have some more paperwork to fill out. It's like a mountain that never ends, you know."

Ironwood couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Of course, I understand." He sent his friend a wave as he and Qrow made their way toward the door. "It was good catching up with you, Leo."

"Likewise, James. See you soon." Lionheart waved back as the door closed, sighing the moment the duo had left. _'That was far, FAR too close.'_ He thought to himself as he set a hand to his head, leaning against his desk. _'Damn you, Raven. How in the world could this informant have possibly found out… unless they were one of my staff?'_

However, his train of thought was suddenly cut off when a hologram suddenly popped up on his desk. It was of a stylized "W", one that spun around slowly in place as a deep, posh voice spoke through the desk's built in speaker. It sighed in annoyance before chastising the headmaster; _"Oh, Leo, we have GOT to work on your improvisational skills."_

Leo sighed himself, resigning to the situation he had gotten himself into. "I know, Watts… I know."

* * *

Thousands of miles south of Mistral, in a heavily forested area of Anima, there laid a rather large encampment, one that was surrounded by a giant wooden fence to keep any riff raff out. However, that proved to be rather fruitless as this camp belonged to the Branwen Tribe, meaning that the riff raff was already all inside. There were multiple tents and small huts strewn about the whole site, as well as a large area in the middle of it that was set aside for gatherings and meetings. The biggest of these tents was at the very end of the encampment; one that was made up of a large grey and red cloth, a wooden frame with a horn at the end of each support beam, and a sizeable front porch that had four tiki torches placed in front of it.

All around the camp, many thieves, murderers and degenerates were strewn about, either training their skills or simply talking amongst themselves. One of these thieves was a young woman who appeared to be in her late teens or early twenties. She had tan skin, icy blue eyes and short brown hair, as well as a tatoo of a bird rising from a patch of flowers on her right arm. Her name was Vernal, and she was currently reflecting on recent events of the past week.

The young woman had been given a new task by her leader; Raven Branwen. One that involved her taking temporary leadership of the tribe while the true tribe leader was off in Vale trying to gain the trust of her family again. And Vernal was the only one that Raven had entrusted that piece of information to. "I understand why, but…" A sigh escaped her lips as she approached the Spring Maiden's tent, gazing up to it in uncertainty. "Raven, I _really_ hope you know what you're doing."

"New responsibility weighing on your shoulders, Vernal?" The short-haired girl turned to her right to see a man in his late twenties approaching her, his very presence making her sneer in his direction. He had long dirty blonde hair and grey eyes, as well as a bit of stubble around his mouth. He wore what would only be described as a shit-eating grin on his face as he approached her, which only served to make her even more angry at him. "Don't tell me that the teacher's pet is only NOW starting to realize what she's gotten herself into! Haha!"

"Fuck off, Shay." Vernal snapped. "I don't need your damn input on how I'm running things."

Shay D. Mann raised his arms up, backing away while still wearing his devious smile. "Hey, fine by me. If ya don't want my advice, then that's on you. Survival of the fittest, am I right?"

"Hmm, you'd better remember that." Vernal nodded, crossing her arms at him. "Otherwise Raven WILL be liable to kick you out of the tribe when she comes back."

Shay simply rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Psh, yeah, IF she ever comes back—GAH!" All at once, Vernal had grabbed Shay by his red ascot, pulling him closer to her while raising her fist in anger. It was evident by her expression that the temporary tribe leader was NOT happy with him. "Ah! H-Hey! It was just a joke, okay?!"

"Sounds like a really shitty joke to me!" Vernal shouted back.

The blonde thief quickly undid his ascot and moved away from the angry brunette, breathing heavily as he collected his bearings. "Ugh, sheesh, Vernal. Ya need to learn to relax a little."

Now utterly peeved at her fellow tribe member, Vernal balled up the red ascot and threw it back, successfully hitting him right in the face. "I'll relax when you morons start getting in line. That last raid was sloppy and you know it."

Shay flung his arms into the air. "Oh, and who's fault is that, huh?! Oh wait, Raven put YOU in charge of that raid, didn't she? Maybe if she WERE here, then things would've gone smoother!"

"Oh, that's just bull shit!" Vernal stomped up to Shay and pointed a finger right in his face. "You know EXACTLY what the hell you and your idiot pals did. You went off and did your own thing while the rest of the tribe actually did what they were told! Strength in _numbers_ , Shay, and right now, we need all the numbers we got."

The male bandit put a hand to his chin with his toothy grin ever present. "Well gee, that doesn't sound like something that someone from THIS tribe would say… you sure you're one of us?"

Vernal narrowed her eyes at him, the young woman now seething with anger. "I oughta punch you in the fucking _teeth_."

"And ruin this _amazing_ smile?" Shay asked while brushing his hair in an over the top fashion. "C'mon, you know that the ladies love it."

"Sure… but I know one thing the ladies _won't_ love."

"Huh? What do you mea—AAAGH!" In one fell swoop, Vernal kneed Shay in the groin, forcing him to double over and fall to the ground while clutching at his crotch.

With a satisfied strut in her step, Vernal smirked and finished; "They're not gonna like the fact that your balls have been permanently kicked back in to you."

"…No… fair." Shay squeaked out.

"Didn't say anything about fair." Vernal shrugged before a new sound graced her ears. It sounded like a pair of motorcycles approaching, though it was followed up by a loud horn being blown from across the camp. Her eyes widened in realization. "The warning signal? But that means—"

"VERNAL!" The temporary tribe leader whirled around to see one of her fellow lady bandits running toward her, her hand pointing toward the entry gate. "There's… there's two large monsters on motorcycles coming our way!"

The brunette had to blink in complete bafflement at the statement she had just heard. Monsters usually referred to Grimm… but she knew one thing was for certain; Grimm _didn't_ ride motorcycles. "WHAT?! That's ridiculous! Next you'll be saying that Grimm are playing card games on them, too!"

"That's the thing…" The lady bandit whipped her head toward the entry point as the motorcycle engines slowed down to a soft rumble before cutting off completely. Suddenly, the gate began to convulse, almost as if something was ramming into it on the other side. "They AREN'T Grimm."

Before Vernal could question any further, the gate suddenly broke open with a loud _CRASH_ , sending debris and dust flying everywhere and making the other tribe members cry out in shock. Just as that happened, everyone could hear the sound of stomping feet coming through the cloud of dust, making everyone pause in apprehension. Once the dust began to settle, they saw what had just broken in… and they were utterly floored by what they were seeing. "…You can't be serious." Vernal uttered.

There, standing near the entrance, was a gigantic humanoid rhinoceros. No, not a rhino _Faunus_ , a _humanoid_ rhinoceros. Adding to that, the rhino monster had what appeared to be armor all over his body, as well as a cybernetic horn that had a laser at its tip. The creature's yellow eyes gleamed in the fire-lit camp as the night air became still, the tribe members simply staring in horror. "What?" the monster asked. "Haven't ya seen a cybernetically enhanced mutant rhino man before?"

"No duh, they haven't, Skull!" Another voice came from behind the rhino mutant, which only made everyone else even more bewildered. Coming up from behind the monster… was another monster, this one resembling a warthog. This one wasn't AS big as his compatriot, but he was still plenty big. He wore purple and black clothing and had a black mohawk on top of his head. Not only that, but he wore a rather advanced pair of metal gauntlets and a visor on his face, the purple glow of which gave him an intimidating presence. "Betcha they haven't seen a warthog mutant before, either!"

"Eh, ya gotta point there, Hog." Skull agreed before straightening himself up to his full height. "Alright, LISTEN UP!" he called out with his deep, gravelly voice. "We're here lookin' for a gal named Vernal! If ya hand her over, we'll go easy on ya! But if ya don't, well, let's just say we're not responsible for what we're liable to do."

Hog reached around to his back and pulled out a rather brutal mace, a smirk coming to his pig lips all the while. "You said exactly what I was thinkin', Skull! Now will the lovely lady please step forward?"

The lady bandit glanced over to Vernal with a worried face. "Wait… how do they know you, Vernal?"

"I don't know." Vernal replied with a serious expression. "But I intended to find out." Vernal reached down to her waist and pulled off her weapons; a pair of crescent-shaped blades, each with a ring-shaped center that had an even smaller ring in the middle of them. These smaller rings served as triggers for the rectangular-shaped double-barreled guns that were integrated into the blades. The blades extended outward so that the hooked points at the very ends of the blades were visible, the young woman intent on fighting if the situation got out of hand. "You there! _I_ am Vernal!" She pointed one of her weapons at the mutants, keeping her finger on the trigger. "And YOU have ten seconds to answer for your intrusion on our camp! Why have you sought me out?!"

Skull peered down and laughed, an eager grin forming on his face. "Ah-ha! So THERE you are! I see you've got no trouble in showin' yourself, huh?" He jerked his massive thumb to himself. "My name is Exo-Skull." He then gestured to his partner. "An' this is my pal, Thunderhog. We're here on orders from our boss. She wants you to come with us to the kingdom of Mistral, and ASAP."

Vernal narrowed her eyes at the duo. "Oh really? And who is this "boss"? The Branwen Tribe might be willing to comply… and overlook the damage you did to our camp if they're offering the right price."

This caused both Hog and Skull to laugh, leaving Vernal and the rest of the bandits confused. "AHAHA! Oh, little girl, our boss ain't interested in _hirin'_ you!" Hog clarified, his smirk still in place. "Tell me, does the name "Salem" mean anythin' to ya?"

The brunette's eyes nearly bugged out of her skull. "…Salem?"Raven had been preparing Vernal for this moment… but she hadn't expected it to come this soon. Her name, or rather, her NEW name, was one she took up to throw Salem off the Spring Maiden's trail… or rather, _Raven's_ trail. _'I seriously wasn't expecting them to come to US, though.'_ As she was lost in her thoughts, though, she heard the rest of the tribe starting to murmur amongst themselves, all of the thieves growing concerned over the mention of Salem. Vernal gripped her weapons firmly and stood her ground. "So that's it? She's figured me out, then?"

Hog and Skull turned to each other, tilted their heads, and went back to Vernal in the span of a few seconds. "Uh… mind explainin' what ya mean by that?" Hog asked.

The mutant's bewilderment made an uneasy feeling begin rising in Vernal's gut. "…That _I'm_ the Spring Maiden." she answered. The young woman could only watch as Hog and Skull's eyebrows rose up… before they both fell into hysterics once again. Needless to say, this only made Vernal angry. "Wha—hey! What's so funny?! You've GOT me, I'm the Spring—"

"Hahaha! No you're not!" Skull laughed off. "Salem already KNOWS that Raven is the Spring Maiden!"

This news only made the rest of the tribe begin to panic even more, with some of them even reaching for their own weapons. Vernal, however, was left almost speechless at this. "W-What?"

"Oh-ho-ho, yeah!" Hog chortled. "Our lady managed to overhear Raven say so when she wasn't aware of it! An' now, it's only a matter of time before Salem takes the Spring Maiden's powers for herself!" His smirk increased into a big, evil grin. "All WE gotta do… is get the right bait to lure her out. An' that's where YOU come in!"

Vernal clenched her teeth in ire and immediately raised her weapons, aiming them right at Hog and Skull. "NO! I won't let you!" She pulled the triggers and four yellow laser beams fired from her weapons, two from each gun. The beams sailed at a near-blinding speed toward Hog and Skull, to which the former hid behind his bigger friend. Skull spun around and let his armor take the brunt of the blast, which managed to make him stumble forward a bit, but not knock him down. "EVERYONE!" Vernal shouted. "Attack!"

Nearly all at once, all of the bandits, aside from Shay who was still incapacitated from earlier, rushed forward with their weapons drawn and at the ready. There were blasts of electric, fire, or ice Dust energy coming from all directions and making impact with the mutated duo while others favored using their blades, hammers and other melee weapons to hit Hog and Skull dead on. By the end of it all, the ruckus had churned up a large cloud of smoke that enveloped the two intruders, giving everyone a moment's pause. "…Uh, did we get 'em?" one of the bandits asked.

However, just as he asked that, two lights came out from the smoke; one blue, and one purple. Vernal's gut began to sink. "No, no we didn't."

Hog and Skull stepped out of the cloud, the latter stating; "Our turn." before unloading their respective laser beams. The blasts either made contact with some of the bandits, knocking them to the ground, or burst into the many tents that were strewn all around the campsite. The lasers managed to make many of the structures catch fire, which immediately began to spread to the rest of the wooden wall surrounding the camp. Many of the bandits who weren't hit by the blasts were beginning to run away, the mutants forcing them to sprint toward Raven's personal tent. "Ahaha! Now THIS is what I'm talkin' about!"

"Yeah! I'm SO glad that Lady Salem's lettin' us cut loose like this!" Hog agreed before noticing Vernal making a tactical retreat with her compatriots. "Uh oh, seems we've got a runner, Skull! Wanna send our secret weapon after her?"

"Haha, sure do!" Skull stopped firing his horn for a moment, craning his massive head back around to their seemingly abandoned motorcycles. They were both specially built by Watts, much to his chagrin, to resemble their old motorcycles… just much bigger to suit their size. But there WAS one thing different about Skull's bike; what was once a one-seater was now a two-seater, complete with a backrest. "Okay, hon! You're up!"

From seemingly nowhere, a sultry voice called back to him. "I hear you loud and clear, _mio amore_."

Further ahead, Vernal was sprinting toward Raven's tent to regroup with the rest of the tribe, all while desperately trying to think of a plan to take the two bozos down. _'But what can we DO against them?! They have the better tech, bigger size and superior strength. Sure, we've got bigger numbers, but our weapons did NOTHING, not even all at once! We have to—'_ At that moment, Vernal suddenly felt her foot begin to trip up, taking her by surprise. "AGH!" She fell to the ground, but tuck-and-rolled the moment she hit it, landing in a crouch with her weapons at the ready. "What the… who did that?!"

"Oh, _scusi_." A feminine voice spoke up from in front of her. At first, Vernal thought she was hearing things, but the moment a figure began to make itself visible to her, she pushed that thought away. There, standing in front of her, was a purple, humanoid female lizard creature in white, skin-tight clothing as well as a matching barrette. She also had a set of three-lensed, multi-colored sunglasses on her face, though why there was a third lens, Vernal didn't know. The creature flicked her tail to-and-fro with a wily smile on her face. "My tail can be quite sneaky when I do not keep track of it. Although in this case… it was _quite_ deliberate."

Vernal grit her teeth and aimed her weapons at the lizard woman. "And who the hell are YOU!"

"Oh, that is right, where ARE my manners?" the lizard lady pulled out a small, golden, jewel-encrusted pistol and aimed it directly at Vernal. "My name is Subdora… and you are coming with us, Miss Vernal."

"I don't think so!" Unexpectedly, Vernal didn't fire her pistols like she had suggested with her stance. Instead, she reared her arms back and brought her crescent-shaped blades down onto Subdora, intending to slash right into her. However, with every swipe, Subdora was able to bob and weave around the brunette's attacks, backing up while doing so. At one point, Subdora made to blast her own weapon back at Vernal, but the temporary tribe leader kicked the lizard woman's hand, knocking the pistol away in the process.

"Ah! How rude!" Subdora cried out as she continued to dodge Vernal's attacks. "You do not simply kick a lady's most prized weapon away like that!"

"Does it LOOK like I care?!" Vernal screamed back. "I'm not letting you destroy our camp! And I'm CERTAINLY not letting you take me away from here!"

Subdora could only smirk at her statement. "That's what you think." Without warning, Subdora vanished without a trace, making Vernal pause in shock.

She whipped her head around, desperately searching for where the lizard lady may have gone. "W-What?! Where did she—ACK!" A hard kick was sent to the small of Vernal's back, making her tumble forward once again. However, this time she couldn't recover, as something forceful and heavy suddenly slammed onto her back again, making her give out a cry of pain. "AAAGH!"

In her ear, Vernal suddenly heard Subdora whisper to her; "Relax, _piccola ragazza_. This will only hurt for but a moment." With that, Subdora made herself reappear and did a backflip off of Vernal's back, knocking the wind out of her. "Thaddeus! Do your thing!"

"With pleasure!" Thunderhog reached to his back and pulled out his signature Thunder Mace, whirling it above his head the moment he did. As the energy within it began to build up, sending red electricity all over the place, he called out his catchphrase; "Thunder! THUNDER! THUNDERHOG!" before sending the made forward, causing the energy to arc out toward Vernal. The young woman was just beginning to pick herself up off the ground as the energy hit her full-on, causing her to scream in utter pain as it coursed all throughout her body. The energy was so intense that it made her drop her weapons, which gave Hog the signal he needed. "Alright! Skull, you're up!"

Getting down onto all fours, Exo-Skull padded the ground with his left hand, his head shaking with anticipation. "No need to tell me twice!" Without hesitation, Skull charged head on right into Vernal, his horn making impact with the brunette and sending her careening right into one of the only undamaged huts in the camp. Skull stopped just short of the wreckage, only to find a barely conscious Vernal laying among it. The rhino man leaned his head in closer to see if she was dying or not. "Huh, think I overdid it?" The moment that Vernal weakly spat in his face, he got his answer. "Ha! Nope, she's still got some fight in her."

"Not much, though, that's for sure." Hog said as he put his mace away. "But I gotta admit, this girl's got some guts on her."

Subdora approached and put a foot on Vernal's right leg, holding the thief down as she slowly began to succumb to unconsciousness. "Indeed, quite impressive. I can see now why Raven chose to have her lead in her absence." She craned her head up to see the remaining tribe members all staring on in horror, many still in disbelief at what they had just seen. "Listen up! If any of you decide to follow us, you WILL be killed on the spot. Am I clear?!" She took their frightened stares as a "yes" before moving on. "Good. Now there is only one thing left to do."

"Exactly, sugar plum." Skull said before leaning back down to lock eyes with Vernal. "Get ready, little Vernal. Because we're goin' on a trip to Mistral." He picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. "An' guess what?! You're gonna be seein' your mistress again REAL soon! I'm sure she'll be _really proud_ to see what you've done for the tribe! AHAHA!"

"Hehe, yeah, maybe we oughta put a little bow on your head when we present ya to her!" Hog suggested, making all three villains erupt into even more uproarious laughter

As she heard the sarcasm drip from Exo-Skull's voice, Vernal, in a combination on pain and utter helplessness, couldn't help but let loose a few tears of frustration. This couldn't be happening. This could NOT be happening. Not to her. Not when she had so much to PROVE to her leader. She… she had failed. And as she lost consciousness, there was only one thing she could say; "Raven… I'm sorry."

* * *

Back in Mistral, Ironwood was making his way through one of the lower levels of Mistral, though he was FAR from happy to be doing so. Thankfully, it wasn't one of the seedier levels, so he knew he wouldn't be in any danger. It has been several hours since his and Qrow's meeting with Leo, around midnight, to be precise. For a time, James had been sound asleep in the small rental house that Qrow had been occupying during his stay in the city, which thankfully had more than one bedroom. He knew he would be rising early to get back to Vale, so he wanted to get as much sleep as possible. However, about forty-five minutes ago, James had risen from his slumber to see that his usually drunken friend was nowhere to be seen, much to his irritation.

"For god's sake, Qrow." Ironwood mumbled to himself. "If you are where I THINK you are…" The general eventually stopped in front of a small bar on the left side of the street, one that didn't seem to stick out too much. As soon as Ironwood peered through the glass window on the door, his suspicions were confirmed. There, sitting at the bar, was Qrow, the man slumped over with his head facing the table. Ironwood sighed and shook his head. "Well, best to get this over with." He opened the door and strolled right in, speaking to Qrow the moment he got close. "A bit late for a drink, wouldn't you say?"

"Psh, this place offers twenty-four-hour service, Jim." Qrow replied, not even bothering to pick his head up to look at Ironwood. "If they're offerin', I'm takin' it." He picked his drink up and swirled the ice cubes around, making the alcohol bubble slightly. "Besides, I got a lot on my mind right now."

James took a seat next to Qrow, folding his arms on the bar in front of him. He was about to ask Qrow what was on his mind when a waitress came up and smiled at him. "Good evening, sir. May I take your order?"

"Oh, I, uh—"

"Get 'im a nice champagne, darlin'." Qrow jumped in. "An' put it on my tab." He nudged James with his elbow. "Yer still a wine-drinker, right?"

Ironwood couldn't help but stammer at Qrow's sudden order. "W-Well, yes, but—"

"Great!" The waitress exclaimed after writing down the order. "I'll be back with your drink in a moment!"

"W-Wait, I—" Ironwood reached out to try and get the waitress' attention, but it was too late. She had gone to the back room, leaving him and Qrow by themselves once again. "Ugh, great." He raised a brow to his drunken friend. "I CAN speak for myself, you know."

But Qrow simply waved him off. "Ah, you'll thank me later. Ya need to loosen up a bit, Jim. Trust me, you'll feel better for it." He began to chuckle as he nudged his friend again. "But hey, ya know who REALLY needs to relax? Glynda. I mean seriously, who stuffrf the ten-foot-pole up HER ass, huh? Ever since our academy days, it's always been rules and regs with her."

Ironwood's expression darkened as Qrow continued to talk about Glynda. "Listen here, Qrow, just because you're drunk, doesn't mean you get to speak badly about Glynda. I'll have you know that she HAS been able to relax and have _some_ fun on occasion."

"Heh! Now that you mention it, I DO remember one time when she actually had a bit of fun." Qrow smirked in James' direction. "…And I'm sure YOU do, too. You remember the cotton candy incident all those years ago, dontcha, Jim?"

Ironwood's face flushed red as the memory of getting his face telekinetically shoved into a cotton candy machine flooded back into his mind. It was incredibly embarrassing for him back then, especially since it was Glynda who had managed to get the one-up on him. "W-Well, I… I suppose I do."

"I know _I_ do." Qrow smacked his hand against the table and shook his head. "Hehe, that pink mustache an' beard looked HILARIOUS on ya."

James pursed his lips and rolled his eyes. "Yes, very humorous." His face grew serious again as he laced his hands together on the table. "But let's get back to brass tacks here, Qrow. Why did you decide to come out here this early in the first place?" He leaned forward and narrowed his eyes slightly. "What's on your mind?"

Qrow sighed heavily before staring back at his drink again. "Well… I'm still thinkin' 'bout what Leo said to us earlier. I still suspect he might be hidin' somethin'."

"Well, if he is, he isn't the only one." Ironwood reminded. "You owe me for just springing that cover story up without consulting me first, by the way."

"Hey, I'm already buyin' yer drink." Qrow pointed out. "As far as I'm concerned, we're even on that front."

"We really aren't."

"The POINT is…" Qrow continued. "…that Leo ain't exactly trustworthy. Didn't ya see how nervous he was when we brought up the topic of the mole? And I mean… even MORE nervous than he usually is? Plus, he was pretty quick on the draw to defend himself an' start pointin' out Ted's recent behavior."

James put a hand to his chin. "I suppose. But the more I think about it, perhaps Theodore isn't exactly all that innocent either."

Qrow waved his hand. "Oh, I ain't sayin' he is." he denied. "Ted's definitely up to somethin' in Vacuo, but whatever it is, I got no clue." Qrow jerked his thumb upward. "But don't ya think it's kinda suspicious that Leo just let ALL of his staff go right after the attack happened? I mean, there ain't even a FEW left to guard the relic."

The general craned his head down as well, thinking over his drunken friend's words. "Well, you have a point there, Qrow." he admitted. "Plus, the fact that Leo said he could guard the relic himself is also quite suspicious. He isn't the Huntsman he used to be all those years ago, and honestly… his recent cowardly attitude makes me question if he even CAN guard the relic all by himself."

"I hear ya there, Jim." Qrow said as he knocked back his whisky, putting the glass back on the table a second later. "It's gettin' really hard to know who to trust around here anymore." His eyes shifted down to the Long Memory, still dangling from his hip. "At this point, I'm hopin' for SOME kinda miracle. But with _my_ Semblance, I doubt it."

"I'm sorry, but did someone say "miracle"?" The two men snapped their heads up, their eyes widening at the sound of a new voice behind them. They whirled around in their seats to see a middle-aged man in a lab coat standing behind them, wearing a kind smile as he waved. "Ah, good evening, gentlemen. Or would that be "morning" considering it's after midnight? An age-old question, that one."

Qrow and James glanced at each other before focusing back onto the man, the latter being the one to address him first. "Um… I'm sorry, but who are you, sir?" Ironwood asked.

"An excellent first question! Right to the point as always, general." The man placed a hand to his chest. "My name is Professor Paradox." The professor then gestured to the two men in front of him. "And I do believe I have the pleasure of addressing General Ironwood and Qrow Branwen, do I not?"

The duo took a momentary pause before Qrow stood up, keeping a hand on Harbinger just in case. "Yeah? And who wants to know?"

Paradox shook his head. "Have you not been paying attention? Well, I suppose not considering your rather intoxicated state."

Before Qrow could unsheathe Harbinger and put it against Paradox's throat, Ironwood held up his robotic arm, stopping Qrow in his tracks. "Wait just a moment… you said your name was Professor Paradox? The same person that Ben's mentioned to us a few times in the past?"

"The very same." Paradox confirmed.

"Huh? Wait…" Qrow put two and two together before taking his hand off of harbinger. "Oh, yeah, Watch Boy said that you'd be the one to find him an' his pals if anybody could. Somethin' 'bout time travel an' dimension hopping?" He placed his hands on his hips. "Well, better late than never, huh?"

"Well, in actuality, I have been in contact with Ben since this past Sunday." The time traveler clarified, gesturing toward Ironwood. "After all, I was the one who hinted toward how Penny could be resurrected, if you recall, general."

Ironwood pointed toward Paradox. "That's right, they DID say that you left them that riddle. And that was five days ago. My word, with all of the things that have happened, that's almost hard to believe."

"You would be surprised how many things can happen in such a short amount of time, general." Paradox said with a wry grin. "But I'm afraid we are getting off topic. I am here because I have a very special person I wish for you to meet… or rather… get reacquainted with." He saw the confusion on the two's faces as he stepped aside, revealing a young boy standing behind him. "I believe that you all have already met?"

Qrow and Ironwood were still utterly bewildered by what the time traveler was telling them. The boy standing in front of them had tan skin, hazel eyes, freckles, and messy black hair. They didn't recognize him in the least. One thing was for sure though; he seemed to be rather raggedy in terms of what he wore. A messy v-neck shirt that was only partially tucked in, grey pants with orange suspenders and patches in the knees, a set of orange and black gloves on each hand, and a pair muddy brown boots on his feet. He appeared as if he had been living in a squalor before coming here. The boy seemed a bit nervous before Paradox pat him on the shoulder, giving him a supportive smile. "Well, go on, then. Remember, Oscar, you have nothing to fear from them. These are our friends, after all."

"Friends?" Ironwood echoed, still very confused as the boy, apparently named Oscar, hesitantly stepped toward them.

Oscar cleared his throat and gave them a wave of his own. "Er, uh… yeah. It's… nice to meet you, I think?" He rubbed the back of his head. "…Even though I kinda already met you."

Qrow was much more skeptical of what Oscar was saying. "Listen, pipsqueak, I'm pretty sure yer not even s'posed to be in this bar. So you might wanna start speakin' faster before the nice bar lady comes an' sees ya."

The young boy took a brief pause, seemingly thinking to himself for a moment before murmuring; "Shut up, I'm getting there." Seeing the expressions on Ironwood and Qrow's faces, it was obvious that this just made them even more confused… or irritated. Oscar couldn't really tell with Qrow. After another moment of silence, he finally gained the courage to speak up again. "Um… I'm supposed to tell you…" With an uncertain face, he finished; "I'd like my cane back?"

In less than a second, it clicked from both James and Qrow, the former wearing a shocked expression on his face while his drunken friend was able to stay relatively calmer. The two looked at each other before Qrow nodded silently, standing up from his seat with a small smile on his face. He took the Long Memory from his hip and chuckled. "Hm, it's good to see you again, Oz." With that, he tossed the cane over to Oscar and he caught it in his hand, the staff extending out from his handle. "I guess our luck is startin' to turn around."

"To say the least!" Ironwood exclaimed, his arms extending outward as he approached Oscar. "This is fantastic! Oz, I…" However, he noticed that the boy still seemed uncomfortable, shying away as he drew closer. "…Oh, something tells me that you _aren't_ just Oz, are you, young man?"

"N-No." Oscar stammered. "My name is Oscar Pine. Ozpin kinda started inhabiting my mind a few weeks ago… and I'm still getting used to him being in my head."

" _The feeling is mutual."_ Ozpin said in Oscar's head.

Professor Paradox stepped forward and raised a hand. "I'm afraid the reincarnation process is a slow one. It will take more time until Oscar and Ozpin are truly one in the same." He smiled down toward the farm boy, giving him a nod. "But all the same, he is still Oscar Pine, so I would hope you address him as such."

"Of course." Ironwood affirmed as he bowed to Oscar. "It's a true pleasure to meet you, Oscar."

"Likewise." Oscar nodded back. "So… what happens now?"

Ironwood was about to answer when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He moved around to see the waitress standing right behind him, holding a platter with his champagne sitting upon it. "Here's your order, sir! Sorry for the wait, I…" The waitress trailed off when she noticed that the bar now had two additional occupants… and one of them was clearly underage. "Um… what's going on in here?"

The general shifted his eyes between everyone there before a smile came to his face. "Nothing at all, ma'am. I just received some excellent news from my friends here." He took the wine glass and raised it up high. "Please, another champagne for the kind gentleman and a soft drink for the young man! Tonight is a night for celebration!"

* * *

**A/N: And that's that! Bit of a shorter chapter, but in all honesty, that's how I expected this one to turn out. But in any case, Oscar has finally made his first appearance in the story! And instead of Hazel inadvertently helping him and Oz along their way, it's Professor Paradox, who yes, knows Ozpin (or rather, knew a previous incarnation of Ozpin). All in all, I hope he was worth the wait. I know you guys have been wanting him in for a while now, and now, your calls have been answered. Of course, we have another big change in continuity here; both Qrow AND Ironwood meet Oscar at the same time, and they both meet up with Lionheart as well. How will this affect them both going forward? Well, we'll just have to wait and see about that. And hey, it seems like Tai and Raven are starting to patch things up between them, too, so that's good news as well!**

**But of course, things can't ALL be good. It seems that Vernal's been overwhelmed by Exo-Skull, Thunderhog and Subdora, and they're taking her to Mistral to boot. Salem's third strike is beginning to go into motion, and at this point, who knows what else is going to happen? Well, other than me, of course. And on that note… NEXT TIME! We check in back with our heroes as they spend their morning getting ready for what will hopefully be a more normal day. However, that proves to be anything but as they receive some surprising news, not from any of their allies… from the actual news station. Something big is going to be happening in Vale, and with the addition of a surprise guest arriving at the Xiao Long household, it leaves our heroes floored. But that's only the beginning as, just a little while later, they receive a call from Ironwood, saying that they should all come to Mistral right away. It's time for the big meet-up. Thanks for reading guys, and I'll see you next time! Stay safe out there!**


	97. A Morning of Surprises

**A/N: Hey AO3 gang! Welcome back to the story! We've got a new set of chapters for today, and thusly, welcome to the first chapter in the Haven arc! We're seeing the return of the casual chapter to start the arc off, so be ready for more character interaction! This is…**

**Chapter 97: A Morning of Surprises**

* * *

Ruby Rose couldn't help but feel completely giddy as she skipped her way into the kitchen from the basement, giving a twirl as she stopped in front of the fridge. She was still feeling the buzz from the party last night, one that had been filled with fun, joy, and most of all; excitement. The impromptu celebration they had thrown together had went until midnight non-stop, having moved from the living room down into the basement all the while. The moment it did move into the basement though, Ben had broken out the first season of a show called "My Hero Academia", allowing all of them to finally see what he was hyping up. They practically ate up the first season, just as the hero had hoped they would.

' _And judging by how everyone was cheering for All Might by the end of it, I think we might've found something that EVERYONE can agree is awesome.'_ Ruby thought to herself as she continued to hum the first season's theme song, which she could NOT get out of her head no matter how much she tried. _'I don't understand the lyrics, but gosh darn, is it awesome!'_

What's more, they had finished the first season so early that they ended up watching another Disney movie at the end of it; _Aladdin_. However, Caesar had to take his leave before he could get to it, saying that he needed to rest before he started working on the Dimensional Doorway. Thankfully, everyone immediately understood and they bid Caesar goodnight, looking forward to seeing him sometime the next day. "Don't party too hard, _amigos_." The inventor had warned. "Otherwise you'll all just crash by midnight."

"Well, he certainly wasn't wrong about that." Ruby recalled as she grabbed an apple from the fridge and began peeling it. "I fell asleep as soon as I hit my bed—AH!" Unfortunately, Ruby's hand slipped the moment she tried to peel the apple, making it fly across the room. "Oh come on!" But just as the fruit was about to hit the ground, Yang suddenly leaped out from the hallway, grabbing the apple just before it could hit the ground. "Woah! Nice catch, sis!" However, there was no response as Yang rose to her full height, keeping her back toward Ruby. "Uh… Yang?"

"…No need to fear, lil' sis!" Yang finally said before spinning around, a large fearless smile on her face as she positioned herself at an angle where the light from the nearby window cast a shadow across her face. She pointed a finger at her sister before stating; "Because I AM HERE to save your breakfast!"

Ruby immediately burst out laughing. "BAH-HAHA! Oh, oh that was _genius_ , Yang!" She reached her hand out toward her sister. "But, uh, could I have my breakfast _back_ , please?"

"Why of course!" Yang tossed the apple back to Ruby with an underhanded toss, which made Ruby fumble with the fruit for a bit before regaining her hold on it. "No need to thank me, Rubes! It's all in a day's work!" Yang flexed her muscles and exclaimed; "PLUS ULTRA!"

From the hallway, Ben came in with a hearty laugh, highly amused by his girlfriend's antics. "Haha! Oh god, Yang you are REALLY into MHA, aren't ya?"

Yang, now stepping out of the light so her face wasn't cast in shadow any longer, smiled back to her boyfriend before wrapping an arm around his neck. "Of course, babe! I mean, holy crap, I don't think I've ever seen a superhero show mixed with a high school show so _well_ before… or possibly ever! I mean, it's only the first season, but I'm already hooked!"

Ruby, now peeling her apple without trouble, jumped into the conversation. "Yeah, and I'm pretty sure everyone ELSE is too!"

Ben simply shrugged. "Heh, what can I say? My Hero has been popular since it premiered. And I'm not just talkin' about the show, but the manga as well."

"Hmm, I'm sure." Everyone turned to see Weiss and Rex enter the kitchen as well, with Blake and Sun following close behind. "I'll freely admit, I didn't think I'd like it, but Izuku's resolve to become the best hero in the world really impressed me."

"And the mentor-student relationship he has with All Might is also pretty great." Blake added before offhandedly remarking; "Though the fact that All Might's voice is the same one as Piccolo's was kinda jarring at first."

Sun let out a laugh as he sat down at the table. "Ha! Yeah, but you laughed out loud when he said… "Eat this!" while passing his Quirk to Deku, didn't ya?"

Blake had to pin her lips to resist the urge to laugh, the memory of All Might offering a lock of his hair to a dumbstruck Izuku now coming back to her and everyone else. The whole room laughed, which got her to break as well. "Haha! Yeah, that was pretty funny."

"Hehe, thought so." Sun folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. "But to be honest, I think we can ALL agree on one thing; Bakugo is one SCARY dude."

Rex's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Huh, really? I always thought Bakugo was the funniest character of the show! _Unintentionally_ funny, but still hilarious!"

Weiss raised a finger in contention. "Now hold on there, Robo-dolt, I think have to go with Sun on this one. He just seemed so mean-spirited, it's kinda scary."

"Yeah, what's his deal, anyway?" Ruby asked. "Does he just not like Deku for trying to help him or what?"

Ben bobbed his head back and forth. "Well, yeah, that's kinda the deal." He affirmed. "Bakugo has a… bit of a superiority complex, as you've seen. He's pretty much what happens when you take a Shonen rival and crank him up to eleven. The guy thinks he's better than everyone in UA High, and he's out to prove it." The hero crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "And apparently, he sees Deku trying to help him as a sign of weakness. Which, quite frankly, I'd argue against, but that's just me."

Weiss rolled her eyes and gave out a groan as she sat down as well. "Well, I know one thing, the next time I hear him scream "damn it", it'll be FAR too soon." She threw her head back and stared up at the ceiling in annoyance. "Or heck, ANY time he damns something that he deems inferior."

"Yeah, that's Bakugo for ya." Rex said cheekily. "Wait till ya hear the "hero" name he wants to be called!"

At that moment, Ben spotted a couple of certain someones approaching from the stairs, to which he greeted with a wave. "Hey! Morning, you two!"

Yang craned her head around just in time to see her parents making their way down the stairs, which made her beam toward them instantly. "Morning mom, morning dad."

Tai and Raven yawned simultaneously, the latter giving a lazy wave. "Ah, morning, kids. How was your party last night?"

"Pretty great, actually!" Ruby jumped in before giving her father a morning hug. "One for you!"

The blonde man couldn't help but laugh as he returned his daughter's embrace. "Haha! Thank you, sweetheart. I'm glad you kids were able to enjoy your party." The moment he and Ruby separated though, the Hooded Huntress quickly moved over to Raven, much to Tai's surprise. "Uh… Ruby?"

Raven blinked as Ruby extended her arms out to her, the Spring Maiden perplexed at what was happening. "I… uh… Ruby, what are you…"

"If you want one, I have a hug for you, too!" Ruby said cheerily.

This took nearly everyone in the room by surprise, though slightly less so for Yang. The blonde was too busy grinning from ear to ear. "AWWW! That's just too SWEET!"

Raven blushed as an uncertain hand went to her chest. "Oh, Ruby, I'm very flattered, but I don't think that's necessary."

"Aw, c'mon, Raven!" Ruby encouraged, her smile unwavering. "You're practically part of the family again anyway, so why not?"

With everybody's eyes now focused squarely on her, Raven found herself trapped with her own uncertainty in a crowd of teenaged eyes… as well as Tai's. She quickly glanced over to him, hoping that he could offer some sort of advice. When she saw his face, though, she was met by a warm, supportive smile, one that encouraged her to take the offer. This was solidified by a single nod from Tai, showing that Raven had nothing to fear from Ruby. "W-Well, I suppose I could—"

"YAAAAAY!" Without warning, Raven was suddenly glomped by Ruby, the young huntress wrapping her arms around Raven in an instant. "Morning hug!"

At first, Raven was taken aback by the unexpectedly firm hug, her teeth gritting in nervousness. However, the more Ruby hugged her, the more relaxed she started to feel. It was the strangest feeling, but… she recognized this kind of hug. _'It's almost like…_ _no… this IS Summer's hug.'_ Slowly but surely, Raven began to return the embrace. It was a little hesitant at first, but she eventually began to relax. "Hmhm, you certainly have your mother's gift of hugging." She chuckled.

That caught Ruby's attention. "Wait, I do?"

"Yes, this is how she ALWAYS used to hug." Raven confirmed. "She was firm, but gentle at the same time. I can't tell you how much I hated them at first… but as you know, the more Summer warmed up to me, the more I started to grow fond of them."

"Oh, well that's sweet!" Blake smiled.

Weiss' smile grew as well. "Yeah, it's good to know that those Silver Eyes aren't the ONLY thing that Ruby got from her mom."

"Indeed." Raven concurred, grinning down at Ruby. "I'm sure that if Summer could see you know, she'd be astonished to see how much like her you really are, Ruby."

Ruby brushed a lock of hair away from her face, a small yet nervous laugh escaping her lips. "Uh, hehe, yeah." She and Raven ended their hug before she went on. "I just hope that I can put these Silver Eyes to good use at SOME point. Otherwise, what's the point in me having them?"

Rex gave her a thumbs up. "Hey, you'll find a way to activate them SOMEHOW, Ruby. Trust me, power ups gotta be WORKED for, ya know?"

Sun raised an eyebrow to the EVO. "Uh… didn't somebody LITERALLY inject you with your Omega-1 nanite?"

"Well, yeah, but I still had to WORK to unlock all the builds it could make." Rex emphasized. "Ya know the old saying; "Rome wasn't built in a day"?"

"The heck is "Rome"?"

"Okay, bad example." Rex deadpanned.

"In ANY case…" Ben interrupted, smiling toward Ruby with confidence. "Rex has a point, Ruby. Even _I'm_ still working on unlocking the Omnitrix's Master Control again."

Ruby tilted her head at that. "Master Control?"

Ben raised his arm up to show the Omntrix to her. "Yeah, it makes it so that I don't have to even _touch_ the watch in order to go alien or switch between them. I can just think of the alien I wanna use and transform without even having to worry about getting the wrong choice." A somewhat disheartened expression came to his face. "I accidentally unlocked it when I was ten, but after getting it removed for a short time, it reset and I haven't been able to unlock it since."

"Ah, well that sucks." Yang said while putting a hand to her boyfriend's arm. "Sorry babe."

"Nothing to be sorry about, Yang." Ben smiled back. "To be honest, I'm kinda glad that I lost Master Control. Because looking back, I definitely wasn't ready to handle it." He put a hand to his chest. "And if there's one thing I've learned from visiting one of my possible futures, it's that I'll always wanna be myself. Being an alien twenty-four-seven just ain't my style."

Suddenly, another new voice entered the conversation; "That and it led to you becoming a jerk in the future." Gwen reminded as she stepped foot into the kitchen. "And we're trying to actively _avoid_ that, thank you." She placed a hand to her hip and jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "So, you guys coming back in?"

"We'll be there in a sec, Gwen." Blake promised, nudging her head toward Raven and Tai at the same time. "We were just talking with Tai and Raven for a bit."

Raven couldn't help but quirk a brow toward the basement. "What ARE you kids doing down there, anyway?"

"Oh! We're watching _Aladdin_ for a second time!" Ruby answered quickly. "It's a GREAT movie."

"Probably my favorite Disney flick so far!" Sun cheered with a raised fist. "God, that movie is freaking awesome."

Blake smiled knowingly to her boyfriend. "Are you just saying that because both you and Aladdin practically have the same background, desert boy?"

The Vacuo native grinned cheekily, rubbing his nose all the while. "Hehe… maybe. Heck, I think I'm Aladdin AND his monkey rolled into one package." He rubbed his chin and pondered for a moment. "Now all I need is a magic carpet and a genie…"

"What, no princess?" Blake asked with an eye roll.

Sun smirked back and put an arm around her. "Why would I _need_ one when I've already _found_ one, huh?"

Blake blushed and gave his chest a good-natured shove. "Oh stop it, you."

The rest of the group laughed at the couple's banter before Tai brought something else up. "So… wait, you're watching it for a _second_ time? When was the first time?"

"Last night." Gwen confirmed. "But it was unanimous that everyone wanted to watch it AGAIN this morning." The Anodite gave a shrug. "And honestly, I can't blame them. I personally think the Genie is the reason why."

Rex nodded instantly. "Hell yeah, can't get any better than one of Robin Williams' best performances." The EVO sighed sadly and crossed his arms. "God, I miss that man."

Weiss tilted her head with an unsure face. "Well, as funny as the Genie is, I'm personally more of a fan of the romance, myself."

"I know, right?" Ruby agreed giddily. "Aladdin and Jasmine are so sweet!"

"The songs are all home runs, too." Yang reminded. "I still can't get 'em out of my head!" She nudged her chin out toward the basement door. "But hey, instead of standing here talking about it, let's actually get back to watching it, huh?"

However, just as they were about to all head out, a knocking sound came from the very end of the hall, garnering everyone's attention. The whole group focused onto the door with confusion. "Uh… are we expecting anybody?" Ben asked.

"Not exactly." Tai responded. "But my door hasn't been kicked in, so that's good news." He set a hand onto Ben's shoulder and gave him a nod. "You kids head to the basement and watch your movie, okay? Rae and I'll see who's at the door."

Ben shrugged and complied with Tai's wishes. "Okay, if you say so, Tai. C'mon, guys, let's go." And with that, the teens all began heading back down into the basement, eager to get back to their movie.

Raven shot Tai a skeptical look. "Why'd you send them back down, Tai? I'd think they'd want to see if they have any visitors."

"I know, but honestly, those kids deserve a bit of a break after everything they've been put through this week." Tai said as he and Raven approached the door. "I just want 'em to have a good time for at least a little while longer before something comes in and crashes their party."

The Spring Maiden couldn't help but smile at that. "Wow, it's good to know that even after all these years, you're still a goddamn sweetheart."

"You know it." Tai smiled back before opening the door… only to be bewildered at the two who were standing on the other side. "Wait, Athena? Holiday? And Max?" Both he and Raven were left completely bewildered when they saw the Mistralian Huntress, the EVO expert, and the old Plumber on the other side of the door, the trio standing side by side on the porch while all wearing similar smiles. "Uh… why'd you knock the door?"

"…And why are you standing like that?" Raven added.

The three grinned knowingly toward each other before Athena started out. "Well, for one, it wasn't _us_ who knocked." She explained slyly. "See, Rebecca and I were outside chatting and Max was just making himself breakfast when we saw a car pull into the drive way."

"And needless to say…" Max continued, "we were pretty surprised to see who came out of it."

It was only then that Tai and Raven noticed that there was a fourth figure standing behind the trio, whom Holiday stepped out of the way to reveal. "I believe you'll recognize our guest…" the EVO expert presented as she moved toward the front door.

The moment Holiday revealed their guest, both Raven and Tai's faces broke out into surprised expressions, which thankfully, were the happy kind of surprise. "Haha! No way!" Tai exclaimed

"Back so soon?!" Raven questioned. "Well come in! The kids are going to be _thrilled_!"

* * *

" _Master! I don't think you quite realize what you've got here!"_ The Genie said on the television as he made Aladdin sit down, floating the street rat over to a nearby rock. All the while, a rather upbeat, big brass tune began playing in the background… and the audience watching the movie were getting jazzed about it. _"Now why don't you just ruminate… whilst I illuminate the possibilities?"_ At that moment, the song began… and it all fell into place from there.

" _~Well Ali-Baba had them Forty Thieves, Scheherezad-ie had a thousand tales~_ " Ben started out.

Ruby picked it up next. "~ _But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves, you got a brand of magic never fails~_ "

Yang flexed her arms for the next part. " _~You got some power in your corner now! Some heavy ammunition in your camp!~_ "

" _~You got some punch, pizzazz, yahoo and how! See all you gotta do is rub that lamp!~_ " Gwen sang before twirling around. " _And I'll say…_ " She pointed out to the rest of the room and their friends all jumped in for the end of the verse;

_Mister Aladdin, sir_

_What will your pleasure be?_

_Let me take your order, jot it down_

_You ain't never had a friend like me!_

For the rest of the song, everyone took turns singing the various verses, with each teen getting a part. By the middle of the song, the whole group were dancing and singing along with each other, acting similarly silly thanks to the infectious personality of the Genie. The only one who didn't participate was Winter, and even then, the military specialist couldn't help but bob her head from side to side to the beat. Once the song had ended, everyone abruptly fell back into their seats, breathing heavily from all the dancing they had just done. Jaune raised his arm up and pumped a fist into the air. "Great jam session, guys. Let's do it again when "Prince Ali" comes on again."

"Awww, can't we just rewind the movie?" Nora asked. "I freaking LOVE that song!"

Ren placed a hand on his… best friend's shoulder. _'I need to seriously talk to Nora about where she and I are in this… new standing of our relationship.'_ He noted to himself with a slight blush before making his point to her. "Nora… we already listened to it at least three other times on the first viewing. A song has its limits in one sitting, you know."

"Indeed." Pyrrha concurred as she fanned her face, which was now almost as red as her hair. "Besides, I need a breather after that."

Nora sighed and her shoulders slumped over. "Ah, okay. I guess you guys have a point."

"Yeah, I need some time to rest, too." Ilia added, the spots on her face having changed to bright red as sweat trickled from her forehead. "Doesn't help with how stuffy this basement is."

Kevin pointed a finger to her from his spot on the couch. "Try _sleeping_ down here, Ilia, THEN we can talk."

In contrast to the others, though, Penny was still quite chipper. "Well, I feel great! I have enough energy to sing at least TWENTY more songs!"

Weiss sent her robotic friend a small smile, rolling her eyes a little bit. "Of course, you do, Penny. I'm sure you probably have a limitless supply of energy in you."

"Hmm… you have a point there!" Penny agreed before craning her head toward Winter. "I have to wonder, though… why have you not participated, Winter?"

Ruby tilted her head so that she was facing the elder Schnee. "Hey yeah, why haven't you gotten in on any Disney sing-a-longs?"

Winter's eyes widened and she shifted them between Ruby and Penny, a slight uneasiness rising up in her. "O-Oh, well… you see…" A blush came to Winter's face and she turned her head away from them slightly. "Ah, you'll think it's ridiculous."

"What? No we won't." Weiss insisted as she nudged her sister's arm. "C'mon, sis, what's the matter? Are you… afraid to sing?"

"Well… perhaps a little…" Winter tapped her index fingers together nervously. "I'm just not sure if the more… bombastic songs are for me. I mean… I CAN sing, but…" A sigh escaped Winter's lips and she craned her head down. "It has been a while since I sang anything."

Gwen had to admit, it made sense why she'd be nervous. "Yeah, I'll bet that the military doesn't exactly give you the right output to sing…" It was then that Gwen got an idea. "Oh! But maybe the slower songs would be more your speed? You know like "A Whole New World"."

"Oh! Or maybe "Part of your World"!" Weiss suggested.

"There's always "Circle of Life" and "Can you Feel the Love Tonight", too." Rex suggested.

Winter raised her hands up and a small laugh escaped her lips. "Hah, alright, alright, I get the picture. I'll try participating next time."

"Glad to hear it." Ben supported. "But for now, let's just keep watching the movie, huh? Then after it's over, how about we finally move on to training?"

Gwen checked her Plumber's badge for the time and saw that it was nine thirty. "Oh, wow! Yeah, we're definitely going to be late for training today, aren't we?"

Yang gave her Anodite friend a shrug. "Yeah, but after the whole fiasco of yesterday, I think we've already made up for it." She rolled her shoulder and flexed her next to the side. "Hell, I can STILL feel my joints aching from fighting Bashmouth."

"She's got a point, Gwen." Kevin granted, rubbing his neck for emphasis. "That guy was pretty much FIVE training sessions in one, as far as I'm concerned."

Nora suddenly groaned and fell onto her back across the floor. "Man! Now I _really_ wish that we had been there to ACTUALLY fight Bashmouth!" The hyper redhead folded her arms and shot Ben, Team RWBY, and the others who had went to Beacon the day before a narrow-eyed glance. "Why is it that whenever anything happens it usually follows Ben?"

Ben could only answer with another shrug. "What can I say? I'm a weird magnet." His body suddenly stiffened up and he leaned toward his cousin, wearing a cheeky grin all the while. "See?"

Gwen put a hand to her cousin's head and shoved him away from her. "Oh, ha-ha! C'mon, Ben, that joke wasn't funny when we were ten and it isn't funny now."

"Heh, too you, maybe." Ben chuckled. " _I_ think it's hilarious—OW!" The hero was suddenly whipped in the back of the head with one of Gwen's mana tethers, which she quickly recalled soon after. "Hey! C'mon, it was just a joke!"

The whole room erupted into a fit of laughter at the cousin's banter before quickly being silenced by a knocking sound near the stairs. Everyone craned their heads around to see none other than Athena descending down into the basement, waving to all of them as she did. "Morning everyone!" she greeted. "Now just what in the world is going on down here?"

"Good morning, mom." Pyrrha said with a wave of her own. "We're just sitting here watching _Aladdin_ while Ben and Gwen are getting on each other's nerves."

"For the record, I'm not TRYING to!" Ben insisted.

"Lies!" Gwen retorted.

Athena rolled her eyes before approaching the group, her hands raised to try and quell the escalating cousins. "Okay, okay, let's all try to calm down here." She stepped past the two couches and set her eyes on the television, where _Aladdin_ was still currently playing. "Hm, is this one of those "Disney" movies you said you've been recently watching?"

"That's right." Rex confirmed. "And this one is actually one of my faves. You wanna sit an' watch with us?"

Athena sent a sympathetic smile out toward the room, almost as if she were about to apologize for something. "I appreciate the offer, but… I'm afraid I'll have to ask you kids to stop the movie for _just_ a few minutes."

The whole team was instantly left baffled at the Mistralian Huntress' request. "Why's that, Athena?" Neptune asked

Sun leaned forward with a brow raised. "Yeah, there something wrong?"

"Well, not exactly, boys." Athena assured before grabbing the remotes, using one of them to pause the movie. "It's just that there's an important news story that's going to be coming on very soon… and I have a feeling that you all are going to want to watch it."

"The _news_?" Yang asked as Athena began fiddling with the channel buttons, searching for the news station. "We hardly ever watch the news… and whenever we do, it's usually bad."

Athena raised a brow toward the Blonde Brawler. "Trust me, once you see just what this is… you kids are going to be VERY interested in what's going on." Finally, Athena managed to find the news network, setting down the remotes as she herself sat down next to Jaune and Pyrrha on the couch. "Okay, here it is. Now if I'm right…"

On the television, Vale News Network anchorwoman Lisa Lavender was keeping her gazed focused on the camera in front of her, a somewhat uncertain face forming on her features as she read off the news. _"Our top story this morning; after three weeks of silence since the attack on Vale and Beacon Academy, the White Fang have finally decided to speak up, intent on explaining why many of their agents had taken part in the attack along with the Grimm."_

As expected, the teens were all astonished by the news, most of all Blake and Ilia. "What?!" the cat girl shouted, a small grin forming on her face. "No way! Are you serious?!"

"And so soon after we freed Menagerie from Trumbipulor?!" Ilia pointed out. "I would have figured that Sienna would at least wait a little while longer before making any official statements!"

Sun reached over and placed a hand on Blake's shoulder, pointing back to the TV screen as he did. "Wait, she's got more to say."

On the screen, a picture of Sienna Khan suddenly faded in next to Lisa's face, the reporter continuing from where she left off. _"The current leader of the White Fang, Sienna Khan, will be making a public appearance in the city of Vale tomorrow at city hall. It will her very FIRST public appearance since acquiring leadership of the White Fang from Ghira Belladonna five years prior."_

Ruby couldn't help but cringe at that. "Oh, wow, Sienna hasn't even made ONE public appearance? That's… gonna be rough."

"No doubt." Neptune agreed. "Imagine all the backlash she's gonna get."

"…Yeah." Blake winced. "It won't be a pretty public showing, but at least she IS showing up. It takes real courage on her part to address all those people in person." She placed a hand to her chin. "I wonder if dad helped her out with all this."

However, at that moment, Sienna's picture moved to the side as a photo of none other than Ghira himself beginning to fade in next to it. _"What's more, Ghira Belladonna himself will in fact be joining Sienna Khan in this press conference."_ Lisa continued.

This collectively made everyone's jaw drop… except for Blake who practically sprang out of her seat. "SAY WHAT?!"

" _The former White Fang leader and now current chieftain of the island nation, Menagerie, has stated that, due to recent events, he has chosen to return to the White Fang."_ Lisa explained. _"It is unknown at this time what his position will be, as he is saving that particular announcement for the press conference. However, this reporter hopes that whatever position it is, it helps ease the ongoing tensions between the White Fang and the world at large."_

Sun grinned and stood up next to Blake, lightly grasping her shoulders in excitement. "Hey, would ya look at that?! Your dad and Sienna are doin' just like they said they would!"

Ilia got up as well and set a hand to Blake's right arm. "He's right! They're working together to bring change to the White Fang."

Blake was still processing all of this in her mind, just barely able to comprehend it all. _'Dad and Sienna… actually compromising and working together.'_ She let out a laugh and shook her head. "Hah, I never thought I'd see the day those two would actually be on even ground. Well now I HAVE to go to that press conference."

"I say we ALL should." Ben suggested. "Let's go and show our support for what those guys are doing… because heck knows that they'll need it in a city that probably hates them for what Adam did."

Yang pounded a fist into her right hand. "Hell yeah! Sounds good to me! We've helped the Belladonnas out a ton so far. No reason why we shouldn't stop now!"

Weiss wore a visibly worried expression at Ben and Yang's words. "Um… I'm not entirely sure if that's a good idea, guys." She gestured over to her sister. "If you'd remember, we aren't exactly high on Sienna's good list. I doubt she'd want US there."

"As much as I hate to admit it, my sister is correct." Winter said regrettably. "Even if we helped save Menagerie, I doubt that Sienna will entirely forgive us for what our family has done to Faunus kind."

Blake turned around and gave the Schnee sisters a soft smile. "Hey, don't say that! I'm sure that she'd let you come. After all, I think you impressed her when you saved the Faun family back in Menagerie."

"Hm, you have a point there, Blake." Winter nodded before folding her arms, her eyes going up to the ceiling in thought. "But unless we do something quite drastic to distance ourselves even further away from our father, I don't know if she'll forgive us _entirely_."

Jaune couldn't help but raise a brow at that. "Well… what's the most drastic thing you can think of?"

Weiss bobbed her head back and forth before finally answering; "Oh… probably nothing short of emptying all of my bank accounts into a few Faunus support causes and then cutting up all of my Lien cards on live television in hopes of my father seeing it." The whole group couldn't help but stare at the heiress with widened eyes, almost in complete disbelief at what she just said. "What? You guys were the ones wondering!"

Rex had to admit, she had a point. "Well, it's pretty drastic, that's for sure." He smirked and nudged Weiss' shoulder. "Think it'd piss your dad off something fierce, though."

The heiress countered with a nudge of her own. "Gee, you _think_ , do you?"

Ben let out a small chuckle. "Hehe, I really wouldn't worry about it, Weiss." He jabbed a thumb toward his chest. "Besides, if anything I'M probably the last person that Sienna wants to see at that press conference."

Yang sent a light jab at his shoulder. "No, that'd be _Rath_ , babe. _You_ , I think she's alright with."

Ren focused his gaze back onto the television, his eyes focusing on Ghira and Sienna's pictures. "Whatever the case, I think we'd better be ready for whenever this press conference happens. Did anyone catch the time?"

"Tomorrow at two p.m." Athena answered before getting up and placing her hands on her hips. "And with that, part one of the surprise is complete."

Unsurprisingly, this got a few perplexed stares from the entire room. "Uh… mom?" Pyrrha uttered. "What do you mean by "surprise"? Haven't we had enough of those already?"

"And why wasn't _I_ informed about it?!" Nora exclaimed, popping up right in front of Athena for good measure.

The Mistralian Huntress could only smile widely as everyone's attention was now squarely on her… allowing their special guest to sneak down the stairs and into the basement unheard. Athena watched in the corners of her eyes as their guest made their way over to Blake, though she made sure to keep her focus squarely on the teens to not arouse suspicion. "Well… aren't you the least bit curious about HOW I knew that news story would be on?"

A look of realization appeared on Penny's face. "Oh! Yes, that's right! How DID you know about that?"

Athena offered a wink to the whole group. "Well… let's just say that a little birdie told me about it… or should I say a little _kitty_?"

Blake blinked at that choice of words. "W-Wait, what—huh?!"

All of a sudden, a pair of hands reached around and cupped themselves over Blake's eyes, accompanied by a rather familiar voice; "Guess who?"

Blake gasped and whirled around, with the others all doing the same as a slew of happy smiles appeared on their faces. "MOM?!"

Indeed, standing behind the cat girl was none other than her mother, Kali Belladonna, much to everyone's shock. Over her shoulder, she had a large carrier bag with her, no doubt carrying her personal supplies. With an ear to ear beaming grin, Kali set her bag down and spread her arms out. "SURPRISE!" Without hesitation, Blake gave a joyful shout and enveloped her mother in a hug, the two laughing happily all the while. "Hahaha! I'm sure you weren't expecting this, were you, honey?"

"What do YOU think?!" Blake countered as she pulled her head away to focus her gaze directly into her mother's eyes. "I-I can't believe you're here! W-What are you… HOW did you…"

"Get here?" Kali finished. "Well, when your father contacted General Ironwood yesterday morning to set up the whole thing in Vale, he asked if I could be flown in early to see you all."

Blake's lips parted and she glanced around toward the stairs, only to see Athena starting to go back up to the main floor. There was no sign of her father in sight. "Oh… so he isn't here yet?"

Kali shook her head. "No, I'm sorry sweetie, he isn't. And neither is Sienna. They still have a few things left to plan out before the big public showing tomorrow, after all." Off to her right, she could hear a couple of simultaneous relieved sighs from Sun and Ben, the two boys visibly relieved that neither Ghira or Sienna were there at the moment. "Ah, I see you two still haven't gotten over your fear of them, eh?"

Both Sun and Ben immeidatley straightened themselves up, giving Kali a pair of nervous smiled. "Haha, what?!" Sun questioned. "Naw, we're fine, Mrs. B! I'm not afraid of Ghira at all, honestly."

"Yeah, and Sienna doesn't scare me in the least! Hehehe…" Ben trailed off.

"Hm, if you say so." Kali said with a sly grin. "But all the same, it's good to see you all." She approached Sun and placed her hands on her hips. "And Sun, I hope that you and Blake have been watching out for each other."

Sun rubbed the back of his head. "Ha, we sure have, Mrs. B." he assured. "Trust me, things might've gotten crazier since we left Menagerie, but we've been handing things as they come."

"Well, that's certainly good to hear." She leaned toward her daughter and whispered; "We'll talk about relationship stuff later."

Blake's couldn't help but cringe a little bit at that. "Oh, hehe… sounds fun."

"And Ilia!" Kali went over and reached out to the chameleon girl, who immediately reached back and grasped the woman's hands in greeting. "Oh, sweetheart, you look like you've been adapting well here! How have things been with your new friends, huh? Have you experienced anything new and exciting?"

Ilia's spots became a light shade of pink at Kali's compliments. "Oh… well, you can definitely say that, Kali." She nudged her head over to Ruby and Penny. "I helped those two kill a Manticore the other day in Mistral." Ilia then directed her attention over to Team SN and Kevin. "And I helped those guys dismember a Death Stalker up at Beacon yesterday."

"She sure did!" Ruby supported as she and Penny moved over to Ilia's side. "We've already become pretty fast friends, too!"

"Indeed!" Penny saluted. "She is quite sensational!"

Kali clapped her hands together. "Oh, that's VERY exciting! But… why were you in Mistral in the first place?"

The whole team shared a brief glance at each other before Jaune spoke up to answer. "Uh… well, that's actually a pretty long story in and of itself." And so, for the next few minutes, the teens regaled Kali about their exploits in Mistral two days ago, telling her all about their first encounter with Jessie Jameson and the mission she brought them on to vanquish the Nuckelavee. By the end of it all, Jaune was reclined in his seat, the blonde knight reaching the story's conclusion. "So after we beat the Nuckelavee, we had to get home ASAP because of a bunch of Lancers that Salem sent to the island. Fortunately, Gwen and the others were able to take care of them pretty quick."

Kali exhaled excitedly, still processing everything she was told. "Well! I must say that you kids certainly aren't ones to shy away from a challenge. Defeating a Nuckelavee though… that has to take some courage." She craned her head over to Ren and Nora, giving them a small smile. "And I think it's rather poetic that you two were the ones to deal the finishing blows."

"Daw, shucks, Mrs. B!" Nora waved off. "You're WAY too kind!" The Pink Dynamo suddenly shot up and stood on the very back of the couch, punching at the air. "But yeah! We TOTALLY kicked that Grimm's horse ass!" But as she was punching, Nora suddenly lost her balance and fell to the floor. "WOAH!" She landed with an "oof!" before shooting a thumbs up from the floor. "I'm okay!"

Ren chuckled at his best friend's antics before politely bowing to Kali. "Thank you, Mrs. Belladonna. I'm honestly just glad that we all made it out of that situation intact."

"So am I, Ren." Kali agreed before setting her hands on her lap. "So, what about yesterday, huh? Rex, Raven told me that your brother came through from Ben's world yesterday afternoon, right? I'm sure you were happy to see him."

Over in his seat, Rex grinned and nodded to her. "Heh, yeah. It's only been a week since we last saw each other, but all the same, being LITERAL worlds apart made me miss him a bit." He pointed over to Kali with a wink. "But now that he's here, it means we're just that much closer to I' back to Earth!"

Kevin jabbed a thumb to his chest. "And I'm actually gonna be heading up to Beacon this afternoon to help him an' Cooper out with the Doorway. Those guys are gonna need all the help they can get it we wanna get it onto Tetrax's ship ASAP."

"And I will be accompanying him as well." Penny added. "My father is up at Beacon as well and I plan on spending as much quality time with him as possible before I leave for Earth."

"Oh, that's so nice!" Kali smiled. "I have to say, this is all so very exciting, isn't it?" At that moment, a perplexed expression formed on Kali's face. "But Raven also mentioned something about you dealing with some sort of dog alien as well? What was that about?"

Once again, everyone's faces began to change, this time into ones of either annoyance or frustration. "Oh… let's just say yesterday was a pain in this ass." Ben grumbled before retelling the story of Bashmouth and his rampage throughout the Emerald Forest and Beacon Academy before concluding with his unfortunate escape. "Compared to the day before, yesterday wasn't exactly a complete victory."

Yang rested her elbows to her knees and rested her chin into her hands. "Yeah, I still can't believe that Bashmouth ACTUALLY got away… and Salem didn't even need to help him do that!"

Kali reached over and set a soft hand to the blonde's shoulder in support. "Oh, it's okay, Yang. I'm sure you'll recapture him somehow."

"It helps that we know where he is, that's for sure." Gwen granted. "But he can get pretty far in a few days if the Plumbers aren't able to keep track of him."

Kevin pounded a fist into his palm. "But when we do, we're gonna make sure he gets put away for good. My dad didn't work that hard taking him down just so he could run free all these years later."

Blake took in a deep breath before exhaling, reaching around to put an arm over her mother's shoulders. "All in all, it's been a pretty stressful couple of days. But enough about us, what've YOU guys been up to since we left Menagerie?" The cat girl gestured toward the television. "You know, before you guys set up the press conference?"

"Hm, well, things have… slowly but surely been returning to normal back home." Kali answered. "But at the same time, things have certainly become more heated between Kali and a few other members of the White Fang. It seems that there were even more followers of Adam in the ranks than we initially thought." She shrugged her shoulders with an unsure face. "I mean, none of them have been a real threat and we've been able to take them in rather easily, but…" she sighed and began rubbing her temple. "Sometimes I wish that some of them would be more willing to see reason."

Blake's ears flattened out sadly, a bit discouraged at the unfortunate news. "Yeah, so do I. But if there's one thing I know Adam was good at, it was convincing people of what he was doing." Her lips turned up into a sneer and she moved her head away to stare angrily at the wall. "And unfortunately, his extremist views probably sit very well with all the White Fang members he brought into his cause."

"Believe me, honey, we ALL know how influential Adam was." Kali reaffirmed. "Sienna especially. Out of all of us, I'm sure that she is the most troubled by all of Adam's loyalists that he has converted."

Pyrrha stepped up and reached a hand out to the cat woman. "Well… is there at least any hope that these certain members CAN be reasoned with? Convinced that Adam's way of thinking is not the right path to go down?"

Kali smiled and gave a single nod. "Actually Pyrrha, there IS." She set her sights onto Rex and Weiss, bringing their attention to her. "Weiss, Rex, I think you'll be happy to hear that Trifa is doing quite well. She has been serving her community service well and has actually been able to convince many of Adam's followers to defect back to the White Fang."

Both Weiss and Rex broke out into big grins. "Really?! That's amazing news!" the heiress exclaimed.

"No doubt!" Rex supported. "Glad that she's using that second chance to help give one to others, too."

"And it would not have happened if you two hadn't spoken on her behalf." Winter noted. "I certainly hope she continues to do well."

Kali raised a reassuring hand to Winter. "Oh, I'm sure she will. In fact, she's been able to convince Sienna to assign the repentant White Fang members to community service as well. So, who knows?" She quirked a brow over to Weiss. "Perhaps you had more of an effect on her than you give yourself credit for, Miss Schnee."

Weiss couldn't help but blush at that. "Ah, I wouldn't be too sure about THAT. I just wanted to do the right thing is all."

"You'd be surprised how far doing the right thing can go, Weiss." Kali reminded. "Ever since you left, the Faun family have been praising you and your sister up and down across Kuo Kuana, telling people about your heroics that night when you rescued them from Tyrian."

Winter's eyes widened and Weiss' jaw dropped. "They… they have?" the elder Schnee uttered.

"Oh yes, they've been swearing by your names left and right. Many residents wouldn't have believed it if myself, Ghira and even Sienna stood by their words. Oh, and their children IDOLIZE you now." Kali smirked at Weiss. "And not just because little Billy still has a crush on you, of course."

Rex laughed out loud as he saw Weiss lower her head in embarrassment. "AHAHA! Oh god, Ice Princess, you've still got a solid admirer back on that island!" He was then promptly shoved off the sofa with one push, the heiress giving him a light glare.

"Robo-dolt, let's refrain from joking about a little kid's feelings, _shall we_?" she emphasized. After collecting herself, Weiss' happy face returned and she bowed to Kali respectfully. "Well, in any case, tell them thank you for all the nice things they're saying about me and my sister."

"Yes, please do." Winter said with her own bow. "We very much appreciate their kind words."

Kali laughed before bowing back. "Of course, girls. I will make sure of it." The cat woman pat her lap and took a deep breath, as if bracing herself for what would come next. "And… well, your father has made a pretty big decision. It IS a little spoiler for his big speech tomorrow, but he's going to be taking up a co-leadership position in the White Fang with Sienna, as will I. We'll all be working together to build a better future, not just for the Faunus, but for all of Remnant as well." Her fist tightened slightly. "After Trumbipulor's attack and Salem's attempted alliance with him, we cannot sit idly by anymore when evil runs rampant in our world."

Blake could feel an excited feeling begin to rise in her chest. "That's great to hear, mom! I'm glad to hear that we have more allies with us in this fight against Salem."

"I'm sure you are." A somewhat sheepish smile came to Kali's face. "With that said though, I think I should let you know this isn't JUST a casual visit."

This made everyone stare at her in slight confusion. "What're you talking about, Mrs. B?" Yang asked. "Is it something about the press conference tomorrow?"

"Well, you could say that, Yang. I'm actually working on something quite important." Kali reached down into her bag and picked it up, standing from her seat as she did. "Now, I _could_ tell you, but I think it'd be easier to _show_ you. If you'd all please follow me outside."

* * *

Meanwhile, out in the front yard, Athena had just returned from presenting their little surprise to all of the children, and she was immediately bombarded with questions regarding how it went. "Well?" Holiday asked first. "How surprised were they, Athena?"

"Did Blake freak the hell out?" Raven added.

"Oh, they were QUITE surprised." Athena answered. "And yes, I think Blake was having trouble even processing it all, haha!"

Over on the rocking bench, Max let out a soft chuckle. "Haha, oh, I'll bet she was. I don't think she was expecting to see her mother so soon."

"Ya got that right, Max." Tai agreed. "It's only been, what, three days since the Menagerie mission? I certainly wasn't counting on Kali being here…" The blonde man's eyes widened and his head snapped over to Raven. "…You think she's got a hotel room already?"

Raven sent him a skeptical face. "I can't be sure, but if she doesn't she WILL be staying here again." Her firm statement made Tai slump forward, now thoroughly exasperated from having so many people in his house. Raven rolled her eyes and pat him on the back. "Ah, relax, Tai. Everyone will be outta your house by next week."

"Yeah, I know." Tai sighed, putting a hand to his head. "I should probably make a Max Capacity sign for the future, though."

This made the whole group of adults laugh out loud, which Tai joined in shortly after. However, the laughter ceased when, much to their surprise, Kali came walking out the front door. "Kali?" Holiday said with a perplexed expression. "Done talking with the kids already?"

"Far from it." Kali assured as she stepped out, allowing the whole entire team to step out behind her. "I'm just bringing them out to show them something." She turned around to face her daughter and nudged her head toward the front lawn. "If you all could line up out there, that'd be perfect, dear."

Her request only served to heighten Blake's curiosity, but the cat girl figured that her mother knew what she was doing. "Well, okay. C'mon guys."

Kali nodded eagerly as the teens and Winter began to head off the porch before whirling around toward Raven, Athena, Tai, Max and Holiday. "You see, I have a little project that I'm working on and I want everyone's input on it. If you all would be willing to help as well, it would be much appreciated."

"Why sure!" Max granted, the old Plumber standing up to move out to the lawn as well. "I'd be happy to."

"We'd ALL be happy to, Kali." Athena supported with a smile. "Come everyone, let's go."

In no time, the teens were all standing out on the drive way, with Winter and the other adults joining them as well. "Alright mom, what now?" Blake asked further.

Kali sent them all a small bow before unzipping her bag. "Now… it's time to show you what I have." From her bag, Kali pulled out two sheets of nylon fabric, which everybody instantly recognized the moment they were unfurled. Kali proceeded to drape them both over the railings for the porch, allowing everyone to see them in full. "Well, here they are." Kali presented.

They were both White Fang flags, each imprinted with the respective logo of that era's leader. The logo of Ghira's era was that of a peaceful predatory cat, one with its ears low, its mouth closed, and its eyes half-lidded. The flag was blue and the cat logo was white, sitting within a white circle. In contrast, the logo of Sienna's leadership was that of the same cat, only snarling and much more threatening. Its fangs were barred and its fur appeared to be much more unkempt, representing the more aggressive tactics that Sienna had used. The flag was black and the cat was red, accompanied by three ragged slashes behind the head itself.

Ruby's mouth hung open in an "o" shape as she marveled at the designs. "Woah… these are the White Fang flags!"

Neptune got a closer look as well, eyeing Sienna's logo in particular. "Man, pretty gnarly if you ask me."

Blake furrowed her brows before going back to her mother. "Mom… why do you have these with you?"

As Kali stepped off the porch herself, she moved over to the group and put a hand to her chin, contemplating the flags in front of her. "Well honey, as you know, with every new White Fang leader, we change the flag. But now, since the organization will now have MORE than one leader, and our cause has changed somewhat, I feel like we'll need a significant change to our logo."

"Why's that?" Rex said as he jabbed a thumb toward the flags. "Those logos are already pretty badass. I know I wouldn't wanna mess with someone whose flag has a big snarling cat on it."

"That I will grant you." Kali nodded. "But if I'm being honest, the older symbols are something that could remind people about how the White Fang USED to be." The cat woman spread her arms out toward the flags. "And with this reinvention of our organization, I want the new flag to represent the NEW White Fang, an organization not to be feared, but hopefully admired in the years to come."

"Now THAT'S something I can get behind!" Ben exclaimed as he stepped up to the flags himself. "I'm betting you want something a bit more dynamic, don't ya? Something that can give people something to cheer for when they see it coming?"

Kali pointed over to Ben. "Exactly! I need something that can help do away with the past…" But then, the Faunus woman slumped forward, giving out a heavy sigh. "The problem is… I haven't been able to come up with anything yet."

Jaune's eyebrows snapped up. "You haven't? Have you talked to Sienna or Ghira about it?"

"I have, but they're just as stumped as I am!" Kali explained. "We've been trying to find the perfect middle ground since yesterday, but we haven't been able to come up with ANYTHING!" She gestured over to Ghira's logo. "This one speaks of peace…" Kali then went to Sienna's flag. "While this one speaks of aggression. We can't seem to think of something that encapsulates… dynamism, as Ben put it." Kali placed her hands on her hips. "And that's partly why I came out here in the first place. I thought being with you kids would help inspire me in some way since… well, you are all pretty heroic in your own ways."

Blake blushed at the compliment, with everyone else offering Kali a smile. "Aw, thanks mom." She gave her mother another hug. "I promise, we'll figure something out."

"Thank you, Blake, I appreciate all of your help." Kali pulled away and sighed once again. "As much as we'd like to have it for the big press conference tomorrow, though, I'm afraid that might not be the case."

Suddenly, Nora popped up next to the cat woman, taking her aback slightly. "Hey, don't say that!" The Pink Dynamo pulled Kali and Blake together with her. "If all of us put our heads together, I'll bet we can come up with something great!"

"She's right, Mrs. B." Sun concurred. "We might not be able to put it on a _flag_ before tomorrow, but we WILL come up with a design before the conference, you have my word."

The rest of the group began jumping in with their own words of agreement, which only began to fuel Kali's resolve. "Oh, thank you everyone. It means a lot, really."

Gwen clapped her hands together and moved closer to the flags. "Okay, so why don't we get started? I took a design class at my private school, so I think I might be able to help you out here a little. So it HAS to be a cat head, right? No exceptions?"

"That's right." Kali confirmed. "The symbol of the White Fang as been of a feline since it's inception. And a vast majority of our members would like to keep it that way."

"Okay, so we need a cat head that's got a dynamic look to it…" Kevin mused before an idea popped into his head. "Hold on a second!" The Osmosian ran back up to the porch and right into the house. "I'll be back in just a sec!"

Their friend's sudden departure left the group taken aback, with Ben calling out to him. "What? Kevin, where are you—"

"I just gotta go get omething'!" Kevin answered hurriedly. "I think I've got an idea!"

As Kevin ran into the house once again, Yang and Ben glanced to each other, still slightly baffled by his behavior. "Uh… what do ya think he's doin', Green Boy?"

"With Kevin, who knows?" Ben shrugged.

As this went on, Weiss had a hand on her chin, thinking over the options in her head as she continued to stare at the two flags. "You know, now that I think about it, it wouldn't hurt to merge some aspects of both Ghira and Sienna's logos together to show the new unity."

Kali gave an excited gasp at the thought. "Oh! Yes, that's a good idea!" She gestured between the two flags. "Bringing the circle and the slashes together on one flag would be a good start. Maybe even neaten the slashes up so that they're not so ragged like on Sienna's."

Raven crossed her arms. "Hmph, I don't see the harm in keeping them as is." She thought out loud. "I actually rather like the unkempt claw marks."

Tai wore a somewhat defeated face as he placed a hand onto Raven's shoulder. "Rae, we're trying to make it LESS threatening, remember?"

"What color do you think the flag should be?" Pyrrha brought up. "You'll need something eye-catching if you wish to make a good impression."

"Well, I think I HAVE decided on the new colors." Kali admitted, placing her hands on her hips. "I've been considering silver for the symbol and gold for the rest of the flag. Yes, it's an often-seen color combination, but it'd certainly be different than using standard colors, I would think."

Athena gave her a single nod. "Well, yes, it has been seen before, but it's both classic _and_ dynamic! A rather perfect combination if you ask me."

"Yes, but first we need to come up with the design itself." Gwen noted before seeing Kevin come running back out of the house. She saw that her boyfriend was now holding a DVD in his hand, which only served to bewilder her and the others even further. "Um… Kevin? Why do you have a DVD with you?"

Kevin laughed confidently as he came to a halt in front of his friends. "Hehe, because THIS is what's gonna help Kali break through her artist's block, Gwen." He pointed to Blake, Ilia and Kali before gesturing for them to come closer. "You guys, come over here and check this out. This might be the best idea I've EVER had!" He watched as the trio of Faunus drew closer, but then raised his hand up to Ben, Gwen and the others when they tried to approach as well. "Ah-ah, this is a surprise. I need to confer this with the only members of the White Fang I know."

"FORMER members, need I remind you." Ilia piped up as she, Blake and Kali continued forward.

"Yeah, yeah, I getcha." Kevin said before nudging his head toward the three ladies. "Now c'mon and let me show ya this."

The others hesitantly stopped, allowing Blake and Kali to continue forward. Once they made it to Kevin, they peered at the DVD in his hand, only for Kali to gasp again. Blake's eyes widened in shock and her lips parted, her ears sticking up on end. "W-Woah… okay, Kev, I think I see what you're going with here."

Ilia's face lit up in a smile and the spots on her face briefly changed to yellow as she gazed upon the disk's artwork. "Oh wow! Yeah, this is pretty good!"

"It… it's perfect!" Kali supported, smiling excitedly as she continued to stare at the art on the disk. Soon after, though, she sent a worried glance up to Kevin. "But… are you certain we can base the new White Fang symbol off of this? This IS a copyrighted image, isn't it?"

This made Gwen's eyes nearly bulge out of her skull. "WHAT?! For god's sake, Kevin! What have I told you about infringing on other people's work?!"

But Kevin raised a reassuring hand up to his girlfriend, hoping to calm her down. "Gwen, don't worry, I've got a plan. We're not gonna STEAL this design, trust me." He tapped a finger to the DVD in his hand. "We just gotta… _tweak_ it enough so that we don't get in trouble."

Ben rolled his eyes before making his way forward. "Kevin what even IS—"

"Ah-ah-ah! Like I said, it's a surprise." Kevin explained as he presented the disk to Blake, still hiding it from Ben's view. "And besides… it's technically only copyrighted in OUR world, not THEIR world."

Blake was about to raise a counterpoint to that… but quickly realized that Kevin had a valid point. She stared down at the disk, seeing the artwork on it forming into the new White Fang logo in her head. _'I'm sure that we can use this as inspiration for the White Fang's new symbol. I just know it! And if it's changed enough, we'll be in the clear anyway.'_ With a confident smile, Blake took the disk and gave a resolute nod. "Okay, we'll get to work on it immediately." She craned her head over to her mom and gave her a grin. "Ready mom?"

Kali raised her hands up, balling them into light fists in excitement. "I sure am, hon. Let's go!" She moved her head over to the others and gave them all a bow. "Everyone, thank you for all of your suggestions. I'm sure that this new logo will be the best one the White Fang has ever had! I guarantee it!"

Gwen attempted to speak up again. "That's really great, Kali, but… I'm not so sure if—"

"Gwen, it'll all be alright." Blake said as she handed the disk back to Kevin and moved over to Gwen. She placed a hand on the Anodite's shoulder and gave her a thumbs up. "Don't worry, I think I got a pretty good idea about how this can work in our favor."

The redhead was hesitant, but she could see the determination in both Blake's and Kali's eyes. It was obvious that they were dead set on using whatever design Kevin showed them as a basis for the new White Fang flag, and Gwen knew she couldn't just quash their resolve like that. It wouldn't be fair after Kali came to them for help. With a small gulp and a quick nod, Gwen finally gave in. "Hah, alright, I guess I can't argue with you on this." She pointed to Kevin immediately. "But I expect BIG changes from… whatever this design is your basing the new symbol on! Don't just make a few alterations and call it a day!"

"Not to worry, babe!" Kevin smiled with a wave. "I'll be sure this design passes the test with flying colors." He shifted his eyes down to Blake, Kali and Ilia before jabbing his thumb back to the house. "So, wanna go upstairs and start brainstorming? We've only got a day for this, remember?"

"Right, let's get started." Kali agreed as she, Blake, Ilia and Kevin all headed inside the house, leaving everyone else out on the front lawn.

Ruby scratched the back of her head and sent her gaze over to Gwen. "Did we just dig ourselves into a hole we might not be able to get ourselves out of?"

"For Kevin's sake, I hope not, Ruby." Gwen mumbled. "Because if we ARE… then we'll have to face something even WORSE than supervillains. …And that's a lawsuit." The whole group of teens shuddered at the thought.

* * *

A few hours later, once the team had gotten back from training, they had all managed to find themselves strewn about in the living room, still tired from their session. The only ones who weren't there were Ben and Yang, the couple having gotten their training done early as usual. Also absent from the group were Kevin, Blake and Ilia, the three having stayed behind to help Kali out with the design process. The moment they had all gathered into the living room, though, the team saw the quartet begin to descend from the upper floor, all of them seemingly chatting about the design. "I think it's coming together quite well so far!" Kali said giddily. "Ooh, I can't wait until everyone sees it!"

"Me either, mom." Blake said before her eyes went out to the living room, her eyebrows shooting up the moment she saw her friends lying all over the place. "Woah! So, uh… what happened here?"

"Training, that's what." Everyone looked up to see Ben and Yang, the couple having come up from the basement. "Did Raven whip you guys into shape or what?" Ben asked.

"My ARMS feel like JELLY!" Nora cried in an over-the-top fashion.

"She… she ran us ragged AGAIN!" Ruby called out from the floor. "And this time was even WORSE!"

Penny, who was the only one standing, could only watch with a guilty face as her friends languished on the floor in front of her. "I apologize. I wish I could feel the same fatigue you are all feeling."

Jaune, with Pyrrha having draped herself against his shoulder, shifted his gaze up to Ben and Yang. "How're you two able to keep STANDING after her training sessions?!" the blonde knight asked. "Is there some sort of secret we're not getting?"

"Don't tell me she's playing favorites." Pyrrha accused, the Invincible Girl slightly less worse for wear than the rest of her team.

However, Raven entered the room from behind Ben and Yang, sending a stern glare down to Pyrrha. "I don't play favorites, Miss Nikos, trust me. My daughter and her boyfriend go through the same exact training that you all do. It's simply a matter of them having more recoupment time than you do."

Yang smirked down to Pyrrha with a raised brow. "Yeah, P-Money, you gotta give us more credit than that."

"My apologies for assuming, Yang." Pyrrha said with a slight bow of her head. "I promise it won't happen again."

On the other side of the room, Blake had sat down next to Sun on the floor, with Neptune not far away. She set a hand on her boyfriend's rising and falling chest as he filled his lungs back up with air. The cat girl could feel his rapid heartbeat, which while fast, was thankfully normal. "Hah, glad you're not overworking the old ticker, babe."

Sun smiled up at her before putting his hand over her own. "Are you still worried about that shock from Thunderhog a couple weeks back?"

"A little, but nothing bad has happened, so that's good." Blake winked. "Now let's keep it that way."

However, the moment was suddenly interrupted when Kali came charging over, squealing in delight. "EEEEEEE! This is so PRESCIOUS! I wish I had brought a camera!"

Both Blake and Sun wore awkward expressions as Kali continued to gush about them. "Mom… please, don't work yourself up. You know what happens if you do."

Over on the couch, Kevin had flopped down next to Gwen, who was sitting with Rex and Weiss as they all languished in their exhaustion. "So overall, another successful day of training, huh?" Kevin smirked.

"Yeah, too bad you couldn't be there." Gwen lightly jabbed her boyfriend in the ribs. "So, how's the potentially law-breaking logo coming along?"

Kevin grinned proudly and put a fist to his chest. "Oh, trust me, Gwen. This new symbol is already starting to look pretty different from what we're basing it on. Sure, there's still SOME similarities, but still, we're tryin' to play it as safe as we possibly can."

"For our sakes, I hope you're right." Gwen countered. "I don't wanna be sued."

"Yeah, we've got enough crap to deal with, Kev." Rex supported. "I ain't goin' to court over an inter-dimensional copyright mishap."

But the Osmosian simply gave them a salute. "Hey, c'mon guys. When have I ever gotten us into THAT much troub—" Kevin immediately cut himself off when he received a pair of glares from his girlfriend and his best friend, as well as a few questioning glances from the rest of the team. "…okay, I'll keep my yap shut."

"Hm." Gwen acknowledged. "By the way, weren't you and Penny supposed to be up at Beacon this afternoon?"

Penny gasped and whipped her head toward the clock, seeing that it was already a little past noon. "Kevin! We're going to be late!"

Kevin's eyebrows snapped up and he jumped out of his seat. "Oh shit! You're right!" He quickly grabbed the phone and dialed in Goodwitch's number. "Ilia, if you still wanna come, then let's get going!"

"O-Oh! Coming!" Ilia nodded before moving over to the hallway as well.

This served to confuse nearly everyone in the room, the only exceptions being Blake and Kali. "W-Wait, what're you talking about, Ilia?" Weiss asked. "I didn't know you were going, too."

At her words, Ilia's spots became a light shade of pink, a nervous laugh escaping her lips as she received a knowing stare from Blake. "W-Well, uh, I actually wasn't going to at first. But while we were working on the design for the new White Fang symbol, Kevin asked if I wanted to come along so that… I could visit Swift." She cleared her throat before hastily adding; "Also I'd like to see if Professor Goodwitch could still give me that tour."

"Oh, that's a great idea!" Ruby said as the realization dawned upon the whole room. "I'll bet Swift doesn't have much to do up there at Beacon, while the ship's getting worked on, huh?"

"Not likely." Ilia said with a head shake. "That's why I'm heading up."

Kali sent Ilia a supportive smile. "And I hope you both have a good time up there, Ilia. This Swift girl sounds very nice…" she gave the chameleon girl a wink. "If you catch my drift."

Ilia's eyes widened and her cheeks became an even hotter pink. _'How in the world did she catch on?! I thought I hid it pretty well!'_

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Kevin came back into the room, talking on the phone with Goodwitch. "Uh-huh. Yeah, that's great to hear! We'll see you in a little while. See ya soon, professor." He hung up the phone and set it on the hook, his sights moving to Ilia and Penny with a thumbs up. "Goodwitch already sent a Bullhead our way. It should be here in—" At that moment, though, the sound of a powerful jet engine could be heard over the house, alerting everyone to the Bullhead's arrival. "Hm, pretty damn quick. Now let's get rollin'!"

Penny gave her signature salute. "Right behind you, Kevin!"

Ilia gave him a single nod. "R-Right." She turned back toward the room. "I'll see you guys later, okay? We'll be back in a while."

"Okay, see you later, Ilia!" Blake waved back as she watched the duo exit the house.

Ruby frantically waved to her best friend. "Have a good day with your dad, Penny! And tell him we said hi!"

The redheaded android reciprocated the gesture. "Of course, Ruby. We will talk later!"

Before he left, however, Kevin went up to Ben and put a firm hand on his shoulder. "And hey, if anything major happens, make sure to call us, okay?"

"Always." Ben returned. "And same goes for you. See ya, guys!" With one final wave, Kevin, Penny and Ilia made their departure, closing the front door behind them. After a few minutes, the team could hear the Bullhead begin to ascend into the sky over the house, blasting off soon after. Ben took a moment of silence before speaking up again. "So… just so we're all on the same page… we ALL know that Ilia has a thing for Swift, don't we?"

A whole chorus of agreements echoed through the room, with Nora in particular saying; "Well, yeah, it's not like she's great at hiding her blushing."

Blake wore a sympathetic face and let out a sigh. "Yeah, I swore to her that I'd keep this whole thing a secret, but… it's kinda hard when everybody already knows."

"It's okay, Blake." Ren said with a slight bow. "We promise we won't let her know about it. You have our word."

Weiss made a zipping motion over her lips. "Yep, our lips are sealed." However, the heiress' attention was garnered when her sister strolled into the room, a pocket book now slung securely over her shoulder. "Oh, hey Winter! What's going on?"

"Oh, I'm simply heading into town for a little while." Winter said before holding up the painting that Kenny had sent her the night before. "I'm off to go buy a frame for this lovely art piece, as well as a few things I'll need before we depart for Earth." The military specialist sent the team a stern face. "And I suggest you all do the same as well. I suspect we will not be returning for some time, so pack the essentials and whatever else you want, alright?"

Rex sent Winter a salute. "We hear ya loud and clear, Winter. We've still got a couple days before everything's ready though, so I think we'll all be good before we need to leave."

"See that you are." Winter nodded before heading toward the door. "Well, I'll be off. Oh, and Ben, could you please make sure that the communicator is charged up for when I return?"

Ben smiled back to her and gave her a thumbs up. "Sure thing, Winter. We'll see ya later!" With a whole slew of goodbyes being said by everyone in the room, Winter left as well, leaving the team in the living room once again. Ben clapped his hands together and winked to his girlfriend. "So, barring any interruptions, what do you think we should do this afternoon?"

Yang smirked and put a hand up to Ben's chin, making him look down at her. "Well… you know I'm always up for whatever, Green Boy. And my schedule is ALL open."

"…More Arkham Asylum, then?"

The Blonde Brawler put her head in the crook of Ben's neck, kissing him on the cheek for good measure. "You know me so well." She whispered.

Behind them, Raven rolled her eyes at the display. "Yes, well I wouldn't get too comfortable if I were you two." She chided the couple. "After all, outside of that one run-in we had with Salem the other day, we haven't truly heard from her forces since the Menagerie incident. We should probably expect their next strike sometime soon."

Hearing this, Ben and Yang quickly took on more serious expressions, the hero nodding at her words. "Yeah, I know." But things quickly turned around when a smile appeared on Ben's face, prompting Yang to do the same. "But I swear, whenever Salem decides to make her move, we'll be there to counter it."

"No going back from here." Yang agreed.

Kali stood up and cupped her hands together. "Well, just be careful, alright? All of you have already done so much, I'd hate for any of you to get seriously hurt, or even worse."

"We will, mom." Blake assured as she helped Sun get up to his feet. Many of the other teens began to stand up from the floor as well, showing their resolve despite how tired they were. "Trust me, after what happened at Beacon, we've all been playing it pretty safe…" She quirked a brow toward Sun. "At least… MOST of the time."

Sun grinned and pulled her close. "That was _one_ time and you know it." He set his eyes upon Kali and sent her a reassuring gaze. "But yeah, we're gonna be careful from here on, Mrs. B. Promise."

"I don't think we can promise to NOT get hurt, though." Neptune pointed out. "That kinda comes with the job description of being a huntsman—oof!" The blue-haired boy received a light jab in the gut from son, much to his bewilderment. "Ugh, c'mon, dude! I'm just stating the facts here!"

"And _I'm_ trying to help calm my girlfriend's mom." Sun retorted. "Saying stuff like that doesn't exactly help, you know."

Kali went over and put a firm hand on Sun's arm, much to his surprise. "Sun, thank you for your consideration, but believe me, I'm no stranger to dangerous situations. I was once a high-ranking member of the White Fang, if you remember." She smiled and winked at him. "I've seen my share of action, too, you know. So please, don't feel like you need to stop your friend from speaking the facts, because I know them already."

"Uh… yeah. I understand." Sun said with a bit of shock. _'Man, she might be a nice lady, but who knew she could be that assertive?'_ However, the monkey boy was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts when a loud ringing began to sound through the room, bringing everyone's attention to the TV stand. "Oh jeez, TV's ringing again."

"And we only know two people who ever USE the TV communicator." Jaune added while crossing his arms. "And Kevin just got off the phone with one of them."

Pyrrha sighed, still somewhat fatigued from the training session earlier. "Fantastic. What do you think the general wants?"

Gwen stood up and walked over to the TV, with everyone else gathering around so that they could see the general when she answered it. "Well, only one way to find out." She pressed the button and turned the TV on, speaking to the general the moment she did. "Hello, General, how can we help—GOOD LORD, MAN!" Gwen and the others couldn't help but gasp at the state that Ironwood was in. His face was practically sagging in tiredness, with heavy bags under his eyes as well as his hair being messy and unkempt. His eyes were almost glazed over, though he quickly closed them the moment Gwen hollered out, wincing in pain.

" _Agh! Gwen, please, PLEASE don't shout."_ Ironwood insisted as he rubbed his temple. _"Not this early in the morning."_

Once everyone was able to collect themselves, they stared bewilderedly at the general, with Raven voicing their question; "What? Jim, it's freaking noon."

" _Well, it's seven in the morning here, Raven."_ Ironwood countered, an irritated grimace forming on his face. _"And right now, I REALLY don't need to have people shouting at me… not after the night I had."_

"Oh, come _on_ , Jim." Raven said with an eyeroll. "You and Qrow can't possibly having THIS much trouble in Mistral, can you? Or was there some military business you had to take care of?"

Ironwood took a pause before letting out a sigh. _"…It's neither of those, actually."_ He denied. _"You see… I may have gone over my limit last night."_ He reached down and pulled a cup off steaming coffee from the table in front of him, taking a sip before moving on. _"And now… I'm paying the price for it."_

It took a second for everyone to comprehend what he had meant, but in the end, everyone began to realize what might have been going on. "General," Ben hesitantly started, "are you… hung over?"

"Let me add another thing to that." Nora popped in before zipping right up to the screen. "You DRINK?"

Ironwood jerked his head back in surprise, only to get another headache for his troubles. _"Ugh, yes, yes I do… but only occasionally. And even then, I usually play it safe. But… well…"_

Ruby sent an accusatory glare at Ironwood. "General, did my uncle get you drunk?"

" _Oh, god no."_ the general denied. _"In fact, I was trying to help him stave off the drinks after our meeting with Leo didn't go as we had hoped."_ A small smile began to form on his face. _"But then… hehe, we found a pretty good reason to celebrate. And that's actually why I called you all this morning. I would like all of you to come to Mistral and meet someone."_

The team glanced around to each other before Ben spoke up. "So, wait… that's it? You just want us to pop over there? No big threat or anything?"

" _Not from what we've seen."_ Ironwood affirmed. _"But I think you'll be very interested to meet this person. After all, they're very eager to see all of you."_

"So… you just want us all to drop what we're doing and head over to Mistral just to meet someone?" Yang questioned. "Seems kinda much if you ask me."

Ironwood chuckled, as if laughing at a joke only he knew. _"Oh, trust me, Yang. Once you see who it is, you'll understand why I want you all here."_ He raised a hand, beckoning them to come. _"In fact, bring the whole crew! We'll make a day out of it."_

"Um, bit of a problem with that one, general." Gwen objected. "Kevin and Ilia went up to Beacon for the afternoon. I mean, we COULD call them, but…"

" _Oh, that's alright."_ Ironwood relented. _"No need to tear them away if they've already left. But if the rest of you are available, then I think you all should come over."_

Raven placed her hands on her hips, her suspicion growing by the minute. "James… just who IS this person you want us to meet?"

But Ironwood simply raised a hand up to her. _"It's a surprise, Raven, and I don't want to go around spoiling it. But trust me, once you meet this person… you're all going to be shocked to your core."_ James winced again as his hangover began kicking back up, prompting him to groan a bit more. _"Ugh, but, if you don't want to, then that's fine as well. I'll simply wait until we return to Vale to introduce them to you if that's what you want._ _Again, your choice."_ He rubbed his temple and reached for his communicator. _"Right now, I have to rest this whole thing off. Keep my offer in mind though, okay? I hope to see you later."_

"Same here, general." Ben returned. "Take it easy." With that, the hero switched off the TV, leaving the room completely quiet once again.

There was a brief silence throughout the room for another few seconds before Ren piped up. "So… should we go?"

Neptune folded his arms with a smirk. "Well, I dunno about whoever this guy is that Ironwood's talking about, but I think we should." He craned his head to Sun and gave him an eager grin. "After all, if we head to Mistral, then maybe we can get in a visit with Scar and Sage while were there!"

Sun was beaming at the prospect. "Hey yeah! We haven't seen those guys in a while! I've been wondering how they're doing back home."

"Sounds like fun." Blake smiled. "Besides, it's not every day you get to visit a city like Mistral. What the heck? I'm in." However, her eyes widened when she suddenly remembered that her mother was still there. She sheepishly faced the woman and lowered her head slightly. "At least… if you don't mind, mom."

"Oh, sweetheart, I don't mind at all." Kali said before giving her daughter a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be fine here with Athena and Doctor Holiday. You kids go and have a good time in Mistral, okay?" She pointed right at Sun and Neptune. "And be sure you don't get my daughter lost in the city, alright?"

Both boys gave an immediate salute. "Yes, ma'am! Understood!"

Conversely, Jaune put a hand to his chin in thought. "Right now, I'm just wondering who this person Ironwood was talking about even IS. How can one person be so important that the general asks us all to just drop everything and head to Mistral?"

"A perplexing question to be sure." Pyrrha concurred. "But I suppose the only way to find out is head over."

"How would we even GET there, though?" Weiss asked. "Tetrax is keeping his ship at Beacon so that Caesar can work on it, remember? We'd have to rent a Bullhead, and even then, it'd take hours to get there."

However, Raven cleared her throat, garnering everyone's attention. "Ahem, Weiss, I think you're forgetting that I have a bond with my brother." The Spring Maiden glanced off to the side. "For better or for worse." She unsheathed Omen and pointed it toward the hallway. "I can have us in Mistral in no time at all."

Rex raised an eager fist. "Hell yeah! That means we can be there and back in no time at all! I say we go!"

At the EVO's cheer, everyone else began voicing their agreement, with Yang in particular giving a small shrug. "Eh, why not, huh? I guess it's better than just sitting around like sloths all day." She jerked her thumb toward the stairs. "Besides, the video games aren't going anywhere."

Ben gave a single nod, balling his hand into a determined fist. "Alright, then it's decided! Just give me a little bit to charge up the communicator for Winter and we'll be off." With that, the Omnitrix bearer quickly jogged for the basement stairs, though he couldn't help but wonder who this surprise person was as well. _'General, I hope this last-minute trip is worth it to meet whoever this guy is.'_ He thought to himself. _'Because if this is all just a hung-over rambling, then I'm gonna be sorrowfully disappointed.'_

* * *

James Ironwood let out a small yawn as he walked out of his room and down the stairs, intent on getting himself more coffee for his now mild migraine. _'Dear lord, I don't think I've had a night like that in a LONG time.'_ He noted to himself as he walked through the living area, strolling past the red furniture and glass coffee table. He had to admit, while Qrow wasn't exactly the most well-kempt person he knew, the man sure knew how to pick his rental houses. The house had three stories, the main one being the ground-level floor where the living room, kitchen and dining area, with a large garden surrounded by glass right in the middle of it. The upper floor housed the bedrooms while the downstairs floor held a training facility that lead right out into a back yard, which allowed for more room to train.

"It's admittedly a bit much for two people, but maybe once the kids get here, they'll make use of it… IF they come, at least." Ironwood reminded himself as he pulled back his sleeve, gazing down to his robotic arm. He pulled up his holo-watch, which read seven-thirty. It had been only half an hour since he had called. "…And if they don't want to come, then that's fine as well." The general made himself another cup of coffee and headed toward the living room, intending to sit down and ride out the rest of his headache.

…At least he WOULD have if the sudden portal opening up near the doorway didn't make him flinch. The sudden jostle made him spill his hot coffee all over his pantleg… the one with the leg that was still flesh and blood. "GAAAH!" he cried out before gritting his teeth. But then, the general forced a smile onto his face when he saw Ben, Gwen, Rex, and Teams RWBY, JNPR, and SN all file in through the portal, with Raven bringing up the rear soon after. "Raven! Everyone!" Ironwood muffled out a greeting through his teeth. "So… _glad_ you could make it."

"General, I—oh." Ben cut himself off when he saw Ironwood's pants covered in hot coffee. "Um… sorry if we made ya do that."

"No, no, it's fine." Ironwood assured as he went to fetch some paper towels. "I think I needed a good wake-up call, actually." After drying off as best he could, Ironwood came back and bowed his head to the group, ushering them further into the room. "Well, no need to stand around, come on in and have a seat."

The teens all obliged, either taking a seat on the couches, sitting cross-legged near the coffee table, or in Raven's case, taking the single chair between the two couches. However, Nora opted to start zipping around, saying "ooh" and "ahh" as she stared at the house's interior. "Nice place ya ended up with, General!" the Pink Dynamo complimented.

"No kidding." Jaune agreed. "What IS this place?"

"Oh, it's just a little place for traveling huntsman to rest while they're coming through." Ironwood elaborated, taking a sip of his now half-empty cup of joe. "Every kingdom has one of these, courtesy of their respective councils, of course."

"Well it's very nice." Pyrrha said as she set her gaze upon a painting of the city of Mistral over on a nearby wall. "Almost seems _too_ nice to simply be a rental home."

Ren was quick to agree, focusing on the calmness of the garden not far away. "Hm, I could certainly get used to living here if need be."

"Hehe, I'm sure." Ironwood chuckled. "So, I heard that all of you got into quite the skirmish at Beacon the other day. Another horde of Grimm and alien criminal called… "Bashmouth", I think Glynda said?"

Sun leaned his head back and groaned a bit. "Ugh, yeah. Ben managed to take him down at first, but… things didn't work out one-hundred percent at the end of the day."

Ben folded his arms and pursed his lips. "Gee, thanks for the reminder."

"No disrespect, dude, seriously." Sun assured. "But I think we ALL wished things didn't end up the way they did."

"That, I'll grant you." Ben nodded before going back to Ironwood. "But why don't we focus on why we're here NOW, huh? What's the big news, general?"

"Indeed, James." Raven said as she leaned forward and spread her arms out toward the team. "We're here at _your_ request, so who's this person you want us to meet?" However, Raven quickly realized something else. "And where's my brother? He IS here, isn't he?"

Ironwood blinked and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Erm… well, yes. But, uh…"

"General!" Everyone's heads perked up when a new voice suddenly echoed through the house, one that seemed shaky and nervous.

"What… or who was that?" Neptune asked, shifting his eyes around.

The voice then came again. "Qrow's trying to go down the stairs!"

Ironwood's eyes widened at that. "…Oh no."

All at once, everyone's heads snapped to the stairs as a certain drunken huntsman began stumbling down them in a wild and erratic fashion. Qrow was laughing in a drunken stupor as he set his sights on the familiar group, eyeing his sister in particular. "Hahaha! I KNEW I heard some familiar voices. Nice to see ya, sis."

Raven grimaced toward her brother instantly. She knew he was drunk the moment he said it was "nice to see her". "Oh god, why?" she wondered out loud.

Qrow forced himself to stand up right as he went over to his nieces, the two standing up to greet him. "Haha! And there are my girls!" He enveloped them in a hug, much to the dismay of both Ruby and Yang as they could practically smell the whisky on him. "How's it goin' Pipsqueak? Firecracker?"

Yang sent a deadpan face to her uncle, giving him a half-hearted hug. "Better than you're doing, THAT'S for sure."

Ruby sent an accusatory glare to Qrow, making it clear she was upset. "Uncle Qrow… have you been drinking again?"

"Hehehe… maybe." Qrow chuckled before flopping down onto the couch, forcing Weiss and Blake to abandon their seats the moment they saw he wasn't stable enough to keep himself up. "But if ya ask me, getting hammered last night… was TOTALLY worth it! HAHA! We FOUND him!"

"W-What?!" Weiss stammered out incredulously. "What do you mean "you found him"?"

Blake's eyes snapped up to the general, hoping for an explanation. "General… what's this all about?"

"Well…" Ironwood began before setting his sights on Ben and Gwen. "You see, we actually received a visit from your friend, Professor Paradox."

This got the Tennyson cousins' attention. "Woah, seriously?" Ben said in surprise. "So THAT'S what he meant by having more business in this world."

"Maybe…" Gwen pondered. "But he said something about meeting with a young man." She raised a brow to Ironwood. "And, no offence general, but you're not exactly… well…"

"Point taken." Ironwood grinned in amusement before shaking his head. "But no, his business wasn't entirely with us. You see, _he's_ actually the one that found…" the general paused before his eyes went back to the stairs, a beaming smile appearing on his face before pointing over to whom he was looking at. "…him."

Everyone whirled their heads around to see a young man with tanned skin, unruly hair and unkempt clothes come jogging down the stairs, obviously in a panicked state. "Oh no, I'm sorry general! Qrow just got up and—" The boy instantly cut himself off when he saw a whole bunch of other people now occupying the living room; teenagers who all appeared to be at least three to four years older than him. With all of their eyes now laser focused directly on him, the young man suddenly grew very nervous and began shuffling down the stairs, almost as if he were afraid to speak another word.

However, Rex was quick to voice everyone's burning question. "Uh… who's the kid?"

"And why in the world is he dressed so poorly?" Weiss asked in concern, narrowing her gaze toward Ironwood. "Did you find him on the street and NOT get him any new clothes?"

"Er… no." Ironwood answered. "Paradox brought him to us like this. We haven't been able to get him any fresh clothes yet."

Ruby furrowed her brow to the young man. "Wait… so is THIS the person you wanted us to meet?"

As Ruby was peering at him though, the boy couldn't help but notice a certain trait about her, one that made the back of his mind itch with a sense of familiarity. After staying silent for a good minute, he took a few steps toward the group while speaking up to Ruby. "You… have silver eyes."

This statement managed to catch everybody's attention, the team's eyes widening at the very mention of Ruby's iconic trait. However, Raven was both aghast… and a little angry. _'Fuck… don't tell me.'_

Ruby, after taking a moment to comprehend the young man's statement, hesitantly responded; "Who… are you?"

The sound of Qrow's drunken laughter did nothing to stop everyone from keeping their gazes focused on the young man, who had put his hands behind his back while shuffling in place once again. However, he could see Ironwood's supportive smile from across the room, which filled him with enough confidence to move forward. He lowered his head, an apprehensive breath escaping his lips. "Well… um… my name is Oscar Pine."

"Wait for it…" Qrow breathed out.

"You probably know me as…" Oscar locked eyes with the group of teens with an awkward expression. "…Professor Ozpin?"

In less than a second, everyone in the room let out a gasp at the revelation, the Beacon Students as well as Sun and Neptune in particular being exceptionally shocked at the news. Ben, Gwen and Rex simply stared at the young man, the three now even MORE unsure of what to make of him. Raven, though, was sending a soft glare to the boy. An unsure one, but a glare nonetheless. Ruby could only mutter; "W-W-What?"

"Heh. Ha-ha!" From the couch, Qrow's laughter increased in volume and he suddenly shot up, taking everyone by surprise as he raised his arms in the air. "Ha-ha-ha! I DID IT!" All at once, the drunken huntsmen flopped right onto the floor, making Nora gasp in astonishment.

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it! The gang have finally met up with Oscar! And of course, I couldn't NOT leave out the drunken Qrow moment. Too brilliant. The next chapter will see them be introduced to him properly, as well as showing off his little trick, of course. But that wasn't all that happened in this chapter, of course! Kali's back! And it seems she won't be alone for long, as Ghira and Sienna are gonna be coming over as well, making an official statement in Vale regarding Adam and the White Fang being involved with the attack on Beacon. Here's hoping that goes over well. But hmm… what kind of DVD artwork could Kevin have possibly used to help Kali gain her inspiration for the new White Fang flag? Well, we'll just have to wait and see. And speaking of Kevin, don't worry, he, Penny and Ilia will be back… and they just might bring a few others with them when they do.**

**For now, though, NEXT TIME! Oscar starts getting to know everyone on the team, all while explaining his and Ozpin's situation. Of course, however, Oz himself eventually takes over from there… and almost immediately, Raven has some things to say to him. In turn, he has a few things to say to her about her current… situation. During all of this, though, Professor Lionheart gets called into a meeting with Salem by Watts. Here, the witch reveals some shocking truths to Leo… and informs him that her attack will be happening sooner than initially planned. Thanks for reading guys, and I'll see you all next time! Stay safe out there!**


	98. A Two-Fold Meeting

**A/N: Hey guys! Now, I have to say, this is actually one of the shorter chapters we've had in a while. Yes, the last two were also comparatively short, but this one's shorter than even those two. Now that probably won't last very long since, as you can imagine, the Haven arc's gonna have a LOT of fighting in it, so we can probably expect that to start happening soon. That said, this chapter is no less a pretty big deal; the team is finally about to meet Oscar, and of course, that means Ozpin's gonna be meeting Ben, Gwen and Rex. Also, just as a heads up, Raven will NOT be having any nice things to say about Ozpin this chapter… like,** _**at all** _ **. Now with all that out of the way, let's get on with it, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 98: A Two-Fold Meeting**

* * *

It had only been about twenty minutes since Oscar revealed his true nature to the team… and they had done nothing but gawk at him in that time. Even after he had moved to a vacant chair in the living room, everyone's focus was on him. Sure, he could understand that they were still shocked and unsure of just what to think about him… but did they REALLY have to stare at him like he had a second head? If anything, they at least had no malice behind their gazes, so that was a good thing. On the other hand, the glare that he was getting from Raven was effectively making him MUCH more uneasy, to the point that he was scared to even glance in her direction. All he could do was hold Ozpin's—no, HIS cane apprehensively, hoping that it'd all end soon.

" _Nervous, I take it?"_ Ozpin spoke in his head.

' _Gee, ya think?'_ Oscar thought right back. _'They're all just… looking right at me.'_

" _Well, wouldn't you do the same if someone had just told you that they were the reincarnation of someone else?"_ However, his words did nothing to improve Oscar's mental state. In fact, it just made him more nervous. _"Oscar, I can say with absolute certainty that you have nothing to fear from these people. My students are some of the most trustworthy people imaginable. And I may not know Ben, Gwen and Rex, but if Professor Paradox trusts them, then so do I."_

' _Oh yeah?'_ Oscar briefly shifted his eyes over to Raven, who met his sights for that single moment. _'Then what about her?'_

Oscar could practically feel the awkward feeling that Ozpin felt in his head the moment he saw Raven again. _"Raven is… a more complex case. But the good news is that she hasn't unsheathed her sword on us yet, so you don't have to worry… at least I hope not."_

Oscar rolled his eyes. _'Gee, thanks for the morale boost.'_

The farm boy was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts when Nora finally spoke up after the long silence. "So… did he age backwards?"

"What? No!" Rex denied. "It's obvious that he's _muy poseído_." The group all sent him a questioning look, asking him to elaborate. "…That means he's possessed."

Weiss immediately konked him on the head. "Have EITHER of you been paying attention, Robo-dolt?" She thrust her hands, gesturing to Oscar while making the boy flinch. "Professor Ozpin's reincarnated himself _into_ little Oscar, here."

Oscar couldn't help but furrow his brows at that. _'Little?'_

" _Well, you ARE of shorter stature compared to them."_ Ozpin reminded.

' _Shut up.'_

At that point, everyone started either murmuring to themselves in astonishment or asking Oscar a lot of questions. One such question came from Ruby, the Hooded Huntress grinning in excitement as she lowered her head to make eye-contact with Oscar. "Oh, isn't it strange to have two souls in your body?"

Oscar, taken aback by the question, hesitantly answered. "Uh… well, yes. I suppose it IS a little strange."

"Alright, Alright, let's all settle down." The whole room turned to see Qrow, now upright and with his own cup of coffee in his hands. Much to everyone's amazement, the usually drunken huntsman had been able to shake off his hangover without much difficulty, and was now recuperating after his little fall. Qrow gestured toward Oscar with a small smile. "Let's all try to remember that this is very overwhelming for EVERYONE, huh?"

The teens eyes all moved back to Oscar and realized that they were all standing VERY close to him. In one swift movement, the group backed off from the farm boy, making him relax just a little bit. He smiled back toward Qrow and said; "Thanks." But at that moment, he felt one remaining pair of eyes still staring down at him, prompting Oscar to crane his head up. There, he finally locked eyes with Raven, the tribe leader still sending daggers at him. "Uh… hi?"

"So… you're Oz's reincarnation, huh?" Raven asked. Oscar gulped audibly and nodded a single time, causing Raven to snap her fingers. "Damn it. And here I wanted him to reincarnate into a woman for shits and giggles." She sighed and went back to her seat. "Ah well. A kid's okay, too, I guess."

The moment she got to her seat, Yang lightly jabbed her in the arm. "Really, mom? Ya couldn't have waited on the Ozpin bashing for a bit?"

Raven merely smirked at her daughter's accusation. "Trust me, Yang, after everything he's done, that won't be the ONLY bit of bashing I'm going to give him."

Oscar's eyes widened at this… though he could feel Ozpin sigh mentally at the woman's remark. _"Same old Raven, it would seem."_

' _She's ALWAYS like this?!'_ Oscar exclaimed in his head.

" _Not always. It's simply that we don't see eye to eye… on nearly anything anymore."_ Ozpin elaborated as the teens all returned to their respective seats. _"And thus, she has seen it fit to belittle me as often as she can."_

' _Hm, sounds like a bad time all around.'_ Oscar was pulled out of his thoughts again when he saw Ruby, Nora, Pyrrha and Weiss all facing him from the couch to his right, prompting him to face them as well. He couldn't help but let out a nervous laugh. He had never had so many girls looking at him before, especially ones that were Huntresses as well. His laugh seemed infectious though, as both Ruby and Nora giggled back at him. "Er… sorry." Oscar moved his head down. "It's just I haven't really met any REAL Hunters before."

The four girls all faced each other before Ruby spoke back to him. "Well… we haven't exactly met someone with two souls before, either."

"Indeed." Pyrrha nodded. "Please tell us… what is it like to share a body with Professor Ozpin?"

"It's… a bit strange, like I said." Oscar answered as he put his hand on his head. "See, I'm actually hearing Professor Ozpin in my head most of the time."

Everyone leaned forward in intrigue. "Wow… that IS pretty weird." Sun commented.

"And it's EXACTLY like how it was described in one of my books." Blake added. "The Man with Two Souls… it really IS Professor Ozpin."

In Oscar's head, Oz chuckled a slight bit. _"Hmhm, yes, that book WAS always one of my favorites."_

Oscar smiled at the two before noticing that someone was coming up on his left. He moved his head around… but was stunned into silence when he saw Ben Tennyson standing right next to him. The young farm hand didn't even know what to SAY at this point. He at least somewhat knew the Beacon Students, and even then, it was only second-hand from being Ozpin's reincarnation. But Ben Tennyson, his cousin Gwen, and even Rex? They were entirely different. He didn't know them, and the fact that they were apparently super heroes was something that just blew his mind away. _'Any advice on how to talk to a superhero?'_

" _I believe this will be a first for both of us, Oscar."_ Ozpin confided. _"Let us just do our best."_

Ben met the young boy with a friendly grin. "Hi there! Sorry that we all got up in your face like that. Honestly, we were all just trying to make sense of… well ALL of this." The hero extended a hand to Oscar. "Let's start off on a better foot, huh? I'm Ben Tennyson. It's nice to meet you, Oscar."

Oscar shifted his eyes between the hand and the Omnitrix bearer before smiling as well, grasping his hand and shaking it. "S-Same here, Mr. Tennyson."

Ben smirked and chuckled a bit. "Hehe, please, Mr. Tennyson is my dad. Call me Ben. Ya don't have to be so formal."

"I-I'm sorry." Oscar apologized. "Today is a day of a LOT of firsts for me. I haven't exactly met a real-life superhero before, you know?"

"Hehe, well now you have." Ben said with a thumbs up.

"Actually, you've met TWO!" Rex exclaimed as he jumped up from his seat. "Name's Rex. Nice to meet ya, Oscar!"

Oscar recoiled a slight bit before laughing nervously. "Heh… uh, yeah. You too." He was about to shrink away again before catching sight of a lovely young redheaded girl coming over as well, one offering an apologetic smile to him.

"Sorry if my friend is scaring you." she apologized as Weiss came over and began dragging Rex back to the couch by his ear. "He's a bit more bombastic than my cousin is. I'm Gwen Tennyson, by the way. It's a pleasure."

Now feeling more relaxed, Oscar smiled back and nodded to her. "Same here, it's nice to meet all of you. But… I thought Professor Paradox told me that there was another guy with you?"

"Oh, you mean my boyfriend, Kevin." Gwen realized. "Yeah, he, Penny and Ilia all went to Beacon for the day." She crossed her arms and directed her gaze to Ironwood. "Which, if I'm being honest, General, I WOULD have called them back if I had known that _this_ was the surprise you were talking about. Finding Ozpin's reincarnation is _kind of_ a big deal."

Ironwood rubbed the back of his head. "Yes, yes, I know. I just wanted to give you all a big surprise and some good news. But really, it's fine that they aren't here right now. If they have things to do, then that's the way it is."

Oscar's eyes moved back to Rex and Ben. "So… I've heard that you guys can do some pretty amazing things, huh?"

"Sure can!" Rex said before flexing his arm, which instantly lit up with his signature blue lines. "Ya wanna see 'em in action, _chico_?"

But before Oscar could respond, Ironwood raised his hand, halting Rex before he could do anything. "Why don't we save the demonstrations for later? Right now, I think we should talk business for a while." The general shifted his eyes around the room, almost as if he were searching for something. "But first… we're still short one head. Professor! Are you here?"

"Right behind you, actually." Everyone jumped slightly at the sudden voice, but quickly relaxed when they saw that it was only Professor Paradox, the scientist stepping out from behind Ironwood. He took out his pocket watch and showed it to Ironwood with a blank expression. "And I don't exactly see what the big rush is, General. I've only been gone for two minutes."

Ironwood blinked at that. "Uh… Professor, you've been gone since midnight."

"Hm, I suppose so." Paradox pocketed his watch. "Time works in strange ways like that." He smiled out toward the team and gave them a wave. "Greetings all! Did you enjoy your party last night?"

"Yes, Professor." Ren affirmed. "Though I didn't think we'd be seeing you so soon."

Nora popped up next to Paradox and waved her hands around. "Yeah, you're always like; POP "Here I am"! And then you're all like "Oop, gotta leave and say something mysterious"!" She moved her hand in a so-so gesture. "And then we don't see ya for a few days."

Paradox chuckled and pat Nora's shoulder. "Haha, I believe you're finally starting to understand my ways, dear Nora." He put his hands behind his back and moved out into the room. "But considering what was happening here in Anima, I only saw it fit to help my old friend along his way…" He shifted his eyes over to Oscar. "Or should I say… _their_ way? Perhaps it's time we allow Ozpin to say a few words as well, wouldn't you say, Oscar?"

This only served to baffle the teens even more. "W-Wait, what?" Neptune questioned. "Now I'm just REALLY lost!"

Ben raised a brow as well. "He's right, Professor. I'm not quite following here."

On the couch, Qrow craned his head over to Oscar, the boy now feeling a bit sheepish again. "Well, kid? Ya wanna show 'em yer parlor trick?"

"…Yeah, okay." Oscar sighed before setting his sights out to the others in the room. "Just so you guys know, I'll still be here." This only garnered more confused stares as Oscar closed his eyes, calming himself to allow the mind switch to take place. In a sudden green glow of light, his body jerked back and he took in a breath, signaling that Ozpin had taken over.

His eyes opened up, briefly glowing for a moment before he smiled out toward the room, his voice echoing slightly before settling into its normal tone. "It's so very good to see you again, students."

The teens all looked to each other, taken aback by what had just transpired before them. "Wait… what just happened?" Jaune uttered.

Pyrrha's eyes widened when she realized what the boy's sudden change in demeanor meant. She stepped forward with trepidation and addressed him. "Professor… Ozpin?"

"Correct." Ozpin confirmed. "And though I may be the one speaking, Oscar IS still present mentally. He's merely handed over the controls, so to speak."

Inside his head, Ozpin heard Oscar reiterate; _"Again, just don't do anything embarrassing."_

Making sure to take his words into consideration, Ozpin pressed onward. "I'm sure that this all must be very perplexing to you."

"And ALARMING." Nora emphasized, expressing herself through over-the-top hand gestures. "And BIZZARE, and just REALLY kinda hard to believe overall!"

Ozpin couldn't help but chuckle at that. He had missed the Pink Dynamo's hyperactive tendencies. "I'm glad to see that you children haven't lost your sense of humor." At that moment though, his eyes found Raven, the tribe leader now glaring full daggers at him. "…Raven."

"Oz." Raven spoke back. "I'd say it was good to see you… but then I'd be lying, wouldn't I?"

Before anything could get too heated, though, Jaune stepped up and held up his hands to the two. "Okay, okay, let's not get into any fights right off the bat, huh? Why don't we… try and all get on the same page." He extended a hand toward Ozpin. "I'm guessing that Paradox filled you in on everything that we've been doing over the past three weeks?"

"Indeed." Ozpin smiled. "And I must say, I am very proud of all of you for stepping up the way you did." However, Ozpin's smile faltered and he lowered his head slightly. "But… I also know that facing all of these tremendous hardships so suddenly must have been a great burden to bear. And for that, I'm truly sorry."

After a short silence, Ruby tried to reassure the man trapped in a boy's body. "I mean… it's not your faul—"

"Ruby, don't try to say things that aren't true." Raven interrupted, standing up from her seat. "He knows very well that he is responsible for all of this."

"MOM!" Yang cried out. "Now is NOT—"

"Miss Xiao Long, please." Ozpin spoke up, stopping the Blonde Brawler from going any further. "Your mother is right. It IS all my fault." He directed his eyes to Ruby once again, the girl now more unsure than ever. "Miss Rose, I told you once that I've made more mistakes than any man, woman or child on this planet… and I wasn't exaggerating." He then moved his sights over to Pyrrha, the Invincible Girl's eyebrows raising up when they made eye contact. "And… that night at Beacon was no different."

Pyrrha swallowed nervously. "Professor, I…"

Ozpin got up, grabbed his cane, and stepped over to Pyrrha, bowing his head apologetically. "Miss Nikos, I hope you can accept my sincerest apology. I was wrong to put the burden of the Fall Maiden's powers on your shoulders during such a tumultuous time." He glanced off to the side. "And in hindsight, I should not have put the burden on one of my own first-year students to begin with. I knew that you were talented enough to be the Fall Maiden, but I should have also considered the fact that you are still young as well." He shook his head forlornly. "You still have your whole life ahead of you… and to think that it nearly ended on that night… it is such a harrowing thought."

"This fault isn't JUST your own, Oz." Ironwood reminded. "Glynda, Qrow and I all agreed to it as well. We should have put more thought into a potential candidate that wasn't still so young." He elbowed Qrow in the ribs. " _Right_?"

"Wha…? Oh, yeah, yeah. Of course." Qrow agreed absentmindedly.

Ozpin smiled toward them before going back to Pyrrha. "I hope you can forgive me, Miss Nikos. …For everything."

Pyrrha stayed silent for a couple moment before standing up, taking Ozpin by surprise. "Thank you, professor… and I accept your apology." she folded her arms with a serious expression. "But in return, I wish for only one thing."

"Of course." Ozpin agreed. "And what would that be?"

"No more secrets." Pyrrha stated firmly, putting a hand to her chest as she closed her eyes. "The whole reason why I was in such a conflicted state throughout the whole ordeal at Beacon… was in part because I could not tell those closest to me about what I was truly going through." She shifted her eyes to Nora and Ren. "I had to hide your secret from my best friends…" her gaze then fixated onto Jaune. "…and the one I cherish most." After seeing her boyfriend blush at her words, she craned her head back down to Ozpin. "I don't want anything like that happening again."

Yang suddenly stood up as well. "P-Money's right." she agreed as she crossed her arms, sending her own harsh glare to Ozpin. "If there's anything that I CAN agree with my mom on about you is that you keep WAY too many secrets, professor." She sent a brief glance to Ben. "And from what I've learned these past few weeks is anything to go by, then we won't be an effective team if we keep hiding things from each other."

Ozpin closed his eyes, nodding slightly before opening them once again. "You… have a very good point, Miss Xiao Long. It was never my intention to hurt any of you by keeping these things hidden." He set his eyes over to Raven, who was still glaring at him. "Present company included."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Cut the bull crap, Oz. You and I know VERY well why I left."

"Indeed." Ozpin walked over and met Raven head on, locking eyes with her even though he was now much shorter than the tribe leader. "You deemed the fight against Salem as a hopeless endeavor, and for that, I cannot blame you. I've had the same thoughts in the past as well. I was initially very glad to hear that you had returned to the fight, even happy that you were trying to repair things with your family." He furrowed his brows at her. "However, after hearing what you did to the previous Spring Maiden, I'm beginning to second-guess my judgement."

Raven closed her eyes, though she still appeared quite frustrated. "Oz, you have NO idea how much I regret that decision. So much so that I wish I hadn't done it in the first place." She sighed and shook her head. "But what's happened cannot be taken back, and I plan to carry out the Spring Maiden's tasks from here on out, with or without your approval."

"I suppose so. After all…" Oz sent her a stern look. "We have no better options." The two simply glared at one another while the team watched, the tension in the room getting heavier with each passing second. "Raven, tell me, why did you bring her into your tribe in the first place?"

Raven sneered at Ozpin, almost as if she wanted to bark at him for bringing the question up. "Do you REALLY want to know why? Because I thought that if I had the Spring Maiden in my corner, my tribe would be able to stay safe from Salem's wrath! Because it was fairly obvious that the rest of the world would not!" She tightened her fist and grit her teeth at Ozpin. "Because the way YOU were doing things WASN'T working, Oz!"

Ozpin lowered his head. "…I will not deny that my ways weren't as proactive as many wanted." He glanced briefly over to Ironwood. "After all, you aren't the only one who has urged me to take action. But Salem is a force that is not easily dealt with."

Ben raised his hand. "Trust me, I know from experience how it feels to be thrown around by her."

"Yes, I heard about that, Mr. Tennyson." Ozpin nodded. "You are quite lucky that she chose to leave you alive."

"He is." Raven concurred. "But to be honest I doubt that Salem would have an easy time killing HIM of all people." The Spring Maiden took in a breath before going on. "Listen Oz, I may have come back, but I am DONE playing by your rules."

Ozpin raised his brow at her. "Indeed. You've clearly made that obvious with your choices."

Raven screwed her eyes shut and snapped her head away from Ozpin. "…I have been working hard to atone for what I've done. I've argued with so many people over the course of all this… including my own daughter. It's only now that things are finally beginning to settle between all of us." She opened her eyes and stuck her nose up at him. "But if I'm going to be joining this fight again, just know I won't be taking orders from _you_. As far as I'm concerned…" Raven pointed to Ben. "HE is the one in charge of this team. And if I'm being honest, he's had a better track record than you have in all the years you've sat on your ass in Beacon Academy."

"…I see." Ozpin directed his gaze to the hero in question. "Can you vouch for what she is saying, Mr. Tennyson?"

Ben's eyes widened as everyone eyes went to him for an answer. "Uh… well, I… I like to think I've been doing good so far." He raised his arms up to the rest of the team. "And quite honestly, I think these guys are a pretty great team." The Omnitrix bearer smiled around to the group, whom all reciprocated it instantly. "We all work pretty well together, if you ask me."

"Hm, very well put." Ozpin nodded before setting both hands onto his cane. "But to get back on the initial topic, it was never my intention to lie to any of you. There are just some matters I prefer to… keep close to the chest."

"Couldn't o' said it better myself, Oz." Qrow nodded, taking a sip of his coffee.

Raven rolled her eyes at that. "Oh, give me a break!" She pointed an accusatory finger at Ozpin. "I don't know WHO you're trying to appeal to with all this sweet talk, Oz, but it certainly isn't working on me." She gestured out to the teens in the room, all of them shocked by woman's outburst. "These kids have been putting their lives on the line against Salem for almost the past MONTH because of _your_ secret war against Salem. If they're going to KEEP doing this, then I want you to give them your WORD that you won't keep any more secrets from them… from ALL of us anymore."

Ben stepped forward and spoke in her favor. "She's right, Ozpin. If we're going to keep putting our lives on the line like this… then the secrets have got to stop."

"No more lies." Yang insisted.

"No more half-truths." Pyrrha added, furrowing her brows in the process. "And we mean it."

With all eyes on him now, Ozpin exchanged a glance with Qrow, Ironwood… and finally Raven before giving his answer. "Understood." He gave a respectful bow of the head to Ben. "And… if it will make everyone more comfortable, I shall defer to you from now on, Mr. Tennyson."

Ben's eyebrows shot up as everyone wore surprised faces. Even Raven was somewhat stunned by Ozpin's statement. "Ah, a splendid idea, Ozpin." Professor Paradox piped up. "I think you'll find that young Ben is quite a capable person to put your trust in."

"W-Well, I… I don't know if that's COMPLETELY necessary." Ben stuttered out. "I mean, the trust thing, yes, that part's true…" He reached his hand out to Ozpin with a hesitant face. "But you're a guy who's gotta be over a thousand years old, at least. Having you report to me feels kinda… weird."

Ozpin chortled a little at that. "Believe me, Benjamin, in all the times I've reincarnated, I've had to take orders from many people over the years. It will not do me harm to begin doing so again." He glanced over to Raven once more. "And perhaps it will help things settle better as Oscar and I adapt to working with all of you."

Raven merely scoffed and turned around, headed back toward her chair. "You are VERY lucky that your mind's in a kid's body, Oz. Means I can't hurt you."

Ironwood could only shake his head as he got up, taking his cup with him. "Ah, how I've _missed_ these interactions. I'm going to go get some more coffee. Ozpin, do you want something?"

Oz sighed, letting his frustration with Raven go for the time being. "A coco would be fantastic right now, James. Thank you."

But as Ironwood left, Ozpin could hear Oscar in the back of his head; _"Wait…was Raven serious about that?!"_

' _More than likely.'_ Ozpin confirmed before sitting back into his own chair. "So, now that we've cleared the air… as best we could… is there anymore subjects you wish to know?" He gestured over to Qrow and Raven. "After all, I'm sure that these two and James have already told you about almost every secret my inner circle has been keeping."

"Yeah, we whittled them down until we got our answers." Jaune clarified. "But there ARE a few things that we'd like some clarification on."

Ren leaned forward in his seat. "Yes, like your rather unusual ability to reincarnate."

Ben crossed his arms. "And how about why you and Salem have been fighting for all these years? What's the story behind that?"

"Hm, yes, that does seem to be an appropriate place to start." Ozpin propped his cane up against the side of the chair and cupped his hands together, resting his chin on them. "Well, to answer the latter first, my conflict with Salem, as you know, goes back many millennia. But… that was not always the case. In fact, you could say that Salem and I used to be very good colleagues… friends."

This got everyone to gasp in astonishment, though Ben didn't seem too shocked by his words. "Isn't that how it always is? One moment, you're besties, the next you're at each other's throats for some reason. It's like Optimus Prime and Megatron, I'm telling ya."

Though perplexed by Ben's words, Ozpin chose to run with it. "I am not too sure what you mean by that, Mr. Tennyson. But if that is the best way you can describe it, then very well." Ozpin focused back onto the group and continued. "However, after losing someone… _very_ close to her, Salem offered to make a deal with the Gods to try and resurrect—"

"Wait, wait, wait, hold up!" Nora interrupted, now with an expression of disbelief. "The _Gods_? As in, the Gods of _Light_ and _Darkness_? C'mon, now you're pulling our leg! That's…" The Pink Dynamo trailed off when she saw the absolutely serious look on Ozpin's face. "…it IS just a religious belief… isn't it?"

Ozpin faced Qrow, Ironwood and Raven once more. "So… you told them everything except this? One of the biggest secrets I told you about?"

Qrow waved his hand to Oz. "I thought it'd be best if they heard it from you, Oz. I have a feeling that they wouldn't believe us on this even if we tried our damnedest to convince 'em."

"WHAT?!" Yang exclaimed as she shot out of her seat, her eyes now flashing red. "You guys SERIOUSLY had another secret up your sleeves?!"

From the kitchen, everyone could hear Ironwood shout; "It was Qrow's idea! I've been wanting to tell you that one since Sunday!"

Raven stood up, giving her daughter an apologetic face. "Yang, dear, please. Trust me, we ALL wanted to tell you, myself most of all. But… unfortunately, Qrow has a point." Her eyes moved briefly over to Ozpin. "If you heard this from anyone other than Oz, you might not believe it." She clenched her fist again and grit her teeth. "But… now that he's _back_ …"

"It's time." Ozpin concurred, bringing everyone's attention back to him. "And considering what I let slip already, you can all probably figure out what it is."

The team didn't have any problem putting two and two together on that. "…The Gods of Light and Darkness… were _real_?" Neptune uttered.

"Indeed, very real." Ozpin confirmed. "And both Salem and I are the last remnants of humanity that used to live amongst the gods. The ones who were capable of wielding magic."

There was a complete silence throughout the entire room, with Yang shaking her head. "I gotta sit down."

Raven placed a consoling hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Breath, sweetheart. Slowly now."

Weiss was having a similar episode, having leaned back against the couch with her hands in her forehead, stating up at the ceiling with an unsure gaze. "I… I feel like my whole world has been turned upside down!"

Rex set a hand to her shoulder. "It's okay, Ice Princess. Give yourself some time to take it in… 'cause honestly, I'm just as floored as you are."

Gwen exhaled heavily and put her hands to her temples, rubbing them as she attempted to comprehend all of this. "So… let me get this straight." She whipped her hands up to Ozpin. "You're saying that YOUR world… humanity, the Grimm, all of it… was ACTUALLY created by primordial deities?"

"That is correct." Ozpin nodded. "It's like I've always said; every legend has some truth behind it. Or in this case, MANY truths." He lifted his hand up toward the ceiling. "Why do you think the moon is shattered like it is? Before, it used to be whole, but when the God of Darkness left, he rammed right through it."

"Huh, rude." Rex scoffed. "The least he could've done is go AROUND it."

"Yes, very vexing, Mr. Salazar. But getting back to the subject before, Salem had lost someone quite precious to her, and she sought out the gods help to bring them back." Ozpin lowered his head. "She asked the God of Light first, and he refused, not wanting to trifle with the natural order of things. But the God of Darkness was willing to help her… only for the deal to go south when the God of Light explained that she had seen him first, resulting in the brothers turning against each other and the younger brother backing out on his deal with Salem, cursing her with immortality in the process."

Sun quirked his brow at that. "Wait, immortality is a _curse_? I thought living forever would be pretty awesome."

"Maybe at first, Sun." Blake shrugged. "But after a while, I imagine living forever would drive you insane…" She smirked over to Professor Paradox. "Or drive you so insane that you get bored and decide to go sane again."

"Precisely, young Blake." Paradox said, with a smile on his face. However, it disappeared when he turned back to Ozpin. "Please, old friend… continue."

"Ah… right." Ozpin obliged, though he couldn't help but notice the serious expression on Paradox's features. He cleared his throat and moved on. "After this all happened, Salem grew embittered with the gods and turned the ancient humanity against them." The former headmaster shook his head. "As you can imagine, this did not go well for any of them."

Ruby couldn't help but cringe. "Yeah… something tells me you don't wanna get an immortal person angry. But if that's the case… then where do you fit into this?"

Ozpin took in a deep breath. "Well… I was one of the few who were still loyal to the gods, and thus it was my mission to try and stop Salem before she could turn the rest of humanity against them." He closed his eyes and put his hands to his knees. "But… I failed, and as a result, both of the gods wiped out the ancient humans and cursed me with my ability to reincarnate before they left. From that day forward, I have walked the surface of Remnant, living, dying and reincarnating into the bodies of like-minded people." Ozpin put his hands together. "The Professor Ozpin you knew was not my first form, and as you can see, wasn't my last."

"That much is obvious." Ren agreed. "So… how did Salem gain control of the Grimm?"

"Well… in her languish, she attempted to end her life by throwing herself into the Grimm pools, only to emerge as a being of pure malice, her hatred of the Godly Brothers and myself only fueling her rage." Ozpin craned his head down to the floor. "And since then, it has been her mission to destroy the new age of humanity that emerged after the gods left... and me with it."

There was a long pause after that, with everybody letting all of that information sink in. "Well, now we at least know why Salem's doing all of this." Gwen said, placing her hands on her hips. "I'd probably feel bad for her if she wasn't trying to kill all of us." There was a small murmur of agreement through the room before she gestured toward Ozpin. "So, to move on from this… what's it like to reincarnate so many times?"

"It's… an extremely strenuous process." Ozpin answered. "On everyone involved."

Ben reached out to him. "So… who or _what_ are you, exactly?"

There was another pause before Ozpin answered that one. "I am the combination of many men. Ones who've spent their lives defending Remnant and its people from Salem's wrath." At that moment Ironwood came back and handed Ozpin his coco, which he took without hesitation. "With every rebirth, my soul is merged with another. And I am changed… but my memories stay with me." He gazed down into his drink briefly, seeing his reflection in the brown liquid. "The gods cursed me because I wasn't able to stop Salem in the past…" He craned his head back up to the team. "But we _must_ stop her _now_."

"Now THAT I can agree on." Ben nodded. "Okay, I think we got some pretty good clarification on things, so—"

"Hold up, Green Boy." Yang interrupted, having pulled herself together from the god-sized bomb that was released upon everyone earlier. "I've still got something to ask him." She placed her hands on her hips and sent a skeptical gaze to Ozpin. "…Why birds?"

Ozpin blinked in surprise. "Um… I'm sorry, Miss Xiao Long?"

"The bird thing." Yang pointed between Raven and Qrow. "With my mom and uncle. Why'd you give them the ability to turn _specifically_ into birds?"

Realizing what she meant, Ozpin laughed and grabbed his cane, picking himself out of his seat in the process. "Haha, well, I suppose they really DID tell you everything, didn't they?" He strolled over to Yang, ignoring the piercing glare that Raven was sending him. "You see, while my ability to reincarnate is a curse, I still have a few of my magical abilities from my original form all those millennia ago. Using this power, I gifted the Branwen twins the ability to see more. To move freely, unburdened by their natural bodies. And with this… I gave them the ability to turn into birds."

"We were offered a choice, and we took it." Qrow furthered. "If it helped against the fight against Salem, then we were all in…" His eyes shifted toward his sister for a brief moment. "At least… for a while, we were both all in. But then… well, you all know the rest."

Blake's features became confused. "Okay, but… why _birds_ of all things?"

"So that they could fly around the world as they saw fit." Ozpin answered, moving over to where Yang and Ben were sitting. "You see, I required assistance in gathering information on Salem's plans… as well as searching for Maidens when their hosts became unclear."

Sun scratched the back of his head. "Huh, well, I guess that makes sense. So… did ya end up doing this to anyone else in your circle?" He quirked a brow over to Ironwood. "G.I. doesn't have the ability to change into… I dunno, a _horse_ , does he?"

Ironwood belted out a laugh as that, with Qrow joining in as well. "Bahaha! Oh no, Sun, I do not. As… _helpful_ as something like that may be, I'm afraid that Oz's magic is limited in that regard."

"And dwindling, if I'm being honest." Ozpin added. "Granting Qrow and Raven this power was no trivial task, and it was not done frivolously." He gestured to the Branwen Twins. "The power I gifted to them was quite miniscule, all things considered."

Neptune tilted his head. "Okay, so… where'd the rest of your magic go? Did ya just… use it all up over the years?"

"Not exactly." The former headmaster paused for a moment. "…You see, many centuries back, I gifted a great deal of my magic upon four young women, whom I had hoped would use my gift for good. _They_ were the first Maidens."

Gwen put a hand to her chin in intrigue. "Now THIS is interesting. Being the only other individuals on this planet who can use magic, I guess it makes sense that you were the one to grant them their powers. And I suppose you're the one who tied them to the relics as well?"

"Correct, every Maiden is linked to a specific relic, all of which were left behind by the gods." Ozpin hit his cane to the floor. "And that it why it is imperative that we make sure the relics are secure. So that Salem does not get her hands on them." He craned his head around to everyone in the room giving them a serious face. "I must warn you; the road ahead will not be easy."

"We know." Ruby nodded, standing up for good measure. "And we're not about to back down now. Not after coming this far."

Ozpin smiled and gave her a nod right back. "I am very happy to hear that, Miss Rose."

"Thank you, professor, but… there is one last thing." Ruby raised her hand up to her face, pointing her fingers to her eyes. "My dad and Uncle Qrow told me all about my mom and her silver eyes… but I haven't been able to activate mine at all, even after I found out. Do you… know how I can activate them?"

The reincarnated man recoiled a bit before going back to Qrow. "I must say, you left very few stones unturned."

"We couldn't exactly wait until her eighteenth birthday like we wanted, Oz." Qrow explained. "An' besides, she deserved to know. It's the one thing about her mother she didn't know about, after all."

"Yes, I suppose so." Ozpin sent a sympathetic gaze to Ruby. "Unfortunately, Miss Rose, this is something I am not too familiar with. I have reincarnated many times, but never into the body of a silver-eyed warrior. And for the ones I had the pleasure of meeting, they have all had different experiences unlocking their powers. Some say it comes with training, others have said it comes with time."

Ruby balled her hands into fists. "Well time isn't exactly something we can rely on! And I have NO idea how to even start training my EYES." She reached out to her former teacher. "What about mom? What did _she_ do to unlock her powers?"

Ozpin put a hand to his chin. "Well… she was one of the cases where her powers unlocked under extreme amounts of stress. She told me the situation she was in was so taxing on her emotional state that her powers just… burst out."

Ruby's right eye twitched. "So… if I want my powers soon… I have to be stressed out?!"

"If you wish put all of that punishment onto your mind, then yes." Oz said with a head shake. "But again, there are better ways to help you achieve your goal of bringing your powers to the forefront. I can assure you, though, one way or another, your powers WILL show themselves one day. Maybe not today… it might not even be tomorrow. But they will come, Miss Rose. That I can promise you."

"…Yeah, I guess you're right." Ruby said as she sat back down. "I just… I know how affective they can be against Salem and her Grimm, so I want to make sure we have every asset we can get."

Weiss reached over and pulled her best friend into a side-hug. "It's okay, Ruby. No matter how long it takes for your powers to activate, we'll be here with you every step of the way."

"On that, I can agree." Raven said, her frown becoming a smile as she looked at Ruby. But then, she shifted her focus over to Ironwood and Qrow, the two recoiling a bit when she did. "But now, I think we should move on to ANOTHER important subject. So… how did the meeting with Leo go?"

Ironwood and Qrow both winced at that. "Well… not that good." the drunken Huntsman answered,

* * *

Meanwhile, at Haven Academy, Leonardo Lionheart was sitting at his desk, his head in his hands as he mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do… again. After listening in on the headmaster's conversation with James and Qrow, the unscrupulous Arthur Watts had informed Leo that he would be arriving at the school first thing in the morning to discuss where to go from there. What's more… the doctor said that Salem had wanted to speak with him directly concerning what he talked about with his guests the night before, filling Leo with even more dread.

It had always terrified the lion Faunus whenever he had to talk with the witch directly, and this time was no exception. From the day he first came into contact with Salem, she frightened him to his very core. However, if anything, this next meeting made him even more nervous, since this was EXACTLY the kind of news that Salem had been waiting for. _'How is it that I'm still working with this woman?'_ Leo questioned in his head. _'I know how wrong it is, but… but if I want to stay alive through this whole ordeal, then I have to stay complacent. It is the only way.'_

The sound of Leo's door opening alerted him to Watts' arrival, making him lower his hands to meet the doctor's gaze. "Well, are we ready?" Arthur asked, a toothy smirk appearing right beneath his handlebar mustache.

Leo sighed and stood up, heading over to meet Arthur halfway. "Yes, I suppose I am…" He went over toward the door, but then stopped just before he came to it. On the wall to the right of the door, Leo opened a secret compartment with a handprint scanner, which he then placed his own hand on. Once the scanner had done its job, the wall then opened up, revealing a secret passage way behind it.

The duo walked into the hallway, one that curved right into a small, circular room. The space was empty save for a lone Grimm; a Seer. The jellyfish-like creature floated directly in the center of the room, which alone was enough to intimidate Lionheart and weaken his resolve to go forward. Fortunately, Watts had a solution. "After you." With a good shove, Watts pushed Lionheart into the room, making him stumble a bit.

After collecting himself, Leo swallowed his fear for the time being and spoke to the Seer Grimm. "Your Grace… are you there?"

The Seer lit up as a red smoky substance collected in its head, which then cleared to produce a projection of Salem inside of the glass orb. Cinder and Rojo were standing on either side of her thrown, the former with an unreadable expression while the latter seemed positively bored. _"Ah, Leonardo."_ Salem greeted. _"I have been awaiting your call. Doctor Watts has told me that you have some… interesting news for me."_

"Y-Yes, of course, ma'am." Leo said with a bow of his head. "I would not waste your time if I didn't."

At that moment, though, Watts stepped forward and began tapping the Seer on its head. "I must say, I'm still very fascinated by this Grimm's abilities." He tapped a few more times and called out; "Cinder dear, are we coming through? I can barely see you in that corner over there. Hiding in the shadows is not befitting of the Fall Maiden, now wouldn't you say?"

Cinder sneered at the doctor's obvious attempt to get on her nerves. _"Shut up."_

Rojo, now at full attention, pounded her fist into her palm. _"Yeah, or I'm gonna MAKE you shut up when you get back."_

Watts sighed in disappointment. "Well, you ladies are no fun at all, now aren't you?"

" _Enough."_ Salem spoke, which quickly put an end to her acolytes' squabbling. She directed her gaze back to Leo. _"Now, what is your report?"_

Leo swallowed hard again before delivering his news. "I… I know where the Spring Maiden is."

Much to his surprise, a small smile appeared on Salem's face, and… was that a quirked brow. _"You do? Well done. And tell me, how did you acquire this information?"_

"J-James Ironwood and Qrow Branwen, Your Grace." Leo stuttered out. "They… they arrived here the evening before. They have informed me that Spring has taken residents at Qrow's sister's tribe." He lowered his head to Salem as he said the next part. "And… I am sorry, Your Grace, but… somehow, Raven herself has managed to find out about my allegiance to you through an informant of hers. I tried to lead Qrow and James off my scent as best I could, but I'm afraid they still suspect me." He left it there, expecting to get an immediate response from Salem… but it never came. Leo moved his head back up and asked; "L-Lady Salem, why—huh?"

When he looked back at the Seer though, he saw that Salem still had her knowing grin on her face, as if she was aware of something that he was not. On either side of her, both Rojo and Cinder were smirking evilly, almost like they were laughing at a joke that was exclusively between them. _"This fool is terribly misinformed, my lady."_ Cinder said. _"Shall we tell him?"_

" _Indeed."_ Salem agreed, facing Leo with a slightly furrowed brow. _"My dear Leo, it seems you have been led astray by your former friends. The Spring Maiden is not WITH Raven Branwen… she IS Raven Branwen."_

Leo's eyes widened at the revelation, the man reeling back in shock. "W-W-What?!"

" _That is correct. Raven killed the former Spring Maiden many years ago after finding the task of training her to be far too difficult."_ Salem explained. _"So… she decided to take the powers into her own hands, in hopes of being able to fend me off if I should come searching for her. And I can assure you, if Raven killed Spring… then it was FAR from painless."_

With every word, Leo's lips curled further up into a snarl, a guttural growl escaping from his throat and through his sharp incisors. By the time Salem finished speaking, Leo let out a primal roar of anger, surprising even Watts. "HOW DARE SHE?!" he belted out. "How DARE she kill the Spring Maiden?! And how dare THEY lie to me in such a manner?!"

" _Just goes to show how much they trust ya there, Bushy Beard."_ Rojo quipped. _"Seems like you've been left high and dry."_

"I will NOT stand for this!" Leo snarled. "This MUST not go unpunished!"

" _I agree."_ Salem smiled. _"Which is why I will be sending my forces there as soon as possible."_

"Yes, please, Your Grace!" Leo insisted. "But you must hurry. It is like I said, Qrow and James already suspect my—ERK!" Within a second, all of Leo's bravado quickly left him as the Seer suddenly wrapped its tentacle around his neck, with Salem's now annoyed expression staring back at him through the creature's head.

With a stern face, she spoke; _"That will be quite enough, Leonardo."_ At her command, the Seer tightened its hold, making Leo fall to his knees. _"Do you remember when we first met? Because I certainly do. I remember your fear. But since that day, you've been extraordinarily brave."_ The jellyfish-like Grimm slowly bring up one of its tentacles up, its sharp, dagger-like protrusion coming awfully close to Leo's face. _"I won't forget all that you've done for me, but in turn, I want you to remember all of the things that I can do… to you."_ All at once, the Grimm dropped Leo onto the floor, the headmaster now sputtering as he tried to regain his breath.

On the other side of the Seer's projection, Rojo couldn't help but smirk. _"Hehe, get a load of him! He's all choked up now."_

" _His punishment for speaking out of line."_ Cinder elaborated. _"Remember it, Rojo."_

" _Yes, but for now, our time will be soon at hand."_ Salem faced Cinder and sent her a single nod. _"Cinder, Farkas, Thaddeus and Subdora are already awaiting your arrival in Mistral with the hostage. You and your team, as well as Viktor and Michael will convene with them and then make your way to Haven Academy."_ The witch placed her hands together. _"There, we will convince Raven Branwen to open the vault containing the Relic of Knowledge."_

Cinder bowed her head respectfully, even if she hated the idea of Michael coming along. _"Of course, my lady."_

Rojo scratched the back of her head with a confused look on her face. _"Sounds like a plan, Boss Lady… but how can we be sure that Branwen's gonna be there in the first place? And what about the heroes?"_

Salem raised a reassuring hand. _"Fret not, Rojo. I already know how to gather them all in one place…"_ She sent her gaze back down to Leo, who was staring back at her with utter fear in his eyes. _"Leonardo, once my forces make it to your academy, I want you to make a call to General Ironwood…"_ The Seer slowly moved itself closer to Leo, making his fear grow every second. _"I want you to listen VERY closely, because this is what I want you to say…"_

* * *

"You told him WHAT?!" Raven exclaimed, her eyes burning with her Maiden powers as Ironwood and Qrow backed away. "You said that I still had the Spring Maiden even though I DON'T?! What's the matter with you two?!"

Ironwood moved his hands up defensively. "N-Now, hold on, Raven! We didn't want to come off as too mistrusting when confronting Leo about him being the supposed traitor! We HAD to come up with _something_ to convince him to hear us out."

"An' we didn't wanna just TELL him that ya killed the Spring Maiden either." Qrow explained half-heartedly. "Trust me, if we did, he'd flip his lid—AGH!"

Raven had rushed forward and grabbed Qrow by the collar, bringing him down to eye level with her. "Oh, that's QUITE genius, Qrow! But guess what?! He's gonna end up finding out sooner or later anyway! If he really IS Salem's mole, then he's probably already TOLD her about your meeting by now!" She shoved Qrow into a nearby chair. "And that means that she's probably also told him about what REALLY happened to the Spring Maiden, too!"

Qrow was about to snap back at Raven, but in a flurry of flower petals, Ruby rushed over and stood in between the tribe leader and her uncle, her arms up and keeping them apart. "Alright, knock it off!" the Hooded Huntress hollered, her head whipping to Raven. "Raven, I know that this whole situation is really stressing you out. Really, it's stressing us ALL out. But that's no reason for us to just start beating up on each other… especially family."

Raven's expression softened as she stared at Ruby, her eyes going to Qrow soon after. She saw her brother soften up as well and relax, getting up out of the chair. "Pipsqueak's right, Rae. Now's not the time to argue. We'll just have to come up with a backup plan, that's all."

The Spring Maiden nodded in agreement. "Right. I suppose we… wait." Raven put a hand to her chin in thought. "Maybe we already _have_ one…"

The teens glanced to each other in confusion briefly. "Uh… whaddya mean, mom?" Yang asked.

"I have someone back at the tribe who I think can help us in this situation, should we need her, of course." Raven elaborated. "Her name… or rather, _code_ name is Vernal, and I tasked her with leading the tribe in my absence over the course of this week. However, there is one _other_ thing that I tasked her with, and that is being a decoy for the Spring Maiden."

Ben raised a brow at that. "Wait… why have a decoy?"

"In case Salem had ever found out about the Spring Maiden's location herself." Raven walked back over to her seat, lacing her hands together with a serious expression. "She is one of my most loyal tribe members… so much so that she is willing to give her life for the cause."

This brought a stunned silence into the room, with Jaune breaking it a few moments later. "Wait… so she's willing to die for you?"

Raven nodded solemnly. "She is… and while I hope that moment never comes, the task I gave her to masquerade as Spring could work if need be." She cupped her hands and rested her chin upon them. "That is… if Leo hasn't been informed about this already by Salem."

"Well, who knows?" Weiss shrugged. "Maybe he's telling the truth and he isn't the mole."

"Yes, he's certainly made a better case for Theodore being our potential mole." Ironwood brought up. "Maybe your informant was mistaken, Raven?"

But then, a surprising voice piped up; "It's a possibility, but there's also a strong case to be made in the informant's favor, James." All eyes were now on Ozpin, the reincarnated man walking over to the painting of Mistral on the far wall. "From what you and Qrow told me about your meeting with Leonardo, it sounds to me like he is not JUST behaving irrationally. He's disobeying specific instructions I left him."

"Well, that doesn't bode well for Lionheart." Ren commented.

Ozpin shook his head. "No, it does not. Something is wrong, and while I do not want to jump to conclusions, I still believe we should be cautious about what Leonardo does going forward." He turned back around, only to take notice that both Sun and Neptune were keeping their heads low, their brows furrowed as they seemed to be lost in their thoughts. "Mr. Wukong, Mr. Vasilias, is there something on your minds?"

Both Sun and Neptune moved their heads up, their expressions unchanging. "Professor Ozpin… do you REALLY think that Lionheart could be a… a traitor?"

Ozpin lowered his head to the duo. "It's a strong possibility, boys. I'm sorry."

Neptune promptly pounded his fist against the couch's armrest, his eye twitching slightly. "No way… what reason would Professor Lionheart even HAVE for betraying you?!"

Ben reached out to the two boys, hoping to calm them down. "Neptune, please—"

"Just a second, Ben!" Sun yelled, picking himself up from his seat. "We're not done." With his eyes full of intensity, Sun approached Opzin, which took everyone aback.

Yang leaned over to Blake and whispered; "Goddamn, I don't think I've seen your boyfriend this serious before."

Blake nodded, though her features showed concern as she kept her eyes locked on Sun. "Yeah… and it's worrying me."

Sun closed his eyes and took in a calming breath, his face becoming saddened for a brief moment before going on. "Prof, listen, I've known Lionheart for a good couple of years. Sure, he's always been a bit cowardly, but… the thought of him being a traitor…"

"I know, Mr. Wukong." Ozpin nodded. "I feel the same way as you. Leo is one of my closest friends, but… if there is a possibility that he has formed an alliance with Salem, then we cannot just rule that out, even if he DID defend himself."

"And what about Professor Theodore?" Sun added. "Ya can't just rule _him_ out, can you?! There might be some truth to what Lionheart said!"

"And you would be right." Ozpin concurred. "Theodore was undoubtedly the most distant out of all the headmasters, and while I once attributed that to his kingdom's more isolated state, I'm afraid that might not be entirely the case anymore." The former headmaster raised a fist to Sun. "But no matter who truly is the traitor among our ranks, we must be willing to stop them. We cannot take the chance of Salem being one step ahead of us." He shifted his eyes between Sun and Neptune, still with a serious face. "My question to you two is… will you be willing to fight against your headmaster if he truly IS a traitor?"

Sun and Neptune looked at one another head on, the two boys staring at each other for a good while before they set their sights out to the rest of their friends. Sun then stopped when he saw Blake's concerned gaze, their eyes locking as a silent conversation happened between them. In the end, Sun nodded and went back to Ozpin, with Neptune doing the same. "We will… even if we don't want to."

"I really hope that Lionheart _isn't_ a traitor." Neptune emphasized as he stood up. "But if he is…" He pulled out Tri-Hard and cocked it, making the weapon power up. "He'll have to answer to us."

"That's right." Sun reiterated, placing his hands on his hips. "We're gonna have a few choice words with him if this all ends up being true."

Ozpin lowered his head to the duo. "I understand, gentlemen." The reincarnated man put a hand to his chin. "With all that said, no one outside of this room knows I have paired with Oscar, and I believe that it's best to keep it that way for the time being."

Ben nodded instantly. "Agreed. We'll keep our lips tight on that." He gestured over to Raven. "And, if the time comes for Raven's plan to be brought in, then we'll do it."

"Heh, sounds like a good hand, if ya ask me." Qrow snarked.

Raven sighed and sunk into her seat, closing her eyes in slight irritation. "Alright, well, that's one thing we can put to rest for now." Her sights then went back to Ozpin. "I just hope you're done sitting on your hands, Oz. Otherwise, you can just sit back and let US do all the work."

At that moment, a rather sly grin came to Ozpin's face. "Believe you me, Raven, I am quite done with "sitting on my hands", so to speak." He went over and grabbed his cane, lifting it so that its extendable part was facing up like a weapon. The reincarnated man focused onto the teens and pointed his cane at them. "With that said, I believe it's all time we got down to business."

The whole team blinked, surprised by the sudden bravado. "Uh… what business?" Nora asked.

"Quite simple, Miss Valkyrie, I wish to see how much you all have improved over the course of your three weeks fighting Salem's forces." Ozpin directed his cane in Ben, Gwen and Rex's direction. "James has told me all about how you children have been learning under the heroes' tutelage, and I would like to see just what it is they had to teach you."

The Tennyson's and Rex were all taken aback by this. "Oh, well, hehe, I wouldn't say we're THAT good at being teachers." Gwen chuckled nervously. "I mean, we just wanted them all to do their best! They wanted to be great heroes, so we were willing to oblige in training them."

Ozpin smiled in approval. "And that is something I can whole-heartedly support, Miss Tennyson. Though with that said, I believe a demonstration of their improvements wouldn't hurt, would it?"

Rex scratched his head. "Well… we actually just got through a pretty rough training session with Raven today." He winced and glanced in her direction. "And trust me, she is _relentless_. Worse than even MY personal trainer."

"Haha, I do not disagree, Mr. Salazar… but I still believe a further training exercise today would be optimal." Ozpin rested his cane to his shoulder. "After all, I will be joining you in them from now on."

Pyrrha's eyes widened at that. "Wait, you will, professor?"

"Correct… and so will Oscar." Ozpin placed a hand on his chest. "Because while he can give me the controls temporarily, it is important that we strengthen his body and his Aura."

" _Wait, what?"_ Oscar questioned mentally.

Ozpin spun his cane around and put its end on the ground. "He will inherit my muscle memory in time, but training will expedite the process."

The whole room was quiet again for a moment, but then Yang stepped forward with an eager grin. "Oh, this oughta be fun." She pounded a fist into her palm and sent the reincarnated man a toothy grin. "I've only got one question for ya, Oz… can ya keep up with a group that's been trained by professional heroes AND the leader of a bandit tribe?"

Ozpin proceeded to slam his cane onto the floor, using the momentum to vault himself up into the air. He then performed a spinning backflip onto the chair behind him and stuck the landing, spinning his cane around effortlessly afterward. "Well, I believe I WAS the headmaster of Beacon Academy." The whole group couldn't help but stare at him in abject astonishment, all of them with a variety of faces. "I think I can manage myself against a few high-energy teenagers. Now, what say you? Are you ready to show me what you all can do?"

All at once, Nora burst out into a massive smile and squeed in delight. "EEEEEEE! This is so great!" She zipped over next to Ozpin and began making over-the-top gestures toward him. "We're gonna get to train with little Cute Boy Ozpin!"

Oz promptly stopped spinning his cane, sending her a slightly perturbed side-long glance. "Please do not call me that."

"Oh no, please Nora." Raven insisted with a smirk. "Please DO call him that. …It amuses me."

"It would." Ozpin countered before sending a grin to the group once more. "I look forward to training with all of you…" At that moment though, Ozpin's head jerked back as the mysterious green glow came back, signaling that Oscar was now back in control of his own body.

…And he immediately lost his balance on top of the chair. "Huh?! Woah—AH!" Oscar ended up falling backwards, tumbling over with the chair and landing flat on his back, now very much in pain. "Ugh, you gotta be kidding me."

From off to the side, Professor Paradox spoke up, having retrieved his pocket watch from his lab coat. "Ah, as I suspected. Forty-five minutes." He focused down onto Oscar. "That is how long Ozpin can maintain control of young Oscar's body for an extended amount of time. After that, he requires time to recuperate before he can do so again."

"Huh, guess Professor Ozpin was right." Jaune commented. "His magical power IS getting weaker."

"Yeah, lovely." Oscar said sarcastically. As he was about to struggle his way up, he saw a hand being offered to him, leading his eyes to work their way up the arm. There, he saw Ben gazing down at him, along with Yang and Ruby by his side. "H-Huh?"

"Need some help, kid?" Ben asked, quirking a brow for good measure.

"Uh… yeah, thanks." Oscar took the hand and Ben hoisted him back up to his feet. "Ugh, I TOLD him that I didn't want anything embarrassing happening!" His eyes then trailed over to see Yang offering him his cane back, the blonde sending him a smirk of her own.

"Yeah, well, we can't always get what we want." Yang snarked before tossing Oscar's cane back to him. "And to be fair… you kinda ended up doing that to yourself. You're not exactly all that… _balanced_. Haha!"

Ben chuckled, instantly picking up on her joke. "Yeah, I guess you could say he _fell flat_ on that one. HA!"

As the two laughed at their own puns, Oscar, along with everyone else, could only wear deadpan expressions. "Uh… do they ALWAYS make awful puns?" the young farm boy asked.

"Yeah, you get used to them." Ruby assured. "…Eventually." Her beaming smile came back as she faced Oscar head on. "So, now that we're all caught up, I think it's time we ask YOU a few questions."

"M-Me?" Oscar stammered. "W-Well, I'm not sure… I'm not exactly the most INTERESTING person to ask about, really. Before Ozpin reincarnated into me, I was pretty much a nobody. And honestly… I still kinda feel like one."

Pyrrha was quick to object to his statement. "Come now, don't talk down about yourself like that, Oscar." The Invincible Girl moved over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Everyone here comes from a different background, but nonetheless, we're all here in the same place."

Oscar rubbed his left arm, still unsure about what to do. "That's easy for you to say. You're _Pyrrha Nikos_ , a prodigy from Sanctum Academy. Me? …I was just a hand working on my Aunt's farm before all of this happened." He moved his eyes up hesitantly to the rest of the team. "Compared to all of you guys… where I came from is anything _but_ special."

"Join the club, kid." Much to Oscar's surprise, that statement came from Ben, the hero having pulled his sleeve back to reveal the Omnitrix. "Before I got wrapped up in all of this alien business, I didn't have any special background either. I was just an average kid from Bellwood who got bullied in school, got barely passing grades and had an annoying cousin." He raised a finger to Gwen before she could jump in with anything. "Who is NOT annoying anymore, but we still like to get on each other's nerves every once and a while."

Gwen smiled gratefully and gave him a thumbs up. "Thank you." The redhead stepped forward and spoke to Oscar as well. "But Ben has a very good point, Oscar. Before I learned magic, I was pretty normal too."

Ben's expression became skeptical and he jerked a thumb in Gwen's direction. "Uh, excuse me, but if I recall, you pretty much got all aces in your private school and NEVER got bullied. That's anything BUT normal."

"It's more normal than fighting alien crime, _Ben_." The Anodite shot back in annoyance before going back to the farm boy. "See? We still like to get on each other's nerves."

But Oscar furrowed his brows at the duo, pointing between them with an accusing finger. "Hold on a minute, Professor Paradox told me that your grandparents _were_ pretty special. Your grandpa's a space cop and your grandmother's an alien herself, right?" He placed his hands on his hips. "That sounds like a pretty special background to me."

The cousins looked to each other and then back at Oscar, with Ben giving a shrug. "Well, yeah, that's true. But here's the thing; my grandpa always wanted to keep his Plumber life a secret. He didn't even tell our dads, his own sons, until they were older. And even then, they didn't even tell us about it either."

Gwen crossed her arms. "In fact, I think the only reason our moms know is because they met our grandmother." She lowered herself down so that she was eye to eye with Oscar. "But even with all of that… if Ben hadn't accidentally gotten the Omnitrix, we probably wouldn't be where we are right now. In fact, I'm not really sure WHERE we would be if the watch hadn't landed on Earth."

"Another "what if" scenario, if you will." Paradox intervened, stepping into the conversation. "One that I'm sure is a possible timeline all on its own." He gave Oscar a pat on the back. "But you should listen to them, Oscar. Everyone has their own path in life, one that takes them on many different twists and turns. Sometimes that life can even diverge into a separate life if the same person in another universe decided to do something quite different." He showed his pocket watch to Oscar briefly before pocketing it once again. "And that is why you should use your time wisely. You never know what choices life will present you with, so you have to make them count."

"…That actually sounds like a good way to put it." Oscar smiled, though it faltered a second later. "But… since Ozpin has reincarnated into me, I think I already know what my destiny is… whether I want it to be or not."

"I would not say that if I were you, Oscar." Pyrrha objected. "You see… I also believe in destiny, but not in the way you're thinking of it. Just because you're who Ozpin reincarnated into doesn't mean that your fate has been predetermined." The Invincible Girl raised a fist up to him. "It's my belief that your destiny is a goal that you should strive to achieve, not something that is predetermined for you to do. Tell me, what is it that you have always wanted to do in your life?"

Oscar was hesitant to answer, but with everyone giving him encouraging faces, he felt a lot better in speaking his mind. "I… I want to be more than who I was before. I want to do SOMETHING with my life instead of just working on a farm."

Nora zipped over and nudged his arm with hers. "Well, if ya ask me, you're already makin' some good headway with that one!"

"Indeed." Ren nodded. "You took matters into your own hands and left your old life behind for something more."

Oscar lowered his head at that. "Yeah, but… only because Ozpin said it was important that I do it. It makes me wonder… if I really have a choice anymore with him in my head."

There was a bit of a short silence before, much to everyone's surprise, Raven got up from her seat and moved over to Oscar. She craned her head down to him and sent him a stern face, which intimidated him instantly. Yang was about to get in-between them, but Raven raised her hand, shooting her daughter a brief glance before going back to Oscar. "Listen… Oscar, these kids are right. YOU are in control of your own destiny, no one else." She tapped Oscar on top of his head, making him flinch. "And even though you and he _are_ technically the same person now, you shouldn't let Oz decide what your destiny is. Trust me, _I_ didn't."

Oscar raised a brow at her. "Considering what you ended up doing, that's not exactly reassuring."

Raven rolled her eyes at that. "Okay, listen, the point we're all tryin' to make here is that YOU are in control of your own life, no one else. Get it?"

"W-Well, I…"

Raven's eyes flared up with her Maiden powers. " _Get it_?"

Oscar stood at attention immediately. "Yes ma'am!"

Yang shook her head in disapproval. "Wow, intimidating him into agreeing with you. Nice mom."

"Hey, I'm simply trying to steer him clear from the influence of the voice in his head." Raven defended.

Oscar's eyes moved up for a second, now hearing Oz speaking in his head again. "Wow… he is NOT happy that you're talking about him like that."

"Good." Raven waved off as she went to the kitchen for some coffee of her own. "His frustration gives me life. Now you kids get on with your training. I'll be in here discussing some important matters with Jim and Qrow."

Jaune placed his fists to his hips. "Okay… and what would that be?"

"It's where we go from here, kid." Qrow explained, the drunken Huntsman having set his coffee on the table. "With Oz back and Leo still bein' the potential mole, we're gonna have to plan out what we're gonna do to keep all of this under wraps. Rae's still got her decoy Maiden in play, so that's a start."

"Now we just have to be sure to play things safe with Ozpin's identity." Ironwood added, giving the teens a serious face. "Be sure to not let his identity slip, alright? For now, this information does not leave this house."

Ruby sent the general a salute, her beaming grin present once again. "You got it, General Ironwood! We'll keep our lips sealed!"

"That goes for ALL of us." Weiss emphasized while giving a stern glance to Rex. "And that means you, Robo-dolt."

Rex merely gave her a sly grin. "Aw, c'mon, Ice Princess. I'm pretty good at keeping secrets, ya know. I'm not about to just announce Oscar's to the world."

Weiss narrowed her gaze even further. "Yeah, but your mouth is as big as your head, so keep it shut about this, alright?"

"Alright, fine." Rex lifted his hands up in surrender. "I know when to take a hint. That said…" The EVO sent her a wink. " _Tampoco tienes los labios apretados_."

Weiss gasped, aghast at what Rex had just said. Without missing a beat, the heiress reached up and grabbed Rex by the collar, shaking him rapidly while shouting; "¡ _Retira eso_! Do you hear me?! ¡ _Retira eso_!"

"…Make me." Rex said with a smug grin.

Ruby facepalmed at his choice of words. "Oh… he shouldn't have done that."

With a mighty scream, Weiss tackled Rex back onto the couch and pinned him there, keeping him from standing up. This came as a shock to the EVO, who could only sit there and watch as Weiss kept her frustrated eyes on him. "Listen VERY carefully Rex! You WILL take that comment back, or else… _congelaré tus partes privadas_!"

Rex could only stare at Weiss, his mouth agape at the threat she just posed to him. With a smile on his face, a small chuckle escaped his lips and he put his hands to hers. "Hehe, alright, you've MORE than proven your point, Ice Princess." His touch made Weiss' hands loosen up and she moved off of him, though that didn't stop him from holding her hands. "And I gotta say… you're getting REALLY good at Spanish. That threat you gave me… was _perfect_."

"It… it was?!" Weiss exclaimed. "W-Well, I was just going off of what you taught me, so I just worked with what I had."

"And it was great!" Rex agreed before nudging her with a smirk. "But… if ya REALLY wanna go all in on the insults, I'd have to teach you some of the more… _colorful_ Spanish words. Whaddya say to that, huh?"

Weiss' brows furrowed, contemplating Rex's proposal. "Well… that'll be a "maybe" on my part. I'm not exactly a fan of vulgar vocabulary, even in English."

"Hey, that's fine by me." Rex assured. "Just think about it and get back to me if ya wanna go for it."

A small smile appeared on Weiss' face. "Yeah… sure."

Throughout all of this, Oscar could only stare in bewilderment at what had just occurred in front of him. Even Ozpin was at a loss at what just happened. _"What… in the world was that?"_ the former headmaster wondered.

"That's what I'D like to know!" Oscar blurted out, taking everyone aback. "What the HECK did I just witness?"

Next to him, Ruby giggled while hiding her grin behind her hand. "Hehe, that's what I like to call; "The Weiss and Rex Flirty Moment"." she whispered just loud enough for Oscar to hear. "Don't worry, they're always like this."

"You're kidding." Oscar uttered, only for Ruby to shake her head. "Ugh, what HAVE I gotten myself into?"

Suddenly, Yang put an arm around his shoulders, giving them a firm pat. "You've just found your way to the craziest team of heroes on Remnant, Oscar!"

"That's right!" Nora zipped over and did the same. With a bright, toothy grin, the Pink Dynamo waved her arm out to the room and stated; "Welcome to the group!"

"Oh… joy." Oscar sighed, only to then remember something from earlier. His head whipped over to Ben and Rex, catching the two's attention. "Oh yeah! I never did get to see your guys' powers!"

"Ah, that's right!" Ben recalled. "We never DID get around to that, did we?"

Rex leaped up from his seat and raised his fists, the blue lines showing up once again. "Well get ready to have your socks knocked off, Oscar! Because here they come!" In the blink of an eye, Rex made his Smack Hands appear, the metal appendages bursting out of his body for Oscar to see. "Well? How'd ya like that, _amigo_?"

The expression on Oscar's face showed that he was MORE than a little shocked by the sudden display. "That's… that's…"

" _Very intriguing."_ Ozpin spoke in the boy's head.

"SO COOL!" Oscar exclaimed, now very excited. "How're you able to do that?!"

"Little machines in me called nanites." Rex answered. "I tell 'em what to build and they do it for me."

"Awesome!" Oscar said before noticing that his cane was now floating right beside him, a pinkish glow having enveloped it. He kept his eyes on the cane as floated all around him, his eyes moving up, down and all around as the cane kept floating near his head. "W-Wait, what the…"

"Neat little trick, huh?" The farm boy moved his head to his right, seeing that Gwen was standing next to him. Her hand was glowing the same pink color as the cane, and Oscar noticed that, whenever she moved her hand, the cane moved with it. "I can also do a LOT more than just this, actually."

Oscar gasped and shouted; "That's so cool! What else can you do, then?"

Gwen made the cane float right into Oscar's hand again, giving him a friendly wink. "Oh, I'm able to perform all KINDS of magic. Your dimension isn't the only one that has it, you know."

"Wow, that's amazing…" Oscar trailed off when he saw Ben approaching out of the corner of his eye, making him shift his focus to the other Tennyson cousin.

Ben wore an eager smile as he lifted the Omnitrix up. "Well? You ready?" Oscar's face brightened up and he nodded his head frivolously, which was all Ben needed. "Heh, alright, let's see… I think I'm gonna go with one of my favorites for this one…" The hero activated his watch and scrolled through the holo-ring before finding the transformation he wanted, slamming the core down the moment it popped up.

The resulting flash of green light actually blinded Oscar temporarily, the suddenness of it making him stumble back. "GAH!" He landed on his rear, making him wince in pain as his vision returned to him. "Ugh, maybe next time a little—" _SLAM_! On the floor right in front of Oscar, a large black boot stomped down, making his eyes widen. "…Warning?"

The farm boy moved his gaze upwards, finding the big boots had a pair of white pants and a black armored top with them. He saw that the Omnitrix symbol was on the top's center, meaning that it had to be Ben. However, the creature that was wearing it was FAR from human. It was a crystalline being with large arms, a face with literal chiseled features, and two large crystals growing out of its back, its bright emerald eyes piercing right down at him. It suddenly pumped its large arms up and called out into the room; "Diamondhead!"

" _Oh… my word."_ Ozpin spoke mentally as Oscar continued to stare at the Petrosapien.

' _THAT'S all you have to say about this?!'_ Oscar shot back. _"He just turned into a walking chandelier and all YOU have to say is "Oh my word"?!'_

" _Remember, Oscar, I've seen many things over the course of my life."_ Ozpin chided. _"If there's one thing that I am used to, it's the strange and unusual. But even I must admit… I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before."_

A smile appeared on Diamondhead's features and he extended a crystalline hand to Oscar. "Jeez, kid, ya gotta stop fallin' down all the time. Otherwise you're bound to have back problems." Oscar's eyebrows snapped up and he reached for Diamondhead's hand. With little effort, Diamondhead pulled him to his feet before spreading his arms out. "Well? Whaddya think? Pretty awesome, right?"

Oscar let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Hah! You bet it is! What kind of alien even ARE you?"

"A Petrosapien." Diamondhead explained. "A creature made entirely out of crystals… and one of my personal favorites. As you heard, I call him Diamondhead."

Oscar's smile reappeared. "So… does that mean you name ALL of your aliens?"

"Exactly right." Diamondhead said with a thumbs up. "But you know… now that I'm in this form…" The Petrosapien's hand started to change, his fingers becoming a bunch of random jagged crystals. "I think it's time we get down to some training!" He raised his other fist into the air and looked out to the rest of his team. "Whaddya say, guys? Let's get down to it!"

A mighty cheer echoed through the room, a majority of the teens agreeing with Diamondhead's plan. Although, there _were_ two notable exceptions… "Uh, sorry, Ben." Sun spoke up, his hand going to the back of his head. "But I think we're gonna pass on this one."

"Yeah man, sorry." Neptune apologized as well. "But we've kinda already made plans for what we wanna do while we're here."

Most of the teens were confused as to what the duo had meant before Ren piped up. "Oh, that's right! You two mentioned that you wanted to go meet up with Scarlet and Sage while you were here, didn't you?"

The realization echoed through the room, with Diamondhead giving an affirming not. "Ah, yeah, now I remember. There was so much stuff just dumped on us that I forgot." He gave a salute to Sun and Neptune. "No problem, guys. You two head out to see your pals. And give them a "hello" from me, alright?"

"Hehe, you got it, Ben." Sun chuckled as Neptune began heading toward the door. Before he did the same, though, the monkey boy made sure to go over to Blake first, giving her a playful wink "Hey, there's always room for one more if ya wanna come with, Blake."

Blake rolled her eyes and a small laugh escaped her lips. "Heh, well, it does sound like a good time. Plus, walking through the city of Mistral sounds like a pretty good time…" She raised a brow over to Diamondhead. "Mind if I join them, Ben?"

The Petrosapien sent her a salute. "Hey, no problem, Blake. You guys go have fun."

Blake reciprocated the gesture instantly. "Thanks! We'll see you guys later, okay?" With the others giving her a slew of goodbyes, Blake and Sun followed Neptune out the door, leaving the rest of the team to their training.

But just as the door shut, Professor Paradox let out a content sigh. "Well, I suppose it's time that I get going as well." He faced the group and gave them all a nod. "After all, time waits for no man… well, except for me, of course."

Oscar's face fell at the news of his friend leaving. "W-Wait, you're really going, Professor?"

"For a short time, my friend, yes." Paradox confirmed, sending his kind smile Oscar's way. "I have many important things to do, around the time stream, after all." He reached down and placed a hand onto the farm boy's shoulder. "But worry not. You and Ozpin will assuredly run into me again…" He ended it off with a wink. "And it will not take nearly a century, this time."

Inside Oscar's head, Ozpin couldn't help but chuckle at that. _"Hmhm, nope, he hasn't changed a bit. He's right Oscar, we will see him again, and likely soon."_

Oscar's grin came back and he bowed his head toward Paradox. "Right… well, I'll see you later, then."

"Of course. And don't worry, young Oscar." Paradox gestured over to the team, the teens all focused onto the both of them. "You are in very capable hands with this group." With one final wave, Paradox gave one final goodbye. "Farewell for now!" In a flash of blue light, the time traveler was gone, once again leaving the team to themselves, with only Qrow, Ironwood and Raven accompanying them.

At that moment, Yang rushed forth and raised a fist, punching the air with vigor. "Alright! Now that we got all that out of the way, let's get down to some training!" She faced her boyfriend and gave him a wink. "You ready for this, Green Boy?"

Diamondhead chuckled at his girlfriend's characteristic enthusiasm. "Hehe, you know it, Goldie Locks. But if it's okay with you, could we maybe switch things up a little?"

Intrigued by his statement, Yang tilted her head. "Uh, sure. What'd you have in mind?"

"See, there's someone that I've been wanting to have a go against for a while, and I think now is the perfect time..." Diamondhead's right hand shifted into a long blade while his left forearm changed into a large shield. He raised his sword up to his chosen opponent… which just so happened to be a certain blonde knight. "Jaune! I challenge you… to a DUEL!"

Much to Jaune's surprise, all eyes were now on him, his friends all curious as to what he would say next. But instead of feeling intimidated by his friend's challenge, Jaune found himself getting excited at the prospect of going into a sword fight with Diamondhead, having not ever faced any of Ben's aliens in training practice. With an eager smile, the blonde knight reached down and pulled Crocea Mors Mk. II out of its scabbard, pointing it right back at Diamondhead. "Ben… you're on!"

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it! The gang have all gotten acquainted with Oscar and Ozpin has set a few things straight… somewhat. As you can tell, he still isn't telling the WHOLE truth, but in comparison to the main time line, he IS letting a few details out that are** _**somewhat** _ **true. I attribute it to the likes of Pyrrha and Ben being around, their firm stance on not keeping secrets being something that causes him to let on a few extra details. However, as we all know, he's still hiding the whole truth, which will be revealed when a certain magical blue woman makes her appearance. But I'm getting ahead of myself on that one, aren't I? Why don't we focus on the OTHER thing that happened in this chapter… that being Salem informing Lionheart about Raven's true nature. As we can see, the headmaster is not a** _**smidge** _ **happy. Things might be a bit tougher during the Battle of Haven… and not just because Salem's forces are double the size of what they were than in the main continuity.**

**With all that said, though, NEXT TIME! While the gang at the house all get down to some training, Sun and Neptune take Blake on a small walk through Mistral… in order to find some old friends. However, later on after all of this, Ironwood receives a call from Lionheart, one that immediately raises Raven's suspicions. What's going to happen from there? Well, stay tuned to find out! Thanks for reading guys, and I'll see you all next time! Stay safe out there!**


	99. A Visit Long Overdue

**A/N: Hello once again everyone! Welcome back to the story and Chapter 99! One more until we're finally in the triple digits! Is it a big number? Well, yeah, but to be honest I'm actually really excited about it. I knew right from the start that my Ben 10/RWBY series would be one of the longer stories on this (or any) site, and the fact that we're this far and getting ever closer to the end is really getting me pumped up. But let's focus on the here and now, shall we?** **This is…**

**Chapter 99: A Visit Long Overdue**

* * *

"Welcome… to the City of Mistral!" Sun exclaimed as he spread his arms out. Presently, he standing at the precipice of the city's main entrance with Blake and Neptune, having walked there from the outskirts of town where the rental house was. Neptune stood with his arms crossed and with a smile on his face, taking the familiar city smells that he had missed for so long. As for Blake, she couldn't help but try to take in every bit of the scenery that she could from their vantage point. From the architecture to the mighty waterfall that cascaded down in front of one of the many homes. This didn't go unnoticed by Sun, though, the monkey boy sending a smirk. "So, you likin' the place so far, babe?"

"Are you _kidding_? This city is beautiful!" Blake's eyes trailed across the multitude of buildings, a sense of familiarity overtaking her. "It looks a lot like Menagerie, really."

Neptune nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I can definitely see the resemblances." He tilted his head toward Blake. "But since Menagerie DID used to be part of Anima, I guess that's probably a big reason why, too."

"Yeah. Still, I'm glad I'm getting to see all of this." She trailed her eyes around, searching for a set of stairs to take them down to the city level. However, when she didn't find any, she sent a confused look to her boyfriend. "Uh… Sun? Where's the stairs?"

Sun's head whipped back with a laugh. "Ha! Stairs?" He jogged over to a nearby stand that had a panel hardwired into it, his finger hovering over a button. "Baby, where we're going we don't _need_ stairs." With the press of a button, the platform they were standing on suddenly jostled and began to lower down to the city, much to Blake's surprise.

"W-Whoa!" Blake grabbed the railing, securing her balance. "Wait, this thing MOVES?!"

Neptune pointed finger guns at her. "Bingo! Being built on two mountains, Mistral ain't exactly your typical city." He leaned up against the railing and nudged his head toward the ground. "See, instead of normal suburbs, Mistral has _levels_ to it."

"Well, I knew _that_." Blake clarified. "I just didn't know that you used a lift to get to them."

Sun moved over to her and put an arm around her shoulders. "Heh, whaddya expect us to do? Climb tons and tons of stairs? This way's a LOT easier if you ask me." Once the lift came to a halt, Sun reached down and opened a nearby gate. "Alright, floor six; market place and general suburbia."

With that, the trio began walking through said market place, taking in the sights and smells of everything the vendors were selling. "Now _this_ is pretty incredible." Blake commented before taking notice of all the Faunus and human interaction. She saw vendors with horns, citizens with tails, and even a few Human-Faunus couples who were walking hand in hand through the market place. "Hah, I knew that Mistral was one of the better places where humans and Faunus get along, but… this is just so nice to see."

"Sure are." Sun nodded. "This place is probably the second-best place in the world concerning human and Faunus relations… the first being Vacuo, of course."

Neptune gave his friend a nudge. "Heh, yeah. Now if only they could do something about all the sand, huh?"

The trio laughed at his quip before Blake took notice of something else. "Wow, they even sell weapons here. Bet Ruby would love that."

"Yep, it's certainly something. But ya still gotta be kinda careful." Neptune advised. "The vendors here will sell you just about anything under the sun… whether they should or not." He pointed directly at her. "Oh, and stay FAR away from the lower levels. Trust me, the lower you go, the worse it gets."

Blake quirked a brow at him. "And I'm guessing the opposite is true if you go up?"

Sun gave her a thumbs up. "That's the idea. And right at the top…" The monkey boy spun around and pointed right above their heads, making Blake and Neptune crane their necks up. "…is Haven Academy."

A small gasp escaped Blake's lips as she gazed upon the institution in all its splendor, the building itself having been built upon the tops of the two mountains. "Wow… it's amazing."

"Yeah… sure is." Sun concurred. But at that moment, his smile disappeared and he lowered his head a bit, thoughts of doubt beginning to swirl around in his head.

Neptune quickly noticed this and shook his teammate by the shoulder. "Hey! Hey, dude, you okay?"

Blake immediately took notice as well. "Sun? What's wrong?"

"H-Huh?" Sun's head snapped back up and he met the duo's eyes, their concerned eyes snapping him out of his thoughts. "O-Oh, yeah, I'm good guys. Everything's cool."

Neptune and Blake glanced to each other before furrowing their brows to the blonde Faunus. "Yeah, I'm having trouble believing that." Blake said as she placed a firm hand onto Sun's arm. "Sun, please… tell us what's wrong."

"I think I already know, actually." Neptune said with a skeptical look. "You were thinking about Lionheart, weren't you?"

Sun closed his eyes and sighed in frustration. "Well… come on, Neptune, can ya blame me?" He thrust a hand out to him. "Don't tell me you're not still thinking about it, because I KNOW you are." Neptune's face fell and he nodded slowly, confirming Sun's suspicions. "Listen, I'm sorry guys, but… Professor Lionheart's someone who I look up to immensely." He reached to the back of his neck. "He's helped me out so much since I came to Mistral… to _Haven_. And to think that he might be a traitor who's conspiring with Salem… it… it makes me angry."

"…And sad, right?" Blake added, catching Sun's attention again. "You don't have to hide what you're feeling, Sun. Not from us."

"She's right, dude." Neptune stepped forward. "This thing with Lionheart… it's bumming me out too. And I REALLY hope that Raven's informant is wrong. But if they aren't… then we're gonna have to do whatever it takes to stop him."

Sun folded his arms over his chest. "I know… I just wish we didn't have to."

Blake reached up and cupped Sun's cheek, bringing herself up so that she could give him a small kiss. "Sun, I know how you feel. I felt the same way when I separated from the White Fang. After being with them for so long, it hurt me to see that they had taken such a radical shift." She furrowed her brows at the next part. "Can't say the same for Adam, of course, but to see something that I once thought the world of become progressively worse was heartbreaking…" Blake set her other hand onto his chest. "But being betrayed by an actual person who you trust… it must be heartbreaking."

"It is… but if Lionheart really IS guilty of working with Salem…" Sun gently grasped her hand with his own. "Then I'll do whatever it takes to bring him down."

After a long pause, Blake sent him a single nod. "I understand, Sun." A small smile came to her face as she nudged her head to the side. "For right now, though, I think we should get you boys over to Scarlet and Sage."

"Yeah, man." Neptune supported. "It's about time we got them caught up on everything that's been happening."

A smile worked its way onto Sun's face as well and he nodded as well. "Yeah, you're right." He jabbed a thumb toward the market. "Follow us, Blake. Scar and Sage's neighborhood should be right through here."

"Alright, lead the way!" Blake began following Sun and Neptune through the market, but she quickly came to a halt as a certain smell began wafting into her nostrils. In mid-step, Blake spun on her heel and zipped right over to where the tantalizing scent was coming from… a stand that belonged to the local fish monger. The moment she saw the contents of the stand, her eyes glazed over and her mouth hung open, a bit of drool beginning to salivate off of her lips. There was salmon, swordfish, tuna, koi, and even eels, both raw, pre-cooked, and smoked. And it all smelled DELICIOUS. There wasn't much Blake could do but gawk at it as her stomach growled. "Aaaaah… aaah… ah."

"Ho-ho! You like my selection, yes?" Blake was snapped out of her stupor when she saw who she could only assume was the monger himself, a rather tall and lanky man with dark blue hair and a long, scraggly beard. He spoke with a somewhat high-pitched voice and an accent she couldn't quite place. "Is there anything here that catches your eye, young lady?"

"Hah, you said it." Blake breathed out. "You've got quite the stock."

The monger pointed right at her. "I should hope so! My fish are, how you say, "the catch of the day", yes?" He picked up a fresh one by the tail and presented it to her. "Fresh as my nana's garden soil! Care to see what else I have in stock?"

Blake gasped and her face broke out into a big smile. "WOULD I?!"

The cat girl reached for her Lien card but Sun and Neptune quickly zipped over to her, the blonde immediately asking what was going on. "Whoa, whoa, Blake, what's the hype?" But just as he asked that, his eyes moved up and snapped open at the sight of the fish monger. "Wait, RANDOLPH?!"

The monger, apparently named Randolph, brightened up at the sight of Sun and Neptune. "Ha-ha! Half-baked-half-water-ninny SSSN boys! It has been many moons since Randolph last saw you!"

Sun burst out laughing while Neptune wore a visibly perturbed expression while Blake's eyes moved between the monger and her boyfriend in confusion. "Wait, Sun, you _know_ him? …And did he just call you _half-baked_?"

"I dunno why he thinks I'm a stoner, but it's HILARIOUS." Sun laughed before putting an arm around Blake's shoulders, gesturing to Randolph as he did. "But yeah, this is Randolph. He's the local jack-of-all-trades around these parts. Farmer, fisherman, world champion goat-milker, you name it!"

"I am NOT a water ninny." Neptune mumbled to himself.

Randolph reached over the counter and offered to shake Sun's hand. "Ho-ho, what brings you around today, monkey-tailed SSSN boy? Last Randolph saw you, you were stowing yourself away on a ship like Randolph's great-grandfather did one hundred years ago!"

"We've been… out of town for a long time, Randolph." Sun answered. "Vytal Tournament kinda went south, as you've probably heard."

"Ah, yes, the vile beasts of Grimm bombarded Beacon Academy, yes?" Randolph waved his hand over to some nearby houses. "The injured-but-still-standing SSSN Boys told me all about it. But enough chit-chat!" He moved his hand over to Blake. "She is your friend, I take it?"

Sun smiled and pat Blake on the shoulder. "Oh, yeah! This is Blake. She's actually my girlfriend."

Randolph clasped his hands together. "Ho-ho! Happy tidings on to you, then! Your lovely partner was actually just gracing my stand with her presence, you see. She has quite the eye for product, yes?"

Blake nodded eagerly again. "Yep, and I was JUST about to buy a ton of if!"

"…Uh, we don't exactly HAVE any place _put_ a ton of fish at the moment, Blake" Neptune reminded.

Realizing that the blue-haired boy was right, Blake lowered her head in disappointment, her ears folding down as tears began brimming her eyes. "Darn it, you're right. And we aren't due to leave until later, anyway."

"Ahahaha! Fret not, salt-of-the-earth Blake girl!" Randolph said, making all three teens perk their heads back up to him. "Randolph's stand will be open all day and all night to the public. The fishing was very good this season, you see. Yes, VERY good! There is still plenty of stock here for ALL of Mistral AND more!" He pointed to them and gave them a wink. "You can come back later at any time you like, yes?"

"YES!" Blake shouted enthusiastically. "We'll be back later this afternoon and that's a promise!"

"Ho-ho, excellent!" The monger bent over and pulled something out from under his stand, which as it happened, was actually a fully cooked bass. "And for your well-mannered enthusiasm for Randolph's product, I would like to gift this sample to you!"

Blake gasped and excepted the fish graciously. "Really?! Oh, thank you, this is too nice!" She gave him a bow. "We have to be going now, but thank you so much!"

"Think nothing of it!" Randolph waved to the trio as they left. "Say hello to the half-speckle-faced-half-leaf-haired SSSN Boys for me! And may your empty belly be filled by the best scourges of the sea!" At that moment, though, Randolph heard a bleat and a squeal from the back of his stand, making his brows furrow. "Victoria! Winnifred! Why must you always find your way into Randolph's produce bin!? This repeated tom-foolery will only lead you BOTH to the lives of hairdressers!"

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the rental house, the team had gathered in the back yard, which in reality was more of a training ground than anything. The ground was complete sand and the lower floor of the house led right out to it, which in itself served as a makeshift training room. It was here where most of the teens were standing, watching as their two friends went toe to toe with one another. Diamondhead, with his blade up and shield raised, was currently fending off an attack from Jaune, the blonde knight having pressed his own sword against the Petrosapien's arm. The group was cheering as the duo went at it, their blades clashing and their shields bashing against one another all the while.

Undoubtedly, though, there were two certain individuals who could be heard over all the rest. "C'mon, Green Boy!" Yang cheered with all her might. "Show Vomit Boy who's the top dog!"

"Give him all you've got Jaune!" Pyrrha cried out in excitement. "Show Ben just what all that training we did was for! I know you can do it!"

Yang couldn't help but be surprised at Pyrrha's exuberant cheering, her eyes widening every time she shouted out. "Damn, P-Money, you've got a set of lungs on ya!"

Pyrrha pumped her fists into the air. "Of course! I'm giving Jaune every ounce of support I have, you know."

Ruby leaned over and sent a sheepish smile to Pyrrha, her fingers plugged into her ears. "Yeah, that's cool, but… do you have to be so _loud_?"

"No kidding." Oscar commented, patting his own ears as he felt them ringing. "I think I might've blown an eardrum."

"Oh… I'm sorry!" Pyrrha apologized with a bow. "I'll try to be more—"

"DRIVE HIM INTO THE DIRT, JAUNE!" Nora belted out, making everyone cover their ears. "DON'T WORRY ABOUT HIS SIZE, IT'S JUST AN INTIMIDATION TACTIC!"

Next to her, Ren sighed as he placed his hands over his ears. "I think Nora is the only person I know who needs both an indoor AND an outdoor voice."

"Gee, ya think?" Weiss countered as she, Gwen and Rex did the same as the green ninja was doing. "I'm into this fight, too, but jeez!" Back out on the battle field, Diamondhead had gained the advantage and was currently pushing Jaune back toward the fence that surrounded the backyard, hoping to press him into it. "Jaune had better watch what he's doing." Weiss said. "Otherwise, Ben might win this one."

But right as those words left her mouth, Jaune lifted his shield to counter Diamondhead's next blade strike, using the impact to roll away from the Petrosapien. This left Diamondhead to stumble forward a bit, though he regained his footing easily. "Not bad with the bait and switch, Jaune." he said with a smirk. "You really HAVE gotten better."

Jaune smiled as he jumped up to his feet in a battle-ready position. "Yeah? Well I'm just getting started, Ben!" He snapped his left arm up, raising his shield so that its tip was pointing right toward Diamondhead. Jaune then flexed his hand on the handle, making the tip pop open and allowing the gun barrel to slide out, a shot of Fire Dust blasting out the moment it did. The round made impact with Diamondhead's face, exploding as it hit.

"Gah!" Diamondhead winced, the cinders and smoke from the flames getting in his eye. "Ugh, you've gotta be kidding—" _CLANG_! "AGH! What the?!"

With the hero temporarily blinded, Jaune had taken the opportunity to rush forward and, with a mighty battle cry, swung his sword right at Diamondhead's face. This caused the Petrosapien to stagger back a bit in shock, though he was still standing. _'Not for long…'_ Jaune thought before stepping forward again and ramming the tip of his shield into Diamondhead's gut. With another pull of the trigger, the blonde knight sent another Fire Dust round into the crystalline alien, the point-blank impact making them both fall back. But while Jaune tuck and rolled into a crouch, Diamondhead ended up flat on his back, making Jaune grin at his performance. "Yeah, that's how we do it!" He glanced to Pyrrha and sent her a wink, making the Invincible Girl blush madly.

"AH! Spectacular!" Pyrrha exclaimed, waving both of her hands to her boyfriend. "Excellent performance, Jaune!"

"I gotta say, that IS quite impressive." Gwen concurred. "It takes a lot to put Diamondhead down, even for a little while."

Rex closed his eyes and nodded steadily. "True, true… but then again, Ben ain't gonna stay down for long…" Suddenly, beneath their feet, the ground began to rumble, catching everybody off guard. "Oh, there it is."

Without warning, a huge chunk of crystal burst out of the ground at Jaune's feet, making him launch up into the air and fly back. "AAAAAGH!" Jaune did his best to try and reposition himself in midair, and for the most part, he was successful. He did a backflip and managed to land on his feet… but not without a lot of pain shooting up through his ankles. "GAH!" The pain was sharp and sudden, but as always, it began to dullen the moment his Aura kicked in, making the pain go away within seconds. "Hey, c'mon! Where's the honor in surprise attacks, huh?"

Diamondhead chuckled as he stood up. "Honor? Wow, Jaune, you're starting to even SOUND like a knight." Diamondhead shifted his shield arm into a shard-shooting one. "But this ain't medieval times, Jaune, and I'm not a knight-errant. So look alive!"

All at once, a multitude of crystal shards began shooting out of Diamondhead's arm, making Jaune cry out and raise his shield. Thankfully, the shield proved to be resilient enough to make the shards bounce off, which managed to leave Jaune confused. "W-Wait, what?" His eyes shifted down to the ground to see that the shards were, in fact, dull and unsharpened, meaning that they couldn't pierce through his shield. _'Phew, thanks, Ben.'_ With a determined expression, Jaune stood up and began running, moving forward while also heading off to the side a bit to try and make Diamondhead follow him.

"Stayin' strong, Jaune?" Diamondhead called out. "You're taking a bit of a risk."

"Maybe, but who said risks weren't worth taking?!" Jaune countered.

Diamondhead couldn't help but smirk at that. "Now you're getting it." With that, the Petrosapien shifted his shard-shooting arm into a second blade, clanging it together with his other blade as he prepped himself to intercept the knight. "Alright, then! Let's see if your risk pays off! GRAAAAH!"

In one swift movement, Jaune collapsed his shield down into its sheath mode and slipped it over his blade, shifting Crocea Mors into its greatsword form in an instant. "Couldn't have said it better myself! AAGH!" The two met in the middle with Diamondhead swinging one of his blades down the moment he got close. Jaune was quick to intercept, however, swinging his sword upward to knock the arm back. The second he did, he saw the hero go for a quick jab with the other blade arm, prompting the blonde knight to bring his sword down and slam the blade toward the ground. "Ha! Gotcha!"

"Do you?" Diamondhead smirked before intentionally stabbing the blade down into the dirt, using it as a vault for him to flip over Jaune's head and land behind him. Then, with a swift kick to the back, Jaune fell onto his face, his sword clanging against the ground. Jaune attempted do get up, but was met with a foot to his chest and a crystalline blade mere centimeters away from his nose. The Petrosapien's bright green eyes bore into Jaune as he asked; "Well?"

"I… I yield." Jaune muttered.

"Hm, good job." Diamondhead smiled before a flash of green light erupted from the Omnitrix. Once he was back to normal, Ben took his foot off of Jaune's chest and offered a hand. "And I mean that, Jaune. You were great!" He gave the knight a thumbs up. "You even had me on the ropes for a little while back there."

Jaune took the hand and Ben hoisted him up, the two shaking hands soon after. "Heh, yeah. It wasn't long, but I DID manage to blind ya for a bit." He scratched the back of his head as he picked up his sword. "Kinda wish I won, too, but it's cool."

Ben gave him a shrug. "Yeah, but you put up a great fight. And honestly, _that's_ what matters most."

"JAUNE!" The two boys turned around to see Pyrrha sprinting toward them at high speeds, her focus directly on her boyfriend.

"…That and the love and praise from your biggest fan." Ben added with a smirk. As if on cue, Pyrrha tackled Jaune to the ground again in a big hug. "See what I mean—WOAH!" Without missing a beat, Yang sprinted toward him and tackled HIM to the ground as well. "Oof… okay, guess I'm not exempt from this."

"No, no you're not." Yang said before kissing her boyfriend on the lips. "Nice work, babe."

Ben smiled as her sweet lips made contact with his. "Hmhm, thanks Goldie Locks. But you gotta give Jaune credit, he didn't back down."

Yang sent him a wink. "Oh, I know…" She nudged her head over to Jaune and Pyrrha, where Ben could see the couple kissing on the ground as well. "It's just not ME who's giving him credit at the moment."

Once their own lip lock had ended, Jaune and Pyrrha stared into each other's eyes, the couple slowly but surely regaining their breath. "Hah… hah… what… was all that about, huh?" Jaune smiled.

"Hehe, what do YOU think?" Pyrrha grinned back with a wink of her own. "You were quite impressive out there, Jaune, so I thought it was only appropriate to reward you properly."

Jaune's smile grew sheepish. "Yeah, but… I didn't win."

"So? It doesn't matter who won or lost." Pyrrha reassured. "What matters is that both you and Ben did your very best. And THAT is worthy of praise." The Invincible Girl stood up and picked Jaune up, dusting his hoodie off as she did. "Besides…" she drew in close to his ear with a sly grin. "If I had promised a kiss to the winner, Yang would have killed me."

An amused expression came to Jaune's face at her remark. "True point. Good call." With that, he, Pyrrha, Ben and Yang all made their way back over to the others, the knight giving them a salute as they approached. "Alright, guys, you've got free reign of the field from here on."

"Thanks, Jaune." Gwen returned before giving Ruby a nod. "You ready for our round, Ruby?"

"Sure am!" Ruby affirmed before taking Crescent Rose from its storage clip on her back, handing it right to Yang. "You know my stipulations, dear sister."

Yang smirked and rolled her eyes. "Make sure she doesn't get dinged up. I got it, Rubes. Now go show us how much you've learned from Gwen!"

"Will do!" Ruby cheerfully promised before following Gwen out to the field.

At that moment, Oscar came up to Ben and Jaune, his features beaming in excitement. "That… was AWESOME! I can't believe how good you guys were out there!"

The two glanced at each other for a brief moment, with both giving Oscar a small grin when they went back to him. "Heh, much obliged, Oscar." Ben thanked. "Was that your first time seeing a real-life training spar?"

"It was my first time seeing ANTHING regarding swordplay in real-life!" Oscar said before a perplexed expression came to his face. "But… I guess I HAVE seen other stuff in real life before… but at the same time I haven't…" He gripped his head and gave a groan. "Ugh, having Ozpin's memories blend into my own is so confusing!"

"Ah, yeah, that's gotta be tough." Jaune acknowledged. "By the way… what happens when you and Ozpin REALLY become one person?"

Nora zipped up and got right into Oscar's face, taking him aback. "Hey, yeah! We forgot to ask about that, didn't we?" She put two fingers to each of her temples. "What, is he just gonna take over your mind permanently when you and he fully fuse together?"

Oscar, still only just getting used to so many people being around him, was somewhat nervous as they all concentrated on him again. "W-Well, no, at least that's not what he's been saying." Oscar rubbed the back of his head. "It's more like… I'll still be who I was before, but I'll have his memories and reflexes in addition. I'm still kinda unsure about how all this works myself, but I think I'll still be me."

Ren gestured toward the farm boy. "And… what about Ozpin himself?"

"He… he'll be gone." Oscar stammered out. "Once he and I fully integrate, he'll essentially become a permanent part of me, just in the recesses of my mind."

The group could only stare at Oscar in shock before Weiss piped up. "Wow, that's… kinda disheartening."

"The fact that our old headmaster won't be around in any capacity anymore?" Pyrrha nodded. "Yes, that is quite the bombshell."

Without warning, Oscar's body suddenly convulsed and he closed his eyes, opening them to reveal an ethereal glow that began to fade away. Ozpin had taken over. "Don't feel discouraged, my students. This is simply a natural process of my reincarnation cycle." He extended his cane and stepped closer to the teens, giving them a bow of his head. "And remember, I WILL still technically be with you… because Oscar will be with you."

"Well, yeah, but… we literally JUST found you." Yang reminded. "It kinda feels pointless knowing that you're just gonna be leaving again at some point down the line."

Ozpin chuckled at her remark. "Well, you won't have to worry about that for quite a while yet, Miss Xiao Long. It will still take quite a while before Oscar and I fully become one, so you all still have a while with me here." He placed a hand on his chest. "But I suggest you all get to know Oscar as well, since he will essentially be the new me, but as his own person."

Ben furrowed his brows slightly, trying in vain to follow Ozpin's words. "Whoever these gods were, they gave you a REALLY confusing method of reincarnation."

"You have no idea." Ozpin affirmed before directing his eyes out to Gwen and Ruby, who were just beginning their training. "For now, I suggest we watch what Miss Rose is capable of against Miss Tennyson."

Out on the field, Gwen and Ruby had both taken fighting stances, the two prepping themselves for their spar that they were about to have. Ruby wore an eager grin as she bounced on the balls of her feet, moving back and forth to rile herself up for the fight ahead of her. "Are you ready, Gwen?!" The Hooded Huntress called over. "I promise I won't hold back!"

Gwen smiled back and nodded once, the Anodite in a more solid stance than her opponent. For all the things Gwen was able to teach Ruby, having a calm yet firm attitude during a fight was one that never was able to sit with Ruby. For that matter, most of the Remnant teens were rather animated when they fought, the redhead having attributed it to the rather over-the-top fighting styles they tended to go for. _'I still have no idea how Nora's able to jump as high as a three-story building.'_ she commented to herself before giving Ruby the okay. "I'm ready when you are, Ruby!"

"Good! Because here I come!" With a mighty battle cry, Ruby surged forward and reeled back a fist, getting ready to deliver the first punch. However, Gwen was unflinching, simply raising her hand to deflect the blow. At the same time, though, Ruby instantly brought up her other fist to strike Gwen instead, only for the redhead to lean back and dodge the strike.

"Hm, not bad." Gwen complimented before bringing her free hand up, intending to hit Ruby in the face. She had learned not to hold back when it came to the Remnant teens, their defensive Aura being a key factor in their battles. Just as she was about to make contact, Ruby lifted her arm and blocked Gwen's hand, using it as a chance to put some distance between her and her opponent. "Ah, good. You've been paying attention."

Ruby tilted her head as she bounced on her feet. "Yeah, well, I had a good teacher. But enough compliments! Let's fight!" With that, Ruby burst into a flurry of petals and rushed toward Gwen again, the Anodite having barely enough time to react as another strike was sent her way. Gwen leaped out of the way and landed perfectly, only for Ruby to redirect herself and reform behind her. With a loud battle cry, she swept her right leg at Gwen's shins, managing to knock them out from underneath her. "Haha! Direct… hit? Aw, no fair!"

As it happened, Gwen had made a pair of mana disks to catch her in her fall, the platforms helping her stand up once again. The disks then went back to her hands, which she then balled into fists again. "Fair is fair, Ruby." she chastised. "You're using your Semblance, so I'm using my powers. Now, let's see how you handle me now."

Ruby grit her teeth a little, seeing the case in Gwen's argument. _'Guess I only have myself to blame for that one.'_ With that thought in her head, Ruby chlenched her fists. "Wellt, just don't use any of your fancier tricks, okay?"

"Wouldn't dream of it." Gwen returned. "Now let's get back to it!" At her words, Ruby let out another battle cry and rushed forward with her Semblance, though she didn't do it blindly. The Hooded Huntress instead began circling the Anodite rapidly, searching for openings while at the same time making Gwen guess as to where her attack would come from.

On the sidelines, Ozpin nodded in approval. "I must say, Miss Rose HAS improved in her combat skills, especially her hand to hand." He set his hands on his cane while keeping an eye on the petal blizzard. "However, even she must realize that one can only rely on their Semblance for so long before it begins to drain them."

"I'm sure she does." Pyrrha confirmed. "It's just that Gwen is actually a very tough opponent, even for me somewhat." She sent her gaze down to Ozpin. "Whenever we'd spar, it was always a challenge to get a read on her. She stays very calm, and she uses her ability to sense life energy to her advantage."

"I see." Ozpin acknowledged, all while keeping an eye on how Gwen was blocking Ruby's attacks as the Hooded Huntress attempted to swoop in on her. "Well, she certainly is proficient in combat, I'll give her that."

"Gwen's pretty much been a mixed martial artist all her life." Ben explained. "She's actually taught ME a lot of things about how to fight."

Yang placed a hand over her chest. "And she's taught me how to keep control of my anger while I'm fighting. She's really helped all of us out a lot, professor."

Ozpin smiled and chuckled a bit. "Hmhm, well I'm very glad to hear that."

Back on the battlefield, Ruby had stopped using her Semblance and instead simply stood still in front of Gwen, the redhead sending Ruby a knowing smile. "Think, Ruby." the redhead encouraged, lifting her arms to show her the mana shields. "I have to methods of blocking your attacks from pretty much every angle. "What do you do in this situation?"

Ruby thought for a moment before an idea came to her mind, the silver-eyed girl grinning back to her opponent. _'Misdirection.'_ With another yell, Ruby began running at full speed toward Gwen, reeling back her fist to go for another punch.

"Hm, not the decision I'd thought you'd go with." Gwen sighed as she raised her hand to block the attack with her shield. However, the moment Ruby connected with the shield, she disappeared into petals again, a red blur zipping its way under the shield and rushing through Gwen's legs. The Anodite's eyes widened. "W-Wait, what—AH!" A strong kick connected with her back before she felt Ruby grab her by the arm. In one swift movement, Ruby performed a judo throw and sent Gwen back-first into the ground, shocking pretty much everyone including herself.

Once her own actions had comprehended in her mind, Ruby smiled from ear to ear and she jumped up and down, laughing all the while. "HAHAHA! Yes! I did it!"

"Oh my god, she actually did!" Weiss smiled excitedly before waving to her partner. "Great job, Ruby!"

"Yeah, you did great!" Rex supported.

On the ground behind Ruby, Gwen let out a somewhat surprised breath as she stood up, dusting the dirt off of her skirt. "Hah, you sure did!" The redhead went over and put an arm around Ruby, pulling the girl into a side-hug. "That was very impressive, Ruby. I didn't think you'd go for the misdirection on that one."

Ruby laughed and rubbed the back of her neck. "Heh, well, yeah… I knew I wasn't going to get to you by doing predictable stuff, so I decided to go for something unexpected."

"Well, it worked." Gwen nudged Ruby's shoulder with her hand. "You should be pretty proud of yourself, you know."

"Miss Tennyson is correct, Miss Rose." The two girls perked up when they saw Oscar walking up to them, though it was evident from the way he was speaking that it was Ozpin doing the talking. "Your way of misleading your foe was truly a smart move. It's something that should come in handy when facing Salem's forces, as they will no doubt use underhanded tactics as well."

Ruby's smile widened at that. "Hehe, thanks, Professor Ozpin."

Ozpin nodded back to her. "My pleasure. But perhaps now you would like another challenge?"

This piqued both Gwen and Ruby's interest, the two girls equally confused. "W-What do you mean?"

" _Yeah, what DO you mean?"_ Oscar mentally asked with suspicion.

"What I am trying to say is…" Ozpin retracted his cane and clipped it to his belt, raising his fists in preparation. "Put up your dukes."

Ruby's eyes bugged out in terror. _'I'm dead.'_

* * *

Back in the city itself, Sun, Neptune and Blake had finally made it to their destination… at least the cat girl assumed so. The house they were at was a rather lovely two-story home, one that was typical of Animus architecture. However, it was one that was very nearly consumed by the foliage that grew around it, making Blake title her head a bit. It seemed to be a controlled growth, though, so she decided not to worry about it. _'If it was in a wrecked state, THEN I'd be asking questions.'_ She glanced over to the boys and spoke up. "So… this is the place?"

"Yep… Sage's house." Sun nodded, though his head craned down to stare at his sneakers. "Hah, I didn't think we'd be here today."

"Same." Neptune agreed. "If I had known, I'd probably have mentally prepared myself a little more."

Blake raised a brow to that. "What do you mean? Is there something wrong?"

"Well, not exactly." Sun answered. "It's just… we haven't seen or talked to them since they left Vale. We're just… a bit nervous is all."

Neptune raised a single finger. "Plus, there's all the stuff that WE'VE gone through these past few weeks that THEY haven't." he added. "We haven't even told them about Salem yet…"

"And we probably should." Blake advised. "Half of Team SSSN knows about it, so why shouldn't the rest?"

Sun sighed and nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess you're right. It's just… I don't wanna just dump all of this stuff on them, ya know?" He crossed his arms and shrugged. "It was one thing to convince them about the alien stuff, but after everything we've been through, telling them about Salem is gonna be a WHOLE other thing entirely."

"That, I can understand." Blake concurred before setting a supportive hand on Sun's shoulder. "But remember, Sun, they're your teammates and your friends. Things WILL be okay between you guys, I guarantee it."

Slowly but surely, a pair of smiles appeared on Sun and Neptune's faces, the monkey boy moving his head down to peck Blake on the lips. "Thanks, Blake. That means a lot." His eyes then noticed something quite peculiar. "And… are you just gonna keep cradling that fish in your arms like a baby?"

Indeed, Blake had holstered the cooked bass in her arms, holding it like an infant in it's plastic wrap blanket. The cat girl narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend and said; "…Maybe." Her head snapped away and she closed her eyes in a huff. "You just don't understand the connection I have with it."

"You mean the connection between your mouth and your stomach?" Neptune quipped before finding himself on the receiving end of a quick jab to the shoulder from Sun. "Gah! C'mon, dude, it was a joke!"

"Ugh, let's just go up and knock." Sun sighed as he took the first steps, Blake and Neptune following steadily behind him. They came up to the door and Sun knocked three times, the trio standing still as they waited for someone to answer. After a couple minutes, no one came, which prompted Sun to try the doorbell.

Evidently, that one had work. _"Hold your horses!"_ they heard a familiar voice come from behind the door. _"I'm getting there!"_ Another few moments passed before none other than Sage himself opened the door, though the green-haired young man wasn't initially paying attention when he did. "Yeah, what is—" He immediately cut himself off when he noticed just WHO was at his door, his eyes widening to the size of saucers and his lips parting in shock.

"Hehe, hey Sage!" Sun chuckled with a nervous wave.

"Guess who's back?" Neptune added with a lopsided grin.

There was another pause before Sage began laughing joyously, moving out of his house quickly before wrapping both of his friends into a hug. "HAHAHA! SUN! NEPTUNE! No way!" Being taller than both his teammates, Sage was able to pick both of them up off the ground briefly before setting them back down, though his exuberance hadn't ended there. "Guys, it's great to see you!"

"G-Great to see you, too, Sage!" Sun said with a slight stammer of surprise before noticing something VERY important. "A-And you're walking without crutches!"

Sage's expression faltered a little, his eyes glancing down to his foot. "Heh, yeah, but… not without some help." Sun, Neptune and Blake all followed his gaze to see that his foot and leg were now free of their cast… but now he had a brace instead. "I can walk, but it's gonna be a while before I fully heal up. Scar's doing better, though. His hand is completely free."

"Well, that's great to hear." Neptune grinned. "Is he at his home? We were hoping to catch up with you guys."

Sage gave them a thumbs up. "Oh yeah, he's home. Hang on, I'll go call—wait." Sage paused and sent a skeptical glance over to his teammates. "Why ARE you here, anyway? Didn't you guys decide to stay with Ben and the others over in Vale?"

"Ahem." The green-haired young man perked up as Blake cleared her through, gaining his attention while surprising him at the same time. "That's actually part of the reason why we're here." She gave him a greeting wink. "Official Hero business, if you can believe it."

"Blake!" Sage smiled before walking out to her, offering a hand in the process. "Good to see ya again!" He gave her wink of his own before jabbing his thumb toward Sun, all while shaking her hand. "Have you been keepin' our boy outta trouble?"

The cat girl smirked and rolled her eyes. "As much as I try to, he just keeps getting into it." She sent a somewhat annoyed face at the monkey boy. "For example, not long after you guys left, HE decided it'd be a good idea to take a lightning attack from one of our enemies head on."

"WHAT?!" Sage exclaimed before rounding on Sun, the blonde jumping in place. "Dude, SERIOUSLY?! We're not gone for a few minutes and you get yourself into trouble?!"

"H-Hey, in my defense, I didn't see it coming!" Sun explained. "The guy just grabbed my weapons and sent a shock through his gloves and into me!"

Sage placed a hand to his face and sighed, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "Well… okay. At least you weren't killed."

"Damn near, though." Blake commented. "But yeah, I'm glad he's still alive…" She went over to him and leaned against his arm. "…Especially since we've been together for the past couple of weeks."

The expression on Sages face told the three all they needed to know about how he felt about that. "No way…" He pointed between the two. "Y-You guys are REALLY going out?!"

Sun put an arm around Blake's shoulders. "More than that, dude. We've made it official."

Sage's face burst out into another grin and he came forward, laughing once again as he placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "Hahaha! Congratulations, guys! I always had a good feeling about you two. I know Scar's gonna be pretty thrilled, too!" He ushered the couple, as well as Neptune, into his house, guiding them into the living room. "Come on, let me get you guys omething' to drink while I get him on the horn. It's just me by myself today, so don't be shy to make yourselves at home." However, he paused for a moment when he saw Blake carrying a cooked bass in her arms. "Uh… Blake? What's up with the fish?"

"Hm? Oh, your vendor friend, Randolph, gave this to me." Blake answered. "He also said to say hi to the "Leaf-haired SSSN boy". I assume that to be you?"

Sage belted out a laugh as he grabbed the phone. "Haha! Yeah, that's me. Ah, Randolph's quite the character. Super nice, but don't get on his bad side, whatever you do."

Sun rubbed his rear end. "Yeah, or else he'll get his "beating stick"."

"Yeah, can't count the number of times we got on his nerves when we first entered Haven Academy." Neptune smirked as he and the others sat down on the couch. "He actually challenged me to a duel once… and we used fish as our weapons."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Did you win?"

"Hell no, I was… cowering the whole time because we were doing it above water." The blue-haired boy begrudgingly admitted. "…And I fell in after he beat me."

"Your fault for throwing his sea cucumber balls." Sage muttered as he dialed up Scarlet. Once the phone rang a couple times, a voice could be heard from the other end, prompting Sage to smile. "Yo, Scar! Hey, you busy?" Sage let his friend answer before going on. "Oh, great! C'mon over to my place. I've got something pretty cool to show ya!" There was another pause before Sage elaborated further. "Nope, can't tell ya! It's a surprise! …Yes, I know I'm frustrating, now get over here, man!"

After about twenty minutes, the quartet heard a knock on the door, prompting Sun, Neptune and Blake to hide out of sight while Sage went up to answer. Sure enough, Scarlet was standing behind it, the redhaired young man giving Sage an irritated look while crossing his arms. "Alright, Sage, just what kind of "surprise" is this? It had better be good if you're being so vague about it."

"Hey, don't be such a stickler, man." Sage urged before ushering his friend inside. "C'mon, follow me."

Scarlet sighed before following Sage into his home, hanging his signature red coat on the nearby rack as he did. As he walked in, though, he failed to notice Sun and Neptune sneaking up behind him, which made Sage grin cheekily. Scarlet raised a brow at the smile. "Sage, you _know_ I don't like to be kept in the dark on things. Now what in the world is—"

"SURPRISE!" Sun and Neptune shouted in unison, making Scarlet let out a yelp before spinning around. But once he saw who it was, he let out a gasp. "Well? You surprised, Scar?" Sun asked with a smirk.

"Don't lie, you weren't expecting this today, were ya?" Neptune added.

"S-Sun! Neptune!" Scarlet burst out into a grin before giving his friends a high-five each, all four boys laughing all the while. "Haha, I can't believe it! What the hell are you two doing here? I thought you were still in Vale!"

Sun placed his hands behind his head. "Up until this morning, we were. But we're actually here on some official hero business with the team, so we took the opportunity to swing by."

Scarlet nodded his head to his friends. "Well, I'm glad you did. Things have been pretty hectic over the past couple weeks since we left Vale… wait…" He raised an eyebrow to the two. "Did you say the whole team is here? Like Teams RWBY and JNPR as well?"

"That's right." From out of her hiding spot, Blake stepped out, giving Scarlet a small wave as the redhead's eyes widened once more. "How's it going, Scarlet? Been a while."

"Blake! Haha, it's good to see you!" Scarlet came forward and shook Blake's hand, bowing his head to her in the process. "I probably should have guessed that you'd come with Sun to see us when he said the others were here, too. How've things been going with you?"

The cat girl gave him a shrug. "Oh, fine for the most part. Plus, I've been saving the world almost every day of the week, so that's been pretty cool. Oddly enough, I've found that it doesn't really get old."

"Hm, I'll bet. That Ben guy we met certainly doesn't seem like the kind of person to make saving the world feel stale." Scarlet grinned slyly and he nudged his head over to Sun. "To be honest, I just hope you've been able to keep our leader's head on his shoulders. You know how he can get, yeah?"

"Oh, don't I." Blake concurred before making her way over to Sun, casually wrapping an arm around his neck much to Scarlet's astonishment. "But don't worry… I think I've got a good handle on him." She planted a kiss on Sun's cheek. "Right?"

Sun rolled his eyes before moving his arm to the small of Blake's back. "Heh, couldn't have said it better myself, babe."

Scarlet's jaw was practically on the floor at this point, the young man trying to comprehend what he was seeing in front of him. "W-W-Wait… so… are you two ACTUALLY…?" He left the question hanging the moment he saw Blake and Sun nod slowly, effectively confirming his thoughts. "Ahaha! No way! This is amazing!" He went over and pulled Sun into a hug, which effectively meant that Blake had joined in as well. "Ah, congrats, you two. This is awesome, I gotta say."

"Heh, sure is, dude." Sun chuckled as he pulled out of the friendly embrace. "It was a bit of an… awkward start, but we settled into it as we went along."

Blake rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah, the hard part was being able to actually CONFESS to each other. From there, things smoothed out pretty well."

"Good to know." Scarlet said with a wink to his monkey-tailed friend. "So, I guess the next big step is meeting the parents, eh? Haha!"

"Been there, done that, dude." Sun brushed off casually.

Both Scarlet and Sages eyes bugged out simultaneously. "W-Wait, you ACTUALLY met Blake's parents?" Sage uttered. "Since WHEN?!"

"Since a few days ago." Sun answered. "Her mom likes me, her dad's… still a bit iffy, but I think he's warming up to me."

Blake rolled her eyes like that. "Pfft, yeah, like a cat to water, Sun." She directed her eyes over to Neptune. "But I guess a more appropriate term would be "a Neptune to water" since even _I_ like water."

The face Neptune made could only be described as "grumpy", and everyone in the room was desperately trying to hold back their laughter at his expression. "Okay, I can take a hint." Neptune folded his arms and turned away in a huff. "Well if THAT'S what's gonna be happening during this _nice little chat_ , then I just won't participate."

Sage gave his blue-haired friend a jab to the arm. "Ah, c'mon, man. We're just bustin' your chops here."

"Yeah, c'mon Neptune." Scarlet encouraged. "We haven't seen each other in two weeks. Let's just move past this and have a nice talk, eh?"

Neptune sighed and sent a sly grin over his shoulder at his teammates. "Hah, alright, fine. I know when I'm beat."

Blake sent a good-natured shove Neptune's shoulder. "See? That's the spirit." She then pointed over to Scarlet. "Oh, and before I forget, your vendor pal Randolph asked me to say hi to the "Speckle-faced SSSN Boy"." Blake saw Scarlet's eye twitch slightly before lowering his head, leading her to laugh at his expense. "Haha! I'm guessing you don't like being called that?"

Scarlet sighed and facepalmed. "No, but it's one of the… MANY mantles that Randolph gives us." The redhead pulled his hand down over his face. "I like him, yes, but he can sometimes be a bit much."

Sun sat down on the couch while jabbing a thumb at Neptune. "Yeah, we were just telling Blake about his and Neptune's duel a year back!"

An aghast face took over Scarlet's features. "Oh god, you didn't tell her about what he did afterward, did you? You know with the… eels?"

All four members of Team SSSN visibly paled at the mention of the last word, leaving Blake perplexed and intrigued. "Uh… no? Why, what happened with the—"

Sun's hand snapped up and he set it on her shoulder. "Blake, please..." His eyes shifted slowly over to her. "If you value your brain being clean, _please_ do not ask. Okay?"

"Uh… okay?" Blake complied before clearing her through. "Ahem, so, uh… moving from that topic, how've you guys been? I see you've healed up okay, Scarlet."

Snapping out of his horror-fueled trance, Scarlet smiled and flex his once-injured arm. "Oh, yeah. It's pretty much back to normal. Still, the doctor recommended I don't stress it too much, so once Haven opens back up, Sage and I will still be exempt from practice sessions for the time being."

Neptune's eyes widened and he raised an eyebrow over to Scarlet. "Wait… so you guys still plan to go to Haven? I thought we were talking about transferring to Beacon?"

"We're gonna stay at Haven until the end of the semester." Sage clarified. "THEN we're gonna transfer to Beacon at the start of next year." He sent his gaze toward Sun. "But of course, since our ENTIRE team won't be here, we gotta play hard to catch up before that even happens."

Sun winced and he scratched the back of his head. "…Yeah, sorry guys. But to be honest… I'm not sure if staying at Haven for even the single semester is a good idea right now."

Scarlet and Sage were taken aback by Sun's statement, to say the least. "What?!" the redhead exclaimed. "Why would you say that?!"

"Well…" Sun shifted his eyes between Neptune and Blake, both of them giving him single nods of approval. The monkey boy went back to Sage and Scarlet, took a deep breath and steadily let it out, preparing himself for one LONG explanation. "In order to tell you that… we'll need to fill you in on a bit of context. So… what's your favorite fairy tale?" Over the two hours, the trio explained everything that had happened over the past two weeks, and they made sure not to leave out ANY details. And through it all, Scarlet and Sage had the biggest shocked expressions on their faces, the two boys in complete and utter disbelief over what their friends were telling them. By the end of it all, Sun, Blake and Neptune were exhausted from recapping the events once again. Blake even ate her fish during the proceedings, its bones picked dry as it sat on a plate on the coffee table. Sun sighed once again and cupped his hands together, giving his team a shrug. "So… that's basically it."

Scarlet was leaning forward with his hands pressed together, his eyes focused directly onto the floor as he processed all of this information in his head. Sage, however, was giving his teammates a thousand-yard stare, still in complete shock over what he had been told. "So… let me get this straight; you guys are trying to save the world from an evil witch named Salem… who is the one who controls all of the Grimm?"

"Exactly." Blake confirmed.

"So this lady's essentially been recruiting Ben's enemies over these past few weeks… so she can have more people on her side." Scarlet furthered. "And she's also after these four Maidens and Relics so she can take over the world."

Neptune gave a single nod. "Of course."

Sage pointed a finger at them. "AND… she and Professor Ozpin have been fighting a secret war for centuries… because he's actually a reincarnating guy who was tasked by the gods to stop her… and basically ALL of the headmasters are in on this." He received silent a silent nod from all three of his friends, causing him to let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "This… this is un-freaking-believable."

"I know…" Scarlet paused as his sights went back to the trio in front of them. "But why do I have a feeling you're not lying to us?"

"Because we aren't, guys." Sun said, standing up from his seat with his arms reaching out toward them. "We don't have any _reason_ to lie to you. Trust me, the threat of Salem is VERY real, and we need to do our best to stop her before she destroys _everything_."

Scarlet and Sage craned their heads toward each other and nodded, the two standing up to meet Sun. "This all may sound unbelievable… but you know what? After meeting a guy who can transform into aliens, I'm pretty much ready to believe anything." Scarlet extended his arm and laid his palm down flat. "If you guys need any help, I'm in."

"Me too." Sage agreed, setting his own hand over Scarlet's. "We may've all been separated for the past couple of weeks, but we're still a team!" He raised a fist up to Sun. "We got your back, man."

Sun smiled back all while Neptune shot out of his seat as well, placing his hand over his friends'. "Alright! Team SSSN is back in the game! …Well, at least when you guys are cleared for combat."

This elicited irritated groans from both Sage and Scarlet, making Sun chuckle a bit. "Hehe, it's alright, guys. We'll figure something out for ya, don't worry." He placed his hand in with his friends and smirked. "But Neptune's right. Time for Team SSSN to get back on track."

At that moment, Blake came strolling up and smiled widely at the four. "Well look at you boys! Good to see that all this time apart hasn't made you guys distant from each other."

"Of course not." Scarlet assured. "Besides, what reason would we have to be distant?"

"Yeah, it's not like the guys abandoned us without a word or anything." Sage added. "No harm, no foul."

"Well, I'm glad that's the case…" Sun trailed off when a serious expression came to his face. "…But that leads me to what led to this whole big talk in the first place; about why it probably isn't a good idea to go to Haven this semester."

Scarlet sent him a skeptical glance. "Alright, then… what's the big deal?"

"This big deal…" Sun pursed his lips as his face changed once again, to one that was more frustrated and somewhat angry. He clenched a fist and continued; "The big deal is that Yang's mom, Raven, got some information from an inside source that said Professor Lionheart was a mole for Salem."

The reaction was an immediate; "WHAT?!" Scarlet and Sage had both reverted to their stunned expressions at the news. " _Lionheart_ is a traitor?!" Sage bellowed. "Wha…WHY?! For what reason?! I thought you said that all the headmasters were on Ozpin's side!"

Sun cast his eyes down to the floor. "You'd be surprised at what Salem is capable of, guys… and that included bringing people over to her side."

"But… this doesn't make any sense!" Scarlet argued. "Lionheart isn't evil!"

"Maybe not." Blake interjected. "But from what I've heard, he's an easily scared man. And Salem preys off of fear as easily as she does hatred." She raised a hand up to the two boys. "If she can coerce other villains to her side by using their hatred of us to convince them, then maybe she's using Lionheart's fear to keep a hold on him."

As much as they didn't want to admit it, the green and red-haired boys both could see Blake's side of the argument. "Well… you have a point." Sage conceded. "Even all the way back at the start of our first year, Lionheart was always a bit more cowardly than we'd expect him to be. But… I honestly wrote that up to him not being the Huntsman he used to be."

"And that's probably a factor." Neptune agreed. "But even then, we can't rule him out. That said, there could be a chance that he's not the traitor and instead it's Professor Theodore over in Vacuo. We've kinda got a lot of theories to go on here."

Scarlet put his hands in his pockets. "So… if Lionheart IS the traitor… what do we do about it?"

Sun sighed through his nostrils, closing his eyes at the question. "…We fight him. As much as it hurts me to say that, we HAVE to fight him if we wanna stop Salem from getting the Relic of Knowledge in the vault beneath Haven." He opened his eyes and set his gaze upon his team and Blake, crossing his arms in the process. "And for another thing, I think we should start considering that transfer to Beacon a bit sooner."

"Heh, good luck with that." Sage scoffed. "Classes resume next week, man. I doubt that anyone who puts in a transfer form to BEACON of all places at this point is gonna just be seen as wanting an extended vacation."

"Hm, I guess you've got a point." Sun admitted, putting a finger to his chin. "But quite honestly, if Lionheart IS the traitor and things start going back quick, then I'm thinking the fallout of it all will probably be seeing students transfer out of Haven regardless."

Scarlet shrugged a that. "Well, sure, but what are the chances of anything big happening soon?"

Blake glanced off to the side at his remark. _'If that isn't tempting fate, I don't know what is.'_ She shook her head and brushed the thought off to the side. "Well, that we can't be sure of. But we're still keeping an eye on things at the moment, so if anything happens, we'll probably know." She sat back down and placed her hands on her lap, her smile returning. "Now, why don't we move on to some more… _pleasant_ conversation? How've things been going here? Have the other Haven students been able to recover as well as you guys?"

The boys of Team SSSN all sat back down as well, with Sage answering the question. "Well… some of them." He laced his finger together solemnly. "As you can probably guess, a lot of students here have been traumatized by the events that happened that night. Most of us were able to come out of it okay, but others… others are having a tough time, to be honest."

"Thankfully, Mistral's calm atmosphere has been pretty generous to all of them." Scarlet picked up. "Yes, the Grimm attacked here as well, but they were all pretty much taken care of before they could make it all the way to the top of the mountain." His hand gripped the armrest of his chair a bit tighter. "Of course, we weren't without our casualties, either."

"We heard." Neptune said sullenly. "Qrow and Ironwood said that a few of our teachers lost their lives defending the city. To think that all of this chaos happened on the same night at the attack on Beacon."

"Yeah, but things pretty much got back to normal in the city pretty quickly." Sage pointed out. "As you probably saw while you were in the market place."

Blake rested her head to the back of the chair. _'Yeah… question is, how long can it stay that way…'_ Her thoughts were interrupted when a new one popped into her head. "Say… what about Team ABRN? They go to Haven, right?"

Sun gave her a nod. "Yep, they sure do." He directed his sights over to Scarlet and Sage. "But yeah, what about them? Did they make it out okay?"

"They all survived, yes." Scarlet confirmed. "And they've actually been helping out other student cope with all of the things that happened after the battle." He smiled and let out a laugh. "They've really become the most helpful people when it comes to this situation."

"That's good to hear." Blake grinned. "I'm glad that they're helping so many people." Just then, a ringing began echoing throughout the room, managing to perk everyone's heads up simultaneously. Realizing that it was coming from _her_ pocket, Blake quickly reached for her scroll. "Oh, sorry, that's me." She took a look at the caller ID and her eyebrows rose up. "Oh, it's Yang! Wonder what's up?"

* * *

Minutes earlier back at the rental house, the gang had all returned to the main floor of the building, having just finished their training. Out of all of them, though, there were two in particular that were utterly tired; Ruby Rose and Oscar Pine. The Hoodhead Huntress had draped herself over one of the couches while Oscar practically collapsed onto the other one, both of them groaning as their joints ached. "Uuuugh… I can't BELIEVE how exhausting that whole training session was." Ruby moaned, rubbing her face in pain. "Professor Ozpin went WAY overboard on those moves."

"How do you think _I_ feel?!" Oscar asked. "You're not the one who Ozpin's controlling, remember. You think doing all of those advanced fighting techniques and generating that defensive Aura feels good when we shift back with each other?" He sent her a deadpan expression. "Guess what? It doesn't."

Ruby smiled over to him and let out a little laugh. "Heh, yeah. I'm guessing you're gonna need a little more training before you're able to pull those moves off without breaking a sweat."

As the others entered the room, Ben and Yang couldn't help but laugh at their two exhausted teammates, the hero walking over to Oscar to give him a pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry, kid, this stuff will come in time. Ya just gotta put in the work to do it."

"Ugh, I'm no stranger to hard work, but if THIS is what I'm in for, I might reconsider." Oscar muttered.

"Ah, c'mon, "Cute Boy" Oscar." Yang joked as she ruffled the boy's hair. "Ya can't throw in the towel on your first day!"

With his face now effectively blushing, Oscar planted himself into one of the throw pillows and groaned again. "How is it that you guys can do this on a daily basis—WOAH!"

The farm boy was suddenly pulled out of the cushion by Nora, the Pink Dynamo making him face her head-to-head. "Read my lips, boy! TRAAAAAINING!" She began to rapidly shake him, almost as if she were trying to wake him up. "Ya gotta put some pressure on those muscles if you wanna build 'em up, so stop slacking you Slaking!"

"OoOoOkAaAy!" Oscar's voice shook with his body before Nora let him go, the redhead giving him a beaming smile.

"… _I believe I'm going to be sick."_ Ozpin said mentally.

' _Not in my head you're not!'_ Oscar forbade.

"Good! Because just wait until we get back to Yang's dad's place!" Nora sent a jab to Oscar's shoulder, making him wince a bit. "He's got a whole training area with weights and everything! We'll get ya in proper shape in no time!"

The rest of Team JNPR came up and Pyrrha set a gentle hand on Oscar's arm, steadying him in place. "My apologies for Nora's… enthusiasm. She can be rather excited when it comes to doing new things."

"Heh, no problem." Oscar chuckled, his eyes shifting around from Team JNPR, to Rex and Weiss, to Ben and Yang, and finally to Gwen and Ruby. "You know… as crazy of a group as you guys are… I think I'm glad that I'm at least in this with people who understand what I'm going through." He rubbed the back of his head. "If I were stuck with just Qrow and Ironwood, I think I'd go mental."

Jaune gave him a thumbs up. "Hey, no problem, Oscar. Remember, we're pretty much all in this together."

"Jaune's right." Gwen concurred. "And we'll help you out in whatever way we can to get you through this." She raised two fingers up to him. "First, we'll work on your physical training, then we'll work on building up your defensive Aura."

"Exactly." Ren nodded. "In time, it will all become second nature. And from there, you should begin focusing on your Semblance… whatever that maybe."

Oscar blinked at that. "W-Wait, Semblance?"

"That's right." Weiss affirmed, creating a glyph for demonstration. "Your very own unique power. Don't tell me you've never heard of it."

"W-Well, yeah, but… I didn't know I could even _have_ a Semblance."

Nora zipped over and wrapped an arm around Oscar's shoulders, making him blush again. "'Course you can, silly! EVERYONE can have a Semblance! It's all about how you find it and MASTER it!" She began counting off everyone's Semblance on her fingers. "Ruby moves SUPER fast, glyphs are Weiss' thing, Yang gets stronger every time she gets hit, electricity makes ME stronger, Ren can mask emotions, Pyrrha's got magnetic powers, and Jaune can… um." Realizing her choice of words, Nora glanced over to her leader, who was craning his head down toward the floor.

Jaune put a hand to his neck and murmured; "…I can't really do anythi—"

"Jaune's like you!" To everybody's surprise, Ruby shot up from her place on the couch and pulled Oscar over to Jaune, the farm boy and blonde knight looking at one another. Ruby shifted her gaze between the two and gave them a shrug. "He hasn't found his Semblance yet, but we all know he will!" She sent a small smirk over to Oscar. "And you will too. We all just gotta try to help everyone get stronger!"

Even though everyone was wearing a smile throughout the room, Ben, Gwen and Rex couldn't help but cringe the teensiest bit at her inspirational speech. "I don't think I've heard anything more anime protagonist-y in my life." Rex said with a sniffle as he whipped an invisible tear from his eye. "I'm so proud."

"…Yeah, I have to agree." Gwen said whilst folding her arms, giving Ruby a small smirk. "I don't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing that we've been showing you so much anime, Ruby."

Ruby wore a mock-offended face at that. "Ah! It was CERTAINLY a good thing!" She pointed accusingly at the redhead. "How dare you suggest otherwise, Gwen Tennyson!"

The whole group let out a laugh before Pyrrha stepped forward again. "They say that a warrior's Semblance is an extension of who they are, Oscar. Many say that your personality and character can define your Semblance while others say that there isn't any connection at all."

"It's hard to know when you KNOW, sometimes." Nora emphasized before placing a hand on Ren's arm. "Ren's Semblance was unlocked under intense stress!"

"And mine kicked in during training one day!" Ruby added.

Yang raised her hand. "Mine happened when I took a pretty nasty fall. I was so angry that it happened I punched a hole RIGHT through one of the walls in my house." She chuckled and shook her head. "Haha… one of the times where my dad was both happy and NOT happy at the same time."

"Sometimes your Semblance can be passed down through your family." Weiss piped up. "Mine is an inherited Semblance, for example."

"Huh… wow." Oscar mused. "This is all pretty cool, I gotta say." He raised a brow over to Nora. "And what about you?"

Nora placed her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. "Oh, you know, got struck by lightning, didn't die." Oscar could only stare at her incredulously at how casually she said that. "I know, right? One of the weirdest Thursdays I've ever had."

Jaune sighed and raised his hands. "I just don't understand what's wrong with me… I train, I mediate, but nothing seems to work!"

Just then, Oscar's eyes glowed again and Ozpin took over, offering Jaune a supportive grin. "Don't worry, Mr. Arc. Your journey is far from over." He directed his attention to all of the teens in the room. "And the same can be said for all of you. Unlocking your Semblance isn't the end; it can still grow and evolve. Providing you're willing to put in the work, who knows what could happen?" As quick as he came, Ozpin went, switching back with Oscar in an instant.

"Ugh, I wish he didn't do that without warning." Oscar mumbled. He exhaled and put his hands on his hips. "But… if what he's saying is true, then I guess I'd better start putting in the effort."

"Now that's the spirit." Ben said with a thumbs up. "And when we get back home, we'll start doing just that." The Omnitrix-bearer sat himself down on the couch next to Yang and folded his arms, putting a hand to his chin. "But to change the subject up a bit… there's been something I've been thinking about for a while now…"

Ruby tilted her head to the side, with everyone shifting their focus over to the green-clad hero. "And what would that be, Ben? Something on your mind?"

"Well… it's kind of a silly theory, really." Ben admitted. "I didn't initially wanna bring it up, but… it's too good not to share."

Jaune ushered Ben to go ahead. "Well, c'mon man, don't hold back. Hit us with it."

Ben took a deep breath and gestured over to Oscar. "Well, we all know how Ozpin's reincarnation business is because the Gods cursed him, right?" He got murmurs of affirmation all throughout the room in response. "Okay, so, that's neat and all… but I'm focused on the fact that there are even gods AT ALL." He turned to Gwen and Rex, extending his hands to them. "I mean, we're no stranger to myths and legends about multiple different gods in our world, right?"

"Well, yeah." Gwen said as she counted off the many different pantheons on her hands. "There's the Greeks, Norse, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Aztec, African—" But then she cut herself off when she saw Ben's growing smile, and it was then that she realized what his theory must have been. "…Wait, you aren't suggesting…"

"Exactly." Ben confirmed, leaning forward with a bit of a glint in his eye. "What if, like here in Remnant, the ancient gods of our world existed at some point in the past as well? I don't know about you, but I think that'd be pretty cool." Gwen and Rex glanced toward each other while the Remnant teens all stayed relatively silent, many of them unsure about what they were talking about. However, all at once, Rex practically burst out laughing while Gwen stayed silent, making Ben's smile disappear. "W-Wait, wha…?"

"Hahaha! Good one, Ben." Rex guffawed with a reassuring pat to his friend's shoulder. "You REALLY had us both going there. Yeah, "The Ancient Gods" of our world might've been real too!" the EVO slapped his knee as his laughter died down. "Oh-ho-ho, god that is RICH!"

Ben furrowed his brows in indignation. "Hey, c'mon Rex, I'm being serious." He pointed up to the sky. "I mean, wouldn't it be cool if gods like Zeus and Odin had been real at some point?"

But all this did was fuel Rex's laughter more. "HAHAHA! _ZEUS_!" He reached up and put his hand over Ben's head. "The BIG guy! THAT Zeus?! You're killing me here, man!"

"Yes, THAT Zeus." Ben argued. "Now would you get a hold of yourself and start having a serious discussion with me?"

Yang stepped up and gave Rex a rather unamused glare. "Yeah, Rex, stop laughing at him and hear what he has to say. He might just be on to something."

Rex calmed down, but he kept his smile about him. "Listen, guys, as cool as that'd probably be, our Earths have _science_ to back things up. People like the ancient Greeks and Norse made up their gods to explain natural things in the world that _we've_ since been able to explain with scientific fact for _centuries_ now." He gestured across from Ruby, to Yang, Weiss and finally, Team JNPR. "But Remnant _does_ have… or rather DID have magic, so it probably only makes sense that _their_ gods are real."

Weiss sent Rex a confused look. "Uh, Robo-dolt? Mind explaining what's going on instead of leaving all of us in the dark?"

"Oh! Right, sorry." Rex apologized. "See, here's the thing, like Remnant, Earth has a ton of myths and legends surrounding stuff like heroes and gods. But here's the thing… they're all made up." He raised two fingers. "And they were made up to do one of two things; either to teach valuable lessons, or to explain away natural things that the earth does on its own. For example; Poseidon, god of the sea and earthquakes. Whenever something like an earthquake or tsunami happened, it was all blamed on him being angry because the Greeks didn't have the proper scientific know-how to study it at the time." Rex shook his head at Ben. "Look man, for as cool as your theory may be, I'm not sure it holds water in our world... pun kind of intended."

However, it was then that Gwen decided to speak up. "Maybe… or maybe not." This garnered everyone's attention pretty quick as the Anodite made her hands glow. "Don't forget, Rex, Remnant _isn't_ the only place that has magic. I don't know about your Earth, but mine and Ben's Earth has it."

Taken aback by the reminder, but still firm in his stance, Rex thrust a hand toward the redhead. "Well yeah, but even _you_ gotta admit that it isn't as prominent as it is here." He crossed his arms at her. "Gwen, I respect you a LOT… but the idea of the _Greek gods_ being real? Or even any other godly pantheon? It just sounds like a pretty big stretch."

"What, and _aliens_ aren't?" Gwen countered with a shrug. "It's like Ozpin said, Rex, every legend has some truth behind it. Besides, the Gods ARE the ones who brought magic to this world, so what about the magic in _my_ world?" She pointed directly to Rex. "And don't forget, it's not like we HAVEN'T had encounters with god-like beings or monsters ourselves."

"Yeah, but even then, they're not the kind of "gods" that Ben's talking about." Rex countered. "It's like you guys told us, Daigon was an extra dimensional being with god-like powers. Not sure how much that counts." He jabbed a thumb to himself. "And as many times as my brother says I acquired god-like abilities when I gained control of the Meta-Nanites, I'm still not sure how much that counts either, since that was through technology, something that I put my trust in." He sent a sympathetic look to Ben. "Sorry, dude, but for as neat as your "mythical legends being real at some point" theory is, I'm not sure if it's all that plausible."

Inside Oscar's head, Ozpin was itching to give his two cents. _"…May I take this one?"_

' _So NOW you ask permission?'_ Oscar countered before mentally sighing. _'Yeah, sure, why not?'_

" _Thank you."_ Oscar's eyes flashed again and Ozpin took his place, the former headmaster walking up to Rex. "While you make a very compelling argument, Mr. Salazar, one that I can find very believable, I don't think you should be so quick to dismiss your friends' theory. What Miss Tennyson says is true; there ARE many truths behind old legends such as the ones you're talking about… perhaps even a bit MORE truth than you probably think."

"Well, yeah, sure." Rex conceded. "But the gods of our world ACTUALLY being real at some point? C'mon, that'd just be insane." He jabbed a thumb up toward the ceiling. "That would imply that the sun and moon are being pulled by chariots across the sky."

Ozpin put a hand to his chin. "Perhaps… or maybe there could be another explanation. It's all about keeping an open mind. After all, no one had an explanation of where the Grimm came from, so they "made up" the story of the God of Darkness… or at least they _thought_ they did."

Ruby stepped in to support her teacher. "Yeah, Rex! Don't just dismiss it and move on. There might be more to it than you probably think."

Rex sighed and threw up his hands, falling back to the couch behind him. "Alright, I'll bite. So for the sake of this theory, let's ignore scientific fact all together and _assume_ the Greek gods might've existed at some point. Maybe even ALL of the gods could've been real at one point or another." He crossed his arms and sent a skeptical gaze to the room. "If that were true, then why haven't we seen 'em for the last five-thousand or so years?"

"Well, here's another theory for that." Gwen suggested. "Perhaps it's because not many people believe in them anymore. You'd be surprised how strong believing in something can be, Rex."

Rex could only quirk a brow at Gwen's suggestion. "Seriously? Is this an after-school special or something, because it's starting to sound like one."

Weiss got in-between Rex and Gwen while raising her arms up to both of them. "Okay, okay, let's all take a deep breath here." She set her sights down to the EVO. "First off, I can agree with you that there IS a scientific angle to all of this, Rex. But at the same time, I don't think we can just rule out everything," she gestured over to Ozpin, "especially after what we've been told today." She sat down next to Rex and put a gentle hand to his arm. "No matter what we believe, though, can we NOT let it destroy our friendships? Please?"

After a few seconds, Rex let out a breath and rubbed the back of his head. "…Yeah, I guess I can see your point. This really isn't worth getting into a big argument over." He bowed his head to Ben and Gwen. "Sorry if I was being a jerk, guys. Seriously, it wasn't cool of me to laugh in the first place."

Ben extended his hand and Rex shook it immediately. "Hey, it's okay, man. Honestly, I knew my theory would probably be seen as a bit silly to some of you." He smirked over to Gwen. "But I didn't think that YOU'D support it, Gwen."

"What can I say?" Gwen shrugged. "After you get told that gods ARE real, at least the ones in this world, things are kinda put into perspective for you." She gave Rex a nod. "But yes, I'm sorry too, Rex. Bygones?"

"Bygones." Rex smiled.

"Alright, just what in the world is going on in here?!" Everyone's heads perked up to see Raven, Qrow and Ironwood all entering the room from the upstairs, the former giving the teens a bit of a stink eye. "Seriously, we could hear you from all the way up there. What the hell are you kids arguing about?"

The moment Raven entered, though, Oscar's eyes flashed again, with Ozpin retreating back into his mind. "…Seriously?" he deadpanned.

" _I'd rather NOT speak with her right now."_ Ozpin explained.

Ruby sent Raven a wave. "Oh, you know, debating on whether or not certain deities in Ben's world may or may not exist." She then gave Ben an inquiring glance. "Which, by the way, you should probably explain those to us sometime."

Ben rubbed the back of his head. "Hehe, yeah, for as much as I just spieled about them now, I completely neglected to tell you guys about some of the coolest myths in our world." He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "Once we get back home, I'll tell ya all about it." He took a quick second to ponder. "Hmm… I should probably start with Perseus or Hercules first…"

Qrow chuckled and shook his head. "Heh, well, at least you kids aren't bitin' each other's heads off or nothin'. We still need ya for the road ahead."

"Indeed." Ironwood concurred. "And since we're on the subject of home, I think it's about time we all head—" At that moment, a soft ringing began coming from the general's pocket, bringing all eyes onto him. "Oh, hold on a moment. I have to take this…" However, the moment he pulled out the scroll, his eyes widened at the caller ID. "Oh god… it's Leo."

Everyone practically froze up at the mention of the headmaster's name, with Raven furrowing her brows at the scroll. "What do you think he wants?"

"Probably something' to do with our visit yesterday." Qrow suggested before shooting his eyes up to James. "So… what should we do, Jim?"

Ironwood sighed through his nostrils as the scroll continued to ring, unsure about what to do himself. "Well… that all depends…" He shifted his attention to Raven again, seeking her approval. "What do you think, Raven?"

Raven pursed her lips before craning her head to her charges, who were all giving her serious expressions. With the teens reinforcing her resolve, Raven gave a nod to Ironwood. "Answer him and put him on speaker." She decided. "We'll all stay quiet while you two talk to him. We'll judge what to do afterward."

Ironwood and Qrow exchanged a look before both of them nodded as well. "Alright then." James approved before answering the phone, making sure to put it on speaker as well. "Leo, good morning!"

" _Ah, James! Yes, good morning."_ Leo responded. _"I'm very glad I could reach you. How was your night?"_

"It was… eventful." Ironwood glanced over to Qrow. "A certain someone managed to drag me out for drinks last night and I got a bit of a migraine."

" _Haha, why doesn't that surprise me?"_ Lionheart chuckled. _"Well, I hope you're wide awake for this, because I have some good news for you. I decided to do some research and mull over what we spoke about yesterday… and I've come to a decision."_

This caused Ironwood to raise a brow. "Really? And what would that be?"

" _Well, after giving it all of my attention for a good while, I've decided that I want to meet with Raven."_ Leo answered, giving everyone pause. _"I wish to speak with her to prove that I'm not the mole her informant said I am. Tell me, do you have any way of contacting her?"_

The whole group could only stay silent as Ironwood spoke back, though it was evident that a tense atmosphere was now settling over the room. "Yes, actually, I do." The general sent a serious gaze down at his scroll. "But tell me, do you have any way to effectively prove your innocence?"

" _As a matter of fact, I do."_ Lionheart confirmed. _"After what you told me yesterday, I began searching through every possible link I have in this academy and I've made quite the discovery."_ The headmaster took a pause before whispering into the speaker on the other end; _"I think one of my staff maybe the mole you're searching for."_

This caught everybody's attention, most of all, Raven's. The Spring Maiden couldn't speak though as James continued. "Wait, one of your staff?"

" _Yes, one who I'm certain has been out for me for quite some time."_ Lionheart went on. _"He is also one of the few others in this academy that knows about the Relic of Knowledge. I've been attempting to contact him to question him about this, but he isn't answering on any of his lines. It's… worrying to say the least."_ The headmaster sighed worriedly before continuing. _"James, if we don't do something about this, we could very well be compromised."_

Gathering himself, Ironwood raised a hand to gather his thoughts. "Alright, Leonardo, let's calm down here for a moment. This IS very worrying, and yes, we'll make sure to do something about it. You have my word."

Another sigh, this one of relief, came from Lionheart. _"Hah… thank you James. All the same, I still would like to talk to Raven myself, if that's at all possible. I so desperately wish to see the Spring Maiden safely returned."_ This made Raven's eyes widen in panic. _"I would greatly appreciate a meeting with her to discuss the mole information as well as Spring."_

Ironwood took a quick glance at Raven to see her unsure expression. "…You know she probably won't trust you, right?"

" _Well, I'm willing to put in the work to prove my innocence. This, I vow."_ Lionheart replied resolutely. _"That said, the teachers are going to be in the school all weekend in preparation for reopening, so I'm really only free today. If you could see if she's available, that would be fantastic."_

"As great as that sounds, I'm not so sure…" Ironwood rubbed the back of his head. "She's actually with the team today, so…"

" _Oh yes! The group that Sun and Neptune were staying with over in Vale!"_ Lionheart piped up happily. _"Scarlet and Sage hold told me about them upon their return. Hmm… ah! You know what, I think I have an idea! Why not bring the children with her to Haven on a field trip? I'd be delighted to see Sun and Neptune again, and any friends of theirs are certainly welcome in my academy's halls."_ At his words, the group all exchanged curious looks with one another, silently judging what he was saying. He certainly SOUNDED sincere, but there was still an air of suspicion lingering in the room.

Raven raised her head to Ironwood and moved her hand across her neck, signaling to end the call there. "That actually sounds like a good idea, Leo!" Ironwood said with his best faux enthusiasm. "I'll call Raven up and see what she thinks of it."

" _Ah, thank you, James."_ Leo replied. _"I look forward to what she thinks. I'll see you later."_

"Right… thank you, Leo." With that, Ironwood hung up, taking a deep breath as he did. "Well? What do you think?"

Qrow threw a hand up in the air. "Smells fishy to me. Not twenty-four hours after our visit and Leo's been able to come up with all _that_? Feh, I doubt it."

Raven put a hand to her chin. "Qrow's right, this is all VERY suspicious. Being able to find "evidence" that one of his staff is responsible for leaking info to Salem so soon… it's one of the oldest tricks in the book." Her hand went to her sword handle in trepidation. "And the fact that he wants to talk about the Spring Maiden… it all seems too convenient."

"Think it could be a trap?" Jaune asked.

Pyrrha lowered her gaze to the floor. "Most likely. This has the stench of Salem all over it." She craned her head over to Oscar, wondering what the boy and the man in his head had to say to all this. "Oscar… what do you and Ozpin think?"

Oscar cupped his hands while keeping his head low, still taking in the information himself. "Well… it DOES sound pretty suspicious." He perked up and raised his hands. "H-Hold on, Ozpin wants to speak again."

Raven narrowed her eyes to him. "Oh, so NOW he decides to jump in."

Oscar's eyes flashed and Ozpin took his place, the former headmaster sending a piercing glare back to the Spring Maiden. "I wasn't planning to, but after hearing that call, I'm afraid I have to agree with the majority on this one." Ozpin placed his hands behind his back. "This sounds quite similar to one of many of Salem's old tricks… especially considering some of the other past deceptions that happened to me."

The teens all stared wide-eyed at Ozpin. "So… this isn't the first time you've been betrayed by someone?" Weiss guessed.

"Sad to say, but… no, it isn't." Ozpin confirmed. "I'm afraid that Leo might just be her inside man after all."

Ben walked up and added his two cents. "Okay, so I think we can all discern that Lionheart's probably gonna backstab us. But since we already know, we'll be ready for whatever he's got set up."

Gwen placed her hands on her hips. "Really? Even if that means we'll be walking right into Salem's forces?"

"Well, it's not like we haven't faced them all before." Ben pointed out. "We've fought against pretty much everyone in her group and I think we've all got a pretty solid handle on how they fight. We've got the advantage on that front."

"Yes, but if this truly is a trap, then they've got an advantage too." Ren reminded. "They'll know we're coming."

Ben bowed his head to Ren. "Yes, I know. But while that might be the case, I think this'll be the only opportunity we have to secure the Relic of Knowledge." As he expected, everyone's attention was drawn to him, many shocked by his words. "Listen, I know that this could probably be a long shot, but if we were to go to Haven, it might be our only chance at getting that Relic out of the vault... even if we have to go through Salem's people to do it."

"That's all well and good… but do you have a plan, Ben?" Ruby asked.

The hero nodded to her. "I do. If Lionheart's trying to lure us there, then that means he's been in contact with Salem's forces…" He gestured over to Raven. "Which probably means that he also knows that Raven's the Spring Maiden. But… what he _doesn't_ know is that _we're_ already on to him." Ben placed his hands firmly on his hips. "If Salem's forces _are_ planning a surprise attack, they won't know that we're already anticipating them to be there, so we'll be able to throw them off their game. Once they attack, we'll engage as well, but only until we can get a clear shot to the Vault."

Pyrrha raised her hand. "We won't ALL be going there, will we? It would probably be unwise if we did, as the villains would just follow us."

"Exactly, which is why only five of us will go." Ben jabbed a thumb over to Raven. "Of course, Raven will be one of them." He placed a hand onto his chest. "And if Cinder's gonna be there, she'll probably make a bee-line for the Vault as well. That mean I should probably go, too. Out of all of us, I likely still have the best chance against her."

"Ahem, hello?" Raven snapped her fingers, gaining Ben's attention. "Literal Maiden standing over here."

Ben sent her a stern face. "Exactly my point. You'll be her number one target. Which means that she'll do anything to try and kill you and take your powers." He faced the Spring Maiden head on, standing firm on his choice. "I'm sorry, Raven. But for the sake of keeping you alive, I can't let you engage with her. Leave her to me, okay?"

"I…" Raven paused the moment she saw how dead-set Ben's face was. Out of all the times she had seen Ben get serious, this was probably the most serious. It was clear that the Omnitrix bearer wasn't about to mess up this crucial moment, meaning that she had to be sure to do so as well. "Right. If that's what you think is best, then I'll do it."

A smile reappeared on Ben's face and he bowed his head in appreciation. "Thanks, Raven. I know your daughter would kill me if I got you killed." After receiving a playful nudge from Yang, Ben extended his hand out to the team. "Alright guys, we've been able to beat the odds before, so let's try our luck again. Whaddya say?"

"I'm in." Yang stepped up and put her hand over Ben's, giving him a smile. "Always."

"I think it's pretty clear that I'm also in." Raven joined in.

Pretty soon, everyone began voicing their approval, leaving Qrow, Ironwood and Ozpin as the only ones left. Slipping his hands into his pockets, Qrow sighed and shook his head. "Ugh, I can't believe I'm saying this… but count me in." An angry expression took over the drunken Huntsman's face. "It's time that Leo learned the hard way that working with Salem ain't the smartest choice."

"Indeed." Ironwood concurred. "As much as I don't want to admit it, I'm afraid the Lionheart we once knew is long gone."

Ozpin closed his eyes somberly. _'I'm sorry, old friend. But if you truly have partnered with Salem, then I'm afraid there is nothing I can do from here.'_ He opened his eyes and gave a resolute nod. "Very well, then, I am in as well. …And subsequently, I suppose Oscar is, too."

" _WHAT?!"_ Oscar shouted in his thoughts. _"I never consented to this!"_

' _Do not worry. I will have your back, Oscar.'_ Ozpin promised. _'You will be fine, I promise.'_ With that, Ozpin switched back with Oscar, leaving the young man to groan at his predicament.

"Ugh, okay." Oscar conceded. "I'll come along."

Ben sent him a nod. "Good, but at the first sign of trouble, I want you to get out of the way. Salem's forces are nothing to be messed with, especially since you don't have any combat practice." After receiving a nod back from Oscar, Ben turned back to his team, smiling at them. "Alright, guys. We know what our mission is; stop Salem's forces from getting their hands on the relic. Are we good?!"

He got a cheer from the whole room, leading Yang to take out her scroll. "Lemme just call up Blake and the boys so I can fill 'em in. We're gonna need ALL the help we can get on this one."

"Right, good call." Ben said as he raised his fist into the air. "Alright, guys, we all know what time it is!"

The whole room, aside from Qrow, Ironwood, Raven and Oscar, all raised their fists at once and hollered; "IT'S HERO TIME!"

* * *

Inside his unlit office at Haven Academy, Lionheart sighed heavily as he set down his scroll, lacing his fingers together as he leaned over his desk. He wore a dark expression as he set his gaze onto the others who were currently occupying his office, giving them a single nod. "…It is done, Miss Cinder."

From the other side of the room, a bright fire suddenly illuminated the office, having sparked itself from said Fall Maiden's hand. The orange glow lit the room up enough for the headmaster to see her, Rojo, Emerald, Mercury, Subdora, Exo-Skull and Thunderhog, the whole group making a chill run down Lionheart's spine. " _Excellent_ work, Headmaster Lionheart." Cinder said with a hint of condescension. "Now all we have to do is wait…"

Rojo crossed her arms and sent Cinder a quirked brow. "That's great, Cindy. But remember, these are the hero brats we're talking about." Her hands went to her hips. "How can we be sure they're not suspecting our attack? They've got Raven's info, remember."

"Oh, I know, Rojo." Cinder smiled sinisterly. "And that is exactly why Lady Salem had us retrieve our… bargaining chip." She turned her head back to Hog and Skull. "You boys still have the hostage secured, right?"

The two mutated bruisers chortled before Exo-Skull raised his arm up. "Hehe, yep! She's right here…" There, in his hand, was Vernal, the young woman being held up by her head as she struggled to break free. It was evident that she had been put through some sort of torturous act, with multiple open scars and bruises covering her arms, legs and face, her clothes having been slashed up with them. Her body had been hog-tied; her arms strapped securely close to her body while her legs were wrapped at the ankles. She also had a piece of duct tape over her mouth, having been wrapped around her head for good measure.

Vernal yelled angrily as she tried to struggle out of her bindings, only to have Skull squeeze her head for her troubles. "SHUT UP!" the rhino man bellowed as Vernal screamed in pain. "Jeez, you've been screamin' like that for hours."

Cinder chuckled in amusement. "Hm, excellent." She put a hand to her ear, a small communicator having been placed in it. "Doctor Viktor, are you, Michael and the Grimm all in position?"

" _Indeed, Young Cinder."_ Viktor replied on the other end. _"The Grimm under my control are all in place and ready for their attack. …And Michael is standing right beside me."_

" _Come now, dear Cinder."_ Michael implored. _"I'm not about to screw a mission like THIS up. Why not trust me more on this one?"_

Cinder sneered in irritation. "You know exactly why, _Michael_. Now be ready, our guests should be arriving soon enough." She took her hand off the comm and slowly began closing her other hand, the fire beginning to fizzle out. "Hmhm, I believe it's for the show… to begin."

* * *

**A/N: And thus, Cinder and her team arrive at Haven Academy, and the heroes are already formulating a plan for their inevitable encounter. And that will be the subject of the big chapter 100… but before we get to that, why not focus on a little more about what happened in this one, huh? We got a little reunion with Team SSSN, and things seem to be all okay between the four, even if Scar and Sage are still not cleared for combat. And it seems the gang are making some good progress in their training as well! Here's hoping that Oscar can catch up, even if it takes a while. But hmm… Ben's theory may be a bit out there, but considering that the Gods of Light and Darkness were real as well, who's to say his thought couldn't hold some water? Eh, food for thought. Also, it's been a while since we've seen Blake exhibit more of her feline tendencies, so I thought I'd throw a little something in there. And yes, the monger is based exactly on who you think he is.**

**Now… NEXT TIME is Chapter 100, and the beginning of the Battle for Haven! Once the gang arrive at Haven, they are immediately greeted by Lionheart, though they soon see that they definitely aren't alone. They quickly find themselves in an ambush, and the reveal of their hostage doesn't make any matters better. However, with the** _**timely** _ **arrival of a certain someone, they find themselves with the backup they need to take them on. Thanks for reading everyone, and I'll see you all next time! Stay safe out there!**


	100. The More the Merrier

**A/N: Well folks, here we are! Big Chapter 100! I've been looking forward to the triple digits because it is in these numbers where this story will reach its conclusion (but not yet though, we still have an arc or so to go). With that said, let's get to it, shall we? I think you'll recognize this title well, because this is…**

**Chapter 100: The More the Merrier**

* * *

If there was one piece of news that Sun wasn't eager to get, it had to be the one that Yang had delivered to Blake, himself and Neptune just a few short minutes ago. Scarlet and Sage listened in as well, the duo keeping straight faces throughout it all. Apparently, Lionheart had taken it upon himself to invite them all to Haven to discuss his role in the mole situation. However, from the information he gave them, it had only raised their suspicions even more. "Ugh, I can't believe this." Sun grumbled.

"I know, right?" Blake agreed as she hung up her scroll. "So his story is that he found some pretty big info in less than twenty four hours since his visit with Qrow and Ironwood? _And_ he wants to talk to Raven personally? Yeah, that's _definitely_ suspicious." She noticed the intense expression that Sun wore on his face, making her ears flatten in sadness. "…I'm sorry, Sun. I know how much you guys looked up to him."

"…Yeah." Sun clenched his fists as he stood up, narrowing his eyes at the nearby window. "We may have to face facts here, guys… Lionheart IS probably the mole Raven heard about."

"Hm… doesn't mean I wish it wasn't." Neptune cupped his hands together and moved his eyes to the floor. "This sucks the big one."

Scarlet crossed his arms. "No doubt. But if you guys need to get to that Relic, then I suppose there's no choice in the matter."

"Ben's plan sounds pretty solid." Sage added, though a disappointed face soon took over his features as he glanced down to his leg brace. "I just wish we were able to join you guys on this."

Sun sent him a sympathetic smile. "Yeah, I know, dude. Trust me, I do to." He gave both of his teammates a thumbs up. "But we'll be okay, I promise. I'm just sorry that we have to cut our visit short."

"Ah, it's no problem." Scarlet reassured. "Once your mission's done, you can come back and see us before you head back to Vale, right?"

Sun and Neptune wore similar smirks at that remark. "You say that like you know we're gonna come out on top." Neptune remarked.

Sage raised an eyebrow to his friends. "Guys, you've managed to avoid getting killed by these people for almost three weeks now, _including_ at the Battle for Beacon." He gave the boys and Blake a salute. "I'm sure you guys can handle it, right?"

"That's no reason to jinx things, Sage." Blake pointed out, making the green-haired young man chuckle nervously. "Seriously, the last thing we need is something unexpected to happen." The cat girl moved over to the window and set her gaze up to Haven Academy, the school settled peacefully above the clouds. "Which I certainly hope it doesn't."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the time that had transpired after the phone call and subsequent planning, the remaining group of young heroes and experienced Huntsmen had just left the rental house and began making their way to Haven Academy. As he and the rest of the team walked through the small corridor that led to the city, Rex and Ben had fallen back into their conversation about gods, which ended up devolving into a discussion of their past experiences. "You know, I'm not sure _why_ I made a big stink about that whole "god" stuff in the first place back at the house, dude." The EVO admitted "I mean, you can _literally_ change into an omnipotent being. Plus, you fought one, so there's that."

Ben chuckled as he sent a reassuring wave to Rex. "Hey, no need to apologize again, dude. It's okay, trust me." He then gave a small shrug. "But like you said back at the house, I'm not sure how much I'd consider Daigon or Celestialsapiens as "gods", at least not the ones _I'm_ thinking of. I'm talking about the more… _mystical_ kinds of gods, you know? The ones that aren't alien in origin and can bend life and nature to their will."

"Yeah, I get ya." Rex placed his hands behind his head. "Honestly, it IS an interesting theory, if a bit of a farfetched one." He raised a brow over to his green-clad friend. "And hey, if you're able to find any proof that gods exist, lemme know so I can debate with you on it. Deal?"

"Heh, deal." Ben pointed a finger at Rex. "So long as they don't get their powers from Meta-Nanites, am I right?"

Rex smirked and waved him off. "Yeah, yeah, I hear ya. No technology based "godhood" for you."

"AHEM!" The boys both came to a halt when Gwen cleared her throat, making them face toward her. "Could we possibly shelve the whole conversation about gods for a bit? We're almost at the Academy."

Ben and Rex glanced to each other in confusion. "Uh… Gwen? I thought we were supposed to get to some sort of lift first?"

Yang smirked and pointed over to him. "We're already here, Green Boy… but if you and Rex had kept goin' with that conversation, you guys probably would've taken a dive! Haha!"

The two heroes' eyes widened and they snapped their heads back around, seeing that they indeed were near the precipice of the massive lift. After seeing how far down the ground was, they both promptly stepped away from the edge, laughing nervously. "Hehe… I guess we would've." Rex chuckled.

With the push of a button, the platform began rising upward, ascending all the way up to the school above. Needless to say, some were enjoying the ride more than others… "WOO-HOO!" Nora exclaimed as she raised her arms out over the railing. "This is so AWESOME!"

Weiss rolled her eyes at the Pink Dynamo's shouting. "Nora, it's not a ride. I mean, we're not even going all that _fast_."

This got Rex smirking. "Oh, yeah?" The EVO lifted his hand to the control panel, his appendage glowing with his signature blue lines. "I think I can fix that!"

Everyone's eyes widened immediately. "W-Wait, REX!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Metal head, you'd better not!" Qrow warned.

But by then, Rex had placed his hand onto the panel, pointing his free finger upwards. "Going UUUUUP!" At that moment, the rising platform suddenly lurched and began increasing in speed, to the point where the whole group were forced to fall to their rears. But it didn't last long, though, as the massive platform instantly stopped on a dime the moment it reached the top, sending many of the teens flying up and over the threshold. Having landed on his head, Rex grinned like an idiot as he stumbled to his feet. "Hehe… top floor, Haven Academy… oof." He almost instantly lost his balance and fell flat on his back, now effectively seeing stars.

Everyone had basically narrowed their eyes at the now-dazed EVO, though Qrow seemed to be the most perturbed about being knocked onto his arse. "Remind me to have a little chat with the goggled idiot later."

"No need." Weiss grumbled as she began dusting off her skirt, standing up to her feet as the others did as well. "I'll do it for you! Seriously, Robo-dolt, you are REALLY getting on my nerves at this point!"

Jaune flicked the last bit of dirt on his armor before dryly adding; "Weiss, when ISN'T he?"

"Well NOW it's more than usual!" Weiss stomped over and pointed right at the dazed EVO. "You had better shape up for this mission or else we'll never pull this off!"

"Heehee, you're pretty." The still-out-of-it Rex giggled, making Weiss' jaw drop and her face ripen like a tomato.

"Ahaha!" Ruby laughed heartily. "Weiss, you should see your face!"

Pyrrha wore a cheeky grin as well. "Indeed, it is quite amusing." She sent the heiress a small wink. "Perhaps the feeling is mutual, then?"

At their teasing, Weiss immediately forgot about her own embarrassment and grit her teeth toward the two. "Oh, come on! It's not like YOU don't blush when Jaune compliments YOU, Pyrrha!"

"Yes, because he's my _boyfriend_." Pyrrha emphasized. "And last I checked, you and Rex weren't an item… unless that last statement _implied_ you wanted to be…"

Weiss' eye was twitching at this point as Ren picked up from there. "She DOES have a point. For all your battering of one another, you and Rex are awfully close."

Nora zipped over and poked Weiss knowingly in the shoulder. "Yeah… are you _sure_ you two aren't basically an item?"

Her face still very bright red, Weiss faced away from her friends in a huff. "Hmph, yes, very sure." But despite herself, she mentally added; _'At least… I'm pretty sure.'_

"Alright, alright, ENOUGH arguing!" Raven barked, garnering everyone's attention immediately. In a split second, all of the teens had straightened up and gotten into a line, all except for Rex who was still loopy on the ground. "Remember, this is a serious situation we're in here, so we all need to keep on our toes." She directed her eyes up above the teens heads, prompting them all to turn around and face the Haven Academy gate. "We're expecting an ambush, but we still have no clear idea as to what they're attack plan will be."

Ben nodded in agreement. "Right, but we _can_ at least get a good sense of who we're up against beforehand…" He sent a smile over to his cousin. "Gwen, if you would?"

"Gotcha." Gwen affirmed before closing her eyes. The second she opened them, they started to glow with her signature pink energy as she began scanning for energy signatures all throughout the school. Her brows furrowed and her eyes stopped glowing, all while moving her attention back to Ben. "There's a single person waiting in a big building near the back of the school."

"That'd be the Grand Hall." Qrow deduced. "And the guy in there is probably Leo."

"Hm, I see." Gwen nodded before going on. "And as expected, Cinder's here, too, hiding near the back of the Grand Hall. Plus, there's Rojo, Emerald, Mercury, Thunderhog, Exo-Skull and Subdora in there as well. Judging from their energies, they all seem to be itching for a fight."

The whole group could only stare wide-eyed at the redhead at that information. "Man… Salem didn't spare any expenses this time around." Yang placed her hands on her hips. "It's obvious that she doesn't wanna take any chances with this mission."

"It's basically the same group you guys faced back in Essen." Ruby pointed out. "We're probably going to be in for a wild brawl."

"Yes, but that's not all." Gwen continued. "There's another person in there as well, and I don't recognize their energy."

Now this REALLY caught everyone's attention. "W-What?" Oscar questioned. "What does that mean?"

"It means that Salem might just have another new lackey." Jaune explained with a clenched fist. "Ugh, just what we need."

"Well, maybe, Jaune." Gwen placed a hand to her head and began focusing on the unknown energy again. "Quite honestly, I'm not exactly sure WHO this energy belongs to or what their allegiance is. Whoever this other person is, their energy is behaving VERY erratically."

Ben pursed his lips and began thinking over their options. "Okay, so we're dealing with one turncoat and seven… _maybe_ eight villains in total." He shook his head and took a deep breath, bracing himself for what came next. "I really hope the latter isn't true, but either way, we're about to walk into… the lion's den, so to speak."

"Ah-ha!" Yang grinned from ear to ear. "I see what ya did there!"

Ben chuckled and shrugged. "Yes, yes you did. But in all seriousness, we have to be ready for anything when we get in there. So make sure all your weapons are at the ready, alright?" He watched as the teens began to load all of their weapons, nodding in approval. "Good, and remember; we have to play along with Lionheart's game if we wanna get in there. Once we're good and settled, Raven will make the first move."

"Indeed." Raven affirmed. "I'll get Lionheart to admit his guilt and try to get some answers out of him. And when Cinder and her squad storm in, you all know what to do."

Ruby sent her a salute. "Right, engage the enemy tactfully!"

"No funny business." Pyrrha assured. "We keep this as clean as we possibly can."

Raven smiled in approval. "Good girls. Now let's get this over with, huh?"

After making sure Rex was okay and able to stand up, Raven led the group over to the Haven Academy gate. Once they approached the large doors, they automatically opened themselves up, presenting everyone with a clear view of the school. "Woah! Okay, I'm digging this place." Ben grinned.

"Yeah, it's so oriental." Gwen complimented before spotting the CCT tower that was behind the first building. "Even the communication tower is modeled to match."

Oscar seemed to perk up at the familiar surroundings. "Heh, yeah. I—I mean Ozpin didn't spare any details when he built this place."

Ben smirked and raised an eyebrow toward the young man. "The memories starting to settle in, kid?"

Oscar rubbed the back of his head. "Heh, yeah. Not much, but little."

"Hm, good. But remember to stay clear when the big stuff starts going down." Ben reminded. "We don't need you dying so soon after the first guy did."

" _I must agree with Mr. Tennyson's assessment."_ Ozpin concurred. _"It would be no use to reincarnate again so soon after the first time."_

' _Yeah, because I would be the one speaking to the new guy instead of YOU.'_ Oscar retorted. _'And as we've established, I don't know jack about all this stuff yet.'_

As Oscar and Ozpin continued their inner conversation, the group decided to go around the main building and head straight toward the Grand Hall, not wanting to risk any surprises that could have been set up in the first building. From there, the group tracked through the quad, moving passed the large fountain in the middle of the area before finally making it to the hall itself. As she, her brother and Ironwood approached the door, Raven took in a deep breath to brace herself for what would happen next. "Well, here goes nothing."

"It'll all be fine, mom." Yang promised with a grin and a wink. "Trust me, we'll all be on our best behavior for this "tour"."

Raven sent a sly grin back to her daughter. "Ah yes, the "tour". That's what I was worried about. Here's hoping your _guides_ are well informed." With that, she faced the door again and shifted her gaze over to Ironwood. "Let's get this over with, Jim."

"Of course." Ironwood obliged as he opened the doors, swinging them inward and allowing them access to the hall. The inside itself was very immaculate, the marble floors having been well cleaned while multiple paintings adorned the jade green walls, a pair of blue banners with Mistral's symbol having been hung up as well. There was an upper walk way that surrounded the whole room, with stairs having been placed by the entrance to access it. At the end of the hall, however, was where everyone's attention was. Flanked by a pair of stairs was a large marble statue, one of a rather beautiful woman who was raising her hands up above her head. Her wrists and hips were adorned by gold chains while her dress and hair seemed to be blowing out with an unseen wind, her eyes gazing upward with her mouth open.

Behind the stature, the stairs led up to a top podium, where their host was waiting for them. "Ah, hello, everyone!" Lionheart greeted with a smile. "I am so _glad_ to see you have accepted my invitation." He moved his eyes around to all of the teens as they looked up at him, his nerves beginning to grow a little bit. "Hah, I must say, I didn't expect to see so many faces, but… wait." After taking a second look, Lionheart sent a questioning stare down to Ironwood. "James… where are Sun and Neptune? I certainly thought they'd be here with you."

Ironwood nodded his head to Lionheart. "Yes, and they'll be here soon, Leo. But first they wanted to visit with their teammates first. I'm sure you understand."

"Ah, of course." Lionheart chortled. "Silly me. I nearly forgot that it's been two weeks since those boys last saw each other. My, how time flies." He shifted his eyes back out to the teens. "Still, I must say that there's quite a lot of you here… hehe."

Qrow stepped up and extended a hand to Lionheart. "Well, ya know what they say, the more the merrier. So, should we get down to the reason why we're here, or what?"

"Y-Yes, of course. I assume you've told the children about all this already, right?"

Ironwood nodded. "We have, Leo, so don't be afraid to speak freely in front of them." He sent a knowing glance back to the teens. "They deserve to hear _everything_ you have to say."

Lionheart bowed respectively. "Hm, yes, I will. …Though I'm unsure if bringing your weapons was necessary."

This got Qrow to narrow his eyes. "Leo, we're _Huntsmen_. We've gotta be prepared for any situation, _right_?"

"O-Oh, hm, yes, quite." It was at that point that the headmaster finally focused onto Raven, his gaze slightly narrowing at her with a pointed glare. "But now, I believe we should address the most important business first. …Hello, Raven."

Raven furrowed her brows at the headmaster. "Leo… it's been a while."

"Hmph, well, I can certainly say so." Leo concurred. "But with all of the things you've presented to me, perhaps it was not long enough." He placed his hand over his chest. "It's bad enough that you would accuse me of betraying Ozpin's trust, but to be harboring the Spring Maiden for ten years without telling ANY of us?!" He took a breath to calm himself, his anger disappearing from his face and replaced with a more imploring expression. "Raven, we need the Spring Maiden now more than ever. Please, let me prove to you that I am not the mole you say I am."

However, Raven's accusatory glare didn't change. "You can drop the act, Leo."

Taken aback, Leo's eyes widened with fear. "W-What?! B-But I—"

"You always were a bad actor." Raven explained as she reached for Omen, pulling it out of its sheath before pointing it right up at him. "Now TALK! We _know_ that you're in with Salem. _Suddenly_ finding evidence, wanting to see ME personally to talk about the Spring Maiden? It's all too convenient on your part."

Leo shifted his eyes around to Ironwood and Qrow, seeing that they were giving him the same accusing look. Another glance at the teens showed that they were doing so as well, and it was here that he knew he couldn't keep the act up. He raised a single hand and bowed his head, almost like a sign of admission to the group. However, it also served as a signal to another unseen person in the room. At the edge of his vision, he saw a dark figure stand up from the floor of the upper walkway behind the group of teens and Huntsman, having hid themselves there in preparation for their arrival.

Lionheart let out a heavy sigh. "You know, Raven, you were always too nosy for your own good." From behind him, he pulled out his own signature weapon; Stalwart, and attached it to his left forearm. "But you just couldn't leave well enough alone, can you?"

It was then that both Qrow and Ironwood pulled out their own weapons, leading the teens to all take combat stances. "So it's true. Leo… what have you _done_?" Qrow asked in a low tone.

"Why would you betray Ozpin's trust like this!?" Ironwood demanded. "ANSWER ME!"

"Why? WHY?!" Leo pointed directly toward Raven. "For the same reason SHE _killed_ the Spring Maiden! Because I _fear_ Salem, as should all of you!" He closed his eyes and turned his head away from the group. "James, Qrow, I had hoped you two would be spared from all this…" His expression became dark when he faced them again. "But you two chose to lie right to my face."

Qrow clenched his teeth. "And now I can see we were right to do so."

"Hmph, but I suppose it doesn't matter." Leo mused. "Once we're done here, Salem will most assuredly grant me my freedom from her service."

"AND WILL IT BE WORTH IT?!" Ironwood hollered. "Selling out your colleagues just so that YOU can get off scot-free?!"

Leo shook his head. "I'm afraid you do not understand, James. Salem needs only three people here alive after today." He raised his hand up to Raven, Ben and Ruby. "And that would be these three. Raven being the Spring Maiden, of course. And then there's young Ruby Rose, the last of the Silver-Eyed Warriors. Finally, Ben Tennyson, wielder of the… Omnitrix, I believe it's called? Salem wishes to see all of you in her court."

Ben waved Lionheart off. "Spare me the mockery of justice, bushy-beard. I'm not about to appear in court."

Ruby, however, was a bit more caught off guard. "W-Wait… she wants ME alive?!"

Raven was in a similar state of shock at that. "But that makes no sense! Why would Salem want her _alive_?!"

"I am unsure." Lionheart answered. "I am simply the messenger. If you wish to know why, then I suggest you take it up with the one's in charge… if you can stop them."

On that note, the shadowy figure began charging up an attack; a rather large spear that was initially glowing bright orange with intense heat. However, it quickly solidified into a spike of solid obsidian, one which the figure brought back to prepare her throw. _'I believe… the heiress should be first.'_ the figure decided mentally. _'If I cannot kill Ruby, then perhaps watching her friend die will satisfy me instead.'_ With that, the figure threw the spear, but the action did not go unnoticed.

The moment she felt a significant spike in power, Gwen's eyes widened and she spun around, only to see that the figure had thrown the spear already… and it was sailing straight towards… "WEISS!" Gwen screamed.

Weiss barely had enough time to turn around and say "Huh?" before seeing the spear come hurdling straight toward her. From there, things seemed to go into slow motion, the spear closing in on Weiss with every passing second. However, just before it made impact, the heiress felt someone shove her out of the way before the familiar sound of nanites powering up graced her ears. The moment she fell to the ground, she snapped back up and shouted; "REX!"

The young EVO had thrown himself into the spear's path, having activated his Block Party to try and make the spear bounce back. However, instead of impacting the energy shield itself, the spear had pierced through the blue circle at its center. In an instant, the obsidian spear began to glow orange again and melted onto the glowing machine, making it melt along with it. "Gah!" Rex exclaimed as he forced his build off to avoid getting burned. He whipped his head up to the upper floor and sneered at the unseen figure. "Alright, I can take a lot of shit, but when you aim to kill HER first, that's crossing the line!"

Weiss put a hand to her chest in relief, thankful that he had activated the right build for the job. _'Rex, I swear, you're going to give me a heart attack one day!'_ But then, the heiress realized that there was still the matter of the unseen figure to attend to… and she had a feeling she knew who it was. She moved her eyes back up just in time to see the figure above them shaking their… no, _her_ head.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Rojo was right, the rich girl really IS a sore spot for you." With a single leap, figure leapt down from the banister, revealing herself to be none other than Cinder Fall. She smiled coldly at Rex as her amber eyes began to glow. "But honestly, pulling the chivalrous act won't earn you any points, _hero_." Cinder then moved her eyes over to Raven, seemingly happy to see her. "Ah, and the Spring Maiden. We meet once again."

"What a displeasure." Raven snarled.

"How did you even sneak in here?!" Gwen questioned. "I sensed you in the back of the building only a few moments ago!"

Cinder wagged her finger at the Anodite before pointing up, indicating a security camera above the front door. "What can I say? Security cameras can be handy for both noble _and_ nefarious purposes. The moment we saw you come in… we took our places."

Oscar couldn't help but back away a bit from the Fall Maiden, a clear memory replaying in his mind. _'So… she's the one that killed you, right?'_

" _Indeed, it is."_ Ozpin confirmed. _"And she is also the one who stole the Fall Maiden's powers. Be on your highest guard, Oscar, and don't let anything slip."_

Everyone glared intensely at the Fall Maiden, Pyrrha especially as she readied Milo and Akouo. "… _Cinder_." she hissed.

"Oh, Pyrrha, dear." Cinder waved condescendingly. "It's been a while, hasn't it? So much has happened since Essen in such a small amount of time…" Her smirk increased slightly. "But that ankle I put out of commission must be starting to feel normal again by this point. Should I put another hole in it?"

Before Pyrrha could even respond, Jaune, Ren and Nora were already in front of her. The blonde knight was practically shooting daggers from his eyes at Cinder as he kept a strong grip on Crocea Mors. "Don't you DARE touch her!"

Cinder let out a mock gasp. "Oh! A knight in shining armor? Hmhm, I believe I made it clear that the chivalric act won't matter in the situation you're in."

"Perhaps not." Ren conceded, keeping Stormflower aimed right at Cinder. "But we can at least prevent you from trying to kill our friend _again_."

"And who said anything about chivalry, lady?!" Nora shouted, raising Magnhild above her head. "We're just here to break your legs!"

"Sounds delightful." Cinder deadpanned. "Unfortunately, I have other plans." She snapped her fingers and called out; "Everyone! Our _guests_ have arrived!"

On cue, the double doors behind Lionheart burst open, making the headmaster shout out in surprise. From there, Rojo, Emerald and Mercury all came jogging out before jumping right off the large podium, landing on the ground directly on the other side of the group. The teens and adults circled around, taken aback by their sudden entrance. Rojo cracked her knuckles with a big toothy grin. "'Sup, nerds?! Guess who's back and ready to kick your asses?!"

"Surprised to see us, I take it?" Emerald added, making everyone glower at her even more.

"Not really." Gwen said, raising her fists as her mana sprung to life. "I could sense your energy all the way from the front entrance."

Weiss, having regained herself, pulled out Myrtenaster and pointed it at the villains. "Believe me, you guys are starting to become MUCH too predictable with your ambushes."

Mercury placed a hand on his hip, moving so that the burn mark across his eye was unobstructed by his hair. "Aw, c'mon, guys! Don't tell me that THIS is how you greet old friends."

"You sure have a pretty crappy definition of "friend" if that's the case." Ben retorted. "Also, are you intentionally showing off your scar to try and be intimidating? That is SO last decade, dude."

"SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH!" Mercury bellowed.

"Not a chance, idiot-who-sounds-like-me!" Ben retorted.

However, the two were quickly silenced when Rojo fired off a blast from her laser rifle, the energy beam having gone straight through the roof. "Alright, alright, let's not get too hasty! As much as I wanna get to the fightin', we DO still have business to attend to here." With a press of a button, Rojo tossed her gun into the air as it converted into her dual-edged energy sword, the handle of the glowing red blade landing in her hand perfectly. She pointed it right at Raven and proceeded to call her out. "Alright, Miss Springtime, here's what's gonna go down. You're gonna come with me an' Cindy down to the Vault and you're gonna open that big, impressive door for us. Then, we're gonna take the Relic and call it a day, capisce?"

Raven simply glowered at the bounty hunter. "I'm not sure you're in any place to make demands." She spread an arm out across the group, gesturing to all of the teens who were getting their weapons ready. "If you hadn't noticed, you're outnumbered by a large margin, even WITH the extra help you've got."

"She's right, Rojo." Ben said as he made to activate the Omnitrix. "We _know_ that Hog, Skull and Subdora are here, too, plus another person you have with you." He raised his hand up to slam it down on the watch. "So you might as well bring them out—"

"Hold up there, Jethro!" Rojo shouted, pointing her sword at Ben. "If you know about our OTHER guest, then I wouldn't even _touch_ that watch again if I were you! Because the moment you do, I'll give Skull the order to SMASH our pretty little _hostage's_ head! Subdora! Boys! Bring her in here!"

At her word, the doors on either side of the ground floor flew open, revealing Hog and Subdora on one side while Skull was on the other, the three approaching the team with confidence in their stride. However, as they drew forward, the teens saw that Skull was holding something in his hand… or rather _someone_. It appeared to be a young woman in her early twenties, one with short hair and blue eyes. She was tied up tightly as Skull dragged her along the ground, keeping her head clenched in his massive hand as she tried to struggle out of her hold. The moment Raven saw her, though, her eyes widened in shock, fear, confusion, and a whole slew of other emotions. _'No… no, no, NO! This… this can't be!'_ She made to run forward, calling out to the trapped girl; "VERNAL!"

"Ah-ah-ah!" Exo-Skull warned as he lifted Vernal up by the head, allowing the young woman to see Raven. Vernal's eyes widened and she shouted for Raven to stop, but then, Skull began squeezing her head again, making her scream in utter agony. Raven stopped right in her tracks, horrified by what the mutant was doing to one of her closest comrades.

"Yeah, ya see that?" Skull smirked. "One wrong step, and I crush her skull with my bare hand!"

"Don't you DARE hurt her!" Raven hollered through clenched teeth.

However, everyone else was only confused at Raven's outburst, leaving them all to start worrying as well. "W-What? Mom, _that's_ Vernal?" Yang asked. "What's she doing here?!"

"I don't know, Yang." Raven muttered with a shaky voice. "But I can only suspect that Salem had them kidnap her and bring her here." Her fist tightened until her knuckles became white. "Because they knew that she'd be the perfect bargaining chip."

Ben clenched his teeth as his hand moved away from the Omnitrix. He was NOT about to tempt fate by going alien at the moment. _'Damn it! I didn't see this coming!'_

" _Corretto_!" Subdora confirmed. "We had the great pleasure of abducting this beautiful _signorina_ from her tribe so that we could give her a proper reunion with you… for a price."

Next to her, Hog let out a snort. "Huh, yeah! An' I'd relax if I were you guys. We don't plan on hurting her… much! AHAHA!" Raven whipped around and glared right at him, only for the warthog mutant to raise a finger. "Ah-ah, let's not get too hasty! We'll give her back… _after_ we're done here. Right, Rojo?!"

"Exactly." Rojo said before reaching out to Exo-Skull. "Skull! Bring her over!" The rhino mutant began to slowly make his way over to Rojo, never taking his eyes off of the heroes for an instant. Vernal was then handed off to Rojo and the bounty hunter forced her to her knees, using one hand to put her into an armbar while keeping her foot pressed firmly against Vernal's calf. Rojo smirked as she rested the edge of her energy blade near Vernal's neck, her eyes staying glued to Ben. "Now Tennyson, I wanna see both of those hands in the air and AWAY from each other! One wrong move and the girl gets it."

Ben's eyes shifted between Rojo and Vernal, his gut sinking a bit when he saw the trapped girl's state. Her face was battered and bruised, while her arms and legs were cut in multiple different places. Vernal's clothes had also been ripped pretty well, the garments in tatters as blood stained the rips in the fabric. _'She's been through enough hell already.'_ Ben reluctantly raised his hands, giving a glare to Rojo. "Never thought I'd be complying with YOUR demands, Rojo, but here we are."

Rojo's grin simply increased. "I ain't a small-time crook anymore, Benji. I've taken the time to get better at this shit." She directed her attention to the group in general. "Now listen up! The Spring Maiden's coming with us down to the Vault and she WILL be opening that door!"

As she made her demands, though, a certain drunken Huntsman couldn't help but keep his eyes glaring up to Lionheart. "How could you DO this, Leo?! You're betraying your friends and you're just OKAY with that?!" When Leo turned his head away without a word, that only prompted Qrow to shout at him more. "How long?! How long have you been working with them?!"

"It has to have been at least a year." Ironwood concluded with a grimace. "Otherwise, Cinder and her group wouldn't have been able to sneak into the Vytal Festival entries under Mistral's watch."

"Oh, well aren't you the clever cyborg?" Cinder goaded, bringing everyone's attention to her. She gestured up to Lionheart with a dark grin. "Gaining entry into the Vytal Festival _was_ a real treat, but Lionheart has been working with Salem for MUCH longer than you realize. …Isn't that right, professor?"

"Stop it." Lionheart growled as he faced away from everyone.

"I don't think I will." Cinder denied nonchalantly. "After all, your seat on the Mistral Council has been VERY useful in tracking down… _unwanted_ interference." This made Qrow, Ironwood and Raven's eyes all widen in realization. "Ah, did I let too much slip? If it's any condolence… Tyrian and Hazel both made _very_ short work of the Huntsmen they were able to track down."

At this point, Qrow and Ironwood were both utterly furious. The former extended Harbinger while the latter loaded Due Process, rounding back to Lionheart with hatred in their eyes. "LIONHEART!" They both shouted before making a start at the headmaster.

"HEY!" Rojo asserted, keeping Vernal close at hand as she pulled the blade even closer to her neck. "We ain't done with the deal yet!" To prove her point, Rojo pressed the blade onto Vernal's neck, giving her a small incision just an inch away from her jugular vein. Her subsequent scream got both men to stop in their tracks. "Just let the Spring Maiden come with us an' THEN we'll leave you guys to the brawl!"

Ben furrowed his brows at Rojo. "And you just expect us to NOT follow you the moment you and Cinder leave with her?" he questioned. "As good as your fighters are, we _still_ out number you by a large margin, Rojo, and we've got backup coming along, too! Once we find an opening, we WILL come after you."

"Hmm… you're right." A toothy grin came to Rojo's face as she placed a hand to her ear. "Let's fix that, shall we?" She pressed on a small device in her ear and spoke into it. "VIK! Make your big entrance!"

All at once, the whole building started to rumble before a loud, thunderous _CRACK_ echoed throughout the room, almost as if an explosion had gone off. Everyone whipped around in time to see both of the large front doors be blown off their hinges by two large arcs of purple lightning, prompting everyone to duck down to the floor to avoid getting hit by them. The lighting hit the back wall, making Lionheart flinch again as they scorched the blue banners, burning them to ash. A dark cloud of smoke started to billow from the entrance as large foot falls began to enter the room, accompanied by a familiar voice; "TENNYSON!"

The whole team became shocked as they saw none other than Doctor Viktor enter the room, the Transylian now sporting a new black trench coat as his electricity danced around his body. As the smoke cleared, the group could see that an army of Grimm had suddenly gathered outside in the quad, their eyes all glowing the same purple as Viktor's lightning.

Ben craned his head up to Viktor, meeting his gaze with a furrowed brow. _'…This is bad. VERY bad.'_

* * *

Meanwhile, back down in the town below, Blake, Sun, and Neptune were making their way back through the market place and toward the lift, intending to take it up to Haven Academy. However, the atmosphere between them was anything but jovial, the trio wearing similarly serious faces as they prepared themselves for the fight that was most likely ahead of them. As they were walking, though, Blake noticed that Sun seemed to be more focused than either she or Neptune were. Not to say they weren't focused, but the monkey boy's eyes were practically aimed right up at the academy above, almost as if it were a target. "Uh… Sun?" Blake put a hand to her boyfriend's arm, pulling him out of his trance. "Are you okay?"

"H-Huh?" Sun blinked and turned to the cat girl, giving her a small nod. "Oh, yeah. I'm good, Blake, don't worry. I'm just…" He let out a sigh and moved his eyes back up to Haven, furrowing his brows intently. "I'm trying to brace myself for this, ya know?"

"I know." Blake assured, squeezing his hand in support. "It won't be easy for you to do this, I know."

Neptune raised a fist up to his best friend. "But we'll still do it, right? For the sake of our team… and the world."

Sun smirked and lightly squeezed Blake's hand back, giving Neptune a fist-bump in the process. "Yeah, I'm not about to back down from this, guys. And thanks."

Suddenly, from off to the side, they heard a rather familiar laugh. "Ho-ho! The yellow and blue SSSN Boys return!" Sun, Neptune and Blake all whipped their heads around to see that they had somehow ended up walking by Randolph's stand, the fish monger waving them over. "And the fish-loving Blake girl, yes? Have you come back with the proper equipment to handle Randolph's produce?"

Sun rubbed the back of his head as a small yet sad smile came to his face. He had to hold Blake back with his free hand to keep her from drooling on the fish. "Eh, no, sorry Randolph, not yet." He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. "We actually just got done with visiting Scarlet and Sage… but we got a call from our other friends and we need to get to 'em soon."

"Ah, I see, very good." Randolph nodded. "Well, whenever you are ready, simply let Randolph know…" However, the blue-haired man quickly took noticed of Sun's expression. "Monkey-tailed SSSN Boy, why does your face sad like papa's pouch of parsnips?"

The leader of Team SSSN was taken aback by that, though it also managed to take Blake and Neptune by surprise as well. The three looked to each other and back at Randolph before Sun answered. "Well… we just got some bad news, and… it involves something back at Haven."

"Haven? Why what do you mean?" Randolph gestured up to the school high on the mountain tops. "Haven has been quiet for many days now. Scaredy-cat Lionheart hasn't made a peep!"

Neptune cast his gaze down to the ground. "Yeah, and that's kinda what's bothering us."

_BOOM!_ Suddenly, before anyone could say another word, the sound of what seemed to be a loud explosion suddenly reverberated through the whole market place, causing many people to instantly stop what they were doing. Blake, Sun, Neptune and Randolph all began doing the same before someone in the crowd pointed up and yelled; "Hey! Up there!" The four craned their heads back up to Haven, only to see that there was now a plume of smoke wafting up from the Academy. This got many people buzzing, as expected, with many asking the basic questions like; "What's going on?" or "What caused that explosion?" and even; "Is it the science lab AGAIN?".

Neptune pursed his lips indignantly. "Hey, that was ONE time, okay?!"

Blake clenched her teeth and sent a worried gaze up to the academy. "…That might be part of what we were talking about."

Randolph pursed his lips and put a hand to his long beard, pulling on it in thought. "Hm, a foul stench of immortal doom thickens the air, yes?" The teens all whipped their heads to him, their eyes widened in astonishment as he practically guessed what was happening. But in the next instant, Randolph shrugged it off. "Or, perhaps it is Winnifred's cabbage evacuations." He then marched right to the other side of his stand, getting back to work. "Hard to tell."

The three teens could only blink in shock at the one-eighty the odd man had just done, but they were quick to shake it off, their attention going right back up to the Academy. "It's starting." Sun stated. "No doubt about it."

"We gotta get up there!" Blake shouted. "C'mon, let's get to the lift!"

The trio began making their way over to the lift again, running as fast as their legs could carry them. However, once they got to where the platform should have been, they all came to a screeching halt when they saw what appeared to be two maintenance workers inspecting the nearby panel. Sun suddenly went into a panic when he realized that panel was the same one that brought the lift to that particular level, meaning that something might've been wrong with it. "Oh no!" He hustled over and asked the closest worker. "S-Sir! What's wrong with the lift?!"

The worker sighed and shook his head, jabbing his thumb over to the machine. "Well, a short while ago, we got a weird energy surge form the panel on the lift itself, one that made it go EXTREMELY fast." He shook his head and began flipping through the papers on the clip board he was carrying. "It seems like the lift short-circuited the moment it hit the top, meaning that it's gonna be down for a little bit."

"WHAT?!" The trio of teens exclaimed.

"Don't worry." The other worker said with a wave of his hand. "Something like this can be fixed in an hour or so."

Neptune was quick to object. "But we don't HAVE an hour! We have to get up to Haven NOW!"

"Haven Academy? Ah, I don't think ya wanna go up there right now." The first worker denied. "Sounds like something might've gone wrong up there as well." He let out a small chuckle as he and his co-worker began to leave. "Heh, who wants to bet the science lab blew up again? But don't worry, we'll have this lift fixed soon, promise."

"But…" Blake started to protest, but the workers were already gone, leaving the trio alone once again. "Damn it! Of all the times for something like THIS to happen!"

It was then that Sun realized something. "Wait a second… he said the lift got stuck at the top where Haven is. And that a weird surge was the reason it stopped working…" He raised a brow at Blake and Neptune. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"If you mean that a certain EVO supercharged the lift with his nanites, then yeah, I am." Neptune said irritably. "Ugh! C'mon Rex! THINK for god's sake!"

"Shouting at the sky won't help our problem, Neptune." Blake asserted. "We'll just have to find another way up." The cat girl sent her sights to her boyfriend. "Sun, there at least HAS to be _some_ sort of stairs, right? The people MUST have climbed the mountain with stairs before the lift was put in."

Sun gave her a single nod. "Yeah, there ARE stairs, but they're pretty dangerous to climb up since they've pretty much been over grown since the lift was established." His head snapped back up to Haven. "And even if we were to climb those steps, it would take us OVER an hour to even get up there! We're basically stuck!"

"So it would seem." A voice piped up behind the trio, causing them all to jump up in surprise. When the three teens whipped around, they were shocked to see none other than Professor Paradox standing behind them, the time traveler giving them a wave. "Greetings, everyone! I assume your visit went swimmingly?"

"P-Professor!" Blake stuttered. "What're you doing back here so soon?"

Neptune placed his hands on his hips. "Yeah, I thought you had something to do."

Paradox sent them a wink. "I did, and that something is going to be helping you all out quite a bit." He pointed toward them. "Look behind you and you'll see what I mean."

Blake, Sun and Neptune complied and did an about face… only to be met with something they did not expect to see. Their faces brightened up and Sun pumped a fist into the air, letting out a laugh as he did. "Haha! No way! What're you guys doing here?!"

Standing in front of them were none other than Kevin, Ilia and Penny, all of them grinning with determination. "Same reason you guys are." Kevin answered before slamming a fist into the palm of his hand. "Now c'mon, we got some punching to do."

* * *

Back up at Haven, the room was utterly silent as the team continued to stare at Viktor, the alien having moved his way further into the Grand Hall. With every step, the marble flooring under his feet cracked a bit, though Ben had a feeling that all that weight wasn't _fat_. He sent a nervous smile up to the Transylian and raised his hands defensively. "Hehe, uh… HEY Viktor!" he greeted while backing away. "I see you're in your right mind again. And with a pretty awesome coat to boot! Say, where can _I_ get one like that?" _BAM_! "Gah!" Ben sidestepped away from where Viktor had shot a bolt of lightning to the ground, the hero figuring it was a warning shot. "Jeez, can't take a compliment, huh?"

"Silence, Tennyson!" Viktor bellowed. "I have no time for your insolent prattle."

Yang could only smirk and mutter to herself. "Gee, someone's been using their thesaurus."

However, Gwen was by far NOT in an amused mood. "This… this doesn't make sense!" Her eyes went to the Grimm outside, all of which were glaring at them with their violet eyes. "I should've been able to SENSE all of those Grimm the moment we came up here!" She furrowed her brows right up at Viktor. "And I _definitely_ should've sensed you, Viktor. How did you hide from me?!"

To everyone's surprise, the answer didn't come from Viktor. "A simple answer… _lovely_ Gwen." The whole team's eyes widened when a young blonde man in a familiar dark suit came waltzing out from behind Viktor, sending an evil smile toward the group. "Hello, everyone. It's certainly been a while, hasn't it?"

Out of everyone there, Ben and Gwen were the most shocked to see this young man. "No way… _Michael_?!" Ben exclaimed.

"Wait, Michael as in Michael _Morningstar_?!" Nora shouted. "As in _Darkstar_ Michael Morningstar?!" She began pulling against her face. "But I thought he had a serious case of corpse face! When did he suddenly become a male model?!"

Gwen clenched her teeth in rage at the mere sight of Michael Morningstar's rather smug expression. "That's what I'd like to know… but I think I already have an idea." She pointed right at the young blonde man. "Salem gave you your face back, didn't she? I can already tell by the aura you're giving off that you're under _some_ kind of spell."

Michael gave a sinister chuckle at that. "Hmhm, oh, Gwen, you're always on top of things, aren't you?" He placed his hands together and began pacing back and forth, explaining things in an almost gloating fashion. "To answer that, yes, the great Lady Salem has graced me with a spell that keeps my normal appearance from ever diminishing. All I must do is keep feeding on energy and I won't ever become a walking corpse again." He ended up sauntering over to Cinder, which made the Fall Maiden glare daggers at him. "As for why you couldn't sense us, Dearest Cinder here had the absolutely _brilliant_ plan to have Viktor and I wait on the side of the mountain with the Grimm while you all made your way up here on the lift. Once you made it up, we were given the signal to make our way up as well. Isn't that right, Dear Cinder?"

" _Silence_ , Morningstar." Cinder snapped. "Remember, that was _my_ plan, not yours. So don't start gloating about it like it IS yours. _Understood_?"

Michael raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, I can understand that." He gestured out toward the team. "By all means, take it from here."

Cinder narrowed her eyes at Michael briefly before going back to the teens, all of them still glaring at her in contempt. "Now, where were we? Ah, yes…" She directed her attention over to Raven. "You were just coming with us, Spring Maiden."

Raven clenched her teeth as her hold on Omen tightened. "You… you're garbage."

"Gee, thanks for the compliment." Rojo quipped before hauling Vernal up, keeping the girl close to her as she continued to press her blade to her neck. "Now c'mon, we ain't got all day here. It's either she dies, or you unlock the relic for us… and I think you already know what you're going to go with."

Raven closed her eyes briefly before assessing the situation. She knew that once she had left with Cinder and Rojo, the fighting would immediately break out. And now that Viktor and Michael were in the picture, along with a whole slew of Grimm, she knew that it'd be no easy task for the others to slip away and follow them down to the vault. She turned her head toward Ben and Yang, the couple doing the same in an instant. They glanced between Vernal, Cinder and Rojo before giving Raven a nod, telling her to comply with the demand. However, Raven could see something behind Ben's eyes that signaled to her that he had a plan, reassuring her that it was the best decision to go with right now.

The Spring Maiden moved her sights back to Vernal once again, the bandit giving her a pleading gaze. Raven could tell that she was begging her not to go through with it, but that was something she could not comply with. _'I'm sorry, Vernal. But I'm not about to lose you, too.'_ Raven pursed her lips and lowered her head to Rojo. "…Fine, I'll go with you. Just please, don't kill her."

Rojo smiled and brought the blade away from Vernal's throat, though her grip on the girl didn't relax for an instant. "Hey, now THAT'S the spirit! C'mon, let's get this over with." Raven began to move forward, but then, Rojo raised her blade again. "Up-up-up, hold on a minute, lady. I wasn't born yesterday." She gestured her weapon to the ground. "Leave the sword and scabbard. Oh, and don't even THINK of using your Maiden powers on anything BUT opening the door. I see your eyes glow for even a _second_ before we get there, the girl dies."

Raven grumbled before giving a scoff, sheathing Omen before detaching it from her hip. She set it down to the floor carefully before raising her hands, showing that she didn't have any other weapons on her. "Alright, I'm unarmed." She shot a quick glance to Yang before walking over to Rojo, taking her daughter by surprise.

' _Did… did she just…"_ Yang's eyes moved down to Omen, the sword laying just a few feet away from her. _'…Okay, mom. I gotcha.'_

Just as Cinder was making her way past the group, she glanced over and gave them her trademark sinister smile. "Oh, and don't get too many ideas about following and surprising us. If any of you make it past our defensive line, we'll know immediately."

"Duly noted." Ben remarked with a sneer. "Doesn't mean we won't still do it. That said… how WILL you know about it?"

"Psh, like I'd tell you, Tennyson." Cinder scoffed as she, Rojo and Raven approached the statue of the ethereal woman, with Vernal still in Rojo's clutches. "We simply _will_ , and that is all."

Little did the Fall Maiden know that Ben had caught a glimpse of a very tiny device in her ear, one that was almost unnoticeable to anyone not paying attention. _'Yeah, I'll try to remember that.'_ he thought sarcastically. _'Now I've got a solid plan."_

Cinder reached upward, holding out her hand to Lionheart on the platform above her. "Professor, be a dear and send down the key, if you would."

As Lionheart reached for his pocket watch, Qrow bellowed at him; "Don't you DARE, Leo!"

"You have ONE last shot." Ironwood said through clenched teeth. "Do this… and you are officially done."

Lionheart closed his eyes, lowering his head in shame. "…I'm sorry, gentlemen. But the only sure way to survive… is to give in." With that, he dropped the pocket watch over the side and it fell right into Cinder's hand, her smile increasing substantially.

"Ah, thank you, dear Lionheart. I'll see to it that Lady Salem rewards you _properly_." The Fall Maiden located a small niche on the statue's waist chain and placed the watch into it, the hands on the clock spinning faster and faster as the statue itself began to lower down with Lionheart on it. The headmaster stepped off the platform and bowed to Cinder as she, Rojo, the captured Vernal and the reluctant Raven began to board it. "Just be sure that Ben Tennyson and Ruby Rose are taken alive. This won't take long."

"You won't get away with this!" Cinder moved back around and saw Ruby glaring daggers at her. Curiously, she could see a brief glimmer in her silver eyes. "Do you hear me?! We WILL stop you!"

Cinder merely snickered as the platform began to lower further. "Good luck with that, girl. Salem has some _very_ interesting plans for you, I heard."

Rojo gave Ruby a thumbs down. "You're not gettin' outta this one so easily Little Red. THAT I can promise ya."

Just as the quartet of women were about to lower down out of sight, Raven sent a smirk to the teens and gave them a wink, which Rojo and Cinder didn't see due to them standing in front of her. At that signal, Yang activated her Ember Celica, her eyes darting around the room to all the villains assembled. "So… this is the part where you try and stop us, isn't it?"

"That's the idea." Mercury said while cracking his knuckles. "And we're GONNA do it."

"I don't think you heard the lady, Merc." Ben piped up. "The key word was "try"."

"Unlikely, Tennyson." Viktor argued as his body began crackling with purple lightning. Next to him, Michael's hands began radiating with a dark aura while Subdora, Hog and Skull all readied themselves for battle, the former two pulling out their weapons while Skull planted himself on all fours. Emerald and Mercury entered their own combat stances, the latter unsheathing her sickles. Finally, though hesitantly, Lionheart activated Stalwart, the weapon unfurling into a disk-shaped shield with multiple dust containers in it, resembling an artist's palette.

Oscar leaned over to Ren and asked; "…Is this the part where I hide?"

"Yes, now go!" Ren ordered. However, the moment Oscar tried to run, Hog blocked his path, the pig mutant snorting with glee. "…Alright, that was a bad call."

"There are eight highly capable fighters present here and a horde of Grimm waiting outside to slaughter you." Viktor raised his left hand, ready to snap his fingers. "They may be standing idle now, but at my command, they will rip you all asunder!"

Suddenly, a new voice rang throughout the room… one that was awfully familiar to the team. "Well then I suggest you do something about that soon, Viktor." Everyone's eyes snapped upward to see none other than Professor Paradox standing on the upper level right where Cinder had been, the time traveler staring at his pocket watch. "It has already been two minutes since our arrival and your army is already down a substantial amount thanks to them perpetually standing like statues."

"Professor!" Oscar exclaimed with an ecstatic smile. "You're back!"

Viktor grit his teeth at Paradox's words. "What?!" He directed his eyes back toward the quad… where he saw Blake, Sun, Neptune, Kevin, Penny and Ilia having engaged with the Grimm already, the group killing them with minimal effort as the beasts barely fought back. "NO!"

Kevin stopped and took the time to wave over to his friends. "What the heck, guys?! There's a party goin' on and you didn't even invite us?!"

Penny pulled her sword out of a Grimm and sent them all a salute. "Professor Paradox told us what was happening and we came as soon as we could!"

"Hope we didn't miss anything!" Ilia called out as she slaughtered two Grimm at the same time with her Lightning Lash.

Ben let out a hearty laugh. "Haha! No guys, you are JUST in time!" The hero reached for his Omnitrix and dialed up the alien he wanted. "Looks like our back up is here. And you know what that means! It's hero time!" After slamming the core down and the signature green flash of light faded, it was revealed that Ben had transformed into a blue and white jellyfish-like alien with four long tentacles on his torso and two on his lower body, the latter ones resembling legs. His almond-shaped eyes glowed green as he shouted his name; " _AmpFibian!_ " The Amperi began to float up into the air, pointing one of his tentacles out toward the quad. " _I think you'd better head out there and help your pets, Vik. Otherwise this'll be over faster than you know it_."

"That's what you think, Tennyson!" Emerald shouted as she aimed Thief's Respite at the alien. "Everyone, ATTACK!" With that, the fighting began to get underway, with Ruby and Weiss taking on Subdora, Jaune and Pyrrha engaging Exo-Skull, and Nora and Ren rushing toward Thunderhog. Qrow and Ironwood had wasted no time in charging right at Lionheart, while Emerald herself began firing off Dust rounds at AmpFibian, though the floating alien was able to expertly avoid them in mid-air.

Meanwhile, Rex had taken the opportunity to escort Oscar to safety, bringing him up to Professor Paradox on the upper level with his Punk Busters. "Make sure Oscar stays safe, Professor. Last thing we need is for him to get caught up in all this."

"Of course, Rex." Paradox nodded. "Now I suggest you make haste. You're needed down there." With a wordless nod, Rex dove right back down, intent on getting into the fight.

Oscar glanced up to Paradox with a worried stare. "Professor… will they be okay?"

"I wouldn't worry about them too much, my friend." Paradox reassured. "Remember, these young people are professionals by this point. I'm sure they will be fine." He took out his pocket watch and showed Oscar the time. "Now come, there is somewhere important that _you_ will need to be in this battle as well…" With that, the duo disappeared, leaving the Battle of Haven to get underway.

* * *

Back down near ground level, AmpFibian continued to bob and weave from Emerald's onslaught of Dust Rounds, taking satisfaction in the growing frustration on her face. _"Hmhm, alright, NOW we're getting somewhere."_ AmpFibian commented as he stopped and raised his tentacles, the appendages beginning to crackle with blue energy. _"But let's see how far you're able to take it."_ As more Dust rounds were fired at him, the Amperi began blasting them with his lightning, effectively making them explode in mid-air. This had the added effect of making a few smoke clouds, which Emerald immediately took notice of.

"Oh-ho-ho, NO, I am _not_ falling for the old smoke trick again!" Emerald denied before shifting her guns into their sickle modes. "In fact, I'm done with your repetitive tricks all together!"

" _You are, huh?"_ AmpFibian narrowed his eyes and began flying down to her. _"Well fine, show me what you've got!"_

With a mighty battle cry, Emerald pressed a button on her sickles, which made the weapon's blades fall out by their chains. She then whipped the chained weapons over to AmpFibian, aiming right for his face… only for them to pass right through him. "WHAT?!"

" _Intangibility."_ AmpFibian answered. _"Always comes in handy."_ He floated to his left, made himself tangible again and grabbed the chains with his tentacles, his lightning at the ready. _"And THIS was your first mistake."_ He scolded as the electricity coursed through the chains and up to Emerald herself.

"Gah!" With no other choice, Emerald dropped her weapons, effectively avoiding being electrocuted. "Hah, shows what you know, Tennyson—huh?!" The moment she looked back up, AmpFibian was gone, disappeared from sight. "HEY! Tennyson, where are—"

" _Peek-a-boo!"_ AmpFibian's voice piped up behind Emerald, making her whip around to him. As it happened, he had phased into the ground while Emerald wasn't looking, making it easy to sneak up on her undetected. The moment she did, though, the Amperi raised a single tentacle up to her right ear and a _very_ tiny bolt of electricity shot out of it, arcing right to her ear.

Emerald screamed and her hand went to her ear… only to find that it wasn't injured. It was tingly, but not hurt in any way. "I… w-what? I don't understand…" But then her eyes widened when she saw glint of amusement in AmpFibian's eyes, reminding her of just WHICH ear he blasted. She reached in and pulled out the tiny communicator, the device having been short-circuited and burnt to a crisp. "No! How did you—"

" _I saw one in Cinder's ear when she walked past me."_ AmpFibian explained. _"Figured you all had one."_ He gave her a salute. _"Which reminds me, I need to do something. See ya!"_ With that, AmpFibian phased back into the ground, leaving Emerald to curse him out as he left.

* * *

While the fight between the Omnitrix bearer and green-haired thief was going on, Mercury had fired off his boots the moment Emerald ordered to engage, propelling himself right toward Yang. "I've been waiting for this!" He shot off another blast from his right leg, making him vault upward. He did a midair flip before bringing his left leg down in an axe kick, aiming right for Yang's head. "And I'm not about to let you beat me again!"

Yang simply smirked and lowered herself to the ground. "You're gonna have to wait a bit longer for that!" She shot off her Ember Celica and rocketed up into the air, meeting Mercury's kick with a Fire Dust-fueled punch. The attacks collided and the two were sent falling to the ground, though they managed to stick their landings. Almost immediately, Yang and Mercury got up close to each other and began brawling, which made the blonde smirk. "C'mon, Merc, aren't you tired of the same old song and dance?"

"Not in the least!" Mercury goaded. "In fact, if I manage to kill you, then maybe that'll finally get Tennyson to take me seriously!"

Yang redirected another kick, shaking her head at the suggestion. "Nah, he'd probably just kill you instead. And I can vouch for that." She swiped her arm at him. "Now get outta my way! I've got a sword to get."

Mercury smirked and jabbed his thumb over to Omen. "Oh, you mean that sword? Thanks for the tip!" With a full roundhouse, Mercury kicked out a Fire Dust bullet right at the sword and sheath, making Yang's eyes widen.

"You idiot! If that round hits, it's gonna—"

_BAM_! Sure enough, the bullet made contact… with the floo, as Omen had suddenly vanished without a trace. The two opponents were initially confused before noticing the sword and sheath being levitated in the air by Gwen, the redhead giving Yang a thumbs up. "Don't worry, Yang, I got it!"

"Nice, Red!" Yang returned the gesture. "Thanks!" But then her eyes widened as she saw Michael running up from behind the Anodite, his hands engulfed with dark energy as a malevolent grin was spread across his face. "Look out behind—" Gwen immediately set up a wall of mana behind her, which Michael faceplanted straight into. "Oh… never mind, you're on top of things!"

"It'd like to think so." Gwen concurred before going back to Michael. "And as for you…"

Michael peeled himself off the force field before snickering. "Heh, lucky shot, lovely Gwen."

"Luck has nothing to do with it." Gwen countered before entering her own combat stance. "Even if I'm told that I'm a pretty lucky girl."

The dark energy in Michael's hands formed itself into an energy blade before slicing right though the force field, his dark gaze focused on the Anodite the entire time. "I must warn you, Gwen, this will NOT be like the last time we fought. Along with my old face, Salem's spell has helped me increase my power immensely, and the training I do in the Land of Darkness only expedites that power." He narrowed his eyes at her. "I am not to be trifled with, is what I'm saying."

"You always DID like to talk yourself up, Michael." Gwen smirked before brining Omen down to her level. Without warning, the Anodite made two energy tendrils, one that kept a whole of Omen's sheath while the other pulled the sword form its scabbard. Michael's eyes widened slightly when Gwen made the tendril point the blood red Dust blade right at him. "But unlike you, I have another asset in this fight."

"…You're joking." Michael uttered before letting out a laugh. "Ahaha! Oh, Gwen you certainly know how to—WHOA!" The blonde was literally cut off when Gwen suddenly made Omen slice at him, the tip of the blade just falling short _this_ close of actually cutting into him. But what it DID do is cut right through his clothes, with a clean cut going along his pectorals. The formerly rich villain couldn't help but be shocked. "You… you almost sliced a SWORD into me!"

Gwen rolled her eyes at his high-pitched yelling. "Oh relax, I wouldn't have killed you. Think of it as revenge for all the shit you put me AND Hope through."

Clenching his teeth, Michael cried out in anger before slicing at her with his own energy blade, only for the Anodite to start floating up into the air, surrounded by a pink aura. "Are you STILL on the whole thing with Charmcaster?!"

"Yes! You BROKE her heart!" Gwen chastised. "Granted, that's nothing new for you, but even if she doesn't consider me her friend, I'm still going to look out for her!"

Michael growled, intending to make an advance on her with his next attack. However, right at that moment, he heard his name being called from the other side of the room; "Morningstar!" Having garnered both his and Gwen's attention, Michael saw Viktor standing just outside the front entrance, an angry glare fixated right onto him. "You and Lionheart are with me! We MUST stop those insolent brats!"

As Viktor made his way out to the quad, Michael reluctantly withdrew his energy blade and sent Gwen a small glare. "We aren't finished here, _lovely_ Gwen." Gwen was about to charge at the blonde to stop him, but using the small amount of light power he could still muster, Michael shot a bright flash out of his hands, temporarily blinding the Anodite. With that, Michael began to sprint toward Lionheart, intending to take the headmaster outside.

"Not by a long shot." Gwen muttered as her vision returned to her. _'You're just lucky I have more important things to worry about.'_ The redhead moved her eyes back to Yang and Mercury, where the two adversaries were still going head to head. With each punch and kick, the two combatants would avoid or counter it, with a few hits even making contact once and a while. But Gwen could tell that Mercury was putting the pressure onto Yang, making her back up toward a nearby wall. It was then that Yang caught a glimpse at Gwen, the redhead giving her blonde friend a wink when she did while pointing Omen at Mercury for good measure.

Realizing what Gwen might've had in mind, Yang smirked and moved her eyes back to Mercury. "Hey Merc! How much do you like having your groin intact?!"

Mercury furrowed his brows at the Blonde Brawler. "If this is gonna lead you to kicking me there, then you're out of luck! I'm not falling for it!"

"Nah, I'm not THAT predictable!" Yang retorted with a grin. "…But you might wanna turn around if ya wanna keep your junk."

"HUH?!" Mercury did an about face when he saw Gwen with Omen floating right next to her… before she sent the blade sailing right toward his nether regions. "EEP!" With a _very_ girlish yell, Mercury jumped straight up with the help of his boots, literally shooting up into the air to avoid Omen. The sword panted itself into the ground beneath him and he let out a laugh. "HA! Nice try, ladies, but it's gonna take more than that to—AAAGH!"

As it happened, Yang had launched herself up into the air as well, punching Mercury square in the back before landing right on top of him, her feet planted firmly on either side of him. "Now for the grand finale!" She locked her hands under Mercury's chin and pulled him up, effectively putting him into a… "CAELUM CAMEL CLUTCH!"

"AAAGH!" Mercury shouted as Gwen made her way over to the two. "Are you kidding me?! More wrestling moves?!" Mercury began to choke as Gwen pulled Omen out of the ground and sheathed it. "Didn't you guys have enough when that dog-beast attacked your school?!"

Gwen quirked an eyebrow at him as Yang kept him in place. "…How did you know about that?"

"Heh, Lady Salem was watching the entire time!" Mercury choked out a laugh. "We all had QUITE the show the other day. She ended up not recruiting Bashmouth, though. Said he would be too much of a hassle to keep under control."

"Fair enough. But, oh… what's that in your ear?"

Gwen reached down and plucked a tiny device out of Mercury's ear, leading to his protest. "H-Hey! That's—"

"Scrap metal." Gwen finished as he crushed the small communicator with her hand. "And it's gonna stay that way." She directed her eyes over to Yang while nudging her head to the side. "C'mon, Yang. Let's find Ben." She offered Omen to the Blonde Brawler. "It's time we get this back to your mother."

"Great! Just give me a sec." Yang broke the camel clutch and placed her hand onto the back of Mercury's head, slamming it into the marble floor before getting off of him. "Sorry, Merc. Gonna have to put this fight on hold." She took Omen and pumped a fist to Gwen. "Alright, let's do this!"

As the two girls left him with his face planted into the ground, Mercury could only muffle to himself; "I hate her… SO much!"

* * *

A few moments ago, as the fighting had begun to get underway inside, Viktor bellowed with rage as he stormed out to the quad. He was utterly beside himself for not expecting this kind of scenario from the team that had proven to give them so much trouble, to the point that his fists were shaking. However, he had to remind himself to remain calm. _'My lady Salem would NOT appreciate this kind of behavior.'_ he reminded himself before giving his Grimm the order to attack. "Don't just stand there you mindless beasts! KILL THEM!" The Grimm's eyes began to glow brighter as they responded to their master's commands, the creatures starting to fight back with more ferocity than they had been.

Just as she was lifting two Grimm up with her Mechano-Crushers, the beasts suddenly began clawing at Penny's builds, making the android's eyes widen. "Uh-oh! Everyone, they are starting to get antsy!"

"Aw, man!" Neptune bemoaned. "And here I thought this was gonna be easy!"

"Don't get complacent!" Blake scolded. "We can't expect to take the easy way out of this!"

As Ilia cut through another Creep with her Lightning Lash, she shot Blake a quick smile. "Wasn't expecting to! To be honest, it was kinda boring with the lack of a fight, anyway."

Sun shot a Dust round into a Beowolf's face, instantly taking it down. "Yeah, I've been wanting an actual challenge!" The monkey boy lifted Ryui Jingu Bang up into the air. "Now let's take these things down! FOR HAVEN!"

Back near the entrance, while he could see that the Grimm were beginning to finally fight back effectively, Viktor still growled and mentally scolded himself for his oversight. _'I SHOULD have foreseen a sneak attack! Gah, we need to salvage this…'_ He rounded about to Michael, seeing that the blonde was currently fighting Gwen. Nevertheless, he gave him a clear command; "Morningstar! You and Lionheart are with me. We MUST stop those insolent brats!" With that, Viktor rushed out, making a beeline right to Kevin. "LEVIN! Damn you and your feeble attempt at resistance!"

Having cleaved through another Creep's head with his metal axe hand, Kevin whipped his head around to the approaching Viktor. "Ah, Vik! So I see you managed to get your mind back in one piece! How… disappointing."

"You and your friends will PAY for your transgressions against Salem!" Viktor growled. "But first…" He clenched his fist as his violet electricity sprung to light, enveloping his entire arm. "It's time I take my vengeance for what _you_ did to _me_."

Kevin simply gave him a shrug. "Oh yeah, the whole "absorbing your energy and sending you into the Null Void" thing. …Sorry?"

"Oh, you WILL be!" With that, Viktor shot out an arc of lightning at Kevin, though the Osmosian was quick to dodge.

The raven-haired teen rolled into a crouch and let out a breath, seeing that this wouldn't exactly be an easy fight. "Hah, okay, better bring out the heavy artillery…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a red dust crystal, which he immediately absorbed into his arms. "Alright, Vik, you remember what Hazel was put through back in Menagerie?!"

Viktor glowered at Kevin for that remark. "Yes… and it will take WEEKS for that stab wound you gave him to heal!"

"Heh, neat." Kevin chuckled before slamming his fists together, his Dust arms beginning to burn with blazing fire. His eyes changed from their usual dark brown to a bright red, a smirk forming on his face as he anticipated the battle ahead of him. "Because when I'm through, you'll be held up for _months_."

* * *

Meanwhile, back inside the hall, as he was attempting to fight and-or back off from Qrow and Ironwood, Lionheart's eyes widened the moment he heard his students outside. "Sun… Neptune…" But then, his gut twisted when he realized; _'Damn it… they'll probably be after me if they see me. I need to stay in here for as long as I—AGH!'_

Ironwood grunted in frustration as Lionheart dodged another punch, the general growing ever more frustrated. As he kept putting the pressure onto the treacherous headmaster, Ironwood suddenly stopped when he heard a; _"Psst!"_ from out of nowhere. _"General, down here."_ Ironwood craned his head down to see AmpFibian's face sticking out of the ground, taking him aback a bit.

"Ben, what're you—"

" _Shh!"_ the Amperi shushed. _"Listen, I have a plan to get their comms with Cinder down. I just need you to make a little distraction…"_

It was at that moment though that Viktor had called out his order for Michael and Lionheart to join him, the latter thoroughly against the idea. "WHAT?! Are you insane?!"

"He MUST be if he thinks we're letting you get out of our sight, Leo!" Qrow said as rushed toward Lionheart in an instant, bringing Harbinger back to strike the first blow. Lionheart's eyes bugged out, raising Stalwart in an attempt to block the hit… but he didn't need to. In the blink of an eye, a sphere of dark energy suddenly enveloped Lionheart and made Harbinger bounce back, taking both men by surprise.

After prematurely ending his confrontation with Gwen, Michael had run over and conjured the sphere of dark energy, giving Qrow a condescending grin. "Apologies, my good man, but the cowardly lion is coming with me—" _BANG!_ Michael's other hand snapped up and created a shield of energy, which made the bullet that was shot at him bounce off. He glanced up to Ironwood, the general keeping Due Process aimed right at him. "Really? And what good was THAT supposed to do?"

Much to his and the other villains' surprise, Ironwood smirked. "Easy, a distraction."

"Wha—AAAAAAAHH!" Michael's entire body was suddenly wracked with pain as he and the rest of Salem's present forces were each struck by an arc of blue electricity. It wasn't powerful enough to render them unconscious, but it WAS enough to blow out all four of the other's comms, which left them all with a painful ringing in their ears.

From high above, AmpFibian gazed down at his work, nodding resolutely. _"Hm, that oughta put the kibosh on their contact with Cinder. Now we gotta—"_ _ **BLAM!**_ _"WOAH!"_

The alien had narrowly avoided a strong energy blast from Exo-Skull's horn, the rhino mutant now glaring hard at him. "Damn you, Tennyson! You're gonna pay for that!"

As the mutant bruiser continued to blast his laser at AmpFibian, Michael began to sit up while clenching his head in pain, still frazzled by the intense shock from earlier. The ringing in his ear was still present, but he wasn't about to let THAT stop him. He stood back up and found Lionheart again, his brow furrowing toward the headmaster. "Alright, let's try this again—" _SHINK_. "Ah, the sad drunk. I was told about you, you're a tenacious one, I've heard."

Qrow, with Harbinger now in its scythe mode, was keeping the long, curved blade up against Michael's neck as he stood behind him. The red eyes of the drunken Huntsman were boring straight into Michael, making sure he wasn't let out of his sight. "Don't know where you got THAT from, pretty boy, but I _am_ pretty stubborn."

"So I see…" Michael grinned maliciously as his hands began to glow with dark energy once more. "And what do you hope to do against someone like me?"

"Well, here's the thing; I've been in this room for a good while now, so at any moment…" From above him, Qrow could hear the sound of breaking woodcoming from the ceiling, making him smirk a bit. "Somethin' bad is about to happen." Sure enough, a big chuck of the ceiling suddenly broke open… revealing none other than Penny falling downward with an Ursa in her clutches. As the broken roof, android and Grimm fell down toward them, Qrow simply kept his scythe at Michael's neck, the blonde seemingly trapped. "Oh, and would ya look at that?"

"Hm, interesting. But you know what else is interesting?" Michael's hands began glowing again and a large, black dome appeared over their heads, stopping Penny and the Ursa in their fall. "HA! Who's laughing NOW—" _CRACK_! Michael's eyes bulged out of his skull the moment Qrow brought his foot up and kicked him in the groin from behind, a small, high-pitched squeak escaping his mouth as he fell to the ground.

Qrow retracted Harbinger back into its collapsed form and snickered at the young man writhing in pain. "Heh, now THAT'S a distraction—oof!" Unfortunately, he didn't take into account that the dome would disappear while Michael was incapacitated, leaving Penny and the now-dead Ursa to fall to the floor. The Grimm at least dissipated when it made impact, so it wasn't as bad as it would've been… but Penny was still pretty heavy. "Heh, thanks for the timely arrival, kid."

"No problem!" Penny saluted once again.

"Uncle Qrow! Penny!" The two craned their heads up to see Ruby and Weiss running toward them, both being pursued by Subdora. "Are you guys okay?!"

Penny smiled and waved to her best friend. "Salutations, Ruby Rose! I'm very glad to see you!" She then shifted her arm into her Floating Array blaster and aimed it between the two girls right at Subdora. "Here, let me take care of this!" Penny shot a single blast of green energy at the Merlinisapien, forcing her to flip away and disappear. "Hm, how disappointing!"

"No kidding." Weiss said as she and Ruby slid to a halt next to them. "Glad you all could make it here, though. We really needed the help."

Penny stood up, making Qrow grunt as she accidentally stepped on his back. "Of course! After all, it's what heroes do, right? Make timely arrivals to save the day?"

"Haha! You betcha!" Ruby laughed. "Now c'mon, we gotta get to Ben so we can go after—"

"Qrow!" Everybody whipped their heads around to see Ironwood chasing after Leonardo, the headmaster making a break for the front entrance. "He's getting away, come on!"

The drunken Huntsman grit his teeth and hissed; "Damn it!" He whirled around to the girls and sent them a nod. "Think you all can take care of things in here by yourselves?"

Across the way, Ruby and Weiss saw AmpFibian give Exo-Skull an intense electric shock before Rex swooped down on his Boogie Pack to use his Smack Hands to pick the rhino up. The EVO practically threw Skull into the nearest wall, leaving the girls to conclude that yes, they had this covered. "Yeah, we're pretty good here." Ruby nodded.

"Just get after Lionheart before he does anything." Weiss added.

Qrow gave them a thumbs up. "Good, I'll be back soon." He shifted his attention over to Penny and jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "You with me, nuts n' bolts?"

"Aye-aye, sir!" Penny assured before the two booked it for the entrance, intending to work their way back into the fight outside.

* * *

"I'm gonna crush you, Tennyson!" Exo-Skull hollered as he continued to fire off at the Amperi. "Now HOLD STILL!"

" _How about no, Skull?"_ AmpFibian shook his head before noticing Rex flying right toward the mutant from behind. _"Besides, I think you got other things to worry about."_ Using his intangibility again, AmpFibian flew right through Exo-Skull, activating his powers as he dove through the mutant's body. All at once, Skull's body convulsed erratically as the electricity coursed through him, making him holler in pain. In that instant, Rex activated his Smack Hands and bashed right into Exo-Skull throwing the mutant right into a nearby wall.

Rex hovered in place for a bit as he sent a grin toward Ben. "You good here, dude?"

" _Sure am. Now we just gotta—"_ BANG! _"GAH!"_ With a sharp pain suddenly wracking his back, AmpFibian fell out of the air and fell to the ground… right at Emerald's feet.

"Ben!" Rex made to fly toward his friend but was suddenly shot down from the air, courtesy of a blast to the wing from the now VERY angry Exo-Skull. Upon impact with the ground, his head hit the floor, effectively putting him in a daze.

"Yeah! That's what you get!" Skull was about to make his way over to Rex… but was stopped when he felt a couple of shots hit him in the back. He moved his head around to see Jaune and Pyrrha, both of them keeping their eyes locked on him. "Ugh, seriously?! I thought I got rid of you pests!"

Jaune furrowed his brows at the rhino man. "Yeah, we're not finished here, pal!"

Pyrrha shifted her rifle into its javelin mode, ready to get back to the fight. "Far from it! Now get over here and finish what you started!"

Emerald perked her head up and gave him an order; "I've got 'em, Skull! You go back to dealing with your brats!" With a frustrated grumble, Exo-Skull rounded back to Jaune and Pyrrha, leaving Emerald and AmpFibian alone again. The green-haired thief smirked and aimed her guns right at the Amperi's "face", all too happy at the result. "I've gotta admit, at one point, I dreamt of you being at my feet… but in a different scenario. But hey, right now, this is as good a compromise as any."

" _My girlfriend's gonna be pissed if she hears that, ya know."_ AmpFibian retorted, inwardly smirking as he saw a certain head of blonde hair approaching them.

"And I'll kill HER, too… or Mercury since he _really_ wants to kill her." Emerald shrugged. "Either way, you're both gonna die at one point or another. And when Lady Salem gives the go ahead for your death, I'm gonna ask her to let me do it all by my—"

"Heads up, BITCH!" From out of nowhere, Yang came running up from behind Emerald and jumped up, extending her legs out toward the thief with a… "DRACO DROPKICK!" Both of Yang's feet slammed right into Emerald's back and she was sent toppling forward onto AmpFibian, the jellyfish alien wrapped her up in his four main tentacles. He delivered an electric shock to her, which while not as intense as the one he gave Exo-Skull, was still enough to make her shriek in pain. The Amperi then floated up and tossed Emerald away, making her slide across the floor. Yang smiled to him and gave her boyfriend a thumbs up. "Nice double team, Green Boy!"

" _Thanks, and nice ambush!"_ AmpFibian complemented. _"You're getting REALLY good at those interstellar wrestling moves. Seriously, that was perfect!"_

Yang blushed slightly and rolled her eyes. "Well, I had a good teacher… even if he WAS naked the whole time." She raised an eyebrow as a slight purplish hue came to AmpFibian's face. "…Though why do I have the feeling you could've gotten out of that situation by yourself?"

" _Er… yeah. Yeah, I guess I could've… but I wanted to work with you on that one, hon."_

"Aw, that's so sweet!" Yang was about to give Amphibian a kiss on the cheek before Gwen held her back.

"I wouldn't do that yet if I were you." Gwen warned. "Amperi's are ALWAYS coursing with electricity."

AmpFibian nodded in agreement. _"She's right, babe. We'll have time for more… personal stuff when we get out of here."_ It was then that he noticed that Omen was strapped to Yang's hip, and that Gwen was eyeing the hole that Cinder, Rojo and Raven had disappeared into. _"Well, I guess now's as good an opportunity as any to head down."_

Gwen gave him a nod. "Exactly. If we don't leave soon, then that Relic is as good as gone."

"Hey, wait for me!" Ruby shouted as she and Weiss made their way over to the group. However, from behind the two girls, Subdora made herself visible again and began running after them. AmpFibian, Yang and Gwen were about to warn the two girls, but just as the Merlinisapien was about to close the distance, Rex suddenly jumped in front of her and activated his Punk Busters, sending her flying away.

Rex pumped a fist into the air victoriously. "Haha! Ya can't keep a good EVO down for long!"

Ruby smiled in appreciation. "Thanks for that, Rex!" The Hooded Huntress went back to the Tennyson cousins and her sister with a determined face. "You guys are gonna need all the back-up you can get down there, so I'm going with!"

"We'll handle things up here." Weiss assured. "You guys just get that relic!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Emerald screamed as she stood up, clenching her teeth at the group. "We may not have our communicators anymore, but that doesn't mean I'm just gonna let you waltz in there like it's nothing!" She twirled her sickles around and began charging at them once again. "Tennyson! I won't let you get to Cinder!"

" _Sheesh, she's determined, I'll give her that."_ AmpFibian reached up and put a tentacle up to the Omnitrix. _"For her troubles, I'll end this quick. It's time for Four Arms!"_ He pressed down on the Omnitrix and the bright flash of green light returned, signaling another transformation. However, when the light faded again… the alien they saw was NOT Four Arms. After all, Rex, Gwen, Ruby, Weiss and Yang had to crane their heads _down_ to see it.

This alien was probably only four and a half feet tall at the most, with a long torso, short, stubby legs, and rather lengthy arms and large hands that reached down past his knees. He wore a green jumpsuit with black edging on the straps that covered most of his upper torso, the exception being his long white arms. His face was mostly white, with the exception being a black line that went from each of his eyes and down his cheeks. The top of his head was entirely black, though, with three small fins adorning his scalp. The alien had two large, green sensory nodes on his shoulders and three smaller ones near his waist, the latter three protruding from his jumpsuit. The Omnitrix symbol was located on his head and his green eyes widened in utter confusion.

"What?! Ditto?!" His now nasally, yet somehow still raspy and high-pitched voice cried out. The Splixson did a double facepalm and threw his head back in aggravation. "I thought for sure I punched in Four Arms! Stupid watch!"

Gwen and Rex stared down at Ditto with deadpan expressions… but shockingly, all three girls from Team RWBY couldn't help but coo at the alien. "AAAAWW!" they all exclaimed.

"He's SO cute!" Ruby said with adoration.

"This HAS to be the most adorable transformation yet!" Weiss gushed.

Yang placed a hand to her chin as she smiled down at the Splixson. "I gotta admit, I still think your human form IS the cutest… but this one comes at a close second."

A blush came to Ditto's face as he rubbed the back of his head. "Ah… shucks."

Emerald crossed her arms, an amused smile coming to her face. "Alright, I'll admit, this one IS pretty adorable…" She then readied her sickles again as a big toothy grin came to her face. "But I'm still gonna stab ya!"

Seeing her eagerness to do said stabbing, Ditto slowly smirked back at her as an idea entered his head. "Oh really? Well then try your luck, sister!" He widened his stance and raised his arms up in preparation. "I can make whatever alien I'm given work, so I'm ready whenever you are!"

"Gladly!" Emerald belted out a battle cry as she and Ditto began charging at one another, the former bringing down her sickles to slice right into the Splixson. However, just as she did… something odd happened. When she made to cut into the alien's head, Ditto suddenly began to literally split down the middle, effectively dodging her attack… while multiplying himself into another Ditto. "W-Wait, WHAT?!"

"Whoops! Sorry!" Ditto One taunted.

"Try again!" Ditto Two grinned cheekily.

With a bit of a growl, Emerald made to slice at the Ditto's bellies… only for another Ditto to spawn from each of them, meaning that there were now four in total. "Haha! No luck!" Ditto Three laughed. "You're not as good at this as you thought, huh?"

"Maybe you should quit while you're ahead." Ditto Four quipped.

Emerald threw her head back and yelled; "GAH! What the hell?! How are you doing this?!"

"The name's "Ditto", duh!" Ditto One said before himself as well as Dittos Two, Three and Four all began multiplying again. By the time they had stopped there were twelve Dittos, and they were all surrounding Emerald in a perfect circle. "And when it concerns _us_ , the most dangerous weapon… is MATH! Get her!"

All at once, the Dittos began to dogpile onto Emerald, latching onto her arms, legs and torso while forcing her to fall to the ground while wrenching her weapons out of her hands. "Gah! H-Hey! Get off of me!" Emerald protested as she tried to punch and kick the Dittos off of her. "This is SO unfair!" Finally, she managed to get in a lucky kick at one of the Dittos, slamming him right in the stomach and forcing him off of her.

The moment she did that though… all of the other Dittos recoiled in pain, halting their assault. "GAH! Jeez, seriously?!" Ditto shouted with a slight glare at Emerald. "How would YOU feel if we kicked you in the stomach, huh?!"

Emerald was bewildered by the mass recoil for a few seconds before a devilish smirk came to her face. "Ah, so you guys all feel the same pain, do ya?!" She took the opportunity to pull her arm out of one Ditto's grasp before elbowing him in the face, knocking it onto its back while making all of the other Ditto to recoil in pain again. Emerald shot up and scooped up the Ditto she hit, wrapping her arm around his neck and lifting him up off the ground. "Let's see how you like this!" The green-haired thief began socking her new toy in the stomach, which immediately sent the other Dittos to the ground clutching their stomachs. "Haha! I could do this all day!"

Yang was about to rush forward to help her boyfriend, but Gwen held her back, shaking her head while pointing to the Ditto that Emerald had in her clutches. Said Ditto was able to work his way through the pain and reached his arms up to grab hold of Emerald's, pulling his head up while clenching his teeth. "Oh yeah?! Well so can I!" Suddenly, four more Dittos sprouted out from him, taking Emerald by surprise while breaking her hold on him. The combined weight was enough to send her sprawling back onto the floor, with all five Dittos glaring at her. "Okay, NOW it's personal!"

The Blonde Brawler pumped a fist. "Yeah! Way to go, babe!"

"W-Wait, sto—AGH!" Emerald was cut off when another Ditto suddenly flopped down onto her stomach, knocking a bit of wind out of her.

"Haha! Alright, time for some payback!" the Splixson laughed. "Help me out here, guys!"

"Well let _me_ help _you_!" Another Ditto shouted.

"And let _me_ help _you_ help _me_!" Yet another Ditto added as the cycle began to be put on loop, with ALL of the Dittos getting a turn to jump on Emerald's stomach. To keep her in place, four Ditto had to keep her limbs pinned… and even THEY got a turn after switching with another Ditto. Gwen, Rex and the three girls from Team RWBY tried desperately to hide their laughter as each Ditto got a turn, knocking all of the wind out of Emerald before they collectively ended their onslaught with a… "DITTO PILE!" All at once, all sixteen Ditto jumped up high into the air and came crashing down onto Emerald, trapping her in a large, green, black and white pile. That was all it took for the five onlookers to erupt into laughter, with Ruby falling into hysterics as all of the Ditto reconstituted into one. He crossed his arms and smirked down to Emerald, her eyes having glazed over. "Had enough?"

"Uuuuuuh." Emerald groaned.

"I thought so." Ditto said before a flash of light transformed him back into Ben. "This was fun, Em! Thanks for the entertainment." He walked back over to the group and peered down at Ruby, quirking a questioning brow to her. "Alright, Rubes, time to get serious again."

"Hehehe, okay." Ruby giggled as she got up. "But my gosh, that was hilarious!"

Ben gave her a small shrug. "Yeah, Ditto's usually a riot. Now c'mon, we gotta get to Raven." He craned his head over to his cousin. "Gwen?"

Gwen smiled and held up her hand to the hole. "On it." The Anodite created a large mana platform that was about as big as the hole's diameter, allowing them to go down safely. "Everyone who's going down, hop on." Ben, Yang, and Ruby all proceeded onto the platform, with Gwen herself stepping on last. "Next stop; the Vault of the Spring Maiden."

Rex sent them a thumbs up. "We've got things covered here, guys. _No te preocupes_."

"Exactly." Weiss supported. "Just make sure you all come back safe, okay?"

Ben sent them a salute, with Yang doing the same while Ruby and Gwen offered a small wave. "We will guys. And trust me, we'll be back with that relic." As Rex and Weiss went back to the battle, the hero turned to his cousin and pointed downward. "So, going down?" With an affirming nod, Gwen began to steadily lower the platform into the hole, the four quickly descending into the levels below Haven Academy.

As they did, though, Emerald had gained her second wind and began to get up, glaring at the hole in contempt. "Cinder… crush them, _please_."

"Emerald!" The green-haired girl snapped her head up to see Mercury sprinting over toward her… with blood trailing down his face. "Are you okay?!"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." Emerald got up and got right into Mercury's face, inspecting the wound on his forehead. "Ugh, but I don't think YOU'RE that okay."

The silver-haired assassin gave her a shrug. "Heh, just a scratch, don't worry." His eyes then moved over to the hole. "So… some of the heroes got away, huh?"

Emerald gave a nod, her face etched with irritation. "Yes, but I'm afraid we can't worry about that right now. Cinder and Rojo WILL take care of them, whether they know about 'em or not. Right now, we need to regroup." She whirled around and called over to Michael. "Morningstar! Come with us and let's—" Her eyes widened when she looked to where Michael had been laying on the ground… only to see no one there. The energy vampire was gone. "…Shit."

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it! The Battle for Haven has begun and it seems that both sides are giving it their all. Cinder has played her hand with threatening Vernal's life to get Raven to cooperate… but as we all know, the Spring Maiden probably won't be so willing to actually open the vault doors when they get there, especially with Ben, Yang, Ruby and Gwen on the way. And see? I TOLD you guys that Kevin, Ilia and Penny would be coming back in a big way! We'll actually be focusing more on the fight outside in the quad next chapter, but I'll save that for the "Next Time" bit. Of course, we got another fight between Yang and Mercury (won't be their last) and a bit of a confrontation between Michael and Gwen (a bit of a tease as to what's to come later in this battle). And hey, Rex saved Weiss from being stabbed, so there's another bit of a change from canon… but how will Jaune unlock his Semblance this time around? Well, we'll just have to wait and see.**

**But as you can see, we're getting some different aliens this time around from Ben! I've been hearing you guys when you say you want more variety in Ben's transformations aside from the usual Diamondhead, Rath, Four Arms and Swampfire, so I decided to go for AmpFibian and Ditto this time around! Also, I tweaked Ditto's outfit a bit, if you couldn't tell. It's not** _**exactly** _ **like Omniverse Ditto's outfit, but I wanted him to at least have a bit of a different look from his 10-year-old version since that's largely what I based his appearance on here.**

**Alright, so… NEXT TIME! We take the fight outside for a bit as we check in with the group out on the quad. And while the teens THINK they've got the Grimm on the ropes, Viktor surprises them with a second wave that he's been keeping under wraps. Seeing this, Kevin decides to take the fight to an explosive new level as he uses a new type of Dust… one that may have some unusual side effects. At the same time, though, Qrow and Ironwood are still pursuing Lionheart, which Sun and Neptune are more than ready to help them out with. Can the team work their way through this chaos on their own? Or will they need a little… extra help? Thanks for reading guys, and I'll see you all next time! Stay safe out there!**


	101. Fight on the Quad

**A/N: Hey everybody! New chapter time once again! Before we begin though, I want to give a bit of a special shout out.** **You see, a fan over on FFN under the name Paleodemon (SinraiPaleodemon1 on DeviantArt) actually commissioned NarutoRenegado01 (also on DeviantArt) to create a cover for my story on that site, and I was more than glad to agree! To be honest, I can't express how humbled I was that anyone would even consider making fanart about my story and I couldn't be more grateful to them both. If anyone here on AO3 wants to see the piece, then head over to SinraiPaleodemon1's page to see it for yourself. And of course, be sure to check out NarutoRenegado01 as well. If you like anime, then you'll love their profiles! But now that the big stuff is out of the way, let's get to… the OTHER big stuff, since this is our first BIGGUN in a while! There are some pretty big surprises waiting for you all in here as well, so let's get to it! This is…**

**Chapter 101: Fight on the Quad**

* * *

To say that the plan hadn't gone exactly like how Raven thought it would go would be an understatement. In fact, she was pretty sure that this isn't how Ben, Ruby, Yang or anyone else for that matter had seen it going. Of all the people that Salem HAD to go and capture, of course it would be Vernal. The Spring Maiden was mentally beating herself up for not even considering that scenario. _'I'm such a blasted FOOL!'_ she yelled in her head. _'I should have told her to take the tribe and hide where Salem would never find them…'_

She moved her eyes down to Vernal, the young bandit still tied up but having been passed over to Cinder. The Fall Maiden had an obsidian blade pressed up against Vernal's neck while keeping her underfoot, her heels digging into her back painfully. Rojo, meanwhile, had gotten to work planting small explosives along the walls of the elevator shaft as they descended down further into the levels below Haven. "Hahaha! Oh god, this'll be a RIOT!"

"I should hope so." Cinder said with her usual nefarious smirk. "Should those meddlesome heroes come after us, your explosives with make very short work of them." She nodded in approval to Rojo. " _Very_ nice work… partner."

Just hearing the word "partner" without any sarcasm in Cinder's voice gave Rojo a shot of dopamine. She moved around and smiled back at Cinder with a thumbs up. "Ah, you know me, Cindy, always thinkin' ahead." She strolled back over to the Fall Maiden and extended her hand. "I can take her off your hands now, if ya want."

"Thank you, but I think I'll keep her where she is…" She lowered herself down and used her free hand to cup Vernal's cheek, the action making the girl scream in both rage and fear. "I should at least have SOME entertainment in this, shouldn't I? After all, I'm not fighting with the others."

Raven whipped her head around and glowered at Cinder. "You said you would leave her unharmed, Cinder!"

"Why yes, I did." Cinder affirmed before picking Vernal up, keeping the blade against her throat. "And I intend to keep our promise… but that doesn't mean a little _fun_ can't be had in this situation, right?"

The Spring Maiden clenched her teeth, lowering her head to keep from looking at her pupil. She couldn't bear the sight of the fear in her eyes, something that Raven hadn't seen before today. In all the years she knew Vernal, she had been a very brave girl. A bit cocky, sure, but she was always able to back that attitude up with her skill. But against Salem's forces… it was an entirely different ball game. Stealing things from people was a much easier task than fighting the forces of evil, something that Raven herself was all too familiar with. _'I can't believe I got her dragged into all this…'_ A few tears began to trail down Raven's cheeks. _'It's disgraceful. SHAMEFUL.'_

"…Mrafn?" Raven's eyes shot up at what sounded like her name, only very muffled. It was then that she made eye-contact with Vernal, and was surprised at what she saw. The lady bandit was still very much frightened, but at the same time, there was a shocked gaze that came along with it. Raven could see that Vernal was focused on her face… and it was there that she realized;

' _She's… never seen me cry before.'_ Raven swallowed hard at the revelation before speaking up again. "…I want to talk to her."

This caught both Cinder and Rojo's attention. "…What?" the Fall Maiden questioned.

"You heard me." Raven reiterated. "I want to talk with my protégé."

"…Hmph, of all the things you want to do right now… you want to _talk_ to her?" Cinder tightened her grip on Vernal's neck. "Need I remind you that she is our _hostage_? I can slit her throat at any time…" She took the sword away from Vernal's neck before pressing the tip against the small of her back. "Or perhaps even _disintegrate_ her to mere ashes at the drop of a hat! All it would take is one quick stab. Who are _you_ to be asking me that?"

Raven glared hard at Cinder. "I know what you'll do to her if I stop complying with your demands… but at the same time, I WILL be more inclined to put up a fight if you DO kill her." She set a hand over her chest. "And should you kill me… I'll make _sure_ to think of someone in my final thoughts who I _know_ will keep the Maiden powers out of your hands."

"Your daughter, am I right?" Rojo guessed, though Raven didn't flinch in the least. "Heh, yeah, right. She might be a fighter, but she's still flesh and bone. It'll be easy to kill her."

"Maybe… but you'd have to go through Ben first." Raven reminded.

That… gave Rojo pause. Considering the relationship between the three, she KNEW that the Blonde Brawler would be sad AND pissed if her mom died. Which would mean that Tennyson would be DOUBLEY sad and pissed. Plus, they'd have to deal with a Maiden AND the Omnitrix bearer at the same time, and she couldn't forget how in sync those two worked together. Running through every possible scenario in her head, Rojo grumbled and moved over to Cinder, extending her hand to her again. "I've done the math. Let's give her five minutes. I'll hold the girl so that she doesn't try to bite her way out or something."

Cinder met Rojo's gaze, seeing that she was one-hundred percent serious with this and she let out a sigh. "Fine, but if this comes back to bite _us_ , I'm blaming you." She craned her head over to Raven. "And we'll be keeping you at a VERY safe distance away from each other during this."

Raven didn't like that stipulation, but she knew she wouldn't get to speak to Vernal otherwise… at least until she got the chance to free her for real. "…Alright, then."

"Yeah, that's fair" Rojo shrugged before taking Vernal off of Cinder's hands. With her energy sword at the ready, Rojo grabbed at the tape around Vernal's mouth and pulled it off, making the girl scream at the pain. "Like I said, girly, you've got five minutes, make it fast."

"SCREW YOU!" Vernal screamed.

"Tempting, but you're not my type." Rojo quipped.

Vernal practically roared at that, her face turning red with rage and indignation as she tried to squirm free. "RRRAAAGH! I'll beat you so hard that you won't be able to MOVE afterwards!"

If anything, this just got Rojo to smirk even more. "Ooooh, kinky! But again, sorry Fifty-Shades, but I've got eyes for someone else."

The lady bandit was about to scream again when she heard Raven speak up; "Vernal, STOP." The firm yet calm command got through to Vernal, making her eyes widen while calming her down. She directed her eyes over to Raven, who was being watched intensely by Cinder. "Please, just… comply with their orders for now. I swear, this will all be over soon."

She could only stare at her leader in shock, almost in disbelief at what was going on. "Raven, why… why did you agree to their demands? You KNOW I'm willing to give my _life_ for our tribe, so why didn't—"

"I let them kill you so that we could fight back?" Raven finished. "I'd think that'd be an obvious answer, really; I didn't want you to die." A soft smile came to her lips while raising a brow to Vernal. "Did you think I actually _wanted_ to see you die like this?"

This only took Vernal aback even more. "R-Raven… what do you mean? You're the one who told me—"

"That you should be willing to die should your role come into play… by any means necessary." Raven affirmed. "And back then, I meant it." She directed her eyes down to the floor briefly as she began reflecting on everything that had happened to her in the past week, the ups and downs she had with her daughter, Ben, Ruby and the rest of the team. Her smile increased and she moved her eyes back to Vernal. "But after everything that's happened to me over the course of my absence from the tribe… the woman that gave you that order is a completely different person than the one I am now. We don't _need_ to make unnecessary sacrifices in order to succeed, and I'll make sure of that starting with you."

"Raven, I… I-I don't understand." Vernal implored.

"Quite honestly, I didn't understand either, at least, not when I started my visits to my daughter." Raven placed a hand over her chest. "I always thought of the Branwen Tribe as my family… and a part of me still does. But after this week with my daughter and her friends… I've come to realize what family truly is." She gave Vernal a single nod. "And it's led me to realize that… I've been kind of a sucky mother, to both my daughter AND my tribe."

Vernal could only shake her head. "What?! No, Raven, that can't be FURTHER from the truth! You're…" A small blush came to her face. "You're the one who took me in when no one else would. You taught me everything you know… gave me a _home_. And you trusted me to keep your whereabouts a secret from the rest of the tribe while you went to see your old family." She swallowed hard and asked; "So how can you call yourself a bad mother?!"

Raven stared at Vernal in shock over what she had just said. "W-What?"

"If anything, _I_ should be the one feeling worse here!" Vernal emphasized, lowering her head in shame. "I failed the one task you gave me… to lead the Branwen Tribe in your absence. But look at me!" She clenched her teeth in anger at the sight of own wounds. "I was captured and tied up like some animal BY a bunch of animals! I couldn't defend my tribe when they needed it most… and now I'm here. Being held hostage while you're being forced to open the Haven Vault."

Cinder couldn't help but smirk at that. "Yes, you're in _quite_ the predicament."

"You shut your DAMN mouth!" Raven barked before shifting her attention back to her protégé. "Vernal, I—"

"W-Wait, one more thing…" Vernal lifted her head, sending a pleading gaze up to Raven. "If we make it through this… I don't want you to hold back on whatever punishment you give me. I've failed the tribe… I've failed you… so it's only appropriate that I—"

"Receive NO punishment." Raven pressed firmly, much to Vernal's shock. "You will not be receiving ANY reprimands from me concerning this."

Vernal was at a loss for words. "I… I don't… _what_?!"

Then, if that wasn't enough, Raven sent her a genuine, heart-warming smile. "In fact, WHEN we get out of this, we're going to take you somewhere safe, clean you up, heal your wounds… and then there's something I have in mind for you."

Again, Vernal struggled to speak, her mind utterly astonished by what her leader was saying. "I-I don't understand!"

"You will, Vernal." Raven assured. "Very soon. Just hang in there, we'll all get out of this, okay?"

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Miss Springtime." Rojo reminded before reaching for the tape again. "Besides, you're time's nearly up. Anything left to say?"

Glancing between Rojo and her leader, Vernal decided to say one last thing; "Raven, I don't know what you're planning… but I hope it works."

Raven smiled and shook her head. "Oh, dear Vernal, I'm not the one who has a plan…" She shifted her eyes upward into the black abyss that was above them, the light having disappeared a good while ago. "But the team on the other hand… they always seem to have a plan."

"Ha! Good luck to 'em." Rojo laughed as she put Vernal's tape back over her mouth. "Remember, I planted this WHOLE place with explosives! The moment we find out they're coming down here, we'll just blow the shaft and escape through the underground river! AHAHAHA!" Cinder joined in on Rojo's nefarious laughter at their fool-proof plan… unaware that it was being undone right above them as they spoke.

* * *

"Heehee! We're either following bad guys or a bomb-crazy maniac!"

After escaping the battle up above, Ben, Ruby, Yang and Gwen had taken a moment to recuperate themselves, still somewhat shaken from everything that had gone on in the Grand Hall. However, as they slowly worked their way down through the shaft, the group had taken notice that a bunch of remote explosives had been planted all across the walls, which continued downward the more they descended. Seeing this, Ben had transformed into a small, red gremlin-like creature in a black and green aviator's suit; an alien he had called "Jury Rigg". The Planchaküle had gotten straight to work as they moved down, hopping all across the walls while safely disarming every explosive he saw. "Hahaha! What, does Rojo think blowing the shaft will get her anywhere?"

"He's got a good point." Yang agreed. "She wouldn't just try to bomb the whole shaft with us in it, would she? Because if she did, then there goes her and Cinder's escape, too."

Gwen put a hand to her chin in thought. "Hmm… I'm sure they wouldn't take this kind of risk unless they knew there was another way out somewhere." She gave her friends a shrug. "Maybe there's an underground tunnel?"

"Or maybe a body of water that leads outside." Ruby piped up.

"Both excellent guesses!" Jury Rigg chortled as he lept back onto the platform, dumping all of the explosives onto it. "But either way, they ain't gonna get the one up on us! Now if you'll excuse me… DISSASSEMBLE! DISSASSEMBLE!" With that, Jury Rigg began to… _disassemble_ all of the explosives, sending multiple different parts flying all over the place. Gwen had to create a dome over the platform so that none of the parts flew out.

"Ben! Not so loud!" The Anodite harshly whispered. "And stop throwing those parts around. If any of them fall down the shaft, they'll know were here."

Jury Rigg's eyeridges shot up in realization. "Oh! Right, sorry, Gwen. But hey, check this out!" He spread his arms out at the big pile of junk in front of him. "Ya know what we can do with all this?!"

The three ladies glanced at one another in confusion. "Uh… we can take it to the scrapheap in exchange for cash?" Yang guessed.

"Haha! No, Goldie Locks, even better!" Jury Rigg cracked his knuckled and began whispering to himself; "Reassemble! Reassemble!" In no time at all, and with even more parts being thrown everywhere, Jury Rigg had combined all of the explosive devices… into one BIG explosive device. Sure, it was VERY cobbled together and seemed to be held together just by a prayer, the mechanical bits inside, and duct tape that Jury Rigg seemed to pull out of nowhere, but it seemed to work since a small red light came on near the activation switch. Ben transformed back into his human form and gestured to the make-shift device. "Tada! Ladies, I present to you… the Big Boom."

The Xiao-Long-Rose sisters stifled a laugh at the name. "Pfft, really?" Ruby asked. " _That's_ what you're calling it?"

Gwen was also trying her hardest not to laugh at it. "No offence Ben, but… okay, I'll just be frank; the name sounds like what happens when a baby has an accident in its diaper."

Ben grimaced the moment that was pointed out to him. "…Okay, the name might need a bit of workshopping, but I swear, this is gonna be a BIG help to us when we get down there."

"Well, I hope so." Yang said before looking down through the mana platform, an anxious feeling growing in her stomach as they continued downward. "I just hope that mom and that Vernal girl are alright." She crossed her arms and frowned, thinking back to the moment when her mother saw Vernal being held captive. "She seemed… so sad when she saw her. And Vernal… I could tell how scared she was."

"Which is honestly kinda surprising." Ruby spoke up. "I mean, she was trained to be a thief, so I can't imagine that much really scares her."

Gwen's face grew saddened as well. "Ruby, she was overwhelmed by a force that she wasn't expecting and couldn't stop on her own. And I doubt that any of her other tribe members helped her." She set a hand to her arm, her eyes glancing down as well. "For all we know… there could be a million different concerns going through her mind right now."

"Don't worry." Ben reassured, moving over to his girlfriend to put a hand on her shoulder. "We WILL save her." He reached down and put a hand on Raven's sword, which Yang was keeping a firm hold on as well. "And we'll get both your mom AND the relic out of here, that's a promise."

Yang sighed and sent a small smile to her boyfriend. "That's a lot to promise, Green Boy. Think we can do it?"

"I know we can… because I have a plan." Ben he pulled back his sleeve, revealing the Omnitrix. "First, I'll go XLR8 and get both Vernal and Raven away from Rojo and Cinder as fast as possible." He then pointed over to Ruby. "And then, Ruby's gonna take our big explosive and rush it over to them, where it'll go off the moment it lands in front of 'em."

Ruby blinked at the plan. "Woah, you sure that's a good idea?"

Ben raised a hand up to her. "Trust me, knowing Rojo and Cinder, they'll probably be fine." He moved his eyes over to his cousin. "Gwen, once we get Vernal and Raven away from them, I want you to start getting Vernal out of her binds and treat her wounds. We'll need her well enough to walk if we all want to get out of here."

"Understood." Gwen nodded. "And what happens when Cinder and Rojo get back up to fight?"

"Then Ruby and I will engage them." Ben answered while jabbing a thumb over to Ruby. "I've found that Rojo REALLY can't refuse a fight from "Little Red", so—" But at that moment, Ben cut himself off and his eyes darted over to Ruby, a look of realization having formed on his face the second he spoke the nickname out loud. He focused on Ruby's signature hood… and something started to click in his mind. "Uuuh…"

Ruby quirked a brow at him. "Uh, Ben? Something wrong?"

Ben blinked and he shook his head, clearing his thoughts to get back on track. "Oh, uh, no. Nothing. Sorry, I just… ah, never mind, I'll tell you about it when we get out of here." He waved his hand before going on with the plan. "Anyway, yeah, Ruby and I will be engaging Rojo and Cinder. Rojo's got it out for Ruby and I'm pretty sure Cinder still hates my guts, so we'll keep them busy." He moved his eyes over to his girlfriend and smiled. "Goldie Locks, you're gonna… gonna…" The astonished expression returned to Ben's face as he craned his head down to the floor, contemplating the nickname he had given to his girlfriend. _'This… this HAS to be just one big coincidence… right?'_

"Green Boy!" Yang said while snapping her fingers in front of Ben's face. "Come in, Green Boy!"

"Gah, sorry, sorry!" Ben shook his head, growing ever more frustrated with himself by the minute. "I just… found some weird connections that I might have to explore a bit further." He pointed back to Yang. "But back to the plan, you're gonna get your mom's sword back to her and then you and she are going to make a break for the Vault door, and Gwen is going to follow you with Vernal to make sure she isn't anywhere near the fighting."

Yang gave him a thumbs up. "I'm on it, babe." She then stepped up and gave him a knock on the head. "You just make sure your head's in the game, alright? Don't want ya messing up because you were distracted."

Ben smiled and let out a laugh, pulling her in for a brief kiss on the lips. "Heh, you can count on that." However, it was at that moment that he realized that they were still going down. "Jeez, how far does this thing even _go_?"

"It shouldn't be much farther." Gwen assured. "I'm keeping an eye on Raven's mana and it just came to a stop… so that means we should probably get ready."

"Alright, good." Ben nodded before crossing his arms. "Then let's get this done. Ruby… prepare the Big Boom."

All he got was silence from all three girls around him. "…You know there's no way that name can hold ANY sense of gravitas, right?" Ruby questioned.

"I can dream, dang it!"

* * *

Meanwhile, back outside the Grand Hall, Blake and Ilia were standing back to back as the last of the Grimm were beginning to advance on them. Having taken advantage of Dr. Viktor not paying attention, their group of six had managed to take down most of the Grimm under his control without much effort, probably at least half before the beasts actually began to fight back. Admittedly, Blake was also starting to get rather bored with the fact that the Grimm weren't fighting back that hard, but she was also quick to admit that it proved to be a great advantage. But, things were what they were, and now, she and one of her best friends were fighting them off to the best of their abilities… while engaged in casual conversation.

"So, how'd your visit to Beacon go?" Blake asked with a smile as she decapitated a Creep.

"Oh, it was great!" Ilia shouted as she whipped her Lightning Lash around three Beowolves and pulled, eviscerating them into nothing. "Professor Goodwitch gave me a great tour… ragh!" She kicked a Boarbatusk away before stabbing it with the tip of her lash. "And she even gave me an entry form to fill out if I ever make the big choice!"

"That's great!" Blake punched another Beowolf in the jaw before cleaving into it with Gambol Shroud's sheath, killing it instantly. "I really hope you consider accepting it. It would be a really great opportunity…" She smirked and glanced over her shoulder toward the chameleon girl. "But on another topic… how's Swift?"

Ilia's spots became hot pink instantly. "W-Well, I—behind you!" Her warning made Blake whip around to see an Ursa come charging toward her, which Ilia responded with doing a flip over her friend's head to kick the Ursa in the skull. She thrust her Lightning Lash down into its head, killing it. Ilia sighed and shook her head. "Do you REALLY have to ask me about my maybe-love-life in the middle of a crisis?"

Blake rubbed the back of her neck with a shrug. "Sorry, I just thought I'd ask. If you don't want to answer, that's fine. I get it."

Ilia stared at her best friend for a good few moments before a soft smile came to her face. "Our visit… was good." She punched a Beowolf in the face before it got too close, with Blake finishing it off with a clean slice. "Admittedly… it's gotten a little harder to talk to her now that… that I'm starting to think a bit more of her."

"I'll bet." Blake nodded before delivering a round house kick to a Creep's face. Ilia followed up with slicing off all of its limbs, making it fall and die soon after. "I felt the same way with Sun when I started to realize how important he was to me… though you probably don't wanna hear too many details about that…"

"Oh, no, it's fine, really!" Ilia assured as she dove under another Boarbatusk, whipping her Lash around it before slamming it into the ground. "Seriously, you guys are WAY adorable."

Blake gave her friend a wave. "Aw, thanks! I think you and Swift will be pretty adorable too!"

At that moment, Sun and Neptune were suddenly tossed over in the two ladies' direction by a rather large Alpha Ursa, one that was standing on its hind legs as it approached them. "Uh, ladies?!" Sun exclaimed. "I like talking about relationships as much as the next guy—"

"And that's saying something." Neptune commented.

"But could we maybe talk about all this later?" Sun pleaded, using Ruyi Jingu Bang to slam the Ursa in the gut, making it stagger back. "You know, when we're not trying to be _killed_?"

"He makes a very valid point!" Everyone directed their heads upward to see none other than Penny flying down on her Air Heart jet pack, her fists raised and ready to go to work. "Everyone back-up! I have this one!" The four did as they were told and leapt away from where Penny pulled up, resulting in her slamming hard into the Ursa's gut. She then rocketed all the way up to the roof of the grand hall and slammed down into it, causing a rather loud BOOM!

Blake smiled and chuckled softly to herself. "Penny's got an interesting way of dealing with things, that's for sure." She whipped herself around and sliced a Boarbatusk in half as it spun toward her, turning back to her squad immediately after. "Now how many more to go?"

" _ **GRAAUUGH!"**_ The whole group spun around to see a group of three Beringels having assembled on the other side of the quad, each one of their eyes glowing purple like the rest of the Grimm. These ones seemed to be slightly bigger than normal Beringels though, with larger teeth, heavily armored chests and arms, and the black fur on their backs had begun to fade into a blood red color.

"Red-backed Beringels?!" Ilia shouted. "Are you serious!?"

Sun spun his staff around and took a combat position. "How is Salem pulling out all the stops in this attack?"

"No clue, but it's okay!" Blake took hold of Gambol Shroud and shifted it into its gun mode, loading up a cartridge of Lightning Dust. "We can take them. Sun, I have a plan."

He sent a grin over to her. "Of course, you do, you're amazing."

Blake rolled her eyes and smiled back. "Save it for later, casanova. Right now, we'll need your Semblance." She pointed over to the Beringels as they began charging toward them. "Neptune, Ilia and I are going to electrocute those things with everything we have and then you're going to follow up with your exploding Via Sun trick. Then we'll all go in for the kill."

"Sounds like a plan!" Neptune tossed Tri-Hard up into the air, the weapon converting into its rifle mode before catching it in his hand. "Let's go for it!"

Ilia sent Blake a thumbs up. "We're right behind you, Blake."

"Good, so if everyone's all on the same page… CHARGE!" With a unanimous battle cry, the trio of Blake, Neptune and Ilia all surged forward to meet the red-backed Beringels head on, leaving Sun to go into his usual meditative stance to focus on his Semblance. In no time at all, three Via Sun clones began appearing from his very being, all of them following right behind the trio. Blake pumped Gambol Shroud and gave the word to… "FIRE!"

On cue, Neptune began shooting at his Beringel, with blue electricity arcing all across the beast's body with every shot. Across from him, Ilia pointed her Lightning Lash at her Beringel and held onto the trigger, firing a bolt of yellow lightning from the weapon's tip. The electricity shot right through the beast's body, making it roar in agony. Finally, Blake decided to do something a bit different. She leapt up and over the Beringel as it dove for her, landing right on its back. Then, focusing on her Semblance, Blake added the Lighting Dust in her cartridge to create a shadow clone made of pure electricity. The second she vanished from the Beringel's back, the lightning shadow clone instantly electrocuted the beast, making it drop to its knees as it howled at the sky.

Once Blake landed, she gave Sun the go ahead. "Now, Sun!"

"On it!" Sun affirmed as his Via Sun clones all dove onto the paralyzed Beringels, locking their arms and legs around the beasts' massive arms. All at once, the Via Suns all shone brightly before blowing up, each taking one of the Beringel's arms in the process. Opening his eyes, Sun grabbed Ruyi Jingu Bang and spun it around, undoing the bo-staff and changing them into their gun-chuck forms in the process. "Alright, let's finish them!"

Without any objections, the four went at it. Neptune converted Tri-hard into its guandao form and jumped at his Beringel's head, slicing it off without hesitation. At the same time, Ilia did the same with hers, wrapping her Lightning Lash around its neck before pulling it back, decapitating it in one shot. Finally, Sun pull his gun-chucks into his hands and thrust all four barrels into the gut of the last Beringel, sending a blast through its midsection before Blake stabbed downward through the beast's skull, killing it as well. Once all three of the ape-like Grimm had dissipated into nothing, the four teens cheered in their victory. "Woo! We got 'em all!" Neptune shouted, raising Tri-Hard up high. "Nice work, guys!"

"Don't let your guard down just yet, Neptune." Ilia warned. "Something tells me that Salem wouldn't spare any expenses with an operation like this."

Blake nodded in agreement. "She's right. Viktor could still have more on the way."

Sun furrowed his brow as he was reminded of something. "Yeah… speaking of, where's Kev—" _BOOM!_ The quartet all whirled around to see one of the academy's building's collapse across the quad, falling down into a pile of rubble almost instantly. "…Oh, never mind."

* * *

Kevin had to admit, the prospect of fighting Dr. Viktor again hadn't crossed his mind today. However, now that he was actively doing it, he was… _BAM!_ …Regretting it immensely. He knew that fighting the Transylian would be no easy task, but he had vastly underestimated how angry Viktor was with him. As such, that anger quickly turned into power, power that was focused right onto him the moment they started their battle. At first, Kevin had decided to take things at a more long ranged approach, blasting fireballs at the Transylian as he ran around him. Viktor had a counter for that, though, using his lightning bolts to blast the flaming projectiles. This had managed to cause a pretty sizable explosion in the air, whipping up a large cloud of smoke. The Osmosian had been quick to take advantage of this, shifting his Fire Dust arm into a blade before charging through the smoke for a surprise attack.

But Viktor had a counter to this as well, his armored gauntlets being able to deflect the blade's strike's quite well. The large alien had gone to grab Kevin's other arm, but he shifted it into a big mace, the spikes being enough to deter Viktor. The Osmosian then socked Viktor in the gut with the mace, making him double over a bit. Kevin could also see that there were now a few new holes in Viktor's abdomen… but no blood was coming out. "What?! How're you not—"

"Transylians do not bleed, Levin!" Viktor bellowed as he quickly grabbed Kevin by the shoulder, lifting him up to eye-level with him. "Our bodies require nothing but electrical energy to survive. With your extensive knowledge on alien species, I would have thought that even a disgusting creature such as yourself would know _that_."

As Kevin struggled to break free, he sent Viktor a smirk. "Heh, guess it must've slipped my mind!"

"Hmph, pity for you, then." At that moment, Viktor sent a powerful blast of lightning through his arm and into Kevin, making the Osmosian yell in agony. What made it even worse was that the Fire Dust on his arms was reacting violently to the electricity, forcing Kevin to revert to his normal state just so he wasn't in as much pain. Viktor stopped his lightning and reared his arm back. "And this is where you fall!"

_BAM!_ With a mighty thrust, Viktor threw Kevin straight through one of the nearby buildings, and it is here where he found himself faceplanted right into a wall. "Uuugh, why does he have to be so stubborn?" Kevin pried himself off of the wall and looked around, finding that he was in a large science lab. "Huh, didn't think Huntsman academies would NEED science labs." he mused. After searching around a bit, Kevin found a rather large rock in the corner with some sort of fossil in it, and fortunately, it was just big enough for him to use. He absorbed the stone shifted his arms into hammers, ready to get back into the fight. "Alright, Vik, time for round—"

_SLAM!_ The raven-haired teen was cut off when Viktor himself burst in through the wall, his fists still crackling with lightning. "Are you _certain_ you wish to continue this fight?!"

Just to be safe, Kevin shifted the hammer heads so that they were spiked. "Oh yeah, I ain't done with you yet!"

"So be it! RRRAAAUGH!" With another thunderous punch, Viktor struck Kevin and began taking him through every wall in the building, charging with all the momentum he could. Even though the electricity was crackling all over his body again, Kevin wasn't about to let up, swinging his arms at Viktor even as he was repeatedly sent through wall after wall. The spiked hammers kept leaving wounds in Viktor's forearm, through whether the Transylian felt the pain or not, Kevin couldn't guess. But if he did, then he was ignoring it to keep his focus on Kevin. "I will melt you down into a puddle of molten flesh, Levin!"

"Gah!" Kevin grit his teeth as the two charged through more walls. "How—ugh! About—AGH! NO?!" It was then that Kevin noticed that the ceiling was beginning to collapse, a result of them plowing through a few support beams along the way. "You idiot! Are you TRYING to get us BOTH buried?!"

"Indeed I am." Viktor confirmed with a sinister smile, stopping in place as the ceiling continued to collapse. "But as you can probably guess, I will be fine. You, on the other hand…"

Kevin glowered at the Transylian. "You seriously think I won't be able to survive THIS? I've lived through worse, Vik."

"I'm aware…" Viktor's arm began charging up again. "But it _will_ still hurt."

"…That, I can't argue—GAAAAAH!" Kevin wailed as the lightning began taking its toll on him once again, clenching his jaw down to stop himself soon after. _'C'mon, Kev, Keep it together for just a bit longer…'_ Kevin whipped up just in time for the whole ceiling to come crashing down onto them, which Viktor took as his cue to start blasting lightning through all of the other walls. Working through the pain, Kevin managed to reach down into his pocket and pull out another Dust crystal, though he couldn't see which one it was. _'At this point, I'll take anything.'_ Soon enough, Viktor got the result he had wanted; the entire building coming down around them. Kevin grimaced down to Viktor and muttered; "You're an ass—HOLE!"

With that, the walls and ceiling tumbled down on top of them, leaving the Science building as nothing but a pile of rubble. From across the quad, Blake, Ilia Sun and Neptune all came charging toward the building, the four staring at it as the rubble began to settle. Neptune gave a small shrug and said; "Well, at least it wasn't me, this time?"

"Yeah… this is a LOT worse than when you blew up the lab." Sun commented before cupping his hands over his mouth. "KEVIN! Are you in there?!"

Ilia rushed forward and began slicing through larger chunks of debris with her Lightning Lash, ushering for her friends to join her. "C'mon, we gotta get him out of here!"

"Ilia, don't worry." Blake reassured. "Remember, this is Kevin we're talking about. He wouldn't let a little thing like this take him down—" **BLAM!** The cat girl was suddenly cut off when a large bolt of purple lightning shot up from the rubble and into the sky, allowing Viktor to stand up from the collapsed building without issue. …And Kevin was nowhere to be seen. "Uh… at least I hope it isn't."

Viktor focused onto the group and glared at them, his hands continuing to crackle as he stepped toward them. Ilia moved right back over to the group, intimidated by the Transylian's sheer size as well as his overall undead appearance. He stopped just short of the group, with Blake and Sun taking defensive stances while Ilia and Neptune were visibly more afraid of confronting the monstrous alien. Still, they followed their friend's example. "So… you managed to best my Grimm Army, then?" Viktor asked calmly.

"That's right." Blake confirmed. "And it seems you've buried our friend." She poinred Gambol Shroud right at Viktor. "Now I think it's time we returned the favor."

"It's four against one now, Vik." Sun united Ruyi Jingu Bang back together and spun it around, ready to engage Viktor again. "And we're ready for whatever you've got."

"Are you? Then perhaps you will not mind me proving you wrong." Viktor put his fingers up to his mouth and whistled into them, which ended up echoing all throughout the school grounds and through the mountains. A few moments later, the group could hear the flapping of large, powerful wings approaching, leaving the four teens to grow pale. "And THIS is where _you_ fall."

" **GRAAOOOUUGH!"** The four teens were taken aback when seven large shadows suddenly flew up from all around the mountain, shooting up right above the school in a synchronized formation. They directed their eyes upward to see not one, not two, but _four_ Manticores all flying high above them in a circle, with a total of _three_ large Sphinxes flying in place in the middle of them.

Neptune grimaced at the sight. "Oh for god's sake! Seriously?!"

Ilia's spots turned white at the sight of them. "This isn't good." She directed her eyes to Blake worriedly. "It took at least THREE of us each to take down these things back in Kuroyuri! I don't know how much of a chance we have if we just go one-on-one with each of them!"

"Exactly." Viktor nodded. "With your numbers split the way they are, none of you have a chance to—"

**KA-BOOOOOM!** Without any warning, a gigantic explosion suddenly erupted from the rubble that was the Science building, taking everybody, including Viktor off guard. The whole group ended up tumbling back at the explosion's force, a huge fiery plume of debris blasting up into the sky as it did. In the process, the explosion actually ended up enveloping one of the Manticores, setting it ablaze and knocking it right out of the sky, making it fall right down the mountain side. The rest of the flying Grimm all made sure to stay clear of the blast as a lone figure began to rise from the rubble.

It was, of course, Kevin. But the Osmosian did NOT seem happy… at all. In fact, the most appropriate term to use to describe him right now would be; _pissed off_. As they set their eyes on the Osmosian, Blake, Sun, Ilia and Neptune were pretty sure they had never seen Kevin that angry, even when he was irritated. His teeth were clenched with his lips up in a big snarl, his eyebrows were down as far as they could go, and his eyes… were glowing with a bright orange color. The four shifted their eyes down to his arms to see that they were coated in Dust once again, but it was a type of Dust that they hadn't seen him use before; Orange Dust.

Blake's face grew slightly pale at the sight of his arms. "…He didn't."

"GRAAAAAUUH! VIKTOR!" Kevin screamed to the heavens, taking almost everyone by surprise.

Ilia swallowed and steeled herself for what came next. "He did." she squeaked.

"W-What do you mean?!" Sun asked. "What's wrong with Kevin?!"

"…Just watch." Blake muttered with a bit of fear in her voice.

The only one who didn't seem to be scared was Viktor, who instead just furrowed his brows at the angry Osmosian. "…So, you REALLY don't know when to give up, do you?" Viktor crossed his arms and shook his head, all while Kevin continued to glare at him. "Really, Levin, you should learn to quit while you're ahead. Tennyson isn't here to bail you out of this fight against me, and if it hasn't been made evident by now, you stand very little chance against me. Should you not _learn_ from your father's last fatal mistake instead of repeating it?"

If possible, the Transylian's words only made Kevin even angrier. And then… something came out of Kevin's mouth that none of them expected; "I'M GONNA KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD!" In a near blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, Kevin bent his legs and leaned forward while keeping his arms back, his palms open all the while. Then, with a single thrust of his arms, a small explosion came out from each of his hands, resulting in him being propelled forward at high speeds. Kevin roared furiously as he came flying toward them, to the point where his friends thought he would blow out a lung; "AAAAAAAAUUUGH!"

"Hmph, all bolster and no brain." Viktor waved a hand and two of the Sphinxes began to fly right at Kevin. "Attack him!"

The giant flying cats did as they were told and went to intercept Kevin… but what came next floored everyone watching. With another loud scream, Kevin shifted his right arm into a sword… with multiple spikes on it. " _DIE_!" He reared it back as one of the Sphinxes came close and plunged it right into its skull… and the mere contact made the Grimm's whole head blow up. The Osmosian then went and changed his other arm into a mace and stuck it right into the other Sphinx's gut, blowing it right in half without effort. As the two giant beasts evaporated into black mist, Kevin's hands went back to normal and he thrust himself forward again, intent on reaching the Transylian that had pissed. Him. OFF.

Viktor's normal eye widened at what he had just witnessed. "What in the world is—GAH!" All at once, Kevin came crashing into Viktor with a strong right hook to the stomach… which was followed up immediately by an explosion the second his fist made impact. As a result, Viktor was sent flying back into the main building, crashing through multiple walls before finally landing in Haven's courtyard.

The quartet could only stare in amazement-and-or-horror as Kevin's snarl was replaced with a smirk, the Osmosian erupting into laughter. "AHAHAHA! That'll show ya, you damn FREAK!" However, when he felt his friend's eyes on him, his scowl returned and he rounded about to them, making them all flinch. "AND WHAT'RE YOU NERDS STARING AT?!"

"N-Nothing! Nothing, Kev!" Neptune put on the biggest grin he could muster at the moment to try and calm things down. "We're just… glad that you're okay is all!"

Kevin's expression softened… but only just a bit. He seemed less angry now, so that was a bit of a plus. "Pfft, yeah, well I wasn't about to let that idiot get the better of me." He lifted his arm and grinned at the Orange Dust that he had absorbed into them, with small explosions dancing around his fingers. "But this Dust… haha! It's AWESOME! If I had known Orange Dust could cause explosions, I woulda gone for THIS kinda Dust from the very start!"

Blake and Ilia glanced nervously to each other before the cat girl stepped forward with trepidation. "Uh, yeah… about that, Kevin, I think you should—"

"Guys!" The five teens attention was brought to the sky as Penny landed right next to them, with Qrow stopping just short of her. "I brought help!"

Ilia sent a confused glance over to the drunken Huntsman. "Uh… who's that?"

"Oh, that's Ruby's uncle, Qrow." Blake explained. "He's—"

"Ah, great! The drunken asshole returns AGAIN!" Kevin waved a hand in Qrow's direction, an annoyed expression now firmly etched onto his face. "What, are ya gonna get the bad guys all tipsy and drink 'em into submission?!"

Qrow furrowed his brows right back at Kevin, both in confusion and irritation. "Uh, no… kid, what the hell're you on abou—" But then, he saw the state of Kevin's arms, and he immediately facepalmed. "Gah, no, kid! What've you done?!"

"Okay, could somebody PLEASE explain to me why the Orange Dust is a big deal?!" Sun spoke up. "I'm gettin' tired of bein' left in the dark!"

"Gladly." Qrow obliged. "Ya know how some people have Semblances that need Dust to fuse into their bodies to work? Well almost all of 'em specifically do NOT use Orange Dust in its purest form."

Neptune quirked a brow at that. "Why, is it bad?"

"Not when ya weaponize it." Qrow explained. "When used _properly_ , Orange Dust can be used for a multitude o' heat-based things. It's usually used in controlled explosives, but can be used to make obsidian weapons, kinda like how a _certain_ someone uses them. But raw Orange Dust… causes much bigger, uncontrolled explosions."

Sun snapped his fingers. "So THAT'S where Cinder gets all her weapons! But, uh… back to the "some Semblances needing Dust" thing, why do not many people use Orange Dust with their Semblances?"

Qrow pointed over to Kevin. "THAT'S why, monkey boy. Whenever a person puts any other type of Dust into their body, they usually end up fine, if a little overloaded by the time they're done. But with Orange Dust… well, it's got kind of an… _explosive_ side-effect." He focused directly into Kevin's eyes, the Osmosian glaring right back at him. "Fer some reason, Orange Dust makes the pituitary gland kick into high-gear, so anyone who's got the stuff in their systems becomes pissed off beyond recognition."

"WHAT'RE YA TALKING ABOUT, YA DRUNK?! I'M FINE!" Kevin shouted back.

"See?" Qrow shrugged. "He's all riled up and angry now for no reason."

"I'll give ya no reason!" Kevin thrust a finger over to where he blew Viktor through the main building. "That asshole dropped a building on my head! HOW'S THAT FOR _NO REASON_?!"

Blake sent a piercing glare at Kevin, though the Osmosian didn't flinch for a second. "Kevin, I know that you're VERY upset right now, but we have to stay focused on the mission at hand. We gotta take down the Manticores and the Sphinx…" The cat girl's eyes widened the moment she brought the flying beasts up, her head whipping up toward the sky in realization. There, flying high up in the sky were the three remaining Manticores and Sphynx… and they were doing nothing but flapping their wings and staring off into space. "Uh… what?"

"YEAH, WHAT THE HELL?!" Kevin hollered. "What're those things doing just flappin' around doin' nothin'?!"

"Well… ya kinda DID just throw Viktor for a loop there." Neptune pointed out. "I'm guessing the Grimm don't do anything if he's incapacitated."

Sun placed his hands on his hips. "Or distracted, for that matter. So, what do we do?"

Just as Qrow was about to make a suggestion, his scroll started ringing, taking everyone by surprise. Qrow took it out, saw that it was Ironwood calling, and answered it immediately. "Jim? Where the hell are ya?"

" _Qrow! I'm chasing after Lionheart through the main building."_ James answered from the other end. _"I think he's heading to his office, but… what the HELL just crashed through the lower floors?! And what was that noise outside? I thought there was an earthquake happening!"_

Qrow grumbled and shook his head. "Nah, that was just Levin's little temper tantrum after absorbing Orange Dust."

"I'LL SHOW YOU TEMPER, YA SPOOKY DRUNKARD!" Kevin screamed.

" _He did WHAT?!"_ Ironwood exclaimed before giving a shout from the other end, with the sound of something blowing up following it up. At that moment, a huge, flaming rock burst out from one of the windows on the top floor, making impact right next to the group. On the scroll, Ironwood cried out; "Get back here, Leonardo!" which could be heard through the window on the top floor. He continued speaking to Qrow; _"Qrow, I need you up here so we can corner him! NOW!"_

"I'll be there, don't worry." Qrow assured before hanging up. He let out a sigh before facing the kids once again. "Look, kids, I'd love to stay an' chat, but I got a former friend to take in. Think you can handle things from here… _without_ blowing up anymore buildings?"

Before anyone could answer him, the flying Grimm all suddenly roared again, continuing their circling formation above the group. The team had taken that as their sign to get clear, moving over toward a section of trees for temporary cover. But right as they made it over… "LEVIN!" The team whipped their heads around to see Viktor stomping his way back through the building, emerging through the hole he had made with his body. The Transylian appeared to be absolutely livid and his body was practically covered in his own electricity, his eyes focused on Kevin all the while. "You will pay DEARLY for that!"

Kevin's wicked smile returned and he clenched his Orange Dust fists, with small explosions already dancing across his knuckles. "I make NO promises, DRUNKLE QROW! GAH!" With another thrust of his arms, Kevin rocketed himself right back to his fight with Viktor, the two meeting with a very powerful clash.

Qrow facepalmed and shook his head, jabbing his thumb up to the beasts above. "Okay, well could YOU kids at least try not to wreck anything?"

"We will." Blake promised. "We're not out of control like Kevin is."

"W-Wait." Sun spoke up, bringing their attention to him. "I… I actually wanna go with Qrow." The usually happy monkey boy wore a sullen expression as his hand tightened around his bo staff. "I feel like I need to confront Lionheart myself about all this. He NEEDS to know how much this just hurt his students."

Penny stepped forward in concern. "Are you sure that is the best move, Sun? I mean, there WILL still be four of us and there are four Grimm up there, but I am not sure if—"

At that moment, another sound suddenly rang out throughout the group, this time coming from both Sun's and Neptune's pockets. The boys took out their scrolls to see that they had both gotten a message from… "Sage?" Neptune muttered. "What's going—" But then his eyes became confused as he read the message itself, with Sun wearing a similar expression.

"What did he say, Sun?" Blake asked.

"He says… that reinforcements are on the way." Sun flipped his scroll around to show Blake and the others his message. "I'm not sure what he's talking about, though."

Blake put a hand to her chin. "Yeah, he couldn't possibly mean the two of them—" _BLIP!_ The next sudden noise brought Blake's attention back to the scroll, only to see a second message pop in below the first one Sage sent. And the message itself… made Blake's jaw drop. As everyone else saw it, they two were astonished by what it said, aside from Ilia who didn't know what it meant. It was only four letters long… but those four letters were all they needed; "A" "B" "R" and "N". Blake and the others slowly smiled at that. "…I think we might have a chance."

"HEY!" The whole group snapped their heads up as a loud, feminine voice called out across the quad, one that was firm and commanded respect. It also managed to garner the flying Grimm's attention as well, their glowing purple eyes moving toward the source; the roof of Haven's main building. There, standing on top of the blue shingles, was a young woman in her late teens. She had dark skin, tousled platinum blonde hair that reached to the base of her neck, and olive-green eyes that were glaring right back at the Grimm. She was donned in a golden yellow robe that had a single, loose-fitting sleeve on the right side, while the left arm was left bare. There was a large, red sash adorned on her waist, with an endless knock symbol embroidered into it.

Beneath her robe, she wore a black tube top that made sure her exposed left side was covered, along with matching baggy pants and pointed shoes. Her left arm had bandages on her lower bicep and upper forearm, with her right hand and both of her shins bandaged up as well. For accessories, she had a pair of two red pins sticking out of her hair while a matching red neckless was settled on her neck, completing her overall appearance quite well. "Who the HELL is tryin' to wreck my SCHOOL?!"

Sun and Neptune simultaneously brightened up at the same time. "ARSLAN!" they exclaimed.

Arslan Altan's eyes shot over to where the group was hiding… and she immediately facepalmed. "Oh, THERE you guys are."

Just then, the Sphinx decided to make its move, diving down to Arslan with incredible speed. "Watch out!" Ilia shouted.

"Relax, Ilia." Neptune winked with a thumbs up. "You don't need to worry 'bout her. Arslan's got this."

As the Sphinx drew closer and closer to the blonde girl, Arslan took a deep breath and closed her eyes, widening her stance while performing a brief kata. However, the moment her eyes opened, she let out a determined yell before rushing forward, taking a mighty leap off of the roof. And then, much to the surprise of Ilia, Arslan punched the Sphinx right in the jaw with her right fist, a blow that was so powerful that it sent it crashing straight into the fountain in the middle of the quad. With a graceful flip, Arslan landed on both feet and turned toward the group, all of them now making their way over to her.

"That… was… AMAZING!" Ilia exclaimed.

Arslan gave the chameleon girl a nod and an appreciative grin. "Thank you, I—" But then her attention was garnered the moment she saw a certain redhaired robot. "YOU!"

Penny's eyes shifted back and forth before pointing at herself. "Uh… me?"

"Yes, YOU! You're the robot girl that Nikos sliced to pieces at the Vytal Festival!" Arslan was staring at Penny in bewilderment, trying to comprehend what was going one. "B-But, I… I thought that you were…"

"Dead?" Penny finished. "For the most part, yes! But then I got better!" She noticed the unchanging expression on Arslan's face and made an addendum; "Well… perhaps some further explanation is in order..."

"Could we get back to important matters first, PLEASE?" Qrow pressed, focusing on Arslan with a furrowed brow. "Hey, Fisticuffs, you our back up?"

Arslan was snapped out of her stupor and nodded her head. "Y-Yes, sir. My team and I are ready to assist." She craned her head over to Sun and Neptune, the boys initially happy to see her… but quickly shrunk back when she gave them a stern face. "But first off, just WHERE the hell have you two been?" **KA-BOOM!** Before she could get an answer, an explosion caused everyone to focus onto Kevin and Viktor's fight briefly, only confusing Arslan more. "And WHY the hell is there a _rock man_ fighting an _oversized lighting zombie_?!" she asked as she saw the wild-eyed Osmosian shouting at Viktor to "DIE!".

Blake smiled awkwardly and chuckled at that. "Hehe, uh, the rock guy's a friend, but let's just ignore him for now, huh? So… where's the rest of your—" **ROOOAAAAR!** From off to the side, all three Manticores roared and began to fly down as well, causing everyone to get into a fighting stance. "Can't we just have a _brief_ conversation here?!"

But, right at that moment, a new voice called up from overhead. "Hey! Big kitties!" From high in the sky, three figures began flying down toward the Manticores at high speeds, all of them riding on what seemed to be a green and black hoverboard with two blades at each end. The owner of said hoverboard was the one who spoke up; a teenaged girl with long, bright green hair that was swept to her right side. She was fair skinned with two black markings under her teal eyes, a mischievous smirk etched onto her face. Her attire was fairly simple; a purple hoodie with a mauve sweater underneath, black shorts with matching high-tops, as well as black and green knee and elbow pads, plus matching fingerless gloves. The girl sent a wink down to the flying lions and shouted; "Wanna play?! Bolin! Nadir! Let's freaking GO!"

With that, the two other figures jumped off, both of them young men in their teens as well. The first one to jump off had tanned skin, amber eyes and flowing black hair, as well as what seemed to be a staff in his hand. He wore a navy vest and a pair of bluish-grey pants that had yellow lacing up the sides of the legs. He had on a pair of black boots and long, fingerless gloves that reached his elbows, as well as a grey, beaded neckless around his neck. There were also two large, yellow sashes around his body; one across his torso, and one situated at his waist. Suddenly, with a press of a button, two blades popped out from either end of his weapon, and he called back to the girl; "You got it, Reese!" Bolin replied. "Nadir?"

Next to him, a pink-haired young man with a dark complexion and blue eyes sent his teammate a thumbs up before producing his own weapon; a submachine gun that transformed into a sword. For as bright as his hair was, he also had an undercut that was black in color, indicating that the top of his head was dyed. He was adorned in a pair of grey pants, a black V-neck beneath a white and yellow jacket, with matching fingerless gloves and sneakers. "Ready to go, man! Let's clip their wings!"

With that, the three teammates shot down toward the Manticores, with each performing their own technique to ground the creatures. Bolin Hori tuck and rolled over the beast's head, managing to somersault away from its jaws and down its back. He then uncurled himself and quickly hooked one of the blades on his staff onto the base of the Manticore's wing, using it to swing himself back up and over the Manticore's head. In the process, though, he sliced through the wing itself, which he immediately followed up with cleanly slicing through the other wing as he came falling back down. With a tuck and roll, Bolin landed in a crouch as the Manticore fell to the earth behind him. "Too easy."

Nadir Shiko went with a bit more of a head-on approach, peppering his Manticore in the face with his submachine gun. This caused the beast to roar in pain while redirecting itself in mid-flight, allowing Nadir to land on it's back. He was facing toward the beast's rear, however, allowing him the perfect vantage to take it down. "Sorry, bud, but we're in for a pretty rough landing!" With the flick of a switch, Nadir's weapon unfolded into its sword mode, allowing him to slice right through the wings of the beast. With another pain-filled roar, the Manticore landed fast first into the pavement below, allowing Nadir to jump off with a laugh. "Ha! How d'ya like THAT, cat?!"

Finally, it was Reese Chloris' turn, the skater girl still smirking as she approached her Manticore. As she fell toward it on her hoverboard, the suddenly performed a barrel roll around the beast, avoiding it entirely. A small giggle escaped her lips as she twisted herself back around and began approaching the Manticore from behind, grabbing the front of her board the second she got close to its back. She then jumped off of her board and held tightly onto the beast's tail, throwing her board with her free hand up toward the wing. As expected, the blades on the board's front and back ends sliced right through both wings at their base as if boomeranged around in midair. Once it came back around, Reese caught the board and quickly let go of the falling Grimm's tail, getting back onto her mode of transport once more to fly safely back to the earth below.

Once she made it there, she gathered up with the rest of Team ABRN and jumped off her board, pumping a shaka hand sign up into the air. "WOO! Now THAT was wicked! Totally SICK!"

"Great job, everyone." Arslan complimented. "Just like I knew you would." The leader directed her attention back over to Blake and the others… only to see that Penny and Ilia's jaws were practically on the ground in shock. Arslan smiled and gave them a small chuckle. "Hmhm, I take it you're impressed with our work?"

The two stunned girls shook themselves out of it and Ilia responded; "Are you kidding me?! That was awesome!"

" _Very_ impressive!" Penny concurred. "You all have improved greatly since we last saw you!"

"We'd like to think so." Reese smirked. "Ever since… well… "you-know-what", we've been workin' a lot harder on our teamwork, even if school's out." She glanced all around the quad to see all of the chaos that had unfolded, including Kevin and Viktor's current fight. "Though something tells me that won't be for a bit, yet. …And did Neptune blow up the Science Building AGAIN?!"

"It wasn't me!" Neptune objected. "I swear!"

Qrow raised his arms and got them all to calm down. "Alright, alright, let's all calm down here." He gestured over to Team ABRN. "We got backup, that's what's important. Now monkey boy an' I can go intercept Lionheart with Ironwood."

His words served to shock the entirety of Team ABRN in an instant. "So… it's true what Sage said?" Bolin muttered.

"Lionheart… is in league with the ones who attacked Beacon?" Nadir said in disbelief.

Qrow signed and gave them a nod. "Yes, he is. I'll explain what the hell's goin' on after all this is over, don't worry." He directed his eyes to Blake. "But for now, ya think you can handle all these Grimm?"

"No problem, Qrow." Blake assured. "We'll be good." She walked up to Sun and gave him a peck on the lips. "Be careful, alright?"

Sun smiled and nodded to her. "I will, don't worry. I've got some things to say to Lionheart that I'll make _sure_ he remembers."

"Hope so." Neptune raised a fist up to his friend. "And dude… sock him in the gut for me."

At that moment, Arslan raised her own fist up to Sun as well. "And punch him in the _face_ for ME. I always had a weird feeling about Lionheart… I just wish it wasn't about something THIS bad."

Sun bumped their fists back and gave them a salute. "No problem, guys. I'll be back soon." He nodded toward Qrow and, without missing a beat, the two ran over to the main building and began scaling it, bringing them all the way to the top floor.

Arslan crossed her arms and moved her eyes over to Blake as the Grimm all began to get up. "Alright, Blake, you're apparently the one in charge, so let's hear the plan."

"Right." Blake put up two fingers and gestured over to the Sphinx and the now-wingless Manticores. "I propose we separate into teams of two and each take on a Grimm. One of us will pair off with a member of Team ABRN and work together to take them down."

Reese raised a brow at her plan. "And… why not just pair off with someone in our own team?"

"Because if things go the way I THINK they are, then you guys might be working alongside us a few more times in the future." Blake explained. "Especially if Qrow makes due on explaining the whole thing to you." She extended Gambol Shroud into its blade mode and prepped herself to engage the Grimm once more. "For now, though, let's just focus on the problem in front of us."

Reese gave her a shrug. "Hm, fine by me." She tossed her hoverboard and it began floating just above the ground, jumping on it while ushering for Blake to do the same. "C'mon, let's ride!"

Blake's eyebrows shot up at her. "Uh… you serious?"

"Would I ask you if I _wasn't_ serious?"

"…Fair point." Blake admitted as she got on the hoverboard, gripping onto one of Reese's shoulders for support. "Alright, everyone, let's do this!" With her command, everyone began pairing off and engaging the Grimm, ready end the giant beasts once and for all.

* * *

If there was one thing Ilia did not expect to happen, it was finding herself paired up with the dude with the pink hair. _'His name is… Nadir? I think? Either way…'_ She whipped her head toward him and gave him a smile. "Hey!" she called out.

"Hey yourself!" Nadir answered back. "What's your name?"

"Name's Ilia! And you're Nadir, right—WOAH!" The moment she said that, the Manticore they had charged toward suddenly pounced at her, making the chameleon girl do an impressive backflip away from the beast. As she flipped in midair, Ilia pulled out her Lightning Lash and cracked it right in the Grimm's face, making it roar as it received a powerful shock. Ilia landed back next to Nadir and gave him a nod. "Sorry, where was I? Oh, yeah! I like your hair."

"Thanks! I like how your ponytail is styled." Nadir complemented back before nudging his head toward the Manticore. "Wanna tag team this cat?"

Ilia gave him a thumbs up. "Definitely. Think you can pepper it while I try and restrain it?"

"Sure thing." Nadir pumped a fist. "And then we'll finish it off at the same time?"

"Exactly what I was thinking." Ilia confirmed. "Let's do this!"

With their plan formed, the two separated, with Ilia making her way around the Grimm toward its rear. The Manticore about to follow her, but Nadir transformed his sword back into its submachine gun mode and began unloading round after round into the beast's face at a rapid-fire rate. The bullets caught the beast's attention, embedding themselves into its armored skull as it tried to push its way through the fire toward Nadir.

"C'mon, kitty! Time to take your medicine!" Nadir taunted. However, the big cat was able to push its way through the onslaught of weapon fire long enough to breath a hot flame at Nadir, forcing him to dodge out of the way. He sighed in relief when he managed to avoid it… only to realize his right sleeve was on fire. "AH! Nononono NO!" He pat out the small flame and glowered at the Grimm. "Hey! Nobody messes with the jacket!"

" **ROOAAR!"** The Manticore just bellowed angrily at Nadir before charging toward him, intent on eviscerating the young man.

"Oh, I don't THINK so!" Nadir charged forth at the Grimm himself, paying attention to how the beast moved. Right as the Manticore leapt at him Nadir fell and purposefully slid right under it, all while transforming his weapon back into sword mode. Right as he passed underneath the base of the creature's tail, Nadir smirked and thrust himself back up, cleaving his blade through it and cutting it off successfully. Nadir landed and laughed at the beast as it growled in pain. "Haha! Now THAT was quite the _tail_ , wasn't it?"

"Nice work, Nadir!" Ilia shouted as she began coming up toward the side of the Manticore, her Lightning Lash at the ready. "Now let's finish this!" The chameleon girl jumped up high into the air and over the Manticore, catching it with its guard down. With a flick of her wrist, Ilia managed to wrap her lash around the beast's midsection and deliver an intense electric shock to it, making it howl in pain. She landed on the other side of the Manticore and whipped her head toward Nadir, giving him an affirming nod. "Nadir, go for it!"

"On it!" With another burst of speed, Nadir rushed up to the now-paralyzed Grimm and jumped right up to its face, reeling his arm back to deliver a finishing blow. Nadir thrust his sword down into the Manticore's skull, a scream of agony escaping the beast's throat as he did. Ilia took that as her cue to retract her weapon, cutting through the beast's whole midsection. All at once, the Manticore dissolved into black mist, the two combatants quick to revel in their victory. "WOO! We did it!" Nadir strode over to Ilia and offered a high five, taking the girl a back a bit. He smiled down expectantly to her. "Well? Don't leave me hangin', girl!"

Ilia, now assured she had nothing to worry about, returned the high five. "Haha! That was great! I'm really glad our plan worked out."

"No kidding." Nadir agreed. "So… Ilia, you got any plans after this chaos is over?"

The chameleon girl gave him a sympathetic smile. "Nadir, I'm very flattered, but… I'm already trying to pursue a relationship with someone else."

"Ah, gotcha!" Nadir said, his smile not wavering once. "Well, I just thought I'd give it a shot." He offered her a handshake. "I'd be happy to just stay friends, though, if ya want to, at least."

Ilia had to blink in order to comprehend what she just heard. _'Wow… he took that a LOT better than I thought.'_ She glanced down at his hand and her smile returned, grasping it for a friendly shake. "Yeah, sure, I'd like that, actually. Oh, and one more thing…" Much to Nadir's surprise, Ilia's hair suddenly changed to the same shade of pink his was, taking him aback. "They say imitation is the best form of flattery, right?"

Nadir let out a good-natured laugh at her surprising trick. "Haha! Aw, man, that's so cool! Thank you, by the way. How'd you do that?"

"I'm… a chameleon Faunus. I can change my color."

Nadir stared at Ilia in astonishment, making the chameleon girl worry that she had just said the wrong thing to the wrong person. But all her worries were washed away when Nadir offered her a fist bump, and said; "Sweet!" Needless to say, she happily accepted the gesture.

* * *

Out of all the members of Team ABRN that Neptune had to get paired with, it just HAD to be Bolin. He didn't know if it was just how the cards fell or what, but there they were. It wasn't that he didn't _like_ the guy or anything, it was just the fact that Bolin was probably the most perceptive member of Team ABRN, while Neptune was the exact opposite. As they faced off against their wingless Manticore, the bo-staff wielder was relaying his plan to Neptune, quickly going over what he had formulated;

"Alright, so since we cut the beast's wings off, it's already going to be much easier to take it down." Bolin explained. "So here's the plan I cobbled together, Neptune; you're going to distract it long enough for me to get in close so I can get in some quick hits at its underside with my weapon." He made his bo-staff's bladed pop back out again. "I'll be going for its stomach, so once I open up a weak point, you'll come in with your weapon for the kill, okay?"

Neptune could only stare at the young man wide-eyed, blinking a few times as all of that settled into his brain. The fact that he had managed to come up with that plan in only a few minutes was astonishing… but it also made the blue-haired boy feel somewhat inferior. "Uh… remind me why you're not the leader of your team again?"

"We all have our different strengths." Bolin answered. "Mine just happens to be being observant to things around me. Arslan's is being able to take charge of the situation. Why do you think I'm second-in-command?"

"Point taken." Neptune took out Tri-Hard and shifted it into its gun mode. "Now let's actually DO this!"

Bolin gave him a single nod. "Agreed! Let's move!" With that, the two boys rushed forth, charging right for the Manticore. Neptune was staying as far away from the beast as possible, successfully getting its attention whilst also staying clear of its fire breath.

As he unloaded round after round of Lightning Dust ammo into the beast's face, Neptune couldn't help but smirk as he saw the effects begin to take hold. The Manticore, for as big as it was, was beginning to grow sluggish as it turned around to keep its eyes on him. "Yeah, that's right buddy, just keep taking the—AAH!"

Neptune had to duck as, much to his surprise, the Manticore had actually managed to pounce at him, its claws at the ready for an attack. However, just as it did, Bolin suddenly rushed toward the creature's left side and leapt up toward its stomach, using his bladed bo-staff to slice two clean cuts into its abdomen. With a roar of pain, the Manticore fell off toward Neptune's left side, leaving the blue-haired boy the catch his breath.

"You good?" Bolin asked as he landed a good distance away from the Grimm.

"Yeah, thanks for the assist!"

"Don't thank me yet, we're not done." Bolin narrowed his eyes at the Manticore as it stood up, the creature letting out a low bellow at him as it changed its number one priority; slaughtering the puny being that wounded it not once, but TWICE.

Noticing this, Neptune decided to take some initiative. "Hey, big guy! Let's see how you like THIS!" With a push of a button, Tri-Hard shifted into its trident mode and Neptune began running toward the beast, ready to take it off its feet. With a loud battle cry, he raised trident raised high above his head and jumped up onto the Manticore's back, driving the triple-bladed weapon right between its shoulder pads. _'If Yang's mom can do it, then so can I… I hope.'_

Unfortunately, the ride wasn't as pleasant as Neptune had hoped it'd be. The Manticore thrashed all about as it writhed in pain, trying to buck the blue-haired boy off of its back. However, Neptune stayed on, pulling back on Tri-Hard's handle as hard as he could. Finally, he got the beast right up onto its hind legs, which was all he needed it to do. "BOLIN! NOW!"

"Right!" With a quick running jump, Bolin spun his bladed staff around and cut a rather large gash into the Manticore's stomach. His head snapped up to his temporary partner and called out; "Neptune! Finish it!"

"I'll get on that as soon as I'm-OFF!" On that last word, the Manticore began to tumble backwards on purpose, hoping to crush Neptune beneath its whole weight. But just as it began to fall onto its back, Neptune pulled Tri-Hard out of its back and grabbed one of its mane-like horns, using it as leverage to pull himself up and over its head as it fell. But just as it landed on the ground, the beast opened its mouth and shot a stream of fire at the young man, making his eyes bug out. "Oh crap!"

"Hang on!" Bolin shouted as he immediately jumped into the flamethrower's way, spinning his bo-staff like a propeller to redirect the flames away from the both of them. "Do it now!"

Wasting no time, Neptune shifted Tri-Hard into its guandao mode and spun it around in his hand so that it was pointing down toward the Manticore. Finally, with another loud battle cry and a thrust to the stomach, Neptune impaled the Grimm, killing it without fail. The creature evaporated into black mist and Neptune raised his fist in victory. "Woo-hoo! Alright! That was awesome!"

Bolin landed next to him and nodded. "Yes, I guess it was." But then, he placed his hands on his hips. "But can I just ask… what was the whole thing with jumping onto its back? I didn't think you had that in you."

Neptune rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Heh, well, let's just say that I've been wanting to get a bit more confident in these past couple of weeks."

"Good. Shows that you're taking initiative." Bolin sent him a smile. "And that's something I can respect."

Neptune gave him a thumbs up. "Thanks, dude. Now c'mon, let's go see how the others are doing."

* * *

For all of the times that Blake had ridden on hoverboards, that being only twice, she had to admit… they were awesome. Sure, she was pretty certain her boyfriend found them even MORE awesome than she did, especially with his 'surfing on a cloud' dream, but even she had to concede to the fact that the feeling of being on one was exhilarating. _'I seriously can't believe I've been pushed THIS far out of my usual comfort zone.'_ she thought to herself. _'But still…'_ She snapped her head around to see the Manticore… was STILL chasing after them. "Are you SURE this is a good idea, Reese?!"

"Trust me, Blakey!" Reese smirked as she continued to out speed the earth-bound Manticore. "I've got a pretty gnarly plan that you're gonna _love_!"

Blake deadpanned at the skater girl's slang. "Well, "gnarly" or not, we'd better get it done quick, or else we're… cat food." If possible, she deadpanned even more. "Dear god, I've been around Yang too long."

Reese sent her a thumbs up. "Don't sweat the small stuff, girl! We're almost there!" She continued forward until they made it to the Grand Hall, and it was there that Reese decided to enact her plan. "Brace yourself! We're goin' up!"

"W-Wait, up?! What're you talking abo—WOAH!" In an instant, Reese redirected her hoverboard so that the two were now shooting up the side of the building. And with the sudden jerking motion, Blake was pretty sure she had left her stomach back down on the ground. "Guh, what the heck?!"

Reese looked over her shoulder and gave Blake a wink, pointing back down behind them as they ascended. "Check it!"

The cat girl did as she was told and craned her head back down to the Manticore, which was now beginning to scale the building after them. However, with their angle and height, the beast couldn't reach them… and it also provided a good vantage point to attack. "How did you…"

"I figured it'd try to follow us where ever we went, so I thought it'd be a good advantage to give US the higher ground." Reese sent Blake an apologetic face. "Sorry that I didn't run this by you first. I-If you're not okay with this plan, we can always—"

"No, no! It's perfect, actually." Blake assured as she sent her gaze back down to the Manticore, which was trying to blast its flame breath at the two as it continued to scale the building. "But if we wanna keep this advantage, then we're going to have to attack it now." She glanced down to the hoverboard. "This turns into your guns, right?" Reese gave her a quick nod, which Blake smiled at. "Then what do you say to a bit of free falling?"

A toothy grin came to Reese's face. "Oh, I am SO stoked!" With that, the green-haired girl pressed her foot down on a small button near the middle of her board, making the device separate into two halves. Blake lurched herself forward and thrust off of her respective half of the board and down to the Manticore, leaving Reese to simply fall behind her. The two halves of Reese's board then transformed into a pair of twin revolvers with bayonets on them and she caught them in her free fall, the skater girl immediately beginning to shoot green energy blasts at the beast. "BANZAI!"

The Manticore roared as the blasts made impact with its face, forcing it to jerk its head away. However, while it wasn't looking, Blake took both Gambol Shroud and its sheath and used them to slice through a majority of its horns on the right side of its head… leaving it unbalanced. As the cat girl expected, without those horns, the Manticore lost its footing and fell right onto its back. Blake couldn't help but smirk to herself. _'I LOVE knowing everything about cats.'_ She whipped her head up to Reese and called out to her; "Time for the big finish?!"

"Right! Let's wreck this poser!" In one swift motion, Reese shifted her guns back into its board mode, but rather than getting on it, she instead threw it right down at the Grimm. The board spun rapidly downward until it impaled the Manticore right in the gut, with Reese landing in a tuck and roll right next to it. "Go for it, Blake!"

After loading a cartridge of Ice Dust into Gambol Shroud, Blake ran forward and stabbed the Manticore right in its forehead, the beast's roar being cut off as its whole head froze over. Once it did, the head fell off of the beast's body and shattered all across the ground, leaving the rest of the Grimm to dissolve into black mist. Blake let out a sigh end smiled at their victory. "Hah… and that… takes care of THAT."

"HAHA! Alright!" Reese raised her hand, offering a high five to the cat girl. Blake was all too happy to reciprocate after that job well done. "That was totally RAD, Blake!"

Blake's smile went from cheery to cringey right away. "Yeah… thanks."

"…I went too far with the slang, didn't I?"

"A little bit, yeah."

Reese sighed and rubbed the back of her head. "Gah, sorry, sometimes I go a little overboard with it."

Blake's smile became normal once again and she placed a hand on the shorter girl's shoulder. "Hey, no problem. If you like using it, then I'm not one to judge."

"Thanks! So—" _BAM!_ The two girls' heads shot up the moment they heard that loud noise, bringing their attention over to another nearby school building. There, they saw none other than the Sphinx, the creature having been buried in the rubble. Needless to say, the two were astonished. "W-What the heck was THAT?!"

"I don't know…" Blake's eyes shifted up toward the sky to see two figures flying high in the sky, with one of them sitting on the other's shoulders. "But I think it has something to do with THOSE two."

* * *

"Hey!" The moment that Arslan had gone to run into battle, she was stopped by a rather cheery voice stopping her from behind. The blonde martial artist turned around to see Penny standing directly behind her, giving her an equally cheery smile and a wave. "May I make a suggestion?" the android asked.

Arslan tilted her head to the side, still unsure what to make of the odd robot girl. "Uh… sure?" The moment she said that, Penny's oversized jet thrusters emerged from her back again, though her smile didn't falter for a second. "Gah! What the hell?!"

Penny pointed between herself, Arslan and the Sphinx, the still-winged Grimm flying high above them. "You, me, that Sphinx. Think we can do it?"

Arslan's eyes darted between Penny and the Grimm before a sly grin formed on her face. "Robo-girl, I like the way you think!" With a jump and a midair twist, Arslan landed right on Penny's shoulders, pumping a fist toward the Sphinx. "Let's get 'em!"

"Right! Now hold on tight!" The turbines in Penny's Air Heart jetpack began to spin, the jets kicking to life before the two rocketed into the sky… which made Arslan give out a surprised yelp.

"WOAH!" The Golden Lion of Haven Academy held on for dear life as Penny practically darted toward the Sphinx, the wind whipping past her eyes and through her hair. "Could ya maybe slow it down a LITTLE?!"

Penny slowed their ascent at the request, though they were still approaching the Sphinx pretty fast. "Apologies! Not used to passengers yet!" She pointed up to the Sphinx as the distance between it and them began to close. "I remember seeing you use your rope and dagger at the Vytal Tournament. Do you have any ideas about how it could work on the Sphinx?"

Arslan's eyes widened before a determined expression took over her face. From her right sleeve, she pulled out said dagger and gave Penny a nod. "Sure can! Just get me close to one of its wings, okay?"

"I'm all over it!" Penny saluted before closing in on the beast's wing, careful to avoid its fire breath. The moment she got within range, Arslan pulled her arm back, pressed a button on the dagger's handle, and thrust her arm forward, launching out the dart and rope toward the base of the Sphinx's wing. The dart lodged itself into the joint, making the Sphinx let out a whine.

"Got it! Now throw me!"

"What?!"

Arslan gave Penny a stern nod. "Trust me, Robo-girl!" Finding it hard to argue with that statement, Penny did as she was told, pulling Arslan off her shoulders before tossing her away. From there, Arslan belted out a battle cry and swung in a long arc onto the Sphinx's back, delivering a strong punch between its shoulder blades the second she landed. Then, with all her might, she pulled on the rope and dislodged the dart, retracting the rope back into the dagger. This made an even bigger gash in the Sphinx's wing, which she was quick to take advantage of. Arslan grabbed the wing, with her left hand and, gathering all the strength she could muster, kicked the damaged joint, detaching the wing from the Sphinx's body. "Gotcha!"

Penny was amazed to say the least. "That was sensational! …But you might wanna bail!"

Arslan's eyebrows shot up as the Grimm began to fall back toward the earth below, though she immediately had an idea to counter act this. She stood up. ran down the back of the beast's neck, jumped off of its forehead and began to fall ahead of it, twisting herself around in midair to face back to it. Arslan took out her dagger and thrust her arm forward, shooting out the rope dart again while yelling out; "GET OVER HERE!" The dart stuck into the Sphinx's forehead and Arlsan pulled back on the rope, pulling the beast toward her before delivering another powerful strike to its face, sending it careening back up into the air. Arslan did a backflip and landed on the concrete, her hand digging into it as she slid to a stop. "Robo-girl! Now's your chance!"

"Affirmative!" As the Sphinx approached her in the air, Penny shifted her Air Heart jetpack for her Bash Blasters, the giant laser cannons powering up with their signature green energy. "Smile you son of a gun!" Both lasers burst out of the cannons and struck the Sphinx right in its midsection, making it roar in agony as it was sent flying back into another building, which collapsed over it immediately. Penny shifted back to her Air Heart jetpack and flew over to Arslan, giving her a thumbs up. "Haha! Spectacular!"

"I'll say!" Arslan said while reciprocating the gesture. "Not bad, uh… I'm sorry, your name was…"

"Penny!" The redhead answered. "Penny Polendina."

A smile came to Arslan's face as she reached up to shake Penny's hand. "Thanks, I'll remember that from now on. Now, let's regroup and try to—"

"PENNY!" The two girls shrieked as a loud, angry voice screamed at the robot girl. Across the way, Arslan and Penny saw Kevin, his arms still covered in Orange Dust. He was attempting to fend off Viktor with more explosions while he ran toward the duo, and if possible, he seemed to be even MORE pissed off than he had been before. "I've got a plan to finish this asshole off!" the Osmosian explained. "But I need YOU to make it work!"

Penny and Arslan blinked before glancing back toward each other. _'Something tells me this will not end well.'_ Penny thought to herself.

* * *

Inside of the main Haven building, Leonardo Lionheart frantically ran down the hall leading to his office, sliding across the floor after rounding a corner to get to it. He had managed to give Ironwood the slip after using Stalwart to collapse a whole hallway. Now, if the general had wanted to get to him, he would have to take the _long_ way around. The Haven headmaster threw open his offices doors, immediately closed them the moment he was inside, locked them, and then pushed a large book shelf in front of them for good measure. He sidestepped next to the doorway and waited, making sure that he had effectively given Ironwood the slip for the time being. When he didn't hear anything, he sighed in relief…

…Only for a familiar robotic hand to come crashing straight through a moment later, toppling the book shelf as its metal fingers clenched at the air. "LIONHEART!" Ironwood screamed from the other side.

"AAAAAAH!" Lionheart jumped away from the doorway and stood in front of his desk, readying Stalwart for another attack. However, he froze the moment he saw Ironwood's hand begin to… change into something else. _'No… no it couldn't be!'_

Before his very eyes, Ironwood's robotic hand split down the middle and began retracting over his forearm, his fingers shifting inward as a large, metal rod began extending out of his wrist. At the end of this rod, there was a cyan Dust crystal and two, thin energy projectors, both of which lit up the moment the rod was fully extended. In an instant, two large, curved energy blades came out of each projector, the sight of which made Lionheart quiver in fear. _'…His energy axe.'_

Lionheart had only ever _heard_ of this weapon; he had never seen it for himself. But in all the times he had heard Ironwood use it, it was always either as a last resort… or when Ironwood was at the end of his rope. He could only guess this situation was the latter one. With a mighty swipe of his arm, Ironwood sliced directly through the double doors and barged into the room, glaring at Lionheart with everything he had. "Here's JIMMY!" Ironwood barked as he made to cleave his axe at Lionheart.

The Headmaster was able to dodge it, though, jumping right over his table as the axe cut through that instead. He aimed Stalwart at Ironwood again as he fell, this time using a Lightning and Ice Dust combination. At that moment, a large block of ice filled with electrical power shot out at Ironwood, though the Atlesian Headmaster was quick to cleave through that as well. Unfortunately, he also got a brief electric shock for his trouble, forcing him to take a knee. "Y-You brought this upon yourself, James!" Lionheart stuttered.

"Oh really?!" Ironwood shouted as he got back to his feet. "Are you REALLY that short sighted to not GET what you've done?! You sold all of us out to the enemy, Lionheart! All so that you could save your OWN ass!"

"What would YOU have done if you were in MY position?!" Lionheart argued.

"Well, gee, ANYTHING but make a deal with _FUCKING_ SALEM!" Ironwood made to attack Lionheart with his axe once again, but the lion Faunus used Stalwart to knock the weapon back and run clear from the angry general.

But just as Lionheart was about to get away, he heard the sound of glass shattering behind him, making him turn around in time to see a boot coming right for his face. He made impact with the floor as soon as he was kicked, only to be met with the edge of a familiar sight. "Leo… we need to have a LONG talk." Qrow growled.

Leo simply glared back at the drunken Huntsman. "I have _nothing_ to say to you, Qrow. Not after you both _lied_ to me."

"Oh, I know." Qrow spat back... right as another figure swung in through the window. "But _I'm_ not the one you need to talk to."

The figure landed right next to Leo's face and he moved his gaze up… to see a VERY unhappy Sun Wukong. The monkey boy was clenching Ruyi Jingu Bang until his knuckles became white, his teeth clenched and his eyes glaring as they met Lionheart's. All at once, Lionheart felt every bit of self-assuredness leave his body when he saw the face of his student. "S-Sun, I—"

"HOW COULD YOU?!" Without wasting a second, Sun delivered another swift kick, this time to Lionheart's gut. This managed to force Lionheart back onto his feet… for only a second before Sun punched Lionheart in the face. Following this, he slammed the end of his bo-staff into Lionheart's midsection, a blast of Fire Dust propelling him into a nearby wall. Lionheart only had enough time to notice it was the same wall that held his hidden chamber before getting slammed into by Sun again, the blonde Faunus using Ruyi Jingu Bang to pin Lionheart against the wall. "How _could_ you?! You SOLD OUT to _Salem_! Do you _seriously_ have no idea what you've DONE?!"

The moment Lionheart locked eyes with his student, he could see a whole slew of emotions in the young boy's eyes; anger, sadness, anguish, fear, disbelief, all of which were directed at _him_. "S-Sun, please. You HAVE to understand." Lionheart pleaded. "W-What I did, I did not just for my own safety, but for the safety of Haven and all of Mistral! I-If I had not complied with Salem's demands, we—we'd all be dead by now."

Sun could hear the clear waver in Lionheart's voice, which only made him angrier. "You lie! I can hear it in your voice! You only cared about what happened to _yourself_ , didn't you?!"

"Answer the boy, Lionheart!" Ironwood ordered as he and Qrow began approaching as well. "Show him just how much of a coward you really are!"

As they approached, Lionheart simply waited, biding his time until they were all lined up. Once the three were in place, his hand shot up and opened the hidden compartment on the wall. Taking advantage of their confusion, Lionheart put his hand on the handprint analyzer making the wall open behind him and allowing him to free himself. He then readied Stalwart for another attack, this time with Plant Dust. He slammed Stalwart's point into the floor boards and made three large roots appear out of them, which managed to push his three attackers back in the other direction. Lionheart stood up as the roots retracted. "I may be a coward… but I am at least a _smart_ coward."

Sun, Qrow and Ironwood all scrambled to get to their feet, all of them giving Leo the same, piercing glare. "And to think I used to look UP to you!" Sun shouted. "We ALL looked up to you!" A saddened expression came to Lionheart's face at that, but that only made Sun shout even more. "Oh, so NOW you feel bad?! Well, too late! What do you think Ozpin would say to all of this if HE was here?!"

Leo pursed his lips at that. "Ozpin… is _not_ here, Sun."

"I would want to rethink that, if I were you." Everyone's heads shot toward the other end of the room… to see Professor Paradox and Oscar standing near the wrecked desk.

The Haven headmaster was utterly perplexed by their presence. "W-What?! How did you two get in here?!"

The time traveler ignored Lionheart's babbling and greeted his three comrades with a wave. "Apologies, my friends, but I think this might be the perfect time to let the cat out of the bag."

To the professor's left, Oscar gave a small nod, which Ironwood responded with a grin and a nod of his own. "Yes… I think that's a VERY good idea, professor." His eyes locked with Oscar's and he nudged his head over to Lionheart. "Let's see what Leo has to say to you… sir."

Leo could only shift his eyes between all five of them in confusion as Oscar stepped forward, putting on his best brave face as he came closer to the lion Faunus. "Young man, I don't know what's going on here, but—AH!" Lionheart let out a gasp the moment he saw Oscar pull out a certain white handle from his belt, one that extended into a long cane. Lionheart stared at the farm boy for what felt like an eternity before uttering; "…Ozpin?"

"Not quite." Oscar smirked. "Gimme a sec…"

Oscar closed his eyes and the familiar green glow over took him briefly… before his face shifted into a stern, disappointed expression. He opened his eyes and focused right onto Lionheart, with Ozpin's voice coming out with an ethereal reverb. " _Now_ it's me." This made Lionheart give out another gasp and he fell to the floor, scooting himself further and further away as the reincarnated man drew closer to him. "I am… _very_ disappointed in you, Leonardo."

"O-Ozpin, please! You have to understand!" Lionheart begged. "I-I had no other choice! She would end myself and everything I worked for my entire life if I didn't comply with her demands!"

Ozpin narrowed his eyes at Lionheart and rebutted; "As I TOLD you she would attempt to do." he emphasized. "I told ALL of you that Salem may have tried to threaten you into working with her, but did you _listen_?" Ozpin closed his eyes and slammed the end of his cane on the floor. "…No, no you didn't. And for your transgressions against us, the Kingdom of Mistral and the world itself…" he opened his eyes and stared at Lionheart. "You _must_ face justice."

"I couldn't agree more, Oz." Qrow agreed. "Yer under arrest, Leo. Now just come quietly so we can get this over with."

"N-NO!" Lionheart scrambled to his feet and began running down the hall to his hidden chamber. "Lady Salem! Save me, please!"

Sun gave chase instantly, with the others following after him at a similar pace. But just as Ozpin was about to follow after them, he felt a hand stop him. He moved around to see Paradox shaking his head. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. And if you would please switch Oscar back as well?" Ozpin couldn't help but give him a confused face. "Just trust me on this one."

"Don't let him get away!" Sun shouted as he, Ironwood and Qrow ran through the short hallway. However, the moment they rounded the corner, they came face to face… with a sight stunned them all. There, in the middle of a large, circular room, was a Seer Grimm, and it had one of its tentacles wrapped around Lionheart's neck. "Oh god, NO!" The moment Sun made eye contact with the Seer, he saw a familiar face inside its glass head, one that made him glower even more. "Salem! Let him go!"

" _And why would I do that, young man?"_ Salem asked as the Seer began to choke the life out of Lionheart even more. _"I'd say that this is a fitting punishment, wouldn't you say? After all, he DID betray you all, did he not?"_ At her command, one of the Seer's tentacles came up, the knife-like tip of its tentacle mere centimeters from Lionheart's face. _"And I think THIS would make his punishment all the better."_

Ironwood, Qrow and Sun all aimed their weapons at the Grimm, though they couldn't get a clear shot without hitting Lionheart as well. "Put him down, Salem!" Ironwood hollered. "He needs to be taken in to the proper authorities to be punished!"

" _Hmph, how amusing. Unfortunately, that's not how I see it."_ She directed her glare over to said headmaster. _"Because to be frank, Leonardo, I am VERY disappointed with your performance in this venture. Instead of using your new found rage to fight, you chose to run… as always."_

"L-Lady… Sa-lem!" Lionheart choked out. His pupils dilated to the size of peas as the Seer's tentacle moved itself backward, ready to deliver the finishing blow.

" _Your usefulness to me has ended, Leonardo. I thank you for everything you've done… but you still deserve a coward's death."_ The Seer thrust its tentacle at Lionheart's face, the dagger ready to pierce its flesh.

Or at least… it would have if a familiar voice hadn't piped up from the Seer; _"WAIT!"_ Inside of the Grimm's head, none other than Dr. Animo stepped into view next to Salem, the mad doctor ringing his hands together as he bowed to the witch. _"Pardon my intrusion, Lady Salem, but I believe I may yet have a use for this one."_ He pointed to Lionheart with a manic grin, which only seemed to make Lionheart's eyes bulge out even further. _"Watts and I are working on a… rather special experiment with Tyrian… and we could always use another guinea pig! AHAHA!"_

Salem considered Animo's request for a moment before coming up with her answer. _"Very well, I will grant your wish, doctor. I expect positive results, though."_ She sent her eyes back to Lionheart and raised her hand, getting ready to snap her fingers. _"Consider yourself lucky, Leonardo. You get to live another day. As for the rest of you, I bid you all adieu."_ Her gaze focused back onto Ironwood. _"Oh, and James… be afraid of what's to come. Because this is strike three for this team, which means I am done holding back."_ With that, Salem snapped her fingers and the Seer broke open, its black mist enveloping Lionheart instantly.

"No! NO!" Lionheart screamed as he began to get pulled into the black void. "PLEASE! Don't let her take me!"

Sun's eyes widened and he ran forward with an outstretched hand. "Lionheart! NO!" But it was too late. By the time Sun reached the mist, it was gone… and Lionheart with it. Sun could only stare wide-eyed at the spot where Lionheart once was before falling to his knees. "NO!" He began pounding the floor with all of the pent-up rage inside of him, repeating the word "No!" over and over again until it devolved into screams and screeches of anguish. He had failed to bring Lionheart to justice. He _failed_ to save him. He _failed_ Haven Academy.

By the end of Sun's rage-fueled hits, his knuckles were bloody and he was sweating profusely, taking in deep breaths to refill his lungs as tears streamed down his face. From behind him, General Ironwood stepped up and retracted his axe, setting his hand onto Sun's shoulder for support. "It's okay, Sun. Everything will be okay."

At that moment, Oscar and Professor Paradox came running into the room, the farm boy taking a quick glance around to see that Lionheart was gone. "W-What happened?! Where's Lionheart?"

Ironwood stood up while helping Sun do the same, keeping steady hands on the monkey boy's shoulders. "He's… he's gone." They turned around to face Oscar with grim faces. "And Salem said that she's done holding back against us."

" _I see."_ Ozpin said in Oscar's head. _"And that means she won't stop until she sees us fall."_

Oscar clenched his fist at the new predicament they found themselves in. "Yeah… I think it's safe to say we're in deep trouble now."

"That, I can't help but agree with." Paradox concurred with a serious expression. "We need to get all of you children back to Ben's world as soon as possible. There, Salem cannot follow."

"The prof's right." Qrow nodded while jabbing a thumb over his shoulder. "But first, we should get back to the battle. I think the kids are—"

_***BOOOOOOOM*** _

Everyone was suddenly at attention the moment they heard the massive explosion come from outside. The group of five made a mad sprint back into Leonardo's office… only to see nothing but an utterly gigantic explosion out the nearby window, a plume of fire going straight up into the sky. Qrow could only think of one thing that could've caused this explosion… and he facepalmed at the thought.

"For the love of crap, what did he do NOW?!"

* * *

"FUUUUUCK!" Kevin hollered as he continued to whittle down Viktor's defenses. "Why! Won't! You! GO! DOWN?!" The Osmosian had been sending blow after blow at the Transylian since their fight had gotten back on track, and it was obvious that Viktor wasn't about to let Kevin get the better of him in this round. Whatever explosions Kevin sent his way, Viktor would just avoid or blast away with his own lightning. Needless to say, their part of the quad had been reduced to a practical pile of rubble at that point.

Viktor, avoiding every punch the Osmosian sent his way, explained the situation to him. "It's quite simple, really; I am fighting with purpose!" He thrust his hand forward and grabbed Kevin by the head, driving it straight into the ground. "I fight for the glory of the fair lady, Salem! But you, you fighting angrily, blindly, causing as much destruction as you possibly can without a care in the world!" Viktor stood up and pointed his fist at Kevin, the hand crackling as he readied another lightning blast. "Between the two of us, who's the _real_ monster here?"

"That's an easy one…" Kevin wore a dastardly smirk and said; "It's me!" He thrust his hands down toward the ground and rocketed himself into the air, flying right over Viktor's head as the lightning hit where he once laid. Kevin landed and immediately began sprinting away from Viktor, using a volley of small explosions to fend him off. _'I gotta end this fast! Think dammit, THINK—WAIT!'_ Out of the corner of his eye, Kevin caught sight of Penny and some other girl he didn't recognize. But what he was focused on was Penny's jetpack. It made a plan instantly form in his head. "PENNY!" He managed to get her attention and went on; "I've got a plan to finish this asshole off! But I need YOU to make it work!"

"Me?!" Penny asked. "Why do you need—"

Kevin slid to a halt and pointed up to her. "I need you to fly me up as high as possible and then THROW me with every bit of strength you have at HIM!" He glowered at her for a brief moment while pointing at Viktor. "And you'd better not hold back, either! I gotta finish this FUCKER off!"

"Woah, language, dude." Arslan chided. "What's _your_ problem?"

"My PROBLEM is that I need to BEAT him!" Kevin answered irritably as he whipped his head toward her. "I don't know WHO you are, ya damn Extra, but stay out of my way!"

That was the shove that pushed Arslan too far. " _What_ did you just call me?!" Now thoroughly offended, Arslan stepped up and pointed right at Kevin's face. "I don't know who you THINK you are, but I've got half a mind to—"

"WAIT!" Penny flew over between the two and held up her hands, making Arslan stop her confrontation. "Listen, I know we've just said some harsh words, but do you think we could resolve this later when we are NOT being attacked?!" The three directed their eyes over to Viktor, who was quickly approaching them.

Arslan sighed and she clenched her fists. "Fine. But we _aren't_ done here, boy."

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Kevin rolled his orange eyes before leaping up onto Penny's shoulders. "For now, I suggest you steer clear. This is gonna get _real_ messy!" As much as Arslan didn't want to follow Kevin's advice, she had a feeling he wasn't kidding, so she quickly moved out of the way as Penny began flying up and away from Viktor.

The Transylian stopped and moved his gaze up to the two as they ascended into the sky. "What is this? Target practice?" His hands began coursing with electricity again and he took aim at the android and Osmosian. "It matters not, I suppose. Two birds, one stone."

"Right here, this is perfect!" Kevin said from Penny's shoulders, giving her the signal to stop in midair. The raven-haired teen craned his rocky head down to Penny and nudged down toward Viktor. "Here's how it's gonna go down; you're gonna hold me by the ankles and spin around up here. Once you've built yourself up to max speed, you're gonna throw me right at that bastard, got it?"

Penny swallowed as she met his piercing orange eyes, nodding her head reluctantly. "Yes, I do… just promise me something."

"Oh for—fine, what is it?"

Her eyes were visibly concerned as she made her request. "…Please don't absorb Orange Dust ever again. You're not yourself when you're like this. Kevin Levin might be abrasive at times, but he wouldn't call people names or be mean to them… would he?"

He was about to snap back at her, but in that instant, the redheaded, green-eyed android's face briefly became the face of someone else. It was that of another redheaded, green-eyed girl that he was VERY familiar with, and in a moment of clarity, he knew that she would be just as concerned as Penny was. As Kevin gazed down at his Orange Dust arms, he couldn't help but feel… that she'd also probably be a bit disappointed in him as well. He clenched his fist and answered; "Yeah… will do."

Penny smiled up at him and nodded. "Sensational!" Her grin became one of determination in less than a second. "Now let's take this guy down!"

Kevin's toothy grin returned and he gave her a thumbs up. "Now you're speakin' my language!" He made sure that Penny's hands were secure around his ankles before pushing himself over her head and off her shoulders, making it so that he was dangling high above the ground. It was then that he saw Viktor taking aim at them, and his eyes widened. "Penny! Might wanna start the spin cycle now!"

"Got it!" Penny began spinning herself and Kevin around in midair, the speed from her jets greatly accelerating to the point of the two appearing to be a blur. Finally, once she was sure she was at full speed, she tossed Kevin with an exerting; "GRAH!", flinging the Osmosian straight down toward Viktor. She stopped and called out to him; "Do it, Kevin!"

' _Now THAT, I can do.'_ As he fell at high speeds toward Viktor, Kevin began letting out small explosions in midair from his hands, making him spin around as he fell. He began spinning so fast that the smoke from his explosions began swirling around him, almost as if a small cyclone had formed. He KNEW what he wanted to do, now it was all a matter of actually pulling it off. _'If Tennyson can pull off an anime move, then SO CAN I, DAMMIT!'_ He slammed his fists together and an intense light began to fire up from his arms, gearing up for one final blast. _'This one's for you, Gwen.'_

As Kevin drew closer and closer to Viktor, the monstrous alien fired off a blast of lightning at the speeding figure… only for the blast to completely miss, cutting through the smoke instead of hitting Kevin himself. It was only when Viktor saw the orange glow of Kevin's arms as the distance was closed between them did he realize; _'…I have made a grave error.'_

From the bottom of his lungs, Kevin screamed out; " **HOWITZER…** _ **IMPACT**_!"

At that moment, Blake and the others had regrouped near the entrance to the Grand Hall… just in time to see what was going on. Their reaction was as followed; "WHAT THE FU—"

_***BOOOOOOOM*** _

With one final punch, Kevin let loose an explosion unlike any he had made beforehand, one that engulfed the entirety of the quad… and Viktor with it. The gathered teens saw the Osmosian's silhouette against the orange, fiery blast, his form falling to the earth below as a strong wind began to pick up. The group were forced to shield themselves behind whatever they could as the aftermath of the explosion rocked the whole school, almost as if an earthquake had occurred on the mountain top.

By the time everything had cleared, the teens all stood up one by one, making sure that the coast was clear. What they saw next though, they could only barely comprehend. The quad… was gone. There was nothing but a gigantic crater in its place. "What… the FUCK… was that?!" Nadir exclaimed.

"An insane man, THAT'S what it was!" Arslan shouted. "He _destroyed_ the quad!"

Bolin couldn't believe what he was seeing. "I… I have no words. Absolutely nothing."

"Well _I_ sure as hell do!" Reese thrust her arms out toward the crater with a big, dopey grin. "That last move was freakin' AMAZING! I'm gonna be feelin' that for _weeks_! AHAHA!"

Neptune craned his head over to the CCT Tower, silently thanking whatever deities existed that the structure had not been affected by the blast. Just to make sure, though, he checked his scroll for a signal. Lo and behold, a full five bars. "Well, at least the CCT is still up and running."

Ilia's shoulders slacked and she sighed. "Yeah, that could've been disastrous." Her eyes went back to the crater and widened when she remembered another important detail; "Wait… where's Kevin?!" At her words, the group all sprinted toward the edge of the still smoking crater and peered down into it, hoping that their friend hadn't been blown to smithereens as well.

Fortunately, they didn't have to search for long. The moment a big waft of smoke cleared out in front of them, they saw Kevin standing in the middle of the crater. And most importantly, he was back to his normal self again. His clothes were in tatters and his sleeves were ripped to pieces, but he was alright. His eyes moved up to them and a smile came to his features, giving them a thumbs up. Instantly, his friends all cheered for him before scaling down the side of the crater, though it took Team ABRN a little bit to snap out of their awe-induced stupor. The group of seven charged over to him as Penny flew down from the sky, being the first to envelope Kevin in what became a group hug. "OOF! Woah, woah, guys! C'mon, I'm not exactly in the best shape, here." the Osmosian insisted.

"No talk, only hug." Penny rebuked.

"Yeah, you're not getting out of this, Levin." Blake agreed. "Not after the bone-headed stunt you pulled that somehow worked. Which reminds me…" She konked Gambol Shroud's handle over Kevin's head, which he didn't even try to defend himself against. "What the hell were you thinking?! You could've been killed!"

"Yeah, dude, what would Gwen say if she saw your hairbrained scheme?!" Neptune added.

Kevin chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Heh, she'd probably scream her head off at me for even thinking of such a risky move." He sighed and lowered his head to his friends. "But… I'm sorry, guys. I didn't think absorbing a certain kind of Dust could lead to all this trouble." He directed his attention over to Arslan, his now friendly smile taking her aback. "And miss, I'm sorry I called you an "Extra". I really wasn't in my right mind."

Arslan blinked a couple times before returning the grin, placing her hands on her hips. "Heh, apology accepted, crazy man." She extended her hand to him for a handshake. "Let's start over, I'm Arslan. And this…" she gestured over to her friends. "Is Team ABRN."

Reese gave an exuberant wave. "Hiya! I'm Reese!"

"Bolin." ABRN's second-in-command said simply as he gave a single bow.

"And I'm Nadir." The pink-haired boy gave Kevin a salute. "And man, you put on one _explosive_ performance.

"Heh, yeah, I suppose." Kevin admitted. "But hey, thanks for your guys' help. We couldn't have done it without—"

"GUYS!" Everyone's heads snapped up to see Sun, Qrow and Ironwood all make their way down the side of the crater, though they also spotted Professor Paradox and Oscar sticking to the crater's edge up above. Sun immediately sprinted over to Blake and began checking her over, making sure she wasn't hurt. "A-Are you okay?! What even was—mph!"

The monkey boy was silenced by a kiss on the lips, courtesy of the cat girl herself. She separated from him and gave him a nod. "We're okay, Sun. We ALL are."

"Yer sure 'bout that?" Qrow asked as he quirked a brow to Kevin. "There ain't any more Orange Dust in yer system, is there, kid?"

Kevin shook his head. "Nope, gone the moment I changed back to normal." He glanced over to Penny with a grateful face. "Of course, I had someone to get my head back on straight."

"All in a day's work!" Penny saluted.

Ironwood sighed and put a hand to his hip. "Well, that's a relief. And it seems you kids did pretty good handling Viktor and those Grimm." He shook his head in disappointment. "I wish we could say the same with our part of the mission."

The group stared at them in confusion before Sun elaborated on that. "Lionheart… was taken away." The monkey boy explained. "Salem took him and we weren't able to stop her." He craned his head down and pursed his lips. "And I wasn't fast enough to save him."

Everyone looked to Sun in concern, or in Team ABRN's case, confusion. Blake put a hand to Sun's cheek. "Sun, I'm sure it wasn't your—"

_**BAM!**_ Suddenly, the pleasantries were cut off once again when the ground erupted beneath them, a blast of purple lightning shooting up from the rubble. From the newly created hole, Dr. Viktor climbed his way out, his body covered in soot and a whole bunch of new wounds and holes in him as well. Kevin took it better than the group thought. "Oh, COME ON! How are you still even _moving_ after all that?!"

Viktor grunted as he stood tall in front of the group, glowering down at them as his lightning continued to course through him. "Like I said, I fight with purpose. For the glory that is my lady, Salem!" The lightning began to grow more intense, making everyone back away in trepidation. "Now, you will ALL DI—AGH!" The Transylian was suddenly cut off when… a giant, white stinger suddenly pierced through his stomach. "W-What is—RAGH!" Without warning, Viktor was pulled back right up out of the crater and slammed onto the ground near its edge, growling as he came face to face with his attacker.

It was none other than Weiss Schnee, the heiress having summoned her Queen Lancer. She stood tall and proud, a stern expression on her face as she set her eyes down to the team. "Alright… just WHAT in the world is going on out here?!"

* * *

**A/N: *Falls over dead again* GAAH! I TOLD you guys it'd be a biggun! But then again, I suppose that's to be expected with chapters that have REALLY big fight scenes in them, so I suppose I should just come to expect it at this point. Plus, this chapter was also surprisingly easy for me to write down, so I guess I really shouldn't be complaining. But hey, we got some pretty cool stuff going on in this chapter, such as Raven and Vernal having a small interaction and Ben and his squad forming a plan (which will be seen come next chapter), plus, ya can't say I didn't lie about Kevin and Viktor's fight being rather… explosive. Can you guys tell I've been on a My Hero Academia kick recently? Though considering the Orange Dust's side effects, I can't imagine Kevin will wanna use it anymore after this, especially with that promise he made.**

**All that aside, Team ABRN! This was a decision that I knew I wanted from the beginning, because honestly, these guys not being seen at the canon Battle for Haven felt like a bit of a wasted opportunity, especially with how cool their designs were. And yes, I know they made an appearance in that new RWBY book (along with a BUNCH of new information, but I'll save that for another time), but I felt it necessary that they get a bit of love in this story. And don't worry, they're not gonna be permanent additions to the main team. Trust me, I've got enough characters on the main squad already. They'll be more along the level of Team CFVY in terms of their place on the team, that being really reliable backup.**

**But oh boy, it seems that Animo wants Lionheart for a little experiment. Gee, I WONDER what he could be up to? And in comes Weiss for the last minute save! But leads to the question; how'd the fight inside go? Well, we'll just have to save that for… NEXT TIME! We take a look at what went down in the Grand Hall after Ben, Yang, Gwen and Ruby gave chase after Cinder and Rojo, with Team JNPR taking on our favorite mutant bruisers. But this time, Hog and Skull decide to switch things up in an attempt to finally get a win. Meanwhile, Rex and Weiss find themselves dealing with Emerald and Mercury… but will things go as well as they seem? Or will a certain unseen Merlinisapien have a few fatal tricks up her sleeves? Thanks for reading guys, and I'll see you all next time! Stay safe out there!**


	102. Going Against the Odds

**A/N: Good day to you all and welcome back to the story! Now, this chapter dropped on the first week of August this year, which of course is the story's anniversary month! And what better way to kick off this special event… than with a bit of a tense chapter. Yes, this one's gonna be a rather intense outing this time, but bear with me here. Trust me, I have a reason for why the things in this chapter happen. So, buckle up, eyes forward, and let's jump into it. This is…**

**Chapter 102: Going Against the Odds**

* * *

If there was one thing that Exo-Skull was tired of, it was fighting these SAME blasted teenagers over and over again. It seemed that in every battle, at least ONE member of this "Team JNPR" would end up taking on either him or his pal, Thunderhog. And the worst part? It was almost _always_ Nora, and when it was, she ALWAYS beat their asses! They had gotten lucky in Menagerie and hadn't encountered her or the rest of her team, but now, they were right back to it. _'We've gotta find a way to throw that little hussy off her game!'_ Skull thought to himself before he was suddenly kicked right in the face by a certain Invincible Girl. _'Ugh, and then there's THIS bitch!'_

Pyrrha Nikos, the pride of Argus and survivor of Cinder Fall's wrath. She was ANOTHER pain in the backside, especially where Exo-Skull was concerned. While Nora was able to use Thunderhog's lighting attacks to _her_ advantage, Pyrrha had a magnetic Semblance that allowed her to gain the upper hand whenever she fought Skull. Seeing as the mutant was always covered in metal armor, he often found himself getting pushed around by her whenever he faced her… that being all of _once_ back when he was human. He got punched through a building by a little girl and it pissed him _off_. It didn't help that she had Jaune with her at the moment, the blonde keeping up the pressure with supportive fire and sword strikes in between the heavier hits she dished out.

The redheaded warrior and her knightly boyfriend were presently standing across from the massive rhino man, ready to head back into battle again after getting him away from Ben and Rex. "C'mon, Skull, don't start goin' soft on us!" Jaune challenged, a serious expression on his face as he drew Crocea Mors in its greatsword form. "You guys wanted a fight? Well, we're about to give you one!"

"Indeed." Pyrrha fell into her natural combat stance, furrowing her brows at the mutant. "If Salem wishes to escalate things, then so be it!"

Skull growled and balled his fists. "Ya know, you kids are REALLY starting to get on my nerves! If you two weren't so strong together, I'd—" _Bing!_ A lightbulb suddenly went off in Skull's head. _'Strong… together…'_ His eyes moved from Pyrrha and Jaune over to Hog's fight with Nora and Ren. As expected, the warthog mutant was making sure not to charge up his Thunder Mace while facing the Pink Dynamo, instead opting to use it without generating any power. Nora and Ren were working side by side quite effectively, keeping the pressure on Hog with escalating attacks. Skull's eyes snapped back to his opponents… and he grinned. _'That's it!'_

Without warning, his massive thrusters activated and began to power up. Jaune and Pyrrha weren't prepared for this, but they kept their respective stances. However, right at the moment they expected Skull to charge… he turned himself around, got on all fours and charged in the opposite direction, much to their confusion. "Huh?!" Jaune questioned. "What the heck was that?!"

"I don't know!" Pyrrha replied before shaking Milo at Skull. "Hey! Come back here and fight you scoundrel!"

"Not till I switch things up a little!" Skull shouted back before calling out to his partner. "HOG! Go back there an' grab the blondie, will ya?!"

Hog's eyes widened behind his visor. "WHAT?! Skull, what're you—"

"I've got a plan!"

"That's a first!" Hog fired back with a shrug. "But if you think it'll work, then I'll take it!" The pig mutant began to ran away from his own fight, rushing past Skull and over to Jaune and Pyrrha.

As one would imagine, Nora wasn't too happy about that. "HEY!" She lifted Magnhild over her head in indignation. "Get back here and fight me!" But it was at that moment that she saw Skull charging over as well, prompting her to grin eagerly again. "Eh, you know what? I can still make this work!"

Skull simply smirked at her tenacity. "Sorry, Valkyrie, but it ain't you I'm goin' after!" At the last possible second, Skull changed his course just slightly and ended up charging right into Ren, the green ninja crying out in pain as he grabbed on to the mutant's horn for dear life.

"REN!" Nora screamed. "Bring him back!"

Exo-Skull plucked the now-dazed ninja off of his horn and chortled. "Hehe, oh, I'll give him back… but not to you!" With all his strength, Skull tossed Ren like a human dart, his body flying straight over Nora's head. "HOG! Heads up!"

On the other side of the room Hog had made it over to Jaune and Pyrrha and had flung his mace at them, forcing them both to separate. But just as Jaune leapt off to one side, he heard a loud CLANG before his hearing and vision disappeared from him, having just been hit in the head with one of Hog's gauntlets. Pyrrha was aghast by the action the moment she saw it. "JAUNE!" She grit her teeth and made a mad dash for the pig man, who was now hoisting Jaune up as well. "Let him go!"

"Will do, girl!" Hog smiled before flinging Jaune away. The blonde knight passed Ren in the air, with both dazed boys landing by the other's partners.

The moment Ren landed, he groaned in pain, prompting Pyrrha to check on him. "Ren! Are you alright?!"

"Ugh, I think so." Ren concurred as he rubbed his head. "I feel like I got hit by a bus, but I'm good."

Back on the opposite side of the room, Jaune was about to make impact with the floor, but Nora shot up and caught him in midair, the two managing to fall safely. Nora landed in a crouch as she set Jaune gently to the ground, the knight groaning as he held his head. "Mind getting the number of that bumper that hit me?"

Nora sent him a cheery smile and a little laugh. "Heh, don't worry, Fearless Leader. Nora's gotcha." At the sound of heavy foot falls, however, the hyper redhead craned her head up and scowled to see Skull approaching them, forcing her to get back up and ready her weapon. "Okay, so what was the point of that, ya big bozo?!"

"The POINT is that now you guys won't be as affective against us!" Skull explained. "We switched up your usual tag partners, an' we switched _ourselves_ around. too!" He jabbed a thumb to himself. "I'm safe from Warrior Girl's magnetic powers…" He then jabbed a thumb over to Hog. "An' Hog's far enough from you that his lightning won't reach!" Skull narrowed his eyes at the two as Jaune got up as well. "As far as I'm concerned, I'd say this is a pretty effective plan." A massive fist slammed into his palm. "An' if you think I'm about to let you switch back, then you're dead wrong."

Jaune and Nora both glanced at each other. They had to admit, they WERE more used to working with their respective partners than each other. Sure, they also worked together as a whole team, but they were still prone to staying near each other's partners during those times. After a few seconds of looking at one another, however, Nora's usual smile returned. "Well then, we're just gonna have to adapt!"

Jaune smiled and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're right!" He kept his hands secured on Crocea Mors and went back into his battle stance with Nora, calling out to Pyrrha across the way; "You hear that, Pyr?! We can't let this little switch up get the better of us!"

Pyrrha smiled as Ren got to his feet, the both of them readying their own weapons. "Of course! We will not fail!"

"Let's do this." Ren said. "Now!"

With that, all four members of Team JNPR charged at their respective opponents, though it only made Skull chuckle. "Heh, still got that tenacity, I see…" From his back, Skull pulled off his large gatling gun, the Executioner, and took aim at Jaune and Nora as they approached. "Let's see how long that lasts!" He clenched the trigger and the weapon began unloading its contents at the duo, forcing them to separate and charge at Skull from opposite sides. _'Focus on the hussy first, Skull. The wimpy blonde can come later.'_ Skull shifted himself so that he kept his suppressing fire on Nora, though the redhead was quickly able to use Magnhild to launch herself into the air and away from the incoming fire.

Landing just a few feet away from Skull, Nora took the opportunity to swing Magnhild at the mutant, pulling the trigger the moment her strike hit home. However, Skull was able to raise his arm, the heavy armor plating on it being more than able to take the attack. He WAS pushed back a little, though this didn't seem to satisfy Nora. "Grr, I HATE how heavy you are now, ya know that?!" Nora derided. "I can't smack you into the air anymore!"

"Are you callin' me FAT?!" Skull bellowed as he took aim with his weapon again. "Because if you are, then you're automatically dead!" He open-fired on her once again, but Nora quickly leapt into the air to avoid the hailstorm of bullets. But Exo-Skull wasn't about to let her get away that easily. "Oh no, ya don't!" Skull craned his neck up and fired his horn laser at the girl, but much to his shock, Nora actually swung herself in midair and hit the blast with her hammer, resulting in her merely being blown straight up toward the ceiling.

"AAAAAAACK!" Nora screamed before suddenly making impact with the roof, leaving a small indent in the shape of her own body. She smiled cheekily at this. "Heh, well, at least I'll have made my mark on Haven Academy!"

Skull grumbled and aimed his Executioner upward, only to be blasted in the back, making him stumble forward. "GRAH!" He caught himself on his free hand before whirling around to see Jaune behind him, the knight standing with his shield blaster pointed toward the mutant. Skull smirked and took aim with his massive gun. "And what do ya think YOU'RE gonna be able to do against me, small fry?"

"Not much…" Jaune admitted before reloading the blaster in his shield. "But I'll at least have to try. I swore that what happened at Beacon would NEVER be repeated, and I meant that."

"HA! Noble, but stupid." Skull open-fired and Jaune began sprinting, strafing around Skull while keeping his shield raised.

The blonde knight knew he didn't have the stamina to run from the bullets forever, but he didn't need to, not so long as he could give his teammate enough time to get herself free. "NORA!" Jaune called up toward the ceiling, seeing Nora freeing her arms and head. He raised his shield up to her and shouted; "I need you to bring the hammer down!"

This made Nora's eyes brighten up eagerly. "Oh, you want me to bring the HAMMER down?!"

"Yes! Why would you repeat that?!" Jaune asked as he just barely sidestepped another onslaught of weapon fire. "Gah! Just do it, please!"

Nora held Magnhild with both hands and called back; "On it!" She pulled her arms back and then swung them back down, making her hammer slam into the roof beneath her while pulling the trigger at the same time. The resulting explosion was able to successfully dislodge her from the ceiling and send her rocketing back toward the ground, a big grin coming to her face as she flew back toward the battle. "WOO-HOO!"

Exo-Skull whipped his head back up to see Nora and his amber eyes widened in confusion. "W-What the hell is this?!"

Jaune smiled and rushed forward, raising his shield up toward Nora's swinging hammer. "THIS is how we bring you down."

_BANG!_ Nora's hammer collided with Jaune's shield, resulting not only in a loud sound reverberating throughout the room, but a rather large shockwave of explosive pink energy courtesy of the bomb let loose from the hammer's head. The shockwave was so powerful that it managed to knock Exo-Skull off of his feet. "WOOOOAAH!" The rhino man's heavy body slammed against the far wall and into the next room over, forcing him to let go of his gatling gun. He let out a groan and his head fell back, attempting to ride out the daze that had overcome him.

As the dust settled, Nora and Jaune stood in the middle of the room, the girl still holding her hammer against her leader's shield while they both caught their breaths. Once they did, though, Nora bounced up and pumped a fist. "That. Was. AWESOME!" She zipped over and gave Jaune a big hug. "Haha! I guess we really proved him wrong on that whole switch up thing!"

Jaune raised a single arm and pat her on the back, all while the other one hung limp at his side with his shield. "Heh, yeah, it's really great, Nora." He glanced down at his arm and winced. "Though, uh… I think I may have lost the feeling in my left arm."

Nora's eyes widened and she lifted the arm… only for it to fall back down. "GAH! Oh my gosh, I am SO sorry!"

"H-Hey, don't be." Jaune insisted. "I was the one who came up with the plan, after all." He worked to flex his left hand and the fingers began moving. "Besides, I think my Aura's already working to get the feeling back."

The redhead sighed as relief washed over her. "Well, that's good." She then spotted Skull's gatling gun and ran over to it, picking it up without much effort. "Now it's time for THIS thing to go bye-bye!" She spun around and tossed it out the open front door, leaving it to tumble down the steps to the outside. "Okay, now let's get over to Ren and Pyrrha to finish—"

_BAM_! Suddenly, Skull slammed his way out of the opposite room, making the hole he made even bigger. He glowered at Nora and went to all fours, his jet thrusters at the ready as he prepared to charge at her. "That… HURT."

"Well, DUH!" Nora said before flipping back and standing next to Jaune. She picked up Magnhild and shifted it into its grenade launcher mode, taking aim right at Skull. "And I'm betting THIS will hurt you even more!"

"Not a chance, girly!" The tip of his horn lit up, ready to blast it once again. "Not if I have anything to say about it…"

Jaune's eyes widened the moment he saw the horn and he got an idea. His arm had regained enough feeling to move on its own again, so he undid his shield and shifted Crocea Mors back into its greatsword mode, holding it as best as he could with two hands while his left one still felt rather tingly. "Nora, I've got a plan, but you're gonna have to trust me on this."

"Always do, Fearless Leader, what's your plan?"

"Without using any more of your grenades, I need you to hit me as hard as you can right toward Exo-Skull."

"…Okay, this time, I might be liable to question your sanity."

Jaune turned to her and nudged his head to Exo-Skull. "Just make it so that I fly just a little off toward his side when you hit me. That way I should be able to avoid him while pulling off what I want to do." He gave her a smile and a nod. "Trust me on this, I'm sure it'll work."

Nora stared into his eyes and saw that he was serious, though he was also confident in his plan. "Jaune, this has to be one of the most hairbrained strategies you've ever come up with. …I love it, let's do it!"

"Great! Let's go!" Jaune held his sword tightly as Nora put her weapon back into hammer mode briefly.

Across from them, Exo-Skull padded the ground with his hand as his horn began to glow more intensely, the thrusters on his back doing the same. "Bah! Whatever plan you've cooked up, it won't work! I'm NOT about to lose to you kids anymore, you hear?!"

Jaune simply gave a wink over to his friend. "Ready?"

"Whenever you are!" Nora said with an eager smirk.

"Alright…" Jaune waited until the moment that Skull was about to charge. _'Three… two… one…'_ Right on cue, the rhino mutant thrust forward on all fours with his rocket boosters blasting out, increasing his speed by a large margin. "NOW!" Jaune ordered, which Nora followed to the letter. Jaune felt himself immediately slammed in the back by her hammer and was sent careening forward like a speeding bullet, making sure to keep his body straight as he soared head first at Exo-Skull.

But the rhino was undeterred, his horn still glowing brightly for the big final blast that would finish them off. "It's no use, kid! You'll NEVER be able to—" _SLICE._ Skull's eyes widened the moment he heard the metal scrape against metal, a long, sharp blade briefly arcing past his eyes as Jaune's sword successfully cut through his bionic laser horn. "What?! NO! MY HORN!"

Jaune spun himself around in the air as he soared past Exo-Skull, landing and skidding to a stop with his armor sparking against the floor. "Nora! Go!"

"Wha?!" Skull whipped his head back around just in time to see Nora shift Magnhild back into its grenade launcher form, taking aim as the weapon's front hatch opened to reveal what was left of the grenades loaded into it. …And what's worse, he couldn't slow down and he was left without a laser horn to counter the attack. _'This won't end well.'_

"Say cheese!" Nora pulled the trigger and sent a volley of grenades at Exo-Skull, the explosives all blowing up upon contact with the speeding mutant, successfully blowing him away toward the front entrance. Skull landed in a heap, cracking the marble floor beneath him as his head clunked against it, knocking him out cold. Nora spun her weapon around before resting it against her shoulder. "And that takes care of that!"

Jaune began to slowly stand up, with Nora jogging over to him to help steady him. "Heh, no kidding. Nice job, Nora."

She gave him a wink and a small hug. "Couldn't have done it without you, Jaune! Just goes to show we're a team through and through no matter who we work with!"

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Jaune clenched his left hand, his arm having gotten the feeling back in it fully. "But now, let's get over to Pyrrha and Ren to see if they need help!"

* * *

"Ahaha! You little twerps are in trouble now!" Thunderhog guffawed as he began spinning his mace around, charging it up with electrical energy. Across from him, Ren and Pyrrha were standing at the ready, both with their weapons drawn. "Now that the Valkyrie Bitch is outta my way, I can FINALLY let loose some lightnin'!"

Ren's eyes widened and his lips pursed in anger. "Can I hurt him first? Please?"

Pyrrha had a pretty good idea why Ren wanted first crack at him, and it made her smile. The thought of the green ninja wanting to defend Nora's honor was just too precious to not think about, but she knew she had to push it to the side for now. _'Now if only he can actually get around to asking Nora out.'_ She gave Ren a single nod. "Go for it, I'll cover you."

"Let's see how ya handle THIS, huh?! Thunder! THUNDER! THUNDERHOG!" With that, Hog flung his mace forward and it slammed into the marble floor, cracking it and making it shake. From the weapon, multiple arcs of red electrical energy shot out toward Ren and Pyrrha, though the two were able to easily jump away from the blast. Hog grumbled and let out a; "REEET! Can't you kids EVER just stay STILL?!" He flung his mace again, this time towards Ren.

But before it could make contact, Pyrrha shifted Milo into its rifle mode and shot at the mace's head, sending it off course and making Thunderhog turn toward her. "And why in the world would we do that?" Pyrrha questioned. "That would simply be counterintuitive to what we want!" She began unloading more shots into Hog, the mohawked mutant bringing up one of his armored gauntlets to block any shots toward his face.

"Grah! Whatever! Just hold still!" Hog flung his mace at Pyrrha again, but just as it got close to her, Pyrrha raised her hand and activated her Semblance, stopping the mace in midair and, with a flick of her wrist, flung it away from her. This had the added effect of jerking Hog off his feet as well. "ACK!" He slammed against the floor face first, grumbling as his snout hit the floor.

"Your weapon is still made of metal, Thunderhog." Pyrrha reminded with a slight smirk. "I can simply redirect whatever attack you throw at me with it."

Hog lifted his head up off the floor and grunted at her. "Hmph, oh yeah?! Well let's see how you handle—" _CRACK_. "GAAAAAH!"

The pig man's head fell back down to the floor again as Ren leapt off of his back, the ninja having landed heel-first on Hog's spine. With a midair flip and twist, Ren landed next to Pyrrha so that he was facing toward Hog once again. "Thank you for not actually hitting him." Ren smiled to her.

"No problem." Pyrrha returned with a thumbs up.

With a push of a button on his weapon, Hog retracted the mace's chain into the handle, using the weapon to help hoist himself up. Once he was back on two feet, he holstered the mace and clenched his fists. "Alright, if I can't HIT my problems…" His left hand snapped up to his visor. "Then I'll just have to BLAST 'em!" With a quick succession of button presses, Hog began firing his purple laser beams at Ren and Pyrrha, the two quickly running to avoid them. With a bit of pain still shooting from the middle of his back, Hog decided it'd be best to go after Ren again first. It was the principle of the matter, after all.

_BANG_! Before he could follow the green ninja, he felt a bullet ricochet off of one of his big shoulder pads, making him glance over to see Pyrrha, still intent on keeping him distracted. "Still going after the same target, Thunderhog?!"

A snarl formed on Hog's pig lips before going up into a smirk. "You know what? You're right!" He stopped firing his laser and instead, smacked his fists together, generating more electricity in his gauntlets. "I should be focusing on the BIGGER threat!" He charged forward through Pyrrha's weapon fire before rearing both fists back, readying them for a double electrified punch. However, just as his hit was about to connect, Pyrrha used her Semblance again and stopped the fists in mid swing.

Pyrrha simply shook her head. "What part of my Semblance have I not made clear?"

However, Hog's grin only widened. "I think it's clear that YOU need to know when I'm not out yet!" Using all of the force in his fingers he could muster, Hog fought back against the polarity Semblance and opened his hands, sending out a blast of lightning at Pyrrha.

"AAAAAUGH!" The shock was brief, but enough to make Pyrrha lose her hold on Hog, the Invincible Girl falling to her hands and knees as she breathed heavily.

Hog stepped forward and slammed a fist into his palm, ready to finish her off. "Well, guess I found a chink in your defense. Now, get ready to get—" _SHINK-SHINK_! "GAH!" Hog lurched forward as a sudden weight was thrust onto his back, craning his head up to see that Ren had latched himself onto him. "W-What?! Hey! Get offa me!"

"Not a chance." Ren stated, keeping a hold of Stormflower as he kept its blades securely stabbed into Hog's thick shoulder pads. The warthog mutant began jerking all over the place, desperately reaching his arms back to grab a hold of Ren and shock him with his gauntlets. But the green ninja managed to stay just out of reach, moving his body up and down Hog's shoulders to avoid the electrified metal gloves. "I'm not about to let you hurt my friend!"

"Aw, well isn't that nice?!" Hog stopped jerking around and clenched his teeth. "But this is where YOU get off!" All at once, Hog slammed himself back-first onto the ground, making Ren's eyes widen at the sudden movement. At the very last possible second, he leapt off of Hog's back… but was then grabbed by the ankle, which pulled him back down toward the floor. The moment they made impact, Hog activated his gauntlet and sent a powerful shock through the boy's system, making him scream in pain.

"REN!" Pyrrha cried out as she made a dash to grab her rifle.

Hog chuckled as he stood up, deactivating his gauntlet before tossing Ren a few feet away. Stormflower clattered against the ground next to their owner before Hog took his mace back out, spinning it around again to generate one large blast of electric energy. "It's been fun, ninja boy! But now, I think I'm gonna zap you do DUST! Thunder! THUN—dah, you get the point!" Not wanting to waste any more time, Hog slammed his mace against the floor and sent out a rather powerful arc of lightning out, one that made a beeline right for Ren.

But right at that moment, Hog felt something suddenly jump off his shoulders, and all at once, Pyrrha vaulted up into the air and did a midair spin, her rifle converting into its javelin form as she did so. The moment it was done, the Invincible Girl thrust her arm forward and threw Milo straight toward the ground, its blade embedding itself into the marble with the aid of a shot of Fire Dust from the weapon's handle. Just then, the electricity suddenly changed course, arcing toward the javelin instead. All of the electricity began coursing through the long metal rod before there was nothing left, with Milo merely giving off a few small sparks.

"W-What?!" Hog exclaimed. "What was—"

"A make-shift lightning rod!" Pyrrha answered as she landed next to Ren. "Courtesy of yours truly!"

Hog snorted and his hand immediately shot back up to his visor. "Why you little—" _CLANG_! "RAGH!" In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it second, Pyrrha had thrown Akouo at Hog and hit him straight in the forehead, sending him stumbling back as a new wound opened up.

Pyrrha caught her shield on the rebound and helped Ren up, the latter picking up Stormflower. "You okay?"

"Yes, I am…" Ren nudged his head toward Hog with a grin. "Wanna finish him together?"

"Of course." Pyrrha concurred before they began sprinting toward Hog, the two leaping at him to accentuate their attack.

"You little shits are gonna PAY for—OOF!" First, Ren delivered a strong kick to Hog's gut before slicing at the pig man's arms, forcing the mutant to clutch at the wounds and cry out again. But before he could even try to compose himself, Pyrrha came in and hit him right in the face with Akouo, bashing the shield right into his snout, as well as his visor, cracking it just slightly. She had also used her Polarity on the shield to add even more force behind her hit, making Hog tumble all the way back into a far wall, the back of his head colliding with it first. Now thoroughly dazed, Hog groaned and slipped to unconsciousness, his body flopping against the floor with a _THUD_.

Stopping to catch their breath, Pyrrha and Ren smiled at each other before clasping their hands in unity. "Good job, Pyrrha." Ren complimented.

"Same to you, Ren." Pyrrha returned. "Honestly, I think Skull's plan may have been completely flawed from the very beginning."

"Yeah, no matter who works with who, we're still a pretty effective team." Ren concurred.

"GUYS!" The duo turned around to see Nora and Jaune coming their way, the Pink Dynamo quick to greet both of them with a hug. "That was SO awesome!" Nora made a throwing motion with her arm. "Pyrrha, the part where you made your weapon into a lightning rod at the last minute was SO cool!" She then raised a brow over to Ren. "As for you, mister, that back stomp may have been good, but you should really pay more attention when you latch yourself onto someone's back!"

A somewhat stunned expression came to Ren's face as his cheeks became tinged with red. It wasn't the FIRST time that Nora had scolded him by a long shot, but this felt… different, somehow. Like there was more concern behind her voice. Still, he couldn't just say nothing to her. "W-Well, yes, when you put it like that, I suppose not. I'll try not to get flattened next time."

Nora smiled gratefully. "Good, glad to hear that."

Jaune came forward and gave Pyrrha a quick peck on the lips. "You guys okay? We saw those shock you took."

Pyrrha pat his cheek reassuringly. "Oh, I'm fine, Jaune. And I'm sure Ren is, too…" She craned her head over to Milo, the javelin still sticking up out of the ground. "Although… I _am_ a little concerned to retrieve my weapon."

"Oh, well don't worry about that!" Nora waved off before zipping over and grasping the weapon's long handle, effectively absorbing the access electricity from it into her own body. "Ooh, hehe, tingly." She pulled Milo out of the floor and handed it to her friend. "Here ya go, Pyrrha!"

"Ah, thank you, Nora." Pyrrha took her weapon and holstered it to her back with her shield… right before seeing a large ice wall get put up on the other side of the room. Standing behind it was Weiss, the heiress using the wall to separate her from her opponent. That being; Emerald. Meanwhile, not far away, Rex and Mercury were fighting as well, the two boys going at one another with a surprising ferocity. "Oh dear, it seems like we aren't out of the woods yet."

"Guess so." Jaune agreed before nudging his head toward the fight. "C'mon, let's back 'em up." With that, the team of four charged forward, unaware that a certain invisible alien lizard woman was directly behind them.

"Grr… just you wait you _sciocchi sfacciati_." Subdora grumbled to herself as her three eyes focused on the team. Not only had they beaten her beloved Farkas, but they had also bested his ingenious plan. This would NOT stand. "I believe it's time we start whittling down these heroes…" She grasped her blaster and shifted it into its knife mode, the long, serrated energy blade glowing brightly. She focused in on Nora and grit her teeth. "And I'll start with the _cagna_ that hurt by beloved."

* * *

As Team JNPR engaged in their battle with Thunderhog and Exo-Skull, Weiss and Rex had decided to regroup and take a second glance at the situation before them. However, with every new factor of this fight that they took in, the heiress grew more and more worried. It hadn't been ten minutes since Ben and the others had left and already there were multiple things that she was concerned about. One; Subdora was nowhere to be seen. Sure, the Merlinisapien was probably skulking around invisibly somewhere, but if anything, that just made Weiss even MORE worried.

Secondly; Michael Morningstar was gone. Now THAT was very worthy of her concern. Even in the single time that she had fought him, the energy vampire had proven that he was incredibly conniving and relentlessly brutal with the tactics he would use, all so he could get his way. And the fact that he wasn't anywhere to be found just made her internal alarms go off. "Ugh, where in Remnant did Morningstar sneak off to?!" Weiss mumbled as her eyes kept scanning the room.

"Search me." Rex shrugged from their impromptu hiding spot behind one of the stair cases leading up to the podium. It wasn't the _best_ hiding place, but it served their purposes for now. "Last I saw, Qrow kicked him in the balls and left him in a mess on the floor. To be honest, the fact that he got up from that so soon is a feat in and of itself."

Weiss couldn't help but stifle a laugh at that. "Hmph! Okay, stop, this a serious situation, remember."

Rex just smirked at her. "Yeah, but I've got a feeling we'll be able handle whatever these guys have to throw at us. If we were facing either Viktor or Cinder, then I'd be a bit more worried." He jabbed a thumb over toward the battle. "But these guys? They're the worker bees. We can handle 'em."

"You _really_ think that?" The sudden new voice caught Weiss and Rex off guard and their heads shot up, just in time to see Emerald and a very bloodied up Mercury jumping over the stairs. The duo landed just a few feet away from them, wearing similar smirks as they approached. "Well, well, if it isn't the heiress and her scuzzy boyfriend?"

" _Boyfriend_?!" Weiss exclaimed with a blush.

"…Scuzzy?" Rex questioned.

Weiss glanced over to him. "Well, to be honest, I wouldn't blame her at first glance. Your hair isn't exactly the most well kempt."

Emerald placed her hands on her hips. "See? You even dote on him like a—WOAH!" She was cut off when the heiress suddenly rushed forward with a thrust from Myrtenaster, through Emerald was quick to avoid the attack. However, this would also prove to be a mistake on Weiss' part, because the moment she missed, Mercury came in with a strong roundhouse kick to her midsection, blowing her back over to Rex with a blast from his boot.

"Weiss!" Rex shot over and caught the Weiss in his arms, a groan escaping her lips as she clutched her abdomen. "Are you okay?!"

"I-I'm fine." Weiss affirmed. "My Aura kicked in the moment he hit me." She craned her head up to him with a thankful smile. "But thanks for the save."

Rex returned the gesture. "Don't mention it. Now let's take these guys down, huh?"

Weiss stood up and took a firm grasp on Myrtenaster, giving the EVO a nod. "My thoughts exactly."

"You're welcome to try, Ice Queen." Mercury taunted. "But it won't be easy."

Emerald stepped back over to Mercury, glaring at their two opponents all the while. "He's right. You want a fight? Then you're gonna have to fight ALL of us…" All of a sudden… something strange happened. Mercury's body shimmered for a second before multiplying into several copies of the assassin, the duplicates surrounding Weiss and Rex until there were about twelve of them. All of the Mercury copies began crossing their arms and scoffing at Rex and Weiss, each one with the same smug grin on its face. The copies were so perfect, that they even had the bloody trail going from his forehead all the way down to his face.

Rex blinked in surprise. "Woah… is this HIS Semblance or something?"

"Actually, I think it might be Emerald's." Weiss said. "Each clone shimmered for a moment before they came into existence, so I'm guessing that they're all hallucinations."

"Ding-ding!" Emerald pointed at Weiss and smirked. "We have a winner. After Tennyson's annoying and rather humiliating assault on my stomach with that Ditto guy of his, I decided to try out something similar."

One of Mercury's clones jerked his neck, popping a few muscles. "But now that you KNOW our little trick…"

Another clone leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. "…How're you gonna find the REAL one?"

With a cheeky smile, Rex raised his left arm. "Like this." All at once, Rex's Smack Hand burst forth from his arm and he grabbed hold of Weiss with his normal arm, making the heiress give out a yelp of surprise. The EVO then jumped up into the air and slammed his massive metal fist down onto the floor, making it burst into rubble in an instant. All of said rubble then flew through the clones and made them dissipate… all except for Emerald and the real Mercury, who were both hit and sent stumbling back. Rex's Smack Hand deactivated and he landed, letting Weiss off as he did. "And THAT is how you handle crowd control."

Weiss herself was… very impressed, if she had to be honest. _'Wow, I didn't expect Rex to come up with a plan like that on the fly...'_ She trailed off when a new thought came to her mind, one that made her blush. _'But… why did I feel so… secure when he held me?'_ It was a skeptical thought, but one she couldn't help but think. _'This… this can't be happening. …Can it?'_

"Weiss? Hey, Ice Princess!"

"Gah!" The white-haired girl was snapped out of her thoughts and refocused on Rex. Though now that she was gazing directly at his face, she couldn't help but blush just a slight bit more. "Sorry, I… I got a bit distracted."

Rex gave her a thumbs up. "No prob. Hey, I'm gonna go take care of Merc and put him to bed. Think you can stop Em from making all those hallucinations?"

Regaining her composure, Weiss gave him a single nod. "Of course. I've got her."

"Great." Rex raised a fist up to her. "Good luck."

Weiss's eyes went between Rex's face and his fist before reciprocating the gesture. "You too." With that, Rex activated his Punk Busters and shot right over to Mercury, picking him up with a fist to the gut before shooting up toward the podium, making the silver-haired assassin give out a rage-fueled scream.

"Mercury!" Emerald started after her partner, but was stopped by a glyph to the face, making her back up to stand face to face with Weiss again. "Oh, I see how it is. The rich girl wants to play with the lowly thief, huh?" Emerald took out her Thief's Respite and entered a combat stance. "Well then, let's see what kinda weight the Schnee name REALLY carries, huh?"

Weiss narrowed her eyes at Emerald and raised Myrtenaster at her. "I'm _more_ than a name."

"Prove it! GAH!" In a mad sprint, Emerald sprinted forward, readying her sickles to attack. However, Weiss was prepared for this, using a glyph to give her a boost of her own. The two collided in the middle, with Emerald crossing her sickles to stop the thrust that Weiss had sent her way. From there, it was a duel of clashing blades, with Weiss matching her elegant and refined movements with Emerald's more wild and unpredictable ones. It almost appeared to be some sort of dance between two people whose styles were polar opposites. "C'mon!" Emerald shouted as one of her sickles grinded against Myrtenaster's blade, producing a brief spark against the clashing metal. "Is this all you got?!"

Indeed, Weiss knew this endless blade clashing couldn't go on forever, so she decided to take a different approach. "I'm just getting started." The heiress said before creating another glyph beneath her feet, this time using it to increase her jumping ability to leap a fair distance away from her opponent. Once she was far enough, Weiss spun Myrtenaster's barrel to the Fire Dust cartridge and created multiple bright red glyphs around her, all of which blasted out their own streams of flame at the thief.

Emerald's eyes widened and she ducked out of the way, though Weiss simply changed the glyph's direction to follow her wherever she went. _'Crap, this isn't good.'_ Emerald thought to herself before a new idea popped into her head. It was a bit risky, but it was one she had to take. _'Sure hope this works…'_ Going for broke, Emerald changed direction again, this time heading _toward_ the fire instead of away from it.

Obviously, this took Weiss by surprise. "Are you SERIOUSLY that dead set on beating me?!"

"Yep!" Emerald replied before shifting Thief's Respite into their kusarigama modes, spinning the chained blades around at a rapid pace as she ran past the streams of flame. As she spun her weapons through the fire, though, she got the result she was hoping for; her weapons caught the fire on them. This made her grin sinisterly. "Oh, NOW we're talking! RAH!" With a mighty jump, Emerald shot toward Weiss and brought the chained blades down toward the Heiress, making her jump away from the attack.

' _Shoot, she actually used that to her advantage.'_ Weiss gripped Myrtenaster tighter as Emerald continued toward her, the fire on the blades still burning bright. _'Okay, first, I gotta put THAT out… and I know just how to do it.'_ From a small storage pocket in her skirt, Weiss pulled out a vial of regular blue Dust, loading it into her weapon after exchanging the empty Fire Dust vial. "Hey Em! You seem a bit dehydrated!"

"W-What?" Emerald stammered before Weiss created a blue glyph in front of her.

"Have some WATER!" All of a sudden, a powerful geyser of water burst out of the glyph itself, making Emerald's eyes bug out as it burst at her. The thief let out a yell that was quickly drowned out by the gusher of water that enveloped her, effectively putting out the flames while also pushing her back several feet. Weiss pumped a fist after the water cleared, seeing that Emerald was splayed out across the floor and was completely drenched. "Yes!"

Emerald hacked up a bit of water and glared at the heiress, though she couldn't help but admit that was a smart move. "Not bad, Ice Queen." A devious grin came to her face as a new idea popped into her head… and made itself a reality. "But let's see how you handle this…"

Weiss was about to continue her attack when a familiar voice spoke up from behind; "Weiss!" The white-haired girl spun around to see none other than her older sister running over to her, her blades at the ready. "Hm, good work." Winter complimented as she directed her gaze over to Emerald. "It seems you've got her on the ropes."

"Winter?!" Weiss exclaimed. "I thought you were busy today! How'd you—"

"The same way that Kevin and the others did." Winter elaborated. "And I finished what I had to do today, so when I heard you were in trouble, I jumped at the chance." She faced Emerald and lowered her blade to the girl. "Now come on, let's finish this."

Weiss furrowed her brows in skepticism. "Alright… tell me, what DID you do today?"

Winter's eyes widened slightly. "I, um, I…"

"Wrong answer." Weiss swiped at her "sister" and made her dissipate into nothingness, sending a sidelong glance to Emerald all the while. "My sister had to go shopping for a picture frame and she had a long-distance date with Ben's older cousin today. Nice try, though."

Emerald let out a growl and grit her teeth. "GAAH! Seriously?! Is _every_ girl finding a relationship around here OTHER than me?!"

"Pretty much, yes." Weiss leveled Myrtenaster back toward Emerald. "But even still, I had a feeling something was up. Your illusions are powerful, but if you don't know how a person acts, it's not perfect. And Winter would _not_ act so casual, especially in the middle of a fight."

"Oh yeah, that reminds me…" Emerald quickly converted Thief's Respite into their revolver forms and aimed them at Weiss. "We WERE fighting, weren't we?!" She began unloading round after round at Weiss, only for the heiress to bring up more glyphs to shield her. Emerald began running and gunning in response, hoping that she would be fast enough for Weiss to slip up.

However, that proved not to be the case, as Weiss summoned yet another glyph in front of her, using it to bring up a gigantic ice wall to block Emerald's onslaught. Using this opportunity, Weiss stabbed Myrtenaster into the ground and created a summoning circle. She had wanted to go for the Arma Gigas right off the bat, but the more she thought about it, the more she was inclined to save it for later, just in case she needed it. So instead…

In that time, Emerald had run around the ice wall, glowering at her opponent the moment she saw her. "You REALLY thing a wall of ice is gonna… stop… me?" That last word came out more as a squeak when Emerald saw what Weiss had summoned; The Queen Lancer. The giant white and blue Grimm wasp was practically glaring at her as she hovered just above the ground, her large wings making a low, menacing buzzing noise.

Weiss smirked and shook her head. "No… but _this_ might." She pointed Myrtenaster at Emerald once again and commanded the Queen to… "Attack!"

The Queen Lancer rushed forward and dove right at Emerald, the green-haired girl leaping away with a scream. But the Grimm wasn't about to let her get away that easily. Her insectoid head shot up and she took aim with her abdomen, firing off her stinger in an instant. While it didn't impale Emerald, it did catch her in the air and make her fall back toward the ground, hitting it back first with a heavy THUD.

It was then that Weiss used one of her regular glyphs again to give her another boost, the heiress rushing toward Emerald as the thief made to get up. With a strong knee to the face, Emerald was thrown for a loop and sent crashing back down onto the floor, the pain being too much for her to handle this time. Her head fell to the ground and she lost consciousness, securing the win for Weiss.

As she stood there with the Queen Lancer by her side, Weiss smiled down to Emerald victoriously. "See? The Schnee name _isn't_ all there is to me."

* * *

"Why—gah! THE FUCK—raugh! Won't you BUILD anything?!"

That was the question that had been lingering in Mercury's mind the moment he had been brought up to the podium by Rex. After being forcibly taken from Emerald, the assassin was both pissed at the EVO AND a bit worried about the state of his partner. _'Not sure about that last one, though. Em can take care of herself, so why—'_ SMACK! "GAH!" That momentary distraction cost him dearly as Rex punched him square in the face, making him stumble back a few steps. "Oh, COME ON! If you're gonna punch me, punch me with those giant arms of yours! I want you to give me everything you got!"

Rex was… confused, to say the least. He had figured that Mercury would actually be happy to face him like he was at the moment, considering what had happened the last time they fought. The young Latino shrugged and replied; "Hey, I wanted you to get a fighting chance, _tipo_. Especially after the way I just bodied you back at Amity Arena."

If possible, this only made Mercury angrier. "WHAT?! You think I can't handle your weapons?! You just got lucky at the arena is all!" He went into a combat stance and made a "come at me" motion with his hands. "Come on! I can handle anything you throw at me!"

Rex smirked and crossed his arms, shaking his head a bit. "Alright, dude, if you insist…" Tapping into the power of the Omega Nanite, Rex brough forth his Funchucks and began spinning them around, ready to attack. "Well, let's go!"

"Gladly!" With a ferocious battle cry, Mercury shot it boots off once again and rocketed toward Rex, which the EVO responded with flinging a single Funchuck at the silver-haired assassin. But just short of the weapon hitting him, Mercury side-stepped the Funchuck and jumped up onto it, crouching low to look at Rex right in the face.

"Huh, more of that speed. Impressive" Rex began to move his arm, intending on throwing Mercury off. "But not very smart—OW!"

The EVO was cut off when Mercury suddenly thrust himself off of the Funchuck and kicked Rex right in the face, making him stumble back a bit. "I think you'll find it was a VERY smart move!" As Rex continued to stumble a bit, Mercury began sending a volley of shots at him, the Dust rounds either making impact with the Funchucks or Rex himself. Once he was sure that Rex's defenses were down, he rushed forward and delivered an onslaught of multiple roundhouse kicks at Rex's body as well as the Funchucks, making the EVO topple backward while also breaking one of the two builds as well. "HA!" Mercury laughed. "See? I can handle your dumb weapons!"

But, much to Mercury's surprise, Rex stood up, keeping his stance firm and grounded as a small chuckle escaped his lips. "Heh, yeah… _one_ of my builds." Tapping into the Omega Nanite again, Rex brought forth one of his Bad Axes, the bright blue blade glowing with energy. "Now what're ya gonna do, _Mercurio_?"

Mercury sneered and belted out a roar before charging at Rex, intent on finishing this before it could even begin. He launched up into the air and performed a flying kick, which Rex responded with reeling back his Funchuck arm. _'Just like I was hoping.'_ Repositioning himself in the air, Mercury tuck and rolled right underneath Rex's raised arm and immediately performed a round house kick to the EVO's back, unloading a Dust round to propel him off of the podium.

"GAH!" Rex grit his teeth as he landed on the ground level, a searing feeling coming from his back as he landed. _'Damn it, if he singed my jacket, Weiss is gonna be pissed.'_ He didn't have long to think about that, however, as Mercury came flying down at him with a spinning axe kick, one that he countered by raising his own Bad Axe at him. Mercury's foot connected with the axe's blade as it swung at him, but he let loose another shot and propelled himself away from Rex as soon as possible. He landed across from his opponent about twenty feet away from him, which made Rex raise a brow at him. "Jeez, you're a slippery one, ain't ya?"

"If I'm gonna be the living HELL out of you, I've gotta be!" Mercury said as he dashed forward again.

"Fair point." Rex admitted before deactivating his Funchuck and Bad Axe. "Maybe it's time I changed things around a bit." Going for one of his regular builds, Rex brought out his Slam Cannon and hefted it over his shoulder, the maw of the weapon instantly going down to scoop up some ammo from the marble floor. _'Eh, with what's going on here, I doubt they'll be needing this floor for a while anyway.'_ He took aim at Mercury and fired the huge chunk of debris at the assassin, hoping that he would take the bait.

Mercury furrowed his brows and a smirk came to his face. _'Really? This is the best he can do?'_ With another battle cry, Mercury delivered a swift kick to the incoming hunk of rock and marble, letting lose a Dust round the moment his foot connected. As expected, this effectively destroyed the huge chunk of debris… while also sending up a huge cloud of dirt and dust into the air, hindering Mercury's vision all around him. His eyes widened at what he had just done. _'Wait… this is…'_

All of a sudden, Mercury heard the familiar sound of nanites powering up, followed by an iridescent blue glow that the dust only faintly obscured. From there, Rex leapt through the cloud of blown up rubble, his Blast Caster whipping away the dust as an eager grin plastered itself on his face. He had put his goggles over his eyes as well, just so he could see his unsuspecting prey. "¡ _Surpresa_!" The EVO slung his large whip forward and wrapped it around Mercury, pouring on a heaping helping of energy through the build as well.

The massive charge made Mercury belt out a scream before the assassin was thrown across the floor, tumbling along before he managed to realign himself. He dug his heels in and stopped in a crouch, glaring at Rex through his now ragged bangs. "Oh, _thank you_."

That was… not the reaction that Rex was expecting. "Uh, what?"

"Because now I have a REAL challenge!" With another blast from his boots, Mercury rocketed forward and began running at Rex, avoiding the massive whip along the way. The silver-haired assassin darted over toward Rex's left side, mainly due to the fact that the whip _wasn't_ on that side. _'I should be able to hit him…'_ The moment the whip lashed at him again, he let loose another blast from his boot, rocketing him upward in a big jump. _'I just gotta take my chances!'_ With a mighty yell, Mercury performed a midair flip and brought his leg down in another axe kick, hoping to blast Rex's exposed left arm.

But just as his foot came down, Rex quickly activated his Block Party and raised is above his head, the energy shield blocking the attack harmlessly. "Sorry bud, NOT today!" With another thrust of his right arm, Rex wrapped his whip around Mercury and threw him away again, though this time, he was able to land without trouble. "We could always stop if you wanna!"

Mercury growled and clenched his fists, frustrated that he was just being manhandled by this idiot. _'I have to find a weak spot! But where…'_ It was then that his eyes found the large energy dynamo that was on Rex's back, and an idea immediately popped into his head. _'Bingo.'_ With that, he dashed forward, much to Rex's surprise.

"Really? Again, _hombre_?" Rex gave another shrug. "Eh, suit yourself." He whipped the Blast Caster forward again, but this time, Mercury actually _caught_ it, taking him aback even further. "…Okay, you're either really crazy or REALLY stupid."

Mercury narrowed his eyes at Rex silently. _'You're the stupid one if you don't plan your next move correctly.'_

"Not gonna talk?" Rex quirked a brow. "Okay, then let's see if THIS will make you a bit chattier!" He whipped the Blast Caster back and began sending a ton of energy through it… but before it could take effect, Mercury had jumped off of the whip, allowing him to jump high into the air. "What the?!" Rex watched in bewilderment as Mercury performed a corkscrew flip before coming straight back down with his legs fully extended, almost like he was looking to stomp on something. It was at that point where the EVO saw where Mercury would eventually drop… and he immediately knew what was going to happen. " _Aye, basura_ —AGH!"

**BOOM!** The moment Mercury's feet collided with the dynamo, he let loose two more blasts from his boots, effectively making the containment unit explode in a bright flash of light. Once his vision cleared, Mercury found himself laying right on the ground, a soft groan escaping his lips as his eyes searched for Rex. He finally found the EVO laying in a crumpled heap about ten feet away from him, with smoke billowing from his back while his forehead was very visibly bleeding. This made Mercury grin wickedly, a laugh escaping his throat before he turned himself over onto his back. "Hehe… hehehehe… HAHAHA!" He raised his arms up into the air in victory. "I did it! I beat that son of a bitch! HAHA!"

But right as he was celebrating, a familiar voice piped up from behind him. "Heh, not quite." Mercury's eyes bulged out of his skull and they darted over to see Rex, the EVO standing up to his feet shakily. "You might've blown up my build, but an explosion like that won't be able to kill me."

"WHAT?!" Mercury questioned. "How are you still STANDING after a blow like that?!"

"You honestly expect something created by my own nanites to be able to harm me?" Rex asked back before pointing at his bleeding head. "And before you ask, I busted this bad boy open when I hit the floor, so no, that didn't even count either." His finger redirected down to Mercury, more specifically, his lower half. "Besides, if anything, you're the one who came out on the shorter end here."

Mercury's eyes snapped down to his legs… or rather the scrap metal that used to be his legs. They were utterly mangled from his last attack, broken hydraulics, wires and joints sticking out every which way to Sunday. He clenched his teeth as he seethed in rage. "No… no! NOOOO—"

_CRACK!_ Without using any of his builds at all, Rex came down and punched Mercury in the face, silencing him while knocking him unconscious. "Ah, shut up." Rex let out a tired breath as he rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling as he laid out next to Mercury. "Ugh, at this point, I'm waiting for the angels to just take me."

Right then and there, Weiss strode over and peered down at him, placing her hands on her hips. "What are you doing, Robo-dolt?"

"Oh hey, there's one now."

"I—" But it was then that Weiss process what the young man had just said. "Did… did you hit your head again?"

"Yeah, but this time, I think I have a concussion." Rex pointed at his head. "Also, I'm bleeding profusely."

Weiss pursed her lips and lowered herself down, sitting next to him. "I can see that. Sit up, let me see." At her order, the EVO slowly lifted himself off his back and came to eye-level with Weiss, the heiress setting her hands to the sides of his face for her to get a closer look. "Hmm… well, I don't see any mismatching pupil dilation, so that's good." She smiled and gave Rex a pat on the head. "Be thankful that your dome's so thick, Robo-dolt."

"Heh, not thick enough if I'm bleeding like this." Rex chuckled, which got Weiss to laugh a little as well. At that moment though, he felt something that told him to do something, though he knew that something also made him a bit nervous. Nevertheless, he followed his instinct's feeling and reached up, gently grasping Weiss' right hand in his left. "Hey, what about you? Are you okay?"

"U-Uh… yeah." To say Weiss was surprised by the sudden action was probably pretty accurate. It was a rather bold move, but oddly enough, she actually liked the feeling of holding his hand like this. Hers was practically a perfect fit in his own, and he held it as if it could break any moment, almost like porcelain. After a few moments, she cleared her throat. "Ahem, I, uh, I took care of Emerald. She tried to trick me with a hallucination of my sister, but I had a feeling it wasn't her."

"Glad to hear it." Rex smiled. "I just wish I could've beat Merc WITHOUT getting blown up."

Weiss reciprocated with her own smile. "Well, at least you're not dead, so that's good." Little did the two realize that they were slowly drawing nearer toward each other, their shoulders just inches away from touching. "…Rex, I—"

"HEY!" The two were startled out of their moment when a familiar shrill voice called out to them. Rex and Weiss whipped their heads around to see Team JNPR running right toward them, with Jaune and Pyrrha leading the pack while Nora and Ren were behind them. "Guys, you were GREAT!" Nora shouted with a wave. "We beat 'em all!"

Weiss and Rex grinned at the incoming quartet, but their smiles faltered when they suddenly noticed a change in Ren's demeanor. The ninja's eyes had widened and darted to his left, almost as if he had sensed something approaching them. His gaze then snapped back to Nora in a panic… and then he surged forward, pushing the Pink Dynamo out of the way. "NORA! Move—GAGH!"

The heiress and EVO shot up suddenly when they saw Ren suddenly arch his back in pain, all while Nora tumbled across the ground. Jaune and Pyrrha had immediately spun around as well, their eyes filled with fear as they heard their friend give out an agonizing shout. Nora rolled over… just in time to see Ren's Aura break and his face drain of color. It would be an image that would haunt her for the rest of her life. "Ren?! REN?!"

The ninja didn't respond, his body falling to the floor with a barely audible grunt. There, right on his back near his right hip, was a very clear stab wound, with red blood already pouring out of it and caking Ren's tailcoat. That was all it took to make Nora freeze up, her eyes open to the size of saucers as her mouth hung open in disbelief. The only thing that got her to unfreeze for a brief moment was a small shimmer in the air, followed by none other than Subdora appearing from out of nowhere. The Merlinisapien held her energy knife in her hands as Ren's blood dripped from its already red blade, a sinister smile having adorned her features. "Oops! _Perdóname_ , but… did _I_ do that?"

* * *

The moment he had seen Subdora appear from out of thin air with her weapon bloodied, Jaune's fear and anguish were quickly replaced with righteous anger and unbridled rage. His teeth clenched and his running speed picked up to the point where he was pretty sure one of his knees had popped. But he didn't care. All he knew was that he HAD to get in there, save his friends, and then possibly murder Subdora. The moment he thought that last one, though, he quickly shoved it to the wayside. _'Ben will chew the fuck out of me if I kill her.'_ he reminded himself before pulling out his sword. _'…But maybe taking her tail will do.'_

With a loud, guttural battle cry, Jaune leapt up and brought Crocea Mors down onto Subdora, but the Merlinisapian was able to jump out of the way. Jaune ended up stabbing his blade through the floor, but he was quick to take it out and begin swiping it at Subdora, fending the Merlinisapien off as Pyrrha, Rex and Weiss began checking on Ren. "DAMN YOU! Damn you STRAIGHT to HELL!"

With every swipe of his sword, Subdora merely sidestepped and ducked beneath it, a small chuckle escaping from her lips. "Oh, it's his own fault, my dear _biondo_." she insisted. "My real target was _la rossa pazza_ , but he chose to make quite the valiant sacrifice."

"SHUT UP!" Jaune brought his sword in for another swipe… only to be met with a massive back hand to his face, sending him rolling away as his sword clattered to the floor. He scrambled to his hands and knees and his head shot up… only to see both Exo-Skull and Thunderhog right back up on their feet. "You've gotta be _fucking_ kidding me!"

"Nope!" Skull shook his head. "Ever heard of playing possum, kid?"

"Farkas!" Subdora jumped up onto Skull's shoulder and kissed his cheek. "Did you see what I did? That was for you, my darling!"

Hog crossed his arms and moved his eyes over to the unconscious Ren, nodding in approval. "Aw yeah! Great job, 'Dora!"

Skull wrapped an arm around his girlfriend and gave her a peck on the lips back. "He's right. Nice work, hon."

"You make me SICK!" Jaune spat as he got up to his feet, readying Crocea Mors for another round. "COME ON! I'll take you ALL on!"

Skull merely chuckled and pointed over to Ren. "Kid, ya might wanna focus less on us an' more on your friend… 'cause this might be the last time you'll ever get to talk to 'im."

Jaune gave the worst death glare that he could muster at the two mutants and sadistic alien woman… and then he turned right around and booked it back to the others. As much as he hated to admit it, he couldn't take them all on by himself. He was pretty sure he'd be bodied if he didn't have any backup with him. _'Besides, I'm needed elsewhere.'_ The blonde knight was booking it so fast toward Ren that he only just barely noticed that Emerald had gotten up as well, taking the opportunity to move over to the unconscious Mercury. _'Those two will have to wait. Right now…'_

"REN!" Jaune slid to a stop, taking a spot behind his fallen friend. Rex was currently keeping his hands over Ren's wound, putting pressure on it to prevent any more blood from spilling out of his body. Pyrrha, meanwhile, had put her hand to Ren's wrist feeling for any kind of pulse. The knight immediately went to his girlfriend. "Pyrrha, talk to me!"

The moment he made eye contact with her though… he was stunned into silence. Pyrrha's expression could only be described as a mixture of intense worry and anguish, with two streams of tears beginning to fall from her eyes at what was happening. The Invincible Girl that Jaune knew wasn't there anymore. Now, it was only Pyrrha Nikos, a worried friend who was deeply concerned for her teammate. "Jaune, this… this is bad." she managed to choke out.

"The bleeding's not stopping!" Rex added with a similarly worried face. The EVO whipped his head to his left and called over; "Weiss! What's Nora's status?!"

Jaune's eyes bugged out. _'…Nora.'_ He slowly craned his head over to see the usually hyper redheaded now doing nothing but staring blankly at Ren, tears already silently streaming from her eyes as Weiss tried to snap her out of it.

"No response!" Weiss said worriedly as she kept trying to bring Nora out of her shocked state. "Nora, please! We need you!"

Jaune's eyes went back to Ren as all of this suddenly hit him like a tractor trailer. Salem's forces had launched an attack at yet another of the Huntsman academies… and once again, one of his teammates had been put into mortal danger. "No… no, no, no, not again!" He reached over and placed his hands over Rex's attempting to put more pressure onto the wound. "Ren, come on, _please_!"

At that moment, Rex heard… a whole bunch of laughing coming from behind them. He whipped his head around to see Hog, Skull and Subdora all laughing it up as Emerald lugged Mercury over toward them, the green-haired thief being the only one not laughing. All the same, though, it managed to piss Rex off. They had just stabbed Ren, and they had the GALL to _laugh_? He moved his eyes back to Jaune, giving him a serious look. "Keep putting pressure on his wound, Jaune." He slipped his hands out from underneath Jaune's and he stood up, his arms glowing bright blue. "I need to go take out the _trash_."

Jaune furrowed his brows and nodded. "Good. Give them hell."

"That, I can promise." His jaw clenched and fists balled, Rex did an about face and marched over to the still laughing villains, who only paused when he shouted at them. "HEY! You think this is _funny_?!"

"But of course!" Subdora smirked. "We _are_ ne'er-do-wells, you know."

Exo-Skull pat Subdora's shoulder lightly. "Exactly. Besides, we got some beef with that team, anyhow!" He focused over to Nora, who was still practically catatonic as she stared at Ren's barely breathing form. "And besides, I think we might've taken out two birds with one stone, hehe."

Thunderhog brushed his shoulder, as if he were brushing Rex himself off of him. "Two less punks to get in our way is alright by me."

That tore it. Rex let out a mighty yell and activated both his Bad Axes and his Boogie Pack at the same time, jetting forward the moment the massive wings erupted from his back. "FINE!" he roared as he shot at them. "Then let me return the favor!" Rex came down hard at the trio and slammed his Bad Axes down at them, the three only barely managing to clear away from him. However, the turbines on his wings suddenly repositioned and the two large grapplers shot out of them, grabbing onto Hog and Skull without a moment wasted. He knew he couldn't kill them, but he would at least leave them with one hell of a reminder to _never_ try that again. "When I'm through with you, YOU'RE gonna be two punks _we_ won't have to deal with for a while!"

But just as he was about to pull the cables back, Subdora leapt up and slashed her energy blade through both of them, successfully freeing her boyfriend and his best friend. "Not likely, _idiota_! Not if I have anything to say about—ERK!" She was cut off when she was suddenly rammed into by Rex, the EVO making her fly back right into Skull's chest. "Ugh, okay, this might be a bit more challenging than I thought."

Rex sneered and shot forward again, readying his Bad Axes for another strike. "You'd _better_ believe it."

Just as the distance closed between them, Exo-Skull stomped up and grabbed hold of both axes, stopping them mid swing. "Sorry, pal, not happening!" he barked back. "My horn laser may be down and my weapon's outside…" He activated his jet thrusters and bellowed out; "But I'm still a goddamn RHINO!" With that, Skull burst forward, pushing against Rex's Boogie Pack in a bid for superiority. Rex added more power behind his turbines, determined to not let Skull overtake him. However, he didn't expect what happened next. "Hog, NOW!"

In a surprisingly swift moment, Skull side-stepped Rex and let go, deactivating his thrusters in the process. But Rex, wow was taken aback by the action, didn't have enough time to stop himself from careening forward, his thrusters still at max speed. Without missing a beat, Thunderhog stepped in front of Rex and slammed his mace into one of Rex's arms, effectively destroying a single Bad Axe. The pig mutant made to smash his weapon into the other one, but Rex quickly raised his axe and blocked the hit. "Really?!" Hog asked. "You're STILL fightin' back?! What the hell is keepin' you goin'?!"

Rex grit his teeth and answered; "I'll tell you what." In an instant, he exchanged his Boogie Pack for a Smack Hand and punched Hog off of him. "It's _beating_ the ones who hurt my _friends_!" At that moment, he spun around and slammed his Smack Hand into something invisible, revealing Subdora as she tumbled away from him with knife in hand. "And don't think I've forgotten about YOU either!"

Subdora shook her head in disappointment. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, I am sorry to say that anger does not suit your features, robot boy." She began flipping her energy knife around in her fingers. "Perhaps I can… _cut_ that emotion out of you."

Rex furrowed his brows and deactivated both of his builds… only to activate his Big Fat Sword a split second later. "Good luck with that."

As Rex engaged with the animalistic trio, things weren't going so well back over with Ren. It was at this point that the ninja's breathing began to slow, now unable to keep air in his lungs for any long period of time. Jaune kept trying desperately to keep his hand on his friend's wound and stop the bleeding, but whatever Subdora had hit in her stab, it was apparently something that bled a lot. _'I'm gonna hit her extra hard for that.'_

If possible, though, the only thing that scared Jaune more than this was the expression on Nora's face. She just seemed… destroyed. Like her whole world had come crumbling down in an instant. All she did was stare at Ren with concern, fear, and sadness in her eyes, never removing them even for a second.

Jaune was pulled away from Nora's gaze when he heard Pyrrha speak up. "Jaune… he's hardly breathing." the redheaded warrior held down a hitch in her throat as she continued; "I… I don't know what we can do. We don't have Gwen to get him to somewhere safe, we don't have Ben to heal him with Swampfire… we don't have anything."

He could hear the helplessness in his girlfriend's voice, and it sent a painful wave of memories coursing through his mind. The image of Pyrrha pushing him into that locker came back into his mind. He thought that would be the last he saw of her, but thankfully, that wasn't the case. And now… he was face with the prospect that one of his best friends could be close to death yet again… even after he made that one single promise to himself.

"No! No, it wasn't supposed to be like this!" Jaune screamed, lowering his head to look at Ren's face the best he could. "I promised that no one else was going to die and I MEANT it, damn it! Ren, please, we can't lose you! _Nora_ can't lose you! Please… _please_ …" Jaune's eyes closed solemnly, sending a silent prayer to any deity that could hear him. _'Please, it can't end this way… it MUSN'T end this way.'_

However, unknown to Jaune… something was happening. A white ethereal glow had suddenly started to flow from his hands, down into Ren's wound and throughout the ninja's entire body. This, naturally, was immediately noticed by both Weiss and Pyrrha, the two taken aback by what was happening before them. But what shocked them more… was the sharp intake of air that Ren took, making Pyrrha let go of his hand while Jaune's eyes snapped open in shock.

…And this was what got Nora to snap out of it.

The Pink Dynamo gasped and immediately scrambled over to her partner, screaming his name. "REN!" With heavy, ragged sobs, she grabbed the hand that Pyrrha had let go of and gripped it firmly in hers, a hopeful expression etching across her features as she began hyperventilating. She gazed down to the green ninja as he continued to take air back into his lungs, convulsing a bit as he did. "Is… is he—"

"I think so!" Pyrrha quickly grasped the other hand and found that his heart rate was beginning to pick up little by little. This made her smile reappear, though she didn't stop crying. "I—I think he's going to be okay! He seems to be stabilizing!"

"B-But how?!" Jaune exclaimed. "What's even going on?!"

Pyrrha's smile became even wider when he asked that question. "I… I think it's—"

_BAM_! The whole group were taken off guard when they saw Rex sail across the room and slam into a far wall, with Exo-Skull ramming into him for good measure. The Rhino mutant had since discarded the other part of his laser horn and instead settled for using his normal one, almost as if he had no problem potentially goring the EVO with it. Rex held him back, though, activating a single Smack Hand again to keep him at bay. From either side of him, though, Thunderhog and Subdora began closing in on him, their own weapons at the ready.

Weiss pursed her lips at this and stood up, gripping Myrtenaster firmly in her hand. She craned her head down to Nora and set her free hand on her shoulder. "Nora, I know you want nothing more to be at his side, but—"

"It's okay." Nora said, though her voice was practically unrecognizable without its cheery, bubbly bounce behind it. She picked up Magnhild and immediately transformed it into its hammer mode, a serious face having taken over her features. "Just so long as I get the lizard bitch, I'm in. In fact, just round 'em all up and let me take care of the rest."

Weiss blinked before nodding. "Um, yes, of course." She craned her head back to Jaune and Pyrrha, reaching down to lift the formers hand off of Ren's wound briefly. She was relieved to see that the stab wound had closed up and she gave Jaune a smile. "Whatever you're doing, don't stop."

"Trust me, I'm not about to." Jaune retorted before placing his hands back over Ren's back.

"Good." Weiss moved her eyes over to Pyrrha. "You'll be able to give them cover while Jaune does… whatever he's doing?"

Pyrrha stood tall and removed her weapons from her back, giving the heiress a resolute nod. "No one's going to even _touch_ them."

"Excellent." Weiss nodded. "Make it happen, team." She went over and stood next to Nora, though not without giving the Pink Dynamo a side long glance. "Nora… will you be okay?"

She didn't get an immediate response, merely a small sigh from the once peppy redhead as she moved her head down. "…I will be, but not right now." When Nora raised her head again, Weiss could practically see the righteous fury behind the girl's aquamarine eyes, along with what appeared to be a small, pink glow in the middle of her pupils. "Right now… I'm _angry_. I want you to get those three assholes off of Rex and send him straight over to me, alright?"

It was at that moment that Weiss realized that Nora probably no longer saw Hog, Skull and Subdora as humorous punching bags. Now, she wanted them to _hurt_ , and Weiss couldn't argue the reason why. "I'm on it." the heiress stabbed Myrtenaster into the floor again and brought forth her Queen Lancer once again, the beast letting out a loud buzzing roar. "Go get them!" Weiss commanded, which the Queen quickly followed through with.

The large, insectoid Grimm flew her way over to the four-way tussle and launched her stinger straight at Exo-Skull, knocking the rhino mutant away from Rex while also slamming him right into Thunderhog for good measure. "GAH!" The duo tumbled across the floor before coming to a halt, with Skull being the one on top of his partner. He picked himself up only to come face to face with the Queen herself. "AGH! What the hell?!"

Hog's eyes widened and he let out a rather high-pitched scream. "AAAIIIEEE! NO! No, not the bees! NOT THE BEES!"

Still taken aback by what happened, Rex slowly began to pull himself out of the wall he was bashed into. However, Weiss' voice suddenly put him on high alert; "Rex! To your left!"

Taking her advice immediately, Rex activated his Smack Hand and immediately grabbed Subdora, the Merlinisapien struggling against his grip. "Like I said, I'm not letting you get the drop on me." Belting out a mighty yell, he tossed Subdora right over to Hog and Skull, colliding head first into the former which sent them both back down in a heap.

"Rex!" The EVO's eyes widened and his head snapped over to see Nora… only to be met with an intense stare that could only be rivaled by White Knight himself. "Here! NOW!"

"No need to tell me twice!" Rex complied, running his way over to the two girls. He slid to a halt next to Nora and gave her a thumbs up. "Glad to see you're up. How's—"

"Ren's going to be fine." Weiss said as she nudged a head back over to the green ninja. "Guess who decided now was a perfect time to unlock their Semblance?"

Rex took a brief look at the scene to see a massive amount of energy flowing through Jaune's hands and into Ren, which made a smile appear on his face. "Heh, yeah, great timing." He refocused himself back to the villainous trio before them. "So, how do we handle these chumps?"

"Simple." Nora answered. "You're gonna supercharge me with that Blast Caster of yours. Weiss'll line 'em up and I'll take it from there."

Rex pursed his lips in thought. _'Well… I can't argue with a plan like that. If I did, I think she'd throttle me.'_ He smiled and gave her a thumbs up, the hand transforming back into his Blast Caster whip soon after. "Alright, let's do this!" The massive dynamo reappeared from his back and it instantly began crackling with a high amount of energy, which began flowing right into the whip. Rex wrapped his whip around Nora's entire body, the girl's muscles absorbing the electrical energy the moment it touched her.

Nora let out a few exerted grunts and a couple shouts as her body began absorbing the power. But she fought through the initial pain, which slowly began transforming into strength as it coursed through her. _'This is all for you, Ren.'_ She whipped her head over to Weiss and gave her the okay. "Weiss, do it!"

"On it!" Weiss raised Myrtenaster and ordered her Queen Lancer to; "Wrap them up!"

"What?!" Skull exclaimed before he felt the Queen's stinger slam into him again, this time latching in between the folds of his armor plating. "H-Hey! What's the big—GAH!" All at once, the Queen began flying around Hog and Subdora, pulling Skull with her as she wrapped her tether around the former two. In the end, she had managed to wrap the tether around all three of them and lifted the trio up into the air, flying around to build up speed.

"That's enough!" Nora cried out, which gave Rex the signal to free her from the Baster Caster's hold. By the time he had gotten done pouring energy into her, Nora Valkyrie was practically surging with pink lightning all over her body, the electricity arcing out in multiple directions in her vicinity. Her grip on her hammer was so tight that it made her knuckles turn white, and the pink lightning was even coursing through the hammer itself. But what was probably most intimidating were her eyes, the light blue orbs having been glossed over by pure, pink energy. Weiss and Rex could even see small arcs of electricity coming from her eyes as well. "DROP 'EM!"

Weiss quickly complied and gave the Queen her next command; "Release!" Upon her word, the Queen put on the braked and flung the trio right toward the front entrance, where Emerald and the now awake Mercury were watching on.

"W-What's going on?" Mercury stuttered as he saw Nora begin to make her approach.

"I don't know… but I think it's safe to say we lost." Emerald concluded.

As the animalistic trio picked themselves up, Skull's eyes widened as he saw the crackling Valkyrie moving her way toward them, with Hog and Subdora's faces paling in fear. "Uh… think it's too late to apologize?"

"Gee, what do YOU think?!" Hog snapped back.

Nora stomped her feet as she made her initial approach, but it quickly transitioned into a full-blown sprint, accompanied by a wailing scream of unbridled fury. _**"GRRAAAAHHHH!"**_ Nora leapt up into the air, the energy flowing through her magnifying the strength of her legs by ten-fold. She pulled her arms back and sent every ounce of energy she had into her arms and straight through her hammer, making the weapon practically glow with electrical power. In a single swing, she slammed the weapon into Exo-Skull, making him bash right into Hog and Subdora… while also sending them careening through the wall behind them, putting a gigantic hole through the front of the Grand Hall. The only thing that could be heard from the trio were their screams of pain as they sailed through the air.

Emerald and Mercury could only stare at the scene, their mouths agape as Nora stood to her full height. There was still pink lightning arcing out of her, but it only seemed to be small crackles at this point. However, her eyes still had a pinkish glow to them, which was more than intimidating enough. Nora faced the two and pointed right to the massive hole she had made. "Leave… _now_."

"Message received." Emerald muttered as she began lugging Mercury out of the Grand Hall as fast as her legs could carry her. _'I only hope that Cinder can salvage all of this…'_

Once she was gone, Nora let out a tired breath, her shoulders sagging as she dispelled the access electric power from her body. As she collected herself, Weiss and Rex ran over to her, to which she met them with a small, sad smile. "Hey guys."

"Nora, that… that was amazing!" Weiss said before enveloping the Pink Dynamo in a hug. "I don't think I've _ever_ seen you take on that much power! How were you even able to handle all of it?!"

Nora returned the hug and let out a somewhat hallow chuckle. "Heh, I guess… I just had to, you know?" She moved her eyes up to Rex and reached over to him, pulling him into the hug as well. "And thanks for supercharging me like that, Rex."

"Hey, _no problema_ , Nora." Rex assured. "Anything I could do to help."

"GUYS!" The three whipped themselves back around to see Jaune calling out to them, with Pyrrha having knelt back down next to him after the danger had passed. "You need to get over here! I… I think he's coming to!"

Nora felt her stomach do a flip before making a mad sprint back to her team, with Rex and Weiss bringing up the rear. "REN!" The Pink Dynamo slid down next to her friends, with Weiss and Rex couching down next to her. "Ren, can you hear me?!"

"Give him a little more time, Nora." Pyrrha advised. "He'll be a bit dazed when he wakes up, but… I think he'll be just fine."

"Yeah, I only wish this could go faster." Jaune lamented.

Weiss crossed her arms and sent him a sly grin. "How about, instead of complaining, you just be happy that you unlocked your Semblance when you did?"

Jaune's eyes widened at that statement. "My… my Semblance?"

Nora sniffled a little bit and sent her friend a grateful smile. "Yeah… how _else_ do you think you're healing him, you big dummy?"

Jaune turned toward Pyrrha, the Invincible Girl wearing the same knowing grin that Weiss was while giving him a nod. The blonde knight then went back to his hands, only to come to a new realization. Before, it seemed that the ethereal power that was pouring into Ren was all glowing with a white color. But now, it had since shifted, becoming green instead while Jaune's hands remained with the white glow. "No… I don't think I'm actually _healing_ him, per se. Our Aura is what heals our bodies."

Rex quirked a brow at this. "Okay… so what do you think you're doing?"

"It feels… it feels more like I'm using _my_ Aura to amplify _his_." Jaune explained.

"So… you're an Aura Amp." Rex concluded. "That's pretty cool!"

Weiss' eyebrows shot up at that. "It's kind of like what Gwen does to help us heal and replenish our Aura faster…" Her eyes darted back to Jaune. "But… aren't you worried that you'll run out of Aura soon?"

"He doesn't have to." Pyrrha spoke up, bringing everyone's attention to her as she beamed at her boyfriend. She put a loving hand to his cheek and began softly caressing it. "I knew from the moment I unlocked your Aura that you had a lot of it, Jaune. I think you were _always_ meant to have this kind of Semblance."

Jaune smiled back while leaning into her touch. "Heh, and I still believe you on that one." However, the moment was interrupted when a soft groan could be heard from below, with everyone's gaze moving back to Ren as he started to stir. "Ren!"

Ren's eyes began to open, though he still seemed to be in a bit of pain. "Urgh… Jaune? What… what happened?"

"You took a heavy hit, Ren." Pyrrha explained. "But don't worry, Jaune unlocked his Semblance just in time and you're being healed right now."

This got Ren's eyes to open just a slight bit more. "Oh… well, that's good news…" But it was then that his eyes snapped open fully, though he still seemed a bit groggy despite that. "W-Wait, where's Nora? Is she—ERK." The feeling of his hand being crushed in a vice like grip was all the answer he needed.

"I'm RIGHT here." Nora answered, a relieved sigh escaping her lips as she looked down at him. "And I took care of the idiots that hurt you." She ran her fingers through his hair to comfort him. "I'm not leaving your side for a second, so don't worry."

Ren let out his own sigh and set his head back down. "Hah, thank goodness." _KONK._ "Ouch! …And what was that for?"

"For not listening to me." Nora snickered. "Didn't I JUST tell you to be more careful?"

"Heh, you told me to watch out whenever I jump on someone's back." Ren retorted.

"Same thing."

"I'd hardly call it a similar circumstance—"

"Ren, honey, you're not winning this." Nora pressed further, making sure to tighten her grip on Ren's hand a bit more. "Please take the "L"."

Ren smiled despite the pain and let out a laugh. "Heh, alright, I'll be more careful. I'm just glad that you're safe."

Nora gave him a small wink. "Yeah, same." At that moment, though, she and the others began to hear loud screaming coming from outside, prompting their eyes to trail up to the giant hole she had made. As it happened, they were just in time to see Kevin spiraling down through the air in a cloud of smoke, the Osmosian shooting straight toward Viktor. "Uh… are you seeing what I'm—"

_***BOOOOOOOM*** _

In an instant, the entire outside was now nothing but a massive explosion, one that managed to light up the inside of the Grand Hall in an orangey hue. A huge gust of wind blew right into the building, forcing the six teens to hunker themselves together to keep from blowing away. Once the wind had stopped, the group all turned back to the entrance… only to see that the entire quad was now one huge crater. They stared at it for what felt like a good few minutes before Rex broke the silence. "What the HELL was that?!"

But as he said that, a huge pillar of purple lightning shot up from the crater, prompting Weiss to stand up. "I don't know, but we'd better go find out!" With Rex hot on her heels and her Queen Lancer not far behind, the two made it to the entrance just in time to see a rather scorched Viktor having dug himself out of the crater and begin making his way toward the rest of the team.

But it was then that Rex noticed something else. "Hey, who're those four?"

Weiss followed Rex's eyes and was surprised to see what she found. "Team ABRN?! What're they—" But she cut herself off when she saw Viktor beginning to charge up power. "No time for questions! We gotta move!" She created another glyph under feet and shot forward, the Queen buzzing right behind her. She made it to the edge of the crater and pointed down into it, prompting her summoned Grimm to shoot its stinger down and stab Viktor right through the stomach, stopping his attack. At her command, Weiss had the Queen pull Viktor up and out of the crater, the Transylian landing right in front of her. She directed her eyes down toward her friends and asked;

"Alright… just WHAT in the world is going on out here?!"

* * *

"Bottom floor; big doors and ancient relics." Rojo quipped as their elevator came to a stop. After a set of large, green gates opened in front of them, the four women proceeded off the lift and into the room. Though to call the place they were in a "room" was a bit inaccurate.

It was more like a huge chamber, a chasm which seemed to lead to nothing but darkness down below. The only flooring that was in the huge chamber was a platform that lead straight to the door to the Relic of Knowledge, with said platform having three cyan circles that became bigger and bigger the closer to the door they were. The circles were also connected by a straight line, and had the same symbol in each of them, one that somewhat resembled a fleur de lis. The only light to be had in the chamber was from either the blue lines that went down the elevator shaft… or from the massive tree that grew out of the stone outcropping that held the vault door. Said tree had large, beautiful orange flowers that illuminated in the dark, something that Raven couldn't help but be enraptured by. "It's… beautiful." she murmured to herself.

"Hm, it's certainly grander than Beacon's." Cinder off-handedly agreed. "I wonder what the extra effort was for?" She then sent a condescending grin toward Raven and gestured out toward the door. "Well? This _is_ your vault. After you."

"Yeah, let's get movin'." Rojo nodded as she lugged Vernal with her. "Don't wanna waste any more time here than we gotta."

Raven sent both of them a glare before moving forward, scoffing as she did. The moment the ladies reached the first circle, however, it suddenly lit up in a bright, blue light, taking them by surprise. The light then traveled up to the last circle, finally illuminating the path. After that, something else happened; the tree's flowers began blossoming. The bright orange petals all opened up at once, with many of them falling off their homes and fluttering to the platform below. As she held out her hand to catch one, Raven couldn't help but feel a small smile tug at the corners of her lip. "Magnificent."

Rojo placed a hand on her hip while admiring the show. "Heh, yeah, almost makes you forget that we're forcin' ya to do this." Instantly, Raven's deadly scowl was back, shooting it over her shoulder to the bounty hunter. "Oops, did I let that slip?"

But right at that moment, as Raven was glancing behind her, she saw none other than Yang, Ben, Gwen and Ruby all lowering down on a platform made of mana. The moment they reached ground level, Gwen made the platform disappear and they all directed their eyes to the Spring Maiden, with Yang putting her finger to her lips. Understanding the message perfectly, Raven screwed her eyes shut and resumed her cold act, though she inwardly smirked at what was about to go down. "Whatever. So, remind me how this is going to happen."

"Hmph, that's simple." Cinder chuckled. "You're going to open the door," she gestured between herself and Rojo, "and then we'll personally retrieve the relic. You can have your pathetic welp back after."

Vernal screamed behind her duct tape covered mouth at being insulted in such a way, only for Rojo to deliver a strong punch to her kidney. "Ah, shut up an' take your lumps for a bit longer, hon." she chastised. "Words can't hurt ya, but _I_ certainly can."

"You won't be doing either for much longer, I'm afraid." Raven commented as she turned to face the villainous duo.

Both women wore confused expressions, though Cinder's was mixed in with a bit of anger at the sudden defiance that Raven was exhibiting. " _What_?" the Fall Maiden hissed. "What do you mean?"

At that moment, a noticeable green flash from behind the two ladies lit up Raven's face, making the Spring Maiden smirk. "Call it a hunch." Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, Raven was gone, a black and blue blur having whipped around Cinder and Rojo and taken her away.

Cinder's eyes widened and she let out a gasp. "N-NO! It couldn't be!"

"AGH! The girl!" Rojo cried out, garnering Cinder's attention. Sure enough, Vernal was gone as well, having been plucked right out of Rojo's grasp. "DAMMIT! Tennyson! How did you even—" The duo whipped themselves around, expecting to find the Omnitrix bearer waiting for them… but instead were met with a huge blizzard of red petals blowing across their faces. "GAH! Little Red?!"

"That's right!" As quick as the petal blizzard began, it ended, with Ruby rushing back over toward her group. Once their vision had cleared, Rojo and Cinder grit their teeth as they saw Ruby and XLR8, along with Yang and Gwen. The former was giving them a sly grin while the latter three were gathered up with Raven and Vernal, the Spring Maiden holding her protégé securely in her arms on the floor. Ruby gave the two villains a toothy smirk and pointed down at their feet. "I know Nora's usually the one to say something like this, but… time to go BOOM!"

Rojo and Cinder's browed furrowed before looking downward… only for them to snap right back up again. There, right between them, were all of the explosives that Rojo had set, having been somehow cobbled together into one HUGE explosive. And the worst part? The timer had just hit zero. "Ah, shit—" **BOOM!** Rojo barely got out those two words before both she and Cinder were engulfed in a fiery blast, the smoke and flames obscuring their bodies from view.

After watching the explosion engulf the two, Ruby spun right around on her heel and booked it back over to the group, where XLR8 was currently working on cutting Vernal free. Ruby watched as the Kineceleran used his scissor-like hands to slice cleanly through the ropes that bound Vernal's limbs together, though from the expression that the bandit girl wore, she didn't seem to be relieved that she was being freed, more like she was freaking out. "Uh… is she okay?" Ruby asked.

"Don't worry." XLR8 reassured. "Just gotta free her legs and—" _Snip_. _WHACK_."ARGH! Hey!" Much to everyone's shock, Vernal had delivered a strong kick to XLR8's face, sending him stumbling back as she screamed in fright and tried to scramble away. But Vernal stopped squirming in Raven's grasp when Ben transformed back into his human form, the hero rubbing his slightly sore chin. "I was trying to _free_ you, ya know."

"He's right, Vernal." Raven said as she carefully removed the tape from Vernal's mouth, allowing her to take in a few breaths. "Trust me, he won't hurt you."

Vernal's eyes darted around from Ben, to Ruby, to Gwen, and finally to Yang, though she slightly shrunk back when the blonde gave her a questioning glare. "S-Sorry." Vernal lowered her head. "I… I just panicked when I saw that… whatever that lizard thing was, and I thought we were under attack, and—"

"Woah, slow your roll there, V." Yang said with a raised hand. "Apology accepted. Just don't hit my boyfriend anymore and things will be okay." The Blonde Brawler lowered to a crouch and gave Vernal a nudged to the shoulder. "So, you good?"

"I… I think so, yeah." Vernal nodded. "…Thanks for the save."

Yang couldn't help but smirk at the hesitancy at the last sentence. "Saying "thank you" doesn't come easily to someone from the Branwen Tribe, huh?"

"Not exactly."

Gwen came forward and lowered down to a crouch as well. "Well, don't worry, we'll have you all patched up in a jiffy." The Anodite's hands began glowing and she rested them onto Vernal's shoulders, pouring a stockpile of Mana into Vernal to help heal her injuries. "This will probably take a while, so just hold still."

"Um… okay." Vernal complied before sending a confused look to the whole group. "I… I don't get it. You guys hardly even know me. Why show this much concern to someone you don't even know?"

Ruby lowered herself to eye level with Vernal, offering a kind smile. "Well, for one, you were beat up and captured by our enemies. We couldn't just let you stay like that, you know?" She then jabbed her thumb in Raven's direction. "And secondly, you're important to Raven, and the last thing any of us want is for someone so close to her to get hurt."

Vernal blinked a few times as she let that information sink in. "I… I don't know what to say, I…" But she trailed off the moment something was caught in the corner of her eye. Back where the explosion had happened, all of the smoke that had erupted from it was now swirling around, which could have only meant one thing. "Oh no."

The rescue team and Raven all snapped their heads up as well, just in time to see Cinder and Rojo emerge from the cloud of thick black smoke. And they didn't seem too happy. Rojo's cheeks were covered in soot, the bounty hunter having activated her visor to keep the smoke out of her eyes. As for Cinder, it was obvious that she was using her Semblance to control the smoke, her hands spread out wide as the particles began to superheat into multiple glass projectiles. With a scream of pure rage, Cinder sent all of the sharpened glass at the group, only for Gwen to take her hand off of Vernal for a brief moment and bring up a mana shield to block them.

Once all the projectiles broke, Gwen lowered the shield and went back to Vernal, though it was obvious that had taken a good portion of her energy. "Hah, Ben?! Now might be a good time to start phase two!"

Ben nodded and whispered; "Right." His eyes moved over to Yang and Raven. "Raven, when I give the signal, you and Yang are gonna escort Gwen and Vernal over to that door and get that Relic, 'kay? Ruby and I will keep the gals over there distracted."

"Got it." Raven gave him a thumbs up

"RAAAGH!" Cinder bellowed, her fingers clawing at her head in frustration as her eyes began to glow with her Maiden powers. "Is there ANYTHING that will get you pests out of our hair?!"

Rojo took Bloodstrike off of her back, holding the energy sword with both hands as she readied herself to fight. "How the hell did they even get DOWN here without the others noticing?! They were supposed to call us if anything happened!"

Ben smirked and stood up, placing his hands on his hips as he ushered Ruby to follow him. The Hooded Huntress obliged and brought out Crescent Rose, keeping her eyes on Rojo all the while. "Yeah, about that…" Ben pointed to his ear. "We sorta took out all their comms when you guys left." He gave a thumbs up and a wink to the Fall Maiden. "Thanks for that, Cinder. If you hadn't passed me, I wouldn't have—WOAH!" A massive fire ball flew by his head and over the ladies behind him, making impact with the large green gate. The gate itself melted on contact. "Yeesh, at least let me finish."

Cinder breathed hard, ragged breaths as her eyes dilated to the size of peas. This couldn't be happening. She had thought this whole plan up and Tennyson STILL managed to create holes in it! She knew that there was only one way to end this… and she would make sure she enjoyed every second of it. She kicked up the dust near her feet and mixed it in with the Orange Dust that was lining her clothing, gathering it in her hand in a large sphere of heat. "You think you're _so_ clever, _don't_ you, Tennyson?"

"A little bit, yes."

This only made Cinder grit her teeth harder. "Well then, try finding your way out of THIS!" With a masterful martial arts technique, Cinder sent he sphere of super-heated particles and Orange Dust out at Ben, the hero taken by surprise when it… landed around his feet harmlessly.

And Ruby seemed just as confused as the hero. "Uh… what was the point of that?"

Cinder's signature nefarious grin came to her face as she raised her hand. "…This." _Snap!_ All of a sudden, the particles around Ben's feet all exploded into a giant mountain of obsidian crystal, the Omnitrix bearer belting out a pain-filled yell the moment it enclosed around him. Ruby, Yang, Raven and Vernal all stared on in shock and horror as Cinder created a huge, obsidian harpoon in her hand and chucked it at the mountain, the giant spear impaling itself through the crystal mass. Cinder immediately erupted into a fit of evil laughter at her actions, all while the color drained from the other ladies' faces. "AHAHAHA! YES! Finally, I got the better of Ben Tennyson! Now all that's left to do is retrieve the Omnitrix from his cold, dead…" She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see a rather worried Rojo, which immediately raised Cinder's suspicion. "What is it?"

"Uh, Cindy… did you forget that the Omnitrix has a life protection protocol?"

Gwen raised her hand. "Yeah, I was about to say the same thing."

The Fall Maiden's eyes bugged out in realization. She had let her emotions get the better of her _again_. _'…God damn it.'_ She could only stand and watch as a green flash of energy shined from within the obsidian crystal… only for the structure to immediately shatter into a million tiny pieces.

Ruby used her hood and cloak to cover her from the small pieces before looking back, a smile coming to her face the moment she saw which alien Ben had turned into. "Oh… it's _definitely_ on now."

Cinder and Rojo collected themselves before setting their eyes on the hero as well… and if possible, the form Cinder saw only made her angrier. This form… was one she was very familiar with. In fact, it was the first alien she had ever fought. "Hello, Cinder. Remember me?"

The Fall Maiden couldn't help but clench her fists as the tall, single-horned, crystalline alien stepped out of the remains of the obsidian prison he was put in, glaring at Cinder with his single, green eye. Cinder narrowed her eyes back at the alien, his name hissing from her lips;

" _Chromastone_."

* * *

**A/N: See? Told you this chapter was pretty intense. But to be honest, how else was Jaune supposed to unlock his Semblance? Now you might be wondering; "Why was it Ren?". Well, I knew it had to be someone close to Jaune for him to unlock his Semblance, so Rex was off the table. They're buds, but they aren't REALLY close. Plus, I had already prevented Weiss from getting stabbed earlier, so she was out of the picture. And finally, since Pyrrha's first life-threatening experience was stopped at the start of the story, I felt that she didn't need to go through another one. Plus, what reason WOULD I have to put her in one if she didn't die before in the first place? When it came down to either Nora or Ren, I knew that Ren would probably take the hit for Nora either way, so he ended up taking it. And to be honest, I knew a rage-fueled Nora would be able to dispatch the villains pretty quickly, so there was that to take into account as well. But all the same, Jaune has finally unlocked his Aura Amp, so there's one thing that stays true to the original Battle for Haven, albeit under different circumstances.**

**But it would seem that Weiss had stopped Dr. Viktor for the time being… though the doctor might not be finished yet. And huzzah! It's Chromastone again! Haven't seen him for a while… mostly because I was saving him for this specific event. It's time for Cinder vs. Chromastone Round 2! And with that said, NEXT TIME! We check back in with the team up top as a returning challenger presents itself back to them. But it seems that Weiss is MORE than eager to take up this new challenge the moment it reveals itself. Back down in the Vault, though, the battle gets underway while Raven, Yang, Gwen and Vernal make a break for the Vault. However, a certain energy vampire decides to finally make his move… and I think you can all probably guess what happens next. Thanks for reading everyone and I'll see you all next time! Stay safe out there!**


	103. Vault of the Spring Maiden

**A/N: Hey, everybody! It's new chapter time, and it's time to bring the Battle of Haven to its conclusion! However, we're actually not quite done with Mistral yet, even when this chapter is over. But I'll save those details for when we get to it. Right now, let's get on with the story, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 103: Vault of the Spring Maiden**

* * *

Out of all the things that Blake had expected to happen during this battle with Salem's forces, the last thing _had_ to be Weiss saving them from Doctor Viktor. But, then again, a whole _bunch_ of unexpected things had happened in this fight already. Kevin going berserk, Lionheart being taken by Salem, Team ABRN coming in to help, it had nearly thrown her for a loop. But if there was one thing she was glad for, it had to be that she and her friends were _winning_. _'This is already going a lot better than the Battle for Beacon.'_ Blake thought with a small smile as she and the others climbed out of the massive crater, the group jogging up to Weiss without a moment's notice.

Blake immediately pulled her friend into a brief hug. "Weiss, you have NO idea what great timing you have."

Weiss smiled back to her as they pulled away. "Heh, I can see that. Glad to see you guys are all okay."

At the sound of groaning down near her feet, Weiss directed her gaze down to Viktor, the Transylian starting to slowly get up. He was keeping one hand over his stomach to hold the new hole closed. "I-Insolent children! I… WILL… have my vengeance!"

Weiss just shook her head. "Yeah, I don't think so. REX!"

"Gotcha!" In one swift movement, Rex jumped in, activated his Punk Busters, and reared his right leg back. "Hey Vik! Try getting a charge out of THIS!" With a powerful punt, the EVO kicked Viktor away from them, sending the alien monster sailing straight over to where the other villains were gathered. "Hey! Take your Frankenstein's monster and get outta here!" Rex shouted to them.

"Vik!" Hog made his way over and readied his lightning gauntlets, presenting his hands to Viktor. "You need me to give ya a supercharge? We can still beat these guys!"

But Viktor raised a hand to him, keeping his hand over his stomach. The Transylian was obviously in a lot of pain, his teeth clenched as the holes in his body suddenly began to patch themselves up. "I… I'm afraid I cannot go on for now." Viktor admitted. "My body needs time for my wounds to heal…" He lifted his hand to see multiple stitches made from his own body fat beginning to seal up his stomach. "It will be a slow process—gah! Grr, and we don't have that kind of time."

Exo-Skull tilted his head to the alien. "So… what do we do, then?"

Viktor's lips pursed as he thought that over. But when it came right down to it, he could only think of one thing to do. "We… we have to fall back."

"WHAT?!" Emerald screamed. "We can't! Cinder and Rojo are still down there and Michael's gone off to who-knows-where! We can't just—"

"A tactical retreat is _necessary_ for now!" Viktor pressed, silencing Emerald with the low growl of his voice. "We must get back to the getaway ship and await Cinder and Rojo's return, hopefully with Michael in tow as well."

Mercury leaned forward as best he could in Emerald's grasp. "Viktor… you know that if Morningstar's gone off on his own, it can't mean anything good."

Viktor lowered his head solemnly. "I'm aware. But with any luck, Tennyson and the others can take care of HIM themselves if he is up to something." He stood up to his full height, having regained the strength in his legs. "And hopefully, Cinder and Rojo have retrieved the relic by now and are fighting their way through Tennyson's squad as we speak."

Subdora, now cradling a sprained arm after getting hit by Nora's hammer, pointed over to the group of teenagers, as well as Ironwood, Qrow, and Professor Paradox. "What about _them_ , then? How can we be sure they won't follow us?"

Viktor closed his eyes, searching for any signs of Grimm that were still alive in the viscidity. Fortunately, it didn't take him very long. "Simple, we simply need to provide a… _small_ distraction." he said with an evil, toothy smirk forming on his face.

* * *

As the villains conversed amongst themselves, Rex couldn't help but feel that he was being stared at after kicking Viktor halfway across the courtyard. He craned his head down to see the four teens that Weiss had called "Team ABRN" standing in front of him… and they were all gawking at his Punk Busters. The EVO smirked and cleared his throat, gaining their attention. "Ahem, uh, _amigos_!" He deactivated his Punk Busters and gave a wink to the team. "Listen, I've been told that I've got nice legs, but I think you guys are a bit TOO mesmerized by 'em!"

That earned him a smack in the shoulder from Weiss… as well as a bit of a snicker from Arlsan. "Ha! Okay, that was a good one!" She walked forward and sent a soft punch to Rex's shoulder. "I gotta admit, that was quite the save. Never seen a Semblance like yours before."

"Heh, well… that's because it's NOT a Semblance." Rex clarified, much to the shock of the rest of Team ABRN.

"W-Wait, it isn't?" Nadir stuttered.

Bolin sent a skeptical glance over to Rex. "Alright, then what IS it?"

Rex jabbed a thumb to his chest. "Oh, you know, I'm just filled with these tiny machines called nanites that let me build a whole bunch of weapons out of my body." To demonstrate, Rex built his Sky Slyder out of his legs, astonishing Team ABRN as he began floating above the ground on his hoverboard. "See? Pretty cool, right?"

Reese was practically beaming with excitement. "Totally!" She set up her own hoverboard and got on it as well, meeting Rex face to face while hovering awfully close to him. "You wanna race sometime, Nanite-boy? Bet I could out speed you on my baby!"

The thought of a challenge immediately got Rex's adrenaline pumping. "Oh, heck yeah! Sounds—WOAH!" Before he knew it, Weiss had yanked down on his hoverboard and brought him back to ground level. She was also giving Reese a somewhat warning glare, her eyes daggering at the green-haired girl.

"Ahem, before we all fly off the handle here, could we maybe refocus on the situation at hand here, please?" the heiress shifted her eyes over to Blake, leaving both Rex and Reese utterly confused by what just happened. Though honestly, Weiss was a bit taken aback herself. _'What was that?! Was I seriously THAT annoyed that she had gotten so close to him?! Why the heck am I…'_ Her thoughts trailed off when she met Blake's eyes… and the cat girl was smirking right back at her. "…Not. One. _Word_." Weiss whispered harshly.

"I didn't say anything." Blake shrugged, her smile softening to one of sympathy. "But don't worry. I get where you're coming from. I certainly wouldn't like any other girl putting the moves on Sun, either."

If possible, Weiss' face grimaced even more. "Could we JUST move on, please?!"

"Heh, sure." Blake jabbed a thumb over her shoulder. "Well, as you can probably tell, all of the Grimm have been killed and Kevin pretty effectively took care of Dr. Viktor… along with the rest of the courtyard."

"I believe the phrase is; "to say the least"." Everyone perked their heads up to see Paradox and Oscar making their way around the crater's edge, the Professor eyeing the gigantic hole in the ground with an unreadable face. "In all honesty, I think you may have over did it this time, Kevin. And that is saying something."

"No kidding!" Oscar said, though in contrast with the time traveler, he was grinning from ear to ear. The young farm hand ran right up to the Osmosian and greeted him excitedly. "Kevin, right? That was so amazing! What you did was seriously cool!"

Kevin blinked down at the kid in front of him, with Ilia and Penny giving him the same perplexed look. "…Uh, thanks? And who exactly are…" But then, all three of them noticed Paradox tapping the bridge of his nose, a knowing smile spread across his face. It was then that they realized; this must've been Ozpin's reincarnation. "Ah, wait, that's right. You're the… _kid_ that Paradox told us about." Kevin said with a wink before offering a handshake. "Nice to meet ya."

"Likewise." Oscar reciprocated. "Man, what you did back there… it was pretty awesome!"

Kevin crossed his arms and pursed his lips in annoyance. "Yeah, but I still wasn't able to knock Viktor out. I knew I should've built up more of a spin for that impact."

Penny faced the Osmosian and bowed apologetically. "I am truly sorry if I didn't go fast enough when I threw you, Kevin. I really thought I had built up maximum speed."

"Huh? Oh, no, you went MORE than fast enough for that throw." Kevin assured. "I just needed to put more "oomph" behind that explosion."

Qrow stepped forward and set a firm hand on Kevin's shoulder. "Uh, yeah, might wanna rethink that, kid. If you had, then most of us probably wouldn't be here right now." The drunken Huntsman faced Weiss and Rex with a serious face. "But even with all the Grimm gone, we've got another problem… Salem took Leo."

This got both teens' attention. "WHAT?!" they hollered.

Sun lowered his head in shame. "You heard him. Salem took Lionheart. Stole him right under our noses… and it's all my—" _SMACK!_ "OW!" Sun clenched his forearm where he had gotten slapped, whirling around to meet the instigator's gaze. "Hey, what gives—" But Sun immediately stopped when he saw that it was none other than Blake, his girlfriend wearing a stern expression. "B-Blake, I—"

" _No_." Blake stated firmly. "Sun, I will NOT have you take the blame for this!" She moved toward him and pulled him into an embrace, settling her head against his chest. "It's _not_ your fault." she reaffirmed. "We already know that Salem's voids are nigh-inescapable. As much as I hate to say it… I don't know if there was anything any of us could have done to prevent that."

Sun put his arms around Blake and settled his hands around the small of her back. "I… I could've been faster. I could've pushed through the fear that Salem had over us and gotten Lionheart out of that Seer's grasp. …But I didn't."

It was then that General Ironwood came up and settled a gentle hand to Sun's shoulder. "It's alright, Sun. To be honest, I wish I had done the same." He lowered his head in shame. "But as we've learned, Salem is somehow able to bring fear with her very presence, whether she's there physically or not. I can't be sure if there _was_ anything any of us could do in that moment."

Neptune strolled up as well and gave Sun a gentle jab to the shoulder. "Yeah, man, don't worry about it. We'll get him back somehow."

Sun sighed through his nostrils and gave him a single nod. "I know. …I just don't think we'll like what we see when we DO get him back."

This served to make everyone confused. "…Sun, what do you mean by that?" Ilia asked.

"Well… Salem originally wanted to kill Lionheart… but Doctor Animo convinced her otherwise." Sun explained, leaving nearly the entire team astonished. "He said he needed Lionheart as a new… guinea pig. And considering the kinda science that Animo's into, that can't be good."

Ironwood crossed his arms. "And what's worse, he said that Tyrian had volunteered for this experiment as well. I can only take a couple guesses as to what we'll be dealing with soon."

"Ahem!" Everyone's heads shot up toward Team ABRN, or Arslan more specifically. "Not to sound like the only ones out of the loop, but could somebody PLEASE explain to us just what the hell is really going on here?" the blonde martial artist asked.

Bolin crossed his arms with a quirked brow. "Yeah, and who was Lionheart dealing with, anyway? Was it this Salem woman? Does she have anything to do with the recent attacks on the Academies?"

"And what about this Animo guy?" Nadir pressed further. "What does he want with Lionheart?"

Reese suddenly stuck her arms out and began walking in place like a zombie, crossing her eyes to emphasize her point. "Does it have something to do with that giant monster that Kevin was fighting? What's HIS deal anyway?"

Before anyone could answer any of their questions, they heard a loud stomp from across the way, prompting the whole group to whip their heads around to see Viktor and the rest of the villains all gathered up together. "My _deal_ is that I am Lady Salem's right hand, and as such, it is my sworn duty to carry out her will!" the Transylian declared.

Kevin scowled at Viktor and reached down, absorbing what was left of the pavement. "C'mon, Vik, don't ya know when to quit?! We—"

"AAAAAH!" Reese screamed, her eyes bugged out as she and the rest of her team were laser focused on Thunderhog and Exo-Skull, the two mutants glaring right back at them. "W-What the heck are THOSE things?!"

Bolin's eyes shot over to Subdora, the Merlinisapien still cradling her arm. "And what about _that_?! What _are_ they?"

Kevin rolled his eyes and pointed two fingers at Hog and Skull. "In short, those two are mutants. They're probably a pretty good example of what Animo's wants Lionheart for."

"He wants to turn Professor Lionheart into one of THOSE?!" Nadir exclaimed. "Gross!"

Skull immediately growled at the pink-haired boy. "Hey! We've been hurt enough today, kid!" he snapped, making Nadir jump back in shock. "We don't need your stupid input!"

"Yeah, I wouldn't try to provoke them if I were you." Kevin concurred before directing his two fingers over to Viktor and Subdora. "And those two are aliens from the dimension that me and my friends come from." His eyes widened and he focused completely onto the shocked Haven team. "Oh, yeah, I almost forgot, Rex, myself and my friends are all from alternate dimensions."

"…This just keeps getting weirder and weirder." Arslan uttered.

Kevin gave her a smirk. "Trust me, everything will make sense in time." Finally, he pointed over to Emerald and Mercury. "And those guys… are just normal people from your world working with the enemy. You'll learn to hate 'em."

But the sight of the two caught Arslan's attention. "HEY! Wait a minute! Those two were at the Vytal Festival!"

"And they've been all over the wanted posters, too!" Reese added.

Mercury gave Emerald a wink. "Hear that, Em? We're famous!"

"And in the way I like, too." Emerald agreed, putting her free hand to her cheek. "I just hope they got my good side."

"SILENCE!" Viktor bellowed, bringing everyone to silence. " _Enough_ chatter!" He clenched his fists and zeroed in on Kevin, the Osmosian doing the same back at him. "I must admit, Levin, I am quite impressed with how you managed to best me in combat. However, by now you should realize that this is FAR from over."

"Uh, could I argue against that?" Ilia asked rhetorically. "I mean, look at your fighters." She gestured over to the badly battered bruisers behind the Transylian. "They all seem pretty hurt, and you're not in the best shape either right now."

Viktor nodded his head. "Indeed, but you forget that Cinder and Rojo are still down in the Vault retrieving the relic."

"Ben'll stop 'em." Rex said confidently. "No doubt about it."

"Hmph, perhaps… but if there is one thing I have come to know about Lady Salem in the short time I've known her, it's that she always has a backup plan." Viktor raised his hand and pressed his fingers together, getting ready for a snap. "And on that note, we will retreat for now. But not before leaving you with a little… parting gift." Viktor snapped his fingers… and from behind the group of teens, a huge pile of rubble began to shake. "Farewell, fools!" With that, the group of six villains all booked it toward the back of the school, leaving the heroes to face off against Viktor's little distraction.

"STOP THEM!" Kevin shouted as he shifted his hands into hammers. "Don't let 'em get away!"

But as he was about to start running, Qrow got in his way and stopped him with his arm. "As much as I wanna go with ya on this one, kid, I'm afraid we got a bigger problem."

The drunken Huntsman directed his eyes over to the moving rubble and Kevin did as well, just in time to see a familiar figure rise up out of it. "Uh oh." It was the last Sphinx. The massive Grimm had somehow survived Arslan's and Penny's onslaught and dug its way out of the ground, letting out a low growl as it did. It slowly walked out of the rubble, keeping its remaining wing low as the appendage was obviously broken. The Sphinx glared daggers at them and roared in challenge, making a few of the teens step back.

"Are you KIDDING me?!" Arslan shouted in disbelief. "Penny and I _thrashed_ that thing!"

Penny was also wide-eyed at the Sphinx's survival. "I'm more impressed than angry, to be honest. That creature withstood the onslaught we gave it and it is STILL able to fight."

Rex activated his Smack Hands and stepped forward, ready to go head to head with the creature. "You guys get to a safe distance, I'll put this big kitty to…" But it was then that, much to his surprise, Wiess strode out in front of him, the heiress not even saying a word as her Queen Lancer followed her. "Uh… Ice Princess? What're you—"

"Shush." Weiss hushed before entering a steady combat stance. She waved Myrtenaster masterfully before bringing the blade up straight, focusing directly on the obstacle in front of her. Before her stood a creature that had already took one hell of a beating from two strong opponents and was crushed underneath a building. It was obvious that this Grimm was resilient and it wouldn't go down without giving everything it had. Sure, one of its wings was broken and the other missing, but when she was finished with it, that would be corrected. As she readied herself to engage the creature, Weiss could only say one thing; " _Mine_."

* * *

Back in the Vault of the Spring Maiden, everyone had fallen into silence after Chromastone broke out of his obsidian prison, the Crystalsapien keeping his single-eyed gaze onto Cinder and Rojo. The Fall Maiden and bounty hunter glared back at both him and Ruby as the stare down continued, leaving Gwen, Yang and Raven to watch with trepidation to see what would happen next.

…And that left Vernal to be the only one to freak out. "Now what the hell is THAT?!"

Gwen shifted her eyes down to the slightly older girl with a sympathetic face. She knew that this was Vernal's first time seeing aliens, but considering the severity of their situation, she'd have to explain a bit quicker than she'd like. "Well, to accurately answer that; Ben just transformed into a Crystalsapien. But, for some added context, my cousin has a watch that allows him to transform into different alien species." Gwen placed a hand over her chest. "Oh, plus, me and my boyfriend are half-alien. And we're also from another dimension, so there's that, too."

Vernal could only stare at the Anodite with utter bafflement written all over her face. "…I'm completely lost."

"A lot of us were when we first heard about it." Yang smiled with a small wink. "But don't worry, you get used to it."

"She's right, Vernal." Raven nodded. "Once your mind settles, you'll be able grasp all of this info pretty quickly and naturally."

Vernal eyed her leader before refocusing back to the stand-off happening between the two sides in front of them. "Raven… I don't think there's _anything_ natural about what's going on right here and now."

Cinder, meanwhile, was practically fuming at the alien before her. He _knew_. Tennyson HAD to have known that this particular alien would bring up some rather distasteful memories for her. It was the one she had faced off against first… and the one who defeated her when her Maiden powers were still budding. She had not learned to fully control them at that point, but now, after having trained almost non-stop for three weeks under Salem's watchful eye, she felt she had a good handle on them now. Meaning that the fight would now be MUCH different. On that, she swore. "So, Tennyson, you plan to psyche me out by using this particular form?"

"Not exactly, but that IS a very good point." Chromastone elaborated. "The Omnitrix chose Chromastone at random because it knew that this form would be the best to survive an onslaught of your magnitude."

"I see..." Cinder spread her hands out and created two, super-heated obsidian blades in her hands, ready to engage with the Crystalsapien in combat. "Well, it's a good thing it chose that alien for you, because I've been dying for a rematch." She pointed one of her swords at Chromastone. "But I must warn you; I haven't just been sitting around in Salem's castle doing nothing with these powers."

Chromastone clenched his fists. "Trust me, our last fight more than proved that." The cycloptic alien shifted his eye down to Ruby and gave her a nod. "You ready for this?"

Ruby smiled up to him and twirled Crescent Rose around, settling into her usual, over-the-shoulder pose with it. "You bet I am." The silver-eyed girl directed her gaze to Rojo and furrowed her brow. "So, you ready for this dance again?"

Rojo smirked and popped a few muscles in her neck. "Aw, Little Red, I never thought you'd ask!" With a push of a button, Rojo separated Bloodstrike down the middle into its two, single-edged sword forms, her grin widening all the while. "I've been itchin' to get back at you for what happened last week. And you wanna know the best part?"

Ruby narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"Hehe, Robo-girl ain't here to save your ass this time!" Belting out a battle cry, Rojo dashed forward, with Ruby doing the same. Soon, their fighting had carried back more towards the door, leaving Chromastone and Cinder to stare each other down.

"I think I'll take _that_ as my cue." Chromastone said before lunging forward in a sprint, something that took Cinder a bit off guard. Still, the Fall Maiden was able to get her heated blades up in time to stop the incoming punch that Chromastone had thrust at her, the Crystalsapien pushing her back with all the force he could

Cinder grit her teeth and snapped at him as he kept pushing her back. "Gah! And what exactly… was your plan HERE, Tennyson?!" She began pushing back against him, using her Maiden powers to enhance her strength while digging in her heels to keep from going back further. "Like I said, I've gotten better! I can match the strength of ANY of your aliens if I wanted to!"

"I sincerely doubt that." Chromastone said with utmost seriousness before a smirk came to his face. "But I think you forgot one crucial detail…" _SNAP._ "Wardrobe malfunctions."

"Wha—AGH!" Cinder suddenly fell backward on to her rear, her feet falling from under her without warning. After sprawling across the ground, she snapped herself back up… only to see the cause of her fall. Chromastone had pushed her back with so much force… that her both of her high heels had snapped. With a cry of anger and frustration, she glared up at Chromastone with every ounce of hate she could muster. "You… YOU!"

Chromastone just gestured a hand toward her. "Hey, your fault for wearing heels in combat, not mine. Honestly, you should take a tip from Weiss and switch to wedges."

"RAAAAGH!" A mighty scream escaped Cinder's throat and she made a mad sprint at Chromastone, kicking off her ruined heels all the while. She sprang forward and sliced at Chromastone with one of her heated blades, though her opponent raised his arm in response. But she didn't care. All she wanted was to make him hurt. She sliced at his arm… and surprisingly, it elicited a small grunt of pain.

"Agh!" The Crystalsapien's eye widened and he looked down at his arm to see that a small notch had been sliced out of his quartz-like forearm, which honestly surprised him. _'It must be the heat from those blades. I got—' SHINK!_ "Gah!" Chromastone grit his teeth as another slice from Cinder's blades made impact with his back, causing him to stumble forward a bit. He quickly collected himself and narrowed his eye at Cinder. "Oh… so it seems you DID get better."

Cinder pursed her lips as she strode forward, her superheated blades disappearing. "You're only NOW just getting that into your head?" At that moment, her hands began to glow a soft blue, much to Chromastone's surprise. "Perhaps I didn't make it clear in the first place. Here, let me give you a demonstration!" She thrust her arms forward and an icy blast of pure cold shot out at Chromastone, freezing him in a solid hunk of ice right up to his head.

"Gah! What the?!" Chromastone kept his eye on Cinder as she strode forward, another super-heated obsidian spear having manifested in her hand. "And here I thought you were mostly a firebug."

"I am, but when it comes to you, I'll make an acceptation." Cinder touched the tip of her spear, making sure that it was good and sharp. "Now, any last words before I run this through you?"

"Yeah… made you look."

This only served to make Cinder confused. "W-What do you…" She then saw that Chromastone's focus was not on _her_ … but something else. Cinder followed his gaze and her eyes widened at what she saw. Raven, Yang and Gwen were all currently sprinting past the two battles, with Gwen having summoned a mana platform for the exhausted Vernal to ride on. "NO!" Cinder reeled back her arm to throw the spear at one of the four ladies instead… but was stopped when a bright, prismatic light began shining next to her, blinding her for a brief moment. And then…

_CRASH!_ The giant hunk of ice shattered and Chromastone burst out of it, having fired off two energy beams from his hands to do so. He delivered a kick to Cinder and gave his teammates a salute. "Keep going, guys! Don't worry about us!"

"Kinda hard to do that, Green Boy!" Yang shouted back with a smirk and a thumbs up. "But I know you an' Ruby can do this!"

Raven called back to him over her shoulder. "We'll get the relic, don't worry!"

Finally, Gwen turned around and collected a large amount of mana energy in her hand, giving her cousin a nod. "And Ben, here!" She shot the mana out and it made with Chromastone, the Crystalsapien absorbing it into his body all at once. "A little power boost just in case! Now go kick her ass!"

Chromastone gave them all a thumbs up. "Will do! Leave it to—"

"GRAAAAH!" The silicon-based alien spun around just in time to see Cinder throw her super-heated obsidian spear at him. Thankfully, Chromastone was able to catch it before it hit him, though Cinder didn't seem all too happy about it. "What does it take to KILL you, Tennyson?!"

"More than you can probably dish out, Cinder." Chromastone shot back, breaking the spear with his crystalline hand before resuming his combat stance. "You want them? You'll have to go through me!"

* * *

"What?! HEY!" Rojo paused her fight with Ruby just in time to see Yang, Raven, Gwen and Vernal all running past them, the four heading straight for the massive orange door on the other side of the walkway. The bounty hunter quickly slammed her blades back together before shifting Bloodstrike back into its laser rifle mode, taking aim at the four ladies. "Sorry, gals, but I'm afraid I can't let ya—" _BAM!_ "AGH!" A sudden shot from her left made impact near Rojo's hand, forcing her to let go of Bloodstrike. Her weapon clattered to the floor and she whipped her head around to Ruby, the Hooded Huntress pointing the firing end of her scythe at her. "Really, Little Red? Ya can't even give me three freaking seconds?!"

"Not when it comes to letting my family get away." Ruby answered before her sights moved to the others. "Yang! Keep running!"

Without looking back, Yang raised a hand to her. "Wasn't planning on stoppin', Rubes!"

Rojo growled and rolled over to her weapon, picking it up before taking aim at Ruby again. "Little Red, I'm not sure HOW you're able to piss me off this much, but you're NOT getting off scot-free!" She pulled the trigger and sent a powerful laser blast out at Ruby, which she was able to avoid by using her Semblance. "And the speedy petal trick is REALLY starting to get annoying, too!"

"Too bad!" Ruby reappeared next to Rojo and swung her scythe at her, though Rojo was able to quickly jump over the weapon. From there, things went back to how they were a few moments prior, with Ruby and Rojo going in for multiple hits against one another with their weapons. Ruby's scythe swung around wildly while Rojo had shifted Bloodstrike back into it's dual-edged blade form, using heavy swings to either block or redirect Ruby's hits all while staying out of the scythe's way. Ruby breathed heavily as she took a moment to regain her breath, with Rojo doing the same. "Gotta admit, you're not all that bad, Rojo. If this were any other circumstance, I'd probably be enjoying this."

Rojo simply smirked back at the girl. "Speak for yourself, Little Red." She shifted Bloodstrike back into its laser rifle form. "Because I'm _definitely_ enjoying THIS!" Rojo pulled the trigger and began blasting at Ruby again, though the Hooded Huntress proved to be quick on her feet as usual. It got to the point where Rojo was running and gunning, hoping to have at least one shot connect. _'I gotta put a stop to her little cat and mouse game… and I think I know just the way…'_

Coming to a stop, Rojo set her blaster's heat setting up to high and began blasting the floor around her, creating a huge wall of flame around her and Ruby. With the fire growing higher and higher, Ruby quickly found herself blocked off from any kind of escape, with the only other options being to go through the flames or over the edge. And the edge just happened to be blocked by Rojo. "Heh, now ain't this something?" Rojo snickered. "I've trapped us between a long drop and a hard place…" She took aim at Ruby and sneered. "Now hold still."

"How about… no?" Ruby smirked before rushing toward Rojo again. The bounty hunter took that as her cue to fire again, only to miss when Ruby flipped head over heels in a big leap, firing off Crescent Rose as she swung its head toward the ground. The shot made her sail up and over Rojo's head before landing behind her, bringing Crescent Rose down toward the bounty hunter as she did. However, Rojo didn't seem to be all that surprised by the move, shifting Bloodstrike back into its sword mode to block the hit.

Rojo grinned back at Ruby and laughed. "Ha! Nice try!"

But Ruby simply quirked a brow. "It's not over yet." she stated before pulling Crescent Rose's trigger again. The recoil from the blast made the scythe pull back, which made Rojo stumble forward at the sudden jerk.

She tuck-and-rolled to regain herself, putting her dangerously close to the precipice before her. Rojo shifted her eyes down to the black abyss below and her eyes widened. "Yeesh, talk about a nasty fall."

"Better hope _you're_ not the one who goes down there." Ruby pointed out, hefting Crescent Rose as she kept her back towards the wall of flames. "Then again, you trapped me here with you, so you're probably pretty confident you won't fall."

Rojo stood up and chuckled at that. "Heh, or that I'll _survive_ the fall." She separated Bloodstrike back into its two individual blades and readied herself once again. "Gotta admit, Little Red, you've been gettin' a lot better in between our little squabbles. I'm impressed. I can see why Salem wants you alive now."

Ruby narrowed her eyes at that. "I really doubt THAT'S the reason why she wants me alive." She raised a single brow at Rojo once more and placed a hand to her hip. "You wouldn't happen to know the _real_ reason why she wants me alive, do you?"

"Can't say." Rojo shrugged. "The Boss Lady works in mysterious ways. But I'm not about to go against her orders, so why question it? GRAH!" With another battle cry, Rojo thrust herself forward and began swinging at Ruby with her blades, though the girl was able to either counter or block the blows effectively. "Ya know, if ya decided to work with us, you'd probably be one of Salem's best assets!"

"Like THAT'S gonna happen!" Ruby rebuked, reaching down into one of her storage pouches for a new clip of Dust. "I'd never work for a psychopath like her!"

"Ya sure?" Rojo swung her blades once again, only for Ruby to knock her arm away with Crescent Rose. "Gah! Heh, we got a pretty good retirement plan!"

Ruby deadpanned at that before swinging Crescent Rose around again, seemingly for another strike at Rojo's right side. But just as Rojo was about to counter… the scythe actually missed, the massive head of the weapon about a foot away from her stomach. The redheaded woman blinked in shock… but then she heard Ruby cock her weapon to reload it. Ruby had shifted Crescent Rose into its sniper rifle mode and switched its cartridges in a blink of an eye. In place of the Fire Dust cartridge that had been there before, there was now a Lightning Dust cartridge in its place, making Rojo's eyes widen a bit. "Not interested."

_BANG!_ Rojo let out a yell as a Lightning Dust round made impact with her stomach. Fortunately, her armor was reinforced to be able to stop bullets right in their tracks… but the shot was at a near-point-blank range, and the force was enough to make her fly back at high speeds. Rojo was sent sailing through the wall of fire and she landed hard on the ground, her body convulsing under the Lightning Dust's effects. It didn't last long, though, and while she was still in a lot of pain, Rojo forced herself to get up, gritting her teeth to push through her slightly spasming muscles. "That… was a _low blow_ , Little Red!"

As if on cue, Ruby used her semblance to speed around the wall of flame, having to briefly move over the chasm in order to do so. She landed with a slight smile on her face, quirking a brow to Rojo all the while. "Aw, didn't appreciate my little surprise? Well here…" Ruby shifted Crescent Rose back into scythe mode and jumped up, flipping herself in midair before blasting another shot at the ground, propelling her forward for another powerful swing. "HAVE SOME MORE!"

Rojo glowered at the girl, quickly realizing that she had to change things up pretty quickly if she wanted to keep Ruby on her toes. _'I gotta get that scythe out of the equation…'_ Her snarl was quickly replaced with a toothy smirk as an idea came to her head. _'And I think I know JUST how to do it.'_ She united Bloodstrike's blades into one again… and immediately dropped her weapon onto the ground, opting instead to meet Ruby's attack head on. "You want me, Little Red?!" Rojo shouted as she sprinted toward Ruby, jumping right in Crescent Rose's way as it swung down at her. "Come and GET me!"

Ruby let out a gasp at the bounty hunter's unexpected move, a slight hesitancy now taking over her swing. She didn't want to KILL Rojo, after all. The thought of Crescent Rose taking _any_ life that wasn't a Grimm's just didn't sit well with her in general. However, this hesitancy was what proved to be her mistake. She slowed her swing, which allowed Rojo to grab a firm hold onto the scythe's head, making Ruby's lips part in surprise. "H-Hey! You tricked me!"

"That I did." Rojo said before twisting Crescent Rose's head in her hands while pulling at the same time, causing the weapon to be wretched from Ruby's hands. "How about we change things up a bit, huh?!" She tossed Crescent Rose away, the scythe landing on the walkway right next to Bloodstrike. Rojo raised her fists and nudged her head, ushering Ruby to come at her. "Now c'mon! Let's see how good you fight without your massive weapon!"

Ruby was taken aback a little… but she wouldn't be tricked so easily. She balled her fists and went into a fighting stance, rolling her shoulders a bit to loosen them up. "Alright… let's go! AH!" Using her Semblance to get in close, Ruby threw the first punch, which was instantly blocked by Rojo's forearm. The redheaded woman countered the hit with a swift roundhouse kick to Ruby's midsection, making the girl stumble back while knocking a bit of wind out of her.

"Ha! Can't take a boot to the stomach, Little Red? What're ya gonna do now?!" Rojo went for a punch to Ruby's head… only for the Hooded Huntress to duck at the last second. "Wha—AH!" Ruby suddenly brought her head back up, headbutting Rojo right in the face. Before the bounty hunter could react to the hit, Ruby ran forward and spun on her right foot, thrusting her left foot forward in a high kick right to Rojo's face. "GAH!"

Rojo was sent tumbling down and Ruby rushed past her, going right for Crescent Rose. She picked up her weapon before noticing Bloodstrike sitting right next to it. She pursed her lips in thought for a moment before kicking the energy blade back over to Rojo, the woman's mouth now bleeding quite a bit. Ruby hefted Crescent Rose up and answered; "Whatever it takes to shut you up."

As she rubbed her face to try and dull the pain, Rojo smiled while blood continued to trickle down her lip. "Oh-ho-ho, yeah, I like that. I want _more_ of that!" THIS was what she had been wanting for in a fight with Ruby for a long time, and she couldn't help but feel satisfied knowing that it was happening right now. She grabbed Bloodstrike and made to get up, giving a small laugh to the younger girl. "Alright, Little Red, if you insist!"

* * *

"How! Many! Times! Must! I! FIGHT YOU?!" Cinder felt like that question was on repeat over and over inside her head as she traded blows with the Crystalsapien in front of her. She had summoned two more obsidian swords to fight Chromastone while he had settled for using only his arms to fight, the crystal and stone being more than enough to compensate against her blades. It was moments like these where she wished Tennyson DIDN'T transform into an alien with super hard skin, because then he'd be dead ten times over by now.

As both opponents swung at each other and collided again, Cinder glanced over Chromastone's shoulder to see the group of four ladies almost at the door, which made her clench her teeth. _'I need to get to that door!'_ Cinder pushed Chromastone back and did a back flip, landing on her feet a fair distance away from him. "I'm quickly growing tired of this!"

Chromastone placed his hands on his hips. "How do you think _I_ feel?" he retorted. "This isn't exactly a nice stroll through the park for me, either."

Cinder's frustrated expression turned into a small, nefarious smile. "Well then, let's try something a bit different, shall we?" The Fall Maiden put her two swords together at their handles and in an instant, they began to change their form. In her left hand, Cinder now held an obsidian bow, all while manifesting three super-heated arrows with her right. "See how you handle THIS!" She knocked the arrows and fired them all right at Chromastone, though the Crystalsapien didn't seem all that perturbed.

"Really? Haven't we been over this?" Chromastone lifted his arms up and the arrows broke against them. Yes, they stung just a slight bit, but there wasn't enough force behind them to actually hurt him. "Your weapons have no effect if they're as fragile as—huh?!"

"AAAAAGH!" As Chromastone lowered his arms, he saw Cinder making a mad rush at him, her eyes glowing much more intensely than they had been before. With all the force she could muster, Cinder shoved Chromastone back, launching them both up into the air until they came to a sudden stop.

Chromastone moved his sights down to see that Cinder had moved their struggle right to the top of the outcropping that held the door to the Spring Maiden's vault. _'Okay, now I see what she was going for.'_ He saw Cinder's grin widen wildly as she darted straight down to the incoming group. _'But I'm not about to let her get what she wants either!'_ Chromastone bent his legs and sent a powerful surge of energy through them, thrusting himself down to tackle Cinder away from the ladies. With a mighty blast from his hands, Chromastone sent Cinder tumbling all the way back to the other end of the walkway

"Ben!" Yang shouted with a grin. "How're you holding up?"

"A-Okay." Chromastone smiled and gave her a thumbs up. "Like I said, I got this."

Raven stepped forward and gave him a concerned glance. "You sure? You may need backup."

Chromastone gave her a single nod. "I am… but I think I have an idea for something you can do. Raven, on my signal, I want you to…"

While the Crystalsapien was explaining his plan to Raven, Cinder had collected herself and stopped herself in mid-tumble, using a single hand to flip herself back and land on her feet. As she landed, Cinder created another sword in her left hand and began focusing her power through her soles. As a result, a powerful, fiery blast burst out of her feet, making her rocket back to her foe. "TENNYSON!"

"Uh-oh." Chromastone muttered before focusing back on Cinder. "We good on the plan?"

"Yes!" Raven nodded. "Now go kick that hussy's ass!"

Chromastone balled his fists, his prismatic energy building up within them. "With pleasure." He shoved his arms backwards and expelled the energy, propelling him back toward Cinder. The duo clashed with a powerful impact and began clashing, with Chromastone pushing Cinder away after a few hits. However, the Fall Maiden created an ice pillar behind her to push herself back toward Chromastone, the two quickly continuing their fight. With every strike against him, Chromastone kept building up his energy, until finally… _BAM!_ He sent out a blast of prismatic light at Cinder's weapon with his next hit, shattering it into tiny pieces.

"AGH!" As it happened, once of the larger pieces had managed to break off onto Cinder's arm. Her Aura managed to take the brunt of the damage, though, leaving her with only a large cut.

The Crystalsapien crossed his arms glowering down at Cinder as she clenched her fists. "Tell me, how long are we going to do this, Cinder? When will enough be enough?"

As if in response, Cinder created a longer, sharper energy blade with her right hand, narrowing her glare at Chromastone in contempt. "When _I_ say so!" Cinder ran forward again and the duo resumed their bout, darting all over the walkway as they clashed time and time again. They had even gotten in between Ruby and Rojo at one point, leading to the two to briefly stop their own battle.

"Haha, YEAH!" Rojo pumped a fist into the air. "Get 'im, Cindy, you got this!"

"C'mon, Ben!" Ruby cheered, lifting up Crescent Rose over her head. "You can do it!"

While Chromastone appreciated the vote of confidence, not just from Ruby, but from ALL his present allies, he couldn't focus on their praise at the moment. Not if he wanted to keep on top of Cinder's movements. The two had made it back to the middle of the walk way again and Chromastone lit up his right hand, the prismatic light erupting from it the moment it clashed with Cinder's blade. The obsidian sword was destroyed when Chromastone unleashed his attack, the two energies whipping around each other before exploding out in different directions. Chromastone slid backward and Cinder backflipped onto a nearby rock near the precipice over the chasm, the Fall Maiden standing tall and proud.

"Heh, well, I have to say, you aren't a bad fighter, Cinder." Chromastone breathed out.

Cinder collecting her breath, pursing her lips at his words. "I will grant you this; you are a fairly worthy adversary yourself, Tennyson." She raised her right hand and made a dual-edged obsidian sword appear in it, with another curved sword appearing in her left. "I will have your body disposed of with full honors." With that, Cinder leapt back into the fray, ready for another round.

Chromastone couldn't help but smirk to himself, his fists lighting up with power again. "Well… that's just prime." He dashed forward as well and met her in the middle, his arms bashing against her blades with all the force he could muster. Cinder had matched his blow, though, causing her blade to shatter on impact. And from there, things became almost a blur as the two went back to trading blows, with Cinder having to conjure up a new blade every few seconds or so. It had gotten to the point where both combatants had moved their battle into the air, their respective power beginning to overflow at they poured everything they had into fighting each other. A fiery energy had gathered around Cinder while Chromastone's whole body was enveloped by a plethora of different shining colors, making all of the crystals in his body glow

As much as Chromastone didn't want to admit it, though… his arms were starting to show signs of chipping, and he knew it was only a matter of time before they began to crack fully. _'And I gotta get her back down to the ground to make this plan work…'_ With one more punch, Chromastone sent Cinder flying back. But then… the Fall Maiden arched her back and used the fiery energy around her to create a GIGANTIC obsidian blade, one that had to be at least three times her own body length.

"How do you like THIS, Tennyson?!" Cinder roared.

"Huh, neat trick… but I've got one too." Focusing entirely on his left arm, Chromastone pulled back all of the energy surrounding his body, sending it through his arm and into his hand. He clenched his now glowing crystalline hand into a fist, readying himself for a new spin on his new attack. "Oh, I think I'm gonna get a lot of mileage out of THIS trick."

Cinder came flying forward, swinging her sword at Chromastone with her eyes practically burning with hatred. "DIE, Tennyson!"

Chromastone flew right toward her as well, reeling back his glowing fist all the while. " _Petropian_ …"

Back on the ground, the ladies on the hero's side smiled in anticipation. "Oh, I think I know where this is headed!"

" _Bellwood_ …" Chromastone and Cinder met in the middle, the Crystalsapien thrusting his arm forward with everything he could muster. " _ **SMAAAAASH**_ **!** " The resulting punch meeting Cinder's blade was enough to create a huge energy wave from the clashing duo, causing the whole place to begin shaking. Unbeknownst to them, the very foundation of the school was shaking as well, taking all of their allies and enemies by surprise a little bit.

"Really?!" Cinder shouted. "The move you used against the beast that attacked Beacon yesterday?!" She narrowed her eyes as she pushed back against her opponent's strike. "Do you have a variation of this for EVERY one of your aliens?!"

"Nope, but give me enough time and I can think of a few for them." Chromastone snarked. "Which reminds me…" He opened his left fist and grabbed the sword while transferring the glowing energy into his right hand, taking Cinder by surprise. "Tricked ya. _**SMASH**_ **!** " He punched Cinder square in the gut and sent her flying back down to the walkway below, tossing away the fiery sword afterwards. Chromastone glanced up to see a bunch of large stalactites falling from the ceiling, which made him smirk to himself. _'And there's my chance…'_

Back on the ground, Cinder picked herself up off the floor and glared up at Ben… only to see one of the falling stalactites falling toward her. She jumped out of the way… but then Chromastone came through the rubble and kicked her in the stomach again, sending her sprawling back. As she filled her lungs back up with air, she focused her glare back on Chromastone, her ragged breaths turning into screaming. "You… you! YOU!"

"Me, what?" Chromastone shrugged. "Are we seriously still playing the "I hate you" game even _now_?"

"This is all YOUR fault!" Cinder roared. "My plan was FOOL proof! But of course, _you_ had to find SOME sort of gap in it!"

Chromastone crossed his arms, clearly unimpressed with her yelling. "Ever consider that maybe your plans aren't always so perfect? There are a lot of factors that can go into an effective plan, but your side seems to be lacking in a lot of places."

Cinder pursed her lips, trying to find out what Chromastone was talking about… but then she quickly came to a conclusion. "Ugh. The others. Thaddeus, Farkas, Subdora, Michael… maybe even Emerald and Mercury. They—"

"HEY!" Chromastone snapped, taking Cinder by surprise. "Ever consider that it could be YOU who's the problem here?!" That statement made Cinder's eyes widen as the Crystalsapien continued on his tirade. "You aren't exactly all that keen on being a team player in this little evil group you've got going here! I hardly _ever_ see you out there backing up your allies, and whenever you enter a fight, your temper ALWAYS gets out of control!" He gestured over to Rojo, the bounty hunter still fighting against Ruby. "Look at her over there! Does your partner MEAN anything to you? Do ANY of your teammates matter to you?! Because I can pretty much guarantee that they must have pretty good reasons to listen to your orders!"

Cinder was about to snap back… but then she laid her eyes on Rojo again, seeing the determined expression written across her face. Her eyes lowered down to the floor in silent contemplation, thinking back to Emerald and Mercury as well. "I… I don't…"

"Understand?" Chromastone finished. "Of course, you don't. You only care about _yourself_ and your conquest for power." He scoffed and placed his hands to his hips. "You know… it REALLY helps when you've got people to watch your back. …Case in point."

All of a sudden, a _very_ cold sensation overcame Cinder's feet, making her give out a surprised scream. Her head moved down to see that her legs were frozen in place, causing her anger to come back. She whipped her head around until she saw the source of the ice… that being Raven's outstretched hand. The Spring Maiden smirked and gave her a wink. "Surprise, Cindy!"

"DO _NOT_ CALL ME THAT!" Cinder screamed. "No one but—" But she was cut off when she heard another rumble from above her, her eyes widening when she looked up. Chromastone had flown up above another incoming stalactite, the giant pointed rock falling right toward her.

Unable to move, Cinder could only stare up at the stalactite as it fell on her, leaving Chromastone to land on top of yet another falling rock. The Crystalsapien was about to dub this fight over… but then he saw Cinder shooting up at him from the cloud of dust that had been kicked up, her hands blazing with orange fire as she glared up at him. "Man, she does _not_ know when to quit."

Right when she got near him, Cinder created yet another set of blades and clashed against Chromastone's arms, only for the alien to flip her right over his head. From there, they went right back against each other once more, the two opponents making full use of the falling spires as platforms for them to bound between as they fought. They were almost blurs bouncing off of the falling rocks, with neither one of them willing to give an inch to each other as they pulled out everything they had. In the end, though, Chromastone was able to secure a handhold on one of the stalactites and sent one final blast right into Cinder's midsection, blowing her straight across to yet another stalactite. Cinder landed in a crouch… and then both of their spires made impact with the walk way below, the massive rocks shattering to pieces. Thankfully, Ruby and Rojo had moved clear of the falling debris while Gwen had created a mana shield in front of her, Yang, Vernal and Raven, keeping the four of them safe.

As the dust cleared, everyone could see Cinder's Aura breaking, the Fall Maiden having utterly drained herself in her onslaught. Before she could get up and activate her powers again, a stone foot stomped down in front of her, making her crane her head back up. Chromastone was still standing… and he was readying another blast to finish the fight. "It's over, Cinder."

* * *

"Are you REALLY sure that we should be here?" Vernal asked as she watched the battles between the four fighters, staring up through the mana shield as the falling stalactites fell and made impact with the walkway. The debris kept flying at them, but it all just rebounded off of Gwen's shield before tumbling down into the abyss below. Meanwhile, Ruby and Rojo had paused their battle again to defend themselves from the debris as well, with both of them using their respective weapons to slice through the massive stones. "I mean, how long can you even keep that shield up?" she asked Gwen with concern.

The redhead glanced over her shoulder at the lady bandit and sent her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I have enough energy to keep this up for a while, now that I'm done healing you. How do you feel, by the way?"

Vernal took in a steady breath and nodded. "Better. My arms and legs are still sore, but I'm not in as much pain as I was earlier." With a slight bit of reluctance, Vernal craned her head up to Gwen and returned the smile. "Hey, uh… thanks."

"You're very welcome." Gwen returned.

Yang crouched down next to Vernal and nudged her in the shoulder. "Heh, saying thanks REALLY must not be easy for a Branwen Tribe member, huh?"

Vernal pursed her lips and raised a brow at the blonde. "Not particularly, but I _can_ at least recognize when someone's done good by me."

"Glad to hear it!" Yang said with a light pat to Vernal's back. "Because when we get out of here, you're havin' full use of my shower, Vee!"

"I—wait. Actually, a shower sounds REALLY good right now." Vernal admitted before furrowing her brows at Yang. "Also, "Vee"? Really?"

"Yep! You're new nickname!" Yang confirmed. "I give 'em to everybody!"

That gave Vernal a momentary pause. She hadn't known these girls for half an hour and they were already being so nice to her. So… kind. Back with the tribe, she never would've been greeted this warmly by anyone, if at all. They acknowledged and reported to her, sure, but none of them had ever greeted her with a sincere smile. The most she ever got of a "smile" from anyone was from Shay, and she was pretty sure that was only because he only wanted to get into her pants. But these girls? They were… actually nice. "…Why?"

The single worded question made Yang blink. "Why what?"

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Vernal pressed. "I haven't known either of you for… what, twenty minutes and you guys are already being THIS nice to me? Even though I'm a ruthless bandit? _Why_?"

Yang's smile returned and she gave Vernal a shrug. "Well, the fact that you're so close to my mom helps. But quite honestly, I don't like to just judge a person by their cover." She reached over and placed a hand to Vernal's shoulder. "You might be part of the Branwen Tribe, but that doesn't mean I should just judge you on that alone." She gave Vernal smirk and a wink. "You ARE really close to my mom for a reason, Vee. Even if you ARE a bandit, I think you still have a good side. Or at least, a side that doesn't like what Cinder's doing."

Vernal smirked back and rolled her eyes with a scoff. "Psh, now THAT'S an understatement. …Thanks." The girls shared a brief silence before Vernal's eyes widened. "Wait, what about the door?"

"Working on it." Raven called out, the Spring Maiden having moved toward the massive, glowing orange door. She was currently staring at the beautifully built door, her eyes trailing across the flower-shaped structured that it was made out of. Said flowers were also etched in wheat etchings all throughout, reaching up to the top of the door. Raven clenched her fist and swallowed hard, preparing herself for what she was about to do. "Well, here goes nothing."

Raven reached her hand forward and her Maiden powers sprang to life outside of her own volition, taking her aback a bit. After gathering up her nerve again, Raven placed her hand on the door fully… but nothing happened. At least, for the first few seconds. Suddenly, all of the wheat patterns on the door began to glow an ethereal blue, starting from the bottom before working their way up to the top of the door. But then, once they reached the top… there was another long moment of nothing happening.

The Spring Maiden was starting to get a bit annoyed by this. "Seriously?" She bent forward and narrowed her eyes at the door. "Either open or don't, door. Your choice." As if responding to her words, the lights on the door flashed, making Raven gasp and step back. She made to grab Omen on instinct… but grabbed nothing, her eyes widening before seeing her sword and scabbard be presented to her.

"I think you're missing this?" Yang asked cheekily. "I promise I didn't break it. …Though Gwen might've used it once."

"It was a tense situation." Gwen retorted, having lowered her mana shield the moment the stalactites stopped falling. "Sue me."

Raven chuckled and took back her weapon graciously. "Thank you, sweetheart. I'm glad you kept it safe." Just then, the sound of turning gears and clacking metal graced the four women's ears, causing them to turn back to see the door opening, the large flower petals retracting into the surrounding wall. Once the door fully opened, though… the ladies were NOT prepared for what they saw. Instead of a room, the door led out into a vast, barren desert, with nothing around for miles except for one thing; the Relic of Knowledge. Said relic was an ornate, golden lamp with a bright blue sphere at its center, contrasting greatly against the sands of the desert as it floated atop a lone pillar at the end of three large circles, the walkway mirroring the one inside the Vault itself.

Gwen couldn't help but notice a bit of familiarity to this situation. "Well… proceed." She told Raven, who turned around to meet her eyes. "And if experience has taught me anything… touch _nothing_ but the lamp—AGH!" Without warning, a powerful blast of black energy struck Gwen right in the back, making her body arch back before falling forward.

"Gwen! What—AAH!" Yang screamed as another dark blast hit her, followed by Raven and Vernal as well.

Across the walkway, Ruby, Rojo, Cinder and Chromastone all were subjected to the same blasts as well, though the Crystalsapien was able to stay standing for a longer period. But it was then that he realized… his energy was being sapped. _'Can't… let him… take all my power.'_ With a shaky hand, Chromastone reached for the Omnitrix. He briefly considered going Ghostfreak, but a sudden rush of returning traumatic memories convinced him otherwise. _'No… for now, I'll just have to settle for… myself.'_

Chromastone slammed the Omnitrix and reverted back to his human form. The moment Ben fell onto his hands and knees, the blast stopped, allowing him to catch his breath. The hero grit his teeth and his eyes snapped up to his assailant, already knowing who it was. "How… how did you—agh!" In an instant, he and all seven ladies found themselves trapped in their own individual black spheres, the dark objects floating above the walkway.

From behind them, they heard a very slow clap, causing them all to whip their heads around as a new set of footsteps approached them. Cinder's eyes began glowing with her Maiden powers again, but a high-intensity energy bolt suddenly shot through the sphere she was trapped in, stopping her from using her power. " _Y-You_." she hissed with disgust.

"Indeed so, dear Cinder." Michael Morningstar confirmed as he came to a halt, a smug, devilish grin on his face. "I appreciate the help… but I believe _I_ will take things from here."

* * *

"Weiss, usually I don't question your decisions." Blake spoke up from behind the heiress as she continued her stare down with the Sphinx. "But with all due respect, have you LOST it?! It took two of our strongest fighters just to get that Grimm out of the air!" The cat girl pulled out her scroll and pointed it toward Weiss, getting a read on her Aura. "And from what I'm seeing on my scroll, your Aura is down to just about half after all the fighting you've already done! Overexert yourself anymore and you're down for the count!"

Weiss gave her friend a single nod. "I know." With a wave of Myrtenaster, she made another glyph appear under her feet. "Which is why I plan on ending this quickly."

Rex came forward and held out a hand. "Weiss, you heard her! Do you really wanna take a chance against this thing?!"

"I do." Weiss affirmed. "And don't worry, Rex." The white-haired girl glanced back over her shoulder to the EVO with a warm smile. "I'll be just fine."

"I'd hate to argue with you, Weiss, but you don't know that." Kevin intervened, shifting his arm into a hammer made of concrete. "If ALL of us can take this thing on at once, then we can kill it pretty effectively."

Weiss pursed her lips. "Maybe… but I recognize an asset when I see one." Weiss turned back around and continued staring at the Manticore, meeting its eyes once again. "If I have to go beyond my limit in order to beat this thing, then so be it. Plus Ultra-style, am I right?"

As the glyph under Weiss' feet began to spin faster, Arslan leaned over to Neptune and whispered; "The hell is she talkin' about?"

Neptune pointed to the Queen Lancer and whispered back; "In case you haven't noticed, Weiss can summon the Grimm she defeats with her glyphs. I think she wants to go against the Sphinx on her own so that she can summon IT too."

Arslan's eyes darted back to Weiss, her lips pursing at the girl. "Hmph, impressive. Think she can do it?"

"Maybe. Weiss is always pushing past her limits." Sun furrowed his brows as he kept his eyes trained on the upcoming fight. "Still, something tells me this might be a bit out of her league." Just then, the Sphinx's mouth began to glow a fiery orange, making Sun's eyes widen. "It's about to attack!"

"Already on it!" Weiss called out before she thrust forward, creating multiple glyphs along her path to keep her speed up. Her Queen Lancer flew forward as well, the insect Grimm letting out a high-pitched screech as it followed her. The Sphinx reared its massive head back and fired off its fire breath at Weiss, only for the heiress to perform a perfect spin to avoid it. The Queen also weaved out of the way of the attack, flying high above the Sphinx's head to garner its attention.

Fortunately, the Sphinx fell for it and craned its head upward, continuing its attack on the Lancer while allowing Weiss to get in close. The heiress continued to slide across her glyphs while making them move around the creature, bringing her to its rear. There, she came face to face with the Sphinx's snake tail, which immediately began lashing out at her. _'Oh no you don't!'_ With a swipe of her hand, Weiss created another glyph, this time in front of herself. When the snake tail snapped at her again, its head flew right through the glyph and immediately became frozen, the entire tail freezing up along with it. "NOW!"

Hearing her mistress' request, the Queen Lancer dove down and shot out its stinger at the frozen snake tale, cutting it off cleanly before it shattered against the ground. Needless to say, the Sphinx was NOT happy that another of its limbs had been dismembered. It rounded about and immediately bit down on the Queen's tether, pulling on it with all the strength it could muster. As a result, the Queen was slammed right into the ground in front of it, and the Sphinx's maw began to ignite once more.

"Not today!" Weiss shouted as the glyph beneath her began to pick up speed again. However, instead of thrusting herself forward, she jumped and was sent shooting right at the Sphinx's face, where she jabbed Myrtenaster right into its eye. The beast roared in pain before jerking itself away from her, causing Weiss to be thrown back toward the ground. In her descent, she created another glyph stop herself, performing a graceful flip for a safe landing before going back into the battle again.

As the Queen Lancer returned to the skies, the onlookers of the battle couldn't help but marvel at what Weiss was pulling off. "Goddamn." Reese said as she shouldered her skateboard. "That girl's got some moves. She's gotten even _better_ since our match in the Vytal Festival."

"No kidding." Bolin concurred. "When did she gain the ability to summon Grimm like that?"

"It's something that all Schnee's can do with their Semblance." General Ironwood explained. "They're able to bring back their slain foes through the usage of their glyphs." The general crossed his arms and furrowed his brows at the battle. "Still, I have a feeling that she may be taking on way too much at once."

Nadir raised a brow at that. "So… do we just go in and back her up?"

"Not yet." Qrow said as he unscrewed his flask. "If the girl wants us for backup, she'll let us know. Trust me." He took a swig and let out a satisfied; "Aah. 'Sides… from here, we can enjoy the action without bein' a part o' it fer once today."

Back at the battle, Weiss and the Queen Lancer were moving perpendicular toward each other around the Sphinx at his speeds, confusing the giant beast substantially while avoiding its flame attacks. It didn't help that the beast only had one eye now, meaning that its peripheral vision was skewed. Just then, a thought suddenly went through the beast's mind, making it perk up a bit. It couldn't fly… but it could still jump. It rocked back into a leaping position before vaulting itself up and over Weiss' head, taking the heiress by surprise.

"Ooh, smart kitty… but not smart enough!" With a wave of Myrtenaster, Weiss sent the Queen Lancer up after the giant cat, the large wasp shooting her stinger straight toward its back-left leg. But it seemed like the Sphinx was expecting this, moving its head down and breathing fire right at the Queen's stinger. The appendage quickly caught fire and the Queen let out a shriek, pulling her stinger back before it could be entirely burned off.

This made Weiss give out a low grumble. "You wanna play like that? Fine!" Weiss stuck Myrtenaster into the floor and began concentrating hard on her Semblance… bringing forth a familiar summoning glyph.

This made a few of the teens gasp slightly. "She's summoning the Arma Gigas?!" Penny exclaimed

" _Can_ she even summon two Grimm at once?!" Ilia asked. "I don't think she's ever done that before!"

"She hasn't." Blake confirmed, her eyes concentrating directly onto her friend. Even from here, she could tell that Weiss was getting very tired. It'd only be a matter of time before she exhausted her Aura completely. "And I don't think she'll be able to last much—"

" _ **RROOAAARRR!"**_ The Sphinx bellowed out a massive roar before bounding right back over to Weiss, its fangs barred and fire already pouring from its maw. The Queen Lancer attempted to swoop in and defend her mistress from the beast, but it was quickly blown aside with a strong claw swipe. The large insectoid Grimm crash landed, curling itself up with its wings fidgeting in pain. With that distraction out of the way, the Sphinx continued to charge at Weiss, the heiress still focusing on summoning the Arma Gigas.

"WEISS!" Blake, Sun, Neptune, Penny and Ilia all shouted at once. The cat girl whirled around and shouted; "Rex! We've gotta—" But by the time she said that, the EVO was already gone, having activated his Rex Ride to zoom his way over to Weiss before it was too late. "Oh… well, I guess you're already on it."

Weiss opened her eyes partially to see the Sphinx running straight for her, the giant cat Grimm glaring at her with all the malevolence it could muster in a single eye. At that moment, the Arma Gigas began to claw its way out of the summoning glyph, prying itself out by slamming its arms against the ground. It was almost as if the Summon itself was mimicking its mistress' thoughts at the moment; desperate and hurriedly scrambling. _'Come on… come on!'_

But, just as the massive cat was about to pounce… a familiar orange hover bike suddenly slammed right into the feline's side, ramming it right away from her. Rex deactivated his Rex ride and flipped onto his feet, placing his hands onto his hips proudly. "Sorry, _el gato grande_ , but you're not laying a single claw on her!"

"Rex!" Weiss shouted. "I thought I told you—"

"That you could handle this." Rex finished. "And I KNOW you can. But I couldn't just let you lose out on your concentration OR become cat food…" The EVO activated his Smack Hands and sent her a smile. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go ruffle him up a bit more before sending him back over to you. Then you can finish the job!"

The heiress took a momentary pause… and then nodded. "Right, go ahead!"

Rex gave her a big thumbs up. "Great! Keep doin' your thing! I'll be done in two seconds!" With a mighty battle cry, Rex jumped at the Sphinx and began punching it, once in the stomach, again in the back, and once more in the face. "THAT is for not getting killed the first time! THIS is for trying to eat _her_ , and THIS is for being a bad kitty in general!"

A little laugh escaped Weiss' throat and a soft smile graced her face, her thoughts relaxing as the Arma Gigas also began to calm down. _'You know what? What's the point in denying it anymore?'_ As the massive suit of sentient armor rose up in front of her, Weiss closed her eyes, her thoughts going to the young Hispanic boy fighting to give her the time she needed. Her eyes opened back up and she directed her gaze at Rex, a soft blush coming to her face. _'…I like him.'_ As if reading her thoughts, the Queen Lancer got up and became airborne once again, flying right next to the Arma Gigas as the suit prepared for battle.

Rex grabbed onto the scruff of the Sphinx's neck and threw it back over to Weiss. "He's all yours, Ice Princess!"

"Thanks, Robo-dolt." Weiss said before pointing Myrtenaster forward. "Attack!"

On her mark, the Queen Lancer and Arma Gigas both charged forward, the insectoid Grimm swooping up and over the Sphinx as it tumbled across the ground. The giant cat was able to gain its footing, however, roaring in challenge as the Arma Gigas closed in on it. The massive cat pounced at the suit of armor, but the Arma Gigas raised its sword up horizontally, blocking the attack while also pushing the blade into the Grimm's paws. The Sphinx opened its maw to unleash its fiery breath… but stopped the moment a sharp pain stuck into its back and through its stomach, eliciting a pain-filled mewl from its throat.

The Sphinx moved its head down to see that the Queen Lancer had stuck her stinger right through its stomach, which she immediately began to yank back on. The feline Grimm fought back against the painful pulling, though, determined to not let up on its attack. But its plans were soon put to a stop when it saw Weiss come leaping off of the Arma Gigas' back, the heiress performing a midair flip before bringing down Myrtenaster toward its head. "GAAAAH!" With a loud, determined cry, Weiss drove her blade right into the same wound that Arslan had made before, finally making the Sphinx let go of the Arma Gigas's blade.

The massive suit of armor took that opportunity to slice cleanly through the beast, cleaving through its midsection to finally kill it. With one last roar, the Sphinx dissipated, allowing Weiss to let out a massive sigh of relief. She fell and landed on her feet as her own summons dissipated as well… before she fell down from a massive wave of exhaustion. She would have hit the ground… if a certain EVO hadn't caught her first. Weiss groaned and rolled her eyes. "Hmph, you won't even let me hit the ground?"

"Heh, not a chance." Rex chuckled before the sounds of multiple cheers caught the two's attention. They looked back over to see nearly everyone cheering at Weiss' victory, the only exceptions being Ironwood, Qrow and Paradox, who were all still smiling. "They're cheering for you, ya know." Rex commented. "That was pretty amazing."

"Yeah, it was, wasn't it?" Weiss agreed. "But remind me to never do it again." The two laughed to themselves before Weiss put a hand to Rex's shoulder. "Hey, Rex? Thanks for the assist. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I needed that."

Rex gave her hand a reassuring pat. "No problem, Ice Princess. You know I've got your back, right?"

Weiss smiled, her blush coming back as she nodded to him. "Yeah. Yeah, I know."

Right at that moment, the ground started shaking beneath everyone's feet, taking them all by surprise. "Woah! What the heck was that?!" Oscar asked.

Paradox checked his pocket watch as soon as the ground stopped quaking. "If I'm correct, and I usually am, that was probably the aftermath of Ben and young Cinder clashing in the Vault beneath us." Everyone focused onto the professor as a serious expression came to his face. _'However, that also means they may be having some unexpected company soon…'_ he thought to himself.

* * *

"I really must thank you all." Michael said as he nonchalantly strode along the walkway, wearing his typical condescending grin. "If it hadn't been for all of you, I wouldn't have been able to get to the prize that I've been pining for."

"Michael, you self-righteous dickhead!" Rojo shouted. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Cinder, with what could only be described as righteous fury across her face, glared down at Michael with ounce of hate she had. "I _knew_ it. I KNEW you couldn't be trusted!"

Michael faced Cinder and bowed his head to her. "Indeed you did, dear Cinder. But thankfully for me, Lady Salem has been quite gracious in her investment to keep me around." He placed his hand over his chest. "After all, she knows great power when she sees it, am I right, oh great Fall Maiden?" This made Cinder scream with rage, her eyes beginning to light up again with her powers. However, a huge bolt of energy erupted from the sphere and shot into her at that moment, turning her cry of anger into one of pain. "Ah-ah-ah." Michael wagged his finger. "We can't have that now, can we?"

If possible, seeing this only made Rojo even MORE angry that Cinder was. "YOU ASSHOLE!" She began pounding on the inside of her sphere, trying to break out. "When I get through with you, there won't be enough left to fill a fucking teaspoon—GAH!" Another bolt of energy struck through Rojo, bringing her to her knees.

"While that sounds very entertaining, I'm afraid that I won't have time for it." Michael said smugly as he continued forward. "Right now, I have a relic to procure." He sent his gaze over to Ben and Ruby, their own spheres floating side-by-side. "And you two… be lucky that I got to you before Salem did. Instead of having a long and torturous death, your ends will all be _swift_. Oh, and Ben, don't even try to activate the Omnitrix. I'll sense it's energy and give you your own little shock."

"Of course, you will." Ben said as he crossed his arms. "But I WILL get out of here, Morningstar. We ALL will. And when we do…" She sent a glance over to Cinder. "Truce?"

Cinder furrowed her brow at the hero. "Do I get to kill or maim him?"

"You can severely _hurt_ him, but no killing or maiming."

"Then not on your life, Tennyson."

Ben just shrugged at that. "Eh, worth a shot."

Ruby came up and pounded a fist onto her own sphere, glaring down at Morningstar with her silvery gaze. "Either way, we WILL stop you! And besides, I think you're forgetting that Gwen can easily escape these things!"

"Ah, yes, Lovely Gwen." Michael acknowledged. "Well, if that IS the case, then tell me; why _hasn't_ she escaped yet?" The energy vampire craned his head over to the redhead's sphere, prompting Ruby to do the same. "Ah, yes… because I'm sucking the life out of her as we speak."

Ruby's eyes widened in fear as she saw Gwen's present state; the Anodite being tortured as multiple bolts of energy arced through her. However, rather than attacking her with energy, the bolts were instead sucking the energy out of her, wracking her body with pain all the while. But Gwen kept her mouth clamped shut, fighting through the pain as she attempted to overcome it. Michael walked up to the sphere and chuckled sinisterly. "Oh come now, my Lovely Gwen, won't you scream for me?"

"YOU GET AWAY FROM HER!" Yang shouted from her own sphere as her eyes began flashing red. She began punching at her own sphere while unloading round after round from Ember Celica, managing to actually put a crack in her prison. "Let me the FUCK out of here—AAAGH!"

"Yang!" Ben shouted as another bold of energy blasted into his girlfriend, forcing her to her hands and knees. "Morningstar, I swear, when I get out, I… oh god." All of a sudden, Ben began to feel his muscles begin to weaken, though he forced himself to keep standing. "W-What's going on?"

"I don't think you understand, Tennyson." Michael said with a shake of his head. "The moment I put you all in those spheres, I willed them to begin draining your life energy. For most of you, I put it on a slower pace…" He moved his gaze back to Gwen. "But for Lovely Gwen, I knew I had to put it at a much _higher_ pace. Just so I knew she was incapacitated."

Vernal, who still seemed to be at full strength, banged on her sphere and narrowed her eyes at Michael. "I don't know WHO you are, but you're probably the BIGGEST asshole this side of the planet! And considering who I know, that's saying something!"

Michael quirked a brow at her. "Ah, you seem to be right full of energy! Let me guess, Gwen just got done healing you, right? Oh, you are so very lucky." He closed his eyes and clenched his fist with a grin. "I've tasted her energy before and it is OH so delicious."

"You are _disgusting_!" Raven spat. "How can a person like you even exist?!"

"Ah, the Spring Maiden." Michael clapped his hands together, ignoring her question. "I must thank _you_ most of all for opening the door for me. As a reward for that… I'll kill you last."

If she weren't in an energy sphere, Raven would have spat at him. "Bite me, eat a dick," she lifted her middle finger up to him, "sit on it and rotate, and then go die in a hole."

"OOOOH-HO-HO-HO!" Yang was holding her stomach, laughing through the feeling of having her energy drained from her as her eyes began tearing up. "Dear god, I don't think I've ever heard so much shade being thrown all at once! Nice one, mom!"

Michael sneered and rolled his eyes. "Yes, quite "nice". I've honestly never heard that combination before. But I think you're forgetting that _I'm_ the one who's out here and you're not." He waved his hand to her as he continued toward the door. "And just for that, you're the first I'm killing after Gwen."

Cinder's head snapped over to him. "Morningstar, I swear to the God of Darkness himself that if you even THINK of taking that relic—"

"Oh, I don't plan on _taking_ it, dear Cinder." Michael explained as he stopped at the edge of the door. "I simply plan on absorbing its power directly into me. And, given that this is the Relic of _Knowledge_ , that means that I will gain the boundless information within it! From there, I will travel across Remnant, find the other maidens, and then force them to open their respective vaults for me. I will absorb the other three Relic's energies and become a GOD among men, wiping out ALL who oppose me!" He looked over his shoulder back to Cinder. "That's why I still need you alive, dear Cinder. Our next stop after this will be Beacon, after all."

"I will NEVER help you!" Cinder growled. "I'd sooner DIE than betray Lady Salem!"

"Oh, don't worry, once I have the Relic of Choice, your death will come soon after. But now…" he stepped over the threshold and into the vast desert, the heat hitting his face the moment he did. "It's show time." The six heroes and two villainesses could only watch with anger and trepidation as Michael drew closer and closer to the lamp, his hands lighting up with a dark energy. He could practically _taste_ the power from where he stood. "Now… give me your power!"

Michael shot out two beams of black energy and they made impact with Relic, quickly beginning the absorption process. Almost immediately, Michael could feel the ethereal energy pouring into him, successfully changing his black beams into a shimmering, bright yellow. A maniacal laugh came out of his throat as he began floating up into the air, throwing his head back as he cackled with glee. Soon after that, his hair started flowing in the wind and his eyes glowed with the intensity of a thousand suns, all while his skin and hair changed into a platinum gold. "AHAHAHA! YES! THIS is what I've been waiting for! The power! The knowledge! It's all coming to me! It's ALL mine! HAHAHA!"

Unbeknownst to him, though, a certain Anodite was beginning to experience something… strange.

* * *

Gwen's body had been wracked with pain from the moment that Michael had sealed her in this dark bubble, the sphere itself draining her energy excessively and relentlessly. It was all she could do from letting out a scream of agony. Gwen wouldn't let Michael have that satisfaction. But through her pain, she heard what the energy vampire's plan was, and it utterly sickened her to her core. Draining the energy out of all the Relics to attain god-like power? _'He hasn't changed a bit.'_ she remarked in her head before another large sting went through her body. _'GAH! I-I need to get out of here… somehow.'_

The Anodite struggled her eyes open to catch sight of Ben, Ruby, Cinder and Rojo to her right while Yang, Vernal and Raven were to her left. Unfortunately, neither one of them were all that near enough to her bubble. And while Yang's was cracked, she knew that the blonde would be drained the moment she tried to break out again. Gwen directed her sights to the door, her brows furrowing the moment she saw Michael glowing a bright golden color. _'I hate him. I hate him so—AH! W-What is…'_

Without warning, a new sensation began throbbing through Gwen's body, one that made every part of her ache for some reason. However, as bad as this pain was, for some reason, it helped her push past the pain that the sphere was wracking upon her. But just as she was beginning to feel relief… _"AAAAAAAHH!"_ A loud, piercing scream suddenly echoed through Gwen's mind, almost as if it had traveled throughout the life energy around her and directly into her skull. _"Help! Somebody, please, make it STOP!"_

Gwen's eyes widened and her hands went to her head, concentrating hard on the voice she was hearing. "W-What?! Who are you? WHERE are you?! Why are you in—"

" _PAIN!"_ the voice interrupted, which Gwen could now tell was undeniably female. _"So much pain! It won't stop! My power is… is being DRAINED from me!"_ Gwen's breath hitched in her throat at that and her head whipped back toward the door, focusing back onto Michael and the relic. The moment her eyes spotted the glowing lamp, she felt her connection with the voice get MUCH stronger… but in turn, the voice was starting to become more stressed and filled with pain. _"Please… help me…"_

At that moment, a switch went off in Gwen's mind. She had gone from just being angry at Morningstar… to severely _pissed off_. In a bright flash of pink energy, Gwen shifted into her full Anodite form and made the sphere dissipate, a rather furious expression having over taken her face. _**"STOP!"**_

The whole place became utterly silent at her single word, with Michael having snapped his head back in shock while the others simply stared at the energy being. "W-What?! Impossible!" Michael glowered at Gwen while continuing to absorb energy from the lamp. "That should have held you! Where'd this burst of power come from?!"

But Gwen didn't answer that question. _**"Enough is ENOUGH!"**_ Gwen raised her hands and mana began pouring out from the Vault's massive tree and into her body, almost as if it was recharging her very being. But interestingly enough, the tree didn't wither. Instead, all of the flowers simply stopped glowing, though their bright orange colors remained. From there, Gwen shot off like a bullet, flying toward Morningstar like a bright pink blur. The energy vampire was about to attack, but was quickly thrown away and made impact with the sand below.

"W-What is this—GAH!" A large, pink tendril made impact with Michael's midsection and began siphoning all of the energy he had absorbed, reverting him back to his normal self. But when Gwen tried to take out more, she felt Salem's enchantment kick in, serving as a barrier so that she couldn't revert Michael further into his corpse-like state. She stopped and let him go, tossing him down to the large circular tile beneath her. "AGH! What in the world it wrong with—"

" _ **You HURT her!"**_ Gwen screamed in his face before darting over to the relic. The Anodite's mana hair separated into five separate energy tendrils and they all touched the lamp, pouring the energy right back into it. Gwen gently caressed the lamp while smiling down at it, much to Michael's confusion. _**"It's alright, you're safe now."**_

The energy vampire narrowed his eyes at the girl, staring at her as if she had gone crazy. "W-What—" _CRASH!_ At the sound of shattering from behind him, Michael's eyes widened as he realized something; he had lost his concentration… and that meant the others were free to break themselves out. "NOOO!"

The first one out was Cinder, and she immediately made a mad dash for both the door and Michael. "MORNINGSTAR! You'll pay for—" _FLASH!_ A bright green light suddenly shined from behind her, and that could only mean one thing. "Damn it, Tennyson!" Cinder narrowed her eyes and spun around, making a big leap toward her other foe. "Can't you just—GAH!" She was cut off when a powerful fist slammed her in the face, followed up with a very cold freezing sensation beginning to overtake her body. It started from her feet and went all the way up to her head, and by the time it was done, Cinder was frozen, suspended over the ground in a giant hunk of ice. It was frozen securely to the floor, trapping the Fall Maiden in a frosty prison as she slipped from consciousness due to the flash freeze.

In front of her, Arctiguana smiled, the Polar Manzardill taking pride in his latest work. "I call it; Frozen Fury."

"Tennyson!" Rojo hollered as she hit the floor as well. She took aim with Bloodstrike and said; "You're gonna pay for—" But before she could finish that threat, Artiguana breathed an icy beam at Rojo's legs and onto Bloodstrike's barrel, effectively freezing her in place. "Wha—HEY!"

"Sorry, Rojo." Artiguana apologized. "But right now, it's Hero Time. Emphasis on the word _hero_." The lizard-like alien barreled forward on all fours toward the door, leaving Rojo all by herself with her frozen partner.

The bounty hunter sneered before turning up her weapon to its highest heat possible, which resulted in the ice on it beginning to melt. "I swear, Tennyson, when I get us out of this, you are in for SUCH a beating."

As Yang, Ruby, Raven and Vernal all fell down from their respective spheres, they were met with Arctiguana near the doorway. The Polar Manzardill nudged his head against his girlfriend's side, earning him a pat on the head from her. "Everyone okay?"

"Bit drained, but I think I'm good." Yang answered.

Ruby gave them a nod. "About the same here." The silver-eyed girl then shifted her focus over to the desert, her eyes focusing on Michael as he started to get up. Her eyes then spotted Gwen, the Anodite still transferring her mana into the Relic of Knowledge. "What do you think she's doing?"

"I-I'm not sure." Raven shrugged. "But did you hear what she said?"

Vernal gave her a nod. "Yeah, I did… who's "her"? The lamp?"

Yang furrowed her brows and shook her head. "I don't think lamps can have a gender, Vee. I don't know WHAT Gwen's doing, but we need to stop Michael before he gets to her."

"Agreed." Arctiguana nodded before proceeding forward, only to stop the moment he felt the intense heat hit his face. "Ugh, hold on. I don't do well in this kinda weather… maybe it's time I bring out an alien I haven't used in a while…" Arctiguana slammed the Omnitrix on his chest and was consumed in a green light as he began to change once again… this time into something that none of the ladies there ever expected.

Back out in the desert, Michael finally stood up to his feet, the blonde furrowing his brow at Gwen as his hands lit up, his energy back to being black again. "You… you just CAN'T resist getting in my way every _single_ time, can you, Gwen?!" He balled his hands into fists. "Curse my want to see your face as you died a slow, agonizing death."

" _ **Can't say that you'll be able to see that any time soon, either."**_ Gwen shot back. _**"Now be quiet! I have to undo the damage you did to her."**_

"Who is "her"?!" Michael shouted before scoffing and thrusting his arms forward. "Bah! It doesn't matter! What DOES matter is that this time, I'll make sure your end will be quick!" He opened his hands to blast his energy at her, but in the next instant, he quickly found his arms to be wrapped up in some sort of… tape? Or bandages? "W-What in the world is—ACK!" Another set of bandages suddenly wrapped around his forehead, his mouth, and finally his waist before he felt himself be pulled back with an extreme amount of force. Not soon after, he felt himself get punched square in the face by a gauntlet covered hand, the metal busting open his forehead quite effectively. "GAAAH!" Michael landed in a heap on one of the large, stone circles, with Yang standing right above him.

"Sorry, Mikey-boy, but you're not gettin' your hands on ANY relics." Yang placed her hands on her hips as both Ruby and Raven came up from behind her, brandishing their weapons to intimidate the energy vampire. "I suggest you make your surrender snappy."

"Never!" Michael said as he attempted to get up, only for the bandages to wrap tighter around him. "And where in the world did you even get these restraints?!"

Just as he asked that, a deep voice piped up, answering his question; "That would be me, Morningstar." From behind Yang, a tall figure appeared, one that heavily resembled some sort of mummy. It wore a black headdress with two bright green lines on either side of it, all while lined with gold. At the top of its headdress were two golden spikes nestled over its eyeridges while a serpent-shaped headpiece adorned its forehead. Its lower face was covered in the same bandages that its body was made out of, and its chin was adorned in a golden decorative piece resembling a pharaoh's beard. The creature also had four fingers and toes, all of them made of bandages. In fact, they were the same bandages that were keeping Michael down

The creature's arms and legs were adorned with braces and grieves, each of them being black with thin green stripes going through them while lined with gold. The same could be said for the shendyt it wore on its waist, the garb comprising of two black pieces while kept together with a pair of gold ties. Its upper chest was covered in a black and green-striped garment that was also lined with gold, along with a pair of black shoulder pads underneath with a big green eye-shaped pattern in the middle of them. And, directly in the center of its chest, the Omnitrix symbol was front and center. "Tennyson!?"

"In the flesh!" the Thep Khufan exclaimed before waving his arm over his body. "I figured that, since we're in a desert, why not dress for the occasion?"

Having caught Gwen's attention, the Anodite smiled up to them and waved. _**"Hey guys! Thanks for keeping Michael away."**_ Her eyes widened a bit when she saw the alien that Ben had changed into. _**"Oh! Benmummy, huh? Haven't seen that one in a while."**_

Yang narrowed her eyes at the Thep Khufan next to her, a nervous look coming to the alien's eyes. " _Benmummy_? Seriously?"

"Benmummy" sighed and lowered his head in shame. "Yes, Benmummy. Like I said, my three monster aliens were ones that—hey!" The mummy-like alien tightened his grip on Michael as he tried to escape his bindings. He then proceeded to pick Michael up and slam him repeatedly into the stone circle. "You don't move, we're having a little talk here. Like I said, I didn't put much effort into monster-like aliens when I was a kid. Think you can come up with a new name for THIS one and finally finish off the trio?"

"Hmm…" Yang put a hand to her chin as "Benmummy" continued to slam Michael into the floor. Suddenly, she snapped her fingers and brightened up as an idea came into her head. "I got it!" She lifted one hand. "Okay, so "mummy" isn't exactly a word that you can easily make a pun of… but what if it was something really closely related to mummies? Like… pharaoh?" She then gestured down to Michael with her other hand. "And you've got Mikey there all tied up. Almost in a sort-of snare." She raised both hands before cupping them together. " _Snare_ and _Pharaoh_. Put 'em together and you get…"

A delightful glimmer suddenly shined in the Thep Khufan's eyes before he glared right down to Michael, finishing his girlfriend's sentence. "SNARE-OH!" With a mighty yank of his arm, the newly christened Snare-Oh flung Michael all the way back toward the door, with Raven, Yang and Ruby giving chase.

As Michael flew through the air, he attempted to rearrange himself so that he could stop himself and start flying by his own will. But just as he was about to, a flurry of petals flew into him, followed by a quick strike to the gut. In the blink of an eye, Ruby had slammed Crescent Rose's head into him, the barrel of the sniper rifle connected right to his stomach. "Don't blink." Ruby said with a slight glare before flipping around in midair and striking him in the face with her boot.

The energy vampire began to tumble to the ground, but was immediately met with a roundhouse kick right into his back as he fell, courtesy of Raven. After seeing him land near the doorway, The Spring Maiden opened her hands and her powers began to kick in, with a glowing blue cold energy dancing around her fingers. "Let's see how you handle THIS, kid!" Raven thrust her hands forward and shot out two intense beams at Michael, freezing him in place right up to his chest. "Yang!"

"On it, mom!" Yang said as both she and Snare-Oh closed in on the trapped blonde. With a shot from Ember Celica, Yang burst forward and reared her fist back, belting out a loud battle cry as she did. "Eat THIS!" She punched him square in the chest and sent him flying again, this time right back into the vault. "Ben, wrap him up!"

"I've got him!" Snare-Oh assured before suddenly coming undone, his wrappings flowing through the air straight toward Michael. The bandages began wrapping themselves all around Michael until he resembled the very thing that was attacking him; a mummy. Michael's body slammed right into the ground and slid over toward where Cinder had been frozen solid… and where Rojo was currently working on freeing her with her heated-up sword. Once he was done, Snare-Oh reformed himself and landed next to Vernal, brushing his hands together with satisfaction. "And that takes care of that."

Vernal's eyes widened, and slowly but surely, an excited smile came to her face. "That… was _amazing_! I don't think I've ever seen anything like that!"

Snare-Oh gave her a thumbs up. "Well, you may want to get used to it. Because you might be seeing me do this for a while yet." Just then, the sound of elated cheering from behind them caught both of their attentions. Snare-Oh and Vernal craned their heads back toward the dessert, the former placing his hands on his hips while the latter smiled fondly. "Heh, well, would you look at that."

Yang and Ruby had both made their way over to Raven, the three ladies meeting each other with a warm embrace. "Haha! That was awesome!" Yang laughed.

"I know, right? We throttled him!" Ruby pumped a single fist up in celebration.

"Haha! Yes, we did." Raven chuckled. "But then again, I wouldn't expect any less from my… my girls." Yang and Ruby let out a simultaneous "AW!" before bringing the hug in further.

As happy as Vernal was for the three, she couldn't help but feel something… off in her chest as she gazed at them. She reached up to her arm and rubbed it, her smile faltering just a bit. However, this didn't go unnoticed. "You okay, Vernal?" Vernal's head shot up to Snare-Oh, who was looking down at her with a raised eyeridge. "You seem a bit… off."

"H-Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine." Vernal nodded hastily before directing her attention back to the squirming Michael, who had now earned himself a death glare from Rojo as she continued working on freeing Cinder. "…Should we worry about those guys?"

Snare-Oh set a hand on Vernal's shoulder. "Don't worry, the relic is safe and secure now that Gwen has it. After what Michael did, I don't think she'll let them anywhere _near_ it. Besides…" At that moment, Michael freed himself from his bindings… only to be met with Rojo's death glare. "I think they'll be handling _themselves_ for us."

Rather than be intimidated, though, Michael furrowed his brow right back at Rojo. The very second that he freed himself from his bindings, he promised himself that _everyone_ in that room would pay. The Spring Maiden, the half-sisters, the Tennyson's, EVERYONE, including the two women he was had betrayed in the first place. "Oh, so _you're_ free, too."

"Don't give me your shit, Morningstar!" Rojo snapped. "You are in it DEEP, and when I get Cindy outta here, we're gonna personally take you back to the Boss Lady and she's gonna ream you for messing this WHOLE operation up!" The bounty hunter continued to press her super-heated energy sword against the hunk of ice that Cinder was trapped in, though the melting process was still slow going. "Gah, c'mon, Cindy! Unfreeze!"

Michael pursed his lips… only for a smirk to come to them soon after. A new sinister idea had entered his head, one that he knew couldn't possibly fail. _'If you're presented with a problem… there's always one permanent solution.'_ he thought to himself. "Is that so?" Michael's hand began to glow with its signature black energy again. "Well then, what would happen if Salem or the others… _didn't_ find out?"

"W-What?!" Rojo spun her head around… just in time to see Michael create a huge energy whip out of thin air, his arm reeling back for a hit.

"As the old saying goes… leave no witnesses." With a powerful swipe of his arm, Michael swung the huge energy tether at Rojo and Cinder, effectively knocking the bounty hunter off her feet while also dislodging the hunk of ice off of the walk way. But even more than that, it sent both women careening down into the black abyss below, with Rojo cursing out Michael as she fell.

"MORNINGSTAR!" the redhead screamed bloody murder, her voice echoing throughout the whole place. "This isn't over, DAMMIT! We WILL find you! And we WILL kick your ass!"

Meanwhile, inside the huge chunk of frozen ice, Cinder's eyes began to flutter open, only to find herself falling down into the chasm bellow. Her eyes darted to her left to see Rojo falling alongside her… and then back up to see Michael having approached the edge, his maniacal grin plastered over his face at his handywork. While she still couldn't move her body, one thing was for certain; when she and Rojo would eventually get out of this mess… he would pay _dearly_.

Michael laughed hysterically as he watched Rojo and Cinder disappear over the side, leaving both Snare-Oh and Vernal in a state of shock. Vernal whipped her head to the Thep Khufan and thrust her hand at Michael. "You call THAT handling things?!"

Snare-Oh was utterly baffled at what had just happened, putting his paper-thin hand to his forehead. "I-I didn't see that coming! I was _sure_ that Rojo to beat the crap out of Morningstar the first chance she had, but… she just kept trying to thaw Cinder out! I-I don't understand—" But Snare-Oh cut himself off the moment he saw Michael fly up and dart toward the elevator shaft, the blonde shooting up and out of the Vault in an instant. "MICHAEL!" Snare-Oh started forward, reaching for the Omnitrix. "Come back—"

" _ **Let him go."**_ Snare-Oh stopped in his tracks and whirled around to see Gwen, Yang, Ruby and Raven all making their way toward them, with the former shifting back into her human form. "Besides… we got what we came for." From behind her back, she presented the Relic of Knowledge, holding the lamp by its handle. "Check-and-mate."

If Snare-Oh had a mouth, he'd be smiling. "Hah, Gwen, that's great to hear… but are you sure letting Michael go is the best decision?"

"It's okay." Gwen promised. "We'll get him soon enough. Besides, Rojo's usually good on her word…" The Anodite craned her head over to the abyss, her eyes staring down into the black void below. "So I think we should just wait until they sort everything out."

Yang raised a brow at that, her eyes moving over to the precipice. "Could they even _survive_ that fall? Especially with Cinder frozen like that?"

Snare-Oh slapped the Omnitrix symbol and transformed back into Ben, moving his way over to Yang to pull her into a hug. "Yang, when you're in this business for as long as we've been, you'll come to learn that bad guys can pretty much survive a LOT that's thrown at 'em." He drew in and planted a soft kiss on Yang's lips, which the Blonde Brawler was quick to reciprocate. "And I guess that Gwen's right. Knowing Rojo, she'll probably get Cinder thawed out and they'll be on Michael's heels ASAP."

"Yeah, I guess you guys have a point." Yang nodded before shifting her focus onto Gwen. "But, uh… what was with that little freak-out there, Gwen? You seemed pretty angry at Morningstar for some reason."

Ruby leaned in with her own inquisitive stare. "Hey, yeah, and who's "her", anyway?"

Gwen pursed her lips in uncertainty. "I… I really don't know myself." she admitted. "I think… there might be someone, or at least someone's essence, trapped in this relic. The moment Michael started to absorb its energy, she called out to me for help, but… now I don't hear anything anymore."

"That's… very weird, not gonna lie." Vernal spoke up.

Raven smiled and gave her protégé a pat on the back. "You'll get used to it, Vernal. Now, I think it's about time we all head home." But before she could even take a step, Gwen lifted the relic up to her, taking Raven aback. "Gwen, what's—"

"This IS your relic, Raven." Gwen reminded with a smile. "I think it's only fitting that you carry it out of here."

However, Raven simply chuckled and shook her head, waving her hand to the relic. "I'm afraid I can't do that, Gwen. I may be the Spring Maiden, but… it just doesn't feel right with the way I took these powers." She saw Yang and Ruby begin to argue, but she quickly stopped them. "Please, girls, I know how you feel, and I'm thankful for that… but I still think I shouldn't hold on to the relic. Gwen, please keep a hold of it."

The redhead shifted her eyes down to the relic and back up to Raven, the Spring Maiden sending her a soft, reassuring smile. Returning the gesture, Gwen nodded back to her. "Alright, if the Spring Maiden says so, then so be it." The Anodite began walking back toward the elevator, with the rest of her teammates in tow. "C'mon. Let's get out of this death trap."

* * *

The moment they had felt the entire building shake beneath their feet, Team JNPR knew that something had to be going on down in the Vault. What it was, they didn't know, but ever since then, their eyes had been trained exclusively on the large shaft that led down far below Haven Academy. Jaune had since finished healing Ren's wound, the green ninja now being supported on Nora's shoulders as they stood near the shaft, waiting for anything to happen. It had been a fair few minutes since the ground shook, and at that point, Jaune was starting to get antsy. "It's… been a pretty long time. Maybe we should go down and help?"

"Are you INSANE?!" Nora snapped, taking Jaune by surprise. "I am NOT going down there when Ren still needs my help!"

"Nora, I'm perfectly fine." Ren deadpanned. "In fact, I'm pretty sure I can stand on my—"

"Just let me have this!"

Pyrrha sighed and put her hand to her forehead. "Everyone, please, calm down. I'm sure everyone down there will be fine. We just need to wait a little while long—gah!" Pyrrha let out a shout as a shadowy figure came flying right out of the elevator shaft, causing her and Jaune to ready their weapons. It was only when they saw the figure land on the podium up above did they realize who it was; "…Darkstar?" Pyrrha said with widened eyes.

The young man was utterly disheveled, his forehead busted open with multiple other cuts and bruises covering it as well. Michael leaned up against the podium's railing to catch his breath, glaring down at the quartet with a sneer. "What are you losers still doing here?"

"Could ask the same thing to you." Jaune retorted. "You look like you've been through hell." He gave the other blonde a smirk. "Lemme guess, our pals downstairs did that to you?"

Michael pursed his lips and stood up, taking to the air once again. "Lucky guess, but they won't be so lucky next time. I'll make sure of that."

"And what about Cinder and Rojo?" Nora asked. "They right behind you with their tails between their legs?"

The energy vampire smirked at that. "Not exactly. Let's just say you won't have to worry about _them_ anymore. Now… you'll have to deal with me, and by god, you'll wish you didn't want to." With those last words, Michael shot up and through the hole in the roof that Penny had made earlier, which so happened to be right next to the indent that Nora made.

Ren's eyebrows lowered in skepticism. "What did he mean by that?"

"Could… could he have done something to Cinder and Rojo?" Pyrrha suggested.

"Probably. I definitely know that Ben and the others wouldn't." Jaune affirmed. "…Well, maybe Raven, but Ben probably wouldn't let her."

Nora's eyes widened in realization. "Wait… do you think that means…" The quartet's eyes trailed back to the elevator shaft, waiting in silence for any sign of their teammates. Fortunately, they wouldn't have to wait long for that, as a low hum began to be heard from down inside the shaft. Team JNPR's smiled widened the instant they saw Ben, Gwen, Ruby, Yang, Raven and Vernal all rise up out of the shaft, the statue rising up with them and returning to where it once belonged.

And, in Gwen's hand, she held the Relic of Knowledge, a proud grin having etching itself onto her face. She went to the edge of the podium and held it aloft, her eyes focusing right onto Team JNPR. "Mission accomplished."

* * *

**A/N: Phew, mission accomplished indeed, Gwen. The Battle for Haven has reached its conclusion, and of course, our heroes have won the day! But… not without some pretty heavy stuff going down. There was the fight between Ruby and Rojo, the pretty earthshaking battle between Chromastone and Cinder (with a bit of an assist from Raven) and Weiss took down a Sphinx by pushing past her limits and bringing forth two Summons (while also coming to terms with her feelings for Rex)!**

**And, of course, Darkstar ended up betraying Rojo and Cinder in the end. But really, who's surprised? The guy has been untrustworthy to pretty much everyone over the course of his villainous career. Fortunately, Gwen was able to push through and save the relic before Michael could absorb its power… while also hearing a voice come from within it. I think we ALL know what that means. And hey, the last of the Anur Aliens that Ben currently has finally makes an appearance and gets his new name; Snare-Oh! I was actually saving my personal favorite of the three for last. That said, it looks like Rojo and Cinder are gonna be taking a dive down to the lower levels of Mistral. Wonder what they're going to find there…**

**Well, we can answer that question… NEXT TIME! The whole team regroups and begins debriefing each other on what happened over the course of the mission, with Ben and Gwen being introduced to Team ABRN in the process. After the debriefing, though, the gang decide to head home… but not before Blake takes care of some unfinished business with a certain fishmonger. Meanwhile, as the other villains make their escape, Cinder and Rojo find themselves stranded in the lower levels of Mistral, though the Fall Maiden seems to be a bit out of sorts after the failure of their mission. However, while looking for information on how to acquire a means of transport out of the city… they come across a rather familiar face. I think you know what's coming next. Thanks for reading everyone and I'll see you all next time! Stay safe out there!**


	104. Two Sides to Every Outcome

**A/N: Hey everybody! It's new chapter time once again and I've got a bit of a big one here for your reading pleasure. Alright, let's get on with the show! This is…**

**Chapter 104: Two Sides to Every Outcome**

* * *

Emerald was pacing back and forth in her team's airship behind Haven Academy, the green-haired thief having crossed her arms while keeping her focus directly on the floor. Her eyebrows furrowed as her red eyes filled with apprehension, the girl trying to keep herself calm in the situation they were in. She moved her gaze up to the rest of her compatriots, and they were all just as worse for wear as her, if not more. Exo-Skull was holding the two halves of his laser horn in his hands while Thunderhog was inspecting his laser visor, both mutants hoping they could be easily fixed. Subdora was flexing the fingers of her sprained arm to try and keep the feeling in them while Mercury was laid out on a cushioned bench, the assassin directing his eyes up to Emerald the moment she looked at him. "Em… you okay?"

Emerald screwed her eyes shut and sat down next to him, letting out a groan. "Ugh, no. To be honest, I'm feeling rather shitty."

"Aren't we all?" Subdora spoke up, craning her head down. "I can only imagine what Lady Salem will say if we return to her empty handed."

Hog was quick to wave off that notion. "Bah, as if. _We_ might be out for the count, but Cinder and Rojo? They know what they're doin'. Sure, they may not _beat_ Tennyson, but gettin' that relic an' fightin' their way out should be a piece of cake!"

"I hope so." Skull nodded, setting his broken horn down. "Otherwise, we'll be in it deep with Salem." He crossed his arms and let out a grumble. "But the fact that Morningstar ain't back yet… that's also worrying me."

Emerald clenched her hand and agreed. "Yeah, last thing we need is Michael doing something that can screw this whole mission up… or worse." At that moment, the door near the front of the ship opened up, and Doctor Viktor pushed his way through it. The Transylian practically had to get on to his hands and knees to do so, but he managed. "Viktor… any luck?"

The doctor had a small communicator in his hand, one that was bigger than the ones that they had been given at the start of the mission. Viktor sighed and brought the comm up so that everyone could see. "Well, I succeeded in patching into Rojo and Cinder's communication signal… but when I attempted contact, there was no answer."

"WHAT?!" Emerald shot up, her eyes wide with even more worry than before. "That's impossible! The communicators were specifically made so that we could talk even through the thick mountain layers below Haven!"

"I am WELL aware!" Viktor shouted back, making Emerald step away from him. The Transylian let out another sigh and shook his head. "I will attempt to make contact again, but for now, we need to get airborne incase the heroes try and come after us." He craned his head over to Thunderhog. "Thaddeus… I am too large to handle the controls. If you would please…"

"Oh, sure thing, boss man." Hog agreed, placing his visor back on his face before making his way up to the cock pit.

As she heard the engines begin to ignite, Emerald felt her apprehension begin to take hold while Viktor tried to contact Cinder and Rojo again. _'This can't be happening… please, don't let this be happening.'_ Tears began to brim the corners of her eyes, threatening to fall down her cheeks. Cinder had been the only kind of family she had ever known, even if the Fall Maiden didn't feel the same way about her. She was even willing to serve Salem if it meant making Cinder happy… or at least satisfied. If she came back without the relic, then the Fall Maiden would undoubtedly suffer the most from Salem's wrath. But… if something had happened to _her_ down in the Vault... _'No, no don't think about that, Em! Stay strong. That's what Cinder would do. You just have to remain calm, and—"_

"Hold up! Someone's comin'!" Hog shouted from the cockpit, igniting a glimmer of hope inside of the thief. However, that hope was quickly dashed when Hog spoke up again; "It's Michael! An' he's messed up pretty bad!"

 _Michael_. That was the absolute LAST name Emerald wanted to hear right now. He was the one who disrespected Cinder the most, giving her a condescending nickname like he owned her, taunting her with his every word. It sickened Emerald, and it was at that point where her apprehension changed into anger.

This didn't go unnoticed, though. Mercury mustered up all the strength he could and put a hand on Emerald's shoulder, calming her down slightly. "Em, please, calm down. If you keep this up, you'll lose control of your Semblance."

Emerald clenched her fists… and took a deep breath. It hitched in her throat a bit, but she was able to settle herself down a bit more. Mercury was right. Even now, she could feel her Semblance itching to get out and create something incredibly hideous and horrifying in everyone's mind. She swallowed hard and held herself back as the airship's hatch opened, allowing a limping Michael Morningstar to board. While the energy vampire's presence made her sick to her stomach, seeing the state he was in was able to put a light smirk on her face. He was bleeding quite profusely from his head and lips while multiple cuts and bruises decorated the rest of his body, his face having taken most of the beating. Michael kept a hand over his stomach as he suddenly fell onto the deck, letting out a pained groan as the hatch closed behind him and the ship began rising up into the air.

He didn't have long to relax, though, as Viktor came stomping over, glaring down at Michael's battered form. He reached down and grabbed onto Michael's collar, pulling him up until he was eye-level with him. Their eyes met and Viktor, with every ounce of restraint he had, asked; "Where. Have. You. _Been_?"

Michael let out a cough, a bit of blood sputtering out of his mouth as he choked out his response. "Hak-hak! My… apologies. I hadn't realized that my presence was missed."

"ANSWER HIM!" Emerald snapped. "Where the hell _were_ you, Morningstar?!"

"Yeah, we could've _really_ used ya, if you hadn't noticed!" Skull interjected as well.

Another cough escaped Michael's throat before he continued. "Hak! Well, if Viktor would be so kind as to put me down, I'll happily answer." It took a few seconds, but Viktor reluctantly put Michael back down… by dropping him. "OW! Do you want your answer or not?!" Seeing the unchanging expressions throughout the airship, Michael sighed and lowered his head. "Alright, fine. I went after Lionheart, okay? I saw the general and that drunkard going after him, so I decided to protect our asset."

"Did you, now?" Subdora raised an eyeridge at him, inspecting his wounds with her three eyes. "And I suppose that did not go very well for you?"

Michael put a hand to his chest. "You tell me. I thought I had that blasted general cornered in the hallway near Lionhearts office, hell, I even absorbed a lot of his Aura…" Michael sneered and clenched his fist. "But that blasted drunkard got the drop on me again! Those two ganged up on me and I tried to fend them off… but the drunkard's semblance kicked in and I was knocked out when a whole bookshelf fell on my head. When I came to… they were all gone."

Mercury couldn't help but scoff at that, with Emerald joining him as well. "Heh, what a way for the dreaded Michael Morningstar to go out… like a little bitch."

"You shut your mouth, Black!" Michael snapped. "At least _I'm_ not the one with their legs broken, am I?!"

"That's ENOUGH!" Viktor bellowed, getting the two to stop their squabble. The Transylian focused onto Michael with a frustrated face. "Your story checks out. From what I heard, Qrow and Ironwood saw Lady Salem take Lionheart away back to the castle. I can only assume she has bigger plans for him now."

Michael nodded once. "I see… and what about Cinder and Rojo?" his eyes scanned around as he searched for the two women, all while internally smirking to himself that his lie had gotten past them. "I thought for sure they'd be here by now."

Emerald's eyes cast toward the ground. "We… we don't know. But hopefully, they're getting the relic as we speak—"

" _Uh, guys? This is your captain speaking."_ Hog spoke over the intercom, gaining their attention. _"I think ya'll will wanna see this."_ At that moment, a large holo-screen popped up, broadcasting live from a camera that was attached to their airship's underside. On the screen, the team of villains saw none other than the heroes all gathered outside the Grand Hall… and they seemed to be celebrating. The reason was quickly revealed to them when Ben, Yang, Ruby, Gwen, Team JNPR, Raven and Vernal all walked out of the hall… with the Relic of Knowledge in Gwen's possession.

The reactions were immediate. Subdora let out a gasp while Skull held her securely with one arm, disbelief etched all over his face. Viktor, Michael and Mercury all had similar expressions; a mixture of anger and shock at what they were seeing. But Emerald was a different story. Her eyes had widened to the size of saucers and her tears came back, the thief not even trying to keep them from falling. She wasn't distraught at losing the relic, though… but rather because there was absolutely no sign of either Cinder or Rojo. They hadn't even been captured by the heroes. They were just… nowhere in sight.

A whimper escaped Emerald's throat before she fell to her hands and knees, her tears flowing freely now. She was beginning to breath hard and fast, and she could hear Mercury calling out to her in concern. But at that moment, she didn't care. "NO! No, no, no, no, NO!" She slammed her hands to the deck and screamed, a cry of sadness wailing throughout the whole ship. "This can't be happening! This just _can't_ be happening!"

Viktor's hands clenched in ire, a bit of lightning sparking at his fingertips. "I'm afraid it is, Miss Sustrai. This… shall not go unpunished." The Transylian walked back toward the front of the ship and called up to Thunderhog; "Thaddeus! Take us back to the Land of Darkness!"

"NO!" Emerald shrieked, standing up in defiance. "We can't go! Not without Cinder and Rojo! Not without making ALL of those heroes PAY!"

"WE WILL!" Viktor bellowed, thrusting his arm out to Emerald to shoot the small bit of lightning at her. The thief let out a brief cry of pain as she fell to her hands again, everyone's eyes widening at what Viktor had just done. "I'm sorry, Miss Sustrai, but any good tactician knows when to cut their losses and retreat. Believe me, the heroes WILL pay for this, but for now, we must leave." With that, Viktor continued back toward the front, leaving the crying Emerald to get up by herself.

At least, that's what she thought. But surprisingly, Subdora came over and helped her up as best she could, the Merlinisapien pulling the girl into a single-armed hug afterward. As if that weren't shocking enough, Subdora began saying comforting words to her, trying to calm her down. "It's alright, _dolcezza_. Everything will be okay, I promise."

Skull reached over and put a massive hand to Emerald's back as well. "We'll get them ALL back for this. Believe me, we _will_."

Emerald glanced between the two in utter shock before a warm sensation began to fill her hand. She directed her eyes down to Mercury, the silver-haired assassin gazing up at her apologetically as he held her hand securely. "Em… I'm sorry. But we have to leave. We're in no shape to take them all on." After staring at him for a few moments more, Emerald screwed her eyes shut before falling into his chest, crying her eyes out while belting out anguished wails. This stunned Mercury initially… but then he reached down and began stroking her back softly, allowing her to get everything out of her system. Mercury didn't know why, but… he didn't like seeing her like this. And that just made him even angrier at the heroes for what they did. "We'll make them pay. I promise." With that, the large airship lurched in the air before shooting off into the sky, returning to the Land of Darkness.

* * *

"Okay, I gotta ask..." Ben spoke up as he, his group and Team JNPR all made their way out toward the Grand Hall's new entrance… that being a massive hole in the wall. The hero had also noticed that the whole quad had been replaced by a gigantic crater, one that had to at least be about twelve feet deep. "Just what the heck happened up here?"

Nora smirked and jabbed a thumb to her chest. "Well, the giant hole in the wall was all me. I sent those bad guys packin'!" The Pink Dynamo glanced out toward the destroyed quad. "As for what happened outside, I think that was Kevin."

"Kevin did _that_?!" Gwen asked in disbelief. "HOW?!"

"No clue." Pyrrha admitted. "All we saw was him spinning out of the sky toward Viktor at high speeds and then… well, _that_ happened."

"Huh, well okay then." Ben's eyes moved over to Ren, seeing that the green ninja now had a large hole in the back of his tailcoat that was caked in blood. "But Ren… what happened to _you_?!"

Ren, who was still being supported by Nora, let out a small chortle and put his free hand to his neck. "Well, let's just say I jumped in to save Nora from being knifed by Subdora."

"You did WHAT?!" Ruby explained. "That's _crazy_!"

"That's what _I_ said!" Nora concurred, nudging Ren lightly in his side. "He REALLY has to quit it with all the self-sacrificing."

Ren winced slightly, but that didn't stop him from laughing. "Haha, I will, I will, okay?"

Raven sent a skeptical glance down to the bloody garment, still perplexed at how Ren was still standing. "Alright, so if you were stabbed, then how the hell are you all patched up? Your wound couldn't have healed that fast without aid from Gwen or Swampfire."

Pyrrha was the one to answer that, the Invincible Girl giggling a bit before wrapping her arms around Jaune's right arm. "You can thank this boy right here for that!"

Jaune wore a sheepish grin before giving his friends a shrug. "Heh… guess who unlocked their Semblance?"

The reaction was almost immediate, with Ruby belting out a joyous shriek before tackling him in a hug. "AAAAAAH! No way! Jaune that's awesome!"

Yang gave out a cheer and pat the blonde knight on the back. "Haha! Alright, Vomit Boy! Way to break it out at the right time!"

"Congratulations, Jaune." Ben said before offering a handshake, which Jaune quickly accepted. "I knew you'd be able to unlock it sooner or later."

"I'm assuming it's a healing-type Semblance?" Gwen guessed.

Jaune shook his head at that. "Uh, actually, no. It's more like I can amplify the effects of a person's Aura so that _it_ can heal them faster." He put a finger to his chin in thought. "In fact… maybe I could even amplify the effects of someone's Semblance if that's the case…"

Gwen smiled and gave him a nod. "I see. Well, this calls for some experimenting during our next training session." She lifted the Relic of Knowledge and nudged her head toward the exit. "But for now, we gotta get this baby back to Vale for safe keeping."

"Of course." Pyrrha concurred. "Quite frankly, I cannot wait until we get back… home." It was then that she noticed Vernal sticking toward the back of the group, the short-haired young woman appearing to be someone nervous. "Oh, um, hello?" Pyrrha called back. "You are Vernal, correct?"

Vernal's eyes darted up, a small gasp escaping her lips before waving back hesitantly. "O-Oh, yeah. That's me."

Pyrrha and her team smiled back at her, the redhead bowing respectfully to her. "A pleasure to meet you. I am Pyrrha…" she gestured over to her team. "And this is Jaune, Ren and Nora." The three each greeted Vernal as Pyrrha introduced them. "I hope you're doing alright after your rather… unfortunate run-in with Salem's followers."

"Oh, I'm doing okay, at least for the most part." Vernal jabbed a thumb over to Ben and Gwen. "Still trying to get over the whole "aliens" and "people from another dimension" thing."

Yang grinned over her shoulder at the lady bandit and gave her a thumbs up. "Don't worry, Vee. Like we said, you'll get used to it. Now c'mon, there's a LOT of other people for you to meet." The moment that their group had exited the Grand Hall, they were immediately met with uproarious cheers, which only made the blonde's smile increase. It was all she could do to ignore the airship that was flying off into the distance above them, no doubt carrying the villains. _'We'll deal with them later. Right now…'_ She pumped up a fist and called out to the crowd; "Read it and weep, guys! We came, we saw, we kicked some ASS!"

They were greeted with applause after making their way down the large steps, with Blake being at the forefront to bring Ben, Yang, Gwen and Ruby into a group hug. "Guys! You did it!" the cat girl exclaimed as she pulled back to face them all. She craned her head down to the glowing object in Gwen's hand. "Wow, so that's the Relic of Knowledge, huh?"

Gwen lifted the relic up so that Blake could see it. "Yep, safe and sound—woah!"

All of a sudden, Kevin came charging in and scooped Gwen up into his arms, the Osmosian laughing all the while. "Haha! I _knew_ you guys would pull through!" the raven-haired teen shouted as Gwen began to laugh as well. Kevin brought her down and gave her a long kiss on the lips, caressing her cheek after he pulled away. "Good to see ya, babe."

"Good to see you too, Kevin." Gwen said as she kissed him again on his cheek. However, she then sent him a skeptical face while darting her eyes between him and the crater. "So… care to explain what you did up here?"

Kevin wore a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, hehe… yeah, that was me. Trust me, it's a long story, and I'll explain it later." His eyes moved down to the relic, quirking a brow at it. "Huh, nice bauble."

Gwen simply rolled her eyes, lifting the lamp up so he could see it clearly. "It's more than just a bauble, Kevin. It's the relic." From the corner of her eye, she could see Professor Paradox and Oscar approaching her, the latter's eyes flashing as he drew nearer. "Professor Ozpin?" Gwen asked.

"Indeed." Ozpin whispered. "I'm only here briefly as we have unexpected company…" his eyes trailed over to Team ABRN, to which Gwen couldn't help but give an intrigued glance. Ozpin smiled up at her and gave her a nod. "But I'm very glad that you managed to retrieve the relic, Miss Tennyson. I hope Cinder and that other woman didn't give you all too much trouble down in the Vault while retrieving it."

Gwen's face faltered at that. "Actually… we did have a bit of trouble. Not just with Cinder and Rojo, but with Michael as well."

Kevin immediately went into Aggro Mode when he heard that. "WHAT?! Morningstar was down there too?! Did you kick his ass? Please tell me you did."

"Yes… eventually." Gwen replied. "But at first, he was able to get the drop on ALL of us, including Rojo and Cinder. Apperantly he was planning on betraying them all along."

"Not surprising in the least." Paradox nodded. "I believe we all know that Michael is not one to be trusted, no matter which side he's apparently on."

Gwen focused onto Ozpin as she continued on. "Michael tried absorbing the energy from within the relic itself, hoping to gain the knowledge it held. He then said that he wanted to absorb all of the _other_ relic's energies as well, hoping that it'd make him into a god-like being."

Ozpin lowered his head and put his hand to his chin. "Hm, that is very disconcerting. A being with all of the relic's energies within them _would_ be a dangerous force to be reckoned with for certain…" He let out a sigh and moved his eyes back to Gwen. "Fortunately, it didn't come to that, so let's try to keep it that way by taking this relic somewhere safe."

"Right." Gwen agreed. "And I have the perfect place in mind… Earth."

Ozpin raised a brow at that. "Earth? Are you sure?"

"I am." the Anodite assured. "Earth is probably the furthest place from Salem's reach, after all. Especially since she has no means of getting there."

"She brings up a fair point, Ozpin." Paradox concurred. "And the Plumbers have probably some of the best security measures in the galaxy. I have no doubt that they would keep the relic safe from harm."

The reincarnated man breathed in taking in all of the information before nodding. "Right, of course. Hopefully Earth will be the one place where Salem cannot reach." He locked eyes with Gwen once again and smiled at her. "I'm counting on you." With those final words, Ozpin's eyes flashed and Oscar was put back in control, the young man blinking to regain himself.

"I-I heard everything." the farmhand stammered. "So, this is the plan we're going with, huh?"

"Seems so." Gwen smiled down to him before directing her attention back to Team ABRN, who were not chatting with Ben, Yang, Ruby and a few of their other teammates. "Now c'mon, I've got some people to meet."

* * *

As Gwen and Kevin were talking, Ben, Yang and Ruby didn't have to wait two seconds before they were bombarded with familiar faces as well. "Ruby!" Penny came up with Ilia right behind her, the android going in to give her best friend a welcoming hug. "This is spectacular! I am SO glad that we succeeded in our mission!"

Ruby did her best to smile through the slight pain as Penny bear hugged her, a small laugh managing to choke out of her throat. "Heh, th-thanks, Penny. I'm glad that we won, too! Now, could I have my lungs back, please?" After a quick apology, Penny put Ruby back down, allowing her to breathe again. "Hah, thank you." The Hooded Huntress then craned her head over to Ilia, tilting her head to the chameleon Faunus. "So, how'd things go on your end?"

Ilia sighed and put a hand to her chest. "Well, it was a bit crazy at first out here, but we managed to—"

"Oh no, not that." Ruby clarified. "I meant your time at Beacon." She sent Ilia a knowing smirk. "So… how was Swift today?"

Ilia's spots briefly became pink before regaining herself, narrowing her eyes at Ruby slightly. "She was… fine." She shot Blake a brief glance, to which the cat girl raised her hands defensively. "And Glynda gave me a proper tour, so that was nice." At that moment, a figure standing all the way near the back of the group caught Ilia's attention; a young woman who appeared to only be slightly older than all of them. _'Ooh, cute hairstyle.'_ Ilia remarked to herself before going back to Ruby. "Hey, uh, Ruby?" she nudged her head toward the girl. "Who's that over there?"

Ruby's eyes widened and she broke out into a smile. "Oh, that's right! You guys don't know about her!" Without wasting a second, Ruby used her Semblance to rush over behind the lone girl and push her forward, though the woman tried to dig her heels into the dirt to try and make Ruby stop. Her plan didn't work though, and in the end, Ruby managed to present her to her friends. "Ilia, Penny, this is Vernal! She's Raven's protégé who we just rescued from Cinder and Rojo."

A nervous chuckle escaped Vernal's lips before giving them all a nervous wave. "Uh, yeah… hi."

Blake's eyes widened at that. "Woah, seriously? Raven _just_ mentioned you to us, like, a few hours ago before this whole mess!" She sent the bandit a concerned expression. "You mean to tell me that Salem's forces actually _captured_ you?"

Vernal's eyes went to the ground, crossing her arms over her chest. "Psh, unfortunately. I STILL can't believe they managed to take me as their hostage. They came right to our camp and stormed the place, overpowering me before taking me in."

"Very perplexing." Penny remarked, putting a finger to her chin. "You would think that your tribemates would assist you in your battle, wouldn't they?"

"HA! That's a laugh." Vernal scoffed. "In the Branwen Tribe, it's survival of the fittest, and if not helping your fellow tribe member means you get to live, then they'll be MORE than willing to take that at face value."

Ilia furrowed her brows at that. "Well if you ask me, that's just jerkish behavior."

Vernal gave her a shrug. "Maybe, but that's just how the Branwen Tribe rolls." Her eyes trailed back over to Ruby and Yang, the two girls' eyes filled with sympathy for her. "…Although, considering how kind everyone's been to me after the situation I was in… I can't say I'm all that eager to go back, at least not yet"

The Xiao Long-Rose sisters broke out into simultaneous smiled. "Haha! Glad to hear it, Vernal!" Ruby then noticed that Sun and Neptune were coming up as well, to which she greeted the boys with a wave. "Hey guys!"

"Yo, Rubes!" Neptune greeted her with a fist bump. "Glad to see you all made it out in one piece."

Sun gave them a thumbs up, though he seemed to be a bit less enthusiastic than everyone else. "Yeah, great job, guys."

The monkey boy's demeanor didn't go unnoticed, however, with Ben raising a brow at him. "Uh, Sun? You okay, dude? You seem kinda… off."

"Yeah, did something happen while we were gone?" Yang asked.

Just then, Ironwood and Qrow both came walking up, the general placing a hand on Sun's shoulder. "I'm afraid so, Yang. You see, while we were working on trying to catch Professor Lionheart, we managed to corner him in his office… or so we thought." Ironwood crossed his arms and took in a steady breath before going on. "As it happened, he had a secret room hidden within his office, one that housed one of Salem's Seers."

Overhearing this, Raven came over and jumped into the conversation. "Well, I suppose there's really no better way to communicate with Salem better than that." She furrowed her brows with what she said next. "But let me guess… Salem had the Seer kill him?"

"Nope, not even close, sis." Qrow said as he pulled out his flask again. "Turns out that Salem was… "merciful" on Lionheart for lack of a better term." He took another swig of whiskey, finishing off the last of it, much to his disappointment. "We heard Animo say that he wanted Lionheart for a special… _experiment_ that he's working on."

Ben, Yang and Ruby all gaped at this, their mouths opening practically all at the same time. The Omnitrix bearer did a double facepalm and shook his head. "Oh god, please don't tell me… we're gonna have a mutant _lion_ to deal with now?!"

"Probably." Sun grumbled. "But that's not even the WORST part! Tyrian is gonna be going through the same thing!"

Ruby's eyes became the size of peas. "AND a mutant scorpion?! Will Animo's experiments ever END?!"

Raven clenched her teeth and scoffed. "That bastard. I _knew_ he'd work to find some way to get his tail back… I just didn't think he'd go through something this drastic." After receiving a few skeptical eyes from the others though, Raven relented and threw her head back. "Oh, who am I kidding? Of _course_ Tyrian would do something this drastic!"

Ben placed his hands on his hips. "And at the rate Animo's going… we could have a real Beast War on our hands here. We've gotta find _some_ way to destroy that mutagen formula."

"That's not gonna be easy, though." Blake interjected. "Especially since, you know, it's in a place we can't _go_."

"Blake's got a point." Yang nodded, putting a finger to her chin. "We'll probably just have to deal with the mutants as they come until we can destroy that formula." While Raven, Ironwood and Qrow all continued to discuss what had happened over the course of the battle, the group of teens stood in silent contemplation for a few moments more until Yang realized something; "Hey… uh, where's Weiss? And what about Rex?"

"Present!" Rex called out as he came strolling up to the group. Much to their surprise, he was holding a very fatigued Weiss in his arms bridal style. Though the truly surprising thing was… she wasn't making any fuss about it.

Weiss lazily raised an arm and waved to her friends. "And… accounted for."

Ruby gasped and flew forward. "Weiss!" The Hooded Huntress was in front of Rex in a second and grasped Weiss' outstretched hand, gazing down at her in concern. "W-What happened? Are you alright?"

The heiress wore a tired smirk and rolled her eyes, though she was still grateful that her friend was concerned. "Heh, of course I'm fine. I wouldn't be conscious if I wasn't, would I?"

"Well, yeah, good point, but still!" Ruby argued. "What in the world happened to you? You look like you've been drained."

"Oh, you know…" Weiss grimaced and shifted her eyes away. "I just pretty much used up the rest of my Aura to summon two Grimm at once so that I could take down a Manticore by myself." She had hastened her answer out and gave a cheeky smile, hoping that the group wouldn't overreact. However, the opposite had happened instead. Ruby, Yang and Ben, as well as Vernal and Team JNPR, who were standing off to the side, were all staring slack-jawed at what the heiress had said, leading her to chuckle a bit. "Hehe… yeah, I know."

"And I helped!" Rex declared.

Weiss gave another eye roll and shoved him lightly in the shoulder. "Yeah, thanks, Robo-dolt."

Ben's hand went to the back of his head, still a bit taken aback by her feat. "Well, I'd ask Gwen to give you a little charge up of mana, Weiss, but she's also pretty drained, so…"

"Oh, it's okay, Ben." Weiss smiled. "Besides, I think there might be another way…" She quirked a brow to Jaune and gave him a nod. "Think you wanna test out what your new trick does to an Aura-exhausted person?"

Jaune let out a slight laugh before moving forward. "Heh, yeah, sure thing." The blonde knight stepped up next to Rex, with a few of his friends peering at him in confusion, and put his hand on Weiss' shoulder, giving her a nod. "Ready? You might feel a slight tingly feeling."

"Okay, go for it." With Weiss' blessing, Jaune closed his eyes and concentrated, focusing on the same sensation he had felt while he was healing Ren. His hands began to glow an ethereal white, which in turn cause Weiss' Aura to start glowing blue as it was amplified. The sound of a few excited gasps from Blake, Penny and Ilia, and a simultaneous "Woah!" from Team SN had elicited a smile from him as he kept going. After a few more moments, he heard Weiss say; "Alright, Jaune… I think I'm feeling better."

"Gotcha." Jaune opened his eyes to see that Weiss' expression was now much less fatigued, the heiress letting out a sigh as he stopped sharing his energy with her. "Think you're well enough to stand?"

"Pretty sure…" Weiss sent a questioning face up to Rex. "So long as _somebody_ is willing to put me down."

Rex took the opportunity to smirk down to Weiss. "Aw, and here I thought you liked being carried around." The heiress lightly slapped his cheek and the EVO laughed, slowly setting her down back to her feet. "Hehe, alright, alright, I get the picture."

At first, Weiss was a little wobbly as she regained her balance, but it didn't take her very long to stand on her own volition. " _Thank you_ , Rex." she said with a little hint of sarcasm in her voice, though her grin belied her sardonic response. Weiss faced Jaune and bowed her head to him slightly. "And thank _you_ , Jaune. I'm feeling much better now."

Jaune gave her a thumbs up. "Happy to help, Weiss." But the moment he turned back around, he was met with a whole bunch of excited smiles from his friends, making him recoil a bit in shock. "Uh… hey guys! What's—"

"DUDE!" Sun exclaimed before giving Jaune a light jab in the shoulder. "You unlocked your Semblance?!"

Blake darted up and put an arm around his back in a side hug. "That's incredible! Congratulations!"

"Heh, thanks guys, really." Jaune said nervously.

"How did you discover it?" Penny asked. "For that matter, _when_ did you discover it? Sometime today, I'm assuming?"

"And what even is it, anyway?" Neptune pressed further. "Is it some sorta healing power?"

Jaune raised his hands and backed away from the group a bit. "Woah, woah, guys, one question at a time… but no, it's not a healing Semblance." He stretched his palms out in front of him and explained; "It's more like an Aura Amp. I can amplify a person's Aura so that its effects are heightened. As for how I unlocked it, well…" he directed his gaze over to Ren and Nora, quirking a brow to the green ninja. "You wanna show 'em?"

"Sure." Ren nodded before turning to his right, revealing the blood-soaked tear in his clothes. This made everyone else gasp in shock, to which Ren shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, I know. Pretty bad, isn't it?"

"You _think_?!" Ilia retorted. "Ren, what happened?!"

Nora nudged Ren in the ribs, which made him double over a bit. "What happened was that Mr. Hero here dove in to save me before Subdora could knife me in the back." She shot him an accusatory glance. "And he nearly scared me half to death anyway!"

Ren couldn't help but face palm as he bowed his head to the Pink Dynamo. "I've already apologized five times, Nora! How many more do you need?"

The hyper redhead smiled and pat Ren on the head. "I'll let ya know."

"In any case…" Pyrrha jumped in. "Jaune ended up activating his Semblance to save Ren's life. So, yes, a pretty good outcome, all things considered."

Just then, a new voice entered the conversation. "I'll say!" The whole group directed their attention to see Team ABRN making their way over, catching Ben, Yang, Ruby and Team JNPR by surprise. With her arms crossed and a confident stride about her, Arslan marched right through the gathered group. "I'm just glad that the chaos is all over, really." She then noticed Yang standing off to the side and gave her a salute. "Hey! If it isn't the bombshell from Beacon? Haven't seen ya in a while!"

Yang was still wide-eyed, having not expected her former opponent and her team to be there. But she quickly got over it and smiled at them, walking up to Arslan to greet her with a fist bump. "Ha! Well whaddya know?! Team ABRN!"

Ruby zipped right over and greeted the rest of the team with her usual excitement. "Oh my gosh, what're you guys doing here?!"

Reese gave the silver-eyed girl a thumbs up. "Sage sent us a message and told us that there was some major shit goin' down up here, so we came on by to help." She glanced over to Arslan and quirked a brow at her. "Oh, excuse me, I meant that he sent _Arslan_ a message… since _she's_ the only one who has HIS contact info." She wiggled her brows at her blonde leader knowingly, earning her a death glare in response.

Yang crossed her arms and nodded. "Heh, well, glad to hear that you guys came by to help!" Her eyebrows shot up when she saw Gwen and Kevin making their way over, while also realizing that her boyfriend was still confused as to what was going on. "Oh! Dang, that's right! I've got some people who you should meet!" In the blink of an eye, Yang rushed over and pushed Gwen and Kevin the rest of the way over before sliding Ben up next to the two, practically presenting them to Team ABRN. "Ben, Gwen, Kev, this is—"

"Hold on a sec, Yang." Kevin interrupted before sliding away from the Tennyson cousins. "I've already met 'em. I'm all caught up."

"Oh, uh… okay then." The Blonde Brawler shrugged before placing her hands on Ben and Gwen's shoulders, standing between them while facing Team ABRN once more. "Alright, so since you guys already know Kev, lemme introduce you guys to Ben and Gwen Tennyson." She shifted her eyes between the Tennyson's. "And guys, this is Team ABRN, we fought against them in the Vytal Tournament."

Gwen's eyes widened in realization. "Oh yeah, I recognize you guys! I've actually watched your match with a few times since we got here." The redhead placed a hand to her neck. "Reviewing the fights that Team RWBY and the others have been in are a REALLY big help when it comes to our training sessions. It's really nice to meet you all."

Bolin raised a brow toward the Anodite. "Um… likewise?"

Nadir came up and put a hand to his friend's shoulder, jabbing a thumb back toward the crater. "Uh, sorry if my pal here is a bit stand-offish, but considering we just saw your friend blow THAT thing right in the middle of our school grounds, we're still kinda reeling from everything that's gone on here today."

Ben crossed his arms and gave out a laugh. "Ha! I can imagine." He craned his head to Kevin and asked; "By the way, just how the hell DID you blow that hole open?"

"Long story, bro." Kevin waved off. "Let's just say there's a certain kinda Dust I ain't using again any time soon."

"Um, excuse me?" Reese raised her hand, bringing everyone's attention to her. "Uh, in the heat of everything, Kevin told us that you guys are from another dimension. One where there's aliens and mutants and all sorts of stuff? Is that true?"

The Tennyson's exchanged a brief look before confirming her question. "Yes, it's true. We ARE from a completely different world from yours." Gwen raised her hand and, using just a little bit of her power, she made it glow pink, much to the surprise of Team ABRN. "See, Kevin and I are actually half-alien. He's an Osmosian who can absorb matter and I'm an Anodite, which basically means I'm an energy being."

"Woah… cool!" Arslan grinned before directing her attention back to Ben. "And since you're cousins, I'm guessing you're part energy being, too?"

Ben bobbed his head back and forth. "Well… technically, yes, but I don't exactly have the "spark" that allows me to use the powers. But what I DO have… is this." The hero lifted his wrist and revealed the Omnitrix, much to the team's confusion. "Now don't let the watch-like exterior fool you, this is actually one of the most powerful devices from my dimension; the Omnitrix. It allows me to transform into any alien species I want… or at least the ones I've already unlocked."

Team ABRN couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at the device, though Bolin was still a bit skeptical. "Really? Then perhaps you wouldn't mind demonstrating how this device works?"

"Sure!" Ben said without hesitation, taking the martial artist aback. He reached for the watch and activated the holo-ring, making his selection carefully. Usually, he would've gone for Humungousaur to show off how his transformation worked, but considering he didn't have access to the Vaxasaurian, he decided that a different transformation was needed. The watch's face slid back and the core popped up, ready for use. "Alright, don't blink!" Ben slammed the core down and a green flash illuminated the area, washing over everyone's eyes. When the light died down, standing in Ben's place was now a certain ten-foot-tall robotic humanoid with a beetle-like horn sticking out of its head, its steel jaws gleaming in the sunlight. "EATLE!"

The reactions were… certainly something to behold. Arslan's eyes widened and she gasped, taking a step back at the sudden transformation. Reese let out a surprised shriek, though she quickly recovered and just began gawking at the Oryctini. Bolin's jaw was practically on the ground, staring at Eatle in disbelief… and Nadir let out a very girlish scream, hiding behind Reese all the while. "AAH! B-Bolin! I think he was telling the truth!" the pink-haired boy shouted.

Eatle raised his arms up in a shrug. "Well, yeah. What reason would I have to lie to you guys?"

"None, apparently." Arslan remarked before tilting her head at the Oryctini. "So… does this whole transformation thing have any practical use?"

If he could, Eatle would've been grinning at the moment. "Heh, why WOULDN'T it? Watch." The huge beetle-robot alien went over and picked up a few large chunks of rubble near the crater, opening his huge jaws to munch down on the debris. The rate at which he was chewing through the stone and cement was already impressive enough, but then he stood up and moved his head toward the crater. "Wait for it…" The green part in his horn began to light up before a large, vertical beam of energy shot out of it and into the center of the crater, leaving Team ABRN floored. Eatle crossed his arms and faced them once again. "So, impressive enough for ya?"

"Y-Yes." Bolin affirmed. "You've definitely convinced me."

"Hell yeah!" Reese exclaimed, raising her board up high. "That was AWESOME!"

Yang strode over and pat the massive alien on the back, making his metal carapace clang. "That's my Green Boy! Always has a ton of tricks up his sleeve." She narrowed her eyes and pointed at Arslan and Reese. "So ladies, don't get any funny ideas, 'kay?"

Reese raised two fingers up in a salute. "Heh, no prob, Yang. I can respect when another lady's already made her claim." She winked while glancing at Arslan again. "Besides, I'm pretty sure Arslan here has already been spoken for…" Once again, her leader was giving her a warning glare, prompting the green-haired girl to zip her lip. "Heehee, shutting up now."

"Hrm." Arslan grumbled before taking notice of the lamp that Gwen was keeping down near her hip, piquing her interest. "Hey… what's that thing?"

Gwen's eyebrows shot up and the brought the lamp up, holding it level to the whole teams' eyes. "Well, this is the thing that Cinder and her team were after… the Relic of Knowledge. It was held securely in a Vault beneath Haven for quite some time."

Team ABRN's attention had quickly shifted from Eatle to the relic, prompting the alien to change back to normal. "Woah, no way…" Nadir extended a hand and pointed to the lamp. "You mean to tell me THAT was beneath Haven this whole time? How did nobody know about it?"

"There WERE people who knew about it." Ironwood interjected, gesturing his arm toward Raven and Qrow. "Mainly ourselves and the other headmasters. The relics were supposed to be kept as a secret from a bygone era, one that Professor Ozpin was intending to keep locked up tightly…" As Paradox and Oscar moved over to them as well, the general let out a sigh. "But with Beacon having nearly been compromised and Haven now totally compromised, I'm afraid that won't be the case anymore."

Bolin stepped up and continued; "So this… _Salem_ person, she wants these relics? And if you said that Lionheart was working WITH her for a long time… then does that mean he betrayed Ozpin?"

The three adults looked to each other before Qrow answered for them. "…'Fraid so, kid." he nodded. "Real shame, too, 'cause now we gotta take the relic someplace where Salem can't get her hands on it."

"Which is why WE will be taking it back to our world." Gwen piped up again. "We're due to leave in the coming days, so it'll be a perfect place to keep it safe."

"Woah, so how long have you guys _been_ here, then?" Reese asked.

Ben gave her a shrug. "About three weeks now." He jabbed a thumb over to Rex. "And it's been a little over a week for him after he came searching for us." The hero set a resolute gaze onto the relic, assured that their plan would be the best course to take. "But yeah, that thing is probably safest back on Earth. But for now, we should really get it back to Vale until we're able to get back home."

"Agreed." Raven said before drawing Omen to create a portal. "C'mon, after a long day like today, I think we could all use some—"

"Wait!" Blake shouted out, grabbing everyone's attention. With all eyes on her, the cat girl suddenly realized that she had raised her voice and her demeanor changed to a more sheepish one. "Uh, hehe, sorry. It's just that there's some… unfinished business I have in the marketplace down below. So if we could just hold off on leaving for just _little_ a bit longer, please?"

Ruby's eyes brightened up at the prospect. "Ooh! I hear that the vendors in Mistral sell some of the best weapons around! Can I go too?!"

"Hold on there, Ruby." Raven halted before sending Blake a skeptical glance. "Just how long will this "business" take?"

Blake raised a reassuring hand to the Spring Maiden. "Oh, not long, I can promise you that. Trust me, I can be done in a half-hour, fourty-five minutes tops." She then moved her hand over to Team ABRN. "And hey, you guys can always take Team ABRN back to the rental place and fill them in on everything! After all, they're pretty much in for the long haul at this point, right?"

"Oh, you BET we are." Arslan confirmed with a steadfast face. "After what happened here, we want ALL the details on what the hell's goin' on."

After another shared look, this time with Paradox and Oscar joining in, the adults all gave a nod to each other, though Raven's was accompanied by a frustrated sigh. "Very well, then. I suppose it's only right after the help they provided." She pointed over toward Gwen and the relic. "But no matter who goes with Blake or who doesn't, the relic comes STRAIGHT to the house, understood?"

"Of course." Gwen agreed. "Better to keep this close to the chest."

"Splendid!" Paradox grinned before ushering everyone to get close to him. "Well then, everyone who wishes to come to the house, group up with me. I will transport us there in an instant."

Nadir leaned over toward Kevin and asked; "Uh… what does he mean by that?"

"You'll find out." Kevin replied. "Just make sure not to make any sudden movements."

Paradox then took out his pocket watch to check the time, setting his sights on Blake with a smile. "And if I'm right, which I usually am, the lift should be fixed by now, Blake. Feel free to use it at your leisure."

That new came as a surprise to a few, but Rex was the first one to speak up about it. "Wait, the lift broke? How'd that…" He trailed off the moment he saw Blake, Sun, Neptune, and especially Weiss all shoot him accusatory faces, the realization dawning on him not two seconds later. "Oooooh… okay, my bad."

"Uh-huh, YOUR bad." Sun echoed. Soon after, everybody had separated into different groups, with the rest of Team RWBY, Team SN, Ben and Rex staying with Blake while everyone else was standing over with Paradox. Sun was a bit surprised at the small group that had gathered up at their end. "Huh, I would've figured you guys would be eager to get to some relaxing after what you all just went through."

Ben gave him a shrug. "Yeah, but we're not exactly gonna be coming back to Mistral anytime soon, so I wanna see some more sights before we leave."

"Same here." Rex said before raising his right hand. "And I swear that I won't super-charge the lift this time."

Weiss gave him a nudge to the side. "I'll hold you to that word."

"Very well!" Paradox said as he stood at the front of the bigger group behind him. "We will see you all back at the rental house, then."

"See you soon, guys!" Oscar waved before the entire group disappeared before their very eyes, no doubt before Team ABRN began asking a volley of questions as soon as they arrived at the house.

Ruby whipped around to her friends, her silver eyes glistening with excitement. "Well, what're we waiting for?! Let's get down there and check things out!" She took off straight for the lift, all too eager to get to the marketplace.

"Haha! Right behind ya, sis!" Yang said before she, Blake, Rex, Weiss and Neptune all booked it for the lift as well.

Ben was about to follow suit, but stopped when he saw Sun texting on his scroll. "Uh, Sun? Who're you messaging?"

"Heh, I'm sending a message to Sage." the monkey boy answered. "I'm gonna have him and Scarlet meet us down in the market so we can all see each other one last time before we leave." He quirked a brow to Ben with a smirk on his face. "Speaking of, you might wanna prepare yourself. The vendor we're meeting down there is a bit… eccentric."

* * *

 _*SPLASH*_ The moment she felt her body hit the water, Rojo stopped screaming bloody murder, opting instead to hold her breath. Granted, that was really hard for her to do considering the impact was more akin to hitting pavement back-first, but she pushed through it. Thankfully, her suit had absorbed a portion of the impact for her, but her face still stung as she hit the water. She quickly reached for a button on the side of her head piece and activated her red visor, this time covering her whole face and not just her eyes. Once her armor sealed up, she took in a deep breath, taking in the oxygen she had lost while yelling her lungs out.

" _Hah… hah… goddamn it!"_ Rojo clenched her fist and snarled, her voice coming out of a speaker. _"When I get my hands on Morningstar, I'm gonna—" *SPLASH*_ Rojo's eyes widened and she snapped her head up, just in time to see the huge hunk of ice splash down into the depths from above. And inside, Cinder was still frozen solid. The bounty hunter gasped and shouted; _"Cindy!"_ before swimming up and intercepting the ice chunk. When she got there, she saw that Cinder's eyes were now open… and there was no oxygen inside the ice. _"Oh god, hang on!"_

Going as fast as her legs could kick, Rojo pushed the hunk of ice back up to the surface, breeching it up on to the shore before climbing onto the rocky ground as well. She brought her visor back and her suit unsealed, her voice going back to normal. "Cindy!" Unclipping Bloodstrike from her back again, Rojo set it to its highest temperature possible and pressed it up against the ice, the block beginning to melt faster after being in the warmer water. "Oh, c'mon, C'MON!" Rojo closed her eyes and began repeating; "Please be okay, please be okay!"

All of a sudden… the ice started cracking, making Rojo open her eyes back up. She quickly found the cause of the crack, as inside the chunk of ice, Cinder began to move, her hands igniting into brilliant flames. With the ice now melting inside and out, it was only a matter of time before the huge hunk of ice split open, allowing Cinder to fall out. The Fall Maiden found herself sprawled out onto the ground, taking in deep breaths of air while shivering and coughing at the same time. "Cindy!" Rojo slid down next to Cinder and flipped her over, resting the Maiden's head on her lap. "Are you okay?! Please tell me you're okay!"

The words came as a shock to Cinder. Rojo was… worried? About her? And she seemed almost distraught about it, too. _'How… no, WHY is she this worried about me?'_ Cinder questioned in her head, still struggling to form coherent sentences through her shivering. After a few more moments, Cinder's eyes went up to her partner and said; "R-R-R-Rojo?"

"Yes! Yes, it's me, Cindy." Rojo responded, a relieved smile coming to her face. "I'm here. Don't worry, you're gonna be fine!"

"I-I-I'm going to k-k-KILL M-M-Michael."

That got Rojo's signature smirk back. "Heh, you and me both, partner." It was only then that noticed what her partner's current state was. Of course, she was shaking like a leaf, but more than that, she was also wet from the ice. It didn't help that she had lost her heels in the fight, meaning that she had been barefoot while trapped in the ice block. The bounty hunter could practically see her lips, hands and feet drained of color. "God, you're freezing." Rojo reached over and brought Bloodstrike closer to them, leaving the heated sword near Cinder's feet first. "Let's get you warmed up."

At first, Cinder found this to be belittling. Here she was, the Fall Maiden, beaten and humiliated while freezing cold, having to be warmed up and cared for by her partner. It was demeaning, it was insulting! It was… her eyes widened as she recalled what Tennyson had said to her back during their fight. About her only caring about herself. _'It's… just like he said.'_ Cinder realized. _'Here I am complaining about being cared for by someone and belittling them for it.'_

As she felt her body begin to warm up, Cinder moved her head slightly so that she was looking up, gazing at the massive tree that she could still see from where they were. While she was initially angry at the reminder of her failure, she pushed that thought away in favor of reflecting on what lead her here. All her life, she had wanted power. Power to overthrow those that deemed her weak and unimportant. To give SOMETHING to her once empty life. Salem had offered grant her that wish, and she made due on it, giving her the opportunity to gain the powers of the Fall Maiden and serve under her.

And what had she done in the time since she had gotten the powers? She had _squandered_ them. Sure, she had fully gained control of the powers in an impressive three weeks, but in every fight she had with that DAMNED Tennyson, she always _lost_. And when she attempted to fight Gwen, the Anodite just insulted her before teleporting her away… followed by a rather violent temper tantrum on her part. And there it was again; her temper. The thing that always came back to rear its ugly head. She had tried to quell it with Rojo's help, but once again, it had come back with a vengeance. _'Why?!'_ Cinder cried out in her head. _'Why won't it just stop?!'_

It was then that Cinder thought back to her two first compatriots; Emerald and Mercury. The duo that she had recruited from empty, meaningless lives like the once she had before. To give them an opportunity like she had been given. But instead of showing them the type of hospitality that Salem had given her, she was distant, and often abusive to them instead. All because she was too focused on HER own goals to show them the same respect that Salem had given her. Sure, she considered their trio a team, but they weren't exactly a closely knit one… at least until Rojo entered the picture. From there, they had gotten this odd little comradery about them that only THEY had. Their own little group in Salem's forces. It was… an admittedly strange development, but Cinder oddly found it to be a welcome one.

But still, Tennyson's words continued to echo through her head, causing her to finally crane her head back to her partner. "Rojo?" Cinder asked, the color finally returning back to her body parts as she began to warm up.

"Yeah, Cindy? What's up?"

"Am… am I poor leader?"

This question made Rojo blink. "W-What?"

"You heard me." Cinder sat up, using Rojo's shoulder as support. "Am I a poor leader?" She narrowed her eyes at the bounty hunter. "And I want you to be one-hundred percent honest with me on this."

This only made Rojo even more confused. "Cindy, I don't really get what you're saying here. Why're you even asking—"

"Because we keep FAILING!" Cinder shouted, her eyes beginning to flare up. But she then immediately sealed her lip and reigned herself in, keeping her anger in check. "Every time we get sent out to do something, we _fail_."

Rojo furrowed her brows at that. "Hey, that's not true! We've had some good wins over those goody-two-shoes!" She began counting them off on her fingers. "We broke Hog and Skull outta prison, we pulled off that lab heist in Atlas together, we managed to mutate the boys successfully before trashing a town, we got those Dust crystals that Vulkanus mined up…"

"I wasn't there for that." Cinder reminded. " _And_ we nearly botched the lab heist."

"W-Well, I still think those should count." Rojo defended. "Point is; we've had some great wins—"

"So why can't we get a _permanent_ one against Tennyson?" Cinder asked. "It seems that every time that I go into a fight against him, I _lose_!" She moved her head down and clenched her fists, breathing heavily while doing so. "That's why… that's why I'm asking you if my leadership skills are anything to be desired." There was a momentary pause before Cinder brought something else up. "And another thing…" She locked eyes with Rojo, sending her a serious gaze. "What do you and the others think of me?"

Now THAT caught Rojo off guard. "Cindy, you know I have nothing but respect for you—"

"What do you and the others _think of me_?" Cinder repeated, this time more forcefully.

Just one glance at her eyes told Rojo all she needed to know; Cinder was serious about this. And she wouldn't stop until she got an honest answer. Breathing out through her nostrils, Rojo lowered her head and put a hand to her neck, unsure of where to go from there. "Well… first off, I meant what I said, Cindy. I have the HIGHEST amount of respect for you…"

Cinder raised a brow as Rojo trailed off. "…But?"

"But… I _do_ think you can be pretty selfish a lot of the time." Rojo admitted before raising a hand to her. "B-But I totally get _why_ you are! If I was on the hunt for ultimate power like you are, I'd be pretty selfish too." However, Rojo then noticed that Cinder had a bit of a surprised expression on her face, to which the bounty hunter facepalmed. "Gah, shit! That came out totally wrong! Here, lemme start over—"

"No, please." Cinder denied before placing a hand on Rojo's arm, much to her shock. "I… I need to hear this. Now what about the others? I know you talk to them a lot as well, so you probably know how they feel about me."

Taken aback by Cinder's relative calmness, Rojo swallowed before moving on. "Well, Em pretty much holds the same amount of respect that I do for you. Hell, I think she might even respect you MORE than I do. But… I think that's all 'cause of how she views you."

"And… that would be?" Cinder asked hesitantly, already having a feeling of what Rojo meant.

"She thinks of you as the only family she ever really has." Rojo answered, confirming Cinder's thoughts. "You're practically her rock. The one thing she KNOWS she can count on in this world. Without you, she thinks she'd be nothing."

Cinder clenched her hands as the words washed over her. What Rojo had just said was something that the Fall Maiden had suspected for quite a while. She knew that Emerald had formed SOME sort of attachment to her… she just didn't know it was that strong of one. But she couldn't dwell on it, at least not at the moment. "I… I see." Cinder nodded. "And Mercury?"

"He respects you a lot, too... but I can also sense some bitterness in him." Rojo answered. "It's like he has this feeling that you don't REALLY care for either him or Emerald. He's never said that to me outright, but I can tell just by his tone that he's resentful about something…" The bounty hunter raised a brow at Cinder. "Do… do you think he might've had a crush on you or something?"

"…More than likely." Cinder guessed. "He's a hormonal young man who was greeted by two attractive young women shortly after he killed his own father. If I were a boy, I'd probably be riding that high for as long as I could." She shifted her eyes away from Rojo. "But if it's not evident enough, I don't exactly return whatever feelings he may have had."

Rojo shrugged at that. "Yeah, I get that. Can't please everyone's fantasies." A small chuckle escaped her lips. "Still, if you ask me, Merc should count himself lucky that Emerald's the one who has feelings for him, even if SHE doesn't fully realize it yet herself."

Cinder blinked at that. "W-Wait, Emerald has feelings for Mercury?"

The redheaded woman couldn't help but stare back at Cinder for her remark. "…Wow, you either are REALLY bad at noticing things, or you're more selfish than I thought."

The Fall Maiden lowered her head again. "I believe we both know the answer to that."

"Hm." Rojo nodded before the two fell into an uncomfortable silence, though it didn't last for long. "Cindy… why did you ask me all of that just now? Why the sudden interest in what everybody thinks about you?"

Cinder pursed her lips, taking in a steady breath. "Because… of something that Tennyson said. He said that it was because of my temper, my self-centered attitude, and my poor leadership that we keep failing. And honestly, as much as I don't want to… a part of me believes him." She craned her head up just in time to stop Rojo from arguing against her. "And don't try to say that he's wrong, because you KNOW that a lot of it is true."

"I… I… ugh, dammit, Tennyson!" Rojo clawed at her hair. "Why does that guy have to be so perceptive and idealistic?!"

Cinder smirked and nudged Rojo with her arm. "Hah, I know. As much as I say he's right, he is still _very_ annoying."

"Haha! There she is." Rojo laughed before slowly standing up, helping Cinder do the same. She grabbed the Fall Maiden by the shoulders, bringing her attention solely to her. "Listen, Cindy, as much as I wanna say; "don't listen to Tennyson", I think we may wanna listen to him just this once." She gave Cinder a wink. "He thinks you're a poor leader? Well then we're just gonna have to prove him wrong, right?"

With Rojo's words settling into her mind, Cinder lowered her gaze down to her hands, clenching them into fists in determination. "Indeed. I am the Fall Maiden, not someone's punching bag." She raised her head back up, meeting Rojo's eyes once again. "And if I have to change myself in order to do that… then I'm willing to make those improvements. It will be a long and… _difficult_ process, but it will be a change for the better. And if we can get one up on those heroes, then I'm willing to do it… no matter how long it takes."

Rojo smiled and gave Cinder a pat on the shoulder. "Hey, now you're talkin'. Now c'mon, let's get outta here." She moved over toward a nearby wall and began knocking her fist against it, searching for a weak point. When she finally found a part that was thinner than the rest, she went; "Ah-ha!" before slamming her fist directly through it, causing the whole wall to come collapsing down, making an entrance for them back out into the city. "There we go! Freedom awaits!"

"Excellent." Cinder said before taking a step forward… only to trip when her knees buckled beneath her. Rojo fortunately saw this and was able to dart over just in time to catch her, though Cinder wasn't exactly thrilled about how weak her legs still were. "Damn it! Ugh, still weak."

"I know, frustrating, ain't it?" Rojo pulled Cinder's arm over her shoulders and began walking her out of the grotto. "C'mon, let's get you something to disguise yourself with. No one'll recognize me, but they'll _definitely_ know you."

"Of course." Cinder agreed. "And Rojo?" The bounty hunter's eyes went down to Cinder… and were surprised when they saw a grateful smile on the Fall Maiden's face. "…Thank you. If you hadn't kept trying to thaw me, I don't know if I would've survived or not."

A smile of Rojo's own came to her features as the duo exited the cave. "No prob, Cindy. I'll always have your back. Just remember, when in the city, we gotta be subtle, okay? It's the only way we're gonna find a way outta this dump."

However, the duo didn't get five feet from the cave before they got noticed by someone. "Oh, gods! A-Are you ladies okay?" Rojo and Cinder looked over to see a woman approaching them with a basket of produce in her arms. She was brunette and donned in a tan robe, a brown shawl with a matching skirt, a white undershirt, a pair of black socks and tan sandals. However, the moment she got close to them, her eyes widened when she saw Cinder's face, dropping her basket of food all the while. "Y-You're the girl on all the wanted posters!" She took out her scroll and began calling the authorities. "I-I have to—"

 _SMACK_! In the blink of an eye, Rojo used her free arm to punch the woman in the face, knocking her right onto the ground and out cold. Cinder stared wide-eyed at the scene before snapping her head back to Rojo. "What happened to subtly?!"

"I panicked, okay?!" Rojo bent down and hefted the woman up over her shoulder, hastening all three of them back around toward the cave. "Now c'mon, help me strip her so that we can get you a good disguise. Leave her scroll with her but take whatever Lien she has. We're gonna need it."

"This is now officially a strange day. …And is that screaming I hear?"

* * *

Ben had expected to see a lot of things when he and the others made it down to the market place. The hustle and bustle of an urban setting within the massive, mountain-based city, a bunch of smiling faces chatting it up with friends and vendors, heck, maybe even some children playing amongst the stands. However, what he and the others DIDN'T expect to see where a bunch of people screaming and clamoring throughout the whole place, with multiple stands having been demolished. "Aw man, _please_ tell me this isn't happening!"

"This can't be!" Sun shouted as he and Neptune both went sprinting toward the square, their eyes darting around all over the place. "W-What's going on around here?!"

"How should I know?!" Neptune asked. "But if I were a guessing man, I'd say it's another Grimm attack."

"WHAT?!" Yang exclaimed. "I thought you guys got 'em all!"

Blake put a hand to her chin. "One must have escaped in the scuffle. And when Kevin beat Viktor, his control over it must've been released."

"So now it's just rampaging wildly." Ben deduced. "Just great."

As the others all rushed down with them, they could hear a whole slew of noises off in the distance, ranging from heavy impacts, to loud growling, to the screams of innocent civilians running for their lives. One such impact actually managed to make one of the larger stands collapse, kicking up a huge cloud of dust. "This is terrible!" Weiss cried out.

"I know, right?!" Ruby said with tears brimming her eyes, her gaze having focused onto a stand that was full of weapon displays. Its roof had been partially collapsed… with some of the bigger blades having been snapped in two. "So many beautiful works of art… LOST!"

It was at that moment that the crashing sounds began to grow closer, prompting everyone to get into a combat stand… all except Ruby who was being comforted by Weiss. "Something tells me we're about to find out what's doing this." Rex stated. With a mighty roar, a huge Alpha Beowolf suddenly jumped straight over the weapon stand, eliciting a panicked gasp from Ruby. The massive beast let out a howl, sending a massive wave of fear throughout all of the vendors there. "And there it is."

Ben's hand went right to the Omnitrix. "Okay, there are plenty of us here to take down one Beowolf, right?"

Sun spun Ruyi Jingu Bang around and Neptune brought out Tri-Hard, the duo ready to defend the marketplace. "You bet, Ben!" the monkey boy affirmed. "C'mon, guys, let's—"

"SUN!" At the sound of his name being called, Sun whipped his head around to see none other than Sage and Scarlet running toward them… or hobbling quickly toward them in Sage's case. "There you guys are!" Sage waved.

"Sage!" Sun called back with a wave of his own. "Scar! What the heck are you thinking?!"

Neptune thrust a hand at Sage's leg. "You guys can't be in the middle of the action when Sage is like THAT!"

"Sorry! We were just gonna message you about all this!" Scarlet apologized as the two managed to make it to their teammates, both of them out of breath. "This… this all started after you sent us your first text. But when we saw you guys coming down the lift, we knew you guys would probably have seen it already." It was then that Scarlet noticed Ben, Team RWBY and Rex all standing behind their teammates, prompting him to wave to them as well. "Oh, hey there, everyone. Haven't seen you in a while. Good to see you."

Ben and the others shared a brief glance before going back to the duo. "Uh, yeah, same here, guys. But I gotta agree with Neptune, you guys really shouldn't be out here." He jabbed a thumb over toward the Alpha Beowolf, which was running toward another nearby stand. "And besides, I think we're gonna have to catch up later."

Everyone faced the Beowolf again, only for Blake to let out a gasp when she saw which stand it was barreling toward. "NO! Not the fish stand!" Almost all at once, Ruby, Yang and Weiss all deadpanned at their teammate, though they couldn't help but wear amused smiles at the same time. If there was one thing that could break Blake out of her calm demeanor, it was fish. "We have to save it!"

But when Sun and his team saw where the Grimm was going, they all simply smirked. The monkey boy spun his staff around and planted it into the ground. "Actually, I think we can sit this one out."

"W-What do you—" _WHAM_! Blake's eyebrows shot up the moment she saw a huge boulder suddenly come sailing out from behind the fish stand, careening right into the Alpha and sending it flying right back toward the group. The Beowolf landed about fifteen feet away from them, the boulder rolling off of it soon after.

The group could only in utter bafflement as the Grimm struggled to get up, a slight whimper escaping its throat. "Wha-Wha-What was THAT?!" Ruby stammered out.

"I dunno, but whoever threw that has to be PRETTY strong." Yang guessed.

All of a sudden, a loud yet strange battle cry was heard; "AAWOOooOOoo!" The teen's heads all snapped up to see a rather lanky man standing on top of the fish stand, holding a spiked, wooden cudgel in one hand as he howled up at the sky. His long, blue beard flowed in the breeze as he dropped down, a wild intensity in his dark eyes as he set his sights on the Beowolf. "Intending to have FUN with my stand, Creature of Grimm?!"

"RANDOLF?!" Blake exclaimed. "He… _He's_ the one who threw that?!"

Neptune and the rest of Team SSSN all wore knowing grins. "Oh yeah. Shit's gonna go down."

"You don't MESS with Randolph's stand." Sage emphasized.

"Not unless you want the beating of your life." Scarlet finished off.

Yang rubbed her hands together eagerly. "Oh-ho-ho, this oughta be fun to watch. Don't ya think Ben—" But she cut herself off when she saw both her boyfriend and Rex with a pair of dumbfounded gazes, both of them focused directly on Randolph, confusing her a bit. "Uh, Green Boy? Rex? You guys okay?"

"Y-Yeah." Ben answered. "It's just, I swear that I've seen that guy somewhere before."

Rex put a hand to his chin. "Yeah, I just can't quite put my finger on—"

Without warning, Randolph suddenly tore off his shirt with one hand, revealing a rather toned yet _very_ hairy body underneath, especially where his back was concerned. He raised his arms and charged forth into battle. "YOU HAVE BROKEN THE CELERY STALK ON THE BACK OF A SEA URCHIN!"

"What'd he say?" Weiss asked.

"SHAKLAVA!" Randolph dove right at the Grimm and began beating it relentlessly with his cudgel, the Beowolf fighting back with great intensity. The beast bit and slashed at Randolph, but no matter where it threw its strikes, the fish monger managed to avoid it, all while hitting it in the most exposed places imaginable on its body. …Though Randolph seemed to favor the head most of all, hitting it repeatedly while shouting words that no one understood. "Mestick!" _WHAP_! "Shlorvin!" _SLAM_! "Eischlikt!" _CRASH_!

The last hit sent the Alpha flying backward into a nearby stone out cropping, shocking all of the civilians and the team. "…What even IS this man?" Ruby questioned.

Randolph quickly strode over and grabbed the Alpha by its throat, hoisting it up so that it was eye-level with him. "Never again shall you torment Randolph's livestock!" he screamed in the creature's face while winding his arm up for another hit. "Randolph will have his revenge!" He slammed the cudgel right into the Beowolf's lower jaw, making it fly back toward the market stands.

"It's like he's unstoppable!" Rex ran a hand through his hair as the chaos continued, unable to tear his eyes away.

It was then that Randolph threw the cudgel away, his brow furrowing even further. "Enough training for Randolph! Time to fix what is broken!" The fish monger began flexing his whole body at once, his face straining as his Aura suddenly broke.

Blake couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Is he CRAZY?! How did he break his own Aura?! WHY would he break his own Aura?!"

"Don't worry, Blake." Neptune reassured with a thumbs up. "Randolph's not done yet…"

It took a few seconds, but suddenly… Randolph's body started expanding, his muscles growing massive in size as his pants started to rip slightly. However, that's not all that happened. In a rather… unsightly turn of events, the thick hair on Randolph's back suddenly all stood up on end, almost as if they were massive spikes. Needless to say, there were a few who weren't all that impressed. "I'M GOING TO HEAVE!" Weiss screamed as her face became a pale green.

"…Should I even ASK what his Semblance is?" Ben inquired.

"He calls it "Buff Up"." Sage explained. "In exchange for breaking his own Aura, Randolph can transfer all that power into his muscles and temporarily give him a strength boost. And when that happens… watch out."

The now buffed-up Randolph glowered right at the Beowolf… which was now whimpering in fear. **"A dog has raised its hind leg on the age of NEVER MORE!"** In a mighty leap, Randolph bashed himself right into the Alpha and just started pummeling the life out of it, punching it with his bare fists and breaking its bones without effort. **"Quake and quiver like a jellyfish, doggy-doo-doo Grimm!"** Randolph hoisted the Grimm above him with both hands, its back suspended right over his left knee. **"For in the name of my ancestors and elders, Randolph will grill your strudel until you cry like a TEENSY-WEENSY BABY!"**

"This is better than cable!" Ben said excitedly.

"Or Rath on a bad day!" Yang added.

 _CRACK_! The moment Randolph brought the Beowolf over his knee, everyone in the marketplace couldn't help but cringe when they heard the creature's cries of mercy, its spine having been snapped. But mercy wasn't something that it'd be getting for what remained of its life. **"Randolph's vengeance will be slow and painful, like Papa's charcoal anecdotes, Creature of the Darkness!"** Grabbing the Beowolf by into tail, Randolph slammed the creature into the ground multiple times until its body was good and broken… but it was still somehow breathing. **"MUST RANDOLPH BEAT SOME SENSE INTO THAT OVER-COOKED THAT NOODLE YOU CALL A HEAD?!"** As such, he smashed his hand straight through the creature's head, finally killing it.

As the creature dissolved into black mist, Randolph let out a breath and went back to his normal, lanky self. With a smile back on his face, the man faced the gathered crowd of onlookers and spoke to them, his voice back to its regular high-pitch. "The harsh realities of your miserable lives have been restored!" With that, he closed his eyes and marched right back to his fish stand. "Thank you!"

A few moments after he had addressed them, the whole crowd began belting out cheers of joy, thankful to their strange savior. This included Ben, Yang, Blake and Ruby, along with the entirety of Team SSSN. Rex, meanwhile, was comforting Weiss as she continued to dry heave, the heiress still effectively grossed out by the sharpened back hair. "Ya gotta admit, that was AWESOME!" Sun shouted.

"No doubt!" Ben agreed. "I gotta meet that guy!"

"Well then, what're we waiting around _here_ for?" Blake ushered her friends to follow her as she made her way over to the fish monger's stand. Once Weiss was done heaving up air, the group obliged, though the heiress had chosen to stay with Rex near the back of the group.

"The last thing I need to be smelling right now is fish." she had rationalized.

As they walked over, though, Sun sent a smirk over in Sage's direction. "So… a little neon-green-haired birdy just told us that you've got exclusive access to Arslan's digits, eh?"

That elicited the exact reaction the monkey boy was hoping for from Sage; recoil, widened-eyes, and a blush coming to his face. "I-It's not what you think, man! Really, it's not!" Sage defended.

Scarlet rolled his eyes and jabbed a thumb at his friend. "He's been like this since he got Arslan's number. I've been _trying_ to convince him to go for it, but he hasn't listened."

"W-We exchanged number to keep our teams in contact with each other should we ever need to!" Sage rationalized, though his blush still lingered. "Whatever you guys are thinking—"

"DUDE!" Neptune ran up and put his hands on the sides of Sage's face, bringing him down to his eye level. "You. Have. ARSLAN ALTAN'S number! Do you know HOW many guys in Haven are probably wishing they were you right now!?" His hands moved to Sage's shoulders and began shaking them. "Do not let this chance slip you by!"

Hearing the commotion, Yang turned her head back around and gave Sage a thumbs up. "Yeah, man! You should go for it!" She sent him a thumbs up and a wink. "Ya never know when an opportunity to find love will come again…" Yang slipped her arm across Ben's back, making the hero smile down at her. "Sometimes ya just gotta take a chance."

With Yang and Neptune's words now firmly in his head, Sage craned his head down and ran a hand through his grassy green hair. Slowly but surely, a smile came to his face, his blush persisting. "O-Okay… I'll think about it."

Once the team had made it up to the stand, Randolph, now in a fresh shirt, took notice of them and beamed in their direction. "Oh-oh! The half-brained SSSN Boys and Blake-girl have returned with greater numbers!" He leaned over the counter and waved his arm in a salute to Blake. "Tell me, are these your friends, Blake-girl?"

Blake gave him a nod before gesturing to each of her friends. "They sure are. Randolph, these are my teammates; Yang, Ruby, Weiss, and my other friends; Ben and Rex."

All five teens greeted Randolph at once, to which he gave out a laugh. "A-ha! A-ha! A pleasure to be making your acquaintance, young warriors of the hunt!" He tilted his head while quirking a brow. "So, did you find out what happened up at Haven?"

Sun wore a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sure did, Randolph… and now the place is even MORE wrecked than it had been."

"What?!" Randolph exclaimed, with Sage and Scarlet echoing him as well. "Did the water-worry-wart SSSN Boy blow up the building of science AGAIN?!"

"For the LAST time, I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" Neptune shouted, the blue-haired boy hyperventilating in frustration.

"Hm, well, I suppose it matters not." Randolph mused. "If my assumption is correct, then perhaps that… _fiendish_ beast of the darkness had something to do with it." As he said that, his teeth clenched again and he balled his left hand into a fist, shaking it slightly. "But now that it has been vanquished, the city of Mistral can hopefully be at peace once again."

Ben folded his arms across his chest, his suspicions growing at Randolph's behavior. "…You seemed to get really angry at that Beowolf in particular, dude. Any reason… why?" Ben trailed off when Randolph slowly moved around to give him a rather serious glare, the fish monger leaning in dangerously close to the hero's face. "Uh… did I say something wrong?"

"Heed Randolph when he says this; do not get involved, ill-advised Ben-boy!" Randolph warned, pointing a finger right onto Ben's nose. "Less your pomegranates shrivel in the cold of the DARK SEA!" There was an incredibly tense atmosphere for another good ten seconds before Randolph went back behind his stand, his grin having returned. "Okie-dokie, onto business!"

There was another momentary pause before Ruby spoke up. "So… don't ask about the—"

"Don't ask about the Grimm, yes." Weiss agreed, her hand securely over her nose.

Randolph came back out with two long poles in each hand, focusing directly onto Blake. "So, Randolph assumes you are here to broker a deal for the fish, Blake-girl?"

Blake brightened up and cupped her hands together. "I am… though I think with the amount I wanna buy, I'm going to need more than just a bag to carry them in. My mother's back home and I'm expecting my dad tomorrow, and we're all big fish eaters."

"Ah, I see. Well, you are in luck!" Randolph pointed over to two large, two-wheeled wooden carts. "Since you are a valued customer, Randolph will be willing to loan you one of his carry-carts he uses to haul the fish! And worry not, they have been cleaned!"

"Oh, thank you so much!" Blake bowed respectfully to the monger. "That'll make things a lot easier." She took out her wallet and fished out her Lien cards, ready to start buying. "Alright, let's get started!"

But Randolph wagged a finger in her direction. "Ah-ah-ah! You intend to purchase a large sum of my product, do you not?" Blake gave him an eager nod. "Well then, let us broker a deal! YAHORK!" It was then that Randolph took one of the poles he was holding and slammed it into the ground so that it was standing up right. He then tossed the other pole over to Blake and began shimmying up his own, much to everyone's confusion. "Are you ready, Blake-girl?"

The cat girl, and by extension, everyone else, could only stare dumbfoundedly at the scene before stepping back over to Sun. "What the heck is he doing?"

"Uh, that's his bartering pole." Sun explained. "I think it's something that people do where he's from. The barterers balance on their abdomen as they negotiate what they want, I think."

Rex furrowed his brows as Randolph began balancing himself by his abdomen on the pole. "So, uh, does Blake have to do this, too?"

"Tradition says that yes, she does." Scarlet answered. "But if she doesn't want to, he'll understand and just let you barter the normal way—"

"Oh no, I don't think you realize how _serious_ I am about this, Scarlet." Blake interrupted, picking up the pole that Randolph tossed her way. "If I can get a better deal out of this, then I'm more than willing to go through with it!" She did an about face and raised the bartering pole above her head in determination. "Alright, monger boy, let's do this!"

"Excellent!" Randolph exclaimed. "Then let the bargaining commence!"

* * *

"So… lemme see if I got this straight." Over the course of the past forty-five or so minutes, Arslan and her team had been filled in on everything that was going on. Though not after the four Haven Academy students had a mild panic attack from suddenly being transported from the academy to the rental house by Professor Paradox, that is. Once Team ABRN had settled down, they were escorted inside by Ironwood and sat down on the nearest couch, with the other teens joining in to help explain things as best as they could. "You're telling us that THIS relic," Arslan pointed to the Relic of Knowledge, which was currently floating above the coffee table, "is part of a set of four, and that ALL of them contain a massive amount of power that, if brought together, could destroy the world."

"That's exactly right." Ironwood confirmed.

Reese spoke up next. "And Professor Ozpin… he and Salem are actually immortal people from a REALLY long time ago who've been fighting a secret war for _thousands_ of years?"

Qrow gave her a single nod. "Right on the money, girly."

Bolin set his sights on Oscar, his gaze skeptical once more. "And you… you're supposedly a new _reincarnation_ of Professor Ozpin?"

"Uh, hehe, well, I—" Oscar was cut off when his eyes flashed, with Ozpin taking the reins.

"That is correct, Mr. Hori." Ozpin confirmed. "I certainly hope that we can trust you four with this precious secret. We've already told a number of people… quite frankly, a far greater number than I've been comfortable with in the past. But considering Salem is beginning to mobilize her forces more and more with each passing day, I'm afraid it's become necessary to inform as many people as we can for the battle ahead."

The entirety of Team ABRN could only stare at the reincarnated man in disbelief as his eyes flashed again, allowing Oscar to return to normal. "Gah, seriously? Can I ever speak for myself?"

"As long as _he's_ in your head, kid, I can't promise you that." Raven shrugged before shifting her eyes toward Team ABRN. "But as much as I hate to agree with Oz, he's right. There's already a ton of people who know about this secret already, so we'd appreciate it if you kids kept this on the down-low."

Next to her, Vernal gave her teacher a nod. "You know that you can always count on me to stay silent, Raven. Even if the information that's been dumped on me is… pretty strange, not gonna lie."

Nadir raised a hand to her. "H-Hey, no problem there, either. Trust me, I don't think anyone would believe us if we did, even our classmates."

From the couch, Gwen interjected. "That reminds me; what're you guys going to do now after what happened at Haven?"

"Yeah, I mean, without a headmaster and with the school grounds pretty much wrecked, I don't think you'll be able to continue the semester there." Jaune added. "So what's your game plan going forward?"

Arslan took in a deep breath and leaned back in her seat, thinking over the various options for them. "Well… the most logical step forward would be to transfer." She crossed her arms in contemplation. "And man, our options sure are interesting. We got the desert, a freezing cold continent, and Beacon, which is in a pretty sorry state itself."

Nora suddenly zipped up and nudged Arslan in the shoulder. "Aw, c'mon, Beacon ain't SO bad! I mean, it'll be back open in a couple months, so that means you guys would have plenty of time to make the transfer!"

"She's right." Ren concurred. "And considering you were in the same place as us in terms of lessons when Beacon was attacked, it will probably be a better transition."

"Plus, now that you are all in on the secret, it'd probably make the most sense for you to all be at Beacon anyway." Pyrrha suggested. "After all, we may need your help in the future."

"They all make good points, Arslan." Bolin agreed. "It'd be easier than just being thrust right back into our classes upon arrival to either Atlas or Vacuo, plus, we could help out with the reconstruction efforts as well."

After thinking it over for a few more moments, Arslan smiled and let out a chuckle. "Heh, alright, Beacon it is." She sent her gaze over to her teammates and smirked. "Back your bags, guys, we're gonna be leavin' soon."

Penny leapt up and lifted her arms into the air. "Sensational news!" She whipped around to Ironwood and gave him a salute. "General, permission to transfer to Beacon Academy as well? I know that you said you wanted me to always be close to Atlas, but I think that has all gone out the window, wouldn't you say?"

This took the general aback a bit, but in the next second, he smiled and let out a sigh. "Hah, why did I have a feeling you were going to ask me that?" He saluted back to her. "Well Penny, seeing how much you've bonded with this team, it'd be criminal of me to say no. I'll get the transfer forms ready." As Penny began celebrating, Ironwood shifted his eyes down to Ilia as well. "And Ilia, you said that Glynda gave you some entry forms as well?"

"Y-Yes, she did." Ilia nodded. "Of course, I haven't filled them out yet, but… you know, I think I will." The chameleon girl gave a resolute nod. "Yeah, you know, with all that's happened in the last few days, I think it'd be really benefit me to be at a place like Beacon."

"HUZZAH!" Penny exclaimed as she picked Ilia up and hugged her with all her might. "Ooh! OOH! Do you think you and I could be on the same team, Ilia?"

Ilia choked out her response; "Heh… yeah, sure, Penny. Now could I please have my lungs back before I die?" The android happily obliged, letting Ilia go. "Thank you. You know, it's hard to believe that I used to feel such distain toward Huntsmen back with the White Fang. Now here I am on the road to try and _be_ one."

From the back of the room, Professor Paradox came up and added in his two cents; "It's as they say; life is like a river, you never know where it's going to take you. And for you all, it seems that life's river has taken you down quite the interesting path." He took out his pocket watch and looked at the time. "Oh, but here's me going on again when I have a place to be back in my home universe."

Oscar's expression became visibly disappointed. "Oh, you're leaving again, Professor?"

"For now, yes, but I have a feeling you'll all be seeing me fairly soon." Paradox gave the wave out to the whole room. "For now, though, I really must be off. Farewell for now, everyone. And Oscar, take care." After a round of goodbyes from everyone else, Professor Paradox disappeared in a flash of light, leaving everyone else to continue their conversation.

"So, does he ALWAYS make an exit like that?" Arslan asked.

"Pretty much." Kevin confirmed. "But hey, he's getting better. This is the _second_ time he left without giving us any vague hints to the future, so that's a plus." Just then, a knock came at the door, putting pretty much everyone on high alert. Gwen grabbed the Relic of Knowledge while Kevin absorbed the wood of the coffee table, just in case. "I'll get it." The Osmosian walked up cautiously toward the door and peeked through the peep hole… only to relax the very next moment. "At ease, everyone. It's the guys."

Kevin opened the door and was greeted by Ben, Yang, Ruby, Weiss and Rex on the other side, the hero being the first to greet them. "Hey guys!" He nudged his head toward Team ABRN. "So, is everyone here all caught up?"

"Sure are." Reese said as she, her team, and everyone else stood up, the whole group making their way outside. "Every last, weird detail. Say, where's Blake and the boys?"

Yang jabbed a thumb over her shoulder. "Oh, they're comin'. They're just… haulin' some heavy cargo." The blonde turned around and everyone followed her line of sight, just in time to see Blake and Team SSSN come strolling down the road. Oddly enough, the cat girl was holding her stomach while Sun and Neptune were… pulling a whole cart full of fish.

Gwen blinked in astonishment as the five finally made it to the house. "…To quote Matthew Broderick; "That's a lot of fish"."

"No kidding." Arslan agreed before her eyes bugged out, having caught sight of Sage among the group. She made to side-step behind Reese… only for her to side-step as well. "Reese! Seriously?!"

"Nah-ah, I'm not lettin' you run away from this." Reese denied. "Besides, he's already waving at you with a dopey grin on his face." Arslan's eyes widened and she whipped her head around, seeing that Sage was indeed waving to her with a bit of a nervous smile. A blush came to the blonde warrior's face and she waved back, wearing her own awkward smile. Reese smiled and nodded. "My work here is done."

Raven and Vernal approached the massive cart full of fish, the latter plugging her nose the moment she got close. The Spring Maiden raised a brow at Blake, eyeing the girl's clenched stomach. "So… I take it that whatever you did to get that much fish was worth it?"

"You bet!" Blake grinned, placing a hand onto the cart for emphasis. "My abdomen is KILLING me right now, but I managed to get a pretty sweet deal on these babies."

"Pew, you can smell it from a mile away, kitty cat." Vernal commented.

Weiss rolled her eyes as she plugged her nose again as well. "Tell me about it."

Ironwood cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Alright, well, if we're all done in Mistral, I think it's safe to say we can go home?"

Blake gave him a nod. "Yes, yes we can. I'm really eager to see my mom and my puppy right now, so let's get a move on."

"Sounds good to me." Ben said before going over and offering a handshake to Arslan. "It was really cool meeting you and your team, Arslan. Hope we get to work together again in the future."

"Oh, trust me, guys, you haven't seen the last of us." Arslan assured as she returned the handshake.

Reese pumped a fist and got right up in Rex's grill. "Yeah, besides, YOU still owe me a race!"

A determined glint appeared in Rex's eye and he bumped Reese's fist. "Heh, you can count on that, Reese. We'll set somethin' up soon, 'kay?" With that, the two parted ways, unaware that a certain heiress was watching the scene with narrowed eyes.

Just as Raven sliced open a portal back to Patch, Sun sighed and let go of the cart's handle, with Neptune doing the same. The two walked over to Sage and Scarlet and enveloped their friends in a hug respectively. "Well dudes, it's been fun, but we gotta get back to Vale."

Neptune wore a guilty expression. "We'll probably be leaving for Ben's world in the next couple days, so…"

"No worries, man." Sage assured. "We'll be sure to see you guys off."

"Now that Haven's pretty much wrecked from the inside out, I suppose we now have a pretty good excuse to transfer to Beacon." Scarlet mused. "Guess we just have to hope that things can only go uphill over there after what happened, huh?"

Sun pat them both on the shoulder and gave out a little laugh. "Heh, yeah, guess so."

"Boys! Blake!" The group moved their eyes to Raven, the Spring Maiden still standing by her portal after everyone else had went through. "We're all waiting on you. C'mon, let's go home."

The monkey boy sent her a salute. "Don't worry, we're just… saying our goodbyes." Sun and Neptune went back over to the cart and picked up the handle, ready to bring it through the portal with them. But before doing so, the duo looked at their teammates, Team ABRN, and then finally, they craned their heads up at the mountain city itself, smiling fondly as they reflected on their time there. "So long, Mistral." Sun muttered.

"And thanks for all the fish!" Blake added as she and the others made their way through the portal, the red and black vortex closing behind them.

Once they were all gone, Scarlet let out a sigh. "Well, shall we get started on those transfer forms?"

"Yeah, and we'd better spread the word to the other students about what happened." Arslan added. "Something tells me they're not gonna be too thrilled when they hear about this."

Sage shook his head. "No, no they won't. O-Oh, by the way…" He faced Arslan and put a hand behind his head nervously. "Thanks for going up there to help 'em out. And sorry that I couldn't give more of an explanation to what was goin' on. I honestly thought you would've just called me crazy and ignored me if I told you the whole truth."

"Hehe, no problem." Arslan replied, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "But hey, give yourself more credit. I wouldn't have called ya "crazy"."

Sage's eyes widened at that. "Y-You wouldn't?"

"Nah, I think "insane" would be a better word after what they just told me."

The green-haired boy put a hand to his chest with a faux-disheartened face. "Oh, DAMN, girl. That hurt!"

Arslan rolled her eyes and gave him a light shove to the shoulder. "Oh, you know what I mean, leaf head!" As the two continued to go back and forth, Scarlet and Reese gave each other a fist bump behind them, the duo wearing a similar knowing smirk.

* * *

"I still think we should have killed her." Cinder mumbled, the Fall Maiden now disguised in the woman's clothes, keeping her head low and hood up. She and Rojo were currently making their way down a busy street in one of Mistral's lower levels, working their way through the crowd as they searched for a means of escape from the city. "When she wakes up, you know she's going to call the police, right?" Cinder continued. "Why spare her if—"

"She had a picture of her family in her wallet." Rojo answered without facing Cinder, taking the young woman by surprise. "I might be evil, but I'm not heartless, Cindy. Speakin' as someone who never really had one, I can't have ruining some random girl's family on my conscience. Now if it's someone I hate like _Tennyson_ , then that's alright by me."

Cinder pursed her lips and lowered her head down, thinking over what Rojo had just told her. "Never had a family, huh? Well… I suppose that's something we can relate to."

Rojo fell in step with Cinder and placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling down at her. "Good to hear, but let's save that for later, huh? Right now, we need to find a way out of this dump."

"Right, now where do you suppose we can actually FIND an airship in this place?"

"Maybe not here," Rojo jabbed her thumb down a nearby alleyway, "but I think I see a couple of people who might know…" She and Cinder craned their heads over to see two young men talking to themselves in the alley, both standing near a printed image on a wall. It was that of a large spider against a web, and both of the men had the same image tattooed on their arms. "Somethin' tells me they ain't part of a cult worshipping Spider-Man. If anybody's gonna know where to get a ride outta the city, it's the local gangs."

"Smart thinking." Cinder agreed. "Also, who is this "Spider-Man"?"

"Exactly. C'mon, let's go." The two women strolled down into the alley, sneaking up behind the two boys as quietly as they could. Once they were in a good position, Rojo suddenly rushed forward, making the two men whip around. However, they barely had time to do anything before Rojo slammed her hands into their heads and forced them against the wall, with Cinder coming up to ignite her hands near their throats. "Hello, boys. Think you can let a couple nice ladies know where they can get a ship outta this dump?"

"W-Well, yes, but at the same time, no." One of the men answered, only for Cinder to increase the intensity of her flames. "AH! W-We swear! We can't give out that kind of info!"

"Y-Yeah, we're just the info _gatherers_!" The other man shouted. "If you want the info you're looking for, you'll have to see our boss… Lil' Miss Malachite."

Rojo smirked at that. "Ah, good boys. And where IS this "Lil' Miss"?"

"Not far from here." The first man answered. "W-We can lead you right to her. …But if you want this kinda info _this_ badly, it'll cost ya a pretty penny with her."

Cinder narrowed her eyes. "That woman only had a few Lien cards on her. We'll never get the information we want with that."

Rojo removed her hands and let the two men drop to the floor, crossing her arms with a chuckle. "Hehe, don't worry, Cindy, I'm on top of this." She pointed down to the two men, with fear still in their eyes. "You two, lead the way, but make sure to stay a good distance in front of us." She shifted her eyes over to the Fall Maiden. "And Cindy… how's your pickpocketing skills?" The question made Cinder smile in a devilishly eager way, which was all the answer Rojo needed.

After a few minutes of walking and pickpocketing random people in the crowded streets, the four finally made it to a secluded bar, with the two men going in first. One of them turned back to Cinder and Rojo, raising his hand. "Just to warn ya, Lil' Miss ain't exactly an easy lady to wheel and deal with. I hope you've stolen enough dough to make it worth her while."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that." Cinder said as she held a small blue sack in her hands, something _else_ she had pickpocketed off of someone. "I believe your boss will appreciate the business we have to give her."

"Heh, suit yourself. Good luck." With that, the man opened up the curtain and walked into the bar with his friend, with Rojo and Cinder following suit. When they walked in, the duo saw what could only be described as a bunch of seedy people sitting at the many tables around them, each of them either talking or snickering as they shared information with one another.

Rojo was practically at home. "Ah, now THESE are my people!"

"Focus." Cinder whispered, craning her head toward the farthest table from them. "I believe that's her."

At the far end of the bar, the two ladies saw a blonde, middle-aged woman sitting at a table with two body guards; a mustachioed man with spiked shoulder pads and a woman with long, wild hair, both in matching purple outfits. The woman herself was quite beautiful and on the heavy-set side, wearing a white and purple frilly dress with no back and separate sleeves. She also had a purple corset and a long, pleaded skirt with multiple layers that matched the overall outfit, along with a yellow layer on top to match her hair. On her left shoulder, she wore the same tattoo that everyone else in the bar had; a spider on a web. In front of her was a rather delicious-looking dessert that she was about to dig into, while to her right was an ash tray with a cigarette propped on the side, indicating that she had been smoking not too long ago.

However, before she could dig into her meal, Lil' Miss Malachite noticed Cinder and Rojo approaching her. "That's far enough." she said in a deep southern accent, prompting her two body guards to step in front of the table to ward off the duo.

"Woah, woah, don't worry there, ma'am." Rojo reassured. "We're payin' customers." She nudged her head to Cinder. "Show her what we got."

Cinder complied and took out the little blue bag, tossing it onto the table and letting the Lien cards strew about. THIS got Lil' Miss Malachite's attention. She smiled to the two ladies and nodded. "Okay."

The duo obliged and took a seat… only for Rojo to panic the moment Cinder started talking. "So, _you're_ Lil' Miss Malachite?"

' _SHIT, Cindy!'_ Rojo screamed in her head. _'You're gonna get us KILLED talking like that!'_

Lil' Miss Malachite raised an eyebrow and unfolded her fan, waving it near her face. " _I'm_ Lil' Miss Gon'-Skin-You-Alive if you ever take that tongue with me again."

Rojo quickly put her hands to Cinder's shoulders and laughed nervously. "Hehe, uh, sorry 'bout my partner, ma'am. Th-This is her first time dealing in an organization like this, hehe."

"I see." Miss Malachite moved her eyes down to the Lien in front of her and smiled at the two women. "Looks like your life savings."

"It was somebody's." Cinder remarked with a smirk.

Fortunately, Miss Malachite seemed to like what she heard. "Hmm, cute!" But then her face turned serious as she closed her fan. "Whaddya girls want for it?"

"Ahem, we're actually searching for some easy transport out of the city by air." Rojo explained. "See, we were _backstabbed_ by one of our "associates". Now we're on the run and we gotta get back to our boss as soon as possible before he tries to backstab HER too."

Miss Malachite nodded in understanding. "Ah, I see. Well, hon, you came to the right place" Just then, a loud noise erupted from behind Cinder and Rojo, prompting them both to whip around to see that it was just another person entering the bar, greeting his friends. "Hmhm! Pretty jumpy today, are we?" Malachite laughed, bringing the ladies attention back to her. "Ya'll must've gotten into some deep trouble to warrant THAT kinda reaction." She leaned forward and said; "You know, _I_ used to be afraid of _spiders_. Wanna know what I did about it?"

"Learn to kill them?" Cinder asked sarcastically, making Rojo's eye twitch.

"Oh no! The world _needs_ spiders." Lil' Miss Malachite smiled as she gestured around the bar. "I just make the spiders work for _me_."

Rojo smirked back at the woman, remembering all of the spider tattoos that everyone had. "Heh, you certainly put together a pretty strong organization here, Lil' Miss Malachite. If I didn't already have a pretty scary boss, I'd probably work for you in a heartbeat."

"How flatterin'." Miss Malachite grinned. "But I'm afraid that there IS a downside to this business. You see, my specialty is information gatherin', whether it's on people, transportation, or anythin' else. And unfortunately, sometimes there are people who are seekin' certain other people out…" She craned her head over to Cinder, raising an eyebrow at her. "Isn't that right… Cinder?"

Cinder's eyes widened and she shot up out of her seat, backing away from the table. "H-How did you—"

"Please, darlin', calm down." Miss Malachite said, raising a hand. "It's hard NOT to recognize your face with all the wanted posters around Mistral, even with a disguise like yours. Honestly, I'm quite surprised no one recognized you on the way ova'."

Rojo extended her hands to the crime boss. "Lil' Miss Malachite, please, we're not here for any trouble. We just want to get out of the city."

Miss Malachite chuckled and waved her hand. "Oh-ho, sugar, don't worry 'bout nothin'. I ain't 'bout to turn ya'll in, if that's what you're thinkin'. I would never do wrong by a customer unless they'd done wrong by _me_. However… when a customer has done wrong by _another_ customer… I'm afraid that's outta my hands."

"W-What do you mean?" Cinder questioned.

"You see, Miss Cinder Fall, I actually JUST had a customer in earlier today askin' about you…" Miss Malachite glanced up above the two women's heads. "And I'm afraid she's still here."

Just then, Cinder and Rojo heard the sound of creaking floor boards behind them, making them whip around once again. They moved their heads up toward the walkway above them… and Cinder was stunned by what she saw. "Wait…"

There, standing on the balcony railing… was a rather diminutive young woman. She was dressed in a white, wide-cropped, tailed jacket with a pink collar and cuffs at the ends of the sleeves, along with a pair of black gloves. Under this jacket was a brown corset that was curled so that it exposed her hips. Around her neck, she wore a multitude of beaded necklaces, all hanging loosely. Her lower half was donned in a pair of brown pants and long, white and black spat-styled boots that reached just below her knees.

However, it was her features that were the most interesting thing about her. She had long, two toned hair; half pink on the right side, and half brown on the left, with her primary pink bang having three white streaks through it. Her eyes were also heterochromatic, being the same color as her hair and on the same sides. She also wore minty green eye shadow, the only other bit of color that wasn't related to the primary trio she had on her. She held a pink umbrella in her hands, which she settled over her shoulders as she grinned down to Cinder sinisterly. The Fall Maiden couldn't believe who she was seeing…

" _Neo_?"

* * *

**A/N: "Whoa…" Okay, I HAD to make that reference. But HUZZAH! She's here, everyone! Neopolitan is finally hear! I think that pretty much covers all of the major RWBY characters from the first three or so Volumes to make a comeback in this story… aside from Roman, but we can pretty much rule him out. But of course, he lives on in Neo's wardrobe, which, as you know, is currently being neatened up via her illusions. The hat will be seen in the next chapter. And yeah, I changed things up so that it was Neo who got to Lil' Miss Malachite's first, but I wasn't about to let Cinder and Rojo squalor in Mistral for a week. But man, bit of a doozy for a clean-up chapter, huh? We got Team ABRN and Vernal being filled in on everything, Jaune showing off his new Semblance, AND we got to see Randolph again! And what a way to send a fun side-character off, huh? Though it doesn't seem like Gwen has told everyone else about her strange experience yet… perhaps she's saving it for a later time? We'll just have to wait and see. But huh, seems like Cinder's starting to reflect on all of her past mistakes. Perhaps she can begin to be a true team player and address all the things she did wrong? Well, maybe Neo will prove to be just the test she needs. Can she and Rojo convince her to cooperate?**

**Well, we'll just have to find out next time… ON THE STORY'S TWO-YEAR ANNIVERSARY! While Cinder and Rojo try and reign in Neo's anger, our heroes arrive back home, allowing the two new arrival to settle in… much to Tai's dismay. How can he refuse Raven's protégé and freaking** _**Ozpin** _ **of all people shelter? Meanwhile, in the Land of Darkness, Michael seems to be able to skirt by Salem's radar without much trouble… but how long will that truly last? Perhaps the witch knows more than she's willing to let on… Thanks for reading everyone and I'll see you all next time! Stay safe out there!**


	105. Neo World Order

**A/N: (Hey AO3 gang! Well I think this will do it for this batch of chapters for 11/18/20, and I can think of no better one to end it with! That said, I'm gonna let this Author's Note straight from the archive do the rest of the talking. See you all tomorrow!)**

**Hello, everyone! Welcome back to the story, where IT'S OUR TWO-YEAR ANNIVERSARY! And man, do I have quite the chapter lined up for you all today, everyone. As you might recall, last time, we ended things off on a cliffhanger as our favorite ice-cream themed girl made her debut! And now, we bring you the conclusion to that cliffhanger today! No point in wasting time here, so let's do this! Happy Anniversary, guys. This is…**

**Chapter 105: Neo World Order**

* * *

Tai hadn't been home from Signal for two minutes before a familiar black and red portal opened up behind him. He stopped just as he was about to climb up the steps of his porch and did an about face, crossing his arms with a grin. He was wondering why things seemed a bit quieter than usual, and now he had his answer. "Heh, guess Raven took the kids on a little field trip." But right as he said that, he was surprised when none other than his brother-in-law and General Ironwood were the first to step out. "Qrow?! Jim?! W-What the heck are you doing here?! I thought you were in—" But then Tai cut himself off, realizing what must've happened. "You called the team to Mistral, didn't you?"

"Exactly right." Ironwood nodded. "I take it Raven didn't tell you about it?"

"No, I… wasn't home at the time." Tai raised a brow over to Qrow as the rest of the teens began filing through the portal. "So, how were things with Leo?"

Qrow signed and rubbed the back of his head. "Not so good. We—"

"ARF!" "ARF-ARF!" The drunken huntsman was cut off when, from around the side of the house, Romulus and Rema all but charged right toward the arriving group. As luck, or bad luck in his case, would have it, Qrow was the first one to get leapt upon by the wolf pups, the little canines jumping on his legs.

"Gah! Ugh, seriously?! Get offa me ya mangey—MUTTS!" With surprising energy, the pups jumped onto Qrow's chest, knocking him over so that they could lick his face. "Oh… how nice."

"Romulus!" Pyrrha called out as she came over and pulled her and Jaune's pup off of Qrow's chest. "No! Bad boy, you know better than that."

Jaune proceeded to do the same with Rema. "You too, Rema, _bad_. Also, where DID you guys come from?"

Their answer was soon presented to them when Athena and Kali both came running from the same direction that the pups came from, with Doctor Holiday walking at a leisurely pace close behind. "We're sorry!" Athena cried out as she and Kali came to a stop, both women panting a bit as they did. "We… we were playing in the backyard when the little ones got a little too rambunctious."

"That's putting it mildly." Holiday said as she stopped behind the two women. "The moment their training was over, they were wound and ready to play."

"They must have smelled you the moment you came out of that portal." Kali added, sending the group a happy smile. "But it's good to see all of you back safe and sound! How was your time in Vale?"

From the back of the group, Gwen stepped forward proudly and lifted her hand up, revealing the Relic of Knowledge. "Well, you tell me."

Tai took in a sharp intake of breath, sputtering in disbelief. "I-Is that… the Relic of Knowledge?!"

"Sure is." Ben affirmed. "Managed to snag it before Salem's forces could."

Yang placed her hands behind her head. "No need to thank us. We'll just be happy to relax now that all the craziness is done with."

"Dad, you should've seen it!" Ruby shouted excitedly. "Everything was so intense! We fought Cinder and Rojo down in the Vault, and we almost ended up losing the relic to Darkstar, and—"

Tai placed a hand on his daughter's shoulders, stopping her from going any further. "Woah, woah, honey. Why don't we save this for the dinner table, huh? We'll have plenty of time to talk about what happened there."

Holiday's eyes widened as she stepped closer to examine the relic, her lips parting in awe. "This is amazing! So THIS is what Salem is after?"

"One of four of them, yes." Penny answered. "And she was quite determined to acquire _this_ one in particular today, that's for sure."

Athena let out a slight gasp. "W-Wait, you mean… they _actually_ attacked Haven?"

Kevin shrugged. "Yeah, turns out that Lionheart really WAS a traitor all along." He gestured over to Penny and Ilia. "Professor Paradox came and got us at Beacon and then we ended up in a big fight with 'em on the school grounds. I… may or may NOT have trashed a majority of the place."

"And I helped!" Nora said with a toothy grin.

Weiss stuck her head up proudly. "And _I_ managed to slay a Sphinx." She received a nudge in her side from Rex, the EVO smirking right down at her. "With an assist from Rex, of course."

"Hehe, it was all pretty _loco_." Rex chuckled. "But we managed to kick those bad guys to the curb in the end… though Salem managed to snag Lionheart away from us."

Tai couldn't help but grimace at that. "Oh… god. I know he was a traitor, but… no one deserves whatever fate Salem has instore for him."

Weiss winced as well. "Well… we have pretty good reason to believe that Animo wants to change Professor Lionheart into another mutant, so… yeah, that's pretty bad."

"Oh, well, okay, it's not AS bad as I thought it was gonna be, then."

"DAD!" Ruby and Yang shouted at the same time.

"What?!" Tai said defensively. "You both know that Salem would've done something ten times worse to him!"

Pyrrha rolled her eyes and placed a reassuring hand on her mother's shoulder. "The point is; it's all okay, mother. As you can see, all of us made it back safe… though not all of us went unharmed…" Pyrrha's eyes moved over to Ren, who was decidedly standing in a way that hid his stained clothes. "Ren, care to show my mother what happened?"

"I, um, rather not?" Ren said hesitantly, only for Nora to grab him by the shoulders.

"Wrong answer, Renny!" The Pink Dynamo moved the green ninja around, revealing the new hole and the large bloodstain that caked Ren's jacket. "See, THIS is what happens when he tries to be valiant for me."

Athena let out a small shriek, with Kali, Tai and Holiday gasping in shock. The Mistralian Huntress surged forward and began fussing over the hole, searching for some kind of bandage or wound. "R-Ren! What happened?!"

"Miss Nikos, please, calm down." Ren assured. "I'm fine now."

"FINE?!" Tai shouted. "Kid, I've been in enough fights to know that THAT ain't "fine".

"He's right, Ren." Holiday nodded. "That hole has to be at _least_ three inches wide! And judging from the blood on your jacket alone, you must have lost quite a bit of blood…" The doctor furrowed her brows in scrutiny. "For that matter, how in the world are you even still _standing_?"

It was then that Athena's eyes widened when she found… absolutely no wound. Just a small scar where one had healed up. "Because… there isn't any wound."

Ren smiled and let out a laugh. "Well, like I said, I'm fine. Yes, the wound WAS pretty bad…" He shifted his eyes over to Jaune and gave him smile. "But thankfully… someone was able to unlock their Semblance and help me."

This news got Tai, Holiday, and especially Athena to start gawking at Jaune, the redheaded woman's face slowing breaking out into a wide grin. "Hehe… surprise!" Jaune chuckled.

"AAAH!" Athena belted out a joyous shout before enveloping Jaune in a soul-crushing hug. "AH! Jaune, I cannot believe this! You finally unlocked your Semblance! Oh, I am just so PROUD of you!"

"Thank you, Athena." Jaune managed to muffle out through the hug as air began to leave his lungs.

Thankfully, Pyrrha stepped in, putting a hand on her mother's arm to loosen her grip. "Yes, mother, we're ALL very proud of him." The Invincible Girl nudged a head to her boyfriend, his eyes now spinning. "But do you think we could allow him to breath? No use in unlocking a Semblance if he's unconscious."

"O-Oh! Right, silly me!" Athena backed away from Jaune, allowing him to breathe again. "But this news is all SO exciting!" She placed her hands on her hips and smiled down to Jaune. "I cannot wait to see this new Semblance of yours in action! What is it, exactly?"

"Well… it's an Aura Amp, for lack of better description" Jaune answered. "It's basically what it sounds like; I amplify an Aura's effects using my own. And before you ask, I have a LOT of Aura, so it doesn't have a lot of side-effects on me… at least not that I know of yet."

Athena put a hand to her chin. "Hm, I see! Well then, we'll just have to see what your Semblance's limits are with training! Tomorrow morning, right as we usually do." The woman sighed as a sad smile appeared on her face. "In fact, it might be the one of the last times we ever have a training session here."

Nora's hands went to her face in realization. "Oh. My. Gosh! You're right! We leave pretty soon so we'd better make this training session count!"

"Oh dang, yeah, Athena has a point." Ben concurred, facing out toward the group. "Tomorrow, let's make this next training session worth our while, alright?" He got a loud cheer in response, everyone in complete agreement.

Kali smiled and let out a laugh at their comradery. "Haha! Well, it's good to see that you kids haven't lost your spirit, even with all that's happened." However, the cat woman's eyes widened when she realized that her daughter was nowhere to be seen, and the portal was still open. She moved her eyes over to Ilia and tilted her head. "Um, Ilia? Where's Blake? And what about Sun and Neptune?"

"That's… actually a good question." Ilia said before hearing Raven come through the portal, the woman being accompanied by Oscar and Vernal. "Hey Raven, are Blake and the boys coming?"

Raven sent her a single wave. "They are, they're just saying their last goodbyes." It was then that the Spring Maiden noticed Tai standing not too far away from her, to which she gave a small smile. "Why hello, Mr. Xiao Long."

Tai returned the smile and stepped over to her, putting an arm over her shoulders to give her a hug. "And good evening to you too, Miss Branwen. How was your little field trip with the children today?"

"Eventful, to say the least…" But Raven trailed off when she saw her brother and Ironwood staring at them, which made her furrow her brows. " _What_? Is this _really_ coming off as a shock after I _told_ you already?"

"Nah, just… kind surreal." Qrow admitted. "I really never thought I'd see this day."

Ironwood quickly agreed. "That goes double for me. I really thought things were permanently over between you two."

"You'd be surprised what can happen." Tai said with a wink. "Let's just say we're taking things slow this time. No pressure to get to anything big yet."

At that moment, Blake stepped through the portal, the cat girl spotting her mom the second she came out. "Mom!"

"Blake!" Kali came forward and enveloped her daughter in a hug. "Oh, welcome home, sweetheart."

"Hehe, thanks." Blake kissed her mother on the cheek before pulling away from her. But then, the sound of excited barking caught her attention and she whipped around, beaming in delight as Rema came sprinting up and jumped into her arms. "Haha! Oh, my baby girl! How are you?!" Rema licked Blake's face in response. "Oh, were you good for grandma today?"

"Yes, she was!" Kali said as she pet Rema on the head. "Athena and I had an excellent time with them. We did some training, then some playing, and when her brother smelled Jaune and Pyrrha, they both came running out here as fast as their legs could carry them!" However, it was then that Kali's nose caught a whiff of something; a scent that was all too familiar to her… and it was coming from her daughter. "Oh, Blake, you smell… like fish? Sweetheart, why do you smell so delicious?"

Blake smiled cheekily and giggled a bit. "Hehe, well mom, let's just say that I got a PRETTY great deal in Mistral…" She eyed the portal just as Sun and Neptune came out of it, the duo pulling the cart along behind them as the vortex finally closed.

"Hey, Mrs. B!" Sun called out.

"Check out what we came back with!" Neptune added.

Kali let out a gasp and covered her mouth… and much to her shame, she could already feel herself salivating at the MOUNTAIN of fish in the cart. "B-Boys! W-What IS all this?!"

"I bought _these_ babies back in Mistral." Blake answered proudly, stepping over to the cart with Rema still in hand. "A kindly fishmonger was able to give me a pretty sweet deal on 'em… and all it cost me was some pain in my abdomen." Kali wore a perplexed expression at that, to which Blake waved her off. "Long story, don't ask. Point is, there's enough here for everyone here, plus dad and Sienna when they get here tomorrow." The cat girl then caught Rema sniffing at the fish as well, to which Blake lightly batted her nose away. "Yes, Rema, you too, but not yet, okay?"

"Well, Blake, I must say, I'm very impressed." Kali said with a grin. "I'm sure that these fish will make a VERY fine meal…" She looked back over her shoulder to her gracious host. "Wouldn't you say so, Tai?"

"Heh, well, I definitely know what we're eating tonight, Kali, that's for sure." Tai chuckled. But then, his eyes trailed over to Vernal and Oscar, the two new arrivals standing awkwardly to the side. Tai deadpanned at this before craning his head back to Raven. "…Please tell me this isn't what it looks like."

Raven's brow furrowed and she gave Tai a light nudge in the rips. "Suck it up, buttercup, these two are VIPs." She gestured over to Vernal first. "Tai, this is Vernal, my protégé that I told you about. Vernal, this is Tai. He's a bit of a goofball, but you get used to it."

Vernal slowly raised her hand for a wave. "Uh… hello, Mr. Xiao Long. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Tai replied before quirking a brow at her. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but… I thought you were leading the Branwen Tribe in Raven's place. So, what're you doing here now?"

Raven placed a hand on Vernal's shoulder. "Unfortunately, she was captured by Salem's forces and used as ransom against us. As such, she is to get a shower immediately and a good bed to sleep in."

Yang came up and jabbed her dad's arm. "Yeah, dad. I don't care if she has to sleep in MY room, she's GOING to be staying here for a little while."

" _Please_ , dad?" Ruby interjected, taking a hold of her father's hand while giving him puppy-dog eyes and a small pout, complete with a quivering lower lip. "It's the least you after all she's been through."

Glancing between his daughters, Tai let out a sigh and relented. "Alright, she can stay, but she's YOUR responsibility, understand?"

Ruby and Yang gave him a salute. "Understood!" they said at the same time before Yang took Vernal by the hand and began leading her inside. "C'mon, Vee, I'll show you where the bathrooms are."

"Uh, thanks?" Vernal said as she was dragged inside.

Tai shook his head as he watched the two girls head in, scratching at his hair a bit. "Well, I'll only have to deal with a full house for a couple more days at least…" His eyes then shifted back down to Oscar, the young farm boy's presence serving to REALLY confuse Tai at that point. "And what about you, kid? Any important relations to anyone here?"

"U-Um, well, hehe, that's actually kind of a funny story." Oscar chuckled. "First off, my name's Oscar Pine. And while you may not know who _I_ am… you probably know the voice inside my head."

The blonde man stared at Oscar for a good while before going back to Raven. "Should I call the psychiatric ward?"

Raven facepalmed and shook her head. "Ugh, no, no, it's… it's complicated." The Spring Maiden waved her hand at Oscar. "Have the idiot in there speak to Tai, okay? It's the only way we'll ever convince him that it's you."

Tai furrowed his brows at that. "W-Wait, what do you—" But it was then that he noticed Oscar's eyes flash bright yellow, garnering his attention. The farm boy took in a breath before reaching behind him, unclipping the Long Memory from his belt before extending it down toward the ground, much to Tai's shock. _'That… that cane. N-No, it couldn't be…'_

"Hello, Taiyang." Ozpin greeted with an echo in his voice. "It has been quite a while, hasn't it?"

The Xiao Long patriarch's eyes widened, almost bulging out of his head at what he just heard. "O- Oz?" he managed to mutter out before his eyes rolled into the back of his head, his body falling to the ground as he fainted.

"DAD!" Ruby shouted, with both her and Raven moving to his side instantly. "Ah, man, seriously?! AGAIN?!"

Raven grimaced up to Ozpin. "Gee, thanks, you BROKE him!"

"To be honest, I had a feeling this would probably happen." Ozpin said with a slight shrug. "Tai has always had a bit of a problem when it comes to overwhelming information. I think he did the same thing when I told your team about Salem for the first time, remember?"

"Not that point!" Raven snapped before hefting Tai up and draping his arm over her shoulder. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to take him in."

"I'll help." Ruby offered, putting Tai's other arm over her shoulders. "Let's get him to the living room."

As Ruby and Raven left with Tai in their care, that left Ozpin out in the front yard… with Kali, Athena and Doctor Holiday still staring at him. "I… suppose this requires some form of explanation."

"You're darn right." Holiday affirmed, putting a hand to her head. "Because this might be even a little out of MY league."

But before any of that could happen, the front door opened again, with Winter and Grandpa Max rushing out to meet the group. "I _thought_ I heard a commotion going on out here." Winter said, making her way toward Weiss. "I saw Yang dragging a stranger to the bathroom and was just left utterly confused. Good to see you're all back."

"Winter!" Weiss ran up to her sister and began recounting what had happened. "You will NOT believe the day we've had! Salem's forces attacked Haven Academy and, get this; I defeated a Sphinx!"

The elder Schnee's eyes widened at that, a small gasp escaping from her lips. "They did? …Wait, you DID?!"

Rex raised a hand, the EVO popping up behind Weiss. "Yep, and I helped!"

"That's excellent news!" Winter smiled. "And I take it that you all won the day as well?"

"Sure did." Gwen confirmed, holding up the Relic of Knowledge for her to see. "Take a gander, Winter."

Winter's lips parted in amazement and she even let out a small laugh. "Hah, oh my goodness. Gwendolyn, you all MUST tell me everything that happened today! I—" It was then that she noticed General Ironwood out of the corner of her eye, to which she immediately stood at attention and saluted him. "Sir! Forgive me, I did not see you there. It is good to see you, sir."

While Ironwood saluted her back, he also wore a smirk while doing so. "Thank you, Winter, but… you're off duty. At ease and go back to your business."

"Oh… right." Winter bowed her head respectfully. "Thank you, sir." She faced Gwen and Weiss once more and gestured toward the house. "Well, shall we get started? I'm sure you all have a lot to tell us about."

"We sure do." Weiss affirmed as she and everyone else began to head inside.

However, two people remained outside while everyone filed in; Ben and Max. The old Plumber had intentionally stepped in front of Ben to keep him from going in, much to the hero's confusion. But just as they were left by themselves, Max chuckled and went up to his grandson, giving him a loving hug. "Hehe, welcome home, Ben. So, I suppose you gave Salem and her cronies a good what-for, eh?"

"Heh… yeah, grandpa." Ben said with a small smile of his own, hugging the old man back. "We sure did."

Max raised an eyebrow at his grandson. "Hm, well, you don't seem all that excited about that, now do you? A penny for your thoughts?"

Ben smirked and snickered at that. "Be careful who you say that around, grandpa. A certain robo-girl might get the wrong idea." The two shared a small laughed before Ben's smile disappeared, his face becoming more serious. "It's just that… Salem said that she would have a third strike against us… and then she'd be done holding back. I have a feeling that this was her last warning."

"I see." Max nodded. "So you're concerned about what she might throw at you all next."

The Omnitrix bearer crossed his arms and lowered his head, pondering on the current situation. "…Yeah. If I'm being honest, I know that I've probably faced worse threats before. Vilgax, Daigon, the Hybreed, Malware and Albedo, they've been some of the greatest challenges that I've had to overcome. And while I've only faced Salem once, I could tell just from what she did that she's got a lot of power…"

"…But?" Max urged.

Ben sighed and craned his head up, facing the sky. "We still don't know just how MUCH power she has. I couldn't exactly gauge it from my brief fight with her, but judging by how she threw Humungousaur away like he was nothing and then drained his energy out of the Omnitrix, I think it's safe to say she's VERY powerful."

Max furrowed his brow. "Are we talking Vilgax-level powerful here?"

"I still can't say." Ben shook his head. "With all the abilities that Vilgax has had over the years, it's pretty hard to compare him to anyone else. But Salem might be pretty close. She's definitely more powerful that Hex and Charmcaster combined, that's for sure."

With a bit of a nod, Max stepped closer to Ben, putting a hand on his grandson's shoulder. "Ben, I'm going to be one-hundred percent honest with you… facing off against evil witches is way out of my ball park."

The young hero smiled and gave a shrug. "Hey, you did pretty good whenever we went up against Hex or Charmcaster during our summer vacation."

"Well, yes, but to the scale that Salem's at, I don't know if I could be much of a help." Max put his arm around Ben's shoulders. "But Ben, I know you have what it takes to lead this team to victory. You've more than proved that over these past few weeks. You, Gwen and Kevin have brought this team together in a way thats probably exceeded their own expectations." He then put a finger to his grandson's chest. "And ALL of you have something inside, Ben, something that will help you pull through in your darkest moments. And _that_ is what truly counts. So, if and when things start to seem their bleakest, dig deep and hang on to what you've got."

Ben smiled and quirked a brow. "Let me guess… hang on to each other?"

Max gave out another laugh and pat Ben on the shoulders. "Atta boy, you ARE learning." He then gave his grandson a knowing wink. "Of course, in your case, having quite the bombastic girlfriend helps out too."

"Grandpa!" Ben exclaimed.

"Hey, I'm just saying." Max shrugged. "You and Yang are quite the pair." He chortled as his grandson blushed before remembering something. "Oh, and by the way, Cooper and Team CFVY swung by while you were away. They wanted to borrow some DVDs, so I told them they could."

The hero's blush subsided and he gave Max a nod. "Oh, that's fine. Which ones did they take?"

"Well, Cooper was after a certain show in particular… something called "Reset", I think?"

Ben smirked and laughed a little. "Heh, I think you mean "ReBoot", grandpa." In his mind, Ben thought to himself; _'And why am I not surprised that Cooper would go directly for that show?'_

But Max was only left confused. "…Aren't those the same thing?"

Ben was about to retort when he heard his girlfriend call out to him; "Hey, Green Boy! Mr. Tennyson!" The hero and his grandfather turned toward the door to see Yang waving at them, the blonde making her way out toward the two. She wrapped her arm around Ben with an inquisitive face. "What're ya still doin' out here? Everyone's waiting on you guys, ya know."

The two Tennyson's glanced at each other before going back to Yang, with Ben giving out a small laugh. "Heh, we were just talking about something, Goldie Locks. We were actually just about to head in."

"Great! Because lemme tell ya, my dad's awake and he's _flipping_ out about Oz." Yang giggled a bit as the trio made their way to the door. "And trust me, when he gets goin' like this, it's hard to get him to settle down." The three all shared a short laugh before Ben gave his grandfather a brief look, the hero giving him a silent nod of gratitude, which Max happily returned.

* * *

" _Neo_?" Cinder couldn't believe it. Standing in front of her on the banister was none other than Neopolitan, the mute underling of Roman Torchwick. The last time she had seen the girl, it had been at the Battle of Beacon, and if memory served, Roman had been eaten by a Griffon. She admittedly didn't think much of Neo after that day, writing her off as having been one of the casualties since she hadn't popped up since then. But there she was, with her pink and brown eyes focused directly onto her. _'How did she even GET to Mistral?!'_ the Fall Maiden thought to herself.

Behind her, Rojo whipped around in her seat, facing Lil' Miss Malachite once more. "What's going on here?! I thought we had a deal!"

"We do, darlin'." Miss Malachite assured. "But I make deals with _everybody_ , and I promised Miss Neopolitan that I would speak up if I found Cinder… I just didn't expect _her_ to come to _me_." She wore a devilish grin as she went on. "But, provided those two can settle their business, perhaps we can continue our own, wouldn't you say?" Miss Malachite leaned over to one of her bodyguards and added; "Might wanna put away the good glasses."

Rojo's eyes widened at that and she spun back around, just in time to see Neo zero in on Cinder and jump off the walkway. The short girl flipped in midair and brought her umbrella down onto Cinder, who raised her arms to block the hit. However, just as Neo hit her, she suddenly shattered like glass before reappearing on Cinder's right, much to Rojo's confusion. "What the hell was that?!"

"Her Semblance—GAH!" Cinder shouted before getting rammed into by Neo, pushing her back several feet. "What are you _doing_?!" she demanded. Neo didn't give an answer, the girl simply flipping away before standing up and popping open her umbrella, resting it on her shoulder with a smirk. But in the next instant, Neo's smile disappeared and she closed her umbrella, using it to stab at Cinder's face. The Fall Maiden expertly bobbed away from the umbrella, but was forced back when Neo went for a kick. Neo then swung her umbrella once again before spinning around, flipping it down behind her to block a punch from Cinder.

The shorter girl then bashed the handle of her umbrella into Cinder's midsection before whipping it up into her face, making her stagger a bit. Neo opened her umbrella again to swing it at Cinder some more, but Cinder just flipped away from the attack. But when Neo jabbed her open umbrella at Cinder, the Fall Maiden simply crossed her arms and took the hit… which ended up pushing her back to Miss Malachite's table, almost hitting Rojo. "WOAH! Hey, Cindy, watch out!"

"Apologies!" Cinder spoke up, though the utterance of that word even made HER do a double take. Did she just _apologize_? _'I need to dwell on that later. Right now…'_ Cinder thrust herself away from the table and pushed Neo back. She gave out a yell and swung her arm down for a hit, only for Neo to block it with her umbrella. From there, Cinder let loose a flurry of kicks and punches, all of which Neo managed to either avoid or counter. All except for the last one, in which Cinder had gotten to her hands and propelled herself up, crashing her feet right into Neo's face.

Cinder landed on the nearby bar while Neo staggered a bit, though the shorter girl was able to quickly collect herself and flip up there as well. She opened her umbrella and floated gently down onto the bar, where she instantly found a bowl sitting by her feet. Using her umbrella, she knocked the bowl up into the air and smacked it straight to Cinder, though the Fall Maiden was able to break it easily with her bare hands. This process repeated again, only for Cinder to catch the bowl this time. Neo then closed the distance between them and the close quarters combat continued, with both girls moving across the bar.

Finally, Cinder was able to toss Neo off the bar… only for her to open her umbrella and float to a safe landing. Rojo's eyebrows rose up, impressed at the heterochromatic girl's skill. "Damn, how much can this girl take?!"

"We're about to find out!" Cinder growled, flipping off a chair and kicking down at Neo once again. The two began exchanging blows again, though when Neo blocked one kick in particular from Cinder, the Maiden took the opportunity to bring her leg down on Neo's shoulder, jump off of it, and land feet-first on the ceiling. Cinder then pushed herself back down, reeling back her fist for a fiery punch. However, the fist only _just_ brushed by Neo's face as she avoided it, with Cinder destroying nothing but a table. Cinder flipped herself up onto the banister above while Neo landed near the bar, both of them ready to keep going at it.

…But their fight was soon brought to a halt. "That's enough, ladies!" Lil' Miss Malachite ordered, garnering their attention. Her body guards were both pointing guns at them, which probably meant that if things started escalating anymore, they WOULD shoot. "I _love_ dinner and a show… but it's time to take it outside."

Cinder and Neo faced each other once again… before the latter jumped up and tackled the Fall Maiden through a second story window, taking Rojo utterly off-guard. However, her brows furrowed and she faced back to Miss Malachite, getting up from her seat while pointing a finger at her. "I don't know WHAT is going on, but I DO know that we ain't finished here, Lil' Miss."

"Oh, I don't doubt it, Rojo." Miss Malachite grinned. "Perhaps you can do somethin' to help those girls see eye to eye? I highly doubt it, but there's no harm in tryin'." Rojo pursed her lips and sprinted straight out the door, making her way out the door, hoping that she could put a stop to whatever the hell was going on. "Hmhm, they'll be back." Miss Malachite chuckled.

Meanwhile, outside of the bar, Cinder landed on her feet, only to see Neo come falling down in front of her. The moment she touched the ground, however, she shattered. Cinder smirked and gave out a snicker. "Hm, nice trick." She stood up to her full height and began strolling along the alley way, searching around for the shorter girl. "It seems that you've gotten stronger. And in such a short time, as well…" A fire ball ignited in her hand at that moment. "Well, guess what? So have I." She raised her arm and shot the fire ball out behind her, which made impact with Neo's spinning umbrella. Once the fireball was dispersed, though… Cinder was surprised to see that Neo was now in more tattered clothes… and what's more, she had donned a familiar bowler hat on her head.

It was then that Rojo came running out of the bar, her eyes finding Cinder immediately. "Cindy! What's going—huh?" Rojo shifted her eyes over to see Neo approaching them, a saddened look on her face as she raised her head to them. "Uh… okay, she wasn't wearing a hat before."

"No, she wasn't." Cinder confirmed. "That hat belongs to… an old acquaintance." The Maiden shook her head at Neo. "We don't have time for your misplaced blame, girl. _I_ didn't kill your boss and you know it. If you want revenge… take it up with _Little Red_."

Rojo couldn't help but be even MORE perplexed than before. "Hey, isn't that MY nickname for…" Her eyes darted over to Neo at that moment. "Wait, you have a thing against her TOO?!"

But it seemed like Neo wasn't in the mood for conversation, as she darted right for Cinder once again. In response, Cinder summoned two heated obsidian swords and began clashing with Neo and her umbrella, countering and parrying every hit against her. As they fought, Cinder grumbled at Neo's persistence, all while echoing what Rojo just said. "Didn't you hear her? You're _not_ the only one with a grudge against Ruby!"

With a determined face, Neo flipped her umbrella around and jabbed Cinder in the face with its handle… and while Cinder's first reaction was to incinerate Neo for such a move… she forced herself to be calm, keeping her anger from bubbling over. _'Be smart about this, Cinder. Don't overreact. Just get her to stop and see reason.'_ Cinder pointed her sword forward and activated her Maiden powers, summoning a massive whirlwind around her while shouting; "LISTEN!"

This managed to garner Neo's attention, though it also pushed her back by a few feet as well. Across from her, Cinder began rising up in her whirlwind, her arms raised and her eyes glowing with her Maiden powers. "We ALL have a certain someone who we want to get revenge on." Cinder explained, her eyes staring right through Neo. "So quit wasting your time fighting me, and let's discuss how we can BOTH get our revenge… together."

Neo didn't have to think for a second before she became at ease, holding her umbrella behind her back as a sign of acceptance. Cinder smiled and nodded in approval. "Okay, then. Let's talk." A she lowered to the ground, Cinder saw Neo give her a "really?" face before pointing to her mouth, the Fall Maiden quickly picking up on what she meant. "…Right."

Once all was said and done, Rojo was surprised quite a bit, while also proud to see that Cinder's face was relatively calm, all things considered. "Woah, nice way to bring a fight down, Cindy." Rojo commented as she stepped over to Neo, the girl's eyes meeting hers. "But uh… what's _her_ deal?"

"Her name is Neopolitan."

Rojo blinked. "Like… the ice cream?" Next to her, Neo rolled her eyes and gestured to her hair and outfit, which Rojo immediately picked up on. "Ah, right, okay then. Silly me. So, I take it that you two know each other?"

"Indeed." Cinder answered with Neo giving a silent nod. "We worked alongside her and her boss while infiltrating Beacon. To be honest, I had figured they both had perished in the battle… but here she is."

Neo's face faltered and she frowned, pulling off the bowler hat to put it close to her chest. Rojo noticed this and sent her a sympathetic face. "Oh… was that his?" Neo nodded sadly. "So… I'm guessing he didn't make it."

"No." Cinder shook her head. "Her boss, Roman Torchwick, was eaten by a Griffon during an altercation between them and Ruby. But Neo was lucky enough to survive."

Neo still kept her head down during all of this, her eyes laser focused onto the street. Rojo saw this and put a hand to her shoulder. "You and he must've had a special kinda bond, right?" Neo glanced off to the side at the question. "I get ya. Always hard losing someone ya look up to." Rojo's lips pursed in anger. "An' Little Red's the reason why you couldn't save him, right?" Neo's saddened features shifted to that of anger and she popped open her umbrella, mimicking being blown away by a gust of wind. "Yeah, that sucks big time, girl. I should know, I've got a bit of a grudge against Little Red myself."

"Agreed." Cinder spoke up, garnering their attention. "And let us not forget that damned Tennyson. And Michael as well." Neo quirked her brow and tilted her head, flipping Roman's hat back onto her head. "Ah, yes, you don't know about them. But we'll explain that later. Neo, if you wish to get your revenge on Ruby, then come with us. We're attempting to find a way back to the Land of Darkness after a rather… unfortunate set of circumstances involving a botched mission at Haven." Neo wore a cheeky smile and leaned up against her umbrella. "Don't give me that look. I'm offering you a position in our ranks here. If you truly want revenge on Ruby, then I suggest you join our cause. Salem probably won't let you kill Ruby right off the bat…" A devious smile came to Cinder's lips. "But I can probably convince her to let you and Rojo have her when she's done."

Neo tapped her chin, thinking it over for a little while before a smile came to her face. She extended her hand to Cinder, the Maiden grinning as she took it. "Excellent. Welcome aboard."

"Woo! Alright!" Rojo hooked her arms around Cinder and Neo's necks, taking both girls by surprise. "Look at us, a trio of misfit ladies who're out to kick ass and take names!" Neo wore an amused smile at that while Cinder rolled her eyes… though a subtle smirk belied that. "And we'll start off strong with Michael once we get back to Salem's castle!" At the mention of the energy vampire again, Neo's perplexed expression came back, to which Rojo pat her shoulder. "Ah, don't worry, Neo. Once I explain everything to you, you'll probably agree that this asshole has got a MAJOR ass kicking coming to him."

A small chuckle escaped Cinder's lips. "And I can't wait for that. But… I suppose we should get back to what we came here for in the first place." She nudged her head toward the bar and went back to the entrance, with Cinder and Neo on either side of her. The trio of women stepped through the doorway and Cinder announced; "We're back!"

At her table, Lil' Miss Malachite perked up, her bodyguards aiming their weapons at the three. But Miss Malachite was quick to wave them down. "Are ya now? Well, I hope you ladies were able to…" It was then that she took note of Neo's now damaged attire, which made her eyebrows raise up. "…Settle your differences. My word, that fight must've been intense."

"Not as much as you might think, actually." Rojo said as she sat back down across from Miss Malachite. "So… about our transport."

Miss Malachite's smile reappeared on her face. "Hm, well, a deal's a deal." She snapped her fingers and two of her followers began to move, going right to the door. "My people can lead you through a special back door to some of Mistral's finest airships. Ya'll can steal 'em from right under their noses if ya wait til nightfall."

Rojo narrowed her eyes at Miss Malachite. "And we're not gonna be experiencing any foul play, right?"

"Oh no, heaven forbid." Miss Malachite denied, gesturing to Cinder and Neo. "After the show these ladies put on for all of us this evenin', it'd be unjust to trick ya'll."

"Hm, alright then." Rojo nodded before Neo took out three more Lien cards and threw them onto Miss Malachite's table.

The crime boss raised a brow at them. "And these are for… what exactly?"

"For staying mum about this transaction." Rojo said with a wink. "We were never here."

Lil' Miss Malachite smiled and nodded her head. "Hmhm, understood. It's been a pleasure doin' business with ya'll. Now I suggest you leave now before you're found out." The three women quickly obliged and began to head out, though not before calling out to the redheaded bounty hunter. "Oh, and Rojo?" Rojo turned around and saw Miss Malachite wink to her. "If you do ever come back to town again… consider swingin' on by. I could use a big gal like you in my ranks. You'd make a great enforcer."

Rojo smirked back and gave her a salute. "Heh, much obliged, Lil' Miss." With that, she turned back and headed out the entry way, following Cinder, Neo and the two goons as they lead them to their airship out of Mistral.

* * *

"We are SO dead." Emerald said as Viktor opened the massive doors to Salem's castle, Evernight. The Transylian had contacted Salem in private on the ship ride over, and judging from his demeanor after the conversation, it was evident that Salem _wasn't_ happy. Emerald could only imagine what was in store for them the moment they saw the witch. She and Subdora were currently supporting Mercury on their shoulders as they walked into the main foyer, with Exo-Skull and Thunderhog falling in step behind her. Michael was hobbling along in front of them with Viktor leading the pack, keeping his gaze lowered toward the floor. "Once Salem sees us without the relic and _without_ Cinder and Rojo, we're all done for."

Exo-Skull rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I hate to say it, but there probably ain't no way we're comin' back from this."

"Another double negative, man." Thunderhog piped up, receiving a grumble from his best friend as a response. "But I gotta agree wit' cha. No way is Lady Salem lettin' us walk off scot-free from this."

Michael let out a hollow chuckle. "I wouldn't worry. We ARE her assets after all." He smirked and moved his gaze to Emerald and Mercury. "Then again… out of all of us here, I CAN think of two who would be the most disposable, especially without the two powerhouses in their corner."

"Shut your DAMN mouth!" Mercury erupted, his eyes becoming the size of peas in his anger. "If anything, YOU screwed up the most by going off on your own without telling anyone!"

The energy vampire growled as Subdora wore a smirk on her face. "He has a very good point, you _sciocco ignorante_. Who's to say Lady Salem won't punish _you_ the most?"

Michael's hands lit up with black energy, rounding about to them with righteous fury etched across his features. "I am one of her most powerful assets! It'd be foolish to get rid of ME!"

"ENOUGH!" Viktor bellowed, sending a massive bolt of purple light over the four bickering teammates' heads. Successfully stopping the fight before it could even begin, Viktor lowered his arm and growled at them. "How many times must I say it before enough _is_ enough?! What's done is done, and unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about it at the moment. We need to regroup, think of a new plan, and most importantly; start working like a cohesive unit!"

"I couldn't agree more, Viktor." Everyone's eyes widened as they moved their eyes toward the large staircase at the end of the foyer, seeing none other than Lady Salem at the top of the steps. Accompanying her were Doctor Animo and Doctor Watts, along with, surprisingly, Hazel. The large man's arm was in a sling while his shoulder was covered in bandages, though other than that, he seemed to not have any trouble moving around. "So… you have returned."

Salem and the three men descended the stairs as the away team stood at attention, with Viktor lowering himself to one knee. He lowered his head to her and put his right arm across his chest in respect. "Miss Salem… I apologize. We have failed."

"Indeed." Salem said before taking notice of the new stitches in Viktor's stomach. "And you are hurt." The witch then raised her head up to the six others behind him, her brows furrowed ever so slightly. The action was enough to send a chill through everyone in front of her, including Michael. Salem laced her hands together and addressed them. "But what I wish to know… is how you all failed so spectacularly."

There was a momentary pause, with everyone far too scared to speak up. However, feeling a surge of bravery flow through him, Exo-Skull stepped forward and took a knee, bowing to Salem as well. "Lady Salem… Tennyson was somehow able to find out how to disassemble our plans from the ground up. He—"

"Stop." Salem halted, unlacing her hands to press her palms together. "Let me rephrase the question; _who_ is responsible for your defeat?"

If everyone wasn't scared before, they certainly were now. Surprisingly enough, though, Viktor stood up in front of her, still keeping his head bowed. "I must take full responsibility for this loss, my lady. I was—"

"I do not blame you, Viktor." Salem interrupted, taking the Transylian off-guard. "After all, that wouldn't be fair, now would it?" She moved her head down to Exo-Skull in front of her, narrowing her eyes at the large man. "Now, let us try this again; Farkas, who was responsible for your failure?"

Skull swallowed hard, stammering out his response. "W-Well… considerin' they ain't here… Cinder and Rojo?"

Salem pursed her lips… almost as if she were not satisfied by the answer. However, she gave the rhino mutant a nod all the same. "…Indeed. Cinder and Rojo failed to retrieve the relic, and for that, they must remain isolated until they can redeem themselves."

This statement took everyone by surprise, Emerald and Mercury most of all. "Wait… you mean she's _alive_?" the silver-haired assassin muttered.

' _Thank the gods!'_ Emerald thought to herself.

Near the steps, Watts scoffed a little. "You're joking! How could you possibly know that?"

However, Animo shot him a warning glare. "Watts, my friend, I believe it best NOT to question our Mistress' judgement at this point in time." He pointed to the woman and Watts followed, now taking notice of the growing frustration on her face as she glanced to them over her shoulder.

Watts coughed into his hand and quickly apologized. "Oh, ahem, y-yes, of course. Forgive me."

Next to them, Hazel nodded his head. "Hm, I think we ALL know that Cinder and Rojo are both too stubborn to die so easily."

"That, I cannot deny." Salem concurred. "However, until they can prove themselves and learn from this defeat, they will have to fend for themselves. However, I believe there is another reason for your failure…" Her brows furrowed further as she craned her head toward Michael, glaring daggers at him. And, like a flip of a switch, Salem raised her voice. "Because I believe I also made it SPECIFICALLY clear to one of you that you were NOT to break from the group!"

She began approaching Michael briskly, making his blood run cold. The blonde immediately bowed to her and began pleading his case. "L-Lady Salem, please! I was only trying to keep Lionheart secure!"

" _I_ had Lionheart under control, Michael!" Salem pressed with a wave of her hand, making a portal appear beneath the energy vampire. All of a sudden, a whole slew of Grimm hands began appearing around him, gripping at him and bringing him down to his hands and knees as he screamed bloody murder. "But YOU went against my orders to stay within Viktor's sight!"

"I-I'm sorry! I will never do it again, Lady Salem!" Michael screamed as everyone else watched on with horrified faces. "I promise! I pledge my loyalty only to you!"

Salem clenched her teeth and sneered, snapping her fingers to make the Grimm Hands stop. "That loyalty extends to my right hand, Michael. _Remember that_." With that venomous snap, she raised her arm toward the door, still glaring at Michael. "Now LEAVE! Get out of my sight and wander the wastes as you always do! Do NOT return until I send for you!" Choosing not to argue, Michael sprinted toward the entrance and Salem thrust her hand toward it, snapping the massive doors shut behind him. The witch let out a breath and calmed herself down, leaving the room in a state of stunned silence. "And so… we press on."

The silence lingered until Hog broke it. "Damn. Just… damn."

"Remind me to never go against her orders, _va bene_?" Subdora requested.

"I know _I'm_ not." Skull nodded.

Salem turned and waved her hand to them. "A wise decision. You are all dismissed." As everyone was about to leave, though, she spoke up to one in particular. "Except for you… Emerald." The green-haired girl froze in her tracks, causing Subdora to so the same as they were both holding onto Mercury. "Watts, help Subdora take Mercury to the infirmary and begin repairs on his legs. Thaddeus, Farkas, take whatever damaged weapons you have and follow them. You'll be needing those repairs." She waved her hand toward Animo and Hazel next. "Gentlemen, go down to the dungeon and see how Tyrian is doing guarding our… _guest_. And be sure to ask him a few questions while you're down there, would you?"

Hazel and Animo bowed to her, complying with her request. "Of course, Lady Salem." With that, the others departed, leaving Salem, Viktor and Emerald alone in the foyer.

"Come, my dear." Salem ushered, moving up the steps with Viktor in tow. "We have a few important matters that need to be discussed." With a hard swallow and a single nod, Emerald followed Salem, the trio making their way to the main meeting room. Once they were all in, Salem used her magic to shut the door before sitting at the table's head, heralding for Emerald and Viktor to join her as a Seer entered through the window. "Come now, take a seat." Emerald bowed as she took her usual seat, only for Salem to stop her. "Up here, Emerald, with us." Viktor was sitting to her right… so with another gulp, Emerald hesitantly took the seat to Salem's immediate left, just as the Seer settled onto the table. "Very good. Now, Viktor told me over the communicator that you were quite distraught at Cinder's absence after the heroes emerged with the relic."

The thief lowered her head and muttered; "Y-Yes, Lady Salem. Cinder and Rojo… they're g-good teammates. I know I can count on them."

"I see…" A small smile came to Salem's lips. "Then perhaps you will be relieved to hear that the failure of this mission was NOT their fault."

Emerald's eyes practically bugged out at that. "W-What?"

"Indeed." Viktor spoke up, lacing his massive hands together on the table. "Let's just say that Miss Salem lashed out at Morningstar in particular for a _very_ good reason. I knew from the moment I heard his explanation on that ship that he was lying, so I reported it so Miss Salem." He bowed his head to the witch. "But… it seems that she knew about this before anyone else did."

Salem placed a hand on the Seer in front of her. "Correct. This Seer has been hiding in the shadows, tracking Michael's every movement throughout the mission. I knew that he would try to find a way to escape your sights, so I made sure that _I_ always had a set of eyes on _him_." A dark swirl of red smoke began to spin in the Seer's head before a vision of what it had seen began to play within its crystalline dome, showing none other than Michael having trapped Ben, Gwen, Yang, Ruby, Raven and Vernal, as well as Cinder and Rojo, down in the Vault of the Spring Maiden. "You see?"

Emerald couldn't believe what she was seeing. Well, she could, but it was still shocking to her. And what's more, it made her mad. She stood up and slammed her hands on the table. "That BASTARD! He betrayed us!" The vision continued, showing Michael attempting to absorb the relic's power only for Gwen to escape her sphere and take the energy back, returning it to the relic. "He… he tried to _drain_ the Relic of Knowledge?!" She whipped her head toward Salem. "Why… why didn't you have the Seer stop him?"

"For two reasons; one, so that Cinder didn't get the wrong idea." Salem stood up and moved next to Emerald, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You see, if Cinder saw the Seer, then she might have thought that I didn't have faith in her to do the job correctly. And that couldn't be further from the truth. That girl has the most potential out of any of the followers I've had over the years, and if I had lost her trust, then I would have lost more than just the relic."

Emerald nodded her head. "O-Okay… and the second reason?"

Salem's sinister smile increased, eyeing Michael in the Seer's head as he landed next to Rojo and the frozen Cinder. "Well… I felt that rather than taking our vengeance upon him swiftly, it would be best for him to be here in person to receive his punishment the old-fashioned way… and after this, I believe you will agree." A gasp was elicited from Emerald's throat as she saw Michael whip both Rojo and Cinder over the side of the walkway, the two ladies disappearing before Michael high-tailed it out of there. A snarl began forming on Emerald's lips, her eye twitching in anger as her fists clenched. Salem gripped both of Emerald's shoulders, relishing in the negativity she was experiencing. "Yes, that's it, girl. Let your rage flow through you!"

Emerald belted out a mighty scream before taking out one of her sickles, batting the Seer away and onto the floor. "I'll throttle him! I'll make him wish that he was NEVER born!"

"Hm, yes, keep that frame of mind, Emerald." Salem urged. "Your vengeance, as well as Cinder's and Rojo's, will soon be at hand."

The green-haired thief blinked at that. "Wait, what do you…" She saw Salem wave a hand toward the Seer and it rose up, the smoke in its dome swirling around once again. This time, it showed Cinder and Rojo, both of them still alive but with Cinder in a disguise of some sort. "I-It's them!" Emerald tilted her head toward Salem. "You've been keeping an eye on them?"

"As if I would let some of my most loyal followers escape my sights." Salem mused. "They are working to get themselves back here as we speak. And when they do, we'll make sure that Michael receives a… proper punishment. Wouldn't you say, Viktor?"

"Of course, Miss Salem." Viktor acknowledged, standing up from his seat. "And when we do, I would like to request a thrashing myself."

Emerald smacked her fist into her palm. "And that goes double for me! Rojo and Cinder will probably want a piece of him, too!"

Salem smiled, obliging to their requests. "Of course, but before you do…" Salem's hands erupted into dark energy, her features becoming quite serious. "I believe it is time I take back the gift I gave him."

Emerald took in a deep breath and shook her head. "Lady Salem… may I speak my opinion?" Salem ushered her to go on, which Emerald was relieved by. "It… it was a mistake to trust him from the beginning."

To her surprise, Salem nodded in agreement. "I will admit, I have made quite a few mistakes over the course of my life." she affirmed, her expression becoming darker with each passing moment. "And trusting Michael was no exception. But do you know the one _good_ thing about mistakes? They can _always_ be _fixed_."

* * *

Vernal _needed_ that shower. After all of the unsavory things she had experienced in the last twenty-four hours, she was grateful for the hour-long reprieve. Yang had told her that she could stay in there for as long as she needed and damn it, she was going to take her word for it. The bandit girl sighed in relief as she wrapped a towel around her body, her hand reaching for the nearest hairdryer. As the heat began to quickly wash over her scalp, she reflected upon just how nice all of the teens on the team had been to her, even though she barely knew any of them. _'Hell, I've barely interacted with these guys and they've all treated me pretty well.'_ she commented in her head. _'What's Tennyson trying to do, lead a team of saints?'_

Once her hair was dried and combed into its usual style, she turned around to retrieve her clothes… only to remember that Yang had taken them to be washed. In their stead were some of Yang's own clothes; a set of undergarments, a simple yellow crop top with short sleeves and a pair of grey short-shorts. Vernal deadpanned at the outfit. "Jeez, girl, how much skin do you want your boyfriend to see?" She tried the crop top on… and immediately took notice that there was still a little bit of room left for her in it. "…And how much ROOM do you need for your girls?!"

"Oh, don't worry!" Yang shouted from the other side of the bathroom door, causing Vernal to yelp. "That's actually one of my _looser_ shirts!"

After collecting herself, Vernal craned her neck down, raising a brow at the shirt in question. "Hm, well, that explains a lot." She lifted up a strapless bra and raised a brow at it. "And the bra?"

"Again, don't worry." Yang spoke up, and just by the sound of her voice, Vernal could tell she was smirking. "I think we're actually pretty similar in size."

Vernal furrowed her brow before slipping the bra on beneath the shirt, finding that it DID fit her perfectly. "Okay, what the hell?!"

"I know, right? Kinda spooky."

The lady bandit rolled her eyes before donning the lower half of her ensemble, the shorts fitting just right against her frame. Still… they were a bit shorter than she would've liked. Vernal opened the bathroom door and saw Yang standing opposite her on the other side, the blonde now also in her own casual wear of an orange tank top and black short-shorts, all while sporting a big, cheeky grin. "How the hell does your dad NOT have a problem with the things you wear?"

Yang scoffed and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm a big girl. What's he gonna say about it?" She then gave her a wink. "You should see what I used to wear at Beacon before my outfit change."

Vernal crossed her arms and craned her head down to what she was wearing. "So… I take it you're a fan of showing skin?"

"Well… yeah, but I'm tryin' to be a bit more reasonable with it nowadays." Yang smirked. "After all… there's pretty much only _one_ person who I wanna show this much skin too now." She nudged her head over her shoulder. "And before you ask about the other guys here, they're mindful of not letting their eyes wander."

"Really? That's pretty impressive."

Yang waved her hand. "Yeah. Besides, they're pretty much ALL taken anyway… except for Neptune, but he knows his boundaries."

Vernal pointed to her head. "The guy with the blue hair?"

"Yeah… don't be surprised if he tries hitting on you."

"I'll teach him a lesson if he tries." The two girls laughed at that as they began walking down the hall, headed toward the stairs. "So… you and your boy seal the deal yet?"

"Nah, savin' it for somethin' special." A sly grin formed on Yang's face. "…But that doesn't mean I don't tease him about it."

Vernal offered a fist-bump, which Yang reciprocated. "Nice. Hey, did I miss anything major while I was in the shower?"

Yang gave her a shrug. "Ah, not much. We had another small mission debriefing, just to explain to our parents, Winter and Holiday about what went on at Haven." She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder. "Then Ironwood and Uncle Qrow left for Beacon to tell Goodwitch about it. Hehe, can't wait until she hears about THIS."

"Hm. By the way, what's it been like dealing with all this stuff? Like the inter-dimensional craziness?"

As they began descending the stairs into the kitchen, Yang gave out a chuckle. "Heh, honestly, it was a bit weird at first. Ben literally exploded into my life, and without that…" She raised her right arm. "I probably would be down one arm. Ever since then, things have only gotten weirder and weirder. But ya know what? I wouldn't change any of it. I've got great friends, both ones I've known for close to a year and others I've only known for a short time… but at the same time, I feel like I've known them for longer than that. My family's repaired, and I've probably got the best boyfriend a girl could ask for. Honestly, I wouldn't trade anything for it."

Vernal smiled… though there was a hint of sadness behind it. "Wow… that sounds pretty great, Yang."

The Blonde Brawler sent Vernal a sympathetic expression. "Yeah, but I get the feeling that you'd like a taste of that, too." The bandit girl turned her head away, scratching behind her head. "Ah, c'mon, don't be like that." Yang urged, putting her hands on Vernal's shoulders. "I know how close you are to my mom. Hell, you HAVE to be if she can portal to you. What exactly do you think of her?"

Vernal rested a hand on her arm nervously. "Raven's… pretty much like the mother I never had. She took me in when no one else would, gave me a life… a life of _crime_ , but still, a life." She put her hands behind her back and glanced down to the floor. "…You know, I'm really surprised you aren't mad at me."

Yang raised a brow at her. "Mad? Why would I be mad?"

"Well, because… your mom's been away from your family for eighteen years, and in all that time, she's considered the Branwen Tribe to be her true family. But now that you and she are on good terms again…"

"You figured I'd be angry at you because she chose you guys over me and my dad." Yang finished, a small frown coming to her face. Vernal nodded slowly, but it was then that Yang returned to smiling. "Bah, I'm done being needlessly angry." She put an arm around Vernal's shoulder, bringing the girl closer to her. "Besides, you're cool, Vee. I can see why my mom would take you under her wing… pun FULLY intended."

Vernal deadpanned at that. "Right… so, you _really_ think I'm cool?"

"REALLY cool!" The duo perked up in time to see both Ruby and Ben come walking out the door to the basement, the former with Zwei in her arms. "You're a pretty nice person as far as I'm concerned, Vernal!"

"She's right." Ben agreed. "Plus, you haven't stolen any of our stuff yet, so there's another thing."

The bandit girl rolled her eyes and scoffed at the younger girl and hero. "Psh, you're WAY too trusting, you know that?" She pointed to Ruby in particular. "And you can't just _assume_ someone's nice, Ruby. Especially someone who CAN steal your shit."

A devious smile came to Ruby's face. " _Really_? Well then, I've got the perfect way to test that…" She suddenly threw Zwei over to Vernal and yelled; "Puppy Pass!"

Vernal yelped and caught the corgi, stumbling back a bit in the process. When she collected herself, she suddenly found herself staring at Zwei's big brown eyes, all while the small dog panted happily. "Uh… GAH—Ugh! S-Stop! That—haha—that tickles!" Much to her dismay, Zwei had begun licking her face, causing her to laugh involuntarily.

Ruby placed her hands on her hips in victory. "See? Zwei is ALWAYS right."

Ben chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. "Hehe, can't argue with a test like that."

Vernal chuckled and placed Zwei on the ground, the corgi cuddling up to her feet. "Okay, okay, I get it. Alright, so I guess I AM trustworthy enough for a dog."

Yang gave her a pat on the back. "Exactly, so that means you can be equally trustworthy to humans!"

A sigh escaped Vernal's lips. "Yeah, I guess you're right." At that moment, though, the basement door opened and Raven came strolling out, much to Vernal's surprise. She immediately straightened up and bowed her head to her teacher. "Raven, I—"

"Ah, Vernal!" Raven greeted before approaching the three girls with a kind smile, something that Vernal was NOT used to seeing all the time. "Good to see you're all cleaned up." She gave her protégé a wink. "I'm assuming you enjoyed your _hour-long_ shower."

"Y-Yes, it was exactly what I needed, thank you." It was then that Vernal noticed that they were practically the only ones in the room… aside from a woman who resembled Blake who was cleaving through fish and an old man cooking over a hot stove with fish in the pan. "Uh, who're they, by the way?"

"Oh, that's Blake's mother, Kali." Raven answered first.

"And the man over there is my grandpa." Ben clarified further. "He was sent over with us from our world, too." He waved over to the duo in the kitchen. "Hey guys, say hi to Vernal!"

Kali perked her head up form the fish she was cleaving and beamed in Vernal's direction. "Oh, hello! You must be Raven's student. It's so nice to meet you."

Max turned his head and waved the spatula he was holding. "Pleasure to meet you, Vernal. Welcome to the crowded abode."

From the stairs, the group heard a groan. "Ugh, no kidding." Everyone watched as Tai lugged himself down the steps, the blonde man with a tired expression on his face. "Never in my life did I ever thing I'd be housing TWENTY-FIVE people at once." He set his sights onto Ben and raised a hand to him. "Don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy to, but… it's just a lot of mouths to feed, ya know?"

Over at the counter, Kali cleaved off another fish's head. "Well then, you're lucky that my daughter brought home more enough fish for everyone."

"Hm, yeah, I guess." Tai murmured before nudging his head toward the stairs. "Oscar's bunking with Sun and Neptune in Qrow's room, by the way. They're helping him get set up right now." He placed a hand to his forehead. "I still can't believe that's actually who Ozpin reincarnated into."

"Join the club." Raven said, brushing her shoulder against Tai's "Honestly, I was hoping he'd at least reincarnate into someone butt-ugly."

Tai gave her a skeptical look. "C'mon, Rae, what are you, four?" She teasingly stuck her tongue out at him in response, which he couldn't help but laugh at and find adorable at the same time. "Hm, right." He faced the short-haired girl standing across from them. "Vernal, I'm assuming you'll be taking Yang's offer to bunk with her and Team RWBY?"

Vernal shifted her eyes to Yang and smiled. "Well… if she's offering, then how can I say no?"

"Yay! Sleep-over!" Ruby suddenly shouted, giving Vernal an involuntary hug, much to the older girl's shock.

"Uh, yeah… sure." Vernal said before removing Ruby's arms from her waist. "Let's try and keep the whole "hugging" thing to a minimum, 'kay? I'm not exactly one for hugs."

Ruby's smile faltered, the silver-eyed girl prodding her index fingers together nervously. "O-Oh, okay. Sure."

Raven cleared her throat, bringing everyone's attention to her. "Well, now that all of that's settled, Vernal, I think you should follow us downstairs." She walked to the door while ushering her protégé to follow, with Ben, Yang and Ruby already moving toward the stairs. "There's something down here that you need to see."

Zwei picked himself up from Vernal's feet, the little dog following his owners. "Uh… okay." Vernal followed the quartet down the stairs and into the basement, where Gwen, Kevin, Rex, Weiss and Blake were all gathered as well. But then, Vernal saw that the room was practically filled with game consoles, binders full of DVDs, books, and… robotic action figures made out of miniature cars? "Woah, what the hell is this? Some sorta rec room?"

"You'd be right on that." Gwen affirmed, waving to her from the couch. "Welcome to what we call "The Hole"."

"This is pretty much where we all go to unwind after a mission." Kevin explained further. "Pretty much everything you see here was in a secret compartment in my car. …Except for the Transformers. Ben's dad sent those over when Rex's brother jumped over from our world yesterday."

Vernal blinked twice at what he was saying. She shifted her eyes down to the action figures again before going back to Ben. "So… is your dad some sort of giant super-nerd or something?"

"The biggest." Ben confirmed. "But he's got a stable job and enough money to support all of us _and_ his hobby, so my mom has no problem with it."

"Uh-huh, so it's official, then." Vernal promptly spun around and knocked her head against the wall. "I'm surrounded by geeks."

Rex gave her a big thumbs up. "And proud of it! But, uh, that's not exactly the reason why we wanted ya down here, _chica_." He pointed over to the nearby coffee table in the center of the room. "Because YOU got a package."

Vernal's eyes shot open and she spun around, only to see a large cardboard box on the coffee table. Next to it, the Relic of Knowledge floated right above the table, its bottom just barely a few inches away from the table top. She was careful to not knock the lamp over as she settled her hand on the top of the box, seeing a note with her name inscribed on it. "I… I don't understand."

"Neither do we." Weiss admitted. "It was just sitting here when we all came downstairs. We asked the adults and they all said that they didn't bring it down here… or that we got any packages in the mail, at all."

"It was _really_ strange." Blake added. "We didn't want to chance opening it in case it was a trap." She gave Vernal a nod. "Plus, we wanted to wait until you were here before we did anything."

Yang came over and leaned her head closer to the box. "Any idea what it could be, Vee?"

Vernal bit her lower lip nervously as she reached for the note on top of the box. "Well, guess there's only one way to find out." She pulled the letter off and opened it, scanning it with her eyes slowly. "Let's see, "Dear Vernal. Hopefully this package finds you well. I took the liberty of returning something that you had lost the other day. Better to have these with you in case of an emergency, right? Sincerely… Professor Paradox"." Vernal and everyone else's eyes widened at who sent the letter. "The time traveler?"

Ruby breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew, okay, so it's probably not a trap." She zipped up and started bouncing up and down, eyeing the box excitedly. "Well, c'mon! Let's see what he's got for ya!"

"Okay, okay, let's calm down for a sec here." Vernal urged, taking a deep breath as she reached for the top of the box. She pulled up and set it to the side… and then her jaw dropped. "My… my weapons!" She reached in and pulled out two large, crescent shaped blades with multiple sharp end points all over them, including two hooked points at the ends of the largest blades. In the middle of each circular blades, there was a double-barreled gun attached to them, along with a smaller ring where Vernal held the weapons. She stared at her weapons as she and the others stared at them. "H-How… how did he know these were—"

"Paradox knows a lot of stuff that even WE don't know." Ben grinned, taking a closer look at the blades. "But whoo! Those are some pretty neat weapons."

Rex leaned in as well. "Hell yeah! Do they have a cool name like everyone elses?"

Vernal smiled down to her blades as she retracted them into their compact form, setting them down on the table. "Yeah, I call them the Ver Laminae. Roughly translated from ancient language, it means "Spring Blades"."

Gwen blinked in surprise, recognizing the ancient language as one that was very familiar to her. "Wait… that's _Latin_. How is _Latin_ a language in Remnant?"

"Forget that!" Rex said as he slammed his hands on the table. "What I think we SHOULD be asking is how this world has _Latin_ in it but NOT Spanish?!"

Kevin could only shrug and take a guess. "Well, the primary language in this world _is_ English, so it had to come from SOMEWHERE."

"My guess is that Remnant had to have had at least _a_ form of Germanic language _and_ Latinate to form the modern English language." Gwen went on. "Otherwise, we probably wouldn't be understanding everyone in this room… unless the universal translator inside the Omnitrix has been activated all this time, which I highly doubt."

Ben did a quick check, just to make sure. "Nope, the thing's off."

An amused smile came to Yang's face as she nudged Ben in the side. "Ha! But wouldn't it be funny if we actually _were_? Think about it, you'd all be hearing English while we'd be speaking some weird alien language like Bashmouth!" Yang lowered her head and bared her teeth, raising her arms to mimic the Metalikanine. "Eck ton feck makarr! HAHA!"

The whole room erupted into laughter for a bit before dying down a moment later, with Vernal setting her sights on the Relic of Knowledge. "So… Gwen? Did you end up telling anyone of your _odd_ experience with the lamp?"

The Anodite sighed through her nostrils and leaned forward, her eyes trained on the lamp with an intense gaze. "Outside of the people in this room? No, I haven't." She gestured to the trio on her right. "In fact, I just got done telling Weiss, Blake and Rex all about it before you guys came back in."

Rex crossed his arms and sent a skeptical stare down at the lamp. "And I gotta say… while I've been skeptical about all the talk of gods, I'm willing to believe Gwen on this one. It's not often that she lies about anything."

Blake's lips moved up into a snarl, her canines bared. "Unlike SOME people. I can't believe Ozpin STILL isn't telling us everything."

Ruby raised her hands defensively. "Hey, hey, let's not be too hasty! M-Maybe he didn't even know about this either—"

"Ruby, the man has dealt with these relics for the past _millennia_." Weiss stressed. "He probably knows everything about the relics. Let's face it, he's STILL lying right to our faces." The heiress felt her heart drop the moment she saw her best friend's expression become saddened. "I'm sorry, but… we have to accept the facts. He doesn't fully trust us, Ruby."

The Hooded Huntress wrapped her arms around her, with Yang pulling her into a side-hug. "But… But _why_? Why doesn't he trust us?"

"It could be for a number of reasons, Ruby." Raven said bitterly as she too came over to comfort the silver-eyed girl. The Spring Maiden glowered down to the floor as she put a comforting hand to Ruby's shoulder. "But I know one thing; he's afraid that we'll find out the whole story about what's going on. And I _know_ that there has to be more to this. There's no way that Ozpin would just tell the whole truth on _anything_."

Ben crossed his arms and shook his head. "Listen, Raven, while I want to question Ozpin on this as much as anyone else, I think negative feelings are the last thing we need right now." He gestured to the lamp. "Especially since we've got the relic right here."

Raven took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, you're absolutely right." She eyes the relic herself, briefly wondering just what was inside it. "Still, I cannot help but wonder just what exactly is inside that thing…"

"Psh, maybe it's a magical genie who sings and grants wishes like in all the OTHER stories." Kevin scoffed, causing everyone to glance around at one another. "…What? What'd I say?"

"Kev, ya might wanna be careful about what kinda fairy tales you bring up here." Ben pointed out. "It might _actually_ be true." He moved his sights over to the members of Team RWBY, furrowing his brows in contemplation. "Doesn't exactly help that I think pretty much everyone in this dimension might be related to some form of fairy tale from OUR world, either."

This took everyone by surprise, including Gwen. "W-Wait, Ben, what are you talking about?"

"Just another little theory I'm working on..."

Rex couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Ben, with all the crack-pot theories you're cooking up at this point, I'm convinced that ya might be goin' a bit bonkers, my dude."

Ben put his hands up. "Hey, c'mon man. My theories can't be THAT crazy, can they?" He received a silence from the entire room as a response. "Uh, hehe, right…" His eyes snapped back up to Vernal, clasping his hands together to try and change the subject. "So, Vernal! Now that you're here, is there anything in particular you wanna do to try and relax?"

Vernal sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Heh, you know, Ben? To be honest, that long shower relaxed me pretty well…" She crossed her arms and pursed her lips in slight annoyance. "But I _do_ still have a few frustrations that I wanna get outta my system. I'm still bugged that I couldn't do anything against those assholes from Salem's forces." She clenched her fists and growled a bit. "Grr! What I wouldn't give to kick those mutant's asses right now!"

Yang couldn't help but grin at the energy Vernal was exuding. "Ooh, Vee, you're speaking my language here."

"Oh yeah." Ben rubbed his hands together eagerly. "And I think I know JUST what you need." He went over to the video game shelf and began searching through their PlayStation library, searching for one that he KNEW Vernal would get a kick out of. "Tell me, Vernal, have you ever played a video game before?"

"…Well, only the ones I've stolen." Vernal answered. "But yeah, I have."

Kevin rolled his eyes. "Heh, been there, done that."

"Still, it _does_ count." Ben nodded before pulling off a certain PlayStation case from the shelf. "And I think I know JUST the game for you to lash all of your frustrations out on… THINK FAST!" Ben tossed the case over to Vernal, who caught it in midair. "So, you down to test your might?"

Vernal took a look at the case in her hands and raised a brow at it, reading the title; "Mortal Kombat II?"

* * *

"And that is why Michael Morningstar is the biggest asshole on the face of ANY planet he happens to be on!" Rojo concluded with a big, toothy grin. Lil' Miss Malachite's people had pulled through for her, Neo and Cinder, leading them right to an Mistralian Airship that they could procure. They had to wait for the fall of night, but they managed to pilfer it successfully. Now, with Cinder at the helm, they were on their way back to the Land of Darkness, and in that time, Rojo had decided to recount to Neo about how they were betrayed by one Michael Morningstar. "So, now do you see why we have to end this guy?"

From the expression on Neo's face, it was obvious that she was not happy with what she heard. The diminutive girl was glaring right out the front window of the cock pit, her right eye twitching as she kept both hands gripped around her umbrella. Rojo was pretty sure that Neo was trying REALLY hard to keep herself as restrained as she possibly could, otherwise she'd _bend_ the umbrella. "…So I'm guessing you hate him now, too?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Cinder asked from the pilot's chair. "She's practically _fuming_."

"Heh, I would be too if _I_ had just heard about the jerk." Rojo gave Neo a pat on the back, garnering her attention. "You're gonna make a fine addition to our team, Neo. Just as soon as Mikey's booted, of course." Neo gave her a salute and a cute grin, her heterochromatic eyes full of intensity. "Haha! That's the spirit!" Rojo leaned over and pulled Neo into a friendly embrace, pointing a finger at the girl's shoulder. "Also, has anyone ever told you that you're SUPER adorable?" Neo closed her eyes and gave a little nod, her smile persisting. "Ah! So cute!"

Cinder sighed as she slouched forward in her seat a bit. "Ugh, yes, well, we may have to explain what's happened to Salem as well, so… be prepared for the…" The Fall Maiden let out a massive yawn, her eyes drooping as she kept her gaze out the front window. "…the worst. She may not be too eager to welcome us back after our failure."

Rojo sent a concerned face to her partner. "Hey, Cindy, you okay? You seem a bit tired."

"I-It's nothing, really." Cinder assured. "Just… *yawn* …still a bit drained from my fight with Tennyson."

"You should get some rest." Rojo got up from her seat and moved next to the pilot's chair, setting a hand on Cinder's shoulder. She smiled down to her partner and made a fist, grinning in determination. "You'll wanna be at your best when we pummel Michael to a pulp, right?"

Cinder exhaled through her nostrils, quickly finding herself agreeing with Rojo. "Yes, I suppose so. Here, take the controls." The Fall Maiden stood up and handed the controls over to Rojo, who happily took her seat. Cinder moved back to Rojo's old seat and plopped herself down tiredly… only to be met with the still-smiling Neo. As much as seeing the smile irked her, Cinder pushed back her irritation, not wanting it to evolve into anger. Instead, she settled for another sigh and rolled her eyes. "Yes, what is it, Neo?"

Neo glanced off toward Rojo and pointed at her with her right hand… before then returning her eyes to Cinder and pointing at her with her left. She then brought her right and left index fingers together… and traced a heart shape with them in the air, quirking a knowing brow to Cinder all the while. The blank expression on Cinder's face quickly faltered into one of shock, immediately picking up on what Neo was implying. It was all she could do to keep her voice below a harsh whisper. "W- _What_?! N-No, you've got the _wrong_ idea!" She placed a hand on her chest. "I-I'm not…" She began gesturing between herself and Rojo. " _We're_ not… ugh, could we _please_ not talk about this?"

The mute girl covered her mouth and made a chuckling motion, all while staying silent. Neo then tapped her nose and gave Cinder a wink before craning her head away, moving her eyes toward the front window. Cinder scoffed and made another eye roll, her eyelids drooping more and more as she slowly fell into a much-needed sleep. _'Psh, me and Rojo. Ridiculous. As if someone like me as time for ANY of that kind of…'_ The last thing she saw before slipping off to sleep was the redheaded bounty hunter herself… and that was enough to give Cinder a pause. _'…nonsense?'_

* * *

"Cindy? Hey, Cindy…"

Cinder groaned and her eyes fluttered open, with the first thing she saw being Rojo and Neo's faces. However, Rojo was a bit closer than she was expecting, causing her to yelp and jump in her seat a bit, her cheeks reddening a bit. "W-What? What's going on?!"

"We're home, Cindy." Rojo said before a more serious expression came to her face. "…And the Boss Lady is already waiting for us outside."

This news made Cinder's eyes widened even further, making her bolt up from her chair to look out the cockpit window. Indeed, out on the landing pad was none other than Salem herself, the witch keeping her eyes focused directly in front of her as she stood near the ship's open hatch. Cinder swallowed hard, her hands shaking as the gravity of their situation finally hit her. "We… we've come back beaten and empty handed. What's to stop her from killing us the moment we step out? We won't even get the chance to explain what happened with Michael! We—"

However, her hands suddenly stopped trembling as someone else's grabbed a hold of them, forcibly pressing them together. Cinder's eyes shot up and immediately met Rojo's who was giving her a reassuring gaze. "Cindy, I want you to take a deep breath, okay? Deep _slow_ breaths." Cinder followed Rojo's instructions, breathing in and out slowly through her nostrils. "Okay, feel better?"

"No… but I feel a bit calmer."

Rojo smiled and moved her hands to Cinder's shoulders, giving them a small shake. "That's good. Now, c'mon, whatever music we gotta face… we do it together, right?"

Cinder stared at her partner for a few moments… before a rare, genuine smile came to her face. "Right." With that, the trio moved out of the cockpit and into the lower levels, with Neo bringing up their rear. They stepped closer toward the hatch… and they all were met with Salem's gaze.

"So… you have returned." the witch said as the three moved down the exit ramp. She took note of Cinder's clothes the moment she saw her. "And with an… interesting new wardrobe."

Cinder lowered her head to her mistress, with Rojo doing the same. "Lady Salem… my apologies cannot be enough for the disgrace we have brought upon you. We… have not returned with the relic. We've failed." She placed a hand over her chest. "But before you give us our punishment, I must warn you that Michael is—"

"Young Cinder." Salem raised a hand, halting the Fall Maiden. "…I already know."

This made both Rojo and Cinder's heads snap up in utter shock. "W-Wait, you do?" Rojo asked.

"Indeed." Salem nodded. "And worry not, you two will not be punished."

Cinder's jaw nearly unhinged and fell through the earth. "We _won't_?!" Salem gave her a single not. "B-But why?! We failed to get the relic! W-We came back empty handed!"

"Not completely, my dear." Salem moved closer to the three, her eyes focused directly onto Neo in the back. Rojo and Cinder moved out of the way so that the witch could address the mute girl. "After all, you came back with Michael's _replacement_." She extended her hand toward Neo. "You were Roman Torchwick's accomplice, correct?" Neo gulped and gave Salem a hasty, stilted nod. "Good. I have seen your combat capabilities and your unique Semblance. You will make a fine addition."

Rojo ran a hand through her hair, still in shock over what was happening. "W-Wait, so you're not mad that we didn't get the relic?"

"Oh no, I am very livid." Salem explained, making the color drain from Rojo and Cinder's faces. "However, it is not you I am angry with." She moved back around and headed right toward the front door. "After all, it was Michael who betrayed you, was it not? His sabotage of the plan was not any fault of yours."

Cinder put a hand to her neck. "Well… I suppose that's true. But how do you even know about—"

"I made sure to keep a close eye on Michael's movements during the mission, young Cinder." Salem answered. "And after all the trouble he went through to make up the blatant LIE he told Viktor, I thought it would be best to let him think that he got away with it… for the time being." She wore a sinister grin as she faced her two loyal followers and new recruit. "Now, what say we go and bring Michael crashing down, hm?"

All three of the girls wore similar smiles to Salem's, the trio eager to teach the energy vampire a lesson he wouldn't soon forget. "Boss Lady, I think I like this side of you." Rojo snickered.

* * *

Meanwhile, down in the medical bay, Emerald sat down next to Mercury, reattaching his now-repaired legs to him. He had kept insisting that he could do it himself, but Emerald quickly put the kibosh on that notion, forcing him down onto the bed as she attached them herself. "You're badly hurt and you need all the rest you can get." she had argued.

"My head's pretty much all healed, Em." he said exasperatedly. "The stitches and my Aura are patching me up pretty quick."

She bonked him on the head lightly with her screw driver. "Maybe, but still, you should rest. That blast you were in looked like it hurt a lot."

Mercury pursed his lips and crossed his arms, groaning as he laid back down on the bed. "How is it that I got stuck with such a worry wart for a partner?"

"I could say the same to you." Emerald smirked. "Only replace the "worry wart" with "thick-headed dummy"."

Mercury craned his head down to her. "Heh, so what, are we throwing insults at each other now? I thought we were friends."

Once she was done reattaching Mercury's left leg, she gave him a smack on the shoulder. "We are, dummy." A small sigh escaped her lips as she put a hand to her neck. "To be honest… you might be the only real friend I have left here… what with Cinder and Rojo gone for the time being."

There was a long pause between them before Mercury piped up. "Yeah… listen, Em… I don't mean to rain on ya with this, but… I don't think we can guarantee that Cinder and Rojo will be back anytime soon." Emerald's eyes widened and she met Mercury's gaze. "I mean, you heard how angry Salem was and how she said she wanted to have them both be isolated. Unless they can REALLY make it up to her, I don't know how they can get back into Salem's good graces."

Emerald couldn't help but inwardly smirk to herself at his words. As much as she wanted to tell him about what Salem had said to her, the witch had made her promise to keep mum about it. Still… nothing wrong with a little rebuttal. "Heh, I think you'd be surprised. If it was just Cinder by herself, I'd be worried. But since she's got Rojo with her, I think they'll be alright."

"Hm…" Things stayed silent between the two before Mercury spoke up again. "Hey… do you think those two…"

"Have a thing for each other?" Emerald finished with a smirk. "…Can't be too sure yet. I mean, I _think_ something might be sparking there, but I'm just guessing at this point."

Mercury nodded to her. "Fair point." He moved his legs over the side of the bed and sat up, which made Emerald stand up as well.

"Oh, no you don't." The thief put her hands on Mercury's shoulders, keeping them firmly in place. "Doctors orders, you still need rest."

The assassin chuckled and shook his head, pushing against her. "Psh, you're not my mom."

Emerald pushed right back. "But I AM your partner, so you should listen to what I have to say!" From there, the two began pushing against one another. Not in a frustrated way, but more in a contesting way, the duo eager to see who could get one up over the other. However, what came next would surprise both of them; "I said… stay DOWN!" With all her strength, Emerald pushed Mercury back onto the bed… though not without flinging herself over him in the process. Both of them were stunned at their now precarious position, with Emerald holding herself above Mercury by mere inches. Her face flushed red in embarrassment as she pulled her hands away, her body moving up from him. "I-I'm SO sorry! I didn't mean to—"

"God damn… that was pretty impressive, Em."

Emerald's eyes widened at that as Mercury sat up as well, the two drawing closer again as a result. "It… was?"

"Heh, yeah." Mercury chortled, his face also a light shade of red. "You pinned me pretty good." The duo sat on the bed, staring at each other for about ten seconds more before Mercury spoke up again. "E-Em… listen, I—"

Just then, the door flew open, revealing Subdora, Dr. Watts, Exo-Skull and Thunderhog on the other side. Skull had his cybernetic horn back on over his real one, the laser having been fully repaired. Hog also had his visor fixed as well, the pig man having been the one to knock the door in. "Ey-yo, Em an' Merc!" the mohawked mutant called out. "We need ya'll on the… double." The quartet were all quick to noticed the rather interesting situation before them, with Hog jabbing his thumb out the door. "…Or we could come back later, that's cool too."

Watts scoffed and did an about face. "Bah! In the middle of a medical bay? Really?! Can young people ever control their hormones?"

Subdora laced her hands together and cooed; "AW! Look at the two little _piccioncini_! Ah! Adorable!"

Subdora's Italian only barely comprehended into Emerald's head. "W-Wait, pichy-what?"

Exo-Skull laughed and crossed his arms. "Haha! I think that's Italian for "lovebirds"." This caused Emerald and Mercury's faces to both become red hot in embarrassment, with Emerald quickly pulling herself off of Mercury's lap, both of them in a panic. But Skull have them a reassuring wave. "Hey, relax. We're just here because Salem's called everyone for a meeting. We'll see you guys there, okay?" The massive rhino man and the others began filing out of the room… though not before he gave Emerald and Mercury a wink. "And uh, try not to get wrapped up for too long, 'kay? Hehe."

With that, the two partners were left alone again, making Emerald give out a groan. "Ugh, is it too much to ask to NOT be teased about stuff like that?"

"Y-Yeah, it's really none of their business." Mercury said as he stood up. "But hey, I guess now I have an excuse to stand up."

Emerald rolled her eyes and smirked up to Mercury. "Okay, but you're getting back to bed as soon as the meeting's over."

"Hehe, yeah, sure." Suddenly, Mercury wrapped his arm around Emerald's neck, pulling her close to him as they began moving toward the door. "Now c'mon, let's go see what the "Boss Lady" has in store for us this time." He watched as Emerald's eyes darted back and forth between his arm and his face, wondering just what the hell was going on. "Hey, if you're uncomfortable with this, I'll—"

"NO!" Emerald yelled, taking Mercury aback a bit. "I-I mean, uh… no. This is fine." She moved a bit closer to him, her head sitting close to his shoulder. A small smile came to Emerald's face, which elicited one from Mercury as well. "It's… actually kind of nice, really."

* * *

"So, Tyrian, how has our guest been adapting to his new living conditions?" Salem asked as the members of her faction began filing in. The doors of the meeting room were wide open from the moment the four had arrived, which raised a few suspicions, but they men ignored it for the most part. Hazel, Tyrian, Animo and Viktor had arrived first, the former three having gotten back from interrogating Leonardo Lionheart in the dungeon below the castle. As always, Tyrian was sitting crouched on his chair while everyone else sat normally, though the scorpion Faunus was keeping mostly to himself, mumbling and snickering.

The moment he heard his mistress speak up, though, he belted out an insane laugh. "AHAHA! Oh, I can safely say that he's not a happy cat, my queen! Hehehehe, and something tells me he'll be even MORE unhappy when he gets juiced up with that mutagen the docs are cooking up! Speaking of…" He sent his beady eyes over to Animo. "How's that new brew going, Animo? Almost ready, I hope?"

Animo cleared his throat and nodded. "Indeed. The new mutagen's transition from gas to liquid is going quite well. Now, we will not even have to worry about incubation chambers if we wish to mutate others. It should hopefully be done by sometime tomorrow."

"Very good news." Salem agreed before moving over to Hazel. "And what of the interrogation? Has Leonardo been talking?"

Hazel grumbled at that. "He's been keeping his lips tight. We may have to resort to more… unconventional ways of making him talk."

"So long as you do not destroy his mind!" Animo insisted. "I still need him for our next experiment, remember!"

Viktor gave him a nod. "Of course we do, Animo. And we will be sure to not damage his body either." It was then that the rest of the cabal arrived, with Skull, Hog, Subdora and Watts in the front while Mercury and Emerald brought up the rear, the two standing side-by-side. "Ah, excellent. Good to see you all here."

Tyrian let out another hysterical laugh. "HAHAHA! Oh, well hello _everyone_!" he greeted sarcastically. "I heard that you all had a _wonderful_ time out in Mistral!" He leaned forward in his seat and tapped his fingertips together. "Care to share?"

Exo-Skull was quick to wave him off. "Ah, bite me, Tyrian."

Subdora spat in his direction. " _Sì_ , we do not need your input, _grazie mille_."

"Yeah, last thing we need right now is YOU gettin' up in our grill!" Hog added, crossing his arms with a huff. "Besides… we feel bad enough already."

"They are correct, Tyrian." Salem concurred. "Do not antagonize them further." The scorpion Faunus obeyed his mistress' command and slunk back to his seat, though his smile didn't falter one bit. "Now all that's left is to wait for… _Michael_."

Watts couldn't help but chortle at that. "Hmph, you sent for him so soon?" He gave Salem a bow. "Forgive me, my lady, but… I thought you were giving him some extended time away from the castle for the time being."

Salem furrowed her brow, lacing her hands together on the table. "A matter of great importance has come up, Arthur. And once Michael arrives… I'm sure he will agree."

A few more minutes passed before the group at the table began to hear footsteps approaching from down the hall, the huge doors still wide open. On the other end of the table, Emerald scowled at the door, preparing to hold herself back once the energy vampire strolled in. Mercury noticed this and reached for her shoulder. "Hey… you okay?"

"Not really." Emerald answered as she finally saw Michael moving into the room. _'Not until he gets what's coming to him.'_

Michael smiled and bowed to Salem, even kneeling down for good measure. "Lady Salem, I must say, I'm surprised that you sent for me so soon. This meeting must be important."

"Indeed, Michael." Salem nodded. "And now that I've had time to compose myself from earlier, we can begin to plan out our next course of action; retrieving the sword beneath Shade Academy. Please, Michael, stand."

"Of course, Lady Salem." Michael obliged before moving to a chair, only for Salem to raise a hand.

"I did not say to sit _down_ , Michael." Salem insisted, her face morphing into a serious expression. "I told you to _stand_."

Michael was surprised by her command, but he did as he was told. "M-My lady?" At that moment, a sinister smile came to Salem's face, and a feeling of dread began to over take Michael, making him take a step back. "W-W-What's going on?"

Salem steepled her fingers and closed her eyes. "Oh, Michael. Did you _really_ think that you could fool me?" The whole table began murmuring in confusion, all except for Viktor and Emerald who wore matching grins. "I knew of your true actions at Haven the moment you put them into motion."

"L-Lady Salem, I… I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about." Michael pleaded his case.

"Oh really? Well then, don't take my word for it. Ladies!" All of a sudden, the huge doors slammed shut and everyone's eyes snapped up to them, only for all of their jaws to drop in utter shock. Even Emerald was floored by who was in the room with them… and a few tears brimmed her eyes when she saw them. There, with their hands securely slammed onto the doors, were Cinder and Rojo, the former donned in what seemed to be a disguise of some sort. And they were both glaring straight at Michael. Salem leaned forward, resting her chin against her fingertips. "Take it up with _them_."

Michael forced an ear to ear grin onto his face, even though he was cursing to himself on the inside. _'DAMN IT! They're here?! HOW?! How can they be HERE?!'_ He forced out a laugh, hoping that it didn't come out as nervous. "Rojo! Cinder! You're alive! I-It's so good to see—" _CRACK_! "Gah!" In one swift movement, Rojo and Cinder were on Michael in an instant, the duo delivering a strong double-team kick to the energy vampire's jaw. He was sent sprawling to the ground, the two women looming over him with deadly glares.

"So you "fought Ironwood", HUH?!" Rojo shouted before kicking Michael in the gut, sending him skidding back across the ground.

"Got "knocked out by the drunkard", eh?!" Cinder added as she picked Michael up and slapped him across the face, making sure her nails sliced right into his face. "Did you _really_ expect Salem to believe you?!"

Michael weakly lifted his head to her. "I-I—"

"WRONG answer!" Cinder screamed as she swung her leg and kicked Michael right in the groin… twice… thrice… as many times as she possibly could. _'I have to make sure he cannot breed.'_ She thought to herself before throwing the wailing Michael across the table, with everyone's eyes on him. Cinder pointed directly to him and declared; "Michael has LIED to all of you! He didn't get beaten by Branwen and Ironwood, he followed US down into the Vault to try and steal the energy from the relic, betraying us in the process!"

Rojo jabbed a thumb to her chest. "Then when he failed, he made sure WE were given the boot so he could get off scot-free!"

Almost immediately, everyone at the table began to glower at Michael, leaving the blonde to cower in fear as Emerald and Mercury stood up. "Let US have first crack at him." The thief insisted.

Thunderhog, Subdora and Exo-Skull followed, the rhino mutant punching a fist into his open palm. "Yeah, then WE'LL take over from there."

Tyrian leapt up to the table, his insane glare burrowing straight into Michael's soul. "He DARES betray the queen?! He must receive the HIGHEST of punishments!"

Viktor clenched his fist as it began sparking. "Save some of him for me, Tyrian, if you would."

Hazel clenched his teeth and growled. "I may only have use of one arm, but…" He reached down into a new set of pouches given to him by Salem and pulled out a Fire Dust crystal, giving it to Animo. "Doctor, if you would."

"With pleasure!" Animo said before stabbing it into Hazel's right arm, giving the man the power boost he wanted. "There you are, now go dispose of him!"

"Indeed." Watts concurred, stroking his mustache. "Take care of the riff-raff, if you would be so kind."

Michael laughed nervously as he moved to his hands and knees, the energy vampire still trying to cover for himself. "Hehehe, now, now, everyone! L-Let's not be hasty." His eyes spotted Salem across from him and he extended his hand to her, hoping that she would believe him. "L-Lady Salem, please, I beseech you! I only wished to absorb the relic's energy directly so that I may deliver it straight to you! A-After all, who needs a _Maiden_ to access the relic's power when you have a living energy sponge like me, right? Hehe…"

Salem's dark expression slowly formed into a smile as she extended her hand to Michael, which he was all too eager to take. However, before he could, Salem grabbed him by the arm as a dark mist began erupting from her hand and enveloping his entire body, making him yell out in pain. "It was a mistake on my part to trust you, Michael. I had thought your grudge against the Tennysons would make you the perfect player in this conflict." Salem shook her head. "But now I see that you care for no one but yourself, and as I told you before, the moment you put your desires before _my_ own… then they will be lost to you." As Michael continued to scream, everyone could see his skin begin to shrivel up and his hair start to fall out, the remaining locks becoming a ghastly white. "As such, I believe its time I took my enchantment _back_."

Once Salem was done, she let go of Michael's hand, revealing him to have returned to his corpse-like state once more. The energy vampire looked at his shriveled-up hands and his sunken-in eyes widened, his teeth clenching in anger. "NOOOO!"

"Welcome back… Darkstar."

Michael, now Darkstar once more, stood up and glowered right at Salem, his fists shaking. "You… you can't do this!" He thrust his hands at her. "I can always just take my energy back!" However, when he made to activate his powers… he found that he couldn't summon any energy, much to his dismay. "W-What?! Why isn't anything happening?!"

"Oh, that's simple, really." Salem answered. "When I took my enchantment away from you, I put in a new one. Usually it only works on Semblances, but considering your unique case, I had a feeling it would work on you as well." She folded her hands against the table with a sly grin. "Your powers have been temporarily deactivated. You're welcome."

Darkstar's eyes went back to his hands in shock. "WHAT?! That's impossible!"

"Oh, I can assure you that it is." Salem snapped her fingers, prompting her forces to start closing in on Darkstar. "Now… I believe it's time to receive what you deserve, _Michael_. Now, everyone, you are allowed to beat him within an inch of his life, but do NOT kill him, please."

Thunderhog let out a massive squeal, slamming his gauntlets together to create a charge. "Works for me! REEEET! Everyone, let's get 'im!"

From there, it was complete and utter chaos within the meeting room, with Darkstar's wails of pain and agony being the loudest noises erupting from it. There were punches and kicks thrown at him, fire and lighting shot off in multiple directions as the shriveled-up man screamed when hit with it, and there were laser blasts courtesy of Hog and Skull, which ended up blowing Darkstar all the way back toward the door. After making impact and falling to the ground, Darkstar slowly stood up as smoke billowed up from his body, with clear injuries lining his arms, legs and face. "You… you can't do this!" Darkstar shouted. "You NEED me! My abilities are irreplaceable!"

"Perhaps." Salem said at the head of the table as the other villains, sans the two doctors, continued to approach him. "But I'm sure that there will be many more opportunities for more unique recruits in the future. In fact… Cinder and Rojo were able to bring us your replacement already."

This made most of the villains pause for a moment, with Emerald giving out a confused; "W-Wait, they did?"

"Indeed, they did." Salem affirmed as she stood up, glaring at Darkstar all the while. "Michael, your tenure within my forces… has been interesting, it has been fruitful, and it has been storied. But now… just like every story, it must have an ending." She snapped her fingers and the door behind Michael began to open, making the energy vampire whip himself around. "Michael Morningstar, consider yourself officially… _fired_."

The door opened… and a white, pink and dark brown blur suddenly leapt down from the ceiling in the hallway, kicking Michael straight in the face. He was sent back several feet toward the others before the new figure landed on the ground… with an open, pink umbrella blocking everyone's view of her. However, Emerald and Mercury let out simultaneous gasps. They knew who this was. "N-No way!" Mercury uttered.

The girl spun her umbrella over her shoulder, revealing herself with her head lowered and her hand on the brim of her bowler hat. The new arrival lifted her head with a smirk and a wink, which only made Emerald's jaw drop even more. " _Neo_?!" She whipped her head toward Cinder and Rojo. "H-How did you guys find NEO?!"

"Long story." Cinder answered before grinning maliciously down at Darkstar. "Well, Michael? How do you like your replacement? I think you'll find that she is more than capable of taking your place."

"This is INSULTING!" Darkstar snarled. "You're replacing ME with this… this… tacky, mismatched, ice-cream colored bitch in a STUPID hat?!"

All at once, Neo's face contorted from a smug expression to one of utter irritation and anger… and Rojo had a feeling it wasn't from being called a "bitch". "Oh, you REALLY shouldn't have insulted the hat." From there, Neo closed her umbrella and began to mercilessly beat the snot out of Darkstar, the young man howling in pain as he was smacked, prodded, whipped and jabbed without any pause on Neo's part. It was all anyone could do to keep from wincing at the barrage. In the end, Michael laid sprawled on the ground in an unconscious heap, with Neo breathing hard and with her teeth clenched over him. Everyone stared at the diminutive girl in utter shock, all except for Rojo, Cinder, and Tyrian who couldn't help but laugh, and Salem who remained neutral. "Ahaha! Oh god, that was the funniest shit I've ever seen!"

"Hahaha! I know, right?" Cinder guffawed. "Ah, he had that coming to him from the very beginning!"

Emerald blinked in surprise. "W-Wow… it's been a while since I've heard a laugh like that from you, Cinder." Her eyes moved over to Neo and she gave the shorter girl a smile and a wave. "And uh… hey, Neo! It's been a while." Neo blinked out of her hate-fueled state and her eyes darted over to Emerald, returning her wave. "Again, I have to ask; where did you FIND her?"

"In Mistral, believe it or not." Cinder answered. "While our initial meeting wasn't exactly smooth, we _did_ manage to work out a deal." Neo gave a salute, to which Cinder nodded back. "So, in exchange for revenge on Ruby Rose, she has agreed to work with us."

Mercury scratched the back of his head. "Man… Cinder, I gotta admit… I underestimated you guys." He received quirked brows from Cinder and Rojo respectfully, urging him to go on. "I-I honestly thought you two wouldn't be able to get back, least of all this soon. And the fact that you brought Neo with you _and_ ratted out Morningstar… I feel like I owe you an apology."

Cinder took in a deep breath as she was given a supportive nudge from Rojo, prompting her to move toward Emerald and Mercury. "To be perfectly honest… _I_ am the one who owes the two of you an apology." THIS served to make everyone's jaw drop, most of all Emerald, Mercury, and Doctor Watts, who was stunned into silence. Salem wore an impressed look on her face as she listened to her protégé. "It is because of my poor leadership, my failure to control my temper, and my utter disregard for anyone other than myself that we have been failing for so long." Her eyes glared down to Darkstar. "And while Michael was ALSO the largest factor in our latest failure, I still feel the need to take a big part of the blame." She lowered her head to her two teammates. "I realize now that I have much to work on, so if you'll allow me, perhaps we can… start working as a true team from here on?"

The silence continued for a good few moments after that, and through it all, a tight feeling began to take hold in Emerald's chest, causing her to choke up. "C-Cinder… I really don't know what to say."

" _I_ do!" Mercury piped up. "Where the HECK did all of that just come from?!"

Cinder chuckled and placed her hands on her hips. "Let's just say I had some time to… reflect on a few things." She sent a brief glance to Rojo, the bounty hunter giving her a thumbs up as she and Neo stepped next to her. "So, are we ready to pull ourselves together here?"

"YES!" Emerald answered eagerly before realizing she had lost her composure. "Er, um, I mean… yes. Yes, I am."

Mercury smirked and pumped a fist. "Eh, what the heck? I'm in. Let's give those heroes hell."

"Haha! Alright!" Rojo reached across Neo, Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury's shoulders, bringing them all in for a group hug. "A group of five ready to take on heroes together! I like the sound of that!"

"…Yes." Cinder said before slightly stepping out of the hug. "Still not much for the whole "hugging" thing, though."

Rojo raised her hands in defeat. "Ah, can't blame a girl for tryin'." The redhead focused her attention back to Michael's battered and beaten form, raising a brow down at him. "So… what do we do with Mr. Dark Mikey here?"

Salem pressed her fingers together as her smile returned. "Oh, I have an idea…"

* * *

_*Sub Zero WINS – Flawless Victory – FATALITY*_

As Ben stared at the TV screen with a blank expression, watching as Sub Zero froze his character, Raiden, and shatter him with an uppercut for what had to be the fourth time in a row… he couldn't help but feel just the slightest bit peeved. He could see his other friends smiling in amusement, including Yang as she struggled to hold back her giggles, as he craned his head over to the girl controlling Sub Zero. That being; Vernal. The young woman had a cocky grin on her face as she held her head up high, the PlayStation controller firmly gripped in her hands. "You know, I kinda hate how fast you managed to pick this up."

Vernal simply gave him a shrug. "What can I say? Fighting games are my specialty and I REALLY needed to let off some steam." She offered him a wink. "Thanks for introducing me to Mortal Kombat, though. This is WAY more violent than any fighting game _I've_ ever played."

"No kidding." Yang said as she stepped up to the place, putting her hands on her hips as she ruffled her boyfriend's hair. "But now it's my turn to step up to the plate, babe. Let's see if the Soaring Ninja MASTER can put a dent in her!"

Ben sighed and stood up, giving a small laugh. "Hehe, alright, babe. Besides, I think I've played enough—" But the hero was cut off at the sound of rapid footsteps approaching, prompting everyone to whip around to the stairs. There, rapidly making his way down, was Jaune, the blonde knight hyperventilating.

"J-Jaune!" Ruby shouted in concern. "What's going on?!"

"Guys!" Jaune pointed up the stairs, his face visibly perturbed. "Y-You gotta come to the front door! There's something that you GOTTA see to believe." The Alien Trio, Rex, Team RWBY and Vernal all exchanged confused yet concerned faces before following Jaune back up the stairs and to the front door, which was already opened with the rest of the team crowded around it. They were all gawking at something out on the front porch, which the others couldn't get a good view of until they made their way to the front.

Oscar, who was near the front of the gathered group, turned to face the approaching hero. "Ben! You've GOTTA see this."

"Alright, alright, what's all the fuss abou—" Ben cut himself off when he saw what they all staring at. There, retrained and with a gag over his mouth, was Michael Morningstar, now back in his corpse-like form. He was desperately trying to escape his bindings and run away, but to no avail. "Darkstar?!"

Almost instantly, Kevin burst out laughing. "BAHAHAHA! OH! Oh my god! You can't be serious!"

Gwen, astonished by what she was seeing, instantly took notice of a letter pinned to Darkstar's face. She walked up and plucked it off of him, all while he glared up to her in contempt. She opened the letter up and began reading it. "Let's see… "Dearest Assholes"." Gwen deadpanned at that. "Charming. "Please find on your doorstep one of the biggest jerks this side of any planet. We don't want him anymore, he's your problem now. Oh, and the Boss Lady took his powers away for a bit, so don't worry 'bout him givin' ya trouble. This doesn't change anything, though, so be ready for us. Sincerely yours, Rojo"."

Yang let out a series of her own guffaws immediately after, with Ruby, Rex, Nora, Sun and Neptune joining her. Weiss and Pyrrha also had to resist the urge to burst out laughing at the scene. "HAHAHA! They KICKED him out! Flung him to the curb like yesterday's news paper!"

"One that's been used to _potty train_! Haha!" Ruby added.

Blake tilted her head toward Ben. "So… what do we do with him?"

"What we ALWAYS do with bad guys." Ben smiled and activated the communicator on his Omnitrix, contacting an old friend. "Hey, Tetrax! You will NEVER guess who we found loitering on our front porch!"

* * *

**A/N: And thus, Michael Morningstar's time within Salem's forces comes to an end. And what better way for him to get kicked out than to be thrown right onto his ass! But worry not. If you think this is the last we'll see of his villainous misdeeds, just wait for Volume 2. I've got some plans for ol' Mikey, and he'll be out for BOTH the heroes and villains once his powers fully return. And, taking his place in Salem's forces is, of course, Neo! Like before, she'll be hanging around Cinder's group, as she already knows them well enough and seems to have already made fast friends with Rojo (and seems to be keen on implying a few certain…** _**interests** _ **between Rojo and Cinder as well, hehe). And of course, Salem knew about Michael's deception from the very start. You think she WOULDN'T have an extra pair of eyes on him the whole time? It's time to pick up the pieces Michael left and get a fresh start on things…**

**But that's not all we saw, now was it? The heroes had a little reunion with the adults and their pets now that they're back home, and it seems that Vernal is settling in rather well. Yang and Ruby are making certain of that. And hey, Paradox delivered her weapons back to her, so there's that. And what better way to blow off some steam… than dismembering your enemies in Mortal Kombat? Huzzah for gratuitous violence!**

**Phew, well everyone, I hope you guys enjoyed this special two-year anniversary chapter. I'm honestly so grateful to anyone who has even** _**clicked** _ **on this story to give it a read in its two years of existing, and I can't wait to show you what I have planned for the future after this first volume comes to a close this year. But for right now… NEXT TIME! We're back to another casual chapter as Ben and a few others visit Team CFVY and Cooper at their apartment to ask them to join in on some training. During said training, Jaune starts testing out his new Semblance, though a certain farm boy can't help but feel left out now more than ever. After that, Ghira and Sienna make their arrival on Patch, which leads Blake, Kali and Ilia to show them the new White Fang logo they came up with! That said… Ben and Gwen might be a bit stunned when they see what they and Kevin came up with… Thanks for reading, guys, and I'll see you later! Stay safe out there!**


	106. Playing Catch Up

**A/N: Hello AO3 gang, and welcome back to the story! Alright, so this will be the last big batch of chapters before we're all caught up tomorrow, so that means it's time for another big arc! Like I said, we're back to being casual this time, though, so let's get started! This is…**

**Chapter 106: Playing Catch Up**

* * *

It was still fairly early in the morning on the island of Patch, and the small port town of Patchwork was just barely starting to see the smallest bit of activity. After all, it was only eight-thirty, so the only ones out would be the true early risers. However, that just so happened to include many of the teens from the Xiao Long household. Many residents of Patch would find themselves rudely awakened on their Saturday morning as Yang rushed by their homes on her motorcycle, with Ben in his usual place on the back of the bike. And many an irked resident made sure to let their grief be known. "Sorry 'bout that!" Yang called back as some senior citizens tossed random objects at them.

Ben popped his head over his girlfriend's shoulder. "Considering your rap sheet, shouldn't you be worried about Sheriff Howlin pulling you over?"

"Psh, nah, he doesn't work the morning shift!" Yang smirked. "And all the cops that do know they can't catch up with me!"

"Heh, right." As they continued to ride through town, with Kevin, Gwen and the rest of Team RWBY behind them in the Osmosian's car while Rex was on his Ride directly next to them, Ben couldn't help but smirk at the memory of what had happened last night. Darkstar was delivered to their doorstep, wrapped up like a gift and with none of his powers to speak of. It was almost too good to be true, but it was! …Still, Ben couldn't help but feel a bit worried about that as well. _'I'd have thought Salem would give Michael a MUCH harsher punishment than just sending him right back to us. Wonder what that could mean…'_

Suddenly, Yang jarred him out of his thoughts. "Hey, Green Boy! Somethin' on your mind?"

Ben blinked and looked to her. "How could you tell?"

"Just a feeling. Also, you tightened your grip around me just a bit."

The hero loosened his grip just slightly and sighed to himself. "Sorry, Goldie Locks, it's just… I'm wondering why Salem didn't give Darkstar a worse punishment. You'd think she'd at LEAST have him killed or something."

Yang gave a little shrug. "Well, you've got a point there. Maybe there's a _reason_ why she sent him back to us?"

Ben pondered on that for a few moments before coming up with an answer. "Yeah, maybe… I guess the only way we're gonna find out is if we actually question him for ourselves."

"Sounds like a plan, but that'll have to wait 'til later!" Yang moved Bumblebee toward the right side of the road and pulled up to the curb, right in front of a familiar apartment complex. "'Cause guess what? We're here."

Ben took off his helmet and dismounted Bumblebee as Yang propped the bike up on its kickstand, right as Rex and Kevin came pulling up. The EVO stopped first and flipped in midair as he deactivated his Ride, landing on his feet perfectly before crossing his arms at the Blonde Brawler. "Sheesh, Yang, could you disturb the peace any MORE?"

Yang gave him a toothy grin, raising her hands defensively. "Hey, a bike makes noise. Nothin' I can do about that."

"You could at _least_ slow down." Gwen spoke up as she, Kevin, Ruby, Weiss and Blake all stepped out of the green and black muscle car. "Seriously, I think you went over the speed limit a few times more than necessary."

With a disappointed expression on her face, Yang directed her eyes down with a sigh. "Yeah, I know. I just so rarely get to cut loose on Patch with my bike, and mornings and evenings are probably the only chances I get."

"Even then, you should be more careful, Yang." Weiss argued. "Wouldn't want to chance getting stopped by the chief, right?" She raised her hand and pointed to the front door of the complex. "But how about we talk about this later, huh?"

"Yeah, let's go surprise the guys!" Ruby said as she excitedly made her way toward the door.

The group immediately followed after her and checked in with the teller at the desk, telling her that they were here visiting friends. As they made their way up to the particular apartment, Blake piped up; "Are you guys sure about doing this in person?" the cat girl asked. "I mean, what if they're not even up yet?"

Kevin chuckled at that. "Heh, if they weren't before, they probably are now. Yang made sure of _that_."

"Bite me, Levin." Yang retorted with a smirk.

"Nah, that's Ben's job." Kevin shot back, making the couple come to a screeching halt. Yang's eyes were the size of saucers while Ben's were the same, only the hero's face had flushed with red in an instant. Rex belted out a laugh all while Weiss and Blake restrained themselves, with Ruby pulling her hood over her head in embarrassment.

"KEVIN!" Ruby shouted. " _Seriously_?"

Gwen gave her boyfriend a jab to the ribs. "Yeah, Kevin. Not cool."

Kevin weakly laughed while holding his side. "Hehe, worth it."

Yang, however, seemed to take it in stride, her smile returning soon after. "Ah, it's okay, Gwen. I think I may have had that coming. But just to let you know, Kev…" She wrapped an arm around Ben's neck, making him blush even further. "We haven't gotten to THAT base yet. Right, Green Boy?"

Everyone could see the hero sweating profusely as he struggled to get his answer out. "Y-Y-Yeah. Right." He tugged at his collar, hoping to cool off just a little bit. "N-Now could we please move on to something else?"

"Great idea." Rex said before approaching the apartment that was home to the upper classmen and a certain technopath. "And I think we can start by knocking." And the EVO did just that; he knocked on the door and called out; "¡ _Hola_! Coco, Cooper, any of you in there?" When no response came, Rex raised an eyebrow and knocked again, this time a bit harder. "Um, hello? Anyone here?"

Again, no response. Blake crossed her arms and tilted her head. "Like I said, maybe they aren't up yet." Much to the cat girl's bafflement, Rex placed his ear up against the door, making her deadpan. "Really? You know this would look _utterly_ suspicious to anyone else, right?"

"Shh." Rex pointed to the door. "Listen."

The group walked up to Rex and listened close. From the other side of the door, they heard what sounded like muffled voices, making many them even more confused. "Well, I guess we know that they're awake." Ruby figured. "Wonder why they didn't answer the door, though?"

Out of curiosity, Rex tested the knob, which turned immediately. "Huh, well why don't we find out ourselves?"

Weiss furrowed her brows skeptically. "Uh, how about _no_ , Robo-dolt? You have to know it's utterly rude to just barge in without anyone knowing, right?"

"C'mon, Ice Princess, they're _right_ on the other side of this very door." Rex reasoned. "You can't tell me that they _didn't_ hear us knock. Besides, isn't Velvet's hearing off the charts? She MUST have heard it, at least."

Gwen crossed her arms and pursed her lips in contemplation. "Something's not right here. Hang on." She usually didn't like doing this, but given that there was clearly something going on inside of the apartment and no one was answering them, it gave her a reason to be concerned. Gwen's eyes flashed pink and she scanned for their friends' mana, quickly finding all five of them alive and well. She let out a sigh of relief. "Well, they're all okay."

"Great!" Rex said before opening the door. "C'mon let's go…"

But it was then that Gwen noticed something… very noticeable about two of her friends' life energies. Velvet, Fox and Yatsu were all at peace, the three no doubt trying to sleep in a little bit more. But as for the other two, they were in the kitchen… and their energies were _far_ livelier. In fact, they were a bit _too_ lively. Gwen's eyes flashed back to normal and she reached for Weiss' hand on the knob, harshly whispering; "Rex, WAIT!"

But it was too late. Rex had opened the door just a crack… and was instantly gob smacked by what she saw. There, sprawled out against the kitchen counter… were Cooper and Coco. The couple were still in their sleep wear, the latter even without her signature barrette and sunglasses… and they were both furiously making out with each other right on the countertop. They were going _right_ for each other, too, their lips practically locked in one-on-one combat. One of Coco's arms was wrapped securely around Cooper's neck while her other hand was pressed firmly against his chest, all while Cooper's right arm was draped across the small of her back and his other hand supported her by one of her thighs as she draped herself over him. Needless to say, this made everybody red-faced in an instant. Fortunately, the couple's eyes were closed and they hadn't noticed the door open up, allowing Rex to slowly and quietly close the door.

The group stared at one another in shock and embarrassment, with Ruby having retreated to her hood once again. Weiss swallowed and swiped a hand in front of her. "Okay, let us all agree right now that we saw _nothing_."

" _A-Aye, yo acuerdo._ " Rex agreed, his face utterly beat red. "That is something that I think we can ALL say we didn't need to see."

Yang scoffed and smirked. "Psh, speak for yourself. That was hot as hell."

"Yang!" Gwen yelled in a whisper.

"What? It's true!" The Blonde Brawler nudged her boyfriend in the side. "Green Boy, we'd better get up to their level, don't cha think?" Ben pulled his jacket over his head and zipped it up, turtling himself so that no one could see his utterly flustered face. Yang covered her mouth, holding her giggles back before giving her boyfriend a hug. "I'm kidding, sweetie, I'm kidding! Well… half-kidding, but I'm not gonna force you to rush into anything."

"…Okay." Ben muffled out while slowly returning the hug. "Sorry, it's just stumbling in on that private moment just REALLY threw me off my game."

Blake raised an accusatory brow at a certain EVO. "Hopefully this has taught _some_ of us that barging in on people isn't a good idea."

"…Yeah, _lo siento_." Rex apologized, hanging his head in disappointment. He received a smack in the back of his head from Weiss, though he didn't argue with her over it. "I deserve that."

Weiss nodded to him. "You're darn right, you do." However, in her head, a stray thought quickly passed through her mind; _'But I really wouldn't mind if WE did that.'_ Weiss' eyes widened and she mentally slapped herself, her face reddening even more. _'DRAT! I thought it'd be EASIER having admitted my feelings to myself, but now it's just gotten worse!'_ Her eyes trailed to Rex, taking in his handsome features. _'Face it, Weiss, you've done step one… now step two comes next. …That might be the trickier part.'_

It was then that Kevin cleared his throat, garnering everyone's attention. "Ahem, well, now that we've all gotten our wake-up call, I think it's better that we just wait our here until—"

Suddenly, the door opened once again, revealing a red-faced Cooper and Coco on the other side. "Guys!" Everyone jumped up and yelped in surprise, though the couple didn't seem to even flinch. "Morning everyone." Cooper greeted with an utterly goofy grin.

"What brings you around these parts so early?" Coco asked, her legs crossed while leaning up against the door frame. She was visibly trying to regain her breath, her eyes filled with pent up energy.

"C-Cooper! Coco!" Gwen stammered as everyone scrambled to appear as natural as possible. "I-I thought you guys were never going to answer the door!" She let out a nervous chuckle. "Hehe… w-we knocked twice, you know."

The genius and the fashionable girl glanced toward each other as Cooper let out a small chortle. "Heh, yeah, sorry. We…" But then, they both blinked at the sight of a certain hero, his jacket zipped over his head. "Uh… Ben?"

"Yo, watch boy!" Coco snapped her fingers. "What's with the new fashion statement?"

Ben panicked and desperately began unzipping himself, revealing his head soon after. "S-Sorry guys, it's just… kind of cold." He saw Coco giving him a skeptical face, with the addition of an amused smile added onto that. Ben swallowed hard and he decided to change the subject. "So, uh, what were you guys up to while we were knocking?"

With a small laugh, Coco decided to let it go and answer the question. "Heh, yeah, sorry about that. We were going through our usual morning… _workout_ routine when we heard you knock. We were so close to the end that we just wanted to finish up quickly."

' _WOW, Coco Puff.'_ Yang inwardly smirked, immediately picking up on the inuendo. _'Yeah, I bet you two were pretty close to the end, alright.'_ Nevertheless, the Blonde Brawler smiled and bowed her head. "Hey, no prob. We understand. So, mind if we come in for a bit?"

"Of course, c'mon in." Cooper invited, to which the group all filed in after him.

However, just as Cooper lead the others inside, Coco stretched her arm across the doorway, stopping Yang, Ben, Weiss and Rex in their place. Her amused smirk came back to her face as her chocolate brown eyes made contact with all of theirs. "So… enjoy the show, guys?"

This caused everyone's faces to drain of color immediately, and for Rex to get down on his hand and knees. "I am SO sorry for barging in like that! I-I didn't know you guys were in the middle of a private moment and—"

"Hahaha! Rex, I ain't mad." Coco laughed, much to the quartet's bafflement. "Hell, I didn't even notice you guys until you left."

"S-So… you're not angry?" Weiss asked.

"Nah, I wouldn't have gotten angry unless you actually interrupted our make-out sesh." Coco elaborated. "And even then, I probably only would've been a little peeved."

Ben sighed and wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead. "Phew, well, that's a relief. Thanks, Coco."

"No prob… but…" Coco pointed to him and Yang. "Now Tech Head and I have to walk in on YOU guys while _you're_ in a make-out sesh so that we're even."

The Omnitrix bearer's jaw fell open in shock, but surprisingly, Yang gave Coco a shrug. "Eh, guess it's only fair."

"Say WHAT now?!" Ben examined.

Yang smirked and shook Ben by his shoulders. "Ah, c'mon, Green Boy. Fair _is_ fair, am I right?" She gave him a wink as Weiss, Rex and herself began to head inside the apartment. "Now c'mon, we're burning day light."

"I-I don't… ugh." Ben lowered his head in defeat. "I give up."

Coco gave him a pat on the back as he stepped past her. "Ah, don't worry, big man. Just remember this; it's not the first time I've teased you guys like this, and it probably won't be the LAST." She nudged her head toward Yang as they went inside. "Besides, count yourself lucky that you got a gal like her. I certainly would if _I_ had asked her out first."

Ben sighed and nodded to himself. "Heh, yeah, you got a point." But then his eyebrows rose up a bit. "Wait… what did you mean by that last part?" Coco took another glance at Yang, her eyes lingering on the blonde for a bit before giving a knowing wink to Ben in response, clicking her tongue at the same time. This got the heroes' eyes to widen in revelation. "O-Oh…" his cheeks flushed a bit. "I did NOT know that about you."

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me, Benji."

"So… does that mean Coop knows?"

"Oh, hell yeah, that was one of the first things I told him about me. In fact, we scope out chicks all the time walking down the road together." Ben's eyes nearly bugged out at her reply, which got Coco laughing again. "Oh-ho, god, you crack me up, Tennyson. C'mon, let's head in."

"O-Okay." Ben said before shaking his head. _'Coop, your girlfriend might just kill me.'_

By the time they made it inside, everyone saw that Velvet, Fox and Yatsu had all risen from their respective rooms, though they were already in their normal clothes. Velvet saw Ben and Coco coming in and gave the hero a wave. "Morning, Ben! I must say, I wasn't expecting to see you all here this morning."

Ben waved back. "Yeah, well, we decided to swing by to see if you guys were up for some training today."

Yatsu quirked a brow at that. "Oh, of course… but you know you guys could've called over the phone for something like that, right?"

"Well, there's that…" Gwen began as she and Kevin sat down on the couch in the living area. "But there's also the fact that we went through some pretty heavy stuff yesterday and we need to fill you in on a few things."

Fox crossed his arms at that, turning his head in Kevin's direction. "Oh yeah, Kev, I remember hearin' that you, Penny and Ilia all got whisked away by that time traveling professor friend of yours." He gave the Osmosian a skeptical expression. "Are you guys saying you went on another mission without us _again_?"

Kevin raised his hands up to the blind Hunter. "Hey, in our defense; this whole thing was totally last minute."

"Yeah, sorry guys." Ruby apologized. "We would've loved your help, but I guess Professor Paradox only wanted Kevin and the girls."

Coco rolled her eyes and scoffed a little. "Psh, what? Does he think that just because we're on the beta squad means we can't handle it?"

"Either that or he just didn't think to get you guys." Ben remarked. "Which, agreed, isn't exactly cool, but he hasn't exactly been acquainted with you guys yet either, so there's that."

"Well then, we'll just have to fix that." Cooper said as he finished off a large stack of flapjacks he'd been working on. "Oh, and if any of you guys are hungry, let me know and I'll make some extra."

Weiss grumbled as she clutched her stomach. "No thanks. Nora's kind of pancaked us out, really."

Rex grimaced in agreement. "Yeah, how that girl is able to ingest THAT many pancakes all at once is beyond my understanding." He went over and sat down next to Kevin and Gwen. "But hey, while you guys eat, we'll give you the low-down on what happened yesterday. How's that sound?"

The quintet of roommates agreed and they sat down to eat their breakfast, all while The Alien Trio, Rex and Team RWBY recounted what had occurred in Mistral and at Haven Academy the day before. Team CFVY in particular to hear that Professor Ozpin was back, now reincarnated into a young boy named Oscar Pine. Cooper was as well, though he was more stuck on the fact that reincarnation was even possible. Needless to say, when the group told them all about the Godly Brothers being real and the Relic of Knowledge being in their possession, the team of five were all utterly floored. By the time they wrapped up with Darkstar being delivered to their doorstep for his betrayal of Salem's faction, Cooper and Team CFVY were all staring at them with gaping mouths and widened eyes. "…Damn." Fox muttered. "That's quite the story."

"Yeah… I know this must be a lot to take in." Blake surmised.

"To say the least." Velvet nodded before a smile came to her face. "But congrats to Jaune for unlocking his Semblance! That's great!"

Rex nodded in agreement. "Yeah, he really saved Ren's bacon, that's for sure." He gave Weiss a nudge next to him. "Plus, he gave a certain someone a little boost after she pulled out all the stops against a whole Sphinx."

As Weiss rolled her eyes at him, Coco pumped a fist. "Hell yeah, great job, Weiss-Cream! Can't get any more bad ass than tanking one of _those_ bastards…" Coco wore a confident grin as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. "'Course, if you had invited us, we probably woulda gotten ALL the flying cats in one go, but I guess those Team ABRN guys did a good enough job."

Ruby sent the fashionable girl a cheeky grin. "Someone's still _salty_ …" she sang teasingly.

It was Coco's turn to roll her eyes as Yatsu spoke on their behalf. "We're just happy that you had back-up." The tall swordsman focused in on Ben. "Still, the fact that this "Darkstar" guy was just dropped on your doorstep is a bit disconcerting. Doesn't that mean the villains know where you live?"

"Well, yeah, but really, they've ALWAYS known where we live." Ben reminded. "Darkstar's known since he first sought us out, plus there's Subdora, and Rojo's been here a few times, too. It's probably no surprise that they told Salem. Before, she's never done anything to us to hit us at home…" The hero craned his head down to the coffee table in front of them. "But now that Salem's made her third strike against us, she said she was going to stop holding back…" Ben folded his arms in contemplation. "I'm wondering… if that means she'll come for us _here_ now."

A shiver went up everyone's spines, with Blake hugging her arms close to her. "I hope not. Seeing her in person once is enough for me this week, thank you."

Yang scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't worry about that, Blake. That lady's made it clear that she only leaves her castle for really "important" matters." She pointed out the nearby window. "I doubt she'll consider some island off the coast of Vale important enough for her to make an in-person appearance. I'd expect her to just send her minions here if anything."

"Yeah, maybe." Gwen laced her fingers together in thought. "Still, we can't rule out that Vale's still REALLY vulnerable, and so is Beacon." She moved her eyes back up to the group. "And considering that we're all within the general area of the kingdom, we may have to expect an attack on any front if they decide to come here again."

"Why would they, though?" Fox asked. "They probably know we'd expect them to attack here."

Cooper raised a finger to him. "Well, think of it like this; Vale has three things that are of interest to Salem." He began counting on his fingers. "The Relic of Knowledge, Raven, who's the Spring Maiden, and the Relic of Choice." Cooper jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "And _she_ has Cinder with her, who's the key to getting the relic up at Beacon. That'd be FOUR things off her check list."

"Which is exactly why we've gotta get Raven AND the Relic of Knowledge out of Vale as soon as possible." Ben concurred, raising a brow at Cooper. "Which leads me to ask… is Caesar done putting the Dimensional Doorway on Tetrax's ship yet? I didn't get a good look last night when we dropped off Darkstar."

Cooper shook his head. "Not yet, but he's expected to get it done by this afternoon." The genius smiled as he draped an arm over Coco's shoulder. "Pretty soon, we'll all be headed back home… kind of a lot to take in, really."

Gwen took note of Cooper's eyes scanning across the apartment, along with the rest of Team CFVY as well. "…Guys? Is there something your minds?"

The team eyed each other, with Coco focused right onto her boyfriend. "You wanna tell 'em or should I?"

"Heh, don't worry, I'll tell them." Cooper assured with a peck to her lips. He faced his friends and nodded to them. "Guys, while we ARE gonna be heading back over to Earth with you… we're considering coming back to Remnant after we get all the stuff we wanna do over there done." He could see the visible surprise on their faces as he continued. "See, we've kind of gotten used to living here with each other… and there are still a lot of things up at Beacon that Goodwitch could use our help on. So, I asked Caesar if we could keep the smaller Dimensional Doorway so we could use it, and—"

"I completely understand." Ben spoke up, with everyone else giving Cooper similar reassuring smiles. "I had a feeling you were gonna say that, Coop, and honestly, I couldn't agree more."

Velvet jumped up to her feet in excitement. "You do?!"

"Of course, we do." Gwen nodded. "You five have become as tightly knit as the rest of us, and you've planted yourselves pretty firmly here already."

Yang sent them a small wink. "Just don't forget to visit us over on Earth every once and a while, 'kay?"

"And remember, you still gotta testify at Swift's court hearing." Ruby reminded with a thumbs up. "Just so long as you keep that in mind, we've got no problems."

Coco chuckled and returned the gesture. "Hehe, don't worry, Rubes, we remember. We'll be sure to be there. Besides…" She nudged Cooper's shoulder. "I've still gotta have enough time to leave an impression on Tech Head's folks."

A trickle of sweat came to Cooper's forehead. "Hehe, thanks for reminding me, honey."

"Ah, relax! You're 'rents will LOVE me!" Coco placed her sunglasses on and spread her arms out. "I mean, seriously, what's there NOT to love?"

She and the rest of the room broke out into a series of laughter before it died down, allowing Ben to speak up again. "Well, we'll make sure you guys are well stocked on Earth stuff before you leave. Which reminds me…" Ben quirked a brow in Cooper's direction. "Grandpa told me about your visit… and how you procured my ReBoot DVDs."

Before Cooper could respond, Velvet did it for him. "Oh, yes! I must say, it is quite the interesting show!"

"The animation is a bit… dated, but otherwise, I was thoroughly entertained." Yatsu affirmed.

Fox shrugged his shoulders. "Can't exactly vouch for that, but from what I could hear, it's neat."

"Psh, the show is a LOT like my boyfriend; utterly nerdy." Coco said before hooking her arm around Cooper's. "…And that means I love it, despite how dated the animation is."

Yang furrowed her brows and crossed her arms, giving them all a skeptical face. "Okay, so what IS this "ReBoot" show? I don't think we've been shown anything from IT yet."

Ben raised a hand to her. "Well, you remember Beast Wars: Transformers? ReBoot's actually from the same studio; Mainframe Entertainment. It's about living computer programs that keep the system they live in safe from living viruses who wanna take it over."

Weiss deadpanned at that. "That has to be the NERDIEST thing I've ever heard."

"Yeah, I know." Cooper admitted with a shrug. "But that's exactly why I love it. But get this; it was the FIRST cartoon series to ever fully utilize computer generated animation. It was really groundbreaking at the time." The genius looked at the TV. "In fact… I've still got the DVD in the player. Hey Ben, how long before training starts?"

Ben smiled knowingly. "Oh… not for a little while. You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

Cooper picked up a remote and turned the TV on, booting up the DVD player at the same time. "Oh yeah. Get ready, guys, we're goin' on a trip ALL the way back to 1994!"

"Oh god, help us." Weiss mumbled.

The TV turned on and the intro played, showing a bunch of what appeared to be buildings suspended on floating islands. Suddenly, a voice spoke up; _"I come from the Net. Through systems, peoples, and cities…"_ At that moment, the camera zoomed into a large sphere, taking them through a vortex and to a large city separated into six separate parts. _"…to this place; Mainframe."_ The intro then shifted focus onto a bunch of different individuals, the first being a man with blue skin and silver, dread-like hair. _"My format; Gaurdian. To mend and defend."_ Next came a woman with green skin, red lips and short black hair, as well as a young boy with similar skin and hair color but with a ball cap. _"To defend my new found friends… their hopes, and dreams. To defend them from… their enemies."_ After a close-up shot on a rather threatening robotic being with a massive chin, an epic theme began playing, allowing everyone to see different shots from the show.

"Oh… wow." Blake uttered. "Yeah, this animation is _old_ , even by CG standards."

Kevin nodded at that. "Yeah, but it's still a really good show. Especially when it gets to the _third_ season." He craned his head toward Cooper. "…But I get the feeling you guys haven't made it that far."

"Oh, GOD no." Cooper denied. "We only got through episode eight last night." He gestured toward the TV, focusing in on Team RWBY. "But you girls gotta understand, back in the 90's, this was the shit! My dad used to watch this _all_ the time when he was a teenager."

Ruby gave a small shrug. "Well, in that case, I say let's watch it! What's the harm, right?"

Back on the TV, a large, cube-shaped object that was flashing with power had landed on top of the city, with a slightly foreboding melody playing over it. _"They say the User lives outside the Net, and inputs games for pleasure."_ The camera went back to the main trio; Bob, Dot Matrix, and her little brother, Enzo as the former finished out the into. _"No one knows for sure… but I intend to find out!"_ All three pressed the icons on their uniforms as Bob shouted out; _"ReBoot!"_

But just as the intro ended, Ben's eyes widened in realization. "Wait… Coop, you said you made it through _eight_ episodes?" He received a nod from the genius… and then both of their eyes widened in realization. It was then that the title of the episode popped up; 'Wizards, Warriors, and a Word from Our Sponsor'. The duo stared at the screen before Ben uttered; "…Cooper, change it to any episode OTHER than this one."

"On it." Cooper agreed hastily.

* * *

"I gotta say… it was better than I thought it would be." Blake admitted on the car ride back home. After watching the first two episodes of ReBoot, Coco and Cooper had gotten themselves together and the group made their way back to the Xiao Long abode, ready to get on with their training. The quartet in Kevin's car were discussing what they had just watched, with Blake continuing with; "I mean, hearing that it gets better later on is already a good sign, but I can see how someone could get hooked on this show."

Weiss lolled her head off to the side. "I'll concede; there ARE some moments, even IF the animation is dated. Though I think the villains are some of the best parts of it."

"I KNOW, right?!" Ruby said ecstatically. "I mean, I know we're against villainy and all that stuff, but Megabyte is an amazing villain… and Hexadecimal is _unsettlingly_ creepy. I love it!" The Hooded Huntress pumped her fists. "And hey, I've even got some new sayings out of it." She extended her arms as high as she could and exclaimed; "Alphanumeric!"

Weiss deadpanned and shook her head. "…Yeah, that isn't cool. In fact, I found Enzo to be one of the more annoying parts of the show."

In the front seat, Kevin scoffed. "Psh, just wait until Season 3, Weiss, you'll think otherwise." He gave her a brief glance before going back to the road. "Besides, if you think ENZO is annoying, just wait until we get to Mike TV. THEN you'll really be annoyed. Hehe, Ben spared you guys from getting a full onslaught of Mike already, so be sure to thank him."

Blake furrowed her brows and moved her eyes over to Gwen. "Is he THAT annoying?"

"Unfortunately." Gwen confirmed as the muscle car came to a stop in front of the house. "But we can talk about that later. We're home."

As the group got out of the car and Rex deactivated his Ride once again, Ruby rushed right over to Yang and eagerly asked; "Ooh, ooh! Yang, what's your favorite part of ReBoot so far?"

As she and Ben dismounted her motorcycle, Yang pondered over the question, putting a hand to her chin. "Hmm… I dig Megabyte, I know that… plus the video game stuff, too." She snapped her fingers and brightened up. "Oh! Hack and Slash! Those guys remind me of Hog and Skull SO much and it's hilarious!"

"Haha, yes! I like them too!" Ruby agreed.

As Cooper and Team CFVY exited Coco's roadster, the genius couldn't help but laugh and pat Ruby on the back when he came over. "Heh, I knew you'd get a kick out of ReBoot! But trust me, we may have only had time for the first couple episodes, but it gets even better later." However, it was then that Cooper took notice that there was nothing really going on at the house. In fact… there didn't seem to be anyone there at all. "Uh… where IS everybody?"

"Probably already at the training ground." Gwen revealed. "We told them to go on ahead of us if they were ready. But don't worry, we'll catch up to them pretty quick. Gather up, everyone." The group huddled together and Gwen's eyes lit up as a large, pink sphere appeared around them. "Brace yourselves!" And just like that, the quartet vanished from the front yard, only to reappear inside of the training facility's rec room. "And here we are!"

Coco and Velvet immediately lurched back onto a nearby couch, holding their heads a bit while Fox went into a crouch. Yatsu seemed to get the worst of it, falling onto both of his knees while holding his stomach. "Ugh, jeez, Red, warn a girl when you're gonna do that, alright?" Coco requested.

"Yeah, that was FAR from fun." Velvet piped up.

Gwen wore a guilty face, rubbing the back of her neck. "Oh, sorry! I forgot this would be your first time teleporting."

Cooper placed a hand on Coco's shoulder. "You alright, babe?"

"Yeah, just… a little woozy." Coco said with a pat to his hand. "If anything, I'm more worried about the big guy. Yatsu, how're you holding up?"

"Ugh, the pancakes are churning." Yatsu climbed up onto the nearest chair and began to compose himself. "Give me a minute, would you?"

After a few moments rest, Yatsu's stomach finally settled and the group proceeded toward the back of the training facility, finding no one in the gym. "I had a feeling they're all be in the arenas already." Ben commented as he went to the second set of doors and opened them up, calling out into the big, spacious room; "We're back, guys!"

Almost immediately, Teams JNPR and SN, as well as Penny and Ilia all shifted their attention toward the incoming group, with Athena, Raven and Winter doing the same. Pretty soon, everyone was exchanging greetings with them, Cooper and Team CFVY, with the quintet in particular being quick to congratulate the blonde knight on his recent discovery. "Congratulations on unlocking your Semblance, Jaune!" Velvet said with a brief hug.

Coco gave her usual supportive pat on the back, making the blonde knight stumble forward. "I knew ya had it in ya, Hoodie Knight… somewhere, at least."

"Har-har, very funny." Jaune laughed sarcastically. "Ya know, I think I would've discovered it sooner or later."

"Whatever the case, still sounds like a pretty powerful Semblance." Fox spoke up. "You said it was some sorta… "Aura Amp"?"

Pyrrha gave the blind huntsman a nod. "That is correct." She gestured toward the arena, where there was a rather old and battered refrigerator just sitting in the middle of it. "In fact, we were just about to test its effects on our Semblances… starting with myself."

Ben narrowed his eyes at the fridge. "Uh… guys? Where'd you get THAT hunk of junk?"

"I took a brief excursion to the scrapyard." Raven revealed. "Pyrrha wanted something big and heavy, so I got her the fridge." She received a pair of skeptical faces from Ben and her daughter at her story. "What? It's not stolen if it's junk, right?" Raven turned to Team CFVY with a nod. "Now, would any of you kids like to participate in this little experiment?"

Yatsu quickly declined, holding his hands up while backing toward the bleachers. "N-No thank you. My Semblance is already… temperamental as it is. I don't need something amplifying its effects, thank you."

" _Yeah, same."_ Fox spoke telepathically. _"Wouldn't wanna give everyone a major headache or somethin'."_

Velvet put a finger to her chin. "Would my semblance even benefit from being boosted in any way? I wouldn't think so…"

Coco placed her hands on her hips. "Heh, well, I'm in if these first few tests go well."

Cooper's eyes widened tremendously at that. "Uh… hon? You sure? Hype might already be uber-powerful enough. If Jaune gave you a boost… you might bring the mountain down."

The fashionable girl craned her head up and winced, the thought of a thousand tons of mountain falling on their heads making her suck air in through her teeth. "Good point. Might be better for outdoor target practice."

However, at that moment, another voice piped up from the stands; "YO!" As it happened, Vernal and Oscar were also there as well, the former giving the group a salute while the boy simply sent a small smile. "Hey guys! Glad you could finally join us." Vernal greeted as she got up, her eyes moving over to Cooper and Team CFVY. The lady bandit gave the quintet the once over and sent Coco a smirk. "Ah, so THESE are the ones you told me about, huh? Hm, they certainly _look_ pretty tough."

Coco lowered her sunglasses and returned the smirk. "Could say the same about yourself, sister." She nudged her head to Vernal's right arm. "Nice ink, by the way. You must be Vernal, right?"

"Sure am. And thanks for the compliment." Vernal pointed back at Coco. "So, you must be Coco…" Her finger trailed across the rest of the team. "…Cooper, Velvet, Fox and Yatsu, right? Yang told me about you guys last night. You seem like a cool bunch."

"We like to think so." Coco crossed her arms with a smirk before noticing Oscar off to the side, making her eyebrows shoot up for a second. "Uh… just a sec, Vernal. We'll be right back…" She ushered Cooper to follow her and the others as they made their way over to Oscar, the farm boy shrinking back as they stepped closer to him. Coco leaned down so that she was face to face with him, her lips parting in astonishment. "…Prof? That really you?"

Oscar blinked and blushed, backing away so that he wasn't so close to the… _very_ attractive girl. "W-Well, y-yes, but at the same time not really." He put a hand to his chest and introduced himself. "M-My name is Oscar… Oscar Pine. The Ozpin you know is… residing inside my head."

"Yeah, we heard." Fox piped up, crossing his arms. "Ben told us somethin' about him fading away with time, though? What's that about?"

"W-Well, he said that when he fades away, that'll be when his soul and mine fully merge. Then I'll be the one and only person in charge again, but his memories will all be my memories as well." Oscar explained. "Does that make any sense?"

"Not really." Cooper shook his head. "But then again, I'm a man of science, so magic doesn't really make a whole lot of sense to me anyway."

Velvet tilted her head a bit. "But… didn't Ben also say that you and Ozpin could switch places or something? What's that about?"

Oscar sighed and slumped his shoulders. "Well, I guess there's no getting out of it… Ozpin, they want to speak with you." At that moment, Oscar's eyes flashed and Ozpin took over, the reincarnated man taking out his cane for good measure

"Ah, Team CFVY." Ozpin smiled as his voice echoed, taking the five teens aback. "It's very good to see you all again."

Coco and the others all wore vacant, stunned stares before she slapped her own face, just to make sure she wasn't hearing things. "P-Prof! It really IS you!"

"By the gods." Yatsu put a hand to his head. "This… this is unbelievable."

"And yet, here I am." Ozpin said as he spread his arms out. "Though I don't think you were expecting to ever address me like this."

"To say the VERY least." Velvet affirmed. "This is just so off the wall!"

At that moment, Nora zipped right over and stood in between them all, raising her hands up in exasperation. "Yes, yes, we're all super shocked that Little Cute Boy Ozpin is a thing, now can we PLEASE get on to seeing Jaune practice his Semblance?!" She began bouncing up and down in place. "I wanna see things get demolished already!"

Ozpin gave a chuckle and nodded. "Yes, I suppose we should get today's practice underway. I will be observing from within Oscar's mind, so good luck to everyone." His eyes flashed again and Oscar was switched back in Ozpin's place, the boy shaking his head a little.

"Ugh, okay, I think I might be getting used to it now." the former farmhand commented.

"Good to hear." Raven spoke up, garnering everyone's attention. "Now, if we're all done with the pleasantries, let's get to work, huh? Jaune, Pyrrha, take your positions."

* * *

After making the necessary preparations, Jaune and Pyrrha stood together in the arena with the broken fridge, both of them ready to experiment with their Semblances. Pyrrha took a deep breath and faced her boyfriend with a nervous smile. "I'll be honest with you, Jaune, I've never used my Semblance on anything larger than my weapons before." She took a brief glance over at the wrecked fridge. "Do you think I'll be able to lift something like THAT?"

"What? Sure you can!" Jaune supported, putting his arm around his girlfriend. "I mean, you pretty much controlled ALL of those cans pretty well during our food fight with Team RWBY, remember?"

"Yes, but those were all _smaller_ objects." Pyrrha reminded. " _This_ is a really large fridge. Even with your Aura Amp, I might—"

"Pyr." Jaune put a reassuring hand to Pyrrha's shoulder, smiling at her with every ounce of genuine emotion he had. "It'll all be okay. I'm right here with you and I'll help you through it, just like you helped me with my sword play, remember?" He leaned in and gave her a peck on the lips, a smile forming on the Invincible Girl's face. "So, how do you feel now?"

Pyrrha giggled and put her arm around Jaune's neck. "Much better, thank you." She took a brief glance over to their three coaches, with Athena giving them two thumbs up and the biggest smile imaginable. _'Mother, I love you, but dear god, you are sometimes TOO supportive.'_ Pyrrha gave her mother a thumbs up as well before focusing on the obstacle in front of her, taking a deep breath as she steadied herself. "Alright… let's do this."

Jaune nodded, keeping his hand on her shoulder as she raised her arms toward the fridge. "Alright, I'm gonna start… now." Jaune closed his eyes and focused on his Semblance, a white, ethereal energy beginning to pour right into Pyrrha. In response, Pyrrha's Aura began to glow a brilliant orangey-gold, with a very powerful sensation watching over her.

"Ooh… tingly." Pyrrha said with a slight smirk. "You certainly know how to make a girl feel good, Jaune."

The blonde knight blushed and glanced off to the side. "Okay, as amazing as that compliment is, and thank you, by the way, could we not say that with your mother so close to us?" he whispered.

Another laugh escaped Pyrrha's throat and she nodded. "Right, right, time to focus…" The redhead trained her eyes on the fridge and furrowed her brows at it, focusing intently as she kept her hands raised and focused on her Semblance. All of a sudden, the fridge began to glow with a black aura around it, the large object beginning to skid along the ground just slightly. After a few seconds, the team in the stands gasped in awe as the huge fridge began to hover slightly above the ground, floating up into the air slowly and steadily.

Jaune brightened up and he gave Pyrrha's shoulder a little nudge. "You're doing great, Pyr. Keep it up!"

Pyrrha peeked open an eye to see, only for both eyes to snap open at what she was doing. "It… it worked? It worked!" The Invincible Girl broke into a smile and cheered. "Haha! I cannot believe it worked!"

"Woo! Alright, P-Money!" Yang shouted from the sidelines. "You too, Vomit Boy!"

"Jaune, Pyrrha, good job!" Ren supported.

Nora punched her fist into her open palm with a determined grin. "Okay, now crumple that thing up like it's a piece of paper!"

Pyrrha couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Calm down, Nora. There are still some things I wish to test…" The redhead held up two fingers on her right hand and concentrated her eyes onto the fridge's doors, moving the hand slowly and steadily. As she had hoped, the doors slowly began opening much to her delight. "Oh, this is VERY promising."

Off in the stands, Gwen nodded in agreement. "She's right. With her and Jaune's Semblances combined, they could be quite the force to be reckoned with, especially since most weapons are metal."

Ruby chuckled at that. "Yeah, let's be glad that she's not focusing on any of OUR weapons, right?" Her eyes widened as she went back to the arena. "Woah!"

With all of her attention directed at the fridge, Pyrrha slowly began cupping her hands together… and in response, the fridge began to crumple and flatten like a pancake. By the time she was done, the refrigerator was little more than a piece of scrap. Coco gave out an impressed whistle. "Man, Jaune's got Pyrrha's Semblance jacked all the way up to eleven."

"No kidding!" Sun shouted out. "She flattened that thing with no effort at all!"

"Kinda like how All-Might did in that one MHA episode…" Neptune commented.

"Woo-hoo! Alright, Pyrrha!" Nora shouted out, happy that she got to see a fridge get ruined.

It was then that Pyrrha slowly set the scrapped fridge down, letting out a breath as she did. "Phew, that was… nerve-wracking, yet surprisingly fun to do." She craned her head up and gave her boyfriend a more lingering kiss as he stopped using his Semblance on her. "An excellent test run, my dear."

"Hah, no doubt about it." Jaune winked. "See? I knew you could do it."

"Haha!" The couple snapped their heads up to see Athena clapping her hands supportively for the two, the woman having made her way up onto the arena. "That was brilliant, you two! What an impressive showing!" She made her way over to her daughter. "Dear, the way you focused your Semblance on such a large object was splendid!" Athena then shifted her attention to the blonde knight. "And Jaune, it seems your Semblance has many different uses! I look forward to seeing what happens when you pair up with others."

Pyrrha rolled her eyes a bit before giving her mother a smile. "Thank you, mother."

"Yeah, Athena, thanks." Jaune returned before waving to the crowd. "Alright, who's next?!"

"Ooh-ooh! Me!" Nora shouted enthusiastically as she zipped right up onto the arena, stopping dead in front of Jaune and Pyrrha, flexing her muscles. "I wanna be SUPER zappy-jacked!"

Jaune's pupils dilated to the size of peas. "Uh, Nora? I think you're forgetting that I have to be close to you in order for my Semblance to work."

"Yeah, but you don't have to ACTUALLY be touching me, right?" Nora reminded. "You took your hands off of Ren and you still kept sharing your Aura with him, remember?"

"…Yeah… good point." Jaune grimaced. _'Damn it, guess I'm gonna get shocked after all.'_

At that moment, Ben stood up and began making his way off the stands and into the ring. "Ah, don't worry, Jaune. I'll make sure you aren't zapped." The hero pulled himself up onto the arena and went to the Omnitrix, searching for one of his lighting-based aliens. "And even better… I can be the target for Nora to sick herself on."

Nora clapped her hands excitedly. "OOH! Good idea! Make sure whoever you turn into is satisfying for me to hit!"

"Hehe, alright, here goes!" Ben slapped the Omnitrix core down and transformed in a flash of light, becoming a familiar Transylian in a ragged, dark green coat. "FRANKENSTRIKE!"

Up in the stands, Vernal's jaw dropped in surprise. "W-Wait, isn't that the alien that was with Cinder's group yesterday?" She whipped her head over to Gwen as Frankenstrike and Jaune went to work on juicing Nora up, the hyper redhead giggling as she felt her friends using their powers on her. "How many types of aliens can Ben even turn _into_?"

"Well over a million." the Anodite answered. "Though he only has access to around fifty right now, if I'm not mistaken." However, she then noticed that a certain farm boy was nowhere to be seen, much to her confusion. "Uh, Vernal? Did you see where Oscar went?"

Vernal perked her head up and craned it around, only to not see Oscar anywhere. "Huh, beats me. I thought he was on the other side of the bleachers."

A suspicious feeling rising up in her, Gwen stood up and began walking off the stands. "I should—"

"O-Okay, Nora!" Frankenstrike shouted out, halting the flow of electricity. "I-I think that might be MORE than enough!" However, by the time the Transylian stopped pouring on the juice, Nora's entire body was sparking with pink electricity, even more than yesterday when Rex had done so himself. And that was all thanks to Jaune keeping his Semblance concentrated on her, his hands raised to do so… while also hoping to block any stray attacks that came his way.

Nora herself was giggling like a mad woman, the tingling sensation all over herself giving her endless amusement. "EE-HEEHEEHEE!" she cackled as she gripped her hammer firmly. "Oh, Ben, I don't think I've EVER felt this jacked! Not even REX'S boost from yesterday felt this powerful!" She reared her hammer back as Frankenstrike began to back away, now feeling like he had made a terrible mistake. Nora sent a smirk to her blonde friend behind her. "JAUNE! Whatever you do, do NOT let up on that sweet stuff you're givin' me!"

Under his breath, Jaune whispered; "I'm tempted to say "no"." with a panicked face.

With her smirk still firmly in place, Nora widened her stance to prepare for her strike. "Ready Ben?! Three…"

"N-Nora, wait, I think we can find you a different target!" Frankenstrike pleaded, now immensely regretting his decision.

"Two…"

"Come on, I'll get you some more pancakes!"

"PANCAKES CANNOT SATISFY THIS HUNGER!" Nora bellowed in a surprisingly deep, guttural voice. "ONE!" With that, she shot forward, appearing almost as if a pink bolt of lightning had shot across the battlefield.

"Oh, I am become error." Frankenstrike muttered before feeling the full force of Magnhild slam into his gut, sending him rocketing backward without even the need of an explosive. He was sent spiraling through the air before slamming back-first into the far wall on the other side of the room… which just so happened to be where Oscar was standing. Fortunately, the boy wasn't hit by the massive alien, but he did belt out a rather loud scream, garnering everyone's attention.

"Oscar!" Ruby called out, her hands gripping at her hair in shock.

"Oh no!" Penny exclaimed. "This is NOT sensational." She cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted to him. "Are you alright!?"

Oscar was breathing hard as he stood up, looking over himself to make sure he was unharmed. "I… I'm okay! Just… a bit rattled is all." He brushed himself off before a flash of green light behind him caught his attention.

Inside the wall's new crater, he saw Ben with an absolutely agonized expression on his face, the hero groaning as he slumped forward and onto the floor. "Ugh, not fun."

"Ben!" Nora exclaimed as she, Jaune, Pyrrha and Raven all came jogging over to them, with Yang and Gwen not too far behind. The Pink Dynamo had returned to her normal state, sending a guilty smile down to the hero as Raven and Yang rushed to help him up. "Sorry, I guess there was a lot more "oomph" behind that hit than even _I_ realized."

"Hey, no prob, Nora." Ben assured. "Besides, I'm only a little sore after that. Hehe—ow."

Yang rolled her eyes and began lugging him back to the stands. "Yeah, I think you need a break, Green Boy."

However, it was then that Gwen raised a brow over to Oscar. "And what exactly _were_ you doin' over here, Oscar? You were in a pretty dangerous spot, you know."

Raven zeroed in on the boy with a harsh expression. "She's right, you would have been much safer remaining by the stands with everyone else." The Spring Maiden gestured over toward the massive indentation that Frankenstrike had left. "If Ben had been flown at least one foot further to the right, you could have been crushed."

Oscar hung his head and prodded his fingertips together nervously. "W-Well, you see… I just…" He sighed and let his arms slump to his sides. "I just felt… out of place."

Pyrrha quirked a brow at him. "What do you mean, Oscar? If anything, you could not be more "in the right place" than now."

"Yeah!" Nora put her hands to his shoulders and shook him lightly. "Why so down in the dumps?"

Once she was done shaking him, Oscar shook his head. "Heh, well, I'm glad you guys think so." He craned his head up and met all of their eyes with his, raising his arms up to gesture toward everyone. "But to be honest, I'm probably at the worst disadvantage here out of everyone. I'm younger AND shorter than everyone here, I don't have any combat experience of my own, I can't bring up my Aura by myself, and I don't even have my SEMBLANCE unlocked yet." He took a brief glance at Jaune. "And now… I'm the only one who doesn't."

Jaune put a hand to the back of his head, wincing as the memory of yesterday's training session in Mistral came back to him. "…Yeah. Honestly, Oscar, I had NO idea that I would unlock my Semblance yesterday. But I KNOW that you'll unlock yours eventually too. Your Aura is already unlocked, even if you can't bring it up yourself. What you need is more training, and with us—"

"How do you guys even HANDLE all of this?!" Oscar blurted out, his voice echoing throughout the room, much to everyone's surprise. There was a momentary silence before he continued. "I'm… scared." Oscar admitted. "More scared than I've ever been in my life. More than I ever thought was possible."

It was at that point when a few of the others began to move off the stands. "Oscar, we're _all_ really scared." Blake supported. "When Salem burst into the White Fang's palace in Menagerie, that was one of the most frightening moments of my life."

"Same here." Ilia concurred. "It was like time froze to a standstill. We understand how scared you must be, but you have to remember, we have each other's backs here."

Oscar folded his arms, his head moving back down toward the floor. "I always knew I wanted to be more than just a farmhand, but… this?" He unclipped the cane from his belt and showed it to everyone. "Who would as for _this_?" He stared at the group with a resolute expression… but a tear escaping his eye belied his true emotions.

Ruby smiled sympathetically and gave him a nod. "Oscar, we all went to Beacon so that we could help, people… but you're right. None of us asked for this either."

"She's right." Ben spoke up, bringing everyone's attention to him as he stood on his own two feet. "And unfortunately, fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing."

Gwen facepalmed and threw her head back. _'Really?'_

"I understand your concerns, Oscar." Ben assured. "We ALL do. We're all afraid of what Salem will do next. But that's exactly why we're doing this kind of training; to be ready for whenever that happens." Ben reached over and put a steady hand on the boy's shoulder, only for Oscar to pull it away.

"How can you be so confident?!" Oscar shouted as he got right into Ben's face. "You guys have been fighting Salem's forces for the past THREE weeks! People have tried to KILL you, Salem's three strikes are up and she's gonna stop holding back against you! How are you guys just… so _calm_ about it?!"

Throughout Oscar's rant, Ben remained steadfast, keeping a calm face about him as he let Oscar vent. _'The kid's scared… better to let him get out his frustrations now.'_ Ben took a small breath and nodded. "Oscar, I know that this is all still very new to you." The hero gestured around to everyone in the room. "It was for everyone else here, too. But they're all here because they want to fight for what's right. Am I right, everyone?" He got an uproarious cheer in response, which Oscar was taken aback by. "And as for the confidence… let's just say that this isn't my first rodeo with people who wanna take over the world."

Oscar rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I know that, but… Ozpin's memories are getting clearer with each passing day. And the things I'm seeing that Salem's capable of… it's horrifying. I'm… seeing them in my nightmares."

"Heh, well join the club. I see _my_ enemies in my nightmares too." Ben grimaced and groaned in disgust. "Try getting back to sleep after seeing _Vilgax_ in your dreams, I dare you." He reached over and this time, Oscar didn't pull his shoulder away. "The point is, I've faced threats like this before. I know that if we work as a team, we'll pull this off. And I know how you must feel about being at a disadvantage compared to us. That's why, until you can properly hold your own in a fight, you'll be on the sidelines, okay?" Oscar craned his head up to face Ben once more. "I promise, you WILL be trained in combat, one way or another."

"And considering you'll be getting Oz's muscle memory when he fully merges into your soul, it will hopefully help the process along." Raven added. "But Ben's right. For now, watch, learn, and when we are ready for you, we will let you know." She narrowed her eyes and went to eye-level with the boy, speaking not to him, but to the person inside. "And Oz, do NOT put any pressure on him. _Understand_?"

Oscar could hear Ozpin mentally sigh in his head. _"Of course, I won't. Dear lord, she's even more irate now than she was when she left."_

Oscar glanced off to the side with an irritated expression. _'Be nice.'_ he scolded before nodding to Raven. "He gets the picture. And I understand, Miss Branwen."

"Very good." Winter piped up, causing everyone's attention to return to her as they all moved back toward the stands. "I'm glad to see such comradery amongst you all. Now, perhaps we can resume training?"

Jaune put a hand behind his head. "Yeah, sure, Winter. But I think I'm gonna take a little break after that whole… you know."

"Of course, Jaune." Winter nodded before gesturing toward her little sister. "In that case, Weiss, would you like to take the stage and try bringing forth your new Summon?"

Weiss' eyes widened in surprise. "R-Really? So soon?" Her eyes moved down toward Myrtenaster, nervously pursing her lips. "I mean, I totally want to, but I haven't even practiced trying to summon it yet."

Winter offered a supportive smile. "Well, what better time to try than now? After all, you've successfully summoned the Arma Gigas many times already. So the next logical step would be to try for something bigger now." She strolled over and brought her sister in for a small side-hug. "And don't forget, I'll be right here to support you, as will everyone else. Think you're up for it?"

After taking a glance around to all of her friends, Weiss smiled and nodded to her sister. "Right! I'm all over it!"

* * *

"I am _not_ all over it." Weiss said exasperatedly as she huffed and puffed, a bit of her hair beginning to come undone from her ponytail and fall down the side of her face. The first part was easy; bring forth a new summoning glyph to bring forth the Sphinx. And Weiss had successfully done just that; she had created a rather large glyph with wing-like patterns coming out from the center of the circle.

The difficult part though was getting the Sphinx to come out. She had been… partially successful, as the Sphinx was gazing directly at her. The only problem? It's head, neck, back and wings were the only things that were coming out of the large glyph. The rest of its lower half was stuck unsummoned. "And it's just standing there like a statue!" Weiss added.

"Heh, kinda like in Egypt." Kevin quipped, earning him an elbow from Gwen. "Hey, just sayin'."

"Ah, don't worry, Ice Princess!" Rex reassured as he stepped over and into the arena. "You managed to get the Arma Gigas all the way out, so I have no doubt you'll be able to do the same with the big kitty here!"

Weiss sighed and waved her hand, making the glyph disappear and the Sphinx disperse. "Yeah, I know. Just wish I could've gotten a new Summon on my first try."

"I'm afraid it's never that easy, dear sister." Winter said as she stepped over to the two. "Remember, I never had an easy time summoning Grimm at first, either. And every time I gain a new one to summon, it still takes time for me to get a handle on it." She smiled and gave her sister a hug. "I know you will be able to soon, though. That was a great first attempt for a Grimm that large."

The heiress smiled and returned her sister's embrace. "Thanks, sis. That means a lot." As the hug ended, though, Weiss noticed that Rex was staring off into space with a grin of his own, prompting her to raise an eyebrow at him. "And just what are YOU thinking about?"

Rex's eyes widened and a blush came to his face. "H-Huh? Oh, uh… just thinking how awesome it'll be once you're able to summon that Sphinx! I mean, just imagine about how awesome you'll be when you're riding into battle on the back of that thing! Every enemy on the battlefield will fear _you_."

Weiss' lips parted in surprise… all while a blush of her own came to her cheeks. She closed her eyes and turned her head away, a slight chortle escaping her lips. "Hm, that's very nice of you to say, Rex. And you're right, it WILL be awesome." She lifted Myrtenaster and sighed. "Once I get the hang of this beast, that is."

The EVO rubbed the back of his head, offering a supportive grin. "I know you will, Weiss."

"Hey!" The duo were pulled out of their little moment when Coco, Fox, Sun and Neptune came strolling onto the field, the four ready for battle. "As sweet as you two are being right now, could we maybe have the field now?" Coco asked with a knowing wink.

"Yeah, no offense, but we didn't come here to see you guys flirting." Fox added. "…Or hearing in my case."

Rex and Weiss' faces flushed even more while Winter wore a smirk, the woman glancing between the two as they tried to brush off Coco and Fox's accusations. "W-What? Who's f-flirting?" Rex asked. "W-We're not flirting." He swallowed nervously as a stray thought entered his mind; _'But… I guess I was trying to.'_

"Y-Yeah, SO not flirting." Weiss affirmed before adding in her head; _'…But I was considering it.'_

Sun rolled his eyes as he pulled Ruyi Jingu Bang off of his back, spinning it around before holding it in both hands. "Whatever you say, guys." He leaned over to Neptune and whispered; "They were SO flirting."

"No doubt, dude." Neptune whispered back as he pulled Tri-Hard out and shifted it into its guandao mode. "Now c'mon, let's rumble!"

Winter nodded as she led the still thoroughly embarrassed Weiss and Rex out of the arena. "Very well, then. We'll make sure to keep an eye on your Aura levels throughout your match. First team to exhaust the other team's Aura is the winner."

From the side-lines, a certain blonde genius began cheering. "WOO! You got this Coco! Show 'em who the REAL boss is!"

Sun and Neptune's eyes bugged out. "Say WHAT?!" they said simultaneously.

A tooth grin came to Coco's face as she raised a two-fingered salute to her boyfriend. "Will do, babe! Save a victory smooch for me!"

Fox shook his head and placed his hands on his hips indignantly. "C'mon, Coop! I know she's you're girlfriend, but no show of support for _me_?!"

Coco gave her partner a smack on the back. "Ah, don't worry, Fox." She put a hand next to her mouth and whispered; "I'm sure Coop'll save a victory smooch for you too."

"THAT ISN'T WHAT I MEANT!" Fox exploded, leading his partner to burst out laughing.

"Haha! Okay, okay, enough messing around." Coco gripped her handbag and slung it over her shoulder as Fox shook his head and went into a battle stance, readying his Sharp Retribution. "Let's do this thing!"

Sun and Neptune spun their weapons around and went into their own stances, two duo ready for battle. "Gladly!" Sun retorted.

"Very well." Raven affirmed before taking her place between the two teams. "Now, before we get started… are all of your weapons filled with Dust blanks?" The four teens all showed her that they did indeed have blank Dust rounds loaded in their weapons, to which she gave a nod and raised her arm. "Good. Now I want you all to remember; whichever team's Aura level reaches zero first loses, and don't be afraid to hold back. Ready… Set…" She brought her arm down and returned to her the coach's corner, declaring; "Begin!"

The four combatants charged at one another and engaged, with Sun going for Coco while Neptune and Fox squared off. The latter two immediately began clashing their blades together, with Neptune having stabbed Tri-Hard at Fox, only for him to make the thrust rebound with Sharp Retribution. Fox then dipped under the next thrust to get in close, batting the handle of the weapon away so that he could get a punch in at Neptune's right side. A small blast of Fire Dust was let loose, making Neptune stumble back in slight pain. "Ugh! Heh, not bad for a guy who can't see."

Fox smirked back, nudging his chin at Neptune. "And for someone who can, you REALLY need to step up your game."

"Oh, don't worry…" Neptune shifted Tri-Hard into its trident mode and reeled his arm back. "I WILL!" With a mighty thrust of his arm, Neptune sent Tri-Hard flying at Fox before running directly after it. The blind Huntsman balled his fists and delivered an uppercut at the three-bladed weapon, sending it spinning up into the air. However, this provided the perfect opportunity for Neptune to leap up and grab it in midair, flipping over Fox's head all the while. "Made ya look!" With a press of a button, Neptune converted Tri-Hard into its rifle mode and shot off a barrage at Fox, making him cry out as the blasts of lightning made impact.

Fortunately, Fox's aura was able to take most of the damage, leaving him stunned, but unscathed. "Heh, not bad, Vasilias… but let's see how you handle something unexpected." He waited for Neptune to land and come charging at him again, the blue-haired boy shifting Tri-Hard back into its guandao mode. Just as he was about to close the distance, Fox activated his Semblance and shouted; _"HEY!"_ through the open telepathy channel, causing the blue-haired boy to stumble and clutch his head in pain. Just as he fell forward, Fox delivered a swift kick to Neptune's head, making him tumble across the cement floor.

"OW!" Neptune clutched his head as he struggled to pull himself up, sending a slight glare Fox's way. "Hey, what the hell, man?! I thought you said you _didn't_ wanna give anyone a headache!"

" _Not unintentionally."_ Fox explained as he furrowed his brows and shrugged, tapping the side of his head. _"Besides, we're allowed to use our Semblances in combat."_ He said telepathically while tapping his head. _"And any advantage I can get is one I'm gonna take. You wanna even the playing field? Then use your own Semblance."_

Neptune pursed his lips, craning his head down to the floor. "I… can't."

Fox blinked at that. "You can't? Why?"

"Because we're not in the right environment for it… and even if we were, I wouldn't use it anyway." Neptune picked Tri-Hard up and gripped it in both hands, adding to himself mentally; _'Not after what almost happened.'_ He returned to a combat stance and pointed his guandao at Fox. "I've gotten this far without using my Semblance, so I can sure as hell keep _on_ going without it!"

On the side-lines, Ruby's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait… that's right! Neptune hasn't used his Semblance!" She whipped her head over to Blake inquisitively, hoping that the cat girl's connections would be able to hold the answer. "Blake, do you know why?"

"Yeah, you seem pretty tight with the rest of Team SSSN." Yang pointed out. "Any ideas?"

Blake shook her head. "Not really, no. None of the boys have told me why Neptune refuses to use his Semblance… not even Sun." She narrowed her eyes at the blue-haired boy, putting a hand to her chin. "But… if I were a betting woman, I'd say it might have something to do with his fear of water…"

Back on the field, Fox smirked and raised his fists, popping a few joints in his neck to ready himself for the next round. "You know what, Neptune? I can respect that. From here on, let's do thing the old-fashioned way, huh?"

Neptune returned the grin eagerly. "Thanks… but I don't think it matters. I'm STILL gonna kick your ass!"

As the duo went back to their fight, the battle between Sun and Coco on the other side of the arena was getting quite heated. The monkey boy kept spinning, swinging and stabbing his bo staff at Coco with relative ease, but the fashionable girl kept bobbing and weaving away from the strikes. It was almost like she was dancing around Sun's attacks, to which the blonde Faunus couldn't help but smirk at. "Man, Coco, you've got some moves!"

"Same to you, Monkey Boy!" Coco said as she performed a backflip, landing on both feet seamlessly. When she did, though, she pressed a button on her handbag and Gianduja transformed into its rotary cannon mode, making Sun's eyes widen. "Now dance for me!" With a pull of the trigger, Coco unleashed her firepower at Sun, to which he began spinning his staff quickly to deflect the shots.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Sun shouted. "C'mon, this is just supposed to be practice!"

"Hey, I made sure to load _blanks_ into my baby, remember?!" Coco retorted. "What do I look like, a psychopath?!"

"Eh… good point." Sun admitted before jumping high up into the air and over the incoming fire. "But that won't be enough to save you!" He pulled Ruyi and Jingu Bang apart, wielding the two gun-chucks as he came falling down right toward Coco. He swung both down at Gianduja, firing off a blast of Fire Dust all the while. This forced Coco to stumble, causing her aim to go off-course and blast into the ground instead. She was about to shift Gianduja back into its handbag mode, but a quick swing to the face from Sun's gun-chucks made her stagger back and lose her grip on her weapon entirely, while also knocking her sunglasses off her face.

"Coco!" Cooper shouted from the sidelines as the fashionista landed in a heap on the floor.

However, the barrette-wearing girl was able to pick herself up just in time before Sun could jump onto her back, his weapons hitting the arena instead. She rolled into a crouch and gave Cooper a thumbs up. "It's alright, Tech Head! I'm all good!" Her eyes scanned the floor and she found her sunglasses, giving Sun a small glare as she did. "But I can tell ya someone who AIN'T gonna be pretty soon."

"Hey, don't take it personally, Coco." Sun shrugged before pointing up toward Blake up in the stands. "You're not the only one with a special someone in your corner." He sent Blake a wink, which the cat girl rolled her eyes at… and then returned.

Coco smiled and gave Sun a nod. "You certainly have a very fine lady in your corner, Monkey Boy. But I ain't about to go down so easy!" With that, Coco sprinted forward, dead set on getting past Sun and back to her weapon.

Sun put his weapons back together in their bo-staff mode, spinning it around before sitting on the floor cross-legged. "Good to hear, 'cause I ain't either!" He began meditating and his hair started to glow, his Semblance activating in a split second. A couple of Via Sun clones emerged from his body and began charging right for Coco, though the leader of team CFVY didn't put on the breaks, much to everyone's confusion.

"Coco, what are you doing?!" Velvet cried out.

"Get out of there before they explode!" Yatsu added.

But Coco didn't slow down, instead keeping a determined face about her as she continued forward. "Heh, I _knew_ he'd try something like that." One of the Via Sun clones made to lunge for her… but Coco batted it away with an impressive roundhouse kick to the chest, making it fall to her right side. She then took the other one's arm and flipped it over her shoulder, slamming it onto the other Via Sun clone before continuing toward Sun himself.

"Haha! That's my girl!" Cooper cheered.

"Sun, watch out!" Blake warned. But it was too late. By the time Sun had opened his eyes, Coco was directly in front of him and had kneed him right in the face, sending him sprawling across the floor. Blake winced and shut her eyes. "Ooh, that didn't look good."

Sun struggled to his feet as Coco grabbed Gianduja and shifted it into its handbag mode, gripping the leather strap tightly in her fist. "Hey Monkey Boy!" Her opponent barely had time to mutter out a; "huh?" before Coco reared her arm back. "Incoming!" With a mighty swing, Coco hit Sun straight across the jaw, making the monkey Faunus sail backward… for a good fifty feet over the arena's edge and toward the room's entrance. Coco's eyebrows snapped up. "Oh god, too much!"

Blake shot up out of her seat the moment she saw Sun fly back toward the door. "SUN! Hang on, I'm—"

But, just a few moments before Sun could make impact with the door… it opened up, and a large hand shot up and caught Sun by the collar of his shirt. The room was stunned into silence for a moment as Raven halted the match, with everyone's eyes going right toward the room's entrance. There, a familiar figure was standing tall as he held Sun in one of his large hands, his signature purple coat being the first thing that everyone noticed. Blake didn't know whether to be overjoyed, or afraid for her boyfriend at that moment. After his eyes scanned Sun's nervous face, Ghira's eyes went up to the crowd. "And just what in the world is going on in _here_?"

From behind Ghira, Kali emerged and her eyes widened at the sight of Sun in her husband's grasp. "Ooh, great catch, dear!"

"D-Dad!" Blake exclaimed, stepping down from the bleachers with everyone else. "You're here!"

Ghira smiled at the sight of his daughter and her friends approaching. "Blake! So good to see you…" He directed a more judgmental gaze down toward Sun. "Not sure if I could say the same for _you_ , though, boy."

Kali gave him a light smack on the arm. "Oh, come on, dear, be nice."

Sun let out an apprehensive laugh. "Hehehe, h-hi, Mr. B!" he waved. "Wasn't expecting you to be the one to catch me."

"Hm." Ghira mused before promptly dropping Sun onto his rear. "And just how is it that you were sent flying in the first place, Sun?"

"That'd be my fault, Mr. B." Coco saluted as she and the others approached. "We were sparrin' in the ring and I kinda got a bit overzealous." The fashionista presented her handbag. "I went for a hit with my weapon and I sent him flyin' back a bit more than I thought I would."

"Which, by the way, was still pretty awesome." Cooper reminded with a kiss to her cheek. "Nice hit, babe."

Sun stood up and rubbed the back of his head as Blake came over to them. "Heh, yeah, Mr. B, it was all practice. That said, I… took a pretty hard hit if I do say so myself, and I'm still standin'!"

"Hm, yes…" Ghira crossed his arms and eyed Sun again with a raised brow. "But you're also telling me you were sent sailing… by a girl's handbag."

"Dad! Seriously?" Blake questioned. "You KNOW there's more to that!"

"She's right, Ghira. When you say it like how you did, it _does_ sound pathetic." Everyone's eyebrows snapped up at the addition of another new voice, with Ghira turning around to address it. From behind him, Sienna Khan emerged into the room, the tiger lady in her full formal White Fang garb. She placed her hands on her hips and gestured to Coco. "But give the boy _some_ credit, that is no ordinary handbag."

"M-Miss Khan!" Ilia exclaimed before lowering her head to the White Fang High Leader. "It's so good to see you again."

Sienna smiled at the sight of the chameleon girl and stepped over to her, placing a hand on her chin to lift her head to her. "Rise, Ilia. No need to be so formal, especially seeing as you're not part of the White Fang anymore."

"I… I suppose not." Ilia said with a sheepish smile. "But still, it's good to see you here, Sienna."

Upon seeing the White Fang leader, Ben's face became pale and he quickly hid behind Yang. "Hide me please."

Yang rolled her eyes and side-stepped, robbing Ben of his hiding place. "Green Boy, relax. It's not like Sienna's just gonna notice you and come over to us instantly—"

But in the blink of an eye, Yang was proven wrong. From seemingly nowhere, Sienna had appeared directly next to them, almost as if she had snuck over without a sound. "Why hello, Benjamin."

"GYAH-HA-HA!" Ben shot up and yelped, making Yang recoil at both the suddenness of Sienna's appearance and her boyfriend's freak-out. "S-Sienna!" The hero was beginning to visibly sweat under the tiger woman's gaze, her eyes focused directly on him. "H-How've you been? It's been a while, huh?"

"Indeed, it has." Sienna nodded. "And you're looking quite well yourself. Tell me, have the scars I've given you healed yet?"

Ben cleared his throat and collected himself. "Y-Yeah, almost. In fact, they've blended themselves in pretty well with all of the _other_ scars on me."

This perked Sienna's interest. "Ah, interesting. Other rewards from previous battles? You must be proud of them." It was then that she took notice of Ben's very uncomfortable expression, which she crossed her arms at. "Ben, are you… nervous about me being here?"

"HAHAHA! W-What?! No, _no_! What would give you THAT idea?" Ben's left eye twitched, his signature tell to indicate that he was lying.

Yang shifted her eyes over to Sienna with a deadpan face. "He thinks you're gonna skin him alive after Rath pissed you off."

It was Sienna's turn to laugh this time, waving her hand in Ben's direction. "Hahaha! Oh, please, Benjamin. I think you got the wrong idea about what I said." Ben stared at her dumbfoundedly for a moment as she put a sharpened nail underneath his chin. "My problem isn't with _you_ specifically. It's with that annoying beast of a transformation. So long as you don't transform into Rath anywhere near me, then we're fine."

"We… we are?" Ben muttered.

"Of course." Sienna nodded, taking her finger away. "You won my respect in combat, after all." A devious smile came to her face. "Plus, I would hate to rob your mate of a face such as yours."

"M-Mate?!" Ben blushed.

Yang crossed her arms and pursed her lips at the High Leader. "Man, way to be subtle, Sienna."

The tiger woman waved her hand to them. "Oh, come now, I'm simply jesting. Now, Ghira and I have heard from Kali and the others that quite a few things have gone on since we last encountered you…"

Ghira perked up and extended a hand. "Yes, and we'd like to hear more about that. Care to elaborate?"

The whole group eyed one another with similarly apprehensive gazes before Blake sighed. "You two… might wanna mentally prepare yourselves."

* * *

After moving the conversation into the rec room, where there was thankfully just enough space for everyone to stand or sit comfortably, the teens and Raven began recounting the events of the day before to Ghira and Sienna, all while Athena and Winter listened again in silence, having heard all of it before. Kali, sitting in between the two other adult Faunus, put a soothing hand over her husband's own at the sight of the utter bafflement on his face. "Sweetheart, is this all making sense to you?"

"Y-Yes, it's just that… it's all so unbelievable." Ghira shook his head and lowered it toward the floor. "The gods being real, a different humanity having existed long before us…" His eyes moved up and found Oscar in the sea of teenagers, making the boy flinch a bit. "And a man who can reincarnate into other people. It all sounds so… _preposterous_ , but at the same time, I know that it has to be true."

Oscar put a hand to the back of his head. "Uh… well, I—" Suddenly, his eyes flashed and Ozpin took over, giving Ghira a bow.

"I know that this must be a lot to take in, Mr. Belladonna." Ozpin recognized. "But I assure you that it is all completely true."

Over to the side, Gwen and a few others shot Ozpin a skeptical look. _'Yeah… we'll see how truthful you're being real soon…'_

Ghira and Sienna stared on in astonishment before the former cleared his throat. "Ahem, um, you're Professor Ozpin… correct?"

"Indeed." Ozpin smiled. "And it's a pleasure to have met both you and your wife, Mr. Belladonna."

Kali smirked and let out a small laugh. "Well, if this isn't one of the stranger parent-teacher conferences we've had?"

"Seriously, mom?" Blake deadpanned. "We're not talking about my grades or anything."

"She's right." Sienna said as she stood up from the couch, her eyes squarely focused on Ozpin. "This is a very serious matter, and as such, I have a question for you, Ozpin." The reincarnated man nodded to her, ushering the tiger woman to continue. "Just why did the gods give YOU the job of stopping Salem if you failed the first time? If I were a deity and a mortal had failed me, I'd snuff them right on the spot."

Ozpin gave out a hollow chuckle. "Hmph, well, I certainly can't blame you for thinking that. But to make a long story short, they tasked me with this as a punishment for not being able to stop Salem in the first place." He placed a hand to his chest. "But, as you can see… things haven't been all that successful for me."

"That's putting it mildly, having the body of a child." Sienna remarked. "But I suppose your answer makes sense."

"I'm glad to hear that, Miss Khan. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Ozpin's eyes flashed again, returning Oscar back to his rightful place.

The farm boy rubbed his head and rolled his eyes. "Could you give me ANY kind of warning?! Like, at _all_?"

It was then that Ilia cleared her throat, catching the others' attention. "So, Sienna, we heard yesterday that you and Ghira are going to be co-leading the new White Fang?"

Sienna nodded to the chameleon girl. "That's right. After a long and much-needed conversation, Ghira and I came to the conclusion that neither being too peaceful or too violent is going to bring about peace between humans and Faunus." She placed her hands on her hips with a determined grin. "So instead, we've decided to go in an entirely new direction."

"Correct." Ghira said as he stood up. "While activism for Faunus rights WILL still be the main focal point of the new White Fang, we'll also function as a coalition for defending innocent people, both human _and_ Faunus alike."

Ben grinned and gave a thumbs up. "Now you're speakin' my language! You guys would be like a special force of freedom fighters who ACTUALLY fight!"

Ghira chuckled and nodded. "Hehe, exactly. And what's better is that General Ironwood has already agreed to support us, which came as a relief." He settled a hand to Kali's shoulder. "And what's better is that we've already found some willing recruits to our cause, both new and old."

"And the ones loyal to Adam?" Blake asked. "What about them?"

"We've been working hard to take care of them." Sienna assured. "It hasn't been easy, but we've already found many."

Kali's face fell slightly. "We've had to perform some… interrogation in order to find them, but we found many, nonetheless." She winced at the next part. "And whenever we'd find them out… sometimes, they would attack us in a desperate attempt at freedom."

Penny gave out a gasp. "Oh dear! I hope none of you were hurt!"

Ghira raised a reassuring hand. "Oh, don't worry, none of us were injured. If anything, it was the _betrayers_ who were the most injured." A smile appeared on his face as he craned his head toward his daughter. "In any case, we're almost ready to make our mission statement known to the world. All we need is our new symbol… which I hear you, Ilia and Kali made with Kevin's help."

Blake gave out a laugh while Ben and Gwen's faces became visibly concerned. "That we did. And I think you're gonna like it, dad." She directed her attention over to her mother. "You've got it ready, right mom?"

"I sure do!" Kali said before producing a special scroll from her sleeve, one that was much larger than the ones that the teens carried with them. "We spent a good portion of last night finalizing the design of it, and I think you and Sienna will like what you see, dear."

Ghira and Sienna both smiled eagerly. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's see it!"

"Uh, just one moment." Ben halted before pulling Kevin, Kali, Ilia, and Blake all into a huddle, whispering to them; "Okay, I know you guys took some inspiration from SOMETHING copyrighted from our world. I just wanna make sure you made an appropriate amount of change to it just in case…"

The Osmosian and three Faunus women all smiled at each other before Kali opened the large scroll, allowing Ben to see the design in full. "You tell me, Ben."

Ben's eyebrows rose up and his lips slowly curled up into a grin. "Oh… you used THAT. Okay, that IS passable!" He clapped his hands and raised them up high, garnering everyone's attention. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is our pleasure to present to you, courtesy of my friends Blake, Ilia, Kevin, and of course the lovely Mrs. Belladonna… the new White Fang logo!"

Kali presented the design, and almost immediately, the reaction was positive, with everyone giving out sounds of awe at it while Gwen and Rex's jaws dropped. The design resembled a combination of both Ghira and Kali's White Fang flags, with a ring around the outside of the feline head while three slashes were going through it. However, the slashes were much less ragged, instead presenting three clean slashes behind the feline head, colored in a bright silver along with the ring.

But all focus was directed onto the feline head itself, which was also colored silver while the area inside of the ring was a gleaming gold. Aside from facing toward the right, the new head wasn't like the last two, which more resembled that of an actual big cat's head. Rather, this one was much more stylized, with clean curves and sharp edges. Instead of its mouth remaining closed, its mouth was wide open in a big curve and it had two big teeth at the front, one on its lower jaw and a larger one on its upper jaw. Along the inside of its mouth were more teeth, about four on each jaw that curved in the same direction as the larger sets, becoming smaller as they went further back. Its eye was widened a slit that had a cat-like iris in the middle of them, and its ears were folded back as it roared. There appeared to be a tuft of hair on its lower jaw that was curved back and ended in a point, and the tip of its nose could clearly be seen. The rest of the flag surrounding the logo was a dark black, contrasting against the silver and gold quite nicely.

"So… what do you think!?" Ilia asked eagerly.

"No need to answer, actually." Kevin said with a cocky grin. "We know that it's awesome already."

Sienna wore an impressed smile as she took a closer look at what would be the new flag. "Ooh, VERY impressive! I love how dynamic this is. It's so… _powerful_."

"While also not appearing to be too threatening." Ghira added as he pointed to the new symbol. "I especially how you fused mine and Sienna's symbols together like this. I absolutely am ALL for this for out new flag." He turned to the teens and gestured to the scroll, hoping to hear their opinion on it. "Well, kids? What do you think?!" A cheer erupted throughout the whole room, with Vernal, Gwen and Rex being the only exceptions while Athena, Raven and Winter settled for approving nods.

"Heh, yeah, it's pretty cool…" Vernal said before taking note of Gwen and Rex still stunned speechless. "Uh… guys? You okay over there?"

"That… that…" Rex uttered before his arm snapped up to the new White Fang symbol. "That's the THUNDERCATS LOGO!"

Ghira, Sienna and the rest of the teens all shared a confused glance while Kevin, Kali, Blake and Ilia didn't flinch in the slightest. "That's right!" Kevin nodded. "We used the Thundercats logo as inspiration for the new White Fang icon! You're welcome!"

"Kevin Ethan Levin… as much as I like the idea… you are REALLY pushing it with the changes you made to try and avoid getting into trouble." Gwen went over and gave a scrutinizing gaze toward the new logo. "I mean… is this even _enough_ of a change?"

"Of course it is!" Kevin said as he put a thumb to his chest. "Remember who you're talkin' to here."

"He's got a point, Gwen." Ben agreed. "If there's anyone who can avoid getting into inter-universal legal trouble, it's Kevin. Besides, I actually think it's good enough to get by."

Suddenly, Sienna came up and raised her arms, getting in between the gathered teens. "Hold on, hold ON." Once she was sure she had their attention, Sienna asked; "First off, what the HELL is a Thundercat? And secondly…" She pointed to the White Fang symbol. "Are you saying that this symbol already belongs to something?"

Weiss' brows furrowed skeptically. "Yeah, what IS going on here?"

"Okay, let me to explain, Ice Princess." Rex spoke up, raising his hands up to the White Fang logo. "See, Thundercats was an old cartoon from back in the 1980's on Earth, which basically surrounded a group of anthropomorphic alien cat people who fought the forces of evil in a futuristic fantasy world." He tapped his finger right up to the scroll's screen. "And that's probably why Kevin chose to take inspiration from their logo for your new flag. Because now that I think about it, both symbols really DO have a lot in common. But man, THIS logo has _really_ taken some heavy inspiration from the Thundercat's own."

Ghira and Sienna looked at each other, back at the logo, and then to the earthlings. "So… can we not use it?" Ghira inquired. "Even after you said that it was changed significantly enough?"

Gwen sucked in a sharp breath of air as her eyes snapped between the logo and them. "Well… I _think_ you can. I mean, it HAS been changed pretty well enough." She scratched the back of her head in frustration. "Ugh, I just really hope Mattel won't to sue us if the White Fang ever come to our world."

From the crowd of teens, Coco came up and pat Gwen on the back. "Aw, don't worry, Red. Just remember; getting sued isn't the WORST thing that can happen to ya!"

"No, you're right… but it's up there." Gwen pointed upward for emphasis.

Sienna placed her hands on her hips, her eyes going back to the White Fang's new symbol. "Well, I'm glad, because that _will_ be our new symbol, like it or not." The tiger woman craned her head back to Gwen. "After all, I already told Ironwood that we would be presenting the new flag design there, so it has to be locked in."

Gwen sighed and waved her hand to Sienna. "Yeah, it's fine. Go ahead and use it. If anything, I also actually REALLY like the design."

"Happy to hear it." Winter pipped up, bringing everyone's attention to her as she pointed back toward the gym doors. "Now, what say we return to our training? After all, the first battle has still gone undecided."

Sun smacked his forehead. "D'oh! That's right! We never finished our match!" The monkey boy quickly got up, ushering for everyone else to follow him. "C'mon guys, let's get back to it!"

"Gladly!" Coco grinned mischievously. "Because now I'll get the satisfaction of ACTUALLY beating you!"

As the teens began filing back through the gym and into the arena room, Blake set her eyes back onto her parents and Sienna, nudging her head toward where she was going. "You guys wanna come in and spectate for a while? Things were just getting into full swing before you arrived."

The three feline Faunus smiled to Blake and Ghira gave her a nod. "Of course, dear. We'd be happy to." His eyes then went to Sun and he narrowed his gaze at him. "Besides, this will finally give me the chance to see just how good the boy is at defending himself… and by proxy, you."

"Dad!" "Ghira!" Both Blake and Kali shouted simultaneously.

Sienna smirked as she strolled past the Belladonna family. "Hehe, big papa cat is in the dog house…" she sang with a small chuckle.

As the little familial squabble took place, however, Ben had noticed the serious expression that had overcome Gwen's face. He saw that his cousin was zeroed in straight onto Oscar, almost as if she were contemplating something. Ben tapped her shoulder and brought her out of her trance, bringing her focus to him instead. "Hey, Gwen, you doin' alright?" he asked. "You were giving Oscar a bit of the stink-eye there."

"O-Oh, sorry, Ben." Gwen apologized. "Honestly, I wasn't Oscar who I was directing it to…" She shifted her eyes left and right before hushing her voice to a whisper. "Listen, when we get back to the house later on… I think it's time we confront Ozpin about you-know-what."

Ben blinked before nodding to her, his brows furrowing slightly. "You're right." he whispered back. "It's time to see just what ol' Oz is hiding from us..."

* * *

**A/N: And thus, we come to the end of another casual chapter, ladies and gents, but as hinted at the end, next chapter will be something MUCH more story-focused. That said, we've seen the return of Cooper and Team CFVY once again and they've been effectively filled in on what's going on. Heck, they even had a reunion with Ozpin! And what's more, Cooper has given both Team CFVY and Team RWBY their first taste of a truly classic show; ReBoot! Admittedly, yes, the animation is truly jank compared to what we have today, but the fact that Tony Jay plays the main villain, Megabyte, just overrides that fact. And there's honestly a LOT of other stuff that makes ReBoot a great show, but you don't have to take my word for it. The series is VERY easy to find, so I recommend that you all check it out for yourselves! But of course, that's not the only thing that happened today. We saw Jaune practicing on using his Semblance on others and Weiss trying to summon her new Sphinx… with mixed results. We also had Oscar having a similar freak-out to the one he had in Volume 5, and we have the return of Ghira and Sienna into the picture! And yes, to those of you who guessed it, you guessed right. The inspiration for the new White Fang symbol WAS the Thundercats logo. I mean, how could it NOT have been? Of course, there were a few liberties taken with the design to try and differentiate it a bit, but in the end, it's still basically the Thundercats logo.**

**Alright, so NEXT TIME! We'll be shifting our focus between heroes and villains as we take a bit of an excursion back to the Land of Darkness, where Cinder and Neo have acquired some new clothes, though Rojo has been tasked with something she finds impossible to do. We'll also be checking in on Lionheart's condition, seeing as he's been put through some harsh things with being interrogated. Plus, Animo and Watts have successfully finished their next batch of mutagen… and you know what that means! Time for more mutants! Back on Patch, though, Gwen, Ben and the others confronting Ozpin about the voice within the Relic of Knowledge… and the results are rather interesting. After all, Gwen has never had a friend… like** _**her** _ **. Thanks for reading guys and I'll see you all next time! Stay safe out there!**


	107. Friend Like Me

**A/N: Hello everybody! Alright, so this time… we've got some heavy stuff going down. As you can tell by the title, a certain blue lady is finally making her appearance here, and that means its time for the whole truth to come out of the bag. However, before we get to that, there was one thing I neglected to mention in the "NEXT TIME" segment of last week's chapter; Ben's putting his theorist cap on (which I imagine is made of tin foil) and is gonna be dropping some revelations on the group! So sit back and watch as the comparisons start! This is…**

**Chapter 107: Friend Like Me**

* * *

At about noon time, the team had decided to bring their training session to a close, all of them thoroughly exhausted from the work they had put into it. There was a bit of sadness in the air around them as they all exited the training facility, the teens realizing that this would probably be their last time coming to the mountain grounds for a long while. "Man, I'm gonna miss this place a little bit." Jaune admitted. "This is pretty much where we've been going every single morning for the past few weeks."

Pyrrha nodded at that. "Agreed. And while I have no doubt that whatever training facility the Plumbers have will be more advanced… there's something about the simplistic training grounds that I'll really miss."

After hearing that, Ben put a hand to his chin in thought as the group began walking down the forest path back to the Xiao Long house. "Yeah, but maybe there can be a work around to that…"

Yang raised a brow over to him. "Whaddya mean, Green Boy?"

"Oh, just thinking up some ideas." Ben shrugged. "As per usual."

"Please tell me it isn't another theory." Rex said with an eyeroll. "I think you've already given us plenty of crackpot ideas over the last twenty-four hours."

Close behind the two boys, Velvet tilted her head and asked; "What do you mean by that, Rex?"

"Ah, Ben's just been coming up with a TON of weird ideas lately." Rex waved off. "Get this; because Remnant's gods existed, he thinks that the different types of gods and goddesses from OUR world could've existed at one point, too."

"HA! What?!" Kevin guffawed as he threw his head back. "Tennyson, what the hell have you been smoking, because I want some!"

Ben rolled his eyes threw his hands up into the air. "Yeah, yeah, let's all laugh at the guy who thinks the ancient gods of Earth being real would be a cool thing." He gave then all a shrug. "I'm just saying, considering that Remnants deities are CONFIRMED to be real, we shouldn't rule out the idea that other deities could've been real elsewhere in the multiverse, too."

"Ben, we're not ruling it out." Gwen assured. "It's just… a bit of an out-of-the ordinary idea. You know, kind of like how you told us that everyone in this universe resembles some sort of fairy tale or legend from Earth."

Ruby quirked a brow toward Ben. "Yeah, I'm still a little confused over that. I mean, I don't think you've even told us any Earth fairy tales…"

"No we haven't." Ben confirmed before raising a contesting finger. "BUT… I do have some actual solid evidence of this. I've been thinking this over for pretty much ALL night, so you'll have to bear with me here."

"Oh _great_." Rex muttered sarcastically.

Ben first went straight over to Ruby, taking the silver-eyed girl by surprise as he tugged at her hood slightly. "Okay, so I first realized this whole thing when I remembered that Rojo kept called Ruby "Little Red"."

Ruby's eyebrow snapped up in realization. _'Huh, odd. Torchwick used to call me that, too.'_ She cleared her throat and spoke up. "Uh, Ben? What does my nickname have anything to do with your theory?"

"Heh, well, "Little Red Riding Hood" is a story surrounding a little girl in a… well, _red hood_." Ben emphasized by pointing to Ruby's own hood. "She goes to her grandmother's house to bring her treats, but she ends up having to deal with a villainous wolf in the process." The hero faced Rex, Kevin and his cousin, gesturing toward Ruby. "And c'mon, you can't deny that Ruby bears a pretty big resemblance to Little Red Riding Hood, here."

"Oh please, that's probably a big coincidence!" Kevin argued. "Just because she has an accessory that is literally a red hood doesn't mean squat."

Ben grumbled before going over to Yang, a confident grin coming to his face. "Alright then, how about Yang? I mean, I've been calling her "Goldie Locks" all this time, right? Ya know, like the girl from the Three Bears?"

Yang furrowed her brow in confusion. "Green Boy, what ARE you talking about?"

"Okay, so you wanna know where I got your nickname from?" Ben asked, to which Yang tilted her head. "Well, it actually comes from a story where a little blonde girl named "Goldie Locks" stumbles into the home of three bears, and subsequently gets chased off by them."

"And again, complete coincidence." Rex said with a slap to the forehead. "Seriously, dude, you're gonna have to get some better evidence of this or else I'm gonna keep poking holes in your theory."

However, Yang's eyes had widened a bit after Ben's explanation. "Uh… guys? I actually wound up in an Ursa den accidentally when I was younger too…"

Ruby rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, and I used to regularly send treats to my grandma back when I was really little."

This made everyone stop in their tracks and grow silent, including the adults who weren't even part of the conversation. However, they had been listening in, and it quickly got their attention. "Okay, THAT is very scary." Raven commented. "Are we _sure_ this is all just coincidence?"

Ben grinned at the challenge. "Oh, trust me, I'm just getting started!" In the blink of an eye Ben was now walking side by side with Weiss, much to the heiress' surprise. The hero craned his head over to his cousin and smiled. "Say Gwen, you've been taking German in college, haven't you?"

"Um, yeah, I have, actually." Gwen confirmed.

"And wouldn't you say that Weiss' name is _very_ German?"

At Ben's words, Weiss' eyebrows rose up in surprise. "Wait, it is?"

Gwen was also quite surprised at Ben mentioning that. "Well… yes, actually, it is. It's actually something I noticed when we first got here." The redhead put a hand to her chin and thought over Weiss' name in her head. "But I still don't really see what that has anything to do with…" However, the Anodite's eyes widened as she translated Weiss' name in her head. "Wait… in German, Weiss' name translates to "White Snow"."

Rex was confused at first, but then the realization hit him like a truck. "Hold on… are you telling me that Weiss is—"

"Yep! Snow White!" Ben confirmed. "Try to argue against THAT!"

"W-Well, I… I hardly think that Weiss has met up with seven dwarves before!" Rex countered with his arms crossed… all while Weiss' and Winter's jaws dropped at the same time. "Hehe, am I right, Weiss? …Weiss?"

The heiress put a hand to her head. "No… you're right, Rex." Her head then snapped up to him. "But my butler, Klein Seiben, has dissociative personality disorder… and he has SEVEN personalities!" This earned a gasp from quite a few people, including Rex himself.

Gwen's mouth went agape at the name. "And his name is even German for "Small Seven"! What even the heck is going on here?!"

The EVO darted his eyes to Winter and she nodded her head, counting off the personalities on her fingers. "Weiss is right. His primary personality is fatherly and kind, and then he has a happy side, a grumpy side, he can be bashful, overly sleepy, constantly sneezy, or even just… somewhat dopey." This took Ben, Gwen, Kevin and Rex all by utter shock. "Please stop me if this is all beginning to sound familiar."

"WAY too familiar." Ben affirmed. "I… I wasn't even EXPECTING the butler to play into things, but here we are!"

At this point, the entire group was muttering to themselves, wondering just when this was all going to end. "O-Okay… so who am _I_ comparable to?" Blake asked nervously.

Ben concentrated on her and winced, leaning his head toward her. "…You were actually one of the easier ones to figure out, Blake." He began counting on his fingers. "You're a bookworm, your ex-boyfriend is a horned asshole, and your last name is _Belladonna_." He extended his hand toward her and put it simply; "You're Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Only instead of _falling_ for the Beast, you broke up with him."

Blake's eyes were the size of saucers as she looked down to her hands, shock and disbelief written all over her face. "This… this can't be real! It's almost too good to be true!" Her hands went to her head and she shouted out; "This just can't ALL be a coincidence!"

Ghira, Kali and Sun were quick to come to her side, the monkey boy holding her hand to try and calm her down. "Woah, woah, Blake, let's slow down and take a deep breath, okay?" He gave her a smile and held her close to his chest. "Besides, we can't ALL have equals in Earth fairy tales and stories! That'd be completely absurd."

"Oh really?" Ben piped up again. "Listen, I didn't wanna say anything to you about it back then, but from the moment we met, I noticed that you _literally_ share your name with the main character of the Chinese novel "Journey to the West"." Sun stared dumbfoundedly as Ben continued. "Sun Wukong, the mischievous monkey king who, and I'm not making this up, wields a bo-staff called _Ruyi Jingu Bang_! Also, he was the inspiration for Sun Goku, so there ya go."

Sun stared blankly into the distance before pulling Blake closer to him for security. "Okay, I would like everything to stop now."

"He's right, Ben, this HAS to stop." Ghira insisted. "Otherwise, you're going to give everyone an existential crisis."

"Hey, join the club, Ghira." Ben said as his eye twitched, and not because he was lying. "I was seriously up half the night thinking about this crap and I haven't stopped thinking about it since yesterday."

Kali laced her hands together, almost as if she were pleading with him to stop. "Ben, I understand that your theory has VERY strong legs, but if you go on anymore, you're going to break their minds."

Athena raised her hand up to the hero. "She's right, Benjamin. It's time to _stop_."

Ben sighed and nodded his head. "Yeah, yeah, you're right. I'll stop…" His arm snapped up and pointed toward Team JNPR. "But wait till you guys here what I have to say about THESE guys! I'm pretty sure they're all based on historical figures who all cross-dressed at one point!"

"Say WHAT?!" Team JNPR all hollered simultaneously.

"ALRIGHT!" Neptune cried out, much to everyone's surprise. "Could we PLEASE just get back to the house before we all start losing our minds over this?! If we just keep standing here all day, Ghira and the others are gonna miss the big press conference!"

Ilia gasped, covering her mouth as she did. "Oh, shoot! He's right, we need to go!"

As the others began to get back on track toward the house, Ben sighed a bit and shook his head, all while Yang kept a firm hold on his hand. "Maybe I should've never brought it up in the first place…" However, he then received a tap on the shoulder, making both of them turn around to face a curious Penny. "Uh, hey, Pen. What's up?"

"I am simply curious… what story from your world do you believe I could be analogous toward?" the redheaded android asked.

This took the couple by surprise. "Wait… you ACTUALLY wanna know?" Yang asked back.

"Indeed. I actually find it rather fascinating." Penny nodded. "So please, what story would you compare to me?"

Ben put a hand to his chin. "Well… you were once a lifeless robot that was granted a soul… and you said your weapons used to be attached to razor thin wires… like a puppet." Ben snapped his fingers and exclaimed; "Pinocchio!"

Penny blinked twice. "…Gesundheit?"

"Hehe, no, _Pinocchio_." Ben repeated. "He was a wooden marionet puppet who was granted life by a magical blue fairy and eventually became a real boy!" The hero thrust a hand to her. "Heck, both of your names even start with the same letter."

"Huh… neat! Thank you, Ben!" Penny smiled and began skipping after the group, leaving Ben and Yang alone again.

Ben scratched the side of his head. "Ya know, it's times like these when I think our lives couldn't get any weirder… and yet they do."

Yang gave him a pat on the back as they started down the path again. "Don't think about it too hard, Green Boy. Otherwise ya might hurt yourself."

* * *

After arriving back at the house, the teens all decided to head downstairs while the adults spoke upstairs, with Oscar and Vernal being the exceptions. "After Ben brought that… _revelation_ on us, I think I need to take some time to think." The farm boy had explained. "I'm gonna spend some time outside, if that's okay with you guys."

"Yeah, and I'm gonna go talk to Raven about tribe-related stuff." Vernal added.

"Hey, no problem, guys." Jaune assured. "Trust me… we've also got a few things to talk with him about." Once Oscar and Vernal had separated from their group, the blonde knight and the other teens all marched downstairs, where Jaune immediately marched up to Ben with a serious expression. "Alright, Ben, I'll bite. Tell us just what the HECK you meant when you said you think we're based on a bunch of cross-dressers!"

Ben tilted his head to the side. "I thought you said you didn't wanna hear—"

"That was _before_ you brought up the crossdressing thing." Ren elaborated. "Now we are intently curious."

Pyrrha crossed her arms expectantly. "Indeed. I have never impersonated a boy in my life…" She then sent a sly grin over to her boyfriend. "Though I DO believe Jaune would make for a very handsome woman."

Jaune rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Yeah, yeah, and you would make a really pretty boy."

"Hey!" Nora shouted. "Stop with the flirting and focus on the question!" She zipped up to Ben and began shaking him by the collar. "TALK, TENNYSON!"

Ben took hold of her hands and cried; "Okay, okay, I'll explain what I mean!" He directed his eyes over to Teams RWBY, CFVY, SN, Ilia and Penny. "That is… if those guys are okay with it. I wouldn't wanna make you all uncomfortable again."

Blake took a deep breath and gave Ben a wave. "It's… it's okay, Ben. I've had some time to calm down and I think I'm okay now."

"Yes, and so am I." Weiss nodded. "I mean, that whole "Snow White" thing was really scary, but now that I've thought about it, I think I wanna hear more about this theory of yours."

"Yeah, me too!" Ruby said excitedly. "This all sounds SUPER fascinating!"

"You're sure about this, guys?" Rex asked in concern. "Because if we go further down the rabbit hole, there's probably no going back…" He shifted his gaze over to Velvet. "No offense."

"None taken." Velvet assured. "But yes, we're all very intrigued by everything you said, Ben." She brought her hands up and tapped her finger tips together. "In fact… do you think I have some sort of fairy tale equal?"

Ben let out a chuckle and nodded. "Well, yeah, but it's not exactly a fairy tale. Considering your name and the fact that you're a rabbit Faunus, it stands to reason that your equal would be…"

"The Velveteen Rabbit!" Gwen smacked her forehead at that. "Why didn't I see THAT before?!" She saw that Velvet was rightly confused, so she decided to explain. "Oh, uh, sorry. The Velveteen Rabbit is a book about a sentient toy bunny who becomes real from being loved by their owner. It's a real heartstring-tugger."

Velvet laced her hands together with a smile. "Oh, that's so sweet!"

Coco gave Cooper a nudge. "Hey, do you think the rest of us could have cool fictional counterparts, Tech Head?"

Cooper put a hand to his chin. "Hm, hard to say. I mean, Velvet's a bit more obvious, but the rest of you guys… that's a bit tough." He pointed over to Fox. "I mean, the closest I can think of is… maybe Fox is based on some kind of _fictional_ fox, but there are a TON of them in a bunch of different stories."

"Heh, now THAT might be a stretch." Fox shrugged. "I mean, I'm not even a fox Faunus or anything."

Ben pondered over that for a bit. "Maybe not… but perhaps there could be other clues. You got any family, Fox?"

Fox shook his head, with a bit of a remorseful expression on his face. "No… not anymore. My parents died when I was really young. And then the man who raised me when they passed, my Uncle Copper, was killed by a…" However, he trailed off at that point. Fox may have been blind, but he could feel a ton of eyes on him. "What is it?"

"…Fox, remind me to get you a braille copy of the novel "The Fox and the Hound" while we're on Earth." Cooper spoke up. "Because in that book, the hound's name… is _Copper_."

Fox wore a surprised face while Yatsu blinked in shock. "Hm, who knew?" the tall swordsman uttered.

Ilia crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Heh, betcha there's no chameleons in Earth fairy tales."

"Okay, so what about us?!" Nora pressed further. "And seriously, what is UP with the cross-dressing thing?"

Ben stepped over to them and began explaining. "Alright, first off…" He reached over and put his hand on Jaune's shoulder. "Jaune, instead of a fairy tale, you actually remind me a LOT of a real woman named Joan of Arc." Jaune's eyes widened at the similarity to his name. "Already starting to see it, huh? She famously cross-dressed as a man to join the French army WAY back in the fourteen-hundreds. And heck, I think your name actually MEANS yellow in French."

"Huh… neat." Jaune mused. "How famous was she?"

"Oh, she was a pretty big deal in her time… that is until people found out about the cross-dressing thing." Ben winced and shook his head. "Let's just say that cross-dressing was a BIG no-no back in fourteen-hundreds France. She was tried by Henry Beaufort, the… Cardinal and Bishop of Winchester." This made everyone's eyes widen, with both Jaune's and Velvet's jaws dropping in disbelief. "…You said that Cardin used to bully you, right?"

Jaune's hands went to his head and he let out a groan. "Dear god, this just gets weirder and weirder."

"Cardin is _never_ going to believe this." Velvet resigned. "So… what happened to Joan?"

"She, uh… she was sentenced to death by the stake at nineteen." Gwen grimaced. "Not a good ending."

Yang winced and inhaled sharply through her teeth. "Ooh, yeah, not good." She directed her gaze at Jaune, who seemed to be shaking like a leaf. "Ya might wanna take some precautions when you're nineteen, Vomit Boy." she said with a pat on the back.

Pyrrha swallowed hard and piped up. "Alright then… what about me?"

Ben sighed and lowered his head to Pyrrha. "You, Pyrrha were actually one of the easier ones to figure out. During your battle with Cinder, you were shot through the ankle, remember?" He received a nod from the redhead, ushering him to go on. "Well, the ankle is really close to the heel… or in this case…"

"Achilles heel?!" Kevin exclaimed. "You mean the Greek guy from the Iliad who was pretty much invincible except for his right heel?!"

"Exactly right." Gwen confirmed. "And as for the cross-dressing bit, there's a little tale where Achille's mother, Thetis, dressed him up as a young girl to keep him safe from being pulled into the Trojan War…" She directed her eyes toward the Invincible Girl. "And guess which name he used as a cover for himself?"

Pyrrha gulped and answered; "Pyrrha?" She received a confirming gaze from the group and she sat down on the couch, where Jaune joined her soon after. "This is… quite the analogy, I must say. But at least my mother's name isn't "Thetis"."

"No… but she DOES share a name with an ancient Greek goddess." Rex admitted. "Athena, goddess of wisdom and warfare." He nudged his head toward the stairs. "Plus, I saw that she had owls on her helmet, which is also a pretty big "Athena" thing."

Pyrrha blinked and sighed. "And my mother has a pair of owls. Of _course_."

Ren cleared his throat. "So… what about me?"

"Oh, that's also easy." Ben answered. "You remind me a LOT about the story of Hua Mulan, a young Chinese woman who again, cross-dresses so that she can join the army. Fortunately, she was a LOT luckier than Joan of Arc. Heck, she didn't even get punished after she revealed she was a woman after _twelve years_ of service."

Ren smiled and nodded. "Hm, well, that's certainly reassuring."

"…Well, depending on which version of the tale you read." Gwen elaborated. "That was how the original story ended, but there was a FAR darker version of it that came later down the line where Hua Mulan killed herself to escape becoming a concubine."

Ren's face fell and he lowered his head. "I like the original ending better, thank you."

Suddenly, Nora zipped up and got right in Ben's face again, an irritated yet excited expression etched right across her features. The hero chuckled as Nora shook with anticipation, putting his hands to her shoulders to nudge her away a little. "Hehe, okay, okay, I've been saving my personal favorite for last."

"I'm already liking where this is going." Nora said as she jittered in place. "The suspense is killing me!"

"Hmhm, Nora… honestly, I've actually thought this about you for quite a while, LONG before I had this theory in my head." He gestured to her hair first. "Your red hair, your Semblance and even your _last name_ ALL are big indicators for this… but what tipped me off what your weapon." Nora's eyebrows rose up and she brought out Magnhild in its grenade launcher form. "Heh, in its other mode." At his word, Nora gladly shifted Magnhild into its hammer mode. "Yep, that's the one! Nora, you are a dead ringer… for the Norse god of thunder… the mighty Thor."

"I KNEW IT!" Nora cried out while lifting Magnhild into the sky. "I KNEW my Earth counterpart had to be someone totally awesome!"

Rex sighed and nodded his head, finally coming to terms that this theory really DID have legs. "Yep. Thor, god of thunder. The son of Odin, the giant slayer, the protector of Midgard and all of humanity. Plus, he was also a bit of a headstrong _zoquete_ who could actually back it up with how overpowered he really was."

Gwen strolled up and put her hand to Nora's hammer. "With his hammer, Mjolnir, Thor could cleave giant rectangular shaped divots through mountains, summon lighting and channel it to use as a weapon, and whenever he threw it, it always returned to him." She then put her hand to the handle of Magnhild. "Granted, the handle on Mjolnir was much shorter, but still."

Nora's eyes were practically glistening at this point. "This. Guy. Sounds. AWESOME!" She began bobbing up and down at the knees, eager to hear more. "Okay, so what about the time he cross-dressed?"

Kevin smirked and scoffed. "Heh, it was the one time where Thor actually had to stoop to a bit of a low point, just so he could get his hammer back. When Thryme, the king of the Frost Giants stole Mjolnir while Thor was asleep, the Norse were given an ultimatum for its return. They had to give over the goddess Freya for Thryme to marry or else they'd never get the hammer back." Kevin shrugged his shoulders. "As you can imagine, Freya wasn't up for marrying an ugly Jotun so instead, the god Heimdall suggests dressing Thor up as Freya to trick Thryme into giving the hammer back."

"Did it work?" Nora asked. " _Please_ tell me it worked."

"Oh, it worked alright." Ben affirmed. "And the trickster god Loki was all too eager to go along with this fool proof plan… if only to see _Thor_ look like a fool, hehe. He and Thor traveled to Jotunheim, the realm of the giants, and successfully pulled it off, with Thor quickly dispatching of all the frost giants attending the wedding. Heh, must've been a fun afterparty."

On the couch, Jaune deadpanned as Nora continued to gleefully giggle. "Okay, so let me see if I got this straight…" He gestured between himself and Pyrrha. "Our Earth counterparts were ones who died horrible deaths…" Then over to Ren. "And Ren's is a woman who either served twelve good years in the army OR killed herself to escape a terrible fate…" And finally, to Nora. "But NORA has a freaking invincible THUNDER GOD as her counterpart?! Where's the fairness in that?!"

Nora spun Magnhild around and shouldered it. "Sorry, Jaune, but sometimes, people are just lucky!" Her head then snapped back to Ben. "Now tell me more stories about Thor!"

Ben raised his hand up and waved her back. "Heh, I will, Nora. Trust me, there are plenty of stories concerning the Mighty Thunderer that you'll probably like… including the one where he will eventually die."

"WHAT?!" Nora exclaimed.

"BUT… he goes down swinging against a giant serpent that can wrap itself around the entire world."

"…Better." Nora settled down before going back to her teammates. "See? My counterpart _can_ die!"

Across the room, Neptune glanced off to the side. "Not sure how reassuring that's supposed to be, but sure, why not?" He grinned at Ben and jabbed a thumb to his chest. "Okay, so who's MY fictional counterpart? I bet they're totally cool!"

"Indeed!" Ben nodded. "You Neptune, are based… on Neptune! The Roman counterpart of the Greek god Poseidon." He began counting off on his fingers, and with every one he listed, Neptune let out a little "squee". "He's the god of earthquakes, storms, horses… and the seas."

The last one completely broke Neptune, the blue-haired boy falling to his knees and cried to the heavens; "NOOOOOO!" He fell to his hand and shook his head. "Why does EVERYTHING with me always lead back to WATER?!"

Sun gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Just your luck, bud. Sorry."

"Oh, grow up." Weiss scoffed. "You're eighteen, you NEED to get over this irrational fear of water."

Neptune stood up and sent a serious face over to Weiss, but before anything could come of that, Gwen got in the middle of them. "Alright, alright, let's not escalate things here. Otherwise we'll end up attracting the Grimm. Besides, since we're ALL down here, I think it's time I let you guys in on something."

Coco raised a brow as the redhead began making her way over to the relic. "Really? What's that, Red?"

Gwen picked up the Relic of Knowledge and presented it to the group, taking a deep breath to ready herself. "Well… I think I'll just cut right to the chase; I heard voices from this thing, and I think Ozpin is keeping something big from us."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Land of Darkness, Rojo was walking through one of the many halls within Evernight castle, smiling to herself with her hands resting behind her head. Yesterday had been one of the worst, yet at the same time, most satisfying days of her life. Sure, they had failed to get the Relic of Knowledge, but thankfully, Salem's frustration over Darkstar's betrayal had overwritten how disappointed she was that they didn't retrieve their quarry. She, Cinder and Neo had given the self-centered energy vampire his just desserts and beat him to a pulp before porting him straight over to the Xiao Long house. As much as she wanted to deliver her message in person, Salem had decided against it, saying that there'd be more opportunities to come for that.

' _No biggie.'_ Rojo thought as she finally approached her destination; Cinder's room. The Fall Maiden had asked her to drop by earlier, which while surprising, wasn't unwelcomed. _'I'll just make sure I reinforce my message whenever I see those twerps again…'_ She reached up and knocked, calling out to her partner; "Cindy? You in there?"

"Yes, just give me a moment." Cinder called back. Rojo couldn't help but grin. Ever since the evening before, after they had disposed of Darkstar, Cinder had become a lot more casual around her and her teammates. Of course, this disappeared once Salem entered the room, but at the very least, she wasn't being cold and distant anymore.

' _Man, that talk we all had yesterday must've done wonders for her.'_ Rojo commented in her head just as Cinder opened the door. "Hey Cindy, I—" But it was that moment that Cinder's voice caught in her throat, taken aback by what she saw on the other side.

Cinder was now in a new dress, one that was much longer than her other one. It still had the same color scheme; dark crimson with gold accents and patters, but other than that, it was completely different. The upper chest area around her bosom didn't have a knot like her other dress, and showed off only a little cleavage, the edges trimmed with gold. It DID have a similar pattern to the old dress, though, and the back was low enough to still expose her tattoo. What's more, the dress didn't have any sleeves, with Cinder instead donning two long, dark grey gloves that reached up to her forearms. The gloves also had a gold ring at its edge, with curved, branching extensions that reached up close to her shoulder.

Down by her right hip, Cinder had kept her blue feather accessory from her old dress, and the dress itself was open from the hip down, exposing her right leg. The opening was connected by two golden, interwoven straps made of rope, and beneath the dress, Rojo could see that Cinder was wearing black pantyhose. The Fall Maiden's feet were donned in red wedges, which also took Rojo by surprise. _'She's usually a heel gal. Wonder what brought on the sudden change?'_

However, what stunned Rojo the most was the accessory that Cinder wore around her neck. It was the same jewel-encrusted, twenty-four-karate gold necklace that she had stolen from Essen last Sunday. The priceless rubies, diamonds and the large, yellow topaz at the base of her neck shimmered as the light from the torches on the wall hit them, matching the same color as Cinder's eyes perfectly. "Well? What do you think?" Cinder asked, spreading her arms out as she waited for a response.

"I… I…" Rojo's arm suddenly rose up and she smacked herself in the face with her own hand, breaking her out of the trance. "Y-You look great, Cindy!" She stammered a bit as she collected herself. "I didn't think you'd be changing your style up like this."

Cinder shrugged her shoulders. "Yes, well, after yesterday, I thought to myself; If I'm going to change myself internally, then perhaps doing so _externally_ would help along with the process."

Rojo bobbed her head to the side. "Yeah, I can see where you're comin' from. Well, like I said, it's great." She pointed to the necklace in particular. "I'm actually surprised that you still have the necklace from a week back."

"Ahem…" Cinder coughed into her hand, a hint of red rising to her cheeks. "Yes, well… I figured since you gave it such high praise, I thought I would keep it."

"Aw, shucks!" Rojo winked with a grin. "That means a lot, Cindy. Thanks!"

"You're welcome." Cinder nodded. "But now, onto the reason why I called you hear… I need your help." She ushered for Rojo to follow her, leading the bounty hunter over to her vanity desk. Cinder sat down and faced herself in the mirror, making sure that her hair fell over the chair completely. "I have a big favor to ask of you..."

Rojo quirked an eyebrow at her partner. "…And what would that be?"

Cinder lifted a pair of scissors from the table and handed them to Rojo. "I need you to cut my hair."

If Rojo's eyes could widen to the size of basket balls, they probably would have at that moment. "I… I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" she asked. "I think I blanked for a second."

"I would like you to cut my hair." Cinder repeated. "I wish for a total reimagining of myself. And in order for that to happen, I feel like my hair also has to go." She reached behind her head and gathered up her hair, putting it into a temporary ponytail. "A simple cut near the edge of my hand should do, okay?"

"Uh… o-okay." Rojo gulped as she gathered up the hair and put it in her own hand. "…You're absolutely sure about this?"

"Positive." Cinder nodded.

"Well… alright." Rojo opened the scissors and slowly edged them nearer and nearer to the spot that Cinder indicated, though her hands were shaky all the while. Rojo bit her lower lip as she watched the blades go over and under the hair and she began to close them, though with every centimeter, she did, she kept screaming at herself not to. Before even the first lock was cut, however, she screamed and tossed the scissors away, much to Cinder's shock. "GAH! I can't do it!" Rojo let go of Cinder's hair and put a hand to her face, hiding her shame.

"What?" Cinder's eyes widened as she stood up, turning back to her partner. "What do you mean you can't?" Her tone was neutral, not with the slightest bit of anger in it. "Do you… have a problem with cutting my hair?"

Rojo sighed and nodded her head. "To put it simply, Cindy, yeah. Yeah, I have a BIG problem with cutting your hair." She gestured toward the jet-black locks in question. "You're asking ME to cut hair that perfect. It's just not possible! I mean, your hair is the kinda hair I WISH I could've had when I was younger." A slight blush came to her face as she craned her head away. "…And I can't believe I just admitted that."

Cinder blinked before trailing her fingers through her hair, her eyes moving to the locks as she did so. "You… really must like my hair then, don't you?"

"Yeah. Listen, Cindy, if ya wanna cut it yourself, then I've got no problems…" Rojo pursed her lips. "Well, no bigger problems than having to cut it myself, but please, don't make me do this. I'd sooner grow out my _own_ hair than cut yours."

The Fall Maiden's face soured at that thought. "Oh, gods, no. Please don't do that. You with long hair would just be unnatural." But Cinder's words made her eyebrows snap up as she faced herself in the mirror again, her hand still lingering on her hair. "…And I suppose I would appear strange with short hair as well."

"See what I mean?!" Rojo exclaimed. "Now you understand where I'm coming from!"

Cinder hummed to herself before an idea sprang to her mind. "Wait, I think I can compromise." She opened her desk drawer and took out a two-inch long, gold cylindrical hair cuff with an red emblem acting as the clip, the same emblem that was tattooed on Cinder's back. She pulled her hair back again and handed the cuff to Rojo, who took it warily. "Simply put the cuff to my hair, Rojo, if you would please." In her mind, Cinder commented; _'My word, that word is odd to say unironically.'_

"Uh, sure." Rojo complied, clamping the decorated cuff around Cinder's hair. Once it was secured, Rojo let it fall to the base of Cinder's neck, letting her knew, luxurious pony tail fall down her back. Rojo's eyes widened as Cinder moved back around, surprised how well the Fall Maiden wore the hairstyle. "Damn, Cindy. Who knew you could rock the tail?"

"Hm, I personally think my hair would look could with _any_ hairstyle." Cinder bragged before facing the mirror once again. She whipped her head from side to side, letting her hair be flipped around and allowing it to fall over her right shoulder. "And besides, I think this might just work for me."

"No doubt." Rojo murmured to herself before another knock came to the door.

"Come in." Cinder called out, allowing the newcomers to enter.

Emerald and Mercury slowly treaded into the room, the two acting very cautious. It was as if they had thought that one wrong step would lead to them getting punished. "Uh… hey, Cinder!" Emerald greeted while trailing her eyes around the room. "We were just coming over to—OH MY GOODNESS!" Emerald stepped back a bit in shock as she finally took notice of Cinder's new wardrobe, causing Mercury to do the same. "Cinder, you're… you're…"

Cinder chortled and stepped away from her vanity desk, spreading her arms out to present herself to her compatriots. "You like?"

"Heh, "like" is an understatement." Mercury smirked. "I gotta say… you look really great, Cinder. Beautiful, even."

"Thank you, Mercury." Cinder nodded. "Never let it be said that you don't have good taste." She directed her attention back to her green-haired consort. "And what about you, Emerald? What do _you_ think?"

Emerald glanced between her leader and Mercury. On the one hand, it was still very odd that Cinder was acting so cordial and nice to her now. And she DID like her new outfit. But on the other hand, Mercury had just called Cinder beautiful… and she couldn't help but feel a bit jealous about that. In the end, though, Emerald went with her gut and was honest with Cinder. "I… I gotta say, your new dress IS very nice, Cinder. It looks good on you."

"Your compliment is appreciated, Emerald." Cinder returned before stepping closer to Emerald and whispering; "And in the future… perhaps we can find a dress for _you_ that will make Mercury turn his head." She gave a knowing wink to Emerald, leaving the thief in a state of shock.

' _I may not know what fully went down in Mistral… but I'm not complaining.'_ Emerald smiled and a small blush came to her face. "Y-Yes. Yes, of course."

Mercury raised a brow at her. "W-Wait, what did she say—"

"NOTHING!" Emerald shouted, making Mercury recoil. "Nothing, it's nothing, _really_."

Rojo smirked and folded her arms over her chest. "Heh, yeah, right." She placed her hands on her hips. "So, what did you guys come here for again?"

Emerald blinked as she remembered their reason for their visit in the first place. "Oh! Yeah, right. We just got word from Salem. Apparently, she wants all of us to be down in the lab in the next hour." The green-haired girl put up three fingers. "Three guesses as to what's gonna go on down there."

Cinder sighed and rolled her eyes. "Ugh, more mutant animals. And what's worse, one of them will be an _insect_."

Mercury glanced off to the side. "Arachnid, but okay." he mumbled to himself before going back to the conversation. "Anyway, Viktor sent us to let you know about it. Salem wants to get in a few last questions on Lionheart before Animo does the deed." He poked the side of his head. "Sounds like he and Watts came up with something to keep Leo under our control."

"Ah, good." Rojo grinned. "Hopefully it works. Did you guys tell Neo yet?"

"No, but we were going to." Emerald answered. "But we can't seem to find—" However, at the sound of footsteps coming from the hallway, she cut herself off, with everyone's heads craning toward the door. "Uh, I may have jumped the gun on that." The quartet went out the door… and were surprised at what they saw skipping their way.

Neopolitan was in a completely new wardrobe, aside from Torchwick's hat which remained atop her head. She now wore a long, chocolate brown jacket with pink trimming on the inside that started just above her chest, exposing her shoulders for everyone to see. The jacket had a set of belts that went over each shoulder, and the sleeves were detached with puffy tops on the forearms that had pink trimming. Beneath her jacket, she wore a strapless, white, vest-styled button up corset that exposed her midriff generously, and her hands were covered with a pair of white gloves. From the waist down, she was donned in a pair of long, white pants, and a set of black and white spat-boots with a bit of cut-out detail just above her ankles. All in all…

"God damn!" Mercury uttered. "Neo's hot!"

"MERCURY!" Emerald shouted before slapping him in the face. "You don't just SAY something like that!"

"Ow! What, you want me to lie?!" It was at that moment that Neo skipped over and gave a cute smile, giving Mercury a gentle pat on the cheek. "See? She appreciates my honesty."

Emerald crossed her arms and sent Mercury a glare. "Okay then, mister. You called Cinder beautiful and Neo hot, so where's MY compliment, huh?"

Mercury's face blushed at the question. "W-What?!"

"Hey, yeah!" Rojo said as she mimicked Emerald's posture. "And what about MINE? You've already given two outta four ladies in this little group a nice compliment, the least you could do is compensate for that."

Neo nodded her head in agreement, which only made Mercury stammer further. "I… I, uh…" He extended a hand to Rojo. "Rojo, you're… really badass and I dig your style."

Rojo gave a shrug. "Eh, bit on the nose, but I'll take it." She jabbed a thumb over to Emerald. "And now the hard one."

Mercury groaned at first… but then he remembered something, which gave him renewed confidence as he pressed forward. "Em…" He made eye-contact with her and gulped a bit, steeling his nerves before going on. "Honestly, there's no one I respect in this place more than you. I really couldn't ask for a better partner."

Emerald wore a stunned expression at his words, not expecting that to come out of his mouth. "I… wow, Merc." She said with a slight blush. "That's… actually kind of sweet." Emerald smiled and nodded to him. "Thank you."

As Mercury smiled back to her, Cinder cleared her throat, garnering their attention. "Yes, well, as much as I appreciate the bonding time we've had, I believe we should focus on getting ready for this meeting soon." She directed her gaze to Neo. "Now, did you receive word on the meeting in the lab downstairs?" Neo nodded to her before poking her finger down on her eyebrows, making her face grimace while crossing her arms. "…I see, so Hazel told you already." Neo tapped her nose in response. "Excellent. But, before we get to that, I'm quite famished. Is anyone else?" With a round of agreements, the group of five went downstairs, all of them ready for a decent lunch.

* * *

"And that's the whole story." Gwen finished up as the teens in the room hung on to her every word. "There's something… or _someone_ inside of this relic." She held up the lamp for all to see. "And whatever it is, I'm thinking that Ozpin might know something about it. And if he's keeping something big like that from us…"

Jaune clenched his hands together and pursed his lips. "Then he might be keeping MORE secrets that we don't even know about." The blonde knight clenched his teeth and slammed the armrest of the couch with his fist. "Damn it! I thought we TOLD him that we wouldn't be keeping secrets anymore!"

"And after I made him promise not to." Pyrrha shook her head. "Perhaps his word isn't as good as I once thought it was…"

As the whole room began to agree with Jaune and Pyrrha's assessment, a new voice entered the conversation; "Now hold on kids." Everyone's attention was moved to the stairs as they saw none other than Max and Holiday making their way down, the old man smiling gently toward them. "Let's not jump to conclusions here. After all, I'm sure that whatever secrets Ozpin is hiding, he has a good reason for them. Remember what I said when we first learned about him being able to reincarnate?"

Ruby blinked as she remembered that day, the one where she had also learned about her Silver Eyes. "…That if these secrets got out, they'd cause mass panic and hysteria?"

"Exactly." Max nodded. "Trust someone who's been in this kind of business for over forty years, kids; there are some secrets that are _meant_ to remain a secret."

"He makes a very good point." Holiday concurred, her eyes focusing onto Ben. "After all, didn't you specifically not want your secret identity to not be publicized at one point, Ben?"

Ben nodded, though he also seemed to retort a little. "Yes, you're right, Doctor Holiday. And if I could, I'd find a way to undo everyone on Earth finding out who I was. But given the fact that not even _Raven_ knew about the voice from the relic… it's making me wonder why Ozpin didn't tell us more about it right off the bat." He gestured out to the rest of the team. "I mean, it's not like _we_ can't keep a secret. And the only people we tell ours to are people we trust completely."

"Yeah." Jaune agreed. "I know for a fact that my family won't blab about this whole thing with Salem to anyone."

"And Jessie promised to talk about Ben's powers either." Yang piped up, recalling the Vacuoian Huntress. "Even to her own family. She's about as trustworthy as you can get."

"Max." Pyrrha spoke up, standing tall and bowing her head a bit to the old man. "If I may… keeping secrets is part of the reason of what led to the Fall of Beacon in the first place. And I think I can safely say that no one wants to experience something like that again."

Blake stood up as well. "She's right. If Professor Ozpin is keeping something important about Salem or the relics from us, I think we should know so that we're better prepared going forward."

Max took a breath and nodded slightly. "Yes, I can see your point in that." He then pointed out to the rest of the group. "But… I want you to keep something in mind. If Ozpin IS keeping something major from you, then please, don't get too upset at him for it. The man has lived for thousands of years, and I'm sure the last thing he needs is more grief for whatever he's done."

Holiday put a finger to her temple. "Right, try to reason with him first, at least. And try not fly off the handle too, alright? We ALL know what happens with too much negativity anyway."

The team silently glanced at one another before coming to an agreement, with Jaune nodding his head. "…Yeah, you're right, Max. I know it seems like we're angry at him, but… it's more like we're frustrated that we still aren't getting straight answers."

"Yes, we'll be calm about this." Ren added. "No reason to be angry when there are bigger problems to handle."

However, off to the side, Yang was grimacing, which Nora instantly took notice of. "Uh, Yang? You okay?"

"Yeah, it's just… I don't know if my mom can keep that same promise." Yang winced. "When she finds out Oz has been keeping something from her, she WILL find a way to give him grief about it."

Ben placed an arm over Yang's shoulders and pulled her in close to him. "We'll find a way to calm her down, Yang. Promise." However, at that moment, the whole house began to rattle and shake, much to everyone's confusion. "W-Whoa! What the hell?!"

"Hold on!" Ruby called out before rushing up to the small reticular window near the basement ceiling on the far wall. She peered out to the front yard to see Oscar bracing himself against the ground as a bullhead landed in the front yard, which Ruby could only take one guess as to who it was. "…Oh boy, General Ironwood is here."

"Oh, _perfect_ timing." Coco commented. "And just when we were gonna confront Oz about all this stuff."

Cooper's eyes widened in realization. "Oh god, what do you think Ironwood's going to think about all of this?"

Gwen took a steady breath as she kept the relic of knowledge firmly in her grasp. "Well, he seems like the type to stay calm and collected, so hopefully his reaction won't be too—"

"Uh, guys?" Ruby piped up. "Uncle Qrow is with him… and they brought Professor Goodwitch, too."

The room became uncomfortably silent at that. "…Well, that might complicate things."

* * *

Oscar kept himself braced to the ground as the Bullhead landed in the front yard, its jets leveling itself out as it settled to the earth below. He stared wide-eyed at the aerial transport as its rear hatch opened up, revealing none other than General Ironwood making his way down toward the driveway. He spotted Oscar and gave him a wave. "Good morning, Oscar!"

Oscar waved back and sighed in relief. "Phew, it's just Ironwood."

" _Hm, James was always one for a unique entrance."_ Ozpin commented before seeing Qrow disembark from the craft as well through Oscar's eyes, the drunken Huntsman with his hands in his pocket. _"I honestly did not think we would be seeing them until—oh. THAT is why they're here."_ Through Oscar's eyes, Ozpin saw a blonde woman whom he was VERY familiar with disembark the Bullhead after the two men, her emerald green eyes having found the farm boy in an instant. Even from one glance, Ozpin could tell that there was a bit of frustration behind her gaze, and he knew exactly who it was directed toward. _"Oscar, do not worry about whatever she says to you… it's me whom she's frustrated with."_

Oscar was initially confused, but as the woman approached, a sense of familiarity entering his mind as she gazed down upon him. It was then he realized that he was still on the ground, prompting him to jump to his feet as the two locked eyes. Almost involuntarily, Oscar uttered; "G-Glynda?"

Glynda's eyebrows rose up in surprise. "Hm, so you _do_ remember me."

"W-Well, not _me_ specifically." Oscar rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I'm still trying to get used to all of these memories merging with my own."

"I see." Glynda nodded, giving Oscar a kind, greeting smile. "You must be Oscar Pine. James has told me a lot about you and your… interesting circumstances concerning my former boss."

Oscar sighed and tapped the side of his head. "Yeah, he's right in here. I'm guessing you wanna talk with him."

Glynda crossed her arms and nodded. "If you wouldn't mind."

"Alright, I'll get him out for ya." Oscar closed his eyes and he was enveloped in a familiar ethereal green glow, indicating that he and Ozpin had switched placed.

Ozpin opened his eyes and placed his hands behind his back, smiling up to his old confidant. "Ah, Glynda! It's so good to see—" _SNAP!_ "Gah!" Ozpin gasped in surprise as Glynda suddenly flicked him in the face with her Disciplinarian, making him cover the bridge of his nose. He glanced up to see that Glynda's smile had been replaced with a frustrated expression, and he knew exactly why. He sighed and shrugged. "I suppose I deserved that."

"You THINK?!" Glynda replied forcefully. "You _died_ down in the Beacon Vault and left the rest of the staff AND our students to pick up the pieces! I had to take charge and rally those kids because we were left without a _leader_ , Ozpin!" She had balled her fists at her sides before pointing the Disciplinarian at him. "Words cannot _describe_ how cross I am with you right now!"

Off to the side, Qrow couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "Hate to say this, Oz, but ya kinda had to know you had this comin'."

Ozpin sighed and nodded his head. "Yes, yes, I figured this topic would come about." Despite the fact his face was still stinging, Ozpin smiled up to Glynda. "But, I am happy to hear that you have taken charge, Glynda, and from what James told me, you are doing an excellent job."

Glynda pursed her lips, returning her hands to her sides as Ironwood strolled up next to her. "Yes, well… it's been a school-wide effort to open our doors back up in time for the spring semester. We've had a few setbacks, but our dining hall is fully repaired, so that presents no problems for us."

"That's very good to hear." Ozpin nodded. "And what of the relic? Is it secured?"

"Indeed. It's still safe inside the vault." Glynda confirmed. "For some reason, Cinder didn't even try to go after the relic, instead favoring to cause more destruction." She pointed her riding crop at Ozpin again. "But I have heard that you and the children have safely secured the Relic of Knowledge from Haven's vault."

Ozpin crossed his arms, craning his head down a bit. "That's right. I had hoped that Lionheart was not the traitor we suspected him to be, but—"

At that moment, though, the front door opened and many of the other adults came filing out, with Raven, Tai and Vernal leading the pack while Winter followed behind them. Finally, Ghira, Kali and Sienna also stepped out from the house and out into the front yard, the three Faunus visibly surprised at Ironwood's sudden arrival. "General!" Ghira exclaimed before moving over to shake Ironwood's hand. "I must say, I didn't think we'd be seeing you until later."

Ironwood nodded to the taller man. "Apologies for the unexpected arrival, Ghira. But a certain cohort of mine wanted a few words with her old boss."

"Hm, I see." Sienna said as she approached as well, shaking Ironwood's hand as well, albeit reluctantly. "Has everything been set up at City Hall?"

"Yep, everything is ready for your arrival, Sienna." Ironwood confirmed before his brows furrowed nervously. "…Including the press."

Sienna rolled her eyes. "Ugh, we'll deal with them when we get to them."

"I hope so." Ironwood affirmed before going back to Goodwitch, all while gesturing to the Belladonnas. "Glynda, I think you may have guessed, but these are the Belladonnas."

Glynda then smiled and clasped her hands together, approaching the Belladonna family. "Oh yes, you must be Ghira and Kali!" She extended her hand and shook theirs one at a time. "I'm Glynda Goodwitch, the new headmistress of Beacon. I must say that your daughter has been a very good student throughout her time at out institution… even if she and her team would often find themselves in the middle of trouble." She sent a raised brow over to Ozpin. "You can thank a _certain_ individual for overlooking that."

Kali smiled back, happy to meet the headmistress. "Oh, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Goodwitch."

"Indeed." Ghira nodded. "And I'm very glad to hear my daughter was doing well at your school… _before_ all of this happened, anyway."

Just as Winter was about to formally greet General Ironwood, a certain raspy voice piped up from behind; "Hey, Ice Queen!" Winter's eye twitched and she spun around, giving Qrow a death glare. "We never DID get to talk last night, now did we?"

"No, thankfully you were being mauled by puppies." Winter commented.

"Heh, yeah, I can still feel the mutts' slobber." Qrow wiped his face as he crossed his arms. "So, I hear ya got a new boytoy." He sent her a wink. "But just to let you know, I'm bettin' that NO dance will EVER be as good as the one we shared in Beacon's courtyard a month back."

Winter pointed her sword at him. "You shut your damn, dirty mouth! Unlike _you_ , Kenneth Tennyson is a gentleman. AND he's my age!"

Qrow simply smirked. "Hey, that at least implies that gettin' with me ain't outta the question."

"It most certainly IS!" Winter snapped as she sneered at Qrow's face. "You disgust me!"

"Would you two SHUT UP?!" Raven hollered, getting in between the two as she snapped her arm back over toward the house. "You are setting a VERY bad example for the children!" Qrow and Winter's heads whipped around to see the entire team gathered on the front porch, watching the chaos go down.

Qrow shrugged and murmured something under his breath before sauntering away, causing Winter to grumble before marching off herself. Raven groaned and facepalmed as Tai put an arm around her shoulders to reassure her. "Don't worry, soon they'll be in separate worlds and we won't have to deal with that anymore."

"Thank god for that." Vernal snarked behind the couple. "Wouldn't wanna listen to THAT twenty-four-seven."

On the porch, Weiss leaned over to Ruby. "Yeah, I think it might be for the best that Qrow's not coming with us."

"As much as I wanna disagree… I think you're right." Ruby relented as the team came walking off the porch. She waved to the group of adults. "Hey everyone, how're things going?"

"Very well, Ruby." Ironwood smiled to her. "The White Fang press conference is almost ready to commence. Another couple of hours and we'll be good to go."

Gwen stepped up, carrying the Relic of Knowledge in her hands. "That's good to know, general…" She spotted Glynda staring wide-eyed at the lamp, which made Gwen smile and lift it up for a better view. "Hey, Professor Goodwitch, check out what we got yesterday."

The headmistress was nearly at a loss for words. "I… I don't know what to say." Glynda approached the relic and locked her eyes on it, almost in disbelief. "I've never seen one of the relic's in person before… this is amazing!"

At the sound of someone clearing their throat, everyone's eyes went to Ozpin, the reincarnated man approaching the group. "Yes, it most certainly is, Glynda." He extended a hand to Gwen with a curious expression. "But I must ask… why bring the relic out here, Miss Tennyson? I believe it would be much safer to keep it hidden inside, wouldn't you?"

It was then that all of the teens grew serious, focusing their gazes on Ozpin in particular. "You're right, Professor. But first… we have a few things to discuss about the relic."

Many of the adults were taken aback by how quickly the teens seemed to focus, almost as if they were determined to speak with the former headmaster. Ozpin himself was also very surprised. "Very well, what is it that you'd like to know?"

"I'll put it bluntly, professor." Gwen stated, lifting the relic up. "Yesterday, when Michael Morningstar was trying to drain the relic of its power, I heard a voice coming from within it." This made many of the adults go wide-eyed and slack-jawed, aside from Raven and Vernal, of course. "It… no, _she_ spoke to me through the life-energy around me, and she was in utter pain. Her cries for help is what helped me push through Michael draining my energy, and then I poured every ounce he had absorbed back into the relic… with a little extra for good measure."

Ben stepped forward, his eyes concentrating directly onto the reincarnated man. "Ozpin, what we want to know is… if you've been keeping something about the relic from us." The former headmaster remained silent, keeping his eyes locked on Ben. "I'm not hearing a yes or no."

Ozpin sighed and nodded. "…Miss Tennyson was correct in her assessment. There IS a being living inside of that Relic. A keeper of knowledge who was created by the God of Light and placed within the relic during its inception. Whoever holds the lamp can ask her any question, and she will provide the answer."

The whole group was stunned into silence. To think that there was a being living within that tiny space. "…Damn, I was right!" Kevin said with a slap to his forehead. "It IS a genie!"

"It's certainly very intriguing." Weiss agreed.

Blake's eyes went to the lamp in awe. "More than that, it's incredible!"

"Professor…" Ozpin perked his head up to see Ruby, the silver-eyed girl wearing a slightly saddened face while Teams SN, JNPR and CFVY all kept their neutral expressions. "Why didn't you tell us this in the first place?"

Once again, Ozpin sighed, though this time he shook his head. "I apologize, Ruby, but while knowledge can be a blessing, it can also be very dangerous. I felt it necessary to keep that from you until the right time."

"And when would that have been?" Yang asked as she crossed her arms. "If it's another trust issue, then let me tell ya something; we aren't like Lionheart. You CAN trust us, Ozpin. We're not gonna turn our backs on you."

Ozpin lowered his head and closed his eyes, shaking his head. "Tell me, do you think that Leonardo was the first?" This took everybody aback as Ozpin craned his head back up, now with a serious expression of his own. "That he didn't say those _exact_ same words to me? I'm sorry, Miss Xiao Long, but you must understand that my behaviors are backed by years of experience."

"So… you're saying you're keeping secrets because you're afraid we WILL betray you?" Pyrrha muttered.

"No, Miss Nikos. Far from it." Ozpin denied. "I'm saying that I have reasons for the things that I do, the _secrets_ that I keep."

"And we understand that." Gwen assured. "But if we want to defeat Salem, we need to know _everything_ we can about her. "Know thy enemy", right?"

Ozpin shut his eyes and shook his head again, his eyes moving straight to the relic. "Believe me, Miss Tennyson, you do not want to know Salem to the extent that I do…"

Gwen noticed where his eyes were focused and glanced between him and the relic, before holding it securely to her chest. "I like to think I've experienced worse."

"Trust me, you _haven't_." Ozpin stated before making to step forward, holding his hand out to the Relic of Knowledge. "That said, I humbly request you allow me to hold onto the relic going forwar—" However, Ozpin suddenly stopped as his hand was extended, his eyes beginning to flash.

With a concerned look on everyone's faces, Qrow stepped forward and asked; "Oz?"

"H-Hurry." Oscar muttered, the boy having suddenly switched back on his own accord. Though why he couldn't move was a mystery to everyone. "He's… trying to stop you."

Kevin furrowed his brows. "Stop her from what?"

"He's afraid!" Oscar grunted, struggling to hold himself back. "That you'll… find out… what… he's… hiding!" Oscar then dropped to his knees, making everyone recoil in shock.

Cooper swallowed as his nerves began acting up. "When did this all start becoming so serious?"

Velvet hid her eyes behind her ears. "I don't know, but I don't like it!"

The teens and adults all kept their eyes on Oscar as he craned his head up to Gwen, extending a hand toward her. "The being in the relic… her name… is Jinn." Oscar struggled. "Say her name to summon her."

"Her name?" Gwen questioned. The whole group sent their gazes to one another before focusing on Gwen again, the redhead moving her eyes down to the relic in her hands. "…Jinn?"

At that moment… everything around them stopped. There was no wind, no sound, nothing going on in the world around them. "What in the world?" Kali uttered.

"I… I'm not sure, Kali." Ghira said as he kept his wife close. It was then that everyone took notice of the relic beginning to glow brightly in Gwen's hands, leaving everyone stunned. "…But I think we're about to find out."

An ethereal blue energy began to come out of the relic as it floated out of Gwen's grasp, moving up and away from the group as it spun like a top. The blue energy became more and more abundant as the relic flew up, moving by itself as if it had a mind of its own. Finally, the blue energy began spinning around rapidly, the silhouette of a woman appearing within it. The energy then began to coagulate into the woman's form, presenting her true being to the entire group. She had a shapely form with cyan blue skin, while her lips and hair were a darker blue. She had long, pointed ears and the irises of her eyes were more of an ocean blue with darker blue pupils. But all of that was overshadowed by one itsy, bitsy, teeny, tiny problem…

"GOOD GREIF, SHE'S NAKED!" Jaune cried out as he shielded his eyes.

Indeed, the giant woman was as nude as anyone could get, at least for a little while. She didn't have any genitalia, areola or nipples to speak of, though that didn't stop many of the gentlemen from moving their eyes away out of respect… or cry out while spinning around and covering their eyes. Even _Qrow_ seemed sheepish at the sight of the naked lady. The only ones who didn't do so were almost all of the women, as well as Kevin and Rex, who were still too stunned by what was happening.

The only girl to turn away was Ilia, her entire body becoming a hot pink at the sight. _'Oh no, she's HOT!'_

Coco, however, was quick to lower her sunglasses. "Woo, damn. This was NOT what I was expecting by a _long_ shot."

Just a few seconds after she appeared, though, a slew of golden accessories began appearing on her person… though oddly, none of them covered her chest or groin areas. Her head was donned with a chain going across her hairline while a pair of large, hoop earrings hung from her ears with a single, smaller earring placed higher up on her right ear. She wore a gold choker and a pair of anklets that resembled the Relic of Knowledge itself, while three bracelets adorned her arms; one on her right wrist, another on her left, and one on her left forearm. From the wrist bands, long golden chains dangled down, almost as if they had been broken off from somewhere. Along her waist, she wore a gold chain belt that was held together by a large ring that had three prongs sticking out of it, resembling the lamp's handle.

The floating woman, Jinn, gave a big stretch, a satisfied sound escaping her lips as she smiled. She spread her arms out and opened her eyes, gazing down at the group as blue smoke billowed out from all around her. "Mmm, wonderful!" A few of the boys dared a peek, only to be met with Jinn putting a hand to her cheek and bending herself down face to face with the group, focusing specifically on Gwen. "Before we move on to business, I feel it best to express my gratitude. You are the one who saved my life, correct?"

* * *

Back in the Land of Darkness, Salem was making her way through the lower levels of her castle and toward the laboratory, with Doctor Viktor keeping in stride next to her. She also had Lilith perched on her shoulder, the frightening mutation appearing to be relatively calm despite its horrific appearance. It had been a rather interesting twenty-four hours, to say the least. They had lost the relic, gave the traitorous Darkstar what he deserved, and gained a new recruit in the form of Neopolitan. However, something JUST as important, if not even _more_ important was gained through all of this as well; a more level-headed Fall Maiden.

The witch had to give young Cinder credit, she had learned greatly from her mistake, and it was obvious that she was not intending to fail again. Whether this new attitude would prove fruitful in the long run, they would have to wait and see. But she knew one thing was for certain; it was Rojo who brought about this change, and she had a good feeling why.

"Something on your mind, Miss Salem?" Viktor asked, giving her a somewhat concerned expression. "You seem… lost in thought."

"Hm? Oh, yes, I'm quite fine, Viktor." Salem assured. "I'm simply… thinking about how close young Cinder and Rojo have become in the three weeks they have been working together."

Viktor nodded at that. "Indeed. They have become quite the team. I was very impressed with how determined they were to get back here and confront Michael."

"As am I… but that isn't quite what I was talking about." Salem said with a bit of a smirk.

The Transylian was confused at first until he saw the smirk upon her lips, the realization dawning upon him. "Ah, I see. So you believe there could possibly be more to their relationship?"

Salem shook her head. "Well, not right at this moment. My guess is that they are only beginning to figure it out. But perhaps at some point later down the line…"

Viktor nodded again. "Hm, and will you allow it?"

Salem closed her eyes as a slight chuckle escaped her lips. "Hmhm, Viktor, love can be a powerful weapon, and not just on the side of good. If these feelings develop into something more, then I will allow it. Besides, Rojo is the whole reason why Cinder is calmer today, so why take chances?" The duo stopped at the laboratory door and Salem craned her head up to Viktor. "Tell me, Viktor… have you ever loved someone before?"

"…A long time ago, yes. A fellow Transylian." Viktor affirmed, though he glanced away from Salem at the next moment. "But I could not hold the relationship for very long. I was too caught up on my work with Corrodium, and then Zs'Skayr recruited me to take over the Earth. I… have not had time for love since then."

"I see." Salem said before reaching her hand over to place it on his left arm. "My condolences. I too have been long without love in my life as well." Her brows furrowed and her free hand clench. "Let us just say that my last, truly personal relationship did not end very well." However, her angry expression soon gave way to a small smile. "However, I will not lie… someone like you can certainly catch an immortal woman's eye."

A shocked expression came to Viktor's face. "M-My lady, what are you—"

"Yo, Boss Lady! Vik!" Salem and Viktor were pulled out of their conversation when they saw Cinder, Rojo, Emerald, Mercury and Neo strolling down the hall toward them, the redhead leading their pack. "We didn't miss anything did we?" Rojo smirked. "Would be a shame if we didn't see the big show."

"No, in fact, you haven't." Salem answered before whispering to Viktor; "We continue this later, dear Viktor." The Transylian's briefly flashed a flustered face before collecting himself, forcing his featured back into their usual expression. Salem gestured to the door as her followers drew nearer. "We were just about to enter ourselves. Are you prepared for what is about to happen?"

Cinder bowed her head. "As prepared as any of us are going to be, Lady Salem. Of course, given the subject as to why we're here…" She glanced over to Emerald and the green haired girl produced a multitude of brown paper bags. "We felt it necessary to come prepared."

Viktor furrowed his brow. "Are those… vomit bags?"

"Hey, if we're being forced to watch this whole mutation, I just wanna be prepared." Emerald defended.

"Oh, you are not being forced to watch anything, Emerald." Salem assured. "In fact, the mutation isn't the main reason why I wanted you down here at all. Rather…" She reached for the door handle and opened it, revealing what was on the other side. "I wished for us all to hear whatever HE has to say before we do the deed."

The five disciples of Salem peered inside and their eyes widened when they saw none other than Professor Leonardo Lionheart, the lion Faunus hanging upright against a slab as a pair of wrist clamps, ankle clamps, and a large clamp across his abdomen held him in place. But that wasn't the most shocking part. That had to go to the fact that he was shirtless and had multiple, bloody lashings all across his chest, arms, and probably his back as well, along with a few smaller ones on his legs. His pants were torn where the lashings were, he had no shoes on, and his hair was disheveled as he breathed hard, no doubt still in pain from having been lashed in such a manner. Out of the five teammates, the only one to utter something was Mercury with a simple; "…Damn."

Neo nodded silently, trying to glance away from the grizzly scene only to see Hazel standing not too far away… and he was holding a bull whip. Crouched on a stool next to him was Tyrian, the scorpion Faunus jittering with anticipation. "Ah, greetings, everyone." Haze greeted as he set the whip on a nearby table. "I suppose you're admiring the work I've done in taming this lion?"

"AHAHA! Oh, what a glorious time we've had!" Tyrian cackled as he leapt off the chair with a dynamic flip, spreading his arms out as he landed. "Causing pain to others is a euphoria that can never be matched, and I look forward to what sort of pain my new mutated form can do!"

Cinder and the others chose not to comment on that as the Fall Maiden cut right to the chase. "Has he said anything yet?"

"A few things, but nothing we don't already know." Hazel shook his head. "Perhaps we should simply get on with it."

"Now let's not jump to conclusions, Hazel." Salem said with a raised hand. "Remember… _I_ have yet to speak with him." She slowly approached Lionheart, who's heavy breathing slowly became a low, guttural growl with every step she took, his teeth bared and glaring daggers down at her. She met his eyes and smiled sinisterly "Hello, Leonardo. I trust you are finding your accommodations… well?"

Lionheart considered spitting at her… but he still wanted to live, so he settled for just an insult. "You… you are a SICK and TWISTED woman!"

Salem shrugged her shoulders. "Hm, I've heard that one plenty of times, Leonardo. I'm afraid you will have to do far better than that to get on my nerves." She gestured over toward Hazel. "Now, I understand that you have not said much during Hazel's interrogation."

"I have NOTHING left to say to you." Lionheart snapped. "You already know _everything_ that I do, and even if I DID know more, I wouldn't share it with you!"

"Quite the bold claim, good professor!" Everyone's heads snapped up toward the entrance to see Animo, Subdora, Hog, and Skull all filing in, the former two carting some sort of device into the room while the two mutants lugged in a rather large box. Bringing up the rear was Watts, the former Atlesian scientist taking a spot next to his colleague as the mad scientist continued. "But you never said that we can TAKE it from you by force! Haha!"

Mercury raised a brow at the strange device. It was a large, rectangular machine that sort of resembled a computer PC, only with a lot more lights, knobs and switches. Hooked up to it was an odd-looking helmet with a metal frame and multiple different antennas sticking out of it, along with a bunch of connection points on the inside of it as well. He pointed at the device and said; "Uh… do I even have to _ask_?"

"I would be insulted if you didn't!" Animo answered as he gestured to the machine with one hand and picked up the helmet with the other. "This is one of two side-projects that Watts suggested to me, and we've been working hard to perfect it! THIS… is a mind reading device!"

Emerald blinked at that. "Wait, mind-reading? Like telepathy?"

"Oh, heavens no." Watts dismissed with a wave of his hand. "Technology hasn't improved to THAT degree yet, I'm afraid. Rather, this device takes brainwaves, no matter how small, and then converts them into the written word." He poked a finger onto the helmet. "All we have to do is put the helmet on, activate the machine, and then it will do the work for us."

"And the best part is, it is utterly painless… unless you WANT it to be! Ahahaha!" Animo said with a brief cackle, to which Tyrian joined in. "Ah, yes, but in this case, we want it to be painless so we do not damage the brain of our subject here. After all…" he went over to where Hog and Skull put the large case down, drumming his fingers over the top of it. "He is to be the FIRST to experience our other project as well!"

"Hehe, so what even IS it, boss?" Exo-Skull chortled.

Hog snorted as he laughed. "Hah, yeah, seemed pretty important if ya wanted us to be so gentle with it."

"Indeed it is, my scrupulous simpletons!" Animo exclaimed before flinging the top of the case open. "Behold!"

Right as the case had been opened, a gold, reflective light suddenly shimmered across the faces of everyone there, taking them aback. Once they were able to get a good look at it, though, many of them were surprised. It was a full suit of armor, one befitting a king. It consisted of a stylized breastplate with the face of a roaring lion on it, a pair of layered pauldrons, metal gauntlets, a set of waist guards, a pair of grieves, and of course, a ten-pronged crown. The primary color of the armor was, of course, gold, but it also had royal blue detailing all throughout, primarily on the edges of the armor. However, there were two more accessories that broke up the gold and blue; a crimson cape with two golden clasps, and a long piece of crimson cloth that hung down from the armor's waist, both lined and plated with gold as well. All in all, it was a very impressive piece of armor.

"Holy crud, Animo!" Rojo exclaimed. "How long did it take for you guys to make THIS?!"

"Quite a few days." Animo answered. "When I first heard of Lionheart from Lady Salem, I knew right from the start that I wanted to perform my next experiment on him following Thaddeus and Farkas' mutation, so I presented this idea to Watts and he was more than happy to accept."

Watts nodded with a devious grin. "Oh, indeed I was." He reached in and pulled out the crown, revealing a complex, neural circuit board within the metal band near the front of it. "And THIS is how we will have Lionheart comply with our commands; a mind _control_ device inspired by Animo's transmodulator. Once we place this upon his head, he will be loyal only to us… as a mindless beast."

"NO!" Lionheart roared, catching everyone's attention. "I will NEVER bow to your will! D-Do you hear me?!"

Subdora put a hand to her chin. "Ah, _mio dio_ , you would think he'd have the fight taken out of him by now! And it seems he is still quite a scaredy-cat behind all of the bravado."

Salem narrowed her eyes. "Indeed." She faced Lionheart and locked her eyes with his, making one final ultimatum. "Your choice, Leonardo; either comply and tell us what we wish no know… or allow the doctors to use you as their first test subject. Your choice."

"NEVER!" the now-former headmaster bellowed. "I have already betrayed Ozpin's trust for far too long, I REFUSE to do so for any longer!"

"I see." Salem said before nodding toward Animo. "Doctor, if you would?"

Animo eagerly came up with the mind-reading helmet in hand. "Of course, Lady Salem! Haha!" Lionheart attempted to jerk his head away, but then Hazel came up and used his good hand to keep the cranium still, allowing Animo to shove the helmet on and strap it securely. He then quickly scampered back over to the machine and turned it on, a small electric current visibly making its way from the device and through the wires attached to the helmet. Lionheart gave out a few painful grunts as the electric current coursed into the helmet, though Animo waved him off. "Oh please, it's on its lowest setting, you'll be fine." He pressed a button on the machine, bringing up a holographic screen and keyboard for him to interact with. "If our calculations are correct, we should be seeing what he's hiding very soon. Just give me a few moments to sort through his more dominant thoughts…"

After a few minutes a few words began appearing on the holographic screen. They came up letter by letter, as if someone were slowly typing onto it. The first word was; "B-O-Y", which made Rojo furrow her brow. "What? What the heck does the word "boy" have anything to do with this?"

"Be patient, Rojo." Animo insisted. "The technology for reading brainwaves is still in its infancy. We will have to decipher the message as we go along…" The next word to come up was; "O-Z-P-I-N", which got Animo very excited. "Ah-ha! You see? NOW we are getting somewhere!"

Salem furrowed her brows at this, though, because the next word immediately began with "R". And with every letter that appeared, it was almost as if her pituitary gland was being poked with a cattle prod. Finally, the last word appeared in full, and her teeth were clenched their hardest when she read it; "REINCARNATE".

The rest of the room were at a loss for words… all except for Hazel who appeared to express his anger more directly. "WHAT?!" He stomped forward and removed the helmet from Lionheart's head, tossing it away before Watts frantically caught it. Hazel put his hand to Lionheart's neck and began choking him furiously. "Ozpin is BACK?!" Lionheart attempted to choke out a response, only for Hazel's grip to tighten. "You were a FOOL to keep this hidden from me!"

"Woah, woah, Hazel!" Hog shouted as he and Skull grabbed their friend by his arms and pulled him back, though that didn't stop the angry man from trying to escape. "Calm down, dude, we still need him, remember?!"

The rest of the group remained still as the scene played out, with Watts clearing his throat as he gently set the helmet down. "Well… this is most unfortunate."

"Yes, and so soon?" Tyrian added.

Emerald put a hand to her chin before realizing something. "Wait… the kid! That boy that was with the heroes yesterday." Her head snapped toward Cinder. "Do you think he was…"

"More than likely." Cinder affirmed with a scowl, her fists clenched. "But once the fighting began, he disappeared. He was more than likely trying to avoid conflict for a reason…"

Viktor let out a low grumble. "With Ozpin on their side, they have the best chance of securing the relics before we do. If we wish to beat them to the relics, we will have to…" But it was then that everyone noticed that the tables all around them began to rattle, with multiple test tubes starting to crack as well. Many of them shivered as they felt a dark force beginning to build up directly behind them, causing them all to turn around. There, Salem stood, a black aura beginning to emanate from her as she seethed with rage. "Um… Miss Salem?"

Rojo's teeth chattered for a bit before stammering out; "B-B-Boss Lady? A-Are you—"

She was cut off when Salem raised a single finger. "…I will be back." she said before promptly turning around and marching out the door. Some time passed… and then a blood curdling scream rang out through the entire castle. " _RRAAAAAAAAAAH_!" All anyone could do was cover their ears as Salem screamed, thankful that she had spared them her wrath… though that didn't stop a bunch of tables from flipping over on their own or a whole slew of test tubes shattering at the force of her wail. When she came back in, Salem was met with a sea of horrified faces from most of her followers, but she paid them no mind. She waved her hand to Animo, who flinched immediately. "Doctor, I have no more use for Lionheart. Inject him and Tyrian at your leisure."

Animo's eyes widened and a grin came to both his and Tyrian's faces. "O-Of course! Right away, Lady Salem!"

Lionheart, however, was beyond horrified when the mad doctor pulled out two syringes from his lab coat; one with a scorpion silhouette, and the other with a lion's. "W-What?! What are you doing—GAH!" Before he even knew what had happened, Lionheart found himself stuck with the syringe, the needle stabbed directly into his right arm.

"GYAH-HAHAHAA!" Tyrian cackled before taking the other syringe from Animo, putting it right over his shoulder. "Oh-ho, don't worry, new buddy! This will only hurt a little bit… FOR YOU! AHAHAHA!" He stuck himself with the needle and almost immediately, a euphoric pain began to overtake Tyrian's entire being, making him laugh even more as he fell to the ground. The first thing he took notice of… was the new tail that sprouted from his severed one, though this one was much larger and thicker than the old one, complete with a gigantic stinger to boot. "HAHA! Welcome back, old friend!" Tyrian laughed as he felt his skin begin to harden and his hair fall right out of his head. "And now… for the rest!"

Many of Salem's followers began backing out of the room as they witnessed what happened. Lionheart was struggling on the table as they saw his muscles begin to grow, the metal clamps breaking off from the slab as they did. Thick, course hair started to grow out from every inch of his body, and his hands and feet began to shift into big, heavy paws. Meanwhile, Tyrian's skin was hardening into more of a dark green carapace, his fingertips becoming sharp like claws… before a huge set of pincers suddenly snapped out from his wrists and clamped down over his hands. His shoes ripped off as his feet grew out, now with only two long, sharp toes instead of five. There was also a third toe now on the back of his heel. Tyrian's eyes glazed over completely yellow as his face began flattening out, his nose disappearing all together as a set of mandibles began jutting out of his lower jaw.

Salem, Cinder, Rojo, Mercury, Neo and a green-faced Emerald all began filing out of the room, the latter having pulled out one of her vomit bags, leaving those who could stomach the transformation behind. "Come, we have many things to prepare for." the witch ordered.

As they made their way out of the lower levels and back up to the main foyer of the castle, Cinder moved up and bowed her head toward her mistress. "Lady Salem, if I may ask, now that we know this, how do you plan on moving forward?"

"Quite simple, young Cinder." Salem stated as she continued forward, leading the quintet up the steps to the upper floor. "I have given these heroes three chances to surrender, and each time, they have refused. So now, I believe it's time we take the fight to _them.._." She finally reached their destination; a balcony overlooking the vast Land of Darkness. "And it is also the perfect opportunity to play our newest card." She reached out over the balcony and snapped her fingers, the sound echoing out all around her. A few moments passed before a massive, saurian head began rising up above the balcony, a set of huge, purple eyes staring down at Salem and the others as a low growl escaped the creature's throat.

Neo's jaw nearly fell to the ground, having never seen a Grimm this big… or as frightening as the one before her. In contrast, a huge grin appeared on Rojo's face as she pumped a fist into the air. "Haha! Yeah! The Grimmungousaur!" She then gave Neo a pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Neo. This big guy is on our side."

A sinister smile made its way to Cinder's face as Emerald and Mercury stepped back a bit, the duo feeling a bit unnerved at the sight of the violet glare the Grimmungousaur was giving them. "Oh… this ought to be fun."

"I am sure it will be." Salem nodded as she reached her hand out to the gigantic beast. The Grimmungousaur lowered its head to her, allowing Salem to give it a pet on the nose. "Hello, my darling." the witch said with her own malevolent smile. "I believe it is finally time to give you… a test run."

* * *

Back on Patch, time was literally at a standstill as many of the teens were still staring at Jinn in utter silence, the floating woman still waiting for her answer. However, there were still a few men who were keeping their eyes off of Jinn out of respect, among them being Qrow, Ghira, Tai, and Ironwood as well. Practically all of the teenage boys were trying to keep their eyes away as well, namely the ones who were not single. The only exceptions were still Kevin and Rex, the former analyzing the situation they now found themselves in while the other was too dumbstruck to realize that he was essentially staring at a naked lady. Plus, there was Fox, but he was blind, so there was nothing for him to be flustered at.

"So, uh… what just happened?" Fox said while tapping his ear. "I think my Ada unit's on the fritz."

Kevin tapped his chin and mused; "Well, let's see, there's a large woman in front of us with blue skin, pointy ears, she's floating, and she's got a bunch of gold prisoner accessories. And she came out of the lamp to boot." He gave a confirming nod. "Yep, definitely a genie. …And a rather hot one to boot—OW!" He saw his girlfriend give him the stink eye and immediately began defending himself by thrusting his hand toward Jinn. "What? Tell me I'm wrong!"

"Oh, trust me, you ain't Kevin." Coco smirked before noticing her boyfriend had faced away from Jinn and was staring off in the other direction. "…Tech Head, you KNOW I don't have a problem with this kinda thing, right?"

"Looking at other ladies with you is one thing, sweetie, but looking at a _giant_ one who's naked is a WHOLE different ball game." the blond genius replied.

Glynda took off her glasses and wiped them down with a cloth before putting them back on, making sure that she wasn't seeing things. Once she was certain that this WAS real, she let out a small sigh. "This was not what I was expecting to happen when I agreed to come here."

"I believe that goes without saying." Sienna said while rubbing her eyes with her thumb and forefinger. "How much stranger can this situation get?"

"I find myself asking that question all the time." Winter affirmed. She tapped her little sister on her shoulder, gaining her attention before pointing toward Rex. "I think you might want to snap him out of that."

Weiss' eyes snapped to the EVO as a rather perturbed face etched onto her features, delivering a smack to the back of his head soon after. "GAH!" Rex shouted before rounding to Weiss with an incredulous stare. "W-What?! What'd I do?!"

" _Hello_?!" Weiss shouted before pointing to Jinn. "You were staring at a naked lady, THAT'S what!"

Rex's eyes trailed back to Jinn in shock, only now realizing that she was indeed nude. "AGH!" He immediately turtled up into his jacket, zipping it up for good measure. "Nobody home!"

"Ahem." Everyone's heads perked up when Jinn cleared her throat, bringing their focus back to her. "I'm aware my presence can be quite shocking to some, but if I may repeat…" She leaned forward again, her eyes locking on Gwen once again. "You ARE the one who saved my life, correct?"

Gwen gulped a bit before feeling a reassuring hand on her back, one that belonged to Kevin. He gave her a nod and nudged his head toward Jinn, ushering Gwen to speak up. The Anodite took a deep breath and nodded as well, stepping forward while meeting Jinn's eyes. "Y-Yes… that _would_ be me, ma'am."

Jinn's eyes widened and a bright, thankful smile appeared on her face. "Oh, yes! I could recognize your particular energy anywhere." She floated over to Gwen and lowered herself down in front of the girl, sitting on her legs while locking her eyes with the redhead's. "What is your name, dear girl?"

"Um… G-Gwen."

"Gwen! Oh, what a lovely name." Jinn reached forward, taking Gwen's smaller hands in her bigger ones. "It is such a pleasure to meet you. I owe you a great deal for what you did for me. If you hadn't come in when you did, I'm sure I wouldn't be here right now." Jinn then took notice of another familiar energy, making her eyes trail over to Raven. The Spring Maiden flinched slightly as Jinn moved over to her as well. "Oh, and my Maiden!" She said with a gracious bow. "You honor me with your presence, my mistress. Please, if I could have the honor of knowing your name?"

Raven blinked in surprise before uttering; "Um… thank you. And it's Raven, by the way."

"Mistress Raven, If there is anything I can do for you, feel free to—"

Raven's eyes widened and she quickly took advantage of that. "Uh, yes, actually. Putting some extra clothes on would be much appreciated."

Yang gestured back to all of the men who were desperately keeping their eyes off of her. "Yeah, if you hadn't noticed, you have nearly every dude here flustered by over your… overexposure." She crossed her arms and furrowed her brow at Jinn. "So PLEASE cover up, lady."

Jinn's eyebrows rose up and she gave out a laugh. "Ah-ha! Yes, of course! My apologies, I am usually only in the presence of a Maiden that I often forget how shameful most men can feel in front of me." With a snap of her fingers, the blue mist wound Jinn's body whirled around, donning her in more clothing. "Alright, gentlemen, it is safe to look now."

All of the men uncovered their eyes… only for the teens to have their jaws drop anyway. Jinn had donned her formerly exposed areas with a gold-plated brazier that had multiple patters on each cup, which were held up by gold chains going over her shoulders and back. As for her lower half, it was donned in a piece of long, blue cloth that covered both her front and backside while keeping her legs exposed, a piece of decorated gold metal attached to both sides near her groin. If anything, this just made the boys blush even further. "Okay, I don't remember ordering the sexy Princess Leia outfit!" Ben cried out.

Jaune felt like a nose bleed would be coming on any second. "I'm not sure what he's talking about, but he's right."

Pyrrha sighed and shook her head. "Well, if it's the best we can get, then so be it." She craned her head up to the large, blue woman. "So, I'm guessing that you are…"

"Ah, yes, where ARE my manners?" Jinn spread her arms out and began introducing herself. "I am Jinn. A being created by the God of Light to aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. I've been graced with the ability to answer three questions every one hundred years. You're in luck, as I am still able to answer—"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Jinn was cut off when Ozpin suddenly spoke up, now back in control of Oscar's body. The whole group turned to face him, giving the reincarnated man a slew of suspicious gazes.

Ironwood, Qrow, Raven, and even Tai and Goodwitch were no exceptions to this, giving their former leader stares of uncertainty. _'Oz… are you really hiding something from us?'_ Ironwood wondered to himself.

"…Two questions this era." Jinn finished before chuckling to herself and crossed her arms, her eyes going to Ozpin in amusement. "Hello, old man, it has certainly been a while."

The group was silent before Blake stepped toward the reincarnated man hesitantly. "Professor… you've met her before, haven't you?"

"…I have." Ozpin answered curtly before going back to Gwen. "Miss Tennyson, please… don't."

Qrow glanced between Ozpin and the others before stepping forward. "Hey, listen—" However, he was quickly stopped when his sister glared right at him, to which he reciprocated. There was a silence conversation going between the Branwen twins for a few moments before Qrow relented with a sigh, raising his hands while shifting his gaze to Gwen. "Do whatever you think is right, Red."

Gwen scanned her eyes across the team, her friends all giving her encouraging faces and nods. With that, she took a deep breath spoke the genie's name; "Jinn?" The floating woman perked up as Gwen turned back to her, all while Ozpin's breaths became more ragged. Gwen met Jinn's eyes and asked her question; "What is Ozpin hiding from us?"

"NOOO!" Everyone gasped as Ozpin suddenly shot to his feet and made to lunge at Gwen… only for Jinn to snap her fingers. At that moment, the cyan energy that emanated from her very being began to envelope everyone except for Ozpin himself, who was knocked away by the energy whipping around. He landed on the ground and hollered; "NO! This… this…"

"I apologize, old man." Jinn apologized, though she still kept her smile about her. "They asked me a question, and I am honor-bound to answer." Ozpin could only lower his head and weep as Jinn went through with the request, with everyone else's' eyes glazed over as the genie recounted to them a lost fable from long ago in the distant past. And, within his own mind, Ozpin could tell that Oscar was experiencing the same thing as well. It felt like an eternity for him as Jinn told the group the whole story within the group's minds, but in reality, it had only taken about half an hour in real time. But even then, the world around the gathered people remained still, never moving even in the slightest. When she was done, the blue energy enveloping the group began to recede toward her, with everyone's eyes returning to their normal state. "There we are. I hope that answer was satisfactory."

The group all wore different expressions after what they had just witnessed. The teens were all stunned, still coming to terms with what they had been told while keeping the words of Grandpa Max in their minds. Ghira, Kali, Sienna, Winter, Goodwitch and Tai all wore unsure faces, almost as if they couldn't believe the information presented to them. And finally… Ironwood, Qrow, and especially Raven were all visibly quite angry. Gwen, with a solemn face, nodded to the genie. "Yes… it was. Thank you, Jinn."

"You are most welcome, Gwen." Jinn said before reaching down and lifting the redhead's chin with her finger. "But do well to keep this in mind; we aren't done, my dear. I intend to return the favor for you saving my life. If you can think of anything at all… you know how to summon me."

A soft, yet sad smile came to her face. "Of course. I'll remember that, Jinn." With that, Jinn's whole body dissolved into blue energy and returned to the lamp, allowing time to resume. The relic floated back over into Gwen's arms and the Anodite took a breath, craning her head to her cousin to meet his eyes. "Well… should we get to business?"

Ben sent her a nod of his own. "We should." The hero turned himself around so that he was face to face with Ozpin, who was still on his hands and knees in despair. The reincarnated man moved his head up to be met with the serious, yet controlled expressions of the teens, with the adult's faces ranging from hesitant to absolutely livid. Ben inhaled deeply and spoke calmly; "We need to have a talk… Ozma."

* * *

**A/N: If that ain't a "to be continued…" moment, then I'm not sure what is. Yep, everything's out in the open now, and while the team is much calmer than when they found out in the main canon thanks to Grandpa Max and Holiday's advice… the adults weren't around to hear said advice, so their reactions probably aren't gonna be as calm. But you're also probably wondering why I skipped over the retelling of "The Lost Fable" itself. Well, it's simply because there's not much I would change about it. Besides, in the original episode, Team RWBY are all just spectators watching it with us in the first place, so there wouldn't be much to add.**

**But, while the heavy drama will be explored more in the next chapter, there were also a few other moments of this chapter that are worth talking about as well… such as Ben dropping the fairy tale bomb on everyone. I knew it was only a matter of time before we got around to this, but I knew we'd come to it sooner or later. And of course, the reactions are mixed from "totally cool" to "what is even my life right now?". Aren't existential crises fun? And yep, Cinder and Neo have new duds! Neo's is just her outfit from the end of Volume 6 forward, but Cinder's is a modified version of her Mistral dress, one that does away with the long, single sleeve and is just sleeveless. And no, she doesn't get a haircut in this story either. But oh dear, seems like Salem has found out about Oz's reincarnation and is finally bringing out the big guns. It's time for the Grimmongousaur to be played. And don't worry, everyone, you'll see Lionheart and Tyrian's new mutated forms soon enough.**

**But for now… NEXT TIME! The gang confront Ozpin about what was being kept from them… with some being a bit more sour on him than others. Once that happens, though, the team agree that they need more information on what Salem might be planning currently… so they go to the one person they know who might have an idea on what she might do. After that, it's off to the White Fang press conference… where reactions are expectantly mixed. However, unbeknownst to everyone else, the conference will soon be visited by a bunch of uninvited guests… Thanks for reading, everyone, and I'll see you all next time! Stay safe out there!**


	108. The Next Big Step

**A/N: Hey everybody! New chapter time again, and this time… we've got quite the doozy on our hands, as we probably will for the next big slew of chapters. Trust me, some shit is gonna go down over this next arc. But for now, let's get into everyone's reaction to Ozpin's backstory, huh? …I think you can guess that Raven doesn't take it well. This is…**

**Chapter 108: The Next Big Step**

* * *

"You Can't." Those two words were the ones echoing through everyone's minds when Jinn brought her story to a close. They were the words that Jinn herself had told Ozma when he asked how he could destroy Salem, leaving the man in despair. And now, they were the words that the entire group were thinking about as they gazed at the same man, now in the body of a child, but still wallowing in the same despairing thoughts. He was the "loved one" that Salem had lost all along, the reason why she had rebelled against the gods. And what's more; if the relics were all brought back together, then the Godly Brothers themselves would be brought back to Remnant as well, ready to judge humanity for a second time. The whole truth was finally known. There was a tense feeling in the air as Ozpin could feel daggers being glared into him by three people in particular, two of which he had been particularly close to.

But, as Ozpin had expected, Raven was the one to speak up first. "You heard her." The Spring Maiden said as she stepped forward, waving har arm out across the entire crowd of people. "You ALL heard her, right?"

Ben closed his eyes, pursing his lips a bit at her sudden intervention. "Yes, Raven, I did. And—"

"I KNEW you were hiding more from us!" Raven snapped at Ozpin, making him flinch and stumble backward. She continued her menacing stride toward him with her piercing glare, which made Ozpin begin crawling backward on his hands and knees until his back was pressed up against the house. "You're telling me that ALL THIS TIME, you've been fighting a battle that you couldn't win?!" She was towering over him at this point, the reincarnated man cowering below her. "And what's worse… this whole war you're fighting… that WE are fighting… is due in-part to a FAILED RELATIONSHIP?!"

"Mom, STOP!" Yang shouted as she pulled Raven away from Ozpin, making the tribe leader whip around toward her daughter. "Now is NOT the time for this!"

"On the contrary, Yang." Everyone's eyebrows snapped up when they heard who had said that. It was Ironwood, and he was giving a stone-cold stare directly at Ozpin. "This is something that NEEDS to be discussed."

Ozpin, with tears beginning to well up in his eyes, sent a pleading gaze to his old friend. "James, please, I—"

"Stop and please let me finish." Ironwood said with a disappointed shake of his head. "You KNEW that Salem couldn't be destroyed… and yet you didn't tell us. In fact, there was so much ELSE you didn't tell us! How could you have thought that was okay?!" Ozpin lowered his head, to which Ironwood gave a sigh and closed his eyes, calming himself down a bit. "Oz, listen, I understand keeping the… relationship part of the story a secret. That was _very_ personal. But the fact that Salem cannot be destroyed… you _should_ have told us that."

The whole group fell into silence again… but then Ruby spoke up. "Professor…" Ozpin lifted his head and met Ruby's silver eyes, one that was sympathetic, yet worried. "Before all of this happened, what _was_ your plan to defeat Salem?"

"I…" Ozpin swallowed, hesitating for a few seconds before finally giving the answer. "I didn't have one."

About a second later, there came a loud; "GRAAAAH!" from the side as Qrow suddenly came rushing forward with his fist reeled back, his face contorted with fury as he sent it flying right at Ozpin's face.

…Or at least he would have if Kevin hadn't suddenly stepped in and put Qrow into a full-nelson, holding the drunken huntsman back as he kept trying to struggle out of the Osmosian's hold. "Woah, woah! Keep it together, old man!" Kevin grunted as he kept Qrow from going any further, all while Ozpin stared at his old friend in shock and disbelief.

"Uncle Qrow, please calm down!" Ruby pleaded, taking a hold of one of her uncle's arms

"No, please! Let him go!" Raven said with a snarl as she slammed her fist into her palm. "In fact, let me JOIN him!"

"Mom, NO!" Yang shouted again as she gestured toward Ozpin. "If you punch Ozpin, you'll end up punching Oscar, too! He doesn't NEED that!"

Vernal came up and began pleading with Raven as well. "Raven, please, think rationally here! The boy's probably freaking out inside his own head!"

Ben rushed up and spread his arms out in front of the reincarnated man, separating the Branwen twins from him. "Will everyone just SLOW DOWN for _two seconds_ so that we can all just breathe here?!"

Upon hearing that, the Spring Maiden's eyes widened a bit in realization before turning her head away. Qrow, still seething as he was held back from Oz, moving his head away as well, giving out a frustrated growl. "…No one wanted me." These words made Kevin and Ruby pause, allowing Qrow to stand to his full height while still keeping a secure hold on him just in case. "I was _cursed_. I gave my life to you because you gave me a place in this world. I thought I was finally doin' some GOOD."

With his tears now falling freely, Ozpin implored to his old friend. "But you are!"

"Listen, Oz, the whole "failed relationship" thing? I can understand that." Qrow said while still looking away. "And… I'm sorry 'bout your kids. But the fact that you didn't have a solid plan for dealin' with Salem in the first place? I can't even begin to fathom just how IDIOTIC that is."

Ozpin stared wide-eyed at the man before him, a sinking feeling overtaking his very being. With trepidation, he shifted his sights over to his trusted confidant and asked; "G-Glynda?"

Glynda Goodwitch, her eyes full of uncertainty, met Ozpin's gaze briefly before craning her head away, with tears falling down her cheeks as well. "I… I really don't know what to think anymore."

Ozpin held back a sob as he then went to another old friend of his. "…Taiyang?"

Tai closed his eyes, his brows furrowing slightly as he hugged his arms close to his chest. "…Summer was devoted to your cause, Ozpin. She may have even died for it." He opened his eyes and set his gaze upon the reincarnated man. "…To hear that you never had a real plan to stop Salem… it has to be one of the biggest gut punches I've ever experienced."

"Oz." Ironwood piped up, bringing the former headmaster's gaze back to him. "You've told us that you've made many mistakes in your life. Well… this might be one of the biggest."

His mind still wracked in disbelief, Ozpin took the words of his old friend in, his head craning down as a dejected expression came to his face. "…Maybe you're right. James, I'm sorry. I know that mere words won't be able to fix anything, but…" He could only watch as the Branwen twins faced away from him, the duo heading straight over to Tai. "I… I need some time to think over my decisions."

Ironwood nodded his head. "I understand. And… I'm sorry as well."

At that moment, Ozpin's eyes flashed and Oscar was put right back in his place… but this time, something felt different. The farm boy put a hand to his head and began uttering; "W-Wait, what?"

"I-Is there something wrong, Oscar?" Jaune asked in concern.

"He's… gone." Oscar answered. "But… it's not like the other times he's switched places with me."

Pyrrha raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

Oscar put his hands to his temples. "It's… like he's locked himself inside my head… no, _our_ head?" Oscar's hands went to his temples and he screwed his eyes shut. "Ugh, this all just way too confusing! I just want it to stop!"

"Wait, he just _left_?" Winter asked in shock.

"Well, good!" Raven snapped. "Let him rot in the kid's head for all I care!"

"So… w-what do we do now?" Kali asked in concern.

It was at that moment that the adults began to talk over one another, with some voices being louder than others as worries and frustrations were being vented. But then, a bright green flash suddenly made them all stop… which was then followed up by a large stomp and a loud trumpet echoing throughout the whole area. **"** _ **WHAAAOOOOON**_ **!"** Everyone's eyes bulged out and their heads whipped up to see Dynatusk standing over them, his green eyes focused right onto the group of adults. **"Good, now that I have your attention…"** Dynatusk slapped the Omnitrix symbol and transformed back into his human form, crossing his arms. "Let's focus on how we're gonna turn this whole thing around, huh?"

"Indeed." Ghira nodded. "This is no time to be squabbling amongst ourselves."

Sienna crossed her arms. "The moment we start worrying about everything, we'll have already lost to Salem."

It was at that moment that the front door to the house opened up, with Athena, Max and Holiday all rushing out into the front lawn. "What in the world is with all of the commotion out here?!" The Mistralian huntress asked before taking notice of everyone surrounding a distraught Oscar and she caught sight of General Ironwood, her eyes widening in shock. "James? …What's going on?"

Ironwood moved his eyes between his old friend and Oscar, a saddened expression taking over his features. He closed his eyes as Glynda came over to him, putting a comforting arm on his shoulders. "…It's not very good news, Athena. We just learned from the being within the Relic of Knowledge that Salem is unable to be destroyed."

One by one, a trio of shocked faces came over the three adults, with Max pursing his lips in thought. "Well… that IS bad news." But then he blinked in realization. "Wait… there's something _living_ in that relic?"

"Oh yeah, she's a question answering genie." Kevin replied. "She's… quite the character. Also, get this; Ozpin and Salem were a thing in the past and had a big falling out."

"…How big?" Max asked.

"Think the couples you see on "Jerry Springer"." Rex clarified. "…But at least a hundred times worse."

Holiday, Athena and Max all blinked at that before the doctor cleared her throat. "Ahem, well, that's… quite the revelation." Holiday crossed her arms. "But if Salem can't be destroyed, then what hope do we have in defeating her?"

Gwen was quick to raise a finger at that. "Ah, but here's the interesting thing about that; she CAN be destroyed."

This managed to get everyone's attention, though Qrow narrowed his eyes and stormed right up to Gwen, glaring pointedly at the Anodite. "Don't know if you were payin' attention or not, kid, but the big blue lady said it clear as day; Salem _can't_ be destroyed." Qrow swiped his hand. "We're done. Game over."

Gwen quirked a brow and countered. "Actually, I _have_ been paying attention, Qrow." She then eyed Raven and Ironwood as well. "And after seeing the flash back to when Oz asked Jinn if he could destroy Salem, I've actually been thinking some things over... and I've come to a bit on an interesting conclusion."

Weiss raised an intrigued brow. "And what would that be, Gwen?"

Blake shrugged while keeping her arms hugged close to her. "Yeah, I mean, she was pretty clear on the fact that Salem couldn't be killed…"

"By HIM." Gwen finished, taking everyone by surprise. "Couldn't be killed by HIM." Gwen strolled up and helped Oscar back up, giving the boy a pat on the shoulder. "You see, I've got a feeling that Ozpin worded his question wrong."

This took everyone a back a little. "What do you mean by that, Gwen?" Holiday asked.

"Wait… I think I know what she's getting at." Ben's eyes widened in realization. "See, here's the thing with genies; you have to be careful about what you SAY around them, since if you don't make your requests clear, they'll take what you want and put a different spin on it."

"Exactly." Gwen raised the Relic of Knowledge up to everyone. "And you also need to keep in mind that what _they_ say can also be somewhat vague, and I have a feeling that Jinn is no different."

The whole group paused for a moment, their eyes on Gwen in surprise and shock. "Wait… so you think that Ozpin wasn't _specific_ enough in his question?" Nora tilted her head.

"Yep, that's what we're getting at." Ben said as he focused on Oscar, the boy still with a worried gaze. "He asked if there was any way HE could stop Salem and Jinn said "you can't". BUT… that doesn't mean that no one _else_ can't."

This immediately made many of the teens brighten up, with a few of the adults wearing surprised faces. "So that means there IS still a way to beat Salem!" Coco exclaimed. "Haha! Great! So all hope _isn't_ lost after all!"

Cooper let out a relieved sigh, as did many others. "Phew, and here I was thinking she was indestructible."

"Indeed." Glynda said as she placed a hand over her chest. "I won't lie… I was quite terrified." The headmistress went over to Oscar and leaned down to meet his eyes. "Oscar, I apologize, but I'm afraid I'm not addressing you when I say this…"

Oscar gave her a nod. "It's alright, Professor Goodwitch. I understand."

Glynda smiled and nodded back. "Thank you." She cleared her throat and spoke, hoping that Ozpin could hear her. "Sir… if you can still hear me, then I want to apologize. After hearing everything, I… was unsure about what would happen. I'm sorry that you've had to go through so much turmoil, and I hope you can forgive me."

"And I'm sorry as well." Ironwood added. "If there's one thing I don't want, it's to lose a friend. I'll admit, I was angry… and a part of me still is. But Ben is right, this is no time to be squabbling amongst ourselves." He craned his head over to the Branwen twins. "Isn't that right?"

Raven was about to snap back at him, but then she caught sight of Tai's pleading gaze, making her pause. The two stared into one another's eyes for a few good moments before a sigh escaped her lips. "No, no it isn't." She agreed before glaring at Oscar, hoping that Ozpin could still see her. "But that doesn't mean I'll instantly forgive him. The fact still remains that he was leading us with _no_ solid plan to defeat Salem."

"She's right." Qrow agreed before stomping his way over to the front door. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need a stiff drink."

Oscar swallowed hard as he watched Qrow storm toward the door, his eyes shifting over to Ben, who returned his gaze. The farm boy reached behind him and took out his cane, pursing his lips as he forced out what he wanted to say; "I… I'm just going to be another one of his lives, aren't I?"

Ben vehemently shook his head. "No, I'm not buying that for a second. You're your own person, Oscar."

"Don't lie to him, kid." They heard Qrow mumble from the porch as he opened the door. "We're better than that."

"Uncle Qrow, wait—" _SLAM_! Before Ruby could even reach him, the drunken huntsman slammed the door behind him, leaving her to stare after him in disappointment. "…Yeah, I guess I should have expected that."

Yang went over and put a hand on Oscar's shoulder. "Don't worry, Oscar. I'll talk some sense into him."

But Oscar raised a hand in protest. "W-Wait, please don't confront him. Not right now, at least." He crossed his arms, clenching in cane in his hand. "Qrow's upset, and I honestly can't blame him. I think… we all just need a breather after that."

"Agreed." Ren nodded. "Besides, we have other things to worry about. Has anyone checked the time?"

Ironwood's eyes widened and he pulled his sleeve back, revealing that it was, in fact, a quarter to one. "Oh, gods! There's only an hour and fifteen minutes left until the press conference starts! If we don't hurry, we'll be late!"

"Gah, damn!" Ghira put a hand to his forehead as Sienna and Kali's eyes darted to him. "We got so sidetracked that we forgot! Kali, Sienna, come, we must get to the city soon!"

"Right!" Sienna nodded and the three quickly began running right for the Bullhead, with Ironwood right on their heels. Once she made it there, Sienna spun around and sent a two-fingered salute to the kids. "I assume we'll see you kids at the conference, then?"

"Count on it!" Ilia replied while waving back. "We'll see you all really soon!"

Kali smiled to them and waved as well. "Excellent. Blake, Ilia, I hope you two will join us up on the stage!"

A small giggle escaped Blake's throat and she brushed a lock of hair away from her face. "I will, mom, you can count on that!"

As this went on, Glynda had moved over to Team CFVY with an inviting smile. "Coco, Cooper, would you like to accompany us over there?" the headmistress asked. "Considering how… vocal some critics of the White Fang can be, we could use some extra security at the event."

Coco flashed the "okay" sign to Goodwitch instantly, a small smirk coming to her face. "Hey, no prob, Prof! Besides… after something like this, I think we could ALL use a bit of a break."

"No kidding." Cooper concurred. "Besides, my armor is back at the military base anyway, so why not?" Once they agreed, he and the rest of Team CFVY made to say their temporary farewells to the rest of the team, though not before Cooper himself pulled Gwen and Ben off to the side for a private conversation. "So… what do you guys have planned going forward with all this info we got?"

The cousins glanced to each other and then back at Cooper, with Gwen being the one to answer him. "Well… I suppose the best we can do is continue to do what we've been doing. We all need to get better so we can stand a chance against Salem."

Ben nodded at that. "Right, and we're going to need a LOT more allies as well. Fortunately, once we get to Earth, that shouldn't be too much of a problem."

Cooper's hands went to his hips. "Well, sure, but… do you think we'll be able to find ANY allies that are powerful enough to take on Salem? Even if she's NOT indestructible, I still imagine that she's pretty tough."

"We'll find a way, Cooper." Ben assured with a wink. "Remember, we always do."

The blonde genius sighed and shook his head. "Ben, I swear, your optimism is surprisingly hard to bring down."

"Eh, I find it's easier to look at the positives than the negatives. Now go on, they're waitin' for ya." With that, Cooper went to the Bullhead and, after a few moments, the exit ramp moved back up and the engines came to life, lifting the aircraft up into the sky. The jets then leveled out and the Bullhead blasted off, heading right back toward Vale. Ben watched the craft disappear over the tree tops before facing his team again, spreading his arms out to everyone. "So, whaddya say, guys?"

There was a bit of silence before Yang stepped over to her boyfriend, slipping her hand into his. "We've gotten this far together, Green Boy." she said with a determined gleam in her eye, staring right into his own. "You know I'm not about to quit now."

Ruby pumped a fist. "And you're dreaming if you think _I'm_ going to stop fighting after this. Salem HAS to be stopped now more than ever. If she brings those relics together and bring the gods back to Remnant… then it might be over for all of us."

"I'm right there with you, Ruby." Blake affirmed. "All the way."

Weiss raised her hand. "Well… I won't lie, I am a bit more concerned about this than I already was." She took a deep breath, keeping herself steadfast. "But I know I'm not ready to give up either."

"That's the way, Ice Princess!" Rex cheered. "I'm gonna see this thing through to the end, too. I didn't jump across three different dimensions for nothin'!"

"As will I." Winter jumped in. "The fate of the world rests with us. Now isn't the time to be deterred from our goal."

Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora and Ren all stepped forward, the blonde knight speaking for his team. "You can still count us all in."

Sun gave Neptune a pat on the back. "And us, too! Let's give Salem a good kick in the pants!"

Penny entered her saluting pose. "As always, I am Combat Ready!"

"I think we ALL are." Ilia affirmed.

Vernal gave a small shrug. "Eh, sure, why not? Beats hanging around the tribe, at least."

It was at that point that the teens all moved their eyes over to Raven, the dark-haired woman still standing off to the side by herself. It was evident that she was still fuming from what had gone down with Ozpin just a while earlier, but one smile each from her daughter, Ruby, Ben, and Tai was all it took for her to soften up and join them. "Oh, alright, I suppose I'm in, too." She went over and put her hands on Yang and Ruby's shoulders. "For my family, of course."

"Glad to hear it, Rae." Tai said as he put an arm around her neck. "I'm just glad that this didn't end up escalating into a big fight like I thought it would."

"And so am I." Max grinned, his eyes scanning across the entire team. "I'm glad that you kids were able to stay level-headed throughout this whole thing."

Holiday sent them all a wink. "And THAT is what happens when you follow good advice."

Athena let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, leaning up against one of the banisters on the porch. "Well, I'm certainly relieved it didn't come to that. I—" However, it was then that a ringing suddenly came from her pocket, the redheaded woman reaching down to pluck her scroll from it. "Oh, it's my housekeeper. I have to take this." She answered the phone and began to head back inside. "Hello, Laurel! How're things over there?"

As Athena went back into the house, Pyrrha lanced her hands together and asked; "So, now that we know what is at stake, I must ask… what should we do next?"

"The logical step forward would be to find a counter to what Salem will do." Ren deduced. "However, seeing as we don't know what exactly that IS yet, that might be a bit hard to do."

Neptune's hand went to the back of his head. "Yeah, you got a point there." But then, he snapped his fingers as a light bulb switched on in his head. "Oh! Maybe if we were able to somehow trap one of the bad guys on her side, maybe we could interrogate them and find out what's going on."

"Psh, good luck with that." Nora said with a smirk and an eye roll. "I mean, it's not like one of Salem's flunkies is gonna fall… into… our lap." The realization came to everyone as soon as the words rolled off of Nora's lips, the Pink Dynamo slowly smirking. "…Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?"

Kevin sighed and folded his arms. "Yeah… but I don't exactly like the thought of it."

"Me either, Kevin." Gwen agreed. "But right now, he's our best chance we've got." Her eyes closed and she gave out a sigh. "Alright… let's go pay Darkstar a visit."

* * *

Meanwhile, up at Beacon Academy, Tetrax Shard was strolling through the halls of his ship, giving it a good once over before the time finally arrived to jump dimensions. The massive Dimensional Doorway that Caesar was attaching to his ship wasn't fully fastened yet, but by later today, it would be, so he had to make sure that everything was in tip-top shape before they flew back to Earth. _'Hmhm, a part of me still can't believe that.'_ the Petrosapien thought to himself as he gave a few circuit boards the once over. _'And here I thought we would be stuck in this universe for years.'_

"Hey, Tetrax." The ship's captain perked his head up to see Swift making her way toward him, the alien hybrid holding a piece of equipment in her hands. "Where does this doo-hickey go, anyway?"

Tetrax chuckled a bit before closing the panel of the circuit boards, standing up to his full height. He had to admit, he had initially thought having Swift out and about was a bad idea, but the half-Aerophibian had proven to be a big help, even if she didn't fully understand how the ship itself worked. Plus, she was actual good company… unlike Argit. He reached down and pat the equipment. "This actually goes into the engine room. Follow me, I'll show you."

The two were about to head down the hall when a sudden pink flash from around the corner caught their attention, the duo furrowing their brows in confusion. They rounded the corner, but were immediately put at ease when they saw that it was Ben, Gwen, Kevin, Rex, Team RWBY, Raven and Ilia, the latter giving Swift a smile as soon as she saw her. "Hi, Swift!"

"Hey, Ilia!" The hybrid put down the equipment and moved over to Ilia, giving the chameleon girl a friendly jab to the shoulder. "How're you doing, girl? Did you have any luck on your last-minute mission yesterday?"

"Oh yeah, sure did." Ilia confirmed. "Everything was taken care of… even if we did leave Haven in a sorry state."

Swift smirked and crossed her arms. "Ooh, did you guys get a bit carried away?"

Gwen glanced over to Kevin, who wore a sheepish grin. "Well, one of us got a bit overzealous, I can tell you that." Kevin rubbed the back of his head and the redhead rolled her eyes, stepping over to Tetrax to address him. "But that's not really the reason why we're here. We need to talk to Michael."

Tetrax's crystalline brow furrowed a bit. "Darkstar? I didn't think you'd even want to SEE him after you brought him here."

"Believe me, Tetrax, none of us do." Ben assured. "But things between us and Salem have gotten a bit more… complex, and we're gonna need his help to find out just what she has planned."

The Petrosapien nodded. "I see. Just how complex are we talking, by the way?"

"WAY more complex." Yang assured. "Like in a; "you'll never believe it" kinda way."

"Hm, well, you kids know where the brig is." Tetrax bent down and picked up the piece of equipment that Swift was carrying, slinging it over his shoulder. "I would join you, but we've still got a lot of stuff to do. Rex, your brother is outside working on the Dimensional Doorway if you want to see him."

" _Gracias_ , Tetrax." Rex said with a salute. "Much appreciated." With that, the bounty hunter left everyone in the hallway, and Rex jabbed a thumb over toward the brig's general direction. "Well, shall we get this over with?"

Weiss was all too eager to get moving. "Yes, please. The less I have to see of that jerk's corpse face, the better."

Yang's face scrunched up in disgust. "Ugh, yeah. You'd think Salem would've at least let his face alone when she took his powers away. At least then it'd just be punchable instead of shriveled up and dry."

"No kidding." Swift said before sticking out her tongue. "I'm seriously glad that I didn't have to see that face for any longer than I had too."

Ben nodded at that. "Yeah, remind me to thank Rojo for taping his helmet to his back when she dropped him off. That was a lifesaver."

Ilia smiled over to Swift and gave her a nudge with her arm. "So, Swift, you excited to get back to Earth and start over as a free woman?"

Swift reciprocated the gesture, giving Ilia a nudge back. "Heh, yeah… though I think a better term would be "semi-free"." She rolled her eyes and groaned. "Ugh, doing parole and getting a job is gonna be such a friggin' drag!"

"Hey, look on the bright side;" Gwen pointed out, "at least you're not behind bars or going back to juvie, right?"

The half-Aerophibian sighed and flung her head back. "Yeah, but doing actual work is gonna be so BORING! I'm glad Magister Tennyson can set me up with a solid job, but a grocery store is by FAR not my scene."

Ben sent her a reassuring grin. "Hey, I wouldn't worry about it too much, Swift. Mr. Baumann's actually really nice once you get to know him. Gwen and I have basically known him since we were kids, so trust me, I think I know what I'm talking about."

Swift took a brief pause before nodding to him. "Yeah, okay. I guess anything IS better than being locked up, after all." She moved her eyes and set them upon Ilia, her grin widening as she did. "Besides, it's good to know that I won't be along in all of this."

"No, you won't." Ilia put a supportive hand to her shoulder. "We'll all be there for you every step of the way, Ilia. Count on it." The two girls lingered on each other's eyes for a bit, a small hint of red coming to their cheeks before Ilia cleared her throat, changing the subject a bit. "So, uh… what're you're guys' hopes for getting information out of Darkstar?"

"It probably won't be easy, that's for sure." Blake shrugged. "I mean, he'll probably just try to sidestep around all of our questions, right?"

Gwen rolled her eyes. "More than likely. He likes to be coy like that."

"I just hope he's willing to cooperate." Ruby mumbled. "I mean, he still hates us… so do you think he'll even _help_ us?"

"After everything Salem's done to him? …Maybe." Kevin answered. "Morningstar's a weasel. He'll play both sides if it means he gets what he wants." He furrowed his brows as they finally came to the door. "Which means he'll probably request his freedom in exchange for information."

Ben waved his hand to Kevin. "Don't worry, I've got a plan to deal with that if he ends up doing that. Now c'mon, we pretty much only have an hour until we need to be at the press conference starts."

The moment they stepped into the brig, though, they were met with the familiar sight of Argit, the possum-like alien dead asleep in his chair as usual with his head back, his mouth wide open, and a bit of spittle running down his cheek, all while he snored up a storm. The group couldn't help but wince at the sight. "Well, that's probably the worst thing I've ever witnessed." Raven commented.

Swift rolled her eyes and marched up to the rodent, smacking him out of his seat to wake him up instantly. "Hey, rat face, wake up! We've got company."

"GAH!" Argit sprang up and whipped his head around while asking; "Who?! What?! Where?!" But then, his yellow orbs landed on the familiar group, to which he gave a sheepish grin. "Hey-hey! If it ain't the heroes with attitude? What brings you guys by, eh?" He hopped back up into his seat and propped his legs up on the nearby table, putting his hand behind his head as he held his nose up with pride. "Guessing you're here to check up on all the prisoners before we shove back off to Earth? Not to brag, but I've been keepin' a good eye on 'em."

Everyone wore a deadpan expression at Argit's postulating before Ben cleared his throat. "Ahem, yeah, sure Argit. But what we're actually here for is to speak with Darkstar."

Argit's eyes snapped open and darted back over to Ben with an incredulous face. "…Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously." Gwen reiterated, though not without a small grumble. "Though I kind of wish we didn't have to."

"Yeah, I feel ya there." Argit jumped down from his chair and ushered them to follow him. "He's been a major pain in the ass to everyone here since he arrived, and that's saying something because one of the inmates is Vulkanus."

"I HEARD THAT, ARGIT!" Vulkanus hollered from further in the room.

Argit sighed and continued forward. "C'mon, I'll lead you to him."

As the group walked through the room, they found themselves on the receiving end of the glares from all of the villains they had captured, each one of them shooting daggers at them. Sserpent in particular hissed as they strolled by his cell. "Ssso… the heroesss have returned to make their sssemi-annual inssspection of the inmatesss, yesss?" In the cell next to him, Clancy gave out a primal growl and clicking noise, indicating that he was upset by their presence.

"Sure have, Fang Face." Yang snarked. "And hey, lucky you, you guys are gonna have a change of scenery soon."

"We heard." Frightwig piped up, her arms crossed while her hair jittered all around her. "And good thing too, because my hair needs room to move."

In the cell next to her, Thumbskull brought his shoulders closer together, trying to keep them away from the energy cell walls. "Huh, yeah, wit' maybe a bit more elbow room, at least. Whaddya think, Acid Breath?" The masked villain in the cell beside him let out an audible grumble, the clamp on his face preventing any words from being heard.

Rex smirked over to them. "Don't expect a much bigger space, Circus Freaks." He nudged his head toward Frightwig. "And while you're at it, Frightwig, don't get your hopes up at having room for your hair either. We've gotta make sure those babies are wrapped up nice and tight."

"Well, perhaps THEY won't have much room for themselves." Everyone's eyes were directed to Simian, the Arachnichimp laying down on his back with all four arms behind him, his legs crossed as a smug grin etched onto his face. "But if I recall, the cells at Plumber Headquarters are actually roomy enough for an alien of my stature…"

Frightwig sneered down to the alien monkey and crossed her arms. "Oh, bite me, Pinky."

At the sound once again being insulted for his pink shirt, all of Simian's eyes snapped open and he shot up from his position, belting out a primal screech. "AAAH-AH! ENOUGH with the shirt insults! I've practically heard them all at this point!"

"An' you'll continue ta hear 'em until ya take the stupid thing off!" Vulkanus shouted from the other side of the room.

"Can it, babyface!" Simian shrieked back.

Before anyone knew it, there was a huge back and forth fight of words between all of the villains in the brig, with the team having been caught right in the middle of it. Blake's eyes moved down to Argit and she asked; "Is it always like this?"

"Oh, you don't know the half of it, Kitty Ears." Argit assured as he continued forward. "You should see it on a BAD day. Now c'mon. Your boy's this way." The group ventured further into the room before spotting a familiar figure standing in a lone cell, one that was situated away from all of the others. "Here he is. Yo, Mikey, ya got visitors!"

Darkstar perked his head up, which was thankfully covered back up by his old helmet. As it turned out, Rojo had taped it to his back before returning him to them, which Weiss was certainly thankful for. The powerless energy vampire narrowed his eyes and spoke up, his voice echoing in his helmet. "Ah, Lovely Gwen. Back so soon? To what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit?"

Kevin wore a snarl on his face at Darkstar's words. "Alright, I'm already annoyed."

"As I knew you would be, Kevin." Darkstar mused. "Sometimes, it's the simple things in life that amuse you, _right_?"

"That's it!" Kevin crouched down, absorbed the metal floor and then balled his fists, transforming them into a pair of hammers. "Argit, open the cell so I can have at him!" But then, a pink energy tether suddenly wrapped itself around Kevin, bringing his arms down to his sides while lifting him off the ground. "W-Wha—GWEN?!" The Osmosian looked down to his girlfriend with a slightly annoyed yet pleading stare. "C'mon, just _one_ hit?"

" _No_ , Kevin." Gwen replied firmly. "We're here to talk, not fight. Besides, Ben told you he'd handle it if things went south, remember?"

Kevin grimaced and glanced off to the side, mumbling something under his breath about how Tennyson got all the fun before accepting it. "Alright, fine. But if he STILL isn't cooperating, then I get to have him!"

Inside of his helmet, Darkstar rolled his eyes as Kevin was set back down. "Please, I may not have my powers, but that doesn't mean I still can't handle myself in a fight."

Yang pounded a fist into her palm. "Yeah, but can you handle ALL of us at once?"

"…Fair point." Darkstar conceded before going back to Gwen. "So, what is it that you needed, Lovely Gwen?"

Gwen crossed her arms over her chest, furrowing her brows at her enemy. "Pretty simple; we want to know what Salem is planning. And since you're the only villain who's been with her that we managed to capture…"

"You assumed I knew something." Michael concluded. "Very perceptive of you, Gwen. Though I suppose I should not have expected anything less."

Raven narrowed her eyes at the iron-masked young man. "Just tell us whatever you know, Darkstar."

"And why should I?" Darkstar countered, raising a hand to her. "What use would I have in giving you the information I know?"

Weiss rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Psh, oh come _on_. After everything that Salem did to you the night before, are you _seriously_ telling us that you _don't_ want to get back at her somehow?"

Blake nodded in agreement. "She's right. This could be your way of spiting her back for taking your powers away."

Darkstar put a hand to his chin, pondering over what the two girls had just said to him. "Hm, both excellent points. But still, I hardly find that substantial enough." He tightened his fist, his hand shaking a little in anger. "Because if I'm being honest, I don't just want Salem to be stopped. I want her to suffer just as I did at her hand." He lifted his head up to the group. "And I can only do that… if I am freed from this prison."

"Not gonna happen, Michael." Ben denied. "You've still got a lot to answer for back on Earth."

" _Exactamente_." Rex concurred. "Besides, you won't be able to do much even if we DID let you out, since you're powerless."

"Powerless _for now_." Darkstar rebuked, clawing his hand for emphasis. "Salem said that she only temporarily deactivated my powers. And once they return to me… you will _all_ pay." There was a brief pause as Darkstar and the group glared at each other, the threat hanging in the air for a few moments more before Michael put his hands behind his back. "But for now, I suppose I can tell you what I know."

The group all blinked in shock. "W-Wait, really?" Ruby questioned. "Just like that? What happened to wanting out?"

"It's as the metal head pointed out; I am powerless." Darkstar stated. "An while it's only a temporary factor, it's still one that I must take into account. So, I suppose the best I could do is provide you with SOME sort of advantage."

The teens and Raven all glanced between one another before Ilia broke the silence. "Well, uh… good! What do you know?"

Darkstar raised a single finger. "For one; Animo and Watts have created a new version of their mutation formula, this one being a liquid instead of a gas."

This immediately caught everyone's attention, with Kevin balling his fist up again. "Damn! That means that those guys don't need any special containers to mutate people anymore. Now they can just inject the mutagen into people and they'll instantly turn into freaks of nature!"

Swift sneered in disgust. "Ugh, more mutants like Hog and Skull? That'll be a big fat "no" from me, please."

"Funny you should mention that." Michael piped up. "Because they plan on doing that exact thing to Tyrian and Lionheart. In fact, they probably already have."

Blake shifted her eyes down sadly for a brief second. _'Sun isn't going to like that…'_ She shifted her attention back to Michael. "We already had a feeling that would be the case."

"Yes, Tyrian seems like the kind of person who would willingly volunteer for something like that." Raven added. "And what better way for Salem to punish Lionheart for his cowardice than to mutate him as well?"

"Hm, some forward-thinkers on your team, eh, Tennyson?" Darkstar mused while noting the resemblance between Raven and Yang, remembering that the hero had a relationship with the latter. "AND she may be your future mother-in-law, I see."

This got both Ben and Yang blushing up a storm, while Raven's voice hitched a bit. "W-Why you little…" Raven glared at Darkstar and put her face right infront of his. "Just where do you get off making comments like—"

"I-It's okay, mom." Yang spoke with a slight stammer. "He's just trying to get into our heads."

Ben cleared his throat and placed his hands on his hips. "Ahem, yes. Let's just try to stay focused, Michael. There anything else you know?"

"Why yes." Michael raised a fist and tightened it. "There's also the fact that Cinder and Rojo were kind enough to bring my replacement WITH them when they returned to Salem's castle."

THIS caught everyone's attention immediately. "What?!" Yang exclaimed. "Salem already has another member of her cause?!"

Kevin glared harder at Darkstar. "Alright, then who are they? What're they like?"

"I'm not exactly sure WHO the girl they got to replace me is, but Cinder, Sustrai and Black seemed to already be on good terms with her." Darkstar answered. "They called her… "Neo", I believe."

Ben placed his hands on his hips. "Huh, weird." He moved his head around to the others. "What do you guys thing of… this?" He was caught off guard when he saw the entirety of Team RWBY slack-jawed and staring wide-eyed at Darkstar after hearing that name, which immediately tipped the hero off that they knew something. "Uh… I'm guessing you know her?"

"YES!" Ruby shouted. "She was Torchwick's henchwoman!"

"Yang fought her on the subway from Mountain Glenn!" Blake added.

Raven put a hand to her chin. "Hm, yes, a little young woman in white with pink and brown hair." She glanced down to Yang and smirked. "I think you might be able to take her now."

"Gee, _thanks_ mom." Yang said with an eye roll. "What _I_ wanna know is how in the world did they even FIND her?"

Darkstar gave a shrug. "Search me. If I had to guess, they could have only found her in Mistral."

"I see… so that's someone we should definitely look out for." Gwen said before setting her vision onto Darkstar yet again. "Anything else?"

"My, how antagonistic." Darkstar waved. "But, if we must, there's really only one more thing I know…" The energy vampire crossed his arms and leaned forward, his brows furrowing beneath his helmet. "You didn't hear this from me, but… Salem has been busy working on creating a new species of Grimm."

All at once, the teens in the room shouted; "WHAT?!"

"She… she's creating a new Grimm _species_?" Raven asked in disbelief.

"Indeed." Darkstar said while pointing at Ben. "One that is specifically made to counter HIS aliens. It should be a rather fearsome creature indeed."

Gwen stepped up and gave Michael a serious face. "Michael, what else do you know about his Grimm? Whatever this new thing is, we HAVE to know all of the details about it."

Michael shook his head. "I apologize, but those are the only details that I have about it. Salem was _very_ careful to keep it under wraps." He shrugged once again. "And I have no clue when she intends to create this beast either. For all I know, she could have created it right at this moment."

Ben pursed his lips in frustration. "I see… so she wants to play the game like THAT, huh?"

Yang glanced over to her boyfriend in concern. "Ben… what're you thinking about?"

A soft, reassuring smile came to Ben's features and he gave Yang a wink. "Heh, well, let's just say that if Salem wants to counter ME specifically, then the Grimm she's creating will probably be a disjointed mess." He pointed to the Omnitrix. "Remember, the Omnitrix has WAY more types of aliens in here than the ones I've shown you already. Whatever Grimm she ends up creating, I'm sure I'll have a good counter to it."

"Perhaps." Michael interjected. "But from the way she was talking about it, you may still wish to stay on your toes. Whatever this creature is… it will likely be more powerful than ANY Grimm you've ever faced."

"…Right." Gwen said hesitantly as she locked eyes with Darkstar. "…And that's it?"

"Indeed." Michael confirmed, returning her glare. "I have nothing more to share."

The stare down continued for a few moments more before Gwen closed her eyes. "Hmph, Alright, then." She turned to her friends and nudged her head back toward the door. "C'mon, guys, we're done here."

Darkstar became irked almost immediately from her response. "Really? You're not going to pressure me for further information?"

"Nope, we've got pretty much everything we need, anyway." Ben nodded. "And in that case, we'll be taking our leave."

Yang shifted her eyes up to her boyfriend in concern. "Ben, are you sure? This Grimm is likely gonna be a big threat."

"I know… and I'm already thinking of ways to try and beat it." Ben assured. "Trust me, no being is unbeatable. And something tells me that, just like all the rest, this Grimm can die." He lifted his arm up to show the Omnitrix. "And so long as I have this, I'll be able to beat it."

Darkstar smirked, and the tone of his voice made that evident to everyone. "Hm, you really think that, eh? Well, we'll just have to see about that, won't we?" The group all glared at him once more before Ben wordlessly nudged his head back toward the entrance, ushering everyone to follow him. "You can't beat it, Ben!" Darkstar called after them snidely. "When I said she made it to counter you… I meant that quite literally!" The Omnitrix bearer paused for a moment at the door before proceeding through it, with everyone following behind him. Darkstar craned his head down and gave a little laugh. "Heh, he doesn't stand a chance against that thing."

* * *

"Think he's telling the truth?" Yang asked. "About not knowing anything else?"

"Oh, hell no." Ben shook his head. "This is Darkstar we're talking about, remember?

"Then are you sure that was the right decision?" Weiss questioned as the group made their way toward the elevator. "I mean, sure we got some good information, but… now we don't know for sure what _exactly_ this new Grimm is like."

Ruby nodded her head. "Yeah, Weiss is right. Maybe we should've heard more about what Michael had to say."

"Trust me, he wouldn't have sang no matter what we would've done to him or offered him instead." Kevin said with a shake of his head. "All that guy ever wants in exchange for something is his freedom, and we've let him walk too many times already."

"And we're _not_ gonna let that happen anymore." Ben added, stopping just before the elevator to press the button and bring it up to them. "Believe me, guys, I want as much information on this new Grimm as anyone, but at the same time, Darkstar isn't the type who's intimidated easily. He'll keep his lips shut no matter what we threaten him with."

Yang's eyes widened at her boyfriend. "Wait… you would've threatened him?"

"Not any _real_ threats." Ben emphasized. "Let's just say my grandpa has taught me a few… interrogation methods over the years. But Darkstar pretty much knows that I won't actually hurt him, even IF I cause him a bit of pain."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Because for him, there is no greater pain than his own hunger."

"That's… kind of pathetic, not gonna lie." Blake admitted. It was then that the elevator opened up, allowing everyone to pile in. It was a bit of a tight fit, but they all managed to get in without… _much_ of a hassle.

"Ugh, Robo-dolt, do you mind NOT shoving your back right into my face?" Weiss requested. However, a tinge of red couldn't help but make its way to her cheeks as a stray thought belied her protest. _'Dear lord, he's so close… and he washed his jacket again, thank god.'_

Rex's eyebrow shot up and he inched away from Weiss as quick as he could. "O-Oh, whoops! Sorry, Ice Princess, didn't mean to." He turned to face her, but when he did, a little thought of his own popped into his head. He smirked down to her and gave her a wink. "Heh, ya know, maybe I should take a cue from Ben and start callin' ya "Snow White" now that the whole fairy tale thing is out in the open."

Everyone's attention was garnered the moment Rex had said that, with Weiss' blush intensifying drastically. "W-W-What?! Th-That's absurd!" She clenched her fists sown at her sides while glaring at Rex, hoping to mask the redness of her face as anger rather than embarrassment. "Ben calls Yang "Goldie Locks" because it's his cute pet name for her, just like how she uses "Green Boy" for him! You can't just suddenly decide to call me "Snow White" just because of the fairy tale thing!" She gestured over to her partner. "Bad enough that Ruby's been called "Little Red" even BEFORE we found out about that!"

"Gotta admit, she has a point." Ruby said with a bit of an eye roll. "It'd be like if we all just started calling Blake "Belle" for no reason." The silver-eyed girl smirked over to her kitty-eared friend. "…Even if Sun calling you that would be the cutest thing ever."

Blake's cheeks flushed a but as she rubbed the back of her head. "Aw, thanks Ruby."

As this whole thing went down, Swift couldn't help but blink dumbfoundedly, completely lost as to what this whole conversation was about. She leaned over to Ilia and asked; "Uh… mind telling me just what in the world they're talking about?"

Ilia giggled and replied; "Oh, they're just talking about a little conversation we had earlier." She pointed over to the Omnitrix bearer. "See, Ben presented us with a theory that a lot of people on this team bear a strong resemblance to fairy tales from your world… and it's been pretty spot on for the most part."

"That's right!" Ben stated proudly. "Ruby's Little Red Hiding Hood, Weiss is Snow White, Blake is Belle from Beauty and the Beast, and of course…" He draped an arm over his girlfriend's shoulder, bringing her close to his chest. "Yang is Goldie Locks. I mean, it all makes a lot of sense the more you think about it."

Swift's two primary eyes blinked for a second before all three of them widened at the revelation. "…Woah, okay, that IS a bit freaky." She directed her gaze back to Ilia. "…So, think you have a fairy tale equivalent too?"

Ilia gave a shrug. "Eh, beats me. Ben didn't really say anything about me."

The hero crossed his arms as the elevator reached the cargo hold, with everyone stepping out. Strangely enough, the boarding hatch was open, letting the daylight in. "Honestly, that's because there AREN'T a whole lot of chameleons in fairy tales. The only one that comes to mind is the one from the Disney adaptation of the Rapunzel fairy tale, "Tangled". But even then, I doubt that is your equivalent." Ben raised a single finger. "That being said, now that we know about Salem's early life, she is DEFINITELY the equivalent to Rapunzel… and maybe something else at the same time…"

Kevin furrowed his brows. "Wait, CAN there be more than one equivalent for her?"

Ben gave a shrug. "Well sure. I mean… going back to Adam Taurus for a moment—" He cut himself off and shifted his eyes to Blake briefly. "My apologies for bringing him up, but…"

"No, please, go ahead." Blake allowed. "I wanna hear what you have to say."

"Thank you." Ben bowed his head to her before finishing his thought. "Adam's basically what you'd get if you put the Beast and Gaston into a blender, so why can't Salem be based on more than one thing?"

Gwen's eyes widened at Ben's forward thinking, her hand going to her head. "Oh my god, you're right! I don't think I would've noticed that combo…"

"Ahem!" Weiss called out, bringing everyone's attention back to her. "While that IS very interesting and my mind has been effectively blown for the fourteenth time today…" She quirked a brow back over to Rex. "The fact remains that you just can't spring a new nickname on someone, Rex. Besides, isn't one nickname already enough?"

Rex gave her a shrug. "Well, yeah, but… I just think it would've been cute, ya know?"

In a split second, Weiss was blushing up a storm again. _'…C-Cute?'_ She shrunk her head back a bit, her eyes darting away shyly as she struggled to get out the words she wanted to say. "O-Oh… w-well, if that's the case… y-you can use it if you want."

"Really?"

"But ONLY sparingly." Weiss stipulated, pointing a finger right at Rex's face. "As much as the "Ice Princess" name annoyed me at first… I've gotten used to it. So don't just bounce between nicknames at a moment's notice, okay?"

Rex gave her a salute. "Sounds good, Ice Princess!" But then, Rex finally noticed how beat red Weiss' face was, making his eyes widen a bit. "Uh, hey Weiss? There something wrong? Ya look like you've got a fever or something…"

"I-I'm fine, really!" Weiss assured. "Th-There's nothing wrong with me!"

"You're sure?" Rex stood a bit closer to her out of concern, unaware that he was making the situation worse. "We could always go back to the house if you're not—"

"I'm OKAY!" Weiss cried, spinning around to face away from him. "S-Seriously, _please_ stop doting on me like I'm a little girl!"

As this went on, the others couldn't help but stare with deadpan expressions as Rex blinked at Weiss' behavior, rubbing the back of his head all the while. Swift, her lips pursed in slight annoyance, turned to everyone else and said; "So… she needs to confess her feelings or what?"

Ruby glanced to her and nodded slowly. "Yeah… we're still working on that phase. This is WEISS we're talking about. As much as I love my best friend, even I have to admit she likes to make a big deal out of everything." She jabbed her thumb over to the EVO. "And confessing to HIM is no exception."

Ilia crossed her arms. "I just wish Rex wasn't so thick-headed when it comes to her behavior."

However, it was at that moment when everyone suddenly heard footfalls on metal flooring approaching them, causing their heads to crane over toward the hatch. There, they saw none other than Caesar climbing up the ramp, the elder Salazar grinning and waving when he saw them. "Haha! I thought I heard some familiar voices! ¡ _Hola, amigos_!"

Rex's eyes lit up and he waved back to his brother. "Yo, Caesar! How's it goin' bro?"

"Hey-hey, _hermano_!" Caesar returned as he brought his brother in for a hug. " _Bastante bueno_ , _hijo_. It's going good." He directed his eyes over to Weiss, who was still facing away from the group. Caesar raised a single brow and called over to her; "Uh… Weiss? You okay?"

"O-Oh, Caesar, sorry." Weiss apologized as she finally managed to collect herself, taking a deep breath. "I was just… having a bit of an episode, but I'm fine now."

Rex gave his brother a shrug. "Yeah, I don't know what happened, bro. One minute she's fine, the next, she was red in the face like she was sick or something."

Caesar wore a surprised face at that. "Oh, really? Well did anything happen before that?"

"Well, we were just having a talk about a new nickname I wanted to give her." Rex answered. "Not much else, outside of our interrogation with Darkstar, really." At that moment, though, a deadpan face of Caesar's own appeared, much to Rex's confusion. "…What? Did I say something?"

"…¿ _Eres realmente tan denso_?" Caesar asked in Spanish.

Rex was taken aback. "W-Wha? ¿ _Qué quieres decir "denso"_?"

From there, the two young Latinos had a full-blown conversation in Spanish, one that a majority of the others there were completely lost on. There were three things that were certain, though; Rex was utterly confused, Caesar was getting frustrated… and Weiss was the only one who could understand what they were talking about, and it made her shrink back a bit again. _'Does… does Caesar know about my crush?'_

"Gah! You're impossible, _hermano_." Caesar said with a shake of his head. "I'm just gonna let you figure it out."

"W-What?! C'mon, bro, don't leave me hangin'!" Rex pleaded.

Caesar gave a two-fingered salute. "Nope, you've gotten yourself into it, you can figure out how to get OUT of it by yourself, _hijo_. Besides, I've still got some work to do." Caesar stepped over to Ben and gave him a grin, all while leaving his brother high and dry. "Well, Ben, I think you'll be happy to know that the Dimensional Doorway is almost completely fastened to the ship. I've just got a few more adjustments to make and we'll be good to go."

Ben, Gwen and Kevin all smiled at that. They'd finally be able to get back home. "Hah, thanks, Caesar." Ben nodded back. "Man, it's gonna be great to get back."

"No joke." Gwen agreed. "I can't wait to get back home and see my folks…" She smirked right over to Weiss. "…And so that we can finally get our older siblings to see each other in person!"

This successfully brought Weiss out of her flustered state and smirked back at Gwen. "Oh yeah, THIS should be really fun."

Yang gave Caesar a thumbs up. "That's great to hear, Caesar. Just give us all a bit to pack up our stuff and we can probably be headed out by tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan." Caesar affirmed. "Besides, I hear that there's quite the event going on in town today, _correcto_?"

"That's right, we—" But then, Blake suddenly gasped in realization. "Oh my gosh, what time is it?!" At her question, Ben pulled back his watch, revealing that it was only seven-thirty. Blake sighed with relief. "Hah, phew, good. For a second there, I thought we were late!"

Raven chuckled and shook her head. "Ah, don't worry, Blake. Vernal and everyone else are probably down there as we speak, so we shouldn't be late."

Caesar quirked a brow at the mention of an unfamiliar name. "Um, I'm sorry, but… who?"

Rex smacked his forehead. "Ah, yeah, that's right. We haven't told you, yet. Buckle up, bro, because what happened yesterday is gonna be a wild ride…" The group gave Caesar a condensed summary of the previous day's events, as well as what had happened that morning, in a little under fifteen minutes, successfully informing him on everything that had went down. "And so… that's basically it."

The elder Salazar couldn't help but stare at his little brother as he let all of that information sink in. Eventually, though, he came out of his stupor with a shake of his head, clearing his throat while making sure he had all of this straight. "Oh-ho… okay. I'm glad you guys were able to save that girl and get the relic and all, but… a _naked genie_? Are you serious right now?"

"Dead serious." Gwen affirmed, giving a soft slap to Kevin's shoulder to get the smirk off his face. "And we'd do BETTER to remember her when she was fully clothed."

Kevin crossed his arms. "C'mon, Gwen, it's not like it's the FIRST time we've all seen a naked girl."

"You and I both know that Eunice was an ENTIRELY different situation." Gwen countered, leaving a few others confused. After Ben promised them that he'd explain it later, Gwen continued; "Any way, yeah, Jinn is real, and after showing us Ozma's past, she said that she'd return the favor for me saving her life somehow."

Caesar chuckled at that. "Heh, well good on you, Gwen. Maybe you'll get your very own set of three wishes out of this."

The Anodite rolled her eyes. "Well, I don't know about _that_. I mean, she already answers three questions every hundred years, so I doubt wishes are in the picture."

"Eh, maybe." Caesar shrugged before checking his watch. "Oh, but we'd better get you guys down there. There's only about fifteen minutes left before the press conference starts." He jerked a thumb toward the exit hatch. "I think the school has a Bullhead out front and ready to go."

Raven raised a hand. "No need, Caesar. Like I said, Vernal is there already, so we'll have no trouble getting there." The Spring Maiden unsheathed Omen and sliced open a red and black portal, one that lead directly to Vernal. "Alright, everyone, tread lightly. We have to be prepared in case any trouble starts at the conference."

Rex extended his hand to his brother to pull him into a hug. "Alright, bro. Good luck with the rest of the job. We'll see you soon, okay?"

"Hehe, of course, _hijo_." Caesar smiled before the two brothers separated. "We'll be watching the conference from the ship, by the way."

"Yeah, so be sure to smile for the camera." Swift said while giving Ilia a wink. The chameleon girl's spots became a soft pink as Swift let out a laugh, draping an arm around Ilia's neck for an embrace. "Haha! Don't worry, Freckles, you won't be _directly_ on camera. But hey… I'll try and spot you in the crowd, 'kay?"

Ilia wore a sheepish grin, shrinking away slightly with a nervous face. "Heh, y-yeah. Good to know, Swift." Gathering up all of her nerve, Ilia put her arms around the half-Aerophibian in a full-on hug, taking the girl by surprise. "I-I'll see you after the conference is over, okay?"

With a slight blush of her own, Swift put her arms around Ilia, returning the hug. "Hm, yeah, you sure will." After everyone smiled at the sight of their hug, the two separated and Swift stepped away, allowing Ilia to go with her friends through Raven's portal. Once the vortex closed, however, Swift couldn't help but feel a small twinge inside of her chest, her eyes full of worry all the while. _'…Why do I have a feeling that something bad is about to happen?'_

* * *

Meanwhile, down in the city of Vale in front of what remained of its city hall, Vernal was hanging out behind a large stage that had been set up for the conference, leaning up against one of the steel supports. The structure was complete with a large, red curtain and a huge plasma monitor that was affixed to the very top, one that was currently only projecting a blank white screen. _'If I had to guess, that's probably where the new logo is gonna be…'_

From her vantage point, she could see the other members of the team having placed themselves in different sections of the gathered crowd, which consisted of both humans AND Faunus civilians. Team JNPR were off toward the left side, Team SN and Penny were on the right, and finally, Cooper and Team CFVY had taken their positions on the stage as guards. There were plenty of reporters and news broadcasters in the crowd as well, and she could see that all of them from each of the kingdoms. "This is probably gonna be seen from all around the world. Man, sounds like a lot of pressure."

"It is." Vernal craned her head over to Goodwitch, the headmistress nudging her head toward their right. "Just imagine how they feel."

The lady bandit directed her attention over to Ghira, Kali and Sienna, the trio of feline Faunus going over what they were going to say one more time to themselves. Ironwood was also in on the conversation, just to make sure that they were all on the same page. Vernal nodded her head. "Yeah, they gotta be nervous about this whole thing." She shifted her eyes back to the crowd briefly, recalling something that had happened a half-hour prior. "But at least we got rid of those anti-Faunus protesters before things got started."

"Indeed." Goodwitch agreed. "But the whole world _will_ likely still be watching, meaning that they must choose their words carefully." The woman furrowed her brow a bit. "After all, it won't be easy earning trust after everything Adam Taurus did."

"Psh, that guy sounds like an asshole." Vernal scoffed. "Glad he's locked up."

Back over with the group of four, they had finished their recap with each other and Kali moved her eyes up to her husband. "Are you ready?"

Ghira took a nervous breath, putting a nervous hand to his wife's shoulder. "Hah, well, I think so… I just hope this goes well."

"That goes for both of us." Sienna concurred. "By the way, where are Blake, Ilia and the others, I thought they'd be here by now—"

But right at that moment, a familiar red and black vortex opened up next to Vernal, the girl not even flinching as she jerked her thumb over to it. "They're here."

"Ah, excellent." Ironwood smiled as he watched Raven and the teens file out of the portal, the group going over to greet them. "Hello everyone, you're right on time."

"Glad to hear that, General." Gwen greeted back. "So, has there been any trouble so far?"

Sienna sneered a bit as she recalled what had happened earlier. "Unfortunately, yes. Four vans full of anti-Faunus protesters came here, _uninvited_ , might I add." She nudged her head over to Ironwood. "Thankfully, the guards that Ironwood set up around the place managed to arrest them before they could even find us."

Ironwood put a hand to his forehead. "Yes, it was quite unpleasant." His face became a bit more serious as he raised a single brow. "So… did you get any information out of Darkstar?"

Ben nodded to him. "We actually got quite a bit." He put up three fingers, lowering one with each piece of information he listed off. "For one, Animo's mutagen is now in liquid form, so that means he can pretty much easily mutate ANYONE now."

Kali's eyes grew very worried at that. "Oh dear, so they can bring in more monsters like that rhino and warthog anytime they want?"

"Exactly." Gwen answered. "And… we have a feeling it's probably already been done to Tyrian and Lionheart."

"…I see." Glynda said with a saddened face. "Even if he WAS a traitor… Leo didn't deserve to have THAT done to him."

Ironwood came over and put a reassuring hand to Glynda's shoulder. "We'll find a way to bring him back, Glynda. Remember, he probably isn't working for them willingly, so we can still get him out of there. He'll serve time for what he's done… but you're right. No one deserves that kind of fate." He directed his eyes back to Ben. "And what else?"

"Well, Michael told us that Salem already has his replacement, courtesy of Rojo and Cinder." Ben answered. "She used to be the henchwoman of one Roman Torchwick."

"Ah, yes… we've had trouble with HER before." Ironwood grimaced. "And she had a unique Semblance as well, physical illusions that shatter upon impact."

Kevin's eyebrows rose up in surprise. "Woah, neat, but also underhanded." He glanced over to Ben and gave a single nod. "Now… I think you should tell 'em the BIG one."

"Right." Ben agreed before taking a deep breath, facing the adults head on. "Well… the last piece of info that Darkstar gave us is… very disturbing to think about." His gaze moved down to the ground. "Salem… is working on a new species of Grimm. One that's specifically made to counteract me and my aliens."

Ironwood, Glynda, the Belladonnas and Sienna all stared at him in utter disbelief before shouting; "WHAT?!"

Ghira put a hand to his forehead. "A new species of Grimm… this is FAR from just bad."

"And it's being created specifically to counter the Omnitrix." Glynda furthered, bringing her arms in close to herself. "Something which no basic Huntsman or Huntress has. How in the world can we be prepared for something like THAT?"

Ben raised his hands up to them. "Woah, woah, everyone. Let's all calm down here for a moment. Whatever Salem's trying to make, I doubt that she can fully counter what the Omnitrix has in its arsenal." He tapped his watch for emphasis. "Remember, I may only have access to fifty right now, but there are well over a million other aliens in here. I doubt that Salem can create a whole Grimm that can counter EVERY alien I have in this thing."

This made the group calm down a fair amount, with Sienna giving a sigh. "Well, that IS very true. But still, this new Grimm could still prove devastating if unleashed."

"Exactly, which is why we should prepare ourselves for whenever it is." Gwen piped up. "But for now… I think we have a press conference to get to."

Ghira sighed and lowered his head, collecting whatever nerve he had within him. "Yes, I suppose you're right."

It was then that Blake stepped over to him and nuzzled her head against his arm, giving him a reassuring smile. "It's okay, dad. I know you've got this." She turned toward her friends and nodded toward them. "Right guys?" The teens all gave a supportive cheer in response, making Ghira smile once again.

"Hah, thank you, all of you." Ghira chortled before facing Ironwood and Glynda. "Well, shall we get this started?"

The two headmasters and the Belladonnas proceeded over to the stage, with Sienna hanging back to address Blake and Ilia. "Are you girls ready?" she asked. "It's time we set things straight with the White Fang, after all."

"We are." Ilia confirmed. "This moment's been a long time coming."

"As ready as I'll ever be." Blake added before facing her team. "Think you guys can get a good view even with that crowd?"

Ruby gave her a thumbs up. "We'll certainly try."

"And you'll succeed." Sienna said before pointing out to the other side of the stage. "We've reserved seven seats for you kids right in front already, so you'd better get out there." The tiger lady sent them all a wink. "After all you have the best spots in the house."

Rex pumped a fist. "Sweet! C'mon, guys, let's go!"

As Ruby, Weiss, Gwen, Kevin and Rex all went around the stage and to the front row, Yang and Ben stayed back for a bit with Raven and Vernal, the Blonde Brawler tilting her head at Sienna. "So, what, no seats for my mom and our new friend?"

Raven gave her daughter a pat on the shoulder. "We felt it best NOT to request seats for this, dear. We'll be staying back here for now."

"Yeah, we're still technically wanted felons, after all." Vernal smirked. "Probably wouldn't be good to cause a scene out there, ya know?"

Yang sighed and rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, I guess you've got a point there." She stepped up and gave her mother a hug, while sending a wink to Vernal as well. "We'll see you guys after the show, 'kay?"

"Hmhm, of course." Raven said while returning the hug.

"We'll catch ya later, Yang." Vernal saluted before the blonde and her boyfriend joined the others out front. As they did, though, Vernal shifted her yes to Raven, a bit of apprehension in her face. "So… think we'll get through this press conference without much trouble?"

"We can only hope so." Raven replied, her lips pursing in thought. "But still, we can't rule out _something_ happening… I'm just glad that Tai, Max, Winter, Athena and Holiday are back at the house guarding the relic." She raised her hand up to Vernal the moment she saw Goodwitch and Ironwood took the stage. "Alright… here we go."

* * *

Glynda and James strolled up to the podium at the very center of the stage, their presence managing to shush the murmuring crowd of people in but a few moments. The headmistress of Beacon tapped the microphone to make sure that it was one and cleared her throat, speaking loud and clear into the device. "Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you so much for coming. Before we get started, I would just like to take a moment and give a little update on the situation up at Beacon, as I have no doubt that question will come up." The headmistress pressed her palms together. "Firstly, on behalf of the faculty and students, I would like thank everyone for the outpouring of support we've been getting up at Beacon for the past three weeks. The reconstruction efforts are going much better than we expected and we should be able to open back up right on schedule for the spring semester."

She took a moment as the crowd applauded the news before someone raised their hand. She pointed to the hand and immediately, Lisa Lavender stood up from the crowd. "That's very good to hear, Professor Goodwitch, but how can you be sure that nothing like this happens at Beacon again? Or the rest of the city of Vale for that matter?"

"A good question." Glynda nodded. "We actually will be having some new state-of-the-are security measures in place to make sure that nothing like this ever occurs again. And we hope to have the same measures implanted around the entire city as well. If you wish to have more information on that, however, I believe you'll have to ask my colleague." She waved her hand to Ironwood. "General, if you would?"

"Of course." Ironwood nodded, moving in front of the microphone as Goodwitch side-stepped away. "First of all, I would like to echo Professor Goodwitch's thanks for the support we've been getting, and not just for the reconstruction efforts, but for our on-going investigation into who was responsible for the attack. And, after a good three weeks, we've managed to find a substantial amount of evidence as to who these people are… as well as why the White Fang were supposedly a part of this attack."

Another reporter put his hand up. "That's all well and good, General, but how can you assure the safety of the people of Vale in the future? What about these new security implements?"

Ironwood raised a reassuring had. "I can assure you, sir, we WILL be returning to that topic shortly. But for right now, I believe it's time we move on to the main reason why we're all here." The general gestured toward the stage's curtain. "It is my pleasure to present to you Ghira Belladonna, as well as Sienna Khan, the former and current leaders of the White Fang." The crowd gave a polite applause as the three feline Faunus emerged from behind the curtain, with Blake and Ilia coming out to join them as well. "Accompanying them are Ghira's wife, Kali, their daughter Blake, and White Fang confidant Ilia Amitola." Ironwood added before allowing Ghira and Kali to take the podium.

The applause continued for a bit before Ghira cleared his throat. "Ahem, thank you, thank you. It's a pleasure to be here. I'm aware that we almost had some trouble earlier concerning some protesters, but I must thank James for his quick reaction."

"Indeed, we wish for nothing but a peaceful press conference." Sienna concurred. "Especially as it is my first one." she saw Lisa Lavender raise her hand again, to which she immediately pointed to her. "Ah, yes, you there."

Lisa, with pen and note pad in hand, wore a neutral face as she nodded to Sienna. "Miss Khan, the whole world wants to know… why did the White Fang take part in the attack on Vale and Beacon? Rumor has it that it wasn't on your orders, is that true?"

"Yes, it is." Sienna confirmed with a bit of a furrowed brow. "I want to make this perfectly clear right now; I _never_ condoned or gave the go-ahead for ANY of the White Fang to participate in the attack on Beacon and Vale." She placed a hand over her chest. "My goal before all of this happened was to overcome human prejudice through the showing of Faunus strength, to get the message across that we wanted respect. However, while I have ordered many different raids and attacks to be carried out in the past, many of the recent, more violent terroristic attacks carried out by the White Fang were not ordered by me." she gestured to the city around her. "And not once did I _ever_ want something like THIS to happen."

"Then how DID this happen?" The male reporter raised his hand again. "Why did the White Fang participate in the attack?"

"That was the fault of this man." Ghira pointed up to the screen, which now projected a mug shot of a certain redhaired bull Faunus. "Adam Taurus, a young extremist who took sadistic pleasure in violence against humans and wished for a full genocide of the human race. He allied with the people who organized the attack on Beacon and intended to use it as a show of what he and his splinter group were capable of. However, he was thankfully brought to justice before that could even happen."

There was a bit of murmuring throughout the crowd again before Lisa spoke up once more. "Mr. Belladonna, you stepped down from the White Fang leadership five years ago…" She then directed her gaze to Sienna. "And Miss Khan, you've been the leader for just as long as that. Did you have any personal connections to Adam Taurus? What was his position within the White Fang itself?"

Sienna and Ghira glanced at each other before the latter let out a sigh. "Well… Adam was once a good ally of mine, someone I knew from when he was just a boy. He initially joined the White Fang for the reasons I created it in the first place…" He shook his head a bit. "But to see him fall so low… it's a harrowing feeling. However, I hold no remorse for the consequences of his actions. He deserves to be locked up in a cell for everything he did…" He craned his head over to Blake. "And I mean _everything_."

"Adam was a good friend of mine once as well." Sienna affirmed. "However, after creating the splinter group within the White Fang that threatened everything we worked for over the years, whether it be under mine or Ghira's leadership, I intend to wipe the slate clean of anything he has done, and that includes finding and banishing any extremists within the White Fang. In the end, our mission is about achieving Faunus equality with humans, not the genocide of an entire race."

"Miss Khan." Another hand popped up in the crowd of reporters. "You yourself said that you have organized many raids and attacks in order to instill fear into humanity so that Faunus will gain respect." There were a few noticeable pointed glares at Sienna within the crowd as well, along with some unsure expressions. "Tell us, if you were against Adam Taurus participating in the attack on Vale, then what does that say about your other attacks, such as upon the Schnee Dust Company?"

Sienna stared back out into the crowd, noticing that, in the front row, Weiss was cringing a little bit at the mention of her father's company. The tiger woman sighed and lowered her head. "You make a very valid point. I will admit, over the course of my leadership, I HAVE condoned very violent acts against certain groups, ones that continue to abuse Faunus kind and spew hateful rhetoric against us. However… a very recent event put a lot of things in perspective for me, and I have come to realize that my methods thus far have only made things worse for both humans and Faunus alike."

The crowed got to murmuring again for a few moments, but Lisa was quick to ask a follow-up question. "And what would this event be, Miss Khan?"

The White Fang leader closed her eyes and answered; "It was… when the White Fang betrayed me, and allied with the enemy once again." The crowd became silent at this as Sienna continued. "It was about a week or so after the Battle for Beacon when I received a distress call from the White Fang's Menagerie branch. Some sort of insurgency was taking place on the island nation we Faunus call home, and I was quick to respond. However, by the time I and my followers arrived, it was too late. As it turned out, a group of people had arrived on the island… and they were by far NOT your normal Faunus." Sienna nodded toward Ironwood. "Shall we show them?"

"Of course." Ironwood nodded as he got close to the microphone, typing in a few commands onto his wrist mounted computer which was connected to the plasma screen. "The images you are all about to see were taken from the security cameras within the White Fang castle on Menagerie. They are one hundred percent real… and is representative of the threat we now face." Up on the screen, still images of Exo-Skull, Thunderhog, Simian and Trumbipulor all popped in, much to everyone's shock and disbelief.

There were a few screams of terror at what they were seeing, while others gasped in horror. Lisa was visibly shaking as she forced out her next words. "W-W-W-What are THOSE things?!"

"These… are mutants." Ghira answered. "Monstrous creatures that were created via a mutagen that was concocted using various types of Faunus DNA that were stollen from blood samples." He lowered his head toward the crowd. "And what's worse… we suspect they are allied with the same people who attacked Beacon three weeks ago."

As the crowd continued to be horrified by what they were seeing, Ben mentally sighed to himself in relief. _'Glad Trumbipulor and Simian have the whole animal thing going for them, otherwise the mutant animal cover story probably wouldn't have worked for them.'_

All at once, there were a whole slew of other questions from the crowd. "Where did these mutants come from?" "How dangerous are they?" "Can they be stopped?" "Aren't those the same creatures that attacked Essen?" and "What relation do they have with the people that attacked Beacon?" were among only a few that were asked.

It was then that Ironwood came up and waved his arms to the crowd, trying to get them to settle down. "Alright, alright, let's all calm down here!" It took a few moments, but the crowd complied, with the general moving on from there. "Allow me to answer some of these questions right off the bat; yes, the rhino and the warthog were the two beasts that attacked Essen on Sunday, along with others who we know to be involved with the attack on Vale." He gestured up to the screen as still images of Rojo, Cinder, Emerald and Mercury appeared as well. "As for where they came from, we have creditable sources that say a scientist named Doctor Animo is responsible for their creation, but his whereabouts are currently unknown. And as for how dangerous they are, well, we currently have two of them incarcerated; the elephant and the spider-monkey, so they CAN be beaten. However, there still remains the possibility that more of these creatures can be created, whether it be from a human OR a Faunus, so we cannot rule out more showing up."

"I see." Lisa nodded before going back to Sienna. "But Miss Khan, you said your encounter with these creatures gave you a new perspective on how you were leading the White Fang. How so?"

Sienna pursed her lips and craned her head to her left, her eyes meeting with a certain kitty-eared girl. "Well, after Ghira, Kali and Ilia managed to escape from the island undetected and bring back help, they ended up bringing a team of mostly human people," she gestured toward Blake, "all of them friends of Blake from her days at Beacon. They—"

"Wait!" A voice from the crowd piped up, surprisingly from a Faunus reporter. "So you're saying that a bunch of CHILDREN were the rescue team?! And unlicensed Huntsmen in training at that?!" This got the crowd riled up into a commotion again, to which all of the teens immediately felt a bit smaller.

"Everyone, EVERYONE!" Ironwood called into the microphone, bringing everyone's voices down. "Please, remain calm. This mission was carried out with the utmost caution, I can assure you. Professor Goodwitch signed off on it and I was there a personal overseer. Any good Huntsman would not put young Hunters in any danger unless they were there as a chaperone." This brought the crowed back down to a calmer state, which made Ironwood sigh in relief. "Thank you. And besides… these young people have been helping us in our investigations, and they have proven themselves to be quite capable for their age."

Lisa cleared her throat and nodded toward Sienna. "That's good to hear. Please continue, Miss Khan."

"Thank you." Sienna nodded. "As I was saying, these children helped show me that humans and Faunus CAN truly work together to make a difference." Her eyes glanced down slightly toward a certain young heiress. "And what's more… a certain girl and her older sister were there as well, two people who I had never thought in a million years would come to the aid of the Faunus race. She and another even saved a local Faunus family and took pity on a repentant White Fang member who regretted following Adam, standing up for her during her trial." She waved a hand down to Weiss, much to her surprise. "In fact, she's here right now. Would you care to stand up, dear girl?"

Weiss gulped nervously before granting Sienna's wish, standing up and facing the crowd with a nervous wave. "Uh… hi."

There were a few gasps from the large group of reporters and bystanders, with the Faunus in the crowd being the most taken aback. "Th-That's Weiss Schnee! Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company!"

"I… I don't believe it. A _Schnee_ actually helped the _White Fang_?!"

Weiss knew that somewhere in the world, her father was probably screaming his head off and cutting off all of her Lien cards. _'Eh, in the long run, it probably doesn't matter.'_ she thought to herself. _'I'm going to Earth anyway, so why make a fuss about it?'_

The heiress cleared her throat and looked into the nearest camera, intending to speak. "Yes, that's right. My older sister, Winter, and I took part in the battle to free the island of Menagerie from these mutants." She furrowed her brow and held her head up high. "For too long, the Schnee Family and the White Fang have been at each other's throats. But it's high time that someone go against the grind, and I intend to do that by standing with the Faunus." She moved her hand up to the stage and bowed her head. "That's all I have to say, please continue." Weiss then sat back down, all while thinking to herself; _'My father is going to kill me the next time I see him.'_

"Thank you, Weiss." Sienna smiled. "I very much appreciate those words."

Another reporter raised their hand and Sienna pointed over to him, allowing him to speak. "So, after all of this, what are your plans going forward with the White Fang? Have you found the rest of this splinter group that Adam Taurus has gathered within your ranks?"

Sienna nodded toward Ghira, allowing him to take the question. "Ahem, well, for starters, yes, we have been working tirelessly to find those loyal to Adam and banish them from the White Fang. We have already located several and have had them incarcerated for good measure so that they do not carry out Adam's plans." He turned to Sienna and gave her a nod. "And as for the future, well, Sienna and I have come to a very big decision; we will both be taking up the White Fang leadership together… in order to take the organization in a bold new direction."

"And what would that be, Mr. Belladonna?" Lisa piped up with her hand raised.

"Well… while Faunus rights activism will still be a center focal point of the White Fang's mission statement, we have decided that we shall also be reshaping our organization into a coalition to defend innocent people from the likes of the unknown force that has attacked Beacon and Menagerie." Ghira stated.

Sienna placed a hand over her chest. "Be it Faunus or human, we will be there to defend people. I have much to make up for after taking the White Fang in such a hostile directing over the past five years. And what's more…" she looked over to Ironwood. "The general has already agreed to help us in our endeavors."

Ironwood nodded and leaned toward the microphone. "That's right. The White Fang have the full support of the Atlesian Army. I have made sure of that."

Once again, this got the crowd murmuring to themselves; "Atlas' Army and the White Fang… working together?!" "I never thought I'd see the day!" "I think this might be a good step going forward for the White Fang." "Yeah, it'll probably do wonders for their public relations!" "Can you imagine how angry Jacques Schnee will be at this development?"

That last one made Weiss wince. "Oh, I can do _more_ than imagine."

"Ah, don't worry, Ice Princess." Rex grinned. "If your old man tries anything, he'll have to take it up with me!" Weiss' eyes widened at what he said, causing him to blush. "…A-And the rest of us, of course."

As the various conversations within the crowd went on, a slow applause began to be heard as well, coming mainly from the several civilians while the reporters continued to converse amongst themselves. It was something that the team of teenagers couldn't help but smile at. "Wow, this is actually going a lot better than I thought!" Kevin commented.

"Heh, yeah… but I think some of us are happier about it than others." Yang pointed up to the stage and everyone directed their attention to Blake, the cat girl smiling brightly as tears welled up in her eyes. Ilia and Kali had put comforting hands on her shoulders, reassuring her that this wasn't just a dream. "This is a big day for her, ya know?"

"Yep, one step closer to her dream." Ruby nodded. "Peace between humans and Faunus."

Ben nodded with a; "Hm, you're right. Now there's only one more thing to show off…"

Ghira smiled and cleared his throat, visibly taken aback yet happy at the same time. He never imagined that an announcement like this could go over so well. Then again, Ironwood had already disposed of the anti-Faunus protesters, which the news media seemed pretty grateful toward. _'Perhaps there's more support for Faunus rights in Vale than I had initially thought.'_ He raised his arms up and a chuckle escaped his lips as he spoke again. "Hehe, thank you, thank you. I am grateful for such a strong showing of support already."

Sienna bowed her head. "Indeed, but we are not done yet." She waved her hand over to Blake, Ilia and Kali to her right. "Because thanks to Kali, her daughter Blake, and our trusted confidant Ilia, we now have a new symbol that shall adorn the White Fang flag, one that will symbolize the new direction our organization will be going in. General, if you would?"

Ironwood nodded and typed in another command into his mechanical arm, bringing up the new, Thundercats-inspired White Fang logo, which was spinning around slowly in the center of the screen. Almost immediately, the crowd began murmuring amongst themselves again; "Woah, now THAT is very different from the one they used to have!" "Yeah, I like it! It's very bold!" "It's AWESOME is what it is!"

Up on stage, Kali had to resist the urge to hop up and down in joy. "They like it." She whispered under her breath. "They're REALLY liking it!"

"I know, right?" Ilia whispered as well, barely containing her excitement. "Blake, isn't think amazing?"

Blake couldn't help but sniffle a little bit as she wiped the tears away from her eyes. "Y-Yeah. It is. I really hope that we'll be seeing more support like this from other places around the world." She hugged her arms close to her chest. "It may still take time… but I'm willing to wait and work for that better future."

"So Mr. Belladonna, Miss Khan," Lisa spoke up again, "now that you've made your mission statement known to the word, what is your next big step in this new direction?"

"I'm very glad you asked. We—" But at that moment, Sienna was cut off when the sound of roaring propellers suddenly burst through the sky, taking everybody by surprise. "W-Wait, what's going on?!" She and everyone else craned their heads up to the sky, searching for what had made the sound.

At that moment, General Ironwood's arm began beeping, which he answered by activating his communicator. "This is Ironwood."

" _Sir! We just detected a Mistralian airship entering Valian Airspace."_ One of his soldiers answered. _"We thought it was a scheduled flight coming in for a landing at the airport, but it just sped over without landing… and it's headed right for—"_

"City hall." Ironwood grimaced as the Mistralian airship suddenly began descending through the clouds above them, lowering ever closer to the ground. "I'm seeing it right now."

The teens all stood up as they watched the airship's side hatches open… revealing the last thing they wanted to see that day. _"GOOOOD AFTERNOON, people of Vale!"_ Rojo's voice came over the craft's loud and powerful speaker system. This managed to get every citizen's attention, and not just the ones that were at the conference, but even people who were entire blocks away could hear the redheaded woman. Rojo herself was standing near one of the open hatches with Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury by her side, with Hog, Skull and Subdora standing on the other side. _"Sorry if we came uninvited, but there are some FRIENDS in the crowd we've been eager to give a BIG surprise!"_

Ben clenched his teeth as he watched the airship lower closer and closer to the ground. "Shit, REALLY?! Right NOW?!" He whipped his head back to the astonished crowd and hollered; "Everybody RUN! We're under attack!" Immediately, the entire group of people began to run away, all except for Teams JNPR, SN, and Penny who all gathered up with the rest of their team. Raven and Vernal quickly began running out from backstage as well, the two women arming themselves with their respective weapons.

However, one reporter and her camera man didn't run off with the others, instead opting to stay off to the side of another nearby building. "Make sure you get every shot of this!" Lisa urged, keeping her microphone close at hand. "We're broadcasting this to the entirety of Vale, so I don't want to miss a thing!"

From one side of the stage, Coco and Cooper glared up to the airship with the rest of their team, the barrette-wearing girl sneering up at the group of villains. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me! Of all the times they could've chosen to get back at us, they choose _now_?!"

" _Apparently so."_ Cooper said from within his Centurion armor. _"But this is the kind of stuff we were brought on for! Get ready, guys!"_

Rojo tossed the microphone away and shouted; "C'mon team!" before jumping right out of the air ship and down toward the stage, with the rest of her crew following shortly after. Ironwood, Glynda, the Belladonna family, Sienna and Ilia all gave out quick shouts as they were forced to jump off the stage, with Cooper and Team CFVY staying to aim their weapons at them. Hog, Skull and Subdora, however, landed directly in front of the stage, the former duo belting out animalistic bellows out at the crowd of retreating people. "Heh, well, well, seems like we've got a little audience for our show, huh?"

"Damn it!" Jaune exclaimed as he and his team readied their weapons. "What the hell are you guys doing here?!"

Mercury gave a shrug. "What? We just heard that there was a little press conference today… so we thought we'd stop by and check things out."

Emerald spun her Thief's Respite in her hands before scrapping her blades against one another. "While also causing a bit of carnage along the way…"

"Indeed." Cinder added as a bright flame flickered to life in her hand. "We may have delivered Morningstar unto you last night, but now, it's time we got back at you for your interference at Haven yesterday."

Pyrrha furrowed her brow at the Fall Maiden. "Really? And what of the new ensemble?"

"Oh, you noticed!" Cinder smiled vindictively. "You're far too kind, dear Pyrrha."

Nora clenched her hands around Magnhild while getting into a battle position. "Don't know if you've noticed guys, but you are WAY out numbered here." She waved her hand across the entire team, including the Belladonnas, Ironwood, Goodwitch, Sienna, Raven and Vernal. "There's like twenty-eight of us and only what, seven of you guys?"

Exo-Skull and Thunderhog both laughed at the same time, much to everyone's confusion. "Hehe, you guys might wanna take a second look up there if ya know what's good for ya." Skull said while pointing up to the sky. Everyone craned their heads up… and their faces paled slightly at what they saw. Behind the airship was a huge swarm of flying Grimm… but not the ones they were used to seeing. Rather than the usual Nevermore or Griffon… these were dozens upon dozens of Beringels, ones with Nevermore wings.

Ben's jaw dropped at that, but not just at the flying apes. _'…I was right. Salem IS the Wicked Witch of the West, too.'_

Kevin reached down and absorbed the pavement beneath him before reaching into his Dust pouches, pulling out a crystal of Lightning Dust that he immediately absorbed into his arms. "Guess we're fighting giant monkeys again, guys. Be ready!"

"Oh, but that is not all, _bambini sciocchi_." Subdora said while wagging her finger. "We wish to introduce you to a couple of… new recruits."

Suddenly, another figure dropped from the airship and began floating down on… an umbrella? Ben had to blink to make sure he wasn't seeing things. The girl that landed with the villains… didn't really LOOK like a villain at all, especially with her white, brown and pink color scheme. She tipped her bowler hat to all of them and gave a bow as she closed her umbrella, taking everyone by surprise. "So… I'm guessing that's Neo?"

Yang's brow furrowed as she made eye contact with the girl, who wore a rather smug grin as they found each other. "Yep, that's her." The Blonde Brawler smacked her fist into her palm and mumbled; "Time for round two."

"And she's wearing Torchwick's hat!" Ruby exclaimed, only to receive a rather piercing glare from Neo in the process. "…Oh, and I think she blames me."

"Huh, I'm guessing Mikey squealed about you, Neo." Rojo guessed while Neo herself gave a shrug. "Eh, whatever, doesn't really matter. Besides…" she raised her hand and pressed her fingers together. "When you see this NEXT surprise, you're gonna be floored even IF ya know about it." She snapped her fingers and shouted; "Send 'em down, doc!"

At her command, two more figures jumped down from the airship, these two simply crashing down into the earth bellow. The moment the team saw them, they were utterly shocked and appalled by what they saw. They were mutants, and just by appearance, they could simply guess who they were. Though they freely admitted that one of these two were much more disturbing in appearance than the other. "Oh… that is simply _wrong_." Penny commented.

One of the mutants was dark green in color, his entire body made head to toe of a carapace-like armor. His joints all appeared to have seams in them, which allowed him to move his limbs. His feet were elongated and only had two toes, almost exactly like Clancy did. However, his hands were where things really got weird. He hand five fingers and they all ended in a sharp claw at the tip… but they were also situated inside of a pair of large, sharp pincers. What's more, he had a tail that was a good five feet long, ending with a deadly foot-long black stinger at its tip. His face was probably the weirdest thing about him. He didn't have any indicative features, rather his whole face was rounded, almost helmet shaped with a jagged upper and lower lip, his teeth being razor sharp. He also had a pair of large mandibles sticking out of his lower jaw, which involuntarily twitched as he cackled madly. A pair of diamond-shaped, golden eyes glared out at the teens as he made a theatrical bow to them.

"Ah, the young children!" the scorpion mutant greeted. His voice was slightly distorted with a strange clicking sound from his throat, but they all knew who he was. "It's so good to see you again! AHAHAHA!"

"T-T-Tyrian?!" Ironwood exclaimed in horror.

"That's right, general!" the mutated Tyrian confirmed. "But the good doctor has saw it fit to give me a new code name for my mutant self." He pressed his hand to his chest as best he could with his new pincers in the way. "Call me… Silyrian!"

Gwen deadpanned at the name. "Oh… like Silurian period but mixed with "Tyrian". I see." It was then that she noticed that Sun and Neptune were staring at the other mutant… and she had a feeling she knew why.

As expected, the other mutant was a large, seven-foot tall bipedal lion, one who held its head up high mindlessly as if it were a mindless beast. It was covered in a grand suit of gold and blue medieval-styled armor, with a red cloth adorning his waist and red cape settled over his shoulders. The only parts not covered in armor were his hands, the fingers of which were thick and furry, and his feet, which were much more lion-like than his hands. His tail hung out freely and his mane was large and impressive, if with a few grey hairs clustered throughout. He also had a crown on his head and a short, grey beard on his face, his eyes glazed over completely white. On his hip was a large, silver sword and on his arm… was a very familiar weapon; Stalwart.

"P-Professor Lionheart?" Sun uttered fearfully.

Neptune took a hesitant step forward. "Is… is that really—"

"Neptune, stay BACK!" Ilia shouted. The moment Ilia called out to him, the lion mutant suddenly belted out a powerful roar and snapped his teeth at Neptune, the blue-haired boy jumping back and screaming in fright. "Yeah… I had a bad feeling about that. Lionheart isn't in there."

" _How perceptive you are, young lady!"_ Everyone's heads snapped up to the airship as another familiar voice spoke over its intercom. _"I trust that you are impressed by my newest creations?"_

"ANIMO!" Ben shouted up at the airship. "You're up there?! How can you hear us?!"

Doctor Animo cackled at the question _"A simple answer, Tennyson! I have implanted a small microphone on the former Lionheart's person! Everything that he hears, I hear!"_

Sun clenched his teeth in rage as he gripped Ruyi Jingu Bang so hard that his knuckles turned white. "Let Lionheart go you psychotic FREAK!"

" _Ah, I'm afraid I cannot do that, young man."_ Animo denied. _"You see, the man you once knew as Professor Lionheart is gone…"_ At that moment, the large lion mutant pulled his sword out, holding it in both hands as he readied for battle. _"Now, he goes by Leonidas! And he shall be king of my future mutant animal army! BOW before his mighty presence!"_

"Not happenin' freakazoid." Rex rebuked. "We'll just be happy to kick your asses like we always do!"

Rojo smirked confidently. "Heh, well, maybe that's how things went in the past. But since yesterday, we've been pulling ourselves together and gettin' a REAL team comradery goin'. And to top it all off…" She moved her eyes toward Ben. "Hey Tennyson… do a head count of us." The hero was understandably confused, to which Rojo rolled her eyes. "Oh, just do it!"

Ben gave a shrug before doing what Rojo wanted, with Gwen and the others doing so as well. However, as Ben and Gwen continued to count the bad guys… they came to a slow realization to what Rojo was talking about. "No… it can't be." Ben murmured.

"You SERIOUSLY didn't!" Gwen shouted.

"Oh, I DID!" Rojo proclaimed as she spread her arms across her new team of bad guys. "Dipsticks, meet the new Negative Ten!" The villains gave a simultaneous cheer, with the mutants bellowing out their own animalistic cries. "Now under new and better leadership!" Rojo rubbed her hands together eagerly. "So, what do you have to say to THAT, twerps?"

Ben narrowed his eyes and reached for the Omnitirx. "Well, I can only think of one thing… It's Hero Time!"

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it! The White Fang press conference has been interrupted by the arrival of the new Negative Ten! Rojo tested, Salem approved. This has been something I've been planning for since this fic was in its earliest inception; a blend of RWBY and Ben 10 villains into a new incarnation of the Negative Ten, as I think it's a pretty neat concept. But now, here comes the big part; how will this fight go down? Well, we'll just have to wait and see…**

**But as many would probably expect, things didn't go too well with how Ozpin's closest advisors reacted to him not having a plan to defeat Salem. And while not AS bad as what happened in canon, Ozpin has still resigned himself to the inside of Oscar's head for the time being. And… was anyone really expecting Raven to NOT act any other way? We ALL know how much she hates Ozpin, so that should really come as no surprise. But hey, at least Ironwood was able to stay a level headed about it… without going off his rocker. And Qrow… well, we all know what he's probably doing. And yes, I'm going with the theory that Ozpin didn't word his question correctly. I mean, c'mon, genies are notorious for interpreting what people wish of them FAR too literally, so how someone WORDS a request to them HAS to be key. It only makes sense that, if Ozpin can't beat Salem, then someone else CAN, right? But that's not all that happened, now was it? We got a little interrogation with Darkstar (spoilers; he IS indeed lying, what a shock), and the White Fang conference seemed to be going over rather well… until the bad guys attacked. And of course, we have Tyrian and Lionheart's mutant forms… Silyrian and Leonidas. Be sure to stay tuned for the next chapter to see what these guys are capable of!**

**Speaking of which… NEXT TIME! The battle begins… and the team is immediately scattered due to the multitude of flying Beringel. That leaves Team RWBY, Team SN, Rex and the Alien Trio to deal with the Negative Ten. Will they be able to beat the newly reformed team back? Or will a certain witch have one more trick to drop into our heroes' laps? Thanks for reading everyone and I'll see you next time! Stay safe out there!**


	109. Why So Negative?

**A/N: Hey everyone! And welcome to the official beginning of the Negative Ten arc, which will be the final BIG arc of the story before the ending. With that being said, things in this arc are probably gonna be pretty heavy and a bit dramatic going forward, so brace yourselves and bear with me on this one, okay? We've got a big battle this chapter, so let's get into it, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 109: Why So Negative?**

* * *

Within the meeting room inside of Evernight castle, Salem sat at the head of the long table, watching intently through one of her Seers at what was currently happening in Vale. Her force of followers, which Rojo had apparently dubbed "The Negative Ten", had just successfully interrupted the White Fang conference at Vale's city hall. So far, everything was going according to plan. There was only one thing left for her to do; unleash their secret weapon. However, she would bide her time, wait until the heroes and her minions fought for a little while before making a… grand showing of their powerhouse of a Grimm.

But still, her mind was still lingering on that strange name. "So… "the Negative Ten"? While a very poetic name, I must ask…" Salem craned her head over to Viktor, whom was standing with Doctor Watts and Hazel as well. "Where DID Rojo come up with it?"

Viktor bowed his head and put a hand over his chest as he answered; "My lady, it was a name given to a group that Rojo was once a part of back on Earth." The Transylian directed his eyes toward her. "I personally was not around to bear witness to these events, I heard it was formed by the former Forever King, Lord Driscoll, in an attempt to quash Tennyson's heroics once and for all back when he was but a child."

"Hm, quite interesting." Watts said with a hand to his chin. "A bit on the nose with the name, but I suppose it IS quite apropos."

Hazel simply grunted out a response while nodding, not bothering to jump into the conversation. However, this also managed to garner Salem's attention. "…Is there something you wish to share with us, Hazel?" she questioned, to which she received silence. "I sense an air of frustration around you. Is it because of Ozpin?"

"…Lady Salem." Hazel uttered while lowering his head to her. "With all due respect, I wish you would have sent me with the others. To hunt down and dispose of Ozpin."

Viktor mimicked Hazel's movements. "And if I may be so bold, my lady, I also wish to have been sent out as well. My presence would have added even more firepower to their arsenal."

"I am aware, on both accounts." Salem said as she faced the duo. "However, the both of you are still in no shape to do battle." She gestured toward Hazel's sling. "Especially you, Hazel. If you had gone, then they would have immediately targeted your injured shoulder." The large man grumbled as Salem went to Viktor next. "And dear Viktor… don't think I didn't notice you wincing and groaning in pain earlier this morning when you came down from the tower."

"But I—" Much to his shock, Viktor was cut off when Salem stood up, placing a finger to his lips.

"No "buts"." The witch said firmly. "I will not allow you to put your body through more than it already has."

Viktor took a pause for a moment before nodding his head, with Salem taking her finger away. "I understand, my lady."

"Very good." Salem said with a small smile before returning to her Seer, peering into its crystal head. "Now, why don't we sit back and watch events unfold, hm? It should be quite interesting, to be sure."

"Indubitably." Watts nodded. "But if I may ask, Lady Salem… why the Beringels with wings?"

"…You shall see."

* * *

A part of Ben couldn't believe that this was happened. After all these years, a new Negative Ten had been formed, one under Rojo's leadership. Or rather _co_ -leadership, as he was certain that Cinder was also a big part of this being Salem's Fall Maiden and all. Still, as he glared up at the still-smirking Rojo, he KNEW that this was a fight that was going to be a lot tougher than the ones the team had experienced so far… especially with the addition of those flying Beringels. _'What's next, wings on Boarbatusks?'_

At that moment, a voice piped up from behind him; "Tennyson!" Ben's head whipped around to see Sienna pulling out her chain whip, Ghira bringing out his claws, and Kali producing a flint-lock pistol from beneath her hakama, the three feline Faunus preparing for battle. "Don't worry, we're here to back you up!" Sienna said with an assuring grin.

Ben smiled back and gave a thumbs up. "Thanks, Sienna, much appreciated." The hero turned back toward the street to see that all of the reporters had left, much to his relief. He then scanned his eyes across Teams RWBY, JNPR, CFVY, and SN, as well as Gwen, Kevin, Rex, Cooper, Ironwood and Goodwitch. Sure enough, they were all ready for battle. "Alright, guys, this is gonna be one hell of a fight, so let's give them everything we've got!"

He received a simultaneous; "RIGHT!" In response.

Back up on stage, Rojo and Cinder snickered a little bit at the comradery of the team, glancing toward each other knowingly. "Oh, how _noble_." Cinder goaded. "Valiant as always, it seems." Her smug expression became a light glower toward the team. "Well, I'll have you know that WE have been more on the same page as well, as of late, so I'd say our chances are rather adequate as well!"

"Case in point!" Rojo raised a hand and pointed at the heroes, shouting; "Attack!" The heroes prepared for the Negative Ten to come charging, but much to their surprise, it didn't come to that. Rather, all of the winged Beringels began swooping out of the sky and tacking themselves into the large group of heroes, separating many of them from the group in the process. By the time the Beringel's onslaught had finished, only Ben, Gwen, Kevin, Rex, and Teams RWBY and SN were left, all of them taken aback.

"W-What happened?!" Ruby exclaimed.

"MOM?!" Blake cried out, getting to her feet immediately. "DAD?! ILIA?!"

"Blake!" Everyone heard Ghira answer back and they whipped their heads around, seeing that the Beringel had carried many of their friends and allies off to other parts of the massive courtyard in front of city hall. Ghira was currently slicing into the jugular of one of the massive Beringels, fending it off as he shouted to his daughter. "Stay focused! We'll be fine, I promise!"

"Just keep those villains from doing any damage to the city!" Kali added as she shot a Beringel through its skull with her weapon at close range. "We'll regroup shortly!"

Weiss stepped forward in concern. "But we can't just LEAVE you!"

On another section of the courtyard, Cooper had taken out his laser cannon and shot a clean blast straight through an incoming horde of Beringel, slicing them in half and turning them to dust. _"Don't worry about us!"_ The armored genius called out. _"You guys have your OWN things to worry about!"_

Coco whapped her purse upside one of the Beringel's heads before stomping it in with her boot, a light smile on her face. "Yeah, we'll take care of the flying monkeys for ya! Just take down those bad guys, huh?!"

Yang pursed her lips before glancing over to her boyfriend, the hero nodding back to her slowly. With a short sigh, Yang shouted back to them; "Alright, but NOBODY get killed, ya hear me?! Or else I'LL kill ya myself!"

"We shall make the effort to try!" Penny said as she brought out her Block Busters and smashed two of the Beringel's heads together, killing them instantly.

"Alright… let's do this." Ben muttered as he and the others faced the Negative Ten once more. Rojo, Cinder, Emerald, Mercury and Neo had all jumped off of the stage and began to stroll over to the four mutants and Subdora, the ten of them lining up side by side with each other. The team of heroes did the same thing, standing parallel to their opponents.

Sun and Neptune were both facing off against Leonidas, the lion mutant's blank white eyes glowering back at them. "Think there's anything left of Lionheart in there?" Sun asked.

"If there is, it might be hard to reach." Neptune sighed. "But… I guess our only hope is to knock some sense into him."

Kevin and Gwen stood across from Thunderhog and Exo-Skull, the mutated duo grunting and bellowing as they readied for their attack. The redhead smirked to her boyfriend and asked; "Think we can take them?"

"So long as I get the big guy, I think we'll be good." Kevin said as he slammed his Lighting Dust arms together, creating a spark of electricity that coursed through his arms as his eyes became yellow. "Now let's do this!"

Ruby and Weiss were standing directly across from Neo and Subdora, the Merlinisapien twirling her gold-plated gun around in her hands while the multi-colored mute simply glared right at Ruby, making the Hooded Huntress shrink back a bit. "How is it that someone like HER can be so threatening?" Ruby muttered.

"She must be REALLY mad about what happened to her boss." Weiss commented before smiling to her partner. "But don't worry, we'll beat them."

To their immediate right, Blake and Yang were in an stare down with Emerald and Mercury, the cat girl giving her own partner a grin. "Ready to show them how a REAL team works?"

"You bet, partner." Yang said with a fist bump. "Let's do this!"

Meanwhile, Rex found himself face to face against Silyrian, the scorpion mutant cackling madly as a loud clicking was heard in his throat. Rex couldn't help but wince uncomfortably at the sound. "Ugh, guess I've got crazy guy over there." He shifted his gaze over to Ben… to see that the hero was facing off against both Cinder AND Rojo. "Uh, dude? You need any help on this one?"

"Trust me, I'll let everyone know when I need it." Ben affirmed as he reached for the Omnitrix. He began searching through his aliens before he found one that stood out to him… a new icon that had a very canine-like face. "Besides… I think I've got just the alien to give them a run for their money." He raised his hand and slammed the Omnitrix core down, transforming in a bright green flash of light.

In no time, a majority the hero's body became covered in thick, black fur, with certain areas of white fur growing around his face, upper chest, and the undersides of his arms. His body grew to about seven feet tall and became very bulky, his muscles growing quite significantly. His face became more akin to that of a dog, with a long muzzle, sharp teeth, and pointed ears at the top of his head. His hands were much bigger and his feet were more canine as well, with sharp claws coming out of his four fingers and three toes. His legs were adorned in a pair of black pants while his upper body was adorned in an open, sleeveless green leather jacket with the numbers one and zero emblazoned on the front in black numbers. On the jacket's back was a large set of skull-and-crossbones which also had the number ten on its forehead. With the Omnitrix on his chest and his signature green eyes glowering at his enemies, Ben let out a mighty roar, one that crumbled the very earth underneath him... while also shattering all of the glass windows of city hall. "GRAAAAAAH! Alright! Who here is lookin' for an ass-whuppin'?!" the new yet familiar alien spoke in a clear Texan accent.

Everyone couldn't help but stare at the new alien transformation that Ben had changed himself into. "That's… that's a Metallikanine!" Ruby shouted.

"Yer goddamn right I am!" Ben growled back. "Now I ask again! Who wants to have their ass kicked in by Ben Tennyson!?"

Cinder couldn't help but sneer at the alien before her. "Ugh, he transformed into that uncontrollable mutt that attacked Beacon the other day? Bad enough that we only _listened_ to it, but now we have to FIGHT it as well?"

"Apparently." Rojo said as she popped a few muscles in her neck. "But why don't we cut that chit-chat an' actually get to fighting?!"

Ben let out another roar, this time retracting his second metallic sets of claws and teeth, all while the fur on his shoulders and forearms hardened into thick steel plates. "Hell yeah, I'm all fer that! An' let me tell ya somethin'; ya'll better be ready to brace yerselves fer impact, 'cause I ain't 'bout to go easy on ya! NOT this time! THIS time, I'm gonna make sure that ya'll're put away an' shipped off to prison, even if that means beatin' the SHIT outta ya an' shippin' ya off in a body bag! An' THAT'S the bottom line, because… uh…" The Metallikanine slapped his forehead. "Gah, dogshit! I didn't even come up with a NAME fer this guy!"

Right next to him, however, Yang was already thinking up potential names for this new alien, her gaze moving up and down his form in contemplation. _'Let's see, he's a dog… with metal plates…'_ Her gaze then moved to the back of his jacket. _'And he has a skull-and-crossbones on his jacket…'_ Yang's eyes widened and a smile appeared on her face, having suddenly jumped up onto her boyfriend's shoulder to whisper into his ear.

"Huh? What's that? …Oh." Ben's canine lips moved up into a metal-toothed smirk at what his girlfriend was telling him. "Oh yeah, I LIKE that one." He cleared his throat as Yang jumped off his shoulder. "Like I was sayin'; THAT'S the bottom line…" The alien reared his head back and roared out; "BECAUSE **STEEL BONE** SAID SO!"

As much as she didn't want to, Rojo grinned at his proclamation. "Alright, I've gotta give props, That's metal as shit." She pulled Bloodstrike off of her back as Cinder light her hands on fire, creating a pair of deadly blades in her hands. "But enough talk! Let's fight!"

"Gladly!" the newly named Steel Bone growled back. "Everyone… CHARGE!" Both groups gave out their own battle cries as they ran forward, meeting in the middle and clashing with each other immediately.

* * *

However, unknown to any of the heroes or villains, a pair of television news reporters were still hiding behind one of the nearby buildings… and they had both seen the boy in the green jacket transform into that massive dog beast. In her many years as a news reporter, Lisa Lavender had never seen ANYTHING like this, and she could only stare dumbfoundedly as the two groups began to clash. Without taking her eyes away from the fight, she asked her camera man; "Gregory… did you see that?"

She received a tiny; "Uh-huh." Gregory the camera man was still quite clearly shocked.

"Did the _camera_ get that?" Lisa inquired further.

"Every second of it." Gregory replied. "W-What kind of semblance does that kid even HAVE? I don't think I've seen transformation-type semblances that're THAT good."

Lisa narrowed her eyes at the group as they continued to fight. "…I'm not too sure if that even IS a Semblance. Did you see how he was fiddling with his watch before he transformed?"

Gregory glanced toward her, making sure not to move the camera away from the battle. "Actually, yeah, I did. Think it's some type of secret piece of technology? …Or maybe even magic?"

"Too early to tell." Lisa said with a shake of her head. "For now, just keep rolling, Greg. This sort of thing is what news headlines around the WORLD are made of."

"Right… and if we run out of memory on the camera?" Much to Gregory's shock, Lisa pulled out a memory card from her left breast pocket, all while keeping her gaze focused on the battle. "…Wow, you're good."

Lisa smiled with determination. "I know I am. And are we still live?" She received a nod from him in response. "Good. Now, let's give the people some reassurance, hm?" With that, Lisa stepped in front of the camera briefly to address her audience. "People of Vale… and possibly all around the world, this is Lisa Lavender of the Vale News Network… and what you're seeing behind me is something that has to be seen to be believed."

* * *

Back at the fight, Ruby and Weiss were busy fending off Neo and Subdora respectively, the two villainess' being unrelentless in their attack. Despite how much bigger Crescent Rose was to Neo's weapon, Hush, the mute girl was having no trouble fending off Ruby's giant scythe with her umbrella, having extended a sharp blade from its tip for extra deadliness. After a series of parries and counters from both sides, Ruby suddenly came to a stop and raised her hand up to Neo. "WAIT!" The mute girl stopped just short of thrusting her umbrella at Ruby, giving the silver-eyed girl a pointed glare. "I know you probably blame me for what happened to Torchwick… and honestly, you have every right to. But is allying with Salem full-time really WORTH it?"

Neo raised a brow and shouldered her umbrella, placing a hand on her hip as Ruby continued. "If Salem gets all of the relics, then that means the world is over! Everything, gone in an instant! What's the point in getting revenge on me if there's no world to live in anymore?!"

Not too far from them, Weiss and Subdora were caught up in their own little duel, the heiress using Myrtenaster to keep the Merlinisapien from getting in close with her Queen's Ransom. However, Weiss paused for a moment to give Ruby and incredulous face. "Ruby, _really_?! You're trying to do this NOW of all times?!"

"Si, it definitely seems inopportune." Subdora agreed before suddenly wrapping her tail around Myrtenaster before pulling hard, yanking the weapon right out of Weiss' hands. "But then again, taking your focus off the enemy is also quite ill-advised."

"HEY!" Weiss shouted before letting out a scream, having narrowly ducked out of the way of Subdora's energy machete. "Oh, that was a cheap move!"

"Weiss!" Ruby whirled around and began making her way over to help her partner. "Hang on, I'm comi—ACK!" All of a sudden, Ruby was pulled to a stop when her signature red cloak was promptly yanked, choking her at the same time. She stumbled backward and was immediately struck across the face, her eyes seeing nothing but pink as Neo's umbrella made a direct hit. The umbrella then snapped down and struck her in the hands, making her let go of her scythe. "GAH! Hey!" Ruby dove down toward her weapon, but before she could grab it, Neo opened her umbrella and then hooked it around the massive scythe's head, pulling it up and tossing it up and away from the duo.

Neo closed her umbrella and settled it on her shoulders, turning around while smirking devilishly at Ruby as the scythe spun downward and landed on its tip in the courtyard pavement. Ruby glared right back at Neo. "…So that's how it's gonna be, is it?" Neo nodded before performing a series of flips toward Ruby, culminating in a kick right at Ruby's face. However, Ruby suddenly jumped back and grabbed Neo's foot, giving it a twist to flip the ice-cream colored girl away from her. Neo landed on her feet and made a "come at me" motion with her hand, opening her umbrella at the same time. "Oh, it. Is. ON!"

With that declaration, Ruby rushed forward and made to punch at Neo, though surprisingly, the girl didn't make a move. Instead, Ruby's fist connected… and Neo shattered like glass, much to her surprise. "W-What—AH!" Ruby leapt back when Neo sprang up on her right side, swinging her umbrella at her with its bladed tip just a mere inch away from her face. Ruby performed a backflip and landed on her feet before using her Semblance to rush directly at Neo, though the mute girl simply smiled at this. Neo retracted the hidden blade and opened her umbrella again, holding it out in front of her just a second before Ruby would hit her. When the Hooded Huntress made contact, red rose petals were sent scattering and Ruby found her face smushed against the umbrella, a pout on her face. "…You don't make things easy, do you?"

Neo shook her head before shoving Ruby back, delivering a kick to her midsection and knocking a bit of wind out of her. As Ruby regained her breath, she glowered at Neo and tightened her fist, giving out another cry as she made to strike Neo upon her face. However, like before, Neo's image shattered before her, making her eyes widen. "What? W-Where'd she—huh?" Ruby felt a small tap on her shoulder and she spun around with a raised fist… only to see her sister standing behind her. "Wha?! Yang?! What're you doing—" _SMACK_! "AGH!" Ruby reeled back and clutched her face, staring up at her sister and disbelief. But that didn't last for long… as Yang's violet eyes briefly flashed pink and brown

"…So that's how it's gonna be, huh?" Ruby wiped her face and rolled her shoulders, loosening her muscles in preparation. "Well, let me just tell you, your mind games won't work on me!" She raised her fists again. "Because I've actually had practice fighting my own sister! RAH!" Ruby made to hit the disguised Neo, but found her fist caught in her opponent's hand, the face of her sister smirking before bringing back her own fist to hit Ruby back. But before she could, Ruby swung her body back and performed an arm drag on the disguised girl, much to Neo's surprise.

Ruby, however, smirked to herself. _'She might be able to DISGUISE herself as someone else, but there's one thing she CAN'T mimic; someone's bodyweight.'_ The Hooded Huntress threw Neo to the ground, shattering the Yang illusion that she had put up. The mute girl tumbled for a bit before flipping onto her feet, bringing out her umbrella again before noticing that Ruby had disappeared, a few rose petals having been left in her place. She glanced to the side to see Ruby rushing toward Crescent Rose, making Neo furrow her brow a bit.

The mute girl gave chase, but it proved to be for naught. Ruby grabbed the handle and swung herself around her weapon, heating it out of the ground before giving her signature spin, propping it up over her shoulder as she had many times before. "Now… why don't we try a new dance?" Neo smirked before performing a front flip as she was running, vaulting herself up and over Ruby and landing on her feet directly behind her. She then extended the hidden blade within Hush once again and made a quick stab at Ruby, which she countered by swinging her scythe handle to bat the umbrella away.

"Not today!" Ruby said before shifting Crescent Rose into its sniper rifle mode, locking and loading before shooting off round after round at Neo. But shockingly, Neo was quick to the punch with how quickly she was creating illusions to take the bullets for her. One after another, each one shattered, until finally, Nep was right next to Crescent Rose's barrel, giving it a kick upward as another shot was fired. Neo wore a cheeky grin while Ruby narrowed her eyes. "Oh, you're _good_."

Meanwhile, not too far away from the two, Weiss was having her own problems. The heiress found herself in a game of cat and mouse as she found herself unarmed and vulnerable to the Merlinisapien that was trying to maim and-or kill her. Subdora was kick to the punch as well, taking every opportunity to try and trip Weiss up. She wanted her to make the one mistake that would prove fatal, no matter how many times she had to strike the heiress. "Come now, _biancaneve_ , don't keep trying to delay the inevitable!"

"Sorry, I'd like to keep my face, thank you!" Weiss said as she weaved away from another swing from the energy machete. "Besides, I'd rather not have; "Killed by a Walking Fashion Disaster" on my tombstone." The heiress had to smirk internally at that insult. _'Rex's word play is beginning to rub off on me.'_

"AH!" Subdora gasped with a sneer. "How DARE you?!" The Merlinisapien twisted herself around and whipped her tail at Weiss' face, sending her stumbling back. The white-haired girl rubbed her face to dull the pain… but her eyes widened the moment she looked back up, seeing that Subdora had jumped into the air to stab her Queen's Ransom right down at her. "I will have your head for such an insult!"

Weiss quickly tuck and rolled out of the way as Subdora stabbed down into the ground, the heiress finally making it to Myrtenaster in the process. The heiress picked up her weapon and held it aloft, bringing forth a Summoning glyph immediately. "Heh, let's see how you handle THIS insult?!" From out of the glyph, her Boarbatusk emerged, the pig Grimm snorting and padding the ground in anticipation. Weiss pointed forward and commanded; "Roll Out!"

The Grimm was quick to respond, snorting before rolling itself up and spinning forward at breakneck speeds, catching Subdora off guard. She was hit directly and sent flying backward toward a nearby lamp post, but was able to hook her tail around it and spin around, latching her hand onto it to balance herself. Once she was able to collect her thoughts, Subdora saw the Boarbatusk barreling right at her… and a smirk came to her face. "My apologies, but I am going to have to bid you… _addio_." With a tip of her barrette, Subdora disappeared, leaving the Boarbatusk to do nothing but knock down the street lamp.

"Huh?!" Weiss exclaimed as the pig Grimm stopped spinning, the creature searching around for Subdora immediately. "Use that nose of yours and sniff her out!" Weiss encouraged, to which the Boarbatusk instantly obeyed. But, the moment it began sniffing, it suddenly let out a squeal of pain and began bucking wildly, much to Weiss' confusion. "W-Wait! What's going—"

"GAH-AH-AH!" A familiar scream alerted Weiss to the presence of Subdora, the Merlinisapien reappearing on the Boarbatusk's back with her energy machete plunged right into its back. She was using it as a make-shift handle to hold on, but quickly found that wouldn't last for long. She instead decided to jump off and slice down through one of the boar's horns, making it squeal again. "Hmhm, not so tough now, are you _porcellino_?"

"Why you!" Weiss spun the barrel in Myrtenaster's hilt and it landed on the Ice Dust setting. With a wave of her weapon, Weiss created a massive wave of ice that was sent directly at Subdora, which prompted the Merlinisapien to jump up and sliced cleanly through the incoming ice wall. She landed on top of it before lunging right at Weiss, the heiress moving forward as well with the aid of her glyphs.

But, just as the duo were about to collide, Subdora reached forward and grabbed Weiss' head, using her arm to vault over her opponent and land behind her. She then lashed her tail at Weiss' neck and began tightening it with all her might, chocking Weiss effectively. Weiss began gagging and hacking as she felt her airways being closed off, her face quickly changing into a shade of red. "Ah-ha-ha-ha!" Subdora laughed as she put a hand next to her mouth. "Oh, how fortuitous! I'll bet you didn't see THAT one coming, eh, _biancaneve_?" Weiss tried choking out a response, but was only met with Subdora tightening her grip, her face becoming bluer as the seconds past. "Ah, do not worry, my dear. I will be sure to give your friends my condolences when you perish…" She leaned in close and whispered into Weiss' ear. "…And I will be sure to give the Latino boy a shoulder to cry on."

Weiss' eyes widened as a glare of righteous fury over took them. That was the last straw. This bitch needed to be taught a lesson. With all the concentration she could muster, Weiss spun Myrtenaster's barrel and it landed on the Fire Dust setting, the blade heating up within a second. In a split second, Weiss grit her teeth and swung her arm around and upward, slicing the heated blade cleanly through Subdora's tail.

Subdora took it surprisingly well. "AAAAAGGH!" The Merlinisapien stumbled away, cradling her tail close to her as Weiss fell to her hands and knees, sputtering for breath. With gritted teeth, Subdora spat; "You _cagna_! How DARE you!?"

"Hah… hah… oh, I dare alright." Weiss said with a deathly tone. "And I dare YOU to make one more COMMENT about Rex again! Go ahead, see what happens!" She saw her Boarbatusk limp its way toward her and she waved her hand at it, saying; "You're excused." The Grimm faded away and Weiss readied herself to continue the fight, her gaze piercing into Subdora's very soul. "Now… do you REALLY want to mess with me now?"

"Hm… let me think about that…" A sly grin appeared on Subdora's face and all of a sudden, her tail regrew in an instant, taking Weiss by surprise. "Yes." With a flick of her wrist, Subdora shifted her Queen's Ransom into its pistol mode and began firing at Weiss, the heiress bringing up a glyph in front of her to block the shots.

' _Okay, she is FAR more persistent than I thought.'_ Weiss pursed her lips in frustration. _'…But she's still going down.'_

"Weiss!" The heiress perked up when Ruby rushed over to her with her Semblance, sliding right up next to her as she pulled out her scythe once again. Weiss also saw Neo come running up behind her, the mute girl stopping next to Subdora. "Are you okay? I saw her try to choke you out, and—"

"Don't worry, I'm okay." Weiss smiled before spinning Myrtenaster's barrel again. She landed on the cyan Dust settling and the glyph in front of her began to spin, charging up for an energy attack. A beam of light suddenly shot out at Subdora and Neo, though the two ladies were quick to avoid it and come charging right at them again. Weiss smiled to her partner and nudged her head at their opponents. "Shall we?"

Ruby pumped an eager fist. "Heck yeah! Let's do it!"

* * *

Not too far away from the red and white duo, a certain pair of black and yellow partners were charging in at their own opponents. "Let me guess…" Blake spoke up. "You'll take Mercury and I'll take Emerald?"

"That's the plan!" Yang confirmed.

Blake rolled her eyes with a grin. "Why'd I have the feeling you were gonna say that? Alright, let's do this!"

As she approached her opponent, Yang glared intensely at the silver-haired young man, her frustration evident across her features. "I swear, Mercury, after this, you won't EVER wanna fight me again!" she snapped.

Mercury scoffed and balled his fists. "We'll see about that, blondie! GRAH!" With a powerful pair of shots from his feet, Mercury thrust himself forward, twisting himself around for a powerful flying kick.

Yang quickly responded by cocking her Ember Celica and sending two of her own blasts toward the ground, propelling her forward as she reared her arm back. "AAAAAGH!" With a scream belting from her throat, Yang connected her fist with Mercury's boot, the two combatants unloading another set of blasts upon impact. Below them, Blake and Emerald had engaged in their own fight, the girls clashing their blades against one another.

The two fell to the ground and reengaged into the fight, throwing off powerful blows against one another in hopes of finally putting this little squabble of theirs to rest. …At least, that's what Mercury was thinking. "I have had ENOUGH of you beating the SHIT out of me!" the assassin belted out as he connected a vicious kick to Yang's midsection, eliciting a cry of pain from her as she was sent skidding back on her heels. Mercury leapt forward and somersaulted in midair, bringing down an axe kick that connected with Yang's shoulder, making her fall to the ground. "I've been bruised, busted open, blown up, and my legs have been broken THREE times too many in one month!"

Yang couldn't help but smirk as she suddenly whipped her body around on the ground and performed a leg sweep on Mercury, making him loose his balance briefly. She then rocketed herself back up and struck him directly in the midsection, sending him tumbling backward while knocking the wind out of him. "Yeah, well I'm gettin' tired of you makin' a big deal out of it." Yang said as she rolled her right shoulder. "Honestly, what IS the deal with you, man?"

"You and that DAMN boyfriend of yours is my problem!" Mercury snapped as she rushed forward and rolled onto the ground. Now on his back, Mercury began to perform what appeared to be a break dance, but what was instead a heavy assault attack that saw him shooting off Dust rounds at Yang as he spun around.

"Woah!" Yang leaned backward as a volley of shots sailed over her head, avoiding them expertly. "Okay, that's enough!" She jumped back to her feet and began sprinting at Mercury, being extra careful to avoid the shots as she did. With another shot from her Ember Celica, she sent herself careening up and over Mercury, grabbing his legs in the process. With a grunt of exertion and a midair flip, Yang sent Mercury flying up and over her, slamming him into the pavement. He tumbled away for a bit before rolling up onto his feet, none the worse for wear.

"C'mon, you really expect me to believe this is all JUST about what Rath and I did to you three weeks ago?" Yang questioned, placing her hands on her hips. "I mean, sure, he made you do the splits and I gave you that burn scar. But if you ask me, there's a whole lot more frustration behind your attacks than JUST the amount you have against both of us."

Mercury stared at the blonde in disbelief. "REALLY?! You're choosing NOW of all times for a psychology session?!"

"Hmm… if I were to guess…" Yang grinned cheekily and pointed at Mercury. "Daddy issues?" What came next, even Yang couldn't predict. Mercury's face became as red as Adam Taurus' hair and he screamed so loud that she was pretty sure his lungs were burning, all while making a mad dash for her with a furious spark in his eye. "…I'm guessing yes."

"AAAAAAAAAGGGH!" Mercury began unloading kick after kick against Yang, the blonde struggling to keep up with the surprisingly violent assault. "DON'T! YOU! DARE! TALK! ABOUT! _HIM_!" There was a venomous spit on the last word as he slammed his leg directly into Yang's side, the Blonde Brawler having blocked a few of the strikes… but ended up taking most of them anyway. The last kick sent Yang sailing back toward the stage, her impact sending her straight through the wooden structure.

Breathing hard, Mercury glowered at the stage, his anger bubbling up as his face was still red. "My father… he HATED me!" he snapped, knowing full well that Yang could still hear him. "He _never_ went easy on me! Every day of "training", he beat me until I was black and blue! And when I unlocked my Semblance, he stole it with his!" He strode toward the stage, his fingers clawed as he seethed with rage. "He always said; "This is a crutch!" or "This makes you weak!". He said I could have it back when I was stronger. Well guess what?! I got strong… and he STILL didn't give it back! I NEVER got it back! I've had to work harder than _anyone_ to get where I am! So don't you DARE try and—"

At that moment, Yang punched a hole through the stage floor, climbing up and out so that she could look Mercury in the eye. Much to his surprise, there was a sympathetic expression on her face, her violet eyes holding no anger as she spoke her next words. "I… I'm so sorry."

"…What?"

"You heard me." Yang placed her hands on her hips. "I'm sorry that happened to you. I may not be able to relate to having an abusive family… but I do know what it's like to have something important taken away from you."

Much to her surprise, thought, Mercury sneered at her and glared in response. "Do NOT try to compare yourself to me! You still HAVE your Semblance!"

"You're right… but I _don't_ have my step-mother." Yang sighed. "She was probably one of the nicest people ever… and she was taken away from us way too soon."

Mercury balled his fists. "…There's still NO comparison between us!" He pointed a finger up to her. "YOU still have a family that loves you! I've got NOTHING! I KILLED my father for what he did to me!"

Yang furrowed her brows. "That doesn't surprise me. Let me guess, you didn't even wait to get your Semblance back, right?"

"At that point, I just stopped caring." Mercury growled. "Taking his life was the ONLY thing that would bring me satisfaction. I got strong even without a Semblance." He resumed a battle stance. "And now, I'm gonna show you what I'm capable of."

"Hm, okay then. But I think you're forgetting something."

"And WHAT would that be?!" Mercury countered… only for his eyes to widen when Yang's shifted from violet to red. It was then that the memory of him landing all of those kicks on her before sending her crashing into the stage replayed in his mind, causing him to grit his teeth. "Oh… shit."

Yang balled her fists and replied; "Yeah, you forgot how _my_ Semblance works." With another set of shots from her Ember Celica, Yang lunged forward and made for another hit against Mercury, though the silver-haired assassin reacted quickly by countering the punch with a thrust kick. However, he was shoved back almost instantly by Yang, the Blonde Brawler making him skid back on his heels. "Now let's see what you've _really_ got."

Back with Blake, she was using Gambol Shroud and its bladed sheath to counter the strikes that Emerald was making with her sickles, the blades sparking and clanging with each hit against one another. The two combatants dashed around the battle field as they clashed, both of them keeping up with one another as they continued to swing at each other. However, there was a moment where they stopped to catch their breath, all while pushing against one another as they struggled for superiority. "Hah… hah… well, I think it's safe to say that we're at an impasse, Belladonna." Emerald breathed out.

"Maybe so, but I'm not done yet." Blake shook her head.

"Me either…" But as Emerald was about to send a few insults at the cat girl, both of them caught wind of Mercury's tirade from across the battlefield, making both of them direct their gaze toward him in shock. It was to the point where Emerald lowered her weapons for a brief time, and while Blake made to quickly capitalize at the start, she paused when she saw the expression on Emerald's face. "…Mercury." she uttered.

Blake's eyes darted between the green-haired thief and the assassin before sending the girl a soft smile. "…I'm guessing you care a lot about him, huh?"

Unfortunately, Blake's words managed to snap Emerald out of it and she quickly shifted her Thief's Respite into their gun modes, taking aim at the cat girl in an instant. "That's none of your business!" She unloaded a couple of shots from her weapon at Blake, but the cat Faunus was able to activate her Semblance, letting a shadow clone take the hit for her while she disappeared. "Wha—AGH!"

From behind Emerald, Blake reappeared and sent a roundhouse kick toward her back, making the thief roll forward. "No, it's probably not my business." Blake reaffirmed as Emerald stopped in a crouch. "But I'm at least glad to see that the bad guys aren't ALL about hating on all of us." She offered another small smile. "Honestly, to see you guys caring about one another is really nice to see."

"Oh, enough with the sentimental crap!" Emerald shouted before jumping to her feet to deliver a thrusting kick right at Blake's face, only for the cat girl to bend back and avoid it. After dodging the hit, Blake made to sweep her leg at the remaining foot that Emerald was standing on, but Emerald jumped up, avoiding the strike all together. The green-haired girl landed on both feet while aiming her guns at Blake. "We watch out for each other. That's what partners do." she said simply before unloading another volley of shots.

With her impressive speed, Blake rushed forward at a blink-and-you'll-miss-it pace, avoiding all of Emerald's shots expertly before making a downward swing with Gambol Shroud. But Emerald was quick on the uptake, shifting her weapon into their sickle modes and crossing them to counter the strike just in time. "And I'm glad you are. But I know that look in your eye…" Blake quirked a brow and smirked. "Because I've been there, too. So… how long?"

Emerald pursed her lips and shoved Blake back before pressing a pair of buttons on her Thief's Respite, making the blades fall from the handles on their retractable chains to enter their kusarigama mode. With a grunt, she thrust her weapons forward and the chains extended outward, wrapping the still stumbling Blake around her midsection. With a quick tug, Emerald pulled Blake toward her and swung her around, slamming her into a nearby wall. With a cry of pain, Blake fell to the ground, with Emerald retracting the chains back into her weapons. The green-haired girl approached the cat girl and glared down at her… while a blush came to her face. "…About a week and a half. Maybe a bit more."

Blake forced out a laugh as she got up, even if she WAS still mad at the girl. "Hah… so this is a recent development for you. Any idea if he feels the same way?"

"RRAAAH!" Emerald gave out a shout as she swung her sickles again, though Blake was quick to counter and their clash of blades from before had continued before they knew it. "I'm—gah! Testing the waters—UGH!" Emerald answered between strikes. "I think—ah! Getting through to him—grr!"

The two began pushing against one another again, with Blake staring eye to eye with Emerald with a small grin on her face. "Good to know. It might take time since boys can be a bit nervous to take action… heh… but I think you'll be okay." Blake gave her a quick wink. "Good luck."

"Like I need your encouragement!" Emerald shouted before pushing her self away, the two standing several feet away from one another. "…But thanks."

"No problem." Blake said as she began focusing on her semblance again, loading a Fire Dust vial into Gambol Shroud. "But now, I think it's time to end this."

Emerald smirked as a small green shimmer came to her eye. "Yeah… I think it is."

All of a sudden, Blake's ears perked up as she heard the sound of angry yelling approaching from behind her, making her whip around to see a rather unwanted sight. A whole group of anti-Faunus protesters, all of them glaring and heading toward her. Many of them were holding signs with awful, hateful words written on them, slurs that many Faunus would see as offensive like "Animals" and "Vicious Beasts". It was one of Blake's worst fears… however, she didn't react the way that Emerald hoped she would. Rather, the cat girl turned back to Emerald with a deadpan expression and quirked a brow. "Hm, pretty convincing… but I know your tricks by now." With that, Blake rushed forward and activated her Semblance, creating a fiery shadow clone of herself that was sent right at Emerald.

"…Damn it." Emerald grumbled before diving out of the way, allowing the clone to explode harmlessly where she once stood.

As that happened, the hallucinations immediately faded form Blake's mind, leaving the cat girl with a small, yet manageable head ache. "Gah, well, that's a little bett—AH!" It was then that Blake was pulled to the ground, with Emerald having wrapped her chains around the cat girl's ankles while she wasn't looking.

"HA!" Emerald laughed. "How's THAT for a trick?!"

"Oh, you like TRICKS?!" Emerald's eyes widened went a Dust round suddenly exploded at her feet, blowing her back a few feet and making her tumble across the ground. As she got up, she saw that it had been Yang who had attacked her, the blonde going over to unwrap the chains from Blake's legs. "Blake, you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so." the cat girl affirmed as her partner helped her up. Blake's eyes snapped up when she saw a certain grey-clad young man making his way over to Emerald as well. "Heads up, we're not done."

"Em!" Mercury bent down and helped Emerlad up, checking over her in concern. "You alright? You're not hurt or anything?"

The thief didn't know how to respond at first, but after swallowing down her fear, she found the nerve to speak. "Uh, y-yeah, I'm good."

Mercury smirked at that. "Great." He nudged his head to the black and yellow duo. "How about we tag team this one?"

Emerald smiled back and nodded. "Sounds good to me! Let's deck these bitches!"

"Oh, like we'll let THAT happen!" Yang shouted as she punched the palm of her hand, all while Blake went into her fighting stance again. "We are taking you two DOWN!"

* * *

When the fight had started, this was NOT how Kevin had expected things to go. At first, he was headed straight toward Exo-Skull. But, before he even had a chance to blink, Skull had tossed him up and over his massive head, sending him flying right toward Thunderhog instead. Now, Kevin was hoping that this WASN'T going to happen, as he had absorbed Lighting Dust to specifically try to overload Exo-Skull's cybernetic armor. However, thanks to the rhino mutant's unexpected move, now he had little hope in actually doing damage to the warthog who specialized in electricity. In short; it was a GIGANTIC pain in the ass. "Wassa matter, Levin?!" Thunderhog ask as he thrust his massive gut at Kevin, making the Osmosian stumble back. "Wasn't expectin' to fight ME, now were ya?!"

"Not really, but I…" Kevin suddenly cringed when he felt a rather unpleasant feeling in his mouth, reaching in to pull out a coarse lock of brown hair that had no doubt come off of the warthog mutant's belly. "Eugh, gross! Belly hair?! How the hell can you STAND having so much hair on you, Hog?!"

Hog grabbed the chain of his mace, preparing to attack with the massive spiked weapon. "Aw, it's really not all THAT bad once ya get used to it. But enough about my groomin' tips, time to bring the thunder!" He began spinning his mace above his head, generating electricity as he continued his signature catchphrase; "THUNDER! THUNDERHOG!" He slammed the mace down on the ground and sent the lightning arcing out at Kevin, who raised his arms to protect himself.

But at that moment, all of the electricity suddenly redirected itself INTO Kevin's arms, arcing around the Lightning Dust before disappearing all together. Kevin opened his eyes just in time to see the electricity fade and he grinned, laughing at Hog all the while. "HA! Jokes on you, Bacon Breath! I just absorbed the lightning WITHOUT absorbing—" _CLANG_! "Gah!" In the blink of an eye, Kevin was sent careening backward at high speeds before embedding himself within the wall of a building, a perfect indentation of himself having embedded into the brick work.

"Haha! Guess you forgot my lightning ain't the ONLY ways I can attack someone, huh?" Hog chortled as he swung his mace around casually. "Speakin' of which…" His hand went up to his visor and pressed the activation button, holding it down to charge up one powerful blast. "Hasta la vista, Levin!"

_BLAM_! All at once, a large beam of purple energy blasted out at Kevin, making the Osmosian's eyes widen in shock. "Oh jeez!" He quickly pried himself up from the wall and fell toward the ground, allowing the laser to miss him and pass through the building instead. Catching his breath, Kevin furrowed his brows up at Thunderhog as the mutant prepared for another big blast. "Okay, this ain't gonna work." Kevin absorbed the pavement from beneath him again, making the Lightning Dust on his arms go away before reaching down and pulling out another Dust crystal; one of the Ice variety. "He may be able to hurt me now… but I won't get anywhere if I can't hurt him!" With that, Kevin absorbed the Ice Dust and stood up, just in time to avoid Hog's next blast.

"Wha—HEY!" The pig mutant began spinning his mace again as he charged at Kevin, gritting his teeth all the while. "I ain't finished with you yet, Levin!"

"Same goes for me!" Kevin said before smacking his fists together, his eyes becoming an icy blue as the Dust's energy was brought out. He then changed his right hand into a spiked mace as his arm froze over with ice, the mace becoming an even larger icy bludgeon. His other hand, meanwhile, simply became a larger, icy fist, which no doubt would hurt upon getting hit by it. "Now let's go!"

Both combatants charged at each other and reeled back their respective maces, slamming them into each other when they met in the middle. All at once, the lightning generated by Hog's mace began coursing itself into Kevin, making the Osmosian cry out in pain. However, Kevin pushed through and shoved further ahead, his eyes glowing a bit bluer all of a sudden. It was then that Hog's weapon began to freeze over, much to the pig man's shock.

"W-What?!" Hog pulled back and smashed his weapon against the ground, freeing it instantly. "What the hell was that all about!?"

Kevin blinked in surprise. "…To be honest, I don't really know myself." His grin returned and he whipped his head up to Thunderhog. "But I LIKE it!"

Hogs pig lips pouted at that before rolling his neck, popping a few muscles to prepare for his next attack. "Yeah, well don't get used to it, Levin. I ain't about to go down that easily!" The mutant began pressing the button on his visor repeatedly to rapid fire a ton of blasts at Kevin, which the Osmosian was quick to dodge or block with his icy arms. While the ice didn't crack and crumble, it DID see a bit of chipping, though Hog was still less than pleased. "Oh, come ON!" Hog shouted as he began generating lightning in his mace yet again. "How thick IS that ice?!"

"Pretty damn thick!" Kevin said as she began running toward his opponent. "Plus it's pretty much below zero, so you may wanna think of something—GAH!" All at once, Kevin was zapped with a powerful blast of lightning, one that forced him to take a knee.

"Hehehe, well, guess THAT worked!" Hog said before running around behind Kevin and kicking him to the floor. The mutant smacked his gauntlets together and even more electricity began arcing out from them, a sinister smirk visible on his face. "Now let's see how ya dig THIS!" He slammed both hands down on the Osmosian's back, eliciting a loud, painful yell from his throat. "Ah-ha-ha! Oh now THIS is what I'm talkin' about! That'll show YOU for givin' me the _cold shoulder_ , Levin! _Shockin'_ , ain't it?! HAHA!"

Once Hog stopped zapping him, Kevin growled and glared at the mutant as he tried to get up. "Grr… l-leave… the puns… to Yang."

"Pretty sure you're in no place for demands." Hog shrugged before raising his chain mace up once again. "Now, why don't we—AGH!" From out of nowhere, a pink energy disk suddenly slammed into Hog's face, making him stumble and fall back onto his rear end. A snort and an angry squeal escaped Hog's throat as he whipped his head around. "WHO DID THAT?!"

"That'd be me!" Gwen called out from across the battle field, the girl running for dear life from a charging Exo-Skull. "Take him down, sweetie!"

"Thanks, babe!" Kevin smirked before standing up once more, his icy bludgeon raised. "Now, where were we again?"

Hog snarled and stood up, padding his foot against the ground in a challenging move to the Osmosian. "Oh, you are goin' DOWN, boy." With another blast from his visor, their battle resumed.

Back with Gwen, she was still hoofing it from Exo-Skull, the mutant rhino still on her tail. The moment she saw him toss Kevin over his head, she knew what their game plan was; take down their opponents by messing up the plans they had made up against them. As such, when she saw Exo-Skull charging straight for her, she promptly whipped him in the face with one of her mana tethers and then booked it, working on concocting a new plan in her head as she ran. However, Skull wasn't giving her time to think, as he would occasionally unleash energy blasts from his horn, forcing her to stop and create a mana shield in order to deflect the attack.

"Ya can't run forever, Gwenny!" Skull taunted as he began charging up the thrusters on his back. "An' I'm gonna make SURE that you pay for messin' with Hog over there! We're _through_ playin' games, an' we're SICK an' TIRED of how you KEEP beatin' us! Do ya hear me?!" With that, Skull's jet boosters kicked to life, thrusting himself forward at high speeds. "We're DONE!"

_**BAM**_ _!_ "AUGH!" Gwen cried out in pain as she felt her back get crashed mercilessly into by Exo-Skull, his horn having made impact first. The redhead was flung forward and sent careening into a large water fountain that was situated right in the center of City Hall's courtyard, her body making impact with a big splash. A moment later, Gwen reached up and pulled herself up out of the water, hacking and sputtering as she forced the water out of her system.

"HAK-HAK! Ugh, that was… a pretty hard hit." Throughout her tenure of fighting villains, Gwen had taken hard hits before, but this was a hit that she was _very_ glad to be walking away from. _'Okay, think, Gwen, think! What kind of spells could work on… wait, of course!'_ She pulled herself out of the water and smirked at Skull, breathing hard as she fought through the pain in her back. "Okay, Skull, let's try that again!"

Exo-Skull threw his head back and laughed. "HA! Ya know, I'm surprised you're still able to walk after that. But ya know what? I'll humor ya!" He reached behind him and pulled out his Executioner gatling gun, taking aim at the Anodite immediately. "You wanna keep tryin'? Be my guest!" With a pull of the trigger, Exo-Skull began unloading his weapon's ammo at Gwen, though surprisingly, she didn't move an inch.

Instead, Gwen's eyes began to glow and her body was surrounded by a pink aura, extending her hand as she recited a spell; " _In Locum Subsisto_!" At her words, the bullets all suddenly stopped in midair, each one with a glowing pink energy around them.

Skull's eyes widened at the scene, a bit of a sinking feeling in his gut. "Oh… I think I know where this is heading."

"Smart. _Novis_!" Heeding her magic word, the bullets all flipped around at Gwen's command. " _Impes_!" Once again, the bullets followed her command, with all of them firing back at Exo-Skull in the blink of an eye.

The rhino mutant grit his teeth at this new development, his eyes glaring as he returned his gatling gun to his back and began charging up his laser horn. "Well… didn't see that coming." _BLAM_! He shot off a blast at the incoming hailstorm of bullets, successfully causing an explosion that rocked the whole courtyard. However, it also caused a huge cloud of smoke to be kicked up, which Skull immediately knew to take advantage of. "Oh no, I ain't fallin' for THAT old trick!" he shouted as he charged into the smoke… only to ram right into a large mana barrier.

"Good, because I didn't plan on using it." Gwen said with a smirk. "How do ya like…" But then her eyes widened as she saw the laser horn charge up. "…That?" The Anodite quickly ducked as another blast was sent out, shattering the mana shield at point blank range.

Exo-Skull stomped his way over to Gwen and glowered down at her, his hand slamming down onto her back and making her cry out in pain. "Sorry, Gwenny…" The Anodite's eyes widened as the blue light from Skull's laser lit up her face as it charged up. "Nothin' personal."

Gritting her teeth, Gwen extended her arm again and forced out; " _Adfishio Potentia_!" All at once, multiple energy whips burst forth from Gwen's hand, wrapping themselves around Exo-Skull's head and forcing him down to the ground. One of the whips then wrapped around his arm and freed her, allowing her to stand up. Gwen's eyes glowed pink again and she brought her hands together. "Now… _Appendaga Regoria_!" The energy whips suddenly disappeared and Exo-Skull's body suddenly went ridged, a pink light enveloping him as he began floating into the air.

"W-What?! Why can't I move?!" Skull demanded.

"Because I don't want you to." Gwen answered before waving her arms and shouting; " _Turbo_!" All at once, a strong wind whipped up and sent Skull flying back into the water fountain, breaking it in the process. But Gwen wasn't done yet. " _Aquata Risa Spackwata_!" With a wave of her hand, the water fountain suddenly burst out into a huge geyser that sent Skull flying straight up into the air.

"WAGH! MAMA!" Skull cried out from up in the air… before noticing that Gwen was starting to look quite tired. A smirk came to his face as he realized how he could use this to his advantage. "That's how you wanna do things, Gwen?! Then fine by me!" All at once, Skull activated his jet thrusters and curled himself up, transforming himself into a makeshift cannon ball. He felt to the earth at a fast pace, taking Gwen aback. "Let's see how ya handle THIS!"

With a deep breath, Gwen gave out another spell; " _CONTIGO_!" A powerful mana dome surrounded her and took the brunt of Exo-Skull's attack, though it still managed to crack and give way. She waved her hands out to her sides again and said; " _Sinnyu Invisibus_!", causing two large chunks of the pavement next to her to rise up out of the ground and slam into the incoming Exo-Skull. But even then, he made impact with the ground, and Gwen was sent sailing right up into the air.

However, she didn't fly far before being caught by something, or rather _someone_. "Gwen, are you unharmed?"

Her eyes snapped open and she smiled up at her savior. "Hah, Penny! Am I glad to see you!"

Penny gave her fellow redhead a nod. "Well, I saw you were in quite the predicament, and the others said I could assist you, so I came to help you out." The Android tilted her head in curiosity. "You DO need assistance, correct?"

"Hah, I guess you could say that." Gwen admitted. "Exo-Skull keeps bodying through every spell I use. I suppose I could use a bit of added muscle."

Without a second thought, Penny sent a determined smile toward her before her eyes went down to Exo-Skull. "Well, worry not. Because as always; I am Combat Ready!"

Gwen nodded as her hands began glowing pink again. "That makes two of us! Let's get him!"

* * *

As Sun and Neptune stared down their former teacher, they couldn't help but feel at odds with the situation. And rightfully so. This… _former_ man used to be their headmaster, their guide, the leader of the academy that they had once called home. So to see him now, as a large mutant lion with blank eyes and in a suit of unfamiliar armor just made them unsettled. It was like he wasn't even Lionheart anymore, which they supposed he wasn't. He was Leonidas now, which, while an admittedly bad ass name, also meant that they were probably in for the fight of their lives.

"So… we're about to beat up our old teacher." Neptune uttered as he kept a firm grip on Tri-Hard. "How do you wanna go about this?"

"Dude, I have no freaking clue." Sun emphasized. "Decking him back at Hazen yesterday was one thing, but this…" He glanced over to the snarling lion man, the long sword in his hand leveled toward them in challenge. "This is a WHOLE different ball game."

At that moment, a familiar voice suddenly shouted down at them. _"Ahem! If you two are done with the conflicting feelings, could we PLEASE get to the showdown?!"_ Animo hollered through the ship's loudspeaker before Leonidas made a "come at me" gesture with his furry hand. _"My creation and I are growing impatient!"_

Sun snapped his head up and grit his teeth. "Shut up you lunatic! What you did to him… it's INHUMANE!"

" _Of course it's inhumane! He's an animal!"_ Animo countered. _"There is nothing "humane" about it!"_

Neptune growled before transforming Tri-Hard into its rifle mode, taking aim at Leonidas. "Alright, if he wants a fight, we'll give him one! We just gotta take Lionheart down quick so that we can find a way to help him!" Before Sun could stop his partner, Neptune took the shot, the Lightning Dust round connecting right against Leonidas' breast plate. However, much to his and the monkey boy's shock, the electricity fizzled out and disappeared, leaving the lion man unharmed. "W-What?!"

" _Ah-hahahaha!"_ Animo laughed inside the airship. _"Did you fools think I wouldn't come prepared for every eventuality?! Leonidas' armor is made of a variety of metals that are resistant to heat, electricity… and rust, though that last one is merely a bonus."_ On the ground, Leonidas merely dusted off his shoulder before roaring at the duo again. _"In short, his armor can counteract most types of Dust… meaning that you will likely have to fight the old-fashioned way! Now en garde!"_

Leonidas wordlessly charged forward with his sword again, bringing it out in a strong, wide swing at Team SN. Fortunately, the duo managed to leap back before they could get hit, though Neptune let out an annoyed groan as he shifted his weapon into its guandao form. "Guess we'll have to fight close-quarters."

Sun gave him a nod. "Yeah, but at least our weapons are pretty long." He spin Ruyi Jingu Bang around and slammed it onto the ground, letting off a shot to make the earth shake a little bit and try to intimidate the beast before them. "For now, let's keep our distance until we can come up with a solid plan… or until we can make Lionheart snap out of it."

"Sounds good to me, bro! Let's go!" With that, the blond and blue-haired boy rushed forth into battle, though they made sure to break away to go around Leonidas. Sun banked left while Neptune went right, the duo strafing around the lion mutant while taking in quick hits with their weapons. They would have to get in a bit closer at times, which Leonidas took advantage of by swinging his sword down at them whenever they did. But once they got their respective hits in, the boys made sure do dash away, making a clean getaway before they could get cleaved in two.

Fortunately, there WERE areas of Leonidas that were still exposed, like parts of his arms and legs that weren't in full armor. His calves and forearms presented fine targets for Neptune to either slice into or for Sun to jab, allowing them to utilize their Dust attacks on him. However, much to their surprise, Leonidas still stood, seemingly only becoming angrier with every hit he received. "Okay, what the HECK?!" Sun exclaimed. "I'm pretty sure our hits have made contact!"

" _Oh, they have."_ Animo affirmed. _"But a mutant cannot be a true warrior unless their bodies are highly durable. And, unfortunately for you, durability is something that Leonidas has in SPADES!"_

Upon a second glance, Sun realized that Animo's words were true. In all of the exposed places on Leonidas' body where he had jabbed his staff into, Sun could only made out some singed hair and some small burn marks. Meanwhile, the places where Neptune had slashed were only merely small cuts, with a bit of blood trickling out of the wounds. And neither really seemed to bother the mutant at all. "Damn! Then how do we—"

A powerful _ROAR_ snapped Sun out of his thoughts as Leonidas swung his blade at the monkey boy, forcing him to go on the defensive. He raised his staff up… and it was promptly slashed directly through the middle. Thankfully, it was made to come apart like that. His weapon now separated into its gun-chuck mode, Sun leapt back and began swinging them at Leonidas, unloading more Dust rounds at him. The bullets made contact, but the most they did was explode harmlessly against Leonidas' armor or singe his mane a bit, a deep growl elictiting from his throat as he raised Stalwart up.

"…Oh no." Neptune muttered as Leonidas began to activate his weapon.

" _Oh yes!"_ Animo encouraged. _"Pay attention boys, because I made a few small upgrades to Stalwart in preparation for this…"_

On cue, Leonidas began combining Dust types with his weapon, first summoning a large flame with the use of Fire Dust before switching to the Lightning Dust setting, the electricity surrounding the ball of fire instantly. What came next was quite shocking to the boys as Stalwart switched to the Ice Dust setting… and completely encasing the electrified flame within a huge sphere of ice, the red flame and yellow lightning glowing brilliantly within the ice sphere. "…What the hell is—"

_FWOOSH_! Sun was cut off when Leonidas switched Stalwart to the Wind Dust setting, summoning a strong gust to send the ice-encased flame and lightning straight at the duo, making impact with them in an instant. The pain was quite the odd mix of sensations. First came the biting cold of the ice, then the burn of the fire, and finally the shock of the lightning, all while they got blown away by the wind. One thing was for sure though…

"GAAAH!" Both boys fell to the ground and their weapons clattered against the pavement, the two gritting their teeth as they fought through the pain. Neptune was up first, holding a hand over his stomach as he looked Sun in the eye. "Hah… okay." He spoke between breaths. "Now… at exactly… what point… did we lose control here?"

"Honestly, I don't think we've EVER been in control with this fight." Sun admitted as he slowly stood up, seeing that the attack had left behind a huge cloud of steam around them.

" _Indeed not, boys!"_ Animo reaffirmed. _"My mutations are quite tired of your team's interference… so they have stepped up their game substantially to take you down."_ Through the steam, they two could see Leonidas making his way toward them, his blank eyes staring right through them. _"And, with Leonidas under my direct control, his strength and fighting skills make for quite the display."_ Leonidas stopped about five feet away the two, both of them staring fearfully into his blank eyes. _"Tell me, boys… have you ever heard of Sparta?"_

"N-No, why—" _THWACK_! "AGH!" Without warning, Leonidas suddenly sprinted forward and delivered a powerful pump kick at Neptune's chest, sending him flying backward. Sun attempted to catch him, but the speed that his partner was going only meant that he was sent careening back as well. The two landed in a heap as Animo began laughing up a storm.

" _AH-HAHAHAHA! Oh, I do so LOVE my work."_ Leonidas drew his sword again as Animo gave one more order. _"Finish them off, Leonidas, then go on to the rest of those children."_

Sun and Neptune, with determination etched onto their faces, picked up their weapons and stood up once more. They strode toward the approaching the lion man, shouting at him as they did; "Professor, PLEASE!" Sun called out to the former man, hoping to somehow get through to him. "You have to remember who you are!" The lion mutant growled, but made no immediate attempt to attack them, narrowing his eyes as he came to a sudden stop.

"This seriously isn't you!" Neptune added. "You're not a violent lion mutant, you're a huntsman. Sure, you aren't exactly brave, but somewhere deep down, you have a strong will. You HAVE to fight whatever he has over you!" He placed a hand over his chest, making Leonidas focus onto him. "You have to remember who you are! Remember who WE are! Sun and Neptune, remember?!"

Leonidas began to snarl… but then, a large amount of pain began piercing through his skull, a low bellow escaping his throat as he stumbled and fell to one knee. He clutched his head with one hand while Animo began to shout in disbelief. _"W-What?! No! This is impossible!"_

Sun and Neptune stared at what was once their former teacher as the mutant's eyes began to clear, a pair of golden-brown orbs appearing instead. "S-Sun? Neptune?" The armored lion man started to stand up, but quickly took a knew again as the pain began to shoot through his mind once more, making him roar in agony. "GRAH! W-What is happening?!"

"Professor!" Neptune shouted as he made to run forward, only to be held back by his partner. "Huh?! Dude?! What're you doing?!"

"Being smart." Sun answered before pointing at the still struggling Lionheart as he fought for control. "Lionheart might be fighting back, but he's still REALLY dangerous. Plus, Animo could be trying to retake control. We gotta be smart about how we do this." Sun went back to Lionheart, who was still clutching his head. "Professor, what's he doing to control you?! There has to be a way we can free you!"

Breathing hard, Lionheart moved his eyes up to his former pupil and tried to answer. "It… it's the—AAAAAGH!" All of a sudden, a bright light began shining from the crown at the top of his head, making the mutant shoot his head back as the pain returned. However, that soon came to an end as his eyes glazed over, completely white once again.

" _Ah, there, that's better."_ Animo sighed. _"Now, if there will be no more hiccups, I believe we were about to put an end to your lives, correct?"_

Sun furrowed his brow as he put Ruyi Jingu Bang back together. "It's the crown."

"Definitely the crown." Neptune concurred. "Only question is… how do we get close enough to destroy it? I don't think we're good enough shots to break it without seriously hurting him…"

"No, you're right on that one. So, here's what we do instead; we keep trying to get through to Lionheart." Sun explained. "If we keep telling him to fight Animo's control, we should see SOME kind of opening pop up sooner or later. But until then, we'll have to keep fighting." He nudged his head toward Leonidas. "Think you can distract him while I get in some hits and a few encouraging words?"

Neptune nodded without a second thought. "You bet. Don't worry, professor! We're gonna get you outta there!"

* * *

"Woah! Haha! Oh man, this is AWESOME!" Rex exclaimed as he dodged another of Silyrian's attacks, much to the scorpion creature's amusement and-or irritation. "Man, first Trifa reminds me a whole lot of Spider-Man, and now this universe has its own version of Scorpion, too!" The EVO mused to himself. "Man, what ARE the odds?"

Silyrian let out a few more clicks from his throat followed by a series of cackles, amused by the boy's spirit. "Grah-hahahaha! You have quite the energetic personality, child! I can respect that. But still…" He thrust his long tail forward, the stinger ready to stab Rex square in the chest. "I'm afraid that my queen still wishes you all DEAD! AHAHA!"

At the very last second, though, Rex activated his Block Party, the stinger being unable to pierce the energy shields. "Yeah, not happenin', Scorpy." Rex smirked before shoving the tail back, switching up his Block Party for his Funchucks on the fly. "As cool as your new mutant form is, I'm afraid I'll have to squash you like the insect you look like."

That remark seemed to personally insult Silyrian, the mutant giving an indigent clicking scoff. "Grah! You imbecile! Even _I_ know that I am an arachnid-type Faunus! Or rather… I WAS! AHAHAHA!" He clenched his teeth as his bright yellow eyes glared at Rex, gleaming with a mixture of anger and glee. "Perhaps it is time I give YOU a lesson you'll never forget!" With that, he leapt forward with surprising power in his legs, his long, two toed feet giving him an extra boost.

"HA! Bring it on, mandible mouth!" Rex shouted back before jumping forward himself, bringing his Funchuck up for a big hit. He slammed his arm down onto Silyrian… only for the mutant to use his new, large pincers to catch the weapon, the hands inside of said pincers digging into the metal with his sharp claws. "Huh, nice catch… but I've still got a free hand!" With that, Rex smacked Silyrian away and pulled his other arm back, seeing that the scorpion's sharp digits managed to actually puncture the metal. "Man, whatever Animo used to mutate you guys, it must've been strong stuff!"

"Indeed!" Silyrian said as he landed in a crouch. "But even then… sometimes relying on old tricks works as well. "Silyrian reached behind him and grabbed his signature weapons, The Queen's Servants, with his "normal" hands, holding them inside of his pincers. The pincers clicked twice as he aimed his weapons at Rex before shouting; "Like so!", letting loose a barrage of bullets afterward.

Rex used his Funchucks to block the initial onslaught of weapon fire, but found that Silyrian was quick to get on the move. The scorpion sprinted to his left, which Rex responded with shifting back to only one of his Block Party's to defend himself. "Okay, I've been meaning to ask…" The EVO spoke up. "Just HOW do your hands work? I mean, I get the inner set, but the pincers? Are they like a second SET of hands over your ACTUAL hands or do they have a mind of their own?"

"I like to think of them as something akin to my tail… organic weapons attached to my body!" A manic grin overtook Silyrian's features as he suddenly thrust himself at Rex again, closing his right pincer up into a large point over his hand as his eyes changed from gold to bright violet. "LIKE SO! HEHEHE!"

But the moment he got in close, Rex shifted his Block Party for his Smack Hand and punched Silyrian away, though the mutant simply landed again and resumed his barrage against the EVO. "Man, you do NOT give up easily." Rex commented before a smirk came to his face. "Okay then, how about THIS?!" He retracted his Funchuck and Smack Hand while dodging the incoming bullets, rolling along the ground before activating his Slam Cannon. "Let's see how you like a taste of THIS, _cabrón_!" The Slam Cannon's maw took a chunk of pavement from the courtyard and loaded it up, firing it at Silyrian a split second later.

However, if anything, this only got Silyrian laughing even MORE. "AHAHA! Oh, don't mind if I do…" He aimed his tail upward and a small orifice suddenly opened at the very tip of his stinger, just as the hunk of pavement closed in. Just as the projectile was a few feet above his head, a green fluid suddenly ejected from the tip of Silyrian's tail and made impact with it… melting the large object within seconds. "Ah-ha! So, it DOES work! Animo, you truly have outdone yourself with my make-over! HAHAHA!"

Rex, however, was utterly flabbergasted by what just happened. "Uh… what the HELL?!"

"Hehehe, allow me to explain." Silyrian said with a wave of his hand. "You see, Animo used quite the unique formula for MY personal injection of mutagen." He placed a hand on his chest with pride. "As such, I am no mere scorpion mutant, boy! Animo used the DNA of the _parabuthus transvaalicus_ genus of scorpion!" He saw the blank expression on Rex's face and sighed at the boy's simple-minded understanding. "Ugh, it MEANS that I can shoot powerful toxins and acids from my tail, idiot!"

Rex hit his fist into the palm of his hand, finally getting it. "OOOOH! Okay! Man, that's pretty—wait." Rex's eyebrows furrowed in curiosity. "I knew scorpions were venomous… but ACID?!"

A sadistic grin overcame Silyrian's face. "Of course! Acid is what gives a scorpion's sting an extra KICK! I simply asked Animo to… _strengthen_ the acid a bit." He took aim at Rex and the orifice in his stinger opened up again. "Care for another demonstration?!" With that, Silyrian began squirting more acid sprays at Rex, which made the EVO begin to hop around to avoid the deadly chemical. "Ah-ha-ha! Yes! Dance, my puppet, DANCE! HAHA!"

Rex could see the pavement being melted near his feet as the acid continued to be sprayed at him, making his face pale slightly. _'Man, that IS some pretty strong stuff.'_ He reached up and lowered his goggles down, his lips pursing as he formed a plan in his head. _'But, no matter HOW powerful his abilities are, I have to stop him.'_ Rex's back began glowing blue and his Boogie Pack was built in an instant, the EVO taking to the skies. "Alright, ya poisonous sicko! If your acid is what gives you the edge…" The very next moment, his Big Fat Sword burst out of his right arm, ready to be used. "Then maybe we should give it another snip!"

Silyrian cackled as Rex began to make his approach. "Oh, you can certainly try, hero…" As Rex flew down at Silyrian, the mutant bent over backwards to avoid the sword, his tail moving up to wrap around Rex's leg as the young man continued to fly forward. "But I'm not about to let that happen EVER again! AHAHA!" Silyrian swung himself up and over so that he was high above Rex, letting go of his leg in the process. Next, he took aim and sprayed more acid at the Boogie Pack's left wing, destroying it while also making the turbine fall off.

"Oh shoot—DAH!" Rex shouted out as he made impact with the ground, his Boogie Pack falling apart. He got up and held his BFS aloft, ready to activate its Battle Saw mode. However, Silyrian was quick on the offence, stabbing his stinger into the large orange blade and squirting his acid upon impact. "GAH! Ouch! Ouch! That burns!" Rex let his BFS fall apart as he shook his hand, seething as the burning sensation lingered. "Man, what the hell even ARE you?!"

At that moment, Silyrian's eyes shifted to deep purple again as he took aim with the Queen's Savants again. "Your DOOM! With another series of cackles, Silyrian unloaded another swarm of bullets at Rex… but to the mutant's surprise, the boy's legs suddenly transformed into a large hover bike, with a large battering ram retracting from the vehicle's front as it began zooming across the battle field. Silyrian took aim with his tail again, but before he knew it, the bike hit him head on and began skidding him against the ground, his muffled cries being the only thing that could be heard.

"Yeah, I'm kinda done messing around." Rex said before seamlessly changing from his Rex Ride to his Punk Busters, slamming Silyrian underfoot before jumping up and doing it again with more force. "I may think your mutant form is totally rad, but honestly, I—WOAH!"

Much to his surprise, Silyrian stood up and tossed Rex away, the EVO managing to land on his feet. "AHAHA! Oh, you're _good_ , kid. REAL good." He crouched low to the ground and prepped himself for another great leap. "You're giving me the fight that I've been ITCHING to have for the past few days now! And once I'm done with you, I'll give Raven a taste of her OWN medicine! Heeheehee!"

Rex furrowed his brows, preparing to reengage with Tyrian once again. "Yeah, not happenin', sicko. Now… thrill me."

* * *

"GRRRAAAAAGH!" Steel Bone roared as he charged forth, slamming both of his massive fists down onto Cinder and Rojo as they came at him. Both women managed to avoid his attack, however, the duo jumping out of the way just in the nick of time. The two ladies skid across the ground on their feet before dashing forward, sprinting at Steel Bone with their blades at the ready. They made to slash at him, but the Metallikanine raised his arms up, the metal plating on them taking the brunt of the hit.

Steel Bone's eyes darted down, surprised at what he saw Cinder wearing. "Huh, well would ya look at that?" He grinned up to Cinder at the sight of her new footwear. "Seems like someone took my advice an' switched to wedges!"

"Only because it was for practicality's sake, you goon!" Cinder snapped before Steel Bone pushed both her and Rojo back. The Fall Maiden's eyes widened after seeing that not even her heated blades did any damage to the creature's armor. "You're joking! The metal isn't even heating up?!"

"What even IS this alien?!" Rojo questioned as the partners landed back on the ground. "Talk about overpowered!"

A big grin came to Steel Bone's face as she said that. "I know, right? Pretty cool, ain't it?" He clenched his hand, brandishing his claws. "After fightin' one o' these things, it's pretty awesome to get to BE one of 'em. Now…" Steel Bone let out another growl and smashed his jaws together, his teeth clanging inside his head. "Let's bust some heads!"

Cinder glared at the Metallikanine as he went down to all fours and charged at them. She then brought her blades together, the obsidian heating up so that they fused into one longer blade. "I couldn't agree more." She took the blade in one hand and raised her free one, a large ball of fire appearing in it. "Now come at us!" She shot a big stream of fire at the incoming dog alien.

"Yeah, what she said!" Rojo echoed before switching Bloodstrike into its laser rifle mode, blasting a strong, heated laser at her opponent as well.

However, much to their surprise, Steel Bone just charged right through both attacks, almost as if they didn't face him one bit. And they soon saw why. As it turned out, the alien had actually hardened all of the fur on his forehead into metal, creating a protective helmet for him to charge through the attack without problem. "Nice try, ladies!" _SLAM_! Steel Bone rammed himself into both of his opponents. "But not good enou—YEOWCH!" A burning sensation suddenly erupted on Steel Bone's right arm, his eye's widening when he saw that Cinder had actually swung her sword into his shoulder. The hit wasn't strong enough to pierce his flesh that deep, but it DID leave a noticeable burn, singeing his hair in the process. "Oh… you did NOT just do that!"

As she and Rojo were blown back, Cinder's eyes were just as wide as Steel Bone's, glancing down to her sword in surprise. "I… suppose I did." She then glanced back to Rojo, the bounty hunter cricking her neck. "I didn't even INTEND to do that. My arm just snapped forward after he hit us and the blade just struck him."

"…You know what THAT means, right, Cindy?" Rojo said with a smirk. "It means he's not as indestructible as we thought!" She raised a fist up to Cinder. "We just gotta make sure he's off guard and we can take him out!"

Cinder stared at Rojo for a good few seconds before smiling back, raising her fist up to bump it against hers. "Alright, a solid plan. Let's go for it!"

Steel Bone roared again in anger before charging at the duo. "That's somethin' that I won't even GIVE ya the chance to do!"

Rojo gave Cinder a wink. "I'll take point up front and distract him, you go toward the back and get him there."

"Right!" Cinder agreed before the duo sprinted toward their opponent.

With the flick of a switch, Rojo shifted Bloodstrike back into its blade mode, rearing it back as she made to attack Steel Bone head on. "Tennyson, you've beaten us one too many times! It's time you get a taste of your own medicine!" She swung her sword around and cleaved it downward, slamming it against Steel Bone as he brought his arms up and blocked the hit.

"Fat chance, Rojo!" Steel Bone growled. "Because guess what?! I AIN'T about to let ya ruin this whole day! This day was meant to be a celebration for the White Fang an' their new direction, a second chance for 'em to try an' fix all the wrong doin' they've done in the past!" He pushed against Rojo, though the bounty hunter stood firm. "An' fer you to just come in an' wreck the whole damn thing?! I WON'T allow that! And THAT'S the bottom line, because STEEL BONE said so—huh?" Steel Bone's nostrils flared as he sniffed the air, his enhanced sense of smell picking up… smoke? "Hey, uh, what's cookin'?"

"You." Steel Bone whipped his head around to see Cinder standing behind him, an amused smirk on her face as she waved teasingly at the hero. There was also a bit of smoke billowing up next to her, though Steel Bone didn't know where THAT was coming from. "Hello, hope you don't mind, but I was in the mood for a… _hot dog_."

"Hm?" But then, Steel Bone's eyes widened and snapped down to his tail… which was where the smoke was coming from. There was also a red-hot flame on it that was beginning to grow with each passing second. "Oh… so THAT'S what the burnin' smell is… EEEYOW!" Steel Bone shot up into the air before crashing down onto his buttocks, dragging it and his tail along the ground with his arms moving a mile a minute as dog-like whimpers escaped his throat.

All the while, Cinder and Rojo had erupted into hysteric laughter, with the Fall Maiden even tearing up a bit. "Ahaha! Oh… oh, that was SO satisfying." Cinder said as she brushed a tear away.

"Hahaha! Oh, Cindy, that was GREAT!" Rojo said as she clasped a hand to Cinder's shoulder. "Plus… did you just make a quip?"

Cinder's face flushed and she turned away from Rojo, closing her eyes while clearing her throat. "Ahem, w-well, I saw the opportunity and decided to take it. Nothing more."

Rojo threw her head back and laughed some more. "Haha! Man, if that's the case, then you should take more opportunities like that, Cindy."

"I'll think about it." Cinder shrugged before bringing her sword up again and going back Steel Bone. The Metallikanine was currently rolling across the ground, having rolled all the way over to the now semi-wrecked stage while the fire had been reduced to a mere flicker at the end of his tail. "Now come on, we have to finish this."

Rojo took hold of Bloodstrike and nodded her head. "You got it, Cindy, let's go!"

Once the fire had been put out on his tail, Steel Bone sighed in relief, though it came out with a frustrated growl at the end. He pounded his fist to the pavement in frustration. _'C'mon, man, FOCUS!'_ Steel Bone chastised himself. _'Ya gotta focus up if ya wanna beat these ladies.'_ At the sound of dual challenging screams, Steel Bone craned his head up to see his two opponents charging at them with their weapons raised, and he could see that Cinder's eyes were beginning to glow with her Maiden powers. However, Steel Bone's anger had reached a boiling point, and it was then that he decided that enough was enough. "Alright, ya wanna go?! Then let's GO!"

Rather than charging at them, though, Steel Bone began to climb up the scaffolding of the stage, much to the ladies' confusion. "Hey!" Rojo shifted her sword into its laser rifle mode again and took aim. "Get back here!" _BLAM_! She took a clean shot at Steel Bone, but he raised up one of his arms, taking the blast right on his armored forearm before continuing climbing upward. "Gah! You've gotta be kidding me!"

"Let's see how he likes THIS!" Using her maiden powers, Cinder projected a beam of ice at the scaffolding, making it slick and slippery. Sure enough, Steel Bone began to loose his grip and slip… for all of two seconds before he used his claws to regain his balance. Cinder couldn't help but narrow her gaze at that. "Alright, then, perhaps we need to take this up close and personal!" She whipped a whirlwind around her body before shooting up into the air, calling down to her partner; "Rojo, follow my lead!"

"Right with ya, Cindy!" Rojo complied before rushing after her.

Steel Bone had finally made it up to the top of the scaffolding, steadying himself on the metal grates as best he could. _'Yeah, this should make fer a good angle.'_ But it was then that he saw Cinder fly up to him, to which he gave a deadpan expression. "Oh… yeah, kinda forgot you could do that."

"Did you _seriously_ forget what happened during our fight yesterday?" Cinder asked.

"Well, no, but the point is that now this is gonna be a bit harder than I thought."

Cinder furrowed her brow at him. "What ARE you going on about—AH!" Cinder gasped as Steel Bine suddenly shot up with a big jump, bringing his fists together to bring his arms down onto Cinder.

"ARIES AXEHANDLE!" the Metallikanine roared.

Cinder grit her teeth and shot up into the air once more, rearing her blade back to strike against the dog alien's attack. The two ended up pushing against reach other, with Steel Bone's weight making Cinder falter a bit while in midair. "Gah! Urgh, I am NOT about to lose to some lowly wrestling alien!"

"Heh, too bad." With a mighty roar, Steel Bone bit into Cinder's blade and crushed it with his metal teeth, breaking it successfully. "Because ya are." With another shot to Cinder's head, Steel Bone sent her careening back down to the ground. But just as he was about to grab hold of the scaffolding again, another laser blast shot up from below him, successfully hitting him in the gut and throwing him off balance. "GRAH! Oh, COME ON!"

As Steel Bone landed head first on the pavement, Cinder found herself caught before she made impact with the stage, landing in the arms of her partner. "Cindy, you okay?" Rojo asked in concern.

Cinder's face blushed once again, this time a bit deeper than before. "Y-Yes. I am fine." Inside of her head though… _'What in the HELL is WRONG with me lately?'_ However, before either of the two women could realize what had happened, Steel Bone suddenly shot up out of the hole he had dug with his face and began climbing the scaffolding again, much to their surprise. "WHAT?!" Cinder shouted before aiming her arm up at him, preparing another blast of fire. "Get back down here!"

The Fall Maiden let loose a flurry of fire blasts, but Steel Bone performed a series of powerful leaps, avoiding it entirely while also getting to the top a lot faster. "Oh, don't worry, I ain't stayin' up here for long!" Steel Bone stood up tall and then proclaimed; "From the top rope… HALLEY'S SHOOTING STAR PRESS!" The Metallikanine jumped, bringing his legs close to his chest while performing a double back flip on his way down, crashing right into the two ladies on the stage, making some of the floorboards break in the process.

All at once, Cinder and Rojo were left dazed, confused, and in a lot of pain from being crushed underneath Steel Bone's heavy body, the latter gritting her teeth as she kept her partner close. "C-Cindy… are you okay?"

"Ugh… no, but I am alive." Cinder responded weakly before feeling something strong and muscular link with one of her arms. She was then met with the face of Steel Bone, who was growling at her with everything he had. "…Oh no."

"Oh yeah." The hero replied before swinging Cinder up and over his body, wrenching her out of Rojo's grasped and tossing her away. "ANTILLA ARM DRAG!" A scream was elicited from Cinder's throat as she was thrown away like a rag doll, bounding across the stage before sliding to a halt.

"CINDY!" Rojo screamed while glaring at Steel Bone. "Oh, you did NOT just do—wha—HEY!" Before she knew what was happening, the dog alien had put her into a front face lock, keeping her head firmly between his arm and his side. Of course, the bounty hunter immediately began struggling to free herself. "Get your paws off of me you mangey mutt!"

But Steel Bone just shook his head. "Not a chance, Rojo! Ya ever heard of Psalms an' John 3:16?!"

"W-what?! Yeah, but what does that have to do with—"

"WELL TENNYSON 3:16 SAYS I JUST WHOOPED YER ASS!" Steel Bone roared before executing his next move. "DRACO DEATH TRAP!"

Rojo furrowed her brows at that. _'Doesn't sound like any wrestling move I've ever heard… of.'_ But then, the moment that Steel Bone suddenly went for a back drop, things suddenly began to click in her head. _'Draco Death Trap… DDT.'_ Rojo closed her eyes and pressed her lips shut, preparing for impact. _'Damn, that's clever.'_

_CRASH_! With all of his weight crashing down onto the stage, Steel Bone fell directly on top of Rojo and sent both of them through the floor, breaking the floor boards like twigs. Steel Bone grinned as he stood up, raising his arms up into the air as Rojo was left to groan in pain from her place beneath him. "HAHA! Yeah, that's right! Now how'd ya like THEM app—AAAAAAH!"

Steel Bone was blown back off the stage when an arc of lightning suddenly shot directly at him, electrocuting him in one powerful shock. As he shook off the pain, his eyes widened when he saw Cinder floating toward him once again, surrounded by fluctuating energy like she had been in their fight yesterday. And he could tell that she was quite visibly angry. "…You will PAY for hurting my partner in such a manner, _beast_. And THAT is the bottom line… because _I_ say so."

Steel Bone snarled and shook his head. "Oh no, yer not stealin' MY line!" And with that, he charged back into the fray, not caring that the Maiden was now using her full abilities.

* * *

As the whole fight went on, Lisa Lavender couldn't help but be in utter awe of what she was seeing. Here she was, an everyday reporter now right in the middle of one of the greatest news stories that she could have ever imagined. These hunters-in-training, these… _teenagers_ fighting real-life supervillains. It almost seemed like something out of the pages of a comic book! There were four teens she was focused on in particular, though; the one that had transformed into the giant dog beast, the tall one who could absorb different materials, including Dust, the redhead who was creating energy projections and… casting spells? And finally, there was the spikey-haired kid who was somehow summoning giant weapons from his body. Last she checked, Semblances like those were either non-existent or hard to come by in the case of the matter absorber. Which could only mean one thing…

"Gregory… I think some of these kids might be superheroes." Lisa said with excitement in her voice.

"W-What?!" Gregory exclaimed, giving his friend an incredulous look. "That's absurd! These could easily just be their Semblances for all we—"

"Name the last time you saw a Semblance that could cast spells, build mechanical weapons out of your body or transform you from head to toe into a giant monster." Lisa quickly countered.

Gregory pursed his lips at that, but could find no way to argue against her. "…Okay, fair point. But still, what even IS going on here? It sounds like those kids know these bad guys rather well already. The… Negative Ten, I think they called themselves? Plus, where did they come from? And how are those Grimm following them?"

Lisa pointed over to him. "THAT is something that we're just gonna have to find out for ourselves… right after we make it out of this situation alive." She glanced his way and asked; "By the way, how's the footage?"

"Oh, I've been making sure to keep the action all in shot." Gregory assured. "The live feed's still goin' strong too, though I don't know for how much longer it's gonna go."

The reporter waved to him. "That's alright…" Lisa then whispered into his ear; "Besides, with all of this footage, this will most certainly be the story of the century!"

Gregory nodded at that. "Oh, no doubt. Though I gotta say, it's a pretty big miracle that no one has noticed us over here yet. Or that no one over there has gotten anywhere close to us either."

"All the more reason to stay low, then." Lisa said as she concentrated on the battle again. "Don't want to draw too much attention to ourselves… huh?" The reporter had suddenly caught sight of something; a bunch of dark clouds rolling in from the north, the overcast coming in at a surprising speed. "I… I don't remember Brice calling for clouds today… do you?"

Gregory shifted his gaze up to where Lisa was staring, a sinking feeling beginning to overtake him. "N-No…" His eyes widened when he caught sight of something else… or rather a whole BUNCH of somethings that were coming in ahead of the clouds. They appeared to be some sort of jellyfish-like Grimm… and there were a LOT of them. Instinctively, he put the camera onto them. "W-W-What the hell are THOSE things?!"

Lisa saw the creatures as well, a worried expression coming to her face. "I-I don't know but—AH!" Without warning, a single one of those jellyfish Grimm suddenly rushed past the both of them, making the duo jump in surprise. Fortunately, Gregory was able to keep his grip on the camera, but that wasn't all that reassuring as they saw the jellyfish fly over to the battle, joining its fellow creatures as they began to gather in the courtyard. "…I have a feeling that something BAD is about to happen."

* * *

Back in the Land of Darkness, Salem and the rest of her present cabal were watching through their own Seer as the storm rolled in and legion of jellyfish Grimm began to descend upon the battle, garnering both the hero's and the villain's attention immediately. "Hm, it would seem that the heroes have noticed my incoming storm." Salem said with her fingers laced in anticipation. "And the Seer swarm is now perfectly in place. Excellent."

Hazel bowed his head to his mistress. "Lady Salem, I assume that it is time for you to make your statement?"

"Indeed, Hazel." Salem affirmed as she stood up and began to walk out of the room. "The battle has certainly been entertaining, but it has gone on for long enough. Now is the time to unleash our new weapon." She gave Viktor, Watts and Hazel a brief wave before walking out. "I will be on the balcony for but a moment while I address the heroes."

Viktor lowered his head to Salem as well. "Do you wish for me to accompany you, my lady?"

"No, Viktor." Salem said with a small smile before turning away, said smile disappearing in place of a more serious expression. "This should not take long."

* * *

For Velvet, this whole fight had been unexpected right from the start. She had expected that only maybe a few troublemakers who were against the White Fang would show up to try and disrupt the conference… but their _enemies_? Here of all places? It was almost too much to comprehend. Thankfully, everyone had been quick to action, even if they were separated. She, along with her team, Team JNPR, and their other allies may have been taken away from the main fight with the Negative Ten, but they made sure to keep downing the flying Beringels that had done the separating in the first place.

However, just as she was about to deliver a strong kick to one of the flying beasts, the Beringel stopped in place and snapped its head up, allowing Velvet's kick to hit it in the chest. But the ape didn't budge, simply continuing to stand like a statue as Velvet fell to the ground. "Ow!" the bunny girl winced as she got back up, her eyes moving up to see just what the Beringel was staring at. But when she did… she sorely wished that she hadn't. "Uh… guys? What's that?"

The whole group, while also witnessing their multiple opponents stop like statues, turned to see what Velvet was asking about… and almost all of the teens' faces grew pale. _"Those… those are Seers."_ Cooper uttered.

Coco furrowed her brow. "And ya know what that means…"

Ghira craned his head over to the girl. "Uh… no, I don't think I know what it means."

"He's right, Coco." Kali concurred. "What's going on here?"

"All these Seers in one place… it could only mean one thing." Ironwood spoke up, furrowing his brow as the swarm began to gather near the stage. "It means that Salem has something to say."

A collective gasp came from Ghira and Kali while Sienna snarled at the small, floating Grimm. "Yeah, and with this many… I think she might be planning to open a portal right here in the middle of the city. Just like she did inside the White Fang castle." Her grip tightened around the handle of her whip. "Which means… we might be seeing her soon."

A collective; "WHAT?!" came the gathered voices of everyone before Jaune took it from there. "C'mon, we've gotta get over there and give those guys backup!" The whole group followed the blond knight's lead as they all made a break for their friends, who had since stopped fighting with the Negative Ten and gathered up together. Jaune's eyebrows shot up at the sight of a large, burly dog beast with metal plates in its arms and shoulders, taken aback by his presence. "W-Wait, BEN?!"

"Hm?" The Metallikanine whipped himself around to see the approaching group, all of their eyes on him. "Jaune! What the heck're you doin' here?"

"Uh… giving you backup?" Jaune answered. "What else?"

Nora gasped and zipped over to the transformed Ben and began looking him over, letting out "ooh's" and "ah's" as she examined his new form. "Ben! This alien is totally AWESOME!" She had somehow zipped up onto his back, her eyes wide and full of excitement. "Man, you are totally ROCKING Bashmouth's species!"

The transformed teen growled a bit before plucking Nora off of his back, bringing her face to face with him as he held her by her jacket. "As much as Steel Bone appreciates the compliments, now is NOT the time, Nora!" He pointed up at the gathering Seers, with one taking the center of the stage while the Negative Ten gathered around it. "If ya haven't noticed, we've got some BIG problems here!"

"He's right, Nora." Pyrrha agreed. "There will be time to gawk later. Right now, we need to focus…"

Up on the stage, Cinder was helping Rojo out of the floorboards that Steel Bone had slammed her into, a trickle of blood rolling down the bounty hunter's face. "Rojo! Are you alright?" The Fall Maiden asked in concern.

"Ugh… I think so." Rojo replied as she rubbed her head. "Man, that DDT was _smarts_."

"Well don't worry." Emerald said with a smirk while nudging her head toward the swarming Seers. "Because the second wave his here."

Rojo smirked as well at the news, stepping up to the lone Seer floating near them. "Heh, hey Boss Lady. You've got some good timing."

" _I would like to think so."_ Salem spoke through the Seer. _"Take some time to rest, Rojo. I shall address the children myself."_

Silyrian cackled and dropped to one knee, with Leonidas and the other mutants following his example. "If the queen so wishes, then so shall it be!" the scorpion clicked.

" _Very good."_ Salem said as the Seer's tentacles began to retract into its now-convulsing body. _"Now, let us truly get this show started…"_ The Seer fell to the ground and shattered, its black mist billowing up as the team of teens made it to the stage, with Ironwood, the Belladonnas, Raven, Glynda and Sienna taking point in front of them.

Vernal's lips parted in shock as she saw the form of Salem beginning to take shape from the black smoke, a feeling of utter dread filling her gut. "That… _that's_ Salem?"

Gwen grimaced as her stomach began to feel the same way that she had back on Menagerie when Salem had appeared, only just a slight bit less sick to her stomach. "Yeah… and even when she isn't here in the flesh, she STILL makes me feel ill."

The entirety of Team JNPR were nearly left speechless, with only Ren able to voice his thoughts. "She… she might be worse than I had imagined."

"That… makes two of us." Goodwitch nodded with a hard swallow. "The way that Ozpin described her… doesn't do her justice. In fact, I think he may have been _kind_ to her."

Raven narrowed her eyes. "Why doesn't THAT surprise me now?"

Team CFVY were in a similar state as Team JNPR, with the exception of Cooper and Coco who had seen her before. _"Be ready, everyone."_ Cooper advised. _"We can't be sure what she's going to do…"_

With her form now visible to everyone there, Salem sent a soft, yet sinister grin down to the heroes, her blood red gaze focusing on them as she towered over the whole group. "So, it would seem that things have come to _this_." Salem's eyes directed themselves over to what she assumed to be Ben, her brows furrowing at him slightly. "I told you, Benjamin; three strikes… and you were out. I am done giving you all chances to stay out of our business. If you truly want to fight against my will… then fine. But know that you WILL regret your decision."

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before, Salem." Steel Bone waved off, his metal teeth barred at the projections of mist. "But hey, listen, as far as I'm concerned, you've been pretty much all bark an' no bite when it comes to these here threats. An' ya know what? I'm gettin' kinda sick of it!"

"Oh? So you wish for me to actually back up my threats?" Salem questioned.

"You're damn right, we do!" Rex challenged, much to many of his friend's chagrin. "Bring it on, we're not afraid of you!"

"Robo-dolt, don't provoke her!" Weiss insisted before smacking him upside the head. "You heard what Darkstar told us, she could sick that new Grimm on us at any point she wants!"

The blonde's statement came as a bit of a surprise to the witch, her eyebrows moving up a bit. "Oh, so Michael already told you about our little pet project, hm?" Salem shrugged. "Oh well, I suppose I should have expected as much. I never took him as one who could keep silent on such matters."

Kevin wore a confident grin as he pointed at the witch. "That's right, lady, we've got your number!" He crossed his arms as he went on. "You actually think that you can create a Grimm that can completely counter Ben and the Omnitrix? Eh, well fat chance on THAT happening."

Salem blinked once before her smile returned, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. "Hmhm, oh… well then, never mind. It seems that Michael also gave you the wrong idea." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "It seems I should still give him a little bit of credit; he knows how to keep something a surprise. But even then…" Her lips turned up even more in amusement. "That's probably the ONLY credit I can give him."

Her statement made all of the villains gave off a simultaneous round of laughs, making the group of heroes grow frustrated pretty quickly. "What are you talking about, Salem?!" Gwen demanded. "What's going on here?!"

With a wave of her hand, Salem commanded all of the other Seers to fly up into the sky, the creatures stabbing their tentacles into each other's glass dome heads as they soared up into the clouds. "Ah, the young mage, Gwen Tennyson. I must say that your powers are quite unique and impressive. But compared to my own, I'm afraid you cannot compare." An amused smile then came to her face. "As for what I am referring to, it's just as I said; Michael has terribly misinformed you. I wasn't creating a Grimm to _counter_ Benjamin's aliens… at least not yet. Rather, I created a Grimm that is in the _image_ of one of his aliens… one that I am sure you will ALL recognize…" She raised her hands and snapped her fingers, commanding all of the connected Seers to explode up in the dark clouds above them.

A few seconds later, a huge vortex suddenly opened up in the sky, causing all of the clouds to swirl around. At first, what came out of the portal was your usual arrangement of Grimm; Beowolves, Ursai, Creeps, and even a dozen or so Nevermore. However, what came out last was something that no one could have EVER expected to see that day. The teens all stared dumbfoundedly at the object as it slowly lowered feet first through the portal… and promptly fell like a brick the rest of the way down to the ground. The group were astonished by the new Grimm in front of them… because it was Humungousaur. A corrupted, twisted, seventy-foot Vaxasaurian Grimm that towered over everyone else, its purple eyes glowering down at them.

"B-B-Ben?" Yang stuttered in while the Metallikanine was still in a state of utter disbelief. The Blonde Brawler saw this and quickly put her smaller hand in his large, furry one, giving as much reassurance to her boyfriend as she possibly could. "Y-You're seeing what _I'm_ seeing, right?"

"It's… it's Humungousaur!" Ruby shouted, still stunned by what was in front of her.

"Correction, Little Red!" Rojo said with a raised hand as a few of her fellow Negative Ten membered continued laugh at the heroes' shock. "This… is the _Grimmungousaur_!"

All at once, the beast let out a powerful; _**GYAAAOOOOOOON!**_ The roar was so powerful that it managed to knock a few of the heroes, and even some of the villains, off of their feet, while leaving many others quaking in their boots. "…And it looks and sounds like Godzilla." Sun muttered. "…Great."

"This is NOT sensational." Penny jumped in.

Steel Bone clenched his teeth as the realization dawned on him, glaring at Salem all the while. "So… THAT'S what ya did with the life energy ya sapped from me! You used it to create yer OWN Humungousaur!"

"Indeed, Benjamin." Salem confirmed as she gestured up to the seventy-foot behemoth and declared; "This Grimm will be the first of many I create in the visage of your aliens. With it and many others, I will bring humanity to its knees! For it is… my instrument of destruction!"

* * *

**A/N: Well folks, it's the moment you've ALL been waiting for! The Grimmungousaur has finally been unleashed! How will our heroes deal with having this giant-sized behemoth to deal with? Well… we'll just have to find out, now won't we? But yeah, this chapter was mostly a fight scene between the team and the Negative Ten, one that pretty much came to a stalemate. Plus, there were a few more character bits in between, such as Mercury venting about his father, Lionheart's situation, and Cinder and Rojo's growing repartee with each other. And of course, Lisa Lavender and her camera man are hiding out and broadcasting this whole thing across multiple TV news stations. Can't wait to see how all THAT turns out.**

**And HELLO new alien! That's right, ya didn't think I'd forget that Ben scanned Bashmouth, right? Well, meet his new transformation; STEEL BONE! I wanted a name that fit the "Stone Cold" theme while still relating to dogs and metal, so I thought Steel Bone would work since the phrase "cold steel" is a thing. If Bashmouth was heel Steve Austin from the 2000's, then Steel Bone is Attitude Era Steve Austin. And THAT'S the bottom line, because—aw, you know the rest!**

**But anyway, NEXT TIME! The fight continues as Ben takes on the Grimmungousaur… though the new Grimm's arsenal proves to be quite stunning to everyone there. Can our heroes beat back this new threat… or will an underhanded trick from the Negative Ten's resident scorpion prove to be their undoing? Thanks for reading everyone, and I'll see you all next time! Stay safe out there!**


	110. Instruments of Destruction

**A/N: Hey there everyone! Welcome back to your regularly scheduled chapter! Okay, so we've got ourselves quite the doozy with this one. I suppose there's no point in wasting our time here, so let's get going, shall we? Because in this chapter…**

_**Flying tools of torment… will penetrate the sphere,** _

_**Erupt the rock of ages, bringing final fear…** _

**Chapter 110: Instruments of Destruction**

* * *

Confusion. That was the only thing that reporter Lisa Lavender could feel at the moment as she watched the scene in the courtyard unfold. Once those jellyfish Grimm had gathered up near the stage, all of the fighting had stopped, the winged Beringels standing still like statues. The young Hunters in training had all gathered together with the four superheroes while the supervillains took to the stage, both to help their comrade… and to greet who Lisa could only assume was their leader. One of those jellyfish Grimm had suddenly retracted its tentacles into its body and shattered against the stage, allowing the black mist inside of it to form into a large woman with bleach white skin and hair, her red and black eyes glaring down at the heroes as she stood over them.

"If that doesn't constitute "leader" material, then I don't know what does." Lisa murmured to herself before leaning down toward Gregory. "…Are you still getting all of this?"

"Every… single… second." Gregory confirmed. "Who the heck IS that woman?"

"I don't know." Lisa answered before briefly glancing back to the large woman, her very visage making the reporter shutter. "Ugh, but she gives me the creeps just looking at her." She cleared her throat and had Gregory bring the camera to her for a brief moment. "Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you're paying attention, because I think we may just be witnessing the true leader of this group of villains making her presence known. And whoever she is… I believe that she may just have a connection to the Grimm."

Gregory put the camera back to the two groups before noticing that the rest of the jellyfish Grimm were flying up into the dark cloud cover overhead, linking together while stabbing themselves in the head. "W-What's going on NOW?!"

The duo didn't have to wait long before their answer literally exploded above them, the clouds beginning to spin as a huge vortex opened up in the sky above. From there, it started raining Grimm, the beasts landing all around the area around City Hall. But then… the big one came. A giant Grimm that was unlike any that either of them had ever seen before. It appeared to be some sort of giant, lizard-like beast with large serrated teeth and large horns on the top of its head and its cheeks. There were three large rows of white dorsal plates going down its spine and going all the way to the tip of its tail, which had a big club with two spikes jutting out either side. Once it landed with a mighty _**THOOM**_ , the heroes gawked at the creature while the redheaded leader of the Negative Ten presented the creature as a "Grimmungousaur".

Lisa couldn't help but raise a brow at that. _'I probably would've workshopped that name a bit more, but alrigh—'_ _ **GYAAAOOOOOOON!**_ "GAH!" Lisa clenched her teeth and covered her ears as the creature gave out a loud, earsplitting roar, making both her and Gregory fall to their knees. Once the roar had stopped, Lisa collected herself and breathed hard… though she couldn't help but laugh at the same time. "Haha! Oh, THIS is gonna make quite the story on the six o'clock news!" She noticed that Gregory was practically shaking in his boots, which made her nudge the camera man's shoulders. "Greg, stay calm. You know that the Grimm can sense fear, right?"

"I-I know, but… that thing is a godless killing machine, Lisa!" Gregory whispered harshly. "We have to get out of here, NOW!"

"What?! And miss out on all this action?!" Lisa challenged.

"We already have some great footage for the station." Gregory insisted. "If we leave now, we have less of a chance of getting—" _CRASH!_ The duo's eyes widened when they heard something land directly next to them, making their faces fall in fear. They craned their heads over their shoulders and they immediately grew pale at the sight of a large Nevermore having landed next to them, the creature's blood red gaze boring into them.

"…Gregory." Lisa muttered. "Whatever you do… I want you to remain calm—"

"AAAAAAAAAAH!"

Lisa sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose as the giant corvid cawed back in response to Gregory's high-pitched scream. "You're hopeless"

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAAH!"

Steel Bone's ears perked up at the sound of someone screaming, as did Blake's, Kali's, Sienna's and Velvet's. The five whipped their heads around, with the other heroes following their lead, to see something that made the Metallikanine's eyes bug out in shock. There were two people in a nearby alleyway, both having been cornered by a Nevermore. They were in danger, yes, and he was concerned for their well-being, yes… but the sight of two objects immediately raised the Omnitrix bearer's concern. The woman was holding a microphone, and the man was holding a news camera. Upon a second glance at her face, the hero realized that it was indeed news reporter Lisa Lavender.

…And they had seen _everything_.

"Hm, my, my. Isn't THIS a happy little surprise?" Everyone whipped their head back to Salem to see that she was also focused on the small news crew, and the rest of her forces were all wearing similarly wicked grins. "It seems the news media has made quite the discovery today, Benjamin." She lowered her head down so that she was eye to eye with him. "It seems that our conflict… and your secret, have been revealed to the world."

Steel Bone growled at Salem before spinning around toward a certain EVO and robot girl. "REX! PENNY!"

"On it!" The two exclaimed simultaneously, with Rex activating his Boogie Pack and Smack Hands while Penny brought out her Air Heart Jetpack. The duo jetted forward and Penny scooped up Gregory in her arms, the man letting out a yelp in surprise as she flew him off to a safe distance.

Meanwhile, Rex slammed his Smack Hands into the Nevermore's face, making them rotate rapidly with each punch he delivered. "Sorry, Polly, but reporters are NOT on the menu!" Quick as a flash, Rex exchanged his Smack Hands for his Big Fat Sword, the blade bursting out of his arm and right through the bird's chest, killing it instantly. With that done, Rex put his sword away and quickly scooped Lisa Lavender up as well, the woman giving out a yelp of her own. "C'mon, _dama violeta_ , you're coming with me!"

"W-Wait!" Lisa shouted in protest. "What's going on?!"

"I'll, uh… explain later." Rex muttered. "For now, we need to get you AWAY from all this!"

As they watched Rex and Penny carry the two reporters off, the team was still reeling from what they had just realized; their secret was probably out at that point. Lisa and her cameraman had probably been there since the battle started, meaning that they had seen Ben transform. It was also pretty obvious that they had seen Salem arrive as well, and the fact that it was all still probably streaming on live television… there was no getting around it. The press would surely want answers after all of this was over.

"Darn it!" Ruby stomped her foot in frustration. "And we were doing SO good to keep this secret over the past three weeks!"

"…What do we do now?" Blake asked.

Weiss shook her head in disbelief. "I… I'm not exactly sure."

Yang saw that her boyfriend's fists were shaking, though she couldn't tell if it was in anger or not. She reached out and steadied them with hers. "…Green Boy? Are you okay?"

"…It's all my fault." the Metallikanine replied. "If I had just paid better attention when those reporters were all leavin', this probably never woulda happened." He barred his teeth and whipped his head back up, focusing on Salem and the Grimmungousaur. "But we'll have to deal with that later! Right now, we've got bigger problems to deal with."

Salem nodded at that. "Indeed, you do." She pressed her fingertips together and bowed her head toward the group of heroes. "But nevertheless, I do hope you have fun with my latest creation… because I _know_ that it will have fun with _you_." She snapped her fingers as the black mist that made up her projected form began to dissipate, though she did not disappear before giving one final order; "DESTROY THEM!"

_**GYAOON!**_ The Grimmungousaur raised both of its massive fists over its head and brought them crashing down toward the heroes and their allies, forcing them all to jump away. However, the impact of the fists also sent up a whole slew of debris from the pavement, which struck at the team in all sorts of different places. Once they all landed, many of them were battered, but still able to stand, though they were all visibly rattled at the same time.

"God damn!" Neptune shouted, seeing the huge hole it left in the pavement. "It did all that with just one hit?!"

"That is anything BUT good." Jaune said with a pale face, his eyes scanning around for his team. It wasn't long until he found them, with Pyrrha kneeling near a huge pile of rubble while Ren and Nora were perched atop it, both of them facing the Grimmungousaur as it rose up to its full height. The blond knight went over and put a hand to Pyrrha's shoulder. "You alright, Pyr."

The Invincible Girl nodded as she converted her xiphos into its javelin mode. "Yes, Jaune, I am fine…" She sent a determined gaze up to the huge Grimm before standing up and reeling her arm back, ready to throw her weapon. "But right now, I think what we should truly be worrying about is THIS thing!" With a strong throw aided by a shot from its handle, Pyrrha sent Milo flying straight at the Grimmungousaur… only for the weapon to bounce harmlessly off of the creature's chest. Team JNPR stared blankly in shock as the weapon rebounded and stuck itself into the ground near Pyrrha's feet. "…Well, now we know how thick its armor is."

Nora furrowed her brow and tossed her hammer up into the air, the weapon shifting into its grenade launcher form. "Oh yeah?! Well let's see it take all of THIS!" The front of her weapon opened up and fired all six of her loaded grenades at once, the bombs flying straight for the dinosaur-like Grimm. They all made impact at the same time and the creature stepped back a bit, digging its feet into the ground. Once all of the pink smoke cleared away… it was revealed that there was only a few scratches on the Grimmungousaur's chest, making Nora's jaw drop to the ground.

"…Nora, I think our weapons might not have that much of an effect on it." Ren stated.

Kevin stepped up and clenched his icy fist. "Probably not… but I think I know something that might." The Osmosian ran forward and whispered; "Please work.", before slamming if fist into the pavement, causing a huge wave of ice shards to suddenly spring forth from the ground. The huge spikey pillars of ice jutted forward and toward the Grimmungousaur, though the beast managed to catch the tip of the one that would strike it. However, Kevin then took this opportunity to run up the icy pillars and strike the Grimm across the face with his ice bludgeon, making its head reel away at the strike. "Haha! I was right!" …But then, the dinosaur Grimm moved its head back up to face Kevin, its purple eyes glowing with anger. "…Oh, that might not have been the wise CHOICE!"

As he suspected, Kevin was smacked by the beast and sent tumbling down the wave of ice, the Osmosian rolling into a large pile of rubble back-first. "KEVIN!" Gwen sprinted over as her boyfriend went back to his normal self, the ice falling away from his arms. She reached down and cupped his face with her hands. "Are you okay?"

"Ugh, maybe." Kevin rubbed his head. "But I've got a feeling that we might need our heaviest hitters for this thing."

"Already on it!" Weiss announced as she stabbed Myrtenaster into the ground, bringing forth a summoning glyph to bring forth her Arma Gigas. The giant suit of armor emerged from its glyph and brought its sword out, giving its master a salute. Weiss pointed at the Grimmungousaur and stated; " _That_ is your target! Go!"

Without wasting any time, the Arma Gigas sped off, running its way up the huge wave of ice to jump right onto the Grimmungousaur's head. It performed a front flip while moving its arm in an arc, its sword slicing through the horn at the tip of the creature's nose. The Grimm roared in rage as the Arma Gigas caught hold of the beast's head, keeping a firm grip as the beast lurched around and swung its head rapidly. Using one hand, the living armor made to plunge its sword into an exposed part of the Grimm's neck, but the beast's hand managed to knock the Arma Gigas down, sending it falling seventy feet down to the earth below.

It was able to land, however, and was about to make a second attempt to fight the beast… only to be met with the same hand from before coming down upon it. Fortunately, it was able to raise its sword and stab the Grimmungousaur's exposed palm, making it roar in pain before a deep, guttural growl escaped its throat. With that, the beast spun around with a surprising burst of speed and WHAPPED its tail right into the Arma Gigas, sending it flying backward and straight through a small building, making it dissipate when it fell through the other side.

Weiss was rendered speechless, a small whimper being the only thing to escape her throat after witnessing what had just happened. Ruby, however, was much more vocal. "Are you KIDDING me?! It was able to throw the Arma Gigas like it was an _action figure_?!"

Blake's ears moved downward as she shrunk into Sun's chest, the two holding hands to comfort one another. "W-What do we do?! We can't possibly beat that thing!"

"Maybe not you guys…" Everyone's attention was drawn to Steel Bone, the Metallikanine still standing near his girlfriend. "But _I_ probably can."

The whole group stared at him before Ilia broke the silence. "Ben… are you sure? I mean, I have no doubt you probably know how to fight a Humungousaur the best, but… this is no ordinary Humungousaur."

"I know… but still, I'm probably the only one other than Rex and Penny who stands a chance against that thing. Besides…" He craned his head around to see all of the Beowolves, winged Beringels, and a whole lot of other Grimm beginning to swarm around the city. "There's a LOT more Grimm that need to be taken care of." He scanned around the area, noticing the absence of ten certain individuals. "Ugh, an' we've got ANOTHER problem. The Negative Ten are all gone."

"Crap!" Sun exclaimed. "We gotta find them before they cause even MORE trouble!"

"He's right." Ironwood spoke up, both he and Goodwitch having stepped to the front of the group. "I think we should split into two groups. I will lead a team where our primary focus will be making sure that people are safe, and to do that, we need to start picking off the smaller Grimm." He craned his head over to Goodwitch. "And Glynda, if you could lead a search group to find the Negative Ten—"

Glynda nodded without hesitation. "Of course. Team CFVY, Cooper, and Team SN, you'll all be with me on this. Everyone else, fan out and start working on the Grimm."

Coco and her team all gave signs of approval, the fashionista lowering her glasses at her teacher. "Will do, prof. We're all over it!"

"Professor Goodwitch." Ghira spoke up, with Sienna and Kali right by his side. "Allow us to join you. We gave a pledge to start defending the innocent people of this world, and I believe there's no better place to start than here and now."

Sienna gave her comrade a nod. "Agreed…" She glanced over to Kali with a grin. "I suppose this could be considered the White Fang's first defense operation, right?"

"Indeed." Kali concurred before noticing the nervous expression on her daughter's face. She reached over and put a hand to Blake's shoulder. "And don't worry, if anything bad happens, we'll be sure to call for back up."

"…Well, alright." Blake replied before pointing at her parents. "But I'll hold you to that."

Steel Bone put his hands to his hips, nodding in approval. "Sounds good to me. Alright, people, let's get this train movin'!" He then craned his head down to Yang and held both of her smaller hands in his. "Hey, could ya maybe send Rex an' Penny my way when ya see 'em, Goldie Locks? I'll need all the help I can get."

"Will do, Green Boy." Yang nodded before giving him a kiss on his furry cheek. "Good luck—gah!" The Blonde Brawler stuck her tongue out, revealing a few thick black hairs. "Ew! Hair ball!" Yang wiped her tongue clean as a chuckle escaped Steel Bone's mouth, making her glare playfully at him. "Yeah, yeah, har-har. Yuck it up, mister." She rolled her eyes before bringing him into a hug. "Just make sure ya don't die on me, okay?"

"Heh, I don't intend to." Steel Bone assured. He let go of her hands and she went over with the rest of her team… only to see Raven making her way over toward the Metallikanine. "…Raven? What're you—"

"What does it look like, Ben?" Raven interrupted as her Maiden powers sprang to life. "I'm going to help you out."

The hero and Yang both furrowed their brows at this, wondering if the Spring Maiden was serious about this. "Raven… you sure about this?" Steel Bone asked. "I mean, look at that thing." He gestured over to the Grimmungousaur, which had just wrecked its way through the stage and about to move onto city hall. "That thing could probably kill ya!"

"Which is why I won't LET it." Raven assured. "I'll be sure to use my Maiden powers from a distance, alright? But the point stands that you WILL be needing help in order to take that thing down."

Gwen and Kevin were quick to step up as well. "We're staying, too. I don't care HOW powerful your aliens are, you WILL need back up." The Anodite's brows furrowed at her cousin, challenging him on her decision. "Am I clear, Benjamin Kirby Tennyson?"

Steel Bone pursed his lips in frustration, a small growl escaping his throat at the use of his middle name before sighing, shaking his head. "Oh, alright, fine. You can come an' help." He pointed a finger right at the three. "But at the first sign o' trouble, you guys gotta get outta there. Am I clear? I ain't about to get my friends, family OR girlfriend's mom killed!"

"Yeah, yeah, we get it ya big softy." Kevin said with an eye roll.

"I understand." Raven nodded before turning back to her daughter, sending her a small smile. "I WILL be okay, dear. I promise."

Yang was silent a few moments before sighing herself, relenting to her mother's wishes. "…You'd better be, mom." She directed her gaze over to Gwen. "And if something happens, you'll come get us, right?" Gwen responded with a single nod, and with that, Yang spun right back around and continued toward her team, though not before Raven called out to her protégé.

"Vernal! Keep close to Yang and Team RWBY!" The tribe leader requested. "Make sure they have plenty of back-up against those Grimm!"

The lady bandit gave Raven a salute and a grin, running faster to catch up with the group. "Will do, Raven. And like they said, be careful!"

"Of course." Raven set her sights back to Steel Bone, the Metallikanine's glare trained directly onto the Grimmungousaur. "…Are you ready?"

Steel Bone sighed again and nodded his head. "As ready as I'll ever be. Let's do this!" He belted out a loud roar, garnering the large beast's attention. "Hey, copycat! Guess what time it is?!" The hero got onto all fours and charged at the creature, with Raven, Gwen and Kevin all in line next to him. "It's Hero Time, ya big lump! And THAT'S the bottom line, because STEEL BONE said so!"

Raven deadpanned at the announcement. "How many catchphrases do you have again?"

* * *

Meanwhile, in a back alley not too far away, the Negative Ten had silently slipped away from the battle, hiding and watching as the Grimmungousaur continued its rampage. Rojo, Cinder, Hog, Skull and Tyrian were all laughing maniacally while the others settled for sinister smirks, watching as the mighty Grimm continued to destroy the stage they were once on. "Haha! Oh man, I can't believe this all worked so well!" Rojo laughed before seeing Steel Bone and Raven begin charging at the monster, taking her by surprise. "Huh, color me impressed. Those guys are ACTUALLY going for it."

"Heh, their funeral." Mercury scoffed. "That thing has to be almost indestructible!"

Subdora pursed her lips at that. "Hm… key word being; almost." Next to her, Neo nodded her head in agreement. "How do we know that those blasted _eroi_ won't be able to _beat_ the Grimmungousaur? What happens if it somehow fails?"

" _You let ME worry about that, Subdora."_ Salem said as another Seer floated down to the group, with everyone's attention focusing onto it. _"For now, you all should focus on the mission at hand. Phase one has been completed, and now it is time for phase two."_

Cinder bowed her head toward the Seer. "Of course, Lady Salem. And we are ready to execute the next phase as we speak. Divide… and conquer."

" _Very good. You all know your groups, so I suggest you be ready for when the heroes come searching for you."_ The Negative Ten collectively nodded before going off into separate groups, with Rojo, Cinder, Emerald, Mercury and Neo going off into theirs while Hog, Skull, Leonidas and Subdora went in the opposite direction. Silyrian was about to join the animalistic group before feeling a soft tug on his tail, making him stop. _"Except for you, Tyrian. I have a special assignment for you."_

The scorpion mutant's yellow eyes widened and he fell to one knee, bowing his head while placing his right pincer over his heart. "Oh, my queen, of course! I live to serve and make you happy! What is it that you wish?"

The Seer lowered itself down so that it was level with Silyrian's face. _"I wish for you to keep an eye on Tennyson's battle with the Grimmungousaur."_ Salem answered. _"And, when the opportunity presents itself, I want you… to make sure that Tennyson loses this fight. By any means necessary. Am I clear?"_

A mischievous cackle escaped Silyrian's throat before he threw his head back, his laugh loud and proud. "GAH-HAHAHAA! Rest assured, my queen, I will be sure to give Tennyson the WORST defeat he could possibly imagine!" The scorpion mutant brandished his tail, the stinger already dripping with poisonous purple liquid. "It doesn't matter IF his watch can save him, it will run out of power eventually. After all… _everybody dies_! AHAHAHA!"

* * *

Back in the Land of Darkness, Watts, Hazel and Viktor were keeping their eyes trained on the Seer in the middle of the table, watching as the battle continued to unfold. A single chuckle was elicited from Doctor Watts' throat as he observed the starting fight between Tennyson, Raven, and the Grimmungousaur, the beast bellowing as the duo closed in. "Hm, it would seem that things are all going according to plan, are they not?"

"Indeed so." Viktor concurred, seeing that Silyrian was waiting on standby. "And if I am correct, then Tennyson shall soon be brought down to his knees."

" _Maybe_." Hazel stressed before placing a single hand to his hip. "But what if the Omnitrix manages to keep up with Tyrian's venom? What then?"

Watts was quick to wave the notion off. "I wouldn't worry about that. The poison within Tyrian's system spreads quite fast. And even if the Omnitrix IS able to save Tennyson, the venom will leave a lingering ill feeling inside his system for a good while after it's been cleared. I doubt he will be feeling one-hundred percent instantly, and by then, the Negative Ten will already be making their way up to Beacon."

Hazel pursed his lips at that. "Hmph, you and Animo have certainly thought of everything." It was at that moment when Salem reentered the room, with all three of the men giving her a bow of respect. "Lady Salem, we just saw what happened in Vale. It seems you've given the heroes quite the shock."

"I like to think so, Hazel." Salem said as she took her seat once again, lacing her hands together on the table. "Now the REAL show can truly begin."

Viktor nodded in approval. "Indeed. Now that the Grimmungousaur is on the move, the city of Vale shall be leveled without much trouble." He furrowed his brow back to the fight between Steel Bone and the giant Grimm. "Provided it can succeed in its fight with Tennyson."

"An excellent point, one that I feel I must echo." Watts concurred before bowing toward Salem. "Forgive me if I am overstepping, my lady, but as Subdora said… what happens should the Grimmungousaur fails?"

Salem raised a hand up to him, a small, yet sinister smile forming on her face. "Worry not, doctor. I have a back-up plan that is currently on the move toward Vale as we speak."

This made the trio of men blink in surprise, wondering just what she was talking about. "Um… a back-up plan… that is on the move, my lady?" Viktor asked.

"Correct, Viktor. Observe;" Salem waved her hand over the Seer in front of her and a puff of black smoke billowed inside of its head before changing to a different perspective. Rather than seeing the fight at Vale City Hall, the quartet were instead bearing witness to… the ocean floor?

"A sea bed?" Watts asked as he Seer in the ocean began to move, kicking up sand as it began swimming upward. "I'm not sure I understand."

"Patience, Arthur." Salem urged. "Watch and see for yourself."

For the first few moments, they saw nothing. However, through the briny deep, a gigantic, black figure suddenly appeared, swimming through the ocean currents and into view. Rapidly, the creature began to draw closer and closer toward the Seer… before opening its massive jaws and belting out a roar that was slightly muffled by the water. But still, they could hear it just fine as it passed by the Seer, proceeding on its way toward Vale. Hazel and Watts were left in shock while Viktor and Salem simply kept their focus on the Seer. "W-W-What WAS that?!" Watts exclaimed.

Salem let out a small chuckle and closed her eyes. "That, good doctor, is what I would like to call… a contingency plan. An aquatic Grimm that is even larger than the Grimmungousaur itself. It is still about an hour or so away from Vale, but when it arrives… it and the Grimmungousaur WILL level the city." She pressed her fingers together eagerly. "There is absolutely no fathomable way that the heroes can defeat BOTH of those creatures at once."

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the city of Vale, Penny was landing on the secluded roof top of a building that was safely away from all of the action, setting Gregory down as gently as she could. She had to admit, though, she had to fight the urge to drop him after he screamed in her ear all the way there. _'Is this what is known as the human emotion of "annoyance"?'_ She furrowed her brow and stopped her foot, garnering his attention and finally getting him to stop screaming. "SIR! You are SAFE now!"

Gregory's eyes snapped open, having blanked out for a second before whipping his head in different directions. "Who—what—where?!" He placed a hand to his chest and sighed in relief. "Oh… oh thank god, I'm alive!"

"Yes, and you nearly blew out my auditory receptors all the way here." Penny stated as she stuck her pinkie in her ear to try and drown out the ringing. "Thank you, for that." She couldn't help but grin internally. _'Ooh, now I believe I am getting the hang of "sarcasm"!'_

Gregory blinked a couple times before bowing his head to her. "Oh, uh… sorry about that." But it was then that he realized something. "W-Wait…" he picked his camera back up, made sure it was still rolling, and then aimed it right at Penny. "Did you FLY us all the way up here on that massive jetpack!?"

Penny's eyebrows shot up after realizing that her Air Heart jetpack was still activated, to which she immediately put it away and let out a nervous laugh… or her best interpretation of one. "Ha-Ha! I do not know what you are talking about, sir! I am just an ordinary—"

"Hold on! You… you're the girl who got sliced up at the Vytal Festival!" Gregory realized. "You're the ROBOT!"

' _Drat.'_ Penny thought to herself before poking her finger tips together. "Um… w-well, I, uh…"

"No use in denying it now, Penny!" The two whipped their heads up just in time to see Rex come flying down on his Boogie Pack, the EVO carrying the still shaken Lisa Lavender in his arms. He gently set her down before pulling his wings back into his body, much to the reporter's shock. "Honestly, at this point, we're ALL in the spot light now."

Penny sighed and nodded sadly. "Yes, I suppose you are correct."

The moment that Lisa was set on the roof of the building, though, she began whipping her head around, stunned after what she had just experienced. "W-W-What in the WORLD did I just—" It was then that her gaze landed on Rex and she went over to him, giving him an intense stare. "You! You're the boy who can summon weapons from his body!" she exclaimed as Gregory put the camera onto _him_ now.

Rex, wide-eyed and with no clue how to respond, settled for a simple; "Uh… yeah."

Lisa snapped her head around and pointed to Penny, her stare still present. "And you! You ARE the android from the Vytal Tournament! How are you alive?!"

"…I was rebuilt." Penny answered simply. "How else?"

The reporter deadpanned at that. "Alright, I suppose that question _was_ fairly obvious." She then went back to Rex. "But you!" She put her microphone right up to his face. "You have powers unlike any this world has ever seen. No Semblance is able to do what your powers can do. Please, I'm sure the world would like to know."

Rex was silent for another few moments before raising his hand, activating his nanites to make multiple blue lines appear on his glove. "…Would you believe they're caused by tiny nano-machines that've fused with me on a cellular level?"

Lisa blinked at that before going back to her camera, a wide grin on her face. "You heard it hear first, ladies and gentleman! A young man with microscopic machines within his system just saved my life!"

Rex rubbed the back of his head nervously as he peered into the camera. "Heh, w-well it's really no big. Saving people is kinda what I do."

"I see… so you ARE a superhero, then!" Lisa said excitedly. "Oh, this is VERY exhilarating. Tell me, what connection do you have with the other teenagers who helped fight off those Grimm and the Negative Ten?"

"They are our friends, actually." Penny answered, the camera moving over to her. "In fact, we—AH!" She let out a gasp, her hands going up to her cheeks. "Oh no, Rex! We need to get back to the battle! We left them in the middle of a swarm of Grimm!"

"Gah, shoot!" Rex smacked his forehead. "Yeah, you're right." He craned his head around focused onto Lisa again. "Sorry, but we're gonna have to cut this interview short. There are lives that we need to protect."

The reporter's eyes widened and she nodded her head immediately. "Oh, yes, of course. But before you go, there is one last thing I would like answered." She furrowed her brows a bit and asked; "…Who was that woman who came out of that jellyfish Grimm in the smoke? What part does SHE play in all of this?"

Rex and Penny glanced to each other before the former sighed. _'Sorry, Ben, but at this point, the secret's pretty much out.'_ He steeled himself and answered. "Her name is Salem. She's a witch who's the leader of these bad guys… and she's basically got total control over the Grimm, too. She's pretty much responsible for the attack on Vale and Beacon, and her aim is to take over the world… and it's our job to stop her." With that, Rex's legs began to glow and his Sky Slyder was built, taking him off the ground and up into the air. "Now, I suggest you guys get goin' fast. Because let me tell ya, things are gonna get bad REAL quick."

Penny followed his lead and brought out her jet pack again, taking to the skies. "Indeed. Evacuate to the safest location you can find. This will certainly get messy."

Lisa pursed her lips in thought before nodding to the duo. "Of course. Good luck, heroes." She received a smile from Rex and Penny before the two flew off back to the battle, leaving Lisa and Gregory alone on the roof top.

"That was… insane." Gregory uttered. "I-I mean, heroes, villains, a witch who has control of ALL the Grimm?! …If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I probably wouldn't have ever believed it!"

"Neither would I, Gregory." Lisa sighed as she took this information in. "But it would seem our world might not be as peaceful as we once thought it was." With a determined face, she went over to the roof access door and opened it, ushering Gregory to follow her. "Come on, we need to get out of here."

Greg nodded and immediately followed her. "Right. Let's head back to the station and—"

"Get a news helicopter." Lisa finished, much to Gregory's surprise. "We're going to need it."

"WHAT?!"

* * *

Rex and Penny were flying side-by-side through the air, intent of finding and joining their comrades in the battle before they heard a rather familiar voice call down to them from below. "HEY GUYS!" The duo shifted their gaze downward to see none other than Yang waving them down, with the rest of Team RWBY, Team JNPR, Vernal, Ilia and General Ironwood all in a big group. There were also multiple Grimm surrounding them on the ground, though the sight of the bodies dissipating was a sure sign that they had all been killed by the group moments before. "Glad we found ya!"

"Rex, we're down here!" Weiss called up as well.

The EVO smiled and shouted back; "Ice Princess!" The duo descended and put away their builds, with Rex going up to put his hands on Weiss' shoulders. "Are you guys okay? What're you doing all the way out here?"

"Working on saving people and driving these Grimm back, obviously." Weiss said with a smirk. "And what about you? Did you get Lisa Lavender and her camera guy to safety?"

"Indeed!" Penny saluted. "We managed to get the reporters to away safely!"

Ironwood gave them a nod. "Very good…" He wore a serious face when he asked a follow up question. "Now… how much did they see?"

Rex and Penny gave each other another nervous glance before Rex answered the general, closing his eyes regrettably. "They saw… pretty much everything, General Ironwood. Ben transforming, my builds, Salem's appearance, everything." He opened his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "I think it's safe to say that our secret is out. The reporter even asked me who Salem was and what her stake was in all of this."

There was a long pause before Ironwood continued. "…I see. And did you answer her?"

"Well… yeah."

"Rex, seriously?!" Jaune exclaimed. "You didn't try to at least DODGE the question?"

"I had a camera on me, dude!" Rex countered. "What was I supposed to do, LIE to the rest of the world?! At this point, the secret's out, man." The two young men locked eyes for a short while before Rex sighed and shook his head. "Besides, I didn't tell them EVERYTHING. I told them that Salem was the leader of the bad guys and that she had a connection to the Grimm. Nothing about the whole Ozpin situation or the relics."

There was another brief silence before Ironwood sighed as well. "I see. As much as I want to worry about all of that now, I'm afraid that we have more important things to do right now."

"Right." Ruby said before stepping up to the EVO. "Rex, you and Penny need to get back to City Hall on the double."

"Yeah, Ben, Gwen, Kevin and Raven are fighting the Grimmungousaur all by themselves." Blake added. "You guys are probably the only others who stand a chance of actually damaging that thing, so you need to get moving."

Penny gave another salute. "Understood! We will do our best!"

"Good." Yang nodded before approaching Rex and giving him a nudge. "Hey, make sure that Green Boy doesn't get in over his head, okay?"

"Heh, will do." Rex smirked. "But then again, remember who you're talking to." _SMACK!_ "OW!" Rex winced as he was suddenly smacked upside the head, whirling around to see who had done it… only to see Weiss standing next to him. Her expression was a little hard to read, seemingly perturbed while also worried and a bit scared at the same time.

The heiress kept her arms crossed as she addressed him. "Listen, Robo-dolt… don't YOU get in over your head either. I tried to use my Arma Gigas against that thing and only managed to do a little bit of damage." She stepped forward and took a hold of his arm. "Just… be careful, alright?'

Rex smiled and, much to Weiss' surprise, pulled her into a hug. "I will. And don't worry, I'll be fine."

'… _You'd better.'_ Weiss thought to herself as she inadvertently snuggled into Rex's chest.

"Um, everyone?" Ren spoke up, garnering the group's attention as he pointed down the street. "We've got a second wave coming!" The others whipped their heads around to see another horde of incoming Grimm, the beasts charging straight toward them.

Nora spun her hammer around and popped some muscles in her neck. "Bring 'em on! We'll take 'em down!"

Weiss gripped Rex's arm and pulled out of the embrace. "Go, we'll cover you."

"Right, you got it." Rex nodded before his Sky Slyder rebuilt itself, with Penny doing the same with her jetpack. "Alright, Pen, let's—" _BLAM_! "WOAH!" Rex weaved out of the way of a massive energy blast that would have hit his head, the EVO's eyes widening as the laser had just clipped off a few strands of his hair. "Hey! Watch the hair!"

The others whirled toward the opposite direction, and immediately scowled when their thoughts were confirmed. Exo-Skull, Thunderhog, Subdora and Leonidas were standing side-by-side, the villains gazing at them with insidious smirks on their faces. Or, in Leonidas' case, a sharp-toothed snarl. Rhino mutant was in a particularly good mood as his laser horn prepared to fire once again. "Oh, I'm afraid you all won't be going anywhere."

"Exo-Skull!" Pyrrha shouted. "Are you all REALLY giving us this NOW?!"

Hog gave her a shrug. "What can we say? An ambush just seemed like the perfect way to overwhelm you rotten squirts." He pulled his Thunder Mace out and readied himself for battle once again. "Now… where were we before Salem shoved the Grimmungousaur in Tennyson's face?"

Yang clenched her teeth, just barely able to keep her anger down as the pig mutant taunted them. "Oh, I am SO over this."

"Indeed." Ironwood agreed as he stepped forward, raising his arm up to the group. "Which is why I will take care of this."

This earned a scoff from Vernal. "Pft, not without back up, you're not." The lady bandit stepped forward and scowled at the quintet of villains. "Besides, it's time I get back at these idiots for kidnapping me."

Subdora sent her a condescending smile. "Oh… is the "Spring Maiden" upset? Well, I would _surely_ like a demonstration of your "great power", dear girl! Oh wait, that's right, you cannot! Ahahaha!"

Vernal narrowed her eyes as the Merlinisapien brought up what she said to them the other day. "Oh… NOW you're gonna get it." She craned her head back toward the Hooded Huntress and Blonde Brawler. "Ruby, Yang, you, your team and Team JNPR head back and take care of the Grimm. We'll stay here and hold off these clowns."

"I'll take a piece of that action!" Ilia spoke up, coming forward with her Lightning Lash at the ready. "I still owe these freaks for their part in Menagerie, too!"

Ruby was quick to protest that, though. "B-But, there's four of them and three of you! Let one of us hang back and help you!"

"Yeah, in fact, let ME at 'em!" Nora exclaimed through clenched teeth. "I owe them BIG time after what they did yesterday!"

Ironwood was about address Jaune's suggestion, but Rex beat him to it. "Way ahead of ya, Jaune." The EVO shot his gaze over to the redheaded android beside him. "Penny, you stay here and help the others. I'll handle giving Ben and Raven the backup they need." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Weiss about to argue against that, but he quickly put his sights on her as well. "And yes, Ice Princess, I know what I'm doing. Trust me, you're gonna need Penny here a LOT more." He sent both girls a reassuring smile. "Like I said; I'll be fine. I promise."

The two girls glanced to each other and then back at Rex, with Penny sighing slightly in frustration. "Very well, I will comply with your wishes." Her jet pack deactivated and she brought out her Block Busters instead, joining Ironwood, Ilia and Vernal down below. "But if you need any assistance—"

"I'll make sure you guys know." Rex saluted as he flew higher into the air. "Let's regroup as soon as you guys're done here, 'kay?!"

Weiss nodded up to him. "Right, we will!" With that, Rex flew off, leaving the ten teens, Vernal and Ironwood to fend off the incoming threats. "Alright, guys… let's do this."

Blake raised Gambol Shroud and nodded. "For Ben and Rex."

Yang rotated her shoulder, loosening it up as Team RWBY and Team JNPR all lined up to intercept the incoming Grimm horde. "Took the words right outta my mouth, partner. LET'S GO!" With a shot from her Ember Celica, Yang took off like a rocket, with Ruby and Weiss using their respective Semblences to keep up while Blake simply kept up on foot. Jaune and Pyrrha charged in with their respective shields and blades raised while Ren leapt up and dove into the Grimm horde, slicing at them with Stormflower as he did. And of course, Nora literally rode her hammer into battle, propelling herself into the air with it before slamming it down onto a large group of the dark beasts.

As he watched the eight teens charge into battle, Ironwood sighed and muttered; "Good luck." before going back to his opponent… which just so happened to be Leonidas. This made the general chuckle a little, though not in an amused way. "Hmph, seems like we just can't stop fighting, can we, Leo?"

" _Leo is not home!"_ Everyone's eyes shot up to see that the Mistralian airship had moved overhead, allowing Animo to keep an eye on his latest creation. _"But indeed, you two DO have a score to settle… and Leonidas has been ITCHING to get back at you!"_ As he said that, the lion mutant pulled out his sword and belted out a loud roar at Ironwood, baring his teeth at the general.

Ironwood closed his eyes, steeling his resolve for the battle ahead. "So, it's come down to this." His robotic right hand began to shift and transform, his energy axe emerging from his wrist. "Alright, team, let's do this!" With that, the two quartets charged at each other, with Subdora closing in on Vernal while Penny and Ilia went to Hog and Skull respectively. However, just as they were about to meet in the middle, the rhino and warthog suddenly dove at each other's opponents, taking both girls off guard as they were tackled straight to the ground. Ironwood bore witness to this as he and Leonidas clashed, their respective blades grinding against one another and kicking up sparks. "Ugh, really? What kind of underhanded move is THAT?!"

" _A rather smart one, really."_ Animo commented off-handedly. _"Those two were constantly finding themselves out matched due to being outwitted."_ As he spoke, Leonidas and Ironwood continued to trade blows, their weapons clanging and sparking against each other with every hit. _"Recently, however, they found that if they can outwit their opponents before THEY do, then they will have the upper hand! Speaking of outwitting…"_ Leonidas sent a powerful kick to Ironwood's midsection, taking the general off guard as he was sent to the street. _"It would do you well to pay attention, general. Otherwise, something like THAT could happen!"_ Leonidas jogged over to Ironwood and brought his sword above his head, getting ready to strike the final blow. _"And now, you will pay dearly for it!"_

However, Ironwood belted out a yell and shot up just as Leonidas was about to bring his sword down, bringing his right arm up in a clean arc. "Not… a… CHANCE!" With one swing of his axe, Ironwood managed to slice right through Leonidas' sword, cutting the blade off so that it fell into the pavement below.

Leonidas didn't have time to react before Ironwood punched him in his feline face with his human hand, making the mutant stumble back. _"Hm, alright, very impressive! But still, you forget that his shield is a weapon as well! Now, Leonidas!"_ At the doctor's order, Leonidas activated Stalwart and created a large rock, infusing it with fire and electricity before launching it straight at Ironwood.

However, the general was quick to pull out Due Process with his free hand and shoot the large boulder right out of the hair, making it explode the moment it was shot. "Oh trust me, I didn't forget."

Not far away from the general and lion mutant, Vernal was busying herself by pressing the advantage against Subdora. She was swinging her Ver Laminae blades quite ferociously at the Merlinisapien, who was using her Queen's Ransom machete to counter the hits… but only just barely. "You are SO going to pay for what you did to me!" Vernal cried vengefully.

Subdora was surprised by such vocabulary. " _Mio Dio_! That does not sound like something that a true hero would say! Are you sure you are allied with the right people?"

Vernal narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, I am. But you forget one thing…" She performed a backflip and kicked Subdora in the face, sending the chameleon alien stumbling back. "I'm no hero." With that proclamation, Vernal threw her Ver Laminae at Subdora, the circular blades spinning as they flew through the air. However, Subdora ran forward and slid across the ground on her knees, ducking under the blades as they came her way. As her weapons came back to her like boomerangs, Vernal couldn't help but scoff as she caught them. "Psh, seriously?" She took aim and shot a bright yellow laser at Subdora, to which the Merlinisapian jumped up, slapping her tail upon the ground to give her some extra height as she dodged.

"Oh, very much so!" Subdora said with a mischievous smirk. "And now… I vanish!" True to her word, Subdora was gone, leaving a very frustrated Vernal to herself.

"Don't think I'll fall for that a second time." Vernal said as she concentrated herself, closing her eyes while keeping her ears sharp for any stray noises. Fortunately, it didn't take her long before she heard quick footsteps coming up from behind her, a smirk coming to her face as she spun around and threw one of her Ver Laminae in that direction. Sure enough, the blade made contact and hit Subdora, making her cry out in pain as she became visible again. Vernal caught her blade on the rebound as Subdora clutched her shoulder in pain. "Hmph, don't think I'll let you take the easy way out." Vernal chastised with a toothy grin.

"You _CAGNA_!" Subdora snapped before taking out her Queen's Ransom again, the golden weapon now in its blaster mode. "You will PAY for doing that!" She began blasting at the lady bandit, but Vernal practically danced around the blasts, flipping and spinning away from the lasers that came her way.

During one of these midair spins, Vernal spread her arms out and began firing her weapons again, the lasers arcing around her as she spun. As she had hoped, the attack forced Subdora to fall back to avoid it, making the bandit smirk as she landed. "Yeah, not likely."

Meanwhile, Ilia and Penny were dealing with their own problems. Ilia had initially gone up against Skull because she knew her Lighting Lash would be able to slice through most of his weaponry if it proved to be a problem. And Penny had chosen to fight Thunderhog because she had a feeling that she could overwhelm him with her strength. However, before they could engage their opponents, the mutated duo had switched things up at the last possible second, forcing Penny and Ilia to fight each other's opponents. Penny was currently pushing her Block Busters back as hard as she could against Exo-Skull, the two having locked up upon impact.

"Ugh! Just what IS your plan with this, Exo-Skull?" The android asked.

"Ha! That's easy!" Skull laughed as he activated his jet thrusters. "To make sure that WE don't get beat up no more!"

Penny kept her stance firm as she felt herself getting pushed back, the rhino's added momentum proving to be quite the advantage. "Perhaps, but there IS one thing that you did not take into account!"

Skull furrowed his brows. "An' what would that—BE?!" All of a sudden, Penny lowered herself while moving her Block Busters backwards, tossing Exo-Skull straight over her head. This, combined with his thrusters, made his impact with the pavement even worse, creating a small crater where he landed face-first. "…Ouch." he muffled before pulling his head out, spinning around as he took his mini-gun off of his back. "Of course, you realize… THIS means WAR!"

All at once, Skull began shooting directly at Penny, the android letting out an; "EEP!" before switching her Block Busters for her jetpack again, flying up over head to try and avoid the incoming fire. _'I certainly hope that Ilia is having an easier time than I am…'_

Just a couple yards away, Ilia was SERIOUSLY getting frustrated. _'He is NOT making this easy for me.'_ she commented in her head. As she had suspected, Hog and Skull had switched things up with them so that Hog could better handle Ilia's lightning-based weapon while Skull matched Penny's power. _'And it's already annoying the SHIT out of me.'_

Hog, however, was having a grand old time. No matter how Ilia attacked him, all he had to do was raise his mace and the lightning would be absorbed into it. It was almost TOO easy. "Haha! What's the matter, girly? Runnin' outta tricks?" He set a hand to his visor. "Here, let me show ya one of MINE!" The mutant began rapid-firing purple eye beams at her, which she had to quickly dodge and run from.

However, instead of running AWAY from Hog, she dodged the lasers while running toward him instead. "Like I'm gonna let your own tricks stop me!" Much to Hog's surprise, Ilia dove down through his legs and stood up behind him, delivering a strong whip to his back with her Lightning Lash.

"GAH!" Hog cried out as the bladed whip struck him, sucking in a sharp breath of air as he could feel new clean cut through his jacket and shirt. His thick hide made sure the gash wasn't too deep, but it still stung pretty bad. "Oh, you did NOT just do that!" He swung his mace around and smashed it down right toward her head, but Ilia jumped right out of the way before it could cave in her skull.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I did." Ilia pointed her lash at Hog and narrowed her eyes. "Want some more, pig boy? Then come and get it!"

* * *

As that battle went on, Teams RWBY and JNPR were busying themselves by taking out the horde of Grimm… with some enjoying the experience more than others. "Haha! Now THIS is more my speed!" Nora exclaimed before hitting another Grimm with her hammer, caving it its skull. "And here I was thinking our last days here in Remnant were gonna be DULL!"

"Yep!" Ruby agreed as she sliced through a couple Beowolves with her scythe. "But let's keep focused! We need to make sure no innocent people get hurt!" Nearby, Ruby saw that Weiss had created another Summoning glyph, this time bringing forth the Queen Lancer to impale multiple different types of Grimm with its huge stinger. Ruby glanced over to her partner and gave her a thumbs up. "Nice!"

As he cleaved Crocea Mors through an Ursa's head, Jaune couldn't help but reminisce about a few certain events. "Man, this is seriously the THIRD time that the Grimm have invaded Vale this year! How the hell is this city so unlucky?!"

"I'm not too sure." Pyrrha admitted before throwing her javelin through a Creep's skull, making it fall to the street before retrieving her weapon and stabbing it in the back for good measure. "I simply hope we can stop all of this before things get even MORE out of hand!"

Yang belted out a battle cry as she sent an upper cut right into the jaw of a flying Beringel before hoisting herself up over its shoulders. She took a firm hold of its wings before slamming her boots right onto its back, pulling the wings off as a result. The beast made to reach around and grab at her, but she took both of its arms and flipped back around to its front, pulling both appendages out of their sockets. The beast roared in pain, but it wouldn't be for long. Yang sent a powerful kick to its gut, forcing it to bend forward so that she could grab it by the neck and give it a firm twist. Its body fell limp to the floor before dissipating into smoke, dead upon impact. "Well… we can't… let that happen!" the Blonde Brawler said in between breaths.

Across from her, Blake had just froze a Boarbatusk in place by using one of her freezing shadow clones, the pig Grimm unable to move as she stabbed it right in its stomach. However, as she glanced over to the battle that was happening between Ironwood, Vernal, Ilia, Penny, and the animalistic bad guys, she realized something rather important. "Wait… if the mutants are _here_ … then that means that Goodwitch's group could end up meeting with…"

The fighting paused for a brief moment as the others let that fact sink in. "Oh… that is VERY bad." Ren stated.

* * *

"Out of ALL the people we could get stuck with—GAH!" Sun shouted out as a certain red energy blade was being stabbed at him, forcing him to stumble back to avoid getting hit. He spun his Ruyi Jingu Bang around and narrowed his eyes at his and Neptune's opponent. "We just HAD to meet up with THESE guys."

Across from them, Rojo smirked as she held Bloodstrike in each hand, having separated the large blade into its two individual blade forms. "Yeah, just your rotten luck, eh Monkey boy?" She made a "come at me" gesture with two fingers. "Now c'mon, I'm itchin' to get a good fight, and you two will make GREAT punching bags!" With a righteous battle cry, Rojo surged forward and swung her blades at Sun and Neptune, making the two counter her blow with strikes of their own. This continued on for a while before Rojo got in a kick to Sun's stomach, forcing him back while she lunged at Neptune full force. The blue-haired boy let out a shout before swinging his guandao at her for a counter, but the redheaded woman brought her blades together at the last second, blocking the hit with her full energy sword. With her smirk growing, she pressed herself up against him, getting right in his face. "Aw, what's the matter, little boy? Afraid to dance with a big gal like me?"

Neptune shrunk his head back a little. "Okay, I know I'm usually the flirty type, but sorry to say, I don't think that can be applied here. Because I'll be frank; you scare the shit out of me!"

"Aw, thanks for the compliment." Rojo winked. "But I'm afraid flattery won't get ya far with me."

"That's fine, because I think my pal over there can show you a good time anyway." Neptune grinned.

"W-Wait, what—gah!" A powerful kick suddenly struck Rojo in the back, sending her stumbling away from Neptune. She collected herself before gritting her teeth at her assailant; Sun Wukong. The young blond had a mischievous smile on his face, one that bugged Rojo to no end. "Oh… you think that was FUNNY, monkey boy?!"

Sun just gave a shrug. "Eh, not my best work…" He separated his bo staff into their gunchuck mode, swinging them around quickly as he readied for his next onslaught of attacks. "But I think I can come up with a pretty good punchline."

Rojo furrowed her brow while separating Bloodstrike again, unamused by Sun's banter. "We'll just see about that, kid!"

Just then, a voice shouted out from behind her. "Rojo!" The bounty hunter craned her head around to see Emerald and Mercury coming her way, the duo ready for battle. "Hang on, we'll help you—" _BAM_! "GAH!" The partners shouted out in surprise as something large and heavy impacted the ground in front of them, causing them not just to be blown back, but for large sections of the pavement to be sent flying up as well. The two landed on their feet, crouching as they skid back a few feet before looking up to see who had attacked them. Emerald wore an annoyed expression as she saw herself reflected in a pair of sunglasses. "Oh… it _you_."

"Damn straight." Coco nodded as Yatsuhashi stood up, shouldering Fulcrum after picking it up from the ground. The fashionista glared at the two before stating; "Time for round two, assholes."

Yatsu glowered at the duo as well. "And this time, we will win."

"Ha!" Mercury guffawed, throwing his head back. "Yeah, right. We beat you idiots in the Vytal Tournament, so what'll be the big difference here?" However, a metallic CLANG from behind them alerted both he and Emerald to another presence, their heads slowly turning around to see none other than Cooper in his Centurion Armor, his arms crossed as his blue visor bore into them.

" _That's easy."_ Cooper said before his thigh armor opened up, allowing him to retrieve his laser rifle. The gun attached to his right hand and he pointed it down at them, the weapon glowing brightly as it readied to fire. _"Me."_ **BLAM**! A powerful laser shot out of the barrel and blasted in between Emerald and Mercury, the resulting explosion sending them flying into the air. Cooper jumped up and punched both of them toward Coco and Yatsu, calling out; _"Guys, NOW!"_

Coco sprinted forward and shouted back; "Gotcha, Tech Head!" The leader of Team CFVY jumped up and swung her handbag right at Mercury, socking him in the gut before bringing it back and slamming him over the head with it, sending him careening toward the ground. Yatsu, meanwhile, ran forward and delivered another punch toward Emerald, making her fly backward straight toward Mercury.

Mercury was able to land on his feet just fine, if a little shaken from getting slammed over the head. But the moment he saw Emerald come flying at him, his eyes widened and he instinctively raised his arms. Not to block her, but to catch her. He jumped up and grabbed Emerald, holding her bridal style while she winced in pain. Mercury looked down to her face in concern. "Em! You okay?"

"Ugh, I think so." Emerald groaned. "That bastard has a mean right… hook." It was only then did she realize the position she was in, a bit of a blush coming to her face. "Oh, and uh… thanks for catching me."

Mercury also realized what was going on and blushed as well, quickly setting her down to her feet. "O-Oh, yeah. No problem."

"Hey, love birds!" The sound of Coco's taunt quickly snapped the two out of it, and just in time as well. The fashionista had just activated Gianduja's rotary cannon form, taking aim without hesitation. "Think fast!" With that, she began unloading her ammo right at the duo, forcing them to separate into different directions in order to avoid the incoming fire. While Coco kept her concentration on Mercury as he ran, she glanced over to her teammate. "Yatsu, take greenie over there. Tech Head and I will handle the emo."

"Understood." Yatsu nodded before charging toward Emerald, bringing Fulcrum down for a powerful hit. However, Emerald was just able to jump out of the way of the massive sword, bringing out her Thief's Respite in her sickle mode before launching the chains out of them. They wrapped around Fulcrum's blade and, using the momentum of her fall, Emerald yanked the blade out of the ground and off to the side, forcing Yatsu to stumble in order to keep his grip. "Hey!"

In the blink of an eye, Emerald switched her Thief's Respite into their gun modes and took aim at Yatsu. "Hey yourself, big man." She opened fired on the tall swords man, getting in a few shots before Yatsu raised his large blade to block the others.

Back over with Coco and Cooper, the two were busy firing their respective weapons at Mercury, though the silver-haired assassin continued to out run the onslaught successfully. He ran up to a nearby building and began scaling it by running up its walls, grabbing onto a window sill to pull him up the rest of the way when gravity began to take effect. However, much to his surprise, he heard the weapons stop firing, making him glance back down to street level. "Hey! What the heck? Why'd you stop?!"

Coco furrowed her brows and pointed up at him. "Take a look in front of ya, asshole!"

Mercury's eyes widened and he craned his head back to the window… only to see a defenseless mother and her two children. This made him smirk. "HA! Of course! I guess all it takes to get you goodie-goods to stop ganging up on us is to put others in harm's way! Try getting me now, losers! Haha-huh?" It was then that Mercury heard something below him, almost as it metal was hitting against metal… and then he felt something pulling him down. "GAAAAAH—UGH!" He landed on the ground with a THUD and lifted his head up… to see that a metal whip was wrapped around his leg.

"Challenge accepted and beaten." Sienna said as she pulled her chain back, wearing a proud face. "Now who's the loser?" She moved her head up to the window and made eye-contact with the mother. "You may want to leave, ma'am! Things are going to get pretty—ACK!" While she wasn't looking, Mercury delivered a kick right to Sienna's face, making her stumble back in pain. With a snarl on her lips, she reiterated to the mother; "Go, NOW!" The woman hastily nodded and got her two children out of the apartment they were in, with many others evacuation the building at the same time.

Mercury went for another kick to Sienna's jaw, but the tiger woman blocked the hit with her arm before pump kicking Mercury in the stomach, making him fall back. However, the assassin was able to catch himself in his fall and backflip to a safe distance before Coco and Cooper could come over to aid Sienna. Mercury breathed hard, seething as his rage began to bubble back up. "Okay… I have OFFICIALLY had enough!" With that, he began spinning around and kicking at the air, letting lose a flurry of Dust rounds from his boots. They momentum he had gained caused the projectiles to spin around him like a whirlwind, much to Coco's irriration.

"Oh, come ON. THIS move _again_?!" The fashionista shook her head. "And here I thought he had more tricks up his sleeve."

" _Not really sure how this is even POSSIBLE, but hey, I'll roll with it."_ Cooper shrugged before speaking to the A.I. within his armor. _"VADOS, you awake?"_

The holographic display inside his helmet lit up, and with it, a familiar feminine voice greeted him. _"Salutations, Mr. Daniels!"_ VADOS greeted. _"How may I be of service?"_

" _Hehe, VADOS, we've discussed this, call me Cooper."_ The genius chuckled before noticing that the projectiles were now heading in their direction, much to his and the two ladies' dismay. _"And I could use a really helpful gadget right now!"_

" _Agreed!"_ VADOS sounded off before activating one of said gadgets _. "Raise your hands as if you are not concerned!"_

Cooper deadpanned at that before doing what she asked. _"We REALLY need to teach you human expressions."_ From the palm of his right hand, a small disk suddenly shot out and created a large, blue energy shield in front of the three, protecting them from the onslaught of Dust rounds.

"Phew, nice work, Tech Head." Coco sighed in relief before patting her boyfriend's head. "And you too, VADOS."

The A.I. was ecstatic to hear the praise. _"Oh, thank you so very much! Now, what is the next step?"_

Cooper focused on Mercury, who was slowly but surely starting to get more and more tired. _"The next step… is to take him down. But I have a feeling that won't be easy."_

Sienna pulled on her whip, ready to get into the action. "Probably not, but it's worth a try, right?!" The couple nodded to her and she faced Mercury again, charging at him with the two a split second later. "Then let's do it!"

* * *

Not far away from where Rojo, Emerald and Mercury were engaged with their own problems, a certain ice-cream colored girl was busy avoiding two more members of Team CFVY, dodging their attacks gracefully and without much difficulty. Neo had to admit, the fox and bunny were fun playmates, but he had to wrap this up fast if she wanted to join the other team and get to her REAL target; Ruby Rose. The very thought of that name made her eyes narrow in disgust. But the vengeful thoughts would have to wait for a few moments more as Velvet came at her with another strong kick, the bunny-girl having jumped up high into the air to deliver it.

However, Neo side-stepped the girl and opened her umbrella, swinging it at the brunette in order to redirect her falling form. Sure enough, Velvet landed in a heap behind Neo, letting out a small yell upon impact. "Gah! Oh, you cannot be serious!" Velvet furrowed her brow frustratingly at the girl. "How is it that you managed to avoid EVERY hit we've thrown at you?!"

Neo gave a shrug before moving around just in time to see a speeding, gauntlet-covered fist coming her way. However, the moment it connected with her face, her form shattered like glass. This, understandably, didn't go over well with the one who tried to hit her. "Oh, you've gotta be KIDDING!" Fox yelled. "That's no fair—AGH!" The blind huntsman suddenly found himself struck in the side of the head with a pink umbrella, sending him sprawling to the street.

"FOX!" Velvet stood up and started to run back to the fight… but then Neo ran right up to her as well. In the blink of an eye, the ice-cream colored girl jabbed Velvet in the gut with the handle of her umbrella, knocking the wind out of her before kneeing the girl in the face, forcing her back down. Neo smirked and was about to finish her off… before a bullet flew right past her face, surprising her a bit.

She whipped back around to see Fox, glaring at her while holding up one of his arms, his Sharp Retribution aimed right at her. "Do not… even… think about it." He said venomously. Neo quirked an eyebrow and strode forward, shouldering her umbrella as she did. It was then that Fox raised both arms, his teeth clenched. "Oh no, don't you even DARE, missy. I ain't gonna—ERK!" Before he could even react, Neo lunged forward and slung the handle of her umbrella around the back of his neck, jerking him forward so that they were face to face with one another.

This had to be the strangest predicament that Fox had ever been put in over his past two years of learning to be a huntsman. Sure, he couldn't SEE Neo, but he knew just by the proximity of her breath that they were uncomfortably close to one another. He had no idea if Neo had planned to fluster him somehow or what… but it was partially working. _"Goddamn it, Fox, FOCUS! Now is NOT the time to be turned on!"_ However, his eyes widened in realization. With his mind going a mile a minute, he hadn't been concentrating, and that stray inner thought… had been broadcast through his Semblance. Neo's eyes widened and her mouth went slack at that, all while Fox tried to cover his fumble. "Uh… l-listen, I can explain, I—GAH!"

But he never got the chance to as Neo kneed him in the stomach and slammed her umbrella over his back, forcing him down to the ground. She made to move past him, but paused for a brief moment, a smile appearing on her face before giving him a wink. However, just before Neo could walk away, she heard what sounded like a camera shutter going off behind her. The mute girl did an about face to see none other than Velvet, the girl having placed Anesidora back into its box. "So, is THAT how you wanna play, then?" She held out her hand and her weapon did its thing; creating a hard-light copy of Hush for her to use. "Well then, _en garde_!"

Neo shrugged again before bringing out Hush's hidden blade, thrusting forward to meet Velvet in the middle. The two traded blows for a good while before Neo managed to get in a sweeping kick to Velvet's legs, tripping her up. But the bunny girl managed to roll out of it and get back up on her feet, opening up her own Hush to push Neo back a bit. Velvet grinned confidently as she moved forward again, though Neo was able to keep up with the blows. "Hmph, not bad…" She then slung her own Hush's handle around Neo's neck, taking her by surprise. "But let's see how well you handle your OWN tricks!" Velvet pulled Neo in and prepared to attack… only for Neo to spin around and bring the back of her elbow into the bunny girl's face, forcing her back as she clutched her nose. "OW! …Hah, I suppose you handle your own tricks quite well."

As the two girls went toe to toe with each other, another battle between two women was occurring not too far away… though this one appeared to be much more dramatic. Cinder Fall was standing across from Glynda Goodwitch, the two women staring each other down as they readied their respective Semblances. Glynda was lifting a whole bunch of debris around her with her telekinesis while Cinder had used the collecting dust in the streets to make multiple glass shards around her in the air, an insidious grin forming on the Fall Maiden's face. "So… it has come to this… Professor Good _bitch_."

Glynda scowled at the insulting… yet familiar name. "I've had plenty of students say that under their breath about me for YEARS, Cinder. It doesn't bother me anymore. Because you know what I do?" She whipped her Disciplinarian at the Fall Maiden, her lips turned up into a snarl. "I _punish_ them for it."

"Hm, yes, very frightening." Cinder mused before creating another super-heated obsidian blade in her hand. "But you know the difference between you and I, Goodwitch?" She pointed her sword as her eyes began to glow. "We are on two completely different power scales." All at once, the glass shards around her all caught on fire before shooting directly at Goodwitch.

"Perhaps…" With another wave of her Disciplinarian, Goodwitch was able to bring up an energy shield made of Gravity Dust, making the glass shards break and bounce off harmlessly. She then focused more on her Semblance, bringing the glass shards all back together as a very menacing spear. "But this will NOT be like that night of the Dust shop robbery." She launched the spear back at Cinder, who immediately sliced it in half with her sword.

"Oh… so you've finally figured THAT one out, eh?" Cinder said with a mocking smirk.

"I've known for quite a while now." Glynda sneered. "Since the Battle for Beacon, actually. And now…" She whipped her riding crop again, making the debris around her fly directly toward the Fall Maiden. "You shall pay for THAT as well!"

Cinder scoffed and rolled her eyes. " _Brilliant_ detective work." Cinder ran forward and began jumping through the debris, leaping along the rubble as she made her way to Goodwitch with her sword at the ready. "But that will NOT be enough to save you!"

Glynda narrowed her eyes at the proclamation. "Perhaps not… but this might." Using her Semblance, she brought the debris flying back toward her to create a large wall in front of her which Cinder ended up slicing through instead. However, once the younger woman had made it through to the other side, Goodwitch was gone, much to her surprise.

"What?!" Cinder exclaimed. "What is—AH!" She gasped before noticing that the debris around her was forming back up into a large, jagged boulder, one that placed itself directly above her head.

Behind her, Goodwitch smirked as she slammed the boulder down upon the Maiden, satisfied at the girl's punishment. "And THAT was for the "Goodbitch" remark." However, before anything else could happen, the boulder began to crack down the middle, a molten magma seeping from it before it burst out into several, fiery hot pieces that shot out in different directions. Goodwitch created another Gravity Dust shield in front of her, successfully protecting her. But by the end of it all, she saw Cinder standing in the middle of a melted crater in the middle of the street, glaring at Goodwitch with all that she had.

But oddly enough, Cinder then closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and calmed down. "You know… a few days ago, I would have been furious at what you just did to me." She opened her eyes as her Maiden powers sprang back to life. "But you know what? I've found plenty of better ways to handle my anger… such as…" She lifted her hand and all of the molten sludge at her feet began to rise up, forming into a large orb of magma. At first, she made it appear like she would throw it at Goodwitch, but at the last second, she spun around and tossed the super-headed ball at one of the nearby buildings, making part of it crumble and fall… right toward a group of three innocent children. They, along with a few others, had been running from all of the fighting. But when they saw what was falling toward them, they all couldn't help but freeze in shock and fear.

"NO!" Glynda was about to wave her riding crop to stop the falling rubble, but Cinder stepped in and kicked her right in the face, sending her to the ground. From her place there, Glynda could only watch in horror as the three children…

…Were miraculously saved by a diving tackle from Ghira, the panther man diving in at the nick of time to save them all. He rolled across the sidewalk with all three of them in his grasp, sitting up in a crouch while taking in deep breaths. The kids all stared at him with surprised faces as he asked; "Are you kids alright?" They responded with either nods or meek "uh-huh's", obviously still shaken from the experience. "Good, glad to hear it."

"MY BABIES!" Ghira raised his head up to see who he assumed to be the parents of said children running toward them, pushing through the crowd of retreating people to get to them. The mother, who was in tears, embraced them immediately. "Did you three even LISTEN to what we told you?! I said to stay CLOSE to us and hold our hands!"

The father sighed in relief before nodding to Ghira. "Thank you very much for saving my children, sir, I appreciate… it." The man's face as well as those of his wife and kids all grew pale as their eyes focused on something behind Ghira, making the panther man spin around, just in time to see a large Beowolf leap up and pounce at him.

However, before the beast could attack him, a Dust round suddenly shot directly through the Beowolf's abdomen, making it lose its momentum in the air and allowing Ghira to catch it. He then snapped its neck, killing it instantly. His head craned around to see none other than his wife, a confident grin on her face as she twirled her flintlock pistol in her hand. "You may want to pay closer attention, dear." Kali said before turning toward the family. "It's not safe here, you people need to evacuate, NOW." The family of five instantly agreed and high-tailed it out of there as quick as their legs could carry them. Kali approached her husband as both trained their sights on Cinder Fall, with Goodwitch standing up as well. "Now… where were we?"

"Well, I was about to teach this girl a lesson she would never forget." Glynda stated while glaring at Cinder. "Now, be a good girl and start listening to the grown-ups."

"I'm _TWENTY_!" Cinder retaliated while blasting a huge stream of fire at the three, forcing them to dodge out of the way. "Your wit and banter are one thing, but to talk about me as if I'm a mere child is just insulting!" She took another calming breath before creating another sword in her hand. "But it doesn't matter. Because soon, you will ALL feel my wrath."

Ghira landed next to his wife, his breath steady as he focused on Cinder. "Hm, yep, she will definitely need a time out."

* * *

While the forces of good and evil clashed all throughout the city, two do-gooders in particular were currently attempting to bring one the largest of evil creatures down as it continued to rampage. Ben, the young hero still transformed into Steel Bone, was currently scaling the Grimmongousaur's back, holding on as it jerked and jostled around in an attempt to thrown him off. Bit the Metallikanine wasn't about to let go, keeping his metallic claws deep within the large Grimm's dark, muscley flesh. As he climbed, he found that he WAS able to pierce the beast's while, boney armor… but it was still so thick that he couldn't get far down into it. So, he settled to just keep on climbing and head right up to its cranium. _'Hopefully I can find a weak spot up there—'_

"GAH!" Another strong jostle managed for force Steel Bone to let go of his hold, but he managed to grab onto one of the big dorsal plates instead. He sighed before shouting out to his backup; "GUYS! I thought you were 'sposed to be HELPIN' me!"

"Don't take that tone of voice with ME, young man!" Raven chastised as she ran a bit closer to the Grimmungousaur, focusing on its gigantic feet as her Maiden powers activated. "I'm doing what I can!" She raised her arms and, in an instant, a beam of sheer cold energy came blasting out of her hands, freezing the giant's left legs from its knee down. Raven altered her course and then froze the right leg, successfully freezing the Grimmungousaur in place on the ground. "GWEN! You're turn!"

Not far from her, Gwen shouted out; " _Adfishio Potentia_!", once again summoning a bunch of long, energy tendrils that wrapped themselves around the monster's limbs. Kevin, having absorbed the pavement again, came up from behind her and wrapped his arms around her, keeping her in place. But even with all of these factors, Gwen knew the beast wouldn't be held down for long. "Ben, now's your chance!"

"Alright, I'm on it!" Steel Bone grit his teeth and pulled himself up, balancing on the dorsal plate before leaping up to the next one. Using this momentum, Steel Bone kept jumping from plat to plate until he finally made it to the base of the creature's neck. "Ah-ha! There we go!" With one final, powerful leap, Steel Bone flew up and balled his hand into a fist, the fur over it hardening into a metal gauntlet. "Here goes nothin'! **METALLIKANINE SMASH**!" Steel Bone slammed his hand into the exposed spot as hard as he could… and while it did manage to make the creature roar in pain, it didn't leave any visible wound, much to his chagrin. "Aw, C'MON! Are ya kiddin' me?!"

But he didn't have long to voice his complaints before the Grimmungousaur jerked itself around again, throwing its head back and forth to get Steel Bone off its neck. Unfortunately, the dog alien wasn't prepared and was literally thrown head over heels over the creature's head. But that didn't stop him from digging his claws into the creature's face and leaving two rows of scratch marks in its white, skull-like head. The Grimmungousaur winced and bellowed again, now VERY annoyed that it was being attacked in such a manner.

"HA! That's right, dino-breath! I ain't done with you yet!" Steel Bone pulled himself up and jumped right at the beast's eye, reeling his fist back again. "Let's see how ya like—D'OH!" Before he could make contact, though, Steel Bone was sent sailing by way of the Grimmungousaur swatting him like a fly, sending the Metallikanine hurtling toward the ground.

…And Raven was standing right where he was falling. The Fall Maiden's eyes widened before putting her hand to her sword handle, rotating the blades within her sheath before pulling out one made of Gravity Dust. With a swipe of her blade, Raven send a wave of purple energy out at Steel Bone, which bounced him back while also slowing his decent, making him land a bit less hard than he was going to. "Ben!" Raven, Gwen and Kevin all rushed over and helped him up. "Are you alright?!"

Steel Bone groaned as he rubbed his head. "Ugh, I think so. But—" _**GYAAAOOOOOOON!**_ "…Oh no." The two craned their head up to see the Grimmungousaur smashing its club-like tail against the ice entrapping its legs, breaking it with a single smash. With its appendages now free, the beast lumbered slowly toward them, its eyes beginning to glow more intensely for some reason. "Everyone, get back!"

"Not a chance!" Kevin protested. "We told you that we'd help—"

"¡ _Oye_! Dino-Dunce!" The duo's eyebrows shot up before craning their heads upward, their faces breaking out into smiles as they saw Rex fly in on his Sky Slyder. The young EVO then switched it out for his Bad Axes and fell down toward the beast's arm, using his momentum to put more force into his strike. "Why don't ya pick on someone ELSE who can take you oh, huh?!" Rex smashed his axes into the beast's exposed arm, elictitng a roar of pain as smokey mist began billowing from the wound. "Haha! Direct hit!"

Steel Bone pumped a fist up in celebration. "Ha! 'Bout time ya got here, Rex!"

Rex looked down and nudged his head at the two. "Sorry for bein' late, I was kinda held—UP!" The EVO let out another shout as the Grimmungousaur grabbed him with its right hand and threw him away, his body slamming face-first into the side of another building. A few seconds later, he fell backward, exposing the Rex-shaped indent that he left in the brickwork. "What a lousy place for a wall." he uttered before making impact with the pavement below.

Raven and the Alien Trio hurried over to him, helping him sit up as his eyes continued to spin around. "Rex, are you alright?" Gwen asked, inspecting his eyes for any sign of concussion.

"Hehe, oh, don't you worry, Gwen, I'm JUST fine!" Rex spoke with a wonky voice as he stood. "Just gotta get my bearings and I'll be good to go!" He was about to fall down again, but Kevin caught him and gave him a smack across the face, effectively snapping him out of his stupor. "Ugh, okay, _soy bueno_. Now what?"

Kevin smirked, popping his knuckles in anticipation. "Now, we need to come up with a strategy that'll put this thing away for good!" He shifted his sights over to his best friend. "What's the plan, Ben?"

But as he asked, the Metallikanine let out a sigh. "Unfortunately, I don't think Steel Bone's gonna do much against this guy. Let's see if any of my other guys can do the trick…" The hero reached up to the Omnitrix dial and slapped it, transforming in a flash of green light. When their eyesight cleared, Raven and Rex were quite confused when they didn't see any sign of Ben… only to be surprised when a shrill voice called out from below.

"Aw man, are ya KIDDING me?" Craning their heads downward, Raven, Gwen, Kevin and Rex were surprised to see a small, insectoid alien with a visibly annoyed face. "Ball Weevil? This is no time for a small fry, I need something BIG!"

Raven's eyebrows rose in intrigue. "Well this is certainly… different." she said while lowering herself closer down to Ben. "So, what does this one do?"

Ball Weevil sighed and began to explain. "Oh, this guy can create green balls of plasma that get bigger the more I roll 'em around. The bigger the ball, the more powerful the… explosion… is." Ball Weevil's eyes widened, as did the everyone else's before a sly look appeared on the small insect alien's face. "You know… this might actually work out after all." He craned his head up to Rex. "Alright, Rex, I'm gonna need you do distract that thing while I get the ball rollin'." Ball Weevil then faced Raven, Gwen and Kevin again. "And guys, you'll cover me incase things with Rex get hairy, alright?"

"Sounds like a plan." Raven said while Rex nodded and activated his Boogie Pack. "Do you think this will actually work?"

"Maybe… but then again, we won't know unless we try, right?" With that, the quintet nodded and Rex flew off, with Ball Weevil spitting up a green plasma ball once he left. "Alright, let's get rollin'!"

Rex had to admit, the plan sounded solid enough, but there was still one big question on his mind. _'Just how long WILL it take for him to roll up a ball THAT big?'_ But he shook the thought away from his head for the time being. He had a job to do and he wasn't about to let these stray thoughts deter him from that. As he approached the Grimmungousaur from behind, Rex activated his Smack Hands and called out to the beast; "Hey, big guy! Remember me?!" The massive beast craned its head around… just in time to get punched right in the face by Rex's fist, the creature stumbling back as a result. "Ha! Take that, you Godzilla wannabe!"

_**GYAOON!**_ The creature let out another short roar before bringing its massive tail up for a strike against Rex, the EVO's eyes widening to the size of saucers. "Oh… not good! WOAH!" At the very last second, Rex flew up higher into the air, avoiding the huge, spiked club successfully. "Jeez! Watch where you're aiming that thing, _comprende_?! You could've impaled me!" _**GYAOON!**_ By the sound of that roar, Rex could tell that the creature was getting more and more upset at him. "…Okay, so you WANTED to impale me. Gotcha." He whipped his head downward and called out; "Ben! How's it coming?!"

"Almost got it!" Ball Weevil said as he was now rolling on a rather huge ball of green plasma. "Just a little bit more and you can lure him over!"

As she kept in pace with the little alien, Raven was initially surprised at how quickly he was able to build up that plasma ball. But, seeing as how there was so much debris around the courtyard from the attack, she simply shrugged it off. "Ben, I don't mean to rush you, but we can't exactly waste too much time here!" the Spring Maiden called out. "Are you certain that this thing needs to be a certain size?"

"Yeah, I mean, an explosion's an explosion." Kevin shrugged. "Just so long as it does damage, you could just make a BUNCH of these things, right?"

"If we wanna knock that sucker over, then it has to be HUGE!" Ball Weevil answered, having rolled the large plasma ball over some small trees that lined the courtyard's perimeter. When he did that, though, the plasma ball gained quite a bit of size to it, to which the small insect decided that was substantial enough. "But don't worry, we're ready to go! Think any of you can get its attention?"

Raven smirked at that as her Maiden powers activated once again. "Oh, you KNOW I can." As Gwen and Kevin stood clear, Raven activated Omen's sheath again and switched to a Lightning Dust blade, pulling the sword out while her free hand began to spark with elemental power. She touched her finger to the edge of her sword and suddenly, the electricity began conducting across the entire blade. With that, she ran toward the Grimmungousaur and slashed her sword at the air, sending a huge bolt of lightning at the beast.

The blast hit the Grimm in the shoulder and it swung its massive head at Raven, roaring at her in challenge before Rex moved in front of its face. "That's right, ya big bozo, follow the tasty humans!" The Grimmungousaur lumbered Rex as he flew in Ben's direction, with Raven following suit along the ground. Right as they approached the hero, the duo flanked to the sides, allowing him to have a clear shot. "Now, Ben!"

"Already on it!" Ball Weevil bounced up and down on the plasma ball, making the ball itself bounce up a few feet before swinging his head around and headbutting it straight toward the Grimmungousaur. "Happy trails, ugly!" The Grimm's eyes widened slightly as the ball of plasma made impact, resulting in a huge, green explosion. The resulting dust that was kicked up because of it made it hard for everyone to see, but they all managed to find each other easily. "Everyone alight?"

"Think so." Rex nodded as he landed. "Man, that was a pretty big boom."

Kevin chuckled confidently, crossing his arms. "No kidding. If THAT didn't take care of it, nothing would."

Raven narrowed her gaze through the cloud of dust. "Yes… but what happened to the beast? If that did the job, we should've seen it dissipate by now…"

"…That's because it isn't." Gwen said as her face grew pale, pointing up into the dust cloud. "Look."

Right where she was pointing, a faint, purplish glow started to shine through the dust, starting near the ground before working its way upward higher and higher. Before long, Ball Weevil's eyes dilated in realization when the glow took on a familiar outline; the dorsal plates on the Grimmungousaur's back. His fears were confirmed when he saw the beast's eyes shine through the dust, its mouth beginning to glow with the same purple light. The hero had seen enough kaiju movies to know what would come next. "EVERYBODY DOWN!" He headbutted Raven in the back, getting her out of the way while Gwen moved Rex and Kevin with a mana shield.

And just in time as well, because from the Grimmungousaur's mouth, a huge beam of purple energy suddenly blasted out toward them, shooting directly into the ground where they once stood. The force behind it was so strong that it cleared the dust away in an instant. However, the beast didn't stop there. The beast moved its head up and sent the beam right toward City Hall… destroying it with a single blast. From there, the beam began to cut through several more buildings before the beast finally stopped, its mouth smoking from the residual effects of the beam.

Raven, Rex and Ball Weevil all stared on in utter horror, hearing the screams of innocent people in the distance as multiple fires began sprouting up in several places where the beam hit. "…No." Ball Weevil whispered.

"I… I didn't know it could do that." Kevin uttered.

Gwen was covering her mouth, completely speechless as Raven managed to speak for the whole group; "This… this is awful. I haven't seen ANY Grimm that are capable of something like THIS."

Rex's lips turned up into a snarl as he whipped his head back up to the Grimmungousaur, which was beginning to power up another blast. "You have just CROSSED the WRONG line, pal!" In a split second, Rex activated his Punk Busters and jumped up, kicking the beast in the jaw with all his might to shut its mouth. He managed to kick it so hard that it actually was sent tumbling backward. "BEN! Focus up!"

Ball Weevil blinked out of his shock before glaring at the beast, which was already starting to pick itself up. "Right! It wants to play like that…" He slammed the Omnitrix and, in a flash of green light, transformed into NRG, the grill in his helmet shining brightly with glowing red power. **"Then we will have to fight fire WITH fire!"** The Prypiatosian-B unleashed his beam of radioactive energy at the beast, hitting it square in the chest. The Grimmungousaur belted out a roar of pain, but it still managed to stand up, glaring at NRG with all the rage it could muster. **"You are going to regret doing THAT, you monster!"**

The Grimmungousaur responded by unleashing its beam again, much quicker this time as it was already charged up. However, NRG stood his ground and simply fired another beam of radiation, resulting in the two energy attacks colliding in midair. While both opponents kept the pressure on one another, unfortunately, the Grimmungousaur was able to put a lot more power behind its attack, resulting in NRG's beam being overwhelmed. **"WHAT?! NO—AGH!"** NRG was then hit with the beam full-on, and while his suit ensured that he could endure the hit, he was still sent flying back into another building as a result.

"BEN!" Everyone shouted, hoping that the hero was still in one piece. Fortunately, he was, but he still ended up falling down from here he had been blasted. Fortunately, Gwen caught him in a large bowl-shaped mana construct, allowing him to recover faster. She, Kevin and Raven approached the Prypiatosian-B, and was the first to voice her concern. "Ben, this is getting out of hand. Maybe we should fall back."

NRG grunted as he pulled himself out of the construct, his gaze going back to the beast before him. **"Not a chance. This thing has now proven just how far its destructive capabilities go. If we retreat now, it will destroy the whole city!"**

"Yeah, but… dude, the Omnitrix can only handle so many transformations at once." Kevin reminded. "Who knows HOW long it has left until it times out?!"

" **Well then… I suppose I will have to make these next few changes count!"** NRG slapped the Omnitrix symbol on his chest, changing himself into… "GRAVATTACK!" The Galilean stormed forward, swinging his massive arms as he approached the beast, which Rex was still holding off with his Blast Caster.

"Ben, DON'T!" Raven ordered. "That thing could KILL you!"

Gwen furrowed her brows. "Yep, this is officially getting out of hand." She whirled around to Raven and Kevin with a serious face. "You two stay here. I'll be right back with back up." The two nodded back to her and Gwen conjured a large pink orb around her, teleporting away to bring their friends back.

Despite the warnings, Gravattack kept pressing on, making his way toward Rex. The EVO had his feet planted firmly with his Punk Busters, trying to keep a hold on the Grimmungousaur's leg with his Blast Caster. Even then, though, he still found himself being pulled along, the creature's strength proving to be a good match for his own. It was then that he saw Gravattack, his eyes widening in the process. "Ben! Dude, are you alri—"

"I'm fine!" Gravattack assured assertively. "Keep him steady for a just a few seconds more, Rex, I've got an idea!"

"…Well, alright, you asked for it!" Rex pulled with all his might on his Blast Caster, sending more energy through it in the process. The attack was just enough to make the Grimmungousaur stop its next step, a small pained bellow escaping its maw.

As that happened, Gravattack extended his hands and began focusing on his gravity powers, attempting to lift the large Grimm up into the air. Even then, however, it proved to be quite exerting on the Galilean, making him clench his teeth hard. _'C'mon… C'MON!'_ Fortunately, the Grimmungousaur began to rise up from the earth, making Gravattack grin. _'Hah… finally. Man, I didn't know I could lift this much.'_ But then, just as his confidence was beginning to rise again, the Grimmungousaur slammed its tail into the ground, anchoring it with its powerful spiked club. And then… it opened its mouth again. "Oh for GOD'S SA—"

_**GYAAAOOON!**_ With another mighty roar, the beast blasted out a third powerful beam, one that would've hit him point blank if he hadn't moved out of the way with a gravitational push. But this loss of concentration still resulted in the Grimmungousaur landing back on the ground. And once it had, it swung its tail in Gravattack's direction, slamming him into the pavement before unleashing yet another beam at him. This one managed to make contact, though, sending the Galilean skidding across the ground and upturning even MORE pavement.

By the end of the onslaught, Rex was staring with his mouth agape while Kevin was desperately trying to hold Raven back, the woman screaming at the top of her lungs; "BEN! You need to get out of there NOW!" She tried elbowing Kevin in the stomach, but to no avail. "Let me go, Levin! I HAVE to get to him!"

"Are you CRAZY?!" Kevin shouted back. "That thing will KILL us if we get close!" The Osmosian then saw Gravattack pulling himself up out of the crater he was in, the living planet visibly cracked in various places all around his rocky hide. "BEN! Nothing's working!"

"So far!" Gravattack insisted. "I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve!" He slammed the Omnitrix symbol again and transformed again, with a certain Paku-Dermoloid taking Gravattack's place. **"DYNATUSK!"** The hero rushed forward as fast as his legs could carry him, the Grimmungousaur responding by swinging its tail at him again. However, this time, Dynatusk caught the incoming appendage, making sure to catch the tail itself and not the club. He wore a confident grin and laughed. **"Haha, gotcha!"** With a surprising amount of strength, Dynatusk pulled on the tail and made the Grimmungousaur trip up, the lizard landing right on its face. Then, with all his might, Dynatusk spun around and flipped the Grimmungousaur over onto its back. **"REX, NOW!"**

Rex blinked in realization and stammered; "U-Uh, right!" before jumping up with his Punk Busters and activating his Big Fat Sword, stabbing it down right into the Grimmungousaur's stomach. The beast let out another pained bellow and immediately slapped Rex away, only to be met with a cannonball right to its wound courtesy of Dynatusk. The Paku-Dermoloid rolled off of the massive beast and met up with Rex, who was sweating profusely thanks to all of the fighting they were doing. Nevertheless, he smiled at the leeway they made. "Hah, alright! We managed to get some good hits in! Now what?"

Dynatusk, however, still wore a serious expression as he sighed, almost relentingly. **"I'm afraid… that the situation has escalated to THAT point. I'd usually go for Humungousaur for an enemy like this. But since I CAN'T right now…"** He reached for the Omnitrix, preparing himself for what would come next. **"I'm gonna have to use Way Bi—"** _SNICKT_ **"URK!"** All of a sudden, Dynatusk stopped, his eyes widening as a VERY pain-filled expression came to his face, his grey skin beginning to turn a sickly green.

Rex's eyes widened, as did Kevin's and Raven's as they were rushing their way over. "B-Ben?! W-What's going—" But at that moment, Dynatusk fell over, immediately revealing what was wrong. The three could only stare horrified at the sight of a cackling Silyrian, the scorpion mutant in hysterics as he removed his long stinger from Dynatusk's back, still dripping with blood and poison. It didn't take long for Rex's shock to change into anger, though. "YOU!"

"AHAHAHA! That's right, ME!" Silyrian laughed. "Bet you didn't expect THAT to happen did—GYAH!" The mutant didn't have long to gloat though as Rex activated his Smack Hands and punched Silyrian halfway across the courtyard.

"BEN!" Raven screamed, horrified as what had just happened. Kevin was rendered speechless as he witnessed his best friend begin to break out in a cold sweat, the elephant aliens' green eyes glazing over as he shivered in agony. The poison was already beginning to affect him, something that everyone could see…

And that meant _everyone_. "Guys!" The three heroes that were still standing whipped their heads around to see Gwen come running down a street… and she had Teams RWBY, JNPR and SN. The only ones absent were all of the adults, along with Cooper, Team CFVY, Ilia, Penny and Vernal, who were all still caught up in either holding off the Grimm or the rest of the Negative Ten. "Don't worry, I brought… no." The redhead stopped in her tracks when she saw her cousin on the ground in his sickened state, prompting everyone else to do so as well. "No… no, no! No!" Her yells became screams of desperation as she began to run again… only to be immediately out-paced by a streak of yellow.

In her mind, Yang was pretty sure she had just broken the sound barrier. But that didn't matter. All that was important was getting to her boyfriend… and beating the shit out of whoever did that to him. She didn't have to wait long for the latter as Silyrian suddenly shot up from the ground and barred his teeth, getting in her way. And that was his SECOND biggest mistake. He thrust his tail down at her, but Yang pumped her Ember Celica and shot herself up and over the appendage, grabbing it in the process. Silyrian barely had time to comprehend that before he was thrown right over Yang's head, the blonde's eyes flashing red for a brief moment before going back to normal.

"Bastard." Yang whispered to herself as the rest of her friends and teammates began running toward her as well. She whipped her head around and immediately, her angry expression disappeared into one of worry and concern. "BEN!" She cried his name out as she sprinted the rest of the way, taking hold of one of Dynatusk's massive shoulders to help him face her. "Ben! Ben, speak to me!" The Paku-Dermoloid let out a groan and she snapped her head up to Kevin, her brows furrowed in anger again. "WHAT HAPPENED?!"

"We… we didn't see it coming!" Kevin implored. "I'm being serious, Tyrian literally just came right out of nowhere and stabbed him!" The Osmosian put his hands in his hair and fell to his knees. "GOD DAMMIT! I should've been paying more attention!"

"I KNEW you should have let me go in there!" Raven snapped at the Osmosian. "If I had been with him, then maybe this wouldn't have happened!"

Before a big fight could break out, though, Ruby and the others came up, the silver-eyed girl raising her hands up between all of them. "Woah, woah! Everyone, please, calm down! Aren't you guys forgetting something important?" She pointed to Dynatusk's chest. "Look!"

Everyone's eyebrows rose up when they heard a loud beeping noise, though they all quicky found the culprit when they followed Ruby's gesture. The Omnitrix was flashing its signature bright green as it beeped, with a voice that sounded like Ben's began talking from it; _"WARNING, WARNING. Omnitrix user Ben Tennyson is currently suffering from life-threatening acidic poison."_ The Omnitrix then began spinning on his chest. _"Now engaging emergency protocol; selecting appropriate transformation."_

Blake sighed in relief. "That's right! The life protection protocol he kept mentioning!"

"He's gonna make it!" Nora cheered as she brought Ren and Jaune in for a group hug.

But surprisingly, the only one who seemed upset about this… was Ben himself. Dynatusk had heard the Omnitrix say that it would be forcing a transformation, but with the watch likely already on limited energy and the still lingering problem of the Grimmungousaur, he NEEDED that energy. _'I… I just need to fight through the pain and—'_

" _Appropriate form found. Now engaging forced transformation."_

" **NO!"** But it was too late. In a flash of green light, Ben transformed again… this time into a rather short, chubby green alien with six sprout-shaped growths on the back of his head. His face, belly and growths were all a lighter green color while the rest of his body was darker green, with his eyes surrounded literally by two thick black circles. There were three thin black on each cheek and his mouth was large and with crooked teeth, and the Omnitrix symbol was where it usually was; on his chest. The alien's eyes widened as he began to say his name; "UPCHU—UUUUGHGH!"

Everyone shouted out in disgust as the alien began throwing up a bile green liquid with purple ooze permeating throughout, almost as if he were regurgitating all of the contents in his stomach. They all stepped back as Gwen winced at the sight. "Ooh… Upchuck just upchucked."

Weiss hid behind Rex as she too began to feel sick. "Oh… oh god, I think I'm going to be ILL!"

"Let us never speak of this again, please." Pyrrha requested.

"Agreed." Neptune agreed as his face also briefly became green.

Once Upchuck was done… upchucking, he let out a strong belch while holding his stomach. "Ugh… now THAT did not feel good. But hey, at least I can still…" _Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep, BEEEEP._ Upchuck deadpanned at the familiar slow beeping sound that he knew FAR too well. "I stand corrected." In a bright flash of light, Ben was back to normal… though he still appeared to be abnormally pale. "Oh COME Oooooon." His speech slurred as he started to fall again, only to be caught by Yang instantly.

"Green Boy!" Yang cupped her hand to his cheek to bring his gaze to her. "A-Are you okay?! What's wrong?"

Ben shook his head to get the dizziness out of his head, but if anything, that only made it worse. "I… I don't know. Upchuck ejecting the poison from my system should've healed me!"

"AHAHAHA!" Everyone's heads whipped up to see Silyrian having recovered from his assault from Yang, the scorpion mutant grinning from ear to ear like a madman. "Haha! That's because my toxin doesn't just POISON you, Tennyson! The doctors made sure to spare no expense with this! Even though it was dispelled from your system, you will still be quite sick for a while yet! AHAHA! It might not be LONG… but it will be long enough for us to destroy this city! And with your Omnitrix timed out for the moment…" Silyrian snapped his fingers and, at that very moment, the Grimmungousaur began to pick itself up from the ground, roaring as loud as it could as it towered over the team of teens. _**GYAAAAOOOON!**_ "HAHAHA! There will be no stopping the beast from destroying you all!"

The teens could only watch in horror as the Grimmungousaur's dorsal plates and mouth began to glow, leading Jaune to ask; "W-Wait… is THAT where the huge laser came from?!" He got a simple nod from the Alien Trio and Raven, confirming their worst fears.

"Like I said before… this is VERY bad." Ren muttered as the beast began to open its mouth.

"Indeed it is, isn't it?" Everyone's eyes bugged out when a new voice entered the conversation. The group all whipped around… and saw none other than Professor Paradox standing behind them, his usual calm demeanor still about him as he waved. "Hello everyone!"

"P-Professor Paradox?!" Sun exclaimed, "What're you doing here?!"

The professor took out his pocket watch and opened it up. "I'm afraid explanations will have to wait for later. Right now, _time_ is of the essence." He set his sights onto Ben, his smile turning into a serious expression. "Ben… I think you know what needs to happen here. I trust you will make the right decision."

Ben was about to protest, but at the sight of the Grimmungousaur's maw glowing ever brighter, he sighed and weakly nodded his head. "Do it."

_**BLAM!**_ Right as the ill hero said those words, the Grimmungousaur unleashed its beam attack upon them, making everyone scream as they were enveloped by the purple beam of destruction. Once the Grimmungousaur stopped firing its energy beam, Silyrian sauntered over to inspect whatever remained of the heroes… only to laugh with glee when all he saw was a giant scorch mark in the earth below.

"GAH-HAHAHA! FINALLY!" Silyrian snapped his claws as his voice clicked with glee, putting his hand up near where his ear used to be to activate a small communication device. "Everyone, this is Silyrian, and I have GRAND news! For the GLORY of our queen, the Grimmungousaur has VAPORIZED Tennyson and his team!" He lifted a claw up into the air, with the Grimmungousaur craning its head up toward the sky as well before Silyrian announced; "Their defenses our broken! Let the SLAUGHTER begin!"

_**GYAAAAOOOOON!**_ The giant Grimm opened its mouth and blasted another purple energy beam up into the air, almost as if it were taking pride in its victory.

* * *

However, what Silyrian nor any of the villains new, was that the team had NOT in fact been vaporized. On the contrary, they had been whisked all the way back to Patch by Professor Paradox, a blue light shining in the Xiao Long residence's front yard marking their arrival. Once they were there, nearly everyone fell down in shock, aside from Raven, Paradox, Yang and Ben, the latter still holding onto his girlfriend for support. Ruby whipped her head around in shock. "W-We're… back at the house?!"

"Why in the world are we HERE?!" Weiss shouted toward Paradox. "Vale's under attack and you brought us back HOME?!"

Raven was also wide-eyed and in utter disbelief at what the professor had just done. She went up to him and grabbed him by his collar, screaming in his face; "You heard her, why the hell ARE we back here?! I thought you were just going to get us out of the beam's way! We NEED to get back there!"

"RAVEN! Ugh…" The woman's eyes widened and she whirled back around to Ben, letting go of Paradox's coat as the hero struggled to stay on his feet. "…Guys, I know that we're needed back there… but honestly, there are times when you need to learn to take the L. Right now, we need to regroup and think up a strategy to beat the Negative Ten AND that thing." He raised his left arm, showing that the Omnitrix was still in the red. "Plus, my Omnitrix still needs to recharge. Even if we WERE there, I wouldn't have any way of fighting the Grimmungousaur."

"But my PARENTS are still back there!" Blake argued, her voice cracking at the thought. "And _Ilia_ , and _Penny_!"

"Plus, Cooper and Team CFVY!" Sun added. "Not to mention the headmasters, Vernal and Sienna. We just… _left_ them there with the Negative Ten!"

Professor Paradox snapped his fingers at that. "Ah, yes, of course! I shall in form them of your temporary absence post haste." The time traveler sent the group a sympathetic expression as a few of them glared at him for what he did. "I know that you all must be frustrated at me for what I did. But Ben is right. Without a sound strategy, your defense of Vale is in vain. But worry not, when I return, we will discuss how we can turn the tide of this battle. But for right now…" He gestured over to the house. "They need to know you are alright."

The group of teens and Raven directed their gazes toward the house… and saw Max, Tai, Winter, Athena, Oscar and Holiday all gathered on the porch, every single one of them out of breath and exhausted. And, judging from the sight of dissipating Grimm bodies all around the parameter of the house, the teens could easily guess why. It was then that Tai noticed them, his face full of relief. "KIDS! RAVEN!"

At that point, the rest of the adults began calling out to them and started making their way over as fast as they could. "I trust you will all get through this, everyone." Paradox said with a knowing smile. "I shall see you quite soon." In another flash of light, the professor was gone… leaving the teens to get bombarded by everyone else.

Tai wasted no time in pulling Yang, Raven and Ruby into a group hug, with Ben inadvertently joining in as well. "Oh my god, that had to be the WORST panic attack I've EVER had! What the HELL is going on over there?!"

"Believe me, dad, I wish we knew." Yang said before asking back; "And… what about here? Were you guys… fighting Grimm?"

"Yes, they came almost immediately after that… _monster_ appeared at City Hall." Tai sneered. "But we were able to beat 'em all back." It was then that he noticed Ben's sickly green face, recoiling a bit in shock. "Woah… what happened to you, Ben?"

Ben groaned and shook his head. "Tyrian managed to poison me pretty badly. The Omnitrix was able to transform me into something that expelled it, but apparently it still has an after effect." The hero attempted to stand up on his own. "But no need to worry, I feel fine no—OUGH!" Ben made a heaving sound as he started to fall again… only to be caught by his grandfather a moment later.

The old plumber furrowed his brows at his grandson as Gwen and Kevin joined him. "I highly doubt that, Ben. You're sicker than a dog on a hot summer day."

"He's right, Ben." Gwen agreed before pulling out her spell book. "I'm pretty sure I have a sickness curing spell somewhere in here, though. Give me a few minutes and we'll get you healthy in no time."

Ben sighed and nodded to her. "Thanks, cous…" He directed his gaze back to his grandfather, a saddened expression on his face. "But, grandpa… the secret's out. The Omnitrix, Salem's existence, pretty much everything." He then spotted Oscar and gave him a smile. "Heh, well… _almost_ everything."

Oscar bowed his head to the hero. "Ben, I… I really don't know what to say. I really wish I could've been there to—"

"It's okay, Oscar." Ben gave a reassuring pat to the farm boy's shoulder. "Honestly, I don't know if there was much you could've done over there. This attack is pretty much an all-out assault. One that we weren't prepared for. Now… we need to change that."

Ruby blinked as she realized that someone was missing. "Wait… where's Uncle Qrow?"

Tai's lips pursed in frustration, much to everyone's surprise. "Your UNCLE is wallowing his sorrows in a bottle of whisky. He's still not over the whole Ozpin thing it seems."

"Not even to HELP you guys?!" Ruby shouted. She glared slightly toward the house. "Oh, he is getting SUCH an earful!"

"Pyrrha! Jaune!" Athena cried as she practically tackled the duo and brought them into a hug, one so strong that it nearly crushed their ribcages. "Oh, thank the gods!" The weeping mother said as she placed her head into their shoulders. "When Salem's forces attacked, we feared the worst. A-And then when that THING appeared, we—"

"Woah, woah, Athena, it's okay!" Jaune assured.

Pyrrha set a hand over her mother's shoulder, pulling her in to console her. "He's right, mother. We are all okay… for the most part."

Nora sighed as she and Ren joined the hug as well. "It… it was pretty hectic, but we're all okay. Trust me."

Meanwhile, Rex and Weiss were pulled into immediate hugs by Holiday and Winter, with both women reprimanding them right off the bat. "Do you know how WORRIED we were?!" Winter exclaimed.

"She's right, we were so scared for you two!" Holiday agreed before locking eyes with the EVO. "And Rex… while I normally agree with your judgment, did you _really_ think that telling the whole world about Salem on live television was a good idea? There'll probably be a lot of repercussions for this."

Weiss was quick to defend herself, though. "Winter, it's okay. We're all fine and… well, Rex did what he had to do." The heiress craned her head over to Holiday. "Honestly, at that point, there was no getting out of it. The press would've hounded us for answers by the time this was all over anyway, so this was probably the best option."

"Yeah, doc." Rex shrugged. "I really wish that weren't the case, but… well, we can't exactly make everyone forget about all of this, right?"

"…Yes, I suppose so." Holiday sighed. "It's just… there's so much going on all at once. I really didn't expect any of this to happen today."

"None of us did, Doctor Holiday." Winter shook her head solemnly. "And if we did, I think more of us would have gone there to help."

Neptune raised his hand reluctantly. "Uh, actually, I think that might not have been a good idea. Otherwise, who would've been here to protect the relic?" He pointed toward the house. "I mean, the only other option is the drunk Qrow inside, right?"

Winter grimaced at the thought. "Hm, you make a very good point." She set a hand to her sister's shoulder and smiled down at her. "But, I'm still very glad that you're okay, dear sister. Now… we need to come up with a new plan of attack to defeat those villains."

"Easier said that done, I'm afraid." Weiss hugged her arms as a downtrodden face took over her features. "Winter… Darkstar was right. That Grimmungousaur… it's stronger than ANY Grimm we've ever faced."

Blake picked it up from there. "It has a beam attack that leveled THREE city blocks in one blast. How do we counter something like THAT?"

"A puzzling question to be sure." Professor Paradox piped up, making everyone jump in surprise at his sudden appearance. "But one that I think I may have the answer to!"

Ren's eyebrows rose up in surprise. "Wow… that was surprisingly quick."

"Yeah, you weren't even gone like… five minutes." Sun added.

Paradox chuckled at that. "Indeed, I was gone for five _hours_ , my boy. At least in MY time. But then again, I could be gone for five days and it would _still_ feel only like five minutes." He moved his focus over to Blake and gave her a small nod. "And don't worry about your parents, Blake. I made sure that they and everyone else know of your current situation."

The cat girl blinked a couple times before responding. "Uh… thanks, professor. But did that REALLY take you five hours to do?"

"Oh no, the rest of my time away was devoted to bringing you all a rather special surprise." Paradox smiled knowingly. "And I believe you will ALL be in a better mood once I show it to you."

Ben, still being supported by his grandfather, gave Paradox a perplexed face at what he was hearing. "Uh… look, professor, I appreciate the gesture, but right now, we don't really have time for any surprise—"

"Is that so?" Everyone's eyes widened at the sound of yet another new voice, one that was rather old and raspy-sounding. However, every which way they searched, the group couldn't find out where the voice came from. The only ones who seemed to have a clue were Ben, Gwen, Kevin, Max, Rex and Holiday… who were all staring down at Professor Paradox's feet in utter shock. The whole group followed their gaze… and were taken aback when they saw a very miniscule grey alien stepping out from behind the professor's leg. "Perhaps it would be best if you rethink that, Ben Tennyson."

Said alien had large, bulbous green eyes with slitted pupils and wore a green and black tunic with metal platings on his wrists, shoulders, neck and feet. He had four fingers on each hand and three toes on each foot, and his face was rather wrinkly and aged. The area around his mouth had four long whiskers; two above his upper lip and two coming out of his jaw, somewhat resembling facial hair. His was concentrated straight onto Ben, who's face now appeared to be far paler than it had been before. "So… it seems that you have gotten yourself into yet another fine mess, hm?"

Ben was still in utter disbelief that the old alien was standing directly in front of him… but he knew that it was neither a trick, a dream, or a sickness-induced hallucination. He was really there. "…Azmuth."

* * *

**A/N: And there we go. It seems as though the villains have gotten a leg up in this attack, haven't they? At first yes, it seems that the heroes have the superior numbers, but there are still hundreds of Grimm that need to be taken into account and a REALLY big one that seems almost unstoppable. The only reason why Ben wasn't able to finish it off was because our resident crazed scorpion got in a cheap shot and forced the Omnitrix into one transformation too many, finally depleting the charge. Fortunately, Professor Paradox came in at just the right time… and it seems he's brought in a familiar face. Indeed, Azmuth is here and (begrudgingly) ready to help. And here you thought Humungousaur wouldn't be seen again until the next volume. You really didn't think I'd skip out on a Dino vs. Dino fight, did ya?**

**But of course, that's not the only thing that happened in this chapter. Lisa Lavender, and by extension, the rest of the world, are now in on Salem and her goals, as well as the heroes being there. But it seems she's not ready to stop reporting on this story just yet. We've also got a lot more fight scenes of course, with a whole lot of other team members getting the spot light as well. But the biggest thing outside of the hero's tactical retreat… seems to be that Salem is directing another Grimm toward Vale, a sea-faring one that is even bigger than the Grimmungousaur. And I think you ALL know what it is…**

**So, how will our heroes deal with being separated from the others for the time being? Well, tune in NEXT TIME to find out! While Azmuth gets to work on fixing the Vaxasaurian DNA (among other things), the heroes at the Xiao Long house quickly get to work on making a solid plan of attack… while Ruby also has to deal with her down-and-out uncle. Meanwhile, back in the city, while the gang there are still holding their own, we find that PENNY of all people is the one holding off the Grimmungousaur. And when Ilia comes under attack by a plethora of Grimm, can a certain Aerophibian convince her overseer to let her help? And can our heroes form a solid plan in time before things get any worse? Well… only if they dare to. Thanks for reading everyone and I'll see you all next time! Stay safe out there!**

**P.S. You probably know how the next group of chapters are gonna be named by how I started this one, right?**


	111. Dare!

**A/N: How's it goin' everyone? It's time for another chapter and once again, we've got a bit of a doozy here… probably gonna be the case for the rest of this arc, but we'll see. But let's not dawdle and get on with it shall we? Because…**

_**Out of the darkness, you stumble into the light…** _

_**Fighting for the things you know are right!** _

**Chapter 111: Dare!**

* * *

Salem should have been ecstatic. _Elated_ even. Through her Seer, she had just witnessed her lovely Grimmungousaur annihilate nearly the entirety of those meddling teenaged heroes, leaving them as nothing more than a black mark in the scorched earth where they had once stood. This should have been a moment she would remembered forever… so why did she feel nothing? Her eyes narrowed as she considered why that was so. For one, Tyrian had foolishly not tried to cut off Tennyson's hand before the Grimmungousaur unleashed its final attack, which meant that, if they had truly been destroyed, then the Omnitrix would have been destroyed as well.

But then that lead to the OTHER problem she had with this; the possibility of Ben and the others having survived was still lingering in the back of her mind. Yes, she had watched as the heroes were engulfed in her monster's energy ray… but it all seemed too easy. They didn't even attempt to move an inch. And what about that odd man who seemed to appear the moment she had blinked? These were the questions that still prodded her brain, even as her associates conversed on either side of her.

"Hmph, well, THAT was certainly quite the show." Watts chuckled. "It would seem that Ben Tennyson is not as undefeatable as we thought, eh?"

"Hm, it would seem." Hazel nodded hesitantly. "Coming back from that seems nigh impossible."

"…You would be very surprised." Viktor spoke up, taking the two men by surprise. "As much as I hate to admit it, Ben Tennyson has survived much worse in the past. And while seeing him and his allies be overwhelmed by the Grimmungousaur was certainly quite entertaining, the fact that they were all consumed by the beast's energy beam seemed very…"

"Effortless." Salem finished, leading the three to look at her. "Almost as if they let it happen on purpose. And did any of you notice that other man that was with them? How he seemed to appear from out of nowhere?"

Watts and Hazel glanced to each other before the former answered her. "Erm… well, I suppose so. My lady… what are you implying?"

Salem stood up, making the duo step back while Viktor stood resolute. "I am implying that perhaps Tennyson and the others aren't as dead as we think." She faced them with her hands behind her back. "I suspect that man is some sort of ally of theirs, one who can appear and disappear in an instant in some form or fashion."

Hazel furrowed his brows. "And you believe he used this ability to rescue Tennyson and the others?"

"Exactly my thinking." Salem nodded. "And no doubt they are working on a way to counteract our attack while recuperating, allowing them to get their second wind."

Viktor lowered his head and bowed to his mistress. "My lady, perhaps it would be wise to move the plan into phase three? Yes, it is still quite early for it, but given the potential circumstances…"

"Yes, I agree, Viktor." Salem nodded. "If Tennyson and the others truly ARE alive, then it is within our best interests to move the plan along." She waved her hand over to her personal Seer, and in an instant, the Seer back in Vale began to move, flying up toward the Mistralian Airship that was being piloted by a certain pale-green skinned man. The Seer quickly caught sight of Doctor Animo, the mad scientist currently piloting the ship with his back turned to it. However, the moment the Seer poked him on the shoulder, he bolted up and spun toward it. "Doctor Animo, if I may have a word…"

" _A-Ah! Lady Salem!"_ Animo set the ship to autopilot before wringing his hands together nervously. _"I take it that you saw what happened?"_

Salem furrowed her brows a bit. "I did… and I am finding it a bit hard to believe."

Animo was quick to concur. _"As am I, Lady Salem. I have known Tennyson for many years, and if there is one thing he's good at, it's escaping death at the very last second."_ He bowed his head to her. _"That said, what should we do from here?"_

Salem pursed her lips and pointed at him. "Very simple, we are preemptively moving into phase three. I want you to take Rojo, Cinder and the rest of their squad up to Beacon. The Relic of Choice MUST be recovered from the vault there." She waved her hand toward the doctor. "Leave the mutants and Subdora down in Vale to keep causing destruction with the Grimm. We need to keep Ironwood and the others preoccupied, after all."

" _A very wise decision, my lady."_ Animo agreed. _"However, there is still one problem; the Grimm are beginning to look a bit… scarce. It would seem that many of them have already been killed off by the heroes prior to their… supposed demise. I mean, the Grimmungousaur may be more than enough, but…"_

"You can never be too careful." Salem finished. "I understand your concerns, doctor, and I will send more Grimm to Vale as soon as I can. You simply focus on making sure Cinder gets up to Beacon"

Once again, Animo bowed to Salem. _"I understand, Lady Salem. I will do as you please."_

"Excellent. Now get on it." With another wave of her hand, Salem made the Seeker fly out of the air ship and back down to the streets below, all while more Seers began to gather together to bring forth more Grimm.

Hazel placed a hand over his chest. "Lady Salem… if Tennyson and the others truly HAVE survived… then how will be dispose of them?"

A small grin came to Salem's face. "Oh, worry not, Hazel. For remember; I still have my contingency plan swimming toward Vale even as we speak." She turned back to her Seer, continuing to watch the battle unfold. "Even if they ARE able to recuperate after all of that, there is still no fathomable way they will be able to defeat this beast from deep beneath the sea…"

* * *

This day was proving to be quite taxing for General Ironwood. First, it was the reveal that one of his closest friends was keeping a very important secret from him even after all these years. Sure, he had mostly gotten over that, but once the Negative Ten attack happened during the White Fang press conference, things just kept getting piled on and on until it all just seemed hopeless. It especially felt that way after he saw that beast of a Grimm shoot out an energy beam that collapsed three or four buildings all in a row… and he had no doubt that there were people who were either severely injured or dead because of it.

But still, he kept fighting, because even after seeing what that beast of a Grimm could do, he knew there must be SOME way to beat it. If there was one thing that meeting Ben, Gwen and Kevin had taught him, it was that victory in the face of overwhelming odds COULD be achieved. He just had to trust the people he was with… and that was no more apparent than the woman fighting right next to him.

Glynda Goodwitch dodged another lightning bolt from Cinder before sending another huge slab of rubble at the Fall Maiden, allowing her enough time to turn and smile at her fellow headmaster. "So… how are you holding up, James?"

Ironwood swung his energy axe, countering Rojo's blood red energy blade and making her stumble back. He smiled over to Glynda and nodded. "Oh, you know, well enough to try and not get killed." Their two groups had met up after Gwen had come to take Team RWBY, JNPR and SN back to City Hall, hoping to back Ben up in his fight with the Grimmungousaur. However, after a recent visit from a certain time traveling professor, they had learned that said fight hadn't gone as well as they had hoped. "I just hope that Ben and the others get back here soon. We could use a new strategy here."

"I'm sure they will be." Glynda said before creating a shield of Gravity Dust, stopping Cinder's scorching hot fire. "But for now, we have other things to worry about."

A pair of loud roars suddenly took them off guard, the pair's heads snapping up to see Ghira and Leonidas struggling against one another. The two big cats had their claws out and teeth bared as they glared at each other, their hands locked as they grappled with each other with their foreheads just inches apart. "GRAH! Grr, I don't know WHO you think you are, but if your creator boasts you as a king, then you MIGHT want to start proving it!" Ghira roared before shoving Leonidas back, allowing him to tackle the mutant to the ground.

As that was going on, Vernal, Sienna, and Kali were engaged with Subdora, Emerald and Mercury, giving the three villains the go around while rushing around them in a circle. Kali was taking shots at the three, Vernal was throwing her Ver Laminae, and Sienna was cracking her Cerberus Whip at them, though the villains were able to keep pace with their attacks.

"Gah!" Mercury exclaimed as he kicked away another whip crack from Sienna. "Seriously? Are you ladies just gonna keep this up?"

"Indeed, this seems very unorthodox." Subdora said as she weaved out from another of Kali's shots… only to get struck in the back by Vernal instead.

"Heh, how's THAT for "unorthodox"?" Vernal teased as she caught her weapon on the rebound.

Meanwhile, Ilia, and Penny were still in the midst of their battle with Hog and Skull. Fortunately, however, the two had managed to slink their way past their opponents and switch back to the ones they were initially going to fight. This, understandably, didn't go over well with the two mutants. "HEY! Get back here!" Skull shouted as he took his minigun off of his back.

"Yeah, we ain't finished with you yet!" Hog said as he began spinning his mace around in the air once more. Once he generated enough electricity, he swung his mace forward, the lighting arcing out… only for it to strike directly onto Penny. The Android stopped on a dime the moment she was hit, though when the electricity stopped, she seemed to be fight. This made Hog do a double take. "W-Wait, WHAT?!"

Penny wore a sweet, yet determined grin. "Surprise! My systems are quite resilient to short circuiting!" She then switched up her Block Busters for her Mechano-Crushers, the giant fists slamming together before lifting her off of the ground. "Now… where were we?"

"Oh no you don't, robo-girl!" Exo-Skull shouted before unloading his weapon at her. But, much to his surprise, Ilia began running head-first at Exo-Skull, even getting in the way of his weapon's fire. Rather than taking the bullets, however, Ilia used her whip to deflect all of the Dust Rounds, the Lightning Lash moving much faster than Skull could comprehend. "What the—OOF!" He was taken off-guard when Ilia suddenly leapt up and kicked him in the face, all while she whipped at his hand and made him let go of his weapon.

Ilia landed and rolled her shoulders, popping a few muscles before going into a combat stance. "Just try that again, Exo-Skull, and see where that gets you!"

Not too far away, Cooper was doing his best to try and hit Neo, but the multi-colored girl simply kept bobbing and weaving out of his way. Well, that and she kept using her illusions on him, her form breaking into glass whenever he thought he'd get a solid hit on her. _"Gah, damn! VADOS, can you see if you can try and find the REAL Neo?"_

" _My apologies, Mr. Daniels, but the only way I am able to see is through your HUD."_ VADOS explained. _"What I see is what you see, so I'm afraid you'll have to—ON YOUR LEFT!"_

Cooper whirled around and raised his arm, just in time to block a strike from Hush. He pushed Neo back and the girl did a backflip, landing perfectly while opening her umbrella with a sly grin. A smile came to Cooper's face as he realized something. _"Wait… you may not be able to tell if her illusions are real or not… but you can still give me a heads up whenever she attacks."_

" _Ah, sensational!"_ VADOS exclaimed as Cooper activated his jet thrusters, flying his way toward Neo at accelerating speeds. _"Let's do that, then!"_

As the fight with the Negative Ten was happening, though, Team CFVY found themselves back to back, dealing with the excess Grimm that were still hanging around. Coco mowed them down with Gianduja while Fox punched away the ones that came in close with his Sharp Retribution. Yatsuhashi cleaved in the head of a Creep while Velvet managed to bring forth her own hard-light copy of Rex's Slam Cannon, using it to shoot down the Nevermore that were divebombing them. The bunny girl glanced over her shoulder and called out to her leader; "How many of them do you think are left, Coco?!"

"Not sure! But we're probably gettin' close!" the fashionista called back before noticing something odd; the Mistralian Airship was beginning to descend. The fighting didn't stop, but the others quickly noticed it as well. "Oh, that can't be good."

The ship lowered down to the street directly next to the battles between Rojo and Ironwood and Cinder and Goodwitch, causing the two partners to respectfully push the general away and disengage from the headmistress to see what was up. The hull of the ship opened up, revealing Doctor Animo on the other side. "Doc?!" Rojo shouted over the large propellers. "What the heck are you doing here?!"

"I did not call for you, doctor!" Cinder added. "What's the meaning of this?!"

Animo cupped a hand next to his mouth and answered; "I just got word from Salem! She wishes to move to phase three earlier than expected!"

"What?! But we're not done here!" Rojo argued.

"The mutants and Subdora can handle the rest!" Animo assured. "And as you can see…" He gestured up to the sky… where Cinder and Rojo saw that there was another portal opening up. From above, a fresh wave of Grimm began descending upon the city; even more flying Beringels and a slew of Griffons to be exact. The team of do-gooders could only stare up at the incoming horde in exasperation while Animo finished; "They will have plenty of back up, including the Grimmungousaur. Now come! We have work to do!"

Rojo gave a shrug. "Eh, no skin off my bones!" She converted Bloodstrike into its laser rifle mode and blasted toward the trio of Vernal, Kali and Sienna and then to Cooper, getting the respective do-gooders away from their group. "Merc! Em! Neo! Get your asses on the airship and let's take care of business!" The trio wasted no time in following her order as they all made their way onto the airship, though not without a hail of firepower following after them courtesy of the team. Unfortunately, thanks to a protective fire wall that Cinder brought up between them and the team, the villains were still able to take off.

"DAMN!" Ironwood shouted. "They're getting away!"

After disposing of the Grimm she was taking care of, Coco quickly aimed Gianduja up at the retreating ship. "Don't worry, I'll blast 'em out of the sky!"

" _Coco, wait!"_ Cooper said, putting a hand on the rotary cannon to stop her. _"If you shoot them down now, you'll crash the airship right in the middle of the city."_ He focused his gaze down at her, and while Coco couldn't see his face, she knew he must have been wearing a saddened expression under that helmet. _"We probably already have enough casualties as is after that giant blast from the Grimmungousaur. The last thing we need is more people dying."_

A sigh escaped Coco's lips as she lowered her weapon. "Yeah, you're right. So what do we do now—"

_**GYAAAOOOOON!**_ Everyone's heads whipped up to see the Grimmungousaur, the beast lumbering its way through the streets as it slowly approached them, with Silyrian running a head of it to join up with his comrades. Cooper narrowed his eyes at the two approaching obstacles, knowing that something had to be done about them. "First… we need to slow THAT thing down." He craned his neck up to see the approaching flying Grimm. "While also taking care of THOSE as well."

"But Ben isn't here!" Ilia reminded. "Who could possibly be strong enough to hold off THAT?!"

However, much to their surprise, a certain someone spoke up, volunteering themselves for the task. "Do not worry, Ilia." Everyone slowly turned to Penny, the redheaded android glaring at the Grimmungousaur as her green eyes glowed intensely. "Now more than ever…" The android then activated her Air Heart jetpack and her Floating Array arm blades, preparing herself for battle. "I am Combat Ready."

* * *

"Wait, so… THAT'S Azmuth?" Ruby asked, still in utter disbelief at what was going on. The creator of the Omnitrix was standing right before them… and he was a tiny grey frog man in an admittedly adorable little tunic. Needless to say, they were all pretty shocked. "But… he's so… little."

Yang raised an eyebrow down at Azmuth, unsure of what to make of him. "Yeah, he's honestly FAR from what I was expecting."

"And he's ADORABLE!" Nora exclaimed, only to receive a rather grouchy face from the Galvan for her comment. "Uh… ya know… in a wise, old and respectable sort of way! Hehe… yeah, that's it."

With a slight roll of his eyes, the Great Thinker nodded up to Yang as he approached her. "Well, to address _your_ point, most people ARE surprised by my appearance if they do not know what species I am a part of." He then pointed over toward the sickly Ben. "Now, I believe you have yet to answer my question, Ben Tennyson."

The hero sighed and lowered his head. "Yes… yes, I've gotten into a pretty big mess again, Azmuth. But just so you know, this time, it _wasn't_ my fault."

"Oh really? So are you implying that you _didn't_ just run the charge out of the Omnitrix after performing several different transformations again?"

His statement made Ben deadpan a bit. "…Okay, I was referring to how we ended up in this dimension, but yeah, that part IS true."

Azmuth sighed and shook his head. "I figured as much. It's been made quite obvious that you have gotten in over your head yet again."

"Hey, back off a bit, will ya?" Yang said with a slight glare. "He feels bad enough already with what just happened. The last thing he needs is to be reprimanded even MORE."

Azmuth eyeridges furrowed up to the blonde at that. "I see… and I take it that you are Yang Xiao Long, I presume? You are his new romantic partner, are you not?"

The Blonde Brawler blinked in surprise. "Uh, yeah… how'd you know?"

"I took the liberty of keeping him up to date on current events over the course of your stay here." Paradox answered with a sly grin, his sights trained onto Azmuth's back. "Of course, he pretends not to listen, but I know otherwise." The statement made Azmuth abruptly cough into his hand.

A satisfied smirk came to Ben's face. "Ah, I see. So, it REALLY took you almost five hours to convince him to come here, eh professor?"

"Give or take." Paradox answered. "He IS a busy Galvan after all."

" _Ahem_." Azmuth cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention. "In ANY case…" The Galvan looked back up to Yang. "Professor Paradox HAS indeed told me much about you, Miss Xiao Long." He gestured around to everyone else. "As well as the rest of you. And I must say, while it is impressive that mere humans like yourselves are able to combat the forces of dangerous alien criminals, it was also rather foolhardy of you all to do so in the first place."

"I'm sorry, WHAT?!" Yang exclaimed.

Blake stepped forward as well. "What do you mean "foolhardy"? We knew exactly what we were getting into." She pointed up to her ears and to Sun's tail. "Also, just so you know, we're Faunus, not humans."

Azmuth turned to them in intrigue. "Ah, yes, Paradox told me about you as well. The human subspecies that somehow evolved with certain animalistic traits." He gave a single nod. "Very interesting..."

The two Faunus both blinked at his words. "W-Wait, human subspecies?" Sun asked.

"Exactly… though one thing DOES puzzle me…" Azmuth eyed the Omnitrix suspiciously. "As closely related as Faunus and Human DNA must be… the Omnitrix _still_ should have scanned it." He faced the Omnitrix and, oddly enough, called out to it. "Omnitrix, begin DNA scanning sequence."

All of a sudden, the Omnitrix's faceplate began glowing bright yellow and it retracted, allowing the core to pop out. From its inner workings, a long, vertical beam of yellow light suddenly began scanning over Sun and Blake, much to their surprise. However, before it could even reach up to their knees, the light stopped and began flashing red, disappearing soon after. _"Error, Error."_ the device spoke in Ben's voice. _"Unable to perform DNA scan."_ The Omnitrix denied, much to its creator's and its bearer's surprise. _"Unknown species is protected by an unseen energy field. DNA scanners incapable of penetrating this field."_

Azmuth's eyes blinked at that. "Wait, what?!"

But then, Ruby snapped her fingers as a look of realization came to her face. "Oooh! It means our protective Auras!" She saw that Azmuth was giving her an questioning look, so she explained. "Oh, well, our Auras are the manifestations of our souls, and they give us a whole bunch of abilities, including protection against certain things…" She gestured toward the Omnitrix. "And I guess the Omnitrix's scanners just happen to be one of those."

Azmuth stroked his "beard" ponderously. "Hmm… very fascinating. This is somewhat similar to how the Omnitrix cannot scan the Anodite species. Perhaps there is more to this dimension's human race that I initially thought…"

Ben's eyebrows rose up in surprise. "Huh, the more you know, I guess." He shifted his gaze back down to the Omnitrix's creator. "But back to the topic from before, they're right, Azmuth. I explained exactly what they were in for before any of them agreed to help me round up the criminals. And besides, the humans from this dimension are a LOT more resilient than the ones from ours."

"Indeed, it would seem so." Azmuth said while once again stroking his "beard". "But at the same time, you managed to rope these people into _your_ conflict… while also getting yourself, your friends, and your family roped into _theirs_."

However, to everyone's surprise, it was Max who spoke out against the small alien. "With all due respect, Azmuth, you know as well as I do that Ben's not about let any problem go without doing something about it. That's what's made him a great hero."

"That may be true, Max, but—"

"And besides, we were always gonna get roped into it." Kevin added. "I mean, we were literally dropped into this world during one of Salem's attacks."

Azmuth sighed and pinched the bridge of his face. "Yes, I suppose those are also good points. But still, the fact remains that this "Salem" is a force of evil that not even _I_ thought would have existed in ANY dimension. And I thought _Salazar's_ villains being lose on your world was bad enough. Speaking of which…" He sent a small glare over to Rex, who stepped back in slight shock. Azmuth sighed and greeted; "Hello, problem child. Hopefully you haven't caused TOO much trouble since your arrival here."

Rex chuckled nervously and waved. "Hehe… hey Azmuth! How's uh… how's things going?"

"Much better now that you haven't been tampering with delicate Galvan equipment." Azmuth stressed as he shifted his gaze over to Holiday. "You've been able to keep him grounded, correct, doctor?"

Holiday rolled her eyes, visibly irritated a bit. "Yes, Azmuth, as much as I can." But then, a sly grin came to her face as she pointed over to Weiss. "But… if you wanna talk keeping Rex's head on straight, you should talk to Weiss over there." The doctor couldn't help but giggle when both Weiss and Rex blushed at the same time, desperately moving their eyes away from each other.

Azmuth pursed his lips at this. "Really? Well then, she must have the patience of an Earthly saint if that's true."

Weiss quirked a brow at that. "I'm not sure if I should be flattered for offended."

"I meant it as a compliment." Azmuth said before his eyeridges furrowed and he pointed up at Ben. "But the point still stands. If what I've heard is true… then you have likely made enemies with the wrong woman, Ben Tennyson. The fact that Salem was able to damage the Vaxasaurian DNA by taking part of it and using it to create her own… it is quite disconcerting."

"The Grimmungousaur, yeah." Jaune nodded. "We've just experienced it firsthand."

Azmuth put a hand to his chin in thought. "Hmph, is THAT was she calls it? Not what I would have gone with, but nevertheless, you are all in this quite deep now, and judging by what just happened, you will need some assistance."

Pyrrha leaned forward in intrigue. "Does that mean you're going to repair Humungousaur's DNA for Ben?"

"Given the situation, that would be the most appropriate solution, yes." Azmuth answered.

A smile came to Ben's face as he perked up a little. "Great! Then let's—uuuuugh!" Before the hero knew what hit him, another wave of nausea over took him, making him slump against his grandfather's shoulder in pain.

"Now let's not get too hasty there, sport." Max consoled before leading Ben over toward the house. "Let's have Gwen get you back to feeling one-hundred percent before we start doing anything, huh? Then Azmuth will fix the watch."

Yang came up and helped Max bring her boyfriend into the house. "Yeah, and we'll start making a new plan of attack while we're at it."

As the group made their way to the house, with Paradox picking Azmuth up to get him there faster, Winter and Weiss couldn't help but keep in step with Rex and Holiday, the two sisters quirking their brows that them all the while. "I must ask… what did Azmuth mean by "tampering with Galvan equipment?"." Winter asked.

"Yeah, Robo-dolt, what did you do?" Weiss asked accusingly.

Rex raised his hands in defense. "Okay, so before I say anything, I just have to point out; none of this was really my fault…" This made the Schnee Sisters and even Holiday give him displeased frowns, to which he relented and hung his head. "Okay, so I may have tried to help get the Dimensional Doorway up and running a bit faster by using my nanites to give the Galvan tech a bit of a boost. Let's just say… it didn't go very well."

"He almost opened a dimensional rift in the Plumber base." Holiday clarified, which made Weiss smack Rex upside the head.

"OW! Hey, we got it under control!" Rex said while rubbing the back of his head.

But Weiss was still quite frustrated at him. "But the point still stands that you used your Nanites on something that you don't understand! Are you TRYING to get yourself killed?!"

"Yeah, not a very smart move, Rex." Gwen had to agree as she kept skimming through her spell book. "Take it from someone who's dealt with dangerous rifts before; one little instability could mean life or death."

Rex sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, you've got a point. Sorry."

However, Azmuth piped up again as everyone entered the living room, with Max and Yang setting Ben down on the couch while Gwen continued her spell search. "Well, "sorry" doesn't make up for all of the Galvan equipment you damaged." He folded his arms and narrowed his eyes, the eyelids of which were vertical instead of horizontal. "You're very lucky that your brother is willing to work to pay off the damages when he returns to Earth, Rex."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Rex waved off. "My brother IS your new favorite pupil after all."

"Hmph, _anyone_ who can figure out interdimensional travel at such an early age is one to be commended." Azmuth stated. "Then again, it's obvious which side of the family got the brains and who got the brawn in THAT respect."

This made Rex hang his head in shame… and Weiss furrow her brow at the Galvan. "Hey, there's no need to be so rude about it! He's already learned his lesson!"

"Perhaps, but I believe it necessary to drive the point home, as it were." Azmuth said as he jumped off of Paradox's shoulder and onto the back of the couch. "If one doesn't learn from an experience, they are doomed to repeat it, after all." A brief scowl flashed across his features. "I already deal with enough mistakes from two Galvan in particular to know THAT much."

Next to the couch, Raven and Tai focused back down to Ben, the Spring Maiden asking him; "So… is he always like this?"

"Only on his good days." The ailing hero chortled. "He can actually be WAY worse when he wants to." This earned him another pointed glare from Azmuth, making the hero laugh nervously again. "Hehe… so… I'm guessing what you said means that Blukic and Driba messed up again?"

The Great Thinker let out a small groan before facepalming. "Indeed, and this time I've decided to take some action. They've been relocated back to Galvan Prime to be reeducated." He sent a glance over to Max. "And before you ask, do not worry, I have sent for a replacement Galvan scientist for the Earth Plumber Base effective immediately. I believe you will like her FAR more than them."

Max sighed in relief. "Thank you, Azmuth. No offense to those two, but there were only so many screw-ups we could take down there."

"Indeed. While they are brilliant scientists… by Earth standards, they are remarkably unintelligent as Galvans." Azmuth said with a shake of his head. "I can only hope this second go around allows them to reevaluate themselves and actually allows them to focus on their craft."

A small chuckle escaped Tai's mouth. "Heh, good luck with that." He got up and headed back toward the hallway. "I'll be right back. We should take this moment of reprieve to let you guys at least get some drinks in ya."

"Very good idea." Athena concurred as she entered the room with Team JNPR behind her. "I'm sure the children would all appreciate some water." As Tai left the room, Athena laced her fingers together, a serious expression coming to her face. "Now, let us get down to brass tacks here; this Grimmungousaur… it has to be one of the worst Grimms to ever shame the face of Remnant."

"No doubt about it." Ren nodded as he and his team all wore solemn faces. "And… it has no doubt already taken a whole slew of lives in one fell swoop with that energy blast."

Blake, who was standing nearby with Sun holding her close, added in her two cents; "Yes… and now or allies are stuck in Vale with it AND the Negative Ten… including my parents." She sent a slightly irritated face over to Ben. "Still kind of annoyed about that by the way."

Ben closed his eyes and nodded. "I know, Blake. And again, I'm really sorry."

"As am I." Paradox jumped in, giving the cat girl a small grin. "But worry not, Blake. I have a strong feeling that your parents are doing quite well." He gestured toward the television. "In fact, if you wish to check up on how they're doing, I suggest you turn on the television. I believe the news should be back on by now."

Blake's eyes widened at that. "Wait, what?!" She quickly found the remote to switch the TV on.

As the professor had said, the news was indeed on, being broadcast live from a helicopter no less! And in the passenger seat was a familiar face, one that made Ben's eyes nearly bulge out of his head. _"This is Lisa Lavender once again coming to you live on the scene of this devastating event!"_ the white-haired reporter said as she gazed directly into the camera. Behind her, the helicopter's side door was open, allowing a good view of the ground below… where the teens could see their allies and half of the Negative Ten continue to fight. "As you can see, the group below us is continuing to fight against this evil force, lead apparently by a woman named "Salem"."

Stepping up next to Professor Paradox, Oscar winced at that. "Oof, ya know, a part of me is actually kind of glad that Ozpin locked himself inside my head. Otherwise, you guys probably wouldn't have heard the end of it."

On the television, the group could clearly see Ghira tussling with Leonidas while Ilia and Sienna held off Hog and Skull respectively. Kali and Vernal on the other hand were both going toe to toe with Subdora, matching the Merlinisapaien's combative skills with their own. As that was happening, Cooper was facing down Silyrian, the genius' armor able to withstand the strikes that the scorpion mutant made with his pincers and stinger. All while that was going on, Team CFVY were holding the line against the incoming Grimm, with Coco being the main one to mow most of them down with her weapon.

But, as relieving of a sight as it was to see their allies holding off Salem's forces, Ben still took issue with the simple fact that Lisa was still on the scene… and in a freaking HELICOPTER no less! He shot up in shock and exclaimed; "What the HELL is she still DOING there?! AUGH!" He immediately regretted doing that, flopping back onto the couch like a helpless fish on land, complete with a near-dead-eyed stare. "Uuuuugh, Reeex, I thought you told them to get evacuaaaate." he slurred out.

"I-I did!" The EVO assured. "I set them down at a safe distance and told them to get away!" Rex crossed his arms while indignantly glaring at the holographic TV screen. "But I guess they just chose not to listen."

"Unsurprising, considering you aren't much of a commanding presence." Azmuth commented off-handedly, making Rex faulter once again. "But of course, humans are always prone to rash or reckless decisions such as these. I've known Ben long enough to know that." The Omnitrix bearer also faltered at that.

Neptune couldn't help but deadpan at that. "Sheesh, what is this, the roasting of Ben Tennyson and Rex Salazar?"

"Shush!" Ruby raised her hand to the blue-haired boy, keeping her concentration on the television. "Something's happening…"

The camera panned back over to Lisa, a worried expression on her face. _"However, there are still many worrying factors. For one, a small group of these villains have retreated back to their airship they arrived in…"_ The camera panned around toward the Mistralian Airship… and the place it was flying toward made everyone in the room grow pale. _"And it's heading right for Beacon Academy."_

"NO!" Nearly everyone in the room exclaimed, with Jaune picking it up from there. "Dammit! Now we've got ANOTHER problem!" He whipped his head toward Gwen and continued; "Gwen, don't mean to rush you, but—"

"Got it!" Gwen said with a smile, finally finding the spell she needed. " _Utio Beneto Moxia_!" She extended her hand and, all at once, a soft, pink glow enveloped her cousin, a sudden rush of energy filling his veins.

Ben's head shot up and his eyes widened. "Woah! Okay, starting to feel a bit better now!"

But Lisa still wasn't done on the television. _"But what's worrying me the most is that there were several more young hunters and heroes who were fending off this attack as well. But now they just seem to have… disappeared into thin air! I-I don't know if they've been killed or—"_ _ **GYAAAAOOON!**_ The reporter perked her head up as she saw something out the front window, pointing at it while yelling at her cameraman; _"GREG! Get a shot of that monstrosity! The robot girl is fighting it by herself!"_

"WHAT?!" Ruby shouted, along with most of the others. The camera panned around to get a good shot of none other than their redheaded friend flying around the Grummungousaur's head like a pesky little fly, annoying it with constant blasts from her Floating Array blades. The giant creature swatted at her with its massive arms, but she was always able to get out of its reach, using shifting her blades into their saw mode to slice through most of the bone armor on its head and arms as she did. Needless to say, everybody was floored at what was happening. "PENNY?!" Ruby put her hands to her face as she began pacing back and forth. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, this is BAD! Penny can't hold that thing off by herself for long! W-We need to help her! We need to—"

"RUBY!" Raven shot up and put her hands to Ruby's shoulders, stopping the now hyper-ventilating girl from running herself ragged. "Don't worry, everything will be fine, okay?" The woman sent her a soft smile. "Penny's a strong girl. I have a feeling she'll be able to hold that monster off for a good while yet."

The Hooded Huntress let out an exhausted breath before going in to give Raven a hug, much to the woman's surprise. "This has been a VERY stressful day." Ruby croaked out, her voice muffled against Raven's arm.

"…I know, Ruby, I know." Raven said as she began stroking her hand through the girl's hair, with Yang coming over to help comfort her sister.

However, as that was happening, Azmuth couldn't help but be somewhat astonished by what he was seeing. So much so that he leapt off of the couch and over to the coffee table for a closer look. The oversized jet thrusters on the girl's back… they had a VERY familiar green and black color scheme. One that was characteristic of the living metal which comprised Galvanic Mechamorphs. It was only further proved when the girl suddenly changed her legs into a pair of large, spiked boots, ones that were also black and green. She drove the bright green spikes into the Grimmungousaur's shoulder, making it roar in pain while staggering back a bit.

Now that he thought about it more, the jet pack and those giant boots were vaguely similar to REX'S builds… and there was only ONE way that a Galvanic Mechamorph could have appeared in this dimension. He turned back toward the two heroes and demanded; "Explain… NOW."

Rex and Ben both glanced to each other, chuckling nervously at the question. "Uh, hehe, funny story, really." Rex started. "Ya see, first off, that's Penny. She's a living robot who has a human soul powering her. But a few weeks back, she was pretty much destroyed."

"But her remains were recovered." Ben picked up from there. "And we were asked if there was any way we could repair her." The Omnitrix bearer gestured between himself and Rex. "So, Rex and I combined his and Upgrade's abilities to fix her body. And well…" He gestured toward the television. "That was the result. She's now part Galvanic Mechamorph and she has Nanites flowing through her. Also, she's pretty much indestructible."

"Fascinating…" Azmuth said as he turned back to the TV, continuing his observation of Penny's battle. "I should have a meeting with this anomaly of a young woman when this is all over…"

Pyrrha couldn't help but blink at that. "Wait, so he's quite to chastise Ben and Rex… but after seeing Penny, he's suddenly interested?"

"Galvans are a lot more invested in machines and scientific data than humans, Pyrrha." Kevin explained. "Especially Azmuth, since he's the smartest being in three—"

"Arguably Five." Azmuth added in.

"…Galaxies." Kevin finished.

All of a sudden, a loud roar came from the television, causing everyone to snap their heads back to it. They watched with baited breath as the helicopter lurched over in the air, making Lisa and Gregory scream as a whole horde of Griffons flew past the aircraft and down toward the ground. The helicopter began moving away from the battle, but not before the camera caught a few seconds of Coco lifting her weapon up and shooting down most of the flying beasts… the key word being "most". One of the surviving ones managed to slip past her and divebomb the group… and it had managed to pick up one person in particular.

Blake's eyes widened to the size of saucers as she screamed; "ILIA!"

* * *

It had all happened so fast, Coco barely had time to register what had happened. It was bad enough that their strongest asset was currently battling the bad guys' strongest asset, OR the fact that her boyfriend was battling a poisonous megalomaniac mutant, there was also the little problem of a news helicopter stupidly flying right over them right as a huge swarm of Griffons began flying down towards them. It was all she could do to keep from screaming in frustration as she hefted Gianduja skyward, making sure the copter was clear before unloading her firepower upon the beasts, making sure to activate her Semblance for good measure.

"COME AND GET SOME!" Coco hollered skyward. "You're _ALL_ gonna DIE!" Her bullets cut through the beasts like paper, killing them instantly as their body parts fell to the ground. However, there were still many Griffons who were able to avoid her hail of fire, rolling around in midair before descending down toward the group. "What did I JUST—"

"AAAAAH!" Coco was cut off when a loud scream pierced through the battlefield, shocking everyone. As it happened, the Griffon had managed to descend low enough to pick someone up before taking to the skies again… and that person was Ilia. The chameleon girl had been jerked up so suddenly that she lost her grip on her Lightning Lash, the weapon falling to the pavement below. "HELP!" Ilia managed to cry out while flailing her limbs against the beast's grip. "Somebody, get me down from here!"

"ILIA!" Kali exclaimed in a panic… which only allowed Subdora to finally get in a kick to her. Fortunately, Vernal was able to get the Merlinisapien away from her immediately after.

From his struggle with Leonidas, Ghira's eyes widened and his teeth clenched in anger. "NOOO!" He punched Leonidas in the face, only to be met with a strike in retaliation, the lion mutant making sure that the panther man didn't break away from their fight.

Cooper immediately saw this and made to activate his jets. _"Hold on, Ilia! I'm com—AGH!"_ Just as he was about to fly off, however, Silyrian wrapped his long tail around Cooper's leg and sent him slamming into the ground, before flipping over and slamming him with the same appendage a split second later.

Silyrian landed on the genius' back and slashed into the jets on his back with his Queen's Servants, cutting off his jets from further use. His signature clicking cackle rang throughout the area as he said; "You're not going anywhere, tin can! GAHAHAH!"

Coco bared her teeth, quickly growing frustrated that one Griffon had made it past her. She was about to turn around and shoot it down, but quickly realized that it would be the same situation as it was with the airship earlier. "DAMMIT! I can't risk hitting Ilia if I shoot the damn thing down!"

"BAHAHAHAH!" Hog and Skull were practically yucking it up as they saw one of their two opponents being carried away by the massive beast, high-fiving each other in the process. "Well, I guess that's ONE way to beat somebody, right?!" Hog asked.

"Haha, yeah!" Skull guffawed before pausing. "…But aren't we forgettin' somethin'?" His eyes moved back over to Sienna, the tiger woman gazing up at the Griffon as it took Ilia away. "Aw, yeah! We forgot the tiger gal!" Skull smashed his fist into his palm as Hog prepared his Shock Gauntlets. "Let's give this dame a little… payback?" All confidence left Skull's voice the very second that Sienna whirled around, a fire in the White Fang leader's eyes as she lashed her Cerberus Whip at the two. At the very end of the weapon, one of the Dust-infused tips launched out at Hog first, stabbing into his shoulder and catching fire upon contact.

"GAAAAH!" Hog cried as he pulled the sharpened tip out and started flailing about… only to then start rolling around on the ground. "Stop, drop, roll! STOP, DROP, ROLL!"

Skull grumbled and called to his partner; "HOG! Pull yourself together! This is—GaAaAaAhH!" Without a moment to breath, Sienna launched the second sharpened tip at Exo-Skull, successfully electrocuting him on the spot. The rhino mutant fell to his knees and then to his stomach as he spasmed in the street, allowing Sienna to break away. "Ch-Ch-Cheap… Sh-Shot!"

"ILIA!" Sienna quickly picked up Ilia's Lightning Lash before leaping up and swinging her whip toward a nearby flagpole sticking out the side of a building, allowing her to swing herself up and onto the building's roof. She ran alongside the retreating Griffon, all while pulling her whip back to her. She trained her eyes onto the beast and began to lash her weapon once more. _'C'mon, make this count!'_ With that thought, Sienna let out a ferocious battle cry and launched the remaining tip out at the Griffon, successfully striking it in the thigh. All at once, its entire leg was encased in ice, and the moment it tried to flex it, the limb broke off, causing the beast to roar in agony. However, much to Sienna's dismay, the beast just kept flying away, taking Ilia with it.

"SIENNA!" Ilia cried as she reached back to her former leader.

The tiger woman reached the end of the building… but it was too late. The Griffon had out flown her and the next building over wasn't for another block, leaving Sienna trapped and unable to help the girl. "NO!" She shouted, reaching out in a vain attempt. Her mind then briefly thought of doing something rash; jumping and lashing her whip out in hopes of catching the Griffon by the leg. _'It'd be a long shot, but—'_

_**FWOOSH!**_ Before she could put this idea into motion, a huge gust of wish blew past her, along with an undiscernible red and black streak. "W-What!? What in the world was that?!" Sienna was left stunned at what just happened… so much so that she almost missed what happened next.

* * *

Little did anyone know, that as everyone was fighting down in the streets of Vale, a certain quintet of people were watching within a rather large ship at Beacon Academy… and they were absolutely dreading what was happening. Tetrax, Gluto, Cesar, Argit and Swift all watched with baited breath as they saw their friends and allies battle it out in the city, having tuned back into the live feed from the news helicopter to keep a sharp eye out. Some kept their composure more than others, with Tetrax, Gluto and Cesar being the prime examples. However, Argit and Swift were a bit more… verbal in their worry.

"We're all gonna die, we're all gonna die, WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" Argit shouted as he kept pacing back and forth, only for Tetrax to bonk him on the head to get him to stop.

"Shut up, Argit!" The Petrosapien ordered, training his eyes back onto the screen. "We have enough problems already without you losing your mind over them."

Swift moved her gaze over to the ship's captain, her own face filled with worry. "Tetrax, I'm sorry, but… is there really nothing we can do?"

Cesar shook his head. "Not yet, Swift." He nudged his head up toward the ship's pilot as the tentacled being continued to work at the control panel. "I may have finished installing the Dimensional Doorway, but there are still a few things Gluto has to be sure of before we can get the Resolute airborne."

Gluto piped up at that. _"Correct, I just need about fifteen or so minutes more and we'll be good to—"_

" _AAAAAH!"_ Everyone's heads snapped back to the screen at the sound of a certain scream… only for their eyes to widen in horror. Swift was especially alarmed at what she was seeing, her heart sinking at the sight. There, on the screen, Ilia had just been picked up by a huge Griffon, the beast taking her away from the battle. _"HELP! Somebody get me down from here!"_

"Holy CRAP!" Argit exclaimed, his hands smacking his cheeks. "The chameleon girl! She's been taken!"

"Ilia…" Tetrax started, only for the sound of the automatic doors behind him to garner his attention. His mind feared that there was only one thing that could have happened, and once he spun around, he saw that it was true. Just as the automatic doors were closing, he saw Swift's retreating form sprinting for the elevator, no doubt intent on rescuing her friend. "SWIFT!" Tetrax barked, going after her immediately. He managed to catch up to her just as she was about to reach the elevator, grabbing hold of her arm as she began to flail in his grasp. "Swift! What are you DOING?!"

Swift growled as she continued to fight to get out of his grip, but to no avail. "GAH! Let me GO! I have to SAVE her!"

"Calm down." Tetrax urged. "You're being highly irrational! I'm sure that one of the others can—"

The Aerophibian hybrid rounded on him and snapped; "They're all taking care of the others, Tetrax! Who down there could possibly get her other than Penny, who, might I remind you, is dealing with that ABOMINATION?!"

He raised his other hand up to her. "Relax, Swift. Cooper is probably already on—"

"Tetrax! The scorpion just grounded Cooper!" Cesar shouted, making the Petrosapien deadpan.

Swift was giving him a similar face, making Tetrax sigh. "Alright, I stand corrected. But in case you've forgotten, this goes against our deal." He pointed down to the anklet that Swift was wearing, immediately reminding her of what she promised. "You're under house arrest. Even if you were able to go outside, you wouldn't be able to use your powers with that anklet on."

A mixed look of sadness and frustration took over Swift's features as she screwed her eyes shut, hanging her head low while balling her fists at her sides. Never before had she felt so… useless. Yes, there were times in the past where she had felt that way, especially when she was on the run or in juvie. But now… the fact that she couldn't help the one who she found a kindred spirit in… the one person she cared about most… it was destroying her from the inside. A stream of tears managed to work their way out of her eyes, her arms shaking from the emotion building up in her.

"Tetrax… p-please." The Petrosapien was surprised when she whipped her head up, her tears flowing freely as she pleaded with him and pounded her fists against his chest. "I HAVE to help her! I have to help EVERYONE down there! If they don't get any backup soon, then things are only going to get _worse_!" She began choking up as she went on, her forehead pressed up against him. "A-And… if I lose her… I just don't know what I'd do… please, you have to let me go!"

There was a momentary silence between the two… that is until Tetrax pulled out the remote for her anklet. Swift's eyes widened, worried that he might do something to get her under control… but then he pressed a button and the anklet opened up, falling harmlessly to the floor. Her lips parted as she could feel her powers returning to her, but before she could do anything else, Tetrax took her by the shoulder and led her to his armory. "Come, if you're going to fight, then you might as well be prepared for it."

Swift couldn't help but blink in shock. "W-Wait, so you're letting me go?!"

"I am. But not without proper battle gear." Tetrax led the two into the Resolute's armory and he immediately pressed his hand against a palm reader, which then made a compartment on the wall open up.

Swift's eyeridge rose in curiosity as a rather slim suit of armor was revealed to her, one that was mainly a dark grey but had several black areas strewn about it, such as the chest, the shoulders, forearms, etcetera. These black parts were also outlined with thick, dark grey edges, with the toes and heels of the boots sharing the same color as well. There were also several small compartments around the waist and hip area as well. "Alright, I give, what IS that?"

"This is a special type of armor known as Proto-Tech." Tetrax explained, taking the armor off out of the compartment before handing it off to Swift. "It is designed to adapt to any being's physiology, and it is strong enough to protect its wearer from a high-intensity shockwave." He gestured to Swift's clothing. "If you're going to go out into battle, you may as well dress for the occasion, right?"

Swift smiled with determination before hugging Tetrax, much to his shock. "Right! I can't thank you enough for this, Tetrax. I owe you BIG TIME for this."

"Ahem, I'll keep that in mind." Tetrax said before nudging his head toward the exit. "Now go, you're needed down there."

The Aerophibian pumped a fist. "Right!" In the blink of an eye, she was out the door, leaving Tetrax… and her regular clothes behind.

Tetrax put his hand to his forehead in utter disbelief. "What HAVE I unleashed onto Vale?"

It didn't take long for Swift to change into the Proto-Tech armor, and the fact that it fit onto her like a glove also helped a lot. It had even accommodated for her retractable wings and her tail as well! And the moment that the pant legs wrapped around her feet, she discarded the boots, leaving her two-toed feet freely exposed. _'Man, it's like this armor KNEW me the moment I put it on!'_ The Resolute's back hatch opened up and she immediately flew out of it, managing to spook nearly half of all the students that were gathered out in the courtyard. _'Alright, Swift, focus up! It's time to save—'_

"HEY!" Swift's eyeridges rose up and her head snapped down to see Cardin Winchester and his team, along with a whole bunch of other students all gathered together. It seemed like he had rallied them all for some reason, most likely to defend the school from the incoming threat. He was pointing his mace up at her while calling out; "You're the alien girl who blasted me in the shoulder!"

"Oh… yeah, right." Swift waved down to him with a guilty face. "Sorry about that! Listen, I'd be happy to give you a full-blown apology, but right now, I have a friend down in the city that I need to save, so—"

"Wait!" Cardin interrupted. "You're going to the city? If that's the case, then… could ya make sure that Velvet's alright?"

Once more, Swift was taken by surprise. "Wait, what?"

Cardin rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah… she told me about you and how you regret what you've done. And honestly, I'm kinda in the same boat. So… from one former bad egg to another, please make sure she's alright."

A smile came to Swift's face and she gave a thumbs up. "No problem. And you'd all best get ready… because things up here are probably gonna get pretty crazy soon." With that, Swift rocketed off toward Vale, so fast that she created a sonic boom in her wake. She didn't care how fast she had to fly, she just knew she HAD to get down there. In no time, she could see buildings fast approaching her, so she slowed down just a bit to keep from accidentally smacking into them. She could see the battle ahead of her, and she slowed down a bit more, though not enough to consider her actually GOING slow. Finally, her sights managed to find her best friend, still in the clutches of that _damned_ beast. After rushing past who she could only assume to be Sienna Khan on a nearby rooftop, Swift screamed her friend's name out to her; "ILIA!"

This made Ilia's head snap up in shock, though she could only make out a crimson and black streak ramming its way into the Griffon at that moment. The beast roared in pain as it was sent tumbling down toward the ground… only to then immediately be sliced in half by a pair of red beams. This caused the Griffon's grip to loosen and Ilia was finally free… but the height she was at was yet another factor. "AAAAAH!" The chameleon girl belted out a scream as she continued to fall quite fast toward the pavement… only to then suddenly be scooped out of the air by a pair of arms.

"Gotcha!"

"Ack!" Ilia grunted at the sudden catch, only for her eyes to widen at the familiar voice. That, plus the combination of feeling like she was flying, made her come to only one conclusion. She glanced to the side and her lips parted in astonishment. "SWIFT?!"

The Aerophibian flew to a halt in midair, floating high above the ground while holding Ilia bridal style. "That's right! Surprised?"

"To say the freaking LEAST!" Ilia retorted. "What are you DOING here?! In fact, HOW are you even here?! You're supposed to be under house arrest and…" Her eyes suddenly widened when she saw the city skyline, now realizing how high up they were. Ilia slowly moved her gaze down, only to immediately regret it when the ground began spinning. "AH!" She wrapped her arms around Swift's neck, inadvertently bringing their faces closer as she shut her eyes. "Don't let me fall!"

Initially, Swift was a bit flustered, a light shade of pink coming to her cheeks when their faces touched. However, she quickly shrugged it off and chuckled, making sure that her grip on Ilia was as secure as it could be. "Don't worry. I won't let go." she spoke softly. _'She is such a cutie.'_

"Good." Ilia squeaked out, peeking one eye open to see her friend's face. _'…Dear god, why is she so pretty?'_ It was then that Ilia noticed what Swift was wearing, piquing her interest. "Uh… Swift? Where'd you get the armor?"

"Oh, Tetrax gave it to me before I left." Swift explained. "It's called "Proto-Tech" Armor. Apperantly it's really advanced or something."

Ilia blinked before scanning her eyes over Swift again, a light shade of pink coming to her spots. "Oh… well, it looks very good on you. I've heard black is quite slimming."

Swift's blush came back in full force, the Aerophibian laughing anxiously. "Uh, hehe, yeah… it certainly fits pretty well."

"Ilia!" The sudden cry of her name made Ilia whirl her head around toward a nearby building, where Sienna Khan was waving the two down. "Over here!" Ilia directed Swift over to the building and she nodded, flying down and onto the roof where Sienna immediately greeted her with a hug. "Oh, thank goodness you're alright!" the tiger woman sighed in relief. "I thought you were almost lost to us!"

Ilia smiled and returned the hug. "Hehe, it's okay, Sienna. I had some great backup."

"I can see that." Sienna pulled out of the embrace and faced Swift, bowing her head in gratitude. "Thank you for saving her, miss…"

"Swift." The hybrid answered with a quick salute. "Call me Swift. And no need to thank me. I would've done it again in a heartbeat." Swift sent a wink toward Ilia, making the chameleon girl's spots turn pink. "She's probably the best friend I've ever had, after all."

Sienna shifted her eyes between the two and a Cheshire grin slowly came to her face. "…I see. Well, that's certainly good to know." She went back to Ilia and handed her back her Lightning Lash. "And I believe you dropped this, my dear." As she gave it back, though, Sienna pulled Ilia closer and whispered; "By the way, she is quite the pretty face, eh? How long have you two known each other?

Ilia gave a small pout… but answered nonetheless. "…Since the Menagerie mission." Sienna winked at her and Ilia cleared her throat, hoping to move on, hoping that Swift didn't hear that. "Ahem, thank you, Sienna. Now that we're all on the same page, I'm thinking we should—"

"AAAAAAAAAH!" _**SLAM!**_ Without warning, something made impact with the building they were standing on, making it shake beneath their feet. The three ladies nearly lost their footing, but after a few moments, it stopped. Still left baffled as to what happened, the trio went toward the building's edge and peered down, only to see none other than Penny. The android's eyes were spinning, dazed after getting smacked into the wall. But she did notice the ladies above her, though. "Hi Ilia, hi Sienna." she spoke in a dazed tone. "Glad you could make it." Once her vision cleared, though, she noticed Swift as well, her eyebrows snapping up. "Wait, SWIFT?! What are you doing here?!"

Swift waved down to her. "Long story, Penny. Right now, we've gotta—LOOK OUT!"

Penny got the warning just in time to avoid the Grimmungousaur's massive tail, the club slamming right into where she once was. Penny activated her Air Heart jet pack once again and flew up to the roof, grabbing Sienna without a second thought. "Come on! It isn't safe up here!"

"I can agree to that!" Ilia agreed as she let Swift pick her up as well. The four of them flew away from the building as it began to collapse, the Grimmungousaur engulfing it in its energy beam for good measure. Once they were all at a safe distance, they landed, with Ilia asking the big question first. "Okay, so where do we go from here?"

In an instant, Penny shifted her Air Heart for her Mechano-Crushers again, along with her Block Busters for good measure. "Well, I know I still have to hold that thing off."

"Are you sure?" Sienna asked with a serious face. "Because the Grimm on ground level are beginning to dwindle a bit. We can always send Cooper and Team CFVY to back you up."

"I appreciate the thought, but there are still many Grimm in the sky." Penny said as she glanced up to see all of the Griffons and flying Beringels still in the air. "You will need as much help as you can to take them all down."

Swift furrowed her eyeridges up toward the airborne Grimm still flying around. "Well, I think I'd be pretty useful back in the skies. I'll see if I can lend a hand in that department, maybe get at least a couple of them away from the battle and here to help you, Penny." She faced Ilia and gently grasped her hand. "I'll give you and Sienna cover while you two get back to the others, okay? Just follow my lead."

Ilia smiled back at her, tightening her grip ever so slightly. "Right. We'll be right behind you." With that, Swift spread her wings and flew up into the air, leaving Ilia to face Sienna… who was wearing her Cheshire grin again. Ilia's face soured in annoyance and she pointed toward the woman. "Not… one… word."

Sienna merely shrugged. "What do you mean? I didn't say anything." Ilia gave an irritated mutter before both women followed Swift back to the battle, leaving Penny to smile to herself.

' _Those two!'_ the redhead thought giddily before lunging back toward the Grimmungousaur.

* * *

Back at the Xiao Long residence, the group there let out a collective sigh of relief after seeing their friend get rescued on live television, the news helicopter having managed to catch everything. …And many of the girls were cooing as a result of just HOW she was saved. "That was _such_ an amazing moment!" Nora gushed as she bounced up and down in excitement. "Did you see how Swift just _FWOOOSHED_ right in there and showed that Griffon who was the boss?! That was freaking AMAZING!"

Pyrrha let out a sigh, wistfully gazing back at the television. "And did you see just how they looked at each other after the fact? Oh, SO romantic!"

Ben crossed his arms and smiled at the television, now feeling back to one-hundred percent. "It might be a parole violation…" He glanced to his grandfather. "But I think we can let it slide, right?"

"Hehe, I suppose so." Max chuckled. "Besides, we could use all the help we can get in this battle."

As for Blake, she was crying tears of joy, not just because her friend was safe and sound… but because it was her friend's crush who came to save her. She felt a light nudge to her side and moved around, just in time for Sun to pull her into a hug. "Hey, you doin' alright, Blake?"

A small sniffled escaped the cat girl as she wiped the tears away. "Y-Yeah… it's just… those two were practically MADE for each other."

"I couldn't agree more." Sun said as he gave a kiss to his girlfriend's cheek. "I think you should set 'em up on a date the moment we get Swift's legal stuff out of the way."

Blake couldn't help but roll her eyes at that. "They have to confess their feelings to each other first, Sun."

"Oh, I know…" He shifted his eyes toward Gwen, tilting his head. "Hey, Gwen, any ideas?"

"Pfft, I'm not a miracle worker, Sun." Gwen grinned, only to receive a whole slew of deadpan faces from many of the couples in the room... and her own boyfriend. "…Okay, okay, you've made your point." The Anodite put a hand to her cheek in defeat. "I'll think of something."

"Ahem." Azmuth cleared his throat again, garnering everyone's attention. "If we're done expressing effusive emotions and playing match-maker, I believe it's time we get on to business." The Great Thinker hopped off of the coffee table and began walking out of the room, turning to Ben before ushering him to follow. "If I may have a word with the bearer of my Omnitrix…" Ben sighed and stood up, with Yang following him. "In _private_."

Yang wore an indignant expression at those words. " _What_?! You mean I can't even go with my own _boyfriend_ for a meeting?!"

Ben sent a sympathetic expression toward his girlfriend and held her hands in his, making her focus onto his eyes. "Yang… it's okay. Trust me, if Azmuth wants to speak to me alone, then most of the time, he has a very good reason to." The Blonde Brawler was about to protest, but Ben put a hand on her cheek. "I know, this frustrates me as much as you. But don't worry. Once this is over, I'll fill you in, okay?" _CRASH!_ The sound of shattering glass followed by a muffed groan from upstairs put everyone on alert… but the sound of the voice itself sounded VERY familiar. "…Besides, I think your uncle needs some consoling."

Ruby sighed and walked up to her sister, putting a hand to her shoulder. "He's right, Yang. C'mon, we gotta go pull Uncle Qrow out of this slump so that he can actually help us."

Raven stood up as well and began heading to the stairs. "Knowing Qrow, we're probably going to have a LOT of bad luck in trying that."

"Well…" Yang's eyes darted between her family and her Green Boy, pursing her lips as she made her final choice. She pecked Ben on the lips and said; "Fill me in as soon as you can, okay?"

"Will do." Ben smiled, giving her hand a squeeze before letting it go. As Yang, Raven and Ruby ascended the stairs, Ben went back to Azmuth, offering his hand to pick him up. "Alright, c'mon, I know someplace private." With that, Azmuth stepped onto Ben's hand and the hero took him down into the basement, making sure the door was closed for guaranteed privacy.

The moment he set Azmuth down, however, the Galvan began criticizing the state of the room. "Is this place a monument to what you children have been doing since you came here? Video games, movies, and other such recreations?"

"Psh, no!" Ben denied. He shifted his eyes under Azmuth's judging gaze before finally relenting. "Well, okay, at first that's a majority of what we did, but over the course of our stay, we've seen more and more action."

Azmuth gave a bemused chuckle. "Hmph, I see." His hands went behind his back and he began pacing back and forth in front of the Omnitrix bearer. "Ben, I am honestly quite astonished that you and your team always end up finding new ways to surprise me with how you all end up in these types of situations."

"Honestly, so am I." Ben shrugged. "I honestly don't think ANY of us were expecting to be blown to another dimension. Heck, it's happened to me TWICE now."

"Indeed." Azmuth nodded, stopping in his place as he gazed up at Ben. "It is my belief that our separate dimensions are changing as a result of this, Ben Tennyson. In ways that not even science can fathom."

Ben crossed his arms in thought. "Yeah, Professor Paradox said something along those same lines. And honestly, I'm inclined to believe him."

Azmuth took a pause before going on. "…It's not just that." He turned around so that his back was facing Ben. "Professor Paradox has informed me that your world, Earth, is beginning to change once again."

The hero blinked at that. "Change? How so?"

"Ancient forces that haven't been seen in hundreds, if not thousands of years are beginning to stir on your planet… ones that not even I believed to be real." Azmuth began gesturing with his hand as he described what was going on further. "And should these forces be allowed to run amok… well it could spell disaster for your world."

"Oh yeah, Paradox mentioned something like that a couple days ago." Ben recalled. "He also said something about us being in for an adventure or something…"

Azmuth couldn't help but scoff at that. "Hmph, well, that's ONE way of putting it." He did an about face and focused back to Ben. "But the point is that once your and your new team arrive back on Earth… you all need to make sure you are prepared for anything."

"Don't worry, Azmuth." Ben waved. "We will. We've been training with these guys for weeks and I like to think we've all made some pretty marked improvements."

"Hm, quite the claim. But I was not referring to JUST your combat capabilities." He pointed up to his creation. "The Omnitrix. It needs to be whole again."

"O-Oh, right, Humungousaur." Ben put his hand to the faceplate and selected Humungousaur's icon, making the plate retract and the core pop up once again. The hero knelt down in front of Azmuth and presented the watch to him. "Alright, here ya go. By the way, I wanna thank you for restoring Feedback."

"It was my pleasure." Azmuth said with a single nod before going right to work, detaching the Omnitrx core to get into its inner workings. "I figured you would want the transformation back after so many years… especially considering how you lost it in the first place." He took out a small microchip from one of the pockets in his tunic and inserted it into the core and began inputting more commands into the device, the Omnitrix making a high-pitched beeping before its signature activation noise sounded off, making Ben smile. Azmuth reattached the core and gave another nod. "Hm, alright, the Vaxasaurian DNA has now been fully repaired."

"Great, thanks Azmuth…" Ben trailed off when he suddenly remembered something. "Oh, but, uh… one more thing; Rath needs clothes, please."

"Ah, yes, I was wondering when you would finally notice."

Ben's eye bugged out of his head at that. "Wait… YOU KNEW THAT RATH WAS NAKED THE _WHOLE TIME_?!"

A very rare smile came to Azmuth's face. "Why yes. I was going to tell you sooner, but then, I decided to let it play out. Consider it a bit of… what's the human term… _schadenfreude_ for the many times you have misused the Omnitrix." The creator gave a shrug. "But I suppose a humorous witticism can only go so far." He saw that Ben's eye was twitching, and he did NOT seem happy. "Oh, come now, you know I could have done FAR worse."

"I'm just surprised that you even HAVE a sense of humor… but fair point, old man."

"Very good." Azmuth began rotating the Omnitrix core, the device beeping as he did so. "Now, what type of garments to you want this transformation to be in?"

This made Ben's eyebrows raise up. "Wait… you mean I can have him in ANYTHING I want?" Once again, Azmuth gave him a silent nod… and a sly grin came to Ben's face. There WAS something he had in mind for Rath, and if Azmuth could program those types of clothes in, then THAT would be the best way to get back at the elderly Galvan. Ben told him what he wanted… and Azmuth was utterly dumbfounded.

"…Are you serious?"

"As serious as I can be!" Ben smirked. "Think of it as… _schadenfreude_ right back at you. So, is it possible?"

Azmuth sent Ben an irritated face before sighing and shaking his head. "Yes, yes, it's possible. I suppose I DO deserve that." After making a few calibrations, Azmuth pressed a button on the side of the Omnitrix core, which made it change from green to blue briefly. The moment it changed back to green, Azmuth gave the okay. "Alright… your ridiculous outfit is ready. But don't come complaining to me if you want to change it."

"Oh, don't worry, I don't plan to." Ben assured as he began to stand up. "But thanks for all of this Azmuth, I—"

"Ah-ah! Get back down here." Azmuth insisted. "I am not yet finished."

This took Ben by surprise. "W-What? What do ya mean "you're not finished"? Humungousaur's fixed, Rath has clothes, what more do you need to do?"

Azmuth shook his head and groaned. "Such impatience. If you're willing to sit down for another few minutes, you'll see that I have actually brought an additional gift for you, Ben Tennyson." From his tunic, Azmuth pulled out another microchip, this one much bigger than the last. So much so that Azmuth had to hold it with two hands.

Ben blinked at the sight of it, but couldn't help but smile excitedly. "Wait, so… is it another alien unlock? Because if so, we COULD really use it!"

"You could say that…" Azmuth placed the microchip into the core and gave Ben a knowing grin. "But at the same time, not so." This cryptic talk only made Ben even more confused. "Trust me, Ben, I think you'll find that what I'm giving you will allow you to have quite the edge over that beast in the city… if you're willing to deal with the stipulation that comes with it…"

* * *

"So… we're all in agreement that this won't be easy, right?" Ruby asked as she, her sister and her… step-mother worked their way up the stairs. _'I mean, I guess she's TECHNICALLY my step-mother now.'_ Ruby mused to herself with a small grin. _'We've shared a few hugs already, so that's a good sign, right?'_

Raven signed and rubbed her temple. "No, no it isn't, Ruby. And I'm not even certain if _I_ can be of much help here." She placed a hand over her chest. "Remember, I haven't been around Qrow in years, so I haven't really gotten used to his… _drunken_ behavior." She sent a sympathetic gaze to the two girls beside her. "I'm… I'm sorry for whatever you girls had to experience with him over the years."

"It's okay, mom." Yang pulled her mother into a small side-embrace for reassurance. "It wasn't really bad. Qrow's really more of a sad or happy drunk than an angry one, so no one was really hurt. Usually it would just end with him being passed out on the couch and one of us would just have to take him to bed."

Raven shook her head. "Still, for little girls to have to see their uncle in that state… it just makes me feel ill."

Yang sent her a smirk. "Heh, and this coming from the lady who used to believe that strength was everything."

"Oh, come on." Raven said with an eye roll and a smirk of her own. "You know how much I've changed."

"Yeah, I'm just joshin' ya." Yang chuckled while leaning her head to her mother's shoulder briefly. "Love ya, mom."

"Love you too, you brat." Raven replied while ruffling her daughter's hair.

It was then that Ruby cleared her throat, gaining the duo's attention. "Ahem, while I have to admit the mother-daughter bonding is insanely cute…" She gestured toward Qrow's room, to which they heard they drunken huntsman groaning from inside. "…We're here."

Yang furrowed her brows, remembering the sound of broken glass from earlier… as well as the fact that there were two pieces of expensive gaming equipment in the same room. "He had better not have damaged Ben's PS3, or else I'm REALLY gonna give him an earful. Same goes for Gwen's Switch."

Raven sighed and reached for the door knob. "Well, let's get this over with." She twisted the knob and let herself in, the girls right on her heels. Much to their relief, none of the gaming consoles they had left in the room were damaged. However, what WAS damaged was the mirror on the nearby closet door, shocking all three of them. Qrow himself had draped himself over his bed, lying so that his body was facing toward them with his head facing the other direction. In his hand was a large bottle of booze, one that appeared to be nearly empty… and across the room, there was yet ANOTHER bottle, lying just a few feet away from the broken mirror. "…Oh god." Raven whispered, her face contorting in horror.

"Ugh, jeez, it's a bad one, alright." Yang said with a grimace, earning her a shocked look from her mother. "…What? I said we were used to it."

"Yes, but I didn't imagine it would be THIS bad!" Raven asserted.

However, that one shout was enough to rouse Qrow from his languished stupor, groggily lifting his head with seemingly a lot of effort. "H-huh?! Wh-Who's there?" His vision was blurred a bit, so he squinted, finally making out his nieces and sister in the doorway. "Ah, ladies! Good to see ya back. How'd the big ol' press conference go?"

The trio glanced at one another before going back to Qrow, with Ruby being the one to deliver the bad news. "Actually, Uncle Qrow, not so well."

Next to her, Yang's eyebrows rose up in surprise, seeing the determined expression on her sister's face. _'Wow, she's usually a lot gentler when Qrow gets like this. She's either still on a roll from being in the battle… or she must be REALLY pissed at him.'_

Qrow threw his head back and groaned. "Lemme guess, a bunch o' bigoted assholes came and tried to ruin the whole thing, huh? Not surprising, people are assholes." He smirked as a chuckle escaped his lips, gesturing the whiskey bottle at his sister. "Heya Rae, didja manage to drive 'em all off? I know one look from you would send _anybody_ runnin' for the hills! Haha!" He immediately took notice of the annoyed expression on Raven's face the moment he said that. "Yeah, see? Kinda like that!"

"That's it." Raven slammed her fist into the palm of her hand. "I'm gonna beat some sense into him."

"Wait." Ruby raised her arm up, blocking Raven from unbridling her wrath. "Let me do this…" She sent a pleading gaze to Raven, urging her to calm down. "…Please." Raven locked eyes with the Hooded Huntress and sighed reluctantly, allowing the girl to proceed. Ruby flashed a brief smile before going back to her uncle, her brows furrowing at him. "Actually, Uncle Qrow, if you had paid attention to the news, you would know what's going on." She stepped over to the bedside table and picked up the TV remote, turning the television on. "While you've been in here drinking your troubles away… we've been dealing with a whole lot MORE trouble." She switched it to the news and Qrow's eyes immediately widened at what was on there.

He saw Jim, Glynda, the Belladonnas and everyone else all fighting in the city streets, either holding off the Grimm or fending off Salem's mutants. And, if that weren't enough, he also saw Penny battling against some giant, unfamiliar Grimm that resembled Humungousaur, shocking him even more. It was a chaotic battle, without a doubt, and he could feel the blood drain from his face the moment he realized what was going on. "…No."

"Yes." Ruby confirmed, making Qrow's head hang low. "Salem's forces have made their move. And this time, they're being relentless. We were forced to retreat after Tyrian poisoned Ben."

Qrow's eyebrows rose up groggily. "Woah, woah, is the kid okay?"

"He is." Raven answered. "The Omnitrix expelled the poison from his system and his cousin handled the sickness after-effect."

"Oh, okay, good." Qrow slumped back across his bed and groaned again. "But ugh, _seriously_?! Of all things to happen today, it had to be fucking THIS?! Didn't they learn their lesson yesterday back at Haven?"

"Apparently not." Yang stepped over to the other side of the bed and crossed her arms, making sure that her Uncle could see her. "But, if ALL of us pitch in and start helping out in this situation, maybe we'd be able to beat them all back." She leaned forward a bit and moved her brows up and down as she said; " _Hint_. _Hint_."

Qrow sighed and sat back up again, shaking his head. "Firecracker, believe me, the LAST person you want out there is me. I'd just mess things up for everyone."

Yang moved back so that she was standing in front of him, shooting him an annoyed glare. "Oh, I'm not talking about back in Vale. I was mostly referring to helping out the others HERE. Because guess what? The house came under attack the moment that Salem brought in her forces, all so she could get her hands on the lamp!"

"Wait… we were under attack?" Qrow asked, to which the three women could only give blank stares back at him. "Huh, so THAT was what all that damn noise outside was." The drunken man gave a shrug. "Guess I was so out of it that I didn't notice."

"Qrow, what the FUCK?!" Raven cursed, gripping her hair in disbelief. "You heard _all_ of that noise outside and didn't even bother to check what was HAPPENING?!"

Qrow grimaced back at her and waved her off. "Hey, it's been a pretty shitty day for me, alright? An' you of all people know the reason why." He pointed a finger at Raven, using that hand that just so happened to be holding onto the whiskey bottle. "How would YOU feel if the whole reason you worked with one of yer best friends was actually all for nothin', huh? An' on top of THAT, he kept the whole thing hidden from us from day fuckin' ONE. In fact, you made it REAL clear that you're still pissed at Oz, so maybe _I_ should be askin' what the deal is with YOU!"

Raven had to admit, as drunk as her brother was… he had a point. She _was_ still mad at Oz for keeping such an important secret from them for so many years. In fact, it was one of the big reasons why she left the former headmaster in the first place; because she _knew_ that he was hiding more than what he was telling them. But still, for as mad as she was at Ozpin still, she wasn't at the point where her anger was boiling over… and she had a good feeling she knew why.

The Spring Maiden reached her hands out and set them on Yang and Ruby's shoulders. "Do you want to know WHY I'm not where you are right now? Well, for one, I don't drink, but that's a given." She gave the girl's shoulders a light shake. "But the main reason is because I have these two to help me keep from going over the boiling point. Plus, there's Ben and the others as well. These kids have helped me keep my head on straight… and if you'll let them, they can help you as well, little brother."

A small chuckle escaped Qrow's throat, a smirk appearing on his face. "Well, I'm glad to hear that yer starting to appreciate family, Rae." He shook his head and gripped the whiskey bottle's neck a bit harder. "But to be honest, I'm too far down this damn hole to be helped. An' let's be honest; no one wants me out on the battle field with 'em. My Semblance is too much of a liability. Every choice I've ever made has led me to this point, an' the last think I want is to drag all of ya down with me." He began to bring the bottle up to his lips. "I could probably waist away to nothin' and you'd still be better off—HUH?!" Qrow's eyes widened when the whiskey bottle was suddenly yanked out of his hands… by Ruby.

"GRAAAAAAH!" With a yell of frustration, anger, and a strong hint of sadness, Ruby chucked the bottle of booze at the nearest window, throwing it outside… but in the heat of the moment, she forgot that the window was closed. _CRASH!_ The sound of the glass shattering made the whole room go silent, with Ruby keeping her teeth clenched as she seethed with rage, her eyes darting back to Qrow.

"Sh-Shortstack!? What the hell was—GAH!" In the blink of an eye, Ruby used her Semblance to quickly slam into Qrow and take him by the cuff on his shirt, pinning him on the opposite wall with a glare that screamed "righteous fury". This took Qrow aback instantly, as well as stunning Yang and Raven into utter silence. They had NEVER seen Ruby like this before. Qrow raised his hands defensively and began pleading with his niece. "Woah, woah, Ruby, listen, I—"

"NO!" Ruby screamed, with tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "YOU listen to ME Uncle Qrow! I don't EVER want to hear you talk about yourself like that! We _wouldn't_ be better off if you waisted away to nothing! And you want to know why?! Because we're FAMILY! And you can be DAMNED sure that you'd be missed! Raven would miss you! Yang and dad would miss you! And… I-I would miss you!" That was all it took for Ruby to start breaking down, her tears flowing freely as she began to cry into her uncle's chest. Her uncontrollable weeping was the only thing heard in that room, the other three still left astonished by what she said. However, through her sobbing, Ruby continued; "And please… please don't say that you're too far down that damned hole, because you're not." She lifted her head up and locked eyes with her uncle again. "We want to help you, Uncle Qrow, but help is also a two-way street. The question now is… do you want to help yourself? Because if you do, then we're more than ready to help you. Just please… don't talk about drinking yourself away." Ruby buried her face back into Qrow's shirt. "Because… I still want my uncle alive!"

An air of tension was left in the room after that, the only sound being Ruby's choking sobs. It remained that way for a good few minutes, with Raven and Yang shedding a few tears of their own in the meantime. However, that all changed when Qrow put his arms around Ruby, giving his niece a consoling embrace. "I… I almost don't know what to say." Ruby lifted her head up to see… her uncle smiling proudly down at her. "When did my niece get to be so grown up?"

Ruby glanced away sadly. "I-I'm sorry if I went off the rails, I just—"

"No! Don't apologize." Qrow assured, feeling a lot more sober than he had just a few minutes ago. "Because quite honestly, I needed that." He ruffled his hand on Ruby's head, tousling her hair a bit. "Thanks, Ruby. I really DID need that wake-up call."

"So… you're not going to drink yourself to death?"

"After all that? Nah, don't think so." Qrow pulled them both away from the wall and held Ruby's shoulders at arm's length. "Besides, I just had the fear of god put into me by my own niece. You reminded me that things aren't as shitty as I made 'em out to be. And I can't thank ya enough, Shortstack." He felt a warmth in his hear when he saw Ruby's smile come back, the girl wiping away her tears as Yang and Raven smiled as well. "But just remember, you're stuck with me AND my crappy Semblance. I hope you realize that."

Ruby chuckled and pulled her uncle into another hug. "I do. But remember; we're all in this together, and we're going to do the best we can… even if we have to deal with a little bad luck. But all the same…" She gave a wink and a thumbs up. "We still would like Qrow Branwen on our side."

Qrow smirked and nodded in response. "Heh, well then, I guess it's official. From here on, I'm in."

All of a sudden, Yang ran up and joined in on the hug. "And we wouldn't want it any other way, Uncle Qrow." She opened a single eye and followed up with; "But you DO know that you're going to be taking a BIG break from drinking to start out with this helping process, right?"

The drunken huntsman sighed and nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I do. It'll probably be hard, but if I can improve from it, then I'll find a way to manage."

"Good to hear." Raven smiled as she set a hand on her brother's shoulder. "Because quite honestly, I was kind of getting tired of hearing how my brother is known as a drunkard around these parts. Just HOW many DWI charges do you have?"

"Heh… more than I'm proud of now." Qrow rubbed the back of his head. "But don't worry, I'm gonna clean up my act."

"Great, because it started when Ruby threw the bottle out the window." Yang quipped, which made everyone in the room laugh. "Speaking of which…" Yang suddenly rounded on her sister and pulled her into a hug, squeeing all the while. "EEEEEEE! My sister just said her first curse word!"

Ruby's eyes nearly bulged out of her head. "W-Wait, what?"

Raven gave her a nod. "Oh yes, you said "damn" at least twice in your tirade. Not as impressive as the more colorful four-letter words, but still, it counts."

With a look of disbelief on her face, Ruby fell to her knees, raised her arms up to the sky and shouted; "NOOOO!" She then put her hands on the ground, her head lowered in shame. "My perfect no-swear record as been besmirched! BESMIRCHED!"

The trio standing above her all deadpanned at her overdramatic reaction. …That is until a new voice entered the room. "Ahem." Everyone's heads whipped up to see Tai in the doorway, the blond man smiling down at his daughter. "Ruby, as proud as I am that you managed to last this long… you're sixteen now. You're gonna swear." The father came over and picked his daughter up off the ground, giving her a pat on the shoulder. "Trust me, honey, it's just a fact of life. People swear when they're upset. No harm done."

"…Yeah, I guess so." Ruby sighed. "Still, I AM pretty impressed that I—wait a second!" Her silver eyes widened in realization. "Dad, how long have you been out there?!"

Tai paused more a moment and sighed himself. "…Long enough." He directed his gaze to Qrow with a raised brow. "When I saw the bottle of booze fly out of the window, I thought something bad had happened and ran up as fast as I could. I was just in time to catch Ruby's words to you."

"So… you heard all that, huh?" Qrow asked.

"Yep, and I gotta say… I'm proud of you, Qrow." Tai smiled. "Maybe now we can get a bit of the old Qrow back."

Qrow rolled his eyes and put a hand to his hip. "Heh, don't push yer luck, Tai."

"I'll try not to." Tai smirked before going back to Raven and his daughters. "By the way, Ben and the others are ready to head back to Vale if you girls are ready." The father pursed his lips before bringing them all into another hug. "I just hope _I_ am."

"Hmhm, we'll be fine, Tai." Raven assured as she, Yang and Ruby returned the embrace. The quartet pulled away from each other as Raven ushered them out into the hallway. "Now c'mon, let's go." With that, they, along with Qrow, went back downstairs and out the front door, with everyone having gathered out in the front yard again. Max, Athena, Professor Paradox, Azmuth, and Oscar stood off to the side while Winter had joined the main team. When she spotted Ben, Raven wave to him. "Ben! So, how did things go with your little…" It was then that she took notice of the wide grin on Ben's face, which seemed a bit brighter than usual. "…Private chat? Alright, what's the smile for?"

"He won't tell us." Kevin muttered in annoyance. "He's had that stupid grin on his face since he got out of his conversation with Azmuth. And quite honestly, it's buggin' the shit outta me." However, Kevin's eyebrows rose up at the sight of Qrow behind them, a snarky smirk coming to his face. "Hey-Hey! The drunken asshole has risen from his cave! I take it you're feelin' better, old man?"

Qrow sent a narrowed gaze at the Osmosian, but the snark that Kevin was dishing out couldn't help but make him chuckle. "Heh, more than you know, kid. Ruby gave me some… pretty choice words, and well, let's just say I've been scared straight."

Weiss let out a little laugh at that. "Hah, Ruby scared you straight?" She glanced over to her best friend. "No offence, but I don't think that you could scare anyone straight."

"Oh trust me, Weiss-Cream, she DID." Yang assured. "She even _swore_ at Uncle Qrow to get her point across."

Now THAT got the group to gasp, many of them recoiling in shock. "Wait, Ruby _swore_?!" Jaune exclaimed.

"And _I_ wasn't around to hear it?!" Kevin added.

"That is _very_ surprising." Gwen commented. "What did she say?"

Tai held up two fingers. "Hehe, she said "damn" twice."

Nora put a finger to her chin, giving a ponderous expression toward the Hooded Huntress. "Hmm… pretty impressive for a first-timer." She zipped up to Ruby and gave her a hearty smack on the back. "Congratulations, Ruby! "Damn" is a good strong start! Now all you've gotta do is start staying the more colorful four-letter words!"

"Hehe, yeah, thanks for the advice, Nora." Ruby winced at the smack. "But I'm not looking to develop a potty mouth, thank you."

As all of this was going on, Yang had stridden up to Ben, her arms crossed and with a confident smile on her face. "So… how'd your little meeting with Azmuth go?" she asked. "You never DID answer my mom on that one."

"It went great, actually." Ben grinned back, holding up the Omnitrix for her to see. "Humungousaur is back where he belongs, and best of all… Rath actually has clothes now!" He gave her a wink. "And trust me, I can't WAIT to show you what he's got on."

Yang gave him another peck on the lips, tracing her finger across his chest. "Hey, that's great, babe. …But judging by that smile, I think you're hiding something ELSE that happened in that meeting." She leaned forward so that her chest was pressed right up against his, a rather seductive grin on her face. "Care to share, Green Boy?"

"Hehe, sorry, Yang." Ben chuckled, though on the inside, he was desperately trying to keep himself from blushing madly. _'Dear god, her methods are effective.'_ He shook his head to get a hold of himself and pressed forward. "But I'm keeping it a surprise. Trust me, though, once you see it… you're gonna be blown away when you see it, I guarantee."

The Blonde Brawler gave him a pout flicking him on the nose for good measure. "Aw, boo! You're not even gonna tell your own girlfriend?"

"Like I said, I don't wanna spoil the surprise for anyone." Ben winked before pecking her on the nose. "Least of all, you, because I KNOW you'll love this."

"…You're lucky you're cute, Green Boy." Yang gave him a pat on the cheek before pulling away, placing her hands on her hips. "So, are we ready to go?"

Winter stepped up to answer that. "Indeed we are, and Gwendolyn and I have come up with a plan that is structurally sound… provided that nothing goes wrong." The military specialist's eyes widened as she noticed that Qrow wasn't moving away from the group, a fearful feeling settling in her gut. "Oh no… please don't tell me—"

"Hey, kid." Qrow piped up, nudging his head to Ben. "Got any more room on this squad of yours?"

Ben gave him a thumbs up. "Sure! The more the merrier!"

Winter deadpanned and hung her head low, reaching over to set her hand on Gwen's shoulder. "Gwendolyn, scrap the plan. In fact, scrap the whole operation. So long as he's around, we will _never_ win."

Gwen rolled her eyes at that. "Oh come on, Winter, don't be so overdramatic. If anything goes wrong, we'll be quick to fix it."

Blake raised a single brow skeptically, leaning over to Gwen to whisper; "Listen, Gwen, I'm usually quick to agree with you, but are you sure that letting Qrow come along is a good idea? I mean, his Semblance is—"

"Workable." Ben finished, having overheard Blake's whispering. "Trust me, if anything goes wrong, we'll push through and think of something to correct the plan." The hero took a deep breath and scanned his eyes out over the crowd, seeing all of his friends and allies' eyes trained on him. "Guys, before we go into this, I just wanna say something… throughout our time here, we've hit some highs and some lows, and while this is probably the lowest point that we've been in so far… I think I can safely say that it won't be the last, or worst that we'll ever experience. Going forward in this fight with Salem, there will definitely be hardships, but they're hardships that we can overcome if we stick together and work as a team." Ben stuck his hand out, giving his teammates a smile. "So, are we all in agreement on that?"

One by one, Teams RWBY, JNPR, SN, Gwen, Kevin and Rex all put their hands in with his, a resounding; "YEAH!" echoing through the front yard.

The adults and Oscar all gave the group supportive smiles, the latter stepping forward with the Long Memory firmly in his grasp. "Ben, you can count on all of us to protect the relic while you're gone."

"Thanks, Oscar." Ben saluted back. "Much appreciated."

Athena stepped forward and pulled both Jaune and Pyrrha into a goodbye hug. "You two just make sure to be safe out there, alright? And come back safe and sound."

"We will, mother." Pyrrha nodded. "We'll be sure to."

Jaune wore a nervous smile. "Yeah… a-and if my parents call asking about me—"

"I'll tell them that you WILL be back." Athena assured. "Because if you don't, I'll storm right out there, get you, bring you back to life… and then let your sisters kill you themselves."

The expression on Jaune's face could only be described as "priceless", and it made both Pyrrha and Nora break out into hysterics. "I… wow, that was VERY detailed. I'm really impressed."

"Haha! No kidding!" Nora guffawed before taking both of her friends and moving back over to the group. "Now c'mon guys, let's go!"

Once everyone was all gathered up, Gwen's hands and eyes began to glow, ready to cast the teleportation spell that would take all of them back to Vale. "Alright, is everyone ready?"

"As ready as we'll ever be." Ben affirmed before finding Azmuth again, the elderly Galvan gazing at him with a neutral expression. However, Ben just smiled back and raised his arm up, flashing the Omnitrix to its creator. "Thanks, Azmuth. I owe you one for this."

"I believe you owe me for many other things as well, Ben Tennyson." Azmuth clarified before waving his hand at the group. "Now get out of here and go do what you do best." That got a laugh out of the hero before giving a nod to his cousin, giving her the go ahead to teleport them all back to the city. One pink flash later, and the team, along with Winter, Qrow and Raven were all gone, a sigh of frustration escaping the Great Thinker. "That young human will never change, will he?"

"You never know, Azmuth." Max said with a shrug. "A lot can happen to change a person over time. I've got a feeling that Ben will mellow out in twenty years or so—"

"Max, your grandson is courting an exuberant young blonde human woman." Azmuth deadpanned. "And in terms of human standards, she is obviously _very_ captivating to him. It probably will not be long until they begin copulating."

"…Alright, let's make it _forty_ years, then."

* * *

Back in Vale, General Ironwood was thanking whatever deity he could that this flying red girl had come in to help them. He wasn't overly familiar with Swift, but he knew OF her, and to say that he was grateful that Tetrax allowed her to come and help was an understatement. The Aerophibian's eye lasers proved to be a great help, the beams being able to cut through a Grimm's body parts with ease as long as it wasn't covered in bone armor. And with the angles that Swift was able to fly at, she got in quite a few good shots at many a Griffon's underbelly. But still, that didn't immediately exempt the others from having to fight. "How's everyone holding up?!" Ironwood called out as he cleaved his axe through a Beringel's arm before shooting it in the head.

Glynda used her telekinesis to shove another incoming Beringel into two others, driving them all into the pavement. "For the most part, I think we're doing alright." she answered. "But we NEED to get up to Beacon. If the Grimm manage to make their way up there when Cinder and her squad arrive as well, then the students and teachers will need all the backup they can get!"

"I know… I just hope that Ben and the others can get her so that we CAN get there."

Nearby, Ilia and Sienna had reengaged with Hog and Skull while Kali and Vernal were still fighting with Subdora, the Merlinisapien luring the duo over to the former fight. Nearby, Leonidas and Ghira were also getting closer, the two big cats still grappling with each other. However, Leonidas had managed to get a bit of leverage over Ghira and brought out his claws, slashing the panther man across his arm. "GRAH!" Before Ghira knew what hit him, he was then thrown over to the four women, who were now all standing back to back as their respective opponents began surrounding them.

"Ghira!" Kali exclaimed, rushing over to her husband to inspect his wound. There were four long gashes across his shoulder, and they were bleeding quite profusely. "Sweetheart, are you—"

"I'm alright, Kali." Ghira winced as he stood up, keeping a hold of his wife's hand as they backed away from the surrounding villains. "Be ready, everyone! We need to stand our ground if we hope to hold them off!"

"HA! Now THAT'S a hoot!" Skull guffawed as he readied his laser horn. "Sorry to disappoint ya, papa cat, but you're pretty much surrounded on all sides!"

Hog began to do the same with his visor. "Hehe, you got that right, Skull! An' we're through playin' games here, ya dig? It's time to put away our toys."

Subdora pulled out her Queen's Ransom, shifting it into its pistol mode while Leonidas readied Stalwart. "Indeed so! Now, say your goodbyes, my lovelies! Hahaha!"

Vernal sent a sharp glare right at the Merlinisapien. "Yeah, how about, no." She gripped her weapons and shouted; "DUCK!" before spinning around, her allies immediately taking the hint. She pulled the triggers and her weapon's signature yellow lasers began firing out of the barrels, the beams whipping around her as she spun. As a result, the beams hit all four of the animal-like villains, blowing them all back except for Exo-Skull, who remained firmly in place.

"Nice try, girly!" Skull said as he fired his laser. "BUT YOU'RE ALL GOIN' DOWN!"

But just before his laser made contact, Cooper jumped in the way and took the blast head on, brining his arms up to block it. He was pushed back a few feet, but appeared to be relatively okay, aside from a few scorch marks on his armor plating. _"Hah… hah… not today, Skull! I—GAH!"_ The genius was suddenly interrupted by Silyrian, who had leapt in and whapped his tail right at Cooper, all while laughing maniacally. Cooper managed to avoid it, though he was still a bit frustrated. _"VADOS, how go those internal repairs?!"_

" _Still working on it, Mr. Daniels."_ VADOS answered. _"The main thrusters took a bad hit, unfortunately."_

" _Damn!"_ Cooper brought up his laser cannon and blasted at Silyrian, the scorpion mutant jumping out of the way and retaliating with his own firepower from the weapons in his pincers. _"Ugh, this isn't working."_

"Tech Head!" Cooper perked his head up to see Coco, Foc, Yatsu and Velvet all making their way over to him, the quartet standing on either side of him. "You doin' okay?" the fashionista asked in concern as she and the others readied their weapons. "You know we've always got your back!"

In his helmet, Cooper smiled down at her. _"Thanks for the backup, babe, but I think I have an idea…"_ He directed his focus back to Silyrian. _"VADOS, transfer all power from jet thrusters to Unibeam. Put it on full blast!"_

" _Are you certain that is wise, sir?"_ VADOS questioned. _"Doing so could drain the suit's energy substantially."_

" _I'm aware, but—huh?"_ Cooper cut himself off when, without warning, a massive pink flash suddenly shined throughout the area, making many of the Grimm fall back while also halting the fights between both the villains and the do-gooders. Once the pink flash subsided, it was revealed to be none other than the team, making all of the others smile in relief. _"GUYS! Haha, you're back!"_

"HA! About freaking time!" Coco cheered, with her teammates brightening up as well.

In contrast, the villains were not so happy about it. "WHAT?!" Skull exclaimed before whirling around and grabbing Silyrian by the throat. "You said that the Grimmungousaur VAPORIZED all of them!" he growled in the scorpion's face.

Silyrian blinked at the returning group of heroes who he assumed to be dead for about an hour's time. "Huh… I must say, I was not expecting that…" Only to then shrug his shoulders. "But on the other hand, I was expecting not to expect something, so it doesn't count! BAHAHAHA—" _CRACK_! Skull promptly slammed Silyrian's head into the pavement for his trouble.

Ben and the team stepped forward, the hero spreading his arms out toward the villains. "That's right everyone, we're back and ready to kick some ass!"

Almost immediately, Blake and Sun shot out and ran towards the Belladonnas, Sienna, and Ilia, the cat girl noticing that her father was injured. "DAD!" she cried out before putting a hand to his arm. "You're hurt!"

Ghira chuckled and put a hand to his daughter's shoulder. "It's alright, Blake, I'm fine. I'm just glad that you're all safe…" He raised a brow toward a certain monkey boy, who was waving at him with a cheeky smile. "Yes… even you, boy." the panther man sighed.

"Oh, Ghira, be nice." Kali said before pulling both her daughter and Sun into a hug. "Glad to see you're all back, dear."

"Indeed." Sienna spoke up, with Ilia stepped over next to her. "We had quite the scare while you were gone, actually."

"Oh yeah, we saw that." Sun nodded.

This took Ilia by surprise. "W-Wait, you DID?! B-But how did you—" She saw Blake suddenly point up toward the sky… where a news helicopter was flying overhead. Ilia's eyes widened and she uttered; "Oh… okay then…" But then she realized something. "Wait! Then did you see—"

"Yep!" Blake said with a thumbs up. "Every minute of it." She craned her head upward and immediately saw Swift, giving her a greeting smile. "Hey Swift! Glad you join in the fight!"

Swift lowered herself down closer to ground level and greeted her back. "Same here, Blake. Happy to be here…" However, she peered over the cat girl's shoulder and quirked an eyeridge at something. "Wait… what the heck is Tennyson doing?"

The six Faunus craned their heads back over to the team… and were immediately greeted with the sight of Ben messing with his cell phone for some reason. What that reason was, nobody knew, but one thing was made certain; the villains didn't appreciate what the hero was doing. "Hey!" Hog shouted out. "What the hell is goin' on over there?!"

Qrow was also starting to get a little irritated. "Yeah, what's the hold up, kid? Are we gonna fight or what—"

"Sh-sh-shhh!" Ben raised a finger up to Qrow as he continued to fiddle with his phone. "We'll get to that in a minute. But first… ah-ha!" Ben walked over to Cooper and handed him the phone. "Coop, do you have sound amplifiers in that armor of yours?"

" _Uh… yeah, actually."_ Cooper confirmed. _"I just installed them yesterday. Why, what do you—"_ But then, he saw what was on Ben's phone, and it took him aback a little. _"Uh… okay, why do you want me to play this?"_

Yang stepped over and peered over her boyfriend's shoulder, equally confused. "Yeah… what the heck is this all about, Green Boy?"

Ben gave them both a wink. "Trust me, guys, this is gonna be awesome. And don't worry about me giving a signal, Coop, you'll know when to play it." With that, Ben and Yang began walking back over to where he was standing before, passing Gwen along the way. "So, you know what to do once I transform, right?" Ben whispered to her.

"Take General Ironwood and Goodwitch up to Beacon, along with any others who're willing to come with." Gwen confirmed with a nod.

"Great, then let's get started." Ben smirked as he faced the villains once more, his team already bringing out their weapons. "I gotta say, guys, you all made one REALLY big mess for us today. But now, I think it's time for you guys to put this whole thing to rest while you still can." He crossed his arms at the bad guys. "Because trust me, after a day like today, we're tired, we're angry, and we're fed up with all of this."

"Ha! We could say the same for you, Tennyson!" Subdora said as she pointed her pistol at the hero, with Leonidas doing the same next to her with Stalwart. "But our _signora_ would be awfully cross if we just turned tail."

Exo-Skull put his hands to the ground, bracing himself for the huge energy beam he was about to fire from his horn. On either side of him, Hog and Silyrian were prepared to fire at Tennyson as well. "Exactly! You think we're just gonna let you twerps come back here without givin' ya a fight?! Well you've got another thing comin'!"

Ben smiled and rolled his shoulders. "I really wouldn't expect anything less. But before we begin, I just have to say this…" He craned his head over to Sienna Khan, giving her an apologetic face. "Sienna… I'm sorry, but this has to be done. I apologize for anything I might say when I do this, and you can hate me for doing so later."

Sienna could only blink in bafflement. "W-Wait, what—"

"Alright, BRING IT ON!" Ben suddenly shouted before sprinting full-on at the villains, much to everyone's astonishment.

"Ben?!" Weiss questioned. "What the heck are you doing?!"

Rex facepalmed and lowered his head. "He's finally cracked. That poison must've affected his brain."

The only one who didn't seem at all phased by this were Yang, Gwen and Kevin, the three knowing that Ben didn't make stupid decisions like this without some sort of reasoning. _'He must have SOME sorta plan…'_ Yang thought to herself.

Across the battlefield, the villains were just as confused as the heroes at this sudden action. "Uh… so, what the hell is this?" Hog asked.

"Who cares?!" Silyrian countered. "He's just signed his death warrant! OPEN FIRE!" With that, the scorpion began firing his guns while Subdora pulled the trigger on her laser pistol, with Hog and Skull letting both of their lasers fire off as well. Finally, Leonidas created an electrified boulder with Stalwart and launched it at Ben, the five attacks all colliding with the hero at the same time and kicking up a large cloud of dust.

"BEN!" the heroes and hunters all hollered out, still shocked by their friend's action. However, much to their relief, a bright green light suddenly flashed within the cloud of dust… followed by a loud, bellowing roar.

Cooper furrowed his brows and thought to himself; _'That must be it.'_ before plugging Ben's cellphone into his systems, allowing the amplifiers to play the song that the hero had selected. All at once, everyone's ears were bombarded by the sound of a rather rocking tune, an electric guitar blaring through the city streets. And then as the dust began to settle, there stood a familiar Appoplexian… but he was now in a rather interesting outfit…

_When it comes crashing down and it hurts inside…_

Rath was now donned head to toe in what could only be described as a green and black explosion of wrestling gear. His head was donned in a black do-rag that had his name printed on it in jagged green font, and he was also wearing a pair of green sunglasses as well. Across his shoulders were a pair of feathery boas, one black and one green, which fluttered around as he made multiple poses with his arms and moved his body to the music.

_You gotta take a stand, it don't hurt to hide…_

His torso was donned in a green muscle shirt that had the word "Rathamania" along the front in the same font as his do-rag, only in black. He wore a pair of black pants that had green wave-like patterns all across it. He had a pair of green wristbands and on his waist, there was now a large, black and green belt that had the Omnitrix symbol right in its center. He also had a pair of black boots on his feet, the straps of which were green while the toes, soles and heels where white. The toes of the boots in particular were patterned to look like his actual toes. Rath continued to pose and jump around as the music played, his friends watching him in either astonishment, amusement… or annoyance in Sienna and Qrow's case.

_If you hurt my friends, then you hurt my pride!_

_I gotta be a man, I can't let it slide!_

_I am a Real American!_

_Fight for the rights of every man!_

_I am a Real American!_

_Fight for what's right, fight for your life!_

Once he was done posing, jumping, and hyping everyone up, Rath spun back around and pointed right at the villains, tossing his feathery boas and sunglasses away as he did. "WELL LET ME TELL YA SOMETHIN', BROTHER! _RATHAMANIA_ IS ABOUT TO RUN WILD AGAIN!" He flexed his arms as nearly everyone behind him began getting hyped up. "SO WHATCHA GONNA DO WHEN RATH RUNS WILD ON _YOU_?!"

* * *

**A/N: And thus, the champion now has clothes! But not the luchador outfit from Omniverse, oh no. I decided to got a bit more… on the nose for this attire. I mean, the luchador outfit didn't exactly make much sense for Rath in the first place, and I figured that this would just be more fitting. The most I kept were the boots and the belt, because those I thought were fine. …Plus, I wanted Rath to do something funny. But hey, that's not all that Azmuth did for the Omnitrix, for he did indeed put Humungousaur back into it… the results of which we'll be seeing very soon. But what of this other feature that Ben's keeping a surprise? Well, you'll just have to wait to find that out.**

**And that's FAR from all that happened in this chapter. We got Swift convincing Tetrax to let her go into the battle and (very heroically) saving Ilia! And indeed, we have the debut of Proto-Tech armor for this series! Because as much as I dislike the Rooters, I DO still like their choice in uniform, especially for Swift (red and black rarely fails as a color combo). And of course, Ruby, along with Yang and Raven, have brought Qrow out of his slump with a rather sobering moment for him. Now the question is… can things go better for him from here even with his Semblance? Well, we'll just have to wait and see.**

**Alright, now… NEXT TIME! Nothin's standing in the way of our heroes as they get back into the battling swing of things! As the fighting goes on in the city, Gwen brings Ironwood, Goodwitch, and a few others up to Beacon to engage with Cinder's group… and Tetrax is finally able to get his ship up in the air to join the fight. Mission statement; protect the Relic of Choice. Thanks for reading everybody and I'll see you all next time! Stay safe out there!**


	112. Nothing's Gonna Stand In Our Way

**A/N: How's it goin' everyone? New chapter time once again, so how about we get things underway with the big fight?! After all…**

_**This generation, with fire in our eyes,** _

_**Strong are the ties that bind us, we don't need no alibis!** _

**Chapter 112: Nothing's Gonna Stand In Our Way**

* * *

"Land the helicopter!" Lisa Lavender shouted from the back of the aircraft.

"WHAT?!" The pilot shouted, whipping his head around while wondering if the news anchor was truly serious. "You expect me to land in the middle of all THAT?!" When her expression didn't change, the pilot sighed and shook his head. "Lisa, what the hell has gotten into you?! I've never seen you this invested in something in your whole career! Why are you suddenly so into this?"

Without hesitating, Lisa gave her answer; "Because this is a world-changing story, Mike. One that will change the course of history as we know it." She craned her head back through the open doorway, seeing that the rest of the teens had returned and were facing off against the massive mutants down below. "And no matter what, I want to get the facts of what's going on. The fact that these… these kids are the ones primarily facing off against such an evil force is something to be commended, and I'm going to make sure that the world sees that."

The pilot, Mike shifted his eyes from her over to Gregory, hoping to find some support in the other only sane person there. However, the camera man just gave a shrug. "My friend, I've learned that there's no arguing with her at this point. Just do what she says, okay? It'll be easier on all of us if ya do."

Mike sighed again in defeat. "Listen, as much as I respect WHY you want to do this, I still think it'd be a mistake to land the copter on the ground, especially with so many Grimm still down there."

"Then land on one of the rooftops." Lisa suggested. "…One that's preferably away from the Grimmungousaur, thank you." Mike let out a groan and murmured something under his breath before complying with her orders, setting the helicopter down steadily on one of the nearby roofs. Said roof fortunately had a good vantage point of the battle below, allowing Lisa and Greg to set their camera's sights on it. "Alright, are we rolling?"

"We haven't stopped!" Greg exclaimed.

"That's JUST what I wanted to hear." Lisa smiled before facing the camera once more. "Hello world, this is Lisa Lavender on the scene of the ongoing attack in the city of Vale. While half of the attacking villains seem to have taken their ship up towards Beacon, it seems the other half have the unfortunate privilege of facing off with the returning young heroes and hunters from earlier!" She had Greg aim the camera down to the boy in the green jacket, who seemed to have just handed off something to the armored hero. "And as you can see, the young man who transformed into the giant dog creature is back once again! The question is, what WILL he do nex—"

"Alright, BRING IT ON!" Lisa was suddenly jostled out of her commentary when the young man suddenly belted out his challenge to the animalistic villains, charging at them head on much to the dismay of his friends.

Lisa deadpanned at this sudden move. "…Alright, I can certainly say that I wasn't expecting THAT, but—" _**BLAM!**_ A loud explosion suddenly sounded off as all of the villain's attacks hit the young man all at once, hitting him while creating a huge cloud of dust in the meanwhile. Down below, he could hear the group call out what she assumed was his name and decided to roll with it. "I… to everyone at home… I think the young hero known only as "Ben" has…" _FLASH!_ Just as she was about to finish, a green light suddenly shined out from the dust… which soon cleared away as an electric guitar began ringing through the whole area from the armored hero.

From the dust, a huge anthropomorphic tiger suddenly emerged, decked out in black and green… wrestling gear? And he was also striking multiple poses with his arms while moving around to the beat. Whether it was flexing one arm while holding the other out straight, flexing both arms upward, downward, or even out to the side, his poses were many. He also appeared to have an intense fire in his emerald green eyes as he took off his sunglasses and feathery boas, pointing at the villains while shouting at the top of his lungs.

"WELL LET ME TELL YA SOMETHIN', BROTHER! _RATHAMANIA_ IS ABOUT TO RUN WILD AGAIN!" He flexed his arms as nearly everyone behind him began getting hyped up. "SO WHATCHA GONNA DO WHEN RATH RUNS WILD ON _YOU_?!"

As the heroes and hunters behind the large tiger cheered for him, Lisa spotted the familiar symbol of the creature's large belt, recognizing it as the same one from the chest of the giant dog she had seen earlier. She gasped in excitement and whipped back around to the camera. "My mistake, loyal viewers! The boy seems to have survived and he has transformed into yet ANOTHER form! I don't know HOW this is possible, but I promise you, I WILL find out!" Lisa then noticed the rocking tune in the background and put her microphone out over the edge. "And listen to this!"

_I feel strong about right and wrong!_

_And I don't take trouble for very long!_

_I've got somethin' deep inside of me…_

_Courage is the thing that keeps us free!_

Lisa pulled the microphone back, bringing it up to her face. "I hope you could hear that, because those are some VERY fitting lyrics for what's going on right now!" She pointed toward the giant tiger man, who had gone back to dancing and posing around. "That young man, or tiger or dog or whatever he is, he's fighting for OUR freedom from these oppressing villains! I don't know about all of you, but THIS reporter knows that she is firmly in his corner!" She whipped back around and peered back down to the battle. "Now let's watch what happens!"

* * *

_I am a Real American!_

_Fight for the rights of every man!_

_I am a Real American!_

_Fight for what's right, fight for your life!_

Back down on the ground, Rath had gone back to grooving to the song, performing a bit of air guitar after the second verse ended. Many of the teens behind him were cheering him on, with Nora and Yang in particular getting REALLY into it. The Blonde Brawler was making poses similar to what her boyfriend had done earlier while the Pink Dynamo used her hammer as her OWN guitar, headbanging to the song all the while. A lot of the adults and the villains, on the other hand, were still processing what was happening. And others, like Sienna and Qrow in particular, just seemed to just be irked by the Appoplexian's show boating. "…I am annoyed." Sienna stated.

"Join the fuckin' club, sister." Qrow grimaced as he took out his flask, only to stop and put it back. "Usually I'd take a drink to offset the crazy, but I JUST promised to stop."

"Too bad. I could use a stiff one right about now." Sienna mumbled.

As the two talked, the cheers continued as Rath began waving to Cooper, swiping his hand in the armored genius' direction. "COOPER! CUT MY MUSIC!" he requested, to which Cooper immediately complied. Rath smiled and placed his hands on his hips, directing his gaze down toward Teams RWBY, JNPR and SN. "So, whaddya think, guys?! Like the new threads?!"

"To say the LEAST!" Yang exclaimed while patting the alien's chest. "Nice duds, Green Boy! Where in the heck did you even come UP with this idea?"

Weiss jabbed a thumb over to the feathery boas that were now littered on the ground, as well as the sunglasses not too far away. "And what about the weird accessories? Do they disappear when you transform back, or…"

"Nah, they just stay there!" Rath answered. "But the best part is… Rath gets more when he changes back! AHAHA!" He put his thumb toward his chest. "As for where Rath came up with the idea for this outfit… well, let's just say that Rath's a BIG wrestling fan, and that doesn't just go for when he's around!"

Ruby raised a confused eyebrow and scratched her head. "So… you're saying that _Ben Tennyson_ is a wrestling fan?"

"EXACTLY!" Rath shouted. "And when Rath brings you guys back to his world, he's gonna show you where he got the idea his clothes! But for now…" He craned his head over to his cousin and pointed at her. "LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', GWEN TENNYSON, YOU HAD BETTER GET EVERYONE YOU CAN UP TO BEACON. THINGS MIGHT GET HAIRY UP THERE SOON, AND THE OTHERS ARE GONNA NEED ALL THE BACK UP THEY CAN GET!"

"He's right." Glynda and Ironwood stepped forward, the former concentrating onto the Anodite as well. "If we don't get up there in time, then we run the risk of the students being overwhelmed by Cinder and her team. …Plus, we've already made good progress on rebuilding, so the LAST thing I want is the school to suffer more damages."

Gwen nodded to her and gave a thumbs up. "Right." She moved her sights to Kevin and gave him a smile. "You coming?"

"Like I'd let you go without me." Kevin smirked.

" _Count us in, too."_ Cooper spoke up as he, Coco and the rest of Team CFVY volunteered. _"If we're talking more Grimm coming in up there, then you're gonna need our firepower to take care of them."_

Coco wore a toothy grin as she nudged her head to Velvet. "Besides, Swift said that Vel's boyfriend was worried about her, so we should check in on 'em!"

"ONE!" Velvet shouted, pointing up a single finger with a mad blush. "We went on ONE date! That doesn't make anything official yet!"

However, Swift grinned and gave Velvet a wink. "Aw, c'mon, Vel. He certainly gave off "concerned boyfriend" vibes to me." Velvet lowered her head, her ears sagging a bit to hide her face as Swift gave out a hearty laugh. "Haha! Oh please, girl, I'm just messing with you." She directed her attention to Ilia, giving the chameleon girl a smile. "So, you wanna head back up to Beacon with me? I'm thinking the others have the Grimm and baddies covered here."

Ilia smiled and nodded to her friend. "Sure, besides… I'd imagine that Tetrax would want you back at the ship when all this is said and done." The Aerophibian pursed her lips in frustration at that. "Hey, don't give me that look, you're technically already breaking your parole."

Swift sighed and waved her hand at Ilia. "Yeah, yeah, I get ya, Freckles." Under her breath, she murmured; "You're cute as hell, but ya gotta learn to loosen up a bit."

"What was that?"

Swift's cheeks turned pink and she backtracked. "N-Nothing! Nothing! Hey, c'mon, let's go!"

"I'll join as well." Sienna said while giving Rath an angry glare. "The further I am away from HIM, the better."

"LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', SIENNA KHAN! RATH WAS COURTEOUS ENOUGH TO GIVE YOU A HEADS UP!" Rath insisted. "SO DON'T SAY THAT HE DIDN'T WARN YOU!"

A light grumble escaped Sienna's throat as she marched over to Gwen. Not far from her, Ghira and Kali both set their eyes upon Blake. "We should head up as well." Ghira told his daughter. "I'd imagine that they could use all the help they can get."

Blake was eager to jump at this chance. "O-Okay, then I'll come with you—"

"Blake, sweetheart." Kali smiled, setting her hand on her daughter's hand. "You and I both know that you want to stay here with your team… am I right?" Blake glanced away sheepishly, which was all the answer Kali needed. She brought her daughter in for a hug, running her hand through her hair. "Hehe, don't worry, honey. We'll be fine. We've handled ourselves for half an hour without you all here, we can go for longer if we need to."

The cat girl sighed, lowering her head in compliance. "Alright, mom. But you and dad be careful, alright?" She pointed up to her father's bleeding shoulder. "I don't wanna see any more injuries like THAT or worse."

"Oh! That reminds me!" Jaune suddenly piped up before moving over to Ghira, his Semblance surging to life in his hand. "I think I can help out with that wound, Mr. Belladonna…" The large panther man complied and offered his arm, which Jaune settled his hand on. In no time, the four deep scratches were all healed up, the only evidence of them being there being the blood in the four tears of Ghira's coat. "There we go, all fixed!"

Ghira wore a surprised face at the action. "Hah, well I'll be. Thank you very much, Jaune." He then smiled back to his daughter and gave her a nod, giving her hand a brief squeeze. "We'll see you again soon, sweetheart."

"Sure thing, dad." Blake grinned back as her parents made their way over to Gwen. She gave her friend a wink and pointed at her. "Make sure you guys don't get into too much trouble, okay?"

"That's a promise that I'll try to keep… though I can't make any guarantees." Gwen shrugged. "But I'll certainly try my best." After receiving one last nod from Blake, Gwen created a huge pink dome over her squad and, after chanting the same spell as before, teleported them all up to Beacon, leaving the main team as well as Winter and the Branwen Twins behind… along with a certain bandit girl.

Raven shifted her eyes over to her protégé with a smirk. "I'm surprised that you didn't want to go with them, Vernal."

"Heh, you kiddin'?" Vernal chuckled as she readied her Ver Laminae again. "I've still got a bone to pick with those mutants—"

"AHEM!" The whole group turned back around to see the villains standing impatiently behind them. Skull had his arms crossed in annoyance, Hog was glaring at them with his hands on his hip, Subdora tapped her foot, Silyrian was squirming in anticipation, and Leonidas… was standing as still as a statue. "Glad to hear ya still remember that we're here!" Exo-Skull snapped. "Seriously, did you just forget about us or somethin'?!"

Raven shot them a quick glare. "Oh, no. We were just hoping that little show that Ben put on was enough to distract you for a while before we cut to the chase."

Hog opened his mouth and raised a finger up… but quickly found that the Spring Maiden was right. "Damn, she has a good point."

"Well, no matter!" Subdora said with a swipe of her hand, taking aim with her laser pistol all the while. "We will still bring punishment unto you for interfering yet again with our plans!"

"LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', SUBDORA!" Rath shouted while pointing at her. "IF THERE'S ANYONE INTERFERING AROUND HERE, IT'S ALL OF YOU! AND… huh?" Rath blinked when he noticed, in the corner of his eye, Leonidas was glaring at him, the lion mutant's teeth bared and ready to be used at a moment's notice. Rath's gaze narrowed, boring into Leonidas' blank white ones. "What's your deal, Lion-man? YOU WANNA GO A ROUND WITH RATH?!" Leonidas roared back in challenge, to which Rath gave a toothy smirk. "Oh… that's JUST the kinda answer that RATH wants to HEAR!"

However, Sun and Neptune quickly had some objections to that. "W-Wait, Ben! I don't think that's such a good idea." the monkey boy implored. "Lionheart… I-I mean, Leonidas, is like, CRAZY strong. He took pretty much every attack that Neptune and I threw at him AND more."

"Yeah, and his armor is both fire AND lightning proof." Neptune added. "And with Stalwart, he's got a whole BUNCH of Dust attacks that he can dish out at you! He's bound to cream you if you're not careful!"

Rath, however, kept his eyes forward and his lips moved up into a snarl, responding to the boys without taking his sights off of Leonidas. "All VERY excellent points, guys. But there's one thing you didn't remember…" Jutting out his neck with all the force he had, Rath hollered at his future opponent; "RATH DOESN'T SAY NO TO A GOOD FIGHT WHEN HE SEES ONE! RATH IS HIGH UP ON TOP OF A MOUNTAIN…" He pointed right at Leonidas again. "AND HE'S WAITING UP THERE FOR _YOU_ , LEONIDAS, THE MUTANT FORMALLY KNOWN AS LIONHEART!"

Behind the Appoplexian, the teens were beginning to question if this had really been a good idea or not. "New clothes or not… Rath is still VERY much Rath." Pyrrha commented.

"You have to admit, though, he's a lot more focused than he usually is." Ren noticed.

"Yeah! And he's a whole lot more pumped up, too!" Nora laughed with an eager smile as she watched the two opponents begin to square off. "He's hyped this up like a wrestling match, and by god, I think we're gonna get a wrestling match! This is gonna be off the WALL!"

Jaune put a hand to Nora's shoulder, stopping her from bouncing in place. "Right, but remember, we've still got our own problems to deal with…" He pointed his sword over toward the other end of the street. "Take a look."

The teens all did an about face to see the Grimm starting to come back, and leading them was none other than one last Griffon. The beast let out a screeching roar at the group as the horde continued forward, ready to engage their human enemies. "Ugh, right." Weiss said with an eyeroll. " _They're_ back, too."

"Don't be so quick to complain, little sister." Winter chastised while taking a combat position. "Remember; they may have the superior numbers, but so long as we work together, we can take them all down." The military specialist glanced back, narrowing her eyes at Qrow. "So long as SOME people remember to stay out of the way."

Qrow smirked and leaned over toward his sister. "I think she secretly digs me."

"I DO NOT!" Winter shouted vehemently, making all of the Grimm quicken their pace toward them. "…Oops." Winter muttered.

Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose while Blake and Weiss unsheathed their own weapons, along with Team JNPR doing the same. "Alright, guys, this is it! I hope everyone's ready!"

"We are, Ruby." Blake assured with a determined face. "Let's make this one count!"

Rex activated his Boogie Pack and his BFS, his eyes focused on the Griffon at first before smirking over to Weiss. "You ready for this, Ice Princess?"

"Pfft, of course." Weiss scoffed matter-of-factually before bringing forth a Summonging Glyph, bringing forth her Queen Lancer in a split second. "Let's get this done, shall we?"

As their group readied to confront the Grimm, Yang stepped up next to Rath and activated her Ember Celica, facing off against Thunderhog and Exo-Skull. "I hope you boys are ready!" The Blonde Brawler began bouncing back and forth on the balls of her feet, ready to start the fight. "Because lemme tell ya, you're NOT getting off as easy as you did in all of the LAST times we've fought you."

Exo-Skull popped a few neck muscles and let out a chortle. "Haha! Feisty little girl, ain't ya? Granted, ya beat us before…" He went down onto all fours and padded the ground with his hand, preparing himself to charge. "But we're riding a pretty good destruction high right now, so we ain't about to let YOU off easy either!"

"I heard that!" Hog said as he readied his chain mace. "Besides, it's two on one, so if anything, YOU'RE outmatched here."

But it was then that Vernal entered the picture, the lady bandit stepping up next to Yang. "Really? Because from my perspective, things seem pretty even to me." Vernal sent a grin over to Yang, who returned it immediately. "Whaddya say, blondie? Wanna tag team with me?"

Yang offered a fist bump, which Vernal returned immediately. "You know it! Let's go!"

As the two ladies faced off with the duo, the Branwen Twins found themselves face to face with Subdora and Silyrian, the two glaring at them from across the way. Qrow found himself across from the Merlinisapien while Raven was facing off with the scorpion mutant, an odd sense of déjà vu coming to the Spring Maiden. "Wait, I feel like I've been here before. Have we been here before?"

"Yes!" Silyrian clicked as a growl escaped his throat. "It's time for you to pay recompense for what you did to my FIRST tail, Raven!"

Raven snapped her fingers in realization. "Ah, yes! A few days ago when I made you scamper away like a little bitch!" Silyrian let out another growl at that, followed by a manic yell as he suddenly lunged right at Raven. However, the tribe leader quickly activated her Maiden powers and shot a fire ball out of her hand, hitting Silyrian square in the chest and taking him by surprise. "Hmph, child's play." Raven quickly shot Omen out of its sheath and leapt forward, grabbing the blade before engaging the scorpion once again.

Subdora, meanwhile, sauntered up toward Qrow, giving the man a rather sultry face. "Promise to try and go easy on me, _vecchio uomo_?"

All of a sudden, the clattering of metal suddenly took Subdora by surprise, followed immediately by her tripping head over heels without any prior warning. The Merlinisapien hit the ground and groaned, her eyes moving up to see that Qrow had, with incredible speed and accuracy, shifted his weapon, Harbinger, into its scythe mode and used it to trip her up. The man wore a bit of a smirk as she scowled up at him. "Honestly, lady, I have NO idea what the fuck you just said… but I ain't goin' easy on ya, that's fer sure."

As Leonidas began approaching Rath at breakneck speed and the Griffon closed in on Rex and Weiss, the EVO couldn't help but glance over to the Appoplexian over his shoulder, giving him a smirk. "Hey Ben! One question before we get this started!" He pointed at him and yelled; "YES or NO?! Will you or will you NOT fight Leonidas in this street for the fate of Vale itself?! YES OR NO?!"

With a burning intensity in his eyes, Rath raised a powerful fist and roared out his answer; "YYEEEEEEEEESSS!" before lunging right at Leonidas, the two big cats beginning their rumble in the street.

* * *

Meanwhile, back up at Beacon Academy, all of the students were gathered out front next to the Resolute, their sights directed up toward the approaching Mistralian airship. The massive aircraft was closing in quite fast, and the students knew that whoever was on there likely didn't have the best intentions for them. The ship banked to the left, allowing its port side to face the students as the hull began to open, revealing Cinder, Rojo, Emerald, Mercury and Neo all ready to engage. Rojo took up the microphone again and spoke out to the students via the speakers on the ship. _"HELLO BEACON! Good to see you all came out to greet us personally!"_ She wore a sinister grin as she said the next part; _"It'll make it a WHOLE lot easier to gut all you brats at once!"_

Out in front of the students, Professors Oobleck and Port stood with their respective weapons ready, the later scoffing at the bounty hunter's words. "Bah! This is SUCH an unorthodox display!"

"Indeed." Oobleck agreed as he watched the five villains jump down from the airship, landing side-by-side before striding forward. "However, that isn't our only problem, unfortunately…" He shifted his gaze toward the Emerald Forest… where again, many Grimm were starting to work their way toward the school. "You would think that after all this time, we'd have gotten the Grimm population whittled down there by now."

"What can I say? The dog with the steel teeth slowed our progress." Port said with a shake of his head. "And now, we yet again have a fight coming from both directions…"

Behind them, Team CRDL brought up their own weapons, with Cardin speaking up for all of them. "Don't worry, prof, we'll get through all of this." He tightened his grip on his mace and raised it up. "We pulled it off before, so I'm pretty sure we can do it again!"

Across the way, Cinder gave a sinister chuckle as flames began to dance in her hands. "Did you hear that? He thinks some simple students can beat all of us."

"They may have higher numbers," Emerald commented, "but when it comes to skill, we've pretty much got everyone here beat."

"The teachers are the biggest threat." Mercury smirked. "And even then, they're probably not even the BEST huntsmen this school has to offer." Next to him, Neo popped open her umbrella and crossed her legs, opening her mouth and waving her hand in front of it to mimic a yawn. "Psh, yeah, Neo. A total snore." Mercury slammed his fist into his palm. "This should be a piece of—" _FLASH!_ "Huh?!"

"What the?!" Rojo exclaimed as a bright pink flash illuminated the area, causing all of the Grimm to stop just a few yards away from the school. When her vision cleared, Rojo's face fell when she saw the LAST thing she wanted to see. "Oh, you've gotta be _shitting_ me."

Cinder's lips curled up into a snarl at the sight of one redhead in particular; "Tennyson!" Indeed, it was Gwen Tennyson, along with Kevin, Team CFVY and many more reinforcements. "Tyrian said that you were dead!"

Across the way, Gwen gave Cinder a small smirk. "A bit of a preemptive call, Cinder." Gwen replied. "Honestly not surprised given how mad that man is. But you know, I've heard my last name used to refer to my cousin all the time, that it's kind of weird hearing someone else use it for me." As the others around Gwen began to fan out next to her, she placed a hand on her hip and continued teasing Cinder. "Maybe it'd be better if we were on a first name basis. Feel free to call me Gwen, Gwendolyn or even Gwenny if you wanna be condescending about it… though I'll warn you that there IS another girl who uses that last one."

"GRAAAAH!" All at once, Cinder sent out a huge stream of fire out at the Anodite and the team she came with, threatening to engulf them all.

"Hm, yeah, that's about the response I expected." Gwen shrugged before extending her hands. " _Contigo_!" With her magical chant, Gwen created a large barrier in front of her and the rest of her squad, rendering the flames harmless. Once Cinder had to take a breather, Gwen brought down the shield and crossed her arms. "Sorry, Miss Maiden, but I'm not about to let you get that relic. You wanna get to it?" She gestured to her friends and allies around her. "You're gonna have to go through all of us."

Cinder growled and was about to ready another attack, only for Rojo to take a hold of her wrist. "Cindy, don't let her get to ya." Rojo soothed, keeping her voice as low as possible. "She's just trying to get under your skin because she KNOWS how much you hate her." She moved her grip to Cinder's hand and gave it a small squeeze. "Now, follow me, okay? Deep breath in…" Cinder did as she was told. "…And breath out."

The Fall Maiden let go of her breath and nodded slightly to her partner, giving a thankful grin. "Thank you, Rojo, I needed that." She focused back onto Gwen and the others as she saw Ironwood, Goodwitch, the Belladonnas, Sienna and Team CFVY make their way over toward the group of teachers and students, leaving Gwen, Kevin, Cooper, Ilia and Swift to face off with them. As that was going on, the Grimm had continued their charge, closing in on the school all the while. "Hmm, it seems the adults and upperclassmen are more focused on keeping the school safe…"

"Yeah, that IS kinda odd." Emerald noticed before nudging her head at the five across the way. "HEY! What's you're guy's deal, huh? Not gonna try and overwhelm us with your higher numbers?"

Kevin shook his head as he absorbed the pavements beneath him, taking out a Dust crystal from his pocket. "Nah, we just figured that we'd be able to take you guys out by ourselves."

"Ah… confidence…" Cinder smiled and nodded before a scowl came to her face. "A fool's substitute for skill and intelligence."

"Yeah, yeah, keep the insults comin'." The Osmosian retorted before going to absorb the Dust… only to see that it was orange in color. "Uh… no thanks. Goodwitch will flip if I—"

"Kevin, wait." Ilia held out a hand to stop him from putting the crystal away. "That's _dark_ orange Dust, meaning that it's Earth Dust. Explosive dust is _bright_ orange."

"Ah… well, in that case!" Kevin absorbed the Earth Dust and slammed his hands together, his eyes shifting into a Dark Orange. "Let's go then!"

Mercury cracked his knuckles as he strode forward to meet Kevin's challenge. "Fine by me! Let's do this!"

Emerald took out Thief's Respite and nudged her head toward Swift. "I'll take on the troublemaker." Beside her, Neo pointed over to Ilia, the chameleon girl approaching rather quickly. "Heh, sounds like a plan, Neo. Let's go!" With that, the duo charged at their respective opponents, meeting each other in the middle of the walkway.

Cinder furrowed her brows as she and Rojo began to approach Gwen, the Anodite standing perfectly still with a smile on her face. Cinder's hands began to crackle with electricity as she and her partner closed in on the redhead. "So, it has finally come to this, has it, Gwendolyn? I have very much looked forward to this day. Lady Salem says that you are quite the competent sorceress… but now, it's time to really put that to the test."

"Sounds nice… but I have other plans." Gwen said as she assumed a combat stance. "You should probably brace yourself."

"You DARE mock me?!" Cinder roared before pointing a finger at Gwen. "Listen here, Gwendolyn, I—" _CLANG!_ GAH!" In the blink of an eye, a flash of silver suddenly flew right at Cinder, ramming the Fall Maiden away as she screamed in anger.

Gwen smirked, relaxing a bit before shrugging toward the spot where Cinder used to be. "I'm listening."

Rojo's head whipped around to where her partner was being taken, calling after her. "CINDY!" She made to go after her, but a huge wall of pink mana suddenly sprang up next to her, stopping her from leaving the battle. A growl was elicited from her throat and she spun back around to Gwen, scowling at her with a death glare. "You did NOT just do that!" Rojo screamed and swung Blood Strike down at the Anodite, who blocked the swing with another mana shield.

"No, but Cooper DID." Gwen emphasized with a smirk. "And I've got a feeling that Cinder's gonna be in for a wild ride."

* * *

As the battle between Cinder's group and the heroes got underway, Coco had smirked after witnessing her boyfriend carry off the aforementioned Fall Maiden, much to the young woman's dismay. But the fashionista only smirked as she heard the Maiden's wails of rage get further and further away, the armored genius carrying her off into a nearby wooded area. "Give her a good thrashing, Tech Head." she said to herself before going back to the others, with everyone facing the approaching Grimm horde.

"So, is everyone clear on what we have to do?" General Ironwood asked one last time.

"Indeed." Velvet nodded, her eyes glancing to the horde in disdain. "We defend Beacon and FINALLY put an end to the overpopulation of Grimm in Emerald Forest."

Cardin held his mace with both hands, stepping up eagerly next to the bunny girl. "Count us in on that action!" he exclaimed with his team behind him. "It's time we put an end to ALL of those damned monsters."

"Very good." Glynda commended. "But just be mindful; the buildings are NOT to be wrecked. If you see a Grimm heading to one, do everything in your power to get it away from there."

Sienna gave the headmistress a nod. "Understood." She shifted her eyes over to Ghira and Kali and they gave her a pair of nods as well. "We are ready to go whenever you are."

Right beside Coco, Yatsuhashi and Fox were pulling out their weapons, preparing themselves for the battle ahead. Slinging her handbag over her shoulder, the fashionista adjusted her sunglasses as she stepped up in front of the pack of students, ready to lead the charge. "Heh, alright then. Let's give these bitches one last send-off before we head to Earth!" She pumped her fist forward and hollered; "CHARGE!", eliciting a cheer from all of the students behind her. With everyone brandishing their weapons, they stormed right at the horde of Grimm, meeting the beasts in the middle in one big collision. Almost immediately, black mist began rising from the cluster of monsters and students… the Grimm body count increasing by the second.

* * *

" _Internal repairs complete, sir."_ VADOS said inside of Cooper's armor. _"All thrusters now functional."_

" _Kind of already guessed that, VADOS, but thank you."_ The genius replied as he flew through the woods with Cinder still in his grasp. _"Now let's keep her as FAR away from Gwen as possible."_ The blond was holding the Fall Maiden by the base of her neck, his iron grip keeping her from squirming out of his grasp, at least for the time being.

"NO!" Cinder managed to choke out. "I… must have my revenge!"

" _A most worthless of causes, in my humble opinion."_ Cooper commented before purposefully ramming both of them through a couple of trees before slamming Cinder into the forest floor below, the genius landing on his feet as Cinder tumbled in front of him. Once Cinder stopped rolling and Cooper skidded to a halt, the genius lifted up his face plate, taking in a breath of fresh air for a brief pause. "Hah, okay, now that I've got you alone, why don't we try to talk things out like civilized people?"

Cinder staggered to her feet, glaring daggers at Cooper all the while. "Do _not_ … touch me… _again_." she seethed through her teeth.

"Then don't touch my friend." Cooper shrugged.

"You have no idea who you're dealing with, you cretin." Cinder warned as her eyes began to glow with her maiden powers once again.

Cooper turned to his left, his armor whirring as he inspected the scenery around them. "Uh… Shakespeare in the park?" Cinder's brows furrowed in confusion as Cooper went back to her, gesturing his arms as he asked her; "Doth mother know… you weareth her drapes?" There was a long silence, Cinder staring at the blond in bafflement and disbelief before Cooper tried to explain. "I-I-I'm talking about your dress—"

"I KNOW what you're talking about!" Cinder closed her eyes and clawed her hand, putting it next to her head, resisting the urge to facepalm. "I just CANNOT believe that this is happening right now." She collected herself before glowering at Cooper once again. "This is _beyond_ you, metal man. My powers far exceed that tin can you're wearing, so you might as well just let me go back. Gwendolyn WILL face the wrath of my team, and I will be sure that Ben will be the next to do so after her."

"Yeah, not happening." Cooper lowered his faceplate back into position, the blue visor glaring right back at Cinder. _"See, I'm actually a REALLY big fan of my friends living, so I'm afraid I can't let you do that."_

Cinder pursed her lips at him as her hands began to glow an ethereal blue with cold mist at her fingertips. "I see… in that case… GRAH!" With a single thrust of her hand, Cinder created a huge wave of ice along the ground, smashing it square into Cooper's chest. The armored genius was thrown back a considerable distance as Cinder let loose her next attack; an icy beam of energy that froze Cooper mid-flight. All at once, Cooper came crashing down and the ice shattered, his head spinning from the unexpected move.

" _Ugh… VADOS, how're the systems looking?"_ Cooper groaned as he attempted to move his arms, feeling quite stiff.

" _Suit power at seventy-five percent, mobility at eighty and dropping."_ VADOS piped up. _"Multiple joints quickly freezing."_

Cooper sighed as he struggled to get up. _"Deploy Fire Dust anti-freezing compound."_ In a few seconds, Cooper could feel his armor's joints begin to heat up, loosening with each passing second. _"Aaah, that feels SO much better."_ However, his eyes widened as Cinder drew closer, her arms crackling with electricity. _"Oh jeez, I think we'll need to accelerate this!"_

"Oh please, take your time!" Cinder insisted. "It will make THIS all the sweet—" _**BLAM!**_ "AGH!" The Fall Maiden was unceremoniously cut off when Cooper pulled out his laser blaster and shot her directly in the stomach, sending her hurtling backward. Cinder performed a midair flip and landed on her feet… only for the sound of the armor's engines to greet her ears. Without so much as a second to react, Cinder was kicked away hard by Cooper, sending her through yet another tree. "AAACK!" Cinder found herself face first in against the ground, her face now covered in grime and dirt.

The armored genius landed, moving his limbs to make sure that they were all unfrozen. _"Heh, okay, not bad for someone half-frozen, if I do say so myself."_

VADOS made an; _"Ahem."_ sound to get her boss' attention. _"Sir, I have been instructed by Coco to remind you to keep the self-praise to a minimum, lest you start acquiring a… "big head" as she put it. I am unsure what human head growth has anything to do with that, but—"_

Cooper face palmed and gave out a chuckle. "I'll explain it later, VADOS."

"Oh… this means WAR!" Cinder shot up from the forest floor, her eyes glowing intensely as she thrust her arms up toward the sky. All at once, dark storm clouds began gathering above her and a huge bolt of lightning came crashing down and coursed itself directly into her arms. By the end of it, her entire body was crackling with electricity, and she was glowering right at Cooper.

"Um… sorry?" Cooper said with a shrug. But if anything, this just made Cinder more inclined to attack him… which she did. With an exerting scream, Cinder shot all of the lightning at Cooper, the electricity arcing all across his armor as a result. Surprisingly, however, he seemed to be unscathed by the time Cinder was done, much to the Maiden's confusion…

…That is, until VADOS spoke up again. _"Suit power now at four-hundred percent, sir!"_

Cinder wore a dumbstruck expression as Cooper smirked underneath his helmet. _"How 'bout that? Unibeam!"_ At that moment, the Hard-Light Dust crystal in the Centurion armor's chest began to glow brilliantly before an intense beam fired off from within it, making impact with Cinder in no time flat.

But Cinder wasn't about to go down that easily. She stuck the landing as her eyes began to glow even brighter, a fiery orange aura beginning to surround her as a fiery blade appeared in her hand. "That does it! I'm through playing this game!" The thrust her legs and flew directly at Cooper, her weapons at the ready.

" _Yeah? Well so am I."_ Cooper activated his thrusters and flew at Cinder as well, the force of his impact sending both of them hurdling further into the woods. The duo ended up in a scuffle as they soared through the air, with Cinder cleaving her super-heated blades through the armor, now able to slice through the metal like butter. However, Cooper also got in some good strikes of his own, punching her in the face for good measure. _"Normally I'd be opposed to hitting a woman, but for you, I'll make an acceptation!"_

"Gah! Well I have no qualms about hitting _you_." Cinder said as she took another swing at his armor. "I'll have you out of that tin can in no time!"

" _Well, ya might wanna rethink that. Heads up!"_ All of a sudden, Cinder let out a scream as she felt herself getting slammed into the side of a cliff. She quickly retaliated, though, morphing one of her blades into a hammer that she slammed into the side of Cooper's head, forcing him off of her for just long enough so she could push back.

The two were sent careening back to where they once were, with Cinder landing on her feet while Cooper slid down across the ground. The Fall Maiden strode forward, her weapon shifting back into a blade. "You will PAY for that!" She was about to bring her sword down onto him, but Cooper caught her hand, holding her in place as he got up. He was about to grab her other hand when she instead grabbed HIS arm, her hand heating up to try and melt the metal.

" _Huh, well, that's unfortunate."_ Cooper said before giving Cinder a headbutt… only to be headbutted right back. _"Gah! Damn, lady!"_ He flew at Cinder again and grabbed her by the shoulders, tossing her away to get some distance between her. _"How're you able to hit THAT hard?!"_

Cinder narrowed her eyes as a slight red mark appeared on her forehead, a slight pain pulsating from it. But she wasn't concerned, she knew it would go away in a few minutes. "Because my Aura allows me to. Add my Maiden abilities on top of that and you get a very dangerous combination. Speaking off…" She flicked her hand and her blade morphed into a large spear, her arm reeling back to throw it. "Take THIS!" She thrust her arm forward and chucked her spear at Cooper… who caught it mere seconds before it stabbed into his face.

The blond could feel the intense heat searing his armor, which made him toss away the spear immediately. _"Not a chance, Cinder!"_ With that, he flew forward again and grabbed Cinder by her collar bone, throwing her away with impressive strength. She sailed back-first into a tree… and then charged right back into battle. _"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me."_ The two began exchanging blows for a few seconds before Cinder was able to get a lucky shot at his side, delivering a strong blow to his back as a follow up.

"Let us see how YOU like being tossed around!" Cinder, with the aid of some of strong wind that she summoned, grabbed Cooper by his neck and threw him up over her head, slamming him into the ground at her feet. She brought forth another fiery obsidian blade as she glowered down at him. "It's over, tin can."

The Fall Maiden thrust her blade down… only to miss when Cooper activated his thrusters again, propelling him forward while tripping her up in the process. _"NOT TODAY!"_ the genius exclaimed before coming back around and smacking Cinder upside the head. _"Trust me, lady, I've got enough steam to last me a while!"_

Cinder breathed heavily before bringing forth yet another obsidian blade, pointing it at Cooper with her eyes narrowed. "Really? Then let's test that, shall we?"

* * *

Back at Beacon, the battle there was well underway as well. As the students, faculty, and the three White Fang members all dealt with the Grimm, the main team and Swift were still engaged with the rest of Cinder's group, and both sides were unwilling to yield to the other. Kevin and Mercury were in the middle of what could only be described as a street fight, both boys throwing punches and kicks at each other at a rapid pace. Whenever he saw an opportunity, Mercury unloaded a shot from his boots… only to fight that it always only sent Kevin sliding back a bit. None of the Dust rounds could puncture his hard stone skin.

"For god's sake, Levin!" Mercury shouted. "Just how tough ARE you!?"

"How tough am I? How TOUGH am I?!" Kevin brought his fist forward and intercepted Mercury's kick, the two locking up for a few seconds as the Osmosian scowled at the silver-haired assassin. "I have a collection of speeding tickets in my glove compartment!"

Mercury snickered at that. "Heh, yeah, so?"

Kevin smirked right back at him. "And I haven't paid a single one."

The young man's eyes widened and he pulled his leg back, only to kick it at Kevin once again. The Osmosian staggered back a bit, but he still stood firm in his place. "Alright, I've gotta admit, that's pretty badass, Levin." Mercury conceded. "But I'm still gonna kick your ass!"

"Dude, c'mon." Kevin said with an eyeroll. "Tennyson and I have butted heads a whole buncha times over the years." He crossed his arms with a sly grin. "You REALLY think that I'm gonna let a guy who only _sounds_ like him beat the shit outta me? I don't think so—"

"GRAAAAH!" All at once, Mercury sent a whole volley of kicks Kevin's way, forcing the Osmosian to cross his arms over his face. The shots made impact and finally sent Kevin flying back, though he was still able to tuck and roll to a stop. "That's IT! I've HAD it with people comparing my voice to Tennyson's! I don't care if I have to KILL that bastard myself, I WILL find a way to get people to stop making that STUPID comparison!"

Kevin merely scoffed. "Psh, yeah, good luck with that, dude. But until then…" He slammed his arms together and the Dust began to glow, with his eyes shifting to a dark orange color. "Why don't we REALLY get this fight started, huh?" With that, Kevin slammed his hands down into the pavement… causing the entire ground beneath him to create a huge wave which slammed directly into Mercury.

The young man was sent hurtling back before he gained control of himself and landed on his feet, surprised by what had just happened. "W-What?! The hell was all THAT about!?"

"Honestly, I couldn't tell ya." Kevin shrugged. "Ilia told me that this was Earth Dust, so I just figured that a good slam on the ground would cause _something_ to happen." He peered down to the pavement beneath him and smirked as an idea formed in his head. "In fact… lemme try something!" He punched his fists down into the earth below him again… only this time, the earth began collecting around HIM. In no time, his arms were double the size the usually were, now completely covered in dirt, rock and bits of pavement. His fists were also massive and formed completely out of the clay from further down in the earth, his arms almost resembling Rex's Smack Hands at that point. "HAHA! Yes! It worked!"

Mercury's jaw dropped at the sight. "W-What the—GAH!" He was cut off when one of Kevin's earthen arms thrust forward and hit him right in the chest, sending him tumbling back across the ground. Mercury quickly regained his footing as well as his composure, rocketing back toward Kevin with a shot from his boots. "Ah, whatever! It doesn't matter what tricks you pull out of your ass! I'm still gonna end you, Levin! And then I'll do the same to Tennyson, too!"

Kevin merely smirked, keeping his new massive arms up in a fighting stance. "Try me."

As that was happening, Ilia and Swift were dealing with their own troubles not too far away. The aforementioned chameleon girl was currently engaged with Neo in close-quarters combat, the multi-colored girl proving to be quite more versatile that she had expected. Ilia's technique with her whip was as on point as ever… however, Neo was still able to avoid many of the strikes she tried to make on her. Whether it be a normal dodge or using one of her shattering illusions to fool her, Ilia just couldn't get in a good hit… and it was aggravating her quickly.

"Why. Won't. You. STAY. STILL?!" she shouted in between her swings and misses. Upon shattering another of Neo's illusions, she suddenly felt a hard strike connect with the small of her back, eliciting a yell from her. "GAH!" She was sent falling, but quickly somersaulted to her feet, seeing that it was Neo who had delivered the kick. At that point, Ilia's face had flushed red with anger… and that was no exaggeration, her skin had literally turned red, her eyes doing the same as her spots and hair became black. "Oh… you are REALLY starting to piss me off!"

"Freckles!" Ilia's eyes darted over to Swift, who was currently bobbing and weaving away from Emerald's gunshots. "As much as I'm flattered about the color combo, you should calm down and think rationally about who you're fighting! She wants to play the avoiding game? Then don't let her!"

Ilia blinked at that statement while Neo seemed to purse her lips at the Aerophibian hybrid, almost as if she was annoyed that her fun was being ruined. "Well… how do I—wait!" She brightened up and her skin changed back to normal, putting away her Lightning Lash as she did so. "Thanks, Swift, I've got it from here!" She raised her fists and gave a determined smile to Neo, ushering her to continue their fight. "You wanna go a couple rounds? Then c'mon! Let's go!"

Neo glanced off to the side and shrugged before opening her umbrella, swinging it at Ilia immediately. However, the chameleon girl was able to jump up and perform a spinning front flip over Neo's head, delivering a hard kick to the heterochromatic girl's face. Neo stumbled a bit before rubbing her jaw, thoroughly annoyed that her little game had been interfered with by the strange flying red girl. She would remember that later.

Swift, meanwhile, chuckled to herself as she saw Ilia land a direct hit to Neo, the two engaging with each other once again afterward. "Heh, go getter Ilia." However, at the sound of metallic clinking and the feeling of cold metal around her ankles, Swift whipped her head down to see that Emerald had shifted Thief's Respite into its kusarigama form, the chained blades wrapped around her feet. "Hmph, way to take advantage of someone who isn't looking." Swift remarked.

"Your own fault, girl." Emerald shrugged. "You know, maybe if you had actually succeeded in the job you were supposed to do a week back, then maybe you'd be on OUR side right now."

"Psh, as if." Swift scoffed with an eyeroll before flying up higher, kicking her legs so that the chains fell off of her ankles. This also caused Emerald to fall down to the pavement, but the green-haired girl easily recovered from that. "I only did the job because the big guy promised me a place to stay. If I had known I'd actually be working for villains, I'd be out of there in a heartbeat."

"Ha, as if Salem would've let you go alive." Emerald laughed. She shifted her weapons into their gun modes and began taking shots at Swift again, though again, she found it hard to keep up with the speedy alien. "Now hold still so I can actually HIT you!"

Swift couldn't help but laugh as she danced through the air, avoiding the shots as if she didn't have a care in the world. "Now why on EARTH would I do that?"

Emerald responded with a smirk. "Ah, but this is _Remnant_ , not Earth."

Swift rolled her eyes before shooting a red laser beam from her tail, Emerald letting out a gasp as it blasted right toward her. The green-haired girl rolled away, allowing the beam to miss. "Don't get sassy with me, Minty Fresh." Swift teased as she landed in front of the girl. "I'm not one for sarcastic remarks… unless they're from me or my friends." Her eyes began to glow brighter as she readied another blast. "Now, why don't we end this before things get too hairy, hm?"

Emerald narrowed her eyes as she stood up, tightening her knuckles around her weapons. But then… a sly grin came to her face. "Agreed." she said simply before, much to Swift's shock, Emerald began multiplying, with numerous copies of herself surrounding the Aerophibian in a complete circle. Emerald's continuous echoing laugh grew more and more with each copy that appeared, taking Swift aback and making her lose her concentration.

"W-What is—GAH!" She felt a hard kick suddenly connect with her midsection, followed up by a sharp slice across her arm. She cried out and hand went to the wound… only to find that nothing was there. The Proto-Tech armor had protected her. She smirked and called out; "Ha! You're gonna have to do better than—AGH!" Without warning, a sharp pain swiped across Swift's cheek, sending her sprawling to the floor. She winced as a few tears of pain escaped her eyes, reaching up to cusp her cheek. She pulled her hand back and sneered at the black substance that now coated it. Aerophibian blood. "Oh, you just made a VERY big mistake—" _BLAM!_ "AUGH!"

Emerald had let off a couple of shots from her weapons, the rounds exploding next to Swift and sending her stumbling back. "AHAHAHA!" The thief's echoing laugh rang out around Swift, making her cover her ears. "What's the matter, _Swifty_?" Emerald taunted as her voice echoed. "Too much of one thing?" Swift growled and got to her feet, her eyes charging back up for another blast. "Heh, why bother?" Emerald echoed. "You probably wouldn't be able to figure out where I really am!"

"…Wanna bet?" Swift smirked before jumping up into the air and spinning around, letting loose her eyebeams in an instant. She blasted around her in a complete circle, hitting every single one of the Emerald duplicates before finally hitting the real one. With that, Emerald lost her concentration and her illusion was put to a stop, causing Swift to get a minor headache once all of the clones were gone. "Ah… so your special little power ISN'T making clones, it's making hallucinations by messing with people's heads." She quickly darted down at Emerald and grabbed the girl with her feet, making the thief gasp. " _Not_ cool."

As their fight was going on, a certain Anodite and bounty hunter were also going at one another, the two locked in quick paced combat across the field. Rojo had separated Bloodstrike into its two single-edged blade mode, using them to strike hard and mercilessly at the other redhead. Gwen, meanwhile, was working to counter every strike that Rojo made, creating mana shields left and right as her opponent kept destroying them with every swing. Finally, however, Rojo used a feint on Gwen, faking a swing before sweeping at the Anodite's knees, taking her down to the pavement.

"HA! Sorry, Tennyson." Rojo smirked wickedly as she stood over her opponent with both of her swords at the ready. "You probably should've seen that one coming. GRAH!" With an exerting grunt, Rojo stabbed both blades down at the seemingly helpless girl…

" _GLADIO_!" …But Gwen managed to chant out another spell just in time. From her forearms, two bright pink mana blades suddenly appeared, the weapons forming over her hands as she straightened her fingers out. She crossed her arms above her and blocked Rojo's strike, a determined grin coming to her face all the while. "Sorry, but I kinda did." She swiped her arms up and pushed Rojo back, climbing back up to her feet as she assumed a fighting stance. "Now, how about we see who's REALLY the best at swordplay?"

Rojo furrowed her brows at that. "Psh, it's obviously gonna be me." She belted out another yell and slammed her blades into Gwen's own, pushing the girl back. With that, she began bringing down more successive strikes against Gwen, pushing her back as the Anodite countered them. But still, it WAS Rojo who seemed to have the upper hand. "Sorry, girly, but when it comes down to it, I'm bigger, stronger, AND more skilled at the blade than you are!" Rojo bashed her blades against Gwen's own, drawing her face nearer to her fellow redhead. "Sorry, but this one's all mine."

Gwen gave her a shrug. "Maybe, but can you do this? _Eratico_!" All of a sudden, the mana blades began to dissipate into several tendrils, all of them wrapping around Rojo in a tight snare.

"AGH! W-What the hell?!" Rojo grit her teeth as she fell to the ground, struggling to free herself from the energy bindings she found herself in. "Hey, no fair!"

"All's fair in love and war, Rojo." Gwen said with a wink. "I think you of all people should know that considering who you surround yourself with."

If possible, that only made Rojo even more frustrated. "You little BITCH!" She began struggling again, managing to bring her arms together underneath the strong bindings and uniting her sword back into its single, dual-edged form. She then reached for the switch on her weapon and it converted into its laser blaster mode, her hand finding the trigger quickly. "I ain't goin' out like this, you hear me!?" She pulled the trigger and blasted through the bindings, finally freeing herself. In the blink of an eye, she shifted Bloodstrike into its full sword mode again and ran straight for Gwen. "I'm gonna make you PAY for that, Tennyson!"

"Again, REALLY appreciate it if you just called me Gwen." The Anodite's eyes flashed pink as a she extended both of her arms and whipped them towards Rojo, all while shouting; " _Turbo_!" All at once, a huge gust of wind blasted straight at Rojo, and while she stood her ground for a few moments, Gwen increased the wind's velocity with a flick of her wrist, finally managing to blow her opponent away.

"ACK! Oof!" Rojo landed back first in the center of Beacon's still ruined plaza, flipping over on her head as she landed on her stomach. She let out a grumble as Gwen approached her, glaring right into her glowing pink eyes. "Oh… you just brought up a WHOLE world of hurt for you AND your friends, honey." She stood up and put a hand to the side of her helm, speaking into her communicator loud and clear; "Animo! Bring the ship in! It's time to give these brats a taste of some REAL fire power!"

At that moment, the Mistralian Airship began to move in the air, causing Gwen to pause. She saw the ship bank left to that its starboard side was facing the school… and then a whole slew of cannons began to come out from the side of the ship. They appeared to be old-fashioned, but knowing how weapons worked in Remnant, they were likely filled with Dust ammunition. Gwen sneered before glaring back at Rojo. "You wouldn't."

"Oh, I would, _Gwenny_." Rojo said before talking to Animo again. "You got a good lock on the target, doc?"

" _Indeed, I do!"_ Animo replied. _"All sights are locked onto Beacon Academy and the cannons are loaded to capacity!"_

A snicker escaped Rojo's lips. "Good. Ready…" She raised her arm up. "Aim…"

Gwen clenched her teeth as she chanted another spell. " _Contigo Maxima_!" She thrust her arms upward and created a huge mana shield, setting it up in the way of the airship's cannons. Rojo was initially worried about that… but after seeing Gwen's face, she knew it was for nothing. The redhead was breathing hard, seemingly winded from all of the fighting and spellcasting she was doing. Even with the small break she had received, she still felt the strain of doing so much. "Just… TRY… and get past me, Rojo!" she said in-between breaths.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Rojo shook her head, though her grin was still on her face. "Gwen, I gotta admit, you're pretty feisty when it comes to bein' a hero. I can respect that. But right now, I've got a relic to find, and I don't care if I have to level you AND Beacon in order to get it!" She thrust her arm and commanded; "FIRE!"

_**BAM!**_ All at once, the Mistralian Airship began firing off cannonballs made of explosive Dust at the mana shield, the large orbs detonating the moment they hit it. Gwen let out a cry of pain as she felt the impact of the bombardments, wincing while still trying to keep her concentration. However, she could already see cracks forming in the energy field, and she was already feeling her knees begin to buckle under the strain. _'No! I… I HAVE to keep it up! I… I have to…'_ _ **BAM!**_ The next thing she knew, she saw another round of explosive cannonballs sailing right at her mana construct. She closed her eyes and prepared for the impact… but it never came. Yet still, she heard the sound of the projectiles hitting something. She peeked an eye open and gasped in excitement. There, hovering in place in front of Beacon AND the mana shield, was the Resolute, its own shields up and having absorbed the second bombardment. "YES!"

"NO!" Rojo growled, glaring daggers up at the ship. "What the HELL!?"

At that moment, Cesar's voice came ringing out over the ship's intercom, calling down to both of the women below. _"Sorry for the wait, Gwen."_ the Hispanic genius apologized. _"The wait was muy agonizante, but well worth it, if you ask me!"_ He then addressed the bounty hunter. _"Oh, and Señorita Rojo, you may wanna tell your cab driver to brace for impact!"_ At that moment, the ship began to fly toward the Mistralian Airship, which then began to fly away to try and out run it.

" _GAH! No, no! Stay back!"_ Animo pleaded through the still-open comm channel. _"Get away from me!"_

Rojo snarled and stomped her foot, her frustration still growing. "Grr, dammit!" However, her smile returned when she saw that Gwen had lowered the mana shield and fell to her knees, trying to catch her breath. It was an opportunity that Rojo couldn't afford to lose. She charged at Gwen and brought her sword up, intending to stab it through the Anodite's back. "At least I'll still be able to end, YOU, Gwenny!" She made it to Gwen and plunged her sword downward… only for it to make impact with something else. "Oh, what NOW?!"

Gwen gasped and her head whipped up, her smile still present when she saw who saved her. "Tetrax!"

The Petrosapien stood over the redhead protectively as his arm blade clashed with Rojo's pushing the other redhead back with a strong thrust of his arm. "Gwen! Get away and recoup, I'll handle her from here!"

"Are you sure?" Gwen steadily got to her feet, clenching her fists in preparation. "We can take her on together!"

"No, find a place to rest!" Tetrax ordered as Rojo slammed her sword against his arm. "You're exhausted and you can't go on without more rest! Get to the main building, it's probably the safest place right now!"

Gwen pursed her lips in frustration… but she knew that Tetrax was right. It had been nearly non-stop fighting since the Negative Ten had invaded the press conference and she had cast many spells in that time. As good as she had gotten, she still needed time to recoup after casting multiple spells in a row like she did. "Alright." Gwen nodded. "But I'll come back to help you, and that's a promise!"

Tetrax smiled as he watched Gwen retreat for the time being, a chuckle escaping his lips. _'Your cousin's behavior has certainly influenced you a lot, Gwen.'_ He then shifted his attention back to Rojo, glowering at her with his piercing green gaze. "Now… where were we?"

"I was about to lob your pointy head off!" Rojo snapped back.

"As Ben would say; fat chance!" Tetrax delivered a strong pump kick to Rojo before going at her again, his resolve to protect his allies and the school strong and unwavering.

* * *

Back down in the city below, the team's battle with the Grimm was going rather smoothly, with everyone pairing up to take down the giant beasts. The only exception was Winter, who was able to handle herself in the scuffle quite easily. In fact, she practically mowed down a whole slew of Beowolves in the blink of an eye thanks to her using a time dilation glyph. Ruby, meanwhile, was currently taking on a bunch of Ursai with Neptune watching her back, the duo slicing and stabbing at the horde as they came their way. "Thanks again for being my battle-buddy for this one, Neptune!" Ruby shouted as she beheaded another Ursa.

"Hey, no prob!" Neptune grinned as he cleaved into an Ursa's gut, making it fall to the floor deader than a doornail. "I know you'd usually go with Weiss on this sort of stuff." He glanced off to the side to where said heiress was. "But we both know she's with her… I _wanna_ say boyfriend, but…"

"Yeah, yeah, not official yet." Ruby said as she shot an incoming Beowolf in the face. "I'm actually quite surprised at how good you've been taking it, considering…"

Neptune wave her a reassuring wave. "Ah, I'm over it. Trust me, there's plenty of…"

"Fish in the sea?" Ruby finished cheekily, waiting to see how Neptune would react.

"…Did swearing make you snarkier?" Neptune deadpanned. "Because it SEEMS like you're doing that to torment me."

"Oh hey, would you look at that!" Ruby pointed hastily, changing the subject. "Sun and Blake are going right for those Beringels!" Indeed, the Faunus couple were in fact, charging directly for the flying beasts, closing in on them at a rapid pace.

Neptune crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "Heh, now much you wanna bet they're gonna do their explosion combo again? Seriously, those guys gotta get some new…" But the moment he turned around, Neptune saw Sun giving Blake a boost up, the cat girl climbing onto one of the Beringel's back's to stab Gambol Shroud into its spine. Then, using the weapon as a steering device, she crashed the giant ape into more of its kind, sending them all crashing onto the ground where they were met by a trio of Via Sun clones who caught them all. Blake jumped off of the stack of Beringels she brought down and landed next to Sun, who commanded his clones to explode and take out the whole bunch. With the explosive light and black mist of the dead Grimm behind them, Blake and Sun sealed the deal with a quick kiss, the former giving her boyfriend a pat on his chest before they went off to deal with more Grimm. "…tricks."

With a sly grin on her face, Ruby nudged Neptune with her elbow. "…Yeah, I think they're doing just fine in that department. I honestly think that they're one of the best couples in terms of working in sync with each other."

Neptune blinked in surprise before stabbing an incoming Boarbatusk in its stomach. "Even better than Ben and your sister?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong, those two are pretty much on the same wavelength as well." Ruby assured as she too sliced one of the pig Grimm in half. "But to be quite honest, we have a LOT of couples here that work really well together, so it's hard to narrow it down." She gestured over toward the other end of the street. "For example, if you look to your left, you'll see Jaune and Pyrrha kicking all sorts of Grimm butt."

Neptune perked his head up and saw said couple currently facing off a bunch of incoming Creeps… in a rather unique way. Pyrrha was charging right at Jaune from the side, holding both her weapon and her boyfriend's own sword, the blonde knight smiling as he held his shield up. "Ready?!" he called out to his girlfriend.

"Indeed!" Pyrrha smiled back before she leapt toward him while performing a corkscrew flip in midair, resulting in her landing on Jaune's shield in a crouch. She activated her Semblance and focused on her legs as well as her boyfriend's shield, preparing for what came next. "Alright, Jaune!"

"On it!" He shifted his weight and moved his body to face the creeps, giving Pyrrha the okay as he did. "NOW!" All at once, Pyrrha shot off of the shield at a surprising speed, her Polarity allowing for her to gain a great boost of speed by launching herself off the metal surface. Without fail, the Invincible Girl flew right through the horde of Creeps, using both blades to slice directly through their bodies and heads. To cap it all off, Jaune shot off multiple rounds from his shield at the creature's heads as he ran after Pyrrha, often slamming the barrel right into their faces as they reeled in pain.

Once the two were done, Pyrrha let out a laugh as she gave her boyfriend's sword back to him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she did. "Haha, that's another… five, six?"

"Six." Jaune confirmed as he raised his shield. "I used up all the rounds in my shield."

Pyrrha nodded before bringing him in for a kiss. "Mmm, well, let's not stop the momentum now, darling. The sooner we take care of these beasts, the sooner we can go home."

"No kidding." Jaune agreed as they two went back into battle once again.

Neptune couldn't help but blink at that. "Man, those guys are REALLY in sync." He shifted his eyes over to see Nora and Ren dispatching with another flying Beringel as well, the green ninja slashing off the wings with Storm Flower while Nora bashed the beast in the crotch with her hammer. As expected, the Beringel fell to the pavement while gripping its groin, allowing Nora to pulverize its Skull until nothing remained of it. Neptune winced at the scene. "Yeesh, even THOSE two are in perfect sync! And they aren't even a couple yet… at least I don't think so."

"Yeah, Ren and Nora are in the same category of Rex and Weiss, I think." Ruby moved her gaze up and smiled at what was going on above her. "Speaking of which…"

The blue-haired boy moved his gaze up to see both Rex and Weiss in a dog fight with the single remaining Griffon, the former using his Boogie Pack to keep up with it while Weiss rode on the back of her Lancer. The Griffon would occasionally breath fire in their direction, but for the most part, it flew away from them. Rex grinned her way and nudged his head toward the fleeing Grimm. "Hey, Weiss! How about we quit beating around the bush and take Beak Breath out, huh?!"

"Just what I was thinking!" Weiss said before pointing Myrtenaster at the Griffon. "Fire when ready!" In response, the Queen Lancer let out a shrill cry before launching its stinger at the other flying beast, successfully catching it in the left thigh. As the Griffon cried out in pain, Weiss whipped her head toward her EVO partner. "Now, Rex!"

"You got it, Ice Princess!" Rex affirmed before activating the large grapples on his Boogie Pack, shooting them at the Griffon's wings. The large tethers successfully wrapped around the feathery limbs and, in an instant, the Griffon began losing altitude, crashing straight into the ground. Rex and Weiss were both able to land safely, the heiress dismissing her Queen Lancer before spinning the barrel in Myrtenaster, putting it on the Ice Dust setting. "Shall we?"

Rex activated his BFS in response. "After you!" Weiss obliged and waved her weapon at the Griffon, conjuring up a huge wave of ice that froze the beast to the ground before it could get up. Then, with a pull of a lever, Rex put his BFS into its Battle Saw mode, jumping forward and slicing through the Griffon without effort, killing it instantly. With a job well done, Rex sighed and dusted off his hands, offering a fist bump to Weiss. "WOO! Haha, we did it!"

Weiss shifted her gaze from the offered fist and back up to Rex's face before smiling as well, returning the gesture. "…Yes, yes we did!" She then gave him a wink. "Not bad, Robo-dolt."

As the duo conversed, Neptune and Ruby couldn't help but sigh a bit in disappointment. "Do you ever feel like we're being left out, Neptune?" the Hooded Huntress asked.

Neptune raised a brow at her. "You mean like how we're pretty much the ONLY ones on the team NOT in a relationship? Then yeah, I do."

"Well, that's not ENTIRELY true." Ruby shrugged. "Penny isn't either… but then again, I think she barely knowns anything about romantic relationships, so that doesn't really count, I guess." However, her eyes then bugged out in realization. "Oh my gosh! We haven't even SEEN Penny since we got here!"

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find her." Neptune reassured. "Can't be THAT hard finding a robo-girl fighting a giant dinosaur. But… yeah, we're just two lone wolves, it would seem…" Neptune glanced over to Ruby and a thought came to his head. "Well… unless…"

"No." Ruby put simply, giving Neptune a pat on the shoulder. "I like you as a friend, Neptune, but the answer is no."

"I had a feeling." Neptune nodded. "By the way, on your six."

Without even looking, Ruby pointed her scythe behind her and shot a round at an incoming Beowolf, giving a smile to Neptune as she blasted it in the face. "Thank you!"

* * *

Across the battle field, Yang and Vernal were keeping in pace with each other as the duo went up against Hog and Skull, the Blonde Brawler briefly smirking at the lady bandit when they stood back to back at one point. "So, how're you doin' on your mutant, V?"

"Whittling him down." Vernal answered as she caught one of her Ver Laminae, having successfully hit Hog directly in the stomach with it. "What about you? How's the rhino treating you?"

Yang gave a shrug before lifting her arms up. "Oh, you know…" SLAM! "He's… ugh, not making this easy!" Vernal whipped her head around to see that Yang had caught the charging Exo-Skull by his horn, keeping it pointed up so that he couldn't blast her. "Grr, you know, Skull, considering ya know what my Semblance is, I'm surprised you're still trying to actually hit me."

Skull's eyebrows rose up before a smirk came to his face. "Ya know what? You're right!" All of a sudden, he put on the breaks. "Allow me to FIX that!" The rhino then jerked his massive head upward… with Yang still holding on to his horn. At the unexpected motion, Yang lost her grip and was sent careening up into the air, the girl belting out a yell before she crashed into the street a few yards away.

"YANG!" Vernal shouted as she spun around, only to feel a stinging sensation impact with her back. "GAAAH!" The lady bandit fell to the ground on her knees, using her hands to support her as she craned her head up to see her assailant. " _Seriously_?"

Thunderhog simply shrugged at her, his gauntlets buzzing with electricity. "Hey, your own fault for takin' your eyes off me." He put his hand up to his visor and blasted a purple energy beam down at her, only for Vernal to roll away and bounce back to her feet. Hog nudged his head toward his best friend. "You got blondie, dude?"

"Yeah, just take care of pixie cut over there." Skull said before taking his mini gun off his back and aiming it where Yang had crash landed. "I'll take care of Tennyson's bitch." He open fired at the impact point as he charged up his horn laser, taking aim with that as well. "Say cheese, punk!" With that, he shot his laser at the impact point, a huge cloud of debris rising up from it as a result. A satisfied smirk came to Skull's face as he stopped shooting. "Heh, and THAT is how you put down a rabid bitch."

However, before he could turn away, Skull caught a gleaming light in the corner of his eye, making him focus back on the cloud of dust. He couldn't make it out clearly through the cloud, but it appeared to be two red orbs surrounded by a flickering fire… and the moment he thought that, Skull knew what it was. _'Oh, shit—'_

_**BAM!**_ Before he could even finish that thought, Yang shot out of the smoke so fast that she made it move away from her, the blonde belting out a battle cry as she hurtled toward Skull. "GRAAAH!" She delivered a strong punch to Skull's midsection, knocking the wind out of the rhino as he was forced to spit as well. The only way the mutant could describe it was like getting hit by a train… that was also on fire.

Skull was sent flying backward, but Yang just kept on him. While her facial features seemed to be quite angry, she was actually rather calm as she grabbed onto him again. Sure, he had called her a bitch twice, but she learned to let the insults roll off of her back. It didn't matter what the bad guys thought of her, because she had her friends, family, and most importantly, the best man in any world to support her. No, the angry face was just a ruse. Better to make your opponents fear you than to just go at them with a neutral expression. Case in point…

"GAH-HAH-HAH!" Skull cried out as Yang grabbed his horn and flipped him over her head, slamming him directly into the side of a building. "D-Dear god, lady! What are you, possessed?!"

"Maybe." Yang pumped her Ember Celica and punched out two more rounds of Dust, the bullets hitting Skull right in the face and knocking him over. She had toned now the rage in her expression to that of an intense glare, her red eyes and the fiery aura surrounding her hair making for quite the scary sight. "But then again, maybe you forgot who you're fighting." She slammed her fist into her palm and glowered down at him. "Because THIS bitch is gonna make you cry out for mama… _again_."

As that was going on, Vernal was busy avoiding Thunderhog and his continuous strikes against her, the lady bandit doing everything in her power to avoid the pig's electric gauntlets. She tried throwing her Ver Laminae at him again, but the rather tubby mutant had gotten wise to her attacks, rolling himself away whenever she threw the blades at him. Vernal had tried to catch him off guard by getting behind him and throwing her blade then… but he simply spun around and used his visor to blast it out of the air.

It was SERIOUSLY frustrating. "GAH! What the hell, do you have eyes in the back of your head or something?!" Vernal yelled.

"Nope! But I've gotten wise to how you people usually fight." Hog smirked in satisfaction as he charged at her again. However, Vernal tuck and rolled before grabbing her thrown weapon again, taking a defensive position as Hog turned back to her. "Aw, what, you're not afraid of a little LIGHTNING are ya?!"

"I really like lightning, actually." Vernal smirked. "It's cool to watch… but still, not fun to be hit by."

Hog threw his head back and laughed. "HA! Well, sorry to spoil your fun…" He reached behind him and pulled out his Thunder Mace, making the chain extend so that the spiked ball hung freely. "But I'm afraid that I'm gonna have to disappoint ya!" Once more, Hog spun his mace up over his head, generating the electricity needed for his signature attack. "Thunder! THUNDER! THUNDERHO—" _BLAM_! "GAH!" A sharp pain went through Skull's hand, which force him to drop his mace. "HEY!" He glared at Vernal through his visor. "The HELL, girl!?"

Vernal shrugged with one of her weapon's barrel's smoking. "What? You really thought I was just gonna stand here while you called out your attack? That's not exactly what normal people do, ya know."

Hog sent a deadpan expression at the lady bandit. "Do you even SEE who you're talkin' to?"

"Ah, right, the walking bacon." Vernal quipped before sending another round of laser blasts Hog's way, making him stumble back at the quick onslaught. "I forgot that all sense of normalcy was tossed out the window the moment I met you. Now get back her so I can cook you and serve you with pancakes!"

* * *

As the two young ladies handled their mutant opponents, the Branwen twins were busy dealing with their own animalistic adversaries. Qrow had Harbinger in its shotgun mode, blasting at Subdora as the two opponents ran down the street. However, for as wide-spread as the shotgun fire was, Subdora was still able to gracefully dance around the bullets, jumping and pirouetting around as if she were putting on a performance. "Ah-haha! Oh, are you having difficulty hitting me you uncouth _ubriacone_?"

"Again, NO CLUE what the hell you're sayin'," Qrow emphasized, "but nah, no difficulty here. In fact, I got ya right where I want ya."

Subdora blinked and was about to ask; "What?" before she whipped her head around saw what he had meant. Qrow had just chased her into a dead-end ally, one with no clear way of getting out. Qrow stood between her and her way back to the street, a smirk plastered on his face. "Oh… so THIS is what you meant."

"Yup, an' now we're all alone." Qrow flicked a switch on Harbinger and shifted it into its scythe mode, spinning it a few times before entering a combat stance. "Now, let's dance for real, shall we, miss?"

Subdora put a finger to her cheek in contemplation, giving out a small; "Hmm." as she tapped a few times. "While that sounds very tempting… by which I mean, not at all, I am afraid that you forgot that I have a few… unseen talents." She wiggled her fingers at him in a taunting matter as her body began to vanish. "And so, I am afraid I have to say _arriveder_ —" _TING_! "GYAH!" Subdora's hands went to her forehead after something hard and metallic hit it, falling to her knees as she became fully visible again. "AGH! _Che diavolo era quello_?! What hit… me?"

The Merlinisapien's eyes widened when she saw what was on the pavement in front of her; a small flask that she could only guess belonged to the drunk. She whipped her head up to sneer at him, only to smirk right back. "Heh, THAT is what hit ya. If ya wanna keep it, then be my guest." He reentered his combat stance. "I don't need it anymore."

"You… you _rospo insolente_!" Subdora grit her teeth as she pulled out the Queen's Ransom, shifting it into its energy machete mode. "I will make you regret doing that!"

"Psh, I'd like to see you try." Qrow said before rushing forward, keeping his scythe in a ready position. Subdora charged right at him as well, preparing to stab Qrow right in his face when they finally met in the middle. However, much to her surprise, the formerly-drunken huntsman bridged his back and ducked right under her strike, taking her aback. What surprised her even more, though, was that he used the handle of his scythe to strip her up, resulting in her stumbling into a nearby wall.

"GRAH! What in the WORLD was that?!" Subdora growled as she whipped herself toward her opponent. "Even the HEIRESS had the initiative to _maim_ me! And yet you use your scythe merely to trip me up?"

Qrow furrowed his brow at her as he put Harbinger into its sword mode, shouldering it lazily. "Listen, lady, I may've gone down a dark path with all of the alcohol I consumed in my life, but I'll be damned if I start takin' lives like it's nothin'." He drummed his fingers on Harbinger's handle pursing his lips a bit before going onward. "The FIRST thing that I taught Ruby was that her scythe should ONLY be to kill Grimm, nothin' else."

Subdora narrowed her gaze at the huntsman. "Then you are as much of a fool as SHE is!" With a challenging scream, Subdora stabbed at Qrow again, only for him to swing Harbinger around and deflect her attack. She growled at the situation she was in before shifting the Queen's Ransom into its laser pistol mode. "STOP doing that!" She began letting lose a barrage of laser blasts, though shockingly enough, Qrow was able to avoid those as well. He leapt between the walls of the alleyway before colliding his knee to her face, sending the alien stumbling back in shock.

"Heh, you're quick on the draw." Qrow mused. "But guess what?" He shifted Harbinger back into its scythe mode and swung the blade right at Subdora, making her shriek and close her eyes at the unexpected move. However, when no killing blow came, she opened her eyes, only to see the very tip of the scythe a mere inch away from her face. Subdora let out a scream and stumbled back, bringing up her pistol to fire at Qrow again… only to fall backward straight into a nearby garbage can, a result of her not paying attention. Qrow chuckled at that before kicking up a nearby trash can lid and swinging his weapon around to hit it, sending the metal object right into Subdora's face and knocking her unconscious. "I'm quicker."

Meanwhile, the former drunkard's sister wasn't having nearly as easy of a time as her brother. As a matter of fact, Raven was pretty sure she had made a mistake in taking on Silyrian again without backup. The moment her eyes had locked with the scorpion mutant's own, she could tell that this creature was a FAR cry from the old Tyrian that she had faced. He was much more dangerous, his senses were heightened further because of the mutation… but the insanity behind his piercing golden gaze was still just as prevalent. Also, his tail was more deadly than ever thanks to its new acidic abilities, which Raven was currently trying to avoid.

"What's the matter, Branwen?!" Silyrian sneered as he continued to spray acid at the Spring Maiden, the woman forced to bob and weave away from the liquid. "Not finding the new tail to be all that fair, now are we?!"

Raven scoffed and hid behind a nearby tractor trailer that was parked on the side of the road, hopefully to buy her some time. "Animo is a mad man for giving YOU of all people this kind of ability, Tyrian! Acid, poison, AND whatever the hell your Semblances is?! It's insane!"

"Insanity begets insanity, my dear maiden! AHAHA!" Silyrian shot another volley of acid spray at the truck, melting the trailer from the side he was on. "But don't worry, there IS an upside to all of this!" He jumped over the truck and landed on the other side, taking aim with his Queen's Servants. "And it's that your end will be swif—huh?!" Silyrian blinked a couple times, baffled at the sudden absence of Raven. The scorpion lowered his arms and began skulking around, clicking and snapping his pincers as he searched. "…Now where did she—"

"Ahem!" Silyrian spun right around and whipped his arms up… only to be met with a huge bolt on lighting right on the spot. The scorpion let out a scream of utter agony as he fell to his knees, supporting himself as best he could without letting go of his weapons. Raven smirked as she drew Omen again, this time with a light blue blade. "Hmph, not very perceptive, are you?"

"GRRR!" Silyrian grit his teeth and whipped his arms up, firing his weapons at Raven. The Spring Maiden was able to avoid the blasts, though, running up a nearby building to do so. "You cannot run away forever, RAVEN!" the mutant screamed. "I will melt you into a pile of unrecognizable sludge by the time I'm through!"

"For one, that is incredibly disgusting." Raven commented as her eyes began to glow, pushing herself off the wall and back toward the street. Her hand began to glow with an icy aura as she ran it up the side of her blade, the light blue blade beginning to glow intensly with the same type of energy. Raven landed on the ground just as Silyrian jumped up onto the top of the truck, grinning sadistically at her. "And for another… I'm not running."

"Hahaha! Oh, am I glad to hear THAT!" Silyrian cackled before leaping off the truck, his arms outstretched. "Because then it will be easier for me to do THIS!"

Raven merely smirked at his statement. "Yeah, I think not." With one quick movement, Raven spun around and sliced her Ice Dust blade toward Silyrian, and all at once, a huge wave of blue energy suddenly came flying out of it. Silyrian's eyes widened as the energy crashed into him and sent him flying back into the trailer, putting a dent in it for good measure.

If anything, though, this made him laugh harder. "HAHAHA! Oh, you think a little Maiden trick is gonna stop me…WHAT?!" Silyrian was about to get up… but then, a very cold sensation began to over take him. From the place where the energy wave made contact with him, Silyrian's body began to freeze over, and quite rapidly as well. It was to the point where he was practically frozen to the side of the trailer, struggling as his mind raced in confusion. "W-What is going on?!" He glared daggers at the Maiden as she kept her distance. "EXPLAIN!"

"Oh, I simply imbued the Ice Dust with a little extra Maiden energy to give it a bit of an extra 'oomph'." Raven said simply before noticing that Silyrian's tail wasn't freezing to the truck. "Hm, but it seems like it wasn't enough." She said in amusement before bringing forth the icy aura in her hands once again. "Let's fix that, shall we?"

"NOOO!" Tyrian aimed his tail at Raven, but it was too late. With a thrust of her hands, Raven sent a beam of icy energy at the tail and froze it right to the truck, leaving only Tyrian's head as the only part of him that wasn't iced up. "GYAAAH! Branwen, I swear, I WILL find a way to break you! Do you HEAR me?! I—" _CRACK_! All of a sudden, Qrow came running up from Silyrian's left side and punched him square in the jaw… something that the younger Branwen Twin quickly came to regret.

"Augh!" Qrow shook his hand to try and elevate the pain. "God, glad that he finally shut up, but DAMN. Who knew that scorpion skin was that tough?"

Raven gave an amused chuckle as she strode over to her brother, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you for that, but what about the little lizard lady? Has she been taken care of?"

Qrow smirked and jerked his thumb over his shoulder, stepping aside to show Raven his captured pray. Subdora was still very unconscious and stuck in her trash can prison, now with the lid placed right on top of her head. "Oh, don't worry, sis, I got her pretty good. One could say that her situation is pretty… _trashy_."

The tribe leader grimaced at the horrible pun. "I swear, if you pick up that habit from my daughter, I will never forgive you."

"Hehe, don't worry, that was just to annoy ya a bit." Qrow chuckled before nudging his head over to the battle across the way. "C'mon, let's see if anyone else needs help."

* * *

Now more than ever, Rath had never felt more _alive_. And that was something that both the Ben Tennyson side of his mind AND the Appoplexian side could both agree on. The hero had ALWAYS wanted to make a big wrestling-styled entrance like the one he had just pulled off, and it was just what he needed to get himself hyped back up to fight once again. He was currently grappling with Leonidas in the middle of the street, the two big cats keeping a steady grip on one another as they shuffled back and forth, attempting to push one another off balance. Thankfully, the addition of boots to Rath's ensemble allowed him to stand his ground a whole lot better than before. He took the opportunity to headbutt Leonidas, which was thankfully enough to throw the lion mutant off his game.

With a heavy shove, Rath pushed Leonidas right down onto the pavement, pointing at him when he landed. "LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', LEONIDAS, THE MUTANT FORMERLY KNOWN AS PROFESSOR LEONARDO LIONHEART, RATH HAS ALREADY GONE THROUGH HIS TRANSFORMATION, MAN! HE IS READY FOR WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO THROW AT HIM _AND_ MORE! AND INCASE YOU HAVEN'T HEARD, LESS MAY BE MORE, BUT MORE IS _NOT_ LESS! SO DON'T YOU _DARE_ HOLD BACK AGAINST ME, BROTHER!" Rath pointed to his own eyes. "LOOK INTO MY EYES, MAN! RATH IS NOT JUST RATH ANYMORE, HE'S THE RATHSTER, MAN! I'M UP ON THAT MOUNTAIN TOP, AND I'M GEARED UP TO SEEK AND DESTROY _YOU_ , LEONIDAS! SO COME AT ME!"

As if responding to the Appoplexian's rambling, Leonidas roared in defiance and leapt up, delivering a running shoulder tackle right to Rath's midsection. Leonidas then took hold of Rath's head and began peppering down multiple forearm strikes against his head, eliciting shouted of pain and anger from Rath. However, Rath managed to reach up and grab Leonidas' arm before it could strike again, twisting it to perform a deep arm drag and get the lion off of him. "GOOD! THAT'S _EXACTLY_ WHAT I'M LOOKIN' FOR, MAN!"

Rath shot up and grabbed Leonidas' arm once again, wrenching it behind the lions' back and making the mutant roar out in pain. "HOROLOGIUM HAMMERLOCK!" With his opponent's arm pressed securely to its owners back, Rath ran forward and slammed Lionheart right into a building… which he then proceeded to charge straight through. "OPHIUCHUS FACEPLANT!" Once he had gone through the entire building… twice, Rath tossed his opponent up into the air and reeled back both of his fists. "PISCES PUNCH!" Both fists connected with Leonidas' midsection, sending the lion mutant sailing straight into the front of a large truck, caving in its windshield and roof at the same time. "GRAH! HELL YEAH!"

Leonidas let out a low rumble as he shook his head, clearing the daze from his mind before vaulting back up and onto his feet. He then lifted Stalwart up and activated it, the disk spinning rapidly as he used the Dust to create his next attack. At first, it was a flaming hot rock, but it was then charged with electricity before being coated in a layer of ice. Then, using Gravity Dust for a bit of extra power, Leonidas shot the projectile straight toward Rath before gunning it toward the Appoplexian himself.

Rath's eyes widened at the incoming sphere of destruction before popping his neck, preparing himself for what he was about to do next. He charged forward before leaping at the projectile with a single leg raised, declaring; "LEPUS LEG LARIAT!" before kicking the huge sphere directly back at its creator. It made impact with Leonidas' midsection, making him roar out in pain before stumbling back to the ground. Still, the fire and electricity didn't seem to affect him all that much thanks to his armor. "IS THAT ALL YOU GOT, LITTLE CUB?!" Rath challenged, now more pumped up than ever. "BECAUSE LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN'! RATH CAN DO THIS ALL DA—" _CRACK_! "GRAH!"

Without warning, Rath was blindsided by a right hook from Leonidas, the lion mutant standing in defiance of the tiger opposite him. Taking the opportunity, Leonidas thrust himself back into the fight and hooked his arm around Rath's head, holding him in place as he began delivering successive knee strike to the Appoplexian's abdomen. Then, much to Rath's shock, Leonidas picked him up off the ground and spun him around until he was handing upside down. And, before he knew what hit him, Rath was subjected to a piledriver from Leonidas right onto the pavement, knocking the tiger alien for a loop.

The lion mutant fell back for a bit, sitting down to collect himself while Rath tumbled forward, holding his head as his do-rag slipped off his cranium. "Ugh… okay, I'll admit, that WAS a pretty impressive set of moves. But ya know what ELSE is impressive?!" All of a sudden, Rath flipped up onto his feet, raised his arm up to the sky and brought it down while pointing his finger at Leonidas, making sure his target was in place. "THIS!" In the very next instant, Rath lunged forward, relentlessly _smashing_ his knee right into Leonidas' face. " _VOLANS_ _V-TRIGGER_!"

Leonidas let out a painful roar as he fell to the ground, with Rath standing over him victoriously. "HAHA! YEAH! LET'S SEE YA COME BACK FROM THAT, KITTY-CAT!" Rath then picked up the lion mutant, slinging him over his back as he jumped up onto a nearby car. The Appoplexian lifted one of his opponent's legs over his shoulder while reaching his other hand up to the lion's head, preparing to finish him off. "This is a little spin on a favorite of mine; THE _ONE-WINGED PEGASUS_!" He then dropped both himself and Leonidas down onto the pavement below, swinging the mutant's head straight down onto the pavement… and resulting in the crown around Leonida's head smashing to bits.

Rath shot up and onto his feet while pumping his fists into the air, his opponent slumping down onto his back limply. "AHAHA! YES! RATHAMANIA HAS RUN _WILD_ ON THIS CAT!" He reached down and grabbed onto Leonidas' cape, pulling him up so that he could look into his opponents blank yet dazed eyes, readying another fist just in case. "WHADDYA HAVE TO SAY TO _THAT_ , LITTLE CUB?!"

"W-What?" Much to Rath's surprise, his opponent actually answered him, the Appoplexian's eyes widening as a result. Once Leonidas' eyes opened, Rath saw that instead of being glazed over and blank white, they were back to being the deep brownish-gold color that they normally were, and they began darting around in confusion. "W-What?! W-Where am I?" His eyes widened in fear as he realized the position that he was in, seeing the tiger man manhandling him with a fist raised. "And who are you?! Let go of me, please! I beg of you!"

"Huh…" Rath uttered. "I really didn't expect THIS to happen."

"Professor Lionheart?!" Both Rath and Leonidas whipped their heads around to see the Ruby, Weiss, Rex, Winter, Team JNPR, Blake, Sun and Neptune all coming back toward them, no doubt having finished taking care of the Grimm. However, the latter two were simply staring dumbstruck at their teacher, having been taken aback by the sound of his voice coming out of the feline features of the lion mutant. "You're… you're free?!" Sun exclaimed.

"Holy crap, Ben got the crown off!" Neptune pointed out with a smile, finding the broken headpiece on the ground. "Lionheart's been broken out of Animo's control!"

A murmur of relieved voices began ringing through the crowd of teens, but as Rath let go of him, Lionheart couldn't help but stare right back at his two former pupils with the same astonished face. "S-Sun? Neptune? W-What's going—wait." Lionheart's eyes widened as the memories suddenly came rushing back to him; the pain and agony of his unwanted transformation, the utter discomfort and fear of being forced into the suit of armor he was in, and the dread he felt of the crown being force on his head before everything went blank. He also had a fuzzy memory of breaking control for a small amount of time and talking to Sun and Neptune as well. But he WAS sure of one thing, though, and it was something he didn't like.

"…No." Lionheart spun around and reached for the nearest car's side-view mirror. He had wanted to turn the mirror slightly toward him, but the moment he saw his large, furry hand with sharp claws, he recoiled back, resulting in him yanking the mirror off instead. Taken by surprise at his new-found strength, he slowly and shakily brought the mirror up, trembling at the sight of his new face. "No… no…" He threw his head back and gave out a loud, agonized roar before throwing the mirror, breaking it against the ground before falling to his knees with his fist slamming against the top of the car. "NO! I… I'm a MONSTER! That witch and her mad doctors changed into a GODDAMNED _monster_!"

The teens could only watch as the former man broke down in front of them, burying his head into one of his large hands and weeping uncontrollably while he clawed at the roof of the car in frustration, leaving large gashes in the metal. Even Rath felt a little bad at seeing Lionheart like that, offering a hand to the mutant's shoulder. "For what it's worth… sorry for drivin' your skull into the pavement."

"No… I really must thank you for that." Lionheart said with a sigh. "If you hadn't done that, then I probably wouldn't have stopped until I killed you." He craned his head over to his two former students, the blond and blue-haired boys staring at him with unsure expressions. "And boys… thank you for trying to help me fight back. …But Animo's control was far too great."

"Yeah… no problem." Sun said with a furrowed brow. "Listen, Professor, I'm sorry that THIS had to happen to you, and I promise, we WILL find a way to undo what they did to you… but this doesn't change the fact about what you've done."

Blake stepped forward and nodded her head. "I'm afraid he's right, Professor. You still helped Salem with her attack on Haven Academy… and I don't think that Ironwood _or_ Glynda will be happy with you when we meet back up with them."

"And not just them." Everyone's heads whipped around to see Raven and Qrow approaching, both of them with disappointed expressions on their faces. "You only have yourself to blame for the state you find yourself in now, Leo." Raven said with a shake of her head. "Trusting Salem was probably the greatest mistake you ever could have made."

A sigh escaped Lionheart's lips as his large, maned head sagged in self-disappointment. "I know. And I honestly do not blame you." His fists tightened and his feline teeth began to sneer in anger. "I was a _fool_. A complete and utter FOOL for even _thinking_ of complying with Salem's plan!" Both of his large hands went up to his mane in frustration. "And I was such a _coward_ for not taking action against her! And it's because of ME that Haven Academy suffered because of it!" Another roar escaped his maw as he charged forward and flipped the whole care over in frustration, much to everyone's surprise.

"Woah… well, I'll give him this; he's certainly got some extra muscle now." Qrow said with a shrug.

"A bit TOO much, I'm afraid." Winter commented.

Once Leo took a couple of calming breaths, he sighed and bowed his head to his two former pupils. "Sun… Neptune… what I have done to you both is utterly disgraceful. I was your teacher, and I betrayed the trust you put in me." He also bowed his head to the Branwen Twins. "And the same goes for you two, and Ozpin, James, and Glynda. I know that no apology could ever make up for that, but I still wish to let you know how sorry I am for what I did. I have so much regret for what I have done… and I know that nothing could possibly make up for it."

There was a long pause as Qrow, Raven, Neptune and Sun exchanged glances silently… before the monkey boy stepped forward and locked eyes with Lionheart. "…You're right. Everything you've done… I don't think you CAN make up for it. I looked up to you, professor, we ALL did at Haven… and you just betrayed that trust to save your own life." Sun clenched his fist… but it immediately relaxed when he felt a familiar soft touch slip into his fingers, recognizing it as Blake's hand. "But the first thing you can probably do that'd be considered right would be to turn yourself in." Sun continued. "Face up to what you did and let justice sort things out."

Lionheart lowered his head and stood up, accepting the fate almost instantly. "Yes, of course. After what I have done, I deserve to be punished accordingly."

From the back of the group, Nora mumbled; "I'd argue that being changed into a mutant is punishing enough, but…"

"Not the time, Nora." Ren whispered, putting a hand to her shoulder.

At that moment, though, a new voice entered the conversation… and it was quite loud; "GUYS!" Everyone whipped their heads around to see Yang holding onto Exo-Skull's back for dear life as he charged forward, his thrusters going at full strength. Not far away from them, Thunderhog was also running around with Vernal perched on his shoulders, though his movements were far more erratic. Yang called out to them again as she pummeled Skull in the back, who winced but kept on charging. "A little HELP would be appreciated!"

"Ah! Hold on, sis!" Ruby gasped. "We're coming!" With that, Team RWBY and Rath all charged into the battle, intent on finishing it quickly. "Ice Flower!" Ruby and Weiss grouped up as the former shifted Crescent Rose into its sniper rifle mode, carefully taking aim at Thunderhog while her partner summoned three glyphs in the gun's path.

Weiss eyed to her partner and asked; "Ready?"

"Oh yeah…" Ruby carefully took aim at Thunderhog, waiting until he was in the exact right spot before pulling the trigger. The Dust round shot through the three glyphs and made contact with Hog's leg, freezing him in place.

"GAH! W-What?!" Hog blinked in confusion. "Oh, you did NOT just—" _SMACK_! "…Uuuugh." One well-placed strike to the head from Vernal and Hog was out like a light, the ice cracking as the mutant came crashing down onto the street.

Vernal hopped off of Hog's back and landed in front of the duo, giving them a salute. "Thanks for the assist, gals! He was REALLY starting to get on my nerves."

Weiss nudged her head to the side. "No problem. Now let's see how the resident cats do…"

As they ran next to each other, Blake detached the ribbon from Gambol Shroud as it entered its sickle mode, passing it off to Rath as they approached the rampaging rhino mutant. "Okay, so here's the plan; I'm going to have you swing me right toward Exo-Skull and then I'm going to stop him in his tracks and get Yang off of there so we can finish him off, okay?"

Rath's eyes widened in shock. "LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', BLAKE BELLADONNA, YOU HAD BETTER HAVE _MORE_ TO THAT PLAN THAN YOU'RE TELLIN' ME!"

"I do!" Blake insisted. "But if I explain it more, we risk losing time. We need to get Yang off of there NOW."

"…Good point." Rath said as he tightened his grip on the ribbon. "Okay… HERE GOES!" He swung himself around and picked Blake up off the ground in an instant, spinning her around in a circle twice before flinging her at Skull. "LET'S SEE THIS CAT FLY!"

Exo-Skull's eyes widened as he caught sight of Blake sailing right toward him, but he just kept charging. _'Heh, her funeral…'_ However, right when she was about ten feet away from him, she created a shadow clone of herself, one that was made of thick rock. The sudden impact took Skull by surprise as the stone Blake broke to pieces… a few of which ended up getting in his eyes. "GAH! Can't see! Can't see!"

Just as Skull was about to tumble over, Blake suddenly appeared on his back and reached down for Yang, picking her up and instantly jumping off the moment he hit the ground. The two partners landed and they watched Skull skid across the ground, hitting a 'STOP' sign as he did. Yang wore an amused smile while Blake gave her a deadpan expression and an eyeroll. "You know you are FAR more trouble than you're worth, right?"

Yang responded by giving her a hug. "Yeah, but you guys still love me anyways."

"…That, I cannot argue." Blake said with a small grin. The two then saw Exo-Skull getting back up and readied themselves for battle again, with Rath running up to join them soon after.

"Hey, Goldie Locks!" Rath gave his girlfriend a thumbs up. "Nice bareback riding! You ready to finish him off?!"

Yang slammed her fists together. "You KNOW I am, Green Boy! Let's go!" With that, Yang grabbed Gambol Shroud's ribbon from Blake and charged forward with her partner and boyfriend, the latter leading the way.

Exo-Skull barely had time to say; "Huh?!" before he was grabbed right by his horn, with Rath holding him in place. Then, the Appoplexian leapt up and over the ribbon as Yang and Blake ran past both him AND Skull, the duo jumping up and snapping the ribbon against the rhino's neck. The result was Skull being shoved straight to the ground by all three of them, hitting his head as a result.

However, Rath wasn't done. With all of the strength he could muster, Rath picked Skull up and called out to his girlfriend. "HEY! GOLDIE LOCKS!" He threw Exo-Skull at Yang and shouted; "HEADS UP!"

Yang flashed a wicked grin as her eyes became red, using the last remaining amount of built up strength she had from that earlier impact for one last punch. She shot off Ember Celica and Skull was sent careening into the side of a building, hollering; "MAMAAAA!" before he made impact. The rhino fell to the floor with a whole bunch of debris falling down upon him, knocking him out while leaving only his head exposed.

"Haha! YES!" Yang cheered as she lifted her arms up into the air. She charged over to Rath, the Appoplexian transforming back into his human form before catching her. The moment he did, Ben spun her around as she wrapped her arms around him, the two laughing with glee. "Haha! We did it! We beat the mutants!" She stopped before giving her partner a wide smile. "And hey, that on-the-fly plan was pretty awesome, Blake! Thanks for stoppin' Skull for me."

Blake nodded to her partner, giving her a thumbs up. "No problem, Yang. What're best friends for, right?"

"No doubt about that." Ben said before giving Yang a small peck on the lips. "But remember, guys, we're not out of the woods yet."

"Ben is correct." Winter piped up, the trio turning their heads to see that she, along with the rest of the team as well as Lionheart were approaching them. "We still have yet to find Penny OR the—"

"That. Was. SPECTACULAR!" The entire team's eyes widened at the sound of another new voice, the group gaping as they saw who was coming their way. It was none other than Lisa Lavender, the reporter grinning from ear to ear as she led her camera man over to the team of heroes. "I don't think I've ever seen anything this fantastic in all my LIFE!" She showed off her pearly whites as she faced the camera again. "And we got it all LIVE on camera for the people at home to see… right Greg?"

The cameraman, Greg, gave her a thumbs up. "All good, Lisa! But do ya REALLY want to do an interview NOW?! I mean, there's still a lot of stuff that these guys need to—"

Lisa raised an assuring hand. "Trust me, Greg, I'm only going to ask them a few—"

"Uh, ahem?" Lisa's eyes widened and she did an about face, finding Ben Tennyson standing behind her with his arms crossed and a serous expression on his face. "Okay, now that I've actually got a chance to talk with you, I've only got one thing to say; I admire your determination to deliver on this story…" He snapped his arm up and pointed away from the battlefield. "But you guys need to get the hell outta dodge! It is FAR from safe out here, and—"

"Oh, I know FULL well what I'm getting into!" Lisa said with a rather determined grin. "I've stared death in the face MANY times today, and you know what? This is MUCH more exciting than ANY news story that I've covered! It's made me realize just how much excitement has been missing in my life!" She bowed her head to Ben in appreciation. "And I want to thank you for that, Mister… um, what IS your name, by the way?"

"Tennyson." The hero answered. " _Ben_ Tennyson." Ben couldn't help but deadpan on the inside. _'Unintentional James Bond reference? C'mon, Tennyson, REALLY?'_

Lisa smiled and gave him a knowing wink before ushering him to face that camera with her. "Well, Ben Tennyson, I'm sure that everyone in Remnant wants to know… who exactly ARE you? You're a hero, that much is obvious, but if I were to ask one question before you get back to what you need to do, it would be how you can transform into both a giant dog AND a giant cat at the same time."

Ben's eyes widened as he stared into the camera, finally realizing what was going on. Here was Lisa, giving him a chance to really talk about what his deal was now that his secret was out to the public. She wasn't harassing him, she wasn't calling him a menace… she was giving him a solid chance. He was getting… _good_ press? _'Man, Harangue's news broadcasts have affected me more than I thought.'_ Ben cleared his throat before peering into the camera, taking a deep breath. "Alright, uh… haven't done an interview in a while, so sorry for cold feet."

"No problem." Lisa assured. "Just speak clearly and I'm sure you'll do fine."

"Right, thank you." Ben grinned before lifting the Omnitrix up to the camera. "You see this watch I have on me?"

"Ah, yes, I figured that had something to do with your transformation." Lisa confirmed. "I kept seeing you fiddle with it both times."

"Yes, well… it's actually a high-tech device called the Omnitrix." Ben answered. "It's something that allows me to transform into those things you saw… as well as many, _many_ more." He took a moment for Lisa to let that sink in before dropping the big bombshell on her. "And those things… are actually aliens."

Lisa stared dumbfoundedly at Ben for a few moments before letting out a breath, facing the camera again. "Well, you heard it hear first, folks. Not only can a young man have nano-machines coursing through his system… but indeed, aliens ARE real. I probably wouldn't have believed it if I had seen it with my own two eyes, but there it is!"

Ben's eyebrows shot up in surprise. _'Wow, she actually believes me. …Now to see if the rest of the world does to.'_

The white-haired reporter wented back to Ben and tilted her head. "I'm sorry, but I feel the need to ask; where DID you come across such a fantastic device in the first place?"

However, before Ben could even try to answer… "AAAAAAHH!" _SLAM!_ Everyone's heads whipped up just in time to see none other than Penny come crashing into the side of a nearby building, with everyone letting out shocked gasps at the redheaded android's head started spinning… quite literally. "Ugh… why does this keep happening to me?" she said weakly.

"PENNY!" Ruby shot forward and pried her friend out of the wall, stopping her head from spinning afterward. "Are you okay?!"

Penny immediately brightened up at the presence of her friend. "Ah, Ruby! Good to see you back! Unfortunately, we do not have time to—"

_**GYAAAOOOON!**_ Everyone flinched at the loud roar, their blood turning cold as Ben whirled himself toward where it was coming from. "…Lisa? I think we'll have to put a raincheck on our interview." Everyone craned their heads up to see the Grimmungousaur stomping its way toward them, its violet eyes glowering at them. It was initially focused onto Penny, but then once it saw Ben, it let out another roar, recognizing its past opponent. _**GYAAAOOOON!**_ Ben took a step back and winced as the roar assaulted everyone's ear drums, though the hero didn't seem too impressed. "Yeah, that's right, buddy. I'm back to play with you some more." He shifted his eyes back to Lisa and Greg, jerking his head away from the battle field. "It's REALLY not safe here, ya know. Follow my team, they'll get you to safety."

"A-And what about you?" Lisa asked as the team and Lionheart gathered together with them, with Greg letting out a girlish shriek at the sight of the lion mutant before collecting himself.

"Me?" Ben smiled and gave a thumbs up to the camera, before then jerking it back toward the Grimmungousaur. "I'm gonna put on a few pounds. You might wanna step back to get me in frame." With that, Ben activated the Omnitrix once again and found the familiar icon, grinning when he saw it. He gave the beast before him a quick glance and smirked. "Alright, big guy. You wanna REAL fight? You got it!" He slammed the Omnitrix down and a bright flash of green light enveloped him… for all of a few second before he began to grow. Lisa and Greg's jaws simultaneously dropped as a huge shadow was cast over them and the others, the team all wearing ear to ear grins and cheering the moment they saw the alien. Once the Vaxasaurian was at full height, he balled his fists and delivered a strong right hook to the Grimmungousaur's face, making it stagger back before he reared his head back and roaring out his name; _**"HUMUNGOUSAAAAUURR!"**_

"WOO-HOO-HOO!" Nora raised her arms up into the air and jumped up high, now thoroughly hyped up enough so that she drowned out the others. "ALRIGHT! Humungousaur's BACK! And—oh, COME ON!" All of Nora's hype was gone the moment the Grimmungousaur rose to its full height, the creature still a head taller than its uncorrupted counterpart. "Are you KIDDING me!? Even at full height, Humungousaur's STILL shorter?!"

Yang's face soured at the beast that her boyfriend was facing off with. "Ugh! That is SO not fair!" She cupped her hand around her mouth and shouted up to the hero; "Hey, Green Boy! Don't worry about the height difference! You can still kick its ass!"

As the cheering went on, Lisa and her camera man were still utterly dumbstruck by what they were seeing before them. "I… I… there are no words, ladies and gentlemen." she spoke into her microphone. "We are witnessing a stand off between two enormous lizards of gigantic proportions! This next fight oughta be good!"

Much to their surprise, Humungousaur smirked and craned his head downward, looking straight into the camera. **"Oh, trust me, it SHOULD be, alright. But still, ya might wanna stand back a bit."** His eyes then shifted over to Yang. **"And don't worry, Goldie Locks. I ain't worried. This bozo might be taller… but I've got something IT doesn't."** He offered her and the team a wink as he reached for the Omnitrix on his chest. **"It's time I showed you that little surprise."** Before anyone could asked him what he meant, Humungousaur slapped the Omnitrix on his chest… and four silver anchors suddenly appeared and locked onto his chest, followed by a green light shooting from out of the Omnitrix and over Humungousaur's whole body… changing him even further.

The first noticeable change was the addition of thick, black, scaley plates on his chest and stomach, acting as a sort of armor for him. Along the sides of this armor were long, silvery spikes that went up and down the length of his pectorals and stomach, jutting out at an angle. Next was the change in skin color from brown to deep green, followed by more armor plating on his arms, legs and knuckles, with the ends of his fingers now ending in sharp, black claws. The plating itself had a steel grey color, and they appeared to all be made of metal. Next came the addition of a huge shell on Humungousaur's back, one that was made of the same dark scaley plates as the ones on his underbelly. The scales were also on his shoulders as well, resembling pauldrons, and there were two rows of huge, silver spikes going down his shell, six on each side.

The green light finally made it up to his head and neck, where more dark armored plates began to appear, ending in a large, helmet-like headpiece forming around his head, resembling a sort of mask. A pair of horns grew out of the top of his head and his lower jaw while a pair of large canines now protruded from his lower lip. A trio of white horns began to appear out the top of the helmet itself, the last one being larger than the others and jutting right out of his forehead. Finally, at the end of his tail, a huge, spiked club suddenly appeared, the new addition slamming against the ground instantly to make it shake.

Once the transformation was complete, the teens, Winter, Raven, Qrow, Lionheart, Lisa and Greg could only stare with their mouths agape at the creature before them, the giant green alien glowering directly at the Grimmungousaur… which seemed to be somewhat surprised as well. Yang's lips parted and she uttered; "No… fucking… way."

" **Everyone,"** the Vaxasaurian lurched forward, balling his fists as he readied himself for combat. **"Meet…** _ **ULTIMATE**_ **HUMUNGOUSAUR!"**

* * *

**A/N: …Yeah, you guys saw this one coming a mile away. And you were right, the Evolutionary Function has returned and we've got Ultimate Humungousaur! A long time ago, I once said that the Ultimate Aliens "wouldn't be appearing anytime soon" in the story… well, it's been two years, so I guess that counts as "not anytime soon". Trust me, I knew that I WANTED to include the Ultimates in some form, but I had to get the Evolutionary Function back into the Omnitrix first. And lo and behold, we have it back! …However, like Azmuth said, there's a bit of a stipulation with it, and we'll be finding that out in the next chapter via flashback…**

**But hey, why don't we focus on Ult. Humungousaur for a minute, huh? I think you'll notice that he's actually sporting an appearance that's a bit more similar to the one from Omniverse than from Ultimate Alien (albeit with a few changes since it's Ben and not Albedo). Well, that's because, in a rare occasion, I actually LIKE that design a bit more than the first one. I don't know, I just really liked the extra armor on Omniverse Ult. Humungousaur, I thought it fit him quite well. Of course, like I said before, I just changed up the design a bit to fit more toward Ben than Albedo. The metal pipes in his arms and legs are now armor plating for example, and he has a LOT less spikes and teeth. In general, he's just a lot less scary-looking than Negative Ult. Humungousaur.**

**Of course, Ult. Humungousaur isn't the ONLY thing that happened in this chapter. Apart from the MASSIVE battle, we got the first real interaction between Ben and Lisa, and it seems he's actually quite glad that the press isn't on his case (for once). Then there's the fight up at Beacon (and the face off between Cooper and Cinder which I really enjoyed writing and you all probably know why), and of course, Rath delivering a volley of wrestling moves onto Leonidas which finally gets that crown off his head! Lionheart is free! …And he's still a mutant. Well, can't win 'em all, I guess.**

**Alright, here we go! NEXT TIME! After a quick flash back to when Azmuth gave the Evolutionary Feature back to Ben at the house, we get things started with Grimmungousaur vs Ult. Humungousaur! But there's still the matter of what's going on up at Beacon. How will our heroes be able to get Cinder and her cronies away from the school again? And will everything go smooth down in Vale? Well, tune in next time to find out! Thanks for reading everyone, and I'll see you all later! Stay safe out there!**


	113. Hunger

**A/N (Please Read): Welcome back everyone! Hope you're all having a fine day! Surprisingly, we've got a bit of a shorter chapter this time, which I guess I can attribute to it mainly being just one big fight against a single opponent for the most part. However, a couple things before we begin; for one, there is actually a piece of artwork out there that is very nearly identical to the Ultimate Humungousaur design I described last chapter! It's by Insane-Mane on DeviantArt, and while it's not exactly the same (I described there being a few extra horns on the head and spikes on the chest on mine), it IS very close, so check that out if you want an idea of what Ult. Humungousaur looks like in this story.**

**And secondly… things are gonna get pretty intense in these next two chapters, so bear with me as we go through this, okay? You'll see what I mean when we get to it. But now, let's get to the big fight, huh? It's one that should be pretty ravenous. After all…**

_**My need to feed gives me the will to survive!** _

_**I gotta find it fast to keep me alive!** _

_**I can't believe my…** _

**Chapter 113: Hunger**

* * *

" _So… let me get this straight…" Ben Tennyson was honestly, quite baffled at what he had just been told. Azmuth, the proud creator of the Omnitrix… was giving him back the Evolutionary function, essentially granting him back the Ultimate Forms. But he knew that there had to be SOME reason why the Great Thinker was doing it. He knew how much Azmuth disliked the Ultimates, and even then, that was speaking generously, so he felt the need to ask. "You're just gonna give me back the Ultimate Aliens… and you have no problem with it?"_

" _On the contrary." Azmuth denied, having pulled the larger microchip out of the Omnitrix once it was done downloading the Ultimate's DNA data. "In fact, I have MANY problems with what I'm doing right now." He hopped off of Ben's wrist and landed on the couch, facing up to his creation's bearer with a serious expression. "As you know, I created the Omnitrix to bring unity and harmony to the galaxy, to allow other species to walk a mile in another's shoes. It is also a repository for DNA should any one intelligent species face extinction. I never intended it to be used as a weapon of war… something that Albedo was too short-sighted to understand."_

_Ben nodded at that. "And then he created the Ultimatrix to try and overpower the Omnitrix… and get revenge on you and me."_

" _Exactly, and it's something that I still truly abhor…" Azmuth trailed off as he craned his head down, his eyes focused on the couch cushions. "However, while I am still very reluctant about giving the Omnitrix this feature, it is not without good reason." He placed his hand behind his back and returned his gaze to Ben. "As I said before, Professor Paradox had informed me that many things are going to be happening in your future, Ben Tennyson. But he also told me that your challenges will be ever increasing… to the point where catastrophe could occur if you or your team are not ready."_

_The hero furrowed his brows, taking the words seriously. "Not exactly reassuring."_

_Azmuth paused before going on. "No… no it isn't." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Ben… Paradox took me to see the future… one that would result should you and your comrades fail in your mission."_

_This took Ben by surprise. Outside of the one time that he took them to see a post-apocalyptic Earth from the moon, Paradox almost never showed anyone what could happen in the future. "Wow… why would he do that?"_

" _To convince me, perhaps, of the Evolutionary Feature's usefulness." Azmuth answered as his eyes opened back up. "As you know, the Ultimate Aliens are all combat ready, and—" He then took note of the hint of a smirk on Ben's face, making his eyeridges furrow. "I thought you were taking this seriously."_

" _Oh, I am, it's just… that phrase has become VERY familiar to me." Ben explained. "Please, keep going."_

" _Hm… in any case, the Ultimates are all evolved to handle the most extreme conditions possible, and they will no doubt be useful in your fight…" Azmuth pursed his lips in thought. "…And hopefully, the future the professor showed me does not come to pass."_

_Ben blinked at his dower tone before pressing the matter further. "Azmuth… what did Paradox show you?"_

_A sigh escaped Azmuth's lips and he shook his head. "Ben… this future is probably the worst-case scenario that any one of us could have imagined. This Salem woman, she and her forces will not only take control of Remnant if she succeeds, but her reach will also extend to your world as well. But she is not the only one you have to worry about. If you perish in this fight, then Vilgax will run rampant across many different worlds, subjugating and destroying them without a second thought… including Galvan Prime."_

_Ben's fists tightened at the mention of his arch enemy, remembering that he was also still on the loose back in his world. "…So none of our worlds are safe from this threat, are they?"_

" _We are talking about a galaxy-wide cataclysm should Vilgax and Salem have their respective ways." Azmuth stressed. "Mass genocide on multiple planets and countless more will simply be utterly destroyed." He raised a finger and pointed straight at Ben. "Now more than ever, the universe… no, MULTIPLE universes need Ben Tennyson, as well as his new team." He held his hand out with his palm out toward the Omnitrix. "So I hope you will not take this lightly. Use the Evolutionary Fuction to bring peace to the galaxy, and don't make me regret giving it back to you."_

" _I won't." Ben raised his left arm, putting his right hand over the Omnitrix mindfully. "Trust me, that's a promise I can keep."_

" _I should hope so." Azmuth nodded before making one final note. "But before you use it, I should mention this to you as it is very important." He pointed toward the Omnitrix once again. "While the Evolutionary Function is still quite powerful, you still have to take into account that you cannot use it to solve EVERY problem."_

_Ben nodded at that. "Right, because it drains the battery a lot quicker if I use it, right?"_

_Azmuth gave him a nod back. "Exactly… but you must also realize that the new Omnitrix is NOT the Ultimatrix. Compared to Albedo's invention that was focused solely on enhancing his strength, the Omnitrix has many more… quality-of-life features in it."_

" _Like the life protection protocol, I know." Ben waved._

" _Ah, but not just that. There are countless other features that I have yet to explain to you, ones that all draw from the Omntrix's battery. And now that I have added the Evolutionary Function to it, it will unfortunately cause an even greater energy drain." Azmuth placed his hands behind his back. "I'm sorry, but now, you will have even less time if you choose to use the Ultimate Forms. If you do, I suggest you end the fight quickly if you wish to at least have enough energy for even ONE more transformation."_

_Ben crossed his arms, taking the information in. "So if the fight drags on for too long, then I risk draining the battery completely. I'll have to wait for a full recharge before I'm able to use the Omnitrix again."_

_Once more, Azmuth nodded. "Precisely. However, I trust that you will be mindful of this going forward. I have watched you grow for many years now, Benjamin, from an impulsive boy to a serious-minded teenager… to a strange mix of a young man."_

" _I think I've gotten over my impulsive phase, thanks." Ben deadpanned._

_A rare chuckle escaped Azmuth's lips. "Hmhm, perhaps. But still, you have had to grow up fast, so I cannot blame you for wanting to relax going into adulthood. Especially now that you have… quite the verbose romantic partner."_

_Ben smirked at that. "Yeah, Yang's pretty great, huh?" He took a brief pause and rubbed his arm nervously. "Azmuth, I'll be honest… I'm fairly certain that I love her."_

" _Hm, that is certainly quite the big step." Azmuth shrugged. "But I suppose her spontaneity is quite attractive to you at your age." Ben raised a brow at that before Azmuth went on. "But in any case, you have exhibited wisdom beyond your years in the past, Ben Tennyson, so I hope I can see that same wisdom going forward. And… if you are that serious about your relationship, my advice would be to tell her how you truly feel…" Azmuth lowered his head a bit as a hint of remorse came to his face. "…Should you lose her forever." he whispered to himself before moving his head back up, his expression returning to normal. "As always, I am counting on you, young man."_

_The hero placed a fist over his chest in a salute. "Thanks for the advice, Azmuth. And don't worry, I won't let you down."_

* * *

"…See that you don't, Ben Tennyson." Azmuth murmured to himself as he kept his focus on the television. Behind him, everyone except for Professor Paradox were staring with their mouths agape at what was on screen. They had cheered when they saw Ben transform into Humungousaur… but when he went Ultimate, the room became completely silent, save for a few audible gasps from Athena and Holiday. But still, Azmuth kept his sights directly onto the evolved Vaxasaurian as he began to square off with his corrupted counterpart. "See that you don't."

"What… what even IS that?!" Athena exclaimed.

Holiday put a hand to her forehead in disbelief. "I… I don't know! Ben never did THIS when he came to our dimension!" She whirled her head around to Max, hoping that he would have an answer. "Max, what did Ben just _do_?"

The elderly Plumber was just as dumbstruck as the ladies, but he was able to find it within himself to answer. "That… that's Ultimate Humungousaur." he uttered. "Ben was able to transform into many Ultimate Aliens back when he had the Ultimatrix…" His eyes shifted down to Azmuth as his suspicions grew. "Azmuth… I thought the Ultimates _weren't_ available in the new Omnitrix."

"They were not… up until a half hour ago." Azmuth answered as he faced the room. "With things escalating the way they have been, I thought it best to grant Ben the use of the Ultimate Aliens once again, even if I myself am still reluctant to do so." He trained his eyes onto Professor Paradox near the back of the room. "But… I can thank a certain someone to convince me of that choice."

Everyone turned toward Paradox and the time traveler smiled, giving everyone a shrug. "Well, what can I say? He said that the Ultimate feature couldn't make that big of a difference on the future… and I took him up on that bet."

Tai raised an eyebrow at that. "So, what, you took him to some sort of bad future or something?"

"Precisely!" Paradox answered enthusiastically. "Good to see you all are coming to grips with how time travel works."

Holiday sighed and focused back onto the TV, just in time to see everyone running away from the Grimmungousaur and Ultimate Humungousaur as the two giants began grappling with one another. "Well, if it helps them defeat that giant Grimm, then I suppose it's a good thing that Ben has it."

Oscar was grinning from ear to ear as he kept his gaze locked onto the television, his fists balled up in anticipation. "No kidding! Plus, this makes for an awesome fight to watch! Man, Ben is _seriously_ the coolest!"

Professor Paradox came up and stood behind the couch where Oscar was sitting, keeping his eyes trained onto the TV all the while. "Indeed, Oscar. That, I will not argue. This match should be quite entertaining."

"Hm, still, let us hope that Ben is able to keep control of the fight for the duration of his transformation." Azmuth pointed out. "Or at least is able to destroy it before the Omnitrix times out."

Max blinked at that before glancing down at the Galvan. "…Excuse me?"

"Ah, yes, while the Omnitrix IS able to utilize the Ultimate feature, the battery is unable to keep the transformation going for as long as the Ultimatrix did due to all of the other features that the Omnitrix has." Azmuth explained. "Meaning that he now has even less time to maintain his Ultimate forms than he had before."

"…WHAT?!" The old Plumber exclaimed.

* * *

Back in the city of Vale, the entire team was gazing on in complete and utter shock at what was happening before them. Just when they thought that Ben didn't have any more surprises up his sleeves, he pulled out something so totally unexpected that they didn't even have time to comprehend what it even was. The adults among them were also flabbergasted, with Lisa shakily keeping hold of her microphone as the two giant lizards tumbled across the city street. "Ladies and gentlemen… I don't even know what to say to this. I just saw a young man transform into a giant lizard… to fight _off_ another giant lizard… only to then transform even _further_ into an armored giant lizard." She craned her head to Yang and asked; "How do you deal with something like this?"

"Honestly… this is the first time he's ever done something like this." Yang admitted with a shrug. "So I guess that was the big surprise that he mentioned earlier."

Next to her, Vernal put a hand to her head in disbelief. "Surprise is an understatement, Blondie! Just _how_ many tricks can your boyfriend pull out of his ass?!"

Yang rolled her eyes and smirked at the question. "Way too many, V."

"I see." Lisa nodded before moving her attention to Penny. "And you, Robo-girl! Have you been holding off that creature this whole time?!"

Penny smiled and gave a salute to the camera. "Indeed, I have! I was trying to keep it away from you guys for as long as I could so that you were able to take care of the other Grimm and the bad guys." She brought her focus back to the battle at hand, just in time to see Ultimate Humungousaur sock his corrupted counterpart across the face. "But it would seem that the timing could not have been more perfect!"

"Well I'm certainly not complaining!" Nora shouted as she watched Humungousaur deliver another strong punch to the Grimmungousaur's stomach, managing to chip away at some of the bone armor with his metallic knuckles. "Go, Ben, GO!"

Jaune rubbed the back of his head as he took note of something. "As awesomely cool as all of this is… why did he shrink back down?" The other's eyes quickly widened in realization. Indeed, the supposed "Ultimate" Humungousaur was actually back to his regular height, if a bit bulkier thanks to the new armor added onto him. But still, he seemed to have no problem going toe to toe with the Grimmungousaur. "Why didn't he just stay big?"

"Because he physically can't." Rex piped up, taking everyone by surprise.

Weiss raised a brow at him. "What're you talking about, Rex? Do you know about this?"

"Yeah, while Ben never changed into his Ultimate forms in my world, he DID tell me about them." Rex jerked his thumb toward Ultimate Humungousaur. "And apparently, each Ultimate has drawbacks from its normal form. Humungousaur can't grow anymore, but now he's got his armor to compensate for it… plus another little feature."

Everyone trained their eyes back toward the battle as the Grimmungousaur swung its tail around, intending to strike at Humungousaur with an unexpected feint. However, the evolved Vaxasaurian quickly countered it with a tail slam of his own, the two giant clubs colliding with each other and creating a shockwave as a result. Surprisingly, it managed to bring both Vaxasaurian's down, though Humungosaur was able to recover a bit quicker. A devilish smirk came to his face as he brought his hands up, chuckling as the appendages began to twist and morph into something else.

Everyone's eyes widened when each of his hands transformed into huge, quadruple-barreled cannons, the plates on his knuckles transforming into the barrels of said weapon. Without warning, a whole barrage of missiles suddenly blasted out of the cannons and shot straight at the Grimmungousaur, its eyes widening before it was engulfed in a huge explosion of fire and smoke.

With a satisfied sigh, Humungousaur shifted his hand back to normal. **"Ah, gotta admit, missed doin' that."**

However, everyone else behind him could only stare on at the awesome absurdity of what just happened. "Did… did his hands just convert into rocket cannons?" Ren asked.

"…Yes, yes they did." Raven confirmed.

Pyrrha rubbed her eyes to make sure she hadn't just dreamed that. "And he just fired rockets from them, correct?"

"YES! AND IT WAS _AWESOME_!" Nora screeched at the top of her lungs.

Qrow let out a sigh as his eyes trained themselves to where his flask used to be. "I'd ask what was in my whiskey to make me see all of this, but I just chucked my flask, so I don't have an excuse."

Vernal suddenly thrust her arms toward the evolved Vaxasaurian. "Seriously, what the FUCK is even happening anymore!?"

Ruby gave the lady bandit a small shrug. "I have NO clue, Uncle Qrow… but I do know who will." She cupped her hands over her mouth and called out to the hero; "Hey BEN! What the heck is even going on here?!"

Ultimate Humungousaur did an about face and gave the group a big, toothy grin, sending them a thumbs up. **"Pretty cool, eh guys?! Hope you're enjoying the show, cause—"** _**GYAAAOOON!**_ The familiar, chilling roar made the Vaxasaurian spin around just in time to see the Grimmungousaur come leaping out from the immense fire that had been created, the giant creature slamming down on the ground in front of him. Humungousaur grit his teeth and prepared himself for another attack. **"…Things are only starting to get goin'."**

With a roar of his own, Ultimate Humungousaur charged directly at the Grimmungousaur's abdomen, intending to stab his large horn into one of the creature's exposed parts. However, before he could make contact, the giant Grimm grabbed a hold of the horn and swung Humungousaur around, flinging him clear through a nearby building. Humungousaur tumbled onto his feet, but at the very next second, the Grimmungousaur plowed right through the building as well, reducing it to nothing but rubble withing seconds.

It came to a stop and opened its mouth, its maw glowing deep violet as it readied its laser once again. Humungousaur's eyes widened as the beam shot out of its mouth within a split second, before turning around to face away from the laser. Shockingly enough, the evolved Vaxasaurian's hard shell actually _took_ the violet beam, leaving him with only a scorch mark on his hard scales.

This made nearly everyone's jaw drop. "Oh… my… god." Blake uttered. "He survived the death beam?!"

"Okay, it's official." Sun threw his hands up in the air. "Ultimate Humungousaur is my new favorite alien."

"Ditto, man." Neptune nodded.

"No, that's a different alien." Yang smirked, earning a few chuckles and groans from her friends. "But seriously, I'm seriously liking this Ultimate transformation, too." She pumped a fist up into the air and called out to her boyfriend. "Go get 'em, Green Boy!"

Humungousaur smiled as he heard his girlfriend's encouragement. _'Will do, Goldie Locks.'_ He swung his tail around and slammed it against the ground, sending another powerful shockwave out at the Grimmungousaur. The corrupted Vaxasaurian tried to remain steady as the earth beneath it shook, moving onto its hands to keep itself stable. However, it was then that Humungousaur converted his hands into his rocket cannons again, shooting another volley at the rampaging beast.

But the Grimmungousaur had learned something from the last attack; those things hurt. So it moved itself so that the rockets would make impact with the most protected part of its body; its spines. The missiles struck the large dorsal plates and exploded against them, and while they _did_ manage to chip a few pieces off of the bones, they managed to absorb most of the attack. A growl escaped the Grimmungousaur's throat as the plates began to glow again, its mouth opening up and quickly shooting another laser blast from it.

Humungousaur growled back in response, though this time, he didn't try to block the laser. Instead, he sent more missiles at it, causing a big explosion that sent both Vaxasaurians flying back. Humungousaur landed right on his back, his ears ringing from the intense volume of the explosion. **"Ugh, alright, never do THAT again."**

_**GYAAAAAOOON!**_ The evolved Vaxasaurian picked his head back up to see the Grimmungousaur standing as well, the beast still laser-focused right onto him. With a few cracks of his neck, Humungousaur stood up and punched his fists together, pumping himself up for battle. _'Best to save the firepower, anyway.'_ he thought to himself. _'Might need the energy later.'_ With that, he charged back in and began grappling with the beast once more, sending the larger dinosaur onto its back again.

As the tussle continued, the teens and adults all stuck to a safe distance as they observed the giant lizards fighting, with many of them cheering their friend on. However, not many were as enthused about following the action. "Perhaps it would be best if we stayed _away_ from the giant beasts?" Lionheart stressed. "This really is not the safest place to be at the moment."

"As much as I hate to agree with the scary lion man, he's right." Greg agreed. "This is WAY too close."

"Ah, don't be silly, Greg." Lisa reassured as she waved him off, not taking her eyes off the battle. "We're at a fine enough distance. Besides, I'm sure the people at home are going to LOVE this."

Next to her, Winter raised a skeptical brow, the elder Schnee crossing her arms at the over-enthused reporter. "Are you quite certain that getting footage of this fight is the best course of action? This could cost you your life, you know."

Lisa shot the fellow white-haired woman a sideways glance. "Ma'am, I have been reporting for almost fourteen years and I haven't felt this excited about a story since my early years. I don't think you quite understand how important this story is to me."

As the adults conversed, however, Yang balled her hand into a fist, her determined gaze focused squarely on her boyfriend and the Grimmungousaur. "…I know I'm gonna sound crazy when I say this, but… I think we should try lending Ben a hand."

The reaction was immediate; "WHAT?!" came the collective voices of everyone before Blake picked it up from there. "Yang, are you CRAZY?!"

"We couldn't do anything to that thing the first time." Weiss added as she placed a hand on her chest. "And I only managed to take a single horn off its head with the Arma Gigas!"

"I'm not saying that we have to go in guns a-blazin', girls." Yang explained as she raised her hands to her team. "I'm just saying that maybe some supporting fire could help whittle down the Grimmungousaur a bit more. Maybe we can even distract it while Ben gets some more heavy hits in."

Raven placed a hand to her chin in thought. "Hm, that IS a good point." She locked eyes with her daughter for a few good seconds before giving a sigh. "Well, so long as we keep our distance, I don't see why not." She pointed a finger at everyone present. "But I don't want any of you within twenty feet of that monster, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Everyone sounded off.

All of a sudden, Penny brought forth her Bash Blasters, the large energy cannons glowing green as they settled upon her shoulders. "Just point me in the right direction and I will bring the suppressing fire, my friends!" she said with a salute.

Out of the corner of her eye, Raven saw Lionheart attempting to lay low, but Qrow quickly caught the lion mutant before he could fully hide himself, giving him a harsh glare. "Oh no ya don't, yer gonna help us with this too, Leo." Qrow scolded. "Whether ya like it or not."

"He's right, professor." Sun said with a serious face. "Think of this as your first piece of recompence for what you did at Haven Academy."

Lionheart sighed and nodded his head. "…I suppose you're right. Very well, then, I will do what I can."

"Good, we'll need all the help we can get." Raven said before sending a quick glance up toward Beacon Academy. "I certainly hope the others are having better luck than we are…"

* * *

Back up at Beacon, Gwen Tennyson was standing at the academy's front entrance, secluding herself from the ongoing battle as she attempted to recoup and regain her energy. From what she could see of the giant brawl between the Beacon students, staff, the three White Fang leaders, and the Grimm, the dark creatures were beginning to lose ground pretty quickly, thanks in no small part to Coco and her team bringing on the heavy assault. Of course, Ironwood and Goodwitch were holding their own as well, and Ghira, Kali and Sienna were all quite fierce as well, the three feline Faunus ravaging each Grimm that came their way.

…She couldn't also help but find it cute that Velvet and Cardin were actively watching each other's backs. _'Not in an official relationship, huh, Vel?'_ Gwen smirked to herself before shifting her focus over to the fight between Cinder's group and her other friends.

Tetrax and Rojo were clashing their blades against one another with quick, successive strikes, the blows heavy and unrelenting as both the bounty hunter and the former mercenary didn't give any ground to one another. Across the way, Kevin was using his new giant earthen fists to drive Mercury backward, the silver-haired assassin blasting out multiple blasts from his boots to try and make the giant stone arms break. Oddly enough, they DID break easily… but then they reassembled just as quickly, leaving the young man to grow angrier each time it happened.

Swift and Ilia were also working quite well with each other, the former having hoisted Emerald up into the air by her feet before throwing her down at the chameleon girl, who then delivered a strong round house kick to Emerald's stomach. This, combined with the direction that Ilia kicked, resulted in Emerald being sent directly into Neo, who managed to catch her, but not without falling onto her rear. The Aerophibian hybrid landed next to her friend and they gave each other a nod, with Ilia taking her Lightning Lash for good measure.

Ilia then whipped the lash at the duo and successfully hit Emerald in the shoulder, eliciting a cry of pain as both she AND Neo were electrocuted. At the same moment, Swift blasted her eye and tail beams toward the ground where the two villainesses were sitting, knocking them back the moment they made impact. As it happened, the duo were blasted back to where Kevin had just knocked Mercury with one of his large arms… and it was then that an idea formed in Gwen's mind.

' _It might be a long shot, but I think I've built up enough mana for at least one more spell like that…'_ However, Gwen quickly realized that something important was missing. _'Gah, but Cinder's not here. I'm going to need all five of them if I—'_ However, the sounds of jet boosters suddenly caught her attention, brigning her gaze upward. _'Huh, speak of the devil.'_

There, high up in the sky, she saw none other than Cooper and Cinder flying back toward Beacon at high speeds, the duo locked in midair combat all the while. However, Cooper's suit looked to be MUCH worse for wear, with multiple scorch marks, gashes, and even a bit of smoke billowing from the thrusters as he flew. Gwen's eyes widened when she noticed that Cooper was falling fast, now seeing that he HAD to get out of that suit. She cupped her hand to her mouth and yelled; "COOPER!"

The armored genius perked up at the sound of her voice. _"GWEN?!"_

"BITCH!" Cinder snapped as her eyes followed his gaze.

Gwen pointed toward the battle and explained; "Bring her over here, I have a plan!"

" _Gotcha!"_ Cooper nodded before going back to Cinder. _"Well, you heard the lady."_

"No!" Cinder pressed as she strengthened her grip on Cooper's arm, bending the metal of the gauntlet while heating it up. "I will NOT be subjected to more of you tricker—" BLAM! At that moment, Cooper shot his laser rifle directly at Cinder's midsection managing to blast her away from him and back toward the ground. She landed back first and actually managed to bounce off the pavement, allowing Cooper to land and deliver a punch directly on her, sending her careening back further to where Emerald, Neo and Mercury were being cornered.

Finally, Gwen began to run back to the battle herself, calling out to her Petrosapien friend all the while. "Tetrax!"

"Gwen?!" Tetrax pushed Rojo away and raised a hand to the Anodite. "Get back! You still aren't—what?"

As it happened, Gwen had actually jumped up and clung herself to the alien's back, taking hold of his shoulders while giving him a serious face. "I have a plan, but you'll have to trust me. Get Rojo and force her over to where the others are cornering those guys over there." The redhead pointed over to where the villains were being rounded up, giving Tetrax a small smile. "And then, I'll take things from there. Are we on the same page?"

Tetrax shifted his eyes from her to Rojo and then to the others gathered across the way, giving her a nod. "Alright… but I hope you know what you're doing." With that, Tetrax charged directly at Rojo, the bounty hunter smirking as she raised her sword.

"HA! What're you two doing—GAH!" Rojo's amusement was cut short when Tetrax delivered a strong shoulder tackle to her midsection, bringing her along with him as the three charged over to the others, with Gwen calling out to them as well.

"Kevin, Ilia, Swift! Stay on them and make sure they don't go anywhere!" Her eyes then went to Cooper, who seemed to be on the verge of collapsing with his suit. "Cooper, you stay here with the others… and get that suit OFF!"

Cooper sighed and gave her a salute, giving Cinder one final push so that she collided with Emerald, Neo and Mercury. "A-Alright… will do."

Once Cinder and her three teammates were together, Kevin used his massive arms to give them the biggest bear hug imaginable, with Ilia and Swift landing on the earthen appendages to keep the villains secured. "Grr, what IS this foolishness?!" Cinder exclaimed as she tried to free her arms. Next to her Mercury kept attempting to dislodge himself by kicking and shooting the ground beneath him while Emerald and Neo kept trying to use their Semblances, only for Kevin to keep putting on the pressure and making them lose their concentration. Cinder, however, had a quick solution; she activated her maiden powers and began freezing the massive rocky arms, making them brittle and easier to break. _'We should be out of here in no ti—'_

"CINDY!" Cinder's eyes snapped up just in time to see Rojo being plowed right into all of them, with Tetrax keeping her in place while Gwen leapt up and off of the Petrosapien's back. The Anodite's eyes began to glow once again before she raised her arms and chanted one last magic spell;

" _ABAEO EXORIOR_!" With that, a large, pink mana dome appeared over all of the combatants, with Cooper being the only one outside of the dome. The armored genius watched as all ten of them suddenly disappeared in a pink flash of light, leaving him the only one left in the courtyard.

Cooper breathed heavily as his suit began to smoke more and more. "Hah… hah… good luck, guys." he said in exhaustion. _"We're counting on—"_ **BANG!** _"AUGH!"_ Without warning, Cooper's right shoulder suddenly burst into flame, sending a surge of pain throughout him. _"VADOS! Transfer to left gauntlet and initiate Emergency Exit protocol! Eject me from this thing!"_

" _Already on it, Mr. Daniels!"_ All of a sudden, the Centurion armor began falling apart at the seams, the metal pieces all clattering to the ground except for the left gauntlet, which remained on Cooper's arm.

Once all of the pieces were off, Cooper rolled away on to the grass to put out any residual fire that may have been on him. After he was sure there was none, he stood up and set his eyes on what remained of his armor, letting out a brief sigh of sadness before checking in on his A.I. "VADOS? You there?"

" _Indeed, I am, Mr. Daniels."_ VADOS confirmed as the gauntlet opened up to reveal a screen, one that had an electronic vocal pattern on it that moved with her voice. _"Apologies for the suit. I suppose it was not as durable as we thought it was…"_

Cooper smiled down and shrugged. "Ah, it's alright. I'm just glad that you managed to escape alright."

"TECH HEAD!" The genius perked up when he saw Coco, Velvet, Fox and Yatsu all charging toward him at a rapid pace, the fashionista jumping up and hooking her arms around his head. Surprisingly, to him at least, she seemed to be quite frantic as she nearly choked him in the hug. "Are you CRAZY?!"

"Coco, I—"

"We SAW you falling out of the sky with the suit about to catch fire!" Coco interrupted, removing her glasses so that Cooper could get a good look at her eyes. What he saw made his gut wrench. There were few times when he saw Coco's confidence break, and now was definitely one of those times. "And you were fighting CINDER of all people?! What were you _thinking_?!" She pulled him back into an embrace and Cooper could hear her voice grow hoarse as she said the last part quietly. "…For a second, I thought I was going to lose you."

Slowly, Cooper brought his arms around Coco, caressing her back slowly and tenderly in reassurance. "Coco… I agree that taking on Cinder was probably a bad idea to begin with… but if it meant being able to protect the woman who's hugging me right now, then it was worth it." He pulled back and traced his lips against hers, giving her a smile as the brief kiss ended. "Besides, you know for a fact that I'm not going down that easily."

Coco sighed and pressed her forehead against his, a small smile appearing on her face. "…I know, it's just… I thought back to all of the lives that Cinder took during the Battle for Beacon. I just… didn't want you to end up like all of them."

"I know, and I won't." Cooper assured as Coco settled her head against his chest. "And I promise, I'll be more careful who I pick fights with in the future."

A small smirk worked it's way to Coco's face as she tapped a finger to Cooper's chest. "Good, glad we understand each other." The fashionista's eyes trailed over to the smoking, fiery heap that used to be Cooper's armor, a saddened expression coming to her face. "Oh, gods… sorry about your armor, Tech Head."

"Ah, it's alright." Cooper waved. "I'm just glad that I got out of it in time."

"B-But you worked so hard to build it!" Velvet interjected. "And you put so much thought into it as well!"

"Also true, but if there's one thing I've learned from studying Tony Stark's building philosophy, its that there's ALWAYS room for improvement. So don't worry…" Cooper brought up a holographic keyboard on his gauntlet and began typing in a few commands. In a few seconds, he brought up another holographic display, this one resembling a schematic of his armor… only it was in gold. "I'm already working on the Mark III as we speak."

Everyone's eyes widened as Fox spoke up first. "Heh, why am I not surprised?"

Yatsu raised a brow at it. "But why is it… gold?"

"Because I'm going to be making it out of a gold titanium alloy that's less susceptible to freezing." Cooper answered while jerking a thumb over to the burning Mark II suit. "Besides, I think I've learned that keeping a Fire Dust melting solution in the suit is kind of a bad idea." He pressed another button on the holo-keyboard and then, the suit schematic suddenly had a new layer of purple coating over the gold metal. "And once I'm done building it, I'm gonna paint it purple!"

Coco rolled her eyes at that, knowing it was her boyfriend's favorite color. "Of course, you are."

"Cooper!" The five teens whirled their head around to see Ironwood, Goodwitch, Sienna and the Belladonnas all making their way over, the adults visibly concerned. "Are you alright?" the general asked. "Where are Gwen and the others?"

The blond genius' gaze trailed over to where his friends and their enemies once were, his brows furrowing in contemplation. "She… she teleported all of them away. But to where, I have no clue."

"Perhaps back down to the city?" Sienna suggested. "It would be a place where they would have plenty of back up."

Glynda put a hand to her chin. "Hm, very good point. But still, we should probably… oh dear." The headmistress' eyes trailed up and everyone followed her gaze, only to see the Mistralian Airship flying straight over their heads. Everyone held their ground as the huge flying boat began to descend down past the academy's docking bays and back toward the city of Vale, leaving everyone to confirm their thoughts.

"I believe it's safe to say we were right in our first guess." Ghira said with a furrowed brow. "We have to get back down there and help them, _now_."

Kali's shoulder's visibly sagged, the cat woman leaning against her husband for support. "Ugh, this game of back and forth is utterly exhausting. Is it too much to ask for these villains to accept their defeat already?"

"Until that Grimmungousaur is dealt with, I don't think they'll give up so easily." Ironwood answered before the sound of descending jet engines caught their attention. The group turned back around to see the Resolute coming in for a landing, its boarding ramp lowering the moment it settled on the ground. "Come on, I think we're already being expected."

* * *

That last spell had done it. Gwen could feel the familiar feeling of fatigue begin to take over her body as she and the other nine people she had transported all appeared back in the city. She had focused on Ben's energy to begin with, hoping that it'd take them all right to the rest of their friends. However, she couldn't see them… or anything really as her vision began spinning, resulting in her losing her balance and falling off of the pile of people.

"GWEN!" Kevin called out before reaching out to grab the Anodite's falling form, letting out a sigh of relief.

"GRRRAAAAAH!" With a mighty cry of exertion, Cinder summoned every ounce of strength she could muster and created a bright fiery orange energy field around her Aura, forcing the heroes to be sent flying away from her and her allies. Cinder took a quick look at Emerald, Neo, Mercury and Rojo to make sure they were all okay before focusing her glare onto the heroes. "That is IT! Your interference has gone on for… too… long?" Cinder's eyes widened as they shifted up a bit, her lips parting in surprise. "What in the world?"

Rojo rubbed her head and stood up, as did the others. "Ugh, huh? What is it Cindy?" However, the moment she saw what Cinder did, they bugged out in disbelief, her pale completion becoming even paler at the sight before her. "Oh… _no_." Next to her, Neo's jaw dropped like a brick while Emerald and Mercury were left flabbergasted by what they were seeing, which ended up piquing the heroes' interest.

"What?" Ilia asked as she and Swift turned around. "What's going—OH MY GOD!" There, right down the street, the two girls saw their allies facing off against the Grimmungousaur… with who they could only assume to be Ben fighting against the beast in a somewhat unfamiliar form. It _looked_ like Humungousaur, but at the same time it was very different. "What the HELL did Ben turn into this time?!"

However, by contrast, Swift had a big grin on her face. "Oh… THIS is _very_ interesting."

Tetrax and Kevin also saw the familiar transformation, though they seemed to be in just as much disbelief as Rojo. "No… fuckin'… way." Kevin uttered. "THAT was the surprise that Azmuth gave him?!"

"Wait, _Azmuth_?" Tetrax exclaimed. " _He's_ here as well? Well, I suppose that explains things."

"Uh, no it doesn't!" Emerald shouted as she pointed to the dueling Vaxasaurians. "Who the hell is Azmuth?! And what kinda alien is THAT?!"

"Not just that…" Cinder started as she focused her gaze onto a certain lion mutant, who was busy trying not to get hit while dishing out attacks of his own. "But they managed to free Leonidas! What even IS going on here?!"

"I have to agree, completely lost." Ilia nodded.

However, with Kevin still supporting her, Gwen let out a groan at the constant loud speaking, rubbing her temple, hoping to stave off the onsetting headache. "Ugh, why are we all talking about Azmuth? And _what's_ going on with Ben?" The redhead groggily opened her eyes as her vision slowly returned to her, seeing the massive green, armored dinosaur fighting off his doppelganger. "Oh, it's just Ultimate Humungousaur." Gwen smiled before closing her eyes again… only to snap them open a second later. "ULTIMATE HUMUNGOUSAUR?!"

Hearing his name being screamed out across the street, Ultimate Humungousaur craned his head slightly to see Gwen, Kevin, Ilia, Swift and surprisingly, Tetrax all a standing some yards behind him, staring straight at the fight with Cinder and her crew standing not far behind. _'What the hell?'_ he thought to himself. _'What're THEY doing back here so soon?!'_ However, this moment of distraction proved costly as the Grimmungousaur managed to swing its tail around and slam him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him while sending him flying backward.

"BEN!" the other teens cried out as they saw the evolved Vaxasaurian get flung away, causing many of them to see Gwen and the others as well.

Raven took the opportunity to unsheathe Omen, having changed the blade to that it now had a white Wind Dust Blade to it. Activating her Maiden Powers, she brought forth a huge gust of wind, one which surround the blade before Raven send forth a powerful slash at the beast. The blade didn't make physical contact, but the resulting gale of wind that shot out at the Grimmungousaur was enough to stagger the creature back toward an abandoned building. After the wind was spent, Raven whipped her head toward a certain android. "Penny!"

"Affirmative!" the redheaded android called back before aiming her Bash Blasters at the beast and firing at it. The twin beams of green energy slammed into the beast and caused it to topple into the empty building, causing the structure to fall on top of its head.

Raven turned to her charges and waved her arm toward Humungousaur. "Go, fall back! Ben needs to get back up to his feet if we stand a chance!" The teens complied with their orders and began a tactical retreat, with Raven, Winter, Qrow and Lionheart bringing up the rear.

Meanwhile, after Ultimate Humungousaur had landed, Kevin and the others began making their way toward them… only for a certain reporter to get there before them, her camera man pointing the lens right at the Vaxasaurian's face. "Ben! Er, I mean, Humungousaur!" Lisa shouted in concern. "A-Are you—"

" **I'm fine, don't worry. Also, just call me Ben, it's easier."** Humungousaur quickly stood up and looked down at his friends in shock. **"What're you guys doing back here?!"**

"We came back to get THEM away from Beacon." Kevin answered as he pointed back toward Cinder's group, the five villains still taken aback by what they were seeing. Kevin then raised a brow at Lisa. "But uh… who the heck is she?"

Lisa perked up and gave them all a bow. "Lisa Lavender of the Vale News Network." She pointed to Gwen and Kevin. "And you two are the absorbing hero and the energy heroine, correct? It's a pleasure to meet…" However, Lisa's immediately glanced to Tetrax and Swift, their appearances catching her attention immediately. It didn't take long for her to put two and two together. "AAAAAAH! Real ALIENS?!" From there, the reporter got right in the duo's faces and began asking them question after question, her voice going a mile a minute.

"Woah, woah!" Swift raised her hands defensively. "Back off, lady!"

" **Yeah, that's enough, Miss Lavender."** Humungousaur said while pulling Lisa back. **"Besides, we have other things to be dealing with at the moment."** Lisa gave him a pout, but complied, crossing her arms to make sure they knew she wasn't happy about being silenced.

"Thank you, Ben." Tetrax sighed before gesturing toward the Vaxasaurian. "But uh… I suppose you don't need any help fighting the Grimmungousaur, eh? I take it this means that Azmuth really IS here, correct?"

" **Heh, ya think?"** Humungousaur smirked.

"I kinda wish you told us about this, Ben." Gwen reprimanded slightly, though she found it hard to do in her groggy state. "Having the Ultimate feature back is kind of a BIG deal."

" **Yeah, I know, and I'm sorry. But can we discuss this later? I'm on a bit of a time crunch. But first…"** Ultimate Humungousaur eyeing Cinder and her followers, the quintet flinching as the massive, armored beast spread his arms out. **"So guys, be honest, how d'ya like the Ultimate duds, huh? Been a while since I put 'em on, but I'd say they still fit well."**

The five were silent for a few moments before Mercury piped up. "Wait… so that thing IS Humungousaur?!"

Rojo glared at the hero in annoyance. "Yeah, only it's the Ultimate version of Humungousaur. And I have to be perfectly honest… we don't stand a chance against that thing."

However, Cinder was quick to scoff at the notion. " _Please_ , at most, it looks like he only has some heavier armor on…" She created two heated blades in her hands, her Maiden powers flaring to life. "And I'll enjoy carving him out of that shell of his. Come now, Tennyson, let's see what your "Ultimate Form" can do."

Ultimate Humungousaur glanced down to Kevin, Gwen, Tetrax, Swift and Ilia, the former four giving him a grin each while the chameleon girl wasn't too sure about what was going on. The hero' sights went back to Cinder and he shrugged his massive shoulders. **"'Kay."** He raised his right arm and his hand began to shift and convert into its rocket launcher mode, firing out a volley of missiles a split second later.

Needless to say, the quartet of Remnant villains were all completely confounded by that, especially Cinder who deflated immediately. "…I must admit I did not see that coming."

"Yeah, nobody does." Rojo said before spinning around and yelling; "RUUUUN!" Her comrades followed her lead, but they still ended up being blown back by the explosion that resulted from the missile's impact, careening them toward their unconscious teammates.

Ultimate Humungousaur shifted his hand back to normal afterward. **"Ah, I love doing that."**

"Ben!" The Vaxasaurian and his allies turned back to see the rest of the team coming back, with Yang waving up to her boyfriend. "Haha! Nice one, Green Boy! Ya sure showed 'em what Ultimate Humungouaur can do."

" **Yeah, no biggie."** Humungouaur shrugged again before moving past the large group while using his large hand to keep them back. **"Alright, now that everybody's together again, I'm gonna need you guys to stay back from here on out. I'm about to unload everything I've got on this guy and the last thing I want is any of you to get hurt."**

While Kevin, Gwen, Tetrax and Rex nodded in understanding, many of the others wore surprised expressions at his words. "What?!" Sun exclaimed. "Dude, I thought we were supposed to be in this together. Ya know, as a _team_?"

Neptune was quick to agree. "Yeah. I know we might not be able to do much against that thing, but—"

" **That's not the reason."** Humungousaur interrupted before craning his head down to the Omnitrix. **"I only have a set amount of time left before the Omnitrix decides to time out, so if I wanna beat this thing, I have to go all out."** He shifted his focus toward his friends, though he zeroed in on Yang in particular. **"And if any of you got hurt in the crossfire… I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."**

_**GYAAAAOOON!**_ Everyone's heads whipped up at the sight of the Grimmungousaur slowly standing back up, a now thoroughly angry glare having taken over its features as it zeroes in on Ultimate Humungousaur once again. With her own violet eyes meeting the beast's, Yang suddenly had an idea, one that would ensure that Ben wouldn't be alone on this. She ran over and began climbing her boyfriend's back, much to his confusion. **"W-Wha—Yang! What're you—"**

Yang made it up to his head and shoulders and sat herself on top of him, patting his massive neck. "Here's the plan, Green Boy, you're gonna get me close enough to that thing so that we can knock it down. Then I'm gonna take out its eyes so that you'll have the upper hand." She smiled down to him with a thumbs up. "Then you can get in the finishing blow, alright?"

Humungousaur blinked and gave her a deadpan expression. **"I don't have much of a choice, do I?"** Yang shook her head vehemently and the evolved Vaxasaurian sighed in defeat. **"Alright, all abord the Jurassic Express, then."**

Back down on the ground, Vernal crossed her arms and glanced toward her mentor, curious as to her thoughts in all of this. "Well, Raven? Any objections?"

"…The plan is sound." Raven sighed before looking up at her daughter. "But should anything go wrong, I WILL step in, understand?" Yang gave her a smile and a nod in response.

"Hold on just a moment." The couple perked up when Winter stepped forward and summoned her Manticore, the winged lion belting out a loud roar the moment it appeared. "You will need some kind of strong backup to help take that thing down."

Yang sent her a thumbs up. "Hey, thanks Winter, I—"

"Wait!" Weiss suddenly came forward as well and brought Myrtenaster forth, stabbing it straight into the ground as she brought forth a summoning Glyph of her own. "Take this with you, too." Just then, her Sphinx began to rise up from the massive glyph… only to get stuck halfway again like it had that morning. "Grr… come ON! Why won't you—huh?" All of a sudden, a surge of energy suddenly began coursing through her, causing the glyph to spin even faster and for the Sphinx to rise up the rest of the way, allowing it to stand on its legs. The beast belted out a powerful roar as it spread its wings, a smile appearing on Weiss' face all the while.

It was then that she noticed that someone was touching her shoulder, so she craned her head up to see Jaune giving her a supportive grin and a thumbs up, his Semblance in full gear. "I thought you could use a hand with this one."

Weiss smiled back and stood up, giving Jaune's hand a small pat in thanks. "Thank you, Jaune. It means a lot." Her gaze went back up to the Sphinx and she pointed Myrtenaster at the Grimmungousaur, giving it the order; "Attack that freak of nature!" Both the Sphinx and the Manticore roared again before taking to the skies, swarming the Grimmungousaur in a matter of seconds. Weiss then eyed the powerful couple next to her, giving them a nod. "Alright, guys, good luck."

The duo smiled back down to her before Yang sent her boyfriend a wink. "Ready?"

" **Oh yeah."** Ultimate Humungousaur got onto all fours and began charging at his opponent, all while both he and Yang belted out; _**"IT'S HERO TIME!"**_

As the group behind them watched the two go head first into battle, a sigh came from Ilia, her head craning up toward the sky as she was still trying to process all of this. "Seriously, how the hell does Ben keep surprising us like this?"

"That's a question I keep asking myself." Gwen admitted. "Still trying to figure out an answer to that one."

Kevin let out a chuckle. "Heh, no kiddin'." But then, the Osmosian noticed something… or rather the absence of a couple _someones_. "Hey, uh… where'd the crazy reporter lady and her camera man go?"

Everyone's eyes widened and began searching for Lisa and Greg, only to find that they were indeed gone without a trace. "Oh, come ON!" Ruby shouted in frustration.

* * *

As the battle continued to wage on, Cinder found herself with her cheek plastered against the cold pavement, her eyes fluttering open after being thrown for a loop by those missiles. "Ugh… alright, I suppose that IS quite "ultimate" after all." The Fall Maiden lifted herself up off the ground to see that her team were all in a similar state as her, though Neo's head seemed to be spinning more than the others. "Is everyone alright?"

"I think so." Emerald rubbed her head and stood up, with Mercury helping to keep both of them stable. "Okay, so let's remember one important detail; NEVER pick a fight with Ben's Ultimates."

"Psh, I wouldn't say that." Mercury said with an eyeroll. "We just had no idea what was coming. Next time, we'll—"

"Merc, take the lady's advice." Rojo said as she helped Neo to her feet. "Tennyson's Ultimates are his strongest transformations bar none. Unless we can find a REALLY good counter to them, we don't stand a chance."

Cinder took a second to let that sink in. If Rojo of all people said that they didn't have a hope in beating that Ultimate alien, then she must have been serious. The Fall Maiden slowly rose to her feet while keeping her sights trained on her wedged shoes, contemplating their options. _'If we don't retreat, we'll have to face against Tennyson as the missile blasting lizard if we want to get the crown.'_ She brought her hand up to her face, slightly biting her knuckle in apprehension. _'But if we DO retreat, we can fight another day… but face Salem's wrath once we return. No crown and no Leonidas is a bad equation. Either way, we will have to face SOME form of punishment.'_

Suddenly, she was brought out of her thoughts when Emerald called out to her. "Cinder! The others!" The Fall Maiden craned her head up to see that, indeed, the three other mutants and Subdora were all strewn about in the street, and all of them had been utterly defeated. Exo-Skull was just starting to awaken in the rubble he was trapped under, Thunderhog was flat on his back with his arms and legs splayed out, Silyrian was struggling to free himself from the ice he was trapped in, and Subdora was trying in vain to yank herself out of the garbage can she was in… only to then immediately fall over and get herself more stuck.

The Merlinisapien rolled over and narrowed her eyes at the others, waving her arms indigantly. "Do not just stand there like tree stumps! HELP US!"

"O-Oh, right, sorry!" Emerald immediately went over to pull Subdora out of the trash can while Mercury slapped Hog awake… which caused the pig man to snap up and sock the assassin in the gut while screaming for help. In response, Mercury kicked Hog right in the face, sending him flat on his back again.

Rojo and Neo went over and helped Exo-Skull out of the rubble, the bounty hunter sitting him down on the pile as the rhino rubbed his head. "Jeez, and here I thought you guys could handle it."

"We were." Skull emphasized. "Urgh, but then Tennyson came back an' he and his team ruined the whole damn thing."

"So we saw." Cinder said as she approached as well. "Perhaps its time we consider a tactical—"

"HEY!" The Fall Maiden snapped her head to the right to see Silyrian still struggling against his icy prison, the scorpion clicking in frustration as his eyes landed on Cinder. "Don't you DARE just give up now! We came here with clear orders from our queen to retrieve the crown, and goddamn it, we're going to do it!"

Cinder glared at the mutant before crossing her arms at him. "Callows, I don't know if you've noticed, but that beast that Tennyson changed into is nigh unstoppable." She pointed directly at him. "And I don't know what YOU think you can do, because that armor seems pretty thick."

A soft chuckle escaped Silyrian's throat, his vocal cords clicking all the while. "Hehehe… well, I may not be able to pierce him, but I could always pierce someone _else_ , hehe." Cinder furrowed her brows as Tyrian went on. "Think about it, Cinder! That group is so closely knit that if any one of them were to fall, the others would soon fall with them! In their grief, we can take advantage and head back to Beacon, where we will waltz right into the vault, claim our prize, and be gone before any of them know what hit them!"

There was a long pause before Emerald put a hand to her chin. "That idea may just be crazy enough… TO GET US ALL KILLED!"

"Yeah, not sure if you're paying attention mandible mouth, but if we kill one of them, then they'll ALL gang up on us to pay us back." Mercury emphasized.

"NOT if we get away early! Heeheehee!" Silyrian glanced toward his right side. "You see, I've been keeping an open channel with Animo for quite a while, and he is on his way here as we speak. If we can get this done by the time he returns, then we will be able to get back to Beacon in no time flat!" He nudged his head toward the ongoing fight. "And besides, Tennyson cannot possibly hold that form for long. I imagine it must take quite the toll on his Omnitrix, does it not? Should he be unable to transform for a while, it will present us with the perfect opportunity!" Silyrian grinned maliciously toward Cinder, awaiting the Fall Maiden's answer. "Well, Cinder? What do you say?"

Cinder contemplated the scorpion's words for a good few moments before creating an obsidian sword in her hand, taking everyone except Silyrian himself by surprise. She lunged forward with a forceful yell before slicing her blade… cleaving it right through the ice and causing it to melt instantly, freeing Silyrian from his icy prison. "I will admit, I would not be going along with this plan if you hadn't thought it out." Cinder said as she faced Silyrian once again with a devilish grin of her won. "However, even if it doesn't work, we can still leave knowing that we took something precious from these heroes, leaving them a broken mess."

Silyrian chuckled and gave her a theatrical bow. "I am pleased to hear you agree, Miss Cinder. And I know just who my target is…" Silyrian began to slink off into the nearest alley way, cackling to himself all the while.

As Silyrian slunk off into the alley, Rojo quirked a brow at her partner. "Are you sure this'll work, Cindy?"

"Perhaps, but I'm not counting on it." Cinder shook her head before glancing back toward the fight. "At this point, I simply want those do-gooders to suffer for getting in the way. If we can salvage the mission as well, that will be a bonus." However, as she said this, she saw a lone Seer floating high above the buildings, observing the fight between the Vaxasaurian's below. A chill went through Cinder's entire being before thinking to herself; _'Lady Salem… lord knows what YOU are thinking about all of this.'_

* * *

If there had been one thing that Salem was not expecting to see during this second, more direct raid on Vale, it HAD to be this. Not only did Tennyson transform into Humungousaur to counter her beautiful Grimmungousaur, but the fact that the boy could still transform into the Vaxasaurian at all was another factor that perplexed her to no end. _'I could have sworn I damaged the Omnitrix in SOME form after extracting his life force…'_ But of course, that wasn't all, oh no. On top of Humungousaur returning, there was also the matter of this "Ultimate Humungousaur". While she initially wasn't all too concerned since he shrunk back down to his regular height in favor of just mor armor… her concerns came right back the moment she saw him fire rockets from his hands.

"This… has to be the most preposterous thing I have ever seen!" Watts exclaimed as he flung his hands up in the air, pacing about the room with a worried expression. "Not only does the boy have his giant lizard back, but now he can shoot _missiles_?! What sense does that even _make_?!"

Hazel was also in disbelief over this, though he was calmer about it than his cohort. "Indeed, this is most troubling. What even IS this, anyway?"

"I do not know." Salem said as she placed her hands together, keeping her eyes on the battle intensively. Briefly, she glanced over to Viktor, hoping that he would have the answer. She had noticed that he remained peculiarly silent since Ultimate Humungousaur had appeared, and she could now see why. He was staring into the crystal ball with a surprised face, seemingly having not expected this to happen. "Dear Viktor, what do you make of this?"

"My lady… I am afraid we may have cause for concern." Viktor answered warily. "What you see before you is what is known as the Evolutionary function, a feature designed by the Galvan known as Albedo to enhance the Omnitrix Aliens' combat abilities to their full extent, granting them Ultimate Forms."

Salem's eyebrows rose up at this. "I see… and why has Benjamin not used this until now?"

Viktor crossed his arms, pursing his lips at the question. "I am afraid that may be a part of my other troubling thought… one that relates to how Tennyson has access to Humungousaur again in the first place." He locked eyes with Salem and, with a small sigh, he spoke his thought. "I am afraid that Azmuth, creator of the Omnitrix, has somehow arrived in Remnant."

Now THIS caught Salem's attention. "The Omnitrix's creator? Are you certain?"

"Indeed. There is no other way that Tennyson could have gotten Humungousaur AND the Ultimate Function back in such a timely manner, Miss Salem." Viktor's sights went back to the Seer, just in time to witness Ultimate Humungousaur and Yang go charging back into battle. "And, if my thoughts are correct, we may have an entirely new mountain to overcome."

Salem stayed silent for a few seconds… before Viktor received the last response he would ever expect from her. "…Good." He faced her again to see a sinister grin coming to her face, her finger tips taping together in anticipation. "I must admit, over the years, Ozpin's response to my moves have been lackluster at best. It has been a rather boring war up to this point, to be honest. But now… I have been presented with _quite_ the challenge."

Watts and Hazel were also quite surprised, the former leaning toward the larger man and whispering; "Is she serious?" He only received a shrug in response.

* * *

Back in Vale, the Grimmungousaur was trying to keep up with the Manticore and Sphynx that were flying around in the air, the white beasts circling it as if it were their prey. The large cats constantly kept a barrage of blue fire breath on the giant lizard, forcing it to cover its face to keep the flames from hitting its eyes. Every time it saw an opening, the creature let loose a brief blast of purple energy from its mouth, hoping to down the flying felines in one shot. However, the two nuisances constantly kept bobbing and weaving away from the large beam, flying gracefully through the air before coming back down to ram themselves into the beast in random areas. Whether it was the sides, the shoulders, the stomach or even directly in the face, they managed to do two things; make it stumble… and annoy it even more.

It was about to blast out another beam at the large cats, but then, a familiar voice called out to it; **"HEY! Rejecto-saurus!"** The beast spun around, just in time to be met with Ultimate Humungousaur socking it in the face. The smaller, yet stronger Vaxasaurian had used his tail as a propellant to enhance his jump, allowing him to get up close and personal to the giant beast. Humungousaur landed as the Grimmungousaur staggered back, but it still held its ground and stayed up right, swinging its tail at its opponent.

"Look out!" Yang shouted from her boyfriend's shoulders.

" **No worries!"** Before he could be struck by the giant club, Humungousaur surged forward and grabbed the large tail, keeping a hold of it and stopping the Grimmungousaur's momentum. With a mighty exerted grunt, the evolved Vaxasaurian began spinning himself around to gain more momentum, tossing his corrupted counterpart away with a single throw. The couple watched as the beast sailed down the street before rolling along the ground, stopping on its hands and knees.

Wasting no time, Ultimate Humungousaur let out a roar and began charging at the giant Grimm again, with the Sphynx and Manticore flying right by his side. Meanwhile, Yang was holding on to his neck for dear life, recognizing that the opportunity for her to strike was coming soon. _'Alright, this is it. Better make this one count.'_

With another slam of his tail, Ultimate Humungousaur created a shockwave that helped propel him into the air, allowing him to sail clean over the Grimmungousaur's back. He grabbed the largest dorsal plate on the creature's back and began to perform a front flip, shockingly taking the huge creature with him. Using his momentum, the hero slammed the dark creature head first into the ground, its body being bombarded by the Sphinx and Manticore almost instantly.

As the two white Grimm pinned its legs and body to the ground, Humungousaur went straight for its arms, giving his girlfriend the opportunity to enact her plan. **"Yang, NOW!"**

The Blonde Brawler gave him a nod and jumped down off his shoulders, immediately rearing a fist back as she jumped down toward the Grimmungousaur's massive face. "This'll hurt you more than it hurts me, pal!" The Grimmungousaur went to bite the girl in half, but was instead met with a Dust round right into the mouth, the bullet exploding in the back of its throat. As it let out a pained bellow, Yang landed on its forehead and shot another two rounds into each of its eyes, blinding it instantly.

As to be expected, the monster didn't take it very well. _**GYYAAAAAOOOON!**_ The Grimmingousaur slammed its tail against the ground, using it as leverage to escape the flying cats and Ultimate Humungousaur's grip, flinging the Vaxasaurian away. The giant beast coughed and hacked up smoke as it sputtered to regain itself, finding its new handicap to be quite cumbersome.

Yang, however, was quick to make fun of it. "Ha! Not so tough now that you can't see, huh?!" But the moment she saw it snap its head to her, her face fell and her jaw dropped as the beast began to open its mouth, preparing for another laser blast. "Oh… shit." The blonde would have been hit… if not for the timely arrival of the Sphinx, the creature scooping her up before taking to the skies once again. "Hah… that was a close one."

The Grimmungousaur craned its head up to start firing its attack willy-nilly into the air, only for Ultimate Humungousaur to jump up onto its back again and grab a hold of its head, slamming its jaw shut. From there, the two Vaxasaurian's continued their tussle from earlier, falling to the ground while delivering punches and tail strikes to one another. A few moments into the scuffle, though, the monstrous Grimm got in a lucky shot, sending Humungousaur careening away with one tail whip. It then sent a huge shockwave through the ground with a mighty WHAP of its tail, which also successfully hit the hero before he could collect himself.

Humungousaur breathed heavily as he got to his hands and knees, his eyes darting down to the device on his chest. **"Omnitrix, how much charge is left?"**

" _Twenty percent and dropping.'_ the device answered.

" **Shit!"** The Vaxasaurian cursed, pounding his fist against the pavement as he did. **"I'm nearly out of time!"** He began to charge forward, only to see that the Grimmungousaur's nostils began to flare up, its head whipping in his direction before letting lose its beam attack once again. Humungousaur's eyes widened before spinning right around, allowing his shell to take the brunt of the energy attack. _'Crap! It still has its hearing and smell. It can still notice me coming! What do I—"_

"BEN!" Humungousaur's gaze snapped up at the sound of a familiar voice calling out to him, his head whipping up to see Lisa and Greg standing in a nearby alley way. He could feel the energy beam still blasting against his back as he locked eyes with them, straining to hold his ground as the attack threatened to knock him over. "Don't give up!" Lisa shouted to him in support. "We need you! _All_ of Remnant needs you!"

" **What are you DOING here?!"** The evolved Vaxasaurian demanded with a jerk of his head. **"Get away before you get killed!"**

Greg peaked out from behind the camera and furrowed his brow at Humungousaur. "Look, man, I haven't agreed with Lisa on a lot today, but THIS is something I can get behind. Remnant needs its new hero!"

"They've got a point, Ben!" the hero craned his head up to see Yang on the Manticore's back, currently reloading her Ember Celica for another set of attacks. "Now are you gonna stand there and TAKE that?! Or are we gonna finish that thing off?!"

This made Humungousaur's eyeridges snap up in surprise. It had been a while since any sort of news media actually got behind him in situations like this, and he had to admit, it _did_ raise his spirits quite a bit. A smile appeared on his lips and he transformed one of his hands into a rocket blaster, waiting for the Grimmungousaur to stop firing its energy beam before spinning around and shooting at it. The missiles made direct impact with the beast's chest, making it bellow as more of its bony armor began to break.

"Haha, YES!" Lisa cheered. "Now THAT'S what I wanna see!"

Ultimate Humungousaur shifted his arm back to normal and wave his hand at the two reporters. **"Thanks, now get out of here!"**

"Are you KIDDING?!" Lisa dismissed, ushering for Greg to keep the camera on the fight. "We need to keep the camera rolling now more than ever! Show Remnant what you can REALLY do, Ben Tennyson!"

Humungousaur rolled his eyes and faced the Grimmungousaur as the creature stood up… only for it to get divebombed by the Sphinx at the very next second. The winged cat began clawing and biting at the giant Grimm's face, gauging at its eyes at the same time to cause it even more pain. Soon enough, the Manticore came flying in and rammed itself straight into the Grimmungousaur's abdomen as well, giving Yang the cue to jump off its back. The Blonde Brawler pumped her Ember Celica and propelled herself up to the Grimmungousaur's face, latching herself onto its snout.

"Let's clear that nose up a bit, huh?!" With a mighty scream, Yang punched directly into one of the beast's nostrils, making it roar in agony again as its nasal passages were literally set on fire. She was about to unload another round into the other one, but the Grimmungousaur jerked its head around and tossed her off, and with another flex of its arms, it tossed the ethereal white Grimm away as well, rolling onto its stomach as it coughed and sputtered out smoke from its mouth.

But before it could even compose itself, Ultimate Humungousaur ran forward and slammed its club tail on the ground, sending a powerful shockwave toward the beast. Once again, the ground beneath it began to rumble and shake, which allowed Humungousaur the opportunity to activate his rocket blasters again and shoot at the beast's chest, making it howl as the missiles began to pierce through its inky black skin.

Yang pumped a fist in excitement. "YES! We're whittling it down!"

" **Yeah, but it's still got a lot of steam left in it."** the evolved Vaxasaurian observed as the giant Grimm stood up, growling as faced its adversaries once again. However, before it could take a step forward, both the Sphinx and the Manticore leapt in and stood in front of the giant creature, both growling at the beast to dissuade it from approaching. The Grimmungousaur growled right back as its maw began to glow purple once again.

_**GYAAAOOON!**_ With another mighty roar, the beast let loose another powerful energy blast aimed at the two cats, though they were able to take to the skies and avoid it. The felines darted to opposite sides of the beast and began to approach to attack with their respective flame breaths… only for the Grimmungousaur to whip its head toward the Manticore and aim its beam with it, obliterating the beast and making it dissolve into ethereal white smoke.

An audible gasp came from the couple as the Grimmungousaur then swung its rear around and slammed its large club into the Sphinx, impaling the creature and making it give out a loud shriek of pain. Once the beast smashed the smaller Grimm against the pavement, it too disappeared, dissolving like its comrade. From behind, Yang and Humungousaur could hear their heiress friend scream out; "NO!" after seeing her newest summon be defeated at the hands of the beast.

Yang clenched her teeth and balled her fists, scowling at the Grimm as it faced them once again. "Alright, that's it, we've gotta take this thing down, NOW!"

" **Right… stay here, Yang."** The blonde's eyebrows rose up as she watched her boyfriend stride forward, keeping his concentration directly on his corrupted counterpart. **"You've been a big help, Goldie Locks, but now it's time for me to finish this."** The evolved Vaxasaurian raised his hands and clenched them into fists, preparing for the fight ahead of him. **"I think I barely have a minute left in this form, so I'll have to finish this up as quick as I possibly can. It's time for me to put this thing to bed."**

After a few seconds, Yang smiled up to him and nodded. "Good luck."

Ultimate Humungousaur gave her a thumbs up before surging forward, belting out a roar as he sprinted on all fours to meet the Grimmungousaur head on. In response, the corrupted beast let out a roar of its own before meeting Humungousaur in the middle, the two Vaxasaurians colliding their fists in equally powerful punches. _'I won't let you down, Yang. I promise I won't let anybody down!'_ Humungousaur opened his hand and caught the Grimmungousaur's next strike, the creature's eyeridges snapping up in shock. _'Because I'm not just Earth's hero anymore, I'm Remnant's hero now, too!'_ He shoved the Grimmungousaur back and swung his tail, taking off another chunk of the creature's bone armor.

However, the giant beast fought through the pain and lunged itself back into the fight, delivering a flurry of more punches at the Ultimate Alien. But Humungousaur was able to easily counter them all, matching the Grimm's speed shot for shot. The force of the punches colliding was enough to start kicking up a few powerful gusts of wind, which forced Yang, Lisa and Greg to brace themselves against the ground.

"Jeez, what IS this?!" Greg exclaimed.

Yang smirked as she watched the battle play out, seeing that Ultimate Humungousaur was shifting his hand back into its missile launcher form. "THIS is what Ben Tennyson's _really_ made of!"

The Grimmungousaur was able to sock Humungousaur right in the side using its tail in a feint attack, but the hero just grit his teeth and bore through the pain as he followed through with his next attack. **"Alright, big guy…"** _BLAM!_ Humungousaur slammed his blaster hand into the club tail and fired at point blank range, the force of the combined blows allowing him to effectively shatter the massive club. The Grimmungousaur recoiled in pain before Humungousaur smashed his own tail into the beast's stomach, right into a part where its bone armor had been destroyed. **"Let's see how tough you REALLY are!"**

The Grimmungousaur doubled over and stumbled backward, only to immediately lurch forward and reel its fist back for another hit. Humungousaur drew his own fist back and hit back, the two Vaxasaurian's going back to trading blows. However, in-between one of these hits, Humungousaur could see the beast's dorsal plates and mouth lighting up again, now realizing that these punches were just a distraction.

' _So that's how you wanna play it, huh?'_ The hero waited until he saw the Grimm's mouth start to open before he pumped his legs and jumped backward, bringing up his rocket launcher again. He let loose a single missile that sped right into the Grimmungousaur's mouth, exploding upon impact and causing its energy blast to die. After sputtering up more fire and smoke, the Grimmungousaur tried again to fire its laser… only for nothing to come out of its mouth.

"HA!" Lisa guffawed from the sidelines as a wave of cheers came from behind them. "Not so tough without your big laser, are ya?!"

" _ **GRRAAAAAH!"**_ With a mighty roar that echoed throughout the whole city of Vale, Ultimate Humungousaur surged forward and delivered another strike to his corrupted counterpart's chest, using a brief missile blast to power it up. The resulting hit sent the beast skidding back on its heels before tumbling backwards across the asphalt. Then, much to everyone's shock, Humungousaur transformed his other hand and used both missile launchers to boost his next jump, sending him propelling after the Grimmungousaur as it managed to stop itself and bound its way back toward him.

As he hurtled toward the creature, Humungousaur thrust his arms out and launched more missiles at it, sending it careening back toward the ground. _'A real hero…'_ He crossed his arms and shoved the Grimmungousaur away, using his missiles to once again go after it. _'…will ALWAYS find a way for justice to be served!'_ As it happened, he ended up going right past the creature, allowing him to grab it by the arm and swing straight it over his head, slamming it back-first against the ground so hard that it actually _rebounded_ against the pavement and came back up into the air a bit. The cheering died down as everyone was left in awe of the amazing feat of strength, their mouths agape at what they were seeing.

However, as he did this, Humungousaur could hear the familiar beeping of the Omnitrix, which meant that now was the time to finish this up. ' _Time to give it one last shot!'_ Keeping his left hand shifted into its missile launcher mode, the evolved Vaxasaurian pulled his arm back for one final blow. **"ULTIMATE…"** He grabbed on to the Grimmnungousaur's face and pulled it toward him while bringing his other hand in toward its stomach for the final blow. **"** _ **SMAAAAASH!"**_ He let loose a blast from all four barrels at once as they made contact with the creature's chest, resulting in a gigantic explosion that left nothing but a gaping hole through the it's torso, its dorsal plates being blown away long with it.

The Grimmungousaur's face was unreadable as it just stood there with its mouth hanging open… but that didn't last long as it then fell back like a massive tree. Its jaw remained open as its head fell backward, falling onto the cold pavement as its entire body began to dissolve into black mist. As he watched his adversary billow upward into nothing but black smoke in the wind, Ultimate Humungousaur fought to catch his breath before suddenly being overtaken in a flash of red light, reverting first into his unevolved form before finally retuning to his human form. Still breathing hard, Ben could tell that the camera was still on him, trained onto his back.

' _Eh… why not give the people what they want?'_ he thought to himself before raising his left fist into the air, right at the moment when the Grimmungousaur fully dissipated.

Once again, an onslaught of happy cheers erupted from the team as they all surged forward, all of them elated at the fact that their leader was victorious. Yang was especially eager to get to him, leaving an utterly stunned Lisa and Greg behind. …Well, Lisa was only like that for a couple seconds before flinging her head back and screaming into her microphone; "BEN TENNYSON _WIIIIINS_!"

Ben did an about face just in time to be tackled to the ground in a hug from his girlfriend, her lips pressed firmly to his in an intense and passionate kiss. This persisted until all of their friends were surrounding them, the blonde pulling away to allow Ben to catch his breath once more. "Ben, that was AMAZING!"

Before he could even respond, Ruby and Nora pulled both of them up into an embrace, the two bouncing up and down excitedly. "That had to be the most amazing thing I've ever _seen_!" Ruby almost shrieked. "Your Ultimate forms must be amazing if they can pull off stuff like that!"

"Not bad, guys, not bad at all." Vernal nodded as she approached them as well. "That had to be one of the most intense fights I've seen in a while."

"And that LAST SMASH!" Nora emphasized as she pulled an uppercut maneuver like Ultimate Humungousaur had just done. "That had to be the most awesomely-amazing-superific punch I've ever SEEN!"

"They both make a very good point." Raven spoke up to catch their attention. She was standing with her brother near the back of the group, though the Spring Maiden was currently making her way toward them. "Ladies, if I may?" Ruby and Nora stepped back and allowed Raven to bring both Ben and Yang into a hug, the couple returning it gently. "Words can't describe how proud I am of both of you for facing that thing." Raven grinned. "Excellent job, you two."

It was then that Qrow stepped forward as well, with Lionheart standing next to him. "She's got the right idea, kids. Nice job, Firecracker, Watch Boy."

"Never doubted 'em for a second." Kevin piped up as he and Gwen came up, the Anodite now on her own two feet. "I think it's safe to say the bad guys have lost this one."

Gwen was quick to glance pointedly at her boyfriend for saying that. "Don't jinx it, Kevin. We still need to actually drive Cinder and the others out of town first before we can claim any victory." She smiled as she focused on her cousin and Yang once again. "But that said, it would be a bit easier now that the Grimmungousaur's been toppled. Nice work, you two."

Yang laughed as she and Ben fell out of her mother's embrace. "Hehe, thanks guys. Won't lie, I'm still amazed we actually pulled it off."

"I'm kinda at a loss for words myself." Blake said with a shake of her head before pulling her partner into another congratulatory hug. "But still, great job, Ben."

Sun rubbed the back of his head as he too was trying to process all that just happened. "Yeah, same here, my dude." He and many of the other boys then offered Ben a fist bump, which the hero began reciprocating. "You did pretty damn good today."

Ben let out a nervous chuckle at that. "Heh, well, ya know. All in the line of work for a hero. No big deal."

"Dude, you punched a literal _hole_ through that monster." Jaune emphasized.

Pyrrha felt the need to agree. "Indeed, that probably has to be the BIGGEST deal ever." She then directed her gaze over to a certain redheaded android. "And Penny, I am still very impressed that you were able to hold off the Grimmungousaur for as long as you did. Great job!"

"Think nothing of it, Pyrrha!" Penny said with her usual salute. "I was simply doing what I knew was right!" Her sights then went back to Ben. "Though they ARE right, Ben. You finished it off in a truly sensational way!"

"Seriously, man, you saved the city." Neptune added before taking notice of just how much damage there was around the multiple city blocks where the whole fight had taken place. "Er, well… _most_ of it, at least."

Ren grimaced as the others began to take note of the city's sorry state as well. "Yeah… it might be a bit longer before the city recovers from THIS attack as well."

"Hm, but still, that was all pretty intense." Ilia pointed out. "I didn't think Humungousaur could move like that, let alone an _Ultimate_ Humungousaur."

Swift raised an eyeridge at Ben. "Yeah, where'd you get the idea for those "missile-boosts" anyway, Tennyson? Don't think I've ever seen THAT move from Ultimate Humungousaur, even on the news."

The Omnitrix bearer gave her a shrug. "Believe it or not, I thought that idea up on the fly. I knew I needed some extra mobility if I wanted to beat that thing, so I just used what was available to me." He spread his arms out toward the rest of the group. "But hey, let's not just ignore all of the awesome stuff you guys pulled off today! Honestly, you all put in a lot of effort."

Weiss gave her friend a sad smile. "Yeah, thanks, Ben… I just kinda wish my Sphinx could've been a bit more useful in that fight."

"WHAT?!" Rex's sudden exclamation made Weiss whip her head toward him in surprise. "Ice Princess, what're you _talking_ about? The Sphinx was totally useful! It managed to pin that monster a whole _bunch_ of times!" He thrust his arm over to Ben and Yang for emphasis. "It let those two get in the hits they needed, right?"

"W-Well, yeah, but it—"

"Yes, we know how it got taken out, dear sister." Winter assured. "We all saw it. But still, the Sphinx and Manticore proved to be quite effective in helping Ben and Yang overcome this challenge." She sent her sister a smile. "You should feel quite proud of that if anything, especially since you were able to summon it… even if you had help." Winter eyed Jaune for a bit, who gave a nervous laugh before she focused on her sister again. "I hope you get the hang of summoning it by yourself after that little extra push."

Weiss gave her sister a hug in appreciation. "I will, Winter. And thanks." Then, much to everyone's surprise, she went over and hugged Rex as well. "And thank YOU, Robo-dolt for reminding me of what my Sphinx DID do."

"U-Uh… yeah, sure." Rex said as he returned the embrace lightly. "N-No problem." At the sight of everyone giving him knowing looks, especially from Winter, Rex blushed up a storm and cleared his throat. "Ahem, s-so, uh… what's next?"

Tetrax stepped forward and answered that. "Well, during the battle, received a short message from Ironwood… Doctor Animo is on his way here with the airship, and the others are in hot pursuit—AH!" Without warning, though, Tetrax suddenly found a microphone shoved in his face.

"And what exactly does that mean, Mr. Alien, sir?" Lisa eagerly asked as Greg kept the camera trained on Tetrax. "Are the villains going to be making another move? Are they retreating? And what connections do you have exactly with General Iron—eep!" Lisa let out a surprised squeak when Tetrax suddenly picked her up by her collar with this thumb and forefinger, pulling her away so that she was not in his personal space.

"For one, Miss Lavender, my name is Tetrax. Secondly, Ironwood and I have been working for a good while, almost since we all arrived in this world." Tetrax answered as he then gently pushed the camera away from his face. "And thridly, this really isn't the time for interviews. The villains are still roaming the streets of Vale, and—"

"HEY!" Everyone whirled around toward the other end of the street to see Cinder and her group once again, though this time, they appeared to be much more peeved at them. Rojo especially seemed to be quite frustrated, glowering at the group while pointing at them. "You freaking BEAT the _Grimmungousaur_?! What the hell?!"

Emerald brought up Thief's Respite and aimed the guns right at the group. "That thing was the size of a _building_ and it could shoot _lasers_!" She screamed as Neo shouldered her umbrella next to her. "How the HELL did you beat it?!"

Ben began counting off on his fingers as he listed the factors in their favor. "Teamwork, punches, and a WHOLE lot of missiles, that's how." He stepped forward and crossed his arms at the quintet, smiling confidently. He knew that the Omnitrix's battery was dry, but that was something that _they_ didn't know, so he decided to use that to his advantage. "And what's better is that I think the Omnitrix has enough power for one last go-around." He extended his arms toward them as he let his offer sink in. "So, what'll it be, guys? Are we gonna get into another big fight, or are ya gonna go back home to Mama Salem again? Your choice."

Mercury was practically seething at this point. "You BASTARD! You mock us even _now_?!"

"I've said this once before, but I mock anybody who uses the word "mock"." Ben grinned cheekily. "So, what's it gonna be?"

Little did the group know that, in a nearby alleyway, a pair of gleaming yellow eyes could be seen making their way out of the darkness… and they were shifting into a bright purple color as they approached the heroes. At the same time, the approaching figure's whole tail began to glow the same purple color, his eyes focused onto his unsuspecting target…

Cinder stepped forward, her face calm and collected as her eyes began to flare up with her Maiden powers. "Oh, we are FAR from done here, Tennyson. You may have taken the Grimmungousaur down, but we still stand!" She formed a long, obsidian blade in her hand and glowered at the group, focusing on her fellow Maiden in particular. "I don't care if I have to go through both you AND the Spring Maiden herself, but we will NOT be giving in here!"

Rojo brought up her own sword as her compatriots began to prepare for battle once again. "Yeah, what Cindy said! We've had enough of all the crap you've put us through up to this point. Even if we don't win, at least we can say we went down fighting!"

"I think you'll find that the latter is the more likely outcome here." Raven said with an unimpressed look on her face. She, Qrow and Vernal all stepped forward, the former's Maiden powers beginning to flare to life as well. Raven's hand settled upon Omen's handle as she, her brother and her protégé readied themselves for combat once again. "After all, we outnumber you by quite the large margin."

"Even if you were to fight back with everything you had, it still wouldn't be enough." Vernal added with a sneer. "So I think you should probably take the long walk home."

Cinder put a finger to her chin in thought. "Perhaps so…" Her signature nefarious grin then came to her face. "But then again, I think you'll find your number to be quite a bit less very soon…"

The group were initially confused at her words. However, from out of the corner of his eye, Qrow could see a set of glowing purple orbs approaching from the nearby alleyway… and they were concentrated directly on his sister. Before anyone could react, Silyrian suddenly leapt out from the shadows and dove directly for Raven, faster than anybody could even predict. Raven whipped her head up just in time to see Silyrian land directly in front of her and thrust his tail directly at her, the appendage glowing a bright violet as he cackled with glee.

But then… "RAE!" Qrow pushed his sister out of the way and took the hit for her. With a sickening _schick_ , Silyrian's stinger was driven right through the man's stomach, the scorpion mutant's glowing tail somehow breaking Qrow's Aura at the same time. Behind him, everyone's eyes widened in utter horror as Qrow let out a pained gasp as all of the color began to drain from his face, his eyes glazing over as a very large amount of blood began to pool into his shirt from the wound.

With another gut-wrenching sound, Silyrian removed his stinger and allowed Qrow to fall to the ground, his manic grin still about him as his eyes became yellow once again. His head whipped over toward Raven as the others stood frozen at what had just happened, seeing that the woman was also appalled and even starting to tear up at what she had just saw. "Hehehe, OOPS! What _rotten_ luck! I meant that for you, but oh well! Your brother is MORE than a viable substitute! AHAHAHA!"

In snap second, Raven's face contorted into one of pure rage as her tears fell freely, her face heating up as her anger began to overflow. " _NOOOOO_!" She pulled Omen out and lunged up, her vision now seeing only red as she made to attack the scorpion mutant. "Tyrian, you bastard! I'LL _KILL_ YOU!"

* * *

After Raven had made the move to attack Silyrian, the others immediately began to spring into action… or at least most of them. Jaune, Gwen, Kevin and Pyrrha had rushed to Qrow's side to try and help in whatever why they could, with Yang scrambling over to do the same while crying her eyes out. The moment she saw how bad the wound was, though, she fell to her knees and put her face in her hands, weeping uncontrollably as Ben fell next to her and put her into a comforting embrace, though he was also beginning to inadvertently tear up.

At the same time that Silyrian had engaged with Raven, Exo-Skull, Thunderhog and Subdora all began charging out from other alleyways as well, effectively ambushing the rest of the team. Cinder and her group followed suit as Rex, Weiss, Penny, Nora, Ren, Blake, Sun and Neptune all engaged them as well. Vernal had since joined Raven in her fight as well, helping her mentor fend off the scorpion mutant.

Winter, Lionheart and Tetrax made sure to lead Lisa and Greg away as Swift and Ilia covered their escape, the two reporters also visibly shaken by what they had just saw. Even _Winter_ still seemed to be reeling from what had just happened. And there was no doubt that the camera had still been rolling when that happened.

However, there was still one individual who was still staring at the scene in utter disbelief… Ruby. The Hooded Huntress' sights had never left her uncle, even as his body fell to the ground, her face etched with horror, shock, and disbelief. It was almost as if everything was moving in slow motion for her, and she could feel her eyes burning as tears started to brim her eyelids. She dared not blink, as if threatening to do so would mean her uncle would just disappear altogether.

Her eyes began to grow hotter and hotter as her thoughts turned frantic. This… couldn't be happening. It just couldn't have. _'No… no, please, no!'_ Her emotions surged in turmoil as the weight of everything began to hit her all at once, her face eventually contorting into one of pure anguish. And at the same time, her eyes began to burn at an intensity she never thought imaginable. Her head snapped back, and she cried out for her uncle.

" _UNCLE QROW_!" Ruby felt something burst forth from her eyes… and then everything went blank.

* * *

**A/N (PLEASE READ): To quote a certain song; "The Day of Fate has finally come". Indeed, Ruby has unlocked her Silver Eyes… and Qrow took a pretty heavy hit for his sister. And you guys probably thought that this was just gonna have the Grimmungousaur fight and end the Negative Ten arc, huh? But no, that will be for the next chapter…**

**With all that said, yes, while the Ultimate Feature IS back, Ben can't use it for as long as he used to. The amount of time he has as an Ultimate depends on how much charge is left in the Omnitrix. This is to balance out the Ultimate Forms a bit better so that they don't overshadow their normal counterparts. That being said, you really didn't think I'd bring them back without Cinder and her crew getting a taste of that power, did ya? Of course not! I would NOT pass up that opportunity! Haha! Also, more Lisa Lavender shenanigans, because why not? And as for Qrow himself… well, sometimes ya gotta hit the bottom before things can get better, and in Qrow's case, that couldn't be truer here.**

**Alright, NEXT TIME will be the big finale of this arc… and hoo boy, it's quite the event. After things clear up with Ruby's Silver Eyes (which end up doing a quite a bit of damage against someone in particular), the gang scramble to try and heal Qrow… but his Aura isn't restoring fast enough, and he's still losing quite a bit of blood. Even Jaune's finding it hard to keep up. However, it's then that Gwen remembers that a certain someone owes her a favor… But of course, that's not all. The Grimmungousaur might've been defeated, but another massive beast has finally arrived in Vale's harbor, much to our heroes' chagrin. And… okay, you guys have been clamoring for him to make an appearance… and it's finally time. Thanks for reading everybody, and I'll see you all next time! Stay safe out there!**


	114. The Touch

**A/N: (Hey there, guys! The following Author's note will be ripped striaght from the archive again, but first off, I wanna tell you that this will be the last batch of chapters for 11/19/20, and thus the last BIG batch of chapter uploads to this site! Tomorrow afternoon, I'm gonna upload the three remaining chapters and we'll be all caught up! Now, time to let the Author's Note loose...)**

**Well… this is the last time I'm gonna be saying it for THIS story, so I'd better make it a good one. Captain's Log, star date; 10/31/2020. Happy Halloween everyone! Once again, it's my favorite holiday of the year and that means it's time for the annual Halloween update! And what a chapter to have it been on, huh? The technical conclusion to the Negative Ten Arc! I say "technical" because there'll be an aftermath chapter after this, but hey, semantics. So, without any further ado…**

_**You're at your best when the going gets rough!** _

_**You've been put to the test, but it's never enough!** _

_**You got—** _

**Chapter 114: The Touch**

* * *

Nobody could really describe what had just happened in that moment. One minute, everyone was scrambling, either to help Qrow as quickly as they could, get Lisa and Greg away from the erupting battle, or to engage in said battle. Tons of emotions were running high for everyone all at once, the primary one being anger at Silyrian for what he had just done, as well as toward the rest of the villains for their underhanded move. For others, though, anguish was all that they could feel at that moment, especially for one blonde in particular.

The moment she had seen her uncle get stabbed through the gut and fall to the cold, unforgiving ground, Yang could swear that a part of her had broken on the inside. And it didn't get any better when she got closer. The gaping wound was practically pouring out blood, and the blank expression on her uncle's face only made the sight more unbearable to her. Yang let out a agonizing wail and buried her face in her hands, weeping as she was immediately brought close to someone's chest. She didn't even need to look up to know who it was.

" _NO_! No, this can't be happening! PLEASE don't let it be happening!" She sobbed uncontrollably into her boyfriend's shirt as his arms wrapped around her, bringing her close in an attempt to try and comfort her.

However, much to his dismay, Ben found himself tearing up as well. He wasn't exactly close to Qrow as he was to the rest of the Xiao Long family, but he knew how much his girlfriend loved her uncle. And seeing her in utter torment at the sight of him wounded this badly, possibly even mortally, it was enough to get him to start crying a little as well. "I-It's okay, Yang, it'll all be okay." He whipped his head up to Jaune and Gwen in desperation. "Can't you guys do something?!"

"I'm already on it…" Jaune said as he activated his Semblance and began feeding his Aura into Qrow. However, much to his dismay, it didn't seem to be working. "W-What?! What's going on?! Why isn't his Aura being amplified?!"

Pyrrha gasped in realization. "Wait… whatever Tyrian did when he stabbed Qrow… his Aura broke at the same time!" She whirled her head toward her boyfriend worriedly. "Your Semblance IS probably working, but it's currently just trying to restore Qrow's Aura… and that could take a while."

"We don't HAVE a while, Pyrrha!" Kevin stressed before turning to his own girlfriend. "Gwen, can't you speed up this process or something? Mana can help replenish Aura, right?"

"It… it can, but…" Gwen brought up her hand and tried to bring forth her power, but the pinkish-purple glow around her hand flickered and snuffed out the moment she tried. The Anodite winced and let out a sigh. "I-I can't… I'm still exhausted from all of the spells I used earlier." She ran a hand through her hair as she set her sights on Qrow's wound, the blood beginning to pool on the pavement next to him. "I… I'm afraid I can't—"

" _UNCLE QROW_!" Everyone's heads whipped up at the sound of a shrill cry of sorrow, their guts simultaneously dropping the moment they realized who it had belonged to… Ruby. Their eyes focused onto the Hooded Huntress just in time to see her head snap back… and then something entirely unexpected happened. Ruby screamed as loud as she could as her arms thrust out to her sides… and a pair of brilliant white ethereal lights began pouring right out of her eyes, causing her to levitate just slightly off of the ground.

"Oh my god!" Ben exclaimed as he covered his and Yang's eyes. "Everyone, look away!"

The whole group, including those that were either fighting the villains or leading the reporters away, did what the hero had asked. Even the villains did so once they noticed what was happening… even if a certain Fall Maiden was a bit slow on the draw. "WHAT?!" Cinder spun around… and her eyes widened as she was suddenly met with the incoming streams of light.

She would've been hit by them… if she hadn't been tackled to the ground. "CINDY!" Rojo thrust herself forward and pulled Cinder into her arms, taking them both down to the pavement at the same time. The blinding light passed over them, and then everything went white… right before another bloodcurdling scream rang through the area. Once everyone's vision had cleared, Rojo glanced down to see that Cinder was in one piece, a wave of relief washing over her. "Hah… oh thank goodness. Cindy?"

Cinder groaned as she locked eyes with Rojo, her hand going up to her aching head. "Ugh, it's okay, Rojo. I'm fine."

Rojo smiled and sighed once again. "Good, I'm glad."

"Thanks… but, um…" A slight tinge of red came to Cinder's cheeks. "Could I perhaps get up now?"

"O-Oh! Right!" Rojo said as she too flushed a little, getting up while helping Cinder all the while. "Sorry about that."

"No problem, I—AAAH!" Cinder let out a yell as her eyes caught sight of something… and it wasn't exactly all that pleasant.

Rojo raised a brow and followed Cinder's line of sight. "W-What, what're you—GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY!" Everyone else, both hero and villain, followed the duo's eyes to see that… something quite bad had happened.

Raven and Vernal's own eyes also opened as well… only to be met with the same thing, but they were MUCH closer to it. There, lying right on the ground in a twitching heap, was Silyrian… and he was not in once piece. The right side of his face had been completely engulfed by the light, leaving a VERY nasty wound over his right eye, which was now burned to a crisp. His right arm had also been engulfed, now nothing more than a useless limb. The moment he tried to move it, it fell off completely, much to everyone's shock and horror. "GYAAAAAH!" Silyrian screamed, making Raven do the same as she stumbled away from him. "The LIGHT! It BUUUURRNS!"

Vernal recoiled at the sight. "HOLY FUCK! What the _hell_ what that?!"

"Oh dear god!" Exo-Skull exclaimed as he and Thunderhog both disengaged with their enemies and charged over to Silyrian, getting up close to the screaming mutant as Raven continued to back away. Skull's hand went to his head, still un utter disbelief over how bad these injuries were. "Man, oh, man! Callows needs a doctor!"

As the other villains rushed over to the fallen mutant's location, the heroes couldn't help but gawk at what just occurred. "Did… did everybody else see that?" Nora managed to squeak out as she stepped closer to Ren, instinctively pulling him into a hug.

"I saw it… but I'm still having a hard time believing it." Ren muttered as he returned Nora's gesture with a reassuring embrace.

From where she was standing between Tetrax and Lionheart, Lisa Lavender could hear the wails of pain, and it only made her more scared than she was when she saw the scorpion man stab Qrow. She dared to peak over Winter's shoulder and ask; "W-What just happened?"

"…The maniac got his just desserts." Winter answered before seeing Ruby begin to fall to the ground, eliciting a gasp from her. "Swift!"

"I'm on it!" The Aerophibian hybrid shot forward and flew right up to Ruby, catching the now unconscious girl in her arms. Swift set her sights down onto the girl's face, seeing that her features were still in complete anguish and sorrow. Pursing her lips, Swift whipped her head up and shouted; "Anyone wanna explain to me what the HELL just happened?!"

Ilia ran up to her half-alien friend, her concern growing for the Hooded Huntress. "I… I think that was her Silver Eyes activating…" Her attention then went back to Silyrian, who was still writhing on the ground. "And I'd say that they're pretty effective, all things considered."

"RUBY!" The duo whipped their heads up to see Ben and Yang practically sprinting toward them, the blonde nearly tripping over herself as she desperately reached out for her little sister. The moment Yang saw her face, more tears began to fall from her eyes. "No, no, no! Please, not you too!"

"Oh no!" Penny exclaimed as she practically flew over as well, landing beside the two as she set her eyes upon her best friend. The redheaded android scanned her eyes over Ruby, analyzing her vitals before giving out a sigh. "Her vital signs are normal. She is merely unconscious." She sent a small smile to the couple. "She will be alright."

Ben sighed in relief. "Y-Yang, you heard that, right? Ruby's going to be okay." The hero placed a reassuring hand on his girlfriend's shoulder. "She's still alive."

Yang sniffed and brought a hand over her eyes, silently thanking whatever deity existed that her sister was still okay. "…Dear god, why is all of this SHIT happening at once?!"

Swift furrowed her eyeridge up at Ben, the two locking their gazes with each other. "That's what I'd like to know." She nudged her head back to Qrow. "Tennyson, can't you DO something about this?!"

"The Omnitrix is still recharging." Ben said with a forlorn shake of his head. "And even if I could, I don't think Swampfire would be enough to heal a wound like that before—"

"DON'T SAY IT!" Yang snapped, spinning around to face Ben with her teeth clenched and a dangerous glare. Needless to say, Ben was shocked into silence pretty quickly. The moment that Yang realized what she had done, though, her expression softened and she immediately pulled Ben into a hug, hear tears soaking into his shirt as she apologized. "I-I'm sorry, Ben. It's just… I don't know what to—"

"I know." Ben wrapped his arms around her to comfort her more. "I know, Yang. I… I don't know what to do either."

As the couple hugged one another, the other heroes had gathered back together and began rushing toward Qrow, with Raven right in front of the others. "QROW!" the Spring Maiden screamed as she slid to a stop next to her brother, nearly breaking down at the blank expression on his face. Her head whipped right to Jaune, seeing that the blond knight was already using his Semblance… but nothing seemed to be happening. "Jaune! What's—"

"His Aura's been completely broken." Jaune answered. "It has to be replenished at least a little more before the healing can—"

"Like I said, man, we don't have that kinda time!" Kevin stressed further. "If Gwen was able to help you out, then maybe, but the way it's looking… it's not good."

Blake swallowed hard as she set her eyes upon Qrow, recognizing the state he was in all too well. "He's right. I… I've seen others get stabbed like this before…" The cat girl trailed off as she watched the blood pour from the gaping wound, remembering all the times she saw a certain blood red sword drip with blood countless times. She then felt Sun's arms pulling her into a comforting embrace, giving her the fortitude to get the words out. "And… it's definitely fatal. We may already be—"

"NO, there _has_ to be something we can do!" Raven exclaimed, taking everyone by surprise. "We only JUST got him to stop drinking his life away and I am NOT about to lose him to some maniac instead!" She leaned in and touched her brother's face, his breathing erratic as he was somehow still holding on by a thread. "Goddamn it, Qrow, PLEASE don't leave us!"

As Raven began to choke back her sobs, Vernal ran both of her hands through her hair, flinging her head back with a frustrated groan. "Dear god, as if things weren't insane enough today. Now THIS happens _and_ Ruby's eyes explode?! What could be ne—"

"Do NOT jinx this, Vernal." Weiss scolded, taking Vernal aback. The heiress let out a sigh of her own afterward, though. "But you're right, this IS really bad." She set her eyes onto Rex, hoping that he would have an answer. "Rex, it might be a long shot, but do you think your nanites could heal him?"

But all Rex could do was shake his head sadly. "No, I'm afraid that's not possible, at least not unless HE had nanites in his system, too." He set his eyes onto Qrow worriedly. "I mean, I COULD fly him to a hospital, but—"

"You'd be way too late." Neptune finished with a dower expression. "I… I don't know guys. I wish we could help Qrow, too, but—"

"WAIT!" Gwen shouted, her eyes focusing directly onto Neptune. "…Say that again."

"Uh… I said I wish we could help—"

Gwen snapped her arm up and pointed at Neptune, shouting; "THAT'S IT!" This made the blue haired boy stumble back in surprise as Gwen stood up, her hands gripping at her hair. "I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner!" The redhead craned her head down and placed a gentle hand on Raven's shoulder, garnering the woman's attention. "Raven… you're probably not gonna like this idea, but I need you to portal me to Tai, now."

Raven sent her a confused look at first. "W-What? What are you—" But then, after seeing the serious expression she was giving her, Raven soon realized what Gwen was asking, to which she immediately stood up. "No, no there has to—"

"There IS no other way, Raven." Gwen stressed as she pointed to herself. "My energy maybe drained, but SHE still owes me a favor. It's our only chance to get Qrow back from the brink of death." She jerked her thumb toward where the other villains were. "And if you're worried about them getting it, then we'll get it done really quickly. I promise."

Raven pursed her lips at the girl before setting her eyes down onto her brother gain, her concern growing the more blood she saw. Raven closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then pulled Omen right out of its sheath, slashing it to open a portal that went right to Tai. "Go. And make it quick."

Gwen gave her a nod. "Will do." And with that, the Anodite leapt into the portal, with Raven keeping it open for as long as she could.

* * *

Back on Patch, the whole living room was in a furor over what had just happened on the television… or at least most of it was. Professor Paradox and Azmuth were both standing calmly while everyone in the room were visibly panicked or still reeling from what they had just saw. The image of Qrow getting stabbed through the stomach had been broadcast on live television for the whole world to see. Tai had broken down into a nervous wreck, the man screaming into his hands while Athena and Holiday tried to console him, though both women were also still coming to grips with what had happened as well.

"How is this happening?!" Tai's muffled voice yelled. "HOW IS THIS HAPPENING?!"

"I… I really do not know, Tai." Athena admitted as she and Holiday continued to rub soothing circles into Ironwood's back. In truth, Athena was trying to keep it together for the man's sake as well as her own. She initially had no problem with Pyrrha and the others heading back into battle, especially with their track record. But with this… _mad man_ still in the city, her own anxiety was beginning to show itself once more. She had to force herself not to think about what that mutant could do to her daughter or her friends, and that proved to be incredibly hard. Still, she forced herself to remain calm as she repeated; "I honestly don't. But we cannot afford to lose ourselves to this."

"I have to agree with Athena." Holiday concurred. "If we lose our cool, we'll risk bringing the Grimm here again. And that's something that we can't afford with the relic here."

Tai pulled his hands away from his face and sent Holiday an intense look, his eyes bloodshot red from all the crying he had been doing. "Doc, I don't know if you've noticed, but my FAMILY is trapped in Vale with a mad man who just STABBED my brother-in-law! Sorry, but it's kinda hard NOT to lose my cool!"

Max approached from the side and set a firm yet supportive hand on Tai's shoulder, giving him a serious face. "Son, listen, I know how you're feeling right now. Believe me, I do. My family is over there with that same mad man right now." He pointed over between Athena and Holiday. "And so is hers and hers. But for as worried as I am about them, we still have to keep our wits about us, or else we'll bring more punishment our way."

After an intense stare-off between the two men, Tai sighed and placed his face in his hands once again. "…I'm sorry, Max, everyone. I just… I don't want my best friend to die on me. Or my daughters, OR Raven."

"None of us do, Tai." Oscar piped up, hugging his arms to try and comfort himself a bit. "And believe me, this whole situation is nerve-wracking to all of us…" He raised a brow over to Azmuth and Paradox… who were both surprisingly still very calm. "Well, most of us, I guess. Why don't you guys seem worried?"

Azmuth offered a shrug. "Well, to be perfectly honest, I _am_ concerned about the situation. However, knowing how the Tennyson family works, they will likely come up with an unorthodox solution to the problem."

"Indeed!" Paradox smiled as he raised a single finger. "In fact, we should be seeing said unorthodox solution in three… two…" He pointed a finger toward the television… just in time for one of Raven's portals to pop into existence in front of it.

A collective gasp rang out throughout the living room as Gwen jumped through, the redhead searching around for something. "GWEN?!" Tai exclaimed. "W-What the hell is going—"

"Ah-HA! There you are!" Gwen reached forward and grabbed the Relic of Knowledge off the coffee table, a bright smile coming to her face. "No time to talk, gotta save Qrow, bye!" And with that, the Anodite jumped back through the portal, which closed up the moment she left.

Everyone could only stare at where Gwen once stood in astonishment before Oscar vocalized their thoughts; "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!"

* * *

Back in Vale, Cinder cast her eyes skyward as she saw the familiar Mistralian Airship coming in hot, reaching up to her earpiece to talk with the doctor on board. "Animo, this is Cinder. We have a situation." Her eyes glanced down to Silyrian as the mutant's body continued to twitch, holding his arm in utter agony as his screams became whimpers. "Callows has been critically wounded. His right arm and eye are both mangled."

" _WHAT?!"_ Animo's voice rang through the communicator. _"How in the world is that possible?! And what about Leonidas?! I lost the signal on his mind-control device a little over twenty minutes ago!"_

"I… I will inform you on Tyrian once we have the time." Cinder answered. "And as for Leonidas, Tennyson apparently destroyed the mind-control crown." She glared over toward the group as she eyed Qrow's limp body on the ground. "Fortunately, it would seem that Tyrian wasn't COMPLETELY without fail here. He actually managed to wound the drunkard quite well."

Animo sighed on the other end as the Mistralian airship came in for a landing next to their group, the city street just barely able to accommodate the giant aircraft. The hull doors opened up and Animo beckoned them in. _"Very well. Hurry up and load Silyrian into the ship so we can get going! Tetrax's spacecraft is on it's way here and we need to go."_

"Not yet, at least not my group." Cinder rebuked as she faced Exo-Skull and Thunderhog, the duo carrying Silyrian with Subdora standing next to them. "You three take Callows and get onto the ship. Take to the skies if you must, but we're going to stay back for a little longer."

Subdora raised her hand in concern. "Are you certain about that, _mia cara_? You do know that they are liable to attack you again at a moment's notice?"

"Indeed." Cinder answered as her nefarious smirk returned. "However, Lady Salem told me beforehand that she plans on having another… BIG surprise for our heroic friends, and I would like to stay and watch how they handle that."

Rojo mimicked the smirk and jabbed her thumb toward the heroes. "Heh, yeah, wait till they get a load of… whatever it is."

Emerald titled her head toward Cinder in curiosity. "Hey yeah, what IS this surprise that Salem told you about, Cinder?"

"That, dear Emerald, is for me to know…" She gave her comrade a wink. "And for you all to find out."

Mercury glowered in the heroes' direction, crossing his arms as Raven opened a portal and Gwen jumped through it. "Well don't look now, because something's going on."

Cinder's eyebrows shot up at that. "What?" She spun her head back around, just in time to see Gwen come leaping back out of the portal… with a very familiar bauble in her hands. Cinder's jaw dropped along with the rest of her comrades, the Fall Maiden in disbelief at what she was seeing. "The RELIC!" Immediately, she bolted forward with surprising speed, beckoning her teammates to follow her. "Come on, this is our chance!"

"Right behind ya, Cindy!" Rojo shouted as she and Neo sprinted right after her, with Emerald and Mercury bringing up the rear.

However, Emerald narrowed her eyes at Gwen as she held the relic in her hands. _'Wait… why bring it here in the first place? What're they playing at here?'_

Over with the heroes, Cinder and Rojo's yelling had successfully garnered their attention, causing Raven to grit her teeth. She furrowed her brows at the approaching quintet as the Mistralian Airship took to the skies behind them, the five villains clearly focused on the relic. "Gwen, you had better hurry up with that request!"

"Right!" Gwen nodded before holding the lamp aloft, calling out to its occupant. " _JINN_!" With that, everything stopped. The air grew still as Gwen lowered her arms to her sides, breathing in and out as she waited for the genie to appear. However, there was one other thing she noticed; she was the only one who was still moving. Before, everyone was able to move and speak freely, but now, it was only her. She turned around and was taken aback when she saw that Cinder was mere inches away from her, glaring daggers while reaching out with her right for the relic.

However, said relic then began to glow and float itself out of Cinder's reach, hovering in place beside Gwen for a little while before Jinn appeared from out of it, the large, blue woman giving Gwen a friendly smile in greeting. "Ah, Gwen Tennyson! So soon?"

"Y-Yes, I—you're naked again." Gwen deadpanned.

Indeed, the chained brasier and undergarments that Jinn had made earlier were gone, leaving her exposed once again. "Indeed, we ARE alone now, are we not?"

"Technically, no." Gwen said as she gestured to all of the eyes that surrounded them. "It baffles me how you're about to have all of these eyes on you with out being bothered by them staring your… ahem, _au naturale_ state."

"Gwen, I am a being who was created by a god and has been alive for countless millennia." Jinn said with a shrug. "The last thing I am worried about is a sense of shame." She put a finger to her chin in contemplation. "But I have a feeling that my lack of clothing isn't the main thing you wanted to talk about. Have you pondered over my offer? Or do you wish to use the final question?"

"The former." Gwen answered as she gazed sadly down toward Qrow. Jinn followed her gaze and her eyebrows rose slightly at the visage of the wounded man, seeing that his blood was practically caking his shirt. "Things… aren't looking good for my friend."

Jinn shook her head. "No they are not." She directed her eyes up to Gwen. "I take it things are quite disparate as well considering… the Fall Maiden is trying to kill you as well."

Gwen set her gaze back over to Cinder. "Yeah, I'll deal with her in a minute. But what we need to do now is focus on Qrow." She lowered her head toward Jinn in a plea for help. "Jinn… I need you to heal him. I have no better way of saying it without putting it into the form of a question, so—"

"Say, "I wish"." The Anodite's head went back up and she locked eyes with Jinn in surprise, tilting her head a bit. Jinn gave a wry smile and folded her arms. "You heard me, Gwen. Speak your request again, but this time, say it in the form of a wish."

"U-Um… okay." Gwen took a deep breath and spoke her favor once more. "Jinn… I wish that you would heal Qrow Branwen and save his life."

Jinn smiled and began waving her hand in a circular motion, a blue, sparkling power beginning to emanate from it. "It shall be done." She stopped waving her hand and brought it down to Qrow's stomach, the ethereal blue energy beginning to pour itself into the wound. Much to Gwen's amazement… and slight disgust, the wound began to close, almost in a slow, zipper-like motion. Needless to say, she moved her eyes away to keep from getting sick. After a few more seconds, Jinn gave Gwen the okay. "Alright, you can look now." Gwen turned around just in time to see Jinn snap her fingers, the color returning to Qrow's face as the foggy-ness over his eyes cleared up as well.

As far as she was concerned, the man appeared perfectly healthy. "Ha… you did it! Jinn, I—"

"You have two left, by the way." Jinn added, leaving Gwen utterly confused. Seeing her perplexed expression, Jinn sent her a wink as she explained. "I work in threes, my dear Gwen. You have used your first wish, and now you have two left. But keep in mind, I am limited in what I can do." She raised her fingers as she explained the rules. "I am incapable of killing, I cannot make people fall in love, I cannot bring back people from the dead… and I cannot defeat Salem for you. I apologize."

"That's… that's alright, Jinn." Gwen assured with a smile. "I'm just glad that you're being so generous. You really don't have to do this."

Jinn leaned forward, bringing her head face to face with Gwen. "I know, but I want to. You are a truly nice girl, Gwen, one who saved my life without a second thought. As far as I'm concerned, I owe you." She stood straight and folded her arms over her chest. "You are my mistress now, Gwen Tennyson, so be sure to use your last two wishes wisely."

Gwen smiled up and Jinn and bowed her head. "Thank you, Jinn. I appreciate it." But then, a small smirk came to Gwen's lips as she glanced back toward Cinder, an idea coming to her mind in that instant. "But… before you resume everything, I have a little idea that I want to do…"

"If you're about to try and turn the Fall Maiden around so that she tackles her compatriot instead, then you might be disappointed." Jinn said with a sympathetic grin. "Trust me, I've had others who try to do the same thing when I stop time. Doesn't work like that, I'm afraid."

"…Drat." Gwen pouted.

Jinn chuckled as she brought a hand down to cup Gwen's face. "I admire your intentions, though, Gwen, even if it's a little dastardly. Now, before I go…" The genie then moved around so that she was facing Ben, Yang, Ilia and Swift, the Aerophibian still carrying Ruby in her arms. Jinn floated over and put her hand to Ruby's head, a brief glow emanating from it before disappearing all together. "You are going to have quite the future, little Silver-Eyed Warrior. That, I can assure you of." She went back over and stood next to her lap, giving Gwen a final nod. "Alright, I'll be off. Oh, and if I were you, I'd step a few paces right."

Gwen did as she was told with a little laugh, seeing that Cinder would hit nothing but pavement in a few seconds. "Heh, thanks. By for now, Jinn." With that, the genie went back into her lamp, which floated back over into Gwen's grasp before time resumed.

_SMACK!_ "GAH!" Cinder exclaimed as she suddenly hit the ground. Though she was initially in pain, she pushed it to the side to whip her head around, searching for where her target had gone. "W-What?! Where did she—"

"Ahem!" The Fall Maiden rolled onto her rear and faced Gwen with a spiteful glare, the Anodite holding the Relic of Knowledge in a mocking fashion. "Looking for this?" Without wasting a moment, Gwen threw the lamp back through Raven's portal like a basketball, surprising everyone including the Spring Maiden herself.

"NOOO!" Cinder hollered with her teeth clenched, summoning an obsidian blade in her hand. "Gwen Tennyson, you will PAY for—URK!" Without warning, Pyrrha suddenly stood up and performed a flying thrust kick right at Cinder's abdomen, sending her sailing back directly into Rojo.

Pyrrha rolled her neck and popped a few muscles, a satisfied expression on her face. "I have been waiting WEEKS to do that."

"G-Gwen!" Raven said in a panic. "Why did you do that?! You didn't even summon—"

"I did." Gwen assured before pointing down to Qrow. "Take a look."

Raven's eyes widened before hearing her brother let out a groan. She gasped and her gaze darted down to Qrow, just in time to see him sit up, much to everyone's surprise. "Ugh, damn, what the hell?" Qrow rubbed his forehead as he collected himself, his other hand going to his stomach. "Damn, that was NOT pleasant. If I didn't quick drinkin' earlier, I probably would've asked for one at this point."

Raven could feel more tears burning at the corners of her eyes as they fell freely, the Spring Maiden surging forward to envelope her brother in a hug. "QROW!" The former drunken huntsman was taken aback by this, to say the least, keeping his arms raised up as he was unsure what to do in this situation. "Do you have ANY idea how STUPID of an idea that was?! By the gods, you nearly scared me to death!"

"I, uh…" Qrow truly was at a loss. His sister wasn't usually one for hugs, but now she was nearly crushing his ribs in one that could break bones. He was pretty sure he could already feel his spine popping in a few places. After a few moments of pondering, he finally decided to slowly settle his hands onto her back, comforting her as best he could. "I honestly didn't think you'd react like this, Rae."

"I blame you, you big jerk." Raven smiled as she pulled away, holding her brother's shoulders at arm's length. "If it hadn't been for you saying I should try and reconnect, I probably wouldn't be feeling this way right now… so thank you."

"Heh, damn, another thing I never thought I'd get outta ya." Qrow grinned back before noticing something on Raven's combat dress. "Oh, uh… sorry."

The Spring Maiden glanced down to see that a bit of her brother's blood had soaked onto her, to which she rolled her eyes. "Oh please, it's not like I've had blood on me before." She pulled Qrow in for another hug. "I'm just happy that you're alive, little brother." Her eyes went back toward where the Mistralian Airship was flying. "Oh, and don't worry. Tyrian got payed back in full for what he did."

Qrow's eyebrow's rose up. "Woah, ya killed him?"

"Well… I wish. No, Ruby pretty much scarred the right side of his face and destoyed his right arm." This news caused Qrow's jaw to drop in disbelief. "I know, but she did it unintentionally… because when she saw you go down…" She pointed over to where Yang, Ben, Penny, Swift and Ilia were standing. " _They_ activated."

The former drunkard craned his head in that direction and saw Ruby in Swift's arms, his eyes widening in realization. "Oh… oh damn."

Back over with said group, the Blonde Brawler was beginning to cry her eyes out once again, but this time in utter happiness. "He's… he's alive." Yang placed a relieved hand over her chest as Ben rubbed her shoulders supportively. "Thank god." Ben was about to agree with her before the sound of a small groan stopped him, followed by a gasp from Swift.

"Guys! She's waking up!" the half-Aerophibian said before Ilia and the couple crowded around her, just in time to see Ruby's eyes flutter open. "Heya, Powerhouse." Swift greeted first. "Glad to see you up and at 'em after that little show you pulled off."

"Mph, I… wha—AH!" Ruby mumbled before suddenly being pulled into a hug by Yang.

"RUBY!" Yang pulled her sister into her arms in relief, with Ben coming in to join the hug as well. "HAHA! You're alright too!"

Penny practically jumped both girls with a hug of her own. "Oh, I am SO happy to see you are okay, Ruby!"

This only made Ruby's confusion even worse. "I… am?" Without warning, a harsh pain began bombarding Ruby's head, causing her to wince hard. "Ugh! Why do I have such a headache?!" She pinched her eyes shut as she rubbed them. "And why do my eyes feel like they're on fire?"

The whole group, including everyone near Qrow, stared at her for a good long while before Ilia decided to speak up. "Uh, Ruby… do you really not remember what happened?"

"Y-Yeah, it was… kind of a big deal." Ben added.

Ruby furrowed her brow as she tried to recall the events, putting a hand to her chin in thought. "W-Well, I… I remember that we were about to fight Cinder again and… and then Tyrian… wait." Her faced drained of color as her features twisted in horror. "WHERE'S UNCLE QROW—"

"Shortstack!" The Hooded Huntress gasped and she directed her attention right to her uncle… who was alive and well, albiet with an entirely blood-soaked shirt with a gaping hole in it. He was alive. Qrow waved to her with a smile as Raven did the same, beckoning her over. "Hey, don't worry, yer not gettin' rid o' me that easily."

Words couldn't describe just how relieved Ruby was… but that didn't stop her from crying from just how many other emotions she was feeling. "Let me go, LET ME GO!" she demanded as she rushed out of her friends' embrace to immediately tackle her uncle in a hug of her own. "UNCLE QROW! You're alive!" she bawled into her uncle's shoulder, soaking it with her tears.

"Heh, jeez, am I becoming everyone's tissue?" Qrow quipped.

"Don't you DARE joke right now!" Ruby said with a glare. "Do you have any idea how—"

"I know, Shortstack, I know." Qrow assured, jerking his thumb over to Raven. "Trust me, Rae was the same way. But honestly, out of all of ya, I think yer sister had the most worry stacked on top o' her, 'specially after what happened to ya."

Ruby blinked at that. "Wait… _what_ happened to me?"

Raven chuckled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Ruby, your mother's gift has finally made its way to the surface. When you saw what happened to Qrow, your Silver Eyes finally activated." Ruby's jaw dropped at that. "Oh yes, and what's more, you actually did quite a number on Tyrian with them. Melted the right half of his face AND his right arm in its entirety." She jerked her thumb over to the mangled limb in question. "Don't believe me? There's proof!"

The Silver Eyed girl saw the mangled and melted limb in question and gawked at it for a good twenty seconds, a part of her horrified that she could've done such a thing. "I… I did _that_?"

Jaune put a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Y-Yeah, it's kinda scary, I know."

"But also REALLY cool!" Nora exclaimed as she put her hands to her eyes. "Your eyes went all like; _FWOOSH_!" She then thrust her arms outward. "And then it was all like; BAM!" The Pink Dynamo reeled back and put her hands to her face. "And then Tyrian was all like; "AAAAAAAAH"!" Nora finished her performance with two big thumbs up to Ruby. "It was REALLY awesome, Rubes!"

Vernal smirked and jerked her thumb toward Nora. "What Sugar Rush over there said. No idea you could explode your eyes like that. Pretty cool."

Ren rolled his eyes, though he couldn't help but smile at Nora's enthusiasm. "What Nora means is that your new power is quite the sight, Ruby... even though it blinded us for a while."

"No kidding." Weiss affirmed as she too put a supportive hand onto her partner's back, bringing her gaze toward her. "But Ruby, are you okay? I know that this is all a lot to take in at once, but…"

"I… I'll be fine, Weiss." Ruby smiled back, though the heiress could tell that there was a bit of uncertainty in her voice. "I just have to get used to being able to blast things with my eyes now, hehe."

Rex tilted his head a bit. "Depending on whether you can do it on command. You remember how you did it the first time?"

Ruby rubbed the back of her head, the lingering pain still shooting through her skull. "Well… not really. I guess the sight of Uncle Qrow…" she swallowed hard and forced the words out. "…being _stabbed_ was enough to trigger my power."

Neptune put a hand to her chin as Ben, Yang and Penny made their way over. "Hmm, well, that's not exactly the BEST way to trigger a new power. It'd have to suck to think of your uncle getting stabbed all the—OW!" Sun took the liberty of smacking his partner upside the head, much to Neptune's chagrin. "Dude, what the hell?!"

"NOT cool, bro." Sun shook his head before smiling down to Ruby. "What he _meant_ to say was that we'll figure this out, Ruby."

"Sun's right." Blake agreed as she and the others helped Ruby to her feet. "It might take a while, but we'll all figure it out together, alright?"

Ruby took a deep breath before giving a nervous smile to all of her friends. "Right… we will. I guess it'll just take some time."

"That's the spirit, Shortstack." Qrow said as he began to stand up as well, only to stumble a bit as his legs wabbled beneath him. However, Raven managed to catch him before he hit the ground again, along with Kevin's help.

"Your land legs giving out on ya, old man?" Kevin quipped as he and Raven got Qrow steadied onto his feet. "Keep this up and we'll think you're drunk again."

Qrow couldn't help but let out a chuckle at that. "Heh, nice one, wise guy. But thanks for the help."

"Hmph, how _touching_." Everyone's eyes widened as they were directed over to Cinder, the Fall Maiden standing with her hands on her hips as Rojo, Emerald, Mercury and Neo stood side-by-side with her, the five villains all glowering at the group of heroes. "But, Silver Eyes or no, we're still not done here." Cinder couldn't help but smirk as everyone glared back at her, all of them entering combat stances. "Hmhm, still ready to fight even after all that? Truly impressive."

Ben stepped forward and crossed his arms, matching Cinder's gaze. "We'll ALWAYS be ready to fight you, Cinder. Any time, any place."

Mercury strode up as well, a wicked grin on his face as he pointed at Ben. "Heh, oh yeah? Well last I checked, your Omnitrix is out of juice, Tennyson!" All of a sudden, he rocketed himself forward with two shots from his boots, getting ready for a mid-air kick. "Which means I can do—HUH?!" Much to his surprise, Ben side-stepped the incoming kick, grabbed Mercury by the leg, and then, with all his might, threw the silver-haired young man right over his shoulder, slamming him face first into the ground.

This caught nearly everyone off-guard. "What the WHAT?!" Ruby exclaimed.

But Yang shot her fist up into the air at the sight. "Haha, YEAH! Kick his ass, Green Boy!"

"Alright, Ben!" Rex shouted as well. "Show that emo who's boss!"

Mercury snarled at the EVO for that. "Who are YOU calling Em—OOO!" In the very next second, Ben grabbed Mercury by the collar before punching him right in the face, making him stagger back before a strong roundhouse kick was placed directly into his gut, knocking the wind out of him. Mercury stumbled away and landed right on the ground near Emerald, who was quick to help her partner.

"Merc!" The green haired girl grit her teeth and whipped her head up to Tennyson, with Neo joining her as they both brandished their weapons. "Oh, that is IT! I'm through with this—"

"Stand DOWN, Em." Rojo said as she extended her arm, blocking the two other girls from approaching the heroes. "As much as I hate to admit it, we're out numbered at the moment. It's probably best if we take Merc and wait for the Boss Lady's final surprise."

This was quick to grab everyone's attention, with Ben narrowing his eyes at the woman. "Surprise? What surprise? The Grimmungousaur is finished, your other Grimm are gone, the Negative Ten is down by two men, so what else could there be?!"

Penny's eyes shinned brightly as her Bash Blasters appeared on her shoulders again. "Perhaps they have not realized that they have lost?"

"Oh, we haven't yet, android." Cinder smirked as a large bolt of lightning was suddenly created in her hands. "And if you wish to see the final surprise that Salem has in store for you… come to the docks in a little while. You'll know when you hear it." Suddenly, Cinder struck the lightning bolt onto the ground, creating a blinding flash that obscured everyone's vision for a few seconds. But once everyone was able to see again, the quintet were gone, much to their confusion.

There was a long, silent pause among everyone there, all of them glancing between one another in bewilderment. "The docks?" Pyrrha asked. "What in the world would be at the docks?"

Jaune gave his girlfriend a shrug. "No clue. I mean, it's not like they… wait." Jaune's eyes widened in realization. "…What if this big surprise isn't at the docks themselves… but instead, it's coming by _sea_?"

Ben furrowed his brow at the knight, the hero seeing that his blond friend had become noticeably a bit paler. "Jaune… what're you implying?"

"Oh god." Yang put her hand on Ben's arm, prompting him to bring his gaze to her. "Ben, some of the world's largest known Grimm LIVE in Remnant's oceans. You remember when Jessie mentioned she was friends Blackblade the pirate?" Ben gave her a nod. "Well, Blackblade is the kind of Hunter that deals with THOSE kinds of Grimm, and if one of them is coming HERE… then it will be FAR from good."

Yet another silence over took the group before Rex let out a sigh. "Well, I guess it doesn't make a difference whether we're on Earth or Remnant; there's still one thing that remains the same." He threw up his hands and began marching away. "The ocean is FUCKING terrifying!"

"Uh-huh." Kevin nodded with his arms crossed. "The deeper you go, the more nightmares there are."

Neptune threw his hands up in victory. "FINALLY, somebody gets it!"

"Sad to say, but they're all right." Gwen affirmed. "So, what do we do in the case of these oceanic Grimm?"

"We'll just have to wait and see what it is, I'm afraid." Weiss shrugged. "I guess we should—"

"Everyone!" The whole group whirled around at the sound of Tetrax's voice calling out to them, shocking them out of their conversation. The Petrosapien was waving over to them, with Winter, Ilia and Swift huddled around a certain duo while Lionheart remained off to the side. "We need you over here! It's important!"

The team all hurried over to their location… to see the three aforementioned women attempting to console a still very visibly shaken Lisa and Greg. The former had her arms wrapped around herself while Greg had his hands clasped over his knees as he crouched down, almost as if he was going to be sick. "Oh god." Ben whispered as he sat down next to Lisa on a big pile of rubble. "Miss Lavender, are you okay?"

This managed to snap Lisa out of it, her eyes locking with Ben in surprise. "Huh?! O-Oh! Ben, it's just you." She placed a hand to her forehead in shock. "B-But, yes, I think I'll be… okay. I just… I feel like I need a hug after seeing all that."

"Heh, I can understand that feeling." Ben with a grin. "Trust me, I've been there." Then, much to everyone's surprise, Ben gave Lisa what she had been needing; a reassuring hug. "There, feel better?"

"I… yes, actually. A little bit." Lisa said as she returned the embrace, now unsure exactly what to feel at this point. "…You know, this is a bit odd. Here I am, a woman in her thirties being comforted by a teenager of all people. You're what, eighteen?"

"Almost. I've got about another month before that happens." Ben answered as the hug ended.

Yang smirked to herself at that. _'I'll be sure to keep THAT in mind.'_

Ben continued on from there. "But I've had to grow up fast. Comes with the territory of being a hero. And another part of a hero's job is to make sure that everyone's alright, and it was pretty obvious that you aren't." The hero's words were cut off when a yacking sound was heard just a few feet away, causing everyone to cringe. "…And neither is your camera man." The hero finished as Gwen and Kevin went over to help Greg as well. "But regardless, I'm at least glad that you two have stayed alright throughout this whole thing."

Lisa placed a hand on her chest. "Honestly, so am I. It's been a pretty big rush, but that last moment was just a bit too—WAIT!" Lisa's eyes widened when she saw Qrow standing up on his feet, none the worse for wear except for the excessive amount of blood on his shirt. "Y-You—I—WHAT?! I saw you get STABBED!"

"Sure did." Qrow smirked as he continued to be supported by his sister. "But I think it's pretty obvious I got better."

"B-B-But… HOW?!"

The whole team glanced between one another, unsure how to explain how it was a genie that healed him. However, Gwen cleared her throat and began to explain. "Actually, that was on my part." She began projecting a little bit of pink energy from her fingertip. "You see, while I'm able to control energy, I'm also capable of casting magic spells. Not to toot my own horn, but I'm a pretty good sorceress."

Lisa's eyes nearly bugged out at that. "You can use MAGIC?! B-But how?! I thought magic was just made up! Part of ancient fairy tales and all that!"

Ben winced and shifted his eyes off to the side. "Yeah… see, here's the other part I haven't mentioned yet. Not only do we have all these crazy powers… but we're also from an alternate dimension, one where aliens and magic are both known to exist."

The reporter was silent for a long time after that, taking in a deep breath as she craned her head skyward. "You know… if it hadn't been for all of the crazy shit I've seen today, I probably never would've believed you, Ben Tennyson." She then faced him with a small grin. "But I get the feeling that you're not one for lying, so I'll believe you on this."

"Heh, trust me, you'd know if I was lying." Ben pointed to his left eye. "My eye twitches when I lie. But thanks for believing me, Miss Lavender."

"Please, call me Lisa." The white-haired woman insisted. "And thank you again for helping me calm down."

The Blonde Brawler stepped over and sat next to Lisa, giving her a grin of her own. "Heh, that's my Green Boy for ya. He's pretty level-headed when ya get right down to it."

Lisa's eyes widened as she faced Yang as well. "Oh! So you two are an item, eh?" Yang nodded at that, to which Lisa gave her a devilish grin and leaned forward to whisper; "Then you're pretty lucky, girl. If he were a few years older, I'd probably scoop him up for myself."

"Psh, like I'd let ya." Yang whispered back with a smirk. "I don't plan on losing him anytime soon… he's pretty special."

"Ooh, how special are we talkin'?" Lisa quirked a brow.

Yang stole a glance over to Ben, who had since been pulled into a conversation with Tetrax. "To be honest… after spending all of these weeks together… I'm pretty sure I lo—"

_**GGGYYAAAAAAAUUUUUAAAGH!**_ Everyone suddenly froze as the sound of a blood curdling roar suddenly echoed out through the entire city, bringing everyone to a complete silence. "W-What was that?" Vernal muttered.

"I… I don't know." Tetrax answered. "But whatever it was, it sounded VERY big."

"…Dear god." Lionheart suddenly spoke up, bringing everyone's attention to him. "It… it came from the harbor… and it's coming this way."

Everyone's eyes trained onto him, with Ben being the one to ask the obvious question. "Professor… do you know what it is?"

Lionheart closed his eyes in remorse. "Yes… and it spells our doom."

* * *

After a few minutes of running, the group had finally arrived at the edge of the city with the docks coming into view near the end of the vacated street. The buildings around them obscured their view of the ocean, though, so while they could still hear the massive bellows of… whatever it was that was approaching, they couldn't see it. Lisa was trailing behind the group, microphone firmly in hand as she looked at her camera man. "Okay, I think I'm good to go. Are we live yet?"

"I'm about to switch back." Greg answered as he kept his hand on the 'on' switch. "I'm ready whenever you are, Lisa."

"Good… bring us back on." At her word, Greg switched the camera back on and they got a red light, indicating that they were back on the air. "Hello, viewers at home. Hopefully you're still watching because this is Lisa Lavender reporting still live on the scene in Vale. Before we cut our live feed, we saw a Huntsman get… brutally assaulted by one of those dangerous mutants. Fortunately, the others were able to fend them off and someone with a healing Semblance was nearby and patched the Huntsman up as quick as possible." She had Greg direct the camera right to Qrow as they continued walking. "As you can see, he's up and walking again. However, we might be seeing another assault on the city only mere minutes after Ben Tennyson heroically destroyed the vile Grimmungousaur. Will he be able to do it again? We'll just have to wait and see."

Gwen's eyebrows rose up at the reporter's comment. "Hey, she's got a point…" She quirked a brow at Ben in curiosity. "Has the Omnitrix recharged yet?"

Ben smiled and showed her the watch, its faceplate showing its usual green color. "Yep, five minutes have passed, so we're pretty much good to go." He furrowed his brow as they approached the end of the street, his mind going to whatever new challenge was ahead of them. "But still, I probably won't risk going Ultimate again so soon after doing it once today. Just in case I need to transform a few times."

"Good idea." Kevin agreed. "Besides, whatever this thing is, it sounds REALLY big. And if what Lionheart says is true, then you might be in for a pretty big fight, Tennyson."

Finally, the team made it to the very end of the street and stopped at the city's edge, the large group staring out over the ocean. What they saw… was something that a few of them needed to do a double take on. "What… the FUCK is that thing?!" Swift shouted, voicing her comrade's thoughts.

Not too far out into the Valian harbor, an absolutely GIGANTIC creature was approaching the city, belting out a powerful roar as it lumbered forward through the water. It had to be at least the height of FOUR Grimmungousaurs, placing it at about two-hundred and eighty or so feet. Its arms were very humanoid with webbed hands and long claws on its fingertips. Though they couldn't see it, its feet were also webbed, and had large claws, with long, splayed out toes. It had a long tail with a fish-like fin at its tip, which no doubt enhanced its swimming capabilities.

Like many Grimm, its ribcage was exposed. It also had razor-sharp teeth protruding from its upper and lower jaws, which were elongated and partially resembled that of a dolphin's snout. There were four red gills running down the length of its neck on each side, and it also had three glowing yellow eyes on either side of its head. Finally, it had a set of long, pointed dorsal plates protruding from its back, with the same red webbing on its hands, feet and tail, completing its monstrous appearance.

If his face weren't covered in fur, the teens would've seen Lionheart grow immensely pale. "It's as I feared… a Leviathan." He set his hands on the railing near the water's edge and hung his head. "We're doomed."

The teens all stared out at the approaching monolithic Grimm in utter shock and awe, with many of them moving to their respective others for comfort. This included Rex and Ren, who let Weiss and Nora move closer respectively without hesitation. "…God damn it." Qrow grumbled as he hit the railing. "How the hell're we gonna fight back against somethin' like THAT?!"

"I… I don't know, Qrow." Raven admitted with her shoulders slumping. "I don't even know if Vale has the defenses necessary to hold a Grimm like that off. And if they did, then they were likely destroyed after the FIRST attack on Vale."

"Not even _Humungousaur_ can that big!" Nora said as shrunk back a bit. "If we could barely do anything to the Grimmungousaur before, what can we do against that?!"

Pyrrha swallowed hard before speaking up. "…I think I can safely say that this calls for the term—"

"Pyrrha, wait." Ruby held up her hand. Everyone's eyes were on her for a good few moments before giving Pyrrha a sympathetic face. "…Could I say it?" Pyrrha blinked for a moment and nodded to the Hooded Huntress. "Thanks, I appreciate it." Ruby faced the sea once more and screamed as loud as she could; "CRAAAAP BASKEEEEETS!" The whole group stared at Ruby in surprise, with Kevin pumping his fist in pride before Ruby turned back to her friends with a smile. "Great! Now let's work on a plan to stop that thing!"

"What?!" Nearly the whole group exclaimed before Weiss picked it up from there. "Ruby, I don't know if you've noticed, but that thing is as tall as a medium-sized SKYSCRAPER! How could we possibly hope to beat it?!"

"You may want to listen to your partner, Little Red!" The whole group spun around to see Rojo, Cinder and the others approaching them from the side, their faces all etched with smug grins. "Better to just go home and let the Leviathan level the city to the ground!" The bounty hunter jerked a thumb out toward it. "Besides… you'd probably just make it hungry! AHAHA!"

As the group of villains began to yuck it up, Sun and Neptune stepped forward, the boys going for their weapons. "Ben, you wanna finish these guys off before we deal with the Leviathan?" Sun asked as he glowered at the quintet.

"Yeah, we can take 'em, no problem." Neptune assured.

Ben smiled as she walked up between the two, setting his hands on their shoulders briefly. "Thanks boys, but that won't be necessary. I'll take it from here." He strode forward a little more before folding his arms at the villainous group. "Guys, I have to admit, you've been really persistent through this whole thing. Honestly, most people would've retreated at this point."

Emerald scoffed and nudged her chin at Ben. "Well, we're not exactly most people, now are we?" Next to her, Neo took off her hat and gave a theatrical bow toward the group as Emerald went on. "Now _you'll_ get a taste of what it feels like to be over-powered by something bigger than you!"

Blake raised an eyebrow at that. "…Didn't we already kinda experience that earlier? Y'know, with the whole "Grimmungousaur" thing?"

"Psh, maybe." Mercury scoffed before gesturing out toward the approaching Leviathan. "But if you seriously think you have any hope of beating that thing, then you're probably stupider than I thought!"

Vernal grit her teeth and grabbed her Ver Laminae, striding forward with her eyes concentrated on the silver-haired assassin. "Now listen here, you emo asshole, I'm not about to just stand here and be insulted!" She took a combat stance and made a 'come at me' gesture with her hand. "You wanna go? Then let's fucking go! I'll beat the ever-loving _shit_ out of you and THEN we'll see who ends up surrendering!"

Cinder placed a finger on her cheek. "My, my, such crass language. Are you certain that's anything befitting of a _Spring Maiden_?" Cinder let out a small chuckle when her insult hit its mark, prompting Vernal's face to become beat red in anger. "Oh, that's right, you're _not_."

"Oh, you made the _wrong_ mistake—huh?" Vernal suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, prompting her to spin around. She expected it to be Raven, but instead, to her surprise, it was Yang. "Blondie, listen, if you're tryin' to stop me."

"I _am_ , V." Yang said firmly with an intense stare that caught Vernal off guard. At that moment, Yang looked VERY much like her mother, and it was a bit off-putting. "Because honestly? They're just trying to _goad_ us at this point. It's _not_ worth it."

"She's right." Ben nodded. "Besides…" he set his sights out over the ocean. "I already have a plan to beat that thing."

Cinder blinked at the hero's words. "You do?"

"You do?!" Many of his teammates echoed before Ilia moved up to meet his eyes. "Ben, I know a lot of your aliens are pretty powerful, but not even OUR most powerful weapons have found a way to kill a Leviathan in one blow! I seriously doubt that you can—"

Ben shook his head. "Oh, I probably _can't_ kill it in one hit. In fact, it'll probably take _many_ hits. But still, I'm pretty sure I can beat it."

Another scoff came, this time from Rojo. "Pfft, now THAT'S a laugh. What do ya have planned this time, Tennyson? Going Ultimate again?"

"C'mon, Rojo, think hard." Ben tapped the side of his head knowingly. "You've known me for almost eight years now. You've seen pretty much all of the aliens I can transform into…" He smirked and quirked a brow at her. "Isn't there a certain transformation you're forgetting?"

Rojo thought for a moment before a look of realization came to her face. "…Oh god."

"W-What?" Cinder asked as she, Emerald, Mercury and Neo were all visibly confused. "Rojo, what does he mean?"

Kevin snapped his fingers as he, Gwen, Swift and Tetrax all smiled simultaneously. "Oh yeah, that's right! You've got that guy! You use him so rarely that he kinda slipped my mind!"

However, the Remnant natives were all still quite lost in the dark, with Yang curiously gazing at her boyfriend. "Okay, Green Boy, I give. What the heck are they talking about?"

Ben gave her a shrug. "Well… let's just say that I have a couple of what I like to call "Last Resort" transformations. And right now, I think it's time to bring one of them out." He saw that Yang had become visibly worried when he said 'last resort', prompting him to cup his hand to her cheek. "Heh, I know. It's kinda scary to think about." He reached out and grasped her hand in his, bringing his face close to hers with a soft and tender kiss. "…But I'll come back to you, okay? I promise."

Yang smiled back at him before putting her hand around his neck and bringing him in for another kiss, this one much more passionate than the last. "You've got a good track record on promises so far, Green Boy. I trust you on this one."

"I'm glad you do, and I'll make sure to keep it." Ben chuckled before taking a brief pause. His mind was screaming at him in that moment to; _'Tell her NOW you idiot!'_ This prompted him to take a steady breath, pressing forward to the best of his ability. "Y-Yang, before I go, there's something I need to say… just in case I don't—"

"You will."

"But I—"

" _Ben_." Yang put her finger to his lips to silence him, giving him her trademark smile. "Like you promised; you WILL be back. And when you do get back… tell me then." She pulled herself in for a hug. "Because I have something _I_ need to tell you, too."

The hero's heart leapt into his throat for a brief moment before letting out a nervous laugh. "Heh, now that's a promise I can keep." The couple broke their hug and Ben smirked over to Rojo and the other villains, giving them a salute. "Well, Rojo, sorry I have to break TWO of your toys today, but…"

The bounty hunter pulled out Bloodstrike and aimed it right at Ben, its barrel glowing red. "Tennyson, I swear if you—"

Ben quickly made his selection and the Omnitrix's faceplate retracted. "Too late!" He slammed the core down and a familiar green light suddenly enveloped Ben as he transformed into XLR8, the Kineceleran's own faceplate covering his face. "See ya!" With that, XLR8 took off over the water, leaving Rojo to start blasting at him as he ran away.

"DAMN IT!" Rojo shouted as she approached the railing to stay within range, only for the Kineceleran to out-speed the energy blasts. "Gah! No! We can't let him get out there!"

Cinder stepped forward and pulled on Rojo's shoulder, the two women locking eyes. "Rojo, what is going _on_ here?! Tennyson can't hope to match the Leviathan's power!"

"Heh, yeah, pretty sure not even Humungousaur can grow that big." Emerald snickered.

Rojo winced as her eyes darted back out over the water, her anxiety growing as XLR8 drew closer to the Leviatathan. "Yeah, about that… there might've been a teensy-weensy, itty-bitty, little detail that might've slipped my mind." Her teammates sent her perplexed stared as she let the cat out of the bag. "Tennyson kinda has an alien that's bigger than Humungousaur."

There was a long pause before both heroes and villains exclaimed; "WHAT?!"

The only ones who weren't surprised in the least were Gwen, Kevin, Swift and Tetrax, the three smiling as they watched their friend get closer and closer to the Leviathan. Raven took notice of this and decided to ask Gwen directly about it. "Gwen… is this true? Is there REALLY an alien that's bigger than Humungousaur?"

"Oh, you bet there is." Gwen confirmed. At this point, the colossal creature had noticed XLR8's approached, to which it responded by opening its maw and sending forth a huge stream of fire from its throat. However, XLR8 proved too fast, and was able to dodge the incoming attack easily, resulting in a huge cloud of steam. From there, XLR8 had finally made it to the Leviathan itself and began scaling the gigantic creature's legs, speeding his way around its torso and making his way to its head. "And it's actually MUCH bigger than Humungousaur…" Gwen added right as XLR8 made it to the creature's chin.

What happened next… was something that EVERYONE there would remember. XLR8 slammed the Omnitrix on his chest, transformed into another alien… and then the Leviathan was knocked right down onto its back, a massive fist having crashed into its lower jaw. As the Leviathan tumbled back, the new transformation landed in the water with a massive _THOOM_ , his feet creating a bunch of large waves in the process. Everyone's jaws practically hit the pavement as they laid eyes on the alien before them, one that towered over all of Ben's previous transformations.

"Oh. My. God." Weiss uttered in disbelief.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Neptune put in his own two cents. "He's… he's—"

"GINORMOUS!" Nora screamed, her arms raised up high in complete hype.

Indeed, her description couldn't be any more appropriate. From his feet to the top of his head, this alien seemed to be about 85 meters in height, equaling the size of the Leviathan easily. His shoulders were fairly bulky and his pectorals were somewhat pronounced as well, giving him a muscular physique. His skin was predominantly blank white, though there were a few black spots like his neck, a couple of black stripes on his arms, and the bottoms of his boot-shaped feet. He also wore black fingerless gloves on his hands, which had large, red cuffs on his wrists.

There were also other various red parts to him, such as his feet, where the read reached up to a point on his shins. The same could be said about the area around his neck, which had a high collar that led down to a circular area where the Omnitrix was in the center before ending in a point right in the center of his stomach. There were also two large, red blade-like protrusions sticking out of his shoulders and hips, along with another pair of even LONGER ones emerging from his arms, though both sets were equally sharp. Finally, there was a large, red and black fin sticking out of his head, making him seem taller than he already was.

His head itself was also quite big, mostly white with his cheeks being red as well. His primary green eyes were big and almond-shaped while a second set of eyes protruded from his cheeks, the smaller set being protected by a metallic armor around them.

Back on land, Cinder's eye was practically twitching as her teammates stared on, baffled that there could even be an alien that big standing before them. "No… no this… this is—"

"Impossible?" Gwen finished. The Anodite crossed her arms as the group all continued to gawk at the alien, the redhead satisfied at their reactions. "I think you should know by now that "impossible" is kind of my cousin's thing." She glanced back to the giant alien as the Leviathan glowered at its new opponent. "I TOLD you he was big. In fact, I think you could say he's…"

" _ **WAY BIG!**_ **"**

* * *

Everything had gone wrong. That was the only conclusion that Salem could come to after witnessing what she had just seen. First, her Grimmungousaur had been defeated. Though that wasn't _too_ big of a deal, since she could always create more. _'MANY more if I wish to overwhelm that ultimate alien.'_ But then… the girl's Silver Eyes had activated. Salem couldn't help but give a painful wince as she saw the scene unfold before the nearby Seer in Vale was turned to stone in the blinding light. Even if she wasn't there, she could still feel the raw power emanating from her location. And the moment she had another Seer on the scene, the strength of that power was confirmed the moment she saw Silyrian's mangled body.

"Hmph, I'll start working on the bio-tech he'll need." Watts remarked after seeing the scorpion mutant's broken form, placing a finger on his chin. "…Perhaps a rocket-launching pincer and a targeting array in his new eye…"

Salem had sighed when he said that, but simply waved her hand in approval. "Yes, very good, doctor." The witch rubbed her head as she felt a headache coming on. _'Well, at least the Leviathan is still a viable option, so there's that.'_

From there, however, things only got worse. Somehow, young Gwen Tennyson had been able to restore Qrow Branwen with the Relic of Knowledge… which she promptly threw back into Raven's portal. Salem had to be alone in the room for a while after that. Once she allowed the others to rejoin her, they sat in silence as the Leviathan arrived in the city. It was then that Salem saw what she could only describe as utter foolishness; Ben Tennyson was running at high speeds toward the titanic Grimm.

"What in the world is he doing?!" Hazel exclaimed when he saw the Kineceleran dashing across the water.

A small smile came to Salem's face at that. "Hm, he seems to be speeding toward his own—" _FLASH! BOOM!_ "…WHAT?!"

In an instant, Tennyson had transformed into a creature so large that it rivaled the Leviathan in height, having punched the creature down into the water for good measure. As the hero stood tall in defiance of the creature, he proclaimed his name so loud that it rang through the Seer; _**"WAY BIG!"**_

Salem's eyes widened and her lips parted, baffled by just what she was seeing. "W-W-What is…"

"A To'kustar." Viktor growled as he clenched his fists, a sneer forming on his face. "Damn it, I had forgotten that Tennyson had that transformation!"

"Viktor… you know what that thing is?" Watts inquired as he stared at the titan in horror.

"Indeed." Viktor nodded. "To'kustars are gigantic aliens that are born inside of cosmic storms. They are considered non-violent beings, but they also live on the edge of the galaxy, guarding it from unknown threats." He glared at the Seer as the two gigantic opponents faced off against one another, the Leviathan giving a roar of challenge. "And if experience has taught me anything… it's that a To'kustar usually wins."

After a long silence pause, Salem spoke up, though she didn't sound happy. "Viktor… how could you have forgotten that Tennyson had a transformation like this?"

Viktor lowered his head in shame. "I-I apologize, Miss Salem. My consciousness was dormant for so long that it slipped my mind. I can offer no better reasoning."

"…I will accept it." Salem said as she laced her fingers together and rested her chin upon them, concentrating on the fight about to happen. "But you are VERY lucky that you are devilishly handsome, dear Viktor."

Viktor could feel all his internal organs do a flip at that, though Watts and Hazel seemed to be somewhat off put behind him. "I… thank you, Miss Salem."

* * *

_**GGGYYAAAAAAAUUUUUAAAGH!**_ The Leviathan belted out a deathly roar as it squared off with the equally titanic being in front of it. The beast knew that this creature was prey, but still, it didn't know exactly WHAT to think of it at first. Up until now, no other creature could rival it in size other than the rest of its own kind, not even the planet's largest whale. But now, it stood eye to eye with another giant like itself, and that could only mean one thing; it had to fight it.

Way Big smiled and balled his fists, entering a combat stance. **"Yeah, this must be pretty different seeing someone of my stature around."** the To'kustar quipped. **"Bet you're gonna tell ALL your friends about me… oh no, wait, I'm gonna kill you before you even do that."** With a battle cry of his own, Way Big threw the first punch, landing a direct hit across the Leviathan's jaw. The beast's massive head was knocked away, but once it gathered itself, it swiped its hand to claw at Way Big's face… only for the titanic alien to grab its wrist.

With a strong twist, Way Big wrenched the Leviathan down into the water and began stomping on the beast, careful to keep his foot away from any boney spikes. Then, with a strong kick, Way Big sent the Leviathan tumbling away further out into the ocean, though the beast opted to instead roll with what it was given and dive down into the ocean instead.

Way Big narrowed his eyes as he searched for the Grimm, no doubt using its environment to its advantage. _'Come out, come out, where ever you—' SPLASH! 'Crap!'_ Way Big spun around just tin time to see the Leviathan tackle him into the water, the Grimm quick to grab his neck to try and choke him out under the waves. However, thanks to the armored collar around his neck, the Leviathan couldn't get a good hold on Way Big, which allowed the To'kustar to breach his head out from the water. He thrust his entire body up and slammed his fists into the Grimm's torso, allowing him to turn the tables and pin the beast himself.

Way Big immediately began punching the giant Grimm in the face, knocking it from side to side. **"You. Need. To. Stay. DOWN!"** With that final word, Way Big balled his fists together and brought them both down onto the Leviathan's head… though the creature seemed unfazed. Instead, it opened its maw and another stream of blazing fire shot out and hit Way Big in the face, forcing him to stagger off of the creature and allow it to escape beneath the waves once again. **"Ugh, you're making this WAY more difficult than it has to be!"**

The To'kustar began searching once again, but this time was more successful when it caught sight of the monster's six glowing eyes, a smirk coming to his face. _'There you are…'_ It was then that the Leviathan breached the surface again and jumped up into the air, intending to crush Way Big under its body weight again. However, Way Big's form allowed him to move faster, tucking and rolling himself beneath the Grimm's incoming attack. The Leviathan landed and Way Big went to grab for the creature's tail, only for it to swing the appendage away and slam it into Way Big's side.

But the To'kustar clenched his teeth and bore through the pain as he wrapped his arm around the tail, a smirk coming to his face. **"Going up!"** Using all of his strength, Way Big yanked hard on the tail, managing to swing the Leviathan up into the air and throw it across the harbor, the creature landing quite a fair distance away. Way Big rolled his shoulders and popped a few muscles in his neck. _'Well, needed a bit more strength than I expected, but it got the job done.'_

Back on land, as they watched the Leviathan begin to get back up and shoot fire at Way Big once again, the large group of teens and adults still couldn't believe what they were seeing. Out of all the things that Ben had up his sleeve, THIS was something that none of them could have expected. Yet still, the young heroes couldn't help but cheer for their friend as he continued to make leeway with the Leviathan, the hero dodging the fire breath and delivering another punch to the Leviathan's gut.

"WOO! Alright, Ben!" Jaune pumped his fist up as he and the other boys gave their support.

"Sock it to him, dude!" Sun belted out as well while delivering punches to the air.

Kevin shouted out as well; "Show that Leviathan who's top dog, Tennyson!"

"I probably shouldn't be enjoying this as much as I am…" Neptune admitted with an ear to ear grin. "But man, there's just nothing like a giant monster battle!"

"FUCK YES!" Nora shouted while jumping all over the place. "It's like a kaiju movie come to life and I am ALL for it!"

Blake sent a smirk over to her blonde partner, who was obviously cheering the hardest for Ben. "So, what's it like knowing that your boyfriend can become a titanic alien?"

"Whaddya think?!" Yang shot back with an ear to ear grin. "This has to be THE coolest thing I've ever seen in my life! And I thought him killing the GOLIATH was amazing!" She turned back to the battle just in time to see Way Big slice his arm blades across the Leviathan's chest, making it roar in pain. "Woo-hoo! Go get 'em, Green Boy!"

Not far from her, Lisa had the same type of smile on her face, her eyes wide in awe as Greg attempted to keep the camera focused on the battle. "I… I am almost SPEECHLESS right now! Hahaha!" The reporter laughed into her microphone with glee as she watched Way Big go back to pummeling the Leviathan again. "People at home, I hope you're seeing this because this is HISTORY in the making! For the first time, a Leviathan his met its match and his name is… WAY BIG! HAHAHA!"

Behind her, Lionheart had but one of his paw-like hands to his head in utter bafflement. "I… I think it's safe to say I've seen everything now."

"Same here, Leo." Qrow nodded. "Watch Boy's certainly got a knack for surprises."

"Indeed, he does." Raven agreed with a smile. "I know he'll make a great son-in-law someday."

Qrow narrowed his eyes at his sister. "Uh, let's not get TOO hasty here, Rae."

"Psh, speak for yourself, Uncle Qrow." Ruby said. "Being part of the Tennyson family sounds pretty good right about now." She then went back to cheering on Way Big some more, who had at that moment drove his knee into the Leviathan's stomach. "GIVE IT ALL YOU'VE GOT, BEN!"

However, the villains were all less than pleased. "This cannot be!" Cinder exclaimed as she clawed at her hair, seeing the Leviathan fall to water while clutching its stomach. "How in the world does he have THIS powerful of a transformation?!"

Rojo could only offer a shrug and a supportive pat on the shoulder. "Beats me, Cindy. For some reason, it's always Tennyson who gets the shiniest toys."

"This is COMPLETELY unfair!" Emerald shouted as she smacked her fists against the railing. "For god's sake, GET UP you stupid Grimm!"

Right when she said that, Way Big jumped up and over the Leviathan, landing behind it with another _THOOM_ before spinning around for another hard punch from behind. However, before the fist could make contact, the Leviathan opened its mouth and caught Way Big's wrist, biting down on it with as much force as it could. **"GAAAAUGH!"** Way Big grit his teeth as he slammed his other hand up into the Leviathan's snout, forcing it to open its jaws and release his hand. **"Oh, you did NOT just—OOF!"** Once again, the Leviathan had spun around and socked Way Big's stomach with his tail, forcing the To'kustar to stumble back a bit. He managed to retain his footing, though, and after shaking off the mild pain in his hand, he was right back at it, grappling with the Leviathan as their hands locked up.

After another couple knees to the stomach, Way Big forced the creature down and trapped it underneath him, grabbing hold of its snout as he pulled its head back. He then forced the maw of the beast to open and began pulling them back harder and harder, hoping to snap the jaws before doing the same with its neck. However, just as he did that, the beast's fire breath began to ignite again, making the To'kustar's eyes widen. _'Damn! Should've thought this through more!'_ With that thought, Way Big abandoned the idea and instead jumped back, avoiding the blazing breath effectively.

However, instead of retreating into the water like he thought it would, the Leviathan actually jumped up to tackle Way Big again, this time willingly opening its mouth to clamp down on the titanic alien's head fin. It was successful and began pulling Way Big down, but the To'kustar wouldn't be having any of it. He reached up and forced the beast's maw open bit by bit until he was able to free his head fin… before getting hit directly in the face with the beast's fire breath. With a shout of surprise, Way Big pushed the Leviathan back before putting his hands to his eyes, the burning heat having gotten into them.

Back on shore, the group let out a series of audible gasps while three out of the five villains began cheering instead, much to their annoyance. "Haha! About time that monster started fighting back!" Mercury laughed, with Neo giving a smile and thumbs up at the action.

"I dunno…" Rojo narrowed her eyes at the fight as the Leviathan took the opportunity to lunge at Way Big again, the two opponents going back to wrestling through the water. "The Leviathan might be strong, but Tennyson hasn't brought out the big guns yet either…"

"WHAT?!" The trio shouted. "Rojo, what are you—"

Cinder's question was cut off when Way Big once again managed to escape the Leviathan, rubbing the last big of burning sensation from his eyes before seeing the Grimm open its mouth to blast out more fire at him. _'Okay, so that's how you wanna play, huh?'_ Way Big furrowed his eyeridges and crossed his arms over his chest, forming an X-shape with his hands close to his face. Suddenly, a powerful green energy began to collect in between his hands, and once the Leviathan let loose its powerful flamethrower, Way Big unleashed his attack as well. A powerful cosmic ray erupted from his hands, colliding with the flames and tearing through them like paper. The Leviathan was taken aback by this and immediately closed its mouth to turn away, only to get hit directly in the shoulder by the cosmic ray, sending it falling down into the water once again. Way Big nodded in satisfaction. **"Hmph, THAT'LL teach ya."**

As a thick, black mist could be seen wafting from the beast's shoulder, the group on land could only stare in awe of what they had just seen. "What… the HECK was that?!" Ilia exclaimed.

"That would be a cosmic ray." Swift answered. "To'kustars are born in cosmic storms, so they're able to generate and manipulate that energy into powerful beams like that."

"…Damn." Vernal smirked as the group began cheering some more. "Tennyson's transformations only get cooler and cooler."

"No doubt about that!" Rex concurred as he crossed his arms and shook his head. "But man, it's crazy how he gets to have all the fun, ya know? I'd be out there in a heartbeat to join in on that action."

Weiss couldn't help but roll her eyes at that. "Well, you WOULD say that, wouldn't you, Robo-dolt? But I think Ben's got this handled." She quirked a brow at him and placed a hand on her hip. "Besides, it's not like YOU can become a giant or anything." But the moment she said that, Rex's eyes widened and a smile came to his face, which were the tell-tale signs that he had an idea. "…Rex, what are you thinking?" Weiss deadpanned.

Rex pointed a finger at her, wagging it a bit as he started to head over to the railing. "I'm thinking that you just gave me a GREAT idea!" The made it to the edge and activated his Boogie Pack, much to everyone's surprise. "And trust me, you'll think it's pretty sweet!"

"W-What?!" Weiss exclaimed before rushing forward and rushed in front of Rex, grabbing him by the shoulders to stop him. "Rex, what are you THINKING?! You can't just go OUT into the middle of all that!"

"She's right." Winter concurred as she also came over, giving Rex a stern glare. "It's far too risky. You could get _killed_ if you get caught between those two!"

Rex raised his hands defensively, smiling at the Schnee sisters to reassure them. "Ladies, ladies, _no te preocupes_! I've got a solid plan, trust me!" He locked his eyes onto Weiss, who was giving him her own stern look while crossing her arms. "Listen, I know this sounds crazy, but you guys forget that I've taken on things that're just as big, if not bigger than that."

Winter sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "We know, Rex, but we do not need to take unnecessary risks at a time like this. Ben can handle this himself."

"And he probably can." Rex smirked. "But here's the thing; I've got a way to go toe to toe with that monster that's pretty sweet."

Weiss raised her brow again. "…Really?"

"Yeah! …I mean, it's a trick I've only pulled off once so far, but—"

"WHAT?!" Weiss interrupted.

"B-B-But I think I can pull it off again!" Rex hastily added as he placed his hands on to Weiss' shoulders. "Trust me, I've got some pretty good control over my nanites to pull this off." He saw that Weiss' expression was now very unsure, so he gave her a small smile. "Weiss… do you trust me?"

The heiress rolled her eyes at that. "Well, yeah, but… you're taking a REALLY big chance with this one, Rex. Placing faith in something that you've only gotten to work once?"

"I know, it sounds risky, and I promise that I'll come back…" Rex assured, "but right now, I need you to trust me on this one, okay? …Please?" Much to his shock, though, Weiss pouted in annoyance and pulled herself away, crossing her arms while craning her head down toward the ground. Rex pursed his lips before giving her a reassuring hug from behind, whispering; "I'll be back. That's a promise." He ended the brief embrace and stepped back over to the railing to take off.

But what Rex didn't see during his hug was the ongoing turmoil etched onto the heiress' face. She knew that the EVO could very well handle himself out there, but the thought of him going up against that… demonic ocean Grimm still unsettled her. And the worst part was that she knew why that was. The emotions she was subsiding were starting to bubble up, and she knew she couldn't hold them back for much longer. _'Goddamn it, why do you do this to me you gigantic, thick-skulled, Robo-dolt?!'_

Just as he was about to take off, Rex heard the familiar clicking of heels grab his attention, spinning his head back to Weiss as she ran up to him. "W-Weiss, what's—huh?!" He was cut off when the heiress grabbed a hold of his jacket collar and looked him dead in the eye, her features dead serious.

"…You'd better hold true to that promise, Rex." Weiss stated plain and simple.

Rex smiled in relief and chuckled a bit. "Of course, Weiss. You ain't getting rid of me that eas—huh?!" All of a sudden, without any warning whatsoever, Weiss gave a firm tug on Rex's shirt and brought him down to her level.

A small blush came to Weiss' face. "…Good." Just then, she leaned in and gave him a small peck on the cheek, eliciting a small collective gasp from their friends. "See that you don't."

"I…I-I…" Rex was left speechless by what had just happened. It took a couple seconds for his brain to process it, but he finally managed to utter; "W-What was that?"

"…Are you serious?" Weiss said incredulously. "What do you THINK it was?!"

"W-Well, I KNOW what it was, but… I-I didn't know that—"

"That I _liked_ you?!" Wiess finished as her blush began to grow even redder at the exchange.

Rex raised his hands again. "W-Well, I-I mean, I-I wasn't a _hundred_ percent sure, but—"

Wiess pinched the bridge of her nose. "Ugh, you really ARE hopeless." She let go of his collar before pulling him into a hug, burying her face into his chest. "Just… please keep your promise… about coming back. …Please."

To say that nobody was expecting that was an understatement, including Rex himself. He could tell that she sounded very worried about him, though, and after a few moments, Rex felt his confidence spike enough to return the hug. He then lowered his head down and planted a kiss of his own on top of her head, catching her attention. She looked up to see him smiling down at her, his hand going to her face to caress it. "Trust me, that's a promise that I know I'll keep." he said with a wink. "And just for the record, I like you that way too."

Those words earned a loud cheer from their crowd of friends. The show of support made the two blush, though the stand-out had to be Gwen yelling; "Freaking FINALLY!", the Anodite falling to her knees and raising her fists up to the sky.

Winter smirked and crossed her arms as she observed the duo as well. "What she said."

"Yeah, yeah, go on and celebrate you bunch of shippers." Weiss waved off before going back to Rex. "In all serious, though, I'm happy we just let everything out. I can't TELL you how much stress this has caused me."

"Same here." Rex nodded, squeezing her shoulder a bit in reassurance. "It's times like these where I need some sense knocked into me."

The heiress rolled her eyes at that. "When DON'T you?" The new couple shared a laugh before Weiss gave him one last peck on the cheek, nudging her head toward Way Big and the Leviathan as the titanic duo continued their clash. "Now go kick some sea monster ass."

"With pleasure." Rex affirmed before activating his Boogie Pack, taking off into the skies with a small salute. "So… I'm guessing we'll talk first date when I get back?"

Weiss smirked and folded her arms at him. "Oh, _definitely_."

"Then I look forward to it. Wish me luck."

"… _Buena suerte_." Weiss smiled before seeing Rex jet off toward the Leviathan… leaving her with all of her smirking friends standing behind her. The heiress narrowed her eyes at Gwen, Ruby, Yang, Blake, Pyrrha, Nora, Ilia and Penny, all eight of the girls grinning from ear to ear in excitement. Swift and Vernal stayed off to the side, though their smirks were still visible. Weiss rolled her eyes and threw her hands up. "I suppose you're all happy now?"

Ruby zipped up and hugged her best friend instantly. "Yes, very."

Pyrrha raised a hand up toward her friends. "I believe the highest of congratulations are in order!"

Nora practically slid in next to Weiss and muttered into her ear; "He IS quite the catch, Weiss. I think ya did pretty good with this one, hehe."

"Yeah, congrats, Weiss-cream." Yang said as she and Blake joined their teammates in the hug as well. "Now we BOTH have super-hero boyfriends!"

Blake peeked open one eye and glanced toward Ruby. "Now all we need is to set Ruby up and ALL of us will have boyfriends."

Ruby blushed and waved her off. "Later! Right now, this is Weiss' moment!"

As the girls all congratulated the heiress, Rex found himself feeling higher than he had ever felt in his life. To think that he'd be so lucky to even FIND a girl like her. He was so sure after Circe left that he'd never like someone as much as her… but now he was firmly certain that he liked Weiss just as much if not MORE than Circe. And it was this certainty that allowed him to focus on doing what needed to be done. He flew right past Way Big's head, earning a surprised shout from the To'kustar. But Rex just kept flying toward the Leviathan, closing his eyes to dig deep within him and access the power of the Omega Nanite, pulling it all out from within himself. _'This one's for you, Weiss.'_

With that, blue lines started appearing all over his body and his eyes shined a bright blue as well… all while his hair erupted into blue flames. All of a sudden, a blue light began shining from his chest and enveloped his entire body. Once the light stopped, everyone was able to get a clear view of what happened… only to be surprised when another large object suddenly slammed into the Leviathan, knocking it to the ground. Everyone's jaws collectively dropped at what now stood side-by-side with Way Big… including the To'kustar himself.

It was a gigantic blue, grey and silver robot, one with a dynamic figure that stood face to face easily with Way Big. Its legs were smooth and mostly blue with grey parts at the knees, ankles, and upper thighs. Its hip and groin area were also made of the same grey plating while the abdomen was a silvery metal, one which also comprised the robot's hands and biceps. Its forearms were blue and cylindrical while its shoulders were also blue and more rounded, with a big glowing cyan light in each one.

The robot's upper chest was the same metallic blue, but had a huge, circular, glowing energy core at its center, complete with cyan connectors that lead to two large cylinders on its back, which no doubt held even MORE power within them. The robot's head was also burning with an intense blue fire, while a set of "goggles" adorned its forehead. And the robot's face… well, there was only one way to describe it from Way Big's perspective.

" **REX?!"** The To'kustar moved his eyes up and down the massive robot's form before landing on his face, his eyes widening in disbelief. **"…Since WHEN can you transform into a giant Optimus Prime?!"**

The faceplated giant robot that was Rex craned his head over to Ben, his eyes narrowing a bit. **"I'll explain later, man."** The transformed EVO assured, his faceplate moving up and down as he spoke. Behind him, he could practically hear everyone freaking out back on the docks, but that was something to focus on later. **"For now, just know that THIS is what the Omega Nanite can REALLY do. Call me… Omega Rex."**

Way Big smiled eagerly and offered a fist. **"Well then, Omega Rex, wanna take this thing down?!"**

Omega Rex returned the fist-bump with gusto. **"With pleasure!"** With that, the two heroes lunged forward, tackling the Leviathan to the ground once again. The duo of giants began pummeling the Grimm before it lurched beneath them and began rolling, making them both jump up to their feet. **"Oh-ho! So you wanna go THAT route, eh, Fish Face?!"** At that moment, Omega Rex's hand retracted into his arm and in its place, a large Blast Caster whip came out, the weapon glowing with powerful energy. **"Then let's go!"** However, little did the two giants know that as they faught on, a certain space ship was making its approach from Beacon, and the occupants inside were utterly baffled by what they were seeing.

* * *

General Ironwood knew that the moment he met Ben Tennyson and his friends, his life would be altered in ways that he could never have imagined. However, not once did he think that he would see something like this. From the bridge of the Resolute, he saw a Leviathan Grimm battling against a titanic white and red being and a huge blue and grey robot. Yet again, he couldn't help but be thrown for a loop. "W-What IS going on around here anymore?" James muttered.

Glynda set a hand to his arm in support. "James… I honestly couldn't tell you anymore."

"What the HELL is even ARE those things?!" Coco exclaimed in complete bafflement.

"HAHA!" Cooper laughed as he raised his hands up. "It's WAY BIG! Ben's gone Way Big!"

Cesar pointed hastily to the battle as well. "And that's _mi hermano_! Haha! He tapped into his Omega EVO form again!"

Sienna couldn't help but blink at the revelation. "Wait, that's SERIOUSLY Ben and Rex?!"

"I can't imagine them being anyone else." Ghira stated, running his hands through his hair as he watched the showdown take place. "But to be fair, I'm starting to wonder just what the extent is of these boys' powers…"

"So am I." Kali admitted. "If you ask me, these boys have enough power to level an entire city if they wanted."

Velvet let out a sigh, her head sagging a bit. "Well, I suppose it's a good thing they're on our side, then." She noticed that her blind teammate was wearing a frustrated expression, prompting her to ask; "Fox? Are you alright?"

"Hmph… yeah… it's just the one time I actually WISH I could see something happening." Fox grumbled out. "And before you ask, no, ADA describing it to me isn't the same."

Yatsu gave his friend a supportive pat on the shoulder. "Well, I can certainly say one thing, it's definitely as crazy as you're probably hearing it." He only got another small grumble from Fox in response.

Coco sighed and planted her eyes on the screen, just in time to see Way Big fire off another cosmic ray at the Leviathan while Omega Rex charged in with his whip. "Well, I guess there's nothin' much else to do other than enjoy the show." She pumped her fist up and gave a cheer. "Show 'em what ya got, Watch Boy! You too, Gear Head!"

* * *

Back on the ground, Weiss was still staring out at the battle with her mouth agape at what just happened. The others were as well, but she definitely had her mouth open the widest. From out of absolutely nowhere, Rex had transformed himself into a giant robot and joined in with Way Big on the Leviathan beat down, the mechanical giant having lashed his whip around the Leviathan. After sending a surge of energy through the large whip, Omega Rex gave a huge yank, swinging the beast around and slamming it down onto its head, smashing it into the water. Omega Rex then retracted his whip into his arm and went to grab the Leviathan, only for the creature to disappear under the waves again to recoup itself.

"I… I don't…" Weiss was at a loss for words over the whole situation, to the point where she almost didn't notice Yang coming over to set a hand on her shoulder.

"Well Weiss, looks like you're in the "My Boyfriend can become Giant Club" with me!" Yang declared, her grin unflinching even when Weiss whipped her head around to give her a glare. All the Blonde Brawler did was wag her finger at the heiress. "Ah-ah, you were the one who chose to kiss him right here and now. You have NO excuse to get out of this."

Weiss pouted again and folded her arms, directing her attention back to the battle. "…Okay, yeah, I guess I _can't_ work my way out of this. But still, it's not like I—REX, WATCH OUT!" Her warning came just as the Leviathan sprang out of the water again and tackled Omega Rex down, only for Way Big to grab a hold of the beast and pry it off his friend.

The grappling duo began scrambling through the water again, each trying to gain superiority over the other. However, a lucky slash across Way Big's eyes managed to get the To'kustar to loosen his grip long enough for the Leviathan to worm its way out of his grip. With another massive tail whip, the Leviathan sent Way Big's head underwater for just long enough to open its maw and take aim at Omega Rex, sending out another powerful stream of fire at the massive EVO.

Fortunately, Omega Rex had been able to collective himself, propping himself on one hand as he closed his other fist and aimed it at the Leviathan. **"ROCKET PUNCH!"** With those two words, Omega Rex's whole left forearm came off and rocketed straight through the flamethrower, colliding with the Leviathan's open mouth and knocking it straight back down.

Weiss deadpanned at this. _'Wow, really?'_

Way Big had different thoughts, though, having seen the attack as he rose his head out of the water. _'That is SO cool!'_ With a big grin, Way Big picked himself up and took the metal fist out of the Leviathan's mouth… only to then hit it over the creature's head multiple times before kneeing it in the lower jaw. Way Big tossed the appendage back to Omega Rex, who reattached it immediately. **"You wanna end this now?"**

" **Yeah, seems like a good time."** Omega Rex concurred before wrapping his arms under the Leviathan's own, hoisting the dazed creature up and holding it in place. **"But before we do… how about we go for a classic double team maneuver?"**

Way Big gave his EVO friend a thumbs up before running a fair distance back into the city, about two-hundred yards away through an abandoned street. Then, with little hesitation, Way Big then rushed back toward the water, getting within striking range before falling to his back and landing on his hands, thrusting his arms so that he launched himself feet-first at the Leviathan. Omega Rex had gotten out of the way just in time as Way Big struck the Leviathan directly in the stomach, sending it sent careening out toward the open ocean.

But they weren't through yet. Omega Rex got back on his feet and rushed out toward the Leviathan, his hand retracting as his forearm converted into a giant Bad Axe. He grabbed the Leviathan's tail as it came crashing down and immediately cleaved his axe through it, eliciting a roar of pain from the giant beast as it fell into the water. Omega Rex tossed away the already dissolving tail and grabbed one of the Leviathan's arms as it scrambled out of the water, cutting IT off as well.

As the Leviathan roared in agony while rising out of the water, it suddenly caught a glimpse of red and white in the corner of its eye… but it was too late. The moment it turned to face its first opponent, it was met with Way Big thrusting one of his forearm blades through its torso, cutting off its roar effectively. Way Big pulled his blade out and caught the beast with Omega Rex's help, the two nodding to each other before using their combined strength to toss the Grimm up into the air.

Way Big crossed his arms and took aim while Omega Rex converted his arm into a rather large energy cannon, pointing it up at the beast as well. With their attacks both charged up, the two giants sent out two massive blasts of energy, the beams uniting in their coarse for the Leviathan before hitting it directly in its stomach, effectively blowing the creature up in mid-fall. The two titans cheered at their victory and shook hands, laughing all the while.

" **HAHA! We did it!"** Way Big said with a thumbs up. **"Nice job, man."**

" **You weren't too bad yourself,** _ **amigo**_ **."** Rex nodded back as he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. **"Great teamwork out there!"**

" **Thanks…"** At the sound of cheering voices, both titans directed their eyes out back to the docks, where all of their friends and teammates were cheering for them as well. The duo waved back to them briefly before Way Big's eyes found the rather deflated group of villains as well. Cinder and Mercury were glaring hard at them while Rojo, Emerald and Neo seemed very frustrated yet also slightly worried. Much to his surprise, he also saw the Resolute hovering up high in the air, all while the Mistralian began to descend toward the villains themselves. **"…Now, there's just one more thing that needs to be done."**

* * *

As angry as Cinder was that their plan was now up in smoke, she couldn't help but feel a new wave of anxiety wash over her as she saw Way Big and Omega Rex approach, her glare becoming gradually softer with every thunderous step they took. It was one thing watching them from a distance, but by the time they were about ten yards away from them… it was the first instance in a VERY long time that Cinder felt small again. It was the feeling of being looked down upon by others, powerless to do nothing. She knew whatever she threw at these titans, they'd be able to shrug it off easily, so all she could do was glare at them, hoping that they couldn't see the trepidation in her eyes.

"C-Cinder?" Emerald spoke up. "What do we do?"

Cinder glanced between the giants, the Resolute, the team of heroes approaching them, the Mistralian Airship, and finally to her own teammates. She assessed the situation thoroughly and sighed in defeat, knowing that there was no possibly way they could go on in their present condition and with the numbers stacked against them. "…We retreat for now. Everyone, get to the airship." Cinder pursed her lips before glaring back up at Way Big and Omega Rex as they approached, her teammates already on the move. "…This isn't over, Tennyson. Not by a long shot." With that, Cinder dashed toward their airship and boarded it, the craft taking off in an instant.

Rojo put her hands to her hips as the airship ascended into the sky, flying away from Vale at the highest speed it could. "Boss Lady's not gonna like this at all…" She saw that Neo was clenching her umbrella worriedly, so she offered a supportive had to her shoulder.

"No, she will not." Cinder concurred. "But since she was observing all of this… she will no doubt know why we could not continue."

"Well, I guess that's all we can hope for." Mercury concluded as he saw Way Big and Omega Rex looking up after them.

The giant robot set his eyes onto his comrade, raising an eyeridge before nudging his head toward the retreating ship. **"So, should we just bring 'em down, or… what?"**

Way Big raised his arm, halting Rex on that thought. **"No, let them leave. Honesty, I think we've driven the point across already. If they wanna try again, then that's their problem. Besides, I think we've ALL had enough crap for one day."** The duo stepped onto the shore and transformed back into their human forms, doing so just as the Resolute came in for a landing not too far away from them.

Just as they saw the ship's exit ramp start to open up, the sound of Yang's voice caught Ben's attention. "BEN!" The hero brightened up and spun around, smiling the moment he saw his girlfriend and the others come rushing toward them. The Blonde Brawler pulled her boyfriend into a hug and laughed in excitement. "That. Was. AMAZING! HAHAHA!" She wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled him in for a congratulatory kiss before asking; "So just WHEN were you gonna tell us that you had a transformation like THAT in your tank?!"

"Yeah, Ben, what the heck?" Ruby asked as she crossed placed her hands on her hips. "Were you holding that one out on us or something?"

Ben gave her a shrug. "Heh, what can I say? The best surprises are the ones you don't expect." However, out of the corner of his eye, the hero couldn't help but notice something quite interesting going on…

"Haha! See? I told ya it would be sweet!" Rex said as he ran up and scooped up Weiss in an embrace.

"…Okay, I'll admit, that WAS pretty cool." Weiss conceded as she wrapped her arms around Rex's neck and gave him another peck on the cheek. "Great job, Robo-dolt."

Rex couldn't help but smile when she did that. "Hmhm, thanks. You know, I'm glad we were able to just get everything out in the open." The EVO gave her a smirk as he pressed his forehead against hers. "Means we can be sweet on each other more often."

"Don't push your luck, Robo-dolt." Weiss smirked back. "I'm not gonna go easy on you just because we're a thing now."

A chuckle escaped Rex's throat as he let Weiss down, her head settling against his chest. "Heh, I probably shouldn't expect anything less from you… but then I wouldn't have it any other way."

Ben's jaw went slack as he made his way over, catching the new couple's attention. "Um, I'm sorry, but when did all of THIS happen?!" The hero smiled as Rex and Weiss set their eyes on him. "Guys! Congrats on FINALLY getting together!"

"I _know_ , right?" Gwen agreed. "How do you think _I_ feel having to endure over a week of romantic tension between these two?"

Rex and Weiss' eyes widened at that before turning to each other in surprise. "Man, can you believe it's only been over a week since we met?" Rex asked incredulously.

"Yeah, feels like it's been a lot longer, though." Weiss blushed. "What with well… _everything_ that's gone on between us AND everything else."

Ben sighed and placed his hands behind his head, reflecting on everything that had happen in not only in the past week, but the past few weeks they had been there. "I think it's safe to say that we've ALL had a pretty hectic few weeks. But now, I think it's time we… uh…" The hero paused when he saw his friends all suddenly wearing rather nervous faces, their eyes trained toward him for some reason. "…Guys? What's the matter?" The whole group pointed up, indicating that there was something behind him. Curiosity taking over, Ben turned around… only to be met with a rather angry Sienna Khan marching up to him. Initially confused, the revelation hit Ben like a truck in a split second and he raised his hands defensively. "W-W-Wait, Sienna, I can explain—" _CRACK_! In one swift motion, Sienna sent a clean punch right into Ben's cheek, laying the hero flat to the ground. The team recoiled in shock as Sienna took in a calming breath, not once taking her eyes off Ben for the whole ordeal.

"…THAT was for transforming into Rath."

* * *

**A/N: And… cue the sad trombone sound effect. Hehe, poor Ben, even when he comes out on top, he can never catch a break. But hey, what a way to end the Negative Ten Arc, huh? Quite a bit happened in this chapter, but I think the BIGGEST thing (pun intended) was Way Big FINALLY making his appearance! You guys have been asking for him, so I hope I was able to deliver! And yes, I used his Omniverse design since I think it marries both the OG and UAF designs pretty well. But, in a surprise twist, I also brought in Rex's Omega EVO form as well! And he and Way Big made quite the tag team, wouldn't you say? Gave that Leviathan a good thrashing and everything!**

**But on the topic of Rex, it seems that he and Weiss are finally together! And all it took was a little confidence on Weiss' part! I think those two will be a LOT happier now that their feelings are out in the open (and worry not, their relationship might only be starting now, but it will truly get to flourish in the second volume). Not only that, but indeed, the Silver Eyes have taken one of the villain's eyes and limbs… just probably not the one you were expecting. As far as I'm concerned, with what he's done both in canon AND this story… Tyrian kinda deserves it, even if he IS going to be getting some upgrades from Watts. And indeed, Jinn was the one to heal Qrow… meaning that Gwen has now used up one third of her favor. Yeah, I wanted a reason to keep Jinn around for a while longer without using the last question, so I thought; "well, she IS still a magical being, so she could still probably grant wishes". Plus, genies were said to grant wishes to those who helped them out of gratitude, and since Gwen saved Jinn's life, that works perfectly here! And finally, it seems that Lisa got to see the rather dangerous side of a hero's work. Fortunately, Ben's an understanding sort, so he was there to reassure her. And just in time, too, because otherwise, she may not have had the confidence to get that entire Leviathan/Way Big/Omega Rex fight on camera!**

**Alright, so, NEXT TIME! With the battle over and the day won, our heroes head on home for a much-needed rest… but not before Lionheart meets back up with Ironwood and Glynda in his present state. But when everyone DOES get home, they are bombarded by questions from everyone there… including a rather intrigued Galvan who's eager to meet Penny. What happens from here on out? Well, stay tuned to see the answer! Thanks for reading everyone, and I'll see you all next time! Have a Happy Halloween and stay safe out there!**

**P.S. The last five chapter's titles have been brought to you by The Transformers: The Movie soundtrack! I would've put "Dare to be Stupid" in here somewhere, but it didn't exactly fit the arc. …Maybe in the next volume.**


	115. Aftermath... Again

**A/N: Hey there AO3 gang! I'm back and with the final few chapters of Ben 10 RWBY Volume 1: Dimension Twist! With these last three, we'll finally be caught up on with the one over on FFN, so let's not waste anymore time here, shall we? This is...**

**Chapter 115: Aftermath… Again**

* * *

There were just some things in life that Ben Tennyson had resigned himself to never fully understanding. Be it why the Omnitrix would at times turn him into the wrong alien or, more frequently, why every evil being out in the universe seemed to be gravitated toward him. But at the moment, those pretty much paled in comparison to what was happening right now. Sienna Khan, after making her way off the Resolute, had just punched him in the face… only to then extend a hand down to help him up. That had to be one of the BIGGEST mood swings he had ever seen in someone ever. Her face had gone from utterly pissed to calm yet serious, and now she was offering him a gentle smile as she offered him her hand. "Well, Tennyson? Are you just going to lay there on your ass all day or do you want to get up?"

"O-Oh, yeah… also OW!" Ben reached up and grabbed Sienna's hand, the tiger woman hoisting him up while he rubbed his now sore cheek. "Sienna, I know ya don't like Rath, but was that really—"

"Yes, it was." Sienna said as she suddenly yanked him toward herself, grabbing his face with her free hand as she stared into his eyes with her serious expression having returned. "I thought I made it quite clear that you were not to transform into Rath around me ever again. Am I correct?"

Ben glanced off to the side, hoping to avoid her judging gaze. "W-Well… yeah, but—"

"And you broke that rule, correct?"

"…Yes."

"Will you make the same mistake again?"

"…No, ma'am."

Sienna's smile returned and she took her hand away from his face, ruffling his hair a little bit. "Good boy." She gave Ben's jacket a light dusting off with her hands, much to the hero's chagrin, before patting him on the shoulder. "I'm glad that we understand each other on this one."

"Yeah, thanks." Ben said before turning back to Yang… only to see that she was biting her finger to resist letting out a laugh. "Wha—Yang?! What the heck?!"

A small snort came from the Blonde Brawler before giving her boyfriend a hug. "I'm sorry, Green Boy, but you have to admit, ya kinda had it coming." She saw him about to protest and she pointed at him. "Hey, like she said, she made her rules pretty clear, so you have no one to blame but yourself for getting decked like that."

"She's right, you know." Ilia said as she came up and smirked at Ben. "Sienna's a woman of her word after all."

Sienna gave a small smile to the chameleon girl. "Indeed." She went over and pulled Ilia into a hug. "And I'm glad to see that all of you are safe, as well, Ilia." Sienna then quirked a brow over to Ben as the hug ended. "Also, I could've done a lot worse to you." The tiger lady smirked and placed her hands on her hip. "By the way, nice job taking care of that Leviathan, you AND Rex over there."

Ben rubbed the back of his head. "Heh, thanks, Sienna."

All of a sudden, from behind Sienna, Kali and Ghira came charging toward them, the cat woman and her husband setting their eyes onto their daughter in relief. "Blake!"

"Mom! Dad!" Blake closed the distance between the two groups and enveloped her mother in a hug, her father's larger form standing behind Kali as he wrapped his arms around both of them. "Oh, let me tell you, you should have SEEN what just went down."

"Oh, but we DID!" Kali assured as she met her daughter's eyes. "And it was amazing!" She craned her head over to Ben and Rex and gave them a greeting wave. "Hi boys! Nice work, the both of you!"

Ghira sent the duo a nod as well. "Yes, very nice work. Not every day that two people can take down a Leviathan by themselves… in fact, I'm quite certain that has _never_ happened before."

" _Gracias_ , Ghira." Rex said with a salute. "All in a day's work."

Just then, Sun came strolling up from behind Blake to greet the Belladonna's as well, giving them a small wave. "Mr. and Mrs. B! Glad to see you guys are alright!"

Kali gasped and extended her arm, immediately bringing Sun into the group hug. "Oh, Sun, I'm glad to see that you're doing alright, too! Isn't that right, Ghira?"

The panther man sighed and shifted his eyes off to the side. "Well, I suppose—oof!" Kali sent an elbow to her husband's abdomen, the woman giving him a stern face before he correcting himself. "Er, I mean, yes. Yes, it's good to see you're alright as well, Sun." Blake and Sun merely glanced at each other, the cat girl letting out a little giggle at seeing her mother take control of the situation.

"Ben! Guys, you did it!" Everyone's heads perked up when they saw Cooper and Team CFVY approaching them, the blonde genius greeting them with open arms. "Nice going you guys!"

Velvet jumped up and pumped a fist into the air. "You really showed that Leviathan what for!"

Coco approached Ben and sent a jab right into his arm, making him wince a little. "Gotta admit, I seriously did not see that whole "Way Big" thing coming. Mad props for bein' awesome, Watch Boy."

Fox grumbled and crossed his arms, with Yatsu giving him a pat on the shoulder. "Still wish I could've seen it."

"Hehe, thanks guys, I appreciate it." Ben said with a salute. "And thanks for backing us up through all of this. Seriously, it means a lot."

Coco returned the gesture without a second thought. "No prob, dude. Anything to keep this city from falling… completely." She craned her head toward the city itself, seeing that there was still smoke billowing from where the Grimmungousaur had blasted its deadly energy beam. Everyone's expressions became sullen as they recalled just how much damage the beast had done… and there was no doubt that innocent people had been caught in the crossfire. "Damn it." Coco's grip on her handbag's strap tightened, her teeth clenched in ire. "How do these bastards keep taking chunks out of the city like this?"

Cooper came up from behind and put his hands on her shoulders, hoping to soothe her as best he could. "I honestly don't know, Coco. But don't worry. We'll figure out a way to keep this from happening again."

"Actually, I already have a plan for that." Everyone turned their heads to see General Ironwood and Professor Goodwitch come strolling up to the group, the former with his hands behind his back. "Hopefully, once this project is completed, everywhere in Remnant will have a new form of protection." He sent a smile out toward the whole group. "But… for the amount of protection that you all provided, I must say you did a good job. Well done, everyone."

Off to the side with his team, Jaune nervously put a hand behind his head. "Thanks, General, but I'm afraid we can't take ALL of the credit." He jabbed a thumb over to Ben and Rex with a smile of his own. "Really, it was those two who did most of the work."

"I must disagree with that." Goodwitch dismissed with a proud face. "You students have certainly come a long way from just three weeks ago. Words cannot describe the amount of pride I have for ALL of you." The headmistress then quirked a brow and smirked over to Ben and Rex. "However… I WILL admit that last trick was quite unexpected from both of you."

"No joke." Coco agreed before elbowing her boyfriend in the side. "What's next, Tech Head? You gonna build a giant robot so YOU can help Ben and Rex out?"

The whole group got a good laugh at that before Cooper replied; "Hehe, well, maybe. But I'd rather not take any chances being crushed inside of it." The genius lifted his arm, revealing that he was still wearing his gauntlet before bringing up the schematics for his Mark III armor again. "Besides, I've still got a new project to work on."

Seeing the schematics, many of the other teens let out simultaneous "oohs" and "ahs" at it, with a certain redheaded android getting in close. "Oh my, now this looks to be quite the feat of engineering, Cooper." Penny applauded. "I am sure it will be quite wonderful."

All of a sudden, VADOS piped up; _"Isn't it sensational, sister? Mr. Daniels thought of every contingency with this one, I believe!"_

"EEP!" Penny exclaimed before realizing who was talking. "Oh, apologies, VADOS, I was not expecting to hear you. Say… what exactly happened to the other armor?"

"Oh, Cinder destroyed it, unfortunately." VADOS answered. "But you can be certain that this new armor will be…" Penny's eyes brightened up and she finished the sentence with her sister; "Combat Ready!" the two shared a laugh after that, which managed to spread throughout nearly the whole group.

…At least aside from three certain individuals. The laughter began to die down as Qrow and Raven stepped forward through the crowd, leading a certain lion mutant toward Ironwood and Goodwitch. The two headmasters' smiles disappeared immediately, replaced with expressions of surprise and shock at Leonheart's presence. Off to the side, Ghira, Kali and Sienna took defensive positions in front of Blake, Sun and Ilia along with Coco and her team as well, the group keeping their eyes on Lionheart as he and the Branwens approached. Once they stopped, Lionheart lifted his head to meet Ironwood's eyes. "…James." He trailed his eyes over to Goodwitch as well. "Glynda."

Ironwood pursed his lips, his brow furrowing at his former ally. "Leo… you're free."

"I am." Lionheart gave a nod over to Ben. "It was thanks to him that I was freed in the first place." He took a brief pause before lowering his head again. "James, I—" But he was then abruptly cut off when Glynda suddenly stepped in front of him, catching his attention. "G-Glynda, I—"

_SLAP_! Most of the group let out a simultaneous gasp all at once as the headmistress gave a hearty smack across Lionheart's feline features, making the lion mutant's head jerk to the side… but only slightly. For as hard of a slap it was, the man's enhanced strength still meant he could take it relatively well… but he was certain that Goodwitch didn't care about that. "How COULD you?! You betrayed us, betrayed _Ozpin_ , and LOOK where it got you!" She thrust her hand at his new mutated form. "You should have known from the start that allying with Salem would get you to this point, or even _worse_ , and yet you continued to aide her! HOW could you have done this, Leonardo?!"

The righteous anger etched across Glynda's face was more than enough to drive the point across for Lionheart. He had made a mess of everything. "…I don't know what to say other than you are right." He said with a sigh as his head sagged again. "I was a fool. A complete and utter _fool_ to trust Salem like I had done." He glared down at his hands in disgust. "And now because of my actions… I am a monster."

"Call it _karma_ , Leonardo." Goodwitch said with an edge in her voice. "You got exactly what was coming to you for all of your misdeeds."

"I can't say I disagree with her, Leo." Ironwood concurred. "You brought this upon yourself."

Lionheart closed his eyes solemnly. "I know. And I can offer no excuse that would justify my actions. I was an utter coward who was trying to save his own neck. And thus…" He raised his hands up to Ironwood, presenting his wrists. "I request that you punish me like a coward should be. Lock me up in Atlas' highest security prison if you have to, but please, give me what I deserve."

Ironwood took a moment to think on the lion man's words before eyeing the large wrists. "Well, I'm afraid we can't bring you to Atlas without turning some heads. Plus, we don't have cuffs that fit you. However…" He gestured over to the Resolute. "I think I know a place where you'd be locked up properly. Tetrax?"

"Of course, James." The Petrosapien stepped forward and pulled out a pair of energy cuffs from his back pocket, placing Lionheart's hands behind his back before putting them on. "Alright, Lionheart, let's get on board." He, Ironwood, Glynda, Cooper, Team CFVY, Vernal and the Branwens all began leading Lionheart to the ship… but not without setting his eyes onto a certain Aerophibian hybrid. "Swift, you too."

The Aerophibian's head snapped back as she let out an exasperated groan. "Ugh, _fine_. Had a feeling my time outside wouldn't be for long." Swift began making her way to the ship with the others, though not before offering Ilia a wink. "I'll see you on board, Freckles."

"U-uh, y-yeah!" Ilia said with a nervous smile, her spots becoming a soft pink. "You sure will." Once Swift was gone, Ilia felt an elbow jab her side and she spun around to narrowed her eyes at Blake, who was giving her a cheeky grin. "Blake, I swear, I am NOT ready for this yet!" she harshly whispered.

"Oh, don't worry, I won't push you into doing anything… at least not yet." Blake winked, earning a small frustrated sound from the chameleon girl. "Hehe, but seriously, the way she saved you? I wouldn't be surprised if SHE has a thing for you, too."

Ilia's expression softened and she tapped her fingers together. "…You really think so?"

"I do. And don't worry." Blake settled her arm around Ilia's shoulder with a supportive smile. "I'll be sure to do my best to help you out in this. But for right now, I think it's time for us to head home." She perked her head up toward her other friends. "What do you say, guys? You ready to finally put this day to rest?"

Nora mimicked what Swift had done just a few moments before at her question. "Ugh, YES! Dear god, I am SO tired!" For a brief moment, her face lit up with a big smile. "Granted, Ben and Rex both just pulled off the most AWESOME-TASTIC thing I've ever seen in my LIFE, but still…" She bent forward and let her arms wobble around. "My everything feels like jelly."

Pyrrha nodded at her teammate's assessment. "Indeed. At this point, I simply want to get home and perhaps try and finish the Spirit Temple in Ocarina of Time."

"Ooh, good plan." Gwen agreed. "We're literally _this_ close to finishing the game." She gave a smirk to her fellow redhead and nudged her shoulder with Pyrrha's. "Think we can complete it before we head out to Earth tomorrow?"

"We can certainly try!" Pyrrha said with a raised fist.

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I could certainly go for a good nap after all of that." Ren piped up.

Neptune raised a hand in agreement. "Same here, dude. I feel like I just ran a marathon or somethin'." However, it was then that Neptune began to ponder something, placing his finger on his chin. "Hmm… but why do I have the feeling we're forgetting something?"

This got everyone else thinking as well… and before long, Ruby gasped when she realized what it was. "Ah! Oh my gosh! We forgot about—"

"Me?" Lisa Lavender finished as she suddenly zipped up behind Ruby and popped her head next to her, earning a small shout from the Hooded Huntress. Lisa let out a laugh and pat Ruby on the shoulder. "Haha! Ah, don't worry, kid. I was just busy signing off." She set her sights out toward the whole group, giving them a grateful smile. "But trust me, the whole of Remnant is sleeping better tonight now that you saved the day." She bowed toward the group as well. "I'm honestly very glad that we have people like you guys watching out for us."

Ben gave her a wave in response. "It was no trouble at all, Lisa. We're just glad to help." He set his eyes out toward the city and let out a sigh. "I just wish we could've done a better job with the attack at first."

"Well, that is a good point." Lisa conceded. "But still, it could've been a LOT worse if that Leviathan made land fall, so still, you all did a good job." Her arm suddenly snapped up toward Rex, giving him a big smirk. "And YOU, young man, you absolutely FLOORED me with that giant robot trick! That was AMAZING!"

Rex rubbed the back of his head sheepishly at that. "Heh, thanks. I'm just glad that I was able to pull it off at all."

"Aren't we ALL?" Weiss and Winter said simultaneously, much to Rex's chagrin.

Lisa laughed again before noticing Ghira, Kali and Sienna were still present, her eyes lighting up when she saw them. "OH! Miss Khan! Mr. and Mrs. Belladonna!" She briskly jogged up to them while pulling out a pad of paper and a pen from her pocket, hoping to get in a few final notes. "Firstly, I apologize that the press conference didn't end the way we wanted it to. I was actually very invested with what your new mission statement was and I was hoping I could get in a few final words from you regarding what you'll be doing from here."

Sienna, Kali and Ghira all exchanged gazes with one another before the latter gave a shrug. "Ahem, of course, Miss Lavender." Ghira permitted.

"Fire away." Sienna waved.

"Thank you." Lisa put her pen to the paper and began her small interview. "Now, how closely do you plan on working with the Atlesian Army? Is this working relationship going to be Ace-Ops level or will it be a bit looser?"

"Likely the latter." Sienna answered. "While the Atlesian Army have volunteered to work with us for our future endeavors, we have a feeling that we still won't be very welcomed in Atlas itself." She gave a sneer at the thought of a certain Dust Company giving them trouble. "And I'm sure that the SDC will be hounding James for even _considering_ allying with us."

"And that brings me to my next question;" Lisa gestured out toward the group of teens behind her. "It's obvious that you have a working relationship with these kids considering what you said about Miss Schnee at the press conference earlier. Does that mean that you're familiar with Salem as well and are aiding them in their fight?"

Kali gave her a nod. "That's right. We've been aware of Salem for a few days now. She and her forces aided in the subjugation of our people in Kuo Kuana…" She wrapped an arm around Blake's shoulder. "And our daughter and her friends have been aware of her for quite a few weeks as well. They've been fighting against her practically since the Battle of Beacon."

"Oh my! Well, that certainly makes sense." Lisa jotted a few notes down before directing her attention back to the three feline Faunus. "And one last question; will you be continuing the press conference at a later date? I'm certain that you will want to finish what you started."

Ghira took in a deep breath and answered. "Indeed, we will…" His eyes moved over to Vale and a slight cringe came to his features. "After all, considering what just happened, we'll HAVE to have another press conference." He set his sights onto Ben and Rex, raising a brow at the two boys. "Although, I doubt that the White Fang will be the total focus of THAT particular press conference."

Lisa nodded as she eyed the duo herself. "Hm, I see what you mean. Well, I think we can set something up in a couple of days, so—"

"Uh, actually…" Kevin raised his hand, catching Lisa's attention. "We kinda have to leave for our home dimension tomorrow, so…"

The reporter's eyes widened in shock. "Y-You're _leaving_?! So soon after you made yourself known to Remnant?!"

Ben wore a guilty face as he rubbed the back of his head. "…Yeah, our families have been worried about us for three weeks straight, and now that we have the ability to go in between dimensions, we wanna get back and see 'em." The hero raised a single finger to make another point. "Plus, we have a whole bunch of other problems to take care of back in my home dimension, and then there's the fact that we wanna recruit more help in fighting Salem as well."

Lisa made sure to write all of this down before giving a sigh. "Well, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that someone like you has enemies all his own." But then, a determined expression came to her face. "But if that's the case, then I'm going to make sure that we get a press conference set up for you before you guys head home! Question is…" She quirked her eyebrow over to the city of Vale again. "Where should we have it?"

"Ooh! Perhaps over on Patch?" Penny suggested. "It isn't too far away from the city."

"Hey, yeah!" Ruby agreed. "And it's where we live, so it'd all work out pretty well!"

Lisa put her finger to her chin in thought for a moment before agreeing with her assessment. "That's a pretty good idea. Patch maybe a bit homier than the places we usually set press conferences up, but it's a FAR better option than the city." She sent a smile toward Ruby and gave a thumbs up. "Alright, Patch it is, then! I know my bosses will be quite eager to get some words from you, so I think it'll be easy to set this up." She set her gaze toward Ben, giving him a wink. "And just so you know, I will probably swing by a bit early to get in a quick interview with you before the actual conference starts. Is that alright?"

"Oh, sure, provided you can find us." Yang spoke up as she proceeded to give Lisa her address. "We're a bit far out in the woods, so it might be a bit of a trek, but I think you'll find it."

Lisa nodded to Yang in gratitude. "Thank you very much. I'll be there first thing tomorrow morning." She gave one last wave to the group as she turned back around toward Greg. "I'll see you kids then!" The teens waved goodbye as Lisa called out to the cameraman. "Greg, pack it up! We need to get back to the station PRONTO!"

As the group watched the two adults leave, a few of them let out some tired sighs before Ben piped up. "Well, I think that's our que to go home, too." He set his hand to his stomach as he heard a light growl come from it. "I dunno about you guys, but I'm STARVING."

At his words, many more stomachs in their group began grumbling as well, eliciting another round of laughter before Kali spoke up. "Hmhm, well, I know exactly what you kids need! Another healthy dose of salmon and tuna!" She turned to her husband and grabbed his arm. "Oh, dear, you should SEE the smorgasbord of fish that our daughter brought back from Mistral the other day, you and Sienna will be salivating before it's even cooked!"

"Oh, really?" Ghira smiled over to his daughter with his eyebrows raised. "And where did you get this "smorgasbord", Blake?"

"A fishmonger named Randolf in the city's marketplace." Blake answered as the group made their way to the ship. "If you guys ever head to Mistral, you should look him up. Fair warning, though; his way of bargaining is… rather painful." She rubbed her stomach with a slight grimace. "Still feeling the pain of balancing on the wooden pole."

"Hmph, how odd." Sienna remarked before noticing Ironwood, Goodwitch and the Branwens standing at the top of the ramp, waiting for them patiently. "So, general, I take it that Lionheart is in a cell?"

"He is." Ironwood affirmed, holding up a communicator in his hand. "And I've called in the… _next_ round of clean-up efforts now that the city's been cleared of the villains." Ironwood sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, with Glynda setting a steady hand on his arm. "I can never seem to catch a break with these attacks, can I?"

Ben lowered his head slightly. "Sorry, general. But I guess that means that you're not coming back to Patch with us?"

Goodwitch shook her head. "No, Ben, we still have many things to do in the city and at Beacon now that the attack is over." She sent him and her students a small smile. "But that doesn't mean that you all have to stick around. Go home and get some rest. You all have well earned it." Glynda craned her head over to Qrow with a serious face. "That goes for you as well, Qrow." The headmistress pointed down to his bloodstained clothing. "And some new clothes will probably be necessary as well."

Qrow groaned and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you—gah!" Without warning, Ruby suddenly pinched her uncle's shoulder hard, making him concede. "Agh, alright, alright, I'll get some shut-eye." Ruby wordlessly gave him a big toothy grin before zipping inside the ship, a sigh escaping him as the others boarded as well. "Ugh, what's gotten into her lately?" He quirked a brow over to his sister. "Are you bein' a bad influence on her?"

"Hm, maybe." Raven said cheekily before strolling into the ship. "And if I am, I'm VERY proud of her. Now come along, dear brother. Time to go home and tuck you in." Qrow grumbled and followed his sister, much to his irritation.

"Oh, that reminds me." Ironwood faced Winter and gave her a nod. "Winter, your new uniform has arrived back at base. I'll have somebody send it over to Patch right away before you depart for Earth tomorrow."

Winter's eyes widened slightly before giving Ironwood a salute. "O-Oh, yes sir! But… are you certain that you have no reservations about my—"

"Winter, when was the last time you had a vacation?" Ironwood asked expectantly.

"…Um, I…"

"I thought so." Ironwood smiled before putting a hand to her shoulder. "I know that you and Gwen's brother have been eager to meet one another, so feel free to take as much time as you want. Besides, I can tell that you've found a good place among this team." He sent her another salute. "I hope you'll keep a good eye on them throughout your time on Earth. But most importantly; remember to have a bit of fun yourself."

There was a momentary pause before Winter smiled and saluted yet again. "Yes sir, understood."

"Very good. I'll send your new uniform over immediately." Ironwood and Goodwitch filed off the Resolute, giving the young heroes one last wave. "Have a good rest, everyone. You'll need it before you leave tomorrow. And once again… thank you." Once the duo were off the ship, its exit ramp rose up and closed before it took off, blasting off toward Patch once more. Ironwood sighed and stared out to the city. "Well… the secret's out."

"Indeed it is." Glynda sighed. "A secret we've worked to keep for well over twenty years… and one that Ozpin's been keeping for his entire life." She set her eyes on James with a worried gaze. "The media is going to be all over us on this."

James let out a breath and rubbed his eyes, getting exhausted at even the thought of having to deal with those vultures. "Yes, and the people up in Atlas will be hounding me when I get back up there." He ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. "Ugh, there's so much going on at once, I can't concentrate!"

Glynda quirked a brow at her fellow headmaster. "I thought your Semblance was supposed to help with that?"

"Well… I think it's been thrown out of whack ever since Ben and the others arrived." Ironwood explained. "The Battle of Beacon was one thing… but everything ELSE happening at that same time, it… it was so much that for the first time in a while, I was knocked for a loop." He put a hand to his forehead. "And it's been that way ever since. I don't know, Glynda… maybe I should just get used to everything not being normal ever again. Maybe then I can get my Semblance back on track."

There was a brief pause before Glynda reached over and grasped James' hand, garnering his attention before giving him a warm smile. "Honestly, I think I could get used to things not being normal. And I think I can help you adapt, too." She sent him a wink, making his eyes widen. "That is… if you'll let me."

James stared at her for a moment before a smile came to his face as well, putting his other hand over hers to reassure both her and himself. "Yes, I'd… I think I'd like that." All of a sudden, a ringing came from James' pockets, making him give out a groan while Glynda forced down a small laugh. "Oh what NOW?!" He took out the scroll and answered it; "Hello?"

" _General, this is Clover."_ a voice came from the other end. _"The other Ops and I just saw what happened on TV… what the HELL is going on down there?!"_

James' grin returned and he chuckled a little bit, thankful that it was just an old friend. "It is a LONG story, Clover. But don't worry, we have it all under control."

" _I should hope so!"_ Clover said on the other end. _"That… that just looked insane."_ There was another pause before Clover piped up again. _"Well, I suppose it's good that I called you anyway. I have some news that I wanted to share with you. It came in just as the press conference was starting and I didn't wanna interrupt you…"_

Ironwood sighed and rolled his eyes a bit. "Well, I suppose even MORE news couldn't hurt. After the events of today, I don't think anything can phase me. What do you have to report?"

" _Sir… our people found her. We have the Winter Maiden."_

James nearly broke his scroll in his iron grip.

* * *

The Resolute had made it to Patch in record time, having lowered down in front of the Xiao Long house to let its passengers off. Among them was none other than Caesar, the genius beaming with pride as he kept his arms settled over Rex and Weiss' shoulders. "Haha! _Mijo_ , _papi_ would be SO proud of you right now!" Caesar ruffled his brother's hair with gusto before he faced Weiss with a small but sad grin. "And Weiss, our _madre_ would've been ecstatic to meet you. Man, I wish they could be here to see you two."

Weiss blushed and brushed a stray hair away from her face. "Thanks, Caesar. I wish I could've met them, too."

"Yeah, so do I." Rex agreed as he reached around his brother and grasped Weiss' hand. "But it's okay. I'm just glad that we were able to get our feelings out, finally."

"Heh, "Finally" is right, hermano." Caesar laughed as the three stepped off the ship. "Now c'mon, Holiday's probably worried sick."

As the group of teens were disembarking, Yang and Ben stayed behind to talk with Cooper and Team CFVY near the edge of the ramp, the latter five having elected not to join them. "You sure you guys don't wanna come inside for dinner?" Yang asked just as the Belladonnas and Sienna stepped off the ship. "I mean, it'll probably be a tight squeeze, but…"

Coco waved her hand at her friend and shook her head. "Nah, it's okay, Yangarang. You guys already have a lot of people to deal with already." She craned her head over to her team. "Besides, I'm pretty sure everyone here just wants to get back to the apartment as soon as possible. We've got a big day tomorrow, after all."

Velvet's ears perked up a bit at that. "Oh yes! We'll finally be able to go to Earth! This is all so exciting, I—snrrrk." Without warning, Velvet's head lolled off to the side and her eyes snapped closed, letting out a snore as her body almost fell to the floor.

Yatsu was able to catch her, however, holding her in his arms as he sent a smile to the group. "We have to get Velvet back to the apartment anyways."

"Heh, yeah, pretty sure we're ALL pretty bushed after a day like today." Fox snickered.

"No doubt about that." Ben agreed, letting out a small yawn. "But hey, I hope you guys will at least swing by tomorrow morning. I'm sure Lisa would be pretty stoked to meet all of you." He quirked his brow over to the blonde genius. "Especially since she's probably eager to know about the guy in the armored suit."

Cooper rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Hehe, yeah, probably."

"Aw, don't act so nervous, Tech Head." Coco said as she elbowed her boyfriend in the side. "I always thought Lisa was pretty cute anyway, so meeting her in person would be pretty great." She lowered her sunglasses and gave Cooper a wink. "And who knows? Maybe if I ask nicely we could set up a special little something…"

"COCO!" Cooper blushed madly.

"What? C'mon, Tech Head, don't be like that." Coco smirked. "If you can't make yourself a giant robot, then maybe you can at LEAST grow giant _sized_."

"GAAAH!" Cooper hung his head while Yang was desperately trying to hold back her laughter behind him, with Ben having glanced away as he too blushed profusely at the implication. Fox and Yatsu simply rolled their eyes, as if they had experienced this before. "Dear lord, does your dirty mind know no bounds?!"

"Nope!" Coco gave Cooper's butt a smack before strutting her way back inside the ship, making sure that Cooper got a good look at her own backside. "Now c'mon, we can't keep these guys waiting. See you all tomorrow!"

Yang rolled her eyes as she watched the group head back, a small laugh escaping her throat as Ben kept his eyes away. "Hehe, yeah, we'll see you guys later." She elbowed Ben in the side, successfully getting his attention. "Tryin' to keep your eyes off something, Green Boy?" She wrapped her arms around one of his own and gave him a wink, making sure she pressed her chest nice and snug to him. "I can always give you something ELSE to focus on, ya know."

"HA-HA-HA!" Ben let out a stilted, nervous laugh he tried with all his might to keep his nerve, though his blush belied his true demeanor. "W-W-What, who, me? Nah, I'm just… eager to get back inside is all."

"Hm, yeah, right." Yang let go of his arm and moved down the ramp, making sure to put the same sway in her hips that Coco had done. "I'll see ya down there, Green Boy. And don't think I forgot about that little chat we promised."

Ben's eyes widened, not just at the reminder that he still needed to tell her that one very important thing… but also at the fact that his eyes briefly gazed at his girlfriend's rear. _'STOP. THINKING. BAD. THOUGHT—ugh, who am I kidding? My girlfriend is hot as hell and I know that for a fact.'_ He hung his head with a sigh and was about to walk off the ship… before he noticed that Ilia and Swift were still talking near the ramp as well, much to his surprise. "Uh, gals? Tetrax needs to take off soon, you know."

Both girls moved their heads up at the mention of that, with Ilia rubbing the back of her neck. "O-Oh, sorry. We were so caught up, we forgot." She gave a small grin to the Aerophibian girl and offered her a hug, which Swift graciously accepted. "So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Like you have a choice?" Swift smirked with a slight chuckle. "How else are ya gonna get to earth, Freckles?"

Ilia gave Swift's shoulder a light smack. "Oh, don't be such a wise-guy… er, _girl_." The chameleon girl's spots suddenly changed to pink again. "And… thanks again for saving me, Swift. I owe you a whole lot for that."

"And thanks for helping out in the battle, too." Ben added as he stepped over to them.

"Ah, it was nothing." Swift waved to the hero before returning her sights to Ilia. As her red eyes met the chameleon girls' light blue, a light shade of pink came to her cheeks. "Hehe… what're friends for, am I right?"

"Y-Yeah… best friends." Ilia said sheepishly before giving Swift's hand a gentle squeeze. "We'll see you tomorrow, Swift, and thanks again." After the two girls said their goodbyes, Ilia and Ben descended the ramp, stopping at the bottom before it rose up again. Once it did, the ship rose up and blasted off to the town of Patchwork, finally leaving the team to themselves for the night. Ilia sighed and gave a shrug to Ben. "So, what do we do now, Tennyson?"

Ben placed his hands on his hips. "Well, I think we should just—" _SLAM!_ "…brace for impact."

"KIDS!" Tai exclaimed as he, Athena and Holiday all came charging out of the house, with Max, Oscar, and Paradox trailing behind, the latter chauffeuring Azmuth on his shoulder. "EVERYONE! You're back!" He immediately enveloped Ruby, Yang and Raven in a lung-crushing hug, much to the three women's dismay. "And you WON! Haha! This is fantastic!"

"Th-Thanks dad." Ruby croaked out. "But can we have our lungs back now?"

"Yes Tai, I would appreciate air again, thank you." Raven added her input.

Tai was quick to comply and let them go, keeping his smile on his face. "Heh, sorry, I had to get that out of my system." His features suddenly became serious as he trained his eyes onto Qrow, the man flinching at his best friend's gaze. "Because I have to have some WORDS with YOU!" Tai marched right up, grabbed Qrow by the collar and began shaking him back and forth. "WHAT. THE. HELL. WERE. YOU. THINKING?!"

"Gah-ah-ah-ah! TAI! I'm sorry, okay?!" Qrow grabbed a hold of Tai's hands and stopped the shaking, giving his old partner a slight glare. "Seriously, I think I've had enough people grill me on my rash decision today."

But Tai vehemently shook his head. "Oh no, I'm not letting you off that easily, Qrow. You could've died out there." He pointed over to a certain Anodite. "And I'm pretty sure that it took Gwen summoning Jinn to heal you, right?"

"Eeyup." Gwen affirmed. "Any longer and he would've… well, let's not go there, shall we?"

Tai nodded at that. "Hm, I rest my case." He faced Qrow again with a raised eyebrow. "Listen, Qrow, I don't know about you, but after a blow like that, I think you need to take some time off." The former drunkard wore a surprised face at his friend's words. "I know it's not something that you wanna hear considering how dedicated you are to being a Huntsman, but you've been through a lot, especially in the last forty-eight hours."

Raven stepped up with Yang and Ruby, the three giving Qrow equally concerned faces. "He's right, Qrow. The last thing I want you to do right now is keep risking your life, especially since you're only _now_ starting to drop the drinking." Raven folded her arms as she went on. "Perhaps a little vacation is in order, something to help you get away from things."

Qrow shifted his eyes between all four of his family members before giving a resigning sigh. "Yeah… yeah, you're right. Maybe it's time I slow things down for a while." He crossed his arms in thought. "But honestly, I'd have no idea where to even START with a vacation."

But then, an idea suddenly came into a certain hero's mind. "Well… you could always come with us to Earth!" Ben suggested. "After all, there's plenty of room in the Resolute for one more."

This made Qrow and the others eyes widen in surprise. "Wait, Earth?" Qrow asked. "Really?"

"Well sure!" Max piped up as he walked over as well, giving Qrow a smile. "Earth is really the perfect place for someone like you to vacation. For one, there's no Grimm." The old plumber began counting off on his fingers. "And another thing; you'd be as far away from… well, all of THIS as possible." Max waved his arm in the general direction of Vale for emphasis. "Not to say that Earth _isn't_ chaotic, especially with all of the alien activity, but it'll still be a good change of pace for you, I think."

Gwen and Kevin approached the group as well, with the Osmosian crossing his arms at Qrow. "Whaddya say, old man? Wanna make the jump with us?"

"Kid, I'm forty-two. Keep callin' me old and I'll slug ya where the sun don't shine." Qrow snarked back before shrugging his shoulders. "Besides, even if I DID go to Earth, where the hell would I even stay?" He shot Max a glance. "'Cause no offence, Max, but a motor home wouldn't exactly suit me."

Max raised a hand at that. "Understandable. But still, we'll be able to work something out."

"Yeah, you could even stay at one of our places if you need to." Gwen pointed between herself, Ben and Kevin. "I'm sure any one of our parents would be more than happy to help out."

Qrow rubbed the back of his head. "You sure 'bout that, Red? Ya DO know that I kinda come with a whole buncha bad luck, right?"

"Ah, we'll iron out the details when we get to Earth." Ben said with a wave of his hand. "What's important is helping YOU take a break for a while and recoup after all of THIS. So, whaddya say, Qrow?"

"Well…" His eyes trailed over to his nieces, who were both giving him approving faces. He saw that Raven and Tai were wearing the same expressions and he gave a sigh, his hand going to his neck again. "Well, with a deal like that, how can I refuse?"

Ruby let out a loud; "YAY!" before glomping onto her uncle with a hug. "This is gonna be so GREAT! It's a whole Xiao Long-Branwen-Rose ROADTRIP!"

Yang let out a laugh and rolled her eyes at her sister's display. "Oh, THIS should be fun." However, she saw that Vernal was standing by herself out of the corner of her eye, the lady bandit simply observing the conversation. "Hey, V! You wanna come along, too?"

This made Vernal's eyes widen in surprise. "W-Wait, me?! You actually want me to come along with you?"

"Ooh! Yeah, it'd be fun!" Ruby said excitedly as she broke her hug with Qrow. "Just think! It'd be so much cooler than hanging out with a bunch of crooks, right?"

Vernal could only stare at the two sisters in utter shock before trailing her eyes over to Raven. Her mentor gave her a small shrug in response. "It's your decision, Vernal. I will not pressure you to do something if you don't wish to do it." She smiled and offered a wink. "But still, it IS something to consider." Raven strode forward and whispered into her protégé's ear; "Besides, I think you're slowly falling into the "big sister" category with them." That made a slight blush appear on Vernal's face, her eyes trailing back to the smiling yellow and red duo.

"Well…" Vernal rubbed the back of her head and gave an appreciative smile. "While it's really sweet of you guys to offer, I don't really know if I'm ready for all of this. Fighting those assholes was one thing, but… traveling across dimensions is something I don't think I'm ready for just yet."

Ruby became crestfallen at that. "Aw… does this mean you're going back to the tribe?"

"Er..." Vernal winced at the question. "I really don't know. I mean, you're right. I'm not exactly in the best position being with those guys, but…"

Suddenly, Tai snapped his fingers, a smile forming on his face. "Wait, I have an idea!" He pointed to Vernal and said; "You could housesit for me!"

This made Vernal blink twice and tilt her head. "I'm… sorry?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna be heading to Earth with these guys for a while so I'll need a house sitter." Tai gave her a thumbs up. "Think you can manage?"

"…You're letting an expert thief watch your house." Vernal stated plainly. "I can't tell if that's poorly thought out or plain stupid." She crossed her arms and closed her eyes. "…But, I can't lie and say that it's a better option than going back to the tribe." Vernal opened her eyes and gave Tai a thumbs up back. "Eh, what the hell? Sure, I'm in!"

"Great!" Tai saluted. "And once I get back, you'll be given the chance to join them over there on Earth again."

Ben gave a nod in approval. "Sounds good to me. Besides, we'll already have Cooper and Team CFVY going back and forth as well, so it all works out, really."

Vernal put a hand to her chin at that. "Hm, yeah, guess so. Alright, sounds like a deal."

"Awesome!" Tai said, nudging his head back to his home. "And whenever you come back to Remnant, you can always just bunk here. I mean, you're Rae's student and my daughters like you, so that makes you practically family, right?"

Vernal couldn't help but blush again, making it a point to turn her head away slightly. "Heh, let's not TOO get carried away, old man." However, once her eyes landed on Ruby again, her eyes widened before returning to Tai, jerking her thumb to the Hooded Huntress. "Oh yeah! Did they mention that your daughter's eyes exploded with light?"

Ruby, Yang and Raven's faces all simultaneously fell as Tai's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull. "RUBY, YOUR EYES ACTIVATED?!"

Ruby chortled apprehensively before waving her hands. "Hehe, surprise?"

* * *

At the same time that the family were having their chat, Athena had charged up and practically enveloped all of Team JNPR in a hug, much to the four's surprise. Meanwhile, Penny was standing off to the side, observing the scene with a bright smile. "Oh, thank the GODS you kids are all okay! You have no idea how worried we were back here!"

"I-I can imagine, mother." Pyrrha managed to get out before the group bear hug ended. "But to be fair, we DID win."

Athena sighed and smiled at that. "Indeed, you did. And I have to say, that last battle was particularly spectacular." She sent a wave over to Ben and Rex, though the latter currently being bombarded by a hug from Holiday. "Great work, you two!" She received waves of acknowledgement before turning to face Jaune, a serious expression coming to her features. "And Jaune, your parents called TWICE during that battle. You had better call them back, because your sisters are all worried sick!"

"Oh, shoot!" Jaune exclaimed before rushing inside. "Thanks, Athena! I'll be right back!"

Nora couldn't help but snicker as she leaned over to Ren. "Hehe, talk about a handful, eh? Wouldn't wanna deal with the heat he's gonna get from those girls."

"Hm, agreed." Ren concurred before going back to Athena. "So, I'm assuming no more Grimm came by here?"

The Mistralian Huntress shook her head. "No, things were relatively calm after you left. Though with how worried we were, I'm surprised that a Grimm DIDN'T show up." She let out a sigh as she thought back to when Ben and Rex took on the Leviathan. "However, when the Leviathan showed up in Vale's harbor, I truly thought that there was nothing more that could be done. Heh… how wrong was _I_ in that assessment?"

"QUITE wrong!" Penny pipped up, raising her arms up to the sky. "Because Ben and Rex's display of power was spectacular!"

Athena let out a chuckle at that. "Hmhm, it certainly was, Penny." She then settled a hand to Pyrrha's shoulder with a small grin. "But I am still very proud of you all. You certainly showed Salem's forces what you are all made of out there. Well done."

Pyrrha went in for another hug from her mother. "Hm, thanks mom. But now, I'm just happy to be home."

"Now THAT is a correct assessment." Penny concurred before looking back over to Holiday and Rex, the doctor having just broken her hug with the EVO.

"Rex are you INSANE?" Holiday asked incredulously. "You were only able to access the Omega EVO form all of _once_ before. Why in the world did you risk getting _flattened_ on a fifty-fifty shot?!"

The young Latino could only give her a shrug. "Ah, c'mon, Doc, I had a pretty good idea that I was able to do it." He tapped his fingertips together anxiously. "It, uh… just took a bit of luck on my end is all." Holiday didn't seem to like that response, giving Rex a pointed glare. "B-But I DID have a good motivator if that makes you feel better!" he assured as he wave his hands frantically.

Holiday rose an eyebrow in confusion. "Motivator? What're you…" However, she trailed off when Weiss sheepishly stepped forward, the heiress keeping her hands behind her back.

"Well… he likely means me, Doctor Holiday." she said with a blush.

"W-What're you…" But then she saw the sly grin that Caesar and Winter were wearing off to the side, giving her pause. Combining that with the fact that Weiss was standing VERY intimately close to Rex… it didn't take long for Holiday to put the pieces together… resulting in a small, happy yell. "AAAAH!" The EVO expert rushed forward and this time enveloped both Weiss and Rex in a hug, laughing all the while. "Hahaha! No way! You two are _actually_ together?! Please tell me this isn't a joke!"

Weiss and Rex each put an arm around Holiday, their smiles not faltering for a second. "Nope, we're telling you the truth, one-hundred percent." Weiss answered.

"AH! This is so exciting!" Holiday pulled back and looked between the two with pride. "I'm so glad that you two finally confessed your feelings for one another. You have no idea how much I wanted to knock some sense into you…" She eyed her EVO compatriot in particular. "Especially you, Rex, you were being rather thick-headed in particular."

Rex facepalmed while Weiss let out a few guffaws of her own, putting her arms around her new boyfriend as he wore a defeated face. "Aw, c'mon, Doc! I wasn't THAT bad, was I?!"

Caesar came up, smiled at his little brother and shook his head. "No, _mijo_ … you were worse."

That made Rex's head lower in shame, though Weiss made sure to give him a pat on the back. "Oh, don't be so down in the dumps, Robo-dolt. Honestly, I needed to get over myself before I even admitting that I like you… to myself. So really, you're not alone in this."

"She's right." Winter concurred. "My sister was always quite the stubborn one." She smirked when she got an evil eye from Weiss. "Oh don't give me that look, you know I'm right."

Rex smiled and put a hand over Weiss', giving her an appreciative smile. "Yeah, Ice Princess, she's just having a bit of fun." Weiss grumbled slightly before pressing her head back against his chest, earning a chortle from Rex.

"Well, I'm just glad that things turned out alright in the end." Holiday sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "And I'm especially glad you didn't access your OTHER EVO form by mistake, Rex."

This caught Weiss' attention. "Wait… _other_ EVO form?"

"Ah, _si_." Caesar nodded. "Rex's primary EVO form is what happens when all of his _other_ Nanites become activated, resulting in a more monstrous form compared to the Omega EVO form." He raised a brow over to his little brother. "It was also the cause for a LOT of his memory loss as a kid."

"WHAT?!" Weiss shouted before rounding on her boyfriend and grabbing him by the collar. "You mean you could've gone into that OTHER EVO form instead and lost all of your _memories_?!"

"W-Well, kinda-sorta?" Rex said uncertainly. "I-I mean, I haven't GONE into my normal-EVO form in a while and I don't think I can do it _willingly_ , so…"

"Good!" Weiss shouted, much to his surprise. "And I don't want you to ever try to do it willingly, got it?" Rex was taken aback by how serious Weiss was taking this, seeing the visible worry on her face. "Because… I don't want you to risk losing your memories." She moved an arm up and wrapped it around his neck, pulling herself closer to his chest. "Do I make myself clear?"

Rex took a few moments pause before wrapping his arms around her waist, securing her in a comforting hug. "Hmhm, yes, ma'am." Rex said with a slight chuckle. "Whatever you say."

Off to the side, Winter, Holiday and Caesar were beaming at the young couple, the military specialist in particular nodding in approval. "Well, say what you will about them, I don't think they'll ever have a dull moment in this relationship."

" _Sin duda_." Ceasar agreed.

As the group were conversing out on the lawn, the Belladonnas, Sienna, Team SN and Ilia had all decided to head inside, the group intending to head straight to the kitchen. On the way, however, they were met by Professor Paradox, Azmuth and Oscar by the front door, the farm boy in particular eager to speak to all of them. "Hey guys!" he greeted with a wave. "Glad to see you all back."

Blake smiled down and bowed her head slightly. "It's good to see you, too, Oscar. So, did you see that big fight on the television?"

"Did I ever?!" Oscar exclaimed in excitement. "Oh man, Ben and Rex were so AWESOME! I had no idea that they could even DO that!"

"Heh, join the club." Neptune snickered. "It was literally a pretty BIG surprise. Haha! Ha… ha…" The group gave the blue-haired boy a collective deadpan expression as his laughter faltered. "I, uh… guess I should leavy the puns to Yang, huh?"

Sun put his hands behind his head, rolling his eyes. "Dude, that joke fell as flat as a piece of paper." This got a few snickers from Blake, Kali and Ilia, making the monkey boy smirk to himself. "See? That's how you tell a joke."

Even Professor Paradox laughed at Sun's joke. "Haha, splendid, young Sun!" He and Oscar then began walking past them with Azmuth in tow. "Apologies for the short chat, but Azmuth has insisted that we speak with Ben."

"That's alright, professor." Ilia said with a small nod before shifting her eyes over to Kali. "We were just about to go in and get dinner started, right?"

The cat woman clapped her hands together and rubbed them fervently. "Oh, you are absolutely right, Ilia!" She wrapped her arms around her husbands and lead him in. "Come on, dear, you will not BELIEVE the size of the mackerel that I saved for your arrival."

Ghira's eyes widened and his stomach grumbled at the sound of that. "Oh… well, at least I know that dinner won't be an issue for me."

"There, um… there wouldn't happen to be any swordfish too, would there?" Sienna asked as she licked her lips hungrily.

"Oh, there's swordfish, bass, tuna, mackerel, basically if you can think it, it's in there." Blake answered.

Sun couldn't help but watch the conversation with slight amusement before leaning over and whispering to Ilia; "So… think ALL feline Faunus like fish?" he whispered.

Ilia rolled her eyes before nudging him in the side. "Well, let me answer that with another question; how many bananas have you consumed over your life time?"

"…Point taken." Sun deadpanned as he held the door for Athena, Pyrrha, Ren and Nora to follow them in. He then saw Paradox, Oscar and Azmuth approaching the others, and the monkey boy's curiosity piqued for a moment. _'Hm, wonder what they're talking about?'_ he thought to himself before shrugging. _'Eh, a question for later. Right now, FOOD.'_ With that, Sun closed the door, his stomach leading him to the kitchen.

* * *

"Ah, welcome back, young heroes!" Paradox greeted as he approached the others out on the lawn with his two compatriots. The group had fallen into silence the moment the time traveler spoke, the man beaming a smile toward all of them. "We saw your exploits from the television, and—"

"And that was probably the most AWESOME thing I've ever seen in my entire life!" Oscar exclaimed as he rushed up to both Ben and Rex, his eyes gleaming in admiration. "How is it that your guys' powers just seem to keep getting cooler and cooler?! I mean… you both have GIANT forms!" He pointed over to Rex. "And yours is a ROBOT!"

Ben and Rex glanced to each other with similar smirks. "Man, who knew we'd made such a big fan out of him?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, and in such a short amount of time." Rex shrugged before giving Oscar a thumbs up. "But thanks for the high praises, Oscar."

Oscar nodded his head eagerly. "Yeah, it was great!" But then, he became crestfallen as he hung his head a bit. "…I just kinda wish I had been there to see 'em in person."

Once again, the two heroes smirked at each other, motioning for everyone else to step away a bit while Oscar still wasn't looking. A few moments later, Oscar's eyes caught sight of two blue and green flashes before he craned his head up, letting out a gasp when he saw what was in front of him. There, standing great and tall before him were Omega Rex and… **"WAY BIG!"** Oscar and the other teens couldn't help but smile widely as the To'kustar lowered down to one knee, giving everyone a grin and a thumbs up. **"Well guys, what's it like seeing us up close?"**

"HAHAHA! This is amazing!" Oscar exclaimed. "You're HUGE!"

Omega Rex did the same, his hand lowering down in front of Weiss. **"Pretty cool, eh, Ice Princess?"**

Weiss couldn't help but roll her eyes, but still, she smiled and placed a hand on her new boyfriend's giant, metal finger. "Yeah, yeah I suppose it is."

"Ahem!" Way Big's eyes widened and he focused down onto Azmuth, the Omnitrix's creator standing with his arms crossed and with a disapproving face. "If we are done with the pleasantries and using the Omnitrix for fan-appeal, I would like to have a few words with you, Ben."

Way Big rubbed the back of his head. **"Erm, r-right. Of course."** Way Big pressed the Omnitrix symbol and transformed back into his human form, giving Azmuth an apologetic face. "Sorry, Azmuth." Ben bowed his head slightly. "Just trying to make Oscar's day is all."

Azmuth sighed and shook his head, giving Ben a stern glare. "Some things are more important than just making a fan's day, Ben Tennyson. You SHOULD know that by now." He crossed his arms as he continued. "And while your decision to use the To'kustar transformation against that monster was a just one, you are extremely lucky that the beast itself didn't make landfall earlier than it did." He pointed at the Omnitrix for emphasis. "You used the Ultimate Vaxasaurian form until you ran the battery out, thus putting you and everyone else in great risk." He glanced over to Qrow, noting the man's bloodstained shirt. "Perhaps if you had managed to conserve some energy, that man wouldn't have gotten hurt."

The Galvan's rather strict face unnerved many of the others present, including Rex who had exited his Omega form as a result. The only one who didn't seem phased by the diminutive alien was Yang, the blonde giving Azmuth a glare of her own. "Hey, I don't know about you, but Ben did what he had to do to beat that Grimmungousaur. Sure, Uncle Qrow got… stabbed… but Gwen was able to find a way to help him."

"Both very true points." Azmuth conceded. "But then what about you, Miss Xiao Long? Heading into battle with Ben against an opponent that is at least fourteen times your eight? Rather reckless, wouldn't you think?"

Yang clenched her fists and stepped toward Azmuth a bit more. "Listen, we're all a team here, so that means we work together in situations like that." She reached over and pulled Ben into a side embrace, pointing her finger to his chest. "And I don't care if my boyfriend has awesome Ultimate forms or not, I WILL still go into battle with him. No matter what happens, we stick together. Not just because we're an item, but because we're a _team_."

"Aw, thanks babe." Ben smiled.

Yang gave him a wink back. "Don't mention it, Green Boy."

Azmuth was stroking his beard in contemplation, taking in Yang's words. "Hm, you make quite the compelling argument, Miss Xiao Long. And I WILL admit, you all handle yourselves fairly well out there against a beast of that magnitude." He gave a small grin to the Blonde Brawler. "Perhaps you and Ben are even MORE alike than I initially thought." He set his gaze out to everyone with a nod. "And further still, good job to all of you as well. However, there is someone among you that I wish to speak to." He moved his gaze over to Penny, the redheaded android jumping a bit when he did. He hopped down from Paradox's hand and strode over to Penny, greeting her with a nod. "Miss Penny Polendina, I presume?"

"U-Um, yes, you presume correctly." Penny answered, nervously keeping her eyes on the small, grey frog-man.

"My name is Azmuth. In case you are not aware, I am the creator of the Omnitrix."

Penny's eyes widened at that. "Oh, really? Well, it's certainly an honor to meet you!"

Azmuth extended a small hand to her. "Well, If I must be quite honest, I feel I should be saying the same about you." The Galvan heard a small, collective gasp come from behind him, no doubt from Ben and his companions. "If you do not mind my asking… could I perhaps see some of your inner systems? I noticed that you used weapons in your fight against the Grimmungousaur that appeared to resemble that of a Galvanic Mechamorph, and once Ben and Rex told me about how you were brought back online, I grew quite intrigued."

Penny brightened up and lifted her wrist. "Oh! Well if that is all you wish to see, then please, feel free!" She opened up a compartment on her arm, revealing the Mechamorph-esque inner workings of her systems, lowering herself to Azmuth's level in order to show him. "Here, see? My systems used to be much different from before Ben and Rex rebuilt me, but now it's like I am completely new on the inside."

Azmuth stepped forward, a small smile coming to his face as he nodded. "Hm, yes, yes, this all seems to line up. Your systems have indeed been fused with the techno-organic metal of a Galvanic Mechamorph." He reached in and took note of a few small details as he continued speaking. "Hm, it would seem that the nanites in Rex's system reacted to the ones that make up a Galvanic Mechamorph's cells, which explains how they were able to fuse with you so naturally."

This came as a shock to both Ben and Rex. "W-Wait, Mechamorphs are made up of NANITES?!" Rex exclaimed.

"Indeed, though while they are similar to the ones within you, they are also quite different as well." Azmuth raised an eyeridge the two heroes' direction. "How do you think YOU two were able to fuse together to take on the Alpha Nanite?"

The duo stared at the First Thinker in surprise. "W-Wait, how do you even KNOW about that?" Ben asked.

"I, uh… may have told him a few details while we were working on the Dimensional Doorway." Caesar answered with a grin. "Honestly, he was quite fascinated by it, though."

"Hm." Azmuth nodded before going back to Penny's arm. "I only wish I was able to take a sample of this for testing." He glanced up to the redheaded android, who was still utterly intrigued by what was happening. "Because if my theory is correct, you fusing with Rex's nanites and the techno-organic Mechamorph cells means that you very well could very well have your own DNA."

A long silence came over everyone present before a collective; "WHAT?!" rang out through the whole area, making Azmuth wince at how louds it was.

Penny, however, seemed to be the most shocked out of all of them. "Wait… I could have my own DNA?"

"Ahem, yes, that would be the case." Azmuth confirmed. "Galvanic Mechamorphs, like any living being, have their own unique DNA. Otherwise they would not be catalogued in the Omnitrix." He extended hand to extend his point. "In fact, I've made it a point to keep track of the Mechamorph's DNA strands ever since I accidentally created them eons ago."

Once again, silence, and then another "WHAT?!" This time, though, Winter picked it up from there. "Alright, I must ask; how in the WORLD do you "accidentally create" something?"

Without turning away from Penny's arm, Azmuth waved over to her. "Let's just say that attempting to make a moon hospitable can yield quite interesting results, Miss… erm…"

"Schnee."

"Gesundheit."

Weiss narrowed her eyes a bit at that and crossed her arms. "Alright, Shrimpy, is THAT why you've been so nice to Penny but really stilted towards us? Because she's half-Mechamorph?"

"That is _part_ of the reason, yes." Azmuth answered with a shrug. "I suppose you could say I have a certain kinship which Mechamorphs with how they were created." He tapped his chin as he continued to ponder how to get a sample from the girl. "But, back on the topic at hand, if we wish to confirm the presence of Mechamorph DNA, I'll need to…" Just then, a few water droplets landed in front of him, taking him aback a bit. "W-What?" He craned his head up… and saw that Penny was crying, a look of disbelief still on her face as her lower lip quivered a bit. "…Miss Polendina?"

Penny sniffled a bit before wiping her tears away. "I-I'm sorry, I don't know what has come over me. B-But… if you can prove that I have DNA… _actual_ DNA… then could I then be considered a truly living being?"

"Well, yes, I could." Azmuth said as his eyeridges rose in intrigue. "Though I must say, if you are capable of showing THIS much range of emotion, then you are already more alive than any android I've ever seen."

"It's because she has a soul powering her." Ruby explained as she stepped up to comfort her best friend, peering down to Azmuth with a smile. "You remember when I explained Aura to you a little while ago? Well, the man who created Penny used a bit of his own Aura to give Penny a soul, meaning that she's already just as alive as any of us here."

"Fascinating!" Azmuth said in surprise. "Well, if that's the case, then I'd certainly want to meet this man as well. Not even I have found a way to manipulate life energy in such a way." He glanced over to Ben, eyeing his creation. "Another reason why Anodites are not in the Omnitrix."

Penny sniffled again, composing herself as she bowed her head toward Azmuth. "W-Well, my father is up at Beacon right now, actually. I will give him a call right away and we can set up a meeting for tomorrow before we leave."

Azmuth nodded up to her. "I would very much appreciate that." His eyes then went back to her arm. "But still, there remains the issue of DNA extraction. The parts of your inner-workings are all solid. I can only extract a Mechamorph sample when they are in their gelatinous state."

"Oh! Well, that will be no problem, then!" Penny detached her arm and pulled it right out of her sleeve… making Weiss dry-heave once again. "Oh, apologies, Weiss!" A few seconds later, a green and black tendril snaked its way out of Penny's sleeve, the redhead presenting it to Azmuth. "Here you are!"

Off to the side, Vernal's eye couldn't help but twitch as she watched this all happen. She eyed her mentor and uttered; "How are you able to handle this weirdness, Raven?"

Raven sighed and pat Vernal's shoulder. "It takes… a while, Vernal, but you get used to it."

Azmuth also seemed to be taken aback by this, but he quickly brushed it off and refocused himself on the task at hand. "Ahem, yes, thank you, Penny." He put a finger to his chin again as he observed the tendril moving about. "…Tell me, do you have any control over that?"

"Barely." Penny admitted. "It's still quite new and I haven't had much practice with it." She narrowed her eyes at the tendril as it wiggled around. "And the only times I've done it, I nearly burned a whole through a wall and made Death Toast."

"Can we NOT mention the Death Toast again?!" Rex piped up with a shudder.

Azmuth quickly waved off the exchange and made his way toward the jerking limb. "Well, regardless, this should do the trick…" He reached into his back pocket and took out what appeared to be a very small yet high-tech syringe before looking up at Penny once again. "Think you can restrain it, Miss Polendina?" Penny complied and did the best she could to keep the tendril still while Azmuth pricked the needle into it, extracting a green substance from it that was visible within the syringe. "There we are, all done."

Penny breathed a sigh of relief before bringing her arm back up, the tendril clasping onto it by the shoulder before pulling it back through the sleeve. The arm quickly reattached and Penny flexed her hand, smiling down to Azmuth in gratitude. "Thank you, Azmuth, I appreciate this greatly!"

"You're quite welcome." Azmuth reciprocated before smiling to her once again. "Oh, and in regards to the tendril acting out on its own and your technological possession ability, worry not, you'll get the hang of it. Many newly created Mechamorphs have the same problem while others do not. It all comes down to practice."

"Thank you, Azmuth." Penny bowed in respect. "I greatly appreciate it."

Azmuth nodded back. "You're very welcome." He walked back over to Professor Paradox, who offered his hand to the Galvan to pick him up. "Now, let's see if we cannot get a DNA sample from those Faunus children."

This made Holiday's eyes widen. "Wait, you want THEIR blood, too?"

"Only to extract the Faunus gene to see if it can be catalogued into the Omnitrix." Azmuth clarified. "If the scanners cannot go through their Aura, then perhaps I can do it manually. Provided I have the time to study it, of course."

Paradox smirked and gave Azmuth a sidelong glance. "Hm, you ARE a rather busy Galvan, aren't you?" Azmuth grumbled and placed his hands behind his back, facing away from the time traveler. "Hmhm, well, in any case…" Paradox shifted his eyes back to the group. "I suppose you all are quite famished after a day like today, so why don't we all go in for a bite, eh?"

Kevin sighed and threw his head back. "YES! I'm freakin' STARVED."

"Same here, dude." Vernal piped up as she and the adults began heading toward the front door. "I swear, I could eat a horse right now… or shark if we're having fish. Hehe."

The lady bandit's quip garnered a few chuckles from the group as they made their way in, though Raven made sure to prod her brother in the gut with her finger. "Before you even THINK of sitting at that table, Qrow, I suggest you change out of that."

The former drunkard sighed and gave her a wave. "Yeah, read ya loud an' clear, sis." He lowered his eyes down to the ensemble he wore and sighed sadly. "Damn, an' this was one a' my favorite coats."

"Don't worry, Uncle Qrow!" Ruby beamed

But just before he crossed the threshold, Ben was suddenly held back when he felt a familiar warm hand touch his own. He spun around and saw Yang staring up at him, almost expectantly. The heroes' eyes widened as he realized what she must've wanted. "Y-Yang, about what I wanted to talk to you about—hmph?"

But then, he was silenced when Yang pressed her finger to his lips, the blonde giving him a small wink. "Not here. After dinner, we'll go downstairs, just the two of us. And then, we'll say what we need to there." She stood up on her tiptoes and pecked her lips onto Ben's causing him to blush. "Okay?"

"O-Okay." Ben smiled with a nod. "Sounds like a deal."

"Ahem." The couple's heads whipped up to see Max, Gwen, Kevin, Ruby, Rex, and Weiss still standing in the doorway, with Blake having now joined them again. The cat girl was smirking wryly at the duo before nudging her head toward the kitchen. "So, you guys gonna come get some fish or are you gonna let my dad and Sienna eat it all before you get the chance?"

"Hehe, yeah, we're comin'." Yang chuckled before leading Ben in by the hand. "Just talkin' about what we're doin' later."

Gwen quirked a brow at the couple. "I see… so I take it you'd like Pyrrha and I to move our Zelda session somewhere else?"

Yang wore a guilty face, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. "Hehe, yeah. Sorry to make you do it, but—"

"Hey, I get it." Gwen assured with a smile. "Something tells me that this is pretty important…" She leaned in close to Yang and her cousin as her lips transitioned into a smirk. "…Right?"

The powerful couple both blushed profusely, the thought of what they wanted to say VERY clear in their minds. "Heh… yeah, it is." Ben nodded. "But for now, why don't we focus on dinner for now, huh? I mean, we've got a bunch of stuff we gotta talk about. Tomorrow's the big day, after all!"

"Hell yeah! Back home!" Kevin pumped his fist in victory. "Man, I can't wait to see my mom again."

"Yeah, I can't wait to see my family either." Gwen concurred before grinning toward a certain elder Schnee on the other side of the hallway. "And I can certainly think of SOMEONE who's eager to see my brother!" That made Winter cough into her hand in surprise, shooting the redhead a soft glare before going into the kitchen. Gwen and Weiss subsequently high-fived each other.

Blake put a hand to her head, running her fingers through her hair. "Oh god, we need to pack! There's so much we gotta bring with us, too!" She set her gaze down to her feet and saw Rema cuddling up to her, to which Blake immediately scooped the pup up and held her close. "Do you think wolf pups are good with dimensional jumps?"

"And corgis?" Ruby added as she held Zwei aloft as well.

"Heh, I'm sure they'll be fine, guys." Rex assured. "Heck, Bobo survived the jump and he's an animal!"

"Yes, but he's also a _chimp_ , Rex." Weiss emphasized. "Kinda closer to humans in that regard."

Ben nodded and raised his hand to the group. "Heh, we'll get to the nitty-gritty about what and what NOT to bring with us on the jump… though yes, the dogs ARE coming with us." That earned him a pair of toothy smiles from Ruby and Blake before he moved on. "But we can focus on all of that a bit later. Right now…" He rubbed his hands together eagerly. "I think it's time I start telling some classic stories from our world!"

Yang titled her head at this. "…Are you talking about the one's we're supposedly the equivalent to from your world?"

"Oh no, not those stories." Ben declined, though I DO plan on telling those to you soon. No, I mean the ones I was talking about yesterday."

This got Ruby to gasp excitedly. "You mean the ones about your planet's own ancient gods and heroes?!" Ben gave her a single nod in confirmation. "AH! This is so exciting! I've been wanting to hear all about them since yesterday! But, well, you know what happened."

Max's head perked up in interest. "Oh, planning on spreading the tales of ancient gods, eh, Ben? Well, hearing YOU tell these stories should be quite the experience since I told 'em to you all the time when you were a kid."

"Psh, yeah." Rex said with an eye roll. "Just be careful, Ben's been on a big theory binge lately about the gods having been supposedly "real" in the past."

Max gave the EVO an incredulous expression. "Huh, really?" He then raised a confused brow to his grandson. "Say, Ben, why theorize on something that you already know to be true? After all, you've fought a total of TWO ancient gods before."

That made the group fall into a dead silence for a good while, with the Alien Trio and Rex giving Max astonished expressions while Team RWBY simply seemed perplexed by what he meant. But before long, Rex let out a forced laugh and pat Max on the shoulder. "Ahahaha! Oh, good one, Mr. Tennyson! That's some classic old man humor right there, heh… heh…" He then saw that Max didn't seem to be laughing with him. "…You're not joking, are ya?"

"No, I'm not." Max replied before going back to his grandchildren. "I'm just surprised _you_ don't remember."

"Uh, grandpa, the only "god" we ever fought was Daigon." Gwen answered. "And even then, he was more likely an inter-dimensional alien with god-like powers."

"Hm, you have a point there." Max conceded. "But are you kids really telling me you don't remember when we went to Mexico all those years ago to stop the Forever Knights from retrieving the Sword of Ek Chuaj?" He made a circular motion. "You know, the sword I was obsessed with getting?" He then pointed over to Ben, who seemed to slowly be recollecting the memory along with his cousin. "And Ben, you even fought with Ah Puch, the Mayan God of Death… and you _beat_ him."

Team RWBY's jaws all collectively dropped at the news, and Ben's hands went to his head as the memory began to surface. "OH MY GOD! How could I have _forgotten_ that?!" Ben staggered back-first into a wall, his knees shaking as Yang went to support him. But all Ben could do in that moment was stare blankly at the opposite wall, letting it all sink in. "I… I battled against a freaking MAYAN DEATH GOD?!"

Gwen's own hand went to her forehead as well. "I have to admit, I forgot about that, too. And usually it's ME who has the good memory." Her eyes caught Ben's and the Anodite smiled at her cousin, letting out a breathy laugh. "Heh… I guess there might be something to your "gods might be real" theory after all, Ben!"

"HAHA! I _knew_ there had to be!" Ben raised his arms in victory, all while Yang gave him a bright smile. "This has to be the most awesome revelation ever!"

"Woah, woah, woah, let's take _un_ _tiempo muerto_ here, guys." Rex stepped up and raised his hands, halting things before they got too excited. "Why don't we take a seat and consider what COULD have happened instead." He pointed over to Max. "You said that it was the Forever Knights who were trying to steal the sword, right Max? Maybe they just disguised one of themselves as Ah Puch or something to drive you guys off?"

But Max quickly waved off the notion. "Ah, that's a no-go, Rex. For one; Ah Puch was actually fighting OFF the Forever Knights from stealing the sword themselves. If what you said was the case, then why would they go through the trouble of creating a disguise to do that?" He raised a second finger. "And secondly, Ah Puch was BIGGER than Four Arms, so they could never believably disguise themselves as it in the first place."

Rex's jaw followed Team RWBY's and dropped a bit, still trying to wrap his mind around what he was being told. "So… that means that ancient gods and heroes… really COULD have existed back on Earth?"

"On OUR Earth, anyway." Kevin said with a smirk. "Not too sure about yours, though."

Yang jabbed her fist lightly to Ben's arm before enveloping him into a hug. "Haha! Congrats, Green Boy! You hit a home run with that theory of yours!"

"AH! This is all so exciting!" Ruby said as she bounced up and down. "Our world isn't the only one where gods are real after all!"

"Yeah, it's pretty cool." Blake concurred. "Question is… where've the gods of Earth been after all these millennia?"

A determined smile made its way to Ben's face as he stood on his own power, confidently lifting his head. "That, my friends, is something that we're gonna have to find out!" He balled his fist and raised it. "Before we got sent here, Grandpa Max, Gwen, Kevin and I were going to head to South America for our summer vacation. But now that we know all of this… I propose we do something even COOLER! We might have to research this a bit more, but I think we might be able to find these gods if we try hard enough!"

"Ben, do you know how CRAZY you sound right now?!" Rex exclaimed.

"Yeah, I mean… where do we even start?" Weiss added. "We know that this "Ah Puch" exists, and that IS a good start, but that's literally ALL we have to go on."

The hero pointed over to Weiss with a nod. "Exactly, but it's still VERY hard evidence. That gives us some good ground to stand on." Ben placed his hands firmly on his hips. "Plus, I have a feeling that if we wanna find more evidence of these gods, we're gonna have to travel around Earth a bit." He extended his hand to Team RWBY. "And that gives YOU guys an excuse to REALLY see the sights that Earth has to offer! Whaddya say?"

The four girls looked excitedly between one another, with Ruby answering for them. "That sounds like a GREAT idea!"

"Hell yeah, globe-trotting!" Yang pumped a fist. "I've always been a fan of the concept and getting to see your world would be an amazing experience…" She stepped up and placed a finger on Ben's chest. "Especially if it's with you, Green Boy."

Rex crossed his arms and quirked a brow. "You DO realize you could be leading us on a wild goose chase, right dude?"

Ben gave him a shrug. "Eh, maybe…" He moved over and whispered into Rex's ear. "But then again, we COULD always take or girlfriends on some awesome exotic dates, so there's that to think about." He nudged his head to Weiss slightly. "I'm sure Weiss would appreciate that."

The EVO's eyes darted over to Weiss, who was giving both him and Ben an incredulous face. "What're you boys talking about over there?"

"Oh… nothing much." Rex grinned before pulling Weiss into a surprise side-hug. "But ya know, even if it IS a wild goose chase, it COULD still be a pretty _fun_ wild goose chase while we're seeing the world." He gave Weiss a wink. "Who knows? Maybe we could make a thing out of it, Ice Princess?"

"Hm, you make an excellent point." Weiss said with a smirk. "And I'm sure it was all _your_ idea?"

"I… may have been given a helpful push." Rex shrugged.

Ben clapped his hands together. "Then it's settled! Once we get you guys all settled in Bellwood, we'll start our research and then take some excursions around the world in search of gods, heroes and monsters!" He ushered everyone to follow him into the kitchen, both to eat AND to regale tales of long ago. "But speaking of, I think it's time I tell you the story of one of the greatest demi-god heroes of them all. The Mighty… Hercules."

* * *

A couple hours later after dinner had finished, Ben got himself changed into his casual green t-shirt and black shorts in the bathroom before heading toward the basement, confident that his blonde girlfriend was already down there. On the way, he briefly glanced into the living room to see Gwen and Pyrrha already hard at work on going through Ocarina of Time's Spirit Temple, with many of the others gathered around them. _'Heh, they'll probably be burning the midnight oil.'_ Ben smirked to himself before pressing on.

Dinner itself had been pretty interesting, seeing as Ben had found out he had a knack for story-telling after recounting the tale of Hercules to everyone. The whole group was enthralled as he told the story of the demi-god child of Zeus, all the way from his birth to his death over the course of an hour and a half. Yang, Ruby, Nora, Jaune, Pyrrha and Oscar all seemed particularly enthralled with the story, hanging onto Ben's every word as he described all twelve of the ancient hero's trials to them. It was quite possibly one of the best dinner conversations ever.

…Plus there was the fact that he remembered that he had fought a death god when he was ten years old, so that was cool, too. _'How does someone forget something like THAT?'_ the hero questioned himself before letting out a sigh. _'Something to dwell on later. Right now, you've got something else to deal with now, Tennyson.'_ Ben reminded himself as he stopped near the top of the basement stairs and took a deep breath. _'Well, here we go.'_ Ben began descending the stairs and peered into the basement, seeing that indeed, Yang was already down there. She was also in her own casual wear; her orange tank top with her emblem on it, a pair of black short-shorts, her hair done up in a pony tail and her feet bare.

While the sight wasn't really new to Ben, a blush still came to his face when he saw what she was doing. The Blonde Brawler was crouched down in front of the DVD player, getting it set up for their usual binge-session of Batman… and the position she was in allowed Ben a very generous view of the small of her back. Ben tried to do the gentlemanly thing and take his eyes away from that area… but as a result, they instead found Yang's rear end again, and the fact that she was in shorts that exposed her legs didn't help all that much.

' _Dear god, what's happening to me?!'_ Ben slapped his face to get his mind back on track, his eyes shifting to the back of her head… which was ALSO somehow very beautiful to him. A small smile came to his face as memories from the past few weeks replayed in his mind, cementing his thoughts on how close both of them had grown to each other. And when she turned around, he immediately saw her face, and it made his insides do a flip. _'How did I ever find a woman so awesome, nice, funny AND gorgeous?'_ Ben put a hand to his face to try and compose himself. _'Yeah, pretty sure I'm in lo—'_

"Ben!" The hero's recoiled a bit before refocusing himself onto Yang, who was smiling at him with a hand on her hip, looking up at him expectantly. "You comin' down or what?"

For Ben, however, him being snapped out of his first trance put him into another one… since now he had a frontal view of Yang in the tank top, which always managed to fluster him no matter how many times he saw her. But still, he always managed to keep his eyes on hers and not her… _stunning_ figure— _'STOP! BAD BRAIN!'_ Ben screamed in his head.

Yang gave him a wink and made a "come hither" motion with her finger. "C'mon, Green Boy, we're alone, so now we can say what we need to say."

"R-Right." Ben stammered before making his way down the steps, trying his best to fight off the redness in his face. The moment he was able to reach her, though, his anxieties began melting away when she shot him her signature grin, making him smile as well as he reached out and gently grasped her hand. "So, uh, you ready to go tomorrow?"

"Oh, you bet I am." Yang smiled before wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling herself in so that their chests were pressed against one another. "And I bet YOU are real excited about getting back home too, eh Mr. "I Defeated a God of Death"?"

"Hehe, y-yeah." Ben chuckled again, his hands moving around to hold Yang by her hips. "I-I still really can't believe that I FORGOT about that."

Yang gave him a shrug. "Eh, we all manage to forget some things over the years." However, Yang quickly took notice of something going on with her boyfriend, causing her to quirk an eyebrow and smirked at him. "You okay, Green Boy? Ya seem a bit shaky."

Ben's eyes widened when he realized his hands were still shaking even when holding her, making her clothes move a bit. "AH! S-Sorry! I-I'm just a bit—"

"Nervous?" Yang finished. "Hmhm, I'll bet." She put a hand to Ben's cheek, caressing it softly. "But there really isn't any need, Ben. Besides… I'm pretty sure we both know what we're gonna say, right?"

This took Ben by surprise, his lips parting a bit. "A-Are you sure? Because…" he let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his head. "Yang, this is something I've been certain about for a while now… but then I keep thinking about how we've really only known each other for three weeks and—hmm?"

Ben's words were cut off when Yang placed a finger to his lips, giving him a smile so loving that it left his mind stunned and his heart melting. "Ben, honestly, the concept of time doesn't matter if you know how you feel about someone… and I'm pretty sure I know how I feel about you. I don't care if it's been three WEEKS or three MONTHS, because either way, that doesn't affect how I feel." Yang leaned her head on his chest, returning her hand to here it once was. "What I want to know is… if you feel the same way too."

The Omnitrix bearer could feel a hitch in his throat at her words. _'She… she DOES know.'_ Ben swallowed whatever anxieties he had left and cupped a hand to Yang's cheek, bringing her face up to lock his eyes with hers. "Yang, there aren't enough words to describe how I feel about you. You're awesome, you're funny, you're powerful, you HAVE to be the nicest and most beautiful woman on the face of this or ANY planet. But when it comes down to it…" He leaned his forehead down and rested it against hers. "I love you, Yang Xiao Long."

Yang was floored. She knew that this moment was coming, but what she didn't expect were those heartfelt words about her. And from the tone of his voice, she knew that Ben was telling the one-hundred percent truth. She choked back a small sob as she suddenly pounced onto her boyfriend and locked her lips with his, resulting in them both tumbling down onto the nearest couch. The kiss was quick, but she smiled into it all the while, and she could tell that Ben was doing so as well. Once they separated, Yang continued to lean her forehead against his, letting out a small breathy laugh.

"I love you, too, Ben Tennyson." Yang stated firmly. "With every damn thing I have. You're a great hero, you're funny as hell, you're a gentleman to a fault, and you're definitely the nicest guy I've ever met. You're a part of my life I know I'll _never_ take for granted... and I look forward to whatever comes next for us."

Ben wrapped the love of his life into the closest hug he could muster, putting his hand up to caress her hair gently. "So do I, Goldie Locks. And I can't wait."

"Glad to hear it, Green Boy." Yang said as a small smirk replaced her loving smile for just a moment. "But for future reference…" Much to the hero's shock, Yang grabbed his hand and brought it up so that it was sitting on her butt, the blonde giving him a wink as his face ripened like a tomato. "You really shouldn't be afraid to touch me a bit more intimately."

"I-I-I-I—" Ben's stammering was stopped when Yang gently pat his cheek, bringing him out of it. "S-Sorry, I just wasn't sure when you wanted to—"

"Ben, I _love_ you and I _trust_ you." Yang emphasized as she and her boyfriend laid themselves down on the couch. "It may take a while before we're ready for… you know, _that_ , but until then…" Her smirk returned as she suddenly grabbed Ben's rear end as well, making his eyes widen. "We shouldn't be afraid to test each other's boundaries."

Ben let out a shaky breath and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend, his fingers tracing along the exposed small of her back. "Okay… I'll be sure to keep that in mind." He smiled down to her and brought her in for another kiss, this one lasting a bit longer than the initial one. The two pulled away before Ben whispered; "I love you, Yang."

"I love you too, Ben." Yang whispered back before quirking a brow over to the stairs. "And if a certain SISTER of mine knows what's good for her, she'll stop SPYING on us! And that goes for you, too, GWEN!"

"AH!" Ben's eyes widened when he heard Ruby give out a shout from the top of the stairs, her foot falls being heard running away as she yelled back; "Congratulations you two!"

"Y-Yeah, congrats!" Gwen sounded off before running away as well.

Ben blinked a couple times before shifting his eyes back to Yang. "How'd you even know they were there?"

Yang rolled her eyes and tilted her head toward the TV. "Sister's intuition. So, shall we get started with the usual?"

"Oh, definitely." Ben smiled as he reached for the remote and turned on the TV and DVD player, starting up their favorite show. However, even as they watched Batman on the TV, the powerful couple couldn't help but be captivated by each other the entire time. They simply laid there on the couch for the whole time, completely absorbed in one another as the night went on. Because in each other's hearts, they knew that whatever came their way in the future, they would face it together.

* * *

**A/N: And thus, our main couple finally cement themselves as true lovers. But just like when they had their first date and their first kiss, that doesn't mean that their trials are over. If anything, they've only just begun. That said, I feel like I can say my personal ship name for Ben and Yang is in fact; OmniDragon. It's been really fun to write these two and I look forward to doing so for a long time to come.**

**Also, in addition, now that Rex and Weiss are together, I can tell you that my personal ship name for them IS, in fact, Frozen Nanite. Special Thanks to Paleodemon over on FFN for helping me come up with BOTH of these names AND for commissioning some awesome artwork on them. He also happens to be the one who commissioned the very cover art for this fanfic! If you wanna see the Frozen Nanite art that he commissioned DeviantArt user BaoNguyen2212 to make, then head on over to SinraiPaleodemon01 on DeviantArt to check that awesome piece out!**

**As for the rest of the chapter, there's also the little revelation that Grandpa Max just dropped onto the group. I'll admit, even I forgot about the episode "Ultimate Weapon" from the original series for a little bit, but taking that into account now… yeah, there may be more to Ben's godly theory than we initially thought! And hey, any excuse for the gang to travel around the Earth so that Team RWBY and everyone else can take in the sights is too good to take with a venture like this, right? And oh boy, it seems like Lisa's looking forward to a real interview and press conference before the gang leaves. THIS should be interesting… But hey, at least Sienna and Ben came to an understanding about Rath. Here's hoping Ben can keep things from going out of control between them. And plus, we got to hear a little bit from Clover! …And he's got some pretty big news. This might be a BIT different from what actually happened in canon, but to be fair, I was still writing this when Volume 7 came out and revealed that the Atlesian Army had the Winter Maiden in their care so unless I do a LOT of retconning to this fic, I think we can change it up a bit.**

**Alright, so... NEXT TIME! We're going a bit more casual as the gang get ready for Lisa's arrival for her interview with Ben. Meanwhile, things in the Land of Darkness… aren't going so well, especially with the mood that Salem's in. However, at the arrival of an unexpected guest, Salem finds herself intrigued at the prospect of a new offer on her table. As that's going on, Lisa arrives at the Xiao Long house for her interview… and she ends up exposed to a bunch of Earth stuff while she's there. As you can imagine, shenanigans ensue. Thanks for reading guys, and I'll see you all next time! Stay safe out there and I'll see ya later!**


	116. Start of the Final Day

**A/N: Hey everybody! Before we get started, I just wanna do another quick shout out. Y** **ou guys remember SinraiPaleodemon01, right? The awesome guy over on FFN and DeviantArt who commissioned both the story's cover AND an awesome art piece for Rex x Weiss (which has been officially dubbed; FrozenNanite)? Well, he's commissioned yet ANOTHER piece of artwork! This time from artist SunnyPoppy! It's simply titled; "Ben Tennyson x Yang Xiao Long (OmniDragon)" and it's now up on SinraiPaleoDemon01's DeviantArt page for your viewing pleasure! So go on and check it out! It's really awesome and very humbling to keep seeing all of this awesome art result from my story, so I hope you'll show these guys some love!**

**Now, with that said, let's get onto the chapter, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 116: Start of the Final Day**

* * *

Ben Tennyson let out a small groan as he began to awaken from his slumber, the Omnitrix bearer's head moving slightly as he just barely became aware of the world around him. Oddly enough, he couldn't exactly remember _when_ he had fallen asleep, but since the lights were off, he assumed that Gwen and Kevin must've come down stairs and shut them off before going to sleep themselves. After all, there WAS a blanket over him… yet for some reason, the pillow he was holding onto felt a bit odd. It was still soft, but it was almost like it had limbs or something. He tried to move when a familiar voice suddenly spoke to him through the darkness.

"Hmph, Ben, stop squirming… please?" He heard Yang ask as she buried her head into the crook of his neck. "I'm still tryin' to sleep."

"Mmm, sorry, Yang." Ben apologized, rearranging himself so that he was back in his original position. "I guess I just—" However, the couple's eyes both snapped right open after hearing each other mumble to one another, their eyes seeing each other through the near-pitch-black room.

"AAH!" The duo flung themselves up in surprise as they cried out, both of them silently thankful that no one could hear them down there. Their eyes opened wide only to suddenly wince as the light from the TV hit them, displaying the DVD menu for the Batman disk they had been watching. Once they were able to compose themselves, Yang focused back onto her boyfriend, the blonde still quite flabbergasted. "Ben, how… how long have we been down here?!"

The hero put a hand to his head, trying to remember what had happened. "I-I don't know. I mean, I remember us going upstairs a few times to talk to everybody else…"

Yang crossed her arms at that. "Yeah, and they were all congratulating us and stuff." She rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Of course, Gwen and Ruby couldn't help but spread the word."

"Hehe, yeah…" Ben chuckled before his eyes were drawn to the small window near the ceiling, being the only other light source in the room. From the looks of it, it seemed to be VERY early morning. He then peered over to the other couch and, to his surprise, Gwen and Kevin weren't there. "Well, I THINK we might've gone to sleep around nine o'clock…"

"Damn, we must've been drained from the battle yesterday." Yang commented as Ben made to stand up. "I haven't gone to bed at nine in ages."

"Yeah, me either." Ben made his way over to the light switch, ready to turn them on. "Watch your eyes." Yang took his advice and narrowed her eyes for a bit as he flicked the lights on, allowing her to adjust to the brightness of the room. "I'm not all THAT surprised that we dozed off like we did, though."

"Yeah, me neither… and why were the lights off anyways?" Yang scratched the back of her head as Ben sat back down next to her. "And what about Gwen and Kevin?"

Ben wore an irritated expression as he eyed the stairs. "Something tells me my dear cousin and Kevin didn't wanna disturb us, so they put a blanket over us and switched off the lights before leaving." He craned his neck back over the couch cushions as he sighed through his nose. "My cousin just can't resist putting us in awkward situations, can she?"

Yang quirked a brow at that, though her smirk didn't leave her face. "Whaddya mean by "awkward", Green Boy?" She scooted over to him and placed her chin on his chest, gazing up at him expectantly. "You're not embarrassed that we shared this couch together again, are ya?"

The hero's eyes widened in a panic as he frantically waved his hand in denial. "N-No! That's not what I'm saying at all, I—" But then he stopped himself, noticing that Yang was resisting the urge to laugh. "…You just love messing with me, don't you, Goldie Locks."

A small chuckle escaped Yang's lips as she moved herself up and placed a tender kiss on her boyfriend's lips. "Hehe, get used to it, baby. You're locked to me now that you said those three words, ya know."

"And I wouldn't have it any other way." Ben assured as he put his arm around her neck and brought her in for a close embrace AND another kiss. Once the two parted, Ben smiled and took a deep breath through his nose, taking in Yang's natural scent as she did the same for him. "Mmm, man, how do you do this to me, Yang?"

The Blonde Brawler flicked her hair dramatically. "It's my natural charm, Green Boy. Haven't you noticed?" The couple shared a brief laugh before setting their eyes out across the whole room, a slightly sad feeling starting to bubble up in Yang's stomach. "You know, though… I'm really gonna miss all of us just hanging out down here. Feels like our own little place, ya know?"

"Yeah, I get ya. But don't worry." Ben said with a wink. "My house has a PRETTY big basement, too, so I think we're gonna be alright…" He rubbed the back of his head a little. "…Even if we have to share it with my dad's action figure museum."

"Oh, sweet!" Yang grinned. "I almost forgot about that." Just then, a small yawn escaped Yang's throat, the blonde stretching her arm up as she felt her eyes droop a little again. "But still, I think we should get a little more shut-eye before the sun comes up. After all, it's… what, three o'clock?"

Ben checked his watch, seeing that it was, in fact, three-fifteen. "Yeah, 'bout quarter past three. We should get some more shut-eye…" His face fell a bit when he realized what that probably meant. "So, uh… I assume you'll wanna head back to your own room, right?"

Yang stared at her boyfriend incredulously before standing up, grabbing a hold of his arm all the while. Without uttering a word, Yang hauled Ben up to his feet before pulling out the couch-bed, much to Ben's confusion. She then switched the lights back off before grabbing the blanket and flinging a couple pillows onto the bed. Yang focused her eyes directly on Ben and pointed at the bed. "Lie down, please." Ben shifted his eyes between her and the bed before shrugging and complying with her orders… only for her to tackle him to the bed the moment he sat down. Yang couldn't help but laugh at the shocked expression of her boyfriend as she wrapped the blanket around them both, cuddling up close to his chest. "Haha! Green Boy, if you think I'm about to go back to sleeping by myself after this, then you are VASTLY mistaken."

Ben let out a nervous yet excited breath at that proposition. "Hah, w-wow." He shifted his eyes down to her. "I'll admit… I-I've never shared a bed with a girl before."

"Same here." Yang said with a wink. "Haven't shared a bed with a boy, either."

"Haha! Okay, that was pretty clever." Ben conceded before he realized something important. "…Although, we may have a bit of a roadblock with this."

"Whaddya mean?" Yang tilted her head.

"My parents." Ben elaborated, with Yang understanding immediately. "I… I can't be sure if they'll allow this or not. I mean, they're pretty chill, but… well, exactly HOW chill they can be remains to be seen."

Yang pursed her lips in thought. "Yeah, and with the kind of living arrangements we'll be having, my parents are gonna be staying at your house too." She gave a small shrug. "I mean, my dad won't be staying for long, but…"

Ben hummed as he picked it up from there. "Hmm, your mom is gonna be staying with us for quite a bit longer." The hero sighed as he pulled Yang closer into his embrace, their legs entangling with one another as they drew closer. "Well, I guess the only thing we can really do is… hope they'll allow it."

"Yeah, I guess." Yang placed a reassuring hand to Ben's chest. "But don't worry, Green Boy, we'll end up sharing a bed sooner or later." She gave him a sly wink. "And THAT'S a guarantee."

"Hehe, I-I'm sure it is, Goldie Locks." Ben blushed before closing his eyes, with Yang snuggling into his chest. "For now, I say let's enjoy this while we can."

"Hmm, yeah." Yang closed her eyes as well with a soft smile. "Good night, Ben. Love you."

Ben couldn't help but grin himself as he heard those two words, reciprocating them instantly. "Love you too, Yang."

* * *

Some hours later, once everyone was up, the whole Xiao Long household was abuzz with activity. And thankfully, it wasn't because of Ben and Yang sleeping in the same bed the night before. Gwen had made sure to cover for the two of them to make sure Tai and Raven didn't find out just yet. No, rather, everyone was getting their things together in order to leave for Earth later that day. Well, at least it mostly was. The notable exceptions were Blake, her family, Sun, Ilia and Sienna, all of whom were in the living room and gathered around the television. As it turned out, the three Faunus teens had finished their own packing early so that they could watch a certain show with the three White Fang leaders. That being; Thundercats.

"Might as well watch a few episodes of the show we based our new emblem on before you kids all leave, right?" Kali had rationalized with a smile. Ghira and Sienna seemed a bit less enthusiastic, but the panther man wanted to get in as much time with his daughter as possible before she left. And what's more, Sienna had nothing better to do, so she resigned to her fate.

Surprising to them, however, they found themselves quite interested in the show's premise... if finding it a little bit strange in the process. "So… let me get this straight; this race of alien cat people were able to escape their dying planet, only to end up on another planet that has malevolent beings on it?" Ghira questioned as he eyed the TV screen with a perplexed face, seeing what appeared to be an ancient creature wrapped in bandages suddenly change from near-skeletal to muscular all at once. "And the main villain is an… ancient, magical mummy?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much the gist of it." Ben answered from behind the couch. He and Yang were also in the living room as well, the duo preparing themselves for whenever Lisa Lavender would arrive for her interview. Rex and Ruby were in the room as well, though the EVO seemed to be a little laxer about the journalist's arrival.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Rex grinned. "The 1980's were a pretty CRAZY time for toy-inspired cartoons."

"You're telling me!" Ruby exclaimed from the floor in front of the TV. "I think I like Lion-O the best, though. He's like a little kid in a grown-up's body and I just find that funny!"

"I suppose it's alright." Ilia shrugged. "I mean, it's not exactly the most well animated, especially when compared to its actual opening."

Rex bobbed his head from side to side in agreement. "Eh, _sí_ , that's kind of a running trend with 80's cartoons."

Blake couldn't help but narrow her eyes when she saw a small, four-legged cat creature appear on screen. "Ugh, and something tells me that they had a knack for annoying side-kick characters, too."

Ben grimaced at the sight. "Ugh, yeah, Snarf was NOT a well-liked character. Glad that they kept him silent in the reboot… the VERY short-lived reboot." Both he and Rex sighed in sadness. "I hate underperforming toy sales."

Sienna's eyes darted to the screen the moment she saw a certain tiger Thundercat appear on the screen, a small smirk coming to her face. "Well, whoever made this cartoon certainly knew ME well. A tiger-man who wields a whip?" She pulled out her own Cerberus Whip for emphasis. "What _are_ the coincidences of Tigra and I sharing THAT similarity?"

Sun gave a shrug. "I dunno, Miss Khan, but I DO know one thing;" He pointed to the screen the moment that a panther-like Thundercat wielding a giant nunchaku appeared. "That Panthro guy is WAY cool!" He gave Ghira a nudge to the side. "Hey, Mr. B! Maybe you should consider learning to use the nunchucks, too!" Sun pulled out one of his own gunchucks and offered it to him. "I could even show ya how!"

But Ghira raised a hand. "Ahem, no thank you, Sun. Besides…" He suddenly extended his panther claws at the monkey boy, making him jump a little in surprise. This made a satisfied smirk come to Ghira's face. "I think my claws are enough."

" _Dad_!" Blake bemoaned. "Would you quit picking on my boyfriend already?"

Kali then gave Ghira a light smack on the shoulder, making him grunt and wince a bit. "Ghira, seriously, the poor boy has suffered enough of the "over-protective father"." The Belladonna matriarch prodded a finger to her husband's chest with a furrowed brow. "You need to lighten up on him or I'm going to do something QUITE drastic."

Ghira's expression fell at those words. That was Kali-talk for "you're going to be sleeping on the couch if you don't cut that out". The panther man cleared his throat, retracting his claws at the same time. "R-Right, my apologies." He shifted his eyes toward Sun, the monkey boy wearing a confused face as Ghira let out a sigh. "I'm… sorry, Sun. Perhaps I've been… a bit _too_ hard on you."

"Don't worry about it, Mr. B." Sun assured with a raised hand. "Trust me, I get it. Something tells me if I were in your position, I'd be doing the same." He set his eyes over onto Blake and gave her a smile. "Because let's face it; Blake IS pretty special." Blake smiled back and her face reddened a bit, her finger twirling around a stray lock of hair in embarrassment.

"Hmhm, that she is." Ghira chortled before extending a hand to Sun. "So I hope that you two will watch out for each other when you're on Earth."

Sun took the hand and shook it instantly. "Definitely, sir."

Blake's ears drooped a bit at the realization. "Oh, yeah…" She faced her mother with a slightly saddened face. "You guys probably aren't coming with us, huh?"

"Oh, Blake, it's okay." Kali said as she pulled her daughter into a hug. "We can always come over to visit… provided we're near an entry point for Bellwood."

Ben suddenly piped up. "Well, any location near Vale SEEMS to be an entry point for Bellwood, so if you guys ever wanna come to Earth, just get in contact with Cooper and we can port ya right over!"

"Thank you, Ben." Ghira nodded. "We appreciate it greatly." He set a gentle hand to his daughter's back. "Just… take care of yourself while you're over there, okay sweetheart?"

Blake moved her arms around her father, grinning as she hugged him. "Don't worry, dad, I will."

Kali reached over and put a hand to Ilia's shoulder as well. "And Ilia, you do the same, alright? I know that you and Blake are more than capable of taking care of yourselves, but… we're still going to be a little worried for you over there."

"We ALL are." Sienna reinforced, catching the chameleon girl's attention. "So make sure you all stay safe, okay?"

Ilia gave both women an appreciative nod. "Thank you for your concerns, but trust me, I think we'll be alright."

"Yeah, no need to worry!" Ruby said with a pump of her fist. "We'll all be just fine over in Ben's world. It'll be a blast!"

Yang came up and jerked a thumb to herself. "Yeah, besides, Blake and Ilia will have all of us to watch their backs too, ya know?"

"Oh please," Blake said with a smirk and an eyeroll, "if anything, I should be watching YOUR back, Yang." The blonde was about to object when Blake quirked a brow to her partner. "After all, WHO was the one who was insane enough to take a ride on Exo-Skull yesterday?"

"…Point taken." Yang grumbled as she crossed her arms.

"Alright, what IS going on down here?" Weiss asked as she and Winter descended the stairs. "Seriously, we could hear your voices all the way upstairs."

Rex smiled as he faced his new girlfriend, giving her wave. "Hey, Ice Princess, we—WOAH!" The EVO's eyes widened as he saw the Elder Schnee make it to the bottom of the stairs. "Winter, that new look is _tight_!"

Indeed, Winter was in some fresh new clothing, courtesy of the Atlesian Army who had delivered it to her late last night. She was in a new, long-sleeved white coat with sleeves that were closed unlike her previous one. The shoulders of the coat were colored grey and had snowflake-shaped designs on them, and there was a single, clasped strap on her upper left arm. She wore a white, collared shirt underneath her jacket and her neck was adorned with a navy-blue necktie that was connected to a new, red brooch. Under the lapels of her jacket was a black girdle with white snowflake designs hugging her torso, and she was in a pair of navy-blue pants that matched her boots and gloves quite nicely. Overall, she appeared to be more… professional.

However, she couldn't help but raise a brow at Rex's compliment, eyeing her new uniform a bit. "Well, I suppose it IS a bit tight, but—"

"Ugh, no Winter, he means it looks good." Weiss explained. "Sheesh, and I thought _Penny_ was bad at expressions."

"Oh… alight then. Thank you, Rex." Winter smiled as she inspected the collar of her new uniform. "I happen to quite like it myself, actually."

Ben placed his hands on his hips, tilting his head a bit. "Well, yeah, it definitely looks cool, but… don't you think it's a bit _too_ professional for where we're going?"

Winter's eyebrows rose up at the hero's words. "It never hurts to appear your best, Benjamin. And that's something I intend to strive for once I meet your cousin." She pointed over to him with a skeptical face. "Speaking of, you should probably get ready to appear your best as well, considering that Lisa Lavender could be here at any moment." Her eyes quickly darted over to a certain EVO. "And you, too, Rex."

"Hey, I don't have much in the way of fancy duds, Winter." Rex said as he raised his hands. "If I had one of Six's suits, then maybe."

Ilia quirked a brow at that. "That implies that you've worn Six's suits before…" she said suspiciously.

"Hehe, that's because I kinda did." Rex said as he rubbed the back of his head. "Let's just say my pal Noah needed a plus-one to his prom."

The moment he saw a sly grin appear on Weiss' face, Rex knew he had said too much. "Ooh, that implies a double date." She stepped closer to him with an eager smile, placing her hands on her hips. "Please, tell me more."

Rex glanced all around the room, seeing that everyone was staring at him expectantly. With a heavy sigh, he resigned himself to the hole he had dug himself into. "Okay… so you remember when I mentioned the whole "EVO Bunny" thing to Velvet a week ago?" Weiss gave him a silent nod, ushering him to continue. "Well, that same week, Noah asked me to be his plus-one since his date's friend didn't have a date of her own."

"Aw, well that's sweet of you, Rex!" Ruby complimented.

"Yeah… but the night was kind of a success… while also being utter hell at the same time." Rex grimaced as the memories came back to him. "Ya see, this girl that I was set up with? She was VERY accident prone"

Yang rolled her eyes at that. "Oh c'mon, so you were set up with a bit of a klutz—"

"I'm talking QROW-levels of accident prone here, Yang." Rex interrupted, making both Yang and Ruby's jaws drop. "Yeah, not pretty. So anyway, after a long night of almost getting killed by my date AND the EVO rabbit, all four of us ended up in a chase with the damned thing with Noah and the girls in a Providence vehicle… and then my date managed to fire a heat-seeking missile at me which I then used to destroy the rabbit." The EVO spread his arms out, jerking his head back. "And THAT is the story of how I almost got killed on prom night."

There was a long silence after that… only for a slight snickering to be heard a moment later. Then, it became a giggle, before finally, Weiss couldn't hold back any more and she belted out laughing, pulling her boyfriend into a hug as she guffawed into his chest. The laughter soon proved to be infectious as it passed along to the rest of Team RWBY, Ben, Sun and even Kali, Sienna and Winter, the latter three attempting to hold their laughter back. "…Gee, real supportive, guys." Rex groaned.

"Hahaha! S-Sorry, Rex!" Weiss apologized as she wiped a tear from her eye. "I-It's just that was too good NOT to laugh at!"

"Hehe, yeah Rex, c'mon, you gotta admit it's at least a LITTLE funny." Ben encouraged.

Rex simply rolled his eyes. "Well maybe to you people." He jerked his head toward the hallway. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for the interview, dude?"

The Omnitrix bearer sent Rex a wave. "Alright, alright, I get your point. C'mon Yang, I think I know the perfect way to look a bit more… "professional" for this interview."

* * *

As it happened, what Ben meant by "professional" was changing from his usual jeans, jacket and black undershirt to his newer ensemble; the green polo shirt and tan khaki pants that he had bought during the first week of their stay in Remnant. He went to change in the ground-floor bathroom… but when Yang stopped the door from closing and followed him in, he was left confused and a bit flustered. It didn't help that the Blonde Brawler closed the door behind her. "Er… Yang? What're you—"

"What do YOU think, Green Boy?" Yang smirked as she crossed her arms, giving her boyfriend a small wink. "Like I said last night, I'm testing our boundaries."

"O-Oh." Ben uttered as a blush crept to his face. "W-Well, I…"

"If you want me to leave, then that's fine." Yang said seriously as she raised her hands up. "I've got no problem if you don't want me to see you changing. Believe me, the last thing I want you to be is uncomfortable."

Despite his nervousness, Ben couldn't help but smile at how sincere his girlfriend's words were. _'Again, how the hell did I find someone like her?'_ The hero's blush persisted as he set his new clothes down, going to remove his jacket. "Well… I don't know if I'm ready for anything below the belt… but I really have no problem with you seeing me change my shirt."

Yang smiled and gave him a nod in understanding. "Okay, good to know. Besides, I—" Yang's words hitched in her throat the moment she saw Ben remove his shirt. _'Oh god, my boyfriend is JACKED.'_ Yang knew that Ben had a fair bit of muscle to him after training with him for so many weeks… and the fact that she could feel them when they slept in the same bed last night… but she never figured that he'd be this fit under his shirt. He wasn't a body builder by any means, he was really more long and lean in the muscle department, but still…

However, it was then that Ben noticed Yang staring at his chest, making him raise a brow at her. "Er, Yang? You okay?"

"…Kind of." Yang smiled. "Because, DAMN, my boyfriend has some eye-candy going for him!"

Ben coughed involuntarily, surprised at Yang's statement. "W-Well, I, uh… I guess our regular training sessions helped me develop a bit more muscle…"

"Oh, no, THIS isn't just from our regular training." Yang said as she stepped up and prodded Ben's pectoral. "This looks like it was from years of kicking alien butt!"

"Hehe, well, I guess you could say… that…" Ben trailed off when he felt Yang tracing along the contours of his muscles, seeing that the blonde was practically in a hypnotized state. Suddenly, an idea came into the hero's head and he smirked, bringing his hand up to Yang's shoulder before pulling her into an embrace, eliciting a surprised "EEP!" from her as her face was suddenly pressed against Ben's chest. The hero lowered his head on top of his girlfriend's and he asked; "Happy now?"

"…Can we just stay like this for a while?" Yang muffled out, making Ben let out a hearty laugh.

"Hahaha! Okay, yeah, I can tell you're pretty happy."

Yang rolled her eyes as she craned her head up to her boyfriend, a sly grin of her own forming on her face. "Yeah, yeah, yuck it up ALL ya want, Green Boy. But here's the thing;" She moved herself up and whispered into his ear; "I'm gonna do the same thing to you one of these days… and the ladies and I are gonna make sure you have _fun_." The moment she heard Ben let out a wheeze, she knew she had done her job. "Yeah, look forward to that, _stud_."

Before any more banter could be said between the two, however, the bathroom door suddenly flung open, with Sienna letting herself in. The couple let out a pair of screams as Sienna sent them a soft glare. "Hey, what the hell is taking you two so long? Some of us have to use the bathroom, too, you know."

"SIENNA!" Yang yelled as her eyes flashed red. "What the HELL do you think you're doing?! You can't just barge into bathrooms like that! …Also, how did you know that _both_ of us in here?" Sienna deadpanned at the question before pointing at her ears, which made Yang deadpan as well. "Ah, yeah, right."

"Uh-huh. Anyways, I thought I'd stop you two before things went a little too far." Sienna said before taking note of Ben's shirtless form, though unlike Yang, Sienna seemed to be focused on something else. "Ooh, but Ben… are those the battle scars you mentioned to me yesterday?"

The couple's eyes widened, with Ben placing a hand on the back of his head. "O-Oh, yeah. They're all from before the Omnitrix could heal my body whenever I changed back to human. I've got quite a few of 'em."

"You must be quite proud of them!" Sienna smiled with pride. "A warrior such as yourself must be put through quite the wringer to get scars like those."

"Heh, I suppose so."

As they spoke, Yang had put her eyes back on Ben's upper torso. Indeed, littered in random spots all over him were a series of faint scars. Nothing too nasty or brutal, but they were there. But then she saw that there WAS one larger scar that was peeking out from the back of her boyfriend's shoulder, her curiosity peaked. "Ben… could you maybe turn around?" Yang asked.

"Are… are you sure you wanna see them?" Ben asked back, seeing where his girlfriend's eyes were concentrated. Yang gave him a definite nod before he obliged to her wishes, moving himself around so that his back was toward her.

What she saw next made Yang audibly gasp. _'Oh… wow.'_ It was a long, clean scar that ran right across his shoulders and down to the middle of his back. And then, from the small of his back upwards, there was another scar that appeared to be a bit more jagged, but it had healed fairly well. "Wh-Where did these…"

"Fights with Vilgax." Ben answered immediately. "I've learned that he likes to go for the back."

Her smile unwavering, Sienna sent a respectful nod to Ben in approval. "Well, I must say that you are quite the warrior, Ben Tennyson. Treat those scars like trophies, because they show just how resilient you really are." She put a hand to her chin and smirked devilishly. "And Yang… you are one lucky woman to have a mate like that. I don't usually say that about a human… but if he were a few years older, I would…"

"Why in the HELL is my boyfriend being hounded by older women all of a sudden?!" Yang snapped as Ben's face flushed again, the blonde pointing Sienna out the door. "There's another bathroom upstairs, ya know! You could always just use that!"

"Hm, I suppose you're right." Sienna said with a shrug, giving the couple a teasing wave goodbye. "In any case, don't try to be in here long, you two. We just got a call from the general saying that Lisa Lavender should be here at any moment." With that, Sienna closed the door, leaving the couple to sigh to themselves.

Yang slapped her forehead in exasperation. "I swear, how is it that you're attracting all of these older girls?" Ben quirked a brow down to her in confusion, so she explained. "Oh, yeah, Lisa said that if you were her age, she'd swoop in and scoop you up for herself."

"Oh… wow." Ben pulled Yang into another hug, the blonde contently burying her face into her boyfriend's bare chest. "If it's any consolation… it wouldn't be the first time I've been hit on by older women."

"…Seriously?" Yang muffled out. "Dang, my boyfriend is definitely a chick magnet."

"Yeah, well, this chick magnet is yours exclusively now." Ben smiled before pulling Yang into a prolonged kiss. Once the two pulled away, Ben settled his forehead against hers. "How does THAT make you feel?"

"Like I'm riding the biggest high of my fucking life." Yang said before launching herself up and catching Ben's lips with hers again, bringing both of them to the floor in a make out session that lasted a good ten minutes before Ben had to actually get changed.

* * *

Once Ben had finished changing, the two lovers went out onto the front porch and waited for Lisa to get there, the couple sharing the porch swing with each other in the meantime. Once they saw a news van pull up, though, they quickly got up and walked off the porch, just in time for Lisa to step out of the driver's side and greet them. "Well good morning, you two!" the white-haired woman said with a wink. "And how exactly is the lovely power couple today?"

"Hehe, we're doin' pretty good, Lisa." Yang chuckled as she and Ben approached the van. However, the closer they got, the more they noticed that the reporter was all by herself, with nary the hint of her cameraman in sight. "Uh… are you all by yourself today, Lisa?"

The reporter sighed as she opened up the van's sliding door, rolling her eyes as she reached in to grab the equipment. "Unfortunate, yes." Lisa grumbled. "Greg took the day off today to "mentally recover" from what he was put through last night. Psh, if you ask me, he's just a big chicken." She reached for the camera and hefted it up over her shoulder, though she seemed to have a bit of difficulty in doing so. "Hehe, jokes on him! He doesn't know what he's missing!"

"…Are you sure you can carry that, Lisa?" Ben asked with a raised brow. "I could help you out with that if you—"

"Ah-ah, no, no, I'm perfectly fine with the camera!" Lisa assured as she reached a hand out to stop Ben, only for her to lose her balance for a moment. "AH! B-Besides, this is VERY sensitive equipment and the station would have a fit if it got damaged. Plus, I always have the tri…pod." The woman briefly glanced down to see that not only did she need the tripod, but the boom mic as well, making sneer a bit. "Oh, goddamn it! I forgot I needed someone to grab that AND boom mic, too!"

Yang pursed her lips, placing her hands on her hips. "Well there has to be SOMETHING we can do to—" But then, Yang brightened up before raising two fingers to the reporter. "Wait right here, I'll be back in a minute!" With that, the Blonde Brawler ran into the house… only to come out ten seconds later with Sun and Neptune, the boys being pushed from behind while their heels skid along the floor. Ruby, Blake, Weiss and Rex were also trailing behind Yang in curiosity.

"So… remind me WHY we're out here again?" Sun piped up before noticing the news van. "Oh, so they're here!"

Ruby gasped and let out a small, panicked cry. "AH! Why didn't you TELL us?!" She immediately pulled her hood up over her head. "I'm not ready to go on TV!"

"She's right, Yang!" Weiss exclaimed as she quickly spun away from the camera, her hands going to her face as her nerves began to take over. "I haven't even given my make up the once over! I'm not ready to go live!"

Rex smiled and gave Weiss a reassuring pat on the back. "Weiss, you look absolutely _beautiful_. I think you're gonna be fine."

"…Okay, that makes me feel better." Weiss admitted as she gave him a smile of her own. But then, she quickly directed her eyes back to Yang. "But again, why DID you bring Sun and Neptune out here?"

Blake crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at her partner. "This isn't part of some hair-brained scheme, is it?"

"What? No! What gave you that idea?" Yang said as she pushed both Sun and Neptune directly in front of Lisa, pointing to the reporter as she did. "You two are just gonna help her out with her equipment is all."

"Say WHAT?!" Neptune shouted. "Yang, we have NO experience handling news equipment! What makes you think we _can_?"

"Ah, relax, it can't be THAT hard!" Yang waved off as she made motions with her hands that resembled her holding a camera. "Ya just gotta point the camera where she tells you too…" She then switched to a position where it looked like she was holding a boom mic. "And for the mic, all ya gotta do is make sure it doesn't get in frame! Easy-peasy!"

Lisa couldn't help but deadpan. "You make the job of a broadcast technician sound like cake." She rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. "Oh, alright, it's not like I have much of a choice." She handed the camera to Neptune, who was surprised at the hand-off to say the least. "Here, you seem like you've got broad shoulders. Hold the camera for me."

"W-Woah, I… uh." Neptune blinked when he realized that Lisa noticed his physique, which immediately gave him a confidence boost. "Er, I-I mean, yeah!" The blue-haired boy wore a toothy grin as he shoulders the camera, making sure that it was positioned the right way. "I DO have quite the shoulders, thank you for noticing.

The group of teens behind him all did an eye roll before Sun sighed and extended his hand. "I suppose I'll take the boom mic, then. I use a staff as a weapon anyway, so I'm pretty sure I've got steady hands."

Blake couldn't help but grin at that. _'Oh, your hands are a LOT more than just steady, Sun.'_ she thought to herself as she watched her dorky boyfriend steadily handle the boom mic.

Once the two boys were set up with instructions on what to so, Lisa grabbed her mic and fussed over herself in the van's side-view mirrors before smiling contently to herself. "Alright, here we go. Now, we won't be broadcasting this live, okay? This is gonna be shown on the news a bit later on today, so no pressure, alright?" She received a few sighs of relief from the teens, making her chuckle a bit. "Hehe, don't worry, I'm sure you all be fine. Now, blue boy, direct the camera over here and keep it focused on me until I tell you to pan over to the house with me, okay?" She checked her watch to see that the hands were just thirty seconds away from striking ten o'clock. "When I give the word, you're going to hit THIS switch on the side." Lisa indicated the switch near Neptune's hand. "That'll be what gets us rolling, alright?"

"You got it." Neptune nodded. "Just that switch and nothing else, right?"

"Exactly." Lisa confirmed before going over to Sun. "And monkey boy, we won't need the mic until later, so could you maybe get the tripod and just keep a hold of both of those for now?"

Sun gave her a thumbs up. "No prob, Lisa." He used his tail to keep a hold of the boom mic while taking hold of the tripod, giving Lisa a salute afterward. "Alright, ready when you are!"

"Great! We're ready then." Lisa checked her watch again to see they now had ten seconds, to which she raised a hand to Neptune. "Rolling in five… four… three…" She counted down silently on her fingers from two to one before pointing at Neptune, who immediately flicked the switch.

With a bright smile, Lisa immediately went into reporter mode and greeted her audience. "Hello people of Remnant, this is Lisa Lavender of the Vale News Network, coming to you from the isle of Patch. As you're no doubt aware from the events of yesterday, we have had… quite the hectic couple of days here in our kingdom to say the least." Her face became serious for a moment as she explained. "As we've learned, a previously unheard-of threat has emerged from the darkest parts of our world, a witch who goes by the name of "Salem". As we have learned, she has complete control over ALL of the Grimm, and is the one responsible for the attacks on Vale and both Beacon, and more recently, Haven Academy."

Off to the side, the group's eyes widened. _'How'd she get THAT information?'_ they all wondered.

"No doubt this witch plans to destroy our world and plunge it into even more darkness than it already has." Lisa continued as a melancholy expression came to her face. "I find this very hard to say, but… I feel like we may have jumped the gun quite a bit when we called this time "A New Era of Peace" considering this evil force's presence…" But then she brightened up again a split second later. "However, I think that there IS still hope to be found, for not only were we made aware of this new threat yesterday, but we were also presented with a group of fantastic young heroes who have sworn to protect the world from Salem, even if they are far away from our world itself." She ushered for Sun and Neptune to follow her as she stepped over toward the others. "Everyone, I would now like to FINALLY formally introduce these young heroes to you all right now!" She brought the mic up to Ben's face. "I think it's only appropriate we start with you, my friend."

"O-Oh… right." Ben grinned sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. _'Man, so weird to be interviewed like this WITHOUT being yelled at or with flashing cameras in my face. …Definitely helps that she's not another Harangue.'_ He set his eyes directly onto the camera and spoke clearly into the mic; "Uh, hi there, Remnant. My name's Ben Tennyson. But, uh, I guess you might've known that already."

Lisa sent him a wink. "Never hurts to cement it in the people's minds, Ben, trust me. So, would you care to remind people of what you can do?"

"Uh, yeah! Of course." Ben brought up the Omnitrix and showed it off to the camera. "Okay, so this might SEEM like an ordinary watch, but in reality, it's actually a high-tech alien device called the Omni-Matrix… or "Omnitrix" for short. It lets me transform into any alien I want… or at least the ones I've unlocked."

Lisa nodded, ushering him to go on. "Indeed, I think we ALL saw you do that last night. But perhaps you could give us another demonstration now that we're NOT in mortal danger?"

"Oh, sure!" Ben brought up the Omnitrix's holo ring before scrolling through his aliens, searching for the perfect one to show off. "Hm… let's see, ah-ha, perfect!" The core popped up and Ben slammed it down, revealing that he had transformed into… "ARMODRILLO!" The Talpaedan lifted his mighty, jackhammer-like arms, making Lisa give out a surprised, yet joyous gasp.

"Ah-ha! Oh my goodness, it gets even more amazing when you see it up close like this!" She inspected every inch of the large, yellow-armored alien, only stopping when she took note of his large arms. "Hm… now that's quite odd. How do your arms have these jackhammers in them? Are you some kind of robotic alien now?"

"No, actually." Armodrillo replied. "My arms are entirely biological."

"VERY interesting!" Lisa smiled. "And I assume they work like normal jackhammers?"

Beneath his helmet, Armodrillo smirked before slamming one fist on the ground, the pile drivers in his arms immediately going to work. He made sure not to put TOO much power into it, otherwise he'd never hear the end of it from everyone inside the house, but there was still a pretty good tremor going on. The ground shook beneath everyone's feet as Armodrillo kept hammering away at it, the Talpaedan calling out; "YOU TELL ME!"

"AaAaAaAhH! B-B-Ben! W-w-we g-g-g-get it!" Neptune shouted. "S-S-Stop sh-shaking the place, w-w-will ya?!" A split second later, Armodrillo stopped, allowing everyone a sigh of relief. "Thank you!"

"Haha! Yes, THANK you!" Lisa laughed as she steadied herself back to her feet. "That was an AMAZING demonstration for the people at home! Now, what about the OTHER thing you did, where you slammed that symbol on your chest and changed your form even further?"

Armodrillo pointed to the Omnitrix on his chest. "Oh yeah! That's called the "Evolutionary Function". It allows me to change my aliens into their Ultimate form… at the cost of draining the Omnitrix's battery a lot quicker."

Lisa nodded in understanding. "Ah, I get it, so it's a bit of a payoff; more power for less time in your transformation. VERY interesting!" She gave him a wave and said; "Oh, you can change back now, by the way."

"Ah, thanks." Armodrillo hit the Omnitrix and changed back into Ben in a flash of green light, the hero placing his hands on his hips. "So, anything else you wanna know?"

"Oh there's a WHOLE lot I wanna know, but first, I think it's only appropriate that we introduce the others here." Lisa gestured over to Sun and Neptune. "Firstly, I want to thank these two young men for helping me with my equipment today. Boys, feel free to introduce yourselves."

Sun's eyes widened when Neptune put the camera on him. "O-Oh, right! Heya world, heh… name's Sun Wukong!"

Neptune then turned the camera around and gave a big smile. "And I'm Neptune Vasilias!" He gave an exuberant wave and called out; "Hi mom! Hi big bro! I'm gonna be on TV!"

The entire group couldn't help but groan before Lisa cleared her throat. "Ahem, yes, very good. Now, how about we move on with introductions, hm?" Neptune refocused the camera and moved over to Rex, smiling up at him. "You're the young man that saved my life, so I'm pretty sure that everyone already knows you, too."

"Uh, hehe, yeah." Rex chortled before peering into the camera and waving. "Hey world! Name's Rex Salazar incase ya didn't catch it the first time." From his hand, he brought forth his BFS to show it off. "And as a reminder, I'm chock full of nano-machines called "nanites" that I can use to build a bunch of awesome weapons… and transform into a giant robot."

Lisa gave Rex a tap on the chest. "Which we WILL be getting to later, trust me. But first…" The reporter then made her way over to Team RWBY and pointed her microphone toward them, the girls all visibly becoming either extremely excited or anxious. "Alright, girls, it's time for you! What're your stories?"

Ruby's eyes found the camera and she let out a little nervous laugh as she waved to it. "Uh, hehe, hi… Remnant." Her eyes widened a bit at that realization. _'Oh my gosh, everyone in the WORLD is gonna see this!'_ She almost lost her nerve for a moment before Yang came up and placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder, giving her sister a thumbs up and a wink, along with an encouraging grin. Ruby smiled back and nodded, facing the camera again with a new found confidence. "Well… we're Team RWBY from Beacon Academy." She placed a hand over her chest. "I'm Ruby Rose, and I'm the team leader."

Yang saluted the camera with her signature grin. "I'm Yang Xiao Long, Ruby's big sis!"

Weiss bowed her head slightly to the camera. "I'm Weiss Schnee… and yes, _that_ Schnee, though I think I've made it clear yesterday that I don't wish to associate myself with my father's company right now."

"Hm, I see." Lisa said, though in her mind, she was thinking; _'Hm… this could be a story for another time…'_ However, she brushed the thought aside before moving onto Blake, giving her an encouraging nod. "And what about you, young lady?"

"B-Blake." the cat girl stammered out. "B-Blake Belladonna."

Lisa shot Blake a sympathetic expression. "A bit of stage fright, Blake?"

"A-A little, yeah." Blake rubbed her arm a little as she glanced off to the side. "I-I've never really been part of an interview before…" She held her hands over her stomach as she kept her eyes toward the ground. "And… all the years of seeing bad press have kinda made me wary of that."

"No doubt because of your family's association with the White Fang, correct?" Lisa asked, to which Blake gave a solemn nod as an answer. Lisa smiled and placed a hand on Blake's shoulder. "Well, considering all of the good things that were said about them at the press conference yesterday, you should be feeling pretty happy about that, right?"

Blake's ears perked up at that. "W-Well, of course, but… I'm just a little worried that the attack yesterday will—"

"You should check the news when you get the chance." Lisa said with a wink. "Trust me, the White Fang is certainly being talked about, and I think you'll like what you hear."

A smile slowly formed on Blake's face at Lisa's words. "I… I'll remember to that, Lisa."

"I'm glad you will." Lisa smiled before glancing between Blake and Weiss. "Though I have to admit, I find it rather ironic that a Schnee and a Belladonna ended up on the same team as one another. I take it things were a bit rough for you two at first?"

"Well, Blake hid her ears at first, so I didn't exactly know she was a Faunus until a couple months into the first semester." Weiss answered as she glanced toward Blake with a small smile. "And well… I still had a few frustrations with Faunus at the time. I know it must've been hard for her to put up with me, but in the end, when I found out she WAS a Faunus… I didn't care. She was already my friend, and that was something I couldn't deny. And ever since, I've grown to appreciate the Faunus community more and more with her help." She reached over and pulled Blake into a side embrace. "I honestly couldn't ask for a better friend."

"Aw, Weiss." Blake waved off. "No need to get all sappy on television."

"Sorry, Blake, but you're getting ALL of the sappy!" Yang said as she pulled all three of her teammates into a hug. "Ruby might be my biological sister, but as far as I'm concerned, all THREE of these gals are my sisters!"

Lisa beamed happily as she placed a hand over her chest. "Oh my goodness, you girls are adorable!" She quirked a brow over to Yang in particular. "But you told me something that piqued my interest, Yang… you said that you and Ben are dating. Would you want to get that on the record just in case?"

Yang gave her a thumbs up. "Oh, hell yeah." The Blonde Brawler peered straight into the camera and pointed in it. "Hey, listen up ladies—and a few guys out there, I'm sure—Ben and I are pretty much linked at the hip already, so sorry to disappoint." She smiled in satisfaction before winking over to Weiss. "You want in on this, Weiss-cream?" she whispered.

Weiss gave her friend a soft glare. "I would rather NOT have my father find out that I'm dating Rex, thank you." she curtly whispered back.

"Yeah, probably best to keep that on the downlow." Rex agreed with a wince.

Not taking noticed of the little exchange, Lisa continued on. "Hm, very straight and to the point. So, tell me, how long have you been fighting Salem?"

Ruby was the one to answer that. "W-We've been fighting Salem and her followers along with Ben for the past three weeks now. It hasn't been easy, but we've managed."

Lisa gave a single nod, signaling that Ruby was doing great. "I see, so how DID you meet up with Ben in the first place?"

The whole group gave each other wary glances before going back into the camera. "That's kinda where things get tricky to explain…" Yang answered before taking a deep breath, ready to explain things one more time.

* * *

After moving the interview onto the front porch, the heroes went over everything that had happened at the Battle for Beacon, including Ben, Gwen and Kevin's sudden arrival as well as how they managed to turn the tide in their favor that night. Over the course of the next few minutes, they told of all of the different adventures they had experienced since then, which included Rex giving a recounting of how HE had ended up crossing into _Ben's_ universe from his own before making his way to Remnant. All in all, it took about half an hour to get everything out, but they managed.

"And so, that's the WHOLE story of what exactly has been going on." Ben concluded. "Me, my family and my friends all got caught up in a big explosion in our home dimension, and were sent here with some of escaped convicts from the Plumber Base break out. We've basically been trying to round them up ever since and we've had a lot of success in doing so…" He pursed his lips in frustration. "Even though a few of them managed to ally themselves with Salem."

There was a brief silence among the group for a moment before Lisa spoke up, having lost her voice for a moment. "W-Wow… that is quite the tale." the reporter uttered. "Honestly, I WOULD label it as fantastic and unbelievable if I hadn't JUST seen everything that I did yesterday. I'm sorry that all of that happened to you and your family, Ben."

"Thank you." Ben set his eyes directly into the camera before bowing his head. "Honestly, though, I won't argue with anyone if they blame me for all of the bad stuff that's been going on. After all, the whole reason my enemies are here—"

"Is because of something that happened that was out of your control." Lisa emphasized, taking Ben by surprise. "Listen, Ben, I'm not exactly sure why you feel guilty about all of this, but I can tell you right now that when I get the facts, I make sure I have _everything_. I don't do any twisting or mincing, I get my facts straight." The reporter smiled at him once more. "And just from the expression on your face, I can tell that you're telling the truth."

Ben reciprocated the grin and let out a sigh. "Th-Thank you, Lisa. Sorry, it's just… I haven't had much luck with news outlets back in my world, believe it or not. I mean, a few of them like me, but others… not so much."

Lisa scoffed at the notion. "Pfft, well, I can't imagine why. You're a pretty nice person, Ben, and anyone around the world who was watching you and your friends defend Vale yesterday can see that. With that being said, though… if by chance the people at home don't believe that you're from another dimension entirely… would you perhaps have any proof?"

Slowly but surely, a series of smiles came to the teens faces. "Oh, by god, do we!" Yang stood up and ushered for Lisa to follow her. "C'mon, we'll show ya!" The rest of Team RWBY, Ben and Rex were hot on Ben's heels while Lisa followed, with Sun and Neptune trailing behind while holding the equipment.

Almost immediately, Rex heard the beginning tune to a certain theme song from the living room "Ooh, ooh! In here, point the camera in here, Sun!" The hero ushered as Lisa and everyone else rounded the corner into the room, where Ghira, Kali, Sienna and Ilia were still sitting, though now Penny and Oscar had joined them all as well.

Lisa's eyes couldn't help but widen the moment she saw what was on the television; it was some sort of anthropomorphic cat creature swiping around an extending sword while chanting; _"Thunder! THUNDER THUNDERCATS! HOOOO!"_ All while epic music played in the background. From there, the intro played with its fast paced and colorful animation, which all but mesmerized Lisa as it went on;

_Thundercats are on the move, Thundercats are loose!_

_Feel the magic, hear the roar! Thudercats are loose!_

_Thunder, thunder, thunder, Thundercats!_

_Thunder, thunder, thunder, Thundercats!_

_Thunder, thunder, thunder, Thundercats!_

_Thunder, thunder, thunder, THUNDERCATS!_

The whole intro played through to the end before ending with one final; _"Thundercats!"_ before moving onto the episode itself… though Lisa was already grinning from ear to ear. "AH! Oh my goodness, that was AMAZING!"

Everyone sitting on the furniture immediately jumped in surprise at the woman's shout, the group whipping their heads around toward her. "Oh! Miss Lavender!" Penny beamed as she sprung up to her feet, her hands balled up in excitement. "You have arrived!"

Ilia's eyes widened and she put her hands to her face, her spots turning pink as she whipped her head away from the camera. "AH! Oh my gosh, we're on TV NOW?! I haven't had time to get ready!"

Oscar spun around and slunk himself behind the couch cushions, hoping to not be seen. "You think you've got it bad? I've never even BEEN on TV before!"

"Guys, relax!" Yang waved off. "We're not live, just recording!" Both Ilia and Oscar gave out relieved sighs at that, slumping back into their seats.

"Ah, good morning, Miss Lavender." Ghira greeted as he, Kali and Sienna stood up to greet the reporter. "Have you begun your interview with Ben yet?"

"Good morning, Mr. Belladonna. And yes, partially." Lisa answered before putting her focus back on the television. "Ben and the others just finished explaining everything about what exactly has been going on for the past few weeks, and I asked them if they could prove that they were from another dimension." She watched as the show went on, seeing that the high-speed animation of the intro didn't exactly match up with the actual show's animation. "And I have to say, I don't think I've ever seen a cartoon like this before."

"And that's because you haven't!" Ben explained as he gestured toward the TV. "This is a show from my world called "Thundercats". It's a thirty-five-year-old show that's from the 1980's, and that's pretty much why the animation looks the way it does."

Kali gestured to the screen. "Plus, it's where we found the inspiration for the new emblem on our flag."

Lisa's eyes brightened up at that revelation. "Oh well that's certainly very cool!" She focused back on the screen, watching as the cartoon played on. "Hm, well, I have to say, if this is what your animation looked like thirty-five years ago on your world, then I'm guessing it's not exactly as high-tech as Remnant."

"Oh, I think you'd be surprised." Ruby assured as she ushered Lisa to follow her. "C'mon, let's get you downstairs. There's a WHOLE lot more stuff to see down there."

Weiss quirked a brow as Ruby lead Lisa over to the basement, with Sun and Neptune dutifully following them. "Wait…" She glanced over to Blake in curiosity. "Didn't we pack up most of the stuff into Kevin's car already?"

"Almost everything." Blake answered. "There's still a few things left down there." A small grin came to Blake's face as she let out an amused chuckle. "Heh, Pyrrha insisted that she finish Ocarina of Time today. Said that it wouldn't feel right to start it in Remnant and not finish it before leaving."

"Well alright!" Rex cheered. "Let's get down there, then!"

"Ooh! Ooh! I will join you!" Penny shouted as she jogged lightly after them. "It sounds like a fun time! Ilia, Oscar, do you wish to accompany us?"

The chameleon girl and farm boy immediately tensed up at the idea of having a camera on them. "N-No thanks, Penny." Ilia waved with a stammer. "I-I'm good, but thank your for asking. We'll meet up later, though, okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm good, too." Oscar assured. "But again, thanks."

"Suit yourselves!" Ruby chimed in from down the hall. "We're gonna have a BLAST!"

"Hehe… I'm sure." Ilia chuckled nervously as everyone left the room, only to sigh in frustration once they left. "I hate cameras."

Sienna stepped over and gave Ilia a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Same here, my dear. Unfortunately, you'll probably have to get used to it once you arrive in Ben's world. He DID say he was famous, after all." This only made Ilia sigh heavier, burying her face into one of the couch cushions. Despite herself, Sienna couldn't help but laugh. "Hehe, chin up, Ilia. Things will be alright… especially since you'll have _Swift_ with you."

Ilia's head snapped up to see Sienna giving her a toothy grin, to which she grimaced back. "…I will choose NOT to comment on that, thank you."

"Sweetheart, come now." Kali said with a reassuring smile. "From what I heard, the girl literally came to the battle JUST so she could save you." The cat woman gave her a wink. "If that isn't a sign, then I don't know what is."

Another sigh escaped Ilia's lips. "Maybe… but still, there's a lot to get through before I can even consider asking her out." She placed a hand on her cheek, her eyes drooping a bit in sadness. "Not to mention the fact that her parole is gonna seriously hinder a lot of plans…"

"Oh, worry not, young Ilia." Everyone's eyes shifted to the room's entrance again to see none other than Professor Paradox standing in the doorway, the time traveler smiling out toward them all. "Throughout my journeys through time and space, I've seen love conquer all kinds of adversity. And I'm sure that your situation will be no different."

A small smile came to Ilia's face at that. "Heh, thanks professor, much appreciated. So, where's Azmuth?"

"He is having a conversation with Max and a few of the other adults about what will happen once you all get to Earth." the professor explained. "They should be finished in a while… and you're very welcome." Paradox nodded to Ilia before setting his sights onto Oscar. "Now, if it is alright with all of you, I would like to borrow Oscar for a few minutes."

Oscar's eyebrows rose up curiously as he stood. "Uh, sure, professor. What's up?"

"I have something important that I wish to discuss with you before the big dimensional jump later today." Paradox elaborated before waving his hand down the hall. "Come, we can talk about this in the kitchen."

As the farm boy and time traveler strolled down the hallway, Ilia couldn't help but also grow a bit inquisitive to what Paradox wanted to talk about. _'Hmm… must be pretty important.'_ She was about to get up and perform a bit of espionage, but then decided against it, shaking her head all the while. _'Ugh, no, Ilia. You're past that. If Oscar wants to share, then he will.'_

* * *

Meanwhile, downstairs, the group had just walked down to see that Team JNPR and Gwen were all gathered around the television, all five of them intently focused on the game that they were playing. That being; Ocarina of Time. The moment that Lisa caught sight of it, her eyebrows rose up once again in intrigue. The graphics on this game seemed to be FAR older than anything that Remnant had seen in a while, almost thirty to forty years if she had to guess correctly.

It showed a green-clad young blonde with pointy ears with a sword and shield holstered on his back, along with a princess glad in a pink and purple dress running from a dark, crumbling castle, one that was surrounded with very foreboding clouds. Pyrrha seemed to relax a little bit as she watched the castle crumble. "So… is that it?"

"Man, that was kinda lame." Nora deadpanned from the couch. "So Pyrrha just has a tennis match with big bad Ganondorf, shoots him with light arrows, hits him with the master sword and that's it?"

"A bit anti-climactic if you ask me." Ren concurred.

Gwen rolled her eyes as her friends jumped to conclusions. "Oh, trust me, it ain't over." However, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the group descending the stairs… and immediately took notice of Lisa Lavender. "Oh! Lisa, you're here!"

Team JNPR all turned their heads around the moment that Gwen said that, taken by surprise at Lisa's presence. "Oh shoot, is the interview starting NOW?!" Jaune exclaimed as he and his friends shot up out of their seats. "Damn, we haven't even gotten ready for—"

"No, no! Please, go on with your game!" Lisa insisted, manually positioning Neptune so that he was pointing the camera directly at the television screen. "I want to make sure I don't miss a second of this!"

Yang strolled over and gave Pyrrha a pat on the shoulder. "We're showing Lisa proof that Ben's from another dimension by showing her some Earth stuff." She gave the Invincible Girl a thumbs up. "So go on, you're pretty close to finishing the game, aren't ya?"

"I-I am." Pyrrha nodded before she and her team sat back down, watching as the cutscene went on. She pressed the A button as Princess Zelda said that it was finally over before Navi spoke up, the fairy apologizing for not helping during the battle. However, at that moment, there was a loud rumble, eliciting a gasp from Zelda before Pyrrha moved link up to a lone pile of rubble. But just as she approached it, a huge wall of fire erupted from behind Link, cutting him off from Zelda. "Oh, that cannot be good." As if on cue, Ganondorf burst out of the rubble, gasping for breath as he floated up into the air. "Oh, I call foul! Nobody could have survived an entire castle falling on top of them!"

"Well, Ganondorf can." Gwen said with a shrug as the Demon King raised his fist, showing the Triforce of Power glowing on the back of it. Ganondorf then began to convulse before a bright light suddenly shot out from his body. "…And now it's time for one of the most awesome boss battles in history."

From the back of the group, though, Penny couldn't help but shudder as she leaned over to Ruby. "That… that resembles what happened when you activated your Silver Eyes, Ruby."

"Hm, really?" Ruby asked before her eyes widened at what she saw next. From the bright light, Ganondorf's body transformed into a new, monstrous form resembling that of a horned, big-face beast, one that stood on two legs and had massive arms and a tail. In each hand, a large blade appeared as the beast loomed over Link, its bright eyes shining through the darkness while his name appeared at the bottom of the screen; _"Ganon"_. "…Well, at least I didn't turn into a pig demon."

"What in the WORLD is that?!" Lisa exclaimed as Ganon knocked the Master Sword out of Link's grasp, the blade implanting itself into the ground next to Zelda.

"That is the final boss of this game; the Demon King, Ganon." She set her eyes onto Pyrrha again, whose jaw was now fully open as she stared at the final boss in shock. "…Yeah, that's MOST people's reactions to seeing this for the first time." A bright smile came to Gwen's face as she whipped her head around to meet her cousin's eyes. "Oh, oh! You should've been here when she found out that Sheik was Zelda! It was AMAZING!"

* * *

_Over the course of playing this spectacular game, Pyrrha had experienced many things. She had traveled through time to save the land of Hyrule, collected all three Spiritual Stones and all six medallions, forged the Biggoron Sword, found many other collectibles along the way, and retrieved many, MANY gold Skulltulas and heart pieces. And now, she had made it all the way through Ganon's castle… only to find Sheik already there waiting for her._

_She had expected him to come and join in on the final battle… but instead, he began recounting a legend about the Triforce and how it would separate into three parts if anyone touched it, embedding itself into that same person as well as two chosen others. It was then that Sheik revealed that Ganondorf and Link held the Triforces of Power and Courage respectively… and then revealed that HE had the Triforce of Wisdom, revealing himself as the Seventh Sage…_

… _As well as Princess Zelda. Once Sheik had gone through his quick costume change, the only think Pyrrha could do was widen her eyes in shock, tilt her head as her confusion grew, and feel her jaw go slack as her brain could only just barely process the revelation. When she was finally able to speak again, there was only one thing Pyrrha could say;_

" _Are you SCREWING with me right now?!"_

* * *

The other teens burst out laughing as Gwen recounted the events, all while Pyrrha begrudgingly switched to the Biggoron sword for the battle ahead. "Yes, yes, let's all laugh at Pyrrha's expense, shall we?" the Invincible Girl sarcastically said before setting her gaze onto Gwen again. "Alright, so… how in the world to I fight this thing?"

"Okay, so this battle's surprisingly simple." Gwen explained as she pointed to the screen. "You can either stun him with Light Arrows before circling around him and slicing at his tail… or you can wait for the perfect time and roll underneath his legs to do the same. The second option involves some good timing, but I'm pretty certain you can get it."

Pyrrha smiled in determination, giving Gwen a thumbs up as she resumed the game. "Alright then, let's finish this!" With that, Pyrrha got right to work. As expected, it took a few tries before she was able to get the timing just right to roll under Ganon's legs, but she eventually found the correct opening, making Link tumble toward Ganon's backside before swiping at the beast's tail with the Biggoron sword. After many more successful strikes, as well as a light arrow or two, Ganon fell to one knee, allowing the wall of flame to fall for a brief moment.

" _Pyrrha! The Master Sword is here!"_ Zelda called from the sidelines through text. _"Hurry up!"_

"No need to tell me twice!" Pyrrha assured as she quickly grabbed the Master Sword, ready to put an end to Ganon once and for all. She swiped at Ganon's tail again and again until finally, the beast got down onto one knee again, which allowed Zelda to come in and hold Ganon in place with a powerful beam of light.

" _I'm using my power to hold the Evil King! Use your sword and deliver the final blow!"_ the princess said before stopping to catch her breath.

Pyrrha wore a determined expression on her face as she walked up to Ganon, using Navi and the A button to deliver the final blow. Link swung his sword at Ganon's face three times, sending blood splattering everywhere before plunging the Master Sword deep into Ganon's skull, causing many in the room to recoil at the sight. "Oh my!"

"Now THAT is a killing blow!" Yang commented from behind.

"Hell yeah, it is!" Ben cheered as Ganon started convulsing in pain, with Zelda calling out to the six other sages for their assistance in sealing the Demon King. "Congratulations, Pyrrha! You just beat Ocarina of Time!"

The expression on Pyrrha's face could only be described as pure joy the moment she was told that, the Invincible Girl springing to her feet as she watched Ganon get sealed into the Spirit Realm while cursing Zelda, the Sages and herself. "HAHA! Yes! I did it! I have finished Ocarina of Time!"

"Haha! Congrats, Pyr!" Jaune exclaimed as he pulled Pyrrha into a hug, giving her a kiss for good measure. "It took you nearly three weeks, but you did it!"

"Look at you go, lady!" Nora lightly jabbed Pyrrha's shoulder with a smirk. "Never would've took you for a gamer, but here you are!"

Ren smiled and nodded his head. "Yes, well done, Pyrrha."

"Thank you, everyone." Pyrrha graciously bowed her head to her friends. "It means a lot." She then did the same with Gwen. "And thank YOU Gwen for helping me along the way. It's been quite the journey and I thank you for helping me along with it."

Gwen stood up and gave Pyrrha a hug. "My pleasure, but it's not over yet." She waved her hand over to the television, where Link and Zelda were now standing in a void. "There's one last scene to get through."

Pyrrha quickly picked up the controller and watched as Zelda thanked her for her help in saving Hyrule… only to then fall into remorse over her actions being responsible for all of it in the first place. _"Now it is time to make up for my mistakes."_ the princess continued. _"You must lay the Master Sword to rest and close the Door of Time… However, by doing this, the road between times will be closed…"_ Zelda extended her hand to the Hero of Time. _"Link, give the ocarina to me. As a Sage, I can return you to your original time with it."_

"…WHAT?!" Pyrrha exclaimed. "I-I didn't expect THIS to be the ending! I thought Link and Zelda were going to get together!"

Gwen shook her head. "No, sorry. Unfortunately, not too many Zelda games really emphasize any romantic connection between Zelda and Link… outside of Zelda 2 and Skyward Sword… and maybe Breath of the Wild if you squint, but those are games for another time." She directed her eyes back to the screen. "For now, though… it's time to say good-bye."

Pyrrha pursed her lips, a bit saddened that it all had to end. "…Okay." Pyrrha pressed the button and Zelda started playing the Ocarina of Time, sending Link back to the past while allowing the credits to roll. The redheaded warrior sighed as she set the controller down, giving a small smile to the screen. "…That was a VERY good game." Her attention went back to Gwen as her smile increased. "And I very much look forward to playing the rest of the series."

"Oh, don't you worry." Gwen said as she pat Pyrrha on the shoulder. "I'm gonna get you set up with Breath of the Wild RIGHT when we get home." She craned her head around toward Lisa, quirking a brow at the reporter. "Well, Lisa? What did you think?"

"That… was… AMAZING!" Lisa exclaimed, getting in front of the camera so that she could speak to the people of Remnant who would be watching the interview later. "Ladies and gentlemen, I think it's safe to say that NO ONE has ever seen a video game like that, not even a vintage one! If this isn't proof that these young people are from another dimension, I don't know what is!" She directed her gaze back to Gwen again. "What was the name of that game again?"

"Oh, it's "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" for the Nintendo 64." Gwen answered. "It's pretty much a classic from our world."

Lisa nodded resolutely. "Yep, that cements it! I've never heard of that game OR that console in my life." She gave the redhead a wink. "And you're talking to a woman who played quite a few games back in my younger days."

Ruby couldn't help but take interest in that. "Ooh! Well that's neat! Do you still play?"

The white-haired woman shook her head. "Oh, not anymore, really. I had college and my career to focus on. I didn't have time for video games anymore."

This got Ben and Yang to smirk at one another as an idea simultaneously came to their heads. "Well, we'll just have to fix THAT, now won't we?"

"Yeah, why not sit down and play a bit with us, Lisa?" Yang suggested. "Besides, this is all pretty much one big casual interview, right?"

"W-Well, I suppose…" Lisa rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I-I mean, I haven't exactly played in a long time, and from what I've seen, these games seem a bit more on the older side than the ones I used to play…"

This only made Ben's grin grow more. "Oh, you want some NEWER games? Very well, then! Yang, let's get her upstairs!" The powerful couple immediately marched behind Lisa and began ushering her toward the stairs again. "It's time to break out the PS3 one last time!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Land of Darkness, Salem was FAR from being in a good mood. Ever since the utter travesty that had been their SECOND failed attempt to cripple Vale and Beacon and take the Relic of Choice, she had done nothing but wander the halls of her own castle in silence, preferring to burn off her own frustrations by herself rather than lashing out at her subordinates. It helped that the Valian invasion team weren't even back yet, so the overall silence of the castle certainly helped temper her current emotional turmoil.

To put it simply, she was _angry_. Angry at _multiple_ things, really. The main thing being Tennyson and Salazar of course and their unexpected transformation into giants. She definitely had not expected THAT to happen, and the fact that those two had such powerful forms… certainly put a grinding halt to things. _'The only Grimm that could possibly put either of them to shame is the whale.'_ Salem thought to herself. _'…Perhaps I should consider breaking it out and siccing it on them.'_

And then there were her subordinates themselves. Once again, they had failed their mission, though this time, NOT because of any interference from a certain energy vampire. Of course, she didn't expect the attack to be EASY, but to be trounced like this AGAIN was utterly infuriating. She had no doubts that her followers were and COULD be quite powerful… but then she had to consider just how outnumbers her forces were compared to the heroes. And unfortunately, her Grimm being reinforcements for them weren't enough. "I need more allies." Salem concluded, not realizing that her thoughts had turned verbal. "More people to help me achieve this goal… but how?"

Finally, there was the fact that her presence was now known to the people of Remnant. Well, perhaps not by everyone, but still, the entire world would definitely know after this day. She was… conflicted about this. On the one hand, the fact that people now actively had something to fear could prove to be quite useful for her Grimm, allowing the beasts to gain more power as a result. …However, there was also the fact that Tennyson's presence was known to the world as well, and the vision of a mighty hero who could take down a Leviathan would surely be burned into the public's eyes.

"If he rallies the people of the world against me, then that will be one step closer to humanity reuniting as one… meaning that the God's judgment will not fall within my favor." A sneer came to Salem's face as her fists clenched, a dark aura radiating from her body. "Tennyson… I swear to you, this is FAR from over. I WILL find a way to follow you to your world. I WILL bring the Grimm with me, and there, I will make many new allies out of the villains you no doubt have. This I _swear_."

" _ **Hm, a very interesting proclamation."**_

Salem's eyes widened and she gasped, her dark aura still radiating as she spun around, preparing herself for combat. She didn't know WHERE the voice came from, but all she knew was that she didn't recognize it, and that meant that someone was trespassing in HER castle. "Who are you?!" The witch called out. "Show yourself!"

" _ **Tsk, tsk, tsk, such impatience."**_ The voice chastised before, all of a sudden, an iridescent purple glow suddenly lit up the room, making Salem whip herself around again. The witch's eyes widened when she saw a bright violet vortex having appeared in the hallway, only for a lone figure to slowly step out of it at the very next second. The vortex then closed, leaving the hallway darkened again and the figure in shadow, putting their hands behind their back. _"It would seem that you're facing quite the conundrum, Lady Salem."_

Salem kept her guard up as the figure simply stood there. Their head appeared to be entirely covered by a helmet, with their voice sounding like it was coming through some sort of modulator. From the figure's build, the witch could see that it had a male body type, with broad shoulders and tall frame. She could also see that he was wearing a duster that reached down past his knees, but from the shadows, that was really all she could make out of him. "…I ask again, who _are_ you?" Salem asked with narrowed eyes. "I am FAR from being in a good mood right now, so I suggest that you explain yourself, _now_."

The figure raised his hand, imploring that she'd reconsider. _"Please, Lady Salem, I'm not here for conflict. In fact, I'm here to offer my services to you."_ The figure took a cautious step forward, though Salem didn't stop glaring at him. _"You see, I too have a personal grudge against Tennyson, and I've been observing you and your forces fighting against him and his team for a good while now. I must say, I'm very impressed with what I've seen."_

"…Impressed?" Salem sneered. "After a display like _that_? After the CONSTANT failures over the course of these past THREE WEEKS?!"

" _Ah, but you've also had a few successes as well."_ The figure reassured.

" _Small_ successes." Salem emphasized as she began to step forward herself. " _Miniscule_ in comparison to the lofty goal that I wish to achieve! But when it comes to taking on the heroes head on…" She let out a sharp breath, keeping herself under control as her dark aura began to die down a bit. "We are out matched. Those meddlesome children not only out number us, but Tennyson and Salazar can become giants, on top of the OTHER powers that they have."

The figure placed his hands behind his back. _"Yes, they're quite vexing in that regard. However, I think I can assist you in your endeavors."_ He raised his fingers and snapped, creating another violet vortex behind him. _"You see, I have easy access to Ben Tennyson's home dimension. And if I recall, you wished to begin recruiting more of Tennyson's rogues to try and take him down, correct?"_ The moment he saw the slightest hint of intrigue on Salem's face, he knew he had gotten through to her. _"Ah, so you're interested?"_

At that point, the dark aura around Salem had dissipated, her face softening as she approached the stranger. "You DO make a very compelling proposition, Mister… hm, you never DID introduce yourself, did you?"

"Ah, yes, my apologies." The figure bowed as he closed the portal again. "My name is—"

"Miss Salem!" The duo turned around to see Viktor making his way toward them, the Transylian focused directly onto the witch. "Ah, I'm glad I found you, Miss—" But then he cut himself off when he saw the other figure standing in the shadows, letting out a surprised gasp. Viktor stopped in his tracks and immediately began generating purple lighting, glaring at the stranger. "What is this?! Who are you and what are you doing here?!"

" _Oh, Doctor Viktor!"_ the stranger gave the Transylian a nod. _"Long time no see."_

"Do I _know_ you?" Viktor demanded.

The figure gave a shrug. _"Kind of, but I know you QUITE well."_

Salem quickly ran up and put a hand onto Viktor's arm, making sure that her eyes were locked with his. "Viktor, do not harm him. He came here with quite the interesting proposal." She briefly glanced over to the stranger before saying; "He has a grudge against Tennyson… and he can take us to Earth."

Viktor's eyes widened and his body became at ease, no longer generating the purple lighting flowing through his hands. "What? H-How is that possible?"

" _Simple, I can move in between dimensions."_ The stranger answered as he crossed his arms. _"It's how I got here in the first place."_

"Fascinating." Viktor uttered before craning his head back down to Salem. "Oh, yes, I nearly forgot. My lady… we just received a message from Rojo. They are nearing the castle as we speak and they will be here momentarily." He bowed his head to the witch fully. "They are also prepared to face any punishment you are willing to give them."

Salem pursed her lips at that. "…I see." She shifted her eyes back over to the figure, who seemed to have his focus set directly onto her. A nefarious smile came to her lips as she approached him. "It's as the old saying goes; when opportunity knocks, you must answer it. Isn't that right, dear Viktor?"

"Yes, quite true, Miss Salem." Viktor concurred as a devilish smirk of his own came to his face. "A new ally to our forces would be most fortuitous right now."

The stranger nodded. _"I'm glad we're in agreement on that."_ He extended his hand to her. _"So, I take it we have a deal?"_

"Indeed, we do." Salem said as she took the stranger's hand and shook it. "Now… what is your name?"

* * *

Outside of the castle, Hazel, Animo and Watts observed the Mistralian Airship as it came in for a landing just a few yards away from them, its boarding hatch opening immediately with a ramp lowering to the ground. However, before the ramp could even get halfway down, Exo-Skull suddenly burst forth from the airship and forced the ramp the rest of the way to the ground, causing it to let out a loud CLANG once it did. The rhino had a panicked look on his face as he spun around to see Thunderhog and Subdora rushing out of the ship behind him, the duo carrying Silyrian on a gurney that had been stored in the ship itself. "C'mon, C'MON! Get him inside!"

Watts and Animo's eyes widened as they saw the state that Silyrian was in, the scorpion mutant unconscious but somehow still alive despite his arm and eye having been eviscerated. "Dear god, how is he still alive?!"

"Arachnids are a species that are susceptible to having their body parts damaged." Animo explained as he and Watts began following Skull and the others inside, all while inspecting the damage that Silyrian had sustained. "But still, it's evident that he's lost a lot of blood. We need to get him to med-bay NOW!"

As they were approaching the front door, however, it opened up for them, revealing Salem and Viktor on the other side. The mutant duo and alien girl stopped in their tracks, their fear of what Salem would have instore for them taking over as they locked eyes with her. The two doctors stopped as well, though they seemed a bit more irritated that they were. "W-What?!" Watts exclaimed. "Why have you stopped?! We NEED to get to med-bay!"

Exo-Skull swallowed and nodded. "R-Right, sorry." He proceeded forward, briefly stopping to bow his head to the witch. "Lady Salem, words can't express my apologies for what happened yesterday." He placed a hand over his chest. "I want you to know that we take full responsibility for the failure in Vale."

"…Thank you, Farkas." Salem nodded back before waving a hand toward Hog, Subdora and the doctors, who had already gone inside. "Now go, help Animo and Arthur however you can. I will stay here to debrief Cinder and the others."

"Understood." Skull nodded before heading inside. He almost stopped when he saw something move in the corner of his eye, but he knew that there were more important things to be done.

Viktor took a deep breath as he directed his attention to Cinder, Rojo, Emerald, Mercury and Neopolitan, the quintet stepping off the airship with somber expressions. Emerald and Neo had their heads hung low while Mercury glanced off to the side, a frustrated expression on his face. Cinder and Rojo, however, had their uncertain gazes set firmly onto Salem, almost as if they were awaiting their punishment. "So… shall we get the news underway?" Viktor asked.

"Indeed." Salem affirmed before calling out to her strongest combatant. "Hazel! Bring them up here!" She made sure that the tone in her voice was firm, and just from that statement alone, she could see the fear already growing on the young quintet's faces. _'Good, they know the gravity of their failure.'_

Without hesitation, Hazel escorted the five up to Salem, with Mercury's head now lowered in shame as well. Cinder and Rojo were still facing forward, though. "Here they are, your grace." Hazel said as he bowed his head, putting his now unslung right hand over his chest.

"Thank you, Hazel." Salem raised a hand up to the large man. "But I wish for you to stay as well. I would like you to hear this as well." The witch strode forward as Hazel stepped off to the side, not wanting to get in her way. She set her disapproving glare down onto all five of the young people, which she could tell elicited more fear from them, even if they didn't show it. "So… you have failed yet again. Have you any excuses?"

Cinder pursed her lips and took a deep breath, lowering herself to one knee as she bowed her head to her mistress. "I… I have no excuse for what happened in Vale. It SHOULD have been a clean win, but… we were outmatched severely."

Rojo followed Cinder's lead, immediately followed by the others. "Boss Lady, I really don't know what to say. At this point, you might as well just cut off the dead weight because we haven't gotten you any clean wins." The bounty hunter closed her eyes remorsefully. "I feel utterly ashamed that I keep blowing the chances that you've given me. To be blunt; it makes me feel like shit, and I won't blame you if you kick me to the curb."

"She's right." Emerald added as Neo nodded next to her. "At this point, we're just deadweight."

Mercury shook his head. "And I honestly can't blame you if you choose to—"

"Stop." Salem spoke up, causing Mercury to halt his words. The five villains a looked up to her to see that her expression had not changed, her brow furrowing at them in disappointment. "While it is true that this loss upsets me greatly, I feel it best to remind you all of what you went up against in Vale; a new power that Ben Tennyson pulled out from seemingly nowhere, and not one, but TWO massive beings that he and Salazar could transform into." The witch shook her head before going on. "That was something that no one could have predicted… not even myself."

"My lady…" Cinder began, standing up to her full height. "The odds may not have been in our favor… but we still could have done more in our attack. Because to be frank… we barely hurt the heroes. Silyrian nearly managed to turn the tide back in our favor, but—"

"The girl's Silver Eyes activated." Salem finished. "I am well aware. Though I must say that you are lucky that YOU were not hit by their light, young Cinder." She reached out and gently grasped Cinder's hand, putting it palm-up before pointing at it with her other hand. "Because you used a Grimm Parasite to absorb the Fall Maiden powers, that means you are now susceptible to the power of the Silver Eyes." She put Cinder's hand down, who's lips were now parted in shock. "I would be more careful around Miss Rose from now on, if I were you."

"I… I understand, Lady Salem." Cinder affirmed.

Emerald tilted her head to the side a bit. "So, wait, if that's the case, then how'd the eyes affect Tyrian?"

Salem put a hand to her chin in thought. "Well, in the past, the eyes HAVE only affected Grimm." Salem explained. "However, if I had to hazard a guess, I would have to say that the pure darkness of Tyrian's soul, coupled together with his new, unnatural mutated form, could have made the eyes mistake him for a Grimm of some sort."

Everyone's eyes widened at Salem's hypothesis. "Wow… didn't know Tyrian was that evil."

"I think that was pretty obvious, actually, Merc." Rojo said before focusing back onto Salem. "So… what'll our punishment be this time?"

Salem's face became a bit calmer at the question, though she waved it off immediately. "That will have to wait until later, Rojo. For now, a new matter has come up that is of the utmost importance right now." Salem began moving toward the door, leaving the quintet, as well as Hazel, somewhat confused. "You see, a few moments ago, I was suddenly greeted by a visitor that presented me with an… interesting proposition."

Now everyone was VERY confused by what she was talking about. "A visitor?" Hazel asked. "But Lady Salem… no one has entered the castle."

"Not from any of the entrances, no." Salem affirmed. "Rather, he entered from a gateway of his own creation, and he has offered us to use this gateway as he pleases."

"And it is an opportunity that we cannot afford to refuse." Viktor explained further. "Otherwise, once Tennyson and his team leaves, we will not be able to follow them otherwise."

Rojo and Cinder glanced toward each other, with Emerald, Mercury, Neo and Hazel doing the same before the Fall Maiden pressed on. "Um… very well. And where exactly IS this person?"

Salem sent her protégé a devious smile before gesturing toward the open door. "He is right here, young Cinder." She craned her head toward the entrance and ushered for whoever was inside to step out. "Come and introduce yourself."

From inside the castle, the sound of metallic foot falls suddenly rang out from the darkness inside, with an equally dark figure beginning to emerge from the doorway. However, once he was visible, Rojo's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. She was left dumbstruck as she recognized who was standing before her. Even if she hadn't seen him in person, she had seen his face and heard about him through the grape vine enough to know who this was. "No… fucking… way."

The figure stepped out of the castle, allowing the iridescent purple light of the castle to reveal himself. He was about six feet tall and wore all black from head to toe, from his pants, his boots, the armor padding on his chest, shoulders and knees, his leather duster that reached past his knees, and even the rounded helmet on his head. The only things that WEREN'T black were the glowing purple parts strewn all over him. The visor of his helmet was the most obvious, with the only visible parts of his face being his pupil-less eyes and nose. His mouth wasn't visible, instead being covered by a speaker with three slits in the helmet. He also had a pair of gauntlets that had glowing purple lines on them, with five on each. Overall, he appeared to be very imposing, and even made Hazel take a cautious step back.

"L-Lady Salem… who is this?" Cinder asked.

The man focused his gaze onto Cinder, which slightly unsettled her a bit. _"My apologies for arriving unannounced, Miss Cinder Fall."_ He apologized with a polite bow of his head. _"However, after witnessing what happened in Vale, I felt it best to make my presence known."_ He extended his hand out to the group and greeted them; _"My name is Eon… and I believe we have MUCH to talk about."_

* * *

**A/N: Yep! The surprise guest is Eon! And he's quite eager to help the villains get out of their losing rut. Question is, though… WHY is he so eager to help them? Well, we'll just have to find out next time, won't we?**

**But of course, that's not all that happened! Looks like Ben and Yang are NOT afraid to be getting a lot more intimate with each other now that they've both said the "L" word, huh? Those two are going to have QUITE the future together, I can tell. And yep, I've teased it a little bit before, but the Belladonnas, Sun, Sienna and Ilia have now all experienced a few episodes of Thundercats! Might as well considering it's what their new logo is based off of, right? And HUZZAH! Pyrrha has finished her Ocarina of Time playthrough! And just in time for the departure to Earth, too! With all that said… what DOES Paradox wanna talk to Oscar about…?**

**Well, in any case, the interview isn't over yet, as NEXT TIME will see Lisa and Ben get to some of the more serious questions she's been wanting to ask (after a little more gaming time, that is). Just as the interview is finishing up, however, we get one last call from Ben's Earth, with the Tennyson Family all eager to talk to their children before they make their big return! In the meantime, Eon elaborates a bit more on his proposition to Salem and her group, giving them the opportunity to leave for Earth as soon as possible. But what exactly IS Eon's goal in all of this? Well tune in next time to find out! Thanks for reading, everyone, and stay safe out there!**


	117. One Last Call

**A/N (Important, Please Read):** **Hey there everybody! Welp, we've finally made it! All caught up between AO3 and FFN! It's been a big undertaking, but it's been a pretty great time going back down memory lane to post all of this onto this site. I hope everybody enjoys and I look forward to hearing what you all think about it!**

**But before we begin the chapter proper, I've got a couple big things to say. First off, as you know, Eon was introduced in this chapter and we'll be seeing more of him here. That being said, as we all know, his backstory is a pretty complicated one that's riddled in retcons, so I decided to take a crack at explaining his backstory concisely without messing up the events of both Ultimate Alien and Race Against Time. But secondly, I have a pretty BIG announcement at the end of the chapter, so be sure to stay tuned for that! But for now, let's proceed, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 117: One Last Call**

* * *

Outside of the Xiao Long-Rose Family home, Kevin Levin was whistling a tune to himself while doing what he did best; tuning up his car. The Osmosian was in a particularly good mood today, and that was due to a couple of things. First, and most important; he and the others were FINALLY going back home after three weeks of being in Remnant. He had to admit, he had grown fond of the rather dangerous world, especially since he was able to get into fights more often. Be it against Salem's forces or her Grimm, a good scrap was always present to him.

However, at the same time… he missed his mom every single day. It wasn't something that Kevin liked to admit to a lot of people, but his mother was his weak spot, especially after the death of his father and her second divorce from her second husband, Harvey. He made sure to provide for her as much as she did for him, and ever since he had arrived in Remnant, the raven-haired teen knew that his mom would be worried sick about him, which in turn had the same effect on him.

' _Thank god I was able to talk to her last week.'_ Kevin thought to himself as he whipped his sweaty brow. _'At least she knows I'm alive now.'_ He couldn't help but smile as he went back to work. _'Man, tonight's gonna be great. I just hope she doesn't mind the extra guests.'_ The team had all agreed that they would be bunking at each of the Alien Trio's houses, with four Remnant teens to each; Team RWBY at Ben's, Team JNPR at Gwen's, and Team SN, Ilia and Penny at his own place. Rex and Holiday were already set up at Bellwood's Plumber headquarters, so thankfully they didn't have any bunking problems. _'That just leaves Raven, Tai, Winter and Qrow…'_

As his mind wandered on that, Kevin couldn't help but think of the SECOND big thing that fueled his good mood; the fact that his best friend had finally shared a bed with a woman. Granted, they hadn't done the _ultimate_ deed, but still, he was proud of Ben nonetheless. He had also given Yang mad props for it as well, which earned him a fist bump. _'Yeah, Ben's definitely found the one for him.'_

"Hey, trouble maker!" Kevin's eyebrows rose up at the sound of Raven's voice. "Mind if we get a word with you?"

The Osmosian reached down and pulled himself out from under his car on his folding creeper, seeing that Raven, Tai, Qrow and Winter were all standing above him. He took a quick glance around and his eyes widened when he realized that Winter and Qrow were now in entirely new clothes. "Oh, hey guys!" He nudged his head toward the aforementioned two. "You guys are lookin' spiffy."

Qrow let out a small snicker. "Heh, thanks, kid." The former drunkard Huntsman had kept his torn cape and wristband, but otherwise, his ensemble was totally new. He had done away with his necklace and rings as well, with new, black rings in the old ones' place. Plus, it seemed like he had shaved a little, too.

His new outfit consisted of a light grey, collared shirt with floral patterns on their rolled-up sleeves, along with a black vest that had cross-shapes on its buttons under it. Underneath all of that was a white v-neck, and over the vest was a sleeveless, dark grey jacket with gold trimming and buttons. He also now wore dark grey dress pants and black dress shoes to match, giving him a somewhat classier vibe. Qrow extended a hand down toward Kevin and sent him a smirk. "Need some help up?"

"Sure." Kevin nodded as he grabbed Qrow's hand and hauled himself up, giving the older man a quick glance up and down. "You're lookin' pretty swank, old man. Tryin' to impress a lady or somethin'?"

"Heh, well, I'm _always_ tryin' to impress the ladies, kid." Qrow chuckled again as he eyed Winter. "You've gotta stay on the ball when you've been in the game as long as I have."

Winter sneered at his remark before clearing her throat, offering Kevin a neutral expression. " _Ignoring_ that… Kevin, I think we may have decided on who will be going where when we arrive on Earth."

Kevin's eyebrows rose up at that. "Oh, great! So, what's the low down?"

"Well, we felt it best if Tai and I stayed at Ben's place." Raven said as she linked her arm with Tai's. "Seeing as we're going to be meeting with Ben's parents, we thought it would only be fitting."

"I just hope we won't impose on 'em too much." Tai sheepishly said as he rubbed the back of his head. "I mean, not EVERYONE'S house can be as big as mine."

Raven gave Tai a light pat on his arm. "Oh, I'm sure things will be fine, Tai. …Why I'm hoping is that Ben's parents will LIKE me."

Kevin gave Raven a wave. "Ah, don't worry. Ben's folks are pretty chill. You'll be fine so long as you explain everything to them."

"Well, I hope you're right." Raven sighed before moving on. "In any case, Winter will be bunking at Gwen's place as she had intended."

The Osmosian's eyebrows shot up and his eyes darted over to the Elder Schnee, who had raised one of her own brows back at him. "Wow… you're really taking a chance on that one, huh?"

Winter gave a small shrug. "I'm not exactly sure I see an issue. After all, I find it quite optimal that I will be sharing a roof with Kenny." A small smile came to her face. "It will certainly make our outings a lot easier to plan, at least."

"Yeah, well… just be sure you don't get TOO cozy with him." Kevin urged. "I've learned that Natalie doesn't take to finding people in her children's beds very well."

Winter deadpanned at that remark. "…How do you know that, Kevin?"

"I wasn't able to see Gwen for a month after that."

The military specialist slapped her forehead and let out a groan. "Duly noted." Winter composed herself and placed her hands behind her back, giving Kevin a serious expression. "However, I hope you have been doing the math so far, Kevin. I will be staying at Gwendolyn's, Raven and Taiyang will be at Benjamin's place. So that leaves…"

Kevin's eyes widend substantially at that last part before trailing over to Qrow, the older man giving him a shrug. "…You're kidding."

Qrow could only offer a shrug. "Sorry, kid, but it's the only set up that works." He jerked his thumb toward Raven. "Listen, I love my sis, but the last thing I wanna do is bunk with her. Haven't done that since we were kids and I do NOT wanna go back to it."

"The feeling is mutual." Raven smirked.

"An' the last thing that Ice Queen wants is to bunk with me." Qrow continued before raising his hands. "So c'mon, can ya help a recovering alcoholic out here?"

Kevin rubbed the back of his head, feeling unsure of how to handle this. "Well, I would, but… my mom pretty much JUST moved into our new house a little over a year ago, and… well…"

"Hey, I get it." Qrow nodded. "Yer afraid of lettin' a walkin' bad luck charm into your new place. I'm sure your folks wouldn't exactly appreciate the chance of me bringin' the whole place down either."

The Osmosian sighed and crossed his arms, his eyes focused on the ground as he pondered what to do. "Well… ya know what? I'll ask my mom what she thinks about it and then we'll go from there."

Qrow gave another shrug. "Well, better than nothin', I suppose. I'll respect yer folk's wishes if they don't want me around, kid. If not, I'll try an' find another place to stay."

"Gotcha… also, uh… it's JUST my mom." Kevin clarified. "My dad hasn't been in the picture in a long while, really."

"Oh… uh, sorry, kid." Qrow apologized. "My bad. I'm guessing things didn't end well between you an' him?"

Kevin cringed a little bit at the wording of that question. "Well… not exactly. But at the same time, kind of." At the perplexed faces he was getting from that statement, Kevin pulled out his phone and pulled up a picture of himself at four-years-old, his mother, Evelyn, and his father, Devin, all sitting together and appearing to be quite happy with one another. "Okay, so… this was what my family looked like before everything went down."

He showed the picture to everyone, which piqued many of their interests. "Hm, well, you certainly were a cute kid, Kevin." Raven smiled.

"Yeah, and your parents seem like a respectable couple." Winter added.

Tai tilted his head. "So… what happened?"

"Ragnarok happened." Everyone turned their heads to see Max walking up to them, the old Plumber carrying Azmuth on his shoulder. "Sorry for the interruption, but I heard the conversation and couldn't help but be a part of it."

"It's good, Max." Kevin said with a sad smile. "You wanna take over? You're… you're a lot better at telling this than I am."

Max placed a hand on Kevin's shoulder. "Of course, son." The old Plumber sat down at the nearby picnic table and began recounting the event to the other adults present. "Well, first off, Kevin's father, Devin, and I were partners back in the day. …And his final mission truly was his last…"

* * *

Once Max was done recounting the events of his and Devin's encounter with Ragnarok, the whole group was left stunned, aside from Kevin and Azmuth who remained silent throughout all of it. "…Damn." Qrow uttered as he shook his head solemnly. "What a way to go out." He craned his head up to Kevin nudged his chin toward him. "Sorry about yer dad, kid. I can definitely say I know the pain of losin' someone ya love, an' lemme tell ya; it ain't a good one."

"That, I think, we can ALL testify." Tai agreed, settling his arm over Raven's shoulders.

The Spring Maiden in question wore an angry expression after hearing Max's tale. "I hope Ragnarok got exactly what was coming to him after you sent him to the Null Void, Max." She went back to Kevin with a sympathetic gaze. "He deserved whatever he got for killing your father, Kevin."

The Osmosian couldn't help but smirk at that. "Funny you should say that, because guess who ended up one-upping Ragnarok in the end?" He jerked a thumb to himself. "THIS guy!"

Everyone's eyebrows shot up at that. "Really?!" Winter asked. "Does that mean he escaped?"

"He did, but Ben, Gwen and I managed to put a stop to him reactivating his sun-draining ship…" Kevin glanced away with a smirk. "…And I may have left him to be sucked into space."

Everyone's jaws dropped at the revelation, the silence lasting for a few good seconds before Qrow broke it. "…So, you're tellin' me that you left the guy who killed your dad for dead in the vacuum of outer space?" Kevin gave him a nod and Qrow immediately extended a fist. "Man, mad props, kid."

"QROW!" Winter exclaimed as Kevin returned the fist bump. "Do NOT encourage him!"

"What am I encouraging him of?" Qrow asked. "He already snuffed the guy, so what's done is done, right?" Winter groaned in response, facepalming for good measure. "Eh, whatever, Ice Queen." Qrow went back to Kevin and gave him a thumbs up. "But still, great work, kid. An' thanks for askin' yer mom if it's alright for me to stay at your place."

"No prob." Kevin saluted. "Though, uh… you DO know I have a name, right?"

"Yep, an' I'll start calling you that once you stop callin' me an old man."

Kevin rolled his eyes at that. "Heh, like THAT'S gonna happen." The Osmosian nudged his head toward the house. "Now c'mon, let's see how Ben and the others are doin'. That Lisa Lavender lady got here about an hour ago and I wanna see just how this interview is going."

Raven slapped her forehead lightly. "Oh, that's RIGHT, they DID have that interview today, didn't they?"

Finally, Azmuth decided to speak up. "Hmph, I was wondering what that light tremor was earlier." he said as he crossed his arms in disapproval. "It would seem that Ben was giving another "demonstration"."

Max gave a chuckle before lowering his hand to Azmuth, who climbed on board without hesitation. "Hehe, relax, Azmuth. Ben's gotten famous all over again. Of course the people are gonna want to see what his aliens can do." The Galvan grumbled as the group of seven made their way toward the house, with Max and Kevin letting out a laugh at the same time.

"Man, seems like some things NEVER change." Kevin commented as they entered the house. The group all trekked into the living room to see the Belladonnas, Ilia, and Sienna still watching Thundercats, though this time, Vernal had decided to join them. "Heya guys! Enjoying the show?"

"HA!" Vernal guffawed, throwing her head back toward Kevin. "If by "enjoy" you mean "riffing the hell out of it"!" She jerked a thumb toward the TV. "This has gotta be THE most dated crap I've ever seen in my life! You can TELL that this was made to advertise toys."

Kevin raised a brow and placed his hands on his hips. "Hey, don't go dissin' Thundercats like that! It's a good… if weird show."

"WEIRD is definitely the word I'd use." Vernal snickered.

Ilia gave a shrug as she pointed to the screen. "She's got a point, Kevin. I mean… robotic bears that have fur on them? Kinda weird."

The raven-haired teen raised a finger to argue… but then found that he couldn't counter how strange that truly was. "Well, alright, I guess you've got a point." Kevin crossed his arms and tilted his head. "So, where's Mr. Hero and the others? Anybody know how the interview's going so far?"

Ghira pointed to the stairs on the other side of the room. "Well, they HAD gone down into the basement a while ago, but then they came back and went upstairs instead." The panther man gave a small shrug. "Not exactly sure _why_ , though."

"Well, Lisa probably wanted the interview to take place somewhere where there's some actual peace and quiet." Kali figured. "…Either that or they're showing her more Earth media up there."

Kevin let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. " _Of course_ they're doin' that." He waved his hand to the others as he made his way to the stairs. "Alright, I'm gonna head up there and see just what the heck's goin' on. Don't wait up for me, 'kay?" With that, Kevin scaled the stairs and began making his way down the hall, immediately hearing the sound of a commotion coming from Qrow's room. The Osmosian approached the door and, just as he suspected, he heard the sounds of gameplay coming from the other side. _'Yup, just as I thought.'_ Kevin opened the door and called into the room. "Okay, who started the interview without me?!"

At his words, everyone in the room all spun their heads toward him. Ruby, Weiss and Rex were all sitting on one bed while Sun and Blake were sitting cross-legged on the other. Ben and Yang were sitting on the floor between the two beds while Lisa Lavender and Neptune were standing on either side of them, the blue-haired boy keeping the news camera focused directly on the television. They game they were playing was none other than Batman: Arkham Asylum, and judging from the smiles on their faces, they seemed to be having a good time. "Oh, hey Kev!" Ben greeted with a wave. "Glad to see you could join us."

"Yeah, 'bout time, right?" Kevin said sarcastically as he entered the room. "So, you guys showin' Lisa some Earth stuff before the big interview?"

"Indeed they are!" Lisa exclaimed. "And I have to say, this game is VERY interesting. I knew that you kids were superheroes, but I didn't think that your world had its own library of FICTIONAL superheroes as well!"

Kevin couldn't help but smirk at that. "Heh, yeah, Batman's pretty awesome." He walked in and propped himself up against the bed that Sun and Blake were sitting on. "So, where are you guys at now?"

"Well, Yang just finished rescuing two guys from the big "explosive" surprise gift that Joker had tied them to." Rex explained. "And Batman JUST burned Dr. Youngs formula, so that means now he has to rescue Young from Zsasz."

Yang gave an affirming nod. "Yep… but first I think we may have a problem." She pointed to the vents that were on either side of Batman as he stood in front of the next door… and they were blowing out a rather noticeable amount of gas that was making Batman cough. "Guess we've got Scarcrow's fear toxin to deal with… AGAIN." She glanced over to her boyfriend with a smirk. "So, what kind of a jumpscare are we in for this time, Green Boy?"

Ben couldn't help but wince at that. "Well… it's really less of a jumpscare and more… traumatic this time around. Step through the door and I think you'll get the idea."

Next to them, Lisa's eyes wouldn't help but widen in confusion. "W-W-Wait, what?" However, she immediately was taken off guard when the next room popped up with the title 'Wayne Manor'. "I… I thought we were in Arkham Asylum. What's "Wayne Manor" supposed to be?"

Yang visibly winced like her boyfriend had done. "…That's Batman's… _Bruce Wayne's_ home. This can't be good." She made Batman proceed down the hallway and made a right turn… directly down into a seemingly endless hall. And then, oddly enough, a flash of lightning over took the screen briefly, and with it, it began to rain inside the hall. "…Yeah, definitely not good."

And, if that weren't enough, that's when the voices began to be heard. _"I can't believe you insisted on sitting through that movie again, Bruce."_ Came the disembodied voice of Thomas Wayne. _"Come on, we'll be late for Alfred."_

Next came Martha Wayne's voice; _"Go easy on him, Tom. He loved it so. Alfred will wait. Keep up, Bruce!"_

On one of the beds, Ruby visibly paled when that conversation came up. "Oh… I think I know where this is heading."

As Batman passed a sign on the wall that said "Crime Alley", Blake's ears folded down and she settled her head onto Sun's shoulder. "This just got REALLY depressing really quick."

From there, Thomas and Martha began arguing over taking a shortcut through said alley, though ultimately, Thomas insisted on doing so. Weiss couldn't help but facepalm at that. "You STUPID man! Why in the HELL would you take a short cut through a place called "Crime Alley?!"."

"It wasn't named that at the time, Ice Princess." Rex explained as he gave his girlfriend a pat on the shoulder. "It was only called that after… the incident."

"W-What incident?" Lisa stammered as Batman proceeded forward, only for the reporter to be spooked out of her skin when a distorted voice suddenly started yelling at the Waynes. The scene had also shifted to look more like an actual alley way after the next flash of lightning.

" _ **Hold it there, lady!"**_ the voice forcibly yelled.

" _Oh god!"_ Martha cried.

Thomas instantly began to try and reason with the criminal. _"Please! There's no need for this!"_

" _ **Stay where you are!"**_ the voice said as the clicking of a gun could be heard as well. _**"I'll shoot!"**_

" _I'll give you anything you want—"_ _ **BANG!**_ At the sound of the gun going off, all of the trashcans in the hallway suddenly got knocked over, with sparks flying from them as Martha screamed and young Bruce called out for his father.

With Martha distraught, the voice then began forcing her to be silent and do as he said. _**"Be quiet, lady! Just shut up. Give me those pearls."**_

" _Stay away from me!"_ Martha shouted as the man began audibly began grabbing for her pearl necklace. _"RUN BRUCE—"_ _**BANG!**_

" _MOMMY!"_ With the second shot from the gun, Batman suddenly began stumbling before he fell to his knees… in front of the bodies of his dead parents. The camera panned up as another flash of lightning suddenly reverted Batman back into a young Bruce Wayne, with the Bat signal shining down on top of him.

There was a long, drowned out silence through the room as Lisa finally came to the realization. "This… this is his origin story."

Ben gave a solemn nod. "Yep. It's been one that's been told time and time again, but the origins of the Batman are no less powerful here as they are anywhere else." He gave Yang a nod, seeing that she too had a bit of a solemn expression about her as she proceeded forward. As she moved young Bruce further along, another audible conversation came up where Bruce was found by Jim Gordon… and it was no less painful to hear.

" _Why'd he do it officer?"_ Young Bruce cried. _"WHY?!"_

"… _I don't know."_ Jim answered to the best of his ability. _"It's this city, there's something wrong with it. And listen, son, call me Jim."_

With another flash of lightning, Batman was back to normal, which allowed Yang to open the door to the next room. "Oh thank goodness that's over." Yang sighed in relief, brushing her hand through her hair. "I don't think I could take any more emotional drama today."

Lisa let out a sigh of her own. "Yes, that WAS a pretty heavy scene. VERY impressive storytelling. But… what CAUSED Batman to see that in the first place? Was it that toxin from that "Scarecrow" person you mentioned?" In response, Yang pointed to the screen… where the next room was in some HEAVY disarray, almost as if it were in a void of some sort. And then… another distorted voice came in.

" _ **What are you trying to do?"**_ As the voice spoke, a MASSIVE hand with large syringes attached to the fingers gripped at the wall. The index finger tapped a couple times before the hand pulled back, with the camera panning back to reveal an equally massive Scarecrow standing menacingly in the void, scanning his eyes all around for Batman.

Lisa's face grew pale at the sight. "…Oh my."

"Yeah, don't worry, I've done this before." Yang smiled as she focused on the game again. "This part's actually REALLY easy."

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the Land of Darkness, Salem and most of her followers had gathered in the meeting room, where they were currently awaiting the arrival of their new guest. She had wanted to make sure that most of her acolytes were present for this meeting, and Eon had graciously agreed to wait patiently. And while Hog, Skull and Subdora had returned from assisting Watts and Animo with Silyrian, the latter three would not be joining them for obvious reasons. "Man, still can't believe that Tyrian's even ALIVE after all that." Hog uttered as he took his seat, craning his head up toward the ceiling. "You'd think losin' an arm AND an eye so suddenly would at least put ya into a coma."

"Yeah, well, Watts and the boss might HAVE to put him into a coma until he's all patched up." Exo-Skull uttered as he slumped down into his own chair. "Poor bastard."

"I am certain that Tryian will be fine." Salem assured with a wave of her hand. "I have known him for quite a while, and I can tell you that his persistence is only rivaled by… his rather diminished mind."

"You can say that again, _Signora_ Salem." Subdora concurred. "…I simply wonder if his body is JUST as resilient as he is lost in the head."

Thunderhog jerked a thumb to himself. "Well, the doc DID say that us mutants are pretty durable, so I think Tyrian will pull through…" He paused for a moment before craning his head toward Salem again. "Though, uh… he MIGHT be a bit pissed that he lost his arm and his eye."

Salem raised a brow at him. "I would consider that an understatement, Thaddeus. But worry not, Arthur is already working on a replacement. One that will prove to be most… interesting."

Hazel, with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, pursed his lips in slight annoyance. "Watts plans to integrate a missile launcher into the new arm's pincer." He opened his eyes to focus on everyone there. "AND he'll have a targeting system in the new bionic eye."

"WHAT?!" Cinder, her group, and the mutants all exclaimed at once, with only Neo and Viktor remaining silent. The Fall Maiden practically shot up out of her seat. "Lady Salem, please pardon my choice in vocabulary, but you CANNOT be serious!" She pointed toward the doorway. "Are you _seriously_ okay with giving _Tyrian_ of all people a missile launcher?!"

Rojo clenched her teeth in nervousness. "Yeah, not sure if that's the best call, Boss Lady."

"Perhaps not." Salem admitted. "However, I have added a special caveat to this; should Arthur include this, then he will have to add a safety to it which only HE can deactivate." She sent a side-long glance toward her pupil. "Believe me, young Cinder, I am not about to let someone as unstable as Tyrian walk around with live weaponry around my castle." Her stare transitioned into a soft glare. "Now, are we done?"

Cinder bowed her head respectively as she sat back down. "Yes, my lady. Please, forgive my outburst."

"Very good." Salem craned her head around, gazing out toward her followers. "Now, if we are all settled, then shall we allow our new guest to come in?" There was a soft murmur throughout the room in agreement, to which Salem nodded. "Very well." She set her hand onto the Seer on the table in front of her, which rose up in response. "Find Eon, if you would."

But before the Seer could depart… _**"There is no need for that, Lady Salem."**_ Everyone's heads snapped up at the sudden voice coming out of nowhere before, without warning, a purple vortex appeared in the room, taking everyone by surprise. Eon stepped out of the portal with his hands behind his back, greeting the group with a slight bow of his head as his vortex closed. _"I am already here."_

A few of the others shuddered as the man made his presence known, the glare of his blank white eyes sending a small chill through some of them. The only ones who didn't appear perturbed were Salem, Viktor, Hazel and Cinder, with Rojo only appearing to be slightly put-off. "Jeez, you must be a riot at magic shows." The bounty hunter commented.

" _I've been told I have a few interesting tricks."_ Eon said before reaching to grab a chair. However, the moment he touched it, the piece of furniture began to age so fast that it practically crumbled to dust withing _seconds_. The table was set upon by a round of gasps from nearly everyone, this time with Hazel and Cinder very much included. Salem and Viktor only wore impressed expressions at what he had just done. _"Oh, sorry about that."_ Eon apologized before lighting his hand up with purple energy and blasted out a beam at the dust… which immediately began reconstituting into a chair as if nothing had happened. Eon took a seat at the end of the table, lacing his fingers together as he propped his elbows up. _"Just consider that a small demonstration of what I am capable of."_

"…You are a time manipulator." Salem said with an evil grin. "How very interesting." She laced her own hands together and placed them on the table. "But… with such a great power… why do you wish to join our cause?"

Eon gave out a chuckle. _"Hmhm, now isn't THAT the million-dollar question?"_ He steepled his fingers as he elaborated. _"You see, for as powerful as I am, I'm afraid that a recnet incident has hindered my reach. And as a result, I can no longer step into Ben Tennyson's home dimension physically."_ He gestured toward Salem and her forces. _"And that's where you all come in. With your help, I can take the revenge I so desperately crave… and I believe_ _it's safe to say that you crave revenge as well, Lady Salem."_

"You would be correct." Salem confirmed before raising a brow. "That said, why exactly are you barred from Ben's universe? And how did you come to acquire a power such as yours?"

Eon let out a sigh at that. _"…Let's just say that my story is quite the complex one."_ He extended his hand as he began explaining. _"You see, I once used to be two completely different beings; one human, and one Chronian. But after a… certain event, I ended up fusing into one whole being."_ He placed his hand onto his chest. _"I still have my Chronian powers and personality… but my body is human."_

"So I'm guessing that your Chronian powers are what let you manipulate time." Emerald spoke up. "Here's my question; does it have the same effect on living beings?"

Eon gave a shrug. _"Basically yes… though aging or de-aging humans rapidly proves to have… very ill side-effects on them."_

If possible, Salem's grin became even more sinister. "Oh, I will be sure to remember that." She leaned forward, eager to learn more. "So, why exactly do you have a conflict with Ben Tennyson? I'm assuming he must have gotten in the way of your plans?"

Eon placed his hands on the table, giving Salem a nod. _"Correct, though at the same time, my plans succeeded… a bit more than I would have liked."_ He stood up and began pacing around as he recounted his story. _"You see, not only am I from another dimension, but I come from an alternate timeline as well… at least that's where my human half originates from. My Chronian half was sent to Earth a little over 200 years ago to begin my race's invasion of the planet by activating an ancient artifact called the Hands of Armageddon, which would activate a portal between the dimensions."_ He stopped pacing and took a brief pause. " _However, I was intercepted by the Plumbers and they imprisoned me. Two centuries later, I escaped, but after over-using my powers to do so, I had aged rapidly, and my body would not be able to handle activating the Hands on its own."_

Mercury raised a brow at that. "Huh, guess your powers have a pretty bad side effect, huh?"

" _Indeed, and now I need to be even MORE careful now that I have a human body."_ Eon emphasized. _"Which leads me to my NEXT point; fusing myself with a human in order to regain my youth."_ He returned to his initial position at the end of the table, but remained standing. "As you are aware, the Omnitrix has the ability to scan and catalogue alien DNA, as seen when Tennyson scanned Trumbipulor and Bashmouth."

Rojo furrowed her brows. "How do you know about—" Before she could answer, Eon looked directly at her and tilted his head, giving her a questioning gaze beneath his helmet. "…Ah, right, time traveler, got it."

" _Right. In any case, I saw an opportunity to regain my younger form by having it catalog my OWN DNA while deactivating the failsafe so that my personality could completely take over Tennyson's, essentially creating a younger clone of myself when doing so."_ Eon balled a fist in frustration. _"My plan would have worked perfectly. I had successfully possessed Tennyson and activated the Hands. I was on the cusp of victory… but then Tennyson's DAMNED cousin managed to get through to him and allowed him to take over!"_

Cinder sneered at that. "Ugh, don't even get me STARTED on Gwen."

" _Hm, indeed."_ Eon agreed before crossing his arms. _"In any case, the result was Tennyson managing to deactivate the Hands of Armegeddon… but not before I managed to force my way back out of the Omnitrix."_ He spread his arms out to accentuate his point. _"But in the process, something went wrong. I WAS now younger, yes, but my DNA proved to be mostly human. I still had my Chronian powers and personality… but my face…"_

Everyone's eyes around the table all widened in realization, with Thunderhog being the first to speak up. "…Wait a second. You said that you basically _possessed_ the Omnitrix and made Tennyson transform into you. But… if you separated from him, then THAT would mean…"

Eon gave out a chuckle. _"Hmhm, finally figured it out, huh?"_ He reached for his helmet and began undoing the clasps. _"I suppose I shouldn't bother hiding my face then, should I?"_ With that, he pulled off his helmet and set it on the table, eliciting a round of gasps from everyone there.

"…No fucking way." Exo-Skull uttered.

"I… I cannot believe this!" Subdora exclaimed.

Haze put a hand to his head. "This… this is quite surreal."

Rojo saw Neo's jaw drop like a brick, to which she nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'm right there with ya, sister."

After staying silent throughout the whole conversation, Viktor finally decided to pipe up. "…So THAT is how you recognized me."

"That's right." Eon replied with a bit of a smirk on his face… a face that heavily resembled an older version of Ben Tennyson's. There were a couple of visible wrinkles under his eyes, but the main thing that caught their eyes was the VERY impressive beard he was sporting. His green eyes stared out at all of them as the group stared back, allowing it all to sink in. "As you can see, the fusion was a VERY interesting union to be sure."

"B-B-But… HOW?!" Emerald shouted, all while secretly thinking; _'Dammit! That Blonde Bimbo is a freaking lucky woman!'_

Eon extended his hand toward her. "I just got _done_ explaining it to you. Haven't you been paying attention?"

Mercury stood up and glared at the Ben Tennyson look-a-like. "Oh, I'm sorry, it's just that when you reveal that you've got the face of one of our greatest enemies, it kinda throws everyone for a loop!"

"To say the least." Cinder muttered before eyeing Salem… only to see that the witch was grinning quite eagerly. "…Lady Salem?"

Salem pressed her hands together and took a calming breath, a small chuckle escaping her lips. "Well, I must say that this is… quite the amount of news that you have divulged onto us, Eon." She extended one hand to him. "So, now that I know how you acquired your… unique form, how are you barred from entering Tennyson's universe?"

Eon gave out another sigh. "Well, my first attempt at revenge didn't go according to plan. I was going to activate the Hands of Armageddon from a different time line, the same one that YOUR version of Ben Tennyson is from." He shook his head disappointedly. "Unfortunately, he and another version of his future self managed to destroy the Hands before I could, which resulted in me being forced out of that timeline completely."

Another silence carried throughout the room, with Thunderhog scratching his head. "So… I'm guessing that timey-wimey stuff like that happens a lot around you, right?"

"You have no idea."

Salem cleared her throat, putting the conversation back on track. "Nevertheless, are there any… _advantages_ to being half Ben Tennyson?"

"Oh, quite a bit." Eon said while poking the side of his head. "While my personality is dominantly Eon, I still have the memories of Ben Tennyson all up in here. I know many of his weaknesses, at least up until age ten. However, from what I've observed, some of those weaknesses still apply. For example…" He craned his head over to Emerald. "Tennyson has a latent fear of peacocks. Use that however you wish."

Emerald's eyebrows snapped up at that. "That's… a weird thing to be scared of." Then a smirk of her own came to her face. "But I think I'll roll with it."

Cinder perked up at the information. "I must say, this COULD be very useful."

"Oh, indeed, young Cinder." Salem agreed, eyeing at Eon with dark intent brewing in her mind. "Eon, I believe that this will be the beginning of a beautiful partnership."

Eon clapped his hands together at that. "And I cannot wait to get started… my lady."

* * *

"I just have to say… Batman's villains REALLY don't mess around, do they?" Lisa Lavender was currently still reeling a bit from what she saw happen in the Arkham Asylum video game just a few moments prior. Yang had managed to rescue Dr. Young from the mad man known as Zsasz, but unfortunately, just as Young was going to grab security codes from Warden Sharp's safe, a rigged explosion went off FROM said safe, effectively blowing Young up. After Harley sicced her goons on Batman for good measure, the reporter had spoken up, saying that now would be a good time to start the interview proper. With that, Yang exited the game and Ben shut off the PS3, allowing Kevin to pack it into his car with the rest of their stuff.

"Yeah, no kidding." Yang concurred as they went down the stairs and entered the kitchen. "It's like Harley said; "Mr. J hates a snitch"."

Weiss shuddered and rubbed her arms. "I'm just glad that a psychopath like that is only fictional. An insane killer clown is something that I would NOT want to run into."

Ben deadpanned and glanced over to her. "…Then you'd better hope you don't meet Zombozo."

"…Oh, right." Weiss' face paled in realization. "Ben, what do your enemies ALWAYS have to be so weird?"

The hero could only offer a shrug. "Eh, search me." He put his focus back onto Lisa and gave her a thumbs up. "So, you wanna get this interview started now or what?"

"Oh, definitely!" Lisa said excitedly before putting her microphone up to Ben's face. "Okay, so there's been one BIG question that's been picking at my mind ever since you transformed into Rath yesterday and started playing that music; what is a Real "Ah-mehr-ee-can" and is there such thing as a fake one?"

Ben and Rex's eyes simultaneously shot open at the question. THAT was certainly something that they weren't expecting. "Heh, w-well, it's actually pronounced "American", and it's the nationality that I am. I'm from the United States of America in my world, so that means I'm an American citizen. As for if there's fake ones… I think it's best if we avoid that question."

Lisa tapped a finger to her chin. "Hm, good point. So, moving on, why don't we take this downstairs so we can really get start—"

But before she could finish, the group suddenly began to hear a pair of voices coming from down in the kitchen, prompting them to stop suddenly. "So, Oscar? What do you say?" came the familiar tone of Professor Paradox.

"I… I-I really don't know." Oscar stammered out, the farm boy sounding unsure of something. "I mean, it's a pretty great offer, don't get me wrong, but… it's still kind of a lot to take in."

Ben's brows furrowed in confusion before he proceeded down the stairs, peering right into the kitchen. There, he saw the professor and Oscar standing near the table, the former giving the young boy a reassuring wave. "I understand that it must be quite a lot to take in all at once. It often is with mortals. However, I still believe that it would be quite beneficial for you." Paradox settled a hand onto Oscar's shoulder. "Take some time to think on it before everyone leaves and let me know, alright?"

"A-Alright." Oscar nodded. "Will do."

It was then that Ben decided to make his presence known. "Ahem!" Paradox and Oscar perked their heads up toward Ben as he, Team RWBY and Rex all made their way down, with Lisa and Team SN staying upstairs behind them. "Hey professor, Oscar, what're you guys talking about?"

"Something important, it sounds like?" Ruby asked further.

Paradox smiled in greeting. "Ah, hello, everyone. I take it that you're in the middle of your interview. Apologies if we are holding you up." He gestured toward Oscar with his right hand. "You see, Oscar and I were just having a conversation about a certain offer I just made him."

Blake tilted her head a bit. "Oh really? And what would that be?"

The professor shifted his eyes over to Oscar. "Do you wish to tell them now, or—"

"Yes." Oscar said instantly, stepping up to the group without hesitation. "I… I'm not about to make the same mistakes that Ozpin made. Something this important deserves to be shared with everyone."

The whole group gave him a smile at his words. "Hey, good on ya, Oscar." Rex praised with a thumbs up. "So, whatcha got for us?"

"Well… it's kinda complicated." Oscar tapped his fingers together nervously. "You see… Professor Paradox has offered to take me with him on his travels through time and space." He put a hand to his head for emphasis. "He thinks doing so will be able to help me sort out some issues with you-know-who in here."

Everyone's eyes widened at that, prompting them to all come down into the kitchen. "So… you two think you can reason with Ozpin and get him to come out again?" Yang inquired.

"Indeed." Paradox affirmed. "I thought that traveling with an old friend would be good for Ozpin, allow him to relax and get his mind off of things for a while." He gave Oscar a pat on the back. "In addition, it would allow Oscar to experience plenty of new things as well. Give him a new perspective on things, as it were."

Ruby sent the farm boy a concerned face. "Are you sure about this, Oscar? I mean… I thought that you were eager to start training with us and all."

"Well, I am, and I DO wanna get better with all of you." He ran a hand through his hair and let out a sigh. "But… I wanna sort out this whole thing with Ozpin first. I just don't feel right at the moment and I wanna make sure I am before I really start my training." He took a deep breath and faced Paradox again. "And right now, I'm leaning toward going with the professor. I know that this is probably all very sudden, but—"

"It's okay." Ben said with a reassuring nod. "We understand, Oscar."

Yang came up and gave the farm boy a light jab to the shoulder. "Hey, yeah, if you wanna go through with this, then we won't stop ya, Oscar." She ruffled his hair a bit while giving him a wink. "Just be sure you stay safe out there in the time-space continuum, 'kay?"

Weiss gave Oscar a small grin. "And make sure to listen to Professor Paradox. One wrong move and it could be over for you."

"And the LAST thing we want is that happening." Blake added.

"We'll all be here for you when you get back, okay?" Ruby beamed. "And once you're in Ben's world, we'll give you the grand tour!"

Oscar chuckled and gave them a nod of his own. "Hehe, thanks guys, I appreciate the support." He settled his sights back onto the professor. "I… I'm pretty sure I've made my decision, but I wanna go around and tell everyone else about what I'm doing before I leave."

Paradox bowed his head in understanding. "Of course. Take all the time you need, Oscar. Whenever you're ready, you'll know where to find me." With that, Paradox strolled toward the backdoor and went for the handle… only to pause for a moment as his head snapped up, his eyes widening in shock. It was at that moment that he sensed a huge flux in temporal energy, and he knew that there could only be one culprit. _'No… HE is here? Already?'_

"Uh… Prof?" Rex spoke up, catching Paradox's attention. "You good? Ya seemed a bit startled there."

"O-Oh, yes, my apologies." Paradox said with a small smile. "I simply just remembered something I have to take care of before we all leave. I shall be back momentarily." With that, the Professor exited the house and closed the door behind him, a worried expression settling onto his face. "Eon… what are you doing here?"

* * *

After Professor Paradox left, Ben had called for Lisa and Team SN to join them down in the kitchen, which the reporter was all too eager to do. She had asked about what had happened, though Ben was quick to make up an excuse. "Oh, uh, one of our friends was having a personal problem and we just wanted to help them through it before bringing you down here." Inside his head, Ben added; _'It's not exactly a LIE, but I don't think the world is ready for the whole "reincarnated Beacon Headmaster" thing.'_ The hero smiled and gestured toward the table. "So, shall we finally get this started?"

"Indeed I am." Lisa smiled as she ushered for Sun to come over to her. "Alright, monkey boy, time for you to do your part."

Sun pumped an eager fist. "Haha, alright!" He came over and handed the boom mic off to Lisa before folding out the tripod, extending its legs and propping it up a couple of feet away from the table. He took the boom mic back and held it up, giving the reporter a thumbs up. "Alright, ready when you are, Lisa."

"Great." Lisa directed her sights over to Neptune and extended her hand so he could hand the camera to her. "Alright, blue boy, you can take five."

Neptune sighed in relief. "Phew, thank god. I think I was just starting to lose feeling in my shoulder." He handed the news camera off to Lisa and she attached it to the tripod, making sure that its lens was properly focused for where it was positioned. "So… what happens from here now?"

"Hmhm, simple, really." Lisa said as she waved a hand to the table. "You all are going to sit down with me and I'm going to ask some of you a few questions. These will probably range from what you've done here in Remnant to your lives before all of this happened, etcetera, etcetera." She clapped her hands together and smiled to the group. "So, are we all ready?" The group gave her sounds of confirmation before sitting themselves down at the table, with Neptune and Sun staying behind the camera as the monkey boy held up the boom mic over the table. In the meantime, Neptune sat vigilantly behind the camera to make sure said mic didn't get into frame. Once everyone was seated Lisa sat herself down so that she was closer to the camera, lacing her fingers together as she looked into it and spoke.

"And now we come to the actual interview." Lisa began. "I've already asked these kids many questions beforehand, but now we're going to be delving into a bit more detail into who they are and how they got to where they are today." She pointed her hand toward Ben and Rex. "Now, I know that we all want to hear the story of these two…" Lisa then waved her hand over to Team RWBY. "But how about we focus on the ladies first this time, hm? Would you guys be okay with that?"

"Oh, of course!" Ben assured. "We'd be happy to let the girls answer some questions first."

Rex gave Lisa a happy salute. "Oh yeah, _no problema_ , Lisa."

Yang glanced over to the boys with a cheeky grin. "Gee, way to pass the buck off onto us, guys." She gave a shrug before facing Lisa again. "But hey, not everyday that we get interviewed, so why not?"

"That's the spirit!" Lisa extended her hands toward Team RWBY as she asked her first question. "Now, we already know that you four were students at Beacon Academy. In fact, a LOT of your other friends here are students from Beacon. What I want to know is what inspired you four to become huntresses?"

Ruby tilted her head to the side. "Oof, jeez, there's the big question. Well… to be honest, I wanted to become a Huntress because I wanted to help people in need. To be a hero." She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "That and both of my parents were Hunters, and I look up to them both a lot…" A sad sigh escaped her lips as she craned her head down to the table slightly. "But now more than ever… I want to honor the legacy that my mother, Summer Rose, left behind."

Lisa's eyes widened as her face fell, saddened by what she was hearing. "Oh my goodness… Ruby, I'm so sorry."

"I-It's okay." Ruby smiled sadly as Yang placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "I know how dangerous the life of a Huntsman gets, and my mom knew that too. I only barely knew her… but from what I remember, she was one of the greatest Huntresses ever, and I really hope I can become as great of a Huntress as her one day."

"…I think that's a very good goal to have, Ruby." Lisa bowed her head. "And I wish you all the luck in the world." Ruby grinned and bowed her head back before moving on to Yang. "And Yang, I assume you wanted to be a Huntress to walk in the same footsteps as your mom as well?"

A small chuckle escaped the Blonde Brawler's lips at that. "Heh, well yeah… but that wasn't the major reason. See, Ruby and I are half-sisters… and my mom is still alive." She placed her hands behind her head and reclined in her chair. "Heh, in fact, one of the main reasons I wanted to become a Huntress was so that I could FIND my real mom… but now that she's back in my life, I guess that's gone out the window."

Lisa couldn't help but blink at that. "Oh… well then, that's pretty convenient. So now that you and your mom have been reunited, what's next for you?"

"Well, I still definitely wanna become a Huntress, but ever since this whole thing with Salem started, I wanna help people more than ever now." Yang moved her gaze between Weiss, Blake, Sun and Neptune. "In fact, I'm pretty sure we ALL wanna help people now that we know what's at stake, right?" She got a bunch of nods and affirming words from her friends in response before going back to Lisa. "But there's still another reason why I wanted to become a Huntress… and that was to see the world. See, I'm kind of a thrill-seeker, and all my life, I've wanted to go on the adventure of a lifetime. So I thought that if I could become a Huntress, I'd get the chance to do that…" She set her eyes onto Ben with a loving stare. "And to add onto that, now I know that there's more than ONE world to explore, so I'm pretty sure I'm gonna get to go on that wild adventure I wanted." Yang reached over and intertwined her fingers with Ben's, the hero smiling at her all the while. "And now I get to go on it with someone who I love. So really, it's an absolute win."

"Awww!" Lisa cooed, her smile from ear to ear. "That's so sweet! I hope you two are really happy together." Her face then transitioned into a knowing grin, her eyebrows moving up and down. "Though I have to say, you DO know that you're going to be the envy of every girl in either this OR Ben's world, right Yang?"

Yang was quick to rebuke. "Ah, let 'em be jealous. I love my man and my man loves me." She turned her head toward the camera and pointed to it with a bit of a sassy head bob. "Deal with it."

"It's true." Ben cheekily added as he pulled Yang into a hug. "I really do love her." He sent a salute to the camera as well. "Sorry ladies, but this guy's taken."

Lisa couldn't help but let out a laugh at that. "Haha! Okay, noted." She then moved her attention over to Weiss, the heiress tensing up a bit. "Alright, Weiss, why is it that you want to become a Huntress?"

Weiss gulped before attempting to answer, already knowing that this would put her even deeper into the hole she dug herself into with her father. "W-Well… you see, I wish to uphold the Schnee Family name… by helping to cleanse it of the mud that my father put it in." Lisa wore a shocked face as Weiss took a deep breath, the surely former heiress putting everything she had into her confidence at that point. "You see, my father's business practices aren't the most… no, what I _mean_ to say is that his practices AREN'T ethical in the slightest. He outright _abuses_ the Faunus who are in the labor forces, let alone _relegates_ them to labor forces because of his blatant discrimination." Her lips curled up into a snarl. "It makes me _sick_. And I was hoping to change ALL that once I inherited that company…" She let out a sigh as she lowered her head. "But that said, now that I've made it known where I stand on international television, he'll surely strip me of any inheritance I have."

Lisa took a moment of silence to take that all in. "…I see. The Schnee Dust Company HAS been scrutinized for its VERY controversial Faunus labor forces." She reached over and placed a reassuring hand over Weiss'. "If it's any consolation, I feel the exact same way you so, Weiss. But do you think that by becoming a Huntress instead, you'll be able to write the wrongs that your father has brought upon your family name?"

"I do." Weiss said resolutely. "If I can't inherit a way to stop this from happening, then I'll find another way."

"That's the spirit!" Lisa lifted her hand and balled it into a supportive fist. "Good luck, Weiss. I know you have it in you."

"She's right, ya know." Rex said while giving a thumbs up. "As far as I'm concerned, you're bad ass enough to FIGHT your way to the top of your dad's company, Ice Princess!"

Weiss couldn't help but blush, her head snapping away as she crossed her arms. "Oh hush up, Robo-dolt… but thank you."

There was a round of laughter at the table before Lisa moved on, her attention focusing squarely onto Blake. "And now, we have you, Blake. Why do YOU want to become a Huntress?"

Blake took in a deep breath, bracing herself for what she was about to say. "Well… it all started with my years in the White Fang." She laced her hands together and set them on the table. "I'm sure that you're familiar with Adam Taurus."

"The rogue White Fang general who helped lead the attack on Beacon, yes."

"Well… he used to be my mentor." Blake said shakily, gulping down her fear as she pressed on. "Among… other things…" She saw Sun giving her a worried gaze behind the camera, to which she gave him a short wave to assure him that she was alright. Sun gave her a silent nod back before she went on. "But more to the point, he always said that the White Fang would make the world a better place… but over time, his vision for a better world didn't align with my own anymore. So, I left the Fang and enrolled into Beacon, hoping that I could find redemption for all of the horrible things I had done."

Lisa leaned forward in intrigue. "I see. And have you been able to find the redemption you were hoping for?"

Blake rubbed the back of her head. "Sort of… but there's still a lot left that we have to do. A lot that I have to do…" She perked her head up and set her sights out to all of her friends, her smile increasing as she met all of their eyes. "…But at least I know that I'm not in this by myself anymore. I have a great group of friends to support me, and I couldn't ask for anyone better to fight by my side."

"Hear-hear!" Ruby shouted as all four teammates were suddenly brought in for a big hug from the younger girl. "Oh, I love you girls SO MUCH!"

"Hehe, love you too, Ruby." Blake managed to choke out before the hug ended.

Lisa gave a satisfied "Hm" as she watched the girls' hug. "Well, you all certainly have clear goals in mind for what you want to do. I wish you girls luck in everything you do, and I really hope that I'm able to follow your careers as you grow and learn as Huntresses." She got a massive "thank you" from the RWBY girls before moving her gaze over to Rex, the EVO flinching a bit as she raised a brow at him. "Now, why don't we hear more about you now, Rex? The world knows that you have nano-machines inside of you, but how exactly DID that happen?"

Rex gave out a chuckle as he crossed his arms and settled them onto the table. "You might wanna buckle up, Lisa, because in my world, let's just say that a LOT of crazy crap happens. It all started about seven years ago. One minute, things were going good. And then the next… BOOM. A whole bunch of nanites exploded into the Earth's atmosphere, basically infusing themselves into every living thing on the planet. And well… that's pretty much how it all started…"

From there, Rex began explaining his origins; about how his parents injected him with nanites to save his life, along with how they, his brother, Van Kleiss and the Consortium were involved with the Nanite Project. From there, he went on about how he kept losing his memories as he traveled around the world before being found by Providence, which then lead him to being trained to be a living weapon. From there, he quickly went through the rest of his story. From fighting the Pack, to reuniting with Caesar, to time traveling to a point where the Consortium had taken over Providence, to his and Ben's FIRST team-up, to eventually attaining god-like powers to cure every EVO on the planet… and Lisa could only stare at the young man dumbfoundedly as he explained it all.

"And that's pretty much how I got all my memories back and saved the world in the process." Rex finished. "Pretty neat, huh?"

"…I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!" Lisa exclaimed as she practically shot up out of her seat and leaned over the table to get into his face. "How many enemies do you have?! How many of these EVOs have you fought-and-or-cured?! And WHAT is the story with that talking monkey?!"

"Why is it that EVERYBODY is so interested in BOBO?!" Rex shouted as she faceplanted on the table, much to his friends' amusement. Nevertheless, he answered all of Lisa's questions as she shot them his way, answering them to the best of his ability. "I know that this all must sound pretty crazy…"

Lisa shook her head vehemently. "Oh no, Rex, what you've just told me is _fantastic_! Under NORMAL circumstances, people might have thought you were crazy…" She jerked her thumb toward the stairs. "But after seeing all of this extra-dimensional stuff that you've shown me, I know that there HAS to be truth to what you're telling me."

Rex sighed a bit in relief. "Well, I'm glad to hear that, Lisa."

"And I'm VERY happy that you were able answer my questions, Rex." Lisa returned before finally facing Ben. "And now… it's finally your turn, Ben. What can you tell the people of Remnant about yourself?"

Ben took a deep breath and began drumming his fingertips together, letting out a small laugh as Lisa asked that. "Hehe… hoo boy, MY story. Well, it all started when I was ten years old. I was on summer road trip with my Grandpa Max and my cousin Gwen. We had stopped at a campground and I went for a walk in the woods… but then, a small pod containing the prototype Omnitrix came crashing down right where I was standing." He tapped the Omnitrix on his wrist. "And lemme tell ya, it was WAY different than the one I've got now. A lot… "clunkier" I think is a good word for it."

However, Lisa was still stuck on a set of three words. "W-W-Wait… you were _ten years old_ when you got your first Omnitrix?!"

"Oh yeah." Ben confirmed with a smirk. "I was fighting bad guys, evil aliens, and pretty much doing awesome stuff with that watch all throughout that summer vacation. And all while I was ten years old!"

"…This is gonna be quite the sit-through." Lisa muttered to herself.

* * *

Over the course of the next hour, Ben and Lisa went back and forth, with the hero pretty much explaining his whole story to her while the reporter kept asking questions wherever she could. Thankfully, Ben was able to answer most, if not all of these questions without much problem, with some of them even filling in some blanks that he forgot to mention. Finally, he came to his story's end, or at least up to the final battle with Vilgax and Dagon. "So basically; my arch enemy managed to absorb the limitless powers of an extra-dimensional entity." Ben explained as he neared the conclusion. "And with that, I thought it only appropriate to grab Ascalon and use it to beat Vilgax."

Lisa blinked in surprise. "Wait, so… you DIDN'T want to use your aliens for this fight?"

"Nope, honestly, with how powerful Ascalon was, I knew that it was probably the only thing that could really defeat Vilgax at that moment." Ben answered. "…Well, aside from Alien X, of course, but…"

"You didn't want to hinge the fate of the universe on something that could only possibly work." Lisa finished. "Gotcha."

"Exactly." Ben affirmed before moving on. "Anyways, I stabbed Vilgax with the sword and absorbed Dagon's power into it, effectively turning him back to normal. I was about to use the power to transform all of the Esoterica back to normal… but then Vilgax tried to convince me that I could rid the galaxy of all evil if I used the sword, Dagon's power, and the Ultimatrix combined."

This made everyone's eyes widen. "Wow, Ben, I… I don't think you went into THAT detail before." Weiss remarked.

Ben rubbed the back of his head. "…Yeah, 'cause it's not exactly something I'm proud of. See… I actually considered doing that." He saw everyone become even more shocked at the revelation before reassuring them. "B-But I didn't. Thankfully, my team convinced me to do otherwise, and I did what I originally said I would do."

Yang let out a sigh and wrapped an arm around her boyfriend's shoulder. "Good, because lemme tell ya; judge, jury and executioner aren't really good titles for ya, Green Boy."

"Heh, tell me about it." Ben chuckled before moving on. "But from there, Azmuth took back Ascalon and the Ultimatrix before giving me the new Omnitrix. And from there… well, a year passed without anything exciting going on before we all ended up here on Remnant." The hero let out a sigh as he gave Lisa a smile. "And… that's pretty much my story in a nutshell."

"A really BIG nutshell." Blake commented. "But a nutshell nonetheless."

Lisa sighed as well, allowing everything she just heard to settle in. "I must say, that's quite the life story, Ben. How were you able to just… handle all of this at your age? Most _Hunters_ don't experience the kind of life-threatening events that you have in their own lifetime, let alone over the course of six years!"

Ben gave a small shrug. "What can I say? In my line of duty, ya have to grow up fast. I think I told you that yesterday during the battle, right?"

"Hmhm, yes, you did." Lisa nodded. "And I must say, I'm very impressed with what I've heard. Both from you and Rex…" Her gaze moved back over toward Team RWBY. "And from you girls as well. I can tell that you're ALL going to be great heroes, both on Remnant AND Earth. THAT you can be sure of."

"Thank you, Lisa." Ruby said graciously. "That means a lot."

"You're welcome." Lisa stood up and walked over to the camera. "And with that, I think we can bring this interview to a close. At least for now." She switched the camera off and everyone immediately relaxed, with Sun's arms practically falling down.

The monkey boy flung his head back in relief. "Oh, thank god, I don't know how much longer I could've held that!"

At that moment, a sly grin came to Rex's face as he leaned over the table, looking at Lisa expectantly. "Okay, so now that we've told YOU what we're all about, there's something that I've been wondering about YOU, Lisa."

Lisa blinked in surprise at the sudden statement. "Wait, me? What do you want to know about me?"

Rex folded his arms as he elaborated further. "Well, here's the thing I don't get about yesterday; you and your camera guy were pretty much there for the WHOLE battle, right?"

"…Yes, we were. Aside from when we had to go back to the station to get a helicopter."

"Right, so here's what I'm wondering; how in the HECK were you guys not injured?!" Rex listed off the points; "I mean, you were surrounded by bullets, energy attacks and falling debris, and the most you two probably got was just barely had a scratch, so what's the deal?"

Everyone immediately grew interested at Rex's question, which Ben was quick to pick up on. "Hey yeah, that IS a good question. It is pretty weird how you guys just… weren't touched throughout that whole thing." He raised a brow toward Lisa in suspicion. "It all seems pretty convenient if you ask me…"

A proud smile came to Lisa's face as she placed her hands on her hips. "Hm, well, I don't know about Greg, but I think I went unscathed because my good luck was watching out for me again." She received some confused faces as she went on. "You see, ever since I was a little girl, I had a knack of avoiding some pretty sticky situations. It all started when I was about eight; I was playing near the bottom of some sheer cliffs when a large boulder suddenly began falling down toward me. In hindsight, it wasn't the BEST idea to be there, and as you can imagine, I was scared out of my mind… but I was too stunned to move. I cried out for anyone to help me, but my parents were too far away. I thought I was done for, and my mind was racing a mile a minute to try and get my legs to move… but I couldn't."

"Oh my goodness!" Weiss shouted as the others around the table gasped at the events. "So… what happened?"

"Well, what happened next was kind of weird." Lisa pursed her lips in thought. "I suddenly felt this HUGE wave of… something flowing through me. I tried to run again after feeling that, but it was no good. I closed my eyes in fear… and then I heard a loud crash. But here's the thing; I wasn't crushed! The boulder somehow just veered off course and missed me by about five feet!"

"Woah, seriously?!" Yang shook her head in disbelief. "Man, you must've… wait… you said a wave of something, right?"

Lisa moved her hand back and forth a bit. "Yeah, it was this weird rush of… something. I don't know what it was, exactly, but here's the strange part; every time I'm on the receiving end of a really accident or something else that might've resulted in me getting seriously hurt… I always come out of it unscathed." The reporter raised her hands and gave a shrug. "And I honestly have no clue why."

The group of eight teens all stared at her with stunnef faces as she told her story, with Team SN and RWBY all facing each other. "You don't think…" Blake started.

"It's definitely a possibility." Weiss granted. "I mean, nobody is THAT lucky."

Ruby tapped a finger to her chin in thought. "Well… I wouldn't exactly call it luck. If it were, then she'd be lucky ALL the time and not just in dangerous situations."

"Oh… you think she's like Uncle Qrow?" Yang realized. "Hers could be a passive one like his."

As the teens conversed, Lisa looked between them all with a curious gaze, wondering just what they were talking about. "Uh, excuse me?" she placed her hands on her hips indignantly. "Mind telling me just what the heck you're talking about?"

Neptune offered her a glance. "Oh, we're just trying to guess what you're Semblance is."

If Lisa's attention hadn't been gotten by that point, then the utterance of THAT word definitely did. "My… Semblance?!"

"Oh, heck yeah." Sun said with a grin. "See, Semblances can be unlocked during some pretty intense moments, and it sounds like yours might be one of those cases." The blond crossed his arms as his tail swished around in thought. "Still trying to figure out what it is, though. If it's not luck, then maybe… threat avoidance?"

"That's probably the most likely candidate." Weiss affirmed. "I mean, if she had good luck all the time, then she'd probably be in a MUCH different position than she is now."

Lisa couldn't help but deadpan at that. "Gee, thanks, I—wait just a dang minute! How can you be so sure that I even HAVE a Semblance?!"

Yang began counting the factors on her fingers. "Well, for one, that wave of something you felt? That was probably your Semblance activating. And secondly, nobody who gets themselves into THAT many precarious positions comes out of it unscathed every time." The Blonde Brawler offered her a wink. "Face it, Lisa, you've got a Semblance and you didn't even know it!"

"I… wow." Lisa stared at her own hands in disbelief. "Wow! Haha, I have a Semblance!" She trailed a hand through her hair. "Hah, you know, if I had been a Huntress, I probably would've been VASTLY overpowered with this Semblance!"

"Heh, no doubt." Ben chuckled. "But hey, that's pretty cool that you have a pretty useful Semblance. Certainly, helped you out in the city yesterday."

Lisa gave a toothy grin and pumped a fist. "Well, now that I know I have this baby, I might just do more field reporting in the future! I should—huh?"

All of a sudden, the sound of clicking heels against the wooden floor caught the group's attention, their heads craning toward the kitchen doorway to see none other than Doctor Holiday enter the room. "Oh, THERE you all are!" the EVO expert said with relief. "You guys need to come into the living room right now, it's important."

"Doc?" Rex and the others stood up without hesitation. "What's the matter? Something wrong?"

Holiday smiled and shook her head. "No, but the interdimensional communicator is going off, which means that we're being contacted from Earth. Ben, we need Feedback."

Lisa gasped at the news. "W-W-Wait, you're being contacted from your home planet ACROSS dimensions?! H-How is that possible?!"

"Simple; Galvan Tech and a couple of geniuses." Ben replied. "And if I were a betting man, I think it's Agent Six calling in to check on us before we leave." The hero put a hand to the Omnitrix and found Feedback's icon, transforming into the Conductoid in a flash of green light just a few seconds later. "Alright, let's make this one last call."

* * *

A few moments later, the entire team was all gathered together in the living room, along with Tai, Raven and Winter as well. The Belladonnas, Sienna and Vernal had all vacated the room, since they didn't want to intrude on what was not really their business, while Qrow had gone upstairs to get the rest of his stuff packed. Max was also making some last-minute preparations in the Rustbucket before they departed. The only other adult who wasn't present was… "Pyrrha, where has your mom been all morning?" Ren asked. "I don't think I've seen her since breakfast."

"Oh, she's been talking with Jaune's mother on the phone for a while." Pyrrha answered with an eye roll. "I think they might be coming over to the house in a while to spend a bit more time with us before we leave."

"Yeah, wouldn't be surprised if they did." Jaune shrugged with a grin. "We won't be seeing them for a good while after all." He rubbed the back of his head. "What I wanna know is… where's Azmuth?"

"Talkin' with Oscar and Paradox." Kevin answered. "I think he'll be headed back to Galvan Prime directly when the rest of us leave." He paused for a moment before bringing up another certain subject. "So… did you guys hear about… you know…"

"About Oscar wanting to go with the professor?" Ilia finished. "Yes, we have."

Nora gave a huff and crossed her arms. "Yeah, kinda bummed about it, to be honest. I really wish he would come with us instead. He'd make a great addition to the team!"

Ruby sent Nora a sympathetic expression. "Yeah, I know, Nora. But you gotta remember that he's got a lot of his own issues to sort out first." The Hooded Huntress glanced down to the floor. "After all he's been through with Ozpin, he's probably super confused about what to do with himself right now."

The Pink Dynamo sighed and hung her head a bit. "Yeah, I guess you're right…"

Meanwhile, Holiday and Feedback continued to work on setting up the communicator, both of them eager to see what Six would have for them once the call began. However, there was one person in particular who was a bit off put by all of this. "I don't think I've ever BEEN to one of these calls before." Raven remarked as she watched the alien and EVO expert work. "I mean, I caught the tail end of one the other day, but… you're positive that communicating over different dimensions is safe, correct?"

"Oh yeah." Feedback said with a wave of his hand as he plugged himself into the machine. "We've done this a whole bunch of times… or at least WINTER has."

That earned a snicker from the room as Winter gave the Conductoid a light scowl. "Oh, _hilarious_ , Benjamin."

"Ah, c'mon, Winter. It's all in good fun." Feedback grinned as he began pouring his energy into the communicator. "Alright, Holiday, we should be good!"

Holiday nodded and went for the switch. "Alright, here we go." She flicked the switch and spoke clearly into the microphone; "Holiday to Earth! Come in Earth, are you receiving us?"

" _Indeed, we are."_ came Six's voice loud and clear over the comm as the holo-screen turned on, revealing the green-clad man's face. Six smiled down and offered a soft smile toward his fiancé. _"Hello Rebecca. Was hoping to catch you all before you left."_

Holiday offered a wink back to her husband-to-be. "And I'm glad you did, Six. How're things going over there, hon?"

" _Fairly well. We're setting things up and we're eagerly awaiting your arrival."_ Six set his sights out to the rest of the room to address the teens _"Morning, everyone. I'm glad you could all be here for this particular meeting."_

Rex gave his mentor a salute. "Hey, Six! Bet you're excited to see us come back to Earth, huh?"

Six sent Rex a smirk. _"If you could call it excitement. So, any updates for us over here?"_

"Ah, you know, just an attack on Vale yesterday that we were able to stop." Feedback said with a slight grimace. "…Though not before a whole chunk of the city got destroyed… and we ended up revealing our whole operation to the world."

Six furrowed his brows at this. _"Mind explaining?"_

"Salem, her forces, me and Rex's powers, the fact we're from alternate dimensions, the entirety of Remnant knows about this war now, Six." Feedback crossed his arms and nudged his head toward the door. "Heck, I just got done with an interview just a few minutes ago."

" _Hm, I see. Well, that certainly IS less than ideal."_ Six deduced. _"However, you're all safe and sound, at least, so there's a bright side."_

"Yeah, that's true." Feedback conceded. "So, any news on Vilgax or the Pack? Or maybe even Charmcaster or the Collective?"

" _No go on the first three, Ben."_ Six shook his head. _"Things have been pretty silent on that front since we last spoke. However, as we speak, Manny, Helen, Alan and Rook Blanco are currenly moving in on what we believe to be the Collective's base of operations. I'm hoping to have an update from them in a few hours._

Rex pumped a fist as the rest of the teens gave an excited cheer. "Haha, alright! Well make sure they save some bad guy but for us to kick!" Rex couldn't help but smirk at that. "Oh, and uh, Six? You wanna talk about bright sides?" He reached over and pulled Weiss into a side-hug, the heiress smiling as he did so. "Guess which lucky duo just got into a relationship yesterday?"

This got Six's eyebrows to furrow in curiosity. _"…Really?"_ He focused in on Weiss, whose smile faltered under the man's gaze. _"Weiss… you and Rex are in a relationship?"_

"Uh… y-yes." Weiss stuttered a bit. "We've, uh… had quite a bit of time to bond over the time that he's been here, and—"

" _Good."_ Six smiled, earning a surprised face from Weiss. _"A responsible young lady like you should help keep Rex's head on his shoulders. Congratulations."_ As Weiss stared at him in disbelief and Rex gave his mentor an indignant grimace, Six's smile disappeared as he focused his eyes down to Ilia. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor next to Penny, and the two girls flinched a little as Six eyed Ilia expectantly. _"So, you must be the chameleon girl that I was told about. Your name is Ilia, correct?"_

"Uh… y-yeah." Ilia stammered. "How'd you—"

" _I make sure to have Caesar and Kenny keep me updated on any new developments."_ Six answered. _"Helps in the long run, believe me."_ He then raised an eyebrow over to the Alien Trio. _"Speaking of which, this brings your total number of team members to sixteen. I hope you've figured out a way to house all of them."_

Gwen held up a hand. "Oh, believe me, Six, we've been talking about it extensively, and I'm pretty sure that we've got a good system down for them."

Six gave her a nod. _"Excellent. However, I think you should run it by a certain group of people before you cement it. I've got them on the other line."_ He focused down onto Holiday again, his smile reappearing. "I look forward to seeing you all when you get back, Rebecca."

"Same here, Six." Holiday blew a kiss at the man before waving to him. "We'll see you soon." After the said that, Six gave her a nod before his face suddenly disappeared, much to the teens confusion. But then, the Alien Trio's faces to lit up again as the call was suddenly transferred over to a certain redhead.

"Kenny!" Gwen exclaimed. "Good morning!"

" _Hey little sis!"_ Kenny waved out to everyone. _"Glad that we could get a hold of ya…"_ He then moved his attention to Winter, with blushes coming to both of their faces as they made eye contact. _"And a very special good morning to you, too, Winter."_

Winter let out a small laugh as she sent Kenny a small wave back. "Hehe, good morning, Kenny. Well… I suppose that today's the day, isn't it?"

Kenny let out a breath, hoping it would de-stress him a bit. _"Heh, y-yeah. To tell you the truth, I'm a bit nervous. It's… gonna be pretty different seeing you here in person instead of just on the other side of a screen."_ He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. _"I can't tell ya how much I was freaking out about this yesterday."_

Gwen and Weiss both giggled a little before Winter shot them a small glare, getting them to stop immediately. "It's alright, Kenny." Winter's smile returned. "It will be a… very big learning experience for the both of us, to be sure. However, I'm certain that it will also be rather… fun." The military specialist sighed as she folded her arms. "And I certainly know that it's been a while since I've experienced any of that."

" _Heh, don't worry, I'll help you out with that."_ Kenny said with a thumbs up. _"I've got a few things in mind that I'm sure you'll like."_ At that moment, though, a small "ahem" could be heard off-screen, causing Kenny to send whoever made it an apologetic expression. _"O-Oh, right, sorry."_ His eyes went back to Winter with a small grin. _"Heh, as much as I wanna talk about that with you, though, there's a few other people who wanna talk with all of you."_

At that moment, Kenny moved his communicator over so that it was focused onto something else… or rather another group of certain people. If possible, the Alien Trio brightened up even more, for on the screen were none other than Ben and Gwen's mothers; Sandra and Natalie, along with Kevin's mother, Evelyn. _"Hi kids!"_ Sandra called out as all five of them waved to the group.

"Haha, mom!" Feedback shouted in excitement before unplugging himself and transforming back to his human form, having charged the battery up to maximum. "Man, is it great to see you!"

" _Surprised to see us?"_ Natalie asked.

"To say the least!" Gwen said as she stood up to get closer to the screen. "That last thing we expected was to hear from you today."

Evelyn gave out a small chuckle before explaining. _"Well, we kind of got a little excited to see you kids later on, and us ladies couldn't wait."_ She sent her son a small wave. _"Hello sweetie! Hope you're doing okay!"_

"Hey mom!" Kevin waved back. "Yeah, we're doin' pretty good." He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder to their group of friends. "And I'm sure you remember the gang, right?"

" _Oh, how can we forget?"_ Sandra grinned before eyeing a certain blonde in the back. _"C'mon, Yang, I see you back there!"_

Yang's face flushed a little as she stood and approached the screen with Ben, returning Sandra's greeting. "Hehe, yeah, hi Sandra. Good to see ya again!"

Natalie then shifted her eyes over to Winter as well. _"And Winter, it's so good to see you again, too. I've been hearing good things about how your little dates with my son are going."_

Winter cleared her throat and stood as Weiss and Gwen began giggling again, much to her chagrin. "Ahem, y-yes, they have. Thank you, Natalie."

However, it was then that Evelyn noticed that there were some faces that she didn't recognize in the crowd of teens. _"Oh, but I'm not sure if we've met some of these other children. I see…"_ She began counting the heads in the room, pointing out all of Team JNPR, Team SN, Ilia and Penny. _"Eight kids that we haven't met yet."_

"Oh, that's right!" Ruby realized. "You guys haven't really met all of our friends yet! Here, let's get you all acquainted!"

As the rest of the teens began introducing themselves to the three women, a certain Spring Maiden couldn't help but be taken off-guard. Raven let out a small "Eep!" before quickly hiding behind Tai, a panicked look coming to her face. If anything, though, this served to ALSO take Tai off-guard. "R-Raven?" The blonde man spun around and put his hands to Raven's shoulders, seeing the frantic look in her eye the instant he gazed into them. "W-What's wrong?"

"What's _wrong_?!" Raven harshly whispered. "Ben's parents, THAT'S what! I thought that I'd have more time to prepare before I met them but now, there they are!" The tribe leader kept her head low to make sure she wasn't seen. "I am FAR from ready for this conversation, Tai! I-I don't know what to do!"

Tai smiled down to her and cupped a hand to her cheek, bringing her eyes up to meet his. "Hehe, it's okay. Honestly, I wasn't prepared for this either. Hey, will you feel better if we introduce ourselves together?" He offered her a wink. "Because if I'm being honest, I'm a bit nervous too. But if we do this together, I think it'll be a lot easier. Whaddya say?"

Raven took a deep breath, collecting her nerves before giving Tai a resolute nod. "Alright, let's do this!"

By the time she was ready, everyone had already finished their introductions, and the three mothers were now familiar with everyone there. _"Well, it's certainly a great pleasure to meet you all."_ Natalie smiled out to everyone. _"I definitely look forward to getting to know all of you once you come over to Earth."_

" _Speaking of which…"_ Sandra glanced over to her son with a quirked brow. _"Honey, have you all decided on how you're going to house your friends? Because I doubt they'll be thrilled if they have to sleep out in the streets."_

Ben raised a hand to his mother assuredly. "Oh, don't worry, mom, we've planned all of this out right from the get go."

"¡ _Así es_!" Rex said as he jabbed a thumb over to Holiday. "Holiday and I will still be bunking at Plumber HQ, and I have a feeling that Cooper's gonna have Team CFVY stay over at his place while they're there."

"Uh-huh, that's about right." Ben confirmed before he pulled his girlfriend into a side embrace while jerking his thumb over to Ruby, Weiss and Blake. "As for the rest of these guys, we'll be splitting them up according to teams. Team RWBY will be coming over to our place."

Sandra rolled her eyes with a knowing smile. _"I kind of figured that would happen. Any excuse for you and your girlfriend to be together under the same roof, right?"_ She sent a wink toward the couple. _"Not that I'm complaining. Just so long as you follow the ground rules."_

"Hehe… yeah." Yang chuckled nervously. "I'm sure we'll have a talk about those once we get there."

Ruby gave the blonde woman a salute. "Don't worry, Sandra, we'll be sure to be on our best behavior! And we'll make sure to pitch in when we're needed." Weiss and Blake both reaffirmed Ruby's words with nods of their own.

" _Oh, why thank you, girls."_ Sandra beamed in appreciation. _"That's very sweet of you."_

Gwen extended a hand over toward Team JNPR and Winter next. "And mom, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, Ren and Winter would like to stay at our place if that's alright with you."

Pyrrha gave the older redhead a polite bow. "I apologize if we intrude in anyway, Mrs. Tennyson, but—"

" _Sweetheart, don't be ridiculous!"_ Natalie denied with a swipe of her hand. _"I have PLENTY of room in my home for all of you… though be sure to be mindful that I have a lot of expensive décor, okay?"_

"We sure will, Mrs. Tennyson." Jaune assured before eyeing Nora with a stern face. "We'll ALL be sure to keep that in mind, right?"

Nora sighed and gave Natalie a two-fingered salute. "I solemnly swear that I will NOT set off any explosives in your home, Mrs. T. Accidentally or otherwise"

Natalie blinked a couple of times at that. _"Um… okay?"_

"Trust me, it will make sense once you get to know her." Ren said as he gave his best friend a pat on the shoulder. "But don't worry, I've known Nora for most of my life, so I know you can trust her to keep her word." At that, green and pink duo shared a small, bashful grin.

" _Well… good to know."_ As she began to question what exactly she got herself into, Natalie directed her sights back to Winter with a serious, if understanding, face. _"Now Winter, I know that you and my son's relationship is only just starting to really get going, but I want you to know that I have my OWN set of ground rules as well, and I hope that you'll follow them accordingly."_

Winter smiled and nodded her head. "Of course, Natalie, I—"

" _I'll be frank; if I catch you in my son's bed, we WILL have words."_

Immediately, Winter became flustered at the idea as Kenny cried offscreen; _"MOM! Seriously?!"_

Winter cleared her throat as everyone else around her also grew a bit uncomfortable… though if anything, Weiss and Gwen were trying to hold back their laughter at this point. "Y-Yes, I understand, Natalie. K-Kevin gave me that warning earlier."

Her words made Gwen stop laughing instantly and Evelyn and Natalie shared a quick glance, with both women smirking to each other in satisfaction. _"Oh, I'm sure he did."_ Evelyn said before sending her son a disapproving glare. _"After all, we DO remember what happened after that incident, don't we dear?"_

Gwen and Kevin shared an awkward look with each other before the Osmosian craned his head down in shame. "Y-Yeah, we do." He then waved his hand over to Team SN, and the remaining girls. "In any case though, mom, Sun, Neptune, Ilia and Penny will be staying with us."

" _Ah, very good."_ Evelyn grinned. _"It's a good thing the new place has plenty of guest rooms. I look forward to having you all in my home."_

Penny gave Evelyn a bow. "We appreciate your hospitality, Mrs. Levin!"

"Yes, we'll be sure to pay it all forward." Ilia promised. "Any help you need around the house, we'll be sure to assist you with."

Evelyn clapped her hands together. _"Oh, thank you so much! Kevin, you've made some very nice friends over there in Remnant."_

"Heh, thanks, mom." Kevin said sheepishly. "But, uh… there ARE a couple other guests that we'll be bringing over, and I'm wondering if one of them could stay in our house."

This made Evelyn tilt her head. _"Oh, well of course, sweetie. Who is it?"_

"Well, it's Ruby and Yang's uncle." The young Osmosian answered. "His name is Qrow, and he's kinda had a bit of a rough couple of weeks here in Remnant. He's a recovering alcoholic and he also got pretty banged up recently, so the gang's looking to get him away from it all so he can rest easy. So, we figured that Earth would be a good place for him to crash for a bit. But… there's a bit of a catch." He saw his mother cross her arms expectantly. "Ya see, the beings of this world all have special powers called "Semblances", and Qrow's Semblance… happens to be bad luck. And what's worse is… he can't shut it off."

" _I see."_ Evelyn raised a questioning brow. _"So you're asking my to practically bring an open umbrella into our home? AND one that once had a drinking problem? I'm sorry, sweetie, but I'm not sure if—"_

"HEY!" Everyone's attention was suddenly brought to the stairs as Qrow came sauntering down, the hunter's eyes clearly searching for something. "Has anyone seen my—OH! There it is!" He reached down to one of the nearby end tables and picked up his cross necklace, doing an about-face as he went back up the stairs. "Sorry if I bothered ya. Carry on!"

For most, it was a brief, yet odd moment that could easily be shrugged off… but for Evelyn, that proved to be FAR from the case. The spikey, swept-back, greying black hair, the bright vermillion eyes, the short, yet visible stubble on his face… it was enough to make her jaw drop. The moment he was gone, she moved her eyes back to her son. _"Wh-Who was that?"_

"Uh, that was actually Qrow, mom." Kevin answered. "He can be a bit rough around the edges, but he's actually kinda cool—"

" _Bring him."_ Evelyn answered immediately.

"W-Wait, what?"

" _Er—uh, I mean… he can stay."_ Evelyn hastily pointed toward the stairs. _"Tell him that he can stay at our home for as long as he needs to, just so long as he's able to pull his weight around the house."_

Kevin blinked a couple times before making his way to the stairs. "Uh… sure…"

Once Kevin was up the stairs, Neptune let out a sigh as he set his sights onto his best friend. "So, we're REALLY gonna be living under the same roof as Qrow, huh?"

"Eeyup." Sun said before hanging his head in defeat. "Prepare for the worst, Neptune. That's ALL the advice I can give ya."

Meanwhile, back on the holo-screen, both Sandra and Natalie gave Evelyn similar smirks as small chuckles escaped their lips. _"Hehe, well what do you know?"_ Natalie chortled.

" _It seems like somebody is THIRSTY for some Silver Fox!"_ Sandra guffawed as Evelyn hid her blushing face behind her hands. _"Oh, for Pete's sake, Evelyn, don't be so embarrassed! You're showing some great initiative! Now ya just gotta go for it!"_ All throughout the living room, though, the teens began cringing at the words before Sandra noticed. _"Oh, come on, it's alright for you kids to be in relationships, but for us adults, you find it weird? Where's the logic in that?"_

All of a sudden, a loud laugh came from the back of the room, alerting everyone as Raven and Tai both stepped into few. "Hahaha! Ma'am, I think I can speak for everyone here when I say that the thought of my brother being in a relationship must've broke their minds." Raven glanced over to Evelyn and gave her a sly grin. "I just hope you know what you're getting into, Mrs. Levin. My little brother can be quite the handful, if you know what I mean."

" _I… I'm sure."_ Evelyn said in shock. _"B-But, wait, you said that he's you're…"_

" _Little brother?"_ Sandra finished as she put the pieces together in her head. _"B-But wait… if Qrow is Ruby and Yang's uncle… then… would that make you…"_

Raven's eyes widened when she realized she had just taken the first bit step. _'Well, no going back know.'_ she thought to herself before glancing to Ben. "Hehe, Ben, would you like to do the honors?"

"Uh, y-yeah, sure." Ben stepped up and faced his mother, all while gesturing toward Raven and Tai. "M-Mom… these are Yang's parents." He then faced the couple next to him and repeated the process. "And guys, this is my mom, Sandra."

Sandra could only remain silent, her lips parting in shock as Raven bowed her head to her. "I-It's a pleasure to meet you, Sandra. My name's Raven Branwen. I'm Yang's mother and Ruby's step-mother."

"And I'm Taiyang Xiao-Long." Tai added. "I'm Yang and Ruby's dad. It really is nice to finally meet you." He reached over and clasped a hand to Ben's shoulder. "You have a great boy here, Sandra, and I'm glad that he's the boy who Yang's locked in on. He's—" But at the sound of a growing, high-pitched sound, Tai stopped, only to realize that it was coming from Sandra herself, a big smile forming on her face. "Uh, Sandra, are you oka—"

" _EEEEEEE!"_ Evelyn and Natalie were forced to cover their ears as Sandra practically squeed in delight, the blonde woman practically pulling the communicator closer to her so she could see the couple better. _"OH MY GOODNESS! It's so wonderful to finally meet you! I've been SO curious about what Yang's parents were like and here you ARE! AH! This is so exciting!"_

Raven recoiled at the woman's exuberance, as did many others in the room. "W-Well, yes, it is. And I'm very happy to meet you, too, Sandra." The Spring Maiden collected herself as she pressed on. "That said, Tai and I are also going to be coming over to Earth with the kids. And we'd like to meet you and your husband, so we were wondering if—"

Sandra gasped in excitement. _"Ah! Raven, say no more! I'll have Carl prepare another guest bedroom as fast as possible. I INSIST that you two stay with us for the duration of your stay here."_

"Th-Thank you, Sandra." Tai stuttered in surprise. "I may not be staying long since I have a teaching job here in Remnant, but I'm happy that you'd be able to house both of us if need be."

" _Oh, it's no trouble at all, really!"_ Sandra waved off. _"Anything for the parents of such a wonderful young lady like Yang."_ She directed her gaze down to the Blonde Brawler in question. _"And Yang, I look forward to having you, your sister, and your friends under my roof as well. Ooh, I can't wait to have you all here!"_

Yang smiled up at the older blonde in appreciation. "Heh, thanks Sandra. It means a lot."

At that moment, Kevin came walking back down the stairs, his eyes shifting focus over to his mother on the screen. "'Kay, mom, I let Qrow know that he's good to stay at our place. And he says thanks, by the way."

" _O-Oh, good, thank you, Kevin."_ Evelyn replied before clearing her throat. _"W-Well, I think now is a good time for us to take our leave. We have a LOT of preparing to do before you all get here, after all."_

Sandra sighed sadly at that. _"Yes, yes we definitely do."_ She gave a wave to the girls in Team RWBY, her son, Raven and Tai. _"But you can be sure that I'll see you all tonight, okay? I hope you all have a safe journey home."_

Natalie faced her daughter, Team JNPR and Winter as well. _"Yes, and please be sure that you have everything. Don't want to leave something in another dimension, you know."_

"Oh, you can be sure of that, Mrs. Tennyson." Pyrrha promised. "And believe me, with the type of cargo we're bringing…" She turned around and gave a loud whistle toward the hall… to which Romulus, Rema and Zwei all came charging into the living room. The three mother's eyes widened as Pyrrha, Blake and Ruby picked up their respective canines, making sure that the women had a good view of them. "We will not be forgetting a thing!"

"…WHAT?!" Sandra and Natalie exclaimed. _"You… you have puppies?!"_ the redheaded woman finished.

"Yep! And they are a non-negotiable addition." Jaune added. "They come with us."

Both Tennyson women blinked before Sandra crossed her arms. _"Well, I suppose that's alright, but…"_

" _It would've been better if you had told us beforehand."_ Natalie finished before locking eyes with Romulus, the little pup staring back at her in an adorable way. _"…D'oh, but how can anyone resist faces like those?"_ Natalie sighed before flicking her hand away. _"Oh, what the heck? I'll allow it, but only if you promise to be responsible for them."_

Blake scratched Rema's belly as she gave the woman a nod. "Oh, don't worry, we will. Besides, they're already potty trained pretty well, so that's one less thing to worry about, right?"

" _Hm, that IS pretty good to hear."_ Sandra granted before giving one last wave. _"But now, I think it's time for us to go. We'll see you kids later, okay?"_

As everyone began exchanging goodbyes, Kenny stepped back into frame and set his sights back onto Winter once again. _"Hey Winter, I… I'm looking forward to seeing you later today!"_ he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. _"A-And sorry about… that THING that was mentioned earlier."_

The military specialist blushed gave him a smile, raising her hand toward him. "I-It's quite alright, Kenny. Really, it's understandable why your mother would say… that." She cleared her throat to try and change the subject. "B-But I AM very excited to finally meet you in person. See you soon!" She sent him one last wave as the call ended, letting out a nervous breath as the holo-screen deactivated. "…That had to be the most discomfiting moment of my life."

"What can I say? My mother's blunt." Gwen pursed her lips in frustration.

Winter sent both Gwen and Kevin an accusatory stare. "Well, considering the position she found Kevin in, I cannot say I blame her." She placed her hands on her hips and moved her eyes out to the entire group. "But now isn't the time for that discussion. For now, I think it's time we focus back on getting ready to leave, and—"

At that moment, a knock suddenly came from the entryway, causing everyone to turn their heads and see Athena standing there with her scroll in her hands. "My apologies, I hope I am not interrupting anything."

"Oh! Of course not, mom." Pyrrha said before moving closer to her mother. "What's going on?"

Athena held up her scroll, directing her eyes onto Jaune in the process. "Well, I just got off the phone with Jaune's parents. They told me that they will be here fairly soon to see you all before you all depart." The woman sighed as she pulled her daughter into a small hug. "I must say, though, still cannot believe this is finally happening. It only seems like yesterday I was just arriving on Patch to see you, darling."

Pyrrha returned the embrace immediately. "Hm, I know, mom. And I appreciate you being here for so long." She sent the older woman a wink. "Though by now, I would think that you'd be a bit eager to get back to Argus, wouldn't you?"

"I suppose you're right." Athena peered down at her scroll as she pulled up a picture of her owls. "My birds probably miss me severely…" Her eyes then settled back onto Pyrrha. "Oh, but I'll miss YOU so much, too!" Her hug tightened a bit, which Pyrrha was happy to reciprocate. "My little girl is certainly moving up in the world, isn't she?"

"Hmhm, it's alright, mom." Pyrrha chuckled. "I'll be fine. And I'll be sure that you can come visit us whenever you want, alright?"

"It sounds like a plan, sweetheart." Athena pulled out of the hug and gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead. "Just be sure to stay safe on Earth, okay?"

The Invincible Girl gave her mother a resolute nod. "Of course, I will." Pyrrha then moved her eyes over to Jaune, giving him a wink. "So, you ready for the onslaught of your sisters one final time?"

Jaune sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I guess so. C'mon, guys, let's go brace for impact… again."

"You heard the man, guys!" Ben grinned as he waved his arm toward the front door. "Let's all get outside before Blanche gets here and decided to let herself in again. The last thing we need is for the door to get slammed into my face again." The whole team gave out a laugh before proceeding outside, ready to meet up with the Arcs one more time.

* * *

**A/N (Important, Please Read): And there you have it! Ben, Rex and Team RWBY's interview went off without much of a hitch! And it seems that Lisa is quite happy with the information that she's been given (and the fact that she's gotten a taste of some Batman lore). But of course, we also got a pretty interesting call from Six (who had some pretty interesting information regarding a certain cult), as well as Kenny and the Alien Trio's mothers! What's more, it seems the team's been split up into groups depending on household. A bit different than living all under one roof, but it'll certainly be a WHOLE lot less crowded. But huh… seems like Kevin's mother, Evelyn, was a bit TOO eager to allow Qrow into her home after seeing him… What's more, Raven and Tai have finally met one of Ben's parents! And it seems that Sandra is VERY eager to meet the two of them.**

**And then of course… we have Eon revealing his past to Salem's forces and elaborating on WHY exactly he wants to work with them. Something tells me that Salem's pretty happy that she has her own evil Ben Tennyson on her side, even if he technically ISN'T Ben himself. So, how effective will this alliance prove to be? Well, we'll just have to see, now won't we? Also, yes, I plan on having Oscar go with Professor Paradox for a little while. While I definitely have plans for Oscar in the next volume, those plans aren't exactly immediate, so I felt it best to have him and Paradox partner up to explore the universe a bit and maybe help coax Ozpin back out from his hiding place in Oscar's head. That being said, Paradox knows that Eon is here now… so what exactly comes next? Well, we'll just have to find out… NEXT WEEK!**

**But before we get to that, it's time to get to the special announcement I talked about! Okay, so once the story ends, I'm going to be taking a bit of a break in between Volumes, just so that I don't burn out completely and I can get my ideas flowing the way I want them to. However, I won't be ENTIRELY leaving between volumes, as I also have a couple MORE stories that I wanna tell. And one of them is actually an idea that I've had in the melting pot for quite a while… a RWBY Chibi-styled fic to go along with this series. So, here's a little sneak peak;**

" _ **Ever since the cancellation of their show a couple years ago, the cast of RWBY Chibi have been isolated in the halls of Beacon Academy, simply wishing for SOMETHING to happen. However, little do they know that they're about to be visited by a certain Alien Trio and EVO, kickstarting what will undoubtedly be the greatest, funniest time of their lives!"**_

**Stay tuned for "Ben 10 RWBY Chibi: A Series of Shenanigans", coming this Holiday Season! Also, stay tuned to the next chapter for yet ANOTHER upcoming story announcement!**

**Alright, now… NEXT TIME! As Jaune's family arrives for one last visit before the big jump, we also find ourselves visited by Ironwood and Goodwitch as well… and they've brought along a few guests, including Pietro, who Azmuth is all too eager to speak with. But with their arrival, Ironwood has some important information regarding a certain woman who's been found in Atlas recently. What could this mean for the future, exactly? Well, tune in next time to find out! Thanks for reading everyone, and stay safe out there!**


	118. News in the Final Stretch

**A/N (Please Read): Hey there, AO3 crew! New chapter coming at ya! Alright, so this one's a bit on the shorter side again, but considering the holiday craziness that I've had to deal with this past week, I kind of expected that. Still, I think this chapter is still pretty good and I think you all will get a pretty good kick out of it! That said, a couple things before we get started; First, I'm gonna be posting these chapters pretty much always in the afternoon from now on, with the FFN version going up right in the morning. So expect that to be the standard way of how these posts will work. Secondly, stay tuned to the end of the chapter for yet another new story announcement! Alright, with that said, let's get to it, shall we? This is…**

**Chapter 118: News in the Final Stretch**

* * *

Lisa Lavender whistled a little tune to herself as she continued to pack up her news equipment. As she had hoped, the interview with Ben, Rex and Team RWBY had gone as well as she could've expected, if not, even MORE so. She couldn't help but grin giddily to herself as she shut the door on the side of her news van, the prospect of the world gaining new heroes making her utterly overjoyed. _'Ooh, I cannot WAIT until the press conference later!'_ she thought to herself. _'I'm sure the public will get a kick out of what they have to say!'_ But then, another thought occurred to her that she hadn't taken into account before now. _'Oh god… how will they react when they hear that Ben has to go back to his world?! The interview hasn't even been AIRED yet! Oh god, I need to tell them!'_

"Hey Lisa!"

"AH!" The reporter leapt up into the air out of shock, spinning around to see her interviewees approaching her. Along with them were Gwen, Kevin, Team JNPR, Ilia and Penny, with Team SN bringing up the rear. With them were Winter, whom she recognized from yesterday, an old man in a floral pattern shirt, and a tall, redheaded woman who seemed vaguely familiar to the Lisa, though from where, she couldn't quite place. "O-Oh! It's just you all. Sorry, I was lost in my own thoughts for a second there."

"Hehe, it's okay, Lisa" Ben assured. "Sorry for spooking ya."

"No problem." Lisa's eyes then darted over toward the older man and the redheaded woman in curiosity. "Oh, and who would you two be?"

Max gave her a smile in greeting. "Ah, you must be Miss Lavender. I understand that you just interviewed my grandson. Max Tennyson, a pleasure to meet you."

Lisa's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Oh my goodness, YOU'RE Ben's grandfather?! He mentioned you several times in our interview!" She walked up and shook the old man's hand. "It's an absolute pleasure, sir. Your grandson mentioned many time how you were such an inspiration for him in him becoming the hero he is today!"

"Heh, I'm sure he did." Max gave Ben a brief glance before returning to Lisa. "But really, it's no big deal. Just a Plumber doing a Plumber's job."

"Which, by the way, it VERY interesting to me." Lisa added. "I mean, SPACE POLICE? How much more amazing can this universe of yours get, am I right?" She directed her gaze over to the redheaded woman, tilting her head. "And who would you be ma'am? You look quite familiar…"

Athena blinked before realizing something. "Ah! Right, my hair isn't up. One moment…" She reached into her pocket and took out a metal hair clamp before pulling her hair back into an upward ponytail, with Lisa's eyes widening in surprise. "There, better?"

Lisa's jaw practically unhinged at the sight of the woman before her, her eyes darting between Athena and Pyrrha in realization. "You're… YOU'RE ATHENA NIKOS! I-I had no idea that you were in Vale as well! How long have you—"

"About two and a half weeks." Athena answered as she pulled Pyrrha into a side hug. "I came to make sure that my daughter was okay after the Battle for Beacon."

The reporter let out a shaky breath as she gave Athena a bow. "Well, I must say that it is quite the honor to meet you, ma'am! I have been a fan of your work for quite some time."

"Thank you very much. So, are you headed back to Vale now that you have concluded your interview?"

Lisa shook her head. "Oh, far from it. There's still the big press conference that's going to be happening in Patchwork today."

Yang's eyes widened at that. "Oh god, you're right! We still need to do all THAT before we leave too, don't we?"

Kevin scoffed and rolled his eyes. "See, this is why I was glad that our secret wasn't public in Remnant before now; we didn't have to do any media appearances or some crap like that."

"Kevin, you've NEVER had to do any media before." Gwen said with a raised brow. "It's all pretty much been Ben since his secret came out."

"Well yeah… but it was still annoying." Kevin grumbled.

Lisa let out a heartly laugh at the couple's banter, her hand covering her chest as she did. "Hahaha! Oh don't worry, kids, it won't be so bad… at least I hope." The white-haired woman cringed a bit as she shifted her eyes to the side. "Not sure how the public will feel about you all having to leave so soon after you've been discovered, but…"

"Oh jeez, that's right!" Rex slapped is forehead. "What the heck will we do about that?! The people will probably freak out at the news of us leaving!"

Blake's hand went to her neck as she too voiced her concerns. "Yeah… and what's worse is that they don't even know we're going to another dimension since the interview hasn't been seen yet. What if they don't believe us when we're telling the truth?"

Weiss hugged her arms worriedly. "And now that the public knows about Salem, too, that'll make things a WHOLE lot more difficult." Her eyes shifted down toward the ground. "If the people become too anxious, then that could mean…"

"Woah, woah, woah, let's not jump to conclusions too quickly, okay?" Ben interjected, hoping to calm everyone down. "Yes, this IS a problem, but I think it's one that we can solve pretty easily…" He craned his head toward Lisa and pointed to the van. "You've got all of the footage from the interview, right?"

"I do." Lisa pat the side of the van. "Got it all on camera and right in here."

"Great, so here's what I'm thinking; we play a bit of the interview AT the press conference FOR the people so that they get an idea of what's going on." Ben explained, piquing everyone's interest. "Since the entire world is probably gonna be watching, they'll get the chance to see all of the otherworldly stuff that we have and hopefully, they'll be able to see that we're telling the truth about us coming from another dimension."

Everyone brightened up at the idea as Ben laid it out to them, earning him nods of approval. "Hey, that's a pretty good idea, Ben!" Jaune commended. "I mean, it'd probably be hard to argue after we present that to them."

"It does sound like a good plan." Pyrrha agreed. "However, there IS another problem; how do we convince the public that they'll be safe until our return? I mean, we will likely be gone for quite a while, so they will need some reassurance that they will be safe from Salem's forces going forward."

Ben placed his hands on his hips. "That, we'll have to talk with General Ironwood about. I'm pretty sure he'll have a good plan lined up, but just in case, I'll talk to him about what I think would be a good plan." He directed his eyes back to Lisa with a smirk. "But all that aside, I'm surprised that you didn't join us for the call, Lisa." He gestured to Gwen and Kevin. "You probably would've gotten a kick out of it since our mothers were on the line."

Lisa's eyebrows shot up at that. "They WERE?! SHOOT! I SHOULD have been there, shouldn't I?" She huffed and folded her arms in frustration. "I was wooried that I'd be interrupting something important since you said an "Agent Six" would be the one on the other end."

"Well, he WAS." Rex clarified. "But he just gave us a quick briefing on what's going on over there before transferring us over to the Tennysons and Kev's mom." At that moment, a small smirk came to Rex's face. "By the way, have you tried experimenting now that you know that you've got a Semblance?"

Lisa sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "Hehe, uh… no. To be honest, now that I know about it, I'm kinda worried that it won't work for me anymore."

This garnered a lot of confused faces from the others. "W-Wait, what?" Winter questioned. "Rex, what ARE you two talking about?"

As it happened, it was Sun who answered her question. "Oh, we asked Lisa how she was able to go through the whole battle yesterday without getting much of a scratch on her, and then she explained that she had a "good luck" streak when it came to dangerous situations." The monkey boy used air quotes for emphasis. "But then, when she told us how this streak got started, we put two and two together pretty quick that it must've been her Semblance."

Neptune smirked and glanced over to Lisa. "Yeah, ya don't just keep getting out of bad spots like that without it being a coincidence. We're thinking that she must have some kind of passive Semblance like Qrow."

Winter nodded in understanding. "Hm, I see." She directed her eyes toward Lisa and gave a smile. "Well, if your Semblance truly is passive, then you will not need to worry about knowing that it is there. Even when people with passive Semblances know that they have them, it doesn't affect how the Semblance works."

Yang briefly set her gaze over to her house. "Yeah, if that were the case, then Uncle Qrow would be able to shut his off. But unfortunately, he can't."

"Hm, I see…" Lisa put a finger to her chin in thought. "Well, I suppose all that's left is to test it. The kids think that it's some sort of threat-avoidance Semblance… but the only way to try and test that would be to be put in danger."

"Is that so?" Nora said with a bright, cheery smile as she pulled out her hammer. "Well, I think I know ONE way to test out that theory!"

"Wait, WHAT?!" Lisa's eyes widened and she took a step back, the sight of Magnhild practically petrifying her. "You can't be serious, can you?! You actually want to HIT me with that hammer?!"

"Nora!" Ren strode forward and pushed Magnhild down, locking eyes with his hyperactive best friend. "We do not threaten to hit our guests."

Ilia folded her arms and shook her head. "Yeah, besides, we don't really know HOW this "threat-avoidance" Semblance works or what it considers to BE a threat." She turned toward Lisa and raised a brow. "Miss Lavender, can you give us any other details on how your Semblance might work?"

After collecting herself, Lisa gave Ilia the best answer she could. "W-Well, I know that I've never been hit with any falling objects… and incoming objects from the front have always managed to miss me completely…"

Nora let out a sigh and slumped her shoulders. "Ugh, c'mon guys, the only way we're actually gonna find out is if we try and HIT her with something!" She converted Magnhild into its grenade launcher form and took aim. "Besides, if what she's saying is true, she should be just fine! Plus, we have Jaune here to help her if she needs healing!"

Jaune deadpanned before slapping his forehead. "Well, she DOES make a good point…" He moved forward and pushed Manghild's barrel down. "But still, no grenades. We don't want to chance Lisa getting caught in an explosion." Nora's face immediately went into a frown at this, a small whine eliciting from her throat.

"Ahem!" Everyone perked up when they saw Rex step up, the EVO converting his arm into his Slam Cannon. "I think I might be able to help out with that…" The maw of the cannon reached down and scooped up a huge chunk of the ground, loading the weapon before Rex took aim at Lisa. "Jaune, you go over there and stay with Lisa. If I'm right, then this SHOULD miss both of you, since Greg was with Lisa ALL throughout the battle yesterday and he didn't get hit once either."

Lisa was shaking in her shoes at this point. "A-Are you REALLY sure that this is safe?"

"Sure!" Rex said with a thumbs up. "And besides, Jaune's got his Aura Amp Semblance, so if you guys so SOMEHOW get hit, he'll both take the brunt of the hit AND heal you at the same time!"

Jaune couldn't help but grimace at this. "Well great, now I'm just gonna be everyone's guinea pig for Semblance testing, aren't I?" He sighed and held up his hands. "Alright, let's see if this crazy idea works or not."

Weiss placed her hands to her hips, giving Rex a skeptical look. "Yeah, you'd better be right about this, Robo-dolt. Otherwise, things might not turn out so well."

"Ah, relax, Ice Princess." Rex said with a wink. "I got this." He took aim again just as Jaune moved over next to Lisa, the woman moving closer to him for protection. "You guys all set over there?!"

"A-A-As set as we'll ever be!" Lisa stammered out before glancing up to Jaune. "I hope he knows what he's doing." she whispered.

"Yeah, me too—" _BAM!_ Without warning, the huge chunk of Earth was suddenly sent hurtling toward them, much to Jaune and Lisa's shock. "WOAH!"

"AAAAAAH!" Lisa let out a high pitch scream as she suddenly latched onto Jaune's arm, unable to take her eyes off of the massive boulder. However, as she braced for impact… something happened. In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, the huge chunk of earth suddenly hit… seemingly nothing. The air seemed to shimmer where it made impact before it veered off into a different direction, rushing past Jaune and Lisa entirely before flying off and landing further down the driveway. Everyone's jaws went slack at the sight, with Lisa's face being the most disbelieving out of everyone there. "W-W-What just…"

Ben rubbed his eyes to make sure he saw that correctly. "Holy crap, it actually worked!"

Yang moved her arm out in front of her. "It just… moved to the side a bit." She moved her hand a little for emphasis. "Almost like the wind blew it off course or something."

Penny raised her head up and began analyzing the environment around her. "I can confirm that there is absolutely no wind, neither at this moment nor twenty seconds ago." She locked back onto Lisa and Jaune and explained. "What I think DID happen was some kind of invisible force field caused the projectile to rebound and be sent away from you two. Quite the interesting Semblance!"

"That. Was. SO. COOL!" Nora exclaimed before pointing Magnhild back up. "And now for the second test!"

Jaune and Lisa's eyes widened in fear. "W-Wait, Nora! Don't—" _BANG!_ But it was too late. Nora fired off a grenade from her weapon, the projectile sailing straight toward the knight and reporter. However, just as Lisa clutched onto Jaune again, there was another shimmer in the air before the explosive was veered off course, crashing into the lawn with a loud _**BOOM!**_ Jaune and Lisa regained their composure, just in time for Nora to cheer in victory.

"YES! It worked again!" The Pink Dynamo said before giving Lisa a thumbs up. "Congrats, Lisa! That Semblance is ROCKIN'!"

"Indeed." Winter beamed over to Lisa and gave her a nod. "It seems your Semblance is quite the handy one, Miss Lavender."

"I… I suppose it is!" Lisa grinned from ear to ear, letting go of Jaune to raise her hands up high. "Woo-hoo! I have a really neat Semblance!"

"No kidding." Sun agreed. "So, what're you gonna do now that you know you have it?"

Lisa chortled before placing her hands on her hips proudly. "Well, the FIRST thing I wanna do is ask my bosses for more field reporting." She smirked and shifted her eyes back and forth. "Ya know, actually get in a bit on the action a little more and broadcast what's going on in real time."

Yang pursed her lip at that. "Uh… isn't that a bit dangerous? I mean, ya saw what happened to my uncle, right?" This caught Lisa's attention pretty quick. "I mean, your Semblance is useful, don't get me wrong, but something tells me you don't have a defensive Aura in case something or SOMEONE tries to attack you directly."

"Oh… yes, you make a good point, Yang." Lisa mulled over what she was told before coming to a conclusion. "Okay, so I'll need try to stay as far away from the action as I possibly can WHILE getting a good look at it at the same time." She winced at the next part. "Because I REALLY don't wanna end up like how your uncle did…"

Ben gave her a nod. "Yeah, good idea. Like I said, a hero's line of work is pretty dangerous, and if you, a civilian, end up getting caught in that, that makes things worse for ALL of us." The hero winked and gave a thumbs up. "But don't worry, I'm sure you'll figure out a good balance."

Lisa smiled and sent a thumbs up right back. "Hm, thank you, Ben, I really appreciate that." She then sent him a wink of her own. "And who knows? Maybe once I get the okay from my superiors, I can come over to your world and start reporting on your exploits there!"

"Hehe, now THAT would be interesting." Ben laughed before realizing something. "Oh, and by the way, what time IS that press conference?"

"Well…" Lisa checked her watch and saw that it was now twelve-thirty. "It should be happening in about three and a half hours from now, so you kids will have plenty of time to prepare for it before you leave."

"Wow, four o'clock?" Ruby asked incredulously. "Guess that means we're probably not gonna be on Earth until late afternoon."

Gwen shrugged at this. "Probably, but hey, that gives our parents all the more time to prep for our arrival." She grinned back over to Lisa and bowed her head a bit. "But it was nice to have you here, Lisa, and I'm glad that we could show you a few things from out world, too."

Lisa bowed back graciously. "Oh, it was a really fun time. And I hope that I can talk with you kids more in the future." She sent them a salute as she moved over toward her van. "But for now, I'll see you all in town for the press conference alright?"

"You sure will!" Ben and the others began waving to her as she climbed into the van. "See you soon, Lisa!" With one final wave from the reporter, she started the van, backed up to perform a U-turn, and then began driving back toward the road, giving a couple honks on her horn all the while.

"Well, she was certainly a nice woman." Athena remarked. "And she certainly seemed pretty excited about all of this, too."

Ben quickly agreed to that. "Oh, you've got that right." Once the news van was gone, the hero sighed contently, placing his hands behind his head. "Alright, it's official, that had to be THE best experience with the media that I've ever had."

"No doubt." Kevin smirked. "She wasn't busting your chops at all. A MAJOR step up from Harangue, to be sure."

Blake raised a curious eyebrow. "Harangue? Who's that?"

"Ugh, the BIGGEST asshole of a reporter ever." Ben grumbled as his lips turned up into a snarl. "He's vitriolic, bigoted, and he hates ME specifically. He's called me a threat to humanity and has tried MANY times to turn the public against me on his news show. Hell, he's even tried to take me DOWN a couple times." He crossed his arms and grit his teeth. "And to be honest, I'm pretty sure I hate HIM just as much as he hates ME."

Yang grimaced and pounded her fist into her palm, her Ember Celica activating inadvertently. "Alright, it's official, I know JUST who I'm gonna punch first when I get to Earth."

Blake set her hand onto Gambol Shroud's handle. "You had me at the word "bigoted"."

"I wouldn't do that, girls." Gwen put a hand to the duo's shoulders to try and calm them down. "If you two try anything against him, he'll just use that against you in one of his smear campaigns. The best thing we can try to do is ignore him. It may not make him go away, but it's better than having the public hate us."

The two partners sighed, bringing their weapons down in disappointment. "Yeah, you're probably right." Blake granted. "…But if HE tries anything against US, then I'm not going to pull any punches…" She glanced over to Yang and smirked. "Pun very much intended."

"AAAW YEAH!" Yang wrapped an arm around Blake's shoulders, pulling her into a hug. "Glad we're on the same page about this, Blake! If that ass tries anything, we're going after him!"

"Now THAT is something I can get behind." Ben concurred.

At that moment, Max cleared his throat, garnering everyone's attention. "Normally, I don't exactly condone this kind of violence, but there IS a strong point to be made here." The old Plumber crossed his arms with a serious look on his face. "Harangue's hate spewing has gone on for far too long. It's even started to go on to insulting alien species as well. If he needs to be put in his place… then so be it."

Gwen sighed and nodded. "Yeah, grandpa makes a good point. But remember; no going after him unless he does it first, understand?" She got a round of confirming words from her group of friends, giving her the relief that she needed. The last thing that Gwen wanted was for her group of friends to get themselves in trouble right as they were making their first impressions on Earth.

* * *

About few minutes later, Raven, Tai and Vernal had joined the group outside, with the adults all conversing while the teens talked among themselves. However, it didn't take long before the group's heads perked up at the sound of a loud engine approaching them. The team's attention snapping towards the end of the driveway to see a certain black motorcycle coming toward them. "Oh, here they come, Jaune!" Athena said as Jaune let out a groan. "Oh, come now, time to face the music, dear."

Pyrrha grinned over to her boyfriend as they spotted a certain red car and minivan come rolling down the driveway behind the bike as well. "Are you ready?"

"No." Jaune deadpanned. "Even if they've been here for a while, I'm NEVER ready for all my sisters at once—"

"JAUNE! PYRRHA!" The moment that Noire took off her helmet, she threw it onto the grass and sprinted up, enveloping both of them in a tight hug that forced the air out of their lungs. "Thank GOD you two are okay! Do you have any idea how worried we were about you all yesterday?!"

As Jaune and Pyrrha struggled to breath, the blond knight managed to choke out; "Y-Yeah, you kinda made that clear when you guys talked to me on the phone yesterday, sis."

"Well maybe we didn't express it enough!" Noire said before snapping her head back toward her family's vehicles. Rouge was just getting out of her car, with Blanche, Saphron and Terra all climbing out at the same time, while Verte, Azure and Violette all clamored out of their parent's mini-van… and all of them had zeroed in on Jaune with similarly dangerous gazes. "LADIES! Help me out here!"

All at once, the other blonde women and the one brunette all paratactically bum-rushed Jaune, Pyrrha, and even Ren and Nora got pulled into the mix, the duo having stood behind their teammates in hopes of staying out of it. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The only one who didn't participate was Rouge, the eldest Arc sister joining her parents as they exited their car and walked over to greet Athena. "What in the WORLD were you guys thinking?!" Saphron questioned.

"How did you even SURVIVE all of that?!" Terra added. "I have half a mind to know your blocks off!" Oddly enough, Jaune noticed that she seemed a lot more… temperamental for some reason, and he had a feeling that it _wasn't_ just because of the pregnancy.

Nora was the one to answer their questions; "Easy! We stayed AWAY from the giant Grimm and just handled the smaller ones!"

"She's right." Ren affirmed. "We pretty much let Ben handle the big ones."

Verte, who had latched onto her brother the closest, buried her head into his shoulder and belted out; "I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU'D BE MORE CAREFUL!"

"And I was!" Jaune insisted. "I mean, what, did you think I'd actually try to FIGHT that giant Grimm?"

Blanche rolled her eyes and gave Jaune a light knock on the head. "Okay, we'll give ya that. Nice thinkin' there, little bro. But still… how were you even able to go through all of that like it was nothing at all?!"

Jaune smiled as she raised his arms, hoping to calm his sisters down a bit. "Heh, because honestly, that's what Huntsmen are SUPPOSED to do. Haven't you been listening to dad's stories all these years? A Huntsman is supposed to recognize the risks that come with the job description, and that means having to go through dangerous situations all the time…" He set his sights over to his parents, looking for confirmation from his father. "Am I right, dad?"

"Heh, couldn't have said it better myself, Jaune." Jonathan said before strolling over, his daughters allowing him to walk over to Jaune as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "And I honestly couldn't be any prouder of all of you for what you did yesterday."

"And he MEANS all of you." Mary asserted as she came up as well, the brunette woman pulling Pyrrha into a light embrace. "And I am SO happy that all of you were able to come out unharmed. Though I have to admit, seeing what happened to Qrow was… very traumatic."

Violette shivered at the memory. "You're telling me. The news feed didn't catch EVERYTHING… but we pretty much got the point of what happened. How's he doing?"

"He's doing much better today, actually." Pyrrha answered. "He's up and about, and he doesn't have a scratch on him."

Blanche smiled and elbowed her brother in the arm. "I gotta say, little bro that QUITE the Semblance you got if you were able to heal Qrow THAT fast."

"Uh, hehe, yeah… surprised me too." Jaune said nervously, which immediately earned him some questioning faces from all seven of his sisters, his mother, AND Terra. If there was one thing that Jaune couldn't stand about himself, it was that he was terrible at lying to his family, specifically all of the women in his family. His father could fall of a fib or two, but the ladies? No, they could sniff out a lie like a bloodhound. Jaune sighed and slumped over a bit. "…Okay, would you believe that we have a Relic from Haven Academy that has a genie inside of it?"

If anything, that just made the girls all the more bewildered, with Azure sending Jaune an annoyed expression. "Alright, evil witches who control the Grimm, I can accept as real, but GENIES?! Are you joking, Jaune?!"

"Oh trust me, it's true." Gwen piped up, raising a hand toward the Arc Family. "Wait right here, I'll go get her lamp."

Azure pinched the bridge of her nose. "No, no, don't bother. If even YOU are saying that it's real, Gwen, then I suppose I cannot argue."

Jaune couldn't help but give his younger sister a light grimace. "Hey, what's THAT supposed to mean?"

"Alright, alright, let's calm down a bit, shall we?" Rouge requested, finally entering the conversation herself. "Why don't we just focus on what's important and be thankful that Jaune and everyone else are all okay, huh?" She ruffled her brother's hair while he shot her a thankful smile. "He may have worried us half to death, but at least we're not planning his funeral or anything."

Violette gave a shrug. "Yeah, that IS a good point. Now, with all that out of the way…" A bright smile came to the youngest Arc's face as she spun around, giving Ben and Rex an excited smile. "OH MY GOSH, that was the coolest thing I've ever seen!" she zipped up to the duo, who took a step back at her exuberance that seemed to rival Nora's at the moment. "I can't believe that you guys can grow GIANT sized! That was so AWESOME!"

The Arc sisters all gave Ben and Rex congratulatory grins as well. "Yeah, not bad, guys!" Noire supported with a thumbs up. "How the hell do you keep pulling all of these surprises out of your butts?"

Rex could only give her a simple shrug. "What can we say? We're just awesome like that."

Weiss rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the stomach. "What my boyfriend _means_ is that it's all in the line of duty as a hero."

However, at her words, the whole group of sisters let out a surprised gasp. "Oh my!" Saphron grinned from ear to ear. "So you two are together now, Weiss? Congratulations!"

"And about time." Terra said with a smirk. "After seeing you two at the birthday party, I thought you'd make a good couple, honestly."

The former heiress and EVO both blushed at the compliment, the couple growing evert more sheepish under the Arc sisters' eyes. "Hehe… thanks, Terra, that's very nice of you to say." Weiss then jerked her thumb over toward the porch. "But why don't we move this conversation over to the house, huh?"

"A splendid idea, Weiss." Athena concurred as she began ushering everyone back toward the porch. "Better than just standing out in the middle of the drive way, that's for sure."

As the group began walking over, however, Terra's eyes managed to find Ilia and Vernal, the bespectacled woman giving the two a curious gaze. "Oh, and you girls are new, I think…" But then, she narrowed her eyes at Ilia. "Oh wait, I THINK I might've seen you here the other day when we all came by, right?"

Ilia brightened up and gave her a nod. "Oh, yeah, I saw you guys here, but we were in kind of a hurry to get to Beacon that day. I'm Ilia, and I'm a friend of Blake's from Menagerie. And I'm guessing that you're one of Jaune's sisters?"

"Heh, sister-in-law, actually." Terra clarified before pulling her wife next to her. "I'm married to this lovely lady, see."

"Hi, Ilia!" Saphron waved eagerly. "I'm Saphron. But please, call me Saph, everyone does." However, she didn't get an immediate response from the chameleon girl at first, with Ilia instead darting her eyes between the two ladies in surprise, all while her spots began to turn pink. "Um… are you okay, Ilia?"

"Y-Yeah!" Ilia said, her smile returning tenfold. "I'm just… ecstatic to meet such a nice couple like you guys!"

Saphron and Terra glanced toward one another, initially confused at first. However, seeing the nervous smile on Ilia's face along with her blushing cheeks, combined with the knowing smirk that Blake was giving them, they were quick to put two and two together. "Oh, I see…" Saph grinned and gave Ilia a wink, making the chameleon girl stiffen up a little more. "Well, I'm _very_ glad to hear that, right, Terra?"

The bespectacled woman smiled as well. "Oh, I can vouch for that." She sent Ilia a wink as well as a thumbs up. "Don't worry, girl. You've got absolutely no reason to be nervous around US of all people."

"Oh, I-I'm not nervous." Ilia assured. "Far from it, really. I'm… actually really AM glad that I've met both of you, really."

Saph gave Ilia a pat on the shoulder. "Good to know. Also, may I just say… you're VERY cute."

"Oh, one-hundred percent, honey." Terra reaffirmed, causing Ilia's pink cheeks to deepen into a mixed shade of reddish-pink. "Hehe, oh, Ilia, you're too much, hon." The woman directed her eyes over to Vernal, who was watching the scene with a somewhat confused face. "And who would you be?"

"Uh, name's Vernal." The lady bandit said before narrowing her eyes a bit. "Also, what did you just do to her?"

Ilia was now lightly giggling while trying to hide her face, all while Saph and Terra smiled proudly. "Oh, you know, just did a little bit of playful teasing." Saphron answered. "No harm done."

Vernal could only blink at the response. "Uh-huh. Well, I think ya might've broken her."

"Ah, she'll be fine." Terra assured. "But to be perfectly honest, it's nice to meet both of you. Kinda wish we could all get to know you better, but it seems you guys are gonna be headed off today, right?"

"Well, they are." Vernal emphasized, jerking her thumb back toward the others. "But me? Nah, I'm staying in Remnant for the time being." She nudged her head toward the massive house. "Plus, I got me a nice place to crash while Tai and Raven head over to Ben's world, so there's that."

Saph blinked at the familiar name. "W-Wait, Raven…" She shifted her gaze around until she found Tai… and he was with a dark-haired woman who seemed to be eyeing her father in curiosity. But then, the woman began making her way over to Jonathan, and the only thing that Saph could think was; _'…Oh gods, this might not well.'_

* * *

Back over with the others, everyone had moved over to the porch, with Verte, Azure and Violette were all sitting on the built-in swing while the team recounted the battle that happened yesterday in clear detail. It was one thing to watch it on television, but to hear what happened from the people who were actually there was a whole different story. Blanche, Noire and Rouge were listening in as well, though they stood off to the side with their parents. "And then, Ultimate Humungousaur SMASHED his fist right into the Grimmungousaur!" Yang finished off with a pump of her own fist. "BLASTING a hole right through it and—"

"Ooh! We saw that part, actually!" Violette exclaimed in excitement. "That was SO awesome!"

"Yeah, it was." Verte concurred. "I had no idea that you could even DO that with your aliens, Ben."

The hero put a hand behind his head. "Heh, well, let's just say that it was an old trick that I just remembered how to do." However, Ben trailed off when he saw Raven approaching Jonathan from behind, causing his head to perk up a bit. "…Uh, Mr. Arc? Ya might wanna…"

"What?" Jonathan tilted his head before feeling a tap on his shoulder, causing him to spin around… and let out a high-pitched screech. "EEEYAA-HA!" He jumped a few feet back, causing him to move behind his wife in the process. "R-R-R-RAVEN?!"

Mary blinked at her husband's sudden movements, not expecting it in the least. "J-Jonathan! What has gotten into—wait." Her eyes widened in realization before going back to the woman before her. "Raven? As in Raven Branwen? Yang's mother AND the woman who pantsed my husband all those years ago?"

"Hehehe, the very same... though I've also done plenty of other things to him." Raven giggled before grinning over to Jonathan. "Though I like to think the personal grudge between his father and mine was a whole lot more memorable than that. How're you doing, Jonathan? It's been quite a few years, hasn't it?"

"Y-Yeah, it certainly has." Jonathan said, warily keeping his eyes on Raven all the while. "Y-You're looking well, Raven. Th-The years have been kind to you."

"I certainly like to think so." Raven touched her face as she smiled. "A lot kinder than they've been to Qrow, at least."

All of a sudden, the door swung open and Qrow gave his sister a light glare. "I heard that, Rae." However, this made Jonathan jump and holler again, taking the whole group aback once more. Qrow glanced between the blond man and his sister before a laugh escaped his throat. "Bah-ha-ha-ha! Oh god, Jon, are ya serious right now? What, do ya think we're gonna pants ya again?"

Jonathan cleared his throat and composed himself. "Well… no, but to be quite honest, that WAS a pretty traumatizing experience."

The Spring Maiden wore a guilty face at that. "I know… and I'm sorry." Raven apologized, earning a shocked face from the knight Huntsman. "The thing between our fathers really influenced us back then, and while it took ME a bit longer to regret my actions, I wanted to tell you that I AM indeed sorry."

"Yeah, me too, Jon." Qrow added. "I know I told ya at the party, but I just wanted to say it again."

To say that Jonathan was left stunned by the show of good nature was an understatement to say the least. Sure, Qrow had apologized at the party a few days ago, but he never imagined that _Raven_ would apologize to him as well. "I… wow. I really have no idea what to say, guys." He smiled to the two Branwens and gave them a nod. "But thank you, it means a lot to me, really it does."

"Your very welcome." Raven said as she extended a hand to Jonathan. "Jon, to be honest, I think I may be moving on from the Branwen tribe along with my protégé over there." She nudged her head over to Vernal, who gave a small wave over to them. "We don't exactly fit in all that well over there anymore. So, what do you say? Perhaps we can let bygones be bygones? Finally bury the hatchet between the Branwen and Arc families?"

Jonathan looked between the two before extending his hand, shaking Raven's without hesitation. "Yeah… yeah, that sounds pretty good to me, Raven."

"Woo-hoo!" Yang cheered before putting Jaune into a headlock and giving him noogie. "Ya hear that, Vomit Boy?! Our parents made up!" She let go of him and stood him up straight, though Jaune was still a bit disoriented from the action. "Isn't that great?!"

"Hehe, y-yeah, it is!" The blonde knight sent a hopeful grin toward his friend. "…So maybe now we can drop the "Vomit Boy" nickname in celebration?"

Both Yang AND Ruby let out heartful laughs at that, with Jaune deadpanning as the Hooded Huntress placed a hand on his shoulder for support. "Ahahaha! Ah… not in a million years, Jaune." Ruby gave Jaune a small pat on the shoulder. "Sorry to say, but you're never going to live that one down."

Jonathan shook his head and gave his son's other shoulder a light squeeze. "Sorry, son, but after something like puking on a girl's boots, ya never hear the end of it." He jerked his thumb over to Raven and Qrow. "Trust me, those two had their own nicknames for me for YEARS, and I still remember every one of them."

"Oh, yes, we did, didn't we?" Raven smirked as she recalled times gone by. "If I recall correctly, my favorite for you was… "Love Undies"."

Almost immediately, all of the Arc girls, along with Yang and Nora, let out a big, collective laugh, with the only exception being Mary who stifled one of her own along with Pyrrha. "BAH-hahaha!" Blanche guffawed before asking; "LOVE UNDIES?! Dad, what the hell does she mean?!"

"Y-Yeah, what the HECK kind of a nickname is "Love Undies"?!" Nora managed to get out between spurts of laughter.

Jonathan winced as he rubbed his arm awkwardly. "It, uh… had to do with the pantsing thing. Let's just say that big, red love hearts aren't the thing you want to have on your boxers."

Jaune facepalmed as Pyrrha finally let her laughter loose, all while Mary buried her face into her husband's chest as she tried to give him a comforting hug. "Yep, it's official; my dad is the biggest doof on the face of Remnant."

"Hahaha! Aw, c'mon, Jaune." Yang reassured. "At least he's got good company with MY dad."

"HEY!" Tai exclaimed indignantly. "I'll have you know that I'm…" He received questioning faces from his daughters, Qrow AND Raven, making him slump over a bit. "Jeez, okay, I MIGHT be a bit of a goof at times. Happy?"

"Yes." Raven said as she put an arm around his back. "Because I wouldn't have it any other way."

The whole group let out another laugh, this time with Tai and Jonathan joining in as well. However, much to everyone's surprise, the front door opened, with Ghira and Kali both strolling out. The Arc family all went silent, with a few gasps being heard before Ghira spoke up. "Now what in the world is with all of the commotion out here?"

"We could hear you all the way from the kitchen." Kali smiled as she took in all of the new faces that were focusing right on them. "O-Oh, I'm sorry, are we interrupting something?"

Blake, who was leaning up against the railing, gave her mom a wave of reassurance. "No mom, you're good. We were just having a big talk out here. Oh, here, let me introduce you…" With that, the cat girl and Jaune both began acquainting their parents with one another, with Jaune's sisters following soon after. Once everyone was all settled again, the conversation went on.

"Well, it's certainly a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Arc." Ghira said with a bow of his head. "Your family has quite the legacy throughout Vale, and I highly respect your history."

"Oh please, the pleasure's all mine, Ghira. And please, call me Jonathan." Jonathan assured. "I was really invested in what you and Miss Khan had to say at the press conference yesterday. I think that the direction that you, your wife and Miss Khan are taking the White Fang is a really great one!"

"And I'm very glad to hear that." Ghira sighed as a frustrated expression came to his face. "I only wish the conference hadn't been interrupted like it had been."

Mary was quick to agree. "Yes, that definitely is a shame. But still, I have hope that you three can help bring the Faunus community together and achieve equality between our races." A saddened expression came to her face and she glanced downward. "There's already been so much blood shed over the past decade over this, so I certainly hope you can do it."

Kali gave her a bright smile. "Well, we'll certainly try our best. Who knows? Maybe now that the world knows about Salem, both humans and Faunus will be more willing to work together to try and take her down…" Her ears folded down a bit as her gaze went off to the side. "At least, that's what I hope."

"I think we can ALL vouch for that." Ben concurred, the hero standing up to pump a fist. "I'll be sure to stress how important that is when today's press conference rolls around. If this world wants to fight against Salem, then it's going to have to band together in order to do it."

Ghira's eyes widened as he suddenly remembered something. "Oh! That's right!" He focused over to Ben with a serious expression. "Ben, Sienna and I just received a call from General Ironwood." This immediately piqued the team's interest, garnering everyone's attention. "He said that he'd be arriving here within the next twenty minutes or so, and he said that he'd be bringing some guests of his own." Ghira furrowed his brows a bit. "And he also mentioned something about having important news as well."

Ben furrowed his brows in curiosity. "Important news? So soon before we have to leave?"

Off to the side, Winter placed a hand to her chin, pondering what it could be. "Hm, if that's the case, then it is probably urgent. And he's bringing guests, as well… I wonder who, though?"

At that moment, Penny raised her hand excitedly. "Ooh! Ooh! I believe I know who!" The android brought all eyes to her as she explained. "You see, I spoke to the general last night to ask him if he could bring my father down so he could meet Azmuth!"

"Ah, yeah, that makes sense." Ben nodded. "Azmuth DID say that he wanted to meet him, after all."

The Arc family, however, were left confused at all of the names being thrown around. "Wait, wait, wait, hold up!" Blanche interjected, waving her hands around in the process. "Since when did Pen's dad get here? And what about this "Azmuth" guy? Is that even a real name?"

"It is, actually." Kevin answered. "He's an alien, and he also happens to be the creator of the Omnitrix." He jerked his thumb over to Ben. "And he's the whole reason why Ben can access his Ultimate forms again. He came here from our dimension to help us out yesterday."

"Huh… neat!" Saphron said before scanning her eyes around. "So, I take it he's still here?"

"He most certainly is." Everyone's eyes widened before searching around for the raspy, grouchy voice that seemingly came out of nowhere. "Ahem! Down here!" The whole group craned their heads downward, seeing none other than Azmuth standing in the middle of the gathered group. "By the Loboan moons, what IS going on out here? How many people have you become aquatinted with in this universe, Ben?"

As the Arc family all stared down at the small alien in shock, Ben rolled his eyes and sighed. "Way more than you think, Azmuth." He extended an arm toward the family and introduced them. "By the way, these are the Jonathan and Mary Arc, their seven daughters, and their daughter-in-law. They're Jaune's family."

"Wait, HE'S the creator of the Omnitrix?!" Verte asked incredulously.

"B-But… he's so small!" Azure added in disbelief, lowering herself down so that she was eye-level with Azmuth. "And a being with the ability to create such a fantastic device would have to be incredibly smart! There's no WAY a being with a head that small could—"

"I'll have you know, young lady, that I am the smartest being in three galaxies… arguably five." Azmuth spoke up while furrowing his eyeridges. "Now, if you are quite done with your episode, perhaps you could start over?"

The Arc family practically recoiled at the bluntness that the Galvan exhibited, turning to Ben in hopes of answers. "…Yeah, that's basically how he acts to almost everyone." The hero confirmed with a shrug. "Better to just comply with his request, at least from my experience."

With Ben's advice in their minds, the nine Arc women and Arc patriarch all greeted him individually. By the end of it all, Azmuth cleared his throat. "Ahem, well, it certainly is a pleasure. Though I must say, I find it quite humorous how some human beings can have so many children at once."

Jonathan and Mary both flushed a bit, the couple putting their arms around each other. "Hehe, well… let's just say that we were… VERY productive in our youth." Mary chortled.

"Haha, yep!" Jonathan laughed. "The Arc gene is QUITE powerful."

"MOM! DAD!" Jaune hid his face behind his hands as many of his other siblings cringed. "Seriously?!"

The rest of the teens didn't fare much better. "TMI! TMI!" Nora exclaimed as Ren shifted his eyes away awkwardly. Pyrrha also hid her face, thought she used Jaune's back instead of her hands. The others simply let out groans of exasperation at the rather embarrassing conversation.

"Hm, I see." Azmuth stroked his "beard" in contemplation. "Well, I can certainly say that it's quite impressive." He craned his head up to Penny and gave her a smile. "So, Miss Polendina, I heard that your father will be here soon?"

Penny gave him her signature salute. "Correct sir! He should be here with General Ironwood very soon." She let out a small squee of excitement and began bouncing up and down in place. "EEE! I cannot wait for you to meet him! I am certain that you will be very impressed with him and his impressive knowledge!"

Azmuth let out a small chuckle. "Well, I look forward to meeting him in person, that is for certain." He directed his attention up toward Ben, his face returning to its usual neutral expression. "Erm, Ben, what say we move this conversation inside? Best to not have things be too crowded considering this "General Ironwood" likely has important news if he is coming here as well."

"That probably WOULD be a good idea, Ben." Gwen concurred. "It'd be a lot easier with only the team being out here, wouldn't you think?"

"Yeah, probably." Ben nodded before offering the Arc family an apologetic face. "Sorry guys, but when it comes to business…"

But Blanche cut him off before he could finish. "It's alright, Ben, we get ya! We know when to get out of people's hair when we need to. C'mon gals, let's head in and watch some TV while we wait for these guys!" The blonde woman began to reach for the door knob… only to be met with a hand over hers. Her eyes trailed upward to see Yang, giving her a serious face. Blanche broke out into a cheeky grin and gave a small laugh. "Hehe, don't worry, I remember; no bashing in the door."

"Good." Yang smirked, taking her hand away. "Glad we're still on the same page."

* * *

As the Arcs and Athena moved themselves into the house, the rest of the team stayed on the porch, patiently for Ironwood to arrive. The only exceptions were Jaune and Pyrrha, who wanted to speak with the large family a bit more before the general showed up, as well as Vernal, who had surprisingly struck up a conversation with Blanche. As it happened, Sienna joined the team immediately after the Arcs went in, moseying from the side of the house to avoid the cluster. "Apologies, I'm not exactly a people person." Sienna said as she crossed her arms. "By the gods, those two have more children than even some Rabbit Faunus couples I know."

Ghira and Kali let out a small laugh at that. "Haha, too true." The panther set his sights over to the teens, with Winter, Max, Tai, Raven and Qrow all gathered together as well. "Well, I think we're all here. …My word, this is quite the sizeable group."

"Yeah, why do you think we're gonna be living in separate houses on Earth?" Ben smirked. "None of us have the room it'd need to house ALL of us together."

"It's a bit disappointing that we won't be living with each other…" Ruby said with a sad smile. "But at least we'll all be in the same town, so we'll still see each other every day."

Sun placed his hands on his hips. "Yeah… kinda sucks that not all of the couples will be under the same roof, though." However, just as the words left his mouth, Ghira raised a brow at him, causing the monkey boy to grow pale. "N-Not that there's anything WRONG with that. I-I mean, it's not like any of us have trouble sleeping WITHOUT our significant others, it's just—"

"Sun." Blake spoke up, placing a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder while giving him a deadpan expression. "Stop. At this point, he's just messing with you." She pointed over to her father, who was giving Sun a smirk. "See?"

"Oh… and I fell for it."

"Like a fish to a worm on a hook, dear." Kali smiled before giving her husband's arm a tight squeeze. "But he was only half-kidding, _right_ dear?"

Ghira cleared his throat, hoping to clear the air. "Ahem, r-right." However, he then gave Sun a serious look. "But, if I'm being perfectly honest, Sun… I DO trust that you and my daughter will make good decisions going forward. Still, I hope that you'll both watch out for each other while on Earth… even if you aren't living under the same roof."

Sun nodded resolutely, his expression also quite serious. "Don't worry, Mr. B. I'll make sure of that…" He reached over and took a hold of Blake's hand, lacing his fingers with hers. "We both will."

"Very good…" At that moment, the whole group began to hear the sound of approaching jet engines, causing them to crane their heads up to see, to their surprise, the Resolute. "Hm, I suppose that's the general now." Ghira remarked.

Just as he said that, Jaune and Pyrrha both exited the house, moving their eyes up to the ship as well. "Huh, I expected him to arrive in a Bullhead, not gonna lie." Jaune admitted.

"Yeah, me too." Yang piped up as she placed her hands on her hips. "I guess asking Tetrax for a ride is a whole lot more convenient, though." The space craft lowered down into the front yard, its ramp lowering to the ground just moments after it did. However, as the ship opened up, everyone's eyes widened when they saw who was waiting at the very top of the ramp. "…Wait a minute. Is that…"

Neptune, Sun, and even Blake all brightened up as they saw two certain individuals smiling down at them, with the blue haired boy letting out a laugh. "Haha! No way!"

"YES way!" Sage exclaimed as he and Scarlet both began making their way down the Resolute's ramp, setting foot to the ground before meeting their teammates and Blake into tight hugs. "Haha, see? I told ya we'd make it!"

"Haha! You sure did, Sage!" Sun laughed as well. "Glad you guys could be here to see us off! What time did you guys get here?"

Sage rubbed the back of his head as they separated. "Heh, pretty early. Us and Team ABRN made it to Beacon at about two in the morning. Our flight kinda got diverted due to… all of THAT." He directed his attention over to Ben and the others, quirking a brow in the process. "Because man… that whole thing yesterday was INSANE! Is THAT the kinda crap that you guys gotta go through?"

Ben and the rest of the team let out a laugh at that. "Hehe, well… it didn't get AS crazy as that until yesterday." the hero answered. "If that kind of attack happened EVERY time we fought Salem's forces, we'd probably have been discovered a lot earlier."

"No doubt about that." Rex piped up with a smirk. "Then again, I pretty much deal with giant mosnsters all the tiem, so it was no sweat for me!"

"WOAH!" Sage shouted in excitement. "You're that Rex guy, right?! Dude, I saw you transform into that giant robot and I was FLOORED! You're awesome, my man!"

Rex raised a hand and gave the green-haired boy a high-five. "Hey, thanks dude. Gotta admit, things WERE a bit sketchy at first with the whole battle, but I think we pulled out okay."

"Hehe, to say the least." Blake chuckled a hug to Scarlet. "I didn't think it'd be YOU guys who were the special guests that Ironwood mentioned, though." Blake said as she and Scarlet separated from their hug. "I mean, I knew we'd be seeing you at SOME point today, but—"

Scarlet gave a wink. "Hey, we didn't want to miss a second with our friends before they left. So once we arrived at Beacon, we asked Professor Goodwitch if it was okay for us to take a jaunt over here before your big press conference and…" However, the redhead then trailed off when he saw Penny, his eyes widening in shock. "O-Oh my god! It IS true! You're the girl who—"

"The girl who got sliced up at the Vytal Tournament?" Penny finished with a cheerful smile. "Indeed so, but I got better!" She gave a salute and greeted; "Salutations! I am Penny Polendina! I am an—"

"An android." Sage affirmed with a nod. "Yeah, we know… and you are freaking AWESOME!" He pumped a fist with a big grin on his face. "They way you just kept beating up on that big lizard Grimm and didn't give in? Haha! That was great!"

Penny's cheeks couldn't help but flush in embarrassment. "Aw, thank you very much."

It was then that Scarlet's eyes noticed Ilia standing off to the side, to which he raised a curious brow at her. "Hm? Well, you're certainly new. Didn't I see you before you all left Mistral the other day?"

"H-Huh?" Ilia perked her head up at his words and greeted him. "O-Oh, yes, I'm Ilia Amitola. I'm a friend of Blake's."

"I see." Scarlet grinned. "Well, it's a pleasure, Ilia. I have to admit, there's a whole lot that we've missed out on." The redhead craned his head down a bit. "Makes me wish we didn't have to leave when we did."

Neptune gave his friend a thumbs up. "Ah, don't worry about it, dude! Trust me, you were better off healing up. By the way, where IS Team ABRN anyway?"

"They're in town helping set up for the press conference." Everyone perked their heads up as General Ironwood came walking down the ramp, with Glynda Goodwitch not far behind in his mechanical walking chair. "Team CRDL are helping out as well, so you'll all get a chance to see them before you all head off for Earth." He spotted Ghira, Kali and Sienna in the crowd and immediately went over to them, extending a hand toward the panther man with a slight chuckle. "Heh, let's just hope that it goes a lot smoother than how it did yesterday, right?"

"Hehe, you can say that again, James." Ghira laughed as well. "But I'm sure things will be a bit calmer now… hopefully."

Sienna placed a hand on her hip. "They'd better, otherwise I may not return to Vale for a while. Lots of bad luck here for some reason…" She glanced over to Qrow. "No offence."

"Some taken." Qrow grumbled.

Glynda smiled as she reached the bottom of the ramp. "Good day, students. I'm sure that you're all very excited for your little trip later?"

"Oh, you don't know the HALF of it, Prof!" Nora exclaimed, pumping an eager fist. "I've been waiting for Caesar to use my brain baby since I thought it up! I can't WAIT to get to Ben's world!"

"Hmhm, I'm sure." Glynda said before gesturing over to the ramp. "But before you all go, we have another guest who I believe Penny requested…" From the inside of the ship, Pietro Polendina emerged, the man's chair walking steadily down the ramp.

At that moment, Penny gasped in excitement. "AH! Father!" The redheaded android zipped up right as her father's chair made it to the bottom of the ramp, giving him a greeting hug. "I am so glad that you could make it!"

Pietro let out a chortle as he returned the hug from his daughter, smiling happily at the sight of her. "Hoho, it's good to see you too, my dear." Once the hug ended, Pietro readjusted his glasses as he went on. "I'm especially glad to see you safe after what you did yesterday! From what I understand, you held off that monster of a Grimm for a good twenty minutes or so. And all by yourself! Oh, I am SO proud of you, dear."

Penny beamed and gave her usual salute. "Thank you very much, father. I will be honest, though, fighting that thing left me exhausted." Her gaze went to Ben, all while wearing a thankful grin. "I am simply grateful that Ben and the others returned when they did." However, the android perked up again as she spun around and beamed toward her father. "Ooh! But before we go any further, I have someone who I would like to meet you!"

"Really? Meet me?"

"That's right, Pietro." Max spoke up as he stepped forward, with Azmuth standing on his shoulder. "Someone would like to commend you for your work in creating Penny." He reached up and allowed Azmuth to step into his palm, delivering the Galvan to the arm rest on Pietro's chair. "Isn't that right, Azmuth?"

"Ahem, yes, indeed." The First Thinker gave a greeting smile up to the elderly professor, who was staring down at him in surprise. "So, you are Pietro Polendina, Penny's father."

Pietro blinked a couple times, taking in the tiny creature that he was speaking to before answering him. "Um… y-yes, and who would you be, little friend?"

Azmuth put a hand to his chest. "I am Azmuth, and I am the creator of the Omnitrix."

Pietro, Ironwood, and Glynda's eyes all widened simultaneously at that, and over by the teens, Scarlet and Sage's jaws dropped. "W-Wait, seriously?!" Sage exclaimed.

" _He_ created Ben's watch?" Scarlet whispered.

"Yep." Ilia answered. "Surprised us too."

The adults' gazes darted between Azmuth and Ben's wrist at a rapid pace before Ironwood managed to utter out; "…You're kidding me." He stepped over and lowered his face down to Azmuth's eye level in disbelief. "YOU'RE the creator of the Omntrix?"

"B-But… you're so… small." Glynda said in disbelief.

"Ah, General Ironwood, I presume." Azmuth narrowed his eyes slightly at the general before setting his sights onto Goodwitch. "And Professor Goodwitch. It's a pleasure." The First Thinker placed his hands behind his back. "Indeed, I am the creator of the Omnitrix, despite what my appearance my lead you to think."

"Azmuth's known as the First Thinker by the Galvan Race." Gwen spoke up. "He may be pretty small, but his physical size belies how smart he is."

"I see…" Pietro glanced down to Azmuth, raising a brow at him. "Well, if that's the case, then why would you want to commend me? I'm not nearly as smart as you."

Azmuth shook his head. "No, perhaps not…" His smile returned before gesturing over to Penny. "But it takes real talent to grant an artificial being like her with a true soul. You have a wonderful and brilliant daughter, Pietro, and I cannot help but be impressed with how much thought you put into her."

Pietro let out a disbelieving breath, setting a hand to his chest as Penny came over and put her hands to his shoulders. "Well… that is mighty kind of you, Azmuth. Thank you very much." He extended a hand to the smaller being with a smile. "I must admit, though, it's an honor to meet someone of your knowledgeable caliber."

"Thank you, but let's not make this about me." Azmuth insisted as he shook Pietro's hand. "I heard that the general has some urgent news to deliver us?"

It was then that Winter stepped up and gave Ironwood a salute. "He is correct, sir. You told Ghira that you had something important to report?"

Ironwood took a deep breath and sighed. "Well, technically, I do… but at the same time, _I_ don't." Everyone eyed him in confusion as he pulled out what appeared to be a holo-projector from his pocket, setting it onto the ground before tapping a small button on its side. "I think it'd be best if you all heard this straight from the horse's mouth…"

All of a sudden, the lens on the holo-projector began to glow before a large holo-screen appeared from it. The image was a bit staticky at first before a clear signal came through, revealing a man staring back at all of them. He appeared to be in his mid-to-late thirties with a head of short, slicked back brown hair and teal eyes. They could only see him from the chest up, but from what they saw, he was wearing a sleeveless Atlesian uniform that consisted of a white, double breasted coat with blue and red accents. The man raised a brow and peered into the camera, glancing off toward Ironwood to whisper; _"A-Are we live?"_

Winter's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, Clover?!"

The man, now identified as Clover, brightened up and sent Winter a wave. _"Hey, Winter! Long time no see. You're looking rather well."_

"Erm, thank you." Winter returned before raising a brow at him. "But… why have you called at such a time?"

Ironwood chortled a bit at that. "Heh, don't worry, Winter, we'll be getting to that very soon. But for now…" He trailed his eyes back out to the gathered crowd before raising a hand to the man on the screen. "Everyone, I would like you all to meet Clover Ebi. He's the leader of my special forces unit; the Ace Operatives."

" _Also known as the Ace Ops for short."_ Clover clarified

Ben's eyebrows rose up at that. "Wait, "Ace Ops"?"the hero said mostly to himself before thinking; _'That sounds AWEFULLY similar to "Aseop". Hm, might have to stew on that later."_

"Indeed, Ben." Glynda affirmed. "The Ace Ops are a unit in the Atlesian Military's Specialist division that handle some of their more important tasks."

Clover sent a saluted out to the group. _"Exactly, Professor Goodwitch. It's about time I got to meet you kids."_ The man scanned his eyes out over the whole group. _"Ironwood told me that he's been gettin' acquainted with some pretty impressive young Huntsmen, but damn, after yesterday, I gotta say that I was blown away."_

"Oh, really?" Weiss piped up before glancing over to Ben and Rex. "And I suppose you're impressed by two individuals in particular?"

" _Well, there are a couple that do have some… interesting quirks to them…"_ Clover admitted as he too moved his gaze over to Ben and Rex briefly. _"But as far as I'm concerned, ALL of you have what it takes to become some great Hunters someday. I look forward to the day where I can meet all of you in-person."_

Gwen bowed her head slightly. "Likewise. Outside of the general and Winter, we haven't really interacted with anyone else in the Atlesian Army."

" _Well, I can tell ya that my team is quite the interesting bunch."_ Clover remarked. _"…It may be a bit before they consider you guys to be friends, but we'll see if we can make this work when they meet ya."_

Kevin couldn't help but raise a brow at that. "That's… an oddly specific thing to say."

Yang tilted her head a bit. "Yeah, why wouldn't they see us as friends at first?"

"Let's just say that given the circumstances of their work, the Ace-Ops aren't exactly ones to make friends." Ironwood answered before grinning up to Clover. "…Even if they don't want to admit that they ARE friends with each other."

" _I've been trying to tell Harriet that for YEARS."_ Clover said with an eyeroll. _"She and the others REALLY need to lighten up a bit. Thankfully, I think Marrow might be finally getting through to them."_ He directed his attention down to the team again. _"If you're gonna try to make friends with any of the Ops, go for him first. He may be green, but he's a good kid."_

Sun let out a chuckle at that. "Heh, duly noted."

" _Though I have to say that the Ops WERE impressed by your performances in the battle yesterday."_ Clover went on before setting his eyes onto Ruby and Nora in particular. _"You girls actually caught the attention of Harriet and Elm, which is pretty impressive since they're a bit hard to impress. What're your names, ladies?"_

Ruby perked up and bowed her head. "O-Oh, I'm Ruby Rose."

Nora bounced up and got closer to the screen. "And I'm Nora Valkyrie! Pleased to meet ya!"

Clover nodded back to them. _"Hm, well, Ruby, Nora, like I said, the ladies on my squad were pretty impressed by your skills."_ He focused on Ruby first. _"Ruby, Harriet had her eyes glued on you every time you used your Semblance, since hers is a speed type like yours. Lemme tell ya; she'll be wanting to compare your speed with hers when ya meet her."_

The Silver-Eyed girl perked up at that. "Well alright! Sounds like a plan to me!"

" _And Nora, Elm was cheering for ya whenever you used your hammer."_ Clover chuckled as he saw Nora beaming with excitement. _"See, she uses one to, and she thinks you'd make a great sparring partner."_

A wild smirk came to Nora's face. "Ooh, challenge accepted."

" _Hehe, good to know."_ Clover then directed his sights over to Ben and Rex, giving the duo a raised brow. _"And then… we have the biggest anomalies out of the bunch. Ben Tennyson and Rex Salazar, yeah?"_

"That's us." Ben confirmed.

Rex put his hands behind his head. "So, I'm guessing that you and the Ops were pretty impressed by what WE showed off yesterday, too?"

" _More flabbergasted than anything, actually."_ Clover explained. _"We… really didn't know WHAT to think. I mean, we saw you two become TITANS for crying out loud! I mean, I think even Vine might've even lost his cool for a bit when he saw all of that, and he's tranquil as hell."_

"Heh, yeah, that's the usual reaction to whenever anyone gets an eyeful of Way Big." Ben laughed.

" _I'm sure."_ Clover nodded before moving his eyes out over the crowd again, spotting Raven, Tai and Qrow as he did. _"Ah, and you must be Taiyang and the infamous Branwen twins. Jim's told me a lot about you three, lemme tell ya."_

Raven's eyebrows rose up at that. "Oh really? And what exactly HAS he told you?"

Ironwood suddenly coughed into his hand. "Ahem, well, some of that information maybe a bit… outdated for lack of a better term." He craned his head back around to Clover with a furrowed brow. "For now, I think it's best if we finally told them about… you know what."

"Hey, yeah." Qrow piped up, crossing his arms while raising a brow at Clover. "What's this big news you've got for us, huh?"

Clover grinned and quirked a brow right back at the former drunkard. _"A bit of the impatient sort, eh?"_

Qrow narrowed his eyes slightly. "I don't like to be kept waitin', man. If it's important, then I think you should spill whatever ya got."

" _Ha! Straight and to the point!"_ Clover laughed. _"I like that."_

Glynda directed her eyes up to the man. "He IS right, though, Clover. It's time we show them your findings."

" _Heh, alright, alright, I think it's time we DID get to the big news."_ Clover laced his fingers together, propping his arms up on the desk he was sitting at before taking a deep breath, preparing himself for what he was about to say. _"Okay, so I should preface this by saying; you're going to want to strap in, because this is pretty heavy news."_

Tai placed his hands on his hip. "With all due respect, Mr. Ebi, these kids have been handling a LOT of heavy stuff over the course of the past few days. I think they can handle whatever you have to dish out."

"And my grandkids are quite experienced when it comes to this kind of thing." Max spoke up as well. "I have a feeling they'll be just fine."

Clover gave the two a shrug. _"Well, okay. But it's still pretty big news, so pay attention."_ Once he was sure that everyone was focused on him before going on. _"Alright, so here's the deal; Over the course of the past couple of weeks, about since the Vytal Festival started, General Ironwood has been having the Atlesian forces scour the continents of Solitas and Anima for any signs of the Winter Maiden. And honestly, after the debacle at Beacon, we made sure to double our efforts to find her."_

This made everyone perk up, with Pyrrha stepping up and raising a hand. "W-Well, have you found her? Or do you need our help to do so?"

" _Oh, no Miss Nikos, that won't be necessary."_ Clover denied with a knowing grin. _"Because, a couple days ago, we FOUND her."_

A collective gasp resounded throughout the whole group, with Ruby beaming with excitement. "Really?! That's great!"

"Yeah, that's amazing news!" Weiss agreed. "Where'd you find her?"

" _A small town in the northern edge of Anima. Once we located her, we managed to bring her here upon her agreement."_

Blake clapped her hands together. "Well that's great! So, I'm guessing that she'll be joining the fight against Salem?"

Both Ironwood and Glynda shared a nervous glance, something that didn't go unnoticed by the others as an uncomfortable silence over took the group. Winter pursed her lips before ushering the Ace Ops leader to go on. "Clover… what IS the state of the Winter Maiden?"

Clover sighed and rubbed the back of his head. _"It's… not all that good."_ He typed in a few commands on the keyboard he was sitting at and brought up a picture of an elderly woman, one who appeared to be quite sickly. She seemed very thin and her dark blue eyes appeared to be quite tired. The sight of her immediately made everyone concerned. _"This is Fria, no last name given. SHE is the Winter Maiden."_

Nearly everyone's jaw dropped at that, with the exceptions being Ironwood, Goodwitch, and surprisingly, Ghira, who was the one to voice their thoughts. "Oh my word… i-is she…"

"She… she looks deathly ill." Kali said with concern laced in her voice.

" _She is, unfortunately."_ Clover said regrettably. _"We found Fria being cared for in an old folks' home. She shows signs of onset dementia, and we've found that it IS getting progressively worse."_ He shook his head, breathing in a bet to compose himself. _"She can only recall a few parts of her memory, which is fortunate because the one thing she DOES remember quite clearly is that she is the Winter Maiden."_

"Were you able to confirm that?" Ben asked. "I mean, if she has dementia, she could be mistaken."

" _She gave us a very small demonstration of her powers, don't worry."_ Clover assured. _"She just couldn't do it for very long. We convinced her that it would be best for her to come up and stay in Atlas for her own safety, and luckily, she agreed."_

Ren let out a sigh. "Well, that's good… but it does lead us to having a problem." The green ninja set his sights onto Fria's face, pursing his lips in thought. "That poor old woman may not have very long to live. Meaning that the powers will have to be passed to someone else."

"The boy has a point." Sienna agreed. "So, if what I've heard about these Maidens is accurate… how do we make sure that her powers pass safely when she does?"

Ironwood closed his eyes solemnly. "That's… where things get complicated." The general directed his eyes over to Winter, the specialist letting out a small gasp. "Winter… under normal circumstances, I would have asked you to take up this burden…"

"…I'm sorry, WHAT?!" Weiss suddenly shouted. "You want MY sister to become the next Winter Maiden?! …As cool and poetic as that sounds, I really don't know how to feel about—"

"I said under NORMAL circumstances." Ironwood clarified before going back to his trusted right hand. "However, I already gave you permission to take a leave of absence from the army, and it would be dubious of me at best to rescind that decision."

Without warning, Winter gave Ironwood a salute. "Sir! With all due respect, I am ready to—"

"Winter, you don't understand." Glynda urged, making her stop in shock. "In order to do this, you would have to be the one person that Fria thinks about when she passes, and to assure that, we would have to have you visit her every day until it happens." The Beacon Headmistress furrowed his brows at the white-haired woman. "And I believe you see the problem with this."

"…Kenny." Winter uttered, putting a hand over her chest. "I-I can't believe that I almost—"

Ironwood set a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, Winter. Don't think about it too much, okay? We'll find someone to take up the mantle of the Winter Maiden, so don't worry."

Ilia leaned over toward Penny and whispered to her. "I'll say one thing; I wouldn't wanna be the girl who gets THAT job."

"Indeed." Penny whispered back with a smile. "I wonder what poor soul would have to receive such a tremendous burden such as that?"

Clover suddenly cleared his throat, bringing everyone's attention back to him. _"Well, in any case, we WILL be taking care of Fria until her time comes, that you can be sure of."_ The brunette extended a hand toward the team. _"That said, if any of YOU have any suggestions on who would make for a good Maiden, then I'd be more than happy to hear 'em."_

"Now THAT, I believe I can help with." Everyone spun around to see that Professor Paradox and Oscar were now standing in the group with them, causing everyone to let out a yell of surprise and make Clover tumble back in his chair. "Hello, all! Hope we didn't enter this conversation too late."

Oscar gave a two-fingered salute to Ironwood. "Hey there, general. How's it going?"

"Professor!" Ironwood exclaimed, his eyes darting back and forth between the two. "And Oscar?! W-Where did you—no wait, don't answer that." The general facepalmed and let out a sigh. "Honestly, I SHOULD be used to stuff like this happening at this point."

Next to him, however, Glynda had already pulled out her riding crop, pointing it at the time traveler with a wary expression. "James… who is this? And why did he suddenly just appear out of nowhere with Oscar?"

Ironwood placed a hand over Glynda's, hoping to calm her down. "Glynda, I think I told you about him yesterday, remember? This is Professor Paradox. He's the one who brought Oscar to us in the first place."

The headmistress' face became one of surprise before lowering her riding crop, a small gasp eliciting from her lips. "Oh! Oh, I am SO sorry!" She bowed her head apologetically. "I hope you can forgive me for that. I didn't realize who you were."

"Haha, oh, it's quite alright, Professor Goodwitch." Paradox waved off with a small chortle. "It isn't the first time that the people here have aimed their weapons at me, and I feel like it will not be the last."

" _Um, hello?!"_ Clover suddenly piped up, having readjusted himself. _"Would anyone like to explain to me just WHAT is going on here?!"_

Pietro adjusted his glasses while keeping a hand over his chest. "Y-Yes, I'm a bit lost as well… hoo, and I think that whole thing might've made the old ticker skip a beat for a second."

Paradox stepped toward the elderly scientist and the holo-screen, giving both men a small nod. "My humblest apologies for that, gentlemen, I did not intend to startle you." He extended a hand to Pietro and introduced himself. "My name is Professor Paradox. I am a time traveler from young Benjamin's world, you see."

Pietro's eyes widened as he shook the man's hand. "A time traveler? Do tell…"

"Oh, simply the result of a quantum space experiment of mine having gone awry." Paradox explained. "Certainly learned my lesson on that one. Took me many millennia to regain my sanity, but that's neither here nor there."

" _I see."_ Clover directed his attention down to Oscar, who seemed to flinch a bit under his gaze. _"And who's the kid?"_

"Ah, yes, this is Oscar." Paradox explained. "He's a rather special young man with a unique Semblance who I have taken on as my protégé." He gave a smile down to the former farm hand. "He will be accompanying me on my travels through time and space for the time being."

"That's right." Oscar affirmed before bowing to both men. "It's a pleasure."

Clover crossed his arms as a suspicious expression came to his face _. "Really? Well, to get back on topic, you say that you know the perfect candidate for who can take on the Winter Maiden's powers?"_

A knowing smile creeped onto the professor's face. "Why yes, indeed, I do. However, it may be a while before she's ready."

"So long as she's the last person that Fria thinks about before she passes, that's really all we need." Ironwood explained before raising a brow. "But just who IS this person that you have in mind?"

"Yeah, professor." Gwen folded her arms with a curious look as well. "You don't exactly seem like the type of person who would be scouting out potential Maiden canditates."

Paradox shook his head. "Perhaps not under _normal_ circumstances, but with this, I believe I know EXACTLY who would make for the perfect new Winter Maiden." He shifted his gaze back to Ironwood, Glynda and Clover. "With any luck, I can have her in Atlas the moment she has completed what she needs to in order to receive the powers, and hopefully in the time that's left, she gave get acquainted with Fria before her time runs out."

Clover sighed and rubbed the back of his head _. "Well, it might not be the option I'm crazy about."_ He narrowed his eyes slightly at the professor. _"No offence, but I still don't fully trust you."_

Paradox raised a hand to him. "Most people don't, so I do not blame you for that."

" _Hm. But in any case, it's probably the best option we have, so I guess we can try it."_

"Now hold on just a sec." Qrow piped up before quirking a brow in Paradox's direction. "Just who IS this potential candidate that you've got lined up, prof? We haven't even been given a name or anything."

"Ah, yes, the young lady herself." Paradox rubbed his chin a bit. "Well, unfortunately, I cannot tell you her name yet, but trust me, you will all be meeting her quite soon."

Goodwitch was baffled by the answer. "W-Wait, WHAT?! You're just going to offer a Maiden candidate to us without even giving her NAME?!"

Ben glanced over to the blonde woman with a sympathetic face. "Yeah, that's how Paradox usually works, Professor Goodwitch. He doesn't exactly like to spoil future events…" He placed his hands on his hips and gave the time traveler an inquisitive face. "Mostly because he doesn't want us to know about certain things. Because apparently if we did, things wouldn't play out like they're supposed to."

Paradox raised a single finger and pointed at Ben. "Right on the money as always, Benjamin. But I promise, everything will be clear in time."

Raven let out an audible grumble at that. "Grr, it's official; I HATE how cryptic he is."

"Join the club, Raven." Kevin muttered as well.

On the screen, Clover let out a frustrated sigh, the man now having a sizeable headache from all of the information being thrown around at once. _"Well, if you say so. But in any case, I've gotta get going. We've still got some pretty important stuff to take care of up here."_ But then, his eyebrows snapped up as a loud beeping suddenly came from his pocket, reaching in to pull out his scroll. _"Oh, sorry, gotta take this."_ He answered the call with a; _"Hello?"_ From there, his eyes began to widen even more as the call went on. _"W-Wait, are you serious?! W-When did he… I see. I'm on the line with them right now. I'll tell them. Yes, thank you, Harriet. Bye now."_

"Clover?" Ironwood furrowed his brows in concern. "Who was that?"

He ended the call before looking toward Ironwood. _"That was Harriet… and she had some important news for me."_ He then set his sights over to Winter and Weiss, giving them an apologetic face. _"If you guys are really leaving for this other dimension, then you might want to do it fast. Winter, Weiss… your father just boarded a flight. He's heading toward Vale as we speak."_

At those words, Weiss and Winter's faces contorted into horrified and worried expressions respectively, thought they both had the same thing to say; "WHAT?!" Weiss held her hands to the sides of her face as Winter picked it up from there. "Our father is coming here?!"

" _Unfortunately."_ Clover confirmed. _"And if I have half a mind, I'd say he's coming to try and force Weiss back to Atlas with him."_

The whole group suddenly gasped in shock before Ruby spoke up. "How much time do we have?!"

" _Well, considering he took a pretty fast Bullhead… I'd say about three hours, maybe?"_

"God, we'd be cutting it close." Yang remarked. "That's probably just enough time for us to do the press conference and then leave."

Blake folded her ears down a bit. "Yeah, so we'll have to get the conference over with as quick as we possibly can and then book it to leave before he gets here."

Clover let out a sigh and lowered his head a bit. _"Well, I wish you all good luck with that. Sorry that there's not much more I can do…"_

"It's fine, Clover." Ironwood assured. "Don't worry, we'll make sure that these kids are all out of here before Jacques even arrives." He gave Clover a salute and a small smile. "Thank you for talking with the kids today, Clover. Oh, and before you go, how's the security around the CCT tower?"

" _As tight as ever, James."_ Clover saluted back. _"Trust me, I've been making sure of that."_ The brunette then gave one last wave out to everyone. _"Well, have a good voyage everyone! And good luck in the other world."_

Qrow couldn't help but internally grumble at that. _'Bad choice of words, man.'_

The others began waving back before Ben gave a thumbs up. "Thanks, Clover. Hope to meet you and your squad in person sometime in the future."

" _Likewise. Well, that's all from me. Clover, out."_ With that, the holo-screen shut off, and Ironwood picked the projector up off the ground to return it to his pocket.

A worried sigh escaped the general's lips before eyeing Weiss and Winter. "Don't worry, ladies. If Jacques arrives before you leave, I'll make sure that he doesn't get anywhere NEAR the ship when you all head off."

The Schnee sisters smiled gratefully at the general. "Thank you, sir." Winter said before eyeing her sister. "And if by some chance we DO see him before we leave… you and I both know what we have to do, right?" The elder Schnee sent a sly wink to her sister, which made Weiss smirk with glee.

"Ooh, indeed." Weiss steepled her fingers as her smirk became toothy, her expression becoming what the teens could only describe as "evil". "It'll be _fun_ if and when we get to do that. Hehehehe."

Everyone shared a concerned glance with one another before Azmuth coughed into his hand. "Ahem, very good, I suppose." The Galvan then directed his attention back up to Ironwood, wearing a curious face. "General, if I may, you made it sound like these "CCT towers" are quite important. Tell me, do they hold any special significance?"

"Oh, they definitely are." Ironwood answered. "You see, the CCTS, or "Cross-Continental Transmit System" is our main array of communication for our world. There are four main towers in all of the kingdoms, situated directly at the four Huntsman Academies." He gestured with his hand as he continued. "You see, after the Great War eighty years ago, the CCT was created to help unify the kingdoms, to help bring the entire world closer together."

"If any of them were to suddenly go down, either by accident or from an attack, our communications across the world would be severely hindered, if not cut off all together." Goodwitch picked up from there. "If fact, that nearly happened at Beacon just three weeks ago, when Salem's forces attacked the first time." The woman smiled over to the team of heroes. "But Ben was able to stop Cinder from doing so, so we're quite lucky for that."

Azmuth pursed his lips, stroking his beard as his face became quite frustrated. "I see… well, as poetic as that sounds, I must say that it is also very antiquated."

Ironwood and Goodwitch's lips parted in shock. "E-Excuse me?" the general spoke.

"I mean no offence when I say this, but considering the level of technology your world is at, which is actually quite a bit ahead of Earth's might I add… have you figured out basic satellite technology yet?" Azmuth moved his hand to the duo. "I would assume not considering you're using simple towers to communicate."

The two headmasters glanced at one another before answering the question. "Well, here's the thing about that…" Ironwood began. "For unknown reasons, the effects of Dust, what we use to power every piece of technology we have… is unable to work outside of the atmosphere."

"It's quite strange, really." Goodwitch remarked. "And we still have no idea why. Though researchers and theorists believe it has something to do with the raw life energy that our planet gives off."

Azmuth placed a hand to his chin. "I see. And you haven't tried any other way? Perhaps fossil fuels?" All he received from the duo were silent stares. "…I see, this world has not NEEDED to used fossil fuels due to Dust being so prevalent." He extended a hand out to them again. "Well, if I may, could I perhaps have one of each type of Dust to study back on Galvan? The material has certainly piqued my interest."

"Oh! O-Of course, Azmuth." Ironwood complied. "We'll be sending plenty of Dust over to Earth with the team anyway, so some more crystals shouldn't be a problem."

Yang's eyebrows rose up before whispering over to Ben; "Hey, uh… if Dust doesn't work outside of this atmosphere… what'll happen if we take it to Earth?"

"I… honestly don't know." Ben admitted. "I mean, considering how much mana is in our world, maybe it'll work?"

Gwen gave the two a nod. "Yeah, I have a feeling it will. Trust me, after feeling how much raw energy just one Dust crystal can give off, I'm pretty certain that they'll work in our world."

Ruby beamed at that. "Ooh! Good to know!" She then whirled around to the gathered group and raised her hands. "Okay! So we know what we're gonna do later, but for now, what do you guys think we should do until we need to go?"

Sun gave Sage a nudge on the shoulder. "Well, to be honest, I think we should give Sage and Scar the four-one-one on whatever Earth stuff we can before we head off!"

"Hey yeah, that's a good idea!" Neptune said as he ushered Scarlet into the house. "I think we still have a few Earth things inside, so let's give you guys at least a little sneak peak!"

"Good point." Sage shrugged. "I mean, we're not coming with you guys, so I guess it's the next best thing."

"This should be interesting…" Scarlet muttered to himself as Sun and Neptune lead them into the house.

Jaune jerked his thumb back toward the house as well. "As for me, I think the gang and I are gonna head in and fill our families in on what's going on." His eyes shifted to Pyrrha and he put his arm around her. "We wanna spend as much time with them as we can before we go, after all."

Ironwood perked up at that. "Oh, Pyrrha, is your mother still here, actually? I wanna ask her something before she leaves."

"She is, general." Pyrrha gestured toward the door as Ren and Nora followed Team SSSN inside. "She's right in the living room with Jaune's family if you and Professor Goodwitch wish to come in."

However, Glynda bowed her head at bit at the offer. "As much as I would like that, Pyrrha, I'm afraid I'm needed in town. Teams ABRN and CRDL may need my help with setting up a few things with the conference. Team CFVY said that they would be there soon of course, but I just want to make sure that everything is all set." She faced Ghira, Kali and Sienna giving them a small wave. "Would you three like to come with me? I'm sure that the reporters would like to see you there."

Ghira couldn't help but be a bit stunned by those words. "Huh, not once did I ever think I'd hear THAT."

"Indeed." Kali said with a slight waver in her voice. "Almost too much to believe."

Sienna gave a shrug. "Still, it probably IS a good option. Sure, we'll accompany you, Glynda."

Tai gave the quartet a wave. "Well then, you guys wanna lift there? I'd imagine that taking THAT would be a bit inconspicuous." The blonde man pointed to Tetrax's ship with a toothy smirk.

"Hmhm, I suppose so. Thank you, Tai." Glynda chortled before setting a hand on Ironwood's shoulder. "I'll see you soon, okay?" she whispered with a wink.

James cleared his throat and quickly nodded as a slight hint of red rose to his cheeks. "Aherm, y-yes, of course, Glynda. See you soon." As Glynda let out another small laugh, Raven gave Tai a quick peck on the cheek before the two blonde adults, the Belladonnas and Sienna departed… only for the Spring Maiden and her brother to quickly smirk devilishly over at James. "W-What?!"

"I freakin' knew it." Qrow snickered.

"We BOTH did, dear brother." Raven emphasized. "It all depended on how many years it would really take…"

The general facepalmed as the teens started to pick up on the subtext as well. "Could we please not do this now?" he pleaded.

"I dunno, G.I." Yang shrugged. "I mean, I ship it." There came a resounding agreement from the crowd, making the Blonde Brawler jerk her thumb toward her friends. "And it seems a whole lot of others do to."

Ironwood sighed before making his way to the door, with Jaune and Pyrhha following behind him. "J-Just… let's not talk about this right now."

However, Qrow just kept following him. "Oh, we are NOT done with this conversation, Jim!"

Once he was gone, Ilia gave Blake a nudge. "He totally digs her."

"Yep." Blake concurred. "He's almost as bad as you are with Swift." She got a high-pitched growl from her best friend for that remark.

Azmuth cleared his throat, garnering the attention of Pietro and Penny immediately. "Well, now what we have a bit of a lull, why don't we continue our previous conversation inside, hm? I'd like to hear more about how you created your daughter, Peitro."

Penny raised an arm excitedly. "Ah! That is a splendid idea!"

"Indeed so!" Pietro concurred. "I'd be happy to talk with you some more, Azmuth." At his words, the trio went inside, with Paradox, Oscar and Max accompanying them. And with that, The Alien Trio, Team RWBY, Rex, Raven, Winter, and Ilia, the group standing in silence for a bit before Kevin decided to break it.

"So… you guys wanna head into town or somethin'?" The Osmosian jerked a thumb to his car. "We could do some last minute shoppin' for the road."

Raven gave a shrug. "I have no qualms with that, I suppose." She tugged a bit at her battle skirt. "Lord knows that I'm going to need a few changes of clothes before we head over there."

Ben, however, wore a bit of a nervous expression. "As much as I wanna do that, I'm kinda afraid of what'll happen if we're seen in public now." He raised his hand over to his cousin and best friend. "Think about it, it'll be like how the people reacted when they first found out about me all over again."

"Hm, that IS a good point." Gwen conceded. "Maybe we can—"

_BZZZT-BZZZT! BZZZT-BZZZT!_ The Anodite stopped when a buzzing sound started to be heard, causing Ruby to jump slightly in surprise. "Oop! Sorry, that's me." The Hooded Huntress reached down and pulled out her scroll, opening it up to see a message having just arrived in her inbox. "Hm, let's see, it's… oh no." The moment she opened the message, her face shifted into one of nervous panic, her hands shaking a little as she stared at the screen.

"Ruby?" Yang stepped over and looked at the scroll in concern. "What is it?"

"It's… it's my friend, Iris." Ruby held the scroll up so that everyone could see the message that blue-haired girl had sent her. "I-I think she wants wants us all to meet her, Daisy and Ollie at the flower shop… and I think Miss Tigerlily and Jessie there too." Ruby moved her eyes back at the message and sighed, seeing that it was short, sweet and to the point; _'You, me, Daisy, Ollie, everyone. At Miss Tigerlily's shop, WITH her and Mrs. Jameson. Explanations, NOW.'_ From the tone, she couldn't tell if her friend was upset or not, but if there was one thing Ruby COULD do at that moment, it was sigh and mutter out; "Crap baskets."

* * *

**A/N (Important, Please Read): Okay, another chapter down the pipeline! This one was a bit more straight forward in what it wanted to tell, but since we're basically in wrap-up mode right now, I suppose that's to be expected. But still, we got some really cool things this time! We got some clarification on how Lisa's Semblance works, we got to catch up with the Arcs and see how their doing, Raven and Jonathan were able to bury the hatchet on the whole pantsing debacle, Azmuth's gotten to meet Pietro and it seems their getting along well, and Scarlet and Sage have arrived to see their friends off! Seems like an all-around good time…**

**Or at least it WOULD be if Clover hadn't just dropped a huge news bomb onto the group like that. Yep, we heard the Ace Ops' leader call a couple chapters back, but now we have him in full, and lemme tell ya, he had some pretty heavy stuff to share. But what's this? Professor Paradox has an idea of who could be the next Winter Maiden? What an interesting development… and if you couldn't tell by that small subtle nudge at canon, it's not gonna be Penny this time. No, I've actually had a different idea of who could be the new Winter Maiden, and I think it'll surprise a lot of you when we get to that point…**

**Alright, so as I said at the beginning of this chapter, I've got another special announcement for a new story that I'm planning… and this one is neither Ben 10 OR RWBY related! Instead, I think it's time for something a bit more… unexplored. Tell me how you guys think of THIS;**

**"As he's training on Dagobah Beach, Izuku Midoriya stumbles upon a hidden gem in the mountain of junk; a centuries-old Volkswagen Beetle. Fortunately, All Might knows someone who can fix it up like new... but once they do, this little yellow bug will change their lives in ways that they could've never expected. After all... it's MUCH more than meets the eye."**

**Stay tuned for "Transformers MHA, Arc 1: Bumblebee"! Coming January 2021!**

**Yep! I'm starting a Transformers/My Hero Academia crossover! Quite honestly, it's been one that I've had on my mind for a good long while, and, like this story, it's gonna deviate a bit from the canon events of MHA. Not so much at first (aside from a few select changes), but as things go along, it will, so be ready to see some crazy stuff happen in this one. And trust me, I don't plan THIS series to have volumes as long as the Ben 10 RWBY stuff. That'll stay exclusive to this series, hehe.**

**But for now, NEXT TIME! The gang take a quick jaunt into town before the big press conference, meeting up with Ruby's friends, Miss Tigerlily, and Jessie at the flower shop, ready to explain just what the heck has been going on throughout all of their time there. Afterward, the gang decide to make a few more quick stops to some of the people they've met while on Patch before finally heading to the press conference… where the public has PLENTY of questions for Ben and the others. How will they handle it? Well tune in next time to find out! See ya later everybody, and stay safe out there!**


	119. Parting Words

**A/N: Hey AO3 gang! Welcome back to the story, and… wow, the penultimate chapter. So close to the end, I can practically TASTE it! Of course, though, we still have to get through this chapter before we can get there, so why don't we just jump into it, huh? But before we do, I just wanna let you guys know to stick around at the ending Authors Note of the chapter, because I have something very interesting to propose to all of you. With that, though, let us begin! This is…**

**Chapter 119: Parting Words**

* * *

To say that Ruby was feeling nervous about this whole thing was a complete understatement. After almost a year of having not seen her best friends from Signal, only to come back and start hanging out with them again, the last thing she wanted was them to think that she had been hiding something from them. …Of course, that was EXACTLY what she was doing, but she didn't want them to think that it was out of ill intentions. The LAST thing she wanted was for them to think badly of her… and judging from Iris' text, she really hoped that wasn't the case now. All she could do was stew in her own anxiety as she rode in the back of Kevin's car with Blake and Ilia on either side of her, parts of her shaking in fear.

Kevin and Gwen were up front of course, while in front of the Osmosian's car, Yang and Ben were riding on Bumblebee as always. However, because of the group's newfound fame, the couple decided to wear actual helmets of their heads for once, in hopes on nobody recognizing them. It helped that Ben was still in his more casual clothes instead of his iconic green jacket as well.

Meanwhile, Rex and Weiss had found their own way to stay out of public view… by flying up into the sky via the EVO's Sky Slyder. Sure, it wasn't AS convenient as Rex's Ride, but they figured that they'd be able to avoid any potential new fans better this way. …That and Weiss seemed to enjoy flying while having her arms securely locked around her boyfriend, so neither one of them were about to complain.

However, as the ride went on and they grew ever closer to Miss Tigerlily's flowershop, Ruby could only feel her worries grow all the more… _'What if they don't trust me anymore? …What if they HATE me now?! What if Miss Tigerlily doesn't trust Jessie anymore for keeping our secret?! What if this is the last time I see my friends and they end up never talking to me again?!"_

"RUBY!" The Silver-Eyed girl was snapped out of her own thoughts when Blake and Ilia simultaneously put their arms around her, slapping her shoulders while also giving a supportive hug. "Ruby, are you okay?" Blake asked in concern.

"O-Oh! Y-Yeah, never better." Ruby stammered out. "Why?"

"Well…" Ilia gave Ruby a worried face. "It's just… you were crying."

"Huh?" Ruby reached up and felt her face, which indeed, had fresh tears rolling down her cheeks. "Oh… I didn't realize."

In the front passenger seat, Gwen turned around, wearing a similarly concerned expression that the other girls were wearing. "Ruby, I get the distinct impression that you are far from "never better"." The Anodite sent her a soft, sympathetic smile. "And I think I know why. You're worried about what your friends will think about you now, aren't you?"

Ruby sighed and placed her face into her hands. "Is it that obvious?"

Kevin glanced to her in his rearview mirror. "Well, you've been shakin' like a leaf since we got in the car, so yeah, kinda." _Smack!_ "Yowch!" Kevin winced as Gwen delivered a slap to his shoulder, resisting the urge to take a hand off the wheel to rub his sore shoulder. "Hey c'mon, Gwen, I was just bein' honest."

"Sometimes honesty doesn't have to be so blunt, Kevin." Gwen retorted. "Ruby's got a lot on her mind right now, so—"

"Gwen, please." Ruby spoke up, bringing everyone's attention back to her. "It's okay, really. Honestly, I think I needed a wakeup call." She took a deep breath, steeling herself for what was about to happen. "I just… I probably should've seen something like this coming incase our secret ever came out. We lied to a whole bunch of people we know on this island while only telling those we trusted about it. And even then, we never really told everyone EVERYTHING unless they were really close to us…" Ruby sighed and hung her head in shame. "I wish I did that right off the bat with Iris, Daisy and Ollie."

Blake tightened her arm around Ruby's shoulder, bringing her as close to her friend as the seat belt would allow. "Oh, Ruby, don't beat yourself up over this. We ALL had to keep the secret, so really, this is on all of us."

"Blake's right." Ilia agreed. "We're all responsible here, and that's why we're coming with you. We want to make sure that your friends have the right idea when it comes to this, okay?"

Ruby pursed her lips, trying to keep herself together. "I-I know, but… what if they never trust me again?"

Gwen reached her arm into the back seat, placing it over Ruby's hand. "Ruby, you _know_ that won't happen. Your mind is convincing itself that it'll happen based on your own fears." She sent Ruby a reassuring smile. "Tell me, how long have you known your friends?"

"…Ever since kindergarten."

"Okay, so do you REALLY think that they'll be mad at you?"

Ruby scrunched her shoulders toward her, fumbling for her scroll to bring the message from Iris up again. "W-Well, no, but the text—"

"Is something that I'm sure Iris can explain." Blake jumped in again. "Yes, the wording SEEMS kind of harsh, but to be honest, with what's happened in the past twenty-four hours, can you really blame her if she comes off that way? She just watched her friends, old and new, go up against a massive attack while learning that one of those friends can transform into any alien he wants. I'd say that'd be cause for concern."

The Hooded Huntress stared at her cat-eared friend in surprise before letting out another breath. "Well, you make a good point, I guess." She peered outside to see the flower shop come into view, gulping down whatever fear she had left in the process. "Well, time to face the music."

Ilia unbuckled her seatbelt as Kevin pulled over, giving Ruby a supportive hug. "Don't worry, Ruby. We'll be right there beside ya the whole time, okay?"

Ruby smiled back and let out a chuckle, retuning the hug. "Hehe, yeah, I know. Thanks Ilia. In fact, thank ALL of you guys."

"No prob!" Kevin waved. "Happy to help."

Gwen gave him a deadpan expression. "And just what did you do to help, Kevin?"

"I gave her a wake-up call, didn't I?" The Osmosian smirked before opening his door to peek outside. "Now c'mon, the street's pretty quiet, so let's get in there before anyone spots us." With that, the five teens all piled out of the car, thankful that there really wasn't all that many people around. Still, though, the few people that managed to catch sight of them all stopped and stared… at least until Kevin gave them a warning scowl. "Keep walkin'." he told them. "We're here on business."

The few people wisely took Kevin's warning as Yang and Ben dismounted Bumblebee, though the latter kept his helmet on for fear of being recognized. If the people spotted HIM, then they'd be done for. "Thanks, Kev." Ben said as he lifted his helmet's visor slightly. "Now all that's left is…"

The hero stopped himself when he heard the familiar sound of metal and gears clanging against one another and nanites shutting down, signaling Rex and Weiss' arrival. The former heiress was laughing as Rex brought his ride back into his legs, landing right next to Ben and Yang with a smirk. "Alright, the heroes are in to—" _PLUNK_! "MMPH!" Without warning, Yang suddenly shoved her helmet over Rex's head, causing the EVO to start yelling in confusion.

"Yang!" Weiss let herself down as she gave her friend a soft glare. "Just what was THAT for?!"

The Blonde Brawler jerked her thumb toward the street, where there were still some people coming and going from the various shops that lined it. "Hey, you WANT us to get mobbed if the people around here get an eyeful of our boyfriends? One look at them and we all get trampled." She raised a brow over to Rex. "Besides, he was about to just loudly announce our arrival, so I took action."

Weiss huffed and crossed her arms. "Hmph, good point."

"Sorry, Weiss." Yang shrugged as Rex also crossed his arms. "And yeah, sorry Rex. But it's probably best NOT to try and bring a mob over to Miss Tigerlily's."

"Yeah, besides…" Ruby stepped up between her sister and her best friend, gazing at the front door all the while. "We've got a bit of a talk ahead of us already, and we really don't want that big of an audience for that."

The white-haired girl gave her partner a nod. "Yeah, I guess you have a point. But speaking of an audience…" She set her sights back on Yang, giving her a head tilt. "Have you cause them yet?"

Yang's eyebrows rose in realization, quickly going for her scroll. "Oh, yeah, thanks for reminding me." She quickly typed in the number and brought the scroll up to her ear, waiting patiently before the other end picked up. "Hey mom, it's me. …Yeah, we just got here, so you can—" _FWOOSH_. "EEP!" Yang spun around and glowered as one of her mother's signature portals materialized, with Winter and then Raven herself stepping through the vortex in a matter of seconds. Yang pouted at her mother as she hung up her scroll in irritation, all while Raven wore a bit of a smirk. "I hate it when you do that."

"Yes, but you love me, don't you?" Raven teased.

"…Yes." Yang huffed.

Winter craned her head toward Ben and Rex, subconsciously raising a brow at the sight of the helmets on their head. "So, have you all gone inside yet?"

"Nope." Rex shook his head as he popped open the visor on his own helmet. "We waited for you guys like we said we would."

Ben gave the military specialist a nod. "Yeah, hopefully with a couple more adults present, Iris, Daisy and Oliver will be a lot more understanding of the situation… at least in theory." He directed his eyes toward the windows… which now that he looked at them, appeared to be very dark. "Though are we SURE they told us to meet us here? Seems like the lights are all off."

Ilia crossed her arms in suspicion. "Yeah… that's kinda strange." She moved her eyes over to the electronic sign in the window, the red and blue lettering declaring that the establishment was "OPEN". "I mean… it SEEMS like it's open…"

Blake perked her ears up and concentrated, giving a small shrug soon after. "And I hear activity on the other side of the door. Pretty sure there's people here."

Gwen placed a hand on her hip. "Plus, I'm sensing life energy all throughout this place. They're all here." Her eyes went over to Ruby, who was staring at the front door nervously. The Anodite smiled and nudged Ruby's arm. "It's okay, Ruby. Like I said, they'll understand." Gwen gave a small shrug. "Honestly, I expect them to be a bit rattled, and they'll probably be more curious than anything."

Ruby crossed her fingers. "Hope so…" The Hooded Huntress stepped up to the front door, taking a deep breath as she reached for the handle. However, as she reached for the handle, her hand began shaking, stopping just inches away from it in apprehension. "D'oh… come on, hand! Grab the—"

"Ruby." At the sound of her name, Ruby turned around, seeing Ben step up to her. "Would you like ME to go in first? This whole thing is because of me in the first place, so if you want, I'll take any heat they may have to give." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "And I promise, I'll make sure that they know that any secret you've been keeping is because _I_ asked you to." Beneath his helmet, the hero smirked a bit. "…Even if they're likely not mad at you."

"Hehe, yeah, I would actually really appreciate that, Ben." Ruby bowed her head gratefully. "Thanks."

"No prob." Ben assured before reaching for the door handle and twisting it. "Now let's see what we've—" All of a sudden, right as he cracked the door open, three pairs of arms suddenly sprung out and latched onto Ben, making the hero's eyes widen as he was unexpectedly pulled into the dark store. "YIPE!" _SLAM_! With the door shutting behind him, the Omnitrix bearer was successfully pulled into the store, much to everyone's surprise.

"BEN!"

* * *

The two things that Ben immediately took note of when he was pulled into the store was that, one; everything was completely dark, and two; the powerful, flowery fragrance as per the shop's usual. In an instant, he felt his helmet being pulled off before being shoved in a chair, which he was immediately tied to. "W-What's going—GAH!" Without warning, a powerful light was suddenly shined directly into his face, much to his annoyance. "Ugh, seriously?! What in the—" He was suddenly cut off when he saw just WHO was shining the light in his face; a VERY annoyed blue-haired girl. "IRIS?! What in the world is—"

"QUIET, you heathen!" Right then and there, Ben felt the heel of a high-heeled shoe being driven into his foot, which made him scream in pain. His eyes darted over to see that Daisy was the one who did it, the young blonde girl giving him quite the dangerous glare. "WE will be asking the questions here, and you will NOT be leaving until you answer them! Now…" She grabbed him by the collar and got right into his face. "Just WHAT kind of danger have you pulled our best friend into?!"

Ben blinked a couple times at that. "W-Wait, is that what this is all abou—EEYOWCH!" Ben was cut off when he began to feel his hair get pulled, his eyes darting over to see Oliver being the one to be doing it.

"ANSWER the lady's question Mr. Hero!" The dark-haired teen shouted. "We saw what you did yesterday, and while it's VERY impressive, we ALSO know that you've dragged our friend, Ruby, into something that's WAY dangerous! So start talking!"

"Believe me, Ben, I didn't want it to come to this." Iris insisted. "But we're talking about my best friend… and I want answers. Just what have you gotten her, Yang and the others into?" She stepped closer and narrowed her eyes at the hero, making him move his head back. "How long have you been fighting with this "Salem" person? Have you been involved with this secret war for a long time? Are YOU the reason why she attacked Beacon in the first place?!"

"W-What?! No, I—" But then, Ben's eyes widened in realization. "Wait… you guys are doing this to me… to try and protect Ruby?"

Oliver rolled his eyes. "Uh, DUH! We're her friends! Of course we'd wanna protect her!"

Daisy nodded resolutely. "Indeed! And if we have to tie you up and question you for the answers we want, then so be it!" She accentuated her statement with a stomp before poking Ben in the nose. "Now start talking, or we will be force to get rough with you!"

Ben glanced around at all three of the teens around him before bursting out into laughter, much to the trio's confusion. "H-Hey! What's so funny?!" Iris demanded. "Didn't you hear us?! We want—"

"Haha, I know!" Ben assured as he began to calm down. "I know that you want answers. And trust me, we'd be more than happy to give them to you. But for one, ya didn't have to bind me to a chair to do it. And secondly, Ruby's gonna be REALLY happy that you guys aren't mad at her."

This got the trio to pause for a moment. "W-Wait… she thought we were _mad_ at her?" Oliver asked. "But why?"

Ben offered a shrug. "Well… you DID word that text message a bit strong, so…"

Iris' face fell at that, her free hand going up to claw at her hair. "GAH! Damn it! I-I didn't mean for it to come off harsh! I just wanted to know if she was okay!"

"Hey, don't worry, I get it." Ben grinned. "I know you guys must have a lot of questions, and you'll get your answers. But I gotta say, this IS rather impressive." Ben flexed his arms against his bindings. "You just caught the greatest hero in his home galaxy off guard and tied him to a chair! I'm impressed! But there IS one thing you didn't do…"

Daisy crossed her arms, furrowing her brows at Ben. "And that would be?"

"Ya didn't bind my hands to anything." Ben pulled his arms together behind him and activated the Omnitrix, not even bothering to look as he knew that ANY of his aliens could break free from the bindings easily. Iris, Daisy and Oliver were forced to shut their eyes as a bright flash of green light suddenly illuminated the room for a brief moment. When they set their eyes back on Ben… he wasn't Ben anymore. Instead, sitting in his place was a large, mummy-like being, one who managed to slink himself free from the chair he was tied to with relative ease. "SNARE-OH!" The three teens' eyes nearly bugged out of their heads as they all let out screams of terror, with Iris dropping her flashlight for good measure. This, however, only made Snare-Oh give them a deadpan gaze. "Uh, guys? It's still just me."

This made the group stop screaming when they heard how casual the mummy was being, allowing them to collect themselves at the realization. "O-Oh, right." Oliver rubbed the back of his head. "S-Sorry, it's just… wow, so you can REALLY transform into aliens, huh?"

"Yep! Sure can." A gleeful spark suddenly came to Snare-Oh's eyes as he extended his hand. "Now, perhaps I should show you how to REALLY capture someone…" He raised his hand and his bandage-like fingers suddenly shot out, wrapping around all three of the teens, who all gave out yelps of surprise and fright. In the end, Snare-Oh was suspending the trio about four feet above the ground, staring up at them in amusement. "So, _who's_ the master capture artist?"

"Okay, as admittedly cool as this all is, I would VERY much like to get down now." Iris said, prompting Daisy and Oliver to nod in agreement.

At that moment, though, the front door finally burst open, with Kevin and the others charging in. "Ben! We heard screaming. Are you—oh." The Osmosian cut himself off when he saw Snare-Oh with Iris, Daisy and Oliver all caught in his grasp, the Thep Khufan's head turning to face his friends as they all entered. "Uh, okay, never mind. Seems like you've got everything under control here."

"Yeah, things are okay here." Snare-Oh confirmed before raising an eye-ridge. "That said, why didn't you guys come in sooner?"

Yang walked up and gave her boyfriend a nudge. "Well, I wanted to, but Gwen said that you could handle these three on your own. We only really got concerned when we heard the screaming. Speaking of…" The Blonde Brawler directed her attention up to the trio that her boyfriend was suspending in mid-air, placing her hands on her hips. "Just WHAT did you guys think this hair-brained scheme would accomplish?"

"Hey! We were worried about our friend, okay?" Iris argued. "We just wanted—AH!" The blue-haired girl suddenly gasped when she spotted Ruby bellow her, a relieved smile coming to her face. "Ruby!"

"Oh, darling, are you okay?!" Daisy cried out. "Has this heathen brought you and your friends into his conflict with Salem?!"

Ruby could only blink in surprise. "Uh… no? And yeah, I'm okay." She sent a wave over to Snare-Oh. "Ben, you can put them down now." The Thep Khufan obliged and set the three down, transforming back into his human form afterwards. With that, Gwen found the light switch and lit the store back up, all while Ruby continued. "Okay, I'm gonna ask you guys the same thing my sister did; what did you hope to accomplish with this hair-brained scheme?!"

Oliver rubbed the back of his head. "W-Well, with all the stuff that happened yesterday, we thought you were in danger, so—"

"Guys, really?" Ruby crossed her arms with a skeptical brow. "We're Huntsman in training, we're in danger all the time."

"Darling, I think you know what we mean." Daisy countered. "An evil witch?! A boy that can transform into aliens?! And…" She moved her eyes over to Rex, whom was standing with Weiss. "A rather odd boy who has nano-machines in him?"

Rex furrowed his brows a bit. "Odd?"

Weiss pursed her lips in annoyance. "Daisy, I'd appreciate if you didn't call my boyfriend "odd". It's quite rude."

Daisy's eyes widened at that. "Wait, you two are DATING?!"

Oliver glanced between the aforementioned couple as well as Ben and Yang. "Man, between the four of you, we've got a lot of power couples here."

Just as he said that, though, the back door behind the counter swung open as well, revealing none other than Whitlea Tigerlily and Jessie Jameson bursting into the room. "Iris?! I heard screaming in here! What's going—" But she cut herself off when she saw Ben and the others, blinking in surprise. "Oh, kids! We were just wondering when you would get here!"

Jessie brightened up and gave a wave to the group. "Well, howdy there, kids! Good to see ya!" She put a hand to the back of her neck. "'Specially considerin' what happened over in the city yesterday. I would've come to help ya'll, but I was busy at the house when it happened an' the ferries an' boats all stopped when the attack happened."

Yang gave her idol as reassuring wave back. "Ah, it's okay, Jess. I think we were able to handle ourselves out there."

"You certainly were." Whitlea agreed. "But what in the world was with that scream…" However, she trailed off again when she noticed the chair and tied rope in the middle of the room, making her give a deadpan face to her employee. "Iris… did you go ahead with that scheme that you and your friends cooked up?"

"Busted." Oliver murmured, earning him an elbow from Daisy.

Iris shrunk back under her boss' judging gaze. "Er, well… you see, Miss Tigerlily, I—"

"Hey, to be fair, they DID succeed in taking me off guard." Ben jumped in, hoping to defuse the situation. "And they did it because they were worried about their friend, so there's that."

It was then that Ruby whipped her head toward her friends. "So wait… you guys AREN'T mad at me?"

"What?! Of course not, darling!" Daisy assured, with her and Iris bringing Ruby in for a group hug. "We understand keeping a secret like this under wraps…" She gave Ben a side-long glance. "We were just wondering the reason WHY you joined Ben in this crusade against Salem."

"I'll admit, I'm a bit flummoxed there, too, sugar." Jessie agreed, scratching the side of her head. "I mean… ya didn't even tell ME 'bout all this "Salem" business."

Yang's expression became downcast at that. "Yeah, I know. Sorry, Jessie. Honestly, General Ironwood swore us to secrecy about this right when we found out about it." She set her sights on to her teammates and they all gave confirming nods. "There was just so much that the world wasn't ready for… and now it's been made public ALL around the world."

Jessie crossed her arms at that. "Hm, I s'pose that IS a problem. An' I guess it DOES make sense that Jimmy is one a' the people in on this…" She noticed that Raven and Winter were standing off to the side, though the redheaded cowgirl focused in on the former. "An' lemme guess, that mean you must know somethin' about this too, Raven?"

"That's right. In fact, you could say…" Raven activated her Maiden Powers, her eyes flaring to life with powerful energy. "That I am cemented into it."

Once everyone was done gawking at the brief display of power, Oliver furrowed his brows over to Ben, Gwen, Kevin and Rex. "But that still doesn't exactly explain what YOUR guys' deal is, at least to the rest of us. What, are you guys some kind of covert military task force from the Atlesian Army or something?"

The other-worldly quartet eyed one another nervously, as did the rest of their friends before Gwen set her gaze over to Jessie. "You didn't tell them yet?"

"I thought it best if they got it straight from the horse's mouth, sugar." Jessie explained. "I might be a trustworthy Huntress, but with what you told me, they may look at me like I have a third head or somethin'." She jabbed her thumb over to Whitlea. "Hell, that's what happened when I told my husband, my son, AND Whitlea. They just know that I haven't told a lie in my life, so it was hard for them to NOT believe me."

Whitlea's tiger ears folded down a bit. "And somehow, I'm STILL quite shocked over all of this." She let out a sigh and gestured to the redhead. "Please, Gwen, could you all please tell them… what your story is."

The Anodite faced Iris, Daisy and Oliver, who were all eyeing her expectantly while Ruby stood with them. Gwen locked eyes with Ruby, sharing a nod with her before proceeding. "Well, alright, guys… you might want to take a seat, because this is gonna take a while."

* * *

If there was one thing that the team could ALL agree on, it was that they were tired of explaining the same things over and over to everyone they met. Sure, it was getting easier, and they were getting better at truncating and abridging all of the events, but still, it was a pain to do. _'Hopefully this won't be a problem when we get back to Earth… unless we have to keep explaining WHERE Team RWBY and everyone else came from.'_ Ben let out a small groan as that thought entered his head. _'Definitely not looking forward to that.'_ The hero took a deep breath as he and everyone else finally finished recounting the events once more, propping his back against the wall all the while. "And that's basically it. Hopefully you guys got the answers you wanted… even IF they are a bit spectacular."

Iris, Oliver and Daisy could only stare at the group in complete awe, completely flabbergasted by what they had just heard. Whitlea was doing the same, though since Jessie had told her beforehand, she was still slightly less surprised. But still, having more detail on the whole thing WAS quite the eye-opener. "Well, you can certainly say that." Whitlea sighed before giving the group a smile. "But now that I've heard the whole story, I can safely say that there's absolutely no reason to doubt you."

In her mind, Iris honestly DID feel really bad. Not just about going forward with her crazy plan, but for ever even THINKING that Ben might have some dubious motives. "Ugh, I feel so STUPID!" She clawed at her blue hair as she hung her head in shame. "I'm so sorry, Ben… and I'm sorry to you too, Ruby. I-I just—"

"I know." Ruby smiled, pulling her friend into a hug. "You were looking out for me, and I'm REALLY thankful for that. I'm just glad that you guys aren't mad at me."

"Perish the thought, darling." Daisy dismissed. "We would never be mad at you, not after all that we've been through."

"Dais is right." Oliver nodded before raising a skeptical brow over to Ben, Gwen, Kevin and Rex. "But still, I can't help but feel that this is all a bit OVERLY fantastic. I mean, the whole stuff about aliens and nanites, THAT checks out because they showed us… but coming from alternate realities? How does THAT work?"

Ilia couldn't help but give him a deadpan expression. "Really, kid? You can believe aliens and EVOs, but _alternate realities_ is where you draw the line?"

Oliver raised a finger. "First off, I'm probably only two years younger than you. Secondly; I'm very stubborn when it comes to being convinced. Can I get some proof that these alternate universes are real or something?"

"DUDE!" Kevin exclaimed before absorbing the metal of the chair, transforming it into a scythe to try and spook the younger teen. "We've shown you powers that are LITERALLY out of this world! What MORE do you—"

"WAIT!" Ruby shouted, having suddenly procured Gwen's Nintendo 3DS from her pocket. "I think I know how to convince them!" She went over to her friends and opened up the gaming system, turning it on while showing them the screen. "C'mon guys, gather up and lemme show ya something!"

Iris raised a brow at the odd little double-screened device. "What's that, Ruby? Some kind of gaming console?"

"Yep! This is a Nintendo 3DS! Er, that means "3D Dual Screen" by the way." The Hooded Huntress selected Pokémon Omega Ruby and let the intro play. "And, if you wanna take a gander, you'll see that this ISN'T a game that you'd be able to find ANYWHERE in Remnant."

All three of her friends' eyes widened at the sight of the game's intro being played, seeing a massive behemoth of a red monster appear on the title screen. Daisy squinted her eyes as she read it; "Ruby, what in the world is a… "Pock-ee-mon"?"

Ruby couldn't help but laugh at that, remembering how she first pronounced it as well. "Hehe, it's pronounced; "Pokémon", Daisy. It's this cool game from Earth where you catch and battle awesome creatures with incredible powers, all while keeping them stored in your pocket!"

Iris snapped her fingers. "OH! Pokémon! As in; "Pocket Monsters"!"

"Exactly!" Ben piped up as Ruby entered the game proper. "Man, you picked up on that fast!"

Weiss raised a finger to add her two cents. "It really is a fun game, though. I'm not that far in to my own Pokémon game that I'm playing, but I AM having a good time."

"Yeah, it's great!" Once Ruby was in, she brought up her Pokémon to show them off. "Here, let me show you my team…" First on screen was a giant, red, bipedal bird-looking creature that gave out a loud crowing sound when it appeared. Ruby saw the awe-filled expressions on everyone's faces instantly, especially Oliver, whose jaw dropped. "This is Blaziken! He was the first Pokémon that I started my journey with!"

"WOAH!" Oliver exclaimed. "You mean you started out with THAT?"

"Well, technically yes, but at the same time, no." Ruby shrugged. "You see, Blaziken was actually a completely differing Pokémon when I first got him. But the thing with Pokémon is that they level up, and when some of them do, they can sometimes EVOLVE into different forms. So while I got a Torchic to start out with, it eventually evolved into a Combusken before FINALLY evolving into Blaziken a bit later."

Iris' eyes couldn't help but brighten up. "Ooh, a sense of progression! I like that!"

"Hehe, yeah." Ruby began to flip through her Pokémon, the next one being a two-tailed bird that let out a chirp while appearing to fly through the air. "This is my Swellow, which evolves from a Taillow…" Next came a small, green creature that appeared to be wearing a mask and cape with red and blue flowers on its hand. "This is my Roserade, which evolved from a Roselia…"

Gwen couldn't help but roll her eyes. _'Because of COURSE she would have that Pokémon.'_

Ruby then came to a large, serpentine Pokémon that was quite beautiful, and this one garnered Daisy's attention right away. "Ooh! I like this one! It's so pretty!"

Weiss couldn't help but set her eyes on the screen as well, a gasp elictiing from her lips. "Ah! Ruby, what Pokémon it that?! It's gorgeous!"

The silver-eyed girl grinned and nodded at that, "Heh, this is my beautiful Milotic, which evolved from a Feebas. …Took me a while to get it to evolve, though." She glanced over to Ben and Gwen in time to see them both sigh in exasperation, showing that they agreed with Ruby's assessment. "But this next one is EASILY one of my favorites…" Ruby flicked down to the next entry to show what appeared to be a woman in a long, white dress, blue arms with matching hair that was in a sort of bob cut, and a large, orange horn that stuck out of her chest. Needless to say, this one took her friends off guard. "Say hello to my shiny Gardevoir!"

"That's… just a lady, not gonna lie." Iris said before raising a brow to Ruby. "Also, what do you mean it's "shiny"?"

"Oh, that means that it's a different color than it would appear to be normally." Gwen explained. "Shiny Pokémon are EXTREMELY rare, so finding one is quite a feat… or you could just be lucky like Ruby was and find a SHINY Ralts on her first encounter!"

Ruby sent Gwen a small shrug in response. "What can I say? It was luck of the draw!" She got a grumble from Gwen in response, to which she laughed before moving on. "But anyway, this last one is a new member of my team! I think I'll let him speak for herself…"

The Hooded Huntress flicked to the last entry, which contained a small, yellow rodent with long ears and a lightning bolt-shaped tail. And unlike the others, he actually SPOKE his name; _"Pikachu!"_

Daisy and Iris immediately let out gasps of surprise. "AH! Oh my gosh!" the former cooed as she laced her hands together. "It's so adorable!"

"You bet it is! …But why does it say its name?" Iris asked.

"Well, canonically, all Pokémon CAN do is say their names." Ben explained. "For the games, though, they just make sound effects that actually SOUND like real animals." HE pointed to the electric rat. "But when Pokémon transitioned to 3D, Gamefreak decided that their mascot should be able to speak his own name. So from Pokémon X and Y onwards, Pikachu has been able to say his name."

"Huh, neat!" Iris smiled over to her green-clad friend. "So, is that enough proof for ya, Ollie?"

Oliver let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, yeah, it is. Sorry I ever doubted you guys, really."

"Aw, it's okay!" Yang piped up as she jabbed Oliver in the shoulder. "Honestly, it IS a bit hard to believe… kinda hope we're able to convince the PUBLIC about that when we get to the press conference later today."

Blake's ears perked up. "Oh, yeah, that reminds me!" She craned her head over to Whitlea and Jessie. "Will you two be there? I mean, I think it's open to the public, so…"

"Oh yes, we will, Blake." Whitlea confirmed. "After everything that's happened and with you all visiting my shop so often, it would be wrong NOT to show up for it."

"She's right on the money, sugar." Jessie said with a tip of her hat. "An' we'll be sure to be there to see ya'll off as well!"

At that, however, Iris deflated a bit, her eyes moving to Ruby in realization. "Oh yeah… you said that you guys were going back to Ben's home dimension, weren't you?"

Ruby sent her friend a guilty smile. "…Yeah, we are. After three weeks of being trapped her, Ben and the gang are ready to get back to their actual homes, and we wanna see what their world is like."

Oliver scratched his head nervously. "Man, that's gonna be quite the thing to explain to the people." He set his gaze onto Ben worriedly. "I mean, you guys only JUST got discovered and now you're leaving? How do you think they'll react to that?"

"Well… we're gonna try and be really careful with that." Ben explained. "With everything that we're gonna have to explain… AGAIN, I'm hoping it'll go over well. Besides, we're also going to have to tell them about Salem's whole deal, too, so there's THAT to worry about."

"We're going to tell that that we'll be heading back to our world for reinforcements, too." Gwen added. "That'll hopefully calm them down and help them realize that we're not abandoning them."

Daisy blinked at the word "reinforcements". "So, wait… if you're going for reinforcements, am I right to assume that there are others like yourselves in your world?"

"Oh yeah, there are PLENTY of human-alien hybrids back on earth." Kevin explained. "Plus, plenty of full-blooded aliens and humans that'd be more than willing to help in this war with Salem."

Whitlea tilted her head a bit. "I see. So I'm guessing that they're all part of these "Plumbers" that you kept talking about?"

Ben nodded in response. "Yep, and they're all highly trained, so I'm sure that they'll be able to handle whatever Grimm army that Salem's go up her sleeve. And if they're still not enough…" The hero smirked a bit with what he said next. "Then I can think of a few other allies of mine that can help out, too. Putting it simply; we'll be able to take Salem on, and we'll do it by bringing the fight to her… just as soon as we figure out WHERE in Remnant she's hiding."

Iris sighed once again before turning to Ruby with a supportive smile. "Well, if that's the case, then I wish you luck over on Earth, Ruby." She pulled her friend into a hug, which Oliver and Daisy immediately joined in on.

"Just promise that you'll be able to keep in touch somehow, darling." Daisy asserted. "I know it must be hard to do so, but—"

"Actually, we've got a communicator for just that!" Ruby grinned. "Communicating across dimensions is actually a LOT easier than you think, surprisingly enough. All we gotta do is find a better way to power it."

Oliver let out a chuckle at that. "Hah, neat!" He gave her a wink and a thumbs up. "But, uh, if the whole communicator thing doesn't work out that well, then maybe we could hop on over at some point?"

Ruby let out a gasp before whipping her head around to Ben, hoping to get his approval. The hero smirked and gave a shrug. "Heh, well, I don't see why not. Just so long as you guys remember to stay clear if anything happens. I know you guys are training to be Huntsmen, but still, the type of hero work I do can be a lot more dangerous than just dealing with Grimm." He jabbed a thumb over to Team RWBY and Ilia. "And these guys have had experience dealing with my bad guys, so they know what they're getting themselves into. So if you guys wanna come over, just make sure you stay safe, okay?" He received a collective "Okay!" from the trio, making him smile in satisfaction.

Off to the side, Jessie gave a tip of her hat. "Well, I'm glad that this matter's been settled, then! But now, I if'n nobody minds, I'd actually like to say somethin'…" She directed her eyes over to Yang, who's eyebrows rose up in surprise. "An' it's somethin' that actually involved you, Yang. Just a sec…" With that Jessie stepped over to the counter and picked up something from behind it, much to everyone's confusion.

Yang blinked when she saw what it was; a cardboard box that had a hinged top, like something you'd see in a clothing store. "Huh? Jessie, what's that?"

"Oh, just a lil' somethin' that I wanted to give ya before ya'll headed out." Jessie explained as she stepped back over to the Blonde Brawler. "Hon', I just wanna say this; you remind me a LOT of myself when I was your age." The redheaded woman gave Yang a wink. "I used to be quite the thrill seeker myself, back in the day, an' I think you'll make a pretty great huntress one day. So…" She presented Yang with the box. "I wanted to give ya this little partin' gift."

Yang put her hand up to her mouth in shock. A gift… from her _idol_?! "I-Is this real?"

"I think it's safe to say that it is." Raven smiled, nudging her head toward the box. "Well, what're you waiting for, dear? Let's see what it is."

"R-Right." Yang nodded before smiling up to Jessie again. "Thank you so much for this, Jessie." She reached for the box before bowing her head. "I don't know what it is yet, but I'm already VERY excited."

Jessie smirked and pat the box before letting Yang have it. "Well, don't keep the room in suspense, sugar. Open 'er up!"

Yang took a deep breath to steady herself. "Okay… let's do this." With that, she opened the top… and nearly dropped the box as she let out a happy scream. It was a hat. A mocha brown, leather cowboy hat. A Stetson Roxbury Shapeable cowboy hat to be precise, one that had a bright yellow band going around it's middle. It also had a stampede strap that matched the band as well. Yang put a hand over her mouth in utter shock. It matched her outfit perfectly. "It's… it's a HAT!"

"Indeed it is, hon!" Jessie said with a wink as the others began gawking at the new accessory. "Go on, try her on."

"O-O-Okay." Yang stammered as she gently handed the box to her mother and pulled out the hat, breathing out shakily as she held the leather garment in her hands. _'Oh my god, this is a dream come true!'_ Yang gulped before putting it on over her head, which immediately began drawing "oohs" and "ahs" from the people around her. "Heh… so, how do I look?"

At that moment, Gwen suddenly cast a spell; " _Speculum_!" In an instant, a burst of mana came from her hand and morphed into a clear, mirror-like surface, suspending itself right in front of Yang. The Anodite crossed her arms and said; "You tell us."

Once again, Yang's hand covered her mouth, though her happy scream could still be heard despite her best efforts to contain herself. "AH-HAHAHA! Oh my god, I look so COOL!"

"No kidding." Ben said in awe. "And honestly, you look at least ten times more badass." Yang quirked a brow at him as he raised his hands. "Yes, I know what I said."

Jessie let out a laugh and walked over, placing her hand on Yang's shoulder. "I'm really glad you like it, sugar. I felt that givin' you a hat of your own would blend with your usual duds quite well, and I'm VERY happy to see that I was right!"

"Jess, I… I really don't know what to say." Yang put a hand to her head, only to realize that the hat was covering it. "Heh… thought it MIGHT take some getting used to."

"Hehe, yeah, it might." Jessie said before pulling Yang into a surprise hug. "But just remember, you're part of the future huntsmen that this world has to look to, so do me proud, okay, hon?" She got an excited laugh from Yang as a response, the girl returning the embrace. "Hm, I'll take that as a "Yes"."

_CRASH!_ Without warning, the sound of glass shattering suddenly resounded from outside, causing everyone's heads to spin toward the front door. Thankfully, it wasn't the store's own windows, but considering that a loud alarm suddenly starting ringing out afterward, along with a couple of police cruisers rushing by the store, the gang could only guess what had happened. "Oh, what's going on now?!" Weiss asked in irritation.

Winter peered out the nearest window and her eyes widened as the police cars abruptly stopped about a block down the road. "It would seem that there's a store being broken into..." She set her eyes back onto the team with a serious expression. "And I think there might be people caught up in it."

Ilia couldn't help but slap her forehead. "Another break-in? Seriously?! How is this island so dangerous lately? I thought this was supposed to be a nice, peaceful town!"

"I think that the attack on Vale must have brought more of the riff-raff out than we thought." Whitlea lamented, crossing her arms all the while. "It's quite frustrating, to say the least."

"I'm sure." Ben agreed before a smile came to his face. "But you know… maybe it's time I give the people a proper taste of what they can expect from me…" Everyone wore shocked faces as Ben stepped up to the door, opening it before ushering them to follow him. "C'mon guys… I think you know what time it is!"

Yang smiled eagerly before readjusting her new hat, ready for some action. "Hell yeah, Green Boy! It's Hero Time!"

* * *

Sheriff Krista Burns was starting to get a little annoyed by just how much the crime rate on Patch had practically sky-rocketed since the incident at Beacon. First it was the jewelry store, then the high-speed chase, the Dust Shop, and finally the bank all followed that. And now it was the local pawn shop, which no doubt had countless valuables inside. Sure, all of this activity helped keep her job interesting, but at the expense of the usually peaceful island that she was happy to call home? That wasn't something she was willing to take. _'Times like these where I miss high school.'_ She mused to herself. _'Being on the cheer squad wasn't so bad… even if Roy DID go overboard on his mascot costume.'_

The redheaded woman smirked over to her partner in question, the usually skittish blonde man sitting attentively in the passenger seat. He had his eyes focused on the scene of the crime right off the bat, and while his hands were shaking, his face was resolute, showing that he was ready to get started. But still, Krista wanted to make sure before getting started. "Hey, Bad Cat, you ready to roll?"

Roy's eyes widened at the mention of that certain title, a laugh escaping his lips. "Haha! Oh man, that's a DEEP cut, KB. What brought that one out?"

"Oh, just reminiscing about how simpler things were before we had to deal with criminals, aliens, and now witches apparently." Krista shrugged. "And my mind just automatically went to our high school days on the cheer squad."

"Heh, yeah, now THAT'S some crazy memory." Roy tapped his chin in recollection. "Remember how I rigged my Bad Cat head to fire furballs made of cotton candy out to the audience? Lonnie _hated_ that!"

"That she did." Krista undid her seat belt and opened the door, grabbing her megaphone. "But for now, I think it's time to get our job done." Roy nodded and the both of them climbed out of the cruiser, with Krista addressing the newly gathered crowd outside of the convenience store. _"Attention citizens! Please remain calm and back AWAY from the scene! I repeat, back AWAY from the store, please!"_

As the crowd began to back away, the other police cruiser opened up, allowing Chief Howlin to step out. He let loose his signature howl, effectively garnering the civilians' attention. "You heard the lady, people, back AWAY from the storefront! This is a sensitive situation, so let's all remain—"

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_ A few screams were elicited from the people, with the three officers all whipping their heads back toward the store itself. There, four men in hockey masks came stepping out of the store, one with a rifle in his hands aiming upward while the other held a VERY scared and crying pre-teen boy by his neck, the man's arm wrapped securely around it while he held pistol to the boy's head. The other two were carrying a full bag of Lien cards and no doubt other valuables over their shoulders. "Alright, alright, cut the yelling out here!" The man with the rifle shouted before pointing it right at the officers. "I'm gonna give it to ya straight here, coppers, we're gonna be strolling RIGHT outta here with the goods."

Howlin was quick to retort. "OVER MY DEAD—"

But then the man holding the boy pushed his pistol closer to the crying child's head. "Yours or his!" This made Howlin, Krista and Roy all stop, not wanting to risk putting the boy in anymore danger than he already was. "Good, you're getting it."

"That they are." The lead man agreed. "Honestly, I got no problem with takin' either one of 'em out. BUT… we can end this peacefully. All ya have to do is let us go and—" _CLANG!_ "Huh?!" Without warning, the man heard what sounded like a powerful, metallic strike from behind him, followed by a thud. He and the other two men spun back to their compatriot… only to see him knocked out on the ground at the feet of… "YOU?!"

Rex smirked as he deactivated his Smack Hands in favor of his Boogie Pack, taking up the crying boy in one arm. "Yeah, surprised, _puto_?!" With that, Rex brought the child over to the trio of police officers, setting him down as the surrounding crowd of pedestrians suddenly broke out into uproarious cheers. "Here ya are, _oficiales_. Always happy to help!"

"Rex!" Krista said as the boy ran up to her. "Alright, you're here! Which means…" She spun around just in time to see Ben and Team RWBY come charging up to them, with Ilia, Jessie Jameson, and another white-haired woman right behind them. There was also a green muscle car with black stripes pulling up to them, indicating that Gwen and Kevin were with them as well. "Guys! You got here JUST in time!"

"Hey, Krista!" Ben greeted. "Guess we've got some trouble, huh?" However, the hero was utterly drowned out by the increasing volume of cheers that surrounded him, prompting him to look out to the surrounding people and give them a small wave. "Hehe, thank you, thank you, you're all WAY too kind."

Blake and Yang strolled up to the redheaded police woman, the cat girl keeping her focus on the armed criminals. "We haven't missed anything, right Krista?"

"Nope, not a thing." Krista assured before lowering herself to the pre-teen she had in front of her, who was slowly beginning to come out of his shock. "Are you okay, young man? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"N-No." the boy shook his head. "No, I think I'm good." However, the moment he realized who had just arrived and saved him, his eyes lit up in excitement. "W-Wait! I know you guys!" He pointed between Ben, Rex and Team RWBY enthusiastically. "You were the ones who kicked all of that Grimm butt yesterday! You guys are AWESOME!"

Weiss couldn't help but laugh nervously, with the rest of Team RWBY exchanging sheepish glances. "Heh, what do you know? Our first day being famous and we've already got fans."

"Hey, I think they're well deserved." Roy said as he gestured out to the crowd. "I mean, the people LOVE you guys."

"He's got a point, kids." Jessie confirmed as she sauntered over as well. "Now teach those low-down, no-good varmints a lesson they'll never forget!" She quirked a brow over to Chief Howlin, who hadn't said a word since the heroes arrived on the scene. "That is, if the chief'll let ya, that is."

Howlin grumbled and crossed his arms. "Well… okay, fine, why not?" He jerked his thumb back to the civilians. "Gotta give the people what they want, after all."

However, right as he said that, the leading criminal's eyes widened when he realized something. "Wait a second! What're we just standing around for?! Open fire, you mooks!" At his yell, his compatriots dropped their sacks full of valuables and pulled out their own rifles, aiming them at the heroes and officers while shocking the crowd into silence. However, right as they pulled their triggers, a pink energy shield suddenly popped right up in front of the heroes and the crowd, shielding them all as the bullets simply ricocheted off of it. "Wait, what the hell?!"

"Sorry." Gwen spoke up, her hands glowing as she stepped over to the group. "But I think it's time that YOU guys got put in your place." She gave a nod to her cousin and Team RWBY. "Guys, you're up."

Ruby gave her a thumbs up. "Thanks, Gwen!" Ruby activated Crescent Rose as Weiss pulled out Myrtenaster. "C'mon, Weiss, you and I got the one on the left!"

Yang brought her fists up, activating Ember Celica while Blake unsheathed Gambol Shroud. "And Blake and I will take the goon on the right!" She made sure that her new hat was securely on her head before shouting out; "Let's GO!"

With that, the team of four all vaulted over the mana shield and proceeded to attack, with Ruby deflecting the goon's bullets by spinning Crescent Rose rapidly. This managed to successfully take the trio aback, allowing the quartet to pair off and begin taking down their chosen enemies. Weiss created a pair of glyphs which she and Ruby jumped on immediately, allowing them a boost of speed toward their goon. Ruby swung Crescent Rose so that its head slammed right into the man's abdomen, which sent him flying back straight into an ice wall that Weiss created, knocking him out instantly. Meanwhile, Blake detached Gambol Shoud's ribbon and tossed it to Yang, the Blonde Brawler propelling herself toward the goon with a shot from her gauntlets shortly after. From there, Yang punched the goon in the face before Blake kicked him right across the jaw, the two ladies tying the man up in the ribbon all the while. In the end, the good fell flat on his back, tied up with nowhere to run.

Blake sighed in satisfaction as she dealt the final blow, knocking the man out before untying her ribbon. "And it's done."

"Yep, got 'em!" Yang pumped a fist. "Now all that's left is—" Just then, she felt her Aura take a hit, to which she craned her head around and saw the criminal that had been knocked to the ground beginning to stand up. The barrel of his pistol was also smoking, indicating that HE had been the one to fire the shot. Yang gave him a deadpan expression. "Really, dude? You thought one bullet would be enough to…" She trailed off when the other guy began to take aim as well. "…Okay, that STILL probably won't be enough, but I'll humor ya." She shifted her eyes over to her boyfriend and called out to him. "Babe! You wanna come in and finish the job?!"

"Sure do, Goldie Locks!" Ben grinned before tossing his phone over to Kevin. "Hey, Kev! Plug my phone into your radio. I've got a song I want ya to play for this."

Kevin quirked a brow. "And that would be?"

"Just put it on "I Won't Do What You Tell Me"." Ben smirked. "You know that one, right?"

The Osmosian's eyes widened as he hooked up the phone inside of his car, giving Ben an incredulous face all the while. "…What, do ya think you're the Texas Rattlesnake or something?"

"Just trust me and play it right as I transform, okay?" Ben winked. "I know what I'm doing." He set his sights out to the crowd of people behind him and spread his arms out to them. "Alright, guys, if you wanna see me put the hurt on these idiots, then GIMME A HELL YEAH!" Per his request, the civilians immediately gave him what he wanted… but he still wasn't satisfied. "Sorry, I didn't quite hear ya!" Ben activated the Omnitrix and quickly found the icon he was searching for, slamming the core down before being enveloped in a flash of light.

Right as he did so, Kevin turned his radio up to near MAX and played the song, which actually started out with the sound of shattering glass. _CRASH!_ From there a slew of grungy, heavy guitar riffs began blaring out of his car, to which many people were surprised by. However, once the green flash dissipated, the public bore witness as a certain Metallikanine stood in Ben's place, the alien belting out a mighty roar. Once he was done, he set his gaze back to the crowd and hollered; "I _said_ ; GIVE STEEL BONE A HELL YEAH!"

"HELL YEAH!" The people echoed as Steel Bone began sauntering toward the criminals, who immediately began panicking at the sight of the large dog monster approaching them.

"W-What are you waiting for, you idiot?!" The lead man said as he and his partner took aim at Steel Bone. "OPEN FIRE!" With that, the duo began firing round after round at the Metallikanine… only for Steel Bone to steadily shift his fur into armor plating to protect his body, all while his metal teeth popped out threateningly.

"Yeah, that ain't gonna work, gentlemen." Steel Bone said as he closed the distance between them. Even with their ski masks on, he could see the fear on their faces, and he knew right then and there that he had done his job. "In fact, I think it's safe to say that ya'll can't put a dent in me!" He grabbed the duo's weapons and crushed them with his bare hands, eliciting cries of terror from both of them. "See, that's the difference between you an' me; I ain't a pushover when it comes to gettin' the job done!"

"Shows what you know!" The lead man said before turning to his partner. "Quick, get the goods and let's—"

"Ahem!" The two spun around to see Weiss and Ruby having collected their sacks full of stolen product and Lien, the partners smirking in satisfaction. "You mean THESE goods?" Weiss teasingly asked.

Right as the two realized that they were probably screwed, they felt a pair of large, furry hands clutch the back of their shirts, making their eyes nearly bug out of their heads. "Now, where were we? Oh yeah, right, I was teachin' ya'll a lesson in manners!" Steel Bone suddenly tossed the man who held the pre-teen hostage away, calling out to a certain chameleon girl. "ILIA!"

"On it!" From the crowd, Ilia shot out and whipped her Lightning Lash around the criminal, shocking enough to knock him out once again. "That good enough for ya?"

"Yup, Thanks!" The Metallikanine answered before glaring right at the lead criminal. "Now, what to do with you?"

As Steel Bone picked the lead man up, the criminal started begging for his life. "N-No, please! I-I'll do anything, just please don't hurt me!"

"…What?" the hero uttered.

"I-I said I'll do whatever you want!"

"What?!" This one came louder this time.

"I-I'll do whatever you want!"

"WHAT?!" Steel Bone was practically roaring the word now.

"I SAID I'LL DO ANYTHING!" At this point, the criminal had been reduced to tears, putting his hands up to his eyes as he bawled into his ski mask. "JUST PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!"

Steel Bone narrowed his eyes before taking note of all three of his fallen comrades. The hero took a deep breath and sighed out of his nose before lowering the criminal to the ground, who was surprised at the gestured. "Alright, alright, stop bawlin'. Yer gettin' off easy here, got it?!"

"Y-You mean I'm free to go?!" The criminal said hopefully.

"BAH-HA-HA-HA!" Steel Bone placed one of his huge paws on the criminal's shoulder, waited for a few seconds… and then furrowed his brows at him again. "No." With that, Steel Bone delivered a swift chop to the back of the man's neck, striking a pressure point that knocked him out instantly. With that, Steel Bone let out a mighty guffaw and raised his hands to the sky, roaring out in victory; "And THAT'S the bottom line, BECAUSE STEEL BONE SAID SO!"

With that, the entire crowd went crazy once more, their cheers nearly drowning out the heavy guitar riffs that were coming from Kevin's car. However, the Osmosian decided to turn them off anyway, seeing that Ben's job was effectively done. "And with that, I think we're done here…" But the moment he saw Steel Bone, Team RWBY and Rex all waving out to the crowd, he knew that wasn't the case anymore. "…Or not, whatever."

The group of heroes approached Krista, Roy and Howlin with the perps in hand, setting them down near the officer's feet. "Here ya go, guys." Yang said with a thumbs up. "Four low lives ready for the slammer!"

Krista smiled as she and Roy bent down and cuffed two of the criminals. "Thanks guys! Man, it must feel pretty good now that you guys are public, huh?"

"Yeah, now you can fight crime in the open without having to hide yourselves!" Roy said as he and his partner began carrying the unconscious criminals toward their police car. "I think I'm gonna like having you guys around."

"Might not wanna get used to that." Steel Bone said before slapping the Omnitrix and transforming back into his human form. "We'll be going back to my home dimension soon, and—oof! Huh?" Ben directed his gaze down to see what hit him, only to be greeted by the boy that Rex had saved. He was beaming up at both him and Rex in adoration, his eyes practically lit up like the brightest Christmas tree.

"That was AMAZING!" he shouted as he set his eyes upon Rex. "You saved me from those guys without even breaking a sweat!" His head snapped back to Ben as well as Team RWBY. "And of you took 'em all down like it was nothing!"

Ben scratched the back of his head nervously. "Hehe, hey kid, it's no problem, really." The hero knelt down so that he was at eye-level with the younger boy. "It's what heroes do. Now, do you know where your family is?"

"JASON!" Everyone's eyes widened as a woman suddenly surged out of the pawn shop, rushing her way over as she practically scooped the boy up into her arms, making Ben stumble back a bit. "Oh thank the GODS you're okay!" the lady cried as she held her son close, squeezing him tightly in relief.

The boy, Jason, hugged his mother back, though he seemed a lot calmer about the whole thing than she did. "Heh, mom, it's all good, trust me." He directed his eyes back over to the team. "See, those guys saved me. They're the ones who were on the news yesterday, remember?"

The woman's eyes widened and she spun around, letting out a gasp at the sight of Ben, Rex and Team RWBY. "Oh my gosh! They are!" She gave a grateful bow to the group of six as she set her son down. "I can't thank you kids enough! My little boy means the world to me, and the thought of losing him… it's…"

"We understand, ma'am." Ruby smiled brightly. "And we were more than happy to help!"

Rex gave a thumbs up. "Yep, all in a days' work. But right now, we gotta get goin'. We've got a press conference to get ready for this afternoon, and we don't wanna be late."

"Oh, of course. Sorry to keep you." The woman took a hold of her son's hand and nudged her head toward the heroes. "Jason, is there anything you want to say?"

Jason nodded and grinned up to the team once more. "Thanks again for saving me! I really think that you guys are the coolest!"

The team couldn't help but smile at the boy's enthusiasm, with Ben lowering himself down to his eyelevel again. "Heh, thanks Jason. Tell me, are you alright after that? I know from experience that people being held hostage can sometimes be traumatizing, so…"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine." Jason assured, balling his fists excitedly. "If anything, all of this has just made me wanna become a Huntsman even more than I already wanted to!"

The boy's mother gave a sigh at that. "We'll see, young man. You still have to graduate middle school first, remember."

Jason rolled his eyes as he and his mother began walking away. "Yeah, yeah, I know." He gave a wave to the team as they both made their way toward their car. "See ya!"

The group of heroes waved back to the boy as they watched the car drive off, with Ben giving a small chuckle. "Heh, nice kid." He then turned back toward the crowd and waved his arms toward them, ushering them to step back. "Alright, folks, shows over for now! If ya wanna see me, come to the press conference at town hall today. I've actually got some important things today, so you may wanna tune in!"

At his words, the civilians thankfully dispersed, with Chief Howlin giving an exasperated sigh. "Well, thank the gods THAT'S all over." He then whipped his head toward Ben and pointed at him accusingly. "And just WHAT did I say about getting involved in police business?!"

The hero could only give a small shrug. "Well, we were over at the flower shop nearby, so we decided that it'd just be the right thing to do."

"Yeah, c'mon, Chief Howlin." Yang smirked. "Ya can't lie; that WAS pretty cool what Ben did, don't ya think?"

Howlin grumbled a bit, crossing his arms as he closed his eyes. "Well… I suppose that it WAS quite the spectacle." A small smile snuck onto his face and he let out a chortle. "Haha… I especially liked that ya used a dog alien to get the job done." He stepped over and pat Ben's shoulder. "Alright, son, I guess you're good to help stop crime on Patch whenever. But lemme just say, don't think this puts you above the law or anything."

"Oh, trust me, I know." Ben assured. "I don't do the whole "judge, jury and executioner" thing."

"Good." Howlin grinned as he put the two perps into the back of his own cop car. "And hey, good luck at that press conference later today."

Krista piped up at that. "Oh, yeah! I can't wait to hear what you guys have to say for the people…" However, her brows rose up in realization. "But, wait… did you say that you guys were planning on going back to your home world?"

Ben sighed and nodded to her. "Yeah, we've really gotta get home. There's a lot of stuff there that needs to be done." He raised a hand to the redhead. "But don't worry, we're not gonna be abandoning Remnant. If something happens, we WILL come back, and we're even gonna be leaving some capable people here to make sure that you guys are watched over in case Salem makes a move."

"Hah, well, that's good to hear." Roy chortled before jabbing a thumb toward their cop cars. "But we really DO have to get going, though. Hopefully we'll be able to see you guys off, but if not…" He and Krista gave them dual peace signs. "It's been real, guys."

"Yeah, thanks for all the excitement in the past few weeks." Krista agreed.

"Aw, you'll see us again." Gwen beamed. "Trust me, this won't be goodbye forever."

Ruby gave Krista a salute. "Yeah, you can count on it!" She leaned over to Chief Howlin and whispered; "By the way, Chief, I think you'll be happy to hear that my Uncle's quitting whiskey cold turkey!"

Howlin let out what sounded like a laugh and a sigh fused into one. "Haha, FINALLY! 'Bout time that man dropped the alcohol! What made him quit? His liver?"

"Well, not exactly." Ruby sheepishly said. "I might've had to give him a firm talking to… and I may have let a few bad words slip by."

"HAHA!" This time, Howlin belted out a genuine laugh, wiping a tear away from his eye for good measure. "Ah, atta girl, Ruby." The wolf Faunus gave all of the teens a salute as he opened the door to his car. "Well kids, it's been good working with ya… for better or worse. Heh, I look forward to doing so again."

"Same here!" Krista said as she and Roy entered their own cruiser as well. "Hope to see you soon, guys!" With that, the trio of officers all drove off back to the station, leaving the group in the middle of the street.

Jessie let out a sigh, placing her hands on her hips. "Well, that was quite the unexpected trip, but at least everything panned out okay." She folded her arms and grinned at the group. "Now comes the hard part; are ya'll ready for your big moment on stage?"

"Heh, as ready as we'll ever be, Jessie." Blake chuckled.

Ilia laced her hands together with a nervous expression. "Yeah, public speaking was never my strong suit, but at least we still have a while before the whole thing starts."

Ben pulled his sleeve back and went to activate the Omnitrix's watch feature. "No kidding. I mean, it's only…" However, the moment the holographic watch popped up, everyone's eyes nearly bugged out of their heads when they saw the time. "THREE-THIRTY?!"

"What?!" Weiss shouted. "B-B-But I thought we had more time!"

Rex put his hands to his forehead. "Gah, damn! We must've let it get away from us! We've been here for… two hours maybe?"

"Who cares how long we've been here?" Kevin said as he jabbed a thumb toward the back of his car, all while starting it up. "What matters now is that we need to get to town hall like, RIGHT now!" With that, the teens began to split up into their respective riding groups, with Rex activating his Ride this time. Weiss stepped onto the large hoverbike with him while Yang and Ben climbed onto Bumblebee once again, the blonde making sure that her stampede strap was nice and secure so that her new hat wouldn't fall off.

Jessie gave the group a tip of her hat as Rex activated his Ride. "I'll be sure to follow behind ya'll. I'll grab Whitlea an' the kids an' we'll be over in two shakes of a horse's tail."

"Great to hear!" Yang gave a thumbs up as her engine revved to life. "We'll see ya over there, Jessie!" She faced her mother and Winter, giving them a salute. "And I'll make sure to call you guys when we get there!"

However, Raven raised a hand before slashing a portal open. "No need, dear. Tai's already over there, remember? We'll see you when you get there!"

"Heh, 'kay, mom! See ya there!" With that, Raven and Winter both went through the portal, leaving Yang to smirk back to her boyfriend again. "Alright, Green Boy, you ready to be in the limelight again?"

Ben sighed a bit before nodding a little. "I can't say I missed it, but yeah, I'm ready." He smiled and gave a thumbs up to his girlfriend. "Let's do this, shall we?"

* * *

Coco was pacing back and forth at a very quick pace, her features clearly quite agitated. She and her team were standing behind the stage that they had helped set up at town hall, as they had been for the past couple of hours, ready and waiting for the press conference to actually get underway. She could tell that her team were all gazing at her worriedly, especially her boyfriend, though at the moment, she couldn't help herself. _'Ugh! Where the hell ARE they?!'_

It was then that Cooper decided to speak up, reaching his hand out to get his girlfriend's attention. "Uh, Coco?" The brunette abruptly stopped and whipped her head toward him, making him flinch a little bit. "Er, uh, sweetheart, I… think you might start putting a rut in the ground if you keep pacing like that."

Coco blinked at his words before sighing, crossing her arms in frustration. "Yeah, I know. Sorry if I put ya off there, Tech Head, but… we go on soon and the guys STILL aren't here yet!" She thrust her arm over toward the group of gathered teens who HAD made it on time for emphasis. Teams JNPR, SSSN, CRDL, ABRN and of course, Penny, were all standing together in a massive group, waiting for the press conference to officially begin. Also backstage were Tai and Lisa Lavender, the duo gazing up onto the stage as Ironwood and Goodwitch were giving a small public interview with Ghira, Kali and Sienna before things kicked off. "We're LITERALLY missing the guests of honor here!"

Velvet scratched her chin in thought. "Well, we ALL heard the gunshots, right? Ben and the others probably responded to that and they got caught up."

"Yeah, that's probably what happened." Coco agreed, folding her arms with another sigh. "I hope everything's okay, though. If they don't get here soon—"

_FWOOSH!_ There was a small, collective yell from everyone gathered as a portal suddenly opened up directly next to Tai, though if anything, the blonde man didn't seem all that phased by it. From out of the portal, Raven and Winter stepped out, with Tai giving the former a small grin. "There you are, Rae!" he greeted as he pulled her into a hug. "The kids were just wondering where you guys were."

"Well, wonder no longer." Raven said before smiling out toward the large group of teens. "The others will be here shortly. They just had to stop a bit of a crime going on."

"We heard." Jaune said as he stepped up to the Spring Maiden. "Is everything alright?"

Winter nodded toward him. "Yes, everything is fine. The team were able to put a stop to those low lives quite easily, actually. They even managed to save a boy from being killed."

Nora pumped a fist at that. "Woo! Alright! Last day in Remnant and the gang are STILL killing it on the job!"

Ren pursed his lips in thought. "Hm, I hope this doesn't affect how everyone will take the news of us leaving. I can already tell that it won't be easy for them to comprehend what's going on, so—"

"Hey, don't you worry, Ren!" Lisa piped up, bringing everybody's attention to her. "I've got the footage from our interview all ready to go, so hopefully after everyone sees everything that YOU'VE shown me, they'll believe what you have to say."

Pyrrha took a deep breath, steadying her nerves for what was about to come. "I certainly hope so, Lisa. Otherwise, things may just do a complete one-eighty once we leave." She sent a concerned glance over to Jaune. "I mean, what if Remnant becomes even MORE divided once their new heroes leave?"

Jaune put an arm around the Invincible Girl in a reassuring hug. "It's okay, Pyrrha. We aren't really leaving, if you think about it. We CAN come back at any time we want." He set his eyes onto the stage. "Besides, I have a feeling that Ben will know just what to say. He's got plenty of experience with the public, after all."

With that, the group only had to wait a few minutes more before they saw Bumblebee and Kevin's car approaching, along with Rex and Weiss on the EVO's Ride. Once they all parked and began disembarking from their respective vehicles, Coco began to march over to them. "THERE you guys are! We've been waiting for—WOAH!" Coco stopped in surprise as she caught sight of something she wasn't prepared for; Yang in a cowboy hat. "Yang?! W-Where did you get that hat?!"

At the sound of Coco's words, everyone immediately took notice of the garment in question, causing Nora to gasp excitedly. "AH! Oh. My. GOSH! Yang, you look SO cool in that hat!"

"Agreed!" Penny concurred. "It suits you quite nicely! Where DID you get it?"

The Blonde Brawler gave a small snicker and tipped her hat to the group. "Heh, Jessie gave it to me while we were over at the flower shop. Pretty awesome, right?"

"No kidding!" Velvet affirmed. "It's simply wonderful!" Fox and Yatsu gave silent nods of approval to Yang as well.

"Heh, thanks guys." Yang said before taking notice of Team ABRN standing off to the side with Team CRDL and Team SSSN. She sent a wave over to them and shouted out; "Hey! There you guys are!" She strolled up and offered a fist bump to Arslan. "We were wondering if we'd get to see you today!"

Arlsan smirked and returned the fist bump without hesitation. "Heh, like we'd ever miss the chance to see you guys again, especially after what happened yesterday."

"No joke!" Reese said as she saw the Alien Trio, Rex, Ilia and Team RWBY come over as well. "You guys were all AMAZING yesterday! I was practically on the edge of my seat watching all of that chaos go down!"

Nadir focused onto Ben and Rex in particular. "Guys, the way you two when giant-sized to take down that Leviathan was AMAZING! I had no idea you guys had that much power!"

Bolin gave a nod. "Indeed… though I suppose us keeping your secret didn't really matter in the long run, did it?"

Ben simply shrugged at that. "Ah, don't worry, guys. It's okay. Honestly, it was only a matter of time before the public found out, so I guess there's no harm done." He then set his sights out past the stage to take a peek at the audience that had gathered… and his jaw dropped a bit. "It was evident that this COULDN'T just be the natives of Patch. There had to be at LEAST a couple thousand people all gathered around town hall. Even some of the STREETS were closed off in order to make room for everyone there. Ben turned back to the group and took a deep breath. "Phew, okay… there MIGHT be a bit more people than I thought there would be."

"I know, right?" Blake said as she too got a good eyeful of the gathered crowd. "How much do you want to be that people took days off just to be here?"

"Wouldn't surprise me." Sun quipped with a smirk. "I mean, we ARE famous now, after all."

Neptune wore a similar smirk, placing a hand on his hip. "Yeah, I mean, we're heroes! Why WOULDN'T we be getting this kind of attention?" Next to the duo, Scarlet and Sage both rolled their eyes, though they couldn't help but smile as well.

"Hey, c'mon guys." Cardin spoke up with his team stepping forward. "Don't start taking ALL the credit. You guys might've defended Vale, but I like to think WE put up a good fight protecting Beacon."

"That you did, luv." Velvet said before reaching up and poking the redheaded knight's temple. "But don't start getting a big head again, alright?"

Cardin chuckled and pulled Velvet into a side hug. "Hehe, hey, when I said "we", I mean both yours AND my team. Don't worry, I'm not leaving anybody out."

However, at that moment, Lisa suddenly spun around and waved her arms, garnering the group's attention. "Oh! Guys, shush!" she harshly whispered. "General Ironwood is wrapping things up with Sienna and the Belladonnas! You'll be on in just a few seconds!"

The group of teens all went wide-eyed as they heard Ironwood's voice come ring out from the stage. "Once again, I'd like to sincerely thank Ghira, Kali and Sienna for their time today. I realize that this probably wasn't the BEST way to wrap up yesterday's press conference, but… considering the circumstances, I suppose that it's the best we can do." He cleared his throat before proceeding. "Now, I think it's time we move on to the OTHER important subject at hand. As you are all aware, yesterday was a day that changed not only Vale, but the entire world forever. Even though the Battle of Beacon was undoubtedly the worse event out of the two, the event in Vale yesterday has brought a lot of things into the limelight, and I feel it's important that we address them."

It was then that the audience began clamoring, with camera flashes going off all around the general as multiple reporters began asking questions. "General, what do you know about this witch who's threatening our world?"

"Who are these young people who held the line in Vale yesterday?" Another asked.

"What about Ben Tennyson?!" One woman practically shouted. "Where does HE fit into all of this?"

"Have you been aware of what's been happening?" Came one more question. "And if so, for how long?"

Ironwood appeared to be visibly overwhelmed, by all of the questioned being asked at once, so Glynda decided to step in. She gently pushed him away from the podium and yelled into the microphone; "Everyone, PLEASE settle down!" She cracked her Disciplinarian over the podium for emphasis, which instantly got everyone to be quiet. "Thank you… now, I'm sure that you ALL have a lot of questions, and we WILL be sure to get to all of them, but first, I think it's time we bring out the heroes who defended Vale with their very lives yesterday. What do you say?" She received a cheer from the audience in response, making her smile and nod. "Excellent. So, without further ado, here are the young students who partook in the Battle of Vale!" She waved her hand toward the right side of the stage. "Firstly, I'd like to welcome Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long of Team RWBY!"

The people gave a round of applause as Ruby let out a sigh, hoping to steel her nerves. "Well, that's us. Let's go, guys." With that, the four ladies all began making their way out to the stage and toward Goodwitch, who greeted them each with a hug.

"Glad you girls made it on time." Glynda winked before noticing Yang's new accessory. "Ooh, and nice hat, Yang."

Yang tipped her hat to Glynda in gratitude. "Thank you kindly, ma'am!" She directed her eyes out toward the audeince, only to see that there were plenty of familiar faces out there.

Uncle Qrow was giving them a thumbs up, Max, Holiday, Vernal and Pietro were sitting on the far side, the entire Arc Family was in the front row cheering for them along with Athena, and even Professor Paradox and Oscar were there as well. The only one who wasn't there was Azmuth, and that was probably because he didn't want to make a scene with his presence. Heck, Yang even saw a few teachers from Signal in attendance, with Festus making himself known right off the bat with the massive wave he sent them. Toward one of the middle rows, she also saw Iris, Daisy, Oliver, Whitlea and Jessie all taking their seats, the five ladies waving to them as well.

From there, Teams JNPR and CFVY were brought on stage, along with Sun, Neptune, Ilia and Penny soon after. All of them were given proper introductions by Goodwitch, and in Team JNPR's case, received the loudest ovation out of all of them due to Jaune's sisters, his parents, AND Athena all cheering their lungs out, making Jaune and Pyrrha's faces ripen like tomatoes. Once everyone was settled again, Glynda cleared her throat and gestured toward the right once again. "And now… for the ones you're probably all VERY interested in. Please welcome… the Other-Worlders! Firstly, Cooper Daniels, the young man who created and piloted the flying armor!"

The Alien Trio, Rex and Cooper all shared curious glances at the term "Other-Worlders" but decided to roll with it. Cooper stepped out first and greeted Glynda with a handshake, the genius bowing to the audience afterward. He took a seat next to Coco as Glynda moved on. "Next up, the young man who has nano-machines inside his body… Rex Salazar!"

Rex smirked before activating his Boogie Pack and flying right over the whole stage, making the crowd gasp and cheer as he landed and took a bow before them. "Thank you! Thank you! You guys are WAY too kind!"

Weiss couldn't help but roll her eyes at that. "Psh, show off." But she couldn't help but smile as he sat down and gave her a wink. _'…D'oh, but he's MY show off.'_

"Next up, a powerful couple with very unique abilities; Kevin Levin and Gwen Tennyson!" Glynda announced as the aforementioned couple stepped out onto the stage. Kevin absorbed the wood panels beneath him while Gwen began projecting mana for a demonstration, the crowd in utter amazement at the display of power. Once they sat down, Glynda took a deep breath before making her final presentation. "And now, the one you've all been waiting for…" She allowed the audeince to make their excitement known before saying the hero's name. "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome… Ben Tennyson!"

With that, Ben stepped onto the stage… and the audience went absolutely wild. The amount of noise almost made it feel like a stampede, only no one was moving toward the stage. Ben was pretty sure that he would be deaf five times over by now if he hadn't dealt with things like this before… but then came the unmistakable sound of high-pitched squealing. His eyes darted across the crowd before finally finding the source… and it was just as he feared; he already had fangirls in Remnant. They were a group of young adult women, all appearing to be in their early twenties and they were all beaming at him in awe, their eyes glued right onto him.

' _Oh, this isn't good.'_ As flattered as he was… Ben was also afraid, because he could practically feel a wrathful heat begin to rise behind him. His eyes shifted over to see Yang practically on fire in her seat, her scorching hot Aura flaring up as her eyes burned even redder than they usually did. _'Okay, first order of business; calm the audience.'_ Ben stepped up to the podium, shook Goodwitch's hand before whispering. "Hey, could I have the mic, please? I wanna calm these guys down."

"Be my guest." Goodwitch allowed, taking the mic off the podium and handing it to the hero.

"Thank you." With that, Ben sent a wave to the crowd, letting out a nervous chuckle as he spoke into the mic. "Hehe, thank you, thank you! You guys have made an awesome turn out here! But could we maybe settle things down for a moment? I have some important things to say." At his request, the audience thankfully died down, as did the fangirls, and thus, Yang's anger as well. _'Thank goodness.'_ The hero began walking back and forth, speaking out to the public. "Alright, so… no doubt you probably have a lot of questions for us, and as much as I wanna answer all of them, we're on a strict time frame, so we'll handle the really important ones for now, okay?" He saw a hand raise up and he quickly got on it. "Yes, you ma'am?"

"Mr. Tennyson." The woman beamed as she grabbed her pen and notepad. "The entirety of Remnant wants to know… how are you able to do the things you do? You said that your watch was able to transform you into a variety of different… aliens, right?"

Ben gave her a nod. "That's right, though it's not _exactly_ a watch." He proceeded to show off the device in question. "This is called the Omnitrix, it's an alien device that allows me to do what I'm able to do. And believe it or not, I've been doing this since I was ten years old."

A few gasps and murmurs echoed through the crowd before another person spoke up. "M-Mr. Tennyson! How were you able to keep it a secret from Remnant for that long?!"

"Heh, well… that's where things get complicated." Ben gestured over to Gwen, Kevin, Rex and Cooper. "You see, the five of us aren't exactly FROM Remnant. We're from a different world entirely. Heck, we're actually from a different DIMENSION entirely." Again, more murmurs and gasps elicited from the crowd before Ben raised a hand. "Now, I know that this must all be hard to believe, but fear not; I've brought proof! Courtesy of the very reporter that braved the whole Battle of Vale to bring you every second of it! Everyone, give a big hand for Lisa Lavender!"

The crowd began clapping again as Lisa took the stage, the white-haired woman strolling over toward Ben with a remote in her hand and a smile on her face. She also had a special ear piece with a microphone attached, allowing her to be heard. "Thank you very much, Ben!" She gave a bow to the audience and held the remote up to them. "Alright, everybody, what I'm about to show you all is footage of some very interesting things I saw during my one-on-one interview with Ben and his crew this morning, so please, pay close attention!"

Lisa pushed a button and brought up a large, holographic screen over the stage, the projector having been situated right in the middle. On it, a quickly edited video of all of the Earth media that the teens showed off during the interview began playing, and seeing all of these unfamiliar things made everyone's eyes widen. From the footage of the Thundercats intro, to Link putting the finishing blow onto Ganon, to Batman moving through the Scarecrow's second fear-induced hallucination. Admittedly, it was probably the strangest combination of media that could have been showed off, but Ben found it substantial nonetheless.

"You see, me and my friends are actually from a planet called "Earth", in a dimension where stuff like aliens and magic are a lot more… noticeable, I think is the right word." Ben shrugged. "And, as you can see, we also have quite a bit of our own media as well," he gestured up to the screen, "and this isn't even the _tip_ of the iceberg when it comes to that."

The woman who asked the first question spoke up again. "So… if this is all true… then how did you get here in the first place?"

Ben quirked a brow at her and smirked. "Heh, short answer? A portal instability created a rift between our worlds, which resulted in us being transported here." He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "We were actually dumped right into the middle of the Battle for Beacon, and from there, we learned about Salem and her attempt to take over the world by dividing it further than it already is."

Once more, murmurs began being spread although the crowd until another man spoke up. "So, this "Salem", she's the one responsible for everything that's happened to Vale?"

"Exactly. She and her followers, her…" Ben trailed off for a moment, realizing that THIS was his chance to give the people something to rally against when it came to Salem. His expression went serious as he pressed on. "…her Ministry of Darkness."

This got the people murmuring again… and left the team behind him baffled. Ruby leaned over to Weiss and whispered; "Since when did Salem's forces have a faction name?" All she got was a shrug from the former heiress.

The woman from before spoke up again. "So, this… Ministry of Darkness, they wish to take over the world by instilling fear into all of us and instilling division throughout Remnant entirely. Do I have that right?"

"Yep, on the money." Ben reaffirmed. "The Ministry are responsible for ALL of these recent catastrophes. Both attacks on Beacon and Vale, the recent attack on Haven, even the attack on Essen up north, all caused by her so that she and her Grimm can drive humanity to extinction." The hero paused momentarily before going on. "But… there IS still hope." He clenched a fist and gave a smile out to the crowd. "And it lies in my world. I know a LOT of people who can help us in our fight against Salem, and we have the capabilities of bringing them here… but to do so, we're going to have to take a temporary leave of absence from Remnant."

"What?!" "You're Leaving?!" "So soon?!" These were among the MANY responses from the audience, which devolved into a huge jumble of voices talking over one another.

…That is until Ben decided to take control of the situation again. "HEY!" Everyone immediately silenced themselves as he shouted into the mic, all of them staring at him incredulously. "I know, it's VERY sudden, but you all shouldn't panic about it." He sent a reassuring smile out to the people as he continued. "Because for one; we can always come back at any time in case something happens. And trust me, we WON'T hesitate to do so if it does."

"B-But what about when you're gone?!" the first woman asked worriedly. "W-Who will be here to protect us if you can't get here soon enough?!"

Ben pointed to her with a small smile. "And THAT is where these guys come in." He faced Cooper and Team CFVY, ushering them to stand up and move over to him. "C'mon over guys, let the crowd see ya." Cooper, Coco, Fox, Velvet, and Yatsu all did so, the quintet beaming out to the audience as they all gave their own wave or salute. "My friend Cooper, his girlfriend, Coco, and her team will all becoming with us back to my home dimension… but only for a week at most. After that, they'll be coming right back here to Remnant, and trust me, these guys can get some serious work done. I trust and respect them a whole hell of a lot." He gestured over to Ironwood and Goodwitch as well. "And the general and Headmistress Goodwitch will also be here overseeing things, too."

However, the man from before raised his hand again. "W-With all due respect, Mr. Tennyson, considering the kind of threat that you're facing… what ALL of Remnant is facing, that still doesn't feel like enough."

"Maybe not… but I'm still not done." Ben smirked before waving his hands toward stage right. "Ladies and gentlemen, allow me the privilege to present to you; Sage, Scarlet, and Teams CRDL and ABRN of Beacon Academy!" The whole audience erupted into curious noises as Cardin and Arslan came up onto the stage, leading their respective teams with Scarlet and Sage bringing up the rear. Ben shook each of their hands before speaking again. "Everyone, in one way or another, these guys have helped us out with our mission, and I think that they're fit to protect not just Vale, but Remnant itself while we're gone…" He faced Cooper, Scarlet, Sage and the three team leaders with a sympathetic face. "I know that it's a tall order, but—"

"We're up for the challenge." Coco said as she suddenly pulled the microphone over to her. "We may not be able to transform into awesome aliens like Ben can, but we can still kick Grimm ass and take names!"

Cooper nodded and brought the microphone over to him next. "That's right. We promise that we won't let Remnant down, not after what's happened in these past few weeks."

Arslan clenched a fist as the mic was brought to her. "The Ministry is the whole reason why our Haven is in shambles right now. And I can guarantee that we WON'T let it happen to any of the other academies again!"

"You can count on that." Sage affirmed as Scarlet nodded his head in approval. "This isn't just their fight anymore…" He moved his arm in a circle, gesturing to the whole group. "This is EVERYONE'S fight."

Finally, it was Cardin's turn. "We may have gotten sucked into a war that we weren't prepared to fight… but you can be DAMN sure that we'll be giving it our all in this fight. And if that's not enough… then we'll just have to fight even HARDER!" He raised a fist and shouted out to the crowd; "Tell me; are any of YOU about to let Salem take control of this world?!"

"NO!" All eyes snapped around to see Iris standing up in her seat, wearing a determined face as Daisy and Oliver stood as well. "We can't just let Salem win!"

"The little lady's got a point!" Jessie said as she stood as well, earning a few gasps from the audience. "I say we FIGHT! Salem might have a lotta power, but we can't just sit by an' let 'er walk all over us! You can be sure that I'm gonna be doin' my part in this fight!"

"As will I." Athena announced as she stood as well.

"Me too." Jonathan jumped in, the duo's presence taking the audience by surprise. "Salem will have to face every Hunstmen in Remnant if she wants to take over OUR world!"

From there, the crowd began to break out into a furor once more… "You hear that?!" "Where did all of these famous Huntsmen come from?!" "Who cares?!They're gonna help in the fight, too!" "I think we may have a shot here!" All of these were just small snippets of what Ben could hear the people saying, and with every word, his smile grew.

' _This might just work out after all…'_ The hero brought the mic back to him to garner everyone's attention. "Hehe, well alright!" Everyone became quiet at the sound of his voice again. "Glad to hear that everyone's in agreement here…" He peered directly into the news cameras that were all aimed at him, pointing at them as he did. "And I hope that all of you around the world are willing to help as well! We need a united world in order to stop Salem's plans, and I know that it CAN be done. Yes, there's a lot of things to work through, but I have faith that ALL of us can do this. Together, we WILL beat the Ministry of Darkness." He waved his hand over to his main team, who were all wearing happy and proud smiles. "And even though we may be leaving, we WILL be back, be it temporarily or for an extended period. And what's better is that we'll be bringing back up from my world when we do, so be ready, because Salem is going DOWN!"

The woman who asked the first question smiled as the crowd went nuts behind her, giving Ben a small nod. "Well, Mr. Tennyson, I think my question has been answered VERY well."

The other man also nodded to the young hero. "And mine as well, thank you for this reassurance, Mr. Tennyson."

Ben bowed his head back to both of them. "You're welcome, and please, call me Ben. Alright, I think we can take a couple more questions…" He spotted a quick hand rise up in the back, which he pointed to with gusto. "Yes, you, in the back!"

However, the moment the owner of the hand jumped up, Ben knew he instantly made a mistake. It was one of the women who had been fangirling over him just minutes before, and her entire entourage stood up with her as they all eagerly shouted; "ARE YOU SINGLE?!"

A massive blush came to Ben's face as he pounded his head onto the podium, keeping it there as he felt the heat begin to rise up behind him again. This time, though, he could feel the owner of said intense body heat directly beside him. He glanced up and saw Yang, glaring out at the women as she kept her fists balled up, assuming a protective stance as if he had just been accosted by the worst person imaginable.

Ben sent a sympathetic gaze out to the ladies, seeing them all now with fearful expressions on their faces. "Sorry ladies, I am not." he replied. "And I think we should avoid anymore questions like those should we incur my girlfriend's wrath." Ben pulled Yang into a side-hug, the Blonde Brawler calming down instantly before she wrapped her arms around him protectively. "Now, any more questions?"

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it! The post-Battle for Vale press conference seems to have gone over a lot better than even our heroes had expected! The people were convinced of their other-worldly status, AND Ben's words of inspiration managed to bolster them as well! Plus, the fact that the people of Remnant will have Cooper and Teams CFVY, ABRN and CRDL to protect them while the main squad is on Earth is also very reassuring. Overall, aside from a bit of panicking from the crowd… and the fangirls that tried to ask Ben out, the conference was an overall success! …Though that said, if that's how Yang reacted to fangirls THERE, just imagine what it'll be like on Earth…**

**Also, yes, Salem's forces are now called "The Ministry of Darkness". Now, this name was actually suggested by TheBrodRoad over on FFN. He and I have been going back and forth for a good while, and I've come to the conclusion that title really IS very fitting for Salem's forces, so I decided to finally make it official! Hopefully it lives up to the Undertaker's expectations!**

**However, that wasn't ALL that happened, now was it? No, the team also met up with Ruby's friends, Miss Tigerlily and Jessie once again, explaining everything to them in the process. Also, indeed, that IS Ruby's final Omega Ruby Team… aside from evolving Pikachu into a Raichu. But after that, they stopped yet another robbery with Krista, Roy and Chief Howlin to oversee it… along with a LOT of other citizens. And yes… I wanted to give Steel Bone a bit more time in the spotlight. Didn't want the Battle for Vale to be his ONLY appearance, you know. Also, Yang's now sporting a cowboy hat! I'll admit, I always liked the idea of Yang having one of those, mainly because I saw an official art piece by Hiroyuki Asada that I really liked. It's on the RWBY Wiki if you wanna see it for yourselves. Admittedly, she won't be wearing it ALL the time (it'll mostly be seen on missions), but still, cowboy hats are cool, so why not?**

**Alright, so… NEXT TIME… is the final chapter. Dear god, it's been a long time coming, but here it is! As Eon sends Cinder and Rojo's group to Earth, the gang prepare to take their leave as well, with everyone saying their good byes. However, right before they can leave, a certain billionaire a-hole of a father arrives, hoping to force Weiss to come back to Atlas with him. Fortunately, the Schnee Sisters have a plan to deal with him before the big send off. And what would that be? Well, tune in next time to find out! Thanks for reading everybody, and stay safe out there!**


	120. The End of the Beginning

**A/N (IMPORTANT, Please Read): Well folks, here we are. The last chapter of Ben 10 RWBY Volume 1: Dimension Twist… yeah, so soon after arriving onto AO3, but hey, guess that's what happens when JUST starting an archive on here. But first, I wanna just clear a few things up; for those who are concerned, there WILL be a Volume 2 coming soon. Trust me, I wouldn't go through the trouble of finally getting the gang to Earth just to end the story there. All in all, there's going to be THREE Volumes in this series, and I'm gonna be putting a little teaser to Volume 2 at the end of this chapter, so stay tuned for that!**

**Secondly, I want to address the situation of Ben getting a Faunus transformation; I won't rule it out for the future, but I don't plan on adding one any time soon. I've laid the seeds for Azmuth to add one to the Omnitrix with him gathering Faunus DNA, but for right now, it's gonna be a while before he does.**

**And finally, I just wanna give another shout out to SinraiPaleodemon1 over on DeviantArt for once again commissioning another AWESOME art piece inspired by this fic! It's another Frozen Nanite (Rex and Weiss) piece, this time by Sheshirukun! And as always, it's up on SinraiPaleodemon1's DeviantArt page for your viewing pleasure!**

**Alright, now with all that out of the way… let's do this. This is…**

**Chapter 120: The End of the Beginning**

* * *

Salem couldn't help but grit her teeth a bit as she watched what unfolded before her. She was gazing into one of her Seers at her meeting table, silently observing as the press conference on Patch went on. She was initially hoping for everything to go south once Ben explained everything to the crowd, with their fear and confusion being enough to attract a good swarm of Grimm from the inner parts of the island. However, much to her dismay, Tennyson had been able to calmly explain everything to the crowd before they could get into a good panic, frustrating the witch to no end.

And what's worse… he even dared to give her and her group a moniker! A brand that would forever label them as a target to be taken down by the world. Of course, it hadn't been the first time that someone has tried that, it's just that this was the first time it seemed to be succeeding. At first, Salem wanted to be mad about it, considering how Tennyson seemed to be besting them at every turn while labeling them as public enemy number one. However, the more times she ran the name through her head… the more it oddly appealed to her. _'The Ministry of Darkness, hm?'_

Still, there WERE others present who freely spoke up for their distaste of the name. "The Ministry of Darkness?" Cinder crossed her arms and scoffed. "Bah, that is such a… well, it's a rather FITTING name, but the fact that HE came up with it still doesn't sit well with me!"

Mercury narrowed his eyes at the seer, watching in distain as Ben, Yang and the others all began waving out to the crowd. "Yeah, but really, ANYTHING that those idiots come up with makes me sick."

Emerald placed a hand on her chin. "You've got a point… but still, I can't help but kinda like it." All eyes were on Emerald in surprise as she moved her own over to Cinder. "I mean, Cinder, even _you_ couldn't argue that it fits really well. And honestly, I really like the ring it has. Gives off an air of menace, ya know?"

"Heh, yeah." Rojo said as she smirked and laid her eyes onto the Seer. "Gotta hand it to Tennyson, I didn't think he'd the name of a wrestling faction and apply it to us, but hey, I guess it works."

"W-Wait, what?" Mercury asked as he, Emerald and Cinder all wore confused faces. "It's the name of a _wrestling faction_?"

"Oh, hell yeah!" Exo-Skull exclaimed from across the table. "The Ministry of Darkness was one of the most awesome wrestling factions back in the late 90's." He clenched his fist and pumped it up. "That's when the Attitude Era was at its PEAK!

"Yep, and it was led by the Dead Man himself; the Undertaker!" Thunderhog added with a big grin. "Ah, man, I LOVED watchin' wrestlin' back then. Ya don't get any more awesome than the 90's when it comes to it."

Skull rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. "Yeah, I'd give anything for the good ol' days."

Rojo gave a shrug. "Eh, I enjoyed the 2000's personally, but yeah, I can see what you're sayin'."

"Oh, for goodness sake." Subdora sighed as she rolled her eyes while filing her nails. " _Miei amici_ , I have NO idea how anyone can enjoy that." She set her gaze to the group and pursed her lips. "After all, you all know that it is fake, righ—" Subdora never got to finish her sentence as she received a huge "BOO!" from Hog, Rojo, and even her own boyfriend. Surprisingly, Emerald and Mercury were also booing her a bit, to which she raised her hands in surrender. "Gah! Alright, alright, fine! Oh my word, I know when I've stepped on one toe too many."

Cinder gave the Merlinisapien a small glance. "If it's any consolation, I am not convinced it's all that real either." She then eyed Neo as well. "And you?" The pink and brown-haired girl simply gave a small shrug, not really having a stake in the conversation.

Rojo slightly narrowed her eyes and pointed at Cinder. "It's a bunch of athletes pulling off impressive feats of strength and amazing maneuvers for a public audience, Cindy. TELL me that doesn't sound like a real sport!"

Cinder simply rolled her eyes at that. "Yes, if you like seeing a bunch of sweaty men pummeling each other like neanderthals, then I _suppose_ it's entertaining."

"HA! Shows what you know… there are lady wrestlers too!" Rojo smirked.

"Hm." Cinder furrowed her brows before waving it off. "Well, if we can get back on track…" She directed her eyes over to Salem. "My lady, what is our next course of action? Now that Tennyson has outed us to the public fully, I suspect that there will be people who will likely be seeking us out."

Salem nodded her head slightly. "Quite true. I imagine that there will be quite the number of people who will try and find our base of operations here…" She stood up, waving her hand toward the Seer to cut off the feed it was showing. "But worry not, even if they try, no one could possibly be able to make it to our location. Our isolated location and the millions of Grimm inhabiting the Land of Darkness assures that."

Rojo tilted her head. "And if they're somehow able to make it through? What then?"

"Then I will use my magic to hide us." Salem answered before shaking her head. "Really, it is nothing to be concerned about. What we SHOULD be focusing on, though, it getting you all back to Earth." She craned her head around to everyone at the table. "You all will be working in tandem together while on the planet, whether it be in one large group or in separate ones, so keep that in mind going forward."

"Will do, Lady Salem." Exo-Skull nodded. "We'll keep things together over there, trust me. …That said, what about Tyrian? And the others?"

"Tyrian will be remaining here until Arthur and Animo finish his new prosthetics." Salem answered as she began making her way around the table to the other end of the room. "Once he is accustomed to them, I will allow him to return to active duty. Though whether he will be joining you on Earth or not is another matter."

Hog quirked a brow as everyone else stood as well. "And Hazel? What about him?"

Salem peered over her shoulder at the pig mutant. "Now that his wounds are healed, I have a special mission for him." She moved her eyes back toward the door. "He may be gone for a good while, so be sure to say your farewells to him for the time being if you wish. I know that you three are rather tightly knit." With that, Salem willed the door open with a wave of her hand, ushering the others to follow her. "And of course, Viktor will be remaining here with me. Should his assistance be required on Earth, I will have Eon send him to you. Now come, it is time that we see you off."

As the group walked through the halls and into one of the recreational areas, they were met with the sight of Animo, Watts, Hazel and Viktor already gathered around the fireplace. The four seemed to have just finished a conversation, with Viktor being the first to greet them. "Miss Salem, I take it that it's time?"

"The time indeed draws near, dear Viktor." Salem affirmed before moving her eyes over to the two doctors. "Arthur, Animo, how is Tyrian doing?"

"Well, he's stable, so that's a start." Animo rubbed the back of his head. "His aura is healing his wounds as we speak, though he IS still unconscious."

Watts stroked his mustache as he spoke. "We suspect that he will be like that for a good while. How long, we cannot say, though it WILL at least allow us the chance to work on his prosthetics as he heals."

"Very well." Salem affirmed before moving her sights toward Hazel. "Now Hazel, before we send the others off, I would like to inform you of your next mission."

The large man put his hand over his chest, bowing his head respectfully. "Of course, Lady Salem. I take it that you wish for me to accompany the others to Earth?"

Salem shook her head "No, not yet, at least…" Salem held out her hand. "I wish for you to travel to Vacuo. We may be laying low for the time being with our knowledge now out to the public, but that does not mean we can dawdle in our mission. You are to investigate the capital city and provide a detailed account of the defenses around Shade Academy. My Seers are unable to get close without being killed, so this will have to fall to you. The Relic of Destruction will no doubt be heavily guarded now that the academies are on high alert, and it will be your job to find a break in their defenses."

Hazel nodded at her words. "I understand, my mistress. Anything else you wish to add?"

"Actually, yes." A sinister grin appeared on Salem's face and a plume of black smoke appeared in her outstretched hand, with an image beginning to appear in its center. "While my Seers are unable to approach the academy, they HAVE been doing a bit of reconnaissance of their own, and I believe I have come across two people who may be willing to help us…"

Once the image became clear, an image of two people appeared in it; a young man and woman with fair complexions and black hair. The woman's hair was tied into two braids that were then tied into loops on the side of her head while the man's was tied into a top knot, with what appeared to be a silver diadem slipped over it.

As everyone stared at the people in the image, the first reaction… was for Rojo to let out a hearty laugh. "BAH-HA-HA-HA!" She slapped her forehead in disbelief as she pointed to the man in the image. "W-Who is THAT?! HAHA! He—He looks like a complete TOOL with that hair style! And don't even get me STARTED on the tiara! HAHAHA!"

Emerald couldn't help but giggle a little herself, with Neo putting a hand to her lips in a quite chuckle and Mercury desperately trying to keep himself from busting a gut. "Y-You gotta admit, that haircut is NOT what I call all that flattering."

Cinder stifled a laugh as she held back a smirk. "To say the least."

"You may laugh, but believe me, these young people could be of great use to us." Salem said as she began explaining further. "These two are Jax and Gillain Asturias, the leaders of an underground organization called "The Crown". They wish to restore the Vacuan Monarchy, as they believe themselves to be descendants of Malik the Sunderer."

Mercury furrowed his brows. "Isn't that royal line untraceable?"

"Indeed… but the fact that they seem to have a clear goal of taking over Vacuo means that we may be able to… _lend_ our services to them."

Hazel bowed his head. "Very well, Miss Salem. If that is what you wish, I shall do it. But where do I find these two?"

"That… is much harder than it seems, really." Salem explained. "My Seer was only lucky enough to be able to capture these images of them a week ago before they completely disappeared. It seems that they like to keep secretive with their work." She waved her hand over the black smoke, doing away with Jax and Gillain's visages before conjuring a new one. "However, further investigations has lead me to conclude that this woman is associating with them. Her, you will be able to find quite easily…"

In the smoke, the image of the new woman appeared… and nearly every Remnant native in the room all wore shocked expressions at who they saw. There, in the smoke, was the image of a dark-skinned woman with vibrant auburn air, a single lock of which was bright silver. She had piercing golden eyes and freckles on her face, along with a mischievous grin and a pair of goggles on her head. Emerald couldn't believe what she was seeing. "W-Wait, isn't that…"

"Carmine Esclados?" Cinder finished in disbelief. "But… she is a famous Huntress! How is she—"

"Associated with the Crown?" Salem finished. "Simple; she is a human trafficker for them. Specifically, she targets people with highly potent Semblances and delivers them to the Crown."

Rojo crossed her arms in thought. "Hm, sounds like they're either throwing one hell of a party… or they're building an army."

"An army that WE could use." Salem emphasized as she closed her hand, making Carmine's face dissipate. "If we manage to find Miss Esclados, she can likely lead us to the Crown."

"A very sound plan, Miss Salem." Viktor concurred. "Perhaps I should accompany Hazel on this mission?"

However, Salem raised a hand. "No, Viktor, at least not yet." She sent a dark, yet sly smile toward the Transylian. "After all, we do not wish to attract any unnecessary attention to ourselves, especially at the moment. And not to sound rude, but… you stick out quite easily in a crowd."

Viktor's right eye widened at that before coughing into his hand. "Ahem, er, yes, of course. I will remain here, then."

"Very good…" Salem trailed off as she pondered over something, only to then face all of her followers once again. "One last item of interest, though… young Tennyson has recently ousted us and our plans to the world. He has even given us a new moniker; the Ministry of Darkness."

Watts scoffed at the notion. "Bah! What a nonsensical title. Does he really expect to just slap a name on us? Does he think THAT will be enough to rally the people of Remnant?"

"Perhaps… but then again, it COULD possibly work in our favor." Salem smirked

Animo and many others raised a brow at this. "What do you mean, Lady Salem?"

Salem stepped over to the fireplace, continuing even as she faced away from her followers. "If Tennyson wishes to rally the people of Remnant against us, then very well. Titles DO indeed have the power to do great things… but what he fails to realize is that it works both ways." Salem turned around and extended her arms toward her followers. "If he wishes to give us a name, then I say we arrogate it." Her smile became much more nefarious as she finished her statement. "Let us show the people of both Remnant AND Earth that the Ministry of Darkness is a force that should not be taken lightly. THIS will be our new beginning."

Rojo smirked and pumped a fist. "Hell yeah! I can get behind that, Boss Lady!"

"Yeah, so can I!" Exo-Skull shouted.

"Me too!" Thunderhog jumped in. "It's time to stop losin' an' start gettin' shit done!" At his remark, he received a slew of narrowed-eyed glares from almost the whole room, leaving him confused and a bit worried. "W-What? What'd I say?"

Subdora folded her arms over her chest. "Perhaps it would not be a good idea to jinx things with words such as that, Thaddeus. This is a new start for us, yes, but perhaps it is best if we left the past in the past."

"Then we are all agreed." Salem said with a nod before smiling sinisterly to herself. _'Hm… perhaps I should thank Benjamin for the new title he has given us. …Maybe I will make sure that his death is quick and painless instead of the slow, agonizing death I had planned for him.'_ She waved the thought away for now before facing Cinder's team, the mutants, and Subdora. "Now, I believe it's time that we send you all on your way."

"Very good, my lady." Watts said before glancing around the room in suspicion, unaware that a sudden flash of purple light had erupted from behind him. "Now, where IS that new guest of ours? Is he even still here?"

" _Right behind you."_ With a quick tap on the doctor's shoulder, Eon succeeded in spooking Watts right off the ground, the group watching as he leaped a good four feet up before spinning around in shock. A few members of the Ministry laughed in amusement, Cinder and Rojo especially, while others simply watched on as Watts let out a grumble at the time manipulator, who folded his arms and chuckled as well. _"Hmhm, I apologize, doctor, but I simply couldn't resist."_

Watts grimaced, giving a sneer as Eon moved past him. "Hm, I see. And where exactly have YOU been?"

Eon shrugged at that. _"Oh, simply taking a tour of the Land of Darkness, taking in the sights since I have a feeling that I'm going to be seeing a lot of this place in the future."_ He placed his hands behind his back. _"Ah, and I was also sneaking a peek at Tennyson's little conference."_ They couldn't see it, but the Ministry could tell that there was a smirk on his face when he said; _"And it sounds like you all have a new name. Quite interesting…"_ He faced Salem and bowed his head, placing his right arm against his chest. _"Lady Salem, I take it that it's time?"_

Salem nodded to him. "Yes, you may open the portal when ready, Eon."

"Very well, then." Eon turned to Cinder and Rojo's group, the mutants and Subdora, who were all concentrated on him intently. "Alright, listen closely; because I am unable to physically enter Tennyson's universe, I can only keep my portals open there for a limited amount of time, so when I open it, you all need to get through there as fast as possible." He placed his hands on his hips expectantly. "Now, do you all have everything you need for the jump?"

Exo-Skull and Thunderhog gave a shrug. "Pretty much." the rhino mutant answered. "I mean, we pretty much only came here with the clothes and armor on our backs, so there really ain't that much stuff for us to take along."

Hog placed his hands behind his head. "Yeah, an' besides, Skull an' I have got a place back on Earth where all our stuff is already."

"Same." Rojo said as her hand went to a small button on her breast plate. "In fact, I'm pretty much ready to go, too…" She pressed the button and, all of a sudden, her armor began shifting and folding in on itself, releasing itself from her body in the process. By the time it was done, the armor had folded up into a backpack-shaped case that Rojo opened up and placed her helm in before slinging it over her shoulder, leaving her in a pair of white socks, black jeans and a red sports tank. "All I need are my sneakers and I'll be good to go." She smiled over to Cinder with a thumbs up. "Hey Cindy, when you guys go get your stuff, you think you can get 'em for me? …Cindy?" Rojo blinked as Cinder did nothing but stare at her, leading her to snap her fingers a couple times. "Hey, Earth to Cindy! Ya read me?"

Cinder was brought out of her daze at that, shaking her head to get herself back on track. "O-O-Oh, yes. O-Of course, Rojo. We'll be right back. Come along, everyone." With that, the Fall Maiden spun around and briskly began leading Subdora, Emerald, Mercury and Neo back to the rooms to get their things… but all the way to and back from the rooms, Cinder couldn't get one thing off her mind; Rojo in the tank top. _'W-Why was I looking at her like that?! And why was I so focused on her shoulders and that… very toned back—GAH! I'm doing it again!"_

By the time they had returned, Cinder was rolling a rather large, red suitcase full of her most essential valuables while Emerald was pulling along two, smaller green ones. Mercury had a grey and black duffle back slung across his shoulder while Subdora and Neo settled for simple, white backpacks since they didn't have much to take with them. Cinder was also carrying Rojo's sneakers, which she quickly handed off to the bounty hunter so that she didn't get caught staring at her again. "Hey, thanks, Cindy!" Rojo said before slipping her sneakers on.

"N-No problem." Cinder stammered back.

What the Maiden didn't catch were the knowing grins that Emerald, Subdora and Neo were all wearing. _'Oh, she's got it BAD.'_ the green-haired thief thought to herself.

Eon gave the group a nod as they all stood before him. _"Alright, I suppose you're all ready?"_ He received a slew of nods from the eight departing members, to which he returned. _"Good, then here we go."_ Eon raised his hand and gave an extorted grunt, with a bright violet portal opening up in the middle of the room. _"Ah, alright, you have about five minutes. I suggest you go."_

"Very well." Cinder said before she and her group all faced Salem, giving her a bow. "Well, I suppose this is farewell for now, my lady."

"Perhaps, but I will be sure to keep in touch with you all." Salem assured as she waved her hand, summoning two Seers through the doorway. "I expect frequent updates on your progress in this new world."

Cinder blinked as one of the Seers floated over to them, raising a brow at it. "Will we even be able to communicate with you across the dimensions?"

"There is only one way to find that out, young Cinder." Salem raised a single finger to her Maiden. "And remember this; while your main mission is to intercept the heroes at any point, I also expect you to start recruiting more allies. You are going to Tennyson's dimension, after all, so I suggest you try to bring as many of his rogues to our cause as you can."

Rojo gave her a salute. "Sounds like a plan, Boss Lady. We'll be sure to keep a sharp eye out."

Over near Hazel and Animo, Hog and Skull were saying their goodbyes, too. "Well boss, it's been real." Hog said with a bow of his head. "Thanks again for givin' us the opportunity to get where we are now."

"Think nothing of it, Thaddeus." Animo waved. "Simply put your new abilities to great use back on Earth, and demonstrate just how superior you and Farkas are."

"Will do, boss." Skull said before he and Hog offered Hazel a fist bump. "An' good luck on your mission, Hazel. We'll miss havin' ya around."

Hazel smiled as he returned the gesture. "The feeling is mutual, my friends. Now I suggest you all leave. I believe Eon is struggling."

" _Oh no, please, DO take your time."_ Eon said sarcastically. _"I'm not going anywhere."_ The group of eight furrowed their brows at the dimension hopper's remark before making their way through the portal, all of them giving Salem one final salute as they did so. As the Seer Grimm floated behind the group through the portal, Eon lowered his arms, letting out a tired breath as he allowed the vortex to finally close. _"Hah, and it's done."_

"Very good." Salem nodded as she gazed at the spot where the portal once was. _'Best of luck to you, my Ministry.'_

* * *

The last thing that Cinder was expecting to happen once she stepped through the portal was being blinded by a bright light, a wave of heat immediately crashing into her face. She winced and let out a grunt, raising a hand to shield her eyes. "Gah! W-What IS that?! I—" _HIISSS!_ Before she could finish her sentence, she was cut off when the Seer suddenly let out a sharp hiss, the creature retreating into the shadows of a nearby ally to protect itself. "Oh… oh my, that's not good."

"You're telling me." Emerald said as she grit her teeth. "What the hell is going on here?!"

"OH GOD!" Mercury covered his eyes, as did Neo, the latter huddling into a corner while the silver-haired assassin yelled; "NATURAL LIGHT!"

Cinder sneered as her eyes dilated, allowing her vision to correct itself. "This is getting ridiculous, what even IS… huh?" Cinder blinked in shock as she realized… that nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. They were all in an alley way in what appeared to be a normal town, surrounded by buildings on all sides. Across the street, there was an establishment with a big sign out front that said "Mr. Smoothies". If anything, the only odd thing that Cinder thought was off was the place's mascot, it's cheery smile already beginning to give her a headache.

Rojo smirked and jerked her thumb upward. "Uh, that would be the sun, Cindy."

Emerald, Mercury and Neo were all finally able to open their eyes clearly… and were surprised by the revelation. "Holy crap…" the greenette murmured. "This place, it's a lot… _brighter_ than Remnant."

"Yeah, a whole lot more vibrant, if you ask me." Mercury sneered. "Kinda makes me sick, really." Next to him, Neo rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the side. "Hey! C'mon, ya gotta admit, it's kinda weird."

Thunderhog smirked over to the four Remnant natives. "Well, it IS summer, so I guess it IS a bit off-putting."

Cinder shook her head. "No, it's not JUST that." She pointed toward the Seer Grimm, which was practically cowering in the corner. "The Seer reacted negatively stepping into the sun light. Not even Grimm on Remnant are affected by our sun like that." She stepped over to the Seer and spoke into it. "Lady Salem, we have arrived. Are you there?!"

Then, much to everyone's surprise, a sigh came from the Seer, with Salem's face appearing in its cranium. _"Ah, good, you are all there."_

"Haha! _Genio_!" Subdora cheered, with many others joining her. "We have communication between dimensions!"

"Quite the miracle." Cinder commented before going back to her mistress. "Lady Salem, we may have an issue. The Seer reacted negatively in this planet's sunlight."

" _Hm, I see…"_ Salem replied. _"Well then, we will have to keep that in mind going forward._ _For now, transport the Seer to your new domicile and keep it there. We will communicate twice a week to keep frequent updates. Is that clear?"_

Cinder nodded at that. "Of course, my lady. We shall speak again soon." With that, Cinder opened her suitcase as the Seer retracted its tentacles, allowing her to shove it in. "So, now what do we do?"

Exo-Skull peered out into the streets, scanning his eyes around to make sure they weren't spotted. Thankfully, no body had noticed their arrival, which meant that they could sneak away easily. "Well, for now, we should take Salem's advice an' get to our places." Skull jabbed a thumb over his shoulder down the street. "Mine and Hog's place is off that way, so we'll take Subdora there."

Hog let out an amused snort. "Hopefully we can do that without gettin' spotted."

"Indeed, we DO stick out like the sorest thumb." Subdora concurred before eyeing Rojo. "And what about you, _Rossa_? Where is your domicile?"

Rojo nudged her head in the opposite direction. "That way a couple blocks down. Not exactly the BEST place imaginable, but we'll be well off, I think." She gave a wink to her squad. "Hell, the place even has extra rooms, so there's that."

"I see. Well, we best be off then." Cinder said as she gave the mutants and Subdora a nod. "Make sure to keep in touch. Lady Salem will want to hear of your progress as well."

Exo-Skull gave her a salute. "No prob, Cinder. We'll check in regularly. For now, we'll see ya later."

With that, the group of eight split up, with Mercury sighing as their group exited the alleyway to follow Rojo to her place. "Well, I guess this really IS a new beginning for us."

"Yup." Emerald nodded. "This world's pretty strange, but I think I can get used to it." Neo bobbed her head in agreement as the two ladies scanned their eyes around. "I mean, it doesn't really _seem_ all that different from Remnant… at least from what we've seen so far."

"Heh, might not wanna get used to that, Em." Rojo chuckled. "You guys are gonna get whiplash from how different things are around here, I guarantee it."

Cinder simply offered a shrug as they continued down the street. "Hm, perhaps…" A smirk came to her face as her eyes began to burn brightly with her Maiden powers. "But so long as we're able to keep interfering with those heroes' plans, then I say it will all be worth it." As they continued down the street, however, a thought came to Cinder's mind and she glanced toward Rojo. "By the way, how do you still have this place of yours if you've been imprisoned for an extended period of time?"

Rojo's eyes widened in realization. "…Oh, shit."

"Oh no." Emerald said with a panicked face. "Please tell me that we have a place to live!"

"Oh, don't worry, we do…" Rojo winced. "But I just realized… we're flat broke." The Remnant natives face faulted all at once, leaving Rojo the only one standing. "…Yeah, this might be a pretty rough start." She pulled out her phone, thankful that she had service again. "Welp, better start searchin' up bounties. C'mon guys, let's go."

* * *

Back in Remnant, the press conference on Patch had finally concluded and the team had all returned to the Xiao Long house, bringing many of their friends and comrades with them in the process. Surprisingly, once they got there, they found Tetrax, Caesar, Swift and Argit all waiting outside of the Resolute for them, with Azmuth perched on the Petrosapien's shoulder. Once Yang and Ben pulled up on Bumblebee, with Rex and Weiss not far behind, they instantly greeted the five with smiles. "Hey guys!" Ben waved. "So, you all ready to go?"

"Indeed, we are." Tetrax nodded. "Question is, are you?"

Yang pumped a fist in response. "Yep, we've got all our stuff packed up and in the Rustbucket, ready to be brought on board your ship." She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder to indicate the RV moving past them and onto the ship right at that moment. She gave a thumbs up as she got back on Bumblebee. "And if you'll excuse me, I've gotta get my baby on board, too!"

"Of course." Swift smirked before saluting to the girl. "And Yang, sweet hat!"

Yang tipped her hat to Swift in appreciation before driving up the Resolute's ramp. "Thanks, Swift!"

Caesar stepped up and ruffled his little brother's hair. "So, you ready to head back, _mijo_? I'm sure that Six and Bobo are pretty eager to see you and Holiday."

"Heh, yeah, I'm pretty sure we're ALL ready to get outta here." Rex laughed before focusing on Weiss. "Gotta beat it before _el padre idiota_ gets here, right Ice Princess?"

Weiss pursed her lips and sneered in disgust. "Ugh, yeah. The last thing I wanna see is him…" Suddenly, a smirk came to her face as she saw Winter and Raven pop in through a portal, with Jessie, Whitlea and Ruby's friends in tow. Her mind going to devious places in an instant. "But fortunately, Winter and I have a plan if it comes to that…" She glanced over to Ben and her boyfriend. "And YOU two are gonna help us."

The heroic duo set their eyes on one another in apprehension. "…Dude, how is your girlfriend this mischievous?"

"I dunno, how's YOUR girlfriend so bombastic?" Rex countered.

"Fair enough."

As the rest of the vehicles began pulling up, Kevin's car came to a brief stop to let Ruby, Blake, Ilia and Gwen out, the former carrying what appeared to be a VERY large kitchen bowl. After that, the Osmosian followed Yang and Max's example, bringing his car onboard the Resolute. "I STILL cannot believe that Mr. and Mrs. Vulcan gave us ALL of this beef stew just for what we did yesterday!" the Hooded Huntress exclaimed as she and the other girls walked over to the group. "I mean, I appreciate it, but it still seems a bit much."

"No kidding." Ilia said before her eyes brightened up at the sight of her half-Aerophibian… Her train of thought trailed off before she got to the last word. _'Ilia, she's not JUST your friend anymore, she's your crush, and you'd better just learn to accept that.'_ She took a small deep breath before greeting the girl. "Hey, Swift!"

"Hey, Freckles!" Swift went for a high-five, which the chameleon girl returned. "Saw ya on the tube! So, how did it feel being in front of all those people?"

"Hah, nerve wracking." Ilia brushed a hand through her hair nervously. "I didn't even speak and I was STILL scared…"

Blake raised a hand at her words. "Yeah, same. I was never really good with crowds." The cat girl then quirked a brow at the alien hybrid with a smile. "So, Swift, you excited to finally get back to Earth? You'll finally be a free woman… kind of."

Swift sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah, kinda. Still not looking forward to all the stuff that's required on my parole, but hey, if it helps me avoid prison, then I'll go for it."

Ilia narrowed her eyes at Swift, shifting them to a vibrant red. "Oh, you'd better… because I'm gonna make SURE that you do." Swift's eyes widened in shock, which Ilia couldn't help but laugh at as her eyes went back to normal. "HAHA! Oh relax, Swift, just giving you some… reinforcement."

The Aerophibian couldn't help but smirk at that. "Heh, yeah, sure." She gave Ilia's shoulder a playful shove. "Thanks for having my back, Freckles."

"Hmhm, any time."

Off to the side, Blake and the other girls couldn't help but smile and roll their eyes. _'I HAVE to get Ilia to ask her out soon.'_ Blake remarked in her head. Before long, Team JNPR, Sun, Neptune, Penny and Pietro all joined them as well, with Yang, Kevin and Max returning from the ship. Once they were all together, Blake took a deep breath and set her sights onto her boyfriend. "So, are we ready for this?"

"Depends… do we HAVE everything?" Sun asked, adding a serious edge to his voice for emphasis. "Our clothes, our games, everything?"

"Pretty much, I think." Jaune shrugged. "I mean, the only think we HAVEN'T loaded up yet is—" _BARK-BARK!_ The knight smiled along with Ruby, Pyrrha and Blake as they all set their sights on the front door, seeing Zwei, Romulus and Rema all come bounding off the front porch and toward their feet. Jaune chuckled as he picked Romulus up, with Blake and Ruby doing the same with their respective pups. "Hehe, yes, we COULDN'T forget you, could we?" Jaune asked as he rubbed noses with his and Pyrrha's wolf pup.

"No, no we couldn't!" Ruby pat Zwei on the head as he licked her face. "C'mon, let's go put you guys in the—AH!" As she moved around, she was suddenly spooked when Professor Paradox and Oscar appeared directly behind her, causing many of the others to scream as well. "AGH! Professor! Don't do that!"

"Yeah, what, are you trying to give us a heart attack?!" Neptune exclaimed.

Paradox raised a hand. "Apologies, everyone, but we simply wished to say farewell to you all before we left." He gestured between Oscar and Azmuth. "It's time that we take our leave. Azmuth needs to get back to Galvan Prime, and I think now is a good time to give Oscar a tour of the galaxy."

Off to the side, Pietro's eyes widened as he set them onto Azmuth. "Oh, so you're leaving already, are ya, Azmuth?"

"Indeed, there is much work left to be done on Galvan." Azmuth answered as he hopped down from Tetrax's shoulder and landed on the arm rest of Pietro's chair. "However, I will say that I am glad to have gotten to know you, Pietro. And I can assure you that I will update you on my findings about your daughter in the future."

Pietro chortled a bit as he extended his hand, shaking Azmuth's tiny one very carefully. "Well, I very much appreciate that, Azmuth. Thank you very much."

Penny, meanwhile, was beaming excitedly at Oscar. "Ooh! Oscar, you must be so excited to be taking a grand tour of Ben's home galaxy! I am _incredibly_ envious!"

The young farm boy smiled eagerly. "Yeah! The Professor said that we're gonna take a visit to… what planet was it? Terradino, first?"

Kevin smirked and gave a thumbs up. "Oh, you're DEFINITELY gonna dig Terradino, Oscar. That's where Humungousaur's from."

"WHAT?!" Nora shouted, her jaw going slack. "You mean Oscar gets to go to the dinosaur planet first and not ME?!" The redhead huffed and crossed her arms, giving a pout. "That's so unfair!"

Ren sighed and put a hand to Nora's shoulder. "Nora, I'm sure that we'll get to see the dinosaur planet at some point. It pays to have patience, remember?"

Nora gave a small whine, but let out a sigh, relenting to Ren's words. "Yeah, I guess." She snapped around and pointed a finger at Oscar. "BUT I STILL WANT TO SEE PICTURES!"

"O-Okay, okay!" Oscar raised his hands defensively, though he still couldn't help but laugh at Nora's antics. "Hehe, I'll get you pictures, Nora, I promise…" He scanned his eyes around to every member of the team, giving them all a small grin. "I gotta say, I may not have known you guys for very long… but I'm still really grateful to have met all of you. I'm really glad that you're all my friends."

"We feel the same way, Oscar." Pyrrha returned, going up to ruffle the boy's hair. "And I hope that we'll be able to see you soon."

Paradox strolled up, with Azmuth now in his hand. "Hmhm, well, considering that I am a time traveler, I do not think that will be difficult. Now, I suggest you all get your goodbyes in. Time waits for no man as the old saying goes… well, except for me, but—"

"We get it, Prof." Ben said before everyone started saying their goodbyes to Oscar. Once they were done, though, Ben faced Azmuth with a curious face. "But before you go, I wanna ask you something, Azmuth." He lifted up the Omnitrix to its creator, pointing at the face place. "Now, I don't wanna sound pedantic or anything, but I've been experiencing a LOT of mis-transformations lately. With the old Omnitrix controls, I got whatever alien I wanted, practically every time. So I'm wondering if it's something you can—"

He was cut off when Azmuth sighed and shook his head. "Ugh, Young Benjamin, I am a genius, but I expected just a _little_ more dexterity in those fat fingers of yours!"

Yang wore an indigent expression on her face at the remark about her boyfriend. "Hey! I've felt those fingers enough to know that they are goddamn perfect, so—"

"Well, if that's the case, then he should STOP banging so hard on my Omnitrix!" Azmuth said irritably, pointing at Ben and making him flinch. "The impact sets the time-out function to a random transformation, meaning that your slamming is inadvertently rotating the selection pad! Also, another thing; switching from alien to alien on the fly like you do is bad for the Omnitrix, as it only drains the battery even more. So unless you suddenly can access the Master Control, I suggest you stop THAT as well."

Ben let out a despondent sigh, his body leaning over in exasperation. "Yes sir, I understand, sir." However, he brightened up as a certain memory worked its way into his head. "Oh yeah, by the way… my eighteenth birthday IS coming up…" He smirked as he tapped the Omnitrix. "And you said that you'd give me access to Master Control then, so…"

Despite himself, Azmuth let out a chortle. "Hmhm, we will see." He was about to turn around before another thought occurred to him. "Oh, and by the way." The First Thinker raised an eyeridge at the young hero. "I have been told by Max that you are still fearful of using the Ectonurite transformation." Azmuth immediately saw Ben's face grow pale at his words. "I see. You ARE aware that it's safe to use now, correct?"

"He's right, Ben." Max spoke up. "Azmuth told me that he made one hundred percent sure that Ghostfreak IS safe to use. You don't have to worry about—"

"I know!" Ben suddenly shouted, causing everyone to be taken aback by the sudden outburst. Even the people who weren't standing with them all set their eyes on him worriedly. "I-I mean… yeah, I know." he muttered, more calmly this time. "S-Sorry, grandpa, but… I can't get over Ghostfreak just like that. Not when I still sometimes get the nightmares that I have…" He trailed off when he felt a warm hand take his, and he didn't even have to look to know who it was. Yang pulled herself into a side-embrace with her boyfriend, nestling her head against his shoulder as she just comforted him.

"…I realize how you must feel, Ben." Azmuth nodded. "Zs'Skayr put you through quite the traumatizing ordeal, something that no ten-year-old human should ever go through. In fact, you were put through quite a few things that no child should have to experience." Ben lifted his head up to meet Azmuth's gaze. "You no doubt still remember Malware."

Ben sighed at that. "Yeah, how can I forget? I had to relive those memories when you sent Feedback's DNA over."

Azmuth put his hands behind his back. "I had a feeling you would. However, I still sent the DNA over anyway. And do you wish to know why?" Ben tilted his head, ushering the Galvan to go on. "Because I knew that you would find it in yourself to overcome that fear. You have faces many great challenges over nearly the last eight years, Ben, and you have overcome everything that has been thrown at you." A rare smile came to Azmuth's face as he finished. "So, I had no doubt that you'd do the same when I sent the Conductoid DNA over with Rex and Doctor Holiday."

A smile of Ben's own came to his face, though it was still a bit unsure. "So… you really think I can do the same with Ghostfreak?"

"I am quite certain you can." Azmuth's expression went back to being serious again. "After all, the counter to Salem's life draining magic lies WITH the Ectonurite transformation. Ectonurites have no life energy after all, so should you be able to transform into one, Salem will not be able to use that particular ability on you anymore."

Ben rubbed the back of his head. "Hm… you have a good point."

"I always do." Azmuth said matter-of-factly causing the hero to deadpan a bit. An amused chuckle escaped Azmuth's lips as he smiled at the hero once more. "But still, if you feel you are not ready to utilize the Ectonurite transformation, then take it at your own pace." Ben slowly returned the smile and gave a silent nod, which Azmuth reciprocated. "Well, with that, I should be off…" However, his eyes widened before shifting his gaze over to General Ironwood, who was conversing with Athena, Jessie and Glynda. "Oh, and general!"

The four Hunters perked up, with Ironwood uttering; "Hm? Yes, Azmuth?"

Azmuth reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a handful of tiny Dust fragments, giving Ironwood a nod. "Thank you once again for these Dust samples. These should prove quite valuable in my research."

Ironwood sent Azmuth a wave. "No problem. And take care!" The general then set his eyes onto Oscar, giving him a salute. "And Oscar… be safe, alright?"

"We hope to see you back soon." Glynda added.

Oscar smiled at the both of them and waved back as he, Paradox and Azmuth all grouped up. "Will do, guys! I'll see ya later!"

"And with that, we are off!" Paradox said cheerfully before focusing on the team once again. "Tata for now, everyone. I suspect I will see you again quite soon… or perhaps not. After all…"

"Time is relative." came the collective deadpan of every team member. Paradox got a good chuckle out of that before a blinding light suddenly flashed from him, Oscar and Azmuth. And in the next instant, all three of them were gone.

Nora let out a sad sigh. "I'm gonna miss that kid. Even if he's luck enough to go to the Dino Planet." Her remark managed to get a good laugh out of everyone there.

* * *

Over the course of the next half hour, the gang continued to make their preparations for their departure, with Coco pulling her roadster onto the ship with everyone else's vehicles. Once everyone made sure that the rest of their valuables were on board, Ruby, Pyrrha and Blake all put their respective pups into the Rustbucket, with Argit having been coerced into watching them back on board. "Man, why do _I_ have to watch the mangy mongrels?" he huffed as he crossed his arms

"Because you look like a rat and they enjoy playing with your tail." Ruby explained cheerfully with a wave. "Have fun, Argit!" The rodent-like alien simply grumbled in response as Ruby closed the door to the Rustbucket, not even putting up a fight as Zwei began to pull his tail and Romulus and Rema started chewing on his jacket. With that, Ruby skipped her way back down the ramp, returning to the large group that had collected themselves in the front yard. She saw that her friends were beaming up at her, waiting for their goodbyes. "So… I guess this is it."

"Yeah, seems like it." Iris shrugged before pulling Ruby into a hug, which Daisy and Oliver immediately got in on. "Just remember to keep in touch, okay?"

"And you simply HAVE to give us the grand tour if WE ever come over there, darling." Daisy emphasized with a wink. "Seeing a whole new world would be utterly exhilarating!"

Oliver gave Ruby a thumbs up. "Yeah, what Dais said! And hey, kick plenty of bad guy butt while you're over there, 'kay?"

Ruby gave a giggle while returning the gesture. "Hehe, will do!"

Over by Raven and Tai, the couple were standing opposite of Vernal, the lady bandit standing with a hand to her hip. "Okay, so I left a list of things for you to do on the counter top." Tai explained. "I know that chores might be a bit… odd for someone like you to do considering—"

"Relax, old man." Vernal said with a salute. "I've had plenty of experience with manual labor." She jerked a thumb over to Raven. "Just ask her, she's put me through the wringer."

"Hmhm, that I have." Raven chuckled as she approached her protégé. "But thank you again for watching the house while Tai's away, Vernal. I appreciate it greatly."

"No problem, Raven. It's the least I could—huh?" Vernal was suddenly stunned into silence as, to her surprise, Raven pulled her into a hug, the Fall Maiden's arm wrapping around her shoulders as her other hand went to the back of her head. To say that Vernal didn't know what to do would've been an understatement. "I… I-I…"

Raven softly smiled as she gently trailed her hand through Vernal's hair. "Hm, I'm very glad that you're with us, Vernal. I hope to see you soon."

Vernal swallowed and forced a response out. "U-Uh yeah! S-Sure."

"Well would you look at that?" the two former Branwen Tribe members glanced up to see Ben and Yang approaching them, the latter giving Vernal a smirk. "If this keeps up, I might have to call ya "Big Sis V" from now on!"

A fierce blush came to Vernal's face as Raven giggled slightly, letting go of her protégé in the process. "S-Stop that!" the lady bandit closed her eyes, crossed her arms and spun around, hoping to avoid the awkward situation all together. "L-Listen, blondie, that's very flattering, but I am NOT a good role model. Trust me, ya wouldn't want me as a sister, period."

"Aw, don't be like that!" Yang said as she came up and hugged Vernal from behind. "Honestly, you might as well already be a part of the fam!"

If anything, this just made Vernal blush even more. "Grr… how in the hell do you know how to say the RIGHT mushy crap?"

"Because I'm a big sister, too!" Yang cheerfully stated. "Plus I get a lot of practice in saying mushy things to my boyfriend, too."

Ben gave a shrug. "Can't fault her on that one, really." The hero's eyes trailed over to General Ironwood, who was approaching them with Glynda and Jessie by his side. Ben greeted the trio with a nod. "Well, it's been a pretty wild ride, huh, general?"

Ironwood nodded back and extended a hand. "You can say that again, Ben." The duo shook hands as the older man continued. "But I think it's safe to say that the ride itself isn't over yet. Not by a long shot."

"There will be a lot of work to be done, not just in Vale but around the world as well." Glynda picked things up from there. "But, considering how your speech went, I suspect that things might be able to be a little easier going forward… hopefully."

At that moment, Ruby came over as well, with Weiss, Winter and Rex in tow. "Hehe, don't worry, Professor Goodwitch! We just have to make sure that the people remember what we're all fighting for."

"It WILL be a lot of work, but I'm pretty sure that it'll all be worth it." Weiss remarked.

"Yeah, _no problema_!" Rex said with a confident face. "We'll probably be facing tons of bad guys on Earth, but we'll always have time to hop back over to Remnant if we need to!"

Winter stepped up and gave Ironwood a salute. "Exactly… and I promise, general, I will be sure to help the team in whatever way I can."

Ironwood chuckled and returned the salute. "I appreciate that, Winter, but remember; treat this like a personal holiday for yourself as much as possible, too." His smile transitioned into a knowing smirk. "After all, you have a rather special someone waiting for you over there, don't you?"

"Y-Yes, of course, sir." Winter stammered, a soft smile of her own appearing on her face. "I just hope that you will be able to keep things together while I'm gone."

A small laugh escaped Ironwood's throat. "Heh, what? You think I can't handle the army on my own?"

Winter's eyes widened and she quickly rejected the idea. "N-No! Of course not, I was simply…" But then she saw that Ironwood's smirk was still present. "…You were joking, weren't you?"

"Haha, it's like I said, Winter, you need a vacation." Ironwood repeated. "Learn to have a good time, laugh a little… and be sure to have some fun with that young man over there. From what I hear, he sounds quite nice. And don't worry about me…" He glanced over toward Glynda and smiled at her, though it seemed somewhat bashful as she returned it. "…I'll have someone to watch my back over here."

Winter hummed a bit, satisfied with that answer. "I will keep that in mind, general."

Over with the teens, Jessie was getting in her own goodbye as well, the cowgirl tipping her hat to the group one final time. "Well, I gotta admit, I never thought that I'd get to work with such lively kids like all of y'all! I'm glad that I could get to know all of ya."

"The feeling's mutual, Jessie!" Yang said as she tipped her hat back at the Vacuan Huntress. "And again, thanks for the hat."

"No problem… that said, I think ya'll have visitors." Jessie pointed behind the group and they all turned around, seeing Teams CRDL and ABRN approaching them. "I'll mossy on outta the way an' give you kids some space while I say my goodbyes to everyone else, 'kay?"

"Yeah, probably for the best." Ben said as he and the others waved to the cowgirl. "Thanks again, Jessie! Hope to work with you again!" Once the redheaded woman moved over to say goodbye to Team CFVY, the five teens all faced the two incoming teams, with Ben greeting them first. "Hey guys, I'm glad you came over. I actually wanted to thank for giving those words at the press conference before we left, and—"

"Hey, think nothing of it, dude." Cardin assured. "Honestly, it was the least we could do."

Arslan jabbed her thumb over to the redheaded knight. "Yeah, and we meant every word. We're gonna give it our all in this fight against Salem. That I can promise you."

"And it's gonna be OFF THE CHAIN!" Reese suddenly bellowed, throwing up a shaka sign with her hand as she lowered her voice for a moment. "I seriously can't WAIT until we get to see some more action! Salem and her crew won't know what hit her!"

Russel snickered and held up a fist. "Hey, now THAT'S the kinda language I can get behind! Let's thrash those nerds!"

"Hell yeah!" Reese said as she gave the mohawked teen a fist bump.

Weiss let out a sigh at the rather uncouth behavior of the two. "Is THIS what skaters act like all the time?"

"Not always." Rex shrugged. "But it's pretty common."

"Cardin!" Everyone's gazes shifted around to see Velvet marching up to the group, her eyes dead set on Cardin as she came ever closer. The tall boy's face slightly faltered under the rather intense expression she was giving him, her brown eyes boring into him with a surprising fierceness behind them. She finally stepped directly in front of him and stared into his eyes, taking him aback even more. "I have just ONE thing to say to you."

"W-What is it, Velvet?" Cardin said worriedly. "D-Did I screw something up the day before?!" He slapped his forehead and grit his teeth. "GAH! I _knew_ I should've taken you somewhere nicer—oof!" Without warning, Velvet suddenly glomped herself onto the unsuspecting young man, a slight giggle escaping her throat as she did. "…You tricked me."

Velvet smiled and winked up to him. "Oh, I wouldn't say _that_. I'm just trying to leave an impression before I leave." She glanced off to the side with a sheepish grin. "Heh, y-you see, Coco thought it would be a good idea."

"And it WAS! HAHA!" Coco laughed out loud as she, Cooper, Fox and Yatsu approached, the boys giving the budding couple an apologetic smile. Coco sighed before lowering her sunglasses and grinning at Cardin. "Heh, but no, seriously, ya might wanna get whatever words ya wanna say to each other out now, because you're not gonna see Vel for another week."

Cardin sighed as his shoulders went slack. "Yeah… right. Man, honestly, a week sounds like forever at this point."

"Yes, it does." Velvet said before suddenly moving up to her tiptoes and giving Cardin a kiss on the cheek, much to his and the others' shock. "But at the same time, it's not. I'll be back sooner than you think, Cardin, and when I do, I would like to go out with you again. The date you took me on a couple days ago was perfect, by the way." Once again, the bunny girl winked at him. "And I look forward to many more in the future."

Cardin blushed profusely as he cleared his throat. "O-Oh! Um… thanks, Velvet. I-I do to, and I-I'd be happy to take you out more."

Velvet smiled brightly at his words. "Excellent!"

"Hey, uh, where's Blake, by the way?" Cooper spoke up, catching everyone else's attention. He eyed Ben, Rex and the rest of Team RWBY. "I thought that she'd be with you guys over here."

Yang shook her head at that. "Nah, she's over with her folks and Team SSSN." The Blonde Brawler jabbed her thumb over her shoulder. "They've got their own goodbyes to say, after all."

* * *

Across the way, Blake was standing opposite of her parents, breathing in through her nose as she prepared for what was to happen next. "So… I guess this is it."

"It would seem that way, dear." Kali said with a sad smile.

"To think… you're going to be jumping across an entire dimension." Ghira let a laugh escape his throat. "It's almost too good to be true, really."

Blake rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, kind of…" The cat girl let her ears droop and she lowered her gaze toward the ground, her hand going to her arm. "I'll be honest… after being apart from you guys for so long… it's kind of hard to leave you again."

"Oh, Blake." Kali instantly pulled her daughter into a hug, with Ghira wrapping his arms around the both of them. "It's okay. It won't be forever, I promise you that."

Ghira nodded his head. "Of course. When the time comes, we will come to visit you. For now, though, there is much work to be done with the White Fang."

"I understand…." Blake muttered as she settled into their embrace, she began to reflect on everything that had led her up to this point. _'To think, this all started with me and Yang at Adam's mercy at Beacon… and now, here we are. It's strange how one thing can change your life, I guess… but still.'_ She craned her head up to her mother and father, letting out a sigh. "I just hope that we're able to see each other sooner than we think."

Kali gave her a shrug as the hug ended. "Well, only time will tell, dear." She pointed over Blake's shoulder with a toothy grin. "But for now, you'll have to rely one someone else for comfort…"

Blake peered over her shoulder to see Sun, the blonde laughing it up with Neptune, Scarlet and Sage as they all said their goodbyes. Blake let out a small giggle and agreed with her mother. "Yeah, I suppose you're right on that one."

Over with Sun's group, the monkey boy gave Sage a fist bump and a thumbs up. "Okay, dude, make sure you guys stay frosty while were gone."

"Yeah, and hey, good luck with Arslan!" Neptune hastily added. "You guys make a good—MMPH!"

Sage, however, didn't exactly appreciate the volume of which the blue-haired boy said that. He quickly clamped a hand over Neptune's mouth and harshly whispered; "DUDE! What the hell?! Don't talk so loud or she might hear you!"

Scarlet rolled his eyes at the display. "Not sure why you're making a big deal out of it. It's obvious that she likes you back."

"IT'S THE PRINCIPLE!" Sage snapped back, making Sun let out another laugh.

However, it was then that said monkey boy noticed that Blake was waving over to him, which signaled to him that he was wanted. "Hey guys, I'll be right back…" He rushed over to the cat girl and gave her a hug the moment he was within reach. "You called, babe?"

Blake nudged her head to her parents. "Yeah, say goodbye to my folks before we leave, huh? If you don't, who knows how many ways my dad will find to rag on you about it the next time we see him?"

"Oh for goodness sake." Ghira facepalmed and let out a groan. "…Alright, to be fair, I probably had that one coming."

"You think?" Kali and Blake asked simultaneously before the older cat woman gave Sun a hug. "Hmhm, but all that aside, I'm very glad that we got the chance to meet you Sun." Kali sent a bright smile to the monkey boy. "It's been made very clear that you make our daughter happy, and I hope you keep doing so even on Earth."

"Hehe, I will, Mrs. B, you don't have to worry about that." Sun assured before he saw Ghira step up to them, the panther man staring down at them. Sun and Kali broke the hug as the former put all of his attention on the Belladonna patriarch, extending a hand to him. "So… are we cool?"

Ghira took a deep breath, waiting a moment before extending his hand and sending a grin to Sun. "Yes, I suppose we are." Sun smiled and shook Ghira's hand… to which the panther man immediately put the squeeze on, his expression becoming far more serious. "But just to let you know… if you break my little girl's heart in anyway… we WILL have words."

Without even flinching, Sun's face went completely serious as well. "Wouldn't dream of it, sir."

The smile returned to Ghira's face and a chuckle escaped his throat. "Hah, good man."

"What IS going on over here, Ghira?" Sun and the Belladonnas all turned their heads to see Sienna, Ilia and Swift all strolling over to them, the tiger lady smirking as she placed her hands on her hips. "STILL trying to put the fear of the gods into that poor boy? I thought you were past that."

"Oh, I am." Ghira assured as he pat Sun's shoulder. "Just making sure that he and I are on the same page."

Sun smiled and crossed his arms. "Which we are."

"Hm, good to hear." Sienna said before nudging her head over to Ilia. "I was just saying my farewells to Ilia here when I heard what sounded like male bonding." She received deadpan faces from Ghira and Sun for that remark. "BAH-hahaha! Oh lord, you should see your faces right now! Utter sour-pusses."

Ilia let out a small giggle as well. "Hehe, yeah, priceless…" But then, she trailed off when Kali suddenly gave her a surprise hug, which caught her off guard. "M-Mrs. Belladonna?"

"Oh, Ilia, don't think I forgot about you!" Kali said with a beaming grin. "I have to say that I am SO proud of you. To think, a little under a week ago, you couldn't STAND the thought of being around humans, and look at you now!" She gestured to every team member visible. "You have so many human friends now that I almost can't keep count! You've come a very long way, and if they could see you now, I'm sure that your mother and father would be quite proud of you."

Ilia's spots became pink at the compliment, with a few tears brimming her eyes. "Th-Thank you, Mrs. Belladonna. That means a lot."

Swift sent a concerned gaze over to her… _'Yeah, Swift, just face facts; she's not just your friend, she's your crush.'_ With that thought now in her mind, she put a comforting arm around Ilia's shoulder. "You okay, Ilia?"

"I-I'm okay." Ilia wiped her tears away, composing herself in the process. "I just… was a bit overcome there." She sent a knowing glance over to Kali. "Then again, considering it's Blake's mom, I probably should've seen that coming."

Blake came over and put another supportive arm around her best friend. "It's okay, Ilia. I know my mom can get overly mushy when she wants to…"

"Hey!" Kali pouted with a huff. "I'm only telling the truth!" Her response got a laugh out of the three girls before the cat lady rounded about over to Sienna. "Speaking of which, I'm also quite proud of YOU, Sienna. You absolutely LOATHED humans a few days ago, and now you are getting along quite well with them."

Sienna rolled her eyes at that. "Well… let's just say that the kids made a convincing argument for me that not ALL humans are bad." She set her gaze onto Ben, Yang and the others with a soft smile. "There's hope for the future yet, I think. And in a world like this, the best way to strive for that future is to work together instead of working AGAINST each other."

At that moment, a new voice suddenly entered the conversation. "And I couldn't agree more." The group of Faunus perked up as a certain white-haired woman with tiger ears strolled over to them, taking Sienna in particular by surprise. "I apologize if I'm interrupting anything, but I've been going around saying my goodbyes and I couldn't help but overhear…"

"Ahem, it's quite alright." Ghira cleared his throat as he addressed the newcomer. "And, er, who exactly are you, Miss…"

"Miss Tigerlily!" Blake greeted as she, Ilia and Sun all moved up to her. The cat girl set her eyes on her parents and Sienna as she introduced them to the flower shop owner. "Mom, dad, Sienna, this is Whitlea Tigerlily. She owns a nice little flower shop here in town and she's been a big help to us in the past… mostly in terms of romantic reasons." she and Sun couldn't help but blush as they recalled when Whitlea gave them their own bouquet of flowers free of charge.

"Oh, how wonderful!" Kali said as she came up and shook Whitlea's hand. "It's so nice to meet you!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you all as well!" Whitlea returned. "I'm a VERY big fan of what you've been doing with the White Fang recently, and I've been wanting to talk with you about it."

This managed to pique Sienna's interest. "Oh really?" She tilted her head toward the other tiger woman. "And what exactly do you want to talk about?"

"Well… I just wanted to say that I'm very happy that you've taken the White Fang in this new direction." Whitlea explained. "A force that fights to protect not just Faunus, but humans as well… it's something that I think is a great step forward in terms of human/Faunus relations. Especially as someone who is getting married TO a human." She craned her head down a bit as she continued. "The truth is, back in your earlier days, I WAS very invested in your cause… but when things took a violent turn, I fell off the bandwagon, so to speak."

Sienna winced and rubbed the back of her head. "Hm… yes, I've been reflecting on everything lately, and I'm not exactly all that proud of the things that I've done during my tenure as sole leader of the White Fang." She glanced over to Ben and the others once again. "Those kids over there showed me that humans and Faunus CAN cooperate. I was just too shortsighted to see that." The tiger woman folded her arms and let out a sigh. "I thought we could gain humanity's respect through fear, but all we caused was more conflict. And in a world like this, that's the LAST thing we want happening."

"No doubt about it." Whitlea agreed. "Especially with Salem going around." She gave Sienna and the Belladonnas a polite bow. "With all that said, I want you three to know that you have my full support on your future endeavors, and I'm sure that many other Faunus AND humans will as well."

"Thank you, Miss Tigerlily." Ghira said with a bow of his own.

"Yes, we appreciate your kind words." Kali added

Whitlea stood up straight and sent a beaming smile toward them. "It's my pleasure!" She faced Blake, Sun and Ilia once again and gave them a wink. "Now, I hope you three will have a good time in Ben's world, and I eagerly await seeing you all again sometime in the future."

Sun sent Whitlea a salute. "Same here, Miss Tigerlily, and hey, good luck with your wedding!"

Blake nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I hope you two have a very happy life together."

"Oh, I certainly hope so, too, Blake." Whitlea sent a knowing wink to the couple. "By the way… how are those flowers that I gave to you two? Are they holding up well?"

"Hehe, yes, they are, actually." Blake jerked her thumb over to the ship. "We're actually bringing them with us, believe it or not. And Yang's bringing hers too!"

Whitlea clapped her hands together. "Wonderful! Oh, I hope that they last a good, long time… which I suppose the same can be said about your relationships." This got Blake and Sun to blush again, making everyone break out into a round of laughter. "Hahaha! Oh, my goodness, you two are just the cutest." She gave one last wave as she began making her way over to another group. "Well, I have some more goodbyes to say, so I'll be off. I'll be seeing you!"

"Bye, Miss Tigerlily!" Blake said as she and the others waved back. "See you later!" However, as she was waving goodbye, Blake's ears suddenly picked up quite the unexpected sound; crying, and LOTS of it. She craned her head around and quickly found the source… and she had to admit, she wasn't surprised by what it was. It was a sea of blonde hair, along with one brunette, and all of them were hugging a rather despondent young blond in the middle, his face deadpanning all the while. "Oh gosh." Blake sent an apologetic expression over to her friend. "Sorry, Jaune."

* * *

"Gee, thanks, Blake." Jaune muttered back, having seen the cat girl's lips say an apology to him as all of the crying filled his ear drums. "Way to show some moral support." The blond knight sighed and moved his eyes down to all seven of his sisters and Terra, all of whom had somehow wrapped all of their arms around him at once. _'I'm not even sure how that's POSSIBLE, but hey, color me surprised.'_

Thankfully, not ALL of them were crying their eyes out. Really, it was only Azure, Violette and Verte who were crying the strongest. Terra, Saphron, Blanche and Noire were simply weeping silently, with the odd sob managing to escape their lips, while Rouge wasn't crying at all, though her face WAS slightly saddened. Said elder sister had noticed Jaune's sigh ruffled his hair a bit. "Oh, c'mon, Jaune, you knew that this was going to happen before you left, right?"

Jaune pursed his lips at that. "Well, yeah, I had a feeling. But still, you guys don't have to make a big deal out of it. It's not like I'm not ever coming back—" _SLAP!_ "OW!"

Verte wore an indignant face as she began shouting at her brother. "Well MAYBE we're upset because our brother is gonna be leaving us AGAIN! Ya ever think about THAT?!" She glared at Jaune for a good few seconds before noticing the sympathetic expression on his face, as well as the fact that he was rubbing his cheek in pain. All of this made Verte sigh sadly. "I-I'm sorry, Jaune. It's just… the thought of you going off to another world… it's a LOT scarier than you going off to an academy on your own, I'll say that much."

Jaune smiled and gave her a wink. "Heh, well, lucky for you, I'm not going anywhere by myself this time."

"He makes a fantastic point!" Nora shouted out, garnering the Arc sisters' attention. The hyper redhead bounced up with Ren and Pyrrha keeping in stride next to her. "And remember; you can count on us to make sure that your bro is okay!"

"Indeed." Pyrrha concurred as she smirked over to Jaune. "After all, I am NOT about to let him do anything that involves him getting in over his head."

Jaune chuckled as his sisters all finally began to release him from the hug, allowing him to move over to Pyrrha and put her in a side embrace. "Well, I guess I can't fault ya for that one, Pyr. I DO sometimes bite off a bit more than I can chew."

"Now THAT I know is true." Blanche exclaimed as she smirked at her brother. "I remember when you used to try and climb trees in the backyard… only until you remembered that you were afraid of heights and always came crashing down half-way up the truck! Haha!"

Jaune shot her another deadpan face, to which Noire gave out a laugh of her own. "Haha! Oh, c'mon, Jaune. You know that we rag on you because we love you, right?"

Despite himself, Jaune's smile reappeared. "Hehe, yeah, I know."

All of a sudden, Violette and Azure zipped up to him and Pyrrha, the two youngest Arcs beaming up to him in excitement. "Ooh! Ooh! When you come back from Earth, you think you could bring us all some souvenirs or something?!" Violette exclaimed

"Perhaps a few things from some alien worlds as well?!" Azure added. "Seeing things from an actual alien culture would be simply exhilarating!"

Jaune waved the two down, with both him and Pyrrha smiling at their enthusiasm. "Haha, okay, okay, we'll bring you guys back some stuff, promise." The two girls let out a cheer and high-fived each other before Saphron and Terra stepped up, catching Jaune's attention immediately. "So, I'm guessing that you two are heading back for Argus after this?"

"Yeah, but we won't be going by ourselves." Saphron answered as she set her eyes onto Pyrrha. "Your mother is actually going to be traveling with us back home…" She then sent Pyrrha a wink. "So when we get back, we'll be able to find out exactly where your place is."

Pyrrha's eyes widened at that. "…Seriously?"

"Yep, seriously!" Terra affirmed before patting her belly. "And best of all, when this little one is born, Athena offered to come baby sit!" Terra gave Pyrrha a wink as well. "Whenever you get back home to Argus, just know that we'll be over at each other's houses quite often, 'kay Pyrrha?"

A small chortle escaped the Invincible Girl's lips. "Hmhm, well, I probably should have seen that coming, I suppose." She beamed happily at the couple, reaching out to grab each of their hands. "But this IS very exciting. I cannot wait for the moment when your little bundle of joy comes into this world… because then, Aunty Pyrrha can dote on them however she wishes!"

Jaune facepalmed, but he couldn't stop the grin that came from his face. "Oh god, Pyr, between you and my parents, this baby is gonna be spoiled."

"That's right!" Everyone's heads perked up at the sound of Mary's voice as she, Jonathan and Athena all moved up to the group, the brunette stepping up to her son for a goodbye hug. But right then and there, she whispered something that only Jaune and Pyrrha could hear. "And believe me, when you two have children, the same this is going to happen to them."

"Oh, without a doubt." Athena whispered as well as she hugged her daughter, too. "I VERY much look forward to that day."

Both Jaune and Pyrrha blushed profusely at that, though at the same time, they were thankful that it was at a level that only THEY could hear. "Ahem, uh, yeah. How about we focus on the here and now rather than the future?" Jaune requested as he hugged his mother back. "I mean… we ALL know that we're both not ready for that."

"Hmhm, I know, we're just teasing." Mary giggled, moving up to plant a small kiss on her son's cheek. "It's just a thing mothers do, sweetie."

"That is very undeniable." Pyrrha said before smiling up to her own mother. "We're going to miss you though."

"Oh, we are, too, dear." Athena said before planting a kiss on her daughter's forehead. "But you'll see us sometime soon, I can guarantee that." She gave her daughter a wink. "You might even see me sooner than you think considering what James asked of me." Pyrrha tilted her head before Athena explained. "Well, you see; I will be going home for a while, but James has asked me to officially join him and Glynda in the fight against Salem."

Jonathan walked up to his wife and son, jerking a thumb to himself. "Same with me! He says that he needs all the help he can get in this fight, and I'm more than willing to lend a helping hand."

"Within reason, of course." Mary added, poking a finger to his chest. "You're still semi-retired, remember." She glanced toward Athena with a knowing smirk. "As are YOU Athena. You two had better be careful if you even want a CHANCE at seeing your future grandchildren." Once again, Jaune and Pyrrha face palmed, hiding their embarrassment.

The older blond knight pulled his wife into an embrace with a chuckle. "Hehe, don't worry, hon. I know my limits. Hell, I'm already starting to feel my age."

Athena gave her friend a nod. "Indeed, we will be quite cautious, Mary."

"And I'm glad to hear it." The brunette woman began scanning her eyes across the gathered group. "Now, where are—AH! There they are!" Mary spotted Ren and Nora and immediately went up to give them a hug, with Athena following soon after. "Oh, you two didn't think we'd forget about you, did we?"

A slight shade of red came to Ren's face. "W-Well, no, but this isn't really neces—"

"Yes, it IS necessary." Athena said as she smiled down at the two. "You two are every bit a part of this giant family as everyone else is, even if you aren't related by blood. I cannot express enough how thankful I am that my daughter has such great friends and teammates, and I'm especially grateful that I got to meet the two of you."

"My thoughts exactly." Jonathan said as he stepped over and settled his hands on Ren and Nora's shoulders. "If there's ANYTHING that you two need, please, don't hesitate to ask. Also, you're welcome in all of our households, no questions asked."

It was at this point that Nora began to tear up… before heading straight into a bawling mess as she somehow managed to wrap her arms around all three of the adults. "BWAH-HA-HAH! I-I-I'm gonna miss you guys so much!" Mary, Jonathan and Athena all glanced to each other before returning the embrace, allowing Nora enough time to calm down. "I-I'm sorry, it's just… it's been a long time since I… since WE have had…"

"Parental figures?" Athena guessed as she stroked Nora's hair gently. "We understand, Nora. And we are more than happy to provide anything you two need."

Despite himself, Ren couldn't help but shed a tear as well, wiping it from his eye with a bit of a sniffle. "Th-Thank you, Athena. That means a lot."

"It's our pleasure." Jonathan assured before setting his eyes out onto his daughters. "Alright, girls, this is your last chance! Has everyone gotten in their goodbyes?" He received a resounding "YES!" from the sea of blonde hair before taking notice of something; one of his girls was missing. "Hey, uh… did anyone see where Blanche went?"

Noire wore a smirk as she jerked a thumb toward the ship, where her twin was strolling her way up to a certain spikey-haired genius. "Oh, she's just getting in one last tease. She'll be right back."

* * *

Over near the ship, Caesar was having a conversation with Holiday, Pietro and Penny, the group caught up in a subject that was VERY interesting to all four of them; quantum mechanics. "So, what the Dimensional Doorway essentially does is rip a tear through the very fabric of space and time itself, allowing for easy passage between worlds." Caesar explained to the aging scientist. "It does so by using several different—huh?" The genius suddenly stopped speaking when he felt a tap on his shoulder… and a certain voice speak up from behind him.

"Hey, brain boy, how about ya quit with the techno-babble and get in a couple goodbyes?" Caesar's eyes widened and his lips parted in surprise at seeing Blanche standing behind him, the choppy-haired blonde giving him a wink. "Don't tell me you're too caught up in your own work to even say a couple parting words."

"B-Blanche!" Caesar exclaimed. "I… you're here."

The young woman rolled her eyes. "Obviously."

"W-Well, I just… I didn't think you'd—"

"Relax, smarty-pants." Blanche gave Caesar's shoulder a light shove. "After what happened a couple nights ago, it's kinda hard to forget about ya." She sent a wink to him and leaned forward a bit, poking him on the nose. "Listen, my sisters and I may or may not be swinging by Earth sometime, so just to let ya know… that offer remains open, 'kay?"

Caesar gulped down whatever anxiety he was feeling and nodded. "O-Oh… well, that's great to know, Blanche." He collected his wits and smiled softly to her, rubbing the back of his head. "I-If you don't mind having this somewhat awkward, quirky scientist take you out for a good time, then you know that I'm always open."

"Good!" Blanche declared with a smirk before reaching forward and grasping the underside of his chin. "And honesty? Your quirkiness is something I can get used to." She flicked her finger up and hit his nose lightly before turning around, giving him one final wave goodbye. "Keep me in mind, brainiac!"

The slack-jawed scientist hastily answered back. "I-I will! Don't worry! Hehe…" But when she was out of ear shot, Caesar slumped over in shock. " _Ay dios mio_ , what have I gotten myself into?"

Holiday smiled and gave Caesar a pat on the shoulder. "If you ask me, I think it's something that's NOT science-related. And considering YOU, that's probably a good thing."

"She makes an excellent point, Caesar." Pietro spoke up, garnering the young genius' attention. "You have one of the most brilliant minds I've ever seen, but it's important that you remember what's truly important and not get caught up in your work…" A saddened expression came to the elderly inventor's face. "…It's a mistake that I made many years ago, and I think it's best if you don't try to fall into the same trappings."

Penny put a hand on her father's shoulder. "Oh, daddy, please do not feel upset." She beamed at him as he gazed up at her. "After all, you made certain to program me with the capacity for love, so you certainly must know how it feels, correct?"

Pietro chortled and placed a hand over his daughters. "Ho-ho, I suppose I do, dear."

Caesar smiled and gave a nod to the man. " _Gracias_ , doctor, I appreciate the advice." At that moment, though, the young genius' attention went to Max and Qrow, the two men making their way down the ramp. "So, is Tetrax ready for take of?"

"He is." Max answered. "He and Gluto are standing by at the ready as we speak."

Qrow placed a hand on his hip. "So, are we all set here? Everyone get their goodbyes in?"

"I think we have, bro!" At the shout, the group moved their eyes to see The Alien Trio, Cooper, Rex, Ilia, Swift and Teams RWBY, JNPR, SN and CFVY all coming up to them, with Winter, Tai and Raven bringing up the rear. Everyone else was standing just a few feet away, waiting for the big moment to arrive. Rex stepped up to his brother and gave him a grimace. "But just so ya know, both Jaune and I still think this whole thing you've got going on with Blanche is kinda weird.

Ben gave his EVO friend a nudge to the shoulder. "Ah, c'mon, Rex, let your bro have this, huh? I mean, ya can't go wrong with spunky blondes, am I right?" For that, Ben also received a nudge from Yang, the couple smirking at one another knowingly. With that, though, Ben stepped toward the ship and took a deep breath. "Well, I guess this is—"

"Hold up there!" The whole front yard snapped their heads around to see Lisa Lavender, the reporter crossing her arms with a bit of an indigent face. "I HOPE you guys really weren't planning on leaving without saying bye to me, were you?"

Ben slapped his forehead with a bit of a laugh. "Heh, of course! How could we forget?" He, Rex and Team RWBY all moved over to the reporter, the hero extending his hand to give her a handshake. "Lisa, I don't think I can thank you enough for helping us over the past couple of days. Because of you, we DON'T have a bad image in Remnant, and honestly, that's probably the best thing I could've hoped for."

"I hope we get to see you again soon." Yang said with a thumbs up. "We can always use more good press, after all."

Lisa graciously shook every one of their hands. "Oh, don't worry about it AT ALL. If anything, I should be thanking YOU guys. Not only has my career gotten a MAJOR boost…" She spread her arms out toward them. "But I met a lot of great people who I'm happy to call great heroes… and my friends."

"AW! Thanks, Lisa!" Ruby said with an ear-to-ear smile. "I'm glad we got to meet you, too!"

There was a large round of agreements from the whole team before Blake spoke up next. "Well… I think NOW we've said goodbye to everyone." She moved her eyes up toward the ship. "So… I'm guessing it's time?"

Ben gave a single nod. "Yeah, it is." He and his team faced their friends, family and allies once again, the hero bowing his head to them. "Once again, I can't express how thankful I am to all of you for all the help you've given us over the past few weeks. No matter how big or small it was, I'm glad to have gotten to know each and every one of—" However, he was suddenly cut off when something suddenly rushed over their heads, making everyone give out yells of surprise as a huge wind was kicked up. "GAH! What the hell?!"

However, Ben's question was quickly answered when a Bullhead suddenly came darting back around and landed in the front yard in the blink of an eye, much to everyone's shock. The craft was JUST small enough so that both it and the Resolute had room, but what everyone was quick to notice were the patterns that this Bullhead was decorated with; black snowflakes. Weiss and Winter's eyes widened simultaneously at the sight. "…You HAVE to be kidding me." Winter muttered.

Weiss furrowed her brow at the ship. "He's here."

"DAMN IT!" Rex shouted, gritting her teeth in frustration. "It's the old man! We were THIS close to getting out of here before he got here!"

General Ironwood raised his arm up to the Schnee sisters as he stepped forward, his eyes concentrated on the Bullhead as the hatch on the side opened up. "You all just get out of here. I'll deal with—"

"Wait, general." Weiss piped up, her lips pursing as she saw her father quickly scramble out of the ship with the pilot following soon after. "We've got this, don't worry."

The heiress's face sneered a bit as the first thing her father did was shout her name, and by the sound of it, he wasn't happy. "WEISS!" Jacques Schnee marched up to the group with a stern glare on both of his daughters, though he was laser focused on Weiss in particular. "What is the MEANING of all this?! I haven't heard from you in THREE WEEKS and now all of a sudden you're fighting a WITCH and you're SUPPORTING the WHITE FANG?!"

However, Weiss simply regained her composure, staring down at her father apathetically as Ironwood got in his way. "So what if I am?"

Jacques snarled at her tone. "How DARE you?! Have you forgotten just how much of a living HELL they've made our lives?! How they've affected the company?! They're lucky that they aren't—" But it was then that he noticed Ghira, Kali and Sienna in the corner of his eye, causing him to snap his head toward the three. " _You_. What in the _hell_ are you doing here?"

However, the trio of feline Faunus didn't flinch in the slightest, with Ghira simply gesturing up to Blake. "Well, if you MUST know, sir, our daughter is on the same team as your daughter, so we're just here to see her off." Ghira furrowed his brows at the man before growling out. "However, I doubt that you're here to see YOUR daughter off with the same kindness given her reaction."

"What?! Seeing her off?!" Jacques rounded back toward Ironwood with a questioning glare. "General, what is the meaning of this?! And how can you even _work_ with those… _those_ —gah!"

In an instant, Ironwood brought his mechanical arm up and grasped Jacques roughly by the collar, hoisting him up without a second thought. He shot an icy-cold glare that managed to make the older man flinch. "If you were about to use the word I THINK you were going to use, then I suggest you not finish that sentence, _sir_."

Jacques began flailing to get out of the general's iron grip, trying to pry himself free with his hands. "Y-You would DARE handle me like this?! What is the meaning of—"

"Listen, Jacques, there's more at stake here than what the White Fang has done to your company in the past." Ironwood said before shoving Jacques away, the man landing on his rear as everyone set their own glares directly onto him. "Now is NOT the time for the humans and Faunus to be at each other's throats, not with the threat we face now!"

"Exactly." Glynda spoke up, whipping her Disciplinarian in Jacques' direction. "Now if you would be so kind, Mr. Schnee, you will leave here and never come back."

All this did, though, was make Jacques red in the face, the man standing up before letting his anger explode. "This… this is preposterous! I will NOT stand to be spoken to in such a disrespectful manner! Do you KNOW who you are talking to?!" He whipped his head up to Wiess and pointed his finger to his Bullhead. "Young lady, I don't know where you THINK you're going, but I know where you ARE going, and that is BACK HOME to Atlas!"

"NO!" Weiss screamed at the top of her lungs, glaring harder at her father than she ever had before. The whole area was silent as Weiss took a deep breath, steadying herself before sending an icy stare at her father. "No, I'm _not_. I don't _want_ to go back to Atlas, nor do I _intend_ to, at least not yet."

Jacques clenched his fists in ire at that. "Do you have ANY idea what you are saying right now!? What you've done in the past forty-eight hours has gone against what the Schnee family name has stood YEARS for, and now you simply wish to keep trekking it through the mud?!"

Winter sneered at her father. "I think that you have already done a good enough job of that yourself."

"Don't YOU barge into this, _dear_." Jacques spat venomously. "As I recall, I revoked your position as heiress for doing this exact same thing YEARS ago…" He set his sights back onto Weiss. "And I will do the same to YOU again if you do not comply, Weiss! Continue resisting and I shall have your claim in the company AND its earnings revoked and passed down to your brother, Whitley." He narrowed his eyes at his daughter. "Think hard and carefully. It's time you wake up and face reality."

There was another long, silent pause before Weiss responded… and a small chuckle escaped her lips. "Hmhm, you know, it's funny… I've faced reality more times in the past three weeks… hell, in nearly the past YEAR, than I have in my time in Atlas." She turned her nose up to her father. "And from my experience, the reality is that the whole world does NOT revolve around you and the SDC. I'm done with you, father, and I'll only look back… when the company _isn't_ in your hands anymore."

Jacques snarled, his face contorted in pure rage. "You would threaten a COUP against ME?!"

"Perhaps, but for now, I'm simply going to go to another world with my friends to stop a great evil from conquering both of them." Weiss smirked over to Winter, who grinned back wryly. "But for now, I think I should at least leave you with a little parting gift…" She glanced toward Gwen inquisitively. "Gwen, do you sense any other life signatures on the Bullhead?"

"Um…no?" Gwen said in confusion. "It's just your father and the pilot, and both of them are out."

Weiss clapped her hands excitedly. "Oh, thank you!" She then moved her eyes toward Rex and smiled at him. "Oh, Robo-dolt? Would you do a small favor for me?"

Rex quirked a brow and replied; "Uh sure. What is it?" Weiss whispered into his hear and a rather nefarious grin took over Rex's face, the EVO rubbing his hands together. "Ooh-ho-ho, I'm LIKING where you're going with this, Ice Princess."

' _W-What?! "Ice Princess"?'_ Jacques pointed to Rex accusingly. "You! Just who do you think you are referring to her in such a manner?!"

"Probably best if I don't tell ya that part." Rex said as he activated his Slam Cannon with a smug grin. "But lemme say this now; I'm probably the worst person you'd wanna run into, old man." He peered over his shoulder to the Omnitrix bearer. "Hey Ben! Remember that combo move we used on Alpha?"

Ben eyed the Slam Cannon in confusion. "Uh, yeah, I—" But then, he saw Rex jerking his thumb toward the Schnee Bullhead… and Ben immediately got what Rex was going for. "Oh… I see." A smirk of Ben's own creeped onto his face as he readied the Omnitrix, stepping behind the Slam Cannon in preparation. "Ready and waiting!"

"Okay! Three…" Rex opened the maw of the Slam Cannon and it swallowed Ben into it, much to everyone's surprise. "Two…" Rex took aim at the Bullhead, ignoring Jacque breaking out into confused rambling. "ONE!" _**BAM!**_ All at once, Rex shot Ben—or rather, Cannonbolt—right out of the Slam Cannon, the Arburian Pelarota sailing toward the Bullhead at a VERY high speed. However, right before Cannonbolt made impact, he was engulfed in a bright green light, with his armor shifting from yellow to a metallic blue with multiple sharp spikes coming out of it. And then…

**BOOOM!** The moment Ultimate Cannonbolt made contact with the ship, it blew to smithereens, causing everyone to duck and cover. Thankfully, it was far away enough from the house that no debris hit it, but still… the blaze it set was absolutely glorious. However, knowing that he couldn't just leave the wrecked junk heap burning, the evolved Arburian Pelarota began slamming down onto the former ship, successfully putting out the fire within a few minutes. All Jacques could do in the meanwhile was stare at the scene slack jawed as he watched his most expensive Bullhead get trashed. "Th-Tha-That w-was—"

Once the fire was totally put out, the large, blue alien sprung up into the air and landed in front of Jacques in a single bound, uncurling himself so that he could stand on his own two legs. When he did, it was revealed that Ultimate Cannonbolt's white underbelly was now a light blue, and all of the spikes on him suddenly unsharpened into studs all across his armor. He glowered down the white-haired man who was now cowering before him. "I believe the phrase you're searching for are; "Oh balls, there goes my ship"."

"Y-Y-You!" Jacques pointed at Ultimate Cannonbolt, trying to put on a brave face, but failing miserably. "You're supposed to be a HERO, aren't you?!"

"Yeah, but here's the thing…" The evolved Arburian Pelarota leaned closer, narrowing his eyes at Jacques all the while. "When it comes to uppity assholes like you who think they can control people's lives… you're the _bad_ guy in this scenario, no question about it."

Jacques clenched his teeth harder than he even thought he could. "You… you won't get away with this!"

"Actually, I will." The hero hit the Omnitrix again and transformed back into his regular Cannonbolt form, jerking his thumb over toward the ship as he did. "In fact, I think I can get away faster than you can take a piss, old man! SEE YA!" With that, Cannonbolt curled up and bounced back over to the ship, rolling up the ramp as fast as he could. "It's been real, Remnant, but now we gotta get to Earth! Let's roll, guys!"

"You heard the dude!" Coco shouted, leading the whole departing group up into the ship as many of them laughed at Jacques' expense. "Let's book it!"

As the large group filed into the Resolute, Jacques' screams could still be heard from the ground, even as the ramp was moving up. "WEISS! I WILL NOT FORGET THIS!" Weiss and Winter simply rolled their eyes at that… but then the last part made them falter a bit. "And you can be DAMNED sure that your mother will hear of it!" With that, the ramp closed up, leaving the Schnee sisters to take a pause.

Weiss lowered her head regrettably, to which her sister was quick to reassure her. "It's okay, Weiss. I know that our relationship with mother isn't… the _best_ right now, but WILL get mother out of there… we just need the right plan on how to do so."

"…Yeah, I know." The former heiress nodded, taking in a deep breath to steady herself. "I just… I can't believe we got so wrapped up in what WE wanted to do… that we completely forgot about mother."

At the feeling of a warm touch slipping into her hand, Weiss craned her head up to see Rex, giving her his signature grin. "Hey, don't worry, Ice Princess. Even if you're not on the best terms with your mom right now, the fact that you still care about her is still a good thing." He gave her a small peck on the cheek. "We'll get her away from that asshole, I promise."

A slow smile began to reappear on Weiss' face at his words, leaning her head against his shoulder comfortably. "How is it that you always know what to say, Robo-dolt?"

"I like to think of myself as inspiring every so often." Rex boasted, earning him a soft pinch to the shoulder. "Heh, okay, I guess I deserve that. Now c'mon! We don't wanna miss the main event!"

* * *

"Ben Tennyson, that had to be the most foolhardy thing I've seen you done!" Raven chastised as the whole group entered the bridge of the Resolute, catching Tetrax and Gluto's attention immediately.

"I was just going to say, I saw all of that." Tetrax spoke up as he set his eyes on the approaching hero. "Ben, just what in the world happened out there?"

"I'll explain later, Tetrax." Ben said with a wave. "But let's just say that the world's biggest asshole just got what was coming to him. That said… yeah, it WAS kinda reckless, but hey, at least it's not THE most foolhardy thing I've ever done." The hero ran up to the pilot's seat and snapped two fingers forward. "Gluto, get us out of here!"

Gwen folded her arms as they felt the ship begin to rise up, quirking a brow at her cousin. "Alright, I can't argue with that, Ben, but just what in the world were you thinking?! You DESTROYED a billionaire's Bullhead! One who no doubt has some leverage with certain groups of people."

Ben peered over his shoulder to his cousin, jerking his thumb toward the door as Weiss and Rex entered the room. "Hey, if you're gonna blame somebody, blame the two who WANTED me to take part in their crazy idea!"

"…Oh, yeah, right." Gwen muttered before rounding about onto Rex and Weiss instead. "Just what in the world were YOU two thinking?"

Weiss and Rex initially recoiled at the Anodite's words, but the former heiress regained her composure to answer. "Mainly? To get payback on my father for the YEARS of torment he put me, my sister, AND my mother through." She glanced over to Winter, who was entering the room behind them. "And even then, our job still isn't done in that last regard."

"Ya gotta admit, though, Gwen… it was AWESOME!" Rex cheered.

Over near his team, Fox crossed his arms with a smirk. "Heh, yeah, I might not have been able to see it, but considering how loud the explosion was, I'm pretty sure that it must've been pretty freakin' sweet."

"No kidding!" Ilia said with a laugh as she offered Blake a fist bump. "Schnee got JUST what was coming to him on THAT one!"

Blake smiled back and returned the gesture, laughing a little herself. "I'll admit, seeing him get his just desserts WAS very satisfying."

Yang pumped a fist in approval. "Hell YEAH it was! You guys just turned that Bullhead into a mountain of scrap in a single shot!" She faced her boyfriend with an ear-to-ear smile. "Green Boy, I'm guessing that was ULTIMATE Cannonbolt you just used?"

Ben placed his hands on his hips proudly. "Yep, sure was. I know Azmuth said that I shouldn't waste the Omnitrix's battery on the Ultimates like that… but I was only Ultimate Cannonbolt for like, a minute, so I still should have plenty of charge left…" Ben trailed off when he suddenly felt a firm hand on his shoulder, glancing up to see Tai standing behind him. The man had a smirk on his face… but something seemed a bit off.

"Hehe, Ben, I gotta say, that WAS very satisfying to watch, and Schnee TOTALLY had it coming…" He leaned forward, giving the young hero a rather intimidating face. "But I hope you realized you just left a huge hunk of scrap metal out on my front lawn. And while it wasn't on fire for very long, you no doubt burned a large patch of grass beneath it."

"Uh… hehe… I'll regrow it, Tai, I promise." Ben said nervously as Yang gave her dad a rather annoyed expression.

"Good to hear." Tai's smile returned as he set his gaze out the ship's massive front window. "Now, how about we get this thing underway, huh? So, how do we activate this Dimensional Doorway, anyhow?"

Caesar and Cooper both walked up toward Gluto's pilot seat, the former answering the question. "Quite simple, actually…" He reached up and pulled open a small compartment on the control panel, revealing… a big red button and a small lever.

"Well, here it is." Cooper said proudly, unaware that everyone was staring at the incredibly simplistic interface with blank expressions. "Ready and waiting for use! Now who's ready to get back home?!"

Holiday couldn't help but blink at the rather odd controls. "Wait… that really IS it?" She furrowed her brows at the genius. "Caesar, knowing you, I would've expected the controls to be a lot more complex"

Coco came up and took a closer look at the set up. "Yeah, Tech Head, I expected something a bit more… elaborate?"

"Heh, well, there IS a reason why the controls are like this, ladies…" Caesar chuckled before craning his head over to a certain hyperactive redhead. "Nora, would you like to do the honors?"

Nora's eyes shot open wide at the question, pointing a shaky finger to herself. "W-Wait, m-m-me?! You want ME to fire the portal?!"

Cooper gave her a thumbs up. "Sure! You WERE the one to think this whole thing up, Nora."

"He's got a point there." Jaune piped up, placing a hand on Nora's shoulder. "This portal cannon WAS your idea, Nora. It only makes sense that you get the first go at it."

Pyrrha beamed at her fellow redheaded teammate. "Indeed! I think it's a grand idea!" She waved her hand over to the controls. "Go on ahead, do us the honors of taking us to Earth!"

The Pink Dynamo shifted her eyes around to every one of her friends, all of them giving her big, supportive smiles of encouragement. Finally, she landed on Ren, her beloved green ninja sending her a soft grin and a wink. "This is _your_ Brain Baby, Nora. Now go give her a spin."

At that, a big toothy smile appeared on Nora's face, her giddiness surging tenfold. "EEEEEE! This is SO exciting!" She zipped over and put her hand on the controls, the act of pulling the lever allowing for the Dimensional Doorway cannon to suddenly retract from the underside of Tetrax's ship. "Alright, guys, just say when!"

"We just have to wait until we reach the appropriate altitude…" Tetrax said as the ship continued to fly up into the air. After a few moments more, Tetrax waved his hand at to Nora, giving her the okay. "Alright, NOW!"

"I hear that!" Nora pulled the lever again, taking aim before setting her hand over the big, red button. "MAKE ME PROUD, BRAIN BABY!" With those words, Nora slammed her hand onto the button and a large beam of light suddenly shot out of the cannon, exploding in the air about five seconds afterward. At first, it just appeared to be a huge sphere of light, but at the very next moment, it shifted into a large, green vortex.

"Well… this is it, guys." Kevin spoke up, crossing his arms with a smirk. "Next stop; Bellwood!"

Ruby let out another cheer as she pumped her fist toward the portal. "Woo-hoo! Let's go!" With that, Gluto activated the ship's thrusters and the Resolute flew straight into the vortex. At first, there was nothing but a bright, green light enveloping the whole bridge as they flew through it, forcing everyone to cover their eyes. However, after a few moments, the group were greeted by a blue sky once again. Once they uncovered their eyes, Ruby set her gaze out the window again, tilting her head as she did so. "So… did it work?"

Yatsu shifted his eyes around in confusion. "I cannot be sure. Nothing really _feels_ different."

"Yeah, an' nothin' LOOKS different, either." Qrow said from the back of the group.

"That's because we can't see the ground yet." Caesar stated before eyeing the ship's pilot. "Gluto, take us down, _por favor_." With that, the Protost dipped the ship downward… and everyone could immediately see that they were clearly NOT on Patch anymore. The large, urban town before them had large buildings and houses everywhere, with a large bridge spanning over a wide river. Further away from the town's center was a more suburban area, with smaller houses dotted all around.

The group of teens began to smile at the sight as Ben took a deep breath, his emotions almost overwhelming him. "Guys… welcome to Bellwood!"

As the crowd behind him began cheering, Ben felt a hand settle on his shoulder, his eyes meeting his grandfather's almost instantly. "You okay there, Ben?" Max asked with a quirked brow. "You seem a little misty-eyed there."

Ben blinked away whatever tears were beginning to form and let out a sigh. "Yeah, yeah, I'm good, grandpa. I'm just really happy to be back home."

"You and me both, sport." Max agreed before craning his head around to see Gwen and Kevin staring out the front window as well, the former starting to tear up herself while her boyfriend held her comfortably. "And I can tell you that you're not the only one."

"Yeah, I know." Ben nodded before addressing Tetrax, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "So, I think the best thing to do first would be to drop off the cargo that we've got down in the prison cells, don't ya think?"

The Petrosapien was all too eager to agree. "An excellent idea, I think. Gluto, take us to Plumber Headquarters." Following his captain's orders, Gluto activated the ship's cloak before piloting the Resolute out over the large town, coming up to the sight where the Plumber Headquarters was in a matter of seconds. Where there had been once a huge crater from where the explosion had occurred three weeks ago, it was now filled in with dirt and gravel, with a construction team already beginning to lay asphalt over said gravel. However, at the moment, nobody seemed to be there.

"Wow, they really filled this place in since the last time I was here." Rex remarked. "About a week and a half ago, this was still a crater."

Near the back of the group, Swift's eyeridges rose up in surprise. "Man, and Plumber HQ is STILL standing?"

"Yep, the underground HQ is resilient enough to survive almost any type of explosion." Cooper affirmed. "The only thing that could possibly destroy it would be if the base's power core went into melt down, but we have special precautions against that."

"I see…" Swift trailed off when she realized something. "Wait a sec… if you guys are dropping off the bad guys first… what does that mean for me?" All eyes were on her now as she rubbed her arm nervously. "Will I have to get back in a cell, or—"

"No." The Aerophibian hybrid was cut off when Ilia took hold of her shoulders, giving her a serious stare as her eyes became a soft shade of blue. "I WON'T let them lock you up until your trial, Swift, I promise." Her lips curled up into a sincere smile and she brought Swift in for a hug. "We'll figure something out, okay?"

Velvet and Coco came over to the two as well offering Swift supportive hands of their own. "She's right, Swift. We won't let you get locked back up again." Velvet said with a determined expression. "And if they want to do so, they'll have to go through me!"

"And me." Coco lowered her sunglasses and gave Swift a wink. "We won't let those Plumbers touch ya, okay?"

Swift blinked a couple times to make sure she processed all that before finally returning Ilia's embrace, relaxing in the chameleon girl's arms. "Th-Thanks, girls. I appreciate it."

"Hey guys, down there!" Sun shouted out, getting everyone's attention again as he pointed out the window. There, from right up out of the ground, an elevator popped up and opened its doors, with a rather familiar figure stepping out in his signature three-piece suit. The tall, green-clad man began strolling out onto the dirt to meet them, staring up at the ship stoically as he did. "Guess we've got a welcoming committee!"

"It's Six!" Rex exclaimed. "How'd he even know we were—"

"The base has a ship detection system." Cooper explained as the Resolute began to lower to the ground, giving everyone the signal to start disembarking. "Even the heaviest of cloaked ships can't get past them. Now c'mon, let's set foot on some terra firma, huh?"

Not needing to be told twice, the entire team began to file back down to the ship's cargo hold, with Caesar, Max, Raven, Tai, Qrow and Winter bringing up the rear. However, surprisingly enough, Holiday had joined the teens up front, the doctor almost appearing giddy at the prospect of disembarking. Once they all gathered in the hold, Tetrax lowered the ramp for them, allowing them to get a good view of the world they were in now. For Ben, Gwen and Kevin, it was all too familiar. For Rex, it was somewhat familiar, but still a little different. But for the rest of them, it was somewhat surreal. "Wow… this _definitely_ isn't Remnant." Neptune spoke everyone's thoughts.

"Yeah, it's a lot… _brighter_ , I think." Blake agreed.

"Indeed." Penny concurred as she did a quick analysis. "I am also detecting quite a bit of additional warmth as well."

Ben gave her a shrug. "Well, I guess that's what going straight from fall to summer will do to somebody."

Penny furrowed her brows in contemplation. "Perhaps, but I am also detecting quite a bit more carbon dioxide in this planet's atmosphere…"

Ben, Gwen, Kevin and Rex all winced at that, the quartet glancing at one another awkwardly. "Yeah… we're still working on that." Rex assured. "Guess that's ONE upside to Remnant not using fossil fuels…" As the group made their way down to the bottom of the ramp, Six began approaching them, the man wearing a small grin on his face. Rex was all too eager to wave him down. "HEY! Six, we're—"

"SIX!" Without warning, Holiday suddenly surged past everyone and pulled her fiancé into a strong embrace, taking everyone off guard. "Heehee! We're home!" the EVO expert exclaimed happily.

Six chuckled and returned the hug without hesitation, resting his fiancé's head on his shoulder briefly. "Hmhm, I can see that." The two then brought their faces close for a quick, yet loving kiss, which made many of the ladies on the team coo in adoration. Once the kiss was over, Six cupped Holiday's face. "How are you doing, Rebecca?"

"Better now that I'm back here." Holiday replied. "You have no idea how much I missed you."

"I can imagine." Six concurred before directing his eyes back to his protégé, who was approaching with Weiss by his side. "And I can see you weren't the only one…" He reached out and grasped Rex's hand, shaking it firmly. "It's good to see you back, Rex."

"Good to BE back, Six." Rex nodded back before nudging his head over to Weiss. "I know you've already met her, but now that she's here…"

Six nodded in understanding. "Of course." He bowed his head in the former heiress' direction. "It's good to finally meet you in person, Weiss."

Weiss bowed her head back respectively. "Same here, Agent Six. I look forward to working with you…" She waved her hand toward her friends as they all approached, with The Alien Trio, Yang, Ruby, Blake and Max all drawing the closest. "And I'm sure that THEY are all eager to as well."

Six smirked and placed a hand in his pocket. "I wouldn't expect anything less. It's a privilege to finally meet ALL of you…" He nodded toward Max in particular. "And Magister Tennyson, I'm very glad to finally meet _you_ as well. A lot has happened since you all left."

"I'm sure." Max rubbed the back of his head. "And I can only assume that there's quite a bit of work to be done. But before that, we have a couple of villains that need to be taken back into the brig."

"Of course." Six concurred. "I'll have some Plumbers out here to transport the inmates on the double."

Gwen stepped forward and raised a hand. "So, Agent Six, I'm guessing our families are at our homes waiting for us?"

"They are." Six confirmed. "And they're all very eager to see you. So if you kids want to go see them while we oversee the prisoners, you're more than happy to excuse yourselves."

"EEE! This is so exciting!" Ruby jumped up and down before pulling Blake and Weiss into a hug. "We're gonna be bunking at Ben's place!"

Blake and Weiss let out a simultaneous sigh, the cat girl glancing over to her friends. "Well, at least it won't be AS crowded as all of us being in Tai's house."

"And thank god for that!" Yang said as she put an arm around her boyfriend's shoulders. "So, are you ready to get started on this, Green Boy? You, me, ALL of us in your world?"

Ben smiled back and returned the embrace. "Oh yeah, Goldie Locks. And something tells me we're gonna have one hell of a good time." He pulled Yang in for a loving kiss before addressing his group of friend and allies, raising an eager fist. "Well guys, welcome to Earth. I hope you enjoy your stay, because THIS is all just the beginning!"

* * *

**A/N (IMPORTANT, Please Read): And thus, we have reached the end of Volume 1. Ben and the team are on Earth… and Jacques has gotten his just desserts for even SHOWING his face! Haha! Oh god, that was SO worth it! But of course, they're not the only ones on Earth now, as the newly christened Ministry of Darkness has arrived as well (or at least PART of them). That said, Eon seemed to neglect the lack of money situation that Cinder and Rojo's group have found themselves in. They'd better start looking out for some bounty jobs FAST if they want to at least eat.**

**And indeed, we got to see a lot of characters off in this chapter. Ironwood, Goodwitch, The Belladonnas, Sienna, Jessie Jameson, Ruby's friends, Miss Tigerlily, Scarlet, Sage, Teams CRDL and ABRN, the Arc Family, Athena, Lisa, ALL of them got a chance to say a fond farewell. And of course, that means Remnant gets a bit of a farewell, too. But that said, this isn't "goodbye", just a "see you later". We WILL be seeing all of these characters again in the future, but for now, we have some new characters we'll be seeing on Earth. Look forward to meeting the new, and seeing the old reappear once and a while. And I think we can all agree on one thing… when we see Jacques again, we will take great satisfaction in seeing his world come crashing down. And what's this? Stuff from the CFVY books possibly being integrated into the story? THAT should be quite interesting to see happen down the line…**

**And of course, we got Six to come give us and a team a formal greeting to Earth right off the bat! Expect the next volume to pick up right where we left off (after a small prologue), because starting in the NEXT VOLUME… Ben and the gang will be heading over to the Tennyson residence to meet their new hosts! But, speaking of the next Volume, I should probably get to that! Ahem…**

" **Having returned from a massive adventure in the world of Remnant, Ben, Team RWBY, and the rest of their friends find themselves faced with new challenges at every turn on Earth. Be it villains old and new… or even things that they never imagined to be real. It's going to be a challenge unlike any they've seen before, but they're up for it. It's Hero Time!"**

**Stay tuned for Ben 10 RWBY Volume 2: Ultimate Omniverse! Coming April 2021!**

**Well, there you go, gang! There's the premise for the second volume! Now, I know what you're thinking; "NEXT APRIL?!" Well, yes, next April. I don't make this decision lightly either, because I DO want to continue writing this story… but I also have the Ben 10 RWBY Chibi fic AND the My Hero Academia/Transformers crossover that I want to do in the meantime. I LOVE this story with all of my heart and it's been a blast to take you all on this ride with me, and trust me, the ride's not gonna end. This is just a bit of a stopping point so that I can collect my bearings and get a good handle of how I want the second volume to start out before I really get to writing it. That said, I hope you guys look forward to what I'm gonna bring you all in the future, because I think it's gonna be pretty awesome.**

**Speaking of which, I'm going to be taking a little break for a couple of weeks, but I want you ALL to look forward to Christmas Eve, because THAT is when the Ben 10 RWBY Chibi fic is gonna drop! And then, on New Years Day, the Transformers/MHA story is gonna drop as well! I'll see you all there, and… before I go, I want to thank everyone who's been checking my story out since I arrived on AO3. I know I haven't been on here for very long, but I'm still REALLY to bring you guys plenty of new content in the future. But for now, I'll see you guys later! This is the Omni-Remnant, signing off, and as always, stay safe out there.**


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